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a, Martlets, Sports

The week that was for McGill Athletics: March 10

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BY THE NUMBERS

4

Number of years in a row the Martlet basketball team has captured the RSEQ Championship.  

 

 

 

18

Points recorded by junior centre Melodie Daoust over the nine games she has played for the Martlet hockey team.  

 

 

 

283

Saves made by the Redmen hockey team’s starting goalkeeper Jacob Gervais-Chouinard over the team’s playoff run.  

 

 

 

Tribune Athletes of the Week

Jenning Leung

Basketball, Guard
Sophomore – Arts

It was a tough week for Leung and the rest of the Redmen basketball team after they bowed out of national title contention with a loss to Bishop’s in the RSEQ Championship game. Though it is likely a small consolation, Leung was impressive in both of McGill’s games this week, notching 10 points and a couple of steals against Concordia in the RSEQ Semifinals and 15 points, six assists, and four steals in the finals. The sophomore point guard will continue on next season as the team’s likely starter, after stealing the job from the graduating Ave Bross. If these performances are any kind of preview, the Redmen have good reason to be confident in their floor general going into next year. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mariam Sylla

Basketball, Forward
Junior – Science

Sylla gave the Martlets a top-tier performance when it was most needed this past week, leading McGill to its fourth consecutive RSEQ Championship. The Conakry, Guinea native collected double-doubles in both the semifinal game and championship, including a season-high 25 points in the latter. On the week, Sylla averaged 23.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, all while shooting 61.2 per cent from the field and 81.8 per cent at the line. Her most important points came at the end of the championship game, as Sylla drained the game-winning basket with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Sylla was named game MVP of the finals, and after such an impressive season, should end up a CIS All-Canadian for the second consecutive year.

 

 

 

 

 

Beyond the box score

Redmen Hockey

After dominating the OUA East division to the tune of a 21-5 regular season record, the Redmen hockey team came within 61 seconds of punching their ticket to the CIS tournament. Down 1-0 with under two minutes left, the Windsor Lancers pulled goalie Peter Van Buskirk in a last-ditch effort to salvage their season. Mere seconds later, third-year Lancers forward Ryan Green deflected a shot from teammate Julian Luciani to send the game to overtime. McGill had held an edge in shots all game up to that point, and it looked like star goaltender Jacob Gervais-Chouinard had his second playoff shutout in the bag, but the wild goal proved too devastating to overcome for the Redmen, as Green would score the game-winner just five minutes into the extra period to claim the OUA men’s hockey bronze for Windsor.  

Fourth-year centre Guillaume Langelier-Parent put McGill up early in the third period on a pass from winger Neal Prokop, but that was all the offence the Redmen managed to muster. There were no heroics from superstar defenceman Samuel Labrecque, no big-time shots from junior winger Jonathan Brunelle, and no sight of McGill’s lethal power play unit, which was held scoreless on two overtime opportunities.  

After a miraculous playoff run that featured overtime victories, record-breaking performances, and astonishing individual efforts, this squad can be confident that it gave its best effort, and should be back with renewed energy and determination next season. Though the team expects to lose seven seniors to graduation, including Cedric McNicoll, Neal Prokop, Guillaume Langelier-Parent, Marc-Olivier Vachon and, Benoit Levesque, they will be strengthened by a host of core players returning.  

(Photos courtesy of McGill Athletics)

a, Campus Spotlight, Student Life

Campus Spotlight: ASB

by Tiffany Le on

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The “McGill bubble” often makes it difficult to explore the Montreal community. In response, the university started an Alternate Spring Break (ASB) initiative that aims to expand students’ horizons beyond the McGill campus. For students invested in social justice, ASB took place over reading week and offered the opportunity to discover local groups and organizations that play  major philanthropic roles in the city. It involved four days of volunteering and a fifth day to provide a recap of the experience. The events span four different fields with 11 organizations around Montreal.

