www.mcgilltribune.com@mcgilltribune

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Volume No. 34 Issue No. 5Latest athletics case draws attention to

need for continued reformpg. 6

Spike Lee’s work has always been deeply concerned with issues of race and

class. It’s most apparent in the acclaimed director’s iconic films like Do the Right Thing (1989) or Malcolm X (1992), which show-case the topics as their central themes, but he even manages to

sneak them into ostensibly apolit-ical genre exercises, like the heist film Inside Man (2006). The one unifying factor is that he’s always chosen to explore these issues through the lens of realism—up until now, that is. While he hasn’t by any means shed his commitment to the dis-cussion of racial politics in the Kickstarter-funded Da Sweet Blood of Jesus—a remake of the

1973 cult blaxploitation horror flick Ganja and Hess, and Lee’s most recent film—he has opted to address them in the realm of the fantastical. Protagonist Dr. Hess Greene (Stephen Tyrone Wil-liams) is a wealthy anthropolo-gist studying the ancient Ashanti Empire. His research leads him to discover a dagger from the civi-lization, which his research as-sistant, Dr. Lafayette Hightower

(Elvis Nolasco), plunges into his boss’s chest towards the end of the film’s first act. Greene awak-ens unscathed—only to discover that his assistant has shot himself. Greene also develops a ravenous craving for blood, which he sa-tiates by availing himself of the ample resources emanating from his colleague’s dead body. Greene realizes that he needs blood to survive, and quickly

sets out to find more. He begins by stealing samples from a local hospital, which he later drinks at a cocktail party in his expan-sive Martha’s Vineyard estate—though he’s unable to consume it after his manservant Seneschal (Rami Malek) spikes it with vodka in one of the film’s funni-est scenes.

McGill football player charged with assault, suspended from team

Professor Anthony Ric-ciardi’s team thought they were going to be study-

ing the Asian Clam—an invasive species—when they dropped their sediment-collecting grabs below the surface of the St. Law-rence River last year. Instead, they found the microbead—a type of microplastic defined as any debris less than five milli-metres in size.

Rowshyra Castañeda, the lead researcher and a former master’s student now pursuing a degree at the University of To-ronto, kept noticing small, multi-coloured beads present in almost all of the sediment. When prod-ded, the beads, would shatter, indicating their synthetic nature. Further tests proved the hypothe-sis correct; the beads were in fact made of polyethylene, the most commonly used plastic.

“These could be particles of synthetic plastics formed by fragmentation of larger plastics,” Ricciardi said. “But most of these are probably manufactured on purpose, as small granules for industrial abrasives.”

News EditorSHRINKHALA DAWADI

Science & Technology EditorCHLOE NEVITT

Microbeads discovered in St. Lawrence River sediment

EDITORIAL

ContributorMAX JOSEPH

Continued on pg. 2

Continued on pg. 15

Reality bites: Spike Lee’s latest finds the writer-director in new territory

Continued on pg. 12

A running back for the Mc-Gill Redmen football team, identified as Luis-

Andres Guimont-Mota, was ar-rested Wednesday on charges of assault and armed robbery. In response to the incident, Ollivier Dyens, deputy provost (Student Life and Learning) issued a state-ment explaining that Guimont-

Mota had been suspended from the football team. Guimont-Mota was arraigned in court on Thurs-day and subsequently released on bail.

“The Office of the Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learn-ing) will actively investigate the matter,” Dyens’ statement reads. “In line with the values and poli-cies of McGill University, we will take any and all measures that are deemed to be appropri-

ate.”The student-athlete was ar-

rested on Wednesday after the police received a call by Gui-mont-Mota’s wife claiming he had assaulted her in a case of domestic violence, the Montreal Gazette reported. The details of the hearing this afternoon were not released, though Guimont-Mota’s lawyer was quoted in the Gazette saying his client was a victim of assault.

Guimont-Mota had also been convicted of assault in Quebec City in 2010, according to The Globe and Mail. In 2013, he was permitted by the judge oversee-ing his case to serve a 90-day sentence for the charge on an in-termittent basis, so that it would not affect his schedule during the football season.

SSMU calls for McGill Athletics to implement proactive consent training

LACROSSE P. 18See inside for...

Redmen piled on 18 goals against an over-matched Carleton squad. (Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune)

McGill researchers find microplastics in North American river for first time

Redmen remain undefeated on the season

2 Tuesday, September 30, 2014 NEWS

(Continued from page 1)

The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) pub-lished a statement on Thursday that applauded McGill’s prompt suspension of Guimont-Mota. It also called for further action from McGill and McGill Athletics re-garding issues of sexual assault and gendered violence, referenc-ing an ongoing case, where three McGill football players were charged with sexual assault on a Concordia University student.

“These incidents of violence together demonstrate the rami-fications of the university and

McGill Athletics’ failure to take substantive, proactive measures to engage with athletes on the subject of sexual violence,” the release reads. “The suspension is the first step towards reducing harm in the community, but [...] SSMU calls for meaningful pro-active action now.”

SSMU VP University Affairs Claire Stewart-Kanigan elaborat-ed on the measures she believes McGill Athletics should enact.

“The Athletic Department should take on mandatory train-ing for consent and gender vio-lence for all McGill Athletes,” she said. “This is something that’s done for student leaders across campus [....] Students in residences get training on con-sent and equity. [This year] all

frosh leaders, frosh coordina-tors, and orientation staff [...] got consent training and equity training. Why has athletics been excluded?”

At the university Senate’s first meeting of the year, Dyens said that McGill would not spe-cifically target athletes, with re-gards to consent training, as it would unfairly target a specific subgroup of the university com-munity.

“My position is that we’re not going to target one group of students for these kinds of things,” Dyens said at Senate. “We want to promote this to all McGill students [….] This being said […] we have asked the varsi-ty council to meet with our harm reduction councillor to develop

policies with [athletes] and de-velop training with them.”

According to Stewart-Kan-igan, however, a more proactive approach is required.

“I’m hoping that this serves as yet another wake up call to the McGill administration, as well as officials running the athletics de-partment, that sexual assault and violence is an ongoing problem on our campus right now,” she said. “It’s the responsibility of [McGill] Athletics to make sure that there are measures being taken to put those guidelines and policies into action. You need to change the way that [McGill Ath-letics] is making sure that [the values] are upheld.”

Redmen quarterback Dallon Kuprowski explained that McGill

Athletics had discussed the stu-dent-athlete code of conduct last spring in a council that consisted of volunteers from McGill’s var-sity council.

“[The council] reviewed the student athletics code of con-duct to make sure that [we un-derstood] everything in there as athletes and what expectations [McGill] has for us,” he said. “I only found out about [the inci-dent] this morning and haven’t even had time to process it. At this point in time […] as far as the football program stands [...] our goals remain the same: To be successful students and success-ful student athletes.”

McGill in early stages of plan to acquire Royal Victoria Hospital Renovated building may help address university’s space deficit

ContributorAISLINN KALOB

McGill football player charged with assault, suspended from team SSMU calls for McGill Athletics to implement proactive consent training for its students

News EditorSHRINKHALA DAWADI

McGill is making plans to acquire the Royal Victoria Hospital. (Jack Neal / McGill Tribune)

McGill has entered the preliminary stages of purchasing the Royal

Victoria Hospital (RVH) on lo-cated on University Street and Avenue des Pins, expected to be vacated by 2015. According to McGill Vice-Principal of Admin-istration and Finance Michael Di Grappa, the RVH building would provide the university with much needed additional space, as Mc-Gill currently lacks approximate-ly 700,000 gross square feet for academic needs.

“We anticipate using this space for a wide range of aca-demic activities that would in-clude most facets of the uni-versity’s operation, including research, teaching, large events, and other aspects of university life,” Di Grappa said.

Di Grappa describes the amount of space necessary to meet the demand of the univer-sity as equivalent to four Bron-fman buildings or three Burnside Buildings.

The RVH is owned by the McGill University Health Cen-tre (MUHC), which is opening a new medical center, the Glen, in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce next year.

“As part of this move, our Board of Directors indicated that these buildings would be surplus property, and that was in 2013,” said Julie Paquet, communica-tions director for the MUHC. “That triggered a process with the government to see what we could do with those buildings.”

If the purchase of the RVH

goes through, the building will undergo extensive renovations before it will be open for use by the McGill community.

“We envisage keeping the buildings that are part of Montre-al’s architectural heritage, demol-ishing the non-heritage buildings in order to replace them [with] buildings that better match our needs for cutting edge teaching and research space,” Di Grappa said. “There would be consider-able construction, probably over a period of up to five years.”

Furthermore, the purchase will require approval from the provincial government.

“We are hoping the Quebec government will soon announce that it has selected McGill Uni-versity to prepare a ‘dossier d’opportunité,’ which includes feasibility and other technical studies,” said Di Grappa. “The results of these studies will help lead us to the next steps, and an eventual decision as to whether we should proceed with the proj-ect.”

If purchased, the cost of the RVH space would be met by a one-third contribution each from the federal government, provin-cial government, and McGill University.

“The university’s contribu-tion could be amassed in a vari-ety of ways, including through a special philanthropic campaign, and the sale of non-strategic buildings on the periphery of the downtown campus,” Di Grappa said.

At the present time, there are no other formal proposals by any other institution to purchase this space.

“Of course, we [at the MUHC] think McGill would serve as a great continuation of this institution,” says Paquet. “But that’s not really for us to decide. It is in the hands of the

government.” Julien Ouellet, external af-

fairs officer at McGill’s Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS), explained that the lack of space is a concern for McGill’s graduate students, particularly in terms of student office space.

“Graduate students are amongst the most [affected by] McGill’s space deficit,” he said. “We’ve heard that in many de-partments, office space is so limited that individuals resort to lotteries to determine who will get an office that year [....] The [space] at the RVH could help al-leviate this problem.”

3News Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Voting has begun for the Stu-dents’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Spe-

cial Fall Referendum. The questions under consideration pertain to the implementation of a University Cen-tre Building Fee. The ballot comes as a move by the SSMU to gather the necessary funds to afford to continue its current level of operations under its new lease agreement with McGill, signed in Winter 2014.

The referendum is divided into two questions. The first asks whether students support the creation of a University Centre Building Fee. Ac-cording to the SSMU website, the fee is “payable and non-opt-outable on Minerva […] at $5.78 per full-time student per semester and $2.89 per part-time student per semester.” The second referendum question asks if

the fee should be indexed to inflation yearly for the next seven years to cover the rising costs of the SSMU building during the term of the lease.

The question is posed in response to the new lease agreement the SSMU signed with McGill and the $230,000 in back fees owed by SSMU to Mc-Gill for upkeep and electricity charges and keeping the building operational while the lease was being negotiated from 2011 to 2014.

This is not the first time SSMU has asked students to vote on the im-plementation of the University Build-ing fee. In the Winter 2014 referen-dum period, a set of nearly identical questions were rejected by the student community, with 53.6 per cent of stu-dents voting “No” to the first question and 60.8 per cent voting “No” to the second.

According to SSMU President Courtney Ayukawa, although voting “Yes” on the proposed referendum

would ultimately see a rise in fees for every undergraduate student attending McGill at the downtown campus, vot-ing “No” would involve drastic reduc-tions in the services that the building offers.

“A concrete change that will hap-pen [is] starting Sept. 29, the building hours are set to drastically decrease,” Ayukawa said. “The building would close at 1 a.m. on Mondays through Fridays and wouldn’t be open on Sat-urdays or Sundays.”

According to Ayukawa, the es-tablishments and services located within the premises that are run by SSMU, such as Gerts and Mini Cours-es, would also see price increases.

She stated that SSMU is re-run-ning the question because she believes that students last year were not able to make an informed decision on the SSMU building fee levy. The lack of the formation of a “Yes” commit-tee was a major criticism of SSMU’s

dissemination of information for the Winter 2014 referendum questions.

“[There is] no mention of a mor-atorium [for referendum questions] in the SSMU constitution or bylaws,” Ayukawa said. “I think it’s important that SSMU re-asks the question. This time around, SSMU gave out a lot of information through its website and Facebook page and formed a ‘Yes’ committee [...] and people have an opportunity to make a more informed decision. If this time around, students make an informed vote and it happens to be a ‘No’, SSMU will move for-ward and hopefully find another place for that money to come from.”

Students who share Ayukawa’s point of view do not see the harm in a small increase of fees associated with the SSMU building. Isabelle Oke, U1 Arts, believes that since the building has such an important role in the stu-dent community and in the individual lives of many students, reducing its

services in any way would be detri-mental for students at McGill.

“The SSMU Building gives [stu-dents] so many opportunities, and a reduction in those or an increase in their [services’] prices would be much worse than a small fee everyone has to pay,” Oke said.

Not all the students agree with the “Yes” committee, however. Nik-etan Valapakam, U0 Management, said that as an international student, an additional fee would increase his cost of schooling, something some stu-dents already have trouble affording. He also voiced his concern that if this fee should pass, many more like it will end up on the ballot.

“I think that approving more and more fees could lead us down a dangerous road,” Valapakam said. “It always starts off small—with 5 dol-lars—but in the long run could end up costing students much more.”

Fall 2014 SSMU referendum period revisits building fee levyQuestion re-run amidst controversy, new information programs

ContributorNICOLAS MAK-WASEK

PGSS hosts conference on the future of health research in CanadaEvent headed by CIHR chair, discusses scientific awareness, industry collaborations

Dr. Alain Beaudet, president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR),

discussed the future of Canadian health research in an event hosted by the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) on Sept. 26. The event was intended for graduate students seek-ing opportunities in academic and private medical research.

Beaudet began by explaining his thoughts on the current state of scientific research and healthcare in Canada.

“For those of you who won-der how we rank, we rank well,” he said. “[We] want to increase it. The problem is: Where we are absolutely great at science, we are not terribly great when it comes to delivering healthcare [....] You have to under-stand that our role is to produce the best possible science, but more and more the public is asking for an im-pact [in the healthcare system].”

The increasing costs of health-care were also discussed. Beaudet outlined the paradox affecting medi-cal research regarding healthcare costs.

“Right now, healthcare in this country costs over 200 billion dol-lars per year,” Beaudet said. “It ac-counts for almost 40 per cent of all provincial budgets, [which] is a huge burden. Yet research is still seen [as] a cost driver, and indeed, in some cases it is. But research is also the only way to be able to curb the costs.”

According to Beaudet, health

research in Canada faces the chal-lenge of accounting for the different realities experienced by Canada’s diverse populations. Beaudet speci-fied that Indigenous peoples’ must be included in research processes.

“This is not acceptable in our country,” he said. “Canadian Inuits have the highest suicide rate in the world in young males. They have unbelievable rates of [type 2] diabe-tes in the aboriginal populations and in the North, increasing prevalence of tuberculosis.”

The role of the private sector in research was at the core of the pre-sentation. Beaudet warned against financing universities through the private sector, saying that it would not only impact academic freedom but also limit the power of research in creating new industries. He also made suggestions regarding how partnerships could be formed to fund research.

