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a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Osheaga: the small stage

by Wyatt Fine-Gagné on

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There comes a time each year when it seems as though every other day sees another festival lineup released. As we crawl towards the end of winter, dreaming about weekends in the summer filled with music makes the final stretch a little more bearable. The headliners of these festivals don’t vary all that much. Outkast have gotten back together and are hitting virtually every festival there is. Skrillex, Lorde, Foster the People, and Chance the Rapper are just a few of the names that also seem to appear on every poster—including Osheaga’s—for 2014. What will change far more are the names you see in small print. Here is a look at some of the lesser-known acts taking the stage at Osheaga this summer.

July Talk:

Around this time last year a friend of mine sent me a video with a couple thousand views for a song called “Paper Girl” by July Talk. Skip to the present and that same video now has a couple hundred thousand views. What a difference a year can make. They’re nominated for a 2014 Juno and their two shows at Lee’s Palace in Toronto this coming May sold out almost immediately. Lead vocalists Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay are an unusual combination in terms of tone, but they complement each other perfectly.

Hospitality:

This Brooklyn group is fresh off of releasing their second full-length album, Trouble. The indie-pop trio’s sophomore release is more complex than their first effort, but it doesn’t feel strained at all. They’ve been compared regularly to indie-pop heavyweights like Belle & Sebastian and Vampire Weekend, but manage to put forth a style that is very much their own. Vocalist/guitarist Amber Papini writes charming, clever lyrics that are smart without trying too hard to be.

Le Trouble:

If you feel like supporting a local group then Le Trouble would be a pretty good pick. The five-piece outfit formed in 2013 and have quickly built up a small following around Montreal. Their first EP, Reality Strikes came out in early December and is filled with catchy hooks. “Mission Bell,” the opening track, sounds like a power-pop version of a Strokes song and should have you dancing along before long.

Odesza:

Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight started recording together as Odesza after graduating from Western Washington University in 2012. Since then, the Seattle-based producers have made quite a name for themselves in the underground electronic community. In 2013 they released the My Friends Never Die EP, which you can download for free online. Their brand of dreamy, hip-hop infused music is a perfect fit for a sunny day.

Bas:

Bas is one of the few smaller rap acts that will take the stage at Osheaga. His latest mixtape, Quarter Water Raised Me Vol. II (QWRMV2), features collaborations with big names such as J. Cole—who is also playing Osheaga—and Calvin Harris. The production on the album is top notch and pulls from a variety of styles, while still flowing smoothly all the way through. The bearded rapper was born in Paris to Sudanese parents and had a bit of a worldly upbringing, so it’s no surprise that QWRMV2 encompasses a wide range of sounds.

Bleachers:

It likely won’t be very long before Jack Antonoff’s side project, Bleachers, becomes a big name in pop music. Antonoff is the guitarist for the band Fun, and co-wrote the band’s two biggest hits. A full-length album is due out this spring and it’s already garnering a fair bit of buzz. “I Wanna Get Better,” the album’s first single, doesn’t stray far from the formula that made Fun so big. The band impressed with its set at South by Southwest (SXSW), so catch them on the small stage this summer while you still can.

 

These are just a few of the great names that will be taking the stage in the afternoon in Parc Jean-Drapeau when the August long-weekend rolls around. Though it’s tempting to skip out on some of these smaller acts, I’d advise against it. You’ll be missing out on some of the very best music Osheaga has to offer.

a, Editorial, Opinion

SSMU and PGSS Winter referendum endorsements

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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SSMU Winter referendum endorsements

Click here for our previous reporting on the questions. 

Disaffiliation from TaCEQ:Yes
This motion seeks to disaffiliate the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) from the  Table de concertation étudiante du Québec (TaCEQ), a group intended to advocate for student interests at the provincial level. The issue of SSMU’s affiliation with the organization has been re-examined this year, largely in the wake of reporting earlier this year in this newspaper. Several years with few to no major policy or advocacy achievements, in addition to the substantial $17,000 fee SSMU paid TaCEQ this year, already made the organization a dubious proposition.  Following the exit of the graduate student union at the University of Sherbrooke—the Regroupement des étudiants de maîtrise, diplôme et doctorat (REMDUS) from TaCEQ, one of the more cooperative associations in TaCEQ towards SSMU, the case for exiting the organization has become even stronger. The Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote on this question.

Legal Information Clinic at McGill Existence Referendum Question & Legal Information Clinic at McGill Fee Increase: Yes to both questions

Both of these motions pertain to the Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LICM), a service which provides information on McGill codes of conduct, Quebec and federal law to students at McGill and members of the general public, free of charge. The service also provides representation to students going through McGill disciplinary proceedings. The first of these two questions is simply an existence question, meaning the clinic would cease to receive undergraduate funding if it does not pass. As the clinic is a valuable service to students on campus, the Tribune endorses a “yes” to this question.

The second question seeks to increase the non-opt-outable fee for the LICM from $3.25 to $4.50. The last increase in the LICM’s fee was to the current $3.25 in the Winter 2001 term—more than a decade ago, and this amount is now worth $4.15 in current dollars, when adjusted for inflation. As the increase is really only $0.35 after adjusting for inflation, and the LICM has recently faced an increase in rent for their office space—with another expected within the next two years—the Tribune endorses a “Yes” to this question.

Implementation of the University Centre Building Fee: Yes, with reservations

This motion seeks to simultaneously create a new fee of $6.08 per semester to go towards paying the SSMU’s increased rent for the use of the University Centre (SSMU) building, as well as index this new fee to a 5.6 per cent annual increase for the term of the fee, which is from Fall 2014 to Fall 2021. This request stems directly from the successful renegotiation of SSMU’s lease from McGill for use of the SSMU   building. As SSMU will now be contributing to the utility costs of the building—which were previously gratis—as well as agreeing to an increase in rent from $126,900 to $165,000 over the course of the new agreement (covering the previous three years and lasting until May 2021) the fee is necessary to avoid SSMU running a deficit each year.

