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a, Science & Technology

Tips on making and achieving a New Year’s resolution

by Clare Lyle on

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Historically, a new year was marked by an astronomical event. For example, ancient Babylonians began the new year with the first new moon after the spring equinox. Today, however, the new year is simply marked with a date: January 1. While there’s nothing particularly special about New Year’s Day, it continues to inspire roughly 50 per cent of the population to be more fit, more efficient, and simply overall better versions of themselves. 

Why do we set new year’s resolutions?

As far as timing goes, studies show that the new year is an especially promising period for setting goals, with New Year’s resolutioners experiencing a success rate over 10 times higher than people who make resolutions at other times of the year. The researchers found that those who stated that they would like to change a behaviour “some day” versus having a set deadline showed lower rates of success. The high rate of New Year’s resolutions can also be attributed to an interesting psychological phenomenon associated with over-optimistic goal-setting called ‘false hope syndrome.’ Essentially, this term refers to the fact that people tend to overestimate their ability to make changes in their lives. 

Psychologists generally support the concept of “SMART” goals—that is, goals which are: 

Specific: Reading ‘more’ books vs.  Reading 10 books

Measurable: Run faster vs. Run 10K in under an hour

Achievable: Get to the Olympics vs. Go to the gym twice a week

Results-focused: Get straight As vs. Study 30-hours per week

Time-bound: “Learn how to count to 100 in French by Jan. 21”

What makes a bad new year’s resolution?

1. Individuals are not likely to achieve goals that are set for them by others. For example, parents may want their children to improve their GPA, but the student would prefer to volunteer on Saturdays rather than spend weekends at the library. Consequently, the student isn’t very likely to achieve a higher GPA, because it isn’t something he or she wants.

2. A goal that is very far in the future. Achieving goals is satisfying—studies show that it is more difficult to sustain motivation for long-term goals compared to short-term goals. Without a deadline, it is difficult to be motivated.

3. A goal that is too easy. In a paper published in the American Educational Research Journal, psychologists found that students who were randomly assigned a more challenging goal (in this case, answering more questions right on a quiz) on average performed better than those who were assigned an easier goal. 

 

How to keep a new year’s resolution

1. Start small, and take resolutions one at a time. Psychologists have developed a model for those looking to attain their goals, called the “self-concordance theory.” This essentially describes the phenomenon whereby students who consider themselves to be more capable of achieving goals are more likely to achieve them. This generates a feedback loop—students who achieved goals saw themselves as more capable, which then made them more likely to achieve their next goal. Breaking goals down into milestones has been shown to help goal-setters take advantage of this.

2. Communicate and find support. A study done by the University of California, San Diego on individuals who were trying to lose weight found a correlation between the level of social support the subjects experienced and their diet and exercise habits. Participants who felt that they had a more supportive social network tended to improve their diet and exercise habits more effectively and were more likely to lose weight.

3. Stay positive. A 2005 paper from Utrecht University in the Netherlands in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that attitude was incredibly important to success. Essentially, an individual’s motivation is intimately related to his or her emotions; and those who thought positively were more likely to succeed than those who approached a situation negatively.

a, Basketball, Sports

Point Counterpoint: 1995-1996 Bulls vs 2015-2016 Warriors

by Mayaz Alam and Élie Lubendo on

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This year’s Golden State Warriors have been dominating whatever futile opposition their competition throws at them all season long and have lost only two games this season. Michael Jordan’s 72-win 1995-96 Bulls have long been recognized as the best team ever. Is it time to crown a new king? The Tribune weighs in.

1995-1996 Chicago Bulls

The 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors are not better than the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. Despite the Warriors’ formidable winning stretch, the debate is clearly in favour of Michael Jordan’s Bulls. When we take into account the team’s win parity, the chemistry issues they overcame to win their fourth championship, and the hard knock defence that occupied the league in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the 1995-1996 Bulls are clearly the better team.

The win gap between the 1996 Bulls champion team and that of other teams in the 1995-1996 NBA season is the epitome of dominance. In the entire league there were only three teams that achieved 60 or more wins: The Chicago Bulls (72), the Seattle Supersonics (64), and the Orlando Magic (60). FiveThirtyEight, predicted with their CARMELO algorithm at the start of the season that the Warriors would finish with 67 wins—five wins short of the 1996 Bulls team. With the San Antonio Spurs trailing right behind the Golden State Warriors and the Eastern Conference appearing more competitive than it has been in years, it’s not likely that the Warriors can top the 1996 Bulls’ win dominance.

The Chicago Bulls’ record is even more impressive in light of the raw talent that occupied their roster and how Phil Jackson masterfully got the team to work together to clinch their fourth championship in six years. After a year and a half of coping without the Chicago messiah—who was busy playing baseball during his first retirement—the Bulls had to figure out how to reinstate and find a fit for the second coming of Michael Jordan. Furthermore, Jordan’s comeback from his short baseball career would have to happen without one of the key pieces of the first 1991-1993 Chicago Bulls three-peat: Horace Grant. After an unsuccessful two-year stint with the San Antonio Spurs from 1993-1995, league trouble-maker Dennis Rodman was traded in the 1995 off-season to the Chicago Bulls as a replacement for Grant. Jackson had to convince Rodman to get along with the hard-headed Jordan despite the fact that Rodman had once played for the “Bad Boys” Pistons, who invented the Jordan Rules and nearly injured Jordan on several occasions. Back then, just about anything was fair game: Running under people’s feet after a three-pointer, hand-checking and light holding while guarding, and elbowing in the paint were all common, albeit dangerous practices in the NBA.

