McGill Tribune vol. 37 Issue 17

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018 | VOL. 37 | ISSUE 17

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

EDITORIAL Renaming buildings: One step toward a more inclusive campus

PG. 5

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

FEATURE

2018 OLYMPIC GAMES

Yes, she can

Names and stories to watch

PGs. 8-9

PG. 15

Inspiring and empowering women through sport

(Margaux Delalex / The McGill Tribune)

Poignant opera on the Kennedy family debuts in Canada

‘JFK’ explores the cost of being a public figure Avleen K Mokha Staff Writer An opera in three acts, JFK offers a compelling insight into the private lives of the fabled Kennedy family. A collaborative undertaking by the Opéra de Montréal, the Fort Worth Opera, and the American Lyric Theater, JFK is a personal drama exploring

the costs of being a public figure.

The narrative traces the 12 hours preceding former U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination in Dallas, Texas. The opera opens with an insomniac Jack (Matthew Worth) and Jackie (Daniela Mack) Kennedy in their hotel suite. While Jackie mourns the symbolic distance in their marriage, the President falls asleep in

the bathtub. Jackie administers morphine to Jack to help him with his chronic back pain, and also takes some herself. Both Kennedys drift into their own narcoticinduced sleeps, setting up for a series of frenzied nightmares that reveals their subconscious fears and desires.

The emotive lyricism of Royce Vavrek’s text simply-yet-deftly captures

the complex inner life of the two main protagonists. Jack’s nightmares underscore his personal struggles: His sense of guilt for his sister Rosemary Kennedy’s unsuccessful lobotomy, the fear of Texan democrats that taunt him (“Why can’t you get anything done in Washington?”), and the looming threat of the Soviet Communists.

PG. 7

In conversation with figure skating coach Bruno Marcotte

Montreal-based coach on the dedication of his Olympics-bound North Korean pupils Jordan Foy Staff Writer

After recent negotiations with its Southern neighbour, North Korea will be sending athletes to the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, beginning Feb. 8. Among the North Korean delegation are two athletes with a special connection to Canada: After spending last summer training

with Canadian figure skating coach Bruno Marcotte in Montreal, Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik will compete in pairs figure skating at the Games.

Ryom and Kim approached Marcotte at the World Championships in Helsinki last year, and asked him if he would be willing to work with them. Marcotte agreed, and the trio spent eight weeks training together.

PG. 16

Tide Pods: Uncovering the science behind the meme Atkins, keto, paleo… and detergent?

Anthony Schokalsky Contributor In an internet age that boasts impressively dumb viral video challenges— neknominations, the cinnamon challenge, and the Kylie Jenner lip challenge, to name a few—it takes both creativity and tenacity to rise above the rest. Enter the Tide Pod trend, the YouTube phenomenon in

which challengers attempt to eat chemically toxic detergent packets. The game has landed over 12,000 participants in the emergency room in 2017 alone, where Joe Schwarcz—chemistry professor and the director of the Office of Science and Society (OSS)—explained that doctors are “forced to treat teenagers who had fallen off the evolutionary ladder.”

The Tide Pod challenge has become fashionable even

among Canada’s supposedly best and brightest, and includes an incident at McGill’s very own Upper Residences. Nonsensical but literally bursting on the scene, the challenge’s danger can be attributed to the detergent’s complex chemical makeup.

With the detergent’s bright blue and orange pattern and lollipop-esque swirl, infants confused Tide Pods for candy long before it was an Internet gag.

PG. 14

2 NEWS

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Ceremony commemorates anniversary of Quebec City mosque attack

Speakers urge McGill to confront islamophobia Victoria Flaherty Contributor On Jan. 29, several campus groups held a ceremony of remembrance to commemorate the oneyear anniversary of the 2017 attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique du Québec, one of the largest mosques in Quebec City. Members of the McGill community and the public gathered in the atrium of the Lorne M. Trottier Building to honour the six men killed and 19 injured when Alexandre Bissonnette opened fire during a time of prayer in what was labelled a terrorist attack.

The ceremony was hosted by the McGill Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), the Institute for Islamic Studies, the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE), and the Joint Board-Senate Committee on Equity.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Shanice Yarde, equity educational advisor at SEDE, stressed the importance of creating a safe space for those impacted by racial and religious violence at McGill.

“It’s incredibly important to [console] Muslim students on and

off campus who are directly impacted by this,” Yarde said. “[The shooting] was horrific, and a year later the impacts are still horrific, so we have to still be in conversation critiquing islamophobia.”

Six members of the Montreal and McGill community took turns speaking to condemn racism, emphasize the power of unity, and promote tolerance. After calling for attendees to observe a minute of silence, Angela Campbell, associate provost (Equity and Academic Policies), reminded the crowd of the massacre’s widespread impact.

“This tragedy shook our communities, our province, and our country,” Campbell said.

Next to speak was Sue Montgomery, mayor of Cote-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grace.

She addressed the prevalence of islamophobia in Quebec and urged attendees to interfere when witnessing racism or harassment. She also announced that the city council is working toward a declaration condemning islamophobia.

“Hatred comes from a very dark place,” Montgomery said.

“Recognizing that [islamophobia] does exist is imperative if we’re

going to change anything in this province.”

Pasha M. Khan, assistant professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill, took the podium next, and stressed how important it was to feel both pain and power in memory.

“We all have power, in whatever ways,” Khan said. “But when do we know that we have power?

When do we feel that we have power? It’s when we’re putting it to use, exercising power, giving other people power or it’s when other people are giving power to me.”

Student activists Salma Youssef, U3 Science, and Nahal Siraj Fansia, U3 Nursing, also spoke at the ceremony, urging others to practice peace, tolerance, and social awareness.

“When we practice respect and acceptance, two values emphasized by all religions, we eliminate the possibility of intolerance, the inability to understand differences of opinion,” Youssef said. “As we’ve come to learn, ignorance breeds fear, fear breeds hate, and hate breeds violence. This day should be an active reminder of the

Over a year has passed since six worshippers were killed and 19 injured in a shooting at a Québec City mosque which many considered to be an act of terrorism. (Taja De Silva / The McGill Tribune) state of our country. It isn’t enough to hope for change. We must be the ones to continue to encourage tolerance and acceptance, and it starts with our own fortitude.”

Ehab Lotayef, activist and IT manager at McGill, concluded the ceremony by announcing McGill’s new efforts to commemorate the massacre and prevent similar incidents. The university will plant a tree on campus in memory of the victims and the event. In addition, the creation of a new merit-based financial award is underway to

subsidize educational expenses for students who promote the inclusion of Muslim members of the McGill community.

In an interview with the Tribune, attendee Sara Hany, U1 Engineering, expressed the shock that reverberated through the nation following the attack. “[Canada]’s supposed to be a peaceful country, so I felt sad that the harmony started to fade,” Hany said. “It’s important to remember [the shooting] because terrorism has no religion.”

AUS to create people of colour committee Committee aims to create a safer space for people of colour to discuss experiences in Faculty Nina Russell Contributor

At its latest Legislative Council meeting on Jan. 24, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) passed a motion to create an Ad hoc People of Colour Committee to provide a forum for people of colour (PoC) to talk about their experiences as Arts students.

The committee aims to help foster dialogue about discrimination that PoC face, and promote education about race, ethnicity, and culture through events like conversation circles and a multicultural day. AUS hopes the committee will ultimately encourage PoC students to apply for positions at AUS and campaign for its executive offices.

The committee will be open to anyone who self-identifies as a PoC and works for the AUS in any capacity, but events that it hosts will be accessible to all McGill students.

“I think it needs to be understood that PoC already don’t have a lot of space to have these conversations, and it’s more important that [as PoC] we have this space to talk about how we feel right now and what we want before we can engage and interact with everyone else,” Arts Representative Jennifer Chan said. “It’s a first step toward [...] greater institutional change. It shows that we, as AUS, are re-

ally trying to make student government a more accessible space for people of colour.”

Chan expressed optimism that the new committee will ease the emotional burden on PoC councillors to speak up about racism and microaggressions.

“The labour should not be [...] on people of colour to point out racism and so a PoC [committee] would allow for space where we don’t have that burden,” Chan said. “We’re just talking about what happens, how we feel, and I think it would be really productive for us to have these conversations in a safe space.”

The idea for the committee was initially proposed by former AUS vice-president (VP) Communications Chanèle Couture De-Graft, who shared the suggestion with current VP Communications Maria Thomas.

While Thomas says she has not experienced any overt racism during her term, she feels the committee will address passive or subconscious racism in AUS. “I have come to a meeting and been the only person of colour at the table, and that sometimes, I find is very difficult,” Thomas said. “[Councillors might] be discussing something and being ignorant about something just due to their privilege, and something to me that is so objective and blatant is not so obvious to others, and it can be very isolating.”

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, McGill Environment Students’

The committee aims to help foster dialogue about discrimination that people of colour face. (saice.org) Society Co-President Tuviere Okome expressed support for the creation of a space for PoC to discuss sensitive topics within AUS. “The committee is good because there’s a space to talk about issues which may be sensitive to white people,” Okome said. “I find I get frustrated when I don’t get to speak my mind completely because of an all-white audience who might not react well to what I am saying. The committee helps with the frustration which I imagine a lot of PoC have.”

According to Department of English

Student Association VP External Thomas MacDonald, the need for such a space has become increasingly prevalent over the past year following the Students’ Society of McGill University Fall 2017 Referendum question to raise the SSMU General Assembly (GA) quorum to 350.

“This space is especially critical now after many students feel that the [General Assembly] GA quorum raise has effectively shut out some minority voices,” MacDonald said. “Therefore, the onus should not be on this new committee to cater to white students.”

NEWS 3

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

“McGill’s forgotten freshmen” VP University Affairs advocates for open educational resources at McGill Facebook group compensates for glitch OERs could decrease the financial burden of textbooks and other course materials

Facebook error prevents first-year students from joining McGill groups

Across Canada, students have been locked from participating in their university’s Facebook communities.

(Facebook.com) Many McGill students pay several hundred dollars per semester on textbooks assigned for their lectures. (edsurge.com)

Helen Wu Contributor Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) University Affairs Isabelle Oke is seeking to raise awareness about Open Educational Resources (OERs) by holding an information session on Feb. 8. OERs are free teaching materials like study exercises, lecture presentations, and textbooks developed by professors and faculty from around the world. They are uploaded to online databases like OpenStax or JSTOR, which students and staff can access for free. No publishing firms are involved in the creation of OERs; rather, experts in a specific field work together to pool their knowledge and pass it on directly.

Although they have been presented as a possible strategy to reduce the financial burden of textbooks for students, there are a number of obstacles preventing OERs from becoming a widely-accepted alternatives at McGill.

“We can take advantage of OERs that are out there, and over time contribute to creating OERs, but it is up to administration and individual department levels to make those decisions on whether or not the faculty here at McGill should be charged to create open education resources or use them,” Associate Dean (User Services) Jeffrey Archer said.

Unless professors receive compensation for creating OERs, they will have an incentive to sell their work at bookstores instead. According to Archer, the McGill administration has not taken action to encourage faculty members to work on producing OERs. Oke, is organizing the upcoming information session to familiarize the McGill community with OERs. She finds that it can be difficult to convince professors to substitute old, reliable sources of information for OERs. Not only must they become familiar with a new system, but the OERs’ validity must also be evaluated as the lack of peer review means they would potentially contain biased or faulty information. Oke hopes for McGill to popularize an organized and efficient way to compile OERs. “OERs are being used all the time without any intentionality, but there haven’t been any developed through official McGill collaborations since the Open Online Courses projects,” Oke said. “There isn’t any sustainable process that creates OERs.” To expand and promote OER usage at McGill, Archer and his team at the McGill Library plan to pull together a list of all the OER repositories and make them available to interested faculties.

“The OERs offer a way to relieve some of the financial burden of purchasing class materials on students,” Archer said. “It’s hard being a student. Within a single term you may even have $1,200 worth of textbooks, and making even a few of them available as OERs [can be] helpful.”

Science Senator Salma Youssef sees great potential for the implementation of these academic tools to help reduce expenses for students. She points out that, since 2012, the BC Open Textbook Project has saved students $1.8 million total in textbook fees.

“The world of OERs is much more than just free textbooks,” Youssef said. “It also includes professors publishing their work in open journals, which can be a tricky thing to get them to do [....] By changing McGill policies on tenure and promotion to include things such as considering how involved a professor is with OERs, how much they publish to open journals, and whether they adopt textbook/open resources for their courses, it would incentivize faculty to incorporate a lot more of it.”

To learn more about OERs at McGill, visit http://libraryguides.mcgill.ca/c.php?g=627640

Laura Oprescu Staff Writer To overcome an error preventing some students from accessing McGill’s Facebook Community, first-year students and some students from other graduating classes have turned to the McGill’s Forgotten Freshmen (MFF) Facebook group. Membership to McGill’s Facebook community is required to access hundreds of groups affiliated with the university— users must link their registered McGill email to their account. Over the past semester, many students with working emails have nonetheless been unable to verify them.

