Latest News

a, McGill, News

SSMU and PGSS students vote to increase QPIRG fee

by Jessica Fu on

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Students voted to approve an increase in Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG)-McGill’s opt-outable fee, raising it from $3.75 to $5.00 per semester. The fee passed by 62.9 per cent, and is set to be implemented starting in Fall 2015. The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) saw 13.7 per cent and 18.8 per cent voter turnouts, respectively, among constituents.

QPIRG is an organization mandated to increase awareness of social justice issues through research, advocacy, and events—including Rad Frosh and Social Justice Days. QPIRG has chapters in other Quebec universities, as well as similar research groups in universities around North America.

According to Robin Reid-Fraser, a member of the QPIRG Board of Directors, allocation of the additional funding will be evaluated over the next few months, but will also include many short-term initiatives.

“We’ve been talking about, in the short term, [putting] more funding towards our working groups, who haven’t had a funding increase in years; our programming; our applied student research platform, Community University Research Exchange (CURE); creating more staff positions; and our resource library,” she said. “In the long term, we’re planning on improving the accessibility of the [QPIRG offices].”

Fraser stated that the fee increase garnered support on campus during its limited campaign period.

”Because our campaign period ended up starting just a few days before Reading Week, we were a little worried about being able to reach as many people as we wanted to in such a short time,” Reid-Fraser said. “Fortunately, we had lots of people helping with the campaign, and it felt like we were really able to spread the word [….] It was also greatly appreciated how receptive students were, despite the fact that midterms were going on for a lot of people as well.”

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

‘Tis the winter of Mike Dubue’s discontent

by Morgan Alexander on

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Mike Dubue, founder and frontman of Ottawa-based experimental indie band Hilotrons, has spent the last few years stylizing discontent. Hilotrons’ latest album, To Trip with Terpsichore, is not so much about anger but more of an overarching dissatisfaction with the way things are.

“Each song is relative to a situation,” Dubue said. “Every song is a social commentary on something that’s going on.”

For Dubue, the album is a musical discourse, addressing the gamut of social and political issues, primarily those within Canada. However, Dubue isn’t radiating towards angst-driven electropop. The album’s lyrics have a bite to them, but the sound is upbeat.

“I don’t think there’s anything quite angry in the sense that [the album] is very calculated,” Dubue said. “It shows discontent, but we’re not necessarily angry or not thinking logically.”

The new album isn’t the only avenue Dubue is taking to tackle social commentary. Since 2009, he has been writing film scores, and this past year he crafted the soundtrack for the 1928 silent Canadian film, Carry On, Sergeant!

“This one was a lost film, an anti-war film, very interesting cinematically though it’s never really been discussed in any university film class,” Dubue explained. “It’s lost to its own history in Canada though it’s relevant to cinematic history worldwide.”

Interestingly, Dubue’s passion for films runs much deeper than just the musical aspect—though he does love the music, he has a collection of movie soundtracks on vinyl. Dubue is a self-described film buff, and as he looks to the progression of his career, he sees it taking a more theatrical turn.

“Eventually I’d like to make films,” Dubue claimed. “I want to be a film director when I’m in my forties.”

For the time being, Dubue is still committed to Hilotrons, his band of 14 years. And while the band has always been a part of him, the line-up of the band has changed drastically over its decade-plus existence, with only Dubue and drummer/engineer Philip Shaw Bova acting as consistent members in the band. Dubue, to his credit, has welcomed the changes.

“The way that I work musically, I’ve always been at the helm of this band,” Dubue said. “[The band is] constantly trying to evolve or change, and any type of change is welcome. I don’t know that our sound is married to any ideas; we’re open to constant change.”

Part of that constant change comes from playing a variety of shows all over. Throughout the years, Hilotrons has played at a variety of venues, and while sometimes touring can get repetitive, Dubue says that for him, it’s all about keeping things fresh and interesting.

“Even if we’re on tour playing the same set, we still try to make it a new experience and a righteous experience,” Dubue said, adding that even the worst of shows can have a silver lining. “Even in the most shitty of circumstances, the fact that you’re playing music somewhere, it’s not something to be taken for granted.”

