Latest News

Hockey, Sports

The NHLPA is leaving player health on the sidelines

by Erin Smith on

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On Oct. 7, the Montreal Canadiens announced that goaltender Carey Price voluntarily entered the National Hockey League’s player assistance program (NHLPA). The program supports NHL players and their families through  mental health struggles, substance abuse issues, and other related matters. Earlier that week, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner tweeted about the situation of Jack Eichel and others whose safety was jeopardized for the advancement of their team. This controversy has launched the NHL and NHLPA into the spotlight, exposing the dangers players face off the ice. While NHL players’ mental health is slowly becoming more of a priority, their physical health is being neglected by their teams in favour of winning results.

It has become increasingly clear that the success of the NHL and its teams is prioritized over the physical health of athletes. Nowhere has this been more obvious than in the case of Jack Eichel. Since March 2020, the ex-captain of the Buffalo Sabres has been out with a herniated disk in his neck. Over the summer, the team and Eichel were at an impasse: Eichel preferred a disk replacement surgery, while the team insisted on a fusion procedure. He remained without operation into September 2020, where he failed to pass his physical and was revoked of his captaincy. Eichel’s wishes to take time to recover were ignored and he was penalized for not yielding to the Sabres’ desires. This instance shows a concerning lack of respect for player health and bodily autonomy, prompting one to question the NHLPA’s ethics.

In his tweet regarding the Eichel situation, former Sabre Robin Lehner divulged that he experienced a comparable situation while on the team. Though he did not provide many details, many speculate that the team cut his post-ankle-surgery recovery short—a move which may have led to his bad ankle sprain. On the same day, he tweeted that teams were giving their players benzodiazepines and Ambien in order to help them sleep on planes. Benzodiazepines can become addictive for some people in a matter of days—in 2020 the FDA ordered a new warning to be put on the drug’s label due to its role in opioid overdoses. Lehner himself admitted to becoming addicted after being given Ambien by a former team. 

Tragedy has already resulted from teams putting their interests ahead of their players. In response to Robin Lehner’s tweets, former NHL player Daniel Carcillo tweeted the story of his best friend, the late Steve Montador. The Chicago Blackhawks cleared him four times in the span of twelve weeks and attempted to have him continue playing following his nineteenth concussion. He decided to seek further treatment, against the advice of his team and management, and was deemed fit to play following two weeks of this treatment. Once he signed his fit to play agreement, he was relegated to the American Hockey League. Roughly two years later, Steve Montador died of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease directly caused by repeated blows to the head. The NHL and NHLPA had a direct hand in the death of Montador due to their repeated failure to care for his health.
Montreal has seen its star goalie, Carey Price, approach the NHL for help in his mental health journey, with abundant support outpouring from players and fans alike. While this is a hopeful step forward, there is a distinct lack of mechanisms and programs to protect the physical health of the league’s athletes. This has left Jack Eichel hanging in a long-term injury reserve limbo and Dan Carcillo without a best friend. Lacking substantive support for physical health, players have become another cog in the money-making machine of the NHL, and their humanity has been left behind.

Science & Technology

Deep learning algorithm predicts early warning signals of climate tipping points

by Sara Chiarotto O’Brien on

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Tipping points are all around us, but it’s hard to see them coming. When a person falls off a bike, a patient has a heart attack, or a campfire escalates to a wildfire, it is nearly impossible to identify the exact moment at which disaster became inevitable.

 But it might not be impossible for much longer.

On Sept. 28, Thomas Bury, a researcher in McGill’s Department of Physiology, and Chris Bauch, a professor at the University of Waterloo, published a paper detailing the development of a new deep learning (DL) algorithm, that identifies early warning signals (EWS) of tipping points in dynamical systems. 

Dynamical systems are all around us and are defined as systems in which many variables interact and evolve over time. From the Earth’s climate to the human body, the organizations and organisms that dictate our quality of life are complex and unpredictable.