MFF administrator Keating Kenna Reid, U0 Arts, created the group on Oct. 14, 2017. It has since grown to serve 690 members and counting.

“Really, I started it as a joke, I didn’t expect it to get more than a few dozen members at most,” Reid said. “I didn’t have any serious goal of raising awareness or getting the problem fixed, I’m a little too cynical to think anything is going to change with this issue.”

Despite his pessimism, the group has grown far beyond what Reid imagined. In addition to posting memes and complaints, members now discuss temporary solutions and share their attempts to tackle the error.

“Next thing I knew, something like a hundred people had joined in a week,” Reid said. “I don’t think about it much, truthfully.

I did call IT services at one point. They said they couldn’t do anything about it, which I think is true. I heard on [the reddit forum] r/ mcgill that other universities are having the same issue.”

The Facebook error currently affects dozens of universities, including Bishop’s University, McMaster University, Concordia University, University of British Columbia (UBC), and University of Toronto. Jessica Goodsell, director of Communications and Marketing of the Students’ Representative Council at Bishop’s University, advises students with improvised solutions to the problem. “[Students] have made [their own Bishop’s University] Facebook groups, which hasn’t posed too many problems,”

Goodsell said. “[Students] have gone to our IT department and there’s nothing they can do. It’s a very strange problem, and I think it’s on Facebook’s end.”

Some McGill groups choose to remain closed to the general public because it protects them from spam posts and ensures that only McGill students can view their information. This is important for McGill Housing, a closed group within the McGill Facebook community that primarily seeks to connect students looking for roommates and apartments. While others, like McGill University Book Exchange, were created to be open to the public, many larger pages cannot alter their privacy settings, as Facebook prevents those with over 5,000 members from doing so.

Laurie Devine, social media manager at McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO), is currently working with students to tackle the problem.

“I first heard about [the error] early in the term, when new students were trying to join groups,” Devine said. “Though [students] gave their McGill email addresses to the admins, they still weren’t able to join the groups. A few of them sent emails to me thinking that, as I manage the main McGill page I was the admin, which isn’t the case.”

Devine claims she reported the error to Facebook several times, without response.

However, she suggests that students lacking access to the McGill Facebook community use Yammer, a closed social network run

by Microsoft Office that connects members who belong to the same email domain.

The layout is similar to Facebook’s, with a newsfeed and community groups. However, McGill’s Yammer community currently has 5,000 members, while McGill’s Facebook community has over 58,000.

In an email to The McGill Tribune, McGill IT Services urged students experiencing the error not to contact them, as they are unable to offer any assistance, and advised students to take their complaints to Facebook instead.

“We are unable to comment on this issue as this does not involve McGill IT services,” McGill IT wrote. “Facebook’s McGill community is not affiliated with nor endorsed by McGill.”

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

4 NEWS

SUS Council creates new office of VP Sustainability Constitutional changes and social events discussed

Jade Prévost-Manuel Science & Technology Editor

SUS portfolios have shifted to better reflect workload and responsibilities.

(Liam Maclure / The McGill Tribune) On Jan. 31, the Science Undergraduate Society’s (SUS) General Council convened to deliberate proposed amendments to the SUS Clubs & Services by-laws and constitution. Council also discussed the society’s upcoming social events, including the SUS 25th anniversary

gala and SUS Academia Week.

Council amends Clubs & Services by-laws SUS President Jasmine Leung proposed a motion amending the SUS constitution and Clubs & Services by-laws. These amendments included removing the offices of Executive Revenue Officer (ERO) and Executor of Clubs and Services (ECS), and creating the office of Vice-President (VP) Sustainability. This motion passed.

The office of ECS, which is currently in charge of fostering relationships between SUS and its affiliated clubs, will be removed from the executive committee on May 1.

“This is the first year that we’ve had a full-time ECS as an SUS executive, and while the work that they’ve done has been super valuable and necessary, we’ve come to the conclusion that, after the initial set up of the portfolio, the day-to-day work is not large enough to constitute an entire portfolio,” Leung said.

After consultations with the current and former SUS VP Communications, Leung decided that the ECS’ work is better suited as part of that portfolio. “[The current and former VP Communications] think that it would make for a reasonable addition to [the VP Communications] portfolio, given that the current VP Communications liaises a lot with the computer task force and with clubs and services already,” Leung said.

The ERO, who acts as the signing officer for SUS sponsorship deals, has historically had far more responsibilities during the summer months than during the academic year. For this reason, Leung proposed that the position be moved to the portfolio of the VP External, whose work begins in the summer.

“We think that if this position were moved under the VP External, given the definition of the VP External, we think that they, in collaboration with whatever person they assign the role of taking care of sponsorship, would more efficiently manage [the job],” Leung said.

The newly-created VP Sustainability portfolio will

McGill alumnus creates tutoring app

manage a number of committees currently within the VP External’s portfolio, so as to allow the VP External to dedicate more time to other mandates.

“The VP Sustainability will continue to take care of the Equity Committee, the SUS Environmental Committee, and SUS mental health committee,” Leung said.

“Those committees and this portfolio in general are necessary and highly valuable to the Society, and we have no intention of redacting any of those [commitments].”

For the most part, councillors generally responded well to the proposed amendments.

“I’m glad that we’re passing this, and I think that everything that’s being passed is being done with the best of intentions and is moving SUS in the right direction,” Executive Administrator Joseph DeCunha said.

Councillors present updates on upcoming social events Council discussed a number of its upcoming social events, most notably the SUS’ 25th anniversay gala.

The event has now been moved back a day to Feb. 9 to avoid overlap with the McGill Biology Student Union’s (MBSU) Darwin Day semi-formal, and will be held at Crew Collective & Café.

VP Academic Ellie Joung also reminded Council of SUS Academia Week, which will feature a number of free science and research-related events between Feb. 5 and 9.

“We have a talk from Dr. [Victoria] Kaspi on cosmology, a workshop on [The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada] NSERC funding for research abroad, and a talk on child psychiatry, [and a number of] lab tours,” Joung said.

VP Internal Soud Kharusi presented new details regarding the SUS ski trip, which will be held on the evening of Feb. 17 for Nuit Blanche. Tickets for Science and Non-Science students will be $50 and $65, respectively.

SUS General Council will next meet on Feb. 14.

Nimbus fills gap in tutoring market for online services Julie Guichard Contributor On Nov. 21, Nimbus Tutoring Inc. launched an online tutoring service that matches McGill students with tutors—often master’s or PhD students—at the university. Nimbus plans to expand to Concordia students within the next few weeks.

According to Nimbus Founder and CEO William Liu, a McGill alumnus from the class of 2017, the idea for the platform came from his poor experiences with McGill’s Tutorial

Service, which pairs tutees with undergraduate and graduate student tutors, or alumni who have graduated within the past two years. Tutors must obtain a grade of at least 80 per cent in courses they wish to teach, and teaching can only be done in-person.

“McGill tutorial is all done though email which leads to long waiting times,” Liu said.

“Payments are also only done through cash, which many students find awkward.”

To avoid similar inefficiencies or discomfort, Nimbus’ app enables students to schedule and pay for appointments the day of and coordinate with their tutors to arrange plans.

Nimbus tutoring aims to provide efficient assistance from McGill alumni and may expand beyond academic help. (sastudy.co)

“The tutoring industry is currently fragmented, and could benefit from the integration of technology,” Nimbus Marketing and Communications Director Josephine Kuo said. “We believe that by using technology, we can disrupt this industry and provide a platform that is better for both tutors and students.”

Nimbus describes itself as tutor-centric, since tutors can set their own prices according to their needs. Tutors are free to list their prices between $15 and $40 per hour, but most often charge around $15 to $25 compared to McGill Tutorial Services’ fixed $15 per hour price.

Nimbus’ long-term goal is to provide tutoring in subjects beyond what is found in university curricula.

“We want to expand to other fields, such as music, or hobbies, like pottery, for instance,” Liu said. “The premise is to create a platform where anyone with a speciality can share their knowledge through Nimbus.”

In addition to Nimbus, McGill students have access to many other resources. McGill’s own Tutorial service remains an accessible resource for students seeking help with their coursework. Caroline Monahan, U1 Arts, feels satisfied with the tutoring she received through the university.

“I didn’t have to wait at all,” Monahan said. “As soon as I contacted the tutor, I was able to meet with him. I thought the cost [to] quality ratio was incredible. I was receiving [great] tutoring for $15 dollars per hour. My

tutor was flexible [and] could meet me anytime.”

McGill is looking to further improve its tutorial services over the span of this semester.

In an email to the The McGill Tribune, Lina Di Genova, interim director of McGill Tutorial Services, shared her plans to solicit feedback from students and student associations to determine areas with high demand for tutoring.

“We will be [identifying] priority areas and [exploring] the possibility of new options, including group tutoring, tutor feedback mechanisms, and online [platform] options,” Di Genova said. “In cases when tutors are not readily available, we work with academic departments to find a tutor to support McGill students.”

In response to the lack of McGill-tailored tutorial services offered online, a company called GradeSlam, also founded by a McGill alumnus, Philip Cutler, has focused its services on online accessibility and unlimited tutoring for an annual fee of $50 per student.

“The GradeSlam tutors are available online 24/7 for any subject and students can work with a tutor for as long as they want, as often as they want,” Jacob Geller, marketing manager at GradeSlam, said.

GradeSlam also offers service called Essay Writing Review. Through this service, students can submit their written work in any field or language and receive feedback within 24 hours.

OPINION 5

Tuesday, February 6, 2018 Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Jasinski editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Noah Sutton nsutton@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Audrey Carleton acarleton@mcgilltribune.com Emma Avery eavery@mcgilltribune.com Selin Altuntur saltuntur@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Holly Cabrera, Domenic Casciato, & Calvin Trottier-Chi news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Jackie Houston & Alexandra Harvey opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Jade Prevost-Manuel scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Catherine Morrison studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Marie Labrosse features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Dylan Adamson & Ariella Garmaise arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Stephen Gill & Selwynne Hawkins sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Arshaaq Jiffry & Elli Slavitch design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Ava Zwolinski photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor Tristan Surman multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Daniel Lutes webdev@mcgilltribune.com Julia Kafato online@mcgilltribune.com

Renaming buildings: One step toward a more inclusive campus Recently, McGill struck the Working Group on Principles of Commemoration and Renaming. The group will develop guidelines to consider whether McGill should rename campus buildings that honour historical figures whose legacies no longer seem worth commemorating. As with any debate on how to best memorialize the past, the Task Force raises the question of whether to judge historical figures by today’s standards, and whether it is possible to recognize someone for one aspect of their legacy, while ignoring its darker components.

A group of black students at Princeton University made their positions on these questions clear, when they called on the university administration to change the name of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 2016.

Wilson, former president of the United States and leader in the creation of the League of Nations, was also a racist and a segregationist. In refusing to change the name of the school, Princeton took the stance that it is possible to recognize a historical figure’s achievements while still reflecting on their flaws and wrongdoings.

It is crucial to recognize the reprehensible episodes from a community’s past, in order to learn from and to never repeat atrocities. However, oppressive historical figures no longer

OFF THE BOARD

Copy Editor Ayanna De Graff copy@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Daniel Minuk business@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Grayson Castell, Katherine Hutter, & Vincent Li ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS Board of Directors

Nicholas Jasinski, Daniel Minuk, Katherine Hutter, Anthony Kuan, Elli Slavitch, Holly Cabrera, Jeeventh Kaur, Katherine Milazzo, Becca Hoff

Staff Writers

Kendall McGowan, Cherry Wu, Laura Oprescu, Andras Nemeth, Grace Gunning, Gabriel Rincon, Avleen Mokha, Virginia Shram, Sophie Brzozowski, Sam Min, Oceane Marescal, Emma Gillies, Miguel Principe, Janine Xu, Jordan Foy, Miya Keilin, Gabe Nisker, Winnie Lin, Cordelia Cho, Erica Stefano, Gabriel Helfant, Margaux Delalex, Ceci Steyn

Contributors

Amina Magnin, Ana Earl, Arindam Das, Cordelia Cho, Ender McDuff, Flaminia Cooper, Gabriela McGuinty, Gwyneth Wren, Helen Wu, Isaac Berman, Jonah Dutz, Julie Guichard, Katia Innes, Kaylina Kodlick, Kellyane Levac, Kevin Reynolds, Leanne Young, Nina Russell, Owen Gibbs, Sophie Panzer, Taja De Silva, Tali Zuckerman, Taylor Burnett, Victoria Flaherty, Winnie Lin

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Ayanna De Graff Copy Editor Last week, I finally watched the 2015 sci-fi and artificial intelligence (AI)-themed movie, Ex Machina.

