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a, Behind the Bench, Sports

Fighting depression in sports

by Rebecca Babcock on

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Sports culture dictates a very specific image of what an athlete should be. In the worst cases, this can cause emotional trauma in those who play sports, preventing them from expressing their emotions or asking for help when they feel overwhelmed. Neither fame nor money can protect someone against mental illness, which is why a support system needs to be put in place for these athletes.

The demand for high performance occurs both on and off the field. Athletes lay the blame and responsibility for success—particularly in individual sports—on themselves. Playing a sport is more than just about the game itself. The need to be accepted into a team environment on a social level can be so great that a player may sacrifice his or her own well-being for the benefit of the team. For example, when the Miami Dolphins’ offensive tackle, Jonathan Martin was left racist and abusive messages by teammate Richie Incognito, Martin was deeply affected by the bullying and left the team due to depression. Martin was initially afraid of voicing his unhappiness in fear of retribution from his teammates.

The general nature of professional sports can be another source of depression, as athletes face the inevitability of a short, yet intense sporting career. Athletes train for years in preparation for one particular event, and once that event passes, they may lose their sense of purpose. This same feeling occurs with an early career-ending injury. In both cases, athletes are left unfulfilled after their careers are over. The sport has consumed their entire life for years, leaving a void once they can no longer play. It may take professional help—such as talking to a career counsellor—for athletes to realize they have other options.

While career-ending injuries are oftentimes conspicuous in appearance, there is another type of injury that is more covert but is nonetheless a direct cause of depression: head injuries. NHL players Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, and Wade Belak all committed suicide in 2011. Although the official causes of death were linked to mixing alcohol with painkillers, Rypien and Belak were depressed, and Boogard suffered from severe trauma. Serious blows to the head catalyze a change in the hormonal balance of the brain, which causes depression to occur. Furthermore, addiction to depressants such as painkillers and alcohol—which can be caused by the long-term side effects of concussions—perpetuate the depression. Unfortunately, the pressures to play through injuries, the expectations of coaches and teammates and the overall ‘culture of resistance’ present in sports stopped these players from properly seeking the help that they required.

The pressure to play while injured and to sacrifice one’s body goes beyond the athlete and the team to the spectators of sporting events. Fans love the thrill of a good fight in hockey, or a solid tackle in football; these are the reason that there is an enforcer position in hockey. There is an entertainment value to sports that athletes must try to uphold. However, in doing so, they put their bodies and minds at risk

These same spectators will argue that athletes know what they are getting into when they play a sport. Players do indeed acknowledge the risk of participating, and they get richly compensated for these risks. Yet depression is a consequence of sport, just as shin-splints, broken bones, fame, and fortune can all result from playing. There is a lack of support in the mental stability of players in this high-pressure environment. If the idea of having an on-call physiotherapist is considered necessary in the sporting world due to the amount of injuries, then players should have the same accessibility to a psychiatrist­—because mental health problems are just as common.

 

 

a, Arts & Entertainment

West coast state of mind

by Max Berger on

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Birds, Metals, Stones & Rain contains just the types of poems you might expect from a West-Coast Canadian lyrical poet like Russell Thornton, and then some, which is one of the reasons it manages to avoid clichés and remains engaging throughout.

With Thornton’s Vancouver home as a primary backdrop, his prolific compilation of poems balances familial themes with natural settings and their relation to the urban landscape. Thornton writes in free verse, but many of the poems could be considered lyrics—not the kind that rhyme, but personal meditations governed only by a steady cadence.

The epigraph to the McGill alumnus’s fifth poetry collection opens like this: “Birds, metals, stones, and rain are mother, father, daughter, and son,” After first reading those introductory words, my thoughts were that he was probably making some kind of overarching metaphorical statement about how the parts of the natural world resemble a traditional family structure—but Thornton had more literal ideas.

