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McGill, News

Senate meets for first time in 2010

by Steven Hoffer on

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The McGill University Senate convened for the first time in 2010 last week to discuss pertinent issues affecting the university.

Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, the senate’s chair, offered her remarks prior to the questions and motions period. Munroe-Blum first discussed McGill’s participation in an upcoming research relationship between Quebec and India. McGill previously collaborated with Indian institutions three years ago through a similar program.

Munroe-Blum also reflected upon her experience at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, stating that she was both moved by the initiative and struck by the prevalence of economic, financial, and power politics at play.

Munroe-Blum also took the opportunity to acknowledge the recent earthquakes in Haiti and to recognize McGill alumnus and CIDA worker Guillaume Siemienski, who was killed in the disaster.

The first of three questions discussed during senate – all of which were tabled by student senators – addressed on-campus snow removal procedures and information regarding snow removal. Arts Senator David Marshall raised the issue of staircases that are inaccessible during the winter, as well as safety concerns, and the lack of information available regarding snow removal.

“The response that it is just a situation that we have to live with in Montreal [is the] sort of approach that what we would generally like to get away from,” said Marshall. “I know that it is the general view of the administration that yes, we live in Montreal, and yes, there is snow, and that it’s just something we have to live with. I know that there has been a lot of progress on it in the last couple years but I would definitely think that because it is such a big issue, more resources should be invested in it.”

Marshall’s second question addressed a long-standing issue regarding the shuttle service between the Macdonald and downtown campuses.

According to a 2008-2009 survey of “shuttle-utilizing students” referenced by Marshall, “66 per cent of those surveyed had been denied access to a Macdonald-bound shuttle due to capacity at least once during the academic year, and 73 per cent of students had been denied access to a downtown-bound shuttle during the same period.” The survey, conducted by the Macdonald Campus Students’ Society, is being replicated for the current academic year.

“I think that there is a real disconnect at this point,” Marshall said. “The university does quite clearly advertise this service … as a free and easy way to get transportation between campuses, but for lots of students that very transportation service is what is prohibiting [them] from taking courses at both campuses. The service is not there to meet demand.”

Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton Mendelson responded that there are “no immediate plans to extend the service,” citing mainly budgetary reasons. However, Mendelson added that the university would be interested in both a more comprehensive study of which students are utilizing the shuttle, and the possibility of a user fee for the inter-campus service.

Because the concern has now been brought to Senate and the administration has shown more willingness to engage with students on it, Marshall expressed optimism on the transportation issue and feels that in this regard students are “looking ahead to better things.”

Finally, Student’s Society President Ivan Neilson brought forth concerns over when the first meeting of the Athletics Board and its Finance Subcommittee will take place.

The Senate also passed a motion prohibiting senators from recording sounds or images at senate. Senators will also be prohibited from “posting the deliberations” of Senate while the group is in session.

News

Provincial government clashes with McGill over MBA tuition rise

by Theo Meyer on

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The McGill administration’s decision to switch to a self-funded model for its Master of Business Administration program, which would forgo provincial funding by substantially raising tuition, has recently drawn criticism from the provincial government.

McGill’s Board of Governors originally approved the switch to a self-funded program at a meeting in July. Under the current model, tuition and funding from Quebec City provide approximately $12,000 in funding for each student in the MBA program per year. The program costs about $22,000 per student to run, however, leaving a large gap in funding.

“What that gap means is that students elsewhere at McGill are somehow subsidizing MBA students,” said Peter Todd, dean of McGill’s Desautels Faculty of Management. “We just view that as patently unfair.”

Quebec students enrolled in the MBA program currently pay approximately $1,673 per year in tuition. Students from other Canadian provinces pay about $4,676, while international students pay $19,890. Under the self-funded model, tuition for all students will increase to $29,500 in September 2010.

According to Todd, the administration notified the Quebec government of the change after the Board of Governors approved it. In a letter to McGill Principal Heather Munroe-Blum dated January 15, however, Michelle Courchesne, the provincial minister of education, wrote in French that “this type of program or activity requires, under the budget regulations that apply to universities, that the institution that wishes to offer this program must obtain authorization of the ministry.”