Providing viewers with an in-depth look at the possibilities of AI in a notso-far future, the film centres around the relationship between a young programmer named Caleb and a seductive robot, Ava. Caleb is mandated to administer the “Turing test”— essentially testing whether Ava can fool a human into thinking that she is not a machine. Aside from Ava’s superior looks and intelligence, and Caleb’s fatal attraction to both, the movie highlights an inevitable issue in the AI debate—the fine line between artificial intelligence and human intelligence, and what

deserve to be held on a pedestal.

Renaming buildings is an opportunity to—at least symbolically—recognize and confront inequality in the past, and the present. It also creates space for the celebration of new figures that better represent the McGill community’s values. Remembering the past matters, but so does honouring those individuals that we can take pride in today and in the future.

Stephen Leacock—former McGill professor and namesake of the Leacock Building—was a misogynist, and vocally opposed women’s suffrage. McGill’s own founder, James McGill, was a slave owner. While we cannot change the fact that these people played positive roles in shaping McGill, it is essential to acknowledge and affirm the standards of inclusivity and tolerance that we want reflected in McGill’s campus today.

Changing the name of the Leacock building or the Le James bookstore incurs little substantive loss in pragmatic terms, but has the potential for large symbolic gain. Renaming such buildings would spark important historical reflection and dialogue surrounding McGill’s past, and the people that were part of it. The building could be re-christened with the name of someone who better reflects McGill students on campus today, and whose legacy serves to promote equality rather than impede it.

Trailblazing women, people of

colour, and other minorities and their accomplishments have long been overlooked and ignored in the past, due to oppressive social structures that silenced their identities and actively discriminated against them. This cannot be fixed, and should never be forgotten, but changing a building name does not in itself erase history. Instead, it can serve to celebrate those who were not historically recognized, or those who have contributed exceptionally to the university’s more recent past. It is crucial that the institution—and the role models it publicly recognizes—are representative and inclusive of the whole student population.

That said, symbolic change cannot be mistaken for substantive change. While changing the name of the building creates the appearance of greater tolerance and sensitivity, tangible progress toward making campus a more inclusive space for all students means matching that symbolic commitment with concrete action. McGill has a ways to go when it comes to inclusivity and representation on campus, and achieving equality clearly requires more than renaming buildings. However, critically reflecting on the names that McGill places on pedestals—and choosing to commemorate those that more accurately represent our community’s values—is a welcome start.

By the same logic, as a part of its

EDITORIAL mandate, the Working Group must seriously consider whether it is time to discuss renaming our university entirely.

Clearly, changing McGill’s name would incur many financial and practical costs beyond the straightforward act of replacing the plaque on the Leacock Building. Nevertheless, it is a conversation that needs to be had. Even if the possibility of renaming is put to bed, it is important to reflect on the legacy of our founder holistically. James McGill created an institution that, today, provides students from a range of countries with incredible educational opportunities. The University’s reputation is now based on the McGill community’s academic achievements, rather than those of its founder. But, he also participated in the enslavement of black and Indigenous people, and must be remembered for all aspects of his character.

The name “McGill” has come to represent much more than its founder, to millions of people. McGill is a community that purports to welcome a diverse group of students and perspectives. It is known internationally for its academic leadership. This is not thanks to James McGill, but rather to the students and faculty that now study and work here. McGill should do justice to its community by ensuring that the institution’s structures promote a progressive and inclusive vision for the future.

When AI slips between the sheets happens when it is blurred.

While most researchers seem confident in the possibility of turning a machine into a human, the question as to how to keep humans from turning into machines doesn’t seem to have crossed many minds. Yet, increasingly, the virtual, emotionally-detached, efficiency-driven way of machines has come to govern our society and relationships. Often, this is more harmful than helpful.

In the incessant technological race to simulate humans, AI and humanlooking androids have also taken a new, darker purpose as sex robots.

These are app-operated machines with the outward physique of a human, whose ultimate goal is not to beat you at chess, but to please you in bed. With a customizable appearance, they can go on for hours. They may very well be the ideal sexual partner for the aloof, feelings-apprehensive, self-centered lover of the 21st century.

This use of AI most likely— and understandably—makes many uncomfortable. The thought of a robot as a sexual partner to a human seems unnatural, awkward, and perhaps even unethical. But, while treating an AI creation as just a physical shell to satisfy our most lustful desires sounds undesirably creepy, it simultaneously reflects how some of us have come to treat our most intimate relationships.

In today’s “hookup culture,” which allows only virtual emotional contact and restricted physical

interaction, and where it seems we sometimes meet one another with the sole purpose of fulfilling biological impulses, the parallel to sex robots is not so far-fetched. In our quest to remove ourselves from emotional attachments, we’ve come to treat each other like robots in our intimate interactions. The online dating game exacerbates this

“

In our quest to remove ourselves from emotional attachments, we’ve come to treat each other like robots in our intimate interactions.

”

trend; from apps, to social media, to Craigslist ads, it’s never been easier to meet people without any real-world contact, and never truly engage with them. It’s also never been easier to dehumanize the person on the other side of the phone screen: From a specific body type, hair or eye colour, ethnicity, to height, we choose and judge the person as if they’re not real. Akin to a virtual machine, the being on the other end is mainly there to fulfill an idealized

version of our desires.

It is no surprise, then, that in Ex Machina, Ava eventually passes the test, and Caleb comes to believe that the AI does love him, subsequently falling for her. Even today, sexbots on virtual chat websites are hardly anything worth raising an eyebrow over; fake, machinegenerated dating profiles are ubiquitous, because increasingly they’re not so different from our human interactions.

Perhaps it’s the machines that have become a lot like us: They have emotional intelligence, can take on our physical form, and may very soon become smarter than us. But, it’s not far-fetched to think that it’s our interactions—which are often detached and surface-level—that truly make AI objects seem so human. If we treat each other like robots, it’s no wonder that we then struggle to tell both apart.

Google’s Director of Engineering Ray Kurzweil has predicted that in 2029 computers will reach humanlevel intelligence. Ironically, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has argued that to save humanity from irrelevance, humans should be turned into cyborgs, so that they can become the superior machine of the two.

The advancement of AI and the automation of our society are inevitable and have already begun. Soon, humanlooking machines will be walking among us, which is why it’s all the more important to remember that we are humans—not machines—and must treat each other as such.

6 OPINION

COMMENTARY

Gabriel Rincon Columnist At the Dec. 12 McGill University Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, members of Divest McGill protested against a recent revision to the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility’s (CAMSR) mandate. The policy change would prohibit the University from using the Endowment Fund to further specific social or political causes. CAMSR’s original purpose is to help fulfill the ethical and social responsibility clause of McGill’s Investment Policy for its endowment. Divest McGill’s aim is for McGill to divest those funds

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Divestment comes at a price to students from fossil fuels. However, as the revision reflects, the purpose of the Endowment Fund as a whole is not to advance a particular social goal. While Divest McGill’s goal of fighting climate change by using the endowment fund might achieve symbolic benefit, this is outweighed by the financial costs and trade-offs.

The actual function of the Endowment Fund is to maintain the solvency of the various donations given to the University.

According to the Investment Policy, a vast majority of these funds are already “externally restricted,” meaning that their use is earmarked for scholarships or other purposes; McGill merely invests the funds on behalf of the donor and then oversees the proper use of the funds. Seeing as it’s not truly McGill’s money, and that most of the money has already been assigned a purpose, it would be irresponsible for McGill to do anything with the funds other than ensure their continued solvency and growth.

That appears to be what the University is doing. McGill’s Investment Policy delineates asset classes in which the University can invest, and specifies an asset mix—the portions of the fund that can be

invested in each asset. The asset mix shows a clear preference for diversification and safe investments. Assuming that the University invests optimally, it is achieving the highest possible return given its liquidity and risk preferences.

Changing McGill’s Endowment Fund asset composition to divest from fossil fuel companies would be costly.

Divesting would mean lower returns at greater risk, which could jeopardize various forms of scholarship and library funding.

Divest McGill’s demands to liquidate all investments in fossil fuel firms don’t justify the costs of such a move, as they provide little to no concrete benefit.

Liquidating the University’s holdings in an oil firm does no tangible harm to the firm, since McGill’s Endowment is certainly not large enough to prompt a significant drop in the share price or cause market panic. By buying already-issued equities, McGill is not providing the fossil fuel companies, or any company, with new or significant funding. The only way McGill could directly benefit a fossil fuel company and meaningfully contribute to climate change would be to buy a bond or commercial paper

directly from the issuing oil company, a much closer business relationship than simply holding shares. Whether or not McGill presently does this is unclear.

“

Taking this symbolic stance against fossil fuels would mean less money for scholarships, libraries, and other on-campus resources [...] that the endowment reserves funds for.

”

Nonetheless, the tangible harm that would be inflicted on oil companies by the University selling their shares is minimal, beyond a symbolic stance against climate change. Divesting from fossil fuel companies also ignores that firms like ExxonMobil are industry leaders in clean energy innovation.

Meanwhile, taking this symbolic stance against fossil fuels would mean less money for scholarships, libraries, and other on-campus resources and initiatives that the endowment reserves funds for.

If Divest McGill is serious about fighting climate change, there are practical steps it can encourage the University to take without compromising the financial health of the Endowment Fund. For example, Divest could construct an environmentally-conscious investment portfolio that meets the asset mix requirements and liquidity preferences of the fund with the same projected return, and propose it to the Investment Office. Alternatively, Divest McGill could raise money to create a fund specifically for the advancement of environmental research at McGill.

There are trade-offs to pursuing a specific social mission.

Certainly, helping low-income students pay for university and rewarding hard work through merit scholarships are worthy goals as well, with clear benefits. In contrast, Divest’s demand likely comes with significant costs that a symbolic stance cannot fix.

Laughing Matters The agonies of email etiquette and prof dudes

Isaac Berman Contributor Dear Professor Buddle, You recently shared a rather condescending blurb about how McGill students should learn email etiquette, insinuating that most students do not put the correct amount of effort into the vital student-professor communication medium. I challenge this assumption.

I’m not sure who originally wrote, “Hey Prof Dude,” but I can tell you from experience that the process of emailing a professor is anything but casual. It is a highly-involved inner struggle of self-loathing versus self-worth, of knowledge of basic grammar versus knowledge of email conventions—requiring pure mental fortitude. For me, that battle usually goes something like this.

First comes the agony of choosing an appropriate salutation: “Hi Prof –“ Then I ask myself if they are even a professor. I Google them; their LinkedIn says, “Course Lecturer.” This means a simple “Dr.” will suffice. A tinge of sadness washes over me, as I lament that this person is not yet able to put a simple “Associate Professor” title on their LinkedIn Profile, despite having spent the entirety of their 20s— and a good portion of their 30s— torturing themselves to become an expert on a topic so specific that they only have three peer references on JStor. I quickly remember that my own LinkedIn profile not only has an endorsement from my mom for my Microsoft Office skills, but also paragraphs of bullshit about how being a camp counsellor helps me “work as a member of a team” and prepares me to “multitask in a fast-paced environment.” My pity for this “Dr.” fades, and rapidly I return to self-loathing.

“Hi Dr. –” Now comes the friendly greeting: It’s Thursday, so I can’t say, “I hope you had a good week,” because that implies I don’t count Friday as a part of the week, and I can’t have Dr. _____, parent of two beautiful children, —“Gabby” and “Frederic” (I also find the “About Me” section of their academic site)—thinking

that I don’t do work on Fridays.

“I hope you are doing well, and enjoying the nice weather we’ve been having.”

No good—it’s -20 degrees, and the snow resembles the set of a Tim Burton movie.

“I hope you are doing well.”

Next, the informational content of the email must be tasteful and not too forthright: “I am writing to inform you that I will not be able to attend the lecture tomorrow as I have fallen ill.”

God, no one has said “fallen ill” since the Spanish flu. Why does typing in Outlook automatically make me write like I’m in an episode of The Crown? Screw it, I’m allowed to let my hair down every now and then.

“I am writing to inform you that I will not be able to attend the lecture tomorrow because I am sick.”

A wave of panic rushes over me as I realize that I didn’t have my privacy settings turned on when I stalked my course lecturer on LinkedIn. They will see that I stalked them, will judge me fiercely and aggressively, and will never respond to my future email asking for a grad school reference. Never mind the fact that the probable reason they won’t respond is because my entitled ass never once talked to them in person during their

Writing an email to a prof involves existential, crippling self-doubt. (Winnie Lin / The McGill Tribune) lecture of 30 students.

“Thank you in advance for your understanding, and please let me know if there is anything I can do to make up for the content that I will be missing.”

Thanking in advance is pretty presumptuous—who am I to assume that they will understand? Maybe they won’t understand at all and will promptly deduct a percentage point from my participation grade.

Scratch the “thank you.”

Finally, the closing is the final note, so it must be perfect: “Cheers, – “ Too casual.

“Sincerely, —” Too formal.

