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a, Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Letter: AUS denounces barriers at Milton Gates

by Justin Fletcher on

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Dear Associate Vice-Principal Couvrette and Provost Masi,

The Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) of McGill University Legislative Council voted at the September 18 meeting to take a stance of disapproval against the erection of the new barriers at the Milton Gates, expressing concerns about accessibility, the consultation process, community relations, utility of the gates, and cost.

After consulting with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), it is evident that these gates do not follow the principles of Universal Design, one of which is “Size and Space for Approach and Use: appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user’s body size, posture, or mobility.”

The barriers do not consider many groups of people who enter through the Milton Gates, including but not limited to, people with physical disabilities, people with strollers, and children. The AUS has an Equity Policy, which states that the “AUS strives to create a community that exceeds social standards of equitable treatment.”

Because the barriers do not consider the needs of disadvantaged groups on the basis of physical ability and size, it is within the scope of the AUS to write such a statement to improve community standards.

The Arts Undergraduate Society, an incorporated student association that represents all B.A. and B.A. & Sc. students on campus, was neither consulted nor informed about this project. We find this problematic, as we represent 7,692 unique stakeholders in the McGill community.

Furthermore, these gates represent a symbolic division between McGill’s campus and the Montreal community, namely the neighbouring Milton-Parc Community. It is important to consider the ramifications of the subliminal message that these gates conjure for those who come to campus.

The article in the McGill Reporter states that the Gates were installed to reinforce the “walk your bike” rule on campus.

Regarding the utility of the gates, bikers’ abilities to bike directly through the gates or remount their bicycle after dismounting illustrate that the gates do not achieve their desired purpose.

We, therefore, question the dedication of financial and time resources to this project. We believe this money could have been better spent on projects that would have a more positive impact on the McGill campus.

Based on the aforementioned concerns, the Arts Undergraduate Society Legislative Council disapproves of the barriers at the Milton Gates. Before any future projects are considered and implemented to improve the safety of all members of the McGill community, we ask respectfully that you consult with students and consider the abilities, needs, and preferences of all members of the campus community.

We look forward to your response.

Justin Fletcher is the president of the Arts Undergraduate Society. This letter was submitted on behalf of the AUS Legislative Council.

a, News

What happened last week in Canada?

by Jannet Li on

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Citizenship oath ruled constitutional 

On Friday, an Ontario Superior Court ruled the Canadian citizenship oath to the Queen constitutional, despite being a violation of the right to free speech. The ruling comes after three permanent residents challenged the law that requires new citizens to take the oath, saying that they oppose the monarchy on religious or moral grounds.

The judge acknowledged that requiring the oath violates freedom of expression, but that section one of the charter allows for it on the grounds that this form of compelled speech is a “reasonable limit” to the right of expression. He said the complainants’ opposition to the oath is based on a literal understanding of the text.

“Once the Queen is understood […] as an equality-protecting Canadian institution rather than as an aristocratic English overlord, the denial of a charter freedom is reasonable,” Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Morgan said in the ruling.

A lawyer representing the complainants told The Globe and Mail that he would urge his clients to appeal the ruling.

 

Ottawa crash raises concern over black-box rules

A bus crash in Ottawa that killed six last Wednesday has raised concerns over the lack of standard data-recording rules for buses. Unlike trains, which are required by Transport Canada to use a black box to record data, buses are not subject to recording standards.

The discussion stems from conflicting accounts of the events surrounding the crash, which involved the collision of the bus with a Via Rail train. Some eyewitnesses say the bus did not slow down, while others say the driver attempted to brake twice.

The train’s black box has already been retrieved and sent for analysis. In a locomotive, the recorder captures specific data known to specialists. However, the programming and information captured by bus’ black boxes vary by manufacturer and sometimes even by model.

Dr. Robert McElroy, a U.S. transportation safety advocate and accident reconstructionist, told CBC that implementing standards for recording devices on vehicles would give analysts more information to determine the causes of accidents and ways they can be prevented in the future.

 

Rona Ambrose speaks out against own department’s decision

Health Minister Rona Ambrose has publically criticized her own department’s decision to amend a special access program in order to provide heroin to addicts in exceptional cases.

