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Bye bye BuzzFeed: The folly of individualism and the personal essay

by Hannibal de Pencier on

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Last spring, Jia Tolentino wrote an article in The New Yorker declaring the end of what has arguably been the biggest literary trend of the 21st century: The personal essay. This trend has been bolstered by a subgenre of often pointless confessionals. These have inundated publications over the last decade for three major reasons: They’re simple to write, they’re accessible, and, most importantly, they’re easily attached to seductive headlines. Most people have probably noticed the Buzzfeed articles that flood Facebook news feeds with titles like “My Year Without Makeup,” “Ten Times I Knew I Loved You,” or “Watching And Reading About White People Having Sex is My Escape.”

Do we really need to read articles like this? Probably not, but–the merits of these pieces aside–the reason these sorts of essays have been published with such frequency is simply that people click on them. This desperation for and dependence on web-traffic has nurtured an online subgenre of largely tasteless, pointless, and awkwardly-personal exposition pieces. Unfortunately, this dangerous turn to the superficial egocentric has undermined the value and reputation of more powerful personal essays. Championed by George Orwell, Christopher Hitchens, Bell Hooks, and so many others, valuable and pointed personal essays still exist today, and must remain, as they provide an essential outlet for nuanced perspective in expository writing.

The supposed death of the personal essay has caused a polarizing discussion about the genre’s purpose and relevance in the world today. McGill English Assistant Professor Merve Emre is among those who’ve voiced distaste for the genre’s recent vapidity, writing critically in The Boston Review, “for so many personal essayists, all paths lead back to the ‘I.’” Emre laments the fact that too often, the personal essay, as exemplified by prominent essayist Durga Chew-Bose, “is totally apolitical, bereft of any common political or ethical position.”

This is the gathering consensus leading to the dwindling publication of this type of essay. In a world of burgeoning social and political turmoil, there’s simply no place for pointless individualism, nor is such promotion of narcissism innocuous. That said, examples of the value of personal essays are published every day: Take Jaime Lowe’s recent article in The New York Times examining the dysfunctionality of the psychopharmacology industry through the lens of her own experience. Essays like Lowe’s encourage an emotional engagement and understanding with social issues that’s difficult to elicit with detached expository writing.

The personal essay is a powerful and effective outlet to harness unique perspectives, but the notion often causes people to cringe. In 1936, Orwell wrote an essay titled “In Defence of the Novel,” later republished in 1968 in a collection of what could be called personal essays. Orwell was responding to the novel’s declining standing in literary academia. According to Orwell, this decline was due to an oversaturation of novels—usually bad ones—with reviews such as, ‘“If you can read this book and not shriek with delight, your soul is dead.’” Amid hundreds of works of mediocrity, it’s easier to turn away from the genre altogether; however, Orwell concludes that readers must persist in seeing the inherent value that narrators can provide through storytelling.

The trajectory of the personal essay has resulted in a similar phenomenon: Headlines such as “The Most Moving Personal Essays You Needed to Read in 2016,” push people to dismiss the genre altogether. But, the personal essay remains a way to communicate nuanced and relevant phenomena through individual experiences and provides an irreplaceable platform for issues that could otherwise be more easily brushed aside. The genre’s fundamental value lies in its unique position to elicit valuable emotional engagement in argumentative writing. Declining desire for shallow personal essays is positive, but the genre as a whole, like the novel, cannot die because good writing will always have a place when it has a point.

Commentary, Opinion

Thought for food: A closer look at McGill Food and Dining Services

by Tali Zuckerman on

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As Virginia Woolf said, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

Despite the numerous awards bestowed upon McGill Food and Dining Services (MFDS) over the past years, McGill’s dining halls are just not stepping up to the plate. The slew of praise and recognition for MFDS hides the small but crucial systematic issues with our dining halls: Their extreme price, considerable inconsistency, and lack of choice and transparency.

The mandatory meal plan for first year students in non-apartment style residences costs a whopping $4,575. Compared to the food one could buy outside of McGill, that’s roughly 640 days’ worth of healthy, sustainable groceries, based on a $50 per week budget. But, if you’re not quite ready to become a full adult and live off-campus as a first year student—especially if you are one of the 13,000 students living in Montreal for the first time—you are subject to this extremely expensive and, in my experience, not very delectable meal plan.

