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Editorial, Opinion

Advertisements in SSMU: Brought to you by lack of funding

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Observant students returning to campus this year may have noticed something different about the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Building. In response to continued budgetary constraints, SSMU has—among other initiatives—increased the presence of advertisements. However, the advertisements have been met with backlash from some McGill students, leading some to accuse SSMU of “corporatization.” Much of the criticism was fuelled by an incident at Activities Night, where the presence of a promotional booth from the bank Tangerine upset participants.

SSMU’s turn towards corporate advertising and sponsorship for revenue needs to be considered in a broader context. It is important to remember that the turn to advertisements is the result of continued budgetary problems at SSMU, for which the student body also bears a share of responsibility. The move is not a sign of increased corporatization within SSMU, but rather a reflection of the desperate financial state that has resulted in part from the growing student disengagement and distrust of SSMU.

 

Students are right to speak up if they feel that their student society is erring in the wrong direction, but they must pair their concerns with a willingness to work with SSMU to reach a favourable solution.

As a student society, SSMU is responsible for funding many of the valuable campus services students might take for granted. This funding is made possible through a base fee collected from the student body every semester. But, in a Winter 2016 referendum question, students voted against the $5.50 per semester increase to the base fee paid by students; the motion failed by the narrow margin of 0.3 per cent. The failure to pass the base fee increase was undoubtedly the product of the chronic disengagement that has plagued McGill student politics—only 17.5 per cent of eligible students voted in the online referendum in Winter 2016.

SSMU’s 2016-2017 budget implemented severe cuts to cope with the failure of the base fee question: The society is currently not accepting applications for new student clubs, and has scrapped its annual yearbook in an effort to cut $230,000 in spending. In order to avoid further budgetary constraints, the Society has been forced to resort to other revenue streams, resulting in the turn to corporate advertising in the SSMU Building this year. Those who chastise SSMU for turning to sponsorships to pay its bills must remember that student voters, or lack thereof, are responsible for the society’s pursuit of alternative revenue streams.

Furthermore, while the changes at SSMU involve corporate sponsors, such activity does not reflect corporatization. The charge of corporatization implies that SSMU is allowing corporate interests to dictate its decision-making process; however, the simple fact that SSMU now relies on corporate sponsors does not necessarily mean these advertisers wield any influence over SSMU’s policies. It should also be noted that any advertisement displayed in the SSMU Building must be approved by SSMU.

If anything, the agitation over corporate advertising in the SSMU Building should serve as a reminder that SSMU works best when the student body remains positive and engaged. Students are right to speak up if they feel that their student society is erring in the wrong direction, but they must pair their concerns with a willingness to work with SSMU to reach a favourable solution. If the student body is truly concerned about SSMU’s reliance on corporate advertising, then it must find an acceptable way to support their society financially. Likewise, SSMU can help address the issue by making clear that the rise in corporate advertising is directly due to the failure of the base fee increase while urging the student body to reconsider an increase in the future.

An understanding of the nature and causes of SSMU’s current predicament must form an essential part of any discussion of the society’s turn towards corporate sponsors. Both SSMU and the student body have a crucial role in resolving issues surrounding SSMU’s shifting streams of revenue. Ultimately, SSMU provides essential funding and support to both individual students and student-led clubs and services. Given the failed base fee increase, corporate sponsorship is an understandable course of action.

Jonah Keri
Baseball, Sports

McGill Tribune Sports Podcast: In Conversation with Jonah Keri

by Aaron Rose on

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Sports Editor Aaron Rose chats with renowned Sports Illustrated and CBS writer Jonah Keri–one of the best journalists in the business–about baseball and life outside of sports. They talk about baseball’s return to Montreal and the possibility of expansion in Mexico City (1:06). They then dive into the AL East (4:05), MLB awards (13:05), and if the Cubs are a lock for the World Series (17:07). Keri shares his stories about meeting Vin Scully in the washroom (18:04), about his time at Grantland, and working with Bill Simmons (20:28). They discuss Keri's favourite moments in his career, his perspective on the state of the industry, and advice for young journalists (23:02). Keri talks about the movie “Spaceman,” about the crazy life of Bill “Spaceman” Lee (36:13). Doing his best Jonah Keri impression, Aaron asks Keri to share his best piece of life advice (39:55).

