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Authors
a, Arts & Entertainment, Books

From the Viewpoint: Authors in Their Undies

by Alissa Zilberchteine on

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Performers are often told to imagine the audience in their underwear to help themselves calm their nerves. Christopher DiRaddo—a queer Montreal author—joked that he “must have gotten it wrong” when organizing Authors In Their Undies. The event featured three other queer Canadian authors who walked onto Stock Bar’s stripper stage, and read excerpts from their new books in their underwear. Daniel Allen Cox, Matthew Fox, and Andy Sinclair nervously approached the spotlight in their boxers or briefs before partaking in a truly vulnerable performance. 

Although I have never attended Stock Bar before, I gathered that the setting appeared unchanged from its usual strip club decorum. At centre stage, the stripper pole was lit with flashing lights that changed from pink to orange, while neighbouring walls were covered in posters of half-naked men, and waiters came around taking drink orders; however, as each author performed his piece the stripper pole and flashing lights were overshadowed by the intimacy of the venue fostered by their vulnerable performances

While Sinclair, Fox, and Cox read passages from their new novels or manuscripts—most of which deal with serious content including ostracization, the search for identity, and death—DiRaddo debuted some of his teenage short stories and poetry. His work ranged from personal poetry dealing with loneliness, a comedic seduction story involving Barbie, and an absurdist poem about his dog. He chuckled here and there as he once again embodied his voice as younger writer, occasionally adding comments about his creative process. I laughed along, thinking back to my own cringeworthy writing from years before. As the evening progressed, he and the other authors became more comfortable on stage as the audience attentively observed their performances and cheered on the brave authors. 

DiRaddo explained that his intentions behind this event were “to shake things up a bit” by combining Montreal’s queer and literary communities and create a happening that he would have wanted to come to. Despite not being a member of his immediate target audience—neither a gay man, nor a reader of queer literature, nor a regular Stock Bar attendee—I greatly enjoyed the performance. I was one of only five females in the audience, and didn’t particularly identify with any of the literary content, but this didn’t hinder the emotional appeal for me. Authors In Their Undies was publicized as an event for its immediate queer niche, but I felt their performances proved to be engaging for a larger audience due to their universal, humanizing aspects.   

Authors In Their Undies turned out to be a unique kind of performance, combining literature and a revealing choice of costume. Although it was branded as an event for Montreal’s queer community, it wasn’t hard to break down the specific target labels and enjoy the event in a way that resonated with me. Real people were on stage, in their underwear, sharing their inner thoughts and creative expression. This surpassed any sexual, gender, or age boundary, and I found it both endearing and relatable.

a, Recipes, Student Life

Three foods you hated as a kid—which may not be so bad now

by Liz Willcock on

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Scientists have found that taste buds evolve—as people grow older, foods that children may have stealthily discarded, become appetizing and intriguing in adulthood. For many children, Brussels sprouts, spinach, and smelly cheese, were on the ‘run-and-hide’ list, and it’s likely that most parents have tried without luck to get their 10 year olds to consume these foods at one point or another. Don't fret, however, these three easy and tasty recipes call for a second look at the foods that used to make you cringe, and can hopefully convince a more mature palate that they might not be so bad after all.

 

Roasted Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts, the vegetable universally loathed by children, generally have a bad reputation. But these cheap and seasonal vegetables are easy to throw in the oven, roast as a side, and can actually be an unexpected treat. This recipe will make crisp, garlicky, and delicious sprouts that are equally appetizing thrown in a salad or served along with dinner—making it apparent why they may in fact be worth giving a second chance.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Brussels sprouts (halved with ends chopped off)

Drizzle of olive oil

1 clove of garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° degrees Celsius.

2. Cut off ends of Brussels sprouts, halve them, and toss them in a bowl with the other ingredients.

3. Roast for 30 minutes or until until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

 

Wilted garlic spinach

Second among the childhood dreaded vegetables list is spinach. Even though this ingredient can be used as a base for just about every salad, spinach should be given the special attention it deserves after all those years of childhood disdain. This wilted spinach recipe can work as a side, or tossed into a bowl with brown rice and sweet potato—an affordable and healthy meal that can be made in under five minutes.

Ingredients:

1 large shallot, diced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tbs of olive oil

4 cups of spinach

Coarse salt and pepper to taste

A squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:

1. Place the shallot, garlic, and olive oil in a pan, and cook for two minutes until shallots are golden.

2. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. 

