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Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Hydro-Quebec and its relations with First Nations: Inflammatory titles are unwarranted and misguided

by Lynn St-Laurent on

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Many Aboriginal communities in Quebec live in areas with hydroelectric installations. Hydro-Quebec's liaison teams are made up of employees who work closely with these communities. Team members have friends and family among the First Nations; many have chosen to strengthen their knowledge of Aboriginal history and culture through postgraduate studies; and all work very hard towards the signing of meaningful agreements and maintaining positive and satisfying relationships with the community.

Chloe Grant’s opinion piece published here is nothing short of offensive. It questions whether the employees of Hydro-Quebec who have contributed to the signing of some thirty agreements with First Nations over the past decades are working for a criminal organization. Through these agreements, the Aboriginal communities become active partners in the projects: They take part in environmental follow-up programs, have the means to carry on with traditional activities, and benefit from economic spinoffs.

There are 11 Aboriginal nations, in 55 communities, living in Quebec. Each has its own culture and lifestyle. Are some issues complex and more difficult to resolve in certain areas? Undoubtedly. However, Hydro-Quebec’s work with First Nations, including the Pessamit Innu, continues on various projects.

Slanderous titles only serve to harm the pursuit of collaborative efforts on both sides. Moreover, ignorance serves no one. Grant’s piece contains more than 20 errors, distortions and inaccuracies. Let’s clear a few things up.

The Northern Pass project is a projected 320-kV direct-current transmission line that will be extended into the U.S.A. from the Des Cantons substation in Val-Joli, near the U.S. border. Grant indicates that the line will run from a dam on the Betsiamites river. That’s about 600 km off the mark, and hydroelectricity is produced by a generating station, not a dam. Moreover, additional clean energy exports to the United States, through Northern Pass or any other existing or projected line, will have no impact on the Betsiamites River or the Innu Community of Pessamit. The clean energy transmitted to our neighbors to the south comes from the entire grid, not any particular region or generating station.

It’s important to note that our exports to American markets also benefit the Pessamit Community. Part of the energy produced by the Bersimis-1 and 2 generating stations located on the Betsiamites River belongs to the Innu. As per our agreement with the Pessamit Innu, a share of the proceeds from our sales on American markets is returned to them.

In regards to the Betsiamites River and the salmon population, Hydro-Quebec is a responsible power utility that operates its 62 generating stations in accordance with all laws, regulations and permits in effect. Hydro-Quebec strictly abides by the operating rules of generating stations on the Betsiamites, which were drawn up in collaboration with and approved by the community of Pessamit.

Hydro-Quebec, working with the community of Pessamit, carried out a salmon restoration program in the Betsiamites, with impressive results. In fact, a committee of independent experts recognized that the program enabled significantly higher salmon returns and underscored how important it was for the community of Pessamit to follow a fishing plan to ensure the long-term maintenance of a salmon population in the river.

Finally, Hydropower generates the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of all generation methods. Hydro-Quebec’s exports displace fossil fuel power generation in markets outside Quebec, thereby extending the benefits of its clean energy to them. Last year, our net power exports helped avoid close to 8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent—as much as the emissions from 1,750,000 vehicles.

Lynn St-Laurent

Spokesperson

Hydro-Quebec Public Affairs and Media Relations
McGill, News

SUS Deliberates Executives and Cocurricular Events

by Jackie Yao on

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On Sept. 20,  the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) General Council held its second meeting of the academic year. On the agenda was the announcement of available positions within the Society, responses to the increase in club activity, and comments on upcoming academic initiatives.

 

New Student Positions to be Filled

SUS President Jasmine Leung began the meeting by addressing the need to fill the vacant position for the third Science Representative to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). She discussed the pros and cons of electing versus appointing someone to the vacant position, expressing her concern that an election would have a low voter turnout given SUS’ history of failing to hit quorum. Meanwhile, appointing a position would not require public opinion.

“Executives can decide to run elections again or appoint the position [if we don’t hit quorum],” Leung said. “There was an online application for the position…[but] we haven’t received any submissions.”

All but one representative were in favor of selecting the new Science representative to SSMU through appointment. The three representatives will convey the interests of Science students to SSMU.

SUS Vice-President (VP) Communications Reem Mandil noted that the departmental executive position on the SUS Constitutional Affairs Committee is available. The committee is responsible for reviewing changes to constitutions and bylaws by Science departments. Three Science departmental representatives showed interest in the vacant position.