“Best regards, —” Just right. I feel like Goldilocks.

After enduring this entire painstaking process, my email is later reciprocated by the course lecturer with a simple: “K. Sent from my iPhone.”

So, I ask you Professor Buddle, not to judge all students on the one simpleton who wrote “Hey Prof Dude.” Based on my own enduring struggles, I can only assume that the entire McGill student population is already a neurotic, over-analyzing mess when it comes to using electronic mail with our professors.

Most of us wouldn’t be caught dead writing, “Hey Prof Dude.”

Best regards, Isaac Berman

Tuesday, February 6 , 2018 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FAC’s latest iteration of Nuit Blanche explores reiteration Student musicians, writers, and visual artists convene for art funhouse Sophie Panzer Contributor Those who braved the trek across a snowy campus on Feb. 1 were rewarded with an evening of inspiring student artwork. The McGill Fine Arts Council (FAC) hosted its annual Nuit Blanche exhibition in the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) building. Nuit Blanche featured McGill-based artists and fine arts clubs, including organizations devoted to dance, creative writing, visual art, theatre, and music. This year’s theme “ITERO,” which translates roughly to “Reiteration,” was designed to question the role of repetition in the creation of art.

The event questions whether there’s such a thing as a truly original idea, or if all art is just a reimagination of its predecessors.

As most student artists at McGill are painfully aware, the university offers very few academic opportunities for creative expression—there are no studio arts courses, and ENGL 364, the one creative writing course offered through the English department, is usually capped at 15 students. However, the variety of talent displayed at Nuit Blanche shows that there are plenty of clubs and student groups that can provide artistic inspiration and community instead.

The McGill Students’ Visual Arts Society and the Fridge Door Gallery both featured visual art exhibitions at Nuit Blanche. Visitors were greeted with vibrant shapes and colours featured

in larger works mounted on the walls, and encountered more delicate pieces such as small sculptures and sketches while perusing the tables. Several artists displayed sketchbooks or diaries that contained both polished and in-progress work, offering audiences an in-depth look at their creative process. In her piece “Sketchbook,” Leah Smith, U3 Sociology and Philosophy, offered viewers a glimpse of her creative inspiration through collages featuring images of women against backdrops of brightly coloured magazine advertisements. Several tables in the SSMU ballroom were covered by blank paper so that visitors could doodle when inspiration struck.

There was also a section devoted solely to student photography. This exhibition featured the McGill University Photography Students Society (MUPSS) as well as the independently curated work of Nina Chabel, U2 Art History and English Literature, and Madeline Kinney, U3 Cultural Studies. Chabel’s series “Tourists” featured visitors at a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, snapping pictures on their phones, asking audience members to reflect on the extent to which they view the world through a screen. Chabel also had other photos of St. Petersburg featured in the Fridge Door Gallery section. These shots featured a soft colour palette and vintage vehicles, making viewers feel as though they were gazing at a reiteration of the past.

In addition to visual artwork, the

Student artists interpret what reiteration means at FAC’s Nuit Blanche. (Taylor Burnett / The McGill Tribune)

evening featured several performing artists.

There were three McGill dance groups in attendance. The members of Alegria performed contemporary ballet, Inertia focused on modern dance, and Mosaica performed a mix of jazz, contemporary, ballet, hip-hop, and tap. Each group danced against the backdrop of a slideshow of artwork featured in F WORD, a Montrealbased feminist zine and collective. The SSMU ballroom also held performances by Montreal-based folk artists Vikki Gilmore, Clyde Veer, and Shit Whitman, as well as indie rock artists Lara Antebi and Juan

Poignant opera on the Kennedy family debuts in Canada ‘JFK’ explores the cost of being a public figure Avleen Mokha Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

As he is pushed from one nightmare to the next, Jack’s character becomes helpless and tormented. However, Jack’s dream sequence is notably weaker than Jackie’s, who draws the majority of the audience’s sympathies. Mack’s impeccable performance communicates Jackie’s struggles with the loss of her two children, Arabella and Patrick, while trying to establish a sense of intimacy with her distant husband. Her monologues are rife with imagery of loss, as she mourns the pain of an empty crib. “The largest wound [is] the empty space where joy was meant to be,” Jackie cries.

For better or for worse, JFK is guided by emotions, not by plot. The opera heavily relies on the classical motif of “the Fates,” personifications of fate and destiny. In JFK, the three Fates are historical figures who were part of the Lincoln assassination plot. The opera reimagines each of these individuals within Kennedy’s context: Clara Harris is The Spinner, hotel maid; Henry Rathbone is the Allotter, secret service member; and the Cutter is most likely Lee Henry Oswald. Through its allusions to the Fates, JFK is able to devote more time to the characters of Jack and Jackie Kennedy; unfortunately, this focus means that there is less development of antagonistic forces, thereby diluting the sense of threat.

JFK’s visual design is particularly commendable. The set, designed by Thaddeus Strassberger, employs striking symbolism, impressive illusions of depth, and a focus on sinister geometric patterns. A rectangular spotlight closes in on the newly-wed couple, injecting a sense of claustrophobia into a moment of joy. The design finds a delicate balance between realistic interiors and garish, neon lighting. The tasteful use of projections also adds an element of realism. For instance, as Jack relives his wedding dance with Jackie, black and white projections of the real Kennedys dancing on their wedding day breathe life into the characters onstage.

The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, with Steven Osgood as conductor, contributes to the ambiance of heightened sentimentality.

During the choral introduction to the opera, flutes bolster the ghostly effects of the vocals.

The final act, which features a more prominent stage presence of the Fates, is marked by heavy percussion and turbulent violin. As Jackie watches over a sleeping Jack, she mourns, “You are the American phenomenon. Where has Jack gone?” The real tragedy of JFK is not the external threat of assassination, but an internal one: A family whose life is “captured at shutter speed” has become too dysfunctional to heal.

The pain is visceral; as the audience views the many rooms of the Kennedys’ suite, one wishes to look away for just a moment, if only to grant the doomed characters one moment of solitude.

Egana.

Editors from the literary magazines The Veg and Scrivener Creative Review sold back issues of their publications, which feature work from the McGill and Montreal community.

Much of the artwork on display did not strictly adhere to the theme “Reiteration.”

However, viewers could still be amazed at the devotion and talent of the artists represented at Nuit Blanche. The artists’ works offered a view of McGill student life that is not always visible but always worth seeing.

INSPIR AND EMPOWERIN WOMEN THROUGH SPORT

O

n

Feb. 9, the Olympic Torch will complete its journey to the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium for the 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. For the 16 days that follow, millions of Canadians, from as far as 9,000 km and 10 time zones away, will tune in to support the world’s best winter athletes. Among the viewers are a generation of girls who, if previous years are any indication, will walk away with full hearts and imaginations.

Every year, the Olympic Games face warranted criticism; they’re wasteful and frivolous, and place excessive strain on host cities and nations. For all of their flaws, however, the Olympic Games remain unmatched in one area: Their ability to inspire for young girls and women. The Games provide a perfect storm of national pride, compelling female athletic journeys, and incredible performances. They’re perfectly suited for casual viewers, as the high-visibility and event diversity make the Games an accessible introduction to a wide variety of sports—and the wealth of women competing in them.

Nachi Fujimoto, a diminutive defender on Les Canadiennes de Montréal, hails from an unlikely hockey hometown: Sapporo, Japan. Hockey flies far below the radar in Japan, and the Olympics provide key coverage—alerting young people to opportunities in lesser-known sports.

“In the Sochi Olympics [in 2014], the Japanese women’s team qualified, and hockey gained popularity,” Fujimoto said in an interview with The McGill Tribune, translated

from Japanese*. “Before then, some people knew about the sport, but sports like baseball and soccer [were] much more popular. But when the Olympics came around, hockey gained popularity.”

Beyond simply exposing viewers to new experiences, the Olympics provide a unique opportunity to connect with positive female role models. With each iteration of the Olympic Games, a new set of heroines emerges from the sporting elite. The international success of women like Hayley Wickenheiser, Clara Hughes, and Christine Sinclair’s encourages new participants to try their respective sports. Strong female athletes play a vital role in encouraging girls to get involved in athletics, and this relationship can be leveraged to maximize benefits for young women.

Fast and Female is an NGO based out of Canmore, Alberta. Their mission statement revolves around fostering a happy and healthy sporting environment for girls, leading to continued involvement in an active lifestyle. With the help of over 400 ambassadors, they’ve brought inspiration and fun to girls across North America. The Fast and Female organization employs women at every level—mostly current and former athletes. Two members of their communications team—Erin Yungblut, a biathlete, and Una Lounder, a sprint kayaker—wrote to the Tribune about Fast and Female’s work.

“Fast and Female is focused on changing the culture for girls in sports to be more positive [so that] they don’t quit and miss out on the many lifelong benefits of sport participation,” Yungblut and Lounder wrote.

Fast and Female harnesses the star-power of elite athletes to keep girls in sports. These athlete ambassadors, who compete in sports ranging from fencing to speed skating, host “Champ Chats,” where girls have a chance to meet their sporting heroines, develop physical literacy, and interact with their peers in a non-competitive setting.

“Exposing girls to female role models is at the core of what we do,” the Fast and Female communications team wrote. “[Fast and Female ambassadors] are strong, positive women with inspiring stories, and by telling them and connecting with participants, they help empower the next generation of female athlete leaders.”

This cyclical transition from inspired girl to inspiring young woman athletes drives Fast and Female’s success.

“At my first-ever event as a participant [...] I got to ski behind Alana Thomas [a national team cross-country skier] and emulate her technique,” Yungblut wrote. “[I] decided that if I could sort of keep up with her at that moment, I [could one day] compete at her level [....Later, when I became an ambassador], I was leading a group of young girls around the beautiful trails [and I] realized that they were emulating me.”

Even outside of designated organizations like Fast and Female, it’s very common for strong female athletes to pursue leadership roles that impact future generations. Magali Harvey, a Canadian national women’s rugby player, has played a key role in the program’s recent international success.

But, even while she continued to assert her dominance on the field, Harvey was encouraged to try her hand at coaching younger girls.

“When I joined the national team, we had a lot of opportunities to go to schools and to do some coaching clinics,” Harvey said. “To coach younger girls, especially, just to inspire them for better things.”

Harvey now serves in her first-ever head coach role with the McGill Martlets. Though rugby

YES SHE CAN Selwynne Hawkins Sports Editor

RING

NG

success remains her primary goal for her athletes, off-field goals are a priority at the varsity level, too.

“As the head coach of the Martlets, my role is to make them develop their rugby,” Harvey said. “To give them as much knowledge as I can, and just to build their confidence so that, regardless of if it’s sport or life in general, that those players, those women, will have the confidence necessary in order to go for whatever it is that they want to go for.”

The highly-touted “intangibles” that girls stand to gain from sport are varied and diverse, but female athletes consistently rank confidence and tenacity as the most important takeaways. These are especially beneficial to the myriad of young girls who suffer from self-esteem issues during key development stages of their lives. Claire Carver-Dias, ex-synchronized swimmer and Olympic bronze medallist, credits sport for empowering her and giving her the self-assurance necessary to succeed outside of the pool.

“Sport has given so much to me,” Carver-Dias wrote in an email to the Tribune. “Much of my confidence and drive came from years of pursuing my athletic goals, often failing, then learning to quickly pick myself up and continue on. With the right set up, sport can be, and should be, the safest place to learn to fail well [....] These experiences have given me the courage to take risks, try things, put my name forward for leadership, [and] boldly approach business prospects.”

Through sport, girls learn to face failure and persevere in spite of it. Sport, at both high-performance and noncompetitive levels, provides young women with continuous challenges, and the constant exposure to adversity teaches girls how to rebound from big disappointments.

“Going to the Olympics was my biggest dream, but when I [wasn’t] selected, I didn’t know what to do,” Fujimoto said. “Through the years, I’ve definitely changed a lot, and now I’m in a place where I’m more focused on what I’m doing right now. I have the mindset that the present is the most important, so I’m not really thinking about what’s coming later or what’s already happened.”

Confidence, work ethic, and resilience are only a few of the many benefits girls can garner from early involvement in sport. Athletic activities can also provide a clear avenue for girls to stand up against restrictive societal pressures, especially opinions regarding so-called feminine behaviours girls should follow. While sexist attitudes remain prevalent across many major sports, female athletes like Harvey have shouldered some of the load by continuously proving themselves to be worthy competitors.

“People looked me up and down, they thought I was too little or too, even, pretty to play rugby,” Harvey said. “They thought I didn’t have the look for it [....] How do you react to that? You don’t. You just completely ignore it [....] Whatever their opinion is, you just shrug them off because [you’re playing] the sport that you love.”

