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a, Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: Past missteps, fee levies highlight demand for faculty executive accountability

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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The Management Undergraduate Society (MUS) and the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) both recently passed motions to institute new student fees aimed at improving the resources and spaces available to students. Due to McGill’s budgetary constraints that prevent the university from allocating money to building renovation and other student services not deemed essential, faculty executives have assumed the responsibility of putting forth referendum questions to increase existing student fees and institute new ones in order to pay for these initiatives. In light of previous mistakes and failures to meet many basic requirements of their positions, faculty executives need to make changes to increase their degree of accountability if they are to successfully manage these additional responsibilities.

Faculty executives have generally failed to fulfill their basic duties, including communicating openly with students, making information readily accessible, and abiding by university regulations. Several incidents to highlight include MUS financial documents and meeting minutes that have not been updated since November, the Arts Undergraduate Society’s (AUS) failure to secure alcohol permits for its Bar des Arts events, and a general lack of transparency and neglect of responsibilities among many faculty executives who fail to attend their office hours or reach out to their constituents. These incidents highlight the lack of coordination and responsibility on the part of many faculty executives, and leave us with low expectations for how they will manage growing financial responsibilities.

Both the SUS and MUS referendum processes—which further increased the amount of responsibility held by faculty executives by implementing new fees—were plagued by procedural errors and problems with engaging students. The SUS held a ‘redo’ referendum regarding the two student fees after a blunder that occurred during the Fall referendum, in which the fee questions were mistakenly run under online ratification guidelines instead of the proper procedures for a referendum. SUS was forced to rerun the questions in the Winter referendum despite having already implemented the fees with the Deputy Provost’s office. Moreover, the SUS faculty executives did not effectively inform students of the mistake, demonstrating a serious lack of accountability and transparency. The MUS fee, while passed according to the proper procedures, was inadequately advertised, with many management students interviewed by this newspaper stating that they were unaware of the referendum and the new fee.

Faculty executives need to make changes to increase their degree of accountability if they are to succesfully manage additional responsibilities.

The fees levied by the MUS and SUS constitute significant sums of money, and while the building projects being undertaken are ambitious and—if executed well—beneficial for students, they are also long-term endeavours. This means that the projects will pass through the hands of several executives before they are finished. The high turnover rate of faculty executives increases the chances for poor coordination and distortion of the long-term vision. These additional obstacles are not encouraging, especially in light of previous failures dealing with the referenda that preceded these fees.

These past errors necessitate a change in how faculty executives are held accountable going forward. Referenda should be highly publicized in order to maximize student engagement with the questions at hand. This requires faculty executives to advertise important referenda more actively so that all students are made aware of potential fee increases, and to make themselves available to fellow students who may have questions or concerns.

In addition to fulfilling these basic responsibilities, all faculty executives should review their bylaws and constitutions, or create a committee to do so, as the SUS has recently done. Many of these documents are egregiously outdated, resulting in confusion and difficulty allocating responsibility among the different executives. Updating their constitutions should help to reacquaint executives with what their individual responsibilities are and can help to improve overall performance.

Furthermore, students themselves must also seek to hold their faculty executives to higher expectations in order for any changes to occur. The recent fee increases that directly impact students’ wallets may hopefully provide the impetus for students to pay closer attention to their faculty executives and hold them to higher standards.

a, Off the Board, Opinion

Off the board: Our Wednesday night affair

by Cassie Lee on

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McGill students have recently found themselves a steamy new Wednesday night mistress. It would appear that weeknight beer-drinking types have left Gerts, a McGill institution,  in favour of a newer, larger establishment—Ace Bar and Grill. This Winter, Gerts has felt the painful backlash of its once loyal customers leaving its  bar in favor of a new spot.

Just two months ago, a Wednesday evening at Gerts could see wait times of up to an hour for the popular establishment; now the ’90s throwbacks echo coldly across the vacant tables and empty pitchers. Gerts has always been a shoulder to cry on after particularly difficult midterms—a safehouse from the turbulent student world—yet now it’s just some bar we used to know. 

 Enter Ace.  Once a hotel bistro, it is now a shiny new venue draped in mystique and nuance. It has adopted and improved on the specials that students loved at Gerts. Ace claims to have more alcoholic drinks than Gerts, more seating than Gerts, a daring serve-yourself coat check, and mysteriously relaxed bouncers.

