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Science & Technology

Hot girl summer eclipsed by Hot Exo-Jupiter

by Adam Matthews-Kott on

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Roughly equal to the mass of 12 Jupiters, exoplanet XO-3b was the subject of a recent study led by Lisa Dang, a PhD student studying short-period exoplanets and their atmospheres at McGill. Exoplanet XO-3b is classified as a “Hot Jupiter,” a planet with physical properties similar to Jupiter that has an orbital period of less than four earth days. XO-3b is within the range of Jupiter’s mass but closer to its host star than Mercury is to the sun.

Dang originally focussed on XO-3b because of its unusual elliptical orbit. Although elliptical orbits are not rare in and of themselves, they are not often associated with Hot Jupiters due to the high mass of these planets and their proximity to the sun. As part of her research, Dang studied XO-3b for a full year. But this turned out to be easier than anticipated, as the planet completes its orbit in the span of only three days.

“The reason why [these orbits] are interesting is because oftentimes these hot Jupiters have a lot of gravitational interactions with the host star, and so the orbit of the planet will become circular,” Dang said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “The fact that we’re observing this planet in an elliptical orbit tells us that this planet is actually migrating.”

This migration process is poorly understood; gathering data on XO-3b would go a long way in elucidating not only the process itself, but also the environment in which the planet formed. The study also discovered another interesting characteristic of XO-3b: Tentative evidence showed that the planet was producing its own heat.

“It’s easy to think that if you have something more massive that it’s going to be larger [in radius] but that’s actually the contrary,” Dang said, in reference to hot Jupiters. “[For XO-3b], we saw that the radius was larger than what was expected for a planet this massive.” 

In addition to the planet’s abnormally large radius, Spitzer telescope data indicated that the temperature of the planet was also above average across all of its seasons. Putting these two observations together, researchers predicted that some of this heightened temperature was due to internal heating.

The researchers proposed two possible explanations: The first was that the planet was experiencing a type of oscillation caused by tidal heating due to the eccentricity of its orbit. These oscillations could also explain why this planet was generating some of its own heat. The other explanation is that the planet may actually be a failed star, lending it enough mass to generate the pressures necessary for nuclear fusion—allowing the planet to maintain its higher temperature.

Dang believes that a combination of these factors  is causing the heating. She hopes to continue studying XO-3b further to get a better understanding of both the internal heating of the planet and any other interesting characteristics that the planet may present.

“If we measure how much heat is needed to be this size, it turns out to be quite a substantial amount, and that’s why we need the two of them in combination to explain what we see,” Dang said. 

Learning more about the nature of XO-3b will allow us to further characterize  Hot Jupiter-type planets as a whole. While this type of planet is among the most studied currently, there is still a lot to learn about their behaviour and unique quirks. 

Hockey, Sports

Making sense of the Montreal Canadiens’ front office shakeup

by Dante Ventulieri on

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On Nov. 29, the Montreal Canadiens announced that after nearly 10 years as general manager (GM), Marc Bergevin had been relieved of his duties.

Coming into the season off of a hot streak, such a drastic turn of events seemed unlikely. Last season, the Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993, and rumours swirled that a three-year contract extension was in the works. The indefinite loss of Carey Price, Shea Weber, and Joel Edmundson seemed to hamper the team’s playoff chances before the season had even started.  

By November, the team was off to their worst start in decades, bringing down morale among their loyal fans. Mikaela Piccirelli, U3 Science and longtime Habs fan, told //The McGill Tribune// that she believes the issues with Bergevin’s tenure run deeper than this year’s rocky start.

“Apart from last year, […] the Habs were just going through waves of mediocrity and a new face was needed to turn it around,” Piccirelli said. “Especially after making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, […] a new flame was ignited and the fanbase now wants and expects more.”

Changes to management did not stop with Bergevin: Paul Wilson, the vice-president (VP) of communications and public affairs, was let go, and assistant general managers Scott Mellanby and Trevor Timmins resigned and were fired, respectively. Finally, Geoff Molson, the president of the Canadiens, hired Jeff Gorton, the former GM of the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers, to serve as president of hockey operations.

In early January, Gorton and Molson then hired Chantal Machabée to replace Wilson. A Laval native, Machabée has gained notoriety during her 32 years with Réseau des sports (RDS). In an interview with the //Tribune//, Michel Lacroix, a former colleague of Machabée at RDS and the Canadiens’ in-game announcer, shared his thoughts on the hiring decision.

“I’ve known Chantal personally, she will indeed be a great VP,” Lacroix said. “She has the necessary knowledge and experience and she’ll bring some fresh air to the organization.”

According to Jared Brook, the deputy managing editor of Habs Eyes on the Prize, Machabée’s positive influence is already being felt within the organization.

“I think some of the major changes have already started to be seen in terms of how the team communicates health updates on players,” Brook said in an interview with the //Tribune//. “[Machabée] has the immense respect of everyone who covers the team. I don’t think she would take the job if the organization wasn’t willing to listen to her ideas or implement them.”

