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Montreal, News

Bill 21 hearings conclude, reinvigorate outrage from members of McGill community

by Adeline Fisher on

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Nov. 16 marked the final day of hearings against Bill 21 at the Court of Appeal of Quebec in Montreal. The legislation has faced controversy because it prohibits people employed in the public sector from wearing visible religious symbols at work and preemptively invoked the notwithstanding clause. Over five non-consecutive days, civil liberties groups, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), argued against an April 2021 decision by the Superior Court of Quebec that upheld most aspects of the Bill. 

Among those protesting outside the courthouse on Nov. 7, when the hearings began, was the McGill Coalition Against Bill 21, which is composed of students, staff, faculty, and other McGill community members who oppose the law. 

The 17 groups challenging the Bill argued that the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ)’s use of the notwithstanding clause―section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms―was invalid. The notwithstanding clause allows Parliament and provincial legislatures to shield legislation from any provisions in sections 2 (fundamental freedoms) and 7 through 15 (legal rights and equality rights) of the Charter. Plaintiffs opposed Bill 21 on the grounds that the notwithstanding clause does not protect the Bill against section 28 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees equality between the sexes.

Elizabeth Elbourne, a professor in the department of History and Classical Studies at McGill, is “deeply troubled” by the invocation of the notwithstanding clause, and hopes to see the court acknowledge the effects the Bill has on women, in particular.

“It would be good to hear a ruling on gender grounds, that it had a disproportionate impact on women, and that there is, therefore, a ground which would exempt [the Bill] from the purview of the notwithstanding clause,” Elbourne said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

She added that she has witnessed the ramifications of Bill 21 herself at McGill.

“I had a student who was going to do a [master’s degree] with me, and who withdrew and left Quebec as a result of the law,” Elbourne said. “I met a student last month who used to wear [a] hijab and had to stop because of the law, but found it a very difficult and upsetting decision.”

Ehab Lotayef, a systems manager at McGill’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a member of the McGill Coalition, believes that the language used in Bill 21 inordinately targets Muslim women.

“The word symbol is very misleading [….] A Muslim man, for example, can wear certain necklaces or chains with a certain symbol. That is very optional, that’s what a symbol is,” Lotayef said in an interview with the Tribune. “But when a Muslim woman is covering her hair, she does not consider that […] an option, or consider that a symbol.”

A study conducted under the leadership of Maryse Potvin from L’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) surveyed the effects of Bill 21 on education faculties. Bronwen Low, a McGill associate professor of integrated studies in education and a member of Potvin’s team, shared some of their findings with the Tribune.

“Although the [Bill] is not to affect student teachers, findings from among the 972 survey respondents associate [Bill] 21 with negative and discriminatory treatment of student teachers, more polarized and conflictual interactions in university classrooms, and negative effects on the well-being and academic and professional achievement of students,” Low wrote.

The ramifications of the Bill extend beyond unpleasant classroom environments. Ghania Javed, U3 Arts and Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) president, recalled conversations with students who fear Bill 21’s potential detriment to their future careers in Quebec. 

“I heard from one student that she’s considering going to Ontario after graduating from McGill Law because she’s not sure if by the time she will be practicing law, the Bill will [still] be here,” Javed told the Tribune. “Obviously if you want to work for the government, you have to choose between your career and wearing a religious symbol.”

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

Penguin feathers and the ice cube tray effect

by Atticus O’Rourke Rusin on

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One thing that is always on the mind during a Montreal winter is the cold and, more specifically, the ice. Living in Montreal makes slipping on ice inevitable. A painful landing on your behind, however, is not the only inconvenience associated with this crystalline structure. The buildup of ice on power lines, utility poles, and other structures can often spell disaster for those dependent on this infrastructure, putting out the lights and preventing heating systems from functioning during the winter months.

The Great Ice Storm of 1998 is a prime example of the damage this weather and ice can cause. Nearly 30,000 utility poles were felled, leaving millions of people in Quebec without power. Another instance of dangerous inclement weather occurred in China in 2008, when  winter storms left millions without power and damaged 80 per cent of power supply stations in the Guizhou province alone.

