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Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Montreal does the Time Warp again

by Deana Korsunsky on

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One rarely has the opportunity to throw toasted bread or toilet–paper across an elegant theatre venue—rarely, but not never. From Oct. 31—Nov. 2, Cinéma Impérial hosted its annual Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Ball, inviting audiences to partake in said toast and toilet–paper throwing mischief. The decades-old Halloween tradition drew thousands of costume-clad Rocky enthusiasts who waited in a line that stretched around the block.

The 1975 cult musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show follows engaged couple Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) and Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick), who are forced to seek refuge in a mysterious castle after their car breaks down during a rainstorm. They meet Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), along with his entourage of eccentric guests and servants, who invite them to the unveiling of his creation, a muscular and supposedly flawless blond man named Rocky. 

Every Halloween since the release of the film, cities across the world have joined in the tradition of celebrating the campy classic by screening the film while a cast re-enacts it out on stage. The show is always an interactive experience, with the audience participating in call-backs, throwing props in the air, and cheering on the performers’ provocative antics.

The show was hosted by Tranna Wintour, local comedian, singer, and entertainer who has brought charm and wit to the Rocky stage for three years. Before the performance, Wintour hosted a traditional costume contest, calling preselected showgoers up on stage to be judged according to audience applause. 

Just before announcing the start of the show, Wintour spoke on a more serious note. She acknowledged the cultural significance and importance of a film like Rocky Horror to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but pointed out a caveat to celebrating the show: While the community praises the show for its representation, language has evolved, and it is “no longer acceptable to use words like transvestite or transexual to describe transgendered people,” she explained. 

The show itself was well executed on all fronts. Every performer, whether a main character or a groupie, exuded incredible amounts of energy, feeding the audience’s enthusiasm. There was never a scene during which the audience did not cheer for the comically hypersexual antics of the supporting cast members. At the start of the show, for example, Brad and Janet are driving through the rain. The car’s windshield wipers, however, were coyly portrayed by the suggestively opening and closing legs of a cast member lying on their back.

Heidi Rubin’s performance of Dr. Frank N. Furter was engaging and theatrical. Rubin was consistently synchronized with her character’s actions onscreen, nailing every strut, spin, and facial expression. The Voice, voiced by the show’s director Erin Fagen, drew many of the laughs from the audience. While Fagen paid homage to traditional callbacks, she also included contemporary jokes. “Uh oh, it’s Donald Trump,” Fagen quipped at the moment when Janet began to have sex with Frank N. Furter (believing that it is Brad), and accidentally took off his wig. 

True to Rocky Horror tradition, , the audience also joined the actors in performing: During one of the show’s big musical numbers, “Time Warp,” everyone rose from their seats to dance and bellow the lyrics along with the members on stage, creating a deafening atmosphere of excitement.

Rocky Horror is not just about the jokes or musical numbers; it is about the shared experience between audience and performers, and its playfully poignant theme of togetherness and acceptance.

While the Rocky Horror Picture Show tradition is celebrated across the world, only Cinéma Impérial’s production can boast the title of largest Rocky Horror Picture Show event in North America. Montreal’s production has traditionally drawn a large crowd of voguish and welcoming fans. It was this crowd that made this year’s performances so memorable.

Science & Technology, Student Research

Racialized people receive lower quality mental health services

by Margaret Wdowiak on

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Over the last few years, campaigns such as Bell Let’s Talk and a greater representation of mental health have increased awareness of and reduced stigma associated with accessing mental health services. Despite these steps forward, many people of colour still have trouble accessing quality services. Sommer Knight, a graduate student in the Department of Psychiatry, attempts to answer this issue in her research. Knight examines pathways to mental health service among minorities and the clinical challenges of involuntary admission for first episode psychosis (FEP) patients. 

To observe how differences in involuntary admissions influence help-seeking behaviours, which consist of actively seeking help from health care services, Knight asked FEP patients about their experiences to see how their background affected their attitude toward health care. She also reviewed patient charts to identify which risk factors place people at a greater risk for coercive treatment. These treatments include a wide range of procedures such as forced medication, seclusion, and involuntary admissions. 

Involuntary hospitalization is a legal procedure that forces an individual to receive inpatient treatment, where the patient resides in a 24-hour live-in care facility such as a psychiatric hospital, involuntarily. Involuntary admission can produce certain short-term benefits, such as  greater treatment adherence, fewer days in the hospital, and fewer violent incidents. However, coercive treatment can also have many negative effects on patients and can create important clinical challenges. 

