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McGill Recommendations, Out on the Town, Student Life

Beyond the Bixi in the big city

by Mahnoor Chaudhry on

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Although fall may be the perfect weather to head out for a walk, when you’ve barely woken up and are already late for your 8:30 class, it’s good to know all of your commuting options. For such last-minute panics, the Tribune presents various alternatives to help you make it to your lectures on time, and maybe even stop for coffee. 

1. Biking

Incorporating cycling into your morning routine is not only healthy, but also a time-efficient means of getting to school. Biking is also a fun way to start the day—unless your commute is uphill—with cool morning temperatures making it the perfect time to go for a ride. Luckily, you need not be a bike owner to incorporate this exercise into your daily life. 

Bixi, a public bike-rental service, offers monthly and yearly packages for just $18 and $92, respectively. You can rent a bike from one of their many stations and drop it off at a station near your destination, making it quite a convenient way to get to campus and around the city. There are a few stations near campus, with the most popular ones being on the corners of McTavish and Sherbrooke, and University and Milton. Other stations around campus include those on Sherbrooke and Aylmer, Sherbrooke and Hutchison, and University and Prince Arthur. 

In case you don’t want to commit to a longer membership, Bixi also offers one-way passes for a flat fee of $1, and a variable charge depending on the time of day. The regular bike costs 15 cents per minute, while an electric one is 30 cents per minute. With a membership, the regular Bixi costs 10 cents per minute, after 45 free minutes, and 12 cents/minute for an electric bike. With or without a membership, Bixi bikes are one of the cheaper options to get to campus. 

2. Public transport

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) offers a range of flexible train, metro, and bus routes to fit into your commuting schedule. You can order a rechargeable OPUS card for $15, which you can load with tickets and passes. For students, the STM offers a reduced-fare OPUS card that you can order online through Minerva, under the student menu. 

For students, the monthly pass costs $56.50, the weekly one costs $29, and a one-way ticket costs $3.50. There are also other fare deals such as unlimited evenings, unlimited weekends, and 24 hours whose fares are accessible on their website. If you plan on making more than 15 trips a month via metro or bus, the monthly pass is definitely the way to go.  

Buses are one of the most convenient and accessible ways to get to campus. The buses most used by students are the 24 which runs on Sherbrooke and has a stop right in front of the Roddick Gates, and the 144 which has stops near the Tomlinson Fieldhouse, the Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building, and the Stewart Biology Building. The metro is also a great option for those who live close to a station. You can get off at the McGill metro station––exiting a couple of streets below Sherbrooke, on boulevard Robert-Bourassa, and walk up to campus. 

3. Communauto

If you live farther away and are in an absolute rush, you can also rent a car from Communauto, a low-cost vehicle-sharing company. Prior to renting, however, you have to sign up for an account and get it verified—a process that usually takes a couple of days. 


While they do offer different memberships, they also have a free plan under which you can pick any of their marked cars off the road (called the FLEX option). This option allows you to drop the car anywhere within their parking zones and costs 40 cents per minute, $12.75 per hour, or $50 per day. With Communauto, you can also reserve a car, which is less costly than their FLEX option. Fuel costs of up to $50 per trip are covered by them, and you can learn more about how their service works here.

Along Party Lines, News

Along Party Lines: Quebec’s major parties on Bill 96 and Bill 21

by Alex Jonas on

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In this week’s segment of Along Party Lines, The McGill Tribune looks into the stances of the major political parties regarding Bill 96 and Bill 21.

What are Bill 96 and Bill 21? 

An Act respecting French, or Bill 96, was adopted in the National Assembly of Quebec on May 24. The bill introduces a set of amendments to the province’s Charter of the French Language, Bill 101, to further protect the use of the French language in Quebec. Under the legislation, the enrollment capacity for English-language CEGEPs will be limited to 17.5 per cent of the total provincial CEGEP population and access to English programs in French-language CEGEPs is restricted. The bill also decrees that immigrants can communicate with government agencies in a language other than French during their first six months in the province, after which public services will only be offered in French.

The government also invoked the notwithstanding clause when it ratified Bill 96. Under the notwithstanding clause, Parliament and provincial legislatures may exceptionally enact legislation that is in violation of  certain sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and safeguard it from legal challenges for five years. The clause is generally frowned upon, but the province also invoked it with Bill 21, an Act respecting the laicity of the State.