“A lot of other universities have ASB programs–it is something that is starting to be offered a lot by universities as a complement to classroom learning,” explained Jean Murray, community event organizer for the Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office. “There’s a lot that [students] can get out of service learning that they can’t get out of classes.”

Students were able to choose from categories that include health and wellness, food security, youth and education, and anti-poverty. The organizations dealing with each sector are all specialized, with work ranging from enhancing the quality of life among individuals living with HIV and AIDS, to workshops creating better awareness of and more access to healthy food. 

These organizations all play a big role in the Montreal community. Some participating organizations include Santropol Roulant—a Meals-on-Wheels service—to the St. James Drop-In Centre, which offers a safe and supportive environment for the marginalized or homeless.

“At the SEDE office, we’re not working with big international organizations,” Murray said. “We’re really trying to look in places that are for the community by the community. In doing so, students get to see a part of the Montreal community and engage with people who are in the city with them rather than far away.”

Each organization has its own activities planned for the week. Before registering, students can pick and choose between what the different work entails and are able to plan their weeks accordingly. Each day involves four hours of volunteering with many learning opportunities. Many of the programs develop new and valuable skills, from vermicomposting and fertilization to creating resource kits for children’s books. They also demand a variety of different skills. For instance, many of the organizations need help with maintenance jobs, while others are looking for help with food preparation and serving. Some of the more specialized work includes helping with language course registrations at a learning centre and creating a mural using book covers.

ASB is planned by the combined efforts of the SEDE office, Student Services’ Campus Life & Engagement office, and McGill’s School of Continuing Studies’ Personal and Cultural Enrichment (PACE) program. SEDE’s main focus is on fostering a better understanding among varying cultures and communities through education. They hope to develop a more respectful, diverse, and supportive campus. Similarly, PACE offers workshops throughout the year on different topics with the goal of fostering better personal development to lead to a more successful community.

“This is a partnership; we wanted the students to get a lot in terms of learning but we wanted the organizations to be getting a lot out of it as well,” Murray said. “Ideally, these partnerships that we have with these organizations [are] not a one-time thing. We try and stay involved with these organizations and have them participate in other events, such as Community Engagement Day. It’s a similar idea to ASB, but it happens [on] one day in October.”

The ASB program can also be taken as a one-credit Winter semester course, called CPAC 102: Topics in Volunteerism and Community Development. The course is offered through PACE and also includes readings and seven hours of lecture on top of the volunteer work.

 

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Deep Cuts: Songs called “Shine a Light”

by Matt Bobkin on

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“Shine a Light”

Artist: The Rolling Stones

Album: Exile on Main St.

Released: May 12, 1972

Though the Rolling Stones’ 1972 double album Exile on Main St. is now considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time, its penultimate track, “Shine a Light,” with its groovy, honky-tonk chorus that is nothing but uplifting, is a step above. Filled with sweet guitar riffs and a relentlessly jammy piano hook, “Shine a Light” is a hootenanny of a track, with beautiful daubs of gospel licks stuffed in there for good measure—without ever feeling bloated. Four minutes of shifting, soulful classic rock, this quintessential Stones cut is a slice of bliss from start to finish.

“Shine a Light”

Artist: Madonna

Album: Shine a Light EP

Year: 1980

The deepest cut of them all comes from the Queen of Pop, the almighty Madge herself—but from 1980, a few years before she became the Material Girl that we all know and love. Though it’s not quite the dance pop Madonna is known for, it still features her airy yet commanding voice, with hints of her future pop dominance, but this time on top of a buoyant bass line and shuffling drums. At a scant 101 seconds, this tune is gone too soon—as was Madonna’s embrace of this sound. Nonetheless, it makes a great impact during its brief runtime.

“Shine a Light”

Artist: Constantines

Album: Shine a Light

Released: August 19, 2003

One of the hits by Guelph, Ontario rockers, Constantines, “Shine a Light,” features irregular time signatures in verses that give way to a heavy chorus. Though not a bleak tune, it’s not a particularly uplifting one either, working to keep the listener on edge: Clean guitar noodling is juxtaposed with a heavy, walking bassline and eerie synths. Compounded with Bry Webb’s raspy, howling vocals, the track plays with mood before jolting to life for a gritty, guitar-driven rock climax. It’s fun, unsettling, and definitely not your standard rock tune, taking calculated breaks and bridges to maximize the impact of the song’s climaxes.

