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McGill, News

Divest McGill hosts weekly protests in solidarity with global divestment movement

by Kate Addison on

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This past month, Divest McGill has protested outside of the Arts Building every Friday as part of its new ‘Fossil-free Friday’ initiative. The target of their demonstrations is McGill’s ongoing investments in fossil fuel companies.

“Bringing [Fossil-Free Fridays] back up again is a strategy [that will] engage the community and have a lot of visibility, especially with what is happening worldwide right now,” Divest McGill member Morgen Bertheussen said.

The weekly protests are inspired by Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg’s strikes for climate action. Thunberg skips school every Friday to perform sit-ins at the Swedish parliament, a demonstration which has garnered significant international attention. Divest McGill has previously participated in Fossil-Free Fridays through social media campaigns, although they eventually abandoned this strategy and turned their attention was turned toward addressing McGill’s administration more directly.

According to Bertheussen, the club’s latest protests are an act of solidarity with a global movement of university students protesting their school and nation’s climate change policies. 35,000 students from Belgium held walk-outs and rallies over the past month, and Vermont’s Middlebury College has recently joined the schools divesting from fossil fuels.

Divest McGill hopes to influence the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR), which is responsible for advising McGill on its investments.

“[We want] to put pressure on the university so that they divest their endowment fund from the fossil fuel industry,” Divest McGill member Marie-Claude Carignan said.  “We’ve been working on that for six years now by putting pressure on the CAMSR committee of the Board of Governors.”

CAMSR, which reports to the McGill Board of Governors (BoG), is currently considering a proposal for divestment for the third time in six years. According to Bertheussen, two previous requests were rejected for non-scientific reasons.

“[CAMSR] stated that fossil fuel companies do not create grave social injury,” Bertheussen said. “CAMSR has until the end of 2019 before they [need to] publish their report in response to the calls for divestment. Until then, it is the aim of Fossil-free Fridays to keep the topic fresh in the minds of the student body.”

Bertheussen argues that funds should instead be redirected toward more sustainable investments.

“The main goal of the organization is to put pressure on CAMSR to redirect their investments into companies that are known to be socially and environmentally responsible,” Bertheussen said.  

Fossil-Free Friday protests have drawn small groups of protesters with handmade signs, eager to speak to anyone who passes by.  The protesters believe strongly in the seriousness of their cause.

“[Climate change] is the moral crisis of our time,” Divest McGill member James Flanagan said. “It’s kind of hard to comprehend the scale. I think that’s why society has been so slow [to understand] how gravely wrong our society has been in destroying life on Earth.”

Divest McGill’s weekly protests are a prelude to a worldwide walkout for climate change taking place on Mar. 15. Students at McGill University are planning a contingent to join the wider Montreal protest, alongside other universities including Concordia and Université de Montréal.

“McGill divesting as an institution is not an end-all solution to the whole climate crisis,” Bertheussen said. “However, this action of divesting is a moral stance that has political implications. If large institutions […] start taking a stance on divestment, [it] will send a message to the governments.”

 

Divest McGill’s Fossil-Free Fridays will take place every Friday this semester from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. outside of the Arts Building.

Martlets, Sports, Volleyball

Martlets conquer Citadins in first game of RSEQ playoffs

by Zoe Babad-Palmer on

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On Feb. 22, the McGill Martlets volleyball team (17-3) defeated the Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins (10-10) in three sets. Before the game, several Martlet players and coaches received RSEQ awards: Third-year power-hitter Claire Vercheval, the RSEQ Player of the Year, was named to the first All-Star Team along with fifth-year power hitter Émilie Matte de Grasse; first-year middle blocker Charlène Robitaille received second All-Star Team honours; Head Coach Rachèle Béliveau won Coach of the Year; and third-year right-side hitter Rowan Fletcher took home the Leadership and Citizenship Award.

The Martlets dominated the start, demonstrating the skills that had earned the team so many awards. They took the first five points of the opening set with clean serves, passes, and kills that left the Citadins helpless.