Bill 21 prohibits public service employees, including teachers and public defenders, from wearing religious symbols—hijabs, turbans, crucifixes, and jewellery, for example—in the workplace. Despite the bill taking effect in 2019, Bill 21 remains a controversial law in Quebec politics and has been criticized for disproportionately targeting religious minorities such as Muslim women.

Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ)

Both Bill 96 and Bill 21 were adopted under the CAQ government led by Premier François Legault. Despite public opposition to the bills, Legault has remained an advocate of both and has vowed to continue protecting the French language. 

Legault’s continued support of Bill 21 stems from his argument that secularism and religious freedom are not mutually exclusive. When Bloc Québécois leader Yves François Blanchet was asked about his support for Bill 96 and Bill 21 during a 2021 federal election debate, Legault was outraged by the moderator’s insinuation that the laws were racist and discriminatory. He defended the bills as exemplifying the “values of Quebec.”

Liberal Party of Quebec  (PLQ)

Liberal leader Dominique Anglade has made it clear that her party is opposed to both bills. 

A resolution was passed at the PLQ’s 40th youth wing convention on Aug. 6 to investigate the impositions Bill 96 places on anglophone and allophone students in English CEGEPs. If elected, Anglade’s government would exempt Indigenous peoples from Bill 96 and repeal the notwithstanding clause, the cap on English CEGEPs, and the six-month deadline imposed on newcomers to learn French. 

Conservative Party of Québec (PCQ)

Éric Duhaime, the Conservative Party’s leader, opposes the new language laws. Although a francophone himself, Duhaime held a press conference—during which he spoke English and French—condemning the bill’s linguistic policies. He hopes to bridge the Anglo-Franco divide and recognizes bilingualism as an asset for the province, not a weakness. He plans to repeal Bill 96 if elected. 

However, Duhaime is in favour of Bill 21, arguing the government and its officials should remain secular before the citizens of Quebec.

Québec solidaire (QS)

Despite proclaiming that language issues should not be at the forefront of the provincial campaign, spokesperson of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, voted in favour of Bill 96. Québec solidaire is critical of some of its provisions, including the six-month learning period for newcomers and the neglect of Indigenous languages. The party plans to reverse the six-month grace period for immigrants and to consult with Indigenous leaders to officially protect Indigenous languages in Quebec, if elected. 

Nadeau-Dubois also promised to contest Bill 21 if Québec solidaire wins the majority.


Next week on Along Party Lines, The Tribune/will break down how these parties compare on Indigenous issues, separatism, and pan-Canadian relations. 

Commentary, Opinion

Sacrificing academic fulfillment for a 4.0

by Priya Maiti on

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In the midst of add-drop season, any study space at McGill is filled with students frantically scrolling through the McGill course catalogue in search of the perfect class—one that will fit into their packed schedules, help them increase their GPAs, and make their lives a little easier. How much they enjoy the course is only an afterthought. Academic fulfillment is no longer the point or, seemingly, even a prevalent factor in university life. To prevent this, McGill needs to take steps to ensure that students are able to enrich themselves academically without concern for their futures.

As an exchange student from London, the add-drop process itself was a new world for me. In the United Kingdom., studying a program where you “major” in more than one subject or have the option to “minor” is rare, although options are becoming increasingly available. In most degrees, students only have a few elective courses they can take, and there is usually a small pool to choose from. The “shopping period” doesn’t really exist for courses in the U.K. As a result, there is a smaller range of difficulty between courses that are deemed “easier” or “harder”, and, thus, students take courses for interest or to fulfill prerequisites. Even sites like Rate My Professor and the amount of Reddit forums discussing what classes to take were new territory. I’ve spoken to other exchange students who have been equally puzzled by the culture of switching classes and cultivating schedules. 

This raises the question: Why are students at McGill and other North American universities prioritizing their grades over what they really want to study? When students are paying thousands of dollars for their education, it is unclear what they truly gain in picking courses that stray miles away from their majors. 

The overwhelming answer: To be a more competitive candidate. Both the job market and grad schools expect increasingly unrealistic standards from graduates. Perfect GPAs, unblemished academic records, along with an array of internships and extracurriculars are  prerequisites. At Yale Law School, the average GPA for successful applicants is 3.94. When this is compounded with McGill’s varied course examination style and difficulty, it becomes obvious why students are hesitant to challenge themselves with courses that mean long hours and struggling grades when easier routes are available to them. The perceived rewards for high grades and GPA outweigh semesters of intellectually challenging but engaging classes.

