Latest News

a, Student Life, Student of the Week

Student of the Week: Maria Zamfir

by Cece Zhang on

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This is the first year Maria Zamfir has not been involved in student politics in her five years at McGill.

In all four years of her undergraduate neuroscience degree, Zamfir was involved in all manners of student politics, including the McGill Freshman Undergraduate Science Society (FUSS), the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS), and the Neuroscience Undergraduates of McGill (NUM).

This year, Zamfir is in her first year of graduate school, where she is a part of the Integrative Program in Neuroscience (IPN) at McGill. Her competitive neuroscience rotation PhD program places her in three labs over the course of the school year. As such, Zamfir decided to make the difficult decision not to take on any student council commitments while undergoing this transition.

“I was trying not to be involved, which was kind of hard,” Zamfir said. “I really love getting involved in student council because it’s a great environment to learn about yourself and how you are able to work with others. Every council I’ve been on has been [a] different experience; but, overall I had to challenge myself to do as much as possible for the students I represented during each of my semesters as an undergrad at McGill.”

Zamfir has reconciled her participation in student politics with her interest in the brain. During her time working on NUM council, she created the first Touching Human Brains event, which raised nearly $600 for AMIQuebec, a grassroots organization assisting families and individuals through the effects of mental illness. The event gives guests the opportunity to touch human brains.

Zamfir is still finding ways to be involved, if not as much on campus, then through community outreach programs. She is currently involved in two student-based organizations—the Brain Awareness Campaign and BrainReach—both of which aim to promote the benefits and progress of brain research to the general public.

Brain Awareness Week, an initiative started by the Dana Alliance Foundation, hosts events during the third week of March to increase public interest in brain research, giving workshops to school-aged children. BrainReach is a community outreach program managed by IRN students, where graduate students conduct workshops to the same classroom over a longer period of time.

“Neuroscience isn’t something that is taught in the regular school system, and it is something that most children are somewhat aware of,” Zamfir said. “I think raising awareness about neuroscience is important because its great to have some idea about how your body and brain work together to result in your everyday life.”

Zamfir also writes for UsefulScience.org, a website one of her friends started and launched in October. The site aims to condense research papers into a useful, single sentence. Even in her work with the website, she appreciates the soft skills she has gained through her varied participation over the years.

“Everything I’ve learned from student council still applies to my life in the lab now as a grad student and working with the UsefulScience.org team, so it was well worth it,” she said.

McGill Tribune: What’s your hidden talent?

Maria Zamfir: Drawing.

MT: Are you a hunter or gatherer

MZ: I need to dissect mice in my labs sometimes, so I think I’d be more of a hunter.

MT: Favourite ice cream flavour? 

MZ: Mint chocolate chip and Dairy Queen ice cream cakes!

MT: What’s your dream job?

MZ: I’m still trying to figure out what that would be so I can do it.

MT: If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? 

MZ: Egypt, because of the nice winds and beaches—I get to go kite surfing.

a, Opinion

Voter suppression must be stymied at all costs

by Kyle Ng on

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One would expect voter suppression and the arbitrary application of electoral rules to be the exclusive hallmark of states like North Korea, Syria, or perhaps Russian-controlled Crimea. The reality is we might have more in common with those regimes than we would like to believe.

Official voting policy for Quebec reads as follows: one must be 18 years of age, and a Canadian citizen. One must also have been “domiciled” in the province for at least six months and have proof to back up this claim. It is this policy—and the arbitrary interpretation by a three person board of revisors—that are being used to deny students like myself the right to vote in the general election.

I am a Canadian student who has resided in Quebec for four years. I have moved between apartments, but have not left the province for any substantive amount of time. I have held several jobs in the province and recently had my driver’s licence transferred. Though my family resides in British Columbia, for all intents and purposes, the whole duration of my adult life thus far has been invested in Quebec.

Unfortunately, these qualifications did not satisfy the three-person board of revisors. Yes, I was a Canadian citizen. Yes, I had reached 18 years of age. Yes, I had resided in the province for at least six months. All these facts and their supporting documents were not disputed. Yet, the panel saw fit to pronounce their judgment upon me: I was not enough of a “citizen”; I did not “have the proper profile.”