In the face of such odds—the difficulty of creating team chemistry and the physicality of ’80s and ’90s NBA defense—the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls are a testament to how far teamwork and determination can go. This year’s Warriors may be stretching the imagination of sports analysts, but with no considerable roster changes from their 2015 championship team and aided by softer defensive rules, the 1996 Bulls emerge superior. They did not have the luxury of stability and referees’ whistles to protect their championship ambitions—ambitions that were fulfilled by winning an improbable 72 games.

—Élie Lubendo

2015-2016 Golden State Warrior

Through 38 games, or 46.3 per cent of the NBA season so far, the Golden State Warriors have put together the best record in league history. That’s right, even better than the 1994-1996 Chicago Bulls who ended up going 72-10. In today’s NBA, the Warriors would be a better team because of their elite depth and versatility.

The Bulls faced little resistance in the Eastern Conference during their historic season—only two other teams finished with more than 50 wins. Last season, seven teams finished with 50 or more wins in the Western Conference and two years ago the worst playoff team in the conference had 49 wins. Arguably the level of quality in the NBA has increased in the last 20 years: Players are bigger, stronger, and more athletic, and the influx of international players has also increased the talent pool. It’s harder to do what the Warriors are doing this season than what the Bulls did in their dominant year.

From a pure matchup standpoint the Warriors would have a slim advantage. Although the Bulls were good at defending the three-point line, good doesn’t suffice against the best three-point shooting team of all time. For a team as deep and versatile as Golden State, the barrage of three-pointers doesn’t have to come from Steph Curry or Klay Thompson; rather, secondary scorers would feed off of the extra attention given to the “Splash Brothers,” and attack weaker defenders and rotating defences like they have much of this season. The Warriors are dominating the league not only because of Curry’s individual brilliance but because opposing second units are being overwhelmed.

The Bulls’ best big man defender, Dennis Rodman, wasn’t tasked with defending in space when he was a mainstay on the All-NBA defensive team. In the pace and space era, his defensive strengths would be mitigated and he would be drawn away from the rim, negating some of his prodigious rebounding abilities as well. The Bulls’ other rotation big men were career journeymen who were hardly rim protectors and would run into the same issues defending the spread pick and roll—the staple of every good NBA offence in 2016.

By comparison, the Warriors big men are either elite rim protectors, such as Festus Ezeli and Bogut, or arguably the most versatile defender in the league, in Draymond Green. On the perimeter, the Warriors are aptly built to match up well with any team, including the Bulls. Stopping  Michael Jordan would have been impossible, but no other team in the salary cap era has as many athletic and rangy 6’6” or taller defenders to throw at wing scorers.

The Warriors’ X-factor, as it has been throughout the season, is its ‘lineup of death’ where they bring out Curry, Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, and Green. All five players can pass, beat their man off the dribble, and shoot effectively from the perimeter. On defence everyone except for Curry can switch who they’re guarding. There hasn’t been a lineup like this in the NBA that can beat opposing teams in as many ways.

The Bulls are a historically great team and they were rightly the best team in league history, up until now. But when the Warriors lift their second championship in a row at the end of this season, the Bulls will be nudged out of their top spot by a team that was deeper and more versatile.

—Mayaz Alam

Editors’ Pick: 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors

The Warriors’ superior combination of balance and depth allows the team to maximize their efficiency in an unprecedented manner and play with nearly unstoppable teamwork. It seems that no matter what combination of talent the Warriors put on the court at a time, they’ll outclass whatever futile opposition their competition throws at them.

a, Martlets, Men's Varsity, Sports

Winter Team Previews: McGill Woodsmen and Woodswomen

by Morgan Alexander on

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Located on the Macdonald Campus, the Woodsmen have been part of McGill’s varsity tradition since 1954, when the Macdonald Aggies entered and won the McGill University Outing Club’s second annual Woodsmen competition. Women first entered the competition in 1971, and over the past 40 years, McGill’s teams have won over 100 competitions, giving them the greatest winning record of all McGill varsity teams.

The Woodsmen and Woodswomen compete within the Canadian Intercollegiate Lumberjacking Association (CILA). CILA was formed in 1997 and includes five other teams from Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. A typical Woodsmen competition involves multiple events based on showing personal prowess in lumberjacking. Schools compete in teams of six, with McGill and other universities sending two teams for both the Woodsmen and the Woodswomen competitions. Of the 24 people making up the McGill Woodsmen and Woodswomen, 18 are from Quebec, and the rest are Ontario natives. Every team member has their own specialty event in which they compete. Events include anything from axe throwing, to timed chainsawing, to woodchopping–of which there are multiple different types. There are four competitions held in Canada each season hosted by four of the six registered CILA schools. The first two happened at the University of New Brunswick and Sir Sandford Fleming College. The third is at Mac Campus and the fourth and final competition at Dalhousie University.

Last year, under the leadership of Head Coach Kyle Bray, the McGill Women’s 1 team came in first and the Men’s 1 team came in third during the CILA Championships. McGill’s Woodswomen have stayed strong so far this year, coming in third overall at UNB and earning a perfect score in three events: The Horizontal Chop, the Team Crosscut, and the Accuracy Chop. The Woodsmen regained their first-place overall finish most recently at Fleming College, getting perfect scores in the Cross Cut, Swede Saw, the Underhand Chop, and the Choker Race. The McGill Woodsmen have maintained third and fourth place this season, earning a perfect score in the Vertical Chop and the Team Crosscut at UNB and in the Quarter Split at Flemming. 

