In loving memory of Fabienne de Cartier, 2003-2025
Fabienne de Cartier was a News Editor and Director of Digital Strategy at The Tribune from 2024-2025. She passed away on August 12, 2025, from osteosarcoma.
Fabienne lived as the truest kind of journalist—thoughtful, curious, ambitious, honest—and the truest kind of friend. Her smile was contagious, her love and care limitless. The world will never be as bright as when she walked through it, yet it is better because she did.
To those she spoke of with endless affection and pride—Shauna, Joshu, Lucas, Indira, Valentina, and countless other loved ones—we extend our deepest condolences. Fabienne’s light was made brighter by your love and support. No thank you will ever be enough for helping shape one of the most remarkable people we’ve ever met.
With infinite gratitude for all she gave and all she was, The Tribune dedicates this issue, and the rest of Volume 45, to Fabienne and her beautiful life. When you read The Tribune, remember Fabienne. Her love lingers in these pages, and it will linger in the pages that turn long after us.
What a glittering force of nature you were, Fabienne. We love you, and we miss you deeply.
Yusur Al-Sharqi Editor-in-Chief
My personal reflection can be found on page 5.
As Fabienne said, “bring a revolution of kindness.” Her warmth and grace lit up every space she entered—and The Tribune office was no exception. As a contributor, writer, and then editor, Fabienne transformed the face of McGill’s student journalism. She was a brilliant, innovative writer whose passion was boundless. As my dear friend, she was even more extraordinary: Unwaveringly generous, incredibly thoughtful, and endlessly present. She has made me kind, patient, and courageous. I look to grasp her insatiable desire to learn, her compassion for all she met, and her unrelenting fight for justice. She is deeply missed, and her voice remains with us throughout her revolutionary stories.
Jasjot Grewal,
Editor-in-Chief
(2024-25)
I met Fabienne’s writing long before I did her. As both an editor and a reader of The Tribune, I must have come across half a dozen of her articles by the time she joined the Editorial team. Long before I put a face to her name, I came to associate her with thoughtful, heartforward news coverage. Though I didn’t know her very well or for very long, Fabienne’s words and spirit undoubtedly left their mark on me. As a colleague, her tenacious work ethic and commitment to responsible journalism inspired me. As a friend, her advice and reflections during our pre-Ed Board chats became a favourite part of my weekly routine. Fabienne, I feel so lucky to have witnessed your light, even if just for a short while. We are all better for knowing you. Rest easy.
Dana Prather, Arts & Entertainment Editor (2023-25)
It was a joy and privilege to get to know Fabienne through our work in the News section. As a friend, her kindness and her welcoming spirit are unforgettable. As a part of the News team, her commitment to critical and compassionate reporting enriched our section in countless ways. Fabienne pushed The Tribune to better carry out our mandate and serve our community, and she did so with grace and care. Her beautiful writing, good-hearted sense of humour, and rockstar glitter makeup are just a few other memories that I’ll always hold on to. Thank you for everything, Fabienne.
Eliza Lee, News Editor (2024-25)
In the short time I was fortunate to have with Fabienne, her immense talent inspired me and taught me so much about what it means to be a good journalist, citizen, and friend. It wasn’t just me, though: That was her effect on everyone she touched. Her kindness, hope, and fervor for the world were nothing short of magic; even as a writer, it feels impossible to put into words what the world has lost. She brought peace to any room and electricity to any dance floor. Now, I carry her with me through every interview I hold and every story I write. After she passed, I re-watched her 2020 Toronto Poetry Slam performance over and over, wanting to hear her beautiful words again. She said it best, as she always did: “The most excruciating lesson I’ve learned is that love is always worth the pain.”
Shani Laskin, Managing Editor of News and Sports (2024-25)
Copy editing can be a lonely role. While most other Tribune editors interact with their section and colleagues regularly throughout the week, the majority of my work took place in our office with almost no one else present. But Fabienne was always there. She didn’t need to be in the office on our Monday production day; as a Section Editor, her edits were completed by the end of the weekend. We were only required
to interact at our weekly Editorial Board meetings. And yet, she always came in, seemingly just to provide company while she worked on other things. Fabienne would listen, not only with patience but with real interest, to all of my most pedantic nitpicks about curly apostrophes or dangling participle phrases. Her going above and beyond quickly showed me, a lonely Copy Editor, that I did not just have colleagues at The Tribune: I had friends.
Matt Adelberg, Copy Editor (Fall 2023, 2024-25)
When I sheepishly walked into my first pitch meeting at The Tribune, Fabienne spotted me standing in the doorway, not quite sure where to go. She immediately welcomed me with a broad smile, invited me to sit next to her, and made me feel at home. In the coming weeks, she coached and mentored me as I excitedly embarked on a journey into the world of journalism. Fabienne’s strength as a journalist and mentor came from her rare pairing of warmth and kindness with a firm and confident attitude towards her work. The world is a poorer place without her.
Daniel Miksha, News Staff Writer (2024-25)
“We already spoke to one of The Trib’s journalists, Fabienne,” a law professor informed me while taking a break from the picket line. “She was just incredible.” Everyone who knew Fabienne knows how she singularly carried a tenacious generosity, warm and reciprocal spirit, and fierce ability to welcome those around her into her light. I recall many of our shared English professors celebrating her union reporting in congratulatory emails to us. Immersed in how rigorous journalism can change people’s lives, Fabienne was the model for our staff—bold and exacting, poetic, political, and ethical. In friendships, in classes, and in the newsroom, she challenged all of us to live life to the fullest and be our best selves, and we were proud that she genuinely believed that we might just get there. Her loss is simply
immeasurable. Fabienne’s legacy of grace and courage guides us with every piece and step.
Matthew Molinaro, Editor-in-Chief (20232024)
My first impression of The Tribune was Fabienne’s voice: Warm, welcoming, and unwavering. As we spoke over the phone about my earliest article, which we co-wrote, Fabienne invited me into the News team with a generous, earnest, and wise kindness that would set the tone for every conversation we shared. Whatever Fabienne dedicated her interest and attention to was made better and brighter by her care. The truth she spoke to power throughout her work will permanently endure—an article of Fabienne’s about faculty unionization is taped to my professor’s office door. I am honoured to walk by it each day and be reminded of my gratitude for Fabienne’s brilliance, beauty, and empathy.
Mairin Burke, Managing Editor of News and Sports
I first spoke with Fabienne last fall, tabling for The Tribune at Activities Night. We talked about the things we liked to do, what we studied, why we wrote. She told me about the things she believed in, initiatives she had taken in her community, how she imagined things could be. It was a gesture of striking kindness: In meeting a new person, to define yourself by the things you do for other people. She led by example—intelligent, thoughtful, hopeful, seeing storytelling as a tool with which to create beauty and change. I feel immeasurably fortunate to have met her, and the community at The Tribune is made much richer by her memory. The world at the paper and beyond is a better place with her words in it.
Kellie Elrick, Arts & Entertainment Editor (2024-25)
In Fabienne’s honour, donations can be made to the Fabienne de Cartier Award for Poetry at www.fabiennedecartier.com.
From left, Matt Adelberg, Jasjot Grewal, Fabienne de Cartier, Yusur Al-Sharqi, Shani Laskin, and Eliza Lee, at Fabienne’s wedding.
Negotiations
continue over QPIRG and McGill’s MoA QPIRG maintains that McGill has no authority to rule them in de fault of the MoA
Asher Kui News Editor
In January 2025, McGill Interim Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning) Angela Campbell issued a notice of default of McGill’s Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) at McGill. The university warned QPIRG that it will suspend the student funding that QPIRG receives if the organization continues to support Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR).
SPHR is one of QPIRG’s 17 working groups, which are collectives of students and community members selected annually by QPIRG to receive financial and administrative support from the organization.
In an interview with The Tribune, Nelly Wat, an outreach coordinator at QPIRG, explained that McGill issued QPIRG a notice of default because McGill views SPHR to have breached the university’s Code of Student Conduct.
“[McGill is] saying that by [QPIRG]
supporting SPHR [...] by providing funding and resources, we are effectively also in breach of the Code of Conduct, and therefore in breach of our Memorandum of Agreement with McGill,” Wat said.
Wat then described QPIRG’s attempts to negotiate with Campbell and McGill’s Dean of Students, Tony Mittermaier, after McGill issued the notice of default. They reported that two student representatives of QPIRG met with McGill twice in a non-legal setting. According to Wat, both meetings ended in a stalemate.
“[McGill was] saying that [...] [we] have to cease providing any funding to SPHR, [that we] have to notify them in writing and provide a read receipt that they have, in fact, received this, that [we are] no longer supporting them,” Wat said. “And until [we] do this, [QPIRG] cannot book events on campus. That was a consequence that [McGill] invented to impose on us, to give us a bit of a sense of urgency, or to pressure us.”
Carl Bystram, a community research and working groups coordinator at QPIRG, explained that the next step QPIRG is taking is to contest the notice of default
through arbitration.
“McGill can’t say we’re in breach of contracts, and they can’t declare that unilaterally,” Bystram said. “This actually has to be [...] found by an arbitrator or judge. On top of that, there has been a fight to just get McGill to stand by, to obey the [MoA]. So now it is also a procedural issue.”
Bystram also shared that the legal costs of arbitration will be a challenge to QPIRG.
“Arbitration costs $950 [CAD] an hour,” Bystram said. “Bringing small, grassroots social justice groups into court is a way of paralyzing them financially. So regardless of the outcome of the actual arbitration, even if it goes into our favor, we will have lost an enormous amount of resources for this.”
As a result, QPIRG has launched a legal fundraiser, aiming to raise $15,450 CAD to support their legal efforts. As of Sept. 3, they have raised $10,559 CAD, with major donors including Queer McGill and The Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill.
In a written statement to The Tribune , McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO) reiterated that SPHR is unaffiliated with McGill and that the university supports rightful protest on campus, despite its decision to issue QPIRG a notice of default.
“The QPIRG MoA was terminated because of its [expression of] support, including financial support, for SPHR,” the MRO wrote. “[....] To be clear, McGill is firmly committed to freedom of expression and has no issue with lawful activism and protest regardless of the cause.”
In an interview with The Tribune , former Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice President External Affairs Hugo-Victor Solomon pointed out similarities between QPIRG’s and SSMU’s respective conflicts with McGill.
“This fight that QPIRG is going
through is identical to the fight that SSMU went through,” Solomon said. “In the default letter that [Campbell] sent to QPIRG, she actually [...] just sent a copy of what she had sent [SSMU] [....] It’s unsettling to say the least.”
Bystram also noted a pattern of McGill exercising legal tactics against student groups.
“Court cases aren’t things that necessarily a lot of universities do, like the kind of constant threat over [MoAs], it’s actually quite McGill-specific,” Bystram said. “This is a part of a financial weight that they add on student resources. It is also an extremely expensive procedure on their end, and they keep on doing this while they claim to be broke.”
Bystram further outlined how QPIRG will proceed if they are to be found in default during arbitration. They mentioned how McGill is exploiting its policies to target student activist groups.
“There [would be] a procedure where we [would have to] restructure the organization until it is in compliance with the contract,” Bystram explained. “We have interpreted this as meaning that we would have to drop SPHR [as a working group] [....] [McGill’s] Code of Conduct is not meant to be used against a group. They’re really changing the rules so that they can have exceptions where they’re able to repress political action on campus.”
Solomon highlighted QPIRG’s dedication to social and environmental justice, and its important place in life at McGill.
“Oppressing student mobilization on baseless claims should never be tacitly accepted or normalized,” Solomon said. “[QPIRG has] become an invaluable part of the fabric of this community. It’s not the first time that McGill has tried to go after them [....] The fact that they’ve been around for decades is a testament to how invaluable their presence is.”
McGill to charge students for Fall Convocation guests, despite spring backlash
McGill
waived
Spring
Convocation
guest fees after graduates exp ressed outrage
Mairin Burke Managing Editor
On May 8, Interim Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Angela Campbell emailed graduating students that they must pay $25 CAD to bring two guests to the Tomlinson Fieldhouse Spring 2025 Convocation ceremonies. This update, along with ceremony timing changes, sparked outrage amongst attendees, who expected the four free guest tickets and Lower Field graduations that McGill has historically provided. Students whose guests had already booked travel to Montreal scrambled to obtain extra tickets.
The next day, Campbell sent another email to affected students, announcing that McGill would waive ticket costs and reinstate the four guest allowance. Campbell also acknowledged the university could have managed Convocation plan -
ning “more effectively.”
Henry Olsen, a Spring 2025 Faculty of Arts graduate, called McGill’s initial decision to charge students for guests “money farming” in a written statement to The Tribune.
