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Chill Thrills, Student Life

Graduating in the age of COVID-19

by Josephine Wang on

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For graduating students, the opportunity to don a cap and gown and stand on a podium while family cheers you on is an important rite of passage. For the class of 2021, commencement ceremonies will look different than they did pre-pandemic. Instead of celebrating graduation with friends and family, this spring’s graduates will be watching their names flash across the computer screen at home. But COVID-19 does not mean students cannot celebrate––for this year’s graduating class, here are a few tips to have the perfect celebration from the comfort of home. 

Celebrate your last final

It’s officially over. After doing nothing but cramming for finals, presentations, and research papers, you deserve a celebration. While all the bars, clubs, restaurants, and basically anything fun are closed, there are still ways to have fun: Instead of drinking alone indoors, move the party with family outdoors to enjoy the warmer weather.

Pick an outfit

Wearing your favorite outfit, doing your hair, and putting on makeup can make graduation feel more authentic. But let’s be real—doing all that would take too much effort, and the daily uniform of sweats and unbrushed hair is much more comfortable. So feel free to change up the graduation traditions this year, and do what you’ve been doing all semester and keep your camera off.

Host a virtual graduation party

The parties and celebrations leading up to convocation are perhaps the rosiest part of graduation, allowing students to reflect on their experience at McGill through rose-coloured glasses and forget about all the tears shed in McLennan. Of course, COVID-19 means no more Grad Balls, but who needs them when you can coordinate your own virtual graduation party. Nothing screams party like seeing your friends’ faces crowded into your computer screen. 

Show up on time

On graduation day, make sure to arrive on time to hear the commencement address. Unfortunately, if you live anywhere outside of the Eastern Time Zone, it may mean waking up at 4 a.m. to watch speakers try to figure out how to unmute themselves. If you find yourself busy on graduation day, you can always watch the recording later, just like how you’ve been doing for all of your classes. 

Have a photoshoot

Photos are undoubtedly the most important part of the graduation experience: Without a graduation picture on Instagram, did you even really graduate? But with no in-person ceremony this year, students will need to be creative with their pictures. If you’re a whiz at Photoshop, just insert yourself and your friends into some iconic McGill landmarks. Alternatively, you can take a more realistic grad photo. While you’re catching up on “Love is Blind,” throw on your cap and gown and take some portrait shots on your living room couch. After all, that is basically where you’ve attended school the past year. 

Post-ceremony

After the ceremony, grads typically go out to dinner with friends or family, where toasts are made, tears are shed, and drunken moments are shared on social media. There’s no reason why this year has to be any different. Make a toast to yourself in front of your bathroom mirror, cry at the thought of entering the workforce for the next 40 years of your life, and drink that wine, because you survived McGill.  

To say that this year did not go according to plan would be a gross understatement. Having missed out on many hallmark events and memories, it is only natural to feel a sense of sadness. Try and think about all of the things we gained from this unique experience, and share them with your friends, who might also be struggling to find the bright side. 

Congratulations to the class of 2021! We finally did it. 

McGill, Montreal, News

Students petition McGill Board of Governors to support Dollarama workers

by Respina Rostamifar on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE), and the McGill Corporate Accountability Project have created a petition calling on the McGill Board of Governors (BoG) to support Dollarama warehouse workers. Dollarama has been widely criticized for hiring their employees through temporary placement agencies—which prevent stable work status and workplace accountability—and for harbouring unsafe working conditions. 

The petition urges the McGill Board of Governors (BoG) to demand that the Dollarama corporation produce a report on the company’s possible human rights violations resulting from its use of third-party staffing agencies. The petition also calls on the university’s Office of Investments to collaborate with the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC) and the Association des Travailleurs et Travailleuses d’Agences de Placements (ATTAP) in the adoption of a new Dollarama corporate engagement strategy.

Samuel Helguero, 2L Law and member of McGill Corporate Accountability Project (MCAP), stated that Dollarama refuses to hire all its staff through permanent placement. According to Helguero, the company also subjects its employees to unsafe work conditions—which have only worsened since the onset of the pandemic, with mishandled outbreaks and a lack of safety equipment. 

“The conditions documented, particularly in Dollarama warehouses, have been nothing short of reprehensible,” Helguero said. “There, one finds poor safety training, dangerously crowded workspaces, and relentless pushes for productivity. Temporary placement agencies act to ensure that migrant workers are not permanently working for any one company or warehouse, creating problems with training and work stability.”

