The Concordian - April 3rd, 2018

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper

theconcordian.com

theconcordian

VOLUME 35, ISSUE 25 | TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

 /theconcordian  @theconcordian

An opportunity to succeed

Petites-Mains offers newly immigrated women support, job training and a welcoming family Life p. 8

also in this issue

news

arts

Speak Up fighting The practice of disqualification p. 3 printmaking p. 11

music

sports

opinions

Music to my ears Energized on and Valuing a free ...and stomach p. 12 off the court p. 15 student press p. 16

news

NEWS EDITORS /// news@theconcordian.com CANDICE PYE & ETIENNE LAJOIE ( @candicepye @renegadereports)

ASFA referendum results CANDICE PYE NEWS EDITOR During election polling on March 27, 28 and 29, students voted “yes” to three out of four referendum questions posed by the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA).

The referendum question regarding an increase of $0.18 per credit for ASFA’s fee levy (what would have been $1.40 per credit) was the only one that did not pass. The proposal failed by only three votes.

ASFA president Jonathan Roy said he is “disappointed” the fee levy increase did not pass, but said it gives him hope to know it only failed by a few votes. “More of our students are recognizing that an increase would only benefit us overall, so there’s always next year,” he said.

Prior to the elections, Roy told The Concordian the federation’s fee levy had not been increased in a few years and that ASFA currently receives the smallest fee levy of all the student associations, despite having the most members.

On the other hand, the Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR) will receive funding from students to upgrade their facilities and continue providing free, reusable items and materials to the community. Student voters approved a $0.04 per credit fee levy for CUCCR, which will be implemented with registration for the Fall 2018 semester.

The other two referendum questions that passed both concerned ASFA bylaw revisions.

Voters approved a general bylaw revision that will, according to Roy, declutter the current bylaws, making the administrative aspects of the federation more fluid and allowing ASFA to run more efficiently in the future.

The electoral also voted “yes” to the addition of a clause to ASFA’s bylaws that requires the federation to take no action in opposition to Indigenous sovereignty. Both bylaw reforms will take effect on June 1, 2018.

Roy said he is “very happy” the bylaw reforms passed. He said he feels the changes voted in by the electorate reflect the values of ASFA and their membership, and he is glad the federation is “standing in solidarity with Indigenous peoples.”

POLITICS

Students elect 12 new members to ASFA Newly elected members focused on transparency, mental health, sustainability MEGAN HUNT ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR After three days of student voting, 12 new members have been elected to Concordia’s Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA). In total, seven students were elected to ASFA as coordinators for the 2018-19 academic year, and an additional five were elected as independent councillors.

For the newly elected officials, being elected to ASFA is an opportunity to focus on a wide range of goals, from implementing accessible voting measures to helping students access mental health services.

Patrick Quinn, a re-elected independent councillor, said one of his primary goals is to make the voting process easier for Concordia students.

“More often than not, I hear students complain about how time-consuming voting is, how complicated it is, and the lack of participation associated with student elections,” Quinn said. “It’s going to change now. As an elected [ASFA] independent councillor and an Arts and Science councillor [on the Concordia Student Union council], I will be working with my colleagues to make online voting happen,” he told The Concordian.

Quinn also mentioned the importance of transparency and avoiding conflicts of interest in student organizations. This year, CSU executives Omar Riaz and Soulaymane El Alaoui were issued formal warnings after accepting a paid trip from Lev Bukhman, the CEO of Alliance pour la santé étudiante au Québec, the company the CSU uses to provide students with health and dental insurance.

“This academic year has made it clear to students that elected officials need to review ethics and conflict of interest policies. As an elected representative on the CSU council and on the ASFA council, I will review current policies and see if there are any changes to make,” Quinn said.

For independent councillor Tori Smith-Ayotte, mental health is an issue of critical importance, and she is focused on working with the CSU, ASFA member associations and non-profit initiatives, such as Jack.org, to improve emotional wellbeing on campus.

“Most people aren’t aware of the [mental health-related] events and workshops available to students, and I have learned firsthand how going to these events and finding where I belong at Concordia can change someone’s life,” Smith-Ayotte said

about the importance of campus resources, adding she would like all students to be included in the conservation surrounding mental health.

Marguerite Rolland, who was elected as the advocacy and executive coordinator for the 2018-19 academic year, told The Concordian, she will be working on providing students with opportunities to make a community impact and gain volunteer experience for their CV and official co-curricular record.

Rolland said this project will be a monthly volunteer series in which ASFA selects a Montreal-based non-profit or charity and organizes day-long volunteering excursions.

Students would participate in as many of these volunteer days as they wish, and if they attend eight during the school year, they would receive 50 confirmed volunteer hours on their co-curricular record.

Rolland said she is hopeful this project will reduce scheduling conflicts and organizational hurdles that may keep students from volunteering, as well as help them gain experience with a wide range of charitable organizations.

“ASFA will do all the paperwork, organizing and technical work,” Rolland said. “Ideally, we’d like to have a different aspect of community involvement with each [non-profit]

partnership, so students can build connections and find the type of volunteering that works the best for them.”

Along with student concerns, Kayla Miller, the newly elected Loyola and sustainability coordinator, is looking to tackle environmental issues next year.

“Reducing our ecological footprint is integral to achieving environmental and economic equity and promoting sustainable consumption within the federation,” Miller said, explaining that one of her goals is to minimize waste produced during Orientation Week activities. “I want to completely eliminate the use of plastic cups, plates and cutlery by providing reusable materials [...] and I aim to incorporate locally sourced vegan food options.”

Other students newly elected to ASFA include Bakry Alsaieq, Elliott Boulanger, Fatima Janna El Gahami, Gaëlle Kouyoumdjian, Evan Lee, Enya Leger, Justin Occhionero and Caleb Owusu-Acheaw.

ASFA president Jonathan Roy told The Concordian he is happy with the election results. “I’d like to extend my warmest congratulations to all the elected candidates, and look forward to working with them in the transition,” he said.

NEWLY ELECTED ASFA MEMBERS: \\ Councillors: Evan Lee, Gaëlle Kouyoumdjian, Justin Occhionero, Patrick Quinn, Tori Smith-Ayotte \\ External \\ Loyola

affairs and communications coordinator: Fatima Janna El Gahami

and sustainability coordinator: Kayla Miller

\\ Student

life coordinator: Enya Leger

\\ Advocacy

and executive coordinator: Marguerite Rolland

\\ Internal

affairs and administration: Elliott Boulanger

\\ Finance

coordinator: Caleb Owusu-Acheaw

\\ Academic

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

coordinator: Bakry Alsaieq

APRIL 3, 2018

theconcordian

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ELECTIONS

Speak Up wins most votes, disqualified CSU judicial board to hold a hearing on April 6 to discuss the ruling MATTHEW LAPIERRE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR ÉTIENNE LAJOIE NEWS EDITOR Speak Up, the slate whose candidates won the most votes in every position for which they ran in the CSU executive elections last week, was disqualified

by Nicholas Roberts, the union’s chief electoral officer (CEO) on Friday afternoon, while the votes were still being tallied.

In the unofficial results released

by Ro b er t s on his p er s onal Facebook page, candidates from the Accessibility, Transparency and Community slate (ACT) were tentatively announced as elected to all of the executive positions.

According to John Hutton, Speak Up’s candidate for finance coordinator, the slate will be contesting the disqualification.

Acc o rd i n g to t h e u n of f i c i a l results announced Friday, Hutton received 515 votes compared to the closest runner-up, Nichita Bobic, who had 335. In an email to The Concordian, Safa Sheikh, a member of the CSU’s judicial board, said the board will have

a hearing on April 6 to discuss the disqualification.

On Friday, March 30, Roberts sent an email notifying candidates in the election of his decision to disqualify Speak Up. He based his decision on an editorial endorsing Speak Up published by The Link on March 27, the day polls opened.

Roberts also claimed an email he received from The Concordian's reporter asking if he had informed Speak Up of the location of the ballot counting was proof that Speak Up had communicated with student media during the polling period. The Concordian did not publish any correspondence with CSU candidates during the polling period.

Roberts cited article 316 of the CSU’s standing regulations: “ N o n ew c o r re s p o n d e n c e between candidates or referendum committee members and student media can be published during the polling period.”

Roberts alleged in the email that Speak Up must have been aware of The Link’s editorial and that the editorial was considered unapproved campaigning.

In an article published Friday,

The Link wrote, “Despite Roberts’ claims, The Link did not correspond with the Speak Up slate regarding the endorsement.

The decision to endorse or not endorse specific candidates is made by The Link’s editorial team alone, without input from outside parties. Decisions are then kept secret until editorials are published.”

According to the unofficial results, the next CSU executive team will be composed of Andrei Bochis, Daniel Jolicoeur, Nichita Bobic, Myriam Bourgeois, Jamie Lewis Mella, Vivi To, Lida Sonylam Aman and Gabriel-Louis Guppy.

Bochis, To and Aman were all previously members of the Concordia Model UN delegation.

Bochis, the unofficially elected CSU general coordinator, acted as president of the delegation. In an interview with The Concordian, Bochis said he firmly believed Concordia students would see “a lot of positive change in the upcoming year.” The unofficially elected general coordinator said his team would focus on unfinished projects, like the CSU daycare, which current general coordinator Omar Riaz said would

open in March. Bochis added that the CSU needs “to focus on transparency and on fostering trust within the organization.”

REFERENDUM QUESTIONS APPROVED All four of the CSU’s referendum questions were approved by voters.

One dollar per credit will cont inue to be g i ven to t he Library Services Fund, which allows 24-hour access to the Vanier and Webster libraries and various services, including laptop and tablet lending and access to course reserve textbooks.

An increase in the fee levy for Concordia’s co-op bookstore was also approved by voters.

The fee will increase from $0.10 to $0.14 per credit for ever y undergraduate student starting in the fall of 2018.

Voters confirmed the CSU’s motion for a two-round voting system to be used if the student union has to internally elect a candidate to fill a vacant executive position.

Concordia voters also approved the expansion of club and student spaces.