Whether this is true is unclear. According to the budgetary regulations issued by the ministry last year, universities with self-funded programs “must obtain authorization from the ministry.” This stipulation, however, does not appear in the new budgetary regulations issued in October.

In her letter to Munroe-Blum, originally published last week in Le Devoir, Courchesne also expressed concern that the self-funded model’s higher tuition “violates the principle of accessibility.”

Todd, however, disagrees. Unlike other master’s students, he said, students who enrol in the MBA program typically have five to six years of work experience and make about $50,000 per year. After graduation, students can expect to make between $80,000 and $90,000 per year.

“It’s a lucrative thing to come and do such a program,” Todd said.

The administration plans to use the revenue generated by the higher tuition to provide the equivalent of $4,000 in aid to each student in the program. That amount is set to rise to $6,000 in the next few years.

“We think that by charging a higher tuition, we can actually make the program more accessible,” Todd said.

The proposed MBA program would not be the first to forfeit provincial funding and employ a self-funded model. McGill introduced a self-funded master’s degree in manufacturing management a decade ago with an annual tuition of $30,000. A self-funded executive MBA program run jointly by McGill and the University of Montreal charges $65,000 for the 15-month degree.

Other Canadian business schools also operate their MBA programs on self-funded models. The Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario charges $64,000 to $74,000 for its one-year MBA program, while the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management charges between $74,936 and $94,286 in total for its two-year program.

Todd argued that this higher tuition enables these schools to outperform McGill. According to rankings of MBA programs released yesterday by The Financial Times, McGill’s MBA program ranks 95th in the world. The programs at Rotman and Ivey rank 45th and 49th, respectively.

According to a memorandum sent to members of the McGill’s Board of Governors last week, Munroe-Blum was scheduled to meet with Courchesne on Friday to discuss the issue. Munroe-Blum has also been in contact with the office of Premier Jean Charest.

“We don’t view it as a confrontational situation with the government,” Todd said.

The issue has created some controversy within the Students’ Society, however. Last October, Vice-President University Affairs Rebecca Dooley and Vice-President External Sebastian Ronderos-Morgan introduced a motion at SSMU Council condemning what Ronderos-Morgan called an “enormous tuition hike.” If the administration successfully adopts the self-funded model in one program, he said, it is possible that McGill might make use of it in others.

Council narrowly defeated Dooley’s and Ronderos-Morgan’s motion in the face of strong oppostion from representatives of the Management Undergraduate Society. Undeterred, Dooley and Ronderos-Morgan introduced a broader motion opposing the self-funding tuition model at the Fall General Assembly, which failed to come to a vote after the GA lost quorum.

“We thought it was important for SSMU to have a clear policy against the self-funding tuition model for specialized programs,” Ronderos-Morgan said.

Dooley and Ronderos-Morgan are currently authoring a similar motion in preparation for the Winter General Assembly next month.

Science & Technology

HPV found in over 50% of young adults in new sexual relationships

by Sarah Cramer on

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Human papillomavirus has been found in more than half of young adults in new sexual relationships, a groundbreaking Montreal study has reported.

Led by Dr. Eduardo Franco¬ – director of McGill University’s Cancer Epidemiology Unit – and a team of McGill and University of Montreal researchers, the study reported that 56 per cent of participants were infected with at least one type of HPV and 44 per cent of that group were infected with a high-risk type of the disease known to cause cervical cancer. They also found that the prevalence of HPV in one partner was a strong predictor of HPV in the other partner.

The HPV Infection and Transmission in Couples Through Heterosexual Activity, or HITCH Cohort, study used a data set of 263 women aged 18 to 24 and their male partners, all from the Montreal area. It is the first study to focus on young heterosexual couples in new relationships, the period when most transmissions of the virus occurs between partners.

“We have really focussed on the window where transmission of the virus is most likely to occur to know how common HPV is in those partnerships and to know the potential of its transmission when you have a new partner,” said Dr. Ann Burchell, project co-ordinator and former post-doctoral fellow with Franco.

