The McGill Daily is located on unceded Kanien’kehá:ka territory.
Table of ConTenTs
3 News 4
Editorial
Trans rights are women’s rights
OSVRSE interview
• SPHR student strike for Palestine War in Ukraine
Sci-Tech 7
MSURJ letter
Generative AI in the arts
• Period-Tracking Apps
9
Culture
K-RAVE performance recap
Deep Cuts: Women’s History Month edition
Fine Words and Buttered Parnsnips: a special interview with Claire Saffitz!
Interview with Lensky
Queer McGill’s Burlesque recap
Commentary 12
Sexual violence in armed conflicts
Queer and lesbian feminism
Ethics of spring break
Elphaba is an icon for women of colour
Small-town politics in the US
• Sports betting apps
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March 2025 marks the 38th celebration of Women’s History Month across the US and Canada, and March 31 is the 16th year of celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility around the world. This year, the Daily’s Editorial Board wishes to honour the rich heritage of both communities by highlighting the intersections between women’s rights and transgender rights.
The 2025 theme for Women’s History Month is “Moving Forward Together.” According to the National Women’s History Alliance, it aims to celebrate “the powerful influence of women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship, and leadership.”
In North America especially, it is impossible to speak about women in education and leadership without acknowledging the trans women who dedicated their lives to this very cause. Christine Jorgensen is one such well-known figure, an actress and trans activist who spent much of her time in the spotlight educating the American public and advocating for transgender people.
In terms of leadership and community organizing, American activist Louise Lawrence held large public lectures on transgender history from the 1940s to the 1970s. These women played an integral role not only in raising public awareness about trans issues but also in advocating for the rights of all marginalized genders.
Looking at past examples of how trans activists spread awareness about gender non-conformity, we can see that trans rights and women’s rights have always been intertwined. Transphobia is ultimately harmful to anyone affected by sexism or misogyny, including cisgender women, since it reinforces the stereotypes that, for centuries, have been perpetuated by the patriarchy. In light of the recent rise in vitriol and hate crimes against transgender individuals, it is more important than ever to stay united as a community. The normalization of anti-trans violence makes the world less safe for everyone. When some members of our community are in danger, the entire community is in danger — violence ripples outwards, and as these hate crimes become legitimized by mainstream media and the government, much of the human rights progress over the past few decades is eroded.
not being a transgender woman herself. This highlights how anti-trans rhetoric is largely based on Western ideas of femininity, resulting in a racist, narrow conception of gender that disproportionately affects women of colour. In 2022, a “female-only” dating app came under fire for using AI to “confirm” if users were female. The AI ended up denying access to users that were women of colour, since they did not meet the Eurocentric criteria for “female features” defined by the app’s software. “Trans women are an easy scapegoat to amplify an effort to police all women’s bodies,” said Angel Joy Flores, a trans athlete based in Seattle. “Anti-trans rhetoric surges and emboldens [all forms of] misogyny.”
Given the precarious state of trans rights around the world, especially in the US and the UK, it is more important than ever for Canada to continue protecting trans rights for its community. On October 31, 2024, Alberta passed a new bill called the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act. This misleadingly titled legislation aims to restrict women’s sports to “female only” and could target children as young as twelve. Children risk being pulled from sports just based on someone’s suspicion of their identity; the legislation urges educational institutions and sports clubs to go as far as investigating birth records. Additionally, Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre has also voiced his support for excluding trans women from women’s spaces such as bathrooms and shelters. That such rhetoric is being issued by one of the leading figures in Canadian politics sets a dangerous precedent for trans rights in our country.
Now more than ever, it is important for feminists and trans activists to come together to build solidarity and fight against the patriarchal regime that affects us all. We must challenge the rise in exclusionary ideology worldwide by embracing the intersections between both communities, and we must be wary of falling into the trap of pitting women’s issues against trans issues.
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One recent instance of this discrimination was the treatment that Imane Khelif received at the Paris Olympics. Khelif, an Algerian boxer, was targeted by a violent hate train filled with transphobic attacks despite
Highlighting OSVRSE
Aurélien Lechantre Staff Writer
OA campus necessity for all
n March 19th, Jen Collins and Alice Dautigny guided me to the OSVRSE bureau at 550 Sherbrooke Ouest. I was able to visit the Office and learn more about their work, a necessity for students’ wellbeing that I feel we should know more about.
The following interview has been edited and shortened for clarity.
Aurélien Lechantre for the McGill Daily (MD): Could you begin by introducing yourselves and what you do for OSVRSE?
Jen Collins (JC): Yes, I’m Jen Collins. I’m the educational advisor for OSVRSE, the Office of Sexual Violence Response Support and Education. I’ve been here since August and I do programming, promote things for the office and manage the volunteer team, which are called peer educators.
Alice Dautigny (AD): And I’m Alice Dautigny. I’m part of the peer educators team at OSVRSE: we are a team of seven student volunteers who give workshops to different groups and clubs from McGill, but we’re trying to open it up to more students. Thus our work consists in helping organize events, managing the OSVRSE Instagram, and educating the community on how to respond to assault disclosure or situations of sexual violence.
MD: Then would you say the main activity of the office consists in the education aspect through such workshops?
“ Thus it is really important to have associations like OSVRSE and to make sure everyone is aware of the reality of sexual violence at our age.”
- Alice Dautigny
JC: OSVRSE is first and foremost a support space for those impacted by sexual violence. It’s a central spot on campus for that: we support anybody impacted by sexual violence by creating a safe space. We help people navigate receiving sexual violence disclosures from a friend, and support those who have experienced sexual violence themselves. Even professors come in and ask about how to make their classroom a more safe and welcoming environment. So we help with accommodation, psychosocial support and counselling, safety planning, etc. Then our student volunteers do workshops for clubs. Peer-topeer learning is great because the students understand each other: they know what they’re going through and how to adapt presentations to the audience.
MD: What do these workshops mainly consist of, and what do they entail? Is it like a class about the subject, the topic you’re about, or is it interactive? Who is your audience?
AD: Most of our audience, until now, is composed of clubs looking to organize events. Usually these events involve alcohol and drinking, so workshops are required for the audience to be able to respond if there’s any issue during their event. The workshops are educational content about several topics that can be interesting for student organizations to be aware of: being an active bystander and responding to disclosure (understanding how to behave if someone during an event comes to you for support). Our workshops are designed to be interactive, with lots of questions, simulations so people can put themselves in the place of an active bystander to prepare for real case situations, looking at real life scenarios, and always a 30-minute Q&A session.
MD: You mentioned active bystanders. What do you mean by that exactly?
AD: In a workshop context, we like to use the term active bystander to teach partipants how to behave when you’re a witness of sexual violence or sexual harassment. So usually it’s looking at our behaviour as witnesses in public spaces and can also be if you witness your friends in toxic relationships with dangerous sexual violence behaviors.
MD: Why do you think it important to comprehend this role of active bystander, specifically on campus?
AD: I feel like McGill’s campus is both huge and very lively: partying, drinking and meeting people are an inherent part of campus life. Thus it is really important to have associations like OSVRSE and to make sure everyone is aware of the reality of sexual violence at our age. There’s the beginning of many relationships and discovery of the dating world, so it is important to help prevent and educate people on what is a safe relationship and how to recognise abuse, sexual violence or toxicity — as, unfortunately, sexual violence is a reality for thousands of people, especially students.
MD: Do you think most McGill students are educated on such matters today? Are there other initiatives that OSVRSE has put in place to further education and awareness surrounding sexual violence on campus?
JC: It is difficult to measure this precisely with stats, but I think “It Takes All Of Us” (“It Takes All of Us” is an online education program about consent and sexual violence, mandatory for every student entering McGill) is great in that aspect. It was created before I came here, but I got to take part in doing it and seeing it in the office. It’s really helpful: I wish I had it when I was in undergrad at my university.
AD: Actually, I heard about OSVRSE through the “It Takes All of Us” form. I looked up who the association was after seeing it in the form, then I saw they were searching for volunteers and joined! But the other volunteers mostly heard of it through “My Involvement” or directly on the OSVRSE website.
MD: How and where might we find you? If a student needs support or just wants to participate in a workshop, how can we get to know that?
JC: You can go online at the OSVRSE website: you could book a workshop, you could see a response advisor, the different possibilities are all on our website and if you don’t see a time slot that works for you, you can always email the office, osvrse@mcgill.ca, and we’ll get back to you within our office hours.
“ It’s a central spot on campus for that: we support anybody impacted by sexual violence by creating a safe space. ”
- Jen Collins
MD: Do you have anything to add? Perhaps an upcoming event or somewhere we might find you?
JC: Yes! On April 1, in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we are holding a trivia event at Mac campus. There’ll be food and prizes, and it’ll be really fun. We got a lot of local businesses to donate gift cards for raffles and prizes. So we really want to end the year with a big, fun event - I think everyone loves trivia.
AD: And follow our Instagram (@OSVRSEmcgill) if you want to stay updated and participate in future workshops and events!
Nikhila Sh | Visuals Contributor
McGill on Strike: Student Solidarity for Palestine
General Assembly meets quorum as students back three-day strike for Palestinian liberation
Lisa Banti and Adair Nelson Staff Writer and News Editor
On March 27, 2025, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) convened a Special Strike General Assembly (SGA) to deliberate on the “Motion Regarding a Strike in Support of Palestinian Liberation.” The assembly, held in a hybrid format at 6:00 PM EST on the second floor of the University Centre, attracted significant participation. In-person attendance was capped at 300 due to fire code regulations, with additional members joining via Zoom. After extensive discussion, the motion passed, initiating a threeday undergraduate student strike scheduled for April 2 to 4, 2025: the first approved SSMU strike motion in the history of the student society. This action underscores a growing wave of student activism and solidarity movements on campus.
On March 3, 2025, two Palestinian members of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) submitted a motion calling for a Special Strike General Assembly (SGA) to deliberate on initiating a student strike in support of Palestinian liberation. This motion was accompanied by a petition garnering 52 signatures from students across various faculties, meeting the constitutional requirements set forth in Article 13.2 of the SSMU Constitution. Article 13.2 mandates that for a Special
“In every historic example of divestment, prolonged mass student mobilization was essential to success.”
- SPHR
General Assembly to be convened, a written request must be submitted by at least 50 members representing a minimum of four different faculties
or schools, with no more than 50 per cent of the signatories from any single faculty. Upon satisfying these criteria, the SSMU scheduled the SGA for Thursday, March 27.
The motion received significant backing from campus organizations, notably Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill. SPHR actively promoted the initiative, urging students to participate in the SGA and support the strike motion. Their endorsement emphasized the urgency of addressing the university’s affiliations and investments perceived to be complicit in actions against Palestinian communities. In preparation for the strike, SPHR continues to post support resources for activists, emphasizing that “in every historic example of divestment, prolonged mass student mobilization was essential to success.”
The proposed strike motion outlined three central objectives:
First, it calls on McGill University to divest from companies involved in weapons manufacturing and operations within Israeli-occupied territories; including but not limited to Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Textron, and Thales. Further, the strike would emphasize the need to reexamine financial entanglements deemed complicit in human rights violations.