He alludes here to poems in the anthology that share the connections listed—some uplifting and sentimental, others disturbing. The inspiration for “Playing With Stones” is Thornton’s revered daughter, who has a ritual of collecting the smooth stones outside their apartment when they arrive home. “Blade,” on the other hand, details the painfully tense relationship Thornton shares with his father through a dream in which they face each other, ready to strike with razor-sharp metal blades. These two poems say a lot about their author’s mindset and style: much of his work stems from everyday ruminations about the natural fixtures of Vancouver and the joys of being a father, but he never shies away from bleakness and harsher convictions.

For instance, “Nest of the Swan’s Bones” laments the local industrial and environmental changes that have taken place in Thornton’s lifetime alone: “The wild white swan is dead. Where I caught trout as a child, no trout swim now.” Holding himself to a standard of accountability for his surroundings, Thornton writes, “I am a person. I soil the cage in which my heart flings and flings itself against the bars.” “Nest” begins with an epigraph from a Robinson Jeffers, an American poet considered an icon of the environmental movement. Other authors and works that warrant an introductory quotation in this collection include Euripides, the Book of Exodus, and renowned Canadian poet (and fellow McGill graduate) Irving Layton. In an interview with Canadian Literature, Thornton cites an encounter with one of Layton’s works as the catalyst that hooked him into seriously pursuing poetry.

Thornton is at his best with poems that explore temporality and relative change. My favourite poem in the anthology was “When the Big Hand Is on the Starfish,” a journey through time and space within the Art Deco-style Vancouver Marine Building. Once the tallest structure in the British Commonwealth, the building is a canvas for depictions of the nautical flora and fauna found in the nearby Pacific Ocean. Thornton uses the iconic clock in the lobby of the building, which has replaced numbers with marine creatures, as the central device of the poem, his jumping off point for a delve into the region’s past. It’s a history lesson compressed and disguised as a beautiful daydream-like meditation.

Thornton proves with Birds, Metals, Stones & Rain that he is a polished poet, both in the flow of his verses and in their content. The animals, landscapes, and overall elements of Vancouver and their intersection with his revealing personal life give the volume a clear aesthetic. It’s a combination that makes all the poems feel thematically linked, but still varied enough to feel like we’re not reading the same retread words over and over.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time

by Diana Wright on

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With so much recent attention on Sky Ferreira’s private life—most notably her September arrest for ecstasy possession—it’s a relief to finally hear some of her music. Thankfully, her first full-length release, Night Time, My Time is exciting and moody, featuring a wide array of potential singles.

Although first single “You’re Not the One” may be the album’s highlight, it fits in nicely with catchy tracks like “Love in Stereo” and “Heavy Metal Heart,” with each song displaying a different facet of Ferreira’s pop-punk sound. For example, “Heart” is a stomping, stadium anthem with the chorus of a danceable pop song; basically, it’s a cross between Sleigh Bells and a Lady Gaga track.

The album’s titular song, however, takes a much darker tone, and is similar to Cat Power’s brooding early sound (circa Moon Pix). This moodiness is mirrored in “Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay)” and “I Blame Myself”; both hint at a sense of abandonment and forced independence. This time, though, the moodiness is only prevalent in the lyrics, as each song has a rather upbeat tune.

Herein lies the album’s best quality: Ferreira convincingly jumps from an accessible, poppy sound to a dark, foreboding groove within the space of one album—and, sometimes, even one song. However, there’s still room for improvement: Ferreira’s vocals often suffer, especially when paired with the album’s lush production.

Still, Night Time, My Time is adaptable, and certainly anything but bland—especially when compared to the majority of mainstream pop music these days.

 

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Deep cuts

by Haviva Yesgat on

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Headlights

Artist: Eminem ft. Nate Ruess

Album: The Marshall Mathers LP 2

Released: Nov. 5, 2013

“Headlights” is Eminem’s written apology to his mother. This may come as a surprise to fans of the rapper, as the bitterness harboured towards his mother has been far from secret. “But I’m sorry mama for cleaning out my closet, at the time I was angry,” he raps, making reference to his highly acclaimed 2002 single, “Cleaning Out My Closet.” Ruess’ signature voice, rare and salient, embodies the song’s emotional eminence. “Headlights” is indisputably a highlight of The Marshall Mathers LP 2—if not the rapper’s career. Just when fans thought he could not get more real, the hip-hop icon proves us wrong.

