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McGill, News

AUS General Assembly fails to reach quorum, blocking motion to strike for hybrid learning

by Ghazal Azizi on

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On Feb. 2, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) convened for a General Assembly (GA) to discuss a motion to strike in opposition to McGill’s current reopening plans. The GA was scheduled after a petition organized by former Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President Bryan Buraga received the required 200 signatures. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Buraga has been vocal about his disapproval of McGill’s COVID-19 management and of the school’s decision to resume in-person activities amid the Omicron surge in Quebec. 

According to the AUS constitution, the quorum to hold a GA is 150 AUS members, while the quorum to pass a resolution for an AUS strike or boycott is 500 students. At the GA, the number of attendees oscillated between approximately 145 to 160 students, prohibiting the motion to strike from being put to a vote and at times, when less than 150 members were present, pausing the entire assembly. 

Dhruv Mehndiratta, U1 Arts, consulted with Buraga in developing the petition to hold the GA and campaigned in favour of a strike. Mehndiratta believes that despite the GA’s inability to reach a quorum, the number of attendees reflects an increase in student willingness to participate in McGill politics. 

“Having 145 people consistently for the better part of two hours on a Wednesday night [during] midterm season is definitely an achievement,” Mehndiratta said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “It definitely shows that the student body as a whole is getting more active in McGill politics.”

Since the motion to strike could not be put to a vote, it was amended to demand a well-defined stance from the AUS on the return to in-person learning instead. The amendments call on the AUS to oppose McGill’s current reopening plans and to affirm its solidarity with striking student associations. The new motion also demands that a COVID-19 Safety Mobilization Committee be established, with a mandate to organize a demonstration to advocate for safer in-person learning and hybrid options for immunocompromised students. 

The amended motion passed with 124 in favour, nine against, and 30 abstaining. The resolution is now awaiting ratification, which is done through an online ballot sent to all AUS members. The referendum ballot was emailed to the student body on Feb. 7 and will close at 5 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 10. 

Shlomo Enkin Lewis, U2 Arts, also campaigned for an AUS strike. Lewis believes that institutional flaws restrain collective movements in the AUS. 

“While I was canvassing for this GA, I spoke with lots of students who were very supportive of the need for hybrid options, but did not know that the GA was taking place,” Lewis said in an interview with the Tribune. “There are real barriers both to how information spreads through the Arts faculty and the absence of the existing organized institutions taking charge and spreading this message.” 

Buraga was responsible for moving the motion to strike and for amending the motion for an AUS response. He believes that there are systemic barriers to organizing a strike in the AUS.  

“In the cases of the School of Social Work and the Faculty of Law, the way that those [faculty associations] are organized makes it so much easier for collective action,” Buraga said in an interview with the Tribune. “The Faculty of Law requires a referendum and a GA for discussion, whereas in the AUS having 500 people show up to a GA rather than just going to referendum poses an institutional challenge to organizing people collectively.”

Despite the GA’s inability to reach quorum, Buraga remains optimistic about the future of the strike movement. 

“I wouldn’t characterize [the low number of attendees] as the strike movement losing steam,” he said. “I would challenge this narrative and say that the strike movement is coming up along institutional barriers that have been set for them.”

McGill, News

Staff and students face difficult trade-offs as they transition back to campus

by Sarina Macleod on

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Following 2.5 weeks of online classes spurred by the Omicron wave, the administration’s decision to transition back to campus for the remainder of the Winter 2022 term has stirred up both positive and negative reactions amongst staff and students. Many eating spaces on campus do not respect provincial health guidelines and there is currently no compulsory distancing in classrooms—factors which have fostered ongoing discussions of how McGill could better protect the health and safety of those returning to campus. Despite this, students are appreciative of the opportunity to once again learn in person.. 

In an attempt to aid in the transition back to in-person teaching, the administration offered professors the option to spend up to 20 per cent of the term—two weeks—teaching remotely. The grace period ended on Feb. 7 for professors who continued teaching solely online after the Jan. 24 return to campus. 

