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a, Men's Varsity, Sports

Labrecque, Redmen cruise into OUA East Finals

by Elie Waitzer on

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McGill Redmen
2

Queen's Gaels
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The McGill Redmen (21-5-0) showed why they came into the OUA East semifinals as clear favourites on Friday night, sweeping the best-of-three series against the Queen’s Golden Gaels (13-12-1) with ease. Following a come-from-behind 3-1 win in game two in Kingston, the Redmen will get a few days to rest before taking on UQTR in the OUA East Finals.

McGill went into game one of the series riding the momentum of back-to-back wins against Concordia and got on the scoreboard first with a redirected goal off the stick of star centre Cedric McNicoll midway through the second period.

Momentum in the game quickly shifted, however, as McGill began to get into serious penalty trouble. Queen’s tied it up on a power play goal just seven minutes after McNicoll’s goal, and succeeded in getting under the Redmen players’ skin over the last two periods. The Gaels, however, greatly underestimated the task of scoring shorthanded goals against McGill this season.

The Redmen, who had one of the top penalty-killing units in the CIS this year, managed to fend off five straight power play opportunities before striking back with a power play goal of their own with just minutes left in the third period. After getting the puck from star defenceman Samuel Labrecque, junior winger Jonathan Brunelle fired a shot at Queen’s goalie Kevin Bailie. The puck was tipped into the net by junior winger Patrick Delisle-Houde for the go-ahead goal.

The Redmen have now allowed just two goals over 20 power play opportunities in the playoffs thus far, but as any Redmen player will tell you, much of the credit goes to the man in net, sophomore Jacob Gervais-Chouinard. Head Coach Kelly Nobes has tapped Gervais-Chouinard as the team’s starting goalie in the playoffs, and he has not disappointed, posting a 4-1 record to go along with a .932 save percentage through five games.

Though Queen’s scored first in game two, the Gaels looked desperate in the face of elimination and the Redmen dispatched their opponents with a strong third period. Following what may go down as one of the greatest offensive regular seasons by a defenseman in OUA history, Samuel Labrecque began adding to his post-season legend, scoring twice in a 17-second span to put McGill up for good. It also happened to be his birthday.

After Labrecque’s one-timer off a pass from Brunelle knotted the score at 1-1, the referees called a penalty on a Queen’s assistant coach following a comment directed at the officiating team. Back on the power play, McNicoll wasted no time getting the puck back into the Gaels’ zone, quickly feeding Labrecque for another one-timer that caught Bailie off-guard. Junior winger Max Le Sieur added an empty netter with 50 seconds remaining to seal the victory for the Redmen.

Moving forward, the Redmen will need to continue to be lock down their end of the ice and make the most of their opportunities on offence—the deeper it gets into the post-season, the more consistency will matter.

a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: Imagine Dragons – Smoke and Mirrors

by Jack Neal on

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“I’m sorry for everything I’ve done,” confesses Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds on the opening song of the band’s second album, Smoke and Mirrors—something he should absolutely feel the need to apologize for. Whilst their debut, Night Visions (2012) was, albeit a bit of a mess, it was an exciting mess with huge, soaring choruses and energy to match during live performances. Smoke & Mirrors isn’t necessarily a step forward; it’s more of the same, but less. 

With “Shots,” the album begins with an upbeat, galloping drumbeat supported sound and showcases Reynolds’ surprisingly strong vocals. It’s an airy, falsetto-abound sound; however, that same airiness lacks a proper grounding and sincerity in the lyricism to support the emotional statements.

 This plagues the entire album. On “It Comes Back To Me,” Reynolds claims that it’s “all the things that worry are all the things you don’t believe,” without actually digging any deeper than proclaiming this. He then repeats “It comes back to you” numerous times as if to reiterate the point. It ends up being monotonous, uninspiring, and it would be nice if in fact the band didn’t ‘come back’ with more surface-level rubbish in the next song, “Smoke & Mirrors.” 

 Yet it doesn’t get any better; “I’m So Sorry” is a blatant rip-off of The Black Keys; “I Bet My Life” is a generic, overarching, swooping indie-anthem—a well-trodden path. “Gold,” despite its ‘Black Skinhead’-esque intro, is one of the most annoying and disjointed songs you’ll ever hear.

