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McGill, News

SEAMLESS event connects students to McGill student services

by Zikomo Smith on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and Campus Life and Engagement (CL&E) invited speakers from six McGill offices to table at the fifth annual Student Executives at the McGill Learning, Engaging, Sharing, and Strategizing (SEAMLESS) summit on Oct. 24. The event aims to inform student leaders about services provided for the McGill community.

Tables at the summit included information on consent education and the Draft Policy against Sexual Violence, social equity and diversity education, co-curricular record and career planning, mental health, advocacy on and off campus, and student rights and responsibilities.

According to co-organizer and Student Life Project Development Specialist Aleksandra Djurdjevic, CL&E has changed the format of SEAMLESS this year.

“We have made this one much shorter [in length than in past years],” Djurdjevic said. “It was only two hours and we want to have it monthly. So, the biggest change is frequency. How often we want to have this event? We also want to connect with more stakeholders at McGill, so we are giving people the freedom to choose which resources seem the most important to them and we are going to get feedback and use that feedback to inform future events.”

 

Consent education

Harm Reduction Liaison Officer Bianca Tétrault spoke about the Draft Policy against Sexual Violence and consent education. In particular, Tetrault discussed a poster campaign that disseminates information around campus about responding to disclosures of sexual violence.

“I launched these poster campaigns recognizing I cannot get everyone to a workshop, but understanding that I can get people the materials to know how to respond,” Tétrault said.

Tetrault also encouraged faculties to get in contact with the Office of the Dean of Students to run workshops within their faculties, emphasizing the new active bystander workshop run in collaboration with Student Services and Residence Life. The workshops teach students how to interrupt situations that could potentially lead to sexual violence.

According to Tétrault, the McGill administration recognizes the Dean’s Office’s work on the issue of sexual assault in addition to assistance from other groups.

“There are other groups working on [this issue], for example [the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students Society (SACOMSS)],” Tétrault said. “So, of course, there are other people who can work with us.”

 

Mental Health

McGill Student Services Mental Health Education Coordinators Tamara Cassis and Chloe Rourke spoke about the importance of faculty-based mental health initiatives in meeting the needs of individual faculties.

“The faculty-based option is that it is something you can do right away,” Cassis said. “It is a piecemeal approach, not a university-wide initiative, but it does mean we can tailor our programs to each faculty.”

According to Cassis, there is a diversity of mental health resources offered to the McGill community by Student Services.

“We provide a menu of options of things that we can offer, things like workshops, needs assessments, integrating lecture material into your courses, creating physical spaces for mental health,” Cassis said.

This approach has been successful in the anatomy, education, and music faculties, according to Cassis.

“Anatomy had a 35 per cent response rate [to our surveys],” Cassis said. “The response was that 91 per cent of students felt that faculties should take some step to addressing mental health needs. When it came out, it was a lot easier to get faculty members on board.”

According to Cassis, the Faculty of Music—based on a needs assessment survey—introduced easily accessible ice packs for injured students, and began providing relaxation zones to help reduce burnout rates amongst students.

Larger faculties, such as the Faculty of Arts, present different challenges.

“We think about [mental health] more on a departmental level [within the Faculty of Arts],” Cassis said. “It is such a big faculty, so it is harder to handle.”

Art, Arts & Entertainment

“The Grand Balcony” exhibition at La Biennale de Montréal refuses to talk down to its audience

by Ariella Garmaise on

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Since its launch in 1998, La Biennale de Montréal (BNLMTL) has been a touchstone for contemporary art. Founded by the Centre International D’Art Contemporain de Montréal, BNLMTL, a festival that showcases both local and international artists, situates itself at the centre of a broader conversation about the role of art today. On Oct. 19, the festival premiered The Grand Balcony exhibition at the Musée D’art Contemporain. 

