Since the emergence of third-wave feminism in the ’90’s, feminist theory has become increasingly diversified into new categories, such as black feminism, liberal feminism, and radical feminism. But as different varieties of feminism emerge and intersect with other social issues such as race, sexuality, and class, the blanket term “feminism” has become increasingly obsolete. This is largely due to the fact that, from its inception, feminism has mainly addressed gender inequality as it pertains to white, cisgendered females. Now frequently distinguished as “white feminism,” this older, more homogenized version of feminism faces increased scrutiny. Criticism of the movement, however, is necessary to increase its strength. While it may appear to divide or detract from the overall movement, criticism spawns diversification, which makes feminism accessible to a larger audience.
As a white, cisgendered female, it is difficult to avoid falling into the white feminist trap; simply put, my experience as a woman cannot be equated to the experience of a person of colour or a member of the LGBT community. Just as any male can’t pretend that one dollar of his income is equal to my 77 cents, I can’t pretend that my 77 cents is the same as a black woman’s 64 cents, or a Hispanic woman’s 56 cents. Trying to fit every woman’s experience into one coherent idea of feminism is as illogical and incomplete as allowing one stereotype to represent an entire racial minority.
This type of generalization is exactly what white feminism is criticized for, and rightly so—a movement simply cannot enact change if the individuals it’s supposed to be uplifting feel alienated and excluded from it. With that said, this feeling of alienation white feminism produces doesn’t just apply to non-white women, but to all members of society. With each wave of feminism, there has been a pushback by both men and women who actively identify themselves as non-feminists—the most popular and recent being the “Women Against Feminism” collective. Feminists will often attribute this opposition to a misunderstanding of feminism’s fundamental purpose, or a belief that feminism advocates for something other than political, social, and economic equality of the sexes. Feminists distance themselves from these associations because they feel that such beliefs do not accurately, or even remotely, reflect their motivations.
Another frequent criticism of feminism is that it excludes members of the LGBT community from the conversation. Feminism must address this concern and emphasize inclusivity by increasing focus on the intersectionality. The way in which feminism intersects with issues of race, sexuality, and class ultimately demonstrates that feminism isn’t just a women’s issue, but a human rights issue. While feminism at its core is, and should be, a movement to promote gender equality, conceptualizing feminism as it pertains to other social issues makes it more accessible.
White feminism needs to acknowledge the ways in which it excludes many of the women it is supposed to support. Feminism should embrace its diversity, as its growing ability to reach and influence more people will make it stronger. For this diversity to flourish properly, however, feminism needs to be able to reflect upon itself as a social movement, and be critical of certain brands that invalidate others and counteract progress. Gender equality will be very difficult to achieve if feminism continues to work against, rather than with, itself.
McGill Space Institute takes off with a ‘big bang’
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McGill is home to many renowned astrophysicists, cosmologists, and planetary scientists. Until recently, however, space researchers at McGill lacked a place to share their work. Scientists were scattered between different departments, with offices ranging from Rutherford Physics Building to Burnside Hall. But all of this is changing with the creation of the McGill Space Institute.
“Looking around [the] campus at McGill, there’s a lot of expertise in space-related research,” said Professor Andrew Cumming, a physicist affiliated with the Institute. “We decided to create the Institute to bring together these different researchers and foster collaborations across disciplines.”
A $1 million donation from the Trottier Family Foundation not only created fellowships for students affiliated with the Institute but helped in the creation of a space for researchers at McGill to gather. The official home of the McGill Space Institute will be thirty-five fifty (3550) Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, formerly part of the Montreal Neurological Institute.
“I think [having a dedicated building] is key to the success of the institute,” said Cumming. “Particularly for interdisciplinary studies, it takes time to learn the particular language and jargon of the other discipline, and so having a physical location where researchers can talk and discuss ideas is crucial [….] Explaining your research to someone in another field is when the most interesting new ideas emerge.”
The Institute brings researchers together with a mixture of formal and informal events, such as seminar series and a daily ‘coffee time’ that is attended by researchers from across the Institute.
