The Concordian Vol 31. Issue 26

theconcordian Volume 31 Issue 26

Independent student newspaper at Concordia University. Since 1983.

March 25, 2014

CFL visits Concordia Page 13

Photo by Keith Race

In this issue // news life

arts

Highlights from CSU debate p. 3

When to stay RIPA provokes with Q&A: The Head performances p.9 and the Heart p. 10 seated p. 15

Sweet treat at Cacao 70 p.6

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

music

opinions

theconcordian.com

news 2

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Tuesday, MARCH 25, 2014

Write to the editor: news@theconcordian.com

CITY Sloane Montgomery Co-news editor

>> NDG citizens victims of mail fraud

On Mar. 20 The Montreal Gazette reported that several residents in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace (NDG) area had been victims of mail and identity theft. The people committing the fraud had stolen the mail keys in Nov. 2013 after robbing and assaulting a Canada Post mail carrier. The fraudsters were stealing identities and applying for false credit cards, and then returning to the mailboxes to steal the bills. In February, a resident of a condo complex on Grand Blvd. received a $4,000 bill from a bank and credit card she had never applied for. The victim told her story on Facebook and others in the condo complex and surrounding area then came to the realization that they too had been victims of fraud. Since the reports Canada Post has changed the locks on all reported mailboxes.

>>

Woman shot in Lachine

The fifth homicide in Montreal took place on Mar. 19 when a 30-year-old woman died in the hospital after being shot. CJAD reported that the victim is said to have been shot at least once in the upper body while sitting in the driver’s seat of her white SUV on Pacific Avenue in Lachine. After receiving a call about gunfire the police rushed to the scene to find the victim barely alive, and soon after getting to the hospital she was pronounced dead. The investigation has now been transferred to the major crimes division, but there is currently no suspects or motive for murder.

>>

High turnout for Anglophone Voters

Unusually high voter turnout amongst anglophone voters in Montreal’s Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques riding has the head of Montreal’s electoral list revision commission concerned. CBC News reported on Mar. 21 that Mathieu Vandal, the head of the commission, raised suspicions over the high number of anglo and allophone voters registering to vote in Quebec’s upcoming provincial election. Similar sentiments were echoed later last week, when Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois stated that the high number of voter registering, “worried her.”

Campus // news

Finally, a simple way to health care CSU’s health-plan provider launches a mobile application Evan Scammell Staff writer

The Alliance pour la santé étudiante au Québec (ASEQ) has created a new mobile application designed to help students access their ihaveaplan accounts at Concordia on their mobile devices making it more convenient for its users to take advantage of health, dental, vision and travel coverage.

The mobile application is available online, in the Apple App Store, free of charge, and can be used with Apple mobile devices, including iPads, iPhones, and iPods. An Android version of the application will be available but according to Callan Davey, a program manager for the ASEQ, a specific release date has not been set.

The user will be able to take a picture of their receipt for their prescription, dental, and health expenses with their smartphone or tablet and send it directly to the insurance companies with the application, with a confirmation period of five business days. The application also keeps track of the users payment history and offers a special service for non-Quebec residents, by using a ‘pay-direct

card’, meaning that the user can have their claims processed immediately.

The service also provides emergency travel contact information, 24 hours a day. This means that if a user is in another country, perhaps doing an exchange, and has a medical emergency, the app will help them get in touch with a specialist from Canada. They can then be directed to the nearest health

service location.

“The CSU is extremely pleased with the new mobile application and we are always looking to improve student services,” said CSU President, Melissa Kate Wheeler.

“We are convinced that this app will provide our members with easier access to health-care benefits. We’re happy that ASEQ understands the needs and habits of our students.’’

The CSU at Concordia has been collaborating with the ASEQ almost since its foundation in 1996, being one of the first schools to participate in the ihaveaplan service. The organization deals with school councils exclusively and currently has over 650,000 student users across Canada.

Davey explained that the organization needs to conform with the growing technological community at schools, making their service more accessible and easy to use in an age where almost everyone has their own personal electronic device.

The organization expressed they also want to move forward with the environmental standards of the future.

“The ihaveaplan mobile app is designed to make as many ASEQ services as paperless as possible, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future for students,” said Lev Bukhman, executive director.

The organization has also participated in Climate Smart’s training program for businesses and were early adopters of a greenhouse gas emissions management strategy, according the their website.

For more information go to www.ihaveaplan.ca

Provincial politics // news

Summary: Quebec provincial debate Relatively even-toned, debate had surprises and a few fiery moments Milos Kovacevic Interim news editor

Two hours was all the leaders of Quebec’s provincial parties had to sway voters to their particular vision of the province’s future, as the first provincial elections debate was held on March 20.

Broadcast by Radio-Canada and Télé-Québec in French with live English translation and moderated by journalists Anne-Marie Dussault and Sébastien Bovet, Parti Québecois’ (PQ) leader Pauline Marois, Coalition Avenir Québec’s (CAQ) François Legault, Québec Solidaire’s (QS) Françoise David, and Liberal leader Phillipe Couillard did their best to buttress their agendas and undermine the policies and track records of their opponents.

From the get-go, Couillard set up his party as the alternative to the present status quo when he bluntly asked viewers whether they wanted a referendum or a focus on the

economy, health services, and education, alluding to the PQ’s stance on sovereignty.

Marois, especially combative during the night, fought back throughout the debate by assailing the failings of the “Liberal years” before her party came to power, and painted the CAQ and QS as being out of touch.

Legault’s consistent stance was for lower taxes, privatization, and more ‘wiggle-room’ for the average Quebecer.

Though a healthy middle class, both economically and socially, was agreed to by all candidates as a critical benchmark for Quebec’s growth, different ideas were touted as the way forward.

David insisted on green development and social care and, while she was perhaps the most composed candidate, she bared her teeth on more than one occasion, as when she pointed out the PQ’s reliance on petroleum was a blatant backtracking on their previous “ecological commitments.” This in turn al-

lowed Marois to paint David as the leader of an environmental party and against job creation.

Ordinarily humourless, there were moments of levity. Marois claimed that, in addition to creating jobs and restarting the economy, her party had “the best economic team…Quebec has ever seen in all its history,” to which Legault later pointed out that as the sole candidate with any business experience (having been a businessman before entering politics) only he could claim to have directly created jobs.

Sovereignty and the charter, the most headline-grabbing topics of late, were raised last. Here Marois toned down her outspoken views, perhaps as a calculated reaction to its oversaturation in voters’ minds.

However, continually cornered on the issue, Marois was finally forced by Legault, when he pointedly asked, “You have a duty to answer clearly: yes or no, will you call a referendum in the next mandate?” to respond with, “No [there will be no referendum]…as long as Que-

becers are not ready.”

The second major part of the national identity issue concerned the Charter of Values; a proposal by the PQ that would see ostentatious religious displays by government employees, such as jewelry or headwear like hijabs and turbans, amongst others, banned. The PQ leader called it a guarantee of state secularism and human rights and a simultaneous preservation of religious equality, while her opponents called it needlessly discriminatory and an attempt at wedge politicking.

Overall, while the traditional crossfire between the heavyweights in the province — the Liberals and the PQ — took center stage, there was plenty of room for the newer parties (with less to lose, comparatively) to score major points with blunt stances.

The debate marked the halfway point of the elections that end with a vote on April 7, 2014.

The next and final debate is set for Thursday, March 27.

Tuesday, MARCH 25, 2014

With the election looming last week’s debate illuminated candidates’ opinions

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he Concordia Student Union (CSU) Executive candidate debates were held last week on both campuses to provide students with information and to answer questions about their plans should they be elected for the coming school year.

Despite their differences all three affiliations and independent parties overlapped in their desire and pledge to provide students with improved student space; an increase in communication between CSU, council and students; the uniting of campuses and student groups; and bridging the gap between academic and social functions.

Community Matters believes in connecting communities by forming strong personal relationships, supporting fee-levy groups at Concordia and by remaining transparent at all times by keeping students up-todate and publicly showcasing their finances.

“Myself and my team have stuck to a method of personal consultations, focusing on the heads of student associations, getting to know them and what they know about the students,” explained Community Matters’ presidential candidate and current CSU VP Sustainability, Benjamin Prunty.

“By building relationships with them we can understand, reach and communicate with the largest amount of students possible.”

Backing up their idea to promote transparency, Community Matters has already put their campaign budget online for all students to see.

CSUnited feels passionate about building a united Concordia and

making resources easily accessible and known to students, which they believe will give a voice to students who generally do not have one.

“Representing students who are not already part of student politics, we feel we can provide the right resources and information to reach students who generally are oblivious to the CSU,” explained CSUnited presidential candidate, Jon Kim. Experience CSU is focused on student diversity, showcasing a strong belief in student choice and difference in opinions. They want to represent a wide range of pupils and create a CSU that is relevant to a larger number of undergraduates. Much like their title suggests they want to represent student wants, needs and ideas as their own to create “your experience.”

The Experience slate does not publicly support or reject the ‘per faculty fee-levy opt out’ referendum question. Expressing that their personal opinions only count for one vote, the same as any other student, as a team, they decided to remain neutral, promising to represent whatever outcome the majority of students decide on at the ballot.

“Sure, each one of us has our own opinion on the matter. Each one of us will have our say at the ballot box, just like you. Nevertheless, we feel that as executive candidates for the CSU, it is inappropriate for us to collectively endorse a political position that will alienate a large number of students,” stated the Experience CSU affiliation in a press release sent out March 18.

Independent candidate for VP Sustainability, Michael Abbott, is majoring in ecology and has been a student at the Loyola Campus for the past four years. He has plans to move

sustainable focus from short-term issues such as the use of paper to longterm issues such as a waste in energy, in addition to wanting to bridge the gap between the two campuses, he hopes to shed light on what the CSU does for the majority of students who are unaware.

Abbott explained that above all things, he’s learnt that there is a huge lack of awareness in the student body when it comes to understanding the CSU and what it is they do.

“You don’t need to vote for me, but get involved in knowing who’s governing you as a student,” said Abbott.

Independent presidential candidate Chuck Wilson explained that he is running independently because to him the main focus of the president should be to unite and mediate the team of executives. Wilson wants to make decisions based off data and concrete information, enforce collaborations amongst students and student groups and deliver important information to all Concordia students.

He stated that a vote for him would be a vote for a “united community experience.”

The question period was first open to general students, then to members of student associations and members of the current CSU government, and finally to questions from students who were not able to attend the debate and had posted their questions online.

Each question was asked to every affiliation or independent councillor, but no specific or personal questions were permitted.

With three affiliations, two independent candidates and a clear divide in student votes, current VP Loyola, Crystal Harrison, asked the candidates how they plan to overcome their differences as a mixed executive team.

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CSU elections// news

CSU candidates address student inquiries Sloane Montgomery Co-news editor

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On behalf of Experience CSU current VP Finance and VP Finance candidate Scott Carr said, “We get elected as individuals, it’s about an individual mindset and every individual should come in with an open mind.”

Presidential candidate Melissa Payette elaborated on that statement.

“We all want to commit a year of our lives to CSU and to Concordia students, on an individual basis that’s a huge commitment.”

On behalf of Community Matters, VP Student Life candidate, Charles Bourassa, explained that “the focus will be on creating common goals as a team, there is an overlap in our wants and ideas for students.”

Following up his statement, VP Sustainability candidate, Jessica Cabana, said “it won’t always be easy, but I think it’s really important that we be able to learn together what we’d want to do for Concordia students.”

Wilson reiterated his commitment to running alone explaining that his aim is “to bring the groups together as president.”

“Concordia literally means harmony, working together to achieve a greater community and I feel all the candidates have great ideas,” said Kim. VP Internal candidate Simon Dansereau added to Kim’s idea by stating that “it’s about a pragmatic mindset, in the end the goal is for students to benefit, there should be no other agenda beyond benefiting students.”

Abbott explained that he was running alone and thus was willing to work with everyone.

With the voting process already started, students are encouraged to research and reach out to candidates on social media, such as Facebook fan pages or candidate websites, as well as in person.

NATION Milos Kovacevic Interim news editor

>> Deft thieves preying on elderly

Vancouver police have been trying to educate the public to the dangers of strangers and their tricks after a spate of con artist performances have robbed several seniors of their jewelry.

Seemingly innocuous, the con artists appear to put on a show with scarves and their own fake jewelry, then used sleight of hand to exchange the fakes for the real thing. The CBC reports that since Dec. 2012, more than $88,000 worth of valuables have been stolen from Vancouver seniors by distraction scams.

>> Lucy the emu found safe and sound

A runaway emu on the lam for a week from a B.C. farm has been safely captured by his owner in the backyard of Vancouver Island University. 16-year-old Lucy, who weighs 70 kilograms and is male despite the name, gave quite a fight when cornered. Owner Tim Genner, who suffered multiple bruises and scrapes during the ordeal to get the emu in his van, used Twitter to keep track of the bird’s suspected whereabouts. “Don’t get an emu for a pet,” the CBC later reported him as saying.

>> Prairies

considering Vodka ban CTV has reported that Manitoba and Saskatchewan are considering import bans on Russian-made alcohols destined for state-run shops in response to the increasingly tense situation between Ukraine and Russia. The provincial (and largely symbolic) bans would, in the case of Manitoba, affect two vodka brands and one type of beer, and would not affect private sales from business people operating in places such as corner stores or supermarkets.

>> Millennials not buying lotteries

Candidates, clockwise from top left: CSUnited, Chuck Wilson, Michael Abbott, Experience CSU, and Community Matters.

