McGill Tribune Vol. 38 Issue 6

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018 | VOL. 38 | ISSUE 6

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

EDITORIAL

FEATURE

IN APPRECIATION

External affairs require internal dialogue

So, uh, let’s get started

Cafe Campus Tuesdays

PG. 5

PGs. 8-9

PG. 10

(Gabriel Helfant / The McGill Tribune)

McGill baseball wins fifth consecutive division title

PG. 16

SSMU VP External Marina Cupido Resigns Andras Nemeth News Editor The executive board of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) is one member short as of Wednesday. On Oct. 10, SSMU announced the resignation of vice-president (VP) External Marina Cupido in a statement

emailed to SSMU members by VP Internal Matthew McLaughlin, which cited mental health concerns as the cause of Cupido’s resignation. The statement, also posted on the SSMU website and signed by Cupido and the remaining members of the SSMU executive committee, included plans to address the vacancy of the position at an Oct. 18 Legislative Council meeting.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Cupido confirmed that their decision to resign arose from the unhealthy strain of the position’s workload.

“Being in this job literally became a threat to my physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing,” Cupido said. “A large part of that is because this job is ridiculous [....] There need to be structural changes at SSMU that, among

many other things, make it possible to be a VP, to be an executive and [to] be healthy, and have a life beyond work.”

At the SSMU Legislative Council meeting on Oct. 11, SSMU President Tre Mansdoerfer expressed regret at Cupido’s resignation and assured council members that a proposal on how to respond to the resignation was forthcoming.

PG. 2

Survival and Solidarity: Roxane Making the most of Montreal’s bag Gay reflects on more than a decade ban of activism Culture must change or climate will

Feminist author delivers the 64th annual Beatty Memorial Lecture Emma Carr Student Living Editor Cultural critic and bestselling author Dr. Roxane Gay delivered the 64th annual Beatty Memorial Lecture on Oct. 11 to a rapt audience in Pollack Hall. The soldout lecture drew attendees of

various backgrounds, from students to alumni and faculty, all eager to hear Gay’s thoughts on the #MeToo movement, contemporary feminism, and representation. Since its inauguration by chancellor Sir Edward Beatty in 1954, the lecture series has hosted revolution-

Makena Anderson

ary thinkers, including Jane Goodall, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Oliver Sacks. Speaking to a crowd of nearly 600, Gay led what managed to feel like an intimate discussion on feminism and current events with her characteristic humour, authenticity, and candour.

PG. 12

Contributor

Plastic is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest threats to our planet. With over eight million tons entering the ocean annually, the United Nations warns that, by 2050, the ocean could contain more

plastic materials than fish. At the beginning of 2018, the city of Montreal banned plastic bags to reduce its plastic waste, leading consumers to wonder whether reusable bags offer any significant environmental benefits.

People reuse plastic bags made of highdensity polyethylene (HDPE) more than

might be expected.

Whether they’re lining a trash can or being used to carry lunch to campus, the thin plastic bags serve a purpose.

The ban therefore, may encourage consumers to purchase plastic garbage bags, offsetting some of the benefits of banning plastic bags in the first place.

PG. 13

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news

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

SSMU VP External Marina Cupido resigns Cupido cites mental health concerns due to workload

Andras Nemeth News Editor Continued from page 1.

Cupido became involved in controversy after publishing a post on the SSMU VP External Affairs Facebook page on Oct. 2 which described the recentlyelected Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government as ‘racist’ and ‘xenophobic.’ Although SSMU issued a statement on Oct. 11 reaffirming the sentiment, but apologizing for the language of Cupido’s post, Cupido told the Tribune that they did not regret publishing it.

“If I were writing a political science paper about the CAQ,

I would describe it with a lot of the same language but also with more nuance,” Cupido said. “But I wasn’t [....] I honestly don’t regret posting that, I think that it was the right thing to do, I think it was called for and appropriate and basically fair. And I wish that SSMU was an institution where that was the norm.”

While Cupido is the first SSMU executive to resign this academic year, two executives, the VP Finance and the VP Operations and Sustainability, resigned during the previous academic year. In an email to the Tribune, McLaughlin concurred with Cupido’s statements regarding the strenuous workload of SSMU VPs and said that he hoped McGill students would be sympathetic given

the body’s history of resignations.

“The sad reality is that executive resignations have become a staple of a typical year,” McLaughlin wrote. “As much as some people might think that resignations are often the result of politics and interpersonal issues, the reality is that executive roles are practically designed to cause resignations; the positions inexorably lead to burnout and issues of both mental and physical health.

It’s easy to pass judgment and point fingers, but I’d encourage students to consider that executives are people, too.”

Cupido argued that the position of VP External would be easier to manage if the SSMU student positions under the External Affairs portfolio were expanded.

Earlier in October, Cupido became involved in a controversy after describing the CAQ as ‘racist’ and ‘xenophobic’ in a Facebook post. ( Tristan Surman / The McGill Tribune) “To varying degrees, none of the student staff have enough hours,” Cupido said. “The VP External job has a lot of very disparate parts and having more

of a team running those projects would be better [....] A [good] place to start would really be investing more in the team that does this job.”

Concordia becomes first Canadian university to name engineering faculty after a woman University officials hope renaming will better represent diversity of the faculty Nina Russell Staff Writer On Sept. 24, Concordia University made history by becoming the first Canadian university to name its engineering faculty after a woman. The decision to rename the faculty the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science came after engineer and entrepreneur Gina Cody, a Concordia alumna, donated $15 million to the university to increase the visibility of underrepresented groups in the engineering field.

Cody immigrated to Canada from Iran in 1979 after obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Aryamehr University of Technology in Tehran. She was one of the only women in her cohort and became the first woman to graduate from Concordia with a building engineering PhD in 1989. Cody worked relentlessly over the next 30 years to establish herself as a leader in the field and was named one of Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs in 2010.

“I would go to a meeting where there were 700 men, and I would be the only woman in that conference,” Cody wrote in a press release from Concordia about the renaming. “I was respected for who I am because of my knowledge and understanding of the area of my practice.”

Cody hopes that her donation will provide for future generations by adding three new research chairs, providing scholarships, and financing new equity initiatives.

McGill is experiencing its

The faculty’s namesake, Gina Cody, was the first female student to obtain a building engineering Ph.D. from Concordia. (Zoé Yalden / The McGill Tribune) own reckoning with regards to renaming buildings, teams, and scholarships with inappropriate historical connotations. To address these concerns, the McGill Senate established the Working Group on Principles of Commemoration and Renaming in January 2018 to guide its policies In an email to The McGill Tribune, the Working Group co-chairs Robert Leckey, professor and dean in the Faculty of Law, and Anja Geitmann, professor and dean in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, underlined the importance of names to an institution’s identity.

“Names of buildings and fac-

ulties carry and instill a sense of place and a sense of history and are therefore of crucial importance for an institution,” Leckey and Geitmann wrote. “If buildings of an institution are exclusively named after individuals that belong to a certain group, students that do not belong to this group may lack a role model that illustrates the path to professional success and visibility.”

Amin Bouabdellah and Constantina Roumeliotis, vice-president external affairs and president of the Engineering and Computer Science Association of Concordia (ECA), are optimistic about the

positive impact the renaming will have.

“Gina Cody’s story reaffirms the fact that engineering is not at all a field exclusively for men,” Bouabdellah and Roumeliotis wrote in an email to the Tribune.

“We’re hoping that the renaming of the school will send a message to girls all over Canada and the rest of the world: That they can succeed in the field and that the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science will give them all the tools they need to achieve their success.”

By changing the cultural conditions that lead to underrepresen-

tation in certain fields, the ECA hopes to emphasize the diversity that already exists and foster a more inclusive environment in the future.

“We want to create a culture that’s open and welcoming to everyone at Concordia, and, in order to do so, that can sometimes mean changing the way things have been done in the past,” Bouabdellah and Roumeliotis wrote. “As student leaders, we need to be mindful of the diversity that exists in Engineering, and we’re always looking for ways to make everyone feel welcome and a part of the engineering community at Concordia.”

news

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

Trib explains: Cannabis law

Productivity to go up in smoke on Oct. 17.

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McGill Health Clinic temporarily relocated for renovations

McGill promises improved healthcare services

The student clinic was closed to accommodate relocation and a large-scale clinic upgrade.

(Daniel Aponte / The McGill Tribune) Jacqueline Yao Staff Writer

Let the good times roll. (Winnie Lin / The McGill Tribune) Laura Oprescu News Editor The Government of Canada is legalizing cannabis for recreational use on Oct. 17 following Senate’s contentious June 19 vote to pass Bill C-45. Rules and regulations will vary across provinces and territories; some are opting for government-run stores over private dispensaries, and there will be variations in the legality of home growing, mail ordering, and public smoking.

What’s the deal in Quebec?

The legal age for cannabis use in Quebec is 18, but the newly-elected Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has pledged to raise the age to 21, the highest legal age in Canada. Minors will not be allowed into retail locations.

The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) will oversee sales and distribution of weed through a subsidiary company, La Société Québécoise du Cannabis (SQDC). There are currently 12 SQDC locations scheduled to open across the province, including four in Montreal: At 970 Rue Ste Catherine Ouest, 9250 Boulevard Acadie, and 6872 Rue St Hubert, with another location opening at 830 Rue Ste Catherine Est later in October. Additionally, the SQDC’s online store will open at 9 a.m. on Oct. 17, which will require that customers show identification proving they are of legal age upon delivery.

SDQC customers will be able to buy around 150 different products, including dried and fresh cannabis, cannabis oils, pre-rolled joints, marijuana pills, and accessories. Marijuana will cost under $7 per gram, the lowest rate in Canada—a price the SQDC describes on their website as “attractive enough to discourage illegal sales, but not so low as to encourage people to increase their consumption.” Users of medical marijuana should continue to fill their prescriptions with a licensed producer.

What is still illegal?

The federal government is not permitting the sale of edible cannabis products for the

time being but plans to revisit the restriction in the next 12 months. Quebec will not allow home growing, even though federal law permits Canadians to cultivate up to four plants for personal use. Canadians can share up to 30 grams of weed with others, but sale is still illegal, even if both parties are of legal age.

Both indirect and direct advertizing in favour of cannabis is banned, and anti-doping agencies have decided that cannabis consumption is banned for competition athletes.

As with provincial tobacco law, smoking cannabis is banned in many public places, including universities, CEGEP schools, hospitals, elementary schools, bars, and restaurants. Many Quebec cities have banned public smoking and the CAQ has proposed a provincial ban on smoking in public places.

Additionally, landlords have the right to ban smoking on their properties, meaning many Quebecers may be left with no space to legally smoke cannabis. Saint-Jérôme Mayor Stéphane Maher has proposed a cannabis café pilot project as a solution to this problem.

Driving high is still illegal. If Canadians are pulled over for suspected drugged-driving, they will have to submit to mandatory drug testing, including the collection of saliva, blood, and urine samples.

What about crossing the border?

The United States federal government still views cannabis as a controlled substance, despite it being legal for recreational or medical use in 30 states, and will not allow Canadians to bring any cannabis products into the U.S., even into legal states.

