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a, McGill, News

Workshop speaks to rise in youth unemployment

by Lauren Wildgoose on

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Last Friday, a discussion and workshop on combining global and local perspectives on youth unemployment was co-hosted by the Aga Khan Foundation of Canada (AKFC) and the Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID). The AKFC is a non-profit international development agency that works to improve health, education, rural development, and civil society in Africa and Asia. The panel of speakers at the event included Abdul Malik, general manager of the Aga Khan Rural Support Program in Pakistan; Erin Markel, principal consultant at MarketShare Associates; and Darlene Hnatchuk, director of Career Planning Service (CaPS) at McGill University.

The panel held a moderated discussion following an introduction by Co-organizer and AKFC Public Affairs advisor Sarah Power and a presentation on definitions of youth unemployment and underemployment by Markel. The attendees then participated in a workshop to generate solutions to the global and local problems surrounding youth unemployment, such as incorporating job search skills into school curricula and taking advantage of social media as a platform for sharing ideas.

“[Youth unemployment] is a growing issue, but it also doesn’t just affect youth themselves,” Markel said. “It has a huge economic and social cost to communities as well as to governments and nations, so a lot of people are starting to pay close attention to this on the global scale.”

Markel explained that according to the International Labour Board, young people are more than three times more likely than adults to be unemployed, and about 13 per cent of all young people in the world are unemployed. She also brought up the issue of underemployment and youth inactivity as factors contributing to the global youth unemployment phenomenon.

“Underemployment refers to people who are overqualified for their work,” she said. “Youth who tend to be described as inactive also tend to be at the highest risk of remaining inactive, or at the highest risk of poverty in the long run. This means young people who are not employed and aren’t in school.”

During the moderated discussion, Malik explained the role his program plays in helping improve local economic infrastructure, sector development, and entrepreneurship in remote areas of northern Pakistan. He also described the issues faced by unemployed young people in Pakistan and compared them to the ones facing Canadian youth.

“In terms of challenges for young people in finding jobs, one is the obvious issue of finding economic opportunities,” Malik said. “The second [problem] is the issue of skills. The educated youth who come out of schools come out with a lot of degrees, but not necessarily with marketable skills. A third issue is of social norms. Particularly for women, some parts of the area where we work is very conservative and when it comes to women, their mobility tends to be limited.”

The problem of youth lacking employable skills is one faced in Canada as well, according to Hnatchuk.

“There is an expectation or assumption that graduates will have specifically relevant experience to the job that they are applying for,” Hnatchuk said.

However, ‘soft skills’ appear to often be the missing link between youth and employers, according to Hnatchuk.

“It’s not necessarily always the technical skills that [employers are] missing,” Hnatchuk said. “CEOs, hiring managers, human resources—they’re saying that their priorities in terms of hiring are looking for people who have interpersonal skills, communication skills, problem solving skills, and analytical skills.”

U3 Arts and Science Alicia, who attended the event said she was impressed with how the conference addressed the global context of unemployment, but expressed concerns about career resources and opportunities in Canada.

“I’m also in the job market right now, and I’m finding it frustrating because I was under the impression that the degree I’m getting would [involve] enough tangible skills to be able to fit in the job market,” she said. “But those tangible skills don’t translate into what I want to do.”

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Album Review: Caribou – Our Love

by Chloe Nevitt on

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Canadian composer Daniel Snaith has followed the success of Swim (2010) with his sixth studio album, Our Love. Snaith, known by his stage name Caribou, continues to push the edges of experimental electronic music. Upbeat hip-hop vocals overlaid with gritty beats creates a Drake-meets-James Blake vibe that pushes listeners to the edge of their seats.

Our Love, like Swim, draws listeners in with “Can’t Do Without You”—an earthy, and upbeat song that sets the stage for the rest of the album. All of Our Love, but particularly the opening track, is Snaith’s tribute to his fans— he relentlessly uses masterful mixes with breathy vocals to pull the listener into a song that feels like a diary entry.

The intimacy and the power of the lyrics only continue to impress in “Silver,” as whispers of  “Where you gonna go without me tonight?/ Don’t you know what that means to me?” echo through the listener.

