McGill Tribune Vol. 38 Issue 21

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019 | VOL. 38 | ISSUE 21

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

EDITORIAL

FEATURE

FROM AWAY

Enough with the unwarranted LinkedIn views

Beyond #Changethename

International students find home on campus

PG. 5

PGs. 8-9

PG. 7

(Gabriel Helfant / The McGill Tribune)

SSMU and McGill join forces for a Fall Reading Week

VOTE YES FOR

The McGill Tribune Existence Referendum Voting period March 16 22

For more information, Please message us on Facebook or email editor@ mcgilltribune.com

PG. 2

India-Pakistan tensions: When the international is personal Heela Achakzai Advertising Executive On Feb. 14, a suicide attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Pulwama district of Indianadministered Kashmir, a region at the centre of a border dispute between India and Pakistan, pushed the two nuclear powers to the verge

of war. The attack, carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan-based group, killed at least 40 CRPF personnel.

India blames Pakistan for the attack while Pakistan denies any connection to the militant group and condemned their actions.

The anxiety, grief, and fear provoked by recent events were the same as they

were in 2014 when I was in the final year of my GCE O Level examinations, roughly equivalent to Canadian grade 11. A deadly attack on a school in Pakistan resulted in my school shutting down indefinitely as the army launched an operation against militants in the country’s north.

PG. 6

Marlon James blends myth and fantasy in ‘Black Leopard, Red Wolf’ Jonathan Giammaria Contributor In an entertainment market dominated by superhero blockbusters and binge-worthy streaming services, audiences often overlook fantasy genre’s literary counterpart. On March 5, Dimitri Nasrallah, author of The Bleeds, joined Marlon

James at the Rialto Theatre to discuss his new novel, Black Leopard, Red Wolf. The novel has become a phenomenon in the fantasy world, and has quickly achieved popular success and critical acclaim.

Hosted by Librairie Drawn & Quarterly, the sold-out event attracted an audience eager to see the literary powerhouse.

Set as the first installment in a trilogy, Black Leopard, Red Wolf is a stark departure from James’ previous novel, the 2015 Booker Prize winner A Brief History of Seven Killings, a realist story revolving around the attempted assassination on Bob Marley.

PG. 11

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news

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019

SSMU and McGill join forces for a Fall Reading Week

Student survey provides insight into preferences for creating a reading week Nina Russell Staff Writer As students return to classes from a week off, they can rest assured that the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) is working in conjunction with the McGill administration for the implementation of a similar break in the Fall semester.

Following a referendum question in Winter 2018 where 96 per cent of students voted in favour of a Fall Reading Week, SSMU released the SSMU Fall Reading Week Survey in Nov. 2018 to gauge student support for the various options that could create time for a Fall Reading Week. With 4,338 respondents, the most popular option to make up for the class-

time lost to a break was to start classes before Labour Day in September. Arts and Science Senator Bryan Buraga vouched for this option as a way to give students a full week off instead of having to combine reading week with Thanksgiving. This option would also allow additional days to be added to the December exam period, push back deferred Winter exams to mid August, change Frosh and move-in dates for incoming freshmen, and may impact the summer courses’s schedules.

“Starting school a week early in the last week of August would give McGill the flexibility to have a Fall Reading [Week] while allowing the fall exam period to be extended, alleviating a lot of stress that students face during these times,” Buraga wrote in a message to The McGill Tribune.

The least popular option in the Fall Reading Week Survey was beginning classes before 8:35 a..m. (Arshaaq Jiffry / The McGill Tribune)

The administration has raised concerns that such an option might force students to pay an extra month’s rent. However, only nine per cent of survey respondents had leases from September to April, giving some relief to concerns over financial consequences.

A different option currently under consideration is the addition of an extra four or five minutes to each class period.

This would amount to an additional 35 minutes per course, which would affect the timing of continuing studies classes and potentially present conflicts for those reliant on daycare services.

Currently, the McGill ad-hoc Fall Reading Week Committee and a sub-committee of the Enrollment and Student Affairs Advisory Committee (ESAAC) are working together to weigh the feasibility of each option. Once an option is selected, students will be given a referendum question in March or April to affirm support for the break.

According to Fabrice Labeau, McGill’s interim deputy provost of Student Life and Learning, a Fall Reading Week in 2020 might be possible if ESAAC is able to secure approval from other administrative bodies.

“By the time we hit April, depending on the advancement, ESAAC may be able

at their meeting to say ‘we endorse this choice,’ [though] this is all conditional on being able to get a buy-in from the rest of the stakeholders because we’re limiting our study to some extent to the student view and the logistical view,” Labeau said. “But, to me, [planning a Fall Reading Week for 2020 would be] a reasonable time frame.”

Similar debates about the feasibility of a reading week have occurred in the past; however, SSMU President Tre Mansdoerfer is confident that, this time, SSMU and the administration are working together to ensure that all options are thoroughly considered.

“I’m in my fourth year at McGill, and I’ve seen these discussions take place in my first year, and, originally, I think people had these ideas that they brought, but there was never any sort of formal committee made at McGill,” Mansdoerfer said. “There’s different leadership that is listening to students, and, if at the end of the day it turns out that it can’t work out, I’m appreciative because at least they were giving an honest shot [...] at it. And that’s kind of the difference right now, is that there’s a genuine desire to explore it and to see what kind of happens from there that necessarily wasn’t there one, two, or three years ago.”

Tribune Explains: The Montreal wastewater system How does water make it from the street to the Saint Laurence?

Kyle Dewsnap Staff Writer With the spring thaw on the horizon, students are already swerving away from massive puddles on street corners and sidewalks. To better understand why the temporary flooding is so severe, The McGill Tribune looked into how Montreal handles its wastewater.

Where does the water go?

According to the City of Montreal, the city’s drainage system gathers 2.5 million cubic metres of wastewater on a normal day and up to eight million cubic metres on a wet day. Almost all of this water is treated by the J.R-Marcotte water treatment plant located at the base of the Island of Montreal, which is also the third largest water plant in the world. Every litre of water that flows through the plant is filtered for garbage and particles then given a chemical treatment that binds smaller particles together so that they too can be filtered out. Once treated, the water is dumped into the Saint Lawrence River. Currently, Montreal does not sanitize its wastewater, although there are plans to open a new sanitization plant within the next three years.

Why isn’t the water sanitized?

Sanitizing millions of litres of wastewater is expensive, time-consuming, and has its own environmental impact: Nature Education estimates that wastewater sanitization accounts for three per cent of global electricity production and five per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Professor Jim Nicell, dean of the Faculty of Engineering at McGill, explained

that the most sustainable solution for an environmental problem may not be the obvious one.

“A few years ago, there was an issue where [Montreal] needed to divert wastewater directly into the St. Lawrence river in order to repair a pipe,” Nicell said. “From an engineering perspective, that’s a non-issue: You look at the size of the river, you look at the level of dilution, [and you find that] nature’s not going to feel it.

Now, consider someone that would instead want to build a giant basin to hold the dirty water because they were really concerned about the environment. But, what about the environmental and economic resources that would be required in order to build a temporary structure to hold this water? That’s not a wise use of resources in our efforts to protect the environment.”

How is the water transported?

Most of the city is serviced by a combined sewerage system which transports both sewage and storm water. There is a drainage pipe underneath every street in Montreal, the smallest of which are only 30 centimetres in diameter and the largest being over four metres wide. All of the water in the combined system is eventually moved into one of two massive pipes. These underground rivers, called interceptors, are over five metres wide and, ultimately, transport the water to the treatment plant.

Why are there massive puddles on every street then?

Sewerage systems have a maximum capacity and, when reached, the system must either dump untreated water directly into a holding facility or water source or else risk flooding thousands of businesses and homes. Nicell,

The Montreal drainage systems gathers millions of cubic metres of water daily. (Sabrina Girard-Lamas / The McGill Tribune) who has worked in environmental engineering for over 25 years, explained that engineers try to avoid this issue by intentionally designing storm drains and streets to drain water at a slow rate.

“If you allow the water to flood as quickly as possible down the sewer in order to keep everyone’s feet dry, that creates a massive peak of flow that may overflow the sewer [...and] flood businesses and homes that are blocks away,”

Nicell said. “So, what we’ll do is purposely allow the water to pool and then slowly drain down into the system so that it doesn’t flood.”

However, he also pointed out that the flooding near campus can be excessive.

“I can’t always say [the flooding] is by design,” Prof. Nicell said. “For instance, the [drain] by the Roddick Gates is not good [....]

Sometimes, the design is good, but the contractors make a mistake during construction.”

news

TUESDAY, march 12, 2019

AUS executive team broke constitution, Secretary General finds Twelve departmental associations sign a petition calling for Arts Representatives’ resignation Kyle Dewsnap Staff Writer During the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council on Feb. 27, representatives unanimously approved two questions for the upcoming AUS referendum concerning the powers of the Executive Committee. One asked whether executives should be restricted from voting on AUS matters digitally and the other whether executives should be allowed to consider matters that the Legislative Council has already voted on. The AUS referendum will take place Mar. 18-21.

Both motions were prompted by the controversial approval of the POLI 339 course fee, which was originally rejected by Legislative Council on Jan. 30 before subsequently being approved by the Executive Committee in a private vote over Facebook. The AUS Secretary-General team had previously suspended the Executive Committtee’s decision following allegations that the vote was unconstitutional and, during the meeting, presented the findings of their investigation into the matter.

The report, conducted by AUS Secretary-General Sophie Zhao and Deputy Secretary-General Nathan Mendel, found that all seven members of the Executive Committee had broken the AUS constitution and could therefore be removed from office. The report specifically condemned the actions of AUS President Maria Thomas as well as Arts Representatives Andrew Figueiredo and Ana Paula Sánchez.

“President Thomas did not execute her duty to ensure the Executive Committee’s compliance with the Constitution and ByLaws,” the report reads. “She knowingly allowed the Executive Committee to violate [...] the AUS Constitution [....] The actions of Arts Representative Figueiredo and Sánchez contradict their agreement and duties as outlined in [...] the Arts Representatives contracts.”

After the Secretary-General team’s pre-

sentation, Thomas apologized for her actions and confided that she was considering resigning.

“To be very honest, this meeting has given me a lot to think about,” Thomas said.

“I kind of feel like I’ve failed all of you. I will think about it, and, if need be, I will resign, given that I was in charge of the Executive Committee.”

Council members were concerned with Sánchez’s actions and departmental representatives asked for her to apologize in front of the council. Sánchez is the only executive that hasn’t signed on to the public apology.

“I think a lot of the council members are curious about why she’s the only one who hasn’t addressed this issue,” Maeve Botham, vice-president external of the History Students’ Association said. “A lot of people were hurt through this process, and she [...] has yet to acknowledge it. I’m not trying to attack her, I’m just genuinely curious why.”

Sánchez addressed the council, stating that she had posted an apology on Facebook and had also expressed condolences in an opinion article published by The McGill Tribune.

“I’m very grateful to have had a [meeting] where departmental executives and constituents could express their thoughts and feelings,” Sánchez said. “I tried answering all concerns to the best of my abilities and [am] reiterating my apologies for deficient constitutionality.”