CSU RESULTS EXECUTIVE GENERAL COORDINATOR

Andrei Bochis —Elected \\ Yes: 346 \\ No: 245 \\ Abstain: 188 Omar Riaz \\ Yes: 342 \\ No: 141 \\ Abstain: 183 Sophie Hough-Martin —Disqualified \\ Yes: 523 \\ No: 197 \\ Abstain: 181

ACADEMIC AND ADVOCACY COORDINATOR Mikaela Clark-Gardner —Disqualified \\ Yes: 515 \\ No: 171 \\ Abstain: 251 Lida Sonylam Aman—Elected \\ Yes: 337 \\ No: 200 \\ Abstain: 251 Aouatif Zebiri \\ Yes: 305 \\ No: 216 \\ Abstain: 251

LOYOLA COORDINATOR

Alexis Searcy —Disqualified \\ Yes: 448 \\ No: 171 \\ Abstain: 256 Jamie Lewis-Mella —Elected \\ Yes: 322 \\ No: 199 \\ Abstain: 251 April Tardi Levesque \\ Yes: 275 \\ No: 209 \\ Abstain: 256 Felicia Da Conceicao \\ Yes: 98 \\ No: 249 \\ Abstain: 256

FINANCE COORDINATOR

John Hutton —Disqualified \\ Yes: 515 \\ No: 188 \\ Abstain: 240 Nichita Bobic —Elected \\ Yes: 335 \\ No: 205 \\ Abstain: 240 Kathy Du \\ Yes: 300 \\ No: 221 \\ Abstain: 239

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND MOBILIZATION COORDINATOR

Camille Thompson —Disqualified \\ Yes: 499 \\ No: 169 \\ Abstain: 255 Gabriel Guppy —Elected \\ Yes: 360 \\ No: 197 \\ Abstain: 256 Mustafa Bokesmati \\ Yes: 284 \\ No: 205 \\ Abstain: 256

SUSTAINABILITY COORDINATOR

Myriam Bourgeois —Elected \\ Yes: 405 \\ No: 203 \\ Abstain: 223 Akira De Carlos —Disqualified \\ Yes: 493 \\ No: 182 \\ Abstain: 219 Sebastien Martinez De La Garza \\ Yes: 284 \\ No: 217 \\ Abstain: 219

INTERNAL AFFAIRS COORDINATOR Princess Somefun —Disqualified \\ Yes: 516 \\ No: 176 \\ Abstain: 218 Vivi To—Elected \\ Yes: 360 \\ No: 202 \\ Abstain: 218

Fatoumata Binta Balde \\ Yes: 303 \\ No: 215 \\ Abstain: 220

REFERENDUM QUESTIONS Library Services Fund Fee Levy—PASSED Do you agree to contribute $1 per credit to the CSU for the Library Services Fund for the next ten years (2019-2029), in order to maintain and increase existing services funded through the Library Services Fund?

The contribution would be collected in accordance with the university’s tuition and refund policy. \\ Yes: 724  No: 321  Abstain: 237 Two Round Electoral System—PASSED Do you as a CSU member agree with adding by-law 7.3.2 such that the Concordia Student Union Council establish an internal Two-Round Electoral System when voting on vacant executive seats? \\ Yes: 629  No: 234  Abstain: 424 Concordia Community Solidarity Co-op Bookstore Fee Levy Increase—PASSED Do you agree to increase the fee levy of the Concordia Community Solidarity Co-op Bookstore by $0.05 per credit to a total of $0.14 per credit, effective Fall 2018? \\ Yes: 666  No: 326  Abstain: 300 Expanding Campus Space—PASSED Do you support the CSU expanding and improving student spaces for clubs on campus? \\ Yes: 948  No: 140  Abstain: 196

CEO barred candidates access to ballot counting MATTHEW LAPIERRE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The Concordia Student Union’s chief electoral officer (CEO), Nicholas Roberts, barred candidates from witnessing the election ballot count and tried to prevent student media from interviewing a candidate who had not been allowed in the room on Friday, March 30.

According to chapter four, section nine of the CSU’s standing regulations, candidates are allowed in the room to witness the ballots being counted.

On the morning the votes were counted, Patrick Magallanes, a sitting councillor from the Faculty of Arts and Science who was running for re-election, and John Hutton, Speak Up’s candidate for finance coordinator, were present to oversee the counting of the ballots in addition to a reporter from The Concordian. Roberts allowed Hutton and the reporter into the room, but told Magallanes he was not allowed to enter. When The Concordian reporter tried to leave the room to ask Magallanes why he wasn’t allowed in, Roberts told the reporter that if he left the ballot counting room, he would not be allowed back in.

“Either you’re in or you’re out,” Roberts said. He refused to comment or answer any questions concerning the incident.

Magallanes later told The Concordian that Roberts denied him access to the room on the basis that, if he were allowed in, then Roberts would have to allow other candidates in as well.

“This, in my mind, is an abuse of the power that he has,” Magallanes said.

“It made me feel emotionally upset.”

Magallanes said he felt his rights as a candidate were violated because he was not allowed to witness the ballot count. He requested a ballot recount but received no response from Roberts. He said that if Roberts did not respond to him by April 2, then Magallanes would file an official complaint against him with the CSU’s judicial board.

Although Hutton was allowed in the room, Roberts did not allow him to approach the ballot counters or scrutinize any ballots. According to Hutton, the Speak Up candidates wanted to have more people witness the ballot counting, but Roberts notified them that only one member of each slate would be allowed in the room because there wouldn’t be enough space. The ballots were counted in H-535, an auditorium with approximately 100 seats. At least 75 seats were empty while the ballots were being counted.

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth.

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APRIL 3, 2018

ACCESSIBILITY

ACSD responds to accommodation concerns CSU councillor surveyed students on experiences with Access Centre for Students with Disabilities IAN DOWN STAFF WRITER “If a student feels a faculty member is acting in a discriminatory way, they need to report the incident to the ombudsman office,” wrote Concordia spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr in an email to The Concordian following the publication of an article on March 27 about student concerns regarding the university’s Access Ce nt re fo r St u d e nt s w i t h Disabilities (ACSD). “The role of the ACSD is to help secure access and provide academic accommodations to students with disabilities.”

During a Concordia Student Union (CSU) special council meeting on March 14, John Molson School of Business councillor Rory James announced his ongoing initiative to improve accommodations for students registered with the ACSD. During the meeting, James said he had spoken to “a couple” of students who felt the centre did not properly address their complaints about alleged discrimination by professors.

According to James, both students and faculty have reported a perceived lack of communication between the ACSD and professors.

When a student registers with the centre, each of their profes-

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

sors receives a letter informing them that one of their students has a disability. However, these letters do not disclose the name of the student or the nature of their disability, which places the responsibility on the student to approach their professor about appropriate accommodations.

“The ACSD is bound by confidentiality and cannot discuss the nature of a student’s disability without the student’s consent,” Barr explained, noting that, “on occasion, the ACSD will coordinate

[appropriate accommodation] directly with the professor (as long as permission is given to do so from students).”

James told The Concordian he wanted the university to include student-parents and pregnant students in its accessibility policy, since they have unique needs.

According to Barr, these groups of students are not included in the policy because parenting and pregnancy are not disabilities.

However, she said accommodations for pregnant students

and student-parents are being discussed as part of an ongoing administrative review of the health and wellbeing of Concordia students.

Based on his discussions with students, James also claimed student requests for accommodation and specialized tutoring sometimes go unacknowledged for weeks. Although Barr admitted that delayed responses happen on occasion, she insisted “the ACSD is working to improve the system by acknowledging students’

requests quickly and informing them that someone will get back to them within a reasonable time period.” Barr also recommended students visit the university’s Student Success Centre for tutoring and learning support.

Finally, Barr said the ACSD is “not aware of exam rooms being uncomfor tably hot,” another common complaint James found in his surveys. “However, the ACSD will contact facilities management and request to have room temperatures examined,” she added.

INDIGENOUS ISSUES

Preserving an endangered language Concordia journalist-in-residence researches Mohawk language with students ÉTIENNE LAJOIE NEWS EDITOR When Marc Miller, the Liberal MP for Ville-Marie—Le SudOuest—Île-des-Soeurs, started speaking at the House of Commons on June 1, 2017, some of his colleagues looked stunned.

It was the first time a member of Parliament in either of Canada’s houses had pronounced words in Kanien'kéha, the Mohawk language. Miller, a

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth.

Montreal native and old friend of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, told the CBC he wanted to “put his money where his mouth is,” so he reached out to teachers at Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa, a training program led by the Six Nations of the Grand River, and started learning.

“It is especially positive that Marc Miller spoke in the House of Commons to politicians: the ones

who make laws and help to, hopefully a lot more in the future, save our language through critical funding efforts and bills to protect Kanien'kéha,” said Steve Bonspiel, the editor-in-chief of The Eastern Door, a community newspaper in Kahnawake, a Mohawk territory south of Montreal.

In January, Bonspiel, who i s C o n c o rd i a’s 201 8 j o u rnalist-in-residence, and six Concordia students began examining the efforts of two Mohawk communities to revitalize and preserve one of Canada’s oldest and endangered languages . The multimedia project will include a feature article, a radio report and a video documentary.

In an interview with The Concordian , Bonspiel said there are many reasons why so few people are able to converse in Kanien'kéha, including colonialism and the loss of Indigenous language in residential schools,

“where our children were beaten and raped if they spoke it.”

“The government continues to fund English and French in our schools, but has made it dif ficult for us to teach and learn [Kanien'kéha], because we always have to beg for money to promote it,” Bonspiel added.

Natalia Fedosieieva, a student of Ukrainian origin in Bonspiel’s class, said she could draw a parallel between the Mohawks’ efforts to preserve their language and her attempt to preserve the Ukrainian language in her family “through speaking, writing and reading a lot.”

“Sharing the experience and listening to someone else speak about similar language problems gives me a feeling of real empathy for them,” she said.

L ike t he re s t of h er colleagues working on the project, Fedosieieva is not Indigenous, but Bonspiel said despite coming in with zero knowledge on the topic, the students “have grasped the material and were hungry for more.” The students have

met and talked to, among other people, elder Harvey Gabriel, the author of two editions of a Mohawk dictionary, as well as two students studying the language in Kanesatake, a Mohawk territory near Oka. Bonspiel said that while it depends on which school a Mohawk student attends, most kids only learn English and French when they grow up.

“Parents are torn. They want their kids to learn the language, but they also want them to have a higher education in university, so oftentimes it is seen as choosing between the two,” Bonspiel said.

The project, he added, will try to address a “giant series of questions” surrounding the language.

“Are people okay with knowing half truths or believing a narrative that is steeped in colonial rhetoric, told through a colonial lens and delivered with a heavy slant against us?” he asked. “How do we change that? Who will listen? Many questions and so many answers yet to come.”

APRIL 3, 2018

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INTERNSHIP

A summer at the White House

How one Concordia student’s internship expanded her political perspective SOPHIA DELAFONTAINE CONTRIBUTOR Second-year Concordia student Elizabeth Tasong had the experience of a lifetime this past summer when she interned at the White House in Washington, D.C. The opportunity was offered to Tasong by her aunt, Omarosa Manigault-Newman.

As a student in the community, public affairs and policy program at Concordia, the opportunity was a fitting one for Tasong.

She learned from Omarosa, the former White House director of communications for the office of public liaison, by acting as her personal intern.

A Silver Spring, Md. native and dual citizen of Canada and the United States, Tasong came to Montreal in September 2016, at what she said felt like the "perfect time". Given that she was considering a career in public service and possibly politics, working at the White House for four months helped Tasong expand her skillset and perspective on politics. “I realized how not black and white politics are,” she said. “They’re very, very grey.”

Working in the White House allowed Tasong to draw her own conclusions about the complexity of current issues. “I found that a lot of people kind of assume that, because it’s Trump, everyone in the White House is on the same page, but it's the exact opposite,” Tasong said. “Everyone has their own intentions, their own views, their own goals, and they're completely different. While there are a couple of people at the top who make the big decisions, everyone underneath is on different pages. It's not just one single ideal, one single belief.”

Tasong was Omarosa’s fulltime right hand at the White House from May to August 2017.

Her work included a wide range of responsibilities, such as determining negative effects of the proposed 2018 United States federal budget. “Basically, it outlined all of the budget cuts and expenses that they were proposing in all

Concordia student Elizabeth Tasong interned at the White House in Washington, D.C. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

sectors, and essentially I had to go through and see what type of cuts would disproportionally affect communities of colour, LGBTQ, immigrant communities,” Tasong said. “Which was a lot of [the cuts], because they essentially cut the Department of Education and all the other departments, and then increased funding in the Department of Defence and Homeland Security.”