“There is a paradox if the uni-versity serves an industry that al-ready exists,” Beaudet said. “How are we going to generate new indus-tries in that context? If the private sector can participate in the found-ing through partnerships—great [....] What I propose are similar partnerships for specific and narrow developments [applying] to medical research [and] devices: Applied sci-ence where the private sector has a genuine interest to invest [in]. It is nonsense that the public sector bears all the risks. That burden must be shared.”

Erin Strumpf, McGill professor of health economics, echoed Beau-det’s point of view.

“The distinction is essentially that the results from commercial research can be ‘commercialized,’ that is, sold in the hopes of making a profit,” Strumpf said. “That can happen with academic research, but usually the goal here is to increase knowledge, not to discover or de-velop something profitable.”

Strumpf continued to explain how the private and public sectors did not necessarily have the same incentives for conducting research, as some diseases only affect a small percentage of the population so that no one has the economic incentives to foster research.

“There is certainly the possi-bility for profit-earning health in-terventions, [such as] stents, CVD drugs, etc, but also areas that are unlikely to attract private-sector in-

vestment, [such as] orphan diseases, treatments and immunizations for diseases prevalent in poorer coun-tries, etc,” Strumpf said. “Govern-ment funding can help support these areas where the private market fails, because research that might increase social welfare would not benefit pri-vate investors.”

Beaudet also encouraged the audience to promote scientific awareness.

“We need more people who understand science,” he said. “It is a little disappointing to see how few scientists there are in the House of Commons, for instance [....] You can have an appointment with your MP easily and just talk about science. Tell them what you are doing.”

According to PGSS VP Exter-nal Affairs Julien Ouellet, McGill is

likely to play a role in generating a conversation among the different ac-tors of the medical research field.

“Virtually all graduate students know that the world of research is changing, for better or for worse,” he said. “Considering the success of this event, our executive hopes to attract the presidents of the other two granting agencies: The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Natural Sciences and Engineer-ing Research Council of Canada (NSERC) [....] We hope that by pooling our resources with the other Montreal based universities, we might create winning conditions to convince them to address our mem-bers.”

ContributorPHILIPPE DUMAIS

Alain Beaudet spoke on the future of Canadian health research at McGill. (Lauren Benson-Armer / McGill Tribune)

4 News Tuesday, September 30, 2014

New Engineering Café to open in OctoberRenovations, new coffee stand aims to reduce crowds

The dining area of the McConnell Engineering building will reopen as a newly renovated food re-tail location on campus on Oct. 14. A new coffee

location, Dispatch, has already been unveiled right out-side the cafeteria.

Oliver de Volpi, executive chef of McGill Food and Dining Services (MFDS), said that the renovations were necessary due to the cafeteria’s poor condition and im-practical layout.

“A lot of things were getting quite used and beaten down,” de Volpi said. “The flow was absolutely terrible. Everyone would walk in the same door or the same path as they would walk out all the way next to the cashier [....] We didn’t feel we were able to serve the food that we wanted to serve with the equipment in there and the layout.”

According to de Volpi, Dispatch, the coffee stand right outside of the cafeteria, aims to help lessen the crowds in the café by providing an extra location at which students can buy coffee and quick snacks.

“It’s going to take a little bit away [from] the crowds that used to be in there that were just coming for a coffee and a muffin,” he said.

Mariam Khan, U3 Engineering student, acknowl-edged the positive design changes but expressed concerns about the new prices.

“I feel the prices will go up more,” Khan said. “I no-ticed that even in the outside coffee place the prices have gone up.”

De Volpi noted however that there will be a lower -priced option for coffee inside the cafeteria once the new food location opens.

“You’ll see fair trade coffee in both locations, both at Dispatch and inside the [cafeteria], because there’ll be a small, just brewed coffee [place] at a lesser price than Dispatch,” de Volpi said. “Overall, the prices will remain the same as they were last year.”

Carl Fournier, U3 Engineering, agreed that Dispatch should help ease the crowds, but questioned the necessity of the entire major renovation.

“It’s really nice, but the thing is, it wasn’t really bad

before,” Fournier said. “We didn’t actually need to reno-vate it. A good point though is that the Dispatch place, even though they only serve a few things, it takes a big load off the cafeteria because many people were just com-ing in to get coffee.”

According to de Volpi, the renovation project was done after consulting students and gathering their inputs.

“Many, many discussions happened, not only with the Faculty of Engineering but with the students there,” de Volpi said.

Mathieu Laperle, senior director of Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) said he had met with the Chairs and Directors of the Faculty of Engineering as well as the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS), earlier in January to present the plans for the revamp of the cafeteria.

“Many liked the fact that the lobby and corridor would be vastly improved as a social space and that this would bring some life to the buildings —something that disap-peared with the very sterile renovations in this lobby,” Laperle said.

Funding for the project came mostly from Compass, a food provider, with whom SHHS signed a contract in May, according to de Volpi. A smaller part of the funds came from SHHS itself. In addition to the expenses for the actual cafeteria, these funds covered Dispatch and renova-tions on the surrounding hallway.

Students will be able to purchase more locally sourced food at the new café, according to de Volpi. Compost bins will also be available at the food court a few weeks after its opening.

“[We will open] a full service food location that will have everything from homemade soups to homemade pizza,” de Volpi said. “They’re going to be using much of our [Macdonald campus] farm produce. All the grab-and-go and all the desserts that will be there will be made in-house.”

A week prior to the opening, there will be a “soft opening” of the new food court, during which some of the new food options will be available to be sampled by a test group from within the Faculty of Engineering.

ContributorLINDSEY HAGEMAN

SSMU Council calls for university divestmentEastern Energy Pipeline to be discussed at October GA

News EditorCECE ZHANG

Councillors at the Students’ Society of Mc-Gill University (SSMU) Legislative Council passed a motion calling for McGill to take ac-

tion in divesting from fossil fuel industries and mo-bilizing the McGill population—including students, faculty and staff in doing the same.

“The Society reaffirms, in accordance with the strong principles of justice and equity laid out in [...] the Society’s Constitution, the commitment of [SSMU] to the implementation of socially responsi-ble investment strategies by the SSMU and by McGill University, in particular its belief that both bodies should divest their holdings in companies involved in the Canadian Tar Sands, in fossil fuel extraction, production, or distribution,” the motion reads.

SSMU VP External Amina Moustaqim-Barrette, one of the sponsors of the motion, explained the im-portance for SSMU to increase pressure on McGill in affirming climate justice on campus.

“Just last week, we saw over 400,000 people in New York City and thousands of others across the world gather for the largest climate march in his-tory,” Moustaqim-Barrette said. “The next day, the Rockefellers announced that they would be divesting from the fossil fuel industry. The momentum for this campaign is building all over the world, and it is im-portant for SSMU to take an active role in pressuring McGill to uphold its commitments to sustainability and ethical practices and divest from the fossil fuel industry.”

Article 1 of the motion mandated that Moustaq-im-Barrette work with other student unions across Quebec to create a coalition against pipeline projects in the province such as the Eastern Energy Pipeline, which is set to transport crude oil across Canada. However, it was met with concern from councillors regarding the external reach of the project.

Faculty of Law representative, Vincent-Pierre Fullerton, voiced his concerns that councillors would be exceeding their mandate in specifically condemn-ing the construction of pipelines in Quebec, as it was an issue that was “specific, divisive, and external.”

“The Law Students’ Association (LSA) thought it best that the specific issue relating to the condemna-tion of pipeline projects in the province of Quebec be brought to the General Assembly, where each student will have the possibility to express their individual opinion,” Fullerton said. “Should such a motion then pass, it would be regarded as having much more le-gitimacy, coming directly from the student body and representing the majority’s opinion, as emanating from the wide diversity of opinions present in the McGill student body.”

Councillors ultimately voted to remove Article 1 from the motion and move it to the General Assembly on Oct. 22 for discussion. The rest of the motion was passed.

“The decision to separate Article 1 from the rest of the climate justice motion was extremely disap-pointing to me,” Moustaqim-Barrette said. “I would argue that approval of these pipelines will absolutely have a direct impact on our students, our community, and our collective future. Given the inextricable link between pipeline projects and the advancement of cli-mate change, it is difficult for me to consolidate the fact that Council was willing to take a stance against the fossil fuel industry, but not against specific pipe-line projects.”

The E-Café in McConnell Engineering Building has undergone a revamp. (Lauren Benson-Armer / McGill Tribune)

5News Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The Faculty of Dentistry com-pleted its relocation to 2001 McGill College Avenue,

from its previous location in the Montreal General Hospital on Sept. 3.

The costs for relocation amounted to an estimated $16.5 million, though only approximately $6.5 million have been raised to date, according to the Faculty of Dentistry’s website. The Dentistry Students’ Society (DSS) passed a referendum last October creating a mandatory $2,500 per semester fee for new students from Fall 2014 and onwards to help the faculty repay the loan needed for the relocation.

The fee would not affect stu-dents in the program before this semester and was scheduled to last five years before being put up for re-newal. Paul Allison, dean of the Fac-ulty of Dentistry, said that students were excited about the new facility and teaching equipment.

“In the faculty, we’ve been talking about this for many years. Everyone’s been looking forward to it,” Allison said. “There’s also some learning possibilities that students now have that they didn’t have be-fore. There are more meeting rooms,

there’s more versatility in the space, we’re closer together, so there [are] many, many advantages in the space we’ve moved into.”

The fee was met with contro-versy last year, with some students questioning the fairness of only charging new dentistry students.

“We had a debate within the faculty and with the students them-selves,” Allison said. “The main argument of not charging [the fee] to students who were already in the program was that they did not know about this up front, that this was a new thing.”

According to Allison, McGill’s dentistry program tuition is still competitive across North America, even with the increased fee levy.

“I haven’t heard anything at all from the students, and I think the students are very aware that despite the fact that the dentistry society has voted for this contribution, they are still paying much less for their edu-cation in a dental program here com-pared [to] anywhere else in North America,” Allison said. “I think they can see that they are still getting an extremely good deal—very new equipment, fantastic facility, and much cheaper than any other dental school outside Quebec.”

Nazanin Hojjati, president of the DSS, also said first year students

had not voiced any dissent to her so far.

“To be honest, I haven’t heard any complaints yet,” she said. “I’ve spoken to first years, I’ve met them, but no one has mentioned it to me.”

Hojjati went on to praise the new facility’s location and the im-proved equipment.

“We didn’t feel like we were part of the McGill community be-fore, as we were so far away from the main campus, but now we feel that kind of unity with the university, which is great,” she said.

Yuxin Mei, fourth year Dentist-ry also spoke in favor of the move.

“[Is] it fair for existing students to decide what incoming students will be paying? Honestly, I don’t see how else they would’ve done it,” Mei said. “In my opinion, incoming students were told what they would be paying, they can make the deci-sion themselves [....] I think it is one of the best facilities in Canada right now.”

Two other dentistry students declined to comment on the new fa-cility or the DSS fee.

Additional reporting by Cece Zhang.

New Dentistry building provides improved facilities for students

Montreal to become a Future Earth hub

Incoming students from Fall 2014 make up first cohort to pay increased contribution towards move

ContributorJONATHAN HOU

As announced on Jul. 8, Montreal is set to be one of five hubs for Future

Earth, a United Nations (UN)-based program that aims to fuel research and public policy reform in the field of environmental sus-tainability through international collaboration.

Stressing the importance of global partnerships in resolving key environmental issues, Fu-ture Earth will have other hubs in Paris, Tokyo, Stockholm, and Boulder.

Bidding for the ambitious initiative was competitive, ac-cording to Coryell Boffy, a proj-ect director for International Or-ganizations at Montreal Interna-tional, the consortium that played an instrumental role in bringing Future Earth to Montreal.

Instead of bidding for hub status separately, the representa-tives from the five cities decided to collaborate and present a pro-posal to design a global secretar-iat, which will work on mobiliz-ing thousands of scientists while establishing strong public policy

partnerships in the environmen-tal sustainability field.

“[The] reason our bid was chosen was because it was a multi-country initiative, so it was a good base in terms of interna-tional reach,” Boffy explained.

The project aims to expand its secretariat to regional hubs in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America in the future to incorporate the environmental needs of the developing world into the initiative.

“This program is unique because it attempts to integrate the natural sciences, the social sciences, and businesses to re-ally boost environmental sustain-ability efforts,” Boffy said. “The creation of this international network will also create oppor-tunities for local researchers to access a global network, and the best international ideas to inte-grate in their research.”

Montreal’s extensive aca-demic base, research facilities, and multicultural values will be crucial for the 10-year project that is expected to be set up by early next year, according to Dr. Andrew Gonzalez, a biology pro-fessor at McGill. Gonzalez was

part of the Montreal team that attended a meeting of potential candidates for the secretariat held in Paris last year. Since then, he has contributed to de-signing the distributed structure for the global secretariat.

“The Montreal hub [...] has several jobs to do, [including] communications and outreach, research enabling, synthesis, and capacity building,” Gon-zalez said. “At some point, it will specialize on a small set of those, but it is too early to say how the process is exactly going to work.”

Although the hub will be based in Concordia University, McGill will be directly involved in the initiative, acting as a spon-sor for the hub along with seven other academic institutions like the Université de Montréal, Con-cordia University, Université du Québec à Montréal, L’École de technologie supérieure de Mon-tréal, Montreal International, as well as the Quebec government.

According to Gonzalez, Mc-Gill’s strong research community and multi-disciplinary approach toward environmental sustain-ability will widen the scope of

the program.“There are several McGill

researchers who are already com-mitted to sustainability research and our research community is particularly strong in this area,” he said. “We have numerous de-partments working on environ-mental sustainability—the Mc-Gill School for Environment, the Departments of Geography and Biology, and Natural Resource Sciences out at the [Macdon-ald] campus. So, we have a very healthy community with world class research.”

At the moment, McGill is leading two promising biodi-versity projects—namely “Eco-Services” which focuses on the services that humans obtain from ecosystems and “Bio-Genesis,” which deals with biodiversity change—in the field.

“However, we have many other research strengths like green chemistry, biofuels, and engineering solutions that I hope will become an important part of the Montreal hub’s emphasis,” Gonzalez said.

One of the major goals of the initiative is to also engage stake-holders such as urban dwellers

and farmers in the research pro-cess in order to form a collabora-tive and multilateral network that encourages their contribution in tackling issues that affect them most.

The Future Earth initiative, with an annual budget of between $5 million and $10 million, is sponsored by the Science and Technology Alliance for Global Sustainability, comprised of not-for-profit organizations such as the International Council for Sci-ence (ICSU), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cul-tural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), as well as the World Meteorological Orga-nization as an observer.

Marius Karolinski, U2 Sci-ence, commended the concept of the program.

“Any platforms and any ways of organizing like-minded people to discuss issues is very important, because some of the best ideas I have are the ones that have been derived through stimu-lating conversation,” Karolinski said.

ContributorCORRINA VALI

UN program targets sustainable environmental policy reform

Modern equipment installed in new facility. (Photo courtesy of McGill Faculty of Dentistry)

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THE Mcgill

6 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

editorialLast Wednesday, Luis Gui-

mont-Mota, a player for the Red-men football team, was arrested on charges stemming from an al-leged domestic abuse incident involving his wife. Much of the discussion of the case since had revolved around the player, with only the Students’ Society of Mc-Gill University (SSMU) statement mentioning the victim.