As of December 2020, McGill holds a $3.3 million stock share in Dollarama Inc. The university’s investment was highlighted by a presentation from the IWC on the poor working conditions of Dollarama employees during the Jan. 28 SSMU Legislative Council meeting. In accordance, the Council voted to approve a motion supporting student solidarity with Dollarama warehouse workers. 

Tori Coon, BA ‘19 and the internal affairs officer at AMUSE, believes that it is crucial for the university to recognize its connection to the Dollarama corporation, especially considering Dollarama’s apparent lack of accountability regarding employee safety.

“It is vital for campus unions to recognize the way McGill is implicated in workers’ struggles beyond those of their direct employees,” Coon said. “The university’s silence on the treatment of warehouse workers in companies they invest in is a reflection of their disregard for casual staff, many of whom are paid under a living wage and have worked throughout the pandemic without hazard pay.”

Ayo Ogunremi, SSMU Vice-President (VP) External Affairs, spoke to the Tribune about SSMU’s recent advocacy on Dollarama workers’ rights.

“Through the VP External office, SSMU is working with MCAP to bring awareness about Dollarama’s exploitative labour practices to the McGill community and administration,” Ogunremi said. “The campaign will direct its advocacy towards McGill’s Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility, which reviews the university’s investment portfolio for socially harmful investments, though only at the request of the McGill community.”

Ogunremi was disappointed to discover that SSMU currently invests in the Dollarama franchise, and stated that the Society will take measures to divest from the company.

“I discovered that SSMU is also invested in Dollarama,” Ogunremi said. “It is just 0.38 per cent of our investment portfolio, but the market value of the shares is just over $13,000. This was a bit sickening to discover, but it is going to be included in the Finance Committee’s annual report on our investment portfolio, so the good news is that we are heading towards divestment.”

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

Exploring the microbiota of human breast milk

by Namrata Rana on

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Until recently, scientists presumed that breast milk—the primary source of infant nutrition— was microbe-free. However, recent studies have found that breast milk contains a healthy dose of good bacteria. These microbes originate from the mother’s gut microbiota—the harmless micro-organisms that colonize the human digestive system. The microbiome performs diverse functions like warning the immune system of pathogens, strengthening intestine walls, and regulating metabolism. 

Infants, however, are not exposed to bacteria in the womb and only begin to establish their gut microbiota after birth. Breastfeeding is one way infants develop their immune systems. 

A new study published in Frontiers in Microbiology by researchers at McGill and the Center for Studies of Sensory Impairment, Aging and Metabolism (CeSSIAM) reported significant differences in the bacterial composition of breast milk when comparing the initial and later months of infant development.  

“We observed several common bacteria over both samples of breast milk, but found some more aggressive bacteria in late-stage milk [breast milk at six months],” Dr. Emmanuel Gonzalez, co-author and metagenomic specialist with the McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4), said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. 

Using high-resolution imaging technology, the researchers characterized distinct bacterial colonies found in breast milk. The most common commensal bacterial species found in early milk were Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, which are known to inhabit nasal passages and skin in adults. Sphingobium yanoikuyae, a bacterial species found in late milk stages, is also critical to soil bioremediation and can degrade hydrocarbons like oil and caffeine in the environment. 

In their study, the researchers recruited Guatemalan mothers who breastfed for at least six months and evaluated the long-term changes in the bacteria present in their breast milk. They also identified breastfeeding patterns common among low-income countries that are underrepresented in research. Cultural and economic disparities among countries also influence breastfeeding habits: Only four per cent of babies in low- to middle-income countries are never breastfed, compared to 21 per cent of babies in North America.  

“When we consistently pick participants from the same environment, we create biases in our results that can prevent us from understanding how much our own ecosystem is having an effect,” Gonzalez said.

The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for six months after birth. However, the organization reported that globally, only 41 per cent of mothers adhere to these guidelines, whereas in North America, only 26 per cent of mothers breastfeed long term. This disparity is primarily due to increased maternal employment in North America, where only 10 per cent of full-time working mothers breastfeed for a full six months. 