On Jan. 18, two weeks after Machabée’s hiring, the organization announced that Kent Hughes had signed a five-year contract as GM of the Habs. The Beaconsfield native had been a player agent for more than 30 years before assuming the position. Hughes is not the first agent to make the leap to GM; an agent’s skillset, which includes intimate knowledge of the collective bargaining agreement and an ability to understand player demands, means they have become increasingly coveted by hockey organizations. 

“I think as a former agent he might have a better idea of what appeals to players,” Brook noted. “Kent Hughes seems set on making the Canadiens into a more modern organization, and that is a very positive step.”

The next era of the Montreal Canadiens is just getting started and will be judged by the team’s on-ice success. The question remains whether management will take their time with a roster rebuild or feel pressured to try and speed up the process. Piccirelli is one fan who would not mind the former.

“If a full rebuild is the most logical way to get there consistently, then I wouldn’t be opposed,” Piccirelli said. “The hardest part would be seeing some players that we have come to love, leave. I don’t know how patient the Habs fan base would be with such a process, but […] I would be willing to deal with a couple more seasons like this one to get there.”

Features

Carving fish in the sand

by Holly Wethey on

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Every time I’m in the lecture hall analyzing a poem, I’m of two minds. On the one hand, as an English student, I am thinking of the poem as a critic would—sifting and weighing the words. But on the other hand, I am reading as a Christian, conscious of every gesture to God, every biblical allusion. When my English class on John Milton read //Paradise Lost//, I might have thought immediately of Milton’s use of blank verse, but instead I was struck by how the speaker articulates a love for God: “Because we freely love, as in our will / To love or not; in this we stand or fall.”

In moments like this, I start to look around me for signs, searching for others like me. A shared affinity for gospel rap or a “Jesus is King” laptop sticker could reveal a fellow believer and provide comfort in an environment that can sometimes feel secular in the most isolating of ways. These little allusions have become the modern day equivalent of carving fish in the sand. In what is often a cold academic environment, finding other Christians can be difficult, and talking about one’s faith even harder.

A Tough Crowd?

According to a survey conducted by Jesus Film, a Christian film project, 22 per cent of Christians say fear prevents them from sharing their faith. As for myself, I wish discussing my faith didn’t make me nervous. As a Christian, I believe my purpose is to love God and extend His love to others; while other aspects of my life are certainly of value to me, at my very core, I am Christian. Consequently, I often ask myself, how can so many people know me without being acquainted with the most important part of me? 

After a year of online classes and activities, as well as a desire to find a Christian community at McGill, I became involved with Power to Change (P2C), a Christian organization on campus dedicated to sharing Jesus with students at McGill. The space of worship, care, and love P2C fostered has been indispensable to me. It’s no surprise that research attests to the positive impact faith can have on one’s health, including coping with physical and mental illness.

At one event where Christian professors discussed their experiences at McGill, we spent time reflecting on barriers that prevent Christians from sharing their faith. Though some felt confident discussing their faith with others, many of us expressed feelings of fear or unease. 

Anka Johow, a staff member at P2C, is well aware of the challenges of sharing one’s faith and being rejected by peers. 

“Because of the highly scientific and logic-filled environment of university, it is a huge challenge for Christian students to profess their faith in Jesus, something that they can’t simply prove or explain since it is faith,” Johow explained. “They often feel intimidated and not free to share about it.”

JP Ponce, U2 Science, mentioned that while he finds people are normally either neutral or intrigued when he shares his faith, it can still be a difficult conversation to have.

“I do sometimes fear they may place me in a box of what they think a Christian is,” Ponce said. “It’s something that comes with tons of misconceptions. I’m not concerned with them disliking me for being Christian, but I’ll really be sad if they think I’m something that I’m not because they’ve had terrible experiences [with Christians] in the past.”

Despite these fears, Ponce emphasized that most people respond better to talking about faith than you imagine they will. YesHEis, an initiative of Christian Vision (CV), a global Christian charity, shares helpful tools for starting conversations about Jesus with others. One of the most important tips is meeting people where they are at—that is, understanding where people are coming from and being honest and transparent. Unfortunately, Christians have a reputation for being dogmatic or preachy when evangelizing, but this is the exact opposite of evangelism. This is why it is so important to approach conversations about Jesus in a loving, non-judgmental manner. 

Of course, while these fears of sharing my faith are partially personal, they aren’t that irrational considering the wider cultural context of Quebec. The province has a complicated relationship with religion. Before the Quiet Revolution, Quebec was heavily religious—in fact, the province was one of the most Catholic societies in the world, home to thousands of priests and closely tied to Rome. In many ways, the Quiet Revolution this fuelled a backlash and initiated a turn toward secularism as political leaders called for the diminishment of the Catholic Church’s role in society. The victory of the Liberal Party in Quebec in 1960 triggered the Quiet Revolution, where the party pushed for the secularization of the state. The government took control of health care and education, which had previously been under the purview of the Church. 