What is a proper profile? Apparently, it consists of some nebulous combination of Medicare card, driver’s license, tax records, bank account location, and the arbitrary opinion of the three panelists on whether you ‘belong’ to the province. When pressed, the board could not provide a substantive minimum requirement to establish a “profile”—apparently, this concept is so confusing, that each case must be judged separately, rather than by substantive legal criteria. It is worth noting that the most commonly cited piece of documentation that establishes this “profile” is the possession of Régie de l’assurance maladie (RAMQ) Medicare card, which also happens to be explicitly prohibited for out-of-province students.

It also apparently matters which school you attend. On presenting my letter of enrolment, the three panelists gave it one look of haughty disdain, before summarily stating that nine out of 10 students from English universities don’t stay in the province.” While the veracity of this fact is debatable, I am more outraged that the arbitrary opinions of three people, each with their own biases and blind spots, are able to deny me the right to vote in the general election.

This was the summer of 2012 during the registration period for the elections leading to the victory of a minority Parti Québécois (PQ) government. Since then, I have been registered on the provincial voter’s list by virtue of a municipally sanctioned board of revisors’ interpretation of “domicile.” Same application, same qualifications, but different people, and different politics.

As hundreds of other students are documenting the same experience, it is time that we take a stand. While the suppression is primarily gripping students, the bitterness of identity politics that fuels the necessity of these requirements commands all of our attention. The choice of whether we wish to welcome those who are different into our body politic once a reasonable criterion is met is a central question for any democracy.

There are those who would agree that such rigour is required in order to maintain the integrity of a voter’s list comprised of individuals with the intention of staying and investing in Quebec. Even though out-of-province students tend to have whimsical plans about everything from courses to the next meal they might cook, these are not grounds for such obstructionism. Intention is only known by the individual, and is certainly not connoted by how many bureaucratic hoops one is able to jump through.

Even more important are the intentions of the potential governing parties themselves. The right to vote is one derived from the power of the state to affect the life of the individual voter. It is not solely derived, as some have argued, from the contribution of labour, taxation, and the intention to continue to contribute to this province (even though some if not all of these are already demonstrated).

A government that intends to obtain a mandate to shape the very fabric of society in Quebec requires a rigorous election. A party that has declared its intention to regulate the religious garb of public university students cannot be elected by a process that has been repeatedly shown to exclude these students. Wherever we might stand on various political issues, it is imperative that we challenge these unjust electoral practises and interpretations. Our democracy is only as strong as we defend it, and we have no business promoting these values abroad unless we properly govern our own.

a, News

Hillary Clinton makes economic argument for gender equality

by Jacqueline Galbraith on

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Former U.S. secretary of state, senator, and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke on issues ranging from female empowerment to the Ukraine crisis last Tuesday in front of a sold-out audience at Palais des Congrès.

Clinton began her talk by addressing the importance of advocating for gender equality in Canada and the United States.

“There are so many opportunities in our own two countries to continue to push the expansion of the rights and opportunities for women and girls, but particularly for Americans and Canadians to do more to open the doors of progress, to create equality and justice everywhere,” she said.

According to Clinton, strong economic arguments are increasingly in favour of full workforce participation from women.

“We see in every country in the world what difference it would make […] if women and girls were able to have full access, and participate in the economy to the fullest of their abilities,” she said. “The empirical evidence is compelling. It shows that when women and girls participate throughout the economy, productivity and growth go up, which of course benefits everyone.”

Clinton gave advice to all those in attendance, but particularly for younger women facing criticism or hardship in the workforce.

“One of my favourite predecessors, Eleanor Roosevelt, wrote back in the 1920’s that if a woman enters politics or the public arena, she needs to grow skin as thick as the hide of a rhinoceros,” she said. “What does she mean by that? The way I interpret it is that you have to learn to take criticism seriously but not personally. After all, our critics can actually turn out to be our best advisors.”

Clinton’s speech was followed by a question and answer session, during which Sophie Brochu, president and CEO of Gaz Métro, a natural gas distributor in Quebec and Vermont, asked Clinton questions on a number of topics, one of which focused on the Ukraine crisis.

“What Putin did is illegal,” Clinton stressed. “It is against international law; it is not because we gave the poor little Baltic states NATO protection. And people need to say that and they need to be very clear that this is a clash of values, and it’s an effort of Putin to rewrite the boundaries of post-World War II Europe.”