“Every day, tea time is [from] 3 to 3:30 or 4, and you just hang out and talk and some really interesting topics come up—I’ve learned a lot,” explained Miles Cranmer, a U1 math and physics student affiliated with the Institute. “[For example,] there’s a neutron [star] discussion group where you read a paper on neutron stars and you present the most interesting parts of it to the group, and then you discuss it.”
This type of environment creates a think tank that enables a variety of topics, from supernovas to the creation of new matter, to be shared amongst researchers.
“Whenever you go in, there are people talking about something really interesting.” Cranmer said. “You can bring up some topic you’ve read about and have a long discussion about it with someone, like nuclear pasta—[an exotic state of matter observed in neutron stars].”
Research areas include exoplanets, cosmology, the evolution of the universe, and high energy astrophysics. Although most of the research occurring at the institute is primarily theoretical, supporters of the Institute are quick to point out that scientific inquiry has a history of having unintended practical applications.
“Quite often, the new instruments that are being built to do some of these observations are pushing the limits of technology,” said Lorne Trottier, a McGill alumnus and benefactor of the Institute. “From some of that work, people develop skills that are very useful in other fields—and some of the techniques and hardware and algorithms that they develop may find some commercial application as well.”
Ultimately, much of the motivation behind the research that goes on at the Institute stems simply from human curiosity.
“The kinds of questions that they’re looking for answers for are very fundamental, and something that I think most people have some sort of deep interest in,” explained Trottier. “Where do we come from? How did our universe come into being? How have we evolved over time? Is there life in the universe? Are we alone?”
Until these questions are answered, scientists like those at the Institute will undoubtedly continue to search the stars.
Hockey: Martlets split weekend against two cross-town rivals
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It was a women’s hockey double derby weekend in Montreal, with the McGill Martlets (3-2-0) welcoming challengers from two local universities: The Montreal Carabins (4-1-1) and the Concordia Stingers (2-2-1). The Martlets started on a low note in a thrilling 4-3 loss against the Carabins on Saturday night at McConnell Arena. An even first period ended with the Martlets up 1-0 on rookie forward Olivia Atkinson’s strike. Both teams were playing fast paced and aggressive hockey, with confident displays of teamwork, passing, and individual skill.
The second period was a different story entirely.
After a relatively back and forth start, the Martlets found themselves under a offensive barrage from the Carabins’ forwards, who relentlessly drove the puck into the McGill half of the rink and kept the home team scrambling to defend. It soon became too much for the frustrated Martlets and the floodgates opened, with Montreal netting four consecutive goals in less than nine minutes. After the fourth goal veteran Head Coach Peter Smith pulled starting goaltender Taylor Hough for sophomore Kayla Loberg, who held the fort and the Carabins scoreless for the rest of the game.
“We got away from our game plan,” Head Coach Peter Smith said. “For our team to be successful we need to play with structure and we got away from the structure in the second period. Credit to Montreal, they turned it up a notch and I just don’t think we matched them in the second period.”
The Martlets got back into the game in the final period, picking up their tempo and aggression while outshooting Montreal 13-8 and finding the net twice in the third stanza, but it was not enough to salvage the mess they got themselves into in the middle period.
“I thought we had a great start to the game and I thought we had a great finish to the game,” Smith said. “The middle wasn’t very good.”
Sunday night’s 2-0 victory against the Concordia Stingers had a different atmosphere. Loberg got the nod for the first start of her career and made the most of it, going 22 for 22 to shut out the Stingers.
"Kayla was good, made the key stops that she needed to make and we played real well in our own end," Smith said. "She managed the puck well, [she] had good rebound control, and did a nice job."
The game was plagued by constant interruptions for penalties and other stoppages in play, preventing either team from getting into a real rhythm. McGill captain Melodie Daoust found the net in the first period on a well-orchestrated team goal after receiving pinpoint passes from sophomore forward Cora Constantinou and rookie blueliner Zoe Todd. Daoust contributed again in the second period, clearing the puck on a penalty kill to find veteran forward Gabrielle Davidson for a shorthanded goal to give McGill a 2-0 lead for the rest of the match.
