McGill Tribune vol. 37 Issue19

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, FEBRURARY 20, 2018 | VOL. 37 | ISSUE 19

EDITORIAL

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

FEATURE

FIVE KEY TIPS

McGill must prioritize learning outside of the classroom

Unpacking the guy that’s Not Like Other Guys

Softboys

How to survive this year’s flu season

PG. 5

PGs. 8-9

PG. 11

(Gabriel Helfant / McGill Tribune)

Tyler, the Creator is glowing PG. 10

McGill to begin implementing campus smoking ban in May Teagan Chapman & Mairead Shaw Contributors McGill’s new smoking policy, set to come into effect on May 1, prohibits smoking on both

the Downtown and Macdonald campuses outside of newly designated smoking areas. These areas will be gradually phased out over the next five years and, with the exception of permanent

smoking areas near the upper residences and Solin Hall, the Downtown campus will become entirely smoke-free in 2023. On the Downtown campus, six designated smoking areas will

be located respectively behind the James Administration building, east of Morrice Hall, near Burnside Hall, near the McIntyre Medical building, near the upper residences, and outside of Solin Hall.

PG. 4

Fashion with an ethical passion

Recent McGill graduate on running her own slowfashion start-up Marie Labrosse Features Editor Finding a path after graduation isn’t easy. But Tessa Battistin has found hers. After graduating from McGill with a Bachelor of Arts in 2017, she founded the sustainable fashion brand Asset Designs, based in Montreal. She uses silk-screen printing to adorn T-shirts, bags, and pouches with her own art and poetry.

Battistin has been silkscreen printing since 2012, when her high school art teachers taught her the technique that she would come to love. She had always been a visual artist, but this method offered her a chance to experiment with textile practices. At the time, as a hobby, she printed her designs on standard Gildan t-shirts that she bought wholesale at just two dollars a piece.

She brought her silkscreens along with her to

university and continued to print T-shirts in her RVC rez room for friends—and eventually friends of friends, once her talent spread by word of mouth. Once demand for her products began to grow, she created a website to display her creations. However, Battistin had never considered turning her leisurely interest in the art of T-shirt making into an environmentally-conscious brand until she researched the field out of personal motivation.

PG. 11

2 NEWS

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

AVEQ confirms plan to reimburse SSMU for controversial Congress

VP Finance accused VP External and VP University Affairs of mismanaging SSMU funds Alexandra Harvey Opinion Editor

Following accusations of unauthorized purchases using company credit cards, Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) External Connor Spencer and VP University Affairs Isabelle Oke explained that SSMU has conducted similar transactions in past years. They also noted that SSMU Legislative Council was notified of the purchases far in advance, and that receiving proper authorization was complicated by the absence of a VP Finance at the time.

VP Finance Esteban Herpin, who began his term in January, raised the allegations at SSMU’s Feb. 8 Legislative Council meeting. He claimed that Spencer and Oke misstepped by charging over $4,000 to SSMU credit cards—without approval in SSMU’s operating budget—to host the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec’s (AVEQ) January Congress at McGill. As a student federation, AVEQ regularly holds congresses for members of the various university student unions it represents or hopes to represent, including SSMU. Financial Implications In response to Herpin’s claims, Oke explained to Legislative Council that AVEQ agreed to reimburse SSMU for its costs. Spencer was not present at the SSMU Council in question, but she seconded Oke’s statements in an interview with The McGill Tribune, explaining that this is a normal procedure for AVEQ congresses.

“Normally what happens is the student unions pay for the expenses of the congresses and invoice AVEQ, and AVEQ invoices the other student unions that were there for their costs, which is just food,” Spencer said. “In the end, after all of this is invoiced, only $28 is going to come from SSMU money.”

Isaac Stethem, advisor to the executive at AVEQ, reiterated that it is standard procedure for local student societies to book hotel rooms, conference rooms, and catering for AVEQ congresses. He confirmed that societies are consistently refunded afterward.

“That’s been the standard practice for a number of years,” Stethem said. “It has been the practice for SSMU as well in the past [....SSMU’s expenses] will be 100 per cent reimbursed.”

Herpin was troubled by the lack of transparency regarding Oke and Spencer’s dealings with the January AVEQ Congress.

“It seemed like a very last-minute expense of which no one was informed,” Herpin said. “[Spencer and Oke] could have discussed with accounting, the General Manager, […or] they could have invoiced AVEQ ahead of time. There could have been some kind of structure put in place where they didn’t have to use [SSMU] credit cards. That was the error there.”

Spencer disputed the notion that she and Oke did not make their intentions to host the AVEQ Congress clear.

“I was trying to make Council come to [this congress],” Spencer said. “I made it very clear that this was something that we were doing. There was no VP Finance at the time. I don’t know how else I could have done it.”

SSMU VP External Connor Spencer assures money spent on AVEQ will be refunded. (Erica Stefano / The McGill Tribune)

Political Implications SSMU members voted against officially affiliating with AVEQ in the Winter 2016 referendum, but SSMU is still an observing member of the provincial student association. Last fall, Legislative Council postponed a second referendum on AVEQ affiliation due to SSMU members’ insufficient knowledge of the organization and a report detailing criticisms of AVEQ presented by Engineering Senator Tre Mansdoerfer.

“Part of observing is mandating the [VP University Affairs] and the [VP] External to attend [AVEQ] congresses,” Spencer said. “While there isn’t an explicit mention of hosting congresses, that was something done with the intention of making it more accessible to our members in order to [help them] make a more informed decision with this coming affiliation referendum [in March].”

Herpin is concerned that SSMU hosting the AVEQ congress might influence the way that students vote in a future referendum, as it may shift attention from the Union étudiante du Quebec (UÉQ), another provincial student union vying for SSMU’s affiliation.

“To my knowledge we’re not hosting a UÉQ conference,” Herpin said. “It could seem as preferential treatment for AVEQ and this could impact the way certain students feel about it.”

Spencer voiced frustration over Herpin’s choice to present the issue at Legislative Council rather than to discuss it directly with her.

“He knew he was coming into an executive with conflict issues, especially related to people bringing things up in Council rather than in person,” Spencer said. “But I’ve spoken to him about it and made it clear that I didn’t think what he did was ok [….] This is part of my job. It’s me doing my job well.”

Le James Bookstore to relocate to 680 Sherbrooke McGill hopes to shorten queuing time during seasonal rush Delphine Polidori Contributor McGill’s Le James Bookstore on avenue du Parc is scheduled to move its operations to its other location on Sherbrooke Street during the summer of 2018. Currently, the store on avenue du Parc sells textbooks and course materials while the one at 680 Sherbrooke sells more general merchandise such as apparel and accessories. But after buying the entirety of the office space at 680 Sherbrooke this past summer, McGill intends to renovate the Sherbrooke location and sell books there as well.

This is the second time the bookstore has changed its location in the past two years. In 2016, the store moved to its current location as a result of the university’s decision to use its former space at 3420 McTavish for the Desautels Faculty of Management Master of Business Administration Program, now called the Armstrong Building. Students’ opinions about this 2016 relocation have been mixed, according to Ashley Prodisteanu, U2 Education student and sales associate at the store on avenue du Parc for two

years.

“We’ve gotten a lot of complaints about [the avenue du Parc store], saying that it’s too far,” Prodisteanu said.

“I think that it’s a great idea that we’re moving since it will be more practical, especially being in the same location with the clothing store.”

The size constraints on avenue du Parc have caused excessive queuing during the textbook rushes at the start of every semester. According to Phillipe Saad, U2 Arts student, this has made the purchase of course materials a negative experience.

“It takes a while to get my books and I’ve always tried to avoid getting them the first week because it takes like an hour,” Saad said.

Now, as part of the upcoming relocation of the avenue du Parc bookstore, McGill will expand the 680 Sherbrooke location by connecting the bookstore to the floor below.

The university hired a retail consulting firm to redesign the new space and plans to better accommodate the peak season by doubling the number of cash registers and creating more space to line up. The additional space will also be used to display more text-

books. Further, the bookstore plans to adapt to demand fluctuations over the course of the semester by providing more merchandise as students stop buying physical textbooks.

“What we want to make the new bookstore is a place where students actually want to go and where it feels like it’s part of the McGill community,” General Merchandise Manager Caroline Desroches said.

Desroches is optimistic about combining the stores in one central location. “[The move] will also be good for the employees because they are going to form a team again,” Desroches said. “We’re going to have to evaluate [whether we need to employ more students] when we are there.

Obviously, at rush and peak time, we need additional bodies.”

McGill aims to minimize disruption from the bookstore renovation on campus. Construction began on Feb. 12, with the 680 Sherbrooke bookstore closing for the next 19 weeks. In the meantime, it will be replaced by the smaller McGill Boutique, located on the same floor as the bookstore at 680 Sherbrooke. The boutique will

The upcoming move of Le James Bookstore will centralize textbook and merchandise operations.

(Marie Labrosse / The McGill Tribune) make up for its small capacity by selling merchandise online as well as in store.

Meanwhile, the new bookstore will not affect any academic activities in 680 Sherbrooke, including the Ingram School of Nursing. The seasonal Le James Bookstore trailer will continue operating and will be marketed toward customers attending particular events on campus, such as graduation.

Aside from the new physical

space of the store, Desroches explained that new products will be on display for the next school year. She recommended that students check Le James Bookstore’s social media for updates.

“We’re going to try some new brands that we haven’t tried before so I think everybody should keep a look out for that,” Desroches said. “We really have more flexibility with what we do now.”

NEWS 3

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Winter Hydro-Quebec bills freeze students in shock

Desautels MBA Program ranked best in Canada

Historic cold snap chills tenant-landlord relations Desautels one of three Canadian schools ranked by Financial Times

WerkLiv Group, a housing provider, explains high Hydro bills are a result of seasons, insulation, education, and a lack of data.

(Leanne Young / The McGill Tribune)

Keating Reid Contributor McGill student renters living in a Golden Square Mile apartment building managed by the WerkLiv Group, a multi-disciplinary realestate shop, claim to have been misled by their landlord about the estimated cost of Hydro bills.

Rénée*, an Arts student at McGill University, and her four roommates’ Hydro-Quebec bill for November and December 2017 exceeded $400, while her January and February bill is on track to reach $640. Both charges are higher than what she was expecting, according to estimates her landlord gave her prior to signing the lease.

“Our Hydro bill had remained around $150 [bimonthly] until December, when it reached $470,” Rénée said. “We do not take long showers [and] are super careful with our heating and everything, so we were confused as to why it was so high.”

Rénée was particularly concerned about being caught unaware because her building, called “The Greenhouse,” caters to McGill students, and the building’s staff are alumni.

Renée explained that even when averaged out over the year, the electricity cost exceeded the estimate her landlord provided her. “[WerkLiv] gave us this whole story about how the founder felt bad for students who get tricked by these landlords, and I thought ‘That’s so good. It’s my first time living on my own,’” Rénée said.

However, when Rénée contacted WerkLiv about the discrepancy, her building manager replied that when the suite’s winter and summer electricity bills were averaged out, she and her roommates were still paying significantly below the Montreal average on a perperson basis. According to WerkLiv President and McGill alumnus Daniel Tordjman Goodfellow, WerkLiv cites prices from Hydro-Quebec’s estimator tool to prospective residents if they request them. He recommended setting up an equal payment plan on a yearly basis to better see the winter and summer bills average out.

Goodfellow explained that high bills result from cold weather, poor insulation, and a lack of representative data on new buildings.

WerkLiv keeps records of their buildings’

electricity consumption and works to improve their heat efficiency. In October 2017, the group ran a free, opt-in window resealing program for tenants in Rénée’s building. Just over half of the suites, including Rénée’s, were redone. But according to Goodfellow, tenants should pay more attention to their personal power usage.

“Education is a big element,” Goodfellow said. “A lot of people don’t realise where the heat and energy is going [....] If they each take 20-minute showers everyday, [...] it’s a lot more energy to heat up the water tank than to heat up the apartment.”

After being renovated in 2015, The Greenhouse, located at 1300 Avenue des Pins O, went to market in 2016. The mild winter that year meant that the historically low temperatures during the 2017–2018 cold snap was the building’s first real-world stress test. “[A] lot of the concerns that we are experiencing today, we’re living them for the first time,” Tordjman Goodfellow wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune.

In early 2017, Hydro-Quebec admitted to overcharging its clients for years. The company maintains that its profits increased due to reduced expenses, while the Quebec government claims that the profits were reinvested through the financing of public services.

Not all cases of unexpectedly high bills come from miscommunication. According to Amanda Arella, director of communications for the Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LICM), landlords often knowingly provide misleading information to prospective tenants.