Clinton went on to describe her views on what the United States should do to help with the crisis, and concluded with a call to “stand up for our values.”

“What I see is an enormous untapped potential for North American cooperation, within a vision of a partnership that is truly going to the next level,” Clinton said. “I think we will be stronger—the United States and Canada—the more we can cooperate on key issues, and three of those are energy, the Arctic, and our partnership in NATO.”

Leaving the question of possible 2016 presidential candidacy unanswered, Clinton jokingly said the audience “would be the first to know.”

The event, hosted by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, was part of the Bell International Leaders series of speakers, past guests of which have included Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Among many notable attendees of Clinton’s speech were Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, and McGill Principal Suzanne Fortier.

Approximately 80 McGill students attended the event, as well as students from other universities. Fatima Ahmed, U3 Engineering, was pleased at the level of detail in Clinton’s answers.

“I thought she was a great speaker—very inspirational,” Ahmed said. “She really did dig deep into the major political issues that we’re facing currently [….] Whoever was here was very lucky because they got a really good female perspective on all the issues from a very strong lady.”

Diana Luk, U2 Science, was also impressed by Clinton’s ideas.

“She gave me insight on potential plans for the future,” Lukexplained. “Also I like how she explained the economical global situation and possible plans linking energy and environmentally-friendly issues. Other than that, I was happy to be here just to [hear] how she [became] so successful.”

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Various artists—Catch the throne

by Will Burgess on

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In the weeks leading up to the anticipated Season Four premiere of Game of Thrones, some HBO executives apparently thought it was a good idea to spend a chunk of their marketing budget on commissioning a mixtape project called Catch the Throne.  The somewhat bizarre rationale for the project was given by Lucinda Martinez, HBO’s Multicultural Marketing VP, in Rolling Stone: “Our multicultural audiences are a very important part of our subscribers, and we don’t want to take them for granted.”

The tape, which references Jay-Z/Kanye West’s Watch the Throne, features choice, foreboding dialogue samples from the show to introduce each song, in the style of Wu-Tang Clan’s kung fu flick intros. It also features a roster of artists ranging from obscure to illustrious, some of the latter being Common, Wale, and Big Boi.

The stars on this album don’t necessarily shine the brightest though. Big Boi’s album opener “Mother of Dragons” includes the corny hook “Dungeons, dragons, kings and queens,” and other weak, innacurate lyrics. Meanwhile, more under-the-radar rappers, like dancehall artist Magazeen and female emcee Snow tha Product, perform well on their respective songs, bringing some energy to the tape that counters Big Boi’s deadpan intonation. Amateur rapper Dominik Omega’s lyrics in “Arya’s Prayer,” pay the most attention to the plot, and his original “Game of Thrones Hip Hop Remix” on YouTube seems to be the likely inspiration for the tape.

Game of Thrones fans who are counting down the days to the show’s premiere will be satisfied by the mixtape, if only to hear a chopped version of the show’s theme on Wale’s “King Slayer,” as well as the general novelty of fantasy hip-hop. While it achieves some limited musical success, this album doesn’t really emerge as anything more than an expensive promotional experiment.

a, News

Education conference spotlights student research on caring in the classroom

by Shadia Marun on

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The relationship between theory and practice in education was at the forefront of a conference held by the Education Graduate Students’ Society (EGSS) on March 21 and 22.

The EGSS’ 13th annual conference, called “Theory and Practice: A Symbiotic Relationship,” gave students and professors the opportunity to host events on their research and studies in the field of education.

One event featured Andrea Videtic, a PhD candidate in Education, who shared her research regarding the role of caring in teaching at a university level.

According to Videtic’s findings, as students get older, the mentor-mentee relationship changes, as teachers exhibit less care for their students. When teachers show what Videtic identifies as caring characteristics—such as being warm, open, supportive, and encouraging—notable changes could be observed in students.

“Kids see themselves as more capable, they feel more accepted, they work better, they are more motivated,” she said. “[One study which demonstrated that] students who are attached to their teachers actually got better math marks, because they thought their teachers liked them.”

However, Videtic said some professors are hesitant to be perceived as caring for their students.

“Professors are cautious about caring,” she said. “They see it as not being rigorous; they see it as not being robust.”

