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Despite the persistent rainfall, protesters marched downtown on Saturday Sept. 22 in a demonstration organized by Coalition Large de l’Association pour un Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (CLASSE). (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune)
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Montrealers take to the streets for free education

by Bea Britneff on

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On Saturday, students from several Montreal universities and CEGEPs participated in a demonstration for free education organized by the Coalition Large de l’Association pour un Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (CLASSE). The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) declared the demonstration illegal, and riot police in the downtown area dispersed demonstrators at around 4:00 p.m., putting an end to the march.

The march began at Parc Lafontaine Avenue and Cherrier Street, where demonstrators gathered at 2:00 p.m. The demonstration was considered by many to be a celebration of the Parti Québécois’ (PQ) recent cancellation of the tuition increase proposed by the previous liberal government, as well as a march towards the broader goal of free education for all.

“This demonstration is about bringing forward a project—to maintain and improve accessibility to higher education [by] bringing down any kind of tuition fees,” Jérémie Bédard-Wien, CLASSE finance secretary, said. “[We want to] improve our university system and make it answer the needs of the population, rather than corporate interests.”

Many students present at the demonstration expressed similar opinions to that of Bédard-Wien.

“What I think a lot of people have failed to realize [is] that for many of us, it wasn’t about tuition fees from the get-go,” Kyle McLaughlin, a third-year anthropology student at Concordia University, said. “It was about trying to build the society that we want to see.”

“I think [education] should be free for everybody,” Jasmine Latendresse, a first-year science student at Collège Lionel-Groulx, said. “It’s a right, and we shouldn’t have to pay for that.”

Bédard-Wien offered suggestions for how free education could become a reality in Québec.

“[Free education] is not a radical idea, as it is often painted by [the] media,” he said. “We could fund such a project [by] improving our fiscal taxation system, [and] perhaps by establishing a capital tax—a very small tax—on financial transactions, that would allow us to bring down user fees in public services, including education. There are also several improvements that can be made in the [financial] management of universities.”

CLASSE did not publish the route of the march in advance, which prompted the SPVM to declare the demonstation illegal, based on municipal by-law P-6—the “prevention of disturbances to the peace, public security and public order.” On their Twitter account, the SPVM confirmed that participants could continue demonstrating, provided that no criminal acts were committed.

SPVM policemen followed the march on foot from the sidewalks.

Until it arrived at the McGill University campus, the demonstration was predominantly peaceful. However, several masked demonstrators dressed in black hurled rocks at police cars parked in front of the Schulich School of Music Building, and jeered at riot police stationed in front of McGill’s Roddick Gates.

Physical confrontations between police and demonstrators broke out at the intersection of Peel and Sherbrooke, causing the demonstration to halt temporarily. Several demonstrators hit and chased police vans on Peel; riot police responded by pursuing the demonstrators in question into the larger crowd.

Following the confrontations, demonstrators reassembled and continued down Drummond Street, where riot police blocked access at several intersections, forcing the march to disperse.

Now that the PQ has frozen tuition, many students are looking to the summit on education—to be held by the PQ in the near future—for more progress. However, many participants in the demonstration had doubts about the intentions of the newly elected government.

“I think governments have to be pushed to have students’ interests in mind,” Bédard-Wien said. “The PQ … wants to index tuition fees to the cost of living, [but] students earning the minimum wage know very well that minimum wage is not indexed to the cost of living. If we are to go to the summit—which has not yet been decided—[we will convey] that any kind of indexation [is] opposed by students.”

“Some could see [the PQ] as an ally, but I personally think that they are still part of the old guard of political parties in this province who have a history of…corruption,” McLaughlin said. “I think they did what was required to get them elected.”

Many participants made it clear they would continue to voice their opinions in the coming months and, perhaps, years.

“[The cancellation of the tuition hikes] is a big step forward for the students, but it’s not where it should stop,” Latendresse said.