But some contest whether this culture of picking “bird” classes is necessarily a bad thing. Not only is the motivation behind this strategy very reasonable, but students may also find themselves learning about subjects outside of their normal scope of academia. So, while I was surprised by the add-drop system, it was refreshing to see how normalized it is for students to take a variety of subjects. Arguing that this encourages a wider breadth of learning, however, can easily be countered when factoring in that most students taking these “easier” classes do not engage quite so vigorously with the syllabus as they might with a course required for their degree.

McGill needs to encourage its students’ focus on academic fulfillment. McGill contributes to the problem by allowing a disparity between course assessment styles, with some renowned for easy marking and lax teachers while others are known for intensive workloads and course content. From “Natural Disasters” (EPSC 185)  to “The Art of Listening” (MUAR 211), students only need to have a browse on Reddit to get a run-down of which classes might be favourable to their transcripts. Generations of students have publicly discussed the pros and cons of certain courses, making it impossible for course reputations to not contribute to future choices. Standardizing more cohesive workloads and attendance policies across the university would be a productive start. As an institution that prides itself in “expanding minds,” McGill allow its students to learn without their grades being the main determinant of their academic journey. 

Art, Arts & Entertainment

‘Radiology of the Abdomen for the Surgeon’ connects artistry to anatomy

by Ella Buckingham on

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Located in the Maude Abbott Medical Museum on the second floor of the Strathcona Building, Radiology of the abdomen for the surgeon showcases 10 works of embroidery, each depicting a different abdominal organ.

Split up between two glass cabinets, the exhibition appears unassuming at first, but, on second glance, it reveals beautiful depictions of the human body. It displays organs such as the spleen, the stomach, and the liver, among others, highlighting parts of the body hard at work in our day-to-day lives. A graduate student in biotechnology law at l’Université de Montréal, Catherine Tsatoumas manages to connect both the scientific and the artistic in a unique way that unites these two often disparate worlds.

“I started embroidery when I was a teenager in high school,” Tsatoumas revealed in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “For the past 20 years, I have been doing embroidery professionally, alongside my university studies.”

Radiology of the abdomen for the surgeon came about from her work with the McGill University Health Centre Patient’s Committee. The care and attention Tsatoumas devotes to her work shines through each piece, and, because she is a full-time student as well, each piece takes her a couple of months to complete. Tsatoumas has also taught Greek-Byzantine style embroidery in the Hellenic Communities of both Montreal and Ottawa. Reflecting this, the main stitchwork she uses in her embroidery is called the Byzantine stitch. The exhibit was stitched together from multiple different parts of her background and experience, creating the works people see today.

The true beauty of this exhibit is in its simplicity. Held in only two glass cabinets, the 10 pieces are beautiful in their minimalism. Each organ is carefully hand-sewn onto either turquoise or white silk squares, symbolizing surgeons’ scrubs and radiologists’ robes, respectively. The exhibit takes the inner workings of the human body, normally only pictured clinically in medical textbooks, and represents them in the vibrant medium of embroidery. The resulting work is both whimsical and captivating. Tsatoumas’ interest and expertise in both the human body and embroidery are put on full display.

One of Tsatoumas’ pieces, Radiology for the Surgeon, stood out in particular for its representation of the human abdomen. This piece attracts the eye with its bold, fanciful hand-stitched title and multitude of colours, from pulsing reds to silvery blues. Each organ stands out on the white background, shown in a creative, compelling way guaranteed to intrigue even the most hardened Arts student. 

“[This is] a miniature collection of all the organs of the abdomen,” Tsatoumas explained. “This piece is supposed to be the introduction to the nine pieces of the collection. That is why it is so large, and it encompasses everything.” 

Surrounded by medieval-looking medical tools, sections of brains in jars, and other scary, pointy medical instruments in the Maude Abbott Museum, Radiology of the abdomen for a surgeon offers viewers an alternative look into human anatomy: A warm, inviting exhibit complete with brightly coloured images and playful embroidered fonts. Tsatoumas hopes to continue doing similar work in the future, with plans to create a collage of ailments of the human breast and one of the ear. 

“I would like for all to marvel at the human mind and how it can assimilate its functions and be creative,” said Tsatoumas. “After all, scientific inventions are geared by talented artists and, above all else, draw attention to the wholeness of the human body.” Radiology of the abdomen for the surgeon is on display at the Maude Abbott Medical Museum in the Strathcona Building until Sept. 23.