“Our next steps to understand the complexity of breast milk is to look for other types of microbes like fungi, worms, and viruses, which can provide insight into the stability of the microbiome,”  Gonzalez said. “In previous studies on pain and its relationship with microbiota, we know that bacteria can sense and react to human hormones, which could be a potential factor that influences these changes.”        

While the benefits of breastfeeding are fiercely debated, breast milk does provide high nutritional value for babies, as it contains easily digestible vitamins, proteins, and fats, in addition to healthy bacteria. Immediately after birth, breast milk provides a source of microbial antigens that cause the immune system to produce defensive antibodies. A recent study on maternal microbiota reported that Lactobacillus reuteri, a common probiotic, can prime the most abundant antibody, Immunoglobulin A (IgA), for defence in infant mice. These results suggest that IgA is critical in preventing infections. 

Future directions for this research include developing artificial breast milk alternatives supplemented with probiotics to improve infant health.

“Just as billions of humans inhabit this planet, there are several millions of organisms inhabiting their own world [inside of] a human,” Gonzalez said. “A small portion of this world exists within human milk as well, which is shared from one human to another.”

Student Life

The mission to rediscover a love for Montreal

by Lilly Lecanu-Fayet on

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As winter draws to a close and ushers in the first teases of warmer weather, it is the perfect time to emerge from hibernation and experience all that Montreal has to offer. During the colder months, it is easy for the once-vibrant city to feel stagnant––icy sidewalks, leafless trees, and gloomy days can cause anyone to slip into a seasonal funk. The McGill Tribune has compiled a list of things to do around Montreal that will help you rediscover your love for the city. 

Take an architectural tour of your favourite neighbourhood

Montreal is renowned for its street murals, but if you’re sick of touring the same art every other week, try going to a new neighbourhood to experience its unique architecture. Take a stroll through Outremont and look at the old houses, or walk up Côte St. Catherine at sunset to see a side of the skyline that is markedly different from the typical lookout spot on the mountain. As spring begins and the sun shines for longer, exploring these neighbourhoods is a nice way to take a break from the McGill bubble.

Browse an independent bookstore

Montreal has an amazing assortment of independently owned bookstores, particularly in the Mile-End and Plateau neighbourhoods. Some of the more popular stores include The Word on Rue Milton and S.W. Welch on Rue St. Viateur, but a walk down streets like Mont Royal or Duluth will lead passersby past numerous bookstores with specialties varying from children’s books to graphic novels. Even if you are not looking to buy anything, there is something very relaxing about browsing a bookshop. In the age of Amazon and one-click online shopping, flipping through books can bring a nice sense of nostalgia. 

People-watch in a neighbourhood park

Picnic season is almost upon us. Take yourself––and maybe someone in your bubble––to relax in a park while people-watching. Montreal has an abundance of parks, and Montrealers love to use them for picnicking and recreation. Some lesser-known ones are Parc Outremont and Parc Palomino-Brind’Amour, but a quick stroll in any direction will surely lead to a hidden gem. As the weather warms up, everyone will soon flock to parks, making them great people-watching spots––you may even spot some cute dogs. Take advantage of Montreal’s picnic law and bring a bottle of wine to make it a classy affair. 

Explore an open air market 

Jean-Talon and Atwater markets are two of Montreal’s most visited sites. Not only are they great places to buy fresh produce, but they also provide a great opportunity to spend time outside. At the end of April, they become open-air markets with vendors selling pastries, produce, and artisanal products like teas and maple syrup. The energy at these spots is infectious, and will help with overcoming the winter blues and kicking off a summer spent outdoors. 

Take a bike ride along La Petite Voie du Fleuve

La Petite Voie du Fleuve is a 30-kilometre bike path starting in Parc Jean Drapeau and winding along the St Lawrence River. The path is well maintained, and can be reached by cutting through Nun’s Island and crossing the Champlain Bridge. BIXI bikes will be available soon enough, and there are stations situated toward the beginning of the path so riders can easily switch them out when their time expires. Leaving the island once in a while can be cathartic, and this path offers a great view of the city as well as the majestic river Montreal is situated on. 

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Actors shine through screens in ‘Inaccurate Conceptions’

by Erika MacKenzie on

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Players’ Theatre’s production of Inaccurate Conceptions, written by Sharon Reichert and directed by Kiara Pollice, U2 Education, ran from March 25-27. The 30-minute play, cleverly adapted to be performed live on Zoom, explored romance, gossip, and breakups. During the brief and intimate runtime, the audience glimpsed a relationship between four friends all trying to resolve the tensions underlying their dynamic. 

