Latest News

News

AUS Councillors debate electoral systems

by Ahmad El-Zammar on

More in News:

The Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) held a Legislative Council meeting on Jan. 16 to address recurring electoral issues, some of which were noticeable sources of tension among movers.

 

Punitive electoral measures

When running for office, AUS candidates currently have a ‘three-strike process’ for infractions of the electoral bylaws and the society’s constitution. AUS President Maria Thomas proposed replacing the process with a more adaptable demerit system.

Under the new system, transgressors would collect demerit points for committing specific infractions, including engaging in deception, bribery, or posting over another candidate’s campaign material. Elections AUS may decide to issue a formal warning based on an individual’s demerit points or even have the candidate disqualified.

With respect to the new system, Joshua Werber, vice-president (VP) External of the Religious Studies Undergraduate Society (RSUS), proposed that Elections AUS should be required to instruct candidates on how to appeal its punitive measures.

“Simply because a lot of students may not know how,” Werber said. “Even though it is a simple process, it might seem murky.”

 

Online Voting

The Quebec Studies Student Association (QSSA) attempted to opt-out of AUS’ online elections system and was given permission to hold its elections internally. QSSA VP External Anaïs Lepine-Lopez argued that, given that they only represent approximately 10 departmental minor students, her department’s size should be taken into account when deciding whether or not online voting ought to be implemented.

“An online platform is not effective for us,” Lepine-Lopez said. “We’re a small department.”

A compromise deal passed unopposed. QSSA was permitted to hold in-person elections but only if it conducted online voting in unison, thereby assuaging concerns raised about setting an ambiguous precedent.

The move for internal elections became a contested issue when the Classics Student Association (CSA) pointed out that it had been denied a similar request in the past. CSA VP External Sara Merker expressed her confusion as to what standard procedure is.

“I tried to pass basically the same exact motion at our last meeting, and it got denied,” Merker said. “We have a department where you can fit everyone in a room to vote together, and that was kind of the point, and, so, I just don’t know whether taking this on a case-by-case basis with mixed results is going to be an issue.”

Thomas expressed doubt as to the suitability of internal voting altogether, seeing it as a potential hindrance for some voters.

“I just like don’t think this is the best idea for accessibility,” Thomas said. “I do think, though, that [the motion] should be amended, if the movers are open to it, to both […meet] in a room and [have] an online option because you just, can’t anticipate someone being sick [on election day] or something like that.”

Anticipating low voter turnout, executive members of the Religious Studies Undergraduate Society (RSUS) moved to hold interviews for filling the department’s executive positions instead of holding an election. They ultimately decided, however, to rescind their motion and send it to a subcommittee for further review.

Arts Senator Madeline Wilson dismissed the RSUS’s fears.

“If you think that [an election] is too much work; being a student executive is also work,” said Wilson. “If someone doesn’t want to run for an election, maybe they would not be up for the responsibilities of that position.”

The RSUS’ request will be re-examined at the next AUS council meeting, following the subcommittee’s report.

AUS Legislative Council will reconvene on Jan. 30 at 6:00 pm.

Emerging Trends, Student Life

The power of tidying up

by Sophia White on

More in Emerging Trends:

Since Netflix released ///Tidying Up With Marie Kondo/// on Jan. 1, energized viewers have been eager to tap into the ‘life-changing magic of tidying up.’ Thrift stores have reported more donations than usual, and fans have turned to social media to express their undying love for the show’s host, Marie Kondo, and her minimalist organizational tactics. Kondo is a Japanese organizing consultant and creator of the KonMari method, which urges adherents to go through their belongings and get rid of any possessions that fail to ‘spark joy.’ With the right advice from Kondo and other experts in the field, tidying up can have profound, time-saving impacts on students’ everyday routines.

The Kondo craze has inspired busy families, couples, and students alike to declutter and get their lives in order. Maya Khan (U2 Arts) recently purged her entire closet after watching Kondo’s show. Khan’s wardrobe, which was once bursting at the seams, now consists of around 30 shirts and five pairs of pants, which fit into just two small drawers. She feels relieved while working at her desk now that her clothes no longer surround her in her room.

“My productivity definitely has increased, and I feel much better having everything clean and polished,” Khan said. “Honestly, I’m slowly getting to the point where I might [reorganize] the house because of [Marie Kondo].”

