McGill Tribune Vol. 34 Issue 3

EDITORIAL

Tuesday, September 16, 2014 Volume No. 34 Issue No. 3

Private residences an uncertain addition to student housing market pg. 6

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Redmen thrash Gaels in dominant performance Goaltender Waesche makes league history with opening goal WYATT FINE-GAGNÉ Sports Editor

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Where the streets have no claim: A peek at Montreal’s secret urban art gallery Continued on pg. 12 McGill graduate student wins legal case against CFS Canadian Federation of Students faces second court loss of the month

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SAM NAZER Contributor

uebec Superior Court Justice Gérard Dugré ruled in favour of Ge Sa, a McGill Ph.D. student, last Tuesday on his case against the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), an organization that campaigns on the federal level for student rights. Justice Dugré ordered CFS to hold a referendum to allow PostGraduate Students’ Society (PGSS) students to vote on whether to leave the CFS. Mr. Sa initiated a petition in September 2013, calling for a referendum

on whether to continue PGSS membership in the CFS. With over 2,000 signatures, the petition surpassed the 20 per cent quorum required by CFS bylaws.

However, the CFS had refused to recognize the validity of the petition, as it claimed the PGSS had not complied with its bylaws in obtaining the signatures.

Justice Dugré rejected the arguments made by the CFS and found the solution sought by the organization to be “manifestly unreasonable.”

“The plaintiff has demonstrated a clear legal and quasi­-constitutional right that a referendum took place in accor-

dance with CFS bylaw I,” Justice Dugré said in his judgement document. “Any delay in holding this referendum clearly causes an irreparable prejudice to the right of the plaintiff to not be affiliated with CFS. This prejudice is not only serious and irreparable but also manifestly irreversible.”

“We are very pleased with the verdict,” Sa said. “This case will set a precedent for students across Canada who are fighting to disaffiliate from the CFS and wish to exercise their right to freedom of association.”

According to Brent Farrington, internal coordinator of CFS the National

Executive will at its next meeting in October discuss proposing dates for the referendum.

“Hopefully, the PGSS is willing to work with us,” Farrington said. “They have a role and responsibility as per our bylaws on what the dates of the vote will be.”

“Knowing the CFS, they might attempt to delay [the referendum] further,” Sa said. “We’re already half a year behind on what was initially scheduled.

If they delay it more than six months or so, we will go back to court to make sure our rights are respected.”

Continued on pg. 2

hough they may have been disappointed by the weather for their home opener, the McGill Redmen (3-0) lacrosse team left Molson Stadium satisfied following a decisive 13-7 victory over the Queen’s Golden Gaels (1-1) Saturday afternoon.

The game’s scoring was opened in historic and unusual fashion, as McGill’s sophomore goalkeeper William Waesche found space in the middle of the field while carrying the ball up and fired a shot from 10 yards out to open the scoring. Waesche’s goal was the first by a goalkeeper in Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) history, and was an unassisted, end-to-end effort.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a goalie score before,” cocaptain Jack Stewart said. “It’s a huge energy boost. Seeing your goalie run down the field and then score the first goal of the game is big for momentum.”

From that point on the Redmen dominated, leading 7-2 by halftime, and 12-4 by the end of the third quarter. The Gaels made a small run during the latter half of the fourth frame, but the attack amounted to just three goals and was not nearly enough to narrow the large gap.

Continued on pg. 20

Pop Rhetoric : Falling out of love with folk

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ERIC NOBLE-MARKS Contributor

emember when a band consisted only of guitar, bass, drums, and vocals? Over the past few years, a cursory listen to rock radio has featured the swelling of string lines, the

jangle of banjos, and the searing leads of brass sections. As listeners, we are confronted with an array of genres that can’t be explained without a dash: Indie-folk, baroque pop-rock, and orchestral-rock are all key parts of what is considered ‘rock music’ these days. How did we get here, to a point

where a band’s roster takes up half the page? How did banjos come to stand alongside guitars as the instrument “du jour?” More importantly, will it all last? The reality of the situation is: Probably not.

To arrive at that conclusion, it’s best to start at the beginning. The

growth of this trend largely begins with the release of great baroque-rock albums such as Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois in the mid 2000s. Though they received massive critical acclaim, their mainstream appeal was limited at best. Funeral, now a modern-day classic, wasn’t certified

gold in the United States until 2011.

Banjos, horns, and strings were beginning to impact the shape of alternative music, but had yet to make a dent in mainstream musical circles.

Continued on pg. 13

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NEWS

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Private residences add to Montreal’s student housing milieu Surge of hotel-style living options aims to capture McGill market

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ADRIAN KNOWLER Contributor

lthough private residences have had a presence in the Montreal area for a while, this past year has seen a surge in local private residences aimed at McGill students.

Two new residences, evo Sherbrooke and Parc Cité along Sherbrooke St. and Parc Ave. respectively opened this spring, minutes away from McGill’s downtown campus. This fall, the Edison residences along University St. also opened.

Although students find themselves housed in apartment units throughout the Montreal area, new private residences are offering students a chance to live in dorm-like settings with shared kitchen and living room facilities.

Many private residences, including Evo Sherbrooke and Parc Cité, further offer amenities such as pools, gyms, study lounges, and game rooms to residents. They also have multiple dining options and culinary facilities provided for students.

Olivier Monnais, evo’s area man-

ager for Montreal, explained that the appeal of new private residences lies in the quality of services offered to the students, which differ from renting out single apartment units.

“I hate to use the word ‘luxury’ but we’re obviously an upscale residence,” he said. “It’s like a hotel. And not a twostar hotel, more like a four-star.”

According to Monnais, the residences are trying to appeal to the same type of student who would live in the McGill hotel-style dorms. In fact, these downtown upscale residences can be seen as direct competitors with McGill’s own hotel style residences. Evo Sherbrooke neighbours La Citadelle and is across the street from Carrefour Sherbrooke. Parc Cité is similarly down the street from New Residence Hall.

“Because of this property’s location, our market is obviously a McGill market,” Monnais said. “I would say that 99 per cent of our clientele is from the university.”

He continued to highlight that legally, he did not discriminate between applicants who were students and those who were not.

“Here in Quebec, the law forbids me from only accepting students,” he said.

On the other hand, Janice Johnson, managing director of residence life and customer relations at Student Housing and Hospitality Services, stated that McGill residences and for-profit private residences offered vastly different opportunities to students.

According to Johnson, there are things that private residences simply cannot offer students, despite their brand new facilities and full time service.

“The programming, the floor fellows, the connection to the ‘McGill network’,” Johnson said. “When someone needs to use the McGill support system it’s easier [if they live in residence] to hook them in to the system.”

Johnson went on to describe the hidden value that many don’t consider when choosing living accommodations for university.

“Tons of research shows that students who experience [university-operated] residences have better educational outcomes,” Johnson said. “They also have better personal development out-

Evo Sherbrooke is a private Residence (Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune) comes, such as comfort with diversity, conflict resolution, and greater leadership.”

Another difference between McGill residences and private ones lies in each option’s social environment.

Layal Awada, a first year McGill Arts student and resident at evo Sherbrooke, noted a difficulty in meeting people, partially due to its lack of occupancy.

Monnais explained that while Evo was at approximately 25 per cent occupancy at the moment, its goal was to be

at 50 to 60 per cent by the end of January.

The building’s facilities are currently still undergoing constructions, which is another issue Awada has had so far.

“The annoying part is that the kitchen, pool, lounges, gym, and laundry aren’t done yet,” she said. “But I know when they’re done, it’s going to be worth it.”

McGill graduate student wins legal case against CFS Judge rules in favour of McGill graduate student Ge Sa SAM NAZER Contributor

(Continued from page 1) “We do not see this as a loss by any means,” Farrington, said.

“We were happy to see that the justice upheld our position that members of the PGSS are in fact members of the CFS and have the democratic right to exercise their vote on whether or not they will continue to be united with students across Canada.”

The PGSS itself is involved in a separate ongoing litigation with the CFS, contesting its membership in the organization based on a referendum held in 2010. The CFS’s refusal to recognize the results of referendum prompted Sa to initiate the petition.

This separate litigation disputing the date of which PGSS ceased to be a member of CFS was considered by Justice Dugré in his judgement, where he advised the court to consider the case on “the facts as they are and not as they might be.”

“At the time of the current judgement, it is without a doubt that PGSS is an association member of the CFS,” the judgement reads. “As indicated by the prosecution, CFS cannot claim that the first referendum is not valid and, in the same breath, affirm that a second referendum cannot be held.”

This court loss for CFS against Sa came soon after its loss to its former Quebec branch on Sept. 5.

In his ruling, Quebec Superior Court Judge Claude Dallaire found the Rassemblement des associations étudiantes (RAE), formerly known as CFS-Quebec (CFS-Q), entitled to membership dues collected on behalf of the CFS between 2007 and 2010, as well as one sixth of national fees collected during that period as per CFS bylaws.

“Given that the [CFS-National (CFS-N)] recognized that the CFS-Q only ceased to be the organization’s legitimate provincial wing in May 2010 in the transaction that interests us, and since the CFS-Q

was, in fact, continuing to act as such until May 14, 2010, to the knowledge of the CFS-N, the CFS-Q had the right to receive all the fees to which a provincial component of the CFS-N has the right under the latter’s regulations,” Justice Dallaire wrote in his judgement document.

“The at large members of the national executive were very confused by the ruling,” Farrington said. “We will be seeking further clarification on what the impacts and specifics will be.”

The judgment may influence related judicial proceedings scheduled for 2015 involving members of RAE, all of whom have attempted to disaffiliate from the CFS. RAE is comprised of PGSS, Concordia Student Union (CSU), Concordia Graduate Student Association (CGSA) and the Dawson Student Union (DSU).

“It weakens their case against Concordia. We are very happy our colleagues down there,” Jonathan Mooney, director of RAE, said. “It also means that the money that was paid to the CFS will now reimburse PGSS, CSU, GSA, and the DSU.” According to Mooney, the RAE board is set to meet in order to determine the amount of money owed.

“Some of that will not be settled until March 2015 when the Concordia case is resolved,” he said.

“But some of it is known now and we will be sitting down with the lawyer, make sure we all agree on it, and will approach CFS about getting that money back.”

“The judge made it perfectly vague to try to ensure that the parties work out the details,” Farrington said. “But we don’t believe that RAE has any interest in sitting down with the CFS to do so.”

The CFS has 30 days to appeal the ruling. According to Farrington, the CFS will discuss the issue at the national executive’s next meeting in October.

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News

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

PGSS EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWS Compiled by: Shrinkhala Dawadi & Cece Zhang

Secretary-General, Juan Pinto

What have you done this summer?

In conjunction with the executive team, we reviewed the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) bylaws and the student activities manual, and we designed two reform packages [for them].

The essence of the reform package was to modify the Board of Appeals. The problem with our current structure [....] is that the secretary-general is the chair for the Board of Appeals [....] I don’t believe it’s good for the [secretary-general] to be part of the board; it has to be an independent body, have [its] own organization, and [its] decisions have to be respected.

The other main thing I was dealing with over the summer was the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). I attended a two-day hearing in the Superior Court of Quebec as a third-interest party. I was there to see Ge Sa’s case [against the CFS].

What goals do you have for this year?

The [four] goals are, One, making the mental health video. McGill is conscious that we have mental health problems, and that students have increased mental health issues. We have to figure out how to reach out to them. We want to bring people from all over the community [....] so they can speak about this issue, be very frank and say, “I reach for help,” and it’s about resilience, not about [debilitation].

The second is revamping PGSS’s [bylaws and] structure so it can better represent the state of our society [….] I do believe we have to change the mentality in our society. I believe we have to start [....] seeing our internal institution as something that can generate change.

The third one is solving the CFS case, and the fourth is the sports grant program [....] Team sports bring people together. We currently don’t have that sports dimension [in PGSS] We have graduate students playing in some [intramural] teams, but we don’t have graduate teams.

plan for this semester in terms of events and social activities. Basically, I’ve been working on that. We’re planning new events like outdoor movie night and some invited speakers [such as] the president of the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) and the creator of PHD comics. I’m also working on expanding the internal affairs commit-

Canada.

We’ve also been doing a lot of outreach with francophone students and we’re going to collaborate with Concordia on issues of public transit. We’re going to submit a research proposal and try to implement something in Montreal, so that graduate students—who are often over 25—can benefit from re-

JENNIFER MURRAY ACADEMICS AFFAIRS OFFICER

NIKKI MEADOWS FINANCIAL AFFAIRS OFFICER

and of course, we’ve been pushing for that for quite some time.

Academic Affairs Officer, Jennifer Murray

What have you done this summer?

[I have been] filling committees, recruiting students, getting them to know what committees are out there,

JULIEN OUELLET EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER

GE SA INTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER

Members Affairs Officer, Brighita Lungu

What have you done this summer?

A big chunk of my portfolio is the family initiative. A great number of our membership are parents [.... We’re] reaching out to the parents communication-wise, publicizing our events and so on. We’re launching a family care newswire, which is going to be every month.

[We’re also] producing some flyers for family care, and have those materials online as well.

What goals do you have for this year?

This year, PGSS took over Study Saturdays which involves gathering volunteers, organizing them, and training them to watch the children [of graduate students] while the parents are studying upstairs. We have a lot of parents registering for it.

I got in touch with the harm reduction coordinator that SSMU recently hired, and I’m part of the working group [to create a sexual assault policy at McGill]. They are planning a campaign happening towards the end of October, so I’m getting PGSS involved as much as possible—they have our full support.

[I’m] also a part of the mental health initiative, working with the secretary-general on a mental health video, the goal of which aims to de-stigmatize mental health on campus.

Financial Affairs Officer, Nikki Meadows

Internal Affairs Officer, Ge Sa

What have you done this summer?