“We played much more of a grinded out game with a lot of penalties,” Smith said. “There wasn’t a tremendous amount of flow. They were fresh, they hadn’t played, and we had […] the kind of game where we had to grind it out and it [was] a good win for the girls.”
Sound bite
“[This weekend was] certainly developmental. I thought there was some learning that went on. They’re a smart group and a hardworking group and they’ll take this weekend […] and certainly get some learning out of that.” —Smith on the weekend’s action
Moment of the game
Twenty-eight seconds into the third period of Saturday’s game—on a fast break straight off the opening puck drop—Atkinson scored for her second time in the game to give the Martlets players and supporters new energy to start the final period.
Stat corner
McGill managed just one shot on goal in the second period of Saturday’s loss while Montreal recorded 17.
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The week that was for McGill Athletics: Nov. 9
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In this week's edition of the week that was for McGill Athletics the McGill Tribune Sports team looks at Catherine Amyot and Anders Bjella, our athletes-of-the-week; Redmen lacrosse and Martlet volleyball; as well as our weekly edition of by the numbers.
Beyond the box score
Martlet Hockey
The Martlet hockey team (2-1-0) lost 2-0 against the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the nation’s capital on Friday. The Gee-Gees goaltender saved a stunning 37 shots and Ottawa took advantage of a penalty against McGill just two minutes into the game to score on their power play. McGill, despite fore-checking relentlessly and sending waves of pressure on the Ottawa goal, could not find the back of the net. McGill will need to tighten up their play as they face the No. 3 ranked Montreal Carabins and then the Concordia Stingers next week at McConnell Arena on Nov. 7 and 8 respectively.
Martlet Volleyball
The Martlet volleyball team (5-0) remained undefeated on the season with a convincing victory over UQÀM in three straight sets on Saturday. Sophomore power hitter Emilie Matte de Grasse led the way with 15 kills, and veteran setter Yasmeen Dawoodjee contributed 29 assists. After fighting off a furious rally to take the first set 25-23, McGill cruised in the second set (25-15) and were able to finish off the Citadins with ease. The Martlets will try to improve to 6-0 to start the season as they take on Laval next Friday.
Tribune Athletes-of-the-Week
Catherine Amyot
Power Hitter, Martlet Volleyball
Senior – Engineering
The senior power hitter had a stellar weekend for the Martlet volleyball team—she scored 17.5 points against Laval Rouge et or on Friday and followed that up with with 16 points against the Sherbrooke Rouge et Or on Saturday. Amyot also added 14 kills and two aces in a complete performance. The Martlets extended their winning streak to seven games and now boast a perfect 7-0 regular season record to top the RSEQ table.
Anders Bjella
Midfielder, Redmen Lacrosse
Senior – Management
The fourth year midfielder had one of the greatest games ever by a Redmen Lacrosse play—he scored seven goals as the McGill Redmen won their second ever CUFLA Baggataway Cup trophy against the Western Mustangs last Sunday. McGill won 15-11 in an offensive shootout and finished the season with a perfect 15-0 record. Anders performance represented McGill’s offence at its clinical best—they held out any notion of a Western comeback with their excellent shooting.
By the numbers
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(Photos courtesy of McGill Athletics)
SSMU Council passes motion of support for Fall reading week
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On Nov. 5, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its fourth Council meeting of the year, with discussion on a proposed Fall reading week, SSMU representation at the provincial level, and reforming the executive positions within SSMU.
Fall reading week
The proposed Fall reading week was debated at council. According to Arts Senator Erin Sobat, the proposal received a large amount of positive feedback from students.