“Through its initiatives, BNLMTL also strives […] to examine […] the particular experience it provides in probing the burning questions of the world today,” explained the exhibition materials. The exhibition epitomizes BNLMTL’s quest for intellectual stimulation. A divergence from the flashiness of popular events like Nuit Blanche, The Grand Balcony encourages its audience to take time walking through. “Luckily the Biennale de Montréal has some duration,” curator Phillipe Pirotte explained in an interview with Canadian Art. “We’ve somehow forgotten that visual art can create time.”

Pirotte creates an exhibition filled with contradiction and juxtaposing nationalities, mediums, and concepts. 

“[Pirotte’s] golden rule: never use art to illustrate an issue,” wrote Isa Tousignant in Canadian Art. Yet, much of the work he presents is politically driven. 

The exhibition’s video art was particularly intent on representing current global issues. Israeli filmmaker Michael Blum’s The Swap investigates the 2008 financial crisis, creating a biting commentary on the capitalist system that failed, yet didn’t fall. French filmmaker David Gheron Tretiakoff’s A God Passing explores Egyptian citizens’ newfound sense of power in the 2007 Arab Spring. New Zealand/UK-based artist Luke Willis Thompson tackles a lack of diverse representation within mainstream art. His Cemetery of Uniforms and Liveries recreates Warhol’s 1964-66 Screen Tests, a film project that famously included virtually no faces of colour. Thompson’s interpretation features a black descendant of police brutality as its protagonist. Visually and aurally compelling, these films used varying aesthetic styles and strategies to create strong political stances. 

However, these works, each expressing distinct thematic and aesthetic visions, get lost among pieces that lack similarly clear points of view. Take Celia Perrin Sidarous’ Notte Coralli—a series of photographs that use different textures and shapes to create a layered sense of temporality, or Valerie Blass’ vibrant abstract sculptures. Each of these works is visually stunning—Sidarous’ pastel photos are calming, Blass’s sculptures are intricately textured—yet they both follow a trend that favors aesthetics over substance, which Pirotte claims to abhor. Even the artists’ descriptions make use of the vague jargon often mocked by contemporary art critics such as Jerry Saltz. 

“The works selected for Le Grand Balcon betray a preference for ‘images’ of deep historical resonance that materially and sensorially bind us to the here and now,” the curatorial statement explained. Yet the contradiction between pieces that are either meaningful or aesthetically pleasing makes it unclear exactly what Pirotte wants to say about the current state of contemporary art. 

If these mixed messages make for an exhibition that is ideologically confusing, then it also creates an experience that is temporally enriching. While many modern exhibitions are fast-paced and attention grabbing, The Grand Balcony does not talk down to its audience. The diversity of work within The Grand Balcony is intentionally difficult to digest. A self-proclaimed traditionalist, Pirotte is skeptical of fanfare. “I don’t see art as benefitting from festivals,” he explained. 

The Grand Balcony is a captivating experience. Representing artists from across the globe and art forms from a variety of disciplines, the exhibition accomplishes its mission of encouraging its audience to think. Yet, The Grand Balcony would be more compelling if it were more decisive and clear on its takeaway points. Still, with video art tucked in obscure corners and sharp visuals at every turn, The Grand Balcony is a seemingly endless experience, and is worth exploring at least once, if not more. 

The Grand Balcony runs until Jan. 15, 2017 at the Musee d’Art Contemporain. La Biennale de Montréal is a festival with exhibitions at locations across Montreal. Visit bnlmtl2016.org for more information. 

McGill smoking ban
McGill, News

Public consultation held to discuss campus-wide smoking ban at McGill

by Cherry Ng on

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On Sept. 25, a town hall meeting was held to discuss McGill’s potential transition to a smoke-free campus. According to plebiscites run by both the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) in 2016, 73 per cent of undergraduate students and 77 per cent of graduate students would like a smoke-free campus.  

Quebec law prohibits smoking within a nine-metre radius of any door leading to a university building. The proposed policy–which is currently in draft form–will not allow smoking anywhere on campus. Products specified in the policy include those that use tobacco or tobacco derived substances and produce vapour or smoke. 

