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Know Your Athlete, Men's Varsity, Sports

Know Your Athlete: Francois Jarry

by Arman Bery on

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A late-comer to the world of long-distance running, McGill Redmen cross-country star François Jarry fell in love with the thrill of racing in grade 11.

“My high school teacher made us run around the school, and very few people took it seriously, but I always enjoyed it,” Jarry said. “At the end of the year, I won a school race that made me passionate about it.”

A Physical Education and Health Education student, Jarry was named a conference all-star and has placed in the top 10 in seven out of his eight races in 2016. He has performed well in Montreal this season, winning the 2016 McGill Open and placing third in both the RSEQ cross-country championship and 3,000-metre race. While most athletes struggle to find success in sports they start at such a late age, running has been always been a part of Jarry’s life, even if he didn’t start training until he was older.

“My father ran marathons,” Jarry said. “He did not [run] competitively, but did about nine of them for his own experience. So the idea of running was always there.”

Jarry competes in both track and cross-country for McGill, but prefers the more comfortable environment of a track compared to the unpredictable terrain of a cross-country race.

“I definitely have a preference for track,” Jarry said. “I think I’ve just been mentally weaker when [cross-country] racing, I find that races get less exciting the more you run.”

Jarry’s preference for an even surface to run on matches his general desire for structure and predictability. He believes in a running style that is both technically efficient and well-planned: Before the race even begins, Jarry aims to outsmart and out-plan his opponents. He has modeled his patient running style after famed British-Somali distance runner Mo Farah.

“I think [Farah] getting criticized for sitting back in races is really unfair,” Jarry said. “I have a very similar mentality, […] I just love to just get the best approach I can. I start at the speed I can and build from there [….] People always think making the best time is the only thing that matters, but being able to be tactically efficient is very impressive.”

Jarry is also a star off the track. David Johnston, the governor general of Canada, honoured him this year as one of the top eight Academic All-Canadians. For Jarry, striking a balance between academics and athletics has always come naturally.

“Getting good grades, I find, a big part of it is having nice teachers who grade fairly,” Jarry said. “It’s also about relaxing, listening in class, not taking notes frantically, not signing up for too much other stuff.”

Jarry is a laid-back, cerebral person who believes that actions speak louder than words. He is considering doing a master’s and is currently completing a practicum with a professor at McGill. It is a possibility that the Quebec-native still has a few more years on McGill campus. 

In the spirit of Mo Farah’s mantra—“Don’t dream of winning. Train for it”—Jarry is well on his way to future success.

Favourite song/artist to listen to before a race: Often in the bus we listen to songs we would listen to during like elementary school prom, like “Stronger” by Kanye, or “Run Caleb Ndiku,” a song by a [Machakos Kyalo].

Favourite pre-race meal: The night before: Often pasta and a bit of beans and veggies.

Days off: Just cereal and soy milk.

Favourite place to study at McGill: The computer lab [at] the stadium.

Commentary, Opinion

Bridging the gap between the downtown and Mac campuses

by Tara Allen-Flanagan on

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Although they are two halves of a single university, for downtown students, it may seem that the main things that the Macdonald and main campus share are the McGill name and a shuttle bus. The two campuses have separate student unions; therefore, students from one campus do not often engage with the services or clubs of the other. McGill is slowly beginning to advertise the benefits of Mac campus to downtown students—for example, by offering Science Literacy Week events at both campuses—but many students don’t bother to find out more about them. The result of this divide is two groups of students who know nothing about each other and are not interested in visiting their non-native campus.

As a member of the McGill Agricultural Association, a club located at Mac campus, I was dismayed when local students told me that I was one of the few downtown students they knew personally who makes a habit of visiting Mac for non-academic reasons. Students who never make the trek out to the West Island are missing out on the chance to explore a rural and bountiful campus that offers much more than just classes.

For downtown students, it is easy to never leave the city core and venture out to Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue. The only obvious markers of Mac campus’ existence downtown are the shuttle bus stops—currently situated in front of the Strathcona Music Building due to construction on Sherbrooke—and the McGill Farmers’ market at the Y-intersection on Thursdays in the fall.

Located across the street from the St. Lawrence river, Mac campus houses the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Beyond the main buildings of campus are acres of experimental farm land; across the bridge is the massive Morgan Arboretum and nature reserve. Students have access to a forest less than an hour away from downtown, yet many of them are unaware of its existence. Instead of going to the crowded libraries of Redpath during finals, downtown McGillians can find a change of scenery in the Macdonald Campus Library and take study breaks by the canal.