Following the Secretary-General team’s suspension of the POLI 339 vote, Figueiredo resigned from his position on Feb. 20. Representatives from departmental associations also created a petition on Feb. 15 calling for the resignation of the two other Arts Representatives, Sánchez and Garima Karia. 12 of 27 departmental associations have signed the petition, which also calls on the AUS Legislative Council to consider writing future motions that would address the damage of the Executive Committee’s actions.

President Thomas stated that she may resign in light of the Secretary Generals’ condemnation of her actions. (Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune)

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General Assembly fails to meet quorum with 27 attendees Students call for a fossil fuel-free future

On Mar. 15, an estimated 500 strikes to promote climate change awareness will take place across 51 countries. (Delphine Polidori / The McGill Tribune) regard to government change or institutional change, that could not necessarily Delphine Polidori [...] be represented in these institutions.”

Contributor The GA’s low turnout prompted SSMU President Tre Mansdoerfer to The Students’ Society of McGill address the issue of attendance, pointUniversity (SSMU) Winter 2019 Gening to obstacles posed by the temporary eral Assembly (GA) failed to meet the closure of the SSMU building and exrequired 350 students for quorum durplaining his proposal for a SSMU pubing its Feb. 25 session, with only 27 lic relations department. voting members in attendance. None“I think we should [...] hire sometheless, the Motion to Endorse the Stuone to do PR specifically,” Mansdoerdent Walkout for Climate Justice passed fer said. “I think that SSMU should be within the limited powers of the consulworking on how [to] write certain motative forum and the Legislative Countions that people might be engaged in. cil subsequently approved it on Feb. 28.

There shouldn’t be a desire for a conThe motion called for SSMU to troversial motion necessarily, but things publicly declare support for the Mar. 15 like [today’s motion] are very valuable climate walkout, which is organized by motions that members would be enuniversity students across Montreal as gaged with.” part of an international day of climate SSMU VP University Affairs protest.

Jacob Shapiro expressed enthusiasm for “Be it resolved that the SSMU the proposal, highlighting it as an exampublish an official public statement enple of the community-driven innovation dorsing the McGill Student Walkout for that the GA stands for.

Climate Justice on Friday, March 15th “This is, I think, the best of what to demand governmental and institua General Assembly is,” Shapiro said. tional action in line with the [Intergov“It is members of society bringing forernmental Panel on Climate Change ward motions around important issues (IPCC)] report’s recommendation to that, for whatever reason, executives or limit warming to 1.5 degrees celsius,” councillors or other members of SSMU the motion reads. failed to address.”

The executives passed an amendArts and Science Senator Bryan ment asking the SSMU Executive to Buraga echoed Shapiro’s sentiments. send a delegation to the McGill Student “We here at SSMU have a long Walkout under the VP External portfohistory of fighting for social justice and lio. The motion’s representatives, Chrisupholding human rights, and this motina Lau, U1 Management, and Noah tion really embodies what we here at Fisher, U2 Arts, spoke to the importance SSMU are fighting for,” Buraga said. of student engagement.

The motion represents the latest in “McGill University’s institutions SSMU sustainability and climate legisdon’t always and often cannot represent lation. In Mar. 2015, the Student Socithe interests of the student body, particety also passed the Motion Regarding ularly the Board of Governors, [which the Adoption of a Climate Change Polionly] has token representatives from cy and approved the Motion Regarding SSMU,” Fisher said. “As such, we bethe Formal Ratification of the United lieve that it is very important for SSMU Nations Sustainable Goals in Feb. 2017. to recognize and to endorse this moveAdditionally, SSMU updated its Susment to amplify the voices of students tainability Policy in Mar. 2018. whether it be in divestment or [with]

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news

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019

Liberal victory in Outremont by-election Liberals retake riding from NDP after Mulcair steps down Yasmine Atallah Contributor The Feb. 25 by-election in Outremont, which includes the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, saw the victory of Liberal candidate Rachel Bendayan. In the past, Liberals have almost exclusively held the riding since 1935 until New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Tom Mulcair’s victory in 2007.

Bendayan won the seat with 40.4 per cent of the votes while NDP candidate Julia Sánchez came second with 27.5 per cent. Green Party Candidate Daniel Green came in third with 12.9 per cent, Bloc Quebecois candidate Michel Duchesne came in fourth with 11.1 per cent, and Jasmine Louras, the Conservative candidate, came in fifth with 6.1 per cent. The voter turnout was 21.35 per cent.

Daniel Minden, vice-president (VP) Communications for Liberal McGill, worked closely with Bendayan during her campaign.

Other members of Liberal McGill helped by knocking on doors and hanging posters. Minden credits Bendayan’s victory to her efforts to make the campaign personal for the people in her community.

“She’s from the riding, and [she] really knows the community well,” Minden said.

“She has a lot of connections with community organizations. She has been very involved with all those communities, and they came out to support her”.

Mulcair’s win in Outremont as part of 2011’s ‘orange wave’ saw the NDP earn official opposition status for the first time in Canadian

history. However, in 2018, Mulcair resigned after the party voted to hold elections for a new leader, stating that that he would not run in Outremont again.

“We’re very excited that this riding has returned to the Liberal Party,” Minden said.

“We hope that it is emblematic of something larger that’s going to come in October.”

Celeste Cassidy and Sarah Mikhael, copresidents of NDP McGill, considered the historical tendencies of voters in Outremont to be a deciding factor in this by-election, in spite of their candidate and group’s efforts to mobilize NDP voters.

“It was a different candidate [this time around], and Tom Mulcair was the leader of the party, so that also holds some gravity,” Cassidy said. “The seat was traditionally Liberal, so it was not that shocking.”

However, both Cassidy and Mikhael remain hopeful for the party’s future following Jagmeet Singh’s victory in Burnaby-South, where he gathered 38.9 per cent of the votes. “[Now that he is elected], I think that will really bring a shift into how his leadership is viewed and, hopefully, how the party fares in the coming months,” Cassidy said.

Ali Gürsoy, VP Finance of Conservative McGill, likewise explained the loss of the Conservative candidate, Mouras, as a symptom of the riding’s political history.

“In my opinion, many Conservative-leaning voters didn’t [come out to vote] because it was a safe Liberal seat,” Gürsoy said. “If it’s a safe seat, then turnout is low, and the opposition voters are just not interested in that campaign.”

The SNC-Lavalin scandal did not deter Outremont voters from showing support for the Liberal candidate.

(IHeartRadio.ca) The McGill clubs involved in the by-elecHowever, the low voter turnout could also be a consequence of the vote being a by- tion, as well as Habib, also agreed that youth election, which Minden, Cassidy, Mikhael, and involvement in politics is crucial. Not only are Gürsoy all agreed tend to see lower numbers. youth the new voter demographic, but the curTaharima Habib, communications coordinator rent policies will affect their lives and should, at Apathy is Boring, a non-partisan charitable therefore, include their input.

“It’s fantastic that we’ve seen campus organization aiming to increase youth engagement in the democratic process, believes that clubs of all parties be involved in this election,” Minden said. “I think there’s a real sense on by-elections are unfairly undervalued.

“By-elections indicate an empty seat in campus that politics, including federal politics, the House of Commons [since Mulcair left],” really affect students, and there’s a desire to get Habib said. “This means that [the Outremont involved. As we lead up to the federal election riding] is not represented, and representation is in October, we hope that that sentiment only grows.” important.”

Progressive groups on campus form new alliance

Socialist Fightback, Divest McGill, NDP McGill among clubs to ratify constitution Ahmad El-Zammar, Contributor & Jacqueline Yao, Staff Writer Founded in fall 2018, Solidarity Alliance McGill (SAM) is a new umbrella organization that serves to unite several of McGill’s socially-progressive groups. Student clubs such as Divest McGill, McGill Students for the New Democratic Party (NDP McGill), and Socialist Fightback at McGill and Concordia attended a Feb. 11 SAM meeting to finalize the coalition’s constitution. According to the new document, the Alliance will act as a forum for McGill’s left-wing groups to coordinate efforts and is committed to the ‘protection of all those who are unjustly oppressed.’

NDP McGill member Joshua Werber was inspired to help found SAM in Nov. 2018 to foster relationships among parties with similar interests. For Werber, the Alliance represents a way for progressive voices on campus to act in a more concerted manner.

“Whenever there’s a hot issue, the groups will make [an] individual statement,” Werber said. “It becomes very divided. But, if we can all join together to make some sort of united statement on certain salient issues, we can have a much larger impact.”

Maranda Raskin, SAM social media

coordinator and member of Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), gave a different reason for SAM’s inception. For her, SAM is also a means for progressives to match political rivals on campus.

“I feel like a lot of conservative groups on campus are, [or] have been in the past, very organized, and this is just a way for us to do that ourselves,” Raskin said.

Raskin believes that SAM will help foster communication between left-leaning groups on campus. She also hopes that the alliance will make it easier for students to get politically involved on campus.

“In the future, we want it to be like a platform for new students who are interested in leftist politics or progressive organizing to come into McGill and have one platform for people to shop around, like a virtual activities fair,” Raskin said.

Members stressed that the non-hierarchical structure of SAM is a crucial part of the organization’s identity—no member has a veto.

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) Student Life Sophia Esterle confirmed that SAM members have already conveyed their desire to gain club status, which the SAM executives hope will guarantee their Alliance’s existence after they graduate.

However, Esterle warned that associ-

ating with SSMU is not without its conditions. This comes after the SSMU Judicial Board (J-Board)’s unanimous ruling in May 2016 to prohibit SSMU from politically campaigning against either side of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Specifically, the J-Board found that the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which aims to non-violently pressure Israel into complying with international law, was unconstitutional and violated the SSMU Equity Policy by targeting a country directly.

“Any group that is associated with SSMU has to adhere to the Judicial Board ruling [...] in their official documents,” Esterle said. “All groups would be held to the same standard [whether they are] existing groups or groups seeking [SSMU club] status.”

The J-Board is the dispute resolution body mandated by the SSMU Constitution to adjudicate interpretation of constitutions, namely, the SSMU Constitution but, also, the constitutions of clubs and services under SSMU. Currently, SAM’s constitution supports BDS. “We’re fully committed to not violating any SSMU legislation or [Judicial Board] ruling,” Werber said. “We respect SSMU and we also are not ashamed of our beliefs, but we’re certainly not going to try

Members of SAM are seeking SSMU club status. (Gabriel Helfant / The McGill Tribune) to usurp SSMU, and if we’re told there’s an issue we’re going to work in good faith.”

