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Student Life

Backpacks on the backburner, students take on totes

by Juliette Henderson on

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On campus, students sit on benches, sifting through their totes in search of a pen or pencil, grasping into the small abyss of the bag. As the backpack fades to the background, many students have opted to stylize their school outfits with something more unique—the tote bag. Different styles appear among the crowd: A canvas tote with hand drawn artwork, thick leather designer bags, or the classic Longchamp adhered with its nifty zipper. As the trend makes its rise, one wonders why students prefer them to backpacks and whether this trend is sustainable in the long run.  

For Sasha Dodson, U1 Arts, tote bags are a fashion-forward alternative to the out-of-date backpack.

“I found it a bit more convenient and less pretentious,” Dodson said. “I think they are more spacious than hand bags or purses that kind of date you.”

Many students appreciate not only the accessibility of a smaller bag, but also the chance to elevate their look without appearing too formal. Others, like U0 Arts student Kyra Odell, jumped on the trend because of the fashionable element that comes with sporting a tote bag.

“I see everyone having tote bags and I feel like it’s both convenient and stylish,” Odell said. 

Alongside the ability to express oneself with a functional bag, the need for a backpack seems to be dissipating. As more students transition to taking notes on their electronic devices, traditional classroom supplies like binders, notebooks, or even a pen are no longer essential, rendering the bulky backpack defunct. Those returning to campus can use this opportunity to rebrand their look, with some students even painting their own designs.  

While talking to McGill students about the objects in their bags, most carried the same four or five objects: Computer, wallet, notebook, pen, and water bottle. Having less of a requirement to bring classic school items like notebooks and pencil cases, students have extra space to store crystals, shoehorns, or even reusable cutlery.

Carrying a tote is not all it seems, however. Many find themselves struggling with disorganization, unpredictable weather, and discomfort. “The rain is a concern,” Sarah Fahmy, U1 Science said. Fahmy’s classic canvas bag often soaks through on rainy days, damaging her computer and dampening her notebooks.

Fahmy’s friend, Mara Lupesco, U1 Arts, also noted the tote’s occasional lack of functionality. 

“Things seem to just be banging together in there,” Lupesco said. “I think I’m going to switch back to backpacks.” 

Though the trend has made a mark with a new wave of stylish university students, the reliance on a flimsy bag does not always seem to do the trick. 

With all of its benefits as well as downsides, the tote ultimately allows students to play around with their personal style in a subtle way, transforming themselves from the classic university student to the artsy kid with a hand-printed tote, or the elegant scholar with their suede leather dagne dover. As the world migrates to a more online lifestyle, sometimes the itch for personal style overtakes the functionality of the classic backpack. Despite this, the impracticalities of the tote make one question whether this McGill student favourite is here to stay.

Student Life

‘Making Drugs More Accurate’ offers free drug checking kits

by Wendy Zhao on

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On Aug. 24, Making Drugs More Accurate (MDMA), a non-profit organization piloted by the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) chapter at McGill, launched their free drug-checking and harm reduction service for McGill students. 

In a 2019 survey conducted by CSSDP McGill, 86 per cent of students demonstrated interest in an accessible drug checking service on campus. A group of students who  were eager to contribute to the initiative assembled a team to execute CSSDP’s vision and respond to student demand.

After consulting different supervised injection sites, harm reduction organizations, and overdose prevention sites in Montreal, MDMA now allows students to order free, personalized kits with chemical reagents that identify substances and verify their compositions. On their website, substance-specific instructions guide students through every step of the testing process. 

The testing kits, sourced from DoseTest and Test Kit Plus, can confirm the presence of ecstasy, ketamine, LSD, cocaine, amphetamine, and opiates in the body. Each kit also includes testing strips that can detect the presence of fentanyl—a potent synthetic opioid that greatly increases the risk of accidental overdose.