So began our epic love affair. The sangria is closer to jungle juice and no bouncers attempt to convince you that they’re already at capacity when you know four people totally just left. 

But aren’t students afraid of getting hurt again? Gerts’ fatal flaw was in taking advantage of our loyalty and friendship. It believed that it was the only bar that students would keep coming back to. Gerts served drinks obviously low in alcohol content, banned our favourite songs, and ruthlessly pushed students away with its cold, endless lineups. It was probably always about the money. Gerts has hurt us, and not in the usual ‘morning after’ kind of way—but with the kind of hurt that drove us into the arms of another bar.

Is Ace prepared to take on the baggage that Gerts left behind? We must confess to our own flaws: Our obsessive playing of Bruno Mars songs, and our notorious under-tipping. And when Ace is bent over cleaning vomit off the washroom tiles week in and week out, will it question its commitment to this relationship? 

In all this confusion, while walking down McTavish Street, I can’t help but to let my eyes linger on that one window Gerts has in the corner. I know it misses us. Gerts’ increased social media presence, for example, and events like this Wednesday’s “Ninegria,” which boasts sangria for only nine dollars during the day with the hashtag #therealsangriawednesday #bringinitback are clear signs that Gerts can’t live without us. More subtly, Gerts hosted a “Friends” marathon last week, trying to come off as casual, but the message still comes across loud and clear—Gerts wants us back.

Like every utopia laden with ample seating and satisfying beverages, the magic can’t possibly last. Soon, weaker cocktails and increased prices will be introduced  at Ace along with bouncers who act like airport security. 

While Ace may be intriguing and mysterious, Gerts is comfortable and safe, and there’s something about your student bar stays with you. Ace is a great place, but it’s not the place. It was a fun affair, but its popularity is short-lived. 

Maybe this was the space that we both needed—a chance for us to show Gerts that we are more than just some sloppy Wednesday night. But with all forgiveness comes compromise; stronger drinks, smaller lines, and friendlier bouncers. I’ll admit, the last month at Ace has been fun, but I’m ready to settle down with the bar next door to Leacock. 

a, McGill, Montreal, News

Cities We Need conference highlights importance of municipal autonomy

by Philippe Dumais on

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The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC) opened its 20th annual two-day conference on Feb. 19, focusing on the challenges cities across Canada face.  Elected officials from cities across the country, scholars, and representatives of non-governmental organizations gathered to discuss topics including governance, culture, infrastructure, citizenship, and social justice.

The conference opened with a panel of mayors who discussed governance.  Mayors from Mississauga, Yellowknife, Stratford, Halifax, and Châteauguay unanimously pointed to the lack of consistency across municipalities in the political powers they have over their jurisdiction.  The mayors agreed that consistency and predictability should be the norm in intergovernmental relationships. Attendees also discussed the municipal ability to perceive its own taxes to secure sources of revenue that are independent from provincial or federal subsidies.

Mark Heyck, mayor of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, highlighted this issue echoed by many of his colleagues.

“We have a completely different situation from province to province and from territory to territory, there is no uniformity in what [is] abided by each of us,” Heyck said. “It is time to have a national conversation about municipalities.”

Dan Mathieson, mayor of Stratford, Ontario, also argued that the infrastructures under the responsibility of municipal governments were unstable, given municipal budgets and their capacity to secure independent and predictable sources of revenue are currently insufficient.

Mathieson cited the case of the University of Waterloo, Stratford Campus, which needed $10 million for its operations.  The federal government refused to fund it, but gave $20 million to the University of Alberta through the Western Diversification Fund. According to Mathieson, this is a reflection of the lack of consistency municipalities across Canada are dealing with.  

“The system is broke [sic],” Mathieson added. “There [are] over 2,000 communities in this country and you shouldn’t expect the communities to adapt to new ways of doing things each and every day.”  

Mayor of Châteauguay Nathalie Simon explained that the current fiscal and political arrangements between levels of governments are impediments to municipal development.  

“The most difficult obstacle is certainly the absence of cohesion among the provincial government and the relevant federal agencies,” Simon said. 