R&B overlays bring a distinct flavor to Our Love that was absent in Swim. While Swim satiated the listener’s need for twitchy beats and an unnerving presence, Love gives the listeners an escape from the anxious rhythms with chocolaty vocals.

The album’s name draws from its fourth track “Our Love,” which, despite the lyrical deficit—“Our love” being the only two words on the track—Sanith manages to astound, using drums, violins, maracas, and a considerable amount of bass to get the listener moving.

Our Love’s only flaw is “Second Chance,” a cacophonic mess that proved that some R&B beats should not be synthesized and slowed down.

Snaith’s latest album has hands down been his most danceable, and as he continues to shift his sounds, I’m excited for what’s ahead.

a, Science & Technology

Bilinguals get a boost

by Andy Wang on

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A recent study conducted at Anglia Ruskin University in the U.K. has once again demonstrated the benefits of bilingualism.

Bilingual children of various languages (Polish, Russian, French, and Italian) with English as their primary language, were able to maintain better focus on a task in a noisy environment. When the bilingual primary school children were evaluated on sentence structure recognition in English, background noise—from Greek and English recordings—was played, and the scores of the children’s results measured.

The results demonstrated a significant advantage when Greek—a language none of the children spoke—was played. However, when English was played, children who spoke more than one language exhibited only slightly better selective attention.

Linguists believe this might be due to executive control in the cerebral cortex. Since bilinguals have two names for everything, the constant inhibition of one language and the simultaneous activation of the other forces the brain to be constantly working. As a result, those who speak more than one language tend to be better at focusing.

Dr. Fred H. Genesee, from McGill’s Department of Linguistics, researches bilingualism and language acquisition in school settings.

“Several factors contribute to a person’s ability to learn a language,” Genesee said. “Learning a language related to one [that] a person already knows is much easier because patterns can be spotted and followed.”

Fluency—complete control of a language—can vary among individuals and is usually hard to reach.

According to Genesee however, learning a language gets easier as you go.

“People who have learned another language already [are] likely better at learning languages in general since they’ve [already] learned how to learn a language,” Genesee said.

Research supports the theory that language acquisition is better at an earlier age, when the brain is more plastic. The neural structures for language are still developing, and different language patterns are more readily accepted and assimilated.

Yet there are exceptions to this trend, namely people who speak many languages: Polyglots. These are individuals who demonstrate remarkable mastery in languages—despite beginning the acquisition of a language in adulthood. It is thought that language acquisition is akin to athletic ability and musical talent: Some people are born to run the 10-metre dash in less than 10 seconds, while others train for it over time.   

“Individuals who are uninhibited—people who are not shy and are willing to try new things—are likely to be better language learners,” Genesee said.

The benefits of learning another language cannot be overstated. The most ostensible is the ability to communicate in another language.

“It helped me understand that there is more than one way to approach a problem,” said Divij Mehra, U2 Mechanical Engineer. “Different people express things differently [because of their language.]”

a, Art, Arts & Entertainment

The Great Meld of Art and Sport

by Mira Silver on

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When you mention football in Europe, you set yourself up for a conversation about the sport played with a black–and-white ball, instead of the one most North Americans are more familiar with. While football-soccer terminology difference is pretty common knowledge, a less-known part of the game is the common ground it shares with art. In this new unique fusion of cultures, Montreal’s The Burgundy Lion pub and gallery Station 16 launched Gol, Carajo!, a solo exhibition from Spanish artist Ricardo Cavolo centred completely around the sport.

The connection between soccer and art may seem distant, but after a secondary look, art has an implicit presence in soccer—and other sports for that matter. Everything from the club logos to the face-painted fans have elements of art and design. Paul Desbaillets, owner of The Burgundy Lion, discussed how that idea shaped the exhibit.

“[It’s about] the sport of football, [but] not just about the game, the 90 minutes, and the player,” said Desbaillets. “[It’s] really about the culture and everything that it means. So that means fashion and art [….] If you are a football fan you carry your scarf, you carry your colors.”

