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Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Cinema Politica features indigenous-made cinema

by Kevin Vogel on

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On Feb. 4, Cinema Politica presented a series of documentaries by indigenous filmmakers, including a short animation, as part of Concordia University’s First Voices Week. With Flat Rocks and Lil Hard Knox filmmakers Courtney Montour and Karonhiarokwas Roxann Whitebean present to answer questions after the screening, illuminating the processes and intentions behind their works.

Lil Hard Knox (Roxann Whitebean)

Lil Hard Knox affectionately documents the training routine of Shatekaienthokwen ‘Tugar’ VanDommelen, a 10-year-old Mohawk boxer from Kahnawake. VanDommelen practices twice a week at the Hard Knox gym in Saint-Henri, proving that, despite his young age and small size, he has the dedication and commitment it takes to become a true champion.

Whitebean, who is also from Kahnawake, highlights VanDommelen as a source of community pride. Inspired by his father’s own passion for the sport, VanDommelen began boxing at the age of six and has been in the ring ever since. The film praised VanDommelen’s drive and showcased the support that his parents and the athletic community provided with. Lil Hard Knox portrays a community coming together to help a young athlete realize his promise.

Heart (Sam Karney)

In its brisk three-minute runtime, Heart takes its viewers into Winnipeg’s North End neighbourhood, where 24.6 per cent of the population is indigenous. Due to the low socioeconomic status of the area, the North End has taken on an unfavourable perception to outsiders. Karney challenges the pervasive negative stereotypes that plague the indigenous community, compounded by high crime rates and economic despair. Instead of doom, he finds perseverance; instead of despair, he finds hope. Through Karney’s lens, the North End becomes a place full of warmth and kindness—a place that people proudly call home.

Heart from Ice River Films on Vimeo.

Flat Rocks (Courtney Montour)

In the 1950s, the Canadian government began construction on the Saint Lawrence Seaway, a series of canals and channels connecting Montreal’s harbour to the Great Lakes. While planners framed the project as a progressive undertaking in pursuit  of economic development, the construction of the Seaway had devastating impacts on the Kahnawake Mohawk territory near Montreal.

Montour investigates the story of 79-year-old farmer Louis Diabo’s resistance to the Seaway’s construction. She begins by showing home videos from before the  construction began, replete with wholesome summer activities like family barbecues on the river and children splashing in the water. Montour then juxtaposes this footage with images of Seaway workers digging around Diabo’s farmhouse—the construction that caused his well to dry up and rendered the home uninhabitable.

“The things that dredge right into the community are just never ending,” Montour said after the screening, mentioning the Mercier Bridge and Autoroute 30 expansion. “The seaway severed our connection to the water and [interrupted] our traditional diet, our skills, the fishing, and the way that people gathered.”

Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes) (Amanda Strong)

Director Amanda Strong uses stop-motion animation to tell the story of Biidaaban, a non-binary Anishinaabe person, as they try to collect sap from maple trees in suburban neighbourhoods with the help of spirits. Through almost surrealist depictions of the dreary houses moving in and attacking Biidaaban, the short presents a poignant critique of settler society urbanizing land traditionally used by indigenous peoples.

Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes) Teaser from Spotted Fawn Productions on Vimeo.

Warrior Women (Christina King and Elizabeth Castle)

Warrior Women brings female American Indian Movement (AIM) leaders together to reminisce about their activism from the 1960s to the present. The legacy of Madonna Thunder Hawk’s Survival School, a movement which cultivated a generation of young indigenous women, plays a key role in the film, looking at how the resistance of the AIM transformed future generations of indigenous American activists.

Each film provided a distinct perspective on indigenous life. At the end of the event, Montour emphasized that the effects of colonialism represented throughout the night are not only historical issues, but, rather, persisting realities across North America.

 

Although First Voices Week finished on Feb. 8, Cinema Politica screens independent political film and video every Monday evening at Concordia’s H-110.