 

Increase in Club Activity

Council members also discussed the management of student clubs. Both serving tables in the Burnside Basement are booked for the next few months by clubs holding food sale fundraisers. As a result, many student extracurricular groups won’t be able to reserve a table until as late as Nov. 1. To accommodate the high volume of table bookings, SUS Executive Administrator Joseph DeCunha is currently exploring the possibility of adding a spot for a third table to the basement.

“I think that [tables are booked] because online forums [make it] easier to see which dates [have been reserved],” DeCunha said. “Nothing is confirmed yet [but] if [a table] becomes available, I will let [SUS members] know.”

The SUS also plans to open up the application form for Interim Status Club Application for Science undergraduate-oriented clubs. Students wishing to create an SUS-affliliated club must apply through this form and providing their contact information along with the names of at least five additional interested members. SUS Executor of Clubs and Services Sebastian Morales will interview each prospective group's founder about the club's objectives; those approved for club status will be granted permission to include "SUS" in their name and use SUS funding for events/initiatives.

Though the application form was scheduled to be released with this the weekly listserv on Sept. 24, but Morales received several significant suggestions for the application, and has postponed the release of the form until reviewing and approving the amended application form at the next SUS Councill. approval from the ne

 

Changes From Senate

Science Senator Salma Youssef recapped the first Senate meeting held on Sept. 19, seeking SUS members’ opinions on potential changes. Such changes included the possibility of renaming the men’s athletic teams’ controversial nickname, Redmen. In addition, the Joint Board-Senate Committee on Equity has now implemented a preferred names policy, where one’s preferred names will be used on every McGill platform, including I.D. cards and exam rosters.

Other proposed changes include the continued development of the Indigenous Task Force, managing an increase of sexual violence claims, and assessing the new Counselling and Mental Health Services. The Senate would like to hear feedback from the student body on current developments and would welcome new recommendations to improve student life.

“The Senate would like to increase engagement with the community, see what students are thinking, and what they want us to look into,” Youssef said. “We were thinking of maybe a Reddit thread or a blog post [to increase student involvement].”

The next SUS General Council meeting will take place on Oct. 4.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

“Dunkirk” is director Christopher Nolan’s most immersive work to date

by Ryan Canon on

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Since his first film Following (1998), Christopher Nolan has proven himself to be one of the most ambitious directors of his generation. Many of Nolan’s films deal with complicated time structuring, turning his scripts into labyrinthine puzzles to be decoded, such as the amnesic haze of Memento (2000), Inception’s (2010) layered dreamscapes, and the theory of relativity in Interstellar (2014). His choice to direct a war film centered on the Battle of Dunkirk thus felt somewhat atypical in the context of his larger filmography. Even more interesting was the cast assembled for the film, which–aside from the well-known Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Mark Rylance–features many unknown actors. Fortunately for them, not only is this an amazing film that has the potential to launch their acting careers, Dunkirk could possibly be remembered as one of the best war films of all time.

That may sound like hyperbole–the war genre is already dense with classics including Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Full Metal Jacket (1987)–but Nolan’s film is unique in how truly immersive it is. Through his last several films, the director has proven himself a fan of IMAX, shooting large portions of Interstellar, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and The Dark Knight (2008), in the large-screen format. Dunkirk features the most IMAX footage used in a feature film to date, with approximately 70 per cent of the film shot with wide-angle cameras, and is combined with expert cinematography from Hoyte Van Hoytema to create a singular sense of scale in the film, fully immersing viewers in its historical moment.

The film has remarkably little dialogue, which would typically lead to a lack of investment in the characters. However, thanks to great performances by the ensemble cast, each of the characters feels fleshed out even without knowing their back-stories. Fionn Whitehead (Him, Queers)  and Harry Styles (of One Direction)–both in their feature film debuts–do an impressive job of portraying Tommy and Alex, two British soldiers stuck on the beaches of Dunkirk and desperately trying to escape.

The lack of dialogue leaves ample space for composer Hans Zimmer’s (The Dark Knight, Inception) thunderous and anxiety-inducing score to fill things out. The sound design encapsulates the shell-shocked chaos unfolding before us onscreen, with deafening explosions and shrieks of dive-bombers adding to the harrowing experience.