“Even when [McGill] had to rent out the Bell Centre [in 2024], a building they didn’t even own, the [graduation] tickets were free!” Olsen wrote. “It’s obvious they’re trying to fix their financial books.”
In a written statement to The Tribune , the McGill Media Relations Office (MRO) explained why Convocation was not held on the Lower Field.
“The decision to hold Convocation at the Fieldhouse in Spring 2025 was made after considering a number of elements, including the significant construction work underway on campus,” the MRO wrote.
Olsen posited that McGill only reversed changes to Spring Convocation when some incoming alumni pledged to withhold future university donations.
“It’s only when the brand name ‘McGill’ is hurt by publications of their incompetency [...] that they change,” Olsen wrote.
An upcoming McGill graduate who wished to remain unnamed shared in a written statement to The Tribune how disappointing they found McGill’s renewed decision to charge students for guests at Fall 2025 Convocation, held at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier.
“In light of the reaction for the Spring Convocation, this feels like a slap in the face,” the student wrote.
QPIRG’s projected legal costs for going to arbitration with McGill far exceed the funding QPIRG provides to SPHR as one of their working groups. (Nell Pollak / The Tribune)
In spring 2024, McGill held Convocation ceremonies at the Bell Centre as the Palestinian Solidarity Encampment stood on the Lower Field. (Sophie Schuyler / The Tribune)
McGill Faculty Associations challenge Quebec’s Bill 89 in effort to protect the right to strike
Bill
89 will expand definition of “essential work” to allow government to end certain labour strikes
Helene Saleska News Editor
The Confederation of Faculty Associations of McGill (COFAM), a group of four McGill faculty unions, announced on Aug. 5 that they filed an application for judicial review in the Superior Court of Quebec to challenge the constitutionality of Quebec’s Bill 89. COFAM consists of the Association of McGill Academic Staff of the School of Continuing Studies (AMASCS/AMPEEP), the Association of McGill Professors of Education (AMPE), the Association of McGill Professors of the Faculty of Arts (AMPFA), and the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL/AMPD).
Bill 89 will give Quebec’s Minister of Labour broad discretionary power to deem any strike too disruptive to the population, and to order strikers back to work and into binding arbitration. The bill was adopted in May 2025 and is set to go into effect in November 2025.
Professor Barry Eidlin, Vice-President of AMPFA, explained in an interview with The Tribune that Bill 89 will dramatically redefine what the provincial government considers an “‘essential worker.’” He explained that essential work previously only pertained to workers like ICU nurses and paramedics, necessary during “a life or death situation.” Eidlin expressed that expanding this definition could be detrimental to labour movements.
“[Bill 89] […] allows the [...] Minister [of Labour] considerable discretion in determining
what constitutes essential work, and it can include things like economic damage or economic cost [to the employer],” Eidlin said.
COFAM is challenging the constitutionality of Bill 89 on the basis that it infringes on Canada’s protected right to strike. Eidlin explained that once the bill goes into effect, the government could potentially force any workers back to work, depending on how the Minister of Labour chooses to interpret essential work, and the level of harm they determine the strike to cause to the “well-being of the population.”
“A huge number of workers are essential workers in the sense that the work they do is essential to the day-to-day functioning of society, and that’s why strikes work, because they highlight the fact that without the labour that these workers do, society comes to a halt,” Eidlin stated. “If [Bill 89 is] allowed to stand, then we really don’t have a meaningful right to strike in Quebec.”
Based on McGill’s historic response to faculty strikes and union efforts on campus, from the 2024 Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) strike, to the AMPL strike of 2024, Eidlin reported that faculty worry McGill could take advantage of Bill 89 to ignore workers’ demands in the future. He referenced the fact that McGill tried to force professors to scab on their students during the AGSEM strike in 2024, by pushing professors to do TAs’ standard grading work.
“McGill has shown that it takes a very hard line against its workers when they go on strike,”
Eidlin said. “It’s entirely reasonable to expect that they would try to take advantage of whatever benefits they could get from the bill.”
Similarly, Law Professor and AMPL’s Secretary Richard Janda explained that when AMPL reached an impasse with McGill during negotiations over their collective agreement in 2024, McGill tried to call on the Quebec government to push AMPL’s professors into binding arbitration.
“It really took away the incentive from McGill to engage in collective bargaining,” Janda said. “They basically held out for a back to work order.”
In written correspondence with The Tribune, McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO) “respectfully declined” to comment on the university’s response to previous labour strikes and to faculty unionization on campus.
Eidlin reaffirmed the core threat to academic freedom Bill 89 poses, explaining how the right to strike protects professors’ abilities to explore and teach controversial ideas, and to improve students’ classroom experience.
“A strike is part of a negotiation process to shape not just our wages and benefits, but also our working conditions, which are students’ learning conditions,” Eidlin said.
The Tribune Explains: Pregnancy care for McGill students
Where to go for healthcare and academic accommodations as a pre gnant student
Kaitlyn Schramm News Editor
This article serves as an informational resource only and does not provide medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for more information on pregnancy care in your community.
Following an exploration of childcare services on campus and a guide to abortion access for McGill students, The Tribune finds it vital to publish a Tribune Explains on access to pregnancy care. Although the tiny, cramped seats of Leacock 132 do not paint a pregnancy-friendly picture of campus, there are several avenues for specialized pregnancy care at McGill.
Where can students find emergency pregnancy resources on campus?
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) has an Obstetrics department designed for high risk pregnancies. Accessing pregnancy care at the MUHC requires a referral from a physician, which patients can obtain at a walk-in clinic. However, for a pregnancy that is not high risk, the department will direct patients to a different obstetrician.
For early pregnancies, the MUHC provides specialized care through their Early Pregnancy Rapid Assessment Clinic (EPRAC), which supports pregnant people under 18 weeks experiencing abnormal symptoms like bleeding or severe cramping. The
appointment slots at the EPRAC are first come, first served on a daily basis, open Monday through Friday mornings.
For pregnancies past 18 weeks that require emergency support, students can access the MUHC’s Birthing Centre. Emergency circumstances include a patient’s water breaking, vaginal bleeding, or other worrying symptoms as listed on the MUHC’s website. Patients can contact The Birthing Centre by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
What other resources does the MUHC provide?
Aside from the numerous clinics within the MUHC’s Obstetrics department that provide care in cases of extreme or complicated pregnancies, the MUHC also offers educational resources for those experiencing a firsttime pregnancy. These resources outline how to register as a patient—with the MUHC or an outside hospital—how to support newborn diets, and how to breastfeed. Recognizing the intense changes pregnancy can bring about, the MUHC provides resources for mental health support during pregnancy, support following miscarriages, and legal contacts for cases of domestic violence.
Where can I go for pregnancy support in greater Montreal?
For most pregnancies that are past 18 weeks and not high risk, one must seek an obstetrician beyond McGill. For example, Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine is one of the top pediatric hospitals in North Amer-
ica, situated behind Mont Royal on Decelles Avenue. Sainte-Justine provides patients obstetric care from the beginning of pregnancy to the end, with specialists available.
How can I access accommodations as an expecting parent?
McGill has a set of accommodation guidelines to assist with pregnant students’ needs. The guidelines note that pregnant students are responsible for reaching out to their department’s Student Affairs Office, whose specific Undergraduate Program Director will meet with the student to decide in advance where they can make accommodations. The student must provide medical documentation of pregnancy to the Office.
Where can I find financial support?
Patients can apply for financial reimbursement through most health insurance plans, including McGill-provided international health insurance, after they have paid for treatment.
If a pregnant student is employed, applying for the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan during pregnancy can help ease the financial load of taking care of a newborn baby. In order to apply, one must be a Quebec resident, and have either stopped working or expect to experience a 40 per cent decrease in income following the birth.
For more information on resources for pregnant students, visit the MUHC website. If you need urgent medical support, call 911.
Nearly 22 out of every 1,000 teenagers in Quebec experience pregnancy. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
Bill 89 will expand definition of “essential work” to allow government to end certain labour strikes. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
News Editors Asher Kui Helene Saleska Kaitlyn Schramm news@thetribune.ca
Opinion Editors Moyo Alabi Lulu Calame Ellen Lurie opinion@thetribune.ca
Science & Technology Editors Leanne Cherry Sarah McDonald scitech@thetribune.ca
Student Life Editors Gregor McCall Tamiyana Roemer studentlife@thetribune.ca
Features Editor Jenna Durante features@thetribune.ca
Arts & Entertainment Editors Annabella Lawlor Bianca Sugunasiri arts@thetribune.ca
Sports Editors Anoushka Oke Clara Smyrski sports@thetribune.ca
Design Editors Zoe Lee Eliot Loose design@thetribune.ca
Photo Editors Armen Erzingatzian Anna Seger photo@thetribune.ca
Multimedia Editors Sahel Delafoulhouse Wendy Lin multimedia@thetribune.ca
Web Developer Rupneet Shahriar webdev@thetribune.ca
Copy Editor Ella Bachrach copy@thetribune.ca
Social Media Editor Mariam Lakoande socialmedia@thetribune.ca
Business Manager Celine Li business@thetribune.ca
McGill must confront its hand in human torture
The Tribune Editorial Board
After decades of institutional negligence, a new classaction lawsuit presents McGill with the opportunity to formally address its role in the human torture experiments conducted through the CIA-funded MKUltra program. Given this opening for reparative action, McGill must reconcile its historic and ongoing violence towards the Indigenous communities whose children were disproportionately represented as victims of the program.
Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron designed and led the MKUltra experiments at McGill University. Though allegedly aimed at addressing schizophrenia, these experiments were funded by the CIA with motives of ‘mind control’ through inhumane human “depatterning” procedures— including the erasure of memory through extreme high-voltage shocks, hallucinogenic drugs, sensory deprivation, and sedatives.
In July, Quebec Superior Court Judge Dominique Poulin authorized a class-action lawsuit against Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, and the federal government for their enablement of these unethical human psychological experiments, administered at McGill’s Allan Memorial Institute between 1948 and 1964. The plaintiffs are demanding compensatory damages for all patients of the experiments, as well as their family members and
dependants.
This lawsuit marks the first major action within the Canadian judicial system to condemn the MKUltra program while simultaneously holding the institutions who oversaw the program directly accountable for comprehensive financial reparations. In the 1980s, 300 survivors filed for compensations from the Canadian government, yet only nine received financial reparation; the CIA maintained that its actions were appropriate at the time. Of the 300 survivors, 250 were denied compensation altogether due to failures to produce the required medical documents—many of which were destroyed by the CIA in the 1970s.
A large number of the MKUltra victims were Indigenous children taken from residential schools, many of whose bodies were never recovered.
In May, the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) alleged evidence of potential human remains from these experiments at the Royal Victoria Hospital, where McGill’s $870-million CAD New Vic Project renovation is underway. This latest report is the third type of evidence of human remains detected by remote sensing technologies during the Mohawk Mothers’ yearslong legal battle with McGill. The findings reinforce the Mohawk Mothers’ rightful and scientificallyfounded authority in determining the proper approach to investigations at the New Vic site.
McGill, however, has not only
been dismissive of the Mohawk Mothers’ demands and evidence of human remains, but has also failed to formally acknowledge the central role the university played in orchestrating the MKUltra program. In fact, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) claims that Dr. Cameron worked in an “independent manner,” asserting that the hospital was not his legal employer, despite Dr. Cameron being the acting chairman of the McGill psychiatry department while conducting the MKUltra experiments in the university’s facilities. The Canadian government has been similarly negligent of its role in the human torture experiments—dismissing lawsuits and calling survivors’ claims of abuse ‘unfounded’—despite providing half a million dollars in funding to the program, equivalent to $4 million CAD today. McGill’s institutional disregard for its violent colonial past is epitomized by its relentless prioritization of the New Vic Project. Despite facing massive budget cuts and almost $200 million CAD in projected deficits, resulting in hundreds of layoffs and a hiring freeze, McGill has maintained that the New Vic Project remains a “priority.” As the Mohawk Mothers demand the most fundamental rights to investigate their land, McGill continues to prioritize its settler colonial agenda while destroying and building over the site of bodies tortured at McGill’s hand. This new class-action lawsuit
Serious reflections
Yusur Al-Sharqi Editor-in-Chief
The worst insult I ever received was at a parent-teacher conference. My third-grade teacher joked that I was “very serious” about school. I would have preferred it if she failed me.
Taking something seriously was, to me, horrifying. It was an insurmountably embarrassing hallmark of someone uncool, someone self-important who lacked the airy and ironic character that makes people likable. As such, I was determined to rid myself of this distasteful habit.
