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McGill, News

McGill Name No Longer to be Used by Certain Clubs

by Kyla Mandel on

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Holly Stewart

Student-run clubs at the university with the word “McGill” in their names have faced increasing difficulties this academic year after fears of liability issues arose within the administration.

When the McGill name is used in a club title, the administration has argued, it implies that the university-and not the students who run the club-are providing the service.

In order to preempt any future liability issues, the administration has asked that student clubs change their names so that it is clear that their services are provided by the students and not the university.

In a meeting between Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning) Morton Mendelson and the McGill First Aid Service (MFAS), Mendelson asserted that this new policy was non-negotiable.

“The university really has to control the use of its name, [our] main issue is to ensure the integrity of the name and the logo,” said Mendelson.

According to Student’s Society Vice-President Clubs and Services Anushay Khan, however, student clubs are all under SSMU’s umbrella. If a liability issue arose, she said, SSMU, not the university, would be held accountable.

The concern over the use of the McGill name in club titles has been a recurring issue on campus for years. In the past, a selection process was used in order to determine which clubs were allowed to use the McGill name.

“One of the things that has happened over the years is that there are a number of groups that have used the McGill name in such a way that can create confusion in the public about whether or not it is a student group offering a service, or the university,” said Mendelson.

According to SSMU President Zach Newburgh, however, the criteria by which the administration judges whether or not a club can use the McGill name has not been made public.

“This is one of the many things that hurts the relationship [and] creates tension between the administration and the students of the university,” Newburgh said.

“Often the administration makes a distinction between the university and [the] students,” Khan added. “But aren’t the students part of the university? Don’t they actually make up the university? Because without students there would be no university.”

Khan believes that the sense of community that students should feel towards their university is being taken away with this new policy.

“I understand [McGill’s] concern,” she said. “[But] if you are going to use ‘student’ and ‘liability’ in the same sentence, I think that’s a problem.”

Mendelson said that the problem will not arise in certain cases like the McGill Debating Club, since “everyone knows that it is students from the university.” But it could create confusion in other clubs if it is not clear that it is student-run.

“There’s a certain amount of clarity we are asking for,” he added.

Khan claimed that some of the services provided by clubs have been beneficial for the university community.

“The reason why SSMU services are so important is because we are filling a gap that student services at McGill do not provide, like a sexual assault center, first aid, Walksafe, and DriveSafe,” said Khan.

This point is well illustrated by MFAS, which the administration recently instructed to change its name. When there is a problem on campus, Khan said, MFAS responds immediately, sometimes faster than McGill Security.

“MFAS is the largest provider of English-language first aid courses in Montreal,” said MFAS director Nicole Edwards. If MFAS does not cooperate with this new policy, however, they may not be able to expand their services.

“It is really frustrating because we have been trying to go campus-wide, and this is the one thing that’s preventing us,” she said. “If it would make our lives easier I would change our name and move forward, but [this situation is] bigger than us.”

At the moment, SSMU is in the process of renegotiating their memorandum of agreement with McGill. Until that is finished, student clubs are at a standstill.

“If we did have to change our name, it would cost a lot of money to change our uniforms and our equipment,” said Edwards. “We have a contract with the Red Cross [that] we would have to change because we teach courses for them.”

MFAS and TVMcGill are among the clubs affected by the new policy change. Newburgh believes clubs that are “often in the public eye” will be most affected by the change.

“Together with the students that are going to be impacted by this, we can stand together and tell the administration, ‘No, this is not acceptable'” said Newburgh. “The students are what make this school what it is.”

Editorial, Opinion

EDITORIAL: Raising Quebec tuition – the least bad option

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Last week, McGill Principal Heather Munroe-Blum travelled to Quebec City to report to the provincial government on the ups and downs the university has faced in the past three years. In her speech, Munroe-Blum repeated many of the standard talking points: she touted the university’s research, emphasized McGill’s international stature, and cheered the university’s intellectual contributions to Quebec.