3. Top with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

 

Goat cheese and fig toast

Although many students’ taste buds may not have been won over by blue cheese or Brie just yet, branching out in little ways from childhood favourites like cheddar grilled-cheese is a good start. This open-faced toast with goat cheese is an easy snack to make, and may just be the perfect way to tiptoe into maturity.

Ingredients:

2 slices of rye toast

2 tbs of goat cheese

2 large figs

1 tsp of rosemary

Drizzle of honey

Directions:

1. Toast rye bread. 

2. Spread goat cheese. 

3. Wash figs, remove stems, slice thinly, and arrange on toast

4. Sprinkle with rosemary and drizzle with honey

Influence
a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Flashback: A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

by Nico Wada on

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A Woman Under the Influence (1974) is an impressive study of madness and conformity, serving as one of the benchmark films of American independent cinema. The film’s maverick director, John Cassavetes­—best known for Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Dirty Dozen (1967)—often shot his films in a hand-held style known as cinema verité, in which the camera functions like a fly on the wall in order to mimic a real-life viewing experience. Due to its rawness and emotional power, the film is often assumed to be improvisational or unscripted, yet Cassavetes always carefully wrote and directed his own projects. To mirror a convincing reality and provide his work with a sense of authenticity, Cassavetes enjoyed scripting the familiar—in this case, the abrasions of daily living, and casting close friends and family members to play the roles.  

Just as Woody Allen favoured actress Mia Farrow, Cassavetes demonstrates a particular fondness for Gena Rowlands, whose portrayal of Mabel Longhetti in A Woman Under the Influence resulted in an Oscar nomination. Mabel is a housewife who behaves in odd ways; her temperament is mercurial as she floats from moments of singing and humming in a little-girl manner to growwing annoyed, pantomiming and throwing indignant punches into open air. Her husband, Nick Longhetti, played by Cassavetes’ close friend Peter Falk, is initially the rational counter to Mabel’s antics, yet is subtly revealed to be just as crazy and volatile as his wife, existing at a seemingly perpetual bursting point. Cassavetes uses Nick as an archetypal male figure, leading to feminist interpretations that Nick embodies the repressive societal patriarchy suffocating the gentleness of the female spirit. Nick works in construction and enjoys yelling at people with his thick New York accent to maintain his macho self-assurance. Eventually, Nick sends Mabel away to a mental institution, and then welcomes her back six months later with a party that can only be described as unnervingly tense.  

The film devotes much time to exploring the Longhetti family dynamic. Cassavetes is undoubtedly sympathetic to the rootless state of the middle class American housewife. Mabel’s social awkwardness and desire to fit in is embarrassing and difficult to watch, yet she is oddly charming. The couple’s three children run away from Nick and gravitate toward Mabel, perhaps due to her childlike nature and gentle femininity. When Nick is left to care for the kids while Mabel is away at the institution, he takes them out of school and loads them into his truck for a fun morning at the beach. Observing a gloomy mood, Nick yells unpleasantly: “We’re here to have a good time, let’s have a good time. Otherwise we go home!” The day ends with the kids rolling out of Nick’s truck drunk after guzzling beers that were left out for them to find, demonstrating that Nick is no better a parent than Mabel.

One particular attribute that is often overlooked, is the setup of the couple’s home. It is arranged like a soundstage, with guests flowing in and out like shuffling actors and the dining room transitioning into Nick and Mabel’s bedroom in the evening. The film itself can be seen as Cassavetes’ commentary on the theatrical nature of banal daily life. Mabel behaves in ways that embarrass Nick in front of guests.  As she returns from the institution and still struggles to act according to social norms, Nick shouts: “Be yourself! Be yourself!” 

In translation, Nick wishes for Mabel to participate in the rituals of small-talk. The irony of his demand is that, in reality, Mabel doesn’t have an inner selfhood. She is defined by her odd jumble of mannerisms and gestures that compose her failed public persona. The film wraps on an everyday scene of Nick and Mabel bringing dishes to the kitchen put to a harmonica-themed tune, almost as if a curtain was just briefly lifted on a play in progress.

a, McGill, News

QPIRG Culture Shock event series promotes anti-racism, indigenous solidarity

by Aislinn Kalob on

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From Nov. 5 to Nov. 8, the Quebec Public Interest Research Group McGill (QPIRG) and the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) co-presented an annual event series entitled, Culture Shock: Envisioning alternative futures, with panels, writing workshops, and speakers discussing issues of racial justice, LGBTQ rights, and radical organizing.  