DL algorithms can improve their output automatically through experience and the use of data. But even with the help of DL systems, there remains the problem of not having enough data. Artificial intelligence algorithms need to be trained on data sets in order to learn how to recognize and predict patterns. Many of the areas researchers hope to explore, such as climatic dynamics or heartbeats, do not yet have enough data to properly train an algorithm.

However, data does not need to be taken from field experiments for it to be an accurate reflection of real events. Previous research into dynamical systems revealed key patterns about how data changes close to tipping points. By simplifying these patterns and building computer models to represent them, it is possible to generate vast amounts of simulated data that reflect real systems without actually collecting observations in the field.

Using simulated data representing dynamical systems with and without tipping points, Bury and Bauch trained their DL algorithm to recognize which features corresponded to systems with tipping points. Once trained, the algorithm was able to examine new situations, real and simulated, and successfully make predictions about the likelihood of future tipping points. 

Bury, who has been studying tipping points since 2015, is interested in early warning signals in both ecological and medical contexts.

“I am inspired to study tipping points because they arise in such diverse areas of science and society,” Bury said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “This algorithm, for the first time, combines deep learning and dynamical systems theory to predict tipping points, and does so with better accuracy than previous approaches.”  

Although their algorithm is still undergoing testing to avoid unexplained inaccuracies, the possible applications of such an algorithm are endless. The ability to predict regional tipping points in climate systems could enable governments to prepare for natural disasters, such as floods or droughts, and better adapt to the effects of climate change. 

The algorithm can also be applied to unpredictable events at the individual level. For patients with cardiac arrhythmia, a condition that heightens the risk of sudden death by heart attack, data taken from heart monitors could be used to predict if and when a patient might experience a heart attack.

“Our approach may provide individuals [and] societies with greater forewarning to these events, and therefore allow mitigative [and] preventative strategies to be implemented in advance of the tipping point,” Bury said.

In the world of mathematics, Bury and Bauch are some of the first to study deep learning and dynamical systems simultaneously. 

“I find this research particularly exciting as it has shown that the combination of two seemingly disparate areas of mathematics, deep learning and dynamical systems, provides better prediction of tipping points than either area […] has managed on its own,” Bury said.

Though researchers cannot yet predict the next drought or medical emergency with absolute accuracy, it seems that it’s now only a matter of time before it can. 

McGill

McGill floor fellows fight for better wages, meal plans, working conditions as collective agreement negotiations drag on

by Cassandra Betts on

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It has been 15 months since the expiration of the collective agreement (CA) between floor fellows—upper-year students who live in residences to support students—and McGill. A new agreement has yet to be instated as parties remain in deadlock over issues such as the fellows’ wages, meal plan dollars, guest policies, and the university’s reluctance to include harm-reduction and anti-oppressive principles in the CA.

Floor fellows have been operating on a grey interim agreement since the previous CA expired on July 2, 2020. This means that they are compensated according to the expired agreement and also defer to the rules and regulations set out within it.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Chris Soong, a first-year doctoral student studying Collaborative Piano and floor fellow in Solin Hall, explained why a CA is important for floor fellows. 

“[Having a CA] lets us know what we will be responsible for and how we are going to be treated through the year,” said Soong. “Without the collective agreement, if something slips through, there is nothing to hold the administration accountable.”

Under the expired CA, floor fellows receive a meal plan valued at $4,500 a year, the majority of which must be spent on campus at dining halls and cafeterias.  According to sources, Solin Hall floor fellows are allocated $100 a month for groceries, although the average monthly expenditure on food costs in Quebec is estimated to be $328 per person. 

According to Christian Tonnesen, U3 Science and vice-president floor fellow of the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) Unit B, the union representing the floor fellows, AMUSE has proposed to increase the amount of the meal plan to $5,600 a year. They are also pushing for  Solin Hall floor fellows to receive at least half of their compensation in grocery credits—money that can be spent at grocery stores instead of campus dining halls and cafeterias. Soong calculated how far $4,500 goes in a dining hall and concluded that the budget, on average, provides for a meal and a half per day. The meal plan for Floor Fellows has not increased since 2017, although the mandatory meal plan prices for students living in residences have gone up from $4,575 in 2017 to $5,475 in 2020.

