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Muslim Students Association hosts panel discussing Uyghur Crisis

by Ella Milloy, Joseph Pappas, Charlotte Power on

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The McGill Muslim Students Association (MSA), McGill Thaqalayn Muslim Association (TMA), and the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) held a virtual panel on Jan. 15 to discuss the Uyghur genocide. Omar Khamissa, NCCM community engagement manager, moderated the panel, which was composed of Member of Parliament (MP) Garnett Genuis, MP Sameer Zuberi, and former McGill student Zapaer Alip, B.Eng ‘13. The three panelists discussed the ongoing persecution of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang autonomous region in northwest China, and described potential actions that Canadians can take to mitigate the crisis. 

Zapaer Alip, who is a Uyghur-Canadian coordinator at the advocacy group International Support for Uyghurs, detailed the lives of Uyghurs living both in and outside of modern concentration camps, noting the Chinese government’s effort to erase the customs, language, and livelihoods of their people.

“It wasn’t easy being a Uyghur in East Turkestan,” Alip said. “The oppression started to amplify gradually [….] First, you had to learn Mandarin. You couldn’t speak Uyghur, you couldn’t attend a Uyghur school, you couldn’t get ahead in life, if you didn’t speak Mandarin [….] It was impossible to teach or practice religion. People could report you for practicing religion [….] You were encouraged to become a member of the Communist Party.”

After moving to Germany to escape the conditions back home, Alip’s family eventually moved to Canada for fear of being deported to China as he did not have German citizenship. But even after becoming permanent residents of Canada, Alip’s family faced issues contacting their family in Xinjiang.

“People might ask, ‘why aren’t you reaching out to [your family]’?” Alip said. “Why wouldn’t you call them everyday? Why wouldn’t [you] do whatever it takes to get a hold of them? Well, the issue is, as we later found out, that one of the reasons why you could end up in a concentration camp is actually having somebody live abroad.”

Genuis, the MP for Sherwood Park–Fort Saskatchewan in Alberta, said that ever since his election in 2015, he has been an outspoken advocate for human rights and religious freedom. Genuis is pushing for accountability mechanisms that will pressure the Canadian federal government to designate the persecution as a genocide and impose sanctions on China. He encouraged Canadians to voice their concerns and contact their elected officials.

“[Elected representatives] need to champion these issues and speak out clearly on them and seek policy changes,” Genuis said. “There needs to be real sanctions targeting individuals responsible, recognition of the crimes that are taking place, and meaningful trade measures.”

The panel then described what students could do on campus and within their communities to raise awareness about the Uyghur genocide. All three speakers encouraged students to educate themselves and others about the crisis, challenge professors to use their platforms to educate students and peers, get involved in student government, and host events on campus to bring attention to the crisis. 

As a member of the parliamentary committee on the Uyghur genocide, Zuberi gave insight into China’s misuse of Canadian research and surveillance technologies. Several Canadian universities, including McGill University, University of Toronto, and University of Waterloo, collaborated with Chinese researchers, who later developed technologies that have been used to surveil Uyghur people. Academic exchange between scholars occurred largely in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and engineering. Zuberi encouraged students to think more critically about research practices on their respective campuses.

“Create spaces on campus where you can speak about these issues,” Zuberi said. “There is a real concern here. We know that Canadian technology is being used to surveil Uyghur people in the region. There are cameras on every corner and monitoring is happening constantly. Canadian technology in part is furthering that, alongside technologies from many other countries. There needs to be [more] awareness around that.”

Creative, Podcasts

The T: Know Your Tenant Rights, Jan. 22

by Sequoia Kim on

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News Editor Sequoia Kim provides a weekly roundup of McGill news. Listen here through SoundCloud, or search for the title on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week on the show:

An Investigative feature brought to you by Nina Russell, Managing Editor: Floor fellows speak out on their experiences from Fall 2020

Divest McGill responds to McGill’s new Sustainability Strategy

Student governance meetings: SSMU Legislative Council & PGSS Council

Webinar of the Week: “How to not get screwed over by your landlord”

Episode links:

Floor fellows cite lack of support during Fall 2020 semester, by Nina Russell,
Managing Editor

McGill’s new Climate and Sustainability Strategy receives mixed reactions, by
Respina Rostamifar, Staff Writer

SSMU hosts presentation on tenant rights and gentrification, by Ella Fitzhugh,
Staff Writer

PGSS Legislative Council votes to restructure Health and Wellness
Committee, by Leyla Moy, Student Life Editor

Host: Sequoia Kim, News Editor
Podcast Producers: Multimedia Editors Sarah Ford & Alexandre Hinton, Creative Director Aidan Martin, Editor-in-Chief Helen Wu
Artwork: Design Editor Chloe Rodriguez

Extra thanks to Nina Russell, for helping script part of the podcast.