Samuel Guertin, U2 Management, noted that many professors in his faculty have opted to make material available both in-person and online, even after the grace period elapses. With factors such as zoom fatigue, isolation, the inability to concentrate, and a lack of mental health support, Guertin finds that grasping course material can be more difficult over Zoom than in person.

“A lot of profs in the management faculty teach hybrid, so they have Zoom open and students can either go online or in-person, but you are missing some things if you don’t go in person,” Guertin explained. “I feel like in-person is better for the learning, it’s better for the atmosphere, it’s better for the participation. You feel like you’re a real student.” 

Not all students, however, have found the transition to in-person instruction comforting. Executives from the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), and the Post Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) feel that there has been a lack of preventative safety action on the part of the administration, creating a sense of distrust between the student community and administration. Claire Loewen, a McGill media relations officer, stressed that the administration is persistently working to implement protective measures for those on-campus.  

“The health and well-being of our community remain our top priority, and all necessary health and safety measures will continue to be implemented to ensure that our campuses remain safe places to learn and to work,” Lowen wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “Throughout the Summer and Fall semesters, ventilation in classrooms (and exam spaces) was optimized, and CO2 levels were measured in rooms without CO2 monitors already built-in.” 

The current ventilation system, MERV 13, was implemented prior to the pandemic and is capable of trapping less than 75 per cent of air particles that are 0.3-1.0 microns in size. Coronavirus particles are 0.1 microns in size. 

In an interview with the Tribune, Loïck Lépin, U2 Arts, explained that it has been difficult to remain on campus for extended periods of time due to the regulations around eating. In the few spaces designated eating spots on campus, social distancing is often not adequately practiced due to overcrowding and a lack of table separators. The administration has also removed many microwaves on campus, adding another barrier for students who pack food.

“Eating on campus seems like a logistics operation,” Lépin said. “You would think that more than two microwaves would be available to the 40,000 students on campus.” 

Library security, tasked with enforcing proper masking and “no eating” regulations, have faced disrespect from select students who do not wish to, or care to, comply with COVID-19 rules. 

As Quebec begins to loosen COVID-19 provincial restrictions, the administration plans to follow suit. Starting on Feb. 14, gyms in Quebec will be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity and in-person extracurricular activities with up to 25 participants will be able to meet. It is currently unclear when, and to what extent, McGill will act in accordance with these provincial relaxations. At this time, SSMU continues to advocate for increased safety measures and accommodations directly from the administration. SSMU has compiled a crowdsourced list of accommodations provided by professors in over 60 courses, and continues to accept submissions for more. 

McGill, Montreal, News

Kanien’kehá:ka kahnistensera take McGill to federal court over suspected unmarked graves under New Vic Project

by Leo Larman Brown on

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A group of Kanien’kehá:ka kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) went to federal court against McGill University, the Ville de Montréal, the Quebec Government, and Stantec, on Jan. 14. The group is seeking an order to halt construction of the New Vic Project until a Mohawk-led investigation into potential unmarked graves on the previous Royal Victoria Hospital site is conducted. The New Vic Project is McGill’s proposal to transform a part of the Royal Victoria Hospital into a research, teaching, and innovation hub dedicated to Sustainability Systems and Public Policy—an interdisciplinary approach to environmental sustainability. The kahnistensera suspect that there may be unmarked graves of Indigenous children on the site, after it came to light that Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron experimented on a number of victims in the 1950s and 60s at the Allan Memorial Institute, which was then a part of Royal Victoria Hospital. 

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Kahentinetha, a kahnistensera applicant in the court case and founder of Mohawk Nation News, said that evidence for the unmarked graves comes from oral history passed down in her community.

“We knew about the children in the school that disappeared,” Kahentinetha said. “We were never told what happened to them. Nothing. Not a word. We’ve always suspected, we always heard things like that from our grandparents and great-grandparents.” 