“All week I’ve been thinking about this moment,” Vercheval said. “I was prepared for it, I was confident, I got there ready.”

UQAM began to chip away at the McGill lead, scoring five consecutive points halfways through the first set to cut their deficit to six. However, their efforts were insufficient in erasing the deficit, and the Martlets won the set 25-19.

The second set got off to a rocky start, with the two teams trading leads four times before UQAM took its first time-out. The Citadins then played a tighter game, and the Martlets’ three attack and two service errors nearly cost them the set. Fortunately, the Citadins’ defence faltered, and McGill took a 25-22 second set victory to go up 2-0 in the match. Béliveau was disappointed with McGill’s scattered play in the second set compared to their dominance in the first.

“We played the game plan really well up to a certain point, and then somehow we got away from it,” Béliveau said.

Despite some stellar digs to start the third set, it took time for the Martlets to find their rhythm. After the Citadins tied the game up at 4-4, McGill regrouped and began to pull away.

The Martlets executed skillful plays, including blocks that took UQAM by surprise and jump serves that sent the visitors scrambling to the floor. With the score at 23-15 in McGill’s favour, the Citadins were mistakenly awarded a point, leading to angered shouts from Martlet fans. With the error fixed, and McGill now one point from victory, a kill from Matte De Grasse ended the set 25-15 and the game 3-0.

Fletcher praised the crowd’s enthusiastic support throughout the night.

“The crowd energy really helps us out, and we’ve been having such great support all season,” Fletcher said. “I really thought it set the mood of the playoffs.”

Unfortunately, the Martlets were unable to carry their momentum into Game 2 at UQAM the next day, losing in straight sets. They picked it up again back home on Sunday and won in three sets to advance to the RSEQ finals for the first time in three years, and will play against Université de Montréal.

 

Moment of the Game

Midway through the third set, a volley showcased each team’s best skills: UQAM delivered a solid block, McGill responded with stellar effort to keep the ball in the air and won the point after an unsuccessful diving attempt from UQAM.

Quotable

“They had some really good moments, but we didn’t go down. We stayed at the level we were, and then when they went down, we raised it up.” –Head Coach Rachèle Béliveau on the key to overcoming UQAM’s resurgence in the second and third sets.

Stat Corner

Although the Citadins had the Martlets beat in digs (45-42), McGill’s defensive game won out, as they recorded six blocks to UQAM’s two.

News, SSMU

Arts Representative Andrew Figueiredo steps down

by Ariella Garmaise on

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Arts Representative to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Andrew Figueiredo announced his resignation on Feb. 20 for personal reasons following backlash over the Arts Undergraduate Society’s (AUS) Executive Council’s handling of the vote on POLI 339 ancillary fees. After the AUS Legislative Council voted not to endorse the $1,000 course fee, the Executive Council overturned this vote, claiming that new information about the course had become available. Figueiredo’s resignation comes after his admission during the Feb. 14 Legislative Council meeting that he had pressured executives to vote in favour of the fee.

The AUS apologized for their revote in an email to the McGill community on Feb. 20 and publicly released the Executive Council’s voting process, which was conducted via Slack and Facebook Messenger. In the messages, although Figueiredo said that he would be in favour of an emergency Council session on Feb. 14, he also pointed out that the professors teaching the course demanded a decision by the next day. He expressed skepticism that they would be able to convene an emergency session on such short notice and argued that an emergency vote should be conducted online solely among the executives.

“I, at times, commented in a manner that could come off as snarky or defensive, in Council and in the chat,” Figueiredo wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “I wish I [had] been more thoughtful at certain moments. Additionally, I wish that we had been able to bring the motion back to Council with the additional information we received as an Executive.”

Secretary-General Sophie Zhao and Deputy Secretary-General Nathan Mendel are currently investigating the entire Executive Council and their voting process. They will present their findings at the Feb. 27 Council meeting.