Floor fellows live in residence for a fee deducted from weekly paychecks and receive minimum wage—$13.50 an hour—for an expected 13 hours of work per week. Duty shifts such as patrolling hallways are not included in the 13 hours of work and are considered as “additional hours.” This work includes being on duty, which consists of remaining in the building, being sober and accessible to all students, completing supervision rounds. Floor fellows are also responsible for scheduling and attending meetings with the Residence Life Manager, planning activities, and being available to support residents in crisis. In view of these responsibilities, Tonnesen explained, floor fellows are seeking a pay increase.

“The pay is not substantial, especially considering the emotional and physical toll the job takes on us,” Tonnesen said. “We proposed that [pay be increased] to $18 […] and [McGill] came back with a crisp $13.64 an hour.”

AMUSE is fighting for other changes in the CA, such as modifying restrictions on guest policies and compensating Floor Fellows for extra hours during move-in week. Another issue in the negotiation process is McGill’s refusal to include harm reduction and anti-oppressive principles directly in the CA. 

“[In residence, anti-oppression looks like] recognizing that the institutions we participate in are deeply seated in racism and colonialism and actively helping students unlearn these micro-aggressions,” said Tonnesen. “Harm reduction is the basic principle of meeting people where they are at in regards to substance use [.…] I have seen a degradation of [harm reduction] policies. That is the reasoning for needing it in the CA.” 

McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle declined to comment on details about the ongoing discussion with AMUSE Unit B, writing in an email to the Tribune that “the University will let the conciliation process run its course.”

A previous version of this article stated that floor fellows live free of charge in McGill residences and that floor fellows are expected to do approximately 13 hours of week per week. In fact, fees for living in residences are deducted weekly from floor fellows’ paychecks and the 13 hours of work does not include duty shifts, which are considered additional hours. The Tribune regrets the error.

McGill, Montreal, News, SSMU

Opposition to the New Vic Project prompts debate at SSMU Legislative Council meeting

by Juliet Morrison on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its third Legislative Council meeting of the Fall on Oct. 14. The meeting’s agenda included a discussion about SSMU’s opposition to McGill’s New Vic Project, a presentation from the Office of Sustainability, and councillor nominations to the SSMU Board of Directors.

In response to concerns over the SSMU’s stance against the New Vic Project, vice-president (VP) External Sacha Delouvrier cited various SSMU mandates—including its dedication to affordable student housing—as part of the rationale behind the group’s opposition to the project. 

“SSMU has committed itself through legislation to support the Royal Vic for the Public campaign, which is incompatible with the privatization inherent in McGill’s project,” Delouvrier said. “SSMU’s Affordable Student Housing Committee has further committed itself […] to support the Milton Park’s housing and social efforts as a community partner.”

During the ensuing debate, councillors and other members of the gallery raised concerns about the lack of consultation between SSMU and the heads of the initiative. Members also questioned SSMU’s opposition to the project, pointing out that the blueprints for New Vic promise space for on-site sustainability research and state they  have dedication to “healing the planet.”

Citing his experience as a former student at Macdonald Campus, where sustainability research was shut down due to a lack of facility space, Councillor Tiniacos felt it was a good thing that McGill’s proposal for the Royal Vic would give more space for sustainability projects. 

“Does the executive understand that opposing this project is opposing sustainable research [itself] and the mandate of the university’s […] basis of education and research?” Tiniacos asked.  

Delouvrier maintained that the Royal Vic site could be used in a more beneficial way, suggesting that an affordable student housing project as a better alternative. 

The Council also passed a motion to create the Queer Improvement and Partnership Solidarity (QUIPS) Fund and Fee. VP University Affairs Claire Downie and Gender and Sexuality Commissioner Grey Cooper introduced the motion, stating that the proposed fund would provide financial support for queer students with urgent needs and would also help finance grassroots research that would otherwise not be supported due to institutionalized homophobia. 