Lottery agencies from across Canada are pooling their efforts into figuring out ways of attracting millennials after it was revealed that interest from the coveted 18to-34 year demographic was at an all-time historic low. One of the reasons given for the lack of interest was the antiquated state of ticketbased gaming in an age of video games. According to the Globe and Mail, statistics show the mean age of Ontario lottery players is 52.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, MARCH 25, 2014

WORLD Milos Kovacevic Interim news editor

>> Venice opts for independence Yahoo News has reported that an overwhelming 89 per cent of Venetians recently voted in a week-long online referendum to separate from the Italian mainland over protests of excessive one-way economics. According to CNBC, the famous city of a thousand lagoons claimed Italy takes too much in taxes and does not give much back in terms of investments to the region, which accounts for over nine per cent of total Italian GDP. The catch? The poll was an informal one, and one not recognized by Rome or any regional authorities, though that won’t stop separatist tendencies. Venice was an independent European state up until the Napoleonic conquests of 1797.

>> Turkey tries to trammel Twitter Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has banned Twitter before key elections during a time of widespread unrest and popular discontent against his regime’s authoritarianism and economic mismanagement. The attempt to block Twitter has failed and has had very little effect in limiting opposition organization, as locals have found easy ways of circumventing the bans and coming up with effective alternatives, pushing the amount of tweets by 138 per cent. Erdogan, presently facing charges of corruption, has defiantly promised to ‘wipe out’ the service, according to Reuters.

>> Japan drafts law against overwork

A new draft bill being finalized by Japan’s ruling party is attempting to eliminate karoshi, a Japanese term referring to death from excessive work. The Japan Daily Press reports that the government is looking into ways of offering support and counselling to workaholics and their families, as well as extending responsibility to local governments and employers so as not to overburden workers. A stumbling block so far has been medically defining what exactly counts as ‘death by overwork.’

>> Vatican-bound cocaine-filled condoms seized

German customs authorities in Leipzig have reported intercepting 14 condoms filled with liquid cocaine destined for the Vatican, reports The Guardian. The worth of the cocaine was valued at almost $62,000 dollars, and came from an unnamed South American country.

Campus // news

Fee levy groups mobilize before deadline Last minute outreach to student body before March 25 vote Milos Kovacevic Interim news editor

“This is a pivotal moment in Concordia history,” is how Concordia Greenhouse coordinator Sheena Swirlz characterized the upcoming referendum that could potentially see a radical change come to how Concordia’s fee levy groups gain their funding.

In an effort to raise awareness, Swirlz was just one of many representatives from some half-dozen fee levy groups that set up tables and spoke to anybody curious enough to inquire as part of an informal information session on Thursday, March 20, at the Hive Cafe on Loyola campus.

On hand besides the Greenhouse were non-profit media organization Cinema Politica, food co-op Le Frigo Vert, student community research and resource group QPIRG, and Concordia’s radio broadcasting station, CJLO. An upcoming referendum question would ask if individual faculties should have the power to decide whether or not to support fee

levy groups, which gain all or part of their budgets directly as a flat fee automatically levied on each student on a per-credit basis. Currently, defunding can only be decided by a university-wide vote of the entire student body, though students have the right to individually opt-out if they so choose.

The modifications, originally brought by John Molson School of Business (JMSB) CSU representatives, are said by supporters to be a more equitable and fair way of distributing the funding as it was unfair to expect some faculties to pay for services they did not use. The original list of fee levy groups, which JMSB wished to separate itself from, included Cinema Politica, CUTV, Le Frigo Vert, Concordia Food Coalition, Art Matters, and QPIRG, but would affect all groups new and old in the future if the referendum is successful.

Swirlz said the loss of financial security would run much deeper than slashed budgets. It would constitute a loss of what she referred to as institutional memory.

Letting go of professional staff, Swirlz said, leads to a loss of acquired knowledge and a sense of his-

tory gained by a group. Simply hiring a new staff down the line, no matter how motivated they may prove to be, does not make up for the value lost by letting go of long-term members, leaving groups permanently poorer for their loss.

Tave Cole and Alex Lee, two members of Le Frigo Vert, echoed the sentiment by pointing out that Frigo’s mandate of affordable, healthy, and ethical foods would be seriously harmed by the decision.

“I think it’s a misrepresentation,” said Lee of the idea that some of Concordia’s faculties claim their members do not benefit. “No faculty is monolithic,” he said, adding that Le Frigo Vert served thousands of non-students in addition to members of each faculty.

Throughout the afternoon the recurring theme was that far from a hyper-local influence beginning and stopping on campus, the influence of fee levy groups far outstrips school boundaries, and those thinking they might not benefit may underestimate the impact fee levy groups create in the greater community.

CJLO, beyond providing an immediate grounding in broadcasting, gives voice to commentators and

musicians and an outlay to culture and the arts; Cinema Politica serves, as volunteer Elsa Donovan noted, as an alternative news source; Swirlz cited Greenhouse horticultural and agricultural workshops and skill building programs, as well as products destined for various Montreal locations in the form of produce or seedlings.

The representatives also pointed out the difficult situations that would be created if faculty defunding goes as planned: students would still have access to the services, but not pay for them. A person could broadcast and listen to CJLO or get in line at the People’s Potato.

“I think it’s something that concerns everyone, and isn’t facultyspecific,” said Ana Paula Castillo, a volunteer at Cinema Politica.

Lindsay Nixon of QPIRG agreed that whatever the result, a major hurdle to overcome was reaching greater student consciousness and creating an awareness of the services fee levy groups offered.

“I was hired as outreach coordinator specifically for this reason so … that we’re more visible on campus,” said Nixon. “Fee levy groups definitely need more visibility.”

Student politics // news

Do you know your council candidates?

A student’s guide to who council is and what they do Sloane Montgomery Co-news editor

T

he Concordia Student Union (CSU) represents and provides services for over 30,000 undergraduate students at Concordia University, but did you know that the decision making force behind the executives are the councillors?

With most of the attention focused on the executive candidates, The Concordian wanted to reach out to councillors and councillor candidates to share with students a better understanding of what they do, and why it is essential to look into students running for councillor positions as well as the executive spots.

The council is the CSU’s board of directors. Council is made up of 30 students; 16 from Arts & Science, three from Fine Arts, three

Independent students, six John Molson students, and four Engineering and Computer Science students. Your elected councillors are responsible for representing your wants and needs as a student at Concordia. A councillor position is unpaid and is thus comprised of a group of students who are passionate and dedicated to advocating the wants and needs of their peers.

“It’s council who makes the decisions, and directs the executive. We’re literally directors, the board of directors for the union, and we’re the ones who pass resolutions, change laws and bylaws, develop policy, and can direct the executive to participate or not participate in certain campaigns and initiatives as we wish. And they are required by law to follow our instructions. So it’s pretty critical people figure out who their councillors are. A strong council can easily stymie any plans an execu-

Correction: From March 18, 2014 — the candidate running for the position of VP Clubs & Internal Affairs for the Community Matters team is Katherine Soad Bellini. Ms. Bellini’s name was printed in error as Kate Soad.

We apologize for this error.

tive has, and a weak council can be ineffective at preventing any disasters an executive may be in the midst of trying to create,” said Wendy Heitmann, current Arts & Science councillor who is running again this year.

“If there is anybody students should come forth to with an idea, it’s your representing councillors so we can get that idea to grow.

This is why the councillors are as important, if not more important than the executive team,” said Kyle Arseneau, current Engineering and Computer Science (ENCA) councillor who is also running again this year for council.

Vicky Rodgers, running to be a John Molson councillor explains that she is running to enforce more diversity at Concordia, and for her, becoming a councillor is the best way to do so because “councillors are there to ‘check and balance’ the executive. If there is no strong voice on council to challenge them, this is when the problems start.”

Marcus Peters, an Arts & Sci-

ence councillor candidate explained that if students care about what the CSU will be doing next year then they will take a proper look at all the running candidates.

“The interaction between council and the executive is how the CSU makes its decisions, and a wise voter would know not to focus on half the equation.”

James Tyler Vaccaro, current VP Internal & Clubs, is running to become a member of council for 2014-2015.

“At the end of the day, the executives are mandated to do the work council tells them to ... it is important that councillors are aware of the issues and history of the CSU, and can think critically while making objective decisions.

This is a really important role because the decisions made in council affect thousands of students,” said Vaccaro For a more in-depth look and bios on all the councillor candidates please visit csuelections. wordpress.com.

TUESDAY, MARCH 25 2014

life

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Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com

Personal narrative // Life

An ode to international exchanges in Australia How travel and school make for the best combination Dominique Daoust Contributor

I found it weird that I didn’t freak out when I said my goodbyes. I’ve never lived away from home, but here I was, about to embark on an international exchange to Sydney, Australia. As calm as ever, I told my parents and my sister that

I love them, and that I’d be back in six months.

I think it’s all the paperwork and extensive planning that got to me. Even as I was waiting for the shuttle at Sydney Airport it didn’t feel real yet. Those first few days were a blur. Getting settled in, meeting my roommates, figuring out how public transit works in a new country. Even doing groceries felt like an episode of Survivor, trying to figure out where the damn ketchup was in the grocery store Living on campus made me feel like I was finally experiencing university the traditional way. Only living five minutes away from class was definitely a bonus, but I knew that there’d only be a certain level of learning in my journal-

Dominique Daoust standing on the shores of australia during her exchange offered by concordia university. Photo by writer.

ism tutorials. The rest would be acquired out in the real world, where spiders are the size of my hand. Aussies are definitely the nicest people on Earth, although their knowledge about Canada isn’t always spot on.

Luckily, I was blessed with amazing roommates from the U.K., the States and other parts of Australia. I consider myself a shy person, so interacting with new people, the ones you share a fridge with no less, took some getting used to. I was initially concerned that I’d be paired up with some crazies but before long my guard was down and we were all laughing at Friends reruns.

Those relationships ended up being the core of my exchange because these were the people I travelled and shared adventures with. We took advantage of every spare moment we had to see something new. I clearly remember the first time we saw the Sydney Opera House, and how we had to pinch ourselves to believe our luck. I recall going to the famous Bondi Beach, thinking I’ll try surfing, but then being bitch-slapped by a wave within two seconds and quickly reconsidering that idea.

The whole city exuded a laid-back attitude that I wanted to emulate. My theory is that they don’t have a proper winter to dampen their mood (Australians might as well remove the word “winter” entirely from their calendars; come to Montreal in January, then you’ll know winter).

Not only does the city have a bunch to offer, but the mountains and nature aren’t that far away. The view from the Blue Mountains is breathtaking. And the trek up there will make you realize that yes; you are out of shape and should probably stop eating all those Tim Tams.

What I realized early on is that it’s alright to embrace your inner tourist. Ask questions, get lost, that’s what makes every moment worthwhile. Also, there is never enough gushing over kangaroos. Every Aussie within hearing range will realize you’re a foreigner, but dammit, kangaroos are amazing creatures and would be awesome pets (already planning on naming mine Chandler, no shame).

Another important life lesson is knowing that travelling brings out the best and worst in others and in yourself. You will see the extent of how little they appreciate the presence of bugs and birds in their vicinity. You will also see how they react in near-death experiences (there’s nothing like your plane being struck by lightning to make you mistakenly think the engine has blown up and you’re going down). I’ve never felt so badass as when I snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef or when I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and did a little dance with my friends once we reached the top. And I never thought that seeing a dolphin up close while whale watching would overwhelm me to the point of babbling incomprehensibly.

If I had known beforehand that I would become so emotionally attached to my newfound friends and this country, I would have prepared myself with better coping mechanisms. Everyone’s exchange experience is unique, and that made leaving that much harder. I was that person you see at the airport, crying uncontrollably and hugging people for way too long. It was on the 20-hour flight back to Canada that I realized why I hadn’t cried when I left my family.

On some level, I knew that these would be the best months of my life and that I would make lifelong friendships that I would never take for granted.

Health // Life

Just when you thought your “bad skin” days were over How to deal with your adult acne Barbara Madimenos Staff writer

Most of us have gone through it: the mortifying process of trying to regulate our complexion from breaking out with uncontrollable acne because our hormones, as our parents and teachers would tell us growing up, are changing.

But it’s fair to say many of us have past that growing stage, yet still we deal with those dreaded blemishes. Adult acne is not as uncommon as one would think. In fact adults at any age may even experience it for the first time reaching well into their 30s, 40s or 50s.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, women are the most prone to developing acne, due to common fluctuations in their hormone levels. Likewise, all women, and men can develop uneven levels of hormones in their life, all of which can be triggered by several reasons, such as stress or medication.

According to Dr. Ari Demirjian, a dermatologist at the private Dermatology Clinic of Mon-

treal located on Mont-Royal, in some cases people may suffer from adult acne because it runs in the family. Unfortunately, none of the factors that cause acne to develop can necessarily be avoided, he explains.

“Many patients fail to realize that acne, yes, can be created due to bad hygiene, but it is not the main source of the problem. It is a skin condition.”

Nonetheless, it is treatable.

It is highly recommended that one consults a professional dermatologist in order to receive proper assessment. Adult acne is usually treated through the proper medication and consultation.

According to Dr. Demirjian, there are three different levels of acne that one can have. The first one is considered mild and is cured with creams that contain retinol of which have a dosage of vitamin A, and benzoyl peroxide. In addition, some creams may contain a dosage of antibiotics for mild to moderate cases.

However, in circumstances that are more harsh, when the acne is not only more prominent but also located elsewhere other than the face (like the back or chest) patients are given the creams mentioned above with the addition of oral antibiotics such as pills.

Lastly, in cases of severe acne, like cysts, or areas that begin to formulate deep swollen

scars, there is prescribed medication that contains the ingredient accutane.

Accutane, according to acne.org, is a form of medication, usually taken in pill form that does four different things to help alleviate suffering from harsh acne cases. It shrinks the oil glands, reduces the acne bacteria, helps prevent clogs within the pores of the skin, and reduces inflammation.