However, tidying up can be a daunting task for other students, and, even after seeing a professional in action, it is difficult to know where to start. Maggie Munro (U1 Arts) recounted her frustrations after watching Kondo’s series, observing how it made her hyper-aware of her own clutter but did not motivate her to tackle it.

“I absolutely love Kondo and respect her anti-consumerist, minimalist philosophy,” Munro said. “But I find the ‘spark joy’ principle too vague for me to apply to my own life because everything I own can spark joy for me if I think about it long enough.”

For those seeking a more hands-on approach, there are other experts who can offer some helpful tips. Although professional organizing may seem like a niche occupation, Kondo is not alone in the field. Alison Lush, a certified professional organizer in Montreal, has a passion for helping people to declutter their homes, and she prides herself on her non-judgemental, individualized approach. She has studied the KonMari in depth, but finds Kondo’s style to be too dogmatic.

“[Kondo] believes that everyone should be doing it the same way,” Lush said. “I believe every individual is on their own journey, and everyone listens to their inner self and what’s important to them. [The way people live their lives] is a personal decision, and we shouldn’t be judging.”

Lush recognizes that all of her clients are unique, but, during the decluttering process, she suggests that everyone reevaluate the way they manage five main resources: Money, time, space, energy, attention, and, most importantly, stuff.

“I encourage everybody to reflect on the volume of stuff they have and to take ownership of it,” Lush said. “There’s a lot of payoff to actually thinking about our stuff and what serves a purpose. It makes daily life easier.”

Lush has developed a number of organizational strategies to help clients, such as creating a ‘VIP parking spot’ for possessions that get lost easily or cause extra stress when needed in a rush. For Lush, clutter only poses a problem once it becomes an inconvenience, but, similarly to Kondo, she believes that everything her clients own should have personal value. She urges her clients to create their own rules and boundaries so that, over time, they develop personalized habits and make sustainable changes to their own lifestyles.

Lush also offers practical advice for university students, who are often balancing multiple responsibilities and may live with roommates who don’t share the same standards of tidiness.

“Take a deep breath,” Lush said. “It’s hard being a student: Recognize that. Any time we share a living space with someone, it comes with costs and benefits. We have the benefit of shared responsibilities, but it’s also inevitable that there’s compromise along the way.”

The notion of keeping up a tidy lifestyle may sound intimidating, but, with the help of experts like Kondo and Lush, students can alleviate the dread associated with tidying. Lush sees the potential for fun in cleaning up, and believes that, with time, students can figure out an organizing system that works for them.

“Managing all of our resources is a lifetime learning curve,” Lush said. “I’m in my ninth year as a professional organizer, and I’m still learning. I try to look at it like an adventure and a discovery [and] to try to put a positive spin on it, because why not?”

 

Science & Technology

Politicized care: Indigenous ways of knowing in healthcare

by Zoe Doran on

More in Science & Technology:

McGill Nurses for Global Health hosted a panel of indigenous healthcare professionals and community members on Jan. 17 to discuss the importance of integrating indigenous understandings of health into care.

Megan Eaker, a McGill Nursing master’s student and woman of mixed Cree and European ancestry, opened the event by offering concrete steps that healthcare professionals can take to better serve indigenous communities. She emphasized the importance of making room for ceremony and spirituality in healthcare. At the same time, she also implored healthcare professionals to understand the diversity of indigenous cultures within Canada as well as the vast continuum of cosmologies within a single nation. Her arguments may appear obvious, considering that there are over 600 distinct indigenous nations in Canada, but, nonetheless, Eaker lamented that a conversation about indigenous diversity is frequently excluded from modern Western medicine.

Involving indigenous culture in healthcare is one way to sustain traditional ways of knowing, but the approach is complex given how variable the different cultures are. However, different First Nations face the similar challenges of displacement, colonialism, and genocide.

“We cannot talk about indigenous health without [referring to] land and colonialism,” Jessica Barudin, indigenous health advocate and program manager of the Indigenous Health Profession Program, said.  “We can’t understand indigenous health without understanding politics.”

Colonial violence and the ongoing systemic oppression of indigenous peoples in Canada have disrupted the traditions of health and wellness which previously existed in indigenous communities. As a result, reconnecting with culture, land, and spirituality is often a necessary process in indigenous health.

Cheryl McDonald, a matriarch and grandmother of the Wolf Clan of Kanien’kehá:ka, addressed the need for healing beyond the physical. McDonald recalled how the traumatic experience of her sister disappearing left physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wounds. She also recounted her own path to advocacy for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls organization. In reflecting on her trauma, McDonald emphasized that a return to her culture was an important part of her healing process as an indigenous woman.