Science & Technology

2020 Rewind: SciTech discoveries of the year

by Shirley Xu on

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2020 was a year characterized by uncertainty, despair, and drastic change. However, several scientific and technological achievements provide hope for the future.

Google stakes its claim on quantum supremacy

Google’s quantum computer, Sycamore, is the first instance of such a device outcompeting a classical computer. While a classical computer reads information as ‘bits’ valued at 0 or 1, a quantum computer’s “qubits” can exist as both 0 and 1 at the same time, allowing for more data processing. Google announced that Sycamore performed a calculation in three minutes and 20 seconds that would otherwise have taken the most advanced classical computer 10,000 years. The applications of quantum computing are limitless, ranging from drug development to accurate weather forecasts to identifying which exoplanets likely harbour life. Although we may be five to 10 years away from having quantum computers that are useful for applications like these, Google’s achievement is proof that such a future is possible. 

Cave excavations push back arrival of first humans in the Americas by 15,000 years

New research published in Nature shows that humans may have arrived in the Americas as early as 30,000 years ago—15,000 years earlier than current estimates. After painstaking excavations of the Chiquihuite Cave in Mexico, archaeologists uncovered nearly 2,000 stone tools and charcoal bits dating back 30,000 years. Further DNA analysis of the cave sediment, composed of plant and animal remains, corroborates these findings. The discovery challenges the commonly held theory that the Clovis people were the first inhabitants of the Americas 15,000 years ago. However, identifying factors of these mysterious early inhabitants, such as human DNA, were not found, suggesting they did not stay in the cave for long. 

CRISPR-Cas9 edits genes in the human body

Doctors performed the first gene editing project in the human body using CRISPR-Cas9, a genome editing tool that can remove, add, or change parts of an organism’s DNA sequence. The CRISPR method is based on a natural mechanism bacteria use to protect themselves from viral infections. Previous methods involved editing the genome after extracting DNA from the body. The treatment was administered to a patient with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, an inherited form of blindness caused by a genetic mutation. Scientists deleted the harmful mutation by making two cuts on either side of the gene and allowing the ends of the DNA to reconnect. Although the patient’s vision showed some improvement, scientists are hopeful that further research into gene editing technologies will allow a permanent fix. This is one of many development efforts to use CRISPR-Cas9 technology to treat different diseases.

Anti-aging drugs: Senolytics

Growing old is a fight that many of us resist, but cannot win. Anti-aging drugs called senolytics could potentially delay aging and treat a number of associated diseases, although they do not prolong one’s life. In the body, cells that are damaged beyond repair enter a senescence phase in which they stop dividing and begin programmed death. However, sometimes senescent cells resist their fate, build up in our bodies as we age, and seriously harm surrounding cells. Scientists believe that they are linked to diseases caused by aging and that targeting these cells using senolytics could be the solution. Anti-aging drugs entered human trials in 2020 and are predicted to become available in less than five years.

Virti: Training surgeons and front-line workers using virtual reality

Virti is an immersive video platform that allows users to visualize a high-stress situation in virtual reality in order to train one’s decision-making skills under pressure and access real-time feedback. As part of efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 this year and help train clinicians while avoiding in-person contact, Vitri designed an AI-powered “virtual patient” that can role play life-like scenarios. Their COVID-19 modules also teach frontline workers how to put on personal protective equipment, administer treatments, and ventilate patients. A company study by Virti found that their approaches increase knowledge retention by 230 per cent compared to training in person.

