The Concordian - Issue 23 (2015-03-24)

Volume 32

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Issue 23

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Independent student newspaper at Concordia University. Since 1983.

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theconcordian

March 24, 2015

News p. 4-5

Anti-austerity springs into action

Photo by Andrej Ivanov

In this issue

LIFE

p. 7

Craft your own vagina puppet

ARTS

p. 11

MMFA: walls of Warhol

MUSIC

p. 12

SPORTS

p. 14

Montreal artists Baseball: are hit SXSW we missing out?

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

OPINIONS

p. 17

Quebec’s housing crux

theconcordian.com

news 2

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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

Write to the editor: news@theconcordian.com

CITY FREDERIC T. MUCKLE Assistant news editor

>> VERDUN S

PROHIBITION SOON TO BE LIFTED Good news for lovers of ambrosia and the likes living in the Verdun borough: the reluctance of its administration to allow bars to establish themselves in the neighborhood seems to be a thing of the past. Le Devoir has announced the borough’s decision to start opening new bars in the near future. Verdun allowed one bar, Benelux, to settle in the area in 2013 on certain conditions following a modification of its bar ban. This was the first bar to open in the borough in the last 100 years. The anti-alcohol sentiments originally stemmed from 19th century temperance laws.

>> GOODBYE ICY SIDEWALKS

La Presse has reported that SteCatherine Street will most probably be equipped with heated sidewalks should amendments to planned renovations be passed.

It was reported that the city’s administration added $15 million to its already announced $80 million budget estimates. If installed the heated sidewalks would make SteCatherine Street the first of its kind in Montreal. Similar renovations are reportedly considered in other Canadian cities. The technology is already in place in some major urban centers around the world, notably in Norway, Sweden and Japan. There will be a vote this upcoming week to approve or not the said budget estimates for the renovations.

>> NO ABORIGINAL BURIAL GROUND AT CONSTRUCTION SITE The construction of a Montreal office tower by real-estate company Ivanhoé Cambridge has restarted after a 2-month lull after investigations have shown that it was not in fact situated over a possible Aboriginal burial ground.

The Globe and Mail reported the company as ‘voluntarily stopping’ construction on the $200million, 27-story building until an archaeological assessment was carried out. Some believe it still rests above the original Iroquois village of Hochelaga visited by Jacques Cartier back in 1535.

Campus // NEWS

CSU candidate debate run-down Humdrum affair enlivened by stances over Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

Students interested in seeing for themselves the candidates running for Concordia Student Union (CSU) elections had the chance to do so last week.

Most of the executives were on hand to introduce themselves in a standard affair that was notably calm and civil. This was perhaps owing to the fact that aside from three independents the remaining candidates are all part of the Community Action slate.

The sole moment of contention came when VP Clubs & Internal independent candidate Alexandre Laroche and president hopeful Terry Wilkings differed on a question brought to them about the CSU’s take on the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) movement.

Posed by representatives of Israel on Campus, the question asked whether the stance, voted in late last semester, had the support of the candidates. BDS seeks to boycott services and goods from Israel based on its alleged humanrights violations against the Palestinians.

CANDIDATES ANSWER QUESTIONS DURING A DEBATE TUESDAY MARCH 17. PHOTO BY KEITH RACE. In a debate with otherwise very little rebuttals the BDS question proved lively.

“It just wasn’t the right answer,” said Laroche of the previous slate’s handling of the issue. Laroche, who describes himself as passionately against BDS, thinks the motion should never have passed.

“The CSU has no right to dictate something like that. It’s understandable … that some are proPalestinian and pro-Israel [and] we live in a country and a university that has the freedom to take stances on the individual level,” Larouche said. “But in the university as a whole you’re not just representing those thousand students who signed the petition. You’re representing 35,000. It’s important to think about the silent majority.

It’s tricky to pass something that controversial when you have quorum-only.”

November’s vote was decided by just under 2,600 voters, with 1,276 voting in the affirmative and 1,067 in the negative.

“I really just want to dispel the narrative of how its the CSU that’s imposing these kinds of positions on the student body,” replied Wilkings after the debate. “This was a petition brought to us.”

Wilkings also said Concordia University was the only school so far to use such democratic means to reach the decision. “The CSU is the only student union to my knowledge to take a position on this topic through a referendum.

There are dozens of universities who have arrived at the same po-

sition as us, but they’ve arrived at that position through a vote of the board or … a decision of people in the room.”

Wilkings continued: “The will of the student body came out to a certain outcome, and we’re supposed to respect the outcome of the referendum process. There are many social issues that are being mobilized around and I don’t think the CSU should have the ability to prevent students from following through with the internal mechanisms of consultation.”

For more information on the election and the referendum questions, go to csuelections. wordpress.com. CSU elections will be taking place from March 24 to 26.

Campus // NEWS

GSA pushes for a fresh start Graduate student group hopes general assembly, elections turn things around MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

Concordia’s Graduate Student Association (GSA) aims to put a trying and difficult year behind as it holds both elections and a general assembly hoping to get back to the task of representing the schools nearly 7,500 graduate students.

The general assembly is set to take place on Thursday, March 26 and follows two previous attempts that were stonewalled by failed quorum. The last semi-successful general assembly occurred in October of last year and did not get beyond the opening byelections that drew accusations of vote rigging and intimidation.

Should the general assembly reach quorum the business on the docket will concern the original points over stances toward antiausterity and oil pipelines, as well as bylaw changes raised over the last several months.

The bylaw modifications in-

clude doing away with annual financial reviews and replacing them with compulsory financial audits, amending the byelection process to an automatic voting by secret ballot unless unanimously decided otherwise, and appointing an additional member-at-large to the budgetary committee. These come in response to concerns over the financial transparency of the organization and the voting process.

There will also be a motion calling for ratification to an increase of the fee levy for the GSA’s advocacy services.

Three main slates—United we Change, Grads for Change, and Cross-Faculty Representation—are vying for the executive alongside several independents. The campaign period lasts until Sunday, March 29. Voting is set to take place between March 30 to April 1.

Yet the GSA’s election, like its day-to-day business, is not without controversy, with concerns already being raised over team names and intentions.

“I was surprised that a slate

with current directors and executives added ‘change’ to their name,” said Alex Ocheoha, who is running for president. “They have had enough time to make changes.”

Graduate student governor Firas Al Hammoud echoed the sentiment. “The election will not be fair if some voters are misled [by the similar name].”

“There were concerns earlier this year about the increases in executive compensation which had followed a downward trend in executive productivity as well as a heightened reliance on GSA staff for direction. I was surprised to see current executives asking to be reelected,” he said.

GSA Chief Returning Officer Jon Sommers, who is responsible for maintaining the elections has replied by stating that this largestever campaign is a positive step. In response to the dispute about the name, a written statement from Sommers said thus: “There are two slates that have chosen similar names. However,

since I have no solid evidence to suggest that members of one slate copied another, I have no grounds on which to ask either to change its name.”

“I would like us to clean up our image quite a lot,” said Trevor Smith, who’s running for GSA president on the almost-entirely Arts & Science-based Cross Faculty Representation slate.

He hopes the influx of Arts & Science members will bring more inclusion to the GSA, which has recently been dominated by the much more active members from Engineering and Computer Science—at least when it comes to elections.

Al Hammoud said another critical test of future success would be focusing on providing positive rather than negative contrasts to unite the student body.

“Typically candidates falsely describe the university administration as one we are in conflict with, and campaigns are improperly directed at issues we are against instead of causes we are for,” he said.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

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Campus // NEWS

ConU students boycott classes Number of striking associations continues to rise, unions respond MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

Monday became the first day of student anti-austerity strikes with five faculties boycotting their classes and having their act partially validated by the university’s decision to cancel some classes.

Undergraduate classes for the Fine Arts, Philosophy, Geography, Women’s Studies, and the School of Community and Public Affairs were cancelled by the school, which billed the move as a ‘day of dialogue.’ Graduate students in Philosophy were also a part of the strike.

This follows a series of student assemblies that have so far all voted to pass strike motions.

In addition to the above, some of the others to join the strikes have been the Political Science

Students’ Association and the Liberal Arts Society.

At the same time other student organizations like the Geography, Planning and Environment Graduate Students Association will soon decide whether they want to join the movement.

Most have picked March 23 and April 2 as the days to leave their classrooms, coinciding with province-wide student strikes aimed at pressuring the government into rethinking budget compression measures they say are essential for eliminating the deficit.

Some student groups, like Students of Philosophy Association (SoPhiA), have voted for significantly longer strike actions—in this case, an additional week of striking from March 26 until April 2.

The university administration said Monday’s strike would

be the only ones officially sanctioned.

The anti-austerity movement isn’t one solely rooted in the students and support has also come from other directions within the university. Concordia University’s Part-time Faculty Association (CUPFA) recently announced their support for the student strikes, saying they considered the tactics as a legitimate form of opposition to the government and not levelled against the university itself or any of its staff and faculty.

However, CUPFA equally distanced itself by saying it reserved a right to protest against austerity in their own way. Still, the union announced its members could support the student movements in other ways, such as organizing curriculum workarounds to accommodate the strikers.

To deal with the possibility

of escalation by student picketers denying entry to classrooms, it instructed all teachers to report for class as usual and ask to be let in. If denied, the teachers were to file a report but under no circumstances engage in physical contact or altercation.

Concordia’s Teaching and Research Assistants of Concordia (TRAC) has likewise instructed its members to report for duty but respect the picketers.

With larger province-wide public protests ramping up for April and May, the continuance of such tactics is almost certain to expand. Student organizations will have plenty of time to mobilize to either continue with additional strikes or join the movement.

How this will affect the successful completion of the semester for certain faculties is unknown.

Campus // NEWS

Tensions rise over first day of strikes

MEMBERS OF THE FINE ARTS STUDENT ALLIANCE MARCH DOWN STE-CATHERINE ST. MONDAY MARCH 23. PHOTO BY ANDREJ IVANOV.