According to Paul Guenther, senior campus planner, the creation of the new policy was initiated in the Spring of 2016. The draft was developed by a working group comprised of various student and administration representatives that included PGSS Member Services Officer Jenny Ann Pura, SSMU Vice President (VP) University Affairs Erin Sobat, Associate Dean of Students Glenn Zabowski, Director of McGill Security Services Pierre Barbarie, and other officials.

“[There were] the complaints from the student community regarding the amount of second-hand smoke on campus, especially in the [McLennan-Redpath Library] underpass,” Guenther said. “The Draft Policy was developed and presented by the SSMU to the university in Spring 2016 […. In] April 2016, [we received a] request from the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec [Ministry of Health and Social Services of Quebec] that all Quebec post-secondary institutions create a non-smoking policy and establish non-smoking environments by Nov. 26, 2017.”

The current Draft Policy was developed with the SSMU Draft Smoking Policy as a framework and incorporates other evidence-based research. 

“This research included campus-wide surveys, academic literature from peer-reviewed journals, and exploring best-practices from other university campuses,” Guenther said. 

For the working group, the focus of the new policy is to ensure a safer, healthier, and cleaner campus for the entire community. 

“The rights of one person and their desire to smoke should not negatively impact the rights of other people and their health,” Guenther said. “This is the main issue.” 

The policy will be self-enforced by the McGill community. David Benrimoh, a first year psychiatry resident and a member of the smoking policy working group, noted that self-enforcement has worked well on other campuses. 

“Security went around at Harvard [for example] with little cards explaining the policy to smokers,” Benrimoh said. “Eventually, people will understand the policy. It becomes part of the culture of the campus. It becomes a part of the incoming mindset of the students coming to the university.” 

Harvard implemented a non-smoking policy in 2014. Sixty-Five per cent of students and seventy-two per cent of faculty and staff members reported a noticeable decline in campus smoking within the year of implementation. 

In response to the smoking draft policy, Student Services has begun the development of student-focused non-smoking campaigns. Currently, the health benefit plan that covers students and staff on campus subsidizes counselling while the Régie de L’assurance Maladie du Québec (RAMQ) includes access to cessation tools for people who want to stop smoking. 

While there are benefits to a smoke-free campus, concerns remain. SSMU Engineering Senator Alexander Dow noted that smoking off campus could pose a safety issue. 

“The [Schulich doors] don’t allow access back to FDA [after hours],” Dow said. “To come back into the building, you have to walk all the way back to McConnell. I’ve had a security incident there. I can second saying that the street isn’t always the safest place [to smoke].”

A previous version of this article stated that SSMU has begun the development of student-focused non-smoking campaigns. In reality, these campaigns are being run by Student Services. A previous version also stated that it is McGill policy for smokers to be at least nine metres away from building entrances, when in fact this is Quebec law. The Tribune regrets these errors. 

Album Reviews, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: Yes Lawd! – NxWorries

by Gibran Haque on

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West-coast duo NxWorries’ second collaborative project, Yes Lawd!, feels very much like a jazzy and soulful spiritual successor to Stones Throw Records’ past collaborations, such as Madvillainy and Champion Sound. The album follows a momentous year by singer-songwriter and multi faceted vocalist, Anderson .Paak. In 2016, he released his sophomore album, Malibu, to critical acclaim and collaborated with production juggernauts such as Kaytranada and Dr. Dre. Yes Lawd! marries .Paak’s raspy, passionate vocals with producer Knxwledge’s textured and jazzy production to create a 19-track album filled with raunchy vocals and rhythmic rapport.

.Paak’s strengths lie in his sultry and intimate vocal delivery and lyricism. His last album Malibu, combined funk, soul, and R&B to create one of the best albums of the year. This new project features much of the same from .Paak as he glides through the instrumentals, singing about topics ranging from love and sex to his rise in through the music industry ranks. Tracks such as “Lyk Dis” and “Link Up” feature silky vocal harmonies and funky drum loops, creating short sensuous vignettes. 