Even the successful removal and prevention of ice buildup often comes with unintended side effects. The chemicals used in some de-icers can seep into the environment during their use, transport, and storage, getting into the water supply and damaging the ecosystem. Other methods of de-icing may not involve chemicals, but any active method that relies on machinery requires consistent upkeep.  

A team of McGill researchers led by Anne Kietzig, associate professor in McGill’s Department of Chemical Engineering, looked to nature for inspiration in designing a new de-icing technique that avoids these pitfalls. The researchers found that penguin feathers possess an unique structure that allows them to shed ice more easily. When they copied the structure of the penguins’ feathers and applied it to a steel mesh, they found that the mesh was 95 per cent more effective at de-icing than an unenveloped sheet of polished stainless steel. 

Initially, the penguins’ feathers seemed like those of any other bird. But upon closer inspection under the microscope, Kietzig and her team discovered that the primary structures, or central beam of the feathers, had a superimposed nanostructure that formed a “groovy texture.” This is in addition to the microstructure—barbs and barbules—that are also part of the feather. Since Kietzig’s lab specializes in laser micromachining, the structure of penguin feathers was easy enough to replicate.

These feathers work, in a way, like an ice cube tray: The structure of the feather has pore-like areas where the water is left to freeze, and when it does, it expands, breaking the ice that formed around it and allowing that ice to slide off. The research team realized that the mesh’s pores could function in the same way as the barbs and barbules of a feather. Using a laser, researchers copied the feather’s groove-like texture in their mesh prototype. The final product—the overlap of microstructure and nanostructure—is what makes this mesh so efficient at preventing ice buildup and formation.

Although the uses for this technology seem obvious, like coating utility poles and airplane wings, putting it into practice isn’t so simple. It is still unknown if the mesh could be properly and stably attached to surfaces.

“I am not sure that metallic woven mesh will be suitable to attach to other surfaces,” Kietzig said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “You have to imagine it’s like your kitchen tinfoil in thickness and rigidity. I can’t glue, I can’t solder.”

In addition to the lack of structural integrity in practice, the process of applying this coating could be prohibitively expensive for many industries. The project, therefore, is a starting point for future testing of this sort of structure.

“This is why I think [in the] very long run, what we want to do is use the mesh as a template to learn more about the relevant parameters in that mechanism, and then extract to structural surfaces out of which things are made,” Kietzig added.

Though more practical research is in order, it seems that the flightless, ice-sliding birds featured in countless kids’ books could just be the key to preventing future ice-related power outages.

Editorial, Opinion

First, eliminate random traffic stops. Then, abolish the police.

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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The federal government has until Nov. 25 to appeal a Quebec Superior Court ruling that ended random traffic stops in Quebec—which the court argued is an iteration of racial profiling that disproportionately affects Black people. The case was brought to the court by Joseph-Christopher Luamba, a 22-year-old Black resident from Montreal, whom the police stopped 12 times in 18 months without cause. An appeal would threaten this vital ruling that marks a significant step forward in protecting Black people from the systemic racism and the consistent violence that is entrenched within policing. 

The Superior Court’s acknowledgement of racial profiling is crucial to ensure dignity for overpoliced communities. Premier François Legault and the Quebec government have continuously denied the existence of systemic racism in the province, and the court’s ruling is a snub to these politicians. Beyond this, the ruling is in opposition to the traditional relationship between the courts and the police. In Quebec and elsewhere, police tend to lean on the law for support and justification of their actions, and the ruling calls this practice into question. Further, the decision can be used as a precedent for similar rulings in other provinces regarding traffic stops, which remain prevalent across Canada.

Beyond the policy and legal implications of the decision, the move to end random traffic stops improves the day-to-day quality of life for Black people in Quebec. It is important to emphasize the increased comfort this will bring; Black people will be able to do everyday tasks such as going shopping or driving their kids to school without as intense a fear of being legally harassed by police officers. 