Dr. Demirjian explains that the best thing to do, on your own, is take the medication prescribed to you, and if this is not immediately available make sure you do not touch your face. If the face becomes inflamed, or irritated, it is highly recommend to avoid washing your face with soap and warm water. Strong cleansers burn the skin, so use cold compresses instead to keep it calm.

Eventually, with the proper treatment, patients will have that blemish-free and clear skin they have always longed for.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2014

Food // Life

Holy Crepe! Don’t miss out this delightful place Cacao 70 knows there’s no such thing as too much chocolate Angela De Cicco Assistant life editor

You are sure to find a lineup at one of Montreal’s sweetest chocolate spots, Cacao 70.

But once inside, you’ll never want to leave this heaven of chocolatey goodness.

Decked in heartwarming bookshelves, wooden tables, and a chalk board menu,

Cacao 70 is inviting with both is delectable aroma and charming atmosphere. They also play some pretty good tracks; this night featured The Arctic Monkeys’ new album.

Despite it being a particularly busy evening, my friend and I were greeted with hospitality by a sweeter-than-sugar waitress. She could’ve been made of chocolate herself, who knows. My eyes were glazed by the variety of fondues and crepes to choose from all served with your choice of semisweet, dark, milk or white chocolate.

I ordered the classic chocolate fondue served with seasonal fresh fruits and small pastries. Delivered on a lovely wooden cutting board were chopped up pineapple,

strawberries, bananas, powdered brownie cubes, fluffy waffle squares and a bubbling mug of hot melted milk chocolate. The moist and light brownies were my favorite.

It was love at first bite.

My friend ordered a thin French crepe stuffed with Nutella and fresh strawberries.

I know, how perfect.

To avoid overloading on the chocolate I skipped out on ordering something off the drink menu. But what happened next could not have been more fated. After being served our plates, the waitress brought over two semi-sweet American-styled hot chocolate espresso cups because we were first-timers at Cacao 70.

Other items on the menu include chocolate peanut butter pizza and parfaits served with your choice of ice cream and toppings.

Cacao 70 offers up a brunch menu with salted crepes and lunch sandwiches to satisfy those salty cravings. Cacao 70 also has options to satiate vegan cravings. It’s a great spot for a date, a girls’ night out or to connect to their wifi and make studying a little more indulgent.

On my second go around, I’ll be sure to try their chocolate beer. In the meantime, I will try and recover from my chocolate coma.

Cacao 70 is located on 2087 Ste. Catherine West.

Cacao 70 offers up a selection of delights. Waffles served with fresh fruit and semi-sweet chocolate (left) and a plate of fondue served with waffles, fresh fruits, brownies and milk chocolate (right). Photos by Nathalie Laflamme and Angela Decicco.

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Thinking about pursuing graduate studies?

Already applied? Come and explore your program of interest and meet a potential thesis supervisor. Travel grants available.

www.discoveruOttawa.ca under “Meet with us”

arts

Tuesday, march 25, 2014

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Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com

Opinion // arts

We’re not buying this — film rejection letters The Concordian retroactively attempts to set things right, refusing to produce disastrous movies Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer: Last year, you did the impossible — you ruined a Dr. Seuss story. Now, you’ve written Eurotrip, which is repulsive and utterly uninteresting.

Eurotrip fails on all levels. It’s an excursion not into Europe, but into the lowest forms of screenwriting. It could be used in film classes as a counter-example to, say, Citizen Kane.

I didn’t believe in the characters. I doubt you did either. Eurotrip might as well be science-fiction about aliens who have mastered our looks, but disregarded the essence of humanity.

I was about to call the story “offensive”, but I didn’t care about it enough to be offended. You can’t just throw some morally reprehensible concepts together and expect people to have their feelings hurt. Offending is a much subtler art.

Using incest as comedy was sad and misguided.

The working title of Eurotrip was Ugly Americans. Stick with that.

Sincerely, Elijah Bukreev

Dear creators of this fourth opus of the celebrated Indiana Jones series — previously known as a trilogy, Your manuscript has been returned because the idea has been done before. Your concept has actually been wonderfully done three times before and gifted us with one of the most entertaining trilogies of all time, not to mention one of the most lovable characters we have encountered in American filmography.

That is why we decided, as a favour to humanity and to preserve the collective memory of Indy’s fans, to refuse you the right to produce The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The iconic hatand-whip-aficionados community would find this to be an unnecessary Indiana Jones movie.

We also feel it necessary to tell you that a cheap alien twist is never the answer to your scripting problems. Oh, and concerning the fridge versus bomb larger-than-life scene: seriously, what were you thinking?!

Sincerely, Frédéric T. Muckle

Dear Mr. Levin, Thank you for submitting your script for the movie Mutant Vampire Zombies from the ‘Hood!

While we appreciate new and original idea submissions for horror movies, it is with a heavy heart that we must reject your request for production.

Due to the sensitivity of our audience, the inclusion of black and Asian ‘gang’ stereotypes (“G-Dog” and “Dragon” for example), as well as the idea of cannibal zombie vampires having a blood-fuelled orgy in an old strip club, are not aligned with the content we seek to push forward to the silver screen.

Despite our rejection, we strongly encourage you to seek independent film studios to help materialize your idea, no matter how silly it is.

Regards, Jocelyn Beaudet

Re: Mr. Marlon and Shawn Wayans, Unfortunately, we will not consider producing Scary Movie at this time. While we can entertain the idea of spoofing conventional tropes of horror films, the script, as it stands, shows no humour. We believe that the slapstick brand of comedy is taking its last breaths as we enter into the new century.

Additionally, we find that your proposal to star in the films yourselves, and have your brother, Keenan Ivory, direct it, feels like too much of a family affair. It seems to be a script written solely to create jobs for yourselves.

We also find some of your proposed casting choices questionable, especially that of Carmen Electra — who has proven in the past that she cannot act, and is indeed not funny.

Finally, we feel that Scary Movie will not have mass appeal and would not be financially profitable — we can hardly foresee a sequel, let alone a franchise, develop based on this movie.

All the best with your future endeavours, Alex Lau

On behalf of Disney Studios, we are writing to acknowledge the receipt of your pitch for a Lion King sequel. Unfortunately, we will not be pursuing this concept at this time.

We have shifted our focus. We will no longer be funding franchise attempts through sequels.

Rather, we will be focusing on cultivating the Disney brand name by carefully crafting timeless stories.

The cornerstone of Disney has always been imagination and innovation; your script shows neither. The story is lifted from Romeo and Juliet while being less effective. Why is Simba xenophobic? When did Scar have children? Where were the outcast lionesses at the end of the first film? These elements were not present in the original because they were not necessary. This is not the story we want to tell. Producing this movie would be as ludicrous as retelling the original movie from the viewpoint of a set of secondary characters.

Thank you, Robin Stanford

Mr. Nguyen, While we appreciate your script submission for Birdemic: Shock and Terror, it is with absolute certainty that we express not only our unanimous rejection, but also our complete bafflement into your submission in the first place.

Birdemic is quite possibly one of the least competently hacked-together scripts to have ever graced our presence. To this moment, we are still unsure of how or why the birds in your movie can simultaneously spray acid and explode on impact because of global warming. With that being said, we strongly suggest you give up your career as a film writer immediately and perhaps take up knitting or stamp collecting.

Regards Jocelyn Beaudet

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Tuesday, march 25, 2014

Exhibit // arts

From old to new — cultural identity and you Expatria showcases the hardships of settling somewhere new, and finding an identity there Daniel Chen Contributor

Migration is a rupture — lives are packed, unpacked, left behind and discovered. The photography exhibition Expatria addresses the conscious and unconscious suturing and sense-making that follows.

The exhibit explores the complex and contradictory memories, feelings and narratives of the migration of Mexican emigrants through portraits of their everyday domestic lives. The exhibition consists of 15 photographs of 11 people. Chosen from a pool of 40 photos, the images portray a diverse range of subjects.

These subjects, coming from small towns to sprawling megacities, hold a variety of professions — from nuns, to university professors, to the unemployed. However, the underlying current is that at one point or another, all the individuals in the photographs are dealing with the cultural wobbliness of migration.

“I found that the issue of language was a shared [theme]. How they felt when they arrived and how they had to learn a foreign language.

Also food. People would bring food from Mexico, it was something that was very important to maintain for them,” explained Natalia Lara DíazBerrio, a Concordia student that immigrated to Montreal in 2010 and the artist behind the exhibition.

The photographs are on display at Espacio México, a relatively easy to miss gallery located inside the Mexican consulate. The project was a natural fit.

Nuria Carton de Grammont, curator of the exhibit, explained that the gallery is “a dialogue space for Mexican immigration in Canada, we wanted to speak to our local community.”

Díaz-Berrio added, “I knew that they were interested in this kind of project, and I knew for them that immigration is a subject that they find really really important.”

The portraits depict the intimate living spaces of Mexican migrants and looks at personal material and visual realities of migration, underlining how identity is performed and negotiated on the level of everyday household decisions and aesthetics. There are images of the austere and anonymous apartments of new migrants on the one hand, and the lavishly furnished homes of the settled on the other.

“I find that space has a lot to do with the personality of an individual. The objects, the size of the space, even the lighting. In this project it was clear that absences were significant as well.

People would ask me questions [about the photographs] like ‘in this photo, there is nothing that is Mexican, no furniture or decorations that are Mexican’,” Díaz-Berrio said.

Like some voyages, Díaz-Berrio’s destination was quite different from where she originally intended to go.

“[At the beginning] I wanted to demystify stereotypes, I wanted to show, that we [Mexican migrants] are not what people think we are. That was my first idea,” Díaz-Berrio said. “Then it became more a reflection about identity and migration and personal experience. It became a more complex piece about how we build our identity as Mexicans.”

Much like Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama, who considered his portraits a record of his own life and not the lives of others, Expatria is in fact a reflection of the photographer and how she sees the world at the moment.

In discussing her project, Díaz-Berrio said: “I feel very Mexican, but on the other hand, my father is Bolivian, my grandfather is Spanish and his father was German. I come from a history of migration. In the photos I find there is a great amount of ambiguity. We can’t really see if someone is Mexican. I declare that I am Mexican but there is a lot of complexity. Personally, I find there is a point where we become multinational.”

The project was also a means for Díaz-Berrio to explore her own identity as well as those of

Expatria tells the story of Mexican immigrants and their experience of coming to terms

others.

“I met people who were living in their host country for six months and some who lived there for 20 years. They were still uncomfortable with this notion of identity,” explained Díaz-Berrio.

“There is always a fracture between where I live and where I come from. I don’t think it’s possible to resolve this fracture. I saw that it was not just me, it was a shared phenomenon among immigrants.”

The exhibition is not so much about finding answers or even coming to terms with the contradictions and confusions of migration and cultural hybridity. Instead, it examines the lived experience of migration.

As de Grammont explains “I think you don’t have to deal with them, in a sense that you don’t have to resolve the contradictions, you have to accept and live with them and it’s part of life. You can’t live a clean life free from contradictions, it’s part of the identity. In my personal case, I don’t fight with that, it’s what I am.”

Expatria: Photos of Natalia Lara Díaz-Berrio runs until April 18 at Espacio México.

with a new cultural identity

Literature // arts

From mice to clouds and keeping your feet on the ground Domanski’s poetry in Bite Down Little Whisper draws on literature, history and mythology Andy Fidel Contributor

T

o savour Don Domanski’s rhythms and sounds, Bite Down Little Whisper is meant to be read aloud. Whispered — late at night on the bus home after a long day of class, or early in the morning when travelling through the underground city.

Domanski, who was born and raised on Cape Breton Island, but now lives in Halifax, is no stranger to accolades, specifically that of the Governor General Award. Over the years, this award has become one of the most prestigious in Canada awarded in both French and English in seven categories. Domanski’s Wolf-­Ladder, Stations of the Left Hand and Bite Down Little Whisper were all shortlisted for the award, and in 2007, All Our Wonder Unavenged won the coveted prize.

The book is divided into three sections: “Foresight by Earth,” “A Feral Trance,” and “The Light of Unoccupied Memory.” Every section touches upon science and mythology, the simple and complex, and the animate and inanimate.

With a glossary of terms at the back of the book, the reader is able to dive in further when the poet makes references to Taoism, Greek mythology, Egyptology, and the

Celts. Not everyone may be familiar with the “painted child of dirt” from Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot by Alexander Pope, or “piquerism” which refers to the “sexual practice of perforating the skin of another person.”

Domanski never resorts to the cliché — his words are lesser known, but deliberate.

A breath of fresh air with a side of Oxford.

Like a Vermeer painting, Bite Down Little Whisper focuses on the everyday life, the ordinary and mundane. Day and night, darkness and light in the immense and miniscule are recurring themes. From the space “between clouds the flickering self” to “the small field mice performing their black ops in weedlight,” Domanski combines the uncombinable and connects the unconnectable in the most logical way.

Such is the case in “First Folio of the Unwritten,” when the speaker compares the “thin space between butterfly/and pin between skin and star”. Or “In The Dooryard” where the speaker ponders about the rapture of children, then describes the millipedes below typing: “keep your feet on the ground,” in Times New Roman.

Sometimes, the speaker is singular in a poem, sometimes the plural “we” or “us” is used; it is never specified. Depersonalizing the speaker allows the reader to fill in the blanks with their own thoughts and memories. Domanski’s metaphors take on a different meaning with the act of re-­reading.

Bite Down Little Whisper is not a quick

and easy read. It requires attention and the reader’s active participation in order to piece together the lack of punctuation, consecutive metaphors and the religious and mythological symbolism. But with a glossary of terms, and dictionary apps but a

click away, there is no reason not to explore Domanski’s language.