But most importantly, Munroe-Blum once again lobbied Quebec to allow McGill to increase the amount of undergraduate tuition it can charge. That’s a position the Tribune ultimately supports.

Aside from specific grants from the federal government (such as Canada Research Chairs) and private philanthropy, McGill is funded by two main sources: tuition revenue and money from Quebec City. Unlike private universities in the United States, our university’s endowment provides only a tiny proportion of its operating budget.

Quebec’s monetary contributions to universities, however, have been declining for years, leaving McGill and other schools in the province underfunded and deeply in debt. McGill’s lack of money has kept classes large, created a paucity of student jobs on campus, and resulted in a huge backlog of maintenance projects, despite recent stimulus contributions from the federal and provincial governments.

No one, of course, wants to pay more tuition. But with Quebec City unwilling to increase its financial commitment to the province’s universities, the Tribune doesn’t see another practical option for addressing McGill’s financial problems.

Fortunately, Quebec students are better able than those of other provinces to absorb a modest increase in tuition fees, because they pay much less than students in most of Canada. The typical undergraduate in Quebec, according to Statistics Canada, paid just $2,316 in tuition last year. In comparison, undergraduates in Ontario, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia pay more than $7,500 per year.

Moreover, only Quebec charges in-province students a significantly lower tuition rate than it charges those from the rest of the country. A Quebecer at Queen’s University pays the same price as a student from Ontario, whereas an Ontarian at McGill pays more than double what Quebecers pay. Canadians at McGill from outside Quebec-who make up more than a quarter of the undergraduate student body-paid about $7,100 in tuition and ancillary fees last year. Their fellow students from Quebec paid about $3,500.

Faced with these numbers, the Tribune is endorsing a modest increase in tuition fees for Quebec students attending McGill. Because Quebecers pay more in taxes than the average Canadian, tuition should not necessarily rise to the amount students pay in other provinces. The government has a duty to shoulder a greater share of the education burden than, say, Nova Scotia does for its students. McGill may also want to consider increasing tuition for international students, for many of whom, especially Americans, the university is still a relative bargain.

The Tribune insists that a significant portion of the revenue generated by any tuition increases must be set aside for those McGill students for whom the rise in fees would be genuinely unaffordable. Furthermore, such aid should be provided on an equitable basis, taking care not to let students whose families earn middling wages fall through the cracks. The university should also dedicate a substantial portion of the additional income to expanding student employment on campus, enabling students to offset the cost of books and increasing general living expenses.

Though we recognize it is not the most popular position on campus, the Tribune believes that modest increases combined with better financial aid is the most practical solution to the university’s difficult fiscal situation.

Recipes, Student Life

Mojitos

by Tori Crawford on

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The mojito, a traditional Cuban cocktail, is not only one of the most refreshing drinks I’ve ever tried, but also one of the most versatile. The simple ingredients in the traditional version-rum, sugar, lime, soda, and mint-make it an excellent canvass for adding any variety of flavours. The blackberry mojito, however, is my favourite. The flavour in this drink comes not only from the fresh berries, but also from the crème de cassis, a blackberry flavoured liqueur. This drink is so delicious and easy to swallow that before you know it you will be on your fourth glass. Be warned, however, that each glass contains three shots of alcohol.

Ingredients •6 fresh mint leaves•Fresh blackberries•1/2 cup simple syrup•1 ounce fresh lime juice•2 ounces white rum•1 ounce crème de cassis•Club soda

Preparation

1. Muddle mint leaves, blackberries and simple syrup in a glass. For the simple syrup, boil equal parts sugar and water.

2. Add lime, rum, and crème de cassis, and stir.

3. Fill glass with ice. Top it off with club soda, and stir one final time.

4. Garnish with a sprig of mint or a few blackberries on a toothpick.

Opinion

COMMENTARY: Equity and Social Justice on Campus

by Emily Clare on

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As the Students’ Society of McGill University’s Equity Commissioner, I will undertake multiple roles this year in order to fulfill my mandate as a resource person for students on their rights and responsibilities under SSMU’s equity policy. This document aims to “create a safe, discrimination-free environment.” My primary role will be to chair the Equity Board, a body composed of McGill undergraduate students and SSMU executives. We will work together to actively engage in student outreach and to stimulate dialogue and equity across campus. One of our main focuses will be establishing how Frosh and equity can coincide.