Features

Making the ‘right’ choices

by Jonathan Giammaria on

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Ten years ago, Robin Marantz Henig published an article in The New York Times Magazine whose opening header read, “Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up?” The question referred to those who had entered adulthood in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis and failed to meet the societal milestones of a generation prior. In 2010, the question echoed the vocal concerns of a nation of worried parents inasmuch as it commented on and empathized with the realities of a new cohort of emerging adults—informally called the boomerang generation. 

While this moniker may have fallen out of fashion in the decade since Marantz Henig’s article (and with it, its implicit air of contempt), the harsh realities of adulthood that plague millennials and older Gen Zers have nevertheless persisted. In Canada, fewer young people are getting married than baby boomers did in the 1980s, with Quebec’s rates being the lowest in the country. Likewise, there is a widening age-range for those completing university degrees and more students are extending their studies with graduate work rather than launching into careers straightaway. It is clear that millennials are intensely reluctant to commit to lifelong jobs as their parents and grandparents once did.

Although they help to capture current trends, a statistics-based focus privileges those normative milestones as the constants against which such young people are “deviating.” In the public-private divide, the expectations of the whole are the default; they override the desires of the individual and take for granted such reasons behind developmental difference as a rebellion against or disillusionment with “the system.” But the blind spot in that logic lies in its holistic top-down rhetoric—if the actions of millenials are automatically tied to their context and judged by it, then an investigation into the crucially personal nature of goals and choice-making falls to the wayside.

Science & Technology

A long road ahead: The obstacles facing COVID-19 vaccine distribution

by Karim Wadjih, Salma Hakim on

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As the second wave of COVID-19 intensifies and many countries around the world enter another lockdown, scientists and pharmaceutical companies have raced to produce the most effective vaccine. Moderna and Pfizer have emerged as clear winners, with many countries already beginning to administer their products.

With the successful development of these vaccines comes many political and logistical challenges, such as deciding which citizens and locations to prioritize. In particular, government officials must ensure vaccines are distributed fairly and in a timely manner to all citizens.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, both of which are currently being rolled out in Quebec, are 92 per cent efficient two weeks after the initial dose. Both vaccines require a second shot within 90 days of the first, which increases the efficiency to between 94 and 95 per cent. Otherwise, a single shot does not provide complete, long-lasting immunity. 

In Canada, each province is developing its own regulations regarding vaccine distribution. However, the Quebec government decided to delay the second shot of the vaccine to maximize the number of people who can be protected by an initial dose between now and April 2021. This strategy was met with backlash and provincial leaders suggested that Pfizer could withdraw their supply if the two-dose vaccination schedule is not followed.  

Both Moderna and Pfizer have created mRNA vaccines, containing genetic material that codes for only a small portion of the virus: The spike protein, which allows viral particles to replicate. The vaccine equips the body’s immune system with antibodies against this spike protein, the lack of which renders the whole virus impotent. 

Given the vast spread of misinformation online regarding vaccines, government officials must also gain  citizens’ trust that the inoculation is safe. Despite promising results, some are concerned with the fast-tracked process of vaccine development and clinical testing.

Jasmin Chahal, a faculty lecturer in McGill’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, explains the importance of effective communication between  scientists and policymakers about the vaccines. 

“[We need to keep] trying to spread accurate information that comes from the clinical trials,” Chahal wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “That’s the most that we can do [….]  There are podcasts, blogs, and interviews that scientists are doing to explain the virus and vaccines without scientific jargon.”

Another challenge is the transportation of the doses, particularly Pfizer’s vaccine, as it requires storage at a temperature of -70 degrees Celsius. Such a requirement can be met only with powerful freezers, which are not feasible for storage in pharmacies due to limited space and high cost. Only large medical centres, universities, and some public health departments currently have access to such deep freezers.

“RNA is very unstable,” Chahal wrote. “For instance, DNA is still stable and intact at room temperature after a few days. RNA, however, must be kept cold. If it’s not kept at the proper temperature, it does not remain intact and thus, would be ineffective.”

Pfizer has managed to circumvent this issue by developing a reusable, suitcase-sized shipping container where doses of the vaccine are kept on dry ice and can remain stable for 10 to 15 days. However, dry ice is an extremely dangerous material and cannot be shipped by air or sea, resulting in time-consuming, ground-only transport.