Once students get the mandatory meal plan, their lives do not become as carefree as the MFDS website touts—the hours of the five dining halls differ drastically, and are mismatched with the times many students prefer to eat. During the week, dining halls are open on average from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., but lack hot meals between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., when hungry, tired students typically return from classes in search of sustenance. During the weekends, dining halls operate from around 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., although many students rise well before 10 and undoubtedly go to bed (and search for dinner) long past the early hour of 8.

Although most students have fridges and limited cooking facilities in residence accessible at all hours, these are not large or equipped enough to provide full, balanced meals for every student, as one small kitchenette is generally shared by dozens of students.

MFDS poses added problems for students with dietary restrictions. Gluten free options are present but limited—breakfast choices are generally limited to eggs and potatoes, while classics such as pancakes or french toast are always made with regular, gluten-filled flours. The dinner menu contains the same sides of roasted vegetables and plain rice. The dairy-free choices are just as slim—only soy milk for coffee and cereal, and no replacements for other dairy goods such as yogurt and ice cream. Of course, it is difficult for MFDS to suit everyone, but dietary accommodations would drastically improve the wellbeing of many students.

Further, the lack of transparency makes the system difficult to navigate. Even a month into classes, many first-year students I have met are still unsure of how the dining halls work. Some lucky students are individually advised by kind dining hall staff members of certain “hacks” to the system, including the “five-cent bag” rule, which applies to certain brand-name, taxable items sold in the dining halls. As MFDS does not explain, in order for these items to be purchased through students’ meal plans as opposed to their One-Card accounts, students must ask for an imaginary “five-cent bag” to be charged to their account. Pricing is also unclear, as students often realize the cost of their meal only by the cashier (too late). Another example is the fancy “Ozzy” machines for taking food “to go,” which remain a large mystery to most new students.

MFDS promotes eco-friendliness and student responsibility, and is admittedly similar to neighbouring universities, including Concordia, in pricing, rules, and even sustainability. However, this is no excuse for lack of action in other areas. There are some concrete changes MFDS should make in order to improve effective and enjoyable dining for students. First, adjustments could be made to the pricing of food, such as charging by weight as opposed to fixed portions, thus eliminating the waste of money and food. Along this line of individualized accommodation, McGill must increase the availability of special dietary products. Gluten-free baked goods, non-dairy milks, and vegan-friendly meals, would greatly benefit the hundreds of students with such restrictions in their diets. Additionally, all McGill dining halls should serve hot food throughout the day, without gaps during the day.

Furthermore, some issues could be solved with a “dining hall orientation” for new students upon their arrival at McGill, so that students are not left to sort out the multi-layered system on their own, amid the pressures already involved in transitioning into one’s first year of university.

With some simple structural changes, MFDS will keep its students happier and better fed.

McGill, News, SSMU

SSMU Vice-President Finance suspended from the SSMU Board of Directors

by Domenic Casciato on

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Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) Finance Arisha Khan has been temporarily suspended from her position on the SSMU Board of Directors until Oct. 30. The motion to suspend her was approved by the Board, with six votes in favor and four abstentions, during a closed session at their Oct. 16 meeting. The Board determined Khan breached confidentiality in forwarding a confidential e-mail correspondence between SSMU executives regarding the appointment of VP Student Life Jemark Earle to the Board to Dorothy Apedaile, a student not a member of the SSMU executive.

The Board approved a motion mandating SSMU General Manager Ryan Hughes to investigate alleged leaks to student media during their Sept. 24 meeting. At the Oct. 16 meeting, Hughes presented the findings of his investigation to the Board. SSMU President Muna Tojiboeva, VP Internal Maya Koparkar, and VP Student Life Jemark Earle were asked to leave the SSMU boardroom for the length of the closed session, and Khan, who was attending the Blueprints for Success conference in Los Angeles on behalf of SSMU, was absent from the meeting entirely. Tojiboeva, Koparkar, Earle, and Isabella Anderson, a member-at-large, abstained from the vote to suspend Khan, and all other members of the Board voted to approve it. According to Tojiboeva, members of the Board were notified of the presentation prior to the meeting.