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

A new immunocellular therapy at our doorstep

by Maddie Perry on

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According to the Canadian Cancer Society, nearly 7,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with leukemia this year with a mortality rate of nearly 50 per cent. Similarly, over 10,000 will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma—a specific type of cancer that causes lymphocyte cells to develop abnormally. Many research institutions across the globe have undertaken the challenge of developing a treatment for these cancers, and some have succeeded in creating a quality care program for patients.

This past July, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) was named one of the leading providers of immune effector cell (IEC) therapy, a revolutionary new treatment for more advanced cases of leukemia and lymphoma. Specifically, the MUHC now offers a new immunocellular therapy for adult patients diagnosed with a form of blood cancer resistant to standard treatments. Referred to as CAR-T therapy, it has been proven to prevent relapses for 60 per cent of patients in studies conducted on children over a five-year period.

Other forms of cancer treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, have been standard approaches to care for years, yet are not always successful with various or new forms of aggressive cancers. 

CAR-T therapy is a form of immunocellular therapy that involves extracting T cells, a type of white blood cell, from the patient’s blood. Following this, the T cells are taken to a lab to be reprogrammed to attack cancer cells by introducing the T cells to a gene that codes for the chimeric antigen receptor, which binds to the surface of a target cancer cell and destroys it. From there, the CAR-T cells can be given to the patient via infusion.

Due to its ability to target cancer cells directly, CAR-T therapy is considered a promising treatment for leukemias and lymphomas that were previously thought to be incurable. The opening of the MUHC CAR-T program to the general public, and its designation as one of the centres in Quebec that provides this cutting-edge therapy, extends the frontiers of cancer research and therapy accessibility in Canada.

“CAR-T treatments are leading-edge therapies that offer a chance of cure for certain patients with lymphoma who have failed conventional therapies, often including high doses of chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplants,” said Dr. Michael Sebag, director of the IEC Therapy Program of the MUHC, in an email to The McGill Tribune. 

Similar to all forms of cancer treatment, CAR-T immunotherapy has several serious side effects. As an intense form of immunotherapy in which the T cells become biochemically altered, the introduction of the gene to the T cells can result in a mass eradication of B cells which produce the antibodies needed to fight off viruses. 

Therefore, patients on CAR-T can become susceptible to other infections. Some reactions to CAR-T therapy may be more severe than others, the worst and most frequent being cytokine release syndrome. This is caused by the fast release of cytokines, small proteins that regulate the immune system, into the blood from the tampered T cells. This causes respiratory problems, nausea, and fever, among other symptoms.

Despite its high success rate, CAR-T cell therapy can be hard to access. The treatment process is expensive and in Canada, it is only offered to those who meet strict needs-based criteria. In Quebec, the government has dedicated $35 million a year to fund this form of therapy, which is expected to help 60 adults and 10 children each year. In Canada, the total cost of CAR-T therapy nears half a million dollars per patient, rendering the therapy less accessible—a major point of criticism.

Despite its drawbacks, CAR-T cell therapy has been nothing short of revolutionary in the field of cancer research. It opens up a new chapter for the longed-for progression of cancer treatment and the advancement of the McGill Cancer Care mission, providing hope and inspiration for both medical professionals and patients around the world. 

“The MUHC University Health Centre is committed to bringing cutting edge therapies [to] our cancer patients,” said Sebag. “We are thrilled to have assembled a talented and dedicated team to deliver these.”

McGill, News

McGill unions frustrated with ongoing delays in collective agreement negotiations

by Elena Lee on

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As of Sept. 13, only one of McGill’s 14 labour unions—the teaching assistant unit of the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM)—has an active collective agreement (CA) in place with the university, according to McGill’s Human Resources (HR). CAs govern salaries, hours, benefits, and working conditions of unionized employees, and are typically reviewed every three to four years. 

While McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle says that the pandemic and the economy are reasons why most CA renewals have been delayed, many union representatives believe there is more to the story. Four out of the five union representatives interviewed for this piece say that McGill’s current administrative structure is ill-equipped to handle negotiations with 14 unique bargaining units. In an interview with the The McGill Tribune, AGSEM mobilization officer Kiersten van Vliet identified the university’s HR department’s constant rotation of employees as a hindrance to the negotiation process.

“There has been some turnover in the central HR,” van Vliet said. “So, there are some people who are moving into a role [of] being a negotiator for the first time. McGill’s spokesperson for our negotiations—it is the first time she is ever negotiating.”

