Latest News

Montreal, News

Trib explains: Cannabis law

by Laura Oprescu on

More in Montreal:

The Government of Canada is legalizing cannabis for recreational use on Oct. 17 following Senate’s contentious June 19 vote to pass Bill C-45. Rules and regulations will vary across provinces and territories; some are opting for government-run stores over private dispensaries, and there will be variations in the legality of home growing, mail ordering, and public smoking.

 

What’s the deal in Quebec?

The legal age for cannabis use in Quebec is 18, but the newly-elected Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has pledged to raise the age to 21, the highest legal age in Canada. Minors will not be allowed into retail locations.

The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) will oversee sales and distribution of weed through a subsidiary company, La Société Québécoise du Cannabis (SQDC). There are currently 12 SQDC locations scheduled to open across the province, including four in Montreal: At 970 Rue Ste Catherine Ouest, 9250 Boulevard Acadie, and 6872 Rue St Hubert, with another location opening at 830 Rue Ste Catherine Est later in October. Additionally, the SQDC’s online store will open at 9 a.m. on Oct. 17, which will require that customers show identification proving they are of legal age upon delivery.

SDQC customers will be able to buy around 150 different products, including dried and fresh cannabis, cannabis oils, pre-rolled joints, marijuana pills, and accessories. Marijuana will cost under $7 per gram, the lowest rate in Canada—a price the SQDC describes on their website as “attractive enough to discourage illegal sales, but not so low as to encourage people to increase their consumption.” Users of medical marijuana should continue to fill their prescriptions with a licensed producer.

 

What is still illegal?

The federal government is not permitting the sale of edible cannabis products for the time being but plans to revisit the restriction in the next 12 months. Quebec will not allow home growing, even though federal law permits Canadians to cultivate up to four plants for personal use. Canadians can share up to 30 grams of weed with others, but sale is still illegal, even if both parties are of legal age. Both indirect and direct advertizing in favour of cannabis is banned, and anti-doping agencies have decided that cannabis consumption is banned for competition athletes.

As with provincial tobacco law, smoking cannabis is banned in many public places,  including universities, CEGEP schools, hospitals, elementary schools, bars, and restaurants. Many Quebec cities have banned public smoking and the CAQ has proposed a provincial ban on smoking in public places. Additionally, landlords have the right to ban smoking on their properties, meaning many Quebecers may be left with no space to legally smoke cannabis. Saint-Jérôme Mayor Stéphane Maher has proposed a cannabis café pilot project as a solution to this problem.

Driving high is still illegal. If Canadians are pulled over for suspected drugged-driving, they will have to submit to mandatory drug testing, including the collection of saliva, blood, and urine samples.

 

What about crossing the border?

The United States federal government still views cannabis as a controlled substance, despite it being legal for recreational or medical use in 30 states, and will not allow Canadians to bring any cannabis products into the U.S., even into legal states.

Moreover, crossing the border may be more complicated than simply leaving your weed at home. The Canadian government warns travellers that previous use of cannabis may lead to them being denied entry to the U.S. and there have been cases of Canadians being barred from the U.S. for life for admitting to consumption. This also applies to Canadians who use prescription cannabis and those who work in the cannabis industry. However, such cases are exceptions.

Know Your Athlete, Martlets, Private, Sports

Know Your Athlete: Meggie Dargis

by Ender McDuff on

More in Know Your Athlete:

With her first-place individual finish at the Sherbrooke Open, fourth-year cross country star and finance major Meggie Dargis helped lead the McGill Martlets to victory on Sept. 29. She slowed down for a moment to talk to The McGill Tribune about her love of running.

Dargis first began running cross-country in her hometown of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, when she tried out for the cross country team in her second year of CEGEP.

“I was running by myself before, just for fun, because my mom was doing marathons,” Dargis said. “[So], I was like, why not try out?”

After that, it was full steam ahead for Dargis. After a solid first Provincials performance, McGill recruited her to join the team.

Three years later, Dargis enjoyed her best season yet. In 2017-18, she won second-team All-Canadian status and finished only a minute and a half back from first in the eight-kilometre National Championship circuit. Dargis’ work ethic is a strong factor in her success.

