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Off the Board, Opinion

Infected with hate

by Winnie Lin, Design Editor on

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During the first week of March, I got into a taxi on my way to meet some friends in LaSalle and started to chat with the driver. I found out that he was originally from Iran, and I asked how bad the COVID-19 outbreak would be in Canada. He told me that he predicted high numbers and many deaths.

As of April 6, the total number of cases worldwide is nearly 1.3 million, and Iran alone has seen over 60,000 cases. The total deaths in Iran have reached over 3,000; the taxi driver was right. 

Due to the ever-increasing number of cases and deaths, people are told to stay at home to ‘flatten the curve.’ Social distancing is a practice that hopes to slow the escalation of cases beyond what the health care system is able to handle. Limiting contact with one another for a few weeks, in theory, keeps the infection trajectory to a rate that hospitals can handle. Fear has been used by governments and the media as a tactic to get the public to understand the gravity of the situation and the importance of ‘social distancing,’ more recently known as ‘physical distancing’ due to the effects of social isolation on mental health.

However, as a Chinese-Canadian, I’m afraid to go outside not for fear of contracting the virus, but for fear of racist encounters. There have been several local examples of anti-Asian racism in the last several weeks: the racially motivated stabbings of two Korean men in Montreal, the robbing of a Korean restaurant in Montreal, and repeated vandalization of statues in Montreal’s Chinatown. The virus does not discriminate in whom it infects; on the other hand, these instances all felt far too personal. In late February, an elderly lady told me to ‘put on a damn mask’ as she walked by me in the aisle of a Jean Coutu. It was not the most devastating interaction that I could have had, but I am nonetheless afraid to leave the house sometimes, let alone go to grocery stores or pharmacies, because this pandemic, and this racism, is all really happening.

Today I thought, ‘I cannot wait for things to return to normal.’ But, I also realized that my weird feeling of guilt about being someone of Chinese origin had been around even before the COVID-19 pandemic. On the topic of COVID-19, there has been speculation that China’s reported number of cases during the outbreak may not be legitimate. After reading about this, I thought that the Chinese government might actually be covering up their actual number of cases for COVID-19, in fact, I would not find it surprising if they were. Government officials from the US as well as the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have expressed doubt and anger at the Chinese government. 

Regardless of the legitimacy of China’s figures, it scares me that the rapidly growing number of cases and deaths are contributing to international tensions and tearing people apart, rather than bringing them together. Circumstances are bleak right now. People are forbidden to visit their family members who are dying in isolation. Medical professionals are burnt out and scared. Meanwhile, people are losing their jobs and their livelihoods. International politics, though important, should not be a focus right now. Instead, we should be coming together—while maintaining a two-metre distance.

I have always had conflicting feelings as a first-generation Chinese immigrant living in a Western society that spoon-feeds its people propaganda against the Chinese government. It is sometimes difficult for me to maintain an objective view of politics and cultural trends. I often forget that the government of a nation does not represent the people of that country. In those times, I am riddled with guilt about something that doesn’t have anything to do with me or my family or the majority of Chinese people. But somehow after reading one too many articles or headlines, I forget that we are not responsible. I think that it is important to keep that as a reminder to all, so that fewer innocent people get hurt. So that people, like myself or my Taxi driver, aren’t afraid to leave our houses. We are losing enough people to this pandemic; we do not need to lose more to racist and divisive ideologies.

Editorial, Opinion

McGill must move carefully into the digital world

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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McGill students’ lives are shifting entirely online. April 3 marks the end of the first week of classes since the university made course instruction remote. McGill administrators are attempting to provide uniformity to students in all faculties, but even so, professors have been left largely to their own devices in terms of how to approach this transition. While the administration has been confident about the efficacy of the shift in their emails to the student body, McGill students have had varying experiences with remote instruction so far. In addition, many other aspects of students’ lives—such as socializing and basic errands—have either halted or been forced to adapt to less-than-ideal circumstances over the last several weeks. Crucial resources like therapy and simple tasks like going to the grocery store have all been disrupted by COVID-19. Many McGill students are finding that, in being forced to adapt to entirely new modes of learning and living while managing the stress caused by the pandemic, they are struggling to keep up with their responsibilities, academic and otherwise. With this in mind, it is crucial that McGill’s administration and professors continue to be understanding, practice leniency, and provide resources for the student body while it undergoes an entirely unprecedented series of events. 