Although .Paak’s vocals are impeccable on their own, the production throughout the album is the real showpiece of this project. Knxwledge’s production complements .Paak with dusty soul samples on songs like “Suede” to visceral string orchestration in “What More Can I Say.” His use of vocal snippets and jazz samples throughout is reminiscent of former Stones Throw alums Madlib and J Dilla. As sweet and pretty as the album feels  sounds, lyrically Yes Lawd! is at times bitter and direct—for example, .Paak tells his girl to “get her shit together” in “Can’t Stop,” through the inclusion of a vocal sample from the animated comedy Rick and Morty. 

However, the album’s tracks lack cohesiveness, as they sometimes feel disjointed from one another sonically. In an EP, this loose structure of different sounds and experiments may be acceptable, but is less polished for a full length album. Nonetheless, NxWorries managed to put out a more than worthy successor to their debut project. 

If anything, Yes Lawd! is perhaps the most aptly named album of 2016. The album features a duo working at the peak of their powers with strong chemistry. Listeners in search of smooth, jazzy beats with a feel-good vibe will be pleasantly surprised, and those looking for soulful lead vocals can find solace in .Paak’s performances throughout. If .Paak in Malibu was like a superhero still new to his powers, Yes Lawd! feels very much like he has full control of his abilities and strengths, ready to fight crime with Knxwledge, his newfound side-kick.

Favourite Song:  Lyk Dis 

Sounds Like: Kaytranada, Mndsgn, Blu and Exile

Football, Men's Varsity, Sports

McGill Redmen football earns first playoff spot since 2012 despite Homecoming loss

by Selwynne Hawkins on

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McGill Redmen
0

 

UdeM Carabins
13

 

Despite a 13-0 blanking by the league-leading Montreal Carabins (7-1) at Saturday’s homecoming game, McGill Redmen Football (4-4) earned their first playoff berth since 2012.

Finding little success in their ground game, the Redmen relied heavily on quarterback Frederic Paquette-Perrault to move the ball through the air. Despite 233 yards passing, the Redmen couldn’t break through and find the endzone.

“[The] offence moved the ball well,” second-year linebacker Dane Wagner said. “We’ve just gotta finish when we get in the redzone.”

Early in the second quarter, Paquette-Perrault aired the ball out to freshman receiver Preston Bews for a 39-yard catch that was downed at the one-yard line.  Paquette-Perrault tried to punch the ball in on consecutive quarterback sneaks, but the Carabin defence held tight and  forced a turnover-on-downs.

“We were in position to make some plays,” Head Coach Ronald Hilaire said. “On the one-yard line there, if we scored there it’s a 7-6 game [….] I think we just have to finish our plays.”

Defensively, the Redmen held relatively tight all game. In the first half, they bent, but did not break, forcing the Carabins to settle for a pair of redzone field goals. Down by 13 at the half, the McGill defence never let Montreal pull away, shutting them out in the second half to keep the game within reach.

“I think we played them play-by-play,” Wagner said. “Defence played really well.”

Laval’s victory over Sherbrooke this weekend lifted McGill to a fourth-place divisional finish and the last spot in the playoffs. For most of the team’s seniors, this will be their first chance to represent McGill in the postseason. 

“It feels amazing,” fourth-year offensive lineman Qadr Spooner said. “We have a good opportunity to take this and go further.”

The team has come a long way in the past few years. In 2014, the Redmen were unable to secure a single win all season long. Since then, they have undergone some major changes and become more cohesive as a team. 

“Everyone plays great together,” said Spooner. “We have a great team atmosphere. The whole team together—we’re just meant to be. Coach [Hilaire] has done a great job in leading us this far, and he’s really done a good job in taking us from where we were in my first year to where we are now.”

It’s been a year and a half since Hilaire was appointed head coach. One of his main goals since then has been ensuring that his players know exactly what they’re capable of.

“All we had to do was find a direction, and really make them believe in what we’re trying to build here,” Hilaire said.

The Redmen realize they face a daunting rematch next week on Nov. 5 against the first-seed Carabins at Stade CEPSUM. 

