The Concordian - November 22nd 2016

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper

VOLUME 34, ISSUE 13 | TUESDAY, NOV. 22, 2016

theconcordian.com  /theconcordian  @theconcordian

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Cross-border backlash How Montreal students are mobilizing against the U.S. president-elect

News p. 2

also in this issue

life

Ideal cafés to study for finals

arts

p.7

A big break for theatre alumna p.8

music

sports

opinions

Bear Mountain is A Concordia mixed The business back in Montreal p. 12 martial artist p.14 behind Uber

p. 18

news

NEWS EDITORS /// news@theconcordian.com SAVANNA CRAIG & NELLY SERANDOUR-AMAR ( @savannacraig @nellsamar03)

CITY IN BRIEF VALERIA CORI-MANOCCHIO COPY EDITOR Three men arrested in connection to 2014 murder

VIGIL

End-of-year candlelight vigil

Montreal students show support for black lives taken by police brutality

Three men were arrested in connectionwiththe2014murder of Fren c h c i t i zen E r i c Emenenguene on Friday. Police arrested 29-year-old Carl Morin, 51-year-old Pierre Morin and 29-year-old Francis PerronLongpre, due to their alleged connection with the homicide, according to Global News. One year after Emenengune’s disappearance from his home in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, his bodywasfoundintheLanaudiere region, reported CTV News.

The three men face charges of first degree murder and causing indignity to a body.

Body of missing boy found in Longueuil Longueuil police believe they found the body of 16-year-old Louis-David Morisset-Noël in Parc de la Cité, in the St-Hubert borough, over the weekend, according to the Montreal Gazette. Longueuil police spokesperson Mélanie Mercille said verification is still required to confirm the body is that of Morisset-Noël, who has been missing since Sept. 23. MorissetNoël was last seen leaving his host family's home near Quebec City in search of his mother, a St. Hubert resident. A cause of death has yet to be determined

by Longueuil police, according to the same article.

Bylaw banning new places of worship A bylaw banning new places of worshiptoopenonanOutremont main street still stands after residents of the borough voted in a referendum on Sunday. The bylaw forbidding new places of worship of any denomination on Bernard Avenue was presented last year, according to CBC News. More than 1500 residentsvotedtokeepthebylaw while about 1202 voted against it. Outremont’s considerable and continually-growing UltraOrthodox community feel the bylaw targets their community, reported the same article. Leader of the Hasidic community Abraham Ekstein believes the vote will divide the community even more. Ekstein is prepared to take the matter to court, said CBC News.

CHLOË RANALDI ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Montreal students gathered at the McGill University lower field on Nov. 18 to honour the innocent black lives taken by police brutality this year.

Some three dozen students from Concordia and McGill held signs and candles to show their support at the end-of-year candlelight vigil,

organized by McGill’s Black Students Network.

“We decide to [hold] an endof-year vigil to show our support for all black lives lost unjustly,” said McGill student Charles Keita, one of the organizers of the event and member of the Black Students Network at McGill.

“We are students and we are advocating that black lives matter, and we are in positions where we do have a voice,” Keita said. “We’re trying to find the best mediums where we can use our words properly and reach out to other people.”

The Black Students Network hosts a variety of panels and discussions where students can speak about black culture, as well as raise awareness about the black lives that have been lost to police violence. The association aims to raise awareness for minority groups and promote that all lives matter equally.

The Black Students Network at McGill is open to all members of the Montreal community, said Keita.

“We encourage students from all universities to get involved and people of different backgrounds,” he said. “We’re trying to enrich the community with knowledge on the issues.” In response to the recent U.S. presidential election and the

publicized deaths on social media of African Americans who have lost their lives to police brutality, the Black Students Network invited Montrealers to come together to mourn and heal from the losses.

“We wanted to give a voice to those who have been oppressed,” said Elisa Nganiet, an economics and international relations student at McGill. She said she had felt personally affected by Trump’s win and minority groups being put down during his presidential campaign.

Nganiet said there have been a number of vigils held this year to

commemorate police deaths. “We felt that we should do the same for the black lives lost,” she added.

She said she was grateful for students who attended and was pleased with the great turnout of the outdoor event.

“Progress isn’t just a one way thing—it’s a road and it’s great to know students are coming out and that they will for future events as well,” he said.

Students can like the Black Students Network Facebook page to be kept up to date on what the group is doing and how students can get involved.

Students stand in solidarity for innocent black lives lost . Photos by Ana Henandez.

POLITICS

Students vote YES to divest

Divest Concordia receives a green light from students to push university away from fossil fuels NELLY SÉRANDOUR-AMAR CO-NEWS EDITOR Student group Divest Concordia had a positive outcome to their referendum questions to push Concordia to divest its holdings from fossil fuel industries. Both questions received support from the majority of voters. The campaign officially started on Nov. 1, and ended Nov. 14. Students voted between Nov 15 and 17.

The first referendum question focused on the university’s investments currently tied to fossil fuel industries. They asked the undergraduate students whether or not they agreed with Divest Concordia’s demand for the university to remove all its investments to these industries, and to reinvest this money in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

The second referendum question focused on the divest campaign itself. It asked undergraduates if they believe the Concordia Student

Union should actively support the divest campaign until the university commits to full divestment from fossil fuels and related industries.

Eighty per cent of voters sup-

on the matter since this was a CSU referendum, Muller said.

Over the last weeks, Divest Concordia held various meetings to organize the campaign. Tabea

Divest Concordia poses after a meeting. Photo courtesy of Divest Concordia.

ported the first question and 70 per cent of voters supported the Divest campaign, said Aloyse Muller, CSU’s external affairs and mobilization coordinator. Only Concordia undergraduate students were able to vote

Vischer, chair of the referendum committee, told The Concordian they created a “social media stunt” where the group posted photos on social media where people from the Concordia community showed why

Concordia should support divest.

“It’s important that we keep the momentum that was built up during the campaign going,” said Vischer. Their next event will be a visioning workshop, where next semester's projects, such as general student outreach and possibilities for collaborations will be discussed.

The Concordia University Foundation (CUF) currently has $10 million in funding to spend in the “energy sector.” On the “Vote YES to Fossil Fuel Divestment” Facebook page set up to promote the referendum, Divest Concordia wrote “the university’s active investment in the fossil fuel industry represents a commitment to a failing system that misrepresents our community’s real intentions and values.”

“Anyone who wants to get involved with Divest is welcome to join our general meetings to get an idea of what we do and how they can get involved,” Vischer said. Information about the meetings can be found on the Divest Facebook page.

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

COVER STORY

Students respond to the U.S. elections

University students mobilize in Montreal after Trump's win

Graphic by Florence Yee.

including monitoring hate crimes and using popular education to inform people about the policies being implemented, said Singh. Popular education is described as education aimed at empowering those who feel marginalized and encourage them through their learning to generate social change.

“Some people emphasized being able to [converse with] some people who might be empathetic to Trump’s ideas,” said Singh. “We, as Canadians in general, can’t live in this bubble.

People just can’t be like, ‘Well I’m not that type of person so I’m just going to ignore them’—we need to engage people.”

Concordia journalism student Julian Krajewski, who eligible for an American citizenship, said he feels QPIRG is not providing that opportunity to develop dialogue between the left and right, as he was banned from commenting on QPIRG Concordia’s first post-election “Resist Trump!” event on Facebook.

“I got banned from one of the events for just asking a question about my safety if I showed up in a MAGA hat,” said Krajewski, referring to hit Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat.

“It sounds troll-y to them—I wasn’t trying to be troll-y. I was just asking what would happen if I showed up because, in their description of the event, it just says they are organizing to come together in resistance against the Trump movement.”

S i n g h re s p o n d e d to T h e Concordian about the instance, stating the “Resist Trump!” community meeting was for people who oppose Trump and his far-right, anti-immigrant, racist and misogynist policies.

“Julian Krajewski clearly supports Trump and openly expresses farright, anti-immigrant views, so it makes no sense for him to join the group except to troll it,” said Singh.

“He is, of course, free to set up a

"Support Trump" Facebook group for people who share his views, or to try to organize a public debate about Trump.” Singh said he does not recall Krajewski trying to join the group.

“I have serious concerns about the safety of my ideas and my ability to openly express them in the very institution of our society that is supposed to house and encourage such discussions,” said Krajewski.

He said the QPIRG members he has interacted with have treated him with hostility and unjustified skepticism and belittling. “The attitude that anyone who doesn't [agree] with left-wing politics on campus needs to be resisted or ignored or excluded is the very same attitude that they are accusing Trump supporters of,” he said.

“There are definitely very quiet Trump supporters on campus. I’m definitely the most vocal that I’ve ever seen,” said Krajewski.

Krajewski said the Trump movement has been labeled as racist due to the media. Trump himself has been identified as a racist, a white supremacist and a misogynist, which Krajewski said is because the media attempted to find anything to portray him negatively, and denied manipulating video and audio footage of him. “In all his rallies, he has said ‘I want to help Americans, if you pay your taxes—doesn’t matter what skin colour, what gender you are,’” said Krajewski.

“Trump is the pro-American guy and he’s the first pro-American politician to actually have a chance to be elected,” said Krajewski. “It was the great American resurgence, the way I see it. We’re going to have to see how it plays out.”

Graham Dodds, an associate professor from Concordia’s political science department, offered his opinion on the U.S. election results, particularly on how Trump’s win

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NATION IN BRIEF KATYA TEAGUE HEAD COPY EDITOR

Vancouverites protest Trans Mountain pipeline

SAVANNA CRAIG CO-NEWS EDITOR Since the results of the U.S. presidential election were announced, university groups, such as the Quebec Public Interest Research Group at Concordia (QPIRG Concordia) and Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU), have hosted events in opposition of the win of president-elect Donald Trump.

“When I say fuck, you say Trump!,” shouted SSMU president Ben Ger to the crowd gathered outside of Redpath Museum on the McGill campus on Thursday, Nov. 18. “Fuck,” shouted Ger. “Trump!,” shouted the crowd of about 20 students in response.

“Not my president!,” Ger yelled back.

“After the election, I noticed that some of my friends supported Donald Trump,” said Charles Keita, a participant at the event, a McGill student and Florida resident. He said while this is not an issue, as a person of colour, it is concerning to see some of the statements his friends have shared in support of Trump.

However, he mentioned there is a need for dialogue between both political spectrums.

“As a society, we should keep in contact with those with differing opinions because it’s the only way we can make the conversation continue,” said Keita. “By communication, we can still make a difference and that’s why we shouldn’t be silent—not today, not tomorrow—because our voices are needed.”

On the morning of the U.S. election, QPIRG Concordia announced a public community meeting to be held the following day, said Jaggi Singh, the programming and working groups coordinator for QPIRG Concordia.