The internal affairs committee is basically the social and events branch of the PGSS, and we have been active all summer. We had a summer dodgeball league that was very successful. We [also had] orientation—preparing for that took a lot of time.

The secretary-general and I went to the Student Union Development Summit in Vancouver, hosted by the University of British Columbia (UBC). We met many schools’ student unions across Canada, [and] had a very interesting discussion in terms of student development, ­—[including] a presentation on student apathy—and we had a workshop on rape culture and sexual assault on campus.

What goals do you have for this year?

We’ve set out a very ambitious

Another initiative is to think about how to make PGSS and the execs more accessible, so I’ve met with a lot of students individually just to get a sense of how we serve them [and] what their academic needs are. I meet the students one-on-one, [as they] might have direct supervision concerns.

BRIGHITA LUNGU MEMBERS SERVICES OFFICER tee, having more people here to help out in organising events.

External Affairs Officer, Julien Ouellet

What have you done this summer?

We actually [co-]hosted a GU15 [conference]. The graduated student associations of the 15 biggest researchintensive universities in Canada came to McGill and to [the] Université de Montréal. It was a very informal group. [We discussed a structure] that will allow us to maybe do some lobbying at the federal level, to do an exchange of best practices between associations across

JUAN PINTO SECRETARY-GENERAL ( pgss.mcgill.ca)

duced fares.

What goals do you have for this year?

We also had two Fédération étudiant universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) congresses. The second one had a research project on the administrative obstacles faced by international students [....] In Quebec, they cannot benefit from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), so [the international students] have to buy private insurance if they’re going to be protected by health care. This is something that the FEUQ is going to work out throughout the year,

how to get involved, and getting them appointed to these committees. [Another priority was] launching interdisciplinary initiatives.

What goals do you have for this year?

The supervision policy will be in Senate in October. It’s basically comprehensive guidelines and policies for supervision for grad students across the departments. Right now, we have some really fantastic supervisors, and some who really don’t have a lot of training, so we want to bring everyone up to the same level.

What have you done this summer?

For most projects, I’m the one behind the scenes making sure there’s financing for it, or figuring out how we’re going to finance it. So there’s been a lot of talking, discussing, and planning.

What goals do you have for this year?

We’ve been talking about ways to restructure the society and the board to make them more functional and more effective in our operations.

I’ve been doing some consultation and talking with people to revamp the grants program [.... and] we’re going to present to Council to get some feedback [....] As [the program] is currently structured, there is high priority given to events that happen on campus, and that are really large. I think—and the feedback from the membership has been— that one of the problems with that is we might have a really cool event that is really enriching for a small number of members, but the level of enrichment is so much higher, that we’re losing something in the way it’s currently set up.

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News

Safety Week Town Hall discusses safety culture at McGill Speakers question whether the university is fulfilling its internal responsibilities

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Canadians for a New Partnership launched in Ottawa Initiative aims to raise awareness of issues impacting indigenous peoples

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Speakers discussed the laboratory safety at McGill. (Jack Neal / McGill Tribune)

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TARA ANDREW Contributor

ast Wednesday, a panel of professors and faculty members led a discussion on McGill’s responsibilities with regards to safety on campus.

Ruthanne Huising, an assistant professor in the Desautels Faculty of Management, is currently studing safety regulations and said that academic labs face difficulties in regulation, as they have a different dynamic than regulated industries.

However, according to Huising, there is room for regulatory changes to be made.

“These labs can become governable,” she said. “The change we observe is to make people feel an internal responsibility, and the people who do best at this are the people who don’t just look at their job as narrowly defined. It’s the people who see how they fit into the entire organization.”

Another panelist, Dr. Alvin Shrier, a physiology professor and chair of the University Health and Safety Committee (UHSC), described how guidelines at McGill

laboratories have changed over time. Originally, lab workers did not have strict guidelines on how to protect themselves in the lab, and were permitted to wear open-toed shoes and shorts.

“I realized what I wasn’t doing and it really shook me up,” Shrier said. “I came up-to-speed, and now I make sure everyone gets all the training, whether they are an undergraduate or a graduate student.

When you become part of the system and realize how important it is, you can change. I can attest to that.”

He referenced to a University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) incident in 2008, in which a fire caused by chemicals killed a lab assistant who was not wearing the proper lab equipment.

The event facilitated discussion as some members of the audience made suggestions for what they viewed as room for strengthening regulations which were received well.

Isabelle Gamache, representing the Association of McGill University Research Employees (AMURE), expressed that she did not believe that the university’s internal re-

sponsibility is being completely fulfilled. She cited an incident when she was approached by a student who refused to wear a lab coat.

“Are we there yet in terms of safety culture?” she said. “Some people are. But something else has to happen so that I have the authority to refuse to let [students] work until they follow procedures.”

The event was one of many held during Safety Week, which ran from Sept. 8 to 12. The events were centred around the concern of laboratory and research safety on campus.

“Safety is something people think about after a major accident has occurred, but not the rest of the time,” Associate Director of University Safety Wayne Wood said.

He emphasized the importance of safety events in preventing accidents.

“The main purpose of Safety Week is not to wait for a disaster, but instead draw attention to safety at the beginning of the academic year when most people’s minds are on everything else,” Wood said.

AISLINN KALOB Contributor

n Sept. 4, the Canadians for a New Partnership initiative (CFNP) was officially launched in Ottawa. The non-profit organization aims to improve living conditions and economic opportunities for First Peoples’ groups.

The organization seeks to continue the dialogue about relations between Canada and its indigenous peoples and bring together prominent leaders from the indigenous community and Canadian politics.

Dr. Philip Oxhorn, a McGill professor and establishing director of the Institute for the Study of International Development, was one of the founding collaborators of the initiative.

Notable members of the CFNP include former prime ministers Paul Martin and Joe Clark, and Sheila Fraser, former Auditor General of Canada as well as McGill alumna.

Stephen Kakfwi, a leader of the Dene indigenous group and former premier of the Northwest Territories, has been working with Oxhorn on this project since November 2011.

According to Scott Serson, a board member of the CNFP, the organization has a number of goals for the near future to help achieve and sustain this partnership.

“To build this new relationship, we have identified a number [of] shorter term goals, including providing public education about the history of First Peoples, their contribution to Canada, and the current issues affecting their relationship with the rest of Canada through [the] creation of a speakers bureau and a national lecture series featuring knowledgeable Canadians,” Serson said.

According to Oxham, creating sustainable momentum for the cause is also important, according to Oxhorn. He cited the case of Idle No More, a protest movement originating from Aboriginal people against abuses of indigenous treaty rights.

“Idle No More was [all over] the press, and it wasn’t clear what that would lead to, or what it was meant to lead to,” Oxhorn said. “It was a classic protest movement, but it wasn’t clear. The challenge was to pick up and continue with that momentum, but directed towards concrete ends.”

Oxham emphasized the importance of the initiative to students, and suggested ways that they could become involved. “[CFNP] is addressing a historical problem,” Oxham said. “Any way you look at it, this is really not a positive aspect of Canadian life. So that should be of interest and importance to all students. The other is that what [the initiative] emphasizes is the importance of overcoming our differences and collaborating.”

According to Allan Vicaire, indigenous education advisor at McGill’s Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) office, McGill has a variety of resources to help achieve goals similar to that of the CFNP. “We offer the Indigenous Education Program to open up the dialogue about indigenous peoples in Canada and to shift the culture at McGill to be inclusive and a safe space,” Vicaire said.

Among other available resources are the First Peoples’ House, the new online indigenous access portal, and the ongoing fourth Annual Indigenous Awareness week at McGill.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

5

News

SSMU Council holds first meeting of academic year

“Yes” committee established for SSMU Building Fee referendum question

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JOSIE BIRD Contributor ouncil Initiated “Yes” Committee for the SSMU Building Fee

Levy Council voted unanimously to create a “Yes” committee for the upcoming referendum question regarding the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Building Fee levy.

The levy—which would impose a $6.08 non-opt outable fee per semester upon full time undergraduate students—was rejected in the Winter 2014 refer-

endum, with 53.6 per cent of students voting against it. The creation of a “Yes” committee would aim to explain to students that the fee is critical to the survival of the Shatner building and to the student experience at McGill.

“SSMU has had to cut services to students in order to afford the rent and utilities payments to McGill,” the motion read.

Consequences of the referendum failing to pass for a second time were discussed in former Council sessions and include cuts to funding in all departments within SSMU, limited building hours, and financial instability.

Transparency and accountability of clubs and societies SSMU VP Clubs and Services Stefan Fong, presented new measures that have been implemented to encourage accountability and transparency in funding for clubs.

According to Fong, only 117 out of 250 clubs submitted their receipts in the previous year, an issue that Fong seeks to combat through a reform that will target funding structures.

“Previous to last year, there was no real communication between the funding structure and the auditing structure,” Fong said.

Groups that are known to be

financially responsible, reflected by a reliable submission of receipts, will receive funding first, whereas groups who demonstrate a lack of accountability, will receive funding last, if at all.

Proposed changes for preferential ballot voting Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ben Fung presented proposed changes for the Elections SSMU voting system, which included changing the voting period length and creating a system based on preferential voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. While previously the candidate with the

greatest number of votes would win the election, a candidate now must secure a majority of the votes to win. An eliminated candidate’s votes would be redistributed in accordance with the voter’s stated preference.

“This is a significant change and should be adopted at a GA or by a referendum question,“ Fung said.

Votes are repeatedly distributed until a candidate has accumlated 50 per cent support. In effect, this would further democratize the electoral process, creating a fair and equal voting system.

Cycling Working Group awaits admin-level decision regarding bikes on campus Members’ recommendations include concept of shared space on campus, bicycle speed limits

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PHILLIPE DUMAIS Contributor

shared space on campus for bikes and pedestrians could serve as a solution for the cycling regulations debate, according to Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) VP External, Amina Moustaqim-Barrette, who is also a member of the McGill Cycling Working Group.

The group was created in Fall 2013 with the goal of seeking out a compromise between no regulations regarding bicycles and disallowing bikes.

The working group also consists of members of the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), Security Services, professors, and student representatives.

“The mandate of the working group is to consider whether and how mounted cyclists can safely be accommodated on the downtown campus without compromising the pedestrian-friendly atmosphere,” its website reads.

The working group advised Robert Courvette, associate viceprincipal of University Services in the spring of 2014 on a sharedspace approach to address cycling regulations.

“The approach of shared space, as explained and recommended by the McGill Cycling Working Group, is designed to minimize separation between vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians, and forces all users to share the space,” Moustaqim-Barrette explained. “The pedestrian is considered the primary user and has the right of way at all times. Despite the dismount policy, this is basically what we see on campus today.”

Bimochan Niraula, a member of the working group and a representive of the Flat Bike Collective,

Many McGill students choose to bike on campus. (Jack Neal / McGill Tribune) stressed the importance of a policy which would allow bikes on campus.

“There definitely needs to be a way for bikes to go through campus,” Niraula said. “We would be very happy if those were actually bike lanes. Then, we could ask people to move away from the bike lanes and vice-versa [....] University Street is absolutely dangerous—you are going against the traffic on a one way street—so people have to use campus anyway.”

Moustaqim-Barrette praised

the approach of the working group which would emphasize space used by both pedestrians and bicyclists.

“I believe that a shared space approach would absolutely serve all members, both internal and external, of the community and make campus more welcoming and inclusive,” she said. “Thanks to the abundance of research by the McGill Cycling Working Group, it seems like there is a consensus over [creating a] shared space with a speed limitation.”

Currently, the recommendations are waiting responses from the

university’s senior administration.

“Members of the senior administration, as I understand it, received the report individually, but have not had a chance to discuss it,” Director of Media Relations Office Doug Sweet explained. “This is going to happen in the near future.”

Whether the group’s recommendations will result in any substantial changes for the McGill campus is still unknown.

“What the results of those discussions will be, the outcome is unclear,” Sweet said. “The adminis-

tration is free to accept or reject the recommendations as they see fit.“ Pierre-Luc Auclair from the Montreal Bike Coalition, a group representing citizens and organizations of the Montreal region interested in urban cycling, spoke about how McGill’s campus is a unique challenge for legislation.

“Other universities such as UQAM or Concordia do not face those challenges as they rely on the city’s existing infrastructure, [resulting in] municipal regulations,” Auclair explained.

6

Opinion

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

THE Mcgill

editorial

Private residences an uncertain addition to student housing market eral entrants to the market have vate developments are, at best, looked to first-year students who lacking. For example, evo, one of would otherwise live in one of the largest of these new residences, hints at some social programs McGill’s residence halls.

Private residences are a for residents, but does not offer worthwhile option for upper-year the same kind of enrichment that students, as they provide another floor fellows at McGill can proway to live without truly compromising the availThe continued rise of ability and private residences does howquality of ever provide an opportunity spaces in to re-imagine what McGill’s the genresidences should or need to eral housbe. ing market.

However, when firstyear students are targeted by private resi- vide.

Still, despite this divide, the dences, there is a distinct problem. By virtue of wanting to live continued rise of private resiin a private development, these dences does however provide an students are likely still looking opportunity to reimagine what for a particular kind of social McGill’s residences should or experience, with an introduction need to be. McGill itself has to McGill and the university’s moved towards placing most community. However, compared of its newer residences in conto McGill’s residences, these pri- verted hotels, a style that these

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he start of the new year at McGill has also brought with it the rise of a new form of student residence—several private developments that have been targeting students.

Most of these new residences are built out of converted ex-hotels, and while these buildings are far from new, the current wave of private residences seem to be aggressively recruiting firstyear students. This represents a marked change from the marketing strategy of previous iterations, and one that prompts serious questions about what these residences and McGill’s housing system should offer to students.