“I just like the grind,” Dargis said. “You’re out of breath, you’re hurting, and it’s not just that one minute of pain, it’s for a full 20 or 25. [… Pain] is unavoidable, [… so], you have to [learn to] appreciate it.”

A torn quadricep, however, has put Dargis behind to start her senior year.

“I got back here out of shape, not as good as I used to be,” Dargis said. “I wanted to be first-team All-Canadian this year, but I don’t know if that’s really realistic now.”

While pragmatic, Dargis is also a motivated competitor who immediately identified her new objective: Breaking the school record for the three-kilometre.

“Is that possible? I don’t know,” Dargis said. “[But] that’s the goal for this year.”

It is her competitive drive that made Dargis the athlete that she is today. Although she was still happy with her recent win at the Sherbrooke Open, the five-kilometre-specialist pointed to the absence of her main competitors: Université Laval, which won Provincials and placed third in Nationals last year.

“I feel like [my win has] been seen as a big accomplishment when it wasn’t really, at least for me,” Dargis said.

Dargis brings a vibrant, positive spirit to the team. She hopes the Martlets can win provincials this season.

“We run a lot of mileage,” Dargis said. “Last week, I ran over 100 kilometres. We also do a lot of hills, […] so that’s fun. I love that.”

Dargis’ unrelenting love for the sport is necessary to withstand the gruelling kilometres of training and competition—and entirely sincere. She knows it’s strange that she warms up to the song “Sucker for Pain” and laughed when she brought up ‘puke pace’—a term runners use to describe the final set of a workout, when, despite all their pain, they give it all they have.

Although she isn’t a captain, Dargis also strives to be a leader on the team by sharing her wisdom with her teammates.

“What I tell the girls before races is ‘don’t be scared to hurt,’” Dargis said. “[That’s] the mentality that you [need to] have.”

Dargis also stressed the team dynamic of cross country.

“[When] you see other people around, [you need to] think ‘I can pass this person, I need to pass this person [in order to earn points],’” Dargis said.

Dargis leads her team by example and with her wise pre-race words, but she harbours no regrets over not being a captain.

“I don’t think I would have been a good captain, but I like to cheer people on and tell them to push themselves,” Dargis said.  

In her future, Dargis plans on continuing to run, pursuing a master’s degree, and, perhaps, even running her first-ever marathon alongside her mother. In the meantime, however, Dargis’ Sherbrooke Open performance shows that she’s ready to go the distance this season.

“[I’m] finally here, and [I’m] back,” Dargis said.

Basketball, Martlets, Sports

McGill Martlet basketball falls to Ryerson 80-79

by Micah Angell on

More in Basketball:

From Oct. 12 to Oct. 14, the Martlets hosted the 24th annual Redbird Classic, featuring McGill, University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBC Okanagan), Ryerson University, and Bishop’s University. The Martlets beat UBC Okanagan 96-51 on Oct. 12 but fell 80-79 to the Ryerson Rams on Oct. 13.  

The Martlets started out strong against Ryerson, scoring the first basket and continuing their solid start with four three-pointers in the first minutes. They managed to balance these outside shots with some beautiful post play and showed off the depth of their bench. Head Coach Ryan Thorne made full use of preseason play, giving each player at least a full quarter of playing time.

“It’s funny [that the team has such good depth] because we started out the season with three injured players and nine people playing,” fourth-year guard Geraldine Cabillo-Abante said. “It’s definitely nice to have a full rotation now.”

Finishing up the first half, however, Ryerson was in the lead with a score of 41-40. The turn of fortunes was largely a result of some strong moves from Ryerson in the key that nobody from McGill could shut down.

In the third quarter, McGill moved the ball around the three-point line looking for shots to open up, but they were unsuccessful and only ended up flirting with shot clock violations. Though the Martlets matched Ryerson’s tight defence on the other side of the court, Ryerson widened the scoring gap by the end of the third quarter to 58-52.  