She explained that asking for budgets and permissions from both levels of government represents a drag of resources that could be invested in services to the community.  

“If we want to keep up with the current challenges in a dynamic, prosperous, and attractive community, things must change, cities must be recognized as government of proximity,” she said.

Simon also cited the example of Rogers Telecommunications Corporation, which decided to build a new antenna despite municipal regulations.  In doing so, Rogers acted upon the approbation of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, as well as other relevant agencies, but ignored prior urban planning established by the municipality. 

Director of the MISC and McGill communications professor William Straw explained that the conference was prompted by the sense that interesting policy initiatives addressing challenges in Canadian life are currently being developed in cities.

“McGill is an urban university and, more and more, scholarship at McGill reflects on what it means to be a university in a big city,” Straw said on McGill’s role in the city discourse. “McGill is also an university in which people think about cities across all disciplines, from medicine to agriculture to arts. I think it’s important that McGill highlight this aspect of its identity.”

Straw explained that McGill’s location in downtown Montreal and its increasing institutions on urban life and research should be a larger part of its identity.

“I think McGill […] has to think more and more of itself as an urban institution,” he said. “I hope this conference will help that.”

a, Student Life

Off-campus student housing

by Miina Sasaki on

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Apartment-hunting season for many students is reaching its peak at this time of the year. Choosing the perfect place to live can be tough, whether one is switching from the convenience of a McGill residence or is simply choosing an alternate location to live for the upcoming school year. To ease the process for students and create comfortable, convenient living scenarios, various housing companies have set up private student residences around Montreal.

  • Varcity 515—1430 Rue City Councillors

    Situated in the heart of downtown Montreal, Varcity515 is a student apartment complex that is within a five minute walk to Eaton Shopping Centre, and a 15 minute walk to McGill. Occupied primarily by CÉGEP and university students from McGill and Concordia, it includes 100 fully furnished apartments that accomodate three to five residents, each of whom are given a bedroom. Some bedrooms have blinds instead of traditional walls, creating a stylish window between the bedroom and the living room. Each apartment includes a spacious living room with a couch, a TV, a dining table, one or two bathrooms, and a large closet for storage space. The kitchen is equipped with a dishwasher, kitchenware, and a coffeemaker. Residents can either move in with friends or have Varcity515 match them up with suitable suitemates through a compatibility questionnaire.

    Varcity515 has many facilities that are included in the rent. Shared facilities include a fitness centre, a game room, and a movie screening room adjacent to a cozy lounge area. In addition, Varcity515 has a study area that’s been divided into different sections to accommodate various student needs.These include quiet rooms, conference rooms, and an open reading space.

     

     

    General information:

    Lease: 12 months; leases from one month available during summer only (March-August)

    Monthly rent per person: Starting from $699 per month for 12-month leases

    Well-suited for: Students who would like to live in a regular apartment, but still want the security and utilities of a dormitory-style residence

     

     

  • Fonteneige—5615 Woodbury Avenue

    Located about 30 minutes away from McGill by public transit is the quiet and peaceful neighbourhood of Woodbury Avenue, featuring Fonteneige, a residence exclusively for female students. The residence is within a five minute walk from Station Université de Montréal, and includes three living rooms, a dining room, a conference room, and several study rooms. With 15 women living in one large house, Fonteneige is a tight-knit, diverse community that is a great space for women to build supportive and long-lasting friendships.

    Fonteneige provides many opportunities for community engagement and interactive learning. The residence frequently holds academic conferences as well as cultural and spiritual activities to help residents broaden their scope of studies. Such activities include guest speaker evenings, concerts, spiritual workshops, and volunteer events. The building is located next to a Catholic chapel, where residents are welcome to attend weekly worship services, but Fonteneige is open to students of all religions.

    At Fonteneige, all housekeeping duties are taken care of by staff, so that students can fully focus on their studies and social activities. Homemade meals are prepared by the residence’s chefs three times a day, seven days a week.

    Cleaning services are offered three times a week, and laundry and ironing services once a week. Each resident gets her own fully furnished bedroom, aswell as access to high-speed internet. All of these services are included in the rent.