Nevertheless, Pfizer is working on a powdered version of the vaccine in hope of avoiding the cold storage requirements. In contrast, the Moderna vaccine requires a temperature between two to eight degrees Celsius, making it much easier to transport. 

Quebec received a delivery of 34,000 doses of Moderna and 46,800 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines on Jan. 17, with similar shipments of Pfizer scheduled to arrive weekly for the rest of the month. 

Off the Board, Opinion

Looking to history for the future

by Kevin Vogel on

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After finishing a B.A. in history last year, I made the terrible life choice of staying at McGill for graduate school. Tuition hikes and dismal job prospects for prospective historians give me plenty reason to regret my decision for years to come, and the continual weaponization of academic history—be it in the service of whitewashed musicals or of reactionary politics—only adds to my doubts. Despite the pretensions associated with this field, I still find hope that history can help agitate for positive changes in the world. Writing in the months prior to his flight from the Wehrmacht in 1940, German Jewish philosopher Walter Benjamin explained that invoking the past means seizing the ephemeral memory of history as it is needed in times of danger. 

With socioeconomic inequities only worsening throughout the pandemic and the far-right mobilizing throughout North America, the present moment certainly appears to be a dangerous one. To use Benjamin’s reasoning, searching for guidance in history entails sparking contemporary hope in the ambitions of past struggles to imagine a better future. Many historians, professional or otherwise, have attempted to do just this. To find solutions to the chronic health issues that plague many Southern communities, Michael Twitty uses his work on the history of African American foodways to revive interest in sustainable agricultural practices. Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone dug through millions of records to accurately illustrate how the modern American university system developed, and continues to profit from, speculation on stolen Indigenous lands. There are too many other examples to give. Studying the past in each of these cases is not a matter of simply collecting trivia facts for the sake of nostalgia, but rather a reflection upon the historical struggles that continue to persist in the present day.

As McGill enters its bicentennial year, it has the power to reflect on its own blemished history in a similarly meaningful way. The university could interrogate its links to transatlantic slavery, tear down the statue memorializing James McGill, repatriate stolen artifacts housed in the Redpath Museum, and bring about meaningful action on its own prior commitments to truth and reconciliation. But even if the bicentennial commemorations turn into little more than a fundraising gimmick, history will always be a contested field. McGill students have found ways to cut through the obtuseness of the university’s PR stunts in creative ways before. This coming year should not be any different.

Indeed, the past summer shows that grassroots movements can take the interpretation of history into their own hands. While governments and public institutions continually failed to address their roles in historical oppression—and the contemporary memorialization of those wrongdoings—activists took it upon themselves to topple and provide context to racist commemorations. The decapitated, spray-painted statue of Sir John A. Macdonald on the streets of downtown Montreal is as much a history lesson as any plaque or government platitude. 

Looking back to Benjamin’s thesis, it is also prudent to think of the future-oriented nature of historical thinking. By taking control of historical “memories,” we can then examine and interrogate them to advocate for positive change in the world. As many of us think critically about McGill’s bicentennial in the coming months, let this also be a time where we can imagine a future beyond the constraints of academic bureaucracy—a future in which we can work towards a truly inclusive and equitable society. Regardless of what shape it takes, the fact remains that a better world is possible. 

Science & Technology, Student Research

Methods of quantitative modeling revolutionize drug development

by Ana Vitorino on

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Mathematics and computer science are revolutionizing the way new drugs and treatments are tested and implemented. A new paper published in Chaos and written by U4 McGill Physiology and Math major Sofia Alfonso, postdoctoral researcher Adrianne L. Jenner, and Dr. Morgan Craig from the University of Montreal’s department of Math and Statistics, explores new alternatives to the challenges of using quantitative tools.

In the pharmaceutical industry, pre-clinical and clinical trials are challenging, time-consuming, and costly. Virtual drug trials allow researchers to better understand and treat complex diseases such as cancer, diabetes and depression. Conducted faster than conventional clinical trials, virtual drug trials also allow more efficient and affordable distribution of treatments to the public due to high recruitment rates, better compliance, and lower drop-out rates. The paper presents multiple case studies that test experimental medications using mathematical modelling. 

Such studies are considered in silico, as they are conducted by a computer program and do not involve live patients, as an in vivo trial would. These simulations can predict the effect of a medication on virtual patients, leading to important insights about a drug’s efficacy before investing time and money into human subject testing. 

