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Arts & Entertainment, Music

In conversation with Kid Smoko

by Noah Simon on

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Starting a band is easy—the difficult part is standing out. That’s a main concern for Kid Smoko, a New Jersey band who closed out the final Friday of McGill’s Open Air Pub (OAP). With irresistible songs and energy to spare, Kid Smoko forces audiences to pay attention. And much like their enigmatic name, their sound is hard to pin down. 

“We’re post-genre,” said Michael Burke, one of the band’s two vocalists and a founding member. “I just wanted to make a Soundcloud band […] Like Lil Uzi [Vert] vocals over indie beats.” 

Listening to their music is very much the rollercoaster that this description suggests. Since their 2018 album Not Your Son up until their newest single, “Tommy Boy,” out next week, Kid Smoko has been displaying their versatility at every turn. Jumping from song to song, listeners will be able to identify a wide variety of musical styles, ranging from hip hop and indie pop to punk and various forms of electronic music, often all within the same track.  

“That’s just what we like,” says guitarist Sam Berkley. Each member— including Declan Martins (guitar), Matt Salort (vocals), and Michael Ferranti (producer/engineer and the only McGill student of the group)—lists some of their diverse inspirations: Vampire Weekend, The Strokes, Gorillaz, Joji, Playboi Carti, Brockhampton, and Odd Future.

“Beyond just the music, [this mix of influences] represents who we are as people: Just different guys with different interests,” Burke said. “Our music is a direct reflection of who we are, and we believe people can connect to that […] Listening to us is like you’re becoming our friend.” 

As a project, Kid Smoko feels like a long-running inside joke that fans slowly start to understand the more they listen. Their lack of self-seriousness and their contagious energy create a space for listeners to be comfortable and let loose. The band describes their live performances as an emotional outlet and opportunity to go crazy, a participatory experience. 

But it’s not all fun and games. In the end, Kid Smoko simply makes fantastic songs. They mix their variety of aesthetics with catchy pop melodies, grand guitar solos, and sticky, stand-out production, all of which contribute to their unique charm. And, as the group’s sound grows and evolves, so do the members themselves, as they begin to interrogate the music they make and listen to.

Despite Kid Smoko’s breezy persona, the musicians are always cognizant of the wider implications of the music they create, rising to every challenge as a means of self-expression. 

“We’re doing this for ourselves. I want this to be my livelihood,” Michael Ferranti said.

 

Kid Smoko can be found on all streaming services  

McGill, News

McGill revamps student health care with $14 million investment

by William Pang on

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A $14 million investment to revamp McGill’s student health care is taking shape with the creation of the Rossy Student Wellness Hub, which integrates medical care with counselling and psychiatric services.

The majority of the funds will be used to hire two dozen additional staff, including general practitioners, case managers, and counsellors, as well as 14 local wellness advisors—trained clinicians located in residences or faculties intended to serve as points of first contact for students.

Not included in the budget, however, is the addition of psychiatrists. The number of full-time psychiatrists at McGill has decreased from seven to five in the past year due to retirements, maternity leave, and other reasons beyond the university’s control, according to Executive Director of Student Services Martine Gauthier. 

“We do not actually hire psychiatrists,” Gauthier said in an interview with The McGillTribune. “Psychiatrists are paid through the healthcare system, and they are not on salary with [McGill].”

The student health services space has two new kiosks that are now stationed at the third floor of the Brown Building, allowing students to check-in for a planned appointment or schedule future ones. 

While extensive physical changes have been made, Rick Hink, the director of communications for Student Services, was quick to stress that they represented only 10 per cent of the project’s budget.

The new changes to the Student Wellness Hub come at a time when universities are seeing a marked increase in students seeking mental health care, according to Gauthier, over 6,000 McGill students have accessed mental health services in the past year alone. This uptick has forced universities to confront important questions regarding their role in providing students with healthcare.

“The reality is that our services are short-term care, and if a student chooses long-term care or weekly access, then we will help them to connect to an external resource that can facilitate that type of care,” Gauthier said. “But we ourselves don’t have the capacity.”

Through the streamlining of services, administrators at the Student Wellness Hub hope to reorient their efforts toward early intervention and prevention. 

“If we can get to students at that early point—where I am dealing with something now—without waiting for weeks or months to be able to deal with it, then we can intervene,” Gauthier said.

