The Concordian - Issue 26 (2015-04-14)

Volume 32

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Issue 26

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Independent student newspaper at Concordia University. Since 1983.

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theconcordian

April 14, 2015

News p. 2

Reaching the boiling point

Thousands gather to challenge Canada’s stance on the use of fossil fuels Photo by Andy Fidel

In this issue

LIFE

p. 6

ARTS

p. 7

Advocating for Warn: not just student vets skin-deep

MUSIC

p. 9

A mélange of diverse genres

SPORTS

p. 12

Embracing baseball in MTL

We tell your stories. Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

OPINIONS

p. 13

You’re a grad.

Now what?

theconcordian.com

news //

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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015

Write to the editor: news@theconcordian.com

CITY FRÉDÉRIC T. MUCKLE Assistant news editor

Protest // NEWS

Seeking real change on climate Over 25,000 march in Quebec City ahead of climate change summit

>> A LITTLE MORE TIME FOR THE CHILDREN

Moisson Montreal, a non-profit organization acting as the most important food bank not only in the city but also, according to their website, in the country, is extending a special fund-raising campaign by one week. The organization is still looking to gather $80,000 to achieve their $250,000 goal. The campaign was launched in 2012 and is looking to provide food supplies for children five years of age or under. This would provide to those children a well-balanced nutrition during this critical developmental moment in the life of a child. Children composed 28 per cent of their 140,706 monthly beneficiaries.

>> VIGILANTES IN MONTREAL

La Presse reported this week that a collective called the Garde citoyenne du Québec which started patrolling in Villeray–Saint-Michel– Parc-Extension, allegedly in response to requests of some of the residents. A series of thefts took place last year in the same area.

The group is composed of about 20 individuals that describe themselves as “survivalists.” The Garde citoyenne du Québec also organize self-defense workshops and consider themselves as civil rescuers. The SPVM reportedly warned of possible problems that could emerge from such citizen initiatives.

MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

A Concordia contingent of some 150 to 200 individuals made their way to Quebec City over the weekend to take part in a march against tar sands, pipelines, and climate change that some estimated included as many as 27,000 individuals.

The march was carried out in protest of Canada’s political stance on climate change, the muzzling of science through government policy, and what some called a lack of political will on provincial and federal levels towards tackling climate change and corporate power. It was also carried out to show solidarity with frontline communities most impacted by these policies. The march was followed by a Climate Action Forum on Sunday, held by activists looking to exchange ideas and develop new means of resistance to resource extraction.

It came just ahead of an April 14 climate change summit by Canada’s premiers.

“There were people coming from as far as Kingston and cen-

Photos by Andy Fidel

tral New Brunswick,” said Trevor Smith, executive member of Concordia’s Graduate Student Association (GSA). “You don’t see protests this big in Quebec City.”

In addition to the usual environmental presences like Greenpeace and delegations from First Nations communities, Smith said there was also a strong labour presence, which he found surprising.

The two-day event was peaceful and without incident, though

one of the Concordia buses was searched in the time between the students’ drop-off and pick-up.

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) preferred not to comment, citing a lack of information as to why it was searched and the wishes of the bus driver and organizer to stay anonymous.

“The purpose of the march was to let the political leadership across the country know that we can no longer afford to have a so-

ciety based on fossil fuels,” said CSU VP Academic & Advocacy Terry Wilkings, who also participated in Sunday’s Climate Action Forum.

“Projects like these lead to a broader conversation about what ethical investments look like,” he said. “They also highlight the dangers of predatory capitalism.”

“If our environmental safety was a financial institution, it would have already been fixed.”

>>

WITH WARM WEATHER ALSO COMES...

It’s this time of the year again.

No, not spring or the end of the semester. Montreal’s famous fifth season is here: construction time!

This period of the year is when the most ambitious construction public projects and road works taking place will be a bit more special, and busier, such as the work on the new Champlain bridge, which will be starting this summer according to La Presse. In addition to that, the Turcot interchange reconstruction will finally start as well. So be prepared to see a lot of those lovely orange traffic cones, because it’s just starting. It may also be the right year to trade in your car for a bike.

ANTI-PETROLEUM ACTIVISTS AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS CAME FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO DISPLAY THEIR SOLIDARITY AGAINST CHANGE IN AN EVENT CULMINATING IN A SYMBOLIC HUMAN THERMOMETER. PHOTOS BY ANDY FIDEL.

HUMAN-CAUSED CLIMATE

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015

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151 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est, Metro St-Laurent For reservations call 514 . 419 . 6177 danslenoir.ca Campus // NEWS

ASFA initiates harassment reforms

Institutes mandatory training, fires implicated consultant—but debate continues MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

Concordia’s Arts and Science Federation of Association (ASFA) acted on recent allegations over executive sexual harassment and racism by voting on April 9 to make sensitivity training mandatory for all incoming staff—for some, an action slow in coming.

They also voted to sever their relationship with the former President named in the allegations, Paul Jerajian, who was up until then working as an unpaid consultant with the organization.

This decision came about after several hours spent debating the validity and legality of the the original motion, which looked toward impeaching Jerajian.

The other individual involved in the allegations, former VP Social Sean Nolan, sent a resignation letter hours before the meeting, seemingly escaping the prospect of impeachment—for now. Nolan

cited health issues as the reason behind his leaving. He had two months left in his mandate.

The two were implicated at the meeting in allegations made by a former colleague, under the pseudonym of Mei-Ling, that the pair routinely subjected her to a climate of sexism. She’s since opened up a case before the Quebec Human Rights Commission, and one salient piece of evidence she brought with her was a conversation discovered on social media, showing the pair speaking about her in a racist and sexually degrading manner.

Though the decision to institute sensitivity and consent training was lauded by some as a “huge step” to be proud of, the decision of what to do over Jerajian and Nolan was a more mixed affair.

“Even if they don’t think they are biased to want to protect their friend, it is inherently a fact because of how close some of them are,” said Lana Galbraith, president of the Liberal Arts Society,

who said many of the people were looking for cosmetic change because it “looked good” and not because it “will do good.”

The viewpoint of one of her colleagues showed the wide split in opinion on the issue. He argued in the council session that there was insufficient evidence to prove any of the allegations had merit, thus making any decision for impeachment or severance a dangerous precedent.

Galbraith, however, remained adamant.

“My own councillor definitely did not represent his constituency, as he said that there wasn’t enough evidence to take any action against [them],” she said.

The debate over the definition of what is proper and required will doubtlessly continue, especially if more individuals step forward with their own stories of abuse and discrimination. An attempt to strip both Jerajian and Nolan of their end-of-year bonuses likewise stalled; whatever they were accused of at the moment,

some said, did not undo the fact they had performed their required duties to ASFA and thus were entitled to their full honorariums.

“The desire for accountability is definitely growing,” said Meriah Gillis, VP Internal for the Urban Planning Association, who’s one of the individuals continuing a petition to impeach Nolan. “They want accountability, and there are more of them everyday.”

Galbraith hoped the scandal would lead to long-term reform in the student group, but cautioned more was required to raise the student body’s consciousness than immediate emergency measures.

“I think it’s worthy of mentioning that ASFA has little to no visibility to its members,” said Galbraith. “When I was getting signatures last week [for impeachment] a lot of people had no idea what ASFA was until Mei Ling’s story broke.”

“Hopefully, this can be a learning experience for them,” said Galbraith.

City // NEWS

Protesters arrested after UQAM chaos One demonstrator was grabbed by police MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

The breeze after the storm: a lone arrest under a bridge during a minor protest on April 9. This picture came a day after an intense evening standoff at UQAM featuring student protesters and professors on one end and police officers on the other. The confrontation left property vandalized, glass broken, many arrested, and barricades erected. The anti-austerity protesters have lodged a formal complaint asking UQAM’s rector to step down as a result. Photo by Keith Race.

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NATION FRÉDÉRIC T. MUCKLE Assistant news editor

>> SENATOR MIKE DUFFY S TRIAL STARTS

Former Senator Mike Duffy’s trial started on April 6. Duffy stands accused of 31 counts of fraud, corruption and abuse of power in accusations following a scandal that arose last year where it was revealed that, among other irregularities, Duffy was declaring he lived in Prince Edward Island and collecting compensation, when he was actually living in Ottawa. Since then, many fraud and abuse of public funding allegations have been added to his name by the media. The former Conservative Senator’s expenses were criticized as an abuse of tax payer money.

>> RYAN REYNOLDS RUN-IN WITH PAPARAZZO Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Reynolds was hit by a car this week while walking in a Vancouver parking lot.

Reynolds is reportedly “okay” following the incident where a member of the paparazzi hit the star with his car in an underground parking lot outside a local hotel. The driver fled the scene afterwards, and police were able to confirm that Reynolds sustained no injuries.

The Vancouver-born actor has been in the city filming a new comic book movie adaptation for which he plays the titular character—Deadpool.

The police have not released any additional information about the incident but are conducting an investigation.

>> GOV. S POINTING FINGERS OVER ENVIRONMENT

Federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq fears provinces won’t achieve their greenhouse gas reduction targets by 2020.

Data in hands, Aglukkaq said she sent a letter to the provinces to outline that they are not on the right path in order to succeed.