Werber pointed out that several student groups have published pro-BDS material and continue to work with the SSMU. He also noted the Alliance’s stance against anti-semitism which stand independent of its views on BDS. “Both ‘pro-BDS’ and ‘opposed to anti-semitism’ are independent [principles],” Werber said. “We believe in both because they’re both progressive values. All of our principles are equally important to us. It could happen that some individuals may decide to focus on one of our particular principles, but we’re a very broad coalition and our goal isn’t to be defined by one principle but rather to offer the left on campus a louder and inclusive platform to speak from.”

opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019

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editorial board Editor-in-Chief Marie Labrosse editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Elli Slavitch eslavitch@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Ariella Garmaise agarmaise@mcgilltribune.com Stephen Gill sgill@mcgilltribune.com Calvin Trottier-Chi ctrottier-chi@mcgilltribune.com

News Editors Andras Nemeth, Caitlin Kindig & Laura Oprescu news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Keating K. Reid & Abeer Almahdi opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Katherine Lord scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Emma Carr studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Dylan Adamson features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Katia Innes & Sophie Brzozowski arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Gabe Nisker & Miya Keilin sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Arshaaq Jiffry & Erica Stefano design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Gabriel Helfant photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor Tristan Surman multimedia@mcgilltribune.com

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TPS Board of Directors Abeer Almahdi, Becca Hoff, Jeeventh Kaur, Marie Labrosse, Katherine Milazzo, Daniel Minuk, Falah Rajput.

Nina Russell, Kevin Vogel

staff Peter Ball, Hannibal de Pencier, Taja De Silva, Kyle Dewsnap, Owen Gibbs, Emma Gillies, Sabrina GirardLamas, Mary Keith, Sunny Kim, Sydney King, Winne Lin, Ronny, Litvack-Katzman, Ender McDuff, Gabriela McGuinty, Sofia Mikton, Nicholas Raffoul,, Nina Russell, Julia Spicer, Leo Stillinger, Bilal Virji, Kevin Vogel, Tony Wang, Helen Wu, Jacqueline Yao, Leanne Young

Contributors Yasmine Atallah, Zoe Babad-Palmer, Joey Caplan, Katherine Dulong, Jonathan Giammaria, Kaylina Kodlick, Lea Perret, Delphine Polidori, Margaret Wdowiak, Zoe Yalden, Zoë Yalden, Ahmad El Zammar

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EDITORIAL

Overworked and underpaid: Executive dysfunction in student government On Feb. 25, Sophia Esterle, Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) VicePresident (VP) Student Life announced that she would be taking time off for an indefinite period due to immense emotional and physical burnout. Similarly, VP External Marina Cupido resigned in Sept.

2018 citing mental health concerns while in office. In Dec. 2018, Post Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) External Affairs Officer Hocine Slimani left his position as well. With executive elections fast approaching, student societies need to confront that burnout is inherent to a flawed structure. Underpaid and overworked executives are physically and emotionally unable to fully carry out all of the tasks in their portfolios or campaign promises—healthier systems of labour will only strengthen the work that SSMU and PGSS are already doing.

Students often underestimate the significant roles that student society executives play on campus. While executives garner

Elli Slavitch Creative Director A helicopter pilot once viewed my LinkedIn profile five times in one day before sliding into my DMs. As bizarre as this sounds, I know that I am not alone in experiencing harassment on the platform. Numerous women have come forward about harassment on LinkedIn, and unpleasant experiences sparked the creation of the website CreepedIn, which documents users’ encounters with inappropriate messages. On a forum where professionals want to be recognized for their accomplishments, some individuals are objectified for their appearance instead. Inappropriate LinkedIn profile views affect many users, but they place students in a particularly vulnerable position.

Online spaces should not be exempt from zero-tolerance standards for sexist behaviour.

As students prepare to enter the workforce, creating a LinkedIn

unwanted attention during times of controversy, much of their job is mundane. Besides being responsible for facilitating many day-to-day operations, such as the SSMU Daycare and tutoring services, executives often handle multiple large-scale projects at a time. On paper, the job is a 40 hour a week commitment, but, in practice, that number can stretch to anywhere from 60 to 90 hours.

For the amount of work executives do, they are grossly underpaid.

For instance, as of 2016, SSMU executives are some of the lowest paid in Canada, making roughly $6,000 less than the $35,000 peryear average for Canadian student association executives at the time.

Institutional structures are part of the reason why executives are overworked: A small group of elected representatives come into year-long terms with multiyear goals. These representatives are tasked with handling budgets of over $1 million, running multiple businesses such as SSMU’s MiniCourses, and

lobbying governments, all while completing their degrees. PGSS officers juggle additional academic responsibilities, such as holding teaching positions and conducting research.

When it comes to advocating for campus reform, administrative change at McGill often happens too slowly for an executive to see the results of their efforts during their term. What students may see as a failure to achieve campaign promises may be indicative of something more concerning: McGill’s current bureaucratic administrative structure makes achieving their goals almost impossible.

A lack of institutional memory contributes to these structural issues, as well. Previous and newlyelected executives’ terms overlap for a month in May, but this is hardly enough time for new executives to fully grasp all of the responsibilities of their roles. Student societies should consider creating more administrative full-time positions or extending elected terms to have

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more overlap. Additionally, student societies should hire more students and non-students to aide executives, taking over their more mundane, but time-consuming tasks, such as email correspondences.

SSMU and PGSS serve indispensable roles on campus by supporting and advocating for students. General Elections are approaching soon, but student engagement and voter turnout continue to be low; in previous years, most candidates ran uncontested.

Currently, there are only four candidates running for PGSS’s six executive positions. Assuming a more reasonable workload would likely help address the problem of uncontested executive elections, as well. There has been momentum toward reforming aspects of SSMU through a governance reform committee, and it is crucial that these efforts be sustained. Student societies need good executives to continue, improve upon, and create new tasks and projects: Making their jobs less grueling is a first step to keeping them around.

Enough with the unwarranted LinkedIn views profile is often the first step in seeking employment—it generally serves as an introduction to the opportunities which exist outside of McGill. Although useful, LinkedIn is undeniably strange. It is invariably cluttered with sponsored spam in users’ inbox, and odd lingo such as ‘gurus,’ ‘ninjas,’ and ‘jedis.’ While harassment pervades all social media platforms, LinkedIn differs in that the website sends users a notification when another user views their profile. LinkedIn’s primary efforts to stay engaging and relevant neglect important components of the workplace, like the importance of workplace conduct and resources to help victims of harassment, online and offline.

Profile views are LinkedIn’s currency of clout, boosting users’ egos and keeping them addicted to the site. Oftentimes, the feature is useful, and I find it exciting to see that employers that whom I look up to are viewing my profile. Most of the time, however, my notifications are populated by user profiles of individuals who work in fields unrelated to my own and whose only unifying trait is that they are middle-aged men. Initially, I had no idea how or why this was happening.

However, I realized that I am a young, inexperienced student soon to enter the workforce and that being ‘viewed’ is inherent to LinkedIn and the professional world at large.

As students, the early stages of

employment are often precarious— especially as we land in ‘probationary’ paid and unpaid internships and entry-level positions. Many of us will face exploitative labour, workplace discrimination and harassment, but still don’t know how to deal with it.

This is something we’re introduced to through LinkedIn views and will repeatedly endure in the workforce— universities should prepare us for this reality as its internship networks and career portals connect us to future employers.

The traditional solution to unwanted social media attention is going into ‘private’ mode: Hiding your profile picture, connections, bio, and everything else related to your profile. But LinkedIn is different because, on this platform, you need to be seen. Obscuring your profile is potentially harmful to your professional future and does nothing to address the root issues of harassment in work-adjacent environments. No one, especially femme-identifying workers and

others vulnerable to harassment, should feel the need to hide from professional spaces.

The public nature of LinkedIn gives students an unfortunate, yet realistic introduction to the professional world. Harassment happens in offices, just as it does online. Too many of us have unpleasant and traumatic introductions to a world in which we are being ‘viewed’ inappropriately and it is essential that the spaces we interact in foster respect and do not tolerate predatory behaviour.

Just as McGill offers Career Development Workshops, Career Networks, Career Advising and even LinkedIn Advising, it should also warn of potential dangers in all workplace environments, including cyber-spaces.

Too many of us have unpleasant and traumatic introductions to a world in which we are inappropriately and unwarrantedly being ‘viewed,’ online and offline. It’s time that we’re viewed for the right reasons.

Erratum An article entitled “McGill hosts RSEQ Track and Field Championship” published on Feb. 26 stated that Jorden savoury was a thrower. In fact she is a sprinter. The Tribune regrets this error.

6

opinion

commentary

Heela Achakzai Advertising Executive Continued from page 1.

When schools did reopen after a When schools did reopen after a few weeks, heightened security measures were in place. I had to leave home early because the queues for security outside our school’s gates were busier than those in some airports. Parents’ goodbyes outside the school in the mornings became even longer. As a Pakistani who experienced the terror of war and saw it inch so close to home, the news of an imminent conflict paralyzed me with fear.

Only this time, some things were different: I am a university student in a foreign country with a circle of friends that includes Indians and Pakistanis

commentary It’s springtime in Montreal: The days are getting longer, the weather is just slightly getting warmer, and thousands of students are rushing to find a new place to live. Contributors Makena Anderson and Leina Gabra detail the trials and tribulations of apartment hunting as McGill students.

Exploitative landlords and annoying age limits Makena Anderson, Contributor

It’s no secret that good lant’s no secret that good landlords are few and far between, but they seem especially scant in the Milton-Parc area. Between broken dishwashers, missing doorknobs, and unreturned phone calls, nearly every student has horror stories about their landlord.

Following a two-year tenancy in the Plateau, I came up against some surprising troubles as I began my search for a new home. While on the hunt for an apartment, I discovered that—at age 20—I was too old for some landlords. By their second and third years, many students are unappealing candidates for potential landlords because they are less likely to renew their leases

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019

India-Pakistan tensions: When the international is personal alike. When the standoff began, I felt unsure whether we were safe around each other, or if any of my best friends from across the border saw me differently.

Two days after the Pulwama attack, my best friend, who is from India, confessed to having similar concerns. She said that I had sounded short with her on the phone that day and that she hoped it was not because of ‘the India-Pakistan thing.’ My heart sank. Neither of us was overreacting— war does create distance. Some students at McGill had taken to social media to spew hate against ‘the other’; more extreme and jingoistic cases called for war.

But, as tensions between the countries worsened, the opposite shift occurred among my circle of friends.

Instead of feeling unsure of how ‘the other’ felt, we huddled around our laptops in the Redpath library at 2 a.m. together, checking the news and worrying that our country would provoke conflict. The following morning, we called each other to check in. We knew that no matter our nationality, we had something more important in common: A love for our homes and for each other. We did not want war, we despised the hysteria, and we hated seeing each other stressed and afraid.

During the past two weeks, despite what I had feared, I have grown closer to many of my Indian friends.

They answered my anxious calls with love, and we settled our usual political debates by our mutual wish for peace—despite the hate we saw on our social media and news channels. We all wished for cooler heads to prevail.

The two countries stepped back from the brink of war after Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, offered a round of peace talks when addressing national and international

media on Feb. 19. With this hopeful news, my friends and I decided to get together. We had to calm down after a week that reminded us of the gutwrenching memories of past terrorist attacks, emergency drills, and constant worry for our families back home. My Indian friends and I attending a showing of

Bollywood’s newest release, Gully Boy, and shared a meal of biryani to cherish what we had in common and to celebrate the victory of peace over war—not just between countries, but among friends.