 Reynolds’ vocals are pretty good, and songs such as “Polaroid” excel with its stripped-back production and nursery-rhyme style. But even this fails to properly convey any sort of sincerity, and when coupled with lackluster production, Smoke and Mirrors is a lot of smoke without any fire.     

 
 
 
 
 

a, McGill, Montreal, News

Scholars examine racial discourse and practices in Canada, United States

by Monica Allaby on

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A panel discussion on the history and development of anti-black racial practices in Canada and the United States was held on Feb. 16 as part of the David A. Freedman Speaker Series. Titled “Discourses of Race: The United States, Canada, and Transnational Anti-Blackness,” the event was organized by the McGill Black Students’ Network, the McGill Debating Union, the Women of Colour Collective at McGill Law School, Media @ McGill, and the McGill Department of History.

Panellists included Dr. Darryl Leroux, sociology professor at St. Mary’s University; Frank Mackey, an author on black history in Canada and Quebec; and Dr. Charmaine Nelson, art history professor at McGill University.

Rachel Zellers, a PhD candidate at McGill who on critical race theory, moderated the discussion. She opened the conversation by reflecting on the interchanges of racial segregation practices between the U.S. and Canada. 

Zellers remarked that although Jim Crow practices are typically understood as uniquely American, they were also present in Canada.

“Jim Crow did not respect nation-state boundaries,” Zellers said. “Canadians turned to American Southerners for clear clues on how to handle blacks migrating into Canada, adapting Jim Crow to fit into Canada’s political archetype.”

She argued that the transnationalism of Jim Crow laws can be understood through historic moments in the U.S. and their influence in Canada. She highlighted the Fugitive Slave Acts, which were a pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of runaway slaves.

“In 1850, for example, the implementation of the Fugitive Slave Acts in the U.S. took place,” she said. “At the same time in Canada, 1850 saw the enactments of legalized racial segregation in Upper Canada’s schooling system.” 

Zellers explained that between 1896 and 1911, the Canadian Department of Immigration created its own Jim Crow policies to deter black migration to the West. By 1911, the Laurier government instituted the first federal law in Canada based on racial exclusion that banned black immigration into Canada. 

“The Canadian Department of Immigration halted the migration of black farming families from the U.S. by sending its agents into Oklahoma and Kansas to pay bribes directly to prominent black American community leaders,” she said. “Black physicians were paid to tour and testify that a biological lack of fitness prevented black bodies to survive the frigid conditions in [the] Canadian West.”

Nelson, who explores race through art history in her teaching, then reflected on her own experiences at McGill, stating that students are often surprised by her desire to talk about race in a Canadian context.

“I have yet to encounter the Canadian student who enters knowing that slavery happened in Canada,” she said. “This is not a conversation that should be happening for the first time in a university setting.”

In the latter part of the panel discussion, Zellers focused the discussion on slavery in Quebec. The panellists agreed that Quebec’s relationship to racism and slavery was and remains particularly unique. 

“In Quebec, French people emphasize their marginalization rather than their privilege,” Nelson said. “They only ever speak of themselves as victims within the context of Canadian society, rather than oppressors [….] However, we need to talk about the need to maintain anti-ethnic practices.”

Zellers said that Quebec’s history has long been misrepresented, explaining that slave practices in Quebec were influenced by the U.S. and England.

“In New France, 17th century [French] colonists justified their indigenous slavery by closely observing French Atlantic slave practices [of black slaves],” she said. “They aimed to make their indigenous slaves ‘like negroes.’”

Near the end of the conference, the conversation became heated when Mackey suggested that slavery in Quebec took on a different form than it had in the U.S. Leroux quickly refuted Mackey’s claim.

“The only reason plantations were not present in Quebec is because it was unprofitable due to the Canadian climate,” Leroux said.

Zellers wrapped up the discussion by responding to Mackey’s remarks. 

“Those discrepancies or differences between how brutal or how less brutal slavery was in the context of Canada are not important to me at the end of the day,” Zellers said. “At the end of the day, when the talking point is really about one humanity, that’s all that matters. The differences in brutality serve a purpose in my mind that serves white people much more than black people.” 

a, McGill, Montreal, News

McGill experts discuss Supreme Court decision on physician-assisted death

by Ashley Kong on

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The Supreme Court’s ruling on Feb. 6 against the criminal ban of physician-assisted death has sparked questions amongst McGill experts regarding Canada’s future legislation on the issue.  

