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Student Life

Landing a summer job: Beyond targeting the resume and dressing for success

by Samantha Ling on

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With the beginning of the Winter semester comes the daunting task of searching and applying for summer opportunities. Yet landing the ideal job can feel like a catch 22: You need work experience to get a job, but without a past job or other opportunities, you can’t get work experience. Beyond the basics of drafting a CV and learning how to shake hands, The McGill Tribune has compiled a few niche tips and tricks for navigating the job hunt that can’t be found in the average ‘How to land a job for dummies’ guidebook.

The application

1. Keep both tailored and ‘master’ CVs

As relevant skills and experiences vary for each position you apply for, it’s important to tailor your CV to each job or internship. Starting with a ‘master CV’ can help you keep track of every aspect of your previous work experience—dates, organization names, and responsibilities. You can refer back to this document with each new application you submit.

2. Start your cover letter with an anecdote

The first paragraph of your cover letter is the most important; it must be clear, concise, and engaging in order to catch the reader’s attention. Start with the key details: State the position you’re seeking and general information regarding your university degree. Then, show the reader your general knowledge of the field in which you are applying to work, while expressing an aspect of your personality. A useful way to do so is to start out your letter with a relevant anecdote from your time in school or in similar positions. If, for example, you’ve ever overcome a challenge or had a troubling experience, describe the measures you took to fix the problem and what you learned from the issue. This will convey honesty and problem-solving skills, and a narrative arc will make your application stand out.

3. Stick to a uniform style

Your cover letter and CV should be in the same format and design style in order for employers to easily identify them as yours. Future employers will appreciate that your documents are easy to follow, and may see the organization of your application as a reflection of your work capabilities. Templates for CVs can easily be found online on websites such as Overleaf and VisualCV.

The interview

1. Use your resources to practice

For many people, no amount of preparation can result in a flawless interview. In order to deliver your points in the most effective and eloquent way possible, practice your public speaking and ensure you’re confident about what you will say in the interview. Make cue cards with responses to typical interview questions, and run through them in front of the mirror or with a friend. CaPS also offers a service called InterviewStream which allows students to practice over 7,000 interview questions and hone their responses. While your interview responses should sound candid—not rehearsed—practicing can give you confidence as you head through the office doors, and ensure you walk out with your head high.

2. Interview the interviewer

The typical interview ends with the prospective employer asking “Do you have any questions for us?” For many people, this  is a nerve-wracking request—but it doesn’t need to be. Ask your interviewers something about themselves and how they got involved in the organization. If you can, use that as a jumping-off point for more questions about their experience in the industry, and turn the interview into a back-and-forth conversation. Not only does this reaffirm your interest in the job, it lets the employer know you care about them as much as they care about you, and shows off your conversational skills.

Basketball, Men's Varsity, Sports

McGill Redmen basketball avenge early-season home loss to Concordia Stingers

by Noémie Briollais on

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McGill Redmen
91

Concordia Stingers
62

On Jan. 13, the McGill Redmen basketball team secured their second win against the Concordia Stingers in three days, taking their season record to 7-1. The Redmen took off with an early lead, and after warding off Concordia’s second period comeback efforts, they finished the game with a comfortable 91-62 score. Earlier in the week, on Jan. 11, the Redmen traveled across town to top the Stingers 88-81. The last time the two teams met on McGill home court, on Nov. 18, had a disappointing result for the Redmen, as the Stingers handed them a 58-70 loss.

McGill started the first quarter with 12 consecutive points, heading ending the period with a 20-point lead.

Concordia’s best effort of the game came in the second quarter, when they narrowed the gap to just 11 points. The half ended 45-29 with McGill still holding a dominant lead. Redmen captain Dele Ogundokun outlined the team’s mentality to start the game.

“We knew it was going to be a battle from the front, but we got off to a good start in the first quarter, and the energy from the crowd kept us going,” Ogundokun said.

Head Coach David DeAveiro highlighted the strength of his team’s start, noting the unevenness between the two sides in the early minutes of the game.

“The score was 29-9 in the first quarter,” DeAveiro said. “Concordia turned over the ball 16 times in the first half.”

This tremendous start set the tempo for the rest of the match, with the Redmen easily containing the visiting Stingers. The Redmen were led by fifth-year Ogundokun, who made four out of seven of his shots from outside the three-point line and went five for five from the free throw line, putting up a game-high 21 points. Ogundokun credited the win to the depth of the Redmen bench.