Using her theory, Videtic explained how professors could improve relationships with students.

“They can use the same attachment principle: they can be contingently responsive, be synchronistic, [and] emotionally available,” she said.

Kyle Hubbard, internal coordinator of the conference, explained that its goal was to bring people together who have a shared interest or background in education. This way, people contribute to the learning and sharing of information in the field and bridge the gap between theory and practice, making education more inclusive.

“[The conference] projects [students] are working on right now that they actually have results and data for,” Hubbard said. “[It’s] mostly research projects but also different assignments people have done in class where they had put a lot of work in.”

Additionally, the conference hosted keynote speakers, primarily professors from other universities across Canada who came to McGill to present their findings.

Overall, students’ impressions of the event were positive.

“[It was] really well organized and there were a lot of different topics,” Rebecca Chin, a master’s student in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said. “This is a primary good exposure to what is going on in the educational field in terms of research.”

a, News, SSMU

SSMU finances jeopardized by University Centre Fee referendum failure

by Sam Pinto on

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The failure of the University Centre Building Fee question in the Winter referendum could lead to drastic cuts to the services provided by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU).

The proposed fee would have cost $6.08 for full-time students and $3.04 for part-time students per semester and was intended to cover the cost of rent and utilities for the SSMU Building under the new lease agreement between SSMU and McGill.

Results released by Elections SSMU on March 21 show that 53.6 per cent of students voted against the first part of this two-part question and 60.8 per cent against the second part, which would have indexed the fee for inflation.

“This is catastrophic for SSMU,” Vice-President Finance and Operations Tyler Hofmeister said. “This is going to mean a huge reduction in the services the SSMU is able to provide and jeopardize our sustainability in the long term.”

According to Vice-President University Affairs Joey Shea, the budget cuts needed to meet this lack of funding could run up to $200,000.

“We ran a $90,000 deficit this year because we couldn’t afford to pay what was thought [would be] the fees if we were to have signed the lease,” Shea said. “Next year, it’s another $200,000 more […] so it’s $300,000 worth of services that will be cut from students.”

Services that may face cuts include Gerts, the Student-Run Café, the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS), and the McGill Student Emergency Response Team (M-SERT), according to Shea.

One option for SSMU is to hold a special referendum period before the end of classes, putting the same question to the vote again. However, unless the bylaws are amended at Council on Thursday, there will not be enough time in the remainder of the school year to do so.

“Currently there isn’t enough time based on the guidelines set out by the bylaws,” said Chief Electoral Officer Ben Fung. “That being said, the bylaws can still change.”

Hofmeister said SSMU had already begun to take precautions in case funding for the lease could not be secured before the end of the academic year.

“I’ve been in talks with many of the services, creating their budgets for the new fiscal year, with many services relying on the SSMU lease fee,” he said. “I’ll likely have to make two budgets; one in the case that we can pass a special referendum and one if we can’t.”

SSMU President Katie Larson said students did not do their part to understand the stakes of the referendum question.

“People clearly didn’t read the context of the question,” she said. “They don’t understand that we had to pass it because we now have to pay that much more money, and we don’t have that money coming in.”

However, students have criticized the SSMU executive for not explaining the reasoning and importance of such a fee. Kylar Daigle, U0 Arts, said he was confused about the question because it was not clearly explained on the ballot.

“I think the referendum poorly expressed what the consequences of this vote could be,” Daigle said. “I am certain that specification or more emphasis on the “cut services” would have changed the outcome. Surely the student population is willing to pay a mere $12—relatively nothing next to their tuition costs—to avoid losing Gerts and various student clubs and programs.”

The phrasing of the question does not specify what services would be affected or the consequences of a “No” vote.

“Without this fee, the SSMU would have to cut services to students in order to afford rent and utilities payments to McGill,” the preamble reads.

In addition, there was no “Yes” committee formed to campaign and raise awareness of the question. Shea acknowledged that SSMU had not done enough throughout the referendum period to inform students.

“I think we didn’t make it clear enough to students how necessary this fee was, which was obviously the fault of myself and Katie [Larson],” she said.

Larson said she hopes students will reconsider their vote in a special referendum for the question.

In order to hold a special referendum, a motion must be submitted to the council steering committee, and then pass by majority in Council.