“[The presentation] was scheduled in advance, and all Board members were notified that the General Manager would present two weeks in advance,” Tojiboeva wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “Further, as stipulated in the Constitution, members of the Board may participate by electronic means, […] meaning if Director Khan wished she could have participated even though she was out of the country.”

In an interview with the Tribune, Khan questioned whether the Board was made aware of the presentation prior to the meeting.

“This topic wasn’t in the agenda,” Khan said. “Obviously I would have made myself available to defend myself [….] I’m very confused [about] Ryan [saying he would be] presenting the results of the investigation in two weeks, because that’s not true.”

Khan said that the decision to suspend her was unfounded and that it sets a dangerous precedent for the Board’s definition of breaches of confidentiality.

“They made the decision without proper evidence, and without even giving me a chance to speak for myself,” Khan said. “If [the Board] is going to target [my email as] a breach of confidentiality then [they] need to seriously have a conversation about what exactly constitutes a breach of confidentiality.”

Neither the SSMU Constitution nor the Quebec Companies Act make any mentions of breaches of confidentiality, but all SSMU executives sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with SSMU upon their employment. Article 10.10 of the Constitution gives the Board the power to suspend any Officer from their position for any reason it deems sufficient through a majority vote.

As of Oct. 17, Khan claimed that the Board had not officially notified her of her suspension. However, Tobjiboeva denied this.

“The General Manager of SSMU informed the Vice-President Finance of her suspension,” Tojiboeva wrote. “The Board meeting ended yesterday at 9PM and the General Manager informed the Vice-President Finance [on Oct. 17].”

In an email to the Tribune, SSMU VP External Connor Spencer, who is not a member of the Board, expressed her disappointment with the lack of transparency in the board's decision to suspend Khan.

“I am appalled that the Board and our General Manager decided to present the information when accommodations had not been made to make sure VP Khan was there to represent herself,” Spencer wrote. “We are a union. We are literally here in order to ensure our members have representation and are not on their own to advocate for themselves. I am extremely disappointed not just as an executive, but also as a member, that this is the route the Board has taken this year with regards to the transparency of their decisions.”

News

Board of Governors convene for the first meeting of the year

by Isabella Lyons on

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The Board of Governors (BoG) held its first meeting of the 2017-2018 term on Oct. 5, which highlighted the appointment of McGill alumna Julie Payette to the office of Governor General of Canada, McGill’s response to the legalization of cannabis, recent progress made by the Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education, and the university’s plans to enact its Policy Against Sexual Violence.

McGill alumni successes

The meeting opened with the recognition of the appointment of McGill alumna Julie Payette, (BEng ‘86) to the position of Governor General, on Oct. 2. She is Canada’s 29th Governor General, succeeding David Johnston. As Governor General, Payette has the final say on any legislation by giving Royal Assent.

“Her speech is so relevant, her focus is focused on education, and she really connected to the indigenous people,” Governor Ram Panda said.

Additionally, McGill alumna Jennifer Sidey was recruited by the Canadian Space Agency. She is the fifth McGill graduate to join the CSA.

“[Payette told me] ‘I think that, for McGill graduates, the sky is not the limit,’” Fortier said.

Discussion on the legalization of recreational cannabis

Members of the BoG also discussed the legalization of recreational cannabis—scheduled to occur in Quebec on July 1, 2018—and how this will affect student life. According to McGill Principal Suzanne Fortier, McGill is working with all other Quebec universities through the Bureau de Cooperation Universitaire to implement a provincially-standardized safe regime on campus to regulate the recreational use of cannabis.

“We will treat cannabis the same way that we treat alcohol on campus,” Fortier said. “Nothing [is permitted] during the day, inside or out. The [Vice-President] (VP) Research initiated the idea of [investing] in core research on the impact of cannabis [on students].”