I will also serve as an equity officer, investigating complaints should they arise. Some of you may be aware of how the Equity Board was involved with a complaint against the campus club Choose Life last year. The Equity Board worked closely with the group to guarantee that their future actions fell in line with SSMU’s equity policy, while still allowing room for discussion on the topic.

In my three years at McGill, I have learned how diversity presents itself in both subtle and overt ways. While it is enriching to engage with people from varied backgrounds, it is important to acknowledge how these differences can disadvantage and privilege certain groups. Being a student at McGill isn’t only about academics; it is just as much about what we learn from the people with whom we socialize. This university is a unique microcosm of the world around us. SSMU has the ability to actively ensure that its members can espouse their own views and engage in dialogue without fear of discrimination or harassment.

There are extremely important resources already in place at McGill for students and staff members alike. Groups and services such as the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office and Quebec Public Interest Research Ggroup have a well-established history of engaging students and the greater Montreal community in dialogue about difference. I aim to establish healthy relationships with these groups and services. For the next couple of weeks, I will continue meeting with different clubs and services on campus to see how my predecessors have been involved with them, and to chart how we will establish an important working relationship.

Lynsey Grosfield, this year’s Social Justice Days Co-ordinator, will be working alongside me. She will be an integral part of our outreach to students. In addition to helping host events throughout the year, she is the primary organizer for McGill Social Justice Days, a week of events early in the winter semester. These events are committed to the discussion and deconstruction of equity issues and alternative political culture in an accessible setting. The tentative theme is social media and its role and influence in social justice.

University is a great learning experience, and, ideally, McGill should be a place that cultivates a mentality of understanding and respect throughout our time here.

Emily Clare is SSMU’s Equity Commissioner, and can be contacted at [email protected]. Lynsey Grosfield is SSMU’s Social Justice Days Co-ordinator, and can be contacted at [email protected].

News

Speaker Addresses Limited Resources

by Zach Connerty-Marin on

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Holly Stewart

When settlers arrived on Easter Island in the 14th century, statues were all that remained of a once advanced civilization. The former society had used wood for almost everything and eventually depleted the island’s resources, causing the demise of its people.

On Thursday, Timo Busch, a visiting professor from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, used the example of Easter Island as a cautionary tale in a talk at Concordia University on the future of the global economy.

In his talk, Busch discussed the constraints on the supply of carbon, the limited supply of fossil fuels, and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Busch has conducted research on the effects of carbon emission levels on the economy that shows that companies with lower levels of emissions are more financially successful. Many companies, however, fail to invest time or capital into emission reduction.

Busch expressed concern that managers and CEOs were not willing to work on reducing their carbon footprints. He explained that due to the transient nature of their jobs, upper-level employees tend only to think from one financial quarter to another and fail to see the economic benefits of a long-term plan for carbon emission reductions.

“It’s an urgent call for companies to consider climate change and energy issues, especially given the outcome of Copenhagen,” said Busch.

The Copenhagen Accord, drafted in December, calls for international action to limit the global average temperature increase to 2 C between now and 2020. But at the current emissions rate, some studies predict that temperatures will exceed that 2 C limit. This temperature increase, Busch said, could lead to severe depletion of food supplies, damage to ecosystems, and increased likelihood of major natural disasters.

Busch suggested hesitant managers start with “the low hanging fruit,” such as turning off light switches or reducing fuel usage when possible. He also recommended carbon trading-where companies reduce CO2 emissions and sell their reductions to other companies incapable of reducing their own carbon output-as another useful method.