According to the Supreme Court judgment, the Criminal Code that currently bans individuals from assisting others in suicide is in contradiction with the Constitution. The Court ruled that access to physician-assisted death should be granted to clearly consenting, competent adults who wish to remove intolerable suffering under terminal illness, disease, or disability by undergoing physician-assisted death.

Quebec had previously passed Bill 52 in June 2014, which ensured Quebecers access to medical aid in dying as well as palliative care­—healthcare for terminally-ill patients.

According to Pierre Deschamps, barrister and member of McGill Research Group of Health and Law, the Supreme Court’s framing of persons eligible for physician-assisted death is broader than Quebec’s Bill 52.

“The Supreme Court did not say that this would occur at the end of one’s life,” Deschamps said. “The Quebec legislation says that in order for one to  [avail] himself of the medical aid to die, [the person] must be at the end of his life—kind of a terminal position.”

The ruling of the Supreme Court would also allow for physician-assisted suicide, in addition to the physician-assisted death that Bill 52 addresses. 

“Physician-assisted death [is] where the physician will administer [the patient’s] dose of medication [inducing death],” Deschamps said. “Physician-assisted suicide [is] where the physician will provide the patient […] with the medication, and it’s going to be up to the patient to use or not use [it].”

Deschamps suggested that the Supreme Court’s judgement may result in changes to Bill 52.

“The Quebec legislation will need to adapt itself or [a] change of rule in order to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision based on the charter,” he said.

The Supreme Court refused to issue a constitutional exemption which would be special constitutional permission to the appellant to commit an act which is against a certain law. Instead, the court issued a declaration that the Criminal Code’s current invalidation of physician-assisted death is deferred for 12 months, leaving it to the federal government to make a legislative response. 

“[Issuing] such an exemption would create uncertainty, undermine the rule of law, and usurp Parliament’s role,” the court report reads. “Complex regulatory regimes are better created by Parliament than by the courts [….] We would suspend the declaration of invalidity for 12 months.”

Federal government and provinces will need to address the ruling through legislation within the 12-month period to replace the criminal ban invalidated by the court. In light of Quebec’s experience with Bill 52, however, Deschamps said that he believes 12 months might not be enough for thorough consultation and discourse. 

“Before the Quebec legislation was adopted, there were five years where there were consultations with [Quebecers], with the College of Physicians, with numerous groups,”  Deschamps said. “The Quebec government [then said] they would allow 18 months in order to prepare for the implementation of what is in the law. The Supreme Court gave the provinces and federal government a year to cover both aspects of physician-assisted suicide and physician-assisted death, and we all know that takes more than one year.” 

According to Robert Leckey, associate professor at McGill’s Faculty of Law, if the federal government will not draft a new law on physician-assisted death, provincial legislation would be even more necessary. 

“It’s just possible the federal government would say, ‘We’re not able to deal with this, we don’t want to deal with this, our voters don’t want us to deal with this.’” Leckey said. “If they do nothing […] it becomes even more important for provinces to [draft legislation].”

Margaret Somerville, professor at McGill’s Faculty of Law and founding director of McGill Centre of Ethics, Medicine and Law, raised concerns that the qualification for physician-assisted death in Canada, including Quebec, is set too low.

“The Supreme Court didn’t even mention that you have to be terminally ill,” she said. “The Supreme Court talked about [when] you have an incurable disease and you have suffering­—and the suffering is to be judged by you. If you said your suffering was unbearable, that’s what had to be accepted.”

Carolyn Ells, associate professor at McGill’s Faculty of Medicine, is based in the Biomedical Ethics Unit and suggested that such a choice to remove suffering by withdrawing from life should be available.

“[For some health professionals,] they see there are the rare cases where the end of life is truly unbearable,” she said. “They try and try to make it as best as they can, but it’s awful for some patients [.…] Even if you may not want to go [for physician-assisted death], maybe it is the right thing to do sometimes.”

According to Ells, physician-assisted death should not be a replacement to palliative care. She suggests that legalizing physician-assisted death should come with improving palliative care.