Moreover, crossing the border may be more complicated than simply leaving your weed at home. The Canadian government warns travellers that previous use of cannabis may lead to them being denied entry to the U.S. and there have been cases of Canadians being barred from the U.S. for life for admitting to consumption. This also applies to Canadians who use prescription cannabis and those who work in the cannabis industry.

However, such cases are exceptions.

The Student Health Clinic closed Oct. 9-12 and relocated to Brown Building Room 3100, where services resumed on Oct. 15. Extensive renovations are now underway to transform the former clinic area into the Rossy Student Wellness Hub, which will supplement the clinic with a common area and have space for outreach and peer support. Contractors plan to finish renovating ‘The Hub’ by late Spring 2019 in order for new health and wellness programs to launch in Fall 2019.

On Oct. 2, McGill’s Media Relations Office emailed students about the clinic closure. Although the clinic did not book any doctors or nurses for the week, it rescheduled dietician appointments and directed students with ongoing critical needs to nurses, who contacted the patients directly.

The clinic closure disproportionately affected international students and others who are not eligible for Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), Quebec’s provincial health insurance, as doctors unaffiliated with Student Services charge high rates that patients have to pay out of pocket.

Owain Guinn, U2 Arts, is an international student with Type I diabetes and was unable to contact the clinic during its closure.

“As an international student with a serious medical condition, I need the health clinic’s help being put in touch with specialists in Montreal,” Guinn wrote in a message to The McGill Tribune. “After getting a referral from the [student] clinic, I did not get a call from a hospital to schedule my appointment. I needed to go back to the clinic to ask for more help, but was unable to because of the move.”

The McGill administration planned to install The Hub between Summer 2018 and Dec. 2018 but did not select a contractor until Sept. 13.

Student Services confirmed the clinic closure and relocation dates internally on Sept. 18. According to Dr. Hashana Perera, director of the Student Health

Services (SHS), the administration was forced to push back construction dates due to delays beyond its control. “[The Hub] is a very large construction project with many moving parts and it depends on inputs from many different partners, both internal and external,” Perera wrote in an email to the Tribune. “However, we made sure that construction wouldn’t start during our busiest period, [which is] back to school until end of September, to minimize impact.”

The Health and Wellness Committee, comprised of student leaders, faculty, and staff, developed the action plan outlined in the The McGill Health and Wellness Report. Key upgrades to the system include ‘Access Clinicians’ to provide same day care and triage, a ‘virtual hub’ for booking appointments online, and a common area where students can relax while waiting for their appointments. Student Services also seeks to increase medical personnel in the new clinic. Martine Gauthier, executive director of Student Services, is confident that The Hub’s emphasis on access will simplify healthcare services for students.

“We’re [...] not only connecting students to the right care at the right time but also monitoring and adapting care to get results,” Gauthier wrote to in an email to the Tribune. “We are currently working on tools to help students find health and wellness resources that are covered by their particular insurance plans as part of the Rossy Student Wellness Hub [initiative].”

The Medical Students’ Society of McGill (MSS) hopes that the university can continue to provide services for students ineligible for RAMQ. André Lametti, Medicine senator for SSMU, expects shorter wait times and more comprehensive service coverage from the new clinic.

“We’ll see if there is an improvement [with the new clinic], but it is impossible to judge its success solely based on the plan,” Lametti said. “[The MSS hopes] that the clinic gives access that the students need in a timely fashion, especially for [those] who don’t have [insurance].”

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news

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

Abortion Beyond Bounds combines academia and activism Conference marks the anniversary of the decriminalization of abortion

Elizabeth Kearney Contributor

Student and expert panels discussed possibilities for more autonomy for women through self-managed abortion. (abortionbeyondbounds.com) On the 30th anniversary of the decriminalization of abortion in Canada, the McGill Institute for Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies (IGSF) organized a two-day bilingual conference, Abortion Beyond Bounds 2018, to discuss the continuously-changing global landscape of access to abortion.

The conference, which featured a series of student and expert panels, revolved around the importance of having control over abortion decisions. The speakers considered how persistent barriers to global access contrast the increased availability of

information and resources thanks to new technologies.

The first day of the conference consisted of student panels, providing graduate student researchers from across Canada the opportunity to present their work. The panel “Voice and Choice: First-Person Narratives of Abortion Experiences in Canada” focused on people’s experiences with self-managed abortion, meaning when a woman chooses to perform her own abortion outside of a medical setting.

Contrasting with the independent notion of self-managed abortions, Sarah McLeod, a graduate student at Acadia University, presented a case study on Acadia Pregnancy Support (APS), an anti-choice organization on her campus. Despite advertising themselves as a non-judgmental counselling service with peer support and access to resources, this Christian organization circulated misleading and biased information in addition to resorting to shame and scare tactics to discourage abortion. APS eventually lost its club status and was expelled from the Acadia Students’ Union building for failing to have enough members. McLeod concluded her presentation with her opinion on the organization’s activities.

“Should anti-choice organizations be

allowed to operate as ‘pregnancy support’ on university campuses?” McLeod asked. “I would say no.”

With regard to Canada legalizing the self-administered abortion pill mifepristone in 2016, the panel “Trust Women: Current Perspectives on the Safety of Medication Abortion” sought to assess the current clinical scene. Student research focused on expanding the possibilities of existing reproductive health methods to provide women with more autonomy in the process of abortion. Daniela Spagnuolo, a policy intern at Association of Municipalities of Ontario, conveyed the importance of her group’s research in promoting self-managed abortions.

“There needs to be change in the way people across Canada access Mifegymiso [the brand name for mifepristone],” Spagnuolo said. “That it is available in this country is not enough. We need to actively remove barriers to access, provide evidence-based information, and trust users to know their bodies and make their own decisions about abortion options.”

Parisa Sharifi, a research assistant at the University of Toronto, stressed the importance of presenting research findings in the field to a public audience.

“It’s been really important for us to

present to the public to hear questions and see what we missed,” Sharifi said. “Especially with this conference where everyone works on or is affected by this research, it is important to hear from the audience.”

The second day of the conference brought together academics, activists, and artists to participate in a series of expert panels on self-managed abortion. Jennifer Fishman, associate professor at McGill and coorganizer of the conference, expressed the importance of discussing abortion through the lens of various institutions.

“Institutions’ primary motivation is carving out a space to consider how networks, such as clinical and legal networks, are finding ways to expand access,” Fishman said.

Joanna Erdman, associate professor in Health Law and Policy at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, outlined the common goal of the experts present at the conference.

“The real challenge is to think about whether we can capture the concept [of expanding the availability of abortion] without killing it, to recognize ideas of love, compassion and self-care, and to think about whether our institutions are even capable of honouring that,” Erdman said.

SSMU passes gendered and sexual violence policy SSMU budget unable to fund new policy

“It’s important to recognize that, if SSMU finds it a priority, they will find the necessary funding for it,” Buraga said. “I think that whenever we tell students they have to pay extra to be safe, it shows that we don’t prioritize these services.”

The motion for an Anti-Violence Fee levy passed with 22 votes in favour, three in opposition, and no abstentions.

Helen Wu Staff Writer The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council convened on Oct. 11 to discuss the implementation of a Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy (GSVP) and the renaming of McGill’s Men’s Varsity Teams. Before the debate on the two primary motions, President Tre Mansdoerfer announced the resignation of vice-president (VP) External Marina Cupido.

“We are all very sad to see Marina resign from [their] position [as] VP External,” Mansdoerfer said. “We worked with [them] on a statement released yesterday [Oct. 10] by SSMU. Currently, we are working on how to [replace] the VP External. [At] the next council, we’ll have a proposal or some sort of discussion on what we plan to do.”

Implementation of a Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy (GSVP) and a fee levy The resignation of two SSMU executives during the 2016-17 academic year following allegations of sexual violence necessitated the Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy (GSVP). The motion for an Anti-Violence Fee calls for an opt-outable fee levy of $0.45 on McGill students to fund the salaries of two Anti-Violence Coordinators, administrative costs, and an Anti-Violence Fund for projects against sexual violence. Anti-Violence Coordinators will be responsible for referring individuals to relevant support resources and conducting investigations into all reported cases.

Bee Khaleeli, SSMU’s GSVP implementation coordinator, presented her work and shared her opinion on the funding.

The SSMU Legislative Council rallied against the men’s athletic team’s use of the name ‘Redmen.’ (Helen Wu / The McGill Tribune) “Ethically, I don’t think that it should be the case that students should be paying extra money to be safe from their student union,” Khaleeli said. “I think it is preposterous and unacceptable. I would strongly prefer that SSMU were able to fund this on its own budget and SSMU consistently allocated money to sexual violence prevention efforts.”

During the debate on the policy’s funding, SSMU VP Finance Jun Wang argued that the SSMU’s budget is unable to fund the GSVP. “I would have to cut a portion of the budget, and I don’t think it’s fair,” Wang said. “I

can’t say that the GSVP is more important than Indigenous Affairs or Sustainability [....

Regardless] the reason why it cannot come out of the operating budget is because the budget has already been approved by [the] previous Council. As long as the money does not fall in [a] category we voted on, we cannot allocate that money elsewhere. Therefore, the GSVP cannot be financed against any part of the budget.”

Arts and Sciences Senator Bryan Buraga insisted that the SSMU must prioritize this policy.

Renaming McGill’s Men’s Varsity Teams The name of McGill’s men’s varsity sports teams—Redmen—has drawn criticism in the past decade for the word’s historical use as a derogatory term for Indigenous peoples.

Others have argued that the name has been reclaimed by the athletic teams.

“The historical roots of the teams, according to McGill Athletics, holds no association to [Indigenous peoples],” First-Year Council Representative Robert Hu said. “It is the misrepresented history of the name, and not the name itself, that creates confusion and offence.”

Social Work Councillor Zach Kleiner responded to Hu’s comments by urging the council to protect the Indigenous students at McGill.

“I don’t think it’s up to us say whether Indigenous students are offended by a racial slur,” Kleiner said. “I see that a lot of people in this room are white, and a lot of people in this room are not Indigenous, so I don’t think we have the duty to ourselves as SSMU to vote on anything but protecting the Indigenous students.”

The motion carried with 24 votes in favour, one in opposition, and two abstentions.

SSMU Legislative Council will meet again on Oct. 18.

opinion

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

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

News Editors Andras Nemeth, Caitlin Kindig & Laura Oprescu news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Keating K. Reid & Abeer Almahdi opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Katherine Lord scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Emma Carr studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Dylan Adamson features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Katia Innes & Sophie Brzozowski arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Gabe Nisker & Miya Keilin sports@mcgilltribune.com

External affairs require internal dialogue 2018 has seen politics play out on social media, and the world of student government is no exception. On Oct. 2, the day after the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) won a majority mandate in the provincial election, then vicepresident (VP) external of the Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) Marina Cupido posted a statement on the SSMU External Affairs Facebook page fiercely criticizing the party, alleging xenophobia and affiliations with white supremacists. Cupido resigned eight days later, citing mental health concerns.

In response to Cupido’s post, SSMU Legislative Councillors Bryan Buraga, Andrew Figueiredo, Brandon Hersh, and Haoyi Qiu submitted a Motion Regarding Responsible Representation. The motion is critical of Cupido’s post, and proposes that SSMU executives only publish statements through official SSMU channels if mandated by the Legislative Council, Executive Committee, a referendum, or a General Assembly motion. While formally requiring executives to consult with their colleagues before

taking official stances is necessary, the way the motion sets out to implement such consultation would compromise SSMU’s ability to function.