Bite Down Little Whisper, which was shortlisted for the 2013 Governor General Award for English Language poetry is available for sale at Chapters Indigo.

With themes that range from mythologies to nature, Domanski’s Governor General Award nominated book, Bite Down Little Whisper, paints a canvas with poetic stanzas.

Tuesday, march 25, 2014

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Festival // arts

Creativity on campus and concrete

The third edition of RIPA is set to provoke with diverse works from Canadian student-artists Olivia Ranger-Enns Staff writer

Rencontre interuniversitaire de performance actuelle (RIPA) is offering Montrealers the chance of a lifetime to see the arts being performed. In a big way.

Communications relations manager Julie Richard sat down with The Concordian to explain a little bit more about RIPA, an arts festival which will be held on the weekend of April 5 and 6. “RIPA is a student-led initiative geared to celebrating and exhibiting arts made by university students who haven’t yet hit the market,” said Richard. “We privilege artists who have yet to make it big and who need an audience. This year, we chose three artists from Halifax and seven from Quebec.”

When asked to explain what Montrealers can expect at the festival, Richard pointed to the diversity factor of the event.

“There are going to be very creative ways of expressing oneself at the festival. Some artists will only use text in their projects, while others will use their bodies to send a message,” said Richard. “Some projects will be queer performances, for example. We are very pleased with the results. Last year, we had 13 applications to review. This year, we had 50 applications to look at.”

Artists had to send at least one video demonstrating what they hope to exhibit at the festival.

“Some artists give you a detailed explanation of what they are interested in. Others send in the minimum because they themselves don’t know what will come of their projects,” said Richard.

“It can be all about improvisation.”

This edition of the festival will be slightly

different from the last two.

“This year, we decided to do a round table discussion,” said Richard. “We invited Shannon Cochrane, who works at a performative arts center in Toronto. We are going to have discussions between art practitioners and art theorists.

We are going to have professors weighing in on this as well.”

François Morelli, a Concordia professor, is a regular at the festival.

“I was asked to participate as a performance artist with 40 years of experience,” said Morelli.

“I am looking forward to the exchange and debates. The growing interest in performance art

by educators, its integration into curriculum, its presence in museums and finally its codification, its historicization and growing status as a commodity are all very important to me.”

Richard highlighted the uniqueness of the event.

“The performance arts have generally been marginalized,” said Richard. “This is not a spectacle kind of art form. Jack Wong, for example, will provide a critique of the institution by posing and performing for very long bouts of time. Jean-Michel René will expose how he thinks people modify common spaces. There are going to be all kinds of performances.”

If getting moved or shocked isn’t your cup of tea, it might be best to stay at home.

“This event is going to arouse people, it is going to reach out and play with their emotions,” said Richard. “You can’t come here and expect to be passively watching a performance. That’s not the idea. The spectator has to invest him or herself in the event, at 100 per cent.”

The third edition of RIPA will take place at UQAM, 200 Sherbrooke Street West on April 5 and 6. Tickets are $7 at the door. For more information, visit ripa-performance. org.

The RIPA festival is a student-run initiative to promote the practices of emerging artists from Quebec, and neighbouring universities.

Film // arts

Let’s talk about a few films — New Queer Cinema Four canonical LGBTQ documentaries that have shaped the independent film movement Billy-Ray Belcourt The Gateway (University of Alberta)

Much of what the general public knows about LGBTQ people often comes from their exposure to the topic on television, in film and in the media. This presents a fundamental challenge to filmmakers attempting to capture the intricacies and complexities of the LGBTQ community through popular culture, as the finished product may constrict and narrow the experiences of these individuals. But more importantly, the inclusion of LGBTQ stories on the big screen has given a voice to a prominent segment of our society who have traditionally been silenced by superficial prejudices.

With the introduction of the New Queer Cinema movement in the early ‘90s, there was an influx of queer-themed independent filmmaking that attempted to deconstruct common misconceptions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. With ties to the academic community, New Queer Cinema was ultimately an attempt to redefine sexuality and gender as something more fluid and inclusive in order to challenge the stronghold of heteronormativity and the binaries that come with it.

In recognition of this progressive cinematic movement, here are four poignant, frank and sometimes heartbreaking documentaries that capture the essence of New Queer Cinema from the ‘90s to the early 21st century.

Paris Is Burning (1990) Revealing the often overlooked drag subculture in the African-American and Latino queer communities, Paris Is Burning is an honest and thoughtful examination of the intersections of gender, sexual orientation, race and class in America during the ‘80s. Exploring the competitions held for drag queens in New York, director Jennie Livingston reveals that gender identity constitutes a wide spectrum and diverse physical manifestations. Especially thought-provoking is the discussions of racism, homophobia and AIDS invoked by the various interviews with gay men and trans women. Also, this documentary highlights the inherent performativity of gender, and the origins and evolution of voguing — a style of dance rooted within this subculture.

The Celluloid Closet (1995) Based on Vito Russo’s book of the same name, The Celluloid Closet ingeniously documents and criticizes the portrayal of LGBTQ characters in Hollywood films. The documentary’s premise is foregrounded in the argument that Hollywood’s cinematic depiction of this community is stereotypical and highly problematic, whether through the hyper-feminized gay man or the blatant “othering” of LGBTQ characters. The Celluloid Closet features various interviews from notable individuals in the film industry to get their take on various LGBTQ-related films, actors and narratives that have been crafted since the early 20th century.

After Stonewall (1999) In this sequel to the Emmy Award-winning

documentary Before Stonewall, director John Scagliotti provides a sociohistorical look at the 30 years of hardship and triumph in the gay rights movement following the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York’s Greenwich Village. Focusing on topics like the AIDS epidemic and the murder of various openly gay men, After Stonewall provides a sobering and realistic glimpse of the setbacks faced by the movement as a result of social, political and economic factors.

This documentary also reveals the exponential growth of the movement as it shifted from a localized gathering to a worldwide campaign. The film’s content is primarily transmitted through interviews with a variety of LGBTQ supporters and activists, including ACT-UP founder Larry Kramer.

Southern Comfort (2001)

Possibly the most heartbreaking and tragic of the documentaries listed, Southern Comfort powerfully captures Robert Eads’ last year of life. As a 52-year-old transgender male living in the highly transphobic Georgia countryside, Eads was denied access to medical assistance because doctors feared treating him would tarnish their reputation. By the time Eads finally received medical attention, his ovarian cancer had already become too advanced to remedy.

Eads is also shown making his last appearance at the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta, Georgia — a national transgender gathering. But above all, this film reveals the unjust systemic fear of transgender individuals and encourages viewers to embrace a mentality that goes beyond simple gender binaries and promotes an inclusive array of self-expression and self-identities.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

music Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

Q&A // music

The Head and the Heart cannot be still The Seattle-based band discuss their latest album and inspirations Ayan Chowdhury Staff Writer

Jessica Romera Music editor

>> Future of The Stooges unclear after the death of their drummer After the death of The Stooges drummer and founding member Scott Asheton, frontman Iggy Pop has doubts as to whether the band will continue to tour or make music at all in the foreseeable future. Asheton passed away earlier last week of a heart attack at the age of 64. In 2009, the proto-punk band’s original guitarist and Scott Asheton’s brother, Ron, passed away. In the Rolling Stone interview, Pop stated that he did not “want to say that [he was] done with the band. I would just say that I feel like the group has always included the Asheton brothers.” The band formed nearly 50 years ago and have been called the forefathers of punk music.

>> Kate Bush announces her first live performance in over 30 years

The Concordian had a chance to speak with The Head and the Heart’s vocalist and guitarist, Josiah Johnson, as the band prepared to embark on their North American tour to showcase their most recent album, Let’s Be Still. Based out of Seattle, the band became a true grassroots success story when they self-funded and self-released their self-titled debut album in 2011 before eventually being signed onto the city’s most famous music label, Sub Pop. Johnson discussed the popularity of folk-rock, how a city shapes a band, and the pressures of creating a successful follow-up album.

The Concordian: In the past few years, the popularity of folk-rock has just skyrocketed: Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, and The Head and the Heart have been leading the way. What would you say has led to the popularity of the folk pop genre?

Johnson: I think that’s a reaction to overproduced music. Folk-rock holds a certain nostalgia to it. It’s inspired by a sense of calm. I also think that it’s a bit of a cure for a modern, fast paced world. It allows for self-reflection and quiet space.

C: The most remarkable thing is the fact that you guys all gained that popular-

ity with your debut album. What type of pressure and/or expectations did you put on yourselves when you entered the studio to record your follow-up album?

J: Well there was a lot pressure to write songs about subjects that we connect with now. The first album was appropriate to where we were when we wrote it and there was little pressure.

C: Your first album was self-funded and self-recorded without a label. This time, you’re part of Sub Pop. How would you contrast the two experiences?

J: During the first album, we were already playing the songs live before we ever recorded it. We went in and just did them quickly. But for the new album, we had a lot more time to really arrange the songs and work on certain subtleties and nuances in the studio. We actually spent 10 weeks recording.

C: Tell me about how the city of Seattle has helped shaped your band.

J: I definitely feel like one thing that’s great about Seattle is the fact that music is such a mainstream celebrated part of the city’s culture. Seattle has plenty of great music festivals and the city council is really concerned with fostering a great musical scene.

Seattle just breeds a certain personality to be open to music and really supports their local bands.

C: Do you remember a specific moment

when you just thought “Wow, I think we’ve made it”?

J: Before we even had a record out and we had no songs recorded, we were used to playing for around 100-150 people in Seattle, but some of these people had come to see so many shows that they knew the lyrics by heart. They were dedicated enough that they knew our songs already. That was one such moment.

C: I believe the lead singer of The Lumineers (Wesley Schultz) mentioned in an interview that performing their hit song “Ho Hey” has become so automatic now, to the point where there is a sense of detachment when they play it. Do you guys ever feel the same with some of your most popular songs?

J: I think there are times when it feels that way but honestly, those are the bad shows.

When you have a really great show, you feel connected to all of your songs. The goal is to get yourself in a certain headspace before every performance, to remind yourself of why you wrote your songs. You want to be blown away at the opportunity to play in front of so many people. Performing on stage, while being in that mindset is a way better feeling than almost anything else. It’s simple: connect with your songs and the audience.

The Head and the Heart will perform at the Corona Theatre on March 29. Admission is $32.

English singer-songwriter Kate Bush announced earlier this week on her website that she will be performing live for the first time in over three decades. Bush, who has been on a touring hiatus since 1979, has booked “a 15-date residency at London’s Eventim, Apollo Hammersmith this August and September,” reports Rolling Stone.

Speculation has surrounded the singer’s decision to put touring on what appeared to be a permanent halt: rumours of physical exhaustion, and Bush’s fear of travelling by airplane have been offered as explanations, but Bush has never confirmed any of these, said Rolling Stone.

>> Shakira gets some Facebook love Latin pop sensation Shakira’s Facebook page has just become the most ‘liked’ musician page on the social media platform: on March 21, she had 86.3 million ‘likes’, according to Billboard. Shakira later expressed her gratitude on her page writing: “I always wanted to have a lot of friends but never imagined it would be so many... 86 [million]! So humbled, can’t thank you guys enough for your support. I feel so fortunate to have you.” Her latest self-titled album is set to be released on March 25.

The Head and the Heart discuss the current popularity of folk-rock and the cultural and musical diversity of their native city, Seattle. Photo

by Curtis Wave Millard.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

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Profile// music

Roman Remains create ‘a hybrid of elements’ Discussing the band’s history, evolution and reconfiguration David Adelman Contributor

Over the past decade, Leila Moss, Luke Ford, Toby Butler and Dan Higgins have grown together in a most unique way. Moss, the current lead singer of the U.K./Los Angelesbased band, Roman Remains, met Ford back in Cheltenham, U.K, where they formed a band called Solomon. They soon melted into a band called The Duke Spirit and rippled their way into the indie music scene of Europe and America.

An English rock band based in London and described as a cross between industrial electronic and indie, The Duke Spirit touched upon a vast musical spectrum, from rhythmic “atlantic soul” and Motown influences, to alternative rock bands such as The Jesus and Mary Chain and Spiritualized. Sticking together as a band for over a decade, Moss said the six-piece group began as a “word of mouth” band, gaining traction at the 2006 Coachella festival, moving on to play a number of highprofile support slots for Queens of the Stone Age and R.E.M. and appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show with

Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live!

While The Duke Spirit took a break from touring, Ford took a one year leave to raise his newborn son. In the meantime, Moss and Butler put life into a new band persona they were developing, Roman Remains.

“It was about this time last year that we were living for a month in the Mile End recording an album with Damian Taylor, the Grammy-nominated music producer who has collaborated with superstar Bjork, UNKLE, The Prodigy, and the Arcade Fire,” said Moss.

“He is simply a genius.”

This much anticipated new project is touring around the US and Canada in what is promised to be an alternative electro lovers’ dream tour. The band is currently touring on Gary Numan’s 2014 Splinter Tour, hitting major North American cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and our very own Montreal.

When asked how Moss and Butler came up with the name Romain Remains, Moss laughed.

“It’s kind of a joke Toby had written down.

You see, musically we haven’t evolved that much and we have remained rather primal.

Toby and I agreed that we must have moved from a prehistoric age to Roman,” laughed Moss.

Their album Zeal pushes the dynamics of The Duke Spring in a completely new indie direction. Just look at their flagship music video for the song “This Stone is Starting to

Bleed.” The story follows a crystal blue-eyed level with our music.” shaman, that crosses the looks of a Tusken Roman Remains will be performing Raider from the Star Wars universe and at Cafe Campus on March 25, opening for something out of an ‘80s horror film, per- Gary Numan. Tickets cost $25 in advance forming a peculiar ritual as the members of and $30 at the door.