McGill’s decision to allow students to exercise a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) option for all classes is warranted and the administration should be commended for it. Further, it was appropriate for McGill to entirely shut down over two weeks so that they could properly assess how to move forward, yet it is imperative that professors acknowledge the circumstances that the closure has created. Students were discouraged from preparing assignments during this time, and even though professors had been allowed to maintain deadlines, these weeks were a crucial period for students to take a break from school work in order to commit mental energy to adapting to new circumstances caused by the pandemic. The return to class should not involve professors simply taking four weeks of material, work, and lectures and squeezing it into the final two weeks of the semester. While an imperfect solution, if professors need to cut material from their syllabi in order to refrain from overwhelming students, they should do so, even with the S/U option in mind. 

The McGill administration, in continuing to decide how the semester will proceed, should recognize that professors are being put in an extremely difficult situation, often lacking the infrastructure or expertise to quickly move classes online. Professors, in turn, should recognize the position in which this puts students. Zoom, as ubiquitous as it has become, is an imperfect piece of software and can be accompanied by a range of technical difficulties. In addition, it must be noted that moving away from in-person instruction, while a difficult change for all students, is particularly devastating for students without a reliable internet connection or who learn most effectively in a classroom setting. In addition, much of the burden of shifting toward remote instruction has also been placed on Teaching Assistants, creating an increased academic workload for individuals who may be experiencing stress for other reasons related to the pandemic. The administration and professors should be cognizant of this reality. 

While students are confronting this litany of changes in their academic lives, they face other challenges as well. Some students may be dealing with family members or friends who have contracted the disease, or engaging in more extreme quarantining measures because they are at higher risk. This is also a time during which challenges with mental health are being exacerbated, and unfortunately, resources for such challenges are much harder to access. At this time, McGill’s Wellness Hub is not accepting any new clients. That being said, thus far the administration has made concerted efforts to make online mental health resources available. McGill should continue to do everything in its power to make sure these services are accessible to its students remotely. Professors too, should take specific note of circumstances causing anxiety or stress when considering student requests for extensions or alterations to assignments. 

Finally, McGill students should seek to shift their expectations of their own productivity. We must be gentle with ourselves when things are not going how we would like them to be, primarily because we are in the midst of a contemporarily unrivaled global pandemic. Students should try to do things that offer them structure over the course of days and weeks which would otherwise blend together. In addition, so many facets of students’ lives are now exclusively accessible through a laptop that it may be necessary to schedule breaks from being digitally immersed throughout the day. Moving away from screen-time for a set number of hours a day can not only benefit one’s physical health, it removes one from the perpetual cycle of news related to COVID-19 which can be anxiety inducing. Stress may be an inevitable consequence of moving into a digitally-oriented world, but McGill students can make use of the resources available to them and their existing networks of support in order to mitigate the effects as much as possible.

Features, Joke

Textual schedule builder

by Gabe Nisker on

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Frankly, planning the perfect schedule is no joke. When I need to choose my classes for the school year (and I always know when this is; it’s in my calendar), I really, really need to weigh out my options. I log onto Visual Schedule Builder and I begin to optimize my schedule. I think through all of my choices very seriously. I have to. Because, as you, I, and Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier all know, education is no laughing matter.

 

Joke, Sports

McGill athletes victorious in sporting competition

by Baz Kitball on

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The McGill Sportspeople (4–11) prevailed over cross-town rivals UdeQÀM (50–1) by quite a bit at the Sporting Event on April 1.

The first fraction of the game was marked by tension and excitement as players on both teams made plays. While McGill initially struggled to gain momentum, their star-studded offensive lineup pushed a full-court press in the later minutes and ultimately knocked one out of the park. 

“When you get a touchdown, there’s nothing like it,” Sportspeople captain Pitch Wilder said. “The key was making sure our ball movement was going in the right direction.”

