The Concordian - April 5th, 2016

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper

VOLUME 33, ISSUE 26 | TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016

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The missing $16,000

News p. 3 also in this issue

life

Living with Lyme disease p. 7

arts

Drift into the dream onstage

music

p. 9

sports

opinions

Aggressive rock Assault survivors Stingers’ year in meets humour p. 11 review get no justice p. 15 p. 13

news

NEWS EDITORS /// news@theconcordian.com GREGORY TODARO ( @GCTodaro) & LAURA MARCHAND (

@Marchand_L)

CAMPUS

Infographic by Laura Marchand, Co-news editor.

Layout by Michelle Gamage, Editor-in-chief.

APRIL 5, 2016

COVER STORY

Complaint filed over alleged TRAC violation of labour code Former TRAC executive cites lack of transparency, $16,000 discrepancy

BY GREGORY TODARO CO-NEWS EDITOR A former executive of the Teaching and Research Assistants at Concordia (TRAC) union has filed a complaint with the Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT) of Quebec, claiming TRAC did not give him full access to the organization’s financial records.

According to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Concordian, Robert Sonin—former TRAC president and current member due to his work as an invigilator—first approached TRAC executives in January of this year after noticing a $16,348.93 discrepancy in financial reports shared at a general assembly.

Sonin said he requested to view the union’s financial account books and meeting minutes. While Sonin said he was shown an Excel spreadsheet, he claimed he was denied access to receipts and other financial

documents which he, as a TRAC member, should be able to access under the organization’s own rules.

In the complaint—which is officially pointed at the Quebec regional branch of the national labour union Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)—Sonin is accusing TRAC of being both “in violation of their own bylaw 8.1 (c), in that they have not provided a member in good standing with access to [TRAC’s] financial records.”

Sonin told The Concordian the numbers shown in a Powerpoint presentation during the TRAC general assembly weren’t adding up.

Despite reporting a total income of $87,911.55 and $61,772.46 in expenses—a difference of $26,139.09—the organization only reported a leftover surplus of $9,790.16 carried over into the 2014-2015 year, a difference of $16,348.93.

“What’s reported is all over the

place,” Sonin said. “It never adds up properly … I don’t think they have a handle on the actual finances.”

However, TRAC secretary-treasurer Parmida Atighechian, who has worked on the union’s executive team since last year, said they showed Sonin everything he asked for.

“We have shown him, actually, the bank account, so I don’t know what else we had to show him,” said Atighechian.

Atighechian also told The Concordian that Sonin was eventually disaffiliated with PSAC. “The first time when he came to us, we actually showed him all the documents that we had,” said Atighechian. “But the second time, PSAC came to us and actually asked us not to respond to him.”

When asked about the budgetary discrepancy, Atighechian at first said she wasn’t aware of the issue or what caused it. “But you understand, this is two years before

I even came into TRAC,” she said.

When pressed for more information, TRAC responded they would need more time to look over their finances than this article’s deadline allowed.

TRAC’s next general assembly is set to take place on Tuesday, April 12 at 5:00 p.m. in the Hall Building, room H-763. Nomination period for TRAC’s executive team officially ends today at 5:00 p.m.

“What’s reported is all over the place.

It never adds up properly … I don’t think they have a handle on the actual finances.”

ROBERT SONIN, FORMER TRAC PRESIDENT AND CURRENT MEMBER

CAMPUS

ACT Together sweeps CSU election

Refugee Centre is established for 37 cents per credit

BY LAURA MARCHAND CO-NEWS EDITOR ACT Together swept the Concordia Student Union (CSU) elections, claiming every executive position for the 2016-17 academic year. All referendum questions passed with over 1,000 votes each.

Lucinda Marshall-Kiparissis of ACT Together will be the general coordinator of the CSU next year.

Her team consists of Loyola coordinator Marcus Peters, internal affairs coordinator Rami Yahia, academic and advocacy coordinator Sophia Sahrane, sustainability coordinator Lana Galbraith, external coordinator Aloyse Muller, student life coordinator Rachel Gauthier, and finance coordinator Adrian Longinotti.

Among the referendum questions passed was one giving permission to the CSU to oppose future tuition

“When you feel that people need services and dream of this happening ... [now] these services will be given and they’ll get to see people who really need them.”

KINAN SWAID, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REFUGEE CENTRE

fee hikes on international students, and to “work collaboratively towards increasing the accessibility of and defending the right to quality education for international students.”

The CSU also gained the mandate to oppose the Energy East and Line 9 pipeline projects, and any future tar sands development.

T he Inter nat ional /Et hnic Association Council, which promotes international culture and heritage, also saw its fee levy doubled, from $0.06 to $0.12 per credit. The CSU Health and Dental Plan also saw its annual cap increase by a maximum of $30 in order to maintain coverage and adjust for inflation and increasing costs.

One new fee-levy group was also created as the Canadian Refugee Initiative got the green light from students to establish a Refugee Centre on campus. The Refugee Centre will receive 37 cents per credit to assist students who are refugees or recent arrivals to the country. Their services will include legal aid, counselling, mentorship and housing assistance.

“We were super, super ecstatic,” said the Refugee Centre’s Abdulla Daoud, who said he stayed up all night waiting for the election results.

“We got a lot of support during campaigning, and we’re excited to get started working right away.”

“When you feel that people need such services and dream of this happening … [now] these services

will be given and they’ll get to the people who really need them,” said the Refugee Centre’s Kinan Swaid. “Hopefully it’s going to make a difference.”

Daoud and Swaid confirmed that work on the Refugee Centre will begin immediately this summer, with the aim of having a soft launch in September and a grand opening in October.

They believe the Refugee Centre is more relevant than ever, with the recent government announcement that 10,000 more refugees will be accepted into Canada. “The 10,000

extra refugees the government announced are specifically for post-secondar y education,” said Swaid.

“I wanted to thank the Concordia student population for all their support, all the people we talked to while campaigning, all the people who offered their help,” said Daoud. The Refugee Centre, when it opens, will aim to give back to the Concordia community by helping its refugee population and offering internships to students in a variety of disciplines, according to Daoud and Swaid.

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N AT I O N I N B R I E F

BY SAVANNA CRAIG ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Politician rescued after eight days lost in Nunavut After an extensive search last Thursday, Pauloosie Keyootak of the the Nunavut legislature, as well as his son and nephew were rescued by a helicopter and are in safe condition. The group left on a snowmobile trip from Iqaluit on March 22 for an 11-hour trip Pangnirtung. However, the group lost their direction after getting caught in a blizzard. The group had run out of supplies the day they were found. Keyootak said he could not forget seeing the rescue helicopter. “I was jumping happy. Very much. I was crying,” he said.

B.C. man scores modeling gig after joke photo series to wife Brendon Williams has become an American Eagle model after taking boudoir photos as a joke birthday present for his wife.

Williams is now in an ad for a fictional Aerie line of underwear, marketed as comfortable for both men and women. The satirical ad features Williams bending to read “Flexy” written on the backside of his underwear, reported CTV News.

Although this underwear line is fake, American Eagle said the message of their advertisement is genuine—men should be accepted for their bodies, regardless of how they look.

“Healthy body image to me is loving who you are,” he says in the ad. “The real you is sexy.”

Margaret Trudeau for marijuana regulation Margaret Trudeau, mother of current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, spoke at a Mississauga Catholic high school on Saturday to promote the control of medical marijuana. Trudeau discussed her long battle with mental illness, adding that evidence has been found that marijuana negatively alters the brains of children. “All evidence shows that children under the age of 18 should not smoke marijuana. It’s very bad for the development of their brain,” said Trudeau. “After 18, go ahead!” According to the Toronto Star, Justin Trudeau has cautioned former Toronto police chief and current MP for Scarborough Southwest Bill Blair to prepare for the legalization of marijuana.

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theconcordian

WORLD IN BRIEF

BY DAVID EASEY OPINIONS EDITOR

BY JESSICA ROMERA COPY EDITOR

Migrants being sent back to Turkey from Greece Over 200 migrants and refugees seeking asylum in Greece were deported to Turkey on Monday.

These measures are being taken

by Greek and European authorities to “stem the flow” of illegal immigrants arriving in Europe, according to the Huffington Post. According to The New York Times, a deal was made between Turkey and the EU on March 20.

Those refugees who arrived in Greece after that date are to be deported. The EU has stated that for every Syrian refugee without proper documentation sent back to Turkey, they will accept someone who is registered as a refugee in Turkey.

Data leak reveals international corruption scandal Roughly 11 million documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca were leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, revealing how the wealthy launder their money. Many implicated are current and former heads of states, according to BBC News.

The Icelandic Prime Minister is already facing criticism and protests in Reykjavik, as documents revealed he transferred millions through the law firm under the auspices of his wife, according to The Guardian. Sergei Roldugin, a cellist and close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin was also named in the documents, revealing how he shifted billions of dollars.

More information is slated to be released in the coming weeks as the documents are continuously analyzed.

Unilateral Ceasefire in the Caucasus Region A unilateral ceasefire has been announced between Azerbaijan and the separatist enclave Nagorno-Karabakh, according to CBC News. This comes after a bloody weekend which resulted in roughly 30 casualties on either side. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for peace while the Turkish President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his support for the Azerbaijani military. This is the first conflict between the ethnic enclave and Azerbaijan since the war ended in 1994 with a ceasefire, with the CBC citing religious tensions as the cause of the complex conflict.