As today’s heroines push for gender equality, they’re paving the way for future generations to pick up a ball, a stick, or a bat. By watching their role models excel in mostly traditionally male-dominated sports, girls learn to demand equal treatment for themselves. Therein lies the vital importance of strong, high-profile female sport ambassadors: By dominating in their respective arenas, they make it easier for young women to be fierce, competitive, and unapologetically persistent in the pursuit of their own objectives—sporting and otherwise.

But, there is danger in an excessively tenacious pursuit of one’s goals.

While sports can be empowering and fun, it’s also important to acknowledge the immense harm high-performance environments can cause. Prioritizing social development goals over international achievements can be difficult for national sport governing bodies, which makes it easy for athletes to fall prey to dangerous success-oriented philosophies.

Despite the ways in which they can improve young girls’ lives, highperformance sports can be unhealthy, too; female athletes can struggle with unrealistic body-standards or obsessive attitudes. Lindsay Duncan, an assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, has been involved with both high-performance and noncompetitive sports, which have given her a wide-angle view of athlete development. This perspective allows her to highlight the most important objectives for coaches and physical educators. “[We have] to think of these athletes who are in front of us as not just, you know, here to do these technical skills and to learn [about sport], but as [people] that we should be thinking about, how we can contribute to their development,” Duncan said.

To Duncan, this includes an emphasis on healthy habits. As the coach for the McGill synchronized swimming team—a discipline known for problems with eating disorders and body image among its athletes, who are weighed on a regular basis—Duncan believes that the culture of the

sport can be changed if people in leadership roles are willing to prioritize healthy habits.

“You don’t have to slim down, you don’t have to be stick-thin to be really successful,” Duncan said. “You’re going to succeed by showing off what you can do well. But it takes, I think, an explicit conversation about those kinds of issues. And not only one conversation, but repeated. All the time at practice, an open dialogue, and open conversation about what’s healthy.”

When done right, participating in sports can give girls the foundation for a healthy life. Enrolling girls in multiple sports from a young age can help them develop physical literacy and the skills necessary to enjoy athletics in the future.

An emphasis on fun—not success—makes sports accessible to all. A hyper-competitive sports culture works against itself. By forcing girls to participate in a competitive environment, coaches risk alienating them, thus reducing the number of participants available for long-term development.

“Some sports have the option to remain, sort of, at a more recreational level all the way through, whereas other sports [...] push athletes who might not be [...] all that competitive into that stream of things,” Duncan said. “It’s that sort of mismatch about what the goals are for those athletes that starts to cause a bit of a tension that might make them disconnect altogether. They don’t really feel like they have options.”

Though attention and rewards are only showered on high-performance athletes, the benefits of recreational sport far outweigh the importance of international success. And while the spectacle of the Winter Olympic Games looms large over the sporting world, it’s important to remember that there’s much more at stake than winning or losing.

“I want other young people to have the same opportunities [that I had] to learn and grow through sport,” Carver-Dias said. “In order for that to happen, sport has to be a space where we focus on developing future leaders and good citizens, not just strong, fast, and skillful bodies.”

An Olympic gold medal is meaningful, yes, but more meaningful is developing girls who are happy, healthy, and comfortable in their own skin. Sports teach girls lessons that extend far beyond the confines of a field, a court, or a pool—they help shape women who succeed whether the playing field is a boardroom, a studio, or a classroom. By introducing girls to positive role models and encouraging long-term engagement with play, we can raise them to the starting blocks with the confidence and inspiration they’ll need to race off into a lifetime of adventures. And, with international women’s sport centre stage in PyeongChang, the next generation of young female athletes will soon be clambering to enter the game. *Interview translated courtesy of Miya Keilin

Illustrations by Cicily Du.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Always different, but always the same

In memory of Mark E. Smith Kevin Reynolds Contributor

Mark E. Smith, who died Jan. 24, seemed somewhat immortal in a way that few artists can. As frontman of The Fall, in his 40-year career, Smith and his band released some 30 studio albums and just as many live albums, compilations, and collections of rarities.

Despite his ailing health, Smith sounds as youthful on The Fall’s last album, New Facts Emerge, as he did at any point in his inimitable career. Smith’s youthful intensity and prolific work ethic defined The Fall, almost more so than the music itself. Sure, The Fall are far from the only band to release a lot of albums. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released 5 albums in 2017 alone; Gucci Mane somehow managed to export a seemingly endless supply of vocal tracks during his 2016 prison stint. What differentiates The Fall from their equally industrious peers, however, is the fact that they didn’t merely release a lot of good albums, but that their albums manage to sound, in the words of John Peel, “always different, but always the same.”

With a voice as distinct as Smith’s, it was impossible for the band to cut a record

and not have it sound like The Fall. While the band’s identity is impossible to hide from those who know them, they don’t ever sound like The Fall of last year.

Smith was to The Fall what Jeff Tweedy is to Wilco, or Nick Cave is to the Bad Seeds. The Fall were essentially a collaborative solo project, a vehicle for presenting Smith’s caustic lyrics and madcap ideas in likely a more palatable format than what the vocalist could have made on his own.

The Fall are less of a band and more of an ever-shifting collective. While its nucleus has remained intact, the group has employed 66 members other than Smith throughout its lengthy existence.

This influx of new ideas and members, coupled with Smith’s endless lyrical creativity, kept The Fall on their lively trajectory.

Despite the fast turnover rate of their members, Smith’s lyrics and outlook rarely wavered. To their end, The Fall were always unpredictable, always funny, and always very British. Take my favorite Smith lyric, from the song, “Frightened,” featured on their first proper album, Live at the Witch Trials. In a thick Mancunian accent, Smith sing-songs, “I’m better than them, and I think I’m the best.” Smith never reveals to whom

Mark E. Smith leaves behind one of the richest legacies in recent musical history. (bbc.co.uk) the “them” refers, but it is his attitude here that counts. Such a proclamation is brazen from such an untested artist, especially when one considers The Fall’s contemporaries. Smith belongs to one of the most legendary generations in recent music history, a golden age that includes the Talking Heads, The Cure, and Joy Division. Despite the band’s legendarily wreckless antics, such as re-arranging songs so as to make them purposefully incomprehensible, arriving on stage too

intoxicated to perform, and shutting the sound off on various instruments midconcert, The Fall somehow managed to outlive their more successful counterparts.

The Fall’s was not a fat, content old age. The band never lost their edge, remaining the cocky innovators they were at their inception—angry, funny, and cynical right up to the very end. In that sense, Mark E. Smith and The Fall truly were better than the others, and quite possibly the best band in their class.

Symbols of Resistance celebrates Montreal’s black artists

Black History Month exhibition seeks to push the conversation past February Keira Seidenberg Contributor Symbols of Resistance, on display at Galerie Mile-End Ame Art until the end of Black History Month, is an exhibition showcasing the work of local and international black artists. Annick Gold, organizer, along with a committee, selected the work of Kay Nau, Glowzi, Sika Valmé, Valérie Bah, Chelsy Monie, Carl-Philippe Simonise, Aïssatou Diallo, and Po B. K. Lomani after receiving as many as 30 submissions. While Symbols of Resistance is currently based out of Montreal, the artists and organizers of the event hope to eventually mobilize their message and take the show on tour.

Through a series of mixed media works, including photography, digital art, print, and painting, the artists expand on themes that encapsulate the past and present, individual and collective identities, and underlying elements of sexuality, gender, and resistance. The exhibition hopes to continue the dialogue about interracial relations and the role of black individuals within the Montreal community that often seems restricted to the thirty day period.

“Often these conversations are only had in black history month, and then it’s like they just don’t exist anymore,” Gold said. “We want to make sure that this conversation goes on further and that these black artists have opportunities on a long term.”

Sika Valmé, originally of Haitian descent, uses her work to explore the intersection of sound and visuals that

is expressed in her art. In Symbols of Resistance, her work catches moments of tension in pen, marker, oil pastel, and crayon by juxtaposing thick and thin line work, organic and linear forms, elements more personal to the artist, and those that are recognizable to the audience. The fluidity of the form, and the somewhat doodle-like quality of the paintings instill a definitive musical quality to the work— Valmé captures a shower of notes, or the sensation of a pulsing beat through the psychologically abstract elements meant to express ‘introspective strength and human emotions.’

In addition to her art, Valmé also writes and produces her own music, and while her own sounds undoubtedly inspire much of the visual art she produces, other artists such as Bonobo, the Cranberries, and Thievery Corporation prompted the introspective quality of the pieces seen in the show.

Though portraiture is typically used to celebrate an individual’s identity, Chelsy Monie’s “Crowning” instead encourages the viewer to reflect on the significance of the head wrap in the black community and challenges the traditional roles of audience and subject. The piece uses the figures’ blacked out and ‘soulless’ eyes as a way for the viewer to embody her. The six-part series is composed of print-on-wood auto portraits, each capturing a black and white moment of Monie wearing a head wrap, and using topographical detailing and grid lines that have been inscribed onto the figures.

“Topographic maps are maps where

Symbols of Resistance will be exhibiting throughout Black History Month (Margaux Delalex / The McGill Tribune) lines and curves are used to represent the reliefs on land,” Monie said. “What this allows you to do is to view the head wrap as showing a location that is in space and time, and this is [only] emphasized by the lines of longitude and latitude. I’m really trying to have the viewer question how we can look at space.”

There is an eerie quality to Monie’s work, allowing the viewer to confront historical and contemporary conceptions of traditional garments, and the discomfort found in removing distinct facial features such as the eyes. As part of her self-created program, Ubuntu Talks, Monie will also be wearing a head wrap every day for the

month of February, as a way of exploring the role of the head wrap in black culture and the way it will change her perceptions of her own identity.

Symbols of Resistance is an exhibition both about individual artists’ experiences within the black community, and a way for them to become a part of movements and conversations entrenched in global and Canadian history. Art is offered as a medium for transcending time; within each photograph or stroke of a digital pen, viewers are made to step outside of a hashtag or temporary profile picture into a position of greater compassion and racial solidarity.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

STUDENT LIVING 11

Cafés that are actually conducive to studying: West of campus edition The best cafes to study at in Shaughnessy Village this midterm season Amina Magnin & Ana Earl Contributors With midterms fast approaching, it’s becoming increasingly important for students to find study environments where they can focus to the best of their abilities. Thankfully, Montreal is home to a plethora of cafés, for those growing tired of McGill’s draining and dreary libraries. In addition to the many study spots around McGill and in the Plateau, the area west of campus boasts a multitude of trendy coffee shops for hitting the books. The McGill Tribune has compiled a short guide to help students find the best cafés West of campus for their study preferences.

Head west of campus two study in a multitude of trendy coffee shops. (Flaminia Cooper / The McGill Tribune)

Café Spoon

Address: 2183 Crescent St, Montreal, QC H3G 2C1 Hours: Weekend (Sat & Sun): 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Weekdays (Mon-Fri): 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Located less than 10 minutes from McGill, this quaint cafe’s bright lighting, fast and free WiFi, and calm background music make it a uniquely cozy place to study. No need to worry about getting hungry throughout the day—Café Spoon’s menu offers a wide range of salads, soups, and sandwiches in the $9 to $10 range. If that’s too pricey, the cafe also offers smaller snacks and pastries—some of which are vegan and vegetarian. Also serving relatively-affordable coffees and teas, Café Spoon has the caffeine fix you need to keep your energy levels high throughout the day.

However, with only 10 small tables, the lack of seating space and low number of outlets might not make this coffee shop the ideal place for working in a group or using your computer all day. Nevertheless, Café Spoon is a great place for a productive day of doing readings or studying in solitude.

Yelp rating Tribune rating Price rating

Café Myriade

Café Aunja

Kafein Café-Bar

A 20 minute walk from McGill campus, Café Myriade is a great spot for those who can only work with absolutely no distractions. Located on the serene Mackay Street, this cafe offers a serene environment for those looking to catch up on readings or study textbook notes. And with no free WiFi available, students won’t have the Internet to derail their focus. However, Café Myriade’s very limited food menu, small seating space, and scarcity of outlets mean this spot might not be your best bet during busy study times—especially as midterm season approaches. Its large windows and abundance of natural lighting, relatively calm background music, and variety of affordable drinks do, however, make it a nice place to study for a few hours. Overall, this a great place to grab a coffee or tea, but not necessarily the best place to work for a full day, especially if you find yourself needing Internet for any assignments.

Located on Sherbrooke Street West, just past the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Cafe Aunja has a cozy, eclectic vibe. This Persian cafe serves a wide variety of teas, coffee, and unique breakfast and lunch items, including vegan options, with sandwiches priced around $9 and salads from $4 to $6. As you enter the cafe, you can see that the space is divided into two rooms. In the main room, the tables are large enough to get some work done under big windows and twinkle lights. The cafe is most suited to individual studying as it is mainly furnished with small tables, with only one or two larger ones for groups. Also, the main room is a bit noisy during busy times, so students looking for a quieter work space can take respite in the back room of the cafe, which is more isolated from talkative coffee-goers. In choosing when to visit, note that this cafe gets rather busy in the evenings with guests who come to enjoy live music over dessert, so make sure to come before or after rush time at 6 p.m.. Aunja is open until 10 p.m. every night, so for those who can focus in loud environments, this is the ideal spot for late-night studying.