Second, it advocates for academic disruption through a temporary cessation of classes, intended as a material and symbolic act of protest to draw campus-wide attention to the Palestinian cause.
Third, the motion demands institutional accountability, urging the administration to sever ties with entities implicated in the oppression of Palestinian communities. Additionally, the strike would put pressure on McGill to stop disciplinary action against students mobilizing for Palestinian rights.
The March 27 General Assembly saw hundreds of students pack into the SSMU Cafeteria, reaching the maximum in-person capacity of 300, while over 400 more joined online through Zoom. The energy in the room was charged in a mix of tension, urgency, and collective determination. Students lined up at microphones to speak passionately for and against the motion, debating
the implications, logistics, and symbolism of striking. Discussion featured both emotional appeals and procedural interventions, reflecting the deep engagement of attendees. While many voiced unequivocal support for the motion, both the principles and practices of the strike were debated. In the end, the motion passed by a significant majority, with 679 SSMU members voting in favour.
The motion outlines that the strike is intended as an act of protest against the university’s perceived complicity in the oppression of Palestinians. It specifically demands that McGill University divest from companies involved in the occupation of Palestinian territories and the manufacturing of arms. The motion further calls for the disruption of regular academic activity to raise awareness and foster solidarity.
During the strike, undergraduate students are asked not to attend class: however, students may still submit assignments online and attend scheduled exams. During class time, students are urged to participate in strike-related programming. These include information sessions, picket lines, and artistic interventions meant to mobilize broader campus dialogue and public visibility.
Statements from organizers emphasized the urgency of collective action. During the GA, attendees cited recent developments in Gaza and longstanding student organizing traditions as motivators for their involvement. Members of SPHR and others expressed that this strike would not only be about Palestine, but also about confronting institutional complicity and reclaiming agency as students within university governance.
Speaker and organizer Rama Al Malah expressed the urgency of the motion, introducing the strike as part of a continuous effort for Palestinian liberation. “We know this is the will of the students, and we will strike and continue to fight for our people no matter what,” she shared in an
emotional address to the crowd.
Although the motion ultimately passed, the discussion at the GA reflected a range of conflicting student opinions. Some attendees voiced apprehension over academic consequences for students, while opposing parties challenged the effectiveness of the strike motion. Procedural debates arose around how to balance democratic participation with accessibility in a hybrid setting.
“The atmosphere at the GA was full of hope — the entire room was buzzing with energy when I walked in. After the motion passed almost unanimously, everyone erupted into cheers and applause,” a student in attendance shared on the spirit of the event.
SPHR’s framing of the strike echoed similar calls made during past student mobilizations at McGill, including anti-tuition hike protests and campaigns for fossil fuel divestment. Most notably, McGill students organized a pro-Palestinian encampment in 2024 that lasted several months, featuring teach-ins and cultural programming in what students called a “liberated zone” on campus. The encampment called for university divestment from companies tied to Israel’s military operations and drew national media attention before being dismantled.
The McGill strike also arrives amid a broader wave of student-led activism across Montreal. Just one day prior, on March 26, around 200 students from Dawson College staged a walkout and marched to Concordia University as part of a coordinated day of action for Palestine, reinforcing a city-wide momentum for solidarity movements. This follows an emergency protest for Palestine on March 18, where hundreds of activists took to the streets and organized in front of the US Consulate after Israel resumed its aggression on Gaza.
As of now, no public statement has been issued by the McGill
administration or faculty associations regarding the motion or strike. According to the motion, students are encouraged to participate in events relating to Palestinian liberation and refrain from attending classes. SPHR and supporting organizers are expected to coordinate teach-ins, community-building sessions, and peaceful demonstrations on campus, facilitated by SSMU. While the motion outlines no formal penalties for students who do not participate, it emphasizes the symbolic power of mass mobilization. Further details regarding event schedules, accommodations, and outreach will be shared on social media platforms in the days ahead.
This moment represents a significant chapter in McGill’s long legacy of student activism. “It is the students who steer us towards truth and justice,” Al Malah stated during the presentation of the strike motion. “We learned from history that students have the power to force the hands of our political class and administration that divestment is possible.” The passage of the strike motion underscores a renewed student interest in global solidarity and institutional accountability. With a resounding turnout and a mandate to act, McGill undergraduates have made clear that their vision of education extends beyond the classroom, and is rooted in justice, equity, and meaningful global engagement. Whether or not the strike achieves its concrete demands, it has already galvanized a generation of students into collective consciousness and participation. As the strike approaches, all eyes are on what unfolds next — and on how student voices continue to shape the university’s stance in an increasingly politicized global landscape.
Arismita Ghosh | Visuals Contributor
Aurélien Lechantre Staff Writer
Over three years since Russia launched an offensive on Ukrainian territory on February 24, 2022, the conflict has stagnated: the warzone stretches over a thousand kilometers of frontlines, with Russian offensives focusing on Eastern Ukraine and subordinate operations in Kharkiv and Luhansk, as well as in Donetsk, where the Russian forces recently advanced towards Siversk. In August 2024, Kyiv launched a counteroffensive and penetrated Russian territory in Kursk. When Russian troops seemed to regain lost territory, a second assault was ordered in January 2025.
In what has evolved into a war of attrition, both sides have harassed each other through attacks on their respective infrastructure and morale.
Russian airstrikes have caused vast damage on Ukrainian infrastructure — notably energy facilities — but also civilian housing. In retaliation, Ukraine has made effective use of drones, managing to erode Moscow’s air-defenses, even enjoying a rise in domestic weapons productions after
Three Years Later: Peace in Sight in Ukraine?
Riyadh hosted American, Russian and Ukrainian
ceasefire, leading to interrogations surrounding a
North Korea, estimated at about 12,000 by Ukraine in February of this year.
Trump’s entry into office on January 20 radically changed the diplomatic dynamics surrounding the conflict. During his campaign, he promised to put an end to the war; but, on February 12, he was on the phone with Putin. After Zelensky visited the White House on February 28, Trump attempted to pressure Kyiv into accepting a deal on critical minerals in Ukraine, valued at $500 billion, to “pay back” for US support during the conflict. Though tensions following the Oval Office meeting dissipated, with discussions of American and Ukrainian delegations in Jeddah on March 11, this episode demonstrates Trump’s pursuit of American interests first and foremost at the expense of Ukrainians.
Zelensky also expressed concerns over “exclusionary” peace talks between Russia and the US, claiming that the
March 24, and representatives from Kyiv the next day. The talks focused on a limited ceasefire, ensuring strikes stopped, resuming traffic in the Black Sea, and restricting the targeting of energy infrastructures. Washington seemed rather hopeful in Riyadh, claiming a “positive announcement” would be made in a few days.
While all three delegations agreed to the limited ceasefire, their understandings of ceasefire conditions seemed to contrast. Zelensky’s announcement that a ceasefire would take place with immediate effect was followed by news of Russian strikes in Sumy, damaging a school and a hospital while also killing 88 Ukrainians. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister, Andril Sybiha, stated that “Moscow speaks of peace while carrying out brutal strikes on densely populated residential areas in major Ukrainian cities.” The Kremlin replied that they understood that a ceasefire would only be enacted once certain conditions were met. This, alongside the fact the Kremlin already broke off 25 ceasefires, explains Ukraine’s deep mistrust in Russia’s respect for the agreement.
efforts to decrease dependence on foreign aid. Kyiv remains intent on maintaining its offensive pressure against Russia to divert and fracture their resources.
However, the Ukrainian armament is still deeply reliant on foreign aid. Military assistance to Ukraine has become central to European and North American foreign policies. Ukraine is blind without Washington’s sharing of satellite images and information transmission, which came to a halt after tensions arose between Trump and Zelensky. Ukraine also does not have an infinite supply of soldiers. Zelensky has already lowered the conscription age to 25 for all men in the country, and reports of dubious enrollment methods have circulated. Russia is better equipped for a lengthy conflict, even though public opinion at home may impact this. Producing most of its armament domestically, it can still count on drones from Iran, as well as ammunition and, reportedly, soldiers from
American President is locked in a misinformation bubble and adheres to the Kremlin’s rhetoric. In that same meeting, Trump proceeded to call the Ukrainian President a “dictator” and accused Zelensky of starting the conflict.
Yet, Trump is not the only reason Ukraine cannot rely on its foreign allies. Europe stands divided on military assistance. The UK, France, and Germany remain committed to the Ukrainian people. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged global leaders to “keep the pressure” on Russia, Macron asserted French support for Ukraine, Germany sent additional support with Gepard anti-aircraft systems, to name a few examples.. Nevertheless, the EU rejected the proposed 40 billion Euro assistance plan, only allocating 5 billion Euro to supporting Ukraine — focusing solely on ammunition, rather than humanitarian aid.
It is in this inauspicious context that ceasefire talks recirculated. US envoys met a Russian delegation in Riyadh on
In the words of the Guardian, these ceasefire talks and agreements cannot lead to any durable peace in Ukraine. Per the Guardian, the Russian and Ukrainian visions of peace are simply too opposed: the Kremlin asserts authoritative claims to Ukrainian territory and refuses to relinquish what it has already gained territorially, while Ukraine maintains claims of sovereignty, refusing to surrender its territory to Russia.
Peace in Ukraine does not appear possible in any foreseeable future, to the despair of humanitarian activists. War is always ultimately a humanitarian crisis, and Ukraine is no exception. If we talk about world leaders, military strategies and ‘big decisions’ we must not forget that war affects peoples’ everyday lives, impacting millions of Ukrainians and forcing them to flee the country as homes and resources are destroyed.
Nikhila Shanker | Visuals Contributor
When Science Leaves The Classroom
MSURJ reflects on two decades of
The MSURJ Editorial Board Guest Piece
As the McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal (MSURJ) exits its adolescence and the members of its first dozen editorial boards settle into their careers, an interesting pattern has emerged. There’s something in the air at MSURJ’s weekly meetings, it would seem, that turns editors into PhDs better than any other club on campus. While we haven’t officially run the numbers, the fact that there are enough MSURJ alumni in higher education to staff a small university speaks to the motivations that led to the journal’s founding twenty years ago. MSURJ was established in 2005 by then-undergraduates Marta Filipski and Jesse Pasternak. Its first volume followed closely on the heels of the inaugural Undergraduate Research Conference (URC; now the Undergraduate Science Showcase) and the creation of the Faculty of Science’s Office of Undergraduate Research — major inflection points for undergraduate research at McGill.
From its inception, the journal aimed to inspire undergraduates to engage with scientific inquiry and to provide a home for outstanding research that might have otherwise gone unseen. Just as importantly, MSURJ encouraged interdisciplinary thinking within McGill’s community of young scientists, publishing work across the full breadth of the Faculties of Science, Engineering, and beyond. Twenty years later, MSURJ remains committed to these founding goals. That being said, new guiding principles have also emerged, shaped by the changing culture of science and academia.