“[Patients] felt that they lost their sense of value,” Knight said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “[Involuntary admission] also affected whether they felt cared for by their team.” 

The long-term detrimental effects of coercive treatments may eclipse their short-term benefits. The method can be traumatic for patients, who lose their agency and control. In the last 10 years, research has shown that individuals who received coercive treatment have a poorer quality of life and lower self-esteem in the long run. 

In Canada, minorities seem to be disproportionately targeted by this policy. 

“Minorities, specifically those of African and Caribbean backgrounds, are more likely to receive police referrals or maintenance referrals instead of going voluntarily,” Knight said. 

High rates of involuntary commitment mean that racialized people often underutilize services. 

People of colour also face hurdles that disincentivize the use of mental health services. Language barriers, as well as imbalances of power and authority, impact the care that patients receive. In addition, Knight found that minorities experience abnormally long wait times for initial assessments, and mental health providers often fail to properly recognize and respond to these patients’ needs. As a result, mental health stigma and the belief that mental health treatment is ineffective are widespread within these communities.

Coercive treatment’s negative effects largely stem from the fact that the method is based on the assumption that mentally ill patients are usually dangerous, which is a common misconception. Psychiatrists, however, understand most mental disorders better than ever before and have thousands of available treatments that have much fewer negative effects than coercive treatment. Given that coercive treatment also disproportionately affects minorities, it is more important than ever for Canadians to deal with the problems of involuntary admission and discrimination in the provision of mental health services. 

As Knight points out, confronting the issue of discrimination in areas such as health care access is often overlooked, but as Canada becomes increasingly diverse, the issue can no longer be ignored.

“If the goal of medicine is to promote patient welfare, then […] it’s important that we […] ensure that everyone gets the care that they need,” Knight said.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

‘Parasite’ is a brilliant class-conscious thriller

by Noah Simon on

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Parasite, the new film from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, examines human performances of gender, class, and identity. The film seeks to explore the illusion of a fixed social reality and, with the deft touch of one of the premiere filmmakers of the century, creates a meta-commentary on the illusion of narrative film itself. As a result, the film’s central questions—what happens when things don’t go according to plan and when the script takes a turn out of your control—provide the framework for one of the most compelling and unpredictable films of the year. 

Parasite follows the Kims, a struggling, working-class family of four living in a Seoul basement apartment. The son, Kim Ki-woo (Woo Sik-Choi), finds a job as an English teacher for the daughter of an extremely wealthy family, the Parks. Soon enough, Ki-woo begins the process of replacing all the domestic employees of the Park family with his own relatives. Tensions then flare through countless twists and turns.

Parasite clearly has something to say about economic disparity in South Korea and the way powerful elites perceive the working class. It may even have something to say about the potential dissipation of cultural identity in the face of an increasingly globalized world. But the film is not that blunt; its final messages go beyond simple “rich people are bad” narratives. Bong and fellow screenwriter Han Jin-won, with the help of all around excellent performances—particularly from Song Kang-ho as the Kim patriarch and Jo Yeo-jeon as the mother of the Park family—have crafted complex characters and situations that defy easy categorization. Good and bad often blur together within expertly constructed scenes of suspense. When the narrative turns in an unexpected direction, it asks the audience to challenge the initial deception while rooting for it at the same time.

Bong seamlessly mixes genres: Parasite is essentially a home invasion thriller and political satire within the context of class warfare. Throughout his filmography, Bong has effortlessly blended political commentary with tragedy and comedy while still managing to tell original, captivating stories of family drama. He tends to intertwine undertones of comedy with very dark subject matter, and Parasite might be his funniest film to date. Everything runs smoothly in this film, not just the mixture of genres: The performers’ movements and cadences glide, and the camera drifts and cuts with such crispness that the film flows with incredible smoothness. There are entire scenes whose tension unfolds just through body gestures and camera tilts. Bong is not trying to obfuscate the plot by doing this—each cinematographic choice in Parasite is very deliberate. The performances are meant to be interpreted literally—as heightened and theatrical—to emphasize the performative facade of social distinctions. The film’s self-reflexivity acts as a mechanism to gesture towards real cultural problems. 