First day of picketing tests patience, civility MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

Picketing students intent on enforcing the first day of boycotted classes entered a number a classrooms Monday afternoon to enforce their strike motions, leading to at least one in which matters devolved into shoving, pushing, and intrusive video recording.

At least one class did not go gently despite the arrival of picketers representing the Concordia’s School of Community & Public Affairs (SCPA), one of the striking student associations.

The situation became tense when the majority of class attendees did not leave. Instead

they confronted the picketers on their willingness to disturb a class mostly attended by political science students whose Political Science Student Association (PSSA) was set to vote on the strike that Monday night. (The PSSA voted on Monday night to go on strike April 1 and 2.)

“We have to separate that it’s not forcing political science into a strike, it’s protecting people who are already on strike in this class,” explained student striker Katie Nelson in response to criticism. She was alluding to the fact that the class in question was one of the basic courses SCPA students may take in fulfilling their academic requirements.

At one point a striker allegedly began filming those who would not vacate. Tristin Tynes, a political science major who was attending the class and remained inside, described this conduct as an intimidating behaviour that could only escalate

things further. “[Whenever] someone would have a counterpoint to his, he would scream ‘I’m putting you on television, you’re now going to look like an asshole on television’ and kept saying the same thing over and over again,” he said, continuing: “When you do stuff like that, you’re not helping your point.”

Concordia Student Union (CSU) President Benjamin Prunty, who was present, said that he considered such classes shared between striking and non-striking student associations as a “predictable kind of grey area.”

“The SCPA students of course see that [class] as one of their classes and so they don’t want to be penalized, and the political science students see it as one of their classes and so they feel like as though they haven’t taken the vote,” explained Prunty.

He also stated that he wished

this kind of situation could be part of an intelligent conversation instead of a conflictual argument.

“I just hope that people who feel as though their class was disrupted unreasonably can take a step back maybe and consider that on the other side of things … it was a group of people trying to have their voices heard,” said Prunty.

“Every organization has their own tactics and those said organizations encounter their own consequences,” he added in reference to the obtrusive filmer.

The event eventually ended when the teacher left, but a group of about 60 protesters continued their agenda by performing a round trip of Concordia’s Sir George William campus.

They visiting the EV, John Molson School of Business and Visual Arts buildings. Police were on the scene though no confrontation was reported.

NATION FREDERIC T. MUCKLE Assistant news editor

>> MARIO BEAULIEU BACKTRACKS ON IMMIGRATION COMMENTS

Bloc Quebecois leader Mario Beaulieu has responded to recent embarrassing comments by PQ-leadership hopeful Pierre Karl Péladeau about the danger of foreigners by saying he, on the other hand, would hold an intercultural gathering for Quebecers of all stripes and colours who support independence. PKP made a comment last week saying immigrants threatened the separatist movement and quickly backtracked. Global News reported that Beaulieu has instead said immigrants closely matched their vote based on whether they were assimilated into anglophone or francophone communities.

>> HAPPY BIRTHDAY ODIN!

A heart-warming tale came out of Peterborough, Ont. this week when young Odin, a 13year-old teenager suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, got worldwide support after his failed birthday party was advertised on social media.

His mother said they initially got no response to a birthday invitation at a bowling alley for her son, so she took it to Facebook. The responses went across the globe, including tweets from organizations like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors, and Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau. Odin, whose condition made general interaction with other people difficult, reportedly received around 4,000 messages.

>> TORONTO

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FAIL A campaign to build 1,250 affordable housing units in Toronto between 2010-2015 has ended with a grand total of a dozen completed units, or less than 1 per cent the original number. Global News reports Toronto’s city hall chalked it up to a lack of commitment and a change in municipal government in 2011, with Rob Ford saying the city shouldn’t tell developers to throw in affordable housing. The new mayor of the city has said there was nothing to do but go forward by better defining corporate expectations and the city’s housing needs.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

City // NEWS

WORLD FREDERIC T. MUCKLE Assistant news editor

Dissenting against austerity Thousands take to the streets in largest protest of 2015

>> 23 KILLED

IN ATTACK IN TUNISIAN MUSEUM Three gunmen shot and killed 23 people on March 18, including 18 foreign tourists, at a museum situated in Tunisia’s capital city, Tunis. Two of the alleged attackers were later located and killed after a gunfight with the police and security forces are on the hunt for a third surviving gunman on the run. The attack was later claimed by ISIS. The Guardian has reported that several high-ranking police officials and dignitaries were fired as a result of the insufficient security precautions taken.

In 2011 Tunis served as the starting point of what is now known as the Arab Spring and has remained relatively stable compared to its neighbours.

>> UK BRANDS GENITAL PIERCINGS HARMFUL The UK’s Department of Health will classify any form of female genital piercing, even by consenting adult women, as mutilation or a form of ‘harmful procedure’.

The Health Department said it would monitor such ‘abusive’ genital piercings in an effort to stamp out illegal female genital mutilation. Tattoo and piercing unions have meanwhile decried the move by pointing out they are in no way mutilation if performed willingly by adults.

The BBC estimates some 170,000 women and girls in UK as having undergone female genital mutilation.

>> FRANCE MANDATES GREEN ROOFS France ushered in a new law last Thursday requiring all new buildings built in commercial zones to have roofs at least partially covered by plants and/ or solar panels. The Guardian reported that the consequences of the law will see better building heat retention during the year and better water retention, as well as being friendlier to the city’s wildlife. The original law called for the whole roof to be green but this was judged too expensive for businesses to accommodate. Paris planned to cut traffic in half this week and make public transport free due to the persistent smog appearing over the city but cancelled it after a cleaner weather prognoses.

PHOTOS FROM CLOCKWISE TOP: PHOTO BY KEITH RACE, PHOTO BY ANDREJ IVANOV; PHOTO BY KEITH RACE.

MILOS KOVACEVIC News editor

I

t’s a story familiar to Montrealers: as spring rolls around, so do student demonstrations. Saturday’s anti-austerity strike was quite possibly the biggest one of the year, drawing several thousand protesters.

Student group ASSÉ declared it representative of some 50,000 students and dozens of student groups united in opposition to the Couillard government’s austerity practices. Maoists, communists, anarchists, and red squares (amongst others) joined in solidarity kicking off the start of weekly protests.

The march, which began at parc Émilie-Gamelin, took a circuitous route counterclockwise

past McGill and towards the Old Port. Along the way various chants called for everything from anti-capitalism and class warfare to government accountability and educational reform.

March organizers did not provide an itinerary for the demonstration, thus making it illegal under city bylaws. Police nonetheless allowed it to continue by keeping a close but civil presence. Only one individual was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer.

The only potentially tense moment—when the crowds seemed poised to march onto the Champlain bridge—was avoided when a cordon of police arrived at the scene.

Members of Concordia’s community, including some of its Concordia Student Union (CSU) executives, joined the march.

CSU VP Academic & Advocacy Terry Wilkings called austerity a form of financial and economic violence disproportionately affecting marginalized communities and public sector services.

“We feel this is an effective way to show solidarity with other

segments of society like community groups and labour unions who have come out in support of student mobilization.”

“This is the start of building a broader movement in resisting the retrenchment of the state from its social obligation,” he said.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

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Campus // NEWS

UPPER LEFT PHOTO BY KEITH RACE. ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY ANDREJ IVANOV.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

life

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

Meet up-and-coming designer Emma Litvack Montrealer wins prestigious TELIO competition SARA BARON-GOODMAN Life editor

Five years ago, if you asked up-and-coming designer Emma Litvack what she wanted to do with her life, she would have said she wanted a career in international relations.

Litvack has always shot for the stars and singlemindedly gone after what she wanted, and at one time, what she wanted was to work at the United Nations. Studying public affairs and policy management at Carleton University after doing a year of CEGEP at Marianopolis, Litvack was, to put it simply, miserable.

“About four years ago I found myself dreading what I was studying in university and confused about what I wanted to do with my life,” she said. “I decided to explore my creative side—something I always had a passion for but never thought was feasible—and just kind of dove into the unknown world of design. I haven’t looked back since.”

Now, with a win at a national design competition, $20,000 in scholarships, and $33,000 in a training package from Lectra, she can say she’s made it in the design world. Last week, Litvack, who will be graduating from LaSalle College’s design program this year, took home the first place prize at the TELIO fashion design competition. Her dress, which focuses on the competition’s theme of “luxe,” playing with light and movement, features or-

ganza puff appliqués that move and sway with the aid of five motors.

To see her concept realized, Litvack worked with mechanical engineer Christian Pelletier. Roughly 200 hours of painstaking work and several bouts of technical difficulty later, a genuinely shocked Litvack collected her prize and strolled down the catwalk at the TELIO fashion show at Ogilvy’s, arm-in-arm with the model wearing her winning design.

“I decided to explore what is hidden, what we don’t normally see and what deserves attention,” she said. “I wanted to create something that was both beautiful on the outside, and containing something that we didn’t necessarily realize or feel we needed, but which was still crucial to the design. My main piece was blatantly ethereal, and the mechanical contrasting side of it was what was below the surface.”

Litvack’s garments are more than just garments—each design or collection has a carefully plotted meaning or story behind it. Her background in politics and propensity for extrospection are part of what makes her designs so fresh and creative.

“I like to think of myself a conceptual designer, meaning that I like to communicate opinions and emotions through my work, not just a general physical appeal,” she said. “In order to create depth in my work I’m usually inspired by things seemingly unrelated to fashion (political struggles, culture, sociological or mega trends, etc). I love pulling inspiration from different areas, making a statement, and showing the statement through clothing. I don’t think people realize how much the state of the world and our environment impacts the way we dress.”

With big ideas, bigger ambition, and

LITVACK’S DRESS DESIGN HAS MOTORS TO MAE THE FABRIC MOVE, PHOTO FROM EMMA LITVACK the unyielding support of her family— not to mention her TELIO prize package ($5,000 scholarship and $33,000 worth of training from Lectra) and a $15,000 scholarship from Fondation de la Mode— Litvack hopes to pursue her education at a

top design school like Parsons in New York or Saint Martin’s in London.