The first edition of MSURJ published a selection of articles that were presented at the first McGill URC, which took place earlier in 2005. It wasn’t until the second volume, published two years later in 2007, that MSURJ adopted what would become its most defining principle: the application of a rigorous peer review process to every manuscript.
When MSURJ was reprised in 2007, it became one of the first undergraduate research journals in North America to hold up its articles to the rigorous standards of scientific peer review. This pivot gave undergraduate authors a transparent look at some of the challenges of publishing a scientific work: grappling with reviewer feedback, refining their arguments, and defending their conclusions. For several of the MSURJ alumni whom
undergraduate research
we interviewed in March 2025, the journal’s steadfast commitment to its competitive and rigorous editorial process had a lifelong impact on their understanding of what makes good science. In an interview with one previous editor/co-editor-inchief on the board (2006-2009), he remarked, “Prior to being on MSURJ, I did not know much about the scientific publication process, but I was able to get a much better understanding while being on the board.” For this previous coEIC, MSURJ inspired a continued interest in scientific publishing, and they later went on to become an editor on the Canadian Journal of EmergencyMedicine.
In 2011 — four years after MSURJ’s second volume and its adoption of peer review practices — the journal underwent its next major evolution in ethos. While the accessibility of journal articles had always been part of MSURJ’s culture, the early 2010s ushered in a renewed emphasis on science communication — not just for undergraduate researchers, but also for a broader audience that included students outside McGill and members of the general public. Editors at the time began to reflect on the journal’s role not only in upholding academic standards, but in making science understandable
and engaging to non-specialists.
In 2010, the editorial board began a tradition of community outreach initiatives aimed at CÉGEP students in the Montreal area, helping these students solidify their foundation in scientific writing and encouraging involvement in undergraduate research. The next year, in 2011, the editorial board launched The Abstract, MSURJ’s popular science blog. This platform opened a new avenue for students to explore science writing without the mandate of conducting completely original research. That same year, MSURJ also began accepting submissions from undergraduates at institutions beyond McGill — a quiet but meaningful step toward expanding its reach and encouraging dialogue across institutional and affiliation boundaries.
A decade ago, only a minority of undergraduates gave serious thought to conducting research during their bachelor’s degrees — let alone publishing their findings, as one MSURJ alumnus reflected in an interview in March 2025. Today, a much larger proportion of students across disciplines are actively pursuing research positions and competing for publication opportunities. This shift is driven in part by the rising expectations of graduate and medical school admissions committees.
Regardless of the cause, the changing student attitude toward undergraduate research presents both a challenge and an opportunity for MSURJ’s editorial board: to adapt to a more competitive landscape, while continuing to fulfill the journal’s mission in service of the scientific communities at McGill and beyond. In response to this growing demand, MSURJ has introduced several new initiatives aimed at supporting students’ research goals.
This year, MSURJ organized an Undergraduate Research Seminar in collaboration with the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) to meet the increased demand from students for opportunities to showcase their research. The board also continued a longstanding tradition of organizing workshops to empower undergraduates with skills useful for scientific research across disciplines, like R, Python, and LaTeX. MSURJ is always looking for alternative ways to support young scientists towards their academic aspirations.
Over its twenty years of operation, MSURJ’s mission has evolved from simply inspiring undergraduates to pursue research to embracing a dual responsibility: to rigorously train future scientists and to help build a more scientifically literate society. While the organization’s
goals have expanded, one attribute has remained constant. Across all generations of the journal, MSURJ alumni agree on what makes the publication special: the people involved in the process — from editors to authors to peer reviewers — and the lasting connections forged through that shared work.
“Getting to meet other likeminded people in science and research was inspiring. It was amazing to be surrounded by others who were so hardworking,” remarked one former editor/coeditor-in-chief (2011-2014).
True to this legacy, MSURJ continues to honor the collaborative effort behind each volume with an annual tradition that brings the community together. On April 8, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, MSURJ will host its annual journal launch in Thomson House — an evening dedicated to honoring the editors, writers, and reviewers whose efforts madethe20thvolume,andindeed20 years of MSURJ, possible. If you are interestedincelebratingtwodecades of rigorous undergraduate research and the people that make it possible, wewouldlovetoseeyouthere!
Courtesy of the McGillScienceUndergraduateResearchJournal
Breaking the (Monthly) Cycle
Evaluating inequalities in period-tracking apps
Emma Bassila Sci+Tech Contributor
For people across the world, period-tracking apps have become an integral part of personal health routines. Over 50 million people worldwide use period-tracking apps to log their menstrual cycles and predict when their periods will begin. However, these apps have also started to emphasize inequalities in reproductive health and digital privacy.
For one, period apps are explicitly designed to cater to cisgender women and users with a regular cycle, excluding transgender individuals and those with medical conditions which don’t allow for menstrual regularity. Moreover, the stigmatization of menstrual health in many countries can result in period apps being
inaccessible for those who seek to use them. Finally, the lack of privacy in period-tracking apps has become a grave concern, especially in countries with restrictive abortion laws.
Transgender individuals are one of the main groups of people who face barriers when using period tracking apps. Period apps are mainly targeted at cisgender women, as seen in the explicit use of women in design graphics, along with more feminine branding such as pink colour schemes and floral designs. For example, the app Flo reinforces this traditionally feminine focus by incorporating images of women and pink designs. In reality, trans men also make up a sizable percentage of users, although no precise data exists on the true number of transgender users due to the inability to indicate gender on many of these apps. In order to minimize the
sense of alienation for genderdiverse individuals, changes should be made to these apps to accommodate a wider group of users; being able to customize the app to suit personal needs and implementing more inclusive app design would be an important step forward to foster such inclusivity.
In addition to transgender individuals, people with medical conditions — such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and perimenopause — are often at a disadvantage when using period-tracking apps. These apps are programmed to assume that the average person experiences a cycle of 28 days, which is often not the case for those with medical conditions. This results in the incorrect prediction of a person’s cycle. The ability to allow users to select from multiple cycle types and hormonal options would help improve
prediction accuracy, and in turn diminish unnecessary stress. It is also important to address the dangers that data collection poses to an individual’s safety. Data-tracking apps gather extensive volumes of data on their users, such as their weight, age, sexual activity, menstrual flow, and symptoms related to their menstrual health. There is often no clear privacy clause outlining how their data is actually being used, stored or potentially sold. In the post-Roe v. Wade United States, and other countries with abortion bans where millions of people use period-tracking apps despite state restrictions on reproductive health, the data collected from these apps and subsequent monetization of this data could potentially leave users vulnerable to prosecution. Inferences can be made from period data to determine if a woman underwent an abortion, and some period apps state that they may disclose users’ personal data to law enforcement if requested. This is especially concerning for people of colour (POC) and those from low-income communities, who are
The New Student in Class: Generative AI
McGill professors grapple with how to approach generative AI pedagogically
Enid Kohler Staff Writer
For three McGill professors in the Faculty of Arts, the conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching took off in 2023. ChatGPT, an AI chatbot built on OpenAI’s foundational large language models (LLMs), had become popular one year earlier. Five days after OpenAI released an early demo of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, over one million people had already used the chatbot.
In the following months, it became clear that generative AI like ChatGPT would bring unique potential for AI usage. Unlike earlier AI machine-learning models, which were trained to make predictions based on a dataset, generative AI (GenAI) creates new content. In response to a prompt, GenAI uses sophisticated algorithms to organize large datasets into new material, including text, images, and audio. Considering its ability to generate essays, computer code, and musical scores, among a myriad of other possibilities, McGill professors are paying close attention to GenAI in their pedagogy. In an interview with the Daily, Alexander Manshel, Associate Professor of English, said that by the spring of 2023, he had begun to closely follow the emerging discourse that claimed GenAI would “change everything.” For Dr. Manshel, it was not that GenAI was necessarily a transformative technology in itself. He recognized it as “something
major that would have to be reckoned with in education.”
Initially, Dr. Manshel was eager to experiment with GenAI. He told the Daily that he was interested in exploring how the technology could be utilized in a classroom setting on an analytical level. “What would it mean to project a generated passage from Toni Morrison or Colson Whitehead, and then spend the class analyzing the features [ChatGPT] is picking up on and testing that against our own sense of the aesthetics of the writers?” Dr. Manshel told the Daily that although such exercises may sound exciting in practice, his classroom discussions repeatedly proved “far more interesting” without ChatGPT.
Dr. Manshel took his GenAI experimentation further in an introductory undergraduate class in Fall 2023. When he assigned a paper, he told students they could use GenAI without any limitations. Students also needed to submit a document outlining how they had used GenAI. Their papers were then graded without Dr. Manshel and his teaching assistants knowing the extent to which AI had been used. Only after grades were returned did they test the results of students’ writing against the AI disclosure forms.
Dr. Manshel told the Daily that at least in his class, “the majority of McGill students did not have any interest in using [GenAI] beyond sentence-level spell check.” However, some students did use it more substantively. On the whole, the vast majority of those
papers received low “B” grades. “It produced — to speak frankly — ‘mid’ work,” Dr. Manshel said.
Now, after seeing how GenAI limits his students’ ability to produce strong, critical work, Dr. Manshel “essentially prohibits the use of generative AI” beyond sentence-level grammar check.
Jacob Blanc, Associate Professor of History and International Development Studies at McGill, similarly sees pedagogical limitations to GenAI usage in university classes. In an interview with the Daily, Dr. Blanc shared that “in my classes, I try to emphasize that there is no shortcut to doing research well, to doing a paper well.” Simultaneously, he limits the opportunities where students could easily use AI. His final assignments tend to be creative: a historical fiction essay or a podcast episode, for example. This serves a dual purpose of being both “fun for doing history” and “helping students not fall victim to this trap of AI.”
While Dr. Blanc assigns creative projects for reasons beyond being largely AI “fool-proof,” software like ChatGPT has changed the way he evaluates students on a regular basis. Like many of his colleagues, Dr. Blanc has begun to introduce weekly, inclass quizzes. “Is it useful? Maybe, as a check-in,” Dr. Blanc noted. “But I wouldn’t have done this if ChatGPT hadn’t come around.”
At the same time, Dr. Blanc acknowledges that it is difficult to completely prevent students from using AI. That is why he has recently started requiring students to submit an AI disclosure form to
already more heavily surveilled by law enforcement agencies. As far as period-tracking apps, it is becoming increasingly apparent that developers need to specify how user data will be used and provide consent-based mechanisms around the selling of user data to third parties and government agencies. To improve user safety, a storage model should be created where user data remains solely on their device, without being connected to a larger “cloud”. As technology continues to shape how individuals manage their reproductive health, inclusiveness, maintaining security, and ethical data practices are more important than ever. If period-tracking apps fail to prioritize these concerns, these applications risk reinforcing inequalities in both healthcare access and digital privacy.
acknowledge how they used AI in their assignments. Dr. Blanc said he is “trying to force students to be honest with themselves and with me. We’re all learning this on the fly, so I really want to know how students are using it more than just when it is obvious to me that they are cheating.”