When a film has such a confident grasp on contemporary social issues and articulates them with grace, precision, and aesthetic and narrative singularity, it is not surprising to see it receive so many accolades. Parasite was the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It is a pleasurable watch and can be enjoyed by casual viewers and film buffs alike.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

First Impressions: Is ‘The Lighthouse’ worth the hype?

by Jonathan Giammaria, Katia Innes, Patrick Gilroy, Vanessa Barron on

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On a rainy Sunday evening, The McGill Tribune Arts & Entertainment team convened for one purpose and one purpose only: To watch the much-hyped Robert Eggers film The Lighthouse. Starring ex–Twilight cast member Robert Pattison and ex–Mr Bean’s Holiday villain Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse has captivated audiences since its release. Whether or not the film lives up to the hype, however, is up to the Arts and Entertainment team to decide. 

 

Patrick Gilroy: Unconventional and bold

When it comes to movies, I find that the crazier they are, the better. In this regard, The Lighthouse did not disappoint. 

Eggers does a good job of setting up a somber character study through the first third of the film. But, it isn’t long before he pulls the rug out from under the audience, dialing up the surrealist imagery and forcing the audience to question everything they thought to be true about the characters. The result is a beautiful film that toys with conventional narrative structure and deftly wields its symbolism. It remains a character study through and through, and Pattinson and Defoe nail their roles as the hysterical lighthouse keepers. By the end of the film, I could not tell if the characters were crazy, or if I was—it might have been a bit of both. 

 

Vanessa Barron: Baffling but beautiful

I went into The Lighthouse with high expectations, and it certainly lived up in terms of filmmaking quality, particularly in its surreal sound design. A blaring foghorn becomes a ticking doomsday clock, screams distort into grating static, and a silly line like, ‘Why’d ye spill yer beans?’ echoes throughout the space of the theatre, becoming a memorable, haunting omen of insanity and death. While the film was strikingly and grotesquely beautiful, I couldn’t tell you what this movie is about to be honest. There were clear mythological metaphors and phallic imagery at every corner, but even with that knowledge, I couldn’t tell you what kind of message Eggers was constructing. Perhaps this thematic ambiguity was intentional, and perhaps The Lighthouse deserves a rewatch on my part. Regardless, this film is hypnotically atmospheric, and downright disgusting at times, yet in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible. 

 

Katia Innes: Convoluted hogwash

The Lighthouse is undoubtedly a very scary movie. However, much of the imagery that  makes the movie so terrifying—hysterical mermaids, rotting flesh, and seagulls—ultimately add little to the film. Some symbols, such as the murdered seabird, carry profound meaning until the climax of the film. Others remain entirely unexplained. Perhaps these images were meant to deliberately disorient and confuse; perhaps reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians simply did not prepare me with an adequate knowledge of Greek mythology to understand the film’s frequent allusions to the Promethean fire story. Regardless, Eggers has spun a mythology that The Lighthouse cannot support, and the plot buckles under this weight. 

 

Jonathan Giammaria: A work of cinematographic genius

One could argue that The Lighthouse is nothing but the newest arthouse film of the month. It follows the recent trend of experimental horror in creating a slow-burn plot that withholds much of the gore and jump scares that characterize more mainstream fanfare. What distinguishes Eggers’s newest film, however, are his stylistic choices. Eggers harkens back to the cinematic language of yesteryear—monochrome film cinematography presented in a square aspect ratio—which entices audiences by  mirroring the claustrophobia and volatility that increase over the course of the film’s narrative. Many scenes take place over dimly lit dinners, where the two leads sit in an isolating darkness encroaching on them from the film’s edges. Likewise, some scenes use dark space so heavily that the image only allows for tiny slits of light, just to quickly cut to a scene in broad, stark daylight. In a film whose leads become fixated on light, it’s fitting that Eggers disorients his audience with it.

Commentary, Opinion

Gerts, it hurts: I want you back

by Leina Gabra on

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With vain hope in their hearts, students received an email from the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) on Oct. 28, hoping to read a promising update on the University Centre’s closure. However, students were disappointed by yet another delay: Gert’s, club spaces, and community spaces are still inaccessible. 