More recently, in order to strengthen the province’s commitment to secularism, the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) introduced Bill 21, which prevents public officials from wearing religious symbols while exercising their public duties. Instead of ensuring the separation of the church and state, the bill discriminates against minorities, including Muslim women who wear hijabs, Jews who wear kippahs, and Sikhs who wear turbans. At the same time, the law doesn’t affect all religions equally. While those of other religious minorities might not be able to conceal symbols of their faith, I can tuck a cross under my shirt.

Secularism isn’t necessarily only a political ethos. Although relatively independent from the goings-on of the government, McGill and other university institutions often start with a secular outlook when it comes to the pursuit of knowledge. In an academic context, classes often begin with the assumption that God does not exist and that Christianity is a sort of antique worldview. However, this view itself involves a value judgment, though it is often portrayed as a neutral starting point for academic studies. While the secular standpoint certainly has its uses, it can sometimes also crowd out other perspectives. 

Hockey, Sports

Hockey culture is missing the mark on anti-racism

by Tillie Burlock on

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Just days before the jersey retirement of Willie O’Ree on Jan. 18, the first Black player in the NHL, the professional hockey world was confronted with two appalling acts of racism. On Jan. 12, Montreal-born Boko Imama, a forward for the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League, was harassed by San Jose Barracudas forward Krystof Hrabik with a racist taunt. Shortly after, on Jan. 22, videos from an East Coast Hockey League game began circulating the internet, showing Jacksonville Icemen’s Jacob Panetta making “monkey gestures” toward South Carolina Stingrays defenceman Jordan Subban, while fans chanted racial slurs. 

The next day, the NHL released a brief statement in response, calling the incidents “abhorrent.” But at what point do the NHL’s words lose their meaning? The league’s championing of the “Hockey is For Everyone” initiative has been heavily scrutinized by members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA), and for good reason: The NHL is failing to support its racialized players and actively campaign for anti-racism. 

In their most recent initiative, the HDA launched the #TapeOutHate campaign to shed light the racism that permeates hockey culture. Current players Matt Dumba, Nazem Kadri, Wayne Simmonds, and Anthony Duclair, along with former Calgary Flame Akim Aliu, shared their encounters with racism within the sport. The commercial aired on Jan. 8, but the NHL and NHLPA’s decision not to take part in the campaign left the players unable to wear any NHL-licensed gear in the promotional material, leading many to question the NHL’s true priorities. 

In a statement on Twitter, Boko Imama joined others in their criticisms, writing: “My hope is that people learn from this and that some day hockey will truly be for everyone.” 

In a conversation with The McGill Tribune, Nathaniel Brooks, associate coach of the Ryerson Rams men’s hockey team, head coach of the Minor Bantam Don Mills Flyers, and founder of Direction Hockey, discussed his disappointment with the hockey community’s collective response to last week’s incidents. 

“Everybody just needs to put their plans and their words into action,” Brooks said. “I feel like we’re in a time now where we go on social media, and we tweet something with the hashtag, and we feel like our work is done. But when you really, really look deeply, there’s not much action being taken.”

Following the incident with Subban, many news outlets took it upon themselves to write redemption narratives, often citing Panetta’s “lack of intent” in his defence. Debates over Panetta’s suspension from the rest of season in the comment sections of related posts have fostered animosity toward the targeted players. This media circus has, in turn, drawn attention away from Subban’s unequivocal account of Saturday’s events. 

In contrast to the lack of action taken by the NHL at the community level, Brooks is working to create more dynamic and inclusive hockey programming in the Greater Toronto Area. 

Seaside Hockey, founded by Brooks, his father Kirk Brooks, and former NHL member Anthony Stewart, is a program based out of Scarborough that works to make the sport more accessible. 

“[Seaside is] the next step for us,” Brooks said. “I think everyone now is aware of the situations that certain individuals of colour get into playing the game. It’s time to take those experiences, take the resources that we’re gaining at the top level, and put it into the grassroots level to create that kind of safe zone for the kids coming in. We’re past the point of words, and it’s time to take action.” 

The trickle-up effect of grassroots organizing is just as vital to diversifying hockey as the trickle-down initiatives at the university level. At McGill, across both the men’s and women’s hockey teams, there is only one Black player. Moreover, the Athletics and Recreation ran Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Focus Groups throughout 2021, but there has been a complete lack of action and transparency regarding their findings. McGill Athletics must do more to foster a more diverse hockey environment both at the university and within the Montreal community.

Editorial, Opinion

Raising awareness will not end the mental health crisis

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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CW: Suicide, mental illness

Jan. 26 marked the 12th annual Bell Let’s Talk day, an initiative designed by multi-billion dollar telecommunications company Bell that fundraises and spreads awareness about mental health. Despite the importance of destigmatizing mental illness, the reality of Bell’s actions cheapen their purported belief in championing mental health. But even beyond the problems inherent to the company itself, any effort that seeks to bring awareness to the issue of mental health without addressing its structural factors is destined to fail. 