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/284803489″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”600″ iframe=”true” /]

Want to meet Jonah Keri? He’s going to be at the screening of “Spaceman” on Oct. 1 at the Cinema de Sève in the Webster Library at Concordia University (1400 Boulevard de Maisonneuve Ouest, Montreal, QC). For information on how to get tickets, visit: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spaceman-screening-and-panel-tickets-27711710472

McGill, News

McGill Senate raises concern over high rates of sexual harassment complaints

by Domenic Casciato on

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At its first meeting on Sept. 21, the McGill Senate reviewed reports on research misconduct, sexual harassment, and social equity from the past year. During the session, Senate appointed a new assessor under the Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited by Law, and laid out the plan for the finalization of McGill's Territorial Acknowledgment statement.

Research Misconduct

Dr. Abraham Fuks, professor in the Departments of Medicine, Pathology, and Oncology, and last year’s Research Integrity Officer, presented the Annual Report Concerning the Investigation of Research Misconduct. The report analyzes incidents in the past year and compares them to cases from prior years.

“The number of allegations are stable over the past number of years, which is good news,” Fuks said.

According to Fuks, in 2010, 83 per cent of research misconduct allegations came from within McGill, while this year most allegations came from external sources.

“[Allegations in the past year] have come regularly […] from external entities,” Fuks said. “Mostly [from] colleagues elsewhere or […] journals who have noticed an irregularity in reviewing a manuscript that was submitted.”

The report noted that all allegations this year proceeded to investigation or inquiry. Of the 33 allegations made in the past six years, only seven were dismissed. 

“[McGill researchers] have undergone a fairly rigorous internal process,” Fuks said. “So the rate of findings of misconduct seems high only because they’ve done the first cut.”

Sexual Harassment

Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures, and Equity) Angela Campbell presented the Appointment of Assessors Memorandum and the Annual Report on the Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment & Discrimination Prohibited by Law. Due to an increase in reported incidents of harassment from 23 in the 2014-2015 to 39 in the 2015-2016 academic year, the university has improved the training and number of staff members dedicated to receiving and investigating these incidents. 

The number of assessors has been increased from eight to 10 and their training has become more rigorous. In addition, Dr. Natalie Oswin of the Department of Geography was voted the new Harassment Assessor. According to the Appointment of Assessors Memorandum, Oswin was chosen for her experience working with queer and postcolonial theory. Assessors directly handle all complaints of violations of the Policy. 

“We increased the level and the quantity and quality of assessors’ training […] to enhance its professionalism,” Campbell said. “We had monthly meetings last year in addition to a two-day training retreat [….] The training was on issues of process, how can you be an effective assessor and a fair assessor, but also on substance, so, the meaning of the three grounds on which individuals can bring forth concerns or complaints.”

This retreat involved training by individuals from the Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office, an organization that aims to cultivate a more inclusive campus through training and education. To aid the assessors, the role of Senior Equity and Inclusion Officer was created. The individual chosen for the role in Fall 2016 will mediate between sexual harassment complainants and the university.

“She or he will be responsible for the intake piece, advise them on what options are available for someone who comes with an inquiry, and then will also have a role with respect to facilitating an informal resolution where that’s desired by the party,” Campbell said.

Senators raised concerns over a figure showing that 72 per cent of complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination at McGill did not move beyond the initial inquiry phase.

“It’s a really big decision [for complainants] to proceed with an investigation. There [are] also questions of ‘does this fall under harassment?,” Campbell said.

Social Equity

Campbell also presented the Annual Report of the Joint Board Senate Committee on Equity (JBSCE). The JBSCE is mandated to look at the status and recruitment of underrepresented groups on campus, which includes visible minorities and Aboriginal peoples. The report reviewed the activities of its six subcommittees in the past year. The Subcommittee on Queer People has been coordinating with IT services to implement the use of preferred names on McGill online platforms.

“MyCourses is tricky,” Campbell said. “The systems in place–the IT systems are not all aligned– so this makes it quite complicated. We’re engaging [IT Customer Services (ICS) …] in terms of helping us understand where the challenges lie.”

The Subcommittee on First Peoples reached consensus on its Traditional Territory Acknowledgment, which recognizes McGill’s settlement on Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg sites of meeting and sets forth an agenda for consultations with these groups.

