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Sports

Team building is essential to the success of first-year athletes

by Reza Ali on

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Team building is often regarded as trivial and little more than a way to “get to know people.” Sure, icebreakers can become repetitive, but there is a valid reason for the constant emphasis on team synergy, especially in sports. The reason is pretty simple: Teams that know and understand each other play better as a cohesive group.

However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, team building has become more difficult—trust falls cannot exactly be done over Zoom. As a result, 2020’s first-year athletes at McGill have been forced to find new ways to build the necessary bonds with their new teammates. Jamie Gunter, U0 Management, and goalkeeper for the McGill Men’s Varsity Soccer team says team bonding is one of the main reasons he reached out to the McGill men’s soccer this Fall.

“I emailed [Coach Mounicot] around the end of March,” Gunter said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “I had a friend of mine [that] I played with a couple [of] years ago who’s a year up and he’s on the team right now, so I just mentioned [in my email], ‘Hey I know someone on the team looking to try out’ and [Coach Mounicot] emailed back ‘Keep you posted.’” 

Gunter’s first practice was somewhat unconventional, as it was completely non-contact, but it was successful nonetheless. 

“I ended up emailing [Coach Mounicot] again to figure out what was happening, and he said, ‘We will actually be practicing, non-contact,’” Gunter said. “I ended up being given the okay to come and I went and practiced with them, and now we’re here.”

Gunter’s bond with a former teammate helped him in this case, but that bond was developed prior to their arrival at McGill. Monty Weatherall, U1 Arts and 2020’s RSEQ Men’s Rugby Rookie of the Year, emphasized the importance of team bonding, especially at McGill.

“Being part of the rugby team was so crucial to how I fit in here [at McGill],” Weatherall said in an interview with the Tribune. “I came from the UK and knew one person here, but except for that, I knew nobody. You come into the rugby team environment, and it’s the same with every sports team, and you go in there and you’ve instantly got 50 friends.”

The effects of Weatherall’s integration into the team were noticeable, as he was named not only RSEQ Men’s Rugby Rookie of the Year but was also one of four McGill rugby players to be named to the All-Star First Team.

“We have a great balance on the rugby team,” Weatherall said. “We performed really well, coming sixth in Nationals last year, and we also have a great social life in a normal year, going out and seeing each other.” 

Monty Weatherall playing Rugby for McGill University (McGill Athletics)

Being around like-minded teammates is something Sophia Monahan, U0 Arts, places great value in as a member of dance groups Mosaica and United Groove.

“Being around dancers who are just as passionate, but also have different inspirations [is my favourite part of dance],” Monahan said in an interview with the Tribune. “It’s really nice to be around people that are passionate about the same thing.” 

Monahan elaborated on the importance of shared experiences in dance, especially now with the added emotional and mental burden of virtual rehearsals. 

“I find [online rehearsals] a lot harder,” Monahan said. “The main aspect of [dance] is going into the studio and dancing with other people [….] Specifically, I find it a lot harder to remember my choreography when not in the studio.”

Sophia Monahan continues to practice dance, despite the closure of dance studios (Sophia Monahan)

First-year athletes need to foster new bonds between teammates, but with seasons being cancelled, this team building is becoming increasingly difficult. The success Gunter experienced with making the soccer team was the product of a bond formed on a previous team, and now Monahan is already noticing that the virtual nature of practices is making training more difficult. 

Some organizations, like the Varsity Council, have done their best to create solutions to this problem. However, replicating a normal first-year experience is difficult, and the results are understandably imperfect. Braden Tennill, U0 Engineering and pitcher for the men’s baseball team, explained the efforts his team has made to create bonding experiences.

“There’ve been a couple of varsity bonding events that [McGill Baseball] joined in on,” Tennill said in an interview with the Tribune. “[But as for] that formative experience of being a first-year on a sports team, I kind [of] don’t have it this year.”

The negative impacts of this loss for first-years is undeniable. Luckily, Weatherall’s experience from being on the team last year allows him to be a mentor for newcomers struggling to adapt. 

“We meet every other Monday for ‘Hat Monday’ on Zoom,” Weatherall said. “In a normal season, every Monday practice is a ‘Hat Monday’ where you turn up in a funny hat for practice. It’s super awesome as some people will turn up in crazy stuff.”

