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Ask Ainsley, Student Life

Ask Ainsley: I think I need help

by Ainsley on

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Dear Ainsley,

I’ve been denying that I need help, but I don’t think I can anymore. Over the last few months, I just don’t get excited about the things I used to enjoy, I’m struggling to even get out of bed, and I feel numb, like I’m running on autopilot. But every time I consider seeking help, I put it off because it’s just another task, and there’s something in the back of my head telling me that I’m just being lazy and don’t really need it. What should I do?

Sincerely,

I Think I Need Help (ITINH)

 Dear ITINH,

Seeking help can seem like a Herculean task, especially when you’re lost in the throes of the issue. Here are a few approachable first steps you can take on the journey to recovery.

What should I do right now?

First, acknowledge that you need help. You can’t tackle a problem without first acknowledging its existence. It’s tempting to deny the issue, to minimize it, or to believe it will just get better by itself. You might tell yourself “I am overreacting, it is not actually a big deal, it will just go away.” If your low point is ongoing past a couple weeks, psychologists suggest that it likely will not fix itself. This isn’t a storm you can weather; it is a flooded basement that you need to roll up your sleeves and deal with.

Next, tell someone else. Opening up about sensitive issues is always difficult, especially if you come from a family, culture, or social context that particularly stigmatizes mental health issues. Once again, these barriers will make it tempting to brush off or minimize the issue, but don’t. There is no right person to tell first. Your parent or guardian, best friend, and roommate are all good options. 

Alternately, consider the Peer Support Centre (PSC), where a secretary can direct you to a 45-minute support session with a trained peer supporter free of charge. Many students who use the PSC are already seeing a mental health professional, but drop in for a non-judgemental ear or to feel listened to. 

Take baby steps. Although it may seem minor to work on your sleep schedule, not taking care of yourself will only exacerbate things. You cannot fix everything all at once, so try to fix something small. Eat something quick and filling, because it will fuel your body; go to sleep an hour earlier, because every minute counts; make your bed, because it will make your messy bedroom feel that much more liveable.

Finally, find professional help. The most straightforward way is to make an appointment with a mental health professional. You can call to make an appointment at (514) 398-6017, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, check out the McGill Student Wellness Hub website.

What should I do in the long term?

If you think that you need long-term care or prefer not to go through McGill services, book an appointment with a private therapist. McGill has 12 Local Wellness Advisors (LWAs), clinicians trained to connect students with the appropriate health resources, who can help you find off-campus care. You can also ask a friend for a recommendation or use an online directory, like that of the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec, to search for therapists in Montreal. Although the up-front cost of a session can be daunting, remember that SSMU-provided health insurance covers 80 per cent of psychologist visits, up to an annual limit of $1,000. Canadian students can find more information about coverage and how to submit a claim at studentcare.ca. International students can consult the International Student Services page on how to make a claim and can submit them on the Medavie Blue Cross website.

Will things ever get better?

As you search for help, manage your expectations to keep them realistic. You cannot turn your life around in one day, and that’s okay. Learning how to manage mental illness is slow, challenging work, but it is worth it. Even in seeking help, there will likely still be bad days when it feels nothing has changed or ever will, and that’s alright. Take a breath and do something nice for yourself—you have made it through every worst day of your life so far, and you can make it through this one too.

With love,

Ainsley 

Science & Technology

Obeying the biological clock

by Doris Tian on

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In the future, patients may be faced with a very curious question at the doctor’s office: What time are you?

This puzzling question is becoming increasingly crucial in the study of vaccines. More specifically, medical professionals are looking for a link between people’s ‘biological clock’ and their immunity response. Researchers Dr. Nicolas Cermakian of McGill’s Douglas Research Centre and Dr. Nathalie Labrecque of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre recently carried out a study to discover whether immune systems respond more effectively to threats at certain times of the day. 