The intensity increased as the game neared its end, with UdeQÀM closing the gap. Despite their best efforts, however, a buzzer-beating wicket from McGill ended the game in the Sportspeople’s favour.

“We went out there and gave 110 per cent,” Guy Baller, captain of the UdeQÀM team, said. “Our coach has been involved in the direction, instruction, and training of the operations of our team. Next time, we’re just going to have to focus on scoring a different number of points.”

Sportspeople Head Coach Fabreeze LaCroix was pleased with McGill’s performance.

“Our team did good athletics today,” LaCroix said. “Now it’s all about keeping that momentum through the season and making it to the playoffs.”

McGill’s fans were pleased, too, and expressed their enjoyment of watching them do sports.

“I enjoy watching them do sports,” Chase McMan, U0 Engineering and event attendee, said.

The Sportspeople next play on April 14, when they’ll take on their cross-town rivals, the Concordia Dropouts.

Joke, News

McGill’s downtown campus declared national park to protect local seagull and squirrel population

by Delphine Polidori on

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Following the McGill administration’s closure of campus until May 1 as a result of directives of the provincial government regarding limiting the spread of COVID-19, the McGill community was forbidden from gathering on the university’s grounds. 

Overnight, the McGill campus was devoid of its human population, who turned to Zoom’s backdrop feature to experience Canada’s vast and beautiful landscapes. Yet, not all of the campus’s inhabitants abandoned the McLennan-Redpath complex. Instead, the Milton-Parc community could suddenly hear a beautiful symphony of screeching seagulls, and no longer needed their alarm clocks to wake up. 

The seagulls, local to the area, have had their beaks set on McGill’s downtown campus for a while, but the university’s large student population had, until now, made it very difficult for them to settle undisturbed. The seagulls were also inconvenienced by the squirrel population living on campus, who were always first to get students’ leftover food from the trash and dig up sweet finds from Lower Field. 

“The amount of laptop-carrying douchebags criss-crossing the Y intersection made living here unbearable,” Steven Seagull said. “Don’t even get me started on how those thicc [sic] squirrels would get to the thrown out bahn mis and Four Loko cans before any of us could.”

Finally, on March 23, this phenomenon came to the attention of Associate Provost Christopher Buddle as he was filming content for his vlog series, available soon on Hulu and Netflix. Soon after, Buddle notified Parks Canada of the urgent need to protect these rare local species. 

“I was astonished to find out that such a peaceful green space existed in the heart of downtown Montreal, with no human disturbances or noise pollution,” Jessica Gray, Environmental Assessment Scientist for Parks Canada, wrote to The McGill Tribune. “While the circumstances surrounding this newly fallow land are not to be overlooked, it is a delight that we could finally find a home for our locally endangered species.”

On March 27, McGill’s downtown campus was officially declared an urban national park to safeguard the well-being of the local seagulls and squirrels, who can be seen enjoying themselves on the vast playground, and even engaging in some riveting quidditch games on Lower Field. 

Others, however, were disappointed to learn of Parks Canada’s decision to prioritize the needs of these wild species, over that of their own. Milton-Parc’s dogs had been lobbying the McGill administration for years to turn Lower Field into a dog park. 

“My parents and I have unfortunately been living in that neighborhood with all the wannabe frat boys for 10 years,” Confiture, a local celebrity dog, told the Tribune. “Every evening, we walk through this pseudo-Hogwarts scenery and make our way to Lower Field. But every winter, this big ol’ ice rink gets built and I only have half of the field to run on. I know that Mont Royal is close by, but with my old age, I can’t bear to walk uphill. But now that McGill’s campus is a national urban park prohibited to pets, I’ll have nowhere accessible to get some exercise in.”

Entry to the McGill National Park, formerly known as the McGill downtown campus, costs $5 for members of the McGill community, though only transactions with One Card are accepted, and $20 for non-members. Only five people at a time are allowed to visit the park to respect both social distancing rules and the precious species who have permanently moved in.