“The struggle is not over, and the struggle won’t be over until everyone has access to education everywhere,” McLaughlin said.

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Former MUHC director of human resources under investigation for fraud

by Christy Frost on

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Stella Lopreste, the former director of human resources for the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) super-hospital project, is under investigation by the Unité permanente anti-corruption Québec (UPAC) for allegedly defrauding the facility of $1.6 million.

Last Tuesday morning, UPAC searched the downtown office of the MUHC for information on the handling of contracts for the new super-hospital. This  217,500 square-metre structure is in the process of being built at the former Glen Railyards in Montreal, close to the Vendôme metro station.

Lopreste held her position from 2000 to 2011. According to the CBC, Lopreste allegedly used MUHC funds from 2000 to 2010 to finance personal expenses, such as luxury clothing, independent travel, and electronics.

Additionally, some of the companies working on the super-hospital have been accused of corruption in the past. At the time of press, Lopreste has not been charged.

Affiliated with McGill, the MUHC is a health centre made up of five hospitals throughout Montreal. The super-hospital is a project that will relocate different hospitals—including the Children’s Hospital and the Neurological Institutes—into one complex, so that patients won’t have to travel to different hospitals for specialized care.

Construction began on the super-hospital two years ago, and the entire framework for the hospital complex is complete. Over 1,400 workers and some 350 professionals were working on the project over this past summer.

The UPAC was established in 2011 in order to deal with allegations of corruption, and is investigating some of the contracts awarded in MUHC’s massive $2.35 billion re-development project, which includes the construction of the superhospital, as well as renovations and expansion to the Montreal General Hospital and the Lachine Hospital.

Anne-Frédérick Laurence, a spokeswoman for the police anti-corruption squad, confirmed that investigators seized documents and interviewed staff members during the Tuesday raid. She did not provide further details about what they were looking for.

In a public statement, MUHC confirmed that UPAC came to their offices, requesting information related to the awarding of the contract for the super-hospital public-private partnership.

“The MUHC is cooperating fully with the investigators and has no further comments at this stage,” MUHC Spokesperson Richard Fahey said.

— Christy Frost

The 11th annual Pow Wow featured workshops and traditional dances. (Josh Walker / McGill Tribune)
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11th annual Pow Wow opens Aboriginal Awareness Week

by Jimmy Lou on

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On Sept. 21, McGill’s First People’s House held their 11th annual Pow Wow on Lower Field. With traditional singing and dances, this year’s Pow Wow included a variety of cultural activities to engage students and raise awareness about Aboriginal cultures.

Catching the attention of many passing students, the Pow Wow started off in high spirit, and was an auspicious start to the upcoming Aboriginal Awareness Week, running from Sept. 24 to 28.

“Every year, Pow Wow is getting bigger and better,” Paige Isaac, interim coordinator of McGill’s First People’s House and one of the key organizers of the event, said. “[This year], we did a better job at planning, promotion, and finding new artists… The head dancer, Chris Wysote, actually drove all the way from my community [Listuguj Mi’gmag] just for this event.”

The intermittent rain did little to dampen the excitement afforded by numerous scheduled programs such as Inter-Tribal Dances, Inuit Throat Singing, and Round Dance. Aided by loud speakers, the drumbeats echoed across campus and drew an increasingly large crowd as the event progressed. At the centre of the event, the Aboriginal performers from various North American reserves danced complex steps, wearing patchwork dresses with feathered garments.

The word ‘Pow Wow’ is derived from the Narragansett word ‘powwaw,’ meaning ‘spiritual leader.’ Originally a gathering of North American Aboriginals, it has evolved in recent decades into an event promoting interactions between Aboriginal and non-Aborginal people. Through dances, songs, and speeches, participants were not only exposed to Aboriginal culture, but also encouraged to socialize without the constraints of social barriers and stereotypes.

This year’s Pow Wow sought to pursue such goals with interactive performances such as the Round Dance. In this dance, audience members are encouraged to join hands with performers and dance in circles. Rather than observing from afar, students participated hand in hand with first nations dancers.