”[This project] was proposed to the university, [and when] Enrolment Services did a survey of students in April, it got over 5000 responses,” said Sobat. “[This indicated…] that students were in favour of some sort of Fall reading break, and […] that, given some of the tradeoffs that would have to happen in terms of the academic calendar, the preferred model was to add two days to the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday weekend to give the five day break”
Vice-President (VP) University Affairs Chloe Rourke noted that there has been some stagnation at the faculty level.
“There’s been a little bit of pushback from faculty members.” Rourke said. “Mostly […] some administrative concerns that we think can be resolved. Just some aversion to change, a little bit of concern over whether or not this is helpful for students, whether or not a majority of students were in favour of this.”
The motion of support for the proposed reading week passed with a majority.
New student federations
VP External Affairs, Emily Boytinck, presented her work on joining two proposed provincial student federations: The Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ), and the Union Étudiant du Québec (UÉQ). She began with an overview of the history of SSMU’s involvement in creating the new, Quebec-wide student bodies following their disaffiliation from the Fédération Étudiante Universitaire du Quebec (FÉUQ) last spring.
“Spring was a time of really really great flux and change for the student movement because FÉUQ, which was […] the major university federation, actually collapsed in on itself,” Boytinck said. “So that left around 20 student unions disaffiliated from any association. This […] April, we actually all met at SSMU and it was apparent at that meeting that there were two sort of different visions for how the student movement will go forward, and that is where UÉQ and the AVEQ formed and started on their separate paths.”
SSMU has not yet officially affiliated with either of the student federations.
“We did not give any money to any association,” said Boytinck.
According to Boytinck’s presentation, joining AVEQ would require levying a fee of $3.50 per student per semester, while joining UÉQ would require $4.50 per student per semester.
Structure of SSMU
The meeting also drew discussion on a potential restructuring of SSMU executive positions aimed at decreasing stress. As SSMU President Kareem Ibrahim stated, changes to portfolios have led to a problematic structure.
“Over the past decade, SSMU has seen enormous growth,” Ibrahim said. "Just the executives alone, there have been [positions] added, additions to our portfolios. Our roles have extended from not only political roles […] but also managerial roles; it’s made it to be quite unsustainable.”
Ibrahim brought forth a solution to alleviate some of the pressures associated with SSMU executive workloads.
“Something that we are proposing […] is the addition of a seventh executive,” Ibrahim said. “This year especially, the issue behind the workloads of each executive are amplified due to the resignation of our general manager, [and] the absence of our daycare director. In our contract it stipulates that we work 70-hour work weeks. It can often be 80.”
AUS Council approves referendum question on new VP Finance selection process
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On Nov. 4, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council held their bimonthly meeting, during which they approved questions for the Fall referendum and voted to support a proposed Fall reading week.
Referendum Questions
AUS Councillors were presented with three options for a referendum question pertaining to changes in the Vice-President (VP) Finance application procedure. A straw poll was held to determine which option would be presented to AUS members in the general vote. The options included a selection committee to screen candidates before they could run in a general election, a similar screening process with AUS Council making the decision of who was eligible to run, and hiring an outside bookkeeper to track expenses. The first option, a selection committee to screen candidates, was approved for referendum.
“Basically the idea here that we're trying to accomplish is to make sure that future [VPs Finance…] meet some sort of criteria,” AUS President Jacob Greenspon said. “Whether or not they meet that criteria will be determined by a two thirds vote of the screening committee [….] So what we’ve done in this [question] is actually allowed for the ability for council to have a say in what criteria […] they have to meet to be able to [run] in the general election and the membership of the committee as well.”
Council also approved a referendum question to amend the description of the Arts representatives to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) position via referendum. If passed during the general vote, changes would be made to the constitutional outline of representatives’ responsibilities.
The changes would include Arts representatives in the executive council as non-voting members, increasing their contact and cooperation with AUS executives .It will also call for representatives to sit on more committees. The motion was first presented because current representatives felt the description of their position in the AUS Constitution did not properly reflect their actual duties.
“We came up with this recently [because] after being in this position for a few months, we noticed that in the constitution we are supposed to take a much more passive role rather than an active role, and we felt that certain [changes] needed to be made,” Arts Representative Lexi Michaud explained.
