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a, Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: McGill advising does not provide sufficient tools for students to carve their own path

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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With add/drop coming to a close, students’ laments of academic advising at McGill are likely to abate. But at the moment, undergraduate students bemoan the bureaucratic advising system. The fundamental flaw with the McGill mindset is that students are expected to be independent without necessarily having been provided the tools to do so. First-years often do not already possess the independence that is required to understand the McGill process. The solution is not to promote hand-holding; university is the time to acquire autonomy. Yet there must be more of a balance between adequate advising services and self-sufficiency.

In March 2015, the McGill Univeristy Senate discussed the discrepancies in the ratio of students to advisors between the different faculties. At that time, the ratio of students per advisor in Arts was 843 to one; for Management, 198.33 to one; and for Law, 88 students per advisor. These disparities are large and will take time to address. In the meantime, the university must provide students with the tools and skills required to navigate the advising system so that these imbalances do not feel as drastic as they are.

Too much pressure is placed on individual students. This pressure, compounded with the ratio disparities, challenges the ability of students to cope with all the other stresses of post-secondary education. This is particularly overwhelming for students new to McGill, who must dive into the entire McGill context headfirst. To make sure that they do not crack their skulls, further advising initiatives must prioritize the usability of the online interfaces while also providing clear information.

 

 

Developing and implementing these initiatives is one thing, but ensuring that students are properly equipped to use them is another.

Despite the creation of Ask an Advisor—an online service that guarantees an answer or referral within 48 hours for any academic advising inquiry—students are still finding themselves entrenched in a bureaucratic loop. Developing and implementing advising initiatives is one thing, but ensuring that students are properly equipped to use them is another.

A first step may be to include opt-outable advising sessions in all first-year programs. Rather than depending on students to wait in line to see someone in an inundated advising office, students would become familiarized with the advising process upon arrival at McGill so that they may continue to use the services throughout their university careers. Students would then hopefully understand the wider scope of their university education and be more proactive in using advising resources. An added benefit would be that it would protect students from deferring graduation in order to correct mistakes made early on.

To form, other facets of the McGill community must work to minimize the risk of students falling through the cracks of the McGill system. To supplement this initiative, faculty and departmental associations should expand peer mentorship programs, such as by offering program-specific advising during add/drop. Facilitating students to help other students will reduce the stresses on the advising system while providing students with the benefit of their experience. While the advising experience differs between faculties and departments, a common thread prevails: The websites are not up to snuff, and must be improved drastically. Program details, advising resources and tips, and a guide for how to use the advising system must be presented more clearly. If adopting the attitude that “Getting Informed is Your Responsibility,” the structure must be in place to do so.

Unlike in high school, the expectation at McGill is that students will see an advisor after having exhausted all the online resources. An added benefit of improving the usability of the website and encouraging students to become familiar with the interface would be to increase the availability of in-person advising appointments. An online scheduling service—which is already in place at Service Point—would also reduce wait times and improve the efficiency of advising appointments.

McGill promotes the self-sufficiency of its students by emphasizing their responsibility for their own education. While this is an important skill to learn for later in life, there is an irony to reinforcing this independence in advising. The service that is normatively intended to assist students is currently instead a site of stress and confusion. To the extent that the intensity of this dismay correlates to the disparity of advisors per student between faculties, it is necessary that students are provided with the proper tools to use advising resources to their advantage.

 

 

a, Science & Technology

All for one and one for all

by Andy Wang on

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The origin of life on Earth remains a heavily researched topic in evolutionary biology. Among the myriad of questions yet to be answered is how simple, single-celled organisms evolved to be complex and multicellular.

While the mechanism for this phenomenon has been elucidated in plants and fungi, little is known about the evolution of multicellularity in animals; however, in a recent paper published in eLife, a group of American scientists have discovered a mutation that could explain the evolution of mitotic spindle orientation, a key step in cell division.