Kafein Café-Bar is a two-story café and bar serving coffee and $6 smoothies during the day, and $6 to $8 wine and cocktails in the evenings. This makes it the perfect spot for students who enjoy studying in a social atmosphere or those who like to reward a long day of studying with a drink. In addition to their beverages, Kafein Café-Bar has a varied food menu, which includes $8 salads and sandwiches, some of which are vegetarian and vegan. After ordering your food from the bar on the main floor, head up to the upper floor of the cafe-bar to study.

This space has large windows, exposed brick, and two-person tables. Try to grab tables close to an outlet as well, which, unfortunately, are few and far between. The café plays loud music, so bring headphones if you prefer to work in silence.

Assuming you’re able to grab a large enough table and an outlet, the cafe’s expansive menu, unlimited WiFi, and long hours make Kafein a good place to study all day long.

Address: 1432 Mackay St, Montreal, QC H3G 2H7 Hours: Weekend (Sat & Sun): 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Weekdays (Mon-Fri): 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.

4/5 4/5 $$

1448 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC H3G 1K4 Hours: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. everyday

4.5/5 3/5 $

4/5 4/5 $$

1429 Bishop St, Montreal, QC H3G 2E4 Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Friday: 9 a.m. - 2 a.m.

Saturday: 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. - 7 a.m.

3/5 4/5 $$

Life after Four Loko

Students share their mixed feelings over the new provincial drink recall Gabriela McGuinty Contributor It was late August. The time was 7 a.m. The occasion was Beach Day. As I entered a quaint dépanneur in the Milton-Parc neighbourhood to stock up on alcohol before heading to the bus, I was immediately struck by the brightly coloured cans neatly aligned in a fridge in the center of the small shop. The flashy green, pink, blue, and yellow cans beckoned to me from across the room. Having never actually seen—much less consumed—one before, I would soon learn that these cans held the infamous Four Loko, an alcoholic energy drink that divides partiers into two camps: Die-hard fans and huge critics.

But my journey with Four Loko would soon be over. Four months later, on Dec. 6, 2017, the Quebec government alongside Embouteillages Solar, the drink’s Quebec manufacturer, decided to pull Four Loko from shelves in deps and grocery stores as it contains a substance that can only legally be sold at the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ).

“Embouteillage Solar announces the recall of Blue Spike Beverage products from grocery store shelves for the reason that these products contain ethyl alcohol rather than malt fermentation alcohol,” Louis Aucoin, Communication strategist

at TESLA RP, a Montreal-based public relations firm, stated in the official recall notice. “The substitution of these two ingredients has no effect on the alcohol content or the quality of the products.

However, the use of ethyl alcohol does not comply with the regulation that only beer, cider, wine or artisanal products may be marketed at food retailers.”* Whether you’re a first or fourth-year McGill student, it is hard to imagine life post-Four Loko.

These drinks overtook pre-ing culture and seemed to have become a staple purchase for nights out.

Its 11.9 per cent alcohol content is only one of the many reasons the drink is so popular among students. Four Loko is cost-efficient, priced at around $4, and lasts most consumers all night, meaning one can carry it around with more security than a six-pack.

In addressing the controversy of the recall, some McGill students expressed gratitude for its promotion of healthier drinking habits—Four Loko and other caffeinated alcoholic drinks are known to pose a risk of heart irregularities.

“It’s honestly for the benefit of everyone,” Mathilde Hourticq, U1 Arts, said. “Four Lokos are disgusting, there are so many tastier ways to get drunk.”

Other students hold drastically different opinions on the banning of Four Loko. Some

reminisce about the impact these sugary drinks have had on their most special memories.

Loyal fans grieve over the recall of many students’ favourite drink. (Ceci Steyn / The McGill Tribune) “Last time I was happy, I was drinking Four Loko,” Joe Duva, U1 Arts said. “It was the winter of 2015, truly one of the most bitter cold winters I’ve lived through. I had just dug out my elderly neighbour, Mrs. Dorothy, from 8 feet of snow, and

was shivering with frostbite in front of a roaring fire I had prepared for myself. I thought I would die that day, but then my girlfriend handed me a glass of Four Loko, and, for a brief moment, I was content.

I miss those days. People felt more real.”

Many loyal fans even take the Four Loko ban as a personal attack. For some, the disappearance of Four Loko seemed like saying goodbye to an old friend. To others, it felt like the end of a great love affair.

“Last night I dreamt that I was drinking a Four Loko, a crisp grape flavoured one,” Olivia Berkowitz, U1 Arts, said. “Halfway through a sip I was rudely awoken by my alarm. I don’t want to wake up to a world with no Four Lokos.”

As students cope with the loss of an old companion, the question remains: What drink to turn to next? For now, we remain in a time of mourning and grief, vowing to never forget our beloved beverage.

“There is no drink more ready to get a party going,” Matthew Barreto, U0 Arts, said.“Nothing more iconic and cheap to kick off a night with friends. Nothing that can make a person happier than their first sip of the drink that makes or breaks your night. The Four Loko. The drink of Montreal.

The life blood of the party. May the drink truly rest in peace.” * This quote has been translated from French.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

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“Snowga”: The winter activity you’ve never heard of but need to try Weekend outdoor yoga lessons attract crowds to snowy Montreal parks

Tali Zuckerman Contributor Come winter, the average Montrealer can be found partaking in common outdoor activities such as skiing, skating, and sledding. But snow yoga, a newcomer to the scene also known as “snowga”, is on the rise, vying for a spot as one of the city’s most popular winter sports. Each Saturday and Sunday from Jan. 13 to Mar. 18, crowds of people gather in parks La Fontaine and Laurier to brave the freezing temperatures and partake in this shockingly relaxing activity.

“Snowga,” as instructor Melissa Chapinelli explains, is the name given to yoga performed outside in the snow.

It is taught by Pop Spirit, a “virtual yoga studio” in which owner Marie-Ève Bertrand uses public spaces, such as parks and waterfronts, to lead public groups in physical activities like yoga and stand-up paddle boarding. “[Bertrand] started Pop Spirit seven years ago, and she started Snowga five years ago,” Chapellini said. “[Snowga] comes from Colorado. When [Bertrand] heard of that she said ‘Oh, I think people in Montreal would like that!’”

Apparently, she was right. According to Chapinelli, morning snowga lessons consistently attract a crowd of 50 “snowgis”.

Although Bertrand’s original vision was to start the free “Snowga” classes simply for fun, their quick success enticed Bertrand to pitch the activity to the Montreal government for funding.

“When she approached the city of Montreal they actually thought it was a pretty good idea, so they’re even sending her here [and] paying her to do this, which is cool because she just wanted to do it for fun,” Chapinelli said.

Each Snowga class lasts approximately 40 minutes, as a Pop Spirit instructor leads participants, each with their own yoga mat, through classic yoga moves such as sun salutations, tree pose, and child’s pose. Partakers of the sport typically prepare for the cold by wearing a warm winter coat, comfortable pants, waterproof gloves, and snow boots. At the end of the class, yoga enthusiasts finish off the session with a two-minute relaxation period lying down on the snowy ground.

Although many traditional yoga positions cannot be performed when wearing bundles of warm winter clothing, Snowga incorporates many diverse yoga positions, such as mountain pose and triangle pose, in order to introduce the practice to those trying it for the first time.

“It’s kind of a sample of what yoga is, just to give people that desire to start practicing yoga, to get them to move around and you know, [get] addicted to it,”

Wearing bundles of winter clothing, yoga enthusiasts head out to local parks to try out Montreal’s new winter activity. (Narcity) Chapinelli said. “It’s just passing on the joy of yoga.”

Just like with most styles of yoga, the goal of Snowga is to get in touch with one’s body and exercise in a low-impact and meditative way. Snowga, however, has an additional central aim: To encourage people to go outdoors to get some exercise while enjoying the beautiful winter landscape, regardless of the temperature.

“The goal is to get people outside,” Chapinelli said. “[It is] for people to come to the park and enjoy winter, because we enjoy summer, but we don’t always enjoy winter.”

The Tribune Predicts: February Horoscopes What the stars will bring in the coming months

Miguel Principe Staff Writer

possibly on the solar eclipse of Feb. 15.

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18

Gemini, instead of spending all your time getting trashed on St-Laurent—as social Geminis tend to be inclined to do—spend the week of Feb. 10 applying for job and internship opportunities for this summer, as Leo signals that this will be crucial for your future. If you’re having difficulty with a course, now is the perfect time to go to office hours and talk to your professor about how you can improve—you’ll thank yourself later.

Happy Birthday, Aquarius! This month, Mars is oriented toward your sun, meaning you should pay close attention to your friends. Play a positive role in their lives by tagging them in relatable Facebook memes and sticking by their side. One day, they’ll return the favour, and you’ll be glad you were there for them all along.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20 This month, your ambition in pursuing a heavy course load and many extracurriculars may become overwhelming, Pisces. Take time to prioritize your activities—including self-care— and you will succeed in all areas of life.

Aries: March 21 - April 19 Aries, lately you’ve become bored with the status quo. Luckily, the lunar eclipse that occurred on Jan. 31 will give you the opportunity to change things up this month. Try out a new club or activity with your friends. But keep an eye out for Cupid, because around Feb. 6 or 7, you may find a love interest in an unexpected place like a samosa sale in McConnell Engineering, or during a drunken encounter at Cafe Campus.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20 The recent lunar moon will create conflict in your place of residence, Taurus. You and your roommate will be at odds about something in the household, whether it is their lack of understanding that dirty dishes do not clean themselves or their inability to respect your sleeping schedule. Try your best not to get too frustrated—you two will figure things out soon,

Gemini: May 21 to June 20

Cancer: June 21 to July 22 If you failed to start your New Year’s resolutions last month, don’t worry: January was just a free trial. This month, you will feel optimistic—a trait skeptics like you, Cancer, rarely display.

Take advantage of your excitement to explore the city, try out a new winter sport like Snowga, or attend that house party you’ve been itching to go to.

Leo: July 23 - August 22 This is going to be the most romantic month of 2018 for you, Leo. If you’re in a relationship, you will be taking things to a new level this month. If you’re single, you may fall hard for an ex—whether this rekindling occurs through a late-night text or an accidental bump-in at Leacock, however, remains to be seen.

Virgo: August 23 - September 22 This month, you should focus on a hobby that makes you happy, such as playing guitar or coding. If you’re experiencing the infamous “quarter-life” crisis, Virgo, this month you will find a sense of purpose for all that you

are currently doing. You’ll become more motivated in your hobbies (and classes) than ever.

Libra: September 23 - October 22 The lunar eclipse means that you will make new acquaintances and friends at any social event you may attend. No matter how awkward, all those faculty wine and cheeses or meetings for new clubs you’re trying out will be worth going to. Don’t get too distracted by these new friends though, Libra—you still need to study for midterms!

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21 As midterms approach, your stars are joined by Venus and Mercury, meaning that while it’s best to focus on studying, you’ll find extra value in taking a break this month. Make sure to call up that special someone, be it a friend or a romantic interest, for a relaxing day spent watching Netflix and eating rocky road ice cream.

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21 First and foremost, make sure to follow your instincts this month, Sagittarius. The stars

What do the stars have in store for you this month? ( Winnie Lee/ The McGill Tribune) are in alignment, meaning that many new opportunities are coming your way. Make sure not to overcommit, as you will regret this in the future and end up burning out in McLennan, reevaluating your life choices.

Capricorn: December 22 to January 19 Get ready to be intimate this month, Capricorn. Venus and Pisces are in harmony on Feb. 10, which means that if you’re single and ready to mingle, you and one of your close friends will finally move your relationship to the next level. But if you’re cuffed, beware of the solar eclipse in Aquarius on Feb. 15, which suggests that you, your significant other, and your friends may clash in some way.

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Tuesday, February 6 , 2018

Mind your brain: Improving concussion care

Speaker series suggests that current approaches to concussion care are barriers to recovery Gwenyth Wren Contributor On Jan. 30, Concussion MTL hosted “Looking Ahead: Improving Concussion Care,” a speaker series focused on concussion prevention, care, and rehabilitation.

The CDC defines concussions as traumatic brain injuries caused by a blow to the head, or by a hit to the body that causes the brain to twist or make contact with the skull. Deborah Friedman, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatric Surgery at McGill and director of trauma at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, explained the difficulties of caring for a patient with a concussion.

“Concussions by nature all have different trajectories,” Friedman said. “What works for one patient may not work for another. Different cases are all individualized.”

Not only are cases difficult to treat because of their individualistic nature, but the healing process for a concussed individual is not linear, nor is it universal. Nevertheless, there is a set of guidelines that patients with

a concussion should follow.