“The theme, ‘envisioning alternative futures’ was inspired by the keynote address entitled Seers, Time-Travellers, and Intergalactic Trouble-Makers: A Keynote on Radical Organizing as Science Fiction given by Walida Imarisha, co-editor of Octavia's Brood, a science fiction anthology authored by activists and visionaries,” said Arabella Colombier, Culture Shock coordinator.

The programming began with a workshop and training called Anti-Racism 101, which gave participants a background in the theoretical and historical roots of racism, non-racism and anti-racism. Practical tools to actively deconstruct oppressive thought and language, and engage with personal  identities were also taught.

"Identity frames the way we relate to one another, from how we see ourselves, to how [we] see other people," said Nate Philip, a discussion leader.  "This workshop aims to facilitate a dialogue about how our personal identities influence the access of power we have in our society."

Among the exercises intended to explore identity relationships was a “step forward, step back” exercise.

"If either of your guardians did not graduate from college, move back,” Philip said. "If you believe the police would help you in an emergency, move forward."

The series also included a cultural solidarity-building and reconciliation workshop entitled Oh Canada, Our Home on Native Land: Discussing Decolonization, a round-table discussion on women of colour in the media, and an address on radical organizing as science fiction.

One of the series’ keynote speakers, New York City-based activist and organizer, Joshua Allen, spoke on Friday evening at the Comité d'éducation aux adultes de la Petite-Bourgogne et de Saint-Henri (CÉDA) at a joint event hosted by QPIRG and the Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE), as part of its two-day series called Trans/Formations.  

Allen praised the work of Demilitarize McGill, expressing the importance of resistance against the military to LGBTQ rights movements with a call to action.

"The work of trans and gender nonconforming people, the work of people who deviate from normative gender is a demilitarizing project," Allen said. "We have to realize the oppression […] is often times perpetuated by militaries all across the world. In order to end that, we must actively engage in struggles against the military."

Allen cited the recent murder of Keisha Jenkins, the 21st transgender woman killed in the United States this year, as indicative of the need for continued activism.

“I think that […] now is a state of emergency, we have different people dying every single month,” Allen said.  “The way that I would personally characterize the trans movement in Europe and also in the U.S. and other places, is that it’s responding to crises and violence.”

Other events hosted by QPIRG McGill throughout the year include Social Justice Days and Israeli Apartheid Week alongside organizations such as QPIRG-Concordia, the Center for Gender Advocacy Concordia, RadLaw McGill, Demilitarize McGill, Howl Arts, Tadamon, and Cinema Politica Concordia.

a, Science & Technology

Identifying emotions through head movements: A descent into the uncanny valley

by Ava Zwolinski on

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Human interactions are made up of complex exchanges of movements, sounds, and smells. In fact, researchers from the Sequence Production Lab at McGill University have shown that people are able to detect emotions simply by watching how people move their head. 

The work was conducted by Professor Caroline Palmer from the Department of Psychology and Steven Livingstone, a post-doctorate fellow at McMaster University.

To prove their theory, the team recruited 12 adults to speak and sing a sentence with varying degrees of emotions, including happiness, sadness, and neutrality. 

“We found […] that [the participants] used the same kind of head movements when they were singing a happy tune, [or] when they were speaking a happy sentence,” Palmer explained. “This suggests that there is something about the head movements that goes beyond the lexical content.”

In the second part of the study,  the team had subjects watch videos of the participants that had been recorded—with their faces blurred and the sound muted. But the ability to interpret these physical ‘micro’ movements by an individual was still observed.

“Viewers could identify the emotional state from videos of the head movements during speaking or singing,” explained Palmer. “This means that those head movements really are conveying something that is not just specific to the words.”

Aside from offering greater insight into the human mind, research in this field is useful for those involved in the development of artificially intelligent (AI) systems.

“[This discovery] can give us the chance to encode these cues in an intelligent machine, because those head movements seem to transcend speech,” Palmer stated.   

But according to a statement on The McGill Center for Intelligent Machines’ website, the creation of an intelligent system is not easy.

“[These systems should be] capable of adapting their behavior by sensing and interpreting their environment, making decisions and plans, and then carrying out those plans using physical actions,” the statement read. 