According to Cermakian, there are ‘clocks’ all over our bodies. This clock gene regulates all bodily functions, including digestion, body temperature, and hormonal cycles.

T cells are responsible for attacking and ridding the body of abnormal cells, such as viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells. Using mice as their test subjects, Cermakian and Labrecque delivered abnormal cells to T cells at different times of the day. They found that the T cells functioned very differently depending on the time. 

“We realized that T cells were responding much faster [and] much more strongly when [the test] was done in the middle of the day,” Cermakian said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

The T cells’ performance during the day were more than twice as efficient as their performance during the night. While Cermakian explained that these results may not translate identically to humans, these results should be significant enough to influence the time at which vaccines are administered to patients. 

More generally, Cermakian emphasized that the time of day must be considered when designing treatments for patients, including cancer therapies. 

“For some cancer treatments, […] it has been found that some times during the day are more efficient than others, and there are [fewer] secondary effects when you do it at the right time [of day],” Cermakian said. 

However, this does not necessarily mean that doctors should always administer vaccines within a certain time period. Cermakian pointed out that circadian rhythms, like many other aspects of the human body, differ between individuals. This biological clock regulates our sleep-wake cycle that varies from person to person. 

“We have to realize that […] our clocks don’t all run the same way,” Cermakian said. “Some of us are morning people, some of us are late people.”

Even if researchers come up with a time period that, on average, produces the most efficient T cell response, Cermakian suggested that this average time period may not be helpful in practice. For many people, the ideal time may be a few hours earlier or later, and it will be the responsibility of researchers and physicians to take these differences into account. 

“We are not all the same, […] and we have to design the treatment according to that,” Cermakian said. “As with many other parts of medicine, it’s important to tailor the treatment to the particular person.” 

Cermakian noted that greater personalization in medicine is filled with possibility. Currently, there is no reliable way to efficiently determine a person’s circadian rhythm. However, ongoing research from the Douglas Research Centre points toward a future where doctors can evaluate patients’ circadian rhythms by taking a quick blood or inner-cheek sample. By analyzing patients’ metabolic rates with information from these cell samples, doctors can attempt to devise treatments that are specifically tailored to their patients’ unique time, creating personalized and effective health care.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

In conversation with Stefani Bondari

by Patrick Gilroy on

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A soft cymbal joins a lonely bass as Stefani Bondari sings: “It will be, it is, it was.” 

These lyrics both open and close the song “Winter,” the fifth and final track from Bondari’s song suite Seasons. In only seven words, the line reveals a motif that Bondari says had bearing over the whole project.

“The premise of [the project] was change throughout one’s year, and how it’s cyclical within a year,” Bondari said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “I think change is a thing that inspires everyone. I don’t think it’s specific to me at all, but it’s what I know and what I reflect on. I don’t know enough about love. I don’t know enough about having my own family. I don’t know enough about having a career or money. So, I write about change, which is something very universal, and something [that] I can reflect on honestly.”

Honesty is important to Bondari, as the artist strictly writes about her own experiences. This was not always the case.

“[When I wrote songs] in elementary school it was like, ‘I’ll be Romeo and you’ll be Juliet’,” Bonardi said. 

These lyrics, typical of many tweenage musicians eager to show off their songwriting gravitas, have since matured. Today, her music is very personal. Aside from simply growing older, Bondari mentions the death of her grandmother as sparking a tonal shift in her style. In fact,  Bondari, otherwise known as Stefani Recheshter, chose her stage name in her grandmother’s honour, Bondari being her family name. 

“We were very close when I was young, and she passed away when I was twelve. I think the way I was able to [fully grieve was by] writing songs,” Bonardi said. “ I think that helped me focus in on what really matters to me, and I started finally being able to write about what I knew because this grief was what I knew really prominently.”

Hailing from New York City, Bondari has been playing and writing music for almost her entire life. After taking lessons as a child and concentrating in classical piano in her high school’s music program, she chose to study Jazz Voice at McGill. It has not always been the easiest transition, as she notes she lacks the jazz background of other students. 