The greatest challenge for the MDMA team was realizing a method of distribution that did not require students to compromise their personal information. By requesting a unique code word from users on the order form, MDMA is able to preserve clients’ anonymity while delivering the kits. 

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Jordan*, the founder of MDMA, explained the organization’s non-judgemental, non-coercive, harm reduction approach to drug use. 

“Ultimately, our job is not to tell people what they can and cannot use,” Jordan said. “Our job is to give people the information so that they can have a better idea of what they’re putting in their bodies, the consequences of it [….] We would like to empower people’s decision making and nothing more than that.” 

The team hopes to connect students with resources and information that can facilitate safer experiences with drugs. Jordan emphasized the importance for students to be educated, even when equipped with harm reduction tools, on the ever-present risks of substance use. 

“[MDMA’s] goal is to promote a greater degree of safety, though it’s important to remember that drug use carries inherent risk,” Jordan said. “You can never reach safety with drug use.”  

Allison Chow, U3 Science and member of the MDMA team, hopes to dismantle the stigma surrounding substance use on campus. Condemning and prohibiting drug use, Chow explained to the Tribune, makes support less accessible and places students at greater risk of drug-related injury.

“If you purport the idea of drug abstinence, you are just going to get negative consequences, [like] people overdosing, or [not knowing] when to call for help because they’re scared of repercussions,” Chow said. “Good Samaritan laws are a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done.” 

To glean insight on the unregulated drug supply students are in contact with, MDMA will be anonymously collecting and analyzing the results of their clients’ reagent tests. These statistics will provide important grounds not only for growing MDMA’s own presence at McGill, but also for motivating the implementation of similar harm reduction services at other Canadian universities. 

Although the service launched just this past month, the MDMA team said it has received positive responses from students who either support the project or want to get directly involved as volunteers. 

“Every class I go to, whenever I make a new friend, they are very interested in [the service],” Chow said. “I think that this is something that people want and need.”

MDMA is currently looking to expand their outreach and welcomes anyone interested in helping students.  

“You don’t need to be a drug user to join,” Chow said. “You just need to care about human beings, harm reduction, and be compassionate.” 

*Name has been changed.

Student Life

Five apps to help you step up your study game

by Kennedy McKee-Braide on

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The back-to-school season is the perfect time to revamp your study system to ensure a successful semester and minimize your stress. While some prefer to stick to traditional pen and paper, The McGill Tribune has compiled a list of the most useful apps for those wishing to craft the perfect online workflow. 

  1. Notion 

Notion is a must-have for students looking to create a fully customized planning and productivity system. Using their bank of templates, you can create to-do lists, monthly and weekly calendars, and centralized locations for all your readings and assignments. While the platform can be confusing to navigate at first, you can learn how to customize plenty of page templates to suit your needs––and aesthetic––on YouTube and Reddit.

  1. Focus To-Do 

Available for both iOS and Android users, Focus To-Do is one of many Pomodoro-based task management apps. The Pomodoro method is simple: Rather than mindlessly plugging away at Available for both iOS and Android users, Focus To-Do is one of many Pomodoro-based task management apps. The Pomodoro method is simple: Rather than mindlessly plugging away at your tasks without scheduled breaks, it suggests you work in 25-minute blocks with five-minute breaks in between. The app helps you track your study sessions and gives you the option to block yourself from closing it during your work periods. You can also customize the length of your work and break blocks.

downzen.com
  1. Goodnotes 

For those with an iPad or tablet, Goodnotes is a great way to transition to an online note-taking system. Popular among students in the sciences for annotating powerpoints, Goodnotes—and its competitors like Notability or Bear—can help you to pay better attention in class by alleviating the pressure to mark down every word. For arts students, Goodnotes is a great way to save paper and money when doing readings. After you import the PDF, the app allows you to highlight text and bookmark pages. Goodnotes is especially useful for those who like adding artistic elements to their notes, as its streamlined design makes changing pen colours, moving and resizing text, or inserting images and diagrams simple. If you don’t have an iPad or don’t want to pay the $10.99 start-up cost, you can try the free notes app or Microsoft OneNote.