After a terse response fol-lowing the actual arrest, McGill released a longer statement to stu-dents after the wave of media cov-erage Thursday. In this statement, McGill reiterated the seriousness with which the university takes the charges. This all comes in the wake of last year’s controversy over McGill’s response to the ar-rest of three of its football players for sexual assault—a trial that is still ongoing. In many ways, Mc-Gill’s response to this present case represents a recognition of and improvement upon the way the McGill administration acted last year.

The second McGill statement on the player’s arrest led with the note that he had pleaded guilty in connection to an assault outside a Quebec City bar in 2010. The statement used this to indicate that McGill shouldn’t have allowed him on the team as a result. Ac-

cording to a report by the Globe and Mail, this sentence was served on weekends to allow him to play for the team. While there is a valid question to be raised here, for the university to rush in citing this in-cident where there is no provision in place for background checks of athletes is dubious and self-serving at best. Furthermore, the mention of the previous charge as the leading point in the univer-

sity’s official response to the inci-dent implies a degree of guilt that isn’t necessary to demonstrate to the broader student body the seri-ousness with which the university treats a criminal matter.

The question of where ath-letes stand in relation to the uni-versity is important and still unre-solved. In our editorial responding to last year’s case, we argued that athletes, as representatives of the university, should be held to high-er standards of conduct than the average student. In principle, that is as true looking at this case as

it is in others. However, the first steps to implementing new poli-cies in the wake of last year’s inci-dent have shown the messy ques-tions that come along with that standard; any member of a student organization or club at McGill—including this newspaper—is a ‘representative’ of the university when competing externally, or at-tending a conference on behalf of the organization. The only differ-

ence between a member of a Mc-Gill club that engages in external competitions and a member of a varsity team is that the manage-ment of the latter traces back more directly to the university adminis-tration. At other universities, pri-marily those in the United States, there would also be a major dif-ference in the campus profile and media attention between athletes and other students—but that, for better or worse, is not an issue at McGill.

This question of standards is not an academic one. Student poli-

ticians have been pushing for Mc-Gill to adopt consent training for athletes, while the university has countered that this would unfair-ly single out a group of students. While the issue of athlete-involved violence—sexual or otherwise—is real, the external imposition of a policy that explicitly associates athletes as substantially more likely to commit sexual assault would stereotype athletes and be counterproductive. Instead, a bet-ter—and undoubtedly more diffi-cult approach would be to improve education on consent issues for all students, with initiatives to enlist coaches and team veterans as peer mentors within sports teams.

The institutional questions opened last year are still open. If the university is going to set the standard of unblemished external records for athletic participation, there needs to be a clear policy as to who can join a team and who can’t—and why. Citations of con-sistency with “values,” as made in the MRO, are nebulous and could lead to major problems in situa-tions less clear-cut than this one. It remains to be seen how this case turns out, but it is clear that while there has been improvement in the past year, we have a long way to go in creating the framework to address these issues.

Latest athletics case draws attention to need for continued reform

Commentary

There is a popular narrative among certain students—often conservatives—that universities are no longer the bas-tions of free speech they once were. According to these narratives, liberal students used to have to fight for free speech, yet now are the only voices to be heard, and suppress the voices of those who disagree. Universities like McGill, the story goes, have taken political cor-rectness too far, becoming ‘too liberal.”

A similar argument was made by Sharon Xie in a recent Tribune article entitled “McGill’s pitchfork brigade.” In it, she claims that “from campus media to professors, it seems that a certain as-sumption is made. The Liberal (as in the Liberal Party of Canada) viewpoint is

the right viewpoint.” Even more alarm-ingly, Xie claims that this Liberal domi-nance has created an environment in which it is “unsafe” to express dissent-ing opinions.

“Our community,” writes Xie, “is only tolerant when the masses agree with you” and is one in which “students are only given one option.” This picture of McGill’s intolerant and monolithi-cally Liberal ‘masses’ actively suppress-ing dissenting viewpoints is, thankfully, a fiction.

First off, Liberals—if we are going by the party—don’t hold a monopoly on legitimate political speech at McGill. Far from it. McGill is simply too large and too diverse of a community to be dominated by one political group, let alone one with 37 out of 308 seats in the House of Commons. From campus media to student life, our community’s institutions promote a vast array of polit-ical views and encourage healthy debate in a safe and respectful environment—publications such as the left-leaning McGill Daily to the more conservative Prince Arthur Herald are widely read. Clubs such as Conservative McGill and

the McGill Quebec Sovereigntist Com-mittee are vibrant and successful. Four executive members of NDP McGill were elected to the House of Commons in the last federal election.

The claim that McGill’s political environment is “unsafe” for non-Liber-als is even more dubious. It is argued for example that at McGill, “any claim of being anything other than a Liberal will warrant a demand for an explanation and justification of your political associa-tion.” While having one’s political opin-ion challenged on a regular basis can be tiresome, simply having one’s opinions criticized doesn’t make it unsafe to hold that opinion. Indeed, we should be proud that voices which are more prevalent in the rest of society aren’t as dominant at McGill and are challenged more often. This holds true for liberals and conserva-tives alike. Universities should be where conversations that challenge established norms are not only allowed, but encour-aged. If that means we get called out on political opinions more often, so be it.

So what explains the narrative that places like McGill are ‘too Liberal?’ One possible explanation is that conservative

students feel their opinions aren’t as val-ued at universities as they are in other social spaces. They conclude that this is due to active suppression of their voices on campus. This is not the case. We need to stop pretending that conserva-tive voices aren’t heard at McGill. What they are is deeply unpopular. Those are two very different things. Conservatives should ask themselves why their opin-ions are so unpopular on campus.

When we have a Prime Minister who mocks evidenced-based policy by calling it “committing sociology,” muz-zles government scientists, and proposes cutting the long-form census, it’s under-standable that many people at universi-ties like McGill would find their ideol-ogy unappealing—many of the policies and rhetoric of the current Conservative government don’t reflect the values of many university students. Rather than paint false pictures of campus political dialogue as unsafe, conservatives should look within their own movement to ex-plain its unpopularity at McGill.

Is McGill really too Liberal?

ContributorERIC HENDRY

“

opinion

If the university is going to set the standard of unblemished external

records for athletic participation, there needs to be a clear policy as to

who can join a team and who can’t.

“

7OpinionTuesday, September 30, 2014

Recent events surround-ing the McGill Redmen football team have prompted a renewed conversation about the values, rules, and processes that govern athletics at this school. Much of the focus has been on athletes’ interactions with those outside of the locker room—rightly so, considering the nature of the two cases currently being investigat-ed—but what has been ignored is what occurs within the team. It was nine years ago that McGill cancelled the football team’s sea-son due to a rookie-hazing inci-dent involving the sexual assault of an 18-year-old rookie player.

“It has no place at McGill. It will not be tolerated in any

form,” then Interim Provost Dr. Anthony Masi told the CBC at the time.

Player initiation is common among teams at all levels, includ-ing in professional sports teams.

Many athletes see it—for better or worse—as a rite of passage. While it can take many forms, some positive and useful for

teammates trying to build rela-tionships, it can also slip into questionable territory quite eas-ily, involving homophobic, sex-ist, or racist elements. At the collegiate and university level, alcohol is often a factor, and participation extends beyond the team, affecting other individuals in public.

There is no administration in this country that condones haz-ing. At McGill, teams are told specifically that there is zero tolerance when it comes to this issue. This principle makes sense because if a school condoned hazing it would result in a public relations, and legal nightmare. So what happens in practice at

many schools is something akin to a “don’t ask, don’t tell” poli-cy; rookie hazing is not an issue until it is. That is to say, some schools will punish teams that

have problems related to hazing that surface, but turn a blind eye to those teams that manage to keep a lid on their practices.

The trouble here is not that administrative policy is inap-propriate—McGill’s football team deserved the punishment it received in 2005—it is that it is ineffective. Rookie hazing still exists, with teams at schools all over Canada and the US taking part each year, and it will con-tinue to exist moving forward regardless of any suspensions

or punishments handed out. It is a part of athletic culture, not university culture—one that can often be harmful—and attempt-ing to eliminate it completely

will almost certainly be a fruit-less endeavour.

What needs to take place is a shift in attitude from adminis-trators. Rather than punish and hope there are no further inci-dents, universities need to under-stand that “rookie nights” do take place. Instead, schools should craft policies to ensure that it is done in a safe and appropriate manner. Punishment may send a message, but it does not resolve the issue at hand. Rookie ini-tiation ceremonies are not inher-

ently harmful—when done right it is a constructive night where rookies are welcomed into a new ‘family’—but it certainly can be when rookies are being hurt or humiliated.

With the forthcoming review of the rules and regulations sur-rounding varsity sports, McGill has an opportunity to change the conversation surrounding the treatment of rookies. It can en-sure that rookie nights become a celebration of the new play-ers, rather than a cruel coming of age. Refusing to acknowledge this problem does not make it go away. Discussing it openly, how-ever, will make McGill a safer place, not just for athletes, but for all students.

“

Changing the conversation on athletic hazing

Sports EditorWYATT FINE-GAGNÉ

oFF tHe Board

With the first Fall refer-endum period on its way, stu-dents once again have to face the University Centre Building Fee. After last year’s contro-versy regarding the referendum question, the “Yes” committee’s “Save Our SSMU” campaign ar-gues that students weren’t given enough information to make an “informed decision” during the last referendum, and that the Stu-dents’ Society of McGill Univer-sity (SSMU) was bound to paying the negotiated lease. However, students have yet to hear of any plans, short-term or long-term, about renegotiating the lease and working towards a future where we can one day potentially oper-ate in the building free of charge.

In fact, the discussion re-garding the University Centre Building Fee has been mostly

one-sided. Students have been given facts here and there—some more clear than others—about the danger of a failed building fee, and have been expected to respond obediently. The students have been listening to the de-mands of the student union, rath-er than vice versa. The building fee represents yet another shift in costs to students—one that would set a dangerous precedent.

Given the scope of the dis-cussion and how central it is to student life at McGill, the appro-priate avenue for reintroducing the discussion of whether or not to run the referendum question would have been through a Gen-eral Assembly (GA). The bylaws do not dictate a specific period during which the GA must be held. The audits were completed in August, and students would have had the ability to directly discuss the topic of student space and ask about the validity of re-introducing a failed referendum question. Although a GA was not called—partially due to urgen-cy—communication with the stu-dent body has to be prioritized, especially with a topic like this.

That said, the University Centre Building Fee is less about

SSMU’s operations and services than it is about the ability to have a student space to share interests, goals, and experiences. The value of events like Activities Night is seeing the variety of student in-terests and how passionate stu-dents are about their involvement through SSMU. Beyond academ-ics, university is about growth and discovery, and critical to that

is a space for student clubs and services.

Furthermore, the University Centre Building Fee is just an-other example of a recent trend in shifts of costs to students. SSMU currently charges students $8.50 for the Library Improve-ment Fund and another $8.50 to the Bursary Fund per term (total-ling to approximately $350,000 annually for both funds). Finan-cial aid and library space are not costs that should be charged to students. Those are services that should be provided by the uni-

versity as a part of our enrolment here. Additionally, with recent cuts to the off-campus program and the closing of the sole Tim Horton’s on campus, the univer-sity is starting to cut costs left and right while actively looking for ways to gain revenues. Sadly, to no one’s surprise, students are getting the short end of these changes.

While it is true that our uni-versity is financially strained and that students should be under-standing of these circumstances, we should be wary of new fees levies. The university will always be able to refer back to the fee as justification for us paying for it. No matter what the financial situation of McGill University is going to be in seven years’ time, we are likely to continue to pay for the University Centre.

This is why we must be pro-active. If we do believe that the University Centre should be a

communal space for students and that we should have access to it for free, regardless of the out-come of this referendum, the next discussions we should be having regarding the Shatner Building is what value it holds to students, what foundations we will build to maintain its accessibility to our undergraduate community, and the methods we are going to take to be able to sign a cheaper lease.

The administration is finan-cially weak and students tempo-rarily have leverage. Renovating the building and evicting SSMU would be extremely costly, and would bring a lot of negative at-tention to the university. The past SSMU executives have built a strong base by significantly re-ducing the renting costs of the lease and we can continue to build off of that. Sooner or later we will have to make a decision about securing the future of our building; and perhaps then we will be able to call the Shatner Building not just the University Centre, but the Student Centre.

Looking ahead to a more affordable university centre

ContributorÉLIE LUBENDO

““

“ Rather than punish and hope there are no further incidents, univer-sities need to understand that

“rookie nights” do take place.

The building fee represents yet another shift in costs to students—one that would set

a dangerous precedent.

Student Living8 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Whether you come from a small mountain town in southern France or the concrete jungle of New York City, there’s something to be said about the enchantment of the open sky. The Mc-Gill Students’ Astronomy Club, which was started in August 2012 by a few graduate students in the physics de-partment, offers a welcoming environ-ment for members to explore areas of amateur astronomy.

“I joined the club out of pure inter-est really,” said Jerry Kurian, a master’s student in chemistry. “The universe [...] is one of the most interesting things to learn about. There is an insane amount we do not know, and the scale, objects, and materials of the universe blow me away. Thinking about how minuscule we really are is quite a humbling expe-rience.”

Hosting four main types of events throughout the year, the club offers something for everyone—whether you are a physics major who wants

an outlet to delve deeper into astro-physics or an Arts student with an ap-preciation for stargazing. For the more science-oriented individuals, there are “astrotalks,” which are presentations delivered by both students and profes-sors that feature a range of astronomy related topics.

The Astronomy Club also hosts observation nights on the McGill cam-pus. With the aid of an advanced tele-scope, members are able to examine stars and constellations on a clear, dark night.

The third category of events al-lows students to observe the sky in a more secluded environment by going on stargazing trips that take place out-side of the city.

“We go out to Saint Bernard de Lacolle or Mont Mégantic,” explained Astronomy Club President and U3 physics student, Dhruv Bisaria. “Those are dark sky reserves where you get even better observation quality, so you can get a much better picture of the stars and bring more students there.”

The stargazing trips allow stu-dents to witness the night skies first-hand.

“I would tell students that if [they] have any interests in astronomy at all, they should definitely come out to the star gazing event,” Kurian said. “It’s one thing to read about the different galaxies, planets, and stars nearby and be amazed at their different properties, but it’s a completely different experi-ence to actually be there and witness these objects with your own eyes.”

Other events are grouped into a fourth miscellaneous category, which include trips to the planetarium. Bailey Sadowsky, a U2 civil engineering stu-dent and the club’s VP Events, is proud of the reputation the Astronomy Club has established.

“I just feel like we’re a club that you can rely on,” Sadowsky said. “You

can always look forward to coming and doing something new every week. We’re not going to have the same pre-sentation, the same talk, or even the same trip frequently. It’s always going to be something different.”