While the Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote, we express reservations as to the lack of concrete or even semi-tangible context as to how SSMU will re-allocate funds in the event of a “No” vote. As the motion is currently constructed, SSMU is asking for extra funding directly from students with the implication of catastrophic financial ruin in the event of a “No” vote, but no context as to what sorts of choices the SSMU would have to make in such a funding environment, which presents an incomplete picture of information to the voter.

SSMU First-Year Council Fee: No

This question intends to create an opt-outable $0.50 fee to the SSMU First-Year Council (FYC), a group which provides services to first-year students, such as representation on SSMU Council. The “First Year Fund” created from this fee would be used to further the FYC’s mission. As the FYC has an unclear mandate as to providing services for students who live outside of residence, already has a budget, and this fee is being charged all students—including upper year students, the Tribune endorses a “No” vote on this question.

Athletics and Recreation Facilities: Yes

This question seeks to renew the existing, non-opt-outable $15 athletics and recreation facilities fee, which goes to improving and renovating athletics facilities on campus. As the fee is applied in a largely transparent manner and has been utilized to bring significant improvements to the Athletic complex—with further changes on the way—the Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote on this question.

Motion Regarding Renewal of the SSMU Access Bursary Fund: Yes

This question seeks to renew the existing, opt-out-able fee of $8.50 per semester to the SSMU Access Bursary Fund, which is matched dollar-for-dollar by McGill Alumni donors and is accessible to all McGill students on the basis of need. Since the Fund exists as a source of financial support for students in need and has served a positive purpose on our campus in its existence, the Tribune supports a “Yes” vote on this question.

Renewal of the SSMU Ambassador Fund: Yes

This question seeks to renew the existing, opt-out-able fee of $2.00 to the SSMU Ambassador Fund, which supports travel by McGill groups to extracurricular and academic competitions. As this fund helps support often cash-strapped clubs in providing a fulfilling experience to their members, and because increasing McGill’s exposure  in such venues benefits students, the Tribune supports a “Yes” vote on this question.

Renewal of the SSMU Campus Life Fund: Yes

This question seeks to renew the existing, opt-out-able fee of $2.00 to the SSMU Campus Life Fund, which can be applied to by any group on campus that can lay claim to be improving campus life, including those that are not SSMU-managed clubs. As this fund provides a widely-accessible and judiciously-distributed source of funding to many positive on-campus actors, the Tribune supports  a “Yes” vote on this question.

Renewal of the SSMU Library Improvement Fund: Yes

This motion seeks to renew the existing, opt-out-able fee of $8.50 per semester to the SSMU Library Improvement Fund, which goes towards the management of the university libraries in cooperation with the university. In the past, these funds were, in part, used to bring 24-hour service to the libraries. As this fund supports an invaluable campus resource, and stands as a bulwark against the possibility of further budget cuts and decline in service, the Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote on this question.

Approval for Organic Campus Fee Creation Question for Winter 2014 Referendum: Yes 

This motion seeks to create an opt-outable fee of $0.22 per semester to fund the activities of the Organic Campus service. This fee is largely in response to labour regulations which require Organic Campus to remunerate its volunteers for their work—according to the group, without this fee they would have to raise prices, making their food less accessible to the community. The Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote on this question.

Full disclosure: Sports Editor Remi Lu is a volunteer at Organic Campus. He was not involved in the discussion that resulted in this endorsement. 

PGSS Winter referendum endorsements

Click here for our previous reporting on the questions. 

 uApply fee: Yes

The uApply system was recently revamped by McGill, resulting in changes that surpassed previous budget projections. The referendum question aims to increase the uApply application service fee from its current number of $102.60 to $120.00 over the course of five years, beginning this June. uApply is a key service for graduate students, and the recent improvements have allowed graduate students to save money when applying to multiple programs. The increase in service cost will help balance out McGill’s budget after overspending on the changes to the system. The Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote.

Needs-Based Bursary Fee: Yes

The Needs-Based Bursary Fee was originally increased to a value of $4.01 with the intent to create an endowment fund for students who demonstrated financial need. This year, PGSS reached its target goal of $150,000—a number that McGill stated it would match. Consequently, the referendum question proposes a decrease from the current annual fee of $4.01 to $1.01. The reduced fee will allow the fund to continue to grow annually, while easing the financial burden on students. The Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote.

Fund for Rutherford Park: No

The referendum issue in question proposes a non-opt-out-able fee of $3 per semester for PGSS members, which would go towards updating Rutherford Park (Reservoir Field). The fund would extend to the Winter 2019 semester, and would be overseen by McGill Athletics. Although the renovations would introduce a bevy of services for PGSS members—including an artificial turf, a full sized soccer pitch, and lighting in the evening—the infrequent usage of Athletics’ services by the overall PGSS student body deems this an unnecessary fee. Furthermore, PGSS members already pay a full Athletics fee of $116.42 per semester. As such, the Tribune endorses a “No” vote.

Midnight Kitchen Fee: No

Midnight Kitchen (MK) is an organization that provides lunches to undergraduate and graduate students. At the moment, it is financed by donation and by members of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). This question proposes an opt-outable $0.50 per semester fee to support the MK. However, the PGSS already pays over $4,000 annually to SSMU for access to its services, and since MK is a service of SSMU, PGSS members would not gain any representation within MK by paying this fee. While graduate student support for MK could be valuable to the organization, it is unclear what PGSS members stand to gain by passing this fee. The Tribune endorses a “No” vote, and recommends that MK design a proposal for how it would use this additional funding in a way that specifically benefit graduate students.