“I came to McGill [having studied] jazz for one year and then [having gone] to conservatory where people have been jazz musicians their entire life,” Bonardi said. “It was very isolating. I would just play alone […] and just write all the time. I wasn’t going to sit idly by waiting to play bebop with people, so I just started writing my own stuff.”

This drive to write was a blessing in disguise, as Bondari was able to find friends who were interested in her compositions and supportive of her creative efforts. A little over a year ago, she started playing shows around Montreal. Since then, she has developed a close bond with her friends in the music community, such as guitarist Zach Bachand, with whom she plays often.    

Currently, a live recording of “Winter” is the only song on Bondari’s bandcamp page, but she says she is planning on releasing more material soon. In the meantime, she will continue to play shows across Montreal. Instead of spending this time trying to find her voice, she intends to develop what she has already found.

“[Music] is the only thing I want to do,” Bonardi said. “Even though I’m grateful for what I’ve learned [at school], I think I [have] kind of found my voice.”

 

Stefani Bondari plays with New Hermitage and François Zaidan November 11th at Casa del Popolo. Tickets are $15 or PWYC.  

Arts & Entertainment, Music

PUP don’t care about nothing

by Gabe Nisker on

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Early into their Oct. 22 concert, the Toronto-based punk rock band PUP halted their performance; lead singer Stefan Babcock pointed to the mosh pit and said a few words to the sold-out crowd at Corona Theatre.

“Someone lost a shoe,” Babcock said. “Whose shoe is that?”

The shoe found its way to its rightful owner, passed between the grimy claws of sweaty teens.

“Great teamwork,” Babcock added. “This next song is about doing the right things for all the wrong reasons. And because it’s a PUP song, it’s also about being a miserable piece of shit.”

The band launched into their song “See You at Your Funeral” off their latest album Morbid Stuff. The energy in the venue was palpable. Heads nodded to the rhythm all night; it was a punk show after all.

But, this particular moment felt like an apt description of the band: Within and beyond their musical endeavours, PUP aims to foster inclusive spaces. Before starting their set, they asked fans in the mosh pit to help each other up if they fell, and, outside of their concert, they even partnered with a local legal defense fund for Indigenous peoples, RAVEN, to give back to the community. On stage, the band lead loud, angsty, and cathartic sing-alongs. From the moment they took the stage following their opening act, the Montreal punk quartet NOBRO, the boys of PUP owned the night with their determined demeanour. 

The band breezed through a selection of songs off Morbid Stuff, as well as deeper cuts from past releases. A particular standout punctuated a halfway point in their set: Babcock led the crowd in a singalong of “Scorpion Hill.” The song features some of their most narratively-focused lyrics: Its bleak story of a man who struggles to get his life in order is darkly funny. 

Bathed in a simple green light, Babcock and the band began with the country-guitar twang and harmonies—the song begins almost ballad-like. About a minute into the track, the punk pace and heavy guitar riffs kicked in, and fans returned to moshing.

Alongside the loud guitars and drum beats, the band’s stage presence includes clever, dry repartee with each other and the crowd. Babcock and guitarist Steve Sladkowski tried their hand at speaking French, with Babcock using Sladkowski’s love of the Toronto Raptors basketball team as a talking point.

“Tu aimes les Raptors,” Babcock said.

“J’aime les champions,” Sladkowski said, wearing his favourite team’s jersey on stage, reminding his bandmate of the team’s championship victory.

PUP went from song to song with crowd-pleasing ease, until their least popular declaration of the night, when they announced that they didn’t do encores. Babcock said that since it had been a while since they had performed a Montreal headlining show, he felt that he had to explain himself. There are two reasons bands do encores, he explained: One is to pee (PUP claim they sweat it all out on stage) and the other is to do cocaine (they don’t).