 

Team

Artist: Lorde

Album: Pure Heroine

Released: Sept. 30, 2013

Lorde has taken the music industry by storm with the release of her first studio album, Pure Heroine. At just 16 years of age, the New Zealander possesses maturity well beyond her years. “Team” is a shout-out to her fans. “I’m kinda over gettin’ told to throw my hands up in the air,” she sings, suggesting that the classic adage of pop music may be worn-out.  Showing off her rich tone and compelling rumble with this song, Lorde makes it known that she intends to pave her own lane in the realm of pop—proudly deviating from what has become the norm.

 

I’ll Be Gone 

Artist: Linkin Park (Vice Remix ft. Pusha T)

Album: Recharged

Released: Oct. 28, 2013 

With DJ Vice putting forth an exciting EDM arrangement to a song originally produced by musical genius Rick Rubin, it’s no wonder the remix is so appealing to the ear. G.O.O.D. Music artist Pusha T makes a fine appearance, delivering solid verses. Band member Mike Shinoda puts impressive rhymes to the test as well. The remix takes the form of a great electronic song, but with an atypical fresh feel—as opposed to just another good beat-dropping electronic compilation.

 

Normal Person

Artist: Arcade Fire

Album: Reflektor

Released: Oct. 29, 2013

In one of Reflektor’s more critical songs, Arcade Fire questions whether a ‘normal person’ exists, while successfully tackling the band’s rock and roll roots in the track’s musical arrangement. This song sounds like a well-blended mix of Bruce Springsteen and The Pixies, with a touch of Neil Young thrown in.

a, Sports

McGill stays in sync at annual Invitational

by Zikomo Smith on

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On a crisp weekend in Montreal, the Memorial Pool heated up as eight universities converged to participate in the McGill Invitational Synchronized Swimming meet.  While the Invitational does not contribute to national rankings, all teams were eager to set the tone for the rest of the year and gauge their skills after a long off-season.

“The Invitational was an opportunity to develop sharpness and [endurance],” Head Coach Erica Messore said.

The event also highlighted the fantastic work the Martlets had put in over the off-season as McGill was the highest ranked team in four of the seven events they participated in. This was a welcome departure from last year, when the Martlets saw their streak of eight consecutive CUSSL (Canadian University Synchronized Swimming League) championships cut short and were forced to settle for second place.

The team has set a high standard for itself and the season ahead, which is unsurprising given the longstanding precedent of success that it has enjoyed. Despite the team’s achievements, the the Martlets are determined not to rest on their laurels.

“We won [Nationals] eight times in a row when I first came here,” player-coach Hannah Ungar said. ‘‘We have a new coach who has brought in a lot of new knowledge and energy [to the side and] everyone is working so hard.”

The event was received with much excitement, as the crowd was treated to athletic flips and tightly choreographed dance routines performed to a variety of musical genres, including electronic dance music (EDM), hip-hop, and pop. The University of Ottawa had the most intricate costumes and styled their performance off of Baz Lurhmann’s rendition of the Great Gatsby.

Despite the presence of flashy competitors, McGill proved to be the most successful team in attendance. The McGill White team narrowly edged out the John Abbott College A’s with an energetic performance that garnered 65.500 points in front of a full capacity crowd to earn the best senior team performance. Senior performer Carrie Mouck came first in the solo event with a captivating routine that earned the highest score of the Invitational with 66.5000 points. Mirroring the performance of the seniors, the novice team placed first in both the team event with 53.8333 points, and the solo event with 55.5000 points. McGill placed fourth in the duets &  trios competition and second in the Novices duets & trios competition.

According to Ungar, the journey back to a Gerry Dubrule Trophy is underway, but is still in the stages of infancy.

“Immediately, we are looking to increase fitness and endurance,” Ungar explained. “We have a really good thing for our routine right now, good music selection, good choreography, [but we need to continue] practicing our routines over and over again to really achieve that top level.”