Ben Reedijk, a member of the steering committee, confirmed that a motion to hold a special referendum had been submitted Monday.

Larson stressed the necessity of passing the motion.

“We literally can’t wait,” Larson said. “We have to pay it this year—it’s not an option.”

a, News, PGSS

New PGSS executive to tackle case against Canadian Federation of Students

by Mayaz Alam on

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Uncontested candidate Juan Camilo Pinto was elected as secretary-general for the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) last Friday with 61.3 per cent of the vote.

The remaining six executives for the 2014-15 academic year will be Jennifer Murray, Julien Ouellet, Nikki Meadows, Ge Sa, and Brighita Lungu.

Five of the six executive positions were uncontested. The only contested position was academic affairs officer, where Murray ousted competitor Behrang Sharif with 76.18 per cent of the vote.

Murray attributed her victory to her platform and campaign strategies.

“I tried to raise awareness about my campaign [and] tried to be clear about my platform,” Murray said. “One of the first things I did before running was [making] sure that I understood student needs […] and what they wanted to do in the future.”

Given the number of positions that were unopposed, many of the executives had the opportunity to work with each other prior to their election. According to Pinto, they were able to forge bonds and recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

“They’re all very competent, they all have impressive CVs and they have been involved with the [PGSS] for a very long time,” Pinto said. “I think they’re awesome, they’re intelligent, and they’re hard-working. I’ve already talked to them about how we’re all going to manage our resources and projects.”

Incoming Internal Affairs Officer, Sa, expressed excitement at the official results.

“I didn’t know some of the members of our slate before this election but we have grown to understand each other a lot more,” Sa said. “We’ve already began working together and we will continue to work with each other until June when we take office. We’ll continue to work together as a team.”

Many of the new executives cited their primary concern as the looming legal battle with the Canadian Federation for Students (CFS), an organization that the PGSS has been trying to leave for the past seven years but has been unable to exit despite a successful referendum. For Meadows, the next financial affairs officer, the ability to move past the CFS will allow her to readjust the budget to better cater toward student interests.

“It’s such a huge drain of our resources, and if we can get out of it we will have so many more opportunities,” Meadows said. “It’ll really broaden my portfolio because there will be less money going to a specific place.”

Incoming External Affairs Officer Ouellet said his goal will be to lobby both the provincial and federal Government for assistance in the CFS case.

“I have a plan as to how I want to start the lobbying process […] but in the next year or the next two years we are going to see a major breakthrough in that case,” Ouellet said. “It’s clear that the CFS has a very weak case against us.”

Saturday also marked the end of the PGSS Winter 2014 referendum period. Members voted against an increase of the PGSS membership fee, as well as against both the McGill Athletics Building Fund and the Graduate Fee Application fee.

The Midnight Kitchen Fee Levy passed with 61.21 per cent of the vote. Students also voted to increase the PGSS grants program fee, decrease the Needs-Based Bursary fee, and renew the PGSS Health and Dental Plan for the next three years.

a, News, SSMU

Khan wins SSMU presidency by 78 votes

by Natalie Wong on

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A mere 78 votes decided the winner of the presidency for the 2014-15 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) executive in results released Friday at Gerts.

Tariq Khan, U3 Engineering, was elected as SSMU president with 29.8 per cent of the vote, beating out runner-up Courtney Ayukawa.

Other members of the 2014-2015 SSMU executive team will include Claire Stewart-Kanigan, Stefan Fong, Kathleen Bradley, Amina Moustaqim-Barrette, and J. Daniel Chaim.

Tariq Khan elected as new president

As SSMU president, Khan said he is determined to build strong connections in the coming months.

“Winning these elections is a very small part of [gaining respect],” he said. “[The important thing is] winning the representation, and winning the heart—I know I have to earn a lot of trust. I need to work with you all and I look forward to that.”

Khan explained that his upcoming goals as SSMU president would include increasing a sense of cohesion among SSMU members.

“The first step is uniting the team and that will be a big challenge,” he said. “The long-term goal will be earning the trust back from students [….] We will advocate for accountability, and I will start off [with] myself.”

SSMU Clubs Representative Billy Liu said he was looking forward to see what next year’s executives, including Khan, would bring forward.