Although things were looking grim with the Martlets down 14 points midway through the final quarter, McGill’s full-court press gave them a fighting chance in the last minutes of the game. The defensive tactic is fitting the McGill team well.

“I feel like that’s my comfort zone,” second-year forward Kamsi Ogbudibe said. “I’m really long, so I get a lot of deflections. People don’t expect me to be so long, so I get a touch, and then my teammates are there to help.”

Ogbudibe dominated the turnover game, and she contributed everywhere else on the box score, too, as she finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

The Martlets stayed focused and intense throughout the game, but, in the closing quarter, they brought a new ferocity to the floor.

“I was on the [bench], and I was so into it,” Cabillo-Abante said. “Defensively, the intensity, everybody just wanting the ball and playing together.”

The team hustled to close the 14-point gap in impressive fashion, but the Martlets could not get the final point necessary to tie up the game, ultimately losing 80-79. Despite their tough loss, the team’s future is bright.

“We’re getting better, from the first game to now,” Ogbudibe said. “We just need to do a better job of closing out. We’ll just keep growing.”

With six new players on the roster, Cabillo-Abante noted the importance of the preseason for their growth as a team.

“[There are] a lot of new girls on the team,” Cabillo-Abante said. “[We have] six vets and six rookies. From our first game to our game just now, we’ve already improved a lot from just starting to trust each other, but we still have a long way to go.”

It seems this improvement is something to watch for when looking toward the rest of the season.

“I’m pretty confident for what’s coming up this season,” Cabillo-Abante said. “We’ll just keep getting better.”

Quotable

“Steph’s [Stephanie Mondou] last three, she chucked it up, and I was like ‘Oh, here we go.’ It banked [in,] and I was like ‘Okay, let’s go!’” – Second-year forward Kamsi Ogbudibe on Mondou’s shot-clock-beating three-pointer in the game’s closing seconds.

Moment of the Game

With 24 seconds left in the game and the buzzer sounding, third-year guard Stephanie Mondou hit a three-point shot to move the score to 78-77 for Ryerson.

Stat Corner

Out of its 79 total points, McGill made 30 points off of turnovers.

McGill, News

McGill Health Clinic temporarily relocated amidst renovations

by Jacqueline Yao on

More in McGill:

The Student Health Clinic closed Oct. 9-12 and relocated to Brown Building Room 3100, where services resumed on Oct. 15. Extensive renovations are now underway to transform the former clinic area into the Rossy Student Wellness Hub, which will supplement the clinic with a common area and have space for outreach and peer support. Contractors plan to finish renovating ‘The Hub’ by late Spring 2019 in order for new health and wellness programs to launch in Fall 2019.

On Oct. 2, McGill’s Media Relations Office emailed students about the clinic closure. Although the clinic did not book any doctors or nurses for the week, it rescheduled dietician appointments and directed students with ongoing critical needs to nurses, who contacted the patients directly. The clinic closure disproportionately affected international students and others who are not eligible for Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), Quebec’s provincial health insurance, as doctors unaffiliated with Student Services charge high rates that patients have to pay out of pocket.

Owain Guinn, U2 Arts, is an international student with Type I diabetes and was unable to contact the clinic during its closure.

“As an international student with a serious medical condition, I need the health clinic’s help being put in touch with specialists in Montreal,” Guinn wrote in a message to The McGill Tribune. “After getting a referral from the [student] clinic, I did not get a call from a hospital to schedule my appointment. I needed to go back to the clinic to ask for more help, but was unable to because of the move.”

The McGill administration planned to install The Hub between Summer 2018 and Dec. 2018 but did not select a contractor until Sept. 13. Student Services confirmed the clinic closure and relocation dates internally on Sept. 18. According to Dr. Hashana Perera, director of the Student Health Services (SHS), the administration was forced to push back construction dates due to delays beyond its control.

“[The Hub] is a very large construction project with many moving parts and it depends on inputs from many different partners, both internal and external,” Perera wrote in an email to the Tribune. “However, we made sure that construction wouldn’t start during our busiest period, [which is] back to school until end of September, to minimize impact.”