goodnotes.com
  1. Speechify 

After a year and a half of online school, most students are tired of having to stare at a screen for hours on end every day. But headaches and eye strain remain impossible to avoid, with many instructors opting to upload online readings and textbooks. Speechify presents a solution: Upload PDFs and other digital text, and the app will read it aloud. You can personalize the voice and listening speed to align with your habits. Even when reading a physical book, you can scan pages using your camera and have the text transform into audio. While the app is great for any student looking to up their reading game, it’s especially useful for those with learning disabilities that make reading text more difficult.

  1. Anki

Available on both desktop and mobile, Anki is a powerful flashcard system that is great for students in fields that have lots of memory-testing assessments. It relies on a specific method: Spaced repetition. The technique is based in the psychology of memory, on the specific idea that we retain less information as time passes, and so must revisit them to remember them long-term. As such, Anki’s algorithm displays your flashcards in increasingly spaced intervals to strengthen your brain’s recall abilities. Because Anki is an open-source software, there are plenty of add-on features to explore that can tailor your study system to your needs. Train away!

flamory.com
McGill, News

Students and staff push for better COVID-19 academic accommodations

by Ella Fitzhugh and Madison Edward-Wright on

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Members of the McGill community have been requesting more inclusive academic considerations since the university’s requirement that students and faculty be on campus for Fall 2021. Similar to the academic accommodations that apply specifically to students with the Office for Students with Disabilities, academic considerations are specific to COVID-19 concerns and apply to students who are required to self-isolate, or who are delayed in starting their courses due to isolation requirements. 

According to the current academic considerations framework, members of the McGill community with disabilities, long-term medical conditions, or other chronic health issues are not eligible to receive COVID-19-related accommodations—such as flexible grading schemes for courses, audio or Zoom recordings of lectures, or withdrawal, incomplete, or “leave of absence” from a course. Carrie Rentschler, a professor in the department of art history and communication studies at McGill, applied for accommodations to teach her large COMS 310 course remotely to protect herself and her spouse—who could be adversely affected by the Delta variant—but had her request denied.

“I did so on the advice of my spouse’s oncologist and my own endocrinologist,” Rentschler wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “It’s really disappointing to be turned down for accommodation. The policy is that employees who live with people with serious chronic illnesses are not eligible for accommodation, even when medical doctors advise it.”

In a statement to the Tribune, Frédérique Mazerolle, media relations officer at McGill, assured the McGill community that the university’s safety measures are guided by public health officials’ advisories. According to Mazerolle, McGill examines each request for accommodations and makes decisions on a case-by-case basis. 

“Some students have been experiencing delays in travel due to circumstances beyond their control, such as study permit processing delays, travel restrictions, and quarantine requirements,” Mazerolle wrote. “The Office of the Dean of Students will work on a case-by-case basis around academic accommodation for these students. Students requiring long-term accommodations related to COVID-19 should connect with the Office for Students with Disabilities to seek potential accommodations.”

Alice Laheurte, U1 Arts, experienced trouble travelling to Montreal for Fall 2021. Laheurte encountered complications at almost every stage in the process for acquiring her study permit, such as delays in obtaining proper documentation and biometrics like fingerprints, as well as  COVID-19 testing. Stalling in these services and McGill’s changing deadlines regarding study permits left Laheurte wondering whether she would have to defer this semester. Laheurte felt that the university could have been more accommodating during this time of high stress. 

“In my case, McGill advisers [and professors] really took care of me,” Laheurte said. “But I think being more reassuring and not just throwing [study permit deadlines] at students [when the deadline to apply] for a deferral [is] in two weeks […], is not the right decision. Even if [McGill] is just going to extend the deadline, just reassure [students] and tell them that it is okay […] because they know that students are struggling on their own.”