Next semester, the synchronized swimming team will take part in the Eastern Canadian Championships and the CUSSL Championship. After such a bright start to the season, and with more months of practice to come, McGill Synchronized Swimming is well placed to continue its history of success. There will be another opportunity to watch this excellent squad at McGill in February, when the team performs at the McGill Water Show in Memorial Pool.

a, Sports

Point counterpoint

on

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The culmination of the MLB season has brought with it the free agent frenzy that accompanies the colder months of the year. In most off-seasons, teams spend with free reign because the MLB does not have a salary cap. This week, two staff writers weigh in on whether or not baseball should institute a salary cap. 

 

Cap them!

“Having money isn’t everything, not having it is.” – Kanye West

Thinking of playing a professional sport for a living? The smart fiscal choice would be to focus on your swing and take a shot at the MLB. Year after year, the highest player salaries in North American professional sports belong to baseball. With no salary cap, teams can spend as much or as little as they please. The MLB is currently the only one of the four major North American sports leagues that doesn’t use a salary cap.

Because of this, critics often raise questions about whether baseball truly has a level playing field. Teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics have some fans convinced that, so long as teams are playing “moneyball,” anyone can win. The reality is that in the past 20 years, just four teams have made the World Series with an opening payroll outside the top 15 in baseball.

Critics of the salary cap point to teams like the 2012 Red Sox, who finished last in their division despite having one of the highest payrolls in the league. They say that spending money doesn’t guarantee success. This is true. An example closer to home is the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays. Despite a payroll that increased by over $40 million from 2012 to 2013, the Blue Jays finished last in their division this season.

It’s clear that a high payroll does not beget success. The problem in baseball is that a low payroll does mean failure, at least in terms of championships. To re-work Kanye’s quote: spending money isn’t everything in baseball, but not spending money certainly is. Ideas about baseball parity are pure fantasy. As fans, we look back fondly on teams like the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks and the 2004 Red Sox and label them underdogs. Put aside nostalgia, and you’ll see that the Diamondbacks had the eighth highest payroll in 2001 and the Red Sox had the fourth highest in 2004. The 2003 Florida Marlins are the only World Series winner that can be justly called an underdog with a $45 million payroll.

What the MLB needs now is a salary cap modeled after the NBA’s system. This style of salary cap involves a soft cap—teams can spend above the cap, but are forced to pay a luxury tax if they do so. The further above the cap a team spends, the higher the tax gets. A hard cap, which the NHL uses, is unrealistic, considering the strength of the MLB Player’s Association, and is also unnecessary. The New York Yankees, and perhaps a few others, would still spend above the cap, but they’d get less for their money. A salary cap would also mean a salary floor, which would prevent owners from spending so little that it is near impossible for their team to compete as we saw with the 2013 Houston Astros.

A salary cap won’t mean perfect parity in baseball, but it would help achieve it. To win, teams would still need smart executives, good coaches, talented players, and plenty of luck; but with a salary cap, teams wouldn’t have to rely on deep pockets, too.

— Wyatt Fine-Gagné

 

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

Nine of the top 10 salaries in sports belong to major league baseball players. Of those nine, four play for the New York Yankees, with third baseman Alex Rodriguez earning an average of $59,000 per at-bat as part of his $28 million annual salary.

Moreover, each of the last few seasons have seen big money teams make splashes in the off-season. In 2011, the Marlins and Red Sox went all in, buying names like Jose Reyes and Adrian Gonzalez, respectively. This past year, we saw the L.A. Angels, L.A. Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays flexing their money muscles, hauling in the likes of Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, RA Dickey, and Zack Greinke. None of these free agent acquisitions ended well.

In an age where baseball’s television ratings are being diminished by more popular sports like football and basketball, the money somehow keeps on rolling into the big leagues. While a part of this trend can be attributed to richer team owners willing to dole out more money for wins, the majority of the new money in baseball is coming from TV contracts.

Most recently, the Dodgers inked a massive 25-year contract with Fox Sports West valued between $6 to 7 billion. That’s a cool $280 million on top of what was already one of the larger payrolls in the MLB.  To put that into perspective, the Houston Astros opened the 2013 season with a total payroll of $26 million.