The form of private residence that was most prevalent before this year could be seen as a ‘middle-road’ option for first years moving out of residence who didn’t want to deal with the process of finding an apartment, didn’t have a group of friends to live with, or otherwise wanted to continue the experience of living in residence, among other reasons. What’s new is that sev-

private developments are imitating. While underutilized hotels are likely the least drawn-out path for acquiring real estate in downtown Montreal, they also provide an experience that arguably prioritizes individual space over the community feel of other residences. Additionally, the rise of private residences could provide additional competition to McGill’s offerings on price or ancillary amenities—evo seems to be far more interested in the latter than the former, which is unfortunate for students looking for more affordable housing.

What should we make of the rise of private residences? While they provide another option in the student housing market for upper-year students, they can’t be a replacement for the services and resources that the McGill residence system offers in terms of resources for social and mental health. Ideally this competition can push the university to seek new ways to improve the residence system, but that remains to be seen.

Commentary

JESSIE OUYANG Contributor What if watching television was like ordering from a takeout menu? By 2015, the federal Conservative government has proposed plans to mandate television content providers to unbundle channel packages in an effort to reduce cable bills. Although the plan sounds great on paper, an in-depth analysis on à la carte television reveals potential damages on service quality, channel affordability, and program diversity.

The economic affects of à la carte television, haven’t subjected to close scrutiny, and also threatens to decrease service quality. As many cable channels depend on subscription and ad-

increase due to individual channels raising their per-subscriber fee to compensate for a reduction in the total subscriber base. Since television stations depend on revenue from popular programs in order to invest in new channels and sustain niche programs, the prices of the most watched channels will inflate uncontrollably while other channels are pushed into extinction. As a result, consumers may end up paying a higher cable bill for less channel options.

Critics of the cable TV industry generally point out that consumers are forced to pay for mediocre niche channels in order to watch more popular programs. However, popularity does not often correlate with higher quality. Variety is also an extremely important factor in modern media and consumer welfare. Television must satisfy the different needs and wants of an ever-changing consumer base composed of many different indi-

Managing Editors Mayaz Alam malam@mcgilltribune.com Jessica Fu jfu@mcgilltribune.com Remi Lu rlu@mcgilltribune.com Production Manager Sam Pinto spinto@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Shrinkhala Dawadi and Cece Zhang news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editor Abraham Moussako opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Chloe Nevitt scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Natalie Wong studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Caity Hui features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Max Berger and Morgan Alexander arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Elie Waitzer and Wyatt Fine-Gagné sports@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Hayley Lim hlim@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editors Jack Neal and L-A Benoit photo@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Adrien Hu copy@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Eliott Demelier, Daniel Kang, and Mingye Chen ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS Board of Directors

Jacqui Galbraith, Sam Pinto, Jenny Shen

Cable choice plan, homogenization in disguise vertising to ensure production, forcing consumers to individually choose channels will lower the overall subscriber base of individual channels, thus contributing to a reduction in the revenue they gain from advertising. This will likely cause cable companies to make drastic changes to traditional television packages and decrease service budgets.

Moreover, despite criticisms that bundling television forces viewers to subsidize extra channels in order to watch the ones they intend to pay for, à la carte can actually be more expensive in the long run. Although most live sports channels like TSN or ESPN occupy enormous percentages of the cable bills of nonsport-watchers, there is a lack of economic data to verify that the proposed alternative can help lower their cable bills.

In fact, it is more reasonable to predict that, with the à la carte system, the cable bills of every television viewer will actually

Editor-in-Chief Jenny Shen editor@mcgilltribune.com

viduals. A comprehensive selection of bundled niche channels allow television stations to better satisfy their customers by investing in new programs and offering them with affordable prices.

Unbundled television will force these niche channels to increase prices and change content in order to compete with popular channels, leading to a decrease in the originality and variety of television. A dichotomy will exist between the popular channels that would dominate television, and niche programs that could become nonexistent.

Although the bundle television system is imperfect, à la carte is not a superior alternative because it threatens service quality, causes price inflations, and will accelerate the loss of variety in TV offerings. The current government must not enforce a policy change that will jeopardize both the consumers and producers of the television industry.

Contributors Tara Andrew, Josie Bird, Clark Bray, Cordelia Cho, Philippe Dumais, Nick Josinski, Aislinn Kalob, Adrian Knowler, Chloe Lau, Tiffany Le, Arden Li, Clare Lyle, Hailey Mackinnon, Elizabeth McLellan, Joe Modzelewski, Sam Nazer, Eric Noble-Marks, Jessie Ouyang, Kia Poulet, Laura Plamdon, Elli Slavitch, Zikom Smith, Wilder-Walker Stewart, Noah Sultan, J. Julie Vanderperre, Roscoe Wasserberg, Sharon Xie

Tribune Office Shatner University Centre Suite 110, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 T: 514.398.6789

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University. 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.

The McGill community prides itself in having a tolerant and open-minded environment—one need not look further than Rez Project and Safe Space.

But for all of McGill’s self-proclaimed tolerance, it seems to be clear that at least one McGill area remains unsafe: McGill’s political environment.

McGills’s students and staff—yes, professors too—can get quite passionate about issues, and this is fine; there is nothing wrong with speaking your mind.

The problem arises when only one voice, and one point of view is heard.

I went into university having some experience working with one political party and hoped to

get a glimpse of the rest of the Canadian political spectrum through student groups and political courses at McGill. But I soon realized that exploring all my political options at McGill without encountering hostility, was an exercise in futility.

From campus media to professors, it seems that a certain assumption is made. The Liberal (as in the Liberal Party of Canada) viewpoint is the right viewpoint. If you are a Conservative, you are obviously a homophobic, racist bigot. If you like the NDP, you’re a social justice warrior who reads too much Marx. Let’s not even mention the Bloc Quebecois.

I have found from personal experience that any claim of being anything other than a Liberal will warrant a demand for an explanation and justification of your political association.

When the Parti Quebecois (PQ) released its proposed charter of Quebec values last year, one of my professors dedicated some class time to a discussion on the issue. While I agreed

that banning civil servants from wearing religious symbols while on duty was unconstitutional and infringed on religious freedoms, I found the language used to describe those who agreed with it, and Quebecois people in general, quite cruel. Here we are, touting the importance of diversity,

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quips about certain political parties, and those who believe in those parties, just to get a few laughs. Of course, you are free to disagree with what they say, but it’s bound to sting when someone you potentially look up to calls what you believe in “stupid.”

T h i s is echoed in campus media. Like the media of the wider world, we students often only get one side of the story. Media will always have some implicit bias, but it is a problem that arises when almost all news sources take the exact same angle on the issues. You start to believe that because all the newspapers and websites say the same thing, their word is fact. We stop comparing, contrasting, and questioning.

But McGill’s lack of political discourse extends beyond party politics. Our community is tolerant only when the masses

Here we are, touting the importance of diversity, while simultaneously shutting down anyone who does not agree with the majority.

while simultaneously shutting down anyone who does not agree with the majority. The situation quickly devolved from students having a diverse discourse on political rights to something akin to a pitchfork brigade. Whether this can be attributed to genuine mass agreement on the issue or dissenters who were simply too scared to play devil’s advocate, I am still unsure.

Professors play their part in this too. Some professors make

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McGill’s pitchfork brigade

SHARON XIE Contributor

7

Opinion

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

agree with you.

By no means am I promoting racism, sexism, or any other –ism that perpetuates the oppression of a certain group. The problem I have is that dissent can be marked as ignorance. With McGill’s large population of international students, we are bound to come across someone who is not politically correct, if not only because the person’s culture does not prescribe the same rules as ours. Ridicule and derision won’t help gain perspective.

University is the time to explore our options, to try and put on new ‘selves’; but students cannot do so when they are only given one option.

McGill’s problem is often reflected in the wider Canadian political sphere. Our democracy erodes when partisan interests overtake public interest. Pitting one party against another only hurts constituents’ chances of having their issues represented adequately in government; party politics are not worth dividing the nation. It is time to put down the pitchforks.

For cheaper textbooks, an open source approach

As the semester ramps up, we students have probably shelled out considerable amounts of cash money for this semester’s textbooks. Even if you were able to avoid the wallet-draining trip to the McGill Bookstore, you likely spent more than you would have liked.

Research has shown that fewer and fewer students are actually buying new print editions of textbooks, opting instead for e-books, used versions of print textbooks, illegal downloads, and even imported textbooks from abroad. To make up for this loss in sales, publishers continue to raise the prices of textbooks at an average rate of $2 per year. As prices continue to rise, students will increasingly seek alterna-

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JULIE VANDERPERRE Contributor

lem of rising textbook prices in are not for profit, many authors tives to buying new textbooks.

According to normal eco- the long run by taking revenue are willing to publish their work nomic assumptions, this cycle away from textbook publishers. for all to use. One reason is that could can only continue for so A long-term solution to consider the actual authors of textbooks long before textbook publish- is open educational resources— usually only get a very small cut ers raise the price so high that free, high-quality, openly li- of each textbook sale, with most people stop buying their prod- censed online course materials of the profit going to the textbook publisher, as ucts, and they either go per the Daily Illini. out of business, or have In addition, by alto reduce their prices to lowing free and open an affordable amount.

Not only do open educational access, OERs pffer However, textbooks resources reduce the burden of authors the opporturepresent an interesting paying for textbooks, but they also nity to reach many market because of their make knowledge more available by a larger audience price-inelasticity. Profesallowing everybody to access the than if their work sors assign textbooks and tools of education. was published in a students have no choice textbook with strict but to buy the ones that copyright laws. are required. Although Stanford University has exthere are alternatives, students and curricula. Open educational are often forced to buy new text- resources are on the rise, and perimented with a type of OER books from a bookstore either be- could potentially solve the prob- called Massive Online Open cause new editions are published lem of high textbook prices by Courses (MOOCs), which are frequently and render used text- completely de-commodifying the essentially free courses, with all books obsolete, or because no on- information that textbook pub- of the content, readings, and leclishers charge such high prices tures available online. Accordline versions are available. ing to an article in the New York Buying used, rented, or other for.

Open educational resources Times, Stanford had an enrolment substitutes for new textbooks when possible can help students (OER) work by publishing re- of 160,000 students in only one cope with the exorbitant price of sources in the public domain with MOOC alone. The Massachustextbooks, but these methods will the goal of making information setts Institute of Technology, only exacerbate the larger prob- accessible to all. Although OER (MIT) too, has also been offering

ERRATUM: -A story in the Sept. 9 issue (A club for nature-lovers) incorrectly named the McGill Students Outdoors Club the “McGill Outdoors Club.”

-In addition, the article incorrectly stated that the McGill Student’s Outdoors Club offers courses. The club actually offers introductory trips.

The Tribune regrets these errors.

its course content online for free for over 10 years. MIT launched its OpenCourseWare website in 2002, and has since put its entire curriculum—including video lectures, presentations, and course materials—online for free. MIT has also begun using MOOCs, and established a joint venture with Harvard University for open educational resources, which now has 12 participating universities, including McGill.

Not only do OERs reduce the burden of paying for textbooks, but they also make knowledge more available by allowing everybody to access the tools of education. In addition, by sharing information freely, we can remove the middlemen that are the publishing companies, and save everybody money. McGill has experimented with open educational resources and MOOCs. The introduction of OERs at other universities has been extremely successful, and its further integration at McGill can only benefit students.

8

Student Living

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Student of the Week

by Laura Plamondon

Estelle Chappert U3 Management (L-A Benoit/ McGill Tribune)

While many students are still trying to figure out their goals in life, Estelle Chappert knows what she wants. As a U3 Management student working towards a major in general management and a triple concentration in marketing, international business, and social business and enterprise, Chappert’s goal is to learn how profitable businesses operate.

Her primary hope is to help nonprofit organizations and NGOs succeed. Yet despite her business acumen, her primary passion lies in food education. Chappert has an incredible knowledge of food; she researches the benefits of each ingredient she uses so that she can keep track of her eating habits.

An issue she feels strongly about is the sustainability of food production.

Chappert does not agree with the norm of food consumption in developed countries, especially compared to the disparities in food allocation around the world.

“The way we eat today is unsustainable,” Chappert said. “Instead of eating for necessity, our society eats luxuriously.”

One of Chappert’s goals is to discover the alternatives to the consumption habits we see as normal. This realization was inspired by the documentary Food Inc., which also influenced her decision to become a vegetarian. The film further encouraged her to invest time in becoming more aware of how our food system operates.

“It taught me to be more aware of the hidden flaws of our food system that

can definitely be improved, if only we knew more about it,” she said.

Living a “no-nonsense approach to life,” as Chappert calls it, is a crucial element when transiting from an environmentally unsustainable lifestyle to one that encourages minimalism. One of her recent inspirations is Mark Burch, the author of Stepping Lightly. “[The novel] promotes the idea of pursuing non-material aspirations, while providing for material needs as simply and directly as possible,” she said.

With a desire to contribute to the McGill community through her passion and knowledge of food, Chappert spends many hours volunteering at Midnight Kitchen, a nonprofit organization on campus that serves pay-whatyou-can vegan meals as an alternative to the present market-based food system. She also enjoys the creative and social side of cooking and serving at Midnight Kitchen.

“This is a useful way to use food surplus that would otherwise go to waste,” Chappert said.

In an attempt to resolve issues with overconsumption in society, she is committed to raising awareness about educating individuals on society’s food production, as well as personal nutrition. “[I want to identify] what our body needs, versus what culture has taught us we should eat,” Chappert said. “I hope that we will become more aware about the way we live and translate that knowledge into a way of life that is sustainable for us and other living beings.”

McGill Tribune: What is the best place on earth?

Estelle Chappert: The Alps, or anywhere with mountains.

MT: What is your favourite food?

EC: Indian food; everything is so delicious, and most of it is vegetarian.

MT: Which celebrity or historical figure would you like to meet?