     

     

    General Information:

    Lease: Starting from one semester and can be extended

    Monthly rent per person: Starting from $905 per month

    Well-suited for: Busy female students who want to focus on their learning and live in a socially and academically engaging, family-like environment without having to worry about housekeeping.

     

     

  • Evo Centre-ville—420 Sherbrooke Ouest

    Only a five minute walk from McGill’s Roddick Gates, evo Centre-ville is a former Holiday Inn that was converted into a luxurious student residence last spring. It includes 480 fully furnished rooms, spread out over 19 floors. Residents are granted access to amenities, including a 24-hour fitness center, a large communal kitchen, high-speed internet connection, multiple lounge areas, a study room, and an indoor heated pool, saunas, and tanning beds. Unlimited use of these facilities is included in the rent.

    Residents may choose between a single or a double suite. To accommodate individuals seeking a roommate, evo offers a compatibility questionnaire to provide the best possible match. Evo also provides the option of renting two neighbouring rooms with a connecting door in between for students who want to live with more than one individual.

    Sizes and structures of rooms also vary; while some double rooms have two double beds placed across the room from each other with a large open space in between, others have the two beds pushed together with a large board in the center, creating a cubicle-type sleeping area for those who would like to share a room, but still need their privacy at night.

    Evo offers many amenities such as on-site restaurant Ace Grill & Bar, a coffee bar in the lobby, weekly yoga and kickboxing classes, flat screen TVs in the lounges, a fitness centre, and a laundry room.

     

    General information:

    Lease: Generally four, nine, or 12 months, but open to negotiation

    Monthly rent per person: Starting from $1650 per month (singles) and $850 per month (doubles) for 12-month leases

    Well-suited for: Students who want to live a life of comfort and luxury while staying close to campus

     

     

  • Parc Cité—3440 Avenue du Parc

    Stationed just five minutes away from Roddick Gates, Parc Cité is a former Quality Hotel that has been renovated into a student residence, Parc Cité is one of the closest living options to McGill’s campus. The building has 140 fully furnished rooms with a great view of downtown Montreal. There is a study room and a small kitchen on each of the seven floors. Other amenities include a game room, a laundry room, a computer room, multiple lounge areas, and a 24-hour fitness facility. There is even a Tim Horton’s downstairs that delivers straight to residents’ doors.

    Parc Cité stands out with its unique design. The entire interior of the building has been decorated by EN MASSE, a collaborative street art project based in Montreal. Talented local artists have adorned almost every wall with swirly black-and-white murals. The concept is consistent throughout the entire building: Most of the communal areas are shiny and white, with monochromatic murals along the walls, and a few bold wall designs of vibrant colour. The residence also plans many events to engage the community, such as weekly wine and cheese gatherings and lounge parties with guest DJs. Parc Cité is a modern and trendy residence with a friendly and unique atmosphere.

     

    General information:

    Lease: Two-12 months

    Monthly rent per person: Starting from $999 per month (singles) and $599 per month (doubles) for 12-month leases

    Well-suited for: Students who want to stay close to campus, and are drawn to experiencing another dimension of urban living

     

     

a, Opinion

Commentary: Exercising justice at the McGill Fitness Centre

by Albert Park on

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Controversy stirred on campus last week as Soumia Allalou and Raymond Grafton, two McGill Law students, reached out to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) asking for endorsement for the implementation of women-only hours at the McGill Fitness Centre. Despite the fact that this is a common feature in many athletic facilities, including the fitness centres at York University, University of Toronto, and Ryerson University, the proposal itself has been met with negative responses. However, a critical look at the matter reveals that McGill Athletics has a responsibility to institute this change in order to remain consistent with the university’s goal of creating a safe and inclusive environment.

At the heart of the issue is the topic of religious and cultural tolerance. The primary reason female-only hours are being asked for is because some women are unable to exercise around men due to religious reasons. From hosting dry frosh activities to educating students about the importance of respecting other’s sexual decisions during Consent Week, the McGill administration and student body work hard to ensure that no student’s experiences on campus are hindered or devalued by his or her personal or religious decisions. The same approach applies to academics; McGill aims to ensure fairness with its policy that students are not to be penalized if they cannot be attend an exam on their religious holidays. Considering all of these policies that McGill has in place, it is odd that the same level of religious respect and promise of equal opportunity is not in effect with McGill Athletics.