In a statement to the Tribune, McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle wrote that, based on a 2016 archaeological survey of the site, the administration believes it is unlikely that there are unmarked Indigenous graves. 

“According to this study, it is unlikely that Indigenous remains will be found on the New Vic Project site,” Mazerolle wrote. “However, McGill remains committed to collaborating with the government and First Nations communities regarding potential vestiges. Should such vestiges be found, it will be made public immediately, the work will be suspended.”

Kahentinetha explained that the Mohawk Mothers’ argument rests on the larger claim that McGill and the New Vic Project are situated on land that was never ceded to Canada and is, therefore, still subject to Indigenous law. Kahentinetha’s interpretation of section 35.1 of the Constitution Act, which reads, “The existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed,” is that this clause makes Indigenous law the highest law of Canada. She also referenced section 52.1, which “reaffirms constitutional supremacy,” as evidence for the sovereignty of Indigenous law.  

“Therefore, all the laws of Canada that are not recognized by our law and other true Indigenous laws are of no force or effect,” Kahentinetha said. “We are the very first people to ever bring this [section] to the court.”  

Sacha Delouvrier, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) vice-president External Affairs, told the Tribune that SSMU does not support the New Vic Project, nor do they support the McGill Administration in the court case against the kahnistensera.

“As soon as the Mohawk Mothers spoke up, we definitely saw an opportunity to help them,” Delouvrier said. “We have to do what we can to strive toward the ideal of reconciliation, which is why we will support whatever position the Mohawk Nation takes.”

So far, the kahnistensera, the Ville de Montreal, the Quebec government, and Stantec have attended a two-hour court hearing on Zoom on Jan. 14, but the kahnistensera says the opposing parties are attempting to delay the proceedings by overwhelming them with court documents.

“They are using the protocols and documents to push us into the protocol swamp,” Kahentinetha said. “They don’t want the big question to come up […] about [sections] 35 and 52.”

Kahentinetha also explained that the kahnistensera are refusing to use lawyers in the court case because it goes against their traditional forms of justice, explaining that lawyers are part of a colonial system that oppresses Indigenous people. 

“We don’t want a lawyer because a lawyer has taken an oath to the exact thing we’re fighting right now, which is the laws that are killing and oppressing us,” Kahentinetha said. “We have to do this by ourselves and we have to do it according to our ways.”

Art, Arts & Entertainment

McGill professor examines elitism and pastoralism in 16th century Venetian art

by Suzanna Graham on

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On Feb. 3, Chriscinda Henry, one of McGill’s associate professors of art history, delivered a lecture for The Courtauld Gallery’s online speaker series on Concert Champêtre, a famous painting by Venetian Renaissance painter Titian. Henry exposed how Concert Champêtre, the title of which translates to “pastoral concert,” offers a window into how the elite youth in Renaissance Italy chose to spend their leisure time. 

Painted between 1509 and 1511, Concert Champêtre depicts a young man adorned in a lavish red outfit, playing his lute alongside a more simply dressed man and two semi-naked women. Although seemingly at ease, several qualities hint that the youth in the painting does not belong. Besides his clothing, his elaborate instrument is grand compared to the simple pipe that one of the women holds, suggesting his capability to create complex music compared to her simple tunes. Henry attributes his out-of-place persona to some art historians’ assumptions that the lutenist was a real, yet unidentified patron who commissioned Titian to insert his image into the pastoral scene. This artistic self-insertion was popular among the elite in the 16th century as a form of informal self-representation. 

“In the homes of certain Venetians, who might be considered as a cultural avant-garde, novel forms of intellectual exchange, music-making, theatrical performance, and collecting came to articulate a new mode of poetic self-fashioning and generational distinction on the part of young Venetian patrons,” Henry said. “The shepherd maschera, or persona, […] provided the ideal vehicle for a liberating poetic form of self-expression steeped in classical literary and theatrical culture.”