Since early July, the Student Wellness Hub has undergone a transitional phase before beginning full operation in the Fall. According to Student Wellness Hub director Vera Romano, the summer months saw numerous technical issues with the kiosks and TV monitors.

“We had to set up a process that was agile,” Romano said. “That is, we couldn’t set up these new things and then meet once a month or create [these] heavy bureaucratic escalation processes […] so many students have already experienced [the technical issues].”

Administrators of the Hub say that the changes are made in acknowledgement of students’ criticism and dissatisfaction with the difficulty of accessing student health services.

“In the past, […] you try to move things quickly, and so you make decisions, and […] figure out the student experience later,” Gauthier said. “This is something we really take seriously: […] The student experience, and listening to student feedback and being responsive to that student feedback.”

Despite expressing concern that McGill hadn’t re-established its eating disorders program since which was discontinued in 2018, Billy Kawasaki, the Students’ Society of McGIll University’s vice president Student Life, agrees with the direction student services is taking. 

“We think it’s a pretty good step in making mental health [care] and health [care] in general more accessible to students,” Kawasaki said. “Also, they are pursuing resilience-building initiatives, which minimizes the need for later intervention, which is better than the reactive model they had before.”

Science & Technology

Science podcasts to start the semester

by Laura Lyon on

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Whether you’re folding laundry or walking to campus, podcasts are a great way to pass the time and learn some obscure information to impress your friends. They can also be a wonderful way for science and non-science students alike to engage in a subject that they would like to explore. Although there are plenty of excellent podcast series to discover, The McGill Tribune has rounded up seven of the most exciting ones, from astronomy to psychology. Happy listening!

Science Weekly

Science Weekly is a weekly podcast from The Guardian hosted by science journalists Ian Sample, Hannah Devlin, and Nicola Davis. It covers a wide range of scientific topics, from climate change to space exploration. Episodes are often related to current events, giving a more in-depth look at the science behind news headlines. A polished podcast with excellent production value, Science Weekly is perfect for those interested in a variety of fields.

Living Planet

Produced by German media site Deutsche Welle, Living Planet investigates the toll that global climate change is taking on the environment from the perspective of both humans and natural ecosystems. Episodes feature multiple stories from around the world revolving around a central theme, such as how different communities deal with waste or the psychology of climate inaction. Hosts Irene Quaile and Sam Baker interview a diverse range of people, focusing on those working on or directly impacted by the issues at hand. 

Gastropod

What is the origin of the bagel? What’s actually happening when our stomach rumbles? Science journalists Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley host Gastropod, a fun yet informative podcast that explores the surprising science and history behind food. Chefs and scientists appear on the show to delve into the multiple dimensions behind various culinary subjects. Be sure not to listen on an empty stomach though.

Ologies

Ologies is an essential podcast for anyone interested in niche science fields. Science communicator Alie Ward explores different ‘ologies’ from mycology (the study of fungi) to graphology (the study of handwriting), and everything in between. Through interviews with researchers and personal anecdotes, Ward’s narration style and interview skills keep this series engaging, funny, and digestible. You’re guaranteed to discover an ology that you never knew existed.  

Hidden Brain

NPR‘s Hidden Brain examines topics in psychology and neurobiology through compelling stories and discussions with academic researchers. NPR science correspondent Shankar Vedantam discusses everything from how we hear our own voices differently from others to more serious matters like how your postal code affects your future. Have you ever wondered if women named Virginia are more likely to move to Virginia? Hidden Brain has you covered. 

Clockwise

Covering four technology topics during a 30-minute podcast, Clockwise delves into subjects such as augmented reality, cryptocurrency, credit card habits, and electric scooters. Engaging hosts Dan Moren and Mikah Sargent interview two guests each week in a relaxed, down-to-earth conversation. Covering a range of topics within the tech industry, the podcast has the power to charm the even most technologically opposed person.