Dunkirk, like much of Nolan’s recent work, is a film that arrests you visually from start to finish. The impossible sense of scale, enabled in tandem by the director’s manipulation of IMAX camerawork and Hans Zimmer’s grandiose scoring, concocts a fully immersive experience befitting the epic subject matter.

 

Commentary, Opinion

Hushed Potter scandal sets worrying precedent for students

by Keating Reid on

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As the academic year ambles on, new students form impressions of McGill’s institutional culture. As one would expect, the upper-ranks of administration try to shape these impressions to their favour. Take Discover McGill, where Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier delivered a rosy speech to a crowd warmed up by student coordinators chanting her name. This is, of course, a façade; a dangerously effective one, however. Few freshmen recognize the name of Professor Andrew Potter, let alone know of his fate at McGill. This ignorance puts us on precarious footing. Fortier was cryptic and unforthcoming about the pressures placed on Potter to resign from his post as director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC)—as McGill stakeholders, students must demand better. Moreover, students must condemn the administration’s willingness to silence inconvenient voices within the faculty—or risk being next in the dock.

In March 2017, while director of MISC, Potter wrote a column in Maclean’s magazine drawing a link between the feeble civic response to a Montreal blizzard and what he called Quebec’s “almost pathologically alienated and low-trust society.” This sparked a massive controversy, with McGill quickly dissociating itself from Potter via tweet, affirming that Potter’s views do not represent those of the school.

On March 22, two days after the article went to press, Potter resigned from his position as director of MISC, offering an apology and partial retraction.

Then came the Streisand effect. McGill’s tweet was criticized for violating the norm that universities themselves stay out of debates. The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CUAT) began investigating a possible breach of academic freedom; in a phone call to The McGill Tribune, CUAT Director of Communications Valérie Dufort explained that its report will be made public in a few weeks. In May, former MISC board member Ken Whyte publicly alleged that Fortier pressured Potter’s resignation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The necessity of an outside investigation is alarming in and of itself and demonstrates the administration’s blasé take on transparency. But there has been little concern paid so far to the affair’s implications for the student body, and even less outrage from McGill students.

The necessity of an outside investigation is alarming in and of itself and demonstrates the administration’s blasé take on transparency. But there has been little concern paid so far to the affair’s implications for the student body, and even less outrage from McGill students. This is a grave error.

Potter’s plight is not just one of principles, but is directly related to students’ self-interest. Faculty members have real influence within McGill, as they are represented by the McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT). Despite this, the administration felt bold enough to pressure a professor into resignation for taking an unpopular opinion. This bodes ill for students, especially those who are outspoken in ways the administration might find inconvenient. With Potter’s resignation, popular demand for reprisal against him—notably, criticism from Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard —rather than the principal of free expression, carried the day. This is the definition of a bipartisan concern. Student groups of all political stripes need the right to speak freely without fear of disciplinary reprisal. When this right is tempered by an administration concerned only with avoiding controversy, allegiance is irrelevant—the Quebec Public Interest Research Group and Liberty at McGill become strange cellmates.

Students are stakeholders in McGill: Our tuition payments keep the school’s finances afloat. But, unlike stakeholders in the corporate world, we have almost no avenues of influence in McGill’s governance. The few we do have—primarily Senate and the Board of Governors—must be confident that they can safely criticize the administration, without fear of being threatened by it. But, they also need a mandate from students: If students clearly don’t care about campus issues, their representatives cannot do anything to advocate for them.

As of now, there have been no repercussions for the administration’s treatment of Potter: No apologies, no condemnations from alumni, and no reinstatements. This is alarming because students are even more vulnerable than faculty. Unless we demand more transparency, the administration will be emboldened to take the same modus operandi with student representatives, leaders, and journalists. On this issue, students must write to SSMU, and write to Fortier, in order to tell them that we refuse to accept this shady behavior.

 

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that McGill professors are unionized. The Tribune regrets this error.

 

 

 

 


Keating is a U0 in the Faculty of Arts planning to study political science. He’s often found reading the news and grumbling in his bathrobe. He’d like to acknowledge Gerts and Roddick Roast for their invaluable contributions to this article.

 

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basketball, Sports

NBA offseason recap

by Gabe Nisker on

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There was a certain air of predictability to the 2016-17 NBA season, with the Golden State Warriors taking the title against the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. But, in the ensuing offseason, that sense of certainty flew out the window, as contenders scrambled to put together rosters capable of challenging the powerhouse Warriors. As a new season approaches on Oct. 17, here’s a refresher on the summer’s crazy events.