While he is participating in an artistic movement celebrating self-expression and leisure, the patrician’s outfit clearly boasts his high position in the Venetian political society. Henry noted that the youth wears Compagnie della Calza attire, identified by his cloak and subtly striped hose. The group, called “Company of the Hose” in English, was a fraternal youth society that collected and refined the sons of Venetian elite by having them host lavish spectacles for the public. The company included several different groups, all of whom sported distinguished colour combinations of hose. The youth in Concert Champêtre wears a white and grayish-green striped hose on his right leg and rose-coloured hose on the left—which is hidden in the painting—representing the so-called “happiness group.” This group prioritized the reciprocal exchange of friendship among guests and fellow patricians alike. 

The painting itself features the homosocial—or, as Henry argues, potentially homoerotic—friendship between the central youth and his pastoral companion, showing that the friendship has transcended beyond elite status. However, Henry argued that the similar body positioning between the urban elitist and pastoral shepherd reflects a sense of alter-ego. Therefore, Concert Champêtre reflects both the youth’s pride in his political status and the equal passion he feels for simple, pastoral life. 

“[There is an] intimate gesture of homosocial fellowship, almost fusion, between the two young men seated at the center of the composition—the elegant compagno, and his rustic shepherd counterpart,” Henry said. 

Although Venetian elite were free to live joyously and abundantly in their youth, their powerful parents expected them to renounce these luxuries and take on a more serious and political role upon reaching adulthood. In 1509, the youth had to abandon their lifestyle due to the War of Cambrai, instigated by a European alliance led by Pope Julius II and Louis XII of France, who aimed to disassemble the Republic of Venice. At that time, the Venetian government forbade all festivities and colourful hose to facilitate focus on war planning. Although the war ended in 1511—once again permitting festivities—the previous generation of elite youth had become Fausti, meaning soldiers, outgrowing the carefree privileges of their adolescence. Henry acknowledged that the pastoral theme of Concert Champêtre represents the generational nostalgia for both a simpler rustic life without war and for an adolescence celebrating life and art.

“If one of the young men of the Fausti had proved to be not only the central subject, but also the patron of the Concert Champêtre, this prompts questions about the painting, as a work that captures and commemorates for posterity, a brief and liminal stage of life that was already nearing its end for the Fausti by 1509, when the painting was likely commissioned and begun.”

McGill, News

Black History Month keynote highlights Black voices in STEM

by Joseph Pappas on

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McGill held its virtual opening ceremony for Black History Month on Feb. 1, featuring keynote speaker James Jones. Jones is a distinguished professor emeritus of psychology and Black American studies at the University of Delaware, as well as the director of its Center for the Study of Diversity. The event, titled “Diversity within Psychology,” was the first of McGill’s Black History Month series, which, in collaboration with the Faculty of Science this year, is centred on celebrating Black scientists at McGill and beyond.

The ceremony began with remarks from several guests, including Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, the borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Katahwa highlighted the measures that the current Montreal government is taking to build a more equitable future for Black communities, but acknowledged that more needs to be done.

“It is clear that as a society, we still have a lot of work to do to fight systemic racism and inequalities,” Katahwa said. “We are strongly committed to affecting these changes within our city with concrete actions. We have started by recognizing the existence of systemic racism and creating the Office of the Commissioner to fight against racism and discrimination to help our public services in this inclusive transition.”

Jones began his keynote address by expanding on the idea that Black History Month must go beyond the celebration of select Black achievements.

“Black History is more than celebrating consequential Black people,” Jones explained. “That is important, but it is more than that. Black history is the story of the human spirit, the will to live, the capacity to love, and the fortitude to endure. Black joy balances out Black trauma.”

Jones underscored the importance of diversity within the field of psychology, emphasizing that it is more than a mere box to check off; it is a crucial component in fostering scholarship in the field. Jones introduced what he described as one of his favourite concepts: Full participation.