“The goal is to allow them to continue [with consultations] so that the Subcommittee can then finalize its Territory Acknowledgment statement,” Campbell said. “The statement that has been put out is the statement that is used for now, but once the subcommittee returns with what it sees as its own finalized statement […] there [will be] a possibility to revisit the statement that was issued.”
 

Student Life

B-Week: Revamping Gerts’ image

by Flaminia Cooper on

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From Sept. 12 to 16, many McGill students found themselves at Gerts drinking from pitchers of beer and conversing spiritedly over loud music. Though this may sound like any normal week in the familiar student bar, this time the drinks were even cheaper and the music louder. This was B-Week: An event that aimed to reintroduce Gerts to the student body.

After several poor fiscal years for Gerts, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) planned B-Week as an effort to revamp the student bar’s image.

“[Gerts] was producing quite healthy profits up until two to three years ago, and this was due to [a] migration of student-run activities […] like Hype Week or Carnival,” SSMU Vice-President (VP) Finance Niall Carolan elaborated about the challenges that Gerts has faced in the past couple of years. “[These events] used to be majoritively based out of Gerts [and] have now moved away to other private locations off campus.”

In addition to a decrease in student-led events occurring at Gerts, it doesn’t help that the current construction on McTavish Street has caused a drop in foot traffic at the bar. For both reasons, Carolan believed that new efforts are now needed to bring students back to Gerts.

“In previous years, we just relied on students to turn up […] as opposed to actively seeking out students and student groups,” Carolan said.

The bar is one of SSMU’s main revenue-generating operations, and is run entirely by students. It provides many job opportunities, the quantity and availability of which rely heavily on Gerts’ fiscal success. As such, the recent dip in profits and downward trend in attendance has led to a reduction in salaries in order to cut labour costs over the past year.

To overcome these challenges, B-Week was created as a week-long incentive to actively draw both new and returning students in and reinvigorate Gerts as a campus bar. It was no coincidence that B-Week was timed according to the beginning of the school year.

“We need to be actively promoting ourselves to important and […] influential student groups on campus,” Carolan said. “And, we wanted to try and build off the momentum of Frosh and OAP.”

To increase patronage, Gerts offered extremely low prices on drinks throughout the week, including $7 pitchers of beer and $2 shooters.

[metaslider id=46587]

“We just really reduced our margins with the hope of increasing volume,” Carolan said. “We quadrupled our sales, so we did better than an average week, which is good to begin with, but even then that wasn’t necessarily the goal. My goal was just to get people through the doors and show them what Gerts has to offer.”

For Carolan, B-Week was a way of giving students a refreshing new outlook on the bar and showing them a space where they can hang out and socialize in the evenings.

“The benefit from those revenues doesn’t stop at that one week,” Carolan explained. “I know that if people had a good time they will likely want to come check it out later on.”

Tim Mapley, U3 Arts student and bar manager at Gerts, echoed Carolan’s sentiment.

“What we really wanted to do this year was show that a) Gerts exists, and b) it’s a fun place for […] the student population to come hang out,’ Mapley said. “[We were] really just [trying] to revamp our image.”

B-Week allowed new students at McGill to discover the bar and its cheap drink deals, and returning students had the opportunity to catch up with friends in a familiar setting.

“Just about everyone I’ve heard from enjoyed the event,” Carolan commented. “From the […] bartenders, to Alessandro [Sangiovanni], the Food and Beverage director [at SSMU], and most importantly the students as well [….] I considered the inaugural B-Week a resounding success.”

Ryan Ehrenworth, U3 Law, confirmed the positive student response after spending three nights of B-Week at Gerts.

“I thought it was a very good move by Gerts in general because it attracted customers during the week, and made a lot of [‘broke’] students really happy,” Ehrenworth said.

Furthermore, the increase in attendance at B-Week compared to other Gerts events was very clear. The bar was consistently packed with students throughout the week, and the line at the door often reached outside of the SSMU Building. 

“We had people that were there every day of the week, and our Coyote Ugly event was very popular as well,” Mapley said. “The challenge for us in operations was just having enough pitchers for everybody because we consistently sold a lot of beer.”

B-Week probably won’t be the only time this year that Gerts managers battle increasing demand for drinks. Gerts’ popular Oktoberhaus and St. Patrick’s Day events are set to provide more opportunities to boost revenue by selling drinks. Furthermore, according to Carolan, the iconic student bar will be piloting new events this year.