Despite this being an essential step forward, the ruling remains limited in its scope as it operates within the flawed framework inherent to policing. Justice Michel Yergeau, who delivered the ruling, underlined that it applies specifically to traffic stops and that it is not an indictment of systemic racism within the entire police force. This is contradicted by the facts of policing on the ground: Black and Indigenous people are subjected to significantly more violence and harassment by the police compared to white people, they are stripped of dignity and humiliated in police reports and media coverage, and there remains little accountability or oversight over the police. In Canada, contrary to the U.S., racial data is not collected in any province other than Ontario when police violence occurs, so it is almost impossible to accurately hold the police to account for their disproportionate targeting of people of colour. With these continued abuses by the police, we must contextualize that although ending traffic stops is a small victory, it cannot end there.

The judge’s denial of the existence of systemic racism also goes against the very nature of policing—within which systemic racism is unshakeably ingrained. Systemic racism means that even if the members of the system are not racist, outcomes will be racist because of its structure. Policing is a clear example of this. The origins of policing go back to the colonization of Indigenous peoples and the enslavement of Black people. These structures of violence were meant to fulfill objectives of oppression, and the same structures remain to this day. As long as policing exists, it will continue to oppress marginalized people. For this reason, abolishing the police is the only road forward.


Similar to the rest of Quebec, McGill fosters an environment of systemic racism. Black and Indigenous professors remain underrepresented, while Black and Indigenous students bear the burden of educating those around them. The administration litigated aggressively against the Mohawk Mothers in an attempt to continue construction on a site potentially holding unmarked Indigenous graves. Systemic racism also is an issue among student groups. The Black Student Network (BSN) and Students for Palestinian Human Rights McGill (SPHR) are constantly mistreated by the Students’ Society of McGill University, and campus media continues to publish harmful and racist content. Systemic racism goes beyond traffic stops, and, hopefully, this ruling is the first step towards a broader recognition of the systemic racism permeating all our institutions.

Basketball, Sports

The sports world cannot forget about Brittney Griner

by Tillie Burlock on

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When you hear the name Brittney Griner, you no longer reminisce on her superstar career in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). You don’t reflect on her remarkable college career with Baylor, or her seven All-Star seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. Griner’s deserved legacy as an outstanding basketball player and outspoken political activist gets thrown to the side when you sit back and remember the reality of her situation: Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since February. 

According to Russian officials, Griner was detained at the Moscow airport after a luggage search found vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis. Following her initial arrest, her pre-trial detention was extended four separate times until a trial date was ultimately set for July 1. On Aug. 4, Griner was found guilty of drug charges and sentenced to nine years in prison. On Oct. 25, a Russian judge rejected Griner’s appeal after reviewing it for just 30 minutes. Less than a month later, Griner was sent to a remote Russian penal colony to begin serving her sentence. The penal colony in question is IK-2 in Mordovia––a notoriously harsh prison, even by standards of the Russian carceral state. 

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the state of American-Russian relations has severely restricted American efforts to bring Griner home. With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s prolonged escalation of the conflict and the United States’ continued support for Ukraine, it is clear that Griner’s wrongful detainment is partly for political reasons. Not only has Griner been weaponized as a political pawn, but the Russian authorities’ deep-seated hostility towards her identity as a Black and queer woman has placed her in even graver danger.  

The question many have asked is why was Griner in Russia in the first place? Although Griner is one of the highest-paid players in the WNBA, she was able to make almost five times her salary with UMMC Ekaterinburg––a former member of the EuroLeague. Furthermore, playing in Russia is commonplace for WNBA players during the off-season as it presents the opportunity to supplement their salaries. Despite the WNBA’s progress in boosting the league minimum to $57,000 USD with the league average sitting at $102,751 USD, teams are severely restricted by the $1,379,200 USD hard cap, pushing them to carry fewer players and forcing stars to sacrifice the million-dollar salaries they deserve. For perspective, Lebron James alone makes $119,500,000 USD per year. 

Unrestricted by a salary cap, Russia provides players with salaries exceeding $1 million USD––almost quadruple the salary of Jewell Loyd, the highest-paid WNBA player. Players are offered resources and amenities that are simply unavailable to them in the WNBA, as many Russian teams are funded by government municipalities and owned by Russian oligarchs who have the freedom to treat their athletes with the “luxury” their National Basketball Association (NBA) counterparts are used to. 