Of all the places Dubue has played, one of the most stand-out experiences happened in Montreal, as part of the annual Pop Montreal festival.

“We did this soundtrack to a gay porn [film] at Cinema de L’amour,” Dubue explained. “It was this 1960s pornography. So the porn was going on the screen, and we were set up on the floor playing along [….] It got a really awful review but we sold the place out.”

Ultimately for Dubue, who whistles while he thinks and laughs through his memories, it’s all about the experiences that comes with the music.

“Practice, learn to read music, perhaps move out of the country, move to a place where you can tour and make a living,” Dubue said. “No musician should be complaining about playing music.”

a, Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Letter to the editor: Women-only hours a regressive step

by Robert Seddon on

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Soumia Allalou argues in favour of women-only gym hours, citing in support her religious beliefs which forbid her from sharing a gym with men. In Canada we are fortunate to live in a secular, non-segregated society where men and women live and work together. I believe that introducing segregation of the sexes for religious reasons would be a regressive step.

Increasing gym usage by under-represented groups is a laudable goal, but I don’t believe that excluding other groups is the solution. Maybe the students concerned could learn from the example of the Women in Physics (WiP) group in the Department of Physics. WiP aims to increase female participation in Physics at all levels, but their events are open to all, regardless of sex. I would argue that such an inclusive approach ensures support from all members of the community, male and female, and is preferable to exclusion and segregation.

a, Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Letter to the editor: Women-only gym hours not a final solution

by Nick Uhlig on

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After reading the Tuesday, Feb. 24 issue of the McGill Tribune, specifically the commentary “Exercising Justice at the McGill Fitness Centre”, I feel it’s important to point a few things out.

I believe that with regard to women who are insecure using the gym due to the presence of men, women-only gym hours should be viewed as a stopgap measure or band-aid solution at best. Men will not vanish simply because women use the gym at a different time, nor will the sexual aggression or harassment that is at the root of this problem.

Being afraid of working out simply because men are there—and condoning this fear with women-only gym hours—is a tacit accusation that all men are boorish and judgmental, and cannot be trusted in a co-ed environment. I would never deny that women disproportionately face harassment and aggression from men in many aspects of their daily lives, but simply separating those two genders is not a final solution; it is a temporary one that addresses a symptom instead of the actual issue, and disenfranchises the majority of well-mannered men who frequent the gym in the process. The actual issue is enforcing proper conduct and a respectful, safe environment for all patrons of the McGill Fitness Centre, regardless of gender or fitness level, which requires effort and coordination from the staff at the fitness centre and the clients as well.

In addition, the notion of paying for a service that you do not use seems to only bother people when it’s their money on the line. Childless couples pay taxes so we can enjoy free primary and secondary education and cheaper tuition; people without cars pay taxes so our roads are maintained; people with jobs pay taxes so that people without jobs can have access to a better safety net. The idea that paying for access to the Athletics Centre as part of our tuition is unfair simply because one chooses not to use it absolutely boggles the mind. Not to mention that the extra cost of the fitness centre is completely optional. Nobody is being forced to pay for that at all.

The assertion that a lack of women-only hours is denying people their rights is also incorrect. Everyone who pays still has the right to use the fitness centre. Whether or not they exercise their right to use that facility is up to them, and any of their own personal preferences (excluding religious considerations, which I believe are a separate but related issue that requires more consideration) are just that—preferences. There is no such thing as a right to never be self-conscious, and as such, co-ed hours are not denying anyone rights, but they do present a conflict with some people’s preferences. Forbidding a portion of the clientele from using the gym at certain times would actually be directly curtailing their right to use the facility. 

People getting fit and having fun are of course the top priorities of the McGill Fitness Centre. Women-only hours at a gym may help some women transition into using the gym during co-ed times as well, which is a positive thing. But the ultimate solution to people’s pervasive insecurity is not to sequester them. I would argue that this actually prevents lasting change. The solution is to make all visitors to the McGill gym unavoidably aware that menacing, intimidating, or lecherous behaviour is grounds for punishment, or ejection from the gym. Creating a welcoming environment, encouraging a cultural change in gyms, and helping people to overcome their insecurities would benefit not just women, but all clients.