A hallmark of AI research is the hope of passing the Turing Test—developed by Alan Turing—where a human attempts to discern whether they are speaking to another human or a robot based on verbal cues. If the robot is thought to be human for the majority of the conversation, then the robot is said to have passed the Turing Test. In the evaluation of both verbal and non-verbal cues, however, human-robot interactions can result in the observation of new phenomena.

The uncanny valley is an emotional response to humanoid robots. (heinakroon.com)
The uncanny valley is an emotional response to humanoid robots. (heinakroon.com)

“There’s a term in computer science called [the] ‘uncanny valley,’” Livingstone said. “[When] something is close to being real, but is not real, [it can] make you feel a little uncomfortable.”

By studying and understanding head movements, androids could be given the ability to detect expression of information and emotion. This would enable them to understand people’s emotions and interact with a human more accurately, thus avoiding the uncanny valley.

While the thought of a robot acting exactly like a human may seem like something from a science fiction movie, these emotionally intelligent robots could eventually find themselves a place in society. For example, these kinds of systems could also aid in the long-distance care of patients.

“There are some lines of work developing robots to deliver standardized care to people either in hospital settings or stay-at-home individuals who don’t have the ability to get out,” Palmer stated. “This […] may include a nurse checking in on how a patient is doing at home, [after receiving information from a robot about their emotional state].”  

Palmer hopes to further investigate this phenomenon with musicians, who often use non-verbal forms of communication when performing together.

“It seems very reasonable that some people will respond better to [a] machine that conveys emotion the way [a] human [does,]” Palmer said. “[Today,] machines are not known for conveying emotions because it is a very difficult state to model.”  

As technology evolves, the materials needed to build robots improves. Consequently, the difficulty of building a robot continues to decrease. If researchers are able to emulate human emotions as well, then the future of AI robots is bright.

Xavier
a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Around the world with Xavier Rudd

by Maxime Scraire on

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Australian surf-roots musician Xavier Rudd has been around for more than a decade, spreading his message of acceptance and love all over the world. After no less than seven solo albums—most of which went either platinum or gold in his home country—the outspoken environmentalist decided to form The United Nation, an eight-piece band who’s newest LP came out earlier this year. On it, Rudd puts aside the folk aesthetic he has been refining ever since 2002’s To Let, in favour of pursuing and exploring something completely different: Reggae.

While Nanna, Rudd’s most recent album, is an evident change of pace for him, longstanding fans can still find on the LP everything that makes the songwriter’s music so exciting: Strong messages of peace and unity; a highly recognizable, soulful and soothing voice; sumptuously crafted instrumentation; catchy pop choruses; and a definite sunny vibe. Highlights include the first single, “Come People” with its addictive horn section and its assembling chant “I believe we are one, we are sacred,” “Nanna,” which features sublime backing vocals from chorister Georgia, and opener “Flag,” featuring one of the catchiest choruses of 2015. For 54 minutes, The United Nation can transport listeners to the closest white sand beach at absolutely any time: All you have to do is close your eyes. 

Earlier this year in an interview with EARMILK, Rudd described the formation of his new band as “very organic.” He said, “it literally felt like all of our ancestors had a cup of tea and put us together.” The multi-instrumentalist, who made his reputation performing as a one-man band behind a complex setup that could include guitars, djembes, a didgeridoo, a stomp box, a harmonica, and shakers, is leading an ensemble on stage for the first time. But solely judging from the live recordings of his present tour, listeners could easily be fooled to think that he has been working with The United Nation his entire career. Ever-smiling and zen-like, dancing smoothly to the off-beat rhythm of his relaxed reggae anthems, there is no doubt he is living a dream.

Having first started his career in Whistler, British Columbia, Rudd’s Canadian fanbase has grown to be a very dedicated one. In fact, it is so considerable that half of his North American tour is on Canadian soil, including five stops in Quebec alone. This contrasts wildly from most international acts that usually only stop at three or four of the biggest Canadian venues and spend most of their time in the United States.

“[Rudd’s] smile and onstage charisma is infectious,” wrote the Brisbane Times. “If he was indeed starting a cult, there would have been thousands of followers ditching their shoes and amassing a head full of dreadlocks out of pure respect for a masterful performance.” 

Since then, the musician and his band have been averaging almost a show per day, making audiences all around North America boogie to the sound of some of the best world-music to have been written in the past years. 

As Rudd plans to go back to playing solo shows in the next years, the possibility that “The Flag” tour will be a once in a lifetime experience for fans is a very strong one, one which only a fool would deliberately choose to miss. 