Alfonso and Craig say that the pharmaceutical industry is already using in silico models for research and emphasize the need for collaboration between experimentalists and clinicians in order to develop more accurate and effective models.

“In drug development, for example, study of a novel drug delivery device for anti-HIV therapy contributed to its continued development and ongoing clinical trials of similar devices,” Craig wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune.

One case study explored the potential of mathematical modeling in the development of treatments for infectious diseases, such as the Herpes Simplex virus (HSV) or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Based on data of viral shedding collected from real patients, an experimental drug was administered to a virtual patient infected with HSV. Researchers then optimized the drug’s dose for clinical trials, paving the way for future studies of similar drugs for the antiviral treatment of HIV and HSV. 

“A big challenge is finding adequate parameters in the literature such that the model can be accurately calibrated,” Alfonso wrote in an email to the Tribune, referring to the need for data from clinicians to construct accurate models. “Thus, collaborative efforts that bridge quantitative approaches with experimental work can be integral to developing useful models.”

The researchers are optimistic about the potential of virtual trials in the development of treatments more quickly and less invasively during public health crises such as COVID-19. Transitioning to remote trials could limit the risks of in-person contact, especially in medical settings. 

“Currently, we have been working with an interdisciplinary team on modelling COVID-19 in virtual patients, allowing us to simulate the mechanisms resulting in severe SARS-CoV-2 infection,” Alfonso wrote. “I am hopeful that as we gain more data, our model will provide further clinically relevant findings.”

Given the importance of quantitative methods in physiology, Alfonso emphasizes the opportunities for future physiology students willing to delve into mathematics, physics, and computer science. 

Craig also calls upon physiology students to maintain an open mind on these disciplines, noting that quantitative methods are already being implemented by the industry.

“Many researchers have summer positions for undergraduates that provide hands-on training,” Craig wrote. “In fact, Sofia [Alfonso] started in my lab as a PHGY 461 student and has continued as a research assistant since.”

Editorial, Opinion

Pandemic-era activism calls for sustained support

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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To most McGill students, the annual return to campus after the winter break usually conjures images of the university’s vibrant activist community. From flyers passed out during the Change The Name campaign to Divest McGill’s weekly demonstrations outside of the Arts building, it was hard to miss the advocacy taking place at McGill. Like with most things students are familiar with, the pandemic has thrown a wrench in these organizations’ ability to raise awareness and promote change in the ways they once would. But this does not mean that their work has stopped—from #TakeJamesMcGillDown, to newer initiatives like Meals for Milton-Parc and Divest McGill’s Metro boycott, students continue to mobilize for a range of causes in spite of the circumstances. Students should make an effort to remain aware of advocacy work in the community and get involved where they can. 

For organizations like Divest McGill, which pressures the McGill administration to divest from fossil fuels, remote learning could have meant that there were seemingly fewer ways to hold the university accountable. In this context, the organization’s Metro boycott is a somewhat innovative tactic. The vice-chair of McGill’s Board of Governors, Maryse Bertrand, also sits on the Metro grocery store chain’s Board of Directors and, according to Divest, holds a $120,000 annual retainer. The idea is to “follow the money,” threatening Bertrand’s financial interests and pushing her to change her position on divesting from fossil fuels. According to Divest McGill, the continued lack of action on the administration’s part means that it is past time for using moral arguments to make their case. It is once again telling of McGill’s priorities that a movement as popular as Divest McGill must resort to an indirect boycott in the face of the administration’s continued negligence. 

The tactic may not be perfect—boycotts can be limited in their effectiveness and fail to take into consideration that their demands can only be fulfilled by those who are privileged enough to be able to grocery shop elsewhere. Additionally, adapting individual lifestyle habits in order to participate in a boycott during a pandemic is not always an accessible option. However, students who have the option to visit local—and often more affordable—grocers like Segal’s can do so to send a message. The initiative signals a creative shift away from usual tactics like protests and instead harnesses students’ buying power. Many can easily participate on their own time without physically gathering with others and risking their safety to demonstrate. 