The men’s rugby team has made efforts to host activities to specifically welcome first-years. These traditions existed in the past, but have been adapted so they can be continued on biweekly Zoom meetings.

“We also have a tradition on the team that one first-year takes the role of ‘The Weatherman,’ so before every game they put out a weather report, and also the ‘Riddlemaster’ puts out a riddle,” Weatherall said. “We have people doing that again this year, but obviously they do it before our Zoom calls. Also, we have split ourselves in groups of six or seven for senior players making sure the younger lads, especially the first years in [residence], have someone to talk to. It’s like a buddy group, people checking in on each other making sure that everyone is coping with school and the red zone.” 

The rookie season plays a critical role for many athletes in finding their places within their team’s dynamic, but sports teams provide more than just exercise for athletes. 

“[The team is a] breath of fresh air from being stuck in your room doing school work,” Gunter said.

Tennill pointed to the communal aspect of baseball and the family that his team has become. 

“[My favorite part of the team is] having a group of people you can rely on at McGill.” 

Weatherall builds on Tennill’s sentiment, linking his team’s synergy specifically to their performance.

“Our togetherness definitely makes us pretty successful as a team,” Weatherall said. “When it comes down to it, we are all very willing to put our bodies on the line and fight for each other on the pitch.” 

Team building is critical to a team’s success. Having unquestionable trust in one’s teammates allows athletes to perform their best out on the pitch, in the dance studio, or anywhere in between. Despite the circumstances, sports teams at McGill are attempting to create healthy and cohesive team environments, especially with their new first years—a task that, however challenging, will be vital to their future success.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Our friend, Alex Trebek

by Matthew Molinaro on

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Every weekday at 7:30 p.m., Jeopardy!’s title credits flash across the television screen. Three contestants and a family friend walk out onto the floor to an enticing crescendo, their names announced by legendary narrator, Johnny Gilbert, as they receive a well-deserved standing ovation from the studio and at-home audiences. Half an hour later, viewers go their separate paths, feeling a bit better and richer than 30 minutes prior. On Nov. 8, 2020, the world said its final goodbye to the host of Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek.

At 80, Trebek died from complications of pancreatic cancer. A testament to his spirit, Trebek continued to film episodes two weeks up to his death, which will air until Christmas Day. Having spent 37 seasons as host, Trebek left his podium empty for the first time since Jeopardy’s revival in 1984. But Trebek was not just a game show host: He was devoted to life-long learning, and in this respect, he was in a league of his own.

Born in Sudbury, Ontario on July 22, 1940 to a Ukrainian father and Franco-Ontarian mother, Trebek grew up in a bilingual household. His Northern Ontario roots grounded him, instilling a hard-working mentality—a “Canadianness” he would later claim made him brave in the face of cancer. He graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy and with his heart set on a career in broadcast news. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was the  starting point for this dream: Here, Trebek hosted different shows, ranging from a teen music program, Music Hop, to covering curling and other sports. But it was on game shows that Trebek developed the passion that viewers know him by today. His Canadian trivia shows included Strategy, an afternoon program, and the classic high school competition, Reach for the Top. Over the next several years, he flourished, taking the reins of both American and Canadian quiz shows, and eventually landed his role as host of the newly revived Jeopardy!.

Jeopardy!’s concept is straightforward: Three contestants, three rounds; answer right, win money; answer wrong, lose money. Trebek, as host, read the answers and verified whether contestants were right or wrong in their questions. This simple concept made for an intriguing competition. Contestants like Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings, and James Holzhauer dominated the game. The first female winner of the Tournament of Champions, Rachael Schwartz, 20-time champion Julia Collins, and the first winner of both the Teachers’ Tournament and Tournament of Champions, Colby Burnett, changed public perceptions of who could compete in trivia. These contestants, among the plethora of Jeopardy!’s fantastic competitors, established personal bonds with Trebek, making the mid-round conversations during the show more entertaining. In fact, in his memoir, The Answer Is…, Trebek recalled having tears in his eyes seeing Jennings leave after his historic 74-game run.

In his 36 years, Trebek extended past the question-answer format. He was known to contribute comments after the questions and in discussion, adding his insights and connecting pieces of knowledge together. In doing so, Trebek pushed trivia beyond the sphere of right-or-wrong and into an interactive experience of sharing knowledge and learning from each other. His fashion became something of note, as he switched up his facial hair and wore consistently fantastic suit and tie combinations. His factual accuracy, due to his collaboration with researchers, mixed with his witty humour and ability to connect with people, made him into a beloved icon. Trebek embodied what Jeopardy! strived to do—favour the positives, emphasize the importance of knowledge, and have some fun along the way.