“Some people have seen me 10 to 15 times and loved my solo shows,” Rudd said in an interview with the Cairns Post. “[They] have come up to me and said [The United Nations performance is] their favourite show.”

a, Off the Board, Opinion

Grantland is dead; long live Grantland

by Mayaz Alam on

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On Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, Grantland died. After four years, the sports and pop culture website’s time has come to an end. In its short existence, Grantland became known for its wide range of longform journalism and blogging. Despite its cult following and consistent high-quality writing, Grantland was doomed from the start; its legacy, however, will live on.

Although Grantland is dead, the style of writing that it pioneered within the cross-section of sports and pop culture will continue to live on through its former staffers, as well as the generation of writers that it inspired. The problem with Grantland however, was that it was always going to be temporary. Any time that an unprofitable enterprise is created, its days are numbered. Only ESPN’s vast profits could prop up a vanity site that lacked a true purpose. Once Disney, the Worldwide Leader in Sports’ parent company, decided to respond to its declining subscriber base by cutting ESPN’s budget, it was inevitable that Grantland would soon be cut as well­—especially after founder and former editor-in-chief Bill Simmons was ousted in May.

Grantland refused to play the game that many other digital-only news organizations have been forced to given the changing economics of the industry; rather than mindlessly chasing page views, it focused on trying to create writing that was incredibly passionate and smart. Compare this to Bleacher Report, a sports website that dwarfed Grantland in terms of pure page views but is infamous for its flashy slideshows; Vox, which has created a burgeoning media empire by providing explanatory content that leverages clickbait; or BuzzFeed, which is still little more than listicles and GIFs. Indeed, Grantland stood out from its digital-only peers in its unwillingness to oversaturate the internet with shitty content.

By eschewing other methods of revenue generation and continuing to operate at an immense loss, it was always going to be a thorn in ESPN’s side.

Everything created at Grantland was seemingly done with a deeper purpose. Even Andrew Sharp’s #HotSportsTakes—which, if read at face value, might be perceived as poorly written—was a satirical critique of the many journalists whose half-assed rants spewed logical fallacies. The shorter writing on Grantland was analytical and incisive; complex, yet relatable. Writers such as Zach Lowe, Bill Barnwell, and Katie Baker all possessed an impressive ability to take the incredibly dense minutiae of the NBA, NFL, and NHL, respectively, and explain the game to readers. The longform journalism, written by the likes of Jonathan Abrams, Jordan Ritter Conn, and Brian Curtis, was both inspiring and thought-provoking. It often showed the human side of sports and pop culture, or explained the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of entertainment.

Grantland was never interested in playing the same game as everyone else in an operational sense either. While other publications—including Grantland’s parent ESPN—thrived on the 24/7 news cycle, Grantland didn’t publish on weekends. The site rarely chased the scoops or incessantly added to the rumour mill that has characterized entertainment journalism in recent years. This method allowed the site to bring together an immensely talented group of writers, staffers, and editors, and provided them with an ecosystem to write about the things they loved in an insightful and engaging manner. It inspired a generation of writers and reminded readers that original analysis and reporting, as well as an unique voice, were the most important ingredients for impactful journalism.

In a way, Grantland had outsmarted itself. By eschewing other methods of revenue generation and continuing to operate at an immense loss, it was always going to be a thorn in ESPN’s side. It was an elitist’s publication whose founder, Simmons, was arrogant and self-indulgent. From ESPN’s viewpoint, the decision was simple: It could kill the site and its losses while still retaining the stable of talented writers who had developed under Simmons’ tutelage.

Readers are becoming more used to reading the standard writeups that simply repackage content from other sources. If the voice is non-existent and the style is bland, a publication will lose any readership it gets from engineering headlines to increase clicks in the long term. This is the same reason that the New York Times is able to get one million digital subscribers—a large swath of readers is looking for journalism that adds value. Grantland may be dead, but its existence proved that quality will always live.

 

 

Mayaz Alam is the Editor-In-Chief of the McGill Tribune and is a double major in Economics and Political Science.

@mayazalam16 | [email protected]

a, Campus Spotlight, Student Life

Campus Spotlight: F WORD

by Chloe Lau on

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McGill is known for its diverse landscape of political and social activism. On Thursday, Oct. 6, the feminist publication collective F WORD, a prominent player in the cultivation of such discourse, held a launch party to celebrate the release of the fourth volume of their zine. The party hosted over 200 people at TR-H Bar—a punk rock venue on Saint-Laurent, known for its graffiti decor and indoor half-pipe.