“Shine a Light”

Artist: Wolf Parade

Album: Apologies to the Queen Mary

Released: September 27, 2005

Coming off the heels of labelmates Constantines’ smash album/single of the same name, Montreal art-rockers Wolf Parade’s take on the phrase is a little happier in comparison. Built around a chugging chord progression, this lighthearted, stompy rocker features guitarist Dan Boeckner—now of Divine Fits and synth-rockers Operators—on the mic for some jagged, breathy vocals. With some jangly guitars in the background, Wolf Parade’s track is fun, synthy indie rock at its best, including a great, riff-filled climax to round things out. Though Wolf Parade is no longer active, its “Shine a Light” is just one of many great tunes to come out of the Montreal group—and a reminder of the sharp rock they crafted during their time together.

a, McGill, Montreal, News

Vigil for slain Egyptians held on McGill campus

by Laura Hanrahan on

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On Feb. 25, members of the Montreal community gathered at a vigil held on campus to pay their respects to the 21 Egyptian victims killed in Libya. 

A video released by Libyan Islamic State extremists on Feb. 15 showed the alleged execution of 21 captured members of Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority.

Participants of the vigil stood outside the Redpath Museum, holding candles and signs commemorating the lives of the Egyptian victims. 

The vigil was organized by U1 McGill Arts student Gabrielle Anctil and Concordia student Antonious Petro, who said they hoped to bring attention to issues of violence that result from intolerance.

“This vigil wanted to serve as a reminder that, yes, in 2015, it is still possible to die because of your culture, religion, [or] ethnicity,” Anctil said. 

Vigil attendee Kelly Schwab,  a McGill alumni and current Concordia Masters student, stated that the event was moving and brought together members of the Montreal community.

“I think it turned out to be a beautiful event,” she said. “It was quite cold […] but it brought together quite a mix of the community—francophones, anglophones, Concordia, McGill, students, non-students. I think it was a very simple, very lovely statement about non-hate, expressed in a solemn walk to the steps of Redpath, and a brief trilingual speech on the loss of individuals to discrimination, hate, and violence. “

Petro and Anctil stated that they hoped that the vigil would serve as a platform for the Montreal community to be able to gather and contribute proactively to awareness of such issues.

“I think a lot of people feel powerless about these issues, and I think that it is very positive that we got together and showed our support,” Anctil said. “A lot of passerbys stopped and read our signs, so hopefully they felt touched by our message.”

According to Anctil, the vigil was also spurred by Petro’s personal connection to the victims. 

“[The idea for the vigil] came from [Petro] who grew up in the village where these people were from,” Anctil said. 

Schwab underscored the necessity of remembering the stories of people who were killed in Libya.

“The issue is important to me on a basic human level—I condemn the use of violence in all forms,” Schwab said. “In organizing this event, it was important not to focus on the action as one taken against the Coptic community specifically, but against individual lives—that these people were deserving of life, trying to make a better living than what was available to them in their own countries.” 

Schwab also highlighted that the vigil was a reminder of how injustice affects the lives of people around the world. 

“Its important for us to be aware of how others exist and live their daily lives,” she said. “The fact that […] these men had to go abroad to find work because of systemic failings in their own countries is traumatic in itself [….] The vigil for me was an active reminder to incorporate these thoughts into my life here in Montreal.”

a, Sports

From the cheap seats: UFC open day

by Zikomo Smith on

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Ifind it strange being in a room with multiple people who can easily beat me up. Especially when some of those people are only 5’3.”

