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Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Clarifying McGill’s student-athlete recruitment processes

by Marc Gélinas on

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In his Nov. 28 article in The McGill Tribune, “Selective success: A McGill recruiting story,” Patrick Beacham touched on several important issues relevant to recruiting; however there were several inaccuracies in his article that need correcting.

Recruiting talented student-athletes is a complex process, much of which is governed by university leagues such as the U Sports nationally or the RSEQ in Quebec. When it comes to the financial packages offered to student-athletes at McGill and its sister institutions, there are rules to ensure parity. In Quebec schools, the maximum that can be awarded to a student athlete is the equivalent of tuition and its associated ancillary fees. In Ontario schools, the maximum financial package available to athletes is $4,500. At McGill, all of our level I teams (hockey, swimming, basketball, volleyball, soccer, football) and select level II teams have financial awards available for student athletes. And while there's always room to increase the number of McGill athletes who receive financial help, it's rare for McGill teams to lose a recruit based on finances alone.

As for McGill's ability to recruit compared to other schools, Beacham was correct in stating that all athletes must meet the same academic standards as any other student applying to McGill. However, I take exception to the statement that McGill struggles to stay competitive. Last year, our four big sports—men’s and women's hockey, and men’s and women's basketball—won their divisions and competed at the national championships. The Martlet basketball team was crowned the best university team in the country. Many of McGill’s other teams had successful seasons as well, and the University is now considered a leading performer in both athletics and academics.

Also deserving of clarification is the information related to admissions. The process of admitting athletes to McGill has improved significantly in recent years, with potential recruits receiving early admittance more often, and more attention being given to cases where students face extenuating circumstances.

Much of this information could have been provided by interviewing the Athletics staff responsible for following a recruit from the time he or she expresses interest to McGill, to the time they receive their acceptance. There is indeed a good story here, as the path from potential recruit to pulling on a McGill jersey is worth chronicling, but it’s important to ensure that the process is reflected accurately.

 

Marc Gélinas is the Executive Director of McGill Athletics and Recreation.

Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Letter to the Editor: The role of the Dean of Students

by Christopher Buddle on

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A student writes: “My sister is in the hospital—I’m going to miss a week of class, I have assignments due and I’m really struggling with my own mental health because of this. A friend told me that the Dean of Students can help—is this true?”

While a core mandate of the Office of the Dean of Students (ODoS) in “helping students in difficulty,” that’s a broad statement, and so it’s understandable that there’s some confusion about what it really means. Many students struggle, and in so many different ways. Among the other administration units that are here to help students—such as advising and counselling services—the ODoS’ role is to help students, across academic and personal spheres, by listening, supporting, offering guidance, and facilitating connections to campus partners.

Whenever possible, the ODoS advises students to first seek solutions to academic problems within their home Faculty. Normally, this is done by discussing the issues with an instructor, the Chair of a Department or unit, an advising office, or Service Point. Our office gets involved when a conflictual situation isn’t resolved locally, or when there might be a broad suite of issues affecting students. If there are extenuating circumstances and the struggles go beyond academics, we can help with referrals to resources such as the Peer Support Centre, or Counselling Services. We make connections across the university, and facilitate some accommodations, especially when a student can’t advocate for themselves, perhaps due to severe illness or if a family member is sick. Our office can work with student affairs offices to ensure things are looked after in a student’s absence.

We also help students when they believe their rights may have been violated. The guiding document for this is McGill’s Charter of Students’ Rights. ODoS can talk to a student about their case and provide some options for moving forward, whether by coming to an informal resolution, or through a formal process such as the Grievance Procedures. If a student has a complaint against another student, our office can be consulted as to whether a resolution under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Process is possible. Similarly, anyone accused of a violation in the Code can discuss the situation with our office, and we work to ensure the disciplinary process is fair for all those involved.