 

 

Students who never make the trek out to the West Island are missing out on the chance to explore a rural and bountiful campus that offers much more than just classes

The distance between the two campuses may seem daunting, but prospective commuters should take advantage of the shuttle bus that leaves from McGill’s downtown campus. Although it is primarily intended to transport students and staff who have courses at Mac campus, the bus is quite empty at non-peak hours. All that students need to do is get a sticker on their McGill ID card from Service Point, and they can take advantage of the shuttle bus, which, by the way, has Wi-Fi.

Groups from both locations are attempting to dissolve the boundaries between the two campuses. The McGill Farmers’ Market brings produce from Mac campus downtown in the summer and fall to sell to students at a low price; the geography and environment student associations organized an apple picking trip at the arboretum this fall. Initiatives such as these are important because they provide occasions for downtown natives to interact with Mac campus and participate in activities that are not possible to hold downtown. Students may feel hesitant about visiting Mac campus alone; however, when McGill hosts events that highlight the unique attractions of Mac, newcomers may like what they see and visit more often. 

Downtown students should reap the benefits of both campuses and visit Mac at least once in their university careers. The services and scenery offered by Mac campus can broaden a downtown student’s university experience and provide a natural retreat from the hectic downtown core. Student societies could allow students of the other campus to pay membership fees to Macdonald campus, or create more initiatives to bring students together. Mac and downtown campuses should not feel like mutually exclusive worlds; this idea prevents students from exploring all that McGill has to offer.

 

 

 

Tara Allen-Flanagan is a U2 art history and English literature student who enjoys beekeeping but does not enjoy getting stung by bees. In her free time, she likes to explore the multitude of vending machines around campus and cuddle with her friends’ cats.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 

 

 

McGill, News

Trump victory draws increased international interest in McGill

by Astha Agarwal on

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Donald Trump’s victory in the United States’ presidential election on Nov. 8 has triggered increased interest in McGill from international students, both in America and abroad.  

According to Director of Admissions Kim Bartlett, McGill received 400 applications from American high school students in the week following the election. A total of 1,900 U.S. applications have been submitted as of Nov. 18, 600 more than the previous year. This year, there are 2,381 undergraduate American students at McGill, making up 10.31 per cent of the student body. In total, 3,000 overseas applications have been sent in, a slight increase from the 2,600 applications received in the same time last year.

According to Bartlett, the increase in application numbers cannot be directly attributed to the Trump victory.  There was, however, an unusually high traffic on McGill’s social media websites on election night and in the 48 hours that followed.

“I think people were reaching out for reassurance and to express their point of view more,” Bartlett said. 

Natalie Marusiak, a Grade 11 student at Belmont High School in Massachusetts, said that the election result has piqued her interest in applying to McGill and the University of British Columbia.

“The amount of hate that has surfaced even in just a few weeks of Trump being elected is very scary,” Marusiak said. “[As students we are worried about] all the things that have happened and could potentially happen. Student debt is also a big thing for a lot of people and it’s a bit scary to think about the implications for that with a Trump presidency.”

Since the election results, Rohita Ramayanam, U3 Management and an American student, has been considering seeking employment in Canada after graduation. 

“My decision will ultimately depend on where I find employment, but I’m definitely more open to staying in Canada because of the election results,” Ramayanam said. “Now that I’m here, I wouldn’t want to go back to live in an environment where people like myself don’t have the same rights as others. If the U.S. continues down a path that I completely don’t agree with, there’s nothing stopping me from staying here.”

Margot Silberblatt, U3 Arts and an American citizen, said that the election results have decreased her interest in returning to the U.S. after graduation.

“Before the election, I thought I would have preferred going back to the U.S., but after the election, I’ve become 100 per cent more invested in considering my options abroad,” Silberblatt said.

The election has also increased interest in McGill from international applicants outside the U.S.

“Whatever happens in the U.S. doesn’t just affect U.S. applicants, but it affects people worldwide,” Bartlett said. “Many international students have in their mind the U.S. as their university destination and so if people are nervous about something happening in the U.S. they might consider Canada where they haven’t in the past.” 

Bartlett doesn’t believe that increased American interest in McGill will drastically alter the composition of the student body.

“We don’t look at citizenship when we’re evaluating applications, so I don’t anticipate a major shift,” Bartlett said. “There has always been a substantial representation of U.S. students and probably will continue to be.” 


 

Basketball, Men's Varsity, Sports

How hip hop changed basketball

by Wasif Husain on

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Hip hop and basketball have always had a unique relationship—both rose dramatically in popularity over the past three decades.  But whether they like to admit it or not, NBA executives have never really been comfortable with the relationship.  In 2005, the NBA implemented a strict player dress code prohibiting any chains, baggy clothing, Timberland boots, or other attire associated with hip hop culture. 