Increase in fee for PGSS Grants Program: Yes

The PGSS Grants Program enables students to apply for grants to host either social or academic events. Last year, the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) withdrew its pledge due to financial issues, yet the Program still received its greatest number of applications this year than ever before. As such, the Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote to increasing the PGSS Grants Program fee from $1.26 per semester to $2.07 to help supplement the financial support that GPS was previously providing.

PGSS Health and Dental Plan: Yes

The PGSS Health and Dental plan is a well-used service by the PGSS, which currently has over 7,000 members. The Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote to renewing the current PGSS Health and Dental plan fee for three years. This proposed opt-outable fee would be adjusted annually at a rate that would not exceed $252.04 for health insurance and $176.74 for dental insurance.

Increase to the PGSS Membership Fee:Yes 

This proposed question will increase the PGSS regular membership fee by $1.51 to total $33.33 per semester starting in Fall 2014. The additional fee is in anticipation of an increase in rent for Thomson House and the Coach House given ongoing negotiations with McGill. It has been calculated based on the expected worst-case scenario for the rent increase, and any surplus will support new PGSS initiatives. The Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote.

Errata: a previous version of this article disclosed that the the Tribune was awarded a grant of $777 through the Campus Life Fund towards the purchase of a new office printer. In fact, the grant was through the Space Fund, not the Campus Life Fund. The Tribune regrets the error. 

 

a, News

Reddit co-founder discusses internet accessibility, entrepreneurship

by Shadia Marun on

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Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian spoke on the importance of the Internet and student entrepreneurship on March 11.

The event was organized by HackMcGill and the Dobson Centre, a hub for entrepreneurial activity at McGill, and was attended by approximately 150 members of the McGill community.

In his speech, Ohanian encouraged students to begin work on their projects and promote them using the power of the Internet.

“Every one of us is capable of being entrepreneurial,” he said. “Having ideas and doing these is the core.”

Ohanian emphasized the Internet’s ability to facilitate the sharing of information and unite people.

“What makes the Internet so powerful is that you can publish an article here right now, and someone in Japan can see it as easily as someone in the States,” he said. “You can have more of an impact a lot faster than you would in the physical world.”

However, Ohanian also pointed to the limitations of technology, such as unequal access.

“We still have millions of people who don’t even have access to broad net,” Ohanian said. “In America, there are parents who have to take their kids to McDonalds for Wi-Fi because they can’t afford it.”

Highlighting these setbacks, Ohanian said that because the Internet remains such a powerful tool, people must ensure that it stays open and free.

“Every one of us who has an Internet connection is enlisted, as we all have [it] in our best interest to preserve it,” Ohanian said. “As to why to defend it, it is because of the threats to its end of neutrality and availability, as well as to stop online censorship.”

Students’ reactions to Ohanian’s message were positive.

“Ohanian was so amazing and so inspiring—I don’t think this [event] could have gone any better,” Ajwad Anwar, a U1 Science student, said.

Christophe Smith, U2 Science, praised Ohanian’s abilities as a speaker.

“I was really impressed,” Smith said. “He is a brilliant [and] funny speaker, which is great. I learned a lot.”

 

a, Opinion

A microlesson in microaggression: clarifying a misinterpretation

by Élie Lubendo on

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On Dec. 5, the SSMU Legislative Council met and decided that a listserv sent by the SSMU VP Internal Brian Farnan containing a GIF image of Barack Obama kicking down a door served to reinforce the negative stereotypical image of the hyper-masculine aggressive black man. They decided that the Equity Complaint Investigation Committee’s recommendation of a public apology was both necessary and beneficial to the entirety of the student body. It was not. Instead, this apology has made a farce of McGill and, even worse, trivialized the issue of racism.

The Equity Complaints Investigation Committee’s recommendation was made in response to an equity complaint filed on Oct. 30 in response to the Obama GIF. The complaint was filed, unbeknownst to many, for two reasons and not just one. The first was because the complainant felt that the image of Obama reinforced a negative stereotype. The second reason was because Farnan had not responded to the complainant’s initial email; as a result, the student filed an official equity complaint. Once the recommendation was drafted, it was sent to the SSMU Legislative Council to make the decision of approval or rejection.

When presented at Council, we were given an explanation of the situation by the equity commissioner. After our initial questions were answered, we opened debate on the recommendation. As the lone black voice in the room, I felt the unfair pressure of having to speak on behalf of our black community. However, I also hoped that my perspective as a black male could shed valuable insight onto the situation.

I spoke against the approval of the public apology. Although it is true that we should recognize the concerns of the complainant, such response could be best communicated to the student directly. Public apologies to the entirety of the student body should only be sent if there is a breach of trust against all students and the mandates of the society. In this case, a public apology would surely backfire.

Although black masculinity is often portrayed negatively by the media through violent and hyper-masculinized representations, the Obama image was not a good example of the reinforcement of this stereotype. Its central feature was not of a black man violently attacking a door, but rather of a public political figure being humorously discomposed. As it was mentioned during Council, this would not have been an issue had it been Stephen Harper or Hillary Clinton instead of Barack Obama.

Despite this, arguments were brought up as to why the recommendation should be approved. A majority of councillors felt that, beyond validating the complainant’s thoughts, the image was indeed reinforcing the violent black male narrative and that by speaking against this, we could educate our student body on racism and microaggressions. They felt that this was a good opportunity to promote a safe space, and that sending out a public apology would be beneficial.  To these councillors, my arguments that the apology would politicize a non-political issue and that this politicization would only hurt the genuine concerns of the black community were not valid enough reasons to vote against the apology.  One councillor even told me, the lone black student in the room, to “recognize my privilege” and that my opinion could not represent that of all black students. (He didn’t seem to have a problem with not recognizing his own privilege.) They believed that by approving the recommendation they were promoting equity.