And that is the position I was in for two hours at the Bell Centre on Feb. 25 for the UFC 186 open media session. I got my press pass at the door, got a coffee and sandwich at the complementary buffet, and entered the surreal world of the most popular organization of mixed martial arts (MMA). I was immediately struck by how accessible and willing to talk the athletes were. They all exuded a mixture of humility and confidence. They gave refreshingly candid opinions as opposed to the recycled platitudes we hear in so many mainstream sports.

They did not shy away from difficult questions about UFC legend Anderson Silva’s positive steroids test and doping in MMA. Everyone questioned agreed that steroids should be banned and drug cheats should be punished. However, some of the fighters were more empathetic towards steroid users than others. That side was represented by Demetrius “DJ” Johnson (the five-footer who could beat me up), who said that he believes that steroids do not totally invalidate a fighter’s achievements.

“Anderson Silva did some amazing things in the octogon whether he was on [performance enhancing drugs] or not,” Johnson said. “He still has to train. Yes he did cheat, but he still has to put the work in the gym […] and go into the octagon and knock this person out.”

Despite the sympathy, Johnson was adamant that he did not believe in steroid use, and that he was not tempted to use it. On the other side, TJ Dillashaw–defending UFC Bantamweight champion–was far more emphatic about steroids as cheating and a blight on the industry. 

Johnson also did not baulk at criticizing the exuberant and visionary UFC commissioner Dana White for allowing WWE wrestler CM Punk to join the company without a substantial background in MMA. 

“Next time I see [White] I am going to ask him, ‘How are you going to sign CM Punk to the best MMA organization,’” Dillashaw said. “I would not sign him. I would pay top dollar to get the best talent over someone like CM Punk […] who has never had one amateur fight or spar.”

With regards to UFC in Canada, Montreal veteran fighter Patrick Cote, who will face Joe Riggs at UFC 186, believed better grassroots development was needed to continue producing quality Canadian fighters.

“We have a lot of young fighters and prospects [who] want to fight but there is [no] serious organization to develop those young guys,” Cote explained.

Ever since MMA was legalized across Canada in 2010, the sport has blossomed. Canada has hosted the most UFC events outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The first UFC event in Toronto sold  out with 55,000 tickets. This has been aided by the presence of the wildly popular superstar Georges St. Pierre, who would probably be elected as Premier of Quebec if he ran. Quebecers, and Canadians at large, have taken to UFC at an alarming rate.

“First and foremost, Canadians are sport fans […] so I think that we are a great sports nation and this is a great sport,” Head of UFC Canada Tom Wright explained. “Second is that we are as multicultural a country as you would find anywhere on the planet and […] our sport is as multicultural as any.”

Despite its status as a second-tier sport in Canada behind the usual suspects such as hockey, basketball, and football, MMA is truly awe-inspiring. Its athletes are probably in the best shape of any athletes on the planet–all muscle, coiled power, and fluid limbs. 

The open media day made the UFC seem very egalitarian. The athletes unabashadly shared their opinions. Wright seemed to connect personally with the fighters. This is an organization that seems to want to make the paying public a part of their world. I was sold. I got a star-struck photo with Cote. I even managed to make it through the session without taking a beating.

UFC 186 takes place on April 25  at the Bell Centre.

a, News, PGSS

Yony Bresler elected as PGSS interim secretary-general

by Shrinkhala Dawadi on

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On Feb. 24, Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) of McGill University Chief Returning Officer (CRO) Colby Briggs announced that Yony Bresler had been elected as the PGSS interim secretary-general. Bresler, who assumed the role on Mar. 2, won with 55 per cent of the vote. Fellow candidate Saturnin Ndandala acquired 15.5 per cent of the vote. 29 per cent of voters voted ‘no opinion’ in the election,  with 974 students voting in total.

Bresler spoke about his goals moving forward, highlighting the need to improve transparency and his dedication to anti-austerity measures in response to budget cuts passed by the Quebec government last year.

“My goals are to work with the current team to help them achieve their goals in their respective portfolios […] taking steps to increase the transparency between the various governing bodies of PGSS and […] the members at large, and to represent graduate student interests broadly—in particular in relation to the planned austerity measures,” he said.