Nevertheless, the game’s biggest stars have always been trendsetters both on and off the court—Michael Jordan (MJ) wore baggy shorts, Shaquille O’Neal recorded rap albums, and Allen Iverson (AI) rocked the tattoos and cornrows. They all influenced popular culture, just as rap culture influenced these iconic players. In more recent years, as rap became more mainstream and synonymous with pop music, the NBA has warmed to hip hop’s influence–Drake was recently named a “global ambassador” of the Toronto Raptors.

The differing perceptions of Jordan and  Iverson in  the 1990s was emblematic of the tension between the NBA and hip hop. Iverson had no regard for the rules and openly rebelled against the league’s dress code policy. MJ, on the other hand was always dressed in corporate clean-cut suits pre- and post-game. “His Airness” garnered a reputation as NBA royalty, despite privately clashing with the NBA about his gambling issues. Jordan could do no wrong, while Iverson was punished.

Despite the league’s dress code, Iverson and hip hop won, although in a more palatable form to the NBA. Today, Jay Z is a sports agent for Roc Nation, and Drake often patrols the Raptors’ sideline.

Love him or hate him, Drake has changed the game. Although rappers can’t directly influence what happens on the court–even though the 6ix God thinks he can with his incessant trash talk from the bleachers–they definitely shape the perception of the league. LeBron James dances to Future and legitimizes his music to a huge swathe of NBA fans. Kevin Durant and Draymond Green party with Travis Scott. Pop, rap, hip hop and basketball are intertwined and are elevating eachother to new heights of popularity.

We sat down with Redmen Basketball’s Michael Peterkin to talk about what hip hop means to him and the game of basketball.

What does hip hop mean to basketball? 

Hip hop has become a significant cultural force for our generation. It’s seemingly become a lifestyle as opposed to just a musical genre. The hip hop culture has integrated itself into basketball and with both being interconnected.

Why have hip hop and basketball culture meshed together so well? 

Basketball is popular among the urban youth, and these urbanized areas are seemingly the centres of hip hop culture. The relationship between the two has progressed in the sense that the two go hand-in-hand in this day and age. 

Why was Allen Iverson such a big influence on the hip hop culture in basketball? 

When Iverson blew up, he changed the way the league ‘appeared.’ He brought the hip hop look to the league through the tattoos, baggy pants, do-rags, the chains, etcetera. AI was a superstar in the league and therefore was in the spotlight. This ultimately helped merge the hip hop culture with basketball even more. 

How has Drake’s role as an Ambassador for the Raptors gone so far?

Drake has done a great job putting the City of Toronto and the Toronto Raptors respectively in the spotlight and helped make being from the city and supporting the franchise seem ‘cool.’ Besides some fines the Raptors have incurred because of him, he has done a solid job in marketing the team.

 

Best rapper in the NBA?

I would say [Damian] Lillard

What is Redmen basketball’s go-to song before a big games?

It varies in terms of what’s popular at the time. Right now, probably Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd [….] We’ve been bumping songs from Travis Scott’s album consistently in the locker room.

Best dancer on the Redmen? 

Dele [Ogundokun], Isaiah [Cummins], and Regis [Ivaniukas] are up there for sure.

Best singer on the Redmen? 

I don’t think I’ve heard enough of the guys voices, but Daniel [Piper] is an unreal beat-boxer 

Who has the best freestyle on the team?

 I’ve heard Avery [Cadogan] freestyle and it was good, so we’ll go with Cadogan

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Artist Spotlight: Student comedian Jeremy Ullman

by Ariella Garmaise on

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The crowd has decided, and your winner is…Jeremy Ullman!” Fresh-faced 21-year-old McGill student Jeremy Ullman is the victor of the Comedy Nest’s open mic night. It is an odd time and place for a comedy show—it is Wednesday night, Nov. 23, the bar is bizarrely located on the third floor of the Montreal Forum, and there are no more than twenty people in the audience. Nonetheless, Ullman is overjoyed. The evening’s theme was “Little Known Emotions,” and Ullman’s quip, “I was eating cauliflower and melon last night, it gave me a strange feeling I can only identify as melon-cauliflower,” won him $20, and validation for his years of practice. With two years of stand-up experience, U3 Cognitive Science major Jeremy Ullman is a long-time comedy fan and self-identified class clown. 

“It’s an amalgamation of five beautifully connected fields, philosophy, linguistics, computer science, neuroscience, and psychology,” explained Ullman. 

Amalgamation is a fitting word to describe Ullman himself. He is a practicing comedian, with a passion for guitar and “Instrumental Progressive Metal” music. He also coaches rowing at Dawson College and tutors CEGEP students in calculus. 

“I also rap as a joke, because privileged white Jewish boys should not be doing that,” he joked. 

Even in his hobbies, he has a sense of humour. A comedian, musician, athlete, and academic, Ullman’s interests span from the creative to the intellectual. 