Alex Trebek’s graciousness, work ethic, and character were vital to generations of viewers. Trebek was never the star of the show, nor did he want to be; he was a friend who made us feel less alone in loving trivia. He was a champion of life-long learning and for that, the world is eternally grateful. 

Commentary, Opinion

Switch banks: It may save the planet

by Ellie Wand on

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The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) recently became Canada’s first major financial institution to refuse to invest in fossil fuel drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). RBC’s new policy comes after the U.S. government’s controversial decision to open some of the refuge for oil and gas development, to the objection of many environmental organizations.

RBC’s policy is a good one. Without drastic mitigation efforts, experts warn, climate change will become irreversible. Action needs to be taken soon, and banks, universities, and other corporations must do their part. Accordingly, corporations need to be held accountable, and students, in particular, can play a key role in this. Today’s students will be the next generation of employees and employers. At a crucial point in the climate crisis, they have the power to influence corporations’ policies—and it all comes down to where they put their money.

While RBC’s new policy is an important start, it does not appear to be particularly ground-breaking. The bank is not divesting from any of its current oil investments or refusing to invest in oil development in other locations. All RBC is doing is promising not to invest in drilling in the ANWR in the future. The policy, it seems, costs the bank very little. In fact, it may help them—it is good for public relations. RBC’s decision, therefore, is likely not a moral one, despite what the company might like the public to believe, but a strategic one. 

Still, RBC remains the first and only Canadian financial institution to publicly affirm it will not invest in oil and gas development in ANWR. Consumers ought to take note of this. In a capitalist society, one of the few things consumers have power over is which companies and businesses they support with their money. If consumers want to demonstrate that climate change is important to them, they need to support companies that reflect their values and, on the flip-side, refuse to support companies that do not. 

This strategy is behind many environmental and social movements, such as ethical veganism, the fair-trade movement, the push against anti-fast fashion, and the zero-waste campaign. If demand  decreases, companies are forced to take action to improve their practices. As a result of consumers’ boycotting products and companies that do not reflect their values, companies have made changes or have suffered as a result. There has been a rise in mainstream plant-based products, with popular fast-food chains now offering plant-based alternatives. Likewise, some restaurants and grocery stores now supply compostable bags, second-hand shopping has become popular, and, in the changing market, companies that have failed to adapt have suffered. Voting with dollars does affect change.

Students have a unique ability to create change. They have the drive: Generation Z—who make up 55 per cent of today’s university students—is more concerned with climate change than any previous generation. Students also have the means: Gen Z contributes $44 billion in annual purchasing power and is on track to become the largest generation of consumers. If students can carry this drive and concern over to their spending habits, then companies will be forced to take action if they wish to attract and maintain their business. 

At the university, Divest McGill has been demanding that the administration divest from fossil fuels since 2012. And just last year, students participated in the largest march in Quebec history to protest climate change. If McGill students can funnel this drive into another area where it counts—where they spend their money—then they have the power to enact meaningful change.   

Students should be aware of their power over the market, and ought to use it. This needs to extend to every institution that profits from their money, including banks. It is likely that RBC’s intentions behind their no-drilling policy are not as pure as they claim, but if their policy is supported, and it results in more business (and more profit), they may implement further climate-friendly policies in the future. This is capitalism—if it pays for a company to combat climate change, then the company is incentivised to do so.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

RIDM filmmakers return to their roots to heal wounds from the past

by Noma Mirny on

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This year, the Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) documentary film festival looks a little different. Tuning in from home, viewers pay for a pass to view a series of documentaries, running from Nov. 12 to Dec. 2. RIDM has curated a catalogue of eight distinct sections, each featuring 11 different films. Until Nov. 18, RIDM is streaming a set of three sections—“Disrupting History”, “Exploring Nature”, and “Seeking Communities”—each responding to different concerns of contemporary society. 

In the “Seeking Communities” section, three films in particular stood out as tender explorations of returning to one’s geographical and personal roots to gain a deeper understanding of one’s history and self.