Also approved for referendum were questions regarding a renewal to the Arts Undergraduate Theater Society fee—a student group that stages a major theatrical production every year and the Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund fee, which provides Arts-focued improvements to campus such as the Arts Lounge. A question regarding a change in the dates of the AUS fiscal year from June 1 through May 31 to May 1 through April 31 to better align with annual AUS activity and McGill’s fiscal calendar was also approved for the referendum.
Support of Fall reading week
Council was presented with a motion to endorse the creation of a Fall reading week, an idea that was first presented by student senators to the student body in a survey during the 2014-2015 school year, with the intention of reducing stress levels among students. While a proposal based on the survey results was first presented to the McGill Enrolment and Student Affairs Advisory Committee this Fall, there has been little progress towards implementing the change, which was projected to take effect by the 2017-2018 school year.
“What we're seeing right now is some pushback from faculty members who I think are having a little bit of trouble I think conceptualizing [ the break…] and there are some things that we need to work out which I think are minor,” Arts Senator Erin Sobat said. “Right now, we're just looking for a little further endorsement from students to help push this along.”
The motion to endorse was approved by Council.
Basketball: McGill Martlets pull away in fourth quarter during tight match against Laval
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Following a silver-medal finish at the CIS Championships last February, the goal for the McGill Martlet basketball team (1-0) was clear: Win the first National Championship in the program’s history. During their season opener on Friday night against the Laval Rouge et Or (0-1), the team seemed inconsistent. Playing a tight game throughout, the Martlets only managed to pull away in the fourth quarter, winning 69-60.
“[It was] our size inside, and that’s what we did, we banged it inside, got some opportunities, and then kicked out,” Head Coach Ryan Thorne said of the team’s success in the fourth quarter. “Our size allows us to make [the defence] collapse, and when they collapse, we just got to be ready to knock down shots, and we did.”
It was a slow start for the Martlets, who were able to take an early 21-17 advantage in the first quarter, but then lost their lead after a series of turnovers on poor entry passes in the second. Despite their sloppy play on offence, the Martlets were able to keep the score separated by one to two points throughout the second due to a stingy defence.
“We can be a little more aggressive,” Thorne said. “Today the overall set-up for Laval, [because] they’re all small, [was to] be a little more controlled rather than being aggressive.”
Junior centre Alex Kiss-Rusk was the ‘it factor’ throughout the second and third quarter, registering six blocks and scoring all 10 of her points. Kiss-Rusk, who previously played in the NCAA at Virginia Tech, is the tallest player on the team at 6’4.”
“It’s very rare to have someone of Alex’s height and ability here in Quebec,” Thorne said. “Usually they’re in the NCAA, so definitely we want to take advantage of that.”
Kiss-Rusk was automatic on the night, making 83 per cent of her shots and scoring 10 points for her team. She has shown considerable improvement in her three years with the Martlets.
“[Kiss-Rusk has been] getting more confident, a little more aggressive,” Thorne explained. “She knows she’s one of the biggest girls in the conference, so a lot of [things] are going to go through her […]I’ve definitely seen some improvement there.”
Kiss-Rusk, senior point guard Dianna Ros, and senior forward Mariam Sylla combined for 40 of McGill’s 69 points. Sylla finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds, dominating throughout the game. For Laval, senior guard Gabrielle Girard carried the team, putting up 29 of their 60 points.
“[Girard] spent the summer really working on her game,” Thorne said. “She has improved. She’s playing at an All-Canadian level [….] For us [we] can live with one person going off and controlling the rest [of the team] as opposed to everyone doing a great job.”
McGill will head to Lennoxville to square off against the Bishop’s Gaiters (0-0) next Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. as they continue their quest for post-season glory.
Quotable
“I thought that was a great opportunity for us just to bond. I thought the ladies, especially the freshmen, got to know each other and I thought we got to play some great competition early in the season, which was awesome.” —Thorne on the team’s pre-season experience in Greece.