While activism across women’s basketball continues to be both pervasive and unrelenting, the same cannot be said for the NBA––the league with a dominating societal influence. Additionally, the question of whether or not the U.S. government is doing enough to bring Griner home still hangs in the balance. Trevor Reed, a former U.S. Marine who was freed from Russian prison via prisoner exchange this past April, believes the White House had the ability to get Griner home “extremely fast” and has elected not to do so. At the end of the day, Griner’s continued detention cannot be blamed on a single institution––it is a systemic failure of all of America.

Griner should be in the news for her feats as a remarkable athlete. Her National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s and women’s record-setting 3,203 points and 736 shots with Baylor. Her NCAA and WNBA championships. Her not one, but two Olympic gold medals. Griner should be in North America, continuing on a trajectory that will enshrine her name as one of the world’s basketball greats. We cannot say unequivocally that if Griner were an NBA player of the same calibre, she would be home by now, but there is one thing we do know for certain––she never would have been in Russia in the first place.

McGill Recommendations, Student Life

Un-bird-ening your winter semester

by Naomi Gupta on

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With nearly half of the academic year over, students are busy rethinking their schedules and re-adjusting their degree plans for the semester ahead. Whether you’ve failed a class, overestimated the demands of your program requirements, or realized that your GPA might not be high enough for the exchange semester of your dreams, you might be looking for a “bird course” to alleviate your workload and boost your GPA.

“Bird courses” are the exception to McGill’s reputation of rigorous grading standards and highly demanding coursework. But what exactly constitutes a “bird course”? Lenient grading? Fewer evaluations? Engaging lectures that make those early mornings a tad easier? Most students agree that the ideal bird course is a mix of the three: Interesting, easy, and low-maintenance. I’ve scoured every possible blog post and Reddit thread and, while some courses’ “birdiness” remains heavily debated, here are the ones that were most frequently mentioned:  

1. MUAR211: The Art of Listening (Winter 2023) 

From past musical eras to present ones, The Art of Listening covers a wide range of Western music forms and styles. Even if you feel like your first-grade piano lessons are far behind you, fret not—the ability to read music isn’t a requirement. This course shouldn’t be too demanding because much of the homework consists of listening to music—something students already spend several hours a day doing—and reiterating facts pertaining to it on the test. The trick? Being able to identify the song and composer from a seconds-long excerpt.

2. CHEM181: World of Chemistry: Food (Winter 2023) 

This online, asynchronous chemistry course touches on highly relevant food-related topics through a historical and practical lens. The course covers a lot of ground, and at a fast pace—if you’re a professional procrastinator, consider this a warning. However, its evaluation style is simple and practical: As long as you have taken detailed notes of the lectures, ones you can use in your exam, it should be a breeze.

3. CLAS203: Greek Mythology (Winter 2023) 

Let’s debunk the myth that all literature courses are dense and challenging—this one, in fact, is quite the opposite. If you tend to worry about the fate of your grade lying in the hands of two to three heavily weighted evaluations, don’t worry: You’ll be given multiple opportunities to score that 4.0 with simple quizzes and weekly one-page discussions. The lectures are known to be quite interesting but can quickly turn into the opposite if you have little to no interest in Classics.

4. PHYS 183: The Milky Way Inside and Out (Winter 2023) 

If you consider yourself a science fanatic who is fascinated by all things astronomy, this may be a good pick. This course covers elementary-level material through weekly quizzes and class projects. Although it isn’t heavily math-oriented, many say you are better off taking this course if you have a science background. Otherwise, the “birdiness” of this course might be in question…

5. ATOC185: Natural Disasters (Fall 2022) 

This is, without a doubt, the ultimate bird course. Assessments include two take-home exams, online quizzes, and a term paper whose subject is open-ended: You can research and write about any natural disaster that interests you. It’s so fascinating that it has even prompted students to change their majors to environment-related disciplines. The professors, John Richard Gyakum and John Stix, are kind and go out of their way to connect with their students—always a bonus.