Further, we aim to help professors help students, and respond when an instructor raises concerns about someone in their class. This is done through education and outreach with instructors, such as disseminating the ‘Helping Students in Difficulty’ guide. Our office also implements McGill’s “early alert” tool. A recent commentary in the Tribune provided an overview of the tool and also included some criticism, but our considerable experience suggests that it helps students in overwhelmingly positive ways: The early alert system allows instructors to signal to our office that they are concerned about a student, perhaps due to sudden lapse in attendance or a significant drop in grades. Our Student Affairs Case Manager then reaches out to the student with a discrete and general ‘expression of concern.’ Confidentiality is assured, and there is never any public record of these early alerts. We handle about 50 to 60 Early Alerts each term, and students are responsive and happy that we reached out.

The Dean of Students’ work is fundamentally collaborative—because our office is not based in any one Faculty, we can offer University-wide perspectives when students might be struggling, especially when multiple life events collide. We want students to succeed in all parts of their journey at McGill, and it’s the ODoS’s job is to make that happen.

 

Students can stop by 2100 Brown Building, call (514-398-4990) or email us at [email protected]. The office also has an open house from 9-10 AM on the first Monday of each month, and some drop-in hours.

 

 

Christopher Buddle is the Dean of Students at McGill.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 
Creative

Change My View Ep 2: Are we adults?

by Jackie Houston, Emma Avery, April Barrett, Audrey Carleton on

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In the second episode of Change My View, the Tribune Podcast where fringe opinions are put to the test, four Tribune editors consider the question: Are we adults? Two editors come down strong on either side of the debate and attempt to change the view of those at the table who are undecided. Follow along as we decide once and for all whether we (McGill undergrads) are adults.

Sound recording and editing by April Barrett.
Music by Elvis Depressedly.

If you’re interested in producing your own podcast, learning more about podcasting or providing your own music for future episodes drop us a line at [email protected].

Commentary, Opinion

The lesson of Lindsay Shepherd

by Keating Reid on

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In a Sept. 26 McGill Tribune article, I worried that Professor Andrew Potter’s hushed “resignation” last year as director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada set an ominous precedent for students’ rights of free expression. Two months later, Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) has made national press for attempting to quietly censor a graduate student. When teaching assistant Lindsay Shepherd screened a debate on “non-traditional” pronouns that included University of Toronto Professor Jordan Peterson for her communication studies class, her supervisor, Professor Nathan Rambukkana, accused her of creating “a toxic climate” and committing “gendered violence.” In taking such a hardline stance against what was undisputedly an academic exercise, WLU has shown a troubling disrespect for free expression, as well as students’ critical faculties.

Shepherd disagrees with Jordan Peterson and identifies as a “leftist.” As she explained in a meeting with her supervisor and in subsequent media coverage, she presented the debate neutrally, as academic material. But, according to her supervisor, Professor Rambukkana, this was beside the point. Showing Peterson’s views was equivalent to promoting them, because students might not have the critical skills to “unpack” Peterson’s views, and come to conclusions Rambukkana finds acceptable.

“These are very young students,” Rambukkana said, “and something of that nature is not appropriate to that age of student.”

This idea is as misguided as it is condescending. Students come to university to grow as thinkers and hone their critical faculties, but this doesn’t mean they haven’t wrestled with controversial ideas before. As Rambukkana knows, Peterson has a significant following on his YouTube and Twitter channels, where his opinions aren’t accompanied by any critical context. Shepherd’s class wasn’t an “unsafe” space to discuss them—it was far safer than most, offering a guarantee that ad-hominem attacks and personal insults were off-limits. Students drawn to fields like communications studies have already shown an interest in analyzing ideas. They deserve more respect than Rambukkana’s comments show them. Banishing ideas from the classroom doesn’t make them go away. At a time when we’re beginning to realize that prohibition doesn’t always mean eradication, it’s disappointing to see such regressive policy alive and well.

Debate is not the enemy; it’s the vehicle for testing legitimacy.