While the no salary cap rule has been an integral part of baseball for generations, recent Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) have included measures such as revenue sharing and luxury taxes to combat inequality in the league. These help enforce parity, for example: the Yankees doled out a record $29.1 million in luxury taxes in 2013.  In the case of revenue sharing, a rising tide lifts all boats.

Ultimately, the greatest equalizer is greed. Having unlimited money to throw around can be both a curse and a blessing. In today’s competitive free agency atmosphere, signing a big name often means locking a player up for the rest of his career for more than $20 million a year. No matter what your budget is, a deal or two like that will leave a team crippled and inflexible for the foreseeable future. You only have to look at the Angels, who owe a total of $70 million to Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Vernon Wells in 2014.  That’s almost half of an already bloated payroll for three players who combined for a paltry 2.3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement). In comparison, the no. 35 ranked best outfielder in baseball this year had a WAR of 2.3 by himself. All three are on the tail end of their careers and have contracts that are heavily backloaded.

Spending immense amounts of money doesn’t mean that large payroll teams can get away with ignoring the development of their farm systems.  Free agent signings can be done prudently and in risk-minimizing fashion (for example, the Pirates’ signing of Marlon Byrd and Francisco Liriano down the stretch last season); having a blank cheque often leads teams to sign riskier deals with players well past their primes.

St. Louis survived the loss of Pujols in 2011 through smart drafting and development; Oakland defended their AL Central title in 2012 with cheap, low-risk free agent signings. Baseball has arguably never been on a more level playing field, with 15 different teams appearing in the World Series since 2000 despite growing payroll inequality. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

— Elie Waitzer

 

Editor’s pick: cap them!

It’s time for the MLB to join its professional counterparts and institute a salary cap. Baseball’s parity is an illusion, and small market franchises are unable to sustain success in the long term. A restructured CBA highlighted by a salary cap mirroring the NBA’s is what the MLB needs to move forward as an organization.

a, Research Briefs, Science & Technology

Research briefs

by Prativa Baral on

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FDA joins fight against trans fat

High levels of artificial trans-fat in processed foods have been known to cause 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths related to heart disease every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In an effort to reduce such diseases, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently decided to take steps to ban transfat, although a specific timeline has not been set up as of yet.

Since 2006, manufacturers are required to state the amount of transfat contained in products on the food labels. Still, the general population consumes large amounts of transfat on a daily level through processed foods, such as microwaveable popcorn, cookies, and frozen pie dough, just to name a few. Partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) are also a major source of trans fat and if the FDA deems that PHOs are no longer considered to be generally safe, this could lead to a significant decrease of artificial transfat in foods. According to CTV News, Health Canada is being criticized for its lack of involvement in transfat regulation.

Until the ban takes place, FDA advises consumers to look at the nutrition facts and choose products that have the lowest amount of saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat.

 

Tackling neglected diseases with new partnerships

Infectious diseases studied at the forefront of scientific research have led to many scientific advancements and a lower fatality ratio in the human population. These include leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, and Chagas disease. However, according to a recent article in Scientific American, many infectious diseases that cause cognitive defects rather than death are often put to the side—especially those affecting developing countries. This has resulted in a lag in progress compared to more commonly known and deadly diseases.

A solution to this may very well be the recent partnership between the government of Japan, the UN Development Program, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and several Japanese pharmaceutical companies. These organizations have decided to pool their resources together to create a fund to deal with these ‘neglected diseases.’ For instance, they aim to increase research towards the development of a drug to fight malaria.

Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) is the result of such a partnership with a focus on battling neglected diseases common in developing nations. Global Innovative Health Technology Fund (GHIT) CEO BT Slingsby told Scientific American that the cause is important because, “[HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and other neglected tropical diseases] are the diseases that have the most unmet medical needs […] and lack innovations of technology.”