Bresler continued to explain that PGSS would be overseeing a working group against austerity, which was created in the organization’s joint council with the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) on Feb. 23. The group aims to mobilize the McGill community against austerity measures. 

According to Briggs, a contestation—a formal procedure which constests the validity the electoral results—was presented against one of the candidates during the contestation period, which ran from Feb. 25 to March 1. Briggs stated, however, the contestation would not likely affect Bresler’s win. 

“The current open contestation concerns the claimed background and experiences of one or both of the candidates,” Briggs said. “This being said, I highly doubt any changes will come to affect the results of the election.”

a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: Skrillex and Diplo – Jack Ü

by Alexander Bullis on

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Collaborations between established artists have given us some of the most interesting and enjoyable music of the last decade. The combination of the visions of two musicians often leads to the creation of a new and distinct sound that would otherwise have been unachievable for either independently.

Diplo and Skrillex’s new collaboration, Jack Ü, is not one of those cases.

There are no surprises hidden anywhere in the brief 35-minute album—it is precisely what you would expect from the two artists working together. All of the essence of Diplo’s eclectic percussion shines through and is punctuated by stereotypical Skrillex drops and basslines Rarely do the two mesh in any kind of interesting way. 

The incorporation of various featured artists is what gives the most memorable tracks their quality, rather than any kind of unique production. Self-aware and entertaining raps from 2 Chainz hold the percussive and bass-heavy track “Febreze” together. Unfortunately, while adding 2 Chainz helped in that instance, there are numerous other cases where it was clear that the featured musicians were there only to draw media attention to the album and not to provide any valuable contribution. 

Jack Ü is not a bad album by any means, but it’s unfortunately not a particularly good one either.  It’s often catchy and fun, and a few of the beats are infectious enough to get even the most reserved club-goer moving. It just doesn’t manage to deliver anything more substantial than that.

a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: Bad Bad Not Good – Sour Soul

by Eric Noble-Marks on

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Since BADBADNOTGOOD (BBNG)’s discovery by Tyler the Creator in 2011, their rise has been nothing short of meteoric, and they now find themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with Ghostface Killah, who collaborated on their recent release. However, on Sour Soul, BBNG sounds anything but starstruck. On this album, their signature brand of high voltage jazz/hip hop is fused with elements of noir and Morricone-esque spaghetti western. Wisely, they tone down some of their more erratic elements to make room for Ghostface’s trademark punishing lyrical delivery.

As for Ghost himself, his typical style meshes nearly perfectly with BBNG’s rumbling background work. Even if Ghostface Killah’s rapping is a tad predictable, the album’s guest features more than make up for it. Danny Brown is pure fire on “Six Degrees,” boasting his usual idiosyncratic timbre that inspires either acclaim or disdain, depending on who you ask. When he claims to “eat a rapper like butternut squash,” I’m inclined to agree.

 

On “Ray Gun,” another standout of the album, BBNG provide a sort of drugged-out Family Stone impression, while Ghost and underground king MF DOOM trade lyrical blows. It’s funky, psychedelic, almost giddy fun—especially when the song pulls a 180 halfway through and transitions to a booming BBNG outro. In fact, the entire album feels laid back—a welcome relief in an era of hip hop in which every track is meticulously put together by an army of producers and emcees.

Is Sour Soul a perfect album? Unfortunately not. It doesn’t feature a lot of variation in lyrics, flow, or production. At times, Ghost can sound stale—albeit not as often as other critics would have you believe. In the end, none of this matters all that much. BBNG are as on point as they’ve ever been.

 
 
 
 
 
 
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review : AWOLNATION – RUN

by Morgan Alexander on

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Despite forming in 2009, electronic rock group AWOLNATION had been a silent murmur in the EDM-rock crossover world until the massively successful “Sail” was re-released on its debut album Megalithic Symphony (2011). Now AWOLNATION is releasing its second full album, RUN, amid quiet fanfare and undoubtedly high hopes that another song will push the band from one-hit wonder to electro-rock staple.