“The number of predatory landlords in this area is quite high,” Arella said. “Most problems are because students are not informed of their rights and obligations as tenants. Twenty-five per cent of the issues we see are residential lease disputes.”

As Arella explained, contract law takes context into account. It requires that parties act in good faith and give free and enlightened consent. For tenants who feel they were misled by their landlords, she recommends seeking guidance from the LICM and, if necessary, filing a case with the Régie du logement, Quebec’s rental housing tribunal. *Name changed at the request of the student

Nearly half of Desautels MBA candidates are international students. (Leanne Young / The McGill Tribune)

Nina Russell Contributor McGill’s Desautels Master of Business Administration (MBA) program was ranked first in Canada and 78th in the world in the 2018 Financial Times (FT) Global MBA ranking. Desautels was one of only three Canadian schools to make the top 100 list, alongside Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and Western University’s Ivey School of Business, which were ranked 86th and 90th respectively.

Alumni responses made up the most important ranking criteria, including “weighted salary” and “salary increased.” Altogether, these factors comprised eight of the 20 criteria and 59 per cent of the total rank. FT surveyed alumni to identify their average income three years after graduation and the average increase in salary after completing their MBA. The class of 2014 was examined for this year’s rankings.

Other criteria included the number of women in the program and faculty, and the percentage of international faculty members and students. FT also considered the program’s value for money, calculated using current salary and the cost of the program, as well as the prestige of research conducted at the institution in question, based on the number of articles published in internationallyrecognized journals.

For Joshua Morton, a MBA student at Desautels with a concentration in Global Strategy and Leadership, the relatively small class sizes made the program more attractive than others he considered.

“I personally like developing more relationships with my classmates,” Morton said. “For me [the size of the program] really does influence how you interact with people. It means that you develop deeper relationships rather than a surface, in-class sort of thing. Everyone here is very open to helping each other and working together on things, and to me that’s also a big benefit of this program compared to others.”

Desautels also prides itself on edu-

cating a large number of international students, with almost half of its MBA students coming from abroad and a significant number from India and China.

“I liked the idea of the diverse nature of the program, we’re very international and so getting many different perspectives, and the way people think of things really comes up in the classroom a lot,” Morton said. “The value of what a MBA program really does comes from what the people around you bring to it, and it’s a much more valuable experience for you, and it is a much more valuable experience for your peers, when everyone has something to bring to the table.”

Montreal’s linguistic and ethnic diversity also sets Desautels apart from other Canadian institutions. “[Something] that’s special about [McGill] is that we’re sitting [...] as an English institution in a French-speaking city,” Alfred Jaeger, academic director for the MBA program said. “The whole multi-cultural, multi-lingual aspect that we almost take for granted [sets Desautels apart from other Canadian schools.]”

In addition to hosting many international students, Desautels’ MBA program also boasts nearly gender equal classes. Desautels was ranked first in North America for percentage of female students, percentage of international faculty and students, international mobility of students after graduation, post-graduation salary increase, career progress, and aims achieved. “[Something] I am very proud of is, this year we have almost a balanced class in terms of male-to-female ratio,” Associate Dean of Desautels’ MBA program Steve Fortin said. “Our women last year and the year before were very active in the program. We have a ‘Women in Business’ club that is very, very active.”

Fortin is optimistic about what Desautels’ rankings mean for the future of business.

“We care about research, and we’re trying to train people in the best possible way we can for the business world of today, [but also] the business world of tomorrow,” Fortin said.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

4 NEWS

Board of Governors discusses Report on Anti-Semitism

Proposed changes to CAMSR terms of reference among topics discussed in community session

Andras Nemeth Staff Writer

and concerns regarding McGill’s rate of tenure and tenure-track hiring.

The McGill Board of Governors (BoG) convened on Feb. 15 to discuss the University’s report on allegations of antiSemitism, the new Vision 2020 Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, the new Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR) terms of reference, and budget affairs. Two hours of the BoG’s three-hour meeting were made open to the McGill community and press. Other topics discussed during the open community session included the national and international rankings of McGill’s schools and faculties

BoG affirms stance on report on anti-Semitism Most of the BoG’s conversation regarding former ombudsperson Spencer Boudreau’s report on allegations of antiSemitism at the Student Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Fall General Assembly occured during the board’s private session. However, during the community session, members of the BoG, including Principal Suzanne Fortier, reaffirmed their support for Boudreau’s conclusion that allegations of anti-Semitism were unfounded but understandable given the divisiveness

A vote on controversial changes to CAMSR terms of reference was deferred to the next BoG meeting on April 26.

(Ava Zwolinski / The McGill Tribune)

of campus discourse on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Derek Nystrom, associate professor of Cultural Studies and BoG member, said the events which preceded the investigation contributed to broader concerns about political discourse on campus.

“It is important to treat these allegations [of anti-Semitism] seriously,” Nystrom said. “I also believe that genuine political differences should be vented as freely as possible.”

Presentation on Vision 2020 François Miller, manager of the McGill Office of Sustainability, delivered a report on the Vision 2020 Climate and Sustainability Action Plan announced on Nov. 28, 2017. Under Vision 2020, McGill plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and earn a Platinum Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System Rating by 2030.

In his presentation, Miller outlined concrete steps McGill intends to take to reduce its carbon footprint in the coming decades. Among the most important of these is improving sustainability-related Key Performance Indicator (KPI) metrics and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

“In order to have increased accountability and transparency, we will report to the Board of Governors our sustainability ratings every three to four years,” Miller said. “Our greenhouse gas emissions will be provided on an annual basis to the board, and one of the KPIs is the level of implementation of the actions embedded in this action plan.

CAMSR changes postponed Representatives from Divest McGill, a student organization that advocates against McGill’s investment in fossil fuel companies, were present at the BoG meeting in anticipation of continued discussion on proposed changes to the CAMSR Terms of Reference that began in December 2017.

Divest McGill submitted two questions to be answered at the community session.

The first concerned the definition of ‘social and political causes,’ in which the proposed CAMSR’s terms of reference would prohibit university investment. The second concerned the extension of the period for reviewing the terms of reference from three to five years.

According to Annabelle Couture-Guillet, U2 Environment student and member of Divest McGill, the extension of the review period threatens on-campus activism.

“The review of the terms of reference can affect processes that regulate not only divestment issues but anything related to social responsibility at McGill,” Couture-Guillet said. “The fact that we typically do our degrees in three to four years is a constraint.

Reviewing the terms every five years would mean not [every student] is getting the chance to engage with the process.”

However, the BoG refused to answer any questions related to the CAMSR Terms of Reference, deferring them to the CAMSR meeting on Feb. 20. A Dec. 12 meeting of the BoG was adjourned early following protest

by Divest McGill.

A vote on the proposed changes, initially scheduled for the Feb. 15 meeting, was postponed to the Board’s next meeting on April 26.

McGill to begin implementing campus smoking ban in May Questions raised over the enforcement and implications of new policy Teagan Chapman & Mairead Shaw Contributors Continued from page 1.

Smoking areas have not yet been designated at the MacDonald campus and the Gault reserve.

The McGill Medical Students’ Society began exploring the idea of McGill’s Downtown campus becoming entirely smoke-free in 2015. In 2016, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and the Post-Graduate Students’ Society of McGill University (PGSS) held separate online referenda regarding the idea, garnering support from 73 and 77 per cent of their student bodies, respectively.

SSMU then drafted a smoke-free policy and submitted it to the University for consideration.

The University Health and Safety Committee endorsed plans for a smoke-free campus in January 2017, and McGill’s Board of Governors subsequently adopted the new Policy Concerning Smoking at McGill University on Dec. 12, 2017. In an email circulated to the entire student body on Jan. 29, the McGill administration described its plans for enforcing the new smoking spaces.

“These areas will be identified by signage, and people smoking elsewhere on cam-

McGill’s new smoking policy will leave several temporary smoking areas over the next five years.

(Jack Neal / The McGill Tribune) pus other than in these areas will be respectfully asked to smoke either in one of the designated areas or on a public street,” the Media Relations Office wrote in the email.

The Quebec Ministry of Health and Human Services is supportive of the transition. In an email to the The McGill Tribune, Marie-Claude Lacasse, a public relations representative for the ministry, explained the benefits of a gradual transition to a smoke-free campus.

“In regards to the step-by-step approach, public health is in favor of this approach, since it allows the support of students, teach-

ers, and all staff,” Lacasse said. “[However] institutional policy should ideally be more comprehensive than just a ban on smoking, including the promotion of smoking cessation and non-smoking promotion services.”

The smoking ban will not be enforced along McTavish street as it is under the jurisdiction of Montreal’s municipal government.

In an interview with the Tribune, Associate Vice-Principal Facilities Management and Ancillary Services Robert Couvrette, who has led much of the negotiations over the smoking policy, acknowledged the importance of the policy despite the difficulties it may pose.

“No-smoking rules are unfortunately difficult to enforce,” Couvrette said. “We must rely on the thoughtfulness, consideration, and cooperation of individuals.”

In addition, some students have raised concerns over how the new policy will affect those who smoke as a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety. SSMU Mental Health Commissioner Ebby Crowe explained that there can be a correlation between the two in an interview with the Tribune.

“If you’re pulling an all-nighter in the library, you’re already dealing with feelings of isolation, your stress is high because you’re in the middle of studying for exams, [and so] taking a smoke break [...] offers you the opportunity to go outside, get away, [and get] the opportunity to interact with your peers,” Crowe said. “We may see an increase in students going to seek out counselling or psychiatric services [after the ban].”

However, Crowe maintained that, in the long-run, a gradually-implemented policy will be beneficial to students’ physical health and will soften the transition to a smoke-free campus.

“It’s going to frustrate a lot of students but long-term, the mental health and physical health benefits, I think, definitely outweigh the inconvenience,” Crowe said. “If we are promoting smoke free environments, eventually it is going to make it easier for students to quit.”

OPINION 5

Tuesday, February 20, 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

McGill must prioritize learning outside of the classroom University students often struggle to find stable employment in their field of study post-graduation, but incorporating experiential learning into postsecondary education can give students the marketable skills and valuable experience they need to succeed.

In its essence, experiential learning means learning-by-doing, rather than acquiring knowledge through lecture and reading-based instruction. Experiential learning allows students to acquire the practical skills and résumé-boosting training they need to flourish in their future careers. It also gives individuals the opportunity to experiment and discover which jobs are most suited to them. Learning-by-doing is a proven way for students to apply the important theoretical knowledge they’ve learned in the classroom to real-life scenarios.

Whether experiential learning takes the form of an internship or work experience, a field study, research, or anything that allows students to develop practical skills, universities—including ours—are starting to see its value.

But, opportunities for experiential learning at McGill are few and far between. Recently, McGill has advertised extra-curricular initiatives such as Building 21, a vaguely-described open-lab where students can experiment with ideas, and Skills 21, a series of workshops aimed at supporting “students

OFF THE BOARD

Copy Editor Ayanna De Graff copy@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Daniel Minuk business@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Grayson Castell & Katherine Hutter 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

Amanda Fiore, Andrea Kilajian, Angelina Giordano, Arindam Das, Delphine Polidori, Grace Hu, Hana Shiraishi, Janine Xu, Jia Wen Wang, Johanna Cline, Katia Innes, Keating Reid, Kellyane Lavac, Leanne Young, Mairead Shaw, Natalia Savkovic, Mary Keith, Nina Russell, Patrick Beacham, Sam Wendel, Summer Liu, Teagan Chapman

Tribune Office Shatner University Centre Suite 110, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 T: 514.398.6789 The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University.

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

Daniel Lutes Web Developer It’s no secret that finding steady, full-time work as a young person in Canada is becoming more and more challenging. Gone are the days where an undergraduate degree alone could land you multiple job offers in your field of study. Now, for many students, an undergraduate degree holds as much clout as a certificate from Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.

This sentiment is backed up by some fairly disconcerting numbers: A 2017 Statistics Canada report pegged the youth unemployment rate at 10.3 per cent, roughly double the national average unemployment rate of 5.7 per cent.

If students are able to find jobs upon leaving university, there

in the development of 21st century skills, values, and attitudes.” These efforts seem more cosmetic than pragmatic, and touch relatively few within McGill’s large student body. To make the benefits of experiential learning available for all ambitious students, McGill must incorporate this form of education directly into its academic curricula. Not only will it better prepare students for employment, but it will enhance the quality of a McGill education.

McGill’s experiential learning website lists field studies and study abroad opportunities as valuable ways for students to apply theoretical knowledge while still gaining course credits.