“There were more than 100 people who showed up—all of whom were in some way critical of or opposed to the policies of Trump and what Trump represents.”

There are plenty of reasons why Trump’s win would anger people and create fear, said Singh. “Trump is someone who ran a campaign on demonizing and marginalizing migrants,” Singh said, adding that he openly proposed to ban an entire minority group and bragged about sexually assaulting women.

Singh said there were many ideas put forth by community members to QPIRG Concordia,

theconcordian

will affect Canada-U.S. relations.

He said, while it will not be like the “bromance” portrayed between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Barack Obama, the US-Canadian relationship is more institutional than based on leaders and their political leanings.

“Presidents and prime ministers come and go, but the strong Canada-U.S. relationship largely persists,” said Dodds. “Even though Trump might greatly strain the relationship, the relationship is strong enough that it will endure, hopefully.”

“Trump is going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20. He is not perceived as the actual president of a huge segment of the population, so there’ll be protests,” said Singh. “I think it’s fair to say Montreal [will] join into those protests.”

Singh said Prime Minister Trudeau extended an invitation for Trump to come to Canada. “It’s fair to expect Trump to be in Ottawa or the Ottawa area in the early months of 2017,” said Singh.

Singh announced yesterday QPIRG will be visiting Ottawa if Trump accepts Trudeau’s invitation. Though the details have not been finalized, as Trump has not yet responded to Trudeau, QPIRG plans to mobilize if a visit from the future president is scheduled.

QPIRG Concordia will be hosting the next “Resist Trump!” community meeting on Nov. 23 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at QPIRG Concordia, at 1500 de Maisonneuve. If there are too many attendees, they will meet in the CSU lounge on the seventh floor of the Hall building.

SSMU president Ben Ger photographed in center. Concordia community members from all sides of the political spectrum react to the winning of Trump in U.S. presidential elections.

Photos by Ana Hernandez.

Thousands in Vancouver took to the streets, and the water, in protest of the Trans Mountain pipeline on Saturday, reported CTV News. Protesters walked from city hall to Library Square, crossing the Cambie Bridge where kayakers with signs dotted the waters below, according to CTV News. Activists claim the $6.8-million project, which would link Alberta’s oil sands to a harbour in Vancouver, would infringe on local Indigenous rights, risk environmental disasters and worsen Canada’s impact on climate change, reported CTV News.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised a decision on the pipeline by Dec. 19.

Government releases climate change plan The federal government released its 87-page, longterm climate change strategy on Friday, reported Montreal Gazette. In order to match the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the government’s plan aims to cut 2005 emission levels by 80 per cent by 2050, according to the article. While the report outlines strategies for electrification of transportation and suggests emission cuts for various industries, according to Montreal Gazette, the document doesn't include details on Canada’s oil or gas sectors.

It also does not mention the ongoing controversies of natural gas and oil pipeline projects.

Shedding light on the future of neuroscience While it’s a well-known fact that brain cells communicate through electrical impulses, a team of scientists at the University of Calgary recently published an article suggesting the brain also uses light particles, known as photons, to communicate, reported the National Post. It has been proven that other cells produce photons through metabolism, and the team determined it would be physically possible for nerve cells to conduct light, according to the article.

While they admit the idea “is a little bit out there,” it would provide a whole new level of understanding of the brain, reported the National Post.

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WORLD IN BRIEF KATYA TEAGUE HEAD COPY EDITOR Earthquake shakes Japan A 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan on Tuesday at 6 a.m. local time, according to the Montreal Gazette. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for waves up to three metres high in the Fukushima prefecture and a general tsunami advisory for the rest of the country’s northeast coast. The earthquake didn't cause any disturbances at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant—the same plant destroyed during the 2011 earthquake that killed about 18,000, according to the same article. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury following Tuesday’s earthquake, reported the Montreal Gazette.

Suicide bomb kills dozens in Kabul Police estimate at least 27 people were killed and others wounded by a suicide bomber in a Shia Muslim mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, reported BBC News. However, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan puts the death toll at 32, with more than 50 injured. The attacked occurred during an annual Shiaceremonytocommemorate the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, a Shia martyr, according to the same article. The Sunni Muslim militant group, the Islamic State, took credit for the attack, which Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called an attempt “to sow seeds of discord,” in a BBC article.

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

CAMPUS

CSU town hall opposes tuition hikes

Meeting covers academic freedom and barriers for low-income students MEGAN HUNT ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The Concordia Student Union (CSU) held a town hall meeting to address the proposed tuition hikes for international students on Nov. 17 in the Hall building.

The meeting featured speakers from the CSU, the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) and the Association for the Voice of Education (AVEQ), as well as students who wished to voice their opinion on the subject.

The CSU was firm in its decision to oppose the proposed hikes and called for the university’s administration to “uphold a minimum standard of transparency in its decisions which will have a direct financial impact on its students,” as originally stated in an open letter on the CSU website.

The town hall meeting attracted dozens of students and the CSU

distributed stickers, buttons and pamphlets containing basic information about the tuition hikes. One of the speakers, Aloyse Muller, the CSU’s external affairs and mobilization coordinator, urged students to sign a petition in opposition of the tuition increase.

Muller said the hikes are a “grave concern” and “the Concordia administration has displayed no transparency whatsoever in the matter.” Like many of the speakers, he discussed many aspects of not only the tuition hike proposal, but also Quebec’s decision in 2014 to completely deregulate certain programs for international students, including science, business, engineering and computer science.

He pointed out the university has yet to release official figures regarding the amount by which tuition will increase and said the

but he said it is a misconception.

“This is a common myth,” Muller said. “International students pay GST, HST and income taxes. They bring money into the economy.”

Pamphlets handed out at the town hall meeting stated 52 per cent of international students stay in Quebec for more than three years after graduating, paying income taxes and thus strengthening the Quebec economy. For this reason, among others, the CSU believes international tuition should remain regulated by the provincial government.

The organization demanded the university release a comprehensive, program-based breakdown of all fees on its website, release detailed information regarding the cohort pricing system, freeze all tuition hikes being accelerated for approval and to engage more transparently with the student body.

CSU executive members address thecrowdgathered Hall building to discussimplications of international tuition raises at Concordia. Photo

by Alex Hutchins.

STUDENT POLITICS

CSU finance coordinator resigns Executive body cites problematic behaviour, asks him to step down

Tension spikes between NATO and Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday he would be moving nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad, near the Polish border, in response to NATO’s expansion of its facilities in the Baltics, according to The Telegraph. In a broadcast interview, Putin describedthemoveasacountermeasure to the threat NATO’s decision-making has created, reported The Telegraph. Given their range and new proximity to Europe, the Russian missiles could strike as far west as Berlin, according to the same article.

Meanwhile, traditionally-neutral Sweden announced it would be adding its Cold War-era weapons to NATO defences along the Baltic coastline, despite not being a member of NATO, reported The Telegraph.

proposed cohort pricing system poses a threat to academic freedom.

The cohort system guarantees international students will be charged the same tuition price throughout the entirety of their program at Concordia, as university spokesperson Chris Mota told The Concordian last week. However, the university has not disclosed whether students will be subject to varying tuition fees if they transfer programs or require extra time to finish their degree.

The school has also not explained what would happen if students in regulated programs took elective courses from deregulated programs, said Muller.

Muller said a common argument is international students’ education should not be subsidized or regulated because they do not contribute to Quebec’s economy through taxes—

Longinotti (centre) gave his letterof resignation on Monday. Photo by Ana Hennandez.

NELLY SÉRANDOUR-AMAR CO-NEWS EDITOR The Concordia Student Union (CSU) announced the resignation of their finance coordinator, Adrian Longinotti, after the executive body asked for his resignation.

In their announcement, the executive body said they believe Longinotti is unfit to act as a representative of the union and they cannot associate themselves nor maintain a working relationship with him.

An hour after the CSU sent out the letter announcing Longinotti’s

resignation, his official letter of resignation was sent to The Concordian.

The CSU’s sustainability coordinator, Lana Elinor Galbraith, spoke with The Concordian about Longinotti before the CSU released their statement. “The rest of the executives see it more as a pattern of problematic behaviour,” said Galbraith. “The way he dealt with things, but also he has instigated a lot of issues surrounding queerphobia, misogyny and other pretty oppressive politics.”

“It creates a toxic atmosphere when one of the people who is supposed to be a leader is the

one being the most problematic in the bunch,” said Galbraith. “One, because they’re supposed to set an example. Two, because it’s their job to leave that toxicity out.”

Longinotti was also acting as president of the board members for the Reggies Co-op and the CSU urged him to resign from this position as well, which he did. “Reggies is a pretty sensitive area when it comes to safer space,” said Galbraith. “I don’t think that was something he believed or felt that was important.” According to Galbraith, Longinotti would prioritize his self-interest and allowed his friends into Reggies despite them being banned from CSU events and spaces due to behavioural issues.

The Concordian tried to contact Longinotti several times for

comment, but he did not respond before publication.

Galbraith said the council will be taking on his responsibilities for the next couple of weeks. “I will be the CSU representative on the board of Reggies and will be taking care of some things with the health and dental plan,” she said. Rachel Gauthier, the CSU’s student life coordinator, will also be helping out with more book-keeping tasks. “Hopefully, we’ll have someone appointed in a few weeks,” she said.

Galbraith said the issue will be further discussed at the next CSU council meeting which will take place on Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m., in room H-763 at the downtown campus.

With files from Savanna Craig.

life

LIFE EDITOR /// life@theconcordian.com DANIELLE GASHER

CULTURE

Showing Montrealers real Saudi culture

The Montreal Saudi Student Association organized its second annual Saudi Exhibition

SARAH BOUMEDDA STAFF WRITER The Montreal Saudi Student Association held its second annual Saudi Exhibition on Nov. 14, in partnership with Concordia’s Saudi Student Association.

“Today’s event is about [promoting] Saudi culture,” said Sawsan Alshayeb, a volunteer and member of Concordia’s Saudi Student Association. “We want to showcase our culture… so people can see how [Saudis] really are and how we love our country, and [we] want to show it in a positive way so that people can enjoy it.”

The event was held at Concordia’s EV Building lobby, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and attracted many curious eyes.

In order to promote Saudi heritage, different kiosks were set up, each displaying an aspect of Saudi culture. Some kiosks offered attendees free food, most of which were typical Saudi delicacies.

The menu included traditional dishes like Saudi pastries and maamoun, which are small cakes with dates. The large table also displayed cupcakes decorated with Montreal Saudi Student Association’s official logo.

Attendees could also buy honey imported directly from the Asir province of Saudi Arabia. Other promotional products were offered, such as information brochures on various touristic regions of Saudi Arabia, as well as coffee mugs and other accessories.