Samantha Damay, an instructor in the Centre for French Teaching at McGill, uses GenAI in a different way from Dr. Manshel and Blanc. Damay sees unique pedagogical benefits to GenAI for secondlanguage courses. While Damay believes AI lacks depth and creativity, she acknowledges that in second-language classes, creativity is not necessarily the first priority. In an interview with the Daily, Damay said she primarily looks for “abilities to synthesize text, to apply grammar conventions, and to understand the language.” For Damay, GenAI can help students achieve these skills.
Damay encourages students to use ChatGPT to correct their own work. “I think it is essential that students are able to understand their mistakes and then make their own corrections,” she said. “That’s why I asked myself, ‘can ChatGPT help students develop independent ways of correcting their work?’”
Now, Damay has created specific ChatGPT prompts, which she encourages students to use to improve their French writing skills. One such prompt asks ChatGPT to “indicate” errors but not to correct them. This way, students can utilize GenAI like a professor who highlights their mistakes, while still
needing to fix them autonomously. When Damay explicitly instructs her students to use ChatGPT, they are often surprised. But she emphasizes that she is not advising them to use it to cheat; rather, they should take advantage of it as a tool. “I really hope that generative AI becomes a reflex for students,” Damay said to the Daily. “Each time they write a text in French, they should take the time to ask ChatGPT to review their work.” When asked about the future of GenAI in French language learning, Damay raises concerns about ethics and laziness. “We must see AI as a tool and not a solution,” she said. Rather than using it to replace human writing and critical thinking, Damay said students should use it as an “assistant.”
Outside of the classroom, Damay is worried that AI will threaten social connections, alluding to a growing number of romantic relationships between humans and AI chatbots. “That is what I am scared about: that people will lose their humanity,” Damay told the Daily. She acknowledged that “we are not there yet,” but that it is a real concern.
In many ways, GenAI appears poised to change education as we know it. That being said, speaking from his perspective as a historian, Dr. Blanc acknowledged that we have seen rapid technological advances before. “I guess I have to say that nothing is ever unique,” he noted. “Google was going to change everything, the personal computer was going to change everything.”
Still, he continued, GenAI presents many unknowns: “It’s going to change how we teach. And I don’t think anyone can quite say how it’s going to do that, or when.”
Deep Cuts
Have you heard these sweet, sweet tunes?
Women’s History Month edition
Mia Duddy-Hayashibara Culture Contributor
Welcome to Deep Cuts, a column that focuses on bringing you underground sounds that you’ve never heard before.
“Mountain Scale” - Asher White Providence-based artist, Asher White has recently garnered attention after receiving an 8.0 on her most recent album, Home Constellation Study, as well as having a song featured on the compilation album for trans rights, Transa. She has released an abounding 26 albums on Bandcamp, the first of which were put out when she was just 14! Her songs take on a DIYfeel, yet the arrangements are intricate and eccentric. The song “Mountain Scale” from her album ElmwoodCassettestands out with its soft, but dynamic, vocals and harmonies. Although it is followed by a more punksounding song, the track order feels complementary.
“Acabemos Con El Femicidio” - Pelada
There can never be enough praise for the irreplicable Montreal techno-dance-punk duo Pelada. Although they disbanded last year, their energy can still be felt through the screen when rewatching past performances, especially their Boiler Room x Primavera Sound set in Barcelona. Chris Vargas’ vocals blend perfectly with strong dance beats in an unexpected way. “Acabemos con el femicidio” translates to “let’s end femicide;” sexism being a core theme in their lyricism. Listen to them when getting ready to go out, or, honestly, whenever!
“Limitless Night” - Drinking Boys and Girls Choir
Drinking Boys and Girls Choir are a punk band from Daegu, South Korea. They emerged in the local scene there as a women-fronted band. After signing with British record label, Damnably, they’ve toured extensively around North America and Europe, often opening for the Japanese allwomen band, Otoboke Beaver. The band played at Théatre
K-RAVE’s K-pop Kraze
K-RAVE’s annual showcase features dance perfomances and fosters community
Eva Marriott-Fabre Visuals Editor
Beanfield in March of last year.
The audience was blown away at the band’s ability to keep up with such a fast drum beat while remaining somewhat calm. I included the first song of the album in this list because it gets you wanting to listen to the rest; a perfect hook if you will.
“My Pal Foot Foot” - The Shaggs
The Shaggs are a favourite of many influential musicians; Kurt Cobain and Frank Zappa were huge fans. The band consisted of four sisters from New Hampshire who were forced to learn to play instruments from an early age by their superstitious father. Their intense musical training unfortunately did not get them very far. Their album titled Philosophy of the World, doesn’t actually consist of any lyrical depth either. However, after developing a cult following in the 80s, they have been deemed to be unintentionally brilliant. Afterall, it must have been hard to be that bad. Or is it truly genius and only the real ones get it? But it is bad, right?
“The White Tent the Raft”Jane Siberry
Jane Siberry is a Canadian singer/songwriter whose music is often categorized as “high art” rock. Her album The Walking is a treasure chest filled with songs that feel like movies; not just a scene, but the movie in its entirety. “The White Tent the Raft” is no exception. The nine-minute song is made up of independently unique verses, a strong chorus, and randomly recurring themes. Her voice can be compared to dramatic soprano singers like Kate Bush and Elizabeth Fraser. Along with songwriting and vocal/ instrumental credits, she is also the co-producer of the album. It is rare but inspiring to see women in the technical roles of song-making. Her songs are not for casual-listening, but perfect for car rides or walks where her voice can be your main focus!
After dancing competitively for 10 years, U1 Computer Science student Ellie Lock looked to join a dance crew with a strong sense of community during her first year at McGill. When she auditioned for K-RAVE in the fall of 2023, she realised she had found it. “The community of going to an audition and not feeling scrutinized was very nice,” she said. “I thought, ‘Hmmm, maybe this is something I should stick with…’ I’m glad I made that decision.”
Similarly, U1 Political Science student Charlotte Gillogley, who joined the team at the start of the winter semester, credits that same collaborative spirit in K-RAVE along with her interest in K-pop as to why she joined the club’s Communications Team. “I had a friend who was an exec, and it seemed like a really good community,” she said. “I heard lots of funny stories about the different execs and how they were all super nice.”
On March 22, K-RAVE, McGill’s K-pop and Korean entertainment club, hosted their 6th annual showcase, Haute Kouture, at Le National. The event featured songs by artists like BTS, aespa, TWICE, and Enhypen, and it was the product of a year-long effort by both dancers and executives. Dancers can additionally hold responsibilities as Performance Executives, who organize practice schedules, book studios, and send out song suggestion forms, or as Dance Leaders, who lead performances, distribute parts equally among dancers, and provide feedback. According to U3 Science and Pharmacology student Emilie Jarman, whose roles include VP Performance and dance leader, responsibilities for dancers ramp up over the course of the school year. In fall, dancers are expected to work on one cover posted to YouTube and practice roughly 2-4 hours a week, while in winter, showcase preparation can require up to 10 hours. Jarman performed in songs “Shhh!” by Viviz, “Dangerous” by BOYNEXTDOOR, “Strategy” by TWICE, and a BTS Medley, and was a dance leader for the latter two. She led the “Strategy” team by herself due to her expertise in performing girl-group styles of dance, and co-led the Medley with Annie Nguyen, Christine Wu, and Sien Pei. Preparation for the medley began well before the school year started, with a four-hour-long call to decide which songs to include.
K-Pop incorporates a variety of
genres into its production, and thus, the setlist for the showcase featured a range of dance styles.
Alongside dancing in the Street Woman Fighter Medley and “Igloo” by Kiss of Life, Lock was especially excited to perform the Throwback Girl Group Medley under the leadership of her friend Frida Hou, and challenged herself by learning to dance in heels. “For the Girl Group Medley, every time they put the suggestion sheet out since I joined the club, I had put it in there,” she said. “The challenge came in when we started thinking about unified performance and when we all threw a pair of heels on [...] Heels completely change the way you dance, but we all managed that really well.”
While leading her team, Jarman strived to establish a feeling of community as much as she emphasized practice, in order to help dancers feel welcome to voice their thoughts. Although she had not practiced with many of the dancers before the semester, she ultimately led them to success in creating a strong team dynamic.
“Each week, each group gets closer and closer. Everyone gets more comfortable talking to each other or sharing corrections,” she said.
“[Knowing] how people think or communicate is what gets the group to have good chemistry so that you can have a good performance.”
Although dancers perform in different songs and some may never be in an act together, it does not stop them from fostering a sense of community with one another.
On the day of the showcase, Lock recalled how Tini Liu made the effort to talk to all of the other dancers and snap a memory with each of them with a digital camera.
“During the showcase, she was going around with this digital camera, asking everyone to take a picture with her, and I thought that was so sweet,” she said. “Before, I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to meet her cause I wasn’t practising at the same time as her, and I thought it was a great way to talk to people and get those memories.”
The cooperative effort extends from the dance practice rooms at the Fieldhouse to Leacock, where executives attend weekly meetings on Wednesdays. Although executives are divided into teams to carry out different tasks, they often collaborate with one another. The Communications team, for example, worked with Production to create content for the showcase’s sponsors and collaborated with Graphics for Social Media promotion. On the day of the showcase, while dancers practiced on stage, Gillogley and the rest of the Communications team ran around backstage to create a plethora of content to advertise the showcase on TikTok and Instagram. “It was a very fun bonding moment, especially as a new exec,” she said. “No one would judge someone for their idea. It was a very supportive environment, and I think we had a lot of fun making videos together.”
According to Lock, K-RAVE became her family when she was new to university. Over the years, she noticed that the audition pool has increased since she applied to become a dancer, and is overjoyed that more people are interested in joining the club. “K-RAVE is a great opportunity to have a built-in community when you’re coming to a new place,” she said. “I have this really great group of people that I get to hang out with every Saturday when we go to practice, and maybe grab a coffee after.” Jarman, who graduates at the end of the semester, said she will look back at her three years in K-RAVE with fond memories, thankful for the friendships formed, the confidence she developed, and the passion for dance it fostered. “K-RAVE has made my university experience [...] Participating in K-RAVE has given me a lot of opportunities to be able to go out of my comfort zone and talk to new people and express how I feel,” she said. “I just hope the club continues to grow and that it continues to be a space for people to come together and destress from school or life while doing what makes them happy.”
Photo courtesy of Galen Hu (@galen.hu)
Luxe Palmer Copy Editor
W elcome to Fine Words and Buttered Parsnips, a column of meandering culinary sensibilities, investigating the world of food and fare from a plethora of perspectives
Claire Saffitz is a true modern paragon in the culinary industry. While she is known internationally as the former senior food editor of Bon Appétit, creator of fan-favourite Gourmet Makes YouTube videos, and authoring myriad superb recipes, Saffitz’s roots trace back through to our very own Montreal. Saffitz earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University before venturing north to McGill, where she studied early modern French culinary history, earning her master’s in history in 2013. Saffitz made her name working in Bon Appétit’s test kitchen during its golden years in the mid2010s. After departing Condé Nast in 2020, Saffitz proved her strength as a fundamental tastemaker in the food world, moving on to create viral content for New York Times Cooking, launching her own YouTube Channel, and writing two New York Times-bestselling cookbooks, Dessert Person and What’s For Dessert. Given that Saffitz is my personal culinary hero, I had the incredible honour of interviewing her, garnering insight into her remarkable career thus far and the state of the food industry.