Ndagukunda déjà dir. Sebastien Desrosiers and David Findlay

Sébastien Desrosiers and David Findlay’s Ndagukunda déja, translated as I love you still, is a beautiful ode to a Desrosiers family history and personal past. In the film, Desrosiers travels to Rwanda in an attempt to find his father, who disappeared from his life at a young age, and to understand the impact of the Rwandan Genocide on his life. Amidst the search for his father, he finds himself as well.

“My father wasn’t on Facebook nor in the yellow pages,” Desrosiers said. “So how do you go about finding him? This [was] a person who left no trace.” 

All Desrosiers knew was his father’s name. Light acoustics hum as the film opens in vibrant, gossamer shots of Rwanda, the camera following Desrosiers’ boyish gait down mud roads and up clay steps in the blooming of a yellow sun. There, Desrosiers rekindles his connection with estranged family, as they lead him through landmarks and recall the genocide that killed 45 members of his paternal family, forcing his father to migrate to Quebec. Ultimately, Ndagukunda déjà is a spectacular short film, with delicate, earnest cinematography, and a story of intergenerational healing after tragedy. The film touches every heart through its unshakeable belief in the power of unthreading the sutures of shared history.

In the Shadow of the Pines dir. Anne Koizumi 

In the Shadow of the Pines by Anne Koizumi is a masterfully crafted claymation film that packs a non-linear punch to the gut, as an eight-year-old Koizumi runs through a forest of mossy pines, asking for one more memory from a father no longer there. Ultimately, the film is an apology that Koizumi never got to make. 

Her father, a Japanese immigrant who worked as a janitor at her Canadian elementary school, made Koizumi feel ashamed as a child for their poverty and for reminding her of their Japanese identity. As an adult, Koizumi is able to contextualize her father’s difficulty of assimilation with his strenuous upbringing as a neglected child in Japan.

In the Shadow of the Pines explores similar themes as other selections in the “Seeking Communities” section. Notably, Koizumi and Desrosiers remember the embarrassment they felt as children about their parents. Both tried to ignore their fathers when they were younger, thinking that by acknowledging their fathers’ roles in their lives, they would have to come to terms with their “otherness” in their predominantly white, middle-class classrooms.

Monologues du Paon dir. Matthew Wolkow 

Matthew Wolkow’s Monologues du Paon (Peacock’s Monologues) is a love letter to two cities: Montreal and Lisbon. Through his care of carrier pigeons, Wolkow explores his relationship with his Portuguese neighbour Orlando, who immigrated to Quebec in 1960. Interspersing clips of the two cities, flying carrier pigeons, and tales of Portugese emigrants, Wolkow effortlessly crafts a semi-fantastical dialogue between tales of human and avian migration.

“One must sometimes go far in order to better return, to remember,” Wolkow said. “This attachment to their birthplace homing pigeons owe […] to their instinct [….] Every departure was not the object of arrival but of an eternal return.”

Arts & Entertainment, Books

Kasia Van Schaik’s literary talents bridge separate spheres

by Lowell Wolfe on

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Kasia Van Schaik, also known by her pen name Kasia Juno, is a McGill doctoral candidate whose work focusses on environmentalism, feminism, and physical spaces. Her writing has been featured in popular journals, including The Los Angeles Review of Books and The Best Canadian Poetry Anthology. Currently, Van Schaik straddles the line between academic and creative writing, simultaneously writing her dissertation on American postwar women writers and preparing a short story collection for publication, tentatively entitled We Have Never Lived on Earth. 

“I feel like my creative and my academic work are quite related,” Van Schaik said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “I do find [that] when I focus more on one, the other one suffers. So, at this moment, I just try to squeeze in the creative work where I can.”

In her upcoming collection, Van Schaik uses narrative structure to explore the connection between ecological change and human emotions. For instance, one story features a world threatened by the possibility of Montreal skyscrapers floating up the Saint Lawrence Seaway, while in another, women are legally prohibited from sitting in front of mirrors for more than 10 minutes. 

“Together, the stories in We Have Never Lived on Earth suggest that love, like water or oxygen, is a resource easily polluted by greed,” Van Schaik said. “Balancing hope, fear, and a nostalgia for the present, the stories in this collection portray [our] struggle to understand what it means to live on Earth.”