Understanding transmission between partners is what makes this study so groundbreaking. While most HPV studies focus on only one gender, HITCH looks at couples to understand and discover how easy it is for HPV to be transmitted, what factors make it easier to transmit, and what factors stop it from transmitting.

“Internationally, we are the only study of this kind,” Burchell said.

HPV is a very common group of viruses, most of which are asymptomatic and inconsequential. Generally, individuals who contract the virus will not have any manifestations, and the body will flush away the infection in 16 to 18 months. Only a few of the lower-risk strains can cause genital warts.

“You can compare it to the common cold,” Burchell said. “It’s hard to go through a whole winter in Canada without catching it.”

But as research has shown, some forms of HPV can cause cancer. High-risk types of HPV can lead to cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer site among women after breast cancer. Other cancers, such as cancer of the penis, the vagina, the vulva, and the throat, can be caused by the virus, but these are extremely rare.

Cervical cancer isn’t particularly common, either. According to Franco, a woman who engages in sexual activity has a 0.5 per cent chance of getting cervical cancer in her lifetime.

“However, one case of cervical cancer is just the tip of the iceberg,” Franco said. “Below the tip, you have 100 pre-cancerous lesions that need to be identified by doctors. That is what needs to be discovered and prevented.”

Currently, there is no need to test directly for HPV because there are no mandated clinical guidelines to do so. An HPV test is issued only if there is an abnormal pap test. Dr. Pierre-Paul Tellier, director of the McGill Student Health Services, said that McGill can administer pap tests. However, an HPV test would be a cost to the patient. This is something that researchers on the HITCH study are trying to work on.

“We find, in our research, that testing for the virus is much more effective than testing through the pap test,” Franco said. “But this is all research in motion and the guidelines are not being rewritten yet.”

Both Franco and Burchell would like the study to promote prevention and awareness of the disease, whether through condom use, abstinence, or vaccinations. Canada has approved and is currently administering Gardisil, which protects against four strains of the virus, including two of those that are in the high-risk category. Although it is recommended for women to get the vaccination before they become sexually active, it is not discouraged for older women or even men.

“The best bang for the buck is to vaccinate at the youngest age possible, before they have sex,” Franco said. “There are diminishing gains over time as the vaccine will not flush out a virus that is already there, but acts as long-run protection.”

According to Tellier, getting the vaccination is routine and easy. The Students’ Society’s health plan pays for $300 worth of vaccinations per year, which covers almost three-quarters of the final cost.

“This is definitely something students should take advantage of,” said Tellier.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEWS: Vampire Weekend: Contra

by Sam Jessula on

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With their new album, Contra, Vampire Weekend had big shoes to fill: their own. The huge popularity and cult following amongst university students has raised expectations to almost unmatchable heights.

With their self-titled debut album, Vampire Weekend came out with a unique style of music that was upbeat, cheery, and appealing to virtually everyone under 30. The ability to identify with the band members plays a large role in the overall appeal of a band, and the four young, vibrant, hyper-literate Columbia students make Vampire Weekend a favourite among university crowds.

Contra, from the Latin root meaning opposite, clearly represents Vampire Weekend’s move against becoming mainstream music. Indeed, the band does not hesitate to explore new musical forms. Some succeed, such as the whispered song – like “I Think You’re a Contra” – which comforts the listener like a lullaby. Others aren’t as gripping and are even rather disturbing, such as “California English,” which sounds like a fast-forwarded chipmunk on ecstasy. Don’t cringe too much, hardcore fans, they do stay true to their joyful music with songs like “Giving Up the Gun,” “Horchata,” and “Cousins.”

This album, like their previous work, is all about good vibes. Their sound echoes groups such as Phoenix, but the energy they produce is more reminiscent of The Beach Boys. Overall, despite a few disappointments, the album is successful in cheering you up, whether first thing in the morning or after a long stressful day.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEWS: Martha and the Muffins: Delicate

by Grace Glowicki on

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Delicate is Martha and the Muffins’ first album after an 18-year dry spell. The band – considered a top dog in the Canadian New Wave scene during the 1980s – is known for their debut album’s hit single “Echo Beach,” which became an international chart-topper. Going on to release nine relatively unsuccessful albums throughout the 80s and 90s, the band has since been fighting against the crushing moniker of “one-hit wonder.”