APRIL 5, 2016

PROTEST

Ending marginalization in Canada

BLM and Indigenous peoples stand together against years of oppression

BY SAVANNA CRAIG ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Leslie Anne St. Amour, an Indigenous McGill activist, read out names “They have been protesting in the of black men killed in rain, the cold and the snow. They Montreal: Anthony Griffin, have been attacked, chemicals have killed in 1987 running away been thrown on them, electricity from the police station has been taken away—and still after being arrested; Leslie they stand. I have never been Presley, killed in 1990— more proud to be black in Canada shot six times by three than this week. Our people are policemen in a downtown so beautiful and resilient, but we bar; and Marcelle Francois, are also enraged. We are tired, unarmed killed by the I’m tired. We shouldn’t have bullet of an M-16. “Shortly to organize this event to begin after, Montreal’s black with. We’re tired of globalized community found out that anti-blackness, we’re tired of police had been placing state sanctioned violence. We’re pictures of black people tired of this white supremacist overtop of their targets state called Canada. We’re tired for shooting practice,” of having our bodies attacked!” said St. Amour.

Yasmin Abdulgadir Abd shouted “Institutional violence to the crowd as protesters cheered against black people The protest in Phillips Square brought together BLM and Indigenous rights activits. Photos by William Fox. back. Abd and fellow McGill University exists not just in Toronto, student Sumaya Ugas organized but all over Canada,” the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest said Abd. bodies like the SPVM.” Alan Shepard to create a sustainlast Tuesday in solidarity with BLM Kyle McLoughlin, a Concordia Yahia participated in the BLM able and supportive community Toronto, where protesters have student in anthropology who attended gathering held last Tuesday. “The for Concordia’s Indigenous staff created a tent city outside Nathan the protest, said he is supporting the numbers speak for themselves— and faculty and to shape a better Phillips Square. Abd and Ugas wanted movement due to his frustration with there are more people of colour curriculum for Indigenous education. to show their solidarity for Toronto systemic racism, police brutality and in prison and that just shows the “The university will strive to protesters by holding a rally in the silence from media in regards to presence of racism in our society. ensure that Indigenous students, Norman Bethune Park on March 29. these issues. “A lot of these issues We are witnessing institutionalized staff, and faculty find their perAbd said the BLM tent city are receiving the media attention racism,” said Yahia. “The system itself ceptions and experiences valued in Toronto began in response to they are now because of public disadvantages people of colour.” in the classroom, on campus, and the verdict of an Ontario Special protest—demonstrating at large the In 2014, the SPVM reported their among their peers,” wrote organizer Investigations Unit investigation amount of people who are not only ethnic breakdown of permanent Olivia Gennarelli on petition host into the death of Andrew Loku, the expressing solidarity for black victims police officers to be 12 First Nations Change.org.

45-year-old man who was shot by of police brutality, but victims of officers, 134 ethnic minority officers, The Concordian asked Heather police in his apartment building in racism in general,” said McLoughlin. 250 visible minority officers and Igloliorte, assistant professor Toronto last July. Officials decided “Canada is not only this beautiful 2,795 other officers, which hasn’t of art history at Concordia and no charges would be laid and the multicultural country, we too often changed much compared to the an Inuk artist, for her opinion of name of the officer would not be hide behind this multicultural fabric 2005 rates of 12 First Nations, 220 the university’s current effort to released. and sweep under the rug things ethnic minority officers, 183 visible represent and offer education of “Andrew Loku was a black like anti-black violence, things like minority officers and 2,592 others. indigenous communities. “The south-Sudanese man, father of Islamophobia,” said Ugas. “There However, Ugas does not believe petition is justified, it’s great that five and a former refugee living [are] so many issues that margin- greater representation of minorities students are taking action on this,” with mental illness,” said Abd to alize ethnic communities that are would reduce racism and police said Igloliorte. the crowd. “He was saving up to not recognized.” brutality. “Some people feel that However, she feels the petition sponsor his wife and children to join “The lack of colour in the SPVM is if more [police] were represented overlooks the work being done in him in Canada. However, Loku was a clear sign of the power dynamics in the police force things would be the department in regards to history killed by an officer while holding a in Western society,” said Rami Yahia, better, but honestly the reality is that and research in the faculty of fine hammer,” said Abd. Clubs and Internal Affairs Coordinator a lot of discrimination is systemic arts, which is very focused around “They could have tasered for the newly-elected CSU slate ACT and the violence [is] as well,” she Indigenous studies. “If we are going him, they could have constrained Together. “The laws have been put in said. “So putting brown and black to be the Eastern Canada Centre him—instead they murdered him!” place by whites and these laws have faces behind the trigger doesn’t for Indigenous Studies [standard] she shouted. been enforced by whites through change much.” that Concordia wants to be, then “Indigenous communities face we need to have something that similar struggles including police attracts students and tells them brutality, incarceration and systemic that they are valued here—their racism,” St. Amour said. “Black and contributions are important and Indigenous communities in Canada worth investing in.” have suffered terrible injustices from Igloliorte said there is currently the colonial conquest which stole only one scholarship offered to our land, exploited our peoples, Indigenous students and that displaced us and degraded us to Concordia would benefit from nothing more than expendable introducing more scholarships bodies.” She said our society has available to First Nations students. been shaped around historical “This is a field that’s going to grow injustices—as colonialist thinking and we want to be in the front of is still present in Canada. it and not trying to catch up to it,” In efforts to generate greater said Igloliorte. awareness, many have used petitions The Concordian reached out and protests to push for a change in to Concordia to ask the amount of the way Canada’s society is shaped scholarships available to Indigenous by a history of colonialism and racism. students, however the university Recently, a petition was created could not respond before publiThe Montreal protest was in solidarity with protesers in Toronto. which calls on Concordia president cation time.

Photos by William Fox.

APRIL 5, 2016

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Your letters to the editor Support ASFA My name is Melina Ghio, ex-vice president of finance, ex-independent councillor, ex-interim president, and current CEO for a Member Association for the Arts and Science Federation of Associations. I would like to express my warmest regards to all candidates willing to work on next year’s Executive team for ASFA—it takes a specific type of courage to brave these turbulent waters, especially given everything “the ASFA ship” has been going through.

It is truly heartwarming to see individuals I met at last year’s MA Retreat (where different association executives are given the chance to learn about ASFA and bond—sorry again, math and stats!) run for ASFA’s Exec. This kind of commitment shows how much energy and vigor there is left in the association, and how wrong anyone is to think that ASFA is dying, sinking, or whatever else has been said about it over the past year. If two or three individuals can taint ASFA for the worst, surely two or three other individuals can help shape it for the better.

Last year, I had the chance to meet Rachel Rammal, who is running for VP academic and Loyola, and I know she will do wonderfully given the chance. Good luck Rachel!

I also had the opportunity to meet and work with Andrea Krasznai, who is currently running for president. Having gotten to know Andrea a little more, I would like to spend some time letting Arts and Science students know why I support her.

Andrea has worked hard as president of the German Association, and she has also gotten to know ASFA through her work as council secretary. As far as representing an Arts and Science student, she fits the bill. She has an incredible work ethic, she balances school and employment, and she is committed to the wellbeing of those around her. She has the organizational skills to run such a demanding position, as I believe she has proven by juggling so much this past year. And more than anything, she will help keep ASFA on the track that students want to see.

So, students of ASFA, please come out and vote April 6-7-8. If you are not convinced, find these individuals’ profiles on Facebook. Ask them questions! Trust me, you will not regret getting to know them. I am confident they can win your support.

-Melina Ghio

In response to “The flavourless flavour of business school” by David Easey We’ve never met, but I know you’ve been receiving a lot of backlash from the JMSB community as a result of your article. As a finance student myself, I cannot say that I agree with your opinion, but I can at the very least respect your right to voice it. Some of the reactions I’ve seen are not just unsubstantiated, but downright hateful. I am hopeful that you can believe me in saying that, the voices of the few, the intolerant and incoherent, are not indicative of the true nature of our school. So before providing my own opinion, I’d like to apologize on their behalf.

That being said, I have been involved in JMSB school life in every facet you can imagine.

Your article paints an unflattering generalization of the school… and whether or not your aim was to present a commentary on the institution, it’s a direct reflection on myself as well. By condemning the school, you inherently condemn those that have chosen to study there by projecting that image on them. We are not all the person depicted in your article.

Objectively, there is an element of truth in what you’ve said. However, I simply cannot agree with the way you’ve elected to say it. The Concordian, as I interpreted it, was intended to promote a positive message of diversity and equality. Yet, after reading your piece, I can only feel discriminated against… the same way perhaps you felt during your time at JMSB. You’ve taken an unfortunately vindictive angle on an otherwise powerful message, and as a result that message has been lost. I am truly disappointed in The Concordian’s willingness to run a piece with such a targeted, and negative undertone.

The stereotypes you’ve presented, in terms of attire, conformism, lack of creativity, and mindless capitalism, are not only superficial but also utterly lazy. If you want to paint an accurate picture of JMSB, I encourage you to look beyond the suit. It is not that business school is without flavour, it’s that you don’t like the taste.

-Paul Santache

Your average flavourless, stuck up, JMSB student Your average flavourless, stuck up, JMSB student paints, draws, sings, and does photography in their free time.

Your average flavourless, stuck up, JMSB student goes to competitions representing John Molson in improvisational acting, silly sports like inner tube waterpolo, and volunteering.

Your average flavourless, stuck up, JMSB student is struggling in comm 217.

Your average flavourless, stuck up, JMSB student sometimes chooses to wear a Zara blazer, but also sometimes choses leggings… Sometimes a t-shirt from Winners, sometimes really high heels, sometimes really worn out converse.

You might realize you’re a lot like the average flavourless, stuck up, JMSB student.