Ecological writing is not a novel topic for Schaik: Her poetry chapbook, Sea Burial Laws According to Country (2018), received the Mona Adilman Prize at McGill for the best collection of poems relating to environmental concerns and was adapted into a concert performed by the Montreal Music Labs in 2019.

“I’m really interested in defamiliarizing the everyday,” Van Schaik said. “Sea Burial Laws According to Country is made up of found poetry. I found certain sea burial laws from all over the world, and I’ve used those as prose poems throughout the book [….] I was interested in thinking about the arbitrariness of ocean borders, these huge bodies of water that we divide up, and [how] our different cultures have laws about how we interact with them.”

Van Schaik’s fascination with literature and writing began in her youth when she moved from her birthplace of South Africa to Western Canada.

“I’ve always loved reading,” Van Schaik said. “I remember being a total bookworm when I was a kid. You know how it is when you move somewhere new, it takes a while to get to know people and to know a culture. For a while, I built my world in books.”

Van Schaik’s literary passions continued into her post-secondary education. While at Concordia University, her short story, “The Fox,” won the Quebec Writers’ Federation Short Story Prize in 2009. The story’s publication helped her realize how her work had the potential to reach and affect a wider audience.

“There’s something magical about that process, something inside you, your perceptions and ways of seeing the world, and then it’s on a page and other people are able to see the world in the same way,” Van Shaik said. “After that [story], I took writing more seriously and did an M.A. in English and Creative Writing [at the University of Toronto] and decided to pursue that in quite a more formal way.”

As a member of Poetry Matters, a university-based group that facilitates workshops and conversations surrounding poetry, and as a teaching assistant at McGill, Van Schaik encourages students and writers to embrace self-expression and appreciate art.

“I really think that learning how to observe the world around us, both in a political and a creative way, is another way to engage,” Van Schaik said. “Whether it means writing about it, singing about it, or creating art in some other way, for me, the most important thing is to teach myself to listen and to perceive and to see the world around me and to find what is unique and beautiful.”

 

Student Life

McGill’s Indian Student Association moves Diwali celebrations online

by ET Wu on

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Diwali, the festival of lights, is a major cultural event for Indian communities around the world. During the five-day celebration, families illuminate their households with oil lamps and candles and come together to worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Traditionally, the McGill Indian Student Association (ISA) would host a Diwali party as a means to kick off the Indian New Year. The event is important to McGill’s Indian community, and the inability to host an in-person gathering is undoubtedly a major disappointment. Starting on Nov. 8, the ISA began hosting a week of virtual events to bring people together despite the physical setbacks.

Sannah Ratra, U2 Arts and ISA Vice-President Communications, commented on the importance of Diwali as a social event that connects those who celebrate it. For university students who have moved away from their families, the virtual event provided a unique opportunity to embrace their culture with new people. 

“Diwali to us means celebration and time with our loved ones,” Ratra wrote in a message to The McGill Tribune. “Even though most of us are so far away from home, we have tried to make our members feel closer to home by hosting these events.”

The ISA faced a new set of challenges while attempting to offer the full experience of Diwali virtually. Crucially, they considered time zones and Zoom fatigue in their decision to break up what is usually a longer event.

“This year we decided to host [a] Diwali week where we had a bunch of events all through the week,” Ratra said. “We started on Sunday with Bollywood Trivia on Zoom, we had ‘Cook with ISA’ on Monday on Zoom where we made chickpea curry (Chole) and Rasmalai shots. On Tuesday we had a live Zoom where we did a Bhangra workshop and today [Nov. 13] we hosted a Yoga workshop also through Zoom.”

The ISA’s virtual celebration for Diwali provided an impressive range of activities to make students feel welcome, especially as many Indian students can feel homesick during this time of the year. Notably, the decision to include a cooking workshop as a part of their itinerary was true to the traditions of the festival and gave students a chance to enjoy the food they may have eaten at home with their loved ones. A Diwali celebration by tradition involves family feasts, and any Diwali week would not have been complete without a warm meal. 

The Bhangra workshop was similarly important because Bhangra, a traditional form of dance popular in India, is an integral part of Indian party culture. The workshop reminded students of the energy of an in-person party and also gave participants a chance to blow off steam and move their bodies. With prolonged hours spent indoors, a few minutes dedicated to moving around can be a good way to relieve stress and bring joy. This is especially important for students during Diwali as no New Year’s celebration feels complete without dancing among friends and family. The ISA did a great job in bringing together the Indian community at McGill, giving students the opportunity to start the new year with some new friends. 