AGSEM invigilators’ most recent CA with McGill expired in 2020, and, as a result, the last pay raise employees received was in 2019. While the stipulations under the previous agreement remain in effect during the period between a CA’s expiration date and the signing of a new contract, many CAs do not account for increases in Quebec’s minimum wage and inflation after an agreement has ended. In AGSEM’s case, negotiations for an updated CA began in March 2021, but a government conciliator was called on Sept. 6, 2022 to mediate after repeated stand-offs between AGSEM and McGill.

“It is like a war of attrition—they are trying to see how long we can hold it together, and be serious, and be firm,” van Vliet said. “Time is on McGill’s side as the institution with bigger resources. Especially considering a lot of the unions—AMURE, AMUSE, AGSEM—are majority students, and this is not our day job, they do have a lot working in their favour.”

Thomas Chalmers, president of McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association (MUNACA), believes the university’s “corporate mentality” is at the root of its negotiation issues.

“Even to their own HR department they have cut staff, and […] they lost three or four major HR people to other institutions. So they cannot even keep their own people,” Chalmers said in an interview with the Tribune. “It is evident there is an issue with retention, both in HR and throughout the university, and they are not really effectively addressing it.”

MUNACA has been without a CA since Nov. 30, 2018. Negotiations between the two parties began in earnest in September 2020, but more than two years of bargaining have come to an impasse. McGill requested a conciliator through Quebec’s Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT) in December 2021, but the five meetings since resulted in two days of MUNACA strikes that paralyzed McGill, despite the third-party aid. 

Following the unsuccessful conciliation, McGill requested an arbitrator to settle the dispute. The two parties presented their cases in an arbitration hearing held on Sept. 1. Chalmers says it’s likely that neither party is going to be happy when the “arbitration award”—the final, binding contract made by the arbitrator in lieu of a CA—is released. 

Chalmers pointed out that, while fewer than two per cent of unions go on strike or require provincial intervention, several unions at McGill have resorted to striking over the past few years. He referred to the highly publicized Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) strike last spring, during which a majority of floor fellows suspended their roles for over two weeks. Since then, AMUSE and McGill have agreed to a contract that was ratified by AMUSE in April 2022. McGill, however, has yet to sign the contract as the agreement must be translated into French first, according to Quebec laws. 

“It is disappointing and shameful that floor fellows have started the new school year without their contract signed,” AMUSE President James Newman said in an interview with the Tribune. “McGill is stubborn. They want to drag out the process. They want to wear the unions down through continued negotiations. It is sad and shameful but sadly typical of employers.”

Professor Raad Jassim, president of the McGill Course Lecturers and Instructors Union (MCLIU), echoed Newman, Chalmers, and van Vliet in his interview with the Tribune, revealing that MCLIU had been close to striking when the pandemic hit. Jassim believes that McGill has no incentive to change its “old-fashioned thinking.” MCLIU’s current CA was signed in September 2020 and expired last month on Aug. 31; they will head to the negotiation table in October 2022. 

“[McGill is] not able to deliver because they are underlaboured and underpowered. They need to increase HR to deal with all the unions around them, and I do not think they have enough lawyers,” Jassim said. “[McGill is] slowing the process [and through this] they think they are going to prevail to convince us otherwise. They won’t.”

Despite concerns about McGill’s HR department, van Vliet believes there is a silver lining in the solidarity built within and across unions.

“As much as it has been frustrating that these negotiations are taking such a long time, I think it is also a testament to the strength of the unions for not caving in [to] their demands,” van Vliet said. “We are not just capitulating to the demands of the employers or what they are saying is possible. We know our value, and we are going to keep fighting until we get the best that we can.”

While the Association of McGill University Research Employees (AMURE) agrees that complex and lengthy timelines have given rise to frustrations, AMURE president Sean Cory believes it is equally as important for members and students to get involved and educate themselves on McGill’s labour issues. 

“If a student works at McGill […] the vast majority are covered by a union. They can contact their union, learn about their rights, and monitor the situation,” Cory said in an interview with the Tribune. “I think attending one of our meetings is a big step towards knowing what is going on and understanding why it is taking two years to negotiate, so I would encourage people to attend.”

AMUSE president Newman additionally emphasized the importance of bidirectional solidarity between the unions and the broader McGill community.