In addition to these events, the As-tronomy Club also plans social gather-ings such as bowling trips, trivia, and game nights. The members’ common interest of astronomy is only a starting point from which many bonds form.

“I feel like it’s important to keep that aspect of a community going,” Bisaria said. “I think we engender that type of community where everyone’s nice [....] We’re an amicable bunch.”

Anyone can join the Astronomy Club at any time. The beauty of astrol-ogy is that it’s accessible to everyone, no matter their background.“Where I grew up, when you look into the sky, there are so many city lights that you can’t actually see the stars,” said Lilly Gates, U0 Arts & Science. “But oc-casionally, when [we] would go to the suburbs, my dad would always point out the constellations and it would almost feel magical being able to see them. Now that I’ve heard about this club, I think it would be fun to expe-rience that magic as a part of a group in the wonderful city of Montreal.”

ContributorARDEN LI

(astronoteen.org)

There’s something very relaxing about shopping for records—strolling through aisles of milk crates, occasionally flipping through stacks that look promising, and breathing in the slightly musty smell of 30-year-old cardboard. Similar to high-waisted jeans and Converse

sneakers, vinyls are making a huge comeback. You can find turntables and vinyls in many lo-cations, from Urban Outfitters to garage sales, so jump on the bandwagon if you haven’t al-ready, and start experiencing music through records available at these locations.

ContributorSAMANTHA SCHMIDT

Five stores to purchase records from in MontrealTurntable for what

Wilkey Rong

Campus Spotlight: Astronomy ClubMcGill Students’ Astronomy Club calls all stargazers

BEATNICK

CHE

AP

THRILLS

DEA

TH

OF

VINYLLE

PICK

UP

SOUN

DCENTRAL

Although it’s a half-hour walk from campus, shopping at Beatnick is an experience you can’t miss. The store is large and carries just about every genre of music you can think of—thankfully, it’s very well orga-nized. The shelves also display CDs and some cool memorabilia, such as figurines and model cars. The staff is accommodating and friendly, provid-ing ample knowledge of cool music trivia, which is not surprising consid-ering the store has been around for over 20 years. The records are mostly used records, and the best deals are in the three for $1 bins; however, the records are all very reasonably priced ($5 to $10 on average).

After climbing a lilting set of stairs, you’ll find yourself in a musty little nook of a store filled with records, CDs, and used books. It is recommended to head directly to the used section to find the best deals. The store is fairly well organized, which makes it easy to find the records of your liking. The new records tend to be between $20 and $30, while used records are priced anywhere be-tween $5 and $20. The store also carries all genres, from ’40s jazz to current pop. A great bonus to this store is that it’s only a five-minute walk from campus.

This store feels like an empty bar full of records. Death of Vinyl is organized in a seemingly random fashion, so don’t hesitate to ask for help from the friendly staff. The re-cords are priced around $10 to $30 and are mostly used. Although it’s quite a hike (an hour from campus), it’s one of the best places to buy a used turntable. New turntables can be priced anywhere from $150 to $150,000; however, Death of Vinyl understands the struggle of students on a budget, offering good-quality used turntables for between $50 and $100, with a three-month warranty.

This store carries an interest-ing assortment of records, mostly pop and alternative music from the 1960s to 1980s; however, there’s a large collection of clas-sical music near the front as well. The store is a 20-minute walk from campus and well worth the trip. The owner is friendly, help-ful, and plays great music, which provides a perfect ambiance for the store. The store also sells used books and cassettes. The records are mostly used and go for $5 to $20. The owner also stocks most-ly original records rather than re-issues.

This store is just over 30 min-utes away on foot. More than just a record store, Soundcentral also carries cassettes, vintage gaming consoles, t-shirts, posters, and used books. It also has a small café that serves coffee and occasionally hosts live music performances and screen-ings of independent films at night. It sometimes sells used turntables, but it’s recommended to call ahead to see what’s available before making the trip. Their records are priced any-where between 25 cents and $300, but the average price is around $10 to $20. As a bonus, the availability of records can be checked for online on the store’s website.

Student Living 9Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Student Living

Promising places for midterm preparationsFive study spots on campus

McGill Tribune: Who is your favourite TV show character? Wilkey Rong: Monica from Friends—she’s hilarious.

MT: What’s in your fridge?WR: Alles in Ordnung, (Ger-man for “I’m very orga-nized”), so it is stocked with a little bit of everything.

MT: Current jams?WR: Latch by Disclosure.

MT: How do you make your sandwiches?WR: My homemade sand-wiches have eggs, [...] to-matoes, and cabbage. For sauces, I use both teriyaki and soy sauce.

MT: If you could trade places with anyone in the world who would it be?WR: I wouldn’t want to change.

nominate a student of the

Week!Email us at

studentliving@mcgilltribune.com

By: Tiffany Lestudent of the Week

U2 ARTS(L-A Benoit / McGill Tribune)

Wilkey Rong

Wilkey Rong, a U2 Arts student double ma-joring in economics and German, has actively begun to realize his goals and ideas in promoting a better future. He considers education reform and economic development to be the best foundations to build a more sustainable and prosperous fu-ture, and works enthusiastically to promote those changes.

Growing up in the metropolitan city of Shanghai, China, Rong was exposed first-hand to the consequences of the vast disparity between the rich and the poor. The systematic oppression of certain groups like migrant workers affected him deeply.

Rong is also invested in the problems con-cerning education in China. According to Rong, the schooling system often aims for students to complete degrees to earn high-paying jobs, instead of encouraging critical thinking and reflections on world issues.

“Schools should not dictate what is right or wrong, but should teach how to think about cause and effect,” Rong said.

Rong believes that education should act as a guide to explore topics and incite discussion, while cultivating rational and comparative thinking.

“Education is about encouraging people and teaching them to think,” Rong said.

Rong sees the connection between human rights and education, and is studying to find ways to connect the two.

Over the summer, Rong was a chief student leader for the International Baccalaureate World Student Conference (IBWSC), a conference creat-ed to bridge the conversation between high school students and teachers about involvement in human rights activism. Different perspectives were offered by guest speakers to generate interest and appeal to teenagers from a multitude of backgrounds. Rong worked with Service Point Enrolment to campaign

for the event and recruit participants. He is also a leading member of the IB Alumni Advisory Coun-cil (IBAAC), a chapter that brings together former students in volunteer programs and other meet-and-greet events. His involvement with IB extends to his active participation in advancing the program by holding monthly advice meetings with IB coor-dinators throughout the year.

Rong has been involved with the Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) chapter at McGill since the beginning of this semester. As VP Internal Af-fairs, he is tasked with running financials for the club, while advocating its core beliefs and values. The organization seeks to create awareness about issues of fundamental rights in order to incite long-term and non-dependent change. Accord-ing to Rong, JHR encourages the open discussion on controversial topics in support of the inherent equality of all human beings.

“JHR is really a platform to voice opinions,” Rong said.

After surviving his transitional year as an in-ternational student, Rong became an active mem-ber of the International Students Leadership Pro-gram (ISLP), which is a division of International Student Services (ISS). He organizes launch events with networking opportunities for both internation-al and exchange students, acting as an advisor for them.

Rong’s biggest wish is for positive global-ization. Increasing communication, circulation of ideas, and acceptance of different perspectives in multiple disciples are movements Rong thinks would benefit our world on a large scale. He maintains that world citizenship is critical, and that we must take further steps to turn this theory into reality.

“As long as communication is estab-lished, we can start to solve the problems,” he said.

Midterm season is just around the corner, meaning that the hour is drawing near to ditch tanning on lower field and hit the books. Luckily, McGill has a plethora of study spots, from its 13 library branches to student lounges and cafes.

Birks Reading RoomTucked away on the second

floor of the Birks Building, this silent haven is a great location to hibernate and ponder away the afternoon. Its architecture gives it a distinctively severe academic ambiance, yet the size makes it feel personal and comfortable. The hall features solid wood tables, beautiful mouldings, and large windows that let in dappled sunlight. Shoes are not permitted, so bring comfy socks or take ad-vantage of the slippers provided. Reward yourself on your walk

home with a caramel candy from the jar near the services desk.

Hours: Monday to Friday: 9:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00, Saturday to Sunday: ClosedAddress: Birks Building, 3520 University StreetNoise level: Quiet

Islamic Studies Library

This library may secretly be magic. Although it is one of the most central buildings on cam-pus, entering through its huge wooden doors seems to trans-port students into another world. Study spots are plentiful in this gothic-style treasure, with widely available seating. Both the main and second floors feature study booths and tables, and are great for quiet essay writing. Those fortunate enough to stumble into the Octagon Room, near the back right of the main floor, will be greeted by a beautiful space with

antique wooden display cabi-nets and delightfully scholarly study booths. During the winter months, this library is especially cozy and warm, providing the perfect refuge for in-between-class study sessions.

Hours: Monday to Friday: 9:00-17:00, Saturday to Sunday: Closed Address: 3485 McTavish Street Noise level: Quiet to moderate

Nahum Gelber Law Library

Located in the upper part of campus on Peel Street, this li-brary has modern architecture, yet complements it with designs that give a nod to more classic bookish styles. Canadian artwork adorns the walls, tasteful lighting highlights textbooks, and plush red chairs provide comfortable seating. Don’t be afraid to branch out beyond the first two floors, and explore the entire range of

study spots that grace the five floors of this library. The table by the enormous triangular window on the third floor is a favourite—a study spot with a view.

Hours: Monday to Friday: 9:00-23:00, Saturday to Sunday: 10:00-22:00Address: 3660 Peel Street Noise level: Quiet

Education Curriculum

Resources Centre The Education Curriculum

Resources Centre has a serene and pleasant study atmosphere that boasts multiple areas for quiet or group study. It also con-tains numerous computers, which are helpful for those who don’t feel like lugging their laptops up the hill. There is also a cafe on the ground level, which offers a variety of snacks, as well as booths where students can chat and decompress on a study break.

Hours: Monday to Friday: 9:00-17:00, Saturday to Sunday: Closed Address: 3700 McTavish Street Noise level: Moderate

SSMU Cafeteria Meander here after the

lunch-hour rush for an unconven-tional but surprisingly effective study zone. Large windows pro-vide excellent natural light, and the steady hum of conversations lends itself to the perfect amount of white noise for concentration. A great perk is that the multiple food options and microwaves available make studying much more enjoyable. This is great for both group and solo study ses-sions.

Hours: Monday to Friday: 7:00-13:00, Saturday to Sunday: ClosedAddress: 3600 McTavish StreetNoise level: Moderate

ContributorKEAH HANSEN

Investigating JournalismA diversity of publications fills the void on campus

By Mayaz Alam

It’s no secret that the landscape of the journalism industry is pro-foundly different than it was at the start of the 21st century. The prevalence of the internet has fundamentally altered the way in

which people consume print journalism; consequently, it has eroded both circulation and advertising, the primary revenue streams for pub-lications.

These changes have been felt in a different way on university cam-puses. For example, the University of Ottawa has suspended its journal-ism program for another year, while Emory University in Atlanta, Geor-gia closed its journalism school in 2012. Elsewhere, many schools are eschewing the term ‘journalism’ in favour of ‘media’ or ‘communica-tion’ as part of a rebranding effort. Many student publications have also struggled to keep up-to-date with digital industry trends, even though the majority of students consume the news in an interactive, online manner. According to a 2012 survey, 37 per cent of college newspapers within the United States did not have a website in 2012.

The ‘McGill School of Journalism’ is not undergoing a drastic overhaul because no such school exists, nor has it ever. In Montreal, McGill stands as the exception: UQÀM, Concordia, and Université de Montréal—the other three universities in the city—all have undergradu-ate journalism programs. However, the aforementioned programs are part of a grand total of only 11 programs Canada-wide—in a nation of 98 degree-granting universities.

Although McGill does not currently have a journalism program, it has had a rich history of undergraduate student publications that have stepped in to fill the void. The resulting mosaic has created an extremely diverse group of news publications that have evolved over time.

The McGill Daily, the oldest of the current on-campus publications, was created in 1911 as a daily sports paper. As The Daily’s relationship with the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) became increasingly conten-tious, The Daily sought independence from SSMU.

“Over the years [...] the shape of the paper has changed quite a bit,” said Dana Wray, coordinating editor of The Daily. “But even [in] the ’60s and ’70s, The Daily was covering is-sues that were considered to be controversial and not mainstream. In the ’70s, we covered International Women’s Day. In the ’80s, we created the gay-lesbian supplement [...] so it’s been in its current form for decades now.”

Le Délit, The Daily’s sister publication, shares an office and man-agement with the Daily Publications Society. The French-language newspaper was founded in 1977 by The Daily’s bilingual editorial board. Le Délit faced scrutiny from within the larger McGill community in its initial stages.

“We take it for granted now, but the idea of having an all-franco-phone newspaper on campus was something quite big back then,” ex-plained Joseph Boju, rédacteur en chef of Le Délit. “The Daily received letters of support, but also aggressive statements, such as [a] letter signed by an irate mother predicting the destruction of ‘the best university of the province’ because of the francophone minority. Since then, Le Délit hasn’t stopped publishing its issue once a week, advocating for franco-phone students on campus.”

Following The Daily’s independence referendum in 1981, SSMU created the McGill Tribune, which was founded in 1981 to serve as SSMU Council’s student newspaper. In 2010, the Tribune became com-pletely independent as it sought greater editorial freedom.

More recently, the Faculties of Engineering and Management have established faculty-specific publications in an attempt to cater to students within those fields. The Plumber’s Ledger, which evolved from an En-gineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) newsletter, reached its current magazine form in Fall 2012. Although The Ledger is still young, a long history of publications—comedic and otherwise—exists within the Fac-ulty of Engineering.

“The history of The Plumber’s Ledger begins with the history of The Plumber’s Pot, a publication that was there for 30 years or so,” ex-plained Luis Pombo, editor-in-chief of The Plumber’s Ledger. “They crossed the line [...] back in the day and The Plumber’s Faucet, which was a serious publication back then, moved to a more satirical stance.”

The Ledger is still struggling to make a large dent outside of its faculty, but steps are being taken by expanding distribution to more on-campus locations. Within the Faculty of Engineering, however, The Led-ger represents the interests and needs of members of the EUS.

“Outside of the faculty [...] it’s a relatively unknown publication, but we are looking to change that,” Pombo said. “Within, I think the majority of the people see us as the engineering voice on campus and see it as a publication that reflects their views.”

The Bull and Bear, which is funded and published by the Man-agement Undergraduate Society (MUS), can also trace its roots back to a faculty-specific newsletter. Since 2003, when it became an official publication, it has served to provide writing training, greater coverage of management-related issues, and a different perspective on campus is-sues for management students.

“There’s been a huge discussion within the faculty that manage-ment students don’t get enough writing training, and [The Bull and Bear] became an outlet for students,” said Max Feinsot, executive editor of The Bull and Bear.

As magazines that publish once a month, both The Bull and Bear and The Plumber’s Ledger produce a different type of content compared to a weekly newspaper. For Pombo, this means that there is more room to experiment with different types of articles.