This symbolic gesture came a few days before the provincial/ territorial environmental meeting that will take place in Quebec this week. The Ontario government announced that they will join a cap-and-trade deal with Quebec to help with their reduction targets, and at the same time urged the federal government to take a leading role in the reduction of greenhouse gas.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015

Campus // NEWS

WORLD FRÉDÉRIC T. MUCKLE Assistant news editor

>> REVOLUTIONIZING ROCKET SCIENCE

If you’re at all interested in space, technology or simply buying stuff from the Internet, you’ve probably already heard of Elon Musk. He first gained fame by creating Paypal and Musk is now the CEO of the rocket and spacecraft manufacturing company SpaceX, electric car pioneer company Tesla Motors, and the chairman of solar energy focused company SolarCity.

Musk made the news this week for his upcoming attempt to launch a rocket designed and manufactured

by SpaceX that could change the future of space travel: the Falcon 9, which is considered special because it could be the world’s first recycled rocket if plans to return it safely to earth from orbit are successful.

>> CUBAN AND U.S. LEADERS HISTORICAL HANDSHAKE

On Saturday, U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro, brother of the famous revolutionary figure, shook hands for the first time. The meeting took place during the seventh Summit of the Americas taking place in Panama. It was a first for Cuba, which was excluded from all past summits. This short meeting is considered historic since the last time the leaders of the two countries met. Still, this meeting does not mean that the two countries have became best friends overnight. Tension still exists between them. However, it’s safe to say that the remnants of the Cold War are now things of the past for the two countries.

Biology association victim of theft Office keys may have been compromised, leading to stolen hoodie cash MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

C

oncordia’s Biology Student Association (BSA) admitted at a recent council meeting that an undisclosed amount of money related to their hoodie sales appears to have been stolen or otherwise unaccounted for, leading to a change in the signing author-

ity in their executives’ governance.

The announcement was delivered by ASFA Vice-President of Finance Melina Ghio during a council meeting late last Thursday, April 9. Ghio said an ASFA investigation found security procedures weren’t carried out.

An agreement was reached to change who has the signing authority over BSA finances.

Whereas before, President Krutika Patel and VP Finance JP

Maillet were required to sign in the issuing of all cheques, this authority has now been given to VPs Academic and Social.

Patel apologized for the oversight and explained at the council meeting that sufficient funds were found and transferred to make up for the deficit, albeit at the cost of late hoodie orders.

These funds came from events that could not be held in the time remaining in the semester. The BSA did not cite

a specific number lost, but the transfers shown at the meeting amounted to approximately $1,000.

The BSA’s budget in 20112012—the latest figures available on ASFA’s website—was just shy of $5,000.

The BSA chose not to provide further comment beyond a posting on their Facebook group page admitting to a “security breach” that led to a loss of funds, and a desire for transparency.

Campus // NEWS

Sustainability for the masses

Hot drinks and green talk on Concordia’s sustainable future MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

Sustainable Concordia held an informal session last Wednesday, April 9, to launch a mobilization campaign towards drafting of a new and concise sustainability policy for the university.

Subject to negotiations and limiting realities, at its basic it will cover nearly all aspects of student life, from the food services and wages of student workers to a “green” emphasis on curriculums, space usage, and transportation.

The school is undergoing public consultation towards its Strategic Directions Initiative,

which is looking for consensus and suggestions on how it should proceed in the years to come. Environmental friendliness is one such factor discussed.

“We’re bringing it back to students to renew interest,” explained Mike Finck, VP External of Sustainable Concordia, in explaining a process that’s taken several years to form the committees and get them active on the issue.

“It is unclear what it will actually look like at the end,” he said. “These are just ideas. We don’t have a hard line on the specific contents, just the consultation. This is more in line with Sustainable Concordia’s vision of multi-stakeholder participation.”

Finck said there is interest from both administration and student organizations, but the project is not entirely collaborative at this point and remains separate from the strategic directions initiatives. “I think that through no malicious intent whatsoever administrators have a tendency to think that because we have a sustainability analyst and they do good research it might not be as clear why we need community consultation.

We take this as a very integral part of the process.

Finck is hoping the policy will cover the hundreds of projects already being implemented by the school on diverse topics like environmental safety, resource consumption, and research initiatives.

Once the draft of the policy is complete, a public consultation period will begin seeking input from all levels of the university—staff, faculty and student—and will take into account research performed on the sustainable policies of outside institutions. It is hoped this greater inclusion will increase participation and make sure the policy does not ‘fall by the wayside.’

“Concordia should have a policy regulating [sustainability] across departments. This is a fundamental foundation to sustainability, and it’s something we should be able to point to for legitimacy from the administration and the community when we advocate for other sustainable initiatives,” said Finck.

>> LET S PRESENT THE NEXT CONTESTANT

Runner-ups for the 2016 upcoming American presidential election have been falling from the sky lately. The same trend continued this week with long-expected announcement of Democratic Party favourite Hillary Clinton’s candidature and the addition of Marco Rubio to the Republican roster. Rubio’s Hispanic origins would make him the first Hispanic president in U.S. history—if elected. On her side, Clinton is already the favourite on the Democrat’s side. The wife of the 42nd President of the United States lost to current president Barack Obama in 2008 and has been serving as Obama’s Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.

A PRESENTATION OUTLINING CONCORDIA’S SUSTAINABILITY POLICY AND ASKING FOR STUDENT INPUT WAS PRESENTED LAST WEEK. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE FINCK.

life

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015

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Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com Column // LIFE

Mim meets Montreal: seasons of love The finale: In which Mim shares her most memorable moments MIM KEMPSON Staff writer

In the nine months that I’ve lived here, I’ve met many different Montreals. I discovered that it is the four seasons that unequivocally define this city’s many characters. Never in my life had I dreamed of talking about the weather so frequently. However, there is no denying the fact that snow, wind and sunshine have a huge impact on a Montrealer’s way of life.

The first part of the city that I became acquainted with was the Plateau. Dressed in pastels and adorned with quintessential winding staircases, I quickly fell in love with the neighbourhood. It was the romance phase of my relationship with Mon-

treal; we picnicked in Lafontaine Park and strolled along a lively Mount Royal Ave. September quickly passed and then I ate poutine. This was the introduction to my quest to experience all things Montreal.

Not surprisingly, most of my outings were centred on food. I had Orange Julep, Chinatown dim sum, fresh bagels, BeaverTails, a Schwartz’s smoked meat sandwich, maple taffy and Easter brunch.

When November came around, Montreal grew cold and grey; we drifted apart.

However, our relationship was soon rekindled when the city gave me something magical and new: my first snow. If you’ve seen The Truman Show, my excitement for snow could be likened to Truman’s desire to see the ocean. To me, snow was of fairy tales, of Hollywood movies. For the first two months I loved it. Dressed in white, Montreal was beautiful. We skated on the lake and went to Nuit Blanche.

Then, like Truman, I hit a wall and realized that everything wasn’t as wonderful as I’d thought. Montreal turned to a sludge-

brown mess. The honeymoon phase was over. I struggled; I became a recluse. I almost left Montreal.

True, there were obstacles. But it was seeing beyond all the grandness and glamour of travelling that allowed me to appreciate the small things, and that is why I would highly recommend exchange. I was reminded of the value and importance of close friends, a comfortable home, good coffee and, of course, sunshine.

Indeed, the warm weather is bringing people out of their shells. On Sunday I saw joggers, happy couples, bike-riders, dogwalkers and friends. I heard laughter, music and bongo drums in the distance. There was no festival—the occasion was spring.

There is so much more of Montreal to meet, like bike riding, sugar shacks and climbing Mount Royal. A trip to New York will also be featured. This chapter might be over, but the next is only beginning…

Mim will be starting a blog to cover her last two months in Montreal. Head to

Photo by Maite Dion Larouche

www.mimmeetsmontreal.wordpress. com.

Panel // LIFE

A great city is more than the sum of its parts

Walrus Talks event invites some of Montreal creative professionals to discuss how to animate a city SARA BARON-GOODMAN Life editor

What goes into making a city great?

Is it the infrastructure, its economy, its geography? Or is it something beyond that, something not quite tangible—a feeling in the air, an intrinsic heart that beats to the rhythm of the uniqueness of the people, places, and things that line its streets? It is an energy, made from the creative forces and bright ideas of the individuals who work and play and live in this place. Without this heart, without a distinct culture, a city is nothing more than a collection of buildings and the roads that connect them.

On Monday, April 20, The Walrus Foundation, sponsored by Enbridge Pipelines Inc. and Concordia University, will host a speaker panel event featuring some of Montreal’s best and brightest creatives. Together, they will be trying to answer the question of what animates a city, what gives it its culture and that je ne sais quoi that all the great cities of the world have, from Montreal, to New York, to Paris, to Barcelona, to Tokyo.

The nine speakers come from backgrounds in design, art, music, history and more. They are all united by having contributed in some way to the cultural scene in Montreal, and will be offering insight on what brings a city to life.

The lineup features: Nathalie Bondil, director and curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; Terry Fallis, bestselling novelist and author of The Best Laid Plans; Gabrielle Fayant, co-founder of the Assembly of Seven Generations and Aboriginal outreach activ-

ist; Steve Galluccio, Gemini Award-winning screenwriter and playwright of Ciao Bella and Mambo Italiano; Steven High of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia; Nantali Indongo, a member of Nomadic Massive and founder of Hip Hop No Pop, which educates on the origins of hip hop music; Seth, a prolific cartoonist; and Will Straw, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, and is currently researching nighttime culture of cities.

Also on deck are Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat, co-founders of Daily tous les jours, which is an interactive design firm that creates engaging experiences through urban interventions, exhibitions, art installations, spatial design and more.