 

Eastern Conference

After landing the third overall pick in the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers decided to go all-in on point guard Markelle Fultz. General Manager (GM) Bryan Colangelo traded up for the first overall pick to land the University of Washington star, who will join Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid as centrepieces of one of the most promising rosters in the NBA.

Philadelphia’s first overall selection came courtesy of the Boston Celtics, who selected Jayson Tatum with the Sixers’ original number three pick in the first major move in a busy Celtics offseason. Boston GM Danny Ainge is notorious for being picky with deals, so the Celtics’ transaction-filled offseason could be described as momentous for him. The franchise landed small forward Gordon Hayward—formerly of the Utah Jazz—in free agency, thanks in part to Head Coach Brad Stevens, who coached Hayward at Butler University. In order to make cap space for Hayward, the Celtics moved perennially-underrated Avery Bradley to Detroit for Marcus Morris.

Despite an already busy offseason, Ainge still wasn’t done. In the usually dead month of August, Boston shockingly dealt the Celtics’ heart and soul Isaiah Thomas (along with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and two draft picks) to their 2016 Eastern Conference Finals opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a blockbuster trade for Kyrie Irving. After Irving forced their hand weeks before by requesting a trade, the Cavaliers managed to add assets for the present and future: They will use Thomas and Crowder to compete now, and the picks to succeed later. The Cavaliers continued a win-now focus in free agency, adding veteran point guards Jose Calderon and Derrick Rose. Rose’s original team, the Chicago Bulls, followed up on past feats of mismanagement by trading away Jimmy Butler for mere pennies.

 

Western Conference

The Western Conference can somehow boast even more super-teams after its own flurry of offseason activity. Point guard Chris Paul opted into his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers so they could trade him to the Houston Rockets. Paul will play alongside the similarly ball-dominant James Harden, possibly making for one of the most dynamic duos in recent NBA history. GM—and salary-cap maestro—Daryl Morey quickly turned his attention elsewhere, adding defensive whiz PJ Tucker to the mix. The Rockets’ moves position them firmly in the hunt for the conference’s second seed, alongside the perpetually-stable Spurs.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, meanwhile, made a pair of splashy deals to recover from the loss of Kevin Durant in 2016. The Thunder’s acquisition of Indiana Pacers forward Paul George came out of nowhere after trade rumours suggested he was heading to the Los Angeles Lakers. Oklahoma GM Sam Presti took advantage and struck a deal for the low price of guard Victor Oladipo and forward Domantas Sabonis. George will presumably slide into a Durant-like role in the Thunder system, given their similar skillsets. Presti struck again on Sept. 23, ending a summer of trade rumours swirling around now-former New York Knick Carmelo Anthony. Anthony waived his no-trade clause to join the Thunder and will play the power forward role in the team’s new-and-improved starting lineup. A new big three—George, Anthony, and reigning MVP Russell Westbrook—will look to bring the Thunder back to the Western Conference Finals.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are hoping to make a similar leap after trading for a superstar of their own, Jimmy Butler, and adding point guard Jeff Teague to the starting lineup. Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, finally reunited with Butler, looks to take the Wolves to the postseason, ending the team’s league-high 13-season playoff drought.

Editorial, Opinion

Accessible care or adequate care: Students with eating disorders shouldn’t have to choose

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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McGill’s Mental Health and Counselling Services face a twofold challenge: Make mental health care efficient and accessible to all students, while ensuring that care is appropriate to each student’s specific needs. Given limited resources, it is not an easy balance to strike. But it is, fundamentally, a balance—not an either-or situation. The Sept. 20 announcement that McGill has cut its dedicated Eating Disorder Program (EDP) flies in the face of this wisdom. The abrupt rollback of the program and after-the-fact informing of affected students is not just a case of sloppy communication. More alarmingly, it reflects a flawed assessment of the unique nature and risks of eating disorders, and the needs of students living with them.

When it comes to eating disorders, students are at special risk. The transitory, high-stress rollercoaster that is university life—and first year in particular—can frequently trigger or exacerbate disordered eating. Like all mental health challenges, eating disorders vary widely in severity and symptoms. More uniquely, however, they often lack the clear cognitive or functional correlates frequently used to flag prevalent mood disorders, like depression and anxiety—especially in the context of the already semi-dysfunctional norms of student life. Eating disorders can be deadly, yet too often, they go unnoticed.