“I’m interested in seeing how sustainability will be incorporated into [Khan’s] portfolio,” Liu said. “For example, what steps he has planned in sustainability, like specific events, forums, etc., or whether he will hold consultations with other campus groups.”

Elections SSMU issued a public censure on Khan the morning of the last day of voting, which stated that Khan had disregarded the bylaws by asking a non-campaign committee member to send unsolicited text messages to the public.

Khan denied the accusation.

“I was not informed before the censure happened,” Khan said. “I think I should have been consulted and given a chance to represent myself [….] I consulted my campaign manager and he assured me that something from our campaign team did not happen [.…] We will be investigating the entire thing.”

Elections SSMU Chief Electoral Officer Ben Fung said a censure would not affect a candidate after they have won unless there is definitive evidence that the elections were skewed in their favour.

 Other candidates

In the race for vice-president clubs and services, incumbent Stefan Fong received 56.1 per cent of the vote, while his opponent Sandhya Sabapathy received 43.9 per cent. Amina Moustaqim-Barrette defeated opponent Enbal Singer for the position of vice-president external with 60.2 per cent of the votes.

Three uncontested candidates were also elected—Claire Stewart-Kanigan as vice-president university affairs, Kathleen Bradley as vice-president finances and operations, and J. Daniel Chaim as vice-president internal.

 Increase in voter turnout

According to Fung, voter turnout this elections period was impressive in comparison with last year—29.1 per cent in 2013 versus 31.4 per cent this year.

“That’s almost 500 more people,” he said. “Our job as Elections SSMU is to make sure that it’s a fair and equal election, and [to] get as many people to vote as possible [.…] I think we did our best to ensure that both of those things happened.”

Fung also described Elections SSMU’s goals to improve future elections.

“We’re looking into expanding the number of events that are going to happen,” he said. “We’re also going to try to rearrange the voting period and polling period in a way that gives the candidates more time to campaign before the polling period starts.”

 Referendum questions

Students voted in favour of all referendum questions except for the implementation of the University Centre Building Fee.

Questions that passed included those regarding the SSMU First-Year Council Fee, the Organic Campus Fee, disaffiliation from TaCEQ, the Legal Information Clinic at McGill Fee, the Athletics and Recreation Facilities Improvement Fee, the SSMU Access Bursary Fund, the SSMU Ambassador Fund, the SSMU Campus Life Fund, and the SSMU Library Improvement Fund.

 

a, News, SSMU

SSMU rescinds decision mandating Farnan apology

by Sara Cullen on

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SSMU Council has rescinded its decision to mandate Vice-President Internal Brian Farnan to issue a public apology for an Obama .GIF included in a listserv.

The previous decision, which the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Council made in a confidential session on Dec. 5, was revoked by Council last Thursday. Farnan’s apology provoked widespread debate about equity and the decision-making process in SSMU.

Élie Lubendo, Services Representative and mover of the motion explained the background to the motion.

“I feel that we need to realize that we made a mistake, then move on from there,” Lubendo said. “Then we need to start educating students [….] and start rebuilding with equity.”

David Benrimoh, medicine representative, voiced concern that rescinding the apology would negatively affect those who brought about the complaint.

“[We] are going to be sending a message to those who did feel marginalized and oppressed by the .GIF that […] public opinion rules the equity process and that there is no real protection for them,” he said.

Lubendo said the issue lay in the form of a public apology and not in the microaggression itself. He said that Farnan’s apology was a poor example for the undergraduate student body and created more negative public backlash than the initial use of the Obama .GIF.

Delane Efua Boakye, an executive of the Black Students’ Network (BSN) spoke in favour of the motion and related the student backlash to the public opinion of the SSMU-funded BSN. Although the BSN did not take part in the complaint filed against Farnan, some students wrongly blamed the BSN for the controversy.

“We often deal with the tension of ‘Why does the BSN exist?, ‘Why do we need a BSN?’”she said. “When we have issues like this, it further delegitimizes our organization because people feel that we’re looking for something to do, [that] we’re raising complaints for the sake of doing it.”

Boakye said the motion would attempt to counter the issues created by the apology.

“[There is a] line between offering an apology to an individual who was hurt and offering a public apology,” Boakye said. “[The public apology] decreased our credibility […] and we are a part of SSMU.”