Steps to improve Indigenous relations

Later, Provost and VP (Academic) Christopher Manfredi and VP Camilla Cook gave updates on the progress of the Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education, an ongoing initiative that aims to expand awareness of Indigenous history and repair relations with Indigenous communities at McGill. In the BoG report, Manfredi identified 52 ‘Calls to Action’ to be undertaken to achieve the Task Force’s goals. These 52 steps are divided into five categories: Student recruitment and retention, physical representation and symbolic recognition, academic programs and curriculum, research and the academic complement, and building capacity and human resources.

“We have role to play in a couple of different areas,” Manfredi said. “Extensive teacher training programs are in effect […] as well as research programs, to deal with food and water security and infections that [Indigenous] communities are facing [….] The indigenous community should not be ignored, and they are, singularly, the fastest growing young demographic in Canada.”

Governor Tina Hobday asked Manfredi to clarify aspects of the report.

“This seems extremely ambitious to me as it is, a lot involved, a lot of complexity [….] My question is, do you think you’re going to get to the last recommendations, how long is it going to take?” Hobday said.

Manfredi explained that implementation of the goals is a long-term strategy that he expects will take several years to complete.

“Some of these things are going to be worked on between now and 2022,” Manfredi said. “[It is] a roadway to how we can forward our crucial job in the connection of the indigenous community [….] However, some can be immediate, such as indigenous representation on campus in the form of indigenous art.”

Discussion on the Policy Against Sexual Violence

The BoG discussed the university's Policy Against Sexual Violence. Fortier emphasized the $23 million investment from the Quebec provincial government to counter sexual violence in post-secondary institutions across the province.

This investment followed a new policy accepted by the Quebec government at the end of 2016. McGill passed its own Policy against Sexual Violence in November 2016, which placed emphasis on the support and wellbeing of survivors. Fortier affirmed the policy’s mandate to separate the support process from the investigation process.

“First thing is to support the person, don’t wait for the investigation to be completed,” Fortier said. “Don’t even wait for it to start. We are going to move the [support] services to make it a private environment separate from the investigation, and put it as a priority to give support and whatever help the survivor needs.”

News

WIIS holds first public event on women in peacekeeping

by Caitlyn Atkinson on

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The McGill chapter of Women in International Security (WIIS) held its first public event, “Women in Peacekeeping,” on Oct. 11, which called for increasing the participation of women in the United Nations’ (UN) peacekeeping forces. The talk was hosted by WIIS executive director,  Cassandra Steer, who has worked with McGill both within the Faculty of Law and as the executive director of Institute of Air and Space Law. WIIS operates globally as a non-profit organization committed to supporting and advancing the interests of women in the field of international security.

The main objective of peacekeeping is to ensure the safety of civilians in countries involved in conflict by sending in soldiers from non-partisan countries. Steer began her talk by describing the violence that women often face in conflict-stricken countries. She cited Dr. Tia Palermo’s 2011 study which states that more than 400,000 local women were raped at the hands of both combatants and members of the occupying United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2007.

Commenting on the statistics, Steer highlighted the impact of sexual violence in countries with armed conflicts.

“Armed conflict impacts women and men, but women and girls are targeted because of their gender in a very particular way,” Steer said. “When you attack a woman’s sexuality […] you take away her power, her identity, her ability to interact with society.”

Steer went on to explain that the stigma associated with sexual violence often discourages women and girls from reporting or disclosing their assault to authorities.

“Women and girls who have been attacked sexually don’t feel that they can report that atrocity because often they will be ostracized,” Steer said, “[The sentiment is that] they are no longer clean, they are dirty, it was their fault.”

Evidence from the National Center for Biotechnology Information suggests that women feel safer disclosing incidents of sexual violence to other women than they do men. Steer noted that there have been no documented incidents of women peacekeepers sexually assaulting locals. She believes that having women in leadership roles is a start to solving mass sexual violence, but called for a solution more nuanced than simply fulfilling gender quotas.

“There’s a risk that the perception is [that] if we deploy women, it’ll solve all our gendered problems,” Steer said. “Women are sometimes alone. They can be isolated, they can deal with sexism and violence, they can deal with sexual aggression from leaders within the peacekeeping force, […] and they may be expected to deal with every gendered issue.”  