Friendship and community surpass borders. (Karolin Schnoor)

Campus Conversation: Apartment hunting trials and tribulations for the following year. As a result, some landlords will opt for younger prospects, which is illegal.

Even if you belong to the lucky group of students who are invited to sign a lease for their apartment of choice, you may find that your potential landlord has tacked on extra fees like illegal security deposits. Quebec is the only province in which landlords are not allowed to ask for a security deposit; however, they have been known to circumvent this law by exploiting students’ naïveté.

With hundreds of students hunting for housing near campus, landlords are afforded substantial power. As students desperately look for an apartment before the Apr. 30 deadline, landlords have the opportunity to bypass certain regulations and are still likely to find a tenant. By the time students file a complaint, landlords will likely have found a different signatory for the lease. The future of renting may seem unpromising to many students, and, moving forward, the Régie du Logement should take a more active role in advocating for student renters and condemning landlords who partake in illegal renting practices.

Finding and keeping an apartment in Milton Park Leina Gabra, Contributor The Milton-Parc area is homThe Milton-Parc area is home to over 11,000 residents, thousands of whom are McGill students. Many students live in the neighbourhood because they enjoy the convenience of being able to leave home 10 minutes before classes begin. Affordable units in this densely-populated area are snatched up within minutes: I had Craigslist and PadMapper bookmarked for months because apartments were being rented out as soon as they were listed.

McGill Student Housing offers a webpage with some online resources and a handful of workshops and Q&A events to assist its community in finding off-campus housing and understanding the law. However, this still does not fully prepare students for all of the headaches that come with apartment hunting.

Unprepared second-year students are thrust into the big, scary world that is apartment hunting with few tools to guide them,

From overpriced apartments to exploitative landlords, moving day can be a nightmare in Milton-Parc. (Winnie Lin / The McGill Tribune) especially regarding their rights as tenants. Although McGill does provide some resources, they do not assist in finding apartments in concentrated and highly-popular areas like Milton-Parc.

On top of the difficulty of finding a satisfactory apartment in Milton-Parc, for many students, this is their first time renting. For those who are especially unaware of Quebec’s renting laws, such as international students, this highlyconcentrated neighbourhood of students allows landlords to take advantage of oblivious McGill students for their own profit through illegal deposits, hazardous

living conditions, and unfair rent prices. Besides exploitation, some students living in Milton-Parc have reported burglaries, trespassing, or peeping—especially female students.

Apartment hunting as a McGill student is no easy feat, especially when students are all looking in the same neighbourhood. Students who are tired of the struggle that is apartment hunting in Milton-Parc and don’t mind a short commute should consider renting in other neighbourhoods outside of the ‘McGill bubble’ such as like Atwater, Saint-Henri, or the Mile End.

student living

TUESDAY, march 12, 2019

Over 27 per cent of the McGill student population is international, more than any other university in Quebec. For many, it can be difficult to feel comfortable in a new country.

In “From Away,” The McGill Tribune asked international students:

Where do you feel most at home on campus?

By Zoë Yalden, Contributor

1.

1. Jeanette Zhong, U2 Philosophy, China

fRom aWaY 2. Soukaina Amrani, U3 English Literature, Morocco

2.

“The Nahum Gelber Library. It is so close to my apartment and I spend most of my time studying there. It is a quiet area where it is usually easy to find seats. Despite the construction surrounding the library, it is a beautiful building where I feel the most at home on campus.”

3.

“The things that make me feel most at home are my friends, my sorority, and my sister since she lives here.Without them I would be homesick and sad, especially with how cold and dark winter is here.”

4. Mohammed Haj Ali, MEng 2 in Environmental Engineering, Syria

4.

“I’m part of WUSC [World University Services Canada] McGill, a university club that helps McGill students [...] sponsor refugees from conflict zones to pursue their education at McGill. It’s where McGill empowered me to transform the lives of individuals who suffer [from the same] conflicts [...] my home country is currently suffering from.”

3. Saruul Khishigjargal, U2 Political Science, Mongolia “There is really only one place I truly feel at home on campus; Rutherford Park. Sitting on that open expanse, watching the city skyline, I feel as though I have a piece of nature all to myself. I feel free and that’s home to me.”

5. Eve Cable, U1 Cultural Studies, London

3.

5.

“I feel most at home in my dorm room in RVC, because I feel like I made it into a place where it’s a home for all my friends and me, not just me.

Most people think my dorm room is super cluttered, and it is, but that’s because I have millions of photos of my friends from home and my family on the walls, as well as lots of tickets and posters from my walls in my old bedroom [....] My favourite part of my dorm room is the huge rainbow ‘Happy Birthday’ sign I taped up to the wall. All my friends here had their birthdays in November and December, and I decided to keep the sign up so that anybody having a birthday can use my room as the birthday room.”

6.

6. Priyanshi Sharma, U1 Psychology, India “It’s mainly the people I surround myself with, my roommate, girls from my sorority, AOII, and my friends. I thought it would be hard to settle here when I first got here but it hasn’t been like that at all.”

7

7.

7. Navoneel Chakraborty, U2 Physics and Philosophy, India

“My favourite place on campus is McGill Pizza.

Nothing like one-for-one beers and all day breakfast.”

Beyond

#ChangeTheName The other 51 Calls to Action

Laura Oprescu News Editor The Government of Canada established Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2007 to investigate the history of residential schools. The investigation’s goal was to inform Canadians about the brutal treatment of Indigenous people under the residential school system and to start the process of reconciliation with Indigenous communities.

Reconciliation, however, goes beyond the residential school system: indigenous language rights, disparities and discrimination in the child welfare system, and the coerced sterilization of Indigenous women are just a few examples of persistent injustices that Canadian indigenous people face today.

The TRC put forth 94 Calls to Action in its final report, released in 2015, which included increasing funding for indigenous students seeking post-secondary education, creating post-secondary indigenous language programs, and eliminating the educational and employment gaps between indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians. Designing and implementing these initiatives often happens at the university level.

In response to the TRC’s report, McGill’s Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) (PVPA) Christopher Manfredi established the Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education in 2016, the mandate of which was to address the TRC’s Calls to Action within the university context. The task force’s final report, released in 2017, included 52 Calls to Action of its own, organised into five categories: Student Recruitment and Retention, Physical Representation and Symbolic Recognition, Academic Programs and Curriculum, Research and the Academic Complement, and Building Capacity and Human Resources.

The Call to Action that has received by far the most attention is Call 21: “Varsity Teams and the McGill Name,” which calls for the immediate renaming of McGill’s men’s varsity teams. In response, the PVPA established the Working Group on Principles of Commemoration and Renaming to establish guidelines for renaming any structures, buildings, or teams at McGill; however, the group was not explicitly tasked with renaming the men’s varsity teams. Frustrated with the slow administrative response to renaming, Tomas Jirousek, member of the Kainai First Nation in Alberta and Student Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Indigenous Affairs Commissioner, started the #ChangeTheName campaign to put pressure on McGill’s administration.

The Working Group released their final report in Dec. 2018. Despite a peaceful demonstration in Oct. 2018 and an open letter that has garnered over 10,000 signatures protesting the name, Vice-Principal and Chancellor Suzanne Fortier informed the McGill community in an email in Jan. 2019 that

she would delay her decision on changing the name until the end of Winter 2019, citing the need to consider all opinions before making a decision. Changing the name of McGill’s men’s varsity teams is a prominent and public example of reconciliation, but it is only one aspect of the indigenous experience at McGill.

PHYSICAL AND COMMUNITY SPACES

McGill already has crucial resources in place for indigenous students. McGill’s indigenous services and initiatives are primarily run out of the First Peoples’ House (FPH), which describes itself as a “home away from home” for indigenous students. The FPH provides space for students to study, meet with elders and tutors, participate in drumming circles, and share a weekly dinner of soup and bannock with other members of the community.

Additionally, the FPH has 10 single-occupancy rooms available for rent, with priority given to indigenous students.

Ella Martindale, a member of the Cowichan First Nation and co-chair of the Indigenous Student Alliance (ISA), believes that the ISA and the FPH create valuable community spaces for indigenous students.

“Through these connections, we take on activism, events, and awareness initiatives,” Martindale wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “It really depends upon what the McGill community needs in the moment and what the Indigenous students want to pursue.

Ultimately, we provide a space to organize and be together as Indigenous students, and the rest follows.”

Other Canadian universities have built indigenous centres that architecturally reflect local indigenous communities. The University of British Columbia’s First Nations Longhouse reflects the architectural traditions of the Northwest Coast and houses the Xwi7xwa Library and the First Nations House of Learning, among other resources. The University of Saskatchewan’s Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre was designed by Blackfoot and Metis architect Douglas Cardinal, who is known for designing the Museum of Civilization and First Nations University, and has a purpose-built ventilation system that allows for indoor smudging ceremonies.

Kakwiranó:ron Cook is a member of both the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne and the Oglala Lakota Sioux Nation at Pine Ridge. Cook is the Special Advisor, Indigenous Initiatives in the Office of the PVPA and is responsible for implementing the recommendations in the Final Report of the Provost’s Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education. One of his most significant initiatives is creating a larger physical space for indigenous students on campus.

In 2018, McGill received $37 million in funding from the Government of Quebec to conduct a feasibility study for redeveloping the old Royal Victoria Hospital site.

Cook believes this would be the ideal location for a larger indigenous centre on campus, as there is space to hold classes, ceremonies, and social dances, as well as room for an outdoor garden and a greenhouse. “[My vision is] to create a longhouse,” Cook said.

“A contemporary [...] brand-new building, so that we can have a large-scale presence on our campus. We have been working with our own clan mother from the Mohawk nation to welcome incoming indigenous students and staff through a traditional welcoming ceremony. It would be great to do it outdoors, as it was meant to be.”

In addition to a larger space for Indigenous students, Cook would like to see more representation in nonindigenous spaces at McGill, so that students are aware of the history of the land that McGill occupies and its traditional owners. Aside from the Hochelaga Rock, which was moved to a location facing the James McGill statue in September 2016, there are no obvious indigenous symbols on McGill’s campus.

“Everything [on McGill’s campus] is a new, Westerndesigned structure,” Cook said. “There’s nothing traditional whatsoever here, except for the Hochelaga rock [....] It takes a lot of effort to change ourselves and our behaviour, let alone [try] to effectuate change throughout the population that comes through our campus space. And why shouldn’t international students know exactly where they are?”

Cook would also like to see land acknowledgements on all sites owned by McGill, not just its main campuses.

“Gault Nature Reserve is on Abenaki territory, and they’re still using that place for their ceremonies,” Cook said. “[Members of the Abenaki Nation] would like afterhours and free access [to Gault] so that they can perform their ceremonies, so we would like to build a relationship with them. They have told us that they need to be represented through a plaque at the entrance [to Gault], so why not [also] do that at our Arctic research station, and our sub-Arctic research station, and our tropical research stations?”

HIRING AND CURRICULUM

In Winter 2017, indigenous students comprised 0.8 per cent of McGill’s student body. Cook is trying to address this under-representation by familiarizing indigenous youth with the university environment well before they apply, and supporting them throughout the application process.