Tasong ’s job was always changing, never static. “I found it was a very busy and kind of hectic environment,” she said.

“A lot of things were going on at once. There was never just one thing to worry about; it was always multiple things that were a concern.”

Other than working solely on projects like the proposed budget, Tasong’s time was spent helping Omarosa with her notes, preparing her for interviews and organizing events. “It was a very at the snap of a finger, you just have to roll with the punches type

of environment.”

Omarosa herself was responsible for all media, newspaper, radio and television requests that related to the employees in the Office of Public Liaison, a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President that communicates with associated interest groups.

Omarosa resigned from her position in January 2018. “My job was really important because our office was the front door of the White House,” Omarosa told The Concordian. “So communication was imperative—to first communicate their concerns to the president, and then to communicate the president’s response to those constituents.”

Omaros a’s duties mainly involved wor k ing with va st amounts of groups and communities in the United States, where the relationship between each one and the White House varied considerably. “It depended on who wanted what when,”

Omarosa explained. “If I was dealing with the National Black Police Organization, the African American Veterans Association, t he Af r ic an A mer ic an Fait h Community, it was fine. There were other areas that were very tense, like working with Congressional Black Caucus members or the National Association of Black Journalists, for instance. Those were very tense.”

As the only African-American senior staffer in the administration, Omarosa’s relationship with the black community was exceedingly publicized. “It just depended on the group; it wasn’t a blanket relationship with just a monolithic African-American community,” she said. “There are so many different dynamic aspects of the community that I worked with.”

Omarosa said she viewed her position at the White House as only a one-year commitment and the “springboard” for more to come in her career. “As amazing as it

was, this was the second time I had worked in the White House.

First for Bill Clinton, then for Donald Trump. It was an honour to serve my country,” she said. “But my service to my country does not stop at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.” Along with her new insight on the many different beliefs and objectives within the White House, Tasong has noticed some differences in the political landscapes of Canada and the United States. “I find that Canadian politics are much simpler,” she said, describing concerns in Canadian politics as “miniscule” compared to those in the United States.

“We have to come together as a nation. We have to identify the things that we have in common as opposed to our differences,” Omarosa said. “Our nation is operating under a notion: one nation under God. And so that one nation has to be the United States of America, and not the divided states of America.”

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life

LIFE EDITOR /// life@theconcordian.com SANDRA HERCEGOVÁ

ACADEMICS

We don’t need no procrastination

Concordia Student Success Centre pop-up offers tips and support for students during finals

The Pop-up Against Procrastination invited Concordia students to enjoy a study break with coffee, food and pet therapy. Photos by Kirubel Mehari.

MIA ANHOURY ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR Every student is likely guilty of procrastination. Despite having too much work and not enough time, it’s not uncommon for students to find themselves putting off assignments and studying, particularly at this point in the semester. With that in mind, Concordia’s Student Success Centre organized a “Pop-up Against Procrastination” on March 28.

Strategically set up in the LB atrium, students on their way to the library could swing by for free sandwiches, popcorn and coffee. The event also provided students with support, tips and services to help them avoid procrastinating.

The pop-up was divided into three types of stations designed to tackle different factors of procrastination. Several stations were geared toward learning support services, such as the writing assistant and math tutoring services offered year-round by the Student Success Centre, as well as the various research tools and services provided by the university libraries.

“We help students develop the skills they need to edit their own papers,” said writing assistant Kelly Routly, who specified that “one thing we don’t do is edit and proofread.” Essay writing can be a long, complicated process that requires time. Writing assistants at the Student Success Centre help students with this process by teaching them how to spot mistakes on their own.

“You’ll spot mistakes by reading your

essay out loud,” advised writing assistant Cindy Hanna. “It’s very helpful.”

Writing assistants like Hanna can assist students with the brainstorming process and teach them how to structure and organize their essays. The centre also offers group conversation sessions in English and French to help students improve their language skills.

Routly suggested students take the time to write two drafts of their essay. “A lot of students will try to make their first attempt be the final draft, but it helps to go over it to produce a final draft from that first, initial draft,” she said.

Other learning support stations at the pop-up offered smart study strategies and a time management checkup. Free monthly and daily planners, as well as blank checklists, were available for students to help them prepare for final exams. Stationed at the time management booth, Charles Procee, a liaison for the Student Success Centre, said the trick to following a study schedule is to treat it like a guideline rather than a “shackle.”

“Life happens,” Procee said. “Let the study schedule guide your day, not dominate it.” A study schedule is not effective, he added, if students are being too strict about it and stressing themselves out. It’s all about being realistic when planning a study day; Procee advises students aim to complete 80 per cent of their study goal.

The pop-up also featured stations to help students lower their stress levels.

Counsellors were available to speak with students about their mental wellbeing,

and a table was set up with mandalas and coloured pencils to encourage therapeutic colouring. At his own station, a Bernese mountain therapy dog named Café was surrounded by smiling students eager to pet him and take photos.

Students could have their questions answered by academic advisors, career counsellors and librarian staff at the planning assistance stations. According to business librarian Melissa Rivosecchi, knowing how to use the research tools available on the library’s website or on-site allows students to be much more efficient and successful in their research. This can also encourage students to avoid procrastinating.

Rivosecchi said some students don’t know that the university library databases are divided by subject, or that they can widen their research using Boolean operators. “Students may not know that the library website also has many citation guides that have detailed explanations,” she added.

The “sharing wall” invited students to write tips and motivational notes for their peers. hh “Take food breaks” hh “Don’t forget to treat yourself” hh “You got it, dude!” hh “It’s never too soon to begin!”

Here are a few tips from the Student Success Centre to avoid procrastination: hh Start with the smaller tasks that don’t require too much effort. hh Treat your study blocks like a game; try to finish each task within a set time limit. hh Tell others about the specific tasks you’re working on; this will motivate you to complete them. hh Schedule time to relax and breathe; and remember, you can do it!

APRIL 3, 2018

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Recipes for success

Stories of young local entrepreneurs and their advice on how to build a business KIRUBEL MEHARI ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Entrepreneurship means developing an idea from scratch and creating a business opportunity for yourself. It means taking everything you know and applying those skills in the real world.

For students and recent graduates, it might seem like a daunting challenge, but with the right plan and guidance, anything is possible. Whether this translates into opening a restaurant or managing an online store, it takes a lot of time and determination to develop a business plan that grows into a long-term venture.

Here are the stories of three young Montrealers who took the initiative to follow their dreams and build a business.

Photo courtesy of Boulangerie Habib.

YUSUF HABIB, OWNER OF BOULANGERIE HABIB 6655 Victoria Ave.

Photo courtesy of Ca Lem.

STEPHANIE LI, OWNER OF CA LEM 6926 Sherbrooke St. W. Stephanie Li opened an ice cream shop called Ca Lem with the idea of creating a space for students and families who live in and around the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) area. Her goal is for people to experience different flavours of ice cream by blending Vietnamese and traditional Canadian flavours.

“Initially, the goal was to open a small ice cream shop and see if it was something I could manage,” Li said. The more she worked on Ca Lem, the more Li loved being an entrepreneur. ”I wanted people to experience all these different flavours of ice cream, because it’s a great way of

SINA AMIRASLANI, OWNER OF ASHLEY’S 5942 Sherbrooke St. W. “There is a risk to being an entrepreneur,” said Sina Amiraslani, who opened his own vegan-vegetarian restaurant in 2017. “Nothing is guaranteed.”

After graduating from JMSB with a degree in finance, Amiraslani knew he wanted to be his own boss, and with that came the idea of opening his own restaurant. His goal was to combine his creativity and entrepreneurial skills, and Amiraslani felt owning a restaurant combined both perfectly.

bringing people together.”

Currently a marketing student at the John Molson School of Business (JMSB), Li said she learned how to think as an entrepreneur in university. “It sculpted my brain to consider different aspects of business, such as marketing, budgets, event planning and, most importantly, a foundation to build on.”

Li previously worked at a restaurant, and that experience allowed her to understand why customer service is key to managing a business. According to Li, Ca Lem is an extension of her personality, which revolves around being sweet, kind and full of positive energy.

Li’s advice for future entrepreneurs: “Think outside the box. Be a leader in your own journey.”

Located in the NDG, Ashley’s offers a wide variety of options for vegans and vegetarians. According to Amiraslani, the concept of Ashley’s is to provide tasty meals for people who are curious about vegan and vegetarian cuisine. The restaurant allows him to develop dishes any demographic would enjoy.

Amiraslani described his restaurant as a child still needing care and attention, as he draws close to opening up a terrace for the summer season.

Amiraslani’s advice to future entrepreneurs: “Be prepared to sacrifice.

If you want to grow as a person and entrepreneur, be prepared to suffer through many hardships.”

“Don’t buy into the idea of being an entrepreneur,” said Yusuf Habib, an independent student at Mcgill University and owner of Boulangerie Habib. “You need to accept the reality of the job and be prepared to work 12-hour shifts if necessary.”

On March 1, 2014, Yusuf and his father decided to open a bakery with the hope of building a successful family-owned business that would grow over time. Boulangerie Habib serves cakes, fresh bread, pizza and Mediterranean delicacies.

According to Habib, because of Montreal’s cultural diversity, it took him time to get to

know his clients and adapt his work ethic to their needs.

“I’ve always been someone that dives into situations,” said Habib, who has learned to be a problem solver during his time at the bakery.“You try your best to plan for either the best or the worst, but you must be able to adapt to any situation in business.”

His father taught him that lesson at a young age, instilling in Habib the need to constantly learn.

Habib’s advice for future entrepreneurs: “If you advertise fresh bread daily, you need to stick to your word.

Honesty should resonate throughout your business, because that’s how you are able to build trust into your brand.”

Photo courtesy of Ashley's

8

theconcordian

APRIL 3, 2018

COVER STORY

Welcoming a new community one hand at a time

A cameraman captures the chaos as a raft full of refugees nears the shores of Greece. Photo still from documentary.

A glimpse at the Petites-Mains sewing atelier. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Petites-Mains provides female immigrants in Montreal with job opportunities and language courses SARA CHAHROUR STAFF WRITER

The sewing atelier currently has a waiting list of 53 local businesses looking to hire students from Petites-Mains. “It’s crazy how much Montreal lacks qualified sewing machine operators,” Howick said.

“It’s ridiculous.”

Due to its reputation, the organization has numerous contracts with clients such as Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal. As part of their training, Petites-Mains participants make all the polos and T-shirts for the city’s firefighters. The cloth kit bags handed out to Concordia students during frosh week are also sewn by Petites-Mains women.

A s a social economy enter prise, Petites-Mains supports local designers and startup businesses by offering cheaper market prices for their sewn products, including clothes, bags, uniforms and baby apparel.

“Petites-Mains is much more than a training centre; it is a family that welcomes people as they are with open arms,” said Suzanne Tremblay, the president of Petites-Mains.

Located on St-Laurent Boulevard, Petites-Mains has changed the lives of thousands of newly arrived women in Montreal ever since it opened its doors in 1995. From work experience programs to interviewing skills, the organization offers all the necessary tools to help immigrant and marginalized women succeed in Quebec.