Initially, the McGill administration’s renovations to solve the University Centre’s HVAC, electrical, and asbestos issues were scheduled to be finished by winter 2019, with Gerts reopening by the end of fall 2018; obviously, this was delayed. In June 2019, the Deputy Provost announced that the new reopening date of reopening was slated for December 2019. McGill students are used to construction-related promises being broken, however, the continued closure of the University Centre until April 2020 will have a lasting impact on McGill students.

An entire graduating class of McGill students has never set foot in the University Centre since the university closed the building down for renovations in March 2018. Before its closure, the University Centre housed meeting places for a multitude of clubs, associations, and services. It also provided several large event spaces and housed SSMU’s offices. Now, student-led clubs have been relocated to buildings on and off-campus and have had more trouble than ever finding spaces while planning events. Separating the offices of services such as the McGill Student Emergency Response Team (MSERT), the Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS), and the Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LIM)  makes it more difficult for students to access these crucial resources. 

The closure of the University Centre erodes the already weak sense of community at McGill. As a university with an undergraduate population of over 24,000, it can be easy for students to feel like an anonymous face in a sea of thousands. For first-year students, many of whom are living away from their families for the first time, having a centralized location for clubs and services is a valuable and often overlooked way of reducing the anxiety that comes with being newly independent. 

For me, going to the University Centre during my first year feels like a distant memory, but it was definitely a useful resource while it was still around. From grabbing a coffee at La Prep to lounging on the beanbags in the napzone, the University Centre was a one-stop shop that I appreciated as a first-year student who was still trying to find my place in the McGill community. Being able to access club meetings, legal help as an international student, and a beloved student bar all in one building were assets that I took for granted. I believe that my first-year university experience would have been more difficult without the existence of the University Centre, simply due to its convenience. There is a distinct possibility that current first-year students feel the way I would’ve, plagued by the lack of a student center which they’ve never even known. 

Although it is difficult to assign blame to any one party for the continued delays on the University Centre reopening, the McGill administration must be more transparent and realistic about construction on campus. It must also be more mindful of students’ continued frustration and the difficulties that it causes for student-led clubs and new students as event spaces, services, and important resources are expelled to temporary spaces. The re-opening of the University Centre may not be able to single-handedly restore McGill school spirit, but having Gerts back would definitely help.

McGill Men's Rugby
Men's Varsity, Sports

McGill Men’s Rugby advances to RSEQ final

by Adam Bell on

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The McGill Men’s rugby team (5–1) dismantled the Ottawa Gee-Gees (3–3) in a 37–22 victory on Nov. 2. This victory sends them to the RSEQ championship match against Concordia on Nov. 10. 

The home team was quick off the blocks when first-year fly half and RSEQ rookie of the year Monty Weatherall converted a penalty kick in the first minute, giving McGill a 3–0 lead. A few moments later, third-year inside centre Elliot Esposito went on a blistering run, which set up another penalty conversion from Weatherall, doubling McGill’s lead to 6–0. From there, it was fourth-year Michael Nwabufo’s Show. The 6’4” second row hammered players left and right and seemed to be on every tackle. The RSEQ All-Star was adamant about the win being a team effort. 

“Our coach set it up very well,” Nwabufo said. “We weren’t contesting the ruck, so there were a lot more people involved. We just had to understand where the ball was going to go. It was easy because every time someone gets hit, you can go in and assist. It’s [about] being there for each other.”

The Gee-Gees came back strong, however, applying pressure on the home team’s defence after the 20-minute mark. This led to a penalty conversion that halved the lead, and a yellow card against third-year tight head prop Jeremy OckoMichalak, who would be sidelined for the next 10 minutes. 

With only 14 players on the pitch, it looked like McGill would be on their back foot. However, this turned out not to be the case, as they launched multiple attacks until fourth-year flanker Ryan Robb finally scored the first try of the game. Just before the break, third-year outside centre Maxime Rieuf capped off a dominant first half when he received a handoff that built McGill’s lead to 17 points.

“In the first-half we really wanted it more than them,” Weatherall said. “We beat them earlier this season, so we knew coming out of the changing rooms we needed to [knock] them off balance.”

Coming back from the break, McGill’s dismantling of Ottawa continued when second-year lock Karl Hunger punched in McGill’s third try of the game. Several big runs followed, most notably a mesmerizing scamper through the opposition’s defence by Weatherall that led to another try, this time by second-year 8-man Andreas Dionisopoulos. Weatherall completed his Jonny Wilkinson-esque performance by converting his fifth kick of the match.