“For [physician-assisted death] in Quebec […] we’re not forcing that it is part of palliative care intervention itself, but it’s among many options people might choose [from],” Ells said. “People would still want palliative care [….] That is a very good motivation to improve the options.”

Somerville also advocated for more safeguards on the implementation of physician-assisted death if it is passed, such as requiring the authorization of a judge to proceed, similar to current procedures in detaining mentally ill patients.

“[It needs be ensured] that it is only used in rare cases,” she said. “Surely killing somebody is more serious than keeping a person in the [Allen Memorial Institute] for an extra day […] so it’s not an unusual thing to require.”

Ells also stressed the importance of respecting democracy in the legislation process, and that death should not be a taboo in public discussion.

“I’m in the waiting game too ,” Ells said. “Situations have changed because of the Supreme Court of Canada. In a democratic country where we value each individual person’s view, […] it’s important for people to talk about value and death [….] It can’t be avoided.”

a, Research Briefs, Science & Technology

Research Briefs—Feb. 24, 2015

by Chloe Nevitt on

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  • Giving the finger

    The notion that there exists a correlation between the length of a person’s finger and their amicability may seem strange. However, researchers from McGill University are showing exactly that—but only in men. Scientists, by comparing the length of the index second finger (2D) to the fourth finger (4D), have created a reproducible standard for predicting behaviours in people known as the 2D:4D ratio.

    “Men with smaller 2D:4D ratios were more likely to engage in behaviours such as listening attentively, smiling, compromising, expressing reassurance and complimenting the other person,” explained Professor Debbie Moskowitz, lead author of the study.

    A person’s level of amiability can be made into a single mean by evaluating their reactions throughout the day, explained professor emeritus, Dr. Simon Young, a co-author on the study.

    “[Moskowitz] had developed a pretty nice method for looking at human social behaviour in everyday life,” Simon said. “People would check off various interactions that they had engaged in throughout the day.”

    For this study, Moskowitz and her colleagues studied 155 men and women over the course of 20 days and had them complete evaluation forms. From this data, Moskowitz was able to compile two major axes: Dominant or submissive, and agreeable or quarrelsome. The participant’s overall behaviour could then be averaged into one category. The team found that these character traits were directly correlated to the 2D:4D ratio.

    “The ratio of index finger to your ring finger for the 2D:4D ratio is related to testosterone exposure in utero,” explained Simon.

    Digit ratio has been shown to be determined by the amount of testosterone that the fetus was exposed to during development. According to past studies, it is highly likely that these same hormones affect development of the brain, which could account for the differences in behavior. Men with smaller 2D:4D ratios have had higher levels of hormone exposure, and were more likely to act agreeably with women, while the men with larger 2D:4D ratios had lower hormone exposure in utero, and were also more quarrelsome.

    “It gives this neat marker of what happened when an adult’s brain was developing,” Simon said.

    Other studies have shown that correlations exist between the 2D:4D ratio and the number of children a person will have, whether a person would be monogamous or not, and a person’s risk of developing cancer. Interestingly, these effects are absent in women.

    These results come as no surprise to the researchers and add to the ever-growing list of literature that relates digit ratio with behavioural and physical traits.

    “It’s interesting from two points of view,” Young said. “First of all, what is happening in the fetal brain can program the adult in this extremely specific way. And the second thing is human social interaction. This is just one more little piece in the puzzle of the factors influencing it, which we really need to know more about.”

  • New HPV vaccine effective against nine viral strains

    Two vaccines currently exist to protect against HPV. Cervarix is a “bivalent” vaccine, meaning that it contains viral antigens against two strains of HPV. It protects against the two most common cancer-causing strains, HPV-16, and 18, whereas “quadrivalent” Gardasil protects against four strains, HPV-6, 11, 16 and 18. Unfortunately, these aren’t the only strains that can cause cancer, and optimizing viral protection is key.

    In a recent paper in the New England Journal of Medicine a new vaccine—Gardasil 9—offers protection against the original four strains, as well as HPV-31, 33, 45, 52, and 58—making it nine-valent. When conducting clinical trials, this new vaccine showed a 20 per cent increase in protection against genital cancers in women between the ages of 16 and 26.

    While Gardasil 9 is associated with an increase in side effects from using the vaccine compared to its counterparts, the cancers that the vaccine protect against are not comparably dangerous. These side effects are expected due to the fact that the new vaccine has more viral antigens. The side effects include headaches, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue.