Multicellular organisms differ from their unicellular counterparts in that cells differentiate and arrange themselves into functional structures like muscles, bones, and skin. By forming tissues and organs, multicellular organisms not only survive but thrive. To grow, cells undergo what is known as mitosis, where two identical daughter cells are formed from one original parent cell through division. During mitosis, cells in a multicellular organism coordinate with their neighbours to maintain shape and function. To do this, they rely on specialized structures known as mitotic spindles. When the cells split, the mitotic spindles are responsible for ensuring that each new cell acquires the correct number of chromosomes in the right orientation. 

The researchers discovered that a single amino acid mutation in an enzyme, which previously had no role in mitotic spindle organization, was suddenly implicated. This allowed for cells to create more complex structures because cell division could now be more controlled and organized. It is rare for single amino acid substitutions alone to be both necessary and sufficient for a gain of function in evolutionary biology. The results even surprised the scientists.

“If you asked anyone on our team if they thought one mutation was going to be responsible for this, they would have said it doesn’t seem possible,” Ken Prehoda, a co-author of the paper, explained to The Washington Post.

The scientists began the process by searching publicly available databases for different amino acid sequences that matched  the protein across all eukaryotic species which ranged from humans to jellyfish. They then used massive data analysis computations to extrapolate the ancestral protein sequence. Genetic manipulation of living cells were used to create ancient versions of the proteins. By comparing each successive version, the team ultimately managed to successfully pinpoint the mutation that conferred multicellularity to eukaryotes.

Another prominent example of a single mutation leading to immediate beneficial consequences is the sickle cell gene. While one copy of the gene confers resistance to malaria, individuals who have two copies of the gene—homozygous recessive—develop sickle cell anemia, a severe form of anemia which can only be cured with a bone marrow transplant.

While it is true that discovery and research in evolutionary biology are ultimately associated with the past, mechanisms involved in multicellularity and mitotic spindle orientation can provide new insight into the pathways involved in cancer. 

“Normally, all of the cells in our body cooperate,” Douglas Anderson, the paper’s lead author explained in an interview with The Washington Post. “One way to think of cancer is a reversion from a multicellular state to a point where these cells are behaving as unicellular organisms.”

The discovery of this single mutation opens up further questions about the origin of multicellularity, such as the mechanisms and molecules involved, as well as other evolutionary events in this pathway. Together, all of these events create the dazzling array of diversity in life. 

a, News, SSMU

SSMU executive mid-term reviews

by The McGill Tribune on

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Kareem Ibrahim—SSMU President

 

Due to the resignation both the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) general manager (GM) and the Daycare director, President Kareem Ibrahim was forced to assume many of both positions’ responsibilities. In acting as a caretaker, he has performed impressively in ensuring that SSMU as a whole has continued to function and provide services to students; however, as a result of the resignations, many of Ibrahim’s original plans and ideas have been derailed. Initiatives such as the completion of a human resources equity policy and the establishment of a consultation listserv, which was a campaign promise to better consult students, have fallen by the wayside. Additionally, efforts to increase outreach and be more visible to students were inadequate in comparison to the primacy they received in his election platform—the Fall General Assembly (GA) failed to reach quorum.

Although he wasn’t visible externally, he was constantly present within SSMU—much of his portfolio includes acting as a support member to other executives or other permanent and part-time staff. He was responsible for student-staff orientation in September, a task normally under the portfolio of the GM, and has also overhauled many internal regulations of the president’s portfolio while also improving the operations of Council.

With the introduction of a new Daycare director, GM, and a vice-president (VP) Internal this semester, a period of relative calm has presented itself in an otherwise tumultuous tenure. Moving forward, Ibrahim will need to return to the tenets of his platform that have been neglected in order to ensure that the somewhat frayed relationship that students have with SSMU is repaired and strengthened.

 

 

 

 

Emily Boytinck—VP External Affairs

 

Since the dissolution of the Fédération Étudiante Universitaire du Québec (FÉUQ), Vice-President (VP) External Affairs Emily Boytinck has actively participated in the formation of two new student associations: The Union Étudiants du Quebec (UÉQ) and the Association pour la Voix Étudiante au Québec (AVÉQ). She has reached out to faculty associations to present information on both organizations, appropriate consultation given the early stages of both organizations.