Although Cupido’s strong language was ill-advised, their sentiment was valid given that the CAQ was elected on a platform that targets immigrants and religious minorities.

The amended statement posted to the SSMU External Affairs Facebook page reiterates much of Cupido’s original post. Most severely lacking from Cupido’s post is evidence to substantiate their claims about the CAQ’s policies and affiliations. It is inappropriate for an elected student representative to make such inflammatory claims without proper citation. However, while the post could have relied more rigorously on fact, the VP External’s role is explicitly political and often requires pushing boundaries. For example, in April 2018, then VP External Connor Spencer accused McGill of violating Bill 151, An Act to prevent and fight sexual violence in higher education institutions, in a letter to the Quebec Minister for Higher

Education.

The Councillors’ motion is an attempt to ensure responsible representation of the student body’s opinions. This is a laudable goal, but in reality, it is more of a reactive response than a calculated solution. Its retraction of Cupido’s original post undermines the legitimate points Cupido raised and fails to mention the racist backlash the post received. Moreover, the motion only adds to SSMU’s bureaucratic burden. SSMU executives should not ask the Legislative Council to adjudicate their disputes for them: It is the executives’ responsibility to keep their team functioning. Going forward, the most important step for SSMU is consultative communication within the Executive Committee. Continuing existing measures such as regular listserv emails and office hours is important, but student participation is limited. Many students see student governance as remote and inconsequential, and finding ways to engage their membership will allow SSMU to better represent the student body as a whole.

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EDITORIAL SSMU hasn’t announced whether they will hold a by-election for a new VP External, but it is crucial that they do so and that they begin this process as soon as possible. As SSMU’s link to external organizations like the provincial government, the VP External is an indispensable member of the Executive Committee, and the portfolio’s responsibilities are too vast to be redistributed among its remaining members. The advocacy efforts of past VP Externals have been invaluable to the McGill community: In addition to Connor Spencer’s work, 2011–12 VP External Joël Pedneault directed SSMU’s participation in the Quebec student strike.

With the emergence of racist, antiimmigrant, and discriminatory rhetoric in the Quebec election, McGill students need a focused executive to lobby for student rights and advocate for minorities in a way that is representative and responsible. Electing a new VP External who will commit to open consultation with students and executives is essential to making this goal a reality.

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

Contributors Christina Bedard, Emma Chittleburgh, Sariel Coronado, Keli Geers, Tina Giordano, Arman Imam, Andrea Karam, Daria Kiseleva, Leyla Moy, Demaris Oxman, Kaylina Kodlick, Emma Paulus, Mo Rajji, Claire Ramsay, Jacob Sailer, Keira Seidenberg, Noah Simon, Anna Sixsmith, Elizabeth Strong, Kaja Surborg,

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Please recycle this newspaper.

Gabriel Helfant Photo Editor Being Israeli is something that I keep to myself at McGill.

After returning to school this September, my peers often asked what I did over the summer.

I told them that I had been travelling, but omitted that I had actually staffed a trip that took Jewish-Canadian 17-year-olds to Israel. I wasn’t willing to share my summer whereabouts—not because of my own sentiments about Israel, but because I anticipated negative responses from other students.

It is safe to say that many students at McGill have some

Identities should start conversations, not end them kind of relationship with Israel, either positive or negative.

Having been born in Haifa, I have a personal relationship with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When I was two years old, my family decided it would be best that we move to Canada because, among other things, a wave of violence threatened the city in which we lived. When we immigrated, the Jewish community that welcomed us on the other side of the Atlantic often told my family that most instances of anti-Israel sentiment were really just attacks on Jewish people. This insinuation made my Israeli identity inseparable from my Jewish one, and, thus, discourse involving the topic of Israel also involved my religion.

It was not until I was older that I realized that if I coupled my personal identity so strongly with an international conflict, it would make things extremely difficult.

When my 17-year-old self participated in the same summer trip I chaperoned this year, I quickly realized that those who live in the region don’t have the privilege of being able to

separate identity from conflict.

Living in a society full of the daily reminders of war and violence suffocates positive dialogue between groups.

Those with Zionist or Palestinian identities are not always confined to the borders of the Middle East. As a result, heated exchanges tend to occur, even within a context as peaceful as Canada. But, by living here, we have the privilege of being able to take a step back from the conflict and discuss it in a more clearheaded way. We can use empathy to understand the perspectives of others and construct a more inclusive narrative that is not just consistent with our own identities.

This is not to say that we should forget our personal experiences to foster a better dialogue; I realize that the conflict is far more complex than my connections to or understanding of it. My ability to discuss international conflict is hindered when an emotional connection to it becomes the most relevant reference point.

When in Israel this summer, I ran a critical-thinking workshop

for the teenage participants. I asked them to read articles and learn about perspectives that were contrary to what they understood and knew. I wasn’t asking them to forget their own connections and embrace someone else’s, but simply that they engage with the narratives that others carry with them. If hormonal teenagers can inform their own convictions, so can we.

Many of them have grown up in an environment similar to mine, surrounding themselves with perspectives and opinions which mirror their own. We tend to affiliate ourselves with friends, peers, and coworkers with whom we agree: It requires an active effort to engage with those we don’t.

The best scenario that I can foresee is one in which our identities spark conversations, but the presence of a foreign opinion does not end them. It may seem trivial to teach university students the power of empathy, but, when we are so enthralled by our own connections, we may benefit from a reminder that other perspectives are worth considering.

6

opinion

commentary

Bryan Buraga SSMU Arts & Science Senator and Senate Caucus Representative On Oct. 2, Quebecers woke up to the results of the previous night’s election: The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) had won a majority of seats in Quebec’s National Assembly. On the same day, then Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice President (VP) External Marina Cupido wrote a—now deleted— post on the official SSMU External Affairs Facebook page decrying the new government.

“Yesterday, Quebec elected a racist, xenophobic, far-right

commentary

Anna Nuechterlein Contributor On Oct. 6, protesters flooded downtown Montreal and CentreSud to voice their frustrations with Premier-designate François Legault’s weak stance on environmental issues. Legault is facing immense backlash regarding his plans to further Hydro-Québec development, his support of fossil fuel exploitation in Quebec, and his overall indifference toward the pressing topic of climate change. This protest should inspire the youth of Montreal, including McGill students, to join the fight against policy-makers whose decisions threaten the planet’s future.

The hundreds of protestors could not have acted at a more appropriate time: Less than 48

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

Irresponsible representation: How unsanctioned posts damage SSMU’s credibility government with documented ties to white supremacists,” Cupido wrote.

Taking such an inflammatory, divisive, and polarizing position on an official SSMU social media account, without citing any sources or providing any proof to substantiate its claims, is irresponsible and compromises SSMU’s ability to advocate for its students. By typecasting all CAQ voters as having racist, xenophobic, or far-right intentions, Cupido alienated the portion of our student population that politically aligns with the CAQ. Because of their actions, SSMU risks losing its social license to fight legitimately racist, xenophobic, and far-right groups targeting students on campus.

As soon as I saw this post, I was concerned that a SSMU Executive was able to unilaterally voice their controversial opinion on a social media account with the SSMU name in it. “[S]pecific [Facebook] pages (e.g. SSMU University

Affairs, SSMU Student Life, SSMU External Affairs) are each run by individual Executive members whose views don’t necessarily reflect those of SSMU,” VP Internal Matthew McLaughlin wrote in a comment on a SSMU member’s Facebook post.

I completely disagree: Individual Executive members should reflect SSMU’s views on their social media pages. As elected student representatives, SSMU Executives wield a lot of power in determining how the student body presents itself to the world. One Executive should not take official stances on a SSMU account without having a mandate from the Legislative Council or the Executive Committee to do so. They represent the entirety of the undergraduate student body at McGill, and, as such, should only present the student body’s opinions. For this reason, my colleagues and I introduced the Motion Regarding Responsible Representation at the Legislative Council on Oct. 11. This motion

aims to provide a framework to preempt unauthorized opinions made on SSMU’s behalf.

Article 10.14 of the SSMU Constitution mandates the VP External to work with the provincial government to lobby and advance our society’s objectives, goals, and policies.

By preemptively damaging our society’s relationship with the new government through unsubstantiated allegations, Cupido has impeded SSMU’s ability to work with the Quebec government not just today, but for years to come. SSMU should continue to provide leadership on issues of social justice, as its constitutional mandate requires, and it should continue to speak out against policies proposed by the CAQ that would harm our members. However, it must do so in a factual, responsible, and accountable fashion.

It took the SSMU Executive Committee nine days to release a corrective statement regarding the CAQ’s election. They had the prerogative to hold an emergency

meeting, mandate a retraction of the Facebook post, and release a new statement similar to the one they did on Oct. 11. However, they failed to do so, allowing the fallout from the post to continue rather than curtailing the damage to the society. Students trust the SSMU Executives to use their best judgement to avoid making mistakes, and, when they do, to correct them in a timely manner.

The corrected post came later than it should have, and, by then, the damage was done.

I believe that the former VP External was well-intentioned in their desire to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our student body.

When they released their post, the former VP External could have posted a statement of solidarity and a commitment to protect our students that was grounded in SSMU policies and values. Instead, Cupido’s divisive rhetoric and the SSMU Executive’s inaction ended up hurting the very people they are supposed to be fighting for.

With rising temperatures comes rising tension hours after the manifestation, as if to confirm protestors’ frustrations, The Guardian released an article warning that only 12 years remain to limit the devastating effects of climate change. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report stresses that if the global average temperature increase is not maintained between 1.5 and two degrees celsius within this period, major natural disasters, unprecedented mass extinctions, and increased poverty for hundreds of millions are anticipated in the coming decades.

Rising global temperatures can only be constrained with the support and effort of governments. Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change, a consensus study report by the National Academies Press, suggests tangible ways in which governments can create smart and sustainable policies.

For example, it suggests that governments consider ‘mainstreaming’ the concept of climate change adaptation into current government programs, as the Canadian federal government has done since 2011. In addition, focus should shift toward the implementation of climateresilient systems in all public works. This would mean building a resilient framework for land use planning; sustainable water,

energy, and wastewater systems; improved public transportation, and infrastructure. Communities must continue to pressure policy-makers to effect change, as reformation is required at a structural level.

Climate change is a particularly-pertinent topic for young people, whose lifetimes will endure the brunt of its disastrous implications. Youth and students are at the dawn of their formative years of social and political engagement.

Voting with environmental factors in mind, becoming more educated on the topic of climate change, and even joining protests and activist groups to influence policy-makers should be the takehome message from Montreal’s protest of the CAQ government.

The more informed today’s youth is about the necessity of government-led action, the louder their voices will resound.

McGill has a myriad of pro-sustainability groups and initiatives.

Examples like Greening McGill and the Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) Environment Committee promote activism and awareness of environmental issues on campus. Groups like Gorilla Composting on Macdonald Campus, provide composting services to students.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s “Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC” surveys more than 6,000 studies. (Winnie Lin / The McGill Tribune)

These student-led groups offer the chance to become more familiar with sustainable practices and policies. They also facilitate engagement in activism on campus and in Montreal with the support of peers. Whether it’s joining a student group or joining a protest, any form of activism contributes to the greater good.