Rentschler pointed to McGill’s ability to implement inclusive accommodations in a timely manner during the transition to online learning in 2020, arguing that McGill should be able to apply those accommodations now. 

“Last year I felt as if McGill was developing a more humane and just framework of accommodation, one that recognized that having chronic illnesses, being disabled, and living in conditions of vulnerability did not mean we could not also actively participate in the life of the university,” Rentschler wrote. “There is no reason why we cannot be more accommodating at the university, to see access to the university and learning as a human right we should all have, no matter what our physical conditions are. We know it is possible.”

News, SSMU

SSMU BoD to explore legality of vaccination mandate for SSMU employees

by Shafaq Nami on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Board of Directors (BoD) convened on Sept. 9, voting on a motion to investigate the legality of enforcing a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for SSMU employees. The board also approved a budget for purchasing new office furniture.

Claire Downie, SSMU vice-president (VP) of university affairs, who has been vocal in her demands for McGill to adopt a university-wide mandatory vaccination policy, requested a last-minute addition to the agenda to discuss the feasibility of implementing such a policy for SSMU employees. 

“Certain workplaces are saying that they think it is legal to have a vaccination mandate,” Downie said. “I know before, the concern was raised that this was not legal, [but] people on the [BoD] seemed generally receptive to having such a policy at SSMU. So given the potential of legal change, I just wanted to bring this up again and see if the board would be interested in looking into the legal logistics […] of having such a policy.”

Board members agreed that a hybrid model for the policy would need to be adopted to accommodate those who preferred not to get vaccinated. One such model might include seeing those unvaccinated undergo COVID-19 testing twice a week. Éric Sader, SSMU VP finance, mentioned that people may have religious reasons for not being vaccinated, or may not feel comfortable sharing their health records.

“If an employee, for example, has a medical reason or a sincerely held religious belief, we would not really have an option to force them to get vaccinated,” Sader said. “Then our only path forward if they refuse is termination, which would be termination for religious discrimination. I am not against contacting legal on this, but to me, this is a little dubious moving forward, especially given the fact that we have been stressing in the past few months that this was not the direction we want to go.”

Benson Wan, Legislative Council Representative on the BoD, suggested that SSMU implement a policy mandating their employees to be vaccinated or agree to bi-weekly COVID-19 testing to enter the workplace, or represent SSMU in other public settings.

Sader raised concerns about the financial feasibility and logistics of conducting twice-weekly testing, to which Downie clarified that the motion was limited to only looking into the legality of a vaccination mandate. Beatrice Mackie, BoD member at large, echoed Downie’s sentiment that such a policy would be SSMU’s way of acting in accordance with their recent protests for a safer campus. The motion was passed unanimously.

Next, Sacha Delouvrier, SSMU VP external affairs, introduced a motion to approve an expense under the General Administration budget for new furniture and fixtures for the SSMU building. The money would go toward replacing the furniture in the SSMU office, the student lounge, and the building’s cafe. SSMU building manager Wallace Sealy addressed directors’ concerns regarding the need for such an expense.

“We are at the point now where we are in our five-year plan [and] things are not going to get better the further we move along,” Sealy said. “So if we do not take decisive action soon, we are going to be in a situation where […] people will want to come back to the office at some point [but] our area will [not] be able to support them.”

The motion to allocate approximately $20,000 of the General Administration budget to replacing the SSMU office fixtures and furniture was unanimously approved.

A previous version of this article incorrectly named ‘Ben Wan’ as ‘SSMU Medical Students’ Society representative.’ In fact, his name is Benson Wan, and his title is Legislative Council Representative on the BoD. The Tribune regrets this error.

McGill, News

Two McGill alumni win grant for COVID-19 vaccine community outreach initiative

by Anoushka Oke on

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The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) awarded a $10,000 grant to Tammy Xuan Bui, MScPH ‘21, and Nehal Islam, a current McGill medical student and MSc ‘21 on June 7.  The funds will go toward implementing the duo’s community-based proposal called WeCanVax—an initiative that seeks to increase diverse communities’ vaccine confidence. 