McGill will be hosting their third competition of the season, the 56th Annual Woodsmen Competition, at the Macdonald Campus on Jan. 23. Quebec natives Philip Gautier and Michael Breault will lead McGill’s Woodsmen, hoping to break into second place this competition while Captains Stephanie Bélanger-Naud and Ingrid Laplante, also of Quebec, will work to lead the Woodswomen to another first-place finish.

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a, Chill Thrills, Student Life

Montreal’s Igloofest Turns 10

by Audrey Carleton on

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For most of North America, the arrival of low temperatures brings endless nights in and inspires excuses to avoid leaving the house. In Montreal, however, many face winter head on by embracing the cold and celebrating the harshest months of the year at winter-themed festivals. One of the most popular festivals in the city designed for this purpose is Igloofest, the annual outdoor electronic music festival held in Old Port. For its 10th year running, Igloofest will be uniting electronic music fans across Montreal and beyond. Over the course of four weekends—Thursday night to Saturday night from Jan. 14 to Feb. 6—Igloofest offers light shows, ice sculptures, traditional Canadian foods, and most importantly, electronic and house music. Here is a guide for Igloofest newbies on what to expect at this noteworthy Montreal festival.

What you’ll hear

Igloofest prides itself on collecting a strong mix of local and international talent each year. With over half of this year’s lineup made up of local DJs and VJs from Quebec, Igloofest provides a platform to celebrate local culture and allow underground talent the opportunity to garner publicity and support. From the local talent pool, festival-goers can expect to hear trap mixes from DJ Lunice on the first night, classic upbeat house music from Shaydakiss on the second weekend, and minimalist techno from Stefny Winter on the final evening. On the other hand, nearly as many international artists will be welcomed from 10 different countries outside of Canada, including Germany, France, and Italy. While Spanish duo Odd Parents will be playing their darker deep house mixes on the second weekend, Mr. Oizo, a DJ from France who has previously collaborated with names like Marilyn Manson, will be playing his eerie techno mixes on the third weekend, and British DJ Swindle will put an electronic spin on bass-heavy jazz tunes on the last night. Also, among this year’s international talent is the festival opener, Bonobo, a fusionist DJ from the United Kingdom who combines styles of music from across cultures and genres in low-key electronic mixes. 

“[I like Bonobo because he’s] like downtempo electronic,” Matthew Poole, U1 Arts, said. “It’s electronic, but not super aggressive.”

Bonobo is scheduled to DJ on the first night of Igloofest, Thursday, Jan. 14th. Having performed at venues across Montreal in the past, he is one of this year’s highly anticipated performers.

When to go

The length of Igloofest, spanning over 12 nights, allows attendees the freedom to choose which nights to attend based on the schedule of their favourite performers; however, many attendees also select their dates of attendance based on the weather. As a completely outdoor festival, much of Igloofest’s appeal lies in the unique experience it brings to a classic EDM concert. While dancing in crowds to fast-paced music often ensures that festival attendees stay relatively warm, there is still a certain level of discomfort cold January temperatures may present that retract from the experience. 

“Pick your nights [carefully],” Clementine Pouille, U2 Arts and past Igloofest attendee, recalled. “[My friends and I] wanted to go one weekend, but we were really happy we skipped it because I heard some people were miserable in the cold.” 

What to wear

In addition to strategic selection of night of attendance, festival-goers are strongly advised to dress warmly, and strategically.

“Dress in layers,” Pouille advised. “You get warm while dancing, so you can take some off, and maybe bring a small bag to carry those in.” 

As an Igloofest tradition, many attendees make their warm winter wear more festive with brightly coloured and neon one-piece snowsuits, in a friendly competition (known as “Iglooswag”) for the gaudiest outfit. You can check out local thrift shops if you’re looking to participate.

What else to expect

As many attendees inevitably get tired of dancing, Igloofest offers a variety of other social activities. In addition to their main stages, the festival grounds also hold an ice bar, a photo booth, a fire pit, and a garden of colourfully-lit ice sculptures, including an ice slide. While the music is the main element of the Igloofest experience, these alternative aspects prove to be just as enjoyable for attendees.

Igloofest also offers the opportunity for celebration of culture with traditional Quebecois treats. For Julia Askew, U1 Arts and past attendee, this was most memorable element of the festival.

“I didn’t love the music […] but, they had a lot of cool Quebecois food,” Askew said. “I liked the maple syrup on snow, and the warm wine [called Caribou].”  

After nine years of successful runs, this year’s Igloofest will celebrate it’s 10th anniversary by rearranging and revamping the festival grounds. According to a statement issued by Igloofest, “everything is changing places for the 10th anniversary,” including the two stages and all other social elements of the festival. With past yearly attendance rates in the tens of thousands, Igloofest is a Montreal favourite that provides a unique way to break up the monotony of winter that cannot be found anywhere else. 

“[I would] recommend it,” Pouille said. “I would definitely go again.” 