It is everyone’s responsibility to make co-ed spaces inherently safe spaces.  No judgment, no intimidation, from anyone. This cannot be achieved in the long-term with ham-fisted solutions like single-gender hours. 

a, Opinion

QPIRG 2015 referendum question

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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The Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote for the QPIRG-McGill referendum question. QPIRG is a student-run organization focused on social and environmental justice, and in this referendum, it is asking for a fee levy that would increase its opt-outable fee from $3.75 to $5.00 per semester for undergraduate and graduate students. This increase, which QPIRG has stated is approximately equal to its 1988 fee indexed to inflation, would enable the organization to sustain its current efforts as well as expand on its research, outreach, and education programs. However, it is imperative that the organization continues to be accessible across campus and to promote its benefits and services to the student body.

a, McGill, News

MUS referendum passes new student space fee

by Arden Li on

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Students of the Desautels Faculty of Management’s Undergraduate Society (MUS) voted on Feb. 5 to implement a $40 per semester non-opt-outable student fee for the next three years in a faculty-wide student referendum. The fee will go towards a new Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Student Space Improvement fund.  The fund is expected to accrue $500,000 by 2018 as a result of students’ contributions. 

The referendum passed with 50.2 per cent voting “yes”, 49.8 per cent voting “no”. The voter turnout to the referendum was 629, representing 30.1 per cent of the total number of electors, surpassing its quorum of 20 per cent.

According to MUS President Sean Finnell, the motion was proposed by the MUS after a semester-long discussion and student survey on how Desautels could improve the spaces in which students work. 

“After presenting a report to Desautels administration on potential improvements, the MUS realized how quickly and effectively they could be put in place if a vehicle was created where students were able to fund some improvements directly,” Finnell explained.

The new fund will be jointly managed by MUS and the Desautels Faculty of Management, and will not be related to the renovation of the bookstore space, where the faculty’s MBA program will be relocating in 2017.

Interim Dean Morty Yalovsky expressed that the establishment of the student fund would set a strong example for alumni to follow regarding raising funds for the renovation of the bookstore in the near future.

“This most recent student-led initiative will serve as a major catalyst for a new multi-million dollar alumni fundraising campaign, which will support BCom students’ infrastructure needs in Bronfman as well as planned renovations to the new building,” Yalovsky said.

Although no plans have been decided regarding the use of the fund, Finnell cited possible areas of improvement that would be made possible by the fund.

“An example would be completely overhauling our current fourth floor student space to increase the number of quiet individual study carrels in the building and substantially upgrading the group study area furniture—both are improvements widely demanded in our recent Student Space survey,” Finnell said.

The fee levy was met with mixed reactions. Some students felt that the fee was unnecessary and overly expensive.

“It’s good that they want to improve our life in Bronfman, but $80 per year is a lot,” said Marie-Valentine Pinton, U1 Management. “We may not even get to see the results of this fund, especially for those of us who only have two years left and will go on exchange. I just don’t think there’s a need for it.”

Others welcomed the fee, viewing it as an investment in their undergraduate education.

“The fund certainly presents a significant cost to individuals, but the success of the faculty ultimately reflects on us,” said Rosy Teed, U1 Management. “If this money is put towards improving our and future Desautels students’ learning, I think it’s worth it.”

According to Finnell, MUS launched a “Yes MUS!” campaign in support of the referendum question, which sought to inform students about the motion through social media in the Bronfman Building. Some Management students felt, however, that there was inadequate advertising for the new fee.

“I didn’t see the referendum question until I logged in to vote. I never saw any promotion about it,” Pinton said. 

Although Teed supported the fee, she offered the same criticism. 

“I had no idea about it until after the fact,” Teed said. “I feel like MUS could have been a bit more proactive in advertising as this is not the regular $2.50 fee increase.” 

While Finnell acknowledged the points of contention regarding the fee, he maintained that the benefits outweigh the costs.