A kiosk that caught the attention of many was the Arabic calligraphy kiosk. There, many attendees, students and teachers alike, lined up to have their name written in Arabic by a professional calligrapher. The henna kiosk was also popular.

The main point of attraction at the event, however, was the immense tent set up near the entrance of the EV building.

Inside, The Concordian was welcomed by Mohammad Alhumaidhi, a student and volunteer at the event.

“That’s the actual tent [which] we go out [camping] with, in Saudi Arabia,” said Alhumaidhi, motioning to the heavy pieces of fabric enclosing the area around him. “We brought it from Saudi Arabia for this event specifically.”

The displayed tent was four meters long by four metres wide in size, the standard size for a traditional camping tent, said Alhumaidhi.

He added that the fabrics that make up the tents differ, depending on the environment in which they are used. Thicker materials suit the colder mountainous regions of the country, whereas the thinner, fur-covered fabrics are more useful in the desert, where they can block the sandy winds.

In the tent, volunteers like Alhumaidhi were draped in a thobe, the traditional Saudi dress for men, and wearing a ghutra, a traditional headdress. Each of them welcomed curious students and Concordia teachers, teaching them about traditions of Saudi culture while sitting on one of the numerous decorated cushions that surrounded the area inside the tent. Attendees could learn about Arab coffee and tea, as well as traditional Arab music and

singing.

For Alhumaidhi, the Saudi Exhibition is an extremely important event, and goes beyond simple promotion of his native country.

“A lot of people hear about Saudi Arabia, and they don’t know [much] except for the image they see [in the media],” Alhumaidhi said.

“They don’t know the real Saudi Arabia.”

“We [Saudis] live in houses, we drive cars. A lot of people think that we still ride horses in the streets.

And I’m not joking at all. A lot of people are surprised that I drive a car,” he said.

“Of course I do, it’s 2016!”

Preconceived ideas of Saudis and Arabs aren’t just limited to car driving.

“I hear people come up to me and say, ‘Oh wow, you’re funny, you’re from Saudi Arabia, you’re Muslim—how is that possible?’ I’m a human being, I’m allowed to be funny,” said Alhumaidhi.

Indeed, representation of Arabs and Muslims in Western media is often negative, “depicting Muslims generally as violent, fanatical, bigoted, or as extremists and terrorists,” according to Belinda F. Espiritu in a paper published in Global Research in 2015. Espiritu is a researcher and an associate professor of communications at the University of the Philippines.

Espiritu said this negative image results in fear among the Western population—something Alhumaidhi has experienced himself.

“A lot of people get scared when they look at me wearing what I’m wearing right now,” he said, motioning to his traditional Saudi dress. “[If I’m] walking in the street, people move away from me. People literally move away from me, because they’re scared.”

Alhumaidhi believes the exhibition is necessary to eradicate this fear and inform people about real Arab culture.

“Saudis are not angry,” he said in a cheerful tone. “We smile, we love camping and singing, drinking coffee.”

Although this is only the second edition of the Saudi Exhibition, both the Montreal Saudi Student Association and Concordia’s Saudi Student Association are determined to keep up this annual event, in the hopes of teaching as many people as possible about Saudi culture.

The Saudi Exhibition featured several kiosks offering Saudi delicacies, Arabic calligraphy and henna. Photos by Sarah Boumedda.

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NOVEMBER 22, 2016

BUSINESS

Charity work and business come together

Concordia hosts a panel where social entrepreneurs discuss their experiences in business

DOMINICK LUCYK STAFF WRITER Six entrepreneurs spoke about their experiences as social entrepreneurs— people who start up businesses with the aim to solve or improve certain social problems—at a panel at Concordia on Nov. 16.

The six panelists included Kim Fuller, the founder and creative director of Phil Communications; Sydney Swaine-Simon, the co-founder and international director of NeuroTechX; Thérèse Regenstreif, the program manager of Mining Shared Value; André Boisvert, the general manager of ZAP; Jessica Newfield, the chief communications officer of Grey-Box; and Jason Dominique, the executive director of Testicular Cancer Canada.

The panelists offered in-depth insight and information regarding their views on the business model of self-sustainability through donations, and working for a cause rather than primarily for profit.

The social entrepreneurship model practiced by these six individuals is a sort of middle ground between charity work and for-profit business. On the one hand, these entrepreneurs want their businesses to prosper and make a profit. On the other hand, they want to achieve that profit in a moral way, as they contribute to causes and issues

The panelists were social entrepreneurs from different areas of business. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

they care about.

"I quickly realized after volunteering for [nonprofit] organizations… that there were cycles of dependency [on money] and I realized that the nonprofit sector, even though it is well intentioned… [isn't] the most effective in actually bringing about community change," said Newfield.

Newfield is currently working on GreyBox, a small, portable computer that can be solar-powered and connected to Wi-Fi networks.

The social entrepreneurs spoke about how they see their profession as a more pragmatic version of charity.

They explained the challenges social entrepreneurs face are similar to those for-profit businesses and charities face.

"We're still not perceived really as a legitimate business… It really ticks me off that, when I talk to people about the kind of work I do, they're like 'aww, it's so sweet. Look at you, you're such a do-gooder.' No, it's a business—I'm in the business of helping people who help people. That's a lot of responsibility. There's nothing 'cute' about finding out that your client, who runs a women's shelter, has to close on Saturdays and Sundays because

of budgeting cuts," said Fuller.

While all of these ent repreneurs acknowledged that the path they've chosen is difficult, Regenstreif summed up why they all continue with their work.

"If you guys choose a certain path because you think it's a safe path or it's a guaranteed path that's going to bring you ‘x’ amount of money, there are no guarantees,” she said. “So just do what you want to do, because you're likely going to fail a few times, and I'd much prefer myself to fall down when I'm doing something that I enjoy versus something that I've been told to do by someone else."

HEALTH

My personal experience with counselling

How one Concordian got through anxiety and self-confidence issues with the help of a psychologist GABRIELLE VENDETTE CONTRIBUTOR I guess I would say it started about halfway through secondary three. I always seemed to be plagued by this idea

that no one really liked me. It wasn’t the unsettling feeling of having an off day or not being my usual self—it was an ongoing feeling of anxiety based on this worry that no one in my circle of friends really wanted anything to do with me.

In fact, they all probably hated me. And why not, right? I was annoying, I always complained, I never did anything fun, I never laughed enough, I never went out enough—or so I thought.

I went on living this way for almost a year, and the bad thoughts and insecurities got perpetually worse.

To add to my rapidly depleting self-confidence, one of my classmates decided to make me the target of their bullying. I hated every day I had to get out of bed, because I had to face the people my anxieties and behaviour had ultimately pushed away: my best friends.

It got so bad that I couldn’t say anything to them without feeling this intense wave of anxiety and self-hatred.

I would start telling myself, “Shut up Gab, nobody cares about what you have to say.

You’re ugly, you’re stupid, you’re dumb and you have no friends. They all just hang out with you because they feel bad that you’re such a fucking loser.”

I knew I couldn’t go on like this. I will always remember the day when—in the midst of silent car ride with my mother, without even looking at her, I told her I needed to see a psychologist.

She handled it beautifully and gave me the card of a psychologist she’d heard many good things about.

Today, I can say without a doubt that seeing a psychologist changed my life.

I am not the same person who walked

into that office four years ago. Seeing a psychologist helped me face my demons, become confident in the person I am and believe that I am worth all the love and respect in the world.

It’s definitely not easy to overcome self-hatred. Taking control of your life, when you’ve been so used to sitting back and letting it take control of you, is extremely difficult. You are forced to dig up aspects of your life you buried ages ago because they were just too hard to deal with. I promise you though, it’s worth it.

Thanks to counselling, I was able to tell my bully I wouldn’t stand for how she was treating me anymore. I was able to have an open, honest dialogue with my friends about my anxieties.

This is why I’m writing this—to encourage you to seek help if you think you need it.

Self-love is hard, and I still have a long way to go before I can fully appreciate my uniqueness. But now I know how to disassociate my hateful thoughts from the person I actually am.

I now know how to take a step back before becoming overwhelmed by anxiety and self-deprecation, analyze the situation making me feel this way and determine how I can resolve it.

Counselling gave me the tools to work on self-love, a little bit at a time.

Graphic by Thom Bell.

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

theconcordian

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SCHOOL

A cup of joe with a side of homework Studying for finals is made easier thanks to these five student-friendly Montreal cafés

JOYCE SALEM CONTRIBUTOR

Toi, Moi & Café 2695 Notre-Dame St. West Open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends.

Wifi: yes Outlets: few

Café Oui Mais Non 72 Jarry St. East Open every day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Wifi: yes Outlets: many A little far from downtown, this student-oriented café near Jarry metro is worth the detour for studying.

A cup of coffee is cheaper here than in chains like Starbucks or Second Cup—perfect for a student budget.

Additionally, the café is conveniently divided into three “studying sections.” The first is a quiet section, where people only whisper. This section is perfect for a Concordian who prefers a library-style volume for studying. The next area is the come-and-go section.

In this space, customers can grab a coffee, have a quick chat and dash. A third, more animated section is in the café’s small basement, where customers can chat as they please.

Table sizes vary, and the lighting is bright enough to keep you wide awake during a long day of hitting the books. While the lighting is strong, the atmosphere is relaxed, unlike a library, which can feel a little sterile and cold.

Anticafé 294 Ste-Catherine St. West Open every day from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Wifi: yes Outlets: few While supporting local artists by exposing their work, Anticafé presents its own creativity by offering a new student-café concept.

Rather than pay for what they consume, students pay for the hours spent in the café. It costs $3 for the first hour and $2 for each subsequent hour, for a maximum of $9 for a full day.

Not only is the rate ideal, but the studying arrangements are flawless. The owner converted a two-story apartment into a café, with every bedroom offering a space with tables and chairs. The rooms are useful for group projects or practicing for oral presentations.

The second floor of Anticafé is a little quieter, making it a better option if you have a harder time concentrating.

At this little bistro near the Lionel-Groulx metro station, students have the option of starting their day with a latte and ending it with a celebratory glass of wine. The experience includes table service and friendly staff.

Outlets to plug computers are harder to come by here, but there are nevertheless a few spread out around the bistro.

The tables are far apart, making this place ideal for students who prefer to be in their bubble and forget there are other people are around them.

It might seem odd to study in a bistro, but the soft jazz music and relaxed vibe at Toi, Moi & Café make the place just as ideal for an endof-term study sesh as any other café.

Café Aunja 1448 Sherbrooke St. West Open every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Wifi: yes Outlets: many Crew Collective & Café 360 St-Jacques St. Open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.