Bell’s campaign is engineered to co-opt “awareness” as a marketing tool. The company pledges to donate five cents for calls and texts conducted over their networks, along with social media engagement with the #BellLetsTalk hashtag. Despite being one of the largest telecommunications corporations in Canada, with assets sitting at around $60 billion, its largest actual contribution toward its mental health campaign are its relative pocket change donations—this year clocking in at $8 million. Bell, like many other large corporations that engage in these kinds of initiatives, donates pennies of their overall profits and uses these good deeds for tax write-offs and PR.

Even if we are to give Bell the benefit of the doubt regarding its intentions, the campaign’s sincerity is completely undermined by the exploitation of its employees every other day of the year. In recent years, employees have broken the silence, coming forward with countless reports of toxicity in the workplace, including allegations that Bell denies disability accommodations and puts much pressure on their employees—sometimes so much that they suffer physical consequences as extreme as vomiting blood. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company also let go of hundreds of employees with no concern for their mental or financial well-being. 

Bell’s activities are even more sinister outside of the work environment: The company exploits incarcerated people, charging exorbitant rates for telephone calls in and out of prisons. Some families have reported paying over $700 monthly just to be able to speak to their loved ones who are incarcerated. Bell’s utter disrespect for those in prisons, who are already at a higher risk of mental illness themselves, further proves that while those who may be reposting campaign graphics to social media may earnestly care about mental health, Bell does not. 

Treating mental health as a problem that ends with awareness has proven to be an incomplete strategy. Despite a consistent rise in engagement over the years, a study conducted between 2011 and 2016 found that the campaign has been ineffective at reducing suicide rates in Ontario. And even though Bell does donate to meaningful treatment and research initiatives across Canada, the relatively small donation provided annually can do little to address the ongoing mental health crisis in the grand scheme of things. Even if the company is unwilling to donate more, the initiative’s organizers should try to address the systemic factors that contribute to growing rates of mental illness and suicide, such as income inequality, job insecurity, and lack of access to proper health services.

While less so the case over the past few years, McGill has publicly taken part in Bell Let’s Talk in the past. The irony of its support for the initiative is clear, considering that the university has consistently ignored student pleas to improve their mental health services. But perhaps it should not be surprising––always concerned with optics, McGill is quick to advertise their alleged vast array of services. And much like how Bell has the resources to do much more good than its current campaign can, the university is well-positioned to make a genuine positive impact on its students’ lives by offering better services and increasing efforts to shift its stone-cold, competitive culture. But instead, it continues to prioritize cost-saving measures and donor appeasal. 

Students should not be fooled by self-serving PR stunts, whether they come from McGill or major corporations like Bell. Addressing mental health is structural and urgent, and should be treated as such.

Science & Technology

Researchers pinpoint a gene variant that could provide increased protection against severe COVID-19

by Kimaya Tekade on

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It is well known that a person’s genome can predispose them to certain diseases—but can also provide increased protection against other diseases. Geneticists have recently observed that a particular haplotype, a chunk of DNA that encodes several genes, is protective in nature against COVID-19 and results in a reduced risk of becoming critically ill upon infection with the virus. 

This haplotype, which encodes genes involved in immune regulation, was inherited from Neanderthals by almost half of people currently living outside Africa, according to a study published in the first year of the pandemic. This meant that people of African ancestry potentially did not share the same protection as those with the inherited gene variant.

The study identifying the protective haplotype was conducted mainly on individuals of European ancestry, so its implications could not be extended to the world population. Finding out which exact gene variant is responsible for the conferred protection is very important for prevention and treatment. Researchers, including those from McGill, zoomed in on this objective, focussing on smaller DNA regions within the haplotype. They analyzed the DNA from individuals of a larger swath of ancestries and observed that the pattern of inheritance of this haplotype was unique in African ancestry, and decided to find more African participants. 

Since the gene variant inheritance occurred only after Neanderthals migrated out of Africa, the researchers studied the DNA of individuals with African ancestry who only share a small segment of this Neanderthal-derived haplotype. The researchers found that individuals of African ancestry had the same protection against COVID-19 as those with European ancestry, indicating that the genes present in this shared piece of DNA might be the ones responsible. The analysis included a total of 2,787 hospitalized COVID-19 patients of African ancestry and 130,997 people in a control group from six different cohort studies. Eighty per cent of individuals of African ancestry carried the protective variant. 

Narrowing in on the smaller DNA segment, researchers pinpointed a causal genetic variant in individuals of African ancestry. A variant of the gene OAS1 determines the length of the encoded OAS1 protein, an enzyme that plays a crucial role in anti-viral mechanisms. Previous studies have shown that in individuals with increased levels of circulating OAS1, there is reduced risk of COVID-19 susceptibility and severity.

“We now need to look for compounds which can increase the levels of this particular OAS1 isoform, so that the severity risks involved in COVID-19 infections are reduced,” Dr. Guillaume Butler-Laporte, one of the co-authors on this paper and a clinician scientist in the Richards Lab at McGill, said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

Butler-Laporte also emphasized the importance of studying cohorts of individuals from different ancestries, as most studies usually focus on individuals of European ancestry due to the white supremacist roots of institutional science. In fact, COVID-19 research is especially important for supporting BIPOC communities as they have faced higher rates of hospitalization and mortality since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Research looking into the genetic underpinnings of variations in immunity is therefore crucial to understanding how to best protect different populations. Figuring out how to apply this new knowledge as a potential preventative tool represents an important research frontier. 