Furthermore, the change would not only benefit those with religious restrictions. In fact, many women without religious restrictions may prefer to work out in a female-only setting because they may feel intimidated or uncomfortable using the gym in the presence of men out of fear of judgment or attracting unwanted attention.

The argument that women-only hours are unfair to men fails to realize that some women are completely missing out on a right that all should have as paying students.

The intimidation factor applies especially to the weight section, which is dominated by males. Some females may rarely ever enter the weight training area because of this. Therefore, women-only hours would even benefit the women who already go to the fitness centre by allowing them to experiment with new sections that they may typically not approach. In fact, women-only hours would help divide up the machine usage in general. Anyone who has gone to the Fitness Centre knows that there is a different distribution of men and women in the various areas of the gym. The cardio section is used frequently by females, and is usually the most crowded area of the gym. Women-only hours would help reduce this clog during the high traffic hours. Overall, this would allow for a more equal balance of the different machines between men and women, and would encourage, or at least make it possible, for everyone to try new activities.

Some may argue that women-only hours are unfair to men who would have to pay the same amount of money for fewer howers of service, and that those desiring that those desiring this feature should look for another gym. However, there is a large discrepancy between the student price offered by the McGill Fitness Centre and gyms outside campus. For example, a nearby female-only facility, Energie Cardio Pour Elle, charges $43 a month for students, compared to $25 per semester for the McGill Fitness Centre. Therefore, the argument that women-only hours are unfair to men fails to realize that some women are completely missing out altogether on the right to access fitness facilities that all should have as paying students, while the ones making the argument would only have shortened hours. Therefore, in order to remain faithful to McGill’s goal of creating a safe, tolerant, and community-oriented environment, the McGill Fitness Centre should introduce women-only hours as soon as possible.

a, Opinion

Commentary: Employment insurance ineffective in Canada

by Justin Hatherly on

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Over the past few decades, Canadians have taken steps—from the Canada Pension Plan to universal health care—to make Canada a more caring and equitable society. However, despite politicians’ best intentions, these societal efforts can sometimes produce unintended negative consequences. Nowhere is this more evident than with the current design of the employment insurance (EI) system.

In 1971, the Liberal government dramatically expanded and increased the generosity of the EI program. Under the new system, seasonal workers were insured, benefits were enhanced, and for the first time, the qualifying period for EI was determined on a regional basis. Though seemingly compassionate on the surface, these reforms had a negative impact on large parts of the country.

In order to understand why insuring seasonal workers is a problem, one should start off by examining how insurance operates. People insure themselves against unpredictable events, such as fires or floods. The same principles can be applied to unemployment. Given the risk of unexpected layoffs, it makes sense for workers to band together to insure each other and provide temporary income support. By having all workers in a government-run insurance program, costs can be kept low and coverage broad.

However, seasonal work does not operate in the same way due to its predictable nature. For example, it is a certainty that a ski instructor will be out of work in the off-season.

In the absence of an employment insurance program, seasonal employers would have to pay their workers enough to make them stick around from one season to the next. Moreover, as the government subsidizes seasonal work and unemployment, both of these phenomenon become more prevalent.

In short, EI is an incredibly inefficient and poorly designed program, rewarding a token bout of seasonal work with months of tax-financed idleness.

[Employment insurance] is an incredibly ineffective and poorly designed program, rewarding a token bout of seasonal work with months of tax-financed idleness.

Regional EI entry requirements also impede the functioning of a fluid national labor market. These requirements mean that in regions with unemployment rates above the national average, workers only have to pay into the EI fund for six weeks as opposed to 16. In many parts of Western Canada, robust economic growth has contributed to labor shortages. In Atlantic Canada, there is close to a double-digit percentage of unemployment. One would think that the simultaneous existence of these two situations would be complementary: Canadians in regions of high unemployment could take jobs in areas of the country with demand for workers.

However, some entry requirements in parts of the nation are an active deterrent to unemployed workers in those regions from taking jobs in other regions. For example, if unemployed seasonal workers were to move to Alberta in search of work, and were unable to find it, their sparing work history would mean their contributions to the EI fund would be insufficient to qualify for benefits under these tougher rules. Thus, regionally enhanced EI can deter Canadians from migrating to other parts of the nation to meet labour market needs. This has a detrimental effect on the labour market, and worsens the performance of the economy as a whole.