    Despite the assumption that only women should be vaccinated for HPV, in reality, it is highly recommended that HPV vaccines be administered to men and women. Men who have sex with other men and have not been vaccinated are also at risk from HPV-related diseases. Vaccinations contribute to protecting everyone, explained Dan Apter, lead author on the study.

a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: The Dodos – Individ

by Anna St. Clair on

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San Francisco indie band, The Dodos leaves behind its acoustic-folk sounds of 2008’s The Visitor and 2013’s Carrier for the neurotic industrial rock of its sixth release, Individ. The band’s usual intricate drum patterns and haunting lyrics make the album worth a listen, but the musical creativity of past works is lacking. 

The album has a promising opening, with the ominous guitar feedback and frantic strumming of “Precipitation.” Once the vocals pick up, there is a shift into heavy guitar chords but mundane melodies. Much of the guitar on the rest of the album falls into a pattern of sharp, repetitive strumming, which makes for a rudimentary sound.  One track that manages to stand out musically is “Goodbye’s and Endings,” in which both the percussion and guitar are more detailed and the electronic bridges add some variety.

While the guitar riffs are at times mind-numbingly drab, the haunting lyrics on tracks like “The Tide” show The Dodos’ strength as lyricists. Lines like “We’ll keep playing/ Until there is nothing/ There’ll be no room at the bottom” seem to mesh well with the anxious music. But the vocals of frontman Meric Long have never been The Dodos’ strength, and the indistinguishable groans on Individ are again flat and mediocre.  

It’s clear that The Dodos were trying to take its sound in a new direction, and while the fast and pointed guitar and percussion, feedback noise, and gothic lyrics prevent the album from being a total snooze fest, overall the album is forgettable.

 
 
 
 
 
 

a, Martlets, Men's Varsity, Sports

The week that was for McGill Athletics: February 24th

by Zikomo Smith on

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Athletes of the week

Samuel Labrecque

Birthday boy Labrecque scored two goals in 17 seconds to propel McGill to the OUA East finals on Friday. Labrecque was the key figure in McGill’s 2-0 sweep of Queens; in the series opener, he assisted both of McGill’s goals in their 2-1 victory. Labrecque doesn’t only show up on his birthday—he has been an offensive force this entire season. He leads all OUA players in playoff goals with five in as many matchups. He also scored 13 goals in the regular season, the most of any defenceman in the CIS. He is also only five goals away from the record for most goals in a season by a McGill defenceman and three away from holding the record for the most game winners in a season by a defenceman, all as a freshman. 

Alex Kiss-Rusk

Centre Alex Kiss-Rusk continued her front court dominance this week with strong performances against the Concordia Stingers and the UQÀM Citadins. She recorded 11 boards and 13 points against the Stingers on Saturday, two days after going 100 per cent from the free throw line on her way to a team-high 15 points, six boards, and three blocks against UQÀM. Her play was a big part of the Martlets out-rebounding their opponents by a lopsided 113 to 64. With the 6’4” Psychology major in the low post, McGill should feel confident matching up against any team in the playoffs.

Beyond the box score

Martlet Hockey

McGill (16-4) came back swinging in the third period against the Ottawa Gee Gees on Friday to win 3-1 and crush the Gee Gees’ dream of ending their 43-game losing streak to the Martlets. With the win and a Carabins loss in overtime against Concordia, McGill also secured the RSEQ division title. As a result, McGill will face Ottawa for the second straight year in the best-of-three RSEQ semifinals. Alexandria Serpico scored the game-winning goal three minutes into the third period, and Melodie Daoust continued her fine form as she slotted McGill’s 7th shorthanded goal this season to put the game out of reach with 29 seconds left to play. Brittney Fouracres also contributed a goal to the winning effort. McGill demonstrated its offensive dominance in outshooting the Gee Gees 46-9. The Martlets will undoubtedly be confident going into their matchup against Ottawa. They finished the season on a five-game winning streak, in which they avenged their ignominious 0-5 loss to the Montreal Carabins by defeating them 6-3.

Martlet Basketball 

By defeating Concordia (6-9) 65-53 on Saturday, the Martlets extended their conference record to 14-1 just two days after clinching the RSEQ regular season title for the fifth year in a row. Fourteen regular season games is the most a Martlet squad has won during Coach Thorne’s tenure. 