13 Minutes to the Moon

13 Minutes to the Moon is an excellent BBC mini-series hosted by Dr. Kevin Fong, an expert in space medicine. In honour of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the podcast takes listeners on the riveting journey that sent the first man to the moon. The series just wrapped up in July, so you don’t have to wait around for the finale. Scored by Hans Zimmer, Clockwise is a must-listen for anyone who appreciates a well-produced podcast.

selfie
Off the Board, Opinion

Loving myself and my selfies

by Nicholas Raffoul on

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Some may call this narcissistic or self-absorbed, but I’m constantly taking selfies: In class, at work, at home, in the kitchen, and before I go to sleep. For me, this process is not self-destructive, but therapeutic: It is a physical and digital manifestation of my confidence, self-esteem, and respect for myself and the body I was born into. As an artist of colour learning to find my voice, selfies are a medium in which I claim space, learn to appreciate myself, and, ultimately, create art. 

In a world where representations of people of colour are often lacking or distorted, selfies become a form of self-expression and self-fashioning that people of colour can fully control. While many Arab men are stereotyped as aggressive, barbaric, toxically straight and masculine, and lacking aesthetic sensibility, my selfies show otherwise: As an Arab man, I can be vulnerable, soft, queer, artistic, and creative. My selfies show me as human. Problematic depictions of people of colour in news or movies, often presented by white people, permeate the media landscape. Selfies are one’s only chance to represent themselves as they want to be represented, no matter how raw or filtered that may be. Selfies by marginalized bodies address misrepresentation and question who is allowed to be visible. 

As coined by Joel Waldfogel, the rise of selfies comes at a time of a digital renaissance in which a current digital revolution is upending traditional creative industries and accessible self-publishing is challenging the gatekeepers of culture. While large art and culture institutions control mainstream images of marginalized people, digital spaces such as Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter give everyday consumers the tools to dismantle those mainstream images. Selfies combat society’s categorization of nonwhite features as unattractive by reclaiming racist beauty standards: In societies and institutions that celebrate a singular definition of eurocentric beauty, selfie art by people of colour becomes a powerful act of resistance and political protest against these ruling cultural institutions. 

These selfies of resistance on social media also address the importance of self-representation and online collective spaces, especially for those who are not able to march down the street in protest or those who are too young to explore social justice and collective healing in their non-digital lives. 

Posting on social media does have its limits—Instagram has been found to unfairly censor posts by plus-size women, claiming that the content is “sexually suggestive”. Twitter is 1.5 times more likely to flag tweets written by African American people as “offensive” compared to other tweets. While tools like Instagram and Twitter are free and widely accessible, it is important to acknowledge that these companies still control limits to one’s self-expression. 

Finstas (fake Instagrams) exist as a place of refuge and digital diary for users to express themselves, their art, and their feelings safely; users can choose to invite people into their virtual space and build genuine connection. For those who don’t feel comfortable expressing their ‘true’ selves to all their followers, finstas provide a therapeutic space to create trusted support networks and feel part of a wider community. For creatives of colour, Instagram finstas become a haven of support where users can post raw content about their experiences to trusted friends and also experiment with their artistic styles without any potential backlash. 

My phone is my tool for creating, exploring my artistic style and sharing it with the world, and my 37 finsta followers. With the ability to publish content without the approval of large cultural conglomerates, I’m able to feel validated as an artist (and human). As superficial as it may sound, I learned to love sharing pictures of myself, bushy unibrow, dark eyes, large nose, and all. 

Science & Technology

Discarding waste in McGill labs

by Margot Maclaren on

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During the relocation of Macdonald Campus in 1978, lab manager in the Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry Ebrahim Noroozi was tasked with the transfer of thousands of chemicals. That year, the campus was moved from its old buildings in the John Abbott College complex to its current location. Not all of the chemicals made it to the new buildings, however, as many were long expired.

“There were chemicals from before World War I, from 1905,” Noroozi said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “You’d go to every corner, and there were a lot of chemicals, a lot of hazards, a lot of pesticides.”

This undertaking at Macdonald Campus was one of many experiences that contributed to Noroozi’s interest in occupational health and safety. He went on to dedicate his career to promoting safe practices, both through his position as the lab supervisor for the Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry and through educating others in workshops and lectures.  

The progression of Noroozi’s career has coincided with an increased interest in safety, both in industrial and academic settings. Today, hazardous chemicals are no longer left forgotten for years in the far reaches of Macdonald Campus buildings. 

