McGill Counselling Services is currently experiencing an unprecedented wait period of five to six weeks for appointments. While all students can be seen during intake–the first visit–follow-up appointments are being delayed by over a month.

 “We can’t take a lot of second or follow-up appointments for about six weeks now and that’s never happened before,” said Director of Counselling Services Ted Baker.

In the past, the wait time for a follow-up appointment was usually two to three weeks.

“We’ve even added more hours and still have that wait period, so that’s very different from other years,” said Evelyn Rodinos, a psychologist with McGill Counselling Services.

Counselling Services believes that the stress from exams may be contributing to the influx of patients.

At this time of year, Baker said, “all those academic obligations are kind of like the icing on the cake.” He said the added stress of exams, on top of other issues that students might be struggling with, such as financial, family, or relationship stress, can increase student anxiety.

Many students are seeking help with regards to “preventing exam stress, school stress, feeling overwhelmed,” Rodinos said, adding that increased stress might be partly due to the personality types of students who choose to attend McGill.

“I think that the students selected to come here to McGill are high achievers and expect enormous amounts from themselves,” she added. “There’s a lot demanded of them academically; there’s a lot of self-imposed stressed as well to perform well.”

Traditionally, one may think that it’s the students with poor study skills that are prone to stress, but Rodinos thinks that, instead, it’s the perfectionists.

“They can’t just do well, they have to excel. Their worthiness is dependent on their marks,” she said.

“Because of the exceptional quality of McGill students I think that [exams] can be very, very difficult for people who really feel somehow they’re failing even though objectively they may be doing quite well,” Baker added.

Guillaume de Langre, a U2 political science and international development studies student, said that he is “a bit anxious” about exams, because he knows he has to make up marks lost during midterms.

Seyoung Choe, a U2 student in East Asian studies, said that even though her finals are during the last week of exams, it’s still stressful because it’s “the last day of school on the upcoming week, [and] I feel that everything is rushing here and there.”

When students are stressed about school and exams, they “stop exercising, are using caffeine, stop socializing and everything’s focused on their work,” Rodinos said.

But this is exactly the opposite of what stressed students should be doing. Rodinos emphasized the importance of prioritizing self-care when trying to reduce stress and its symptoms.

“Sleep is a non-negotiable item,” she said. “I sound like everybody’s mother, but basically, eat, sleep, exercise and have some social contact so it’s not just studying.”

Rodinos added that maintaining these good lifestyle habits should make studying more effective.

“I love to take the time to bake … or to even watch a short movie,” Choe said. But she added that her “sleeping habits do change during exam period because I tend to work until late at night.”

When students are stressed, they become sleep deprived, cannot creatively problem solve, cannot write papers, concentrate or focus properly. Baker said the physical symptoms include insomnia, irritability, upset stomachs, headaches and increased levels of depression.

“At this time of year the doctors [in the McGill Health Services] are seeing a lot of psychosomatic stress responses like upsetting of stomachs, headaches, insomnia…but I think [these] have a stress basis to them or are aggravated by stress,” Baker said.

 Therefore, he feels that it’s important for students to know how to recognize symptoms and learn how to manage their stress.

One positive aspect of the huge numbers of students coming to Counselling Services, Rodinos said, is that they may be “understanding that maybe there’s another way of managing without having to suffer.”

Does the slowly rising Canadian economy indicate better job prospects for university students and recent graduates? A recent New York Times article on the unprecedented number of unpaid and often illegal internships held by college students might be of concern for Americans, but things up here seem to be in better shape.

Quebec labour laws, which require that employers buy insurance for their employees—including interns—makes it difficult for Canadian students to be exploited. According to Paul Smith of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers, the 2008 recession created more unpaid internships in the U.S. than in Canada, which was not hit as hard.

“People in the U.S. were responding to the market pressures that came about in 2008. Companies would offer unpaid internships and they found people willing to do them,” Smith said.

Though pay varies from field to field, Canadian students shouldn’t expect compensation either. Internships in engineering and business are traditionally paid, while students entering fields like social work often have to accept unpaid positions to get experience before moving on to other positions. This is true across the board, according to Catherine Stace, Arts advisor at McGill’s Career and Planning Services.

“Media? Forget it. You’re not getting paid for an internship in media,” she said.