“We target 13-17 year-old youth [...], really getting them used to a university context and getting them positioned in front of indigenous mentors [...], and really driving the message of post-secondary,” Cook said. “We really keep in touch with the students from before they apply to when they receive a decision [....] We make sure there’s someone communicating with them throughout this whole process.”

Jirousek believes that McGill should focus on hiring and retaining Indigenous professors across all disciplines, which is something that the university has historically struggled with. Further, Jirousek stated that McGill should immediately create an Indigenous Studies major, which he noted would not only have a positive impact on indigenous students, but would present an opportunity for non-Indigenous students to learn more about indigenous epistemologies and histories.

Some schools, beyond implementing Indigenous Studies programs, have asked professors to include indigenous case

studies and modules into existing courses, so that students can learn about indigeneity in a context that is relevant to their studies.

Cook is using funding from the Provost’s office to grow McGill’s indigenous field courses. Currently, the School of Social Work operates a field course in Kahnawá:ke, and Cook would like to see an additional field course offered through the Indigenous Studies program at Kanehsatà:ke, a Mohawk settlement west of Montreal. Additionally, the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) is developing online courses in entrepreneurship and information systems to bring flexible, affordable education to Northern communities.

“The future of education is online,” Cook said. “[The SCS] has gotten a lot of funding from the federal government because the programs [the SCS are developing] meet the direct needs of these communities [....] It’s unique at McGill.”

CONSULTATIONS AND CAMPUS CULTURE

Both Cook and Jirousek cited a need for continued consultation with indigenous communities in addressing indigenous issues at McGill.

“We want to have a sphere of influence in some of the major decisions and directions that the University is taking, particularly as it pertains to the Calls to Action,” Cook said.

“We want to do it collaboratively. That’s our way [...] to talk it out and arrive at enough of a consensus [to make sure] that we have a strong voice as the main stakeholders. We are the indigenous people, and this is our reality that we want to impact here.”

At the student governance level, Jirousek believes that SSMU should provide more support to indigenous students.

“SSMU has not facilitated or created the space for an indigenous equivalent of SSMU services such as the Black Students Network (BSN) and Queer McGill, which I find incredibly frustrating, and I hope to work towards establishing an indigenous student service offered by SSMU sometime in the next academic year,” Jirousek wrote in an email to the Tribune.

Currently, SSMU funds indigenous initiatives through the Equity fee, which members pay for so long as they do not opt out. Other services, such as the BSN, are funded through similar fees, as the majority of SSMU’s budget goes towards administrative costs and staff salaries. Jirousek would like to see consistent and committed funding for Indigenous Affairs.

“I would want to see a designated budget set aside for Indigenous Affairs, so that the Indigenous Affairs Commissioner would have more consistency and stability in planning projects and initiatives on behalf of SSMU,” Jirousek wrote. “This would allow the Indigenous Affairs Committee to pick projects which are important to them, and then tackle those initiatives without having to ask 'permission' from the SSMU executives, which has been one of my major challenges and struggles [while] working at SSMU.” Jirousek believes that indigenous initiatives must be run by indigenous students, and that SSMU should position themselves as allies.

“The place of SSMU as an ally needs to be approached delicately because I think it is dangerous and harmful for an organization as big as SSMU to move on certain issues without the leadership and consent of indigenous people,” Jirousek wrote. “If the SSMU executive

and the membership more broadly, can mobilize behind indigenous student leadership, then it can be considered appropriate, but not if the SSMU tries forcing itself into conversations where they haven't been invited.”

Jirousek spoke positively of his experiences working with Sophia Esterle, Vice-President (VP) Student Life, and Jacob Shapiro, VP University Affairs, on the Change the Name campaign, stating that they never tried speaking for him or pushing him to do anything that he didn’t believe in.

“One of the big reasons why the Change the Name campaign was successful and appropriate was because it was led and directed by Indigenous students, with Indigenous students speaking for ourselves on the issues that we saw on campus,” Jirousek wrote. “This was done in combination with some incredible allyship from non-Indigenous people who really understood what it meant to be a good ally.”

Jirousek explained that to be a good ally, nonindigenous members of the McGill community must listen to indigenous leaders and refrain from acting on their behalf.

“The key to good allyship is understanding your position of privilege and understanding that only indigenous students at McGill actually have the lived experience to speak to their own concerns,” Jirousek wrote. “[People] need to listen to when indigenous student leaders call for allyship, rather than inserting oneself into a dialogue they may not fully understand [....] Stop, reflect on your identity, and think about whether it's your place to interject yourself into the conversation.”

Martindale, though enthusiastic about the activism and community-building within the ISA and the FPH, believes that McGill still has a long way to go to make indigenous students comfortable on its campus.

“I would not tell my cousins to study at McGill,” Martindale wrote. “There needs to be a dramatic change at McGill when it comes to decolonization, which would not only affect Indigenous students' experiences, but BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour] experiences and settler experiences, as well.”

Martindale emphasised that indigenous leaders deserve recognition for the hard work that they do for their communities, including representing indigenous voices in campus discussions and mentoring indigenous students.

“Some of the biggest challenges facing Indigenous students and faculty at McGill, and at Canadian universities in general, are the invisible workloads that Indigenous people are expected to [carry] on top of their schoolwork and jobs,” Martindale wrote. “It’s difficult to be one of the only members of the McGill population with your specific identity.”

Cook stressed the importance of expanding resources to ensure that the Calls to Action are implemented little strain on McGill’s existing indigenous communities and reiterated the need to hire more indigenous staff, across all departments and levels of McGill.

“There’s always a barrage of information and projects, and they’re all super exciting,” Cook said. “[But] we want to make sure that we’re not overloading ourselves, because we’re always over-solicited.”

McGill still has a long way to go before fulfilling all of its Calls to Action, but Cook is optimistic with the progress it has made so far.

“McGill has been playing catch up, but we’re able to look at other universities and learn lessons [...] and how to hold ourselves to higher levels of accountability.”

10 student living

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019

To double major or not to double major Students weigh the pros and cons of interdisciplinary study

T

he number of McGill students partaking in double majors or joint honours degrees has risen in recent years. As of 2017, approximately one in five McGill students were expected to graduate with a joint degree. Yet, despite a trend toward interdisciplinary education, many continue to question the value of pursuing a double major.

In a 2018 New York Times article, David Leonhardt argued that students should avoid double majoring, rationalizing that though dual concentrations encourage students to familiarize themselves with two academic fields, it also gives them less flexibility to diversify their programs through electives. Despite Leonhardt’s warning, universities have increasingly promoted interdisciplinary study. At McGill, the Faculty of Arts and Science was founded in 2005 to enable students to major in both a science and a humanity discipline. Similarly, across North America, universities are offering interdisciplinary programs: through New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study students can curate their own major according to their interests and Middlebury College’s winter term program allows them to take month-long classes outside of their major.

Many students feel that this holistic approach to education exposes them to a wider breadth of classes and allows them to explore more of their scholastic interests.

Kate Englehutt, U1 Arts, majors in geography and double minors in political science and religion and globalization. In her experience, taking a diverse selection of classes has enriched her understanding of each concentration.

“I found that [pursuing a double minor] was the best way to specialize what I was studying to best suit my interests,” Englehutt said. “My courses overlap in really interesting ways, like some urban geography courses have a lot to do with politics and policy, for example. I think it impacts my life at McGill positively because I get to dip my toe into a few different departments and diversify my undergrad classes.”

In response to multidisciplinary programs, economists have worked to determine the value of a joint degree. In a 2016 study conducted by the Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis, scholars noted that many students who double majored did so, in part, because they expected to earn a higher salary after graduation.

Though many students initially pursue interdisciplinary study to satisfy their diverse interests, there are also perceived professional advantages to earning a joint degree.

Some believe that students who take double majors work hard-

er or are more driven, attributes that employers view as indicators for professional success. Fernando Nunez-Mietz, an assistant professor in the political science department and joint honours advisor, has observed that the

double major students he supervises can sometimes have an advantage in the increasingly competitive job market because of their unique interests and skills.

“My presumption [about why students double major] is that it has to do with the signal it sends to future employers or future institutions that students are looking to apply to,” Nunez-Mietz said. “Basically [it shows] that you are above the average, that you are an overachiever or that you basically stand out from the crowd.”

At McGill, double majors require that students take on a heavier course load and attend additional required classes. While the extra hours of studying that come with a double major degree can cause a strain on students, many of them believe that the unique skill sets they develop from their joint programs will aid their academic and professional growth. According to Leanne Young, U1 Science, who is earning a joint honours degree in computer science and biology, pursuing two seemingly unrelated disci-

plines has helped her develop the necessary skills to succeed in academia.

“This specific joint degree opens so many more windows to both the technological world and the research world,” Young said. “Science students who do not possess any mathematical [or] computational knowledge [...] are greatly missing out on [a range

of] opportunities and research that can be done.”

Nonetheless, some students find that the sacrifices they make to complete a joint degree can take a toll on their personal and academic lives. Many double majors note that they struggle with heavier course loads and inflexible course schedules.

These challenges can prove especially difficult when the student loses interest in their course material. McGill Career Planning Service (CaPS) director Darlene Hnatchuk explained that despite these obstacles, many disillusioned students persevere with their double major because they believe it will guarantee professional success—an outlook she finds unproductive.

“I think that if students choose to do a double major it should be because they’re equally passionate or very keen about the two topics they are choosing to double major in,” Hnatchuk said. “The best reasons are because you can’t figure out what you’re most intensely interested in, and some of the worst reasons are because you think it’s going to guarantee you certain types of positions or employment outcomes.”

Many double majors hope that interdisciplinary study makes them adaptable job candidates, however research indicates no correlation between double majors and higher salaries. Though interdisciplinary majors can help students develop a diverse skill set, Hnatchuk explained that students enrolled in other programs can gain comparable experience in other academic fields through extracurriculars or electives.

Increasingly, she noted, employers seek prospective employees that add value their companies, which can be measured by a candidate’s demonstrated abilities, rather than simply

the degree they carry.

“Employers aren’t saying that they’re looking for students that have done double majors, they’re looking for skill sets,” Hnatchuk said.

“Whether you develop the skills that they’re looking for through your academic or co-curricular [...] doesn’t really matter to them, what matters is that you have those skills, that you can demonstrate those skills.”

Over the course of their undergraduate degrees, students enrolled in multidisciplinary programs find that the work ethic and diverse skillsets required to succeed in double major programs have also aided their personal development. Caitlyn McConnell, U1 Arts, studies classical vocal performance, economics, and computer science. She explained that balancing the workload required to complete a double major challenged her to develop stronger organizational skills. She also believes that this experience has helped her become a more versatile thinker.

“The benefits [of a double major] are being able to take a huge variety of classes,” McConnell said.

“I have to take, music, math, three languages, computer science and economics courses [....] I think it prepares you to enter [the] ‘real world’ by forcing you to apply your skills over a wide range of subjects and teaching you to think in a completely different way because you have to juggle so many subjects at once.”