I was troubled by their comments. These councillors wanted to educate students on an issue that they themselves misunderstood. We were robbing Barack Obama of his individuality by fitting him into a stereotype. We were taking a notable and respected figure of the black community and reducing him to being a violent black male—all of this in the name of education.

The recommendation was approved: nine for, five against, five abstaining.

As the session ended and a motion to adjourn was made, councillors began gathering their belongings, eager to go home. I had to remind the councillors that we were supposed to take a minute of silence to mourn of the death of Nelson Mandela. Embarrassed, everyone sat back down. I sat there baffled by the irony that these councillors believed they were helping the black community, unaware that they had silenced and ignored a black student on the night that one of humanity’s greatest activists died after a long life of battling for the equality of all races.

I felt that SSMU Equity was misrepresenting the needs of visible minorities. Throughout the process itself there was minimal consultation with members of the affected group, and the lone black student who spoke—me—was ignored. The recommendation was made by the four members of the Equity Complaints Investigation Committee. They were trying to speak for the black community without asking for its opinions. Ultimately, this apology has misrepresented the struggles that I encounter on a daily basis. By presenting a poor example of black stereotypes, they have confused, instead of educating, our student body about the issue of racism.

People often think that racism involves malicious actions of ill intent, but this is false. Racism often involves a set of implicit attitudes held even by well-meaning people. Racism is pervasive and it has been vastly studied in psychology. Columbia professor Derald Sue defines microaggressions as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of colour.” These are everyday actions that range from racial slurs to cultural appropriation, and collectively they help construct the exclusion that marginalizes minorities. A microaggression is when you censor someone from using the word “black” while not censoring the word “white.”  Acts such as telling a black person that they don’t “act black” because they do not appear “ghetto,” saying that a black person is “lucky” to be in university, misappropriating “ratchet” culture, or dismissing allegations of racism as “pulling the black card” are microaggressions.

By being overly politically correct while misidentifying what microaggressions are, we took away  Obama’s character and replaced it with a stereotype. Under the pretense that “education is good,” the nine councillors attempted to teach our community about a topic that they had gotten wrong. In doing so, we drew the attention of our community into making fun of the apology, and consequently trivializing the issue of racism, instead of teaching them about it. Racism is real, microaggressions do exist, and equity plays a large role in minimizing the struggles of visible minorities.

I am for equity, I want equity, I need equity. But I neither want nor need this equity. I don’t need equity that confuses the issue of racism and makes students laugh about microaggressions. I don’t need equity that unfairly scapegoats its own members in the name of education. I don’t need equity that taints the university’s reputation instead of bolstering it. The decision to approve the recommendation not only outlined a poor example of black stereotypes, but also of educational equity. Education is good––but only so as long as we know the subject that we are teaching. Our student body cannot learn about the struggles of our minorities if those attempting to teach are not educated.

 

Élie Lubendo sits on the SSMU Legislative Council as the Services Representative to SSMU. This is his second year as a councillor. This piece was written in collaboration with Christian Service, Political Coordinator at the Black Students’ Network. The Black Students’ Network will be having a discussion on marginalized peoples in academia, and the dynamics of culture and ethnicity in North America on March 20.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Dale Boyle finds musical success by sticking to his roots

by Max Berger on

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After enough predictable PowerPoint slides and monotonous note-taking, it’s easy to find yourself wishing for a teacher like Jack Black in School of Rock to come and shake up your lecture with an unconventional musical component. If that’s the case, then you should try taking a class with McGill’s homegrown version: Faculty of Education lecturer—and professional roots musician—Dale Boyle.

“It’s a little less blatant than that,” laughs Boyle when I ask how his classes compare to Black’s. “A little more naturally integrated than he does it [….] But I always get to perform in my classes.”

Boyle lectures specifically in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE), leading courses based in educational research and theory.

“In a theory course—at least for a class or two—I’ll look at arts-based research, a big part of that being music,” explains Boyle. “It’s just kind of questioning what constitutes academic knowledge.”

“In Research Methods, we actually explore something I created called ‘musical memo-ing,’ which is turning data into musical form.”

Essentially, the memos represent a means of transforming key phrases that emerge from analysis of qualitative data into succinct lyrical and musical form.

Unlike Black, Boyle’s teaching methods are very structured. After completing undergraduate and master’s degrees at McGill—the former of which he began in 1998—Boyle stuck around campus to pursue a PhD in Education that studied the use of music as a classroom tool, which he completed in 2011.

“The official title [of the thesis], which I sadly have memorized,” says Boyle, “is ‘Exploring a University Teacher’s Approach to Incorporating Music in a Cognition Psychology Course.’”

For many students, working towards a PhD would be enough of a time strain, but Boyle kept himself constantly busy with other musical side projects throughout the doctorate.

“I recorded at least two [albums] while doing my PhD,” says Boyle. “And recording an album means strapping yourself in for a serious ride.”

Luckily, Boyle was already well versed in recording by the time he was a PhD candidate. In 2004, he released his first full-length album, In My Rearview Mirror: A Story From a Small Gaspé Town. That was also when he realized he wanted to perform and record roots music, which is a stylistic hybrid of folk, Americana, and some blues.

“Despite the fact that I grew up often listening to country and folk music—and at times rejecting it and listening to metal—I just found that when I went to perform, I kind of went back to my roots and played a more traditional country-folk type of sound,” says Boyle.