“We are reaching out to more faculty executives to get more events in Gerts,” Carolan said. “More campus events, more student events like Hype Week and Carnival, and not necessarily just drinking events either. It’s really just about engaging the student population.”

After the clear success of B-Week, Gerts has started the school year on a strong note. With promises to actively host many other events throughout the year, the future of Gerts’ reputation is looking up.

Student Life

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a budget: A day of recipes for under $7 each

by Jeannie Richardson on

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You’ve finally made it out of rez and into your own apartment. On one hand, you no longer have to wait until 1 p.m. to eat on the weekends, and you don’t have to suffer through any more mystery meat from Bishop Mountain Hall (BMH). On the other, you’re technically an adult now and have adult-like responsibilities—which include buying and making your own food. With Wi-Fi bills, textbook prices, and a social life, it can be hard to budget. For this reason, The McGill Tribune has compiled a short list of healthy vegetarian recipes to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

BREAKFAST: Veggie Breakfast Sandwiches

Freezer Ready Breakfast Sandwiches V
(budgetbytes.com)

 

This recipe is pretty versatile—you can bake almost any vegetable into the eggs that you want, as long as you sauté them a little bit before. You can freeze the eggs after you make them and save them for a quick and easy breakfast later on. Since the preparation time is about 30 minutes, you could easily cook it the night before if you don’t want to get up extra early to make these. 

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 large eggs ($1.50)
  • ½ cup milk ($0.19)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Freshly cracked pepper
  • ½ lb. frozen cut leaf spinach ($0.80)
  • ½ 12oz. jar roasted red peppers ($1.25)
  • 6 English Muffins ($1.99)
  • 6 slices cheese ($1.72)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat your oven to 350º F. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt. 
  • After thawing out the spinach, squeeze out the extra moisture. Dice the roasted red peppers and mix them into the egg mixture, along with the spinach. 
  • Butter an 8×12 inch casserole dish and pour in the egg mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the middle feels firm. Once the eggs have cooled, cut them into six pieces. 
  • Toast an English muffin, then stack a piece of egg and a piece of cheese on top of it. 
  • Wrap the remaining egg pieces in plastic wrap and freeze until you’re ready to eat it. It can last for up to two months. 
  • To reheat, unwrap and place on a piece of paper towel in the microwave for around 30 seconds.

LUNCH: Chili Garlic Tofu Bowls

Chili-Garlic-Tofu-Bowls-V
(budgetbytes.com)

 

Not only are these nutrient-packed bowls delicious, with superfoods like kale and brown rice, they’ll also keep you full for a long time. If you’re in a rush, try using Minute Rice—you can make a single serving size more quickly, which will give you more time to focus on the rest of the recipe.

INGREDIENTS 

SESAME KALE

  • 1 bunch kale ($1.50)
  • 1 Tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce 
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.11)
  • 1 Tbsp sesame seeds 

CHILI GARLIC TOFU

  • 14oz. block firm tofu ($2.00)
  • 2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce ($0.42)
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce 
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar

BOWLS

  • 4 cups cooked brown rice ($0.64)
  • 1 lime ($0.33)
  • ¼ bunch cilantro (optional) ($0.25)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Unwrap tofu and cut into thin slices. Place the tofu strips between two pieces of paper towel and place a pot of water on top. Leave the tofu pressed for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, cook the rice. 
  • De-stem the kale and cut into 1-inch strips. Wash and drain. 
  • In a large pot, heat one tablespoon of cooking oil. Add minced garlic and cook for one minute. Next, add the kale and sauté until it is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, and set aside. 
  • Mix the sauce for the chili garlic tofu in a small bowl. 
  • Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a large skillet. Add the tofu pieces and fry until they are golden brown on both sides. Next, add the sauce and turn off the heat. 
  • In a bowl, add a cup of rice and ¼ cup of wilted kale. Once the sauce is absorbed into the tofu, add it to the bowl. Squeeze a lime wedge on top and garnish with cilantro, if desired. 

DINNER: Spaghetti with Butter Tomato Sauce

Pasta-with-Butter-Tomato-Sauce-and-Toasted-Bread-Crumbs-V2
(budgetbytes.com)

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There’s no better way to end the day than with a steaming hot bowl of carbs. This recipe gives you a delicious sauce that is easy to make and can be frozen, if you can resist eating it all at once. Note that while the breadcrumbs are optional, they’re a good staple to have around the house. They’re great to coat protein in when you want something a little bit crispy—baked or fried. 