According to AUS Vice-President Communications Jamal Tarrabain, Figueiredo’s admission to pressuring executives sparked discussion of his resignation. Figueiredo himself raised the possibility of resigning at the Feb. 20 Executive Council meeting, asking fellow executives for guidance. While the executives’ responses were varied, gallery members and councillors had previously encouraged Figueiredo to resign, citing a pattern of misbehaviour.

“Figueiredo’s resignation was first suggested by a member of the gallery and was echoed by some councillors at the Feb. 14 Council [meeting],” Political Science Students’ Association (PSSA) Vice-President External Jennifer Chan wrote in a message to the Tribune.

In his statement of resignation, Figueiredo expressed an interest in continuing to work with the AUS to improve transparency, a sentiment he echoed to the Tribune.

“I would like to leave behind a legacy of pushing for governance and bylaw improvements and working hard for my values and my constituents day in and day out,” Figueiredo wrote in an email to the Tribune. “I’m proud of the hard work I put into SSMU and AUS all year long. We’re currently working on making the FIO bylaws clearer and more transparent, among other improvements.”

Despite the AUS’ apology email and Figueiredo’s resignation, concerns of transparency within the AUS persist. Although arts representatives are only constitutionally obligated to represent the prevailing views of the Council during SSMU Council meetings, Chan still finds fault in all three voting against the Legislative Council’s original decision.

“Looking at the newly-released screenshots, I think seeing that all three of the arts representatives voting in the same way is concerning,” Chan said. “As someone who held the position last year, arts representatives often split the vote among the three of us so the votes are proportional [to] our constituents’ interests. The fact that […] all three of them vote[d] the same way, knowing full well the divide that was reflected in the Feb. 14 Council vote suggests a conflict of interest in at least one of their votes.”

Moving forward, the AUS intends to improve its existing processes, specifically by overturning the FIO bylaw 2.3, which allowed executives to conduct an emergency vote.

“The whole AUS is going to be motioning to strike [FIO bylaw 2.3] going forward so that it’s no longer an option,” Tarrabain wrote. “The whole AUS Executive is [also] planning on bringing forward a motion that prohibits any voting on AUS matters via any [online messaging platforms]. Also, the AUS is bringing forward a motion that the Executive cannot, in the future, vote on any decision that was already decided by the AUS Legislative Council.”

 

Figueiredo hopes to continue working with AUS to improve transparency.

Features

Artists in search of a space

by Elli Slavitch on

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Seventy-one years ago, McGill instituted its first and only Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program. It survived only four years. In that brief period, notable alumni such as Mary Filer and Nancy Petry, among many others, graduated, and subsequently became well-known for revolutionary works that have been showcased in the Art Canada Institute and the National Gallery of Canada.

McGill, News, Private

AUS executive decision to approve POLI 339 fee suspended

by Andras Nemeth on

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Motion to Ban Recording of Legislative Council Meetings Carries

Prior to discussing the POLI 339 vote, the Legislative Council approved a motion to institute a standing rule banning the taping or recording of AUS Legislative Council meetings. Under the approved motion, campus media may be exempt from the ban if they obtain a two-thirds majority vote of approval by the Council at each session.

 

Suspension of POLI 339 Course Fee Approval

In a statement to members of the McGill Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) on Feb. 12, the AUS Executive Committee announced that it had overturned a Jan. 30 Legislative Council decision to not approve a course fee for POLI 339, titled “Comparative Developed: 1,” a summer course set to take place at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The proposed fee would have each student enrolled in the course pay $1,000 for housing and travel expenses. According to Quebec law, all courses requiring fees beyond tuition must be approved by the  university’s student society, a responsibility which the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) delegates to the AUS.

The Legislative Council narrowly voted down the fee 14 to 13, largely out of concern that a course at an Israeli university would be inaccessible for Palestinian students. The AUS Executive Committee justified overturning this initial decision in their Feb. 12 statement, claiming that they had received additional information about the course and were given a deadline of Feb. 8 to make a decision. On Feb. 14, AUS Secretary-General Sophie Zhao and Deputy Secretary-General Nathan Mendel announced on the AUS Facebook page that their team had suspended the Executive Committee’s decision to approve the course fee under accusations that the vote, which had taken place over Facebook Messenger, was unconstitutional.