Ambrose told The Canadian Press that other methods used to treat drug addiction, such as methadone, are effective, and that providing addicts with heroin is contrary to the ‘spirit and intent’ of the program and goes against the federal government’s anti-drug policy.

“The special access program was designed to treat unusual cases and medical emergencies; it was not intended as a way to give illicit drugs to drug addicts,” Ambrose said in a public statement on Friday.

According to The Canadian Press, it is unclear whether Ambrose intends to act against the current decision, or merely to prevent similar decisions from occurring in the future.

New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Libby Davies spoke out in favour of the program.

“Medicalized heroin maintenance has been used very successfully and in places like Europe is seen as part of treatment,” Davies said. “[This is] another example of the Conservative government ignoring sound public policy, driven by expert advice, and instead making decisions based on political dogma.”

 

B.C. cheese farm causes E. coli outbreak

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is investigating an E. coli outbreak that has been linked to the death of an elderly woman. The outbreak has been traced to Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm in Salmon Arm, B.C.

The CFIA has recalled 15 types of raw-milk cheese products manufactured at Gort’s which were sold online and in locations throughout B.C. and Alberta between May 27 to Sept. 14. In addition to one death, the Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed that 12 other people have fallen ill—four from B.C. and eight from Alberta.

E. coli is a bacteria that can cause food poisoning, kidney failure, and—in rare cases—death. Kathy Wikkerink, owner of the farm since 2007, apologized for the outbreak in an interview with The Vancouver Sun.

“We are so sorry and we are trying to get to the source of the E. coli, but we don’t know the source and we don’t know what happened,” she said.

 

Coca-Cola cancels campaign

Coca-Cola’s new Canadian marketing campaign was cancelled following an incident in an Edmonton restaurant where a customer discovered the words “you retard” under his Vitaminwater bottle cap. The campaign paired randomly generated English and French words under bottle caps.

Shannon Denny, Brand Communications Director for Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada, explained that the bottle caps were made with the intention that consumers could collect them and form entertaining sentences. However, the English and French words were approved separately, so in this case “retard” was meant to be understood in its French definition as “late.”

“We were really, really shocked. [We] didn’t know if this were a joke,” said Blake Loates, the wife of the customer who discovered the offensive phrase.

Loates, who has a sister who has cerebral palsy and autism, told The Vancouver Sun that her father was “appalled and hurt” when she told him about the incident, and that he wrote a letter to Coca-Cola explaining Loates’ sister’s story.

Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada will be destroying all bottles of Vitaminwater with words printed on the caps.

a, Opinion

For better schools, demand better funding

by Avik Jain on

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The Fraser Institute recently released a report advocating the implementation of merit pay in the public school system to compensate teachers based on student performance. The libertarian think tank’s findings quickly drew fire from union and left-wing commentators. The study, composed by Dr. Rodney Clifton from the University of Manitoba, also proposed abolishing teacher tenure protections so that chronically underperforming educators can be dismissed more easily.

 The Fraser Institute assumes that the introduction of merit pay would be beneficial to ensure teacher quality and student achievement. However, to enact these policies nationwide, the current system would need to be federalized at great cost. Tracking  student performance and linking it to over 700,000 teachers would require the creation of an extensive administrative bureaucracy the think tank neglected to take into account.

 On the issue of tenure, however, the unions are dead wrong. It is not hard to detect a consistently ineffective teacher. There are few other professions in which seniority trumps ability, and labour leaders need to admit that while most teachers may be in the profession for the right reasons, there are some teachers who are generally uninterested in the general performance of their students. Education graduates with stellar student-teaching credentials and a passion to instruct should not be kept out of the profession to uphold the outdated practice of tenure productions which often keep primary and secondary students languishing in stifling environments.

The unions are correct, however, in insisting that social forces outside of the classroom can hamper  teacher effectiveness. Even though Canada has lower rates of child poverty than the US, not all young Canadians have the advantages necessary for effortless academic achievement.