“The fact that we have such diverse content every month really works well,” Pombo said. “We do a lot of features and that definitely helps in setting us apart. We also have short stories every month, which I don’t think any other major publication does.”

With five major news publications on campus and a myriad of other journals and newsletters, McGill’s print media might seem fragmented to the average student. Wray acknowledges that this situation may pose an interesting quandary for a first-year student who is surrounded by five

different campus news sources, but notes that the landscape of media at McGill has become one of the university’s strengths.

“The diversity of journalism on cam-pus is one of the strongest things about McGill,” Wray said. “You really don’t see that [on] other university campuses. I think that it’s excellent that there are these very different newspapers where students can really find their place to shine.”

Boju notes that the presence of five different publications could possibly cause competition; even though all have their respective niche, each is attempting to convince students and advertisers that their publication is the one to read.

“We are more than happy that there are several newspapers at McGill,” Boju said. “It’s a ‘healthy competition,’ as people say, though we don’t see it as a competition because we differ in coverage. There is something quite extraordinary on this campus: It doesn’t have a journal-ism program and [yet] it produces more newspapers than any campus in [Montreal].”

Journalism is a changing industry, and on-campus publications are facing many of the struggles that their real world counterparts face. The future of journalism will undoubtedly look and feel very different from the past. Pombo sees the media at our fingertips with the proliferation of mobile apps and Jenny Shen, the editor-in-chief of the McGill Tribune, understands that digital media will become more and more prominent, prompting publications to look inwards.

“We’ll all have to re-evaluate what our intents are in terms of what our purpose on campus is so that even as we move online, we don’t forget our campus readership,” Shen said.

Feinsot, along with the others interviewed, hopes that print publica-tions will still play a role on campus 10 years from now, but acknowl-edges that the ability to attract readers will have to change.

“There will be more digital offerings [...] and more electronic in-teractivity,” Feinsot explained. “I hope that they all don’t go down the [...] route of becoming promotional pieces. There’s money in it—but it’s dirty money.”

McGill doesn’t have an undergraduate journalism program. In-stead, students have worked to develop a fabric of campus journalism that stands as an exception both within Quebec and Canada at large. Stu-dents have been thrust into leadership positions and tasked with manag-ing large publications.

At times they have caused controversy, but as a whole, McGill’s student journalists’ independence from the administration has embold-ened the nature and quality of campus media. The lack of a journalism program should be viewed as a positive; it has resulted in a diverse and robust campus journalism landscape that enables students to consume and participate with the news from diverse viewpoints. In many ways, the ‘McGill School of Journalism’ has had classes for more than a cen-tury now—and class is undoubtedly still in session.

1

“The diversity of journalism on campus

is one of the strongest things about McGill”

Tuesday, September 30, 2014 12 Science & Technology

(Continued from page 1)

Industrial abrasives are used in cosmetics and household prod-ucts to slough off dirt and skin. Unfortunately, the granules used in the products are non-biodegrad-able. They have started to accu-mulate in aquatic systems because wastewater treatment plants can not filter them. This is a result of not only their size, but also their buoyancy. It is also the reason scientists didn’t think to look for microplastics in lakes or rivers; researchers assumed they would float out into the oceans.

Scientists believed freshwa-ter systems would wash the beads out into the ocean, and therefore focused their attention there. Un-fortunately, Ricciardi and his team are discovering otherwise.

After the team’s initial obser-vations, Ricciardi sent his students out to collect more samples—this time focusing on the microbeads. What they found was startling.

Samples taken from a total of 10 sites along a 320-kilome-tre freshwater section of the river showed microbeads present at

eight of the sites. According to Ricciardi, some sites had as many as 1,000 beads per litre of sedi-ment.

“This rivals that of what has been found in oceans,” he said. “We believe we underestimated the concentrations [of these micro-beads.] We show that they’re ac-cumulating and that they’re ubiq-uitous [in water sources.]”

The microbeads develop a film when introduced to nature. This allows them to settle and ac-cumulate at the bottoms of lakes and rivers.

The long-term effects this might have on the food system are still unknown.

However, a study done at the University of California showed the immediate dangers of micro-bead consumption for aquatic ani-mals.

Consumption of unaltered, lab-made microbeads induced slight stress on the livers of tested fish, yet the fish exhibited severe liver failure when fed microbeads collected from nature. The poly-ethylene in the microbeads had ab-sorbed pollutants from the water; consequently, the toxicity of the beads had risen to a million times more than that of the surrounding

water. Ricciardi believes that the mi-

croplastics have a negative impact on aquatic environments.

“We have reason to believe there will be a cost [on the envi-ronment,]” Ricciardi said. “We have reports that the plastic has been found in fish—hundreds of them.”

Previous reports have specu-lated about the presence of micro-beads in fish, but the team plans to take the next real step in finding

out. With funding from the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science (QCBS), Ricciardi and his team have started collecting round gob-bies, a species of bottom-dwelling fish. Their goal is to examine the stomachs of these fish to see how prevalent these pollutants are in the food web, and how many of the microbeads are being consumed.

Other species will have to be tested and the ecotoxicity mea-sured to determine the severity of the costs that microplastics will

have on any environment. Several states in the U.S. have

already passed legislation ban-ning microbeads from products. Canada has yet to propose such regulations. Ricciardi believes that microplastics should be regulated everywhere.

“I think they can be phased out,” he said. “This is an emerging issue in marine ecology, but com-panies can definitely use natural products as abrasives—[…] some-thing that will break down.”

Microbeads discovered in St. Lawrence River sedimentMcGill researchers find microplastics in North American river for first time

Science & Technology EditorChloe NeviTT

“Climate change is not fiction.” So began Premier Philippe

Couillard at the NYC Climate Sum-mit on Sept. 22, the largest effort yet at galvanizing action for cli-mate change. The event featured the likes of Ban Ki-moon and President Obama.

Couillard’s speech echoed those of the others present at the summit by stressing the need for action, notably touting Quebec’s efforts at creating a carbon market newly unified with California. According to the pre-mier, establishing this system sends a strong signal to businesses and con-sumers alike about the importance of phasing out carbon use.

The Environmental Defense Fund, an NGO dedicated to the car-bon reduction system, describes the carbon market as an “economic in-centive to pollute less.” The govern-ment auctions off a fixed, or capped, limit of credits—each represents a set amount of carbon—to firms. If the firms exceed the carbon limits of the credits they buy, they are forced to buy more of these credits from other firms who have used less than them. Firms are thus punished for ex-cessive carbon pollution, while those

that pollute less are rewarded. Though complex in its execu-

tion, the goal of the system is simple: To reduce emissions by targeting major emitters.

According to the premier, more than 98 per cent of Quebec’s en-ergy is produced through renewable sources. As such, Quebec can af-ford to use a cap-and-trade system. However, Couillard himself admits that the current structure is not eco-nomically feasible and needs new members. He is convinced that other

states will join, especially those from New England who are already part of a group called the Regional Green-house Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Kelly Speakes-Beckman, chair of the RGGI, dismissed the notion as unrealistic.

“We’ve had no discussion of any states leaving RGGI, either to go to California or elsewhere,” Speakes-Beckman said in an interview with Bloomberg. Only Vermont has dem-onstrated interest, leaving the newly formed market dangerously isolated.

But Quebec is not alone in its struggle. The European Union’s Emission Trading System (ETS) is the biggest of cap-and-trade systems. Considered by many to be the proof of a way to regulate carbon emissions using a free market, the ETS is now burdened with a surplus of about two billion emission allowances, equiva-lent to a year’s supply, according to UK’s Secretary of Energy and Cli-mate Change Ed Davey. Companies therefore have little incentive to scale back their carbon emissions. Davey

proposes to cut the surplus of credits and decrease the amount of credits auctioned, as well as strive to strike a better balance between fairness, cost-effectiveness, and simplicity.

These proposals, seemingly no-brainers, have yet to be implemented, and those submitted by the ETS are far too mild in comparison.

There are other issues at play, especially in including the aviation industry in carbon markets. As an in-ternational industry, the ETS’s inclu-sion of foreign aircraft into consider-ation on its carbon markets sparked outrage.

According to a report by the International Emissions Trading Association, “Various U.S. airlines […] arguing that the application of the ETS to foreign-based operators breached customary international law.” Although the ETS’s decision was upheld, there is still considerable controversy over the matter.

Whether or not Quebec will fol-low the European Union in forming a widespread trading system still re-mains to be seen. Quebec and Cali-fornia may be leading the way for a North American carbon market, but there are still significant challenges to overcome in order to achieve a low-carbon economy.

Quebec attempts to forge carbon marketCouillard speaks at NYC Climate Summit

ContributorWilder Walker-STeWarT

Sample of plastic microbeads from the St. Lawrence River. (L-A Benoit / McGill Tribune)

“According to the premier, more than 98 per cent of Quebec’s energy is produced

through renewable sources.”

(Cordelia Cho / McGill Tribune)

13Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Science & Technology

Individuals with ICHTHYOSIS are needed for a research study in Montreal involvingan approved topical treatment. Reimbursement will be $300 for four visits.

derek.ganes@ganespharma.comCONTACT

Last Wednesday, Moyse Hall at-tendees watched society and technology collide. As part of a lecture series hosted by the Trottier Institute for Sustainabil-ity in Engineering and Design (TISED), McGill presented two views—one from an economist and one from an engi-neer—on the future of renewable power in North America.

The first speaker, economist John Reilly of MIT, discussed the ramifica-tions of the U.S. power supply evolving to rely on 80 per cent renewable sourc-es. Jim Burpee, president and CEO of the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA), followed up by bringing the subject matter closer to home and look-ing at the future of electricity in Canada.

Reilly’s study examined a few sce-narios on what the makeup of energy sources in the U.S. could look like in a few decades. He emphasized the diffi-culty of using unpredictable renewable sources like wind and solar energy.

As an economist, Reilly then com-pared the costs of these energy sources to coal. He found that renewables like wind power are more expensive, not because of the cost of technology, but

because of the unreliability of these sources.

In spite of these challenges, Reil-ly’s study found that with a flexible grid system and strategic placement of gen-erators, 80 per cent renewable energy production in the U.S. is feasible using only today’s commercially available technologies. Furthermore, electric-ity prices in the model only went up as much as would be expected in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-sions.

However, Burpee showed that Canada’s energy sources were a differ-ent situation. He started his presentation with a breakdown of Canadian energy sources, of which 80 per cent were al-ready non-GHG emitting.

Despite this impressive number, the CEA is continuing to improve sus-tainability.

In essence, decarbonization is the act of declining the average carbon in-tensity of primary energy over time. While global progress is slow—a 0.3 per cent decline per year, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—the trend is showing declining carbon use.

According to Burpee, “The ques-

tion isn’t whether to decarbonize—it’s, ‘At what rate [should we decarbon-ize?]’”

To find an answer, Burpee ex-plored the costs associated with de-carbonization, the role of government regulation, and the viability of nuclear power to replace carbon. He discussed the three pillars of energy supply: Sus-tainability, affordability, and reliability. In order to improve sustainability with-out affecting reliability, the price of elec-tricity has to go up.

Burpee also noted the potential for technological advancements to improve sustainability. Solar panel efficiency, for example, is 17 per cent. Even the inter-nal combustion engine appears embar-rassingly inefficient at 30 per cent, leav-ing room for improvement.

The evening ended with a Q&A period, where one of the final ques-tions resonated with McGill students in particular: What role can young people play in the move towards sustainable sources?

Both presenters agreed that tech-nological developments are integral to society’s ability to switch to renew-able energy sources. Beyond engineers, computer scientists will also become

increasingly important as the grid be-comes smarter.

The second day’s lecturer, Jessica Trancik, also hailed from MIT. With a background in materials science, her lab analyzes the costs and environmental impacts of energy technologies. Her work aims to improve the efficiency of energy production and storage.

Trancik’s talk highlighted the im-mense improvements that have been made in renewable energy production. For example, photovoltaics—solar pan-els—are about 100 times cheaper today than they were in 1974.

However, these developments don’t happen in a vacuum. Investment in technology is essential to continue improving at this rate. Trancik’s work has shown the link between public fund-ing and the rate of patent filing in both the U.S. and Japan. These links show growth in certain markets, particularly those focused on sustainability.

The talks highlighted the fact that the shift to renewable energy is not an isolated problem. It is important for peo-ple from all fields to take a stance to help solve the issues facing the implementa-tion of renewable energy.

Face the truth: Mites found on human skin

Microscopic eight-legged creatures make their homes in the faces of all people, a study recently published in PLOS ONE has shown. The Demodex mites are a group of hair follicle and sweat gland-dwelling species. Two different species of these mites reside on the face. The first, Demodex brevis, burrows into the sweat gland. The second, Demodex folliculorum, resides on the follicle above the gland.

Thought to have been pres-ent in only a small portion of the population, the mites have now been shown to be almost com-pletely ubiquitous. Researcher Megan Thoemmes, from North Carolina State University, found that 100 per cent of 253 people over the age of 18 had Demodex DNA on their faces. By using DNA collected from the sweat of facial samples, the team was able to get a more accurate read-ing of mite presence, as opposed to that of classical mite-counting techniques.

These mites can be used as a way to trace the migration of humans. The team used the 18

rRNA gene as a marker for dif-fering gene structure, to trace the evolution of the mite. Using its phylogeny to find common an-cestors, the researchers can see when the mites were transmitted to humans, and when certain spe-cies where introduced to differ-ing demographics.

Study on over 100 billion animals show GMOS are

safe

Heard over the noise of alarming headlines from anti-GMO crusaders was a study con-ducted by geneticist Alison Van Eenennaam and her assistant Amy E. Young from the Univer-sity of California-Davis Depart-ment of Animal Science. The two reviewed 29 years of livestock productivity and health data to show that overall, there is no dif-ference in genetically-modified feed versus regular.

Globally, food-producing animals consume 70 to 90 per cent of genetically engineered (GE) crop. Starting from 1983—before the introduction of GE crops in 1996—through 2011, the data shows that trends in livestock health never fluctuated. While no previous studies have

shown any real correlation be-tween GE food consumption and overall well-being, it is the sheer magnitude of the study that is so impressive.

Because the body digests DNA and protein, which are the components that are usually modified in GE foods, there are never any detectable traces of GE components in milk, meat, and eggs after the consumption of the GE food. The same concept applies to humans—there are no risks involved in the consump-tion of GM food.

Chinese scientists are designing a collider so

massive it could encircle Manhattan

When thinking of atoms, particles, and physics, most peo-ple think of the LHC-CERN— the Large Hadron Collider lo-cated outside Geneva. However, Chinese scientists based out of Beijing are planning on chang-ing that. The new laboratory, which will focus on cutting-edge particle physics, will be so large that it could encircle the island of Manhattan.

The project, called the Cir-cular Electron Positron Collider

(CEPC), is the shining symbol of China’s growth as a scientific hub. The collider’s purpose is easily discernible from the name. Electrons are collided with their anti-matter counterparts at high-er and higher speeds. The experi-ment hopes to recreate the Big Bang—the start of the universe.

The group will be address-ing questions regarding matter, energy, the Higgs Boson, and the space-time continuum. The

larger size of this new collider allows for higher energy levels to be attained.