McGill, News, Private

McGill reveals its Master Plan for future campus renovations

by Ezra-Jean Taylor on

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With McGill’s infrastructure and buildings aging, both the Downtown and MacDonald Campuses are set to undergo extensive renovations. In pursuit of this, the Campus Planning and Development Office (CPDO) is in the process of developing an overarching guide to infrastructural development at the university for the next 20 years.

Yves Beauchamp, vice-principal (Administration and Finance), attested to the importance of the Master Plan.

“The Master Plan is a vision that will guide the development of McGill’s campuses in support of the University’s mission and priorities,” Beauchamp said. “It will be a living document that will set a common way forward for our decisions relating to space, infrastructure, landscape, and related matters.”

The CPDO began its plans for the infrastructural changes by forming working groups to discuss guiding principles for the Master Plan. According to a McGill Reporter article, CPDO also collected community input through a series of events from Jan. 16 to Feb. 6, including a mobile display presented at buildings around campus by members of the planning team, two community briefings, and an online survey. According to the display boards, the most common themes mentioned by community members were governance, green space, connectivity, heritage protection, sustainability, communal space, and learning space.

Director of Stakeholder Relations Dicki Chhoyang affirmed the CPDO’s desire for student input in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

“All the stakeholders’ opinions, but mainly the students, are important to us,” Chhoyang said. “We wanted to create a platform to hear [their opinions….] We see this as our responsibility to hear from the McGill community[about] how we can make this planning process better.”

According to Manager of Campus and Master Planning Anna Bendix, the updated Master Plan will include clearer sustainability goals based on the CPDO’s surveys and focus group findings. She hopes that sustainability will be elevated to a higher priority than usual.

“After money is spent covering structural needs, [sustainability] is often left out of the budget,” Bendix said.

At the downtown campus, the CPDO will focus on six projects over the next decade. The Powell building is projected to become a new research lab, while the Fiat Lux project will transform the McLennan-Redpath library into a dynamic workspace. Wilson Hall’s renovations will include the installation of new classrooms and research labs while maintaining its iconic architecture, and the Montreal Neurological Institute will receive new cutting-edge technology and equipment. Additionally, the Royal Victoria Hospital is currently undergoing feasibility studies to determine what use the building, acquired by McGill in 2018, could serve. Proposals include outfitting it with state-of-the-art laboratories or transforming it into affordable student housing, with the latter idea being presented to the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council on Jan. 24.

The relocation of internal resources poses a recurring challenge to construction projects on campus. When a building is shut down, the offices, furniture, supplies, and files must be moved out of the construction zone. The Schulich Library renovation, for example, will displace 20 staff members, 160,000 print volumes, and at least 675 seats. Bendix acknowledged that the Master Plan is no exception, and she sees relocating the contents of the six large buildings it targets as a sizeable logistical challenge.  

According to CPDO Executive Director Cameron Charlebois, the cultural designations of many of McGill’s buildings provide further obstacles.  

“Almost all of [McGill’s] buildings are classified [as] heritage sites,” Charlebois said. “All of our buildings are protected automatically, so, whatever we do, we have to justify the intervention in the building. We can’t transform many of our buildings, and, as you are seeing, many of them are unsuited for academic purposes.”

The CPDO will present the completed Master Plan to the Board of Governors for their approval this spring.

McGill, News

Consultations on Sexual Violence Policy aim to promote student engagement

by Nina Russell on

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As part of the revisions to McGill’s Sexual Violence Policy, students will be able to attend consultation sessions to provide feedback on McGill’s Policy Against Sexual Violence from Feb. 6-13. Hosted by the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) and the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), the results of these consultations will be compiled into a report and presented to the administration to assist the Sexual Violence Policy Working Group in its ongoing revisions.

The policy will be put forward for discussion at Senate this month and will be voted on in March.