Forwards Mariam Sylla and Alex Kiss-Rusk continued their dominant play with routine double doubles. Both pulled down 11 rebounds apiece, while Sylla dropped 20 points and Kiss-Rusk tallied 13 points. The team out-rebounded the Stingers 39-21 on the back of these performances. Starting point guard Dianna Ros moved the ball effectively with six assists. McGill also improved its shooting performance from Thursday shooting 44.3 per cent from the field while holding the Stingers to 32.2 per cent. McGill will finish the season against Laval on Thursday, Feb. 27. The team will face either Concordia or Laval in the RSEQ semifinals based on the outcome of the final week of the regular season.

 

By the numbers

5 – The number of goals the McGill Redmen scored in their OUA East semifinal sweep of Queen’s, and the number of goals that defenceman Samuel Labreque has scored in the playoffs so far.

9 – The number of personal bests recorded by the McGill University swim team at the CIS Championships at the University of Victoria this weekend.

71 – The number of rebounds the Martlet basketball squad pulled down against the UQÀM Citadins. They added 42 more against Concordia on Saturay. 

a, Opinion

PGSS interim secretary-general profiles and endorsement

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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  • SATURNIN NDANDALA

    Saturnin Ndandala, PhD student in Management and Higher Education, currently serves on the PGSS Policy and Structural Advisory Committee. According to Ndandala, his primary goal if elected would be to improve transparency within the PGSS. Other goals Ndandala lists include establishing minimum funding for all post-graduate students, and organizing a pairing program between Canadian and international students.  

    “Some post-graduate students are struggling, and some departments […receive] more funding [than] other departments,” he said. “I have no funding, for example [….] So I want to make it so post-graduate students have a much more equitable experience.”

    While McGill is currently facing budget cuts from the provincial and federal governments, Ndandala stated that he felt the university could cut administrative costs to improve its financial situation. 

    “McGill can balance the budget if they can cut the administrator teams and use that money to increment the funding of post-graduate students,” Ndandala said. “We can also [group with] other universities’ post-graduate societies here in Quebec to lobby with the federal government and to the provincial government in terms of incrementing the funding of McGill.”

    “Intrinsically, McGill can cut the budget of the administrative costs,” he elaborated. “Extrinsically, we can lobby with the federal and provincial government in terms of boosting the funding of provincial universities and especially McGill.”

    Ndandala proposed to increase PGSS’s budget by establishing a funding program with private sectors.

    “We are quite restricted by our budget,” he said. “We are limited in terms of being proactive in […] issues concerning students because our funding is not quite enough.”

    Ndandala pointed to issues within PGSS, including communication and the lack of participation from members. 

    “As a [committee] member, I never received any emails about any meetings, so there is a communications problem I’m thinking to resolve,” he said. “[Another problem is] hindering most PGSS students from being interested in […]  governing [events….] If I’m elected, I’m going to reconnect with the grassroots of the society, [hold] meetings with postgraduate associations with each faculty […] trying to be closer and implementing a more participatory approach, trying also to collect their concerns and structure new programs based on that.”

    Ndandala cited his extensive previous political experience as qualifications for the position. 

    “I have been the chairman of the […] National Congress party in South Africa at the University of Cape Town,” he said. “I was also president of the student society of the University of Cape Town. In France […] I was part of the campaign team of François Hollande [….] In Canada, I was the chairman of the NDP party in University of Toronto.”

    Ndandala also explained why he believed that his experience with political parties would not bias his participation in a non-partisan organization like the PGSS. 

    “I’m a very international person, based on my travelling around,” he said. “I have skills in diplomacy and […] I’m very impartial and objective in my leadership and judgement [….I have learned] regardless of our background, ethnicity, social status, we all want fairness and transparency. It’s a kind of universal human value.”

     

  • YONY BRESLER

    Yony Bresler, a PhD student in Physics, currently serves on McGill’s Appeal Committee for Student Discipline and Grievances. He explained that his main aim, if elected, would be to aid the rest of the executives in accomplishing their portfolios in the remainder of the academic year. 