In their efforts to come across as ideal candidates for job opportunities, students can sometimes forget the underlying role of gaining a university degree: to highlight and expand on knowledge and skill sets that are beneficial for both personal and professional growth.

While some view double majoring as time-consuming, McGill students pursuing joint degrees believe that double majoring can educate them on a range of issues, open doors with the university’s ecosystem, and teach them skills that serve them long after graduation.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, march 12, 2019

11

Marlon James blends myth and fantasy in ‘Black Leopard, Red Wolf’ Acclaimed author stops by Drawn + Quarterly

Jonathan Giammaria Contributor Continued from page 1.

For his foray into fantasy, James adopts the same explorative view he uses in A Brief History to construct a world populated with diverse characters and settings.

The story follows Tracker, a solitary protagonist who begrudgingly joins a mercenary group in order to hunt down a missing boy presumed dead.

When Nasrallah commented on the novel’s seemingly straightforward premise, James contested his claim, explaining that he intended to challenge his readers’ notion of what a fantasy story should be. From its onset, Black Leopard, Red Wolf does away with tropes of the hero’s journey and the traditional three-act literary structure, and contradicts the genre’s tendency to borrow from European mythology. James abandons familiar eurocentric settings and archetypal characters and instead spotlights uncharacteristic heroes in a dense African mythos. “[Tolkien] had myths to go back to,” James said.

“We need myths to create myths. In the absence of me knowing what those are, I couldn’t create a mythology [....] The initial stories are essential, but I had to search for them.”

Beyond the novel’s cultural inspiration, James sought to distinguish his work by experimenting with the narrative style that dominates the current literary scene. Fantasy writers often employ world-building to capture readers’ attention, though it often tests readers’ concentration when communicated through unwieldy blocks of text. James deviates from the exposition-heavy tradition by employing unreliable narration. His prose is sparse and kinetic, and he uses vague terminology in compact sentences that allude to a rich world instead of

James has been leaving readers rapt since the 2014 release of ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings.’ (Literary Hub) providing a complete picture for his audiences. If readers don’t slow down to read between the lines, Tracker’s deliberately confusing narration will leave them feeling lost.

“I wanted to write a novel where everything is up for grabs, including reality, including identity,” James said.

“Everything is fluid, everything is precarious, everything shapeshifts, and nothing is a given, including whether you should believe this novel or not.”

Near the end of the talk, Nasrallah inquired about how James’ transition into genre fiction clashed with his literary identity. Though James was quick to dismiss the literature versus genre fiction bias, Nasrallah remarked

that perhaps the literary world only allowed authors of James’ renown to navigate the genre spectrum without consequence because of their reputation. James rebuked the idea, recognizing it as a uniquely western ideal that replacing make-believe with realism is a sign of intellectual maturity. James explained that he owes his literary imagination to the genre fiction of his childhood and that none of his previous works were without fantastical elements.

“I’ve always been in awe of fantasy,” James said.

“Comics pretty much saved my life when I was a teenager.

To me, it doesn’t feel like a change of direction, it feels like I was always headed there.”

Album Review

Weezer stumbles into pop music with ‘Weezer (The Black Album)’ Joey Caplan Contributor Before even pressing ‘play,’ Weezer’s Weezer (The Black Album), released on March 3, the listener is tempted to write the album off immediately.

The band tried to adopt meme culture, adding a spork into the packaging of pre-ordered copies, and even making a cameo in the game Fortnite. These gimmicks are strange bells and whistles on what is ultimately an album with little to offer.

The band’s newfound interest in millennial internet culture is a departure from the counterculture-inspired aesthetic they had spent the last two decades developing. The release of an underwhelming album of cover songs, Weezer (The Teal Album) on Jan. 24 was just a preview for the onslaught of disappointment that the next wave of Weezer content would bring. While The Teal Album was meant as a strange, self-aware joke, The Black Album takes

itself much more seriously, yet shows very little improvement.

An admirable, albeit undeserved, confidence that pervades the album.

“Everybody’s playing it safe,” Rivers Cuomo sings on the The Black Album’s second track, “Zombie Bastards.” The song is taking a dig at bands who pander to their audiences, betraying their artistic integrity.

Ironically, Weezer themselves are attempting to appeal to a larger and younger audience, and a broad, generic pop style that only serves to further contradict their lyrics. “High as a Kite” sees Cuomo metaphorically plugging his ears to drown out anyone who criticizes his band: “Miles above, it’s so serene [...] Way up here, no one can touch me,” he croons.

“The Prince Who Wanted Everything” is a forced tribute to the late, great Prince, and like The Teal Album, acknowledges musical icons without coming close to doing them any justice. Every song

feels calculated to be as catchy as possible, but “Byzantine” is the only track which successfully harkens back to the Weezer of old.

Despite these shortcomings Weezer (The Black Album)is not messy, it is not poorly produced. The pop fixtures and referential quality is antithetical to Weezer’s musical identity.

Weezer misses the mark yet again. (Rolling Stone)

1.5/5

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, march 12, 2019

Solange’s ‘When I Get Home’ is avantgarde celebration of black excellence

Album Review

VAS x MCSWAY: Art & Poetry

Nicholas Raffoul Staff Writer Three years after the striking, A Seat at the Table (2016), Solange released her fourth album in March 2019, the soulful When I Get Home, accompanied by a short eponymous film.

Released on Mar. 1, the album is an homage to the artist’s Houston roots, her birthplace, and the city’s black pioneers.

A notable departure from her last studio album, Solange offers a collection of brief, episodic thoughts with 14 of the 19 tracks clocking in under three minutes, rather than the concentrated black power anthems of A Seat at the Table. Much like in her previous works, black solidarity is at the core of many of the album’s tracks, including “Almeda” and “My Skin My Logo.”

The album is meditative, transitioning beautifully from song to song, with brief yet impactful interludes, including “Can I Hold the Mic” and “Nothing Without Intention.”

The album was released with a 33-minute short film featuring Solange and an all-black cast of performers, reimagines Houston through the eyes of the artist. Rather than reconstructing the Houston of the past, the film envisions the city’s future, depicting cowboys and futuristic technology in Solange’s imagined home, indulging in an Afrofuturist aesthetic. The film’s choreography is elegant but impassioned. Solange challenges herself by producing more experimental work and in the process challenges her audience: The video’s avant-garde sensibilities might render it bewildering and difficult for some viewers but the dazzling aesthetics qualify it as a masterpiece.

When I Get Home transports the listener—and viewer—to Solange’s childhood and home, a visceral, culturally rich, sitespecific experience. Solange names some of her tracks after Houston streets and references the city in many of the album’s songs, adding to the complex layers of the album and accompanying video. Through experimental Rhythm & Blues, Solange reclaims and creates space for black artistry and experiences specific to

The Visual Arts Society and McSWAY Poetry Collective have teamed up for a night of interdisciplinary art creation.

March 14, 7:30-9:30 p.m.; McLennan Library; $10 for membership.

Night Cows/Les vaches de nuit

One of the most celebrated pieces of Queer Quebecois Theatre graces the stage of the March 21-24, 8 p.m.; Mainline Theatre; $12 for students/ $18 general admission.

‘When I Get Home’ is triumphant. (Source) black Americans. The album and short film are equally eccentric, avant-garde, and unapologetically black, paving the way for a completely new genre of art and music.

The album represents the beginning of a new chapter for Solange. The artist’s last two albums, according to her, have one significant difference: “With ‘A Seat at the Table,’ I had so much to say,” Solange said in an interview with The New York Times about one of the collection’s tracks “And with this album, I have so much to feel.”

5/5

Arts and Laughs: Fantasy A chance to kick back, watch some comedy, and make some art. Craft supplies provided March 19, 8 p.m.; Turbo Haus; Free.

Zine Fair + Publication Grant Finnisage

For all you ‘90s kids out there. This is your chance to realize your zine dream March 26, 12-7 p. m.; Concordia Fine Art Reading Room; Free.

Thierry Mugler’s couture makes its world debut at the MMFA A new exhibition dedicated to years of distinguished work Jonathan Giammaria Contributor Continuing the trend of haute-couture exhibitions like Balenciaga, Master of Couture at the McCord Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) debuted Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, a landmark exhibition which features 150 of the designer’s designs.

Though he began as a professional dancer, Mugler entered the world of fashion in the late 1960s, first producing ready-to-wear garments in Paris, and eventually distinguishing himself with his 1973 collection Café de Paris.

“The MMFA [... had] the right people, with the right approach, to reinvent the past with innovative staging, eclectic mélanges, and a new vision of my work,” Mugler wrote in the press release for the exhibit.

To cover the breadth of Mugler’s work the MMFA foregoes chronology, opting instead to group the designer’s pieces by motif, a choice which highlights the timeless nature of Mugler’s style. The MMFA compare their sequencing of Mugler’s work to an opera in six acts, each concentrating on the themes permeating throughout Mugler’s design: Theatre, celebrity, urban style, photography, metamorphosis, and futurism. No two outfits better exemplify Mugler’s range than La Chimère’s rainbow bird-like dress, with a rugged silhouette that uses bright, wild colours and feathered accents, and Anniversaire des 20 ans’s metallic bodysuit, which harkens back to

convention.

In conjunction with their celebration of Mugler, the MMFA has also decided to highlight several contemporary designers with Montreal Couture. A worthy adjunct to the main exhibition, this gallery recognizes local artists who seek the same worldwide renown Mugler has attained. The gallery also features seasoned professionals like Marie Saint Pierre and Philippe Dubuc, and offers snapshots of these designers’ unique takes on fashion.

Variety is paramount here and though several of the garments harken back to Mugler’s aesthetics, each designer carves their own niche. In one corner of the exhibition, Ying Gao’s dresses, which look as though they are made from electrical wiring, shift and contort autonomously when viewers pass by. In The MMFA showcases one of couture’s greats. (Montreal Gazette) another, Atelier New Regime’s branded orange jumpsuits blend sporty chic and metropolitan consumerism. a medieval knight revolutionized with a flare of that crowd the room.

Bringing together a host of creatives In Mugler’s work, grandeur often takes 21st century eroticism.

Throughout his career, Mugler has worked precedence over modesty. His eye for elaborate both seasoned and new in Thierry Mugler’s: with the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and experimentation is seen in his costuming for Couturissime, the MMFA popularizes high David Bowie. In the portion of the exhibition the 1985 Comédie-Francaise production of fashion, a craft that often seems inaccessible, dedicated to his celebrity pieces, mannequins Macbeth, in which Mugler adorned his witches reserved for the fashion elite of New York wearing his designs form a conga line down in charred dresses with massive bustles and City or Paris. Fashion, though rarely exhibited a mock runway.The celebrities listed are a thicks ruffs. Mugler also designed an outfit for in museum galleries, is at home here because, testament to Mugler’s continued mainstream George Michael’s “Too Funky” music video, unlike on runways, the garments are stationary relevance. Notably featured is Cardi B’s in which the singer sports fiery decals and is and available for close examination, engaging peacock dress, which she wore to the 2018 fitted with rear-view mirrors, transforming audiences more personally with the work Grammy Awards. The garment’s leopard print Michael into a motorcycle. The choices, than ever before. Much like a painting or a and glittering silver accents command attention though bombastic, are indicative of a creative sculpture, the MMFA celebrates couture as the among the extravagant dresses and costumes voice that strives for showmanship rather than work of art that it is.

science & technology

tuesday, march 12, 2019

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Eat your greens Paving the way to a more scientific food guide Léa Perret

Contributor Among other changes, Canada’s 2019 Food Guide places dairy and meat in the same category as other sources of protein including fish, beans, and tofu. The diet of every Canadian is at stake, with the Canada Food Guide influencing the recommendations of teachers, doctors, and dietitians across the country.