As it turns out, I’m still bad at this. When I applied to be Editor-inChief of The Tribune, I came to my three-hour interview armed with a 42page editorial plan; I told my friends I had a couple of bullet points.
Fabienne de Cartier, on the other hand, brought 73 pages, unflinchingly. Fabienne was a journalist, an essayist, a poet, an athlete, an artist, and a friend. Though I did not
know her for very long, she had an exceptional talent for slipping past the perimeter people keep around themselves.
The first time we spoke was at a party. I had been crying about something so important I’ve now forgotten, and Fabienne pulled me aside, sat me down on the couch, and listened to me for hours until she was certain I was okay. She didn’t have to take me seriously, but she did—that was just how she was. She did nothing half-heartedly, and her care always reached far and ardently towards those around her. From then on, she always offered a warm smile across the newsroom, and it made me a little braver.
I came to understand seriousness differently because of Fabienne. I used to see it as something rigid and cold, but the way she sailed through the world rewrote that. Her seriousness wasn’t heavy or joyless. It was resilient, but never stiff. It was intensity in its warmest form, born out of love and care and humility.
Fabienne’s seriousness manifested in the care she brought
plays the crucial role not only of demanding formal justice for all victims of the MKUltra experiments, but also of rejecting the idea that the program was an isolated abuse of the past. Instead, it centres justice for the victims and survivors of the program as a pressing issue of today
As an institution, McGill cannot continue to give lip service to reconciliation while proceeding with construction atop unmarked Indigenous graves, dismissing the Mohawk Mothers, and denying its own essential role in the MKUltra experiments. It must commit to the investigation of remains on the New Vic site and make a formal public acknowledgement of—and apology for—its role in the experiments.
McGill professors, as individuals with immense intellectual influence, must also give a platform to education on McGill’s colonial legacy on Tiohtià:ke land, and Canada’s abuse of First Nations’ unceded territories. The unconscionable abuses of MKUltra cannot be marginal or absent in any lecture hall at the university which facilitated it, and neither can the past and ongoing battles of Indigenous communities like the Mohawk Mothers—battles given sparse and often antagonistic coverage in the media.
Finally, as students, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves and each other about the horrific abuses that occurred at the university in which we are all enrolled, as well as the continuing history of the land we walk on.
to her writing and the thought she poured into our paper. She covered stories others were afraid to— Palestine mobilization at McGill, the Mohawk Mothers case, campus unions, and trans healthcare—with a kind of grace and thoughtfulness that eludes most journalists. Her seriousness showed in her journalistic rigour, but also in her joy. It shone in how she talked about her aunt and uncle’s puppet show, lighting up with excitement, until I—someone quite uneasy around puppets—found myself excited too.
It showed when she married her longtime partner, committing with love and devotion, because anything worth doing is worth doing wholly. And that is what Fabienne taught me: That seriousness, when best executed, is an act of love. That having something or someone you care about enough to take seriously is not something to be embarrassed by—it’s something to be proud of. It is the coolest thing a person can have, and one of the surest marks of a life well-lived.
Fabienne passed away three weeks ago after a long and unfair
battle with cancer. I grieve the conversations we’ll never have and the edits we’ll never make side-byside. The loss is immeasurable and devastating, and there is no beauty to be found in it that wouldn’t be outweighed by the beauty of having her around. Still, I search for it— mostly in her 73 pages.
What I’ve found in these notes is the tireless call to take our work seriously: To make the nitpicky, meticulous edits; to spend the extra hour perfecting our drawings; to call ourselves journalists without the student in front. They show me that the seriousness we put into our craft, whatever our craft may be, can grant us a kind of immortality. In that way, Fabienne is still here. By giving her best to everything she loved, she left a piece of herself behind that no cancer, no death, and no passage of time can ever take away.
Now, when I catch myself in the scary act of taking something seriously, I feel her warm smile from across the newsroom once again, dazzling as ever. And it makes me a little braver.
Shatner University Centre, 3480 McTavish, Suite 404, 405, 406
Simona Culotta, Defne Feyzioglu, Alexandra Hawes Silva, Celine Li, Lialah Mavani, Nour Kouri, Laura Pantaleon
Jenna Payette, Jasjot Grewal, Dana Prather, Eliza Lee, Shani Laskin, Matt Adelberg, Daniel Miksha, Matthew Molinaro, Kellie Elrick
Sophie Schuyler, Nell Tov, Emiko Kamiya,
Ellen Lurie Opinion Editor
OCanada, union-busting won’t fly
n Saturday, Aug. 16, over 10,000 flight attendants went on strike in protest of Air Canada’s longstanding refusal to pay employees for their “ground work,” a term describing the labour obligations flight attendants execute while preparing the aircraft prior to take-off and after landing. The average flight attendant completes over 400 hours of unpaid ground work every year. This disgrace to the Canada Labour Code is a major striker grievance— alongside, more generally, the pursuit of wage and benefit increases. The strike held impressive economic leverage: Air Canada was forced to cancel over 3,000 flights, leading to the disruption of an estimated 500,000 customers’ flight plans and a loss of $40 million CAD in revenue for each day of the strike.
Strikes are a legally protected collective bargaining strategy under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Their ability to create profit-related discomfort for recalcitrant corporations is a widely accepted method of achieving just outcomes in the face of employer-employee power imbalances. Yet, a mere 12 hours after the Air Canada strike began, Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu declared the strike unlawful for its interruption of Canadian industrial activity, issued a back-to-work order, and forced the two parties to enter binding arbitration.
COMMENTARY
Moyọ Alabi Opinion
Editor
TThousands of flight attendants elected to defy Hajdu’s orders and continue striking, but the question remains: Why should the Government of Canada feel empowered to union-bust due to economic disruption, a constitutive feature of strikes?
Hajdu’s power is derived from Canada Labour Code Section 107, through which Ministers in her position—via the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB)— can force the end of strikes and declare mandatory negotiation periods in cases of major harm to Canadian industry. This is not the first time meddling legal action by the Canadian government has interrupted a strike: Section 107 has been invoked in several other labour disputes, including the recent Canada Post strike in 2024. Hajdu is not incorrect to interpret the hundreds of millions of dollars lost due to the strike as constituting an event with profound impact on Canadian business. However, her choice to invoke Section 107 does not speak to an empathy with travelers who endured flight cancellations nor to a dire urgency to resume air travel. Rather, the issuance of a back-towork order reveals a disturbing governmental distaste for union activity. After all, weather has shut down airports in Canada for longer than the government allowed Air Canada flight attendants to strike.
Overuse of Section 107 has systematically undermined workers’ rights for over 40 years, most principally the right to free and fair collective bargaining as guaranteed under
the Canadian Bill of Rights. However, as is evidenced by the Air Canada flight attendants union’s continuance of their strike, Section 107 is no longer even enforceable. By striking despite the threat of legal consequences, the Air Canada flight attendants have proven that unions need not capitulate to institutional intimidation—a precedent that will shape the behaviours and strategies of labour associations for decades to come.
Furthermore, the Air Canada strike has revealed that unions achieve more equitable deals through inter-party discourse than through deals influenced by government intervention. In the days following the flight attendants’ defiance of the CIRB’s back-towork order, the airline pledged a 38 per cent overall increase in wages alongside an offer of ground pay at 50 per cent of the employees’ hourly rates. Although the Air Canada union ultimately declined this offer, seeking 100 per cent compensation for their work on the tarmac, the unprecedented magnitude of this tentative deal speaks to the increased
bargaining capacity made available to the union through persistent striking in the face of government-led union-busting. So, McGill students, when you find yourself stuck for hours in YUL due to strike-related flight cancellations, or even waiting for classes to resume during the next faculty union strike, remain supportive and empathetic. Not only does the inconvenience of a delay pale in comparison to the cruciality of fair working conditions, but, in fact, an equitable resolution will be achieved more efficiently—and more justly—if union members and employers are empowered to engage in free discourse, unhindered by government overstep.
Institutional amnesia: How children’s media and universities feed revisionist history
media creates space for private entities to push their ideological agenda.
he role of children’s media in shaping identity and worldview has always been influential; however, in recent years, the line between education and blatant ideological propaganda has become increasingly blurred. As children’s programming faces cuts and closures across North America, conservative platforms like PragerU Kids fill the gap with content endorsing a revisionist account of history, reinforcing implicit bias, and framing propaganda as neutral. While the trend is most visible in media for children, it reflects a broader issue: Institutions—from public broadcasts to universities—can present selective versions of history. These same dynamics operate at McGill; the institution’s selective acknowledgement of its own historical ties shows that the shaping of narratives extends beyond media. These practices set a dangerous precedent, shaping how future generations understand the past and the social stratification that arises from it.
Due to modern declines in traditional cable viewership and the rise of streaming monopolies, traditional TV networks are struggling to compete. Starting Sept. 1, Corus Entertainment, a major Canadian media company, will shut down five of its children’s channels, including Nickelodeon, Disney Jr., and ABC Spark. CBC/Radio-Canada has also endured repeated budget reductions. In the U.S., the Public Broadcasting Service’s (PBS) struggles parallel Canada, with the risk of closing amidst the Trump administration’s funding cuts. This lack of accessible children’s
One program that provides politicallyskewed content in the U.S. is PragerU Kids, the children’s division of conservative media outlet the Prager University Foundation. Launched in 2022, PragerU Kids uses animated videos to promote conservative civics, history, and science. Each episode follows a predictable formula: A child faces a question, travels back in time, and returns, learning a ‘lesson’ supporting a conservative worldview.
PragerU’s “Leo and Layla” series distorts historical realities while presenting itself as educational. In an episode on Frederick Douglass, slavery is framed as a “necessary compromise” to unite the colonies, with the claim that America initiated conversations around abolition. This is overtly false; abolitionist movements existed globally for decades prior to the United States’ abolition of slavery in 1865, with Haiti abolishing slavery in 1804, and Denmark-Norway outlawing the transatlantic slave trade in 1792.
Later in the episode, radical abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison is reduced to “someone who likes to set things on fire,” implicitly condemning all contemporary activists who employ property destruction tactics as a means of achieving social or political change. Ironically, Douglass’ own moral critique of American slavery—which is exemplified in his historic speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”—is omitted; thus, PragerU Kids falsely constructs palatable narratives that trivialize the reality of oppression to excuse these historical atrocities for a white audience.
The videos repeatedly shift accountability for violence and oppression from colonizers to the victims themselves, further reinforcing the narrative that historical injustice is relative rather than structural. By portraying slavery and colonization as unfortunate but contextually justified, the content trains children to accept morally reprehensible narratives passively.
Similar revisionary patterns are seen in higher academia as well. McGill has refused to fully acknowledge its ties to colonial systems and the alleged unmarked graves at the New Royal Victoria Hospital. This raises the question: Whose history is remembered, whose is omitted, and who ultimately gets to make this decision? The stakes of revisionist narratives extend beyond cartoons; they influence public memory, social accountability, and slow down societal progress toward a just and equitable world.
What makes these patterns particularly concerning is that they are the product of deliberate political and financial pressures, not mere oversight. Decades of underfunding in media and public education have weakened institutions that might otherwise resist ideological indoctrination. Meanwhile, a national trend in right-wing populism idealizes this whitewashed history. At McGill, financial
and reputational pressures encourage lacklustre measures in taking accountability for colonial legacies. This enforces a cycle where weakened institutions allow revisionist narratives to spread, normalizing selective memory across media and academia.
As public media platforms face uncertain fates, children are left with outlets that misrepresent history and sanitize radical voices. These are not neutral nor educational resources; they are indoctrination disguised as entertainment.
Despite its name, PragerU is not a university and holds no institutional accreditation. (Nell Tov / The Tribune)
The Air Canada strike motion achieved an unprecedented 99.7 per cent approval rate at 94.7 per cent voter turnout by the CUPE. (Armen Erzingatzian / The Tribune)
Montreal restaurant recommendations based on your favourite library
Pairing your study preferences with ideal dining experiences
Tamiyana Roemer Student Life Editor
Your choice of library says a lot about you—so much, in fact, that The Tribune feels confident you’ll enjoy these corresponding restaurants.
Schulich
If Schulich Library is your go-to study spot, then Montreal classic La Banquise might just be your perfect post-study bite. Like Schulich, La Banquise is open 24-hours, making it an available place of refuge at any time of day. Whether you’re wrapping up a late-night cram session or catching a second wind, this reliable restaurant always has your back. Sure, La Banquise can get busy, but that buzz adds to the charm—much like it does at the Schulich Library. La Banquise delivers an impressive menu of poutine variations: From a traditional version of the Quebecois dish to innovative twists topped with pulled pork and pepperoni, this Montreal staple has something for everyone. It’s comforting, unpretentious, and always there when you need it—just like your favourite study corner.