With a new influx of foreign competition, how Canada’s next generation performs in the classroom is crucial for maintaining our global competitiveness. Above-average rankings and adequately equipped university freshmen are not going to cut it anymore. Standards need to be raised, but a system that is too test driven, as many Asian systems are, is not the answer. Students shouldn’t fear their teachers and be forced to memorize throughout the night in cram schools. The reason western teaching methods have reached all corners of the globe is because we teach our children to think for themselves and innovate. While it’s possible to increase the frequency of standardized testing, to hold students to an arbitrary intellectual standard would be detrimental, not to mention unfeasible.

Those who tackle education from a purely corporate perspective seem to claim that by overhauling learning through their model, quality will improve at no added cost. While there is room for increased competition in the teaching profession, if we truly want to better public education, we need to increase teacher pay, better fund our schools, and focus our system on student needs. Anybody who claims that these aspirations can be achieved without significantly increased education funding needs to go back to school.

a, Arts & Entertainment

Players’ debut more than just entertaining

by Chris Lutes on

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Hearing the title of this play conjures up the image of something dreadful: a stuffy costume drama, a ‘comedy’ of errors, or a farce by some witless Oscar Wilde wannabe. Those labels couldn’t be further from the truth.

This play, after all, comes from the delightfully twisted mind of Joe Orton, the biggest rockstar in British theatre since, well, Oscar Wilde. His dialogue could be read aloud by the most amateur of community theatres and still be wildly entertaining. Thankfully, the McGill Players’ Theatre’s production of Entertaining Mr. Sloane does so much more than that, managing to elevate the material beyond its already unimpeachable status.

    The play centers around a boyish, pansexual sociopath (the titular Mr. Sloane, played by Daniel Carter) who comes into the lodging of a family comprised of a flirtatious sister (Pam Austin), a shrewd brother (Stephen Reimer), and an ailing father (Frederick Gietz). As the family members become more acquainted with Sloane, they become increasingly entangled in his web of manipulations until everything falls apart in a poignant and satisfying third act.

    The key to the story is that every character is a terrible person in one way or another—but no one is worse than Mr. Sloane. While the other characters betray each other for understandable reasons, Mr. Sloane manipulates others simply for his own amusement. Although Sloane’s lack of purpose could make the play feel aimless, director Nikolay Shargorodsky chooses to play up the sexual politics underlying the plot, which infuses the action with some needed weight and perspective.

    The performances are often pitch perfect, albeit a tad inconsistent at times. At first, Carter doesn’t seem to grasp the confidence needed for the title role, but he greatly improves by the time Act II rolls around. His performance reaches its apex in a scene where Sloane commits an act of cruelty. As the light behind his eyes extinguishes, we see just what kind of psycho we’re dealing with. This kind of acting can’t be easy to pull off—it’s a testament to Carter’s abilities that he is able to balance this dark side with a brattish impudence, never losing sight of who his character really is.

    More sympathetic is Austin, as a middle-aged divorcee and landlady to Sloane. She takes a role that could very easily become that of a cloying sexpot and manages to undercut it with a gasping loneliness that adds another dimension to the character.

    Perhaps the most consistently great performance comes from Reimer, who really understands how to sell a funny line. He has the gestures of the classic straight man, alternating proper and exasperated.

    Rounding out the cast is Gietz, who absolutely nails the physicality and frailty of his character, but tends to exaggerate dialogue that would benefit from a subtler interpretation. Altogether, the cast really sells the rhythm of the dialogue. One of the great joys of the play is seeing the characters interact in different permutations and bounce wit off of each other.

    The set itself is rather bare-boned—a few chairs, a couch, some dressers and some lamps stand atop a stark white floor. Instead of having flashy design of a big-budget play, the props act as more of a backdrop, letting the actors fill the stage with their performances (with the help of the production staff’s stellar blocking).

    The standout element of the production is the lighting. Although its function is utilitarian for the majority of its run, when it changes, it manages to alter the tone of the play, throwing shadows across the set and deepening our thematic understanding of the characters. Such added depth illustrates how much thought was put into the production.

    Overall, Entertaining Mr. Sloane is a thoroughly entertaining and engaging production and a strong start to the Players’ Theatre fall season.

    Entertaining Mr. Sloane is playing at Players’ Theatre from Sept. 25 to Sept. 28. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Student admission is $6.