Medicine Representative Benson Wan questioned why the fee would be exempt from SSMU’s opt-out program. Cooper responded that non-opt-outable fees for equity programs are standard for SSMU, citing the Indigenous Equity Fund. 

“It is non-opt-outable, because it is specifically a fee to support minority students in the context of McGill,” Cooper said. “McGill’s general community, and the committee as a whole, believes that should be the precedent, that all SSMU members help support [minority students].” 

The council also unanimously approved a motion proposed by VP Internal Sarah Paulin to revise aspects of the Francophone Affairs Committee to increase its productivity and broaden its scope. 

Moment of the Meeting

VP Finance Eric Sader announced a surplus of $300,000 from the previous projection of the SSMU budget for 2021-2022. According to Sader, the previous VP Finance took a more “conservative” approach to the budget given that last year was online. Sader said he was consulting with department heads, executives, and other staff on where the money should be allocated, but said it would most go toward hiring additional SSMU staff in “overworked portfolios.”

Soundbite

“We take pride in presenting the annual report to all the student associations as a measure of transparency and accountability. Since the students contribute to half of the fund, we feel it is important to showcase what our office has been able to do by distributing those funds in the community and in the impacts that the those projects yielded.”

—Executive Director of Sustainability Francois Miller on the Office of Sustainability’s 2021 Fiscal Year report

Commentary, Opinion

A secure campus requires open communication

by Michael Dickinson on

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On the morning of Sept. 14, several campus buildings were evacuated and morning classes were cancelled as police responded to a suspicious package in the McCall MacBain Arts Building. Four days later, two men were stabbed just steps away from campus on Sherbrooke Street, and one of them later died. Although Montreal has a lower crime rate than most Canadian cities, security remains a concern for the McGill community. It is a shame that the administration offered little information about the threats, because students should not be kept in the dark about safety. McGill must develop better safety protocols and be more communicative with students about security risks on campus.

The university has some procedures in place to respond to safety issues, but these protocols are limited and vague. The only directive given to those who discover something suspicious is to avoid touching it, call Security Services, and wait for further instructions. Although McGill has an active shooter protocol, they have not publicized a procedure for dangerous individuals armed with other weapons, such as knives. The university’s lack of preparedness for situations like this is especially alarming in the wake of the Sherbrooke Street stabbing. Even though 81 per cent of Montreal’s fatal crimes occur during the evening or night, McGill employs more security guards during the day. This overlooks the many students who remain on campus at night for clubs, events, or studying. Without proper plans to respond to campus threats, students are put in unnecessary danger. McGill should institute evacuation drills for staff and the administration, and should clearly communicate them to students so that if an unexpected crisis arises again, people are prepared to respond appropriately. 

Even when the administration does create safety directives, McGill’s notoriously poor communication systems exacerbate dangerous situations. Students whose classes were cancelled or who were evacuated from their lecture halls deserved to understand what was happening, as well as what precautions to take without succumbing to unnecessary fear. Furthermore, the university should have immediately warned students to avoid the area where the stabbing took place, rather than leaving them to find out hours later through social media. McGill may wish to keep certain aspects of their security plans secret to prevent perpetrators from learning about them. However, it is cruel to keep students and staff uninformed and afraid during what they speculated was a bomb threat—and potentially fatal to withhold information about a stabbing next to campus when the suspects remain at large. 

The university’s inability to be forthcoming during active threats exemplifies a broader pattern of lax safety throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Although McGill regularly provides updates from the Emergency Operations Centre and attempts to enact contact tracing, communication regarding COVID-19 transmission on campus remains insufficient. As a result, some students in the Faculty of Law began disclosing COVID-19 cases to each other on Facebook, alleging that the university was downplaying the number of cases on campus. The administration eventually blocked them from maintaining their own student-run reporting system. When McGill is not only withholding information, but preventing people from sharing amongst themselves, it erodes students’ trust in the university and calls into question whether the school truly cares about its students’ safety.
If the administration is not willing to prioritize safety, students should use the resources available to them to take precautions. Those who need assistance travelling at night can use the Students’ Society of McGill University’s WALKSAFE service, which relaunched on Oct. 8, as well as DriveSafe, when it resumes operations. Students can also subscribe to the university’s emergency notification system to receive alerts via text message, the McGill app, or their computers. However, the administration must do its part to keep students safe by using the alert software to tell students about safety threats and must adequately prepare for threats before they take place. Attending class or walking home from the library at night should not scare students, but McGill’s poor security communications should.