The “critical toolkit” that Rambukkana mentions isn’t learned in a lecture, but in practice. Universities know this: Virtually all classes in the social sciences and humanities include tutorials, like Shepherd’s, so students can learn by doing. These skills are built by engaging with real issues. Moreover, there’s no reason to fear that the principles of inclusion and equality will be mortally wounded by critically examining a debate. They are robust principles. This is true not because of any professor’s edict, but because of the efforts of those who have listened to, argued against, and, ultimately, debunked Peterson’s views. Debate is not the enemy; it’s the vehicle for testing legitimacy. Despite the ups and downs along the way, it’s a test trans rights can—and ultimately will—pass.

The student complaint (or complaints, the number is “confidential”) that began the affair came from a student in her class who felt “threatened” by the discussion. I don’t doubt that they did. Hearing views that challenge one’s beliefs is always difficult. It’s how we’re wired. It’s no doubt even harder when those issues resonate personally. But the right response isn’t to stop having discussions. As Shepherd points out in the now-infamous meeting, people like Peterson are “really out there.” Like it or not, their ideas influence the world we live in; ignoring them won’t make them go away. And, yes, confronting them is hard—for trans people and others targeted by Peterson’s rhetoric, harder than I can fully understand—but it’s the only way to discredit them. Effectively confronting misguided ideas requires first understanding their rationale, however flawed it might be.

 

 

Keating is a U0 in the Faculty of Arts planning to study political science. He’s often found reading the news and grumbling in his bathrobe.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 

 
Science & Technology

McGill researcher develops new HIV self-testing app ‘HIVSmart!’

by Océane Marescal on

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Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the deadliest viruses in the world and has claimed over 35 million lives to date. Recently, Nitika Pant Pai, Associate Professor at the McGill Department of Medicine and researcher at The Research Institute McGill University Health Centre has helped develop a new app called HIVSmart! designed to reduce the spread of this lethal virus. HIV attacks human CD4 T-cells—a type of white blood cell that usually protects us from disease. Without these immune cells, HIV patients are defenceless against other infections and succumb to illnesses that healthy patients would otherwise be able to fight off.

HIV is most commonly transmitted through unprotected sex; however, it can also be passed on through contact with blood. For example, drug injections with previously used and contaminated needles can also spread the virus.

One of the most fatal aspects of HIV is the lack of immediate symptoms, leaving carriers unaware that they have been infected—contributing to the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with getting tested for HIV prevents people from getting tested as often as they should. HIVSmart! targets this problem to help with the diagnosis.

For the past five years, Pai has been working on making HIV testing more accessible to those who need it most. Pai’s HIVSmart! is a mobile app that guides an individual through the process of performing their own HIV screening test whenever necessary.

For Pai, HIVSmart! would be an essential component of the HIV screening process.

“People can certainly test themselves without an app, but the experience of testing and linkage to care is incomplete,” Pai said. “HIV self-testing devices have issues with interpretation, and many testers need help. Certainly after the test, if they find themselves positive, they need counselling and support.”

For those who test positive, HIVSmart! would provide a 24-hour helpline and confidential linkages to healthcare facilities, as well as access to counsellors.

The app has gone through over 30 prototypes and has been tested in at-risk populations in Canada and South Africa. Although not yet available to the general public, HIVSmart! is currently completing a clinical trial, and Pai hopes that it will be accessible soon. It will be free for those who live in low-income countries and will offer at least six languages.

Pai views the clinical trial as only the first step toward a big future for the HIVSmart! app.  

“We recently signed a partnership with an influential organization (The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, or IAPAC) to use HIVSmart! in over 80 high-burden cities worldwide in the initiative to end the HIV epidemic,” Pai said. “We would like to believe that it will be used by many different organizations around the world!”

