Author: Ian Down

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News

Concordia researchers on roads: Don’t repair. Prevent.

A pothole in a Montreal road. Photo by Kirubel Mehari

New study outlines system for predicting pavement degradation

A Concordia professor and two students have designed a new system to evaluate the condition of pavement in the hopes of preventing its deterioration. Tarek Zayed, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, and graduate students Soliman Abu-Samra and Wael Tabra published the findings in their report, “Pavement Condition Rating Using Multiattribute Utility Theory,” in the Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part B: Pavements.

The authors studied data on road conditions from the Nebraska Department of Roads, supplemented by a survey of experts from across the world, to determine the most serious kinds of pavement defect. They identified transverse cracking—cracking which runs parallel to the road—as the most serious form of deterioration. Other forms included rutting—when the pavement is deformed by tires in high heat—and road roughness. The researchers then considered each of these factors when it came to their impact on pavement quality.

However, Abu-Samra said simply examining these factors is not enough.

“[Existing systems] just [observe] the defects and assess the condition accordingly,” he said. “But our system takes into account the triggers of these defects. So, basically, it takes into account the climate condition, the average daily traffic, the average daily temperature—all of these factors do contribute to the deterioration of the asphalt.”

The model was shown to predict pavement deterioration with 94 per cent accuracy.

Graduate student Soliman Abu-Samra speaking at a TED Talk event. Photo courtesy of Soliman Abu-Samra.

Abu-Samra said roads across the continent are in poor condition because current municipal strategies are reactive rather than preventative. More than half of roads in Canada are in subpar condition, according to the 2016 Canadian Infrastructure Report Card.

“We are trying to move from a reactive approach to a preventative approach,” Abu-Samra said. “Reaction is not management.”

According to the 2016 Canadian Infrastructure Report, “spending $1 on prevention” when roads are in peak condition “eliminates or delays spending $6 to $10 on rehabilitation or reconstruction” when they are in poor condition later on.

Citing the Canadian Infrastructure Report, Zayed, Abu-Samra and Tabra’s paper said the cost to fix all Canadian roads in fair or poor condition is estimated at $91.1 billion in total, or $7,325 per household.

Abu-Samra was not aware of any research comparing Montreal roads to those of other North American cities. However, according to the CBC, the city of Montreal evaluated more than half of its roads as being “bad” or “very bad” in 2015. The city determined this by looking at Pavement Condition Index (PCI) scores from that year. The PCI is an index used in many North American cities to evaluate stretches of pavement on a 100-point scale, with 100 being the best and one being the worst.

Abu-Samra has also published three books on infrastructure maintenance, has delivered a TED Talk on the subject and currently serves as the vice-president of Concordia’s chapter of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT). He said he hopes the model designed by his team will be adopted across North America, which currently lacks a standard pavement evaluation system.

The published study can be downloaded here.

Photo by Kirubel Mehari

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News

ASFA presents 2017-2018 budget

Archive graphic by Florence Y.

Council debates funding cap for independently financed MAs

The Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) introduced and debated its 2017-2018 budget at a special meeting on Thursday, June 29.

Francesco Valente, the interim vice-president of finance, projected a total income of $585,000 for the 2017-2018 academic year: $475,000 from ASFA’s fee levy, and $110,000 from other sources. After expenses, this will leave ASFA with a $395 surplus.

The most substantial difference in this year’s budget is the reduction of the Social Committee budget from $25,800 to $14,750. Last year, $8,000 was set aside for the ball ASFA hosts for graduating students. However, since the event wasn’t held in 2017, Valente chose not to dedicate funds to it.

According to Valente, “If the VP social wants to plan a grad ball this year, the funding will come from social initiatives, leftover from other social events or special project funding/external funding.”

The council also moved to redistribute $1,000 from the Social Committee pub nights budget, and another $1,500 from the External Committee budget, to the Advocacy Committee, bringing Advocacy’s total budget to $4,700. The Advocacy Committee is mainly responsible for organizing and financing conferences related to social justice issues, including issues of gender and race.

Chris Czich, the interim vice-president of social affairs, argued that a reduced budget would severely affect the success of ASFA’s pub nights. However, ASFA President Julia Sutera Sardo said the redistribution was justified since the Advocacy Committee received a smaller budget than last year — $2,200 compared to last year’s $4,200.

A further motion to free up $2,000 from the Social Initiatives budget to use for other initiatives failed.