The motion to rescind the apology passed.

Council also voted in favour of a motion that will require the Equity Complaints Investigation Committee (ECIC) to prepare a written explanation of their recommendation that mandated Farnan to publicly apologize.

Lubendo, one of the movers of the motion, gave an overview of the motion and highlighted its importance.

“[They] should be able to know what the background is and how [the ECIC has] come to the conclusion that they have,” he said.

SSMU President Katie Larson also spoke in favour of the motion.

“I think any way that we can encourage governance transparency, especially when we demand it so often in university, is a good example to set among ourselves of asking for explanations when we are not clear,” Larson said.

The motion also mandates that explanations of such nature become a part of the equity procedure in the future.

a, Basketball, Sports

March Madness Preview

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Cinderella Teams

 

Mercer Bears

We all know that scoring points leads to winning basketball games, and, dare I say, sudden-death basketball tournaments. If you’re searching for an unknown sleeper even trendier than the fountain pen you’re using to fill out your bracket, look no further than the Mercer Bears, one of seven teams in Division 1 to feature three 1,000-point scorers That’s a lot of points. The headliner is sophomore guard Jibri Bryan, who has the potential to be a deadly weapon for the Bears if his name is pronounced at all like Jabari.

After completing a ritualistic slaying of last year’s Cinderella team, Florida Gulf Coast University (AKA “Dunk City”) last Sunday, the Bears sacrificed freshman James Bento to the March Madness gods to secure their blessings for the tournament. Watch out for this team to make a push for the Elite Eight.

 — Elie Waitzer

Manhattan Jaspers

Manhattan last made the tournament 10 years ago, upsetting fifth seed Florida before bowing out in the second round. This year’s team is a tough, physical group with plenty of experience, and has drawn comparisons to Woody Allen’s classic film of the same name. Senior George Beamon plays a high-strung, anxious brand of basketball that would be complemented perfectly by Diane Keaton, were she about a foot taller. Coach Steve Masiello, taking Allen’s lead, has previously said that having strong characters is the key to the team’s success. Though often overshadowed by fellow New York mid-major Annie Hall University, this team shouldn’t be taken lightly. Don’t be surprised if Rhapsody in Blue is playing in AT&T Stadium as this year’s tournament comes to a close.

 —Wyatt Fine-Gagé

Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Don’t sleep on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, as the least well-known squad from the bluegrass state can make it rain from deep. They enter the tournament as the second best three-point shooting team, averaging 9.2 makes per game. The Colonels live and die by the three-ball, so if it is falling, a scoring outburst may just turn into an upset win. They face an ailing Kansas team, which is 2-3 without its star centre Joel Embiid. Expect senior guard Glenn Cosey to wreak havoc in the tournament. With the right opponents, the Colonels could quickly find themselves becoming the nation’s Cinderella story.

— Aaron Rose

Harvard Crimson

It’s time for the revenge of the nerds in this year’s rendition of March Madness. The Harvard Crimson—yes, that Harvard, America’s McGill. After Head Coach Tommy Amaker came to town and began selling potential recruits on the benefits of becoming a student-athlete at Harvard, the fortune of the men’s basketball program has turned around. The Crimson are seeded 12th in the East Region, and face a tough Cincinnati squad that won its regular season conference crown. But this isn’t your parents’ Harvard. Well, it is in the classroom; but on the court this is a talented, experienced, and determined team that is no stranger to upsetting higher-seeded opponents—the Crimson knocked out no. 3 seed New Mexico in last year’s big dance.

— Mayaz Alam

St. Joseph’s Hawks

It was 2004 when the St. Joseph’s Hawks earned a no. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. That team was laden with talent, led by future NBA stars—well, also-rans—Jameer Nelson and Delonte West. This year’s squad is certainly lesser-known, but has the makings to do even more damage in March. One part of the program hasn’t changed: Head Coach Phil Martelli, who will draw upon previous tournament experience to motivate his players. Fresh off the Atlantic-10 title and featuring a dominant “Big 3” in seniors Langston Galloway, Ronald Roberts Jr., and Halil Kanacevic, don’t be surprised when the Hawks are dancing in the deeper rounds. Make Jameer and Delonte proud, team!

 — Steven Lampert

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