Montreal’s protest for better environmental policy is an important step in the right

direction. With 12 years remaining to limit global warming before it causes irreversible damage, it has never been more important for young people to pressure policymakers into prioritizing this issue. The time to join a studentclub, make sustainable lifestyle choices, cast an educated vote, and, most importantly, push back against government action that negatively affects our futures, is now.

student living

TUESDAY. OCTOBER 16, 2018

7

A search for space and community after the SSMU Building closure THE “HUB” IS GONE BUT THE HEART IS NOT

Students are searching for a new home post-building closure. ( Sabrina Girard-Lamas/ The McGill Tribune)

Leanne Young Staff Photographer The Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) Centre has been the heart of student life at McGill since its completion in 1965. From napping in the lounge, to grabbing a drink at Gerts Bar, to popping by the Peer Support Centre for a chat, the centre was students’ go-to for virtually anything.

When the building closed for renovations in March 2018, the community hub it provided also disappeared. Clubs and services have been forced to relocate off campus, Gerts is no longer a weeknight option, and students have become increasingly frustrated and confused.

In this hectic period, SSMU now needs to reweave the threads of the student community.

“We are trying to alleviate the issues as much as we can,” SSMU President Tre Mansdoerfer said. “I want to emphasize that it’s a team effort, and we’re all trying to make sure people aren’t impacted [by the building closure] as much as they could be.”

Without a hub for students to access many of SSMU’s clubs and services, it has become increasingly difficult for students to find their favourite clubs or discover a new place to meet up with fellow students. Finding a community space on campus helps students

balance their academic and social lives while at university. Without a meeting place, it has become difficult for new students to become involved in the campus goings-on.

“There’s a severe imbalance between studying all the time and just not getting involved at all because you feel like classes are just pounding down on you,” Sophia Esterle, SSMU Vice-President of Student Life said. “Involvement is really key because you find a community and people who like [the same] things you do [....] In terms of how people can find their community, they can’t walk around the university centre and hang out there anymore, and that’s really a shame, but it’s just not going to be possible this year.”

Students are feeling the impact of the building closure every day. It’s an inconvenience for everyone, but it’s not a hopeless situation. Although every SSMU member is counting down the days until the building opens again, there are still ways for students to become involved in the McGill community.

For students, clubs offer a space to convene outside of class and help them develop closer bonds with their peers. From art to politics, there is an extracurricular out there for everyone. Regardless of skill set, students can join university clubs to extend

their social networks and try something new.

Joining an extracurricular activity can help students who feel isolated meet like-minded people with common interests and unwind after a long day of hard work. Experiences from extracurriculars are what most students will remember after graduation, so it’s important to get out there and create valuable memories.

Even clubs for which building space is essential to their operations continue to service the community. Students need only check SSMU’s building closure website to see where these clubs are now located. The Plate Club is based out of Peel Street, Midnight Kitchen is servicing students out of their Saint-Henri kitchen, and the Players’ Theatre will temporarily stage productions at the Mainline Theatre.

Attending campus activity fairs, where there are plenty of student groups and representatives present, is a valuable first step.

Activities Night takes place during the first couple weeks of each semester. Attendees are often surprised to discover the eclectic range of clubs and communities available on campus.

Starting with small steps—such as attending events like Activities Night, a club’s welcome event, or SSMU’s biannual Volunteer Fair— students can form friendships and survey a

variety of interests while exploring a new community.

For those looking to get involved more promptly, a full list of university clubs is available on SSMU’s website year-round.

Among the more unusual offerings are the McGill Students’ Circus Collective, McGill Students’ Wine Society, and McGill Students’ Astronomy Club. With over 250 extracurriculars available for students to explore, there are plenty of opportunities for them to find their niche.

Ultimately, community is defined by the people who are a part of it, not where its office is. Even though there isn’t a physical building to house a studenthub anymore, the people are still here. The core of the McGill community always has been here, and it always will be.

“I don’t think the community finds itself through a specific group or a specific building.

It’s the connections you make,” Esterle said.

“I really hope that the 7,500 people who attended Activities Night this year have been able to find some of those connections, even if it was just a five-minute conversation. Maybe, it will be a longer conversation the next time they see them at the next event. I don’t think that the entire community is found through the building. I think it’s just found through the people.”

SO, UH, LET'S GET STARTED The oft-forgotten nervous factor in academic public speaking

Gabe Nisker Sports Editor The hallowed aisles of Leacock 132 are almost a rite of passage for undergraduate students. The massive 601-seat lecture hall can often feel humid and sticky, and there’s occasionally a rat to be found. It’s usually the home of prerequisite lectures, and, thus its atmosphere isn’t often defined by its occupants’ enthusiasm.

But, as uncomfortable as it may be to listen to a lecture in Leacock 132, it figures that teaching one can be even worse: A sea of faces, eyes staring at you, the sound of so many keys clicking on laptops. Leacock 132 lectures are typically recorded, which adds the element of permanency to every performance—it’s like writing in permanent marker. For many of us, public speaking can feel daunting, terrifying even. It’s so universal, in fact, that there’s a word for a fear of public speaking: Glossophobia. Lots of people experience some form of this speech anxiety; it’s tough for anyone to stand up and make a presentation with so many eyes watching.

A professor of the Department of Psychology, Dr. Mark Baldwin has taught at McGill for 20 years. For the past five, he has taught PSYC 215: Social Psychology in Leacock 132. He opens his classes the same way each time, taking care of administrative needs before pausing and asking the full house if they have anything they’d like to ask or talk about—for instance, one student has asked him about his career path.

“I don’t know [how that started]. I was just kidding around one day, basically,” Baldwin said. “It was mostly because you want to give people the time to ask administrative questions and bring up issues from the last class [....] And then, gradually, [...] the class sizes I was teaching [...] grew. It just seemed like it’d be fun to let people talk about whatever they want to talk about. And so, this year, people are actually doing that.”

The open forum provides a sense of ease to the proceedings, so it’s no surprise that Baldwin suggests that teaching a lecture in Leacock 132 is not so different than teaching a smaller lecture.

“It’s generally said that, once the class [size] is 100 people, you’re lecturing the same way as if it’s 600,” Baldwin said. “It doesn’t really change.”

HIST 387: The First World War is one such 100-student lecture. This semester, course instructor Colin Gilmour teaches that class in Arts West 120, as well as a 21-student seminar, while he puts the finishing touches on his PhD thesis. However, he notes that the number of students in his First World War class is not what he struggles with.

“I don’t think of it as ‘I’m speaking to 100 people, oh my gosh,’” Gilmour said. “I’m just thinking: ‘What am I saying? What am I going to say?’ My stress is more focused on that as opposed to thinking about all the people.”

For Gilmour, the number of people listening is a secondary concern; organizing a captivating lecture is enough of a challenge on its own. With classes ranging from 50 minutes to nearly three hours, professors and course instructors alike can have difficulty keeping audiences engaged.

“A lecture is about organization and trying to find a way to engage students because you’re talking for an hour, hour and a half, or even three hours,” Gilmour said. “I’ve done

summer courses where it’s three hours of lecture, [...] it’s like a marathon on your senses to do that.”

Dr. Harry Zwanenburg, a life coach and public speaking instructor in the Longueuil area, insists that capturing an audience’s attention is critical.

Zwanenburg often instructs students in small workshops of around 25 students.

In order to teach them how to be comfortable in front of an audience, he, too, must be comfortable with his audience. Zwanenburg works to build a relationship with the audience through his speech. He believes all good public speakers—and their speeches—share three important elements.

“You have a good structure for your speech, you have good content [...], and the third aspect is that you have a good delivery,” Zwanenburg said. “[That comes] with your vocal variety, with your body language, with your slides,

w i t h how you dress, how you walk, and how you stand.”

Structure and delivery often come before content: Presentation must captivate an audience before they can engage with the material. Zwanenburg teaches his students to work backward in the writing process.

“You try to start with the end,” Zwanenburg suggests. “You want to see what your message is, what your conclusion is. And, if you know your [destination], it’s easy to find a path to get there, to find a road to get there. So, then, you know what you try to say, what you try to leave people with, the action you want them to take, or what you want them to think about.”

Insight into the public-speaking process is fundamental to being at ease with it; seeing the consistencies—the way public speakers use the same tricks and tips every time—can be useful for speakers worried about standing up and

making a presentation.

“If I'm really nervous, I'll look above the back row, and only as I start to calm down do I start looking at people or the audience,” Baldwin said. “I do think that one of the things that helped me along the way is realizing that [your external appearance] almost never shows how anxious you feel because that spirals. If you feel anxious and then you're worried that you look anxious, then that makes you more anxious."

Gilmour, too, has found that while he likes to look around during a lecture, he will typically avoid prolonged eye contact.

“If I look at people during a lecture, it tends to make me nervous,” Gilmour said. “Because any hint in someone’s face of ‘I’m bored’ or ‘I’m confused’ [...] sets off a little alarm bell, ‘Am I going too fast?’ [....] All these thoughts start to cramp up.”

Zwanenburg notes that building a sense of comfort ahead of time can help speakers overcome this fear.

“I always tell people [to] explore what the venue is, know who the audience is, know what computers they have, [and] know where you stand,” Zwanenburg said.

“Go a day early if you can, walk [to] that podium that you’re going to speak from, or see the room and also see the back of the room.”

Another way to get comfortable speaking in front of a crowd is to prepare and practice. One of many clubs on campus that allow this opportunity is the McGill Toastmasters Club, where current and former students can speak weekly about their own chosen topics for several minutes. John D’Agata, director of pension & benefits at McGill, is a longstanding member of the club. In a written statement to The McGill Tribune, D’Agata noted the club’s role in tempering nervousness.

“What the audience perceives versus what we feel inside of us when delivering a speech are not necessarily one and the same,” D’Agata wrote.

“Every speaker must confront a certain amount of nervousness before delivering a speech. This is completely normal, and what the toastmasters program attempts to do is help members learn how to manage and control nervousness and eventually channel it into positive outcomes.”

As with many phobias, glossophobia can best be treated with repeated exposure. Beyond steady practice, there are other tools in the speaker’s toolbox to help calm the nerves—for instance, classic comic relief.

Cracking a joke can help relieve the room of some of its stressful tension, and it also acts as an effective guide for the lecturer to know how the lecture has progressed thus far.

“I try to use some [humour], partly because it makes me more comfortable,” Baldwin said.

“And it is a gauge of how much people are paying attention. If you get a laugh where you expect to

get a laugh, then you know people are listening.”

Once nerves are under control and a general idea of how to structure the speech takes shape, then comes what could be considered the most difficult part: Preparing the actual content.

“What many speakers forget is that they give too much information,” Zwanenburg said. “It’s like data overload. At some point in time, you say ‘hey, that’s too much. I can’t take it anymore, and, so, I can’t listen anymore.’ So, as a speaker, you have to find the right balance between sharing information and making people think.”

Gilmour notes that he has found success setting limits for what goes into a lecture, particularly when it comes to the pages of notes that he’ll prepare beforehand. Particularly in academia, it’s easy to get carried away speaking about a topic you’ve studied for years.

“It’s kind of like a robbery in an art gallery,” Gilmour said. “Everything in the room has value and there’s a certain importance to it. ‘What can I carry out of here? What are they going to be able to carry out of here? What’s going to really resonate the most?’”