The Health and Wellness Committee, comprised of student leaders, faculty, and staff, developed the action plan outlined in the The McGill Health and Wellness Report. Key upgrades to the system include ‘Access Clinicians’ to provide same day care and triage, a ‘virtual hub’ for booking appointments online, and a common area where students can relax while waiting for their appointments. Student Services also seeks to increase medical personnel in the new clinic. Martine Gauthier, executive director of Student Services, is confident that The Hub’s emphasis on access will simplify healthcare services for students.

“We’re […] not only connecting students to the right care at the right time but also monitoring and adapting care to get results,” Gauthier wrote to in an email to The Tribune. “We are currently working on tools to help students find health and wellness resources that are covered by their particular insurance plans as part of the Rossy Student Wellness Hub [initiative].”

The Medical Students’ Society of McGill (MSS) hopes that the university can continue to provide services for students ineligible for RAMQ. André Lametti, Medicine senator for SSMU, expects shorter wait times and more comprehensive service coverage from the new clinic.

“We’ll see if there is an improvement [with the new clinic], but it is impossible to judge its success solely based on the plan,” Lametti said. “[The MSS hopes] that the clinic gives access that the students need in a timely fashion, especially for [those] who don’t have [insurance].”

Science & Technology

Making the most of Montreal’s bag ban

by Makena Anderson on

More in Science & Technology:

Plastic is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest threats to our planet. With over eight million tons entering the ocean annually, the United Nations warns that, by 2050, the ocean could contain more plastic materials than fish. At the beginning of 2018, the city of Montreal banned plastic bags to reduce its plastic waste, leading consumers to wonder whether reusable bags offer any significant environmental benefits.

People reuse plastic bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) more than might be expected. Whether they’re lining a trash can or being used to carry lunch to campus, the thin plastic bags serve a purpose. The ban therefore, may encourage consumers to purchase plastic garbage bags, offsetting some of the benefits of banning plastic bags in the first place.

Ideally, the ban might encourage more consumers to use reusable bags. However, even if they remember to bring to bring them, reusable bags aren’t completely cost-free either.

Cotton bags, a popular alternative to plastic, are available for only a few dollars each, but the cost of their production is immense. While they only make up a small percentage of the overall cotton production, according to the World Wildlife Fund the industry as a whole plays a significant role in land degradation, pesticide pollution, and water contamination. A study published by the United Kingdom Environmental Agency (EA) indicates that a cotton bag must be used 131 times to have a lower global warming potential than a HDPE bag.

Meanwhile, polypropylene (PP) bags are a friendlier alternative that need only be used 11 times to produce less greenhouse gas emissions than HDPE, according to the EA. These bags are durable and can easily be washed out between uses to reduce the risk of contamination.

However, studies indicate that shoppers are unlikely to be as committed as their bags. A 2014 report published by Clemson University shows that only 50 per cent of consumers who use PP bags use them enough times to be more environmentally-friendly than HDPE bags.

Ultimately, the onus lies on the consumer, who decides how committed they are to reusage. Kendra Pomerantz, the Zero-Waste coordinator at the McGill Office of Sustainability, hopes that, in addition to reducing plastic use, the ban will spark a greater change.

“The publicity generated by the ban is even more important than the direct effect of the ban itself in terms of advancing our societal conversation about single-use plastics and promoting major shifts in the way that we view disposable items,” Pomerantz wrote in a message to The McGill Tribune.

Pomerantz believes that the $0.15 charge on the new, thicker plastic bags will incentivize consumers to bring bags with them.

“In other cities, a small charge has been shown to be effective to reduce the use of plastic bags,” Pomerantz wrote. “It’s more about forcing shoppers to think about their bag use instead of it being simply a passive habit.”

To further reduce climate impacts, students should evaluate not only what kind of bag they’re using, but what they’re putting in them. By reducing weekly meat consumption, students can significantly lessen their carbon footprint.

Pomerantz also suggests looking into the resources offered at McGill.

“By joining a sustainability group or participating in a course, research project, or program, [students] can link up with other like-minded people and help contribute to larger initiatives,” Pomerantz wrote.