“We need to be sharper on the little things,” Wagner said. “[But] I think we’ll be ready to go when we play them next week.”

 

Stats Corner: It took five tie-breaking rules to separate Concordia and McGill (into third and fourth place, respectively).

 

Quotable: “We have a great football team, and we want a big upset next week.”—Freshman WR Joel Soussi.

 

Moment of the Game:  Wide receiver Preston Bews caught a 39-yard pass to get his team a first down on Montreal’s 1-yard line. 

Student Life, Word on the Y

Word on the Y: What is the best Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?

by Emma Carr, Flaminia Cooper, April Barrett on

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As October comes to a close, McGill students are setting aside their textbooks to celebrate Halloween. This week, The McGill Tribune asked McGill students passing by the Y-Intersection about their most creative, spooky, or cringe-worthy Halloween costumes.

Sheree Marshall, U2 Psychology

“I don’t know if there are any Walking Dead fans, but last year I had braids and went as Michonne. I feel like if you watch The Walking Dead you will appreciate that, but if you don’t you are just like, ‘Are you Jack Sparrow?’”

 

David

Melissa Kuch, U0 Arts

“A tree. My mom knew it was a bad idea and then October came and I was like I’m going to be a tree.”

 

simon

Jay Rajpal, U3 Philosophy

“I was a kissing booth in Grade 12. It was covered in construction paper. It had two flaps for doors in front of it and it said, ‘Kisses: 25 cents’ on the top. I got kisses that day, but it didn’t make it into the yearbook just because of school policy.”

julie

Emma Cornelius, U1 Arts

“I’m not that quirky. I just have dressed up in a cat onesie a couple years in a row.”

emma

 

 

Robbie Buderi (left) and Adam Rutledge (right) (Flaminia Cooper / The McGill Tribune) 

 

 

Robbie Buderi, U4 Double Major Psychology and Computer Science

“This year I am going to be Tyrion Lannister.”

Adam Rutledge, U4 Political Science

“At the age of eleven, I was Hugh Hefner. I had a custom robe and everything and I had a pipe at school [….] It was my mom’s [idea] and I spray painted my hair white.”

sara

Eve-Marie Boileau, U4 Music Education

“Every year I dress up as Minnie Mouse [….] I teach music to little children, so every year I put on my Minnie Mouse costume and they love it.”

 

merouane

 

 

 

Kimya Adgedani (left) and Luca Cuccia (right)

 

 

Kimya Adgedani, U1 Pharmacology

“In grade seven, I was a crayon and I thought it was really funny. It was awful.”

Luca Cuccia, U1 Pharmacology

“I’m being Hawaiian Punch this year. I’m just wearing my Hawaiian shirt and my boxing gloves. The bad pun route is always safe.”

jen

Shiuesandhosh Damodhain,  Second year Masters in Civil Engineering

“I think I will probably be a vampire. I went to a cool thrift store and bought a cape. I’m actually not excited [about dressing up], I have a lot of work. I’m more excited about meeting new people and looking at people with new costumes.”

ben

Francisca Shaw, U4 Nursing

“My friend made bat wings out of garbage bags. I need something for tonight so I’m thinking about the garbage bags.”

McGill, News

AMUSE calls for five-day strike for casual employees at McGill

by Domenic Casciato on

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On the morning of Oct. 29, the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) went on strike. AMUSE met with members of the university administration on Oct. 28 to discuss proposed changes to their collective agreement with the university regarding the Work Study program. AMUSE announced that they would go on strike the night of Oct. 28 after the administration refused to make any concessions. The strike will last five days, concluding on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 2. Representing over 1,500 McGill employees, AMUSE members work in the university’s libraries, gyms, residences, laboratories, and numerous other facilities.

Since May 2015, AMUSE has been in negotiations with the university’s administration to create a new collective bargaining agreement—a contract between the university and AMUSE that determines the starting wages, benefits, and non-monetary privileges afforded to casual employees. AMUSE's previous collective agreement expired in April 2015. After a number of their demands were rejected, AMUSE voted for a strike mandate on Oct. 20, which allowed the negotiating team to use the threat of a strike to pressure the university.