Noroozi explained that the Waste Management Program, which operates under the Environmental Health and Safety unit at McGill, collects regular chemical waste bi-weekly. This type of waste is made up of corrosive chemicals and solvents, such as hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, that are collected in 25-litre plastic disposal jugs. At collection time, physical hazards are also gathered, as well as radioactive waste, including solid waste such as latex gloves and glass pipettes that have handled liquid radioactive waste. Biohazardous waste, which contains infectious or potentially infectious material including human tissue, animal waste, and microbiological waste, is collected as well.

However, some chemicals cannot be collected in these jugs. In the case of a cracked bottle, expired chemical, or solid substance, hazardous waste is stored in the lab until it is packed up for an annual collection. Should the substance be explosive or otherwise require immediate removal, labs can call on the waste management team. 

“If it’s urgent, even for a bottle, they may come to pick it up,” Noroozi said. “Or if it’s a large amount which occupies a lab.” 

Noroozi has always associated safety with sustainability in his labs. Over the years, he has encouraged researchers to share chemicals between their labs and scale down certain experiments to prevent the use of excess chemicals. He has also developed chemical recovery systems.

“In some labs, students […] do an extraction and distillation [a boiling process that separates substances from a liquid], and I can reuse the same substance and redistill it later on for another group because they’re not going to drink it or test it,” Noroozi said.

While Noroozi’s efforts to bring safe and sustainable initiatives into his workplace stands out as an impressive example to other scientists, he stresses that the work and dedication of others is essential. He can provide information and management strategies, but everyone must play their part to contribute to a safe working environment. 

“I am not a policeman,” Noroozi said. “Safety is a shared responsibility. So that is what we promote […], not acting like the police. Encourage, so people see the benefit of it and try to do it.”

Art, Arts & Entertainment

‘El Perdido’ documents our forgotten landscape

by Jonathan Giammaria on

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The archetype of the wandering artist is a familiar one, emphasizing that the freedom of the road, and the directionless travel that follows is a catharsis that allows an artist to create as freely as possible. For Patrick Beaulieu, the very act of losing yourself on the road is a means to an end, and the documentation of “lost places”—the neglected and decaying areas one finds during a journey—is the art itself. Beaulieu set out in a camper van, “El Perdido” [The Lost], in 2017 and travelled across the United States in search of “The Forgotten Road,” which he described as an ambiguous destination discovered only in the process of searching for it. Running until Oct. 26 at Art Mûr, El Perdido showcases Beaulieu’s photos and videos of his travels, which explain how he set out to lose himself.  

To achieve a state of disorientation, which Beaulieu described as a feeling of isolation brought on by the unfamiliar landscape, he often explored undocumented areas of rural decay. His imagery of grey skies and ruined housing allude forgotten places as being lifeless. For Beaulieu, though, the path to losing oneself in the abandoned margins of a map always involved engaging with other people throughout his travels.

“I started in a small town in Oklahoma called Lost City. From [there], the trajectory was generated, influenced, by all the information, the directions, the orientations that the people gave to me. It was kind of a chain reaction from one person to another to try to find these non-existent places,” Beaulieu said. “Specifically in this project, the encounters and relations were essential, because the idea was to try to find a destination that doesn’t exist.” 

Along with his interactions, the exhibition displays other tools that Beaulieu imagined as being helpful in losing oneself. On one wall, Beaulieu has two ‘70s-era road maps unfolded and framed. In the creases of the maps, routes end or become misaligned with the adjacent sections, and these segmented images become what Beaulieu refers to as “road map collages,” now rendered useless when considering their original purpose.

In another corner of the exhibition, Beaulieu displays a series of confusing signage and dilapidated billboards that he found during his travels. Here, arrows pointing to nowhere, illegible road signs, and inverted detours create the ignored landscapes that led him to his “Forgotten Road.” Being lost meant embracing the disordered and illogical routes that led to the “modern-day ruins” of rural life, areas often abandoned and erased in an increasingly urban world.

Though Beaulieu often used his environment as a means of becoming lost, he also noted how he could turn to his collaborator Alexis Pernet, who navigated and recorded their travels as diary entries, as a source of disorentiation. He referred to himself and Pernet as “co-perdidos” and explained how he asked Pernet, his navigator, to intentionally misguide the pair while on the road. One video, in which Beaulieu repeatedly stops, starts, and switches directions in the middle of an intersection conveys this process of broken navigation.