You don’t know me; you don’t know the other 8,515 students that make up JMSB. You see the colour of people’s skin, the clothes they chose to wear, the way they walk, the designer bags they hold. But people are so much more than what you see.

Some people’s clothes are actually not their identity, like they are for you.

Today in politics we’re seeing people pushing to divide, pushing to discriminate. People are being categorized based on their religion, their race, the way they look, the things they wear.

How can you say you are an artist, yet be so closed minded and willing to put a label on an entire institution based solely off your short experience? I feel sorry for you, that you feel the need to put others down in order to get across the point that maybe business wasn’t for you, or you didn’t try to make it for you. I feel sorry for you that you chose to see only the negative.

By insulting JMSB as a whole, you are trying to take away from the people who ARE passionate about accounting. The people who ARE able to be creative in MIS, finance, and marketing.

Because of one bad teacher you had in business communications, you’re putting down a class where I met one of my favorite professors, someone who pushed our entire class to be creative in presentations.

Honestly, I hate accounting.

I can’t memorize a textbook if my life depended on it.

I have a hard time applying myself in classes I’m not passionate about, like finance.

My experience at JMSB has been so much more than the disinterested profs I’ve had, the classes I’ve struggled in, the stuck up people I’ve walked by in the lobby.

I’ve chose to focus on the positive, and that is where we differ.

You chose to think of materialism and greed when you walk through those “heavy glass doors.” I chose to think of opportunities to change business, so it isn’t materialism and greed.

We all go to the same university, and maybe I’m naïve, but I think that instead of trying to push each other down, we should try to help each other grow, and encourage each other to pursue what we’re passionate about.

-Olivia Szczerbickyj

Read something you didn’t agree with? Want your voice heard? Send your letter to editor@theconcordian.com, 500 words max before Friday at 4 p.m., to have your letter published in the upcoming issue or find our letter submission page at theconcordian.com

life

LIFE EDITOR /// life@theconcordian.com CRISTINA SANZA ( @Cristina_Sanza)

CITY

The chase to find the illusive AZUR metro

What it’s like to always be on the wrong side of the tracks when that shiny new train shows up

BY JOSHUA DE COSTA CONTRIBUTOR I was overjoyed the first time I saw the AZUR slide into my station, albeit on the other side of the tracks. I was sure that minutes later, my very own would purr in and I would get my turn to ride the new

metro. I was disappointed when the same old rickety train groaned in instead.

Four months ago, I moved to Montreal from Australia, a small island on the other side of the tracks. I come from an even smaller city on the West Coast where you need a car to get around. Enter my car, Heidi. Or Heidi the Hungry as she’s known

The AZUR metros are slowly replacing Montreal’s old metro cars.

Photo by Kelsey Litwin.

in popular circles—namely my wallet, from which she gets her fill. Chasing greener pastures, I left Heidi behind and my justas-hungry girlfriend, Hagatha—hungry instead for my time. (Please don’t tell her I said that. Over 17,700 kilometres away she has the hearing—and now I think of it the ears too—of a bat).

I looked at my watch, I was going to be late. I leaned over to stare into the tunnel’s abyss and in typical Nietzsche fashion, it stared back. But I continued to stare, eager to catch a glimpse of the AZUR. I had already seen it three times, every single time on the other side of the tracks. I had begun to lose hope. After our first missed connection, I raced home to learn that STM was slowly introducing the new trains to the underground, starting with one on the orange line during off-peak hours.

I was on the orange line right now, it was off-peak right now, and I was sure the AZUR would come along, right now. AZUR, I thought to myself. Even the name sounded like an exclusive underground nightclub—which is half true. It would also explain why it’s

so hard to get in. After several sightings without ridings, my childlike intrigue had begun to sour, and now I found myself like Ahab after Moby, on the hunt for my white whale, or perhaps my blue train.

I studied footage on social media: excited passengers beamed as they filmed their maiden voyages, beautiful bright lights lit the deck. I was all aboard on virtual tours admiring the open-car design.

Oh, how it allowed passengers to walk up and down the centre planks. Wider doors, panoramic windows, ergonomic seats, smart ventilation—move over Heidi, hell, move over Hagatha—AZUR, take me home.

Whines squeaked from the abyss, disrupting my daydream. A train was coming.

And as sure as I was it was the AZUR, it wasn’t. I shuffled onto the trusty old rusty metro home, and I chuckled. The irony wasn’t lost on me. Sometimes, things are meant to be left just out of reach. The train I wanted to catch, the car I left at home, and the girl I left behind (she will be batty after her sonar picks up this article), all wait for me, on the other side of the tracks.

BUSINESS

Creating content with a purpose

Concordia graduates build 5 Pound Media, a company specializing in media production

BY SANDRA HERCEGOVA ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR Two friends turned their passion for photography, videos and hip-hop into a successful business. Meet Glen Carter and Ryley Mahoney, the founders of 5 Pound Media. They both recently graduated from Concordia—Carter in finance and Mahoney in communication studies.

In April of 2012, as full-time students, they decided to take on creative projects together for their own pleasure. That’s when they first launched 5 Pound Media.

“Music videos were our jump-off point,” said Carter. One of the first videos they shot was for rapper Ceasrock, said Mahoney. From there, they started working on projects that sparked their creative and entrepreneurial spirit which in return, lead them on to bigger contracts.

“Our work is all about collaboration, we do a little bit of everything together. Ryley specializes in production, shooting and editing while I handle more of the administrative side such as setting up shoots and budgeting,” said Carter.

Only a year after their launch, they got in touch with hip-hop artist Mick Jenkins.

“Mick was a cool milestone for us. We got in touch with him through his manager who lived in Montreal. We understood Mick’s unique talent and knew that we had to work with him,” said Carter. “At the time his music was still very underground.”

Their first shoot with Mick was in winter 2013 in New York City. During fall of that year,

Mick came to Montreal and the pair shot the video for the song “Martyrs” said Carter.

This was Mick Jenkins first viral exposure and it got over 2 million views. The video also appeared on World Star Hip Hop. The success of this project lead them to more collaborations with local artists such as The Posterz, Wasiu and The Narcicyst.

The artistic expertise of 5 Pound Media, combined with their humanistic approach brought them into the commercial business as well. “A lot of the styles we use in our music videos can easily transfer to our commercial work which is based on high-quality, specific style and aesthetic,” said Carter.

They recently collaborated with HRVST, a web design company, and created media content for “My Pop Shoes” brand. “Our work is all about the way we collaborate. We want to make sure that [clients] get exactly what they want from it. The “My Pop Shoes” project was taken care of as if it were our own business,” said Mahoney. “That’s why we enjoy working with young entrepreneurs because they have a lot of ideas and they just need help executing them.”

As their company has grown, Carter and Mahoney reached a milestone—the part-time company they started for fun now became their full-time occupation.

“Being a full-time entrepreneur is easier to do today than tomorrow. Most students don’t have as much financial responsibility as someone older would have. If you’re young and do something that you love, it makes it a whole lot easier. Just make sure you have

BEHIND THE SCENES Concordia graduates Glen Carter and Ryley Mahoney are building our generation’s business community.

Photos courtesy of 5 Pound Media.

good hustle,” said Carter.

Asking for entrepreneurial advice, they gave their perspective: “If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room. You should always be progressing and learning,” said Carter. Mahoney adds that confidence is key. “The more confident you are, the more people take you seriously.”

From video production to creative marketing concepts, it’s fair to say that 5 Pound Media is here to make creative dreams come true. When asked what success means to them, their answer was simple: “It means

that we’ll be doing what we love for a fulltime and a long time.”

5 Pound Media will soon organize various events and workshops.

For fur ther information , visit 5poundmedia.com.

APRIL 5, 2016

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HEALTH

Living with Lyme disease in Canada

Concordia student Shayna Dwor has to travel to Germany to get treatment for Lyme disease

IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH Living with Lyme disease is a constant struggle.

Some days you wake up and feel alright, and the next day you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. Photos by MariePierre Savard.

BY MINA MAZUMDER STAFF WRITER Shayna Dwor is a third-year design student at Concordia. In her free time, she enjoys swimming and yoga. She describes herself as a light-hearted person. Despite this, the young student is suffering from Lyme disease. In order to treat it, she must fly to Germany because our Canadian health system does not categorize it as a chronic illness, according to Dwor. “[It] makes me feel very disappointed in the Canadian health system,” Dwor said.

“We are a country that is recognized for one of the best health care [systems], and

right now I feel ashamed to be Canadian deer ticks are moving up north. It affects and having to travel [for treatment],” she people in mostly southern areas of Canada, said. The treatment will cost about $20,000. in particular southern Ontario,” Dwor said.

It all started five years ago, when Dwor Doctors prescribed her an antibiotic travelled to Port Colborne, in southern called Doxycycline. In Canada, it’s used as Ontario, where she was bitten by a tick. the protocol antibiotic prescribed for 30 She said she had extreme symptoms for days to treat early Lyme disease, but it did over three years, but she was only officially not work for her, Dwor said. diagnosed with Lyme disease in May 2014.

Dwor said the disease has changed her “I was bit on this soil, and yet, I have to life completely over the past three years. travel internationally to get treated,” she said. “It has taken a big portion of my life and Brendan Fillar, a wellness advisor who was stability. It really affects your muscles successfully treated for Lyme disease and and spine,” said Dwor. “You wake up one now works for Lyme and Cancer services in day feeling limber, and the next morning I Germany, said that Lyme disease is caused literally feel like I’ve been hit by a truck and by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi I can’t move.” and is spread through the bite She said she visits the emergency room of infected ticks at least once a month to treat or other insects a complication or infection. “I carrying it. The used to play so many sports “The mentality illness can affect and now I can just do simple of the Canadian any part of the swimming and maybe yoga health system body, such as because my muscles are so should be the brain, nertender. It is a very, very scary changed and vous system, disease,” she said. [they should] muscles, joints School can be particuunderstand that and heart, and larly difficult as Dwor gets this is a disease.” may even be exhausted easily. “Sitting life-threatfor a very long time is very SHAYNA DWOR ening, said uncomfortable, I have to Fillar. Annick get up every 15 minutes to Lantenois, a nurse at Info- move and stretch.”