Luxe Palmer for The McGill Daily (MD): You’ve done so much in your career, from studying culinary arts in Paris and early modern cookbooks at McGill, to becoming an internet personality with Bon Appétit, New York Times Cooking, and Dessert Person, to writing two outstanding cookbooks, and now to homesteading in Hudson Valley and producing your own YouTube channel. Are there any highlights of your journey thus far, and/ or anything that stands out about this particular moment in your career?
Claire Saffitz (CS): There have been many wonderful highlights, including winning the IACP Julia Child First Cookbook Award for Dessert Person, as well as filming a croissant recipe video for New York Times Cooking that has become their most viewed video ever. Another milestone was gaining 1 million subscribers to my YouTube channel. At this moment, I am a new mom and trying to
Fine Words and Buttered Parsnips
The (Gourmet) Making of Claire Saffitz
figure out how to balance work with my family and time with my baby. This definitely feels like a new chapter.
MD: In interviews, you have said that you love structure, routine, and details (we get along famously in that respect). How have you balanced that work ethic with the instability and unpredictability of freelance work?
CS: I have been pretty much nonstop writing a cookbook in some form or another since 2018, and running my YouTube since 2020. I therefore have lots of control over my own schedule and can plan how I want to divide my time. It can be hard to impose a structure on myself, and I do not think [that] I have it perfectly figured out yet. At the same time, the freedom and flexibility is a huge gift.
MD: You have cited Julia Child as one of your top culinary inspirations (rightly so); do you have any other women muses or icons pertaining to cooking and/or life in general?
CS: I am a big admirer of Ruth Reichl and Martha Stewart and the career paths they carved.
MD: There is a tension within the culinary industry often faced by women in the field. In the historical concept of the domestic realm, the kitchen was societally prescribed as the “women’s sphere.” However, the restaurant industry has traditionally been a heavily masculinized, male-dominated sphere, à la Kitchen Confidential. As a highly renowned luminary in today’s food world, how have you navigated these gender dichotomies in the industry?
CS: I bristle against the ways that the restaurant industry has traditionally tolerated — and even celebrated — male chefs (and some female ones) who lead their kitchens through anger and intimation. I knew I never wanted to be a part of that culture, so I didn’t pursue a career in restaurant kitchens (there were other reasons as well). Food media is actually pretty female-dominated, so I had a lot of women who I felt I could look to for guidance.
MD: One of my particular passions is how food acts as a love language, connecting people across time, place, cultures, and generations. How does your childhood, family history and/or ancestry play into your food and tastes?
CS: Big question! Too big for this space, but I grew up in a household with parents who loved to cook and loved to eat, and who valued food. I grew up understanding that eating is a source of pleasure, which pointed me in the direction of my current career path.
MD: Speaking to your status as a McGill alumnus and your Master’s in culinary history, what are your thoughts on navigating the boundaries between respecting and breaking tradition? Do considerations of culinary tradition, from the strict rules of Parisian pastry technique to the deeper histories behind classic recipes and methods, factor into your personal recipe development practices?
CS: I am respectful of tradition, and generally believe in the idea that the classics are classic for a reason. I don’t try to reinvent the wheel. I like to work with familiar and triedand-true flavor combinations. Technique is important to me,
on familiar dishes and flavor combinations because they can be so fun and transporting to both make and eat. It’s fun discovering old dishes and making them feel new again. I don’t see it so much as a trend for me personally, though mid-century food has seemed to be big since the pandemic. People definitely seek out the familiar as a form of comfort.
and I don’t do a lot of “hacks.” I like to try to make things as they’re supposed to be made, but ideally in a streamlined way.
MD: Do you have any advice for college students cooking? Is there a recipe you think everyone should have in their toolbelt – a go-to crowd-pleaser or a technique that will set up a home cook for success?
CS: My best cooking advice is to make a recipe multiple times – it’s easy to always try a new recipe once and then move on, but there is so much understanding to be gained from making one over and over again. That’s how to learn what happens when, for example, you change an ingredient (or even a brand of the same ingredient), or use a different piece of cookware, etc. It’s how you learn the cause-andeffects and nuances of cooking. I think learning to cook pasta, an omelet, a basic vinaigrette, and maybe roasting a chicken are all great starting points.
MD: What’s for Dessert has a distinct retro visual aesthetic, alongside recipes that hark back to mid-century cooking, like icebox cakes, cherries jubilee, Eton mess, and multiple soufflé iterations. I’ve definitely noticed a recent trend toward vintage food and flavours (i.e. The Corner Store in NYC, a resurgence in Americana diners, and the nostalgia of shrimp cocktails or Girl Scout cookies). What attracts you to that era of cuisine? What other culinary trends or themes do you have your eye on?
CS: Nostalgia is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to food. I could spend my time trying to invent a brand new dish, but I’d rather riff
MD: From my own perspective, the culinary industry is a bit unusual in its different methods of entry and criteria for experience: you can work your way up a restaurant brigade, or start as a beat reporter (not even necessarily for a food publication), or attempt the terrifyingly unreliable medium of freelance work. Social media has recently opened a new door to the food world, with content creators like Justine Doiron and Meredith Hayden making substantial careers from their Internet success. How has the process of entering the culinary work field changed since you first began? What advice might you give to someone looking to join its ranks?
CS: There are so many entry points to the industry, and I entered in a more traditional way through food media. I am glad that there is less gate-keeping now with social media, and I encourage people to start in whatever way is most practical for them. But in any context, it’s important to develop the core skill set first – so that means developing a voice and writing skills if you want to be a food writer, and cooking skills and experience if you want to be a recipe developer or cook.
MD: Lastly, and more generally, what excites you right now? What are you looking forward to?
CS: I am very excited about my next book project, which includes lots of savory cooking. It’s so much fun to develop these recipes and cook for myself and my family at the same time. There’s more of a sense of instant gratification and authenticity, since I am developing recipes I love and actually cook often.
Experiments in Classical and Contemporary Sound
Catey Fifield Culture Contributor
On the evening of February 28, an up-and-coming local artist played his first show in Montreal for an expectant — and, by the end of the night, thoroughly impressed — crowd at Mai/son.
Lensky is a classically trained musician finding his sound and his footing in Montreal’s indie music scene. He has released two singles, “Tomatoes” and “Valentine’s Day,” and is looking forward to more live performances in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. I sat down with Lensky to discuss his inspirations, goals, and advice for emerging artists.
Catey Fifield for The McGill Daily (MD): Tell me about yourself.
Lensky (L): My name is Lensky and I’m a Montreal-
based musician — I’m a singer and songwriter, and I also play the piano. I studied classical music at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, and I recently moved to Montreal, where I’ve released my first two singles and started gigging.
MD: And what about your day job?
L: I work for an AI consultancy that advises executive leadership teams on how to implement and embrace AI in their organizations. And then I have another side job where I work as an editorial writer for a dance radio station in Chicago — I write for them and do interviews for them and some festival coverage as well.
MD: How would you describe the music you’re making, and what is your motivation in making it?
L: I think my music falls into the adult contemporary genre, which is such a huge umbrella term. But I struggle with defining
it because the contemporary pop landscape is very specific, and I don’t think my music necessarily falls into that — there are folk elements and jazz elements and blues elements, too. As for my motivation, I like to joke that the purest motivation to make music is to get laid. And that’s definitely true, though I think “getting laid” can mean a lot more than just the obvious. Maybe it’s validation you seek. Maybe it’s about engaging with the self in order to express your emotions and ideas. I also think, to be frank, that I write music so that I can do more shows. That’s my bread and butter; that’s when I feel like I’m in my element.
MD : How does your classical training inform your understanding of music and the way you produce it?
L: The name “Lensky” comes from Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Ongein, which is based on a Pushkin novel. So there’s that immediate association to the classical space. I chose that name because I really don’t want to lose sight of classical music and its influence on my artistry. It was really important to me, for example, to play live as much as possible when we recorded “Valentine’s Day.” You can make music in this very insular way where everyone goes into the studio and records separately, but that feels restrictive to me. I love the idea that you can capture a “live energy,” almost like gospel music, when everyone plays together.
MD: Can you tell me a bit more about your songwriting process? What inspired the singles “Tomatoes” and “Valentine’s Day”?
L: The songwriting process is
ever-evolving. “Tomatoes” and “Valentine’s Day” were some of the first songs I ever wrote, and both were inspired by a relationship I was in that I wasn’t getting the most out of. It was a challenging time for me because it was one of my first interactions with love, and an interaction that left me feeling deeply wounded — whatever beautiful things came out of it.
It’s been a few years since I wrote both songs, and it’s funny because as they’ve developed a life of their own, the association to heartbreak has lessened. I actually moved to Serbia for a year and a half after writing them, and almost forgot about them. It wasn’t until I got back to Canada that one of my friends in Toronto, Zoe Kertes, encouraged me to get serious about recording music and produced “Tomatoes.”
And then “Valentine’s Day” was produced here in Montreal, at McGill’s MMR (Music Multimedia Room), with Chris Kengard. That was such a blessing — the McGill studios and equipment are really nice, and Chris is just so talented.
MD: How did you find your bandmates, and how did you know that they were a good fit?
L: It’s such a classic story. I met our guitarist, Thomas Harries, through a friend of a friend of a neighbour of a friend, and then he brought in the rest of the band. My bandmates are all super talented, they all study jazz at Concordia, and they’re equally happy to do a Kate Bush cover or learn one of my originals.
MD: Why is Montreal a good place for new artists to find their footing? What challenges do emerging artists face here?
L: When I got back from
Europe, I wanted to settle in Montreal because I knew that, as a Canadian artist, this was the place to be. When you’re in the developmental stage, it’s really convenient that there are so many venues — I live in the Mile End and there are probably twenty venues around me. And the community is just great — very welcoming, very diverse. I think that, for emerging artists, the biggest challenges are figuring out what to do and having the audacity to do it. You ask yourself, “Where do I go?
“How do I find people to play with? The first official gig I played in Montreal was actually for a friend’s museum fundraiser in Saint-Henri, and I’ve learned that you just have to be okay with experiences that might be uncomfortable or untraditional. But, really, I can’t think of a city that’s more accessible for music in Canada.
MD: What are your goals for the next year? The next five years?
L: I basically have an album written. I’d like to get back in the studio and keep recording — I just want to have more available for people to find online. Really, though, my goal is just to play live. I believe in artists cutting their teeth, and I think one of the detracting features of the current music business is that you can achieve a certain level of success without ever having set foot on a stage.