“We have a lot of new guys, and it gives the older guys a chance to rest,” Ogundokun said.

Sam Jenkins, a first-year guard from Hamilton, Ontario, started the game and spent a total of 16 minutes on the floor. He sunk his first shot of the game from three-point range to help establish McGill’s early lead. To Jenkins, the team’s success was due to their high-pace game.

“Today we really pushed the tempo and got a lot of shots up,” Jenkins said.

The Redmen dominated both the game and the stats with a better shot percentage from both the field and the free throw line. DeAveiro credited the team’s defence as the difference between Saturday’s win and their Nov. 18 loss.

“When you play a team a couple times, you kind of figure out their tendencies,” DeAveiro said. “So we are getting better at knowing what [Concordia likes] to do and taking away some of those things but just focusing really on things that we can improve on. We’ve added this pressure defense that we didn’t really do in the first game, and we’ve gone with a smaller line-up, so we’ve made some adjustments tonight.”

McGill’s next games are against Bishop’s University in a home-and-away series, first in Lennoxville on Jan. 26 and then back at Love Competition Hall on Jan. 27.

 

Moment of the game

Fifth-year forward Francois Bourque boxed out aggressively in the key to snatch a rebound off of Daniel Pieper’s shot, then put the ball in the basket with a casual lay-up.

 

Quotable

“I was really pleased by the way we went into the first quarter. We want to create turnovers and give ourselves opportunities to score some easy baskets.” – Redmen Head Coach David DeAveiro

 

Stat corner

The Redmen scored 31 of 68 field goals—good for 46 per cent from the court.

News, SSMU

SSMU Board of Directors nominees to be ratified a second time

by Kendall McGowan on

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At a meeting on Jan. 14, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Board of Directors (BoD) voted to ratify the Judicial Board (J-Board) decision released on Dec. 31 on the case of Glustein vs. Koparkar. With five in favour, three abstentions and three absences, the BoD vote affirmed the J-Board’s ruling that it was unconstitutional to vote on BoD members’ ratifications individually at the Fall General Assembly (GA), thus nullifying the split vote to ratify seven out of 10 nominations to the BoD. The decision also absolved Maya Koparkar, SSMU Vice-President (VP) Internal Affairs and BoD member, and Jad El Tal, former SSMU speaker, of blame for the incident.

The case, which went to trial on Nov. 30, addressed events at the Oct. 23 GA, where Koparkar motioned to split the ratification of BoD nominations from one bloc vote for all 12 nominees into individual votes for each nominee. After deliberation, El Tal allowed a version of Koparkar’s motion to be voted on, and it passed. Shortly after the GA, Jonathan Glustein, a former member of the 2017 BoD who was not up for reappointment, filed a petition with the J-Board claiming that this motion was unconstitutional and therefore that a new bloc ratification vote should be taken. The J-Board agreed with him.

“The Judicial Board believes that the Motion Regarding the Nomination of Directors for the Board of Directors should be voted on again at another General Assembly or as a Referendum question—this time, as a whole,” its Dec. 31 decision reads.

The BoD members nominated at the Fall GA were scheduled to begin sitting on Nov. 15, when the contracts of the 2017 Directors terminated. However, on Oct. 28, the J-Board released an interim order suspending the results of the GA until a final decision could be made. SSMU President and BoD Chair Muna Tojiboeva announced at a Nov. 5 BoD meeting that, after consulting with SSMU’s legal team, that the past term’s members would remain on the BoD until the case was completed. Five of the members, including three executives, would be serving on both boards.

(Elli Slavitch / The McGill Tribune)

Per the SSMU Internal Regulations, all decisions made by the J-Board must be approved by the BoD in order to become final. Glustein, Koparkar, and Alexander Scheffel abstained from voting on the final J-Board decision, and Noah Lew was not present for the vote.

Tojiboeva announced at a Nov. 5 BoD meeting that the results of the GA were suspended by the J-Board, and that the past term’s members would remain on the BoD until the case was completed. Now that a ruling has been issued, the new bloc vote will be held via online referendum from Jan. 15 to 18.

In an interview in November, Koparkar noted that she made the original motion at the GA because she was under the impression that the BoD agreed it would improve their democratic legitimacy.