This centre will also act as a campus, attracting scientists to China from various specializa-tions abroad. This will increase competition with the U.S., which has so far released very few plans for furthering research in funda-mental physics.

TISED talks address renewable electricity in Canada and the U.S.Experts from varying fields discuss the economics of decarbonization

ContributorClare lyle

Science & Technology EditorChloe NeviTT

MIT economist John Reilley. (Photo courtesy of MIT Global Change)

14 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

As far as entrances go, Owen Pallett’s first appear-ance on stage during his concert at the Corona Theatre last week was a humble one. The bearded singer-violinist walked on set before his show had even started and prepared his equipment—a violin, plugged into a loop pedal—with minimal fanfare. In fact, the entire show was characterized by how down-to-earth Pallett was—even in the most en-ergetic moments of the concert. His unassuming character was matched by his incredible stage presence and vitality, a surprising marriage of traits that don’t typically go together.

Also pleasantly surprising was Pallett’s di-verse choice of songs from his entire solo discog-raphy, which included some from his seminal first album Has a Good Home (2005). Pallet brought a highly appreciated energy into songs such as “That’s When the Audience Died” and “Song for Five & Six” from his latest album, In Conflict (2014). Listened to through a pair of headphones, the songs are upbeat but serene, Pallet’s voice crooning through the pizzicato of his violin. On stage, the artist coaxes crescendos and guttural cries from his own singing and from his instru-ments. The addition of a drummer and guitarist to the set also lent the show a very danceable rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere.

Pallett’s unconventional performance also added to the theatricality of the concert. He built up his songs layer by layer, recording sounds live through a loop pedal that he would manipulate throughout the set. Listening to the live construc-tion of songs that I’d first heard years ago was eye-opening to say the least, as was hearing the many ways through which Pallett manipulated the violin—tapping on the wooden body of the in-strument to create drum loops, or scraping on the strings of the violin to create an eerie, reverberant backdrop to his songs.

Pallett’s masterful control over the many complicated aspects of his set was well-appreci-ated. Pallett has done extensive work with bands such as Arcade Fire, and his very genre of music—indie pop/rock centred around a solo-violinist—is a breeding ground for moody artists, but Pallett’s professionalism throughout the complex set dis-pelled any thought of a downbeat atmosphere.

To cap off the polished performance, the lighting and props for the show were fantastic: The lasers, strobes, and flood lights framed the perform-ers in sharp angles, with the lights’ geometric complex-ity paralleling the show’s musical precision. The sole prop was an enigmatic sculpture shaped like an an-gular quartz crystal that was larger than Pallett himself. Depending on the lighting, the sculpture reflected the stage in a haze of smoke or shone ominously in black. The venue itself was cozy and curtained in red velvet, but not too small—even if the imposing frescoed cher-ubs on the theatre’s ceiling were slightly off-putting.

All in all, the concert was fantastic. The sound was a surprising but ef-fective departure from the tone of the albums, and very apt for the four hour show, which needed a little upbeat rock ‘n’ roll to keep the audience engaged. Pal-let’s unassum-

ing attitude and professionalism combined with his passion for the music kept the atmosphere enjoyable, and it was simply fascinating to see the song construction in real time. The concert was, if anything, more of an artistic performance than a musical set strung together from a list of songs—effectively exposing Owen Pallett’s proficiency as a performer.

Owen Pallett reveals expertise in vocals, violinPallett digs deep into discography to deliver dazzling performance

News EditorSHRINKHALA DAWADI

Like most projects Nick Cave pours his soul into, 20,000 Days On Earth is a gripping experi-ence. In the first scene of the film, the Australian post-punk legend awakes in bed with his wife on what he claims to be his “20,000th day on earth.” Following that revelation, Cave reflects on the cha-otic 19,999 days that preceded it. He claims that he eventually “ceased to be a human being,” presum-ably becoming instead a creature with a superhu-man affinity for gold rings—which we frequently see him wearing during the film.

The directors of 20,000 Days, acclaimed British video artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, are already famed across the Atlantic for their re-enactments of seminal moments in the history of rock—including David Bowie’s 1973 farewell performance as Ziggy Stardust, among many oth-ers. Yet instead of settling for something similar with Cave, Forsyth and Pollard have co-conspired with him to make something perhaps more inter-esting: A genre-bending quasi-documentary with fresh insights about what it means to be an artist.

Forsyth’s and Pollard’s collaboration with Cave was initially supposed to consist of promo videos for Push The Sky Away (2013), Cave’s fifteenth and most recent album with longtime backing band the Bad Seeds, but the project slowly grew into a feature film. Considering the array of

locations Cave visits, shooting the entire movie within a 24-hour period would not have been pos-sible. Instead, the filmmakers use lighting over the course of the movie to signify the progression from morning to night—a symbolic “day” in Cave’s fre-netic life. We watch the bright, warm tones of the recording studios Cave inhabits early on in the film meld into the shadowy, bluish glow of the Nick Cave Archives, a storehouse of Cave’s personal miscellany where he makes an extended stop to-ward the end of the film.

Part of the story is about showing how Cave juggles fatherhood and married life with being a world-famous musician. The filmmakers’ clever idea of inserting Cave’s friends into the backseat of his car as he drives to his next destination is a neat visual reminder of his jam-packed lifestyle. Between recording sessions, psychotherapy, and movie night with his twin boys, Cave reconnects with old friends. He shares his performance se-crets with Australian pop-star-turned-actress Kylie Minogue, with whom Cave recorded hit single “Where the Wild Roses Grow” for the Bad Seeds’ 1996 album Murder Ballads.

“For me, there’s a kind of psychodrama going on with people in the front row,” he explains to her. “I get a huge amount of energy from that.”

In these scenes and throughout the film, the filmmakers, editor Jonathan Amos, Forsyth, Pol-lard, and Amos all picked up awards at Sundance for their efforts to make magic happen on-screen.

They edit scenes of Cave at work and in conversa-tion with a conciseness that keeps the action flow-ing and puts the drama of each interaction at centre stage.

Likewise, at a couple of points, Cave cuts in to offer us a soliloquy on a topic of his choice. Cave relates how the view of the ocean in his adopted hometown of Brighton inspires him with its alter-nation between a “sky so blue you can’t even look at it,” and a storm full of “great black thunderheads that make you feel like you’re inside [of it].” For-syth and Pollard drive home Cave’s scintillating words by syncing them up with striking images of angry oceanic skies, the whole thing wrapped up in the haunting crescendos of Australian composer/musician Warren Ellis’s ambient score.

Not everyone has the ability to grip an audi-ence with personal nostalgia and meteorological musings for an hour-and-a-half. Thankfully, Nick Cave is not just anyone. He may swagger through life, making lofty claims about the nature of art and memory, but he has earned the right to do so. As this film attests, he is a captivating figure both on-stage and off, and a capable wordsmith to boot. Forsyth and Pollard have good reason to devote a feature film to mining Cave’s mind for gold, even if he does wear plenty on his fingers.

20,000 Days on Earth is currently playing at various times until at least Oct. 9 at Cinema du Parc (3575 Parc). Student tickets are $10.

20,000 Days on Earth: An artist finds fulfillment by losing himself

ContributorDANIEL FISHBAYN

Owen Pallett jams out on the Corona stage. (Bridget Walsh / McGill Tribune)

Lawyers, Guns, and Money Artist: Warren ZevonAlbum: Excitable BoyReleased: January 18, 1978Though you probably don’t know who Warren Zevon was, you’ve probably heard “Werewolves of London” before—though it’s likely more often associated with Halloween or being one of the samples on Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” than it is with Zevon. “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” is off Excitable Boy, which ended up being Zevon’s most successful album. Zevon was known for his dark, humorous and occasionally ri-diculous lyricism, and that’s certainly at play in this song. The instrumentation isn’t particularly unique—a couple guitars, drums, and bass—but Zevon’s words make him special. As a musician he may not be unique, but as a songwriter there’s no one else like him.

Mexican WineArtist: Fountains of WayneAlbum: Welcome Interstate ManagersReleased: June 10, 2003It took me a long time to accept that Fountains of Wayne was going to end up being a one-hit wonder. Its catalogue is filled with great songs, but “Stacy’s Mom” is the only one by the four-piece power-pop group to ever get mainstream recognition. Welcome Interstate Managers is jam-packed with catchy riffs and quirky imagined characters in its songs. I still go back to listen to it now and then, and when I do, it’s “Mexican Wine” that stands out for me. It’s fun, slightly bittersweet, and, perhaps most importantly, very satisfying pop music.

Tiny Little BowsArtist: Carly Rae JepsenAlbum: KissReleased: September 14, 2012The sheer magnitude of “Call Me Maybe” meant that any other Jepsen track would likely be a disappointment—and this ended up being the case. Her album Kiss did sell fairly well, but it was largely on the back of that one megahit. “Tiny Little Bows,” the album’s opening track, is solid candy pop built on layered synths and a funky, slapped bass part. The sample of Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” also adds a nice touch. Though the lyricism is not all that strong—rarely deviating from the structure used in the first verse and chorus—it’s hard to get the words out of your head once they’re caught there.

White HousesArtist: Vanessa CarltonAlbum: HarmoniumReleased: October 21, 2004Like Jepsen, Vanessa Carlton’s rise was due largely to a single massively popular song that ultimately over-shadowed any of her later releases. “White Houses” was the only single off of her second album, Harmoni-um, that was considered a commercial failure. Musi-cally, “White Houses” follows a similar formula to her hit “A Thousand Miles”—piano laying the founda-tion with strings swelling and drums pushing things along. But in “White Houses,” Carlton is reflecting on mistakes, not yearning for love. While her sophomore album may have been a disappointment, this song remains a bright spot.

Forgotten gems from one-hit wonders

Sports EditorWYATT FINE-GAGNÉ

15

Character-driven arcs propel Ken Follett’s Cold War-themed novel

Edge of Eternity provides engrossing ending to historical trilogy

History has a bad rap for being a seemingly perfunctory field of study. As a history major, I cer-tainly have gotten my fair share of skepticism when I profess my in-terest in our past. But history, more than almost any other subject, car-ries a certain humanity with it. It is the story of us, of how we got to where we are, with all the emotions, tragedies, and strange foibles that only real people can afford.

Few books tap into this feel-ing better than Ken Follett’s Edge of Eternity.

The third and final instal-ment of the renowned novelist’s Century Trilogy, Edge of Eternity follows four families from Russia, Germany, Britain, and the United States. It captures the early days of the Civil Rights movement, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and everything in between.

The plot offers little in the way of added complexities or depth because it is essentially the Cold War retold. Rather, it is the characters and the different lenses through which they view the events that offer the crux of the drama. While the interwoven

family trees are cumbersome at first, Follett does a good job re-introducing the characters and keeping them isolated enough that their arcs unfold at separate, brisk paces.

Readers familiar with the series will enjoy some satisfying moments of closure from the first generation of characters, long for-gotten and living out the last days of their lives. That is not to say new readers will not enjoy Edge of Eternity without having read the previous instalments; but there is simply a level of familiarity that goes with following these five families for three generations.

The book’s predecessor, Winter of the World, focused less on the history than on the love lives of the characters. While this worked well in the first instalment, Fall of Giants, for the second book ,it occasionally descended the piece into the trappings of a cheap soap opera. Fortunately, it is a trap-ping that Edge of Eternity deftly avoids. While melodrama is still present—and those infuriated by love triangles in fiction may find themselves gnawing their teeth at times—Edge of Eternity chooses to focus on the politics of the

era and the men and women that shaped it. Historical figures such as Robert Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev are deeply explored, and Follett’s painstaking attention to detail gives the read an air of en-grossing realism even in its more outlandish moments.

This is not to say that the book is perfect—while it isn’t as overbearing as its predecessor, what little romantic plot points do remain are grating at times, with seemingly every main character getting a clear soulmate to play “will they, won’t they” with. Ad-ditionally, while most characters are interestingly fleshed out, an-tagonists appear somewhat more one-dimensional by the standards of the rest of the narrative, par-ticularly a German Nazi officer whose main characterizing feature is ‘petty jerk.’

Despite these shortcomings, Edge of Eternity is an engrossing read. Follet’s manages to switch seamlessly from character to char-acter, making this decades span-ning story feel absolutely epic.

Edge of Eternity was re-leased in Canada by Penguin Books on September 16, 2014.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Is there a more hated band in the world right now than U2? Despite releasing albums that have sold millions of copies since the 1980s, U2 has recently been belittled by fans and critics alike as the standard for everything overproduced, commercial, and self-serving about modern rock music. Critics have called Bono “pretentious” and The Edge “over-rated.” Making matters worse, the release of their new album / Apple promotional gim-mick Songs of Innocence has angered legions of iTunes users. This is largely due to the al-bum’s inexplicable intrusion into the media player’s libraries everywhere without user consent. As a result, U2 is currently held re-sponsible for what the Washington Post calls “Rock ‘n’ Roll as junk mail.”All of this has placed U2 somewhere between Nickelback and root canals on the disdain scale: But is it really all warranted? U2 has been unfairly treated as the whipping boy and deserves much more credit that they usually receive from the music-listening public.

For starters, what’s lost in the recent controversy is that U2 released its album for free. In a landscape where mainstream music is increasingly monetized, this decision is

deserving of at least some credit. After all, when Radiohead released an album with a “pay what you want” payment scheme, they were hailed as the saviours of modern music by critics. When U2 did Radiohead one better, it received widespread scorn.

Others have criticized Bono’s personal-ity. The man certainly has an ego, but he has also committed his time and money to making the world a better place through his charity work. At the end of the day, it’s hard to say he deserves such a negative reputation.

However, these qualms have nothing to do with U2’s actual music. What is commonly overlooked these days is U2’s unique sound, longevity, and influence. This is primarily re-flected in their ’80s and early ’90s work, when albums like War (1983), The Unforgettable Fire (1984), The Joshua Tree (1987), and Achtung Baby (1991) changed the landscape of what would become modern rock. Neither a punk band nor a standard “arena rock” band, U2 brought a distinct and dynamic sound that was as appropriate in bedrooms as in stadi-ums. The Edge redefined the way the electric guitar was used in mainstream music, adding texture and ambience rather than blistering leads. In these albums, Bono’s lyrics are poi-gnant and pressing as he touches on a wide variety of subjects from pacifism to drug ad-diction. This was not only U2’s creative peak,

but in comparison to any artist, an all-around impressive musical stretch.

This isn’t to say that U2 does not have missteps, bad songs, or even bad albums. Admittedly, the band’s recent work certainly doesn’t live up to their older music and, to an extent, does sound de-rivative and overproduced. How-ever, U2’s been around for al-most 40 years. Is it not somewhat understandable that the band’s going through a slump or have even exhausted its creative po-tential after such a long and pro-lific career? One can count on one hand the bands who are as old as U2 who are still releasing com-mercially and critically relevant music. Every band with a long his-tory has a best-before date, yet U2 gets more hate than anyone else. This has much more to do with Bono’s exuberant persona than U2’s past—or even current—musi-cal qualities.