“That’s my biggest issue,” Ullman explained. “I’m good at a bunch of things, but I’d like to be an expert in one.” 

Ullman incorporates physicality and academia into his act. Ullman is very aware of his stage presence and—inspired by his idol, comedian Brian Regan—makes use of pantomimic facial expressions and hand gestures. Introduced at the Comedy Nest as “one of the long-lost Romney sons,” Ullman moves like Mitt in a way that is jovial yet somewhat contrived. His comedy is also very cerebral; Ullman has a penchant for clever wordplay. His first ever stand-up joke was a fake set-up about working two jobs: “The first job, I had I was working at a colonoscopy clinic. The second job I had, I was working at the Brick. And I realized, that in both jobs I was arranging stool samples.” 

Still a young comic, Ullman is working to evolve his routine; a process he compares to excavation. 

“The deeper you dig, the denser your material becomes,” he explained. Growing up, Ullman’s siblings called him “Ailment Boy”—he was plagued with illnesses ranging from migraines and allergies to lactose intolerance—and laughter proved to be a useful coping mechanism. He aims to find humour in daily observation. 

“I need to be in the world because sitting in your bedroom isn’t funny, but the world is hilarious,” he said. “So, just traversing through [the world], that’s when you pick up things like a magnet. I find it fun to look outwards.”

While comedians often portray themselves as notoriously lazy, Ullman is a very disciplined stand-up. Comedy is a surprising lesson in time management, as it entails balancing a part-time job, musical hobbies, a rigorous academic workload, and stand-up shows.

Regardless of whether he decides to pursue comedy professionally,  it is a passion that has taught him a lot. 

“You learn a lot about yourself from standing on stage. You say a joke, and then nobody laughs, and you’re like, ‘Ha, I’m alive still.’” 

Out on the Town, Student Life

Brunch at the Dép: Dépanneur Fancé blurs the line between dep and cafe

by Hannah Downard on

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The dépanneur, or “dép,” is traditionally dimly lit, and its shelves are lined with frayed cardboard boxes of Kraft Dinner, ramen, and exquisitely cheap wine. It is home to racks of gum, chocolate bars, and the occasional school supply. Montrealers rely upon déps for their quick convenience and their unique ability to effortlessly satisfy a moment’s need.

Dépanneurs across Montreal are known for their practicality and Four Loko; however, François Ste-Marie, owner of Dépanneur Fancé, aims not only to change this connotation, but to redefine the dépanneur experience.

Nestled in the plateau, along Rue Saint-Dominique just off Avenue des Pins, this dual purpose dépanneur and café embodies a rare industrial warmth, that goes far beyond one’s expectations of their local dép. The space has towering floor-to-ceiling windows filling the room with light, crisp bright walls, complete with lush hanging terrariums, and a soft touch of wood panelling. Dépanneur Fancé builds on the everyday convenience store, reimagining it as a stylish café hybrid.

Ste-Marie explained his motivation behind his unique business approach. Ste-Marie’s efforts are part of his greater desire to draw upon the classic dép experience while moving away from overused staples by offering alternative culinary essentials and a tranquil café experience.

“I wanted to reappropriate the word ‘dépanneur,’” Ste-Marie said. “[A dépanneur is] like a convenience store: It’s there for you when you need a little something and you don’t want to have to go to a grocery store, or you don’t want to go out far. You want to be able to get your bread or your coffee, and you basically go to a dépanneur and they don’t have food, they basically only have beer and cigarettes.”

Dépanneur Fancé speaks to the growing trend throughout Montreal of dual purpose cafés. In these settings, owners find more opportunity and profit through unique additions to the classic café experience.

Dépanneur Fancé’s café side has a local emphasis, evident in its ever-changing seasonal menu. The Montreal-sourced wooden shelves are lined with local gourmet goodies ranging from classic beer to Kombucha Litchi, from organic cereal to gourmet chilli pepper chocolate bars. Ste-Marie tries to avoid the stereotypical dépanneur essentials, such as Cup Noodles, Pop Tarts, and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

 

(Margaux Delalex / The McGill Tribune)
(Margaux Delalex / The McGill Tribune)

“I’m always looking for stuff that you’re not going to find everywhere,” Ste-Marie said. “Stuff you’re not going to find at a grocery store, specific products. Like small batches [of homemade goods], and that kind of stuff, and mostly local.” 


Offering delicacies like open-faced shrimp sandwiches, yellow tomato salad, and the ‘Iranian breakfast’—consisting of barbari toast with creamy feta and walnuts—the café within the store provides a delicate ambiance to the dép experience while offering the ultimate convenience of a latté hub. 


Dépanneur Fancé is ideal in its duality, pushing the boundaries of a typical business’ single purpose. It offers the quiet ambiance of a café for studying, serves as a unique brunch spot for friends, and is the ultimate place to pick up last-minute gourmet needs. Dépanneur Fancé has redefined the home of the Four Loko.  
 