“It’s got a really good atmosphere, good vibe. Everyone seems to be in […] good spirits, and I’m really excited to be here,” Mimi Ho-Tai, U1 East Asian Studies, said.

The night also had live music and specialty drinks named with feminist puns such as “Intersectionaiquiri,” “Consensual Sex on the Beach,” “Tequila Patriarchy Smasher,” and “Cosmopolitan is a Sh*t Magazine.” In addition to the lively social atmosphere and zines, attendees were able to browse pieces of art, and select clips from feminist films that played during the party.

The zine features feminist art presented through a wide variety of media. This includes art by McGill students, as well as artists from across North America. The F WORD’s free bi-annual zine publication was started in 2014, and operates under a collective-based, non-hierarchical structure. This type of structure fosters an environment where the collective can try to uphold their mandate of anti-oppressive feminism.

Maintaining an intersectional approach entails many complex considerations of overlapping social identities, and the systems of oppression that accompany each one. F Word therefore makes continuous efforts to constantly alter their approach and their content to stay true to their mandate.

“[We] critically assess ourselves and try to change structural problems, if there are any,” Vita Azaro, U3 Arts, and co-coordinator of F WORD said.

Jamie Kim, U2 Honours Physiology student and F WORD’s other co-coordinator, has been involved in F WORD for two years. Last year, she and Azaro oversaw a major revamp of the zine’s design. During this period, the collective was able to decide on an aesthetic direction, and F WORD  developed a distinct style. Thinking back on the past couple of years and the zine’s recent revitalization, Kim reflected on the changes the collective and the publication had gone through.

“The quality of our zine has improved a lot,” Kim explained. “[As well as] the number of submissions we get [….] There is definitely a lot more interest within our collective.”

However, the expansion of the zine has also presented significant challenges in upholding their values.

“[We recognize] that [the collective] definitely always has room to learn […] to make changes, and being able to do that in a productive and a constructive way,” Azaro said.

Kim also remarked on how the growth of the collective members itself has posed new hurdles to overcome. As the diversity of its members and content has increased, so has the complexity of the conversations surrounding intersectionality. This has fostered meaningful conversations about many facets of social identities.

“Maintain[ing] our mandate has been a bit more work than in the past because there’s a lot more going on with all the members and interactions,” Kim noted.

As F WORD continues to grow, Azaro hopes to see information about feminisms made available to as many people as possible in order to spread their message further.

“[I hope to see an] online library of resources [to] make information on different aspects of feminisms and other issues such as racism, [and] ableism more easily accessible to people who don’t know how to engage with that information,” she said.

F WORD hopes to continue providing resources and platforms for discussion on the many issues that intersect with feminisms in order to broaden the scope of the conversation. As a feminist publication, it is constantly evolving and learning to accommodate the growth and evolution of feminist ideas. At times, accepting criticism is difficult, but F WORD welcomes the challenge of turning critique into sincere conversation about feminisms and using this discussion to restructure accordingly. 

a, Student Life

Campus Life for Post-Grads

by Audrey Carleton on

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For many students, entering graduate school presents a world of new adjustments. Some grapple with conducting research on their own for the first time, while others struggle with the lack of unity they once felt in their undergraduate program. Some even do this all while raising a family. McGill Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) serves to ease the hardships that McGill graduate students face in the day-to-day triumphs and trials on the road to completing their degrees. 

“We really want to make sure that students feel well-represented and a part of the community,” said Sahil Kumar, PGSS internal affairs coordinator and MSc candidate, said. “[We] connect graduate students to each other, and connect them to opportunities and funding, and provide a really welcoming and pleasant atmosphere.”

The role of PGSS in the lives of McGill graduate students is similar that of a student society at the undergraduate level. 

“I think the needs of students are generally the same,” said Devin Mills, PGSS academic affairs coordinator and doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology. "[We] want quality educational experiences; [we] want hands on experience. We want affordable education. We want opportunities to socialize and get involved [….] These aren’t dissimilar from undergraduates.”

However, the inherent differences in the structure of graduate school make PGSS’ duties unique. Unlike undergraduate programs, where most students spend a majority of their time on one of McGill’s campuses, graduate students are separated based on where their research is located. Here, campus is no longer the hub of student life. 