These events were of primary concern at the AUS Legislative Council meeting on Feb. 14. In a discussion led by Zhao, AUS executives issued statements about the events of the past two weeks and answered questions about overturning the Legislative Council’s decision. Two members of the Executive Committee, AUS President Maria Thomas and Arts Representative Andrew Figueiredo, admitted to pressuring other members of the Executive Committee to vote a certain way. The executives also announced the resignation of Vice-President (VP) Internal Billy Kawasaki, while AUS members and councillors called for further resignations and the release of the Facebook messages constituting the vote.

In a prepared statement delivered to the Legislative Council, Thomas provided a timeline of the decision to approve the course fee and apologized for telling another member of the Executive Committee to vote a certain way. She explained that, following the failure of the course fee at Legislative Council, she had been approached by the professors responsible for the course, after which the Executive Committee voted to make the decision internally in accordance with the AUS bylaws governing course fee approval.

“On February 7, we were told we needed to decide on this class fee ratification due to [Frais Institutionels Obligatoires] (FIO) bylaws clause 2.3, which states that ‘If a decision must be made when AUS Legislative Council is unable to be convened, the AUS Executive Committee must contact the representative departmental association if and when possible for their recommendation. This recommendation can then be ratified by a simple majority of the AUS Executive Committee,’” Thomas said. “Some of us suspect an executive told the professors [about] this bylaw so that they could frame it in this way and capitalize off of it [….] To break down the vote, we had four yes, four abstentions, and two [no votes] [….] I will admit that I messaged another member of our executive at the time, as I wanted another ‘no’ vote in order to stop this process. I realize in hindsight that this was a mistake on my part, so I am sorry.”

Thomas claimed that Kawasaki resigned as a result of the pressure surrounding the executive vote.

“From this vote and situation, our VP Internal Billy Kawasaki has now resigned,” Thomas said. “He wanted 24 hours not to be bothered, which is why we did not announce it yesterday [….] He felt, among others on our team, bullied and harassed into voting a certain way according to the goals of others [….] He was new on our executive, and he was in a hostile environment.”

According to the AUS VP Communications Jamal Tarrabain, a total of three votes on the course fee were held over Facebook, with the executive committee reporting the results of the first vote.

“There were three votes in total over Facebook Messenger as we were unable to convene in person,” Tarrabain wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “The outcome of the second two votes contradicted the first vote, however, it was decided that the first vote result would be the one that counted. There was a prior vote as to whether to call an emergency [Legislative] Council meeting which was voted down. I am unaware of there being […] formal movers on the motion.”

In a statement before the Legislative Council, Figueiredo apologized for pressuring another member of the Executive Committee and expressed regret that the question was not brought to Legislative Council, but he defended the constitutionality of the vote.

“I would like to admit, first of all, that, like Maria, I did message somebody to try to get them to vote the way that I wanted, and I do apologize for this,” Figueiredo said. “That was not necessarily right of me to do. I would like to also note that we were informed by the professors that there was an impending deadline [….] We had pressure from [the] administration on us, [and] we had pressure from the professors. I think we all wish this could have come back to Council [….] That said, the letter of [the] constitution was followed.”

Addressing the Legislative Council, Department of English Student Association (DESA) VP External Anisah Shah called for AUS executives to consider resigning in light of the controversy.

“I […] think that the only way to move forward and allow constituents to feel as though they can have faith in the AUS is through resignations,” Shah said. “I’m not calling on anyone specific to resign, but I think if you were involved, if you encouraged this blatant disregard of democratic procedure in this institution, if you were willing to bend to professors’ whims or even encourage them to manipulate bylaws in a way that goes against students’ interests, you should not be serving as an AUS executive officer. I would strongly encourage you to resign before articles of impeachment are brought up.”

Other councillors questioned the constitutionality of the Executive Committee vote. According to section 12.3 of the AUS Constitution, all actions and resolutions taken by the Executive Committee between Legislative Council meetings must be submitted to the next Council meeting for ratification, and there was no such submission for the Feb. 14 meeting. Many councillors and observers called for the executives to release relevant Facebook messages in order to restore the trust of councillors and constituents.