In 2017, McGill’s previous Sexual Violence Policy received a C- grade from Our Turn, a student-led initiative to end sexual violence on Canadian university campuses. The low grade reflected the fact that McGill’s sexual violence policy is not self-contained, instead deferring to the Student Code of Conduct for disciplinary measures. Now, the revised policy includes specific rules regarding providing survivor-friendly disclosures, clear procedures for investigating incidents, and updated staff and faculty training policies on sexual violence. Despite protest in favour of an outright ban on professor-student relationships at the December Senate meeting, Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policy) Angela Campbell cited Concordia University’s findings that such a ban would be unconstitutional.

“If a member of the teaching staff enters into a romantic or sexual relationship with a student [whom they do not have direct authority over], but where the student is nevertheless enrolled in the teaching staff member’s faculty, the teaching staff member must disclose the relationship immediately in writing following the process prescribed by the Regulation on Conflict of Interest,” the revised policy reads. “In such cases, administrative measures will be implemented to ensure that the teaching staff member has no academic authority or influence over the student concerned. “

Robyn Lee, SSMU equity commissioner and SSMU representative on the Sexual Violence Policy Working Group, appealed to the importance of student engagement with the policy.

“It’s important because [the policy] will affect students,” Lee said. “If someone were to say ‘I read this policy, […and] these things aren’t made clear to me,’ then that’s important information that we’ll take into consideration when writing the report. Then, when it’s presented to administration, we hope that they will take this feedback and then revise the wording to make it more clear and more accessible.”

Although Lee acknowledged that attendance at student consultations is often minimal, she hopes to boost interest by making these Sexual Violence Policy consultations as accessible as possible.

“We have set [the consultations at] different times in different rooms around campus,” Lee said. “I think by trying to spread those out, we’re trying to get more students. The thing with town halls is that they’ll be one evening […], so we’ve tried our best to structure [the consultations] so that more students can come.”

Besides attending consultations, students can advocate for sexual violence legislation in a number of ways. Connor Spencer, former vice-president (VP) external for the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and chair of Students for Consent Culture Canada, discussed the importance of engagement on a departmental level.

“The one concrete thing that I think, specifically, students can do on the McGill campus that is really useful right now is students need to be working within their departments,” Spencer said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “There are students who are working at the university level and trying to get change at the provincial level, but one of the places that we’re seeing the most effective mobilization is within departments. Students at McGill have always been protecting each other and will continue to when our university does not.”

AVEQ’s
Editorial, Opinion

Learning from the successes and failures of AVEQ

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Following years of apathy and disengagement, the announcement that the Association for the Voice for Education in Quebec (AVEQ), a provincial student union, had dissolved generated little attention on McGill’s campus. While students are passionate advocates for causes like greater access to mental health services at McGill and the upcoming changes to McGill’s sexual violence policy, they often fail to recognize that provincial unions like AVEQ are responsible for generating such change. Now that AVEQ is dissolving, it is uncertain what new federation might take its place, leaving a void in student representation at the provincial level. 

AVEQ and the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) had a complicated relationship: SSMU executives and Legislative Council members have debated whether to affiliate with the group for years, and it was even put to an unsuccessful referendum in Winter 2016. While some students will remember AVEQ for its alleged financial misconduct and general disorganization, it would be a mistake to dismiss the idea of SSMU affiliating with a provincial student federation. Coordinating with other student associations to advocate for our mutual interests is essential to effecting positive change at the provincial level.

Financial mismanagement played a key role in AVEQ’s dissolution. According to former AVEQ employee Sophia Sahrane, in the organization’s final months, its board paid her $1,000 to drop legal claims of late pay and harassment; she has also alleged that AVEQ executives used the organization’s credit cards for personal expenses. The mouvement des associations générales étudiantes of l’université du Québec à Chicoutimi (MAGE-UQÀC), an association representing the university’s undergraduate students, withdrew from AVEQ in Oct. 2018 when the organization failed to pass a balanced budget. AVEQ’s 2017–18 budget ultimately ran an approximate $66,700 deficit.