“We need your support and solidarity in all we do to try and get a fair campus for all workers, which means a fairer campus for you,” Newman said. “Because many of you are also workers, and certainly many of you care deeply about labour rights and care about creating a more just university—you’ve shown that through all the activism and protests that you guys have done over the years, particularly the occupation of the Arts building to promote a more inclusive Board of Governors. ”

Off the Board, Opinion

Why everyone deserves therapy

by Abby McCormick on

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Therapy. There, I said it. A word that, despite its immeasurable benefits, carries the heavy weight of unrelenting stigma everywhere it goes.

In the industrialized world, 25 per cent of adults experience significant mental health problems each year that require intervention in the form of psychotherapy and/or medication. In particular, university students are disproportionately affected by mental health issues such as anxiety—with 56.8 per cent of McGill students reporting a mental health disorder in 2021. These shockingly high rates are largely attributed to the extreme levels of academic stress that university students experience.

While mental health conditions make up an incredible 14.3 per cent of deaths worldwide, according to one estimate, the majority of adults suffering do not seek treatment, citing self-doubt and the fear of judgment from those around them as major deterrents.

Such feelings of self-doubt are becoming increasingly common amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health impostor syndrome, when someone feels like they are not “suffering enough” to seek mental health treatment, is one of the most common modern-day barriers to accessing care. 

In stark contrast to the stigma surrounding mental health, societies around the world place significant importance on physical health and wellness. From going to the gym in the mornings to brushing one’s teeth twice a day, to routine checkups at the doctor’s, people spend hours every day preoccupied with their physical bodies. 

Yet, when it comes to their minds, people are less willing to take preventative measures to invest in their mental wellness. Mental health challenges can be as severe and as deadly as physical ones, and the two can even exacerbate each other..

When it comes to treating mental illnesses, it has been shown over and over that the most effective means is therapy, while therapy paired with medication is more effective than either method alone. 

Despite initially being designed to help people struggling with mental health issues, therapy can provide anyone with a plethora of techniques to enhance their daily life. From distraction strategies like  stress-relieving activities to breathing exercises and  mindfulness, therapists can offer a personalized toolkit to help better manage one’s unique challenges. Further, therapists are trained to be unbiased and confidential listeners that can aid in navigating a broad scope of circumstances. 

Think of the number of times that you have been to your family doctor for routine checkups or mild symptoms like a sore throat or cough. Just as we go to our family doctors when we are feeling physically well, we should encourage the practice of going to a therapist when we are feeling mentally well. Attending therapy regularly can help alleviate future mental health crises while identifying particular issues that one may need to work through.  

Regardless of society’s portrayal of therapy as something reserved for those with the most severe mental illnesses, everybody can benefit from the techniques and tools that a therapist can provide. Even those who do not feel that they need therapy could always benefit from adding another caring and supportive individual to their circle of trust if they are able to do so. 


It is important to acknowledge, however, that therapy is not available to everyone for various reasons, including economic and accessibility factors. Reaching out to mental health professionals and taking the first step can  feel impossible when therapy sessions in Montreal range from $90 to $150. However, there are networks that offer sliding scales and accommodations based on income level and identity.Otherwise, there are other options for students in Montreal, such as the Canadian Mental Health Association and a range of telehealth services. With offerings ranging from free phone and in-person services, there has never been a better time to reach out for help.

Commentary, Opinion

Point-counterpoint: A debate on the aesthetic of Burnside Hall

by Sarah Kayed & Alexander MacKenzie on

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Burnside is the vision of practicality – Alexander MacKenzie

A quick glance towards Burnside Hall reveals nothing striking about its immediate design. Perhaps the most observant of oceanographers or astrophysicists studying in the building could casually point out its warm sandy colour, and wavy texture adorning the walls outside. Likely only the oceanographer, not without some degree of self-contempt, would remark that the building is shaped like sand waves on a beach. But  since most students entering the building are not architects, features of this sort would go, for the most part, unnoticed. Despite having nothing extraordinary or jarring architecturally, there remain many appreciable things about the building worth students’ attention.

By far, the most enticing feature is that Burnside is located right on top of an extensive underground tunnel system, providing passages to the rest of the buildings in the science and engineering complex. The basement makes for a fantastic refuge and student space, offering a sizable yet cozy study area full of computers, which add a sentimental cybertech ambience. When the lower-level Soupe Café is open, Burnside’s basement is filled with the smell of freshly-baked pastries. Most of McGill’s sandwich enthusiasts already know about the coveted Burnside basement grilled cheese. 