According to Thomas, the question of overturning the Executive Committee’s vote will, ultimately, be decided by SSMU pending the results of the AUS Secretary-General’s investigation.

“On Feb. 11, I sent the ratification to the [Director of Student Accounts], who sent it to SSMU for ratification, and they ratified [and sent it] to the Deputy Provost Student Life and Learning (DPSLL) office,” Thomas said. “Speaking today to DPSLL, he has informed me that if we can get SSMU on board, we can talk to [the DPSLL] about rescinding our vote.”

Huawei Funding universities is a national security issue
Off the Board, Opinion

Funding universities is a national security issue

by Keating Reid on

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While the Chinese telecommunications manufacturer Huawei may be most famous in Canada for the Vancouver arrest of chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, the company’s influence is much closer to McGill than that event might suggest.  Despite security experts’ concerns that the company may be operating as an intelligence asset for the Chinese government, Canadian universities, including McGill, have accepted roughly $50 million in total from Huawei to fund research and development initiatives. It would be easy to dismiss accepting these ‘gifts’ as irresponsible; however, increasingly-tight budgets have made it difficult for universities to do anything else. Simply barring universities from accepting Huawei’s money is not a sufficient response to the risk of foreign espionage. Governments need to ensure that universities are financially viable in the long term, whether through increasing direct funding or partnering with more reputable members of the private sector.

Security experts from around the world, including former Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) director Ward Elcock, have expressed concerns that Huawei’s products—which range from smartphones to large-scale network infrastructure—include deliberate security backdoors to assist the Chinese government in spying on their users. For instance, security vulnerabilities in Huawei cell towers might allow Chinese intelligence agents to intercept political or economic information sent over the company’s network. The head of the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service and the U.S. House Intelligence Committee have described Huawei as a national security threat, and Germany may be following their lead.

This concern extends to Huawei’s funding of universities. The company has dedicated $50 million to funding research at Canadian universities, including McGill. In December, CSIS briefed approximately 20 McGill researchers who received funding from Huawei, warning them that they were producing ‘dual-use technology’ that could be appropriated for military purposes.

Technology espionage is more than a hypothetical concern. McGill associate professor Ishiang Shih was arrested in Jan. 2018 on suspicions that he was aiding an effort to leak U.S. military technology to China. Nortel, a Canadian telecommunications company, disbanded in 2013 after being undercut by Huawei using allegedly-stolen technology, costing the Canadian economy tens of thousands of jobs.

Despite the potential threat posed by Huawei, Canadian universities continue to partner with the company because they need the funding.  As the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in the world, few companies can compete dollar-for-dollar with Huawei. This poses a dilemma for researchers: Refusing Huawei’s money could spell the end of their project, but, by accepting it, they put themselves in the difficult position of relying on an organization with possible ulterior motives. This applies at the institutional level, too. Canadian universities are strapped for cash: McGill is chronically underfunded by the province, while, in Ontario, universities just lost $360 million to Doug Ford’s tuition cut. Extra money—regardless of its source—is difficult to turn down.

The best way to limit Huawei’s influence over Canadian universities is to crowd out their money. The more alternative funding sources that exist for researchers and universities, the less leverage Huawei has. More government funding for our universities may be necessary. When the status quo involves risking decades of technological vulnerability, it is clear that funding universities isn’t just a social good; it is crucial to national security.

Student Life

Combatting impostor syndrome on campus

by Alaana Kumar on

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A student receives an acceptance letter to their dream school or an offer for a prestigious internship, yet, they cannot help but wonder why they were selected. These thoughts are characteristic of impostor syndrome: The feeling that one’s successes are not a result of their efforts or abilities but are, instead, a fluke. Those who experience the phenomenon often feel like a fraud and believe their achievements do not measure up to their peers’ accomplishments. The fast-paced campus life can bring forth these feelings, causing self-doubt in students’ minds.  