“I’m looking to see how far my creativity can go,” she said. If this is just the start for Litvack, I’d be willing to bet she will go very, very far indeed.

Relationships // LIFE

Love in the time of Netflix—T.V. tribulations You say you love them, but can you love what they watch?

MATTHEW CIVICO Assistant opinions editor

Relationships are hard work. It is known.

If this fact is unknown to you, it just means you haven’t been in one long enough. I want to lend a hand to anyone who was, is, or will be in a relationship at some point, and I want to especially help the people who noticed the Game of Thrones reference.

Here’s our problem: what do you do when you snuggle up for an evening of Netflix and everything falls apart? Sure, there are more serious disagreements to be had, but disagreements about what to watch together are a problem for couples

everywhere.

So, what was I supposed to do when my girlfriend told me about this new show that she loves, that she said I’d love? I had no reason to doubt her because our common interests brought us together in the first place. First we held hands at the final Harry Potter premiere, then swapped Harry Potter for Sci-Fi, and now, five minutes into this show, I’m thinking, “I do not want to waste my time on this junk. What does she see in this?”

When I shared these thoughts, in the interest of good communication with my girlfriend of four years, I noticed that she was not pleased. Soon a debate turned into an argument that ended in a silence in which one of us was left wondering what had happened, and the other knew exactly what had happened.

Of course, at this point I could’ve broken things off and started swiping through souls on Tinder, or whatever other misguided way people look for love in 2015.

But when I said “I love you,” I didn’t mean “I’ll enjoy you until you displease me.”

So in the name of love I gave it a shot; I watched a whole episode. By the end of it I had learned absolutely nothing. I still didn’t like it. Having left peaceably and without breaking up, I did a bit of introspection on the metro ride home.

Why did it even matter if I didn’t like her new favourite T.V. show? Well, sure, no one was going to die if I didn’t watch it with her because I thought the writing was bad and the acting campy. As you can see, I offered up a lot of well-reasoned points in that argument. But I realized that there are many ways to kill a relationship without anyone dying.

Empathy kicked in at Berri-UQAM station. Hadn’t I felt the sting of rejection when, having shared a song that nearly brought me to tears, I looked over to see her face bathed in the harsh glow of her phone?

To a heart bursting to share its joy, an

answer of “meh” may as well be a backhanded slap.

In my experience, empathy almost always leads to an epiphany, and this was mine: the T.V. show in question is irrelevant. What matters is that she was excited about it and enjoyed watching it. She just wanted to share that with me—to experience it together.

I pushed the offer away like a food snob pushes away oil-based pastries, as if time spent with someone you love could ever be wasted. The show was just the plate though, not the meal. The feast she was offering was my happiness, because our joy is only ever complete when we share it with someone else. You cannot be happy in a vacuum.

I know now that she wanted to complete her joy, to share it with me and have my enjoyment be the cherry on top of her own.

Needless to say, I’m going to give it another chance.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

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Workshop // LIFE

The art and craft of vagina puppet-making Because in a phallus-dominated world, we could all stand a little more vulvar imagery

EXAMPLES OF THE WONDERFULLY KITSCHY VAGINA PUPPETS, MADE FROM PAPIER-MÂCHÉ AND ADORNED WITH COLOURFUL FABRICS, GLITTER, AND RHINESTONES.

MIM KEMPSON Staff writer

I

f a friend turned to you on the bus, or wherever you’re sitting right now, and started talking to you about vaginas, how would you react?

This was precisely the topic of discussion that drove the workshops held on Monday and Wednesday evening last week. In a world inundated with phallic imagery, why isn’t there more talk about vaginas and, more importantly, the topics surrounding them?

Hosted by the Centre for Gender Advocacy, this was a workshop not just of discussion but also of craft—vagina puppet-making to be exact. The event took place in the homey loft of Courtney Kirkby, a member of the Centre for Gender Advocacy who is also a journalist, puppet-maker and mental health educator at a community centre. The 10 of us sat in picnic formation with buckets of cardboard that had been soaked in water overnight and hot pots of freshly made corn starch glue between us. Papier-mâché was our medium.

We fashioned labia minora and clitorises from newspaper and empty cans, sticking them onto a cardboard canvas, which we then papier-mâchéed over. As we layered on strips of paper—which was a pretty meditative and cathartic activity in itself—we discussed topics that are generally taboo or rarely mentioned.

Kirkby kicked the evening off by telling us about her background in feminism and puppet-making. It was during a trip to Bolivia that she learnt about Mujeres Creando (which translates to “women growing”), an anarchist feminist collective that relies on the union of sex workers, lesbians and indigenous women.

Established in Bolivia’s capital of La Paz roughly 20 years ago, Mujeres Creando voice their views through art, graffiti, film and street theatre. One of their most controversial performances is a naked

protest in which women strip in front of churches and government buildings.

Kirkby had seen a Mujeres Creando docu-fiction, which featured a march where women stopped in the streets of La Paz to publicly tell stories of their experiences with abortion. An illegal practice in Bolivia, abortion has a high death rate due to unsanitary clinics and unsafe protocols. This film was a source of inspiration for Kirkby and her passion for puppet-making, as she enthusiastically described the puppet that these women carried in their march: a giant metal frame of legs joined by a vagina adorned in sheer pink fabric. The women stood under its dome as they told their stories.

We then spoke about la esposa-puta.

This concept refers to the sharp divide between prostitutes and “ladies,” which leads women to be seen as dichotomous: they fall into one archetype or the other.

The subjects of transgender and inter-

sex people also arose as we considered how, in contemporary society, the vagina doesn’t necessarily represent a woman in the traditional sense. We also spoke about the lack of accessibility to feminine hygiene products in both developing and developed countries.

There was something very poignant about our engagement in such a charged, political discussion whilst creating very raw, almost childlike pieces of art. The vagina that I made was a joint effort with my friend who also attended. In the end, our puppet-come-artwork looked pretty diabolically tragic. In an attempt to redeem it, we adopted interior design techniques at the decoration stage, wallpapering the labia minora with hearts and embellishing the clitoris with diamantes.

Everyone got truly creative with their pieces. One woman fashioned a rose from pink tissue paper to use as the

clitoris. Another of the young women, who works at a veterinary clinic, had asked her colleagues that day whether she could take home the animal hair shavings “to use as pubic hair.” She purposely didn’t mention the vagina puppet-making workshop because she wanted to observe their reactions. Apparently they weren’t surprised and just shrugged it off.

There are two extremes in society: people who recoil at the mention of a tampon, and those who have a coffee-table book of vagina photography, a shelf of vagina-themed felt patchwork and a mantelpiece adorned with a “teddybear” that resembles a vagina (I have a friend who continually receives vagina objects as a joke). This workshop was valuable in bringing such blatantly ignored topics to the fore, and it has left me—and the other nine women, I’m sure—with a lot to ponder. Hopefully, you too.

CRAFTERS ENTHUSIASTICALLY CREATE THEIR VULVAR OEUVRES WHILE DISCUSSING FEMINIST ISSUES. PHOTO BY MIM KEMPSON.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 Column // LIFE

Mim meets Montreal: parades and protests Episode 16: In which Mim gets swept up in a crowd MIM KEMPSON Staff writer

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt about Montrealers, it’s that they love not only a party, but a protest, too. On Sunday it was the St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was also the anti-police brutality protest.

They rained on the parade.

My friends and I arrived on the scene outside of Guy-Concordia metro.

In the distance we saw an endless crowd dotted with green: hats, flags, costumes, balloons. From tourists to locals, children to the elderly, everyone braved the painstaking cold, which was relieved by the warmth derived from all the cheering and clapping.

But this wasn’t the scene that we started the day with. No, we had walked into the middle of a different crowd: one in which the colour wasn’t on their clothes, but in their language. They booed and yelled and handed out pamphlets on what to do if you were arrested mid-protest—a protest which, as it turns out, got stopped before anything more than chanting happened, but that’s another story.

We quickly escaped the raucous group and skipped towards the parade.

Sadly, I’d missed the SPCA, who’d marched down the street with puppies and kittens dressed in little green outfits that were stamped with, “adopt me, I’m Irish.”

Fortunately, however, I did get to see the electric-powered bathtubs on wheels.

That was a laugh, and one efficient way to grab new customers’ attention for a bathroom supply store. There was also a marching band ensemble, a cheerleading squad, a float with a rock band and police on horseback.

When the parade ended we had intended to visit a warm pub for an Irish coffee, but every single Irish pub downtown was full, with queues streaming out the doors.

All the festivities made me wonder why, in Australia, we don’t celebrate anything quite as largely, at least not St. Patrick’s Day. In Melbourne we hold a festival in one of the main parks, but

there are certainly no major streets shut down for the occasion.

As for the protests, I witness one almost every week here in Montreal.

In Australia, protests are not nearly as frequent nor extravagant. The only protest that I’ve partaken in was one about something to do with helping the environment, though I can’t remember it well because I was roughly five years old

(and dressed in fairy wings whilst sitting upon my dad’s shoulders). So, in comparison, Australia’s protests are pretty sedate. Despite the often riotous nature of their protests, I admire the fact that Montrealers are so willing to speak their mind.

Whether in celebration or in demonstration, Montreal sure knows how to rally a crowd.

MIM AND HER FRIEND CASANDRA DE MASI GET FESTIVE FOR THE ST PATRICK’S DAY PARADE. PHOTO BY GREGORY TODARO.

Column // LIFE

Come and go as you please—it’s your right to say when to stop SARA BARON-GOODMAN Life editor

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little while ago, popular time-vacuum and cheerily trashy lifestyle site The Frisky published a thinkpiece wherein the writer discussed a romp with a new partner.

She had already had an orgasm, needed some time to compose herself, and requested that they stop. Needing a breather, or a refractory period, after an orgasm is a very normal and natural

Let’s talk about sex

thing, and one would think that this would be understandable. However, the guy this writer was shtupping apparently got quite indignant and chastised her for not getting him off before hopping off. Apparently, that kind of behaviour was selfish and made for poor sexual etiquette—a sentiment that was echoed very crudely and vocally in the piece’s comments section.