Inaccurate Conceptions revolves around Owen (William Marc Smyth, U1 Arts & Science) as he navigates how to break up with his current girlfriend, Angela (Alexa Marston, U1 Arts), to begin a relationship with their friend Lisa (Bailey Bird, U1 Arts). A meta solution for a stageless production, the three of them and their friend Joanne (Mia Berthier, U2 Arts & Science) are on a virtual call together gossiping about a couple, Larry and Dana from The Young and the Restless. When Angela briefly leaves Zoom for a snack, their fictive gossip turns into a discussion about how Owen should end his relationship with Angela. 

Despite Zoom’s limits on personal interactions, the actors’ natural chemistry made Inaccurate Conceptions a captivating play. Members of the cast complimented each other’s energy, which helped to convey the authenticity of their “onstage” friendships. 

Smyth successfully captured Owen’s awkwardness: His long pauses, wandering eyes, and nervous laughter brought to life his character’s precarious standing. In contrast, Bird played Lisa with self-assured confidence. In juxtaposition to Smyth’s sheepishness, Bird maintained eye contact with the camera and delivered her lines with steady speed and volume.

On the other hand, Marston and Bethier, who portrayed Owen’s current girlfriend Angela and their other friend Joanne, respectively, accurately embodied their roles looking in from the outside to figure out Owen and Lisa’s burgeoning relationship. Marston conveyed Angela’s aloofness through subtle characterizations, such as delivering her lines while twirling her hair, chewing with her mouth open, and appearing oblivious to the conversation’s serious undertones. Berthier portrayed Joanne’s frustration over her inability to understand Owen and Lisa’s secret by bringing herself closer to the camera every time she demanded answers from Owen and Lisa. Berthier’s performance offered a nice comedic relief to the dramatic—and albeit frustrating—situation. 

Inaccurate Conceptions ends without a firm resolution, as Reichart decided to leave unresolved tension between Owen and Lisa at the end of the play. During their discussion about Larry and Dana from The Young and the Restless, Owen and Lisa engage in a debate about abortion politics. Owen felt that the father has a right to know about his child, whereas Lisa believed that the mother should be able to make decisions without telling the father. By the end of the play, Lisa and Owen’s conflicting perspectives on parenthood are never fully resolved, but the audience is left believing that they will have a happy relationship together. This unresolved argument highlights the complexity of their romantic relationship and leaves the audience wanting more. 

As the show’s director, Pollice made excellent use of Zoom by giving her actors a unique mobility that would be impossible to carry out on stage. Throughout the show, Angela weaved in and out of frame at random, giving the other actors an opportunity to react to her unexpected presence on screen. Angela’s presence and absence acts as a literal elephant in the room, emphasizing the awkwardness of the conversation. 

Despite failing to issue a content warning for its discussions of heavy material, Inaccurate Conception was overall a creative and intimate play that explored the intricacy of romantic relationships and offered its actors an opportunity to showcase their talents on the screen. Players’ McGill has once again demonstrated its resilience in shifting to an online format.

Science & Technology

PCR: The unlikely hero of the COVID-19 pandemic

by Justin Galouzi on

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Since the invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique by Kary Mullis in 1985, scientists have taken for granted the ability to make millions of DNA copies. Despite being hailed as a groundbreaking technology at the time, its spotlight was stolen in 2013 by CRISPR, a precise gene editing tool. Over the past year, however, PCR has regained attention as a COVID-19 diagnostic tool.

PCR exploits the cell’s natural process of division to amplify DNA sequences. When cells divide, they replicate their genetic material, passing one complete set of genetic material to each daughter cell. In human cells, the genetic material mainly consists of DNA. To copy DNA, the cell separates the two strands and replicates the genetic code base by base. Polymerases, a family of proteins, serve as catalysts in this process: Without them, cells would be unable to replicate.

In PCR, DNA strands are separated by heating to a temperature between 48-72 degrees Celsius. However, the naturally occurring human DNA polymerase denatures in these high temperatures. To address this problem, scientists often use another member of the polymerase family: The thermostable Taq polymerase.