“We offer training programs in sewing, cooking and office help, as well as social integration programs, work experience programs and French classes,” said Katy Howick, the organization’s inter vention specialist. Using funding from Emploi-Québec, the federal government and donations, Petites-Mains offers its students training in a program of their choice along with workshops that help diminish cultural and language bar r ier s—all while paying the women a minimum wage salary.

The organization has 50 spots to offer each year, but with 910 hours of free job training and subsequent employment opportunities, the organization reported a waiting list of 420 people for 2016-17. “Once they’re done here, they find a job immediately,” Howick said. “ They finish here on a Petites-Mains offers women from around the world the opportunity to gain work and language skills.

Friday, and they’re set to Photo by Mackenzie Lad. go to their jobs on Monday.”

A good reputation in the local sewing industr y is not all Petites-Mains has achieved. The organization also includes Inter-Mission, a catering service founded in 2007 that proudly attained a 98 per cent client satisfaction rate last year, reported the organization’s website.

According to Howick , many women come to Petites-Mains with no work experience, but one of their main skills is cooking for their families. With the training Petites-Mains offers, Howick said the women’s cooking skills are transformed into refined culinary expertise that opens up job opportunities with local catering services, restaurants or even hotels.

“A lot of women say they don’t have any skills, yet they’re capable of making a meal plan for a family of four under $60. This is a skill I don’t have,” Howick said.

In order for each participant to find a job they’re well-suited for, interventionists such as Howick help the women develop their self-esteem by recognizing their skills and putting them on paper. Job interview simulations and workshops on how to put together an impressive CV are also an integral part of the learning process.

Not only do newly immigrated women and mothers have special needs when it comes to integration, but their children do as well. Therefore, Petites-Mains is in the process of building a daycare to prepare participants’ children for a successful integration at school. This will also allow participants to drop off their children and focus on their training.

“We try to have as many open doors as possible to help answer the needs of as many profiles as we can,” Howick said.

“We believe the daycare is essential.”

Howick described her job as exciting and rewarding, but also challenging.

“One of the challenges is that it is not stable; the workforce is based on what is happening in the world,” she said. Depending on influxes of refugees and immigrants from different regions, Petites-Mains must adapt to the varying skill sets and values of participants arriving from those countries.

“Participants from Congo and Haiti have very different values and life experiences than the ones we had last year from Syria,” Howick explained.

“So we have to constantly A portrait of Katy Howick, the intervention specialist update and adapt to this at Petites-Mains. Photo by Mackenzie Lad. new workforce.”

etc

FEATURED CONCORDIA ARTIST

PATRICK VASILE Hi I’m Patrick. I’m a digital artist, photographer, graphic designer and aspiring 3D artist. I’m currently in my third year of computation arts at Concordia University. I’ve never been shy to admit that I’ve made something bad. Art isn’t just making something good. It’s the process of learning from everything bad before it and working to make it better. You only fail when you stop trying to be better.

Check out my Instagram: @PVASILE

Etc is a space dedicated to showcasing Concordia artists!

Submissions can be sent to production@theconcordian.com

arts

ARTS EDITOR /// arts@theconcordian.com MAGGIE HOPE

GALLERY

What’s hiding in your closet?

Alternative exhibition space live-streams Concordia students’ work

A screenshot captured 10 minutes into the live stream on March 29, Delgado’s ice sculpture of two dolphins has begun melting and seems to reveal something within the ice.

CHLOË LALONDE ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR Are you tired of the traditional gallery setting? Do you just want to stay home in bed until summer arrives? Then Concordia photography student Phil Mercier and his partner, Lisa Theriault, designed the Closet Gallery just for you!

The couple—both artists originally from New Brunswick—were frustrated with the lack of exhibiting opportunities available for emerging artists and decided to create an alternative space in their own Montreal apartment. Mercier and Theriault set up the first show inside their closet in 2017. All shows in the Closet Gallery are

self-produced and live streamed.

As is the case at most galleries, the curators of the Closet Gallery email newsletters about upcoming shows and share them on social media. When the gallery first opened, many of the featured artists were friends or acquaintances of Mercier and Theriault. Although some artists prefer to only have their exhibits streamed for a few days, the gallery began with weeklong live streams running everyday from Monday to Friday.

Today, only emerging artists from Concordia’s BFA programs are invited to submit their project proposals. Mercier and Theriault recently applied for and received a Fine Arts Student Alliance (FASA) grant to fund their initiative. The grant covers materials and equipment needed for the live streams, as well as artist honorariums.

“We really strive to support artists financially, to remove

Lisa Theriault and Phil Mercier in their apartment studio.

Photo by Marie-Lyne Quirion.

barriers and respect the work that artists do,” Mercier said. The FASA grant allowed them to form a jury to select projects to be featured in the gallery. The jury includes Erandy Vergara, the art director of the Eastern Bloc gallery, and Camille Larivée from the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective.

Once selected, the artists visit the couple’s home to get a sense of the space they will be working with. They may run a test stream to see how the work looks ahead of time. Mercier insisted that the process is collaborative, and that selected artists must be open to possibilities, as live-streaming can change the way a work is perceived.

“Ultimately, we want to give tools to artists to help something fun happen,” he said. The Closet Gallery recently had artist Georgia Graham perform an interpretive piece alongside her artwork in the closet.

A Self in Constant Movement was streamed from March 5 to 9, with Graham’s performance on the final day. The stream can be accessed in the gallery’s archive at closetgallery. ca.

Three Unattending Moons, a sound and ice sculpture installation by Juliana Delgado, was st reamed from March 29 to 31. The title of the piece was inspired by Two Evening Moons, a poem written

by Spanish poet Juliana Delgado’s ice sculpture being installed in the Federico Garcia Closet Gallery. Photo courtesy of Phil Mercier.

Lorca. Delgado and Garcia Lorca share a love of water and the ocean. The ice sculptures, one of a bride and groom and another of two dolphins, were streamed melting under changing coloured lights over three days, with audio looped in the background. Delgado edited the audio recordings to include a mixture of readings meant to induce an autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR). These include poems by Garcia Lorca, Renata Pallottini and Carlos Drummond de Andrade, with layered sounds of crackling and water in the background.

“There are recordings of small, constrained spaces to mirror the space of the closet—people talking in elevators, sounds of a shower, muffled recordings taken inside my bag,” the artist explained. “The sounds of myself talking are echo-like, distant and eerie.”

Delgado works with themes of nostalgia, grief, longing and the passage of time. She said the Closet Gallery was the ideal space to show this installation, as she is intrigued with place-based art and “working within the constraints of the small space rather than against it.” The idea to work with ice was inspired by the time constraint of the live-streaming process. The artist embraced the Closet Gallery’s method in the creation of her sculptures, showing something that was evolving and changing.

Delgado is currently in her second year of painting and drawing at Concordia, and will be participating in the Celine Bureau residency, with a focus on audio projects, in the spring.

The Closet Gallery will be occupied with artist Alejandro Barbosa’s work from April 3 to 6. It will be live streamed on closetgallery.ca.

APRIL 3, 2018

theconcordian

11

PROFILE

Printing with the colours of winter

POETRY READING Résonance Café will be hosting its third poetry reading event of the year, and the lineup is chock-full of local talent. This month’s edition will feature poetry by Manahil Bandukwala, Rasiqra Revulva, Nadia Chaney, Marcela Huerta and Dona La Luna, and is guest-curated by Aaron Boothby. These events are a welcome interruption in a week full of studying and work. Résonance's cozy atmosphere pairs well with the intimate artform, a perfect place dedicated to supporting Montreal’s local poetry scene.

WHERE Résonance Café, 5175 Park Ave. WHEN April 3, 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

APRÈS PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION Concordia print media students will be displaying their work from Bonnie Baxter’s advanced screenprint class. According to the event's description, it will be “a fourday-long progressive montage of public art installation [...] in Concordia’s FOFA Gallery courtyard. Sixteen students will create a site-specific screenprint-based installation." The festivities will also include a finissage at the FOFA Gallery on April 6.

Following the installation, the students’ work will be displayed in St-Jérôme’s Place des Festivités for its vernissage on April 14.

WHERE FOFA Gallery courtyard,

EV building WHEN April 3 to 6, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

FINISSAGE April 6, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

90S ART PARTY This week, local collective Art Party will be celebrating its first birthday and hosting an event in collaboration with Artgang to mark the occasion. The party is curated by women, and will feature a group of all-female artists—including local tattoo artists, DJs and visual artists. The event is 90s-themed, and guests are encouraged to dress accordingly. The DJs will be driving the celebration with their mixes of the decade’s classics. Admission is $8 at the door.

WHERE Artgang Plaza, 6524 St-Hubert St. WHEN April 6, 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

POETRY SLAM Throw Poetry Collective will be hosting a poetry slam, which will also serve as the last chance for local poets to qualify for their slam finals in May. The competition is to decide who will make up the 2018 Throw Poetry team. There will also be an open mic portion for those who do not want to compete. The event will also feature well-known poet Rachel McCrum.

This is likely to be a fun and lively event, and definitely worth stopping by. Entry is $5 for students.

WHERE Kafein Café-Bar, 1429 Bishop St. WHEN April 8, 7 p.m.

Students in a Concordia print processes class were given the opportunity to display the work they produced this term. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Australian exchange student exhibits work as part of Concordia printmaking class ELOISE CAROLAN CONTRIBUTOR During Ali Watson's first Canadian winter, she featured her artwork in a Montreal gallery. The 21-year-old exchange student from Australia’s Curtin University faced a starkly different reality this semester compared to the year-round heat of her hometown of Morley.

Her series, featured in Atelier Galerie A.Piroir, contextualizes her experience of being in Canada. It is a response to this new environment and the environment she sees outside.

While on exchange, Watson has lived on Concordia’s Loyola campus, where the view outside her window inspired her artwork, a series of four seven-by-seven-inch woodblock prints. “It is a study of a bush outside of my room’s window [...] depicting different weather conditions at various times of day,” she said. “I look out my window everyday and see the bush.”

“I mixed my own ink for my series,” she added. “The colours I used reflect what I saw outside, particularly greys, whites and light purples.”

Watson is a printmaker in her last semester of a fine arts degree. “I was chosen in my print processes class to be featured in the annual printmaking exhibition; it focuses on woodblock printing,” she said. Along with other Concordia students, Watson had the opportunity to help set up the opening of the exhibit, which consisted of curating the works and displaying them in the space.

“I really didn’t think much about it before I did it,” Watson said with a laugh, reflecting on the inspiration for her project. She described her untitled series as being “about winter and the visibility that winter has on nature.

I tried to focus on snow and how it changes the outside landscape.”

A theme throughout her work is the connection she feels with places even when she is not there. “It is kind of like a tactile memory that forms. I focus on structural surroundings that create a sense of memory and familiarity—the constant things that are always there,” Watson said.

Places that evoke nostalgic memories subconsciously create the meaning behind her work. “My work is always about what’s around me. In Montreal, everything I have made has been about being here.”

According to their website, the Atelier Galerie A.Piroir specializes in the creation and exhibition of printmaking. Although she was familiar with the printing process, Watson had never used woodblock prior to this experience, and the carving element was new to her. “I haven’t worked with imagery in a while, because I usually focus on installations. To actually have to design something was challenging.”