Lynne Gouliquer, an assistant professor in Sociology at Laurentian University, researches female employment in male-dominated fields. In an email to The McGill Tribune, Gouliquer emphasized the importance of diverse approaches to peacekeeping.

“The more diverse an organisation, the better able it will be [able to meet] its goals, objectives, and mission in a proper and ethical manner,” Gouliquer wrote. “[The Canadian military] does not represent the diversity present in Canada. The issues of gender and sexual minority discrimination and harassment that […] plague our military [are indications] that our military has issues to fix, in addition to attracting more women and increasing diversity.”

Students at the event noted the harsh reality of gendered violence perpetrated by peacekeeping forces. For Melissa Montana, co-founder of the McGill Chapter of WIIS, this event helped promote awareness of gender disparities in this realm and more widely across the globe.

“It is important for students to educate themselves more on the issue, so that they can better understand how these power dynamics work in society, and learn to rectify them through their day-to-day lives,” Montana wrote in an email to the Tribune. “Whether that be trying to host more diverse panel discussions on campus, or even thinking more broadly about how policies […] affect men and women in different ways.”

News

STEMM Diversity @ McGill launches at Redpath Museum

by Julia Metraux on

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Nearly a year after its inception, the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine (STEMM) Diversity @ McGill initiative, which aims to promote diversity in STEMM fields, launched an exhibition under the same name at the Redpath Museum on Oct. 11. The exhibit, which is still growing, features interviews with women and minorities in STEMM at McGill.

McGill student clubs and societies that focus on creating a more equitable environment for marginalized communities in STEMM introduced their goals and projects at the event. Panellists also shared their experiences with discrimination, and MSc Biology candidate Jessica Ford released her colouring book, which features women participating in science in order to combat sexism in related fields.

STEMM Diversity founder and PhD candidate in Biology Charles Cong Xu began the event by presenting a video on the background of the STEMM @ Diversity initiative and its exhibit.  

“The idea for this project came from a Biology department day workshop we had last fall on diversity and inclusivity,” Xu said. “I rallied together other students from the [Redpath] Museum, and we, along with the outreach coordinator, [Ingrid Birker, created] a little corner exhibit.”

In a room adjacent to the presentation, attendees were invited to draw in Ford’s colouring books. Ford’s own experiences with sexism inspired her to create a colouring book with images of girls participating in science, to encourage all people to participate in science.

“Growing up, I faced a lot of sexism working in sciences, and I want to make sure future generations can do [what they want],” Ford said. “[The books] are going to be for sale at the Museum for five dollars a piece.”

Attendees also watched presentations from various equity-focused STEMM clubs, societies, and projects on campus—including Women in Physics, the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office’s Café Collab, and the Superwomen in Science podcast. The podcast was co-founded by  Nicole George, MSc Neuroscience candidate, with the goal of eradicating institutional biases within the field.

“Our aim is to increase exposure of women in science across a wide variety of different endeavors,” George said. “We’re trying to break down the stereotypical idea that a scientist is an old, white man in a lab coat.”

Following the introduction of the colouring book and student groups, a panel of professors, faculty, and students from McGill University discussed their experiences as minorities in the sciences. Alex Gray, president of McGill’s chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, explained the systematic neglect of Indigenous students in his school system.

“I went to school in New Brunswick, [which] is one of the most poorly performing provinces in Canada in regards to academics,” Gray said. “So essentially, […] you throw indigenous students into a school that has limited resources for them. In general, people throw stigmas [about indigenous people] as well. You’re disregarded before you can even perform.”

Natural Resource Sciences PhD candidate Shaun Turney also sat on the panel and shared his experiences as a transgender course lecturer. Turney admitted to anticipating discrimination from his students before taking the podium.

“I was a course lecturer for the first time last winter semester, and I was really nervous about it.” Turney said. “I am transgender and was worried how that would affect [my students’] respect for me, and it wasn’t an issue at all. I felt that the students were very respectful, and I don’t know if that would have been the case 10 years ago.”