McGill's EDP had been available to students since 2009, providing individual therapy, nutritional counselling, and group therapy sessions. Despite the chronic understaffing of McGill’s health services, a patient of the EDP has previously praised the program for its multidisciplinary, tailored approach to each student’s needs.

Things look different now. Even prior to last week’s announcement, staffing had been continuously reduced: A coordinator position was already cut previously, and the program’s single nurse resigned this year, and hasn’t been replaced. The EDP’s psychotherapist is being moved elsewhere in mental health services, and the dedicated nutritionist will now be servicing all students—not just those with eating disorders. For the time being, group therapy sessions have been cut altogether. Diagnosed students seeking treatment will now be funneled through the school’s general Psychiatric Services, with the possibility of being referred to off-campus, specialized clinics.

 

[Cutting the EDP] raises problems that extend beyond a shoddy messenger—problems that are perhaps reflective of broader flaws in McGill’s approach to mental health services.

McGill’s decision to cut these resources without adequately warning the students who rely upon them, nor offering support in transitioning them to alternatives, is egregious. The message it sends to students struggling with eating disorders—diagnosed or not—is that their school isn’t there for them. That is unacceptable. Martine Gauthier, the executive director of McGill Student Services, has herself acknowledged the poor communication of the circumstances. In a written statement to The McGill Tribune, the administration explicitly apologized to affected students.

However, this drastic step raises problems that extend beyond a shoddy messenger—problems that are perhaps reflective of broader flaws in McGill’s approach to mental health services. Explaining the situation, the administration’s statement cites a necessary redistribution of resources, in order to more efficiently address the full range of mental health needs of all students on campus. In strikingly utilitarian fashion, the statement notes that, according to a 2014 McGill Student Psychological Wellbeing survey, only one to three per cent of students on campus struggle with eating disorders. Last fall, McGill Student Services gave similar reasons for streamlining Counselling and Mental Health into a single service: The transition was meant to decrease wait-times, and to deliver the least intensive and most accessible treatment for all students, regardless of severity.

These are legitimate goals; however, in the trade-off between accessibility and quality of service, the former cannot eclipse the latter—especially when the service in question is as crucial as supporting and treating students with eating disorders. Following last fall’s merging of services, an open letter from the McGill Students’ Mental Health Working Group raised concerns about the new model’s capacity for tailored care, particularly for students in crisis situations requiring a specialist. The individual needs of a student living with an eating disorder are a case in point.

One of the EDP’s clear strengths was its multi-pronged, holistic approach to each student’s unique situation. To the university’s credit, moves towards a more collaborative model of mental health care match that spirit, particularly in their focus on preventative care. Yet at a more fundamental level, McGill’s approach to its mental health services must be rooted in a commitment to both accessibility and to student-specific care. Steps to optimize these services must be taken accordingly. When it comes to mental health—and especially, the unique, potentially lethal nature of eating disorders—students shouldn’t have to choose between getting an appointment and getting the right appointment.

 

 

 

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 

 

 

Off the Board, Opinion

University students are anything but “fragile flowers”

by Alexandra Harvey on

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In her Sept. 19 column for the Globe and Mail, Margaret Wente compared today’s university students to “fragile flowers,” arguing that increasing concern for mental health on campuses is conditioning young adults to be weak, not resilient. Wente needs to learn a thing or two about resilience.

Wente’s staunch disapproval of mental health services on Canadian campuses comes at a time when students are under more pressure than ever before—according to a 2016 National College Health Assessment survey, a fifth of Canadian students struggle with depression, anxiety, or other mental health challenges. Distressed students are looking to their institutions to provide adequate support for mental health, and in some capacity or another, it finally seems as if universities are listening. Mental health is on the radar, and—despite Wente’s spiel about the dangers of coddling—that’s a good thing. As such, McGill students and faculty need to work together to normalize conversations about mental health, in order to continue to dismantle toxic stigmas and create a safe and fair academic space for all.

Mental health issues are ubiquitous on university campuses. In a Spring 2016 American College Health Association survey of almost 44,000 Canadian undergraduate students, 89.5 per cent of respondents reported feeling overwhelmed by all they had to do at some point within the 12 months prior to the survey, 64.5 per cent had experienced overwhelming anxiety, and 44.4 per cent admitted to feeling so depressed that it was difficult to function. These numbers only begin to tell the story of the pressures facing university students today.