Woodblock printing is a detailed and timely process. Once the artist has carved the wood with chiseling tools, it is inked with a roller and run through a press. Every print goes through the press at least three times and holds multiple layers of ink. Printmakers carve out different sections and print on top of them to achieve intricate designs.

“My work portrays home, but not in the traditional sense,” Watson said, referring to the typical use of people to symbolize home.

Instead, the colours and textures she chose

reflect this theme, and she relied on icons to “reflect a sense of home and belonging.”

“I think home is a feeling that is created,” she added.

When Watson started printmaking three years ago, she did not like it. "I came to realize that it let me produce the most exciting outcomes,” she said. Since learning the process in Australia, printmaking has been Watson’s focus for the past three years.

“I was a boring painter,” she said with a sigh. “I do like sculpture though, and some of my prints become sculptural, as in they aren’t just flat on a wall. The paper itself becomes a sculpture.”

Watson said she hopes to work as a practicing artist and business owner in the future. “I want to eventually do a master’s degree in something that isn’t necessarily art. I would like to maybe do social work and then find a way to link the two,” she said.

The exhibition, which features the work of Concordia printmaking students, is on display at Atelier Galerie A.Piroir until April 7. The gallery is open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Friday.

Ali Watson’s piece is made up of four seven-by-seveninch woodblock prints. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

music

Quickspins

MUSIC EDITOR /// music@theconcordian.com CALVIN CASHEN

THINKPIECE

The tasteful cuisine of music Sometimes albums remind us of foods we know and love

FOR EDITOR’S PICKS S THE BEST SONG WEEK RELEASED THIS

Recently Added

Recently Added 11 ‘TIL IT’S OVER Anderson .Paak (O.B.E.)

11 IT’S SNOWIN PT. 2 Yung Bans ft. Wifisfuneral (Foundation) 11 MOON RIVER Frank Ocean (Blonded) 11 MAG11 P82 Venetian Snares and Daniel Lanois (Planet Mu) 11 OKRA Tyler, the Creator (Self-Released)

1 HUSSAIN ALMAHR ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR People who have chromesthesia see music in colour. I, instead, have foodsthesia. I see music in terms of food I’m familiar with.

Food and music are both cultural objects, imbued with a sense of identity and belonging.

Not only that, both can be appropriated and sold to make tons of money, so they’re even more palatable for the mainstream. Both are celebrations of who we are as people.

Food is actually very evocative; it conveys culture, conceptions of class and even time, as certain food in different cultures is tied to a celebration or holiday. Almost every culture loves to share music and food. They bring people and communities closer together, bridging the gap between different cultures, even if for only a short amount of time.

So much description and identity can be gleaned from food, so this exercise in comparing it to albums can create a new layer for musical criticism. Or maybe this will be just fun.

FISH AND CHIPS

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles I chose fish and chips, partly because The Beatles are British, but also because Sgt. Pepper is a good album full of classic hits just like the dish. As with fish and chips, I won’t seek out this album, but once or twice a year, I have the urge to go back to Sgt. Pepper. I’ll have a good listen, and I’ll forget about it for another year.

BEEF TARTARE

The Money Store

by Death Grips Death Grips are generally aggressive-sounding, but they have a lot of depth to their music. I am immediately reminded of beef tartare by the band’s overall sound, because both are an acquired taste. I totally understand why people enjoy this album, but like beef tartare, sometimes its rawness is too much for me to handle. Maybe one day I’ll truly appreciate this album.

DECONSTRUCTED CHEESECAKE

Homogenic by Björk Homogenic goes for a pop-experimental sound, yet what’s there is so sweet. Like the album, deconstructed cheesecake intentionally lack s the structure and shape of regular cheesecake, looking fancy and strange, but the sweet flavours still shine through.

STEAK AND FRIES

channel ORANGE

by Frank Ocean This album is meaty and filled with so many great track s, my favourite being “Pyramids.” Ocean’s melodies are sensual and emotional. The substantial tracks, like “Sierra Leone,” are the steak, because they are flavourful, fusing amazing instrumentals, lyrics and Ocean’s vocal range. Meanwhile, inter lude t r ack s like the delight f ul “Fer tilizer,” are the fries you eat in between the steak. The track proves

RICH THE KID

that side dishes are just as important as the main course. And I’m always in the mood for steak and fries.

The World Is Yours

SHRIMP PIZZA

Uyai by Ibibio Sound Machine Uyai is the shrimp pizza of albums.

Both just hit the right notes for me. It’s the bonding of different elements that I love about this album; the electronic beats, acoustic instruments and the rhythmic singing mesh so well together. Shrimp pizza is analogous, because pizza is a melding of different elements. The crust, the sauce, the cheese and the special toppings fit together harmoniously.

ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BUFFET

MM… FOOD by MF DOOM This album’s theme is literally food; go listen to it.

WHITEWASHED HUMMUS

Reputation by Taylor Swift Hummus has a long history in the Middle East. It’s flavoursome, dense and richly textured. But white people appropriated hummus, stripped it of flavour and history, and made it super bland. Reputation is Swift’s lacklustre hummus. She changed her sound from country music to R&B-inspired beats and melodies, meanwhile br inging up old grudges that few people care about. Swif t ’s album is uninspiring and tasteless, despite the fact that her other albums were pop hits and in her own style.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

(Interscope Records) Rich the Kid’s debut album, The World Is Yours, is exactly what you would expect from the New York/Atlanta rapper. Considered the fourth Migos by some, Rich the Kid borrows heavily from his contemporaries, using dark uptempo trap beats, a triplet flow and dramatic ad libs. However, one thing that sets Rich the Kid apart is his ability to actually rap, which he only puts on full display during the album’s final track, “Dead Friends.”

At 14 tracks and 46 minutes long, The World Is Yours doesn’t overstay its welcome.

However, Rich the Kid does very little to keep the listener’s attention for that long.

Many of the songs blend into one another, leaving the project a little one-dimensional.

Songs like “Plug Walk” and “New Freezer” featuring Kendrick Lamar keep this project afloat, while some of the other features, like Quavo and Offset from Migos, are underwhelming.

11 Trial Track: “Plug Walk"

5.5/10 — ALEX COLE, MANAGING EDITOR

APRIL 3, 2018

theconcordian

13

PROFILE

2

PARIS LOUIS

On that note, this one's by...

Jazz singer David Marino reflects on third-place La Voix win

Deathcolors (N/A)

Paris Louis, an artist I discovered through a local buying-and-selling sneaker group on Facebook, has released his debut mixtape, Deathcolors. The Montreal rapper is a breath of fresh air, not only because of his ability to craft songs and hooks but also because of his songs’ lengths. Unlike many rappers of his ilk, Paris Louis isn’t afraid to make three-and-a-half-minutelong songs, instead of following the two-minute song trend SoundCloud has cultivated. This allows each track to be a more satisfying listen, with more room for verses and sustained hooks. Paris Louis’s sound blends those of Travis Scott and Jay Critch, while maintaining his own unique vocals. All seven songs on this tape are catchy and feature moody, attention-keeping trap beats. With this tape, Paris Louis proves himself to be an artist to watch out for in the years to come.

11 Trial Track: “Apt 200”

9.0/10 Marino has world-wide ambitions, but his musical soul lies in Quebec. Photo courtesy of David Marino.

— ALEX COLE, MANAGING EDITOR

SAMSARA RAINVILLE CONTRIBUTOR

Recently Added

Recently Added 11 HIGH HORSE Kacey Musgraves (MCA Nashville) 11 CRY! Caroline Rose (New West) 11 MIAMI Valee ft. Pusha T (G.O.O.D. Music) 11 WIDE AWAKE! Parquet Courts (Rough Trade) 11 TOUS LES JOURS Botany (JASS) 11 ROVER 2.0 BlocBoy JB ft. 21 Savage (Bloc Nation)

In the 21st century, when the youth of today turn to electronic music for audible entertainment, it has become absurd to believe any person under the age of 50 can enjoy the tenderness of jazz music. Yet, for David Marino—last year’s third-place winner of French talent competition La Voix—singing the jazz standards of the early 20th century has become second nature.

As his father pressed play on “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” a 1937 George and Ira Gershwin song featuring Frank Sinatra, for his eight-year-old son in 2006, he incidentally pressed play on Marino’s blossoming passion for jazz.

About a year earlier, Marino’s mother, Angela Vitulano, had realized her son would fall in love with jazz. “He wanted to buy a fedora at the age of seven,” she said. This is a style of hat worn by many jazz singers, notably Frank Sinatra.

“I feel the music in my bones,” said Marino, a Rivière-des-Prairies native.

“It’s just a connection I have to the music; it’s hard to explain.” This connection is something John Gilbert, who has been Marino’s voice coach since 2011, also felt as he helped Marino widen his musical prowess.

It all started with Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé, without whom Marino said he would never have been encouraged to explore other jazz artists and diversify his tastes. “I’d pick Sammy Davis Jr.,” Marino said when asked who he would like to sit down and have a chat with. “He would bring my performance abilities to the next level.”

“Music is not only about singing the songs you like,” Marino added, “but also making sure the audience will enjoy whatever you sing.” This is something he quickly understood through coaching sessions with Gilbert. Marino performs with the intelligence and wit of an experienced jazz singer, and excels in charming his audience with fancy suits and melodious tunes.

Now 19, the young singer has devoted a lot of time and effort to his career. As the old saying goes, “practice makes perfect,” and Marino couldn’t agree more. When asked about his learning process, Marino said there is no limit to how often he can rehearse a song. “First, you learn the song and the melody, which could take 30 minutes depending on how long the song is,” he said. “Then, I repeat it to find different ways of singing each note.”

For Marino, analyzing the lyrics of a song is also a crucial part of his interpretation, as it allows him to express the proper emotions and understand the message behind the song. “Singing a lyric is harder than singing the melody,” he said.

Marino’s family played an important role in the young crooner’s career. In fact, his parents introduced him to the style of music he now cherishes and encouraged him to take singing lessons. Regardless of the challenges, his family continues to encourage him to pursue a career in music.

“We love supporting and just love to listen to him,” said Vitulano with a twinkle in her eyes.

“My parents were the ones who encouraged me to do the show,” Marino said about participating on La Voix, Quebec’s adaptation of The Voice . Although coming in third place didn’t change his life, it allowed Marino to showcase his talent to a large

Quebec audience. “It is an amazing learning experience,” he said.

Although La Voix is a competition, Prior to his success on La Voix, Marino juggled variety shows, local competitions and benefit concerts. “David uses his talent to help others,” his mother said. “For example, he’s using his concerts to raise money for mental health,” a cause close to the young artist’s heart.

Marino described the show as a gathering of people doing what they love most, where spirits are high and interactions are positive. “La Voix was the most exciting project I have completed to this day,” Marino said, but he remains hopeful that more stimulating projects will arise in the near future.

Despite the importance of the competition, Marino remained grounded and always remembered his roots. “I love to sing, because I love to perform,” he said.

“I learned what being ‘popular’ means in the music industry.” Although it can be overwhelming to have people approach him, Marino reminds himself that music is the reason he began singing.