The ISA has shown that even though students may be far apart during these difficult times, we can be close together in spirit. The virtual Diwali celebration was a stellar example of maintaining unity during the holidays, despite the tough circumstances.

Photos of the event can be found on the ISA’s instagram page (@isamcgillu). 

Student Life

How to combat digital eye strain

by Josephine Wang on

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With the new reality of remote learning, many students are constantly staring at screens. Spending the day focussed on Zoom classes and meetings may leave some students feeling extra tired or dizzy. Although extended use of digital devices will not permanently damage your eyes, they can still cause bothersome symptoms such as eye discomfort, blurred vision, headaches, and difficulty sleeping. Digital eye strain is a common condition which has been exacerbated with the recent uptick in remote school and work. Thankfully, simple changes to your work station and daily habits can have small but impactful effects on your eye health. 

Below, The McGill Tribune has compiled some simple ways to relieve digital eye strain. However, prolonged eye strain may be a sign of something more serious that should be discussed with an ophthalmologist.

Correct positioning

The top of the computer screen should be at eye level. Additionally, the screen should be placed approximately an arm’s length away from one’s face to protect the eyes and alleviate neck and shoulder pain: Placing a laptop a comfortable distance away minimizes eye strain and allows your entire screen to be viewed without head and neck twisting. If possible, the screen should be slightly tilted back to avoid glare from ceiling lights, as too much glare can make it difficult to see objects on your laptop. Glare can also be reduced by placing blinds over nearby windows or installing an anti-glare screen on the display. 

Adjust your settings

Changes in brightness, text size, and colour temperature can make a world of difference. Try adjusting screen brightness to be approximately the same brightness as the surrounding workstation. Turning down the brightness level of screens reduces exposure to blue light, especially during the night. When reading or writing long documents, increase the text size and keep contrast moderate to avoid eye strain. Lastly, reduce the screen’s colour temperature to lower blue light emission for better long-term viewing comfort. 

Blink more

One simple way to minimize eye problems is by blinking more frequently. When staring at a screen, people tend to blink only half as much as normal, which can lead to evaporative dry eyes. Blinking helps to flush the eyes in their natural fluids. Another option is to use moisturizing eye drops to refresh the eyes when they feel dry. 

20-20-20

Taking breaks from staring at a screen is important. One trick is to keep in mind the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, try looking at something 20 feet away for a minimum of 20 seconds. It is also recommended to take more extended breaks from digital devices. Every two hours, take a longer 15 minute break and set a recurrent timer as a reminder of when to look away.

Night mode

It is well known that digital devices emit blue light, which is linked to poor sleep quality. Although blue light is not damaging to the eyes, it suppresses melatonin, a hormone that influences circadian rhythms and helps you sleep. Consider turning on night mode on devices in the evening to decrease the blue light exposure. Switching off devices one hour before going to bed or wearing glasses with a blue light-blocking filter are also good options for reducing blue light exposure. 

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Femme Fatale demonstrates the resilience of femme-identifying filmmakers

by Erika MacKenzie on

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From narrative films to political documentaries to abstract and surrealist productions, the Femme Fatale Film Festival has something for every type of film lover. The festival offers young women and femme-identifying filmmakers a means to showcase their work in an inclusive and empowering space. 

Festival director Astrid Mohr, U2 Arts, explained that in her final year at Etobicoke School of the Arts, she envisioned starting a film festival designed for femme-identifying and women filmmakers as her final project for an Arts Management course. Mohr spoke with //The McGill Tribune// about how Femme Fatale started and grew since its conception in 2018. 

“I remember being in grade 12 […] and [feeling] that there weren’t a lot of spaces for women to gather in film,” Mohr said. “I wanted to create a space where women could […] celebrate each other’s work [….] We held [the first festival] at the Revue [cinema] in Toronto [and] it was mostly films from other filmmakers at the school. The first year, we had like maybe 35 people come.” 

Since its first year, Femme Fatale has grown and expanded its film submissions beyond Mohr’s high school. Mohr explained that she had plans to sell out the Revue and host an after-party for this year’s festival, but the pandemic forced her to shift course. Despite the drawbacks of hosting the festival online, Mohr described the shift as a blessing in disguise as it allowed her to expand Femme Fatale’s scope. By collecting submissions online through FilmFreeway, Femme Fatale received over 1,700 submissions from filmmakers across the globe. 