Since the launch of WeCanVax, research has shown that the vaccination rate in Parc-Extension—76.8 per cent—exceeded Montreal’s vaccination rate—74.6 percent—as of September. Bui and Islam worked alongside Dr. Ananya Banerjee, assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health (EBOH), to receive the Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge award. 

“It is very rare for masters students to take an assignment and submit it for funding, but I [told Bui and Islam that they should] try it,” Banerjee said. “And lo and behold, they were awarded $10,000.”

WeCanVax operates in the Parc-Extension (Parc-Ex) borough—a low-income neighbourhood inhabited by many immigrants and other racialized communities—where vaccination rates have been low. Banerjee explained that the campaign put up posters around the neighbourhood that feature Parc-Ex community members in an effort to promote residents’ confidence in getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

“[When] you walk around Parc-Extension and you see residents on the posters saying why they got vaccinated and why it is important, in multiple languages […] it puts confidence in the community,” Banerjee said. “[Unvaccinated people] are walking by and they see pictures of their neighbours saying things like ‘I got vaccinated to protect my children’ or ‘I got vaccinated so I can travel back to India to see my parents’ […] that is huge, and it helps to change people’s mindsets.”

WeCanVax also maintains a strong social media presence. Bui said that Facebook in particular was important for WeCanVax, as it allows the initiative to foster a deeper connection with the community.

“Facebook is really interesting, because a lot of the community groups in Parc-Ex actually operate mainly on Facebook,” Bui said. “So what’s really nice is if I wanted to share something that we are doing, maybe a poster, I would post it on a group of theirs called ‘ParcEx Action Squad’ […] where the community of Parc-Ex comes together online.”

The grant money—as well as an additional $15,000 awarded to the project by the EBOH—has helped create outreach opportunities, such as WeCanVax’s new initiative that encourages young people to create TikTok videos or to submit a picture about why getting the vaccine is important to them. The creators of the top-three submissions will get the opportunity to attend National Basketball Association and Toronto Raptors star Chris Boucher’s basketball camp. 

Islam and Bui feel that the WeCanVax initiative has helped create important changes in a borough where vaccination rates have been low. Islam was careful to note, however, that vaccine hesitancy was not the main reason for low vaccination rates.

“Going in beforehand, we had access to a whole bunch of different media articles saying that there was a large amount of vaccine hesitancy [in Parc-Ex] and that people in this community did not want to get vaccinated,” Islam said. “But what we really came to realize is that it was more of an issue about access to the vaccine. [I]t is really important to recognize these challenges and barriers that stand in the way of people easily receiving the vaccine.”

By working closely with the Parc-Ex community, Bui and Islam hope to establish trust with the people whom WeCanVax aims to benefit.

“We allowed [the project] to be really dynamic, so working with the community to understand [their needs] and to strengthen their own community at the same time,” Islam said. “Allowing community members to have a say in which way we oriented our project made it more effective overall and allowed us to be really warmly received by the community.”
Bui and Islam recently applied for another grant through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to evaluate the impact that the initiative has had on the community.

Soccer, Sports

Laval triumphs over McGill in women’s soccer opener

by Reza Ali on

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On Sept. 10, the McGill Women’s Soccer team lost 2–0 to Laval in a hotly contested match, as the eventual winning goal did not come until the 59th minute. Mireille Patry of Laval pounced on a rebound after a Laval free kick to give them the lead. Thirty minutes later, Audrey Genois put the game to bed with a composed finish past first-year goalkeeper Brenna Bordeniuk, cementing their victory with a –0 final score. McGill registered six shots compared to Laval’s 16, only one of which was on target, compared to Laval’s six. However one-sided these stats sound, they do not tell the full story of the match. 