Embodying the spirit of the event, their work (in all of its many forms) seeks to breathe life into a space, creating conversation and shared experiences to unite people within these places.

“Whether it’s just enjoying installations that put in light differently a corner of their street or a corner of their city to the point where it becomes a place where they’re happy to stop by,” said Andraos. “Maybe they change their route a little bit to go through it, maybe they start to interact with the work, and therefore maybe realize that there are other people who are interacting with the work and the world in itself in the way that they are.”

In our increasingly globalized and urbanized world, with so many types of people from so many different cultures and perspectives all living together, Andraos explained that creating conversations in public spaces fosters communication and a sense of togetherness.

MOUNA ADRAOS & MELISSA MONGIAT, CO-FOUNDERS OF DAILY TOUS LES JOURS. “As the world population becomes increasingly urban, conversations about cities are multiplying, people are questioning how we can live together better, and how cities can really be sustainable in the long term, not just environmentally but socially,” she said.

The Walrus Foundation is a non-profit organization mandated to deliver engaging content and create forums to discuss issues pertinent to Canadians. Their Walrus Talks series aims to give new dimension to what is written in the Walrus magazine, while supporting Canadian talent. Despite the event’s sponsorship with Enbridge, all profits from ticket-sales will go to support the Foundation, according to Blair Elliott, Events and Special Projects Coordinator for The Walrus Foundation.

“To be honest, we are a bit concerned with the perception of the event and its ef-

fect on attendance, sales have been a bit slower than our other events,” she said, citing the Concordia community’s predisposition towards left-leaning and environmental causes as a possible reason for a lack of enthusiasm about Enbridge’s involvement.

However, Elliott ensures that the crux of the talk will be wholly dedicated to the important conversations surrounding creating a city’s identity.

“Besides providing sponsorship money to make the event possible, Enbridge has little influence over the content of the event,” she said.

Tickets are $10 and are available online at thewalrus.ca/the-walrus-talks-how-toanimate-a-city. The Walrus Talks How to Animate a City will take place at Concordia’s D.B. Clarke Theatre in the Hall building, April 20 at 7:30 p.m.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 Feature // LIFE

Helping student veterans succeed and survive First university veterans association in Canada launches initiatives at Concordia to support vets NATHALIE LAFLAMME Editor-in-chief

They’re a quiet, isolated student subgroup who you’ve probably never noticed. A group that faces unique issues and struggles, in and out of class. A group of people who are are over 88 per cent more likely to drop out than others. Fortysix per cent of them are living with Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. They are as a group, seven times more likely to commit suicide than other students.

These students are veterans. Just a few months ago, there did not exist any veteran associations on Canadian university campuses. The Concordia Veterans Association (CVA) has changed that.

Yves Leduc Butterworth, the founder and president of CVA, explained that upon returning from his deployment in Afghanistan, he had a very difficult time readjusting to civilian life. Because of his troubles, he realized that there was a lack of services for veterans who choose to go to university.

“When soldiers come back and then they get into university, it’s an alien kind of environment for us,” he said. “We don’t always feel welcome, we don’t like asking for help … Because of that, we isolate, and in the end we have a very high dropout rate,” Leduc Butterworth said. “I knew that I wouldn’t be the only guy with these problems. I wondered how many people were going through my problems and then became another statistic. I decided that I wanted to create a veterans association to try to prevent my story from happening to other veterans.”

As of now, the CVA is made up of four executive members. Leduc Butterworth, the founder and president of CVA, was deployed to Afghanistan in the summer of 2009. He has been at Concordia since 2010, and is studying history. Rory Blaisdell is the VP external, who retired from the Navy in 2013, and is currently studying at JMSB. Nicolas Petitot is the VP executive and VP of events. He has been a student at Concordia on-and-off since 2002, and has almost completed his degree in linguistics. He joined the military in 2004, where he did domestic work.

Three years ago, he was injured while on a mission in the Arctic. Eric Washburn is CVA’s VP internal, and also did a deployment in Afghanistan. He is currently studying anthropology at Concordia.

The association aims to aid student veterans succeed in school with the help of three pillars: peer support, transition assistance, and veteran advocacy, all with a strong emphasis on mental health.

Within these three pillars, they will be implementing various projects, many of which are already in the works.

Leduc Butterworth explained that peer support is not necessarily needed for those who are currently serving, as in the military and in the reserves, just being surrounded by other soldiers acts as a support group. But once soldiers leave, this changes, and the transition can be very isolating.

He explained that, at the University of Arizona, for example, veterans were put in the same class, and that, thanks to this, the dropout rate fell to zero per cent.

Blaisdell explained that it can be difficult to adapt because people with military

THREE OF THE FOUR CVA EXECUTIVES (FROM LEFT) RORY BLAISDELL, YVES LEDUC BUTTERWORTH, AND NICOLAS PETITOT. PHOTO BY KEITH RACE.

Photo by Keith Race

backgrounds think very differently from other students. This, in turn, can be a frustrating experience. For example, a big part of being in the military is being prepared and organized, as this can mean the difference between life and death when on a mission. Therefore, seeing other students sleeping in class, texting, or walking in late can be extremely aggravating.

Having a peer support group could help to ease the burden of these annoyances.

“It creates a structure for us to rationalize it, for us to talk it out, and work together in a way that we know how to work,” said Blaisdell.

The CVA plans on creating a mentorship program for veteran students. By teaming groups of veterans in the same program, students could be advised on what classes and teachers they might prefer, and always have peers in similar situations to speak with.

“If I’m keeping tabs on these people, and I realize that one of them didn’t show up to class on Wednesday, I give them a call,” Blaisdell said. “And if I give them a call, and he doesn’t answer, you go knock on his door. It’s picking each other up and carrying on. We’d like to create that structure.”

“At the moment veterans come in, they feel a hostile environment, so they lay low,” Leduc Butterworth said.

According to Leduc Butterworth, in the military, there is still stigma when it comes to mental health. Because of this, student veterans may feel uncomfortable seeking out help when they are experiencing difficulty.

“It takes a lot of courage within the veteran community to say they have problem,” he said.

In order to help student veterans adapt to university life and to help them prepare for graduation, the CVA plans on holding conferences and workshops in the near future. These will teach veterans how to use the skills they have learned in the military inside and outside of school, and inform them of companies and organizations that promote veterans in the workplace.

Two specific workshops are in the works and are set to take place next winter: one to help veterans transition into

university, and one to help them transition out and into the workforce. These will help veterans learn how to market themselves and the skills they have.

Leduc Butterworth explained that everything about university life can seem daunting to a veteran, from navigating mental health services to dental insurance.

“Even how to talk to professors—we don’t like asking for help, so that is foreign to us,” he said. “So having an engaging relationship with professors is something new. It takes a little bit of time in your career as a student to see that as something that is possible.”

The CVA will also be teaming up with the Concordia Undergraduate Psychology Association (CUPA) for events dealing with mental health. “We’d like to have associations working with us so that, as a group, we can change the stigma surrounding mental health in the university,” said Blaisdell.

Yves explained that integration can also be difficult because people with military backgrounds have such high standards when it comes to timeliness. For example, missing a deadline because of mental health issues, like PTSD or survivor’s guilt, would be very difficult to deal with.

One of the tangible goals that the CVA has is for veterans to receive accreditation from the university, similar to what the university currently does for Aboriginal students. When veterans apply to Concordia, they would check a box saying they are veterans, and that way, the CVA would be able to offer them the help they need, whether that be dealing with PTSD or helping them choose what classes they should take. They plan on eventually approaching the university with these ideas.

This accreditation would also make it much easier for veteran students to have an exam deferred if they are having a crisis. As of now, according to Leduc Butterworth, deferrals are dependant on professors. Often, they may demand a medical note. According to Leduc Butterworth, getting a medical note on the day of illness isn’t realistic when it comes to

mental health issues. Even getting out of bed can be impossible if someone is experiencing a crisis.

Blaisdell pointed out that the processes that are in place at the moment for deferrals are complicated and lengthy. Because of this, veterans will often just drop a class, wasting money and time.

“We’d like it to be more accessible, easier for veterans to say ‘look, I have a registered disability, I have an issue, I’ve got PTSD, I couldn’t write my exam.’ It’s an automatic deferral, there’s less questions asked,” said Blaisdell. Mental health conditions are long-term. You didn’t just break your leg and can’t do your exam on Monday. The university asks for proof, a medical note, but often any record of injury is with DND, or another clinic, and its usually a hassle to get the same type of proof as for a broken leg.”

“We are fighting for our brothers and sisters in the military. I know that there are people out there that are just suffering like I did, and that gnaws at me,” Leduc Butterworth said. “When you know that you have a brother or a sister at the school that is going through what you did, you want to help them. It drives us. It’s a fire for us … if I can help one veteran, prevent him from making the wrong choice, then in my mind my mission is complete.”

Eventually, the CVA does plan on reaching out to other universities. For now though, Concordia is a priority. They hope that the CVA will provide long-term help for veteran students.

“We are looking to have something somewhat permanent, because we don’t know what future conflicts are going to be like, and how many of them are going to return to university, or Concordia for that matter, to come back and improve themselves. We’re looking at leaving behind a legacy at Concordia,” Petitot said.

“What we want is peer support, transition assistance, veterans advocacy, mental health. That is our focus. Surviving, and succeeding,” said Leduc Butterworth.