Islamic Studies Library
If the Islamic Studies Library is your favourite study space, you’re someone who appreciates quiet beauty. With its gorgeous architecture, stained glass windows, and sprawling wooden bookshelves, it’s one of the most stunning libraries on campus—a place where elegance softly
lingers in the background as you work. That same love for atmosphere will serve you well at Nili, where flavourful plates are accompanied by creative interior design. While the French-Moroccan cuisine—like chicken pastilla and msemen— is the main attraction, there’s even more joy in the eclectically designed setting.
Between bites, you may find yourself taking part in an elaborate game of ‘I spy’ as you soak in the many colors, textures, and knickknacks displayed within the restaurant’s four walls.
Nahum Gelber Law Library
If the Nahum Gelber Law Library is your library of choice, you’ll likely enjoy Tiramisu, which is modern, roomy, and slightly under the radar. While it might not be the busiest or most talked-about McGill library, the Law Library offers a calm, open layout that makes it feel expansive without being overwhelming— much like the spacious dining room at Tiramisu. For students who gravitate toward lesser-known gems, this Italian-Asian fusion spot hits the mark. With creative dishes like tartare sushi arancini and ti -
Anthony Bourdain tried five plates of poutine at La Banquise during an episode of No Reservations.
(Emiko Kamiya / The Tribune )
ramisu matcha, it’s a place for those who enjoy stepping out of the box—just as they do in their choice of study space.
Birks Reading Room
If Birks Reading Room is your preferred corner of campus, you’ll feel right at home at Miracolo. Both are intimate, dimly lit spaces that feel cozy and tucked away from the world. At Birks, the long shared tables and no-shoes policy create a quiet, communal vibe that draws in those who appreciate both atmosphere and function. Similarly, Miracolo embraces closeness with its tightly arranged tables, eclectic decor, and menu built for sharing. Serving Italian-forward fare from focaccia to branzino, it’s the kind of place where, much like Birks, you won’t mind hunkering down.
McLennan-Redpath
If McLennan-Redpath is your ideal study setting, you’ll probably appreciate Noren for similar reasons: It’s practical, efficient, and gets the job done without unnecessary fuss. Just as McLennan-Redpath is a central hub that’s always as busy as it is reliable, Noren is an intimate Japanese lunch counter boasting ten seats and a loyal following. If you’re used to waiting for a spot in the library, waiting for a seat at Noren won’t faze you—especially when the reward is comforting, crowd-pleasing dishes like takoyaki and okonomiyaki. It’s affordable, simple, and well worth the wait—perfect for students who value substance over flash.
Don’t have A/C? Here are the best places in Montreal to cool down Low-cost
Summer Fun to Escape the Heat
Gregor McCall Student Life Editor
The rays of an unforgiving sun have descended upon Montreal. The air, hot and heavy, depletes you of energy, sweat, and sanity. In an attempt to escape this stagnant summer heat, you duck into your apartment. But alas, what should be your sanctuary from the elements proves to be only artifice: you have no A/C. How, then, will you find solace in this humid, feverish heat without the comfort of cold air blasting over you?
Worry not, students with hot apartments. The Tribune has you covered with five spots to beat the lingering summer heat while exploring Montreal.
Dip your dogs in the local pool
Country clubs and fancy gyms are not the only places you can relax by the water. Montreal’s public-pool system provides clean and safe facilities throughout the city, all without charging you a cent. Whether you are interested in lane-swimming, jumping off the diving board, or simply having a laid-back day in the water, the neighbourhood pool is the place to go. While many of Montreal’s outdoor pools are set to close at the beginning of the school year, you can still make a splash at one of the many indoor pools the city has to offer.
Enjoy great art at Musée des Beaux-Arts Montréal
Exhausted from soaking up the summer
heat? Why not soak up the masterpieces of the art world instead? Montreal’s Musée des Beaux-Arts offers a journey through art history, culture, and climate-controlled exhibition spaces. From Renaissance-age works by the old masters to contemporary Indigenous art, you are sure to find majesty anywhere you go in this museum’s excellent collection. And with free admission to most exhibitions for those under 25, it is the perfect activity for the student on a budget.
Support independent cinema at Cinéma Du Parc
Whether you are a bona fide cinephile or a casual moviegoer, MiltonParc’s Cinema du Parc has something for everyone. Conveniently located under New Residence Hall in Les Galeries du Parc, the theatre offers three screens, $11 CAD student tickets, and a wide range of films. If you are a real film buff, check out their ongoing “Minuit Au Parc” program for re-screenings of popular favourites and cult classics. Their upcoming series, entitled “Creatures,” features films which showcase the diverse world of monsters within the horror genre from Sep. 5 to Nov. 2.
Large cities like Montreal often experience the Urban Heat Island Effect, where temperatures become hotter than those of surrounding rural areas due to less green space and higher energy usage. (Anna Seger / The Tribune)
Explore different environments in the Biodôme
Brave the coasts of Labrador, the maple forests of the Laurentides, the islands of Can-
ada’s sub-Antarctic region, and more—all in a single day at Montreal’s famed Biodome, housed in the iconic Olympic Stadium. You cannot control the weather outside, but with a student ticket for just $14.50 CAD, you can explore the flora and fauna of more temperate biomes. With guided activities like penguin feeding times and natural history exhibits, a visit to the Biodome should be on every overheated Montrealer’s bucket list.
Winter sports in the summer at Atrium le 1000
Busy and bustling downtown Montreal might be the last place you would expect to escape the heat—unless you know about the indoor ice-skating rink that remains open all year. Located on the first floor of the 1000 Building lies Atrium le 1000, a lively rink under a magnificent glass atrium. With rentals available, upbeat music, and an animated atmosphere, Atrium le 1000 makes the perfect activity both for winter enthusiasts and anyone tired of run-of-the-mill summer activities.
Learning to live regeneratively
A history of protecting, reconnecting, and restoring wildlife at McGill
Written by Jenna Durante, Features Editor & Designed by Zoe Lee, Design Editor
In 1958, a soldier’s gift reshaped the future of a mountain. First World War veteran Andrew Hamilton Gault entrusted Mont-St.-Hilaire to McGill with a clear instruction: Protect this land so generations of Canadians can learn from it. Today, that vision extends across McGill University’s living laboratories of conservation, where community, science, and accessibility show us what regenerative living can look like.
Every forest, wetland, and waterway is part of a living network, its fate bound with our own. To live regeneratively is to engage with this network of care through small acts of repair or renewal, aligning our actions with the rhythms and needs of the environment. At the Gault Nature Reserve, the McGill Bird Observatory, and the Morgan Arboretum, the narrative surrounding conservation is examined in a new light. Together, these three places reveal how much can be nurtured and protected when we engage thoughtfully with the land.
Now more than ever, we must pay attention to the world around us and act to protect these ecosystems—their survival depends on us.
For students like Madison Laird, a U3 major in Wildlife Biology, this vision of conservation— using nature sustainably while actively working to protect it—is a hopeful one. Throughout her academic journey, she realized that her care for nature can be more than just a passion.
“When I was younger, I didn’t even know you could do this as a job,” she said. “It wasn’t until I started learning about the environment that I realized I could actually do this.”
And at McGill, this spirit of regeneration is carried forward.
Upon returning to school this fall, I invite you to explore these wonderful places and the natural spaces that surround you. Each site bears a layered history and serves as a living classroom, where students, researchers, and nature-lovers alike learn what it means to build resilience through a time of ecological change.
1) Science meets accessibility
Mont St.-Hilaire’s Gault Nature Reserve uniquely blends protected wilderness and a handson learning space. With the land entrusted to McGill University, Gault envisioned the mountain as a living classroom where people could explore and engage with the mountain directly.
Frédérique Truchon, Gault’s communications associate, sees her work as bridging science and community together to make research accessible.
Laird carries her passion and enthusiasm for the environment into all that she does, discovering new ways to contribute to the future of conservation.
“I’m in charge of connecting the science that happens here at Gault with the public because we have a lot of visitors. I do a lot of science outreach and kind of like translation, if you will, of these sometimes complex topics into something that is very tangible for the public,” Truchon shared.
That blend of education and accessibility has been part of Gault’s mission since its inception. In the 1970s, McGill commissioned the Audubon Society to protect the mountain, marking one of their first steps into conservation. The plan resulted in a balance between protection and accessibility.
The eastern portion of the mountain remains largely off limits, reserved for research, while the western side welcomes the public. Gault Nature Reserve maintains 25 kilometres of hiking trails year-round, welcoming over 300,000 visitors
annually. For generations, it has offered individuals the opportunity to experience both recreation and research firsthand.
Behind the scenes, sustainability shapes even the smallest details of Gault’s operations.
“Everything from the way we design our buildings, to the way we manage, the lights we choose to light up our roads, and all the little decisions that we make every day are always guided by conservation’s best practices,” Truchon told The Tribune.
This commitment also extends to hands-on conservation work, from monitoring Peregrine falcons and bats to protecting turtle nests. Each summer, undergraduate field assistants join the team to carry out these tasks, gaining direct experience in the complexities of ecological stewardship.
The team at Gault hopes to strengthen its connection with the McGill community to give students the chance to actively engage with the environment around them.
“What we would really like is for more McGill students to know that we exist and this place is available for them to come,” Truchon said. “We would love it if every McGill student had a chance to come at least once during their time at McGill, and for us to continue to grow in the community.”
2) Building community through conservation
The McGill Bird Observatory (MBO) was born from a gap in Quebec’s bird research. In 2005, while completing her graduate studies at McGill, Barbara Frei helped found the observatory alongside her fellow students. At the time, no other station in the province monitored spring and fall migrations, which are both key for understanding bird movements. With climate change, habitat loss, and industrial pressures reshaping Quebec’s boreal forest, Frei saw a need to track how bird populations responded.
Today, the MBO continues that mission, with Frei now serving as a research advisor and scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Tucked into Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, the MBO offers a flourishing pocket of wilderness surrounded by Montreal’s city life. Situated on 22 hectares of Stoneycroft Wildlife Area, its location makes it the
perfect place of discovery for students and local birders.
What sets the MBO apart is its community. Undergraduate and graduate students from McGill, Concordia, Université de Montreal, and UQÀM work side by side with seasoned birders, many of them retirees who dedicate early mornings to the field.
“I always found that a really unique experience, and something I appreciated when I was a student,” Frei said. “I see other students appreciating it, going out and having this intergenerational mix of people coming together for a love of birds and a love of science and a love of conservation.”
The spirit of mentorship continues in the fieldwork for students like Laird, a volunteer at the MBO, who spent her summer assisting her TA researching birds along the St. Lawrence. Her work often began in the early hours of the morning, attaching GPS trackers to Kittiwakes or measuring Puffin chicks while balancing the responsibility of minimizing the stress on the birds.
“I think the biggest thing with these birds is just how sensitive they are to people and disruption. It’s hard to balance getting your work done, but also disturbing the birds as little as possible. Otherwise, they’ll abandon their nests and their chicks,” she explained.
The observatory itself runs primarily on volunteer power, with more than 250 people strong, while relying on partnerships, including its vital support from Bird Protection Quebec. Financial sustainability, Frei admitted, is always precarious, especially as student volunteers eventually move on and retirees gradually scale back their involvement. Yet the passion of the community allows for the project to thrive.
Frei’s goal is to keep conservation grounded in science and participation. She points to student-led projects at McGill tackling window collisions, a leading cause of bird deaths in North America, and encourages using tools like eBird, where everyday sightings feed into real research.
“I always say birds are one of nature’s most beautiful ambassadors, where we can see them, even in sometimes quite dense areas of the city,” Frei explained. “You can go to a local park and you can hear a bird song or see the flash of colour of a bird. And it’s a really impressive way to directly connect to nature.”
reserve in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, has been part of McGill since 1945. Donated by the Morgan family, the land started as a patchwork of farmland and private estates owned by some of Montreal’s wealthiest families.
“These wealthy families decided we want to sell our land, we want to divest our assets, but we realized the value in what we have,” Operations Manager Scott Pemberton explained. “We realized that protecting nature is important, and we want this to be part of our legacy.”
From 1945 to 1965, McGill University undertook a massive re-naturalization project.
“The university hired a number of people, including the directors of Macdonald College at the time, and the Watson family, to re-naturalize all of the areas that had either been livestock or had been crop agriculture or Christmas farms or firewood production,” Pemberton said. “They re-planted natural species of plants and trees to create what would emulate a St. Lawrence Valley ecosystem before colonization and before industrialization.”