While the ban is a step in the right direction, a change in consumer behaviour is necessary before the City of Montreal sees any substantial improvements in its environmental impact.

Football, Men's Varsity, Private, Sports

McGill football falls to Laval 57-13

by Owen Gibbs on

More in Football:

The McGill Redmen (1-5) struggled to move the ball in the annual Homecoming football game on Oct. 13 in a 57-13 loss to the Université Laval Rouge-Et-Or (7-0).

McGill opened the scoring seven minutes into the game when third-year kicker Findlay Brown kicked a 12-yard field goal. The field goal turned out to be the Redmen’s only lead of the contest, and Laval took care of things from that point on.

With just under five minutes left in the frame, a Laval wide receiver caught a pass and took it to the McGill end zone to put the Rouge-Et-Or ahead 7-3. The Redmen took a safety on their next possession, pushing the Laval lead to six and the momentum firmly over to the visitor’s side.

The Laval onslaught continued in the second quarter. They scored their first touchdown of the quarter after one minute and added another only 48 seconds later. Laval subsequently carried in a third touchdown and a pair of safeties, pushing the score to 34-3 in Laval’s favour by halftime.

The Redmen showed perseverance and powered out of the gates to start the third quarter. Third-year wide receiver Jeremy Sauvageau broke through the Laval defence to put McGill in scoring position and then took another pass into the end zone to raise his team’s score into double digits. Still, Laval wasn’t done; the Rouge-Et-Or scored a touchdown at the end of the third quarter to push the score to 41-10. Two fourth-quarter touchdowns rounded out Laval’s barrage of scoring. A last-minute field goal added to McGill’s tally, and the contest ended 57-13 in Laval’s favour.

Despite the score, it was not a hopeless afternoon for the Redmen. Laval, winner of five of the last 10 Vanier Cup Championships, is one of the best teams in USports football, and the McGill team put forward a strong effort against the tough opponent.

“We wanted to come in here with the mentality that we will make the playoffs, and [this] is one of our possible opponents,” Head Coach Ronald Hilaire said. “We wanted to show that we are a team that is going to come out and play for four quarters and be combative, and I think we showed that.”

The Redmen sit teetering on the edge of a playoff berth with two games remaining in the season. If they make it, first-place Laval would likely be their opponent.

Coach Hilaire also praised his team’s defensive play and special teams throughout the game, a sentiment reiterated by fourth-year linebacker Maxime Rouyer.

“On special teams, we did a really good job to tackle and respect our assignments,” Rouyer said. “Offensively and defensively, we did some good things, but there’s still a lot of things that just need work.”

Fourth-year linebacker Kamba Katchelewa agreed that his team’s unrelenting effort was notable, even in a tough loss.

“We just kept playing until the end,” Katchelewa said. “I think we made a few mistakes, but we still came back to our game.”

Moment of the game

McGill quarterback Dimitrios Sinodinos completed a pass to Jeremy Sauvageau for a 61-yard catch-and-run to get the Redmen into scoring position.

Quotable

“Ultimately, we scored on one of the best defences in the conference, so we’ve got to take that as a positive going into the next game.” – Coach Ronald Hilaire on his team’s offensive performance

Stat corner

Sinodinos completed 17 passes for 223 yards, his highest totals of the season.

McGill, News

Concordia becomes first Canadian university to name an engineering faculty after a woman

by Nina Russell on

More in McGill:

On Sept. 24, Concordia University made history by becoming the first Canadian university to name its engineering faculty after a woman. The decision to rename the faculty the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science came after engineer and entrepreneur Gina Cody, a Concordia alumna, donated $15 million to the university to increase the visibility of underrepresented groups in the engineering field.

Cody immigrated to Canada from Iran in 1979 after obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Aryamehr University of Technology in Tehran. She was one of the only women in her cohort and became the first woman to graduate from Concordia with a building engineering PhD in 1989. Cody worked relentlessly over the next 30 years to establish herself as a leader in the field and was named one of Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs in 2010.

“I would go to a meeting where there were 700 men, and I would be the only woman in that conference,” Cody wrote in a press release from Concordia about the renaming. “I was respected for who I am because of my knowledge and understanding of the area of my practice.”