During the Oct. 28 meeting, AMUSE proposed changes to the Work Study program, including publicly posting job opportunities and creating a formal system for Work Study employees to provide feedback about their employment. Claire Michela, president of AMUSE and member of its negotiating team, was present at the Oct. 28 meeting.

“The university has made it clear that they won’t include the changes that we feel are necessary for our members in the collective agreement,” Michela said. “We tried all day to make a change that would suit our needs and be acceptable to the university, and we couldn’t do that, so we had to exercise our strike mandate at the end of the day, unfortunately.”

The strike is disrupting services across campus. Athletics and Recreation Services posted an update on their website that many of their facilities and services will be either disrupted or cancelled during the strike. In an email to The Tribune, Julie Fortier, communications manager at McGill Human Resources, wrote that the university is working to mitigate the impacts of the strike.

“The university has been developing contingency plans in the past few days to try to limit the impact of the strike on our operations and the activities planned for the next few days,” Fortier wrote. “This means getting some managers to fill in for some of the casual employees, if needed, or identifying tasks that will need to be postponed for now.”

AMUSE’s original collective agreement with the university requires that certain essential services, including the Mental Health Clinic, Research Animals and Farm Animals, Gross Anatomy, Pathology Laboratories, and McGill Residences, would be maintained for the duration of any strike. The administration and the AMUSE negotiating team have collaborated to create a contingency plan to continue providing these services despite the work stoppage elsewhere. Without such a plan, services like providing care for animals used in research laboratories and having a person occupying the front desks at residences during the weekends would be suspended.

“Basically, we won’t let [essential services] be harmed by having a strike,” Michela said.

In an attempt to mitigate the costs of the strike for casual employees, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is aiding AMUSE by providing union members who showed up to participate for shifts at AMUSE’s various picket line protests with strike pay. Jamie Cernek, U3 Political Science, works as a casual employee at both the Arts Internship Office and at McLennan Library.

“I actually don’t work on the days that the strike is happening,” Cernek said. “I know people who work on those days, […] but no one [that] really depends that much on their Work Study or casual job that they would be in dire straits.”

The AMUSE negotiating team and the McGill administration will meet on Nov. 10 to further discuss the collective agreement.

 

This article was last updated on Oct. 31. 

Commentary, Opinion

It’s not in your head: New study confirms link between oral contraceptive use and depression

by Kate Caldarone on

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On Sept. 28, the University of Copenhagen published a study that confirmed a correlation between hormonal contraceptive use and depression. This study, which tracked one million Danish women between the ages of 15 and 34 for a period of 13 years, revealed that women taking the combined oral contraceptive were 23 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with depression. Furthermore, the study confirmed that women using other hormone-based birth control methods—including the IUS/coil and the patch, which are frequently recommended alternatives to the pill—were even more likely to develop depression.

When I read this article, my reaction matched those of many of my friends on campus who responded with a simple question: “Didn’t we already know this?” The rumoured possibility that oral contraceptive use could impact mental health has been circulating in the discussion of women’s health for years. In fact, after months of telling herself that it was “all in her head,” a close friend of mine expressed concern that her birth control pill was contributing to her mood swings. To my surprise, however, this study is the first to provide a conclusive link between the two.

The implications of this study are twofold. On the surface, the content of this study calls into question the amount of research that has been put into assessing the side effects of the birth control pill. The fact that this study is the first of its kind to be conducted at its large scale points to a larger void in the scientific arena. This study also serves as a reminder that women must have an understanding of the side effects of the pill before beginning to use oral contraception.

For many young women living in North America, it seems as though the oral contraceptive has stealthily incorporated its way into our transitions to adulthood. Taking the birth control pill has become a cultural norm, especially for women of university age. The results of this study are therefore particularly startling for those who started oral contraceptive use with a ‘bandwagon’ mentality; they paid little attention to how ingesting the pill alters the natural chemistry of the body and the physical, emotional, and mental side effects that result.