“Reconnecting to nature and the elements is the purest form of healing,” MacDonald said.

Otsits (aken:ra, a respected elder and faith keeper of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawá:ka, closed the event by speaking about how spirituality has shaped healing within his own community.

“In everything in this Earth, there is medicine,” Patton said. “It is us who have forgotten the healing. The Earth is our mother, not something we buy or sell.”

Patton highlighted the importance of integrating diverse indigenous knowledge into healthcare. Modern medicine defines health according to the biopsychosocial model, which considers biological, psychological, and social factors of being healthy, as well as their interactions. However, this model excludes spiritual health and, consequently, the comprehensive health needs of many indigenous populations are not met.  

All of the speakers agreed that healthcare professionals have a responsibility to advocate for spirituality in wellness and also consider the deeply-politicized nature of indigenous identity. They called for healthcare that combats, not furthers, colonial violence.

McGill, News

Students report sexual harassment on campus at night

by Abeer Almahdi on

More in McGill:

CW: Sexual harassment

With midterm exams approaching, McGill libraries will soon be open for 24 hours, meaning that more students will be out late studying. Several students have reported seeing people masturbating on campus during the past year, often at night, and have been disappointed in the precautionary efforts. The risks on McGill’s downtown campus are partly mitigated by measures for students walking home alone, such as emergency phone lines and student-run groups like Walksafe and Drivesafe. Yet, these measures can sometimes fail to provide timely or adequate responses. On Dec. 9, Kirsten Vanderlinde (U1 Arts) was walking to the McLennan-Redpath library complex when a man approached her and started masturbating.

“I got to campus at 12:30 [a.m] and I was right at the Y-intersection, and the guy had asked me where the closest metro was […], and it was dark,” Vanderlinde said. “But then I noticed that the person’s arm was moving kind of weird […], and then I followed his arm and […saw] that he was masturbating right in the middle of our campus.”

Vanderlinde claims that she informed McGill security of the incident immediately afterward and that the staff laughed at her complaint. She subsequently wrote a post on the McGill Entering Class 2017-18 Facebook group, warning students about a potential sex offender on campus.

“When I got to the library, I told the security guard and she laughed about it,” Vanderlinde said. “I can understand why you think that’s funny, but it’s your job to keep people safe. I had to call [security] the next day to find out what they did. They [said] they searched the area […], but they didn’t find him.”

Manraj Grewal (U1 Science) witnessed a similar incident the following week.

“Around 9 p.m. […], I was walking back on Sherbrooke […], and as I was approaching the Roddick Gates […], this man walks up to me, [and] he’s masturbating,” Grewal said. “[He] asked me where the nearest metro station [was….] I cussed him out but he started walking away really fast [….] I walked back to the library [and] told security.”

Grewal made a post in the same McGill group on Dec. 15, alerting students of her similar incident on campus. She had previously seen Vanderlinde’s post and said the alleged offender matched Vanderlinde’s description.

Vanderlinde and Grewal’s cases are not unique. Two other McGill students, Danielle*, U2 Science, and Jane*, U0 Arts, whose names will remain anonymous, were both victims of similar instances of sexual harassment on campus in 2018, though they identified different offenders.

“[Last March], I was in RVC and I was taking a break from studying,” Danielle said. “At some point, I look out the window […] and I [see] a guy standing […] Then I look down and start realizing [that he’s masturbating].”

Jane recalled walking to her residence at night when she allegedly saw a man masturbating by Molson Stadium. According to Jane, a similar incident occurred a few days later at the same location. Both Jane and Danielle claim to have experienced lasting trauma.

“[I] felt quite violated, […] sexual harassment is never a good feeling,” Jane said. “It’s different when it’s something that obvious […] and it’s right next to where you live, and it’s a place you have to walk [by] every day. It made me feel quite violated in a location I can’t avoid.”

Vanderlinde was frustrated with McGill security’s alleged lack of response to her disclosure. She believes that McGill security should provide extra protection during exam periods when libraries like Schulich and McLennan-Redpath are open 24 hours a day.

“I understand that our campus is downtown, and you can’t prevent everybody from coming onto campus, […] but I also feel like that is such an obvious thing that [security] could have spotted,” Vanderlinde said. “When the school does have the library open for 24 hours, they know that students are going to be around here later at night because of that, [and] they should try to keep the area around school safer during that time.”