Hockey, Martlets, Men's Varsity, Sports

The McGill Ice Hockey Research Group is changing hockey

by Erin Dwyer on

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Money talks. And for the $11 billion Canadian hockey industry, the message is clear: Hockey is more than just a pastime for Canadians. It’s an identity. 

The Canadian obsession with hockey, combined with the rise of analytics and sports science, has set the stage for hockey’s own version of the space race. While everyone is looking to discover the next competitive edge, the McGill Ice Hockey Research Group (IHRG) is setting the pace. 

“I take an ergonomic analysis approach to the sport,” IHRG Director and Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Physical Education David Pearsall explained. “What tasks […] the athlete does and how does the equipment help them or not help them.” 

The IHRG aims to innovate hockey equipment to prevent injuries and maximize the efficiency of hockey players’ movements. The IHRG uses 18 3D motion capture cameras to collect information on hockey stick gripping, the accuracy of wrist shots, and more. This process will result in the collection of invaluable and actionable data.

“We want to improve the way [hockey] helmets are made,” IHRG member and PhD candidate Daniel Aponte said. “The [current standardized head-model] was designed in the late 80s and is what’s currently used to make the mold for helmets.”

Studies indicate that many helmet models do little to prevent injury: A recent Virginia Tech team concluded that nine out of thirty-two helmets tested were ‘not recommended’ for reducing the risk of concussion.

“Nobody had really quantified how [the helmets] physically fit yet,” IHRG Master’s student David Greencorn said. 

The IHRG’s Helmet Ergonomics and Anthropometry Database (HEAD) study hopes to address this issue. The team aims to design helmets compatible with a variety of head shapes.

“We take a series of pictures of not only people’s head, but also the helmets,” Aponte said. “Then with custom software [we] stitch them together to create a 3D model”.     

The IHRG also investigates the biomechanics of player movement and how slight variations in equipment affect performance.

“We have done biomechanics studies that demonstrate how people adapt to different hockey stick stiffness as they shoot,” Pearsall said. “We then use 3D motion and grip force sensor measures to see how people modify their hand grip.” 

The IHRG recognizes that many of the findings do not translate smoothly across the sexes and wants to open up the study to include more female athletes.

“Female [players] tend to be more prone to knee injuries, twice the rate they see in males,” Pearsall said. “This suggests different training interventions may be in order.”

Aponte has similar concerns about the potential differences between the sexes found in the HEAD study.

“Female hockey players get the small version of the male stuff, but as head dimensions start to change, it’s not a linear change,” Aponte said. “Just because something is 20 per cent shorter, doesn’t also mean it’s 20 per cent narrower or 20 per cent smaller as a whole.” 

As the IHRG continues to strive for the next game-changing competitive edge, the group is also working to translate their findings into usable data for coaches and players.  For hockey research, findings are applicable much faster than in most other areas of research. Concussions are common among NHL players and teams must manage injuries in real time.

“We [want to] make what we do more practical, so when [coaches] have those teaching moments [they] can say, ‘Here’s the data’ […],” Pearsall said. “The immediate feedback is what we need to have to help the coaches [….] In hockey, they need the answers now.”

Science & Technology

Bilingual infants take a unique path to speech development

by Daria Kiseleva on

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Newborn babies have many monumental tasks before them, a key one being the acquisition of language. In our first few years, we must learn to recognize characteristic sounds, distinguish separate words, interpret more complex word combinations, and eventually assign meaning to what we hear. For infants raised in bilingual environments, speech perception develops in a slightly different manner than for their monolingual peers.

Professor Dr. Linda Polka of McGill’s School of Communication Sciences and Disorders researches “crib bilinguals”—individuals who were taught two languages since infancy. According to Polka, crib bilinguals develop a “hybrid” perceptual system with unique capabilities as opposed to independent systems for each language.

A study co-authored by Polka tested the ability of infants to discern the subtle difference between the French /d/ and English /d/ sounds. Surprisingly, bilingual infants were able to perceive the nuance, while by a certain age monolingual francophone infants could no longer recognize the distinction.

“There’s an extra thing that comes out of combining the languages together, a difference they can access that monolinguals can’t access,” Polka said.

Although bilingual language acquisition comes with an increased cognitive demand, bilingual individuals benefit from many cognitive advantages, including better focus, multitasking, and problem solving skills.

However, simultaneously learning two languages in infancy may also present unique challenges. For example, word segmentation is a key skill in language acquisition. Word segmentation refers to breaking down continuous sounds into words. Acquiring a sense for a natural rhythm of the language facilitates word segmentation, but the task becomes more complex when the two languages have different rhythms.