At times Delicate sounds messy: the songs are cluttered with flat vocals, choppy lyrics, and aimlessly synthesized instrumentals. One particularly difficult song is “One in a Million,” in which the line “one in a million” is repeated over and over. However, there are a few songs which pop out as potential silver-liners. “Mess” is undoubtedly the best song on the album, seamlessly mixing chanting with a funky dance tune, demonstrating the band’s talent for catchy synthpop beats. “Blue Bed” and “Life’s Too Short To Long For Something Else” are slower songs void of the band’s habit of excessive noise – they highlight Martha Johnson’s vocals, which are best suited to these nostalgic folksy songs reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair” with hints of a Joni Mitchell sweetness.

Perhaps the romantic history attached to this album is its most redeeming quality. Throughout the three decades and many bandmates, Martha and the Muffins have dwindled to two remaining members: Johnson and Mark Gane. Over the years, Martha and her muffin have fallen in love, married, and had a daughter. This unusual relationship has survived 10 mediocre albums, countless band members, and a brief taste of fame.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEWS: Los Campesinos!: Romance Is Boring

by Ryan Taylor on

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If We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed was Los Campesinos! dimming the lights, then Romance Is Boring is them living in the dark. Billed by the band as “a record about the death and decay of the human body, sex, lost love, mental breakdown, football, and, ultimately, that there probably isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel,” RIB is not the Campesinos! of their Hold On Now, Youngster… debut. But that’s not a bad thing. In fact, they sound better than ever.

LC! mine some serious lyrical territory on this album, but what may be surprising for fans is how often the music follows suit, the most extreme example being the discordant “Plan A.” Sounding like a long-lost Blood Brothers song complete with full-on screams and noise freakouts, it’s the most far-removed from anything LC! have done in the past. Throughout the album they’ve added horns, samples, and drum machines to the mix. Those worried that the joyous Campesinos! of old have disappeared have nothing to fear with songs like “There Are Listed Buildings” and “We’ve Got Your Back” providing moments of pure pop bliss, regardless of subject matter.

Singer-lyricist Gareth Campesinos! hasn’t lost any of his bite for ironic and sarcastic wordplay, whether “playing straight chicken with gay girls” or demanding “more post-coital and less post-rock.” Wanting to be “the one that keeps track of the moles on your back” is one of the best proclamations of unrequited love in recent memory, at once both completely unglamourous and wholly romantic. It’s finding the beauty in the grotesque that’s a Campesinos! trademark, and luckily for us they seem to know where to look.

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Blood, sweat, and fact-checking

by Carolyn Yates on

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David Sherman has always been fascinated by newspapers, and with his latest play, The Daily Miracle – opening January 26 at Infinithéâtre – he’s letting the rest of the world share his sense of awe.

“It’s a love story for newspapers and a tribute to all the people who work on the desk who are the unsung heroes of newspapers,” says Sherman. “Usually in fiction we celebrate … the work of reporters, but in this case we look at the people who actually put the paper out: the copy editors. They do a very difficult job and they do it very ingeniously. They’re people who love words and love newspapers.”

Sherman’s own love of newspapers began at a young age, when they appeared at the door like magic.

“I always thought newspapers were magical. I had favourite writers when I was very young; the fact that they were something that came every day and were always different was mind blowing,” says Sherman. “I still look forward to the newspaper coming every morning.”

Sherman started writing fiction at age 12, and by 17 was a copy boy at the Montreal Star. After graduating from Dawson College, he worked as the circulation manager for the Star before becoming a freelance writer and later working at the Sherbrooke Record. He also worked as a music critic, features writer, and reporter before ending up as a copy editor for the Gazette for about six years.