(Josh Walker / McGill Tribune)
(Josh Walker / McGill Tribune)

In addition, Pow Wow organized a special workshop to introduce students to a contemporary Aboriginal DJ group, “A Tribe Called Red.” The artists in the group—DJ NDN, DJ Shrub, and Bear Witness—combine traditional drumbeats and throat singing from Cree culture with modern rhythm and melody. The result is a unique style of club music that bridges traditional music with hip-hop, electronica, and house music.

“Traditional Cree drumbeats generally try to get people to dance as wild [sic] as they can, so in a way, it’s perfect for remixing with music today,” DJ NDN said during a question and answer period. “Our process in making music is in many ways trial and error…We synthesize different tones and beats, and keep editing them until they’re ready.”

DJ NDN also emphasized the importance of social media in helping to promote their music.

“The feedback has been very positive,” he said. “We haven’t gotten any bad stereotypes or negative comments on our native influence.”

Outside the workshop, vendors sold a variety of hand-made crafts, accessories, and clothing. Each item had unique patterns, and passing students were intrigued by their creative design and Aboriginal significance.

In an interview with the Tribune, Isaac expressed excitement for the upcoming Aboriginal Awareness Week.

“Everything went according to plan in this year’s Pow Wow,” she said. “We were very happy with the results.”

Pow Wow volunteer Brennan Gordon, U2 arts, said that he’d seen several students volunteering at the event.

“Pow Wow’s been fun,” Gordon said. “This is my first time volunteering [but] I think this helps McGill students find out more about indigenous culture.”

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Senate meeting addresses effect of tuition freeze on students

by Erica Friesen on

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Last Thursday, McGill Senate convened for the first time this academic year. The meeting included discussion of the Parti Québécois’ (PQ) education platform and its impact on McGill, improvements to the academic advising system, and the annual report on McGill’s policy on harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination.

Principal Heather Munroe-Blum opened the meeting with remarks on the education platform of the minority PQ government elected during the Sept. 4 provincial election. On Sept. 20, the PQ officially cancelled the previous liberal government’s planned five-year tuition increase, even though universities had already implemented the increase for the fall semester.

Before the official cancellation, Provost Anthony Masi stated that a decree for universities to refund the students would have severe consequences for McGill, as the projected increases were included in the university’s budget plans. According to Masi, the expected total losses for McGill are $90 million, once all five years of the original tuition increase are taken into consideration.

“While we are studying several unpleasant scenarios, until we actually see the alternatives that the new [Quebec government] will put on the table for providing additional revenues to Quebec’s already cash-strapped university system, I am not in a position to indicate the magnitude of cuts that … McGill will have to endure,” Masi said.

At Senate, Munroe-Blum expressed concern for the effects of the losses on the university and its students if the current government does nothing to make up for the gap in the budget.

“A decrease in overall tuition revenue will impact [student support],” she said. “Our current budget is unsustainable.”

Although she did not give exact numbers for the effect on students, Munroe-Blum noted that the loss of tuition revenue will have the greatest impact on out-of province and international students.

“Students who are not from Quebec are not eligible for Quebec student aid, even though a certain percentage of their tuition [goes to Quebec student aid],” Munroe-Blum said. “$55 million net of McGill students goes to the Quebec system.”

Munroe-Blum also emphasized the importance of lobbying the government to ease McGill’s financial situation. According to Munroe-Blum, goals this year include applying for a Special Mission Grant, as well as a Special Infrastructure Grant because of McGill’s unique and historical position in Canada.

Later in Senate, Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures, and Equity) Lydia White presented the annual report of the policy on harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination. White emphasized the advantages of the university’s internal system, which helps deal with complaints.

“The assumption is that if someone has a complaint [and] is not happy with the outcome, there are other recourses available to them,” White said. “It’s always better to try internal recourse before you go outside. In serious cases they would be referred outside.”