Basketball, Sports

Slow but promising start for McGill women’s basketball

by Sophia Gorbounov on

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On Oct. 17, the McGill women’s basketball team (0–1) faced off against the Windsor Lancers (1–1), in a high-energy game that resulted in a 67-54 loss for the Martlets. After the pandemic halted games for over a year, the team was eager to be on the court. With a tipoff by centre Amelie Rochon that almost hit the referee in the face, the horses were out of the gate. 

Early into the first quarter, it was evident that the Martlets’ strength lay in their offence, with defence struggling to prevent the Lancers’ early attempts to score. However, the first points of the game went to McGill, with two free throws by first-year guard Iman Ibrahim. 

Though they initially had the lead, the Martlets quickly lost it, and remained just behind their opponents throughout the first quarter. In the closing seconds, as coaches, teammates, and spectators began to count down, the Martlets scored two three-pointers in a row—both from Ibrahim. Cheers erupted throughout the gym at her incredible shots.

The second quarter was a period of strife for the McGill team, with a score of 34-17 at the halfway mark. Their vivacity did not diminish until just before halftime, when lost shots and ball fumbles began to dim the team’s spirit. 

Emma-Jane Scotten, a first-year guard, agreed that morale was not at its peak.

“The energy was okay,” Scotten said. “I just think we need to be a little bit more positive on the bench and in the game, just bring in more energy and really play as a team.”

Yet, the end of the quarter saw McGill score 10 points in three minutes, ending the first half only seven points behind, with a score of 37-30. 

After a slow and steady comeback at the end of the second quarter, the team had the opportunity to turn the odds back in their favour. Unfortunately, Windsor’s defence was strong, and McGill stayed at 32 points for half of the third quarter. 

After many successful shots, guard and forward Maddy Colpitts was forced to sit out after an ankle injury that left her unable to play the rest of the game. Before the end of the third quarter, Scotten and guard Jessica Salanon scored a field goal and three-pointer respectively, leaving the score at 53-39 for Windsor.

Martlets defence struggled to contain the Lancers. Scotten said that the team will need to communicate and work cohesively to improve their defensive strategies. 

“I think that’s what hurt us today,” Scotten said. “We haven’t played in a while, but we still find we’re getting beat a lot. We really have to work on our on-ball defence [and] getting in the gaps.” 

In an email to the //Tribune//, new head coach Rikki Bowles pointed out that the team this year is almost all fresh blood with strong potential. 

“Our team is young this season, with 13 of our 14 players in their first or second year of eligibility,”  Bowles wrote. “We are focussed on getting better each day, learning from the Windsor game as we prepare for Ottawa this Saturday.” 

With a final score of 67-54, the game went to the Windsor Lancers. The Martlets, however, ought not to be dismissed too early. With a team of energetic and committed players, the long season ahead holds much promise for McGill.

Moment of the game:

Ibrahim scored two three-point field goals back-to-back after a points dry spell for McGill, bringing back the spirit of the whole crowd.

Stat corner:

With 16 points, Iman Ibrahim dominated the number of points and successful field goals scored by all players.

Quotable:

“We really want to work on helping each other out. We’re all connected when we play, so we have to play together as a team if we want to improve.” — First-year Emma-Jane Scotten

McGill, News

McGill cancels all Winter 2022 exchanges and independent study abroad programs, students start petition

by Signy Harnad on

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In an email sent to students on Oct. 5, Deputy Provost Fabrice Labeau announced that all outgoing exchange and independent study abroad programs would be cancelled for the Winter 2022 semester.  