By 1965, these efforts had culminated in a climax forest, a living snapshot of what the region might have looked like decades before. Turning to today, the land stands as one of the largest green spaces on the island of Montreal.
The Arboretum is guided by four pillars: Education, research, conservation, and recreation, which shape everything that happens on site.
“All of those separate pillars also intertwine and uphold one another,” Pemberton told The Tribune.
3) Four pillars of growth
The Morgan Arboretum, a 245-hectare forest
“I don’t believe we’re going to look to a preservative world where humans don’t pursue recreational activities in nature…and I don’t think we’re going to go to a world where learning about nature is only done in the classroom. But these things are all going to blend together.”
Pemberton’s perspective is reflected in how the Arboretum operates today. Visitors can explore the abundance of trails for walking, skiing, and wildlife observation. Seasonal workshops and community events also help to connect people of all ages to the site’s beauty. At the same time, students and researchers study everything from climate patterns and invasive species to urban wildlife and species diversity. Ongoing habitat restoration, tree planting, and species monitoring ensure that the wildlife continues to thrive in this urban green space.
The Arboretum’s legacy is well documented, including a 1995 newspaper clipping from its 50th anniversary. The article highlighted key figures such as Bob and John Watson, Eric Thompson, and James Britton, who re-planted the land and helped shape the forest as it exists today. The piece was titled “L’homme qui plantait des arbres” (“The man who planted trees”) and acknowledged the Arboretum’s identity as a living monument to reforestation.
4) A future rooted in reciprocity
Living regeneratively calls for a fundamental shift in how we think about our place in the world. It asks us to design practices that sustain both ecological systems and human communities, recognizing the importance of our role through it all. With climate change and rapid urban development affecting ecosystems and species, these practices matter now more than ever.
The smallest acts of attention can spark a connection. Enjoy a walk through Jeanne-Meance and listen to the birds, feeling the vibrancy of life around you. This upcoming school year, explore the forests, waterways, and wetlands that surround you. By engaging thoughtfully with these spaces and sharing their stories, we help ensure that conservation is a shared responsibility.
“People need to care about this because it is our future… it’s in both the hands of the scientists and it’s in the hands of the people,” Liard said. “Read up and educate yourself, because at the end of the day, one extra person can make a big difference.”
The most resilient ecosystems are built on cooperation. Just as species depend on mutualism to thrive, communities flourish when people in the places we inhabit support one another. The Gault Nature Reserve, the MBO, and the Morgan Arboretum all show how science, accessibility, and community care intersect to protect biodiversity. By embracing a regenerative lifestyle, we not only sustain wildlife but also build stronger and more equitable communities. As Gault’s gift continues to inspire, caring for our shared web of ecology reminds us that everyone can thrive when we help each other grow.
Photo credits: Thank you Frédérique Truchon, Barbara Frei, Scott Pemberton, and Madison Laird for the photos provided.
All birds were captured and subsequently released under federal bird banding permits and handled by trained professionals using approved Animal Care Protocols by McGill University Animal Care Committee.
A frugal guide to Montreal nightlife Recommendations for an exciting and economical night out, from start to finish.
Kaitlyn Schramm News Editor
As the school year commences, now is the perfect time for McGill students to make the most of Montreal’s nightlife before coursework ramps up. Here is The Tribune’s tried and true guide to going out in Montreal on a budget.
Commit to the pre-game
The largest cost of going out isn’t the club cover or transportation, but drinks at the bar. Bars and clubs alike notoriously upcharge drinks to ridiculous heights, with a single shot typically costing more than a sixpack at your local dépanneur . Heading to SAQ for a cheap bottle of vodka to pair with easy mixers like lemonade or soda water is a much more budget-friendly option. The only downfall, however, is finding the elusive sweet spot—being just buzzed enough to last the night without buying overpriced bar drinks, but not so drunk that you end up crying to a stranger in the club bathroom. It’s a balance you must perfect yourself throughout your four years at university.
Bars Montreal is home to many of the best clubs in Canada, with a few boasting the top sound systems in North America. There is an overwhelming number to pick from on any given night out, and you may accidentally find yourself at one of the many locations
that charge a hefty cover or require highfashion dress codes. However, for every expensive, high end bar, there is a basement dancefloor with a makeshift coat check that can make for an equally exciting night out.
A first-year classic is Pow Pow Club. In a tiny room with a long queue, pop hits reverberate amongst thick clouds of sweaty fog and bright rave lights. But if that doesn’t fit your vibe, an underrated bar lies just below: L’Esscogriffe Bar, familiarly known as Esco’s. The retro common area is more
roomy than its upstairs neighbor. The music provides a stark contrast to Pow Pow’s modern repertoire, featuring classic rock hits from the 80s to early 10s. There’s no doubt that alternating between these two hot spots will lead to a memorable and varied night.
For a relaxed evening with more seating options and beautiful cocktails, try Barbossa on Saint Laurent. With free entry and $8 CAD cocktails between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm, Barbossa proves itself to be the perfect budget-friendly hotspot. As you enter the
has one of the highest qualities of life
The Tribune)
Dealing with political differences at the dinner table
dimly lit, hip space, there is seating along the bar as well as spacious booths perfect for large groups. Past the seating area is a mini dancefloor, featuring local DJs later in the night. At Barbossa, your night can evolve from chatting over classy espresso martinis to losing yourself on the dancefloor.
Post-game eats
Following a night of drinking, dancing, and sweating, the temptation to crush the $17.50 CAD four piece chicken tenders from Chef on Call can be tempting. However, there are plenty of restaurants on Saint Laurent, a short walk from campus, that provide filling late-night eats for a great deal to complete the evening..
Patati Patata is the perfect Chef on Call ‘dupe.’ With its broad menu featuring items from poutine and fries to burgers and hotdogs, the restaurant has all of the classic greasy foods you could want as a nightcap. Rather than spending $20 CAD on one item, a burger and fries only cost $10 CAD pre-tax. However, take caution: The wait for these popular post-partying eats can be pretty hefty.
If $10 CAD is still out of your budget, Chez Mein operates with pre-inflation prices that seem too good to be true. Colloquially known as Two Chow, the spot is renowned for its $2 CAD chow mein. After a hectic night of impulsive spending under the influence, all you need to finish the night out is a toonie.
Your guide to navigating difficult conversations with relatives without losing your mind—or your values
Nell Pollak Managing Editor
The Canadian federal election is finally behind us, but you still might want to vote your outspoken cousin out of the family dinner table. Many people report that politics strain their relationships. A 2022 survey found that over 40 per cent of Canadians said they have reduced contact with friends or family over an argument about politics. It’s a dilemma that many grapple with, especially in lieu of Thanksgiving approaching next month. How should we navigate the prospect of breaking bread—or not—with people whose beliefs or actions contradict our fundamental values?
For those who are engaging in difficult conversations with family members, here are methods to keep these interactions as meaningful and productive as possible.
Focus on dialogue, not debate
The key to surviving these conversations isn’t winning them. Remember that a debate is a closed process of persuading the other that you’re correct, whereas dialogue is a process of discovery and learning. Practice listening to understand instead of listening to respond.
Research shows that bombarding family members with articles or statistics rarely changes anyone’s mind and often exacerbates tensions. With people increasingly trapped in media echo chambers that reinforce their existing beliefs, a personal
story is more difficult to dismiss out of hand as ‘fake news.’ Family members won’t change their minds overnight, but asking questions can help to disarm obstinacy towards alternative perspectives. Try approaching disagreements with genuine curiosity about why your relatives hold certain views. Ask questions like, “What experiences led you to feel this way?” Often, conversations will reveal that participants are more aligned than they think. Asking or sharing the stories behind our beliefs can serve as a reminder that our family members are complex, and that their ideas might come from a place we recognize, even if we don’t arrive at the same conclusions.
Focus on the bigger picture
Moving conversations away from specific politicians often makes dialogue more productive. Rather than getting stuck on polarizing figures who trigger strong emotions, try zooming out to explore underlying principles.
For example, instead of bringing up François Legault’s Bill 21, you might ask family members what they think should be the role of government in protecting religious expression. Widening the scope of conversation helps sidestep heated reactions to controversial figures while still allowing meaningful discussion about values and priorities. You’re much more likely to have a fruitful interaction about immigration policy, for example, when
you focus on broader principles rather than specific politicians’ border decisions.
Know your limits and when to enforce them
Political conversations with family can be emotionally draining, especially for those whose identities or communities are directly affected by policy outcomes and inflammatory statements. Don’t hesitate to limit these discussions or take breaks if necessary.
There are certain inviolable standards when it comes to protecting human dignity around race, sexuality, gender identity, and religion. If family members use dehumanizing language or advocate for denying others’ basic rights, it’s entirely reasonable to set firm limits. This might mean saying, “I won’t be able to stay in this conversation if that language continues.” You don’t need to sacrifice your own mental health for the sake of family peace. If that’s the dynamic at play, it’s perfectly acceptable to skip those dinner plans. When engaging with relatives who hold beliefs that dehumanize others, avoid responding with the same type of demeaning behaviour. The stakes feel high, and it’s tempting to lash out or match their energy, but don’t let their approach drag you into behaviour that contradicts your own principles. If you draw a line and someone continues to cross it, distancing yourself from that person is a reasonable response. Setting a boundary is an act of self-respect, not a sign of failure.
Montreal
for (broke) 20-somethings. (Mia Helfrich /
Nearly half of Canadians say they avoid discussing politics at family gatherings to prevent conflict.
(Eliot Loose / The Tribune)
Freshman science requirements got you down? We got you covered. Survival tips for those pesky, mandatory, first year science courses
Leanne Cherry and Sarah McDonald Science & Technology Editors
CHEM 110. MATH 140. BIOL 111. PHYS 101. Every McGill science student will recognize these course codes in an instant; they are none other than the freshman science program course requirements. Whether it is your very first semester at McGill, or you are getting those last few credits of your degree, it is almost guaranteed that you will take some combination of these courses as a McGill science student. Therefore, we wanted to lend you a helping hand with some advice for managing this courseload like a champ.
Class: To attend or not to attend?
Despite what you may have heard, your success does not depend on perfect attendance of every lecture and tutorial of your degree. It is inevitable that you will miss class here and there, whether it is a studious skip to get other work done, or simply the result of a scheduling mishap. Are we prescribing a life of flaking on tutorials and NYT crosswords during lectures? Of course not. Just know that the occasional absence is not likely to be the demise of your academic or professional career.
Generally speaking, we encourage you to go to lectures on a regular basis. Tutorials, despite how inconvenient they may be, are a great opportunity to ask questions and work through practice problems—an especially useful activity for problem-solving based classes like math and chemistry. When deciding what you should and should not skip, you
can weigh factors like participation marks, class difficulty, lecture recording availability, and professor quality.
Studying: A necessary academic endeavor
While skipping the occasional class will not be the death of your career, skipping studying will be. Even if you can retain large amounts of information without difficulty, studying is important for teaching a wide variety of other life skills, such as discipline, time management, and organizational habits. Another thing worth knowing is which study methods and environments are most effective for you. It can be fun to study with your friends, but it is important to ensure your surroundings and work habits are conducive to learning. The occasional solo lock-in will not kill you.
Labs: Breaking as few pieces of glassware as possible
Let us put it plainly: Your first labs at McGill will be intimidating. Rest assured, however, that you will get the hang of them as the semester progresses. Your TAs have been in your exact same position, so they are familiar with those pre-lab jitters. They will likely be the people grading your lab reports, so getting on their good side is in your best interest. Show up prepared and on time, and be as kind to them as you would to a friend. Feel free to ask a clarifying question here and there. To avoid breaking lab equipment—although it happens to the best of us—move slowly and deliberately throughout the space, and try to be aware of your surroundings.
And remember, regardless of how calm,
cool, and collected your peers may seem, they are almost certainly as nervous as you are. Put on your lab coat—and goggles—and take a deep breath: You’ve got this.
Grades: Onward to better and brighter things
At the end of the day, your grades in your freshman science courses are not the be-all and end-all of your academic career. While
getting good grades is important, remember that these classes are designed to be difficult and to weed out students who may not put in the necessary effort. Treat these classes not only as an opportunity to learn about math and chemistry, but also about how to succeed in a university setting. Take the time to learn good habits and your future self will thank you, regardless of the B-, B+, or A you end up with in PHYS 101.
Investigating the link between sex-dependent gene expressions during puberty and their associations with major depressive disorder
Puberty as a window of vulnerability for developing depression
Michelle Yankovsky Contributor
Why do women experience major depressive disorder (MDD) at nearly twice the rate of men in the post-puberty stage? During this critical stage, MDD manifests in a sex-specific way in its prevalence, symptomatology, and treatment responses when comparing males and females.