AVEQ’s voting system also contributed to discontent among some of its member organizations. The association operated on a ‘one-member, one-vote’ principle, meaning that the Concordia Student Union (CSU), which represents over 35,000 students, had no more influence in AVEQ’s decision-making than the organization’s two other members, MAGE-UQÀC and the Association générale des étudiants du campus à Rimouski (AGECAR), despite representing more students than both associations combined.

Nonetheless, AVEQ had its share of successes in lobbying for students’ interests. The higher profile that comes with being a student federation meant it could participate in the ministerial consultations regarding Bill 151, a Quebec law regulating post-secondary institutions’ sexual harassment policies. The federation also met with then Minister of Higher Education Hélène David in Sept. 2017 to discuss the health insurance issues that international students face, a topic on which AVEQ has produced excellent research.

This kind of high-level activity is the goal of student federations. By pooling their resources, university-level student associations can gain more recognition than they could alone. SSMU is currently without a vice-president (VP) External, leaving students with less influence over the issues that matter to them. Just this year, a provincial organization, les Comités unitaires sur le travail étudiant, organized protests against unpaid internships that attracted widespread media attention and a response from Quebec Minister of Education and Higher Education Jean-François Roberge.

With AVEQ gone, SSMU and the CSU are both without provincial affiliation. SSMU has a unique opportunity to fill this gap in representation and take a proactive role in organizing a new, more functional student federation that aligns with McGill students’ interests. This would involve learning from the examples set by groups past and current. Issue-specific campaigns, like the Our Turn National Action Plan, have succeeded in bringing about change by combining a narrow focus and high media visibility; the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) has full-time staff who regularly engage with groups in the federal government. With the proper strategies, effective student advocacy is achievable and worthwhile.

University campuses have long been sites for social change where student associations are especially influential: In Quebec, the 2012 Maple Spring student protests resulted in the government rescinding plans to increase tuition. Letting this influence wane due to AVEQ’s mismanagement would be self-defeating. Government decisions influence nearly all student issues, from the cost of education to mental health. With SSMU elections approaching next month, the incoming executive board, especially the VP External, has the opportunity to help build such an organization from the ground up and make sure it represents McGill’s needs. McGill students deserve to have a voice in governmental decisions—and affiliating with other students is the best way to get there.

Reinstituting systems of care: Treating Eating Disorders at McGill University
Off the Board, Opinion

Reinstituting systems of care: Treating eating disorders at McGill

by Tristan Surman on

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I was lucky. I was able to sit down with my mum and tell her how scared I was. The people I love supported and watched out for me. When I woke up in the middle of the night and I couldn’t see, my dad was there to drive me to the hospital. Not everyone is that lucky. Support systems are crucial to those struggling with an eating disorder (ED), especially when alone at university for the first time. When McGill cancelled its ED program in 2017, it eliminated a key resource for struggling students, and it needs to find a way to replace that resource.

Students struggling with an ED need multifaceted and comprehensive care. EDs are all too common among people our age: According to a 2017 NEDIC report, 1.5 per cent of women aged 15–24  had an eating disorder. The most alarming statistic is the mortality rate of those with EDs. Anorexia nervosa (AN) has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness: Researchers have estimated that 10 per cent of those with AN will die within 10 years. The discussion around EDs often fails to consider the imminent danger that many face. For this reason, medical and psychiatric health care systems are imperative.

The need for comprehensive care systems has been on the minds of administrators for a long time. In 1996, McGill launched its Eating Disorder unit, a “multi-disciplinary team, comprised of staff from Mental Health, Counselling, and Health Services.” According to documents sent to the The McGill Tribune by a former administrator, the program had been successful in treating multiple life-threatening cases within its first two years. Having a program accessible to students is of paramount importance when it has the capacity to do  such profound good.