Inspired by his coach on La Voix, Pierre Lapointe, Marino is adamant that music is not all about the fame. Even though the show gives contestants connections and exposure, La Voix remains a difficult adventure that requires a lot of hard work and devotion, he insisted. “If an artist entering La Voix thinks the show will give them a career, they are completely wrong,” Marino said.

On April 14, Marino will be performing at the Salle Gesù. Accompanying him on stage will be top-notch jazz musicians under the musical direction of John Gilbert and special guest Shy Shy Schullie, another former contestant on La Voix.

sports

SPORTS EDITOR /// sports@theconcordian.com NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI ( @n_digiovanni)

CURLING

The sport that’s sweeping the nation Mixed doubles curling is attracting a new generation of Canadians

Most Canadians only take an interest in curling once every four years during the Olympics. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI SPORTS EDITOR Curling is an old sport with a long history in Canada. But a new form of the game is sweeping across the nation: mixed doubles.

Mixed doubles made its Olympic debut at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. Canadian pair Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris captured Canada’s attention en route to a gold medal.

Mixed doubles curling is a faster, new alternative to the traditional game. Curling normally has four players per team, and games last 10 ends (similar to innings in baseball) with each team throwing eight rocks (or stones) per end. Mixed doubles curling, as the name suggests, only has two players on a team, and each team throws five rocks per end, for eight ends.

Neil Gargul, the director of ice and property at the Pointe-Claire Curling Club, said mixed doubles is a great way for people to join curling without having to put together a four-person team.

“It’s a lot easier to make a team,” he

said. “At the pro level, a [traditional] game would take two and a half hours, whereas the mixed doubles are done in an hour and a half. It’s a much faster game. There will be a lot of popularity in mixed doubles, and I know the pros are really eager to do mixed doubles, and dedicate themselves.”

The Canadian mixed doubles championship was held in Leduc, Alta., from March 28 to April 1, and saw some of the top curlers in the country form teams. Jennifer Jones, arguably the best Canadian curler of all time, paired up with her husband, Brent Laing, who competed in the 2018 Winter Games.

Although mixed doubles curling could attract a new generation to curling, Gargul said a curler needs to be more “technically-gifted” to succeed in mixed doubles.

“You need to be a better curler to be good at mixed doubles than the team sport,” he said. “There are a lot more high-precision shots. The misses could turn into a lot of points, and that’s the exciting part; it’s high-scoring.”

A stereotype surrounding curling is that it’s a relaxed sport, and you don’t need to be in good physical shape to play. Mixed

The skip, the leader of a curling team, tells the thrower where to aim the rock.

doubles curling challenges that notion, since a player throwing the rock also has to sweep, and they’re constantly moving around.

Even traditional team curling is starting to require more physical strength, Gargul said, whereas in the past, teams worried less about fitness.

“You need good flexibility, good balance and good strength,” Gargul said. “To be a good curler, you have to be in good shape.”

He compared curling to golf, a sport in which athletes now focus more on their fitness.

“That’s the new generation of curling, where they realize the physical fitness portion of it,” Gargul added. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t go out to curl and just have fun.”

Curling is a social sport at any level. At Gargul’s Pointe-Claire Curling Club, players from opposing teams sit down after their games for a beer.

“We have a great community at the club,” Gargul said. “Win or lose, the teams sit together after the game and you get to know all the different people in the club.”

Curling is unlike other team sports, where

There are only two techniques to throw a rock: out-turn (counterclockwise), and in-turn, (clockwise.)

you might dislike your opponent during a game. Gargul said there are some rivalries in curling, but opponents at any level still congratulate each other on good shots.

“Because it’s a precision sport, you have to be in control of your emotions, and be calm when you’re throwing your rock,” said Gargul, who used to play high-intensity team sports like hockey, football and soccer. “Having a level of intensity doesn’t necessarily help you in curling.”

For university students looking to try the sport, Gargul said people can rent the ice and equipment at the Pointe-Claire Curling Club by visiting the club’s website or calling.

“Most clubs offer rentals. You could rent the ice, and a group of eight of you could go out,” Gargul said. “You will have a blast.”

Sports editor Nicholas Di Giovanni tried curling for the first time. Check out our video on YouTube or Facebook.

The sweepers then have to make sure the rock has enough speed to get down the rink.

APRIL 3, 2018

PROFILE

Buzzing with passion and energy Dvir Cahana balances religion and basketball while cheering on teammates

Dvir Cahana had to make sacrifices for his basketball career, including walking to games. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

MATTHEW ALMENGO-RAYMOND CONTRIBUTOR

His decision was met with uncertainty from his family as it led to more challenges than just tougher competition.

“My family wasn’t sure if I could play basketball at that level because, once we get into the inter-city context, I’d have to play games on the Sabbath,” Cahana said. “In order to keep that up, I’d have to walk long distances because, on the Sabbath, we’re not allowed to use electricity [or drive].”

In CEGEP, when he played for the Dawson Blues, Cahana had to walk to far places.

“I’d walk from my house [in the Town of Mount-Royal] to St-Bruno in the south, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue in the west, past Rivières-des-Prairies [in the east],” Cahana said. “I’d [walk around] cities I had never been to like Boston and Albany [for tournaments], and just learn the lay of the land.”

Although this would seem like a daunting task for most people, Cahana said he believes it was a valuable experience in his life.

“It was important for me to figure out how to make sacrifices without impeding on my ethical compass or religious commitments,” he said.

Clearly committed to both basketball and his religion, Cahana worked exceptionally hard to earn a spot on the Concordia men’s team before the 2015-16 season.

A six-foot-three forward, Cahana said he admires NBA players like Matthew Dellavedova, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. Dellavedova is someone who isn’t necessarily the most skilled player on the court, but he brings grit, toughness and earns every opportunity he gets.

Similarly, Cahana works hard for his opportunities. Whether it’s waking up at 5:30 a.m. to walk to practice, or spending six hours alone in the gym developing his The Concordia Stingers men’s basketball three-point shooting ability, he is always team have their very own Energizer bunny trying to get better. by the name of Dvir Cahana.

Even more impressive, his presence is Anyone who has attended a Stingers still felt when he’s not playing. The ultimate basketball game in the last three seasons energizer, Cahana takes tremendous pride has probably noticed Cahana hooting and in supporting his teammates. hollering from the bench to pump up the team.

“I want others to experience the energy “I try to bring energy to the team when and passion I have for the game,” Cahana said. times are difficult,” Cahana said. “It’s hard to “It’s not an individual sport where you’re keep a high level of energy on the court so doing everything for yourself. There’s this when I’m not playing, I try to spark the team altruistic aspect where everything you to have cohesive unity amongst ourselves.” do has a higher purpose for the team.”

Off the court, Cahana maintains that high Cahana was rewarded for all of his hard level of energy. It isn’t out of the ordinary work in the team’s final game of the regular to find him freestyle rapping, dancing or season, which was his final game with the singing around campus whenever he can. It Stingers. On Feb. 24, he played 27 minutes, doesn’t take long for him to bring smiles to the most of his three-year Stingers career peoples’ faces. in a 71-59 victory over the Université Laval Born in Göteborg, Sweden, Cahana and Rouge et Or. his family moved to Canada when he was “It was an amazing feeling to represent only five years old. His father is a rabbi, and the team for that period of time,” Cahana said. one of the first jobs his dad was offered was “It wasn’t just that I was playing. Every time at a synagogue in Montreal.

I did something well, there was a roar in the “We came to Montreal and felt right at crowd that was supportive.” home,” Cahana said. “And we’ve been here Following the game, Cahana received a lot ever since.” of positive feedback from teammates and fans.

It was here that Cahana fell in love with “People came up to me to tell me that I the game of basketball. During his early years, inspired them,” he said. “That’s the most Cahana was always known as “the tall kid.” He important thing, being able to influence used his height to his advantage and started people and have a positive impact on playing basketball to make new friends. their lives.”

Cahana played forward for his high school Cahana said he hopes he can continue team, Hebrew Academy, in Côte St-Luc, and to impact others in the foreseeable future. when he wasn’t playing for them, he played in The third-year student is graduating with a several summer leagues. It was at this point major in political science. His goal is when Cahana started to take basketball to follow in his father’s footsteps more seriously. and become a rabbi himself.

“The school league is solid, “The role of a rabbi is a but when I would play in the mixture of a parent and a summer, the top players would political leader who guides be murmuring on the side, ‘You the community. The suffix of should play the inter-city divithat sentence is always ‘for sions because there’s stronger the community,’” he said. competition,’” he said.

With a clear passion for Cahana took their advice inspiring others, Cahana and joined the inter-city division seems more than ready to for the Young Men’s and Young pursue the next chapter of Women’s Hebrew Association With his basketball career coming to an end, Cahana wants his life.

(YM-YWHA). to become a rabbi. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

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COLOUR COMMENTARY

BY NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI

Montreal will eventually get a Major League Baseball (MLB) team again; it just might take some time.

It feels like every spring, when the MLB season starts, Montrealers and the local sports media talk about baseball returning to the city. Fans have been baseball-hungr y ever since the Montreal Expos, nicknamed Nos Amours, moved to Washington, D.C., in 2004, after a 35-year love affair with Montrealers.

Since 2014, the Expos’s former rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays, have hosted a pair of exhibition games at the Olympic Stadium every year. A total of nearly 450,000 fans attended these 10 exhibition games at the Big O. When the Expos were in their dying years, the team averaged less than 10,000 fans per game, and many thought there was no baseball interest left in Montreal. We’ve proven that’s untrue.

So what will it take for baseball to come back? Ownership, TV rights, sponsors and a stadium.

They potentially have three of those, but are missing a key component: the stadium.

Stephen Bronfman, son of former Expos owner Charles Bronfman, is leading the business team trying to persuade the MLB to return to Montreal. He has been in contact with the league, and was told last week by the MLB that the hypothetical new Expos could not play in the Olympic Stadium, even temporarily.

It’s clear a replacement for the Big O is long overdue. The Expos need a new stadium, which they almost got in 1999 but didn’t.

Bronfman also told the Montreal Gazette he doesn’t want taxpayers to pay for it, which bodes well with mayor Valérie Plante, who doesn’t want to pay for a baseball team. The two are reportedly meeting in April.

As for sponsorship and TV rights, I think the new Expos could get that easily. There are two French sports-only TV stations that would bid millions for the rights, and sponsors would follow suit.

It’s just a matter of time before fans once again spend their summer cheering on the Montreal Expos.

Even if it takes a few more years to build a new stadium, I don’t think anybody would have an issue with that. We’ve waited long enough, I think we could wait a few more years.

When Vladimir Guerrero Jr., son of Expo great Vladimir Guerrero, hit a walk-off home run for the Blue Jays at the Big O last week, the Montreal crowd erupted. It reminded the world how much Montrealers love their baseball.

opinions OPINIONS EDITOR /// opinions@theconcordian.com SANIA MALIK

How to prepare yourself for the apocalypse The birds are chirping, the snow is melting, and the sun is shining. But most of us are probably too preoccupied to be admiring these beautiful changes. Instead, we’re preparing for the apocalypse: finals are coming. It’s not unusual for students to be panicked, anxiety-ridden and stressed out at this time of year. This is why we at The Concordian thought this editorial could be useful for students facing these obstacles.

According to the 2013 National College Health Assessment, 33 per cent of Canadian post-secondary students are stressed. Among those people, 27.4 per cent have anxiety issues and 21.3 per cent have sleep problems.