Labeau attributed the decision to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding public health regulations, vaccination rates, and restrictions, all of which vary from country to country. In addition, the email cited the federal government’s Global Level 3 travel advisory ranking, which warns against all non-essential travel outside of Canada.

Frédérique Mazerolle, a McGill media relations officer, stated that one of the reasons for cancelling international exchanges was due to the university’s inability to monitor students’ adherence to health guidelines abroad.

“Traveling for […] university-sponsored activities in the context of the pandemic inherently presents a higher risk than in a normal situation,” Mazerolle wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “Due to the significant planning and logistical requirements involved, [the decision] will not be subject to change based on public health developments in the coming months.”

A petition on change.org created by McGill students and named “Students for Winter 2022 Exchange!” has been making its rounds on social media in response to the announcement. The approximately 800 signatories as of Oct. 13 include a wide range of individuals, such as parents of students, students who were set to study abroad in the winter, and would-be inbound exchange students. 

Juliette Debray, U2 Arts and one of the creators of the petition, said she was surprised by the abruptness of the announcement and was skeptical about McGill’s rationale for cancelation. 

“I was really taken aback,” Debray said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.  “McGill did not really give a warning that there was a possibility of cancellation. Logically speaking, it does not follow through. Their main reason was the varying public health landscape in different countries, but wouldn’t [a] logical follow-up in that case be to do a varying response?”

Labeau’s email emphasized that McGill students will not be able to take online courses with their host universities. Debray pointed out that many Canadian universities, including Concordia, UQAM, and Queen’s University, have chosen to pursue a more flexible approach, such as granting students the option to do online classes abroad or process exchange nominations on a country-by-country basis.

“I just found out today that UQAM also canceled their winter semester exchanges, but are allowing exceptions for students whose host universities are [in] their home country or for students who have only this year left to do an exchange,” Debray said. “They’re also allowing students to do online exchanges if they want to, so clearly it’s possible.”

Labeau clarified in the cancellation announcement that exemptions may be made to students who wish to pursue an Independent Study Away that requires no travel and is completed in the student’s home country.

Cameron Bailey, U3 Arts, had been making arrangements to attend the University of Edinburgh this winter. Bailey expressed frustration with McGill’s handling of the decision, highlighting McGill’s failure to reimburse the exchange fee deposited by students.

“They made a blanket call instead of looking into COVID-19 policies for different countries which drastically differ […] and they also kept our $150 deposit,” Bailey said. 

Max Garcia, U3 Arts, created the change.org petition alongside Debray. While Garcia is doubtful that McGill will reverse its decision, he hopes the petition might encourage the administration to consult students in future exchange-related decisions.

“To be honest, I do not foresee any changes really happening,” Garcia said. “I am not even the person who is the most angry about this, but this petition is for those who are angrier than me and would like to see something done. Maybe [the university] will not rethink their decision, but who knows, maybe McGill will start including students in the decision-making process.”

Arts & Entertainment, Poetry

Mcsway takes a breath of fresh air at “Poetry in the Park”

by Sylvie Bourque on

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Voices came alive at Jeanne Mance Park on Sept. 30 with Mcsway Poetry Collective’s first open-mic night of the semester, “Poetry in the Park.” Gathered around a tree strung with lights that acted as a stage, the audience sat on blankets, listening to poets valiantly share their words and their hearts.

“This is our first time [hosting an open-mic] in the park, but it is an effort to create the spaces we were creating before the pandemic, [spaces] where people can gather and feel comfortable to share,” said Mcsway vice-president Amanda Ventrudo, U3 Arts. “A lot of people will share […] spontaneously at the end, or it will be their first time reading, so it’s just nice to have a space to do that.” 

Though it was the group’s first time holding a poetry night in the park, Mcsway created a welcoming, non-judgemental space where people felt safe to express themselves in an intimate and emotional way. 

“I think it’s just different to share physically what you’ve written and have people [react]. You can see and feel people respond to it in real-time,” Ventrudo said. “A lot of the time [it] is cathartic to read something that you wrote out loud, instead of just leaving it in its written form.”