Before drawing any conclusions from the score, it is crucial to note that the Martlets went into Friday’s opener with a roster of 12 first-years, nine second-years, four third-years, and four fourth-years. 

“For the first game of the season, with a squad composed primarily of rookies, the game went well,” first-year Bordeniuk said. “I think we became a bit scattered in the second half, but against tough opposition, I think we performed well.” 

The quantitative stats show that Laval dominated, but the qualitative side of the game supports Bordeniuk’s points. In the first half, it was anyone’s game: McGill’s press in their 3-5-2 formation was effective in slowing down Laval’s buildup in their 3-4-3, as McGill’s formation gave them an extra player in midfield. This led to some chances, including McGill’s only shot on goal which came from first-year forward Zoe Gardiner. However, as time went on, the Martlets struggled to hold onto the ball and lost the very formation that had initially slowed Laval down.

“We performed well in the first half and forced Laval to play a style that they did not appear to be fond of,” McGill head coach Jose-Luis Valdes said in an interview with McGill Athletics. “We had two or three clear chances in the first half but couldn’t convert. But after Laval scored in the second half, we kind of pushed the play too much. We rushed the play, lost our [structure] and didn’t wait for them to come to us.”

This was the first time in over a year that the Martlets took to the pitch in front of a crowd. Bordeniuk noted how fans have an incredible way of influencing the game from the sideline.

“Fans always help the atmosphere for us down on the pitch. Whether that’s cheering for a good tackle or a nice play, it’s exhilarating to feel some momentum from the crowd. The more fans, the better,” Bordeniuk said in a message to //The Tribune//.

However, there was a noticeable gap in fan attendance in the women’s game compared to the men’s game immediately following. The student ticket was valid for both games, yet most people only showed up for the men’s match.

“It’s always hard to see people show up for the men’s game and not ours,” Katherine Chadwick, second-year midfielder, said in an interview with //The McGill Tribune//. “Considering how Canadian women have dominated athletics lately, it’s totally time for people to start getting excited for women’s games.” 

Looking forward, the Martlets hope to secure their first win this Thursday versus UQAM. If they play as strong as they did in the first half against Laval, they have a real chance of taking home their first win of the season—especially if a strong fan section comes out to support them on September 16th at 6 p.m. at Molson Stadium.

Moment of the Game

In the 59th minute, Laval’s Mireille Patry was the first to a rebound from a dangerous free-kick and was rewarded with a tap-in that became the winning goal.

Quotable

“Coming from last game, I think we need to work on staying more composed with the ball, rather than forcing plays that are not on. The defense was a brick wall, so keeping that up will be crucial to our performances this week.” — Brenna Bordeniuk, first-year keeper.

Stat Corner
First-year keeper Brenna Bordeniuk made five saves in her home debut for the Martlets.

Editorial, Opinion

Take note: It’s time to vote

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Millions of students will head to the polls on Sept. 20 to vote in the federal election. With the semester underway and the pandemic here to stay, many people feel lost in a dizzying haze of parties, ideologies, and options. From climate change, to racial injustice, to more efficient healthcare, countless priorities are on the ballot. More than deciding between parties and candidates, many voters are asking themselves what issues should take precedence, which political decisions will best serve their causes, and for some, whether it is worth voting at all. Granted, no one can be forced to vote. But with so many important issues that impact students sparring in the political arena, every eligible voter should take the time to inform themselves and cast the ballot of their choice.

Although Elections Canada has suspended the Vote on Campus program this year, voters can mail in their ballots or pick up a special ballot at an Elections Canada office until Sept. 14. Election officials have cited the pandemic as well as the snap-pace of the election as logistical justifications for the campus voting program’s cancellation. Even so, students can reasonably be concerned that the current parliament is not doing enough to facilitate turnout. But that is even more of a reason to vote early and encourage others to do the same. If the government has blundered the election process, it should answer for it on Sept. 20.