“Taq polymerase is capable of resisting the high temperatures needed to separate the two DNA chains,” Dr. Rodrigo Reyes, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at McGill, wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “This is because it was originally isolated from a thermophilic bacteria, Thermus aquaticus, that grows at temperatures of about 70 degrees Celsius.”

The PCR replication cycle is done 30 to 40 times to yield as many DNA copies as necessary, with each cycle doubling the quantity of genetic material. Since PCR is the first step in certain DNA sequencing techniques such as the Sanger method, its ability to produce up to 1 billion copies allows for the analysis of large genetic datasets. 

“Our capacity to amplify DNA is like a superpower,” Reyes wrote. “PCR is an essential tool in many biomedical research applications. But it is also widely used outside of research labs.”

In addition to detecting COVID-19, PCR can also detect several other diseases. Moreover, it is essential in DNA profiling, a process that compares genetic information between different people. Certain regions of DNA are similar for every person while other regions vary between individuals. PCR amplifies one or more of these variable regions so scientists can compare DNA samples. This is particularly useful in forensics, where genetic material found at a crime scene can be amplified and cross-correlated with databases to identify an individual. Scientists can also match DNA samples to a descendant by observing similarities in the DNA sequences to determine if two people are related.

PCR’s other uses range from testing for antibiotic resistance to studying biodiversity in aquatic environments.

“Taq polymerase is used to amplify the few molecules of DNA that can be found in water samples, helping to detect the presence of particular organisms in these environments,” Reyes wrote.

According to Reyes, Taq polymerase also has its flaws: It can only synthesize short sequences of DNA at a time. This is particularly limiting when researchers want to analyze large amounts of genetic data. Furthermore, PCR must be performed in a special instrument called a thermocycler that generates excessive heat, limiting access to these tests to well-equipped laboratories.

Reyes’ lab hopes to produce human-engineered polymerases that can extend the genetic code in bacteria and allow them to make DNA by using other types of building blocks in addition to the four nitrogenous bases currently found in nature.

“[These engineered polymerases] would help to extend the chemistry that cells can use,” Reyes wrote. “Such advancement would eventually help in our goal of using bacteria as small factories for the synthesis of a diverse range of useful chemical compounds used in our daily lives, and help to decrease our dependence on oil-based products.”

McGill, Montreal, News

East Asian Studies department hosts town hall on anti-Asian racism

by Maya Mau on

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The East Asian Studies department held a town hall session on March 23 to discuss the spike in anti-Asian racism in the United States and Canada. Over 50 participants, including faculty members and students, attended the town hall and engaged in discussions about their ongoing experiences. The department also released a statement standing with members of the community grieving from the shooting in Atlanta on March 19, where eight people—including six Asian women—were murdered. 

The recent spike in anti-Asian racism involves acts ranging from microaggressions to physical violence, with many pointing to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-Chinese rhetoric. The spike in incidents of anti-Asian racism is not confined to the United States: A Chinese Canadian National Council report from Sept. 2020 showed that since the pandemic, there were more hate crimes per capita against people of Asian descent in Canada than in the United States.

Yuriko Furuhata, associate professor in the East Asian Studies department who specializes in Japanese film and media, believes that the media of all sorts—including entertainment and news—plays a role in shaping public perception of minority communities. Furuhata explained that as an Asian American woman, she recognizes how deeply these tragedies can affect people, and emphasized that she wanted to provide a safe place for students.

“As someone who grew up in Japan and is now working and living in Canada, I recognize that I occupy multiple positionalities, and I would like to acknowledge that we cannot flatten differences and privileges within Asian communities,” Furuhata wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “As an educator, I also believe that knowledge based on solidarity can be empowering and collective learning is important in order to counter and fight against the power of negative knowledge such as racial and gendered stereotypes.”

Monica Batac, a PhD candidate in the School of Social Work, attended the town hall because she felt disheartened by McGill’s institutional silence on anti-Asian racism, and hoped for an opportunity to discuss the next steps to confront anti-Asian racism. A member of Pan-Asian Collective (PAC)—a Montreal-based organization that aims to empower Asian communities—Batac has often felt that McGill fails to offer resources to students to learn about Asian Canadian history.

“PAC should be celebrated for doing […] peer and popular education,” Batac wrote. “Many of the topics address pressing issues and untold histories, concerns, and movements we don’t even hear about in our university classrooms.”