The general feeling of these haters was that, while women may not always have an orgasm during sex, and that’s fine, it is the man’s god-given right to come, and any person who interferes with that process is a blue-ball-giving, erection-killing misandrist.

They felt that even though she was done, and physically and emotionally needed a break, she should have gotten him off some other way, or else

just kept going, because all women are supposed to be multi-orgasmic and it is the man who dictates when sex is over.

The fact is, while many women are capable of having multiple orgasms and way outlasting their male partners, many also are not, or are not always.

There is nothing wrong with needing a break or wanting to stop at any point during a sexual encounter, and anyone should be able to invoke that right.

Furthermore (and I think I speak for most vagina-havers here, especially in heterosexual liaisons), how many times has the woman been the one left wholly unsatisfied because her male partner is too lazy or too preoccupied to at least attempt to see her to the finish line before unceremoniously pulling out and rolling over? An eye for an eye makes

the whole world blind, but at the same time, what’s good for the gander is also good for the goose, if you know what I mean. Of course, not everyone is going to come every time but it’s the thought that counts, I think.

Of course, ideally both partners will equally get their rocks off or at least equally enjoy every sexual encounter, but sometimes that’s just not gonna happen. However, both partners should always be attentive to each other’s needs—and this includes stopping when one of them wants or needs to stop. In my books, being respectful and attentive—during “stop” moments as well as “go” moments—is really the only sexual etiquette to follow. Moral of the story: an orgasm is a privilege, not a right, and stop always means stop.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24 2015 //

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danslenoir.ca Anecdotes // LIFE

Stories from hell: jobs to avoid this summer Employment horror stories from our staff to guide you in what to avoid and where not to apply this season

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he first days of spring are here and despite the lumps of grey ice clinging stubbornly to the shadows, soon classes will be done, finals will be over and summer jobs will be here. What will you spend your lazy days doing once the summer semester

is here? Will you brave the customer service industry, or take on a challenging internship to pad your resume? We wish you luck in whatever you spend your energy on, but also urge caution. Some summer jobs sound like the bees-knees on paper but in practice are worse than

Monday-morning 7 a.m. classes in the winter term. Learn from our mistakes and miscalculations and know to avoid these summer jobs, at all costs. The tips are not worth the sweat, the time is not worth the minimum-wage, and the tasks are not worth the effort.

have always been a sugar fiend. Anything sweet is my jam, so when the opportunity to make milkshakes, waffles and desserts showed up in my local hometown paper I practically sprinted to the White Spot restaurant to demand employment.

All I had to do was make the orders that printed off the little machine in my

small corner of the kitchen and make sure the desserts were well stocked for the restaurant rush. Seems simple right?

False. I was in for the lesson of a lifetime.

For those who have never worked in a restaurant and don’t know what it is like, here is a small glimpse behind the scenes.

Customers yell at servers because their dinner has not arrived four minutes after ordering; the server yells at the kitchen staff; the kitchen staff yell back; the manager pops in and yells at the dishwasher; the dishwasher yells at the busboys; the busboys complain to the kitchen staff; and then everyone yells at the lowest rung of the ladder (yours truly) the dessert kid.

Meanwhile eighty-billion milkshake orders are coming in, servers yell at you when they take the wrong order, desserts cool and have to be remade while waiting for service and somewhere along the way I scalded my palms because there were holes in the oven mitts. You get one superbuff arm from scooping your way through eight 10-litre tubs of rock-solid ice cream every four hours and at the end of the day you limp home coated in sweat, souring dairy products and a thick layer of grease from the deep fryer.

Oh, and you likely won’t get any tips.

Don’t take the dessert job unless you want to hate your life, your job, ice cream, and be forever disgusted by the smell of fries. You’ve been warned.

prisingly zen.

Which is why, when I got the opportunity to be a video game tester, I practically died on the spot. Sure, it was for mobile games, but it was with a real publisher! Triple-A! High production values! Critically-acclaimed franchises were being built beneath my feet! (And I got an employee discount!) Playing video games for eight hours sounded like a dream, not to mention I got paid for it.

What did I have to lose?

Answer: my sanity.

Because video game testing isn’t someone telling you: “Beat the game and

tell us if anything bad happened!” Video game testing is playing a broken version of Chinese Monopoly on a keypad flipphone. Video game testing is picking up and dropping boxes into shadows because they keep inexplicably falling into oblivion. Video game testing is filling out Excel sheet after Excel sheet about inapp purchases and log-in information— on phones that don’t have wifi.

Video game testing is leaving downtown Friday at midnight and coming in to the office at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday because “the build has to go live” on Monday. Video game testing means lots

of breaks with your eyes closed and face buried in your arms because if you have to stare at another screen then your eyes will begin to bleed. Video game testing is working on a contract that can only be renewed once, for minimum wage pay.

And maybe worst of all: video game testing means starting to slowly detest video games.

If you want to spend your summer with a controller or keyboard in hand, do yourself a favor, and stay far away from any promises of lucrative game testing—unless you’re ready to test your patience.

I still remember my opening monologue, right down to the exaggerated southern drawl (in order to not be identified as a yankee, of course) spat out from behind a big fat cheesy grin: “Hey y’all, my name is Greg and I’ll be your server today. Could I start y’all off with our worldfamous sweet tea?”

For the record, I have my doubts about how well-known our sweet tea is outside of Duval County. Those who somehow fell in love with this concoction (which takes two bags of sugar the size of a newborn child per 10 litres) evidently ignored the early onset diabetes which was sure to follow. We even had to-go cups specifically for people who didn’t OD on enough sugar while stuffing all-you-can-eat pulled pork down their throats.

For those who have never had the misfortune of having to serve all-you-can-eat

meals, the work never ends. The customer pays slightly more to have the privilege of me going back and forth to the kitchen specifically for them, but that additional work didn’t mean a bigger tip at the end of the service.

Speaking of tips, the worst tippers I had at my time there was the church crowd: who would’ve thought that those funlovin’ baptists who constantly preached of open-heartedness and kindness would be quick to forget to be kind to their waiter.

I’ll never forget the woman who warned me at the beginning of her meal: “See this glass of sweet tea?”

“Yes m’am” “I do not like when my glass of sweet tea is empty. If you want a good tip, it better not get empty.”

Needless to say I was glad to leave the country.

Milkshake maid, kitchen scum MICHELLE GAMAGE Production manager

I Video game vassal LAURA MARCHAND Opinions editor

I

like video games. Ever since I unwrapped a Nintendo 64 at age six, I’ve used games as a hobby, an escape, and a way to unwind. Didn’t do well on a test? Nothing is more therapeutic than destroying your enemies until there is nothing left but ash. It’s sur-

Barbecue Funmaster GREGORY TODARO Copy editor

I

landed my first summer job just a month before moving from the murderous city of Jacksonville, Florida to study in Montreal at Concordia. Ten minutes from my house was one of the many Sonny’s Real Pit BBQ locations serving six states across the southeast.

Awkward 18-year-old me wandered in soon after my high school graduation to join the team of Barbecue Funmasters (which is literally the name given to servers in the employee handbook). It was exactly as bad as you’d expect.

arts

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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

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

Theatre student’s new role as assistant director A Concordia theatre protégé assists in the direction of the Centaur’s The Envelope JULIA BRYANT Contributor

Concordia theatre student Mitchell Cohen has had a unique opportunity to work closely with the artistic team of a new play premiering at the Centaur Theatre March 24.

Cohen has been involved with The Envelope, written and directed by Montreal playwright Vittorio Rossi, since its early stages of writing.

The play centres around two producers who gather at an Italian restaurant to vie for the film rights to a new play premiering at an imaginary theatre located in Old Montreal. They’re asked to choose between an indie L.A. filmmaker and a millionaire local film producer, who offers them an envelope full of cash. The play examines the conflicts between ambition, loyalty, money and ultimately art. The show will be Rossi’s 10th play staged at the Centaur.

Cohen explained that the play isn’t so much about the big issues, but more of a snapshot of one point in time. “It’s not the kind of play that thinks of the big questions in life, and talks philosophically about this and that,” he explained. “It’s a very specific story about the film industry.”

As assistant director of the show, Cohen says he’s learned a great deal from working with Rossi in a professional the-

atre environment.

“What I’m figuring out is how to navigate a cast, and that everyone has different strengths and different weaknesses, and the subtleties of knowing when to say something or when to hold back,” said Cohen.

Though he has plenty of experience working on productions, Cohen had never really seen things from the director’s point of view before.

“I’m an actor, and directing is not the thing that I necessarily want to be doing,” he said. “My true love and passion is acting.”

Cohen explained that his role with the show is not a clearly defined one, but one that he feels is appreciated. “My job, I feel, is to work in the framework that Vittorio is trying to place,” he said. “Every director needs to have a voice, and every director needs to have their own touch. My job is to help keep that afloat.”

Cohen went on to say that he has high hopes for the play’s opening. “I can honestly say that there’s been a ton of progress in the last week or so, and I think that we’re going to exceed a lot of expectations,” he said.

When asked to describe The Envelope in one or two words, actor Leni Parker, a Concordia theatre alumna, called it a “power play.” Ron Lea, who studied theatre at both Concordia and the National Theatre School, described it as “a sledgehammer.”

Cohen described the show as being made up of small pieces rather than a sweeping entirety. “It’s going to be a lot of interesting little moments that tell a story,” he said. “We’re taking a very interesting,

rather truthful story and telling it as it is, which I find very fascinating.”

The Envelope plays at Centaur Theatre from March 24 to April 19.

COHEN OVERLOOKS THE SCRIP WITH PLAYWRIGHT AND DIRECTOR VITTORIO ROSSI IN PREPARATION FOR THE PREMIERE OF THE ENVELOPE ON MARCH 24. PHOTO BY ANDREJ IVANOV.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

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Theatre // ARTS

Michel Tremblay’s Hosanna is a declaration of heart The English translation of the iconic play examines sex and identity in 1970s Montreal CHARLOTTE STEUTER-MARTIN Contributor

Although Michel Tremblay’s remarkable play Hosanna hails from the 1970s, it has lost none of its relevance or poignancy. This perplexing play has been catapulted into the 21st century by Director Mike Payette and his incredible cast at Tableau D’Hôte Theatre.