INGREDIENTS
TOASTED BREAD CRUMBS (optional)

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22)
  • ½ cup bread crumb
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • Freshly cracked Pepper

PASTA WITH BUTTER TOMATO SAUCE

  • 8oz. pasta ($0.50)
  • 4 Tbsp salted butter ($0.31)
  • 3 cloves minced garlic ($0.24)
  • 28oz. can diced tomatoes ($2.43)
  • ½ tsp salt (or to taste) 
  • Freshly cracked pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the breadcrumbs, salt, oregano, and cracked pepper. Cook until slightly browned and set aside. 
  • For the sauce, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Then, add the minced garlic and sauté for around a minute. Mix in the can of tomatoes with a bit of pepper. 
  • Let the sauce cook until it reaches a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to its instructions. Set aside a cup of the cooking water.
  • Season the sauce with salt to your liking. Mix in the drained pasta and add a bit of the cooking water if it’s too thick. Toss in the breadcrumbs and serve. 

Price estimations are based on unit required per recipe, and may vary slightly by store and quantity available for sale. All recipes and price estimations adapted from www.budgetbytes.com.

Science & Technology

Will legalizing the ivory trade save elephants?: Social media campaign #KnotOnMyPlanet highlights elephant population in crisis

by Janine Xu on

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A recent social media campaign, #KnotOnMyPlanet, inundated newsfeeds last week. With high-profile celebrities––like supermodel spokeswoman Doutzen Kroes––pledging to the cause, #KnotOnMyPlanet runs in a similar vein as the once-popular ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. In an effort to raise awareness about the illegal ivory trade, the challenge involves tying a knot from a piece of clothing and posting the picture on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtag #KnotOnMyPlanet, then subsequently donating to the Elephant Crisis Fund. So far, the challenge has mostly been attempted by individuals in the fashion industry with few ties to the cause.

The reality of the ivory crisis has had devastating impacts on the elephant population. In the past three years, over 100,000 elephants in Central Africa have been poached for their ivory tusks. It is estimated that elephant populations across Africa have plummeted by 95 per cent over the past century––likely due to high demand for precious ivory tusks which can be valued up to $2,100 USD per kilogram.

#KnotOnMyPlanet is not the only effort dedicated to poaching preventions. In an opinion column to National Geographic, Dan Stiles suggests that the solution lies in legalizing the ivory trade so that poachers can harvest ivory sustainably.

“With a legal raw ivory trade, elephants can thrive,” Stiles said.

This idea has been debated before. The governments of Namibia and Zimbabwe have proposed that some elephant populations are healthy enough to be managed for ivory production. Both countries are expected to bring up this debate at the 17th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 5 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“The ivory ban is a total failure,” Rowan Martin, Zimbabwe’s representative to CITES, said to National Geographic in August.

Instead, as Martin has crafted in his proposal, the plan is to decriminalize the trade, taking away the need for a black market and theoretically generating enough revenue to pay for elephant conservation.

It sounds simple, but according to a study published in Sept. 15th issue of Current Biology, the reality of the situation is complex. With a gestation period of 22 months, elephants grow and reproduce much too slowly to support a commercial trade––no matter how regulated it may be.

“The demand for ivory is simply too great––it outstrips what elephants can produce,” said University of Aberdeen Professor of Behavioural Biology David Lusseau, lead researcher on the study.

The proposal set out by Namibia and Zimbabwe suggests a process called the ‘decision-making mechanism,’ which would involve using ivory from existing piles of seized illegal ivory and natural elephant deaths. However, these sources would still only meet a fraction of current ivory demand. Lusseau and his co-author have created a virtual simulation of a herd of 1,360 elephants using data from Amboseli National Park in Kenya to predict how much ivory can be sustainably harvested. According to their data, the sustainable model would allow at most 100 to 150 kg of ivory annually––and that’s assuming a perfect living environment with a steady market and without the threat of poaching.

That’s the ivory equivalent of one large male elephant. Not nearly enough to quench the demand in East Asian countries, such as China and Vietnam, where nearly 600 kilograms are sold annually.

“We cannot brush aside the fact that poaching has reached industrial scale,” the study states. “We must urgently work on finding ways to change consumer behavior as the only avenue by which we can resolve the ivory trade tragedy.”