All this to say: Program requirements should be at the forefront of everyone’s priorities, not electives. Don’t burden yourself further by taking courses that unnecessarily contribute to already-high levels of stress. Instead, take a bird course so you can allocate that extra time to arguing with the prof who should’ve given you an A or that 100-page-long reading you’ve been putting off for a week. 

Beware, however, of these courses’ high demand. As such, they might currently be full or have long waitlists. So, if you want that dream schedule, ‘tis the season to enroll. Start queuing up on those wait lists now, or deal with an add-drop period met by stress, uncertainty, -15-degree temperatures, and the frantic refreshings of Minerva.

Behind the Bench, Sports

Off the diving board and into the world

by Sepideh Afshar on

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My first-ever diving lesson ended with a 20-minute cry on the three-metre springboard and then a tearful drive home where I begged my dad not to make me go back. 

I have three main defences of myself here: I was eight years old, terrified of heights, and there against my will. My older sister wanted to try diving and my dad is a strict believer in “if one of you goes, both of you go,” so that’s how I ended up sobbing in the London, Ontario aquatic centre on a fateful Wednesday night in September. Whether he had my embarrassingly intense fear of being above the fifth floor of a building in mind when he signed us up, I’ll probably never know. What I do know is that in the years that followed, I easily spent hours crying on pool decks. While that might not sound like a positive experience, diving equipped me with a confidence and trust in myself that I carry with me to this day. 

The unique thing about diving is that the longer you’re involved in the sport, the scarier it tends to get.  You are the only person affecting your performance and you pay for every mistake physically. Didn’t lock your elbows on the way in off of 10-metre? I hope your shoulder is still in its socket. Did you lean forward for your knees instead of bringing them to your chest in a reverse 1½? Be sure to ice those welts, but not now because you have to try again so you don’t develop a lifelong fear of this dive. Every painful mistake unlocks a new fear, one that is based on something you know can happen, that has happened. 

At age nine, I watched an older diver get hurt doing a simple inward dive—one of the four foundational dives. The image of this girl smacking the water created a mental block in me that lasted years, and I found myself unable to learn this dive. In diving competitions, at least in my time, to move up from the very first competition level, you needed to perform a minimum of one variation of each of the four foundational dives. This meant that no matter how much I progressed in my front, back, and reverse dives, not having an inward dive meant I could never advance competition-wise. This also meant that I spent hours at practice, standing on the end of the board, willing myself to just jump. The mental battle of standing in one spot, with coaches and teammates cheering you on, but just being unable to convince yourself to go is gruelling. The only thing worse than standing there is having to climb off the board because everyone has given up for the night. 

After one of these particularly frustrating practices, I got into my dad’s car, slammed the door, and announced I was quitting forever. I didn’t know how to deal with the fact that I was standing in my own way, that the block was completely mental. I was steadfast in my decision until my dad pulled away from hugging me and softly said, “I didn’t know you were a quitter.”

While I wish I could write that I went into the next practice and threw the dive, it’s just not true. But I also didn’t quit. I kept going to practice and I kept standing on that board and one day, I had two realizations that propelled me forward through the entirety of my diving career. First, either I do it and it works or I get hurt so badly that I never have to do it again. Secondly, and most importantly, all I needed was one split second of complete, unabashed, almost delusional faith in myself even if it went against all my instincts. So I did, and god, did it feel good. 

I haven’t dove in years. It’s hard when such a huge part of your life becomes reduced to a hobby you had before university. But I know that that part of my life is not constrained to a pool deck. I feel it. When I get really anxious or second-guess myself, whenever I stand in my own way, I’m back on the end of that diving board, I close my eyes, I internalize that delusional self-trust, and I jump. 

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Fictionalized adaptations of real-life serial killers should not exist

by Millie Roberts on

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As announced earlier this month, Netflix has extended its new Monster anthology series past its first installment, The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which was released on Sept. 21. With at least two more projects in the works, the creators hope to follow the stories of “other monstrous figures who have impacted society.” 

The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, coming from the minds of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, has emerged as one of Netflix’s most commercially successful TV shows. Within 28 days of its release, it became the streaming platform’s second-most-watched English-language series of all time. The fictional re-enactment explores the psyche of American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters), who committed numerous horrific murders between 1978 and 1991—all of the victims were men and adolescent boys, most of whom were people of colour. 