In five years, I don’t know. I just want to be really good — that’s so important to me. I’m learning guitar, I’m taking vocal lessons again, and I’m trying to solidify my skillset. Hopefully there’s an album out by 2030 — maybe there’ll even be two. Who knows?
Ghosh Commentary Editor
On March 21, more than a hundred attendees from all around Montreal gathered at the Cabaret Lion d’Or for Queer McGill’s firstever burlesque event. Planned in collaboration with local queer organizations Sweet Like Honey MTL and CommeUnity, the event boasted an entirely QTBIPOC lineup of performers, aiming to celebrate the diversity within Montreal’s queer burlesque scene.
“Our [Amateur Drag Night] event last year was a huge success, but there were very few performers of colour,” said Anushka Manoj, one of the Events Coordinators for Queer McGill. “So when we were planning this event, we knew we wanted to try our best to highlight as many BIPOC artists as possible.”
The event was hosted by Marlyne, the founder of Sweet Like Honey, an organization
specifically created for QTBIPOC in Montreal who relate to the lesbian or sapphic experience. As a performer herself, Marlyne wanted to create a safe space for other sapphic performers to dance freely. Through Sweet Like Honey, she hosts various lesbian and sapphic strip club nights for these dancers. Marlyne helped recruit many of the performers for this Burlesque Night, relying on her network of dancers (whom she affectionately refers to as her “Honeybees”).
Each and every one of the performers put on a show to remember. Salty Margarita, the founder of Latino Burlesque, kicked things off with a fabulously flamboyant dance to upbeat Latin music. Drag king Alastair S!N kept energy high throughout his performance,
dancing to powerful beats and engaging the audience effortlessly. He was followed by Queen Macondo, who put on one of the campiest and most entertaining shows of the night, involving an elaborate teapouring ritual.
There wasn’t a single moment throughout the night when the audience wasn’t cheering on the dancers. A short break followed the first round of performances, during which I was able to ask the event organizers to speak about the importance of planning events like these.
“Working at QM, we’re able to provide a platform for queer people, especially for those within the community who are often excluded or attacked in other spaces,” said Valeria Munoz, the Events Coordinator for Queer McGill. “We’re always trying to reaffirm our
Burlesque Performers
commitment to creating safe spaces for all the intersections that exist within queer identities [...] especially trying to create and preserve queer joy whenever we can.”
The emphasis on queer joy was deeply felt in every part of the event. As the performances continued, “galactic goddess” Cosmic Creme took to the stage in a white wedding dress, complete with a bouquet of flowers which were tossed into the crowd. Queef Latina went next, taking things up a notch with another campy show to get the audience excited. Award-winning drag queen Genesis Loren did some more crowdwork, walking through the rows of audience members, finishing off with a classy dance number onstage.
For the final surprise, Marlyne herself took to the stage under
her persona Carmen Mayhem — truly ending things off with a bang!
The night was filled with applause, laughter, raucous cheering, and unabashed queer joy. It was more than just another burlesque show — it was a celebration of queer artistry and performance, dedicated to highlighting the voices that are often sidelined.
“Sex workers and burlesque artists have always been at the frontlines of LGBTQ+ activism,” said Marlyne during her final speech of the night. “Too many times, they get pushed to the perimeters [...] but for us they’re at the forefront.”
Arismita
“Rape
victims who have been successfully reintegrated into their communities assemble in a “peace hut” near Walungu, South Kivu in DRC. USAID-supported health programs have assisted rape victims with counseling, training, employment, and safe living environments.” (Caption taken from USAID.)
How Sexual Violence in War is Treated
as an Afterthought in Journalism
Focusing on the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ingara Maidou Staff Writer
Content warning: this article containsmentionsofrape,domestic violence,war,andimmolation.
Over the years, my expectations for comprehensive mainstream war coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa dwindled bit by bit. I lost patience hearing reporters reduce complex conflicts to tribal disputes. I grew tired of reading the gross abstractions about “never-ending war” that often accompanies reporting on the Global South. Still, as the M23 conflict in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recently begun to receive more coverage from global media outlets, a small part of me expected to see proficient writing on the complexities of the armed conflict.
My hopes were unfounded. The passive reporting of sexual violence in the DRC has instead left a new sour taste in my mouth — a taste that can specifically be attributed to the lack of structural analysis on the root of sexual violence in war, as well as a lack of coverage
on the local resistance against this deliberate act of violence.
A documentary that partly avoided falling into the trap of obscuring wartime sexual violence was the first episode in Gloria Steinem’s “Woman” series, which investigated the instrumental use of rape in the Eastern Congo. The episode focused on the Kivu region, a nucleus for conflict, where sexual violence has been weaponized to humiliate its communities and assert dominance. The episode was by no means comprehensive, as it admittedly failed to examine how the legitimation of sexual violence in Congolese society was the basis for its exponential increase during the war. Additionally, it does not report on UN peacekeepers’ sexual abuse of Congolese women. Despite this, interviews conducted by journalist Isobel Yeoung were still able to give viewers a first-hand account of the distressing toll that sexual violence has taken on Kivu. Yeoung also interviewed activists who worked to address the sexual crimes neglected by the government, covering the community response to the violence.
For instance, Yeoung met with the Congolese activist Masika Katsuva, who founded the Association des
results in a lack of meaningful reporting into “unfounded” topics, such as the manifestation of sexual violence in communities. While the legally binding Article of the Fourth Geneva convention (1949) states that, “Women shall be especially protected against any attack on their honour, in particular against rape, enforced prostitution, or any form of indecent assault,” there was still not enough reportage on wartime rape until the late 20th century. The Rwandan genocide of 1994, among other horrifying wars that took place during the decade, revealed how women are systemically abused in armed conflict. During the genocide, an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 women were raped within approximately 100 days, gaining international attention. Still, sexual violence in war was only considered a threat to peace and security in 2008 when UN Resolution 1820 was passed. Since this topic has clearly not been a primary concern of international law, reporting on the roots of the instrumental use of wartime rape has naturally not received enough coverage in mainstream media.
Goma rape. Although no groups have taken credit for the assault, the article still contextualizes it in the ongoing insurgency and counterinsurgency in Eastern DRC. However, the article never addresses the culture of sexual violence in the DRC, nor does it acknowledge any acts of resistance. It does not mention findings about how “50 [per cent] of women have experienced sexual violence in a domestic context” nor does it touch on the women’s marches calling for an end to the war. Instead, the use of the passive voice treats the topic of rape as an incidental event in the conflict; and once again, rape is characterized as an arbitrary consequence of war. Women are presented as the unfortunate victims of this inevitable issue, with the article refusing to recognize the organized attack on women during war.
Personnes Déshéritées Unies pour le Développement (APDUD) in 2002, which has rehabilitated over 10,000 women. The documentary further includes a notable interview with the nobel peace price winning Congolese gynecologist Dr Dennis Mukwege, as viewers learn about his role in founding the Panzi Hospital in 1999 aimed to treat victims of rape.
Almost ten years after the episode was filmed, there is still a clear relationship between a rise in armed conflict and increased sexual violence. In early February 2025, male inmates raped and burned over a hundred female inmates in a prison in the city of Goma following a jailbreak. This attack took place in the midst of the current upsurge of violence between the M23 rebel group on one side, and the Congolese military, vigilante groups, and UN peacekeepers on the other. As of February 2025, the insurgency has resulted in over 7,000 deaths. While no reports have linked the mass rape to a political organisation, the attack demonstrates the scale of sexual crimes during warfare.
Mainstream media tends to over-rely on legal frameworks to legitimise any real issue. This
When these outlets actually address sexual violence during war, they present distorted representations of the women impacted by these atrocities. Rape victims are seen as collateral damage. They are given no name and no agency — as the reigning assumption is that they would surely never dare to resist their situation since it is “all they know.” Leela Gandhi’s essay “Postcolonialism and Feminism ” discussed this very topic through an analysis of the West’s conceptualisation of the “third-world woman.” She wrote that “such theory postulates the ‘third-world woman’ as victim par excellence — the forgotten casualty of both imperial ideology, and native and foreign patriarchies.”
Gandhi’s description precisely captures the passivity attributed to women in the Global South. It
“The ‘thirdworld woman’ [is presented] as victim par excellence — the forgotten casualty of both imperial ideology, and native and foreign patriarchies.”
— Leela Ghandi
encompasses how the manifestation of gender-based violence is at best treated as an afterthought, and at worst completely neglected. Take a look at the BBC article covering the
Wartime rape is often written about as if it were an individual rogue attack and not a system of violence worthy of political analysis. Yet, whether one wants to admit it or not, wartime rape thrives off of government neglect. For example, UN experts on the crisis in the DRC affirmed the Rwandan government’s backing of the M23 group, one that has committed various human rights abuses including rape. Human Rights Watch reported similar instances of sexual violence committed by Congolese soldiers since 2022. The UN itself confirmed that over 90 per cent of sexual assault allegations against peacekeepers in 2023 originated from the DRC and the Central African Republic. Nonetheless, the consequences of mass sexual violence committed by government and IGO (intergovernmental organizations) agents lacks thorough investigation. Although there has been an increased recognition of sexual crimes, such as the ongoing trial of soldiers in the DRC accused of rape, governments still fail to take a closer look at the how the culture of sexual violence in armed conflict manifests.
Mass sexual violence during war is not incidental. It is a military strategy that humiliates and demoralizes women with the aim to humiliate and demoralize their societies. From the system of comfort women in Imperial Japan to the increased rape in the DRC, women’s sexual subjugation has historically been magnified in military conflict. Therefore, it is entirely necessary for more in-depth analysis into the use of rape as a war tactic to be taken. Media coverage must take a clearer stance when reporting the violence committed by soldiers and the failures to address the root of these crimes. We must reject the idea that Congolese women are unnamed victims. We must affirm the agency of women in the DRC conflict, as well as women globally.
Amelia H. Clark Staff Writer
The Lavender Menace
“Women’s Liberation is a Lesbian Plot” – Rita Mae Brown
“ Lesbians are the most dangerous part of the feminist movement.”
In 1969, at the ironicallynamed Second Congress to Unite Women, co-founder and then president of the National Organization for Women (NOW) Betty Friedan campaigned for women to enter “into the mainstream of American society, now [in] fully equal partnership with men.”
With this goal in mind, and a position at the top of America’s largest women’s advocacy group at the time, she became the “mother of second-wave feminism.”
“Homosexuality is not, in my opinion, what the women’s movement is all about.”
Friedan was given free license by the public to speak on behalf of all women’s interests, and with that power, she made amazing progress in terms of asserting women’s rights across America.
All except queer women, that is.
“They are a lavender menace to women’s rights.”
With the word “lavender,” Friedan was referring to a slang term for “gay,” which first originated in the 1930s. Queer people at the time would wear light purple lapels to signal their sexuality to other homosexuals. Over the years, this covert method became public and lost its safety as a sign of silent solidarity. It became either a term for closeted (as in a “‘lavender marriage”’) or, in some cases, a reclaimed colour of pride.