Wifi: yes Outlets: many Crew Collective & Café is located in the Old Port, near Square-Victoria-OACI metro, in what used to be a majestic and towering bank. For students who like to feel like royalty when studying, this is the place to go.

The café is so beautiful and spacious—it has even been used to take wedding photos. Given the spaciousness and high ceilings, this place is ideal for people who like to study in open spaces.

It is also an interesting place to study alone or with a friend, because it feels like you are working in an office. The atmosphere offers the necessary motivation to get things done.

Small cubicle spaces are available for free next to the long main tables. Others cubicles, with access to a computer, cost $25 an hour. This café also has a sofa lounge, for a more comfortable study experience.

While the food and coffee are exquisite, the prices are a bit higher. Lattes and cappuccinos are in the $5 range, and sandwiches and salads range from $10 to $15.

Among the other options, Café Aunja is one of the closest to Concordia’s Loyola campus. It’s also one of the more charming options.

During the week, this spot can get packed, but on weekends the place slows down and students can have a couch or table to study comfortably at.

The music in the café is calming. The place isn’t dead quiet, chatter is part of the package, but as in many other cafés, chatter can quickly become quiet background noise.

Behind the counter, there’s a little living roomstyle section, where people usually take a break from studying while waiting for their coffee. The place is cozy and small, a kind of home-awayfrom-home nook for studying.

arts

ARTS EDITOR /// arts@theconcordian.com JESSICA KINNARI & TIFFANY LAFLEUR

CINEMA

Highlights from Cinemania film festival Slack Bay and Personal Shopper were the talk of the town at the Cannes film festival this year Kristen Stewart, who has avoided being typecast in her roles, plays a fashion assistant who attempts to communicate with the dead in Personal Shopper.

ELIJAH BARON STAFF WRITER As a rift grows between the more conspicuously commercial elements of the French film industry and the personal, unconventional auteur pieces that defined French cinema for much of its golden era, it is the latter that continues to be a staple of international film festivals. Montreal’s

Cinemania festival, which celebrates the brightest French productions of the year, featured two films that have been attracting attention since their premiere at Cannes this past spring.

Ma Loute, known in English as Slack Bay, is singularly grotesque. What could have been a straight comedy—the slapstick, satire and absurdity—is instead an entrancing, if unsettling experience. The film’s humour is

so relentlessly over-the-top it seems to be mocking its own audience. Even the viewer’s act of marveling over the striking setting—a coastal region of Northern France, home to director Bruno Dumont—is ridiculed during the film.

Who are we to identify within this caricature of class warfare? On one side, we have a decadent bourgeois family, played by well-known actors who overact as if in a state of drunken insanity. On the other, a mysterious family of oyster farmers and ferrymen, played by eerie-looking locals whose presence intensifies the surreal style of the film, making it seductively hostile.

It is an often baffling, unclassifiable work, comparable in part to David Lynch and Monty Python but bathed in French sensibilities, incorporating both theatre and carnival traditions. It will alienate viewers who find it suspect for being fundamentally unexplained, or frustrating for its deliberate lack of cohesion.

However, those curious to immerse themselves in a foreign vision, one that is unpredictable and perhaps beyond reach, may come out pleasantly mystified by the experience.

Another film at Cinemania is the much less compelling and blandly titled Personal Shopper, starring Kristen Stewart as a fashion assistant who attempts to communicate with

the dead. Stewart, made famous by the Twilight series, has become something of a darling in France—she was the first American actress to win a César Award, which is comparable to an Oscar, and the film’s director Olivier Assayas called her one of the best actors of her generation. While it is true that she has successfully avoided being typecast and has proved herself to be a reliable talent, such enormous praise remains puzzling. Assayas’ assertion back in September that Stewart has “an infinitely [large] range” is at odds with the fact that she is notoriously inexpressive, and rarely has that been more obvious than in Personal Shopper, which barely gives her any character material to work with.

A ghost story provides ample excuse for suspense and frights generated by an invisible, watching presence, but such luxuries are in short supply here.

The film works best when dealing with the supernatural, but it is essentially a parable for grief, more akin to a European existential drama than to, say, this year’s gripping Under the Shadow. Personal Shopper indulges in long, empty scenes that involve Stewart’s character walking through a deserted manor or shopping for clothes and accessories—not an activity most audiences are likely to find exciting.

No release date has been announced yet for Slack Bay. Personal Shopper will be released in theaters on March 10, 2017.

COMEDY

Concordia grad joins Second City's holiday show Aimee Ambroziak joins the famous Second City Touring Company in Eat, Buy, Repeat JESSICA KINNARI CO- ARTS EDITOR As of Monday, Nov. 21, Concordia theatre grad Aimee Ambroziak will be joining the ranks of hilarious female comics.

Ambroziak will be a part of the Second City Touring Company’s new holiday show, Eat, Buy, Repeat: The Second City’s Guide to the Holidays.

The Second City opened in 1959 and has since become a world-renowned comedy club, theatre and improvisation school. Its notable alumni include Tina Fey, Catherine O’Hara and Bill Murray, all of whom Ambroziak said are her heroes.

“While theatre is my first love, I started thinking about who my heroes are, and I realized that all of them had something to [do] with improv at Second City,” she said.

Ambroziak grew up in Hudson, Que. and was a member of the Hudson Village Players theatre group, with whom she performed with throughout her teenage years. After graduating from Concordia in 2007 with a BA in theatre performance, Ambroziak immediately found work with Geordie Productions. For a year, she toured Eastern Ontario elementary and high schools, performing various children’s theatre plays, including a Robert Munsch

adaptation.

After attending a Level A improvisation class—a weekend-long, entry-level intensive course at the Second City in Chicago, Ambroziak auditioned for the Second City in 2013. For the past three years, Ambroziak has been a part of the Second City’s Boat Company, performing on Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Pearl and Epic ships, as well as the Second City’s Family Company, which performs children’s shows. She is now making her debut with the Second City’s touring group in Eat, Buy, Repeat: The Second City’s Guide to the Holidays.

Ambroziak said the show draws inspiration from world events, as well as themes like consumption. The show was created through various improvisation sketches performed in front of a live audience.

“We got to see what worked and what didn’t,” she said. The show includes original songs and some Second City favourite performances from past holiday shows.

Because the show draws inspiration from world events, some of the sketches have evolved to fit the changing news, particularly with yhe U.S. election on Nov. 8. “There is actually one scene where, as I was doing, I thought ‘I wonder if this will change when Hillary wins,’” Ambroziak said. “Evidently,

it didn’t.”

The show is now all planned out, excluding a few scenes that require audience interaction. Ambroziak said if there is time after a performance, the troupe will perform a completely improvised third act. As this is a comedy show, Ambroziak wants the audience to enjoy themselves and feel refreshed.

“I want them to leave the theatre having laughed a lot,” she said “Ideally, I hope they feel like it is something they haven’t seen before.”

Eat, Buy, Repeat: The

Second City’s Guide to the Holidays runs from Nov. 24, 2016 to Jan. 5, 2017 at the Second City Mainstage Theatre in Toronto.

Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased online at secondcity.com.

Aimee Ambroziak will be performing on the same stage that Tina Fey, Catherine O’Hara and Bill Murray once did.

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

theconcordian

9

FESTIVAL

Image+nation film festival opens for its 29th year Canada’s longest-running queer film festival brings a diverse array of entertaining films

Handsome Devils, the image+nation festival's opening film, is a coming of age story set in Ireland. This film is part of the Irish focus at the festival.

TIFFANY LAFLEUR CO-ARTS EDITOR From Nov. 24 to Dec. 4, the image+nation film festival will present a diverse array of LGBTQ+ films hailing from all corners of the world.

“I think it's an important opportunity to see great independent film, and it's also an opportunity to see yourself reflected on the screen if you happen to be a queer person,” said Katharine Setzer, the programming director for the festival.

Image+nation, which is in its 29th year, is the oldest queer film festival in Canada. It will present films from a variety of genres and formats, including powerful documentaries,

beautiful shorts and award-winning features.

There are over 30 films to choose from.

“There's a power in coming to a festival,” said Setzer. “It is a genre festival—it is a queer festival. There’s a power of being with your people, sitting and congregating in the dark and watching images of yourself on the screen.”

This year, the festival will have a focus on Irish and American cinema, two countries that legalized same-sex marriage in the last year. Handsome Devil, the opening film of the festival, which will screen on Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. is part of this Irish focus. Directed by John Butler, the film is a coming-of-age story about Ned, a young outcast in a rugby-crazed, all-boys

boarding school who sets out on a mission to finally have his voice heard.

According to Setzer, queer cinema has evolved over time. Although there’s still a place for coming-of-age and coming-out stories, the focus has shifted to representations of queerness that go beyond this, looking instead at the experience of living as a queer person in the world.

Golden Boys, an Israeli film directed

by Revital Gal, takes a look at the ageing gay community in Tel Aviv and explores the challenges these men faced coming to terms with their own sexuality in a country which hasn’t always been open or tolerant.

Golden Boys will screen on Dec. 3 at 3:15 p.m.

Although the festival includes films from

around the world, it still has a local focus.

Long-time festival staple Queerment Quebec gives an opportunity to see short films produced by Montreal filmmakers.

These shorts will be presented on Monday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Phi Centre and include bustling local talent.

Films from this year’s festival will be screened at a number of different venues, including Cinéma Imperial, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Concordia’s JA de Sève cinema and Cinémathèque québécoise.

Tickets can be purchased both at the door and online. Regular passes are $12.75 per film or $9.50 for students. For information on the festival or to buy tickets for screenings, visit www.image-nation.org

FILM

Performance art and history come together

Performing artist Howard J. Davis debuts his film, C’est Moi, based on black Canadian history PAULINE NESBITT STAFF WRITER Performing artist Howard J. Davis marked his debut as a filmmaker with C’est Moi, a story based on a little-known event in black Canadian history. It is a reminder of

the many forgotten incidences of racial injustices that pepper Canada’s past.

Set in 18th century New France—now known as Montreal—C’est Moi is the tale of Marie-Josèphe Angélique, a slave in her late 20s who was convicted, tortured and hung for starting a fire that ravaged what

Howard J. Davis brings forgotten racial injustices to the forefront in C’est Moi, his filmmaking debut.

is now Old Montreal. The fire was allegedly part of her plan to escape her slave-owner, but the evidence presented at the trial was inconclusive. “The beauty of storytelling is that the audience should be left to decide,” said Davis.

Angélique is “an emblem of resilience against slavery in Canada,” said Davis. He added that a big inspiration for imagery in the film was Joan of Arc. C’est Moi was filmed in Montreal, with dancer Jenny Brizard starring as Angélique.

The music and lyrics were composed and written by Davis.

The creative process for C’est Moi began eight years earlier, in 2008, during his first year at Ryerson Theatre School, said Davis.