 With that on the table, Babcock informed the crowd that there were two more songs before the night was over. PUP performed the first two tracks from their 2016 album The Dream is Over: “If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will” and “DVP.” The two seamlessly transitioned together—not only do the softly plucked strings which introduce “If This Tour” build into a boisterous transition to the anger invoked in “DVP,” the songs also thematically click, emblematic of the larger PUP oeuvre. The songs evoke coming-of-age and finding-of-place, displeasure and anger, and their tough lyrics come from a seemingly heartful place. As Babcock yelled his way through the first of these final two songs, one lyric stood out, echoing the sentiment of the earlier mosh pit moment:

“Why can’t we just get along?”

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Kanye West’s ‘Jesus is King’ is both unexceptional and transcendent

by Joey Caplan on

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Kanye West may be a problematic, belligerent, and generally irritating person, but many consider him to be one of the most gifted artists of his generation. On Oct. 25, West finally released the long-awaited album Jesus is King, his ninth solo project, alongside a half-hour film by the same name. While his previous album, Ye, looked like the beginning of a decline for Kanye due to an uncharacteristic lack of innovation, Jesus is King is a refreshing, albeit imperfect album complemented by a film that reveals Kanye to be not just a talented rapper and producer, but a filmmaker as well.

West’s latest reflects the strengthening of his religious faith. The album starts out strong: “Every Hour” is performed entirely by The Sunday Service Choir, Kanye’s secretive gospel chorus, and is a delightfully upbeat track. “Follow God” and “Selah” perfectly blend the classic, adrenaline-charged beats Kanye is known for with gospel samples and original recordings. Other songs, including “Everything We Need” and “Hands On,” feel too jarring in their gospel-rap blend. 

However, where the album truly struggles is in its lyrics. West’s outlandish, taboo sense of humour shines through in his music. It’s what makes Kanye one of the most quotable rappers of all time. //Jesus is King// depicts West veering off the path of vulgarity and onto the path of God—to the detriment of his songwriting. This watered-down version of West would be completely acceptable if he replaced his usual crassness with nuanced lyricism, but each song features the same message: I love Jesus, and you should try it, too. 

The film Jesus is King does everything it can to make up for the album’s shortcomings, and inspires a complete reassessment of Kanye’s intentions. Kanye is known for making everything all about him, and while the album does not stray far from this tendency, the film constitutes a rare case of Kanye putting aside his self-centered attitude and creating a work dedicated to one man: Jesus. 

Jesus is King, the film, is a glorious, entrancing visual gospel performance set in a sleek, dreamlike structure—an abstract interpretation of heaven. The film features surprisingly few songs from the album, instead opting for either entirely gospel versions of the album’s tracks, original gospel songs, or covers of others’ songs. Jesus is King concludes with a beautiful, melancholic rendition of “Street Lights” from 808s and Heartbreaks, an ending that solidifies Jesus is King as a worthwhile piece of cinema and music.

Despite West missing the mark in some respects, Jesus is King deserves at least a few replays and is elevated far higher by its companion film. The project’s biggest success is the film, a magnificent celebration of Jesus rather than a celebration of Kanye’s love for Jesus. Jesus is King is the most cohesive project Kanye has put out in years, and though it lacks some trademark Kanye charm, the album is yet another successful musical innovation for Yeezy.

Science & Technology

HackMcGill event covers AI, smart cities, and internet privacy

by Zoe Karkossa on

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In the last few decades, technology has evolved at a staggering pace and has become so deeply enmeshed in everyday life that removing it would throw society into shambles. While new technologies are immensely important to modern society, there is little regulation to keep mega-corporations like Amazon and Facebook in check. HackMcGill’s recent talk “TechTalks: Ethics in Tech” addressed these issues.