Liberal arts councillor asks for more transparency

The council also debated a motion, introduced by Liberal Arts Councillor Robert Young, requiring all member associations (MA) with an independent fee levy to disclose all their financial statements dating back at least three years in order to gain funding from ASFA.

Under this motion, ASFA would distribute funding to its MAs based on their independent funding. The maximum funding a MA would be granted is enough to bring its total income to $20,000. Any MA receiving an independent income of more than $20,000 would not be eligible for ASFA funding.

According to Young, the purpose of the funding cap proposal is to free up money for smaller MAs that don’t have external sources of income by redirecting funds from wealthier MAs. He gave the example of the Political Science Students’ Association (PSSA), which introduced its own independent fee levy in the fall of 2016. According to PSSA President Farrah-Lilia Kerkadi, this fee levy alone brings in between $30,000 and $50,000 per semester.

The motion is also intended to encourage financial transparency from independently financed MAs. “The fact that we haven’t had terms of disclosure on finances since day one is 12 kinds of dodgy,” Young said.

An amendment was introduced by Sutera Sardo, which Young then moved to split into two parts:

  • Sponsorship money and revenue from events would not be considered income when evaluating how much funding a MA would receive from ASFA
  • To lower the funding cap from $20,000 to $18,000.

The first motion passed; the second was tabled until a later date, effectively tabling Young’s original motion.

Even if the motion passes, MAs would still be allowed to request special project funding, according to Sutera Sardo. In addition, MAs would still receive a budget for certain purposes, including elections and office phone bills, regardless of their independent income.

The first ASFA meeting of the upcoming academic year will take place on Sept. 21.

Archive graphic by Florence Y.

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News

Hall building evacuated due to a power outage

Power was cut while Hydro-Québec repaired a gas leak on the corner of Atwater and René Lévesque

Concordia’s Hall building was evacuated this afternoon due to a power outage.

Students and staff were evacuated around 1:20 p.m. Only the Hall building was evacuated.

The power was cut so Hydro-Québec could repair a gas leak on the corner of Atwater and René Levesque, reported the CBC. According to the same source, a valve was hit on a 16-inch metal pipe at the intersection. The fire department shut off power to the area as a safety precaution while workers repaired the leak.

University spokesperson Chris Mota said Concordia’s other buildings remained open because they are not part of the same power grid.

The university did not want to re-open buildings too early in case there was a delay. ”We didn’t know how long it was going to take, so we decided to give ourselves a little cushion,” Mota said.

“If the power is off for 20 minutes or half an hour, that’s one thing. But eventually it gets complicated and uncomfortable, and you don’t want people to be in [Hall],” Mota said. She said she felt the evacuation ran smoothly.
The power came back on at 4 p.m., according to the CBC. Classes and activities in the Hall building resumed at 5 p.m., according to Concordia News.

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News

Conflicting politics at City Hall

Four protest groups clashed outside Montreal City Hall over a free speech demonstration

Four political groups clashed outside Montreal City Hall on Saturday over a free speech demonstration.

Dozens of members of the Canadian Coalition of Concerned Citizens (CCCC) mobilized to support free speech and condemn federal anti-Islamophobia Motion 103 at 11:30 a.m. on March 4. They were greeted soon after by the left-wing activist group Action Antifasciste Montréal (AAM), who chanted, threw smoke bombs and tore up the CCCC’s protest signs.

Several small scuffles broke out between the two opposing groups. As police intervened and separated them, the CCCC was joined by members of la Meute (the Wolf Pack), a Québécois anti-Islamist group. Members bore black flags emblazoned with wolf paws and howled in unison at the opposing demonstrators.

AAM, who opposes “austerity, inequality, racism, fascism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, capitalism and the State,” according to their Facebook page, were joined by a dozen other protesters organized by Solidarity Concordia, who marched from Concordia University to City Hall offer support.

Solidarity Concordia was formed in response to the Quebec government’s proposed austerity measures in 2015.

SPVM create barrier of officers between both parties. Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.

CCCC founder Georges Hallak said he planned a peaceful demonstration. “This is about peace, this is about communication, this is about free speech,” he said in a phone interview with The Concordian. He said the group, which he founded five weeks ago, was there only to say, “no to [Motion 103], no to Trudeau, and [yes to] free speech.”

“This Motion 103 is the beginning of Shariah Law in Canada,” he said. Hallak believes that, unless proper action is taken, all of Canada will be under Shariah law in 25 to 50 years. If passed by the House of Commons, M103 will compel the Canadian government to “condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination,” among other things.