The play centres around Hosanna, an aging drag queen living in Montreal with her leather-clad partner Cuirette. Eloi ArchamBaudoin articulates the role of Hosanna with a careful brilliance. ArchamBaudoin and Davide Chiazzese, who plays the incorrigible Cuirette, strike a real chord while moving audiences with their vulnerability.

The emotional complexities of their multilayered relationship drives the 90 minutes of this powerful one-act play. ArchamBaudoin and Chiazzese breathe new life into Tremblay’s searing and truly heartfelt dialogue.

The English adaptation, translated by John Van Burek and Bill Glassco in 1974, manages to stay true to the richness of the inimitable Quebecois dialect without fully assimilating or neutralizing Hosanna’s raw-

ness. The inclusion of French sacramental profanities undoubtedly enhances the comedy of this piece.

The audience follows Hosanna as she explores the aftermath of a practical joke that she was the victim of earlier that night. She describes her transition from a rural Quebecois town to Montreal—what felt like a city of promise for a queer person in the 1970s. Imagine her surprise at being publicly humiliated by her friends in the queer community, and by her partner Cuirette as well. Hosanna and Cuirette passionately TREMBLAY’S 1970S-PENNED PLAY HOSANNA DELVES INTO THE FLAIR OF A DRAG QUEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL. spar as Hosanna feels the full force of this betrayal.

Throughout the course of the night, Ho- our identity is performance and how much that it still resonates with audiences today. sanna slowly deconstructs her elaborate is essence? As Hosanna disrobes in front of The artistic team at Tableau D’Hôte Thetransformation into the most-regal Cleopa- Cuirette, we are asked to ponder the pierc- atre have awoken a classic love story and tra as embodied by her icon, Elizabeth Tay- ing vulnerability of this question. rendered it for the contemporary stage with lor. This play explores the themes of what It remains a mystery how Michel Trem- beauty and heart. it is like to feel like an outsider—even an blay was able to capture the powerful realoutsider in your own body. How much of ness of the human experience in such a way Hosanna is playing at MainLine Theatre

Exhibit // MUSIC

Pop, colour & splash at Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts The curator of Warhol Mania explains that pop art history attracts new faces KELSEY LITWIN Staff writer

A private collection of Andy Warhol prints on display at Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts has succeeded in attracting a new demographic.

The exhibit strays from what has been presented at the museum in the last year.

In the 2014 season, museum-goers were treated to retrospectives and views of distant lands. From Van Gogh to Kandinsky looked at impressionism, expressionism and everything in between, while Peter Doig’s collection of paintings transported viewers to his adopted home of Trinidad.

Warhol Mania is a shift that has brought a new generation to the typically classic museum. The collection of graphic design work was curated by art collector Paul Maréchal.

If ever anyone could be called a Warhol aficionado, it would be Maréchal, without a doubt. He has penned three books about Warhol’s work and donated 51 pieces to the Museum of Fine Arts for this exhibit. His passion for the graphic designer’s work might be surpassed only by his passion for sharing it.

Maréchal, who confessed that he could speak endlessly about Warhol, is not new to dealing with museums. Pleased with the reception that the exhibit has had to date, he remarked how great it has been to work with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

“Having only one lender makes it easier to coordinate,” he said.

As a result, two halls on the third floor of the museum are decorated with some of Warhol’s most recognizable pieces, from a hot pink Perrier bottle, to an illustration of

Exhibit // ARTS

THE MMFA’S WARHOL MANIA SHOWCASES THE ARTIST’S EARLY EDITORIAL AND MORE WELL-KNOWN WORK. PHOTO BY LINDSAY RICHARDSON. Michael Jackson’s TIME cover, to a bright red poster for the 20th Montreux Jazz Festival.

“Unlike works of art, which are created to be contemplated, an advertising poster must deliver its message in a matter of seconds, making an immediate impact on the passerby, the person in the street,” says the museum’s website.

This is the most striking difference between Warhol Mania and previous shows at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Warhol “broke down the boundaries between graphics and the fine arts by using both to their mutual benefit,” as a description in the exhibit hall elaborates.

In breaking down this boundary, Warhol’s work gains an unprecedented reach.

Maréchal agreed that the poster format makes the art more accessible to the pub-

lic than traditional media. It is, without question, easier to digest than some of Warhol’s other work. Maréchal cited Warhol’s 1964 work Empire as an example.

Warhol’s eight-hour-long silent film of the Empire State Building might not have been as eagerly embraced by the general public.

Maréchal continued to explain that in the early 1950s, Warhol’s fine art pieces could have been found in cafes, or other galleries that sold the work of unknown artists, but that he truly found his fame in the pages of magazines.

The exhibit highlights the fine line that Warhol drew between commercial and fine art by placing original prints next to copies of the ads from magazines. Most notable is Warhol’s rendition of a bottle of Absolut Vodka. A large poster of the iconic ad al-

lows the viewer to appreciate the artistic detail, while smaller reproductions give a new perspective on advertising.

It is this unique perspective that draws a younger generation to the exhibit. While Doig’s large paintings demonstrate great skill, the subject matter is less accessible.

Warhol’s posters were designed to be eyecatching, no matter the subject. Jeans, celebrities, and sparkling water are everpresent, which allows them to resonate with today’s audience.

“It has been extremely popular amongst young people,” Maréchal said of the exhibit. “The attendance has been quite high.”

The exhibit’s popularity has encouraged organizers to extend the exhibit for an extra two weeks, until Sunday March 29.

It is free for attendees under 30.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

music Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

Festival // MUSIC

Montreal rocked SXSW

The annual Austin festival welcomed some of Montreal’s greatest MIA PEARSON & ONEIDA CRAWFORD Music editor & Assistant music editor

SAMUEL PROVOST-WAKER Staff writer

>> Death Grips to release new music Say what you will about Death Grips, but the experimental hip-hop trio sure know how to rile up their target audience. Despite their official dissolution, fans have been eagerly anticipating the band’s supposed final release, Jenny Death, which forms the second half of their conclusive double album The Powers That B. Pre-order details on label Harvest Records’ site previously pointed to a March 17 release, but Death Grips themselves have at last confirmed March 31 as the day the album will hit store shelves. Until then, the entire album is available for streaming on the band’s YouTube page (Note: IT’S PRETTY GOOD). Whether this truly means the end for the band or merely represents another extensive coup remains to be seen.

>> Marvin Gaye’s family wants to eradicate “Blurred Lines” entirely Hot off of a $7.3 million victory over alleged similarities between Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” the latter’s family and estate aren’t looking to call it a day just yet. In an effort to rid the world of the Thicke/Pharrell song once and for all, the Gaye family is demanding the judge “correct the jury’s verdict” and add Universal Music, Interscope Records, Star Trak Entertainment and even T.I. to the list of infringers. If the motion is granted, the Gaye family also plans to block all sales and distribution of “Blurred Lines,” effectively ridding the world of at least one obnoxious earworm. While it’d be easy to praise the Gaye family for their persistence in trying to erase the song entirely, the win in and of itself sets a dangerous precedent for future plagiarism cases as both songs share a similar drum beat, if little else. Assuming the Gaye family succeeds in implicating just about everyone within earshot of the song in their lawsuit, we’ll be that much closer to seeing the inevitable Pearl Jam vs.

Post-Grunge case take flight.

This year’s SXSW wrapped-up on Sunday, but it’s not too late to put together a top 5 list of talented Montreal musicians who flocked Southwest to shine on the Southern stages.

Held annually in Austin, Texas, SXSW (South by Southwest) is an epic festival comprised of three sectors; new media/interactive, film and music.

Each sector highlights international talent through a variety of concerts, film screenings, conferences, exhibitions and a huge trade show. The popular festival functions as a hub for potential collaborators and business partners, while showcasing new trends in the entertainment industry. Comparable to SXSW is Canada’s own NXNE festival, which follows the same model and is held annually in Toronto in June.

The Concordian compiled a list of talented musicians and bands who represented Montreal at SXSW 2015 edition, along with 400+ other musical guests.

This year, Montreal offered-up performers working in a range of genres; from rap and hip-hop to indie and electronic.

1. Look Vibrant Described as “no-fi” on the band’s Facebook page, electronic pop rock duo

Look Vibrant have a very unique and experimental sound, reflecting DIY production techniques. Early tracks from Look Vibrant play in the spirit of experimental masters, Animal Collective, whereas their recent track, “Miracle,” leans towards pop. Their EP Only Qualms is due out Spring/Summer 2015, according to their Bandcamp. Some members are Concordia students, and these too cool for school musicians hit the SXSW stage on March 20.

2. Les Marinellis This Burger Records band sometimes performs sans shirt or pants—just a shiny pair of underwear sufficed for frontman Cedric Marinelli, during the band’s performance. Marinelli’s gritty voice sings in his native French language over ‘60s psych-inspired guitar riffs, as well as a ‘90s grunge attitude.

Their ‘shiny and stranded in a dessert’ aesthetic is reminiscent of Beach Goth band, The Growlers, with whom they played a Burger show in Montreal about a year ago. One of their instagram pictures showed the band serving-up ladles of poutine to SXSW guests—bon appetit, Texas.

3. Mozart’s Sister Electro-pop sweetheart Caila Thompson-Hannant a.k.a Mozart’s Sister, has played several shows with fellow Canadian musician, Grimes. Her association with Grimes is certainly reflected

in her alternative electronic sound, and particularly evident in her full-length pop debut, Being. However, ThompsonHannant’s vocals are prominent and not so wispy and dreamy as her comrade’s.

Mozart’s Sister was at SXSW on March 19.

4. Marie Davidson And now for something completely different…Marie Davidson uses dark heavy synths and wind-chime-like samples to evoke an eerie, futuristic sound. Reciting more SO than singing, Davidson’s sinister vocals are sexy and compelling. Her beats are reminiscent of synth pop duo Glass Candy. Having completed two albums, and been on tour in the U.S. and Europe, Marie Davidson returned to play SXSW on March 19 and 21.