We all know how the accumulation of stress from homework and finals preparation can affect our sleeping schedule. Most of us stay up much later than we should to catch up on readings and assignments we left until the last minute. Our go-to substance is coffee, and although it might help us feel more productive, coffee actually increases anxiety, according to a 2010 study conducted by the experimental psychology department at the University of Bristol.

We might also find ourselves relying on comfort food to feel better, like ice cream or macaroni and cheese. But according to Harvard Health Publishing, while these

foods release brain chemicals that help us feel good in the moment, processed foods are higher in sugar and caffeine which can cause our body more distress in the long run. So, in the fight against stress, start by picking up a couple of blueberries which contain antioxidants that improve our reaction to stress.

Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are also known to alleviate depression and fatigue, according to the same source.

Zinc in cashews can help reduce anxiety; spinach can produce dopamine in the brain and calm you down; milk’s Vitamin D can boost happiness; and carbohydrates in oatmeal help the brain produce serotonin and essentially battle stress.

Students can also look to Concordia for help. The Stress Management page on Concordia’s website in the Healthy Living section includes a stress management worksheet that can help students identify their stressor and offers possible stress management strategies. A list of ways to combat stress includes deep breathing, massages, exercise, meditation, working on hobbies or developing new ones, as well as spending time with loved ones.

Campus services also include the Zen Den, a place where students can find peace and serenity when they feel overwhelmed or stressed out. It’s open

Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Zen Den is located in GM 300 on the downtown campus and includes comfor table seating , war m lighting and soothing images.

It also has resources to practice stress reduction and workshops that can help with your wellbeing. Staff members are present to provide techniques for self-care, and upcoming workshops will be based on mindfulness, anxiety and panic attacks, as well as positive psychology.

Concordia also offers counselling and psychological services to help students maintain their mental health, as well as gymnasiums and fitness centres for students looking to relieve tension and boost their physical health.

It’s easy to feel alone and helpless when our stress is a huge, seemingly all-too powerful monster. But it’s important to remember that help is available, through Concordia and through easy at-home remedies.

Take the time to eat healthy foods to boost your mood and reduce your stress. Take a nap, avoid the coffee and go outside for a walk. If you feel severely overwhelmed or panicked, reach out to Concordia’s counselling and psychological

services to book an appointment with a professional.

On a more positive note, at least we’re all on this stress-filled boat together.

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth.

FREE PRESS

The importance of independent newspapers All levels of student government should support student news media at Concordia NICK GERTLER CONTRIBUTOR I think most people would agree that a free and independent press is important.

This is true in national, provincial and municipal contexts, but it is also true at our university. Concordia is fortunate to have two strong student news publications. They provide us with a platform to express ourselves, and they hold the university administration accountable.

Most importantly, they keep our student organizations honest.

I have sat on committees and council meetings for the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA), and I can say firsthand that the Concordia community is better for the existence of The Link and The Concordian. Yet, our student governance organizations don't always seem to recognize the important role the student news media plays.

During the polling period of the most recent Concordia Student Union (CSU) elections, The Link published an editorial endorsing Speak Up, one of three slates running for the CSU executive. The Link is not affiliated with the CSU, and it is well within their right to publish whatever they want, whenever they want, so long as it abides by their code of ethics. Even so, in light of the editorial’s publication, CSU chief electoral officer Nicholas Roberts disqualified the entire Speak Up slate. He claims the editorial qualifies as campaigning during the polling period. By disqualifying Speak Up on that basis, Roberts is implying candidates have control over what The Link publishes. That implication directly

contradicts the principle of free press.

This incident with the CSU and The Link is just the latest in a long line of infringements by student organizations. Last February, the ASFA executive cut ties with The Link because of a disagreement with the paper’s editorial slant and practices. The Commerce and Administration Students’ Association (CASAJMSB) considered following suit.

These actions are inappropriate to say the least. ASFA has since apologized and reversed their decision, but none of it should have happened in the first place. To withhold access and demand changes from the student news media is an imposition on the media’s ability to report freely and accurately. Their ability to do so is always important, but it’s particularly important when the organizations involved are in charge of large amounts of student money.

The CSU and faculty organizations need to take a stronger stand on press independence. Article 425 of the CSU's Standing Regulations states that the CSU "respects the role and independence of student media and believes that they play an essential role in the University community." However, that stance is incompatible with other CSU regulations, including Article 316 which seeks to limit what our student news media can and

cannot publish during elections.

A SFA is no bet ter. Its gover ning documents make no mention of press independence or freedom. This has led to confusion over what role the student press plays during ASFA's elections.

It’s well within the student body's right to criticize the student news media. We are free to comment and hold it accountable.

But, it needs to be made clear that, from a legal standpoint, the student press is free to publish what it pleases, within reasonable ethical standards. It’s not the role of any external organization to dictate what those standards are. Student group candidates cannot—and should not—control what is published, and organizations should not act as if they can.

All levels of student government need to enshrine a commitment to the independence of student news media in their governing documents. They also need to ensure that other regulations, like those governing elections, are in line with that stance, both in writing and in practice.

As a current ASFA executive, I will be working to implement these changes within the federation. I am now calling on my counterparts in other organizations, including the CSU, to do the same. We all benefit from a free press; it's about time we support them.

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth.

APRIL 3, 2018

theconcordian

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DEBATES

Changing minds or useless conversations?

Steven Crowder’s YouTube series falls flat in debating serious issues and sparking real discussions NOLWENN BOUILLÉ CONTRIBUTOR Set up a table, two chairs and a mic.

Finish off the video with a strong statement, and you’ve got yourself the key ingredients Steven Crowder needs to engage in conversations with strangers. In his YouTube series “Real Conversations,” the comedian, actor and political commentator sits in public spaces and invites people to change his mind on “hot-button issues” as he calls them. But, does he really want his mind changed?

Obviously not. Crowder’s “change my mind” statement is just a way to capture an audience’s attention. The goal is clearly to defend his own point of view by confronting people and winning the argument. It seems like a clever way of presenting his ideas. The concept of the videos would be quite impressive if his intent was sincere and fair, but it’s not.

First of all, it’s his own show. Crowder is comfortable in front of the camera and microphone. He is much more relaxed than the people he confronts; he often makes jokes to get the upper hand and mocks the person he is arguing with.

As for the content, Crowder obviously knows the topics in advance, since it would be difficult to argue as he does otherwise. He often brings up points that were clearly researched beforehand. He

also memorizes statistics and figures. If each person Crowder faced benefitted from the same preparation, it would be fair. But when he is the only one with the chance to prepare, he is simply showing off.

Furthermore, Crowder could easily reveal his sources in the description below the video, but they are nowhere to be seen.

In the “Male privilege is a myth” episode, a woman in the crowd claims his numbers are wrong, but she isn’t invited to talk to Crowder. Herein lies

another problem. Although the conversations are unedited and uncut, we can presume Crowder chooses which arguments make it online. It’s likely only winning arguments will be posted, not conversations that show him in a bad light. Given Crowder’s obvious intent with these videos, why would he upload one of him losing an argument? As he states in one of his videos: “Sometimes people will not change their mind, and there is nothing you can do.” Crowder seems to be one of these people.

Watching someone who has an opposite point of view to yours win an argument with such obvious advantages is incredibly frustrating. So it must be really satisfying to those who share Crowder’s views. However, I don’t think his videos bring us anything more than this frustration or satisfaction. If you take a look at the comment sections of his videos, many people point out Crowder’s unfair rehearsal and some even take the time to debunk several of his arguments.

To me, these videos are not “productive” debates as Crowder describes them. He’s playing a game and merely trying to look smart.

Talking with people who hold different views can be interesting and is necessary to bridge gaps and broaden our understanding of the world. However, to actually be productive, both sides have to be honest about their intentions.

Being right should not be the goal of the conversation, because it forces people to adamantly defend their ideas instead of learning and understanding another person’s perspective.

The subjects Crowder tries to cover are complex and involve a broad spectrum of ideas, elements and facts. I don’t think a single one-on-one conversation without sincere intentions and verifiable facts would help in any way. I don’t see Crowder’s series of videos as productive in any way—I see them as useless.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

EDUCATION

Confessions of a journalism student

The boredom of traditional news reporting ERICA RIZZO CONTRIBUTOR Whenever someone asks me why I chose journalism, my answer is comparable to those perfectly iced sugar cookies everyone picks up at the grocery store but puts back before the check-out line—sweet, yet very processed.

I say, “I’ve always loved writing stories, but could never come up with any of my own. With journalism I can still tell stories, they’re just not mine.” While this reasoning remains partly true, I have come to a few crucial realizations since I began studying journalism.

I do love telling stories, just not all of them. Quite frankly, politics and traditional news do not interest me. And if you know the journalism program, you know the first year focuses on establishing the fundamentals through traditional news reporting, which bores me to death. By the end of the first semester, my breathing had slowed significantly. I told my mother that if she chose a solid mahogany casket, I would rise from the dead to make the switch to solid bronze myself.

Also, there’s my gripe with multimedia classes and renting equipment from the depot. I’m technologically inept, so that’s the main struggle. There’s also the fact that I live about an hour away from the Loyola campus via public transit, and I travel all that

way for the three minutes it takes to pick up my equipement. It’s a huge inconvenience.

I live in Laval, so that’s equivalent to when Kim Kardashian flew to New Orleans for the evening for beignets. Except, I don’t leave with anything that delicious.

But to blame my struggles entirely on my program would be a lie. Truth be told, I’m an insecure writer, constantly invalidating and comparing my work to that of my peers. No matter how many times someone assures me I’m meant to be in journalism or that the talent I don’t think I have is real, I’m always doubtful.

I still love journalism and writing, but more so on my own terms. I’ll have to push through until that’s my reality and I can work on what interests me. Because, honestly, I don’t see myself doing anything else.

When will the looming doubts go away?

ZACHARY COOK CONTRIBUTOR As an undergraduate student, I often find myself second-guessing the program I chose. Before starting university, a journalism degree seemed to be the route I was destined to take; I have always loved writing, photography and film—it seemed like the perfect fit.

I grew up in Grand Falls-Windsor, a small quaint town in Newfoundland. I was excited to move to the trendy city of Montreal and begin my studies. After the first week, I was immediately overcome with doubts about my decision to enter the program. I felt uneasy about my career as a journalist.

I thought I was overreacting, and I told myself I couldn’t judge the program based Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

on one week. Nonetheless, I called my sisters in a panic, both of whom are in the last year of their arts and science degrees, and asked if they felt the same way when they started their programs. Both my sisters assured me that nobody loves every aspect of their program, and that it’s normal to have conflicting thoughts. Many students experience this.

As the semester progressed, my looming doubts didn’t go away. I feared I had made the wrong choice. I realized I couldn’t envision myself working as a reporter—I questioned what career I would pursue after my degree.

The program focuses on teaching traditional journalistic practices. I am confident I will have the practical skills necessary to work for a mainstream media outlet once I finish my degree. However, I did not expect and continue to be disappointed by the lack of emphasis on unconventional career paths in alternative media.

Over the past two semesters, I have considered switching programs many times. I never went through with this decision because I’m afraid I will immediately regret it. Realistically, I will have “problems” with whatever program I’m in—every university student does. As I am only in my first year, I still have a lot to learn and will ride the university wave in the journalism program until I eventually figure out what I’m doing.