Programs such as the Desautels Faculty of Management’s Hot Cities of the World Tour or McGill’s Barbados Field Study Semester offer enriching experiences that able students should undoubtedly take advantage of. However, these opportunities present significant financial barriers, have enrollment caps, and are often tied to a particular department or faculty. As a result, they only benefit the privileged few who are eligible and able to afford them.

Some majors, such as Urban Studies, require a field studies course in Montreal. These courses extend the benefits of experiential learning to a broader network of students. All departments should make an effort to

develop these types of courses because they diversify students’ learning experience and offer the chance for them to put their theoretical skills to the test.

Granted, the university community offers a plethora of clubs and extracurricular activities that give students a chance to develop expertise relevant to future careers; however, these initiatives are largely student-driven, and often privilege-based, as they are unpaid and pose an extra time requirement that is unfeasible for students working parttime jobs.

To ensure that all students have the opportunity to acquire meaningful work experience, many Canadian universities, such as Concordia, Dalhousie, and Waterloo, have incorporated cooperative (co-op) education into their academic programs. Concordia’s co-op program “bridges university life and the working world,” and boasts the opportunity for students to “test drive their careers.” While McGill’s Internship Offices Network is a valuable tool for connecting students with employers, it only offers a handful of internship opportunities for students each year, many of which are unpaid. Integrating work experience into degree programs ensures that more students can reap the benefits of practical experience.

The options are virtually limitless: From research opportunities, to work

EDITORIAL placements at local companies, to offering classes that teach practical work-based skills, McGill has many opportunities to engage in experiential learning. The key is making sure these opportunities are diverse, widespread, accessible, and clearly communicated to students. Incorporating experiential learning as an integral part of academic programs will not only boost students’ future career potential, it will enrich the value of a McGill degree. If McGill doesn’t adapt to the changing academic landscape, future students may look elsewhere for a more hands-on education.

Participating in an extracurricular such as moot court or a student publication, studying abroad, or doing research for a professor are just a few ways students can increase their employability in a dynamic workforce, and explore potential career interests.

However, in order for all students to benefit from experiential learning, McGill must develop a more comprehensive and consistent framework that integrates it into class curricula. Stepping outside of the familiar lecture hall education environment might be scary, but—as is becoming increasingly evident by rising youth unemployment—so is the real world. Experiential learning will give students the skills they need while at McGill to ensure post-grad life doesn’t look so bleak.

Precarious perils: Entering the gig economy is no guarantee that this work will be relevant to their degree, or even full-time. The “gig economy”— more formally known as precarious employment—is a term used to describe a labour market where many jobs are short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to full-time permanent employment. “The Side Hustle” has become a popular way for young people to describe what it is like entering the 21st century work scene.

The recent shift in labour standards toward more precarious employment is disproportionately affecting youth seeking work: A 2015 study by Statistics Canada found that 29.9 per cent of people age 15 to 24 had only temporary employment, as opposed to the national average of 11.3 per cent. The public and private sector alike have adopted this approach to reduce the cost and liability of hiring full-time employees.

Short-term contracts allow employers to terminate employees without notice while not paying for health insurance, paid vacation, or sick days.

This shift is leaving young Canadians overworked and underpaid—all in the name of profit. Companies need to take a more holistic approach when hiring young Canadians: Employees are investments in the future of any company, and they should be treated as such.

It is challenging to quantify just

how many young Canadians work in the gig economy, but the metric of underemployment can be used to get a better sense of the scale of precarious employment.

Underemployment occurs when a person is working in a job that either doesn’t allow them to meet their personal financial needs, or for which they are overqualified.

A Canadian Labour Congress report from 2014 calculated that the youth underemployment rate is 27.7 per cent.

This means that there are thousands of young Canadians who are forced to work multiple jobs for which they are overqualified just to stay afloat.

Short-term contracts and freelance work associated with precarious employment are taking a toll on many caught in this sector of the economy. A 2013 study by economist Wayne Lewchuk on precarious labour in Ontario found that respondents who were not employed full-time were under more stress and in poorer health than their regularlyemployed counterparts. People who find themselves in precarious working situations also earn less on average than peers who have full-time work.

Compounding the issue of a lower income is the variability of income from pay period to pay period in a precarious job. Large shifts in monthly income greatly hinder a person’s ability to rent an apartment, make car payments, or support themselves financially.

Although precarious employment may be attractive to employers who are looking to cut costs at the expense of their employees’ incomes, not offering fulltime employment is a short-sighted approach. According to a 2015 study from the Social Market Foundation, employees who are happy with their employment situation are more productive and valuable employees.

Employers need to consider the intangible value of having full-time employees with longer tenures, rather than simply looking at the upfront cost. In an interview with Steve Paikin, Angella MacEwen, Senior Economist for the Canadian Labour Congress, supported this long-term, holistic approach to employment: “When you have the mutual investment, mutual loyalty [of full-time work], that pays off for the employer in terms of lower turnover, higher productivity, and in terms of being able to plan long range.”

Ultimately, the problem of precarious employment cannot be solved solely through legislation.

It requires corporations to fundamentally change how they view their employees—as long-term commitments with long-term value.

The temptation will always exist for companies to cut labour costs at the expense of workers, but this practice is not just bad for the youth of Canada— it’s also bad business.

6 OPINION

OFF THE BOARD

Marie Labrosse Features Editor Since 2015, the fentanyl crisis has taken Canada by storm: The Public Health Agency of Canada estimated that over 4,000 Canadians lost their lives to opioid-related overdose in 2017.

On Jan. 12, Dr. Carole Morissette, Montreal Public Health medical chief, delivered a public health warning to recreational drug users, signalling that the crisis had reached Quebec.

In the face of this newlyarrived public health emergency, Quebec needs to take action now to prevent the situation from taking the same nightmarish

COMMENTARY

Johanna Cline Contributor For most students, working solo from the comfort of their bed is infinitely more appealing than trudging to a Cybertech pod on Sunday morning to meet their peers for a group project.

However, despite the added challenges, collaborative projects can be some of the most rewarding assignments both in terms of academics and life skills.

On Feb. 12, Times Higher Education released an article covering a 2017 study by Bart Rienties, professor of learning analytics at The Open University, that found post-secondary student satisfaction was unrelated to academic success. Specifically, the study noted that students were more likely to succeed academically when working in groups, yet enjoyed collaborative learning less. The 111,256 study participants overwhelmingly preferred working alone; however, as Rienties points out, working with others is an

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Quebec safe injection sites need to catch up to fentanyl toll as in Western Canada.

Currently, safe injection sites are not stocked with naloxone, the antidote to counter a fentanyl overdose. Naloxone can temporarily reverse a fentanyl overdose by slowing down the user’s absorption of the opioid by 30 to 60 minutes, allowing time for emergency medical help to arrive. It is the only treatment for an opioid overdose. Support staff at safe injection sites must rely on emergency response teams to provide such medication.

If harm reduction is truly a priority in the Canadian government’s strategy against drug and substance abuse, oversights at the provincial level such as this one are unacceptable.

Provincial policy makers must correct any holes in the system that put drug users at risk.

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more powerful than other opioids, such as morphine. This places its users at a high risk of an overdose; a dose the size of a grain of sand can be lethal.

The lethal opioid is often found laced into other drugs, including counterfeit oxycodone pills and an increasing number of

recreational drugs like cocaine, MDMA, and heroin. Consumers of street drugs, whether they are habitual or first-time users, have virtually no way of knowing that fentanyl’s been added: You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it. As the range of drugs that fentanyl contaminates increases, so does the scope of the population at risk of an overdose.

As of November 2017, naloxone is available at 1,900 pharmacies across Quebec to anyone over the age of 14—even without a prescription. As a part of Health Minister Gaétan Barrette and Public Health Minister Lucie Charlebois’s attempts to protect the province against the fentanyl crisis, police, firefighters, and ambulance crew are expected to carry naloxone kits on them at all times. Notably, the general public’s access to naloxone is only a very recent development in the response to the spread of the opioid crisis in Quebec.

Yet, these measures do little to protect those who are most at risk of a fentanyl overdose. More than 75 per cent of Montreal’s drug users regularly frequent community organization-run

safe injection sites and needle exchanges to obtain their paraphernalia.

“

The system is failing [drug] users by cowering behind the pretense that naloxone is widely available to anyone who needs it.

”

Shockingly, these institutions haven’t benefited from the wide distribution of naloxone kits like Quebec’s pharmacies have, despite Montreal Public Health’s expressed desire to equip any place where drug use might occur. Safe injection sites in British Columbia already benefit

from their province’s wider distribution plan; Quebec should follow suit.

By rolling out naloxone in pharmacies and providing emergency response teams with the antidote, the Quebec public health system has merely done the bare minimum in combatting the fentanyl crisis. If drug users are at the same risk of a fatal fentanyl overdose when taking intravenous drugs at a safe injection site as anywhere else, they have less incentive to continue to use those spaces.

Safe injection sites betray their primary purpose if they cannot guarantee drug users with protection against the ravages of the opioid crisis. The system is failing these users by cowering behind the pretense that naloxone is widely available to anyone who needs it.

Safe injection sites should be exactly what their name purports—safe. Public health services cannot wait for another onslaught of fatal drug overdoses caused by fentanyl to expand naloxone’s availability to those sites and finally make them safe again.

Collaborative work develops valuable skills

invaluable part of education.

When incorporated thoughtfully, group work enhances university curricula. Although student qualms deserve to be heard, frustration—due to logistics or collaborative clashes—is simply part of the group work package.

Thoughtfully-planned assignments and fair, reflective grades ensure that group work contributes positively to student learning.

Group projects develop skills that students cannot gain from individual work, and that will benefit them at McGill and after graduation. Coordinating time schedules and assigning tasks among group members may be hectic, but the organizational skills that group projects require hold value at jobs across the board. Being able to effectively manage the added variables that come from teamwork is a crucial skill for many careers.

In most jobs, group work isn’t just common, it’s inevitable. Careers in business immediately come to mind: In the era of communicative technologies, cross-company collaboration is the new norm. Many studies find that employee collaboration sparks creativity, and pooling knowledge and skill sets leads to a better product than individual work.

Other fields, like medicine and law, also heavily rely on teamwork. Professionals on surgical teams and legal teams require the capacity to work effectively with others on an assignment in order to get their job done.

Moreover, working with others pushes students to think flexibly and teaches crucial problem-solving skills.

Exposure to different personalities can also boost creativity and empathy, and generally help to practice keeping an open mind. Unlike individualistic work, when students work together they seek outcomes that benefit not only themselves, but other group members.

This change in motivation promotes empathy. Further, gaining exposure to classmates’ different modes of thought helps students see beyond their own point of view. For example, when trying to select the most important aspects of a topic to share in a presentation, students’ differing views may boost new perspectives in fellow group members.

Additionally, contrasting mindsets have the added benefit of fostering creative friction within a group, meaning opposing ideas can pull out unique new interpretations.

While juggling numerous

schedules, booking rooms in the library, and compromising on great ideas can be frustrating, these annoyances are simply part of the challenge of developing collaborative abilities. No new skill comes effortlessly, and working effectively with others is no exception.

Dissatisfaction from logistical challenges is one thing, but another source of common student discontent with collaborative work—the possibility of unfair grading—presents a genuine reason to reconsider evaluation methods.

Group projects aim to bring different minds together to create a collective product. However, a single product should not be conflated with a reason to assign a single grade, as is often the approach in faculties like Arts where group work is the exception, not the norm.

Although being rewarded or punished as a group is part of collaborative work in

life, students’ marks often play a large role in determining their futures. Marks should reflect student contributions, and professors are responsible for ensuring that individuals are recognized accordingly. Effective grading systems requires team feedback sheets— indicating who did what—or anonymous responses from group members to help gauge what mark each student merits.

Collaborative assignments should be a chance for students to learn from each other, not an opportunity for professors to homogenize individual student capacities and contributions.

Student frustration with group projects is part of learning to work effectively with others—an invaluable skill for life beyond university. When effectively managed, collaborative work adds a beneficial dynamic to learning environments.

Group work, while frustrating, has benefits for students beyond the classroom. (Amanda Fiore / The McGill Tribune)

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7

Cinema Politica shines light on the margins Cinema Politica is a non-profit network that collects and screens independent documentary films. Its weekly screenings embody the network’s slogan, “screening truth to power,” with films that show solidarity with oppressed voices who often go unheard in mainstream media.

The McGill Tribune looks at two of their most recent films, examining stories not often told.