Desbaillets had a particular vision for the project and was looking for the perfect collaborator. After approaching Station 16 about collaborating with a potential artist, Cavolo—a known soccer fanboy who had the opportunity to paint a mural for his favourite team, FC Barcelona—was the clear choice for the project.

“Even in Europe, you can’t find the connection between art and football,” said Cavolo. “It’s rare. People disconnect them.”

However, for the artist, the relationship between the art and the sport is fluid.

“My thing is art—it’s painting,” explained Cavolo. “I was born in my father’s painting studio, so I’ve always been in this world. And if I couldn’t become an artist, I would have done something with football.”

Cavolo seamlessly took to working with portraits and was naturally inclined to paint portraits of soccer players.

“I enjoy working with portraits,” he said. “I just wanted to choose players that I really like; I enjoy how they play, how they are out from the stadium.”

The symbolism of tattoos is another driving force in visually translating the story of Ricardo Cavolo’s favourite footballers.

“[The] intention is to give more information about the guys,” explained Cavolo. “I used the tattoos to give you information, it is not about a fashion choice—it’s a code.” 

It is a code in the same way Eastern European criminals document their criminal history on their bodies using tattoos. Pointing out his favorite piece—triptych painted on found-wood inspired by Swedish soccer player Zlatan Ibrahmovic—Cavolo explained the symbolism behind the emerging dragon found in the work.

“He was raised in a dangerous ghetto in Sweden and he became a true fighter in the stadium,” he said. “To me, he is a kind of Batman—a dark hero.”

A true artist and soccer fan to the core, Ricardo Cavolo, along with his collaborators at Burgundy Lion and Station 16, helped highlight the intertwined worlds of art and sports. In Montreal, we have started to see a budding partnership between the two. Take, for example, the recent mural at the Montreal Canadiens HQ which was produced in a collaborative partnership with Montreal-based artist Eric Clement and LNDMRK, the team that created the city’s MURAL festival. Art and sports aren’t as much of an odd couple as they initially appear to be, and hopefully their marriage is one that we see more of in Montreal. 

Gol Carajo! runs until Nov. 5 at Station 16 (3523 St. Laurent).

a, Opinion

Commentary: Palestinian plight postponed

by Dina El-Baradie on

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The speaker that raised the motion to postpone indefinitely during the Fall 2014 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) General Assembly (GA) said that by postponing indefinitely, “we’re saying we don’t want to touch this. Let’s postpone this [until] forever.”

(more…)

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Album Review: Taylor Swift – 1989

by Jessica Fu on

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The rumours about Taylor Swift’s latest release are true—the album has absolutely no hint of her usual country twang, with all of its production grounded in electronic, synthesized rhythms and layered with energetic claps, snaps, snares, and poppy, self-aware lyrics. The change pays off, and aside from a few missteps, 1989 is filled to the brim with immensely refreshing and experimental work.

Let’s start by getting the letdowns out of the way: Album opener “Welcome to New York” is deeply disappointing. Any potential that could have been salvaged from its clichéd lyrics and knock-off Robyn production—which isn’t much—is completely overshadowed by the gilded, privileged, one-dimensional vision Swift has of the city. It’s formulaic in its own right, compared to any of the city’s many odes, and to the rest of the album.

Two other songs fall prey to unoriginality: “All You Had To Do Was Stay” and “How You Get the Girl” are boring; both lack any sense of depth and are atmospherically inconsistent. “I Wish You Would,” while lavish in its production, is thematically too similar to Red’s (2012) “I Almost Do” and Speak Now’s (2010) “If This Were a Movie” to be praised. That’s where the disappointment ends.

Lead single “Shake it Off,” for example, is an energetic, flippant dismissal of the criticisms Swift’s fended off over the course of her career. Her lyrical defences are up, but her guard has never been lower, which she displays confidently with her nonchalant digs at heartbreakers and exes and their girlfriends and fakers, and all the haters in between.

The album is more mature as well. “Wildest Dreams” is breathtakingly ethereal, with its gentle heartbeat backdrop and nostalgic imagery. Channeling Lana Del Rey circa Born to Die (2012), Swift moodily singsong whispers: “He’s so tall, and handsome as hell/ He’s so bad, but he does it so well.” Don’t they all, Taylor, don’t they all.