“Full participation is a product of diversity, it’s not diversity itself,” Jones said. “It is an affirmative value focussed on creating institutions and societies that enable people, whatever their identity, background, or institutional position, to thrive, realize their capabilities, engage meaningfully in institutional life, and contribute to the flourishing of others.”

McGill’s dean of science, Bruce Lennox, offered the closing remarks, reflecting on his personal experience attending one of the first desegregated schools in New Orleans.

“As we celebrate Black History Month, I recognize that although we might have come far, at least from my first day of school, in New Orleans, we certainly haven’t gone far enough,” Lennox said. “In the present and future, I can certainly pledge that McGill’s Faculty of Science is going to be an active partner and leader in bringing the joys of STEM [and] the societal imperatives of STEM to Black students in the Montreal community, the academic communities of Quebec, and worldwide.”

Commentary, Opinion

Spotify has a responsibility to protect its listeners from inaccurate information

by El Bush on

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Recently, The Joe Rogan Experience, now a Spotify-exclusive podcast that brings in an estimated 11 million listens per episode, has come under scrutiny for platforming COVID-19 misinformation. The episode that initially spread controversy featured an interview between host Joe Rogan and Dr. Robert Malone, in which the pair discussed multiple conspiracies involving mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. Following the release of the episode, Rogan and Malone faced backlash from both the medical community and the general public for their discussion of the subject, where they discouraged healthy young people from getting the vaccine and claimed that mRNA vaccines are gene therapy. 

In the days following, Spotify listeners and artists alike demanded that the platform take action to combat the spread of misinformation. On Jan. 24, artist Neil Young asked the service to choose between him and Rogan—Spotify removed Young’s music from the platform. His departure was followed by Joni Mitchell’s soon after. After the public outrage, Spotify added disclaimers on Rogan’s podcast and created a COVID-19 information hub in an effort to facilitate access to accurate information. Despite these surface-level actions, Spotify remains above all committed to profit in refusing to reconsider its partnership with Rogan. In order to show a real commitment to combating misinformation, the platform should condemn and demonetize this kind of content. 

In the statement it released as part of the launch of its information hub, Spotify did not address the issue with Rogan’s content specifically, nor did they acknowledge their policies surrounding the monetization of harmful misinformation. Indeed, Spotify should follow the lead of other streaming services, such as YouTube, which have policies in place to demonetize content that could be considered harmful. In Spotify’s case, acting responsibly would include revoking their exclusive $100-million podcast deal with Rogan that currently remains in effect. 

Beyond demonetizing harmful content, Spotify has an obligation to its platform’s users to promote and provide information in line with science. While creating a COVID-19 hub is a welcome start, they must also invest in creators who are working to educate the public. Take, for example, Foreign Policy’s podcast Don’t Touch Your Face: Spotify could make this accurate information more accessible by advertising it on the main pages of its platform. The streaming service must realize that the safety of its listeners—and of the public, more broadly—should come before sensationalist anti-science content creators who cause harm by spreading misinformation.

Although the onus is on Spotify to take action to protect listeners, Spotify users themselves have a role to play as conscious consumers. Since many McGill students are active Spotify users, it is important for them to employ a critical ear when consuming the platform’s content. This means actively engaging with creators who spread accurate information. While everyone has different listening preferences, it is important to seek out multiple––factual––perspectives while gathering knowledge, especially knowledge related to health and science. Moreover, from the listener’s perspective, demanding more of creators and platforms will only help produce better content. Having high expectations would mean recognizing and promoting creators who create accurate and reliable content, and protesting those who do not. 

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of streaming and social media platforms to help combat misinformation by promoting reliable content and creators. However, if the platform itself refuses to do so, it is integral that its users consume media through a critical lens and actively promote correct information within their communities. What the Joe Rogan conflict has revealed is that now more than ever, creators, streaming platforms, and consumers must intentionally seek out and share reliable information.