‘Complicit’ investigates the human cost of modern technology Andrea Kilajian Contributor Complicit, directed by Lynn Zhang and Heather White, had its Montreal premiere with Cinema Politica on Feb. 5. The documentary focuses on the dangerous conditions factory workers face in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, China, featuring footage shot over the last three years.

Working in extremely arduous conditions, the electronics factory workers repeat the same task thousands of times a day. During their 13-hour shifts, workers are exposed to benzene—a chemical waste product with cancerous effects. Because of this exposure, many of the workers develop leukemia, with this health crisis only growing.

Complicit follows the story of many migrant workers of different ages who are victims of benzene exposure.

Many of the victims are under the age of 30, and live in fear and anxiety.

Shang Jiouajioua is one of the 12 million Chinese teenagers who have left home to find work. Finding solace with other youth fighting the same cancer, Jiouajioua and her friends are afraid of burdening their families with their conditions, and come together to fight against the global electronics industry.

“When I wasn’t sleeping or eating, I would be wiping something,” Shang Jiouajioua said in one interview with the filmmakers. “It was the only thing I did. There was no ventilation or windows.”

To assemble products like the iPhone, Apple deals with Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics

manufacturer. Despite employing 1.3 million workers in 2015, Foxconn factories exhibit an extreme lack of safety measures and horrible working conditions.

“It’s because of Apple that I am dying,” Ming Kunpeng, a 26-year-old leukemia patient and former factory worker, said.

Yi Yeting is a victim of this poisoning himself and has dedicated much of his life to a movement against harmful working conditions. Although he was barred from leaving China because of this “controversial” plea for basic human rights, he was able to raise awareness of the dangers of benzene exposure from his hospital bed by speaking at a human rights conference in the United States via Skype.

“I don’t want my children to be sick because of working conditions I had,” Yi Yeting said.

His main objective is to establish stricter constraints in Foxconn’s contracts with its clients, emphasizing the necessity of bans on benzene and n-hexane, another dangerous chemical prevalent in factories.

According to Chinese government officials, one person is poisoned by toxic chemicals, notably benzene, every five hours; however, experts say that the frequency is higher. In 2010, there were 14 reported suicides in the electronics manufacturing industry, revealing Foxconn’s overbearing psychological and physical impacts on its workers.

Complicit sheds light on the dangerous world Chinese factory workers step into every day. It provides an insider look on how to fight against the use of benzene.

‘Memories of a Penitent Heart’ is a heart-wrenching portrait of intergenerational trauma Sophie Brzozowski Staff Writer Filmmaker and scholar Cecilia Aldarondo didn’t intend to unearth several decades worth of family conflict when, in 2012, she decided to investigate the life of her estranged uncle. Neither did she anticipate making a documentary that would one day qualify her as an activist. Cinema Politica screened Aldarondo’s 2016 debut film Memories of a Penitent Heart on Feb. 15 at the Maxwell Cummings Auditorium as a part of Concordia University’s annual lecture series on HIV/AIDS. The film follows Aldarondo as she uncovers the life of Miguel Dieppa, an uncle she never knew, who died of AIDS in 1987.

Part tragic love story, part redemptive quest for justice, Aldarondo’s film catalogues the two distinct yet equally-significant lives that Dieppa led. In one, he was a successful Broadway actor, a staple of the New York theater community, and a loving partner to monk-turned-bartender Robert Aquin. In the other, he was the devoted son of a pious Catholic family in Puerto Rico. Neither his partner nor his illness were mentioned in Dieppa’s obituary—even in death, his family refused to accept his sexuality.

“There was a narrative in my family around [Dieppa’s] death, particularly around the fact that he’d died on Easter Sunday,” Aldarondo said during a Q&A that followed the screening. “My grandmother would talk about how miraculous this was. She thought it was a sign, a really big sign.”

In many ways, the crux of Dieppa’s story occurs in the weeks leading up to his death when, at his mother’s request, he saw a priest and confessed to sins of homosexuality. Through a combination of interviews and archival footage, the film captures the torment Dieppa experienced in life: Being torn between two separate worlds and two separate value systems that seemed impossible to reconcile. The question of whether Dieppa’s confession was for himself or for his mother’s sake remains unanswered.

“The film doesn’t resolve this question.

I don’t know whether he repented or not,” Aldarondo said. “We can all speculate, everyone around Miguel was speculating on his behalf, but ultimately, to me the bigger question is what did he need? [.…] He did what he needed to do to die in peace.”

Memories of a Penitent Heart is a film that examines the injustice and shame surrounding the AIDS crisis, told through the story of one family.

It is a complex and personal documentary that examines the intersection of family, religion, and politics.

Although she considers herself “a recovering Catholic,” Aldarondo confessed that the process of making the film forced her to reconsider her own ideas about religion. Some of the documentary’s most moving scenes were centered on her encounters with Dieppa’s former partner, Robert Aquin, who returned to Catholicism after Dieppa’s death.

“Some of my favourite [art inspired by the AIDS crisis] is some of the most blasphemous and angry at the Church,” Aldarondo said. “But I think we have this secularization around the narrative of AIDS, and the way in which we talk about this notion that religion was only ever bad for queer people […] the process [of making the film] forced me to see things in a more nuanced way, and if that makes me a little softer and weaker, then I’m ok with that.”

Though Aldarondo was careful never to excuse her family’s intolerance, she made sure to depict it in all its complexity, acknowledging that it was the product of a generational divide and uncompromising faith.

While only 72 minutes in length, Aldarondo’s documentary manages to capture multiple generations worth of pain and grief. Memories of a Penitent Heart is a film about the importance of forgiving without forgetting. It’s also about the eternally-grey area that is the intersection of sexuality and religion, and how it is in many ways futile to fully reconcile the two, but decidedly more important to try.

Softboys Unpacking the guy that’s not like other guys Jackie Houston Opinion Editor

IF you ask someone what a “softboy” is, they either know exactly what

you mean, or they have no idea.

When I asked Dylan Adamson, U2 Cultural Studies, to define the term, he rattled off a list of weirdly specific, seemingly unrelated qualities.

“He talks about feminism a lot,” Adamson said. “He’ll recommend you bands. He’s an active SoundCloud user.

He doesn’t say movie, he always says film.”

Yet I found myself nodding along to each example, because I know that guy.

He’s in my philosophy class. He was on my floor in residence. He’s such a softboy.

I felt the same way reading the Medium piece, “Have You Encountered the Softboy?”

by Alan Hanson. Sparse yet laser-specific, it describes a young guy who is similar to the better-known “fuckboy,” but not quite identical.

He “is Nice yet Complicated,” “orders cheap beer backed with bottom-shelf whiskey,” and “may be named Tom. Or Phillip.” Again, I know that guy. Yes, I have encountered the softboy.

W

hen I reached out to Anthony Synnott, sociology and anthropology professor at Concordia University and author of Rethinking Men: Heroes, Victims, Villains, to ask about the term, he’d never heard of it, so I forwarded Hanson’s piece to him. When we spoke on the phone, he couldn’t help but laugh about the article.

“What was it, ‘fuckboy’ and ‘softboy’? Oh man, I didn’t think that was very credible,” Synott admitted. “Do you know if one of them prefers latte[s], or espresso?” (“Softboys don’t drink coffee, they drink Americanos,” Adamson pointed out.)

Flustered and embarrassed, I tried to articulate a more concrete definition. I was at a loss as to how to pin down this guy that I know so well—when speaking to Synnott, but also to my friends, my mom, and my therapist.

Discussing the term with Natalie Vineberg, McGill BA’17, she expressed similar frustrations.

“We give people these labels because it’s easier [...] or something,” Vineberg said. “But then when you actually start to try and think of [...] how they exist outside of a certain example, [...] it’s really hard to define the limits of it. You feel like you know it when you see it.”

I turned to more authoritative sources. According to Urban Dictionary, a softboy “will butter a girl up by appealing to her emotions and showing a ‘sensitive’ side long enough for her to sleep with him, whether or not he actually cares about her [....] Then, like the fuckboy, he can't [or] won't commit.”

Again, that sounds about right. It definitely aligns with the slew of headlines that a “softboy” Google search pulls up: “Why You Should be Wary of the Seemingly Innocent Softboy,” or “9 Reasons You Should NEVER Have Sex With a Softboy.” And it definitely matches my own—and countless female friends’— experiences navigating today’s hookup culture: A guy seems different, and looking for more than just a one-night-stand. But suddenly he isn’t, and you feel like you’ve been duped and you aren’t allowed to be angry about it. Somehow, it hurts worse than being burned by the explicit fuckboy or player—it feels like you’ve been deceived.

“It’s like a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ kind of situation,” Adamson said. “It’s kind of the bro-y type who’s like [...] preaching the feminism, but is actually just using that to have sex with girls. And he’ll cheat on his girlfriend but then be like, ‘No, we’re polyamorous.’”

Isaac Berman, U3 Computer Engineering, however, thinks that’s not all there is to it.

“I think a lot of men are shit,” Berman said. “But it just depends on what [...] you’ve experienced and what interactions you’ve had. I think there are a lot of shitty softboys. [….] There are a lot of nice ones too, nice guys. I feel like generalizing the softboy [as] bad is detrimental.”

What about a guy who just happens to play the guitar and be in touch with his emotions, or just happens to be named Tom or Phillip? Are they all “softboys,” too, in the sense that they all eventually reveal themselves to be heartbreakingly disappointing?

“I’m torn between wanting to acknowledge that men have interiority, and can be complex, and can have feelings, and it’s not black and white, and then also being like, no, fuck them all,” Vineberg said.

While a relatively new term, “softboy” already seems to operate the way many catchy labels do. In theory, it refers to a specific kind of person or behaviour; in practice, it’s often used as a catch-all, throwaway term to describe any guy wearing Doc Martens and an annoyingly small beanie. If he lives in Montreal, he most likely spends his time roaming the streets of the Mile End. “It makes you think twice about putting on the tiny hat in the morning,” Adamson joked, acknowledging that he dresses like a softboy. “[There are] certain times when I’m, like, in Blackadder library […] and I’ll look around and there’ll be like eight of me, spread out across the library.”

Yet the softboy’s rise in prominence is symptomatic of the evolving ways we define young men, and how we navigate and use gendered tropes in intimate relationships today.

Men and women are both subject to gendered labels: There are jocks and players, there are cute girls and sluts. Our vernacular of slang to construct these labels has evolved over time, just as our ideas about gender relations have. Now there are fuckboys and softboys, chill girls and thirsty girls. Synnott has not encountered the softboy, but he does recognize a broader redefinition of popular masculinity for young men today.

“The John Wayne masculinity is out, I think,” Synott observed, when I asked him whether he thinks traditional dominant masculinity is still around. “You know, laconic, no display of emotion, forceful, leadership, strong, that sort of thing.”

With the decline of this iconic masculinity, and the rise of more and more varied ways of being a man, there’s no single archetypal male role model for men growing up today.

“I asked my students the same question, what iconic males [are there today], excluding your parents, or your father,” Synott said. “Of course, half of them wrote down their father, they just don’t listen, but there was no consensus at all.”

Softboy isn’t the first popular label to suggest a possible departure from classic masculinity. The early 2010s saw the rise of the equally weirdly-specific “Sensitive New Age Guy”—the SNAG, colloquially—who is in touch with his feelings, and very into yoga.

In contemporary television and movies, Nice Guys and Socially-Awkward Heroes are everywhere, from 500 Days of Summer to Master of None. Jocks or Bad Boys seem primitive in comparison.

“I imagine [the shift] comes out of the critique of the John Wayne [model], and that, really, that iconic masculinity is totally inappropriate in the new age [of gender equality],” Synnott said.

Articles outlining various typologies, and reasons why women should avoid dating the seemingly innocent SNAG are remarkably similar to articles about softboys today. In the shifting landscape of what it means to be a man—or at least to be labelled as such— Synnott sees young men as having an identity crisis.

“On the one hand, yes, [masculinity] is being redefined right now, as you cannot be sexually assertive or aggressive,” Synott said. “So that’s going to create a different type of masculinity. On the other hand, [...] you’ve just got to be a competent, caring individual. But

not a ‘sensitive new age guy’ [....] That’s going to be a path to negotiate.”

But perhaps terms like SNAG and softboy aren’t criticizing sensitivity, per se—and perhaps as new ways of being a man emerge, old forms of masculinity are also perpetuated.

Stefanie Duguay, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia, researches LGBTQ sexual identity expression on social media platforms. To Duguay, traditional, dominant masculinity is still around, albeit in different forms.