EC: Henry David Thoreau for his incredibly accurate and poetic thoughts on our behaviour towards each other and nature.

MT: What TV series would you like to star in?

EC: Firefly.

nominate a

student of the week!

Email us at studentliving@ mcgilltribune.com

Chowing down on the city's biggest dishes A closer look at Montreal’s culinary challenges HAILEY MACKINNON Contributor Food lovers can ‘step up to the plate’ this fall by partaking in food challenges all around Montreal. The challenges take place at various restaurants across the city, where patrons can test the strength of their stomachs and their minds. The formula is simple—finish the meal and reap the reward. The foods vary in size and spice, but all meet a certain level of difficulty worthy of prize and pride.

Many of the challenges were designed by the restaurants to bring in new crowds and attract publicity, although the meal themselves do not bring in a large profit.

A video featuring the food challenge that Jukebox Burgers and “Epic Meal Time” collaborated on currently has over 10 million views on YouTube. The challenge consists of two burger

patties, two bacon grilled cheeses, chili, smoked meat, mac and cheese, and poutine, all washed down with a milkshake. Set at a hefty price of $40, over 100 people have completed the challenge since it was first introduced, yet only 25 to 35 per cent of those who attempt it actually finish the meal.

Jukebox Burgers says that their ‘Epic Meal Time’ food challenge drew in large crowds when it was put on the menu two and a half years ago, although this crowd has slowly waned.

“We’re good friends with the guys at Epic Meal Time and thought it would be something fun for people to do,” said Elan Azran, manager at Jukebox Burgers. “Usually, people will come in with four or five friends to try it, film it, and see if any can finish. It’s mostly just for laughs.”

Those that do finish are awarded a t-shirt that says, “I survived Epic Meal Time” and

eternal bragging rights.

Similarly, McKibbin’s Irish Pub hosts what they call the Rim Reaper Challenge. Participants must finish a plate of 12 chicken wings doused in Bhut Jolokia pepper sauce. Also known as the ‘ghost pepper,’ it has a heat factor of over two million Scoville units, making it the one of the world’s hottest and most expensive peppers. On the menu for six years now, the challenge is so risky that participants must sign a waiver acknowledging the risks of eating such a spicy meal before they can attempt it. Those that succeed win a t-shirt with their name and photo posted on the “Wall of Flame” to enshrine their victory. Sean O’Connell, manager at McKibbin’s, said the challenge is a novelty item on the menu and is usually attempted at stag or birthday parties. Approximately five people will try it a day, but O’Connell estimates that only one in 50 will finish the

challenge.

“What usually happens is people will see it on the menu, think that they like spicy foods, and give it a shot,” he said. “Most often though, they’ll eat the first wing and give up after that.”

Similar to the challenge at Jukebox Burgers, the wings are not a tool to bring in a profit; the pepper is so expensive that the meal barely breaks even. However, it is a fun activity that spices up the regular old routine of dining out.

Additionally, there are many other restaurants in Montreal that feature their own food challenges. El Zaziumm offers a giant chicken burger, Broadway Cheesecake features a Triple Decker Burger, and Morty’s Steakhouse and Catering provides a 70-ounce ribeye.

U3 Arts student Lewie Krashinsky noted how there is a definite peer-pressure aspect to the challenges.

“My roommates and I are

always competing about everything,” Krashinsky said. “Once you get going [on a food challenge] you don’t want to be the one that doesn’t finish. [Food challenges] are essentially a test of my will power and courage.”

However, the challenge is probably best suited for those with a competitive side.

“I probably wouldn’t do a food challenge because I know I couldn’t finish it,” said U3 Arts student Emma Horsfield. “I would just feel bad wasting all that food. But it’s definitely entertaining to see other people try them—whether they succeed or fail miserably.”

Montreal’s food challenges provide an endless source of laughs, hardships, and often gruelling stomach pains. Those brave enough to attempt them should grab a couple friends and check out what will most likely be one of the most character-testing meals they’ve had in a while.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

9

Student Living

Inspired pieces

MIDNIGHT BLUE

Bringing New York Fashion Week styles to McGill Compiled by: Tiffany Le & Chloe Lau

FARM COOL

SHEER Sheer shirts have faded in and out of fashion, but have made a comeback in a number of Spring 2015 collections. The sheer trend was a favourite for designer Ohne Titel, who created interesting and edgy looks by playing with sheer textures and geometric paneling; some designers went as far as creating fully translucent tops. It’s easy to translate this runway trend into everyday campus wear. Picking a boxier top with a geometric sheer panel highlighting the waist is a great way to stay modest with the silhouette, yet still reward your figure. If you’re feeling adventurous, go ahead and style a full-on sheer shirt. This is the perfect time to show off a unique bralette; they can even be paired with high-waisted bottoms to maintain a sleek shape.

SHORTS X LEGGINGS One of the key looks featured at NYFW was Pyer Moss’s combination of shorts over leggings. Many athletes who practice outdoors during the winter are already familiar with this pairing, but it appears as though this style has become an important trend in fashion as well. Both full-length leggings or calf-length leggings are options. This combo can be easily matched with any style for the top, from a more formal button up under a crew neck sweater to a turtleneck shirt. Nearly any type of shoe will look fitting with this casual get-up as well.

While the image that comes to mind when thinking of farm clothes might be of lopsided straw hats and tattered overalls, the farm-wear’s reboot at NYFW is quite the opposite of that.

MM6 Maison Martin Margiela and Calvin Klein both played with patchwork. In a city like Montreal with plenty of great thrifting opportunities, you could try adding patches to your clothes or backpack. A suede vest combined with a crisp button up is a clean look with farm flair. Combine boyfriend jeans that sit low on your hips with a DIY tube-top made with a square scarf in a tapestry print, and you will have a great outfit to attend one of the many concerts in the city.

MIDI SKIRT HEMS The prominence of midi skirts is on the rise, and can be styled in surprisingly modern ways—as seen in the Spring 2015 collections of designers such as Nicole Miller and Michael Kors. The longer length of the midi skirt leaves room for more experimentation with the top.

Midi skirts without too much detailing can seem plain, so try pairing them with more interesting necklines and bold graphics. If you’re looking to spice up the skirt, crochet detailing and sheer panels are a seasonal trend and add texture. If the A-line midi skirt doesn’t work for your style, you can modernize this trend by streamlining it.

Try a midi pencil skirt to create a more formfitting silhouette. This is perfect for balancing out boxier and oversized tops if you want to style this skirt for more formal environments.

H to T BLACK

NEW AGE CAPRIS Capris have evolved over the years to take a wide variety of shapes and forms.

During New York Fashion Week (NYFW), the capris that stood out were boxy and loosefitting. Some of the featured pieces fit snug around the hips, but stayed straight through the leg. The Row paired its sleek capris with tops that cut higher on the torso, revealing a modest slash of skin. Nanette Lepore and Phillip Lim chose to go with a more shapeless style. Sporting a loose capri pant with a baggy top is a comfortable way to look sophisticated. Capris are also an indispensable option for class, as they match well with flats—from oxfords to Converses—so you can safely run from one end of campus to the other.

One of the most attractive looks for men from this season is head-totoe black. Donatella’s Versus Versace shows featured examples of how to use different textures to create interest in such a monochrome outfit. To translate some key looks from the runway to everyday campus wear, do not hesitate to mix a leather jacket with a starched shirt, and try different knits with your favourite black jeans.

Midnight blue was a recurring colour over Men’s Fashion Week, showing up in Patrik Ervell and Todd Snyder’s Spring 2015 collections. Fashion week trends are usually quite adventurous, but this colour is easily transitioned to everyday styling. Neutral colours can be changed up by trying midnight blue tones. This trend is perfect if your style consists of mostly monotone pieces.

If you are still hesitant about wearing colour, try incorporating midnight blue in small details such as the collars of polo shirts, in colour-blocked shirts, or as a pocket accent. To create an even more interesting look, play with fabrics and textures such as the increasingly popular velvet.

BOATNECK The boatneck—a wider neckline that extends out to the shoulders—stood out in N. Hoolywood’s Spring 2015 Collection. This is a unique cut to style but you can definitely choose how far you want to go with it. Boatneck shirts can range from subtle to very prominent, so pick one that you’re comfortable with. This style is perfect for playing up collarbones or drawing attention to toned shoulders. To obtain a more casual look, try finding a boatneck t-shirt with button up detailing; however, if you’re styling a more formal ensemble, a collared shirt complements the boatneck well.

From Sept. 4 to 11, New York City hosted the fall iteration of its world-renowned fashion week. Designers used the opportunity to showcase their Spring 2015 collections. The event featured many well-known brands—such as acclaimed designers Calvin Klein and Michael Kors—as well as niche names like Pyer Moss and Nicole Miller.

This week, two contributors demonstrate different ways to translate runway-wear to accessible campus styles. From incorporating new colours to revisiting past trends, these fashion tips will allow McGill students to bring the flair of New York’s Fashion Week to the chilly autumn streets of Montreal.

(Photos courtesy of Livio Valerio, Kim Weston Arnold, The Row, and gq.com)

SP

5 8

LIT I D E N T I T I E S ABRAHAM MOUSSAKO

D

espite differences in healthcare, politics, and even serving sizes, Canada and the United States have a lot in common. They share a continent, many aspects of culture, and—thanks to strong flows of product and people—citizens. As a Canadian university that attracts a large influx of American students every year, McGill has a substantial population of American-Canadian dual citizens, numbering 1,059 undergraduate and graduate students according to McGill’s enrolment services. These students’ experiences provide a useful lens for examining how these countries contribute to each other’s identities.

Both Canada and the U.S. have provisions allowing for dual citizenship with the other. In addition to being born into citizenship, those with U.S. parents can also obtain an American passport if born abroad. Canada has similar provisions, where citizenship is granted to the child if at least one parent is a citizen. Under tuition regulations, Canadian citizens who have never lived anywhere in Canada for more than three months before coming to McGill qualify as Quebec residents and as such pay the inprovince tuition rates.

By definition, dual citizens find themselves between identities, picking and choosing between many options of how to express and conceptualize themselves. For some, it means identifying with their immediate surroundings. Mwanza Tshimbalanga, a U3 Arts student who lived in northern California before moving to Vancouver during her adolescence, says her self-identity is highly contextual.

“When I’m in Canada, I feel more Canadian,” Tshimbalanga said. “[Being] in Canada means that I’m immersed in all the things that make me Canadian, while all those things don’t exist in the States, so I feel more American when I’m there. I connect to where I am.”

For others, their dual citizenship leads to the paradoxical tendency of identifying with aspects of the U.S. or Canada when they are out of that broader environment. Justin Kieran, a U3 Management student who has Canadian citizenship from his father but spent his childhood in the Boston area, expressed as much.

“When I’m studying at McGill, I become more patriotic towards America, and I defend Canada more when I’m down in the States,” Kieran said.

Kane McGee, a U1 Science student who split his childhood between New Jersey,

Calgary, and Florida, echoed that sentiment.

“When I’m in the States, I identify more with the Canadian side, and when I’m here vice-versa,” she said. “America is super patriotic, so having another loud patriotic person in America doesn’t make the same statement as it does in Canada.”

These questions of identity often extend past shaping an individual’s sense of self. While McGill’s dual citizens tend to define their identity through appreciating the differences between the two countries, many noted that both American and Canadian citizens often feel the need to make the distinction clear.

“It’s a relationship of very subtle cultural differences that get blown out of proportion, and that each country’s citizens use to validate themselves,” Kieran said.

Some dual citizens observed that the emphasis on the differences between the U.S. and Canada is particularly prevalent amongst Canadians. Jessie Lawrence, a U3 Arts student who has Canadian citizenship through her father but grew up in New York, said the identity discussion in Canada often leads to criticism of the United States. Those who grew up mostly in Canada share this sentiment.

“A lot of Canadians, myself included, can only identify to the extent that we’re not Americans,” said James Hutchingame, a U3 Arts student who spent his childhood between Ottawa and Vancouver but has U.S. citizenship from his father.

He argued that Canadian identity is inextricably linked to the U.S., noting spelling as one such area of distinction.

“It’s certainly frustrating if I’m on an ‘American’ computer and Microsoft Word is spelling my Canadian words wrong,” Hutchingame said.

The Canadian tendency to draw its differences from America in sharp relief has its consequences, however. Alex Langer, a U3 Arts student, noted that while Canadians define themselves in opposition to the States, the U.S. tends to draw its identity solely from within. Having spent time in both countries, he noted that Americans find it challenging to understand why Canadians feel the need to draw this distinction—one that sometimes develops into hostility.

“Americans are weirded out by the fact that we’re different, and kind of get irration-

“I connect to where I am.”

1. Kane McGee, U1 Faculty of Science, computer science, Last lived in: Tampa, Florida

2. Justin Kieran, U3 Faculty of Management, marketing Last lived in: Boston, Massachusetts

3. Allegra Johnston, U4 Faculty of Arts, environmental studies Last lived in: DC metro area (Potomac, Maryland)

4. Jessie Lawrence, U3 Faculty of Arts, psychology Last lived in: New York City

5. James Hutchingame, U3 Faculty of Arts, psychology Last lived in: West Vancouver

6. Cheyenne Arbulu-Pelletier, U2 Faculty of Arts, history and economics, Last lived in: Toronto

7. Alexander Langer, U3 Faculty of Arts, political science and history

Last lived in: Toronto

8. Mwanza Tshimbalanga, U3 Faculty of Arts Last lived in: Vancouver, BC

7

2

6 4

ally mad,” Langer said.

In contrast, others argue that Canada’s need to distinguish itself is beneficial, leading to a stronger sense of national identity than that of the U.S. “Canada is a lot more centred, culturally,” McGee said. “I think there’s a greater Canadian identity than American identity. [When I’m in the States], I often identify myself more with fellow Floridians, or people from the South, than with America overall. Meanwhile in Canada, I feel [...] as if there’s just more acceptance, or agreement on what it is to be Canadian than what it is to be American.”