According to McGill security services’ annual report, there were 15 reports of ‘Indecent Exposure or Peeping’ in the 2016-17 year, but the numbers decreased to nine reports in the 2017-18 year. McGill security did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

*The names of these sources have been modified to protect their anonymity.

McGill, News

SEDE to be replanted in new offices

by Krithika Ragupathi on

More in McGill:

The McGill Reporter announced on Aug. 9 that McGill’s Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office is being restructured to prioritize equity issues on campus. Toward the end of the 2017-18 academic year, students responded to these changes negatively and criticized the administration for proceeding without consulting the student body, prompting the administration to hold upcoming consultations on Feb. 12.

The SEDE office opened its doors in the fall of 2005 as a result of discussion among students, administration, and other community members on issues of harassment and discrimination on campus. Since then, SEDE has run various projects that focus on community engagement and equity in education, including Homework Help at Kahnawá:ke Survival School, Black History Month, and Indigenous Awareness Week.

“Basically, what we’re trying to do is take the different functions […of] the SEDE office and [put] them in locations where they’re going to be strengthened,” Fabrice Labeau, interim deputy provost (Student Life & Learning), said. “Among the things we’ve done is relocate some people from the office of the Provost and […] created a few additional jobs within these offices. Some of the other activities of SEDE are moving to student services, so the portion that has to do with the family care coordinator is now going to be integrated in the new [Rossy Student Wellness Hub].”

The changes include moving equity education and employment programs to the Office of the Provost as well as moving outreach and community services programs to the Enrollment Services building.

A student-run Facebook campaign called “McGill Needs SEDE” was created in early December to protest the restructuring. The campaign’s open letter to Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) Angela Campbell, urging the administration to stop the SEDE office from closing, garnered over 250 signatures from students and alumni.The letter stated that the decision to restructure SEDE put funding for community engagement projects at risk.

“[I eventually] read [the letter], but it was never sent to me,” Campbell said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “I read a version that was online in December. Someone sent it to me, but the people who drafted the letter never sent it to me.”

Campbell responded to student inquiries regarding the closure of SEDE in an article in the Reporter, stating that SEDE was not closing, as the student open-letter had suggested. She clarified that SEDE would likely not exist at its current location, 3610 McTavish, and that the community engagement work will continue through Enrollment Services.

“There was never a communication that anything was going to be discontinued or even scaled back,” Campbell said. “In fact, the resources, both financial and human, that have been put into equity and community engagement have been made much more robust in the last two years.”

The specifics of SEDE’s continuing operations remain unclear.

“I’ve been told nothing is going to be lost,” Jacob Shapiro, Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) vice-president (VP) University Affairs, said. “I think that’s something students will be on board with even though the question becomes […] where is the space where people will feel included? And are there going to be more or less of them?”

Funding to SEDE has previously been an issue. In 2014, SEDE office workers were anxious about having to potentially reduce programming following provincial budget cuts the previous winter.

“One of my main concerns is that students who have been part of these programs, who have benefitted from these programs, were never consulted about what the future of these programs should be,” Ananya Nair, Arts Undergraduate Society’s community engagement commissioner, said.

For the upcoming consultations on Feb. 12, Campbell intends to meet with student associations, particularly underrepresented groups on campus, to gather input from students on current and future equity initiatives.

“We heard you didn’t feel consulted about these changes in SEDE,” Campbell said. “We really regret that. We want to have an opportunity to hear from you.”

Off the Board, Opinion

Light your academic fire

by Marie Labrosse on

More in Off the Board:

In the first few sessions of every graduate seminar I’ve taken at McGill, a particular routine has unfolded without fail: The class goes around the table introducing themselves, their progress in the program, and how their research interests relate to the course. When my turn comes, I take a deep breath, and prepare myself for the plunge.

“Hi, my name is Marie, I’m in the first year of my Master’s, and I’m interested in researching creation myths in post-disaster science fiction.”

I exhale, winded from the length of my statement, but contented by the accompanying knowledge that I have found a place in the academic ecosystem. That satisfaction is underscored by the fact that I haven’t always felt a sense of belonging at McGill, particularly in the classroom.

I find reassurance in having an identity within the confines of the university’s walls, which I can use to navigate its systems and networks. As an undergraduate student and a part of the largest student cohort at McGill, I felt that I rarely shared the privilege of asserting an academic identity.