Easy access to EI for seasonal workers has contributed to a persistent unemployment problem in many areas of the country like Nova Scotia, and a consensus forecast among economists estimates that the system has led to a permanent two per cent structural unemployment gap compared to that in the U.S.

To rectify the situation, EI should return to its original purpose as a government-administered insurance program for workers with one national set of eligibility requirements and benefit levels. To protect themselves, seasonal workers should be forced to save a certain proportion of their income in a specific account to provide a degree of income security when unemployed.

Most people want a fair society, but sometimes, policy making doesn’t work as planned. It is time to reform EI and do away with the unintended negative consequences that result from Canada’s flawed EI system.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Timbuktu : The jarring reality of a not-so distant land

by Alex Bullis on

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In a world where the social fallout from militant and extremist religious groups is often reduced to sound bites and headlines from overseas, it is all too easy for the West to overlook the daily lives of residents in war-torn regions in favour of more glamourized news. In Timbuktu, director Abderrahmane Sissako vividly and harshly illuminates the realities of everyday survival in lands caught in the crossfire of violent Islamist extremism.  

Loosely tied together by the story of a local cow herder unsuccessfully trying to avoid conflict, the film cuts sharply and abrasively between the lives of various locals and their experiences under the occupation of militant group Ansar Dine in Western Africa. Each character has a distinctive and tragic personal angle on the crisis—from an unmarried couple caught and executed for fornication to a young woman arrested and violently lashed for nothing more than singing in her own home.

Timbuktu often focuses on the absurdity and contradiction present throughout the radicals’ occupation of the city. Soldiers proclaim through bullhorns that soccer is illegal before arguing about their favourite Champions League teams in an alleyway. Police quietly debate between themselves whether it is right to arrest a group for playing music if they are doing so to praise Allah. A local worshipper chastises a band of foot soldiers for entering a mosque with shoes and guns. These are the small yet revealing dialogues that allow Sissako to, in a small way, humanize the militants, managing to illustrate their naiveté, confusion, and unrelenting barbarism. The film shows a world where it often appears that not even the oppressive forces themselves fully understand their horrific actions, or the rationale for their behaviour.

The lives and determination of the occupied is portrayed more clearly than the villainy and heinousness of the occupying forces. As more and more restrictive laws are put in place, the citizens of Timbuktu react with subtle and careful acts of defiance. This is showcased in what is likely the most visually striking scene in the film: After a man is lashed for playing soccer, he and his teammates continue to play, but with an imaginary ball so that they cannot be punished. It is a bittersweet triumph for the locals in the face of overwhelming tragedy.

The emotional power of the film comes less from what it shows than from what it leaves off camera. In very few cases is violence directly shown on-screen, but when it is, it is sharp and without significant warning. This caustic and shocking approach to the depiction of violence in the town effectively mirrors the unpredictability within such communities. It also allows Timbuktu to avoid the common trope of modern sociopolitical dramas using graphic depictions of violence alone to create emotional tension, relying instead upon plot and setting to do this work. Repeated shots of masked soldiers proclaiming oppressive regulations through megaphones in the streets, in conjunction with the unease caused by the cinematography, created a powerful sense of dread and fear that violent scenes could not.

This omnipresent sense of dread is consistently reflected in the actors’ faces as well. Facial expressions and body language are used far more commonly than verbal communication throughout the film to illustrate the emotional gravity of situations, and are executed with great precision by all members of the cast. Extended scenes with little to no conversation consistently advance the plot in directions that even the most masterfully conceived dialogue would struggle to achieve.

By clearly and tastefully showing the truth of the human experience of life in cities occupied by extremist radicals, Timbuktu provides a new and conscious perspective on an issue of undeniable relevance to the 21st century. It is a raw and emotionally gripping film that avoids clichés and oversimplifications of issues, consistently encouraging viewers to explore and question their understanding of the implications of violent religious fundamentalism as a whole. 