The rest of the match was a mere formality: McGill slacked off and became complacent, enabling Ottawa to muster a slight comeback, but it was too little too late.

McGill will head to the provincial finals on Nov. 10 where they will face off against their cross-town rival Concordia (6–0). The McGill men’s rugby team has lost all five of their past matchups against the Stingers, who have not lost an RSEQ game in three years.  

 

Moment of the game

The crowd erupted at the 12-minute mark, when third-year inside centre Elliot Esposito left multiple rivals in the dust on a physical 40 metre run. This would ultimately set up first-year fly half Monty Weatherall for a field goal conversion to put McGill up 6–0 early in the game.

Quotable

“Today we wanted to play at the best of our abilities and send a message to Concordia for the final. Let them know that their three-year unbeaten streak is under threat. We definitely believe we have the capacity to beat them next week.” – First-year fly half Monty Weatherall on next week’s RSEQ final against the Stingers. 

Stat corner

This season, McGill has outscored opponents 170–64 in five home games at Percival Molson Stadium. Prior to the playoffs, they have allowed an average of only 10.5 points against per game. 

McGill, News

McGill alumnus Sally Armstrong returns to McGill for Massey Lecture

by Jackie Lee on

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Content Warning: mentions of sexual assault

 

World-renowned journalist, celebrated author, and human rights activist Sally Armstrong presented  “The Mating Game,” the second installment of her Massey Lecture series, at McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy on Oct. 24. Armstrong was appointed CBC’s Massey Lecturer of 2019, a prestigious role given annually to a scholar who is well-versed in a pertinent current issue. They are then tasked with giving a series of lectures across Canada. As one of the first journalists to report on the lives of Afghan women under Taliban rule, Armstrong has continued to engage in activism for justice for women and girls across the globe. 

Armstrong argued that empowering women is essential for a society to thrive. She also discussed society’s continuous fixation on the Biblical Adam and Eve story, where Eve is portrayed as inferior to Adam, and how this anecdote perpetuates harmful stereotypes.

“Apart from the philosophical and emotional aspects of [women historically] being cast as less valuable, that dismissal builds societal systems and structures that reinforce the power imbalance we are trying to sort out today,”Armstrong said.

Although Armstrong acknowledged that conditions for women have improved in many ways, she emphasized how men continue to be seen as the default in some fields, which can put women in danger. For example, the dimensions of both crash-test dummies and construction equipment are modeled for a man’s proportions—calibrations that may prove fatal to women.

“The simplest truth is the data [that] we use for everything from medical tests to vehicle safety, office temperatures to snow removal, [are] hopelessly biased,” Armstrong said.

Whereas Canada and the US have fallen short in terms of gender equality in some respects, like gender equality in government, Armstrong pointed out that Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Sweden may serve as models for the rest of the world. She feels the success of these countries is due to a culture fundamentally based on equality.

“[Gender equality] is easier to build on rather than trying to play catch-up,” Armstrong said. 

Through her presentation, Armstrong detailed different instances of sexual assault against women as a means of asserting power and control, and highlighted the importance of recognizing and combatting rape culture and gender discrimination.

“The truly incredible part of these reports of rape, [such as] date rape, war-time rape, or genocidal rape […], is [that] the treatment of women is ubiquitous; it cuts across cultures, socio-economic status, age, and geography,” Armstrong said. “These are the issues we’ve known about and buried forever. And now they’re in the spotlight.”

Armstrong expressed hope in the new generation’s fight for equality, and offered some hard-earned advice to the audience.

“The next generation, that’s [young people], is demanding accountability,” Armstrong said. “Your voice is your most effective tool.”  

 Erika Moyer, a student at McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy, explained the importance of the talk.

“By promoting these events, Max Bell provides the public with a better understanding of major public policy issues,” Moyer said. “Facilitating discourse on important issues leads to better public policies, which translates into lasting change.” 

Denbeigh Whitmarsh, U3 Arts, commented on what she learned from the lecture regarding the double standards placed on women.

 “We’re really quick to point fingers to a lot of Middle Eastern cultures [regarding sexism], but we don’t often look back at ourselves and realize that it is the same thing here,” Whitmarsh said. “We turn a blind eye to [the unfair treatment of women], because it’s our own society [….] It’s a lot more difficult to change yourself than it is to change someone else.”