The new guide reflects a global trend toward more plant-based diets. In Canada, consumers have increasingly been avoiding meat and dairy. Statisticians have noted recent decreases in milk consumption among Canadians, with total consumption falling to 66.68 litres per capita in 2017 compared to 69.53 litres in 2016. In addition, nearly one out of 10 Canadians, half of whom are under 35, consider themselves vegetarian or vegan.

There is precedent for these changes, with previous food guides representing largely different scientific and social attitudes towards nutrition. For example, the previous food guide, from 2006, does not highlight the danger of processed foods, which have been strongly linked with cardiovascular diseases. It also included a decrease in recommended vegetable and fruit portions alongside an increase in meat portion compared to the previous guide from 1992. Several studies have since found that plant-based diets are more environmental-

ly friendly since they require less natural resource input and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. “[I am] excited that the new guide brings a focus on plant-based options, as the scientific evidence points to the health benefits and lower environmental impact of having a more plant-based diet,” Andrea Rubin, a nutritionist and registered dietician, said.

However, deemphasizing the importance of meat for a healthy diet has prompted resistance among established interests. The government created the past 2006 Food Guide under the watch of an external advisory committee which included representatives from Food and Consumer Product Manufacturers of Canada, the Vegetable Oil Industry Council, and the BC Dairy Foundation. According to reports, Health Canada diminished the influence of meat and dairy industry lobbyists in the new 2019 Gude by banning them from meeting with Health Canada personnel working on the project. “[The new guide is a] move toward a more science-based versus a politicallymotivated guide,” Rubin said.

Beyond current food trends and lifestyle choices, the new Canada Food Guide also reflects Canada’s varied demographic groups. The 2011 National Household Census illustrated this diversity, which showed that one out of every five Canadians is foreign-born and one in five identi-

Canada’s new food guide places dairy and meat in the same category as other sources of protein including beans and tofu. (Kaylina Kodlick/ The McGiill Tribune) fies as a visible ethnic minority.

The new guide also emphasizes individual responsibility for health. The notions of mindful eating, food labels, and food marketing put more onus on the consumer to make more conscientious food choices. This contrasts with the view that the government is responsible for regulating marketing, food labels, and production.

Canada relies heavily on imported fruits and vegetables throughout the winter, making it difficult to prioritize local produce for families facing food insecu-

rity and simply cannot afford a diet rich in nutritious food. A recent study shows that 90 per cent of Canadian youth did not meet the recommended fruit and vegetable servings from 2006. Furthermore, a 2017 UNICEF report ranked Canada 37 out of 41 high-income countries on child hunger.

Canada is also one of the only high-income countries not to have a national school food program. This new food guide is undoubtedly a step forward; the next challenge is empowering Canadians to be able to meet its standards.

Addressing LGBTQ+ needs in healthcare Forum discusses inclusive treatment for LGBTQ+ patients Katherine Dulong Contributor At their recent panel on Feb. 25, Healthy McGill and the Nursing Peer Mentorship Program hosted a collaborative forum to address LGBTQ+ needs in healthcare.

“Over 50 per cent of trans people say they are not comfortable going and getting healthcare services and, of people that needed emergency care in Ontario, about 23 per cent opted not to get the care,” Florence Ashley, a transfeminine jurist and bioethicist, said during the discussion.

These statistics are stark evidence of a lack of professionals trained to address the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, which has long struggled to have access to the same basic services as the general, cisgender, heteronormative population, particularly in rural areas. Trans individuals are often forced to travel to large cities to visit one of a select few doctors known among the community for offering adequate services.

Panellists at the forum included Ashley, Kimberly Wong, who works with AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM), and Eve Finley, an equity facilitator with the McGill Dean of Students. “[This session is for] folks who have

Healthy McGill and the Nursing Peer Mentorship Program team up to host an open discussion education session on healthcare needs of queer and trans individuals. (therepubliq.com) never heard all the letters to [the LGBTQI2A] acronym and [...] folks that may be deeply immersed in trans activism in communities,” Ashley said.

The panel started with an exploration of the meaning of each letter in the LQBTQI2A acronym and the difference between the terms transsexual and transgender. It aimed to educate students, particularly those in nursing, occupational therapy, and dietetics, about appropriate care practices for LGBTQ+ individuals. The forum served primarily as a safe space to ask questions and disenuntangle

assumptions about individuals in the community such as the difference between sexuality and gender.

“Sexuality is who you go to bed with, gender is who you go to bed as,” Finley said.

The simple definition cleared up many preconceived ideas at the forum and hinted at a major issue across education systems: The lack of proper, LGBTQ+inclusive sexual education.

Sex education in Quebec is known to be rudimentary and mainly addresses the needs of its heterosexual population.

From teaching students about penetrative sex, contraception methods, and how to put on a condom, sex education in primary and secondary schools is often irrelevant for LGBTQ+ youth. McGill’s programs to train future healthcare professionals are similarly lacking.

During the education session, the panellists divulged helpful tips to put LGBTQ+ patients at ease in a healthcare setting. Sharing one’s pronouns and avoiding the use of gendered titles were just two of the practices.

“As a healthcare provider, you can still support someone and be respectful to them and be inclusive of them even if they are using words to describe themselves that you do not quite understand,” Finley said.

These simple approaches, rooted in respect, empathy, and understanding, were just a few of the recommendations made during the forum. “‘I would rather die than go to the doctor because I cannot stand being misgendered again,’” Wong said, recalling words from LGBTQ+ individuals she had interacted with.

By educating healthcare professionals on the needs of LGBTQ+ populations, the panellists hope that, one day, such a phrase will no longer be spoken.

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science & technology

tuesday, march 12, 2019

Freedom is worth more than a billion dollars Study finds that non-material factors have a significant impact on well-being Margaret Wdowiak Contributor

Canadians typically enjoy high living standards yet tend to suffer from weaker social support networks than countries such as Mexico where, despite having much lower standards of living on average, residents often live in very tight-knit communities. According to a new study conducted by a pair of researchers from McGill and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, tight social circles in Mexico several important advantages.

“The aim of our study was to take a literature which is now firmly well-developed about the determinacy of happiness [...] and think about what the implications were for the future,” Christopher Barrington-Leigh, associate member of McGill’s Department of Economics and associate professor in the McGill School of Environment and the Institute for Health and Social Policy, said.

The researchers used a statistical model which combined two sets of measures. The first set measured objective, material factors: Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and life expectancy. The second set was based on social factors including corruption, freedom, charitableness, and social support. The researchers then observed the global changes in the well-being of individuals between 2005 and 2016, as self-reported by evaluations from the Gallup World Poll, a global poll created in 2005 which tracks quality of life statistics in more than 160 countries. Based on the changes to the measures over time, the study projected self-reported quality of life for the year 2050.

The researchers found that changes in ‘material’ variables produce modest improvements in global quality of life. These changes varied from an increase of zero to 10 per cent above present levels. Meanwhile, changes in the non-material factors showed up to a 30 per cent increase in quality of life. The greatest potential for such

improvement was found in India, China, Eastern European countries, and sub-Saharan African countries. The most pessimistic scenario, on the other hand, showed a decline in non-material factors leading to a decline in quality of life of 35 per cent. The survey also showed that global improvements in material conditions were more significant when paired with enhanced average freedom and corruption scores and were negligible when accompanied by declining average social support scores.

This study suggests that the greatest benefits to wellbeing in the upcoming decades lie in the non-material realm, suggesting that states should focus their resources on explicitly social aims. This conclusion has interesting ramifications for public policy.

“Governments need to start thinking about cost-benefit analysis differently,” Barrington-Leigh said.

Certain countries have already started to weigh policy alternatives based on residents’ well-being.

“New Zealand has just started to implement costbenefit analysis for its budgeting processes in terms of human well-being, so this, I would say, is the beginning of a revolution,” Barrington-Leigh said. “Wales has also done something similar by passing a piece of legislation which says that governments should be accountable to future well-being. In that sense, the implications for governmental policy are very radical, [and] they could really eventually change how things are happening in the world.”

Barrington-Leigh hopes that other countries will join New Zealand and Wales in considering non-material well-being in cost-benefit analyses. However, despite the many new insights provided by this study, its model is far from perfect.

“Implications for future research are to start being much more quantitative and predictive,” BarringtonLeigh said. “We painted two scenarios, but they were not predictive.”

Increases in material standards, freedom, and reductions in corruption only yield marginal changes when accompanied with decreasing social support.

(Emma Paulus / The McGiill Tribune) Increased predictive power is crucial for shaping future governmental policy.

“Future research [should investigate] what policies [...] we should be following in order to get one of those scenarios in 2050 versus another,” Barrington-Leigh said.

Utilizing the right policies will help to achieve the optimal scenario in 2050 in a world with increasing material standards and decreasing social well-being.

People are rational—wanna bet?

Few people evaluate their finances holistically when spending Morgan Sweeney Staff Writer It’s the final round of Jeopardy! and the stakes are high. Martha wipes a bead of sweat off her face, her fingers descending to trace the pearls around her neck for good luck. Despite holding a bank account several orders of magnitude smaller than her opponent Patricia, both women bet approximately the same amount in an attempt to win the game. Irrational though this might seem, there is a whole subfield of economics dedicated to similar forms of decision-making.

In a paper from 2003, researchers explored a slightly different gamble: A single bet with a 50 per cent chance of winning $550 and a 50 per cent chance of losing $500. In the scheme of things, the $50 difference is negligible. However, despite the probabilistic promise, very few participants chose to take the bet.

The explanation for why people did not want to take the bet relies on a distaste for uncertain risks. The formal term for this phenomenon is risk aversion, a situation wherein people try to minimize uncertainty even when the odds are in their favour. This works in parallel with the endowment effect, where people tend to see losing some-

thing as more consequential than gaining a reward. This study, and many like it, explore the motivations that drive individuals’ decisions.

Perhaps less intuitively, the study also found that risk aversion to the 550/500 bet did not change based on overall wealth.

This is as a result of a phenomenon known as narrow framing, which causes people to evaluate gambles in isolation, without taking information from other parts of their lives into consideration. In the Jeopardy! scenario, narrow framing would push Martha to match Patricia even though her bet had greater consequences for her outside of the game.