    “I really think there’s an opportunity to help this current [PGSS executive], I think many aren’t staying next year; there are many things they want to get done, but between this turmoil and the CFS stuff, it took a lot of their time,” he said. “Even though it’s short-term, I think, having talked to lots of [the PGSS executive] about it, there are lots of things they want to push forward. My vision for what I want to do—the number one is just to help them do that, which is effectively the job of the secretary-general—to help coordinate things, and to try to help them accomplish their goals and fulfill their portfolios.”

    Bresler identified increasing transparency in PGSS as a goal he wanted to work towards. 

    “There’s stuff that’s already in place, for example, releasing minutes,” he said. “Technically, it’s in our bylaws, but there’s no strict timeline on it. So specifically and broadly, we can look at that topic [and] what we can improve: Strict deadlines for minutes so they can actually be released. Also more broadly, looking at transparency, looking at places we can improve.”

    In light of McGill’s financial situation, Bresler also anticipates working toward reducing the impact that budget cuts will have on students. 

    “In the climate of [austerity], you have to try to preserve, to the best of your ability, student services […] especially mental health services, which is a big issue for post-graduate students,” he said.

    Bresler explained that his two and a half years of experience in PGSS provided him with the experience necessary to take on the position. 

    “Starting out, I had to learn my way through Council, but over time, I became an active member,” Bresler said. “Through [that], I’ve learned about PGSS, governing bodies, and such. Outside of PGSS […] I was in the Physics PGSA. I was the VP Social for two years, planned a lot of different events, and this year I was the chief returning officer of the PGSA.”

    He emphasized that his prior experience with the PGSS would help him minimize the transition period and integrate into the executive team quickly.

    “I definitely see the value of new ideas, but I think in this situation, you don’t have the month to get your bearings straight,” Bresler said. “They’re already going full speed and you’re jumping in there. So I think in this situation […] the value of me having the experience and knowledge of how all these different parts work is going to outweigh the [benefits] of a new perspective. Also, given the time, I’m not sure with the new perspective, how much time you might have to actually do any of the things by the time you figure out how things work.”

    Tribune's endorsement — Yony Bresler

    Both candidates have identified organizational transparency, communication, as well as McGill’s budget cuts as primary issues to address. Ndandala brings a diverse array of experiences in previous non-McGill leadership capacities and has the potential to bring a renewed perspective to the position. However, in a three-month mandate, it is essential that the secretary-general comes into the role with an intimate understanding of what is required at Council in order to succeed this year. Bresler’s previous experience as a councillor will aid him in this role. Furthermore, Bresler is more realistic in what he will be able to accomplish and is the Tribune’s endorsement for the PGSS interim secretary-general position. 

     

a, Martlets, Sports

McGill knock Carleton out of the RSEQ Playoffs with dominant 10-0 display

by Zikomo Smith on

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McGill Martlets
10

 

 

Carleton Ravens
0

 

Even with the team up 4-0 against the Carleton Ravens (3-15-0) at the end of the first period, McGill Martlets Head Coach Peter Smith had no interest in the score as he went to address the squad (15-4-0) before the second period.

“We don’t really look at the scoreboard,” Smith said. “What I say in the room has nothing really to do with the scoreboard. It has more to do with what we are doing on the ice.”

McGill is a process-focused team that takes nothing for granted, a key to its sustained success over the course of the past decade. As such the Martlets did not relent over the next two periods of the game, putting another six goals past Carleton. The loss eliminated Carleton from contention in this year’s playoffs.

“It’s a hard game to play when you get up by that many goals,” Smith said. “As coaches, we keep on them to stick with the plan to stick with the habits. I thought we got away from it a few times. There are certainly lots of positives […] and when you score 10 goals, that’s positive.”

Smith also highlighted the performances of star forwards Melodie Daoust and Gabrielle Davidson. Davidson is now the leading scorer in the RSEQ and sits second in the CIS. Daoust, Davidson and freshman Alexandria Serpico each contributed two goals in the rout.

The victory also marked Daoust’s first game playing for the Martlets since 2013. In the interim, she went to Sochi with the Canadian national women’s hockey team, but had to sit out most of the regular season after injuring her knee just before the season. She will undoubtedly give McGill an offensive boost in the final game of the season, as well as during the playoffs.