The STEMM Diversity @ McGill initiative is a step in the right direction toward a more equitable society. This progress is something Turney is hopeful for, especially if guided by today’s students.

“The young people, that’s where the change comes from always, and that is where the change is happening right now at McGill,” Turney said. “It gives me a lot of hope.”

McGill, News

Campus planning open house puts the future of McGill on display

by Samuel Lottes on

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From Oct. 11 to 13, McGill University’s Planning and Development Office (PDO) hosted an interactive open house for members of the McGill community to learn about future planning initiatives meant to improve both the downtown and Macdonald campuses.

 

Open House on the Real Estate Master Plan

McGill’s downtown campus sits on 80 acres at the foot of Montreal’s Mount Royal park. For PDO Executive Director Cameron Charlebois, it is important that the university acquires and modernizes additional spaces from around campus so that it can continue to function as a first-class institution.

“We think we need closer to 600,000 to 700,000 gross square meters of extra space, which the Master Plan seeks to address,” Charlebois said. “[In the meantime we will address the lack of space by improving] the Powell site, a major development project at the corner of Dr. Penfield and Peel, […] Fiat Lux, which is a total repurposing of the library complex, [and] Wilson Hall at the entrance of the Milton Gates, which is going to be repurposed and rebuilt as a larger building.”

McGill began the process of acquiring additional buildings last summer. In August, the University purchased and became the sole owner of 680 Sherbrooke while the development of the Donald E. Armstrong building on McTavish Street is slated to be completed this coming winter.

 

Presentation on the Repurposing of the Royal Victoria Hospital

The PDO is studying the now defunct Royal Victoria Hospital as another way to decrease McGill’s space deficit. The plan that the office is currently deliberating calls for the incorporation of a convocation center—which McGill currently lacks—as well as research labs and student spaces. In discussing the plan, Charlebois questioned whether or not the project’s benefits would justify its costs.

“The whole idea of the studies ongoing right now are to determine whether or not McGill will buy the Royal Vic,” Charlebois said. “It’s not the kind of building or property that we would [just] take over […] it has to be risk-free for McGill.”
 

Discussion on the Urban Design Master Plan

According to Senior Campus Planner Marilyne Tremblay, the PDO also has plans in motion for Macdonald Campus and its large area of green space.

“We’re still in the preliminary phases of the Macdonald Plan,” Tremblay said. “We started working on a needs assessment this year [to understand] the variety of potential land uses that we don’t have here downtown. The scale is much larger.”

Despite the long time frame for many of these projects, students and community members have been able to enjoy the fruits of some completed efforts. 2019 MScEng candidate Meghan Doucette noted that one example of success is the recently opened Mac Paddle Shack, which lends out equipment for kayaking, paddle boarding, and canoeing.

“The Paddle Shack has been open since July of 2017 and since that time, there have been 900 rentals of stand-up paddleboards and kayaks,” Doucette said. “People are really embracing this space, especially students”.

Martlets, Soccer, Sports

McGill Martlets soccer held to scoreless tie by UQTR Patriotes

by Sam Wendel on

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On Oct. 13, the McGill Martlet (3-4-3) soccer team sported pink jerseys in their “Kick for the Cure” match, as part of their fundraiser for breast cancer. It was a close, chippy game against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes (3-4-3), ultimately resulting in a 0-0 draw at Molson Stadium. Both sides battled hard in the shutout, with Martlet fifth-year goalie Sarah Dubois making five saves and Patriotes goalie Arianne Cloux adding four of her own.

Dubois credited the Martlet defence for playing well, although UQTR proved challenging at times.

“I think that defence is one of our strengths,” Dubois said. “But they were dangerous on occasion, so [it was] an even match.”

Despite the shutout, McGill’s offence had several near chances. Fourth-year midfielder Claudia Agozzino, who was named McGill’s MVP of the match, made one exceptional play. Agozzino juked an opposing defender, approached the goal, and tricked a diving goalie into missing the ball. Agozzino then passed to an open teammate, and a last ditch clearance by a Patriotes defender—who threw her body in front of the ball—thwarted the chance.