Risk aversion research is most relevantly applicable in the stock market. Although investing in the stock market generally produces returns, this does not inspire much interest in investment among the general public. The reasons behind this disinterest are similar: People are generally riskaverse and tend to frame situations narrowly. The stock market is perceived as risky, and, while it has relatively low returns on the day-to-day scale, even small returns can build over time. Meanwhile, most people do not evaluate their finances holistically when considering opportunities to spend.

Research in behavioural economics reveals the surprisingly irrational process behind human decision-making. (intheblack.com) For those who already have money in bank accounts and real estate, it makes sense to diversify their wealth and invest in stocks, yet most people avoid investing.

Even though people generally like

to think of themselves as rational agents who make good decisions, an individual’s judgement is, more often than not, heavily swayed by factors they would think irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

sports

TUESDAY, March 12, 2019 went to the athletes. The NCAA claims athletes receive an education in return for their contribution to their schools’ athletics programs.

But, tactics such as using only certain grades to calculate eligibility GPAs make academic eligibility easier to achieve and, in turn, easier for coaches to demand that student-athletes commit even more time to their sport. This system prevents studentathletes from accessing a quality education and university experience.

Colleges also argue that they cannot afford to pay their players. However, any large Division I school generates huge revenues from their sports teams. Schools could pay the players who generate these revenues instead of spending their money on lavish new athletic facilities or raises for coaches in order to maintain their non-profit status. In 2007, for example, the University of Michigan approved a $226 million renovation project for the largest stadium in the United States. If a college can afford to own and maintain a 100,000-seat stadium, it can afford to pay its athletes.

PointCounterpoint: The case for paying NCAA studentathletes

Kaja Surborg, Zoe Babad-Palmer Staff Writer, Contributor

On Feb. 20, Duke University basketball star Zion Williamson suffered a knee sprain, reminding the basketball world that one major injury can jeopardize any college athlete’s future earnings. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and its member schools, meanwhile, make over a billion dollars a year off of the backs of Williamson and his peers. Is it time for the NCAA to compensate its athletes?

Pay NCAA athletes Kaja Surborg Staff Writer NCAA student-athletes are expected to maintain a high standard of achievement in both academics and athletics. This set of expectations places an immense amount of stress on studentathletes, especially those playing on scholarships. Additionally, more than 98 per cent of NCAA athletes do not become professionals in their respective sport, even though the huge time commitment of collegiate varsity sports prevents them from exploring other career options and from making the most of their education.

The time commitment also makes it challenging for athletes to earn money through part-time work while they are in school, but, under NCAA rules, they are not allowed to receive any compensation from endorsements. Thus, they should be paid.

Student-athletes are not considered NCAA employees and therefore are not paid for the time and effort that they put into the games that generate millions of dollars. In 2017, the NCAA reported $1.1 billion in revenues—and not a single cent

Don’t pay, NCAA Zoe Babad-Palmer Contributor Student-athletes are, first and foremost, students. Paying them puts the ‘athlete’ before the ‘student,’ undermining the primary mission of a university. While athletics are an important part of the university experience for student-athletes, sports should not be their primary motivation for attending school.

Less than two per cent of NCAA athletes go pro; if they were paid, they would feel pressured to devote even more time and effort to their athletic endeavours, further pushing their academics—and future— aside. Student-athletes are already attracted to programs with expensive facilities and bigname coaches, rather than academics. If universities

were to tempt players with substantial paycheques, the recruiting process would only get more skewed, and smaller schools would suffer from their inability to match others’ offers while recruiting top prospects.

B o t h practically and ethically, there is no ideal way to compensate student-athletes.

Teams could either pay all players equally or pay them by performance. Both options would lead to resentment between teammates. Further, many sports, like track and field or swimming, are less profitable to the NCAA than others, like football and basketball, but it would not be fair to pay those athletes less money simply because their sports are less profitable.

Clearly, the NCAA’s current system is flawed: Players are exploited, and coaches are engaging in illegal, underhanded recruiting practices. To fix its problems, the NCAA should require that schools redistribute their revenues toward programs that help their studentathletes, like academic support or mental health services, instead of paying coaches millions of dollars. By placing more emphasis on academics, the NCAA would help students—not just

15

administrators and coaches. Fortunately, the system has already begun to shift in the right direction: Next year, the NCAA will redistribute Division I revenue to schools based on academic performance.

Paying s t u d e n t athletes will only create more troubles.

The NCAA needs to create a system that is focused on the holistic experience of its studentathletes. Maybe then the NCAA can fix its image and, more importantly, improve the lives of student-athletes during and after university.

The NCAA’s increasing revenues raise questions about where the money should go

Editors’ Pick:

The NCAA needs to pay up. Studentathletes are the most important members of collegiate sports, and, with each restricting regulation, the NCAA is only further taking advantage of their hard work to fill its own pockets.

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sports

TUESDAY, March 12, 2019

Know Your Athlete: Madeleine Whitestone Martlet hurdler talks triathlons, painful workouts, and pre-race rituals

Caitlin Kindig News Editor On Feb. 16, third-year hurdler Madeleine Whitestone secured her season-best time of 9.61 seconds in the 60 metre hurdles at the Raven U-Sport Last Chance Invitational, finishing in fifth place. Whitestone had been struggling with a back injury all season so the strong performance was an encouraging sign of her recovery.

Running has always been a part of Whitestone’s life. She started running triathlons when she was young but also played soccer and field hockey. Eventually, she picked up track, too. During high school, Whitestone ran for the University of Toronto (U of T) Track Club so that she could run year-round rather than just during her school’s short track season.

“I was always a big runner [...], so I have pretty much been doing track [and] running for as long as I can remember,” Whitestone said. “I joined the U of T track club. It was really close to my house and had some of the best facilities in the country, so I was really lucky with that.”

Growing up, Whitestone mainly ran long-distance, so when her coach threw her into a hurdles race, she was surprised.

However, she performed well and decided to stick with running the 60m hurdles.

“Hurdles, to me, are pretty fun because it makes running a bit more technical, as if it wasn’t technical enough,” Whitestone said.

“If you’re doing a longer race like the 400

[metre] hurdles, it’s a lot easier to focus on the hurdling than on the pain.”

Track and field is an exhausting, painful sport. As a result, competitive runners are often self-motivated and independent individuals, so completing workouts are personal challenges and victories. For Whitestone, this is exactly the case.

“A motivator for me is focusing on how accomplished and amazing I will feel after the workout is done,” Whitestone said.

“Another huge help in getting through hard days are my teammates. They are always so supportive and encouraging, [and] if someone is really not feeling it [that day], someone else will chime in with a motivating comment and keep us all going.”

Racing is mostly an individual endeavour, though Whitestone and her teammates train alongside each other in practice. However, at the 2019 Provincial Championships, she did get the opportunity to run with her teammates as part of the 4x200m relay team.

“Track, despite it being a team, is an individual sport which can put a lot of pressure on you and [lead to] a somewhat lonely journey,” Whitestone said. “Getting a chance to do a proper team event is really great because we all support each other as teammates, but this gives us a chance to be ‘in it together’ which is pretty fun.”

While many of her teammates have specific routines to prepare themselves before a race, like eating only half of a banana, and exclusively drinking blue Gatorade,

Before her races, Whitestone eats a piece of fruit and listens to Drake. (Riley van Ryswyk) Whitestone likes to keep hers simple.

“Pre-race rituals are pretty big on the team,” Whitestone said. “I’m boring and just try to eat a sugary snack about an hour and a half before I race, typically a granola bar or fruit. In terms of music, I know how tacky this is, but I like to listen to Drake because it reminds me of home.”

The Toronto native is currently in her third year of an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. She hopes to work in the sustainability industry and eventually pursue graduate school after working for a year or two.

“I’d love to get involved in research or work on topics such as the circular economy, where I’d be given a chance to use my degree for good,” Whitestone said.

With the outdoor track and field season approaching, Whitestone is preparing to transition back into longer sprints as well as the 400m hurdles. Having just wrapped up the 2018-19 season, she will condition the way she always has: Performing athletic activities that put less stress on her body, like yoga and swimming, to help her heal after all the strain she accumulates over a season on the track.

U.S. Olympic athletes take the first steps towards unionization Unions could help athletes secure greater support from USOC

Ender McDuff Staff Writer On Jan. 24, 2018, Dr. Lawrence Nassar, a former United States gymnastics team physician, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in a Michigan state prison for sexual abuse.

One hundred fifty-six women testified against Nassar, recalling how he had abused his position for decades to sexually harass and assault young female athletes.

The case highlighted the institutionalized separation between American Olympic athletes and the United States Olympic

Committee (USOC), the organization that oversees U.S. Olympic competition. To meaningfully address this, as well as the financial challenges that the athletes face, the Athletes’ Advisory Council (AAC) met to consider a solution: Unionization.

Donald Fehr attended the meeting between the AAC and the newly-hired CEO of the USOC, Sarah Hirshland, underlining the seriousness of the issue at hand. Fehr is the former Executive Director of the MLB Players’ Association and current Executive Director of the NHL Players’ Association.

With his career’s worth of experience in

U.S. gymnasts Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber were among the 156 women who testified against Lawrence Nassar. (usatoday.com)

the field, Fehr joined the AAC’s side of the table to help secure greater power for U.S Olympic athletes in negotiating with their Olympic committee.

Beyond addressing the many physical and legal concerns athletes may have, the call for unionization also seeks to resolve long-standing concerns surrounding athletes’ compensation and quality of life.

In 2014, NBC paid $7.75 billion to secure American television broadcasting rights for all Olympic programming through 2032.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Olympic athletes who generate the revenue are not earning dependable incomes; they are forced to rely on performance-based stipends from preliminary events and cash prizes from their home countries. The U.S. award bonuses fall well below those of countries like Singapore, Russia, and France and help only a few fortunate athletes—often those who are already benefiting from hefty endorsement deals. As such, most U.S. Olympic athletes struggle to cover expenses, forcing them to resort to parttime jobs, crowdfunding, or ending their Olympic careers early.

Throughout American history, labour has evened financial imbalances through the collective bargaining power of unions; for Olympic athletes, it could do the same.

A scathing article in the Washington Post exposed how in 2016, the non-profit USOC had 129 employees make over six

figures, 14 of whom took home salaries above $200,000, with the top paycheque peaking at $1 million. If U.S. Olympians collectivized as a singular bargaining body, their action could help ensure that revenues are more evenly distributed from the USOC to athletes. The credible threat of an Olympic Games boycott—not unlike lockouts in other professional sports— could prove greatly effectual, especially with the pressure an already-contracted NBC would put on preventing such an outcome.

Nevertheless, it remains challenging for Olympic athletes to unionize. With so few chances to compete, athletes have limited power against the USOC: Speaking out can cost athletes their spots on the Olympic team. Furthermore, athletes are usually not treated as actual employees, but instead as individual contractors, leading to further isolation and difficulty in unionizing.

After the Chicago meeting, Hirshland promised that the USOC will work to fix the current system. While Hirshland should be given a fair opportunity in her new position to keep this promise, she should also support immediate steps toward unionization. A healthy athletes’ union serves all who wish to see Olympic athletes at their best. Hirshland, the USOC, and Olympic athletes should go all in to make it happen.