Armstrong finished her lecture with a powerful, poignant Mexican proverb she thinks all women should memorize: 

“They thought they could bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds,” Armstrong said.

Commentary, Opinion

“Made by McGill” disregards students’ ongoing concerns

by Jonah Fried on

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Two years ago, McGill cut its Eating Disorder Program. Then, this fall, a change in policy left note-takers working for McGill’s Office for Student Disabilities without proper compensation. McGill has excused these cuts, and other functional problems, as tough decisions forced upon the administration by complex financial difficulties stemming from historical events and government decisions. The university has no direct power over how much government funding it receives, but the way that McGill markets and manages itself now is entirely under its control. Last month, McGill announced “Made by McGill,” a $2 billion fundraising campaign designed to improve the university’s global standing as it enters its third century of existence. Considering the university’s funding situation, fundraising is absolutely necessary. However, in light of recent services cuts and other problems, it is worth questioning the university’s priorities governing the distribution of what funding it does receive.

The university’s intentions with Made by McGill must be analyzed in the context of its actual funding problems. Recent cuts in funding from the government of Quebec are only the tip of the iceberg. The university has experienced financial trouble ever since the banks left Montreal for Toronto in the wake of the October Crisis in 1970, leading to decreasing provincial revenue and funding for universities. McGill has a disclaimer on its website where the administration explains that a lack of funding is the root of many problems on campus. 

McGill has few options for funding itself outside of government grants and donor investment, and students should certainly take this into account when complaining about mediocre services. However, in its spending and the way that Made by McGill was pitched, McGill appears to be much more focused on augmenting its image to encourage investment than serving its current student body. The premise for the fundraising campaign is to “propel McGill into its third century” primarily by fortifying financial aid and scholarship resources and reinforcing support for research and innovation. These are all great initiatives, but students who are already here have many gripes that need to be addressed. The university should consider addressing the concerns of the present student population as an equally viable way to improve its international stature as research investment.

Students are not “made by McGill,” and that wording can be characterized as careless. Considering that McGill is dependent on its student body for their tuition dollars, it is probably more accurate to say that McGill is made by its students. When the wording of Made by McGill is examined at face value, it would imply that by paying with our tuition to keep the Roddick Gates open, and by accomplishing things with the knowledge we obtain here by our own volition, we become a product of McGill, rather than its makers. The slogan is also tone-deaf considering all of the obstacles that McGill students have to deal with, in part because of the declining quality of some student services and utilities as a result of chronic underfunding. 

Students don’t make McGill by their tuition alone. Through participating in student-run programs such as SSMU and clubs, as much as by investing in academic pursuits, the student body is what gives McGill its distinctive character more than anything else. McGill isn’t ‘made,’ either; it is an ongoing project that administration and students alike commit themselves toward. Considering the hardships that the current lack of funding for student services and other functions places on students, McGill should be cautious when putting out a message like the one implicit in “Made by McGill.”

 

Features

This ain’t no way to make a living

by Kevin Vogel on

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At an academically rigorous institution like McGill, schoolwork is just one of many intersecting obstacles to success, especially for students in financially precarious situations. According to recent National College Health Assessment (NCHA) surveys, 26 per cent* of McGill students reported that their finances had been traumatic or difficult to handle in the past 12 months. For those students, finding a job outside of class time is imperative in assuaging these concerns. Yet, working while studying at university acts as a catch-22 of sorts: In the same NCHA surveys, 13.5 per cent* of McGill students reported that work had negatively impacted their academic performance. Even if having a job is necessary to sustain personal finances, it can come at a significant cost to one’s overall well-being.

Commentary, Opinion

Open letter on Indigenous affairs at SSMU

by Tomas Jirousek, Indigenous Affairs Comissioner on

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The “Redmen” name was a visible and constant reminder of McGill’s historical discrimination against Indigenous students. It is with great pride that I can say that, after years of Indigenous student activism, we have successfully changed the name. While the #ChangeTheName campaign demonstrated Indigenous resilience and strength, it also rallied a tremendous level of allyship and support from our non-Indigenous peers. Our campaign would have been significantly more difficult without the support of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) team in particular. I reflect on this last statement with both optimism and hesitation.