Many Conservative MPs have criticized the motion. In a Facebook post, Conservative MP Maxime Bernier criticized it for not properly defining Islamophobia, and giving Islam special treatment over other religions.

Demonstrator Marlo Turner Ritchie does not see M103 as a threat. “The real threat here, the real menace à la societé, is racism, intolerance and fear-mongering,” she said.

“I think people want to send the strong message today that racist threats have no place in our homes, in our universities, in our daycare, in our government, in our place of business, in our streets,” Turner Ritchie added.

CCCC protest signs and garbage bin were inflamed before SPVM and firefighters set it out. Photo by Ian Down.

After la Meute dispersed, the remaining protesters marched north on Saint-Denis Street towards Place Émilie-Gamelin, where CCCC protest signs and a garbage bin were set on fire. The crowd slowly scattered as police and firefighters put out the fire.

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News

Anti-Semitism common among European Muslims, says Concordia guest speaker

Photo by Ana Hernandez.

MIGS invited German anti-Semitism researcher Günther Jikeli to host the talk

Anti-semitism expert Günther Jikeli challenged Concordia students and faculty to confront Muslim-European anti-Semitism in a recent talk.

“Muslim Anti-Semitism in Europe: What Changes Can Be Expected With The New Wave of Refugees?” was presented to a dozen attendees on Feb. 17. The event was organized by the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS), a Concordia-based research group which advocates for genocide education and government intervention in cases of genocide.

Anti-Semitism, Jikeli said, is more common among Muslims than among the general European population.

Citing his own 2006 study for the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy, Jikeli said that Muslims in France, Britain, Germany and Spain were on average 10 times more likely than the general population to hold “very unfavorable” views of Jews.

In Spain alone, 60 per cent of Muslims held “somewhat unfavorable” or “very unfavorable” views of Jews, according to Jikeli’s research. In a 2014 survey by French think tank Fondapol, more than half of French Muslims felt Jews had too much influence in politics, the media and the economy.

Jikeli addressed four distinct forms of Muslim anti-Semitism based on his own survey of European Muslims. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

 

Jikeli said there are currently 22 million Muslims within the European Union, representing 4.3 per cent of the total population. Seventy per cent of them live in the U.K., France or Germany.

Based on his own survey of European Muslims, Jikeli identified four distinct forms of Muslim anti-Semitism: hatred grounded in conspiracy theories about Jews and their influence, anti-Zionism that associates all Jews with Israel, ethnic narratives about Jews and Muslims being sworn enemies, and anti-Semitism with no clear foundation.

Jikeli said there is no correlation between anti-Semitism and economic status or education, areas in which European Muslims are often disadvantaged.

MIGS Executive Director Kyle Matthews. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

Despite these findings, Jikeli cautioned against sweeping generalizations. “[European Muslims] are very diverse and even in conflict with each other very often,” Jikeli said. He also warned of European Islamist organizations which claim to represent Muslims, but are statistically viewed unfavorably by many European Muslims.

Jikeli identified other sources of anti-Semitism in Europe as well, including far-right nationalism and anti-Zionism from the political left.

According to MIGS Executive Director Kyle Matthews, Jikeli’s findings are relevant for Canadians as well as for Europeans. “Mr. Jikeli’s research poses important ethical questions with regards to what is the best strategy to help and assist refugees fleeing war and persecution,” he said.

Jikeli said that in order to properly integrate migrants and refugees into Canadian society, Canadians must be aware of other nations’ struggles with respect to integration.

He also warned that anti-Semitism is a global phenomenon. “I think people don’t want to face that there is, today, anti-Semitism among Muslims, but also among non-Muslims,” said Jikeli. “To face it is difficult, challenging, because then we have to think sometimes about our own society.”

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News

Montreal inauguration protesters resist Trump

Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Protesters disperse with the remains of a burning paper-mâché Trump left in front of the U.S. consulate

As Donald Trump was sworn into office on Friday, repeating his promise to “Make America Great Again” during his inaugural speech,  protesters in Montreal were mobilizing to express their outrage, proclaiming “America Was Never Great.”

Hundreds gathered at the corner of Jeanne-Mance and de Maisonneuve for the Resist Trump and the Far-Right rally, where organizer Eamon Toohey delivered an opening speech shortly after 11 a.m.

“The days of polite protest, of waiting for the next Jon Stewart sketch to limply chastise an emboldened enemy—those days are far gone,” he said.

Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

“To those clamoring for love, [saying] that love trumps hate—resistance is the greatest act of love that you can muster. We need to continue to resist, to take disruptive, direct action until we’ve resigned fascism to the annals of history.”

The march was organized by the Quebec Public Interest Research Group at Concordia (QPIRG Concordia), a left-wing organization with a nearly 40-year history of supporting social and environmental causes. According to QPIRG Concordia’s website, it has previously coordinated demonstrations against apartheid, climate change and the nuclear arms race.

This protest was organized in solidarity with similar, much larger protests in Washington D.C. and throughout the United States, and was followed by another demonstration later that evening.

Protest signs read, “No legitimacy for fascists” and “Trump is evil, Trump is nuts. People hate his fucking guts.” The latter was designed by Kerry McElroy.

Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

“My biggest concern is that he’s going to bring down the country and bring down the institutions and bring about civil war,” she said. “I think he’s an authoritarian and I think he’s a fascist and I think he’ll take whatever power he can.”

One protester, Jonathan Ouzariman, brought a paper-mâché effigy of the new president. When asked if he would burn it, he replied, “Absolutely.”

Journalist Ian Down interviewing protester Jonathan Ouzariman, who made paper-mâché effigy of President Trump. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Protesters marched east on de Maisonneuve, and then back west on René Levesque. Order was kept, but the threat of violence was ever-present. Police circled the crowd on bikes. Others formed a blockade in front of the U.S. Consulate as protesters marched by. Shopkeepers watched warily as the crowd poured into the Eaton Centre, their final destination. A small marching band, instruments adorned with political slogans, accompanied them.

“The demo has two aims,” said organizer Nicole Leblanc. “One: A show of solidarity with folks in the United States who will be directly affected by Trump’s policies. Two: To call attention to the fact that what Trump represents is a larger, far-right ideology that advocates a set of racist, islamophobic, sexist, transphobic and anti-immigrant policies that absolutely must be opposed and resisted everywhere it occurs.”

Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

When asked if racists should be afraid to express their opinions, Toohey replied, “Honestly? Yes.”

“We want racists and right-wing extremists to fear and to expect repercussions and backlash if and when they openly express such ideas,” said Leblanc.

By 1 p.m., the crowd had dispersed completely. All that lay in their wake was a smoldering figure dumped in front of the U.S. Consulate—the charred paper-mâché effigy of the American president.

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Music

Montreal’s Sing Song! meet-up

A place where everyone is welcome to sing their hearts out

Patrons enjoying after-work drinks in Ace Grill and Bar on Monday may have been perplexed by a dozen loud, enthusiastic voices belting out George Michael’s “Faith” from the back room. This is Sing Song!, a group founded on the social media site Meetup. Sing Song! welcomes singers of all levels and abilities who just want to have fun without judgement.

The group’s founder, who identifies herself only as Vikie, knows that hearing yourself sing can sometimes be unsettling. “We feel totally naked when performing in front of others, given that our voice is a sound that comes from the deepest part of our souls,” she said. After participating in many amateur choirs and finding the repertoire unappealing, she decided to start her own pop and folk-oriented group.

Sing Song! has met three times since forming in December. At each meet-up, there is one song to rehearse. Anthony Lovison, the group’s hired musician, has an hour and a half to guide them through the week’s song with just his acoustic guitar and his voice. Michael’s “Faith” is no easy tune, with its virtuosic leaps and flourishes.

However, Lovison, 28, said patience is key. “It’s like [how] when you stress before an exam, you don’t succeed. So if people are very relaxed I think [the singing is] more powerful,” Lovison said. Lovison, a UQAM student from France, does not put too much pressure on the group to be in tune. “I think it’s the experience. I prefer to enjoy [it], and if it’s out of tune that’s OK.”

Rachel Joseph, a participant in the group concurred. Although she sings professionally, she enjoys Sing Song! for its low-pressure environment. “I came here just to have fun, so I guess [intonation] doesn’t matter,” she said.

Maria Hoseni wanted to try singing in a language other than her native Farsi. “It’s really different,” she said. “Sometimes I was forgetting some parts, but I would listen to the others and it would remind me of what was going on.” Simikka Leung, a McGill marketing student, agreed that the group setting was helpful. “In a group, I don’t have to focus on my pitch, and I can just focus on projecting my voice,” said Leung.

The benefits of singing in a group go beyond staying in tune. Sing Song!’s Meetup page mentions group singing is proven to “lower stress, relieve anxiety, and elevate endorphins” and “lessons feelings of depression and loneliness.” This is based on research from the book Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others by Stacey Horn.