“I mean, we live in [a] patriarchy,” Duguay said. “And there’s these sort of dominant forms of masculinity. And, of course, they change, and they transition over time, so that they’re expressed in different ways. But I think that a sort of ‘fuckboy’ persona, where you’re not caring as much, you’re supposed to be the one in control of the relationship with women, you’re supposed to have all these women fawning over you, that is one of the more recent expressions of dominant masculinity. So it’s just old gender tropes and stereotypes, repackaged as something that is supposedly new humour.”

Duguay speculated that the softboy, insofar as the term refers to men who use their apparent sensitivity to manipulate or deceive women in sexual relationships, is actually not so different from the fuckboy.

“I think it’s a spin-off of ‘fuckboy,’ as [...] another form of masculinity that’s maybe not seen as bad, or as abrasively, as ‘fuckboy,’ but still kind of all under that ‘player’ subset,” Duguay said. “Where as much as we say it’s not OK, it’s not OK to be deceptive or pressuring about sexual activity, there still seems to be some sort of [...] letting guys off the hook, when it comes to that sort of sexual activity.”

Whether it’s the fuckboy or the softboy, male stereotypes applaud sexual activity— especially when it’s casual, and even sometimes when it’s disrespectful. Female stereotypes, in contrast, persistently shame women for pursuing casual sexual encounters.

Still, contemporary misogynistic or disrespectful male behaviour often isn’t “as bad,” or at least as explicit, as that of, say, John Wayne or Don Draper. The language that women use to identify such behaviour has evolved accordingly.

“Terms like ‘fuckboy’ and ‘softboy’ give women recourse to say, this is what that is, and call that behaviour out,” Duguay said. “I think in a way those terms can be useful, as labelling a behaviour and saying, ‘This is not acceptable.’”

Vineberg agreed, based on experiences that most students know too well.

“You’re telling your friends about this guy who treated you in a way you didn’t like, or was a dick to you, and you’re upset, and they’re like ‘no he’s a dick, he’s a softboy,’” Vineberg said. “[…It’s] this sense of catharsis [...as the person hearing it] in terms of validation, in terms of ‘yeah they get it.’”

Vineberg also remarked on the softboy’s relationship to feminism. The softboy cares about women, and rejects the explicit sexism of his fuckboy counterpart. But Vineberg questioned the difference between what the softboy says and what he does, when it comes to pervasive sexism.

“Are you just self-congratulatory that you’re aware, are you just so proud of yourself that you know what’s going on, or are you doing something about it?” Vineberg wondered.

“Are you asking girls around you how they feel about something? [...] Are you trying to engage, and trying to understand, and trying to be open-minded? Or did you read one article, [...] and think that you’re not part of the problem, because you’re aware?”

As a tool for calling out problematic male behaviour where it does occur, even under the guise of sensitivity, or niceness, or feminism, labels like “softboy” have value. Still, Berman worried about them being used too generally, and the discouraging effect that their negative connotation could have on guys who really are just sensitive, or emotional— traits that are already up against the persistent influence of traditional masculinity.

Vineberg speculated about how being called “soft,” in any context, has uniquely negative connotations for a guy.

“Calling a guy a softboy [implies] more feminine qualities, and might be seen as more of an insult,” Vineberg said. “Because not only am I saying that you’re a jerk to girls, but you’re not even a man about it.”

Duguay was also wary of overuse of the term, at the risk of over-generalizing the issue.

She recommends a more nuanced approach to the widespread use of labels in popular culture.

“I think there’s a negative impact when something blows up kind of in the media [...] and then people kind of start to use it in their own lives without being critical about it,” Duguay said. “Do I know anybody that I would characterize as a fuckboy, or a softboy? [...] Probably not, [...] because, you know, in general, I guess I like to believe most people are ethical people. These tropes are kind of exaggerated online, [...] and also by media columnists who want to comment on the state of dating these days. And so I think that can be damaging, when we don’t critique that.”

Duguay suggested that stereotypical labels are not the most effective way to criticize behaviour we view as harmful to women or to the progression of gender equality. By normalizing these labels, we run the risk of normalizing the very behaviour they denounce.

“What is the actual behaviour that we’re critiquing here?” Duguay mused. “If it’s calling out sexism and misogyny, which so often these days masquerades as jokes or irony, then [...] sometimes it can be more powerful to call it out as what it is, rather than use a label.”

Popular masculinity looks different today than it did before, and so do our ways of labelling it. The fact is, everyone uses labels to navigate intimate relationships, and social life in general. They help us define what is acceptable, and what is not.

These labels are inevitably gendered: ‘Softboy’ is a way of being a man who hurts women, even if it’s hard to see, or doesn’t look like it on the surface. As with any stereotype, when these labels become widely and more compulsively used, their original meaning is inevitably generalized. We should use them pointedly, but critically.

As for the guy in my philosophy class who I called a softboy, he kept interrupting our female professor the other day. I don’t think he’s named Tom, or Phillip. Maybe he’s still a softboy. Or maybe he just has a lot to say, and doesn’t realize the space he’s taking up, even with such a tiny hat.

10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, February 20 , 2018

Tyler, the Creator is glowing With the worst haircut of all time, Tyler delivered heavenly tunes alongside Vince Staples Dylan Adamson Arts & Entertainment Editor 2011 was a while ago. When Tyler, the Creator rapped that he would “stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus” on 2011’s “Yonkers,” he wasn’t threatening the Bruno we’ve come to love or hate on “24K Magic,” “Locked Out Of Heaven,” or even “The Lazy Song.” Tyler was threatening fedora-wearing, Doowops and Hooligans, “her hair, her hair,” 2011 Bruno Mars.

A lot has happened since 2011. Barack Obama won another election. Donald Trump won one too. Your dad is now familiar with at least three Bruno Mars songs. Bruno Mars married model Jessica Caban, and together the couple adopted an adorable rottweiler, which they named Geronimo. Tyler, the Creator was barred from entering the United Kingdom and Australia for women-hating and homophobic lyrics. Tyler may have publicly come out of the closet on 2017’s [Scum Fuck] Flower Boy. Vince Staples leaped from Odd Future friend-of-a-friend to Black Panther soundtrack-certified headliner.

On Feb. 18, Vince Staples and Tyler, the Creator, performed at MTELUS, Montreal’s largest non-Bell Centre concert hall.

Staples’ opening set was ridiculous; the rapper seamlessly balanced sparse, minimalist cuts from 2015’s Summertime ‘06 with the audacious, West Coast techno of last year’s Big Fish Theory. Backed by a grid screening monochrome videos of waves, flowers, demolished project housing, and Amy Winehouse interviews, Staples violently careened across his stage before a crowd of dehydrated, vibrating rap fans.

Vince Staples is far too good to still be opening for other rappers.

Following a too-long break after his set, the curtains dropped on what must be rap’s most elaborate stage design this side of Kanye West’s Yeezus Tour (in which

Kanye was chased by a wolf-thing on a mountain and sat on a literal throne made of women). Tyler began his performance atop a huge fake rainforest tree, cracked in half at about 20 feet, creating a kind of tropical fern-bannistered causeway to the rest of the stage.

Sporting a hooded peacock-blue puffer jacket, which he quickly threw aside to reveal a high-vis yellow construction vest

your city. Uhhh. I like Tim Horton’s white hot chocolate. Fuck McDonalds. We got that in America. I’m gonna do this next song and shit I guess.”

Understandably a little overwhelmed by the vocal exuberance of the sold-out MTELUS crowd, Tyler’s generic stage banter nonetheless elicited laughter from his sweaty, screaming audience. From the deafening sing-alongs and off-beat clap-

alongs, to the weird, uneasy this-is-my-firstmosh-pit mosh pits, to songs that don’t really beg for them (“Garden Shed,” among many, many others), his reception was uniformly raucous from start to finish.

Tyler has covered an absurd amount of ground in his career. Odd Future isn’t really a thing anymore, as the weak turnout for alumnus Taco’s early opening DJ set can attest. Tyler doesn’t rap about locking Taylor Swift in his basement anymore.

There were fans in the all-ages audience, I’m sure, who wouldn’t recognize the Tyler who screamed at a goth girl and rode Jimmy Fallon’s back on live television in 2012.

These fans were introduced to Tyler not as a cockroach-munching wack job, but as the charming, goofy crooner seen on his recent Tiny Desk Concert. It was a little jarring to see “Yonkers” performed to a more muted response than “See You Again.” But maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Tyler has made the leap to a new generation of hip hop fans, without losing an ounce of his vitality in the transition.

Tyler, the Creator wows Montreal’s 15-year-olds .

(Gabriel Helfant / The McGill Tribune)

and a 100-likes-and-I’ll-get-it soccer ball dye job, Tyler began his descent to stage level with “Where This Flower Blooms,” from Flower Boy. As his own baritone flow nearly succumbed to the audience’s loud chants of “I rock, I roll, I bloom, I glow,” Tyler seemed genuinely surprised at the enthusiasm from the Montreal contingent of his fandom.

Feeding off this crowd-sourced energy, Tyler bounced and flailed through the introspective, idyllic cuts unique to his more recent material, including “Boredom,” “911 / Mr. Lonely,” “Ziploc” (a freestyle over Jay-Z’s “4:44”), and Frank Ocean’s “Biking,” before pausing to take a breath.

“Hi,” Tyler said. “It’s fucking cold in

ALBUM REVIEW

Belle and Sebastian engages listeners through personal narrative accounts. (shopbelleandsebastian.com)

HOW TO SOLVE OUR HUMAN PROBLEMS (PART 3) Belle and sebastian

Scottish indie darlings Belle and Sebastian have returned with a musical gift for the new year: Since December, the Glasgow sixpiece band has released an EP every month, culminating with the final release of How To Solve Our Human Problems (Part 3) on Feb. 16.

While the EP shares its name with the 1970 book on Buddhism by Tibetan Monk Kelsang Gyatso, it doesn’t try to lead its listeners toward enlightenment. Rather, it serves as a collection of vignettes that addresses the multitudes of adulthood: love, morality - all the classics. The EP is an ongoing dialogue between listeners and the many narrators, all centralized around classic themes of what it means to be human— our anxieties, our fears, who and what we love. Amplified through Belle and Sebastian’s eclectic sound that melds folk with chamber pop, How to Solve Our Human Problems tackles universal experiences through the voices of specific narrators.

The EP’s greatest strength, and one that frontman Stuart Murdoch and his motley crew have refined over two decades, is the vivid narrative that each self-contained song creates.

From the love-struck flatmate in “Best Friend,” to the remorseful ex-lover in “Too Many Tears,” Murdoch has an undeniable ability to create endlessly sympathetic, albeit nameless, narrators, borrowing from unconventional genres. In the brash opening lines of “Best Friends” he sings, “Here we are just trying to be flatmates / Here we are just trying to sophisticate/ Be an adult, trying not to fall in love.” The beginning’s snappy delivery bears a definite resemblance to the typical musical theatre ballad. Of course, this similarity is unsurprising, considering Murdoch’s past foray into the movie musical format with 2014’s God Help the Girl.

Over the past two decades, Belle and Sebastian have become staples of the alternative folk circuit. However, this EP proves that they haven’t faded from the limelight.

- Katia Innes (Contributor)

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

STUDENT LIVING 11

How to survive this year’s flu season

Five easy ways to combat the worst epidemic since 2009 Janine Xu Staff Writer This year’s flu season is one for the books—according to U.S. government health reports, it’s considered the worst virus since 2009’s swine flu epidemic, with the Public Health Agency of Canada reporting over 15,500 cases in Canada to date. Since avoiding the flu can be tricky, especially when crowding into lecture halls with 700 other students or cramming for midterms at libraries frequented by thousands of people per day, The McGill Tribune has compiled several tips for staying safe this winter flu season.

1. Eat healthy foods While it may be tempting to survive on nothing but junk food, especially during midterm season, eating well is key to protecting your body from the flu. Vitamins A, C, and E, which act as antioxidants and heighten immune function, can strengthen your body’s natural defense. Carrots and sweet potatoes both contain a lot of vitamin A, so this may be a good time to grab a sweet potato burrito from Burnside’s Soupe Café, or stock up on carrots and hummus for an on-the-

go snack. Try to consume more fruits that are high in vitamin C—such as cantaloupe, kiwi, and mango—and vitamin E—such as spinach, broccoli, and almonds— to boost your immune system. In addition, probiotic yogurt or fermented foods like kimchi or kombucha, boost the “good” bacteria in your gut, which in turn may strengthen your immune system and protect your body against viruses.