In response to some of these barriers, McGill’s administration has taken some steps to assist student voters. In an Aug. 31 email, Secretary-General Edyta Rogowska discouraged staff from scheduling academic deadlines on Sept. 20 and asked them to accommodate students when necessary. Nevertheless, because many courses have mandatory attendance or are not recorded, some students may be reluctant to miss lectures for the polls. Those in this position should consider mail-in or early voting. But McGill could go further by disseminating resources, identifying nearby polling places, and requiring professors to permit absences for voting purposes. As a public institution and educational space, the university has a basic obligation to encourage young voters to make their opinions heard and support democratic participation.

Student organizations like the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) have already been promoting election materials and helping voters make informed choices. For example, the AUS held a virtual debate between the presidents of the different political party-affiliated clubs on Sept. 13, providing students with a variety of perspectives and answers to policy positions. Students interested in learning more about the federal parties should reach out to these clubs, including Liberal McGill, New Democratic Party (NDP) McGill, the Conservative Students’ Association of McGill, Young Greens McGill, and others. Some of these clubs have planned “Get Out to Vote” initiatives. Students should take part in these to help others learn about the different parties’ ideas in preparation for election day. Even students who are ineligible to vote, such as international students, should learn about the issues raging across the country as the election unfolds. Canada’s next government will make decisions that affect all students, and everyone has the agency to promote candidates of their choice on social media and elsewhere, as well as encourage friends to vote.

Above all, it is imperative that students not be apathetic. An election—especially an early one—is a rare occasion to turn rhetoric into votes, and ideas into policies. People may disagree on the merits of voting based on one’s conscience—such as voting for a party that they feel most represents them—or strategically voting for a candidate to block another that they vehemently disagree with from power. Although that decision is ultimately up to the individual, everyone should agree that votes do count—even if a riding typically skews a certain way. Students should vote in this election, and all the ones to follow, because today’s prevailing questions are the policies of tomorrow and the shape of Canada’s future.

For more information on the political parties and their candidates, consult the Elections Canada website; voter information guides published by Macleans, Global News, and other media outlets; or the different political organizations’ web pages.

Commentary, Opinion

Truth and Reconciliation Day: McGill’s lost opportunity

by Katie Anglin on

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McGill University has sent a bold message to Indigenous students and their communities by refusing to close for Truth and Reconciliation Day this upcoming Sept. 30. The federal government created this statutory holiday to give Canadians an opportunity to acknowledge and learn about the tragic history of residential schools. Educating oneself about the wrongdoings of Canadian predecessors is essential, but it is equally important to  honour survivors and their communities who continue to deal with and resist ongoing colonialism. McGill prides itself on being a progressive institution, yet by denying students and staff the opportunity to participate in Truth and Reconciliation Day to the fullest, they miss an opportunity to support Indigenous students and to pave a path toward reconciliation with their own violent, colonial past and present.

Federal offices and banks are closed on Sept. 30, and numerous academic institutions across Canada—including  Simon Fraser University and the University of Saskatchewan—are closing for the day to show their support for Indigenous communities. As one of the top schools in Canada, McGill should be leading by example, not failing to support reconciliation efforts. 

It is ironic that the university’s motto is Grandescunt Aucta Labore, meaning “by work, all things increase and grow,” and yet they are unwilling to work to try and mend the relationship with the Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) people, on whose land McGill is built. It is even more hypocritical that the school closes for Patriots Day in May every year to recognize and celebrate the French rebellion that fought against English forces in the 19th century, but refuses to acknowledge that McGill exists because of the French colonial power that Indigenous people are currently resisting.