Roman Remains watch from the shadows.

“We are growing organically and we have never really sat around the dinner table trying to define our music.

The foundations are clearly electronica, it has the live show, the live drum…and it’s really a hybrid of elements we found interesting,” said Moss.

From a residency at LA’s Sayers Club, to tagteaming with Big Black Delta and Gary Numan for SXSW, the duo has come a long way in a short amount of time.

Moving at an incredible speed, Moss’ only words of inspiration are “bring it on, we want all of it.

Bring it on American and European festivals, we love to see people ascend on a spiritual Roman Remains released their latest album Zeal on March 4.

Quickspins // music

Quick Spins

Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is (Hopeless Records; 2014)

Nick Waterhouse - Holly (Innov ative Leisure; 2014)

Foster The People (Columbia;2014)

Supermodel

High Klassified - Palindroma (Fool’s Gold Records; 2014)

Taking Back Sunday’s newest release, Happiness Is, is a reunion of sorts. The album marks the first time all five members who played on the group’s first record, Tell All Your Friends, have released an album together in over 12 years. Despite this throwback, the new songs have evolved musically. The album is distinctly less emo and, as a whole, manages to be an alternative rock album in the vein of 30 Seconds to Mars’ more recent releases. The vocal style of Adam Lazzara is much more mature than in previous albums and manages to sound less whiny. Overall, the album is an improvement, but no element of it stands out as particularly excellent. The lyrics are at times cliché and certain tracks, such as “We Were Younger Then,” have rather nonsensical lyrics that at first listen might appear to hold a deeper meaning, but ultimately do not. The musical landscape is at times repetitive but at least the album cover is styled in a visually attractive retro way.

Following the critical success of his 2012 debut Time’s All Gone, Los Angeles singer-songwriter Nick Waterhouse returns with a polished sophomore album that feels both contemporary yet classic. This loosely conceptual album about a fictional deceased twentysomething Los Angeles scenester, draws inspiration from the films Mulholland Drive and Chinatown and the atmosphere of Raymond Chandler novels. Holly is like a film noir: narrative, brisk, mysterious and fully satisfying.

In spite of its concept, Holly never feels pretentious or inaccessible. With its perfect fusion of garage rock, retro-soul R&B and even some surfrock moments, the album has a strong pop-sensibility and is incredibly catchy and smooth.

In addition to some carefully injected covers by Ty Segall and Mose Allison, Holly offers a deeper narrative experience for listeners who dare venture into Waterhouse’s world.

Foster the People’s new album Supermodel is not like their debut Torches. ‘Kicks’ will not be ‘pumped up’ as instantly as on their first record. The synthesizer beats are not as immediately infectious, the boyish squeal lead vocalist Mark Foster made us love isn’t as prominent. But don’t write off this supermodel as thin or shallow just yet. All 12 songs somehow sound bigger and deeper.

High pitched anthems, of which there still are, give way to more grown up verses and acoustic riffs that showcase a range we had not yet seen from them. The lyrics are also more easily understandable and relatable.

It’s like the band grew up; instead of XActo knife-ing straight to our hearts they decided to pound through our chest with a more blunt instrument. It takes more time to get there, but after that, you can’t turn your back on this supermodel.

High Klassified is an up-and-coming electronic artist from our very own hometown.

He has been working alongside some rather important producers this year, like Lunice, Kaytranada, and Tommy Kruize. Currently signed to Fool’s Gold Records, a local independent label owned by Montreal musician/ producer A-trak, High Klassified released his debut EP on March 4. Palindroma is comprised of four original songs, and has a rather dark feeling to them. They paint abstract undertones with a lot of ambient background noises; it’s definitely an earthy and organic setlist. There are even some anime vocals in the background to give that “Naruto soundscape” final touch. All in all, High Klassified has truly outdone himself as the newest member of the Fool’s Gold family and we should absolutely expect more from this Montreal musician.

Trial Track: “Stood a Chance”

Trial Track: “This Is a Game”

Trial Track: “The Angelic Welcome Of Mr. Jones”

Trial Track: “Outro”

6.5/10

-Justinas Staskevicius

8.5/10

- Paul Traunero

7.5/10

-

-Romain Dompnier

8/10

-Jonathan Cohen

sports 12

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Tuesday, MARCH 25, 2014

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com

Health // sports

The walking wounded: the road to recovery Concordia Stingers soccer player recounts her rehabilitation from a serious ACL injury Shauna Zilversmit Contributor

O

n a hot Sunday afternoon, the sun was shining down on the beautiful moss green turf at the Bois-de-Boulogne soccer complex. Sporting the white and green colours of the Laval Conquerants AAA soccer team, Amy Pietrangelo, our team and myself were doing everything within our power to win. In the first 30 minutes of the game, Pietrangelo received a tackle from a player on the other team.

As I watched the tackle and saw her go down I remember thinking that she won’t be getting up from that one. Yet to my surprise, she did.

“I got up from it and continued to play, but my knee felt unstable,” she recalls.

As she played on she realized something wasn’t right and pulled herself off the field.

“I remember that the physiotherapist who was treating me kept on saying it wasn’t an ACL tear.”

Even though Pietrangelo was told she hadn’t torn anything, those comforting words were proven wrong when she got the results back from her MRI, confirming that she had indeed torn her ACL in her left knee.

The ACL, also known as the anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the four primary ligaments around the knee joint and is an important stabilizer of the knee. It’s a band of tissue that connects the femur to the tibia and prevents the tibia from moving out from beneath the femur. ACL tears among young female athletes are becoming very common today, especially in high caliber athletes, like Pietrangelo.

Once it is torn there is no possibility of it healing on its own, but there are many different treatment options available. Most experts recommend an operation, which is exactly what most athletes decide to do.

This type of severe injury generally occurs during high impact sports activities like soccer, basketball, gymnastics, and many others, and seems to be more common in young female athletes. Most female athletes end up tearing their ACL by a simple pivot, the cause of an excessive inward turning of the lower leg or by a hyperextension of the knee, when the knee is beyond its normal 10 degrees, forcing the lower leg excessively forward in relation to the upper leg. It is also possible to tear it by impact.

Immediately after an athlete tears their ACL, their knee may swell, feel unstable and become too painful to put weight on. Most athletes hear a ‘pop’ when it tears,

which is a key signal that something is severely damaged. However, it is possible that none of these symptoms occur.

“I didn’t hear any pop and my knee only got a little swollen and felt unstable. When I got home I couldn’t lift my leg, but a week later I was walking on it. I didn’t think I had done any serious damage to my knee,” recounts Pietrangelo.

Researchers are investigating the reason this injury is more common in female athletes.

One of the reasons being explored is hormonal difference.

“There has been some research that shows that due to our hormone levels during menstruation, our ligaments become looser. The body goes through this process in order to prepare for childbirth,” says Michelle Beckles, a Dawson College athletic therapist.

Another possible reason is the anatomic difference between men and women. Women have a wider pelvis, a different Q-angle (the measurement of the knee angle), a different size of the ACL, and the size of the intercondylar notch (where the ACL crosses the knee joint).

Finally, women have different biomechanic movements in the knee area when it comes to pivoting, jumping, and landing.

“It is more common because of the way women’s bodies are formed. We have wider hips, which changes the biomechanics of the knees. These changes cause more stress on the knee in certain positions,” says Beckles.

There are three different possibilities for the ACL to be reconstructed: the hamstring tendon graft procedure, the patellar tendon graft procedure, and lastly the LARS procedure, which is a synthetically constructed ligament.

“The most common procedure that surgeons usually perform for reconstructing the ACL is from the hamstring tendon. This is also the one I would recommend because most athletes who have this surgery have less complications post-op and usually do not require another operation,” says Beckles.

It is extremely hard for athletes to get the news about such a severe injury. I tore my ACL a few years back and I remember very clearly the day I found out. After sitting in the waiting room at the Lakeshore General Hospital for an hour, it was finally my turn to talk with the surgeon.

As I crutched into the room with my mom walking next to me, I felt my heart pounding, fearing what he would tell me. As I sat on the black padded table in the middle of the room watching the doctor look at my file and review my MRI results, I was too nervous to say anything.

“I don’t have good news for you,” he said.

“You tore your ACL.” That was all it took for the tears to come pouring out of my eyes. Everything that came out of the doctor’s mouth after was a blur. I felt like my world had come crashing down; he had just confirmed my worst fear.

When Pietrangelo realized the severity of her injury, she began looking at her options.

“I started looking at every possible option available to me with my family. I knew we had to pick the right one for me at the time because I was in the middle of trying to make the U-17 Canadian national team.”

She ended up choosing to get the LARS procedure.

“Because I was trying to make the national team, I needed my recovery time to be as short

as possible. I needed to get back on the field fast and going with this procedure cut my recovery time down tremendously. I didn’t just jump into it though, I sat down with different surgeons, doctors, physiotherapists, and did a lot of research before I made up my mind,” she said.

After discussing it with all the doctors and athletic therapists, it was decided that I would go with the hamstring tendon graft and deal with the long recovery. I chose this because it was the most recommended and because, LARS is extremely expensive and is guaranteed to tear again. I didn’t want to go through another operation.

The road to full recovery after an ACL operation is long and hard. It takes time and commitment on the athlete’s part if they ever want to get back to where they used to be in their sport. As an athlete who went through the rehab process, I can definitely say it is one of the longest processes that I’ve ever gone through.

When you get the hamstring or the patellar tendon graft surgery, the recovery can be six to nine months. But, if you follow through and do as you’re told, recovery can be smoother and possibly even quicker. However, you don’t want to rush back either.

“We need to make sure that athletes regain complete mobility and strength in their muscles before easing back into their sport. If they rush they risk tearing it again,” says Andrew Roberts, an athletic therapist at Kinatex West Island.

There are also precautions that athletes can take to try to prevent this injury from happening.

They can improve their training conditions by doing strengthening and stability exercises, aerobic conditioning, jump training, as well as balance training, known to help decrease the risk of a female athlete tearing their ACL. Female athletes also need to strengthen their hamstring and quadricep muscles. Strengthening hip muscles can also decrease the risk of tearing the ACL, according to Beckles.

Furthermore, when the sport involves jumping, athletes need to be taught to use the right techniques and learn how to land safely because if the knee collapses inward upon landing it’s more likely for them to sustain an ACL injury.

If an athlete gets surgery and follows the proper directions, they will be able to get back out on the field quicker. When Pietrangelo got back on the soccer field she was overjoyed and extremely excited.

“It was the greatest feeling. That first touch of the ball came back so naturally, like I hadn’t been off for four months.”

Though this injury may seem career ending, the fact of the matter is, with today’s technology, the operation is simple and effective and allows athletes to get back to their sport and perform at the level they were before the operation.

Tuesday, MARCH 25, 2014

Football // sports

Concordia hosts regional showcase Stingers linebacker among those chosen to participate in official combine Tim Lazier Assistant sports editor

On Wednesday, March 18, Concordia held the Canadian Football League (CFL) regional combine at the Loyola campus. It was a chance for Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) football players to show off their skills to CFL team scouts and representatives for the upcoming summer draft.

They arrived at the Stinger Dome bright and early. Forty-four hopeful players arrived in different colours from different backgrounds.

Whether it was in Concordia maroon, McGill

red or Sherbrooke forest green, soon enough, they were all equals fighting for the scouts’ attentions.

Concordia was well represented on Wednesday. Among those invited were Stingers linebackers Travis Brent and Eric Noivo, defensive lineman Shaquille Armstrong, offensive lineman Frederik Landry-Simard and wide receiver Michael Harrington. Although they are no longer a part of the Stingers team, Concordia alumnus, defensive lineman Jonathan Langma and defensive back Nathan Taylor, were invited to the combine as free agents.

“They don’t have film of me playing this year but they still thought enough of my athletic abilities to invite me again. It gave me

CFL scouts gathered at Loyola to watch 40 potential draft picks Photo by Keith Race

the chance to train harder and improve on the numbers that I need to improve on,” said Taylor. “It means the world to me that they still think highly enough of me to invite a free agent that hadn’t played last year.”

The day started at 8 a.m. for the players, as they had to register and weigh in. For the rest of the morning, they went through a series of individual tests such as bench press, vertical and broad jump, 40-yard dash and other standard tests for a professional combine.

“It’s different when you get into that [weight] room,” said Noivo. “Our gym isn’t the biggest to begin with and there are 15 chairs and it’s packed with guys watching you, plus there are cameras. That was the only thing I was really nervous for.”

For the rest of the afternoon, players participated in one-on-ones and special teams drills.

The off-field testing can only tell the scouts so much about a player. The on-field tests were what everyone was waiting to see. On the sidelines, scouts, players and even family members watched with excitement.

“When we got on the field and in pads, I felt really good. I’m happy overall, it was a fun experience, long day though,” said Noivo.

At the end of the day only five players were chosen to go to the official CFL combine in Toronto this past weekend, but just to be invited to the regional combine was a great accomplishment for the players.

“It was an honour and it ended up being a pretty good experience. I [was] just trying to come out of this with positive thoughts and see what happens in the future,” said Harrington.

“I did alright, I always feel like I can do a little bit better but that’s just the competitive side of me. Overall I did what I could and hopefully I impressed some people.”

Campus// sports

Concordia’s very own sports network A group of journalism students form The Starting Rotation on CJLO Samantha Mileto Sports editor

If you’re a sports fan in Montreal, you know of TSN 690, the all-sports English talk-show. If you’re a sports fan at Concordia, you’re in luck, because there’s another all-sports English talk-show right at your doorstep.