 

a, Student Life

On-campus jobs: seek and ye shall find

by Kathy Anduo Liu on

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Finding a job as a McGill student isn’t always an easy task in Montreal, especially with Quebec’s language laws. An on-campus job can be a convenient and rewarding alternative to getting a job elsewhere in the city, but students often don’t know where to start their search. Although there are many options available, there are three primary resources: the Work Study Program, MyFuture, and networking.

Work Study is a program offered to students with financial need to find on-campus jobs including clerical, research, technical, or library positions. In order to be eligible for Work Study you must be a registered full-time student in satisfactory academic standing, and be receiving the maximum government aid allowed to you. If you fit these criteria, Work Study can give you a leg up for certain jobs on campus. The online application is available in the Financial Aid and Awards menu on Minerva.

It is a common misconception, however, that most jobs on campus are available or reserved for students who are part of the Work Study program. In reality the number is split pretty 50/50 between them and regular applicants.

Although some spots are reserved for the former, it is a lengthy process for employers to apply for wage coverage under Work Study. An employer who wants to fill an employment gap efficiently and hassle-free may find the process unpleasant—for  example, professors seeking to hire research assistants. Slip employee-seekers your resume, because if they can’t find any Work Study students for the job, you’ll be next on the list.

CaPS’ online job search and career tool, MyFuture, is one of the rare places where you can browse for job opportunities from different organizations and employers in aggregate. You can further narrow your search to on-campus jobs by utilizing the ‘more options’ button. While this still doesn’t make MyFuture an instant solution for job-hunters, it provides much more than initially meets the eye.

MyFuture can be a little underwhelming because it’s often slow to post new job opportunities. In fact, departments often put job listings on MyFuture after they have already advertised open positions in their department, so it might be worth your while to go and personally visit some departments too.

Perhaps the best way to get a job on campus is to find a quality stretch of time, don a thick skin, tuck a folder of CVs under your arm, and tour McGill. You will be surprised to find all the nooks and crannies that hire people, like Frostbite ice-cream parlour in McConnell Engineering, or SNAX in Leacock. Approaching these little places and asking for a job face-to-face will be statistically more rewarding then browsing for one on MyFuture.

Some of the more widely known campus employers include McGill Athletics, Alumni Phonathon (soliciting donors), the McGill Bookstore, MFDS, and IT Services. For these ostentatious departments, you can simply openly ask for job opportunities. For other jobs, you will have to resort to old fashioned ‘networking.’ Although associated with pretentious first-year business cards, cheap wine, and unimpressive cheese, networking is not just a formal event with exchanges of resumes. You partake in networking every day— you hear about jobs through your friends, Facebook groups, and student clubs. You actually know more people than you think you do, and your network ties are a lot denser too. Take advantage of these existing relationships, and openly advertise the fact that you are seeking a job.

In reality, McGill’s financial situation and budget cuts are not friends to anyone—especially students seeking on-campus jobs. It therefore becomes paramount to explore all the little cracks of campus and scourge for that on-campus job hidden in plain sight. You may be surprised at what turns up!

a, Student Life, Student of the Week

Student of the week: Kinsey Brockie

by Erica Friesen on

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This week’s Student of the Week was nominated for her role as the founder of It Is Well, a charitable initiative raising money for the construction of a well in Utoo, Kenya.

Kinsey Brockie was working at an orphanage in Kenya after her first year at McGill when she started thinking about ways she could continue to help the community after she had returned to Canada. With so many possible ways to provide support, she settled on a project that will protect what she thinks is a fundamental right—providing clean drinking water.

“There was a well at the orphanage where I worked, but it was polluted and you’d have to pull worms out of your drinking water before you could drink it,” she says. “I witnessed a lot of kids get very sick. So I thought—these people have water, but it’s not even safe, let alone people in further rural communities who don’t have any water. It’s […] something that everyone can understand and relate to.”

Having also volunteered at World Vision, Brockie was familiar with the kind of behind-the-scenes work that goes on at a charitable organization.

“It started really small—I talked to some of the people I met in Kenya, [and asked] how much it [was] going to cost, and figured out what we would need to do on this end,” she says. “They’re taking care of the drilling and everything, so it was just me rallying together some friends who were interested in the cause and passionate about it, and getting the word out on campus.”