“When I first realized we wouldn’t be able to host it in person, I was pretty down about that, especially because I […] want to build a community and being able to physically gather in a space […] feels so important to that,” Mohr said. “But I realized [that] it’s more [about] having people in conversation with each other.”

By hosting a virtual after-party with the film directors, Mohr explained that her team could engage with the filmmakers more closely than in previous years. Mohr also started a podcast to increase Femme Fatale’s year-round programing. 

“I’ve been interviewing female filmmakers,” Mohr said. “I think that was something we wouldn’t have done if we didn’t have this […] online platform [….] I’m really grateful to be able to have those conversations with all of those ladies because they are all just fascinating and super talented people.” 

Mohr also discussed the effect that the pandemic has had on the topics filmmakers decide to explore.

“For some people, it [felt] like documentaries [became] so much more relevant because it feels really important to document the world right now,” Mohr said. “For some […] it makes so much more sense to do something completely fantastical and separate from everything that’s going on. ”

Italian filmmaker Livia Oya Proto directed a short called //Mutations// for the festival, which followed a woman living alone in her apartment during the COVID-19 lockdown. Other highlights from the festival included a satirical short by Canadian filmmaker Céline Floyd called //Museum,// which commented on rape culture by walking the viewer through various stereotypical scenes of gendered sexual harassment. In their film, //Outgrowing my shoes//, directors Grace Conley and Kaya Trefz highlighted the experience of a young woman growing up and learning how to say goodbye to childhood without completely abandoning the lessons it taught her. 

Although this year has certainly had its fair share of challenges, Femme Fatale demonstrates that creatives are resilient and willing to adapt to the new circumstances by continuing to use their craft to bring people joy and entertainment. The festival offers women and femme-identifying filmmakers a space to showcase their work for a wide audience and discuss their experiences in the film industry. 

McGill, News

Senate and BoG discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the McGill community

by Ronny Litvack-Katzman on

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McGill’s annual joint Senate and Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, which took place virtually on Nov. 12, addressed the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and future challenges of remote learning and in-person instruction. 

Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier began the meeting by acknowledging the toll that the pandemic and the transition to online classes has taken on McGill’s sense of community. 

“It has been eight months to the day since we had to restrict access to our campus,” Fortier said.  “There has been a tremendous effort given to that task by everybody at the university […] to help us achieve our academic mission despite this very large crisis.”

After her opening remarks, Fortier yielded the discussion to Dr. Timothy Evans, director of the School of Population and Global Health, who presented an update on the state of COVID-19 in Canada and the work of McGill scientists in combatting the pandemic. Evans speculated that a vaccine for COVID-19 may become available sometime in 2021 and discussed its implications for teaching, such as the possible return of in-person classes. Evans pointed to other schools, such as Tufts University in Massachusetts, that have remained open despite pandemic restrictions on large gatherings. 

“What they have done, in a very remarkable way, is create a testing system that will keep on top of the situation on their campus and allow them to remain open without jeopardizing the safety of their students or staff,” Evans said. 

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Arts and Science senator drew attention to Concordia and other Canadian universities’ decisions to extend winter break amidst growing student concerns about academic burnout. The Arts and Science senator questioned Associate Provost (Teaching and Academic Programs) Christopher Buddle on whether the administration is considering such measures given that McGill’s winter 2020 holiday is four days shorter than previous years.  

“Although it seems like a fairly simple decision […] to extend the start of the winter term, as you may have realized, the Concordia situation means that students will be studying into May, which has other implications [for] the end [of the school year],” Buddle said. “It takes time to look into this. It is not something that we can decide or make decisions on quickly […], and we [first] have to look at all the factors.” 

Following a short open question period, senators and Board members moved into breakout rooms where each group was tasked with summarizing the semester’s successes and challenges and speculating on issues that may arise in the long term.

Arts Senator Darshan Daryanani commented that the pandemic warrants greater attention to addressing McGill’s history of failing to provide adequate mental health services to their students. 

“COVID-19 has really proven the inequities [students face] and exacerbated them when we think about learning,” Daryanani said. “One of the key challenges is students’ mental health. I think McGill really needs to step up when thinking about student’s mental health. You say, ‘Zoom fatigue is a real thing,’ but the solutions are slightly lacking from the students’ perspective.” 