5. The Franklin Electric Known for their popular ballad “Unsatisfied,” The Franklin Electric are a talented six piece folk-pop band. Their full-length debut album, This is How I Let You Down, fits perfectly amongst the trend of nostalgic, folky pop songs with clear gentle vocals and harmonies, perky percussion, violins and guitars, but sans banjo. The Franklin Electric are sure to perk the ears of fans who enjoy the sounds from bands like The Lumineers, Imagine Dragons and Mumford and Sons. The band played SXSW on March 18 and 21.

MATTHEW MURPHY AND JUSTIN LAZARUS FROM LOOK VIBRANT (RIGHT). GRAPHIC ON LEFT BY CELESTE LEE.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

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Quickspins // MUSIC

Will Butler - Policy (Merge Records; 2015)

Ólafur Arnalds & Alice Sara Ott The Chopin Project (Mercury Classics; 2015)

Modest Mouse - Strangers To Ourselves (Epic; 2015)

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly (Interscope/Aftermath/ Top Dawg; 2015)

Will Butler’s solo debut is as eclectic and fueled with unbridled energy as Butler himself. Sonically, Policy is all over the map. It crosses borders into garage-rock, with early-Beatles-esque guitar licks on tracks like “Take My Side” and “What I Want,” then picks up more subtle Southern sounds on the catchy little ditty “Son Of God,” complete with a chorus of gospel singers. There is an evidently ardent love for the keyboard and all things piano throughout the album.

It showcases the Arcade Fire multi-instrumentalist’s undeniable talent, as he goes back and forth between sweetly sad piano ballads like “Sing To Me,” playfully sinister cabaret-style sounds on “Something’s Coming,” and retro-infused keyboard playing on the record’s most infectious single, “Anna.”

In many ways, Policy is dripping with Arcade Fire inspired moments, but Butler manages to set himself apart from his band and establish himself as a solo artist on this genre-melting debut album.

In the press release for The Chopin Project, Icelandic musician/producer Ólafur Arnalds explained the conception of the project: “there has been no re-invention of the way Chopin’s music has been presented since recording began, and I was longing for someone to come along and try something different.” It then became clear that he was the one to do it. Arnalds enlisted the aid of acclaimed German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott and searched venues around Reykjavík for pianos that exuded the right personality for the project. Using the intimate environment and vintage recording equipment, the duo recorded reinterpretations of select Chopin pieces, focusing mainly on themes of solitude and loneliness. Arnalds then mixed his own arrangements for violin, piano and synthesizer to create a multilayered experience. The result is a captivating, dreamlike ambient soundscape that feel cinematic and modern even though it is based on compositions dating back more than 200 years.

A lot has changed in the eight years since Modest Mouse released their last album: the first generation iPhone was unleashed, Paris Hilton was still on The Simple Life, and Spider-Man 3 had everyone confused over casting choices.

(Why would they pick Topher Grace to play opposite Tobey Maguire? They look exactly alike and it’s confusing.) “Lampshades On Fire” is a perfect fit for the first single, with its carnivalesque ‘bop bop bop’s’ sporadically interspersed between Brock’s sharp and jutting lyrics. The album manages to balance emotionally gut wrenching tracks like “Ansel,” dedicated to the frontman’s late brother, with witty folk-inspired ones like “God Is an Indian And You’re An Asshole,” all the while maintaining their signature percussive, guitar-laden, danceable sound. Despite its title, Modest Mouse’s latest album is no Stranger to us: Isaac Brock’s unmistakable layered vocals are at the forefront of every song, nudging us gently back into an early 2000s alt-rock nostalgia.

The themes explored throughout this album, including the dangerous temptations within modern hip-hop, the never-ending tensions surrounding race relations in America, and the perpetual clash between the Blakean notions of innocence versus experience are all tied back to Lamar’s rise to the top. Despite the bravado displayed by the 27-year-old rapper, songs such as “u” reveal an insecure side, one that is consumed by feelings of resentment, guilt, and self-doubt. Lamar ties his very soul to his musical artistry. Lamar sings about Lucifer’s temptations (or “Lucy”) that manifest themselves in the form of money, fame, and success, and these are offered in exchange for his artistic freedom. This serves as a reminder to himself and a warning to others. K-Dot sets the musical tone for his latest album with the opener, “Wesley’s Theory,” a jazz/funk-infused track produced by the legendary George Clinton. Halfway through the song however, Dr. Dre offers the prodigal son of Compton a key piece of life advice: “anybody can get it, the hard part is keeping it.”

Trial Track: “Anna”

Trial Track: “Verses”

Trial Track: “Lampshades On Fire”

Trial Track: “The Blacker The Berry”

8/10

-Jessica Romera

9/10

-Paul Traunero

7.5/10

-Jessica Romera

9/10

-Ayan Chowdhury

sports

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// TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

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

A first-hand look at America’s pastime Photo by Stephen Mellentine on Flickr

The spring training atmosphere is a constant reminder of what Montreal is missing MATTHEW SHANAHAN Contributor

It’s a Sunday afternoon in early March.

For most Montrealers, it’s a time that can be described as a final whiff of winter. Perhaps it’s still cold enough to tie up your skates one more time and head out to shoot some puck on your neighbourhood rink, or perhaps you decide to stay indoors and do that dreaded homework you have due Monday morning. Last Sunday, I did none of those things.

Given that I’m studying abroad in Los Angeles this year, I decided to take this opportunity and head to Phoenix, Arizona last weekend with two primary motivations: to see the Canadiens play the Coyotes and to experience my first spring training baseball game.

I pulled up to the game and followed the herd of cars that had to park on an old, beat-up soccer field for five dollars.

It was a rematch of last year’s American League Division Series in which the

Kansas City Royals swept the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The game was played at Tempe Diablo Stadium, the spring training facility for the Angels with a capacity crowd of 9,500. I wore my vintage blue Andrew Dawson Expos t-shirt and a modernized Expos hat.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the ballpark was the same jackedup prices for both beer and food that you’d normally see in a Major League ballpark, but there were surely some differences. Being in a ballpark of less than 10,000 people, you have the lower seats that cost somewhere in the $5060 range as well as the baselines being somewhere in the middle. But, the real spring training experience involves sitting on the outfield grass. People can sit anywhere on the elevated grass area and get as comfortable as they desire.

The game had all the intensity and excitement of a normal Major League regular season game, with a back-andforth affair, ending with the Royals winning the game 6-4, scoring four runs in the ninth inning to win.

Another unique component of the

spring training experience is that the fans appear to simply enjoy watching the game of baseball and don’t care about the outcome of the game. Sure, there were many Angels and Royals fans–evident by their attire–but the attitude was different because nothing was on the line at the end of the game.

Although football is undoubtedly the biggest sport in the U.S., baseball is America’s pastime and rooted in a tradition that football can never measure up to. Spring training baseball achieved the fullness of that tradition. A beautiful spring day; people watching while lounging on the grass from the outfield; a small stadium; these are the elements that made people fall in love with baseball.

As I watched the game, I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to be down in Florida, watching the Expos and their abundance of minorleague talent get ready for another season to compete in the National League East Division.

I’m convinced that Montrealers have reason to believe that this dream,

which was once reality, can come true once again. In the past few years, Montreal has taken the necessary steps to show that the city we call home can once again have a Major League baseball team. One of those productive steps began last year with the Olympic Stadium hosting Major League Baseball for the first time since the Expos played their last baseball game 10 years earlier. For the second consecutive year, the Olympic Stadium will host the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cincinnati Reds. Last year’s exhibition series was a huge success, bringing in over 96,000 fans and a lot of hype to the Big O. Hopefully Montreal has not lost its hopes of getting a team back and will draw similar numbers this time around.

If you’re a baseball fan in Montreal or in any way would appreciate having a Major League Baseball team back, it’s your duty to go to at least one of the games on April 3 or 4. Let’s continue to show Major League Baseball that Montreal loves its baseball and that things will be different the second time around.

SITTING IN THE OUTFIEILD GRASS IS ONE OF THE PERKS THAT SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL OFFERS TO ITS FANS. PLENTY OF ROOM AT A DISCOUNT PRICE. PHOTO BY MARK SOBBA ON FLICKR.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 //

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Basketball // SPORTS

Ryerson hosts Final 8 tournament

The Carleton Ravens captured their fifth straight title in the showcase

CASEY DULSON Staff writer

While the U.S. has been taken over by university basketball fever as of late, Canada had their own version of March Madness. From March 12-15, the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) hosted its annual Final 8 men’s basketball tournament at Ryerson University in Toronto. The tournament saw the eight best universities from east to west compete for the right to hoist the W.P. McGee trophy and fight for the right to be called the best men’s basketball team in Canada.

In the end, the Carleton Ravens captured their fifth straight national championship in a blowout 93-46 victory against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. There were nearly 17,000 fans who attended the tournament and almost 4,000 who watched the national championship game, according to the CIS website.

The home crowd was treated to a Cinderella-like tournament: the Ryerson Rams, who weren’t considered to be a strong contender, captured a bronze medal—their first medal in Final 8 history. It was also the first time that the tournament was played in Toronto, an honour that Rams head coach Roy Rana

did not take lightly.

“I take it personally, this event was a special one for Toronto,” Rana said.

Rana was hired by the Rams in 2009 and had never seen such strong support for the school, and his team, until the tournament started.

“When I got here we had 150 people at the games, we needed to beg them to come,” Rana said. “So this type of support from our students and our communities is pretty special.”

Carleton’s head coach, David Smart, raved about their host and for the city of Toronto.

“I love it, the faculties and floor were unbelievable. It is nice to win in Toronto with the basketball fans in city,” Smart said. “We like to say that Ottawa is the capital of Canadian basketball, but it is hard to argue against Toronto.”