Boyle released another full-length album of self-composed songs in 2007 and spent the next few years mostly sitting in on other artists’ projects. His most recent effort, Throwback (2012), has garnered both local and international acclaim.

Although he performs regularly in Montreal and has graced stages elsewhere in Canada and the United States, Boyle admits that his main focus is songwriting. This passion led him to discover the International Songwriting Competition, an open-submission contest that has recently featured well-known judges such as Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, and Martina McBride; it would also become a crucial stepping-stone for Boyle on his musical journey.

“I’ve applied [to the competition] over the years,” says Boyle. “But there was one particular song [called “You Might Come Around”] that I did believe pretty strongly in, and it turns out that it did win second place in the Americana category.”

The third place finisher? Josh Ritter, a prominent American singer-songwriter whose albums have cracked the top 10 of Billboard charts.

It meant a lot to Boyle to be recognized among so many who share his love of the craft.

“It’s just fairly cool to throw a song out there and just have people select it and appreciate it for what I thought it was,” he says. “I thought it was a pretty good song, and it’s encouraging when others think the same.”

Since Boyle’s second-place finish in 2013, he hasn’t made any definite plans for another full-length album, but he’s excited about the studio time he’s been putting in recently with bassist James Blennerhassett—who has worked with Steve Earle and Paul Brady—and drummer Kenny Aronoff—who has worked with John Mellencamp and John Fogerty—musicians that he’s long admired. He’s also content to continue the balance he’s struck between McGill and his music.

“The good thing about teaching a bit, at least to the degree I have been, is that I’m essentially able to pay the bills,” Boyle says. “Now, I just play when I want to, when it suits me; and I focus a lot of attention on my songwriting, it’s a pretty nice balance right now.”

It’s a system that has served the McGill mainstay well. A couple of years from now, he’ll be teaching an incoming freshman class born in 1998, the same year he arrived on campus.

a, News

Students propose new sexual assault policy at Forum on Consent

by Eman Jeddy on

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Student groups proposed plans to introduce a new sexual assault policy at McGill’s Forum on Consent on Feb. 26.

Attended by students, faculty, staff, and other members of the McGill community, the forum included speakers from groups such as the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS), Queer McGill, and the Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE).

During a panel discussion, SACOMSS announced a plan to bring forward a clearly defined policy regarding sexual assault for university-wide implementation. The document was created in collaboration with Queer McGill, UGE, and other student groups.

“We will be putting forward a list of recommendations regarding a new administrative position […] as well demands for the creation for an official and clear university sexual assault policy,” SACOMSS Representative Kelly Schieder said. “We feel that this is long overdue at McGill.’’

McGill currently does not have a policy regarding sexual assault. Instead, measures dealing with sexual assault are located in the Student Code of Conduct.

Kai O’Doherty, one of the co-presenters of the policy and a representative of UGE, explained that the policy would include the hiring of a sexual assault coordinator who would be the main reference point for all matters regarding sexual assault at the university. Additionally, the policy would be tailored towards the needs of survivors of sexual assault.

While McGill is already in the process of hiring a coordinator for programming on the topic of sexual assault, O’Doherty said the policy aims to outline the position portfolio.

“[We need] someone who is well trained in matters ranging from sexual assault to anti-racism to anti-homophobia, but also […] someone who is trained in the immediate process of guiding a supporter through the process,” O’Doherty said. “[It should be] someone who would also be in charge of helping awareness campaigns on rape culture and victim blaming, and someone who is aware of the safety measure for survivors and the policy itself.”

The policy also outlines plans to introduce mandatory training in matters regarding sexual assault for all new professors, incoming students, and student groups that have been identified as high risk such as frosh groups. It would also encourage training among current students and professors.

According to Dean of Students André Costopoulos, the focus on creating a new policy is positive because it would bring greater visibility to the already existing, but disorganized, sexual assualt measures and unite the policies under one general banner.

“Almost everything that they proposed in their policy is already in place somewhere in the university, so let’s get them all together and let’s give better visibility and let’s get them known,” he said. “Once we’ve done that, we can see where the holes are and what we can do [to] fill them.”

Vice-President University Affairs of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Joey Shea has been working in collaboration with the student groups to draft the new policy. She said the proposal requires endorsement by all student groups involved before it can be presented to SSMU Council on March 12.

After SSMU Council, the policy would have to go through a number of channels including Senate to become official university policy.

Shea, one of the forum’s hosts, said she was hopeful about the event’s impact on campus dialogue on consent.

“The point of the forum was to start a conversation about sexual assault on campus,” Shea said. “To start a conversation about what is consent […] what is rape culture and to define that is really important and for [This was] a launching point for McGill doing its due diligence in terms of where we are with this issue.’’

(Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune)
a, News, SSMU

SSMU lease signed following three-year negotiation

by Shrinkhala Dawadi and Cece Zhang on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) has signed the lease for the SSMU Building, following nearly three years of negotiations with the administration.

The Board of Governors (BoG) approved the decision at their Feb. 27 meeting. SSMU had previously been operating in the building without a legal agreement since its previous lease expired on May 31, 2011.

According to Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) (DPSLL) Ollivier Dyens, the new lease is for 10 years, covering the two previous years, the current year, and seven more years until May 2021. The new lease stipulates that SSMU share utility costs of the building with McGill, as they previously were not paying the energy costs.

The current lease is $126,900 per year for 2011-2013 and increases by $5,000 every year to a maximum of $165,000 in 2020-2021. SSMU will also contribute $100,000 to the energy costs of the building every year, allowing for adjustment for inflation.

Dyens said SSMU owes outstanding payments to the university for the previous three years.