Horoscopes, Joke, Student Life

Horoscopes for the week of March 29 to April 4, 2020

by Callum Sheedy on

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Good tidings to you, reader. I hope my greetings find you well. In these strange times we all need a little reassurance to help us keep going. I will remind you that there is indeed a tomorrow, and that tomorrow brings new and exciting challenges and experiences for us, even in the face of self-isolation. After much astrological contemplation, this is what’s in store for you this week.

Aries

A wild goose chase is on the horizon for you, where your skills of agility, quick-thinking, and seduction will be tested by your distrustful neighbour, Caruthers. Good luck.

 

 

 

 

Taurus 

A special someone is right around the corner, and you’ll be surprised to discover Valentine’s Day has come late for you this year. Unfortunately, it has been further postponed due to the current pandemic.

 

Gemini 

As a Gemini, your weakness for amphibians will become your strength after you are appointed a high-ranking Canadian military officer to help ward off an unexpected frog invasion. Channel your fear into inner rage as those ferocious animals invade the shores of Vancouver.

 

Cancer

Your strong sixth-sense will be a source of ‘I-told-you-so’ satisfaction to everyone who doubted your previous warnings of the impending frog invasion. (See Gemini.)

 

 

Leo 

Be bold this week. Don’t be afraid to invoke your inner Kirby as you unhinge your jaw and mouth-hoover your dropped Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme from the floor of your kitchen.

 

Virgo 

During these strange times, resist your usual urges to pilot shipping boats off the ports of Montreal a little longer. Your ideal time to strike is right around the corner.

 

 

Libra

Make peace your enemy this week and declare war on your roommates for their blatant disrespect of your sexy little sundress.

 

 

 

Scorpio

Take note of when your peers let their guards down, as it will be the perfect time to recruit them to your 30-person ska band, affectionately known as The Planet Crushers.

 

Sagittarius 

Dear Sagittarius reader (if you are not a Sagittarius please stop reading now), I know this is odd, but I believe I may be your father. Please reach out to me by mail, fax, or email me at avrillavignefan@aol.com.

 

Capricorn 

Suspense and intensity come your way this week when you have a showdown with the mouse that lives in your apartment. Don’t let your typical arrogance and hot-headedness get the best of you, as this will put you at a disadvantage against the mouse’s use of a .38 Special.

 

 

Aquarius

You live in the vibe economy, and the next time you vibe check, prices will be plummeting. Keep this in mind when looking for future vibortunities (vibe opportunities) this coming quarter.

 

Pisces 

You are a conniving little twerp with nothing but evil in your blood, which is why all your friends and coworkers will be surprised when you selflessly donate your life savings to Chiquita Banana.

(Image credits: Winnie Lin)

Features

Do it yourself, together

by Miguel Principe on

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There’s no place like home, especially when you’re too young to go to any music venues. This is often the case with punk and its associated DIY scene, where many of their musicians and fans are teenagers and young adults. In places with bustling DIY scenes like Boston or Philadelphia, most music venues are 21-plus, for liquor licencing reasons. Therefore, the house show is the MacGyvered way for young musicians to share their music. For those under-21, the house show monopolizes their music scene because it is the only place to enjoy music in a collective space. But, what makes Montreal’s DIY scene unique is that established venues are relatively relaxed when it comes to fostering the youth subcultures of the city. Furthermore, the young are less isolated from its older and more established counterparts, allowing for a closer connection between the generations within the scene. David Mitchell, the vocalist and bassist of local band Gulfer, recalls how he started out in the DIY spaces nearly 15 years ago.

Martlets, Men's Varsity, Sports

Coaches are key to athletes’ holistic success

by Sarah Farnand on

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Coaches, for better or worse, can change not only an athlete’s career, but their entire life. This is especially true for university athletes, who experience a major period of mental and social development in their lives while also competing for titles and championships. Balancing athletics with academic and social demands can be challenging, so the bond between an athlete and their coach is a vital one. Having someone who understands that there will be ups and downs in their sport, and their life in general, can be crucial for an athlete’s overall success. 