However, there are several indications that things will improve for graduating students. On-campus recruiters, while only accounting for a small portion of hires, can accept less-qualified candidates, as the top students are receiving multiple offers.  

“We’ve noticed that jobs have increased over the past two years,” Stace said. “Service sector jobs are going to increase with the population.”

The new jobs haven’t been evenly distributed for all graduates, though. Oil, gas, and mining industries are in active need of skilled labour. Even though demand for health and education services has increased, this is part of an increasing shortage of doctors and educational professionals, especially in Quebec.  

Smith explained that it’s important to look at the trends in different sectors before drawing conclusions, as certain demands might only be local.

“Northern communities are having a hard time finding people to go there and teach,” Smith said. “Across urban Ontario, school boards are cutting back.”

Smith said that there are two pieces of advice commonly given to those starting a new career: either work in a field that you love, or avoid it altogether.  

“You need to know what it is that interests you, what you value and what you’re good at,” he said. “Until you know those things there is no use looking for a career.”

Taking a year off after graduating to travel or teach English abroad is an increasingly popular option among graduates struggling to define themselves. Those that have established their goals then need to actively seek out companies that are likely to hire them and shouldn’t wait for jobs to come to them. Choosing a city in which they would like to live is a good place to start. From there, students and recent graduates should look for small to medium-sized companies that specialize in certain areas.

“The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses hires interns for policy and all sorts of interesting things but you need to look for it in that city. They’re sitting there waiting for students to apply,” Stace added.

Ultimately, with the Canadian economy recovering and baby boomers retiring, students have reasons to be optimistic. “There are going to be spots open on the corporate ladder,” Smith said.

Two prominent cultural critics squared off at the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, arguing about—and, more often than not, agreeing on—how best to promote the arts in Montreal.

The debate, hosted by McGill and The Walrus, a monthly publication that fancies itself “Canada’s Best Magazine,” was planned to focus on the merits of the Quartier des Spectacles, a cultural district anchored by Place des Arts that the City of Montreal has been developing for years.

But the participants—Witold Rybczynski, a University of Pennsylvania School of Design professor, and Simon Brault, the CEO of the National Theatre School and a vice-chair of the Canada Council for the Arts—often veered off in other directions, commenting on more general issues of culture.

Rybczynski, for instance, who is also Slate’s architecture critic, kicked off the debate by commenting on a ranking of world cities compiled by Foreign Policy magazine, on which Montreal ranked 31st.

In the subset of visual and performing arts, however, the city came in fourth in the world. This, Rybczynski said, was evidence that Montreal had little to worry about in terms of culture.

“What does it take to build a cultural metropolis?” he asked, referring to the debate’s theme. “We are a cultural metropolis. It doesn’t take anything to build it. We’ve done it.”

Both men have roots in Montreal—Brault is the head of Culture Montreal and Rybczynski is a McGill alumnus—and they came close to agreement on one of the debate’s main topics: the value of designated cultural districts in cities.

“I don’t think cultural districts are a good idea,” Rybczynski said. “I don’t think it’s an organic way for cities to grow. It’s a kind of warmed-over idea from the 1960s.”

Brault agreed on this point, complaining that most such districts were artificial and instituted from the top down. But the two men disagreed on whether or not the Quartier des Spectacles fit this stereotype. The Quartier, Brault said, had been a cultural centre for more than a century. The construction of new venues there will simply emphasize this, he argued.

The Quartier des Spectacles, he added, is “not something that has been created as a theme park, as a Disney, in the middle of Montreal.”

Rybczynski, however, seemed lukewarm to the idea. Some of the most successful cultural meccas, he noted, such a Broadway in New York, had emerged organically over many years.

“Broadway is an idea,” he said, “and I think the problem with politicians is that they take an idea and then they make it literal.”

One of Rybczynski’s main objections to planned cultural districts was the planner-imposed uniformity.

In Washington, D.C., for instance, Rybczynski serves on the Commission of Fine Arts, which reviews the designs of federal buildings. Graphic designers, he said, often want put up signs in front of the buildings with standardized designs—even though most of these buildings have their names carved over the entrances. This, he argued, makes cities feel more like theme parks than organic places.

Several years ago in Washington, Rybczynski added with a laugh, the National Park Service tried to place a sign in front of the Washington Monument to identify it—exactly the type of theme park signage he was railing against.