To date, It Is Well has about 30 members and has raised $14,000, which they have sent over to Utoo in increments. According to Brockie, her previous involvement in Kenya means that she still has personal contact with the people who are building the well. For example, the director of the orphanage where Brockie volunteered is supervising its construction.

While it can be challenging to convince students to donate money, Brockie says the key is to emphasize that every little bit helps.

“I think that we’re all so privileged—relatively speaking—and everybody has spare change in their wallet,” she says. “If you donate 50 cents and take a brownie or a cupcake or a coffee, it makes a difference. People are looking for something to get involved with, or [are] looking for something that is bigger than themselves. This is just a really easy way for people to be able to feel like they’re part of something that is positive.”

With other demands on her time like schoolwork and her job as a floor fellow at Varcity515, Brockie says life can be hectic, but that she loves being busy.

“I just have all these things that I want to do and I care equally about all of them,” she says. “That’s what helps me get through school—by doing things that I’m passionate about and studying what I’m passionate about, and spending the time that I’m not studying doing things that I love. It’s hard to find a balance, but once you do it’s a great balance to have.”

 

McGill Tribune: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Kinsey Brokie: Prime rib.

 

MT: If you could change one thing about McGill what would it be?

KB: I would like to have more ‘pick-up’ sports on campus—anyone walking by could just join in and play for a couple minutes. Everyone just comes and goes when they want to!

 

MT: What’s your least favourite word?

KB: “Stuff.” I hate when people say “stuff” because […] obviously they mean more than just “stuff,” and then you don’t get the full picture.

 

MT: What was your dream job as a child?

KB: I wanted to be a waitress at Swiss Chalet. It’s my favourite restaurant!

 

MT: What’s your ideal ice cream sundae?

KB: Lots of cookie dough. Probably Moose Tracks ice cream, fresh fruit—Just every topping that they have!

 

MT: Who would you meet if you could go back in time?

KB: Indira Gandhi– India’s first and longest serving woman prime minister. Despite extreme political turmoil and threats to her life, her dedication to serving her people, and the well-being of her country never wavered.

a, Student Life

Student of the Week: Cosmo Kramer

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This week’s Student of the Week is Cosmo Kramer, a U1 anthropology student . He was nominated for his entrepreneurial spirit, athletic prowess, and for being an active presence around campus.

MT: You’ve started all sorts of initiatives around campus. Which has been the most successful?

CK: Well, last year in residence, I got funding to start the Douglas Hall beekeeping society. We had some good times in that club—lots of really nice characters, when they weren’t trying to sting you—and we sold some honey for profit on the side. It got a little out of hand though, and ended up starting the infamous Douglas Hall bee infestation. That’s why they’ve got students over in Varcity515 this year, you know.

MT: Have any of your other ventures gone differently than expected?

CK: Well, I’ve noticed that students around campus are always dehydrated, especially after a night out, so last January I decided to start a business selling students water. This was going to be a big operation, mind you, so I had to go straight to the source. I went up to the reservoir and tapped into a water main—one of the big ones. I’m not really sure what happened, but next thing I knew, I woke up soaking wet way down in Old Port.

MT: At this point, have people been approaching your new ideas with any amount of skepticism?

CK: Absolutely. I don’t understand it! For example, at the beginning of this term, I wanted to have a welcome party for [incoming Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning)] Ollivier Dyens up on the sixth floor of the James Administration building. There’s lots of room up there, and I thought putting it close to his office would minimize the inconvenience for him. I brought balloons and cake, but they wouldn’t even let me inside.

MT: You were briefly on the Redmen cross-country team. Why did you quit?

CK: Well, the team’s first meet of the year was up on Mount Royal. I was doing well, feeling good—real limber, you know—when I saw a berry bush. Now on long runs, you never know when you’ll need emergency sustenance, so I decided to stock up before

somebody else got to them. When I got back on the path, I must have taken a wrong turn, and ended up spending two weeks lost on the mountain, just wandering. On the plus side, when I finally found my way back down, it was the only time I’ve ever been early to a class at the McIntyre medical building.