As usual, Swift has employed a powerhouse of talented collaborators, this time including rising star Jack Antonoff of Bleachers fame. Antonoff’s influence is undeniable in “Out of the Woods,” whose warped, thunderous production helps the song to stand out as one of her best ever.

Other memorable songs include “Style,” whose experimental, textured layers of chaotic, stormy, and passion give us a glimpse into that relationship, and “Blank Space”, which is essentially the reckless, self-aware over-the-shoulder glance you give to someone you probably shouldn’t give it to. Although its syrupy chorus is overly reminiscent of Marina and the Diamonds’ distinct style, and its lyrics—“Oh my god, look at the face/ You look like my next mistake/ Love’s a game, wanna play?”—are occasionally a mirror of Red’s “22,” it’s worth every replay.

“Clean” is the perfect outro for the album. Gentle, soulful, and overflowing with hope, it points to loose ends tied-up, coming to terms with yourself, and contentment after a storm: “When I was drowning, that was when I could finally breathe/ And by morning, gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean.” 1989 is the beautiful, blazing sonification of a girl getting stronger. And it shines at nearly every angle from which it rings.

a, Student Life

Crossword answers—Oct. 28, 2014

by Cory Goldstein on

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Across

4. Casper

6. Spooky

10. Cat

11. Krueger

12. Frankenstein

15. Skeleton

17. Alien

18. Jackolantern

19. Dracula

20. Shining

21. Jaws

 

Down

1. Rocky Horror Picture Show

2. Bats

3. Halloween

5. Costume

7. Gallagher

8. Shriek

9. Zombies

13. Kodos

14. Shyamalan

16. Ghoul

 

a, Martlets, Men's Varsity, Sports

The week that was for McGill Athletics: Oct. 28

by Mayaz Alam, Wyatt Fine-Gagné, Elie Waitzer on

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Beyond the box score

Redmen Hockey

A road trip through northern Ontario netted the Redmen two wins over the weekend: A 5-2 victory over Nippissing and a 3-2 win against Laurentian. Centre Cedric McNicoll continued to add to his point totals, picking up two assists in each game, as McGill improved its record to 4-2-0 this season. Head Coach Kelly Nobes opted to give each of his goalies a start, putting backup Karel St-Laurent in net against Nippissing Friday, and starter Jacob Gervais-Chouinard between the pipes against Laurentian. St-Laurent stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced, while Gervais-Chouinard was slightly less impressive, allowing two goals on 22 shots. The road trip was especially impressive considering the previous weekend, during which McGill split home games against the same opponents.

Martlet Volleyball

The Martlets did not drop a single set this past week, going undefeated in four road games against East Coast schools. McGill beat Cape Breton, Dalhousie, Acadia, and Saint Mary’s handily, allowing more than 20 points in a set just twice total. Setter Yasmeen Dawoodjee dictated the pace for McGill’s attack against the latter three opponents, including 32 assists in the win against Dalhousie. First-year middle Myriam Robitaille had perhaps the most impressive single-match performance of the week, racking up 15.5 points against Dalhousie, including 11 kills and one ace to go along with seven blocks. Robitaille also led the Martlets in points against Saint Mary’s, but did not play a major role in either of the team’s other wins. McGill continues its season with two more road games this week against Sherbrooke and Montreal.

Redmen Lacrosse

Co-captain Connor Goodwin netted two goals and a handful of assists in a 15-7 win over the Trent University Excalibur on Saturday night as the dominant Redmen finished the regular season undefeated for the second consecutive season. Eight different Redmen players scored, with junior midfielder Jake Gutman leading the way with an impressive four goals. McGill will ride a tremendous crest of momentum going into the CUFLA East playoff game against the University of Ottawa Gee Gees, and will once again set its sights on the gold medal game of the Bagattaway Cup.

By the numbers

 

2

— Power play goals scored by the Redmen hockey team in their 3-2 win against the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday.