No matter how many students it helps, systems of care have a profound impact on each student who engages with them. When McGill cancelled its program, it eliminated an opportunity to seek care. According to Executive Director of Student Services Martine Gauthier, the ED program served 70 students annually by 2017. It provided students with access to a nurse, dietician, and a number of psychiatrists and psychologists. It was a multifaceted system of care that allowed McGill to offer support at any given stage, as necessary. Accessing care at McGill is daunting, and the obstacles are countless, including a lack of information, a daunting bureaucratic process, and disheartening wait times. These obstacles are infinitely more difficult to overcome when already struggling with an ED. It is McGill’s job to remove these roadblocks, and for the administration to work in tandem with the student body  to change the status quo.

But institutions move at a slow pace, and every decision comes in the form of a trade-off. In an 2018 email to The McGill Tribune, Martine Gauthier wrote that, at its most expensive, the ED program cost $711,000, in the 2014–2015 academic year, with an average annual cost of around $400,000–$500,000, representing 4.5 per cent of the Student Services budget that year. Supporting the program is expensive, so McGill should look into alternatives for providing multi-faceted care. It needs to make sure that there is easy access to the separate parts of the now defunct ED program, including discussion groups and nutritionists. Moreover, McGill should work to make in-patient care more accessible by establishing or strengthening memoranda of agreement with treatment centres around Montreal, like Douglas Hospital, that streamline and subsidize access to care. Lastly, McGill needs to accomplish the all-too-elusive goal of effective communication. What comes to mind for students when they think about EDs at McGill is the treatment program’s cancellation in 2017. The school needs to replace that narrative with a new one, and centralize and clarify information about accessing care

Not everyone is as lucky as me. It is important that institutions like McGill provide systems of cares so that luck doesn’t have to be a factor. But that might take some time, and some convincing. In the meantime, students need to open a dialogue. McGill has barriers it needs to break down, but so do we.  We need to seek love from ourselves and others, and lead with honesty.

Basketball, Private, Sports

2019 NBA All-Star mock draft

by Alec Regino, Adam Burton on

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Team LeBron

Alec Regino

LeBron James is quick to show fans that he’s more than just a basketball player—he’s a businessman, the Lakers’ secret general manager, and an entertainer. This draft is a balancing act of all these roles. While I’m obviously here to win, I also plan to recruit James’ next superteam before he rides off into the sunset.

Team Giannis

Adam Burton

Knowing how competitive Giannis Antetokounmpo can be, he’ll probably show up to the draft with reading glasses and binders overflowing with research and notes. With that in mind, I’m looking to pick the most balanced, dominant team with high flyers and sharp shooters alike, combining effort and skill to crush James’ remaining spirit.

First Round: Starters

1. Kevin Durant (Team LeBron)

Arguably the second-best player in the league, Durant earns the first overall pick for another reason: He will soon be a free agent. The opportunity for Durant to see James and himself in action is a good trial run for a prospective move to the Lakers.

2. James Harden (Team Giannis)

Harden made one of the most impressive runs in NBA history in January, averaging 43.6 points for the month. Picking the MVP frontrunner is a clear choice for Antetokounmpo.

3. Kyrie Irving (Team LeBron)

Irving spent three years demolishing opponents alongside James. A few years after their falling out, they’re now mending fences. This pick isn’t just for the sake of nostalgia: It’s for the theatrics, the cryptic Instagram stories, and possible tampering fines. The All-Star Game is entertainment for the fans, after all. What could be better than a potential reunion?

4. Stephen Curry (Team Giannis)

After a fantastic first half of the season, picking the two-time MVP with the fourth pick is a no-brainer for Antetokounmpo. It doesn’t hurt that Curry will have a chip on his shoulder for getting passed over for captain in favour of James.

5. Kawhi Leonard (Team LeBron)

James needs to recruit. Leonard happens to have just spent $13.3 million on a home in Southern California, while Toronto is so cold that fans have reached out to Danny Green, urging him to keep the star indoors. With an opportunity to team up and show out in the All-Star game, GM James can sell sunshine and dynasties if Kawhi is looking to bolt.