In 2004, working at the copy desk by night and as the playwright-in-residence at Centaur Theatre by day, Sherman started working on The Daily Miracle. The play focusses on five people working on the news desk late one night: three copy editors, one reporter, and one former-typographer-turned-janitor. At the same time, executives are meeting in the boardroom, and rumours are flying across the news desk as to what that meeting might mean for the paper and their jobs. Despite his experience, Sherman stresses that The Daily Miracle is fiction, and not a documentary.

“I think it’s just safe to say that the play is a piece of theatre. It’s not a documentary; it’s a piece of theatre about five people working under extreme conditions and it’s my tribute to the newspaper business and to the people who keep it alive and work very hard and believe in it.”

This production of The Daily Miracle features Arthur Holden as Marty, who recently returned to work after a nervous breakdown, Ellen David as Elizabeth, who is trying to balance professionalism and motherhood, Howard Rosenstein as Benjamin, a womanizing night editor, Sheena Gazé-Deslandes as Carrie, an aspiring television anchor, and Jean-Guy Bouchard as Roland, a former-typographer-turned-janitor.

The play is directed by Guy Sprung, whom Sherman met a year and a half ago as a juror screening films for the Gemini awards. When Sherman later entered The Daily Miracle in Infinithéatre’s Write-on-Q competition, an independent board selected it as one of the top three, and Sprung leapt at the opportunity to run it. While the play is a piece of fiction, it still reflects on newspapers and their content in the light of a struggling industry.

“I think the future of print journalism is questionable. No one knows exactly what’s going to happen, but I do believe that it’s going to last,” says Sherman. “There are always going to be people who wish to read a newspaper that’s printed on paper, and there will always be people to put it out.”

In addition to The Daily Miracle, Sherman is currently working on Joe Louis: An American Romance, a play about the former world heavyweight champion that is in development for next season at Infinithéatre.

The Daily Miracle is playing at the Bain St-Michel (5300 St. Dominique) from January 26 to February 14.

 

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEWS: Hawksley Workman: Meat

by Kyle Carpenter on

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Hawksley Workman is a Toronto singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has released over 10 albums, not including his latest two projects, Meat and Milk. Meat was released January 19, while Milk will be digitally released over the next few months.

After listening through the album in its entirety, I decided I wasn’t a fan. After going back to it a few minutes later I decided it wasn’t so bad. It’s not that the album doesn’t contain any good songs (it does), but rather listening through the entire thing in one sitting is simply the wrong way to approach it. This is because some songs are slow and repetitive, though not necessarily bad. In fact, the best song is the eight-minute epic “You Don’t Just Want to Break Me (You Want to Tear Me Apart).” Other standout tracks include “French Girl in LA,” which has a nice blend of distorted guitar and electronic effects, and “Song for Sarah Jane,” the stripped-down and vocal-based opening song.

Workman seems to approach writing lyrics with a minimalist attitude – not in the sense that there are few vocals, but in that the same words are repeated over and over. However, Workman is able to make this, well, work. His changes in tone allow the minimal lyrics to be interpreted as heartfelt or tongue-in-cheek, depending on the context.

While it may be best suited for a Master of Puppets get-a-taste-of-it listen instead of a Dark Side of the Moon play-the-whole-thing listen, Meat is still a decent release – one which the forthcoming Milk will hopefully live up to.

Recipes, Student Life

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Mom’s Rice and beans

by Adam Levine on

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Last week I went out for dinner with a group of friends and I got a serious case of nostalgia. We went to Delicias Colombianas, a Colombian restaurant on St. Zotique, to wish a friend bon voyage before a long trip to the Middle East. The restaurant was very accommodating for such a large group, the portions were more than generous, and the food was fresh and delicious. I asked some Colombian friends about it, and they gave the place a rave review in terms of authenticity and flavour. They also recommended Cafeteria Las Palmas on Rachel and St. Dominique.

The source of my nostalgia was my steak, which was served with very typical Colombian sides – an arepa, tostones, and rice and beans. Rice and beans are popular throughout Latin America and this particular batch, Colombian or not, instantly reminded me of my mother’s. My mother makes the most delicious Puerto Rican rice and beans I could ever fathom, and I miss them terribly. Suddenly, a Middle East goodbye party became one of those moments where food calls to mind vivid notions of the comfort of home.