A nervous excitement swept the atmosphere as each performer stood up and made their way to the stage. Some were more nervous than others, but as the excited and welcoming audience clapped and whistled in their honour, they visibly relaxed. 

Although there were technical issues with the microphone that made it difficult to hear the performers, many used their physicality to convey the spirit of the poems. Some were more faint, while others worked with the audience to improve their projection. 

It was moving to see initially nervous performers open up and embrace being vulnerable in sharing parts of their world with the audience. Some performers showcased poetry they had written before the pandemic—a striking reminder of how distant and detached the last year and a half of quarantine felt—while others shared poems about personal and intimate struggles. Writers also discussed the meaning and circumstances behind their poems, giving the audience further insight into their words. 

This event allowed all who attended to sit, share, and connect in a profound way that only sharing poetry can produce.

“For me, [poetry] is one of the most effective ways to express yourself because anybody can do it and there are not really any tricks or skills that you need,” Ventrudo said. “I think making it accessible and normal to share those kinds of things is really [important.]” 

Mcsway looks forward to hosting more open-mic-nights, as well as poetry shares and workshops—the first of which will be occurring in October. Find their Instagram and Facebook here.

Album Reviews, Arts & Entertainment, Internet, Music

Where do I begin?: Anthony Fantano and ‘The Needle Drop’

by Luke Schramm on

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When Sacramento-based hip hop collective Death Grips released their debut studio album The Money Store in 2012, the culture of music consumption began to shift. The aggressive, experimental ethos of Death Grips’ LP was powerful enough to inspire change in tastes among fans and creators alike, but internet music enthusiast and notorious critic Anthony Fantano was a catalyst for the move toward the popularization of such experimental hip hop. Fantano’s YouTube channel, “theneedledrop,” with its classic jargony, essay-like approach to album reviews, handed Death Grips the elusive 10/10 rating—the first to ever receive the honour in the then-three-year-old channel’s history.

Since that fateful day in 2012, only a handful of records have tasted the glory of a Fantano 10. Fantano himself, now at the helm of a two-channel empire, has become a cornerstone of internet music culture. He reviews albums almost daily, providing unfiltered criticism and, on occasion, enthusiastic praise. His other video segments include his first-time listens and reactions to individual tracks, the interactive “Let’s Argue” and “Reading Your Comments” bits, and a number of weekly and yearly round-ups summarizing and celebrating recent releases in the music world. Fantano navigates his reviews quickly, bouncing from detail to detail while unpacking the core elements of each record, generating an atmosphere of controlled mayhem that builds towards a decisive conclusion.

Fantano’s channel has become a breeding ground for some of the most inexplicable interactions on the internet—the “you had to be there…for the last five years” type of stuff. Sarcasm, esoteric references, and callbacks to his channel history litter the comment sections. A casual scroll-through can leave an unfamiliar viewer feeling like they have just opened a forbidden door. Among many other, and occasionally much darker, trends that exist in Fantano’s comment section, there is also a surplus of lighthearted nicknaming and inside jokes: Fans endearingly call Fantano “melon,” referring to his famously bald head, and comment on the subtle but meaningful Easter eggs—including Fantano’s choice of flannel shirt, which he uses to foreshadow his thoughts on a record. Amidst all the chaos, however, arises genuine, thoughtful discussions focussed on why, and why not, some music deserves a listen. 

Fantano’s rise to YouTube stardom places him in a relatively unoccupied echelon of the internet, preserving a space for active and opinionated music enthusiasts within music intellectualism’s brash, reactive, and often self-contradictory zone of the internet. Few web personalities have acquired such a far-reaching and potent influence over their viewers—even reaching a point where other music fans satirize his most devout supporters, who notoriously defer to “theneedledrop” for the majority of their musical opinions. Fantano is but one part of a sweeping revolution in music consumption whereby internet discussions and the tastes of web strangers make their way into popular discourse. Fantano’s willingness to review a plethora of diverse music has allowed a number of underappreciated and experimental artists to permeate the playlists of the more “mainstream” listener, like Danny Brown, Charli XCX, FKA Twigs, and others.