For him, there is a learning curve to finding this balance—something he aims to refine as he gains teaching experience and feedback. He has started to collect that feedback from his seminar students during the semester; the best responses he has received contribute to his growing sense of duality between lecture and seminar, as he must focus on letting his seminar discussions develop. Unlike in a larger lecture, silence is okay, as intimidating as that may be.

“600 is a mass, but it can actually be less intimidating,” Gilmour said. “Because 20 people, they’re all right here and they’re all looking at you, and there’s no way for you to not engage with them very directly and in very close quarters. You can’t go into that state of lecturing and focusing on the material that much.”

Public speaking is a constantly-evolving process: It does not take long to realize that it can be difficult for anyone, even the most gifted students or professors, to lock down the ideal speech or the ideal presentation.

“That’s something I’m still definitely trying to get better at and trying to perfect, if it’s at all possible,” Gilmour said. “To understand what’s almost like a formula to say, ‘How do you go about selecting what people need to hear?’ Because it’s all subjective.

Anyone who teaches a course is putting together their subjective perspective on that topic.”

As a speaker, it is easy to take comfort in that discomfort. Knowing that professors feel the same anxieties as the rest of us, stepping up to the plate becomes less of an ordeal. Hitting a home run would be great, but just going to bat is laudable in and of itself. It’s about working to one’s individual strengths and putting the effort in.

“ It’s kind of like a robbery in an

art gallery. Everything in the room has value and there’s a certain importance to it. ‘What can I carry out of here? What are they going to be able to carry out of here? What’s going to really resonate the most?'

”

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student living

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

A voice for student parents

With two full-time commitments, student parents need all the help they can get Gabriela McGuinty Staff Writer Navigating student life at McGill can be challenging for anyone.

Academic and social pressures can be taxing and dominate many of the decisions students make. For those who are also parents, the lack of services McGill offers to support them magnifies the specific difficulties they face navigating university.

“It is very isolating to be a student parent,” Olivia Kurajian, U3 Arts and mother to a two year old daughter, said.

“I believe we have a huge shortage of childcare on campus, [and] it’s really hazy [as to] how student parents should navigate their personal and academic responsibilities.”

In an attempt to address these issues, the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE) launched the Family Care program in 2015.

The program, which was funded by both the Sustainability Projects Fund and the Senate Subcommittee on Women, works towards tackling the challenges caregivers face on campus.

According to Ananya Nair, U1 Arts and an executive member of the club, the club aims to alleviate parents’ stress by expanding access to daycare and advocating for family-friendly residence options.

“We want to expand into other aspects [and] include not only babysitting, but other childcare services too,” Nair said.

The SSMU Babysitting Club, soon to be renamed SSMU Childcare Collective in order to advocate for a broader range of services, was originally created to provide free babysitting to students in need of child

care. The organization is looking for new ways to expand both in size and scope to meet more of the pressing needs student parents face.

“In the past, we’ve had to cancel events because there were not enough volunteers,” Nair said.

Among its initiatives, the SSMU Babysitting Club provides on-campus childcare services to student parents and collaborates with the PostGraduate Students’ Society (PGSS) on Study Sundays, a weekly program where student parents can complete their academic work on campus while volunteers take care of their children. The club also wants to launch a program that pairs volunteers with student parents to provide one-on-one domestic support.

“This club gives agency to student parents who are left on the sidelines,” Kurajian said. “We are not a ton [of students] and are spread out in undergrad and postgrad, so, it’s hard to address [all of our needs], especially when the communication doesn’t expand throughout the different faculties and associations.”

Although it provides a necessary service to guardians, the SSMU Babysitting Club is restricted by its status on many accounts. As such, it is looking to be converted into a service.

“This would make McGill more inclusive and child accessible,” Nair said. “[The organization could] get actual funding from SSMU [and] apply for space, [as] there is currently no space provided for childcare. With more funding, we can actively get more students to be a part of this [and work towards] solving this [break] between

student For student parents, juggling family and academics can prove parents and near-impossible. (Gal Sandeav/ The McGill Tribune) McGill services.”

Additionally, although SEDE’s to school. She has really enhanced my services provide a necessary commitment [... to] school.” mechanism of support, many student In addition to the services offered parents believe the administration still by SEDE, student parents believe there needs to make progress. Many members should be more spaces, both physical— of the student parent community hope such as breastfeeding stations—and that the university will address its lack psychological, listen to the voices of of policies concerning pregnancy, student guardians. breastfeeding, and missing exams While progress has been made, because of complications with child- student parents still require more care. assistance in order to get the most out “On a personal level, I have been of their times at McGill. very lucky, and my professors have “I don’t understand why being a been accommodating [with my child research university has to contradict and I],” Kurajian said. “But, anytime or be at odds with [students] having I have a time-conflict issue, I was families because a lot of times, [...] we referred to the Office of Disabilities. [are] more focused and better students This is disheartening because I don’t after we [have] our kids,” Kurajian think [having a] daughter classifies as said. “We are setting an example for any type of disability. In fact, I have our kids. McGill is missing out on earned better grades in the past two unique perspectives and a lot of talent years and wake up with ambition to go by not catering to student parents.”

AN OPEN LETTER TO CAFE CAMPUS TUESDAYS In appreciation of Mardi Retro

Sanchi Bhalla Contributor Bonjour-hi mardi rétro, How’ve you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while—probably since the night before my last midterm.

On behalf of Montreal’s student community, I would like to thank you. I am grateful for sixdollar pitchers and the ensuing nights that I don’t remember. Swinging and dancing to Footloose and Grease with all of my friends while subtly avoiding creepy CEGEP boys was a huge part of my firstyear experience and taught me a valuable real-world lesson: If someone makes you uncomfortable, go hug your friend at the other side of the circle. I will definitely try this out the next time my boss screams at me.

While I know that none of your patrons were alive when the majority of the playlist came out, it still fills us with nostalgia. “Remember Flower Power?” I would yell at a fellow member of Generation Z over the deafening sounds of Good Vibrations. Ah, the ‘60s. As a left-leaning woman of colour, I’m sad that I wasn’t around to see North America in that period; I was truly born in the wrong time. Like most of the girls on your dance floor, I’m not like other girls–I’d much rather get down to John Travolta than Post Malone. You allowed me to express my quirkiness and individuality with all of my fellow Martlets, who also wear black sneakers and a cool crop top.

What truly makes my Café Campus experiences memorable is the crowd: A flock of dirty younguns vying for the “Sloppiest Kiss of the Year” award.

Nonconsensual grinding, having a crossfaded New Rezian spill beer all over you, and being surprised, every single week, by the appearance of the ancient Café Campus man are what make you an intriguing

rite of passage.

Naysayers will say that the playlist—even its order—hasn’t changed since your birth. I say, why ruin a good thing? Personally, I like knowing that I will rage to Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” at exactly midnight and that “Y.M.C.A.” means that it’s almost time to leave.

You’re no less Insta-worthy than any mosh pit at some ‘cooler’ venue. I don’t need live performances by screaming artists; instead, I can listen to Jacques St. Claire’s cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” while slipping around on the suspiciously-sticky floor.

When I think back on my time at McGill, I won’t be nostalgic for my classes, my friends, or Montreal.

I’ll be nostalgic for twisting and shouting at my true home: Café Campus.

Love, A fan who wants to dance with somebody.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

tuesday, october 16, 2018

11

A different kind of music festival Three nights at L’Escogriffe offers a surge of local music Leo Stillinger Staff Writer A stock photo of a sleek white basin was projected on the wall behind the punk band. A song had just finished, and the guitar was still reverberating.

“Let’s hear it for basins,” said Conor Antenucci, the bassist and singer of The Costanzas. “They hold so much goddamn water!”

This is a typical remark at Basin Fest, the independent music festival that ran Oct. 11-13 at L’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle. According to founder Philip Shearing, Basin Fest is about much more than water containers: It’s a grassroots festival with a worthy cause.

A musician who has played in different local bands, Shearing created the festival three years ago in an attempt to counter artistic exploitation in the Montreal festival circuit. In order to apply to festivals, artists are required to pay an application fee, but they are rarely given fair remuneration in exchange.

“You pay to apply,” Shearing said. “They take that money from 10 thousand people and then they only give it to five hundred people.

They’re always making a profit off the artists.”

In an effort to funnel his frustration into a positive outlet, Shearing created a festival with an alternative business model: Free applications, and the artist always gets paid.

Tickets are $10 per night, enough to generate a profit for artists while still affordable given that five bands perform each night.

“I’m not getting corporate money,” Shearing said. “We’re doing this to help the artists and to support the local scene. We don’t charge you to apply, so anyone from Montreal and even other cities can apply.”

Now in its third year, Basin Fest has grown significantly. For the first iteration, the festival ran a single night at Piranha Bar, fea-

Other People’s Children

A stunning tale about overcoming difference written by an awardwinning Canadian playwright.

Oct. 25-Nov 4, Centaur Theatre.

Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Transforming the Voices of Montreal

The Bard meets Berri-UQAM. Oct. 22-27, Moyse Hall.

Keep an eye out for the names on this lineup. (Kate Addison / The McGill Tribune)

turing seven bands.

“It was almost like a glorified show calling itself a festival,” Shearing said, recalling Basin Fest’s modest early years.

The following year, Shearing expanded to three nights hosted at Crobar. Moving Basin Fest from downtown to the Plateau was Shearing’s most significant step yet.

“I’ve seen so many good bands [at l’Escogriffe, so] I always dreamed of putting my festival here,” Shearing said. “This is kind of a step up for us because of the capacity and the location.”

On Friday night, the thundering chords of The Costanzas and other enthusiastic hardcore groups filled L’Escogriffe’s intimate space. The festival was divided by genre, with indie rock on Thursday, hardcore and punk on Friday, and psychedelic music on Saturday.

“I try to make it almost like a Spotify playlist,” Shearing said. “It’s not always the

exact [same] style but it fits together.”

The name Basin Fest comes from a Griffintown practice space shared by many artists on Basin Street. Although property developers have since purchased the building with the intention of converting it into condos, fans will remember the space as a beacon of the thriving local music scene. “[Basin Fest] symbolizes that garage, that place where you jam, you practice 20 or 30 times to play the one show,” Shearing said.

“I want them to get paid.”

When considering the future of Basin Fest, Shearing always comes back to the idea of a a communal space, and wants to see the success of his ideology transcend that of his festival.

“I would love if promoters would [support] bands, stop trying to be all profit-driven,” Shearing said. “I’d love to go out of business for that.”

LGBT Film Series — Dirty Looks: 8 Years On,

Following McGill’s first ever Queer History Month, MediaQueer and IGSF screen 8 short films by up-and-coming LGBTQ artists.

Oct. 19, 6-9 p.m., 7049 Rue St.-Urbain.

Mitski

The contemporary queen of breakup songs, tours her latest album Be the Cowboy— saddle up.

Oct. 21, 8:30 p.m., Club Soda (sold out).