English is considered a “stress-timed” language as it is characterized by a fairly constant time interval between stressed syllables. Specifically, most English nouns have a stress on the first syllable.

French, on the other hand, is a “syllable-timed” language where every syllable has an approximately constant duration.

Consequently, the strategy used to segment multisyllabic words in one of those languages will not work in the other.

“Typically, babies learning both of those languages seem to be easily confused by [their different rhythms],” Polka said.

Polka’s more recent research looked at how French-English bilingual babies perform at word segmentation compared to their monolingual peers. In the experiment, infants listened to a story which featured a word multiple times and then heard that word in isolation. If a baby recognized the word, it meant that they could successfully segment it from the continuous stream of speech. The procedure was performed once in French and once in English.

At the age of eight months, monolingual francophone and anglophone infants could segment two syllable words exclusively in their native language. However, bilingual infants were only able to segment in French, and only if French was tested first.

“Something is making [word segmentation] harder for the bilingual babies,” Polka said. “Part of what they have to do is figure out which [of the two languages] they are hearing.”

Consequently, the experiment was adjusted to give the bilingual infants more time to listen to the story. With this additional help, the babies were able to segment both English and French speech in any order.  

Polka hypothesizes that tracking syllables might be the go-to strategy when infants don’t know which language they are hearing, since syllable patterns are more universal across languages than stress patterns. As a result, syllable-timed French speech could be segmented when it was heard first, but listening to English first for an insufficient period of time simply caused confusion.

According to the Dana Foundation, more than half of the world’s population today is bilingual or multilingual. While the vast majority of research on language acquisition has traditionally focused exclusively on monolingual learners, future studies into its bilingual mechanisms promise to provide more insight into the experience of many.

Science & Technology

McGill students and faculty push for vaccine education

by Rebecca Zhuang on

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“Prevention against morbidity and mortality by vaccination is one of the biggest medical successes in humanity. Never forget that fact. Get vaccinated,” Dr. Jörg Fritz, assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, told the audience at the first night of the three-part seminar series entitled “Let’s Talk About Vaccines.”

From Nov. 22 to 24, various McGill professors spoke about the importance of vaccine knowledge at the first ever McGill Students for Vaccination and Awareness Week.

Dr. Irah King, assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, kicked off the first talk of the seminar with his speech, “Why Should We Vaccinate?”

King spoke about how even without 100 per cent vaccination, vaccines are extremely effective and important in offering not just individual protection, but also herd immunity. Herd immunity is when an outbreak is much more likely to occur in a crowd of unvaccinated individuals than it is to occur in a group in which the majority are vaccinated.

“There is a very limited risk of spreading this infection because all the other [unvaccinated] people surrounding are protected, just based on the fact that everybody else is vaccinated and cannot spread the infection,” King said. “You’re protecting the entire community through vaccination, […] it’s not just protecting yourself.”

King admits that many vaccines are not completely protective and that virtually none are perfect.

“Most vaccines don’t provide lifelong protection, so we need to build better vaccines so one shot is enough to protect you from a pathogen for the rest of your life,” he said. “[Without vaccination], you’re not just putting yourself at risk, you’re putting others at risk.”

On the third night, Dr. Brian J. Ward, associate professor in McGill’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, presented on the topic of the anti-vaccination movement.

The anti-vaccine argument is hardly a new idea, but in the last few years campaigns have grown due to their propagation on social media—despite simultaneous advances in immunology and vaccination.

Dr. Ward believes that the arguments that prove vaccines are essential are often used to disprove their necessity.

“Vaccines are victims of their own success,” Dr. Ward said. “If you define ‘safe’ as harmless, then no vaccine is safe. If you define them as ‘prevention from another danger,’ then vaccines are among the safest medical interventions.”

The anti-vaccine campaign has been recently gaining ground and is attracting increased worldwide attention. Liam Whalen-Browne, U3 Microbiology and co-organizer of the event, wishes vaccine education were given as much attention as the anti-vaccine movement.

“There’s this persisting anti-vaccine movement […] for the past decade or so that has been creating a lack of education,” he said. “The number of people hasn’t necessarily been growing, but the vocality has.”

Olivia Ganescu, U3 Microbiology and co-organizer of the event, talked about how anti-vaccine ideas could have originated as a result of misinformation.

“People don’t have all the answers, and they see what’s in front of them […],” Ganescu said. “They just don’t understand what’s going on, and they might be really quick to assume causation based on nothing.”

Much of the anti-vaccine argument is supported by the notion that no vaccine is completely safe.

However, by focusing on safety, Dr. Ward believes people are missing the point.

“We could make safe vaccines, but the bottom line is […] you really should be comparing the effects of the disease versus the effects of the vaccine,” Dr. Ward said.