Science & Technology

Getting to the roots of hair loss

by Marion Laurençon on

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Hair loss and hair shedding are very common in times of stress and can affect anyone—even those who have no family history of either condition. Apart from genetics, other factors, such as medication, stress, birth control, or lack of sleep can kill the stem cells inside hair follicles. 

Stem cells have the potential to differentiate into a variety of subtypes, including hair-follicle stem cells, which are responsible for the formation and growth of hair. Unfortunately, hair follicles are similar to eggs in female mammals: Individuals are born with a finite amount and the number only keeps decreasing. Therefore, the production of new hair follicles in labs is of huge import to those who suffer from hair loss. 

Biologist Ernesto Lujan launched the start-up dNovo in 2018 in an attempt to genetically reprogram blood, skin, or fat cells into hair-forming cells to treat hair loss. The process of reverting mature, specialized cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, called “reprogramming,” is slowly emerging across the globe as a way to treat patients. dNovo is currently testing the technology on mice and pigs. 

The process consists of collecting cell samples from a patient, reprogramming them into hair-follicle stem cells, growing these genetically manipulated cells in the lab, and adding them to the scalp of the patient, who should see hair growth one to three months after the procedure. 

Even though the procedure may seem simple, hair follicles are complicated organs and their formation is not yet fully understood. Tamara Ouspenskaia (BSc ’09, MSc ’10), who completed her PhD on the mechanisms involved in the specification of stem cells during mouse development in 2016, was part of the Fuchs lab that succeeded in growing hair on a nude mouse. The lab purified hair stem cells and injected them into the skin of the mouse, and the experiment succeeded, in part, because it chose nude mice as its subjects.

“[Nude mice] lack an immune system and thus don’t reject the injection as they can’t recognize the stem cells as foreign,” Ouspenskaia said.

The scientists then used lentiviruses to inject the reprogrammed cells into the amniotic cavity of mice. Since mice are only embryos at this stage, the reprogrammed cells will pass down their hair-growing abilities to all their descendant cells. Another way to grow a hair shaft and transplant it onto nude mice is by growing organoids—3D structures made from pluripotent stem cells. 

“If conditions of growth are right, [organoids] will try to replicate the tissue normally present in the body,” Ouspenskaia said. 

There are different ways to grow hair stem cells in labs, but the more complex part is ensuring that the patient’s immune system does not reject the new cells. One solution is to take functional hair follicles from other parts of the body and to transplant them onto the scalp—but this raises questions about the best regions to take the hair from.

Apart from growing the hair shaft of nude mice, the Fuchs lab showed how a mouse embryo grows hair. From day zero to 10, the embryo is surrounded by identical cells which then become clusters of cells expressing markers of future hair follicles that eventually stop dividing. 

Stem cells at this stage of a mouse are called embryonic stem cells and present unique properties, as opposed to adult stem cells.

“Something special about embryonic hair-follicle stem cell[s] is that they can regrow hair follicles, [whereas] adult hair-follicle stem cell[s] can’t,” Ouspenkaia said. “If we could understand more differences between embryonic and adult hair-follicle stem cell[s], maybe we could reprogram them to grow hair again.” 

Arts & Entertainment, Fashion

Remembering André Leon Talley’s and Thierry Mugler’s iconic fashion legacies

by Suzanna Graham, Isy Stevens, Ella Gomes on

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Thierry Mugler, the iconic French designer, and André Leon Talley, the former creative director of Vogue, both passed away at the age of 73 last month. Both renowned for their work in the fashion industry, the loss of such great talents was tremendously felt by all those who knew them and their work. The McGill Tribune looks back at some of the most iconic pieces from both designers. 