“Students are […] spread out a lot more,” Kumar explained. “There are students at The Douglas [Mental Health University Institute], there are students at the [Lady Davis Institute research arm of the] Jewish General [Hospital], there are students at the Montreal General [Hospital], there are students everywhere doing graduate studies, and so no one is really on campus all the time.” 

Kumar notes the struggle that this can impose on students who spend most of their time away from McGill’s campus.

“For me, it’s very difficult because now I’m not on campus anymore, and now I kind of see the struggle that Mac campus always had as an undergrad,” Kumar said. “Being like, ‘We’re so far away, we don’t have access to the same events to the same events or services,’ or whatever is going on on campus.”

Unlike most of McGill’s undergraduate student societies, PGSS can’t base all of their events on the downtown campus if they want to make them accessible to their entire student body. 

“A lot of our scheduled events need to be over longer periods of time or need to be evening, or need to be when they’re accessible, so that kind of limits the amount of stuff we can do,” Kumar said.

Another unique element of graduate student life that the PGSS has to account for is the relationship each student holds with their advising professor. While course-based graduate programs are available, the majority of students earn their degrees solely by conducting research under a McGill professor, which can be a point of anxiety.

Through its programming, PGSS aims to address the need students have for guidance in developing a positive relationship with their research advisor. 

“The division between student and professor—that relationship really changes,” said Katherine Hales, a second year MA student who sits on the PGSS internal affairs committee. “There’s a whole bunch of initiatives that are being taken […] called Grad Connect Cafe [that] happen once a month. [Students] talk about things, so students get to hear answers from other students, and then everyone gets to talk about these things like ‘How do you talk to your supervisor?’”

After getting over any these initial anxieties, however, a lot of students find comfort in the close relationship they establish with a professor. 

“[My supervisor] really took the time to listen to my concerns and support me,” Lerona Lewis, PhD Candidate in Educational Studies, said. “I think as a student if your supervisor shows concern for other areas of your life, even if there are minor setbacks, you know that this person really cares about your overall  success as a student [….] I would say that this sense of caring is a key component of a good student- advisor relationship.”

A key difference between graduate and undergraduate programs at McGill is the composition of the student body. While most undergraduate students are within several years of age of one another, the age range of graduate students is much wider, and includes some students who are also parents. 

“Being a parent and also a student can be challenging for many reasons,” Laura Risk, doctoral candidate in Musicology, wrote in an email to the Tribune. “There is also a lot of stress around time management. It’s hard to find the time to do everything, especially when your kids are not yet in daycare or school.” 

PGSS tailors a lot of its programming to meet the needs of students who have to balance their research with raising a child.

“Student parents are a big part of the graduate postdoctoral community,” Kumar said. “[PGSS]  hosts a lot of family-friendly events, because a lot of our students and our membership are a lot older, and maybe have kids who are dependent; so we try to cater to a family-friendly atmosphere when we do these excursions.”

Additionally, PGSS offers a service to student parents called “Study Sundays.” Once a month, on a Sunday, student parents are invited to drop their children off at Thomson House for an afternoon of free babysitting, giving them space to study and research on campus while their children are being cared for.  PGSS events and services catered toward student parents also allow them to network with other parents who understand the challenges of balancing graduate school with having a family. 

“When my kids were very young, I went to Study Saturday [as they were previously called] almost every month,” Risk wrote.  “It was wonderful—my kids usually loved the activities and I had 3 solid hours of study time.”

The physical separation and the vast diversity of student lifestyles at the graduate level can make developing relationships with other students a challenge. This year, PGSS began doing more to address this lack of cohesiveness in the student body. 

“You can meet people in your department, but it’s not like in undergrad where everyone’s around the same age and everyone’s like, ‘This is brand new to everybody,’” Hales said. “In grad school, if you want to find those opportunities, you have to seek them out a little bit more [….] It’s kind of more like “Here are these things, and you’re all adults,  and you can figure it out.’”

Mills also noted how this lack of unity results in a disconnect between students and the school community. 

“There’s not necessarily the sense of belonging towards McGill that would require them to only socialize at McGill,” Mills said. “Graduate students are more associated with their program […] their socialization does tend to be within their program.”

To garner new students’ sense of camaraderie and affinity for the university, PGSS planned its first ever two-week graduate orientation this year. Noticing the previously poorlstructure of graduate orientation, Kumar intended to change this upon arriving in office. 

“The platform I ran on for this position was that I wanted to make an orientation week for students, [to offer] social interaction [and] networking opportunities,” Kumar said. “We basically created these two weeks of orientation that never really existed before. We offered social events and we offered chances for students to interact and that was a big thing.” 