“The first 48 hours are a critical healing period,” Friedman said. “During those 2 days, a person should sleep [and] stay away from screens and stimulus.

However, after that it’s best to slowly integrate [non]-intensive cardio and attempt to return to work and school without pushing yourself.”

Unfortunately, there is no test that can rate the severity of a concussion with 100 per cent accuracy, or ensure a quick recovery. CT scans and MRIs won’t show anything unless the patient is experiencing a brain bleed.

Gordon Bloom, professor of sport psychology at McGill, explained why this uncertainty presents such a barrier in the recovery process and contributes to the stigma related to concussions.

“With most injuries, doctors and patients alike understand how to get to from point A [the injury] to the finish line, [but] that’s not the case with concussions,” Bloom said. “Doctors can’t give you an exact timeline. Due to this, we are seeing athletes and students alike return to sport,

work, or school too early because of a fear of what they are going to miss.”

While this may address the cognitive and physical aspects of concussions, there is another important, often neglected, factor. Hilary Duncan, a clinical psychologist with Blake Psychology, addressed the emotional aspect of the injury: A side of concussion care that receives little attention.

“We see two major things when patients are recovering: Guilt and doubt,” Duncan said.

“They always question whether they are babying themselves.

The increasing awareness of concussions is very good but we are trailing behind in the mental health-related stuff.”

Recovering from a concussion can be difficult, and a long road if the patient doesn’t follow through on the initial steps to recovery.

Friedman has patients who tell her that they wish they could have suffered from a broken bone, or a more obvious injury that other people would believe and accomodate for. This is a recurring theme in concussion recovery.

As an otherwise-invisible injury, it is difficult for a concussed

No test can rate the severity of a concussion with 100 per cent accuracy or ensure quick recovery. (Getty Images) individual to get support for their students how best to mitigate physical and emotional pain, in them.

Throughout the panel, the turn making it less likely for them speakers unanimously suggested to seek accommodations.

The field of concussion that spreading awareness and research is booming, but implementing measures to avoid preventative strategies are head trauma such as practicing falling short.

As frequent non-contact sports and wearing diagnoses of Chronic Traumatic helmets is a good start, but it’s Encephalopathy (CTE)—a not enough. Society needs to be degenerative brain disease proactive, not reactive.

“The concussion epidemic resulting from repetitive trauma—continue to permeate the now [is as dangerous as] the mainstream media, doctors and smoking epidemic,” Bloom said. teachers are brought up to speed “The research isn’t out yet so on how to best treat concussions. people don’t want to believe it, Experts working in concussion [but] people are going to look care and prevention should focus back and realized they missed on teaching coaches, parents, and out.”

Cloning: A tale of two monkeys

First-ever successful primate clones raise ethical questions

Some scientists worry that animal cloning is a “slippery slope” to cloning humans. (The Jakarta Post)

Océane Marescal Staff Writer At the end of 2017, researchers in Shanghai successfully cloned primates for the first time: Two macaque monkeys they named Hua hua and Zhong zhong.

Published in the latest edition of the journal Cell, this was the first time that a Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)—a reproductive cloning strategy—was used on monkeys. SCNT is not a new technology: Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned using SCNT in 1996, and other animals like frogs, mice, rabbits, cows, and dogs have also undergone cloning via this method. Previous attempts to clone primates had failed before MuMing Poo and his team from the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences

successfully carried out the procedure.

While celebrated as a scientific advancement of epic proportions, the cloning of primates comes with many ethical considerations, and science is obliged to weigh the pros and cons of animal cloning.

Erika Kleiderman is a lawyer and an academic associate at the Centre of Genomics and Policy. Kleiderman shared her support for animal cloning and emphasized its potential in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

“One of the most important impacts of animal cloning is with regard to biomedical research,” Kleiderman said.

Animal models, notably primates, are the most reliable model organisms for researchers to study complex human diseases and test new treatment options.

Genetically identical clones allow

researchers to have better regulation of differences between treatment and control groups. Any difference between the clones post-treatment can be attributed to the testing condition, and not genetic difference.

Kleiderman also suggested that animal cloning could serve a useful purpose in species conservation efforts and food production. “[There is also] the possibility to save endangered species, improve animal breeding, and increase humans’ food sources by producing more meat at a quicker rate,” Kleiderman said. “Another more ethically contentious argument is the possibility of cloning deceased pets.”

Critics of animal cloning have argued against the claim that it could have beneficial scientific applications. The most common concerns surround animal cruelty or suffering, and the conditions in which cloned animals are kept in laboratories.

Many question the financial feasibility of keeping cloned animals as test subjects. Cloning is a time and labour-intensive area of research with a very low success rate and a high price tag.

In Poo’s study, only two macaques of the 109 cloned embryos survived until birth.

Some scientists worry that cloning is a “slippery slope.” If we allow animal cloning, it might only be a matter of time before we move on to cloning humans.

The recent cloning of these monkeys, being members of the order of primates, brings greater attention to this question.

Kleiderman explained the basics of human cloning.

“When we talk about human cloning, there are two categories: Therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning,” Kleiderman said. “Therapeutic cloning entails creating a cloned embryo to harvest stem cells for the purpose of treating a disease or an injury, whereas reproductive cloning entails implanting a cloned embryo into a woman for the purpose of creating a human being that is genetically identical to another human being.”

Some countries, including Belgium, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Israel, allow the use of therapeutic cloning. Human reproductive cloning, on the other hand, is banned internationally.

“Banning reproductive cloning aims to protect the identity and integrity of the human species, as well as human life in general,” Kleiderman explained.

In Canada, both forms of human cloning are prohibited under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, with any individual found guilty liable to a fine of up to $500,000 or imprisonment of up to 10 years, or both.

As advancements in science bring human cloning closer to reality, it’s important to figure out where we stand.

“It would be important to reignite public discussion on the topic of human cloning in order to consider permissible applications of the technology, if any, as well as the best ways to move forward regarding its regulation,” Kleiderman said.

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Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Unveiling the mystery behind the “Super Blue Blood Moon” The moon that rose on Jan. 31 was a result of three different lunar phenomena Jonah Dutz Contributor Those who looked up to the sky in the early hours of Jan. 31 were lucky enough to experience a rare trinity of lunar phenomena—the convergence of a “supermoon,” a “blue moon,” and a “blood moon.”

The appearance of the ominous sounding “Super Blue Blood Moon” sparked world-wide conversation on its significance and origin.

The term “blue moon” refers to the appearance of a second full moon in a single calendar month.

But what is a full moon exactly?

Full moons occur when the Earth is located directly between the Sun and the Moon. Since full moons take place every 29.5 days on average, seeing two in one calendar month only happens, well, once in a blue moon. More specifically, they occur once every 2.716 years—about 3 per cent of all full moons.

According to NASA, when a full moon coincides with its perigee—the point at which the Moon is closest to the Earth in its elliptic orbit—it’s called a

“supermoon.” This makes the Moon appear slightly larger and brighter than it does on an average night. However, “Supermoon” isn’t an official term and the criteria for how close the full moon must be to its perigee isn’t well defined. As a result, “supermoons” are actually quite frequent, comprising 25 per cent of all full moons.

The most spectacular feature of the trifecta is its glowing red hue. This odd colouring lends the “blood moon” its nickname.

“Blood moons” are lunar eclipses, which occur when a full moon intersects with the Earth’s orbital plane at points called “nodes.” The Earth’s shadow then covers the Moon, blocking all direct light from the Sun. Kelly Lepo, coordinator of the McGill Space Institute, described how this phenomenon gives “blood moons” their red tinge.

“The moon looks red because of the Earth’s atmosphere,” Lepo said: “While the Earth blocks the sunlight that normally hits the Moon, some light passes through the Earth’s atmosphere.

The [particles in the] atmosphere scatter blue light [which has

shorter wavelengths] and red light passes through, just like what happens during a sunset. In fact, if you were standing on the Moon during a lunar eclipse, you would see all of the sunsets and all of the sunrises on the Earth simultaneously. The Earth would have a red ring around it.”

Conditions on the Earth’s atmosphere during an eclipse can actually alter the shade of red that the Moon takes on. The amount of dust particles, water droplets, or clouds in the atmosphere can all affect how much light is scattered. According to National Geographic, even active volcanoes spewing ash into the atmosphere can trigger deep, blood-red eclipses.

Lepo says that lunar eclipses held special significance in ancient civilizations, as omens that foretold the death of a king.

“Lunar eclipses were considered evil omens in ancient Mesopotamia,” Lepo said.

“When an eclipse was likely, a substitute king was appointed to the throne, to make sure that no harm came to the true king.

After the eclipse, the substitute king was killed and the true king

Exceptionally rare, “Super Blue Blood Moons” make up only 0.042 per cent of all full moons.

(Selwynne Hawkins / The McGill Tribune) continued his reign.”

Total lunar eclipses are relatively rare, making up only 5.6 per cent of all full moons.

Accordingly, “Super Blue Blood Moons” are exceptionally rare. Forbes did the math and found that they make up only 0.042 per cent of all full moons; that corresponds to roughly one every 265 years.

But for those kicking themselves for missing this three-for-one lunar deal, there’s no need. As Forbes kindly points out, the “blue” label is grounded only in human convention, and not in physical phenomena. In fact, moon-gazers can experience a “Super Blood Moon” as early as Jan. 21 of next year—so set those reminders.

Tide Pods: Uncovering the science behind the meme Atkins, keto, paleo… and detergent?

Ariella Garmaise Arts & Entertainment Editor Continued from page 1 .

For the first two years after the product’s release in 2011, an average of one American child was sent to the hospital every day for mistakenly ingesting a Tide Pod. Developers at Proctor & Gamble—the multinational corporation that manufactures Tide products—began responding to this health crisis in 2015.

“They coat the outside of the tide pods with a bitter taste to discourage children from eating it,” University of Toronto Doctor of Pharmacy student Charlotte Boone explained.

“That bitter taste makes children automatically feel nauseous.”

Even if you can’t get past the bitter taste and nausea, Tide Pods can do damage even before you swallow.

“When you first put [Tide Pods] in your mouth, the pH can begin to kill the cells in your mouth before it even reaches your gastrointestinal tract,” Boone said.

The damage increases after the Tide Pod is ingested,

Even before the challenge took the internet by storm, infants had long confused Tide Pods for candy. (Erica Stefano / The McGill Tribune) harming the body’s internal organs.

“The irritation going down your esophagus can cause you to rapidly inhale,” Boone said.

“If the detergent gets into your lungs, it can even damage the mucous membrane in your lungs.

As well, it can cause heartburn [....] If you’re consuming many pods, it can even perforate your esophagus, cause your stomach to ulcer, cause further heartburn,

vvand this is when it gets really, really dangerous.”

Tide Pods are packed with over 700 chemicals, and while their constitution parallels that of regular detergent, their toxicity is compounded by a high concentration. To prevent the pods’ contents from dissolving the external packaging, Tide Pods must have a maximum water weight of seven per cent.

At such high concentrations,

chemicals in Tide Pods can be deadly when ingested.

“There’s hundreds of chemicals in [Tide Pods], such as quaternium-15,” Boone said.

“When absorbed in the human body, [quaternium-15] can actually release formaldehyde [....] Formaldehyde will cause irritation in the respiratory tract, and skin and rash irritations, but then it can be fatal at really high concentrations.”

Moreover, scientists are still unsure of the total extent of the effects that Tide Pods can have when ingested.

“It’s not as though there’s randomized control trials to see the effects of these chemicals on the human body, because they’re not meant for consumption,” Boone said.

Scientists have numerous recommendations for how to prevent poisonings. For families with infants, they recommend liquid or powdered detergent that will deter toddlers from mistaking the pods for candy.

Parents can also carry Ipecac, a drug that induces vomiting in the event that their child ingests any toxic substances. In an effort to mitigate the damage that this viral social media challenge has inflicted, YouTube has begun removing Tide Pod challenge videos to discourage viewers from participating.

As Schwarcz explained in an OSS Newsletter on Jan. 26, the Tide Pod challenge is simply not worth the medical risk.

“Biting into a laundry pod has no point,” Schwarcz wrote “Other than to demonstrate the mental shortcomings of the biter.”

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Names and stories to watch at the

2018

SPORTS 15

OLYMPIC GAMES

The 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games are right around the corner, and a fresh set of Olympic heros are waiting in the wings. The Canadian delegation—225 athletes strong—its largest in history. While every athlete hopes to capture Olympic gold, only a select few—from a wide variety of backgrounds—will have a shot.

Curling

short-track events and has a shot at becoming Canada’s mostdecorated Olympian ever, while his brother, François, will also return to represent Team Canada again. The women’s roster features a large pool of new talent in three promising Olympic rookies, Kim Boutin, Jamie Macdonald, and Kasandra Bradette.