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theconcordian

APRIL 3, 2018

FACEBOOK

The dark side of social media platforms The recent Facebook scandal highlights the ways our privacy doesn’t exist online ALISSA MULLER CONTRIBUTOR The hashtag #DeleteFacebook was trending on social media last week, raising awareness of how much private information the platform knows about its users.

It began when the Observer reported that the private data of more than 50 million Facebook users was obtained by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm. The data was used during the 2016 American presidential elections to profile voters, predict their behaviours and target them with personalized political advertisements. Similar tactics were used for the Leave campaign leading up to the Brexit vote, reported the Observer.

According to Global News, Cambridge Analytica worked for U.S. senator Ted Cruz’s campaign as well as Donald Trump’s campaign. Christopher Wylie, the whistleblower, told the Observer the firm acquired data and used a software system to target specific Facebook users’ “inner demons.” On top of that, Global News reported that Facebook has since stated there is proof Cambridge Analytica hasn’t deleted the data used during those political campaigns, which is problematic. Why are they still holding on to that information?

It’s not surprising that Facebook’s response is trying to draw attention away from the platform itself. Nor is it surprising that Facebook was involved in this type of scandal to begin with. As Facebook reiterates its commitment to privacy, users need to be smart and stop burying their heads in the sand. Everyday, I witness users sharing their most personal thoughts and details about

their life on Facebook.

People need to realize just how accessible Facebook is to strangers and how privacy settings only do so much in the age of big data. How can users be upset about this situation if they are basically an open-book on Facebook?

Ever since I’ve had access to the internet, my parents always told me to be careful about what I post on social media. We

live in a technological era where it’s easy to go on a computer and find someone’s personal information. Users must always be aware of the dark side of social media platforms like Facebook.

Facebook is a double-edged sword. It allows people to connect with whomever they like, but it also makes their personal life publicly available.

It’s hard to ignore that social

media, specifically Facebook, has a creepy reputation of knowing its users activities.

I believe Facebook needs to strengthen its privacy settings to gain back the trust of its users. Third parties like Cambridge Analytica should not be able to obtain data—especially without the users’ permission or knowledge. Nonetheless, private information will always be more

easily accessible on the internet, and I believe society will have to deal with these kinds of problems more frequently.

Everything about a person’s life can be found on the internet, which has become an extension of the individual.

People’s entire lives are plastered across the online world. But even knowing the dark side of social media, I will not delete Facebook. I am aware of the privacy risks, but to me, the perks surpass the downsides.

Of course, I always think twice before posting or liking anything on Facebook, and I encourage everyone to do the same.

I think the hashtag #DeleteFacebook is legitimate for ever yone who felt betrayed by the platform. I understand why these users are angry. People’s Facebook profile data had been stolen to fuel political agendas without their permission, which is just plain wrong.

Even though Facebook is to blame for lacking safeguards to protect user data, these users have a duty to be informed about what happens when they publish information online and agree to use a website. It’s important to not blindly trust Facebook or other social media platforms. I take it upon myself to make smart decisions and be critical about how I interact with my Facebook feed—everyone should do the same.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

STRESS

You can’t do better than your best Finding balance in life is important, but make sure not to fall over the edge K AYL A-MARIE TURRICIANO STAFF WRITER Being a student is stressful. You have classes to think about and all of the work that comes with them.

You likely have a job on the side. Not to mention, you have a social life, a family, hobbies, maybe a sport or some form of exercise you like to do to unwind and de-stress. There’s so much going on in our lives—how can we balance it all?

There’s no easy answer to this. In fact, there isn’t one. Someone once told me: “You can’t do better than your best,” and I think that’s the best motto to live by, not just as a student but for the rest of your life. There will be times when you’ll be so overwhelmed that one aspect of your life might have to take a hit, be it your sleep schedule, job or social life. If you try to get everything done per fectly, your health—either physical or mental—will be affected.

It’s important to know your limits so you don’t push yourself to the point of a nervous breakdown (they aren’t pleasant).

I’m well aware that school is important.

I've been an A student most of my life; I know the pressure that comes with maintaining good grades and being the best you can be. The thing is, though, many aspects in our lives are so much

more difficult than they were in high school or CEGEP. University is harder.

We’re adults with responsibilities now.

We have a lot more going on in our lives.

It might not be as feasible to expect A’s on ever y assignment or exam in every class.

It’s okay if you get a C on an assignment you worked really hard on. I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for doing our best. We’re often too focused on the final grade instead of the effort we put in. It’s important to remember your worth as a person is not defined by your grades, and a handful of C’s won’t ruin your career. Make time for friends and family, because they are the ones who will be there for you when school is out for the summer, and when you finally graduate. They’re the ones who will help you have fun and relieve your stress when you need it the most.

Don’t forget to leave time for hobbies when you’re busy, because they can help you unwind and relax.

Fitness, for example, can directly impact your health and stress levels in a positive way, and it’s important to make time for exercise if you enjoy it. Those few hours a week effortlessly doing what you love will help clear your mind at the end of a stressful week, or between the last-minute grinds of final projects.

Don’t forget to work on yourself too.

Take a break when you get tired, call

up your family when you get lonely, sleep all day if you need to, take a bath, do yoga or kickboxing, go for coffee with a friend. It’s so important to give your mind time to recuperate from the constant stress and thinking.

By reminding myself that I can’t do better than my best, I’ve learned to better understand my limitations, to know when it’s time to take a break and regroup. I am and always have been a perfectionist; anyone who knows me also knows I always put too much on my plate.

I like ever y thing to be organized and perfect.

Yet, I’ve realized and learned that I can’t control everything.

I ’ ve le a r n e d h ow to m a ke t i m e fo r mys elf. I’m now able to s ay no to cer tain thing s to avoid spreading myself too thin.

It’s okay not to be 100 per cent all the time, as long as you’re doing your best and taking care of yourself. You can’t always balance everyt-

hing; but remember things will always balance themselves out in the end.

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth.

APRIL 3, 2018

theconcordian

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

19

Comic by Libby Hopkinson.

On March 23, Concordia celebrated the completion of the final phase of the Webster Library Transformation project with great fanfare. Quebec’s Minister for Higher Education and Concordia administrators spoke of the significant government funding for the project and of the university’s commitment to the fundamental role of the library in support of world-class teaching and research. After enduring three years of renovations, students, staff and faculty can now enjoy amazing new study spaces and cutting-edge technology.

Not mentioned at the event, however, was that during this same period library staff have been forced to take a major pay cut, the direct result of the same Liberal government’s new pension bill and Concordia’s management priorities.

The library’s transformation can never be complete without real investment in staff.

Our union’s collective agreement expired many months ago. It is time for the university to make a commitment to collective bargaining and to finally acknowledge the contributions of support staff to Concordia’s next-generation library.

Kent Cluff President, Concordia University Library Employees Union (CULEU)

onco The C

A rchiv

e gra

y Ch a phic b

rlot te

rdian

Brach

o.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS! Good luck with your exams and final projects.

After the exams, enjoy the summer break.

If you are graduating, I look forward to seeing you at spring convocation.

Alan Shepard President alan.shepard@concordia.ca T18-45754

CO N CO R D I A .C A

20 theconcordian

APRIL 3, 2018 Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

The Concordian is hiring!

Positions available for the 2018-19 academic year

Section editors

Assistant editors

\\ Pitch stories, write articles, edit contributors’ content \ \ Spots available for the news, life, arts, music, sports and opinions sections

\\ Support section editors with pitches and one article per week \ \ Spots available for the news, life, arts, music, sports and opinions sections

Graphics editors

Copy editors

\\ Help bring articles to life with compelling graphics \\ Experience with Adobe Illustrator or equivalent highly recommended

\\ Edit articles for clarity, grammar and structure \\ Knowledge of CP style recommended

Photo and video editors

Social media coordinator

\\ Produce engaging visuals for everything from hockey games to council meetings \\ Looking for creative storytellers with flexible schedules

\\ Promote a vibrant social media presence and maintain website \\ Experience with WordPress, Hootsuite and all social media platforms recommended

Advertising manager

Production team

\\ Soliciting advertisements from local businesses and other associations within Concordia \\ Working with the production manager and social media coordinator to ensure smooth activations

\\ Layout the newspaper’s content to ensure readability and an aesthetic design \\ Experience with Adobe InDesign and Photoshop highly recommended

Responsibilities include:

Responsibilities include:

Responsibilities include:

Responsibilities include:

Responsibilities include:

Responsibilities include:

Responsibilities include:

Responsibilities include:

Please send your CV, a cover letter and three relevant samples of your work to applications@theconcordian.com no later than April 16, 2018.

The Concordian’s team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KATYA TEAGUE editor@theconcordian.com MANAGING EDITOR ALEXANDER COLE managing@theconcordian.com PRODUCTION MANAGER LOREANNA LASTORIA production@theconcordian.com PRODUCTION ASSISTANT HYACINTH WOURMS NEWS EDITORS ÉTIENNE LAJOIE CANDICE PYE news@theconcordian.com ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS MEGAN HUNT MATTHEW LAPIERRE

news_assistants@theconcordian.com

LIFE EDITOR SANDRA HERCEGOVÁ life@theconcordian.com

OPINIONS EDITOR SANIA MALIK opinions@theconcordian.com

ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR MIA ANHOURY

ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR TYSON BURGER

ARTS EDITOR MAGGIE HOPE arts@theconcordian.com

PHOTO EDITOR ALEX HUTCHINS photo@theconcordian.com

ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR CHLOË LALONDE

PHOTO ASSISTANTS KIRUBEL MEHARI MACKENZIE LAD

MUSIC EDITOR CALVIN CASHEN music@theconcordian.com

GRAPHICS EDITOR ZEZE LE LIN graphics@theconcordian.com

ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR HUSSAIN ALMAHR

GRAPHIC ASSISTANT ALEXA HAWKSWORTH

SPORTS EDITOR NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI sports@theconcordian.com ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR MATTHEW COYTE

HEAD COPY EDITOR VALERIA CORI-MANOCCHIO COPY EDITORS KATERINA GANG KYLEE ROSS REBECCA LUGER copy@theconcordian.com

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Almengo-Raymond, Nolwenn Bouillé, Eloise Carolan, Sara Chahrour, Zachary Cook, Sophia Delafontaine, Ian Down, Nick Gertler, Alissa Muller, Samsara Rainville, Erica Rizzo, Kayla-Marie Turriciano

BUSINESS MANAGER ORENZO PORPORINO business@theconcordian.com ADVERTISING MANAGER ORENZO PORPORINO advertising@theconcordian.com BOARD OF DIRECTORS NATHALIE LAFLAMME SAVANNA CRAIG MILOS KOVACEVIC DAVID EASEY GREGORY TODARO directors@theconcordian.com

VOL. 35, ISSUE 25 APRIL 3, 2018.

OUR COVER THIS WEEK “Petites-Mains atelier” Photo by Mackenzie Lad. FOLLOW US ON   COME TO OUR WEEKLY STORY MEETING AT THE LOYOLA CAMPUS CC-431 FRIDAY AT 12:00 P.M. PITCH. WRITE. EDIT. Editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. W Building CC - 431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 (514) 848-2424 ext. 7499