Venus Dress – Isy Stevens

Venus Dress (elle.com)

Without a doubt one of Mugler’s most legendary designs, The Venus Dress melds timeless elegance with Mugler’s signature architectural style. This shell-shaped gown embodies a powerful sense of femininity—fitting, considering that the late designer drew inspiration from Botecelli’s The Birth of Venus. Featuring a blush satin lining, matching gloves, and a sheer bodysuit, the piece was first modeled by Mugler’s longtime muse Simonetta Gianfelici at the designer’s 1995 couture show. In 2019, the gown re-emerged from the archives when American rapper Cardi B wore it to the Grammy Awards, delighting fans and fashion critics alike. The Venus Dress’s unwavering popularity throughout the decades is a true testament to the empowering nature of Mugler’s designs and his immeasurable reach across the fashion industry—both of which will continue to inspire for years to come. 

La Chimère – Suzanna Graham

La Chimère (mbam.qc.ca)

Unveiled in his haute couture Autumn/Winter 1997-98 show, La Chimère epitomizes avant-garde fashion. The creation is one of the most expensive dresses in fashion history, consisting of individually painted latex scales, bright feathers, and even animal hair. Designed in collaboration with Jean-Jacques Urcun and Mr. Pearl, a legendary corset maker, the dress caused quite a buzz upon its unveiling when it turned model Adriana Karembeu into a part fantasy, part fetish icon. The dress’ legendary status was confirmed during its feature in Mugler’s 2019 exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts—it remained the most popular exhibit in Canada that year. Although bizarre and garish, Mugler’s garment exudes an air of power. The gold corset—a historically restrictive item—appears as armor, transforming it into a symbol of bodily and sexual autonomy. In this sense, La Chimère’s otherworldliness combines Mugler’s fantastical imagination and empowering ideals into a mythical being. 

Andre Leon Talley – Ella Gomes

His Own Personal Style

Throughout his work as Vogue’s first Black creative director, some of André Leon Talley’s most iconic outfits are the ones that he styled for himself. In his later years, the extravagant designer was rarely seen without a gloriously patterned caftan to spice up a classic suit. During his youth, Talley already had a knack for expressive dressing, favouring timeless pieces inspired by the fashions of those he admired: the Kennedys, the models gracing the pages of Vogue, and, most significantly, his own grandmother. Growing up in the Jim Crow south, flipping through fashion magazines and perfecting his own style served as an escape from the world around him. As he navigated the fashion industry, Talley often donned exquisite dress wear, including cable knee socks and dapper suits—a look that Talley would later refer to as his “armor” against the racism and bigotry he faced during his rise to prominence in the predominantly white industry. Throughout his career, which was marked by his eloquent writing and sharp knowledge of fashion history, Talley continued pushing to expand representation both on the runways and in the ateliers.

André Leon Talley was one fly guy. (theatlantic.com)

“Little Black Dress” 

While Talley was most known for his long-running career in the field of fashion journalism, his passion for museum curation was palpable in every exhibition he put on. In 2012, at his eponymous gallery in the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Museum of Art, Talley curated the “Little Black Dress” exhibition, housing iconic black dresses donated by the likes of Vera Wang, Rihanna, and Marc Jacobs. A majority of the donations came from Talley’s close friends in the industry, demonstrating his incomparable ability to connect with others through glamorous photoshoots or casual conversation. In discussing his inspiration for the show’s theme, Talley professed that “The little black dress expresses a moment of freedom and individuality every time.” A proud presenter of SCAD’s André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award in Fashion, Talley maintained a close relationship with the college, fueled by his passion to support young creative voices of colour from his same southern roots.

Talley’s “Little Black Dress” exhibition (nytimes.com)

McGill, News

OSVRSE hosts week-long ‘Knock Down the Walls’ campaign addressing sexual violence at McGill

by Anoushka Oke on

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Content warning: Sexual Violence

Each term, the Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support and Education (OSVRSE) hosts a week-long event with the aim to educate the public about resources available to survivors of sexual violence. This semester’s campaign, titled “Knock Down the Walls,” ran from Jan. 24 to Jan. 28. The week of virtual events included a “Panel for Students: Sexual Violence Response in the University Context” on Jan. 24, an information session called “Harassment, Discimination, and Sexual Violence: McGill Policies, Reporting, and Support” on Jan. 25, “Trauma-Sensitive Yoga” on Jan. 26, and a legal information workshop titled “Workshop with Juripop” on Jan. 27. 