Though U2’s musical output has maybe slipped in recent years, is there really so much wrong with a band continuing to work after its best days are behind it? Surely music fans

shouldn’t expect the band to break up if its members still feel like they have more to say. For all their shortcomings, U2 still has not found what it’s looking for, and that’s some-thing to admire, not belittle.

ContributorERIC NOBLE-MARKS

Mysterious craze: Why the U2 hate has gone too far

ContributorMARTIN MOLPECERES

(Ellie Savitch / McGill Tribune)

(Continued from page 1)

Despite the satisfaction he gets from blood, the vampire life is a lonely one for Greene until he finds companionship in Hightower’s widow, an upper-class British woman named Ganja (Zaraah Abrahams). Despite her curiosity about her husband’s fate, she is entranced by Greene, and she’s happy to spend countless hours getting high and having sex with him. While it seems at first that he is content to spare her from having to share his fate, the temptation eventually grows too strong, and he seals her fate as his vam-pire bride with a bite into her neck.

This might all seem to happen merely for shock value—and much of what occurs on-screen certainly is shocking. The film contains both some of the most sexually explicit and graphically violent scenes of Lee’s ca-reer, and they’re tempting to dismiss as a way to draw attention to a film oth-erwise likely to be largely ignored by moviegoers. But Lee uses them as a device to milk the satire that could oth-erwise risk lying dormant in his narra-tive. Unlike the exploitative sequences frequently found in Game of Thrones and countless other films and shows, Lee uses nudity as a way to showcase the raw physicality and power of the human body. He overwhelms us with long, languishing shots of the bodies,

and dares us to suggest that black can’t be beautiful.

Likewise, the violence—though often grotesque—reveals the extent of the vampires’ addiction to blood. Like many addicts, Ganja and Greene have to commit horrifying acts to get their fix, and the graphic nature of Lee’s de-piction of them spotlights the grim na-ture of their predicament. Though the characters derive satisfaction from the blood, their pleasure comes at a great price.

Lee shows a similar lack of subtle-ty when it comes to the socioeconomic class of his characters—though, like the sex and violence, it never feels unnec-essary. While Greene is happy to chow down on his poorer victims, he needs someone of a social status comparable to his to call his partner-in-blood. Gan-ja’s ability to fulfill this need is exag-gerated to comic effect—particularly through her behaviour towards Sen-eschal, but the emphasis helps us to see the focal points of Lee’s satire.

Some of these points do get ob-scured over the course of the film’s two-hour plus running time, but Da Sweet Blood of Jesus mostly suc-ceeds as a potent satire of addiction, race, and class. Horror has a grand tradition as a vehicle for social com-mentary, and it’s refreshing to see a director steer the genre away from being a springboard for young-adult blockbusters and towards a higher cause.

Reality bites: Spike Lee’s latest finds the writer-director in new territory

ContributorMAX JOSEPH

16 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Conveying emotion is difficult. Conveying emotion well—and allowing people to connect to it—is even harder. However, for American song-writer Mike Hadreas, otherwise known as Perfume Genius, emotional darkness and confessions are where he thrives. His first two albums tackle in-credibly personal struggles: Sexuality, molestation, and relationships, which results in some of the most raw and intelligent songs the music industry has to offer. His third studio album, Too Bright, continues where Hadreas left off: In a whirlwind of confusion and observations about himself.

It’s a complicated album full of vocal distor-tion, piercing instrumentation, and incredibly vivid lyrics. Unlike its predecessors, the album marks a huge step for Hadreas: His lyrics are more poi-gnant and the production more explorative, forcing his vocals to the spotlight—a place that he’s previ-ously shied away from. It’s a clever move; whereas the sadness and depression was allowed to fade into the background in his past work—crushed and swallowed by a lonely piano—here the emo-tion cannot be ignored. It’s raw, it’s epic, and it’s uncomfortable. As opposed to the introverted sexu-ality and self-discovery lyricism of Put Your Back N 2 It, Too Bright sees Hadras turn outwards, and, like a child, discovers the world around him for the first time. Second track “Queen” boasts qual-ity production with gritty guitar underneath a layer of sunny-sounding synthesizers; “Fool” consists of a ’70s-esque snapping beat overlayed by an epic middle chorus in which it’s impossible to deter-mine whether we’re hearing Hadras’ incredibly confident, almost piercing vocals, or an intense, heavy-reverb screaming guitar. But isn’t that the point? Does it matter what it is if it conveys emo-tion? The erratic and mesh of instruments reflect the chaos of the lyricism. It’s tough, but it’s brilliant.

Perfume Genius is a rare type of artist; his music is simple but his lyrics contain an unlim-ited depth, documenting his life experiences and thoughts meticulously. It allows us as listeners to see him evolve not only as an artist, but as a person. Too Bright reminds us that if we take a moment to look up from our own lives, we realize there is a whole separate experience altogether. It’s one that we might love, we might hate, or we might just not know what to make of it.

— -Jack Neal

m a t a d o r

In early September, Richard James, aka Aphex Twin, teased his eager fan base with the release of his new album’s first track, “minipops 67 [120.2].” The song’s resonant kick-drum harmony reminded me of Moderat’s crowd-pleasing 2009 single, “Rusty Nails,” which lead me to believe that Syro was going to be James’ attempt to cater his distinctive sound towards the clubbing demographic. While the album does have its dance oriented moments, my original prediction proved to be short-sighted—as the album’s melodies become progressively stranger and often creepier as it unfolds.

The album is by no means alienating, as James maintains an energy throughout it—which, albeit eclectic, is honest and visceral. Moments of certain songs are evocative of other artists and even clas-sifiable, such as the Daft Punk-esque ro-botic funk groove in “XMAS_EVET10.”

Viewed as composite structures, the tracks cannot be justifiably classified. It is almost as if James employed an orchestra of laptops to create the album, each pro-grammed with its own unique and foreign sound, and each directed by his figurative baton to enter the music at unpredictable, whimsical moments. If music exists on another planet or dimension, I believe that Syro is a near perfect representation of how that music might sound.

Nevertheless, as left field as Aphex Twin takes the listener on Syro, intrinsi-cally, the album is a convincing, original expression of James’ peerless musical genius. With James’ previous release of Druqks in 2001, the 13-year wait for Syro was well worth it.

— -Clark Bray

Following the commercial success and melodic genius of Alt-J’s first album, An Awesome Wave, the anticipation for follow-up This is All Yours was high. It’s always easy to nitpick the latest work from a band that has unexpectedly risen to the top of the popular music scene, but when it comes down to it, Alt-J’s sopho-more effort is another success for the ex-perimental indie rock quartet.

Leadoff track “Intro” is a perfect opening for the 13 songs that follow, showcasing an eclectic range of musical-ity coupled with incoherent words build-ing up for several minutes until we hear actual language being spoken. During this prelude, Alt-J sets a strong tone for the album through its ability to compile layers of varied beats, nonsensical lyrics, lingering falsettos, harmonies, acoustics, and whistling solos into a single audibly pleasing mosaic.

Alt-J’s success at molding together such a wide variety of sounds is dis-played again on the track “Hunger of the Pine,” which samples and repeats the line “I’m a female rebel” from Miley Cyrus’ “4x4.” That one lyric beautifully comple-ments the intensity that builds through-out the song. Another track to look out for is “Bloodflood II,” which, like “Hun-ger of the Pine,” uses a buildup technique that leads the song into a final flourish of percussion, synthesizers, and steady vocals before bowing out with a calming piano passage.

This is All Yours is an album of daz-zling, seductive mysteries that fall right in line with the dense layers of musical enigmas that Alt-J has concocted. You will encounter combinations and lyrics that you won’t understand; yet somehow, the deliberate matching of varied sonic elements will hook you in, tingle your musical veins and—although you can’t always quite pinpoint how—leave you strangely satisfied.

—- Natalie Wong

w a r p

Having made names for themselves in their local electronic music scene, Seattle-based Catacombkid (aka Harrison Mills) and BeachesBeaches (aka Clayton Knight) brought their individual talents together to create ODESZA in 2012. Since then, the partnership has flourished, as demonstrated by the duo’s dynamic sophomore album, In Return.

The record is a consistent stream of pop-infused electronic bliss. The char-acteristic glitched-out vocals and atmo-spheric soundscapes have carried over from the duo’s earlier sound, but In Return also showcases the sonic development ODESZA has undergone. Their songs are never over-whelmingly complex; instead, each track has a subtlety that allows you to discover different nuances with each listen.

Influences from all over the musical spectrum can be found throughout the re-cord. Particularly notable is the clear world-music tinge, including recurring African percussion beats and Asian-inspired wood-wind and string sounds.

Unlike its first album, ODESZA’s sec-ond album features collaborations a number of vocalists for In Return to develop fuller, more user-friendly songs. The vocal focus means that the tracks have become less beat-oriented. With performances from Zyra, Py, Shy Girls, and Madelyn Grant, to name a few, this album is successfully attempting to cross over the mainstream bridge.

Cinematic and dark, yet still somehow uplifting, “It’s Only,” featuring Zyra, is one of the standout tracks. The dreamy vocals somehow lend themselves perfectly to the jungle-vibes of the song’s percussion. “Say My Name,” another Zyra collaboration, is a second highlight. More upbeat, this tune is driven by the drums and bass line. It’s hard to listen to without dancing along at least a little bit.

Electronic music looms large in to-day’s cultural scene, but despite this influx, In Return still manages to present a re-freshing listening experience. —

—————————-Kia Pouliot

ODESZA

ALBUM REVIEWS

C o l u m b i a

Perfume genius Aphex twin Alt-j In Return too bright SYRO this is all yours

i N F E C t i o u S

sports 17Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The current NFL overtime rules are worse than those in any other pro-fessional sport. Before the 2010 rule change, the sudden death format put an inordinate amount of importance on the coin toss. It kept superstar players like Peyton Manning on the sidelines, with as much ability to affect a game’s outcome as someone sitting at home yelling at the television would have. Unfortunately, the current format isn’t much better. Requiring both teams to possess the ball is a great change, but the touchdown exception makes the rule little more than a half-measure, and thus practically ineffective. The current sys-tem can be compared to playing extra

innings in baseball, but not allowing the home team to bat if the visitors hit a grand slam in the top of the 10th inning.

The most entertaining alternative for fans would be to play a full fifth quarter and accept a tie in the regular season if the score is still level at the end, as is done in soccer. Sudden death can work in a sport like hockey, where the possession is free-flowing and both teams have the opportunity to make plays, but the format of football is fun-damentally different and the overtime rules should reflect that.

– Nick Jasinski

I see no reason to change the cur-rent overtime rules in the regular sea-son. They allow for the game to end quickly, which reduces the chance for a game to drag on and lose some of its excitement. It also adds an element of pressure and luck that can spice up even the most boring regular season games. Also, with the principle of re-gression towards the mean at work over the course of a sixteen-game regular season, the current rules aren’t going to have significant playoff implications for any team involved in an overtime

match. In the playoffs, the teams should

have extra time, as they do in soccer, and play until one team comes out with more points at the end of the game. The post-season is a knockout tournament, and the fans want to see the best team of the day win–not the team that wins the coin toss. The importance of mini-mizing the effect of luck is magnified in the playoff setting, as there are no second chances.

– Zikomo Smith

NFL Overtime ruLes

When the NFL switched its over-time rules, its aim was to eliminate the issue of coin tosses determining win-ners. This clearly has not been the case, and it is because of the provision that a touchdown can win a game on the first possession, leaving one team’s offence on the sidelines. To remove the impor-tance of the coin toss entirely, the NFL needs to adopt a similar system to that of college football. In this version of overtime, each team gets one possession and the game plays out like a shootout of sorts. The first team on offence starts with the ball on the 25-yard line, and their possession ends when they score, turn the ball over, or miss a field goal.

The second team then has to match or do better. If they score the same number of points, a second round of possessions ensues–and so on and so forth–and if one team has scored more, that team is crowned the winner.

This removes the importance of the coin toss, as it is now only used to de-termine who gets to go on offence first. Another improvement would be to have possessions begin on the 40-yard line rather than on the 25. This would make scoring easier, and hopefully add a little bit of extra excitement to overtime.

– Wyatt Fine-Gagné

Two minutes to save the worldOne of the most exciting sequences

in any football game is the fabled “two-minute drill.” Offences open up when they are up against the clock; more risks are taken, the pace is faster, and the crowd is on its feet. Whichever team starts on offence will receive the ball on the 20 yard line and will have, you guessed it, two minutes to score. After the initial team scores, squanders possession, or exhausts their alloted time, the opposing team gets a chance at redemption. This would then continue for two minutes at a time until one team emerges victorious.

Additionally, each team will be required to attempt a two-point

conversion after each touchdown scored. This is because the rate at which placekickers convert the standard one-point conversion is preposterously high and adds little surprise to the game.

This proposed solution has the potential to add a new dimension to professional football that would be different than the college game. Rather than borrowing completely from the NCAA, this finds a somewhat happy—or entirely absurd—medium that promises to keep fans on the edge of their seats.

– Mayaz Alam

(Photo courtesy of Master Sgt. Jim Varhegyi)

Play on

Luck schmuck

I love college

18 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

On perhaps the last warm and sunny Saturday of the year, the McGill Redmen (8-0) continued their season-long win streak with an 18-3 drubbing of the second-seeded Carleton Ravens (5-1) at Molson Stadium. Undefeated in conference play dating back to the beginning of the 2013 season, the Red-men have turned excellence into a rou-tine. That’s not to say there haven’t been hiccups along the way–the team’s three previous games were either decided by one goal or sent into overtime.

“Going into the three close games, we hadn’t really been tested yet, with our smallest margin of victory being six goals, and I think we started to get a bit complacent,” co-captain Jack Stewart said. “We came out flat against Queen’s and Trent and nearly lost both of those games. It was a wakeup call for us, and we wanted to make a statement that proved those games were a fluke.”

The Redmen had clearly made a statement after just 20 minutes, when McGill was already up by five goals thanks to a stellar three-goal period from senior Connor Goodwin.

Prior to Saturday, Goodwin had posted unbelievable numbers in every game, sitting at 16 points in five games.

With his show-stealing performance against the Ravens, Goodwin vaulted ahead in the conference leaderboard. McGill now has three players among the top-ten point scorers in the confer-ence, with sophomore attackman Spen-cer Bromley leading the Redmen with 27 points this season.

McGill’s unchallenged dominance took most of the drama out of the con-test early on for the spectators. But for the second and third-string players who came off the bench in the second half, the game was a chance to showcase their skills. Among them was Montreal native Louis-Charles Génereux. The first-year midfielder provided some ex-citement for the crowd by scoring his first goal as a Redmen.

Up big at the beginning of the sec-ond half, the Redmen didn’t lift their foot off the gas. The visiting Ravens were frustrated as the game transitioned from friendly competition into a bitter physical battle between the two teams. Brutal hits from behind and excessive slashes were doled out all over the field by the Ravens’ defence, yet very few penalties were called. Nonetheless, it’s hard to fault the referee’s judgment in such a lopsided game.