For more information and to purchase tickets to Igloofest, see: http://igloofest.ca/en/ 

 

a, Off the Board, Opinion

Evaluating practices when students grade their professors

by Julie Vanderperre on

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“Very helpful and really hot!” “Great lectures that keep students engaged.” “He is a bumbling fool.” These are common comments that one might come across while browsing instructors’ profiles on RateMyProfessors.com. The site is widely used by university students, and is regarded by many as an indispensable tool for selecting courses. It can be a source of insightful information, influencing students’ decisions to take a course, or to stay far, far away from a certain professor. The propensity for biased, emotionally charged, and non-constructive reviews, however, undermines the effectiveness of the site. Both students and professors should have the right to accurate, appropriate, and informative course evaluations that provide helpful information about what a course is like and how it can be improved.  

In a sample of McGill students questioned for this article, nearly all stated that they have used the popular website to research information about professors. Very few, in comparison, reported referring to McGill’s publicly available Mercury Online Course Evaluations. Students are generally familiar with the course evaluations, which they are pestered to fill out near the end of each semester. A much smaller number of students, however, are aware that responses to the course evaluations are made public to all McGill students (as long as the professor consents). This disconnect, combined with the lack of information provided by the Mercury Course Evaluations, has led students to using alternative sources, such as RateMyProfessors.com, as their demands for information are not being met by the university.

The Mercury Course Evaluations are a selection of numeric responses that gauge student satisfaction with a course and the instructors’ performance.  Respondents are prompted to leave written comments as well, but these are not made public to students. It makes sense that students don’t commonly refer to the Mercury Course Evaluations. They are not highly publicized, and, compared to some of the biting, humorous, and entertaining comments left on RateMyProfessors.com, McGill’s course evaluations are, simply put, boring.

Since written comments are not visible on the Mercury Course Evaluations, the reviews are dull and lack specificity. Each page shows graphical representations of how many students agreed and disagreed with statements such as, “Overall, I learned a great deal from this course.” While such methods of evaluation avoid the risk of devolving into cheap personal attacks, the vague questions and multiple choice answers don’t really give students a good idea of what a course is like, or help a professor to improve the course later on. The format of the course evaluations is mostly suited for the administration’s review of professors. Administrators can quickly go through and notice any red flags that may need further investigation. For student use, however, the ambiguous questions and multiple-choice format of the Mercury Course Evaluations don’t provide the needed insight into courses or the quality of the instructors who teach them.

The Mercury Course Evaluations do have some definite advantages. They make use of professional and objective questions to rate courses, decreasing the chance that students will rate instructors purely on likeability or charisma. The online course evaluations also usually receive responses from roughly one-third of students, ensuring a large enough sample size that the data is varied and accurate. RateMyProfessors.com, on the other hand, has a much smaller number of reviews, and the website generally only attracts comments from students who have very strong feelings—good or bad—about a course.

Student feedback is necessary for instructors to adapt and improve their courses, and students can often provide valuable observations from a perspective that professors and administrators lack.  If equipped with the right channel, students would be capable of contributing thoughtful and cogent insights.  

The Mercury Course Evaluations should be changed to include more specific and relevant questions with more focus on a written response format. A regulated system with clear guidelines for the tone and content of the comments would likely produce positive results, and avoid inappropriate statements similar to those  occasionally found on RateMyProfessors.com. Answers could be reviewed and then made public to students, as the numerical responses currently are. Such changes, combined with increased publicity of the Mercury Course Evaluation answers, could lead to a shift among McGill students away from RateMyProfessor.com towards a more reliable and fair system of evaluation. Surely, professors would appreciate decreased use of the website which allows crass comments and even condones objectification with a chili pepper button to indicate ‘hotness.’  Students, too, would benefit from an informative and organized database of course evaluations. Everyone stands to win.

Julie Vanderperre is a U3 Political Science student and Managing Editor at the McGill Tribune

@McGillTribuneOp | [email protected]

Institution
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: Kodak Black – Institution

by Clark Bray on

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In his self-proclaimed 2015 summertime jam “Ran Up a Check,” Kodak Black playfully commands his listener to call him “butthead,” “cause his mind’s on your ass.” Observed in a vacuum, the lyric is juvenile and silly, yet paired with the track’s ebullient, DJ Mustard-evoking production, the lyric feels authentic—a snapshot of Kodak’s sillier side. On Institution, Kodak is no less puerile, as he best displays in “Shit on Me:” “In science class high as hell / I’m floatin’ off that loud I feel like Tinkerbell.” 

Institution’s significance is its versatile display of Kodak’s lyrical charm. Throughout its 24 tracks, the rapper demonstrates his ability to be funny, assertive, and vulnerable. Across the mixtape’s near 75 minute duration, the listener learns that Kodak was kicked out of elementary school as a child, dealt drugs in the projects of Florida’s Pompano Beach, suffered both fraternal and romantic betrayals, and served time behind bars. The latter theme is the focal point of the album, and is best showcased in the mixtape’s title track—the album’s highlight. Its production has the same beat of Tink’s 2014 single “Treat Me Like Somebody,” which initially comes across as hokey; however, Kodak’s sincere display of sensitivity redeems him for the near plagiaristic act, as his words of endearment demonstrate to the listener that Kodak is not merely a fucboi with booty on his mind. 