Most of Boytinck’s political focus last semester concentrated on the Divest McGill and McGill Against Austerity campaigns. Boytinck was active in event planning for both campaigns as well as meeting with administration. She also coordinated with Elections Canada to launch the vote campaign during the federal election.

Boytinck additionally completed extensive work on community affairs, including delivering letters to every house in the Milton Parc neighbourhood during Frosh. Boytinck has put forward new initiatives to improve community relations, including a garbage survey to lobby for new trash cans.

With no VP Internal, Boytinck was delegated the planning of 4Floors, which failed to sell out. Though she was handed the event on short notice, she and the committee should have concentrated more on advertisement of the event, and less on organizing ticket-sales online, which will hopefully be taken into consideration next year.

A consistent problem throughout the semester was low attendance at the events Boytinck organized. This problem may have been exacerbated by a lack of effort to reach out to groups on campus that vocally opposed these causes. In the coming semester, we would like to see more consultation with such groups from Boytinck, which will hopefully increase interest in her educational events.

 

 

 

 

 

Zacheriah Houston—VP Finance and Operations

 

The absence of a GM has greatly affected the position of VP Finance and Operations, with tasks such as the budget revision being completed weeks later than has been typical in the past. However, it is a testament to Zacheriah Houston’s ability that despite this, he has been able to implement significant changes within SSMU. Houston worked to create an online form and streamlining system for club audits, simplifying the process and making it much more easily understood and accessible for SSMU clubs. Additionally, Houston has laid the groundwork for a base-fee increase referendum question, which will be voted on later this month, and has worked towards creating a purchasing database of ethical suppliers for SSMU.

The Student Run Cafe (SRC) is one area that Houston will need to pay more attention to in the upcoming semester. The SRC opened at the beginning of this academic year on the second floor of SSMU, in the space across from The Nest—another student-run initiative. While the idea of renting space to student-run cafés as opposed to commercial tenants is a nice one, neither the SRC nor The Nest, which has been operational for over two years, have yet to break even, let alone turn a profit. The fact is that many students are unaware that the SRC and The Nest even exist, therefore focus needs to shift to outreach, advertising, and communication with all students if the SRC hopes to be a profitable venture for SSMU.

 

 

 

 

 

Chloe Rourke—VP University Affairs

 

Compared to the roles of the other executives, the role of the VP University Affairs has been the least affected by the vacancies at SSMU. Rourke has continued to working to implement initiatives geared at improving students’ mental health and well-being, including planning the second Mental Health and Awareness Week at McGill, as well as instating Happy Lights, a program which allows students to rent lamps used to treat seasonal affective disorder from SSMU.

Rourke has also worked on broader academic initiatives, such as liaising with McGill administration and faculty regarding a proposed Fall Reading Week. Along with the VP Finance and Operations, Rourke has begun discussing SSMU’s Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with McGill.

Rourke has continued her efforts to bring a new sexual assault policy to the McGill Senate. While drafts of the new policy existed before her term in office, it is commendable that Rourke is working on supplementary initiatives, such as a protocol outlining support measures for persons who have experienced sexual assault. Creating university-wide policies is a bureaucratic process, and while Rourke’s efforts are admirable, the consequences of the bureaucratic gridlock mean that initiatives that were started before Rourke’s term, and that Rourke herself worked on, may not be enacted until after her term.

 

 

 

 

 

Kimber Bialik—VP Clubs and Services

 

Kimber Bialik’s focus on institutional reorganization in areas of her portfolio over the past semester has brought an increased efficiency to the way both SSMU Clubs and Services are run. Additionally, her ongoing efforts to increase general promotion of both clubs and services, and improving general resources for each, have brought about visible changes.