The truth is, students have a whole lot to be anxious about. University life demands a careful—and unattainable—balance between good grades, meaningful co-curricular involvement, and a booming social life. This doesn’t leave a lot of time for self-care. While university itself is replete with pressures that trigger and test students’ well-being, undergrads are additionally burdened by the uncertainty of, what comes next? A bachelor’s degree is no longer a set path to stable employment. Young adults are increasingly finding themselves ripe out of university with a degree that holds less and less value, and no job to show for it. Pile on the average $25,000 of student debt and it’s no wonder students are feeling overwhelmed.

Speaking openly about our personal mental health struggles and asking for help when we need it doesn’t make us fragile. It makes us incredibly strong.

The first time I contemplated my own mental health was during my second year at McGill. While I had undoubtedly experienced feelings of anxiety before beginning university, it was the first time I had reflected upon those feelings, and identified them as such. I suddenly felt the pressures of university life weighing down on me in a way that they hadn’t before. My mood was consistently low, and my self-confidence suffered as a result. I could not control the negative thoughts that were going through my brain, and that made me feel helpless.

At the time, I felt fragile. But looking back, I am grateful for this experience, because it took feeling incredibly overwhelmed to realize what my mental health means to me, and to come to terms with the way I experience anxiety. Accepting myself as a somewhat anxious person, and finding the strength to be able to talk about it with my peers, has made it infinitely easier for me to cope with pressure.

Listen closely, Margaret: Speaking openly about our personal mental health struggles and asking for help when we need it doesn’t make us fragile. It makes us incredibly strong.

The image of a field of delicate daffodils swaying in the wind may be pretty, but it’s no metaphor for today’s students. Rather, I see a dense forest of trees, securely rooted in the ground, battling wind, rain, snow, hail—or hurricanes, for that matter—all the while fighting to grow taller and extend their branches further.

As Wente explains, access to therapy dogs or extra time on exams will not guarantee students with mental illnesses a life devoid of hardship. She’s right. Speaking openly about mental health—and recognizing that a disability doesn’t have to be physical to be valid—will not make mental illness go away. Still, by promoting a culture of support and acceptance, universities tell students that mental health is nothing to be ashamed of. And by speaking openly about our own struggles, we can find strength in knowing that we’re not alone, and hopefully make it a bit easier for those who come after us. Sounds pretty resilient to me.

 

 

Alexandra is a U3 Political Science student and Opinion Editor at the Tribune. Her proudest moment writing for the Tribune was when she saw someone eating a samosa off her face.

 

@lexharvs | [email protected]

 

 

 
Commentary, Opinion

Snapchat’s partnership with college newspapers keeps students in the loop

by Johanna Cline on

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With two swipes right on their phone screens, Snapchat’s 173 million daily users arrive at the app’s Discover page, where Publisher Stories—news articles by major media outlets—are featured daily. On Sept. 8, Snapchat announced on its blog that it will be partnering with universities across the United States to bring college newspaper content to the Discover page. With rapidly changing methods of internet and mobile media consumption, platforms like Snapchat are crucial for news outlets to stay relevant, particularly because the app’s largest user demographic is college-aged adults—roughly 78 million of daily users are between the ages of 18 and 24.

Featuring university gazettes on Snapchat is advantageous for students and journalists alike. For students, easy mobile access to their school’s newspaper will make it much easier to stay in the loop with campus news and events. Compared to the hassle of tracking down a print copy, or trying to navigate a web browser on their phone, Snapchat provides a convenient and accessible way of reading the news. Plus, incentives—such as maintaining streaks in Snapchat conversations with friends—keep daily traffic on the app very high. The average user opens the app 18 times per day and totals about 30 daily minutes—that’s enough to time to flip through a couple of articles. This method may vex traditionalists who feel bombarded by the influx of news on social media. Yet the fact is, employing technology to spread relevant stories to the public is an intelligent journalistic move. Additionally, students must be informed about the institutions in which they invest their time, money, and futures; so building readership of school newspapers will only benefit the student body, and Snapchat’s accessible nature can help facilitate this.