Institution is bulky and many of its tracks, notably in its second half, are redundant; however, it serves the function of a mixtape, giving exposure to a rapper and hyping anticipation of an impending album, the latter of which occurs in “Sticky 1” and “Real Nigga Files.” In “Sticky 1,” Kodak reveals that he is about to sign to Atlantic. In “Real Nigga Files,” he reveals that Project Baby 2 is coming out soon, which presumably will be released on the aforementioned label. Most importantly though, the album illustrates that Kodak is a versatile performer—who also shows a lot of prowess in one specific area. He can confidently and genuinely display vulnerability, which listeners only hope to see more of in the ostensible Project Baby 2.

STANDOUT TRACK

“Institution”

SOUNDS LIKE

Migos with a less staccato delivery

BEST LYRICS

“I won’t change on you even if I get a record deal / Ima rip my heart out my chest put it in this envelope” 

“Without my momma and my brothers you all I got / Can you send me some pictures ‘cause that would mean a lot.”

Gin
a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Flashback: The Swimmer (1968)

by Nico Wada on

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The Swimmer opens by tracking Neddy Merrill (Burt Lancaster) in his tight swim trunks as he cuts through the wilderness into his neighbours’ yard and gracefully takes a dive into their pool. Slicing through the water with powerful breaststrokes, Merrill surfaces to receive a glass of gin.  A midsummer sun beams, Ned’s neighbours greet him with warmth, and he sips his drink.  As the film progresses, however, the sky darkens, the air chills, and Neddy loses strength. The film spans one day of pool-hopping, but allegorically it traces Neddy swimming through his past.  What at first seems a glorious adventure reveals itself to be quite the opposite.  

The screenplay for The Swimmer is a faithful rendition of John Cheever’s short story of the same name.  Known as “the Chekhov of the suburbs,” Cheever wrote about the soporific, sybaritic confines of suburbia with playful humor and extended metaphors.  Neddy Merrill is the tragic hero of the film. He’s an entitled, charismatic lothario accustomed to deferential respect and getting his way, be it through money or his name alone. One summer afternoon, Neddy announces that he will swim his way home by hopping into a string of his neighbours’ pools that serve as a river guiding him toward his destination.  Cheever writes: “In his mind he saw a string of swimming pools, a quasi-subterranean stream that curved the county, and he knew that he would find friends along the way.” Neddy names the string of pools the Lucinda River after his wife, Lucinda Merrill, and considers himself an explorer as he embarks on his journey home to his two daughters, who he claims are playing tennis.    

As Neddy swims through pools and crosses backyards, highways, and gardens, it becomes increasingly clear that he is not the larger-than-life, carefree spirit he thinks he is, but a huge failure.  In this way, The Swimmer is stylistically fascinating. It starts off plausible and realistic, then somewhere along the way blurs into surreal waters. The viewer gradually learns not to trust Neddy, who at first seemed so reliable.

Beginning his voyage, Neddy manages to convince a beautiful young girl (Janet Landgard), his daughter’s babysitter, to join him on his mission. A slow-motion sequence shows the two playing like children, laughing and holding hands. When Neddy unintentionally scares her off, it is clear that he is attempting to grasp onto a youth that is no longer there. Later, Neddy reaches a drained pool where a lonely boy sits playing the recorder. He takes the boy’s hand and tells him: “If you make believe hard enough that something is true, then it is true for you.” This seems to be Neddy’s main issue: Self-deception. Not only does Neddy wrongly believe everything to be fine, he also relentlessly holds onto the belief that his wealth makes him a supremely entitled being. As he crosses a highway to reach his final pool, a public one, Neddy tries to enter without paying the necessary fifty cent charge. Forced to pay and use the public shower, he finally enters the overcrowded pool and swims through murky waters, elbowed and shoved. When he steps out at the other side, he is not handed a glass of gin. His eyes sting from chlorine and he is shivering.    

The use of water in The Swimmer is reminiscent of scenes from Mike Nichols’ groundbreaking classic The Graduate (1967), which was released one year prior.  Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) faces the familiar pressures that accompany being a recent college graduate. To escape the stresses of deciding on a career and future life plans, Benjamin’s favourite pastime is to lie on a raft drifting in his pool. It is with the same carefree nonchalance that Neddy dives into pool after pool, ignoring an unpleasant reality.  

While many critics believe Lancaster was miscast as Neddy Merrill, the film manages to be an melancholy exploration of time passing and youth fading. It is a memorable, tragic character study of a suburbanite with a distorted sense of grandiosity and a blithe tendency to reject reality.

McGill Redpath Museum
a, News, PGSS, SSMU

Semester in Review

by Laura Hanrahan and Jenna Stanwood on

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SSMU

VP Internal resignation

In October 2015, the acting vice-president (VP) Internal of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Lola Baraldi resigned, citing personal reasons. Following two elections for Baraldi’s replacement, Omar El-Sharaway took office as the new VP Internal on Jan. 1. In the wake of these events, SSMU executives held a forum to discuss the potential restructuring of executive positions and the electoral process. The possibility of adding a seventh executive position, called VP Operations, was the main focus of the forum.  In order for the new position to be created, the idea must be presented to the student body in a referendum at the beginning of this semester. 

“Over the next two months or so, we would do more [consultation…] and then run a referendum to amend the constitution in January if that’s what students […] wanted,” Kimber Bialik, VP Clubs and Services said. 

General Assembly

Last semester also saw a General Assembly (GA) that failed to meet quorum, meaning no motions were brought to a vote. The historically low attendance at GAs prompted a discussion regarding abolishing the GA altogether.  