In the end, the focus must be on reducing demand more than anything else. Legalizing the trade won’t help—so maybe for now, it’s best to keep tying those knots on social media.

Album Reviews, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Album Review: AIM – M.I.A.

by Will Burgess on

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“Borders, what’s up with that?” asks Sri Lankan musician M.I.A. in the lead track “Borders.” Unfortunately, on her latest studio album, we never get a clear answer. AIM lacks a distinct target, and the final result misses the mark. Compared with previous hits “Sunshowers” and  “Paper Planes” that propelled M.I.A’s message into the mainstream with their oblique beats and lyrics, AIM’s tracks are mediocre.

The album’s limitations are all the more regrettable considering that M.I.A.’s past achievements give her unique potential and force within the pop music industry. While her fifth album hardly represents her legacy, it’s an odd choice for what she claims will be her final studio release. Throughout, M.I.A.’s lyrics vary from lackadaisical—“See the sea / do the boat / do the jump / jump rope,” on “Fly Pirate”— to nonsensical—“Where’s your chicken at? / I’m watching like a hawk / I need more birds! / Gully like a seagull,” spoken over a kazoo instrumental on “Bird Song (Blaqstarr Remix).”

The production on AIM is full of hits and misses. About half of the beats on the standard release, including “Borders,” “Foreign Friend,” “Ali r u ok,” and “Visa,” are excitingly original world music bangers. Others, like “Bird Song (Blaqstarr Remix)” and “Jump In,” require patience to listen to in their entirety.

As always, M.I.A. is having fun the whole time, but AIM’s lyrics are lazier than usual.  Authenticity and experimentation have always been two of M.I.A.’s strong suits, and occasional bombs are a natural consequence of deviating from safe, formulaic pop. M.I.A. has navigated this space for a while—even at her best on early releases, Arular and Kala—so it’s strange that on AIM she doesn’t demonstrate anything she’s learned from past risks.

It’s very possible that M.I.A. isn’t aiming to please this time around, and that AIM is more for fun, for herself, or both. Still, from someone who is as 'woke' as she presents herself, it’s reasonable to expect a more definitive statement from her final LP. Musically, AIM has its inspired moments, but doesn’t progress far beyond M.I.A’s admittedly well-carved sonic lane. 

Politically, she fails to say anything more interesting than her stream of controversies over the last few years, including an April 2016 statement questioning Black Lives Matter in the Evening Standard and the accompanying tweet “A#blacklivesmatter B#Muslimlivesmatter [….] It's how u can say A not B right now in 2016.”

With AIM as her soapbox, she has the attention of international music fans and nearly 40 minutes of time. It’s disappointing that 140 characters have caused more of a stir. 

Ask a Scientist, Private, Science & Technology

Ask a scientist: Why isn’t the sky blue?

by Daniel Galef on

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Two questions stood out for our first column. First, “Why is the sky blue?” This is a well-known one, but the subject has also been tackled by just about every scientific blog and answer column under the blue sky. The second attention-grabbing question was “Why isn’t the sky blue?” That query raises a very important point that our familiarity with the first topic can cause us to gloss over––particularly, that the sky isn’t always blue.

The sky above our heads is one of the most striking and varied displays of nature. Sailors can extract volumes of information from the appearance of the sky at any given time. All kinds of fascinating atmospheric phenomena can affect the colours of the firmament, from sunrise and sunset to the eruption of a massive volcano.

The sky is often blue because light can get scattered when it passes through fluids, especially in the case of the earth’s atmosphere. By and large, there are two kinds of scattering that affect the sky’s coloration. Rayleigh scattering—the scattering of light by particles that are much smaller than the wavelength of light—and Mie scattering—when they’re scattered by particles larger than the wavelength—influence the colour. Scattering makes the light diverge from its path, which is why the sky is lit up at all. Without scattering, the sky would look like it does from the Moon or Mars, with bright light coming from the sun, but the rest of the sky looking as black as night. Light with shorter wavelengths, like blue, gets scattered more efficiently, which is why the daytime sky is blue. When light passes through more air and gets scattered, such as during sunrise and sunset, then the sky lights up in oranges and reds. These colours are all a result of Rayleigh scattering. Mie scattering happens with bigger particles than air, like dust and water droplets, which is why clouds and foggy days look greyish.