 

“AI & Machine Learning,” presented by Valentine Goddard, CEO of the Artificial Intelligence Impact Alliance

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often seen as a threatening invention that will devastate jobs and privacy, but, as with most innovations, it can be put to good use. Goddard’s work focuses on using AI and related technologies  for social good. According to her, civil society organizations (CSOs), nonprofits working on issues such as human rights, social justice, and education access, can accomplish their goals much more effectively if they learn how to integrate AI. 

“You have data already, so here’s an opportunity to create positive social impact out of [those] data,” Goddard said. 

Potential positive applications of AI include University of Sherbrooke researcher Hélène Pigot’s work, which involves using AI monitoring systems to help the elderly stay safe in their homes. Further, Los Angeles-based project led by Milind Tambe identifies members of the homeless community who can best communicate information about AIDS to their peers. 

 

“Smart Cities,” presented by Stéphane Guidoin, director of the Urban Innovation Lab of the City of Montreal

Tech companies are increasingly shaping the economy, and Guidoin is concerned about how they are trying to shape cities as well. Sidewalk Labs Toronto recently presented the IDEA (Innovative Development and Economic Activation) district, an elegant, futuristic conceptual city design that features a staggering amount of data collection; from tracking pedestrian walking speed to widespread video surveillance, anything is fair game. 

“For me, the main issue […] is collecting data in the public space,” Guidoin said. “The notion of consent more or less disappears.”

Toronto citizens were not consulted about the potential design. Guidoin states that there is currently a large democratic gap and no easy way to discuss these issues with the people most concerned. Unfortunately, there are not any laws that prevent private companies moving forward at full steam. 

 

“Security and Privacy,” presented by Allen Mendelsohn, internet law specialist and sessional lecturer at the McGill Faculty of Law

An expert on internet law, Mendelsohn’s life work will never be read—it’s hidden deep in those infamous terms and conditions that nobody reads. 

“You, by clicking that box, are assuming that that organization is being ethical in everything that they reveal in that privacy policy,” Mendelsohn said. “I can assure you [that] they are not.” 

Part of the reason for organizations’ lack of ethical behavior is the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the current Canadian legislation that governs data protection. Mendelsohn described the legislation as ‘toothless’ compared to the EU General Data Protection Regulation, which provides governments the power to fine non-compliant companies. For those interested in reading the next terms and conditions they see, Mendelsohn recommends to simply searching for ‘third party’ to see who else is getting the information the user is giving out. 

 

As private tech companies show no sign of stopping their expansion, moderator Karina Kesswewan, a lawyer who focuses on Indigenous rights, ended the talk by pointing out that it is dangerous to simply wait for companies to start regulating themselves or to assume that they will find it more profitable to behave ethically. 

“What if it’s not?” Kesswewan said. “What if we prove that not caring about ethics […] is more profitable?”

Art, Arts & Entertainment

Walls don’t talk, but archives do

by Ahmad El-Zammer on

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Few students are likely aware of the value and history of McGill’s extensive art collection. At a talk hosted by the McGill Library’s Rare & Special Collections, Osler, Art, and Archives (ROAAr), and The Friends of the McGill Library, the collection’s curator Gwendolyn Owens shed some light on the university’s visual arts collection at  “If Walls Could Talk: A Short History of McGill’s Art Collection” on Oct. 17.

“The visual arts collection has over 3,000 works of art, we’re on two campuses, plus the Gault Estate, [and] in 90 buildings,” Owens said. 

Hailing from every continent but Antartica, objects in the collection range from paintings to tapestries. Some works, Owens admits, might seem strange and out-of-place at a university. While historically significant portraits are a staple in university archives, one may wonder why McGill also has three naked men holding up a shell in front of the Arts Building—the goodwill fountain, also known as The Three Bares, by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. 