News, SSMU

SSMU executive midterm reviews

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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This week, the McGill Tribune conducted midterm reviews of the Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU) executives.

Daniel Lawrie: VP Internal

Lawrie’s led SSMU’s shift to playing a more administrative rather than programming role in Froshes. Events were successfully coordinated and executed with various vice-presidents of each faculty’s undergraduate society. A new initiative at Frosh this year was the consent video, which aimed to educate students and make Frosh experiences safer. Lawrie also launched B-Week in coordination with VP Finance Niall Carolan, which aimed to increase customers at Gerts through cheap drink deals. This succeeded in quadrupling Gerts’ sales during the week and attracting students back to the bar, which is an important source of revenue for SSMU.

This year 4Floors produced a slight profit despite having a higher budget than last year. This is a commendable improvement over 4Floors’ low sales and deficit in the 2015-2016 school year. Lawrie has since formed multiple sub-committees of the Students’ Society Programming Network (SSPN) in order to maximize the effectiveness of the team by delegating responsibility for planning upcoming events that don’t require participation from the whole network. Next semester, the SSPN will plan events such as Faculty Olympics and Week 101 welcome-back gathering, and aims to further improve Gerts’ turnout.

As part of rebranding Red and White Week, Life After Your Degree (LifeAYD) has been expanded and aims to help students prepare for careers and learn professional skills. The programming has been scheduled over the entire school year rather than being confined to a month of November. LifeAYD will take full effect next semester. The success of this change and SSMU’s ability to further collaborate with related groups and organizations in order to improve student preparation for life after McGill remains to be seen.

Although Discover McGill and Frosh made use of the McGill app, Lawrie has not yet integrated his listserv information in it. However, he plans on addressing this next semester. The SSMU website redesign has also been put on hold due to budgetary constraints.

Finally, Lawrie has reorganized the First Year Council to be more efficient in its budget, but the council only met twice during Fall 2016.  

Ben Ger: President

With SSMU being short on both staff and resources, Ger was able to work effectively with the other executives to keep costs under control across all portfolios. Despite following a deficit year, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) reported a surplus this semester for the first time in many years. Ger’s successful initiatives so far include the online ratification of the Free Menstrual Hygiene Products Fee after the Fall 2016 General Assembly (GA). The $0.90 fee will start in Winter 2017 and will go to the creation of the Health & Hygiene Products Fund to provide free menstrual hygiene products to students in restrooms across campus.

Ger has pursued research and discussion on reforming various governing bodies at McGill, from the SSMU Legislative Council to the McGill University Board of Governors (BoG). His goals include increasing diversity and equity internally at SSMU Council by including seats for indigenous and other minority student populations, and increasing transparency and student consultation by the BoG.

For Ger, this includes updating the SSMU Equitable Hiring Policy, creating an Ethical Expenditures Policy with Vice-President (VP) Finance Niall Carolan, and some political literacy-related initiatives.

Looking forward to the Winter semester, Ger hopes to improve on the low turnout at the Fall 2016 GA, which failed to meet quorum with fewer than 40 students in attendance. Having campaigned on increased student engagement with SSMU, Ger will continue to lobby the administration to provide academic accommodations during the assemblies to make it more accessible to students.

Sacha Magder: VP Operations

Sacha Madger has overseen a much-needed increase in revenue from Gerts and the Student-Run Cafe (SRC). Revenue from the entire SSMU building is up 40 per cent compared to last year, helping to cope with the current budget deficit. Considering that the SRC is limited to advertising within the SSMU building by contract with McGill, the SRC’s doubled revenue is an accomplishment. However, given that construction on campus has rerouted many pedestrians through the SSMU building, it is unclear how much of this increase can be credited solely to Madger’s management, and not just to the increase in foot traffic through the building. Additionally, a large portion of Madger’s campaign platform pertained to rebranding the SRC, which was presented as a project intended for completion in the Fall. Still, the new name has yet to be revealed and is now scheduled for launch in January.

Madger has worked closely with the administration on adapting the SSMU building to the ongoing construction, most notably by working with security and the staff of the Brown Student Services Building to keep the connecting doors between SSMU and Brown open until 10:30 p.m. This provides an entry to an accessible route up McTavish throughout the hours of operation of the SSMU building.

One of the main points in Madger’s campaign was establishing a Crash Pad for commuter students to stay overnight on campus. Madger was successful in coordinating the Crash Pad during Frosh, a project that was intended to be a trial run before setting up a more permanent program

However, the Crash Pad has since taken a backseat to other projects under his portfolio and received little attention. Additionally, enrolment in SSMU Minicourses has been very low this semester. Madger has plans to remedy this situation in Winter 2017, but the program has been largely neglected to date.