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Deep Cuts: Mellow and meditative

by Evelyn Kaczmarek on

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Weightless

Artist: Marconi Union 

Album: Single

Released: October 16, 2011

 

In 2011, with the help of professional sound therapists, the British artist Marconi Union purposely crafted the most relaxing song of all time. The eight-minute ambient track is a conglomerate of perfectly calculated harmonic intervals, designed to induce a calming euphoria. The continuous pulsing rhythm of 60 BPM can miraculously cause listeners’ brainwaves and heart rate to synchronize with the song in a process called “entrainment.” In a scientific study, it proved to reduce stress by 65 per cent in listeners, so plug in right before your next midterm.

 

Watermark

Artist: Enya 

Album: Watermark

Released: September 19, 1988

 

If you think Enya is just for crying middle-aged women, you’re wrong. Enya is most definitely for crying women at any age. Crying men too. And crying children and crying babies. She is for anyone at anytime, tears or no tears. The Celtic goddess’ ethereal melodies provide the perfect dosage of Zen heaven and ’90s nostalgia. Any of her songs have the power to relax and uplift, but “Watermark” is especially pensive—even without any of her soothing vocals to complement, this Enya composition delivers.  

 

The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is out to get us! 

Artist: Sufjan Stevens

Album: Illinois

Released: July 4, 2005

 

Listening to this piece from Sufjan Stevens’ fifth studio album, Illinois, feels likes exhaling a deep breath. The song varies a lot in tempo and style, but there is a consistent baseline of tranquility throughout.  The three-four beat and nostalgic lyrics joined with Stevens’ hauntingly soothing voice provides a positively soothing masterpiece.   

 

Avril 14th 

Artist: Aphex Twin 

Album: drukQs

Released: October 22, 2001

 

This gorgeous acoustic piano piece presents a departure from Aphex Twin’s better-known work, which is more exclusively electronic. You might recognize it as the sampled track on Kanye West’s 2010 single “Blame Game” featuring John Legend. However, on its own; the piece tells an intimate melodic story—one that is infinitely melancholic but simultaneously quite hopeful. It makes for a reflective and life-affirming listening experience.

 

a, Student Life, The Viewpoint

The Viewpoint: Learning not to settle

by Tiffany Le on

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Although “Rez life” had its perks, I longed for a completely separate, individual space for most of first semester. The outrageous cost of living in Carrefour Sherbrooke was a frustrating experience; paying a ridiculous amount every month made me feel entitled to be treated like an honoured guest. I felt cheated and annoyed at the restrictions imposed on me, such as not being able to have more than two guests over and needing to sign them in. I needed the buffer experience of being quasi-independent for a year, but I was itching to fully take control of my life.

My roommates and I wanted to dabble in apartment hunting as early as possible and started looking online during the winter break. It was pointless. There were no ads for leases that started in September 2015, and therefore no prospect of even considering any of the options. However, it offered us the opportunity to discuss our tastes and agree on the general aesthetics and location of the home we wanted.

When January rolled around, new ads for housing options appeared. We discovered a small company called Werkliv, where we found the listings of  a McGill graduate who renovated duplexes, marketing them towards students. We set a date and visited several of their units all at once. While we were not too keen on the first apartment we visited, the second apartment we visited was an eclectic and modern space that included a vintage lamp and a cozy kitchen with the pots and pans all hung up on the wall. It was perfect. We even chose our rooms; I wanted the one with the fire escape because I watched too many films growing up where fascinating conversations were carried out in that setting—I completely romanticized the idea. The landlord was surprisingly easy-going and helpful—all the pieces looked like they were falling into place. That night I called my parents and told them we found the one. I thought it was a done deal.

But it turned out that one of our roommates did not want the apartment after further consideration. Her parents were not comfortable with the unit being on the ground floor for security reasons, and she realized she could not compromise with her windowless room. I was devastated. I was so stuck on the idea of finally having a home that it felt like an incomprehensibly huge loss.

In retrospect, that duplex was not  really the idealistic space I had initially perceived it to be. I did not have much to compare it to, having only visited one other rental prior. The apartment was tiny and barely had any common space. Although it was beautifully decorated, this only served to mask how narrow the floor plan was. It was not cheap, did not include any amenities, and did not even fall within our ideal location. So many aspects of the place did not comply with my expectations, but the thrill and excitement of the experience made me blind to the imperfections.