“In September, when there was a lot of controversy over who was on the Board, one of the Board members had said that our board wasn’t democratic because it wasn’t made of fully elected representatives,” Koparkar said. “Someone else said that they were elected because they were ratified at the GA. However, it’s a bloc vote so the first director said that made this not legitimate. Then the General Manager had suggested putting each candidate on a separate ballot in the future and everyone agreed to this. At Legislative Council we [ratified the Board members] with a division of the question as well.”

Although he emphasized his support for all 12 BoD nominees, SSMU VP Student Life and Director Jemark Earle shared Koparkar’s opinion on the democratic merits of individual ballots for each nominee.

“Voting in a [bloc] forces you to either sacrifice your own personal values to let someone represent you who could be problematic or vote against people who you support just because of one or two people,” Earle said. “When the Councillors were being nominated to [the BoD] at Council, it was done individually, [which] I believe was much more democratic than had it been done as a [bloc].”

 
Martlets, Sports, Volleyball

McGill Martlet volleyball sweeps Carabins in Dig for the Cure

by Patrick Beacham on

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On Jan. 12, the McGill Martlets (9-2) came back from winter break to face the Université de Montréal (UdeM) Carabins (9-2) at the sixth annual Dig for the Cure match, a fundraiser for the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation. Despite losing each of the season’s four previous matchups to Montreal, McGill led for most of the game, which culminated in a decisive 3-0 victory. Against a strong team like the Carabins, the Martlets were understandably happy with their first performance of the new year.

“[The win] feels very good, especially starting 2018 with this game,” fourth-year middle Myriam Robitaille said. “And it’s the second time, also, that we won Dig for the Cure in [its] history, so that feels good.”

The holiday break was no time for rest and relaxation for either team, as both McGill and UdeM travelled cross-country to British Columbia to train with potential postseason rivals from the West.

“The goal of the training camp was to play against really big [blockers],” Martlet Head Coach Rachele Beliveau said. “We were able to really work hard and be able to hit against those [teams], and as we’re coming back, we’re playing Montreal right from the beginning. For us it was good because we were just coming from training in this situation that we were facing [against UdeM] tonight.”

The trip out West wasn’t the first for McGill to build familiarity with Montreal’s playstyle: Many of the athletes on both teams attended CEGEP together. This shared history enabled each team to effectively read the other, resulting in a game of perpetually changing strategies on both sides. The Carabins couldn’t stay on the ball, however, as the Martlets constantly shifted between long and short spikes. UdeM never managed to keep up, and McGill eventually took off with the third set 25-10.

“We knew we had to be fast against [UdeM], so we just wanted to focus on our passing to capitalize on our play and our speed to destabilize them,” second-year power Claire Vercheval said.

As the game went on and strategies adjusted accordingly, the Martlets continued to drive the tempo. Montreal is a tall team relative to McGill, so the Martlets knew that they had to play quick sets in order to gain an edge.

“That’s our strength,” fifth-year middle Érika Cournoyer added. “We’re a fast team. We try to do fast sets to try to outplay [opponents….] Montreal’s really tall, but they’re not as fast.”

The McGill victory leaves the two teams tied for first place in the RSEQ conference. As the Martlets focus on the upcoming away game against the Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Jan. 19, McGill could be in line to dethrone Montreal.

“We’re gonna work toward [first place], and we just want to keep the intensity very high in-game,” Robitaille said. “Once we get to playoffs, anyone can exceed to the first ranks, so for sure that’s the goal.”

 

Moment of the Game

Fifth-year middle Érika Cournoyer slammed the ball through the Montreal block in the second set to reach a 7-7 tie, closing the last Carabin lead of the game.

 

Quotable

“At the beginning it was tough for us, but we got better and better and felt confident that we can hit the ball, even though we have big blocks in front.” – Head Coach Rachele Beliveau on the importance of the training trip out West

 

Stat Corner

Second-year power Claire Vercheval dominated the scoresheet with 25 total points, followed by second-year middle Elisabeth Perreault with 18.

Science & Technology

The indestructible deconstructed

by Ronny Litvack-Katzman on

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A group of McGill scientists were recognized for their cutting-edge research, an example of innovation at its finest.

“Innovations are the solutions that no one else would think of,” Don Sheppard, professor of microbiology and immunology and researcher, told The McGill Tribune.