‘Once’ is the ideal 21st century musical Dublin meets Montreal at the Segal Centre

Matthew Hawkins Contributor The transition between theatre and film can be arduous, and at worst, painful (sorry, Rent). Once, based on John Carney’s acclaimed 2007 film of the same name, successfully manages the transition in reverse. The story tracks five days in the lives of two Dublin residents, one a struggling vacuum-fixer who moonlights as a busker and the other, a young Czech immigrant. Both remain nameless, referred to only as ‘Guy’ and ‘Girl’ throughout the play. As Guy and Girl fall in and out of love, the emotions onstage fill the room, manifesting in a series of songs that are at once uplifting and heartbreaking, and, with each note, pull the audience further into the story.

Guy (Greg Halpin) is a self-proclaimed ‘sucker.’ He’s all but ready to give up music after a breakup with an unfaithful girlfriend shakes his confidence in both himself and the rest of the world. Enter: Girl (Eva Foote).

Their epic begins when she convinces him to fix her vacuum, and after the two play a song together, they record an album for him to play for his exgirlfriend to win her back. The two

A guy, a girl, some songs. (Leslie Schrater)

spend time together writing and recording, and, before long, they fall in love. But Girl has a husband in the Czech Republic and a young daughter to care for, and Guy, while falling for Girl, is still pining for his ex-girlfriend.

Once feels as much like a live concert as it does a musical. The orchestra is made up of members of the

cast, creating a folksy atmosphere, and making the performances feel spontaneous and genuine. The preshow cements the bond between actor and audience: The cast plays a short set of traditional Irish songs in the lobby before moving inside the theatre, inviting the audience to take their seats and enjoy

what feels like a spontaneous jam session that one might stumble across in a lively Dublin pub. The original music was composed by folk-rock duo Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, known as The Swell Season. Once relies on the ensemble band to create a full sound that heightens the breadth of emotion portrayed through dialogue.

Once is a tale of missed connections, only the connection isn’t missed, it’s just not right, which makes it all the more heartbreaking to watch. Hearing the subject of Guy’s emotionallywrought songs turn from an off-stage lover to Girl, who stands before him, evokes both hopefulness and heartbreak. Every song seems to tap into the root of those emotions. Though the reprise of the track that played when Guy first recognized his feelings for Girl strikes an emotional chord, the moment when Girl whispers ‘go,’ urging him to leave her as the ensemble swells around them truly cuts the deepest.

Once is the kind of show to see for a profound emotional experience.

The feelings spill off the stage, out of the theatre, and stay with the audience long after they leave. The story harnesses the power of music to unite and quickly overwhelms the audience with its bittersweet sentiment. Once is exactly what a 21st century musical should be: A story told through song without the frills or cloudiness of complicated choreography that so often muddles musicals.

Once is playing until Oct. 28 at the Segal Centre.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

tuesday, october 16, 2018

Survival and solidarity: Roxane Gay reflects on more than a decade of activism Feminist author delivers the 64th annual Beatty Memorial Lecture

Emma Carr Student Living Editor

Continued from page 1.

At this year’s lecture, “Difficult Women, Bad Feminists, and Unruly Bodies,” moderated by Nantali Indongo, host of CBC Montreal’s radio program The Bridge, Gay offered reflections on the progress of the #MeToo movement. Situating contemporary debates within historical contexts, Gay described the initial optimism that the campaign inspired.

“For once, it seemed that women may not only be heard, but believed,” Gay said.

“Justice felt like a real tangible thing, rather than a vague illusory ideal.”

However, despite the apparent cultural shift instigated by #MeToo, Gay remains skeptical of the movement’s concrete implications.

“This past year, as #MeToo has risen to cultural prominence, we have seen that necessary change can be excruciatingly slow, and that can be infuriating,” Gay said.

Gay articulately acknowledged the continued difficulties survivors face, particularly those who are femme-identifying, when

coming forward with accusations of sexual violence. Citing the momentum of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the United States Supreme Court, she couched hope with provocation that more work is required.

“We talk about resistance, when what we actually need is a revolution,” Gay said.

“It has been a year of #MeToo, a year of reckoning. I feel like I am supposed to offer up an uplifting message about how far we have come when really we have not come far at all [....] It has been a year of #MeToo, but it has also been more than a decade.”

The work Gay described has already begun on campus at McGill. In Spring 2018, students, encouraged by the #MeToo movement, signed an open letter to the administration demanding an external investigator assigned to cases of sexual violence. When asked by The McGill Tribune how universities can better protect these survivors of sexual violence, Gay responded that more institutions should put support structures in place to protect those who have experienced abuse, validating the work of these student activists.

“I think that [universities] can do more in terms of expelling rapists, because you shouldn’t have to go to school with the per-

Gay delivered a stirring lecture to a sold-out auditorium. (Julia Spicer / The McGill Tribune)

son who raped you,” Gay said.

While Gay says that further action is necessary for cultural revolution, there is cause for survivors and their allies to feel optimistic. In her concluding remarks, Gay underscored that, over the past year, #MeToo has amplified survivors’ voices and

activists’ demands for change.

“As we move forward, we need to figure out how to hold this space that #MeToo has made for solidarity and empathy while working to create a culture where someday, this space will not be needed,” Gay said.

“That, if anything, is what I hope for.”

‘The Sweetest Swing in Baseball’ sparks dialogue about the healthcare system Art and mental health converge in Rebecca Gilman’s pertinent production

TNC knocks it out of the park. (Emily Sheeran / TNC)

Nick Raffoul Contributor The Sweetest Swing in Baseball, directed by Emily Sheeran (U3 Arts), currently playing at Morrice Hall until Oct. 20, centres around the failures of the mental health system. Written by Rebecca Gilman, Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre (TNC)’s production presents an unfiltered account of a suicidal painter’s struggle with manoeuvring both the art world and the healthcare system.

The play follows Dana (Maria Jimenez, U2 Arts), a 30-something artist,

as she crumbles into a depressive spiral brought on by the collapse of her personal life and the unrelenting pressure from her peers to produce consistently stunning art.

When a suicide attempt forces Dana into a 10-day stint at a rehabilitation centre, she fakes a more serious mental illness—multiple personality disorder—to extend her stay. After reading his self-help book, Dana decides to assume the identity of baseball player Darryl Strawberry.

Jimenez is convincing in the role of Darcy, effortlessly switching between her two personas, while trying to reclaim her love for painting. Her performance never

stretches credibility in an otherwise-unbelievable plot.

The minimalist setting—only a few chairs and easels serve as backdrop—directs the audience’s attention toward her emotional journey and her progression into a new stage of her life. No location is visually-distinguishable from another, which gives the actors more responsibility in activating a sense of setting.

At the rehab centre, Dana spends time with Gary (Aidan Dmytriw, exchange student), a sociopath memorable for his dark humour and tense monologues, and Michael (Antoine Guimbal, U2 Arts), an alcoholic. The chemistry between Jimenez

and Guimbal shines through in their characters’ budding friendship. Michael, whom Guimbal plays with striking genuineness, is Dana’s only true support, and a trustworthy listener and ally.

Dana’s art dealer, Erica (Arielle Shiri, U2 Arts), on the other hand, embodies the trope of the well-intentioned friend lacking in sufficient empathy. Dana and Erica have a complicated relationship: Erica sees herself as Dana’s friend, yet, to Dana, Erica represents commerce, obligation, and the harshness of the art world. The play’s dialogue conveys their relationship effectively; Shiri fully commands the stage and excellently portrays subtle frustration in her inability to get Dana to open up to her.

Sheeran’s decision to have all actors, with the exception of Jimenez, play two roles was deliberate and effective.

The creative choice brings out similarities between characters, drawing parallels between Dana’s experience with the healthcare system and the art world.

Caitlin Heiligmann (U2 Arts) plays Rhonda, a cut-throat art dealer, and Dr. Gilbert, Dana’s skeptical psychologist— two characters who represent barriers to Dana’s ambitions, inside and outside of the rehabilitation centre.

The Sweetest Swing in Baseball manages to broach the topic of mental health thoughtfully without sensationalizing it.

The script is peppered with light humor to paint a bittersweet portrait of an artist coming to terms with her own setbacks.

In the midst of a cultural conversation about mental health, The Sweetest Swing in Baseball finds its place within campus discourse.

TNC’s The Sweetest Swing in Baseball is playing until Oct. 20 in Morrice Hall in the Islamic Studies Building, 3485 Rue McTavish. Tickets are $6 for students and $10 general admission.

science & technology

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

13

Making the most of Montreal’s bag ban Culture must change or climate will Makena Anderson Contributor Continued from page 1.

Ideally, the ban might encourage more consumers to use reusable bags. However, even if they remember to bring to bring them, reusable bags aren’t completely cost-free either.

Cotton bags, a popular alternative to plastic, are available for only a few dollars each, but the cost of their production is immense. While they only make up a small percentage of the overall cotton production, according to the World Wildlife Fund the industry as a whole plays a significant role in land degradation, pesticide pollution, and water contamination. A study published by the United Kingdom Environmental Agency (EA) indicates that a cotton bag must be used 131 times to have a lower global warming potential than a HDPE bag.

Meanwhile, polypropylene (PP) bags are a friendlier alternative that need only be

used 11 times to produce less greenhouse gas emissions than HDPE, according to the EA. These bags are durable and can easily be washed out between uses to reduce the risk of contamination.

However, studies indicate that shoppers are unlikely to be as committed as their bags. A 2014 report published by Clemson University shows that only 50 per cent of consumers who use PP bags use them enough times to be more environmentallyfriendly than HDPE bags.

Ultimately, the onus lies on the consumer, who decides how committed they are to reusage.

Kendra Pomerantz, the ZeroWaste coordinator at the McGill Office of Sustainability, hopes that, in addition to reducing plastic use, the ban will spark a greater change.

“The publicity generated by the ban is even more important than the direct effect of the ban itself in terms of advancing our societal conversation about single-use plastics and promoting major shifts in the way that we view disposable items,”

Pomerantz wrote in a message to The McGill Tribune.

Pomerantz believes that the $0.15 charge on the new, thicker plastic bags will incentivize consumers to bring bags with them.

“In other cities, a small charge has been shown to be effective to reduce the use of plastic bags,” Pomerantz wrote. “It’s more about forcing shoppers to think about their bag use instead of it being simply a passive habit.”

To further reduce climate impacts, students should evaluate not only what kind of bag they’re using, but what they’re putting in them. By reducing weekly meat consumption, students can significantly lessen their carbon footprint.

Pomerantz also suggests looking into the resources offered at McGill.

“By joining a sustainability group or participating in a course, research project, or program, [students] can link up with other like-minded people and help contribute to larger initiatives,” Pomerantz wrote.

While the ban is a step in the right direction, a change in consumer behaviour is necessary

before the City of Montreal sees any substantial improvements in its environmental impact.

Cotton bags need to be used 131 times to be more environmentally friendly than the typical plastic bags. (Erica Stefano / The McGill Tribune)

Canada’s lasting legacy of space exploration First Canadian astronaut encourages interest in space and engineering Kate Lord Science & Technology Editor Space travel doesn’t normally fall within the purview of the Ministry of Transportation, but, in Oct. 1984, current Minister of Transport Marc Garneau became the first Canadian to view his home from inside a spacecraft. Since his initial trip, Garneau has spent much of his professional life commemorating the unique contributions of Canadians in space.