The Ravens basketball program is the greatest university dynasty this country has ever had. They have captured 11 national championships in the past 13 years with Smart behind the bench. Despite their roaring success, not many people in this country even know who they are—in part because Canadian university basketball doesn’t have the same following compared to other sports. People who live in the U.S. were introduced to the basketball powerhouse just last year when the pro-

gram was featured in an ESPN article titled, “The Canadian college basketball dynasty you’ve never heard of.”

For the past five years the Ravens have been led by British Columbian brothers Philip and Thomas Scrubb.

Philip—who had 28 points in the championship game and was named Player of the Tournament for the third time in his career—is regarded as one of the greatest CIS basketball players in history. His brother, Thomas, is known for his defensive abilities and has won two consecutive CIS Defensive Player of the Year titles.

“I just wanted to come in and work hard every day in practice. I was fortunate enough to have success with great teams,” Thomas said.

“We’ve been together our whole lives … just to see all of the success [Thomas] had right from the start really helped me pick up my game to get to his level on the court,” Philip said. “It is cool, winning five national championships in five years, but I would not have been here if I did not get help in my five years. It is a tribute to my teammates and coaches.”

Having taken the court for Carleton for the last time, the Scrubb brothers will have a meeting with their coach to discuss their future prospects of playing in Europe or even the NBA.

Sports in the News TIM LAZIER Sports editor

>> BRACKET BUSTER It is (nearly) impossible to perfectly predict a NCAA March Madness basketball tournament bracket. Heading into the tournament, ESPN had reportedly 11.57 million bracket entries. After the last game had been played on Saturday, March 21, none of those brackets remained intact. The madness and bracket-busting began early on Thursday when two No. 3 seeds Iowa State and Baylor were upset by No. 14 seeds University of Alabama-Birmingham and Georgia State, respectively. According to mashable.com, all your pre-tournament scouting and analysis to come up with a perfect bracket won’t help you. The website estimates that the odds of predicting every game correctly is 9.2 quintillion to one. If you’re a gambler, you have better chances of winning the Mega Millions lottery twice in a row.

>> MAX VERSTAPPEN TO THE MAX

Get ready to feel bad about yourself. Remember that first solo drive when you got your full license? You had just passed your test and were ready to take on the world, right? Well, last Sunday, March 15, Max Verstappen just put us all to shame.

The 17-year-old became the youngest professional driver in Formula 1 history when he took part in the Australian Grand Prix. Verstappen still hasn’t registered for his regular driver license, yet he’s already competing against 20 of the world’s best drivers. In the season’s first race, Verstappen made his debut with the Toro Rosso team. Although he didn’t finish the race due to engine failure, there will be many more opportunities for the phenom to shine. The next stop on the F1 schedule is the Malaysian Grand Prix this Sunday, March 29.

>> NASH RETIRES FROM NBA

THE RAVENS’ REIGN OVER CIS BASKETBALL HAS LED TO AN INCREASE OF SUPPORT BY CARLETON STUDENTS. PHOTOS BY THE.ROHIT ON FLICKR.

Canada’s most renowned NBA star, Steve Nash, retired on Saturday, March 21, announced TSN. Nash, 41, is from Victoria, B.C. and played 18 years in the league, 10 of which were for the Phoenix Suns. During his time on the court, Nash won two MVP awards and was selected for eight All-Star teams. According to TSN, the point guard played in a total of 1,217 games and accumulated 17,387 points throughout his career. Nash was most known for his playmaking ability and he now sits third in all-time assists with 10,335. Before the current NBA season was set to begin, Nash was advised to sit out due to severe nerve damage in his back. It was an injury that had plagued Nash for the past two seasons, limiting his play to only 45 games. During the prime of his career, Nash was one of the games brightest stars.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

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

The fine line between striking and intimidation Protesters have the right to strike, but students and profs shouldn’t be caught in the crossfire

W

ith the first day of spring came something else: a second wave of red squares, chants, and strikes—apparently, the second Maple Spring is here.

At Concordia, many student associations have voted in favour of holding strikes—something they have every legal and civil right to do. But with these strikes comes a problem; it was a problem back in 2012 too.

Some student associations have decided that in addition to striking, they will hard picket the entrances of classes.

These tactics include physically blocking the entrance to classes, verbally harassing those who try to cross picket lines, and even entering and interrupt-

ing classes in session—intimidating professors and students alike.

This is unacceptable.

On the one hand, it is true that students are represented by their associations. Therefore, if students vote to go on strike, technically, all the students in the faculty are on strike. However, the reality isn’t nearly so black and white: even within seemingly homogenous student organizations, there are always those who disagree with the consensus of the majority. There are likely students who, although represented by an association on strike, have an earnest desire to return to class and learn.

Is it really alright for students to intimidate fellow students, teachers, and

even university employees trying to enter the building? Even if this includes students whose associations may not be participating in the strike? Even though faculty are obliged to teach their classes, or risk losing their jobs?

Even though university employees literally have nothing to do with the cuts to education?

During Monday’s protest, some Concordia students interrupted a class and harassed a professor until he left. In this case, picketers directing their anger at the nearest figure of authority doesn’t help to put any additional pressure on the government, it alienates potential supporters of the cause. It’s important to remember that professors are affect-

ed by the provincial cuts too, especially since teaching is their livelihood.

Strikers should respect their fellow students’ right to attend class. By striking and refusing to attend class, you are acknowledging the risks to your grades and your attendance. However, imposing a failing grade on your fellow students by preventing them from attending class is not only irresponsible, but it accomplishes nothing.

Regardless of whether you support the strike or not, it’s a matter of respect.

You have the right to protest. But you also have the right to learn. And everyone deserves the right to pick which side of the picket line they’ll be standing on.

Society // OPINIONS

Lord of the Pigs: a tale of people and police A conversation needs to be had between security and society BARBARA MADIMENOS Contributor

C

onsidering it was Friday the 13th, the police could not start off the day any worse: officers discovered a pig’s severed head outside of the offices of the Montreal Police Brotherhood. The animal’s head was placed in the center of a chalk-drawn pentagram, with an arrangement of branches forming a person against the office doors, pinning a note with the message “You have taken them alive! We want them back alive!

May ghosts haunt you forever!”—a reference to the chant used in Mexico last year when 43 Spanish students disappeared. On the note, which included the names of missing people, another form of a pentagram drawn—a Baphomet, which holds relation to Satanism.

Many would argue that this was done

by Satanists. Others have suggested that it is related to the police brutality protests, or even an objection to the new Bill C-51 (which gives Canada’s security agencies higher power when suspecting someone for terrorism, and acting on that suspicion). Some have linked the incident to the missing students mentioned before, and that the pressures on minority groups in Quebec are erupting to the surface.

All in all, the signals at the scene were very scattered and held no real connection to each other. From a random pig’s head, to satanic stars, wooden structures and a note, we have little to work with except for the flashback of my high school English class when reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

In the novel, the group of boys, stranded on the island, are initially working cohesively. They may not be friends, but just like a society, all have to work together in order to survive.

However, as human nature comes into play, Ralph and Jack begin to crave power, yet Ralph is able to mentally tame his inner beast while Jack succumbs to his own. Both characters grow into authoritative individuals as the novel progresses, with Ralph representing more of a democratic figure and Jack autocratic.

Mirroring the novel’s situation with our own, it isn’t that farfetched to say that our once well-respected security figures have fallen in the public eye.

Many perceive them as suspicious and untrustworthy individuals that just want to control us in order to abide by their individualistic ideals. The im-

Graphic by Marie-Pier LaRose

pression that we now have of them is “evil,” hence the pig’s head, pentagrams and barricade over their office doors. The really sad part about all of this is that our police, or any security personnel, are now seen as corrupted figures, creating a divide between society and security. Instead of working to keep the peace and regarding everyone as individuals, we are now treated with cookie-cutter regulations, regardless of as to whether it is forceful or not. With the police—and even the government— viewed as unreliable, how are we, as a society, supposed to feel like we are entitled to our basic rights when we can’t

even trust those that are meant to protect us?

It is in times such as these that the government has to take a step back to regard what they have been doing and review their forceful methods for “keeping the peace.” We deserve conversation and to be included in the decisionmaking process regarding how laws and regulations should be implemented and dealt with, because if the people are unhappy, someone may just go kill a pig one day.

So, for the sake of the pigs, let’s start a conversation: we obviously have a lot to say.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

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Government // OPINIONS

Quebec’s mixed signals on affordable housing Lower income houses need affordability and accessibility KELSEY LITWIN Contributor

Montreal seemed one step closer to creating widespread affordable housing when Mayor Denis Coderre introduced his action plan to combat homelessness in September 2014. The optimism continued in December when the provincial government added $4.6 million to the annual budget for their homelessness action plan, with a particular focus on a Housing First approach.

The approach, as described in Canada’s Economic Action Plan, “involves first giving people who are homeless a place to live, and then providing the necessary supports (e.g. for mental illness) to help them stabilize their lives and recover as best as possible.” Their webpage goes on to say that this approach “has been proven to be an effective way to reduce homelessness.”

However, just two months after the provincial government announced their commitment the action plan they revealed that they would not be renewing funding for another government sponsored affordable housing project, AccèsLogis.

AccèsLogis is a program that helps fund new affordable housing projects around the city and is administered by the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ). A statement on their website reads that the program, “aims to promote the construction and maintenance of social and community housing for households with low to moderate incomes.”

Although the SHQ has promised to aid AccèsLogis in finding other sources of funding, there is an undeniable feeling that government support is faltering. While it is true that the province of Quebec and the city of Montreal have many issues to tackle on an economic level, social housing is not one we can afford to give up on.

First, it is necessary to understand what affordable housing means. “The conventional measure [of housing affordability] is to use 30 per cent of income,” says Nick Revington, a graduate student in Concordia University’s Department of Geography, Urban and Environment studies. “If you’re spending more than that, your housing is unaffordable or you’re in a situation of affordability stress and that’s problematic for a number of reasons.”

Revington is currently studying the accessibility of affordable housing in the rental markets of Vancouver and Montreal, with a focus on lower income households.

Although he is just completing the primary analysis of his findings, he can tell, “lower levels of income are where the problem is more serious.” Seeing as that is the case, there is no question that subsidized housing is crucial in keeping housing accessible to the entire population.