“Any new fee will meet resistance from certain individuals,” he said. “But I don’t think anyone can ignore the immense value Management students receive through current student-levied fees that help support our Career Centre and some of the specialized business technology and software exclusively available to B.Comms.”

a, Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Round Dance: The circle of sex

by Chris Lutes on

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If there’s a single universal truth to social interaction, it’s that people will say anything if they think it will convince the person they like to sleep with them. It was true in 1920 when Arthur Schnitzler’s play La Ronde debuted in Berlin to a shocked and offended crowd, and it’s true now in Players’ Theatre’s production of the same play—now redubbed Round Dance to avoid confusion with the amusement park. This production will also likely astonish crowds like it did in the ’20s, but for a different reason: It’s fantastic. 

Round Dance follows five actors playing ten roles across ten interconnected vignettes. It begins with a chance encounter between a prostitute and a soldier, as she offers him her services and he eventually relents. Each subsequent scene contains a character from the previous one, engaging in the same pattern of pre and post-coital push-and-pull that the first scene established. The circle is closed when the prostitute from the first scene reappears in the final scene. What’s interesting about the play is the radically different reactions the same characters have in what’s more or less the same scenario—characters may be subservient in one scene and domineering in the next; tender or excited; coercing or coerced. The difference is how they decide to act based on who they’re with at that moment.  

It’s also interesting to note the ways that things don’t change. The play seems most interested in the power dynamics that are the common denominator to most sexual encounters, and how sex can be used to cement people’s sexual roles along the lines of power, class, and gender. This commonality is underlined by Hannah Kirby’s assured direction, making the inspired choice to have each actor play two of the different roles. It allows the shadows of past lovers to flit about on the fringes of a scene as waiters or passersby, implicitly reminding the characters that they’ve been in this situation before and they’ll likely be there again. This idea is also bolstered by a sense of symmetry that pervades every inch of the production, going beyond the circular conceit of the script. The beginning and ending of each scene tend to mirror each other, drawing parallels between the desire and satisfaction—or lack thereof—that bookends sex. 

The doubling of roles also allows each actor to showcase a whole range of emotions that would have been limited by having only one part to play. They are all able to grasp the inherent absurdity and hypocrisy of their characters and still mine humor and pathos from them with a professional level of subtlety—all actors are able to sink their teeth into their part without swallowing it whole. Praise also goes to Kirby for getting such real and naturalistic performances out of the actors, who nail the pauses and tics of intimate conversation, making the audience feel all of the joy and discomfort that comes with private dialogue. 

The set is sparse yet highly versatile, made almost entirely of reconstituted shipping pallets that are reconfigured in a number of ingenious ways to suit the background of each particular scene. Lighting and staging are also fine-tuned to fit the context of scenes, with the lighting in particular doing a lot of the heavy lifting. It’s able to realistically transport the audience from the highlight of an outdoor afternoon to the simulated dimness that comes standard with late-night pillow talk. 

It’s important to consider how  ideas of sex have changed since the play was written in 1897, because that evolution is clearly on the minds of those involved in the production. As a society, we like to think we’re more ‘sex positive’ than the people of the late 19th century, but this play smartly doesn’t let the audience off of the hook so easily. Discourse has changed, and things have gotten much better since then, of course, but this production argues that we’re still the same as our predecessors in a lot of ways—desperately grasping at intimacy and human connection, debasing each other with our desires, and fumbling around in the dark—alone together.

Round Dance runs at the McGill Player’s Theatre on the third floor of the SSMU building from Wednesday, Feb. 18 to Saturday, Feb. 21 and Wednesday, Feb. 25 to Friday, Feb. 27 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $6 for students and senior citizens, and $10 for non-students.

a, McGill, News, PGSS, SSMU

Policy proposes further integration of research methods into undergraduate coursework

by Lauren Wildgoose on

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Terry Hébert, professor of Pharmacology at McGill raised a question to the McGill Senate last Wednesday regarding the incorporation of research into undergraduate teaching. The question was posed to follow up on a discussion at the November 2014 Senate meeting about the logistical challenges of providing every undergraduate student with a research opportunity. Hébert spoke as a member of the Inquiry Network, a cross-disciplinary group under McGill Teaching and Learning Services dedicated to engaging undergraduate students with the processes of research in coursework.

Since its inception in 2009, the Inquiry Network has been meeting monthly to achieve this goal. It has implemented measures including a faculty workshop on research pedagogy and making recommendations to the 2011 Joint Board-Senate Meeting on how to enhance undergraduate research. 