To find out more about the CVA, visit their Facebook page or their site (which is currently still in construction) conuvets.ca.

arts

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Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com Exhibit // ARTS

Worn explores a moveable artistic medium The Concordia VAV Gallery’s student-run exhibit focuses on the everyday things we wear

THE WORN EXHIBIT FEATURES PHOTOS AND WORKS BY A VARIETY OF CONCORDIA FINE ARTS STUDENTS, AND SPEAKS TO THE EPHEMERAL NATURE OF WHAT WE WEAR AND THE NOTIONS OUR CLOTHING EXUDES. PHOTOS BY LINDSAY RICHARDSON.

LINDSAY RICHARDSON Arts editor

It’s an exhibit with a polyvalent outreach: fashion enthusiasts, art students and sustainability activists alike will be drawn to the latest display at Concordia’s VAV Gallery. Worn: An Exhibit of Wearable Art, debuted last week with the collaboration of the Fine Arts Student Alliance and under the careful guidance of curators Sara Amarica and Hanna van der Est. Works by 11 artists occupy the gallery’s space and pose new questions about the most versatile, prevalent and evocative art medium there is: clothing.

The carefully-worded mission statement describes how art is usually experienced as a relatively fleeting encounter between the viewer and the piece.

However, “artworks that are intended to be worn, be it by the viewer or a performer, act directly on the body thereby intensifying the relationship between viewer and art object and acknowledging the physical presence of the body.”

The assembly of artists and their varying works of wearable art speak to the body and its purpose as a “significant factor of identity.”

The curators asserted in the exhibit’s mission statement that all of the fea-

tured pieces are meant to be worn in a creative, artistically-minded way, despite the use of both conventional and more unusual materials—including twine, ceramic, cellophane and even what was initially thought to be cotton candy, but turned out to be fiberglass insulation.

A majority of the featured works are “hands-on” productions, as the textiles had been either manually crafted—in the case of knits—or manipulated to create unique and stand-out pieces of clothing. Worn underlines the fundamentals of (wearable) textile art and highlights sartorial self-expression.

At first it would be relatively easy to think that the artists collaborated together on one strong, unified collection, yet the gallery’s stark space was occupied by several independent pieces of work that come together cohesively under the proverbial umbrella of “what we wear.”

One installation featured two pressed “found” shirts that were hand-embroidered with simple, yet intricate designs.

Another, a mixed media and textiles piece by Olivia Mansveld, showcased a clothing rack of minimal black and white shirts with holes cut out on the left side of the breast. Inside of these holes, linking every shirt together, were crocheted and felted heart-semblant organs. Though the message was not explicitly stated, the visual was striking.

Another similarly poignant piece was Stripped, a collaboration between five artists which examines clothing as a measure of capital and self-worth.

“Clothing in any form is a signifier,” the statement reads. “As children, we see past clothing, interacting with individuals as other humans instead of categories until we are taught the codes our society uses to typify wearables.” Using transparent and plastic clothing modelled by nude subjects, Stripped aims to define and reveal the person beneath the clothing, highlighting the flesh to shed pre-packaged ideas and the notion that a person is a pre-packaged object.

For all intents and purposes, not every piece featured in Worn is totally serious. The Bundle Up project, a yarnbombing experience conceptualized by Montreal feminist university students was also featured.

“We thought it would be a great way to reach out to a lot of people within and without Montreal’s university scene and to have them interact with a feminist-activist art form,” said Stephanie Hornstein, one of the project’s founders. “The project was really about bringing a maximum of participants together and all working towards one goal,” she said.

With the collaboration of art collectives from Concordia, McGill, Université

de Montréal and UQAM, Hornstein and her colleagues arranged knitting and crocheting workshops across campuses. The work produced was eventually draped over the statue of Louis Cyr in St. Henri, a playful and ironic contrast considering the strongman’s brawny and masculine exploits in life.

“As knitting is associated to the feminine/domestic realm and as such has traditionally been considered as a lowbrow art form, releasing it into the public space is as pleasantly surprising as it is subversive,” reads the piece’s accompanying text box at VAV. The yarn bomb was installed in December and removed some days later.

Also worthy of note was the pop-up playtime corner that drew attention to felt replications of everyday objects, including both dog food and a clothesline of cartoonish fabric replications of sex toys.

All in all, the Worn exhibition speaks to the ephemeral nature of what we wear, as well as examines the implications of the sartorial choices that we often overlook or trivialize. This exhibit is an impressive amalgamation of some of Concordia’s promising artistic minds.

Worn is on display at Concordia’s VAV Gallery until April 17, located at 1395 Rene-Levesque Blvd.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015

Literature // ARTS

Daydreams of Angels is an enlightening read Heather O’Neill’s short story collection is a whimsical assemblage LINDSAY RICHARDSON Arts editor

It’s a challenge to forsake personal bias when writing a review such as this one.

I mean, to be fair, I’ve only met Heather O’Neill once in my life, but have been an avid follower of her work since the release of her first opus—Lullabies for Little Criminals—in 2006. Still riding the coattails of the success of her sophomore novel—The Girl Who Was Saturday Night—I have to admit I was a little surprised that O’Neill was releasing a collection of short stories at Drawn and Quarterly last Thursday.

Ultimately, after procuring my own crisp, fresh-off-the-press copy, I have to admit that Daydreams of Angels was pleasantly surprising in other ways as well.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with O’Neill’s style—a very particular one—she focuses on the nitty-gritty of urban life through the rosy filter of childhood innocence. In Lullabies, O’Neill brings forth the character of Baby, a 13year-old prostitute and burgeoning heroin addict who still totes around a suitcase filled with her dolls. She has honed the

ability to write about the ugliest things in a way that makes them poetic and somehow beautiful. All of her novels also take place in Montreal, which lends a sense of familiarity and proximity for us local readers.

With the above descriptions in mind, I can say with all certainty that Daydreams of Angels is a slight departure from the author’s fictional norm. The collection is a complete flight of fancy, and the stories are bizarre and outlandish in all of their short-form glory. Strange, adult-minded fairy and tall tales populate the cover of this unexpected release. They also highlight O’Neill’s incomparable knack for metaphors.

Some of the stories are funny—when a sixth-grade Jesus finds that his juice box has somehow been turned to wine, or a story that describes how babies really just wash up on the seashore for mothers to claim; a scientist in the boonies of northern Quebec fails in his attempt to clone a chorus line of Russian ballerinas, a young girl contemplates marrying a walrus, or Winnie the Pooh sends a letter of apology to Piglet following his kidnapping—O’Neill dabbles in the absurd and imaginative, but also brings a sense of wisdom and an implicit melancholy to her writing.

There are the sad stories too—ones that make you want to implode with an overwhelming sense of grief or helpless-

ness, despite the nuances of beauty and promise. “The Story of a Rose Bushâ€? tells the tale of a French girl who sells herself to German soldiers just to buy ĂŠclairs.

Other pieces dives into the daily life of abused children living within a cult, or recount the struggle of an innocent girl who fields the sexual advances of her stepfather.

The contrast and clash of themes leave the reader wondering how both creative personas can exist within the same person, and yet ultimately awestruck by the outcome.

Daydreams of Angels was released Thursday April 9.

It can be purchased at most retail locations for $22.99.

LIKE O’NEILL’S TWO PREVIOUS RELEASES, DAYDREAMS OF ANGELS CANADA’S TOP LITERARY PRIZES.

MAY BE A CONTENDER FOR

Fanfiction // ARTS

A

boy picks his way across the rocky shallows of a lazy stream. Tall trees, fir and pine, cast rippling shadows over the multitude of pebbles, silent beneath the shallow course. The sun is hot and the stream is cool; it is his most favourite place.

He loves it because it is not his home.

The wood has its bounds but does not confine. Here the boy runs freely and dreams upward and outward, not inward.

He is his father’s son. “Today the trees whisper, but not to

me.�

Sighs and whispers settle on the shallows as the easy course runs red.

Sunset.

Quiet vespers for distant tree-herds long gone; they become an effortless song, a stream to bathe in.

He is his father’s son.

Sudden crunches, a crack and a splash break in, discordant notes. He knows his sin before he’s on his feet.

Heedless in his lostness he faces it, a lone wolf, or starving dog, it matters not to a boy; it is a beast.

Dreams of knighthood cannot draw

All positions are open for 2015-2016

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for all editorial decisions and overseeing the production of the paper on a weekly basis. Responsibilities include managing section editors, copy and content editing, establishing and maintaining deadline schedules and ensuring that the overall

local scene.

SPORTS EDITOR The Sports section covers all sports and atheletic events at Concordia and in the greater community.

a sword that isn’t there, neither do they turn tooth or claw. Instead he cries out, small hands clutching the day’s prize— the largest pine cone of his short years.

Jaws agape, it pads forward. Dirty paws soil the crystalline flow.

With fear in his heart, he stands.

The trees have fallen silent in answer to his cry.

To turn or run would be death, he was taught this. His feet would now run in spite of wisdom, but for the deep roots of fear deepening, digging down below the smooth pebbles.

The beast coils, a snake on four legs

cloaked in mangey skin—a horror.

Behind eyes shut in faith, the boy again hears the lazy coursing and guarded whispers of the stream and trees.

Straining to listen, he peeks in hope, anchored by deeper roots—promises.

Before the boy stands the King. “I was not far off when I heard your cry.�

The boy runs into open arms, wet, muddy, and restored.

He is Elessar’s son.