Daryanani expressed his concerns about the impact of the online winter semester on student enrollment numbers. 

“We need to be aware that our [enrollment] number may decrease for the coming term,” Daryanani said. “This semester, it was very sudden for many students to say ‘yes, I’m willing to take an online class even though it is my final year’ […], but I think moving forward, students will reconsider these opportunities.” 

Moment of the meeting:

Principal Fortier quoted Winston Churchill, the wartime prime minister of the United Kingdom, who said that one should “never let a good crisis go to waste.” It appears that Fortier was referring to the pandemic and how McGill may use the crisis to take stock of necessary institutional changes. 

Sound bite: 

“There are many stakeholders, and everyone is working in good faith. I think tensions can be high, and people can be quick to judge, but we need to remember that people are doing the best they can.” — Associate Provost (Teaching and Academic Programs) Christopher Buddle 

Sports

The wild world of the balisong

by Zoe Babad-Palmer on

More in Sports:

The terms “bite handle,” “live blade,” “aerials,” “Loctite,” or “Squid Industries” mean very little to most people. For enthusiasts of balisong—the art of manipulating butterfly knives in different tricks and combinations—however, they are key vocabulary.

A butterfly knife, also known as a balisong or a Batangas knife, is a folding knife with two handles that can be rotated around to open and close. Balisongs originated in the Philippines, with versions of butterfly knives also existing in France for centuries. “Live” butterfly knives, or butterfly knives with sharp blades, hold varying legal statuses around the world: Some regions restrict ownership depending on the length of the blade, or allow collecting but not carrying. All live-bladed butterfly knives are prohibited in Canada. Instead, Canadian balisong enthusiasts use “trainers,” which are blunted or plastic butterfly knives, and are completely legal. 

While people have been flipping butterfly knives for centuries, the sport only began to develop in the 21st century. Informal competitions among friends took place at knife shows like BLADE Show West in Oregon, which hosted its first live competition, the Bali Royal Showdown, in 2017.

Corbin Lovins, 2019 Bali Comp Champion, started taking flipping seriously in 2016 and has watched the competition scene grow since then.

“When I first got on the scene of flipping in 2016, competitions were strictly online,” Lovins wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “The online forums often had battles as well as the Facebook group [Balisong Flippers And Butterfly Knives] having Fliptober. Every year now it seems we have more competitions popping up.”

Lovins’s favorite part of competitions and the world of butterfly knives is the community he has found there.

“I fell in love with the community, the competitions, the constant progression [and] the [camaraderie] before the competition,” Lovins wrote. “[I have a] love of knives to where I have started to make my own. Every flipper [comes] together bonded by one interest: Balisongs.”

I first started flipping in the summer of 2019, when I stumbled across some YouTube tutorials. I ordered a cheap trainer, watched more videos, and immediately started practicing when it arrived. My knuckles quickly blistered from using improper form in vertical openings, I accidentally flung the trainer across the room trying to do fans, and I drove my parents crazy flipping at all hours. In short, I was hooked.

When purchasing new equipment, I stick with trainers even though butterfly knives are legal in my home state of New York because I’m not comfortable switching to the live blades—something very few people in the community judge me for. I absentmindedly practice my thumb rollovers and full twirls in Zoom lectures. I am by no means a naturally coordinated person, so landing my first basic aerial after working on it for hours was immensely satisfying and exhilarating.

Although I am an amateur flipper and have never been to a blade show or entered a competition, I’ve found the same community online. Experienced flippers are happy to give advice on which trainer to buy, applaud beginners’ first tricks, and commiserate over injuries acquired. The “gore” tag of the balisong subreddit is not for the faint of heart.

YouTube is a great place to start for anyone interested in balisongs. When learning how to flip, committing to tricks is crucial—hesitation is the best way to mess up. Lovins also suggests that beginners get involved in the community.

“Just sit back [and] learn the craft from the people who you notice are in that top tier division of flippers,” Lovins wrote. “Asking questions isn’t bad. Most [flippers] are always willing to answer questions and help you learn the art we have such a passion for.”

Balisong flipping truly is an art, and people who can overcome the initial intimidation of flipping around a knife for fun will discover just how captivating it can be.

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