In response to Hébert’s question at Senate, Provost Anthony Masi and Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Ollivier Dyens said the university has proposed a four-fold approach to helping students think like researchers as part of their coursework. This included the clarification of university policies and guidelines to emphasize the teaching-research nexus as an integral part of a professor’s academic duties, rather than an additional task, as well as the implementation of a five-year plan for Teaching and Learning Services, McGill’s office dedicated to improving teaching.

McGill currently offers research opportunities through the Office for Undergraduate Research in Science (OURS), Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE), and the Undergraduate Arts Research Internships Awards (ARIA). 

ARIA recipient Caroline Boreham, U3 Arts, worked with Professor Tabitha Sparks on a proposal for a scholarly edition of a late 19th century novel. 

“I loved the experience of working in a library day in and day out—I especially appreciated having the time to explore all of our resources at McGill,” said Boreham.

While these projects are a valuable opportunity for enrichment, they are usually limited to a select few students and last only a few months, according to Marcy Slapcoff, educational developer at Teaching and Learning Services. Boreham also cited difficulty in acquiring funding from a professor the first year she applied for the program, saying that one obstacle to conducting research is finding professors who can guarantee funding for a student project before their own grants are confirmed. 

 Slapcoff also explained why the integration of research into curricula is an important complementary measure to projects like ARIA and SURE. 

“The reason we […] have focused our efforts on coursework is that it is the only mechanism for [offering research opportunities to] all students throughout their degrees,” she said. “Undergraduates may not all be able to do original research, but they can all learn to think and act like researchers—to ask questions, to make decisions based on critically examined evidence, to share results, and to take action as engaged citizens.”

Dean of Students André Costopoulos also emphasized the importance of undergraduate research at McGill. 

“It’s part of our teaching mission,” Costopoulos said. “Undergraduates can not only benefit from research, but also contribute to it. We all bring a different perspective to a research problem, whether we’re looking at it for the first time as an undergraduate in a lab, or with a professor in the library, or whether we’ve been thinking about it for 20 years.” 

Hébert said that research can inspire genuine excitement and has benefits beyond those offered by traditional teaching methods.  

“Facts are generally provisional, and they change,” Hébert said. “[It’s] better to learn to evaluate facts critically and to learn to think independently. Our obsession with memorizing facts that are easily forgotten does a disservice to students, even if they don’t see that right away.” 

a, Features

Cracks in the surface

by Caity Hui on

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I remember looking out over the horizon. The sun was just rising and rays of pink were kissing the calm blue of the Alboran Sea. My body ached as we ran down the beach towards our coaches standing at the edge of the lookout-heart pounding, feet digging into the sand with every step. It was day three of training camp.

I began my career in rhythmic gymnastics when I was five years old. During a recreational class at my local church, the head coaches of my former gymnastics club scouted me and brought me to join its provincial team. The training was tough, but nothing unexpected for an athlete. We practiced nine to 12 hours a week, travelled to competitions across Ontario, and, if we competed well, our team returned with medals. However, the definition of 'well' seemed to change over the years. While rhythmic gymnastics is judged based on three categories—difficulty of elements, artistic value, and execution of the performance—the interpretation of these categories is often subjective, leading to judging politics and what seemed like alliances formed by clubs.

This aspect of interpretation made competition difficult. While the sport primarily rewarded athleticism—the girls who had more difficult tricks and executed more challenging elements did tend to receive higher scores—its aestheticism left room for judgment beyond who could run the fastest, or who could jump the highest. Factors such as who captivated the audience, who smiled more, or whose costume was shinier, suddenly had an impact. When judging became arbitrary, looking good on the carpet became important. It was hot, and we were sitting in a circle on the soft carpets of the gymnasium. The ceilings of our high performance training facility stretched for yards, the air holding its breath in anticipation of the whiz of ribbons piercing the open space and the loud clack of clubs. It was unlike any other facility I had ever seen in Canada.

The older girls sat behind the younger ones, pinning their hair up in buns. By now, we were used to the sharp jabs of the bobby pins and mentally preparing for the morning warm up. One of our coaches approached us and took an older girl aside. I couldn't tell what they were talking about—more than half the team also spoke Russian—but Jessica* returned with red eyes and silently started our stretches. It was only several hours later that I found out Jessica had been deemed too large for the group she was competing with; it was her responsibility to shed weight over the next few weeks of camp. What didn't make sense to me was that Jessica and I were practically the same size.