Companies often begin efforts to reduce carbon emissions by comparing themselves to their competitors. Busch suggested that these relative measurements are a good first step, but relative progress is not the same as real progress.

“For something to be green it has to be better for the biosphere, not better than the alternative,” said Alex Oster, Manager of Student Life relations at Concordia.

The talk was part of a lecture series hosted by the David O’Brien Centre for Sustainable Enterprise. The centre brings professors from around the world to Concordia to speak and collaborate with the university.

Pascual Berrone, another visiting professor in the series, attended the lecture and believes Busch has the right idea, but is concerned companies might not put Busch’s ideas into practice.

“My doubt is whether or not managers and CEOs are really keen to make this big investment or engage in highly risky endeavours,” he said.

Busch, however, argued for immediate action.

“Companies should act now, do the right things right now, and reduce the uncertainty of having a serious breakdown.”

Opinion

RIGHT MINDED: The Case for “Tough-on-Crime”

by Brendan Stevens on

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Our justice system is meant to be a principled and morally upstanding approach to crimes committed against our fellow human beings. Being tough-on-crime isn’t just a game of political pandering, and criminal justice isn’t a game of bureaucratic tinkering to reduce costs.

The media, the Liberals, and the NDP have not been kind to the government’s tough-on-crime policies. The Toronto Star editorial board referred to the entire affair as “conduct-no-research” policy making. Several members of the Canadian Bar Association recently grilled Justice Minister Rob Nicholson on the topic, and Liberal MP Geoff Regan had the gall to suggest in Parliament that, “When we hear the Conservatives talk about young people, most of the time it is about putting them in jail.”

This unprincipled approach to the debate from the opposition is shocking. They make technical arguments about the increased cost of prisons or supposedly declining crime rates. In reality, crime in Canada skyrocketed between 1962-when crime statistics began to be compiled-and the 1990s. Only since then has crime begun to see a modest decline, but one that still brings it nowhere near historical lows.

The real argument for tough-on-crime is one of principle: victims deserve real justice and Canadians deserve a justice system that harshly punishes our country’s most terrible crimes.

An unnamed man in Calgary was sentenced on September 2 for rape and sexual abuse. He abused his victim horribly for two and a half years while she was between the ages of 3 and 5, while he was between the ages of 14 and 17. Under the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act, what was his sentence? 100 days in custody, 50 days of supervision, and a 19-month probation. An innocent human being has her life scarred, and the criminal walks away with a slap on the wrists. How can we call this a moral approach?

In another recent case from Calgary, Paul Villecourt was sentenced to 12 months in jail for accessing child pornography online. Considering the serious and pervasive problem posed by that industry, I find this punishment light. New legislation in Parliament now demands that Internet providers reveal the identities of those who publish such images online, making it much easier to stop these crimes.

Political parties happily banded together on the issue of crime when the media discovered that Karla Homolka was approaching eligibility for pardon. Terrifyingly, the National Parole Board had little power to reject applications for pardon before the passage of a new portion of Bill C-23. Only around 1 per cent of applications were rejected. C-23 expands the power of the NPB to reject parole claims. In the case of those who have committed three serious offenses, it makes them ineligible.

It is cases like these that make tough-on-crime such a morally defensible platform. Canadians deserve a justice system that emphasizes fair punishment for criminals and peace for victims. What we don’t deserve is a system that projects the signal to offenders: do what you want, because we can’t stop you.

Ottawa has now allocated $105 million to build three new prisons in order to accommodate the estimated 2,700 new inmates these new measures will produce. It’s worth every penny. Now 2,700 people who would have previously escaped the system can be kept away from Canadian streets and the people whose lives they’ve ruined.

Sports

POINT-COUNTERPOINT: LeBron’s Choice

by Sam Hunter and Adam Sadinsky on

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LeBron James’s decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat was the talk of the sports media this summer. Sam Hunter and Adam Sadinsky offer two different perspectives on the implications of LeBron’s choice.