Québec Science Magazine recently recognized Sheppard and his team for their revolutionary work on biofilms, following a study they published in June 2017. They are one of three McGill-affiliated research teams to be recognized in the magazine’s “Les 10 découvertes de l’année,” a comprehensive list of the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2017. Sheppard’s team developed a mechanism in which the enzymes used to build biofilms can be reversed upon themselves, producing a self-sabotaging system in which the biofilm destroys itself.

Biofilms are glue-like membranes that exist around populations of microbes, collectively creating a thick layer of slime that is difficult to treat or remove with antibiotics. Many common health issues, such as urinary tract infections, Crohn’s disease, and even dental plaque can be made worse by biofilms.

Biofilms are found everywhere: They make up the mucous layer of lung tissue, and can form in the tissues of post-operative surgical patients, which may further complicate already strenuous and delicate procedures.

For years, biofilms have been virtually untreatable as they do not respond to antibiotics or physical removal. Sheppard’s research may circumvent this problem.

“This [mechanism] turns the problem at 90 degrees,” Sheppard said. “We are not harming the bug at all with our therapy. Instead, we are attacking a structure that the bug makes, we are attacking this biofilm, this wall around the city that the organism makes.”

He refers to the enzymes that compose biofilms as “saws”—tools used to build a wall around bacteria. Sheppard’s mechanism strips the enzymes of their safety features, allowing the enzymatic process to work opposingly, thereby taking apart the biofilms with the same tools used to build them.

Sheppard’s research represents a turning point in the way that medical professionals may tackle the problems presented by biofilms in the effective treatment of patients. The new method’s importance goes beyond its medical implications.

“I believe that the ramifications of this discovery are enormous,” Brendan Snarr, a PhD candidate in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “It is suspected that almost all microbes can live in some form of biofilm in the environment, so to have a technology to degrade them could have applications across many fields.”

This technology has potential uses across multiple disciplines, from the health sciences to manufacturing and agriculture. The team has high hopes that this technology will become available for commercial therapeutic use within the next five years, and are currently working toward generating the required data to begin a clinical trial in humans.

McGill microbiologists worked alongside Dr. Lynne Howell, a researcher in Molecular Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Howell, who specializes in the mechanics of enzymatic function, worked alongside Sheppard and Snarr to create an interdisciplinary answer to the problem.

“This is a great example of the success of interdisciplinary science,” Sheppard said. “We take a group like mine, along with myself, […] an infectious disease doctor, and marry it with a research lab focused on the structure and the function of individual proteins and enzymes.”

Together, in what can only be described as a perfect pairing of immunology and biochemistry, two teams of doctors studying vastly different fields have come together to, in Sheppard’s words, create “A product [that] greatly exceeds the sum of the parts.”

 

Hockey, Sports

NHL window shopping at the 2018 World Juniors

by Jordan Foy on

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Every holiday season, many Canadians watch the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) U-20 World Junior Championships, cheering on the nation’s best young players. The tournament is an exciting time for NHL fans. For those supporting teams near the bottom of the standings, the World Juniors provide an opportunity to scout draft-eligible players that—if the draft lottery works out in their favour—may soon bolster their struggling teams’ ranks. While there were no undrafted players on the Canadian roster, other nations displayed their fair share of young talent.

Rasmus Dahlin — Sweden

Without a doubt, Dahlin was the biggest name of the tournament in terms of draft-eligible players. Dahlin played a huge role on a Swedish squad that dominated its opponents at the tournament, falling only to Canada in the final. Individually, Dahlin made the tournament all-star team, and was named  best defenceman of the tournament with a total of six assists. That performance showed that in addition to being a solid defensive player, he also has tremendous offensive capabilities as a puck-moving defenceman. He is pegged by virtually all scouts as the top pick in the 2018 NHL draft, and his performance at the tournament did nothing but reinforce his reputation.

Brady Tkachuk — United States

A skilled and irritating forward, Tkachuk was an integral part of the American attack, scoring three goals and six assists. In addition, he proved to be a versatile player, defensively responsible and a key component of the American penalty kill unit. When the situation demanded it, Tkachuk proved he could come in clutch: He scored the tying goal in the outdoor game against the Canadians, forcing the game into overtime and allowing the Americans to nab the game in an overtime shootout. While the Americans were ultimately defeated 4-2 by the Swedes in the semi-finals, Tkachuk scored the second American goal in a late-game comeback attempt. Tkachuk is a gritty forward that can get in the face of opponents; however, he has the skill to back up his antics, and is projected to be selected in the top five.