When entering the building from underground tunnels, students might notice the appreciable lack of crowding around and within the three spacious red elevators. The upper levels generally consist of narrow, colour-themed hallways, with space for hundreds of small rooms, many of which are typically unoccupied. Also, there are great study spaces on the fifth and 11th floors, the latter featuring cozy soundproof rooms and eight-foot-tall windows overlooking both McGill campus and Mount Royal.

Burnside Hall also possesses other purposes on McGill campus. The building was designed to allow for five additional stories if McGill were to ever need more space on campus. The top of the building houses meteorological equipment for use by students of the Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences to observe the night sky over Montreal.

As far as the average McGill student is concerned, Burnside Hall is a convenient, practical, and pleasant space. It is an invaluable centre for student life on campus and allows astrophysicists and oceanographers, along with the occasional Mathematics or Statistics student, to study, grow, and prosper at McGill.

Burnside can burn –  Sarah Kayed

When it comes to Burnside Hall, McGill’s attempt at Brutalism “fakes it, but never quite makes it”. Most students consider this science faculty building to be ugly, if not depressing. From an architectural perspective, Burnside attempts to imitate the style of Brutalism and fails quite miserably, instead existing as a bleak space unfit for educational needs. 

Brutalism is often characterized by an exposed concrete exterior of little ornamentation, constructed so that the interior serves as a space for social gathering. Additionally, this design approach was connected to ideas of social reform and collectivity within architecture, through a desire for equality. When looking at Burnside, one cannot help but wonder—what ever happened to political architecture? 

Typically, this architecture style adopts inward-facing repetitive windows paired with hidden entrances. At Burnside, however, the façade is primarily glass, taking the spotlight away from the raw concrete exterior. The windows—spanning floor-to-ceiling across all floors—overshadow the concrete’s texture and grain, moving it away from the Brutalist concrete style.

It seems that the only actual Brutalist features of this site are the hidden entrances and the underground tunnels for ease of accessibility. The inside of the building, on the other hand, resembles a labyrinth seemingly impossible to navigate. For a structure to embody equality, accessibility becomes a key element, and, in Burnside, navigational difficulty is the most pressing design issue. No McGillian wants to be lost in a concrete dungeon looking for a lecture hall or computer lab.

A better example of the Brutalist style on campus is McLennan Library. The prefabricated concrete library incorporates a spacious interior with easy access from floor to floor; almost every aspect of the space is visible and students can complete their work in a suitable environment. Comparatively, Burnside is a naive, even hypocritical, imitation of Brutalism that creates an oppressive space for students and faculty.

Behind the Bench, Sports

Running should produce feelings of freedom, not fear

by Sarah Farnand on

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CW: Mention of physical and sexual assault

On Sept. 2, Eliza Fletcher was abducted during her morning run in Memphis, Tennessee. Three days later, Fletcher’s body was found in a vacant lot roughly seven miles from where she was taken. 

The tragedy of Fletcher’s death reaffirms the constant dangers of running while female-presenting. In 2016, Alexandra Nicolette Brueger was shot and killed on a run in rural Michigan. Three days later, Karina Vetrano was killed while on a run in New York City. Five days after that, runner Vanessa Marcotte was murdered in Princeton, Massachusetts. In 2018, Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student, and Wendy Martinez, a Washington D.C. resident, were both stabbed to death during runs. And in 2020, Sydney Sutherland was killed while running in Arkansas. 

These stories are nothing new. 

As a runner myself, I often run with a buddy, be it my dad or a friend. There are times, however, when I need to take time for myself—so I run alone, listen to music, and just think. But, running alone comes with the fear of being harassed or harmed. 

Every runner has likely heard the tips: Don’t wear headphones, change your route, only run in broad daylight, and in well-populated areas. Even that, however, does not always suffice. Despite “doing everything right”, Wendy Martinez and Karina Vetrano were still brutally killed  while simply going for a run in broad daylight in well-populated, “safe” areas. Regardless, the onus should not be put on the runner to avoid being harassed or murdered. Running should be a way to escape the stresses of everyday life, not an additional stressor.

Verbal and physical harassment is far too common an occurrence for all women, runners especially. In a survey by Runner’s World, 60 per cent of female runners have dealt with harassment while on a run. 

When I was in high school, I was running with my friends when a man drove by and rolled down his window to yell “Nice legs!”. I have also been honked at and stared at to the point of feeling incredibly uncomfortable. 

Society’s acceptance of the hypersexualization and objectification of women enables predators to continually harass and attack women. 