Cody hopes that her donation will provide for future generations by adding three new research chairs, providing scholarships, and financing new equity initiatives.

McGill is experiencing its own reckoning with regards to renaming buildings, teams, and scholarships with inappropriate historical connotations. To address these concerns, the McGill Senate established the Working Group on Principles of Commemoration and Renaming in January 2018 to guide its policies. In an email to The McGill Tribune, the Working Group co-chairs Robert Leckey, professor and dean in the Faculty of Law, and Anja Geitmann, professor and dean in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, underlined the importance of names to an institution’s identity.

“Names of buildings and faculties carry and instill a sense of place and a sense of history and are therefore of crucial importance for an institution,” Leckey and Geitmann wrote. “If buildings of an institution are exclusively named after individuals that belong to a certain group, students that do not belong to this group may lack a role model that illustrates the path to professional success and visibility.”

Amin Bouabdellah and Constantina Roumeliotis, vice-president external affairs and president of the Engineering and Computer Science Association of Concordia (ECA), are optimistic about the positive impact the renaming will have.

“Gina Cody’s story reaffirms the fact that engineering is not at all a field exclusively for men,” Bouabdellah and Roumeliotis wrote in an email to the Tribune. “We’re hoping that the renaming of the school will send a message to girls all over Canada and the rest of the world: That they can succeed in the field and that the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science will give them all the tools they need to achieve their success.”

By changing the cultural conditions that lead to underrepresentation in certain fields, the ECA hopes to emphasize the diversity that already exists and foster a more inclusive environment in the future.

“We want to create a culture that’s open and welcoming to everyone at Concordia, and, in order to do so, that can sometimes mean changing the way things have been done in the past,” Bouabdellah and Roumeliotis wrote. “As student leaders, we need to be mindful of the diversity that exists in Engineering, and we’re always looking for ways to make everyone feel welcome and a part of the engineering community at Concordia.”

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

The Sweetest Swing in Baseball sparks dialogue about the healthcare system

by Nicholas Raffoul on

More in Arts & Entertainment:

The Sweetest Swing in Baseball, directed by Emily Sheeran (U3 Arts), currently playing at Morrice Hall until Oct. 20, centres around the failures of the mental health system. Written by Rebecca Gilman, Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre (TNC)’s production presents an unfiltered account of a suicidal painter’s struggle with manoeuvring both the art world and the healthcare system.

The play follows Dana (Maria Jimenez, U2 Arts), a 30-something artist, as she crumbles into a depressive spiral brought on by the collapse of her personal life and the unrelenting pressure from her peers to produce consistently stunning art.

When a suicide attempt forces Dana into a 10-day stint at a rehabilitation centre, she fakes a more serious mental illness—multiple personality disorder—to extend her stay. After reading his self-help book, Dana decides to assume the identity of baseball player Darryl Strawberry.

Jimenez is convincing in the role of Darcy, effortlessly switching between her two personas, while trying to reclaim her love for painting. Her performance never stretches credibility in an otherwise-unbelievable plot.

The minimalist setting—only a few chairs and easels serve as backdrop—directs the audience’s attention toward her emotional journey and her progression into a new stage of her life. No location is visually-distinguishable from another, which gives the actors more responsibility in activating a sense of setting.

At the rehab centre, Dana spends time with Gary (Aidan Dmytriw, exchange student), a sociopath memorable for his dark humour and tense monologues, and Michael (Antoine Guimbal, U2 Arts), an alcoholic. The chemistry between Jimenez and Guimbal shines through in their characters’ budding friendship. Michael, whom Guimbal plays with striking genuineness, is Dana’s only true support, and a trustworthy listener and ally.

Dana’s art dealer, Erica (Arielle Shiri, U2 Arts), on the other hand, embodies the trope of the well-intentioned friend lacking in sufficient empathy. Dana and Erica have a complicated relationship: Erica sees herself as Dana’s friend, yet, to Dana, Erica represents commerce, obligation, and the harshness of the art world. The play’s dialogue conveys their relationship effectively; Shiri fully commands the stage and excellently portrays subtle frustration in her inability to get Dana to open up to her.