6. Joel Embiid (Team Giannis)

With a dominance in the post rivaled only by Shaquille O’Neal in the early 2000s, Embiid has established himself as the best traditional centre in the league. He will also bring a competitive edge that has been painfully absent in All-Star games of years past, with his trademark humiliating poster dunks and unrivaled trash talk.

7. Kemba Walker (Team LeBron)

Before chastising this pick, it’s important to recognize that Walker has had a stellar year. With only two players left on the board in the first round, Team LeBron doesn’t need another wing; however, the Lakers could use a star point guard, and this one just so happens to be a free agent come July.

8. Paul George (Team Giannis)

George has had an exceptional season, picking up Russell Westbrook’s slack. Averaging 28 points, four assists, and eight rebounds per game, George looks like he may have finally hit his stride in Oklahoma City this year.

Second Round: Reserves

9. Anthony Davis (Team Giannis)

Getting Davis on the ninth pick is a steal. He’s had an eye-popping season, posting his best stats yet and showing what the combination of elite skill, size, and athleticism can do. He will definitely be motivated to put a show on for potential future teammate James.

10. Russell Westbrook (Team LeBron)

While he’s scoring at an inefficient clip (41.7 field goal percentage/24.8 three-point percentage/64.3 free throw percentage) this season, Westbrook still brings a lot to the table. He’s also averaging a triple-double this season; with two All-Star MVPs already, Westbrook is a mighty weapon, beneficial to any team.

11. Nikola Jokic (Team Giannis)

Jokic has had an electrifying season, leading a second-seeded Nuggets team and redefining what it means to be a centre. His inside passing game is unrivaled by any other centre and will certainly be on display at the All-Star Game.

12. Ben Simmons (Team LeBron)

Simmons and James not only share an identical playstyle on the court, but they’re also good friends. James will likely take his ‘little brother’ early in the draft, and, as a result, this team’s fluid ball movement will be a sight to behold.

13. Damian Lillard (Team Giannis)

Lillard didn’t get overlooked this year. With a range rivaled only by All-Star teammate Steph Curry, he’ll add to a monstrous backcourt. It would come as no surprise if Team Antetokounmpo  never set foot inside the three-point line.

14. Blake Griffin (Team LeBron)

Since leaving Lob City, Griffin has completely overhauled his playstyle. Nevertheless, Team LeBron is not looking for a stretch-four; it’s looking for the Pistons star to throw down lobs like it’s 2014 again.

15. Klay Thompson (Team Giannis)

It only makes sense to capitalize on the connection that Thompson and Curry already share. The Splash Brothers are two great bets to get in James’ head and secure victory for Team Antetokounmpo.

16. Nikola Vucevic (Team LeBron)

Despite a shaky Magic roster, Vucevic is an offensive juggernaut who has found a way to torment defences; this won’t go unnoticed in the All-Star game. Plus, Team LeBron could use his size.

17. Bradley Beal (Team Giannis)

In John Wall’s absence, Beal has proven to be an elite guard. At just 25 years old, he still has got room to climb. He’ll want to put on a show and continue to prove himself during this All-Star game.

18. Oladipo Replacement → D’Angelo Russell (Team LeBron)

Once part of the cap-clearing trade that ultimately brought James to L.A., Russell, with the patented “ice in his veins”, is leading the Nets to their first playoff appearance in years.

19. Khris Middleton (Team Giannis)

Keeping Middleton makes sense: Antetokounmpo will understandably want to play alongside his teammates. It also doesn’t hurt that he is one of the most underrated and unselfish players in the league.

20. Karl-Anthony Towns (Team LeBron)

This one is a no-brainer: Towns’ offensive skill-set is phenomenal, and he is only 23. Ideally, Towns’ former Timberwolves teammate Jimmy Butler would have been chosen as a reserve alongside him, but their reunion will have to wait.