Pro

The argument that LeBron has made a mistake by choosing to play for the Heat is wrong. Straight-up, flat-out, wrong. I, and any other person who has ever experienced sports grief, can agree that airing “The Decision” on ESPN was tactless and hurtful to Cavaliers fans, but poor execution is not a good enough reason to criticize his decision. Bron-Bron has managed to turn the entire concept of historical legacy on its head for his generation. Is it a coincidence that Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony have both started making noise about wanting to be traded since the Miami triumvirate got together? Absolutely not, and I couldn’t be any happier about it.

Since LeBron’s move is basically unprecedented in basketball, let’s find an analogous situation somewhere else: pop culture. What LeBron has done is that he’s turned the Heat into super-Goldar. Recall that in every Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers episode, the Power Rangers would battle some kind of monster (like Goldar) sent to Earth by Rita Repulsa (Pat Riley in this analogy). The battle would go back and forth until Rita would throw her wand, which turned the monster into a colossus. Then the Power Rangers would power up their Zords and sometimes form a Megazord to defeat Rita’s super-monster.

Now, did anyone ever watch Power Rangers for the scenes of the Red Ranger fighting the putties? Heck no. What we really wanted to see was a Megazord throwing a giant monster through a building, and that’s exactly what LeBron has given us. The Heat have the potential to be an epic team like we haven’t seen since MJ’s Bulls. His decision has given us a Goldar, a Lex Luthor, and a Voldemort all rolled into one. The fact that the move has decreased league parity shouldn’t really matter to anyone who isn’t a Cavs or Toronto Raptors fan.

I’m excited to see what happens in Miami, and you’d have to be comatose or my girlfriend not to feel the same way.

Con

LeBron James began his career as the next great player to dominate the NBA, the heir to the great throne of Michael Jordan, Joining the league straight out of high school, he immediately joined its elite. He was Rookie of the Year and has won two MVP trophies since. The one missing piece from his legacy is a Larry O’Brien trophy: an NBA Championship.

When LeBron decided to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat, he forfeited his ticket to the title of “Greatest Player of All-Time.” Even if the Heat win multiple championships with the “Miami Thrice,” LeBron will only be known as part of the greatest trio to ever hit the hardwood-his personal legacy is dead. Jordan won six titles with the Chicago Bulls teams he played on, and he never called up Reggie Miller and Karl Malone to try and create a cabal of stars.

Some might applaud the self-appointed King for checking his ego at the door and giving up money in exchange for a ring, but you can do that at any jewelry store. Titles are bought, not won. The fans can see what you’ve done LeBron, and they won’t forget it in the bars and at the office coolers even when you get into the Hall of Fame.

Along with his legacy, LeBron has seriously harmed the NBA. Some may be excited at the prospect of seeing three all-stars on the same side, but that’s what the All-Star Game is for. The competitive balance in the NBA is now skewed, and it can only get worse from here. Those teams who can copy the Heat (read: those who will decimate their rosters in order to attract stars) will follow their lead, starting with the New York Knicks, who are rumoured to be wooing Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony to join newly acquired Amar’e Stoudemire. The NBA will become a league of two divisions: teams loaded with superstars, and everyone else.

Thanks, LeBron, for letting us all down. You may have come in as the saviour King, but you’re nothing but the devil to most of us. Enjoy your tarnished legacy.

Winner: Con

It’ll be a guilty pleasure to watch the Heat play this year, but there’s no question that LeBron has been tasteless and impatient. The move is another victory for the superstar ego over teamwork, and it’s tough to support.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEW: Chemical Brothers- Further

by Alex Hamilton on

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Released earlier this year, the Chemical Brothers’ seventh effort, Further, can start to sound like a concert album after a few plays. Unlike many of the Brothers’ earlier releases, the album captures the raw intensity and structureless flow of a live set, filled with unexpected drops, blips, and volume shifts. Many of the tracks are long; the first single, “Escape Velocity,” clocks in at a hefty 12 minutes. The result is an enveloping wash of psychedelic sounds and eclectic rhythms that is relentlessly typical of the Chemical Brothers, but also unusually unstructured.