-Matthew Civico

We’re looking to fill the following editor positions on our masthead: t/FXT t-JGF t0OMJOF

t"SUT t.VTJD t1SPEVDUJPO

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Send in your CV, a resume and three writing samples to applications@theconcordian.com by Masthead positions come with an honorarium.

music

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015

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Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

Profile // MUSIC

LaRoche brings a French touch This Montreal-based DJ mixes together the diverse genres he grew up listening to PAUL TRAUNERO Staff writer

F

rom blasting the hottest EDM hits in some of the most popular clubs in Côte d’Azur and around the French Riviera to pumping new energy into the Montreal and Toronto circuits, Vincent LaRoche is no stranger to the electronic music scene.

Melding his French heritage with his Canadian roots, 26-year-old LaRoche knows how to play to his strengths. “I prefer doing French house, but every country has its own style preference,” LaRoche said. “In North America, I’m conscious of the strong appreciation for Top 40 and hiphop, so coupled with my love and upbringing, all those genres play into my sets.”

Growing up with diverse musical influences, LaRoche knew from a very young age that music was his passion.

“When I was young, my father was big on Michael Jackson, so his music was playing constantly at home,” he said. As a teenager, he also got into genres like classic rock, metal and punk, and later began appreciating jazz and Latin music. “I’d say that all my musical influences [got mixed] together through the years and created my

musical identity. [Each influence] seeps in can collaborate for live instrumentation was old enough to get into the clubs.” For on drums or other instruments and vocals. any aspiring DJs looking to get started, Laone way or another into my music.”

LaRoche knew he wanted to be a DJ There is no comparing digital to live play- Roche had some advice: “I’d say be ready for a lot of hard work—lots of competiing and recording feel and quality.” from a young age.

Opening for established Canadian acts tion and rejection, but also lots of rewards “During the later years of high school, I saw a few of my uncle’s shows back home like Karl Wolf and Glenn Morrison, the when something finally goes your way,” in the south of France. I used to stand be- up-and-coming LaRoche says that Bob he said.

“It’s not an easy industry and you have hind him in the DJ booth and just watch Sinclar is his biggest DJ/Producer influhim work,” he said. “My uncle started ence. “I discovered House right before his to fight to further yourself and build your DJing very young, at the height of the vi- Western Dream album came out, so I re- name up. Putting together a good team to nyl craze in Europe, with classic house member going out dancing to “Love Gen- work with is a huge help; networking and hits. He had such grace and moved the eration” and “World, Hold On (Children collaborating is the best way to explore of the Sky)” back in France, way before I and expand your art.” crowd in such a way that captivated me.”

This captivation inspired a young LaRoche to purchase his first CDJ and mixer and begin practicing on his own.

With the technology offered today for DJs, LaRoche isn’t just spinning discs like his uncle, he’s also an audio engineer and producer. He feels strongly about the integration of live instrumentation into his sets.

“I try to get as much live instrumentation translated into my recordings—any sounds I can do myself with guitars and basses that I have at the studio, or through CATCH LAROCHE AT B SIDE BAR ON APRIL 18 FROM 8 P.M. TO MIDNIGHT, NO COVER. PHOTO BY LAURA ROSSI. friends and colleagues who

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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015

Quickspins // MUSIC

The Maine - American Candy (Big Picnic Records; 2015)

Toro y Moi – What For? (Carpark; 2015)

Ringo Starr – Postcards from Paradise (Universal Music Enterprises; 2015)

Earl Sweatshirt – I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside (Columbia; 2015)

The Maine’s newest release American Candy proves that the Arizona-based pop-rock band can change their sound while still incorporating the same songwriting style from their previous work, like their 2011 album, Pioneer, and the 2013 album, Forever Halloween. The album touches on themes of being carefree and learning to embrace your individuality, such as in the song “My Hair” (“I’ll let it all down everywhere/See I don’t care if you all care/It’s on my head and it’s not your hair”).

Overall, the majority of the album is upbeat and filled with sassy electric guitar riffs, alternating drumming patterns and punchy background vocals. Each song sounds different from the next, but together they work well to tell a story about having a good time despite the uncertainties and negative moments in life. American Candy is a fun record to listen to with the windows down and is sure to be a summer staple for any pop-rock junkie.

Substituting the already worn-out pastiche of chillwave with the uniform sounds of reverb-laden psychedelic pop, What For? isn’t exactly a reinvention for Chazwick Bundick, aka Toro y Moi. On the contrary, Bundick has stripped his signature effervescent sound of nearly all identity and dynamism, settling instead for indie rock of the safest ilk this side of Real Estate. Being associated with the rise of a short-lived subgenre like chillwave brings with it its share of identity crises but, perhaps more importantly, it also provides an opportunity for reinvention in the form of stellar songwriting. Bundick, while not bad by any means, shows minimal growth in this respect, creating an occasionally pleasant, often aggressively drab soundscape of familiar tones and middling psychedelia, now with a heavier emphasis on fuzzy chorus-drenched guitars. What For? ends up feeling less like an attempt at injecting new life into a now-stagnating formula and more like a disenchanted shrug, its title proving disappointingly apt.

The newest solo album released by everyone’s favourite Beatle, Ringo Starr, is anything but a solo project, bringing together 16 musicians, notably Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh. It seems that no one has informed Starr that he could just be phoning it in at this point in his career because he has delivered a solid album that outshines anything fellow Beatles veteran, Paul McCartney, has recently done. The songs are upbeat, and the light-hearted lyrics make the whole experience feel familiar to anyone who has ever heard “Octopus’s Garden,” one of the few Beatles songs written

by Starr.

The album’s title track stands out as the lyrics make reference to dozens of Beatles songs. That’s not to say that this album is a discount bin rip-off of 50-year-old songs.

Postcards from Paradise feels like an evolution of the sound that Starr helped craft all those years ago and tweaked over his past 17 “solo” albums.

With a title like I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside, it’s hard to believe the latest Earl Sweatshirt album is a major label release; 29 minutes long, almost entirely devoid of hooks and drenched in wallowing, warped organs, its form feels almost punk rock in nature.

Evoking DOOM at his most scatterbrained and broken, I Don’t Like Shit is as bleak and antisocial as its title suggests, composed of a dreary and depressing window into Earl’s deep-rooted anxieties and paranoia. Sweatshirt, in a suitably monotonous and detached air, slurs over his own array of minimal, stark beats, crafting an impressively atmospheric and thematically consistent, albeit oppressively claustrophobic whole. By putting away the shock tactics which originally defined him and his Odd Future cohorts, Earl has effectively tailored a scarier and more foreboding portrait of young fame. “I hope my phone break, let it ring,” Sweatshirt mutters on “Faucet”; if nothing else, I Don’t Like Shit’s dedication to its austere vision is fascinating.

Trial Track: “Same Suit, Different Tie”

Trial Track: “Spell It Out”

Trial Track: “Postcards from Paradise”

Trial Track: “Mantra”

9/10

5/10

8/10

7/10

-Cristina Sanza

-Samuel Provost-Walker

-Justinas Staskevicius

-Samuel Provost-Walker

Profile // MUSIC

Montreal’s mysterious band, Seoul Seoul looks to share their dream pop music, not the intimate details of their personal lives BERSABEL BEHONEGNE Contributor

“Blue, breathless, gentle and absolute,” is the only descriptor you’ll find if you search the homegrown dream pop trio, Seoul. The mysterious lack of information about the band and the ambiguous veil that is consistent throughout their social media platforms has rendered their fans curious and slightly suspicious. As were we, before we sat down for an interview to find out more.

Unlike most contemporary groups, Seoul opted against creating a virtual connection to their fans by materializing their personalities on social media. Rather, they allowed the anonymity of their sound to reach out to the likeminded individuals out there. To the band, putting the music first was more important than familiarizing their fans with images of their faces and trivial details of their personal lives. In a sense, their impersonal platform has allowed their listeners to create a relationship beyond your usual material digest. It may not be a marketing ploy—but it’s definitely effective!

Despite the band’s peculiarity, the boys, Nigel Ward, Dexter Garcia and Julian Flavin were very open to answering all of The Concordian’s questions. When asked about the

significance of their name, the band explained that it was not mindlessly evoking the city, as none of the band members have actually been to South Korea. It was meant to simultaneously conjure an urban feeling by alluding to the metropolitan capital, and the solitariness one can sometimes feel in a big city.

Flavin and Ward met when they were kids and worked on various music projects.

The two met Garcia when they were in college and stumbled upon the vague idea that they would want to make a record when they finished their various degrees in music and cognitive science. In the summer of 2011, they hit the studio where they saw their work come alive. The band explained that, for them, the studio manifests itself as an instrument that affects every element of the composition process. They thoroughly enjoyed this recording process, and were drawn into the musicianlifestyle immediately. Seoul wanted to continue the tradition of studio composition but they also wanted to make their electronic music feel life-like, not too sequenced or robotic.

Breaking into the live scene provided some challenges for Seoul. One of the hardest things the band had to learn to do was to incorporate their recordings into a live set. They went for the non-computer route and wanted to perform with real instruments on stage. It was a big hurdle for them and a true exercise of their artistry. Each band member has a unique cre-

ative talent that they wanted to display.

Whilst many contemporary bands work with one lead singer and one or two composers, Seoul has three creative voices that all sing and contribute to the vigor of the collaboration.