Munroe-Blum added that a strong internal system is advantageous at McGill because of the university’s high international population, since those who are unfamiliar with Quebec law are often more comfortable with pursuing a resolution at the internal level.

Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton Mendelson also presented a report to Senate on advancing academic advising at McGill. According to Mendelson, the university has made many improvements in advising in the last two years.

Mendelson said improvements include the creation of an Advising and Mentoring Board and an expansion of the advising website. The administration has also created a student-staff mentoring program, an Aboriginal students advisor, and in-residence advising programs to make advising more accessible to students at times of year when it is in high-demand.

“We have established a platform to go forward,” Mendelson said. “[We need to] seize that moment [and] make strides to go forward in advising, mentoring, and graduate supervision.”

CLASSE Spokesperson Bédard-Wien spoke with students about tuition. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune)
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SSMU hosts session on future of Quebec student movement

by Laura Douglas on

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On Sept. 18, students gathered in the Student Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Clubs Lounge for an informal discussion about the recent student strikes in Quebec. The discussion was led by Jérémie Bédard-Wien, finance secretary of the Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (CLASSE). CLASSE is one of Québec’s largest student union coalitions, and has played an active role in the student movement against the tuition increases planned by Jean Charest’s liberal government last year.

The 2011-2012 academic year was marked by months of large-scale student protests and strikes in response to the proposed tuition increase of $1,625 over a period of five years. Tuition for out-of-province and international students was also raised, as these tuition rates are based on the Quebec fee.

However, a minority Parti Québécois (PQ) government ousted Charest’s liberals in the Sept. 4 provincial election. On Sept. 20, the new government officially cancelled the tuition increase, and PQ leader Pauline Marois announced her intention to hold a summit on education in the upcoming months.

Last Tuesday’s discussion focused on how the student movement can continue to fight for free education and promote the interests of students, now that the general strikes have ended.

“I think that it’s very important for people to come and be part of this kind of conversation, because there are people who were affected in very different ways by the things that [happened] last semester,” SSMU Vice-President External Robin Reid-Fraser said.

Bédard-Wien stressed the importance of maintaining the atmosphere of student activism that grew during the months of demonstrations against the tuition increases. He also praised the “democratic union culture” that has appeared on anglophone campuses—an atmosphere in which students are able to participate through smaller student unions, like departmental associations.

Many of the attendees at Tuesday’s round-table were skeptical about the promises made by the newly elected government.

“The PQ has a long history of making promises they don’t keep, and [they] are certainly no friend of any progressive social struggle,” Bédard-Wien said. “We must still be prepared to face [a] hike.”

Discussion also focused on the proposed summit regarding Quebec education. It is currently unknown how students will be represented at the summit, and to what extent the interests and values of students will be taken into account.

“We want the summit to be something that involves [the] university community, rather than outside interests; [that] has proper representation for students; [and] that allows us to address governance and privatization,” Bédard-Wien said. “Of course, these demands are not likely to be met.”

Students expressed concern about the merits of the summit, and suggested possible plans of action, such as a refusal to take part or the possible creation of an alternate, student-organized summit.

“I think that those discussions about what we want the summit to look like shouldn’t start from the assumption that we are actually going to be at the summit,” Kevin Paul, first-year law student, said. “The forum will lose legitimacy if a large part of students don’t participate, and we can use that to demand certain things.”

Other topics of discussion included the importance of strengthening communications between student groups, workers’ unions, and other movements, as well as ways in which student groups can ensure the inclusion of out-of-province and international students.

According to Reid-Fraser, SSMU will likely hold similar events in the future to encourage continued awareness of current events amongst the McGill student body.

Bédard-Wien emphasized how the events of the past year show the power that students have to connect with and aid other political movements.

“This is the first time in many years that a mass movement organized on a union basis has managedto reach across to other movements, and to really engage with other sectors of society,” he said. “We must see strikes as a platform for other kinds of political action and debate to take place.”