Stemming from these situations is an ugly side of rhythmic gymnastics. In stark contrast to the elegance of bodies moving in tandem, or the breathless arch of a ribbon tossed into the air, lurks a dangerous pressure to maintain a slim physique and exude a perfect performance. Within my own team, I watched several girls struggle with mental health issues intertwined with the messages we were sent during training camps. Listening to a coach tell another gymnast to slim down can only make you wonder whether you should be doing it, too.

a, McGill, News

McGill Spaces Project holds second workshop on Brown Building redesign

by Laura Hanrahan on

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Participants discussed the planned transformation of the Brown Student Services Building in a workshop on Feb. 18. The workshop was hosted by the McGill Spaces Project (MSP), a student-led initiative seeking to reimagine spaces across McGill’s campus, the Brown Building Redesign Advisory Group (BRAG), a McGill Student Services committee, and the McGill Architecture Community Design Workshop class (ARCH 514), led by Professor Nik Luca. The groups presented the history of the Brown Building and outlined the ongoing plans to change it, which they dubbed “Operation Brown Building”.

According to BRAG Chair Mitchell Miller, the initiative began through a request from McGill Student Services.

 “Student Services started to have conversations about the reception areas, the posters and the signage,” Miller said. “We realized it was way out of the area of what we were able to do and that we need some support.”

The initiative hopes to change the dynamics of the building by making it a more welcoming, usable, and advantageous for students. 

“The main goal stemmed from seeing some underused or misused spaces and wanting to have this building [be] more of a space the students could take advantage of and use,” Miller said. 

  According to Alan Chen, director of the McGill Spaces Project, one of the biggest issues the building faces is poor allocation of its free areas.

“There are large nooks and crannies and transit spaces that are intended to have a variety of uses but have just become these trash spots for unwanted furniture and random tables,” Chen said. “We want to keep it as a transitory building, but at the same time find uses for these nooks and crannies that are awkward and feel out of place.”

Miller explained that the redesign would prioritize revitalizing the clinic space for health services and mental health services.

“The directors of those two units are very keen for [the spaces] to change,” Mitchell said. “It would be more of a redistribution—if there’s two waiting rooms, maybe combine them into one—and taking advantage of spaces and making them more purposeful.”

The coursework for ARCH 514 is entirely based on Operation Brown Building, according to Luca, who explained that the class was acting as consultants for the operation.

“We’ve been hired and been asked to explore some questions, draw conclusions, and make some recommendations, and then BRAG can accept those recommendations and decide whether or not to pursue them, on what time scale, and to what extent,” he said. 

Lindsay Vanstone, a master’s student of Urban Planning and member of ARCH 514, highlighted that the class hoped to reinvent the overall branding of the building. 

“It needs to feel welcoming and so that it’s a student friendly building,” she said. “Somewhere you can informally sit down with somebody, do some work, just sit and read, or think.”

U3 Science student Anina Ratjen, who participated in the workshop, said that she believed that students do not typically use the building in this fashion. 

“The Brown Building is mostly a building I go through to take a little break from the cold when walking to class,” she said. “[I] would never think to come here to sit and do work [….] I think that if they can put these suggestions into action, it will be really beneficial for the students. Personally, I’d like to have more study space—large tables with chairs—because no one really uses the stand-alone armchairs that are here currently.”

There has been no date set yet for the redesign as the plans are still tentative, although some preliminary work is scheduled to be completed before the Fall 2015 semester. 

“If we come up with things that are easier to do in the short term, [like adding and updating signage], hopefully they’ll be done before school starts in the Fall,” Vanstone said. “Things that will take longer and require more investment, a different time will have to be sorted.” 

Right now, MSP, BRAG, and ARCH 514 are in the process of holding information workshops on the project, the next of which will be held on March 16 and 18.

 “It’s very much a ball to be tossed back and forth between the students, the community, and the stakeholders in the building,” Chen said. “It’s definitely a split—hopefully not a compromise, but more of synergy.”

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