Santé Québec, described the She said one of the hardest things that bite’s appearance similar to a anyone with Lyme disease faces is doctors bullseye. Some of the symptoms denying the severity of the disease and how include fever, headaches, fatigue, she has to prove the pain is not in her head. loss of appetite and joint and Dwor said doctors have told her to take an muscle pain. The diagnosis of Advil when she was swollen. “The mentality this disease is done by a blood of the Canadian health system should be test and biopsy of the infected changed and [they should] understand that skin, she said. this is a disease instead of pushing this “Because of climate change, aside,” Dwor said.

Dwor learned about the possibility of treatment in Germany from a 19-yearold girl, whom she had met in a clinic in St- Catharines, Ontario. She said the girl came back from Germany feeling like a new person and highly recommended the treatment to Dwor.

Fillar said that at the Lyme and Cancer services in Germany, Whole Body Hyperthermia is offered in three different clinics. It is the recommended treatment and the success rate is very good, he said. Additional adjunct treatments include detoxification and antimicrobial therapy. “Most people that we have worked with have found sustained improvement in their symptoms and quality of life,” Fillar said.

For anyone else battling Lyme disease, Dwor recommended finding an outlet to cope, such as listening to music, meditating, eating healthy and being close to loved ones.

“This illness is not who you are,” Dwor said.

She hopes to bring awareness to this disease so others can protect themselves from it. “It is important to wear protective clothes and to spray yourself [when going to the woods].”

Dwor has raised $10,000 so far and her end goal is to raise $30,000, which includes the flight to Germany and the treatment during her time in Germany. Her goal is to fly to Germany by the end of May or early June.

After this treatment, she said, “my hope is that I am better, very solid, strong.”

Dwor is hosting a fundraising comedy show event on April 23 at The Sporting Club at 8 p.m. The cost is $10, and all proceeds go towards her treatment.

For more information, visit Shayna Dwor’s GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/lymeisacrime

arts

ARTS EDITORS /// arts@theconcordian.com LYDIA ANDERSON ( @LydiaAndersonn) & ELIJAH BUKREEV (

@ElijahBukreev)

THEATRE

Drift into the dream world of Pillow Talk

Multidisciplinary artist Dulcinea Langfelder brings you a collection of her nighttime endeavours

Pillow Talk is multidisciplinary: text, choreography, music and video weaved throughout the work. Photos by Marie-Pierre Savard

BY MARIA FIGUEROA CONTRIBUTOR In modern times, it has been shown that dreams are connected to the unconscious, varying from normal, ordinary sensations and emotions to overly surreal and bizarre images and ideas. Dreams can be of different natures: frightening, exciting, magical, melancholic, adventurous, sexual. They are generally outside the control of the dreamer and their content or purpose is not definitively understood. We usually struggle to make sense of these images and experiences.

Many have tried to explore their meaning and symbolism, having agreed on anything except that we all dream and need to dream.

Like many of us, Dulcinea Langfelder, an internationally acclaimed and award-winning multidisciplinary artist, had always been curious about this subject. Wanting to create a piece about dreams, Langfelder immersed herself in scientific and philosophical research about dreams, both old and new. Recalling that she had kept track of her dreams on a recorder, she listened to every single one of her old recordings, trying to find inspiration for her new piece. “I kind of gave up on trying, within the show, to teach people why we dream,” said Langfelder. “What really became very clear to me is that we dream in order to keep our sanity. It really helps us to deal with life’s challenges. I also discovered why we forget most of our dreams, and the answer’s so simple: if we remembered all of them, it would be nearly impossible to distinguish lived experiences from dreamed ones. We dream a lot, we have, like, 10 dreams a night. If they were all

registered in our memory as experiences, we’d go crazy. The important thing is that we dream in metaphor. We metaphorize everything,” she said.

Thus, Pillow Talk: An Essay on Dreaming, a collection of Langfelder’s dreams, was created. Pillow Talk, which had its world premiere at Centaur Theatre on March 29, isn’t a traditional play. It is a multidisciplinary piece where the work is split between text, choreography, music and video projections.

It creates a surreal and puzzling non-linear journey that is just as hilarious as it is sweetly melancholic. Langfelder’s recordings became the narrative voice the audience hears during the piece, featuring sighs, sounds, commentary and laughter as she shares a collage of her dreams. Pillow Talk celebrates fundamental creativity, capturing emotions, feelings and all the intimacy of human struggle and unconscious yearnings.

“Vincent [the lighting and projection designer] and I listened to over a hundred dreams and we found three categories, all having to do with human instinct,” said Langfelder. “First there’s survival, which is mostly all those anxiety dreams, the most frequent being when we’re in public, we’re naked, we have to do our work and we’re totally unprepared. The second category is procreation: desire, love and so on. And then the third one, which was a revelation to me, are those dreams that have to do with spiritual instincts.”

It made sense to Langfelder that all the searching and questioning that every one does about their place in the cosmos was all human instinct—whether they’re religious or not. “Many of my dreams are what I can

only call spiritual dreams, these beautiful short and sweet dreams where I’m just running backwards in fields of flowers, or where I’m a grain of sand in the cosmos,” she said.

A huge screen behind her, her nightgown, robe and body capture projections that she and her talented team of technicians have perfectly animated and synchronized.

Projectors are aimed at a scale model of the stage on which she can easily move her body as a chess piece in order to achieve the desired illusion. In this fashion, when a two-dimensional Barack Obama embraces her during the performance, his arms wrap around her back with surprising realism.

“I have a series of dreams in the show I call ‘Obama Erotica,’ five dreams where I’m infatuated with Barack Obama. Nothing

provocative, but they’re really delicious,” she said. In the dream she calls “Obama Five,” she explains, “I run into Obama, and I think ‘Oh my God! There’s Obama! Should I tell him about my dreams? Should I tell him that I have this series that I call Obama …

And I can’t say the word. ‘Ero … Eroti’ … And finally I decide to tell him that I’m creating this piece about dreams, and that he’s in it.”

Watching Langfelder glide around the stage, reciting absurd, yet poetic dreams, the audience can really get a feeling of a human being struggling with life.

Pillow Talk: An Essay on Dreaming is playing at Centaur Theatre from March 29 to April 24. Tickets are $28 for students, call 514-288-3161 or visit centaurtheatre.com.

Dulcinea Langfelder explores the world of dreams onstage.

theconcordian

APRIL 5, 2016

9

CINEMA POLITICA

The seedy underbelly of wanderlust

Cinema Politica’s last screening of the season explores the harmful aspects of global tourism

BY DENISE MYLONAKIS CONTRIBUTOR From director Pegi Veil, Gringo Trails is an alternative and passionate look at the effects of global tourism on remote locations. The documentary is part of a fervent crusade to halt the mass stampede of tourists by exposing the cultural, economic and environmental repercussions they can lead to.

Veil’s film highlights the seemingly innocent backpacker culture and should be mandatory to watch for anyone who’s thought about a soul-searching, finding-myself and off-the-beaten-path visit to exotic destinations.

If you’re one of the people who search for unconquered territory, the road less travelled and untarnished authenticity, you won’t find it. And if you do, you probably shouldn’t be there in the first place.

The itinerary follows tourists’ adventures from South American forests to African villages to Asian spiritual centres. Veil interviews fellow travelers, travel writers, regional officials and indigenous people.

“Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints”—this quote, by Chief Seattle, opens the documentary. But the footprints seem to be the problem.

Chief Seattle himself was a prominent indigenous figure, known for pursuing a

path of accommodation to white settlers.

Most notably, he argued in favour of ecological responsibility and respect of Native Americans. The city of Seattle, Washington was named after him.

In the Amazonian rain forest, Gringo Trails argues that animals have permanently migrated and adapted their life to accommodate the influx of people stomping through their homes. Some animals will not reproduce due to trauma. If this continues for several generations, the animal would become extinct, affecting the entire ecosystem.

Featuring interviews with several young backpackers who pride themselves on seeking out adventurous, low-cost travel, the film takes aim at their subtle arrogance.

Also included are comments by numerous native guides, who point out that tourists need more education about the places they visit. Veil contrasts this type of traveler to those of the country of Bhutan.

Open to tourists since 1974, it adopted a “high value, low impact” policy geared to affluent travelers who pay USD$250 a day and are threatened with expulsion if they don’t adhere to the country’s traditions.

This attracts a certain rare and elite class of traveler.

While some examples are extreme, the film shares stories of villages that now thrive on community-based tourism that is managed, contained and allows people

The documentary is a counterbalance to the idealization of exotic places and adventures.

to learn about new cultures and traditions.

How tourism affects destinations is multi-layered. Whatever the situation, the director agrees that it is the responsibility of all travelers to realize it is a privilege to visit a new country and not a right.

Despite its sad and cringe-inducing portraits—like the hordes of drunk backpackers passed out in their own vomit on a small Thai beach—Gringo Trails is ultimately hopeful. The basic goal in all these locations is finding a way to balance the host country’s financial needs with the inevitable disturbance

to the environment by visitors.

With so few films devoted to this topic, Gringo Trails offers a refreshing counterbalance to the Hollywood view of exotic people and places—think Eat, Pray, Love.