Arroz con habichuelas – or rice and beans – make a perfect winter dinner and together constitute a ‘complete protein,’ or a nutritional super food. They also happen to accommodate a student budget quite well.

Rather than spending hours in the kitchen experimenting and testing recipes, I called my mom and asked for hers. Her recipe calls for recaito, a blend of onions, garlic, peppers, culantro and cilantro that serves as a cornerstone to Puerto Rican and Cuban cooking. Thankfully, the Latin food giant Goya sells recaito in a jar. If you’re struggling to find Goya products, head to the Librairie Espagnole on St. Laurent and Roy. Or if you’re in a rush, just chop up some cilantro. Her recipe also calls for adobo, which is a spice blend (Goya again). The shortcut here would be salt, pepper, and garlic powder, but adobo is really delicious and useful to have on hand to throw into nearly any dish (try rubbing it on chicken before grilling).

For the beans, begin by sautéing a small white or yellow onion, two cloves of garlic, and half of a bell pepper in olive oil. Sprinkle with adobo and cook until the onion is translucent. At this point, add two cans of drained and rinsed black, red, or pink beans. Stir to combine and add stock or water to cover. Add one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, and two heaping tablespoons of recaito. Cover, and simmer on medium for 20 minutes.

My mom had a lot to say about rice, a subject that I had always thought of as straightforward. It’s not. In a Puerto Rican kitchen, perfect rice preparation results in pegao – toasted, crispy rice that sticks to the bottom of the pot. You always get to it at the end of the meal, and it’s more satisfying than any dessert I know. Begin by adding 1/8 of an inch of canola oil to the bottom of a saucepan, with two cups of white rice and two teaspoons of salt. Stir the rice over high heat until it changes colour (my mom says you’re looking for it to become “chalky-white”). At this point, add enough water to cover the rice, with an extra inch. Stir once, and cook on high until the water has cooked down to the level of the rice. Stir once more, adjust the heat to low, and cover – don’t even look at it for 20 minutes.

Nearly every Latin cook has their own recipe, and regardless of the nuances in spice and seasoning, rice and beans of any style are hearty, satisfying, and perfect for student life during the Montreal winter.

Student Life

McGill clubs have something for everyone

by Emma Cabrera-Aragon, Madeleine Cummings, Janet McMullen, Shannon Kimball, and Brahna Siegelberg on

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Red Thunder

Calling all fans of McGill athletics: Red Thunder McGill allows you to attend varsity games for free. The catch? None, if you’re a true fan. After paying a $25 fee, members get a Red Thunder Fan Pack containing a T-shirt, rally towel and bandana, and organized bus trips to the games.

With planned tailgating before games and after-parties to follow, Red Thunder is the ultimate fan experience. Look around at any varsity game and you are sure to see the signature Red Thunder shirt. The only events that the shirts do not allow access to are Queen’s and Management Carnival Hockey games and Playoff games. In the words of Red Thunder, “GO RED GO!”

The Red Thunder Room is in the SAPEK Office in room 201 of the Athletics Complex. Red Thunder can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Xtreme Sports

Xtreme sports, for those who don’t know, are activities associated with a certain degree of danger. Some of the better-known extreme sports are skateboarding, sky diving, and surfing. Given Montreal’s location, it is unlikely that the Xtreme sports club will be outfitting their members with surfboards or skateboards and sending them off to the beach.

The Xtreme sports club – which prides itself on “living life on the EDGE” – comes into its own as a SSMU club this semester. The club execs have their eye on a sky diving license for club members. The philosophy is not only about the sports themselves, but also about bringing people with all interests together in an extreme manner.

Email [email protected] for more information.

The McGill Outdoors Club

While going to school in Montreal might limit some of your outdoor activity, the McGill Outdoors Club is the university’s home for fostering and offering activities to outdoor enthusiasts. For more than 70 years, the group has been getting outdoors to snowshoe, ski, snowboard, ice climb, hike, kayak, and much more.