The federal government’s Science Literacy Week is an annual celebration of outstanding Canadian scientists; this year, as part of the festivities, Garneau was the special guest at a workshop held by Kids Code Jeunesse on Sept. 23. In addition to answering questions on an astronaut’s food and bathroom options in zero gravity— there aren’t many—the Minister sat down with The McGill Tribune to discuss why Canadians should care about space.

When Canada launched Alouette I in 1962, a satellite designed to monitor the Earth’s upper atmosphere, it officially entered the space age behind only the United States and the Soviet Union. Revolutionary for its time, the Canadian technology used for Alouette I was crucial to the Gemini and Apollo missions of the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

“Canada actually built the satellite […], and we asked our neighbours, the

Americans, to launch it,” Garneau said. “We agreed to share all of the data […] and, since then, we have pioneered a lot of different areas.”

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA), established in 1989, is the leading voice for space science and exploration in Canada.

As President of the CSA from 2001 to 2006, Garneau was integral to strengthening Canada’s voice on the astronomical stage. “[The CSA] continues to accomplish its main mission, which is to not only [... focus on] future projects involving humans, but also the more scientific aspect [where] we put instruments in space,” Garneau said.

For example, OSIRIS-REx is a NASAheaded spacecraft currently hurtling towards an asteroid to take samples; integral to the mission is the CSA-built lidar, an instrument that uses infrared light to measure distances.

“This lidar is going to make a 3D map of the asteroid and that will help establish when [OSIRIS-REx] will go and get a chunk of the asteroid to bring it back to Earth,” Garneau said. “So, we participate in a lot of missions where we contribute instruments that are crucial.”

Canada’s valuable collaborations on non-Canadian missions are important because, in a scientific trade-off, everyone comes away with better data and, ultimately, more knowledge than could be obtained alone.

“We’re going to be on the James Webb space telescope, the successor to the Hubble

From the first Canadian in space to Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau finds value in collaboration and problem-solving. (Tina Giordano / The McGill Tribune) space telescope,” Garneau said. “When that launches, because we’ve contributed two instruments to it, our astronomers will have the use of this incredible telescope that will help us to learn about the creation of the universe [….] This is exciting stuff, and we want Canadians to have a chance to take part.”

Just as the CSA is a merger of government and science, Garneau himself has become an important figure in both government and scientific communities.

Having lead a successful career as an astronaut and engineer before becoming a

politician and serving in the current Liberal government as Minister of Transport, Garneau has experienced the advantages of both realms.

“When I was an astronaut and President of the CSA, […] I dealt with the Laws of Physics, [which] you can’t change, you have to work with them,” Garneau said. “When you’re a politician, you’re not working with the Laws of Physics, you’re working with people, and so, […] your values as a politician come into play. Values don’t come in to play when you’re building space crafts.”

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science & technology

tuesday, october 16, 2018

ImplementAI hackathon back for its second year Students harness AI to solve contemporary problems

Caroline Lou Contributor Imagine an app that can guide the visually-impaired, a program that can analyze the nutritional content of the food on your dinner plate, or software that can detect violent encounters as they’re captured on security cameras. These ideas were all implemented during ImplementAI, a 24-hour hackathon which took place Sept.

29-30 at the Catallaxy office in Montreal.

ImplementAI was held by the McGill Artificial Intelligence (AI) Society, a student-run organization that strives to make space for students to discuss and

learn about the AI industry. This was the programming competition’s second year, following its successful inaugural event in 2017. The hackathon was open to students of all education levels and drew a diverse group of competitors from CEGEP, undergraduate, masters, and PhD programs.

“We’re really focused on diversity and inclusivity, both in terms of our participants as well as the different areas of AI,” Jenny Long, vice-president events of the McGill AI Society said. “This is an opportunity to give participants more resources to realize their ideas. We also want everyone to have a really fun weekend.”

The McGill AI executive team

The McGill Artificial Intelligence Society aims to make their events accessible and collaborative. ( mcgillai.com)

fostered a collaborative atmosphere at the hackathon and lauded the benefits of examining problems from multiple perspectives.

“We’re trying to build a community where anyone from any background […] can come together and demystify AI,” John Wu, co-president of the McGill Artificial Intelligence Society said. “The buzz is there for a reason. It’s because it’s technology that’s up and coming and can solve a lot of problems. But you also have to be careful, because right now there’s a lot of backlash toward the AI industry. By bringing people together, you can avoid some mistakes because you’re working together.”

The event began with opening remarks followed by a brainstorming session that gave teams the opportunity to share project ideas. Teams began their projects at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and continued for the next 24 hours, with many participants working through the night. The first day also featured workshops by Automat and Coveo, two technology companies that sponsored the event.

The open-concept office where the hackathon took place evoked a modern tech start-up, with an abundance of free food, tea, and coffee readily available. The programmers huddled around tables and in conference rooms; flurries of typing and troubleshooting peaked in the moments leading up to the deadline for project submissions.

While each team dedicated an impressive amount of time and energy to their projects, one project stood out to the judges. The winning team ‘@ention’ (pronounced ‘attention’) developed a program able to detect violent encounters from video footage by analyzing the movements of each individual.

The team members, Meko Deng, Tharsan Ponnampalam, Edward Tran, and Tristan Toupin, attributed their success to their complementary areas of knowledge and their drive to see the project through to the end.

“Before we came, we all had our own ideas,” Deng said. “So we agreed to present our ideas once we got to the hackathon so we’d be fast. I think that really sped up our time, so we were able to get down to business relatively quickly.”

Even with the first place under their belts, the team was humble in their responses and focused on the reward of the process itself.

“There is definitely potential in what we built, but, on my part, what I’m going to take away is really what I learned,” Toupin said. “We were able to apply some of the things we already knew, but we spent a lot of time learning new things. And the point of these events is to complement your skills.”

The McGill AI Society emphasized the importance of having fun throughout the competition and expressed hopes to expand the hackathon in the future.

Canada bans artificial trans fats from all foods

Industry has two years to stop producing all products containing trans fats Angelina Giordano Contributor

On Sept. 17, Canada made a leap in ameliorating the health of Canadians across the country by officially adding artificial trans fats to the List of Contaminants and other Adulterating Substances in Foods.

Trans fats are usually created by adding hydrogen molecules to liquid vegetable oils, turning them into a semi-solid state. This process is known as partial hydrogenation. The resulting trans fats can increase the shelf life of many foods while adding taste and texture.

Although they are commercially-viable for use in the food industry—particularly in the production of baked goods, margarine, and shortening—trans fats have been linked to chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. According to Adriana de la Parra Sólomon, a MSc candidate in Human Nutrition at McGill, although trans fats should only make up a small percentage of our diets, their commercial production has greatly increased our intake past its natural limit.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, annually, trans-fats lead to 500,000 deaths globally due to their role in cardiovascular disease.

“The problem with trans fats is that they make food more palatable, sometimes a

little too [palatable], which may drive overconsumption,” André Portella, a postdoctoral fellow in Nutrition and Neuroscience said.

“In this particular situation, we have a deadly combination [of] overconsumption of an unhealthy component [in the over-consumed food].”

While prohibiting artificial trans fats in Canadian products is a positive improvement for the health sector, enacting the ban is not a novel idea. The Task Force on Trans Fat recommended that the Government of Canada enact laws to protect Canadians from trans fat health risks back in 2006. Meanwhile, Denmark became the first state to ban trans fats in 2003, with the list growing steadily to include countries such as Switzerland, the United States, and Thailand.

Portella believes a complex array of factors may have influenced the slow acceptance of the ban in Canada. “[There was likely] a fear of imposing such a strong restriction,” Portella said. “Science is not something [that is] easy to digest. There is a lot of contradictory evidence [...] even for the most certain knowledge [....] Another possibility is [... that] pressure from economic sectors that have something to lose with the ban.”

Nonetheless, although there is a two-year grace period and naturally occuring trans fats, such as those found in meat and dairy products in

Although they add taste and texture to food, research has connected trans fats with many chronic conditions.

(Kaylina Kodlick / The McGill Tribune) small traces, are still permitted, Canada is ahead of most countries in trans fat regulations, joining fewer than a dozen others.

Industries will keep looking elsewhere to find a replacement for trans fats, but that does not necessarily mean that the ban was a bad idea.

“There is no downside to eliminating trans fats,” Joe Schwarcz, director of the McGill Office for Science and Society states and author of ‘Stoned on Food,’ said. “Although replacements like coconut oil may not exactly

be ‘healthy’, they are certainly not worse than the partially-hydrogenated fats.”

The increase in trans fat bans is due in part due to the release of a step-by-step guide by the World Health Organization (WHO), which explains how to eliminate them from the global food supply. This action has motivated Canada to take on the pressing issue of trans fat regulation and show the world that they are ready to move forward with protecting their citizens’ health.

sports

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

15

McGill football falls to Laval in Homecoming showdown

Redmen defeated 57-13 in contentious Homecoming tilt Owen Gibbs Staff Writer The McGill Redmen (1-5) struggled to move the ball in the annual Homecoming football game on Oct. 13 in a 57-13 loss to the Université Laval Rouge-Et-Or (7-0).

McGill opened the scoring seven minutes into the game when third-year kicker Findlay Brown kicked a 12-yard field goal. The field goal turned out to be the Redmen’s only lead of the contest, and Laval took care of things from that point on.

With just under five minutes left in the frame, a Laval wide receiver caught a pass and took it to the McGill end zone to put the Rouge-Et-Or ahead 7-3. The Redmen took a safety on their next possession, pushing the Laval lead to six and the momentum firmly over to the visitor’s side.

The Laval onslaught continued in the second quarter. They scored their first touchdown of the quarter after one minute and added another only 48 seconds later. Laval subsequently carried in a third touchdown and a pair of safeties, pushing the score to 34-3 in Laval’s favour by halftime.

The Redmen showed perseverance and powered out of the gates to start the third quarter. Third-year wide receiver

Jeremy Sauvageau broke through the Laval defence to put McGill in scoring position and then took another pass into the end zone to raise his team’s score into double digits. Still, Laval wasn’t done; the Rouge-Et-Or scored a touchdown at the end of the third quarter to push the score to 41-10. Two fourth-quarter touchdowns rounded out Laval’s barrage of scoring. A lastminute field goal added to McGill’s tally, and the contest ended 57-13 in Laval’s favour.

Despite the score, it was not a hopeless afternoon for the Redmen.

Laval, winner of five of the last 10 Vanier Cup Championships, is one of the best teams in USports football, and the McGill team put forward a strong effort against the tough opponent.

“We wanted to come in here with the mentality that we will make the playoffs, and [this] is one of our possible opponents,” Head Coach Ronald Hilaire said. “We wanted to show that we are a team that is going to come out and play for four quarters and be combative, and I think we showed that.”

The Redmen sit teetering on the edge of a playoff berth with two games remaining in the season. If they make it, first-place Laval would likely be their opponent.

Coach Hilaire also praised his team’s defensive play and special

McGill kicker Findlay Brown scrambles away from the Laval defence. (Keli Geers / The McGill Tribune) teams throughout the game, a sentiment reiterated by fourth-year linebacker Maxime Rouyer.

“On special teams, we did a really good job to tackle and respect our assignments,” Rouyer said.

“Offensively and defensively, we did some good things, but there’s still a lot of things that just need work.”

Fourth-year linebacker Kamba Katchelewa agreed that his team’s unrelenting effort was notable, even in a tough loss.