Throughout all his efforts at becoming lost, Beaulieu noted that though he’d had no expectations before beginning the project. He’d now arrived at a more personal definition of what being lost meant. Calling the project a ‘long term and monumental performative state,’ Beaulieu likened himself to a tourist whose self-inflicted sense of being adrift had led him to a forgotten world, itself a figurative space that reflected the lost people it attracted.

“As much as possible, I was trying to be lost,” Beaulieu said. “When you are trying to lose yourself, you find a lost people and you find lost places.”

 

 

Private, Sports

#SheTheNorth: Bianca Andreescu’s meteoric rise hits a new high

by Gabe Nisker on

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There’s still nothing like appointment television, even if it means sitting in a Plateau apartment with a laptop on a Saturday evening. All across Canada, sports fans cleared their calendars for 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu’s run to the 2019 US Open championship match. It took just over two hours on the afternoon of Sept. 7 before the Mississauga-born tennis phenom raised her hands in victory, making history and creating one of Canadian sports’ greatest moments.

In the thrilling two-set (6–3, 7–5) victory, Andreescu defeated 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. The two battled it out in a close match, with surges of adrenaline coming through for both. Andreescu’s shouts of “come on” pierced through a raucous pro-Williams crowd after big shots. When that final stroke came through for Andreescu, it was a powerful forehand in the open court ending Williams’ rally from down 5–1.

Although Andreescu and Williams’s history is short, it’s filled with significant matches and mutual respect. At the Rogers Cup in Toronto in August, an injured Williams retired during the championship match down three games to one, giving Andreescu a title on home soil. 

When the two met again one month later, both healthy and ready, the fans got the match they wanted. It ended with Andreescu winning the first major singles title in Canadian tennis history. (Genie Bouchard and Milos Raonic had previously come up short in finals matches at Wimbledon.)

“If anyone could win this tournament outside of Venus, I’m happy it’s Bianca,” Williams told ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi when she accepted her finalist’s trophy. Williams had praised Andreescu’s poise and maturity after the Rogers Cup.  

While Williams has been on the finals stage many times, Andreescu took home the title in just her first appearance in a major final.

“I’ve never received this much [money],” Andreescu said when handed the prize money cheque of $1 million. She remained calm and composed, even in the most emotional moments of the biggest match of her career so far, and it literally paid off. 

Andreescu’s complete game forced Williams to dig deep and play from behind for most of the match. The Canadian teenager put one of the best in tennis history on her heels, and it was obvious: Williams struggled to make shots with her backhand for much of the match. Even Williams’s strongest weapon—her serve—fell short, and she double-faulted eight times. 

Ultimately, with the massive victory, superstardom arrived for Andreescu. Even if it feels as if this has come early, it certainly has not. Ranked 152nd in the world at the beginning of the calendar year, Andreescu moved to the fifth spot in the World Tennis Association rankings with her championship title. While her rise is astounding, it is well-earned. Andreescu talks often about visualizing such peaks and how her mind prepares her for these moments.

“The mind is an incredible tool,” Andreescu told Joe Wolfond of The Score in August. “You basically can create your own reality with your mind.”

And this reality is hers: Andreescu is a major champion, and Canadian tennis gets its biggest moment yet. There’s more to come, though. When asked about the potential for fame and whether she is okay with being recognized on the street, Andreescu contemplated her new reality.

“My goals have just been to win as many Grand Slams as possible, become number one in the world, but the idea of fame never really crossed my mind,” Andreescu told reporters in the post-match press conference. “I’m not complaining, though.”

Later, Andreescu and her coach Sylvain Bruneau posed for photos with their new trophies. Bruneau joked that this felt new for him, and Andreescu smiled.

“Get used to it,” Andreescu said.

frosh
Commentary, Opinion

Frosh sends troubling messages about drinking culture

by Makena Anderson on

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Following a significant backlash in past years regarding the toxic nature of many Canadian Frosh weeks, McGill has made attempts to improve the experiences of incoming students. Frosh coordinators across faculties have, in consultation with staff and the administration, implemented new policies that seem to have improved student well-being and safety during Frosh. In recent years, the university has emphasized consent education and renewed its commitment to inclusivity through programs like Access Allies, where leaders receive additional training sessions to welcome first years. While many aspects of the week have changed, McGill remains one of the few Canadian universities to continue to promote the consumption of alcohol during Frosh. In continuing to legitimize wet Frosh weeks, McGill introduces students to an inextricable link between intense alcohol consumption and social events during students’ undergraduate tenures.