In a recent publication in Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity, Corina Nagy, an assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry and principal investigator at the Douglas Research Centre, examined puberty as a sensitive window when sex-dependent gene expression may occur and contribute to the manifestation of MDD in adults. Her interest in this topic grew from her PhD research, in which she noticed an imbalance in the representation of subjects in the literature investigating MDD in relation to sex.
“We were always focusing our research on male subjects,” Nagy said in an interview with The Tribune. “It was believed that it was easier to study males, and that the results in males could be generalized to females. But the more I looked into it and the more research that came out, it appeared that these results were not generalizable at all.”
Nagy emphasized the pubertal period as possessing a diverse interplay of many factors, similar to the gestational period—the time between conception and birth.
“[Puberty] is probably our most dynamic moment, where we have this secondary development and where we become sexually mature [...] this is a vulnerability period for all psychopathologies, but in this context depression,” Nagy emphasized.
To address this sex-dependent divergence in the manifestation of MDD, Nagy and her team conducted a comprehensive review, presenting empirical evidence which points to puberty as the period during which the sex-specific framework of MDD is formed.
“We tried to examine the literature and look at all of the different systems at the molecular level [to show] there is a different scaffold that seems to be emerging in individuals and in animals,” Nagy told The Tribune
Through systematic review of the literature and a summary of different studies’ results, Nagy’s findings indicate a clear association between the pubertal period and the development of depression. She emphasized that hormones contribute to women having twice the rate of MDD compared to men.
“We find that there are a lot of possibilities for these particular systems to be influenced by the change in [sex] hormones that
occur at puberty,” Nagy explained. “This provides evidence for the hypothesis that the sex specific hormones are leading to a framework upon which different factors can influence the outcome of depression.”
Overall, Nagy’s work highlights how hormone levels—driven by a divergence in gene expression between males and females during puberty—shape the brain, immune system, and stress pathways distinctly, which consequently results in a difference in vulnerability to developing MDD.
Her research also alludes to the importance of female representation in research subjects, as well as the importance of understanding certain pathologies as more sexspecific than others.
“We need to be studying males and females in a disaggregated way, [studying] their sex-specific physiologies separately to understand it better,” she explained. “I think just having an awareness that being female is a vulnerability to certain pathologies is needed.”
According to the World Health Organization, as many as 280 million people live with MDD worldwide. Therefore, it is critical to understand these underlying mechanisms contributing to the development of MDD. This pathology affects many of us—our friends, family, and surrounding community.
“I think a lot of people know somebody
who has survived depression, and of course, I am not unique in that way,” Nagy said. Since depression impairs one’s daily functioning, social relationships, and work performance, it is in both society’s and the McGill community’s interests to uncover the truth behind the development of depression—and this research is a phenomenal start.
The Engineering Peer Tutoring Service (EPTS) offers free tutoring for many U0/U1 science courses. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
Female (XX) mice responded to chronic stress by increasing glutamate-related gene expression, while male (XY) mice showed a decrease. (Leanne Cherry / The Tribune)
Bad balance? Blame your concussion.
A new study correlates a history of concussions with long-lasting balance impacts
Sarah McDonald Science & Technology Editor
Concussions: Either you have had one, or you know someone who has. These injuries are incredibly common—particularly in high-contact sports such as football, hockey, and rugby—and they can leave lasting, debilitating impacts. Yet, despite their dangers, concussions are hard to objectively identify by a third party, making them difficult for coaches and sports medicine professionals to manage.
However, a paper recently published in Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing by orthopaedic surgeon and McGill Professor Paul Martineau shows that concussion symptoms may not be as unidentifiable as they are currently perceived.
This article came about in a very roundabout way; some might say it was a happy accident. As an orthopaedic surgeon, concussions are outside of Martineau’s specialty. His research centres on the knee and preventing ACL injuries, with his current project focusing on ACL injury prevention through the use of an AI prediction model.
The AI model was trained with data collected from McGill varsity athletes over the course of a decade. However, what Martineau was expecting to be two data sets—high-risk athletes versus low-risk athletes—turned out to be three: There was a mystery third group of athletes who were neither high nor low risk, they just jumped differently
“The third group that popped up that the AI model found, when we looked back, turned out to have a history of concussions [rather than] a
present concussion, a concussion they are supposed to be fully recovered from,” Martineau said in an interview with The Tribune
This third group of previously concussed athletes had empirically worse balance than their non-concussed peers. They took longer to regain their balance after doing a single-leg jump on their non-dominant leg, with a mean difference of 0.35 seconds.
The significance of this data is twofold. First, it shows that concussions have negative impacts on athletes years after they are sustained. Whether these effects are caused by the concussions themselves or simply concussion treatment protocol is still to be determined, but the cause of the change is less pressing than the change itself.
“These findings show [previously concussed athletes] are not jumping like their healthy, elite teammates anymore,” Martineau explained.
Secondly, this data shows that the impact of concussions is measurable. Current sideline concussion assessment techniques rely on rapid screening: Reading, memory, and eye-movement tests. These tests can be effective, but they are unfortunately not foolproof.
While athletes recognize the health dangers of a concussion, they often see a concussion as nothing more than time spent on the bench. Because of this, many athletes “sandbag” their baseline concussion tests: They purposely get low scores, meaning that if they sustain a concussion, the impacts are less noticeable.
“Concussion history is less objective because a player may not voluntarily tell you, because it may lead to that player being taken out of play or not being cleared to play,” Martineau told The Tribune. “So there’s this concept and this literature behind, you know, sandbagging your concussion history.”
Sandbagging is a dangerous practice, but has been considered unpreventable. Martineau’s study has the potential to change this.
“These were preliminary findings, but we’re continuing to delve into them and properly tease them out,” Martineau explained.
Martineau is hopeful that the ACL injury prevention app he and his team have developed for athletes will eventually incorporate some concussion history analysis.
“We’re not including any concussionrelated features to start, just because all of this was preliminary data and stuff like that,” Martineau said. “So right now, [the app] is really ACL injury prevention specific, and then we’ll continue to work behind the scenes and see how [concussion-related features] can be included in future iterations.”
Ultimately, Martineau’s findings have begun to shed light on the previously hidden impacts of concussions. The detrimental effects concussions have are now shown to be correlated with long-lasting balance issues—something well worth avoiding if at all possible.
This being said, if you have been concussed in the past and you happen to have notoriously bad balance, Martineau’s findings have given you the excuse you have been looking for: You hit your head when you were twelve, and now you struggle to stand on one leg.
How a Montreal day camp facilitated feelings of belonging among refugee children Study explores how refugee children experience belonging in a recreational setting
Leanne Cherry Science & Technology Editor
Summer camp is a quintessential Canadian experience, whether you find yourself sleeping in a log cabin deep in the woods or roaming around the city visiting different museums and monuments. Camp allows individuals to build lifelong friendships and create lasting memories, all while immersing themselves in Canada’s natural and man-made wonders.
It is no surprise, then, that summer camps provide an excellent means of cultural and social integration for newcomers to Canada. For asylum seekers, summer camps offer a low-stress environment to learn about and adapt to a new place, incorporating fun and community bonding throughout the process.
In a recent study published in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Hend Alqawasma, a PhD student in McGill’s School of Social Work, explored how newly arrived Syrian and Palestinian refugee children experienced a sense of belonging at Camp Cosmos, a summer day camp in Montreal.
“Belonging is an important component of social integration,” Majorie Aude Rabiau, assistant professor in McGill’s School of Social Work and co-author of the study, said in an interview with The Tribune. “I see belonging as the connection to others, the story we tell ourselves about who we are in the community, and how we fit into the community.”
The overarching goal of the study was to discern what facilitated feelings of belonging
Providing recreational opportunities for refugee children in their place of resettlement has been shown to have positive effects on their emotional and physical well-being. (Lilly
among refugee children and families in a recreational context. Throughout their interviews with the children, their families, and the camp counsellors, the researchers found that three primary concepts were involved in fostering a sense of belonging: Inclusion, relationships, and environmental mastery.
Refugee children worked together to improve their language abilities, which ultimately increased community bonding and their sense of inclusion. The camp staff and campers formed meaningful relationships, as the staff ensured the children’s voices were acknowledged. Additionally, the camp included many activities that explored Montreal’s cultural offerings and its transportation systems. Consequently, the campers felt they had a better handle on the city by the
time the camp had ended.
Camp Cosmos gave the researchers a unique opportunity to observe how positive experiences in a recreational setting affect social behaviours, namely because of the ethos on which the camp is built: It was specifically designed to ensure these children feel welcomed.
“By default, there was an anti-oppressive philosophy or approach to the way the camp was set up [....] The counsellors also have similar lived experiences, they are also refugees,” Rabiau said. “This aspect of shared experiences or shared languages, I feel like it really gives a secure base for the kids to have an initial feeling of belonging and inclusion, where they can then explore and grow more language skills and mastery.”
Another crucial component is that these
programs are accessible regardless of economic status. Camp Cosmos uses a sliding scale payment system, adjusting the costs based on family financial capacity, thereby reducing economic barriers.
The camp sets itself apart from other settings—such as school—in that it teaches the campers about Montreal’s cultural norms while celebrating their own cultural backgrounds. The environment is explicitly designed to be conducive to both learning and having fun.
“Their own cultural background is celebrated in that space, which I don’t think is necessarily felt all the time in other spaces [....] It offers a place where they do feel, from the beginning, accepted, respected, and valued, and then they can grow their confidence and their mastery of different skills, including language and making friends and understanding how the city works, for example,” Rabiau noted.
PhD Student Alqawasma, who led the study, drew motivation from her personal experience to study how refugee children experience belonging.
“As a Palestinian woman whose parents were exiled and who was always worried to lose my Palestinian status, I always wondered what helps us feel like we belong to a certain place or a community, and what would support my sense of belonging to Montreal,” Alqawasma wrote in an email to The Tribune
Ultimately, this study underscores the need for culturally sensitive recreational programs such as Camp Cosmos for facilitating social integration and belonging among newcomers.
Martineau’s study assessed athletes’ stability during single-leg squats, single-leg hops, and a vertical drop. (Eliot Loose / The Tribune)
Guilbeault / The Tribune)
Anti-trans sentiment strips swimmer Lia Thomas of her
Division 1 titles
The Trump administration has spearheaded a campaign against trans participation in sports
Lialah Mavani Staff Writer
On March 17, 2022, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) swimmer Lia Thomas hit the water in one of her last collegiate races, making a splash in 2SLGBTQ+ sporting history. She became the first transgender woman athlete to win a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I championship, in the 500-yard freestyle. Thomas also set UPenn program records in the 100- and 200-yard events. Thomas’ win sparked controversy, with many seeking to undermine her success. For instance, president of the right-wing Evangelical Christian political group Concerned Women for America (CWA), Penny Nance, claimed that Thomas’ participation was harmful to the future of women’s sports. Nance argued that Thomas’ win was a direct violation of Title IX, stating that “the equal rights of female athletes are being infringed [upon].”
Perspectives held by those like Nance are not rare in the women’s sporting world. The Trump administration’s application of Title IX perpetuates anti-trans attitudes, especially against high-achieving athletes like Thomas. These women are continually berated by others in their communities and online, often being told that they have an unfair biological advantage—a claim that current science does not confirm.
Three years later, discriminatory institutions continue to criticize Thomas’ win. In July 2025, UPenn announced it was revoking
Lia Thomas’ swimming records, and pledged to ban transgender athletes from competing for and representing UPenn at the collegiate level, in accordance with the demands of the United States Department of Education. The Department had initially launched an investigation into the university for their alleged violation of Title IX: Lia Thomas’ NCAA win.
As a result, UPenn’s administration sent out individual letters to Division I competitors who lost to Thomas from 2021 to 2022; while the university’s athletic department acknowledges that Thomas’ wins were in accordance with eligibility rules during this groundbreaking season, they claim that Thomas’ participation still disadvantaged other women athletes. UPenn’s agreement with the Trump administration’s application of Title IX not only invalidates wins by athletes like Thomas, but also reinforces wider bigotry against the trans community. The Trump administration has turned Title IX into a vehicle for enforcing its selective vision of what they believe gender should look like. Inclusive participation in sports has become a convenient target for transphobes, allowing them to marginalize a small community within one of society’s most visible and gendered spaces.
“Trans people don’t transition for athletics,” Thomas shared after winning her NCAA championship. “We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves. Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions.”