“People think that this forum is defunct; they don’t really think it serves its purpose and that the only time people actually show up is for specific issues,” said Kareem Ibrahim, SSMU president. “In terms of my thoughts, I think it’s on the table to have one annual GA per year.”

Climate change policy

On Oct. 15, SSMU Council passed the climate change policy, which contains guidelines for relationships between SSMU and companies that contribute to man-made climate change.

“SSMU will avoid purchasing products from companies that violate environmental laws or actively fund the spread of false science,” reads the new policy. “SSMU will continue to avoid all investments in the fossil fuel industry and other sustainability screens outlined in the five-year ethical investment plan.” 

The new policy was subject to heated debate during the Council meeting, with representatives from the Faculty of Engineering raising concerns over the lack of support for the policy within their constituents, many of whom are likely to pursue careers within industries that the new policy pledges not to support. Despite this, the new policy was passed with amendments.

Support of Fall reading week

On Nov. 5, SSMU Council approved a motion in support of a Fall reading week. The motion allowed SSMU to use its resources to help ensure that a Fall reading week is voted on by the Senate in a timely fashion, which will help facilitate the proposed implementation of the plan by the 2017-2018 school year. 

“Be it resolved, that the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) endorses the proposal for a Fall Reading Break,” the motion reads. “Be it further resolved, that the SSMU mandate the VP University Affairs and Senate Caucus to pursue the approval of this proposal by Senate before the end of the academic year.”

 

PGSS

At its General Meeting on Oct. 24, the Post-Graduate Student’s Society (PGSS) passed a motion of divestment that calls upon the university to remove its investments from fossil fuel industries. The vote was preceded by a presentation by Divest McGill and Victor Frankel, PGSS environmental commissioner. 

“[The motion starts] from the things that are the least contentious,” Frankel said.  “Like [recognizing] that climate change is real, to things that are fairly reasonable like freezing or having a moratorium on any new investments in fossil fuels […] to the more contentious issues […] which says that PGSS strongly endorses divestment from fossil fuel companies and also supports efforts of its senators and members at the board of governors to strongly support divestment.” 

Traditional territory acknowledgement 

 On Sept. 16, PGSS Council approved a motion to include a Traditional Territory Acknowledgement Statement at the beginning of PGSS events and on the society’s website to recognize indigenous land claims to the McGill campus. 

“McGill University is located on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations,” the statement reads. “McGill University honours and respects the diverse Indigenous peoples connected to this territory on which we gather today.”

Motion in support of students working for private corporations

In November, a private corporation sued a masters student for the destruction of his published work, including his master’s thesis, due to his use of confidential data. The student had completed research with the corporation, which was affiliated with the professor overseeing his research. The case caused the PGSS to pass a motion during its council meeting on Nov. 26 to protect students working with private corporations.

“Be it resolved that Council approves the drafting of a proposed policy regarding the involvement of private corporations in which a supervisor has a financial interest, with the goal of having the policy become an official McGill policy approved by the McGill Senate,” reads the motion. “The policy would be based on the following: the obligation of professors to disclose affiliation with private companies to the university and their students, the requirement of a departmental pre-approval process before students become involved with a company, with clear criteria to protect student intellectual property and rights, [and] the implementation of a university process to protect student rights, notably involving periodic audits of partnerships between professors, companies, and students.”

Internal Affairs Officer resignation

On Nov. 11, Sahil Kumar, the sitting Internal Affairs Officer (AIO) of PGSS announced his resignation. He cited academic obligations as the reason behind his resignation. 

“My trajectory through graduate studies has taken a new turn, and now requires a greater time commitment,” Kumar said. “I did not want to see the portfolio suffer and have decided that this would be the best option to move forward. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with [all] of the PGSS executives and commissioners over these last seven months.”

Mina Anadolu was elected as Kumar’s replacement, and took office shortly after his term officially ended on Dec. 3. 

 

MUS presidential byelection

The Management Undergraduate Society (MUS) announced the resignation of its president, Élie Lubendo, this past October. A letter released by MUS cited personal reasons from Lubendo’s resignation. 

“Due to personal reasons, Élie, elected as the President and Chairman for a one-year term in February of 2015, tendered his resignation from this role on October 20th, 2015.”

The letter described the contributions Lubendo had made to the MUS throughout his time as president.

“During Élie’s tenure, he laid the groundwork for substantial positive change and significantly contributed to the Society as a whole,” the MUS letter read. “Élie will be greatly missed as a member of the team and the MUS greatly thanks him for his service to the Society.”

A nomination period for new presidential candidates opened on Oct. 28, with all the responsibilities of the former president being taken on in the interim by VP Academic Affairs, Aarushi Kumar. 

“Fortunately, the Academic portfolio has a considerable amount of overlap with the presidential role already,” said  Aarushi. “Our constitution states that the VP Academic will take over should the president ever resign, and thus the role was designed to be able to make the transition with very minimal difficulty.”

At the end of the nomination period, three candidates were named: Michael Fishman, Aarushi Kumar and Alan Liu. Following a six-day voting period, Fishman, a U2 Honours Investment Management student, won the election. Fishman has held the position since Nov. 16 and will end his term on April 30, 2016. 

 

SUS Burnside renovation

Over the past semester, the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) has continued to develop its plans for the renovation of the Burnside Basement. SUS hopes to transform the current study space into a more student-friendly area. The renovations were originally set to take place during the summer months, however they have yet to be completed due to the prioritization of other consruction projects.  