Defining and taking pride in one’s academic passion is an investment that takes time and effort. However, neither are luxuries that a student has in particular abundance, preventing them from committing themselves to finding a passion to define their academic experience. I stumbled upon my own desire to study science-fiction literature somewhat by accident. The genre wasn’t included on any of my course syllabi, but I had always enjoyed reading it in my own time.

University is touted as a place for reinvention where young adults living independently, often for the first time, discover who they are. The best way to learn how to navigate the educational landscape is finding a way to adapt it to one’s own educational goals. Having a research interest allows students to interact with class material in more depth by providing them with an appealing lens through which to approach it. In graduate school, students are actively encouraged to make links between their personal research and the classes they take, which may not necessarily directly overlap with their interests. By trying to connect science-fiction texts with 19th century American literature, I have uncovered unlikely parallels between their plots which have informed the direction of my research.

Still, few universities extend undergraduate students the opportunity to develop an academic personality defined by their own unique curiosities beyond semester-long independent reading courses and honours programs. Without opportunities for research accessible to all students, finding an academic passion and identity is almost impossible.

Finding a calling and refining it is a lengthy process; it takes time to come up with a valuable question to research and even more to hone it into a manageable and useful project, an operation that often takes a student in a completely different direction than the one in which they were initially headed. With every new seminar that I take, I uncover a new angle to pursue in my research from an author I didn’t know to a whole range of themes. The knowledge that, with every passing day, I can find a way to broaden my project and interests without feeling rushed to do so has made my experience as a graduate student much more engaging than my undergraduate studies.

By presenting research as a one-time activity rather than a long term project that spans the length of an academic career and informs its progression, institutions mirror a contemporary approach to higher education as a requirement for a professional future where the piece of paper students obtain at the end is more important than the critical skills they acquire. It’s no wonder that students struggle to feel an attachment to their institution and class materials if they can’t see its broader purpose and aren’t encouraged to do so.

My own willingness to discuss my research interests is newfound and still developing. I struggle sometimes to explain what interests me about English literature when I am outside of the classroom. I broach the topic gingerly, a little embarrassed to admit that I have found a passion and a place for myself at an institution that sees tens of thousands of students rush in and out of its revolving doors. But, with the encouragement of my peers and faculty, I am starting to take pride in my academic passion.

Laughing Matters, Opinion

Schulogy for the library

by Sanchi Bhalla on

More in Laughing Matters:

This month, the McGill community suffered a great loss. We received news of the beloved Schulich Library of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering’s impending closure. Home to mostly stressed students and a couple of bookshelves, this 24-hour study spot will be missed. Though moving on seems hard, it is not impossible.

One cannot describe the beauty of the recently deceased without mentioning its stark white, asylum-like walls, uncomfortable polyester seats, and drab grey carpets, which are perfect for camouflaging your third breakdown of the hour. Many a time, with tears in my eyes and stress gripping each breath, I have retreated to that corner to cry—only to find it occupied by another student in the same sorry state. After all, community building is what hygiène de vie is all about.

I don’t know a single student who hasn’t fallen in love with the coffee-less, food-free, asbestos-filled building that was Schulich library. Some of my best first-year memories took place in there: Curling up in a ball on the floor, starving, but unable to leave my seat in case an eagle-eyed engineer stole my spot, all without having seen sunlight for two days straight. Oh, to be a froshie again.

The Engineering Undergraduate Society will be hosting a memorial service at Blue’s Pub this week. Dear Ol’ Schu drove many of its inhabitants to drink, so it’s the only way to truly honour its memory.

Features

Pipelines, blockades, and sovereignty

by Calvin Trottier-Chi on

More in Features:

Much to journalists’ chagrin, progress doesn’t come in satisfying narrative arcs. It is unsteady, disjointed, unpredictable, and ongoing in a way that frustrates the limits of news coverage. The indigenous protests at Standing Rock captured the world’s attention for weeks in early 2016, but few reporters were on the scene when the constructed pipeline leaked 84 gallons of oil of oil on Apr. 4 and 6 the following year. This familiar narrative is playing out in Canada, and the eyes of the nation are on the indigenous Wet’suwet’en Nation, where the Unist’ot’en Camp is blocking a pipeline route. It is only the latest flashpoint in the ongoing struggle for indigenous land ownership, but media attention has brought this protest to the front of Canadian consciousness.

1 … 513 514 515 516 517 … 1,367

Read the latest issue

Read the latest issue