Thus far, they have still been figuring out how to embrace the diversity of their group, while giving each member the necessary space to grow. The idea was to be able to break apart into little spac- THE BAND’S NEW ALBUM IS OUT JUNE 9. PRESS PHOTO OF SEOUL. es on stage during a performance, and to create a visually stimulating show rather than mate crowd that gave them a great reception, using one central computer to automate their which they will never forget. sound. When asked where their favourite Seoul is currently on the front end of their show has been so far, they all unanimously North American tour, which has been in anchorused “Paris.” ticipation of their LP, I Become Shade, that is The band explained that the combination set to come out on the June 9. of the set and the sound created a magical show and almost perfect circumstances for The band will be playing on April 16 at Bar their performance. They played to a small inti- le Ritz.

sports

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 //

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Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com Varsity // SPORTS

Graphic by Marie-Pier LaRose

Report cards for Stingers varsity squads Concordia’s rugby teams aced their final exams with near flawless seasons this year TIM LAZIER Sports editor

Hockey

Basketball

Grade:

Rugby Whether you like it or not, everyone gets a report card at the end of the year.

While some teams showed signs of brilliance, others fell behind the rest of the class. Regardless, players gave it their all this year. Here’s how Concordia’s varsity sports teams fared this past season

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Coming off a dismal 5-15 record last season, Concordia’s women’s hockey team was a tenacious group this past season and finished with an 8-7-5 record.

Led by goaltender and eventual Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) rookie of the year Katherine Purchase, the Stingers found their identity as a defensive and tenacious squad. Although Concordia is not yet ready to contend with the big teams like Université de Montréal or McGill, they proved that they could keep up. Concordia took the Montreal Carabins to the brink of elimination in a spirited best-out-of-three playoff series.

Expectations were high for the women’s basketball team heading into this season. The team had been coming off back-to-back 11-5 seasons the past two years and was looking to return to the top of the table. The team took a step back this season, ending with a 7-9 record, and was quickly bounced from the playoffs. The biggest issue for the Stingers was consistency. The team would string together a couple wins, only to lose their next three games in a row. Next year, the team will have to make up for the departure of long-time star Kaylah Barrett.

WOMEN’S RUGBY

In the first year under new head coach Mickey Donovan, the Stingers football team surprised a lot of people.

The program has seemingly begun a new era of Concordia football and after a winless season the year before, the Stingers rebounded with a 5-3 record.

After the first four games of the season, the Stingers were 4-0 and nationally ranked amongst the top 10 university teams. Midway through the season, the team was bitten by the injury bug and seemed to derail their campaign. The team went 1-4 in the second half of the season and stumbled into the playoffs, where Laval defeated them in their first game. Nevertheless, Stingers football fans have to be pleased with what they saw out of Donovan’s squad and the potential that the program has.

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MEN’S HOCKEY

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S RUGBY

The Stingers were a young squad this season and it showed in the standings by the end of the year. The team ended with a record of 8-17-1 and sat second to last in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division. Their inexperience was evident when they played some of the more dominant teams like McGill and Carleton. They gave up the second most goals in their division, as defensive zone responsibilities come with maturity. There was no shortage of effort from the Stingers players, but chemistry is an intangible quality that comes with time.

Expect better outcomes from this feisty squad next season.

You can’t criticize perfection. The Stingers rugby team captured the RSEQ championship in thrilling 28-21 overtime victory against the villainous McGill Redmen. The Stingers put together a great year with a record 5-2-1, but the playoffs were when the team played their most inspired rugby. With home field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Stingers beat the Montreal Carabins in the semi final 16-13 before hosting McGill in the final. The team came together and played for each other when the games mattered most. Head coach Clive Gibson created a championship roster that will be looking to defend their crown next season.

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Concordia’s men’s team battled hard all season long in a competitive Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) division. In a division where three out of the top four teams were separated by two points, every game was crucial. The Stingers ended the season 8-8 and was tied with Bishop’s for third in the division. The greatest downfall of the Stingers this season was their inability to win close games. Five out of their eight regular season losses came with a difference of seven points or less. If a couple more bounces had landed their way, their final standing would be very different. Looking to next year, the Stingers will have to replace the heart and soul of the program as head coach John Dore retired at the end of the season.

Football

FOOTBALL

The women’s rugby team was a force to be feared right out of the gate. The team jumped out to a 4-0 record and went on to have a 5-2 season. In the playoffs, they headed to Laval and upset the Rouge et Or in the semi finals, beating them 3019. In the RSEQ championship game, the Stingers could not complete their improbable run as they lost to the country’s best team, the Ottawa Gee-Gees, 13-5. Led by head coach Graeme McGravie, look for the Stingers to compete for another national title next season.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 Baseball // SPORTS

Canada’s team ready to roll A look at the Blue Jays and why this year is their shot at the World Series MATTHEW SHANAHAN Staff writer

Sports in the News PEGGY KABEYA Assistant sports editor

>> CITY FALLS TO UNITED

In the 169th instalment of the the Manchester derby, the Manchester United Red Devils dethroned the reigning English Premier League (EPL) champions Manchester City in dominating fashion, marking the first victory over their city rivals since 2012. United has gone through major upheaval this season, spending feverishly in this past summer’s transfer window in support of the new manager Louis Van Gaal’s vision to reform the club. However, it was last season’s familiar faces that proved to be the difference come game time. Attacking midfielders Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini—who was heavily rumoured to be on his way out of Old Trafford—sparked the Red’s attack for two goals in the dominating 4-2 win.

>> MASTERS CHAMP Twenty-one-year-old American golf sensation Jordan Spieth took home his first career green jacket late Sunday afternoon in Augusta, Georgia. The up-and-coming star dominated the Masters golf tournament in an awe-inspiring manner not seen since the days of a young Tiger Woods. Spieth was the only storyline worth following: he broke record after record with each round he put in the books. With former and current world number ones Woods and Rory McIlroy trailing in the field, Spieth closed the deal Sunday’s final round of action to cement his place in golf history. In the process, Spieth tied Woods’ 72-shot scoring record set back in 1997. Already at four major tournament victories before the age of 22, Spieth is drawing many comparisons to Woods.

There’s no doubt that when the Montreal Expos left for Washington, D.C. in 2004, the Toronto Blue Jays jumped at the opportunity to label themselves as Canada’s team. Fans can’t deny the fact that they’ve done a great job at doing so—the statistics speak for themselves. Most Canadian baseball fans follow the Blue Jays, myself included. I’ll always be an Expos fan at heart, but the Jays are now my team and I’m not the only one who has followed them through thick and thin since the Expos left Montreal.

For the past few years, the Jays have gone around Canada to many different towns promoting their product and more importantly, showing Canadians why they represent baseball in their country. Surely that has an impact on some small-town Canadian baseball fans, but the Jays have taken an even bigger step in the past two years by pushing the idea of playing a couple of exhibition baseball games at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

That was a big move by the Jays for two primary reasons: first, they’ve realized that it’s a great cash grab, generating over 96,000 fans in both 2014 and 2015, and giving them a competitive atmosphere to play in before beginning the long 162game schedule they endure until October; and second, they’ve reconciled, at least to some extent, with the city of Montreal.

Not only are Montreal and Toronto historically at odds with each other in a variety of sports, but the Jays did share an equal part in helping baseball leave Montreal at the dawn of the 21st century. In November 2004, the Jays, along with 27 other MLB teams approved the move for the Expos from Montreal to Washington. Only the Baltimore Orioles blocked the move because of the problems it would create with the market given the proximity of the two cities. So even if many Montrealers refuse to cheer for the Jays, they will attend these exhibition games because they want to help the movement to bring back baseball

Photo from Flickr by K.W.B to Montreal, something that’s building exponential hope with every passing year.

While Montrealers hope to get a team back in the near future, the Jays are hoping to break the longest active playoff drought in Major League Baseball at 22 years. Sick of losing out to their American League East rivals and star-studded rosters of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the Jays made a big splash a couple of years ago in free agency when they acquired Jose Reyes, Mark Bhuerle, Josh Johnson, R.A. Dickey and Melky Cabrera, creating an intimidating roster of their own. Like many teams before them, acquiring big names in the prime of their career to create a nucleus of talent often doesn’t work out. After a disastrous 2013 campaign, the Jays had a competitive 2014 season and were on the brink of a playoff spot until mid-September.

Both Johnson and Cabrera are long gone, and time is ticking for the starstudded Jays roster. With the exception of Josh Donaldson who turns 30 in December, no big-name player on their roster is less than 30 years old. So why is this the year to win it for the Jays?

There are plenty of things to be optimistic about. Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista and Dickey all have contracts that conclude after this year.

Players tend to pick up their game when

next year’s contract is on the line, especially when they are nearing the end of their prime and need to add a title to their resume. The Jays also have a nucleus of players that have been competitive late in the season and now have a better idea of what it takes to win.

This past offseason, they’ve also acquired Montreal native Russell Martin, Vancouver-born Michael Saunders, as well as first baseman Justin Smoak. Despite the sour news that starter Marcus Stroman will be out for the year, they have a bevy of solid players in the farm system that have filled the role nicely to begin the year. Behind the core rotation of Drew Hutchison, Dickey and Bhuerle, both Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris are poised to do well this year as starters after being successful last year as late-season call-ups.

This is not to say that it’s going to be a cakewalk for Toronto. The Red Sox and Yankees are due for comeback seasons while the Orioles are looking to start right where they left off last year at the top of the division.

It is clear that the Blue Jays have a talented roster with players who are hungry for a playoff push, and that’s a formula we haven’t seen north of the border since Major League Baseball cancelled the 1994 season due to the strike.