“It was suggested that a panel be held regarding the university response to sexual violence, where students could ask questions to key administrators on the processes and roles of different offices in responding to cases,” wrote Maha Cherid, Sexual Violence Education Advisor at OSVRSE, in an email to The McGill Tribune. “OSVRSE wanted to supplement this panel by providing information about the [Office for Mediation and Reporting] (OMR) and the provincial context. We therefore decided to focus our annual January campaign on making information about reporting and resources more accessible to students.”

Some of the “Knock Down the Walls” programming served as a response to criticisms from students regarding the administration’s response sexual assault allegations. The campaign’s sexual violence response panel, in particular, was focussed on addressing student concerns about the reporting procedure.

Isabella Kalarickal, U3 Arts, is the president of It’s On Us, a student group that has been committed to empowering survivors and ending sexual violence on campus since 2017. After controversy surrounding the allegations of repeated sexual assualt in New Residence Hall in Decemeber 2020, It’s On Us took a critical role in pushing for more transparency and communication from the McGill administration.

“Last year, It’s On Us decided to do several open forums where students could come in, and it’s a space for them to vent their frustrations, bring up concerns, ask questions, and just have a discussion amongst peers as to how […] this lack of response from administration is affecting them,” Kalarickal said. “It’s On Us compiled these concerns and questions, and we sent them off to McGill administration, just so hopefully one day they’ll look at it and they’ll realize what students are asking for and what students need.”

The “Sexual Violence Response in the University Context” panellists, including Émilie Marcotte, Sexual Response Advisor at OSVRSE, Fabrice Labeau, McGill Deputy Provost, Maha Cherid, Sexual Violence Education Advisor at OSVRSE, Robin Beech, McGill Dean of Students, and Sinead Hunt, Associate Director of the Office of Mediation and Reporting (OMR), responded to questions from the It’s On Us’ open forums, along with other student questions sent in via Google Form.

In an interview with the Tribune, Beech explained his belief that much of the frustration toward the response process comes from a place of miscommunication and speculation, especially as a result of the confidentiality required by the process.

“What was said on social media was extremely different to what was happening in reality,” Beech said. “There may be situations where a student finds themself in a class with somebody they believe […] is rumoured to have conducted sexual violence. If that happens, those students should contact me, and I can provide mental health support and advice and things, but I will not be able to release information about whether what they’re saying is true or not, for example. So, a lot of the problems come from the fact that [the process] must be confidential, and rumor-ville just goes wild.”

Though Kalarickal acknowledges that hosting the Sexual Violence Response panel is a positive step from administration, she still feels that their response process is inadequate.

“[It’s On Us] took the initiative and we sent them things that students had sent to us,” Kalarickal said. “So, it didn’t really come across as a genuine effort to connect and to address students [….] When we brought up the concerns from students saying that these policies are a bit lacking and don’t really ensure the survivors’ safety, they shifted a lot of the responsibility to Quebec law and to survivor autonomy, but that’s not really conducive to creating a safe space on campus. It’s not the survivor’s responsibility to ensure their protection.”

A virtual recording of the panel will be released shortly, and It’s On Us will link it on their social media platforms.

Sexual violence support is offered to the McGill community through McGill’s Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support and Education (OSVRSE), the Office for Mediation and Reporting (OMR), or the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS). OSVRSE can be reached at 514-398-3954, the OMR can be reached at 514-398-6419 or omr@mcgill.ca, and SACOMSS can be reached at (514) 398-8500 or main@sacomss.org.

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