The Starting Rotation is one of the newest additions to CJLO, Concordia’s community radio station. The sports-talk show airs on CJLO 1690am every Thursday from 12-1 p.m. and includes six co-hosts, all Concordia journalism students: Julian McKenzie, Robert Arzenshek, Daniele Iannarone, Justin Ferrara, Giordano Cescutti and Matthew Shanahan. The show also airs “tentatively Wednesday from 8-9 a.m., but that may change with the semester fast approaching to an end,” according to Shanahan.

From week to week, the six hosts rotate shifts, as not all of them can be on air at once, hence the name The Starting Rotation.

“We decide as a group which sports we will be discussing and the style of the segment, days before the show. Some segments take callers, while others have guest interviews and generic sports banter,” said Shanahan. “Julian McKenzie generally produces the show and takes care of the technical side, while the rest of us take care of

the content for the show.”

Some of the guests they’ve had include Sofiane Benzaza, founder of Mount Royal Soccer, a website that covers the Montreal Impact, Mitch Gallo of TSN radio and the founder of ExposNation, Matthew Ross.

Shanahan originally pitched the idea at the start of the fall semester to some of his friends in the journalism program.

“They all got on board relatively quickly and started the process to getting our show started which included sessions with Alex Massé, the station director, as well as sitting in on other shows at CJLO and completing our volunteer hours,” said Shanahan. “Being an intern at TSN radio here in Montreal, I wanted to host my own sportstalk show. It’s not only something that I plan on doing during my time at Concordia but also after as I plan to make a career out of it. I am very passionate about sports and I love to share that passion with others, which is why hosting a show is a no-brainer in my mind.”

As of March 25th, the Starting Rotation has had 12 shows so far this semester. Shanahan likes the direction the

show is going, but thinks it’s still too early to say how successful the show is going to be in the long run.

“Many of our friends listen to the show and we definitely get callers from time to time,” he said. “We’ve only had nine shows thus far, so I think success will be measured better on how much we improve and how we are able to handle things regarding our show when we are put under pressure to perform.”

If you can’t catch the show live on Wednesdays or Thursdays you can listen to it on the CJLO iPhone app, or on the podcast version that you can find on their Twitter page at @TSR1690.

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Sports in the News Chris Cordella Staff writer

>> Habs inching closer to clinching playoff spot The Montreal Canadiens started off their week on Tuesday by facing former Canadiens goalie Patrick Roy, who is now coaching the Colorado Avalanche. Roy’s return to Montreal was overshadowed by newest Canadiens winger Thomas Vanek, who scored his first three goals as a Hab, helping beat Colorado 6-3. They then hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. With the game tied at two late in the third period, Columbus forward Ryan Johansen scored to secure the 3-2 win for the Blue Jackets. The Habs followed that performance up with a huge road win on Saturday night against their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Montreal scored two quick goals early in the first period on Leafs goalie James Reimer but Toronto replied in the same period with two goals to tie it up.

Captain Brian Gionta scored his 15th goal of the season to give the Habs the 3-2 lead before the period was up. After the Leafs tied it up again early in the third period, halfway through the third, Tomas Plekanec scored the game winner to beat the Leafs 4-3.

>> Tough start for

the Montreal Impact The Montreal Impact played their first home game of the season at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday. The game, originally set for Saturday, was postponed because of a major snowfall in Montreal. According to a press release issued by the Impact, no event can be carried out at the Big O if more than three centimetres of snow is due to fall during the event or if there is more than five tons of snow accumulated on the roof. After scoring two goals in the season opener, the Impact have failed to score in the two games since. The bounces aren’t exactly going the Impact’s way; case in point with the Seattle Sounders first goal off of a corner kick that hit Impact goalkeeper Troy Perkins and found its way in. Seattle then added an insurance marker in the 58th minute that marked a 2-0 victory for Seattle. The Impact’s next chance to get its first win of the season will come next Saturday as they will take on the Philadelphia Union at 4 p.m..

>> MLB is back in Montreal

Major League Baseball (MLB) will be back in Montreal for two games this week in preseason action. The Toronto Blue Jays, as the “home” team, will be taking on the New York Mets. It will be the first time Montreal will see professional baseball since the Expos left in 2004. The MLB regular season has already gotten underway with two games in Sydney, Australia last weekend with the Los Angeles Dodgers playing the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers took both games by scores of 3-1 and 7-5. The regular season will return to North America on Sunday.

opinions

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com

Editorial // opinions

No classes on April 7 means no excuse not to vote Students might be missing a day of class but they’re gaining a great opportunity On April 7, all classes and institutional activities will be canceled as required by the Quebec Election Act. This gives students the chance to familiarize themselves about the candidates and election issues, if they haven’t already, as well as give them no excuse for not voting.

If for some reason students aren’t able to make it back to their riding on April 7 to vote, they can take advantage of the advance polling stations that will be set up in the atrium of the Library building, March 28, April 1 and 2, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m..

In sum, all students who are eligible to vote will have the time and opportunity to do

so whether they live in Westmount or Longueuil.

Furthermore, who can be upset with a day off from school? Voting isn’t an all day affair so in fact it’s almost like a three day weekend.

However, it’s important that everyone who can vote, does vote. It is also important that these votes be informed.

Election campaigns are hectic and there is always a flurry of activity and media coverage and it can be difficult to keep up. Still, when it comes to deciding who is going to be your voice in provincial decisions you should know as much as possible about the person and

party that your vote is supporting. Therefore take the opportunity of a class-free Monday to read about the candidates in your riding and inform yourself about the parties running.

Full-time workers are granted only three hours to vote, whereas students have an entire day; this is a privilege that should be taken advantage of.

Given the number of people who complain that not enough students come out to vote and because students often complain that the people in power don’t address student needs, students should be especially motivated to make a strong appearance at the polls.

According to an article published by the Montreal Gazette, “Liberals hope to court youth vote,” Feb 23, 2014, barely 40 per cent of voters aged 18-24 voted in the last federal election. This may explain why the federal budget took so little consideration of student needs. If the government doesn’t think young people are interested or will get involved they won’t bother to cater to them.

Now is the chance to prove all the people who believe that young voters are indifferent and can’t be bothered to vote that they are wrong.

There’s no excuse to miss the polls, go out and vote.

Celebrity // opinions

No ‘ifs, ands, or butts’: Kim Kardashian does Vogue Why the public should back down and give the modern “icon” her moment to shine Marco Saveriano Assistant opinions editor

From her infamous sex tape to her family’s budding empire, Kim Kardashian has another achievement to add to her resume: Vogue cover model.

With the help of fiancé Kanye West, Kim has been trying to change her image from tacky reality star to fashionista, in hopes that editor-in-chief Anna Wintour would finally notice her. After years of fighting for acceptance from the fashion community, ”Kimye” has finally landed the coveted spot in American Vogue that she’s been drooling over.

Kim took to Twitter to express her excitement: “This is such a dream come true!!!

Thank you @VogueMagazine for this cover!”

However, not everyone was as excited as she was.

Fashion fanatics on social media were quick to critique Wintour’s decision, some even going so far as to consider boycotting the famous publication. Many of Kim’s fans filled the comments section of her Instagram with congratulatory messages, whereas others weren’t as kind, to say the least. One comment read: “Who knew that guzzling cum from ... crooked, purple schlongs and being a lazy lay on a sex tape could land you a rich, famous, and closeted rapper to marry along with a Vogue magazine cover!”

Honestly, why are diehards so against Kim being on the cover of Vogue?

Most people stick to the obvious excuse that she is not worthy of being on the glossy pages of the high-fashion magazine because of her leaked sex tape with rapper Ray J. The tape, filmed in 2003, shot the young star to fame, along with the likes of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.

Others believe that the reality star is fa- clothes will be nothing short of perfection.

Regardless of what people are saying, mous solely because of her “famous” fam- Who cares if it’s Kim wearing them? Does it the April issue of Vogue is already heading ily, (her father, the late Robert Kardashian, really make a difference in your life? to newsstands, no ifs, ands, or butts. was a lawyer in the O.J. Simpson case), and that she shouldn’t be rewarded without having any actual talent.

Both excuses are completely valid; Kim did star in the sex tape, though it was released without her consent. And though she doesn’t necessarily have talent, like the previously-mentioned Paris Hilton, Kim has managed to rise above the infamy and use her fame to start an empire of her own. She’s not only had a string of popular reality shows, but also numerous fragrances, clothing lines, beauty products and countless other items with the Kardashian name on it, giving her a reported net worth of $40 million. Not too bad for a girl who has “no talent.”

Whether or not some people want to admit it, Kim is, in fact, a modern fashion icon. Millions of women try to emulate her style (which includes a designer wardrobe most would kill for) her immaculate hair and makeup, and her trademark curves.

The fact is, a magazine with Kim on the cover will sell.

Why should it even matter who’s on the cover? People are forgetting that the whole point of Vogue is not just getting celebrities on the cover, it’s about the art and the fashion (or at least, it’s supposed to be). The spread, which was shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, is sure to be beautiful, and the Everyone needs to ease up on Yeezy and Kim. Photo by accidentalpaparazzi, Flickr

Tuesday, march 25, 2014

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Column // opinions

Confessions of a 20-something

On bus ride etiquette and the people who don’t, in any way, deserve to have your seat Anonymous

The STM has made no secret of its belief that there are some commuters who deserve a seat on public transit more than you: pregnant women, senior citizens, people with strollers, etc. For the most part, these (somewhat) unspoken rules or code of conduct are respected.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I am normally very aware of those people too frail or too strained to stand for the length of a bus ride. I am usually very considerate and “generous” with my seat-giving.

However, I ride the 165 through Cote-desNeiges, a cultural epicentre punctuated by numerous mental health facilities, from terminus to terminus. My tired legs need a rest too, and there is nothing more satisfying than keeping one seat for the length of the ride.

If the STM has put a “to-do” list in place — a reference point for commuter etiquette — then my personal, ridiculous experiences in the 165 have encouraged me to do the opposite. I have compiled my own list of “not to-do’s”: a guide to the people that you are NOT obligated to give up your seat for.

Think of it as Emily Post for impatient Montrealers.

-I will not give up my seat for you if you are waving your flaccid penis in my face. Is that thing supposed to be intimidating?

-I will not give up my seat for you if you are decked head to toe in tacky designer knock-offs. I’m sorry, is a “Trendi” bag or “Canadian Moose” jacket supposed to speak to your social status? I’m impressed, really. Sit your bejewelled ass down right

here in my seat, it’s an honour.

-I will not give up my seat for you if you have not bathed since September 2006.

-I will not give up my seat for you if you cannot stand up for two stops (which incidentally, you refuse to walk). If you’re breathing like Darth Vader, completely winded after stepping up into the bus, then your first concern should not be sitting down.

-I will not give up my seat for you if you pay your entire bus passage in dimes.

Points for frugality, but you are by far one of the most annoying (and time consuming)

creatures I’ve encountered.

-I will not give up my seat for you if you are dragging one of those stupid grocery carriers around, OR are pushing a stroller filled with nothing but shopping bags. An extra 5,000 points is deducted from the person who asks to get on the bus before everyone else because “strollers are priority.”

Another 1,500 points is deducted if there are dogs in said stroller.

-I will not give up my seat for you if you are muttering prayers to Satan, threaten bloody murder, and/or have applied makeup and glitter gel heavy handedly. I will,

however, point to the nearest pharmacy and recommend a renewal for your medication.

And maybe a facecloth.

-I will not give up my seat for you merely because you want MY seat. I know, it’s great. That’s why it’s MY seat. But it’s alright, you can console yourself by leaning your crotch on my arm, staring furiously, and reading my text messages...they’re all about you anyways. Crazy b.

Despite all of these creatures, I will stubbornly continue to enjoy daily bus rides from my usual seat, outrightly (and comfortably) judging others for not giving up theirs.

Life // opinions

Optimism is key to surviving your graduation

Keeping an open mind, a plan B, and a positive mindset will help you in the real world Natahna Bargen The Sheaf (University of Saskatoon)

SASKATOON (CUP) — For those of us in our final year of our undergraduate degrees, we have passed the halfway point of the last semester and graduation seems to be rushing towards us.

This is not a message for those of us who are graduating and have their whole life mapped out before them from the second they triumphantly whisk off their graduation robes — you know who you are.

graphic by mike tremblay, the sheaf

This is a message for the rest of us who are beginning to realize that graduation is a cliff that we are about to jump off of and we were too optimistic, distracted, confident, lost or involved to figure out the bottom might be filled with boulders.

To add insult to impending injury, everyone seems to care so much about how we plan to be a successful human being after graduation. They want to know how we plan to survive this colossal free-fall jump.

For four or more years, people have been asking us the same question: “What are you going to do?” They always say it with a sweet, interested smile spread across their face, but in the glint of their eye we can see a reflection of our flailing, falling body and it convinces us that behind our back these overly involved persons are slowly drumming their fingers together waiting for our inevitable failure.

The problem with this age old question of “What are you going to do?” asked by mainly well-intentioned people is that it tries to apply a formula to life. It makes the assumption that you know what’ll happen in your life a year or five from now.

While there are a select

few people who this formula works for, you’re probably not one of them. So, what is to be done about you?

First of all, it may be healthy to adopt the attitude of “[expletive] everyone” for a while.

As you fall from that graduation cliff, you are going to have people trying to catch and contain you with their advice and opinions.

Listen to your own intuition. Do not panic or latch on to your first safety net. Learn to not care too deeply what other people think of you. Ultimately you are the only person responsible for the outcome of your life. Know what you love and chase that — no matter what you believe people are saying about you in whispers.

Do you know what you love? Maybe you know your dream already or maybe you are learning what your dream is. Whichever the case, in the words of the Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o, “Your dreams are valid.”

These are hard words to remember if you are dealing with a recent graduate school or dream-job rejection. They are hard words to remember if you have no sense of what direction to go in the pursuit of your dream.