>> SENATORS SET TO FACE HABS

Despite highly unfavourable odds, the Ottawa Senators have secured a playoff spot after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 on Saturday. The Senators went on an epic barrage down the stretch winning 23 of their 31 games to steamroll the Boston Bruins out of the eighth and final playoff spot. Backstopped by the incredible play of 27-year-old undrafted rookie goaltender Andrew “The Hamburglar” Hammond and lethal rookie forward Mark Stone, the Senators flipped their season narrative from high draft pick hopefuls to legitimate Stanley cup contenders. With the NHL regular season finished, the Senators are set to face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. Understanding the precarious nature of facing a hot goaltender, the Habs will try their best not to get burned by the Hamburglar and his Senators.

FANS AT THE OLYMPIC STADIUM CHEERED FOR THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS AS IF THEY WERE THEIR OWN TEAM. PHOTO BY TIM LAZIER.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015

opinions

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Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com Editorial // OPINIONS

A fond farewell from The Concordian staff No need to worry, we’ll be back in action in fall 2015

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his year, we worked tirelessly to report the news and voices of this ever-changing and turbulent institution. It’s no surprise that in the age of massive corporate-owned mainstream media (cough cough Quebecor) that student and minority narratives go under-represented and under-reported. Our mandate is to shine the light where others see none; to give a platform to those who would otherwise find only deaf ears.

From the missing money in student associations and deficits at ASFA to the crippling austerity measures squeezing Concordia dry. From the woman staring down the Le Gym’s allegedly racist measures to sexism and harassment in our student union. Whether it’s David Suzuki or Panti Bliss, from Southpaw to the new SIS—The

Concordian was on the beat.

And we’ve loved every minute of it.

Mostly. We sprinted through snowstorms to get to the right place at the right time for protest pictures. We’ve berated Concordia’s Director of Media Relations Chris Mota at endless hours of the night for a single quote for a story. We have pole danced, tasted cocktails, and sat through mind-numbingly horrible theatre performances. We have shivered on the sidelines of Stingers’ games in November. We have been kicked out of association meetings we had legal rights to be in. We have spent so many late nights bickering over the connotations of headlines and searching for errors in our final edit of the paper that the night security guard knows our names. Our Tuesday morning teachers no longer look on in awe as we slam back our fourth caffeinated drink in an hour.

We have battled for interviews, and sat, quietly struggling for composure when our sources told lies, told us outrageous

truths, or inspiring stories of survival. We have doled out precious student budget dollars to review restaurants, divulged intimate details about our sex lives (which our grandfathers then call us to discuss), sacrificed academic success (only so many hours in a day), and stayed up until 5 a.m. to tweet about the newly elected CSU president. We’ve even been pepper sprayed.

We ran, we laughed, we cried, and (once or twice) even bled, all to see that headline in print. To see that cover in your hands. Every copy taken, every view online, every like and retweet pushed us to do more, to go farther, to try harder. You are the oil in the cogs of our journalistic machine.

Next year we’ll have some familiar bylines. But we’ll feature plenty of new ones too—maybe even your own. We’ll be back in September with a tan and a de-stressed mental state, ready to take on another year of Concordia. (Our sympathies to

those poor, brave bastards tackling summer classes who won’t be as refreshed, but will be that much more educated).

And we’ll be taking on a whole new year of journalism too. This year had compressions, protests, victories, brutality and loss. After all, it was an entire year at a vibrant, political university in the vibrant, culturally booming city of Montreal. We were there to record it all, and will be back again to tackle next year with just as much piss, vinegar, and energy. So why not join us? We are always welcoming new writers, copy editors, production assistants, and editors.

It’s been great, Concordia. From those of us who won’t be returning next year, it’s been a blast. A hectic, chaotic, exhausting and amazing blast we wouldn’t exchange for the world. From those of us you’ll see in the fall, we urge you to join us in making something amazing. You won’t regret it.

Have a great summer everyone. Good luck (and godspeed) to our graduates.

Education // OPINIONS

Brace yourselves: graduation is coming How-to advice for the anxious and confident alike

MATTHEW CIVICO Assistant opinions editor

cess come out—I blame microwave ovens for this expectation. The truth is that an education holds a lot of value, but not all of it is economic value.

The takeaway here? Your degree neither makes nor defines you, but it should shape you. I have a BA in history and haven’t done a single historical thing since I received it

left Concordia knowing how to think.

Fear number two is that you won’t be able to find a job in your field after graduation. While it’s true that there’s correlation between a university education and getting a job, it’s not the straight line of causation, and many departments don’t groom you for a specific job anyway. Take history as

I

f you’re lucky enough to have only a few exams standing between yourself and graduation, let me be the first to congratulate you. If that prospect both thrills and terrifies you, don’t worry: it’s normal.

Finishing your undergraduate degree can be the most backhanded of successes; walking across that stage is the equivalent of a friendly handshake followed by a whispered threat.

Graduation is a bit passive aggressive, sure, but when that fancy piece of paper whispers “now what?” you’ll need to have an answer. You’re not going to take lip from Latin script, are you? The answer is no, so let’s look at two common fears of life after undergrad.

Fear number one is that after so much time and money, all you leave with is a useless piece of paper. In order to avoid the depths of despair, you’ll need to think about your degree properly. It is a piece of paper but, thankfully, it’s also so much more. Don’t get too excited yet though, because your degree doesn’t owe you anything either. As students, we can be tricked into thinking of university as a transaction: time and money go in; dream jobs and suc-

Graphic by Marie-Pier LaRose

in 2012, so is my degree useless? Professor Alison Rowley once told my class that her job was to ensure that when we watched the evening news, we would yell at the T.V. Three years after graduation, I yell, tweet at journalists, and gesture aggressively while watching the news. Nobody pays me to be upset with the status quo, but I’ll stew in my discontent nonetheless. Why? Because according to Professor Rowley, it means I

an example. I can tell you that the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066 and that the Bastille was stormed in 1789, but that’s not a marketable skill. Unless you studied applied sciences or business, chances are recruiters aren’t lining up to hire you, but fear not young graduate! You’ve likely accumulated a stack of skills, such as writing, analytical reading, research (everyone can Google, but you can Google-Fu), and

the priceless, unquantifiable art of critical thinking.

Your most important skill, though, is without a doubt your hard-earned ability to meet deadlines and work hard. Unglamorous, I know, but that’s what an arts and sciences degree on a CV really tells potential employers, doubly so if you managed to keep that judgmental GPA above 3.0. If you think about it, you’re probably shortchanging yourself if you limit yourself to your field of undergraduate study. English majors can do more than discuss Byron and Shelley and (thankfully) history majors can do things like work for charities, teach English as a second language, and dream of becoming journalists. Besides, nobody wants to be reminded what year the Magna Carta was signed.

Turning students into citizens with the ability to process information, weigh arguments, and contribute to society is essentially the job of higher education, and when you couple that with a youthful desire to change the world, well, that looks like the future to me.

Hopefully I’ve persuaded you to approach life after graduation with a bit more confidence, but if I’ve filled your heart with fears you hadn’t considered, don’t worry.

At the very least you’ve soaked up some of these skills by osmosis. The point is that things won’t be easy, but you have a better chance than most, so make the most of it.

Whether you’re a liberal arts student or an engineer, we all want to build something that doesn’t fall down. Start building, newly-grads.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015

Politics // OPINIONS

Homework due fall 2015: studying for the federal election Do some summer reading, and get informed LAURA MARCHAND Opinions editor

I

t’s 2015, and if you haven’t been paying attention to politics, that’s kind of a big deal.

I know by now you’re probably sick of homework and readings, but if there’s one thing you do this summer, it should be reading up on federal politics. No, you don’t need to know the difference between the Prime Minister’s Office and Privy Council Office—but you should start paying attention, because it’s going to be a hell of a year.

It’s election season. Now, in Canada, that isn’t as big a deal as it is in the United States. Our parliamentary system means that a minority government can have an election sprung on them anytime through a non-confidence vote. But this year is different: in 2011, the Conservative government won a majority. That means no non-confidence votes could pass, because the Conservatives had the most seats. In other words, it means we’ve had to wait a long four years for another election—and that election is now.

Or, more specifically, this fall. I’m seeing a lot of people in the streets and online complaining about the way our govern-

ment is run. Are you passionate about the fight against ISIS, the lack of inquiry for missing and murdered aboriginal women, or climate change? Those are issues for the federal government: those are issues you can affect this very year.

In 2011, the voter turnout for the federal election was 61.1 per cent—only 2.3 per cent higher than the all-time low (in 2008). The turnout was even worse in the 18-24 age group: only 38.8 per cent.

I know you’re passionate, Concordians. The anti-austerity protests have taught me that. But when it comes time to put your money where your mouth is, where are the results? Do you only pro-

How about proportional representation? As it is right now, a vote in the countryside is worth more than a vote in a city—is that something to be fixed?

Right now, the Government of Canada currently pays over $130,000 dollars in salary to each and every one of its 105 Senators (not to mention expenses), despite the fact that they have no part in the policy-making process—how would you want the government to change the Senate?

Then there’s obviously the question of terrorism and cybersecurity: how many powers should Canadian security agencies have in the name of defending against terrorism? How do you feel about the ISIS mission abroad?

Graphic by Marie-Pier LaRose Not to mention social issues— how do you feel about selective test because it’s fun and trendy? Do you abortions? What about medically-assisted perhaps care little for effecting real, posi- suicide? Maybe the persecution and contive change? You talk the talk and have dition of Canada’s Aboriginal population? yet to walk the walk.