This type of collaboration could be a milestone in global health research and development to ultimately improve accessibility and health for the poor in developing nations.

a, Student Life, Student of the Week

Student of the week

by Marlee Vinegar on

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As a break from his homework, Sam Donald will open up his Ableton music software. Working from his desk, Donald uses his laptop, a small sound card, a mike, and a guitar to produce his own electronic dance music (EDM). Every couple of weeks, he’ll toss a remix online for his friends to check out.

Donald has always been a music fan, having started to learn the guitar at the age of eight. However, he hasn’t always been an EDM fan. In first year, he was involved in an indie rock band.

“That’s really where the electronic music was birthed from,” he says. “One of the guys in my band sat me down and said ‘Look, we’re not going to get famous being a rock band anymore. That time’s past. The real money, or the real career path, is in producing, and the whole DJ thing.’ ”

Since then Donald has been producing music and disk-jockeying both independently and with the group Baers at Montreal venues including Vinyl and Blue Dog.

For Donald, the music itself isn’t the only things that’s important, but also the attitudes that pervade it.

“Something that really started to appeal to me about EDM—I think a lot of people identified with—was the fact that it’s all about unifying and being part of an experience that a bunch of people are a part of, rather than closing yourself off and having this condescending air of musical tastes,” he says.

It’s because of this take on music that Donald sees artists like Bassnectar as a major musical influence.

“He’s a calm soul, a zen personality that is really bringing to light the magic of how music can bring unity to people, and that’s something I really admire,” he says. “I really like musicians who incorporate music into their being and see the music not as something they make, but see themselves as instruments that music can come out of.”

By treating everyone and everything with respect, Donald tries to transfer these notions of unity and equality to his everyday life.

“The most important thing in my music has been getting over the fact that I’m not better than anyone,” he says. “I used to hear a Justin Bieber song and say ‘Oh that’s crap.’ When I started producing, I realized there are all these really honest, hard working people who create a Justin Bieber or Katy Perry song, and to sneer your nose at it, at least for me, inhibited my own progress as an artist.”

Now, Donald is clearly unafraid to draw from mainstream popular music—his latest track is a remix of Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.”

Moving forward with his music, Donald is looking to bring some of his rock and roll past into his electric tracks through his guitar.

“It’s been interesting seeing the instruments creep back into what a lot of people consider a lifeless art form—the four to the floor drum beat going on all night,” he says.

Donald says he hopes to pursue a career in the music industry.

“I’ve been looking also at video production with music, which is obviously a growing field,” he says. “In a perfect world, I’ll be in front of crowds of 40,000 in a couple years—but you know I’m not taking away the possibility of the cubicle.”

a, Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Letter: In support of the Faculty of Medicine’s opposition to Bill 60

by Carl White Ulysse, Adam Parant, Sarah Hosseini, Thierry Live on

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On September 16, the McGill Faculty of Medicine, along with its four major teaching hospitals, released a joint statement affirming its belief in providing an environment where individuals are free to choose to wear “conspicuous religious symbols.” Today, in light of the proposed Bill 60, the Medical Students’ Society of McGill University wishes to add its voice to theirs.

As medical students, we are incredibly lucky to be able to interact on a daily basis with future colleagues and professors who proudly display symbols of their religious beliefs. Contrary to what our provincial government seems to think, in no way do these symbols prevent them from carrying out their work with empathy and professionalism, just like all healthcare workers should. We consider ourselves lucky to have them as physicians and we strongly believe that they are essential members of our healthcare system. It would be simply unacceptable to us should some of our colleagues be treated as second class citizens and be forced to choose between their job and their religion.

Therefore, we salute our Faculty’s initiative and we hope that the government will realize the importance of an inclusive workplace that is open to all, regardless of their culture, their origins ,or their religion. We also invite the provincial government to consider the impact of Bill 60 on those who will be most affected by it, namely present and future physicians, nurses, or teachers to name only a few. Finally, we will make our opinion known by actively partaking in and contributing to the forthcoming public consultations set to occur at the beginning of the new calendar year.