However, your dreams are valid, and they are worth fighting for. They are worth going off the beaten path for. Your self-worth is not the sum of your successes and failures. It is how you react to, and move forward from, these events in your life that prove your character.

This kind of relentless pressing on requires

you to be a bit of an optimist. It requires you to crawl out of the safe womb of self-pity and allow yourself to be hopeful, confident and eager for all the opportunities and possibilities before you.

Perhaps there are those who graduate with you that seem to be living your dream more effectively than you are. While life is not a formula, it is also not a competition. Find your own niche, make your own goals and do not allow the apparent success of others to cripple your own ambitions.

Your dreams continue to be valid even when they are not being fully realized. Your dreams continue to be valid even when someone else seems to have your same dream. Your life will not be a straight path.

You will have obstacles, detours and doors closed in your face. To return to the falling metaphor, keep building your makeshift wings or your patchwork parachute. Pity the smug so-and-so’s whose lives will not be as interesting as yours.

When your Plan A falls through, make a Plan B — and probably a Plan C and D. Try to give yourself a sense of direction, but do not smash to pieces when that direction inevitably changes.

Allow yourself to be an optimist. Believe in your intrinsic self-worth and acquired skills.

Let life surprise you. Your life is not a formula and there are plenty of clever, intriguing ways to make it out of this cliff jump alive.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Letters // ETC

Letters to the editor Recommendation to take safety training I would highly recommend that all students invest in themselves and attend the training workshop organized by the Concordia University Security Department.

I sincerely hope that no students will ever have to use the skills learned in the trainings, but having these tools at your disposal can come in handy Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) training, is only for women. The instructors are Lyne Denis and Valerie Bolduc, and they are phenomenal women with a wealth of knowledge and experience. The instructors are also very considerate of any existing personal physical injuries that the participants have, and you will be well taken care of. Although the training is called Rape Aggression Defense, the tools learned in the training can be used in other situations that women will face. The training lasts between 9-12 hours, and only costs $20. It is very important to note that it is a very reasonable cost considering the duration of the training, and that once you finish the RAD training, there is a lifetime practice policy. This policy allows any person to attend any RAD training workshop around North America free of charge! It is a very good investment in not only yourself, but your future, and I highly recommend it.

The training is an amazing opportunity to meet other people from around the university. I would highly recommend that everyone learn more about the trainings, and register for whichever training suits your needs.

The link to have more information on the training session can be found online at: http://security.concordia.ca/prevention/training/rad/ Melissa Lemieux

Vote Chuck Wilson for CSU President I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Chuck Wilson for three years now, and he has my complete endorsement for the job of CSU President.

Chuck actually cares about each and every student on this campus and has often gone out of his way to help whole faculties, often with little to no credit.

I first met Chuck when he was the chair of the Fine Arts Student Alliance (FASA) in 2011 and in often-tenuous meetings during the Maple Spring, Chuck kept a level head and helped us ensure that our conversations were productive, even in such a high-stress environment.

When a delay in counting absences by last year’s CSU chair meant that it was too late for Fine Arts candidates to run in the 2012-2013 CSU by-election, Chuck was the person who informed me about it and looked over my petition. With his help, I was able to assemble a team of students that worked as ex-officio officers on Council. This year, there are three Fine Arts candidates running and I think that in large part, that has to do with Chuck. It may have taken a gap year to get the ball rolling, but we did it. Chuck made me care, I made others care, and here were are today.

He is the only candidate, in my opinion, who has laid out a plan with realistic outcomes that focuses on academics—and isn’t that why we’re here, ultimately—and empowers the many student groups on campus so that they can take on social activist roles, instead of making that the job of the CSU. We have such great resources on campus, and Chuck wants to help you find them! Remember, just because your friend is running for another slate doesn’t mean that their presidential candidate is the best fit. No matter who gets voted into office, Chuck will work with them and be the leader that the CSU needs at this pivotal moment in its history.

Chuck does things (dot com), and that’s why you should vote for him for CSU President.

Erika Couto BFA Art History & Film Studies ‘13 Current MA Art History student VP Clubs & Services FASA (2012-2013) Ex-Officio officer CSU (2012-2013)

Letter of endorsement for CSU President Chuck Wilson is the epitome of “qualified” when it comes to the position of Presidency of the Concordia Student Union. I have had the privilege of working with Chuck for over a year now within the Engineering Faculty, and I can attest that there is no better person suited to be the driving force of such an encompassing student association. Chuck has this incredibly rare ability to see any and all projects to total completion, thereby actually accomplishing the things that he sets out to do. In terms of his endeavors, Chuck is hyper aware of all of the ongoings at Concordia, across all departments, and therefore pursues the things that matter most to students.

As an involved student, I have consulted Chuck on probably every important matter related to my co-curricular involvement that I have ever encountered.

Whether it has to do with trying to incorporate an association, or the specifics about booking an event, he just has this super solid understanding of how systems function at Concordia. Chuck has spent his academic career striving for improvement within Concordia, seeking solutions and alternatives to everything from an individual’s mundane questions to our university’s vision of its future.

He is already a driving, inspirational force within the Engineering Faculty, and I would love nothing more than to see what he will accomplish as President of

the CSU. See what he plans to do for you at chuckdoesthings.com. Vote for Chuck Wilson, because he actually does things.

Andrea Cartile B.Sc. Biology Specialization 2009-2012 Current B. Eng. (Mech) Expected 2016 VP External CSCE 2012-2013 VP Marketing SAE 2013-2014

Vote Melissa Payette for CSU President My name is Bianca Bertoia and I am the President of the John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (JMUCC). JMUCC is not only the largest international undergraduate case competition in the world, but also one of the most prestigious. As JMUCC hosts students from 24 of the best universities around the world, I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of the world’s most talented students and our future business leaders. There is no question in my mind that Melissa Payette, Experience CSU’s Presidential Candidate, is one such student.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Melissa in two separate environments. I first met her when working at Chapters Pointe-Claire. Melissa had already been working there for a year when I started, and she was the most welcoming person on staff. Her passion for books and knowledge and her helpful disposition stood out immediately.

In Melissa’s role as the President of CASA Cares—CASA’s non-profit wing— I’ve seen the extent of her compassion and her greatness as a leader. She manages a team of almost 20 executives and does it flawlessly. The respect that Melissa’s team has for her is clear, and the events they execute are successful in both raising money for charity and uniting students from all faculties.

This year, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Melissa on CASA’s Board of Directors (BOD) as well as on CASA’s Special Projects Committee. In both circumstances, Melissa has been an amazing person to work with. She is unafraid to voice her opinions, but always in a way that is respectful of others. Oftentimes at BOD, she will step in and mediate between two opposing parties to help them better understand one another. Mel is a problem solver who is always full of great ideas and suggestions.

On CASA’s Board of Directors, I’ve also been able to work with Scott Carr and Maylen Cytryn, Experience CSU’s VP Finance and VP Clubs & Internal candidates respectively. I’m amazed by Scott’s passion for policy, constitutional knowledge and number-crunching abilities on a daily basis. As a newcomer to the board, Maylen has been an excellent chairperson who’s demonstrated how quickly she can master unfamiliar surroundings. I am confident that Melissa has pulled together a unified team of dedicated students to form the Experience CSU team.

There is no doubt in my mind that Melissa Payette is the right candidate to lead the CSU forward. She is both a powerful and compassionate leader and the perfect person to bridge the gap between faculties. Melissa will stand up for students’ rights and deliver what they believe in. Concordia students would be lucky to have her lead their union forward.

Bianca Bertoia President, John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (JMUCC)

Vote for Melissa Payette for CSU President My name is Jessica Viscosi and I am the Vice-President of Finance and VicePresident of Events for CASA Cares. CASA Cares is the non-profit segment of the John Molson School of Business. The goal of CASA Cares is to promote social awareness and responsibility at the school and encourage all students to get involved within the community.

I have been lucky enough to be part of many student-run associations throughout my education and worked alongside great student leaders. One of those outstanding student leaders that I have had the privilege to work with is Melissa Payette. For that reason, it is my pleasure to endorse Melissa Payette as president of the Experience CSU team.

Working closely with Melissa for the past two years on CASA Cares has been a truly rewarding experience. Her dedication to the entire team has been admirable. Throughout her presidency at CASA Cares she has managed to lead the CASA Cares team to having the most successful year to date.

Melissa is hard working, passionate about her work and goes above and beyond all expectations. However, her strongest asset is how approachable she is. This I believe is a very important quality in a leader who will be representing the entire student body. Having a leader who is approachable will allow students to feel comfortable voicing their thoughts and opinions. This in turn will allow students to feel as if the university truly is working with their best interests in mind.

With Melissa’s experience, there is no doubt that she will be able to lead the Experience CSU team to success. I strongly believe that Melissa has surrounded herself with a cross-faculty team that will work tirelessly for the best interest of the students at Concordia University.

Jessica Viscosi VP Finance and VP of Events for CASA Cares

Tuesday, march 25, 2014

Vote for Chuck Wilson for CSU President It’s not often in student politics that one comes across a person as dedicated to the union, and with such a good sense of ethics and values, as Chuck Wilson.

Chuck has worked for years now developing and strengthening fair and just policies across several student groups. He understands rules and regulations, and he understands not bending them for himself or his friends’ personal benefit. Chuck is the guy who doesn’t forget the rules when they’re complicated or inconvenient to apply, and he isn’t afraid to make the hard decisions.

Chuck is the kind of guy who will work with anyone and everyone, and I know this because he has already worked with anyone and everyone, from all sides of the political spectrum. He just wants to get the job done. It takes a special kind of person to buck the system and stay dedicated to the concept of abolishing executive slates and run independently for the office of president.

That kind of person is a leader, and there is no better one available in this union right now than Chuck Wilson.

I was lucky enough to work with Chuck on Senate in the 2012-2013 year. It is hard to find anyone more dedicated than Chuck. Because Chuck does things, you should vote for him for President of the CSU! He has done so much for the CSU on Council this year, and I have complete faith he is the best fit for president. Please vote for him during the elections to get our union some strong, competent, qualified, and most importantly, independent leadership.

Melissa Lemieux

Vote for Chuck, Chuck does things!

I have repeated this numerous times randomly throughout this week to anyone I met. I have been a big supporter of Chuck since the beginning and my support has grown even more after watching the debates.

First, he has demonstrated that he has the most experience and a deep understanding of legal affairs, and Concordia policies out of all the presidential candidates. CSU needs someone at the head who knows how the system works to be able to use it to their advantage. Out of all the candidates, he was the most eloquent and demonstrated that he has given a great deal of thought to the subjects that were brought up and even if he didn’t, his extensive knowledge of how CSU works and the different entities within helped him give clear responses showing that he knows what he’s doing.

Chuck takes action; we need a man of action, especially when they have a beard.

Second, he wants to revamp the horrible grey tunnel!!!

Third, he has a beard, enough said.

Check out his website chuckdoesthings.com to get an insight on his platform and find out how awesome Chuck is!

Daniella Tran Van

Support CSU Experience To the readers of The Concordian, I won’t go on with drivel about why any of the given teams is the best, nor will I explain why I’ve had “the pleasure” of working with someone. These are all formalities that will dismiss a message.

I will speak to what I believe it takes to have an excellent team, and that is a great balance of thinkers, doers, opinionated people and compromisers.

Personally, I have worked to some measure with Scott, Maylen and Melissa— all of which are running for the Experience CSU team. Maylen is the person I worked with directly for the past year on the John Molson Marketing Association (JMMA). Maylen is meticulously detail oriented and very competent with dealing with stressful and uncomfortable conflicts in a workplace. I say this because our goal with JMMA was to change everything the previous year and she was a perfect partner in dealing with all the tribulations that come with delivering real, meaningful change. I want you to think about how hard it is to deal with failures and how to convert them into successes, and how the ideal person would deal with it. Now I invite you to talk to Maylen about those things.

For the other two, I have never worked directly with any of them but I’ve sat in boardrooms with them and been to many social gatherings where they were present. Melissa led CASA Cares this year, which is the charitable wing of the Commerce and Administration Students’ Association. Again, I won’t pretend to know how it was to work with her, but I’ll just tell you that she convinced her team of 14 that meeting on Friday nights is a great idea. Combine this demonstration of charisma along with the fact that she donated her time to the only philanthropic branch of the John Molson Business School and I think you would reconsider whatever prejudice you may have about what business students in general stand for.

Scott was previously involved with Enactus Concordia, again a branch that deals with entrepreneurship and social change. He’s been a massive advocator of transparent workings in the CASAJMSB Board of Directors and has never missed a beat when it comes to proper conduct.

I want you to consider what it means to allow proper business representation on the CSU and that it’s not some fantasy about suits and ties that want to grab your money. Yes, there are student who think this way, but these three individuals are not conventional business students, because conventional business

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students would not have the chops to run for the CSU to begin with.

Charles Gedeon Outgoing President of JMMA and ex-sociology student

Vote Chuck for CSU President If you vote for one person in this CSU election, let it be Chuck Wilson for president. When I sat on CSU council last year, Chuck was in his second year of his work on Senate. He came to almost every council meeting, so I got to know him in a working dynamic quite quickly.

Chuck was a constant resource; he always had detailed information, a near-encyclopedic knowledge of our union’s rules, workings and by-laws and those of other organizations, sophisticated insight into controversial issues, and he often assumed positions of authority very naturally. It was very common at these meetings that someone would end up appealing to Chuck for an answer to a question or for resources. In fact, those in Concordia’s student political community recognize his website, www.chuckdoesthings.com, as the unofficial guide to our student union—before it was used for his campaigning, it hosted valuable resources, documents, and information essentials for us to do our jobs. Even our chairperson would occasionally reference the meeting agenda or amended by-laws and standing regulations that he maintained meticulously in and outside of meetings. If you were to approach them and ask, people across Concordia’s community—staff, administration, political leaders, members of Space Concordia, and so on—would you identify Chuck as a highly competent, brilliant, capable leader? Many, many people at Concordia would say they are excited to see what this person can do for our union. Please, please vote for him so we can find out.