SSMU is an unreliable institution that fails to provide consistent support and allyship to Indigenous students. It only takes one oversight—like failing to send an email—from a SSMU executive to remind us, as an Indigenous student community, SSMU is still a body that we cannot readily depend on. Some may  argue that this single oversight, that this independent transgression by Vice-President (VP) Internal Sanchi Bhalla, may be insignificant enough that it fails to merit a response. However, regardless of the size or publicity of such an oversight, this lack of action serves to remind Indigenous students of the institutional barriers that force us to rely on non-Indigenous members of the SSMU executive. The failure of a SSMU representative to act in allyship reminds us of our own powerlessness within the institution, and leads us to question whether we can rely on SSMU in future circumstances, or not. While VP Bhalla has explained her lapse as a “technical error” and a simple reality of bureaucracy, what is important are not the causes of her actions but their result. This event, voluntary or not, reaffirms Indigenous students’ lack of trust in the SSMU executive, and accordingly, it must then fall to us as Indigenous students to take control over our own affairs without being forced to rely on student executives who are incapable of providing allyship.

I believe Bhalla when she explained that she was incapable of supporting Indigenous students with regards to our recent protest against the treatment of First Nations children in the child welfare system. I also believe that SSMU as an institution is not structured in a way that easily affords the executive the ability to provide the type of allyship that we require as Indigenous students. While we can understand Bhalla’s failure to provide allyship to Indigenous students as a symptom of a larger institutional issue, that merely explains, and does not excuse, the structural failures of SSMU that prevent it from prioritizing Indigenous student voices. As such, it is time that we reformed SSMU in a way that works to prioritize the needs of Indigenous and marginalized students. Indigenous student activists require a three-step reform to ensure our independence and autonomy in mobilizing to promote Indigenous issues at McGill. 

First, Indigenous student activism requires fiscal autonomy, distinct from discretionary funding provided by the SSMU executive. I began the #ChangeTheName campaign without any funding and consistently relied on discretionary support from SSMU. This structure meant that I, as the head of the campaign, couldn’t plan future action without being forced to ask ‘permission’ of a non-Indigenous student executive. Indigenous students should not have to rely on the charity of SSMU when challenging an institution, especially if that institution happens to be SSMU itself. As such, I am excited to announce our proposed Indigenous Equity Fund, which Indigenous students will campaign for in the upcoming Fall referendum period.

Second, power dynamics within SSMU need to be reformed in a way that makes the Indigenous Affairs Commissioner accountable to Indigenous students, rather than the SSMU executive. The role of the Indigenous Affairs Commissioner should be to respond to concerns of Indigenous students and represent those concerns within SSMU. The Indigenous Affairs Commissioner needs to be able to hold the SSMU executive accountable if Indigenous students become anxious or feel disrespected due to the conduct of the executive. Moreso, the Indigenous Affairs Commissioner needs the flexibility to challenge the institution without feeling pressure from SSMU executive. Subverting this power dynamic means shifting the Indigenous Affairs portfolio out from under a SSMU executive, and providing an independent platform where the Indigenous Affairs Commissioner can act without concern of retaliation from the SSMU executive team.

Finally, Indigenous students require access to resources that enable rapid mobilization on issues affecting our community. By reforming the SSMU Indigenous Solidarity Policy, we can ensure that useful tools such as the SSMU listserv, room booking privileges, and seats on administrative committees are allotted to Indigenous students without having to rely on a SSMU executive. With the understanding that SSMU is simply incapable of providing the allyship that Indigenous students need, it is necessary that we acquire the means we need to help ourselves. 

I firmly believe in the power of solidarity. Solidarity, community, and reciprocity are some of the most powerful methods that we have as students when challenging McGill as an institution and fighting for student rights. At the same time, I recognize that sometimes this solidarity is difficult to achieve. This fact should not bind or limit marginalized voices from acting on our own behalf. There will be those who perceive Indigenous student actions as unnecessarily divisive and overreaching. Those who make these claims simply seek to undermine and belittle the legitimate anxiety that Indigenous students feel on an everyday basis. 

Instead of promoting divisiveness on campus, our plan is to increase solidarity and allyship, to promote Indigenous student autonomy, and to provide increased support for future Indigenous students. We can achieve this by striving for an increase in financial autonomy, a shift in power dynamics, and establishing control over resources that SSMU withholds from Indigenous students.

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