In the era of evolving news consumption, many sites such as Facebook have resorted to algorithms to curate their content. Snapchat’s approach, however, is unique in that it refuses to let algorithms manage its newsfeed. CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel stated on the Snap Inc. blog that “Social media companies tell us what to read based on what’s most recent or most popular […] We count on editors and artists, not clicks and shares, to determine what’s important.” Another way Snapchat keeps people, not computers, in control is by giving users the option to construct personal newsfeeds. Users can hide news from publishers they don’t enjoy, or subscribe to the ones they want at the top of their feed. All of these settings maintain consumer agency, an aspect that benefits students because it keeps the power in their hands. Instead of being fed an automated pile of algorithmically selected articles, students remain more conscious and autonomous in their news consumption.

The fact is, employing technology to spread relevant stories to the public is an intelligent journalistic move.

College papers, like mainstream media outlets, need to tap into social media networks if they want to maintain competitive readership. Snapchat is a promising way to do just that. Buzzfeed, one of Snapchat’s largest publishing partners, has said that 20 per cent of its views come from Snapchat. Print publications are also making use of the app. The New York Times exercises Snapchat as a tool to grow and engage with audiences in highly visual ways. Its Morning Briefing alone has 1.3 million subscribers on the app.

On top of boosted circulation, under this new partnership, college newspapers will receive a share of advertising revenues, in order to “help each school monetize and grow their newspaper.” This increase in resources will provide an opportunity for college papers to build their journalistic teams and invest in new production equipment. Further, as Snapchat points out, college media is where many writers and editors start their careers. The additional funding will also provide young journalists the opportunity to learn more about optimizing content for this modern news medium.

Having school newspapers on Snapchat’s Discover page will not only help students stay more easily informed, but it will also create opportunities for the aspiring journalists who work for the publications. Snapchat’s commitment to algorithm-free newsfeeds keeps an important aspect of human agency in students’ news consumption. Overall, partnering with social media sites is a smart move for journalists, because this new form of exposure may attract different kinds of readers by producing new ways to engage with audiences—a crucial tool for remaining relevant in the modern digital age. While Snapchat’s college news partners are exclusively American at the moment, Canada should be next on the list, so McGill readers can swipe through The McGill Tribune’s articles via Snapchat.

 

Johanna is a U1 student majoring in Philosophy with a double minor in Political Science and Gender Studies. She proudly holds 14 Snapchat streaks and would love to see campus news on her favourite app.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Mount Eerie brings delicate, painful intimacy to POP Montreal final night

by Gibran Haque on

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Most of the audience members seated in the Ukrainian Federation on Sept. 17 were well aware that the upcoming performance would mark an important tour date for Phil Elverum. The musician, who records under the moniker Mount Eerie, would have arrived at the venue with ambivalent anticipation. On July 9 2016, Elverum’s wife, Geneviève Castrée, a cartoonist and musician from Montreal, died from a sudden onset of pancreatic cancer. In the following days, Elverum recorded an immensely powerful album in his dead wife’s room using her instruments. A Crow Looked At Me, released this past March, is less of a poetically packaged expression of grief and death, than it is an uber-personal and raw depiction of the pain and anguish experienced by Elverum following the death of his wife.

The skeletal instrumentation running throughout the album provides an unrestricted setting for Elverum’s deeply confessional crooning. To some, it might not even sound like music, but it’s not trying to. There are no catchy melodies, no folksy guitar riffs, and very few actual choruses. This simplicity is where the album gains its exceptional sense of urgency and raw emotional fervor.

From the moment Elverum took the stage, the room seemed to get smaller and more intimate with each song. The performance was unrelenting in its emotional punches—with every little detail of Castrée's death and Elverum’s grief, the punches hit harder. Elverum began with “Distortion,” a non-album song that he had performed at earlier concerts, followed by the album opener, “Real Death.”

“Death is real, someone’s there and then they’re not.”

From the very first words of the song, the harsh reality of Elverum’s experience transcended the stage and washed over the audience. This was followed up by “Seaweed,” a song that served to remind the audience how close to his wife’s death Elverum actually started recording. The last few songs he performed were all new songs, not part of the album. One that stood out was about the absurdity of being alive after experiencing the death of a loved one. This one felt different from the beginning; the guitar entered with toe-tapping chords and an oddly cheerful timbre. Elverum recalls a specific experience shortly after, when he was invited to play at an outdoor festival for a “bunch of young people on drugs,” with Skrillex heard blasting at the other side of the festival, and where he shared his experiences in song writing with Father John Misty while munching on baskets of fruit. This whole verse elicited chuckles from the audience, providing a much needed respite from the mournful nature of the rest of the performance. More than anything, this particular track felt like an artist wrestling with the sheer absurdity of their own existence and a very matter-of-fact interpretation of the world around him—void of any poetic internalization for the sake of song.