Despite its high viewership, its release was riddled with controversy. From initially being categorized under the LGBTQ+ tag on Netflix to more general criticism regarding the show’s quality, the show has been under continuous scrutiny. Yet, perhaps the largest cloud hanging above its conception is the outrage expressed by the families of Dahmer’s victims.  

Rita Isabell, sister of victim Errol Lindsey, wrote a personal essay for Insider to express her anger regarding her portrayal in one of its episodes despite the show’s producers never having contacted her. She describes the experience of watching the events of her life occur on TV, writing that “it felt like reliving it all over again.” She goes on to denounce the lack of compensation provided to the victims’ families, stating that “it’s sad they’re making money off of this tragedy. That’s just greed.” In the adaptation of this history, Netflix asserts its ownership of the victims’ experiences. 

Two more seasons, with two more serial killers, will bring about two more groups of people directly impacted by real-life events and potentially retraumatized by a television portrayal. Whether Netflix plans to ask permission or provide compensation is still unclear. But even if they do, the re-creation of serial killers to be consumed as entertainment presents a multitude of ethical concerns. 

Following the release of Monster, there was an increased romanticization on social media of Dahmer himself, as viewers sympathized with Peters’ troubled character and conflated Murphy’s creative interpretation with reality. Not only that, but the trend of dressing up as Jeffrey Dahmer for Halloween circulated online. Costumes relating to him were eventually banned from various sites, such as eBay, due to subsequent backlash. Several Milwaukee bars, where Dahmer met many of his victims, announced that they would deny entrance to those dressing up as him on Halloween night. 

The danger of portraying serial killers on-screen is the inability to resist the inherent creative urge to immerse the viewers into their minds. It will inspire the viewers to create motive, to charitably explain their actions, and ultimately glorify their image. The moment they are presented under the guise of fiction, and especially when played by familiar, attractive actors, they enter the realm of pop culture—a space that, in most instances, cannot take itself seriously and cannot escape a profit-oriented mindset. Even calling it a Story reduces its materiality—it’s a story that is not to be told by just anyone. While there may be many factors contributing to the commercial success of such adaptations, one cannot argue against the morbid fascination viewers may have with such dark stories—a fascination Netflix is well aware of and seems intent on exploiting.

As the next two seasons’ production of Netflix’s Monster anthology series begins, viewers should keep in mind what is at stake: Those who are not compensated, those who are retraumatized, and those who are glorified.

ABCs of Science, Science & Technology

Tribune Explains: 3D Printing

by Dashiell Rich on

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Three-dimensional printing (3D printing) feels like one of those buzzwords we heard all the time growing up; we were told that it would be revolutionary and change the world. But, in 2022, the media’s excitement has nearly disappeared. Surprisingly though, the 3D printing market is booming. In 2021, it was valued at over $13.84 billion USD and is expected to have an annual growth rate of over 20.8 per cent from now until 2030. Despite the industry’s success, the actual process of 3D printing remains mysterious to many. 

How does it print?

The printing process all starts with the creation of a 3D model file. But you may be asking yourself, “where do I get one of these files? Do I have to make them myself? I have no idea how to do 3D modelling!” 

Well, luckily for you, whatever item you would like to print has probably been designed and posted on a website like Thingiverse or Yeggi for free. If the design does not exist, computer-aided design (CAD) software such as AutoCAD can easily be used to create whatever you desire. Once a design has been finalized and the file is ready, it is imported into a slicing software like Ultimaker’s Cura. A slicing software, just as the name suggests, slices your model into thousands of tiny layers and preps it for the printer. With the file sliced and prepped, it is transmitted to the printer via USB, Wi-Fi, or a secure digital card. 

Then, the printer heats up the substrate—the material used to physically build the model—to make it malleable and gets to work printing layer by layer. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid  are the most common substrates, but printing with metal is possible as well. Small projects can be completed within half an hour, but larger designs require over half a day. 

What can 3D printing be used for?