The Outdoor Club organizes trips throughout the year geared toward members of all different skill levels, from beginners to experts. In addition, the group’s listserv provides an excellent venue for members to meet up with others who share their passion for the outdoors and for conjuring up their own adventures.

Visit www.mcgilloutdoorsclub.ca for more information, or drop by a meeting, Wednesdays at 7:30 in room 302 of the Shatner building.

Fantasia McGill

Fantasia McGill is a group of amateur performers who put on shows at residences and hospitals in the Montreal area. The club draws musicians, dancers, instrumentalists, singers, and jugglers from a wide range of disciplines, and they perform together once a month. Past venues include Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal Association for the Blind, Westmount One, and Montreal General Hospital, among others.

“The concerts usually consist of six to 10 performances, each that the performers have prepared on their own time,” explains Lisa Palladini. a Fantasia McGill executive. “And we usually try to cater to themes when proper months permit, such as Christmas or Valentine’s Day.

Fantasia McGill’s next concert is at Maimonides hospital in Cote. St. Luc on January 31. To get involved or for more information, email [email protected].

Salseros McGill

If your dance routine includes fist pumping and the robot, consider trying something a bit more flavourful. Salseros McGill, a social salsa club, will teach you how to turn up the heat on the dance floor every Monday through Wednesday. Every Tuesday night, Salseros McGills hosts a Latin Social at 8 p.m. in Gert’s for both beginners and the experienced. A beginner’s salsa lesson is also offered at the beginning of each social, so there’s no need to be intimidated.

Salseros McGill also offers Salsa lessons on Monday and Wednesday nights¬ – you can purchase 10 lessons for only $25. The club’s motto of “dance first, think later” is sure to take your mind off of midterms. In addition to teaching you sensual Latin moves, Salseros McGill organizes trips to Montreal’s best salsa clubs.

To learn more about Salseros McGill, visit their Facebook page, or stop by Gert’s on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m.

The Gamer’s Guild

If you’re one of those people that misses the days of good old-fashioned fun playing board games with friends, the Gamer’s Guild (aka the “Boardgames, Tea, and Cookies Club”) might just be for you. Whether you’re an ardent fan of Risk, Diplomacy, Stratego, Bang!, Settlers of Catan, Monopoly, Clue, Medici, Cranium, or RoboRally, this club offers you the chance to just relax and have fun.

Additionally, Gamers Guild has ties with the local gaming community, provides discounts to guild members shopping at specific stores throughout Montreal, including Tour des Jeux and Gamers’ World.

Check out the Gamer’s Guild in the Shatner Building (room 427) every Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m.

Friends With Food

Although relatively new on campus, Friends with Food has already been a hit among McGill students with a common interest in cooking. Friends with Food started last year by publishing a regular recipe column in the McGill Daily. This year, Friends with Food has taken on an additional project – a cookbook for students by students.

The concept is two-fold. “We want to promote a healthy relationship with food,” say Olivia Hoffmeyer and Sophie Busby, editors of the Friends with Food Cookbook.

Their new cookbook project has received considerable support from the McGill community. “This cookbook isn’t meant to outline what we love to make, but rather is meant to bring McGill together in the communal kitchen by having everyone – of all levels – share what they love to cook,” says Hoffmeyer.

If you have a recipe to contribute, email [email protected].

STAND McGill

STAND (Students Taking Action Now at Darfur) – the leading youth-led anti-genocide group in Canada – lobbies members of parliament during elections to get Darfur at the core of its legislation, holds discussions and fundraisers, brings in keynote speakers to various events, and has pub crawls and other activities to raise money.

One of their recent campaigns, Stand for the Dead, is as simple as students wearing T-shirts with the name of a victim who disappeared or perished as a result of the Sudanese genocide. As part of the campaign, STAND has screenings of the otherwise unreleased Darfur, a film from Uwe Boll that, while an interpretive account, reflects real destruction.

“The crisis in Darfur is heading into its seventh year and we fear that the public is forgetting about it,” says Aoife Conlon-Martin, president of STAND McGill. “We want to remind readers through this campaign and film that the genocide has not ceased.”