A couple weeks later, one of my roommates and I were talking late at night and decided to peruse Craigslist, where we stumbled across another student start-up that manages different apartment units and leases apartments. The company, Flatbook, was unique in that during the summer, it takes care of subletting the apartment. It also included heat, electricity, and wifi in the rent, and furnished all of the apartments. We found two apartments that appeared to suit us. Stylistically, the photographs online did not reveal much, but we could tell that this was a good deal.

When we got around to visiting, the location really caught us off guard. The second duplex was situated in a beautiful old neighbourhood on the edge of the Plateau, complete with wild spindly trees. The interior of the home had a mixture of wood floors, high ceilings, and intricate walls. We had two balconies, lots of room for storage, and an impressive collection of wine bottles. We signed the lease shortly after. 

Throughout the entire apartment hunting experience, I realized that it really is rare to hit the jackpot on the first try, but it is worth it not to settle. Montreal is a huge city; in the end, taking the effort to spend more time seeking out what’s available will lead to a huge payoff. 

a, Men's Varsity, Sports

Redmen cling to top seed, split weekend series

by Aaron Rose on

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McGill Redmen
60

UQÀM Citadins
59

It certainly wasn’t a pretty weekend for the McGill Redmen (10-5), but it looks like the squad will head into the RSEQ tournament as the top seed regardless. On Thursday night, the Redmen faced off against a desperate UQÀM (4-10) squad, who needed a victory to stay alive in the playoff hunt. The Citadins gave McGill all they could handle, but the Redmen squeaked out a one-point 60-59 victory to avoid the upset. Two days later, the Redmen traveled over to Concordia where the Stingers managed to defeat a hobbled McGill squad 69-61.

With sophomore guard Dele Ogundokun out of the lineup due to an ankle injury, Head Coach David DeAveiro turned to freshman guard Jawara Pedican to start against the Citadins. Pedican struggled early, scoring just three points before being relegated to the bench for the entire second half. UQÀM certainly wasn’t spectacular, but with Ogundokun and senior forward Rodrigo Imperador out of the lineup, the Redmen struggled to score.

“Defensively, they caused us a lot of troubles with their switching,” DeAveiro said.

Fifth year wing Alexandre Bernard couldn’t go wrong for the Citadins in the first half, scoring 15 of his 25 points in the first two quarters.

“Bernard was outstanding tonight,” DeAveiro said. “We had no answer for him.”

It was only in the second half that the Redmen were finally able to contain the 24-year old star, holding him to 10 points on 37.5 per cent shooting.

After a miserable six-point second quarter, McGill found itself trailing by eight heading into the break. DeAveiro decided to shorten the bench in the second half, a decision that paid off, as sophomore guards Jenning Leung and Regis Ivaniukas combined for 21 second half points.

“My teammates were making good decisions and I was open in the corners,” Ivaniukas said.

Down by two with just under three minutes remaining, second year big man François Bourque found himself open at the top of the arc for a three. Converting at a 23 per cent rate from long range this season, he’s not normally who the Redmen trust to hit threes, but when his team needed him most, Bourque stepped up and nailed it.

UQÀM pulled ahead by one with a minute remaining before Redmen captain Vincent Dufort got to the line and hit both of his free throws to give the Redmen a two-point lead.

With 12 seconds remaining, UQÀM had the ball and was down by one, but McGill smothered the Citadins and forced a contested jump shot that was off the mark.

“We just kind of find ways to win games down the stretch,” DeAveiro said. “We dig down deep and just find a way.”

Unfortunately, the Redmen couldn’t close out the Stingers on Saturday. Again, McGill started out slow with Ogundokun out of the lineup, scoring just seven points in the first quarter. Concordia pulled ahead by 10 in the third, before the Redmen stormed back to take a five-point lead early in the fourth. The Stingers responded with a 10-2 run and never relinquished the lead, beating McGill by eight.

The goal for the squad is to hoist a third straight RSEQ Championship, but for that to happen, they need to get healthy and regain their edge.

“We have to put a full 40 [minutes] together against Laval [next Friday night],” sophomore guard Michael Peterkin said. “Games are only going to get tougher from here on out. We’re a better team than we’re showing right now.”

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