Brault insisted, however, that Montreal’s version of the cultural district would be different.

“I hope that the Quartier des Spectacles will never be a place where we try to establish standards and make it all beautiful and perfect,” Brault said. “I hope it won’t be like that, and it’s not like that now.”

While most students are looking forward to a relaxing summer, the incoming Students’ Society executive is hard at work.  Maggie Knight, Shyam Patel, Emily Clare, Carol Fraser, Joël Pedneault, and Todd Plummer will be training until June 1, when they will officially assume their positions.

Current SSMU President Zach Newburgh said he has already begun helping  Maggie Knight prepare for the transition.

“I’ve been working with Maggie a lot, to introduce her to people in SSMU and outside, getting her involved in how things are run at McGill with the administration and its inner workings,” Newburgh said.

“Most of [the president’s] time is taken up with meetings because [he or she] sits on a lot of different boards and committees, but they also are responsible for the HR within SSMU, hiring and firing and making everyone successful and getting involved in all the portfolios,” he added.

Knight has already been actively involved with preparing for her new position, even though the transition period officially starts in May. She said she has been building a good rapport with her team and making sure that its members work well with each other.

Much of her summer will be spent reforming SSMU bylaws and working on the implementation of new forms of student consultation.

“Right now, several bylaws need to be changed because they’re either contradictory or out of date,” Knight said.

Knight also expressed enthusiasm about reforming student-consultation.

“We want to have strategic summits next fall about key issues,” she said. “These, I hope, will create a better-detailed, more nuanced discussion about issues and bring more students together.”

Emily Clare, incoming Vice-President University Affairs, will be equally busy.

“The transition [has] a steep learning curve. You can’t just know the stuff on paper,” she said.

Clare will be trying to develop relationships with the outgoing and incoming senators, so that they can work efficiently come September. Her main objective is to amplify student voices in campus debate.

“I think broad, sweeping change can only happen gradually,” she said. “If you do it effectively, you have to engage the students; if you don’t you will alienate them, which would be counterproductive.”

VP External Joël Pednault plans to work on similar issues, but will focus on tuition hikes, which will be a major issue next year.

“Over the summer I will be preparing material to make people understand how Quebec tuition works,” he said.

“I don’t like how the government is pulling away from funding and making it more about private donations,” he said. “I’ll be researching international tuition fees and where they go, to be able to get a picture of what’s going on.”

Todd Plummer, incoming VP Internal, will be preparing for a number of major events early in the fall semester. Most notably, he will be helping to plan Frosh, which has undergone major changes.  

“I’m carrying out the new integrated orientation, [with] Frosh being a day shorter, and working with the administration to have a less alcohol-centric, but still fun, Frosh.”

On top of that, Plummer will also be planning Homekoming.

Shyam Patel, incoming VP Finance and Operations, can’t wait to get started.

“If Nick [Drew, current VP FOPS] wants to step aside, I’m ready right now,” he said.

Patel, a self-described workaholic, has a lot of plans for his the portfolio this summer. He wants to write a document for Council concerning funding, and to make clubs aware of the importance of audits since the beginning.

In addition, Patel wants the Financial Ethics Review Committee (FERC) to have a more active role in research and also wants the committee to have a stricter conflict-of-interest policy.

“I look forward to getting into heated discussions with everyone,” he said. “I know people will hate me but I can take it.”

Carol Fraser, incoming VP Clubs and Services, is also excited to take office. With less direct SSMU experience than the other execs, she’ll have a lot to learn, but she’s confident in her ability to fulfill her responsibilities.

“I’m working on a clubs and services workshop where the club executives come and learn how to budget and relate to SSMU all the things that go along with that,” she said.

With mostly second and third place overall team finishes throughout the season, the Redmen swimmers had an overall standard year collectively. The team finished 11th out of 19 teams at the CIS championships in late February to cap off a steady season that left the team with room for improvement next year. However since swimming is more individually-based it would be less useful to think of the team’s overall mediocre record and instead remember some of the spectacular individual performances by the Redmen swimmers.