Friedan was also alluding to the “red menace” phenomenon during the Cold War, wherein Americans were increasingly suspicious that their neighbours were secretly undercover communists. Friedan clarified this connection, stating that if lesbians were publicly mentioned in NOW’s directive, feminists as a whole would be seen as “a bunch of bra-burning man-haters.”
Despite what Friedan wanted the public to believe, NOW had a very close and beneficial relationship with the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), a San Franciscobased lesbian activism group named after Sappho’s courtesan on the Isle of Lesbos.
The DOB started as a social club. Gay bars were often raided by police, so the DOB organized meetings at confidential locations. Two of its founders, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon,
said the club started as a safe space to slow dance, as doing so with the same sex in public was illegal. A member would be assigned to door duty, greeting each new participant with the phrase “I’m [name]. Who are you? You don’t have to give me your real name, not even your real first name.”
Though the group was formed to avoid police, it nonetheless attracted the attention of the FBI. Undercover agents were sent to meetings to report back on the group’s activities. Eventually, they concluded that the goal of the DOB was “to educate the public to
is all right ... Make yourself acquainted with the name Daughters of Bilitis.”
We know that NOW was well-acquainted with the DOB, having been sponsored by the group for years. Despite this, they refused to put the DOB’s name on their list of donors, in order to further distance the feminist movement from that of gay rights.
Regardless of how hypocritically Friedan denied lesbian participation in feminism, her sentiment was echoed by the movement as a whole. The message was simple: lesbian issues aren’t women’s issues because lesbians aren’t proper
Brown created Lavender Menace with that exact goal in mind, finally offering queer women a space where they wouldn’t have to shout in order to be seen.
accept the Lesbian homosexual into society.” Russel Wolden, former City Assessor until his arrest for conspiracy and bribery in 1967, criticized San Francisco’s government by describing the city as a “haven for homosexuals.” In a City Hall Hearing, he warned the public of the “danger” of the DOB: “You parents of daughters — do not sit back complacently feeling that because you have no boys in your family everything
women. Or, as Friedan put it: “We want feminine feminists.”
The effect of this statement was immediate, and NOW began its goal of removing lesbians from feminism, beginning in their own organization. Newsletter editor Rita Mae Brown was fired for being a lesbian, along with all other openly queer women employed by NOW.
In response, Brown created a new group for women who had been excluded by mainstream feminism
due to their sexuality, which she called “Lavender Menace.”
The original members, seventeen in total, were made up of previous NOW advocates and women from the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). Both groups had similar complaints about lesbian issues being sidelined in their organization and yearned for an advocacy group where their demands wouldn’t play second fiddle to either straight women or gay men.
Brown created Lavender Menace with that exact goal in mind, finally offering queer women a space where they wouldn’t have to shout in order to be seen. Their first directive was to remind NOW of the power they’d lost in excluding lesbians from the women’s movement.
So, about five months later in May 1970, they hijacked the Second Congress to Unite Women.
Friedan had just taken the stage to introduce the event when several crowd members stood up abruptly. They tore off the shirts to the audience’s shock, only to reveal a second shirt underneath which read Lavender Menace
A Lavender Menace member took Friedan’s momentary shock as a chance to take the microphone and introduce the group to all the feminists gathered, explaining that their goal was to educate the crowd, not talk over them. She simply announced that outside the building, Lavender Menace was setting up workshops about queerness for any women interested.
Akinc | Visuals Contributor
They also passed around a manifesto titled The WomanIdentified Woman , which contained a resolution to the Second Congress asking feminists to recognize, then and forever, that the movement must: 1. “Be resolved that women’s liberation is a lesbian plot.
2. Resolved that whenever the label ‘lesbian’ is used against the movement collectively or against women individually, it is to be affirmed, not denied.
3. In all discussions of birth control, homosexuality must be included as a legitimate method of contraception.
4. All sex education curricula must include lesbianism as a valid, legitimate form of sexual expression and love. Each resolution works to give queer women an equal standing in feminism as their straight counterparts. NOW’s biggest pitfall was assuming that all women benefitted equally from the legislation they put forward, completely ignoring intersections of race, class, and sexuality in their platform. In order for feminism to benefit all women equally, the movement must acknowledge the diverse experiences of womanhood, and advocate accordingly.
Auden
Spring Break Sold Separately
The cost of a commercialized escape
Yasmine Guroluk Commentary Contributor
On June 10th, 2024, Charli xcx released Spring breakers, a hyperpop club anthem from the deluxe edition of her “it-girl” summer album, brat . Listening to it for the first time, I could not help but picture the flood of McGill students’ Reading Week social media posts: sun-soaked beaches, poolside selfies, and aesthetic meal closeups primed to take over our feeds come Spring 2025.
Every year, countless students escape Montreal’s brutal winter in favour of destinations promising warmth and endless parties. Unfortunately, this form of tourism also generates the perfect playground for reckless behaviour as routines are abandoned, study habits dissolve into weekday partying, and the thrill of rebellion takes over.
In 2024, The Toronto Sun released an article exposing the disgusting aftermath of spring breakers who left a
El Halabi Commentary Editor
On a chilly Saturday evening, all cozied up with a hot bowl of homemade chilli, I finally watched John M. Chu’s Wicked (2024), four months after its theatre release. Don’t judge me. I was already somewhat familiar with the original Broadway play that opened in 2003 with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chynoweth, starring respectively as the Wicked Witch of West, Elphaba, and the Good Witch of the East, Galinda (Glinda). I also just discovered it was based upon Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a novel published in 1995 and written by Gregory Maguire.
Georgia beach littered with, well, litter. Initially posted to social media, the coverage sparked outrage, with many commenters criticizing the blatant disrespect shown by student tourists. While cities anticipate this type of behaviour, preparing for an influx of young party-goers each year, Florida’s beaches have become particularly notorious for such scenes. In preparation for 2025’s spring season, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Daytona Beach ramped up police surveillance in an effort to control the state’s annual mayhem. While stricter law enforcement has led to a decline in overall attendance, it has not stopped many students from making the trip south. Meanwhile, publications continue to cater to spring breakers eager to make the most of their vacation. In March 2025, The Palm Beach Post published a guide outlining alcohol regulations across Florida’s beaches, providing visitors with crucial tips for a trouble-free break. While these efforts to
However, I was unprepared for the rollercoaster of emotions that the movie put me through. It’s always interesting to see how one experiences the same work of art at different stages of their lives.
When I was first introduced to Wicked, the musical, my first impression of it was very superficial. The political undertone of the story was completely lost on me, although I always understood that Elphaba was ostracized because she was “different” and Glinda was loved because she was always “just right.”
This time around, I saw Wicked for all its realistic and dark glory, and came to the conclusion that Elphaba isn’t just a green witch. Elphaba is an icon and inspiration for all
maintain order can be helpful, they also highlight a broader question: how do trip guides contribute to the commercialization of spring break?
An influx of tourists means an influx of spending, and the authors of travel tricks and city guides are well aware of this. While they aim to make student travel as hasslefree as possible, their efforts go far beyond convenience. Travel expenses often go hand-in-hand with fashion purchases, as many students feel pressured to “look their best” on vacation. Packing lists and travel recommendations are frequently designed to push products, reinforcing the notion that a trip will be ruined without certain must-haves. Brands of all sizes capitalize on this mindset, launching spring ad campaigns and exclusive deals to entice buyers. However, with the rise of social media, companies no longer need to work as hard to drive demand. Influencers eagerly take on that role, showcasing their spring break hauls across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
Fast fashion brands like SHEIN benefit from this cycle, offering trendy, budget-friendly pieces that fuel the desire to stay stylish without breaking the bank. But what do these trends truly offer their buyers? Where do these products end up? And who ultimately profits from student spending? The answer, for many of us, is already clear.
Litter and waste take many forms: empty bottles scattered across sandy beaches from last night’s festivities and plastic bikinis worn once, now sinking to the ocean floor. Spring break is not just a trip; it is a product, commercialized by brands and influencers who sell it as the experience of a lifetime, a week to go wild, the ultimate university vacation.
Spring break should be a time to unwind, not an obligation to overspend on microplastics and fleeting trends. A good time should not come with a price tag. Corny or not, the truth stands: a trip’s defining moments, the ones that last, are found in the people you are with and the memories you create together. Those musthave sandals? Quickly forgotten.
In an interview with The News Movement, Charli xcx distilled the essence of brat down to just a few essentials: a pack of cigarettes, a
lighter, and a white, strappy tank worn with no bra. The album and its aesthetic are not driven by consumerism, but instead prove that style and attitude do not require excess. It remains trendy and accessible without being built on piles of microplastics— though her later collaboration with H&M complicates this message. Her partnership with a major retailer inevitably ties it to an industry that encourages accumulation rather than minimalism, raising questions about the sustainability of its aesthetic ideals. Nevertheless, charli suggests that these few items are all one needs to embody the party-girl energy of her music, which speaks to a larger cultural message: you do not need “stuff” to be cool, to have fun, or to fit in. It is about the vibe you bring to the function, the energy you carry inside yourself, and the joy you share with the people closest to you. So, the next time Spring breakers plays or you find yourself reminiscing about a past trip, think about the memories you made. Did the swimsuits you wore define those moments? The essence of spring break lies not in the excess but in the moments that prove you never truly needed it.
Elphaba Defies All Gravity
A green icon for women of all colour
women of colour.
Elphaba’s journey throughout the movie is nothing surprising to the women of colour who do not conform to the delicate, petite and pixie-like beauty standards revered by society. Her looks, however, are not the only thing that people run away from. It is her unapologetically loud and deviant attitude, in addition to her powerful nature.
Having grown up shunned and hated by her father all of her life, Elphaba is no stranger to society casting her out. However, she doesn’t act meek. Quite the opposite — she is quippy and sarcastic, beating everyone to the punch.
Upon everyone’s first impressions of her, Elphaba simply answers with, “Fine, might as well get this over with, no I’m not sea sick, yes I’ve always been green, no I didn’t eat grass as a child.”
Her green skin represents an allegory for anything in one’s appearance considered “different” or “out of the ordinary” (whatever that means!): a slightly bigger nose than average, a darker complexion, freckled skin, textured unruly hair … the list goes on. In modern world terms, ya ain’t white.
People only seem to start noticing Elphaba more positively when Glinda gives
her a makeover so she can be “popular” among her fellow students. Elphaba starts wearing her hair down in a half-updo, just like her blonde counterpart, even going as far as emulating Glinda’s signature hair flip to seem quirky and cute.
But what really struck me wasn’t the physical makeover, nor was it the change in the students’ attitudes once Elphaba and Glinda started becoming close.
It was Madame Morrible’s treatment of Elphaba.
Madame Morrible — powerful sorceress, headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University and cohort of The Wizard of Oz — in all her grey-haired glory, takes Elphaba under her wing for the entirety of the film, after first witnessing the latter’s powers at Shiz’s great hall.