These are things you need to think So, here’s your assignment for the summer: review some federal politics. about. Sit down with a piece of paper and figure out where you stand on these isGet ready. And vote.

No idea where to start? Here’s your sues. Pay attention to the news leading up crash course for brushing up on federal to the election—every party will be trying to clarify their stance and act on it, if politics.

There are some hot-button issues only in word alone. Take a political quiz that you should be able to align yourself and find out what party you align most with easily. For example, how do you feel closely with.

Do your homework. Do your readings. about environmental safety versus economic stability? Which is more important Take your quizzes.

And, most importantly: vote. to you?

City // OPINIONS

MTL summers are worth struggling for The city is at its best and its worst during this season LAURA MARCHAND Opinions editor

O

h thank god, it’s almost summer.

Okay, there are still some pockets of snow outside, and we’re all still stuffed into our winter coats, but we’re mere weeks away from precious sunshine.

And is there anywhere better to spend a summer than Montreal?

What’s better than a warm day walking along the water in the Old Port, ice cream in hand? Or lounging on the beach in Parc Jean-Drapeau? Maybe you’ll be feeling the wind rush through your hair at La Ronde, or jumping to the rhythm of an outdoor concert? Whether you’re yukking it up at Just for Laughs, getting your anime fix at Otakuthon, or watching the weekly fireworks competition… it’s a real challenge not to enjoy yourself during a Montreal summer.

But not impossible: I have an unlucky love/hate relationship with our city’s favourite season.

Here, summer is fickle: last year, she gave us the cold shoulder. May to Septem-

ber was marked by cloudy skies and hoodies—far from the blue summer skies I was dreaming of. Other years, she enters like a hurricane, blanketing us with sweltering heat all season long. I have not forgotten the many unfortunate heatwaves spent lying on the tiled floor of my basement.

Weather aside, it seems like the city both comes alive and comes to a standstill in the summer: god forbid you try to drive anywhere. Orange construction signs clog up every highway and major thorough-

Graphic by Michelle Gamage

fare. This year, not only are we coping with what’s left of the Super Hospital’s construction near Decarie Blvd. and St. Jacques St., we’ll also be wrestling with the overhaul of the Turcot interchange and closures on Guy, Stanley and Peel St. I might as well relinquish my license and delete my Uber app until the weather turns cold again.

The construction wouldn’t be such a huge problem if public transportation didn’t turn into a heat box of death. The

metro is an outer circle of Hell, people never open the windows in buses, and the events that make summer great also lead to random and unpredictable rushes.

On top of being packed in like a sardine, one gets the honour of being packed with rowdy and usually drunk festival-goers who lack any concept of personal space.

If you’re particularly unlucky, you’ll even meet the one who—for some reason—felt the need to bring their cup of beer on with them.

Of course, some will complain about tourists. I personally don’t find them to be a horrible bother during the summer— generally, most people visiting are friendly and un-obnoxious—but if that grinds your gears, well, there’s another thing to add to the list. I find Montreal smokers to be a thousand times worse: I suppose it’s because the warm weather has returned, but it feels like you can’t pass by an office building without braving the thick smell of tobacco (or other substances). Vapers have only exacerbated this pet peeve of mine.

But like I said, it’s a love/hate relationship. Yes, there are parts of Montreal summers that make me want to tear my hair out. But I wouldn’t stick around if I didn’t absolutely adore it: the warm evenings spent on the terrasse, the sound of festivals in my ear, the beating of TamTam drums.

Montreal is a city worth struggling for— even if summer itself is the struggle.

Letter to the editor

@Jenna_Marbles “#IOnceHadABossWho tried to fake his own death to get out of paying back his student loans. They caught him.We googled it and lold at work.” @MustBeTheMeds “#IOnceHadABossWho jerked me off every morning, afternoon, night... I might have been self employed” @the_moviebob “#IOnceHadABossWho demanded to commandeer my car in order to pursue a departing customer he was convinced was ‘A terrorist or something!” @viewfrommyoffic “#IOnceHadABossWho whose favorite catch phrase was “And to make a long story short.” They were never short, Larry. NEVER.” @sissyknits “#IOnceHadABossWho “accidentally” brushed up against me everyday, so I “accidentally” mentioned it to his wife” @OGOrlandoJones “#IOnceHadABossWho ‘loved’ his ‘air quotes’ a ‘little too much.’” @finchlynch “#IOnceHadABossWho showed up at my house at night, shirtless, asking to borrow a shirt, while I was on a second date with a woman.”

LAURA’S JOKE OF THE WEEK // ETC

@BaileyElliott18 “#IOnceHadABossWho left me as the only employee for 2 hours on Black Friday morning as soon as I clocked in.” @jacksayswords “#IOnceHadABossWho peed off a hotel balcony while out schmoozing a potential client. We did not get his business.”

Milos Kovacevic News editor news@theconcordian.com Frederic T. Muckle Assistant news editor Sara Baron-Goodman Life editor life@theconcordian.com Lindsay Richardson Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com Mia Pearson Music editor music@theconcordian.com Oneida Crawford Assistant music editor Tim Lazier Sports editor sports@theconcordian.com Peggy Kabeya Assistant sports editor Laura Marchand Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com

Keith Race Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com Andrej Ivanov Assistant photo editor

Marie-Pier LaRose Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com

What is th e difference betw een a wel ldressed m an on a b ike, and a poo rly dressed man on a unicycle?

Gregory Todaro Emily Gaudet Marilla Steuter-Martin Copy editors copy@theconcordian.com Natasha Taggart Marilla Steuter-Martin Production assistants

w, no

@WritingRighter “#IOnceHadABossWho called up my mother and told her I’m a lesbian when she found out from one of my coworkers. Yup. That actually happened.”

Michelle Gamage Production manager production@theconcordian.com

Saturn De Los Angeles Online editor online@theconcordian.com

k ’t on?

I dhat w

@LimeadeYouth “#IOnceHadABossWho left a vibrator in her desk when she got laid off.”

Nathalie Laflamme Editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com

Matthew Civico Assistant opinions editor

- Firas Al Hammoud, MA Economics, Faculty of Arts & Science Graduate Student Governor 2014-15

@JeanParker12 “#IOnceHadABossWho said to a higher-up, ‘I agree with what you’re about to say.’” @thwu12 “#IOnceHadABossWho asked me to make bubble-wrap pillows.”

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Vol. 32 Issue 26

A-TIRE!

Editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. Building CC-Rm 431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 514-848-2424 ext. 7499 (Editor-in-Chief) Marc-Antoine Cardin Business manager business@theconcordian.com Talibah Gordon Advertising manager advertising@theconcordian.com Tyson Lowrie Jacob Serebin Ruben Bastien Board of directors directors@theconcordian.com

Contributors Bersabel Behonegne,Paul Traunero, Samuel ProvostWalker, Cristina Sanza, Justinas Staskevicius,

theconcordian

With school ending, plenty of you are probably picking up summer jobs. But be warned! Some bosses might be kind and understanding, but some are going to be downright odd. Heed these warnings, Concordia students: Twitter has a tale to tell. You know, #IOnceHadABossWho...

It has been an important year for the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA). Cries for reform take issue with GSA governance yet few have addressed the roots of the problem, and it is crucial for us to also now consider the role played by GSA membership inactivity.

I write this to provide context for members interested in moving forward.

The GSA executives have received much disparagement, and have misconstrued comments made by critics as personal attacks. Few executives of students’ associations begin with enough background directly preparing them for their roles as student leaders; most learn on the job. Clearly, executives lacking experience is insufficient to support our discontent with the GSA’s performance. GSA directors have been next in line to receive critical remarks; council attendance and discussions have not matched members’ expectations. If directors engage each other outside of council meetings, they will never find themselves in a position where considerable energy had been exerted on motions which fail to pass. Considering that the GSA has for some reason capped the duration of meetings at three hours, limiting time available for discussion, it becomes no surprise that members cannot dig up productive resolutions in council meeting minutes. The weak commitment of directors is also why committees of the GSA barely meet. I believe that the GSA committees are tasked with jobs which instead ought to be executed by working groups composed of executives and staff. Committees ought only to approve the output of such working groups. Lacking this structure, it is understandable that directors complain about their workload, and that staff are caught exercising inordinate control over committee business.

GSA staff have been described as acting beyond the scope of their duties; staff are expected not to dominate the decision making process. Some go further by suggesting that our GSA staff act in their self-interest as a group. However with certainty, one may only deduce that our GSA staff need better supervision, and that any tasks assigned to them must never involve conflicts of interest. In addition, it is vital to introduce an explicit provision in the GSA bylaws which prevents staff members from chairing committees, council, or general assemblies given the influence of such roles on voting behaviour.

So where must we begin in order to move forward? It is clear that GSA executives and directors need to be engaged by the membership; we can begin by being specific about campaigns the GSA ought to adopt (or to drop!); we can begin by considering additions to our by-laws as well as policies which we believe are necessary (such as a policy for grievances); we can also begin by showing up to council meetings and general assemblies and by asking our department associations (especially those very active groups in the arts & science faculty) to play a role in GSA affairs. After all, GSA executives and directors are your representatives and must be lobbied in order for them to advocate for student needs (such as more research funding, longer program term-limits, and protection of the diversity of course offerings). What has been missing these past two years is a vibrant culture of community awareness and engagement amongst graduate students. Let’s remind ourselves that democracy doesn’t come knocking but instead begins with active citizens who call themselves to action!

Concordia s weekly, independent student newspaper.

Have a good week !

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