IAPAC is an association dedicated to the global battle against HIV. In 2014, it began its Fast-Track City initiative, based on what they call the 90-90-90 and zero goal. This goal hopes to attain 90 per cent of people living with HIV to know their HIV status, 90 per cent of the diagnosed individuals to be on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for their HIV, and 90 per cent of those on ART to achieve viral suppression. The 90-90-90 and zero goal can also combat negative attitudes toward the virus through stigma elimination trainings offered to healthcare providers in these Fast-Track cities.

Pai’s app will be an essential step to IAPAC’s first and last goals, as HIVSmart! will greatly aid in the diagnosis of HIV status while avoiding much of the stigma present in more public settings.  

McGill students have already helped Pai in her fight against HIV. In 2011, a group of students helped evaluate the app’s strategy. She encouraged students to get involved in the battle against HIV.

“Spread the word,” Pai said. “I will be happy if [McGill students] believe in our social mission [….] We need to do more to reach the underprivileged in low and high income settings.”

With the use of HIV self-testing, aided by HIVSmart!, Pai is hopeful that the  HIV epidemic will soon cease to spread at such a dangerous rate and take fewer lives.

 

 
Commentary, Opinion

Quebec’s new weed laws are prudently vigilant

by Hannibal de Pencier on

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Quebec’s proposed legislation regarding the regulation of marijuana—set to be legalized federally on July 1, 2018—will likely be the harshest in the country, amassing much criticism since it was tabled on Nov. 16. On one side, the Quebec Liberal Party has come under attack from news sites, such as Vice, and marijuana activists for being too strict; on the other, opposing parties, like the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), have called Bill 157 too permissive. Yet, as they stand, Quebec’s proposed weed laws strike an advantageous balance between mitigating the potentially dangerous aftershocks of marijuana legalization—like a spike in youth consumption and DUIs—and being liberal enough to accommodate for responsible consumers and decrease the incentive for the retention of a significant black market. Bill 157 is strict, but not without reason.

The key specifics of the bill include a legal age of 18, zero tolerance for driving under the influence, no unregulated growing, a possession limit of 150 grams per person, and no privatization. In a province where only 46 per cent of the population supports marijuana legalization—compared to 54 per cent nationally—it’s not surprising that the specifics of weed’s transition into the legal market are controversial.

One of the major issues raised by the CAQ is the proposed legal age. The evidence of weed’s detrimental effects on the growing brain’s mental health, neurocognitive performance, and neurological structure are well documented; therefore, the CAQ has advocated for raising the minimum legal age to 21. Yet, given the disproportionate percentage of marijuana users between the ages of 18-22, making the legal age 21 would only encourage black market distribution—and all of the potential health and crime issues that surround it. These include the addition of potentially dangerous adulterants to weed, and violent distribution rivalries. The Quebec Liberal Party’s proposed legislation concedes that young people will inevitably smoke, regardless of legality. By not making the legal age too high, it improves the government’s ability to ensure health standards for young smokers.

Unlike Alberta, Quebec has rejected the privatization of the marijuana dispensary industry, instead opting for full government control. The weed-friendly side of the debate has deemed this measure draconian. Jodi Emery, marijuana activist and co-owner of Cannabis Culture Magazine, is quoted in the National Post as saying that Bill 157 “sounds like prohibition” and “denies Quebec residences many of their different rights and freedoms.” Yet, citizens benefit because the Quebec government will retain its power over the sale of marijuana, and therefore be able to more successfully limit underage consumption and regulate safety standards, such as THC and CBD content levels, the main psychoactive ingredients in cannabis.

Bill 157 mitigates the risk of a persistent and significant black market, does nothing to impede reasonable consumption, and gives the provincial government the most possible power to ensure public health and safety.