During the Fall 2020 semester, Batac taught EAST 303—a Chinese studies topics class that focussed on “Unsettling Asian Migrations: Experimenting Pedagogies for Decolonization.” In her class, Batac integrated social work, feminism, and ethnic study pedagogies to discuss the impact of racism against people of Asian descent. Batac is grateful that her class allowed students to understand the Asian immigrant experience and wished there were more spaces—like the town hall—in which underrepresented communities can have such discussions.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to teach this one-time course, because the students and I left knowing the class community we created was unique,” Batac wrote. “It is a shame on McGill that such spaces are rare.”

The McGill administration spoke to The McGill Tribune on how they plan to address anti-Asian racism on campus. On behalf of the university, Media Relations Officer Frédérique Mazerolle emphasized that McGill is working to take concrete action to implement more equitable hiring processes and increase student awareness on racism in general, but did not mention any specific plans to prevent anti-Asian racism.

“Though we are making progress, this work is ongoing and more remains to be done,” Mazerolle wrote. “The EDI Strategic Plan and Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism are two recent examples of McGill’s efforts in increasing the representation and success of equity-deserving groups on campus [….] We are committed to a respectful and inclusive environment for students, staff, and faculty. Our priority is to ensure the success, well-being and safety of all.”

McGill, News, Private

McGill Senate presents annual report on sexual violence

by Ella Milloy on

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The McGill Senate convened on March 24 to vote on several motions and present annual reports from various branches of university governance, including the Senate Nominating Committee and the Board of Governors (BoG). Governors approved PGSS Academic Affairs Officer Sophie Osiecki’s appointment to the Senate’s Committee on Student Grievances and also discussed a report on sexual violence.

Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier provided an update on campus affairs, focussing heavily on planning for the Fall 2021 semester, which reiterated much of the same information that the administration had shared previously with students and faculty. Fortier believes that the March 12 virtual town hall on planning the Fall 2021 semester, which drew almost 2,000 participants, was a success.

“Based on what the team is monitoring, it is probably to be expected that we will not see the very worst case scenario nor the most optimistic, but probably something in between,” Fortier said. “This is based on the rate of vaccination, the evolution of the virus in our community, [and] the effectiveness of the vaccine. All of these factors are being monitored in terms of trying to get a sense of what Fall 2021 could [look like].” 

The Senate was briefed on several topics including McGill University’s recent partnership with University of the People, a not for profit organization intended to provide affordable education to those in need. They also discussed the progress of the McGill24 fundraising campaign, and the upcoming plans for McGill’s bicentennial launch.

The meeting continued with an update from the Associate Provost of Equity and Academic Policies Angela Campbell on McGill’s current Policy against Sexual Violence. 

“There are four aspects to the report that cover the four main objectives of the policy,” Campbell said. “[They are] prevention through education of sexual violence, establishing and maintaining a climate and culture in which all members of the community enjoy a safe and respectful learning and working environment, survivor support, and effective and timely response to reports.”

Next, Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Fabrice Labeau presented the university’s annual enrolment report, providing an overview of the university’s progress towards the goals set out in McGill’s Strategic Academic Plan (2017-2022). The plan seeks to increase the number of applicants from Quebec CEGEPS and colleges, francophones, and Indigenous students, and maintain current international student enrolment rates.

Senator Leela Riddle-Merritte questioned Labeau on the inclusion of Black students in McGill’s enrolment goals and reports. Labeau explained the challenges Enrolment Services face when obtaining McGill’s demographic statistics. He outlined what steps are being put in place to gain a better understanding of the composition of the student body.

“The question of including Black students in these reports and numbers goes back to another complicated problem that we have when we are dealing with underrepresented groups in our students is the self-identification or identification for the sake of statistics,” Labeau said. “We are making progress here in terms of having a better sense of who is applying to McGill and who is at McGill through student surveys that we are now doing at the student [intake-level].”

Moment of the Meeting:

Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier started the meeting with memorial tributes to two McGill professors who recently passed away. The Senate honoured Emeritus Professor Mario Onyszchuk of the Department of Chemistry and Emeritus Professor Francisco Galiana of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. 

Soundbite:

“We are also running outreach programming that we are co-creating with Indigenous communities. We have had two Indigenous outreach associates help us build programming and launch it in collaboration with McGill students. We have recently hired a Black community outreach associate who will be building on that model and developing relationships in the Black community to deliver a similar kind of outreach programming directly there.” 