Throughout the match, UQTR players seemed to let their emotions get the better of them, earning three yellow cards on the night. Two of those were routine fouls in which defenders got too aggressive, but the third was called after a Patriotes forward kicked the ball away from a referee instead of giving it to him in a moment of unsportsmanlike frustration.

The Martlets rounded out their weekend with a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Laval Rouge et Or on Oct. 15. Next weekend, McGill faces off against Université de Montréal on Oct. 20 and Bishop’s on Oct. 22. Looking ahead, Dubois explained that in order to improve, McGill needs to work on its killer instinct in order to capitalize on missed opportunities.

“I think we just need that last bit of grit to get that final goal,” Dubois said.

Martlets third-year forward Tia Lore was the primary player in charge of “Kick for the Cure”. The pink kits that the Martlets wore were a prominent part of the second annual fundraising campaign and are new to the team this season. Lore believes that this year was a huge success, having raised over $1,000 for the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.

“We really focused on promoting our game just to get everyone out there,” Lore said. “Last year we were just under our [fundraising] goal, but this year was awesome.”

Breast cancer awareness has been a prominent aim for the team since before Lore was a member. She recalls her rookie year when two alumni asked her to help organize the breast cancer game.

“My first year, two alumni asked me to help them with the breast cancer fundraising, and so far we have done two years of fundraising, and hope to continue it for the future,” Lore said.

After a brief road trip, the next Martlets home game is on Oct. 27 against the Concordia Stingers.
 

Moment of the match:

The contentious match came to a crescendo when a UQTR defender wrapped her arm around the neck of first-year McGill forward Ariane Ducharme, receiving a yellow card that could have easily been a red.

 

Quotable:

“We got better throughout the game but we couldn't play the one-touch passing we needed to win.” -Goalkeeper Sarah Dubois

 

Stat corner:

On the way to earning a pair of clean sheets, the two sides’ goalies combined for nine total saves.

McGill, News

McGill students to face increase in automated copyright infringement emails

by Fionn Adamian on

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Any student who frequently torrents movies in McLennan is probably familiar with the email notice from McGill letting them know that the copyright owner complained. IT Services wants to expedite this process, and send out more of these emails at a faster rate. In June 2017, the department installed an automated system that forwards any complaint from a copyright holder to the McGill email address associated with the alleged offender’s IP address. University officials hope that this system will make it easier for the school to comply with the Canadian copyright notice regime.

Copyright laws aim to provide creators the right to reproduce their works as they choose. According to Hans Parmar, a spokesperson for Canada’s Innovation, Science and Economic Development department, if someone downloads a copyright protected file, the burden lies with the copyright owner to pursue a copyright violation.

As the Internet Service Provider (ISP) on campus, McGill University is held accountable for copyright infringements made using its networks. Though McGill has prohibited the violation of copyright law on its networks since 2010, the new system will accelerate the enforcement process by receiving and forwarding these notices automatically.

“The system attempts to identify the individual associated with the claim,” Gabrielle Krim, a communications specialist with McGill IT Services, said. “If an association is made, the system forwards the original, unaltered claim notice to that individual. Upon receiving a notice of infringement, the recipient is not required to respond, and is advised not to click on any links within the notice without first consulting a lawyer.”

Although the notices themselves carry no legal weight, companies can sue offenders for financial compensation—a possibility they sometimes threaten in their notices. Several students expressed concern about McGill passing copyright infringement accusations along to students, even with the qualification that the recipients are not required to respond.
“I’ve known lots of people who’ve received emails from their ISP that threaten legal action or changes to their internet service,” Alex Mendell, U3 Engineering, said. “Sometimes they offer to settle the issue for a few hundred dollars. This behaviour is predatory because students aren’t always aware of the law, and don’t have any leverage with telecoms or the studios and record companies.”

Mendell also questioned whether McGill has a duty to safeguard students against abuse by companies enforcing copyright protection.

“I don’t take issue with copyright holders trying to combat piracy or with McGill for enforcing its policies,” Mendell said. “But if the school is going to take it upon themselves to issue these notices, they need to take steps to ensure that its students are aware of the laws and aren’t being extorted.”