The university’s name perpetuates the tragic and ongoing legacy of English and French colonialism and systemic racial injustice in Canada. As a trader in the West Indies, James McGill enslaved at least two Indigenous children and three Black people while gaining immense wealth on the backs of other enslaved people. Even after the statue’s temporary removal due to vandalism, racialized staff and students have been pushing the university to decolonize for years.  McGill’s reluctance to remove a statue speaks to the maintenance of colonial history as the status quo. But the removal of statues is but a small step of the more transformative steps McGill must take to address their colonial legacy. One institution beginning to assume responsibility for its ruinous past is X University—formerly known as Ryerson University—in Toronto. In response to widespread student activism, the Canadian university has declared it will change its school name and remove statues that celebrate colonial figures, including Egerton Ryerson––an architect of the residential school system. While there is still more work to be done, the X University case sets a precedent for how large institutions can begin to acknowledge their wrongdoings and work to repair relationships with Indigenous communities. Sam Howden, a Red River Métis student activist and organizer at X University who was among the first students to refer to the school as “X University,” emphasized that the student action that led to the name change was fundamental in centring Indigenous experiences on campus. 


In 2016, McGill assembled a task force to implement changes laid out in the final report of the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission. McGill pledged to work on the university’s relationship with Indigenous communities by creating initiatives designed to encourage an inclusive environment for present and future Indigenous students. A negative environment is not conducive to academic productivity or individual growth, and McGill still has yet to unequivocally acknowledge the suffering the school has caused. While a closure alone would not allow McGill to rectify broken promises, its failure to do the bare minimum is a lost opportunity and an insult to Indigenous communities on campus.

Commentary, Opinion

Toward body liberation

by Kennedy McKee-Braide on

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Content warning: This article discusses disordered eating 

I first started to think about my weight when I was in elementary school. I distinctly remember feeling as though I had to lose weight to make friends or to capture the attention of my crushes. But it was not until early high school when it started to take a larger toll on my life. In ninth grade, my mom would send me to school with $20 a week to buy food at the cafeteria. Rather than eating, I would pocket the money and tell my friends it was simply a way to save some extra cash. In reality, this was the first time I was consciously engaging in disordered eating, skipping meals in the hopes of becoming thinner. These patterns have continued on and off for most of my life thus far. 

As I grew up, I began to notice how common it was amongst my––more often than not, woman-identifying––peers to count calories, develop unhealthy relationships with exercise, and pick apart their appearances. Often, this was under the guise of merely caring about our health. This belief is likely genuine for many. After all, people are taught from a young age that fatness correlates directly to being unhealthy and that weight gain drives them to an early grave. But in reality, these claims have their roots in racism and arbitrary metrics. And for many who struggle with body image, the fear of weighing more is based in internalized fatphobia more than anything else––even if that fear is unconscious. 

Though I never fully escaped my recurring patterns of disordered eating, I realized a few years ago that I needed to improve my body image––something would have to change if I wanted to regain control over my life. As I started to work to unlearn some of what I had been taught to believe about weight, I set off on a mission toward self-love and body positivity. 

I quickly noticed, however, that this focus had its issues as well. I found that I was angry at myself whenever I had a bad day; if I looked in the mirror and didn’t love what I saw. In some backward way, I was still placing far too much emphasis on my relationship with the way I looked—rather than the way I felt and why. 

Beyond my own personal struggles with body positivity, fat activists and disability rights activists have long been questioning whether the mainstream approach to body image is productive. For one, the mainstream body positivity movement tends to be dominated by thin, white, non-disabled women. While it is undoubtedly important for everyone to accept themselves as they are, many activists feel as though the fat acceptance movement––which aims to tangibly improve plus-sized people’s experiences—has been watered down by an over-emphasis on physical appearance. Additionally, when body positivity focusses too much on one’s body’s  ability to function “properly,” it risks excluding disabled people—especially those who experience issues with body image. 

For those like myself, who inhabit bodies that are not large enough to experience struggles like excessive stigma and poor experiences with health care professionals, it is essential for all to confront internalized fatphobia, fight for those whose voices are underrepresented in the movement, and work to unlearn patterns of disordered eating. Overall, it is important to recognize the powerful origins of the fat acceptance and liberation movement and use them to contextualize current societal attitudes toward weight. 

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