Without a doubt, last year’s Quebec swimmer of the year, Steven Bielby had another stellar season. A hurricane of swimming talent and ability, Bielby won golds in the 200m and 400m individual medleys while breaking the Quebec conference and McGill record with a time of two minutes, 0.24 seconds for his 200m swim. These wins automatically earn him an invitation to swim for Canada in August at the 2011 FISU Summer Games in Shenzhen, China. In his third trip to the CIS Championships, Bielby added to his medal collection, now totaling nine medals (six gold, one silver, and two bronze). At the CIS Championship, Matthew Khatchadourian also reached the finals of his event, the 50m breaststroke, and finished eighth overall.

Unsurprisingly, Bielby was named this year’s MVP of Redmen swimming. If Bielby can produce another great year and the rest of the Redmen can step up to anywhere close to his level, the swimming team has a bright future next year.

MVP: Steven Bielby

Swimmer to Watch: Pierre-Alexandre Renaud

The 2011 Martlet Volleyball season was a disappointing one. Despite flashes of brilliance throughout the season, the squad was unable to take advantage of two chances to make the CIS Championship tournament and ended the season with six consecutive losses, finishing with an overall record of 21-22.

The Martlets finished third in the Quebec University Women’s Volleyball League with a 10-10 conference record. Since Laval hosted the CIS Championships, Quebec received three berths rather than the usual two, and only one Quebec team missed out on nationals. McGill’s first chance to qualify came in the conference semifinal series against the second-seeded Montreal Carabins. McGill lost the best of three series in two games, but still had a chance to qualify for nationals by defeating the last-place Sherbrooke Vert-et-Or for third place. In the regular season, McGill had a perfect 4-0 record against Sherbrooke and entered the series as heavy favourites. Despite their regular season success, the Martlets were swept, losing both games in five sets.

While the season came to a disappointing finish, there were still many positive performances. Fifth-year Kelsey Irwin earned a spot on the all-Canadian second-team and first QUVL all-star team. Irwin was second in Quebec with 4.16 points and 3.37 kills per game, fourth in province with 0.87 blocks per game and sixth in hitting percentage (.260). Sophomore Daphnée-Maude André-Morin was named libero of the year in Quebec. She missed four games during the season but still finished first in the conference with 247 total digs and 4.05 digs per game. Finally, Marcela Mansure earned a spot on the second Quebec all-star team after she led the league with 708 assists.

2011 should prove to be a learning experience for the Martlets. They’re a young squad that should be much improved next season as they look to learn from their mistakes and qualify for the CIS Championship in 2012.

Record: 10-10

MVP: Kelsey Irwin

Player to Watch: Daphnée-Maude André-Morin

Throughout the year the Martlets had a bad habit of letting themselves fall behind early in games only to rely on extraordinary clutch play to pull out victories. They finally ran out of magic in the first round of the playoffs against a Laval Rouge-et-Or team that, despite an abysmal start, was dangerous in the second half of the season.

McGill came into the 2010-11 season returning all but three players from 2009-10’s QUBL playoff runner-up team and had accordingly high expectations.

Third-year forward Anneth Him-Lazarenko led the QUBL in scoring (15.6 points per game), was second in rebounds (8.6 per game), and led the league in field goal percentage (.541). She was named QUBL player of the year and earned a place on the first team All-Canadian, the only Martlet to do so in 14 years.

In the frontcourt, Helene Bibeau and Him-Lazarenko will be bolstered by the development of freshmen Valerie L’Ecuyer and Roya Assadi, who were among the all-too-few who performed well in the team’s playoff loss.

Sophomore guards Marie-Eve Martin and Francoise Charest, alongside Master’s student Natalie Larocque, shouldered the scoring load all season long in the backcourt. The team’s clutch reputation was mainly built off of Martin’s heroics from three-point range.

This is a difficult team to evaluate, because despite their regular season dominance, they failed to show up when it counted the most.

Still, the most successful season in Martlet basketball history shouldn’t be discounted because of 40 mistake-riddled minutes. Another year’s experience will afford one of McGill’s better teams an opportunity to win the QUBL playoffs and advance to nationals.

No Martlet will graduate this semester, and next year the team will enjoy the services of former Laval captain Eve Marquis-Poulin, who was a red-shirt transfer this season. With a long offseason to think about what went wrong in the playoffs, this is a team that should be primed for a huge year.