Faculty Frosh weeks aim to plan safe and inclusive orientations, including extensive Frosh leader training that involves discussions with the Milton-Parc Citizens’ Committee and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM). While training educates leaders and prepares them to take care of groups of 20 to 30 freshmen, there remains a consistent disconnect between knowledge and practice of safe alcohol consumption habits.

For many, alcohol serves as a social stimulant that helps them mingle and socialize. For others, wet Frosh weeks create an environment that produces intense social pressure to overconsume, often to the point of blacking out. While Frosh events never require alcohol consumption, pre-games and bar crawls often include chanting, drinking games, and chugging contests that glorify it. From day one, students are taught that drinking alcohol at events is correlated with social success.

Although Frosh Week is not an introduction to drinking for all incoming students, in the absence of parents and guardians, it presents an opportunity to escalate previous drinking habits. With newfound freedom, first years have the opportunity to let loose in a seemingly safe environment. The drinking culture at McGill tends to celebrate students who can consume the most, the fastest. At pre-games, Froshies praise each other for pushing their limits by challenging the number of drinks they can consume before blacking out. The next day, they shrug off a lack of memories because their peers share similar experiences.

While Frosh serves as an introduction to McGill’s work-hard-play-hard attitude, the cultural pressure does not end there. McGill offers countless opportunities for students to drink and socialize, including student-run bars and drinking events like Hype Week and Winter Carnival that take place throughout the semester. Early on, attitudes towards drinking prompt students to use the ability to bounce back from dangerous alcohol binges as criteria for success. 

Frosh remains a formative experience for many, but for it to maintain students’ health, Frosh must put an end to the normalization of binge drinking. Faculty Frosh weeks can take notes from their alternative counterparts, such as Rad Frosh, which emphasizes safety and inclusion through workshops, walking tours, and accessible dance parties. It is time for students and the administration to acknowledge the damaging impacts of McGill’s work-hard-play-hard culture and the need to tackle it at the macro-level. The habits that students acquire today have the potential to set the tone for future drinking practices and health outcomes.

Future Frosh planning must address attitudes toward drinking at McGill as a whole and how the school can shift toward a culture of moderation. Instead of emboldening students to adopt dangerous consumption habits, Frosh organizers should teach incoming students how to incorporate alcohol in a safe manner by supporting non-drinkers at wet events and offering additional dry events. Students should be taught to feel comfortable speaking candidly about how alcohol affects them and understand that their ability to recover from a blackout or the speed of their chug time is not a measure of their worth.

Commentary, Opinion

Remembering McGill’s past to progress its future

by Amrita Sandhu on

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With the new school year starting, many students prepare to fall back into their routines on McGill’s campus. Among the new classes and experiences to be had, many look forward to a fresh start in the Fall semester. While it may be tempting to leave the issues of last year in the past, it is important to remember the McGill administration’s insufficient action and shortcomings over the past year to continue working towards a better future by actively pursuing unfinished initiatives.

Last year, McGill saw several student-led protests take a stand on issues of social justice on campus. One of these protests, led by McGill’s social work students, questioned McGill’s labour practices. McGill’s Bachelor of Social Work program, in adherence with Quebec provincial policy, mandates that two unpaid internship placements be held during the last two years of the degree, each 400 hours long. To require that upper year undergraduate students work uncompensated for 400 hours while balancing academic responsibilities is unreasonable, and as mentioned by the President of the Association of McGill University Support Employees Ella Hartsoe, experience does not pay rent. While McGill is not alone in maintaining such a requirement, students remain unhappy with the administration’s inability to effectively communicate with provincial offices regarding the issue and the lack of a reparative policy offering some sort of compensation. Currently, no resolution has been reached between the protestors, McGill, and the Ministry of Education. McGill’s continued hesitancy to accomodate the needs of the social work students is yet another reason why student activism remains vital.