When a woman goes out for a run alone at 4:30 a.m. wearing a sports bra and shorts, as Eliza Fletcher did, she is not asking to be harassed or assaulted. A runner who becomes the victim of unwanted sexual attention is not to blame for harassment. And many women runners do not have the privilege of running during daylight hours, in safe neighbourhoods, with a buddy. 

Instead of asking why she was running so early in the morning or what she was wearing, we should instead be asking why we, as a society, are okay with a culture of victim-blaming. Safety should not be conditional on what time it is, what someone is wearing, or what someone looks like. 

Despite strides made towards ending the culture of sexual violence, known sexual abusers are still being elected into office and the gender pay gap still means that women are receiving $0.89 for every dollar a man makes doing the same work. Ending harassment for runners and other athletes means calling attention to how female-presenting individuals are treated as lesser beings or sexual objects, and actively working towards systemic change.

Being able to exercise in the way that most empowers you without fear of harassment or assault is a right everyone should have. Until running free of fear is an option for all people, we must hold each other accountable. Returning home from a run should be a given, not a hope. 

Arts & Entertainment, Comedy

Stand-up show ‘The Remedy’ offers the cure for a boring Thursday night

by Eliza Lee on

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By day, Deli Planet looks like any other restaurant you’d find inside of a train station—neatly decorated with a simple arrangement of black tables and chairs and plain leather booths lining the walls. But, don’t let its unremarkable appearance fool you. By night, the restaurant transforms: A small stage is set up, a microphone is procured, and a spotlight is illuminated. Deli Planet doesn’t just serve food—it serves comedy shows. On Thursday, Sept. 1, the restaurant hosted The Remedy, a show packed with stand-up performances in association with the Montreal Comedy Club. 

Throughout the night, eight Montreal comedians each performed around 10 minutes of stand-up. Despite their short stage time, the performers covered a range of themes in their set, creating an engaging show: Joanna Selvarajah and Joel Slavik discussed the perils of online dating, while Wassim El-Mounzer joked about his time teaching English in Korea. Other comics found humour in the mundane facets of everyday life, such as Viveth Kanagaratnam who described his fear of revolving doors. Each performer also had a unique comedic style: Harrison Weinreb took on a slow, deadpan delivery, which contrasted Ahren Belisle’s more animated performance. Hadi Kubba and Jason Houle repeatedly interacted with the crowd to improvise new jokes, while Selvarajah and Weinreb seemed to stick more closely to their prepared sets. The variation in comedic styles and subject matter kept the performances exciting for the audience and made each performance unique.

The show’s compère—the master of ceremonies in stand-up comedy—was comic Ali Mohammadi, who entertained the audience between sets with his sharp crowd-work. Even when his jokes didn’t land with the audience, Mohammadi smoothed the moment over with another quip and kept the show moving. The comic was particularly skilled at callbacks, referencing gags he had made in an earlier part of the show. By returning to these jokes throughout the show,  Mohammadi’s performance gave the diverse sets a sense of cohesion. 

Although all the comics had prepared unique and creative materials, many of the performers had doubts about their set. For example, several prefaced their jokes with a warning that the material was new or still being workshopped. Some were also nervous and spoke rather quickly, still working on their comedic timing.  Many of the performers are just starting out in comedy and are still building up confidence on stage. The night’s sets were impressive overall and each of them garnered many laughs from the audience.

A particularly memorable moment in the show was when El-Mounzer swapped his L.A. Dodgers baseball cap for an audience member’s bucket hat, which was covered in fur in the image of Appa from the series Avatar: The Last Airbender. 

“I look like I’m going to take you fishing,” El-Mounzer joked. “Or like a SoundCloud manager who takes all your money.” 

An evening highlight was a bit from Weinreb about a friend who was moving into a new apartment because they were expecting children. The comedian criticized the friend for their lack of resourcefulness and suggested that they create room for the children by simply “stack[ing] ‘em on top of each other.” In an unwavering, serious tone of voice, Weinreb continued: “I could fit, not even exaggerating, 600 babies in here.” 

While the show featured a wide variety of comedic styles, the performers were alike in the passion and energy they brought to their sets. With talented comics and a sharp compère at the helm, The Remedy provides the perfect entertainment for a Thursday night.

‘The Remedy: Stand Up Comedy Show’ takes place Thursday nights at Deli Planet on 800 René Lévesque, West. Admission is $15 online and $20 at the door.

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