MT: What was your ‘welcome to McGill’ moment?

CK: Probably the time I showed up at 11:30 p.m. to line up for the Midnight Kitchen. They should really give it a new name.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Ha Ha Tonka – Lessons

by Evie Kaczmarek on

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Inhabiting a unique spot at the crossroads of modern indie rock and backcountry American folk music, Ha Ha Tonka has delivered yet again with their fourth, highly anticipated album, Lessons. More introspective and instrumentally complex than their previous work, this multilayered set of tracks has far-reaching appeal, but rewards those who enjoy analyzing lyrics.

With four-part harmonies and instrumentals comparable to other indie rock acts Beirut and Spoon, the most striking element of the uplifting album is its messages—or, as the title implies, lessons. It’s replete with mature themes; such as the disillusionment that accompanies the process of growing up and the futility of pursuing the American dream.

Among noteworthy tracks, “Colorful Kids” is an upbeat but wistful reflection on simpler childhood years. The lyrics reference the fictional American icon, Huckleberry Finn, spurring notions of adventure, freedom, and playfulness. Complemented by the highly textured, fast-paced melody, the track evokes an overwhelming, but enjoyable sense of nostalgia.

At the heart of the album, the title track, “Lessons,” throws down a slow-burning, groovy beat—which is sonically a bit of a departure from the folksy tone of the first five tracks.  The repetition of the line “I can’t keep learning the same lessons over again” is chanted, like a mantra, over an imaginative bass line. The anguished lyrics seem to have created the scaffolding for the angsty emotional trajectory of the album.

Although the album is great for the passive listener, Ha Ha Tonka’s originality stems more from their meaningful lyrics than their raw musicality. With messages stretching throughout, Lessons calls for an active audience committed to deciphering complex themes.

a, Arts & Entertainment

POP, lock, and drop it

by Max Berger, William Burgess & Diana Wright on

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Young Benjamins 

In the vast landscape of the indie-folk genre, Young Benjamins would lie at the intersection of better-known acts Born Ruffians and Mumford & Sons. Their repertoire features mostly frenetic foot-stomping tracks, with some laid-back tunes mixed in. Relative newcomers to the music industry, the four-piece Saskatoon group only released their first LP, Less Argue, this past spring. The band has equal gender representation, composed of two men (guitarist and drummer) and two women (bassist and violinist/keyboardist). Though they’re still somewhat raw, their versatility and exciting melodies provide glimpses of the high ceiling Young Benjamins has. The presence of the violin really strengthens their sound, and makes for an interesting dynamic when it interacts with the edgy electric guitar. If you’re looking for a lively show that strikes a balance between dancing and artistic enjoyment, look no farther than Young Benjamins.

Young Benjamins performs at LeEscrogriffe (4467 St. Denis) at 9 p.m. on Friday Sept. 27. Admission is $10. Other acts will follow.

Plants and Animals 

Playing in POP Montreal is nothing out of the ordinary for Plants and Animals. The Montreal-based trio has been playing shows in the city for years, and their discography even includes a record titled Parc Avenue. They play a style of indie/alternative music that they like to label as ‘post-classic rock,’ and it’s easy to hear traces of classic bands, like The Velvet Underground, and newer acts, like The Black Keys, in their music. Their three-piece set alternates between the standard guitar-bass-drums combo and guitar-guitar-drums. The End of That (2012) is the most recent release from the band, which has been playing together for over a decade. It shows in their music, which is polished and cohesive. They even have some mainstream success to their name, as evidenced by their two Juno nominations in 2009 for Alternative Album of the Year and New Group of the Year. Going to see these established veterans is a safe bet at this year’s festival.

Plants and Animals perform at Breakglass Studio on Thursday, Sept. 26. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. Jennifer Castle plays as well.

– Max Berger

 

Diana

One of 2013’s buzz bands, Toronto’s DIANA flirts with a wide range of sounds, from electronic, to jazz, to pop and finally to rock. After releasing their debut album Perpetual Surrender on Aug. 20 and embarking on a North American tour with fellow Canucks Austra over the summer, DIANA will either sink or swim in the next year. Most notably, they have gained considerable interest from UK-based electronic producer and DJ Four Tet, who remixed their album’s titular track this summer. With a 7.0 rating of Perpetual Surrender on notoriously picky hipster music website Pitchfork, it looks like DIANA are here to stay—at least for a while. Either way, it’s worth finding out if this band lives up to the hype.