Your new favourite Olympic event is here: For the first time ever, the 2018 Olympic Games will feature the mixed doubles event in curling. Representing Canada, Alberta’s John Morris and Manitoba’s Kaitlyn Lawes hope to take down seven other pairings from across the world. Morris is a full-time firefighter and author of a curling-specific fitness guide titled Fit to Curl, and Lawes is a sales representative for a curling supplies company. Prior to their run at the Canadian Olympic trials, the two only had one opportunity to practice together. If Olympic mixed doubles curling is on, you’re going to want to “hurry hard” to the nearest television.

Cross-country Skiing

Gabe Nisker Staff Writer

Ski Jump/Nordic Combined Gabe Nisker Staff Writer With a rigorous qualification process behind them, two Calgarian ski jumpers hope to land a podium spot in PyeongChang over the next few weeks. Mackenzie BoydClowes will represent the Canadian men and Taylor Henrich will represent the Canadian women.

No Canadians qualified for Nordic Combined events.

Instead, you’ll find Germany’s Eric Frenzel, who looks to defend his gold medal from the individual normal hill/10km event at the 2014 Olympics. Silver medallist Akito Watabe from Japan is right on his tail, as is 2010 Olympic gold medalist Jason Lamy-Chappuis from France—who doubles as a French border patrolman when he’s not on the slopes.

Speed Skating Emma Avery Managing Editor

As usual, neither Canada’s long-track nor short-track speed skating teams have a shortage of stars. Of particular note on the men’s long-track roster is four-time Olympic medallist Denny Morrison, who incredibly bounced back from both a motorcycle crash in 2015—including a punctured lung and fractured femur— and a stroke in 2016. Morrison will be joined in PyeongChang by his wife, long-track skater Josie Morrison, who looks to cement her presence on the international stage after a career-first World Cup medal in November 2017. Meanwhile, Dutch-born 31-yearold Ted-Jan Bloemen heads into the Games fresh off of four World Cup podium finishes in Fall 2017—including a world record-setting 5000 m time in Salt Lake City.

While only four of the 19 Canadian long-track skaters hail from Quebec, the short-track side—save for one coach and one skater—is entirely Quebecois, including Olympic veterans and power couple Charles Hamelin and Marianne St-Gelais, who have said they will retire later this year. The former, who has four Olympic medals to his name, is competing in multiple

Miya Keilin Staff Writer Alex Harvey, a 29-year-old from Quebec, has earned more medals than any other Canadian skier in non-Olympic competitions. Yet, he has never won a single Olympic medal— similar to his father, Pierre Harvey. Pierre competed in four different Olympic games between 1976 and 1988 as both a crosscountry skier and a cyclist, becoming the first Canadian man to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games, but without a medal to show for it. He’ll be cheering on his son in PyeongChang with the hopes that the Harveys can finally add an Olympic medal to their long list of accomplishments.

is back for these games, led by dynamite forward Marie-Philip Poulin—captain of Les Canadiennes de Montréal. Among the many prominent players on the team is McGill alumnus and former Martlet hockey superstar Mélodie Daoust, who is competing in her second Olympic Games. Another name to watch out for is defender Brigette Lacquette, who is the first Indigenous woman to ever play for the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team.

Figure Skating Jordan Foy Staff Writer

Sending a powerhouse team to the Olympics, Canada is a safe bet to bring home some hardware—especially since the squad is the largest figure skating team at the Games—with 17 skaters in 11 total entries. The team is led by veterans Patrick Chan, Meagan Duhamel, Eric Radford, and flag-bearers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who all hope to go out with a bang before retiring. The team also features some of the next generation’s stars, with as Julianne Séguin and Charlie Bilodeau participating in their first Olympic games.

luge, Freestyle Skiing Bobsleigh, and skeleton Ender McDuff Contributor

After winning more medals (nine) than any other country in freestyle skiing at the 2014 Sochi Games, Canada is a clear powerhouse. As one of the most exciting disciplines on display at the Winter Games, freestyle skiing includes four judged events: Moguls, aerials, halfpipe, and slopestyle, as well as one timed event, ski cross. Canadian teammates have grown accustomed to sharing the podium with one another, fueling team competition and drive; however, Montreal sisters Justine and Chloé DufourLapointe, who split the top two spots in the women’s mogul competition in Sochi, take friendly sibling rivalry to a new level.

The Dufour-Lapointe sisters were only the third pair of sisters to share the podium in Olympic history.

Hockey Jordan Foy Staff Writer

Canadian hockey fans were upset that NHL players won’t be competing in PyeongChang, but that doesn’t mean the tournament won’t be exciting. Ultimately, the league’s unpopular decision might prove to be good for fans, as the playing field this Olympics may be more competitive than it’s ever been. Just because the players on the Canadian team don’t play in the NHL, doesn’t mean they won’t be exciting to root for. For example, Wojtek Wolski broke his neck playing in the Kontinental Hockey League last spring, and now he’s an Olympian. How can you not cheer that guy on?

Meanwhile, the Canadian women look poised to continue their international dominance at the PyeongChang Games as they shoot for their fifth consecutive gold medal. Most of the team that won gold in the 2014 overtime thriller against the United States

Owen Gibbs Contributor These Olympics have the potential to be very successful for Canadian sliders. In women’s bobsleigh, Kaillie Humphries hopes to become the first-ever bobsledder to win a third consecutive gold medal. On the men’s side, pilot Justin Kripps will arrive in PyeongChang as a gold-medal favourite, rolling off a redhot World Cup season in which he finished atop the standings.

After placing fourth in three of the four luge events in Sochi, the Canadian sliders will aim to add to the single bronze medal in their collection. Outside of Canada, Latvia’s Martins Dukurs is the man to watch: He will be chasing his second consecutive gold in men’s skeleton, and just the third ever for his country.

Alpine Skiing Nicholas Jasinski Editor-in-Chief

The alpine team event will make its Olympic debut at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang on Feb. 24, joining the men and women’s downhill, super-G, slalom, giant slalom, and combined individual events to round out the alpine skiing schedule. The day-long event will feature competing countries’ top two male and female skiers each individually racing another nation’s skier down parallel slalom courses. Each win earns a country a point, with the lowest combined time serving as a tiebreaker if needed.

Sixteen countries will face off in a knockout bracket, seeded by their national team rankings. It’s the first Olympic alpine event to do away with the individual focus of the sport, allowing countries to better participate as a team.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

16 SPORTS

In conversation with figure skating coach Bruno Marcotte

Montreal-based coach on the dedication of his Olympics-bound North Korean pupils Jordan Foy Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

“I gave them a lot of technical advice, and some strategy advice as far as how to maximize the number of points [received when they] compete,” Marcotte said. “I did a lot of mental work with them, to work on their confidence and make them believe in what they could eventually accomplish.”

During training sessions, Marcotte communicated with Ryom and Kim through a North Korean companion who had figure skating experience and could speak English.

Over the course of the eight weeks, Marcotte was impressed by the duo’s work ethic and aptitude for learning.

“Their willingness to [learn meant that] there [were] no boundaries basically,” Marcotte said. “You say what’s in your mind, and they just want to take it in [....] Their work ethic is great, but work ethic is [just] one thing [.... Seeing] their mental approach to the correction, [...] trying to apply the correction and trying to make the coaches proud by [being] better every day. That was something else.”

When it was announced that the duo would attend the 2018 Olympics, Marcotte was delighted. What’s more, Ryom and Kim

qualified based on their own skill—the only athletes from North Korea to earn a spot in the Olympics through the traditional route.

Once you strip away the politics surrounding their country, Marcotte explained, you see that they are world-class skaters.

“They deserve to be there,” Marcotte said. “Once people get to know them and see them perform, they’re going to find that they’re two very extremely charismatic skaters. They perform with so much passion and emotion that people will quickly forget where they’re from and why they’re watching them.”

After training with Marcotte, Ryom and Kim will be taking a piece of Canada with them to PyeongChang: For their free skate, the North Korean skaters are performing to the song, “Je ne suis qu’une chanson,” by Ginette Reno, a Quebecois icon. “[Reno’s] voice is so powerful, as she sings with her heart and her emotion,” Marcotte explained. “It’s exactly the way we [felt that they skated].”

For Marcotte, sharing a little Canadian and Montreal flavour with the North Korean skaters was an extremely rewarding experience.

“I love to share my love for this town I live in, this country that I’m from,” Marcotte said. “Any time that the world can be exposed to a local flavour you know, whether it’s

Figure skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik will be representing North Korea at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games.

(Alexander Hassenstein / Bongarts) Leonard Cohen or Ginette Reno or whatever to inspire them and [help] them be better athletes.” [...] for me it’s always something special.”

Although Marcotte won’t coach Ryom In the face of the media buzz surrounding the two skaters, Marcotte emphasized that, and Kim in PyeongChang, he is still excited ultimately, his focus was always on the to support them in person while they compete.

“They asked me to be there for them in skaters and what he could offer them as a the Games, which I will,” Marcotte said. “I coach.

“My role is […] to help them out to have actually two Canadian pair teams and reach their dream, and at the end of the day, a South Korean team that I coach, so it’s just […] no matter what the situation or the media a matter of managing everybody. But I will attention, that I don’t forget who I am and give them all my support any way I can over what is my job,” Marcotte said. “It’s […] there.”

Seeing red: Redmen basketball take down Rouge et Or

McGill holds first place in the RSEQ with high-scoring victory Ender McDuff & Gabe Nisker Contributor & Staff Writer A statement win on Feb. 1 kept the McGill Redmen basketball team (10-2) firmly in first place of the RSEQ, as they downed the second-place Université Laval Rouge et Or (6-5) in decisive fashion by a score of 103-81.

Utilizing their deep bench and array of sharpshooters, the Redmen broke the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season.

Fourth-year centre Noah Daoust led the way with 24 points and nine rebounds.

Fans crowding Love Competition Hall were treated to a back-and-forth first quarter.

The Rouge et Or countered every Redmen

basket, resulting in a total of 11 lead changes.

McGill’s run and gun tempo clashed with Laval’s intense, athletic full court press, but the scoreboard at the end of the first frame read in McGill’s favour, 23-20.

“We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” Redmen Head Coach David DeAveiro said.

Introducing a formidable zone defence early in the second quarter, Laval tried to swing the game in their direction. The first McGill possession of the frame ended in a shot clock violation that had the Laval bench on its feet. However, next time down the floor, fifthyear Redmen guard Dele Ogundokun drained one of his four threes en route to 20 points on the night, sparking a 15-4 McGill run. McGill

entered halftime up 48-37.

A fresh McGill team came out of the halftime gate with a pair of back-to-back three pointers. By the time Laval called its first timeout after yet another McGill three, the Redmen lead had been extended to 25 points—the game’s largest margin. “[You] just keep going, wave after wave, and eventually they’ll wear down,” fourthyear guard Alex Paquin said.

Laval withstood McGill’s pressure in the third period, cutting the Redmen lead to 19 by the end of the frame. The Rouge et Or carried the same energy into the fourth, forcing DeAveiro to call a quick timeout to re-gather his Redmen. But the aggressive Rouge et Or didn’t let up, slashing the lead to eight points.

“We struggled, we just couldn’t get a stop […] but sometimes you just have to grind it out,” DeAveiro said. “You dig your heels in and say OK, we’re just going to see what happens and run our stuff and defend.”

A trio of critical three-pointers from

Ogundokun and one from Daoust with five minutes left put an end to any Laval comeback hopes once and for all, restoring a comfortable lead for McGill.

“I’m in my fifth year, I’ve been here a while, so these are situations that I’ve been through,” Ogundokun said. “[These are] times that the veteran guys can step up for the young guys [who] might be struggling.”

Fellow fifth-year Francois Bourque added 10 points and seven rebounds in the Redmen winning effort, while Laval’s Frantson Demosthene led the way for the Rouge et Or with 22 points and eight rebounds.

On Feb. 3, the Redmen ventured into Rouge et Or territory for the second half of the home-and-away series. The Redmen, spurred on by 44 combined points from Ogundokun, Daoust, and fifth-year guard Jenning Leung, downed the Rouge et Or 68-61. McGill’s next home game is on Feb. 17, when they will host the Bishop’s University Gaiters.

Moment of the game

After Laval cut McGill’s lead down to eight points in the fourth quarter, fifth-year guard and team co-captain Dele Ogundokun drained back-to-back threes with six minutes remaining to secure McGill’s victory.

Quotable

“We can’t be content with every lead. Even going into halftime, we had a lead but going into the new half, it’s 0-0. We just gotta keep pushing it. And we know that 20 points can go to 10 points real quick, so we try to push 20 to 30 and keep the lead going.”

– Fifth-year guard Dele Ogundokun on closing out games and putting an end to the Laval comeback

Stat corner Fifth-year guard and team co-captain Dele Ogundokun scored 20 points, including four threes.

(Gabriel Helfant / The McGill Tribune)

Shooting from distance played a key role in this battle—McGill hit 15 three-pointers on 38 attempts, while Laval only connected on three of their 20 attempts.