Andrei Svechnikov — Russia

Svechnikov, a Russian winger, is another forward projected to be a top pick. Many rankings have him positioned to be drafted second overall. Unfortunately for those who hoped to see Svechnikov at the tournament, his playing time was limited as a 17-year-old on a team of mostly 19 year-olds. Nevertheless, he displayed his offensive prowess in the ice time he was given, adding five assists and tying for second in team scoring. Svechnikov has undeniable speed and skill, and the potential to bring tremendous offensive power to whichever team selects him.

Filip Zadina — Czech Republic

Filip Zadina was a key member of a Czech team that surprised many with a substantial upset win over Finland in the quarterfinals. The speedy forward exhibited his high level of skill throughout the tournament, tallying seven goals to reach second in scoring, and was named to the tournament all-star team. In the semi-final game against Canada, Zadina displayed his offensive mastery on a beautiful shot that beat goalie Connor Hart cleanly to score the first goal of the game. His performance wasn’t enough to carry the Czechs to the finals, but, in Zadina, teams can expect a defensively accountable, highly-skilled forward with a nose for the net.

While Canada walked away with the gold, hockey fans around the globe enjoyed an exciting tournament that showcased the game’s elite up-and-coming players. Canadians who were exuberant about the win but support currently-struggling NHL teams—such as the Oilers, Senators, Canadiens, and Canucks—may see a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of these young stars.

News, PGSS

Lack of French PGSS communications discussed at final Council meeting

by Ava Zwolinski on

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On Dec. 6, the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) Council held its last meeting of 2017, beginning with a discussion regarding translating PGSS emails, which are currently only written in English, into French. Councillors next debated a motion to prioritize PGSS engagement with the Quebec Student Union (QSU) over the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ).

Council also approved applications by the Appointments Board Committee for various positions, including those of Bruno Belzile for the Council of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Stephanie Mok for the Environment Affairs Committee. Member Services Officer Jenny Ann Pura discussed the launch of EmpowerMe, a 24/7 accessible counselling service for PGSS members. Council then ratified the resignation of former equity commissioner Emil Briones, who is stepping down due to health reasons.

 

Possibility of translating further PGSS communications into French

Magdalena Kogut, a first year Master’s student representing the French Language and Literature Department (DLLF), opened the discussion on the lack of French versions of PGSS communications.

“We realize that our department is tiny in the scheme of McGill departments, but it nonetheless a certain population of McGill students who are being excluded from important PGSS information,” Kogut said.  “And we believe that every student has the right to liberty of information and to be able to judge information for themselves rather than through interpretation.”

PGSS Internal Affairs Officer Mansha Imtiyaz stated that Council was looking into options to resolve the issue, and added that the PGSS executives planned to discuss it at their next meeting. However, Pura noted that standard prices for translation services cost from 15 to 20 cents per word, with a single email estimated to cost up to $94, based on the length of emails the PGSS has sent in the past.

“We understand that it’s really important to invest in this, but we also understand our financial limitations,” Pura said. “So we are trying to negotiate with other translators, trying to see who McGill uses, and trying to see if we can contract that out as well.”

Council voted to table the agenda item.

 

Discussion concerning the continued prioritization of QSU over AVEQ

After establishing by a raising of hands that the majority of Councillors were aware of the AVEQ provincial student union, External Affairs Officer Hocine Slimani shared his confidence that a Council decision to prioritize the QSU was sufficiently informed. Slimani’s predecessor and former PGSS secretary-general Jacob Lavigne also preferred QSU over AVEQ, after observing both. Chris Erl, a second year Geography PhD student, motioned to table the agenda item.

“This is an incredibly important decision,” Erl said. “They both seem to be organizations that require a little more analysis by this body. Every student association has partisan affiliation. They have their own decisions. They have their own mandates. They have their own directives, and we need to do our research before we can actually make an executive decision.”

The motion to table the discussion passed.

 

Endorsement of open letter on Bill 151

Council also voted on whether to endorse the Students’ Society of McGill University, Our Turn, and AVEQ’s joint open letter on Bill 151. The letter shares these parties’ concerns that Bill 151 is not well-positioned to protect students or survivors of campus sexual violence.

Slimani introduced the item.

“Although I personally think that the letter is written in a very aggressive manner, I think that the message is good,” Slimani said.

Briones believes the open letter effectively highlights the bill’s inadequacies, and is a powerful advocacy tool.