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Student-run Wildcard Montreal expands beyond McGill

by Natasha Fenn on

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Wildcard Montreal Beta, a nightlife membership platform that is free to acquire and activate, made its return to the McGill and Montreal scene this fall. A revamped student-run business, Wildcard is managed by co-founders Tom Zheng, U2 arts, and Randeep Singh, U2 engineering.

Established two years ago by former McGill student Adam Hirsch, Wildcard began as a member card that allowed subscribers into nightclubs at a reduced rate, or for free. Hirsch passed the company off to Zheng and Singh during the summer of 2010.

Prior to taking over Wildcard, Singh and Zheng had independently  worked on a smartphone application that would inform students of local nightlife events and discounts. According to both directors, the combination of that vision with the original Wildcard was an ideal project.

“[The fusion means] no complications and easy access,” Singh said. “It [also] simplifies night-life [by letting you] know where your friends are going.”

Singh and Zheng got the new Wildcard off the ground with the help of Singh’s father, Parminder Singh—former managing director of Microsoft Canada. Along with providing baseline financial support, Mr. Singh became Wildcard Beta’s Business Advisor; he offers mostly technical strategies, while Singh and Zheng manage large company decisions.

During his experience working with Singh and Zheng, Mr. Singh stressed the importance of discipline and control when building a company.

“As newcomers to [the business world], they’re not exactly sure how it all works and how all the pieces fit … It’s about forcing [them] into discipline,” Mr. Singh said. “You [can’t get] emotional in business… too many entrepreneurs become emotionally attached and fail to make good logical judgments.”

In addition to achieving and maintaining disciplined practices, the entrepreneurial industry offers many other challenges to business hopefuls. Mr. Singh predicts that one of the greatest challenges facing Wildcard will be the young age of its co-founders.

“Having to become entrepreneurs is a challenge unto itself,” Mr. Singh said. “They’re going to make mistakes, and [the real test will be] just how fast they recover from those mistakes.”

Zheng echoed Mr. Singh’s sentiments.

“[It’s hard] to get people to take you seriously,” Zheng said. “When you meet someone who’s twice your age … they see someone who’s passionate, but they wonder if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

In order to fulfill their vision of Wildcard, Singh and Zheng sought sponsorship from many popular nightclubs and venues in Montreal, as well as local businesses that attract student clientele. To date, Wildcard has secured sponsorship from Club Entourage, La Mouche, Stereo, and Yeh! Yogurt, among many others.

Yeh! Yogurt CEO Jean-Daniel Nadeau spoke positively of Yeh!’s partnership with Wildcard, and even encouraged other local businesses to team up with Wildcard for mutual benefit.

“[For] any company with an audience of teenagers to 35-year-olds, [Wildcard] is a great marketing tool,” Nadeau said. “[Partnering with Wildcard] is better than advertising in any magazine since it [goes] straight to the students.”

Nadeau was also surprised when he learned both Singh and Zheng were students.

“I never [saw] them as students … I saw them as entrepreneurs,” Nadeau said. “They’re really motivated and passionate about their product.”

Wildcard has already attracted much student attention in Montreal over the past month. The company sponsored the faculty of arts frosh at McGill, with every first-year student receiving a Wildcard in their frosh bag. They were also involved with froshes at Concordia, Université de Montréal, HEC Montréal, and École Polytechnique de Montréal.

U0 arts student Kareem Ibrahim, although new to Montreal, is already thrilled with the product.

“I love the Wildcard program, no doubt,” Ibrahim said. “It’s cost-efficient, and a great way to both encourage people to go out and have a good time while saving money.”

Though Wildcard is already fully functional, it will officially launch in mid-October. The Wildcard smartphone application will be released in two weeks.