 Before ending the night with a final non-album track, “Tintin in Tibet,” in which Elverum recalls memories of reading Tintin comics aloud in Haida Gwaii with his late wife—he thanked the audience for coming and stated that this would probably be the last time he would perform these set of songs in Montreal.

“I sing to you, Geneviève / I sing to you / You don’t exist / I sing to you, though.”

These words, perhaps, were a fitting conclusion and assessment of what the album’s core message is. As Elverum leaves the stage to a standing ovation, an aura of release looms over the auditorium; if grief truly is love’s unwillingness to let go, then A Crow Looked At Me exhibits the remorseless tenacity through which it acts.

 

Album Reviews, Arts & Entertainment

First Impressions: ‘1992 Deluxe’ – Princess Nokia

by Keira Seidenberg & Chloe Wong-Mersereau on

More in Album Reviews:

Keira Seidenberg:

While Princess Nokia (Destiny Frasqueri) is often thought to bring a feminist edge to the generally male dominated hip hop genre, 1992 Deluxe (2017) is not an album solely dedicated to deconstructing gender-based social stratification. In “Tomboy” and “Saggy Denim,” where Nokia tackles issues of femininity and gender stereotypes, she remains true to herself. Rather than using her sexuality as a tool for combatting the male gaze, like historically-coined feminist rappers Lil’ Kim and Eve, she promotes herself as having “little titties and [a] phat belly.” While this may be a message of nonconformity, as she doesn’t assert her female dominance through sex or her ass, it is also simply a bold statement of comfort with her own physicality.

Chloe Wong-Mersereau:

Tracks like “Kitana,” “Tomboy,” and “Brujas” embody a range of different identities. Nokia’s Puerto-Rican, African, and Harlem roots frequently mingle over the course of a single bar. Her position as an urban intersectional feminist is strengthened as she draws on moments from her past.

KS:

Nokia provides listeners with a narrative of her daily life, with songs such as “Green Line” and “ABCs of New York” documenting her Brooklyn habitat, and others like “Brujas” providing glimpses of her Puerto Rican influences. This provides cultural context to her music, juxtaposing typical-New York references prevalent in the genre with a Central American background that is reminiscent of hip hop’s Jamaican origins.

CWM:

In a documentary entitled Destiny, Frasqueri discusses her childhood in the Bronx, and her time spent in the foster care system after her mother died of AIDS when she was only 10. In “Bart Simpson,” Nokia refers to herself as an “inner city orphan” and “A nerdy girl with nymphomaniac tendencies / Reading comics in forbidden planet” to escape the craziness of her abusive foster home. At 16, she left her home behind with nothing but some loose change and her Nokia cell phone at 75 per cent battery. Princess Nokia was born that year in an attempt to take command of her own future in the face of dismal circumstances.

KS:

After listening to the album several times through, I came to appreciate her as a socially-conscious artist. With underlying currents of racial tension, class divisions, and distrust of authority in her music, Princess Nokia’s real-world connections to her lyrics are readily apparent. However, she presents it in a briefer framework with an awareness of her young age, rather than narrating an extended personal journey, such as in Tyler, The Creator’s Flower Boy (2017) or a long-standing historical problem, as addressed in Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). In 1992 Deluxe, Nokia is an “old school hoe with a new school flow,” taking the more traditional elements of hip-hop songs and interjecting her personal ‘don’t fuck with me’ attitude that has Plateau hipsters and Metro riders alike turning up the volume on this new release.   

CWM:

In familiarizing myself with her past and repeatedly listening to the mixtape, I was really drawn to her self-made, assertive, and independent style. Nokia chose to self-record and produce her mixtapes because she wanted nothing to do with the high demand and pressure of the music industry. Her newer raps, such as “G.O.A.T.,” “Brick City,” and “Flava,” unapologetically focus on empowerment and embracing every aspect of yourself.

I’m so excited that Princess Nokia is gaining attention on the mainstage for her artistry and hard-hitting authenticity. As far as role models go, she is certainly tough to beat.


 

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