Sheeran’s decision to have all actors, with the exception of Jimenez, play two roles was deliberate and effective. The creative choice brings out similarities between characters, drawing parallels between Dana’s experience with the healthcare system and the art world.

Caitlin Heiligmann (U2 Arts) plays Rhonda, a cut-throat art dealer, and Dr. Gilbert, Dana’s skeptical psychologist—two characters who represent barriers to Dana’s ambitions, inside and outside of the rehabilitation centre.

The Sweetest Swing in Baseball manages to broach the topic of mental health thoughtfully without sensationalizing it. The script is peppered with light humor to paint a bittersweet portrait of an artist coming to terms with her own setbacks. In the midst of a cultural conversation about mental health, The Sweetest Swing in Baseball finds its place within campus discourse.

TNC’s The Sweetest Swing in Baseball is playing until Oct. 20 in Morrice Hall in the Islamic Studies Building, 3485 Rue McTavish. Tickets are $6 for students and $10 general admission.

Campus Spotlight, Student Life

A search for space and community after the SSMU Building closure

by Leanne Young on

More in Campus Spotlight:

The Students; Society of McGill University (SSMU) Centre has been the heart of student life at McGill since its completion in 1965. From napping in the lounge, to grabbing a drink at Gerts Bar, to popping by the Peer Support Centre for a chat, the centre was students’ go-to for virtually anything.

When the building closed for renovations in March 2018, the community hub it provided also disappeared. Clubs and services have been forced to relocate off campus, Gerts is no longer a weeknight option, and students have become increasingly frustrated and confused. In this hectic period, SSMU now needs to reweave the threads of the student community.

“We are trying to alleviate the issues as much as we can,” SSMU President Tre Mansdoerfer said. “I want to emphasize that it’s a team effort, and we’re all trying to make sure people aren’t impacted [by the building closure] as much as they could be.”

Without a hub for students to access many of SSMU’s clubs and services, it has become increasingly difficult for students to find their favourite clubs or  discover a new place to meet up with fellow students. Finding a community space on campus helps students balance their academic and social lives while at university. Without a meeting place, it has become difficult for new students to become involved in the campus goings-on.

“There’s a severe imbalance between studying all the time and just not getting involved at all because you feel like classes are just pounding down on you,” Cody Esterle, SSMU Vice-President of Student Life said. “Involvement is really key because you find a community and people who like [the same] things you do [….] In terms of how people can find their community, they can’t walk around the university centre and hang out there anymore, and that’s really a shame, but it’s just not going to be possible this year.”

Students are feeling the impact of the building closure every day. It’s an inconvenience for everyone, but it’s not a hopeless situation. Although every SSMU member is counting down the days until the building opens again, there are still ways for students to become involved in the McGill community.

For students, clubs offer a space to convene outside of class and help them develop closer bonds with their peers. From art to politics, there is an extracurricular out there for everyone. Regardless of skill set, students can join university clubs to extend their social networks and try something new. Joining an extracurricular activity can help students who feel isolated meet like-minded people with common interests and unwind after a long day of hard work. Experiences from extracurriculars are what most students will remember after graduation, so it’s important to get out there and create valuable memories.

Even clubs for which building space is essential to their operations continue to service the community. Students need only check SSMU’s building closure website to see where these clubs are now located. The Plate Club is based out of Peel Street, Midnight Kitchen is servicing students out of their Saint-Henri kitchen, and the Players’ Theatre will temporarily stage productions at the Mainline Theatre.

Attending campus activity fairs, where there are plenty of student groups and representatives present, is a valuable first step. Activities Night takes place during the first couple weeks of each semester.Attendees are often surprised to discover the eclectic range of clubs and communities available on campus. Starting with small steps—such as attending events like Activities Night, a club’s welcome event, or SSMU’s biannual Volunteer Fair—students can form friendships and survey a variety of interests while exploring a new community.