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Montreal-based website reveals new form of plagiarism

by Elliot Herzig on

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Academic personnel and services are reacting to the recent surfacing of www.unemployedprofessors.com, a Montreal-based website through which students can pay unemployed professors to write their essays. Students use the website to post their essay on a bidding forum, and the lowest bidding ghostwriter wins the project.

Established in the fall of 2011, unemployedprofessors.com currently involves approximately 30 professors. The website helps potential plagiarizers avoid the challenges posed by anti-plagiarism websites, such as turnitin.com, by offering high quality, original papers—although A’s are not guaranteed.

“This business is a result of the overproduction of PhDs, as cheap labour, by the contemporary university system,” a public relations representative for the website, who asked to remain anonymous, said in an email to the Tribune. “Unemployed Professors fills a void in the market for custom private sector research solutions.”

“Given the overproduction of doctorates, specifically in the Humanities and Social Sciences, there is a glut in the number of reasonable research and teaching jobs available to well qualified individuals holding PhDs,” the representative continued. “As such, in response to a university system that shunned them, [unemployed professors] have begun doing this.”

Websites such as unemployedprofessors.com underscore the growing problem of academic integrity in colleges and universities today.

According to Associate Dean of Arts (Student Affairs) André Costopoulos, McGill confirmed approximately 136 cases of cheating last year. This pales in comparison to cases in other universities. For example, Concordia University had 400 reported cases of cheating last year, while at Harvard University, 125 students are currently under investigation for collaborating on a take-home exam written this past spring, as reported in the Montreal Gazette.

“Students are here to learn,” Costopoulos said. “I don’t mean to sound preachy, but professors design courses with the students in mind, and ultimately, [the students] are only hurting themselves.”

McGill has several policies and services in place to help students avoid plagiarism and to learn to cite material properly, such as the McGill Writing Centre. Located on the first floor of Redpath Library, staff at the centre work to review students’ papers to ensure ideas are cited correctly and structured appropriately.

Furthermore, professors are required to remind students of McGill’s policies and procedures by including them on every class syllabus.  The McGill Library website also offers access to online citation managing software, such as EndNote and RefWorks—programs that allow students to store citations while conducting research.

Professors can also invite McGill librarians to come to classes and conduct workshops for students on how to cite, paraphrase, and conduct research properly.

“There are two types of plagiarism—accidental and purposeful,” Megan Fitzgibbons, liaison librarian at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, said. “The intent is different with accidental plagiarism and that is where a librarian can help.”

Despite widespread criticism from the Montreal academic community, the spokesperson for unemployedprofessors.com insisted that their business is perfectly ethical.

“We do not engage in plagiarism,” the public relations representative said. “We provide custom research to any individual willing to and capable of paying for it … the ethical burden lies squarely on the shoulders of the student.”

The website also offers essay-writing tips for students experiencing difficulties writing their own papers.

A U3 McGill arts student, who wished to remain anonymous, feels the issue was trivial, because users of unemployedprofessors.com ultimately lost out on their educational experience.

“It seems to me that the students who write their own papers have the advantage because they can [use] that skill [in the future], whereas an essay purchaser may not.”

 

Stephen Clarkson delivered a lecture about the issues North America is currently facing. (Karla Stasiak / McGill Tribune)
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Lecture explores relations between Canada, U.S., and Mexico

by Christos Lazaris on

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Last Thursday, the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada hosted renowned political economist Stephen Clarkson in a guest lecture titled “Why has North America Failed?” Clarkson, who has spoken at McGill in the past, answered the question by analyzing the United States and its economic relationship with Canada and Mexico, as well as the North American economy and its position on the global stage.

The event, which took place in the ballroom of the Faculty Club, was attended by both McGill faculty and students. William Straw, director of the Institute, provided context for the lecture.

“In [Clarkson’s] view, Canada and Mexico sustain and support American power, and the United States really depends on [those] two countries for their power and place in the world,” he said.

Clarkson’s main thesis was that North America has failed to meet certain standards.