 

Considering the fact that 500 million women worldwide take oral contraceptives everyday and that women are already twice as likely to experience depression as men, it is crucial that women have a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks of oral contraceptive use.

Although startling, the results of this study should in no way deter women from oral contraceptive use, considering its importance for women’s reproductive rights since the 1950s. When it was introduced, the birth control pill was initially regarded as a vehicle for female empowerment, allowing women to control when they reproduce—if they choose to do so. Since then, it has developed a multipurpose nature; doctors recommend the pill not only for preventing unwanted pregnancy, but also to help women regulate hormones, reduce acne, and to lessen menstrual cramps—the list goes on.

This is not a question of whether the birth control pill is good or bad. Like any medication, the pill is bound to have its advantages and disadvantages. But, considering the fact that 500 million women worldwide take oral contraceptives everyday and that women are already twice as likely to experience depression as men, it is crucial that women have a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks of oral contraceptive use.

While young women must actively seek out information on the birth control pill before beginning to take it, they can only do so if this information is readily available. Universities, health clinics, and other educational institutions must match efforts in research—such as the University of Copenhagen’s study—by making the information readily available to those in need. Currently, McGill’s Health Promotion Office provides information on the statistical effectiveness of birth control methods; however, its website fails to mention any side effects, including possible mental health complications. Although the site provides users with the opportunity to book an appointment for a birth control prescription, it should also encourage women to actively seek out information, speak to their physicians about any concerns, and monitor any changes in their bodies after starting a hormonal contraceptive method.

It is important to raise awareness about the side effects of oral contraceptive use and how it might be altering the moods of the 500 million women who take it. These women can then be better equipped to proactively take measures that will help manage the changes in mental health that may result. Women living with mental health problems that may be influenced by the birth control pill—like my friend—must be assured that no, it’s not in their heads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Caldarone is Arts student from Toronto majoring in Cultural Studies and minoring in Communication Studies. She recently transferred universities so although she is in third year, this is her first year at McGill. Her primary areas of interest include public relations and journalism.

 

@ | [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 
Baseball, Men's Varsity, Private, Sports

McGill Redmen Baseball sweep rival Concordia, repeat as conference champions

by Hana O'Neill on

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A rough start for McGill quickly turned into a blow out as the Redmen (15-1) swept the rival Concordia Stingers (9-7) in the CCBA Northern Conference Finals on Monday night at Gary Carter Field. The Redmen fought back from a 6–0 deficit to win game one 11–7, and mercied the Stingers 11–0 in the second game. 

The Stingers strung together a six-run first inning, but the Redmen’s bats came alive in the third. The Redmen came within striking distance with a five-run rally that began with catcher Chris Stanford’s one-out two-run single to right field.

McGill pulled ahead in the bottom of the fourth on third baseman Sam Groleau’s two-run home run to left field. 

“That felt great,” Groleau said. “The pitch before, I was a little early, hit a far foul ball, but I adjusted and got a good piece of it.”

Relievers Jack Pantalena, Eric Broatch, and Benji Kaiserman combined to hold Concordia to one run on two hits over four innings. Pantalena—who threw two shutout innings, allowed no hits and walked three—got the win. 

The Redmen struck early in the second game. Leadoff man Sasha Lagarde reached first on an error, Groleau was hit by a pitch for the second time that night, and Stanford singled in a run to spark a four run rally. A three-run second inning chased Concordia starter Dan Connerty from the game.

Concordia’s relievers could not contain the Redmen either, giving up three runs in the third and another in the fourth.

Rookie Bryan Corona was dominant on the mound, allowing one hit and walking one over four innings. 

The Redmen entered the fifth leading 11–0, poised to mercy the Stingers and go home early. Reliever Harrison Hart added some tension to the game, walking the first three batters he faced to load the bases, but struck out the next three to bring the conference championship home for the second year in a row.

The Redmen are looking ahead to the national championship. They won the national title in 2014 and 2015, and will look for a three-peat this weekend.