DIANA performs at Sala Rosa (4848 St. Laurent) at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Tickets are $12 in advance.

Mozart’s Sister

Mozart’s Sister, comprised solely of Montrealer Caila Thompson-Hannant, is no stranger to the Montreal music scene, but she’s definitely worth checking out at POP this year. Despite a poppy, upbeat sound, Thompson-Hannant manages to make her music quirky in the vein of Grimes— Kate Bush-esque vocals: check; unusual song lyrics: check—but perhaps without as much artsy pretension. One of the biggest selling points for seeing Mozart’s Sister live is that Thompson-Hannant hasn’t released any new music in quite a while. You’ll hear more live from this up and comer than you can find on Youtube. Wondering exactly what Mozart’s Sister sounds like? Google her biggest song entitled, well, “Mozart’s Sister,” and judge for yourself.

Mozart’s Sister performs at L’Olympia (1004 St. Catherine) at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27. Tickets are $40 in advance. Also performing are The-Dream and Team Rockit.

– Diana Wright 

 

Look Vibrant

Look Vibrant is a project founded by Matt Murphy, an electroacoustics major at Concordia, and Justin Lazarus, a cognitive science student at McGill. The name of their latest single, “Plateau,” refers to both the band’s birthplace in Montreal and an uncertain time in Murphy’s life after his move to Montreal following an extended trip to Dublin, Ireland. Despite the name and a narrow range of frequencies mostly recorded through a Macbook microphone, their sound is anything but flat. Rather, ‘Plateau’ is full of screeching, ecstatic guitar riffs and charmingly sing-songy vocals, both of which translate surprisingly well live. In each of the bands’ two showtimes at POP, Murphy and Lazarus will play with the support of McGill students Alex Rand, Eli Kaufman, and Michael Go, replicating their ‘no-fi’ production with a layered chorus of guitars.

Look Vibrant performs at Little Italy Park (Clark and St. Zotique) at 12:00 noon on Friday Sept. 26, for free, as part of BBQ POP. They also perform the next day, Sept. 27, at Casa del Popolo (4873 St. Laurent), at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance.

Pearson Sound

As a DJ, dubstep producer (under the alias Ramadanman)and co-founder of electronic label Hessle Audio, David Kennedy, a.k.a Pearson Sound, is at the forefront of a unique UK electronic sound, where elements of garage, dubstep, and house blend into smooth, danceable mixes. Well-known in the London electronic scene, Pearson Sound’s claim to fame in North America is probably opening for Radiohead in New York. At POP Montreal, he appears as part of a Hessle Audio label showcase, an imprint that has released singles from the likes of James Blake, and fellow UK producer Untold.

Pearson Sound DJs at Le Belmont (4483 St. Laurent) at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Tickets are $10 before 11 p.m., and $15 afterwards. Pangaea and Ben UFO also perform.

– William Burgess

 

 

a, Editorial

Student association opt-outs

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Stakes too high to legalize student association opt-outs

Quebec university students Laurent Proulx and Miguael Bergeron are challenging provincial legislation that mandates that every student in Quebec must be part of a student association, arguing that the current law infringes on students’ right to association.

If Proulx and Bergeron are successful, students will no longer be required to pay membership fees to student associations, such as the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). At the first SSMU Council meeting of the year, SSMU Vice-President External Sam Harris announced that SSMU will contribute $10,000 to the court case. This announcement prompts further consideration by McGill students of the issues at stake. We believe that the law should remain unchanged in that all students should be required to be part of a student association.

Perhaps the most important function of student associations is that they legitimize student representation in front of university authorities. In the case of SSMU, the six executives elected by the student body represent undergraduate students at a  high level in the university. For example, the SSMU President is the only undergraduate to sit and have voting power on McGill’s Board of Governors. Similarly, the vice-president University Affairs sits in the committee that elects the new principal, and also coordinates the different faculty student representatives who sit on Senate.