– University Registrar and Executive Director of Enrolment Services Gillian Nycum on steps to improve outreach in under-represented communities.

McGill, News

McGill partnership with University of the People establishes transfer program

by Madison Edward-Wright on

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On March 18, McGill announced that beginning in Fall 2021, it will partner with University of the People (UoPeople), an online, tuition-free university. The collaboration will allow academically outstanding students enrolled at UoPeople to transfer to McGill to complete their degrees. 

Founded in January 2009 by its current president Shai Reshef, UoPeople strives to make higher education more accessible. In 2014, the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) officially recognized UoPeople as a legitimate university institution providing education online. 

Currently, UoPeople offers bachelor’s, master’s, and associate’s degree programs in business administration, computer science, health science, and education. Any student completing an associate’s degree at UoPeople with high academic standing can apply to transfer into a McGill program of their choice. 

According to Reshef, of the approximately 57,000 enrolled students, roughly 6,000 are refugees including undocumented immigrants in the United States, and survivors of events such as the Rwandan genocide and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Reshef believes UoPeople’s students will benefit from the partnership with a university like McGill.

“This partnership presents an incredible opportunity, especially for these students who are historically underrepresented in higher education, to complete their degree at McGill and realize their full potential,” Reshef wrote.

The teaching and administrative staff at UoPeople consists of volunteers from universities across the world. The President’s Council, which acts as an advisory board to UoPeople, consists of current and former university principals and chancellors, including McGill’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier. 

In a 2014 TED Talk, Reshef advocated for increasing the accessibility of higher education through the elimination of almost all tuition fees. There are now 57,771 students enrolled at UoPeople, and the school has formed partnerships with institutions such as NYU, University of California Berkeley, the University of Edinburgh, and Harvard Business School Online. 

The only payments students make to the institution include a $60 USD application fee, a $120 USD course assessment fee—if they are completing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree—and a $240 USD fee if they are completing a master’s degree. UoPeople also grants scholarships to students who cannot pay these fees. 

McGill University confirmed in an email to the Tribune that it would receive no financial compensation from UoPeople for accepting its students, and that UoPeople transfer students would pay McGill tuition fees. 

The transfer process for students from UoPeople to McGill has several steps, including numerous immigration documents and fees to cover travel and living accommodations. In addition to scholarships provided by UoPeople, McGill Media Relations Officer Frédérique Mazerolle stated that UoPeople transfer students would be able to apply for McGill financial aid. 

“Qualified applicants from University of the People will be able to apply to the full range of programs at McGill,” Mazerolle said. “McGill will also consider all UoPeople applicants for bursary support to ensure that financial barriers do not preclude accepted applicants from pursuing their education.” 

The Office of International Student Services (ISS) at McGill has prepared a variety of programs to make the transition to life in Montreal as easy as possible for UoPeople students. Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) Ayo Ogunremi stated that SSMU welcomes students from all backgrounds to the McGill community, noting that inclusion is a key tenet of the Society’s Policy on Accessible Education and Academics.  

“[We] explicitly recognize that Western academia is systematically inaccessible, especially to students from marginalized socioeconomic or sociocultural backgrounds,” Ogunremi wrote in an email to the Tribune. “[SSMU] sees it as a priority to affirm the belonging of these students at our university, where they may often feel unwelcome.”

Student Life

The intimacies of internet language

by Wendy Zhao on

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Physically distanced from each other, our conversations with friends, family, and strangers are taking place predominantly in the cadences of text messages. While common sentiments warn that constant texting can harm relationships and make us ineloquent writers, frequent internet users know that online socialization is not a cause for despair. Although it breaks the rules of formal writing, the complexities of internet language can communicate an emotional precision that rivals even the most sophisticated writing. Particularly at this juncture of isolation, internet language helps to connect people across the distance. 

In her book Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, internet linguist and MA ‘13 Gretchen McCulloch explores the evolving internet language and celebrates it as a valuable human project. According to McCulloch, the rules of informal online communication are uniquely capable of accurately connoting the subtleties of tone.

“We no longer accept that writing must be lifeless, that it can only convey our tone of voice roughly and imprecisely, or that nuanced writing is the exclusive domain of professionals,” McCulloch writes in Because Internet.