21. Lamarcus Aldridge (Team Giannis)

While Aldridge’s season hasn’t exactly been exhilarating, he has managed to lead an otherwise overlooked Spurs team to the sixth seed. That achievement is definitely worthy of some recognition.

22. Kyle Lowry (Team LeBron)

Lowry’s scoring numbers may be down, but this team has enough offensive options already. With Lowry’s addition, Team LeBron will have flashy ball movement locked down.

Legacy Edition

1. Dwyane Wade (Team LeBron)

The band is back together for one last showcase. LeBron will look to Wade to help convince All-Star teammates Durant, Leonard, and Walker that playing on the King’s court can be pretty fun.

2. Dirk Nowitzki (Team Giannis)

It’s only right to bring Nowitzki out one last time. Who knows? Maybe he’ll even break out his signature one legged fadeaway.

 

Team LeBron

Starters: G Kemba Walker, G Kyrie Irving, F LeBron James, F Kevin Durant, F Kawhi Leonard

Reserves: G Russell Westbrook, G D’Angelo Russell, G Kyle Lowry, G Dwyane Wade, F Ben Simmons, F Blake Griffin, C Karl-Anthony Towns, C Nikola Vucevic

Team Giannis

Starters: G Stephen Curry, G James Harden, F Paul George, F Giannis Antetokounmpo, C Joel Embiid

Reserves: G Damian Lillard, G Bradley Beal, F Klay Thompson, F Khris Middleton, F LaMarcus Aldridge

News, SSMU

SSMU executives discuss plans for Spring semester at Town Hall

by Nina Russell, Ahmad El-Zammar on

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The executives of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) hosted a Town Hall meeting on Jan. 29 to discuss their priorities for the current semester. Topics included updates about a Fall Reading Week, the selection of a new Deputy Provost Student Life and Learning, and mental health initiatives.

 

Fall Reading Week talks making headway

After the SSMU fall referendum saw overwhelming support in favour of a Fall Reading Week, SSMU President Tre Mansdoerfer described the Fall Reading Week Committee’s progress.

“Honestly, the conversations [around Fall reading week are going] really well,” Mansdoerfer said. “In April, our committee is going to deliver a final report to the McGill committee saying ‘this is what we think we should do’ [….] We’ll see how the conversations go, but they’re going a lot better than they did four to five years ago, and this is the farthest we’ve ever been in these conversations.”

 

Mental health advocacy

Vice-President (VP) Student Life Cody Esterle discussed improving mental health support. In addition to McGill’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week from Feb. 1-7, Esterle’s projects include compiling a list of mental health resources on a single web page to facilitate accessibility.

“It goes further than wait times [for counselling services],” Esterle said. “Having care that is inclusive and trained, and conscious of other voices [is really important]. I’m really trying to make more efforts to [display] all the resources that we have. [Mental health resources exist outside of] McGill, we’re in Montreal, we’re in Quebec, and there are other schools.”

 

Financial literacy on the agenda

Last term, VP Finance Jun Wang primarily focussed his energy on switching SSMU club bank accounts from ScotiaBank to RBC. In addition to completing the transfer, he hopes to work toward increasing financial literacy among SSMU clubs and the general student population.

“I’m currently working on Google Classrooms […] so when [members of] clubs become signing officers, they can sign up for the classroom and learn about everything,” Wang said. “So there’s actually full transparency with what is expected, what the rules [are], and what you can do with your bank account and finances with SSMU.”

 

McGill students encouraged to get more involved

VP University Affairs Jacob Shapiro stressed the importance of students staying informed about administrative changes that impact them. He cited the ongoing process for the selection of a new Deputy Provost Student Life and Learning (SLL) as an important example.