He said the story was first performed as a dance, then in spoken word before Davis decided to make it into a film. Davis decided on cinema as the most appropriate way to tell Angélique’s story because of the intimacy this medium allows.

Unapologetic about the length of time it took him to complete this project, Davis said, “I am at such a formative stage of my career that I should be allowed to take my time, and to let things sit and see how they resonate.”

Born in Britain, and of mixed race, Davis was raised in Kelowna, B.C. and lives in

Toronto. Davis said he was attracted to the performing arts at a very early age, and he can’t think of a time when he was not performing—either at home with his two sisters or while at school. Despite the fact that neither of their parents were involved in the performing arts, Davis’ sisters are also performing artists. He added that, while growing up, he idolized British actor and comedian Sir Norman Wisdom, and was mesmerized by the films he starred in.

Davis is a member of the Dora Award, an annual arts award in Toronto, winning ensemble for Passion Play, and also a cast member of the Dora Award for nominated play Bombay Black. More recently, Davis was promoted on set of Downsizing and was given a speaking part. Downsizing is a soon-to-be-released film directed by Alexander Payne.

Davis said he submitted C’est Moi to several film festivals and has launched a crowdfunding website to help defray the associated costs. öö The trailer for C’est Moi is available at www.howardjdavis.com/c-est-moi, where anyone interested in viewing the film can sign up to receive information on screening dates and locations.

10 theconcordian

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

FILM

Rowling's wizarding world is back

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them brings a whole new wizarding world to the big screen TIFFANY LAFLEUR CO-ARTS EDITOR Demiguises, erumpents and nifflers are just some of the fantastic creatures that have slipped out of Newt Scamander’s (Eddie Redmayne) magical suitcase, causing havoc in 1926 New York City in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

TThe film, adapted from J.K. Rowling’s book of the same title, is directed by David Yates and stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Colin Farrell and Dan Fogler. Written by Rowling, it has the same familiar feel the Harry Potter series offered. This familiarity makes it easier for the audience to relate to the film, although this era of the wizarding world is much darker.

Newt Scamander is a magizoologist studying all manner of magical beasts and creatures, cataloguing them for a book he’s writing. After disembarking in New

York City, a mix-up between suitcases leads to a few of his creatures roaming free in a city rocked by anti-wizard sentiment. Newt, no-maj (American term for muggle) Jacob Kowalski (Fogler) and disgraced auror Tina (Waterston) team up and attempt to round up the magical creatures. Although they aren’t dangerous per se, these creatures can be annoying. One of Newt’s nifflers, a mole-sized creature attracted to objects that shine and sparkle such as coins and gems, gets into trouble ransacking a jewelry store and storing its contents in its marsupial-like pouch.

Things get more complicated when Newt discovers an obscurus is on the loose.

This dark magical entity, taking the shape of a roiling black cloud, is a creation

that comes about when a magical child tries to suppress their powers for fear of discovery by the non-magical community.

While Newt wishes to find the child to save them from themself, other forces wish to use the obscurus for their own agendas.

The world we are introduced to in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a fractured one. The beginning sequence emphasizes this: headline after headline warning of humans suspicious of magical activity, calling for a second Salem witch-hunt in Manhattan. At the same time, there is fear of a magical war being sparked

by Grindelwald, a powerful wizard tired of hiding from no-majs. Divisions exist between no-majs and wizards an d b et we en w i z ard s themselves. Newt’s journey to

document magical creatures brings him to the epicenter of these tensions, and he becomes entangled in an effort to prevent an all-out war.

Rowling’s incredible imagination is once again brought to life on the big screen. The creatures she’s whipped up are funny and troublesome, dangerous and sneaky. For a film that needed to introduce a whole other subsection of a hidden world, the pace is quite good, albeit a little information-heavy at times. It might have been worthwhile to take some more time to develop Newt’s character, especially seeing as how Fantastic Beasts is set to be a five-part series. Newt is a funny character who has trouble interacting with humans. Instead, he finds refuge in his suitcase, which contains a whole ecosystem of creatures, beasts and magical things.

Fantastic Beasts is now in theaters.

Rating:     

A hunt for missing magical creatures soon becomes much more complicated when dark forces appear.

The Concordian is hiring an

Arts Editor

for Winter 2017

Responsibilities

• Report on all kinds of arts and culture events in Montreal, • Edit the articles of writers, • Pitch weekly stories, • Be creative and collaborative • Have fun with our team!

Interested applicants can submit a CV, a brief cover letter and a few writing samples to editor@theconcordian.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

theconcordian

Artists from Concordia featuring Camille Durand Gauthier

Camille Durand Gauthier is a Concordia student studying studio arts.

Interested in printmedia techniques, she tries to mix in handmade and digital processes into her work. Through the use of nylon and latex, Camille m a ke s u s q u e s t i o n materiality. She designs man-made objects that borrow nature's growth process. The idea of collecting specimens that have life of their own is present in her work. The specimens are gathered, collected and archived in a scientific, almost biological way.The objects end up beign autonomous entities, that all participate in the artist's paralel reality.

11

music

Quickspins 1

MUSIC EDITOR /// music@theconcordian.com SANDRA HERCEGOVÁ

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

PROFILE

We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service

E lectro Bea r Mou nta in

Singer-songwriter Ian Bevis shares his love for performing in Montreal

The Bevis brothers, Statham and Rodriguez touring across America. Photo by SATY+PRATHA .

EMILY VIDAL ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR The Canadian indie band Bear Mountain recently performed at Montreal’s Fairmount Theatre on Nov. 18. They are currently on tour for their new album, Badu, which was released on Sept. 9. Badu features a mixture of upbeat 80s electro melodies that will send you running to the dance floor. Singersongwriter Ian Bevis’ mellow and pleasantly soft voice fits just right with the band’s nostalgic, retro-dance rhythms.

The Vancouver-based band was founded in 2011 by Bevis, who initially started Bear Mountain as a solo project. He invited guitarist Kyle Statham to join in later that year. The band now also includes Bevis’ twin brother, Greg Bevis, who plays drums and keyboards, as well as Kenji Rodriguez, the creative director, who creates the live visuals for the show. He orchestrates a series of 3D visual projections live on stage that correlate to the beat of their music, which allows the audience to visualize the music.

They have performed in Montreal a few times before, but, according to Bevis, their favourite experience was when they performed at Osheaga in 2014. “Osheaga was a blast,” he said. “The energy in the crowd was really good. Everyone was excited and happy to be there… It was just really high energy.”

Bevis said Montreal is one of his favou-

rite places to be, which is why he keeps coming back. “I love Montreal,” he said. “I think it’s so unique. There’s nowhere else like it. There’s no other city that I’ve been to that’s like Montreal. It’s got its own thing going on, and it’s always, always fun. And the people too, the people are just really, really, really great.”

Bear Mountain’s newly released album, Badu , took about two and half years of solid work to put together. Due to how much time they put into creating the album, Bevis said he’s very relieved to finally release it. “We just took [the music] as far as we could take it,” he said.

According to Bevis, every band member had their own part in the creation process of Badu. “It’s definitely a lot of collaboration,” he said. Bevis said the band's attitude takes their music to the next level.

“I think everybody just brings something different,” he said. “Everyone brings their whole energy, everything they’ve got.”

Bear Mountain has been touring in Canada and the United States since late October, and will finish touring in mid-December. They are performing alongside Aluna George and The Darcys.

In Montreal, they shared the stage with The Darcys. According to Bevis, their band has incorporated a new lights show into their performance that people can look forward to. “I think it’ll be a party,” he said.

Travelling for months on end can be hard at times, Bevis said—they've spent most of their time driving across Canada.

“It can be exhausting, but also we have those moments that are extremely fun, so it kind of balances out,” he said, “Playing the shows makes it worth it. I just like being on stage and playing songs, playing music and creating the energy in the room.”

Inspirations for Badu included nature

(Epic Records, 2016) Earlier this year, the world lost Phife Dawg, founder and member of the hiphop group A Tribe Called Quest. A few months before his passing, the group reunited for their first TV performance in almost two decades. That performance led them to record their first album since 1998. The result is an incredible final album for the group. It doesn’t feel forced, and it’s not an overtly sad album. The album feels much like when you see an old friend for the first time in years, and they leave you wondering why you don’t see each other more often. The lyrics and content are as sharp as ever. Sonically, tracks like “Whateva Will Be” showcase Tribe’s timeless signature sound, while songs like “Kids…” demonstrate more experimental production styles for the group. These elements, along with some fantastic guest appearances, make this album a welcome addition to one of the greatest discographies in hip-hop.

11 Trial Track: “Whateva Will Be” featuring Consequence

9/10

—Wesley McLean, Contributor

2 ATSUKO CHIBA

The Memory Empire (Unsigned, 2016)

and the cosmos, Bevis said. “[Inspiration] has got to come from somewhere, so you just draw it from your surroundings,” he said.

The last song on the album, “On my Own,” is Bevis’ favourite song to play, he said. “I think it turned out really well, from beginning to end,” he said.

Bear Mountain’s sound is constantly evolving, according to Bevis. “Thing’s naturally change a lot,” he said. “I mean, I think you can kind of have an idea of where you want something to go, and you can do your best to guide it in that direction, but ultimately, you know, [the music is] like a river—it’s going to go where it’s going to go, so it’s almost like we’re just along for the ride,” he said.

Bear Mountain is currently on their way to perform in Toronto, followed by stops in London, Ont., Hamilton and Los Angeles. They will be wrapping up their winter tour on the West Coast in Seattle on Dec. 15.

Bear Mountain’s new music off of Badu can be accessed on Spotify or downloaded on iTunes.

The Memory Empire, released on Nov. 18, is Atsuko Chiba’s second EP album. When “Wasabi Hands” hits your speakers, have your glass of water ready for that extra spicy sound. It begins with Limp Bizkit-style rock. The gritty vibe meets Death Grips’ experimental rhythms. The hardcore guitar riffs bring strong intensity to this seven-minute jam. It has great sound variations, from angry vocals and up-tempo guitar riffs to industrial, electro sound mixtures and slow-tempo guitar solos. Combining all of these variations into one song can cause severe confusion to your eardrums.

“Panopticon” starts with a spooky, electro keyboard entrée, the type of sound you hear at the start of a horror movie. Suddenly, you’re startled by heavy guitar riffs and screamy vocals. Once again, it features tons of experimenting with too many different sounds all at once. “Damonsta Titillates” also starts off eerily, with dark electronic and industrial sounds. The Memory Empire would sound great as background sounds for a thriller film, but not so much for your everyday playlist.