In 1883, Krakatoa, a volcanic island between Java and Sumatra, exploded in what was the largest eruption in recorded history. The effects of the eruption were devastating, with massive waves and earthquakes killing thousands and the island itself being mostly destroyed. However, some of the spookiest effects involved the sky.

Have you seen Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream? It looks pretty striking—which it should, because it’s expressionistic and doesn’t have to represent the world as it is—but there’s also another reason the sky looks the way it does, roiling rivers of blood and fire as if written in ghostly hues. According to researchers at the American Physical Society and an entry in Munch’s own journal, Munch based his colour palette on the very real colours of the sky around 1883 and 1884. By then, the eruption of Krakatoa had caused dramatic changes in sky colour all over the world, from South America to Munch’s native Norway. In New York, fire departments chased after phantom conflagrations that loomed as if an occult hand had set the horizon itself alight; in England, Lord Tennyson recorded “many a blood-red eve.”

The eerie colours were a result of volcanic ash in the atmosphere. In fact, the particles of ash, which quickly spread around the world, were about one micrometre large, which happens to be ideal for scattering red light. This caused sunrises and sunsets to become spectacular displays of scarlet and crimson. While other times, in direct light, red became scattered out altogether, causing blue or even green moons for almost a year.

Satisfied with the Scientist’s answer? Ask us more at [email protected]

McGill, News

McGill students and faculty push for more sustainability

by Cherry Ng on

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On Sept. 23, members of the McGill community gathered in Chancellor Day Hall for the first Open Forum on Sustainability in a series organized mandated by the Provost. Two more forums will follow, one on the downtown campus at Thomson House on Sept. 28,  and the other on MacDonald campus at the Macdonald Stewart Building on Sept. 30.

According to Frédéric Bachand, an associate professor in the Faculty of Law and chair of the Open Forum, the events are being held after Divest McGill’s petition to the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR) last academic year. Divest McGill is a student group that lobbies for the university to withdraw its investments in fossil fuel companies and reallocate the funds to sustainable industries. The petition, which urged the university to divest its endowment in fossil fuel partners, was rejected by CAMSR. In response, Divest McGill staged a sit-in in Principal Suzanne Fortier’s office and on the steps of Community Square last March.

The group later met with Principal Fortier and Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi. In response to Divest McGill’s sit-in, Principal Fortier committed to holding open forums on the recommendations made by the CAMSR report and sustainability.

“It is in context of the discussion that Divest McGill had with the administration [after the sit-in] that the administration created the open forum to provide an opportunity for the community to consult on various aspects of McGill’s sustainability and climate change initiatives,” Professor Bachand said.  

The first forum was attended by students, professors, and members of Divest McGill. Principal Fortier and Provost Manfredi were also present.

Jed Lenetsky, an organizer of Divest McGill, believes the forums are beneficial for the McGill community.

“I think [the forum] is a very powerful opportunity for not only the McGill community, but also for the McGill administration, to not only listen to the students, but to hear how students feel about these issues,” Lenetsky said.

According to Alison Gu, another activist with Divest McGill, the forums are a good starting point, but more must follow.

“What the McGill administration is doing should constantly reflect what the students, the faculty, and members of the McGill community actually want,” Gu said. “[The forums] should not be a temporary solution.”

For others, including Leo Tronchon, a U1 Arts and Science student who attended the event, the forum highlighted a need for action by the university.

“I’m a little disappointed,” said Tronchon. “I came to McGill with more hopes for sustainability. On the website, they show sustainability as a strong value of McGill. It doesn’t feel right to see the administration on the defensive.”

David Aird, vice-president (VP) External Affairs at the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), agreed.

“McGill likes to claim it is very sustainable, but in real terms it is not doing nearly enough,” Aird said. “I’m waiting to see if some concrete action from the administration will happen and whether they will be accountable.”

According to Ram Panda, a board member of McGill’s Faculty Advisory Board for the Faculty of Engineering and chair of CAMSR, the McGill administration will seek a solution.

“We are all striving for the same commitment and something has to be done. [CAMSR] accepts it as well because the long-term climate change is going to be very injurious to all of us,” Panda said. “How we get there and with what forms and with what methods is up for a long debate.”