2. Get some rest This flu season, be sure to relax and get plenty of rest. If you’ve participated in competitive drinking events—such as Carnival or Science Games—you may find that yourself feeling under the weather. This is because binge drinking harms the body’s immune system by causing deficiencies in necessary minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, and suppressing the ability of white blood cells to multiply, making you more tired and more prone to sickness. However, with a regular good night’s sleep, your body is better able to combat stress and fatigue, both of which can weaken the immune system and put you at a greater risk of getting the flu. In addition, fatigue can increase the duration of symptoms—which can be debilitating during exam season.

3. Get a flu shot Many students skimp out on getting the flu vaccine, but it is a great preventative measure against this year’s nasty virus. Usually, the flu shot is most effective when given in October and November of every year, but it’s never too late to get vaccinated. While the McGill Health Clinic no longer offers vaccinations, it’s still possible to get the shot at other clinics around Montreal, including by appointment at Pharmaprix at 1120 Ste Catherine Ouest.

4. Wash your hands frequently One of the most common ways for germs to spread is through our hands. Students come into contact with many people over the course of a single day, which makes transmission extremely likely. As such, it’s important to practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands frequently, or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer throughout the day. Also, avoid touching your face or eating before washing your hands, as this may transmit the virus into your body.

5. If you’re sick, stay at home If you’ve tried all of these tricks and still wind up getting sick, stay home to protect others from the virus. Highly

By following a few easy tricks, you can put your health first in order to avoid a winter-long illness.

(Summer Liu / The McGill Tribune) infectious diseases such as the flu can be easily passed from person to person, and everything from having a close face-toface conversation to sharing a drink could spread the virus. Maybe instead of going to that party Friday night, relax at home and watch some Netflix—it’s in everyone’s best interest.

Fashion with an ethical passion

Recent McGill graduate on running her own slow-fashion start-up Marie Labrosse Features Editor Continued from page 1.

“I tried to redo my wardrobe sustainably back in 2015 and I realized I really couldn’t afford anything sustainably-sourced, because it’s super expensive,” Battistin said. “[It’s] really an issue that no one is saved from, this problem of where they buy their clothing [....] People care a lot about what they put into their bodies, but not necessarily what they put on their bodies.”

Following this realization, Battistin started paying more attention to the kinds of products her company was using. At that point, she made a conscious effort to try to print on ethically-sourced T-shirts made in working environments with fair wages and high quality working conditions. She entered the McGill Dobson Cup—an annual startup contest organized by the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship—in her senior year, and ultimately reached the semi-final round. She credits one of the competition judges’ encouragement with her decision to commit to her business full-time.

“It started off as an art project [...and then]

(Marie Labrosse / The McGill Tribune)

became a sustainable brand,” Battistin said. “[Now] it’s a lot more of a platform for activism [....I can] explore these issues and educate people about the clothing industry and sustainability.”

Although cotton cannot grow in Canadian soil, every other step in the manufacturing process of Asset Design’s products takes place in Canada.

The facility that knits, cuts, and dyes all of the T-shirts Battistin uses is located in Scarborough, Ontario. Once they have finalized the T-shirts, they ship the blank canvases to her studio in Montreal’s Mile End, which reduces the entire process of making Battistin’s T-shirts to three physical stops.

This model is more sustainable than the fast-fashion supply chain model that many large corporations use, which involves a myriad of different stops and a significantly higher amount of Carbon dioxide emissions as a consequence.

Beyond selling products that she sources and makes, keeping in mind their carbon footprint, Battistin sees Asset Designs as a medium for her to advocate for more sustainable practices in the fashion industry and our consumption of its products. These practices are part of a model referred to as ‘slow fashion.’

“Slow fashion [encourages] a circular

Battistin’s prints set the stage for equitable and sustainable practices in the local fashion industry.

(Marie Labrosse / The McGill Tribune) economy,” Battistin said. “[A product is] made, it’s used, it’s reused, and [then] repurposed and recycled [....In a linear economy] things seem disposable when they’re so cheap.”

Battistin believes that her voice and brand can contribute to the collaborative effort necessary to reform our current consumption model.

“The main problem with the fashion industry is that it needs [...] an interdisciplinary approach to solving the social justice issues associated with it, the environmental issues associated with it,” Battistin said. “And we need people who are interested in technology and engineering to offer solutions for textile recycling that are more easily acceptable and cheaper than what we have available right now.”

Battistin is conscious that such a large issue as encouraging equitable and sustainable practices in the fashion industry can be intimidating for students. She wants her brand and voice to foster an inclusive space for anyone seeking to learn about

how to make the fashion industry more sustainable.

She encourages students to pursue grassroots solutions like browsing second-hand shops, or organizing clothing exchanges with friends to give used clothing a second life. Above all, Battistin advocates for more consumer awareness: The key to a more sustainable fashion industry lies in educated and deliberate choices on the part of customers.

“It’s really up to the consumer to decide [what] they want their money to support,” Battistin said. “[...There] are small ways that we can tackle [the issue of sustainability in fashion] to feel like we have more control over the situation.”

Visit http://www.mcgilltribune.com/studentliving/ to see Tessa Battistin in action. To learn more about Asset Designs and ethically-sourced clothing, check out Battistin’s own clothing swap and documentary screening at Maison Notman House on Feb. 22.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

12 STUDENT LIVING

It’s cuffing season!

Is getting into a relationship really the best way to survive the cold?

Mary Keith Contributor It’s over a month into second semester, and everybody knows what that means: “Cuffing season” has been in full swing for a while now. That time of the year when singles are more inclined to dive into comforting, albeit often temporary, relationships to keep warm during the cold months is alive and well at McGill.

The term “cuffing season” comes from the older concept of “hunter-gatherer seasons,” during which individuals would pair up during the colder months to increase their chances of survival and ability to reproduce.

In fact, more babies are born in late summer, which would indicate an increase in sexual activity during the beginning of cuffing season, in October and November, when the weather begins to get colder. The term was perhaps officially coined in rapper Fabolous’ song, “Cuffin’ Season”, popularizing the term in 2014.

For many, cuffing season is always at the top of their mind, as the colder it gets, the more they long for someone to be there to warm them up. However, for others, the concept of cuffing season is unfamiliar and confusing. Scott Nevison, U3 Arts, is an Australian exchange student who, before arriving at McGill, had never been exposed to cuffing culture. Australia’s temperature tends to stay above zero degrees, so the need for a relationship during some seasons over others does not exist.

“Seeing as it’s so bleak going outside, I guess it’s pragmatic,” Nevison said. “I

can see the value in being cuffed during the winter here because people tend to socialize by drinking, and in the winter, people tend to drink all the time, which is exhaustive because this weather is so draining, it’s always dark and cold [....In the] summer I wouldn’t want to be cuffed because there’s a lot to do. Festivals, day drinking, day events, parties. It seems almost more responsible to keep yourself tamed and cuffed during winter.”

For those hoping to get cuffed, this is an exciting time of the year. In the midst of winter, a cuff may serve as a nice excuse to stay in, drink some hot chocolate, and Netflix and chill. A currently-cuffed student, Gabrielle Martin, U3 Management, has enjoyed the perks of her relationship status this winter season.

“In the winter it’s so nice because you can just cuddle up with them and get some warmth,” Martin said.

While this may sound like the best solution to a frigid winter, Martin believes that one doesn’t need to be in a relationship to stay warm this winter. “[Cuffing season] is overrated,” Martin said. “The best part of cuffing is cuddling and you can do that with friends or family.”

So, if cuddling is the only benefit to being cuffed during cuffing season, it’s easy to grab a friend or a pet instead, and avoid the FOMO of having a wintertime cuff. But for those who find little satisfaction in cuddling, like Martin Mei, U3 Management, this time is better spent in other ways.

“There’s just so much else in life that I can do with my time, such as work, save money,

If you’re down about being single this winter, rejoice in the fact that Spring is right around the corner.

(Erica Stefano / The McGill Tribune) build up my resume, or build up connections for a kick-start on my professional career,” Mei justified. “I’d rather spend time seeing more people than spending all of my free time with one person.”

Additionally, being cuffed during cuffing season makes it easy to end up isolating oneself from Montreal’s winter social life.

When there’s a warm bed and warm body to keep you company during the cold, the appeal of spending time with friends and going out is reduced. To Felix Larouche, U3 Science, this is one major flaw to the season.

“Cuffing season limits opportunities to go out and meet new people,” Larouche

said. “I prefer not being cuffed, because one of my friends is cuffed and he doesn’t seem to do anything fun anymore. He tends to now spend most of his time with his cuff. He’s not for the boys.”

If students are feeling cold and lonely during these snowy months, they should try taking a page out of Mei’s book and keeping extra busy by spending time with friends and focusing on work. Soon enough, once the weather finally warms up, cuffing season won’t even be a flicker of a thought and uncuffed students will be glad they don’t have to suffer through the infamous “What are we?” talk.

McGill Students’ Culinary Society hosts sweet event

Dessert Carnival satisfies sweet tooths and supports student talent Natalia Savkovic Contributor On Feb. 10, the McGill Students’ Culinary Society (MSCS) transformed the SSMU Ballroom into a dessert lover’s paradise, complete with carnival games, festive decorations, upbeat music, and a delicious array of sweet treats. With help from volunteers, the MSCS hosted an event that was much more than just your average bake sale. Though the club has organized many workshops, such as the French Fine Dining workshop and the Challah For Hunger workshop, this was their first-ever dessert carnival.

“We wanted to do something big, and we also wanted to showcase the talent that we have at McGill because there’s a lot of kids here who are really great [bakers],” Mark Mekhanik, U1 Science and VicePresident Media of MSCS, said.

At the carnival, hungry students paid a dollar per token at the door. These tokens could then be used to either try a dessert or play a game. Through playing the games, which included a ring toss, animal pong, and trivia, students could earn additional tokens and vote for their favourite dessert. The winners of the dessert contest were Ianina Altshuler, PhD candidate in microbiology, and her partner, Jerome Choi, a guest contestant

MSCS’s dessert carnival bakers celebrating their success with fellow participants. (The McGill Students’ Culinary Society)

from outside McGill. The pair baked a galaxy doughnut and a bacon doughnut as a team, and were awarded an ice cream machine for their creations.

With desserts ranging from classics like cinnamon buns and tiramisu, to inventive creations like pokemon cake pops and candied bacon-topped doughnuts, any student could find something to enjoy.

The most extravagant desserts included an English trifle, blueberry and mango panna cotta, cream puffs with homemade jam, and moka macarons. The array of desserts

at the event was inclusive to vegans, too, thanks to volunteer Juliette Coleman, U0 Arts, who brought vegan doughnuts.

“I went vegan a year ago, and I stopped baking because what can you bake when you’re a vegan?” Coleman said. “Then I decided that being vegan doesn’t mean I have to stop baking, and I decided to try and make vegan things and make them good too.”

Along with student volunteers, brothers Jack and Vincent Ma, owners of Le Majesthé, an Asian fusion bistro and

teahouse, presented raspberry mousse matcha cake from their restaurant. By taking part in the carnival, they hoped to promote their restaurant and share their love of food with the community.

“I like to make pretty things, so dessert is pretty desirous,” Jack Ma said.

“The product, if it’s made nicely, wows people. I like to see people happy after trying my dessert, so that’s what got me into cooking.”

Volunteers had a chance to win prizes, revel in the recognition of their talent, and receive compensation as they turned in their tokens for money at the end of the night. Participants, on the other hand, were able to enjoy the many different desserts.

“I feel like this is such a hit, and it’s cool to see people explore a talent that not a lot of students ever consider to have the time for because they’re so busy,” Priya Dube, U3 Arts, and event participant, said.

“I think food just brings people together.”

The MSCS plans to continue hosting workshops, hoping to grow both their club’s reputation and students’ knowledge and interest in the culinary arts.

“Our goal is to provide a service to students to help them eat better and to help them develop a better understanding of the culinary arts,” Mekhanik said.

“The goal is to elevate the standard of the general culinary literacy of students.”

Tuesday, February 20 , 2018

science & technology 13

The value of coding in the job market A different way of thinking: Why students should learn to code Emma Gillies Staff Writer As students feel increasingly threatened by what McGill Principal Suzanne Fortier has described as an in-coming “Technological Tsunami,” computer programming is an attractive option for students looking to learn a new skill or to strengthen their resume. Top Universities, a worldwide university ranking site, labelled coding as one of the essential skills that every graduate should have, and primary schools are starting to prioritize coding courses over teaching cursive. However, figuring out how to get started in programming can be both daunting and difficult.

Darlene Hnatchuk, director of McGill Career Planning Services, believes that while not everyone has to be a programmer, knowing how to use computers and understanding how they work is important and applicable to a variety of career paths.