Experts have identified five manifestations of impostor syndrome: The perfectionist, who always feels dissatisfied with their achievements; the superperson who is often described as a ‘workaholic’; the natural genius, who fears facing obstacles in their work; the soloist, who avoids asking for help; and the expert, who is determined to excel at everything they attempt. From the outside, these high-achieving individuals might seem high-strung or obsessed with being the best. However, they are often unable to recognize their own success.

High-pressure environments, such as universities, are replete with individuals battling some form of impostor syndrome. This is generally a consequence of coming from a smaller, safer community, such as high school, and joining a larger or organization in which competition can be more intense. Hannah Reed, U1 Arts, explained that interacting with peers in her program can sometimes trigger impostor syndrome.

“As an Arts student studying computer science, I sometimes feel like a fraud among that community,” Reed said. “I’m scared I’ll go to the computer science lounge and someone will ask me a question […] right away, they’ll just know I don’t belong. It takes a lot to fight that insecurity and remind myself that I study all the same material [as the other students in the program].”

Over 70 per cent of individuals surveyed by the International Journal of Behavioral Science admitted to feeling insecure at some point in their lives. Although impostor syndrome is common among students, it is not limited to that demographic. Accomplished individuals, including Emma Watson, Meryl Streep, and Neil Armstrong have spoken publicly about their fears of being exposed as frauds in their respective fields. Even Maya Angelou, the critically-acclaimed author, said that, after each of her books were published, she feared being exposed as a phony author. For students, it is important to realize that these insecurities are commonplace and just a consequence of high achievement.

When battling impostor syndrome, individuals can sometimes feel as if they are the only ones struggling with self confidence. Understanding peers share the same insecurities is key to overcoming the negative thoughts associated with impostor syndrome. Students often find that talking to their friends and counsellors helps in easing their worries. Amanda Dennie from McGill’s Peer Support Centre often speaks with students who feel overwhelmed in their environments. She finds that their self-doubt can sometimes leads to negative habits such as procrastination or overworking.

“Sometimes, students come in with lots of extracurriculars and activities and still fear they’re behind everyone else,” Dennie said. “They often wonder, ‘am I doing enough?’ or ‘do I belong here?’ [….] You made it here, so you deserve to be here. Be kind to yourself.”

Basketball, Sports

Power to the players: NBA stars and trade demands

by Ender McDuff on

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Anthony Davis is still a member of the New Orleans Pelicans despite his best efforts to leave the only NBA team he has ever played for. Amid a sub-.500 season in which the Pelicans have struggled to make the playoffs, Davis joined a growing list of NBA stars demanding a trade. Consequently, the Los Angeles Lakers made painstaking efforts to acquire Davis, but the Pelicans held onto their franchise player through the Feb. 7 trade deadline. While New Orleans may simply seek a better offer in the summer, there are two more reasons they elected to keep Davis. The Pelicans are frustrated at the Lakers’ alleged tampering, plus the league is applying pressure on them to deny the outright trade demands. Such pressure, however, stems from a misunderstanding: Teams are overestimating the threat of trade requests and underrating their own management’s accountability.

NBA stars’ trade requests are nothing new: Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar both wished their way to Los Angeles in the 1960s and ‘70s, respectively. In recent years, however, the frequency of such demands has increased. Players like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have learned how to leverage expiring contracts and the threat of free agency. Now, Davis is giving it a try.

The problem is that front offices are worried that this dynamic hurts small-market teams. Franchise players often demand trades to larger markets to grow their personal brands, leaving small-market teams in a weakened position in trade negotiations.

What these concerns fail to recognize, however, is the role that management has historically served in determining the places that players seek to play. For every Chamberlain, who sought out the Los Angeles lifestyle, there has been a Shaquille O’Neal, who forced his way out of Los Angeles in 2004. More recently, Kawhi Leonard left San Antonio because of his issues with team management regarding his quadricep injury. Both Davis and Kristaps Porziņģis have requested trades due to years of dismal team personnel management.