This touches upon the idea that despite the real differences between Canada and America, the sheer vastness of both countries means that regional distinctions play as big a role as national distinctions do.

Langer, for example, commented on how his politics and worldview would have been different if he had grown up in the U.S., particularly because his experience in the States derived from St. Louis, a city of stark—and now internationally infamous—racial divides.

“Had I grown up in St. Louis and gone to schools that were all white [or] mostly white [...] I would have had very different experiences on race than growing up in Toronto and going to diverse schools,” he said.

Lawrence also attributed her major influences to identity as being more local than national.

“I think that growing up in New York City has really shaped me,” she said. “I don’t think that being American has shaped me that much as opposed to being Canadian; I think it’s more local than that.”

This emphasis on the local as well as the national also plays a hand in shaping where some dual citizen students hope to live post-graduation. While many express a

clear inclination to go back to their home before McGill, they also 3 emphasized several specific cities in both countries where they felt they would fit in. Hutchingame, for example, had a strong preference to be in Canada, but was willing to move to the U.S. “If I had a job offer in Montreal, I would stay here,” he said. “If I ever were to work in the States, it would have to be in the Northeast or in some kind of international city based on my own interests. I would want to be in San Francisco or Seattle, as those are also the last places my dad lived,” he said.

Langer also was very open to living in the U.S. again, despite his positive views of growing up in Canada. “[The U.S. is] not foreign to me,” he said. “It’s not scary to me in 1 the way that moving to France or moving to China would be. It holds a special place [for me. Toronto] is the city I consider home, but would I consider spending 20 years [in the States]?

Given the right opportunity, yes.”

What does it mean to be a dual citizen, specifically one of Canadian and American citizenship? The dual identities, jostling for one’s loyalty, have come to shape and define many students’ adulthoods. Despite the very real differences between Canada and the U.S.—evident at the local and national level—many of these dual citizens have found a home in both countries.

“Canada is culturally quite similar to America,” Langer said. “But it’s a different country and society.

[The two are] both more similar and more different than [people] think.”

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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

(Continued from Page 1) In January 2014, New York artist Hansky organized Surplus Candy, a secret art show set up illegally in an abandoned building set for demolition. Eight months later, following in Hanksy’s footsteps, fellow New York-based artist Turtle Caps brings us Cabane à Sucre (Sugar Shack), a three-story apartment building that doubles as a secret art gallery hidden amidst the urban skyline of Montreal. The gallery features the works of over 40 Montreal-based artists, such as Fred Caron, XRay, MC Baldassri, Labrona, Tava, Miss Me, and Jason Botkin to name a few. All the contributing artists invested 12 days and their own supplies in order to create art just for the sake of it—l’art pour l’art—a notion sometimes forgotten amid the rise in demand for commercial success and recognition.

While this particular gallery isn’t open to the public, Montreal is a city filled with street art in both its bustling and less-travelled areas. For those interested in exploring the city’s public artistic hotspots, Montreal art collective Sugar For Brains will be offering a free walking tour of Montreal street art on Saturday, Sept. 20 at noon, which begins at Mount Royal and Saint-Laurent and follows a southbound path that concludes at Station 16 (3523 Saint-Laurent), a popular urban art gallery displaying other works from the artists who contributed to Cabane à Sucre and Surplus Candy. To RSVP, email brainsandsugar@gmail.com.

Text and photos courtesy of Sugar for Brains

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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

POP MONTREAL PREVIEW Musical acts to watch out for at this year’s festival

HIP HOP

ELECTRONIC

INDIE ROCK

PUNK

This year, POP Montreal will feature an odd combination of up-and-coming rappers, offbeat eccentric freestylers, and a sprinkle of well-known giants in the industry. Despite the small selection of hip-hop artists performing this year, fans are certain to find some memorable sounds worth grinding along to.

The clear headliner is Los Angeles native ScHoolboy Q, whose appearance at POP Montreal is part of his worldwide tour following the release of his hugely successful album Oxymoron, which dropped earlier this year. Heavily influenced by other East Coast rappers, ScHoolboy Q’s rapping style is smooth and heavy on beats, with lyrics centred around traditional ‘gansta rap’ themes. Unlike many other venues, Olympia is charging a high price for ScHoolboy Q’s act—even with the significant student discount—but considering the shows’ overall star power, it is likely to be worth every penny.

On the other side of the coin is Brooklyn resident Soul Khan, whose style veers more towards the underground indie rap scene with a clear motown influence. Soul Khan initially made his name via a highly successful career in battle rap, but decided to retire in order to focus on his music career. His underground sound may be a turn off to fans of heavier rap, but for those familiar with the indie scene, his soft beats and mellow flow may provide the perfect transition into hip hop.

Like Soul Khan, Canada native Def3 also emerged in the underground hip hop scene. However Def3—who will be performing with producer Factor—has an entirely different flow. Merging more with the electronic-rap scene, Def3 mixes fast lyrics with airy backbeats and altered guitar chords to make for more of a lounge sound.

The two Montreal natives in the group are solo rapper Full Course and hip-hop duo Mori$$ Regal x Yerly. Full Course represents more traditional rap, his deep voice and slower performance style reminiscent of Notorious B.I.G. circa Ready to Die. Mori$$ Regal x Yerly certainly show promise, but they are still producing a sound that is affected by inexperience. Despite this, these two Montreal acts—in combination with Def3—should give a memorable performance at TRH Bar.

If you’ve been to Saint-Laurent’s Apartment 200, you may have seen 19-year-old Alex Fleming somewhere in the crowd—odds are, you didn’t recognize him. Performing at le Belmont under the stage name Black Atlass, Fleming’s music is a sensuous experience. Heavily influenced by R&B, his soundscapes meander effortlessly from hip-hop bass lines to distorted electronics to ethereal soul vocals.

If you’re into heavier music that still has a danceable beat, he’s your guy.

Among the many other talents sharing the stage that evening is Prison Garde, a prominent member of the Canadian underground electronic music scene.

Although both Prison Garde and Black Atlass fall under the electronic music banner, their sets are sure to offer two very distinct vibes. The music of Black Atlass washes over you, shifting in and out of intensity like a tide. On the other end of the spectrum, Prison Garde will have you bobbing and tapping to his continuously driving analog beats, often making use of the sharp drum line to keep the tune moving.

In a different vein altogether—though playing on the same night at the Théâtre Rialto—is Panda Bear, aka Noah Benjamin Lennox, founding member of Animal Collective. His Panda Bear project does an impressive job of making potentially inaccessible experimental music into something broadly popular. The extent of Lennox’s influence on Animal Collective’s sound is explicitly clear in Panda Bear’s music, full of pleasant psychedelia and loopy vocal samples.

Also ingrained in the electronic scene is DJ and Montreal native Rilly Guilty. His sets always demonstrates how savvy he is to the crowd, incorporating what’s ‘hot’ at the moment without ever going over the top. You can recover from the night before with his laid-back afternoon show.

Garage rock royalty Ty Segall takes the stage this Saturday at Club Soda as a festival headliner. As one of the genre’s most prolific musicians, Segall has released eight albums since his debut in 2007. His most recent record, Manipulator, has won rave reviews from multiple music critics.

For those looking for a more local flavour, Ought, which was formed by McGill students in 2012, showcases the vibrant musical culture of both McGill and Montreal—though in classic McGill fashion, none of its members are Montreal natives. However, Ought has more than hometown pride going for it. Their debut album, More Than Any Other Day has garnered significant critical acclaim and has earned the band comparisons to the Talking Heads and Television for their razor-wire guitar lines and sputtering vocals. You ought to see what all the fuss is about this Thursday at Théâtre Rialto.

A more mellow act to watch out for is Mutual Benefit, the brain-child of singer-songwriter Jordan Lee, which mixes indie-rock with lo-fi and folk elements to create a sound that harkens back to some of the great folk-rock releases of the 2000s. Compared to the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Devendra Banhart by Pitchfork, Mutual Benefit is definitely worth experiencing for those seeking exciting but familiar music.

Toronto rock group The Wooden Sky are also sure to please when they perform at La Salla Rossa on Wednesday. The band utilizes rasping guitar riffs to undercut the folksy twang of the lead singer’s voice, making for a more traditional indie sound. With over a decade’s worth of experience, the band is sure to provide a strong, smooth experience.

This Thursday offers a great night for punk and hardcore fans. At Club Lambi Toronto artists Soupcans and Cellphone are playing the Telephone Explosion label’s showcase. The former act is fairly established in the Toronto scene, with riffs that will melt your face off, and the latter are some up-and-comers who are quickly gaining attention for their weirdo, freakout aesthetic and sound.

The Famines, who is quite wellknown within Montreal, is playing at Casa del Popolo on Thursday. The band offers up a sound that is raw, bare-bones, jangly, and pays great homage to bygone eras while still sounding contemporary and ultimately timeless.

The Dirty Nil is playing at O Patro Vys on Thursday. This trio creates some wonderfully chaotic vibes that are easy to lose yourself in. Your ears will be ringing and your voice will most definitely be hoarse after the show.

Against Me! has stayed consistently great in the past few years and its latest album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, has become something of a staple and a cultural hallmark not only for punk music, but for music as a whole. The band plays at Metropolis on Thursday, and you can expect the entire crowd to be singing along to each and every word.

It was not until Deafheaven’s sophomore release of Sunbather, that the band broke into the mainstream.

Earning rave reviews across the board, Deafheaven is exposing people to music that most would never hear.

The band’s blend of black metal and shoegaze punk is undeniably beautiful and its performances are known to be no less than spectacular. For those who haven’t quite had their punk craving satisfied after Thursday, Deafheaven plays Bar le Ritz on Saturday.

— Kia Pouliot

— Eric Noble-Marks

— Joe Modzelewski For information on performance time and venue of each band, please visit www.popmontreal.com (Photos courtesy of Pop Montreal)

— Morgan Alexander

(Cordelia Cho / McGill Tribune)

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Tuesday, September 16, 2014 Hanging by a string: Forecasting the fall of folk revival

Sensitive Club Bangers Finding love in the club CLARK BRAY Contributor

Bitch I’m Lugubrious Artist: Lil Ugly Mane Album: Mista Ugly Isolation Released: February 11, 2012

A simple grand piano chord pattern overlapped by a booming synthesized drum pattern delivers the heat in this track, while Lil Ugly Mane’s down-pitched, alien voice delivers the introspection. The hook, “Bitch I’m morose and lugubrious/ I’ma let the Uzi spit/ Turn his face into gooey shit,” is creepy on paper, yet it blends so distinctly with the other components of the song that the resulting rhythm is surprisingly visceral. It is unconventional, but nonetheless a surefire banger equally apt for a poignant headphone listen or for a club’s booming subwoofers.

Hold You Down Artist: DJ Khaled ft. Chris Brown, Jeremih, Future, and August Alsina Album: Hold You Down—Single Released: August 11, 2014

In a recent interview with Larry King, DJ Khaled revealed that his contribution to the songs he releases is to “do the Khaled,” or more technically speaking, to arrange them. In “Hold You Down,” like on many of his songs, Khaled yells his name and chants slogans promoting his merchandise, while his featured artists create the actual music. But he figured out how to “do the Khaled” on this track in an unexpected way. Emotionally raw performances by featured rappers legitimize Khaled’s name and somehow make yelling his name in the club along with him feel genuine as opposed to caricatural.

Make Me Better Artist: Fabolous ft. Ne-Yo Album: From Nothin’ to Somethin’ Released: June 12, 2007

In 2014, vulnerability is ubiquitous in hip hop, but back in 2007 it was not quite as stylish for rappers to sing. Therefore, collaborations with R&B singers were their means to make passionate club bangers—which were often targeted at the female demographic. Ne-Yo is the collaborator in question on “Make Me Better,” and his charismatic delivery of the catchy hook “I’m a movement by myself/ But I’m a force when we’re together,” fuels the song’s romance. Fabolous delivers decent verses alongside him, yet anything the rapper lacks, beautiful synthesized violin patterns that formulate his cadences make up for, providing dance floor-ready energy that’s still perfect for the club today.

Paranoid Artist: Kanye West ft. Mr. Hudson Album: 808s & Heartbreak Released: May 22, 2007

While Drake is undeniably the poster boy for cool sensitivity, one must not forget that before him, Kanye West pioneered the idea of vulnerable hip hop through his College Dropout track “Slow Jamz,” and then returned four years later with his often overlooked record 808s & Heartbreak. In 2008 it was still a bit too forward thinking and turned many people off, yet the album contains gems like “Paranoid,” through which Kanye confidently and stylishly relays his insecurities over a relentless 808s pattern—the exact type of feeling that so many hip-hop artists are trying to emulate today.

ERIC NOBLE-MARKS Contributor

United Kingdom.

In the wake of Mumford and Sons’ explosion, many bands found success in imitating its trademark sound. The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey” and Of Monsters and Men’s “Little Talks” are two of the most obvious singles that echo the Mumford formula: Catchy, innocuous songs that feature unconventional instruments.

Unfortunately, every success comes with a price. The same formula that brought folkrock and its associated genres to centre stage will result in its demise. In fact, it can be argued that this style peaked in popularity from 2011 to 2012 and has been in decline ever since. The main

Continued from page 1 This fundamentally changed around the turn of the last decade when, all of a sudden, these types of artists exploded into the mainstream consciousness. Perhaps the ultimate marker of their sudden industry acceptance occurred at the 2011 Grammy Awards. I’ll never forget Barbara Streisand’s incredulous face as she awarded album-of-the-year to Arcade Fire for The Suburbs, catapulting them into international stardom.