“The main [issue] being that a household might be spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing but their income is so high that they still have enough income to pay for it and everything else that they need,” Revington continued.

“Whereas on the other hand, a household might be spending less than 30 per cent of their income on housing but their income is so low that they might not be able to pay for their basic necessities.”

Thankfully, Montreal does have a track record of maintaining successful social

housing complexes—such as Habitations Jeanne-Mance, a facility that has been running since 1959 in downtown Montreal.

Despite what many may say, this is a credit to how well the provincial and municipal governments have worked together on such issues in the past.

“Montreal has been fairly successful, with the collaboration of the provincial and the federal government,” says Mario Polèse, Canada Research Chair in Urban and Regional Studies. He cited the work done on social housing as a specific example of success. “Especially if you compare what we’ve done here with [cities] like Paris or New York, where social housing has turned into ghettos. We, with some exceptions,” he continued, “have managed not to do that. It’s been done intelligently. So we can be pretty proud of that.”

Polèse says we must thank the planners who designed social housing in the city for that pride. “We tended to disperse [social housing complexes] around the city in fairly small units, which was exactly the right thing to do,” he explained.

However, the number of low-income households is growing, as the unemployment rate is current floating around 8.1 per cent, according to Statistics Canada. That number, roughly estimated, comes out to a few hundred thousand people in Montreal. If unemployment continues to grow, affordable housing will become even more necessary. A push for more housing is inevitable. Instead of just asking, “Can the city of Montreal afford it?” we will also be forced to ask, “Where can we put it?”

Gentrification is not a new topic in Montreal. As neighborhoods become trendier and “more fashionable to live in,” as Revington puts it, there is more of a struggle to find affordable housing in those areas.

“There is a certain interest in maintaining the character of a neighbourhood,” said Revington, “and excluding a certain “others,” including those who require subsidised housing.”

This pushes affordable housing away from the traditionally more expensive city center. As that is done, even more problems arise with access to public transit. “If the only affordable housing is in areas that are not serviced by public transit,” explained Revington, “then you’re either dependent on a car, so you’re adding a major expense, or you’re simply cut off in a sense that you can’t access things or it takes you too long to access them.”

As Montreal is a city that has over 200,000 students, it’s important to remember that low-income households often include students. It is not uncommon to hear of students being mistreated by landlords, like being forced to pay illegal deposits or having their rent increased during their lease. Student residences are also limited in the number of students that they can accept on a yearly basis, often being limited to first year students, and can cost you a pretty penny.

This then leaves students in trouble when it comes to look for a place to leave.

As Revington says, “The greater your income, the more choices you have … the greater resources you have to spend time looking.”

There is a proposed student-housing coop at Concordia that will be funded by the Concordia Student Union (CSU) with help from the Chantier de l’économie sociale.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much reason to get excited just yet: it still has to pass a referendum vote and would only hold 100 to 150 beds once built.

It’s also important to note that it—like

other social housing complexes—would rely partly on government funding. With the government apparently flip-flopping in

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the last few months, it is difficult to understand what their commitment really means.

University of Ottawa

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Further explore your graduate program.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

Letter // OPINIONS

Letter to the editor

Investment // OPINIONS

Why I am supporting Community Action in the CSU elections

Gambling with artists: a dangerous game

At a time when students are confronted with repeated austerity measures and widespread environmental degradation it is important to have a student union that defends our interests, builds community and ensures that our voices are heard both inside and outside the university.

Loto-Quebec’s cuts to art risks putting artists in the red

Over the past two years I have been repeatedly impressed with the will, determination and perseverance of the individuals elected to the CSU council and executive. In a relatively short period of time they have managed to initiate and build widespread support for a variety of sustainability related projects on campus such as the Hive Solidarity CafĂŠ, the Loyola Greenhouse, the Student Housing Co-op, the CSU Daycare and the Brewing Co-op just to name a few. The union has also not shied away from taking strong political positions in favour of civil liberties, against austerity and has engaged the community in a productive discussion about a number of broad political issues of our time.

This week students will be voting on who will be running the CSU for the next academic year. I am happy to throw my full support behind Team Community Action.

They are running an excellent group of dedicated, hard working and progressive individuals that are ready to continue supporting students and their projects. The election of the Community Action slate of executives will ensure that the CSU continues to build solidarity among community members while following through on the many excellent projects currently underway.

Alex Tyrrell Leader of the Green Party of QuĂŠbec Concordia Environmental Science Student

VotE

ROBIN STANFORD Staff writer

W

hat does Loto-Quebec and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts have in common? Not very much anymore.

For the past 35 years however, these two organizations both had an interest in local art. This will change on April 1 when Loto-Quebec will suspend all spending in this area.

The March 5 announcement detailed how the company could no longer afford to support the arts, citing a 5 per cent decrease in last year’s profits. The change in budgetary priorities represents a saving of roughly $350,000 per year, or 0.01 per cent of their profits.

This spending cut is anticipated to affect two main groups of the Quebec population.

First, local artists will be losing a significant patronage. According to a RadioCanada report on March 10, over the last 35 years, Loto-Quebec has bought over 4,900 works of art from more than 1,200 artists to the province. These figures are in addition to their support of the MusÊe D’art Contemporain and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Second, this decision will affect the rest of the Quebec population, especially in Montreal. With less art being commissioned, society as a whole will have less art to enjoy. Aside from the more traditional, museum art style, Montreal is

home to many avant-garde presentations.

These include outdoor statues, painted murals, permanent installations, and festival displays. (Though at this time, it is not known how many of these works are thanks to funding from Loto-Quebec.)

Usually a budget change such as this would not enter the news cycle. What makes this different is that it serves to highlight the questionable way in which Loto-Quebec makes money.

Unlike other monopolies such as Hydro-Quebec, Loto-Quebec is morally problematic. It markets itself on the dream of winning millions. Such a fantasy is not a motivator for the richest in society, but for those in the middle- and low-economic classes.

As their profits often come from the most impoverished, would it not be fitting to give a very little bit of it back to artists?

After all, artists tend to be undervalued and—unfortunately—under-employed in our society.

Past the concerns of the individual artists, should it not be the job of Loto-Quebec to give something back to the society that it profits from? One should hope that the next generation will have the joy of discovering new artistic offerings in festivals, at museums, or on the street.

Whether these works please, shock, or confuse their audience, they are important. Pulling this funding is silencing the voices of our local artists, voices whose very function is to get the public to question and discuss every element of society.

Regardless of the stated reason, LotoQuebec’s decision to pull art funding is troubling. As a group that profits off of the lower classes, they should be required to give something back to the community, even if it’s only 0.01 per cent of what they have.

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PUPIPIES // ETC

We re all guilty of trips of the tongue̶sorry, slips of the tongue! Ah, the difference a word makes! Who hasn t messed up a saying once or twice? Twitter certainly has, but this time, they re doing it on purpose!

Let s butcher old sayings: #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote.

@RemingtonLeith “You miss 100% of the tequila shots you don’t take. #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote” @DeJ_Jello “Sell a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you’re a terrible businessman #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

Quiz yourself with these adorable facts. True of false: 1.) Little dogs dream more than big dogs!

2.) Puppies spend 90 per cent of the first week of their lives sleeping.

3.) Labrador Retrievers are consistently the most popular dog in the United States!

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

My

Mia Pearson Music editor music@theconcordian.com

name is Dixie! I’m Laura’s dog. And I tricked you!

They’re all true. Did I fool you at

Oneida Crawford Assistant music editor

all?

Tim Lazier Sports editor sports@theconcordian.com

LAURA’S JOKE OF THE WEEK // ETC

@cheyenn10316666 ““Some are born great, Some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust inside them.” #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

Matthew Civico Assistant opinions editor Keith Race Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com

@Peter_Marwood “Life is like a box of tampons #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

Andrej Ivanov Assistant photo editor Saturn De Los Angeles Online editor online@theconcordian.com

Hey Peggy, w the roundest ho is k at the round night table?

Marie-Pier LaRose Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com Gregory Todaro Emily Gaudet Marilla Steuter-Martin Copy editors copy@theconcordian.com

@TheCarlosTweets “#ChangeAWordRuinAQuote “To infinity, and Beyoncé””

@EddyZDavis “Where there’s a will, there’s an inheritance #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

Natasha Taggart Marilla Steuter-Martin Production assistants

’t I don ho? ,w know

@BrandonPeach ““If at first you don’t succeed, try, try a gin.” #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

@Way2ManyLlamas ““say hello to my little pony” #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote” @RabbiWolpe “Give me liberty or give me meth. #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote” @Jarillex “An Apple a day keeps the Android away #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

Editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. Building CC-Rm 431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 514-848-2424 ext. 7499 (Editor-in-Chief)

@danbeavan “Now is the winter of our discount tents #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote” @RobinGrainger ““Draw me like one of your Tinder girls.” #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

Peggy Kabeya Assistant sports editor Laura Marchand Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com

@SinCityChiGirl “Float like a butterfly, sting like herpes. #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

@KevHeritage “#ChangeAWordRuinAQuote “I tweet, therefore I am.””

Nathalie Laflamme Editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com Michelle Gamage Production manager production@theconcordian.com

@SamTarly “Veni, vidi, vino. (I came, I saw, I got drunk) #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

@mashola1 “Don’t judge a book by its movie. #ChangeAWordRuinAQuote”

Tuesday, March 24, 2015 Vol. 32 Issue 23

Marc-Antoine Cardin Business manager business@theconcordian.com

ce! n e rer Sirumfe C

Talibah Gordon Advertising manager advertising@theconcordian.com Tyson Lowrie Jacob Serebin Ruben Bastien Board of directors directors@theconcordian.com

Contributors Sophie Bough, Mim Kempson, Julia Bryant, Kelsey Litwin, Charlotte Steuter-Martin, Sam Provost, Casey Dulson, Matthew Shanahan, Barbara Madimenos, Robin Stanford

theconcordian

March 23 was National Puppy Day!

Concordia s weekly, independent student newspaper.

Have a good week !

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