Written contributions from people who want to join the conversation, but cannot make the forums, can be sent to [email protected] or posted on the discussion board at blogs.mcgill.ca/open-forum-sustainability

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McGill to open medical school campus in Gatineau, Quebec

by Alexia Martel-Desjardins on

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On Sept. 6, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard announced that the McGill Faculty of Medicine will open a new satellite campus in Gatineau, Quebec. Gatineau is a major city in the Outaouais region, in the southwest of the province. According to Dr. Gilles Brousseau, assistant dean of Medical Education at McGill University for the Outaouais region, the campus should welcome its first class in Fall 2020. Twenty-four new students will be able to complete four years of medicine in Gatineau and obtain their Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees, the same way they would at the Montreal campus.

“The program will be the same as the one McGill offers because the agreement requires that we have the same academic material,” Brousseau said. “There are no specific [admission] criteria for Outaouais, unless if one is extremely uncomfortable in French.”

Brousseau noted that one of the main objectives of this new campus is to address the lack of family doctors in Quebec by enabling students to start their medical education in the Outaouais region as early as possible. The region’s medical care services are also interested in attracting people from outside Outaouais to practice there.

“The regions who train students have much less difficulty to fill their posts in family medicine because [students] leave their university and want to stay in the environment where they have learned, worked, and are already well integrated,” Brousseau said. “We could keep people in our region, but also attract people from other regions […] and also it often offers a visibility for students who come here to make their residence.”

According to Geneviève Côté, the information and media relations agent for the Integrated Health and Social Services Centres of Outaouais, the current number of doctors in the region does not provide enough resources for the whole population.

“The Outaouais region [has been] going through a period of lack of family doctors [for a] number of years,” Côté said. “We estimate that approximately 30 per cent of the population does not have a family doctor in the region.”

Unlike at the Montreal campus, the majority of the training will be done in French, except for the courses whose subject material it is not possible to provide in French with current resources.

“For example, if there is a course on anatomy or something with material that is more complex to translate […] it will be kept in English, until we have more resources,” Brousseau said. “[… English] will represent a maximum of eight per cent of the training.”

Catherine Boudrias, a second-year francophone medical student at McGill from Mont-Tremblant, had never studied in English before coming to McGill. Boudrias says that the option to study in French may attract francophone students. However, in her experience, learning the subject matter is more of a challenge than the language it’s taught in.

“I am sure many people would like this opportunity [to study in French], but in my opinion, the language is not really an issue for medical studies,” Boudrais said. “The medical vocabulary is all very technical, and when we start, we don’t know the vocabulary in English nor in French, so it does not matter whether we learn it in English or French first.”

According Brousseau, Gatineau is already a popular location for McGill students to do their medical residency, and the objective is to eventually triple the number of interns there.

Boudrias explained that students like to complete their residencies in Gatineau because of the learning environment.

“I personally felt that it was a good idea to have my first experiences in the medical field in the city, because it is closer to where the research happens and we are also more exposed to various ethnic groups,” Boudrias said. “However, I am considering applying in a setup like Gatineau for my residency, as I plan on having a career in the region, and I feel like learning in this milieu would be perfect for that.”

Classes at the Gatineau campus will have significantly smaller class sizes. According to Brousseau, this will develop a greater sense of familiarity and commitment among students and with the community.

“We will just have a more close-knit cohort and one that is closer to the community and more responsible for a regional clientele,” Brousseau said. “But after having done the McGill four-years medicine program, either in Montreal or at the Outaouais campus, it opens the same doors and the same potential for all students.”

The admissions process has not yet been finalized for students who wish to enter the McGill four-year program. It is not certain if students will have to file different applications for the Gatineau and Montreal campuses or if McGill will create one joint application.

“We have not adjusted the finality and details of the admissions process, but it is certain that the objective is to fill the 24 spots,” Dr. Brousseau said.

Two new levels will be added to the emergency unit of Gatineau’s hospital, with McGill’s medical program occupying one of them. The Quebec Ministry of Health and Education will finance the majority of the project.

“Because we want the training to be done much closer to the clinical environment and where the people will have to work […] we will build [the school] where the hospital is,” Brousseau said.

Faculty and staff will come from both inside and outside Outaouais. Close to 200 doctors who have an academic nomination at McGill are affiliated with the Outaouais region.

“We already have a pool of doctors who are interested, and we are expecting that in the four years to come there’ll be even more doctors who would want to work with us and participate in the training,” Brousseau said.

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