RUN is the definition of an artistic identity crisis. The album starts strong in its eponymous opener, with electric violins leading into an eerie voice over claiming “I am a human being/ capable of doing terrible things.” The build to the song is slow and steady, but when the bass drops it drops hard into an unexpected electro-metal bridge. 

The following song, “Fat Face,” takes the established sound of the opener and erases it. It implements a mellow-dramatic choral background under such banal lyrics as “I walk to the rhythm/ To the rhythm of your heart.”

The musical confusion continues with the ’80s-esque “Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)”—which, admittedly, is one of the best tracks on the album—to the acoustic serenade “Headrest for My Soul” to “Like People, Like Plastic,” which was oddly reminiscent of a climactic number in a rock opera.

 

RUN is not a bad album. The songs, however confusingly disjointed, are overall well-produced and pleasantly unique in their sound. AWOLNATION’s biggest failure is in turning what could have been two excellent EPs into one average album. That being said, if you’re looking for a solid electronic rock album, you could do much worse than RUN.

 
 
 
 
 
 
a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Peer Review: Practical Procrastination

by Sophie Jewett on

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Recent McGill graduate and entrepreneur Thomas Brag had wanted to start a YouTube channel for a long time—ever since he discovered the class “Marketing and Society,” taught by Just for Laughs founder Andy Nullman. The class teaches you how to properly start a YouTube channel; however, even with the benefit of quality academic preparation, taking the leap into the world of YouTube takes courage. 

“It was so scary making the first —it was terrifying,” Brag admitted. “So [the class] was a good excuse to actually do it.”

At first, Brag had considered the content. 

“I hadn’t thought about how I wanted to release it, how to market it, the analytics, the thumbnail, the title, etc.” Brag said. But the class taught him how to navigate the intricacies of YouTube. 

“For example, the thumbnails have to be consistent with a chosen style,” Brag explained. “And it can’t be misleading [because] YouTube’s algorithm is based on how long people watch the video, so if you click away after a few seconds the algorithm assumes it was not something you wanted to watch and the video will end up a lot further down the list.” 

After the class ended, Brag continued to make videos, and his channel, “Practical Procrastination,” is now a growing platform. It offers life hacks to college students through comedic skits of absurd situations that are surprisingly relatable and typical of life in your twenties.

“I wanted to combine practical advice with comedy,” Brag said. “And I’m experimenting every episode and trying to change it up a little bit, basically trying to get as much feedback as possible to find what styles and themes people enjoy watching.”

As Brag noted, YouTube is more than cat videos, and a channel can be run almost like a business, which demands some real marketing skills. 

“Some YouTubers are able to make a lot of money, fund other projects, [and] even employ people to help them,“ Brag explained. “I really just see it as a way to build a community for people who enjoy laughing [….] and it’s also just a lot of fun to make them. Every week, I cast my friends and we all just have fun with it.” 

Brag has received a lot of support from his friends. 

“I had friends who were into acting already,” he said. “My roommate, Nicholas Lepage, had been in plays at McGill every single semester.” 

Lepage also indirectly inspired Brag to take that leap and start posting content. 

“Seeing him on stage made me realize that it might not be so scary and it kind of pushed me to go for it,” Brag explained.  

A lot of work goes into making YouTube videos—approximately two days of scriptwriting, two days of filming, and between eight and twelve hours of editing—so Brag appreciates the help from his friends. 

“Nick has become absolutely necessary,” he said. “I do most of the work since he is still in school, but he has become pretty essential for brainstorming, for scripting, and for the improvisation he does on set. He always changes the script into what he thinks will be funny and I really trust his opinion.”

Taking the leap into the world of YouTube has paid off for Brag so far—he has even been recognized a few times around campus. 

“When I was at Gerts last week, a dude came up to me saying he had seen my videos,” Brag shared. “It’s so overwhelmingly flattering, like ‘Holy shit’ you actually watched the video and remember the jokes. It’s just very flattering and it makes me really happy that people enjoy what I’m making.”

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