Moving Fall Activities Night outdoors to reduce the wait time in line, allowing clubs to sell event tickets at the front desk of SSMU, and ramping up social media presence were small initiatives that allowed for students to have more access to information about clubs and involvement.

Bialik additionally completed an overhaul of club space by getting rid of club offices on the fourth floor of the SSMU Building, creating common areas, bookable rooms for meetings, and installing lockers.

Bialik has not only been working to maintain the four committees under her purview—Services Review Committee, Club Committee, Space Committee, Building Committee—but she has also facilitated the creation of a new club consultative committee. The Building Committee, responsible for allocating funds to improve the SSMU Building, received little to no student consultation in the past, because it is comprised primarily of permanent staff members; this past semester, Bialik froze part of these funds and allowed students to come forward with proposals on how to spend $20,000, ultimately resulting in the purchase of new carpet and furniture for the SSMU Student Lounge.

Her biggest undertaking was completion of SSMU’s service reviews, a behind-the-scenes, administrative effort. Although service reviews are supposed to be completed each year, they have been neglected since 2011, with some services having no record of ever being reviewed. On average, past SSMU Clubs and Services executives have completed five service reviews per semester; Bialik ensured that all 20 were reviewed and brought up-to-date last semester alone.

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps most impactfully, Coughlin not only expected but earned the respect of all his players. He involved himself in their personal lives, visited them at their homes, and met their families and made them into not just better football players, but also better husbands, better fathers, and better men. He spent generous amounts of time in the locker room talking to his players and broke up his work day to eat lunch with them in the team cafeteria downstairs.

“He was like a father to me and a lot of other guys.” said Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz in a series of player tributes to Coughlin in The Player’s Tribune. “He’s always been there for me, whether I was going through something and needed someone to talk to, or whether I was struggling on the field and just needed to vent. His door was always open, and it was open to everyone, whether you were an undrafted rookie or a team captain.

Both of Coughlin’s Super Bowl wins will never be forgotten for how truly unexpected they were. Both came after seasons with poor starts and a struggle to find team cohesion until the second half of the season—just in time for the Giants to earn a wild card spot in the playoffs. In New York, a city blessed with wealthy franchises and the ability to attract talented players based on location and market size alone, rooting for the underdog is a rare phenomenon. The Yankees, the Rangers, and the Giants have been perceived more as Goliath than David for the majority of their appearances in their respective post-seasons, but Coughlin’s two runs to the Super Bowl—during which the Giants played only one total home playoff game—to face the mighty Patriots were an undoubted reversal of roles for the New York fans. Playing David gave them something new and exciting to cheer about.

It’s why, after missing the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl in 2011 and going 19-29 in his last three seasons, all 83,00 fans in MetLife Stadium nevertheless thunderously cheered Coughlin off the field after his last game. This was in spite of the Giants falling to division-rival Philadelphia Eagles in a disappointing end to a 6-10 record season. It’s why, along with his never-give-up-no-matter-what attitude, Coughlin will always be remembered as a hero and icon of New York sports after a never-boring, often erratic and always entertaining tenure as coach in the Meadowlands.

a, Music

Trib Mix: Comeback / Clapback

by William Burgess, Hayley Lim & Matt Smith on

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January doesn't have to be all about New Year's Resolutions and turning yourself into a perfect being of health, holiness, and forgiveness. If anything, it's the perfect month for rising from the ashes and taking charge of everyone and everything around you. This month, the editors at the McGill Tribune have compiled their best triumphant comeback tracks and their most biting clapback tracks, all aimed at taking down the competition and rising to the top. Scroll down to hear the full playlist on YouTube.

"FACTS" – Kanye West

"Yeezy Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman." While far from his best work, Kanye West's “FACTS” is both a diss track against Nike, and represents the return of G.O.O.D. Fridays, as Kanye prepares to release his next album, SWISH.