“A lot of organizations and […] governments are pushing coding, and I’m going to be a little bit radical in saying that I don’t think […] all students have to learn how to code,” Hnatchuk told The McGill Tribune.

“I think what all students should do, however, is at least have an understanding of computing and software.”

Hnatchuk recommended that students take at least one introductory computer science course during their undergraduate degree. Courses like COMP 202: Foundations

of Programming, COMP 189: Computers and Society, and COMP 102: Computers and Computing allow students to learn the basics of programming, as well as its applications in the job market.

For students who don’t have room in their McGill degree to pursue an elective computer science course, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)—free online courses offered on a range of subjects—are a manageable alternative. Coursera, edX, and Codecademy are popular online resources with a similar mission of making education more easily accessible. At the heart of it, students should seek out internships or work experiences that allow them to see what skills are needed and useful in their field of interest.

For Derek Ruths, associate professor of Computer Science at McGill, computer programming is an important skill. We rely on computers to problem-solve, and programming is essentially the method through which we communicate our demands.

It’s a bit like learning a language—except that there is a shorter learning curve in computer programming than in human languages.

“Once you learn one programming language, it’s relatively easy to pick up another,” Ruths said.

There are hundreds of programming languages that are used for many different applications. R is popular among ecologists; ArcGIS has a wide range of applications in geography; and AutoCAD, CATIA, and Java

Coding has been labelled as an essential skill that every graduate should have. (medium.com) are just a few of the programs that are used in engineering. In general, though, Ruths believes that learning Python is a good place to start.

“If someone learns [Python], they can really get into any field,” Ruths said.

In this way, any student—including Arts students—can and should familiarize themselves with computer programming.

For instance, many jobs that political science majors are interested in are data-centric, which requires experience in programming. For young entrepreneurs, social media and web design experience are particularly useful.

Above all, what makes programming so valuable is that it introduces a new way of thinking that is complementary to the other skills that many students learn in class. For

students from any discipline, research projects almost always require a basic knowledge of programming and statistics to sort and classify data. The practical uses of programming extend beyond school, with web design and app-construction as some of the most popular applications.

“There is a value in knowing how to think about problems in a way that is [systematic] and structured,” Ruths said.

Even with the value of knowing how to code, Hnatchuk said that students don’t need to know programming to find a job. But they shouldn’t be afraid to learn new programs, technologies, or platforms.

“It’s not such a mystery if you understand the background of how computing works in general,” Hnatchuk said.

Swap out your plastic bags: Montreal bag ban calls consumers to action

By-law 16-051, effective from Jan. 1, 2018, prohibits the distribution of single-use plastic bags Angelina Giordano Contributor On Jan. 1, 2018, Montreal became the first major Canadian city to implement a ban on plastic bags through its enforcement of By-law 16-051, a by-law prohibiting the distribution of single-use plastic bags deemed detrimental to the environment by the city.

But what exactly does the plastic bag ban mean? When taking a closer look, some interesting details become apparent; firstly, the kind of bags that are being banned.

According to the City of Montreal, the bannable bags are single-use plastic shopping bags that are less than 50-microns thick.

Other banned bags include those

Bringing a reusable bag to the grocery store can be a fashion statement. (Getty Images)

that are oxo-degradable, oxofragmentable, and biodegradable, regardless of their thickness.

At first glance, it might seem counter-productive to ban oxodegradable, oxo-fragmentable, and biodegradable bags, items that are branded as environmentallyfriendly. But while their marketing might indicate otherwise, biodegradable plastic bags never completely disappear. Instead of completely decomposing, they use an oxidizing agent that causes them to degrade into infinitely smaller and smaller plastic pieces.

Some of these pieces can become so tiny that they are invisible to the naked eye, and have become a widespread pollutant.

While many Montrealers have celebrated this ban as an environmental victory, why not ban all plastic bags? Bags that are more than 50-microns thick are still legal and have been in circulation since the ban took effect. This number was inspired by a European mandate and is also a standard being used in California. The reasoning for the limit is that bags thicker than 50-microns are less likely to blow away in the wind, and are generally made of recycled plastics and are recyclable themselves.

Ultimately, the ban is a step

forward, but will not eliminate the presence of plastic in retail stores.

It does not forbid the produce bags used to transport food items to the cash, or that hold foods that need to be separated for hygiene, such as meats, fruit, vegetables, or fish.

For business owners, a grace period of about six months will allow businesses to hold off on switching their bags until June 5, 2018—World Environment day.

To encourage shoppers to reuse bags, the city of Montreal has created posters with the slogan, “Je fais ma part, j’ai mon sac,” translated from French to “I do my part, I have my bag.”

When asked about the effects of the ban on Montreal, François Jarry, a first year master’s student in Sport and Exercise Psychology at McGill, expressed his support for the push to choose greener shopping options.

“I was aware of the phasing out of plastic bags, but I didn’t notice a difference in the bags since I always bring my own reusable bags and backpack,” Jarry told The McGill Tribune. “I think [the ban] will have a positive impact on the environment since it will force people to bring their own reusable bags.”

Montreal has taken one step forward in removing plastic from

today’s society. On the other hand, since a complete ban on plastic bags has not been enacted, the change may have less of an effect than some had hoped. However, small actions do make a big difference, so it is up to each of

us to rid the environment of this pesky foe. Now, there are so many different options for reusable bags that it can also be a fashion statement. So do your part, and bring your own bag the next time you shop.

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14 science & technology

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

The quickest way to someone’s heart is through your wallet Valentine’s Day meets love, money, and behavioural ecology

Grace Hu Contributor As society progresses, our definitions of love have broadened and blurred into a kaleidoscope of facts and figures. Nowadays, a human can love a human, an animal can love an animal, a human can love an animal, an animal can love a 2-D character—the list goes on and on. Obviously, there is also a growing variety of ways to express love. But what do these acts of love mean, and why do we do them?

Valentine’s Day—the very embodiment of commercialized romance—has companies leaping at the chance to encourage consumers to purchase gifts for their loved ones. Gifting, however, has a biological significance.

While some consider these celebrations a superficial insult, rites of gift giving and receiving may in fact have an evolutionary lineage. Professor Gad Saad, research chair in Evolutionary Behavioural Sciences at Concordia University, explained that gift giving is ingrained in our biological blueprint.

“When you have sexually reproducing species, each sex looks for certain attributes in the opposite sex for specific evolutionary reasons,” Saad said. “The male typically will engage in what’s called nuptial gift giving. The idea in the human context is to demonstrate cues of generosity, of investment, of concern, [...] cues that are attractive to the opposite sex.”

Nuptial gift giving, which in the animal kingdom refers to the act of males giving tokens or food items to females as part of their courtship ritual, is most prevalent among insects and birds. Its role in the evolution of courtship rituals is a hot research topic for many biologists.

However, some researchers believe that the gifts given on Valentine’s Day are a separate idea from giving nuptial gifts. According to Simon Reader, an associate professor

Nuptial gift giving’s role in the evolution of courtship rituals is a hot research topic for many biologists. (Jade Prevost-Manuel / The McGill Tribune) in McGill’s Department of Biology, genetic evolution has very little to say about the origins of Valentine’s Day rituals, which are almost entirely the result of cultural evolution.

“There are examples [that] look like gift giving in nonhuman animals, including many insects,” Reader wrote to The McGill Tribune in an email. “In these species, individuals that provide gifts tend to be more likely to mate successfully.

However, I am doubtful whether these behaviours in animals say anything useful for understanding human gift giving or Valentine’s Day.” Nowadays, ‘advertisements’ and ‘consumerism’ are words that are almost synonymous with Western culture, especially when these ads relate to romance. De Beers Jewellers notably capitalized on the power of advertising in the 1930s, when their ad campaign invented the tradition of diamond wedding rings and gave the gem new cultural

significance.

Yet despite how capitalism has played its hand in the game of artificial love, Saad explained that the very act of giving gifts remains a primal instinct cultivated by sexual selection. Although the gifts themselves may change, the desires that motivate this ritual of courtship remain true to nature. According to the National Retail Federation, in the U.S., people spend upwards of $19.6 billion on Valentine’s Day alone.

“It’s not the specific chocolate or flowers or diamond rings that’s evolutionary,” Saad noted. “That’s modern culture.

And that’s what Valentine’s Day is—it’s an opportunity to reaffirm the fact that ‘I am attentive enough to go out, spend my time, spend my money, demonstrating to you that I care about you and want to invest in you.’ And that’s something that’s really desirable in terms of human courtship.”

Are vegetarians healthier than meat eaters?

While at higher risk for vitamin deficiencies, vegetarian diets can actually be healthier Océane Marescal Staff Writer Plant-based eaters come in many forms.

Traditional vegetarians, also known as lactoovo vegetarians, do not eat animal flesh of any kind but will consume dairy and eggs. Pescovegetarians, or pescatarians, incorporate fish into their otherwise vegetarian diet. Vegans are those who abstain from all animal-derived products, including dairy, eggs, and honey. In addition to these lifestyles, there is a spectrum of plant-based diets with a variety of different dietary limitations and restrictions.

But why go vegetarian? People choose to adopt plant-based diets for multiple reasons.

Some experts have estimated that vegetarians

can save around 750 dollars a year at the grocery store by going meatless, but others choose the diet as a method of combatting climate change, or reducing animal suffering. Whatever reason one might choose for becoming a vegetarian, these diets provide a variety of health benefits, so long as certain precautions are taken to avoid nutritional deficits.

Anne-Sophie Brazeau, an assistant professor of Human Nutrition at McGill, wrote about the myriad of health benefits that can come from adopting a vegetarian diet in an email to The McGill Tribune. “[A vegetarian diet] has been associated with lower rates of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer,” Brazeau

Vegetarians consume less saturated fat and cholesterol, and more dietary dietary fibre, than meat eaters.

(JaiWen Wang / The McGill Tribune)

wrote. “For example, large prospective studies showed that, on average, vegetarians are 20 to 25 per cent less likely to die of heart disease.”

A reduction in the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol consumed, and an increase in the amount of dietary fibre, may explain the numerous benefits of a vegetarian diet. Along with artery-clogging saturated fats, meat can also contain carcinogenic compounds and artificial hormones. A diet and health study from the National Cancer Institute showed that participants who ate the most red meat experienced a 26 per cent increase in their risk of death from various causes. Another danger is the spike in antibiotic resistance, which has increased due to the large quantities of antibiotics animals are treated with.

Despite the diet’s potential health benefits when properly executed, vegetarians whose diets consist of cheese, pizza, and Coke cannot expect to be any healthier than the average meat eater. In fact, a vegetarian diet requires a great deal of planning. Brazeau stressed the importance of planning meals to increase one’s daily intake of grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes in these types of diets, and warned about the potential detriments of a plant-based diet if it is not properly planned out.

“Vegetarians are at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and individuals may be at risk of developing anemia and osteoporosis,” Brazeau wrote. “By excluding meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and/or dairy products, extra care should be taken to make sure to cover their needs of protein, iron, vitamin B12, calcium,

vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids as those nutrients are more abundant in animal products.”

Vegan diets require an even greater deal of planning to make sure that they provide healthy nutrient uptake. Oftentimes, supplements may even be needed to achieve nutrient quotas.

Protein is necessary for the body to build and repair tissues, such as bones, muscles, and cartilage. Vegetarians can easily get the protein they need from egg and dairy products.

For vegans, sources of plant protein include peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, seeds, nuts, whole grains, and soy products. Eating soy products provides the extra benefit of omega-3 fatty acids, which play a crucial role in brain function and the reduction of heart disease.

Omega-3s can also come from flaxseeds, walnuts, and canola oil. Iron is important for red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body, and a deficiency of iron can cause anemia.

According to Brazeau, vegetarians need to consume about twice the amount of iron that non-vegetarians do, because iron from plant foods is not absorbed as well as iron from animal foods. Plant-based iron sources include cocoa powder, molasses, legumes, and leafy greens. Leafy greens are also a good source of calcium, a mineral that builds strong bones and can prevent osteoporosis, especially essential to women who are more prone to the disease.

Ultimately, while adopting a vegetarian diet can be a healthy option, a well-balanced one is key to receiving all the health benefits that it can bring.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

SPORTS 15

Banner year for McGill swimmers at RSEQ Championship

Redmen swimming brings home first men’s Provincial Championship banner since 2003 Miya Keilin Staff Writer From Feb. 2 to 4, the McGill swimming team competed at the RSEQ Championships in Sherbrooke. Thanks to their prior results at this season’s four RSEQ Cups, the Redmen sat in first place in the conference with a slim two-point lead over the Université de Montréal (UdeM) Carabins. The Martlets also faced strong competition: The Carabins had won seven of the last eight women’s Provincial Championship titles—and the Université Laval Rouge et Or women were vying for another second-place finish after narrowly beating out the Martlets at last year’s championship.