Tourism will always exist so long as a desire to see the world does; therefore it is up to the traveler to think of the footprints they leave behind on their journey.

See Gringo Trails on Monday April 11 at 7 p.m. in room H-110 on Concordia University’s downtown campus.

FILM

Superheroes have lost their way

Batman v Superman is neither fish nor fowl, but hey, it’s better than Man of Steel

Superman’s status as a near-deity makes him an enemy of both Batman and Lex Luthor.

BY ELIJAH BUKREEV CO-ARTS EDITOR It has been genuinely exciting to see the superhero genre come together in the 21st century as a force to be reckoned with. From the pioneering beginnings of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films to Christopher Nolan’s monumental Batman trilogy and the now-ubiquitous Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s become obvious that a new genre has emerged. In a way, it’s even more than a genre—it’s about establishing an American popular mythology, on the basis of the Greek tradition. The Romans, after all, renamed the Greek gods and retold some of their myths in an adapted form. The U.S.—a modern Roman empire if there is one—has done the same, while celebrating the myth as entertainment instead of theology.

Zack Snyder, whose own Watchmen was a visionary take on the superhero genre,

deserves some credit for embracing that ideal with zeal and operatic gravitas, but let’s face it—his attempt to set the foundation for a DC Cinematic Universe has been maddeningly uneven. If Snyder’s Superman reboot, Man of Steel, was frustrating for its flavourless look and interminable fight scenes, the follow-up—Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—provokes pity rather than disappointment. It’s sad and even somewhat remarkable to see a film so eager to please, so willing to improve itself and address its flaws, but so lamentably incapable of capturing even a fraction of the greatness Nolan once brought to the franchise.

For better or worse, after four years of absence, Batman is back. There was a massive fan outcry—including a petition—against Ben Affleck being cast as the character, but he turned out to be one of the film’s stronger attributes. This Batman is obsessive, unhinged and bear-like, determined to stop Superman

after witnessing the damage done to the city of Metropolis in the previous chapter of the series. This should have the viewer on his side—after all, the disproportionate and nearly irresponsible destruction was one of the key complaints against the first film—and it does, especially when Henry Cavill’s Superman is absurdly bland in comparison. Acting or personality, you say? Give him a break, he put on a ton more muscle than last time.

The many characters that spice up the storyline all have killer music themes written for them, but too little screen time to make an impression—Wonder Woman feels intercut into the film rather than an organic part of it, and even Batman and Superman struggle to comprehend what she’s doing there—except, of course, for Lex Luthor, played by Jesse Eisenberg, of all people. Eisenberg is truly cringeworthy, single-handedly derailing even the scenes that do otherwise achieve a certain harmony, at least on paper. Playing a sort of cocaine-fueled Mark Zuckerberg after a lengthy stay at Arkham Asylum, he squeezes out the jokes and the quirks with so much self-restraint that he never feels crazy, just annoying, so very annoying that you don’t know if you want to knock out him or yourself to bring the trainwreck to an end.

The fight between the two icons is psychological at first during a surprisingly decent first hour of exposition, then gets physical in a succession of rushed action sequences. Despite the film’s title, the conflict is mostly upstaged by the subtle—and not so subtle—references meant to establish the future of the series

under the Justice League, a DC equivalent to The Avengers. What this inevitably leads to is a storyteller who is so focused on what’s ahead that he fails to engage in the story he is telling at present. This approach is the exact opposite of Nolan’s, who made each of his own films as if it were to be the last.

In fact, it’s important to mention Nolan— who has been an executive producer on Snyder’s last two films—to understand what went wrong with the DC Cinematic Universe.

Instead of completely breaking away from his aesthetic and thematic style, which would have been the sanest thing to do, Snyder attempted to emulate it, compromising his own trademark vision in the process. Even though Snyder has now reunited with his usual cinematographer, Larry Fong, Batman v Superman only hints at what it could have been had it fully embraced its comic-book roots instead of settling on unsubstantial grittiness and illiterate psychology. For all its extraterrestrial wars and CGI-happy fight scenes, this series has been much too down-to-earth. Traumatised by the successful realism of Nolan’s trilogy, the DC universe is left in an ongoing identity crisis.

BATMAN V SUPERMAN

Directed by Zack Snyder Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg Released on March 25, 2016 Duration 151 min

music

CHECK THIS WEEK’S SPOTIFY PLAYLIST AT bit.ly/236DVTr

Quickspins

MUSIC EDITOR /// music@theconcordian.com SAMUEL PROVOST-WALKER

BOB MOULD

1

Patch the Sky (Merge Records, 2016)

PROFILE

The rock-tinged madness of FAS H ION POLICE Heavy with a side of catchiness, this local band is one to watch

Released in Feb. 2015, Fashion Police’s debut EP Winter is a catchy and equally heavy collection of post-hardcore jams evocative of Every Time I Die. Photo by Martin Reisch

BY CRISTINA SANZA LIFE EDITOR

tarist, with a laugh. “We’re really happy on the outside, but inside we’re dying,” Kaluza added.

Sometimes, musicians need to form a Fashion Police is the first band Kaluza few crappy bands before finding a group has sung lead vocals in, and one of his of people that really makes performing biggest challenges was having to write and songwriting something special. lyrics. “I never knew how much fun it could Sometimes, finding the right people to be to get it all out on paper,” he said. “I’m form a band all comes down to good timing. a pretty happy dude in general, but for Nearly two years ago, four guys from two some reason, when I start trying to write different bands came together to form an something, nothing comes out happy.” aggressive rock band called Fashion Police.

Most of the lyrics are based on made-up While they may have worn fur coats on stories, he said, incorporating storylines stage before, the band name and characters. For examis not a declaration of their ple, one song describes immaculate sense of style. someone who is suicidal, “You can be Rather, it’s representative anot her a dr ug addic t, a really good of their sense of humour. another someone who is musician, you “We’re a bunch of silly hallucinating. “There’s a lot could have all the dudes who just like to have about death,” he said. “We’re talent, but when fun, and that was the idea of currently seeking help for it comes to being this band from the begin[Kaluza],” Mainville joked. ning,” said lead singer Alex The band is set to release in a band, it’s a Kaluza with his mouth full a new EP this summer. “It just group effort.” of food. He paused. “Sorry,” sounds really loud and in PRESTON WARD - BASSIST he said with a laugh. “I’m your face, but there’s some eating a tuna sandwich.” grooviness to it,” said Kaluza.

“We didn’t want it to be He said the band plays with something too serious, you know, like atypical song structure and varying time ‘Bleeding Red Crimson Death,’” said Preston signatures. Like their first EP, Winter , it Ward, the bassist. “We wanted a name that was recorded at Prolific Summer Studio in people would hear and be like, huh?”

Burlington, Vermont alongside producer When you listen to their music however, Justin Gonyea. in an attempt to describe it, words similar Kaluza and Mainville had been friends to ‘Bleeding Red Crimson Death’ come for many years, trying to form a band to mind. Between the violent screams that would commit. They picked up Ward, of Kaluza, the gritty guitars and the dark the bassist, who was in between bands lyrical themes, their tunes sound much at the time. They tried a few different like Kaluza described them: fire. drummers before Mike Niro was scooped “I think overall we just wanted to play up. After a few jams, the ball really started pissed-off music. I think we’re just all rolling. When Kaluza and Mainville started angry,” said Brendan Mainville, the gui-

the band, they said they wanted to create music in the same vein as American rock group Young Widows.

“We tried that and we just sucked,” Kaluza said. “When we stopped doing that, we just made our own sound. Obviously it’s heavy music and there are some similarities but I think we have something unique within our genre.”

Ward said that instead of putting bands on the pedestal and trying to be like them, they take aspects of the music they like and make it their own.

The band said one of their most memorable performances was on Halloween of last year, where they included a funny surprise for Niro. The band took the stage dressed in fur coats, but what they didn’t tell Niro was that underneath the coats the rest of the band wore shirts with his face on it.

“I grew a third eyeball,” Niro said. “He almost couldn’t drum anymore,” said Mainville.

Having been in and out of various bands, they’ve come to realize that keeping a band together comes down to collaboration—and maybe some joking around.

“You can be a really good musician, you could have all the talent, but when it comes to being in a band, it’s a group effort,” Ward said. “If you’re not all working together, or if one guy’s got too much of an ego, or one guy’s not committed, it all falls apart.”

Kaluzo let out a laugh. “We all have really big egos though,” he said.

The band will be performing at Turbo Haüs alongside Hounds and Indian Handcrafts on April 8 at 9 p.m.

On his 12th solo release, singer/songwriter Bob Mould has crafted, well, a Bob Mould record, for better or worse. With personal, introspective themes matched in sharp contrast against his signature fuzz-drenched power pop, there’s little that truly separates Patch the Sky from his catalogue, though that’s not entirely a bad thing. Since forming and shuttering his post-Hüsker Dü power pop trio Sugar, Mould’s gone to the power pop well and back, exploring every inch of the genre’s angular and sweet trappings. If Silver Age was a return to Sugar’s noisier days, Patch the Sky finds the singer honing his candy-coated formula into an even more immediately approachable direction, its lyrical themes notwithstanding. It’s a ride largely devoid of surprises or innovation, serving as a reminder of Bob Mould’s potency when armed with a Stratocaster and a fuzz box.