For Head Coach Tim Murdoch, the blowout was more about the process

rather than the final score.“We saw a lot of guys [come off

the bench] and give us a lot of qual-ity play [...] and that’s something we all need to be happy about,” Murdoch said. “At the same time, it’s crucial we don’t stay complacent and don’t slow down when the game’s going our way. Today the boys played all four quarters, and we need to make sure we keep doing that.”

Murdoch is aware of the long road ahead to the playoffs, and emphasized

the team’s need to prepare for stouter competition once the regular season ends. In the Western Conference of the Canadian University Field Lacrosse As-sociation (CUFLA), Brock University has now won five straight games, and with several other teams headed into the post-season with heads full of steam, the Redmen are aware of the challenges they will face. Regardless of how Mc-Gill fares in the playoffs, fans should be excited for some gripping action be-

tween high-caliber teams.After the impressive showing on

Saturday, it appears that McGill’s for-mula is a winning one. With eight games already in the bag and the playoffs rapid-ly approaching, the Redmen look poised to mount another post-season challenge. Their quest to make a third straight Bag-gataway Cup Final continues against the Concordia Stingers (0-5) on Saturday, Oct. 4 in a 7:30 p.m. game under the lights at Molson Stadium.

Contributoralex SiroiS

Redmen remain undefeated on seasonLACROSSE — REDMEN 18, RAvENS 3

Goodwin leads the way as McGill steamrolls Ravens

Sports

I’m a die-hard Ottawa Senators supporter, but any hockey fan would jump at the opportunity to watch a game at the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens. It’s known as one of the loudest, most exciting are-nas around the league. General admis-sion to see this intra-squad pre-season game was free, but I was able to secure premium 100-level seats by donating a pair of used skates to a local commu-nity charity through a new promotion.

When I walked into the packed Bell Centre Monday evening, the lengths I went to in convincing my mom to drive from Ottawa with an old pair of skates were instantly justi-fied. My seat was one of the best in the house, and would have cost a pretty penny in a regular-season game. Right behind the glass, on the corner fac-ing the team benches, I could see the grooves and scratches on the surface of the ice. Due to the exorbitant cost of attending NHL games, this was prob-ably going to be the first and last time I would ever sit in a seat this close to the action.

On my right was a woman who was practically shaking with exhilara-tion as she spoke in enthusiastic French

to the man beside her. On my other side, a young boy pressed his hands and nose against the glass hard enough to leave prints. Above me sat thousands of fervent fans in the Canadiens’ iconic blue, white, and red.

Finally, the pre-game countdown wound down to a stop. I cheered along with everyone else as the Montreal Ca-nadiens spilled onto the rink in red and white uniforms. With pucks littering the ice, the Red team skated down to our end of the rink and began to warm up.

The woman beside me showed herself to be a fan of goaltender Carey Price as she hopped up and down in her seat, alternating between taking photos of Price and simply marvelling at his proximity to us.

As warm-ups finished up, the scrimmage rules were explained: Two 25 minute periods would be played, and all penalties called would result in a pen-alty shot. This last rule was obviously in place for the fans, and it paid off in a big way. After a slow and scoreless first

period, defenceman P.K. Subban drew a penalty call for Team White, and the noise level rocketed through the roof as Subban stared down Price. With a per-fect view of his advance, we watched Subban skate in, deke right-to-left and then flick a backhand just wide of Price. The arena exploded in cheers for both Subban and Price, and I strained to pick out the suspiciously absent boos. Turns out when the whole crowd loves both teams, everyone’s happy regardless of who scores or wins.

Scoring began in earnest in the second period as rookie goalies took over between the pipes. Winger Max Pacioretty, sporting his brand new “A” as an alternate captain, sniped a top-corner goal on Michael Condon to put Team Red on the board. A little while later, forward Alex Galchenyuk re-ceived a perfect pass from right winger Nikita Scherbak, split Team Red’s de-fence with an impressive move, and went top shelf on goalie Zach Fucale. With time winding down, winger Christian Thomas scored the winning goal for Team Red off a messy rebound to round out the night.

After the game, the voice coming through the loudspeakers told us to vote for the game MVP on our smartphones. I expected one of the veterans or home-town heroes to be selected, and waited to hear a familiar name. Instead, the loudspeakers called out Nikita Sherbak, the rookie whose outstanding play had captivated me all game long.

It was uplifting to see such a young player skate onto the ice by him-self, lifting his stick in acknowledge-ment of the boisterous cheers raining down on him. It was a perfect end to a game meant to celebrate the bond that ties a hockey club and its fans, making the beautiful sport of hockey so mean-ingful.

The Redmen attack leads the CUFLA with 101 goals. (Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune)

The Canadiens faithful were out in droves to support their team. (habseyesontheprize.com)

ContributorYaHoNG CHi

19SportsTuesday, September 30, 2014 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Six years ago, I made a pilgrimage to the old home of the New York Yankees, the so-called “House That Ruth Built.” It wasn’t a special game per say, just a late May tilt between the Yankees and the Seattle Mari-ners. To me though, this game meant something. I was witness-ing history. After 85 years, the Yankees were moving across the street to a new and improved sta-dium. The old building’s concrete was covered with layers of grime and its blue seats were decrepit and old. But this stadium had a mystique about it, something that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

After a Johnny Damon groundout, the late Bob Shep-pard’s voice rang out: “Now bat-ting for the Yankees, the short-stop, number two, Derek Jeter, number two.”

For 56 years, Bob Sheppard was the voice of Yankees base-ball. He saw 13 World Series Champions and narrated the ca-reers of 16 Yankee Hall-of-Fam-ers. He called Mickey Mantle’s Triple Crown season and he was there for Reggie Jackson’s three

home run game.I don’t want you to think I’m

some sort deranged Blue Jays fan, but I absolutely loathe the Yankees. I hate their arrogant New York attitude, their seem-ingly endless payroll, and the fact that they just never seem to lose. Begrudgingly, I do respect them. The Yankees just seem to have a special way of doing things.

I never got to see Mr. Oc-

tober or the Great Bambino, but one day when my children ask me if I ever got to see Mr. November step into the box, I’ll tell them about that night. In an era where fans are hesitant to form attach-ments to players, guarding their hearts against the frantic pace of free agency, Jeter has been a constant. He was the Yankees’ shortstop the first time I saw them play, and he’s been the only

shortstop I’ve ever known to don the pinstripes. If his 14 All-Star appearances, five golden gloves, and .309 career batting aver-age don’t impress you enough, maybe his flair for the dramat-ics will. He helped seal the 2001 American League Division Series for the Yankees when he scooped up an errant throw from out-fielder Shane Spencer and, with his momentum carrying him off

the field, flipped the ball home to throw out a sprinting Jeremy Giambi.

His 3,000th career hit was crushed over the left-field fence in Yankee Stadium for a home run. Last Thursday night, Jeter hit a walk off single in his final at-bat at home in front of the 48,000 crazed New Yorkers. The hit, a slapped grounder to right field, was vintage Jeter. On Sun-day at Fenway Park, he earned a hit in the final at-bat of his long career, beating out a high chop-per to the Boston third baseman. His legend is one of storybook proportions.

In 1995, catcher Jorge Posa-da, starting pitcher Andy Pettitte, closer Mariano Rivera, and Jeter put on the pinstripes for the first time, forming what would come to be known as the “Core Four.” After five championships and a combined 5,996 games, baseball fans everywhere waved goodbye on Sunday not just to Derek Jeter, but also to the end of a special era. With Major League Baseball becoming more and more com-mercial, it may be a while before we see another player transcend his stats and transform into an icon.

THIRD MAN IN : DUSK OF THE PINSTRIPESAn ode to ‘The Captain’

ContributoraaroN roSe

REDMEN FOOTBALL–The Redmen (0-4) fell to the Laval Rouge et Or (4-0) 70-3 at Stade TELUS on Saturday night. The win marked Laval’s 67th consecutive victory at home as they continue to build a comfortable lead in the CIS standings. On a night where the McGill defence gave up a jaw-dropping 765 yards of total offence, rookie Karl Forgues, a linebacker from Repentigny, QC, was a bright spot on line of scrimmage all night. Forgues finished with a game-high 12 tackles. Offensively, senior receiver Yannick Langelier-Vanasse had a solid game, tallying over 100 all-purpose yards. The Redmen will get a much needed bye week to rest and recover before facing the winless Bishop’s on Thursday, Oct. 9 at Molson Stadium.

REDMEN SOCCER–McGill (4-3-0) squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead in the tightly contested RSEQ this weekend following a 2-1 defeat to the then last place UQTR Pa-triotes. Despite goalkeeper Max Leblond’s best efforts to keep his squad in the game, the Red-men fell prey to injuries and bad luck. In Sunday’s contest against the Concordia Stingers (0-3-4), the Redmen turned the tables in a 2-1 victory. Sophomore striker Massimo Di Ioia was the catalyst in the victory, notching a goal and an assist. The Redmen now draw even with the Mon-treal Carabins (3-1-3) at 12 points, but the Carabins hold a five-goal edge in goal difference. With five games still left in the season, there is ample time for the squad to continue improving

as it sets its sights on a playoff spot.

MARTLET RUGBY–The Martlets (2-3-0) cruised to a 69-12 victory over the last place Bishop’s Gaiters (0-5-0) on Friday. Leading the way for the Martlets was senior Caroline Suchorski, a centre from Kirkland, QC, who scored 19 points on the night. The win snapped a three-game slump for the Martlets, who desperately needed the win to stay in contention for the fourth and final playoff spot. With two games left in the regular season, next week’s matchup against the fifth-place Montreal Carabins (2-2-0) is a must win for the Martlets.

REDMEN RUGBY–The long march to nine straight RSEQ titles continues for the McGill Redmen (2-1-0), who defeated the Sherbrooke Vert et Or (1-3-0) 41-20 over the weekend. The Redmen were led by senior fullback Thomas Stokes, whose golden boot tallied 16 points from five conver-sions and two drop goals. The game MVP, however, was sophomore forward Kaleb Nimat. With the victory, the Redmen move into a three-way tie for first place with five regular season games remaining. Their next matchup is a crucial home game against the Bishop’s Gaiters (2-1-0), who currently sport the highest point differential in the RSEQ. McGill continues its quest for a cham-pionship on Saturday, Oct. 4 in an afternoon match at Molson Stadium.

Jeter is the last of the legendary “Core Four” to retire (lasportsanostra.com)

CAN’T BEAT US? JOIN US. Email sports@mcgilltribune.com for more information

Number of quarterback sacks tallied by rookie linebacker Karl Forgues against Laval on Saturday.

20 Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Sports

Coming off of a 10-5 loss to Ottawa, the Martlets ran roughshod over Bishop’s 69-12, thanks in large part due to Suchor-ski’s impressive effort. She converted on seven of her 11 chances—adding a try for good measure—on her way to a 19-point game. Through the Martlets’ three game losing streak, Suchorski had been a con-stant bright spot during a rebuilding year for the program.

Goodwin led the way in the 18-3 Red-men victory over the visiting Carleton Ravens Saturday with a hat trick in the opening frame to go along with four assists. It marked the second highest single-game total of his career, with his highest being nine in a win over Trent in 2013. Goodwin also added a goal in the win over Bishop’s Thursday night. He has been instrumental in helping the Redmen go unde-feated so far this season and if he keeps up this pace, he could end up with his third straight CUFLA All-Canada East selection. Photos courtesy of McGill Athletics

The McGill Martlets (4-3-2) soc-cer team converted on a myriad of of-fensive opportunities in the second half to best the UQTR Patriotes (1-4-2) 2-0 at Molson Stadium Thursday evening.

The first half of the game was dominated by the Martlets as they con-tinuously out-ran the UQTR defence to create scoring chances. Senior forward Rebecca Green led the offence in the first half, keeping constant pressure on the opposing team. She narrowly missed several chances created by fel-low striker Meghan Bourque.

“We knew this was a game for us to win and we were all pleased with how we took control early on in the game,” Head Coach Jose-Luis Valdes said. “We created very good chances, but their keeper made the saves some-how to keep them in the game at the half.”

The Martlets came out even more determined in the second half, with Bourque, Green, and rookie forward Audrey-Ann Coughlan creating legiti-mate scoring chances. Bourque domi-nated the game offensively, creating multiple chances for both herself and her teammates.

“Meghan was determined and had an extra gear over everyone today,” Valdes said. “You could see she wanted

to make a difference and players just feed off that attitude.”

UQTR cobbled together a rare of-fensive chance in the middle of the sec-ond half, but were turned away in front of the net by a tight Martlets defence led by junior Zoe Fasoulakis.

The Martlets quickly recovered, taking control of the game again soon after. Turning on her burners, Bourque sprinted down the left side of the field, blowing by several defenders and beat-ing the UQTR goalkeeper before leav-ing the ball on a tee for Coughlan, who made no mistake finding the back of the net to put McGill ahead for good. The goal came with 15 minutes to spare and, despite their excellent play from the outset, the Martlets let out a collective sigh of relief.

“From that point on, you saw the weight come off our players’ shoulders and […] we did not force the play any-more,” Valdes explained.

Indeed, the Martlets appeared visibly looser, and were able to take advantage on their next scoring op-portunity, with Hannah Kirby kicking home the insurance marker a few min-utes after Coughlan’s go-ahead score. A goal by sophomore forward Taylor Anderson was disallowed due to an offsides call. Despite seeing limited ac-tion, sophomore goalkeeper Cassandra Fafalios stood tall in the Martlet net, making one save on the night. She was credited with her third shutout of the

season, and continues to shine for Mc-Gill with consistently sharp play. The Martlets dominated the game in terms of possession, but as Valdes notes, pos-session is only consequential if scoring chances are created.

“[The team] still needs to work on pulling the trigger, as we sometimes just try to do things a little too pretty or

tend to watch others and see what they will do,” Valdes explained following the Martlets’ Thursday night victory.

“We saw this in the first half and corrected it in the second. Hopefully versus Concordia we will play ninety minutes with the intention of making the difference in front of their goal.”

The Martlets were partially able

to do live up to Valdes’ expectations as they drew 2-2 against the Concor-dia Stingers (2-3-3) on Sunday. Next weekend McGill hosts the RSEQ leading Laval Rouge et Or (7-1-0) on Friday night before travelling to Sher-brooke (5-2-0) on Sunday in hopes of gathering steam ahead of a post-season run.

Martlets gear up for playoff race Coughlan crafty in clutch win over UQTR

ContributorNiCole SpadoTTo

Sarah Bourque looks to propel the Martlets forward (Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune)

Connor Goodwin Redmen lacrosse—Attackman

Senior, Management

Caroline Suchorski Martlet rugby—Centre

Senior, Science

SOCCER —MARtLEtS 2, UQtR 1

Saves made by Redmen soccer goalkeeper Max Leblond in a crushing 2-1 loss to then last place UQTR on Friday night.

Average pass string length for the Marlet soccer team in their 2-2 draw against Concordia on Sunday.

Number of Redmen lacrosse players who registered at least one point in Saturday’s 18-3 romp over the Carleton Ravens.

Athletes of the Week