For those looking to get involved more promptly, a full list of university clubs is available on SSMU’s website year-round. Among the more unusual offerings are the McGill Students’ Circus Collective, McGill Students’ Wine Society, and McGill Students’ Astronomy Club. With over 250 extracurriculars available for students to explore, there are plenty of opportunities for them to find their niche.

Ultimately, community is defined by the people who are a part of it, not where its office is. Even though there isn’t a physical building to house a student hub anymore, the people are still here. The core of the McGill community always has been here, and it always will be.

“I don’t think the community finds itself through a specific group or a specific building. It’s the connections you make,” Esterle said. “I really hope that the 7,500 people who attended Activities Night this year have been able to find some of those connections, even if it was just a five-minute conversation. Maybe, it will be a longer conversation the next time they see them at the next event. I don’t think that the entire community is found through the building. I think it’s just found through the people.”

External affairs require internal dialogue
Editorial, Opinion

External affairs require internal dialogue

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

More in Editorial:

2018 has seen politics play out on social media, and the world of student government is no exception. On Oct. 2, the day after the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) won a majority mandate in the provincial election, then vice-president (VP) External of the Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) Marina Cupido posted a statement on the SSMU External Affairs Facebook page fiercely criticizing the party, alleging xenophobia and affiliations with white supremacists. Cupido resigned eight days later, citing mental health concerns.

In response to Cupido’s post, SSMU Legislative Councillors Bryan Buraga, Andrew Figueiredo, Brandon Hersh, and Haoyi Qiu submitted a Motion Regarding Responsible Representation. The motion is critical of Cupido’s post, and proposes that SSMU executives only publish statements through official SSMU channels if mandated by the Legislative Council, Executive Committee, a referendum, or a General Assembly motion. While formally requiring executives to consult with their colleagues before taking official stances is necessary, the way the motion sets out to implement such consultation would compromise SSMU’s ability to function.

Although Cupido’s strong language was ill-advised, their sentiment was valid given that the CAQ was elected on a platform that targets immigrants and religious minorities. The amended statement posted to the SSMU External Affairs Facebook page reiterates much of Cupido’s original post. Most severely lacking from Cupido’s post is evidence to substantiate their claims about the CAQ’s policies and affiliations. It is inappropriate for an elected student representative to make such inflammatory claims without proper citation. However, while the post could have relied more rigorously on fact, the VP External’s role is explicitly political and often requires pushing boundaries. For example, in April 2018, then VP External Connor Spencer accused McGill of violating Bill 151, An Act to prevent and fight sexual violence in higher education institutions, in a letter to the Quebec Minister for Higher Education.

The Councillors’ motion is an attempt to ensure responsible representation of the student body’s  opinions. This is a laudable goal, but in reality, it is more of a reactive response than a calculated solution. Its retraction of Cupido’s original post undermines the legitimate points Cupido raised and fails to mention the racist backlash the post received. Moreover, the motion only adds to SSMU’s bureaucratic burden. SSMU executives should not ask the Legislative Council to adjudicate their disputes for them: It is the executives’ responsibility to keep their council functioning. Going forward, the most important step for SSMU is consultative communication within the Executive Committee. Continuing existing measures such as regular listserv emails and office hours is important, but student participation is limited. Many students see student governance as remote and inconsequential, and finding ways to engage their membership will allow SSMU to better represent the student body as a whole.

SSMU hasn’t announced whether they will hold a by-election for a new VP External, but it is crucial that they do so and that they begin this process as soon as possible. As SSMU’s link to external organizations like the provincial government, the VP External is an indispensable member of the Executive Committee, and the portfolio’s responsibilities are too vast to be redistributed among its remaining members. The advocacy efforts of past VP Externals have been invaluable to the McGill community: In addition to Connor Spencer’s work, 2011–12 VP External Joël Pedneault directed SSMU’s participation in the Quebec student strike.

With the emergence of racist, anti-immigrant, and discriminatory rhetoric in the Quebec election, McGill students need a focused executive to lobby for student rights and advocate for minorities in a way that is representative and responsible. Electing a new VP External who will commit to open consultation with students and executives is essential to making this goal a reality.

1 … 539 540 541 542 543 … 1,363

Read the latest issue

Read the latest issue