Hannah Hackney

Support Community Matters and Ben Prunty I give my full support to Ben Prunty as president of the CSU and his dynamic team Community Matters.

Last semester, I had the pleasure of working with Ben during my internship with the Concordia Food Coalition—a community servicelearning component in Professor Satoshi Ikeda’s course, The Political Economy of Food. Ben led our team of five interns in developing his brainchild—a conference on sustainable food systems. To our team’s delight, the Concordia Transitions Conference was a huge success— approximately 150 community members attended the event throughout the day.

Thanks to Ben’s exceptional leadership skills, our team never felt like the conference was solely his “baby.” On the contrary, Ben has an ability to inspire other people and mobilize them to accomplish a common goal. He also has a talent for identifying the skills that his team members can bring to the table and incorporating those strengths in the larger picture.

More than anything, Ben knows how to create a sense of community among his fellow team members. Not only did the Concordia Transitions Conference create dialogue surrounding food initiatives on campus, but it also created this same sense of community among its guests—a feeling that together we could accomplish great things for our university.

As project coordinator of one of the many wonderful fee levy groups on campus and a proud supporter of the “No” Campaign against the per-faculty fee levy referendum question, there is no doubt in my mind that Concordia’s vibrant community is one of the university’s greatest assets. If you want a Concordia with a sustainable studentrun food system, support for student-led projects and most of all, a community that “matters”, vote for Ben Prunty and the rest of his team next week!

Megan Michaud

Experience CSU will make a difference My name is Chris Carpini and I am the President of the John Molson Competition Committee (JMCC). The past three years of my undergraduate career have been dedicated to working on JMSB’s competition program. During my time here, the program has become the world’s largest undergraduate competition program as we close a record-breaking year with nearly 40 podium finishes and countless gold medals.

I’ve travelled around the world to attend over a dozen competitions and over 10 inter-university conferences, meeting tons of students in the process. I know strong student leaders when I see them. As such, it is with pleasure that I endorse Melissa Payette and her entire Experience CSU team for the executive of the Concordia Student Union.

I’ve worked closely with Melissa on CASA’s Board of Directors.

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Tuesday, march 25, 2014

As the President of CASA Cares, Melissa is a compassionate leader—what stands out most when talking to her is that she truly cares for what others have to say. My colleagues and I have spent many nights venting to her about problems and roadblocks within our committees. The outcome is always consistent: next day, well-educated and researched opinions that truly help to move our organizations forward.

Moreover, I know how easily student organizations can be seen as unapproachable amongst the greater student body. Melissa is the type of person who breaks down these barriers. I strongly believe that Melissa will care for the unique needs of Concordia students and will go out of her way to make sure everyone’s voice is heard—she is a go-to person and knows how to get things done.

Backing her is a stacked team on Experience CSU—individuals who will absolutely work well together. Both Scott Carr and Maylen Cytryn have been involved in JMSB’s competition program. Scott is a gold-medal winning competitor who is always open to a new challenge and whose unique solutions leave judging panels speechless.

Maylen is an up-and-coming star in the program whose infectiously bubbly personality is combined with a hard-working attitude. The competition program has trained these individuals to recognize real problems within organizations and come up with the most creative and feasible ways to solve them.

I am confident that these three individuals have surrounded themselves with a team that will make for an incredibly hard-working CSU. Undoubtedly, this is what Concordia students need—strong, dedicated, compassionate leaders who will work sleepless nights for us.

Chris Carpini, JMCC President

I S A AC N E W TO N A N D T H E O R IG I N O F C I V I L I Z AT I O N

SCIENCE COLLEGE

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SAY YES Dear editor, I want to encourage all Concordia students (especially those opposing fee levy groups) to check out some really amazing resources they have on campus such as the Center for Gender Advocacy (CGA).

Here are just some of their more recent accomplishments: - Successfully lobbied the Concordia administration for a sexual assault centre, which opened its doors in November 2013 - Was apart of the coalition of groups that forced Quebec’s decision to modify the civil code to give trans people the right to change their gender legally without having to undergo surgery and forced sterilization - Walked with over 1,000 people at the March for Missing and Murdered women —organized by Missing Justice (one of their campaigns)—on Feb. 14 to raise awareness about gendered and racialized violence in Quebec and Canada - Increased sexual assault awareness and consent workshops and trainings, which are given on and off campus and free of charge - Expanded a programming with a new speaker series called, Thick Skin: Reflections on race, gender and political resistance - Has a second space (located at 2110 De Maisonneuve W.) which is increasingly utilized by students and activists (including new autonomous action groups) to hold meetings and events I want to emphasize that the CGA is an inclusive space with open-minded, generous and super hard working staff—they really do a lot with a little, especially given the centre’s very broad mandate. They offer various activities (speakers, workshops, film screenings) on a very wide-range of issues related to gender—I mean, gender touches all aspects of our lives, whether we realize it or not, but I think it is fantastic that they cover so much!

I encourage you to help keep this awesome place going by voting ‘Yes’ to fee levy groups (increasing their 29 cent per credit to 37 cents).

Even if you think that you may not use their services, you just might need (or want) to someday, and also just know that you are also helping to create a safer, fairer and hopefully a more open-minded campus and city by supporting organizations such as the CGA. So, all this to say is that paying your extra eight cents is well-worth it for you and for others!

Annette Kassaye MacDonald, B.A Political Science/Human Rights Studies 2013 Former Board Member at the Centre For Gender Advocacy (2011)

PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES

A N D T H E O R IG I N O F C I V I L I Z AT I O N B Y J ED Z . B U C H W A LD B Y J ED Z . B U C H W A LD DO R I S A ND HE NR Y D R E Y F U S S DO R I S A ND HE NR Y D R E Y F U S S P R OF E S S OR OF H I S T OR Y P R OF E S S OR OF H I S T OR Y C A L I FO R N IA I N S T IT U T E C A L I FO R N IA I N S T IT U T E OF OL GY P U BTTLEEIC CN E CO OF C NLOL OTGUYR E S E R I E S

SCIENCE COLLEGE

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Community Matters for Concordia Community matters.

But what does that mean? An executive team that acknowledges academics can not be disconnected from university and government policies, these being inextricably related to having sufficient desks in a classroom, not having to work more than study, and eating healthy affordable food, all of which is in turn connected to your academic experience. This team understands that, and has the capacity to work for students’ interests at all levels. Speaking of levels, the VP-Academic/Advocacy candidate recently initiated the first Concordia Student Congress directly connecting the CSU to your student departmental associations so that you can have a voice at many levels of student democracy. As former VP-External of the Concordia Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), I have worked with almost every person on this team and I know they will guide the CSU to make this campus a community of communities in which democracy is not just a gift to those elected, but something all students can participate in through clear democratic mechanisms (including a VP-Finance who vows to make budget stuff fun—you can’t pass up the possibility of seeing this happen). It means a team of students whose experience stands out: a bilingual VP-External/ Mobilization candidate whose health campaign got students jogging at 8 a.m. and represented his department many times at the provincial level; a VP-Academic/Advocacy candidate who knows how to defend students from his work with CSU Advocacy Centre; a VP-Loyola candidate who has volunteered on both campuses for years; a VP-Sustainability candidate who attended provincial student meetings in her free time; a Presidential candidate who already made substantial gains for our food systems as CSU VP-Sustainability, and who have proven with their past actions their commitment to students’ academic fulfillment, future, and rights. Don’t give up the opportunity to have them live up to their potential, and most importantly that of our students’ and community’s. Vote Community Matters.

Nadia Hausfather Humanities PhD program

Word search // ETC

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 Vol. 31 Issue 26 It finally happened: Kim Kardashian has joined the ranks of the fashion elite and will be on the April cover of Vogue. Kanye West’s pleading with Editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has finally paid off, soliciting cringes and seething tweets from devoted readers. The cover has already been spoofed by the Muppets, and Kimye’s biggest critics, James Franco and Seth Rogen. Although excited, I’m sure Kim is crying into her millions right now.

Amanda L. Shore Editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com Nathalie Laflamme Production manager production@theconcordian.com Sloane Montgomery News editor Milos Kovacevic Interim co-news editor news@theconcordian.com Sabrina Giancioppi Life editor life@theconcordian.com Roa Abdel-Gawad Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com Jessica Romera Music editor music@theconcordian.com

@sandrachami You cannot use #Vogue and #KimKardashian in one sentence together; that’ll be like eating sushi with a fork. #Fail #TrashIsTheNewClass

Samantha Mileto Sports editor sports@theconcordian.com Lindsay Richardson Interim Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com

@cedsaidso For #KanyeWest to be so vocal about being ostracized by the fashion industry, then to grace to cover page of #Vogue - what is this?

Keith Race Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com Natasha Taggart Online editor online@theconcordian.com

@BellaWC23 Vogue has become a joke. I’m embarrassed. #Vogue #Kimye

Jennifer Kwan Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com

@bribaxterem3d How much money did #kanye pay for that ridiculous #vogue cover. #zeroclass @EveVawter Why doesn’t Wintour give Courtney Stodden a #Vogue cover next? #VOGUEISDEAD @moderngay Today is the day that fashion died #Vogue #voguefail @lace_w Anna Wintour must be hitting the “over it” phase of her career if shes putting Kim K & Kanye on the cover.#Vogue #Voguefail @fiqdamhom I was going to buy @usweekly, but when I picked it up I realized it was Vogue @winonnaryder Why didn’t they put North on the cover too? We all know she’s the true star of the family. @SierraTishgart The only good thing about this cover is Mindy Kaling’s name on it. @carletonenglish Really can’t wait to read the letters from angry @vogue subscribers threatening to cancel their subscriptions. #kimye @officialKristie #VOGUEISDEAD - since when did #PornStars become #FashionIcons ???

Lots of #hashtags needed @TheKlosetShoppe No-one wants to see Kanye Pest & Kim Whordashian trash up a once classic magazine. #VOGUEISDEAD

Correction // ETC On March 18’14, the article , “Updates from your Concordia Student Union,” presented incomplete and misleading information regarding the CSU Executives’ proposal to council regarding the motion to enter into negotiations with the university’s archives department for storage of the CSU’s documents. The paragraph should have read as follows: “The CSU executive proposed entering into an agreement with Concordia’s archives department wherein the CSU would donate their archives to the department and give responsibility for the filing and maintenance of said documents to them. As the CSU currently has no unified means of archiving their documents, this would provide an ideal solution. The motion asked that the Council grant the executive permission to enter into a process of negotiation with the university’s archives department for the purpose of reaching an agreement whereby the CSU’s documents would be moved to the archives department. However, the executive was adamant that if given authority by the Council to pursue negotiations toward an agreement, they would not formally agree to anything without first bringing the agreement to council.”

The article also incorrectly attributed the following paragraph’s information to the CSU meeting on March 12. The 2014-2015 budget and President Shepard’s remarks did not take place at the council meeting, this item was discussed at the Board of Governors meeting.

“In total there were three items removed from the consent agenda including the finance committee report due to insufficient information regarding the 2014-15 budget. However, according to President Shepard, by May’s meeting there will be more details available.”

Furthermore, the ‘Quebec firm,’ referenced in relation to a proposal regarding funding of a research project, should have said representatives from La FEUS (Federation Etudiante Universitaire de Sherbrooke).

We sincerely apologize for having published this misinformation.

Elizabeth Tomaras Christina Rowan Milos Kovacevic Copy editors copy@theconcordian.com Besher Al Maleh Marilla Steuter-Martin Production assistants Milos Kovacevic Assistant News editor Angela De Cicco Assistant Life editor Jocelyn Beaudet Assistant Arts editor Jonathan Cohen Assistant Music editor Tim Lazier Assistant Sports editor Marco Saveriano Assistant Opinions editor Editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. Building CC-Rm 431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 514-848-2424 ext. 7499 (Editor-in-Chief) Pascale Cardin Business manager business@theconcordian.com Tyson Lowrie Cindy Lopez Ruben Bastien Board of directors directors@theconcordian.com

Contributors Evan Scammel, Barbara Madimenos, Dominique Daoust, Andy Fidel, Daniel Chen, Olivia Ranger-Enns, Ayan Chowdhury, David Adelman, Shauna Zilversmit, Chris Cordella, Natahna Bargen, Justinas Staskevicius, Paul Traunero, Romain Dompnier, Elijah Bukreev,Robin Stanford, Frédéric T. Muckle, Alex Lau

theconcordian

Kimye is Everywhere

Concordia’s weekly, independent student newspaper.

GENERAL ELECTION NEW FOR STUDENTS: ON MARCH 28TH, APRIL 1ST, 2ND AND 3RD, YOU MAY VOTE IN YOUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION. YOU WILL VOTE FOR A CANDIDATE FROM THE ELECTORAL RIDING IN WHICH YOU ARE DOMICILED.

YOU MAY VOTE IF: • YOU ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE • YOU ARE A CANADIAN CITIZEN • YOU HAVE BEEN DOMICILED IN QUÉBEC FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS • YOUR NAME IS ENTERED ON THE LIST OF ELECTORS AT THE ADDRESS OF YOUR DOMICILE

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO FIND OUT THE LOCATION OF THE POLLING STATION, CHECK THE POSTERS IN YOUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT ELECTIONSQUEBEC.QC.CA/VOTE/EN

1-888-ELECTION ( 1-888-353-2846 ) DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING PEOPLE MAY CALL TOLL FREE AT 1-800-537-0644.

U.Concordia - Concordian — Parution : 25 mars 2014