As the backbone of the online music-loving community, Fantano will inevitably continue to scour the musical landscape, finding underground gems and giving fan-favourite albums a 6/10, but viewers should take no insult. After all, Fantano has never hesitated to remind us that, “Y’all know this is just my opinion, right?”

Editorial, Opinion

Action is due against sexism in SSMU

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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On Sept. 22, The McGill Daily published an article shedding light on a long-standing culture of sexism and misogyny rampant within the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). The article featured many accounts of past and present SSMU members who called out a culture of sexism within the Society. In response, SSMU’s vice-president (VP) Internal Affairs, Sarah Paulin, sent out an email that did not cite the article and only made vague reference to its contents. Although this is not the first time women have spoken out about their treatment within student government at McGill, it would appear that little improvement has occurred over the past several years. The article exposes only a fraction of a larger systemic failure, laying bare the need for urgent change in the immediate-term, and a cultural overhaul over the long-term. Structural change is imperative and while this is ultimately SSMU’s cross to bear, the organization will only take concrete action if students refuse to let these pervasive issues go unresolved. Students must move away from the accepted—and even expected—culture of apathy toward SSMU and reject its normalized toxicity to make substantive change possible. 

Upon entering McGill, many first-year students are taught, whether by upper-years or frosh leaders, that SSMU is a deeply flawed organization not worth engaging with. This rhetoric does have some backing to it—historically, SSMU has been both untrustworthy and inaccessible to students. The union’s lack of transparency leaves students disengaged and though candidates almost always run on platforms promising change, this problem continues to manifest. Scandals frequently end with no action or accountability, only empty promises and vague messages to the study body. Executives and other SSMU members have managed to get away with this, as many McGill students have come to accept that their student union is irredeemable. Students must mobilize and demand change, whether by attending the Legislative Council meetings, casting votes in elections, or demanding that SSMU executives give public updates on measures being implemented. SSMU is supposed to represent the entire McGill community, and it is unacceptable that it is an unsafe space for women and other gender minorities. 

While students at large have a responsibility to hold SSMU accountable, internal structural change is still clearly necessary in the short-term. It is telling that current and former student representatives felt the need to reach out to campus media to have their complaints taken seriously. As reported in the Daily article, SSMU’s human resources (HR) reporting structure is dangerously flawed. With the SSMU Board of Directors overseeing HR, there is limited separation of power, meaning that when representatives file complaints, they must grapple with the possibility that their superiors could see it. Furthermore, the mechanism to hold high-up executives accountable is ineffective for the very same reason. The mere presence of students in these roles exacerbates the lack of confidentiality and trust within both SSMU’s HR system and its approach to equity.

Although most students are unaware of the extent to which they shape SSMU, they possess the ability to radically improve its operations. For example, students can rally around proposals to pay SSMU representatives. It is disappointing that a motion to provide financial compensation for SSMU representatives failed in 2020, because it could have helped to address some of the union’s structural inequities. Compensation would make SSMU positions more accessible to a wider range of students, moving away from the ‘certain type of student’—particularly, those who have the financial privilege of not having to work during school—that these unpaid roles usually attract. This move would also allow SSMU representatives to unionize, providing an added level of protection and further empowering them to fight exploitation. 


Asking students to take a stand for SSMU’s benefit is gruelling, especially when their representatives uphold a toxic sexist culture while refusing to provide transparency about how they plan on addressing it. The women who have been affected by SSMU’s misogynistic and demeaning culture deserve more than meaningless statements lacking concrete action. Most of all, these individuals deserve to have their experiences valued. The SSMU executive team says they have made a pact to fearlessly “change the system,” and students must be equally involved in overseeing this necessary cultural shift.

A previous version of this editorial incorrectly stated that SSMU executives oversee the HR Department. In fact, the SSMU Board of Directors administers the policy through its HR department and committee, and may involve the SSMU president or any other staff, on a case-by-case basis. The Tribune regrets this error.

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