In March, 2015 the SUS launched a crowdfunding campaign on McGill’s Seeds of Change fundraising platform, with the goal of raising $6,000. The campaign closed on June 18, after having raised $2,282. 

According to the project’s Seeds of Change page, the renovation is intended to transform the dimly-lit basement into a welcoming, all-access space for students. 

“Investing in efficient lighting, group study areas, and the installation of whiteboards to promote collaboration and progress group work will offer small but impactful changes to this student space,” the website reads.

The plan additionally cites the mental health benefits that the new space will offer. 

“For students, having a comfortable place to go and unwind, study, or simply interact with peers can have a huge impact on the quality of daily life and mental health,” the page reads. “The study space in Burnside Basement is currently limited to a handful of built-in desks and dated sofas purchased back in 2001.”

During the Oct. 28 General Council meeting, VP Finance Sibat Anam spoke to President Jeremy Goh’s efforts to move the project forward.

“[Goh is] currently working on the Burnside [Hall] Renovation Committee, [but] they’re just working through a lot of hoops and it’s backed up [behind other construction projects on campus],” Anam said. “He met with McGill Spaces and Campus Planning to […] draft a proposal as soon as possible.”

At the Nov. 25 SUS Council meeting, Anam announced that the final designs for the renovation were nearing completion. 

“[The president] is scheduling a meeting with the dean  of Science to talk about the final designs,” Anam said. “Of the three initial designs, two of them are ready to go and they’ll probably make the deadline for the final design plans.”

 

AUS makes progress on SNAX and election reform

 

Election Reform

On Nov. 27, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) referendum question regarding constitutional amendments to modify the AUS vice-president (VP) Finance screening process passed with 91.3 per cent of the vote. The changes to the process, which were first discussed at the AUS General Assembly (GA) in February 2013, now require a selection committee to screen and approve candidates before they can run for the position of VP Finance. 

“Eligibility to stand for election to the position of AUS Vice-President Finance shall be on the basis of candidates being sufficiently qualified for the duties and responsibilities required of the AUS Vice-President Finance, as determined by a two-thirds majority vote of a committee struck for these purposes,” the question read.

According to AUS President Jacob Greenspon, the changes came in response to issues AUS had in the past from delayed tax filing and audits.

“AUS did not file taxes from 2008 to 2012, resulting in the government freezing $120,000 from the AUS bank account,” said Greenspon. “AUS also [failed] to send McGill its audited financial statements in that time period [….] As a result, McGill withheld our student fees.”

SNAX MoA

In January 2015, SNAX was mandated to discontinue the sale of sandwiches due to issues of food safety, as outlined in their Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with McGill. This decision received noticeable backlash from students, resulting in a sit-in at SNAX in March to raise awareness of the issue. 

SNAX’s MoA with McGill, which forbids the sale of sandwiches, came to an end in 2015, opening up the floor to negotiate changes for a new MoA. According to Greenspon, McGill agreed in November to allow SNAX to resume sandwich sales in the new MoA.

“McGill has recognized the arguments behind most of our positions, and fortunately, has moved to cooperate on many issues, notably SNAX selling sandwiches,” Greenspon said. “We are not yet at an agreement, but I believe we are closer than we have been in the past to signing the MoA and again selling sandwiches at SNAX.”

a, Football, Sports

McGill Tribune’s NFL Awards

by Joe Khammar on

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Coach of the Year

Bill O’Brien—Head Coach, Houston Texans

The 2015 NFL season has seen extraordinary efforts by a multitude of head coaches around the league, all deserving of the award. Unfortunately for them, Bill O’Brien of the Houston Texans had a masterful season and deserves to be named Coach of the Year. The Texans were not expected to make any rumblings in 2015.  When the pre-season ended, Bleacher Report ranked the Texans 28th on their power rankings, way behind their AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts who were at no. 2. It turns out the predictions were dead wrong. O’Brien was a quarterback whisperer this season and coaxed a career year from starting quarterback Brian Hoyer and won games with backups Ryan Mallett, TJ Yates, and Brandon Weeden. This quartet of journeymen and backup quarterbacks should never have been able to lead a team into the playoffs in today’s NFL—somehow O’Brien managed that monumental feat and wins Coach of the Year because of it.

Rookie of the Year

Todd Gurley—Running Back, St. Louis Rams

Forget Jameis Winston as rookie of the year, Todd Gurley ran away with this award. Despite missing the first three games of the season due to a lingering ACL tear, the first year running back finished third in NFL rushing yards with 1,106 yards on the ground. What’s more impressive is that Gurley managed to accomplish this feat playing on possibly the worst offence in the NFL. With the uninspiring tandem of Nick Foles and Case Keenum taking snaps at quarterback, the Rams ranked 32nd in total offence this year. Gurley undoubtedly deserves rookie of the year for establishing himself as a top-five talent at the running back position on a team seemingly doing everything it could to hinder its own offence.

Defensive Player of the Year

J.J. Watt—Defensive End, Houston Texans

The only reason to not give this award to Watt every year is to break up the monotony and give someone else a chance. With a league-leading 17.5 sacks, J.J. once again proved he is the best player in the entire NFL. No longer able to fly under the radar, Watt told the Tampa Bay Times that he has been attracting more triple-teams this season than ever before. Think about that for a second; most teams use five linemen and one or two tight ends at any time. In a basic four-man rush, J.J. Watt is attracting up to three of those five linemen, leaving the three other rushers free to attack the quarterback. Despite the triple-team, Watt still led the league in sacks. This complete and total domination of the NFL assures Watt this award not only for this year but for many more to come.