The sculpture had unlikely origins, unveiled in 1932 in an event marking the friendship between the US and Canada. The Three Bares, carved in Paris in 1913, never made it to the Washington D.C. hotel lobby for which it had been commissioned because the hotel was never built. Instead, the sculpture remained in a New York studio for years until a young graduate of the McGill Music School, Ellen Ballon, met Whitne and proposed the idea of giving the gift to McGill. The unveiling of the sculpture was no small event. In the presence of dignitaries from both countries, the Governor-General of Canada, the Earl of Bessborough accepted the gift from educator and New York Times editor John Finley, presenting the statue on behalf of the Americans.

 

The first major art donation to the university came in the 1960’s from construction magnate and McGill alumnus Sidney Dawes. His persistent efforts to create the ill-fated McGill Museum of Canadian Art are well-documented in the McGill Library’s journal Fontanus. Dawes’ wish never came to fruition, but his donation set up a foundational Canadian collection for McGill and was the catalyst for creating the arts committee responsible for the collection until Owens’ appointment in 2013.

Despite the art collection’s long history, stretching back to the 1870’s, Owens is McGill’s first full-time art director.  While researching the archives, she stumbled upon a letter written in 1946 by Principal Cyril James to Arthur Lismer, a famous painter who also taught sketching to McGill’s architecture students, requesting that he catalogue the university’s art collection. 

“I’m pretty sure Lismer declined the task as we don’t have a 1946 catalogue for the collection,” Owens said. “But more than that, [the letter demonstrated] that someone recognized as early as 1946 that [McGill had] a lot of art, and somebody should [create an archive].”

Owens also found evidence of exhibitions showcasing valuable art around campus until well into the 1950’s. Students could showcase paintings on loan from the National Gallery of Canada, for instance, like Tom Thomson’s Northern River

Ownes has been working with collectors and colleagues to expand the collection of Indigenous art, like Nadia Myre’s 2013 series Meditations on Red, which can be found on the main floor of the McLennan library. 

Though Arthur Lismer likely declined Cyril James’ request over half a century ago to catalogue McGill’s art collection, Owens and her team are now pursuing this long overdue and worthwhile task.

Science & Technology

Sex and longevity at the Trottier Public Science Symposium

by Ella Fitzhugh on

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The 2019 Trottier Public Science Symposium, hosted by the Office for Science and Society from Oct. 22 – 23,  addressed the unavoidable process of aging in a presentation titled “Longing for Longevity.” The second night featured keynote speakers Joe Schwarcz, director of the office, and psychosexual therapist and author Ruth Westheimer. 

In his opening remarks, Tomlinson Professor of Chemistry Bruce Lennox shared the symposium’s mandate. 

“The Trottier Symposium […] has proven to be a key element in the promotion of science and science communication […] to the public [….] This is the 20th year [for] the office for Science and Society, something that’s really quite a landmark in public science outreach in the world,” Lennox said. “The office, of course, has a national and international presence in its mission […] to separate sense from nonsense on the scientific stage.”

According to Schwarcz, there is a long history of nonsensical claims in scientific research about longevity. From believing that urine is a source of longevity to encouraging the so-called rejuvenating practice of ‘lying with young women,’ there is no shortage of ridiculous methods in history.

“This sort of silly science now has hard roots to it, but it goes beyond that,” Schwarcz said. “Today, researchers are looking at telomeres, […] the end of the chromosomes, […] and every time a cell divides, there is a disturbance of the end of the chromosome, and the belief is that if somehow you could prevent that you could slow down aging [….] In 2009, a nobel prize was awarded for this kind of research [done by] Jack Szostak, […] a McGill graduate.”

In his presentation, Schwarcz acknowledged that the ‘cure for aging’ remains unknown. 

“No, we’re not going to cheat death [.…] You don’t get out of life alive, but the idea is to put off death to the very last minute,” Schwarcz said.

Schwarcz also noted the connection between sexuality and mortality by referring to a recent British study that showed sex can slow aging. 

Beyond her experience as a sex therapist, Westheimer has lived around the world. She was born in Germany and escaped to Switzerland during the Holocaust, where she continued to live for 10 years.