Many student athletes think that coming to university will mean a dramatic shift in their relationships with coaching staff, as university rosters tend to be much larger than those of high school teams. Intuitively, one might think that smaller rosters help facilitate stronger relationships between players and coaches. However, fifth-year middle blocker for Martlet Volleyball Myriam Robitaille explained that this was not the case when she arrived at McGill. 

“I thought [that] with the bigger group it would [feel more isolated], [but] I found the opposite,” Robitaille said. “Coming to university, […] what I [actually found] was another family here.” 

As any McGill student can tell you, the academic workload of university is much greater than that of high school. For athletes, this work comes on top of hours of practicing their sport, lifting weights, and extra conditioning, as well as travelling for games and tournaments, all of which can be stressful. Having to balance athletics and academics can make being a university athlete more challenging than being a professional athlete in some respects. 

“I played one year of [professional volleyball] last year,” Robitaille said. ”You only have [volleyball]. You only have to focus on training, eating well, and sleeping well. At university, it is the opposite. [It is] the most busy schedule you will [have] in your life.” 

Thus, having a coach who understands that you have a life outside of sports is important. Robitaille believes that Martlet Volleyball Head Coach Rachèle Béliveau is a perfect example. 

“I have an excellent relationship with Rachèle, and she is like a second mother to me,” Robitaille said. “I know [that] sometimes I [would be] overwhelmed and [need] more time to study, and she [would say], ‘Go home, study, and take the time to catch up and come to practice tomorrow or next week.’ When [I] felt very [overwhelmed] with school, she was so relaxed with it and so encouraging, which would take a lot of pressure off.”

While a good coach supports their athletes in all aspects of life, their primary job is to help athletes develop their skills. Personal growth, both as athletes and people, go hand-in-hand, however, as McGill Swimming Head Coach Peter Carpenter exemplifies. First-year swimmer Daphne Danyluk described the impact her coach has had on her performance.

“He has definitely changed me as an athlete,” Danyluk said. “I used to be very anxious about my [performance], which obviously did not lead to the […] results that I wanted. He helped me to have fun and enjoy the sport once again.” 

Third-year forward for Martlet Soccer Giovanna Tiberio changed positions after coming to McGill. She explained that her coaches helped her thrive as a forward and realize the impact that her emotions had on her performance. 

“It is not even funny how [much] my coaches have moulded me as a player,” Tiberio said. “I went from nothing to scoring multiple goals, receiving [MVP] of the game [awards], making an all-star team, and, more importantly, just being happy, […] comfortable, confident, and important when I stepped [onto] that field.”

University-level athletes spend an immense amount of time dedicated to their sport, and in doing so, they must make difficult sacrifices. Because of this, it is essential that they have mutual trust with their coaches.

“You spend up to five years competing for the university,” Danyluk said. “It is quite [a] long [time], so it’s good to have a good relationship between everyone on the team, including the coaches. I talk about my objectives and goals to my coach, but also I can talk to my coach about injuries or school problems, and it’s good to have someone who understands and is willing to help.” 

Good coaches are also good listeners. They understand that all their athletes train differently and require different attention. 

“A good coach would be someone who deals with everybody according to their individual goals,” Danyluk said. “Everyone has different objectives and goals in their sports, and that’s okay.” 

Since many coaches at McGill have worked with a wide array of athletes over their tenures, they are able to understand and adapt to different types of learning styles and circumstances. For student athletes who are moving away from home for the first time, their coach fills the position of a mentor figure who they can depend on, where family members or teachers may have served before. The acts of mentorship from coaches often go well beyond the court or field as well, as coaches can provide important support for their players in general. 

“On my way to my first ever practice with the Martlet soccer team, something personally devastating happened to me,” Tiberio said. “I messaged [Martlet Soccer Head Coach Jose-Luis Valdes] to advise him that I would not be able to attend because of personal issues, but that didn’t stop him. He called me, asked me where I was, and then met up with me. Through all my tears, he just listened to me. This is when I really began to understand who he was: A man who would drop anything and everything to make sure his players were okay, on and off the field. It’s so much more than just a team for him.” 