“At this point, we have discovered this specific isoform of OAS1 and we know that it is better at killing the virus SARS-CoV2,” Butler-Laporte said. “So, the question now is that can we make a chemical drug that can specifically raise the level of this particular isoform of OAS1.”

Some compounds, such as PD12 inhibitors, are able to increase the level of this gene variant, but this has yet to be tested in live organisms. Using this information as a guide, other researchers in the field could gain a better understanding of the OAS1 variant’s role in mediating the immune system’s response to viral attacks. 

Football, Sports

Ben Roethlisberger is retiring from an NFL different from the one he started in

by Henry Olsen on

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played the final game of his career on Jan. 16, losing 42-21 to the Kansas City Chiefs. While he put up a respectable statline of 215 yards, scored two touchdowns, and had no interceptions on a 66 per cent completion rate, Roethlisberger had a measly 4.8 yards per attempt, and his touchdowns only came after the Chiefs were already well in the lead. Just as it was throughout the season, Pittsburgh’s offence was lacklustre and outdated, relying on screen passes and high-end defensive talent to score points. In the end, Roethlisberger ranked just 31st out of the 32 starting quarterbacks this season.

It seems that as Roethlisberger retires, other NFL quarterbacks of old are contemplating their own fates. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, though playing well, are 44 and 37 years old respectively, and when they leave, the NFL will have few of the old guard left to connect it to the previous generation. Where will the NFL go from here? 

Football fan Théo Chambon, U1 Arts, has noticed the modern NFL progressing toward a pass-heavy, athletic offensive scheme.

“The NFL is going through a phase where the level of [athleticism] in the league is much more homogenous than what it used to be,” Chambon said. “Since you know it’s harder to be above others in terms of athleticism and individual play, the teams are forced to rely more on, and develop, a more concrete and deep passing game.” 

Chambon’s perception is not just a trick of the eye—the modern NFL is vastly different from the NFL of Roethlisberger’s prime. More points are scored, more passing touchdowns are completed, and young quarterbacks like Joe Burrow are expected to be agile and routinely make explosive plays. 

Roethlisberger and the Steelers, however, have been lacking this modern style of play in recent years. Lindsey Kamienik, U0 Arts & Science and a Pittsburgh native, feels that the lack of a passing threat has been endemic for the struggling Steelers offence.

“My personal opinion and the majority of the consensus in Pittsburgh is that Ben played pretty badly this season, but that was expected with his age and attrition after 18 years with us,” Kamienik said. “I think we all knew back in 2019 after [his] shoulder injury that Ben was at the end of his time in the NFL.”

The Steelers’ offensive problems have also been exacerbated by Roethlisberger’s deteriorating mobility. Some fans, such as Chambon, note that this contrasts with the modern ideal of an agile quarterback. 

“QBs like Lamar [Jackson], and [Michael] Vick in his time, have [shown] that a running and rushing QB is a possibility,” Chambon remarked. “[Another] great example of this is [Patrick] Mahomes. He is known for his crazy passing ability and vision but the guy can also rush when necessary.”

Nonetheless, Pittsburgh’s problems are not the reason why Steelers fans like Kamienik have felt discontent with recent NFL seasons. Among other things, many fans find that unfair overtime rules take away from the excitement of the game.

“I would say based on the way this season has gone, overtime rules need to be revised,” Kamienik said. “The team who wins the coin toss gets the ball first and that means if they score a [touchdown], it’s game over. Overall, I feel that the modern NFL has been on the decline over the last couple of years.”

The controversial overtime rules are especially prominent in light of last week’s Bills-Chiefs game, where the Bills lost the coin toss and were not allowed to respond after the Chiefs scored on the first overtime drive. Despite the questionable rules, the deep-ball focus of today’s league has garnered support from fans.

“I’m always more in awe when I see someone catch a 60-yard hail mary than a 10-yard pass,” Chambon remarked.

Though opinions diverge on the modern NFL’s increased reliance on passing and dubious rules, one thing is for certain: Roethlisberger’s final year has not been enough to discredit what he has accomplished, and the legacy of the era he represents will not disappear after his retirement. 

“While it was [a] frustrating season for [Steelers fans], Ben is a Pittsburgh icon and is treated in that respect,” Kamienik said.

Off the Board, Opinion

Ruminating on the kilometres between us

by Ruobing Chen on

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The initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 demanded my partner and I enter a long distance relationship that—unbeknownst to us at the time—would stretch on for over a year. Physically, we were only separated by a few cities, but given the circumstances, it felt like a far-removed idea that we would be able to meet face-to-face for some time. For the better part of this chapter of my life, I felt bitterness toward the world that divided us, that sentenced us to an unfounded punishment. Recently, however, I have entertained the idea that long distance has strengthened our trust in each other and in our relationship—despite, and as a consequence of, being a laborious struggle. 