 “If you would have told me, the child of orthodox Jewish parents, that I would talk about orgasms at McGill University, I would have said ‘you must be crazy,’” Westheimer said. “The one thing I knew […] is that I had to do something to [justify] that I am alive while one [and a half] million […] Jewish children were killed.”

Westheimer emphasized the importance of proper and well-rounded sexual education. 

“In today’s world, we don’t have the luxury not to be sex educated,” Westheimer said. “We have to do sex education. Girls [and] women menstruate at an earlier and earlier age [….] We do have to tell girls and boys about menstruation [….] We do have to talk about nocturnal emission, [and] about wet dreams.”

 Dr. Ruth believes the roots of sexual illiteracy come from psychologist Sigmund Freud’s influence in academia. 

“Sigmund Freud should’ve taken a course with me,” Westhiemer said. “He did us women a tremendous disservice, because he said as if sex was only for […] men and that there was nothing in it for women.” 

The celebration and de-stigmatization of female sexuality is a central theme in Westheimer’s work. She also advocates for the education of sex beyond traditional methods and the acceptance of diverse types of sexual relationships. 

“The whole issue of sexual satisfaction […] doesn’t have to be a penis inside a vagina [….] It doesn’t have to be the way it used to be when they were younger, so people should adjust to that [….] If there is a problem, I’m all for going for a few sessions to a sex therapist.” 

Westheimer left a piece of advice to young and old people in the audience alike. 

“Make sure that you are sexually literate, that you know what is changing [in the world], and that you do know to go for help if there is a question,” Westheimer said. 

Basketball, Martlets, Sports

Martlets win with electrifying late-game heroics

by Adam Burton on

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The Martlet basketball team (4–4) defeated the visiting Acadia University Axewomen (1–2) on Nov. 22 by a resounding final score of 79–67. Despite strong defensive efforts from Acadia in the second half, the Martlets rallied to secure the win for a boisterous crowd.

The first quarter saw McGill take a 23–16 lead over Acadia. Fifth-year guard Gladys Hakizimana led the way with a quick eight points on three-for-three shooting, disheartening the Axewomen. The Martlets’ defensive efforts were also strong, playing with a tenacity that forced four turnovers and limited the options for Acadia’s post-centric offence.

In the second quarter, the Martlets furthered their lead with a more rebound-oriented offence. Fifth-year centre Sirah Diarra led these efforts, posting her second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and all four of the team’s blocks. The Martlets tallied 45 against the Axewomen’s 35 by the end of the half.

The dominance from the Martlets, however, did not last. Acadia came out in the second half with a rejuvenated defence that forced the Martlets to take ill-advised, off-balance, and contested shots toward the end of the shot clock. Their strong defence worked, and the Martlets only managed 10 points in the third quarter, all from three-pointers and free throws, with the Axewomen well on their way to tying the game. 

“The girls they had were much bigger than me, and played really physical,” Diarra said. “I needed to play stronger.”

The game did not look good for the Martlets going into the fourth quarter. Only two points ahead of the Axewomen at 55–53, the Martlets had no momentum and seemingly few solutions for Acadia’s physical defence. The crowd sat on the edge of their seats as the Axewomen chipped closer and closer to breaking the Martlet’s lead. However, the closest they came was a 63–63 tie with 4:45 left in the quarter. 

Hakizimana ultimately came to the rescue: She buried three soul-crushing threes to close out the game, rallying the team and inspiring chants of “defence” from the crowd. 

“The fact that she made that big shot, it really set the tone for other players to play better too,” Diarra said.

McGill closed out the game with sharp-shooting, going 53.3 per cent from the field, tallying a game high 24 points for the fourth quarter to reach a season-high 79 points and claim the victory over Acadia, 79–67. The late game heroics made for an electrifying experience for those in attendance and bodes well for the season to come.

“I’m excited to start the season, to see what the competition is like,” Diarra said. “I know there’s been a lot of additions to other teams, and I’m feeling really good about our season.” 