McGill was impressive defensively, smothering Carleton on the counter-attack and conceding only 10 shots on net all game. Serpico, along with forwards Marie-Philip Lavoie and Leslie Oles,  impressed with strong fore-checks, jamming the puck into Carleton’s portion of the rink for the majority of the game–a key component of the Martlets’ style of play.

“We work hard on that,” Smith said. “No matter who we are playing, we want to play the game down in their end and I thought generally we did a good job of that.”

Senior Kelsie Moffat controlled the tempo of the game, recording one goal and three assists. The other scorers were forwards Jordan McDonell and Olivia Sutter, who notched one each. The win also completed McGill’s regular season sweep of the Ravens.

Sophomore goalkeeper Brittany Smrke recorded her third shutout of the season, whereas Carleton pulled their starting goalie following McGill’s fourth goal. Sutter tallied McGill’s sixth shorthanded goal this year, the most by any team in the CIS this season. Smith, however, still noted some areas for improvement.

“I did not think our neutral zone was very good,” Smith said. “We turned the puck over too many times in the neutral zone in the first period, [but] I thought we got better as the game went on.”

McGill will not win every game as easily as this. They have one more regular season game left before the RSEQ playoffs, but the Martlets find themselves in good stead with Daoust back on the ice.

“I think we are on the right track,” Smith said. “We have got some healthy bodies back and we are starting to play with some really good structure [….] The team is working hard, and we’ll keep at it.”

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PGSS interim secretary-general candidates introduce platforms

by Cece Zhang on

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Constituents of the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) heard the platforms of the two candidates running for the position of interim secretary-general in a debate on Feb. 10. PhD students Yony Bresler and Saturnin Ndandala submitted their candidacy for the position after previous Secretary-General Juan Pinto’s resignation on Jan. 20. The interim secretary-general position will serve from Feb. 24 to May 31, spanning the remainder of the 2014-2015 academic year. 

Bresler was absent from the debate, as he was away from Montreal at a conference, but prepared a letter which was read by PGSS Chief Returning Officer (CRO) Colby Briggs. 

Bresler cited his two and a half years as a PGSS Councillor and his service as Vice-President Social and CRO in the McGill Graduate Association of Physics Students as relevant experience for his candidacy. 

“This year, I also served on the university appeals committee for student discipline,” Bresler said in his letter. “This experience in PGSS and other student government has given me the initiative to assume a more substantial role at PGSS and allow me to develop the qualifications to facilitate such involvement.”

If elected, Bresler stated that his priority would be assisting the rest of the current PGSS executive team in fulfilling their portfolios. 

“My main goal will be to facilitate and assist in the activities of the current executives and officers,” Bresler said. “I believe we have a great team in place, and with the CFS [Canadian Federation of Students] referendum completed, together we can make some great headway into various portfolios.”

Bresler also added that he is aiming to increase transparency at PGSS. 

“One issue I’d like to promote is transparency, whether it be our various governing bodies or to our PGSS members,” he said. “I intend to achieve this goal by improving regulations by introducing strict timelines for existing practices—such as the release of minutes—and looking into various new methods by which to increase transparency of the PGSS.” 

Ndandala introduced himself as a first year PhD student at McGill with extensive political experience at universities he previously attended in Cape Town, Paris, and Toronto. 

“I was the president of the student society of the University of Cape Town,” Ndandala said. “When I was studying in Paris-Sorbonne [University], I participated in […] campaigning for Francois Hollande [….] When I came to Canada […] I was the chairman of the NDP party at the University of Toronto.”

Ndandala said he planned to run for the position of secretary-general for the 2015-2016 mandate as well. He proposed some of his ideas for improvement at PGSS, including increasing transparency in the organization, working on fundraising strategies for PGSS to increase its budget, and increasing communication between international and Canadian students.

“I would also like to […] resolve the problem of sexual harassment on campus,” Ndandala said. “I’m thinking to organize a plan where all new post-graduate students will have a quiz […] for learning about sexual harassment.”

Ndandala also added that he would work towards obtaining minimum funding for all PhD students at McGill. 

“Some students in different departments don’t have the same [opportunities] for funding,” Ndandala said. “My proposal is […] to challenge the leadership at the university to make a minimum [for] funding for all PhD students at the university.”

The voting period for interim secretary-general will run from Feb. 18 to Feb. 24. 

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