Though undertaking a long distance relationship risks causing an emotional rift that only worsens with time spent apart, I have found that it is still possible to foster affection. There is even research to show that long distance couples are equivalently, or more, content in their relationships than those living in closer proximity. I have found that the physical blockade between us imposed more accommodations on both ends, ultimately cultivating greater patience and will to compromise. We have discovered during long distance that we have distinct ways of dealing with hardships, and appreciate that eventually, we will be able to talk through our personal and mutual stressors instead of swerving around them. Some conversations, in particular, made for emotionally draining slews of texts and calls. But in the end, it was imperative that we tackle issues that the pandemic brought forth not as arguments against each other, but as opportunities to create a solution in tandem. 

Over the duration of quarantine, many couples we knew had split apart, their relationships too deeply fractured by the absence of physical intimacy in social isolation. Though feeding attachment with a touch and embrace is of pivotal importance for some in the early stages of a relationship, a seedling of emotional intimacy should also be synchronously nurtured. Studies show that fulfillment in a relationship leans on the depth of friendship between those engaged in it—a sense of familiarity and sharing common interests, among other things. Whether it was having lengthy video calls discussing the infinitesimal fingerprint humans leave in the universe or building our three-story mansion in our Minecraft world, we would spend time with each other to whittle away at the boundlessness of social distancing. We made an abundance of pleasant memories together over the last few years, even when we only saw one another as a laggy, two-dimensional image on a small phone screen. 

Although my partner and I came out of the long-distance stage of our relationship relatively unscathed, we still had to surmount many rough patches to reach where we are now. Being unable to see each other in person meant that it took progressively more effort to quench insecurities about one another and the relationship. At times, a small bud of doubt might surface, making us question whether we had committed to long distance due to a sunk cost fallacy, succumbing to the amount of time and effort we had dedicated prior. Yet at the end of the day, living away from my partner reminded me of all the reasons I missed him and all the cracks in my life he filled—the reasons why I was initially devoted to the relationship. 

One aspect that unites long distance couples is focussing on the light at the end of the road: An endpoint, to which the physical gap can be cinched. That was not a benefit we could relish in, as the end date of social isolation kept darting out of our reach just as we neared it. It was increasingly difficult to seek a positive outlook with my bleak state of mind, but with my partner’s support, I felt more secure in tackling my turbulent thoughts. Aside from reinforcing our bonds as a couple, long distance also provided us a chance to grow as individuals and strengthen our own emotional foundations in times of heartache. 

May 2, 2021—the day my partner and I took the train back into this city—was the first time we knew we could be together for longer than half a day. On that night, we sat in the dark, sobbing to the bygone pain of being separated and to the newfound relief and joy of reunion; holding each other tightly to shield against an unease of being divided by distance once more.

McGill, News

McGill takes legal action against former student over Access to Information requests

by Juliet Morrison on

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McGill University is scheduled for a hearing before the Commission d’accès à l’information on Feb. 1 to bring a case against a former student. In a legal document obtained by The McGill Tribune, the university claims that the student “is abusing her right of access in an excessive and unreasonable manner” and using the requests to “intimidate McGill staff.” They also claim that the requester has filed applications “whose processing could seriously interfere with the university’s activities.” The university is seeking authorization to disregard three of the student’s ATI requests, after the student withdrew the same three requests in contention on Nov. 16. McGill has fulfilled 12 of 15 past requests filed by the student thus far. The hearing is the third in the process.

Jamie* initially filed an ATI request to inquire about the procedural standards of the McGill SportsMed Clinic where she received treatment for a concussion for a period of 10 months, starting in Nov. 2018. In an interview with Tribune, Jamie* said she experienced five more concussions after the initial one that brought her to the clinic—an outcome she believes could have been prevented had she received proper treatment at the clinic.

“I had gone to the clinic for treatment after a concussion and I got five more in a year,” Jamie* said. “I was really mistreated at the clinic, and there’s also sexual misconduct by the physiotherapist. And basically I became disabled, and had dropped out of school. When I got treatment at other places [in October 2019], the things that were possible to be resolved from a concussion [were] resolved within two months. So, all of the inappropriate treatments […] went on for almost a year [and] I didn’t need to get five concussions.”

After seeking treatment elsewhere, Jamie* began to question her experience at the McGill SportsMed Clinic because it differed significantly from the treatment she received in October 2019. In August 2020, Jamie* confronted the McGill administration, sending a series of emails to the Deputy Provost Fabrice Labeau disclosing her experience at the SportsMed Clinic and asking them to investigate. According to Jamie*, Labeau told her that an investigation would not be pursued, stating that the clinic had acted appropriately and was properly staffed. Jamie* continued to file requests, filing a total of 15 ATIs inquiring about the clinic’s practices, procedures, budgets, and, eventually, the clinic’s communications about her. McGill has fulfilled 12 of her requests. 