The Trump administration and its rightwing allies have worked hard to undermine
the success of trans athletes, not only through rhetoric but also through concrete measures like reducing funding for university sports that include trans players. At UPenn, this meant a $175 million cut in federal support: A direct result of Thomas’s past participation on the women’s swim team. These funding losses serve to limit all athletes, particularly women athletes—whose programs are historically underfunded and most vulnerable—to further shrink opportunities for women in sports.
Trans athletes make up less than 10 out of 510,000 NCAA athletes, yet through Title IX’s manipulation, they attract outsized negative attention that bears little relation to their actual presence in sports. This disproportionate scrutiny not only stigmatizes trans athletes, but also prevents the real inequities that continue to hold women’s sports back from being addressed, such as a lack of resources and institutional support.
Banning trans athletes from collegiate sports re-
inforces discriminatory policies that police who are considered to be women and confine participation to rigid gender binaries. Lia Thomas’s case is not an isolated controversy; it reveals systemic trans exclusion within university athletics, which extends to broader societal institutions. Collegiate sports are meant to be spaces for students to showcase their talent, build community, and find joy in competition. Limiting who can participate undermines those very principles, suggesting that community is conditional rather than guaranteed.
Know Your Athlete: Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald
The
record-breaking McGill quarterback has high hopes for the season
Ethan Kahn Sports Editor
Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald, U3 Education (Physical & Health), has been a standout on the Redbirds football team from the moment he stepped on campus. After winning the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)’s Most Outstanding Player award and being selected for Vanier College’s CEGEP Division 1 All-Star Team, Latendresse-Regimbald continued his success at McGill, becoming the university’s third football player to win the Peter Gorman Trophy, awarded to the U SPORTS Rookie of the Year.
The lefty quarterback is a Montreal native whose football origins trace back to his time as a youngster in Saint-Laurent.
“I started at seven, eight years old […] in small community ball,” Latendresse-Regimbald said in an interview with The Tribune “I [played] many positions, tried different things, especially […] in city ball, [where] you need to play offence and defence, and it’s only in high school where [quarterback] became my main focus.”
This experience playing multiple positions helped Latendresse-Regimbald excel when he eventually played quarterback fulltime, as he is now a dual-threat quarterback who can make plays both running and throwing the football.
Following Latendresse-Regimbald’s last season at Vanier, he was faced with the
daunting decision of choosing where his university football future would lie. Being able to play weekly in his hometown, in front of friends and family, ended up being a major factor in his decision to join the up-and-coming Redbirds.
“When I did my recruiting process […] I thought about leaving, but then I was like, ‘Why leave when I can play with some guys from Montreal, some people I’ve met before, and my family’s always there?’” Latendresse-Regimbald said.
Since starting with the Redbirds, Latendresse-Regimbald has thrown for almost 5,700 yards, ran for nearly 2,000, and posted 44 total touchdowns. He broke Thomas Barbeau’s 46-year-old school record for rushing touchdowns in a 38-22 victory over Sherbrooke Vert & Or on Aug. 22. This came as news to Latendresse-Regimbald.
“I actually didn’t know I broke [the] record till after the game [...] but it’s a huge milestone,” he shared. “It’s been a couple of decades back, which is pretty cool [to be able to] break this and bring it back to the present.”
Latendresse-Regimbald also emphasized that this accomplishment would not have been possible without the people around him.
“Every touchdown is a team effort,” Latendresse-Regimbald stated. “My teammates were there to block, […] coaches were there to make a small play [in the] play calling, and at the end of the day, it’s all about
the execution. So it’s a huge personal milestone, but [there’s] also a good team aspect to it.”
In a few short years, Latendresse-Regimbald has risen from Rookie of the Year to an unforgettable player in Redbirds program history. He has grown both in his onfield role as quarterback, and in his role as a team leader off the field.
“You need to build a strong connection as a quarterback, because there’s only one quarterback on the field […] you want to get to know everyone,” Latendresse-Regimbald told The Tribune. “[My teammates] know that [my] door is always open for them to come up and to chat about anything and everything [they] want. You want your teammates to feel supported.”
Latendresse-Regimbald was invited to the Montreal Alouettes training camp this spring. (Eliot Loose / The Tribune)
The Redbirds face a challenging slate of games this season, and are looking to improve on their fortunes from the past few years. Despite Latendresse-Regimbald’s individual success, the team is a combined 5–20 in his time at McGill. He is confident that this year,
the tide of the program can turn.
“Coach [Alex] Surprenant is really, really [pulling] some strings out there and […] it’s really coming together,” LatendresseRegimbald reported. “It’s really amazing to see what it’s like, to be part of [building a program], and really having the chance to see and witness everything and be a pillar in it.”
Thomas is currently pursuing her law degree. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
Hockey Canada on thin ice as it continually fails survivors of sexual violence
With its athletes found not guilty in high-profile verdict, organization stays silent
Mairin Burke Managing Editor
Content warning: Sexual violence
On July 24, Ontario Superior Court
Justice Maria Carroccia found five Hockey Canada players not guilty of alleged simultaneous sexual assaults of 20-year-old E.M. Though disappointing, Carroccia’s verdict is not surprising: It is one in a long line of Hockey Canada-related failures to protect sexual violence survivors in service of gold medal gains.
In June 2018, while the Canadian Junior hockey team was in London, Ontario, for a Hockey Canada gala celebrating their world championship win, E.M. met player Michael McLeod at a bar. After he bought her drinks, the two went back to a hotel, where they initially had consensual sex—though E.M. was inebriated throughout their encounter.
This interaction was followed by E.M.’s gang sexual assault at the hands of McLeod’s teammates, whom he surreptitiously invited to the hotel room without asking or informing E.M. E.M. remembers feeling scared and humiliated as the other men—Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Carter Hart, and team captain Dillon Dubé—joined. She described having to operate on “autopilot” to avoid the discomfort she felt and to protect herself
from further harm. “I made the choice to dance with them and drink at the bar,” E.M. would later testify. “I did not make the choice to have them do what they did back at the hotel.”
Immediately after the assaults, McLeod requested E.M. film two statements consenting to the sexual activities. McLeod and his teammates also texted about what story to provide if they were asked about what had happened that night. “What can you do to make this go away?” he messaged E.M., whose mother was working to file a police report against the players.
Thus ensued a lengthy legal process: One civil suit resulting in a settlement to E.M. that Hockey Canada tried to keep hush-hush, and one criminal trial commenced in 2024 following public outrage at London Police for having initially closed their investigation into E.M.’s experience in 2019.
During E.M.’s eight days on the stand, supporters waited in solidarity outside the courthouse while she testified. Lawyers for the accused took issue with this allyship, arguing that jurors walking into court would be influenced towards E.M. Foote’s lawyer Julianna Greenspan even claimed that the crowd had formed as “an act of intimidation” against the defendants—only one of whom actually testified.
But the true acts of intimidation of
the trial lay in Greenspan and other lawyers for the Hockey Canada affiliates’ attempts to wear E.M. down, employing age-old stereotypes about sexual violence to invalidate her. McLeod’s lawyer David Humphrey “suggested” to E.M. that what had attracted her to McLeod was his status as a “loaded” and “elite hockey player.”
Formenton’s lawyer
All five defendants in the E.M. trial are still ineligible to return to the National Hockey League due to the “disturbing” nature of the allegations against them. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
Daniel Brown characterized E.M. in her drunk state as “fun E.M.” to attempt to paint her as a wild, irresponsible party girl. These kind of remarks reflect how survivors become the ones on trial in their own sexual violence cases.
Carroccia’s final verdict—not guilty on all counts due to her doubts about E.M.’s credibility—reinforced E.M.’s public villainization, and protected the five accused players. While this broader legal system must stop mocking and questioning all survivors of sexual violence, Hockey Canada particularly must face a reckoning in its culture: One that allows the many cases of sexual assault the organization has helped its players hide to
be brought to light. Sponsors must fully pull their support from Hockey Canada until their money stops going towards the institution’s secret fund for addressing allegations against its players. Rather than protect and facilitate alleged perpetrators’ careers, Hockey Canada must help blacklist them from professional play to finally put justice for survivors before the on-ice success of the program.
In light of E.M.’s fight, it is no wonder that only six per cent of survivors of sexual violence pursue legal action: As viewed from the sidelines, what could ever make this form of retraumatization and dehumanization worth it?
Redbirds rugby opens 2025 season with 28-14 win over Dartmouth
Early tries and tactical kicking carry Redbirds through wet conditions
Jenna Payette Contributor
On Aug. 30, the Redbirds rugby team kicked off their 2025–2026 campaign with a convincing 28-14 preseason victory over Dartmouth’s Big Green at Percival Molson Stadium. The team bounced back from their 17-26 preseason loss of Fall 2024, setting an early tone of discipline and intensity heading into league play in front of a small but mighty contingent of fans who braved the day’s rain.
The contest began under a light drizzle that soon turned into a steady downpour, making ball handling treacherous for both sides. Dartmouth came out firing early, but McGill used tactical kicking and disciplined territory management to ultimately control the opening half.
“When it’s raining, kicking puts way more pressure on the other team,” explained veteran flanker Elliot Descarreaux, MSc Physical Therapy, in an interview with The Tribune. “Going for the kicks and attacking the zone benefits us, instead of getting stuck in a pattern of constant scrums.”
McGill struck early in the 11th minute when centre Raphael Seigner broke through Dartmouth’s defensive line and, with a tackler in his way, made a smart pass to winger Henry (Harry) Corkum for the opening try. Fullback Martin Laval converted to give the Redbirds a 7-0 advantage.
The Redbirds kept their foot on the gas,
carrying their momentum through the first half. In the 29th minute, number 8 Ian McDowell, PhD Neuroscience, finished a wellread lineout sequence with a try, doubling McGill’s lead. Just five minutes later, McGill extended their lead with a crisp passing sequence that ended in a try. Laval remained flawless from the tee, slotting his third straight conversion to give McGill a commanding 21-0 lead.
The physicality of the match boiled over just before halftime in a heated scuffle near the McGill end, but the Redbirds entered the break with both the scoreboard and momentum firmly in their favour.
Dartmouth responded early in the second half, breaking through in the 48th min-
ute with a front-row try to cut the deficit to 21-7. The Big Green continued to press in the scrums, where McGill struggled to maintain control. Another Dartmouth try in the 64th minute narrowed the score gap to 21-14, briefly raising tension among fans as the visitors ramped up intensity.
But McGill’s composure and grit ultimately secured the win. The Redbirds used deep territorial kicks from the back line to disrupt Dartmouth’s structure and force errors. A final try by McGill in the 80th minute sealed the game’s 28-14 result, sending the team off the pitch under clearing skies with their first victory of the year.
For McDowell, the win reflected the team’s maturity in tough situations.
“We faced intense pressure in our zone, forced Dartmouth to turn the ball over, and immediately cleared it,” he said. “Moments like that really fire a team up. Our attitude and intent were on today. We stayed aggressive in defence, made the right decisions, and stayed connected as a team.”
Head Coach Ian Baillie credited his squad’s decision-making and composure as key factors in the win.
“[Dartmouth] came out very strong and had the majority of possession early, but our guys made smart territorial decisions,” Baillie noted. “Our handling skills remained strong despite the conditions, and our kick game worked very well.”
Beyond the tactical execution, Baillie highlighted the team’s resilience in the face of injuries. With some players sidelined, the Redbirds relied on their deep bench and veterans.
“We’ve got a next-man-up attitude,” Baillie said. “Everybody believes the guy stepping forward can do the job, and that’s how we conduct ourselves.”
As for lessons for the Redbirds to carry into the regular season, Descarreaux kept it simple.
“Keep playing as a team,” he said. “Stay tight together.”
McGill will open its regular season at home on Sept. 4 against the Carleton Ravens, aiming to build on the confidence gained from their preseason performance that blended smart rugby with collective energy.
The Redbirds’ locker-room ritual includes a battle-chant opera version of The Sound of Silence to get the team focused and fired up. (Ryan Yuen)
What we liked this summer break
A summer of bad decisions, forgiveness, and harmonization
The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3
Bianca Sugunasiri Arts & Entertainment Editor
This summer brought sun, sea, and the newest season of Jenny Han and Gabrielle Stanton’s show The Summer I Turned Pretty, perhaps more appropriately named ‘The Summer I Made Poor Decisions.’ Season 3 follows Isabel “Belly” Conklin’s (Lola Tung) ‘bridezilla’ moment as she tries to navigate wedding planning with her man-child fiance. By this point, after watching Belly ping-pong between the two brothers she grew up with while trying to detangle her feelings, you find yourself wondering how someone could possibly have such disregard for the emotions of those around her. Not to mention the playboy tendencies of Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) being continually questionable. And why can’t Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) simply let go of this girl who is causing him so much heartbreak and dissatisfaction? Despite none of the characters having particularly redeeming qualities, and actually seeming to regress in terms of character development, it nonetheless sparked visceral anticipation for every Wednesday night. Perhaps there is a certain comfort taken from watching young people falling in and out of love so messily. Ultimately, it is within that jumble of imperfection that brings viewers back every week.