The Rabbit Hole Café

Much like Midnight Kitchen, the Rabbit Hole Café – located at the Yellow Door in the McGill Ghetto – aims to provide students with a delicious and healthy meal that is, best of all, nearly free. Whether you’re short on cash, sick of eating the same food every night, or just looking for inexpensive dinner ideas, the student run organization offers you food assistance.

With free, three-course vega
n meals every Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., just drop by, pay a toonie, enjoy the company, and eat. All proceeds go towards maintaining the program. The Rabbit Hole Café also runs a food bank that allows students to take eight items of groceries for free.

“We know students are on a low budget, but they always need food,” says member Susan Wang, U2 International Development. And if you are looking to get involved, the organization can always use more volunteers to put up posters, find cookbooks and recipes, and help out with anti-poverty initiatives.

For more information, email [email protected].

Best Buddies

If you are looking to volunteer within the Montreal community, Best Buddies is a truly commendable and worthwhile way to do so. Best Buddies – a program that pairs McGill students with adults in the community with intellectual disabilities – is a great way to both have a great time and to give back to the community.

“[The organization] is important because it promotes interaction you normally wouldn’t have between these two communities,” says member Marline Armstrong, U2 philosophy. Going to hockey games, coffee, and movies, Best Buddies doesn’t require much of a commitment, but it does give back in an invaluable way.

To learn more, visit bestbuddies.ca.

The McGill Fencing Club

Fencing dates back to ancient Greece, and while the McGill Fencing Club is not quite that old, it has been around long enough to garner its own group of fencing students and experts. All interested parties are welcome, from those who have never held a foil to those who are fully familiar with every coupé and parry.

Students will learn bladework and tactics as well as the rules of fencing. As advertised, these classes not only teach students to fence through drills and exercises, but also teach students “better balance and control over their bodies.” The next level up in classes, Fencing II, is offered to those who have prior experience with fencing, either at McGill or elsewhere. In the words of the club’s website, “Sometimes you just wanna stab people.”

If your interest is piqued by the chance to wield an epee, visit www.mcgillfencing.com for more information. Classes for beginners are held at the McGill gym through campus recreation. There are 16 one-hour classes held per session, teaching beginners the basics of fencing.

Think Pink McGill

Among the countless advocacy clubs at McGill, Think Pink certainly stands out – and not just because of its colourful concept. “Our goal at Think Pink is to help put an end to breast cancer,” says Faryn Stern, vice president marketing. The club has made considerable progress toward achieving its objective through regular events aimed at raising awareness and funds for the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.

The upcoming “Breast Night of the Year” nightclub event in February is one of many initiatives with wide appeal to the McGill community. The most important fundraiser, a gala themed “Paint the Town Pink” is yet to come on March 28. “The Gala is a fantastic event for McGill students and the community at large,” says Stern.

Think Pink McGill puts on a variety of events that are both fun and raise money. “Think Pink not only raises money and awareness for a great cause, but we also have a great time doing it. Being a part of Think Pink is a fun and fulfilling way to get involved on campus.”

For more information, email [email protected].

McGill Eating Disorder Program

Eating disorders have always been a sensitive subject, but are all too prevalent in university life. The McGill Eating Disorder Program offers students suffering from eating disorders the opportunity to get help on campus.

“We have about 30 patients, but each day we get more and more,” says Vanessa Matic, a former McGill Student and one of the program’s nurses. The program offers support at all levels, including psychoeducation, meal support, and therapy. Matic stresses that patients are all there voluntarily, which is not always the norm in eating disorder therapy.

Another important feature of the program is its clinical methods.

“After the assessment we meet with the student again and we tell them our recommendations and they either go into the psycho-education group or the meal support or they start therapy,” says Matic.

While volunteers do not deal directly with patients, they have the opportunity to raise awareness on campus and in residence halls. The program hopes to raise awareness even more in the coming weeks, as the first week of February is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

If you’d like to volunteer with the McGill Eating Disorder Program, send an email to edpclerk@[email protected]. If you or anyone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, the program’s hotline is 514-398-1050.

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