However, Arcade Fire’s Grammy win wasn’t even the most pivotal moment of that year’s awards ceremony. The 2011 Grammys also marked the coming-out party for the English band Mumford and Sons.

Though it didn’t win any awards, its performance introduced a spin on the folk-rock narrative. Its sound was commercial and straightforward, but still featured the esoteric timbres of its contemporaries. This proved to be the final piece of the puzzle to push the overlooked banjo into the limelight. Produced by Markus Dravs, who also produced The Suburbs, Mumford and Sons’ Sigh No More sold over a million copies in 2011. The album went on to go double platinum in Canada, triple platinum in the United States, and a whopping quintuple platinum in the (Elli Slavich / McGill Tribune)

problem with having an easily imitable sound is that it will be imitated. Naturally, this leads to over-saturation of the style. Neither The Lumineers nor Of Monsters and Men have been able to follow their hit singles with enduring success or popularity. Sensing staleness, the artists who brought strings, banjos, and horns to the mainstream are beginning to drastically change their sound. For example, both Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens prominently featured electronic instruments on their most recent albums, perhaps in an attempt to distance themselves from the ‘Mumford-core’ trend that has permeated the airwaves in recent years. As of September 2013, Mumford and Sons has been on hiatus and is losing momentum daily. Put it all together and you get an inevitable and steady decline.

So what is to become of indie-folk, folk-rock, baroque-rock, or orchestralrock? Is it doomed to die, to disappear completely for the public consciousness? Of course not—there will always be someone who hears Funeral, Illinois, or Sigh No More for the first time and starts a band with seven of their friends. The banjos, strings, and horns will likely just go back where they started—the land of the criticallyacclaimed and criminally-underrated.

Maybe that has been their natural home all along.

Sounds of a province come to light McCord Museum provides a crash course on Quebec popular music ELIZABETH MCLELLAN Contributor Quebecois music, and its underwhelming presence outside of ‘La Belle Province,’ has largely remained untouched. However, the McCord Museum’s exciting showcase of this genre has shone a light on the sociopolitical relevance and the impressive artistic output of the surprising powerhouse that is the Quebec music industry. Flaws in its layout and English audio availability notwithstanding, Music—Quebec: From Charlebois to Arcade Fire is an impactful trip through over six decades of popular music in the province.

Visitors are greeted with the vibrancy and colour of the baby boom era, evoked by an array of album covers, outfits, and antique portable record players. A heavy stream of video footage completes the room’s immersive experience. Passing into the next section of the exhibit—clearly marked by its shift in colour composition—there is a similar multimedia presentation of ideas. The black-andwhite colour scheme is clean and simplistic in the second section, which is highlighted by a glass case of various Quebec artists’ guitars.

Stationed off to the side is a dark room with video footage and beautifully intricate artifacts paying homage to the great influence of aboriginal cultures on the music industry. The real visual stunner, though, is the timeline of costumes, ranging from over-the-top, voluptuous Victorian gowns to out-of-this-world

capes adorned with alien heads. The final section greets the viewer with a lofty ceiling and curving walls strewn with political dates, events, and videos of significant Quebecois performances over the years.

The exhibit’s layout, while visually pleasing, is slightly confusing. At the start, I expected a chronological and thematic ordering, yet as I travelled through, many dates overlapped or repeated. In this way, the exhibit felt unorganized, but not unbearably so.

The technological component of the exhibit also affects its configuration, as the numbered videos and displays correspond to the audio players that are distributed to visitors and connected to headphones. This engaging use of technology adds another dimension to the exhibit, though unfortunately it is almost completely in French, with no English alternative.

The textual content, however, is thankfully provided in both French and English.

Even though I was able to read it, most of its topics were completely foreign to me. Raised with a solid understanding of the popular musical movements of my parents’ generation, I expected to be familiar with more of the ‘influential’ and ‘world-renowned’ artists.

While someone like Leonard Cohen brings back nostalgic memories, the exhibition introduced to me the prolific writings of Robert Charlebois, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and so many other new Quebecois figures. I welcomed the cultural education—and perhaps the poignancy of the exhibit is owed in part to its ability to present an unknown world of

music, opening the public’s eyes to its influence.

The most powerful and compelling aspect of the entire exhibit is its representation of the sociopolitical context accompanying the province’s musical development. The significant changes in the rights of both aboriginal women and the people as a whole, as well as important civilian movements of the times, are central to the exhibit. It encompasses the rebellious and pro-peace movements of the ’60s, reflected in folk, rock, and psychedelic music, the anti-globalization protests of the late ’80s, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the emergence of grunge. We get to see firsthand how these events manifested themselves in the province’s distinct music scene.

Overall, the McCord Museum has put on an extremely successful and crowd pleasing exhibit, which can largely be attributed to the subject matter itself. Everybody loves music, and an immersive exhibit filled with music videos and iconic soulful ballads is sure to appeal to the masses. As its showcasing of sociopolitical history pulls closer and closer to our reality, its educational nature is complemented by its pulsing relevance. The exhibit is both mesmerizing and memorable, a defnitie must-see.

Music—Quebec: From Charlebois to Arcade Fire is at the McCord Museum (690 Sherbrooke) and runs Tuesday to Sunday.

Student tickets are $14.

Science & Technology iPhone 6: Apple’s latest gadget

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

15

The new iPhone has strong specs, but are they strong enough?

Wilder Walker-Stewart Contributor

Another year, another iPhone—or two.

Despite a torrent of leaks essentially specifying the details of these phones, the atmosphere at the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch in Cupertino, California on Sept. 9, 2014 was the usual frenzied mix of media hype and hysteria. The two new iPhones, unveiled by Apple CEO Tim Cook, were declared by Cook to be “the biggest advancement in the history of the iPhone.”

Launching two different devices marks a shift in Apple’s release strategy—which previously featured a single iPhone—and showcases its response to market preferences for larger screens.

The two models, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, are both significantly larger than the incumbent iPhone 5s. The iPhone 6 comes equipped with a 4.7-inch

1334x750 pixels display, has better camera sensors and processing software, as well as the ability to act as a secure payment processor using a Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology called Apple Pay, which is available on both models.

This new system is designed to replace wallets, allowing for the use of ‘Touch ID’ in place of credit cards. It is a simple and refreshing take on mobile payment, and has been widely adopted, with behemoth companies like McDonalds, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Starbucks jumping on board.

The larger model, the iPhone 6 Plus, has a 5.5-inch ‘phabletsized’ screen, with 1920x1080 resolution. The higher-end model offers slightly better specs than the iPhone 6, with better battery life that can last up to 24 hours of talk time. It also has opticalimage stabilization, which allows

the camera lens to compensate for shaking, and features a onehanded mode to compensate for the larger proportions of the device.

Both phones sport faster A8 processors and are available in gold, space grey, and silver. The NFC, Apple’s new payment system, is designed to replace credit cards. (apple.com) new operating system, iOS 8, is an improvement over iOS 7, with warrant a discussion on justified value screen size—go with the interactive notifications, health value. According to Green Amer- iPhone 6 Plus or the iPhone 6 for tracking, and better Mac compat- ica, Apple is a company with in- just a general upgrade.

However, take a look at the flated profit margins, producing ibility.

However, those who are phones with low-cost workers in competition. From the chamfered planning on buying one of the unsafe factories. While nicely de- aluminum edges of the HTC One new iPhones will have to wait. signed and easy to use, the phone to the clean Android experience Both phones are currently sold essentially locks users into an of the new Motorola X, the moout on Apple and carrier web- ecosystem of expensive devices, bile market has never been stronsites, and are back-ordered for like the Mac and the newly an- ger. Particularly for users who aren’t locked into the Apple ecoeight to 12 business days. The nounced Watch.

So is this phone worth the system, an alternate choice may iPhone 6 retails for $199 on a two-year contract for the 16 GB price? It depends. For users who be the better option.

The iPhone 6 is a great deedition, with increased prices for already have Apple products and higher storage. The 6 Plus starts have an older iPhone model, this vice, no question about it. It’s is an obvious choice to continue just not the greatest anymore. at $299.

Yet the iPhones’ high prices the iPhone legacy. Those who

McGill University researcher chosen for prestigious grant Crohn’s and Colitis Canada awards $370,000 to Dr. Mark Lathrop J. ROSCOE WASSERBURG Contributor Canada has one of the highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the world. According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC), approximately 233,000 Canadians suffer from IBD and an estimated $2.8 billion is spent annually on patient care.

Dr. Mark Lathrop, Ph.D., is a McGill researcher and pioneer in genetics and genomic sciences research. His most recent $370,000 grant for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis research was awarded by the CCFC, an organization that promotes research geared towards fighting these diseases.

Lathrop found himself at McGill four years ago when he took up the position of scientific director at McGill and the Genome Quebec Innovation Centre.

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are IBDs that cause parts of the intestines to become inflamed. This causes abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and a lack of energy.

Efforts to discover the etiology of the disease remain dubious, with over $164 million being poured into research without concrete results.

According to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation, an

Dr. Tomi Pastinen will be working with Dr. Lathrop towards finding better treatments for Crohn’s and colitis.

(Jack Neal / McGill Tribune) estimated $141 million was spent on prescription drugs related to IBD in 2008 alone. Reported in the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, Crohn’s disease is diagnosed in every 13.4 per 100,000 person-years, while ulcerative colitis is diagnosed in 11.8 per 100,000 person-years.

A person-year is defined as the product of the number of years times the number of members of a population affected by the condition.

While the disease is funda-

mentally genetic, patients may report symptoms due to environmental causes, such as intestinal fauna and smoking. A universal remedy has yet to be found, so for the time being, all treatments are purely symptomatic.

Dr. Tomi Pastinen, M.D. Ph.D., is a co-researcher on Lathrop’s team, and asserts that there is a need for experience and resources, in terms of collaborators and technologies, to apply these to understudied subjects.

Presently, the team works with

collaborators from Belgium and France.

The CCFC awards 30 grants every year on a variety of topics, from basic biomedical research and root causes of the disease, to clinical practices and how to treat patients with these symptoms.

The foundation selected Lathrop as the recipient of their annual grant after assessing his proposal for improving therapies for patients living with Crohn’s or colitis. According to Aida Fernandes, the chief science and

education officer at the CCFC, Lathrop’s experience and innovation—along with the resources provided by the grant—will allow him to make considerable headway in this field. “[Although Lathrop is] fairly new to the inflammatory bowel disease community, [the CCFC is] excited to have drawn in a new expert into Crohn’s and colitis research,” she said.

In recent years, due to advancements in technology, exciting new avenues of research have become worth investigating. “[Genetics is] opening up a new area for investigation […] and Lathrop’s research grant is looking at a novel way of identifying new susceptibility genes for inflammatory bowel disease,” Fernandes said.

However, the hope for a universal panacea remains bleak. “[The goal is to] move towards more personalized treatments for patients with Crohn’s and colitis,” Fernandes said.

Treatments and therapies using advanced genetic and genomic science will give doctors the ability to identify what does and does not work for different treatments. As evidenced through Lathrop’s research, the ability to manipulate genes through targeted therapy may be the future of medicine.

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Science & Technology

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Eat this: McGill’s 18th edition of Soup and Science Hot soup and hotter science were served last week at Redpath Museum

Soup and Science entered its eighth year at McGill this past week. A twice-a-year event that spans one week at the beginning of both the Fall and Winter semesters, Soup and Science brings lecturers from several departments together to present their research to students over lunch. Not many universities are able to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to interact one-on-one with researchers from the top of their respective fields. Presented here are the highlights from five days of Soup and Science. Featured speakers included chemists, mathematicians, biologists, and physicists, all willing to share the focal points of their research.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

CLARE LYLE Contributor

ARDEN LI Contributor

McGill’s Soup and Science lecture series kicked off on Monday.

The event highlighted the research of five McGill professors, whose interests ranged from superconductors to mitosis. Though the presenters’ fields varied, their enthusiasm did not, and the research topics stayed hot well after the soup cooled off.

The days’s first presenter was Professor Christopher Barrett, a chemist trying to imitate nature in his lab. This technique, called biomimicry, uses biology to improve man-made products.

While the idea seems novel, biomimicry is actually responsible for a number of products that people already use every day, such as Velcro, swimsuit fabrics, and even paint.

Barrett’s lab is exploring light-sensitive molecules, such as the ones found in our eyes.

These molecules change shape when exposed to certain frequencies of light, channel light in optical circuits, and change the properties of polymer surfaces. This can afford insight into the molecular origins of the optical and mechanical behaviour of these surfaces.

Next up was Professor and biomedical engineer, David Juncker. He provided attendees

with a glimpse into the wide range of avenues of research available to undergraduates, highlighting undergraduate projects such as the development of breast cancer diagnostic tools and a new method for observing connections between neurons.

Professor Tami Pereg-Barnea left the audience well-informed about the field of superconductors. After describing how regular objects conduct electricity, Pereg-Barnea threw the audience for a loop by introducing the superconductor—an extraordinary material with properties that defy everything she had just discussed. She went on to explain how the materials that she is most concerned with are even more exotic than regular superconductors; however, they are called—rather unimaginatively—“unconventional superconductors.”

Following the talk of futuristic superconductors, Professor Piotr Przytycki’s presentation took place entirely on a blackboard. The mathematician began by drawing an unassuming square. He then challenged the audience with a question. “What is the least number of acute triangles required to fill this space?” After leaving the audience to muddle through the problem, he then spoke about his own work, which was, in essence, an exponentially tougher triangle problem.

Professor Jackie Vogel took students back from the abstract world of mathematics to the concrete mechanisms of cell division.

Her research looks at the very mechanisms by which cells divide, by using computational techniques to better observe what happens in the cell as it prepares itself for mitosis.

Individuals with ICHTHYOSIS are needed for a research study in Montreal involving an approved topical treatment. Reimbursement will be $300 for four visits.