“We’re confident, but […] we can’t just assume anything,” Head Coach Jason Starr said. “We’re pretty prepared, and we have one more day of preparation. It’s up to the guys. I have a lot of faith in them.”

Nationals begun on Thursday where the Redmen took two of three against Saint Mary’s University to lift them to another CCBA National Championship on Sunday.

 

Quotable: “The guys never thought it was over, and they were not going to let Rocky [Hroch] lose after one bad inning, really his only one all year. They chipped away at it [the lead], and swung the bat well. It was encouraging.” – Head Coach Jason Starr

Stat of the series: Catcher Chris Stanford recorded 7 RBI over the two games.

Moment of the series: In the top of the sixth inning in the first game, Concordia scored one and loaded the bases with one out. Reliever Benji Kaiserman entered the game with McGill leading 11–7 and a Concordia rally threatening. Stinger’s left-fielder Dan Paklarian hit a sharp line drive to shortstop Louis-Xavier Labrosse, who threw to second baseman Sam Savoie for the double play to escape the jam.

McGill, News

SSMU hosts panel on current state of mental health at McGill

by Natalie Wong on

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On Oct. 24, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) hosted a mental health Q&A panel on the newly integrated psychological services at McGill University. A follow-up to the SSMU Mental Health Forum from March 2016, this panel discussed the integration of McGill Counselling and Mental Health Services (MCMHS) as well as the newly implemented stepped-care model of mental health treatment. This model aims to treat students by using less-intensive treatment in the first instance and incrementally building up to more specialized services if deemed clinically necessary.

McGill has altered the stepped-care model slightly so that a wide spectrum of services can be tailored and assigned to students, depending on their needs. The student is assigned to a clinician during consultation, where the two parties collaborate to create a treatment plan focused on the preference of the student.

According to Giuseppe Alfonsi, Associate Clinical Director of MCMHS, the changes are helpful in light of Montreal’s limited mental health care services and the growing need for mental health support at McGill, which saw a 35 per cent increase in users over the past five years.

“Services outside of McGill for mental health are abysmal in Montreal,” Alfonsi said. “A lot of our students are also anglophone, so there’s [also] a natural barrier that exists in mental health. Part of the reason why we do have a larger service in terms of number of staff, we have one of the larger services in Canada in terms of the number of psychologists and psychiatrists, […is that] it’s just not easy to access care [in Montreal].”

The stepped-care model focuses on matching the level of intensity of care to the condition’s complexity. For George Radiotis, a psychotherapist with MCMHS, the main benefits of the newly integrated stepped-care model are its flexibility and the increased collaboration between service providers and users.

“I meet with a student [and] we identify what their needs [are],” Radiotis said. “It’s a collaborative process [….] It isn’t a one-size-fits-all. We try to tailor specifically to students.”

Teri Phillips, director of the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), said that the different options available and various levels of treatment intensities are beneficial to many students who are otherwise resistant to accessing mental health services.

“[The] variety of options allowing for autonomy works really well for students who otherwise wouldn’t access services at all, and who really need to access services, to get to a point where they’re ready to,” Phillips said.

The panel discussion was the first open discussion on the new changes in MCMHS with students this semester.

For Jiayi Wang, U3 Engineering, the panel was a good step in bringing to light the stepped-care model, which includes more options for students to choose from, such as online therapy and peer support.

“It's good that they recognize the growing need for accessing the services and I appreciate that they are taking active measures to modify the way they offer their service in order to meet the needs,” Wang said.

Still, there are remaining issues to address in mental health provisions at McGill; Namely, stronger communication regarding the new services and more consultation with the student body.

“I think that a communications plan is needed to introduce students to the new mental health service delivery model, while clearly explaining the rationale behind the model and changes that it entails,” said Quinn Ashkenazy, U4 Arts and chair of McGill’s Peer Support Center (PSC). “The other key piece is consultation. Diverse students input on the model is needed. Students should play an essential role in shaping the mental health service model designed for them.”

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