As the story goes, we are made to believe that Madame Morrible is just honing Elphaba’s craft so she can become a better sorceress. But upon closer inspection, Madame Morrible doesn’t teach her anything. She just taunts her student, trying to gauge how her powers work and what can activate them, like when she reminds Elphaba of the hateful message left on Dr. Dillamond’s board to see if the anger will get her to cast a spell.
This all comes to a head in the final moments of the movie, when Elphaba and Glinda go
to the Emerald City to see the wizard. Elphaba reads a spell in the Grimmerie, giving wings to the monkeys against her will.
Once she realizes she’d been used, she rebels and runs away, leading Madame Morrible to vilify her in front of all of Oz, painting her as a wicked witch.
The moment becomes a brilliant depiction of what happens when you defy the system, when your talent does not serve them anymore.
Madame Morrible used Elphaba’s powers for her own agenda, but once she realizes Elphaba could not be subdued, she decides to shift her focus to what she could control: the reputation around the Green Girl.
And it got me thinking just how many women of colour throughout the years have been villainized and criticized. Because they refuse to conform to the system that was oppressing them, defying against their own erasure. It got me thinking how many times those same women are still villainized in everyday life, but become praised when shown on the big screen, mimicking the irony of it all.
So this is for all the Elphabas out there as this Women’s History Month comes to a close. Keep on defying gravity – even if you’re flying solo, at least you’re flying free.
Youmna
Nikhila Shanker | Visuals Editor
“It’s
Called Trickle-Down Politics”
A microcosm of extremism and entitlement in small-town USA
Shea McDonnell Commentary Contributor
There’s always something alluring to the idea of the “small town” in the American imagination: a place of simplicity, a bulwark against the complications of city living, or a microcosm for America itself. Moreover, small-town politics can embody the zeitgeist of nationwide American politics. It’s something I’ve been familiar with my whole life: living a quick walk from the Victorianera town hall, volunteering in the town courthouse for a summer, and hearing secondhand the drama between village trustees and the mayor from my mom. While sometimes boring, I got a kick out of hearing some of the malarkey that comes with living and working in the village of Sea Cliff.
Sea Cliff is the epitome of small-town living. A unique enclave amidst the landscape of Levittowns and highways on Long Island, it was originally founded as a German Methodist summer campground. Marketed as a brisk getaway from the hustle and bustle of turn-of-thecentury New York City, it was a literal shining city on a hill overlooking the Long Island Sound. I can’t stress enough how that era has shaped my hometown. Upkeep of Victorian-era buildings, maintaining a family-friendly reputation, rallying against housing developments, and stern independence from other municipalities. It’s the Jeffersonian dream: a selfsufficient, proud, independent village that prides itself on said independence. Life is all about “Keeping Sea Cliff Weird.”
Yet, Sea Cliff’s admirable tenacity runs only skin-deep. The village only gets more expensive the more yuppie, Brooklynite families move in. Its roads are more packed as its nineteenth-century planning stretches to accommodate Long Island’s car culture. It becomes ever less diverse and less weird. Economic disparity joins the list alongside a long-standing lack of racial diversity. It’s an impasse between old and new. It can be seen in the transition of businesses in the last five years: the old hardware store turned into a beauty parlour,
three new slick coffee shops in place of a single café, and the increasing presence of RXR real estate “luxury” developments surrounding the village. Sea Cliff’s position is similar to many across the country, finding itself perpetually shifting amidst the political shocks of an insecure nation. What’s passed down from this national political zeitgeist that champions vigilantes and the destruction of bureaucracy — a philosophy that fueled the January 6 riots — is the encouragement to localized action. If local politics reflects that of the nation, Sea Cliff is no different in its struggle for equilibrium. If there’s one flaw in the ideology of the small town, it is its resistance to change, and no better example could be found than that of local business owner Robert Ehrlich and his recent coup d’état.
On the morning of Monday, March 10, Ehrlich and three colleagues walked into Village Hall and pronounced themselves the new governing body of Sea Cliff, declaring that every current village employee was fired. These proclamations arrive nearly a week before the Village’s mayoral elections, which Ehrlich has already proclaimed “fully rigged and meaningless.” After an hourlong standoff with municipal staff and a half dozen police officers, Ehrlich and company were escorted out of village hall by county police.
As a follow-up to an official village statement, Ehrlich replied in a now-deleted Facebook post, “We have a new entity,” declaring an end to “this racist antisemitic group that wishes to control every aspect of our lives and our businesses. With zero experience and success in their lives except to maintain phony made up power. (sic)” In an interview with the Long Island Herald, Ehrlich stated he had accrued 1,800 signatures to dissolve the Village government (supposedly in accordance with the NYS Citizens Empowerment Act) and had been invited to the White House. Additionally, Ehrlich stated, “I’m interpreting the law any way I want, the way Trump would interpret laws as he sees fit… It’s called trickledown politics, which is what we’re doing.”
Robert Ehrlich may be Sea
Cliff’s embodiment of Trump. A “rags-to-riches” story of his establishment of Pirate Brands (of Pirate’s Booty fame), based in Sea Cliff, made him an amiable example of smalltown success. However, after the expansion of Pirate Brands, Ehrlich sued his co-founder, Mike Repole, for 195 million USD, claiming that Repole attacked his “self-confidence and entrepreneurial spirit,” despite making an estimated 70 million USD from Pirate Brands alongside him.
It was just “Rob being Rob,” Repole said. “You would think that someone who made over 70 million USD would be very happy.”
Since 2015, while his village properties remained dormant and his business thriving, Ehrlich became increasingly active in politics, protesting the Village’s alleged lack of transparency and corruption. Recently, however, he was only able to cite inadequate outdoor seating and “limits on creativity” as the standing government’s current flaws. As noted by colleagues like Repole, Ehrlich may have a troubled relationship with facts; in a deleted post by Ehrlich, the businessman claimed he had met with New York Governor Kathy Hochul and had been given the “go-ahead” for his coup d’état plan. According to the Governor’s office, this meeting never happened. Ehrlich, without large sums of money and international recognition, might otherwise be labelled a small-town eccentric.
In pursuit of protecting a Village (or a country) from change, the reaction of the privileged is despotic. In the vein of those like Ehrlich and Trump, their ends justify their means — if they perceive something as “wrong,” “they don’t go and ask for permission, they just do it.” In small towns like Sea Cliff, across the US, individuals are emboldened to actively defy the rule of law for their own benefit. It’s an ideology that emboldens behaviour like that of March 10 or January 6, all resulting from the trickle-down of Donald Trump and entitled personalities like Ehrlich.
Nikhila Shanker | Visuals Editor
Hooked by Design
How sports betting apps exploit young adults
Rachel Ruddy Commentary Contributor
In a not-so-distant past, sports betting lurked in the shadows of the US — a discrete realm confined to whispered office pools, engaging illegal bookmakers, and held within the secrets of Las Vegas. Now? Simply tune into any sports channel and hear the advocates loud and proud.
Kevin Hart’s comedic charm lures you into the wonders of a parlay.
There was a time when sports leagues had to be at arms length away from sports betting. Today, superstars like LeBron James are partnered with DraftKings, a popular US sports betting app, urging fans to place wagers.
Fueled by dopamine and celebrity glitz, young college men are among the prime targets for these marketing machines. Beneath the game’s thrill lies a user interface (UI) built to maximize profits, obscure odds, and encourage risk. I focus on DraftKings, though similar tactics and designs apply across different sports betting platforms.
The DraftKings platform is not just for entertainment purposes. The use of relentless, misleading notifications and promotions for high-risk parlays and samegame-parlays (SGPs) nudges users toward riskier choices that drive bookmakers’ profit margins while downplaying the true cost
of betting. Parlays and SGPs, both types of multibets, have a much more complex calculation for their true price, as it compounds based on various single bets, referred to as legs. This may lead to an inequitable experience, especially for those between the ages of 18 to 22, as well as economically vulnerable households, as they are encouraged to partake in these risky, addictive behaviors and constantly lured into the broader world of gambling. The result?
DraftKings creates an uneven playing field where casual bettors are at a disadvantage and addiction is embedded within the UI.
Understanding sports betting’s behavioral impact requires a social lens. Recently, wagering has become a “sports ritual,” much like having a beer during a game, normalizing the behavior.
A successful bet can serve as cultural capital within social groups, reinforcing male identity. This social framing, especially among young men, shapes perceptions of betting and creates pressure to participate.
I invite you to take a step inside the DraftKings app. Immediately, Shaquille O’Neal pops up in the center of your screen with a big smile and bright green colors that contrast against the dark background — “Shaq’s Boost of the Week: Player Rebounds Parlay Boost!” You keep scrolling on these colorful deals, seeing more parlay
and SGP boost deals. At the end of the deals is a widget that reads “It’s more fun when it’s for fun,” a meek reminder to bet responsibly. And at the bottom right, a pop-up widget that redirects you to play blackjack on the app lurks on your screen as you visit any page.
At first glance, the app appears to seamlessly blend entertainment, special deals, and celebrity endorsements. However, once you leave it, the bombardment of notifications leaves no space for breathing as DraftKings urges you to participate in a “special deal.” Multibets are designed to enhance prices for bookmakers while the true price paid for the deal is much larger than what it might seem at first glance. There is no option to specify which type of notifications you would like to receive, and there is no apparent way of knowing the true price of a multibet deal, which may especially put inexperienced young bettors at risk of reducing welfare. Moreover, the constant prompting to play a casino game may serve as a way of getting casual bettors to spend more time and money on DraftKings by developing a more serious gambling vice. After all, DraftKings openly admitted to hoping to create “higher customer lifetime value” after acquiring a leading lottery app in the US.
Just as some people may be more prone to developing addictions, the particular “structural
characteristics” of objects can contribute to speeding up or starting an addiction. Time-sensitive “special” offers and hidden costs in DraftKings’ notifications, combined with ads promoting a betting culture, reinforce the normalization of sports gambling. These design choices create a social fabric where betting feels routine. This normalization works side-by-side with the design of notifications and promotional multibet deals on DraftKings by reinforcing the notion that gambling is exciting while ignoring the consequences of gambling. Given DraftKings’ profitdriven model, removing multibets and casino features is unlikely. However, the platform has a moral obligation to design a UI that protects young users from addiction. Generic warnings are not enough, nor are they effective. DraftKings should implement transparent pricing for multibets by displaying a clear breakdown of the total price calculation for a multibet, along with a clear breakdown of the
odds of each leg, to reduce the risk of the development of vicious betting habits among young men. Additionally, it is important that DraftKings creates more detailed mobile notification settings upon download, allowing for displays of bet losses, which currently do not exist. Also, there should be a notification option to show money and time spent betting if it is classified as “risky” in accordance with public health guidelines. Although the causes of addiction are extensive, and warnings about true odds may be more useful as preventative measures, the solution must extend beyond UI alone. Design choices can help prevent vulnerable young populations from developing a “casual bet” dynamic into a long-term addiction. For these design changes to be enforced, policies must be pushed to ensure sports betting apps have less predatory designs.
Nikhila Shanker | Visuals Editor