CONTACT

derek.ganes@ganespharma.com

The second day of Soup and Science brought in five new speakers: Professors David Cooke, John Kildea, Petra Rohrbach, Christie Rowe, and Jason Young.

In only twenty minutes, these professors were able to capture the attention and curiosity of a room full of undergraduate students.

Rowe, an experienced field geologist, began her presentation with a map of North America illustrating all the earthquakes that had taken place over the last 30 days. Her work centres on the investigation of ancient faults and the geological processes that generate earthquakes, which consequently leave behind ore deposits.

Rowe’s hands-on research takes her all around the world. When asked to share one of the most exciting moments in her research, she described her time in Namibia, on the southern coast of Africa.

“I was in the Orange River in low water, and the fault floor itself was coming up out of the river,” Rowe said. “You could see in the fabric of the rock how everything had been stretched out, and I was just looking into the rock and thinking about the stories that the rock was going to tell me, and I turned and looked into a little patch of sand right next to me and I saw a tiny perfect diamond crystal—I was like, ‘Thank you geology!’”

Other talks were equally informative. Cooke engaged the audience, claiming that “the hottest stuff on Earth is in [his] lab.”

Cooke’s research involves using high power femtosecond laser technology to generate and detect advanced forms of light—specifically those in the terahertz spectrum. Short pulses of this light are then used to probe inside materials. Future use of this product appears limitless.

In his presentation, Cooke employed several visual aids to demonstrate what it would be like to see the world through terahertz eyes and use this technology

in practical settings, such as in security operations. Terahertz light also enables non-destructive testing, since it allows scientists to see the composition of materials without breaking them apart.

“There are even new applications [for terahertz light] in food science,” Cooke added. “There have been cases where glass has dropped inside vats of chocolate, but we’re now able to detect that using terahertz light.”

Kildea, who works in the field of medical physics, summarized his work in radiation oncology. Currently, his research interests include finding ways to take neutron spectral measurements in radiation therapy. In his presentation, he also mentioned the importance of radiation protection, which is important to keep in mind when designing facilities like hospitals.

Rohrbach—another member of the medical field—studies parasitology, specifically the cellular processes involved in malaria. To illustrate the significance of the disease, Rohrbach stated that, “a person in Africa dies of malaria every minute.” According to Rohrbach, drug resistance is also becoming an increasingly prevalent issue, making antimalarials less effective and the battle against this fatal disease even more challenging. In her research lab, Rohrbach uses live cell imaging as well as fluorescence microscopy techniques to better comprehend the mechanisms involved in drug resistance in the stages of Plasmodium falciparum, the human malaria parasite.

At the end of the lunch, Professor Jason Young discussed his work on molecular chaperones, which play a key role in preventing protein mis-folding and aggregation. His research aims to explore how chaperone function is integrated into the biogenesis of cellular structures using biochemistry, molecular, and cell biology techniques.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

WEDNESDAY

J. ROSCOE WASSERBURG Contributor The first speaker of Wednesday’s talks, Professor Yogita Chudasama from the Department of Psychology, discussed her research on frontotemporal interactions in executive function.

Her focus primarily deals with the physiology of brains by comparing different animals.

Perhaps most interesting about her research is that for the most part, structures do not change from one mammal to the next—yet the physiology does. As such, she investigates what happens when brain circuits are disturbed, with a particular focus on comparative cognition and the frontal temporal circuits.

Professor Andrew Cumming from the Department of Physics presented his research in astrophysics, which specializes in finding planets orbiting other stars, otherwise known as exoplanets. His hope is that one of these exoplanets has Earth-like characteristics, bringing us one step closer to finding extraterrestrial life.

Cumming has been working with state-of-the-art technology, specifically a machine by the name of SPIRou. SPIRou is an infrared spectropolarimeter specially designed to detect and characterize‘exo-Earths’—habitable exoplanets. It has several other uses in the astrological realm, including atmospheric tracking of weather patterns and measuring the effect of magnetic fields on star and planet formation.

The third speaker, Professor Tomislav Friščić from the Department of Chemistry, presented his research in green chemistry.

Chemical waste generated by laboratories is a problem many researchers currently aim to tackle, and his research aims to alleviate that by creating a solvent-free laboratory. Currently, the majority of chemical waste is a result of the use of solvents.

With the help of the NSERC-CREATE program, Friščić is getting closer to his goal.

Professor Michael Hallett from the Department of Computer Science is crossing departmental lines and using his skills in computer science to develop methods of breast cancer bioinformatics.

His work primarily focuses on solving the continuing cancer puzzle—detecting the early stages of breast cancer through modern screenings. These early stages are key in finding cures and creating preventative medicines.

The ultimate goal of his research is to create a screening test for the public—comparable to the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) screening test for prostate cancer. Although prostate cancer causes PSA levels to rise, a number of benign conditions do so as well.

He hopes that his screening test will go above and beyond the flawed PSA screening test and look for genes as well as proteins, thus increasing accuracy.

The last presenter, Professor Simon Rousseau from the Faculty of Medicine, discussed his efforts to develop a cure for Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF is a genetic, congenital disease that causes the lungs to produce increased inflammatory signals.

Unfortunately, more signalling increases the influx of inflammatory markers and products, stimulating an overexuberant immune response. This ends up damaging the cell and decreasing cellular functioning.

Though there is no medical cure for this disease, the average CF patient lifespan has more than doubled from 25 to 52 years. While this is an incredible step, there is still room for improvement. If a drug that could control the inflammatory signals without completely blocking the immune response is developed, the expected CF lifespan could be on par with unaffected individuals.

17

Science & Technology THURSDAY

FRIDAY

JENNY SHEN Editor-in-Chief

CECE ZHANG News Editor

“Suppose we are working on a ‘big conjecture,’” proposed Professor Marcin Sabok, whose research focuses on a mathematical concept called ‘forcing.’ “We want to either prove that the big conjecture is true, or prove that the big conjecture is false. But what if neither of these can be done?”

Sabok stressed the precise mathematical definition of a proof and how it could be used to create alternative mathematical universes to better understand the logical process behind forcing, which is a way to prove independent mathematical results.

Professor Kaleem Siddiqi, a professor in the school of computer science, also talked about his interdisciplinary research, which stretches across geometry, biology, physics, and computer science. His focus: Shape analysis in medical imaging.

“In biology, patterns arise in anatomical structures,” Siddiqi said. “Here, we use physics. A certain technique in diffusion imaging [is used] to measure the direction in which water moves in myocytes. [It] is amazing […] that no myocyte knows the existence of any other myocyte, but collectively, they work together.”

Siddiqi highlighted a program called NSERC-CREATE in Medical Image Analysis, a research journal. The program is one of the first of its kind in Canada and aims to provide funding for research students while simultaneously providing them with the chance to apply their skills in an industrial environment.

Dr. David Dankort, an associate professor in the Department of Biology, works on mouse models to better understand RAS and BRAF, two prominent oncogenes responsible for many types of human cancer. An oncogene is any given gene that can potentially cause cancer, while a tumour suppressor gene works to safeguard a cell from cancerous mutations. Dankort’s lab, along with other cancer research labs also working on cancer pathways, is looking for ways to target both these genes in order to find treatments for cancers such as melanoma.

Dankort spoke about a drug called Vemurafenib, which inhibits BRAF in order to treat late-stage melanoma.

“While it works really well with people who have the BRAF mutation, 99 per cent of them will relapse,” he said.

“At this point, they’re no longer treatable by the drug.”

Consequently, Dankort’s lab is consequently trying to discover a method to treat individuals who relapse—or to avoid relapse altogether—by targeting other genes within the BRAF pathway.

Professor Lisa-Marie Munter, an assistant professor in the pharmacology department, also researches disease treatment—specifically, Alzheimer’s disease. Her research differs, however, in that she focuses on alternative methods of drug development.

“Drug development is extremely expensive,” Munter said. “Researchers figured out that if people already went through toxicity qualifications [for developed drugs, they could] repurpose [them] for another disease.”

She cited thalidomide, which was originally developed as a sedative and morning sickness pill in the 1950s.

Nowadays, it has been repurposed as a treatment for certain cancers instead.

“What I really like about science is that as a researcher, we can boldly go where no man has gone before,” Munter said.

Professor Jonathan Britt ended Friday’s lunch by presenting his research on reward learning, drug addiction, and the neural circuitry that underlies them. He briefly demonstrated how he is looking to identify specific circuits in the basal ganglia, a collection of brain cells that are associated with habit learning and routine formation. The results from his research could be applied to treating disorders such as Tourette’s Syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Next, Professor Lindsey Duncan presented her project of ‘serious games.’ These are video games designed to educate and promote healthy behaviours in adolescents, including one that helps prevent teenagers from participating in unprotected sex and abusing drugs and alcohol. She is also currently developing a game that will educate teens about the health risks of smoking tobacco and related substitutes and teach them how to say “no.”

“Teenagers and young adults actually know what the correct decision [is], so in the game, the right decision is actually locked for them,” Duncan said. “They need to first acquire the me-power, the refusal power [...] that they need to be in the right situation.”

Preliminary evidence shows that the greater the number of levels a player completes, the more likely they will be to refuse risky behaviours like unsafe sex and substance abuse.

Dr. Sarah Moser, cultural and urban geography assistant professor in the Department of Geography, presented her research of four major ‘master plan’ economic cities designed

by Saudi Arabia as a strategy to diversify the country away from oil. The country is hoping to address social, economic, and political struggles, including high unemployment rates, rising demands for oil that is likely to outmatch Saudi Arabia’s production, and discontent with the political situation from a restless elite class.

One of the cities Moser cited was King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), a 173-square kilometre city named after the king of Saudi Arabia. According to Moser, this is part of a larger trend of creating new cities for economic and rebranding purposes, with new cities being announced in many Asian and Middle Eastern countries. She explained that KAEC is privately gated and is run by a CEO, as opposed to a mayor. The city is staffed with private security, and police forces are not allowed within. KAEC is even publicly traded on the stock market. Moser’s research focuses on exploring what cultural and legal implications these corporate cities will create.

Dr. Russell Steele, an associate math and statistics professor, presented his research on a model that can help provide more accurate estimates in measuring what the actual effects of treatments are. Steele explained that research statistics can be misleading when there is a group of noncompliers undertaking the active treatment. His research is involved in figuring out the statistical problems that are involved in using this mathematical model.

Alasdair Syme, an assistant professor in medical physics, spoke about his research on using organic electronics as radiation detectors. He defined radiation detectors as any device that generates a detectable sign at certain levels of radiation and explained that this could include anything from a typical handheld device to a white blood cell, which accumulates measurable damage in its DNA when exposed to radiation. An organic radiation detector would be more useful in detecting smaller energy levels in human bodies, as its behaviour is closer to water than that of silicon, the current detector.

18

sports

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

CROSS-COUNTRY — Martlets 3rd, Redmen 4th

McGill runners start strong at annual McGill Open Myrand finishes third overall in Martlet meet NICK JASINSKI Contributor Both the McGill Redmen and Martlet cross-country teams opened their seasons this Saturday at the 2014 McGill Open on Mount Royal.

The meet included 548 total finishers from 26 men’s teams and 22 women’s teams. Teams came from all across Canada, with men and women running six-kilometre and four-kilometre courses, respectively.

Rookie Santiago Bessai was the first Redmen runner across the line, finishing seventh overall with a time of 19:54, while seasoned veteran Melanie Myrand led the Martlets with a thirdplace finish, earning a time of 14:52.

Both teams established themselves well on their home course, with a convincing fourth-place overall finish for the Redmen and a tight third place for the Martlets, who landed just two points behind the second-place Laval.

There is a lot to be optimistic about going into the 2014-2015 crosscountry season for both teams. Head Coach Dennis Barrett, in his 30th season leading McGill’s cross-country team, brings unrivalled experience as both teams push to make a statement this season.

The Martlets eye their fifth consecutive RSEQ title. (Luke Orlando / McGill) On the men’s side, the roster is stronger than it has been the past few seasons.

“Vincent Parent-Pichette was our number one runner at [the] RSEQ [Championships] last year and had a great summer of racing on the track,” Assistant Coach Jim McDannald said.

“A couple of key additions, [including] triathlete Brendon Gribbons and incoming rookie Santi Bessai, will play a big part in improving our team.”

Bessai is looking forward to a

promising first year on the team.

“I think the team is looking really good this year,” Bessai said. “We’ve got some great depth, and I think we have the potential to be very competitive in the upcoming races. I’m stoked to be a part of it.”

The Martlets will surely miss team leader Jessica Porfillio, who graduated last year, but the team welcome back Myrand, who made an immediate impact with her performance on Saturday. Rounding out the core are

10

Jullien Flynn, Ali Barwick, Evelyn Anderson, and Georgia Hamilton as the Martlets seek a fifth consecutive RSEQ championship.

“Our goals are a top-five CIS finish for [the] ladies and a top-10 finish for the guys. If we can work hard and stay healthy, I think those goals are achievable,” Coach McDannald said.

“I think we have two very competitive teams this season.”

Parent-Pichette and Gribbons finished in 17th and 18th place, respec-

tively, with times of 20:06 and 20:09.

Meanwhile freshman Ben Forestell and sophomore François Boisvert capped off the Redmen scorers in 20th and 33rd place, respectively, for a team total of 93 points.

McGill ended up 14 points behind third-place Laval and 96 points ahead of the fifth-place Sherbrooke.

Western and Queen’s placed first and second.

The Martlets’ top five were Myrand, Flynn, Anderson, Hamilton, and rookie Chantal Bourassa, placing second, sixth, 15th, 16th and 35th for 74 points. Western also won the women’s section of the McGill Open with a dominant 33 points.

All five of McGill’s scoring runners finished in the top 12. Coach McDannald was happy with both teams’ performances on Saturday.