The album is heavy on the synth, and it has a surprisingly modern sound coming from a pair of old-timers like Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, who have been dominating the electronic music scene since the early 90s. On Further they play with glitchy analogue melodies and heavy bass lines, often layered under catchy vocal samples. The result is as pleasing as one could hope; tracks like “Another World” and “Swoon” stand out as classic jams for a late summer chill session on the deck. With choruses like “Remember to fall in love/There’s nothing else” sticking in your head, you almost feel nostalgic.

What the Chemical Brothers are trying to evoke is not clear-perhaps a younger, simpler time-but there is no doubt that Further is pure and unadulterated Chemical Brothers, just in a new incarnation.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEW: Sweet Thing- Sweet Thing

by Ryan Taylor on

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With their self-titled debut, it’s easy to see that Toronto’s Sweet Thing have Top 40 ambitions. Whether or not they’ll get there remains to be seen.

The album certainly contains elements that suggest they will: the punchy guitars of “Gun,” the shimmering synths of “Lazy Susan,” and the soaring vocals of “A Change of Seasons” are all perfectly pop rock enough to satisfy any fan of the genre, but they still have a long way to go.

The first single, “Dance Mother,” almost lives up to its title, but the chorus fails to deliver the big payoff the frantic verse suggests. Sung in a falsetto, the “I don’t want to dance, motherfucker” refrain comes off sounding far less badass than it should. And while they are nice displays of stylistic range and strong songs in their own right, both the garage-rocker “Duotang” and album closer “We’re On Fire Tonight” don’t fit with the overall tone of the album. In fact, the latter ends the whole thing with a whimper rather than a bang, an odd final statement considering the worth of upbeat pop songs that precede it.

Also potentially disappointing to long-time fans is the fact that the album’s three best tracks, “A Change of Seasons,” “Winter Night,” and “Kite Fight” appear as shorter versions from their debut EP.

These boys are definitely skilled musicians, crafting some impressive harmonies throughout with chops and pop sensibilities to boot. But not much of the album stays with you once it’s over. It’s not that the tracks themselves are instantly forgettable-there’s just no aftertaste to remind you of what you heard.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Summer Entertainment Report Cards: CDs – Sufjan Stevens – All Delighted People EP

by Ryan Taylor on

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Dropping out of nowhere this summer, the All Delighted People mega-EP (the thing is 60 minutes long) is Sufjan Stevens’ long-awaited return to song-based material.

The EP is an all-encompassing affair and serves as an both an excellent reminder of Stevens’s work to date and a crash-course for the uninitiated. There’s the sweeping orchestral-pop of Michigan and Illinois, the hushed, acoustic ruminations of Seven Swans, and even the electronic blips of Enjoy Your Rabbit and symphonic flourishes of The BQE.

It’s impossible to talk of the EP without mentioning how it begins and ends: with two behemoths of songs that couldn’t be more different. The title track-an 11-minute-opus loosely based on Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence”-is unapologetically grandiose, taking the densest arrangements from Stevens’ back catalogue and cranking them to 11, with pretty spectacular results. Meanwhile, 17-minute album closer “Djohariah” (billed as a “guitar jam-for-single-mothers”) builds a cacophonous guitar solo around a fusion-y vamp, and rewards attention spans with some spectacular instrumental crescendoes. It’d all be incredibly self-indulgent if it wasn’t so good.

In between the two, piano ballad “The Owl and The Tanager,” finds Stevens’ lyrics at their most unsettling: “You touched me inside of my cage / Beneath my shirt your hands embraced me / Come to me feathered and frayed / For I am the ugliest prey.”

The 50 States project be damned, Sufjan is back, and we can all collectively exhale.

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