“[It is the] same as with collective action with unions—you work with the previous agreement until a new one is reached, and then work out retroaction that needs to be done,” he said.

Dyens added that the long term of the new lease could have positive results for the society.

“SSMU can focus energies less on legal issues and more on student services,” he said. “It will also allow SSMU to plan forward for a long time, with their budget [and] fees.”

However, students will face a potential fee increase to account for the lease in the upcoming Winter Referendum, according to SSMU Vice-President Finance and Operations Tyler Hofmeister. The fee would be $6.08 for full-time students and $3.04 for part-time students, and would be indexed to increase at a rate of 5.6 per cent each year.

SSMU President Katie Larson said the negotiations were improved this year due to SSMU’s requirement that the DPSLL be present at the negotiations, rather than a proxy.

“Having a more clear line of communication definitely made it easier to come to agreements,” Larson said. “It is clear to me that being able to talk to the DPSLL directly made it easier to get SSMU’s concerns and points across, since they were not going through a third party.”

Hofmeister commended the ability of the SSMU executives to conclude the negotiations.

“[This is the result of] the diligent work of the SSMU executives—not just from this year but from the previous years as well,” he said. “We have built on the work of the previous executives to complete this agreement.”

Federal budget

The meeting also included a discussion of the 2014 federal budget, which was announced on Feb. 11 by Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

Principle Suzanne Fortier praised the budget.

“[It is a] very good budget for the university sector,” she said.

The budget created the Canadian First Research Excellence Fund, which would invest $50 million in university research in 2015-2016, an amount which will eventually increase to $200 million during its 20 year schedule.

Additionally, the budget allocates $15 million for the Natural Sciences Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and $15 million for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Fortier said the allocation of funds to increase the number of opportunities for student and postdoc internships was “greatly appreciated.”

International and out-of-province student tuition

Fortier also explained the federal government’s proposal to reduce its investment for grants for international and out-of-province student tuition, although the details of the proposal have not yet been revealed.

As plans are in preliminary stages, board members only briefly discussed possible responses to proposed changes.

Jonathan Mooney, Secretary-General of McGill’s Post-Graduate Student’s Society (PGSS), highlighted the legal challenges involved in modifying the tuition for international students.

“Changing the tuition that students from francophone countries pay would involve changing the bilateral agreement Quebec has with these countries,” he said.

McGill Vice-Principal (Communications and External Relations) Olivier Marcil, said the Quebec government’s response to the issue had not been finalised.

“It’s not clear under which ministry this reflection will take part, [but] I suspect it will be under the authority of [the ministries of] finance, international relations and higher education,” he said. “McGill has already said that [it] wants to be a part of this discussion because we have a lot of expertise on [this issue].”

Building and Property Committee approval policy

Peter Coughlin, the new chair of the Building and Property Committee, presented the committee’s new method of approving building projects to the BoG.

“Before, we approved projects on a one-on-one basis [.…] projects often came in too early, in the stage before appropriate planning was done and adequate funds were calculated,” Coughlin said. “We want to ensure that the projects are done as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. We’ve provided admin the seed money to hire consultants for projects so we have a firm number on what they’ll cost.”

The new schedule for project approval includes the implementation of high priority projects that had undergone prior consultation, most of which involve deferred maintenance work. Coughlin said $120 million would be allocated for 10-12 projects, which would be carried out over 18 months.

One such project is the renovation of a service tunnel that runs under the Montreal Neurological Institute, the Duff Medical Building, residence buildings, and the athletic complex.

“The tunnels are really old and would not be serviceable if we had a steam leak,” Coughlin said. “Replacing the tunnels is a high priority.”

The BoG passed the Building and Property Committee’s proposal to carry out the deferred maintenance projects.

a, Men's Varsity, Sports

Basketball: Redmen disappoint at Nationals

by Mayaz Alam on

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After two straight losses in the CIS National Championships at Carleton University on Friday and Saturday—63-54 to the Victoria Vikes, and 75-59 to the Saskatchewan Huskies, respectively—the McGill Redmen finished seventh in the eight-team competition.

The game on Friday was a matchup between two of the toughest defences in the nation. Prior to Nationals, McGill had allowed an average 62.3 points per game—good for third-best in the country—while Victoria set the pace with a mere 60.2 points per game during the regular season. In a battle of defensive wills, it was the Vikes who held to the standard, holding the Redmen to just 27.6 per cent shooting from the field. McGill did not help itself at the charity stripe, getting to the line a mere seven times compared to the Vikes’ 27 free throw attempts.

“Their philosophy was to pack the paint, making it difficult to drive to the basket,” Redmen Head Coach David DeAveiro explained. “Our inability to make shots from the perimeter and attack the basket led to our inability to score.”

Freshman forward Francois Bourque led the way for McGill with 14 points and eight rebounds, while co-captain Simon Bibeau chipped in with 12 points en route to being named McGill’s game MVP.

On Saturday, the team’s shooting woes continued. The Redmen were once again held significantly below their season average of 74.1 points per game, finishing with 59 on just 27 per cent from the field. It didn’t help that the Redmen were fighting an uphill battle, after a dismal first quarter in which they dug themselves into a 19-point hole.

“Our team was disappointed in our play against Victoria in the first game,” DeAveiro said. “I felt we might have left our emotion and passion in the game before playing Saskatchewan. We just couldn’t make open shots [and …] I was little disappointed that we gave up 27 points in the first quarter.

If it weren’t for the emergence of freshman guard Regis Ivaniukas, who exploded off the bench for a career-high 17 points, the score might have been even more lopsided. Friday night’s contest was Bibeau’s last collegiate game. The senior guard posted 14 points on four-of-10 shooting.