On Jan. 6, 2020, the Athletics Department asked Jamie* to sign a contract that would prohibit her from pursuing all university parties involved in her requests in exchange for a refund of the fees she spent at the clinic. The contract specifically mentioned that the reimbursement was not an admission of any wrong-doing. Jamie* did not sign the order. Though the Clinic eventually refunded her and withdrew the contract, she continued to file ATIs because her questions had still not been answered. Subsequently, in November 2020, McGill filed the request to disregard Jamie*’s latest ATIs, citing her requests as “abusive.” 

As a public body in Quebec, McGill is subject to the “Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information.” Every person has a right to ask for access to documents held by the university under this act, with the exception of documents containing confidential personal information that would expose an individual’s identity or information without their consent. All requests at McGill are handled by the university’s Secretariat. 

Under sec. 137.1 of the Act, however, the university can request an authorization to disregard a request if it interferes with the public body’s affairs—such as the university’s ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. These requests require hearings before the Commission d’accès à l’information. 

The university’s current request, obtained by the Tribune, claims that Jamie*’s ATIs are repetitive, numerous, and systematic in nature, emphasizing her previous requests. McGill’s request also states that fulfilling Jamie*’s requests would be a strain on resources, due to the number of documents that would need to be pulled, analyzed for redaction, and then submitted to Jamie*. According to documents obtained by the Tribune, McGill estimates that Jamie*’s requests would take a total of 502 to 528 hours to complete—186 to 212 hours to pull the files and 316 hours for the secretariat to analyze them—if the university were to provide them. 

In an email to the Tribune, McGill’s media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle described the procedures of responding to ATI requests, noting that doing so requires deploying significant university resources. According to Mazerolle, the university receives more than 100 requests a year. 

“Many requests contain several different requests for documents,” Mazerolle wrote. “The University does not often know who the requestors are and whether they are members of the University community—this therefore is not relevant to the way in which the requests are treated.” 

Jamie* was surprised to get the notice about the hearing before the Commission, because according to her, she received no communication from the administration on her requests being improper. Under Division III, section 42, of the act, it is stated that if a request is not precise enough for the institution to properly fulfill it, the person in charge of fulfilling the request must assist the requestor in narrowing down the parameters. 

“Under the act, […] if something is not feasible, you’re supposed to communicate with a requester,” Jamie* said in an interview with the Tribune. “No one ever asked me to narrow down requests or change the request. I would have been happy to do so.” 

McGill also contends—in documents filed with the Commission and in a public hearing—that Jamie*’s requests were made with the intention to compromise certain staff’s careers at the SportsMed Clinic. They argue that the requests were made to intimidate personnel, and that they constitute a “continuous fishing expedition” in which the requestor asks for information without knowing what they are looking for. 

“It is kind of ridiculous, because I was not asking for anything personal,” Jamie* said. “It was all around like, operations and budgets, contracts and qualifications of these people. And the amount of money spent on professional education [and] their funding on different types of objective concussion treatment measures, that sort of thing.”

Due to the trauma and prolonged challenges she said she faced, Jamie* withdrew her requests in an attempt to move on in Nov. 2021. However, her action was ignored, and the hearings proceeded. While speaking with the Tribune, Jamie described that dealing with the power imbalance between herself and McGill led her to suffer physical consequences, and contributed to her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

“Even when I agreed to back down, McGill still insisted on spending money and going to this hearing,” said Jamie*. “Everytime I asked for them to investigate, everytime I asked them to make improvements, they muzzled me with gag orders [….] Because of how they treated me I have long-lasting, not only physical, but also psychological, implications. I was diagnosed with PTSD. They are literally forcing me to relive this to counteract their bullshit, which is also just ongoing harm.”

In the university’s request to disregard Jamie*’s ATIs, McGill’s legal counsel disclosed that it would share Jamie’s personal and confidential history with the Sportsmed Clinic during the hearing for context. Her personal and medical history was previously unmentioned in the documents McGill submitted to the Commission, but it had been brought up at a previous hearing on Jan. 2022 when McGill brought up Jamie’s cognitive problems before the judge. Jamie mentioned she thought the clinic would withhold her medical history because a person’s medical history is considered private information. 

“I objected to them bringing up my medical history, because […] they’re using my own personal information that they shouldn’t have access to,” Jamie said. “[Now] I have to go and explain everything that happened, which again, in the context, […] was also really fucked up [….] It doesn’t actually matter why the person filed the request […] because the public bodies have an obligation if the request is reasonable. So, the fact that they’ve brought up so much personal information about me, and they’ve made it about me and my motivations, it’s actually not appropriate.”

Connor Spencer, BA ‘18 and 2017-2018 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) vice-president External, has experience filing ATIs on behalf of student activist campaigns—including SSMU’s 2018 Open Letter decreeing that McGill failed to support students in the face of allegations of sexual misconduct from professors. Spencer attested that McGill has a track record of being nonchalant with student confidentiality. 