Elaine Patterson: VP Student Life

The restructuring of executive portfolios in the 2015-2016 year brought Mental Health under the Student Life portfolio, a change that is still being smoothed out practically. Mental Health Awareness Week has been moved from the Fall semester to Winter 2017 in order to ensure that adequate resources are devoted to its preparation.

Increasing Activities Night’s duration from two days to three while reducing its hours from four to three enabled more participation and reduced the burden on clubs participating. While there were challenges in building access owing to the McTavish construction, Patterson addressed these issues in a timely fashion in order to ensure that students were able to participate in the event.

Patterson worked to develop the free Menstrual Hygiene Products Policy, which passed in the Fall 2016 Referendum. This policy will have a substantial long-term impact, which means that the coming months are essential in laying the groundwork and setting precedent for its execution.

Patterson is constrained by the ongoing Club Moratorium, which prevents new clubs from forming. The Moratorium came into effect at the end of last year as a result of SSMU’s budget issues. In the 2015-2016 year, clubs were moved out of their offices, which became bookable rooms. Despite this, there are still issues of clubs being able to find space in the building, even if they are a SSMU Club. However, some services, such as the Peer Support Centre, have now been given permanent spaces.Patterson is also behind on progress of the Services Review Committee.

Erin Sobat: VP University Affairs

In his role as VP University Affairs (UA), Erin Sobat has made an effort to improve SSMU’s relationship with the McGill administration and student groups on campus. By holding an equity roundtable with student organizations, Sobat hopes to hear student concerns and represent their interests more fully at the university level. In an additional effort to improve communication, Sobat has focused on using the UA website and Facebook page to share information with students. Although events at the beginning of the semester, such as the Academic Summit, allowed Sobat to interact with SSMU members face-to-face, this direct contact has dwindled throughout the semester. Sobat hopes to improve this again at the beginning of the winter semester through more events, such as the January Know Your Rights Campaign.

Sobat also had a hand in the development of the Policy against Sexual Violence that was approved at the Nov. 23 Senate meeting. SSMU organized consultation focus groups in order to ensure that the final policy accurately represents survivors. A working group has been created in order to develop plans for a Fall break, but it only met once.

Sobat also sought to create a SSMU policy on unpaid internships. Due to the resignation of the policy’s researcher, however, the policy has not been completed and will not be brought to SSMU Council for approval until Winter 2017. Sobat has also made efforts to review other important policies that affect students, such as the Code of Student Conduct and current procedures surrounding academic accommodation.

David Aird: VP External

Aird has been leading discussions with the Milton-Parc Community with the aim of improving relations. He has also campaigned to raise awareness among McGill students, who have an impact on residents who have been living in the neighbourhood for decades.

Aird has been vocal on issues regarding austerity and asked to be present at various faculty councils to have faculty members sign in support of anti-austerity measures. Preparation for an Anti-Austerity Week next semester is ongoing.

Aird has also worked with the Indigenous Affairs Committee in order to revisit the Indigenous Solidarity Policy. Aird wants to improve consultation with indigenous communities on issues such as the relocation of the Hochelaga rock, which was done hastily and lacked a wide-ranging discussion with different indigenous groups. He wants to rethink the way that the few indigenous students on campus are consulted in order to avoid overwhelming them with all of their communities’ issues .

Although students rejected a referendum question for SSMU to join AVEQ in WInter 2016, SSMU still participates in the federation’s meetings as an observer. However, it is unclear whether Aird has a specific plan to pitch AVEQ to students again.

Niall Carolan: VP Finance

Under Carolan’s portfolio, the SSMU operating budget has reached a surplus. According to his report to Council on Nov. 3, Carolan is optimistic that the SRC will break even and possibly become modestly profitable. Through activities that drive foot traffic into the SSMU building, such as B-Week— as well as the indirect consequences of construction—Carolan is seeking to ensure a balanced budget despite the constraints of significant budget cuts.

In a period of budgetary restraint, Carolan has met with various clubs and services, including the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students' Society (SACOMSS) and the Savoy Society, to ensure their financial relationship with the society. Carolan has also worked to streamline the application for student group funding through the SSMU Funding Committee. The new online platform will launch at the beginning of Winter 2017.

Following structural changes in the 2015-2016 year, human resources was moved into the VP Finance portfolio. However, it currently seems that a large portion of these responsibilities are still being handled by the President.

Communication with the study body has been notably absent thus far in Carolan’s tenure. While he promised to provide frequent updates on the budget, fees, and funding through the SSMU website and Facebook page, this has so far not come to fruition. Moreover, consultation with students on budget issues has been seemingly limited, as has communication with the media, particularly in regards to SSMU’s investment portfolio. It is currently unclear what progress has been made on the Socially Responsible Investment Fund, which he had aimed to create in Fall 2016.

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