“We all know that the sexual violence advocacy and support and educational infrastructure at McGill is still very inadequate, so there have been very questionable standards that this bill outlines,” Briones said.

The majority approved signing the letter and voted to adopt the motion. Bill 151 was then adopted by the provincial government on Dec. 8.

Montreal Municipal Court
McGill, Montreal, News

Former McGill student sentenced to 12 months house arrest for 2015 off-campus assault

by Shrinkhala Dawadi on

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On Tuesday, Dec. 19, Conrad Gaysford, a former McGill student, was sentenced to 12 months of house arrest for assault causing bodily harm to Kathryn Leci, a current McGill Master of Engineering candidate. The Honourable Judge Louise Baribeau of Montreal Municipal Court presided over the case.

The conditional sentence requires that Gaysford keep the peace, appear before the court when required, and surrender his passport, among other provisions. For the first six months of the sentence he is not permitted to leave his residence in Canada at any time of the day, except for documented employment or study purposes. For the following six months, Gaysford is required to remain at his residence from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.. Hon. Baribeau also granted Gaysford an exemption to his house arrest for the dates of Dec. 24, 25, and 31, 2017 and Jan. 1, 2018. Gaysford will not serve any prison time for the assault.

The assault occurred outside an off-campus house party in Montreal’s Plateau neighborhood on Sept. 18, 2015, while Gaysford and Leci were both McGill undergraduate students. Following a verbal confrontation, Gaysford punched Leci on her lower left jaw, knocking her unconscious and causing her to fall and strike her head on the pavement. Three days after the incident, Leci was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury by physicians at the Montreal General Hospital. In January 2016, she dropped out of McGill to attend an outpatient rehabilitation centre in London, Ontario, on the recommendation of a doctor who specializes in the treatment of brain injuries.

The Dec. 19 sentencing concludes a legal process that has spanned over two years, with multiple delays. Gaysford was originally arrested by the police in November 2015, and entered an initial plea of not guilty to the same charges in March 2016. Two months later, Gaysford, a British citizen, failed to appear at a scheduled court hearing because he was out of the country, postponing the hearing to September 2016. In November 2016, he admitted guilt and agreed to the facts of the case before a municipal court, after which Hon. Baribeau agreed to postpone the sentencing process until May 2017 to allow Gaysford to graduate with a B.Sc. in Physics. Leci returned to McGill in the Fall 2017 semester to complete her B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering, overlapping with Gaysford for the final year of their degrees.

Sentencing hearings took place over the next eight months until Dec. 19, with members of both parties becoming visibly emotional throughout the hearing process. For the prosecution, Dr. Keith Sequeira, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist who has treated Leci since January 2016, spoke to the injuries she sustained as a result of the assault.

“Ms. Leci continues to have refractory symptoms and impairments that relate to this assault and concussion,” a medical report that Sequeira submitted as evidence to the court read. “Her headaches are present constantly. She also struggles with vision and auditory sensitivity, fatigue and sleep dysfunction much of the time.”

Leci also attested to her injuries in court.

“Of course I still struggle with memory issues,” Leci said through tears during a sentencing hearing in October 2017 when she was questioned by Gaysford’s lawyer, Richard Shadley. “With frequent headaches, with tension issues. It's all constant.”

Sequeira also gave his professional opinion that the chances of Leci making a full recovery are slim.

“Her problems have persisted for almost two years and to a meaningful extent, will likely remain,” Sequeira’s medical report read. “I anticipate that Ms. Leci will likely have symptoms, impairments and limitations in the future that are reasonably consistent with her current presentation [….] I do not expect these to substantially improve in the future.”

The defence also brought several witnesses to the stand, including Gaysford’s father, professors, and friends. They each testified to Gaysford’s character, stating that he was studious, involved in several extra-curricular activities, and had never been involved in a violent encounter prior to the assault on Leci. Gaysford himself also spoke to the psychological trauma he experienced after committing the assault, and the rehabilitative steps—such as counselling and anger management therapy—that he has taken since the incident.

In explaining her judgement to the court, Hon. Baribeau explained that she weighed several factors, including the nature of physical and psychological damages done to Leci, the impact on her studies, the societal impetus to condemn violent acts, the repercussions Gaysford has faced since the incident on social media and in the news, his age, and his ability to contribute to society.

The Dec. 19 sentencing concludes the criminal chapter of the case. In May 2017, Leci filed a civil lawsuit against Gaysford, which is currently still in its preliminary stages.