“I thought we performed well,” McDannald explained. “It’s been three weeks of training, so you never know where everyone stacks up until you lace up the spikes and toe the line.

The McGill Open was a solid start and something to build off of as we aim towards our goals for the season.”

Both the Redmen and Martlets race next on Saturday, Sept. 27 in Sherbrooke at the Vert et Or Invitational.

things

you didn’t

know about

Champions league

by Mayaz Alam

This year’s UEFA Champions League season will be the 60th in the competition’s history. The tournament began with 77 teams from 53 different nations participating, and uses a knockout system to pare down to 32 teams that reach the group stages.

Last year’s victors, Real Madrid, defeated their cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Final 4-1 in a come-from-behind victory. Real Madrid, who won the competition a record 10 times, also won the inaugural title in 1956, defeating Stade de Reims 4-3.

The past two Champions League Finals have been contests between intra-league rivals. In 2014, Real Madrid faced off against Atletico Madrid, and in 2013 Bayern Munich played Borussia Dortmund. Previously, English giants Manchester United and Chelsea battled for the 2008 title, Italian heavyweights AC Milan and Juventus squared off in 2003, and Real faced off against Valencia in 2000.

The iconic trophy is 74 cm tall, weighs 11 kg, and is made of silver. Successful clubs are rewarded handsomely for progressing through the arduous nine-month competition. Each team that reaches the Round of 16 receives $5 million. Bonuses progressively increase after each stage, with the victors pocketing a cool $15 million.

Raúl, the all-time leading goal scorer in Champions League history, also made his mark with Los Galacticos. He found the back of the net 71 times during his illustrious career, but today finds his record under threat by superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who sit on 68 and 67 goals respectively.

(whoateallthepies.tv)

Recently retired Welsh winger Ryan Giggs, who played his entire career for Manchester United, is the most capped player in Champions League history, with 151 appearances. Like Raúl, however, his record is within clear striking distance by Barcelona’s midfield maestro, Xavi, who has appeared in 147 games during his career.

In total, 22 teams from 10 different countries have hoisted the European Champions Clubs’ Cup, including underdog champions such as Benfica, Nottingham Forest, Celtic, Steaua Bucuresti, and Red Star Belgrade. The unexpected winner of the competition was the Jose Mourinho-led FC Porto in 2004.

Managers who lift the trophy are etched into lore for navigating through one of the toughest competitions in soccer. Only 19 managers have won more than once. The all-time leaders are Italian Carlo Ancelloti, who won with both AC Milan and Real Madrid, and Englishman Bob Paisley, who won all three of his titles with Liverpool in the span of five years.

Unlike the knockout stages of other major international soccer tournaments, the Champions League requires its teams to play ‘home’ and ‘away’ legs. The scores of both games are summed, and the team with the greater aggregate score advances.

In the case of a tie, the squad that scored more away goals receives the tiebreaker.

The group stages begin on Tuesday, Sept. 16 as groups A to D kick off the season, and Groups E to H get their chance on Wednesday. The most notable matches in the first week include Borussia Dortmund against Arsenal, and Manchester City facing off with Bayern Munich. The UEFA Champions League is a unique competition unlike any other; the high quality and international flair make it a must watch.

19

Sports

Tuesday, September 16, 2014 Football — Stingers 41, Redmen 7

Shaughnessy Cup switches hands as Concordia stings McGill Injury-plagued Redmen still winless on the season ZIKOMO SMITH Contributor In the 46th edition of the Shaugnessy Cup, the Concordia Stingers (2-0) routed McGill Redmen (0-2) 41-7. The Redmen managed to muster just 220 total yards in a disjointed performance that was riddled with penalties—30 for both teams combined—and featured four intentional safeties by McGill.

The Redmen were down 19 points in the first quarter, and the injury-plagued squad–among those scratched from the lineup was the team’s star receiver JeanPhilippe Paquette–never found its stride. McGill’s only points came on a seven-yard curl route from junior quarterback Dallon Kuprowski to Louis Brouillete with six minutes left in the second quarter. Brouillette, a junior receiver from Sherbrooke, Quebec, was a bright spot on the night, with 78 yards on eight grabs.

Concordia had the upper hand throughout the entire game.

They completed 19 first downs, moved the chains consistently on second downs, and scored in every quarter. The Stingers complemented their offence with a

complete defensive performance that pressured McGill into four safeties and bad field position for the majority of the game. This left the McGill defence worn out and disorganized, while the offence struggled to find any rhythm throughout the contest.

Concordia kicker Keegan Treloar proved to be an effective weapon for the Stingers, contributing 15 points on four field goals—the longest of which went 43 yards—and three conversions.

His impressive range put added pressure on the Redmen, who battled to keep Concordia out of field goal distance all night.

Defensively, two Redmen players in particular stood out.

Defensive end Devon Stewart, from St. Hubert, Quebec, had 7.5 tackles, and freshman linebacker Karl Fogues chipped in with seven tackles and a forced fumble. The unit as a whole, however, was undisciplined and committed many unnecessary penalties, such as a controversial roughing-the-passer late in the third quarter.

With the win, Concordia avoids going winless against the Redmen for a second consecutive season. McGill could not replicate the come-from-behind victory of last season’s Shaugh-

Redmen linebacker Eric Gracioppo levels Concordia quarterback Francois Dessureault (L-A Benoit / McGill Tribune) nessy Cup game. The two teams’ all-time head-to-head record now stands at 37-37.

While the Redmen’s performance was underwhelming, they were without five of their starters thanks to injury. Paquette did not play due to an unspecified injury suffered last week against Sherbrooke. The offensive line is still struggling to replace the protection was once provided by that offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, a rookie for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.

“We [were] disappointed with how the game went.” Assistant Coach Ronald Hilaire said.

“Obviously when you lose a guy with that talent to the NFL your O-line takes a hit, but we do have good guys coming through. We will move forward with a great attitude, we will take one game at a time […] and we’ll get better every week.”

The defeat will not cause too much panic amongst the Redmen, who are committed to playing a balanced brand of football.

“To be successful, we have to be 50-50 on the run-and-pass game.” Hilaire added. “We are practicing on both sides of the ball.”

McGill will aim to improve their game next week against the third-place Montreal Carabins (1-1), and will be bolstered by the return of numerous players from injury. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19 at Stade CEPSUM.

Derek Jeter’s favourite gifts ELIE WAITZER Sports Editor

It’s not the gifts or ceremonies or sacrificial offerings that will define how I look back on the different fields that I have had the privilege to play upon. All I have ever cared about is getting that next ring. Sure, I like to grind out those regular season road wins in the dog days of summer, but when I press my grass-stained knees to my pinstriped prayer rug every night, it’s only October that is on my mind.

When you’ve been fortunate enough to play for the Yankees for your entire career, you start to care less and less about material comforts. Of course I’m a fan of balls and bats, but, as any Yankee lifer can tell you, you can’t take your iPad with you to pinstripe heaven.

And yet, by the midnight oil I sit, and uncap my autographing sharpie.

For the first and last time, I inscribe not DJ2, but the numbers one through four. These are the top-four gifts I have received in this, my 20th and final season. —DJ2

1. New York Yankees

A 10-day trip to Tuscany and a $222,222.22 donation to my

Dave Concepción’s jerseys

Turn 2 Foundation

I had already booked a 10-day trip to Tuscany for the girlfriend and me when our owner Hal Steinbrenner presented me with this generous gift.

I wanted to say: “thanks Hal, but you can keep it.” And then it dawned on me. News of my trip to Tuscany had been in the New York tabloids for weeks. By committing such a blatant faux pas, the Yankees were blessing me with an opportunity to give the gift of tact. To give instead of receive—as I have done for the Yankees since birth.

I closed my mouth and smiled with my eyes at the crowd. The row of twos whispered to me from the oversized cheque: “Yeah Jeets, yeah.”

2. Chicago Cubs

A number two from the Wrigley scoreboard

This one had a lot of people worked up. The chutzpah to give Derek Jeter a score tile that fell off your decrepit, ivy-colonized façade, they said, and his last season. I, however, have always felt a strange kinship with the Cubs. They’re like the Yankees in a lot of ways: While we’re playing October baseball, they’re sitting on their

Barry and Dave are two of the greatest ballplayers to ever patrol the yawning hole between second and third base. I don’t think I’ll be able to wear the jerseys—what with the garish red and my olive complexion—but I appreci-

couches; while our fingers are laden with rings, their fingers are bony and bare. While that’s not a lot, it’s definitely something.

3. Cincinnati Reds

Barry Larkin’s and

as told by

Derek Jeter

ate the greater sentiment. It takes a lot of spunk to stick at shortstop for your entire career. My manager, Joe Girardi, would never try to push me from shortstop, even though I tell him every day that I would do it in a heartbeat, for the good of the team.

4. New York Mets

A number two made of subway tiles from the New York City metro

I’ll probably dismantle this one for the floors of the new bathroom they’re working on in the trophy wing of my house in Tampa, but you have to respect the resourcefulness of a team like the Mets. Who knows where their owner scrounged up the funds for this one? You have to think change is hard to come by on the streets of Flushing, Queens. As I always say, willpower beats talent nine times out of 10.

20

Sports

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Lacrosse — McGill 13, Queen’s 7

Redmen thrash Gaels in dominant performance Goaltender Waesche makes league history with opening goal WYATT FINE-GAGNÉ Sports Editor

(Continued from page 1)

Sophomore attackman Spencer Bromley, junior midfielder Rhys Burnell, and senior attackman Alex Rorbach each contributed a hat trick to lead McGill’s offensive outburst, and Burnell would add a fourth goal late in the game for good measure.

Although the Redmen are just three games into the 2014 campaign, Burnell has already eclipsed his four goals from last season with seven thus far, a product of increased playing time. It was senior co-captain Connor Goodwin, however, who had the highest point total for the day. Goodwin contributed six assists, bringing his season total to 11—three short of what he recorded all of last season.

Rain and cold meant that the stands in Molson Stadium were relatively empty, but those who did attend witnessed a strong performance from a Redmen squad that has been sharp so far this season as they chase

The Redmen attack puts on a clinic against the overmatched Gaels (Jack Neal / McGill Tribune) the Baggataway Cup once again. Despite unfavourable conditions, the hosts were smooth and composed.

“Playing lacrosse in the rain doesn’t affect your game plan […] too much,” Stewart explained. “It’s business as usual, but you do become

more cautious with the ball when passing and shooting because the rain can definitely affect your stick.”

If the Redmen felt any difficulty, they certainly did not let it show.

The victory marked McGill’s 17th straight regular season win, and ex-

BY THE NUMB3RS 1

tended their run of dominance over Queen’s. The Redmen were on the winning side of all three matchups between the two teams last season, including the semifinal of the CUFLA National Championships.

Stewart is pleased with the team’s

play so far this season, but emphasized that there is still work to be done.

“Everyone needs to stay focused and continue to work hard in practice,” he said. “I don’t think there are any glaring problems we need to fix, but we can definitely work on limiting penalties and unforced turnovers.”

On Wednesday, the Redmen will host rival Bishop’s University at Molson Stadium for an 8:30 p.m. game in what will be McGill’s first big test of the season. The Gaiters are undefeated thus far and finished second in the division in 2013. Bishop’s dealt McGill their last divisional play loss, which occured September of 2012. Since 2009, each regular season game between the two has been decided by two goals or less.

Stewart, however, is confident in his team’s ability.

“I think it’ll be important for us set the tone physically early on in the game,” he explained. “If we play smart and stick to the game plan, we should come out on top.”

Athletes of the Week

Number of saves made by Martlet soccer goalkeeper Cassandra Fafalios against Bishop’s on Sunday. The stop gave her a 100 per cent save percentage on the night, as McGill’s defence limited the Gaiters to just one shot all game.

26

The number of consecutive games that the Martlet field hockey team had lost prior to a 5-0 victory against the Western Mustangs this weekend.

110

The length of a lacrosse pitch in metres, which is approximately how far Redmen goalie William Waesche had to run in order to tally the first goal scored by a goalkeeper in CUFLA history against Queen’s on Saturday.

Robert Sedin Redmen baseball - Infielder Freshman, Management

-The McGill Martlet rugby team lost 30-12 to the Laval Rouge et Or in conference play on Saturday. Senior centre Caroline Suchorski led the Martlet squad with 12 points, but the offence could not rally around her as Laval proved too strong to overpower. The Martlets have sputtered after winning their season opener 54-27 against the Carleton Ravens; this loss leaves McGill with a record of 1-2, good for sixth place out of eight in the conference.

-Alexandra Tinfow, a sophomore midfielder from Westfield, N.J., scored two goals and added an assist as the Martlet soccer team took down Bishop’s University 3-0 on Sunday at home. McGill midfielder Claudia Agozzino scored the goahead goal moments before halftime, with Tinfow putting the game out of reach in the second half as McGill cruised to victory. The win was the Martlets’ fourth shutout on the young season. With the win, McGill improves to 2-1 on the season.

Sedin led the potent Redmen offence with 11 runs batted in on six hits against Ottawa and Carleton this weekend to push McGill’s winning streak to eight games.

With a grand slam home run, three doubles, and two walks, Sedin showed impressive patience and power for his age. The rookie from Sunnyvale, California has looked excellent in the early going and should develop into a fixture in the heart of the Redmen lineup.

Sarah Main

Martlet field hockey - Forward Senior, Arts

Main played a key role in putting an end to the Martlets’ lengthy losing streak, putting in three goals for a hat trick against the Western Mustangs on Saturday.

Main, a 5’4” forward from North Vancouver, British Columbia, was unable to guide the squad to victory in its other games as the team lost 1-0 to the York Lions and tied the Waterloo Warriors 1-1, despite notching the Martlets’ only goal

Photos courtesy of McGill Athletics