The first thought that comes to mind when someone hears the word “3D printing” is probably tchotchkes and knick-knacks. But the printing possibilities are endless: From replacement parts for discontinued items to producing food and even designing homes. 

In the medical sector, finding viable organs for transplant patients is a difficult and time-sensitive process, with 223 people in Canada dying while waiting for organs in 2018 alone. Luckily, 3D printing could revolutionize this with the rapidly evolving field of organ bioprinting. Organs aside, 3D-printed prosthetic limbs are more easily available because of their cheaper price and customizability. A standard prosthesis is prohibitively expensive for most, with even basic leg prostheses costing between $4,200 to $7,200. If someone wanted a highly advanced leg prosthesis, they could expect to pay at least $70,000 before insurance. Comparatively, a 3D-printed arm could be purchased for less than $400 and be manufactured within a day. 

That manufacturing speed also works wonders in other sectors, such as prototype development. Hand-making a prototype out of carving foam or forming clay is both time-consuming and often inaccurate. With 3D printing, an engineer can design a prototype and print it initially with ABS. Once the kinks have been worked out, engineers can print with higher-quality materials such as titanium, stainless steel, and aluminum. Companies such as Black Diamond Equipment, which specializes in climbing, skiing, and mountain gear, have used 3D printing to produce prototypes at a fraction of the previous cost. 

Are there 3D printing services on campus? 

If a student wants to try out 3D printing, they can request access to the Innovation Commons, located within the McLennan-Redpath library complex. The Innovation Commons has four printers and student assistants available throughout the week to help with projects. 
There is also a student-run printing service called The Cube—a subset of the Engineering Undergraduate Society. A student can send in a request along with their file and desired substrate and receive a quote. So if a student has no desire to book a printer and deal with perfecting their project, they can have one of The Cube’s technicians do it for them. 

McGill Recommendations, Student Life

Help…my fridge is bare: A guide to grocery shopping as a student

by Simi Ogunsola on

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Picture this: You open your kitchen fridge to find it empty. This is the third time within an hour that you’ve checked, and still, no food has magically appeared. There is nothing but a Sleeman leftover from your last pub crawl and half an apple. All those times your parents tried to teach you to cook are suddenly starting to make sense. 

Independent living comes with a host of challenges: Keeping up with laundry, regulating sleep schedules, managing the mythical “work-life balance,” and possibly the biggest task of all—feeding yourself. Given the rapidly increasing cost of living and grocery prices inflating, there are many reasons to feel unsettled at the prospect of being responsible for your own eating. This can manifest in sticking to fast food, eating fewer meals than required per day, or even missing out on essential nutrients and vitamins. But fear not, the Tribune has compiled a list of grocery shopping and food tips that’ll send you down the right aisle. 

Meal Prep, Meal Prep, Meal Prep

Planning out a week’s worth of meals before heading to the store can help streamline the shopping process and eliminate some stress when planning meals during the week. Unnecessary items may be tempting when you didn’t come up with a plan––focus on the essentials first and then branch out. When deciding what to purchase, it can be helpful to ask yourself a couple of questions, such as:

  • Can I put this in the fridge and eat it whenever?
  • How many meals can I get out of this ingredient?
  • How long will this last? 

If your purchase fits the bill, then add it to the cart!

Get the Most Bang for Your Buck: Buy Multiple Different Sauces

Instead of breezing by the sauce aisle thinking you’re too amateur to try to whip one up, maybe take a peek at a few of them. Having a variety of sauces to go with the same type of meal can be a game changer. Got a bowl of rice? Try that with butter chicken sauce, teriyaki sauce, or maybe some yellow Thai curry. Is there some leftover pasta you can’t seem to force down? Whip up some red sauce or pesto in a pan. Most sauces are inexpensive and require nothing more than a couple of minutes in a saucepan. Rice and pasta are budget-friendly and filling college staples, but you need not grow bored of them. Using different sauces will spice them up, and, when you’re comfortable, you can throw in different vegetables, and any protein you like. Okay, Gordon Ramsay!