Trial track: “Daddy’s Favorite”

6/10 — Samuel Provost-Walker

2

UNDERWORLD

Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future

(Caroline International, 2016) From its thumping opening track “I Exhale,” Underworld’s Karl Hyde and Rick Smith provide a boisterous and reassuring hug; Barbara Barbara is their first album in six years, though you wouldn’t know it. With Hyde’s signature jargon populating much of the album’s seven tracks, the group pick up right where they left off before slowly drifting towards a more ambient pop direction. Though “If Rah” provides an unwelcome detour, its synths feeling overly synthetic and dull, it’s thrilling to see these progressive house titans making music brimming with genuine love this far into their career. “Low Burn” is a pulsating ride of affection and sensuality, galloping ahead rhythmically with no clear end in sight, while the uplifting closer “Nylon Strung” is simply breathtaking. In one fell swoop, Underworld reassert their place in the electronic world.

Trial track: “Low Burn”

7/10

— Samuel Provost-Walker

APRIL 5, 2016

theconcordian

11

PROFILE

Montreal goes back to Bassix

Custom subs are music to the ears of this local sound system crew

AVOID THIS

3

CUSTOM BASS PRIMAL SCREAM

Chaosmosis (First International, 2016) Following a pattern that’s become tragically predictable, Scotland’s Primal Scream have followed up one of their most interesting detours (2013’s neo-psychedelic More Light) with something inherently misguided: the synthpop found on Chaosmosis, their 11th record. Singer and founding member Bobby Gillespie ambles through each track, putting on his best New Order, The Human League and Duran Duran impressions to no avail. Gillespie simply sounds mismatched, the material ill-suited for his relaxed voice or his blunt lyrics; “Where the Light Gets In,” an embarrassingly garish duet with Sky Ferreira, illustrates this perfectly. “Golden Rope” provides a brief reprieve, though it does little to validate the band’s jarring experiment. Primal Scream do deserve kudos for continuously switching their approach from album to album. Chaosmosis, however, serves as further proof in regards to where Gillespie’s strengths lie: the psychedelic, not the generic.

Trial track: “Golden Rope”

4/10 — Samuel Provost-Walker SARAH NEUFELD

The Ridge (Paper Bag Records, 2016)

4

Though best known for her work with Montreal’s Arcade Fire, British Columbiaborn violinist Sarah Neufeld has produced her most interesting and experimental work outside of the troupe. On The Ridge, Neufeld revisits many of the sonic concepts and elements she explored with saxophonist Colin Stetson on 2015’s excellent Never Were the Way She Was, ultimately marrying both her minimalism and pop backgrounds. The results, though less exploratory or experimental, are nonetheless filled with mood and meditation, with Neufeld capable of extracting a staggering amount of emotion from sole notes. The opening title track trembles with tension before unfolding into lush vocal arrangements and post-rock-level bombast. The atmosphere is often undone by the album’s percussive elements, its drums bursting violently through the mix.

Though unfortunate, it’s not enough to ruin The Ridge’s more striking moments.

Trial Track: “The Ridge”

6/10 — Samuel Provost-Walker

Some MTL Bassix members and friends setting up for Freegloofest. Photo by MTL Bassix Production.

BY SOFIA MISENHEIMER CONTRIBUTOR Music festival season is still around the corner for most Montrealers, but for one local sound system crew it has already begun. Last month, MTL Bassix unleashed the full force of its revamped ‘wall of sound’ at Freegloofest, drawing over 200 underground music fans to a remote industrial park for a full night of revelry. Despite chilly temperatures and some lingering patches of snow, the annual outdoor party lasted nearly 10 hours, priming the crew and their custom speakers for an impressive array of upcoming events.

A few nights later, the crew lugged their gear to Coop Katacombes for a bass-heavy night with U.K. drum ‘n’ bass innovator Sam Binga. Halving the number of subwoofers and moving the system indoors didn’t stifle the output of the Bassix speakers stacked on-stage. A lively crowd kept the dance floor in motion just steps from the pumping bass bins. Every now and then, someone would reposition themselves in front of a sub, presumably to better feel the bass.

“It’s good vibrations that bring people out,” said Gunnar “Phaedrus” Heiberg, a long-time Bassix member and DJ, who studies electro-acoustic engineering at Concordia. “Bassix sound is built around audio quality [and provides] an immersive, multi-sensory experience. Deep sub-bass you can feel throughout your body isn’t an everyday experience and I think a lot of people respond quite positively to those lower frequencies.”

For the past six years, MTL Bassix has garnered a strong reputation within the electronic music scene for throwing genre-diverse shows that feature everything from dubstep, drum ‘n’ bass and breaks, to reggae, old school hip hop and house. However, it wasn’t until the crew of bass music enthusiasts started making their own equipment four years ago that they fully distinguished themselves from competing event organizers.

“We’ve dealt with a lot of promoters who don’t care about sound quality and use

whatever system a venue provides, which is often poorly tuned or bad for people’s ears. We strive not to hurt anyone’s ears at our shows,” said Andrei “Snowphish” Panait, a Bassix co-founder, veteran DJ, and Concordia alumnus.

The crew’s effort to make sound system components that don’t damage hearing or distort sound means that Bassix creations favour vibrations over volume output.

After all, deep bass emissions under 50 hertz are almost inaudible to the human ear and simply resonate within listeners. In order to elicit the right physical sensations in event attendees, Bassix members construct their subwoofers from scratch and fit them with sloping interior corridors that direct sound waves outward in a curved shape. In contrast with mass-produced alternatives, the snail shell-like structure of Bassix speakers naturally amplifies sound and ensures bass fidelity.

“If you take one industry standard, dual 18-inch, 5000-watt subwoofer, it’s a bit bigger in size [than ours], it takes way more power, it’s louder, but it’s not as clear at low frequencies,” said Panait.

“It’s very physical what we do … there’s something in sound vibrations that impacts how people feel, and how they dance,” said fellow Bassix co-founder and DJ Francis “Lockout” Lussier. “As much as we’ve become technicians and woodworkers … we’re still artists, music producers, and DJs at heart. We’ll always care more about the clarity of the sound than the volume.”

Each of the six current Bassix members is predominantly self-taught and contributes to the construction, maintenance and repair of equipment.

The crew allocates tasks on a rotating basis, allowing everyone to participate in equal part. Since the production of their first “Tuba 60” subwoofer (named for the shape of its interior design), the collective continues to improve workflow.

While members originally outsourced the woodworking aspect of their first subwoofer, they soon acquired the necessary

tools and skills to complete tasks on their own. By keeping production and assembly in-house, the group saw an immediate increase in supply-use efficiency and a consequent decrease in costs.

Reminiscent of Jamaican sound system culture from the early ‘50s, which saw DJs load trucks with a generator, turntables and mismatched speakers to set up mobile street parties across the country, Bassix members have used the money they’ve saved to re-invest in speaker parts and fund trips that take their gear across Canada.

“We drove to B.C. last summer with two subwoofers, six tops [smaller speakers] and a generator. We did an official renegade stage at Motion Notion and a few other parties in the forest and by the river,” said Lussier. “I always say we’ve cursed ourselves, because we’ve built really good speakers and now, unless we bring them with us, everywhere we go, the speakers suck!”

Eventually, the crew hopes to host a large-scale event, using only custom equipment. While daunting, the project becomes increasingly likely every year as no Montreal venue within budget can currently handle the full sonic output of Bassix gear.

“Our ultimate goal is to put together a festival out here, like Shambhala or Bass Coast, but in our own vision. That’s what keeps us building,” said Panait.

With their ever-growing collection of now eight bass-booming subs and six tops, MTL Bassix will no doubt continue making ‘sonic’ waves in the electronic music community for years to come.

Their next show, on April 29, will feature U.K . dubstep producer Thelem. For more information, visit bsxsound.com.

sports

SPORTS EDITOR /// sports@theconcordian.com ALEXANDER COLE ( @a_cole39)

OPINION

Growing university basketball in Canada Looking at the NCAA March Madness tournament and how it relates to the CIS

THE MADNESS The CIS cannot compete with the juggernaut that is NCAA March Madness.

Photos by Marie-Pierre Savard.

BY JONATHAN STILL ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Is there a name any more apt than March Madness for the college basketball tournament that occurs every March? It afflicted a former high school teacher of mine, who used to disappear for a few days to watch his beloved Georgetown Hoyas battle it out for the most prestigious prize in NCAA men’s college basketball. It has sometimes left one aspiring sports journalist (who will

remain nameless) confined to his couch, drinking all kinds of medicine. And by medicine, I mean beer.

Attempts at humour aside, it is well and truly one of the most captivating sporting events of the calendar year. This year’s tournament was hyped up to be one of the most unpredictable ever. For the first time in the history of Division 1 NCAA men’s basketball, No.1 seeds lost seven times in the regular season. The last time top-10 teams lost as many games as they did in 2015-2016, the Soviets were blocking off West Berlin.

Yet even all of that hype and passion does not translate into sustained viewership. According to Yahoo Sports, more people tuned in to CBC’s coverage of the world junior figure skating championships than to TSN’s coverage of the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Why does that matter? The reason is because I am unable to find any semblance of T.V. audience numbers for CIS basketball anywhere. Because if Canadians are willing and able tune out the Madness, than I can only imagine what the numbers look like for CIS basketball.

I was recently asked why there is no March Madness for the CIS. In fact, there is. The tournament is called the Final Eight.

The only difference: instead of seeding being determined by the NCAA committee, the CIS uses national coaches’ polls. Seeding is determined by head-to-head matchups, strength of schedule, regular season and conference record. All that good stuff. So

why doesn’t it get enough eyeballs?

March Madness succeeds because of the sheer volume of the NCAA and brand recognition. Three hundred and fifty one schools play under NCAA Division 1 basketball; 47 play under the CIS. Sixty-eight teams make it to the Madness; eight make it to the Final Eight. Even in alliteration, March Madness takes the cake; Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four. Final Eight isn’t nearly as quotable.