Bibeau is the only player not slated to return to a team that had 10 rookies, three of whom were starters. Although the mood is dour given the expectations for the no. 5 ranked Redmen, the future is bright for the McGill Redmen only four years after DeAveiro has taken control of the program.

During this time, DeAveiro has created a blueprint for success in the RSEQ, one that preaches the importance of a collective team effort both defensively and offensively. This season, the Redmen led the conference in every significant defensive statistical category, except for blocks. The squad had no problem scoring either, leading the league in points, assists, field goal percentage, and three point percentage. However, now that McGill has established its dominance in the RSEQ, the program must take the next step and learn to compete on the national stage.

“I feel we need to continue to recruit the best basketball players in the country,” DeAveiro said. “We have a good nucleus of young players who received an education on what it’s like to play the best at Nationals. It’s a mind set, a focus, a determination that we are not satisfied with being labeled a very good young team.”

a, News, PGSS

PGSS disputes fee creation for Rutherford Park, Midnight Kitchen

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Graduate students will be able to vote on seven questions in the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) Winter referendum period from  March 13 to 21.

Fund for Rutherford Park

One question seeks to levy a non-opt-outable fee of $3 per semester for PGSS members, up to and including the Winter 2019 semester. The fund would raise a total of $230,000 to $250,000 and will go towards updating Rutherford Park (Reservoir Field).

PGSS members have not previously paid such a fee, according to PGSS Academic Affairs Officer Adam Bouchard, as they traditionally use the athletics facilities less than undergraduate students.

Rutherford Park renovations, which would be coordinated by McGill Athletics, would include an artificial turf, a full sized soccer pitch, and lighting for evening events, which could be used by PGSS members.

“PGSS and its members will benefit greatly from this improvement in infrastructure right next to our building,” Bouchard said.

“Recently PGSS has been working with Drew Love, the director of athletics, to adjust the user fees and propose this project,” said Bouchard, who is also the chair of the “Yes” campaign for the question.

Elizabeth Cawley, PGSS members services officer and chair of the “No” campaign against the question, cited the $116.42 fee PGSS members already pay to McGill Athletics.

“Graduate students pay this high fee every semester and yet almost every service within athletics is pay-per-use—you have to pay an additional fee to take classes, for intramural sports, for access to the fitness centre etc,” she said. “I think that this fee should be voted down and athletics should be forced to re-evaluate their use of student money before asking us for a fee increase again.”

—Cece Zhang

Midnight Kitchen fee

This question proposes an opt-outable $0.50 per semester fee to fund Midnight Kitchen (MK), an organization that provides by-donation lunches to students throughout the week. It is currently financed solely by members of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU).

Lorenzo Daieff, PGSS councillor and chair of the “Yes” campaign for the question, said Midnight Kitchen provides a valuable service to the entire student body.

“It seems fair and desirable for graduates, who currently do not support the MK in such a way, to make a similar—if not equal—contribution to a service that is, has, and always will be accessible to graduates,” Daieff said.

However, Jonathan Mooney, PGSS secretary-general and chair of the “No” committee, said the PGSS currently already pays over $4,000 annually to SSMU for access to its services, and the proposed fee would be an overlap.

“When you pay a personal fee to a service—rather than just through PGSS—you should be guaranteed the legal right to oversee how it is spent,” Mooney said. “Since Midnight Kitchen is a service of the SSMU, PGSS members would gain no legal right to determine how Midnight Kitchen is operated by paying this fee [….] We would simply be giving away money with no added accountability in return.”

Daieff noted that MK does not receive any funding from SSMU, so the new fee would not constitute a “double-pay.”

“[We] stress that grads are not “buying their way in” into the MK via the levy; they’ve always had access to the MK, and will continue to, even if the referendum fails,” Daieff said.

—Cece Zhang

uApply fee

Another question addresses the uApply application service fee charged to all graduate students. Currently $102.60, the question would increase the fee to $120.00 gradually over five years, starting this June. Mooney explained that the fee increase would benefit future graduate students.

“McGill made a big investment in the UApply system; graduate students can […] pay one fee for two graduate programs in two different departments, [whereas] before you would have to pay two fees for two applications to different programs,” he said. “[Changes have] made it a simpler process.”

According to Mooney, McGill spent more money than originally budgeted to create these changes, so the application fee increase is a way to balance out the costs.

There is no “No” campaign against this question.

—Chelsey Ju

Needs-Based Bursary fee

Another referendum question deals with a decrease in the Needs-Based Bursary Fee from the current amount of $4.01 to $1.01.

The Needs-Based Bursary fee was originally increased to $4.01 with the purpose of providing financial aid to students who demonstrated need. Priority for receiving this fund was given to students who were caring for dependents, or experienced specific hardships.

PGSS Financial Affairs Officer Erik Larson explained that the purpose of modifying this fee originally was to generate more revenue than would be required during a fiscal year. Now, the target amount of $150,000 has been reached for the fund.

“This additional revenue was to be used to create an endowment fund, which would be matched by the university,” Larson said. “At this point, we have the money ready to be endowed, and are negotiating the terms of endowment with the University.”

After creating this endowment, the idea is to use interest generated by the fund itself to meet the financial needs of the program.

“The new levy will be used to grow the endowment fund annually, which will allow the program to expand while reducing the current financial burden on students,” Larson said.

There is no “No” campaign against this question.

—Chelsey Ju

Increase to the PGSS membership fee

This question seeks to increase the PGSS regular membership fee from its current amount of $31.82 per semester to $33.33 starting in Fall 2014.

According to Larson, the additional money will go toward an increase in rent for Thomson House and the Coach House following ongoing negotiations with McGill.