11 Trial Track: “Wasabi Hands”

5.5/10

—Sandra Hercegova, Music Editor

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

theconcordian

13

RECOMMENDATIONS

Beginner’s guide to thrash metal

3

One of the most popular genres of heavy metal music in the 80s

KXNG CROOKED

ALEXANDER COLE SPORTS EDITOR

Good Vs. Evil

(RBC Records, 2016) “Welcome to Planet X,” a dark world portrayed by Long Beach rapper and Slaughterhouse member, KXNG Crooked.

Just a day before the American presidential elections, Crooked released his new concept album, Good Vs. Evil. The album begins with the song “Welcome to Planet X.” As soon as you hear the first spoken words (“I live in a world that is different than your world”), you will find yourself immediately engrossed in its flow. The song transports you to a reality where children swim in lead-infested pools, where poverty in the inner cities is palpable and citizens are continuously haunted by the cops. Sound familiar to the tragedies going on in the United States? Crooked’s descriptive imagery adds to the apocalyptic nature of this alternate reality. This album is an outcry to recent events unfolding in America.

Feelings of anger and oppression are evident through the aggressive tone of his lyrics and the eerie tempos integrated throughout the album.

11 Trial track: “Welcome to Planet X”

9/10

Fast guitar riffs, speedy drumming and loud, in-your-face vocals—those are the characteristics that define thrash metal. When metal music came onto the scene in the 1970s with bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, it was a sign that rock music was evolving past the age of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

While Black Sabbath played slower, their sound was dark and mysterious, thanks to down-tuned and distorted guitars. In the early 80s, American bands who were inspired by Black Sabbath continued to push the genre forward by playing faster and increasing the volume. One of the genres that spawned from this technique was thrash metal. Thrash metal has since evolved with some of the best albums in heavy metal history. If you’re interested in the genre, the albums below are a great starting point to get yourself acquainted with it.

—Abegail Ranaudo, Contributor

4 METALLICA

Hardwired…to Self-Destruct (Blackened Recordings, 2016) M e t a l l i c a’s 1 0 t h s t u d i o a l b u m , Hardwired…to Self-Destruct , has turned an unsatisfied metal-head like myself into a believer again. If Metallica were to combine the sound of their last album, Death Magnetic , their breakout album, Metallica and their Load/Reload albums, you would get Hardwired…to Self-Destruct . The album features incredible vocals from lead singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield who, at 53, is still able to belt out his lyrics in a way that gives you chills. The guitar riffs on the album are fast and catchy and demonstrate a strong comeback. Songs like “Spit out the Bone” and “Hardwired” are some of their fastest and heaviest songs to date. The one problem with the album is that the songs are a little repetitive, as the riffs tend to be repeated more than they need be.

Despite that one issue, Metallica’s latest record is one of their best releases since the 1990s.

11 Trial track: “Atlas, Rise!”

8/10

Metallica - Master of Puppets Metallica’s 1986 third studio album, Master of Puppets, is a classic in the world of thrash metal. Not only is it one of their best albums, it’s one of their heaviest. If there was one album that could perfectly sum up the 1980s thrash metal sound, it would be Master of Puppets. From the very start, listeners are greeted by the song “Battery.” It’s a song that begins with a quiet, melodic guitar intro that eventually explodes into an earth-shattering riff, setting the tone for the whole album.

The album features multiple nine-minute anthems, like “Master of Puppets,” “Disposable Heroes” and “Orion.” Each song has intricate, heavy riffs that are complemented with drummer Lars Ulrich’s signature double-bass playing. While the songs are heavy, the arrangements are still beautiful. The song “Orion” is an eight-minute instrumental that sounds orchestral while at the same time exhibiting relentless aggression. Overall, Master of

— Alexander Cole, Sports Editor Graphics by Thom Bell.

Puppets is a must-listen if you’re new to metal. It’s heavy, but still accessible for a first-time listener.

Slayer - Reign in Blood If you thought Metallica’s Master of Puppets was heavy, just wait until to you hear Slayer’s Reign In Blood. Just like Master of Puppets, the album was Slayer’s third and it was also released in 1986. Reign in Blood begins with the song “Angel of Death” which welcomes the listener with a speedy riff and a blood-curdling scream from lead singer Tom Araya.

When compared to Metallica, the music and the imagery is much more violent, but that isn’t necessarily a negative. The lyrical themes on the album include war, injustice and the Holocaust. The music itself reveals the darkness of these themes.

For example, the riffs and drumming are faster and Araya’s vocals are manic, with the cadence of a man spiralling into madness. Don’t expect any orchestra-type sounds on this album. Reign in Blood is a relentlessly heavy album that will have your blood pumping in no time.

Megadeth - Peace Sells...but Who's buying?

In 1986, Megadeth released their second full-length album, Peace Sells… but Who’s buying? After having been kicked out of Metallica because of his alcoholism, lead singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine brought a unique sound to the world of thrash metal with this album. For starters, Peace Sells, while still fast, is not as speedy as the previous two albums on this list. Instead, the instrumentals on this album are more technical. In the opening track, “Wake Up Dead,” the riff is simple, yet delivered with a precision that bands like Slayer lacked. Megadeth also sets themselves apart on this album by incorporating more bass into the mix.

In the intro of the title track, “Peace Sells,” there is a groovy bassline that is

quite unique when compared to bands like Metallica and Slayer. Apart from the bass and the riffs, Mustaine’s guitar work on the album is impressive, as his solos hit so hard they’ll practically melt your face off. If you’re looking for a politically charged metal album, Peace Sells is an incredible listen.

Anthrax - Among the Living Anthrax’s 1987 album, Among the Living , is one of their best and was regarded by the BBC as “arguably their big breakthrough.” Among the Living is probably one of the most progressive albums on this list, as all of the instrumentals contain various beat shifts and melodies. Anthrax demonstrates not just aggression and speed on this record, but shows their humorous side as well. In songs like “I am the Law,” a song based on the comic book Judge Dredd, the lyrics are tongue-in-cheek and kind of make you laugh, all while encouraging you to head bang. Unlike the seriousness of the last three albums, songs like “Caught in a Mosh” can be played at any party and people could get into it. Among the Living is a thrash metal album that doesn’t take itself too seriously which is why it’s a great place to start.

sports

SPORTS EDITOR /// sports@theconcordian.com ALEXANDER COLE ( @AlexCole_80)

PROFILE

Student pursues career in mixed martial arts Concordia exercise science major Sean Michael Ahimon is training hard for a career in the UFC

Ahimon is currently focusing on kickboxing, which he said can be exhausting. Photos by Elisa Barbier.

ELISA BARBIER STAFF WRITER Sean Michael Ahimon, a mixed martial arts fighter and Concordia University student, has been practicing one specific philosophy for most of his life.

“When you go [into the fighting ring], there is no blaming anyone else. If you mess up, it’s on you,” Ahimon said.

Ahimon, 18, started martial arts at the age of nine when his mom suggested he get into it because he was being bullied at school. Early on, he met Derek Watson, his instructor, who gave him a strong passion for martial arts.

However, Ahimon said Watson left only six months after he arrived, as he was unhappy with his superior’s choices when it came to running the school.

It was only during a taekwondo demonstration by Watson at Ahimon’s middle school that the two had the chance to meet again.

Right after, Ahimon signed up at Watson’s school, Strive Martial Arts. This was a turning point for Ahimon and his art. He furthered his training and earned his black belt. He had his first competition during his first year of high school.

“It was nerve-wracking. I didn’t know what to expect. I remember watching a bunch of videos of taekwondo Olympians and trying to copy what they do,” Ahimon said. “When the fight started, I just went blank. I just remember spinning, spinning, spinning.”

On that day, Ahimon would dodge every kick and countered with roundhouse kicks—a semicircular kick that strikes the opponent with the front of the leg. Yet, as he executed a tornado kick—a roundhouse kick with a body rotation—he mistakenly landed on his kicking foot, performing a 540 tornado kick that directly hit his opponent. The kick got him the attention of 10 different martial arts schools, since it is rarely used for purposes other than displaying one’s abilities outside of fights.

From then on, Ahimon started taking tae-

kwondo seriously. He started wrestling with his high school team and started kickboxing during his sophomore year. By the end of high school, Ahimon was the fifth-ranked wrestler in his home state of Maryland. During that time, he also fought three kickboxing fights and 70 taekwondo fights.

As he continued to participate in multiple competitions for different martial arts, Ahimon said he learned how to deal with the tension from competing. Nevertheless, Ahimon said he still feels nervous sometimes, but he thinks it’s a good thing—it creates an out-of-body experience that makes the fight more memorable, he said.

In terms of his fighting ability, reaching a higher level pushed him to be more conscious of his moves, since opponents at higher levels are better at countering. He said fighting is more of a strategy game for him now.

In April, Ahimon competed at the German Grand Prix in Hamburg with the U.S. national taekwondo team. It was his first national tournament and the team lost by three points to Germany. After the competition, Ahimon said he wanted to move from competing in taekwondo to kickboxing, as he was tired of it.

When it comes to practice, Ahimon described it as fun, although the intensity has continued to increase.

“[There is] lots of kicking and I get tired fast,” Ahimon said. “But when you are tired, you still have to kick.”

Nowadays, Ahimon trains three hours a day, five days a week at Tristar gym, which is the same gym UFC fighter George St-Pierre trained at. When he trains, Ahimon switches between pad work, sweep drills, weight-lifting and cardio. Sometimes, he even gets to spar with other MMA fighters.

When reflecting on what made him want to pursue his dream of becoming a professional MMA fighter, Ahimon said it was all because of a fight he saw on TV. “I always threw [dreams] out there when I was a little kid,” Ahimon said. “One day in seventh grade, I was thinking of extreme things I wanted to be, and I turned on the TV and UFC was the first thing that came on.”

The fight was between Chad Mendes and Rani Yahya. According to Ahimon, if it wasn’t for that fight, he probably wouldn’t be pursuing a career in MMA, and would never have gotten so invested in combat sports.

Ahimon is currently studying exercise science at Concordia, but his main goal is to switch into the journalism program. Writing articles in high school gave him the passion to want to pursue journalism.

“I like writing articles, specifically about

sports and music. I like to break those things down,” Ahimon said.

Ahimon has been trying to adjust to life in Montreal, all while finding a healthy balance between his new training regimen, his schoolwork and his social life. He said it’s hard to find a happy medium. However, living in residence has allowed him to cut down transportation time and meet with friends easily.

When it comes to school, he said his mindset is, if he completes his assignments properly and quickly, he will be able to compete more.

While talking about the difference between team sports and an individual sport like mixed martial arts, Ahimon said the feeling you get from both are different, as individual sports allow you to truly feel and see your strength.

This is something he feels team sports lack.