The coaches at McGill are not only compassionate and caring towards their athletes, they also often have an impressive athletic resume. Béliveau, for example, was on one of three Canadian women’s volleyball teams to make it to the Olympics. Having someone like her that is both an accomplished athlete and a phenomenal coach can have an immense impact on their players.

“I think [that Béliveau is] just an excellent role model in general,” Robitaille said. “With a female coach, you can really relate, and I think she [understands] a little more what is happening [with] our emotions […] and our body, and in general how to reach us.” 

For collegiate female players, having such capable role models also inspires them to become role models for the next generation. Tiberio pointed to the women who have broken barriers that were previously thought to be unbreakable and who laid the groundwork for the success of current athletes. 

“I get to be a proud athlete and play with all these layers of privilege thanks to all that the women before us have accomplished and all the women now and thereafter will have accomplished for us,” Tiberio said. 

By being a role model, a mentor, and a friend, coaches can help student athletes become the best versions of themselves. Because of this, many upper-year students plan on staying in touch with their coaches after graduation and may even become coaches themselves. 

“It’ll be difficult to ever say bye,” Tiberio said. “I will be a proud alumna and plan on sticking around and helping as much as I can.” 

Student Life

Zoom style guide: Be the best-dressed student in your online lecture

by Catherine Morrison on

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So much has changed over the course of the Winter 2020 semester. Many of McGill’s traditions, such as convocation and end-of-year formals, have been postponed or cancelled. Many students—particularly those who are graduating—have spent weeks or even months getting ready for these fancy occasions. However, while they are no longer able to get all dolled up to take part in these celebrations, there are still ways to show off one’s most stylish self this semester. To help cope with the loss of in-person celebrations, The McGill Tribune has compiled a list of recommended outfits that students can wear for their Zoom lectures so that they can be the best dressed in their online class. 

The casual look

Everyone has that sweats and stained t-shirt combo that they can’t imagine their life without. While they might not wear it to school everyday, those clothes are the first thing that students put on when they get home. We cook in them, we watch Netflix in them, we sleep in them, and, most importantly, we love them. Sport this look to be as casual as you can in your online lecture and show off that cozy-cute vibe.

Full cap and gown

Show your fellow McGill classmates that you can still throw yourself a party, even if you might not be able to celebrate on campus like you had hoped. This is a great outfit choice as it also allows you to flex on your lower-year classmates who still have many more lectures to attend, on Zoom or otherwise, before they can cross that finish line. This fit is restricted to graduating students only; it’s a complete faux-pas for anyone else to steal this look.

Swimwear

While there are many downsides to being asked to self-isolate at home, being able to tan during class doesn’t have to be one of them. Whether you’re in zero- or 20-degree weather, bring a towel, chair, and laptop outside, break out that swim gear, and get some sun. Your classmates will be in awe of your courage, resilience, and sick tan lines. Bonus points if you add a snorkel to the outfit.

Formal attire

Alright, so you didn’t get to wear that gown or tux to the end-of-year formal. Now’s your time. Getting dressed up and forgetting all of the stress of what’s going on around you is one of life’s greatest coping mechanisms, so go all out. Actually wash and style your hair for the first time since the mayhem began. Do your nails. Wear your nice shoes. You know what they say: When you look good, you feel good so look like a baddie and get that 4.0. 

Your favourite TV show character

You’ve got some time on your hands, so you might as well assemble an ensemble that your favourite TV show or movie character would wear. Think Sharpay by the pool in High School Musical 2 or Dwight from The Office working on the beet farm. This outfit works really well for psychological reasons: Your classmates and professor will recognize you, but they might not know exactly why. For this reason, they will spend a lot of time staring at your screen, so you can feel like you’re getting a lot of attention. Enjoy your time in the spotlight, sweetie! 

Chef attire

Yeah, you can cook. Or maybe not. No one really has to know. This outfit says: “Just got back from cooking a three-course meal, what have you guys been doing?” People will be intrigued, they will be amazed, and they might even be proud. With this outfit, one thing you’re sure to cook up are some good grades. 

Whatever you choose to wear, wear it with a smile. Also, be sure to remember not to stand up in front of your computer unless you’re 100 per cent sure that you’re wearing pants. 

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