The rules of internet language are shaped by the social spaces they are concocted in: Twitter limits users to 280 characters, TikTok only allows videos under 60 seconds, and the handheld sizes of phone screens can make anything over a few sentences appear excessive.

Digital platforms prevent lengthy explanations, forcing us to write precisely in order to avoid miscommunication. In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Kasia Van Schaik, writer and doctoral candidate in the Department of English, discussed how the constraints of online platforms are akin to the structures of poetic forms, helping spur the creative use of language. 

“[Social media] platforms reflect the ephemerality of our experience on earth, measuring out the days in moments and short reflections,” Van Schaik said. “[They] perform the formal duties of poetic forms like the villanelle, haiku, or the ghazal, which require a certain number of lines and/or stanzas and adhere to strict rhyme or syllabic schemes. As poets and artists know, constraints can actually be liberating. They can provide a structure that demands more ingenuity from the poet.” 

Inventive digital jargons spread in private rooms of conversation as well, making each virtual citizen capable of expanding the catalogues of internet language. Faith Ruetas, U1 Arts, recognized the evolution in the way she conveys shock through text after picking up expressions from friends: First “I-”, then “eye-”, and finally the eye emoji itself. 

“If I hear something that sounds interesting or that sounds funny then I’ll slip that into my online vocabulary and integrate [it] into the things I send other people,” Ruetas said. “I think the way I text online is always evolving.” 

With tight word limits, internet users often break the formal rules of writing to better express their emotions. In the landscapes of digital conversation, minute alterations make for a big difference. Tildes convey irony, periods have a passive-aggressive reputation, and expressions with “u” rather than “you” tend to contain more emotive content.

The expressive powers of internet language are especially important in the COVID context: An even wider spectrum of feelings are now shared through text rather than verbally. 

On McGill’s subreddit, a space for news and discussion, students can find small moments of catharsis. Every Friday, a post surfaces allowing users to vent feelings that require all-caps expression. Messages on the weekly post express a range of emotions including stress, rejection, and personal loss, producing a shared tone of accepted calamity.  

Yu Xuan Zhao, U3 Arts, finds that sharing difficult emotions can feel less daunting through the screen. 

“I feel like there’s something special about seeing a person’s face when you tell them any kind of news and can hear their voice,” Zhao said. “But, I find I’m more willing to be vulnerable with my emotions through text because it’s a lot easier to manage yourself. I can feel more in control of the situation.” 

As a U1 representative for the McGill English Department Student Association, Ruetas has ventured onto digital platforms like Discord to lessen the sense of isolation in new students. For her, the different ways people communicate through text provides an avenue to deepen familiarity in virtual friendships. 

“I think I’ve gotten to know people just through texting [….] I think when you look at the way people text, you can definitely get a bit of their personality.” 

In vast arenas of online voices, attunement to the nuances of digital communication can cultivate feelings of community. Ruetas described how memes, multimedia creations layered with references to internet culture, feel especially like shared secrets bridging people in exclusive understanding. 

“Memes are like big inside jokes shared across cultures and languages, often forming internet cultures and languages of their own,” Ruetas said. “Anyone can see a meme and laugh, but there’s really a feeling of community—of being in on the joke—when you can recognize the layers of irony and references that others baked in.” 

Internet language can help maintain intimacy in existing relationships as well. The private group chat is widely celebrated as a space of collaboration for creative communities and a haven of solace for BIPOC in face of hostile boundaries in the real world.

When time allows individuals to gain a shared understanding of one another’s virtual languages, digital communication can feel less like a substitute for in-person connections. John Smith, U2 Arts, and his partner learned to adapt to a long-distance relationship at the onset of the pandemic. Smith explained how their attunement to each other’s forms of digital expression helps them feel understood while texting. 

“I think we still have our little miscommunications every now and then, but we’ve been together for a little over five years now, so we’ve really gotten to know each other’s ways of texting and adapted to the other’s expectations,” Smith said. “We know what emojis to use, how much expression to show with caps and exclamation.” 

While physical interactions are halted, digital spaces will continue to hold emotions both mundane and melodramatic, celebratory and tragic. 

Like with any form of communication, misunderstandings are unavoidable. However, the complexities of internet language help us to declare these feelings with confidence even through the screen, assured we will be understood.

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