“When you play a team sport, you will never ever ever understand what it is to win a fight,” Ahimon said. In his opinion, in combat sports, “it is all your hard work that determines the outcome of the fight.” Ahimon added, with a team, on the other hand, one’s ability may be less decisive in competition.

“When you win, you physically control your own destiny, not your team,” he said.

Ahimon’s next fight is Dec. 3, although his opponent and the location of the fight are still unknown.

Empowering women through sports Stingers skills coach, Caroline Ouellette, is inspiring young hockey players

OLIVIA O’MALLEY STAFF WRITER Through hockey, Les Canadiennes de Montréal forward Caroline Ouellette hopes to empower young women by teaching them the lessons she has learned throughout her time playing the game.

Ouellette has been an integral part of the Canadian women’s national hockey team since 1999. The four-time Olympian has never lost in a final, winning gold in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. According to CBC Olympics, she has played the third most games of any national team player in team history.

As someone with deep ties to the hockey community, Ouellette said “it’s a responsibility for Olympians to give back.”

When Ouellette is not playing for Les Canadiennes de Montréal, she coaches the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team as a skills and development coach. She is also the owner of the Caroline Ouellette High Performance hockey camps, located in Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

Her love for the game is what led her to start coaching and mentoring young women. She said she finds motivation through teaching girls to become confident and assertive—characteristics she feels will help them later in life. “[When they] face the world, they will have the confidence to become anything they desire,” Ouellette said. “When I see young girls playing, it makes me so happy, because I’ve experienced the best moments through my sport.”

Ouellette said the lessons hockey has taught her prepared her for everything she has faced in life.

At age nine, Ouellette joined a boy’s hockey league because, at the time, it was not considered a sport for girls. “You played with the boys or you didn’t play at all,” she said.

After years of perseverance and competing against boys, she joined the women's national team at 17.

Wanda Bedard, president of the 60 Million Girls Foundation—an organization Ouellette spoke at—said she found Ouellette’s story

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PROFILE

theconcordian

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NOVEMBER 22, 2016

Rant of the Week

BY ALEXANDER COLE

HL GO TO SHOULD THE N THE OLYMPICS? Since 1998, the NHL has allowed its athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics. Every four years, the league shuts down for two weeks while its players fight for Olympic gold.

It was reported this past week that NHLcommissionerGaryBettmantold the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that, if the IOC does not pay the players’ travel, insurance and accommodation costs, the NHL will most likely not participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Bettman said the cost of sending players to the Olympics would be around $10 million.

of gender discrimination to be an inspiring story of determination and strength.

Ouellette is currently working to close the gender gap in the sport she is so passionate about. Young boys are encouraged to play hockey, while young girls don’t get that same encouragement.

According to Ouellette, one problem that arises with few all-girl teams is that teams have to travel farther in order to find opponents.

“If we offer more programs to tr y hockey, girls will know if they like it, and, if they do, then [the parents are] going to be convinced,” Ouellette said.

One of the ways Ouellette encourages young girls to try hockey is during events like the third annual Girls Hockey Celebration tournament, which is taking place between Dec. 15 and 18. The tournament is expected to host 50 to 60 all-girls teams. One of the workshops offered at the tournament allows girls to borrow full sets of of equip-

When Ouellette ment for f ree isn’t playing for Les and participate Canadiennes, she in a practice led is a skills coach for

by Ouellette and the Concordia various female Stingers. Photos by Olympians.

Photos by Yacine Ouellette said Bouhali. in collaboration with Hockey Canada and Hockey Quebec, more programs should be offered where girls can borrow equipment to test the sport out.

While Ouellette hopes to encourage more young girls to play hockey, she has another dream: a professional league where female athletes are paid to play.

A professional league “would give young girls a clear path of what they can aspire to, just like how young boys who play dream of the Stanley Cup,” Ouellette said.

While young boys can pursue their dreams of playing in the NHL, it isn’t the same case for girls. Although women’s hockey becomes prominent during the Olympic games, little attention is paid to it during the four-year gap in between, she said.

According to Ouellette, in order for women to get paid to play, there must be sponsors and media coverage to bring attention to the league and a partnership with the NHL. Her contributions to women’s hockey have not gone unnoticed. In 2013, she was the recipient of the Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award. According to Hockey Canada, this award is given to an active player “whose values, leadership and personal traits are representative of all female athletes.”

When asked about what she would do if given the opportunity to play with the national team at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, she said that she would play.

“It is the greatest honour and privilege to wear that jersey and play in front of the best hockey fans in the world,” said Ouellette.

From a fan's standpoint, not having NHL players at the Olympics in 2018 would be kind of a drag. As an avid Team Canada supporter, the best part about the Olympics in past years has been seeing the best of the best fight it out for the gold medal. With NHL players at the Games, it is a real demonstration of which country is the best at hockey, because NHL players are quite simply the best in the world.

Despite all of that, the NHL and Olympic hockey could both benefit from the absence of NHL players in the competition. For starters, the notion that the NHL has to cease all operations because of the Olympics is just dumb. When the NHL does this, the season is extended by two weeks and they don’t play an All-Star game, which is probably the most exciting weekend of the year—thanks to both the skills competition and the game itself.

Furthermore, sending players to the Olympics can be a nightmare for NHL teams. Players who go to the Olympics are often the best players on their respective teams, and the risk of injury in a tournament that is not NHL-related is quite a risk to take. Just imagine Carey Price going to the Olympics and getting injured.

I don’t think the Montreal Canadiens would be too happy about that.

As for the Olympics, an absence of NHL players can be a return to form for the Games. The Olympics started allowing professional athletes to compete in 1986. However, the Olympics have always really been about the amateur athletes.

Moments like the “Miracle on Ice,” when the Americans beat the Russians at hockey in Lake Placid in 1980, wouldn’t have been possible without amateur athletes.

IftheNHLbacksoutofPeoyongchang, they will be restoring a much-needed purity to Olympic ice hockey, all while saving themselves a hassle two years from now.

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

EDITORIAL

Standing in solidarity with trans communities

Annual General Meeting

Over the last few years, trans issues If we look at the data provided by attacks, and the rates are higher when have gained a lot of traction in this TGEU from a broad perspective, Central looking at trans individuals of colour. country. This past week, many people and South America have the highest rates Transphobia is not just some term from all over the world came together of trans murder, with more than 1500 loosely thrown around in the media—it for Transgender Awareness Week, homicides in the last five years. These is a real issue that impacts individuals with hopes to address and educate figures only represent murders that were on a daily basis, and poses a real threat people on the issues the trans communities face.

The Canadian population has slowly become more aware of trans people and issues that impact this diverse and ever-expanding communities.

Our own campus i s q u i te i n c l u s i ve a n d open, and we have sever al groups , including t he Cent re for Gender Advocacy and Queer Concordia , const ant ly advocating for LGBTQ+ rights within our community. We here at The Concordian applaud them for t h e ama z ing wor k Remembering all those who lost their lives to transphobia. Photo by HNewberry. they do.

This aside, the amount of violence and discrimination towards reported. The number is probably a lot to their very existence in our society. trans individuals across the world is higher due to the fact that many trans In a powerful op-ed for The Guardian, absolutely staggering and disturbing. murders go unreported, especially in Meredith Talusan stated that simply being Ever y 31 hours, a trans individual is third world countries, according to TGEU. trans makes individuals a target in our murdered somewhere in the world, Furthermore, there were 21 trans transphobic society. Talusan goes on according to the Trans Murder Monitoring deaths so far this year in the United to say that transphobia is omnipresent Project. There have been 137 murders in States alone, according to the Human and can present itself a variety of forms, North America alone between January Rights Campaign (HRC). The organi- even from loved ones. She even stated 2008 and December 2015, according to zation reported these deaths were due a t r ans woman , she’s e x p er ience d Transgender Europe (TGEU). to gunshots, stabbings and physical discrimination from straight men who

believe she’s “fooling them” and does not have the right to occupy the same spaces as a cisgendered woman.

Here at The Concordian , we find these transphobic incidents completely unacceptable and upsetting. Just because someone doesn’t understand the basics of trans issues, does not mean they have the right to ostracize and marginalize them from the rest of society.

Now is the time when we m u st wo r k t i re l e s s ly to continue to educate the public and prevent any form of transphobia.

Just this past May, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced Bill C-16, which would allow individuals to freely e xpress their gender and would protect them f rom “discrimination and hate,” according to CBC News.

L a s t w e e k , B i l l C-1 6 wa s pa ssed in the House of Commons, meaning our government has took a giant stride towards protecting trans individuals in Canada. The Concordian is incredibly proud of this bill, but we urge the entire student population to educate themselves on trans issues and fight transphobia wherever and whenever you come across it.

If we listen to the wise words of Deepak Chopra, “Nothing brings down walls as surely as acceptance.”

Le journal étudiant Concordian Inc. will be holding its annual general meeting on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 3 p.m. in the Concordian's business office, H-733-4. For more information please contact directors@theconcordian.com

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

theconcordian

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BUSINESS

Uber: A win-win, or a catch-22

Taking a look at Uber’s devious practices in the business community and beyond

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ARASH SHARMA CONTRIBUTOR Last month’s cat-and-mouse game between Uber drivers and Bureau du taxi de Montréal (BTM) officers led to confusion, tension, vehicle seizures and even arrests.

BTM claims Uber drivers cannot offer paid rides without a taxi-driver's licence or permit.

Despite this legal grey area, Uber offered to pay their drivers to disobey the Quebec law. The resulting animosity between both groups is leading to groupthink, whereby Uber and taxi supporters irrationally conform to the views held by their own in-groups at the expense of actual facts.

As a fellow digitally literate young professional, I can see why it is so easy to buy into this hype and jump on the Uber-wagon.

It’s a convenient, flexible and affordable transportation solution for many customers.

Uber also allows common drivers to cash in on their otherwise non-monetized driving skills. In fact, the company claims a driver can earn up to $90,000 a year. So, how is this sharing economy not a win-win?

The problem lies in the dynamics of the relationship between Uber and its drivers.

It is in Uber’s best interest to hire as many drivers as possible to keep up with the growing demand. Uber promises drivers a business-to-business (B2B) partnership, whereby Uber and drivers grow the brand

‘together’ to attract more consumers. As such, drivers feel solidarity with Uber, even though Uber is the sole owner of the brand.

This ambiguity in roles created by drivers’ illusory belief in an equal partnership precipitates a business dilemma. As Uber scales their product, which consists of others’ labour and transactions, less consideration is attributed to drivers’ needs.

For this reason, a dissociation within this relationship is inevitable.

So, how about that advertised $90,000 annual salary? Not surprisingly, a 2015 investigation by Philadelphia City Paper suggested that Uber drivers would have to work 27 hours a day to earn that much.