“FACTS” opens with a classic Kanye-style sample of doo-wop group Father's Children, but quickly ditches the a capella soul, in favour of a Metro Boomin-produced minimal beat, over which he raps the song’s hook, "Yeezy Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman," to the tune of Drake and Future's track, "Jumpman.” The track revolves around Kanye's dissatisfaction with Nike—Air Jordan sneakers in particular—in favour of his partner, the brand with the three stripes, Adidas. Kanye had previously said that he and Don C. were the reason why Jordan's are popular at all. Clearly, since partnering with Adidas, Kanye feels differently, having traded in his Jordan's for a pair of Yeezy boosts. Kanye calls Nike out for treating employees like slaves (which maybe Adidas doesn't?), and paying LeBron a billion dollars for his lifetime contract.

The song's hook refers to the fact that while Jordan's still are top sellers, they sit on shelves, while you can't find a pair of Yeezy's anywhere due to their batch-limited release, as well as the massive amount of hype surrounding the sneakers. “FACTS” is, at the end of the day, a song about just that. Almost everything in the song is, a collection of (almost) facts about Kanye's successful foray into shoes, and his surpassing of Jordan's as the ultimate hype items.

"Obsessed (Remix)" – Mariah Carey ft. Gucci Mane

Many vindictive R&B songs are written from the perspective of a scorned lover about the object of the artist’s affections. On this 2009 single, however, Mariah Carey flips the script to call out her obsessive stalker. Carey’s cheeky, flippant lyrics laid over a club beat make for a horn-and-handclap-filled clapback, a beat that plays well to Atlanta-based rapper Gucci Mane’s hype man role on this remix. The subject of her humiliation? Presumably Detroit rapper Eminem, who previously dissed Carey on tracks such as “Superman” (“What you trying be? My new wife? / What, you Mariah? Fly through twice").

A true banger that is both funny and relatable, “Obsessed” makes rejection fun again. Its accompanying music video (which in this cut is interlaid with clips of Gucci Mane mugging for the camera and pointing suggestively at Carey’s recumbent figure) gives a not-so-subtle glimpse at who this diss is directed at. If the context and lyrics weren’t enough of a hint, Carey herself dresses up in Eminem’s signature oversized hoodie, staring longingly at her glamorous counterpart. That is, until he gets hit by a bus while trying to take a fan photo. Oops!

Released amidst a burgeoning beef, this track takes the rap diss formula and makes it less threatening and more, well, amusing. Mariah truly has no chill in this teardown of Eminem, and yet, unlike him, seems on the whole unperturbed by their former “relationship.” A perfect illustration of a clapback, it’s only appropriate that this scornful anthem sets off this month’s Trib playlist.

"White Boy" – Bikini Kill

This blunt chorus, courtesy of genius lead singer Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, is the core of the song “White Boy.” The song begins with an audio recording of a discussion between Hanna and an anonymous white boy. He so graciously explains to Hanna how most girls “ask for it,” by being “slut rocker bitches walking down the street,” essentially victim-blaming women for just existing. Hanna starts her rebuttal by poignantly shouting, “I’m so sorry if I’m alienating some of you / Your whole fucking culture alienates me.”

“White Boy" was released on Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (1993), the split album by Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear released by the label Kill Rock Stars. Staying true to Bikini Kill’s feminist lyrics and aggressive, unrelenting guitar lines, “White Boy” is the ultimate diss track aimed at the patriarchy and ignorant white boys of the ’90s who prevented girls from participating in punk rock music through their aggressive moshing and unwelcoming audience presence. Prior to the Riot Grrrl movement, girls at rock shows were considered girlfriends and punk rock girls were considered sluts and bitches; overall, they had very little representation in the underground culture. “White Boy" is just one of the many songs Bikini Kill made that stabs at the obtuse arguments made by many men and subsequently carves a place for women to be treated as equal members of the punk rock scene.

According to Urban Dictionary, a clapback means “to return fire” and Hanna certainly does that by condemning the party in question to simply “just die.” Some may say this isn’t a clapback but citing a real recording of a person and then proceeding to burn him and his whole faction is an ultimate diss to me.

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