On behalf of the Medical Students’ Society of McGill University,

Carl White Ulysse (Med-2)
Executive President

Adam Parant (Med-3)
Past President

Sarah Hosseini (Med-2)
Executive Vice-President and Corporate Relations

Thierry Live (Med-3)
Vice President of Internal Affairs

a, News

McGill students’ criminal case draws attention to disciplinary procedures

by Mayaz Alam & Carolina Millán Ronchetti on

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A case involving three McGill student athletes charged with sexual assault 15 months ago has drawn attention to the process by which McGill deals with the conduct of its students.

On Nov. 1, the Montreal Gazette reported that three current McGill students on the Redmen football team were arrested on April 26, 2012 for charges of sexual assault with a weapon and forcible confinement in an incident involving a former Concordia student. The students, now fourth-years, will appear in court next month for their preliminary hearing.

According to Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Ollivier Dyens, the students told their coach that they were facing legal action following their arrest in April 2012. The coach advised them to inform their parents of the situation and to seek legal counsel.

The athletes continued to play for the squad in the following two seasons (2012 and 2013). Dyens said the students did not explain their charges in detail to the coach.

“If the students had said [they were] under criminal charges […] I think we [would have had] to at least look into it,” he said. “But we have to move carefully with these things because you don’t want to affect the inquiry from the police.”

According to Dyens, the university was informed of the criminal charges in May 2013. Dyens, who officially began his term in September 2013, learned about the case from his predecessor, Morton Mendelson. By this time, the case had already become a criminal investigation handled within the judicial system.

“There was nothing for us to move forward with,” Dyens said. “We have to respect the process. If we start doing our own investigation—asking people questions and everything—we might make it difficult […] for both the prosecutor and the defence lawyers; so we have to be really careful.”

He explained that all students are evaluated under the Green Book—the Code of Student Conduct. If there is an allegation that a violation of the Code has occurred, a disciplinary officer for the unit—in this case McGill Athletics—can impose a sanction or refer the issue to the Committee on Student Discipline.

Dyens added that McGill could not administer the Code of Student Conduct in this case because the alleged misconduct did not occur on campus or during McGill-related activities.

“If I see you doing something illegal—for example in a bar somewhere on St. Laurent Boulevard—and it’s not on the campus and it’s not part of the McGill context, you’re not breaking the McGill Code of Rights and Responsibilities,” Dyens said. “At that point, it’s the responsibility of the court or the police.”

In addition to the Code, varsity athletes are subject to another code of conduct titled the Guide to Varsity Sports for Student-Athletes. This document outlines provisions on McGill’s anti-doping policy, prohibits hazing, and forbids alcohol consumption on team trips, among other restrictions.

“It is considered a privilege and not a right to be a student-athlete, and every student-athlete is expected to conduct himself or herself in a manner that exhibits honour and respect to the team, department, university, and surrounding community for the duration of his or her tenure as a student-athlete at McGill University,” the guide reads.

The athletics disciplinary officer can establish administrative sanctions when the rules in the Guide are violated. According to Dyens, these administrative sanctions could include a suspension from playing on the team.

However, the Guide does not address criminal charges, such as charges of sexual assault.

“You don’t need to put [sexual assault] in a document like this because it’s against the law,” Dyens explained.

Other universities, such as Bishop’s University and the University of Winnipeg, have codes of conduct that athletes must sign. These documents outline the athletic department’s response to criminal behaviour committed by student athletes.

“I will refrain from any involvement in any criminal activity, on or off of campus,” the Bishop’s code reads. “I realize that my failure to abide by the standards described above may result in a temporary or permanent loss of the privilege of representing Bishop’s University as a student-athlete.”

Dyens noted that all McGill staff and students have a duty to report student misconduct once they are aware of it.

“Everyone has a responsibility to ensure that the Code of Rights and Responsibilities is respected,” he said. “This being said, you have to be careful, because the Code […] says [misconduct] has to happen […] either on the McGill campus or in the McGill context.”

The university will decide whether the students will face charges under the Student Code of Conduct following the outcome of the judicial process.

Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation, Drew Love; Associate Director of Athletics and Recreation and Athletics Disciplinary Officer, Philip Quintal; and Redmen football Head Coach, Clint Uttley referred the Tribune to Dyens for comment.

 

—Additional reporting by Erica Friesen

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