Offensive Player of the Year

Deandre Hopkins—Wide Receiver, Houston Texans

2015 was surely the year of the wide receiver. Twenty-seven different receivers posted 1,000-yard seasons and four different receivers went for over 1,500 yards. One of those four stands above the rest: Deandre Hopkins, who played on a team that lacked any credible threat under centre. Receiving passes from four different quarterbacks, most would not expect much from the Texans passing offence.  Hopkins’ 111 receptions for 1,521 yards this season was the engine that kept the offence going week in and week out. He dominated on a regular basis regardless of the competition. In a week 11 matchup against the Jets, Hopkins outcompeted Darrelle Revis to the tune of five receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns. No other receiver has Hopkins’ combination of route running, speed and circus catch ability. He combines the best parts of Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown to create the ultimate pass-catcher and is 2015’s Offensive Player of the Year.

Most Valuable Player

Cam Newton—Quarterback, Carolina Panthers

Could it be anyone else? While Tom Brady and Carson Palmer might look better on paper, it’s what Newton does on the field that puts him ahead of the pack. Leading a Carolina Panthers team that finished with a league best 15-1, Newton took a team that features punt returner Ted Ginn Jr. as its number one target and drove it to historic status. With a grand total of 45 touchdowns in 2015 (35 passing and 10 rushing), he leads the league by a sizeable gap. But Newton doesn’t just put up points, he also inspires his team to be better with his animated personality and leadership skills. Always making the NFL seem fun, Newton encapsulates what it means to be an MVP, combining historic production, a great team, and leadership skills that inspire those around him to play better. Newton might never get another MVP award in his career, but this one is special because he earned it from his ability to win rather than gaudy statistics.

a, Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: For a 21st Century education, McGill must focus on the present

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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The plans for the new McLennan-Redpath library, referred to as Fiat Lux, are ambitious. Although the university hopes that this impressive crystalline addition will epitomize the 21st century, propelling the university into modernity will take more than a shiny design. The most wide-ranging consultation with students took place on whiteboards across the campus, showing an administration out of touch with the needs of current students. Since releasing the renovation plans, little has been done to educate students further about what disruptions may be expected, and how the changes will be beneficial. The obvious question for students, professors, and researchers alike, then, is: What are the renovations meant to achieve? Believing that a new building will modernize the campus cannot feel like anything other than a band-aid solution to the more pressing but typically ignored maintenance problems. The university would do well to recall that the 21st century is here, with or without Fiat Lux.

Of course, Fiat Lux has not come entirely out of the blue. It is surely intended to improve the financial prospects of McGill, as well as its academic rank as more modern infrastructure may attract higher calibre students. But the fact that students can only speculate as to why this is the next big thing on McGill’s horizon is indicative of a lack of consultation. The university does not have a good record when it comes to construction and renovations; current students know only too well how long it took to complete the past renovations in a myriad of locations on campus. A new library is not an issue in itself—in fact, it is exactly what universities should provide—but it is an issue when placed in the context of the other infrastructure problems on campus.

The façade of the Arts Building, a quintessential image of campus, has been under construction for a month longer than anticipated, and the construction was put off for years. Library spaces, which are actually numerous, are being reduced as hours are restricted and access limited to members of certain faculties, or, in the case of McLennan, to certain floors past midnight. This is certainly an issue for night owls. While these concerns are individually small, together they create a bigger picture of an administration that has adopted a macro perspective at the expense of current students who will not necessarily be around to see the benefit.

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The administration must therefore balance the needs of the present with the objectives for the future. This can be done by working on creative solutions to current problems and downsizing the scale of the McLennan renovation plan. The plans cause some to worry that creating a centralized mega structure will suck the resources otherwise spread across libraries, and will reduce access to the smaller libraries even more. Flexibility, however, must be incorporated into the process in order to accommodate the needs and concerns of both the current and incoming generations of students. The risk: Alienating the immediate pool of alumni already bruised by years of austerity and tuition increases, to whom this plan feels like a grand irony.

The solution: Compromise. Advertising, and extending the hours of, other study spaces would go a long way to helping the current accessibility and space problems. These solutions are minor, and would alleviate the micro inconveniences without limiting the school from sustaining and improving its reputation in the long term.

It is up to the administration to envision the future of the university, and ensure that it remains a competitive institution. Attending a university with a strong reputation is a perk of being a McGill student; however, the small daily grievances should not be overlooked when attempting to reimagine McGill as a 21st Century school. If the Class of 2016 or 2017 were instead the Class of 2026 or 2027, students would most certainly appreciate a modern, functional library with big windows to the current decrepit infrastructure. The standpoint from which students launch critique should not, however, be a point of discredit. Instead, it should be a basis for compromise so that future alumni and contributors to the community are not alienated by disconnected ambition.

If McGill is going to convince students that it can afford Fiat Lux, it must do more than ask us to trust it. It must show that it can provide more than the minimal amount of maintenance, end cuts to courses, and restore optimism within the McGill community. Fiat Lux appears to be the result of idealistic tunnel vision rather than a pragmatic course to 21st Century education, leading one to question who matters the most in creating McGill’s priorities. This is a question that the administration must address urgently.

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