“At this point just in our preliminary negotiations we realized that their increase in our rent is going to jack-up our rent prices a significant amount,” he said.

The increase has been calculated based on the expected worst-case scenario for the rent increase. Larson said any surplus would go toward new PGSS initiatives such as a free daycare service for members’.

There is no “No” campaign against this question.

—Sam Pinto

Increase in fee for PGSS Grants Program

This question seeks to increase the PGSS Grants Program fee from $1.26 per semester to $2.07 as of Fall 2014.

The program allows student groups to apply for grants in order to host either social or academic events.

Initially, the Grants Program was partially funded by PGSS, with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) matching contributions. However, last year the GPS withdrew their pledge due to financial issues, according to Larson.

Larson said the Grants Program has received more applications so far this school year than it has ever received before.

“What we’re hoping to do is to be able to get back to somewhat of the level that we were last year with this,” Larson said. “Unfortunately, it’s not going to cover nearly as much as the program needs, so in conjunction with [the fee increase], we’re also looking to revamp how the grants are being allocated.”

There is no “No” campaign against this question.

—Sam Pinto

PGSS Health and Dental Plan

The question seeks to renew the current PGSS Health and Dental Plan fee for three years, from September 2014 to August 2017. The proposed opt-outablefee would be at an annually adjusted rate not exceeding $242.04 for health insurance, and not exceeding $176.74 for dental insurance.

Callan Davey, a project manager for PGSS from the Alliance pour la santé étudiant de Québéc (ASEQ), said the plan is well-used by graduate students.

“It’s a very robust and well-used service, and currently we have over 7,000 PGSS members involved in the plan,” Davey explained. “Prescription drugs take up the most proportion of healthcare claims, and drives up the cost a lot. We want to make sure the financial side of the plan is balanced with the benefits, and make sure it’s meeting the need of students.”

There is no “No” campaign against this question.

—Cece Zhang

a, Student Life

Understanding unpaid internships

by Erica Friesen on

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Considering working for free this summer? In a grim labour market, unpaid internships seem to be a bizarre trend that has made life after graduation more even difficult. As internships are part of a grey zone often undefined and unregulated by legal frameworks, it’s important for students to be aware of the potential problems they may encounter in their search for an internship this summer.

Although internships have swiftly become the norm for young people entering the labour force, there is surprisingly little research conducted on the topic; for example, neither Statistics Canada nor Human Resources and Skills Development track statistics for interns, according to a recent article in the Toronto Star.

Andrew Langille, labour lawyer and founder of Youth and Work, a website aiming to spread information to young people about workplace law, said unpaid internships are most common in urban centres that have post-secondary institutions, a mature service sector, and an abundance of young people.

“Montreal has a huge problem with unpaid internships; tens of thousands of young workers are working for free every year,” he said. “The government is doing nothing.”

In much of the legal literature, in fact, internships don’t even share a common definition. A company can call a position an internship whether the employee is paid, unpaid, or receives academic credit for their work.

Unpaid internships, however, are usually the most troublesome for students.

“[An unpaid internship is] an experiential opportunity integrating knowledge gained in the classroom to an employment setting,” a statement from the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers reads. “The student’s work is supervised by a qualified professional and feedback is shared with the student on a regular or ongoing basis.”

Darlene Hnatchuk, director of McGill’s Career Planning Service (CaPS), said unpaid internships are supposed to provide more opportunities for learning than a typical position.

“Employment law varies by province and by territory, but typically any type of work where you are producing for the benefit of the employer or the organization should be paid work,” she said. “It’s about the amount of time you spend learning versus doing.”

If you’re not receiving adequate training or are stuck doing mindless busywork without pay, your internship may not even be legal. Additionally, you may not gain any valuable experience from the position—we’ve all heard the horror stories about interns stuck buying coffee and running errands for their employers.

According to Langille, many problems with unpaid internships stem from the failure of laws to address unpaid work.

“These laws were often written 20 to 30 years ago, when intern culture wasn’t a very big part of the labour market,” he said. “It’s an issue of regulatory failure on the part of the government insofar as they’re not properly regulating the youth labour market [….] This [is a] grey area that isn’t well understood, and the employers have been making full use of it.”

In addition, Langille said the regulatory systems in Canada fail to actively hold employers responsible for their adherence to laws.

“Historically the regulation of employment standards has been voluntary to clients or people having to report their employer, so there hasn’t been a lot of proactive enforcement of employment standards laws across Canada,” Langille said.

Because laws dealing with internships are often unclear, Hnatchuk recommends that students assess potential opportunities before proceeding with the applications. In some fields, such as publishing and advertising, unpaid internships are far more common than in others.

“If you are in a field where it’s critically important to get an internship but they tend to be unpaid, then it’s going to be very important for you to evaluate whether or not the objectives for that internship match your own,” she said. “[You need to] be asking some questions: what kind of training will I be receiving? What type of evaluation supervision will I be receiving? [….] Is there an opportunity later on to be employed?”

If an internship looks like it could be illegal, or you’re unsure whether it matches your career goals, Hnatchuk said students can book an appointment at CaPS to discuss the opportunity.

Langille also emphasized the need for students to educate themselves about their rights before accepting a position.

“If you know your rights going into a situation, you can avoid situations where you’re going to be exploited altogether,” he said. “It’s a way to defend yourself proactively without getting into a big legal fight down the road.”

For improving rights for young workers in the future, Langille said much of the power to create change lies in the hands of the government.

“The federal and provincial governments need to really step up and take a look at this problem, and look at the exclusions that often deny critical protections to young workers,” he said. “Young people really have to put pressure on the government to address the situation of the labour market and to come up with a regulatory model that defends the rights of young people in the workplace.”

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