Despite all of these efforts, many graduate students still struggle with getting involved, because they find it difficult to take a break from their research.  

“I think a lot of times people in grad school feel like they can’t do things outside of school,” Hales said. “They feel like they should be researching, or they should be reading—and everyone kind of falls in the cycle of ‘I don’t have any time.’”

With its accessible events, PGSS hopes to give students services that will facilitate their research, rather than distract from it. Other programming gives students a venue through which they can momentarily take breaks from their work, knowing that occasionally, stopping to relax boosts productivity and is essential to overall success.

“Grad school does become more of  a full-time job requirement, so you don’t have as much flexibility,” Mills said. “I would stress that there’s an important balance between work and play [….] Just like you need to have it in undergrad, you need to have it in grad school.”

a, Men's Varsity, Sports

Lacrosse: Redmen capture second CUFLA Baggataway cup in four years

by Elie Waitzer on

More in a:

McGill Redmen
15

Western Mustangs
11

It took them three tries, but the Redmen (15-0) lacrosse team finally made it back to the promised land with a 15-11 win over the Western Mustangs (12-2) in the CUFLA Baggataway Cup on Sunday. McGill last won the title in 2012, when many of the veterans on this year’s squad were unseasoned rookies, but fell to Guelph in the Finals in consecutive seasons.

After going a perfect 15-0 in the regular season, the Redmen’s complete domination in the playoffs felt almost inevitable. While McGill’s 38-game regular season winning streak is also a testament to the 2013 and 2014 teams, this year’s group set themselves apart with a sense of destiny and braggodocio that will be remembered for a long time. Over the regular season, they outscored their opponents 157-66, never allowing more than 10 points in a single game.

The Redmen never wavered in Sunday’s win, leading the Mustangs from wire to wire. Senior midfielder Anders Bjella led the team with seven goals, and junior attackman Spencer Bromley added four goals and an assist to raise his playoff point total to 11.

“[Bjella] was extremely driven the entire season to win the Championship,” Head Coach Tim Murdoch said. “He was just on fire, really. He was explosive, unstoppable, whatever words you want to use. [Seven goals] is a lot of goals not just in a lacrosse game, and to do that in a Championship [game] is impressive.”

For Murdoch, the win was more cathartic than exciting, especially with his son, freshman attackman Maxime, on the team for his first season.

“I could describe it […] as a book with four chapters,” Murdoch said. “Chapter one was the 2012 victory where the majority of the seniors on this team today were freshmen. Then we had a couple of losses in the middle, so this final chapter is kind of a storybook ending [….] You go undefeated and you put the game out of reach in halftime [….] I’ve coached 220 lacrosse games and […] that first half is the best lacrosse McGill has ever played.”

Despite the apparent ease with which McGill cruised through the playoffs, winning a CUFLA Championship on the heels of an undefeated season is exceedingly rare. Beyond talent and experience, it’s a feat that requires dozens of unheralded but crucial personnel working in concert behind the scenes. In addition to giving credit to the three volunteer assistant coaches (Simon Hudson, Nick Soubry, Scott Bailey), Murdoch made sure to highlight the work of the team’s scouting director, Sean Steinwald.

“He’s a former All-American player […] and the scouting reports that he put together for us—the only word I can think of is brilliant,” Murdoch said. “He sacrificed hours to put together [information] that was essential to the team’s success.”

While the win cemented McGill’s status as one of the nation’s premier lacrosse programs, the outlook for next season is not all rosy for the Redmen. Twelve seniors are expected to be lost to graduation, including all four co-captains—Bjella, Connor Goodwin, Paul Rakoczy, and Rufus Frost. Players like Bromley, All-CUFLA goaltender William Waesche, and junior midfielder Emile Sassone-Lawless will be expected to step into a veteran’s role to mentor the younger players.

According to Murdoch, many of this year’s rookies have already demonstrated a level of experience beyond their years, and will derive a well-earned sense of confidence going into next season as defending champions. He pointed to freshman midfielder Alex Beckes, who played in Sunday’s game with a broken finger and still managed to win 70 per cent of his faceoffs.

“Rather than rebuilding we’re reloading,” Murdoch said. “We’ve got some strong young players that we’ll retain. We’re recruiting strong students primarily, and secondarily strong lacrosse players [….] We’re confident we’ll have a very talented but much younger team.”

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