In addition to the November 2018 social work student protest, many students also protested the McGill Men’s Varsity team name. Thanks to student activists such as Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) Indigenous Affairs Commissioner Tomas Jirousek, the previous team name was changed. Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier announced last June that a new name will be decided by the beginning of the sports season in Fall 2020. The #ChangeTheName campaign is an example where student led activism has resulted in administrative response, resulting in a palpable change. Change resulting from student activism is possible within the walls of McGill, as long as the social issues addressed by past students are not forgotten or ignored by the incoming class. 

In April 2018, McGill’s mismanagement of sexual misconduct allegations motivated students to  stage a walkout to protest the administration’s handling of sexual violence cases from staff. In July  2019, McGill launched a mandatory online course regarding sexual misconduct alongside a revised sexual violence policy, and a new special investigator to look into new allegations. McGill has made significant progress all because of the student activists who worked tirelessly to make the campus a safe and inclusive space for survivors of sexual violence. Although some of these new policy developments still fall short of making campus fully safe and inclusive, McGill activists have spearheaded commendable progress. 

Student protests have the power to improve the university’s values, the quality of student life and safety, and create real policy changes. While some of these protests have direct payoffs for students, many are still not given the attention they deserve by the McGill administration. Going into this new school year, McGill students and faculty alike must remember the pressing issues lingering from past school years and take action to address them once and for all.  This is especially important for the first-years joining McGill, to acknowledge all the changes made from tireless work from student activists. Progress made by past generations at McGill will continue to have a meaningful impact for future students.

Editorial, Opinion

I’d rather be a Martlet

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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On April 12, McGill students received a monumental email: Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier had reached a decision on whether or not to change the controversial Men’s Varsity Team name. Fortier wrote that, with respect to Indigenous students who felt alienated and disrespected by the name, the Mens’ teams names would be replaced. While this decision represented a major victory for the Indigenous students and allies who had protested and spoken out against the injustice, the email also mentioned that McGill would not announce a new name for the team until the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester. The McGill mascot, the Martlet, is already the name of the Womens’ Varsity teams, which means that a gendered divide remains between the two groups. It makes sense for McGill to adopt the Martlet name unanimously for all school teams, and the administration must both increase transparency and make greater efforts to involve the student body in the process.   

Fortier’s email outlined that a steering committee would be formed to lead a consultative process for choosing a new name, and mentions that details about this process would be communicated in the months ahead. That email was in April. The student body has been left hanging over the summer months and it’s not clear that McGill will now change its approach and proceed with apposite transparency.

 At McGill and in varsity sports more generally, there is a historical sexist and transphobic divide in team naming and participation. The administration’s failure to publicly consider adopting the Martlet name seems to represent this larger issue. In the same manner that the original men’s team name ostracized and disrespected Indigenous students, this binary divide alienates transgender students who may feel unsafe and uncomfortable participating in gendered sports. 

Right now, McGill stands at a precipice from which they can challenge the inequitable separation through false gender-binaries in college sports, paving the way for other institutions to do the same and uniting the McGill community under a single name for which the student body already feels an association. Failing to do so would be a disservice to both current and future students and athletes. 

Student-organized protests spearheaded by the Indigenous community at McGill brought about the name-change in the first place. Therefore, the administration must make a greater effort to engage those who a decision this monumental should be up to. Given this history, it makes ethical and logistical sense to involve Indigneous students, and the rest of the student body, in choosing the new name. The administration can poll the student body, allowing students to vote on which name they want for the men’s team to fully understand interest. The decision making process shouldn’t be bureaucratic and inaccessible. 

While a year is a long time to make a decision, it may make sense to present a new name at the beginning of a fresh sports season. Additionally, this is a delicate decision that needs the thought and care it deserves. However, during that time, students deserve insight into the decision process. Whether this means publishing the minutes of working group meetings or sending regular email updates, transparency must be increased. In the meantime, in honour of the students who spearhead the #ChangeTheName campaign, students should continue to support Indigenous initiatives on campus: For example, from Sept. 16 to 27, the Indigenous Education Advisor alongside the First People’s House are hosting Indigenous Awareness Weeks, with numerous free events, talks, and activities on campus. McGill has an opportunity to set a towering precedent for inclusivity in university sports and if it fails to do so, it will simply be exchanging a name that represented racial injustice to a name that continues to represent gender inequity. 

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