“I don’t think it’s highly contested, but let me lay out what I think is normal criteria of success of a region in three dimensions: economic, political, [and] security issues,” Clarkson said.

He described the areas in which North America has moved toward meeting those standards, but mainly focused on its shortfalls, such as security. For example, the United States makes it extremely difficult for people from Mexico to migrate north, despite Mexico’s membership in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In recent years, economic and political changes in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have affected their relationships with one another. Mexico is seeking to form better relationships with countries to its south, and Canada is looking across the Atlantic Ocean. Both countries are attempting to form alternate free-trade agreements to cope with the slowly declining U.S., on whom they have been so dependent in the past.

This brings up the question of what North America is—and what it ought to be—economically and politically.

“For many years now, we’ve lived in the context of NAFTA, but does that mean anything to us anymore?” Straw said. “There are great dreams of North American integration, but … people might say that a lot of those dreams have been blocked, disappointed and so on, so I’m very interested in anyone who addresses the question of ‘what does North America mean?’ ”

Following the lecture, wine was served in another room, where the audience socialized amongst themselves and posed questions to Clarkson.

Audience members were impressed by Clarkson’s extensive knowledge on the subject of North American politics and economics, and were grateful for the opportunity to hear him speak.

“I expected a renowned member of the academic community to give a thrilling talk about economics, [and] it was quite impressive,” Ben Palevski, U2 engineering, said. “Including the fact that it was accessible to pretty much anyone who wanted to go, the speaker seemed very well-versed in his material. It didn’t even look like he had prepared—[it appeared as if] he just got up and started talking about his research.”

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Aboriginal Studies Program at McGill long overdue

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Last Friday’s fantastic Pow Wow brought an explosion of native culture to McGill’s campus. The events of Aboriginal Awareness Week bring the discussion of First Nations issues to the forefront, and though the week has only just begun, it has already rekindled calls from students and faculty for McGill to institute an undergraduate program in Aboriginal Studies.

Aboriginal issues continue to be a major concern for Canada. Few internal Canadian affairs receive as much international scrutiny as the record of our country’s dealings with First Nations peoples. Last February, a United Nations committee condemned the existing health and education gap between First Nations communities and the rest of Canada. The panel pointedly asked why more progress had not been made.

Data from Aboriginal communities over the past decade hardly show improvement. Aboriginal students are four to six times more likely to drop out of high school than non-Aboriginal Canadians. Compared to the general population, five to six times as many Aboriginal people live in overcrowded conditions on reserves and in northern communities. Recurring reports of the lack of access to the most essential of needs—such as clean drinking water and basic medical care on reserves and in the North—put Canada to shame.

Such neglect reflects how removed these issues remain from the Canadian political sphere. Canadians need to be more aware of the state of some of their country’s most marginalized citizens. If McGill hopes to develop the future leaders of Canada, the challenges faced by Aboriginal communities cannot go unaddressed in its curricula.

The Tribune urges the faculty of arts to develop a major—or at the very least, an interdisciplinary minor—in Aboriginal Studies. Such a program is feasible in part because it would not necessarily require the development of new courses. Rather, it would involve piecing together relevant, existing classes from disciplines like Canadian studies, anthropology, history, social studies of medicine, and political science. Such a program would give interested students tools to make informed decisions about the future of Canada—and the role this continent’s first people must play in shaping that future.

An Aboriginal Studies program has both a symbolic and practical role. On one hand, investment in such a program would re-affirm McGill’s commitment to Aboriginal affairs and heritage, and would broaden the scope of its involvement in improving the livelihood of First Nations people. On a more pragmatic level, such a program would provide interested students with a comprehensive survey of Aboriginal history, culture, and politics, as well as a holistic understanding of how Canada can best serve that growing population. Only from there can true activism, outreach, and political change begin to take place.

With clear student interest—and a pressing need to educate a new generation about the mistakes of an earlier one—there is no longer an excuse for McGill to let yet another year, and another Aboriginal Awareness Week, pass without a structured academic program in Aboriginal Studies.