Moment of the game
The Martlets went on an eight-point run over two minutes early in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Rouge et Or
Stat corner
McGill’s bench had 21 more points that Laval’s.
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Rugby: McGill cruise to 15th straight RSEQ finals
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The McGill Redmen (7-0-1) routed the ETS Piranhas (2-6-0) 50-0 in the RSEQ semifinals at Molson Stadium on Friday, despite having three Redmen leave the field injured and entering plays one man down due to yellow cards.
The victory marks the 15th straight time McGill has reached the final of the RSEQ Championship, and the team was in a celebratory mood after the match. Five Redmen received awards after the game. Fly-half Augustus Hill, senior second row Tommie Larochelle, junior second row Bernard Kaminski, and senior flanker Rhys McRae-McKee were named RSEQ All-Stars, while number eight Sebastien Boyer was named Rookie-of-the-Year. Head Coach Ian Baillie was also awarded with the Coach-of-the-Year plaque.
“Ask him if he wants me to sign his Coach-of-the-Year award!” joked Assistant Coach Matt Garston during Baillie’s post-game interview.
McGill’s hard running was on display all game. Senior centre Thomas Stokes recorded four tries and opened McGill’s scoring in the third minute. He swiftly followed with a second try just seven minutes later, and scored his third at the end of the first half. McGill entered the break leading 22-0.
“We have a couple of guys who can really take the line, and you saw that today,” Baillie said, “We had a number of line breaks.”
McGill’s passing was something to behold, moving the ball down the line with a frictionless ease. Hooker Mitchell Cuillerier was excellent in attack, anchoring many of the dummy switches McGill employed to keep the ETS defence off-balance.
The best of McGill offence, however, was on display in the 52nd minute—at the 50-metre line, Hill broke a tackle with a dummy pass, and then effortlessly off-loaded the ball to the rampant Stokes who scored in the corner.
McGill, who had to contend with two yellow cards, tackled in a disciplined and relentless fashion. McRae-McKee was particularly active against a pesky ETS rucking side.
“Defensively, we were very strong,” Baillie said. “We gave them a couple of penalties at the breakdown […] but we were very strong in the tackle, and we turned them over quite a bit.”
Worryingly, Hill was injured by a late tackle in the 65th minute. He was helped off the field, and his status for the Finals is presently uncertain.
“We will have to wait and see,” Baillie said. “He took a pretty good knock. So we’ll get him looked at, follow all the protocols obviously.”
McGill will face the Montreal Carabins next week in the RSEQ Finals. McGill beat Montreal on a last-second play in their previous matchup, but the Redmen are favorites in the upcoming game.
“[Montreal is a] class side—on their day they can take it to anyone,” Baillie said. “The league is getting more and more parity [.…] It will be a tough game.
Quotable
“We have a very good back three and we’ll kick counter with anyone. I think we will tend to win [a kicking battle] just because we have very good rugby players from a kicking perspective.” –Baillie on McGill’s response to opposition tactics that attempt to pin the Redmen back with the kicking game.
Moment of the game
In the 47th minute, McRae-McKee froze his defender at the McGill 30-metre line with an audacious spin move. He then proceeded to drag four defenders 15 yards before being brought down.
Stat corner
McGill have now outscored opponents 197 to 43 when playing at home.
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One week on: The Impact of WUSC’s mock refugee camp controversy
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Controversy stirred last week after the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) announced an event called, “Mock Refugee Camp on Campus.” While similar events have been held at other Canadian universities, some members of the McGill community saw the event as an insensitive way to portray and trivialize a very complex and serious issue. In response to this criticism, as well as the creation of a Facebook group to protest the event (since taken down), the WUSC renamed and restructured the event into an info session.
Social media was the forum for the debate, but the online discussion led to tangible change in the nature of the event. Despite the controversy, WUSC’s handling of the criticism ultimately helped them to accomplish their goal of increasing student awareness about forced migrations and refugees. But the discussion cannot remain limited to the event itself; the final compromise of the event must be taken as an opportunity for students and organizers alike to be self-critical of the presentation of future events around sensitive issues.