Meanwhile, the feared large markets of Los Angeles and New York have almost universally failed to acquire any top-tier talent from these trade requests for years. By thinking that these players will be available in free agency, teams like the Lakers, Clippers, and Knicks have instead waited to make their moves. In turn, players often find new homes with teams who show more immediate interest.

Small-market teams on both sides of these franchise-altering deals have found success. In the Paul George trade, the Indiana Pacers acquired all-star Victor Oladipo, and the Oklahoma City Thunder convinced George to stay and help them compete atop the Western Conference. Additionally, the San Antonio Spurs sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto in exchange for all-star guard DeMar DeRozan, allowing them to remain in the playoff picture. As for the Raptors, there is still concern that Kawhi Leonard may leave the Raptors in the upcoming offseason, but with their rebuild imminent either way, trying to win right now in the Eastern Conference is a smart move.  

These blockbuster deals left all parties in a better situation. The players have learnt to fit in their new cities; teams, that would have received nothing in return if their stars had departed in free agency, acquired all-star talent instead.

To mitigate concerns of players leaving small-market teams, the NBA implemented the Designated Veteran Contract. This component of the 2017 collective bargaining agreement allows teams to offer unmatchable ‘supermax’ deals to their free-agent superstars. The Thunder and Washington Wizards used this provision to retain Russell Westbrook and John Wall, respectively.

Ultimately, the fears arising from star players’ trade requests are overblown. This summer, teams will inundate the Pelicans with sizeable offers for Davis—a fortunate position for New Orleans after years of egregious mismanagement. The Pelicans may be frustrated to see Davis go, but his demand, as that of so many other players, is a direct product of the team’s own managerial failings—a truth certain other teams would do well to reflect upon.

Science & Technology

Music shown to significantly improve mental motivation

by Yasmine Azzi on

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There’s something about music that engages the brain, often eliciting a strong emotion simply using the ears. While it might just be an abstract pattern of pitches and rhythms, music somehow has significant biological and therapeutic implications. A recent study co-authored by McGill researchers explains the phenomenon, providing novel evidence that the motivational power of music depends upon the amount of dopamine in the brain.

“This paper is the first evidence showing that the way that music engages our reward system is really much like other things that are much more concrete and important for our survival,” Benjamin Gold, a Ph.D. candidate for McGill’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience, said.

The researchers based their investigation on the known connection between music and dopamine release; what remained unknown was how a change in dopamine levels could then play a role in motivating a subject.

“Is dopamine causing the pleasure we may experience from music, or is it responding as a consequence of pleasure and actually enhancing motivational aspects of behaviour?” Ernest Mas-Herrero, a postdoctoral fellow and the study’s primary author, said.

After conducting three separate trials on 27 healthy volunteers, the study found that participants who received levodopa, a drug that the brain converts into dopamine, experienced an increase in motivation compared to those who received a placebo. Conversely,  when the same volunteers listened to music after receiving a dose of risperidone, a molecule that blocks dopamine receptors, their motivation decreased.

“When we compare the [levodopa and risperidone treatment groups], we see participant reports of pleasure differing,” Mas-Herrero said, “More chills and pleasure follow levodopa than risperidone. People are also more likely to spend money, so they are more motivated to buy […] music following levodopa than risperidone.”

According to Mas-Herrero, music can serve as a model to understand emotions and their complexity.

“Dopaminergic circuits can be used to understand disorders and conditions characterized by a dysfunction of this pathway, such as addiction or depression,” Mas-Herrero said.

The research also opens the door to understanding how music acts as a therapeutic treatment for neurological disorders. Those who have neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s could potentially be treated using musical therapy in ways that pharmacological alternatives cannot. Sufferers of depression or anxiety could also see some increases in motivation as a result of this musically-induced mechanism.  

“Understanding the neurochemistry of music may help us understand to what extent music can be used as a treatment for motivational [and neurodegenerative] disorders,” Mas-Herrero said.

This paper provides hope that the substantial link between music, motivation, and mental pleasure can be exploited to boost motivational circuits.