When both casual and knowledgeable Canadian basketball fans watch a NCAA school, they identify the pro player or players that played there. North Carolina?

Michael Jordan. Georgetown? Patrick Ewing.

Michigan? The Fab Five. No CIS player has ever played in the NBA. What else does the March Madness brand sell? Upsets. Upsets bring in the fans who bring in the sponsors who bring in the money for coverage. The CIS cannot sell the romanticism of upsets the way the NCAA can. A No. 15 seed knocking off a No. 2 is infinitely more Cinderella-esque than a No. 6 knocking off a No. 3.

So what can the CIS do? First would be hope that a CIS player makes it onto an NBA roster in order to sell the dream to potential recruits that you can stay in Canada and accomplish your goals. Second would be simply to stay the course. As the Raptors continue to do well and Canadian players like Andrew Wiggins inspire a new generation of hoop stars, the game will continue to grow here at home. The ripple effect of a growing talent pool is exposure and sponsorship down the line for the CIS.

REFEREES

The difficult life and times of a referee Examining what could quite possibly be the hardest job in the sports world

BY ALEXANDER COLE SPORTS EDITOR

the referee. The least common thing I see is people who understand that we call what we see and we don’t care who wins.”

Nathalie Germain, a 19-year-old soccer referee who has also officiated in the same leagues as Ziukas, has had both positive and negative experiences in her job.

Graphic by Thom Bell.

If you have ever played a sport, those who don the white and black striped jerseys, otherwise known as referees, have either been the voice of reason, or your mortal enemy. However, most athletes would probably say the latter.

In any sport, referees are essential to the game. They enforce the rules and make sure that nothing gets out of hand. Referees have to think quickly and make the right call. If they make the right call, they are just doing their job, but if they mess up and make a sloppy decision, they never hear the end of it. Whether it be from coaches, players and in some cases, parents, referees have to face constant scrutiny for what they do. In many ways, they can never win.

Robert Ziukas is a 23-year-old soccer referee, who has officiated for the PointeClaire Amateur Soccer Association and the Greater Montreal Athletic Association high school league, is no stranger to the pressures of being an official.

“No matter how well you do this job, most people look at the game through rose-coloured glasses,” Ziukas said. “They see what they want to see” Ziukas has seen many on-field incidents which in the moment, made his job as a referee that much more difficult. During one soccer match in particular, between two U-15 girl’s teams, Ziukas witnessed a player from one team yank on another player’s ponytail. As a result, Ziukas gave the player a red card and ejected her from the game, which led that player’s coach to yell at him in disagreement.

Ziukas eventually ejected the coach from the game as well.

Ziukas also explained that in an adult game, players from the opposing team accused him of favouritism for the way he was officiating and even accused him of having an uncle on the other team. For Ziukas, being yelled at is just part of the job. He also said that there are three types of people he has dealt with.

“There are the people that accept the referee’s calls but disagree to some extent,” Ziukas said. “Then you have the people who disagree and respond with disrespect towards

“I really liked reffing kids and teaching them the sport,” Germain said. “It was really nice because parents see you trying to help their kids and they tend to like refs when the level of competition is low.”

However, when reffing higher levels, Germain has been heckled by players, coaches and spectators. Germain even referenced one situation where parents were yelling at her so much, that she yelled back. Germain said that she felt awful after for losing her cool, and that referees aren’t allowed to interact with the crowd.

“With kids, it’s never the players who harass you,” Germain said. “It’s almost always the adults and the older players who talk smack and show disrespect.”

While Ziukas and Germain ref mainly amatuer leagues, the stakes are even higher when it comes to those who officiate professionals. The calls that a referee makes can influence the outcome of a game and in the case of professional sports, officiating decisions are debated on a weekly basis.

It’s hard to deny just how difficult it is to be the one in black and white.

APRIL 5, 2016

theconcordian

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VARSITY

The Concordia Stingers’ year in review Recapping the entire athletic season across all of the school’s varsity teams 1

CONCORDIA SPORTS (1) Stingers wide receiver Jeremy Mogni celebrates the Stingers’ playoff clinching victory against McGill. Photo by Andrej Ivanov. (2) The Stingers women’s hockey team had an inconsistent season.

Photo by Marie-Pierre Savard.

2

BY ALEXANDER COLE SPORT EDITOR Depending on what sport you follow, the Stingers were a force to be reckoned with, while in others, the Stingers may have disappointed you. Either way, let’s take a look at the “year that was” for Concordia’s varsity teams.

FOOTBALL In Mickey Donovan’s second season as head coach, the Stingers finished with a 4-4 record which was good enough to give them a second-straight playoff appearance.

The year was highlighted by an impressive season from American-born starting quarterback Trenton Miller, who ended up being crowned RSEQ MVP. Despite losing the first game of the year by a score of 37-0 against Sherbrooke, the team was able to bounce back by beating teams like McGill and Bishop’s. Their biggest moment was arguably when they defeated the McGill Redmen, 43-41 in order to secure their playoff spot. The team eventually lost to Laval in the first round of the playoffs.

WOMEN’S RUGBY The women’s rugby team was arguably one of the most successful Stingers teams this season, finishing with a record of 6-1, which was good enough for second place in the RSEQ division. Led by Alexandra Tessier and Frédérique Rajotte, the team made it to the RSEQ finals where they eventually lost to the University of Ottawa by a score of 25-17. The team then went onto the CIS National Championships in Kingston, Ont., where the team played three games. The team defeated Victoria in their first game, but lost their next two, including the bronze medal game. The bronze medal game was also against the University of Ottawa.

MEN’S RUGBY The men’s rugby team was unable to match the success of their female counterparts, but had a good season nonetheless.

The team finished with a record of 4-3 and finished in second place in Pool A of the RSEQ division. Concordia remained consistent with wins against teams like Sherbrooke, beating them twice, while struggling against Université de Montreal. In the final game of the season, the Stingers played against École de Technologie Supérieure and defeated them by a score of 33-15. This match-up was a precursor to the RSEQ quarter-finals, as both teams played against each other again. However this time, the Stingers would lose by a slim margin of 19-18. This loss ended their season.

WOMEN’S SOCCER The Stingers women’s soccer team finished the season with a record of 4-9-1 which was good enough for sixth place in the RSEQ division. Kaitlyn Fournier and Laura Lamontagne led the team in goals with four each. The team started off the season with a loss against cross-town rivals McGill, however, the team was able to come away with wins against teams like UQÀM, UQTR and Bishop’s. The end of the season was not kind to the team, as they rounded out the season with three straight losses.

The Stingers ended up missing the playoffs.

MEN’S SOCCER The team started off the season on a positive note with a win against the McGill Redmen on the Stingers home field. However, after starting the season 2-2, the team went on a six-game losing streak, which was snapped after a 2-1 win against Sherbrooke.

The team came away with a 3-9 record to end the season which put them sixth in the

RSEQ division. The only team that placed below them was Sherbrooke, who only had one win. The team was unable to make the playoffs. Elias Barutciski and Amadou Lam led the team in scoring with three goals each.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY The women’s hockey season was fairly inconsistent this year when comparing their tournament success and their regular season performance. In January, the team defeated Plattsburgh State to capture a championship at the Theresa Humes Tournament. However, the Stingers were unable to match that success during the regular season, as they finished the year with a record of 6-12-2. The team finished in fourth place in the RSEQ division, with only Carleton finishing below them.

The Stingers played against Université de Montreal in the first round of the playoffs but were eliminated in two games.

MEN’S HOCKEY The highlight of the Stingers season was their last game of the season which was a 4-2 victory against the McGill Redmen in the 29th Corey Cup. The rest of the season, however, was not as triumphant, as the team placed seventh in the the CIS East Division and finished with a record of 10-12-6. Captain Olivier Hinse, was believed to be leaving the team after this season due to graduation, however, on April 2, Hinse confirmed that he will be back for his fifth year with the team. The Stingers played against the Redmen in the first round of the playoffs, but were eliminated in an overtime contest in Game Two. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The team began the season with a three game losing streak, which included losses to UQÀM, Laval and McGill. In the fourth

game of the season, the Stingers were able to get a win on the board with a 69-34 win against Bishop’s. The rest of the season was up and down for the team. Later on in the season, the team went on a threegame winning streak that was eventually snapped by McGill. The Stingers ended the season with a 7-9 record which put them in fourth place in the RSEQ division. The team was eliminated from the first round of the playoffs after an 85-60 loss to the McGill Martlets.

MEN’S BASKETBALL The team came into the regular season with championship titles at the Concordia Classic Tournament and the Saskatchewan Tournament. The men started off their regular season with two straight victories against UQÀM and Laval respectively. Midway through the season, the Stingers went on a seven-game winning streak and flirted with first place in the RSEQ division. The team eventually finished second in the division, with an overall record of 10-6. The Stingers played against UQÀM in the first round of the playoffs but were eliminated by a score of 70-63.

WRESTLING Much like the women’s rugby team, the wrestling team had quite the successful year.

While the team rarely competed in Montreal, the team made themselves known in universities across the country. Early in the season, Concordia hosted a tournament in which the women’s squad came second, while the men came in fourth. Throughout the year, Trevor Banks who wrestles in the 54 kilogram division, dominated with first place finishes in the UNB Open, the Western Invitational Tournament and the Brock University Tournament. At the end of the year at the CIS Wrestling Championships, the women’s team finished in ninth, while the men finished third.

opinions OPINIONS EDITOR /// opinions@theconcordian.com DAVID EASEY

EDITORIAL

Standing in solidarity with Divest Concordia In Dec. 2014 the Montreal Gazette reported Concordia University was the first Canadian university to start divesting from fossil fuels. Concordia invested $5 million towards social and ethical projects instead of continuing to pour money into polluting economies.