McGill, News

McGill Board of Governors meeting adjourns early following Divest McGill protest

by Laura Oprescu on

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The Dec. 12 McGill Board of Governors (BoG) meeting was forced to adjourn early after members of Divest McGill staged a protest. The group, which lobbies for McGill to divest its endowment funds from fossil fuel companies, demanded that the McGill community be consulted about proposed changes to the Committee to Advise on Social Responsibility (CAMSR) Terms of Reference. Prior to the interruption, the BoG passed the Policy Concerning Smoking at McGill University and received updates on the plan to integrate Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) into McGill’s downtown campus. The Board of Governors is the highest decision-making body of the University, with final authority over all academic and financial affairs.

 

CAMSR Terms of Reference

The BoG considered approving a report by the Nominating, Governance, and Ethics Committee recommending appointments to BoG Committees, non-Board bodies, and Health Care bodies. The report also proposed an amendment to CAMSR’s terms of reference to add a clause mandating it to advise the university against using its resources to advance social or political causes.

Darin Barney, Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Representative of the Academic Staff to the BoG, proposed a motion to table the discussion of the report. He expressed concern that the BoG was not properly informed about the amendment prior to the meeting.

“CAMSR Terms of Reference are of interest to many people and several major changes to the mandate of the Committee were not prominently signalled,” Barney said. “The revisions were only received recently by the [BoG].”

Divest McGill members held a banner as they sang and chanted to interrupt the meeting, voicing their opposition to the proposed amendment and the lack of community consultations about it.

“We looked over the report and found the provisions unacceptable, and we believe that they should go through a community consultation first,” Divest McGill organiser James Flanagan, U2 History said.

 

Policy Concerning Smoking at McGill University

Yves Beauchamp, Vice Principal (Administration and Finance), announced McGill’s new smoking policy at the meeting. With the exception of four proposed smoking zones, the policy will make both of McGill’s campuses smoke-free by May 1, 2018. The planned smoking zones are located by the James Administration building, Schulich Library, Redpath Museum, and McIntyre Medical Building. McGill plans to phase out these zones by 2023, making both campuses entirely smoke-free.

The provincial Tobacco Control Act, passed by the National Assembly of Québec in 2015, requires colleges and universities in the province to adopt tobacco control policies geared towards establishing smoke-free campuses. Under the law, universities must establish smoke-free areas on campuses, discourage smoking, and foster initiatives in student associations to do the same.

“We want to make sure that the public understands that our campus will eventually be smoke-free,” Beauchamp said. “However, the establishment of transitionary smoke-free areas gives us time to evaluate the impact of a smoke-free campus. We want to avoid a rush of people [smoking] on University, Sherbrooke, and McTavish.”

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President Muna Tojiboeva expressed concern at the meeting that students would not be able to differentiate between the proposed smoking zones and McTavish street, which is public.

“We plan to speak to the City of Montreal, to see if it is possible to make McTavish non-smoking,” Beauchamp said. “There will also be signage indicating where smoking is allowed.”

Additionally, there are no plans to remove the smoking zones at Upper Rez or Solin.

“Upper Rez is isolated,” Beauchamp said. “Forcing students to go down to the street, particularly at night, is a potential safety issue.”

 

Royal Victoria Hospital Site Update

Peter Coughlin, co-founder of real estate and investment company Redbourne Properties and member-at-large on the BoG, presented an update on plans for the RVH site, which remains vacant. In March 2015, the government of Quebec gave McGill a grant of $4 million to fund research into how the site may be used. McGill’s current proposal to integrate the buildings into the University for much-needed teaching and research space will cost $650 million, of which the government of Quebec will pay $500 million. However, the BoG is still deliberating whether to move forward with the project.

“We are enthusiastic but it would be wrong to say that we don’t have concerns,” Coughlin said. “[We are concerned about] the additional costs associated with the heritage status of the buildings, the environmental impact of the construction, and the incurred costs of taking over other buildings on the site, as well as raising or borrowing $150 million [to cover costs].”

Coughlin wants reassurance that McGill is able to provide the funds before moving forward, and that the provincial government’s support won’t come at cost of other University initiatives.

“We also need an answer to the question, if Quebec funds RVH, will they continue to fund other projects on McGill campus?” Coughlin said. “We would like to go to the next stage, but only with a set of conditions that will minimise the risks for the university.”

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