As users, we falsely assume Uber is socially and technologically innovative. According to Stanford Business, the value of social innovation accrues primarily to the society rather than single individuals. Specifically, the added value of a socially innovative idea is necessarily greater than the gains acquired by individual entrepreneurs. I do not think small-talk with strangers qualifies as social innovation.

Perhaps then Uber’s source of innovation is more technological than social. However, the truth is that technology actually plays a secondary role for Uber. Although it is evident that much effort has been invested into the app’s programming, nothing is overtly proprietary about its development.

Uber’s talents are not epitomized by

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cutting-edge innovation. Rather, Uber crookedly differentiates itself from the competition by finding legal loopholes and bending the rules. Worst still, The Observer claims that Uber has previously sabotaged Lyft (a competing app) by ordering thousands of fake rides.

Uber’s $62.5 billion USD net worth has lured governing bodies into making special, loose accommodations and exemptions. For example, training for Uber drivers consists of watching a 13 minute YouTube video, the privacy of customers’ information is questionable, and background checks are easy to get around, according to a report by The Globe and Mail. This is dangerous for several reasons. First, consumers’ health and safety is reduced merely to an afterthought instead of a top priority. Undeniably, taxi drivers require much more certification and testing.

Secondly, Uber has a disproportionately stronger negotiating position, and so drivers are left without any leverage in all key decision-making. Uber has the power to jack up prices when demand drastically increases as it does on holidays, whereas taxi drivers are required to charge regular prices and accept all customers without discrimination.

Lastly, Uber drivers are hired as so-called independent contractors—not employees, according to a report by CBC News. This means Uber can get away with denying responsibility or lying without ever being held accountable. For example, The Observer

reported that Uber has been known to slash fare prices, which caused drivers’ earnings to drop below the minimum wage. Then, Uber actively blocked drivers’ repudiating tweets to minimize harm to their brand. Clearly, sharing is not always caring, especially when Uber doesn’t share any of the accountability.

Unlike taxi drivers, Uber drivers take on all the risks but none of the benefits. Uber drivers pay for all their car insurance, inspections, gas, repairs, maintenance, depreciation and sales tax. Meanwhile, drivers are rewarded with insufficient training, marketing advice and profit margins.

In sharing economies, users rent or borrow assets owned by someone else.

Unfortunately, this business model has atomized the workplace. ‘Micro-entrepreneurs’ are working in ‘micro-economies.’ The result—a perfectly schemed catch-22—as consumers’ influence shrinks, the power of ‘sharing’ monopolies grow. All the while, we the consumers turn a blind eye. Uber has all the leverage, and we gave it to them.

It's time we jump off the Uber hype-wagon before it drives us into the ditch.

Uber users using their mobile devices to summon an Uber vehicle to their locations. (1) Photo courtesy of Freestocks.org. (2) Photo courtesy of Nuceleo Editorial. (3) Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

(4) Photo courtesy of Mark Warner.

letters Let’s #CUcompost Only 50 years ago, Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich wrote “the battle to feed all of humanity is over,” in a book titled The Population Bomb. He predicted that millions would starve within a decade despite any emergency program. The Green Revolution proved him wrong with cross-breeding to develop high-yield and disease-resistant wheat—the world population doubled within 40 to 50 years and production per acre quadrupled.

Now, another food security crisis looms. According to the UN, we waste one third of the food we produce, while 0.8 billion people are undernourished. The UN states it would cost $30 billion to address the world’s food crisis, while food waste losses in industrialized countries alone cost $680 billion. Food waste in industrialized countries occurs mainly at the consumer level. This one is in our hands!

Beyond reducing food waste, diversion is also critical. Landfills are a leading methane emitter. Simply put, reducing and diverting waste would reduce greenhouse gas emissions dramatically—composting transforms organics into soil.

At Concordia, 43 per cent of waste (255 tonnes) is compostable. Yet, we compost 67 tonnes, and send 188 tonnes to landfills, according to the 2013-2014 Concordia waste audit. We should do better.

The challenge is multi-faceted. Compost bins are rare at Concordia, compostable waste is sent to an out-of-province composting facility and, ultimately, this social issue requires a culture change.

While Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) at Concordia insists that using closer facilities may not significantly reduce emissions, they also recognize the need for on-site composting. We should strive for a closed, self-sufficient food cycle where we use our own compost to grow our food.

Any on-campus awareness campaign should include two goals: firstly, ensure that compostable waste goes to compost bins, and secondly, minimize the contamination of compost bins with non-compostables.

Contamination produces poor quality soil, which is an ongoing problem for Concordia’s City Farm School and Greenhouse, who use compost to grow food on campus.

Last year, Concordia Council on Student Life (CCSL) funded a collaboration called Waste Not, Want Not with a $35,000, two-year grant. The collaboration includes students (Graduate Individualized Student Association), faculty (Loyola Sustainability Research Center) and administration (EH&S). It has three synergistic pillars: more widespread compost bins, a better composting model and an educational campaign.

CCSL funding is to pay only for education, while Concordia’s vice president of services, Roger Coté, stressed his commitment to infrastructure investments. The Sustainable Action Fund (SAF) supported the Waste Not, Want Not campaign with another $1,000.

So far, so good—the number of public compost bins on campus have doubled. Almost all student and university orientation events include compost, and an intensive social media campaign has been launched. Fifteen hundred people engaged per day in a five-day food festival, catered by our very own Hive Café Co-op, to learn how to compost on campus.

More than 62 students, 47 staff and 20 professors signed up to volunteer. Student volunteers, who will be recognized by Concordia’s Co-Curricular Record (CCR), informed the university community about the new compost bins. Staff volunteers, including security, have compost desk signs. Professor volunteers gave class presentations. Concordia’s Creative Reuse Center provided our artistic volunteers with art supplies diverted from landfills to make signs. Concordia’s community is engaged, committed and invested. Like a campfire, though, this spark of community engagement must be maintained with concrete actions.

Concordia is a 50,000-member community, the size of a small town.

Much of what we do can be like adding a drop to a bucket of water. To change the culture, that drop must be like ink, changing the colour of the water. Compost must be made present in our minds consistently and persistently.

This year, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) adopted a sustainability policy aiming to reduce and compost food waste. The graduate community must remain vigilant to implement that policy.

Concordia Student Union (CSU) already has a sustainability policy, and a campus-wide policy is in the works. Other associations should follow.

All events taking place in the university where food is served should automatically be provided with compost bins as part of the space booking process. Events organized by student associations, faculties, gradpro skills, institutes, research centres and Alumni Relations should be zero waste. While the establishment of policy remains necessary, staff champions who organize those events can make a real and positive difference.

There are still less than 30 public compost bins. Expansions in public areas and staff kitchenettes are planned but have yet to materialize.

Implementing on-site composting remains uncertain, as the Loyola composter remains inoperable. Further infrastructure investments with clear timelines are necessary.

Such infrastructure investments are not unheard of fairy tales for universities. The University of Sherbrooke diverts about 80 per cent of its waste away from landfills, ensures that all common areas, kitchens and lounges are equipped with compost bins, and operates its own composter with a 70 tonnes annual capacity, according to their website. Concordia diverts about 60 per cent of its waste. A total of 363 tonnes of waste from Concordia go to landfills, 188 tonnes of which is compostable—more than 50 per cent—according to Concordia’s 2013-2014 waste audit. Compost should be priority one!

While Concordia’s new strategic directions do not explicitly include sustainability, a separate “outline” integrating it within the new directions was composed by the sustainability governance framework—university committees on sustainability. We must act with a sense of urgency to live up to the sustainability expectations of both Concordia and international communities.

In the meantime, buy only what you need, finish your meals and throw your leftover food and contaminated paper in the compost bins with orange lids! A community consultation hosted by Concordia’s Facilities Management is scheduled for Dec. 2 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in GM 1060-01 to discuss future Concordia investments in on-site composting.

For more information, visit concordia.ca/compost. Whether you are a student, faculty or staff member, join us and share pictures of your sustainable events on our Facebook and Twitter (CUcompost).

- PhD student Keroles Riad and Professor Peter Stoett.

Photos by Kim Gagnon.

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

theconcordian

Re: Concordia responds to possible tuition hikes In response to Concordia University’s statements to The Concordian regarding the administration’s proposal to increase tuition for incoming international students in deregulated programs through cohort pricing (“Concordia responds to possible tuition hikes,” Tuesday, Nov. 18), as an elected representative of the Concordia Student Union I feel obligated to present clarifications of our own.

University spokesperson Chris Mota’s assertion that there would be student input regarding the proposal is very questionable. Yes, “all members of the board, student governors included, will vote on the proposal;” but of 25 members of the board, only two students are eligible to vote, and only one is an undergraduate. A single representative vote at the point of adoption is not the opportunity for proper undergraduate input.

The CSU, like The Concordian, has been told that the cohort pricing proposal is justified by feedback from surveys with prospective international students. We are still waiting, however, on any basic details regarding these surveys, including when and where they were conducted and what exactly were the questions asked. In any case, market surveys are not a substitute for consultation with those who represent the memberships that will be affected.

We are confused by President Alan Shepard’s statement that “historically, [Concordia has] been setting the tuition to be exactly identical to the tuition rise prescribed by the Quebec government for Quebec residents and the rest of Canadian [sic] students, which is still regulated by the government,” We do not know if he is referring to one of two different rates of annual tuition increase: for example, in 2015 the increase was 1.5 per cent for Quebec residents, and 3.8 percent for Canadian students out-of-province.

Regardless, we read this statement as false, since Concordia has been setting the tuition increase rate for international students in deregulated programs the same as the rate for regulated programs, with the exception of major tuition hikes for some deregulated programs implemented in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 academic years. This is why international undergraduate students in JMSB currently pay an extra $186.26 per credit ($717.69 instead of $531.43), and undergraduate international ENCS students pay an extra $62.62 per credit ($656.21 instead of $593.59), compared to the regulated programs (refer to http://www.concordia.ca/admissions/tuition-fees/how-fees-are-billed/undergraduate/fees.html).

We agree with Dr. Shepard in that we “regret [this] being played out […] like we’re debating international tuition in the press,” since we at the CSU would prefer that conversations regarding decisions that impact members of our community be open, transparent and bring representatives of affected stakeholders to the table. We invite direct conversation with the university administration in place of conversation through the proxy of the student press. However, it is better that these ‘debates’ happen at all than have no conversation prior to the Board of Governors’ adoption and its presentation as a fait accompli.

This past Wednesday we heard international students at our public Town Hall talk about their own experiences with financial precarity and disenfranchisement within the institution, and we suggest that Concordia listen to its students as well.

- Lucinda Marshall-Kiparissis, General Coordinator of the CSU

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Comic by Anthony Labonte.

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NOVEMBER 22, 2016

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