If students had the possibility of opting-out, the student representatives’ ability to  credibly speak on the behalf of the student body would decrease considerably. By opting-out of their student association, students would also forfeit the representation in front of the McGill administration. How these students would make their concerns heard is a question that remains to be answered.

Some students, including those filing the case, argue that a major reason why students should not be obligated to be members of a student association is that the positions taken by student associations often do not represent them. For example, the plaintiffs are concerned that their student fees were used to support the student movement in favour of free tuition, which they did not support. However, it is important to remember that student associations are organized as democracies, and that all students have the opportunity of participating in them.

In the case of SSMU, all students have the option of running for executive positions themselves, voting for the executives that best represent their political views, attending SSMU Council meetings concerns, or debating and voting in General Assemblies. Although ultimately not all students may feel represented by their student association, this shortcoming is inherent to the nature of the democratic system.

Student associations are also valuable because they provide services that fill in the gaps left by the university’s administration. For example, the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS), WalkSafe, and the SSMU Daycare provide services that otherwise would be absent from the university. SSMU provides an infrastructure for the creation and legitimacy of these student initiatives. As student-run ventures, they are more in touch with student needs and more adaptable to change than if they were run by the university.

While we believe that there is value in the fact that all students are required to be members of a student association, the lawsuit provides a valuable opportunity for students to discuss ways in which student associations are failing their members. We believe that student associations need to be held accountable to their members and face periodic review both from individuals and groups. This will ensure that they adapt to changes in needs and technology and that students dollars are managed efficiently and transparently. If students do not feel their associations represent them, it is worth working to improve them rather than shutting them down completely.

 

DISSENT:  To preserve constitutional rights, allow opt-outs

The university students’ association, at first glance, seems like a static entity—immovable, unassailable. However, a current court case filed by two students earlier this year raises fundamental questions about the legal basis for these entities. Should  students be obligated to join a student association, as the law currently requires them to? We consider such a statute, at least as it’s currently constructed, to be an infringement on freedom of association.

Their specific contentions point to five provisions of the act, including one which mandates that only one student association exist for each type (undergraduate, post-graduate, etc.) of student on campus, another which mandates that any student who is represented by a student association is automatically considered a part of that association, and  one which states that any student  registered at a university has to pay the dues of the recognized student association.

Mandatory membership in these associations can be problematic. Oftentimes student associations take strident political stances on issues—both internal and external to campus—that are, at best, highly contentious amongst the students they claim to represent. The most obvious example from the recent past was the Quebec student strike, where many student associations—though neither SSMU nor PGSS at McGill­—throughout the province voted to boycott classes. These strikes at many universities meant picketed and cancelled classes as well as lost terms, and were the specific catalyst for the current lawsuit.

The rationale often given for mandating students to be members of university student associations is that, just as one can’t opt-out of a national government because of specific policies they dislike, students should not be able to opt-out of their “government” simply because it takes stances with which they disagree with. While at first glance there is some sense to this logic, it misses the essential difference between the contract one enters with a university and with a nation. The citizens are understood to enter a social contract with the nation they reside in, giving up certain freedoms for protection and a livelihood. The “contract” that constitutes being a university student starts and ends with a tuition bill and a basic code of conduct.

We feel that constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, such as the right to association, should be upheld first and foremost. However, having the legal right to opt-out of student associations does not mean that this is necessarily the right course of action for everybody. Student associations offer students resources, many of which we feel are absolutely crucial to fostering a culture of healthy and well-rounded student life on campus. It is vital that, if given the right to opt out of associations, students make a responsible and informed decision.

Political association at the university level ought to be taken seriously, and should not be mandated by legislation. If this lawsuit is successful, the financial future of student associations across the province will be put into students’ hands. We urge them to take into account all that their student associations do for them and for those around them, before writing them off completely.

Mayaz Alam, Alexandra Allaire, Max Berger, William Burgess, Ben Carter-Whitney, Wendy Chen, Jacqueline Galbraith, Alessandra Hechanova, Abraham Moussako, and Emma Windfeld participated in this dissent and agree with the views presented.

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