Frozen Veggies are Your Best Friend

Staying healthy while keeping costs low is tough, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. Look no further than large packs of frozen vegetables in the freezer aisle. Based on your tastes, you can opt for a bag of a specific vegetable or an assorted mix. Frozen vegetables don’t contain as much sodium as canned vegetables, and tend to be more affordable and durable than their fresh counterparts. Toss a bag into your cart, and once home, add it to a pot with water, boil for about 15 minutes, and drain. Try air-frying if you’re feeling it. There you have it: A healthy side for any meal!

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

This final tip may be corny, but it’s true. Navigating grocery stores, kitchens, and feeding yourself as a whole, can be a difficult process. Give yourself some grace, and don’t freak out when your hand slips and opens the UberEats app every once in a while. Treat yourself. 

Armed with these healthy and budget-friendly tips, your next trip to the grocery store could look like this: You have a cart filled with meal-prep-able foods, a couple of different sauces, and frozen veggies in every colour of the rainbow. You breathe a sigh of relief, you’ve done it. You’re officially an adult.

News, PGSS

PGSS Fall General Meeting discusses expansion of gender-affirming care

by Shani Laskin on

More in News:

Content warning: Mention of sexual violence

On Nov. 16, the Post-Graduate Student Society (PGSS) held its Fall General Meeting to update members on the upcoming winter referendum, the 2023 executive election, and to discuss current PGSS initiatives. The meeting, however, did not meet its quorum requirement of one per cent of the total graduate membership. The motions presented could therefore not be passed and will instead reappear in the form of referendum questions in March 2023. 

Studentcare, which provides opt-outable healthcare coverage to PGSS members, is extending its legal protection program to include consultation and representation for survivors of sexual violence. The goal of the initiative is to expand sexual violence care. The PGSS speaker broached the topic of how to ensure that the care provided would be comprehensive and inclusive to all graduate students.

Vegas Hodgins, a second-year PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology, would like to see Studentcare make sexual violence care accessible to all students, regardless of gender.

“I think that something that will be really important to engage with the Studentcare people [about] is [if] the […] legal representatives they would be referring people to are ready to engage with victims of sexual violence who aren’t cisgender women,” Hodgins said. “When it comes to treating the needs of transgender or even male victims of rape, there isn’t that degree of understanding and it can be retraumatizing to engage with people who are just not understanding you in that way.”

The meeting also addressed a new PGSS initiative to increase access to gender-affirming care, which would help cover the costs of materials, medications, and gender-affirming surgeries for transgender graduate students. Rine Vieth, a PhD candidate in anthropology, suggested that the extra costs incurred that are indirectly tied to health care services should also be covered by the fund. Vieth cited a personal experience in which McGill Human Resources failed to respond to their requests to correspond with the Department of Anthropology, forcing Vieth to teach in person shortly after a mastectomy.

“I would also encourage that fund to go towards not just materials or medication, but things like the fact that people might not be able to work, and working with McGill to figure out ways to secure accommodations,” Vieth said. “I was forced to work [two and a half] weeks after my top surgery because McGill HR told me that I wasn’t eligible to take time off and that if I wasn’t able to do my job immediately after that, I would lose it.”

Many attendees also agreed that other gender-affirming costs, such as facial hair removal, or changing names and gender markers on legal documents, should be covered by the fund. PGSS Member Services Officer Naga Thovinakere assured attendees that these concerns would all be taken into consideration.

“It’s still in preliminary stages and the hope is that we reach out and ask for feedback at every step of the way,” Thovinakere said. “That way, we are setting this up in the most efficient way possible, as well as serving the needs of the people that need it the most.”

Other topics of discussion included health care accessibility issues, the PGSS social media and website presence, and the need to fill available committee positions for graduate students.

Moment of the Meeting:

Prior to the General Meeting, the PGSS Council held a meeting of its own. While the general meeting was supposed to begin at 7:15 p.m, extended voting and discussion within the Council forced it to begin at 8:06 p.m.

Soundbite:

“We really need people to serve on committees [….] They sound small, they sound unglamorous, they are certainly not as sexy as writing ‘Senate’ on your CV, but [they are] actually where important decisions that do directly impact people’s day-to-day lives as students happen.”

—PGSS Secretary General Kristi Kouchakji 

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