Others expressed indifference about the policy, noting that wherever else students might use Wi-Fi, they have to agree to terms and conditions stipulating that they not download files illegally. Some students view the policy as a wash that is unlikely to change offenders’ behavior.

“A student torrenting HBO won’t quit just because they receive a notice,” Charlotte Zaininger, U3 Arts, said. “They’ll say ‘I’m on season six of Game of Thrones, try and stop me.’”

News, SSMU

More questions than answers raised at the SSMU building closure information session

by Ari Charles on

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The University Centre will close in Winter 2018 to carry out major renovations, including adding new washrooms and replacing the entire heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and electrical systems. After initially announcing the closure to the student body via a Facebook event on Sept. 29, representatives from McGill and the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) addressed the closure at an information session on Oct. 12. During the meeting, they revealed that there is asbestos in the building’s aging HVAC system that could be disturbed during construction. As a result, all of the building’s tenants, including the offices of over 50 student clubs and services, must relocate.

The building, which is owned by McGill, is scheduled to close on Feb. 15, 2018, and reopen one floor at a time between August and December 2018. Tenants that are unable to relocate during that period, such as Gerts Bar, will temporarily close. While SSMU will not have to pay rent to McGill during the closure, the society will forego between $300,000 and $400,000 in revenue and relocation costs.

Adrian Nicolicescu, a senior project manager with McGill Facilities Management and Ancillary Services, explained that the University Centre cannot remain partially open during renovations because the work could spread the asbestos in the HVAC system.

“Asbestos is not dangerous [only] if it is not disturbed,” Nicolicescu said. “We have many types of [safety] processes in place while we conduct this work, and [the asbestos] is one of the reasons that we’re vacating the building.”

Nicolicescu emphasized that McGill intends to minimize the disruption the closure will cause to students. However, SSMU has already been criticized for using a Facebook event to announce the closure, especially because McGill notified SSMU of the renovation plans last March.

Benson Cook, U2 Arts, was one of many students who expressed his frustration on the Facebook event page, calling SSMU’s use of this platform to announce the closure “unprofessional.” His post garnered dozens of likes from fellow students.

“I was so frustrated I felt the need to voice my anger,” Cook wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “There wasn’t even a press release put out, they just expected that everyone would see this obscure Facebook event that they created.”

Following the release of the Facebook event, SSMU VP Internal Maya Koparkar sent out an email to all SSMU members informing them of the building’s closure on Oct. 7. Tenants of the University Centre had been notified a week earlier.

SSMU General Manager Ryan Hughes began his remarks at the conference by apologizing for the poor communication. He later said that SSMU had chosen not to publicize the closure earlier because the full details of the project were only recently finalized.

Hughes also confirmed that SSMU is working with a local realtor in addition to the McGill administration to find alternative spaces for all of the University Centre’s tenants, but asked concerned groups to meet with him to discuss their individual needs.

“What I request of all occupants of the building is that you know your groups, your activities, and your network better than we do,” Hughes said. “If you do have a link or a resource that you would like to explore […] as an alternative space, we would also like to hear that.”

Anna Abraham, the Executive Director of McGill Players’ Theatre, nonetheless expressed continued frustration with SSMU’s handling of the closure. According to Abraham, the late timing of the announcement meant that the group had already spent significant money on planning its spring plays, which it may now be unable to perform if SSMU cannot relocate it to a new theatre.

“We still don’t have any information,” Abraham said. “We’ve tried to get in contact and set up meetings with Ryan [Hughes] since September. I have struggled to get answers from the SSMU executive.”

Other students at the session asked whether the spaces chosen for relocation would be physically accessible, and if funding would be available to compensate groups for any financial losses.

“We don’t have as many answers as we would like,” Hughes said. “But as we get closer to the [closure] date we will have those answers, and there will be support for you.”

However, some groups may ultimately be on their own.

“If you have not been contacted [by mid-November], then you can assume that we have not found a suitable location for your group,” Hughes said. “I’m not going to commit unlimited funds for groups if they want to rent spaces at a high cost-per-square-footage if it can be avoided.”

Further updates about the closure will be provided through the SSMU listserv and website. Another information session is planned for November.

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