“We just kept playing until the end,” Katchelewa said. “I think we made a few mistakes, but we still came back to our game.”

MOMENT OF THE GAME

McGill quarterback Dimitrios Sinodinos completed a pass to Jeremy Sauvageau for a 61-yard catch-and-run to get the Redmen into scoring position.

QUOTABLE

“Ultimately, we scored on one of the best defences in the conference, so we’ve got to take that as a positive going into the next game.” – Coach Ronald Hilaire on his team’s offensive performance

STATS CORNER

Sinodinos completed 17 passes for 223 yards, his highest totals of the season.

Know your athlete: Meggie Dargis

Competitive Dargis hopes to run McGill cross country to the top Ender McDuff Staff Writer With her first-place individual finish at the Sherbrooke Open, fourth-year cross country star and finance major Meggie Dargis helped lead the McGill Martlets to victory on Sept. 29. She slowed down for a moment to talk to The McGill Tribune about her love of running.

Dargis first began running

cross-country in her hometown of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, when she tried out for the cross country team in her second year of CEGEP. “I was running by myself before, just for fun, because my mom was doing marathons,” Dargis said. “[So], I was like, why not try out?”

After that, it was full steam ahead for Dargis. After a solid first Provincials performance, McGill recruited her to join the

team.

Three years later, Dargis enjoyed her best season yet. In 2017-18, she won second-team All-Canadian status and finished only a minute and a half back from first in the eight-kilometre National Championship circuit.

Dargis’ work ethic is a strong factor in her success.

“I just like the grind,” Dargis said. “You’re out of breath, you’re hurting, and it’s not just that one minute of pain,

it’s for a full 20 or 25. [... Pain] is unavoidable, [… so], you have to [learn to] appreciate it.”

A torn quadricep, however, has put Dargis behind to start her senior year.

“I got back here out of shape, not as good as I used to be,” Dargis said. “I wanted to be first-team All-Canadian this year, but I don’t know if that’s really realistic now.”

While pragmatic, Dargis is also a motivated competitor who immediately identified her new objective: Breaking the school record for the threekilometre.

“Is that possible? I don’t know,” Dargis said. “[But] that’s the goal for this year.”

It is her competitive drive that made Dargis the athlete that she is today. Although she was still happy with her recent win at the Sherbrooke Open, the five-kilometre-specialist pointed to the absence of her main competitors: Université Laval, which won Provincials and placed third in Nationals last year.

“I feel like [my win has] been seen as a big accomplishment when it wasn’t really, at least for me,” Dargis

Dargis ran to a first-place finish at the 2018 Sherbrooke Open.

(Ariane Samson / UQTR) said.

Dargis brings a vibrant, positive spirit to the team. She hopes the Martlets can win provincials this season.

“We run a lot of mileage,” Dargis said. “Last week, I ran over 100 kilometres. We also do a lot of hills, […] so that’s fun. I love that.”

Dargis’ unrelenting love for the sport is necessary to withstand the gruelling kilometres of training and competition—and entirely sincere. She knows it’s strange that she warms up to the song “Sucker for Pain” and laughed when she brought up ‘puke pace’—a term runners use to describe the final set of a workout, when, despite all their pain, they give it all they have.

Although she isn’t a captain, Dargis also strives to be a leader on the team by sharing her wisdom with her teammates.

“What I tell the girls before races is ‘don’t be scared

to hurt,’” Dargis said. “[That’s] the mentality that you [need to] have.”

Dargis also stressed the team dynamic of cross country. “[When] you see other people around, [you need to] think ‘I can pass this person, I need to pass this person [in order to earn points],’” Dargis said.

Dargis leads her team by example and with her wise prerace words, but she harbours no regrets over not being a captain.

“I don’t think I would have been a good captain, but I like to cheer people on and tell them to push themselves,” Dargis said.

In her future, Dargis plans on continuing to run, pursuing a master’s degree, and, perhaps, even running her first-ever marathon alongside her mother. In the meantime, however, Dargis’ Sherbrooke Open performance shows that she’s ready to go the distance this season. “[I’m] finally here, and [I’m] back,” Dargis said.

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sports

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

McGill baseball wins fifth consecutive division title Rocky Hroch pitches no-hitter to secure game two for Redmen

Sam Greene allowed two runs through six innings. (Gabriel Helfant / The McGill Tribune)

Alden Tabac Contributor The McGill Redmen (13-3) and the visiting Carleton Ravens (12-4) each won a game in their conference-championship-opening doubleheader on Oct. 13. McGill lost the first game 7-3 after holding the lead for the first six innings, while fifthyear pitcher Rocky Hroch’s five-inning no-hitter led the Redmen to an 11-0 mercy rule victory in game two.

McGill got on the board in the first inning of game one thanks to an errant throw from the Carleton catcher that sailed over the second baseman’s head. In the following inning, third-year outfielder Sasha Lagarde delivered a timely double that brought home two runs to make it 3-0.

A controversial call highlighted the top of the third: Outfielder Jonathan Duforest made a spectacular catch running backwards and then falling over, but the umpire ruled that Duforest had dropped the ball when he fell. McGill’s home crowd did not seem to agree with the umpire, but the call stood, leading to two Carleton runs.

Redmen starting pitcher Sam Greene threw

a solid six-inning outing, allowing those two runs and striking out six Ravens. In the seventh inning, fourth-year relief pitcher Henry Dennis replaced Greene and subsequently gave up a threerun homerun that put Carleton up 5-3. The Ravens tacked on two more runs and then shut down the Redmen in the bottom of the seventh.

McGill’s frustration was summed up by Sasha Lagarde’s seventh inning at-bat, from which he was ejected after arguing balls and strikes with the umpire. General Manager Jason Starr, too, was ejected after he came out to defend his player.

Following their initial loss, the Redmen shifted their focus to the importance of the next two games in the series, both of which they had to win in order to claim the conference title.

“We’ve got to take the next two games one at a time,” Redmen Head Coach Casey Auerbach said after the first game. “We have to worry about winning the next game first [before worrying about the deciding game three].”

Despite the loss, the team remained optimistic heading into the second game.

“A lot of things didn’t go the way we wanted them to go,” relief pitcher Bobby Finnie said. “But, we are resilient. We’ll fight back. Same thing

happened last weekend, and we came out and killed [Université de Montréal] the second game.”

The Redmen subsequently turned those words into action: They clobbered Carleton with an 11-0 mercy-rule victory.

After Jared Kersh walked with the bases loaded to score a run, Duforest collected two runs batted in with a single to centrefield in the second inning to make it 3-0. Emerson Dohm and Michael O’Toole took back-to-back walks to bring in a run for the Redmen, and Dominic DeFelice singled to score yet another run. McGill put up seven runs in that second inning, giving starter Rocky Hroch a comfortable lead going into the third.

With an 11-0 lead heading into the top of the fifth, Hroch could allow only one run in order to secure the mercy rule victory for the Redmen.

The starter went above and beyond, inducing three consecutive groundouts to claim the victory and his second career no-hitter.

The Redmen beat the Ravens 7-4 in Ottawa on Oct. 14 to take the series and claim their fifth consecutive divisional title. Both the Redmen and the Ravens have an automatic berth into the national championship playoffs which begin on Oct. 19.

MOMENT OF THE GAME

Redmen game-two-starter Rocky Hroch forced a groundout to end game two and complete five innings without allowing a hit.

QUOTABLE

“It’s very possible that we play [Carleton] in the national championships.

It happened last year. We played them in the conference final, and then in the national championship. They’re a good ball team. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens again.” - Redmen game one starting pitcher Sam Greene

STATS CORNER

The Redmen walked nine times and collected 16 hits in the two games, contributing to a combined 14 runs scored for the day.

Martlet basketball comes up short against Ryerson 80-79 McGill finishes 1-1 in preseason tournament

Micah Angell Contributor From Oct. 12 to Oct. 14, the Martlets hosted the 24th annual Redbird Classic, featuring McGill, University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBC Okanagan), Ryerson University, and Bishop’s University.

The Martlets beat UBC Okanagan 96-51 on Oct. 12 but fell 80-79 to the Ryerson Rams on Oct. 13.

The Martlets started out strong against Ryerson, scoring the first basket and continuing their solid start with four threepointers in the first minutes. They managed

Charlotte Clayton goes up for a layup. (Derek Drummond / McGill Athletics)

to balance these outside shots with some beautiful post play and showed off the depth of their bench. Head Coach Ryan Thorne made full use of preseason play, giving each player at least a full quarter of playing time.

“It’s funny [that the team has such good depth] because we started out the season with three injured players and nine people playing,” fourth-year guard Geraldine Cabillo-Abante said. “It’s definitely nice to have a full rotation now.”

Finishing up the first half, however, Ryerson was in the lead with a score of 4140. The turn of fortunes was largely a result of some strong moves from Ryerson in the key that nobody from McGill could shut down.

In the third quarter, McGill moved the ball around the three-point line looking for shots to open up, but they were unsuccessful and only ended up flirting with shot clock violations. Though the Martlets matched Ryerson’s tight defence on the other side of the court, Ryerson widened the scoring gap by the end of the third quarter to 58-52.

Although things were looking grim with the Martlets down 14 points midway through the final quarter, McGill’s full-court press gave them a fighting chance in the last minutes of the game. The defensive tactic is fitting with the McGill team.

“I feel like that’s my comfort zone,”

second-year forward Kamsi Ogbudibe said.

“I’m really long, so I get a lot of deflections.

People don’t expect me to be so long, so I get a touch, and then my teammates are there to help.”

Ogbudibe dominated the turnover game, and she contributed everywhere else on the box score, too, as she finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

The Martlets stayed focused and intense throughout the game, but, in the closing quarter, they brought a new ferocity to the floor.

“I was on the [bench], and I was so into it,” Cabillo-Abante said. “Defensively, the intensity, everybody just wanting the ball and playing together.”

The team hustled to close the 14-point gap in impressive fashion, but the Martlets could not get the final point necessary to tie up the game, ultimately losing 80-79. Despite their tough loss, the team’s future is bright.

“We’re getting better, from the first game to now,” Ogbudibe said. “We just need to do a better job of closing out. We’ll just keep growing.”

With six new players on the roster, Cabillo-Abante noted the importance of the preseason for their growth as a team. “[There are] a lot of new girls on the team,” Cabillo-Abante said. “[We have] six vets and six rookies. From our first game to

our game just now, we’ve already improved a lot from just starting to trust each other, but we still have a long way to go.”

It seems this improvement is something to watch for when looking toward the rest of the season.

“I’m pretty confident for what’s coming up this season,” Cabillo-Abante said. “We’ll just keep getting better.”

MOMENT OF THE GAME

With 24 seconds left in the game and the buzzer sounding, third-year guard Stephanie Mondou hit a three-point shot to move the score to 78-77 Ryerson.

QUOTABLE

“Steph’s [Stephanie Mondou] last three, she chucked it up, and I was like ‘Oh, here we go.’ It banked [in,] and I was like ‘Okay, let’s go!’” - Second-year forward, Kamsi Ogbudibe on Mondou’s shot-clockbeating three-pointer in the game’s closing seconds.

STATS CORNER

Out of its 79 total points, McGill made 30 points off turnovers.