“Music is so powerful to us, so emotional, and, therefore, able to shine through our memories when other memories are deteriorating like in Alzheimer’s,” Gold said. “[It can also] provide cues that we can associate [with] our movements like in Parkinson’s, or to be a substrate for connection like in autism.”  

Though there is still be plenty left to discover, such as why something as abstract as music can play such a large role in processing information, this paper acts as the first step toward understanding music’s therapeutic effects.

“We still have a lot to learn about how to use music to target and treat neurological disorders, but it might be possible,” Gold said. “There’s still a lot to uncover. This paper is more of a proof of concept.”

Out on the Town, Student Life

Bakery-hopping through the Plateau

by Miya Keilin on

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Montreal has always had tasty pastries, and, now, a high quality bakery is never more than a few blocks away. However, the constant stress of midterms, papers, and job applications can make it difficult for students to venture out of the McGill bubble and fully appreciate all of the baked goods that Montreal has to offer. The McGill Tribune is here to help add some sweetness to students’ lives with a short list of some of the most well-respected bakeries just a short walk or bus ride away from McGill’s Downtown campus.  

Boulangerie Guillaume

Located north of St. Joseph and St. Laurent, Boulangerie Guillaume features an impressive array of fresh-baked breads, pastries, sandwiches, and decadent desserts. Through big windows that face the sidewalk, the various breads and pastries that decorate the wall behind the counter will instantly attract passers-by. Upon entering, customers can peer back into the kitchen to see their bread steaming as it comes out of the oven.

The interior setup can be a little bit confusing. The pastry and bread selections are on display near the entrance, so customers can easily see all of these options. The sandwiches and cookies, however, are hidden beyond the cash register. Bags of day-old baked goods—offered at a discounted price—are opposite the counter, which can make them easy to miss. Yet, with a wide range of traditional and creative takes on all things baked, no customer leaves Boulangerie Guillaume disappointed.

Mamie Clafoutis

Just steps away from Square St. Louis, Mamie Clafoutis offers the perfect selection for a summer picnic in the park or a cozy coffee date. From their Oh mon Dieu! croissants to their shortbread cookies, this local favourite consistently delivers rich, buttery sweets baked to perfection. They also make traditional French breads, pies, tarts, and sandwiches, which customers can enjoy on a lovely mezzanine with couches, tables, wifi, and a piano. Even better, the upstairs area has a view of the kitchen, so diners can watch bakers mix, roll, and shape dough into Mamie Clafoutis’ signature flaky pastries.  

Les Co’Pains d’Abord

Although small, Les Co’Pains d’Abord, tucked away on Rue Rachel just off of St. Denis, is full of beautiful pastries and desserts. The first display case features an assortment of simple yet gorgeous goods. Highlights include the choco grand cru—a croissant with perfectly-even stripes of chocolate—a danish with apple slices cleanly laid across each other, and glossy brioches that come in assorted flavours. Meticulously-decorated cakes, tarts, cookies, and pies, the flavours of which vary with the season, line the shelves of the second display case. Cakes like the irrésistible au chocolat and the mille feuille feature intricate designs, showcasing Les Co’Pains d’Abord’s attention to detail.  

Kouign Amann

A Montreal classic, this bakery is named for its signature treat, the kouign-amann: A Breton cake with layers of butter, sugar, and pastry dough with a caramelized exterior. While it isn’t much to look at, the kouign amann, with its rich sweetness, is scrumptious. The bakery sells the pastry by the slice or as a full cake that can easily be taken to go. Kouign Amann does not serve a wide variety of sweets, but what they do make is superb: The chocolate in the pain au lait choco is sweet and smooth, the rolls are perfectly sugary and crispy, and the apple turnover, with a flavourful filling and a crunchy, photogenic pastry, is always satisfying. On the savoury side, Kouign Amann offers assorted quiches as well as croissants with various combinations of ham, cheeses, and vegetables inside. To make a complete meal, customers can pair their baked goods with a coffee or one of Kouign Amann’s fresh, homemade juices.

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