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Cheering for Israel in the World Baseball Classic? It’s not just my imagination

by Adam Sadinsky on

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Benedict Anderson, political scientist and scholar of nationalism, defines a nation as an “imagined community”; a group of people too large to have all met but with bonds—including any or all of blood, language, a common history, specific territory, and so on—that allows them to believe that they are travelling through history together. Coincidentally, in a week in which I have studied Anderson’s theory in two courses, I have confronted my own questions about which nation, or nations, I belong to.

On Wednesday, the Israeli baseball team played its first game in the qualifying round for the World Baseball Classic in 2013. While Israel has, in the past, patched together national teams to compete in small tournaments like the European Championships, nothing compares to the money, prestige, and media attention of baseball’s marquee international event. Qualifying meant a chance to compete with teams from the United States, Japan, and the Dominican Republic, as well as an opportunity to be crowned World Champions.

But this Israeli team was special. International baseball rules require not that a player be a citizen of a country, but that he have the ability to become a citizen of the nation he wishes to represent. Israel’s immigration laws, recognizing the fundamental Jewish character of the state, allow anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent to immigrate and become a citizen. This stands as a legacy of the brutal Nuremberg Laws of Nazi Germany, which used that criteria as an answer to the question, “Who is a Jew?”

Israel’s laws, therefore, mean that any Jew in the world can represent it in baseball on the international stage. Although the team does boast three Israeli-born players— pitcher Shlomo Lipetz made it into the ninth inning of the team’s first game—it is essentially a collection of the best Jewish baseball talent not playing in the Major Leagues. If Israel had qualified for the Classic (they lost an extra-inning thriller in the final game against Spain),  these players would likely have been replaced by household names like Ryan Braun, Ian Kinsler, and Kevin Youkilis, who are all Jewish. This has led to a rallying effect from significant parts of American Jewry to get behind the Israeli team in its efforts to qualify.

As a sports fan, a political science student, and a Jew, this essentially consumed my life all week.

By Anderson’s definition, the Jewish people are a nation. Though these are baseball players I have never met and likely will never meet—Lipetz did accept my Facebook friend request (creepy or legitimate expression of pride? You decide)—I feel a historic connection to them and to their quest for baseball glory. This is not merely a religious connection. Orthodox Judaism—which recognizes only those with a Jewish mother as being “legally” Jewish—would not consider many of these players as “members of the tribe.” However, the fact that they have chosen to wear the Star of David on their hat is enough for me. They are representing me on that field because we are members of the same nation, connected by language, blood, a shared history, and a love of the game of baseball.

What I’ve learned, however, is that one person can have more than one nation. Whenever I go back home, my bed is covered with news clippings on the exploits of both Jewish and Canadian athletes my father feels I should know about. As fervent as I was in my support of the Israeli team, I closely followed the story of the Canadian squad as it successfully qualified from the Regensburg, Germany bracket. I share something with those players as well: two languages, a common history, and a love of baseball (and hockey).

Much has been made of the connections between sports and politics, and particularly nationalism. This week, my geography professor asked how many students supported their countries at the Olympics this summer and nearly everyone raised their hand. While Anderson might argue that nationalism is an “imagined” social construct, the responses of the students in that class and the thousands of American Jews following the Israeli baseball team confirm that the feelings associated with it are real, and that they can be positive. In an interview with the Palm Beach Post, Lipetz said that hopefully the efforts of this team will lead to “one less tank and one more baseball.” In our lifetime Shlomo, in our lifetime.

This time of year on the Jewish calendar, the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, calls for one to reflect on her or his life and to take stock of how we can grow in the upcoming New Year. While I experienced this in synagogue, atoning for my sins and determining how to become a better person, one of my greatest revelations may have come in front of my television: I am a member of both a Jewish and a Canadian nation … and I love the game of baseball. And that is good.

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