“In my capacity as an elected student leader on campus and a member of campaigns on campus, it also was a pattern that we saw of loose-lippedness with students’ personal information,” Spencer said. “[Jamie’s case] is part of a culture of treating students as clients and not as members of the community. If a member of their ‘student clientele’ does something that they do not want them doing, they try and intimidate everyone else by going hard against [the student].”

Other students have been brought before the Commission by McGill, such as McGill’s case against Demilitarize McGill in 2016, which was dropped the day before the case was to be presented to the Commission. 

David Summerhayes, BA ‘05, filed multiple ATIs on behalf of Divest McGill in 2012. Summerhayes said he was shocked when the first request he filed for Divest McGill got sent directly to the Commission. 

“I don’t think they fully realize how alienating it is and how unnecessary it seems [to involve lawyers],” Summerhayes said. “It’s easy to feel like they are not collaborating with us, because they’re hiring lawyers [….] It is really alienating and impersonal and shocking. For instance, even if that’s their only choice, I think they could do a better job of saying, ‘Hey, this is an official process now, and if we run into a roadblock [….] we’re going to go to the Commission.’ They should warn us.” 

The Tribune reached out to the McGill administration for a comment on Jamie’s case. The administration declined to answer any questions related to her case, stating, “There is a case in front of the Commission d’accès à l’information that raises all of these issues. Consequently, we will not answer questions that are specific to that case.”

* Jamie’s name has been changed to preserve their anonymity.

Art, Arts & Entertainment

‘Just Semantics’ is a trip you take with your eyes

by Allegra Mammoli on

More in Art:

Just Semantics, a group exhibit hosted by the Galerie Robertson Arès, brings together notions of both the familiar and the unknown, guiding viewers through an experience of visual and emotional thrill. Curated by Alysia Yip-Hoi Martin, Just Semantics comprises the work of 14 different artists. Claiming to both intrigue and boggle the mind, Just Semantics delivers on its promise, presenting a multitude of works across a span of mediums: Photography, oil paint, and paper sculptures, to name a few. 

When one enters the gallery’s main room, Just Semantics floods the eye with cathartic stimulation. From Troy Emery’s pink rope poodle to Gibbs Rounsavall’s psychedelic paintings melting into the floor, it is clear that Martin intends to challenge the viewer’s perception of colour and texture. Each individual piece is carefully separated from the next and although some are scattered far apart, the entire collection emanates a cooperative atmosphere.

Photographer Allan Bailey’s piece Girl Dad conveys a perfect balance of love and discomfort. The piece portrays two young hands applying makeup to a masculine figure, his expression playfully afraid. The overall neutral colours of this photograph highlight the brighter notes of the makeup and copious amounts of glitter being applied. Gallery staff explained that the photograph is a self-portrait of Bailey receiving a make-up tutorial from his two daughters. 

Two pieces by painter and printmaker Ryan Crotty hang in close proximity to Girl Dad, yet belong to a completely opposite artistic bracket. Glossy, layered, and extremely pigmented in parts while subtly opaque in others, The subtle influence of you and Boundaries Be Damned achieve an impressive level of three-dimensionality through opposing levels of definition. The subtle influence of you depicts the same colours as a fluorescent sunset or northern lights—the edges of the canvas are so saturated they seem to be beading off the frame. Crotty’s other piece, Boundaries Be Damned, has a more sharply contrasting colour palette: Aquamarine blues and greens interrupted by a jarring Christmas red. This painting is more angular: Two rectangles take the centre stage, their bottommost sides lined in red 

Four paper sculptures by Sebastien Gaudette sit at the back of the hall. Each one is made from a sheet of crumpled paper: Lined, graph, plain, the kind that is carelessly ripped out of a spiral notebook. Gaudette transforms the banality of this medium into a world of doubt and reflection. One piece, Je ne suis pas qu’un poète perdu au milieu des pages blanches (I am nothing but a poet lost in the middle of blank pages), features a wrinkled paper with that exact sentence written neatly and repeatedly from top to bottom. The phrase alone communicates a loss of self, and the repetition tells a story of self-punishment. Gaudette’s other pieces, namely Bleu Froissé (Crumpled Blue), Gribouillis sur Papier (Scribbles on paper), and Jaune Fluorescent (Fluorescent Yellow) succeed in channeling the familiar yet strange aura of Just Semantics.

If there is one piece to spend hours staring at in Just Semantics, it is Untitled 311. Regardless of how long one attempts to interpret this work of art by Derrick Velasquez, their mind will never stop marveling. Countless strips of coloured vinyl sit neatly atop a vertical piece of wood. While the colour palette is harmonious, the layering of the strips definitely breeds some rivalry: Large sections of deep turquoise are only separated by a few layers of white and pastel orange. The disproportionate distribution of this pattern makes for an unsettling viewing experience. Untitled 311 is ambiguous in every sense of the word, but this detail pushes the viewer to accept the piece, and come to terms with the fact that its meaning will stay out of their reach. 

Open Tuesday-Saturday until Feb. 11, Just Semantics is a fun look at how a collection of pieces and artists can come together in their beautiful strangeness. 

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