The student group Divest Concordia—who calls for Concordia to remove its investments from fossil fuels and to adopt a responsible investment policy according to their website—called this $5 million divestment a, “flat-out rejection of student calls for full divestment from fossil fuels,” according to the same article from the Montreal Gazette.

Concordia got the fun title of ‘the first Canadian university to start divesting from fossil fuels,’ but when you consider how this was only 0.038 per cent of the university’s $130 million investment budget, according to the Montreal Gazette, you realize how tiny of a first step Concordia took.

Now it’s 2016 and the Concordia Student Union is also encouraging students to pressure the university to divest. Students overwhelmingly voted in support of the CSU

opposing the Energy East and Line Nine pipelines and all Tar Sands developments— with 1,282 votes for Yes, 442 for No, and 479 for Abstain in last week’s CSU elections.

That means that Concordia officially has two distinct groups calling for the school to back away from fossil fuels, with Divest Concordia calling for the school to put their money towards cleaner industries and the CSU opposing the development of pipelines and the Tar Sands.

This, we feel, bodes well for the future as Divest Concordia and the CSU could possibly collaborate to pressure the university to distance itself from fossil fuels.

We here at The Concordian would also like to throw our hat in the ring and officially endorse Divest Concordia and support the CSU in opposing the pipelines and the Tar Sands developments.

In a recent opinions article entitled “The industrious demise of the Canadian landscape,” we critiqued Canada for its domestic oil consumption, where 1.5 million barrels are greedily consumed each day, according to a 2014 article by the Globe and Mail. In

the same opinions article, we pointed out the dangers of pipelines carrying diluted bitumen, which is what the Tar Sands pump out, by recounting the 2010 Kalamazoo River spill in Michigan where around 3.3 million litres of crude were vomited into the river within the 17 hours it took for Enbridge shut off the flow, according to the CBC. In the news section we published an article called “The ‘greenwashing’ effect,” published in issue 24, where we discussed how companies greenwash themselves to appear more environmentally friendly. We reported that, according to the TransCanada website, in 2011 there were 38 oil spills that sludged 497 litres into the environment, and with 27 oil spills in 2013 vomiting a total of 3,104 litres into the environment. That’s not even counting the eight oil spills in the U.S. which totaled 65,753 litres in 2013, according to the same article.

The dangers of oil spills and the greasy ethics of companies trying to appear ‘green’ aside, Concordia needs to start distancing itself from these filthy industries. The

students have spoken and will continue to speak for a “responsible investment policy,” of which divesting 0.038 per cent of your total investments is not enough. This is a university damnit, which boasts how its bright young minds do wonderful things in the realms of art, science and business.

Why not actually use some of that massive potential you are sitting on and start brainstorming with students and figuring out how to divest completely?

And we understand that might be an uphill battle. The school is after all an institution which stands to rake in considerable returns from their fossil fuel investments. But so far these investments are opposed by Divest Concordia, the CSU and The Concordian.

We’re calling for students to stand in support of Concordia divesting from fossil fuels and to help pressure the administration into finding newer, more creative, more sustainable and more responsible investments.

It’s our future after all, and, to quote an anti-pipeline slogan, to continue investing in fossil fuels is, “our risk and their reward.”

SOCIETY

Portrait of a young woman in Montreal

A Concordia student’s personal account of sexual harassment

BY MELANIE PROULX CONTRIBUTOR

Photo by Jeffrey Zeldman from Flickr.

I was on my way home from school in the evening and waiting for the metro when suddenly I had the sensation of being watched. I turned around to find a strange man standing right next to me, his eyes glaring at me. I jumped and heard my heart pounding as I stared back. I tried to get to the nearest exit but he raised his arms up and prevented me from getting around him, as if he was playing defense in a game of basketball.

That’s when he uttered, “cops aren’t around, what are you going to do little girl?” and began walking towards me again. I started to run the other way but he grabbed my bag. I screamed and pulled on my bag as I hard as I could, forcing him to let go.

I ran as fast as possible out of the metro and onto the streets. When I was out of breath, I looked behind me and saw that he was gone. I called my boyfriend in tears asking him to come pick me up.

All this happened a few weeks ago and I’m still afraid to be alone in the metro, and I’m afraid to walk home alone at night.

Though my friends have recommended I go speak to a counsellor, I hesitated for a while, feeling embarrassed by the situation.

According to the United Nations, sexual harassment consists of “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.”

Sexual harassment is a reality many women have to live with and it is tremen-

dously frightening when it happens as it catches you off guard on a day like any other. According to the Northwestern University Women’s Centre, there are numerous potentially harmful effects which survivors of sexual harassment may experience including depression, anxiety, shame, withdrawal and isolation.

Survivors tend to become more alert, anticipating a sense of danger, and feel unsafe in public according the same report from the women’s centre. According to the website Feminist, some survivors feel a sense of embarrassment—as I did—and hesitate to seek to help and many survivors often blame themselves. This guilt can be consuming, but it’s important to remember that it’s a symptom of the incident. Fortunately for me, I have an amazing support system of family and friends, in which I was able to comfortably share my thoughts and emotions.

Resources If you are in immediate danger on campus, call 911 or security at (514) 848-3717— option one.

Sexual Assault Resource Centre (GM300.27). Monday—Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can reach them at (514) 8482424 ext. 3461 or ext. 3353.

Centre for Gender Advocacy, SGW, 2110 Mackay St. Monday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or at (514) 848-2424 ext.

7431.

For peer support call (514) 848-2424 ext.

7880.

APRIL 5, 2016

theconcordian

15

LAW AND SOCIETY

The justice system fails assault survivors How the Ghomeshi trial has highlighted an ugly truth about our country

BY DAVID EASEY OPINIONS EDITOR “Why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” said Justice Robin Camp in an Alberta court in 2014, as he heard the testimony of a 19-year-old woman as she recalled her memories of the night she was allegedly raped. “Sex and pain sometimes go together—that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” added the judge, according to court transcripts obtained by the Globe and Mail.

Following these comments in court, Justice Camp was appointed a federal judge by former Justice Minister Peter Mackay the following year. It was only last fall when the media got wind of these transcripts and a scandal erupted, and he’s only facing scrutiny now for his damning words. Since November, he’s not allowed to hear any cases until a judicial committee has decided his fate, according to the CBC. This is just one example highlighting how the Canadian justice system has failed survivors of sexual violence. Instead of facilitating a safe environment where individuals can come forward and seek justice against their perpetrators, they face a barrage of obstacles, often resulting in the perpetrator walking free.

Less than 10 per cent of sexual assault crimes are actually reported to the police, according to a report conducted by the Department of Justice Canada. The role of the department is to ensure “the justice system is fair, relevant, accessible, and reflective of Canadian values.”

This leads me to believe that someone’s clearly slacking on the job over in Ottawa.

To add fuel to the fire, we’ve been feeling the reverberations of another scandal that

further highlights the ugly truth—the Jian Ghomeshi trial. Since the verdict was delivered almost two weeks ago, demonstrations in solidarity with the survivors have taken place in almost every major Canadian city.

It’s as if a witch trial took place instead of an actual judicial court case, for each woman was put under immense scrutiny in order to check the validity of their stories. Under Canadian law, the accused has the right to remain silent, meaning the glaring spotlight was always on these three women.

Ghomeshi’s defence picked apart each of the female’s testimonies. Their private emails were read aloud and their entire lives were essentially put on display for the world to see. We all know Ghomeshi himself was acquitted of five charges of sexual assault and one charge of choking.

Judge William Horkins used harsh language when delivering his verdict, saying their testimonies were “deceptive,” and that “each was a fan to some greater or lesser extent. Each had a brief relationship with him that ended badly,” according to the court transcripts.

Former detective of the Toronto Police Service Dave Perry spoke to the CBC in the aftermath of the Ghomeshi verdict, saying, “nobody would ever come forward. Who would want their life under that kind of a microscope?” And I completely agree, survivors of assault will be deterred from coming forward given the judicial process.

In Montreal last Friday at Phillips Square a ‘cry-in’ was held for the survivors of the Ghomeshi trial; demonstrating how the news of the trial is reverberating throughout Canada. “The survivor’s private pain had to be made public, so we’re making our pain public to show solidarity,” said Jessica Bebenek, a Concordia student and

co-organizer of the ‘cry-in’.

To be frank, the legal system simply isn’t properly equipped to deal this issue that plagues our nation. The Ghomeshi trial and the disgusting comments from Justice Robin Camp proves this very point, and as a society we still have a lot of work to do.

Although we undo the past, we can begin to speak openly about sexual violence and stand in solidarity with survivors within our communities, within our country and across the world.

Graphic by Florence Yee.

The Concordian’s team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MICHELLE GAMAGE editor@theconcordian.com

ASSISTANT ARTS EDITORS TIFFANY LAFLEUR AMBRE SACHET

PRODUCTION MEANAGER PIERRE A. LEPETIT production@theconcordian.com

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PHOTO EDITOR MARIE-PIERRE SAVARD photo@theconcordian.com PHOTO ASSISTANTS MELISSA MARTELLA WILLIAM FOX

ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR CALVIN CASHEN

GRAPHICS EDITOR FLORENCE YEE graphics@theconcordian.com

SPORTS EDITOR ALEXANDER COLE sports@theconcordian.com

GRAPHIC ASSISTANT THOM BELL

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HEAD COPY EDITOR NATHALIE LAFLAMME

OPINIONS EDITOR DAVID EASEY opinions@theconcordian.com

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