Also to its credit, Quebec has categorically banned unregulated marijuana growth for personal use, and has set the legal possession limit at 150 grams, but these stipulations have incensed both those who believe the bill is too strict and those who argue it’s too permissive. Marijuana activists say that this will cause unnecessary criminalization, while CAQ justice critic Simon Jolin Barrette says the 150-gram limit is too high. Ultimately, legalizing weed—and normalizing its consumption—will almost certainly cause an increase in its use among people younger than 18. If people are allowed to grow their own weed or possess large amounts, then it would likely fuel that market.

Regarding driving under the influence, the province has declared that there will be zero tolerance. While this may seem unnecessarily punitive given that there is a legal limit for drinking and driving above zero, marijuana affects people differently, making it difficult to determine a standard legal limit. Therefore, severe DUI laws are critical for limiting the threat of increased weed-related collisions.

Despite the vehement opposition it has faced, Quebec’s proposed legislation for the regulation of legal weed is thoroughly socially responsible. Bill 157 mitigates the risk of a persistent and significant black market, does nothing to impede reasonable consumption, and gives the provincial government the most possible power to ensure public health and safety. While the laws are undeniably strict, they are necessary to limit the negative effects of a likely explosion in marijuana consumption. While more lenient laws may be appropriate in the future, as people acclimatize to the availability of marijuana, Quebec—and Canada as a whole—is not yet culturally prepared for more liberal weed regulations.

 

Hannibal DePencier is a U0 Arts student at McGill. He is a canoe tripping enthusiast and all-around granola guy.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

Recipes, Student Life

Breakfast cookies for busy mornings and busy students

by Lucy Keller on

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For many McGill students, weekday breakfasts do not exist; mornings entail waking up and heading right out the door to class. Students might dream of bacon, eggs, and luscious stacks of pancakes, but sadly, often wind up settling for a packaged and processed bar from the bottom of their backpacks. To save you from mundane morning snacks, The McGill Tribune has compiled easy breakfast cookie recipes that you can make ahead of time and grab for those on-the-go mornings. All three recipes are easy, nutritious, and delectable—ensuring a happier start to any student’s crazy schedule.

Chocolate peanut butter breakfast cookie

(Chef Savvy)

Makes 18 cookies

Ingredients

  • 2¼ cups old-fashioned oats

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter

  • ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce

  • ¼ cup maple syrup or honey

  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

  • 1 large egg

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.

  2. Combine the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Stir with a spoon.

  3. Combine peanut butter, applesauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, and the egg in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until smooth.

  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed.

  5. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, add the mix in tablespoon-sized dollops. Flatten the dough balls with the back of a spoon to flatten them into rounds.

  6. Bake the cookies for nine to 10 minutes.

  7. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes. Then, enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Chef Savvy.

Carrot cake breakfast cookie

(She Likes Food)

Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

  • 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

  • 1 egg

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 cup grated carrot

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.

  2. Combine the oats, flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl and stir. Sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt into the mix as you stir.

  3. Add the milk, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract into the mix and stir with a whisk or large spoon.

  4. Use a tablespoon to scoop batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

  5. Pat the cookies down with the back of a spoon to flatten them into rounds.

  6. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until firm.

  7. Let the cookies cool for several minutes. Then, bon appétit!  

Recipe adapted from She Likes Food.

Banana chocolate cookie in a mug

(Bigger Bolder Baking)

Makes one mug cookie.

Ingredients

  • ½ medium-sized banana

  • 1 ½ tablespoons peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)

  • ½ tablespoon honey (or agave nectar)

  • 1 tablespoon milk

  • 4 tablespoons oats (rolled or quick)

  • 1 tablespoon chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. In a large microwaveable mug, mash the banana with a fork.

  2. Stir the peanut butter, milk, and honey into the mug. Mix well, until smooth.

  3. Add in the oats and chocolate chips. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

  4. Microwave the mug mix for 45 seconds to one minute, or until firm to the touch on top (cook time may vary based on microwave wattage).

  5. Let the mug cool for one minute. Then, eat away!

Recipe adapted from Bigger Bolder Baking.

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