The Emperor of Gladness by
Ocean Vuong Norah Adams Staff Writers
As a university student cresting the wave from the former half of my degree into the latter, it is safe to say that I am experiencing my share of aimlessness. Ocean Vuong’s new novel, The Emperor of Gladness, offered a new perspective on aimlessness. The novel reframes youth not as a collection of regrettable actions but instead as an exploration of how one can grow from their mistakes. The novel centres around nineteen-year-old Hai—a drug-addled college dropout and first-generation American born to Vietnamese immigrants. It begins with him standing at a precipice, both literally and figuratively, atop a bridge in Connecticut contemplating suicide before his death is prevented by an elderly Lithuanian woman named Grazina. Throughout The Emperor of Gladness, Vuong’s protagonist discovers the act of giving himself grace, realizing that his choices and blunders do not define him. Vuong places an emphasis on the merit that relationships provide over the ostensible importance of typically commendable achievements. He prioritizes lesser explored dynamics such as intergenerational friendships, the bond between cousins, and workplace camaraderie. This novel, though spanning through the four seasons, stands out to me as a summer read.
In a space where you have all too much time to ponder every mistake in the past and all of the possible misjudgements stretching ahead in your future, Ocean Vuong’s The Emperor of Gladness offers a safe haven of love, second chances, and ultimately, forgiveness.
Think Of Mist by Dorothea Paas
Alexandra Lasser Contributor
Dorothea Paas’s 2024 album Think Of Mist offers mesmerizing harmonies and touching lyrics. The album takes listeners on a journey through gentle vocals over the sound of a band unaccompanied by percussion. This choice transforms the album into a kind of meditation, perfect for the long summer days uninterrupted by the usual stress of assignments and exams. The tracks crescendo to the middle of the album with standout song “Made of Mist,” which consists of a progression of sung chords without lyrics. The acoustics she achieves with the slow-changing chords building on top of each other is reminiscent of a choir piece echoing
through a large cathedral. The dissonant harmonies throughout the album reflect the vulnerability of her lyrics, and offer listeners an intimate portrait of her thoughts. The Toronto-based musician also released an instrumental version of the album in May where listeners are invited to focus on the band behind her, without lyrics stealing the focus away. Another remarkable song from the album is “Autumn Roses,” a deceptively upbeat piece that drifts between moods and tempos. While the artist has not yet seen widespread fame, her unique sound earned her a spot on The Polaris Music Prize Album Long List for the best of Canadian music.
Noumoucounda Cissoko’s strings of memory and resistance shine at Nuits d’Afrique
Cissoko’s performance immerses audiences into Senegalese culture
Sahel Delafoulhouse Multimedia Editor
With summer drawing to a close, one festival remains a highlight of the season. For nearly two weeks in July, the streets of Montreal pulsed with the rhythms of distant homelands. From July 8 to 20, the city became the summer’s cultural epicenter, hosting the highly anticipated Festival International Nuits d’Afrique. This annual event celebrates the musical heritage of Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America by bringing together artists from around the world to perform in the heart of the city. Organized by Productions Nuits d’Afrique, the festival seeks to share the diverse cultural legacies of these regions with Québec, Canada, and the world beyond.
The festival’s performances spanned a variety of venues across the city, including outdoor stages, concert halls, and private clubs. One of the most outstanding was Noumoucounda Cissoko’s intimate performance at Club Balattou. A staple in Montreal’s world music scene for over 35 years, the venue is known as the ‘base camp’ of the festival. It’s a must-visit spot for anyone passionate about global musical traditions.
Noumoucounda Cissoko is a master of the kora, a 21-stringed harp-lute central to West African music. From a young age,
Cissoko was steeped in the griot tradition of his native Senegal, where storytellers have passed down oral histories through music for centuries. The kora—which is more than an instrument—serves as a vessel for these oral histories, making Cissoko both a musician and a modern-day griot. His mastery of the kora allows him to narrate the political, social, and cultural history of Senegal through song.
Cissoko’s sound is a powerful blend of traditional Senegalese rhythms and modern influences, creating a rich, evocative atmosphere that felt both ancient and immediate. His music is at once rhythmic and meditative; fluid arpeggios ripple out from the kora, cascading like water over a shifting bed of jazz, hip hop, and reggae-inflected beats. Each pluck of the strings carries a silken clarity, while layered percussion and subtle electronic textures give his sound weight and momentum. The music wasn’t just beautiful; it was charged. The audience could sense the tension between past and present, between preservation and change, vibrating in every rhythm. It was as if Cissoko was translating something too complex for words—something political, personal, and profoundly human.
This engagement is especially evident in his 2019 album Noumoukan Wilila , a deeply intimate project that explores ideas of development, education, and the role of women in African societies.
Through this work, Cissoko broadens the scope of his griot lineage, amplifying stories that are often unheard—particularly those of women whose voices have been historically marginalized. The album advocates for gender equity and access to education as essential components of progress, framing these not just as social issues but as cultural imperatives. Tracks from the album range from delicate, introspective solos to expansive, groove-driven arrangements, always centered on the fluid, expressive voice of the kora.
Through his kora, Cissoko doesn’t just preserve his ancestors’ stories; he reinterprets them for a modern audience, layering traditional melodies with modern rhythms and lyrics that speak to today’s challenges. In doing so, he bridges generations, honouring the past while actively participating in the cultural conversations of the current moment.
public with a performance that fused tradition and innovation-blending the timeless voice of the kora with stories of memory, resistance and cultural resilience.
Noumoucounda Cissoko’s artistry is a testament to the enduring power of cultural expression. His performance during the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique offered a rare chance to engage directly with the musical roots and living traditions of Senegal. Cissoko is more than a musician: He is a storyteller, a keeper of history, and a cultural
commentator whose music bridges the past with the present.
Festival International Nuits d’Afrique ran from July 8 to 20 at various venues across Montreal. For details about the event or its upcoming edition, visit the official website.
From moving music scores to terribly addictive TV shows, A&E’s summer was packed. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune )
At Montreal’s Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, Senegalese griot Noumoucounda Cissoko captivated his
(Sahel Delafoulhouse / The Tribune)
The biblical mediocrity of The Phoenician Scheme
Considering the (im)balance of style and substance in Wes Anderson’s latest film.
Kaitlyn Schramm News Editor
Wes Anderson is widely distinguished for his aesthetic style— features ranging from striking symmetry to eye-level points of view, pastels to vibrant hues. Highlighting ordinary objects in otherwise distinctive ways, viewers have even begun to excavate these aspects in their everyday lives. @Accidentalwesanderson on Instagram has amassed nearly two million followers, featuring photo submissions that echo cinematography seen in Anderson’s films. However, as his audience continually praises his work for its visuals, does Anderson risk relying solely on aesthetics?
The Phoenician Scheme, Anderson’s most recent film, tells a simple tale of a jaded tycoon confronting the reality that one day— and very soon—he will die. The film begins poignantly, featuring cinematography and colors reminiscent of a stereotypical Coney Island, with expressions almost straight from a stop-motion animation. Within the first five minutes, the protagonist, Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), survives a plane crash: His first near-death experience of the narrative. With
an abrupt shift from Anderson’s typical retro and pastel coloring, the film skips ahead to a Lynchian-style purgatory. Now, in black and white, Knave (Willem Dafoe) materializes, sporting an overgrown, darkened beard within a clouded backdrop, a side character whose sole purpose in the narrative seems to be to provide a sense of turmoil and unrest.
Following his first flash of purgatory, Korda reaches out to his only daughter of ten children, a nun named Leisl (Mia Threapleton), to take over his business in the likely case that he gets assassinated. Sister Leisl acts as a symbol of hyperbolized purity, providing a stark contrast to her father and ultimately cheapening an already plain plot. In the scene, Korda is seen ruthless, covered in blood, staggering about while holding his guts in. In comparison, Leisl arrives head-to-toe in white, adorned in a bright red lipstick that matches her lengthened nails. Anderson is known for characters who are stylistically cartoonish and poignant, but in The Phoenician Scheme he fails to write his characters beyond aestheticism. Leisl is an esoteric Halloween costume at best.
As the film progresses, her morals quickly crumble. At the first sign of conflict, she
whips a knife out from under her habit, one she says she picked up right before they left for the venture. When offered a beer, she promptly says she has never had hard liquor in her life. Korda’s assistant, Bjorn (Michael Cera), reminds in his Norwegian accent that beer is not hard liquor. Without skipping a beat she turns to the waitress: “Two beers please.” She soon picks up pipe-smoking, eventually switching out her plain, white pipe for a bejeweled one. The ease with which she is convinced to sacrifice her morals feels parallel to asking your alcoholic friend to have a drink: “Okay, fine, I guess I’ll go out.”
The film is hilarious—but it is not profound, no matter how hard it tries to come across as such. The viewer understands that life cannot be separated into good and bad, so what else? As the film continues, those binaries flatten. The tycoon and the nun meet each other in the middle, at the sea level of morality. Anderson shows us that a nun can wield a knife and a murdering tycoon can adopt catholicism, reducing the film to a shallow cliché.
Beyond diving into—or skimming—the grey area between morally superior and inferior, and the confrontation of what makes the balance tip in either direction, The Phoenician
Rainy OAP performance rinses away pretenses
Scheme lacks any unique take on an overused theme. The Phoenician Scheme is neither extraordinary nor horrendous, but the grey area between the two: Mediocre.
McGill students danced in the rain this past Thursday to band The Longest Year
Norah Adams Contributor
Despite the cold open that Montreal student band The Longest Year was supposed to deliver as the first act of the day, the audience who crowded around the tented Open Air Pub (OAP) stage on Thursday afternoon had seemingly already warmed. Even more surprisingly, their wet hair was plastered to their foreheads, and their damp jeans bunched uncomfortably at their knees. The vitality amongst McGill students attending OAP was due to a surprise opener that trickled in that Thursday: The Rain.
Before the OAP musical set began, I sat perched under the drooping umbrella of a friend, socks getting wetter and frustration mounting. With my backpack sitting in the sopping grass at my feet and thoughts of what that could do to my laptop filling my mind, I pondered skipping the show entirely. That being said, with a beer in hand and this article to write, I decided to stick it out; I’m not made of sugar, after all!
The show started off with a fizzling intensity, showgoers’ energy ramping up vigorously as the sound of guitar crashed around them. Music eddied in tendrils throughout the quad, blending seamlessly with the thunder booming overhead. Quick streaks of lightning were confused with the flashes of bright lights upon the stage. The spirit of their audience brought out the best in The
Longest Year, each member seeming to thrash their heads harder from one song to the next. The band played a set including original songs as well as covers from bands such as Radiohead and The Strokes—Julia Gribrinski’s powerful voice making the songs their own.
August’s last dose of summer storm seemed to provide for the crowd a cleanse of inhibitions. Perfectly styled hair was reduced to limp strands; makeup looks melted into nothing but smeared pigment. The only thing left was the music, and so they danced. All around me, students shimmied and shook like no one was watching, the slight haze cooked up by the dampness in the air creating the feeling as if we were in a world alone. Despite being sheltered under the tent of the stage, when asked about his performance, bassist of The Longest Year Noah Aldinger first noted the weather.
When the last whine from the amp rang out, there was nothing but wide grins. Friends laughed amongst each other while others hollered at the band to play just one more song. Walking home from the show—truthfully more like jogging, as I fantasised about dry pyjamas—I was struck by the pure energy of the people who attended. It was one void of self-consciousness, the destruction of image enacted by the rain allowing people to fully let loose.
Returning to campus this semester, I have noticed a strong emphasis on polished presentation. People confess that they feel they should have more friends at this point
in university, or that they are sad that they haven’t bought a pair of Hunter Boots—they are back in style, after all. I cannot call myself exempt from this, already finding it hard to turn down social engagements for the fear of losing friendships or being perceived as too much of a homebody.
Last Thursday afternoon, drenched and dancing under a lit up sky, needs to be something that is brought into our lives this school year. Let us ditch the barriers that self-perception and insecurity construct between us and having a good time.
Wes Anderson first began directing at age 12, specializing in silent films. (Emiko Kamiya / The Tribune )
occurrence for yearly student event, line at OAP on Thursday was close to non-existent due to weather. (Anna Seger / The Tribune )