Record: 13-3

Co-MVPs: Marie-Eve Martin and Anneth Him-Lazarenko

Player to Watch: Valerie L’Ecuyer

It was, as usual, a great year in sports.

On the home front, the Redbirds won the national baseball championships, the Redmen hockey team made it all the way to the final, and the Martlet hockey team went undefeated in CIS competition to win another National Championship.

On the professional side of things, the Decision happened, which, whether or not you agreed with it, or wanted to blow your brains out after listening to months of media coverage rehashing it, has already had huge implications for the direction of the NBA—for example, the ‘Melo drama in New York.

In football, we saw the resurgence of TitleTown, as Aaron Rodgers eradicated Green Bay’s memories of a certain retired(?) QB.

Tiger Woods returned to the public eye, and turned terrible at golf. The Giants won the pennant for the first time since 1954. Even better, and (perhaps) more importantly, cricket-driven diplomacy erupted between India and Pakistan as the two countries’ prime ministers watched their teams’ 2011 World Cup semifinal match side-by-side.

Some narratives were a little more melancholy. The indomnitable UConn women’s team lost, twice—dispelling my childish belief in the invincible. The dark spectre of headshots and resulting concussions looms a little larger over both the NFL and the NHL.

But if one thing was consistently great it was you, the fans. Thanks for reading. We love you. ‘Til next time—Adieu.

The Martlets hockey team captured its third CIS National Championship title in four years, won its sixth consecutive Quebec University Women’s Hockey Championships, and named four players to the All-Canadian team at the CIS Women’s Hockey Championships Awards Gala. Somehow, however, the 2011 Varsity Team of the Year still isn’t getting the appreciation it deserves.

The team was ranked second going into the season behind last year’s National Champions, the University of Alberta Pandas, the only team besides McGill to win a national title since 2005. After going undefeated in regular season play and running roughshod through the QSSF playoffs, McGill’s first game at nationals was against the Pandas. The Martlets got revenge with a 4-2 victory. The team carried on in the same controlling fashion, beating Queen’s 3-1 and cruising to the title with a 5-2 win against St. Francis Xavier.

Throughout the season, Cathy Chartrand was a consistent force for McGill. The fourth-year defender scored eight goals, had 21 assists, was named an All-Canadian, and was rewarded with the award for Female Athlete of the Year at the McGill intercollegiate sports award gala. Two Martlets to watch out for are Katia Clément-Heydra and Leslie Oles. Both in their first year, they added to McGill`s already considerable offensive firepower. All-Canadian Clément-Heydra played consistently throughout the season. She scored 11 times in the regular season. Oles stepped up to help her team on their road to nationals with six assists and one goal.

Five Martlets won’t be returning for the team next year, so a few new faces will need to step up and continue the team’s tradition of excellence.

Record: 20-0-0

MVP: Cathy Chartrand

Players to Watch:  Katia Clément-Heydra and Leslie Oles

When McGill brought in Head Coach David DeAveiro to lead the men’s basketball team, it was hoped that he would recreate the consistent success that he found at the University of Ottawa. The combination of a new coach and an exciting young core contributed to a season that surpassed expectations for most Redmen basketball fans.

Led by sophomore point guard Olivier Bouchard and national development program graduate/freshman shooting guard Simon Bibeau, the Redmen were in the thick of the playoff race all season. Their 10-6 record was a two game improvement over last year’s. The loss of Matthew Thornhill looked like it would be a big hole in the lineup but Bibeau stepped in admirably, averaging 13.6 points per game and often taking over contests when his team needed him most. Bouchard, last year’s QUBL recruit of the year, led the team with an average of 14.1 points per game. He and Bibeau developed excellent chemistry as the season went along and dazzled supporters and opponents on numerous occasions. McGill once again qualified for the playoffs but fell for the second consecutive year to the Laval Rouge-et-Or. McGill’s Achilles heel showed in close games against league leaders Laval and Concordia, losing four games against the big two by five points or less.

The Redmen have to be excited about their prospects in 2011-2012, as the entire roster will return with the exception of fifth-year forward Michael White. Another year of experience for Bouchard, Bibeau, and the rest of the squad should only help. Expect the Redmen to challenge for the QUBL title next season.

Record: 10-6

MVP: Olivier Bouchard

Player to Watch: Simon Bibeau