 

3

— Number of seconds separating McGill’s first-place finisher Jullien Flynn from Laval’s Marguerite Plante-Dube in Saturday’s six-kilometre RSEQ cross-country Championship race.

4

— Number of National baseball Championships won by McGill’s Redmen baseball team as of this Sunday. Previous titles were captured in 1994, 2006, and 2010.

a, News, SSMU

Fall General Assembly sees heated debates, over 700 in attendance

by Jenny Shen on

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Last Wednesday, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) General Assembly (GA) saw extensive debate over motions such as “Calling on SSMU to Stand in Solidarity with the People of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”  With 739 students in attendance, GA was hosted in the SSMU Cafeteria, with overflow held in the Ballroom, the Lev Bukhman room, and other rooms in the building. This GA discussed six motions, two of which were added from the floor during the assembly—one calling for solidarity with student protesters in Hong Kong, the other against the provincial budgetary cuts to the university. Four of the motions passed, including the motion for the nomination of the Board of Directors. All passed motions will require further ratification in two weeks by all SSMU members through an online vote.

Motion Calling on SSMU to Stand in Solidarity with the People of the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Hundreds of students expressed that they attended the Fall GA in order to voice their opinions on this motion.

“I think it’s a very important issue that should not be pushed under the rug the way it always has been,” U2 Engineering student Sara Albouz said. “I think it’s time […] for a student body like McGill’s to lead by example.”

Other students expressed concern over SSMU taking a stance on external politics in representation of the student body.

“I believe that SSMU […] should not take a stand on divisive political issues,” U1 Arts student Jordan Devon, one of the coordinators for the “No” campaign against the motion, said. “I think social justice is incredible […] but we should be taking a stand that represents all students.”

Ameya Pendse, U3 Arts, motioned to postpone the motion indefinitely, arguing that SSMU should not take a stance on the issues in Palestine and should therefore not consider the initial motion for debate.

“If we vote now to postpone this motion, we can actually come together on this issue and say ‘We don’t want to touch this,’” Pendse said.

Students who insisted that the debate on the initial motion was necessary emphasized the importance of having an open discussion about the motion itself, rather than removing it from consideration altogether.

“I find it ironic that people are arguing to postpone this debate in the name of free speech, when in fact shutting down this debate is shutting down anyone […] who has anything to say about this issue,” a U2 Arts student said.

The motion to indefinitely postpone the original motion was passed 402-337, after which the majority of students left the assembly.

“Around the world, people don’t have the chance to talk about these issues in an open environment […] without being judged,” Youcef Rahmani, U4 Arts, said. “[There were] peer support [volunteers] who are here, McGill [which] is a safe space itself, [there is] all of this framework and institution to facilitate this discussion [….] I think it’s just a shame to [have been] barred from talking about it.”

Other students noted the role of the GA in student engagement.

“Regardless of the outcome of the vote, I think one thing that was really salient throughout the debate was that a lot of debate was devoted to the GA itself,” Ryan Mitton, U3 Arts, said. “I think that if we can take one thing out of this […] it’s that while the GA remains the most perfect way at this moment to engage students at McGill, we should always be looking at how we can make it better for student engagement.”

Motion Regarding Action on Climate Change

Students voted in favor of the motion regarding action on climate change, which called for SSMU to join he Étudiant(e)s Contre les Oléoducs (ÉCO), a student coalition that demands blockage of pipeline projects in Quebec, termination of fossil fuel extraction, and recognition of Indigenous sovereignty over their territories and veto power over extraction projects.

“There is a very clear correlation with building pipelines and emission of [carbon dioxide,]” said SSMU VP External Affairs Amina Moustaqim-Barrette. “We cannot be complicit in the funding of fossil fuel industry […] and the destruction of our climate. It is time that students impose a strong voice against this.”

Moustaqim-Barrette was one of the movers of the motion and the individual who would be responsible bringing a policy regarding action on climate change to Council in Winter 2015.

Eric Taylor, U0 Engineering, spoke against the motion, stating the blockage of pipelines would only result in Quebec seeking overseas oil sources.

“This motion does not make a real change on climate change,” Taylor said. “I would much rather Quebec purchase its oil [domestically]. Real change needs to come from removing our dependency on oil, not from preventing our access to oil.”