Similar to last season, the UdeM women’s side were crowned provincial champions. This year, however, the Martlets secured second place over the Rouge et Or. Meanwhile, the Redmen held steady and took home the firstplace banner.

McGill also celebrated a number of individual honours. First-year David Brenken was awarded Rookie of the Year at the Championship Cup and McGill Head Coach Peter Carpenter—who coaches both the Redmen and Martlets—won Coach of the Year.

Ten McGill swimmers were named first-team all stars and 11 made the list for second-team.

“It was very, very gratifying to perform as well as we did at provincials,” Carpenter said.

UdeM has an incredibly dominant women’s team, powered by both Olympians and a deep roster that put them out of McGill’s reach. Therefore, instead of aiming to topple the Carabins at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, the Martlets instead put their minds to avenging their 2017 third-place finish behind Laval.

They proved successful in achieving this goal, defeating Laval at every cup and completing their sweep in this competition.

The Redmen’s season goal from the start, meanwhile, was taking home the first-place banner. McGill has fielded strong teams in the past, but with the combination of determined veterans and strong rookies, this squad knew that the provincial title was within reach.

Carpenter attributed the team’s success to its collective work ethic and team dynamic.

“University swimming is the greatest example of turning an individual sport into a team sport,” Carpenter said, explaining the impact that teammates can have on each other throughout a grueling season.

Carpenter pointed back to a speech about dedication that Bradley Crocker, now in his fifth year of university swimming, made at a retreat in September. The talk was a clear example of the impact that teammates can have on each other. “[Crocker told the team that], for each person, when they’re making a decision that’s going to impact their swimming, [to] ask themselves if it’s something that will benefit the

McGill swimmers’ emphasis on teamwork this 2017-18 season paid off. (Hana Shiraishi/ The McGill Tribune) team in the long run,” Carpenter said.

Five months later, it’s easy to see the effect that Crocker’s words have had. Carpenter is proud of his athletes’ efforts—both as individuals and as a team—and the incredible chemistry they have put together. “[They’re] such a good group of people who genuinely care for each other and I think that’s the biggest thing,” Carpenter said. “The

chemistry that they’ve developed is the best I’ve ever had.”

Twenty-eight McGill swimmers qualified for the U-Sports National Championships, which will take place in Toronto this year, starting on Feb. 22. Until then, the athletes will use their time in the pool to fine-tune their strokes as they look to put the finishing touches on a strong season.

The new-look Cleveland Cavaliers Koby Altman’s flurry of trades at the deadline provides hope for crumbling Cavs Sam Wendel Contributor In early February, sitting at a 30-22 record, the 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers season appeared to be a dud: Despite LeBron James, the best basketball player in the world, leading the way, Cleveland was stuck fighting for the third spot in the notoriously weak Eastern Conference. It appeared that the team that had made it all the way to the NBA finals last year was gone, replaced by a squad of ancient stars without any chemistry.

Yet, with the trade deadline’s passing on Feb. 8, that all looks to have changed. Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman pulled the trigger on a series of trades that will reshape this NBA season, and perhaps save the Cavaliers from an extended tanking period in the future.

Altman shipped out Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, Derrick Rose, and the Cavaliers’ 2018 first round pick. Prior to the trade, each player had been fairly ineffective during the season: It soon became clear that the Boston Celtics ecosystem that made Thomas and Crowder into stars could not be replicated in Cleveland. Similarly, Shumpert and Frye saw their respective performances regress from last year, and both were relegated to bench roles. Wade, at 36 years old, is a dinosaur who can occasionally turn back the clock—but he didn’t do so nearly enough to help the Cavs. Finally, after a sordid injury history, Rose was a shell of his former self.

All in all, these players had nothing to offer Cleveland and its playoff ambitions, and

Altman made the right call in trading them for players who have the potential to make a difference.

In return, the Cavaliers received Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood, Sacramento Kings guard George Hill, Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr., and Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson—all young talents or reliable veterans. After playing in Gordon Hayward’s shadow in one of the NBA’s smallest markets, Hood is one of the league’s most underrated players. This season, he has posted career-high marks in points per game and three-point shooting. Similarly, Hill— also with a career-high three-point percentage this season—provides the behind-the-arc shooting and defence at point guard that the Cavaliers badly need. Meanwhile, Nance and Clarkson are both energetic young players who can come off the bench without letting up on offence and defence. If James leaves town this summer as a free agent, they will turn into some of the Cavs’ next franchise cornerstones.

These players address fundamental issues within the Cavs roster. In the modern NBA, any team that hopes to win the championship needs players who can shoot from distance. Cleveland originally tried to solve this issue by bringing in J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver. While both players are good shooters, Smith shoots way too often and Korver not often enough. Furthermore, both are fairly one-dimensional, and Korver is a defensive liability. By adding Hood and Hill, however, the Cavaliers bring firepower to their squad without sacrificing defence or play-making.

New teammates LeBron James and Jordan Clarkson share a moment. (hoopshype.com) Without Kyrie Irving, the Cavs have trotted out weak point guards for the entire season, as Rose remained on the bench, and Thomas was simply ineffective since returning from injury in January to relieve the 36-year-old Jose Calderón. By adding Hill and Clarkson, Cleveland fills that hole, taking pressure off of James and allowing him to be more of a wing player—a position where he flourishes.

Additionally, the Cavaliers struggled at defence. Though Kevin Love has received a lion’s share of the blame for years, others were not pulling their weight either. Tristan Thompson posted stats close to his career lows in most defensive categories, while

their guards only added to the bleeding.

Nance, however, is a defensive weapon who alters shots and racks up 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks per game—which could finally shore up a weak defensive front court.

On paper, all of Altman’s transactions make sense, and their effects have shown up on the court: The Cavaliers are undefeated since the trade deadline, including a huge 22-point win over the Eastern-favourite Celtics. Clearly, the new guys are here to play.

With their help, LeBron and the Cavaliers are, once again, real contenders in an increasingly interesting East. The basketball world is still reeling from the trades, but the new-look Cavs mean serious business.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

16 SPORTS

MARTLET HOCKEy VICTORIOUS IN SEASON FINALE

McGill edges Carleton in last regular season game Jordan Foy Staff Writer In their last game of the regular season, the McGill Martlets (9-9-1), defeated the Carleton Ravens (3-15-2). In the fast-paced affair, the Martlets comfortably outperformed their opponents, winning 3-2.

In the first stanza, the ice seemed tilted toward Carleton’s end. McGill dominated the game, trapping Carleton in their own zone for long stretches at a time, employing their speed to win races and battles for the puck. McGill drew first blood when first-year forward Christiana Colizza redirected a point shot fired by third-year rearguard Zoe Todd past the Carleton netminder.

The Ravens responded only a few moments later, when a forward managed to fire a shot past second-year McGill goalie Tricia Deguire. Later in the frame, McGill was issued the only penalty of the period, but the Martlet penalty kill unit was exceptional, extinguishing the Raven’s efforts.

After a goal from first-year forward Marika Labreque moments into the second stretch, it appeared that McGill was about to run away with the game, as they continued their solid play from the first period. However, their speed faded, and Carleton managed to hang on and stay in the game.

The Ravens evened the score midway through the period at 2-2 after a Carleton attacker jammed in a loose puck during a pile-up around the net. At the second intermission, the team focused on returning to their first-period form.

“We wanted to stick to the game plan,” Head Coach Peter Smith said. “We didn’t make a lot of tactical changes, but the girls needed a reminder at the end of the second period that they needed to start playing fast the way that we normally do. And they did.”

In the final period, Smith’s motivational impact was evident: McGill regained their speed from the first and put together many excellent scoring opportunities. The Martlets look the lead with the goahead goal on the powerplay when Labreque batted in a loose puck for her second goal of the night.

For the remainder of the period, the team was unable to extend their lead, but ultimately outlasted their adversaries, hanging on to defeat the Ravens 3-2.

With the regular season behind them, the Martlets have turned their attention towards the RSEQ playoff, where they will face off against the Université de Montréal (UdeM) Carabins (14-2-4) in the first round.

“Our last few games haven’t been as meaningful as they could [have been],” Smith said. “I think our group is really looking forward to starting the playoffs and getting going and playing against a solid team, and we’ll be set to go.”

Despite losing to the Carabins 10-0 in their last meeting on Feb. 11, the Martlets believe that they are ready to take on the division-leading Montreal squad.

“After our loss last time against Montreal, we had our things we wanted to focus on to improve going into playoffs and I think we [...] worked on those and got them done,” alternate captain and thirdyear forward Olivia Atkinson said.

The Martlets will play UdeM on Feb. 22 at Arena CEPSUM, before returning to McConnell Arena on Feb. 24. If necessary, the series will conclude at the Arena CEPSUM for the final game of the series on Feb. 25.

Moment of the gamE

During a Martlet power play in the third period, second-year forward Jade Downie-Landry launched a shot towards the net. Through a logjam of bodies, it found its way to first-year forward Marika Labreque’s stick, and she potted the game-winning goal and her second of the night.

Quotable

“We know what we have to do. We’re playing Montreal obviously, and it wasn’t a good game last time, but we know where we […] broke down against them last time and I think we know where we need to focus on to come out on top.” – Alternate captain Olivia Atkinson on the Martlets playoff matchup against the Carabins.

Stat corner McGill Martlet Jade Downie-Landry sets up shop in front of the Carleton net. (Noah Sutton / The McGill Tribune)

At a 41-18 margin, the Martlets more than doubled the Ravens shooting output.

Citadins upset Martlet volleyball in bitter struggle UQAM takes an unexpected win at McGill’s senior night Patrick Beacham Contributor The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins (6-14) took the McGill Martlets (14-6) to task at the Feb. 16 Beach Night match in Love Competition Hall—which was packed with McGill and UQAM fans alike. Scraping ahead at every crucial moment, the Citadins maintained control of the game, which culminated in a surprising 3-0 UQAM victory.

“It’s kind of unexpected,” fifthyear middle Érika Cournoyer said. “We worked hard in practice, but it just didn’t show up as we wished on the court.”

The first set was tight from the beginning, with blocks on both sides making for hard returns. However, UQAM pulled ahead of McGill in the middle of the frame and came out on top 25-22.

Though the Martlets are comfortably seated in a playoff position, their opponents were fighting to secure a spot in the postseason, keeping the Citadins focused and motivated throughout the entire game.

“They’re actually playing for fourth place, so for a spot in the playoffs,” fourth-year middle Myriam Robitaille said. “They had a really good second [half of the] season, and [they’re] going to be a team to respect for sure.”

In the second and third sets, the

Martlets’ inability to return mid-range drives and deep spikes left them vulnerable to the Citadins’ strong attack. Many times, their dives and digs fell short, costing McGill dearly during critical points. The Martlets broke free from an 8-8 tie in the third set, but their lead proved fleeting, ultimately losing the final set 21-25.

“We have to [make] our first-contact passing a little closer to the net so we’re not putting ourselves in a tough situation to be able to hit and use the height we have,” Head Coach Rachele Beliveau said.

Against the backdrop of the Beach Night match, the Martlets paid homage to Cournoyer, Robitaille, and fifth-year libero Marjolaine Ste-Marie, who are all graduating after this season.

“All of them have contributed really well to the program, made the program grow, and it’s always hard to see them leave,” Beliveau said. “But at the same time, this is life, so they’re going to move on to something new.”

After Friday’s upset, the Martlets went on to sweep the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-0 on Feb. 17, a marked improvement over their previous 3-2 victory against the Gee-Gees on Jan. 28. Going into their playoff matchup against the Laval Rouge et Or, which is slated for the first weekend in March, McGill will focus on returning to an unpredictable playing style to stay one step ahead of their rivals.

Érika Cournoyer prepares a serve on her senior night. (Hana Shiraishi / The McGill Tribune)

Moment of the gamE

The final McGill offensive began when second-year power Claire Verchival spiked the ball off the UQAM blockers and out of bounds to break an 8-8 tie in the third set.

Quotable

Even if they’re in [fourth place], they’re gonna show up, so we always have to be ready to play teams like this.” – Fifth-year middle Érika Cournoyer on UQAM’s grit and the upcoming challenge of the postseason

Stat corner

Martlets fourth-year Myriam Robitaille served a game-high five aces.