“Anything that touches student life and learning, as the name suggests, is impacted by whoever this person is at the top,” Shapiro said. “It’s important to me that students know that [the selection process is] happening, that people are giving feedback to [the Advisory] Committee”

The Deputy Provost directly manages several bodies, including Student Services, the Dean of Students, Housing Services, Athletics, and the Registrar. The Advisory Committee to the Principal for the Selection of a new Deputy Provost, which Shapiro sits on, will make its decision by the end of the academic year.

 

McGill Digital Calendar release imminent

VP Internal Matthew McLaughlin intends to prioritize the development of a centralized event calendar. He hopes to integrate it with the SSMU listserv submission process so that, whenever an event is submitted, the organizer will be prompted to also make it visible on the calendar.

According to McLaughlin, the success of the project will depend on student involvement.

“If [the calendar is] successful, if people buy into it, then it’ll be a kind of a one-stop shop to go find [out] what’s happening,” McLaughlin said. “That’s gonna take not just the technology, but also people to be engaged and to go and check-in to host their events. If students don’t use it, if clubs don’t put their events in there, then it’s worthless.”

Off the Board, Opinion

Becoming a Canadian in Canada

by Kate Lord on

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Before I went on exchange last winter, my mum sewed a small Canadian flag to my backpack. I was apprehensive: It felt like a a bold, definitive declaration of my nationality. As an anonymous traveller, your country of origin comes to define you, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to become the ‘Canadian girl.’ With more experience living outside of Canada, I was, after all, a bit of a fraud.

Despite my Canadian passport, I did not spend the first 14 years of my life attending hockey games and enjoying poutine. While I could name more capital cities than most adults, I couldn’t distinguish Nova Scotia from Manitoba, and I thought Parliament Hill was in Toronto. I was also a really terrible skater.

Between Singapore, New Zealand, and Germany, my parents ensured that, rather than growing up Canadian, my childhood was characterized by becoming a part of many cultures. I tried to learn Mandarin and German while commemorating Anzac day and celebrating Diwali. When the students at my elementary school wore their traditional outfits once a year, I was always jealous of the little girls who could wear their colourful saris or delicate cheongsams; I felt strange in my green-and-yellow kilt with a maple leaf pinned to my back. During annual visits to Canada and England, relatives were always eager to share their homes with their international family. Even though I loved summers surrounded by family, I never really considered what it might be like to live in the place that I’m from.

As a result of my mother’s fervent hopes that my brother and I would grow roots in Canada before leaving for university, we eventually relocated to Toronto. Without the shield of being foreign, I quickly realized I faced a trial far more difficult than keeping in touch with old friends or making new ones: Being a Canadian in Canada.

Among an international crowd, it’s easy to fit in, because nobody does. For those who already say ‘sorry’ and take maple syrup with their pancakes, passing as a Canadian doesn’t take a lot of effort because most foreigners won’t really know the people of a country beyond their popular stereotypes.

Even in Toronto, my family seemed to transition into Canadian life without being exposed as imposters. My brother took French classes, my dad started curling, and my mum frequented HomeSense with my grandmother. I got to see my cousins more than once a year, and I learned how difficult portaging is. My name and appearance meant I was privileged to never have to explain how I was Canadian, and my new friends were more interested in discussing the first Hunger Games instalment than where each of us was born.

Somewhere between going camping on Canada Day and learning the national anthem, I became more Canadian. Even though I would never feel as at home as someone who grew up here, I still lost the right to identify as an international kid. It was an inevitable and unwinnable struggle; when you’ve defined yourself as something for so long, it can be hard to let go.  

Deciding to come to a large university in a culturally confused city was, in part, spurred by a desire to recover some semblance of foreignness. With so many people from different backgrounds, university can feel like a reprieve for the person seeking to blend comfortably into diversity.

While I might not always be proud to be Canadian, any traveller will tell you that wearing a maple leaf on your bag is a fortunate symbol to bear. I’m not entirely sure I’m a proper ‘Canadian’ yet, but I still have the flag on my backpack—and I think that means something.

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