However, student initiatives cannot work without sustained engagement and support. A key part of ensuring the success of pandemic-era organizing is raising awareness, which is often done through social media. Student organizers can look to Meals for Milton-Parc, an initiative launched by McGill students that aims to provide meals and care packages for local unhoused populations, for inspiration. Their social media presence has increased student awareness, funding, and volunteer support. Similarly, the #TakeJamesDown movement had a strong online presence that helped engage people with the cause. Social media is a complicated tool, as relying on awareness alone can risk being performative and inhibit substantive change. But, if wielded correctly, social media can amplify a movement, especially during the pandemic. 

Just as organizations must diversify their tactics, student supporters must make an effort to seek out ongoing initiatives to get involved with and share with their communities. While student movements, and even certain issues themselves, can seem less pressing amidst a universally difficult and emotionally taxing period of our lives, these campaigns need sustained support and resources. McGill and government administrations should not use the current crisis as an excuse to sweep the needs of their students and citizens under the rug. 

Homelessness
Commentary, Opinion

Addressing the reactionary fight for the unsheltered

by Adam Gwiazda-Amsel on

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On Jan. 6, Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced that an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew would be in effect from Jan. 9 until at least Feb. 8. When asked about exemptions for unsheltered Quebecers, Legault falsely claimed that there is enough room for the unhoused in Montreal’s shelter infrastructure, leaving community organizations to fill in the gaps. While the response to Legault’s statement has rightfully been critical, it is disheartening to see many well-intentioned volunteers wondering how to help, and coming up blank.

This paralysis speaks to a troubling trend in citizen engagement on the question of supporting unhoused populations: That of always being in emergency aid mode. Certainly, the spike in the number of unsheltered people due to the pandemic has introduced a new need to put out fires, but as citizens focus on issues ranging from food insecurity, to the lack of public toilets, to the need for larger shelters, creative solutions to relieve pressure on the shelter system are not receiving the attention they deserve. As the valuable time and financial resources of volunteers flood in, immediate suffering is addressed. At a certain point, however, the short-sighted distribution of these resources can frustrate efforts instead of helping them. When new emergencies come up, such as COVID-19 outbreaks or curfew measures, shelters need to focus on expanding their basic offerings to accommodate new unhoused populations. Volunteers, however, have the luxury of pausing to consider where they are best suited to help, and would do well to use this time responsibly. 

Our inability to move past reactionary campaigning leads to an increasingly fragile service infrastructure. As the unsheltered population continues to grow, offering immediate-aid solutions alone will continue to create a rabbit hole demanding further marshalling of resources. Instead of pouring everything we have into meal handouts, volunteers should support a diversity of tactics that have been long promoted by perennially active advocates. Shelters and other community organizations do sometimes find themselves not in emergency mode, which is surprising given chronic underfunding from Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services. In these situations, leaders have focussed on ambitious housing solutions, funding envelopes, and decolonizing the field to address the fragile state of intervention for the unsheltered. 

During the pandemic, students and other Montrealers have come out in impressive numbers to fill in crucial gaps, notably through the provision of food on the weekends. Some have started to ask important questions about the role of shelters, showing up to support the Notre Dame campers who refused shelter solutions they critiqued as paternalistic and unsafe even as they were evicted by a demonstrably racist police force. A McGill original, Meals for Milton-Parc, has undertaken an ambitious program of distributing resources such as food, clothing, and menstrual hygiene products to the Inuit community on Milton and Parc as well as the First Nations individuals on the corner of Saint-Urbain and Sherbrooke. However, students newly looking to get involved may be much more effective agents of change by pressuring Quebec’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Health and Social Services—neither of which have acted quickly enough to set up supported social housing. Emphatically, having every well-intentioned citizen handing out meals alone is not an effective way to show up for the unsheltered. 

Activists would do well to heed trans activist, writer, and law professor Dean Spade’s warning in his 2020 essay, “Solidarity Not Charity,” in which he argues that activists must avoid self-congratulation and paternalism. Social justice can only be achieved by recognizing people’s dignity to direct their own path to improvement, and offering resources as a hand up, not a hand out. We should not assume people will be staying on the street forever and simply give them the socks, shelter beds, and granola bars they need to get through the day. Non-profits and engaged citizens alike must ask themselves where the line is between actually helping and simply using resources to pay salaries and feel good.

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