WUSC initially decided to use tents to capture people’s attention as well as to create an interactive space that would allow students to better engage with the experience of refugees in refugee camps. While it may not have been what the organizers intended, the extensive debate generated a lot of interest for both the event itself as well as the refugee crisis as a whole. Active participation in the dialogue about how to best present the humanitarian crisis engaged students in ways that the event itself could not have achieved; in previous awareness events hosted by WUSC, only a handful of students attended. Whether they were furious at the WUSC or stood in support of them, McGill students were at least made aware of the event. It must be taken as the starting point to find more places to engage students in the issue of refugees and ways that the McGill community can support international crises.
The discussion helped develop an understanding of the role of emotional responses behind political and social issues. The result was a productive adaptation of the event that accommodated the concerns of students without compromising the purpose of the event, which was to make information about the refugee crisis accessible. Many of the executives of WUSC and the students that initially raised their concerns about the event are refugees, or children of refugees themselves. One student who was against the mock tent expressed that the event commoditized refugee people’s experiences, and mentioned that the event could trigger traumatic memories. Some WUSC executives are refugees themselves, and contended that such an event would be productive to bridging McGill students to their experience as refugees.This helps paint the emotional complexity of the issue; these individuals have each gone through unique experiences involving forced migration, which has affected their emotional response to the issue in varying ways. Rather than marring the event, such differences were recognized and taken into consideration.
Ultimately, WUSC addressed the problems people expressed with the event and changed it accordingly by choosing not to use tents, as expressed in their statement on the matter. This lends a lot of credibility to the group and makes it easier for people to understand their purpose and goals. More importantly, it is a step towards building a positive and open relationship with the student body, particularly the people who stepped forward with their concerns. Going forward, WUSC must tap into the interest garnered by the controversy in order to continue the conversation about refugees on campus.
Lacrosse: Redmen overcome tenacious Badgers to make fourth straight CUFLA finals
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The McGill Redmen (14-0-0) overcame a late rally by the Brock Badgers (11-4-0) to win the CUFLA Baggataway Cup semifinals 7-5 on Saturday evening.
McGill raced to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter, with goals coming from senior midfielder Anders Bjella, junior midfielder Emile Sassone-Lawless and senior attackman Jake Gutman. McGill would continue with a dominating scoreboard lead until the fourth quarter—they entered the fourth leading 6-2.
“We were really proud of how our offence played today,” Head Coach Tim Murdoch said. “We were able to use multiple players in the same position [….] We are not always counting on the same players to win the game for us. That is one of the hallmarks of our game this year—lots of depth.”
McGill, however, did not replicate their offensive proficiency in the second half.
“We really struggled with our shooting in the second half,” Murdoch said. “Our players were not shooting where we told them to shoot and consequently their goalie was making a couple of saves.”
Brock made a late surge in the fourth quarter, scoring three goals in quick succession. McGill’s standout goalkeeper William Waesche was very active and pulled out some stunning saves to help maintain McGill’s lead.
“Luckily for us our goalie had an outstanding game,” Murdoch explained. “He made some outstanding stops at the end of the game to preserve the win for us.”
Murdoch was impressed by Brock’s tenacity.
“This is a very talented Brock team […] this will be a very dangerous team in the future,” Murdoch said, “But I just think that our maturity and our poise and preparedness paid off. We took a nice lead […] and they fought back well gave us a bit of a scare [at the end].”
Despite the victory, there will be no celebrating tonight for McGill.
“Our goal is to win the national championship, not the national semifinals,” Murdoch said. “We are looking forward to playing Western in the National Championship.”
The Redmen take on the Western Mustangs at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7 in a rematch of the 2012 CUFLA National Championship. In that game, McGill emerged victorious in overtime to lift its first ever Baggataway Cup. Some Redmen such as Bjella and Gutman, who were freshmen on that championship winning team, will be looking to bring back some of that magic.