Medicine Senator David Benrimoh said passing the motion would be moving in the right direction to change the current situation.

“We need to make it difficult to survive on oil,” Benrimoh said. “It’s going to be difficult to change people’s minds on things. Not building more pipelines makes the status quo more difficult to maintain.”

The motion passed 111-17.

Motion in Support of a Campus Free from Harmful Military Technology Development

Students voted in favor of the motion to require SSMU to renew its stance against the development of harmful military technology at McGill, and support campaigns to this effect.

Supporters of the motion emphasized that a university should not be conducting harmful military research that could be used in wars at all.

“Right now, we must start at the fact that a university is not a tool of war,” one student stated. “That’s why we must address this issue.”

Other students cited economic advantages to conducting military research, with individuals raising concerns that there was no contingency plan for finding other sources of future funding.

Jonathan Mooney, first-year Law student, voiced concerns over what the term “harmful” would entail.

“How do we distinguish between harmful and non-harmful military research?” he asked. “I think it’s a great motion, but not specific enough […. For example,] Drones are used to monitor weather [….] I want to get a better sense of what specifically we will be opposing.”

Two amendments to the original motion were brought forth by U2 Arts student Cadence O’Neal. The first amendment called for SSMU to stand in solidarity with those affected by harmful military technology, and the second called for SSMU to publicly condemn human rights violations by states, such as the U.S., Canada, and Israel, involved with McGill’s research on military technology. The first amendment was adjusted and added to the motion; the second amendment was later rescinded by the initial mover. Tensions rose in response to the amendments, and many returned to the GA in order to vote. The motion passed 146-11.

“I feel very happy that the motion was able to pass,” said O’Neal. “[But] I feel disappointed that my original amendments were not able to be included, because it would make SSMU take a stronger stance.”

Motion to Stand in Solidarity with Students and Protesters Demanding Democratic Government in Hong Kong

Students voted to postpone this motion, brought forth by Benrimoh, which called for SSMU to issue a statement of solidarity with the protesters in Hong Kong, to condemn repression, and to educate McGill students on the issue.

Some students expressed the opposition to the motion, stating that universal suffrage is not currently the default for all countries.

“Is this a perfect democracy? No. But this is progress,” U2 Arts student Eddie Lin said. “Should SSMU condemn other countries that don’t have universal suffrage?”

U2 Arts student Ava Liu moved to vote against the motion because, as the motion was brought from the floor during the GA, “it lack[ed] appropriate measures” to ensure that those who wanted to voice their opinions on the issue would be able to attend the GA.

Students voted 105-77 to postpone the motion, with many stating that it should be discussed at a later date due to a lack of awareness about the motion and in order to give other students an opportunity to give their opinion.

Motion for Solidarity against Austerity

Students passed a motion brought forth on the floor by Moustaqim-Barrette and other councillors, which called for SSMU to “denounce the provincial government’s austerity measures against McGill and other post-secondary institutions.”

McKenzie Kibler, U3 Arts, expressed concern that if passed, the motion could implicate pre-strike intentions, although Moustaqim-Barrette clarified that the motion would not be able to mobilize a strike as it stands.

Mooney cited a past campaign called “Je suis Michele” that also lobbied against the Quebec government on budget cuts that achieved change yet did not result in a strike.

“I think it is possible to take a stance on a motion like that and not go to strike,” Mooney said. “It means we’re going to stand up and say ‘We don’t agree with these cuts.’”

The motion passed 142-14.

The GA ultimately adjourned at 12:26 a.m., with SSMU President Courtney Ayukawa stating that she was impressed with the turnout and engagement during the GA, but that there are improvements to be made to the process.

McGill University Bookstore
a, McGill, News

Faculty of Management to move into McGill Bookstore

by Cece Zhang on

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The McGill Bookstore will be repurposed to house the expansion of the Desautels Faculty of Management in Winter 2016 in a move to address the faculty’s space deficit, confirmed Vice President Michael Di Grappa at this weekend’s homecoming. The future location of the bookstore has yet to be decided. (more…)

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