 

Moment of the Game

Midway through the fourth quarter, fifth-year guard Gladys Hakizimana hit a deep three to break the 63-63 tie. The shot rallied the team to go on a 16-point scoring run in the last five minutes of the game to close out the win.

Quotable

“I think my favourite part of being on the team is just being with the girls. Every time we step out on the court, we’re like family, I love them so much.” – Fourth-year centre Sirah Diarra on team dynamics.

Stat Corner

The Martlets shot away Acadia’s chance at winning with an incredibly efficient 46.6 per cent from the field and 45.8 per cent from behind the arc. 

Editorial, Opinion

It was the landlord, with the lead pipe, in the moldy basement

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Finding housing in Montreal can be a harrowing experience for students who are not properly informed about their tenant rights. For this reason, many students find themselves in illegal renting agreements, a scenario that can lead to serious problems such as costly repairs which should have been covered by their landlord. Both the city of Montreal and McGill must offer resources for student tenants to inform and advocate for themselves.

On Oct. 23, the City of Montreal provided an excellent example of the ways such problems could manifest. Mayor Valérie Plante announced that the city will begin the process of forcing roughly 24,000 property owners, including landlords, to replace their lead water pipes. In the past, Montreal allowed homeowners to replace lead pipes at their own discretion. However, in light of an expanded awareness regarding the dangers of lead poisoning and revised standards about what constitutes safe levels of lead particulates, the city will now finance the replacement of lead pipes for homeowners, and allow them to pay back the cost over a 15-year period. The city’s decision to take the issue of lead poisoning into its own hands should be commended, and Plante has correctly framed this process as an issue of public health. 

On the city’s website, an interactive map that displays the entirety of Montreal is available; however, the website is exclusively in French, which limits accessibility to anglophone communities. If people search by address, they can click on their residence or apartment building to see the probability that its pipes are lead-based. While this map marks McGill residences as unlikely to contain lead, this is not a guarantee. McGill has the responsibility to inform the student body about their rights and obligations as tenants in Montreal, as well as assuring students that the water they consume on campus, and in residences, is uncontaminated. In addition, Montreal’s municipality has a responsibility to make sure everyone in the city has the same level of accessibility to information regarding public health issues.

This type of scenario, one which involves ambiguity about whose responsibility it is to make costly repairs, poses an issue for student tenants. Tenant rights in Quebec are robust but students must also be  informed and understand those rights. One resource McGill students have is McGill’s student housing website that breaks down both tenant and landlord rights and obligations.

The power dynamic between a landlord and tenant can make it extremely difficult for residents to advocate for themselves, even if they are informed about their housing rights. Racialized tenants are particularly vulnerable, since racial and social discrimination is a prevalent issue in Montreal. Further, international students who may speak English or French as a second language face additional challenges when it comes to navigating illegal or unjust behaviour from landlords. 

Students should also know how to make use of alternative resources in navigating housing situations. One such resource is the Legal Information Clinic at McGill, which helps break down robust legal jargon for students. Additionally, websites like shouldyourent.com and groups like Chez Queer Montreal can help students and marginalized individuals find safe living spaces and landlords. 

For students who do find themselves in unlivable circumstances, whether it be due to the environment or their relationship with their landlord, it is crucial that McGill is able to offer them support and resources. Having temporary housing available is a crucial step that the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) should take, especially in the case of international students who may have no other options if they are forced out of a living situation. SSMU should proceed with its Affordable Housing Committee, a project in collaboration with The Unité de travail pour l’implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE). Collaborating with UTILE would be an effective way to provide accessible housing for students in need. 

The lead pipe replacement issue is an example of the ways in which rental relationships in Montreal can be challenging. It is imperative that the city offers the necessary resources, information, and support to its residents so that they may safely and comfortably advocate for themselves. Finally, McGill also has a moral obligation and professional responsibility to continue supporting student tenants. 

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