Anyone interested can join Sing Song!’s Meetup page to find meeting times and locations.

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News

Exposing Montrealers to science

Medical biology student Muhammad Zayed demonstrating his work. Photo by Alex Hutchins

Concordia students present projects at Exposcience in Pointe-Claire

People of all ages packed Pointe-Claire’s Stewart Hall for the 33rd annual Exposcience fair, where Concordia students enlightened and entertained visitors with a variety of interactive exhibits.

On Nov.12 and 13, guests flocked to the fair to try virtual reality headsets, watch a 3D printer in action and play with a tesla coil.

Medical biology student Muhammad Zayed demonstrating his work. Photo by Alex Hutchins

Held every year since 1983, the event is presented by volunteers from Concordia’s faculties of Arts and Science as well as Engineering and Computer Science, who are given a great degree of creative freedom over their presentations. An ice cream-making station was serving visitors in the Marie Curie chemistry room. At the psychology table, visitors could track and learn about the motion of their eyes by playing a game of “Where’s Waldo?”

The event showed the different ways children and adults relate to science. According to many presenters, adults were more interested in the practical side of science.

In the Charles Darwin biology room, children scrambled to reassemble medical biology student Muhammad Zayed’s model of the human anatomy. “Kids usually ask about what the kidney does in our body,” he said. “Parents usually ask about surgery and how they do surgery for the kidneys.”

In Concordia microbiology researcher Yun Zheng’s exhibit on vegetables, there was a section for children and a section for adults. Children learned about where different vegetables come from, while the adults explored their nutritional content.

At the heart rate monitoring station, children asked about the many moving lines representing their heartbeat on screen, whereas their parents were interested to learn what these graphs meant for their health.

It was a learning experience for both children and adults. “I didn’t know there were different colors of blood—I thought there was only red,” said Sangeeta Patel, a visitor, referring to an exhibit on animal blood in the Darwin room.

Presenters made it easier for children to relate to and understand science. “You can relate [static electricity] to rubbing a balloon on their hair or when they take off their hat in the middle of the winter and there’s static electricity,” said physics student Amanda Dinitto.

While participating in such exhibitions can look good on a student’s CV, most of this year’s presenters were simply eager to take part and educate visitors. “It’s actually pretty cool just to show kids how science works,” said chemistry student Rejean Sivakumar, whose exhibit discussed fingerprints. “They’re at a young age, so they find it really interesting. It might even help their career choices eventually.”

“You feel happy when you are with kids and you deliver some new information,” said Zayed. “When you see their smile and you hear their questions, you feel happy and satisfied.”

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News

A push for Concordia to divest

Divest Concordia’s upcoming referendum campaign will begin on Nov. 1. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

Divest Concordia gears up for their upcoming referendum campaign in November

Divest Concordia discussed plans for their upcoming referendum campaign starting Nov. 1, where students will vote if they want Concordia to divest from fossil fuels––a victory in the referendum will oblige the Concordia Student Union (CSU) to officially endorse the movement. The final decision, however, still rests with the school’s administration.

At a meeting on Oct. 27, Divest Concordia members brainstormed strategies to promote the “Yes” side of the referendum. Members proposed ideas such as classroom visits, open letters to the student press and information booths.

Divest Concordia will begin campaigning from Nov. 1 until Nov. 14, followed by polling taking place between Nov. 15-17.

“We do believe that support will lean significantly on the side of divestment,” said Eamon Toohey, a spokesperson for the campaign. He praised the global divestment movement as being “not just environmentally necessary but economically sound and feasible.”

The Concordia University Foundation has already diverted $5 million to a Sustainable Investment Fund as a pilot project. In an interview with Business News Network in March 2015, the foundation’s president, Bram Freedman, confirmed that this fund had outperformed the rest of the university’s funds since its creation in 2014. He cited the poor market performance of oil and gas as a possible cause. “Given the performance in the oil and gas industry in the last little while, our sustainable investment fund is outperforming our regular fund,” said Freedman in the interview.

Other issues related to the divestment movement were discussed at the meeting, including a discrepancy between investment figures given by Divest Concordia and those provided by the university. Divest, citing research by Concordia part-time sociology and anthropology professor Erik Chevrier, said the university currently has about $12 million invested in fossil fuels. However, the Concordia University Foundation’s annual report lists the university’s total energy investments as only $1.9 million in 2015.

According to Marcus Peters, a Divest Concordia spokesperson, this figure of $12 million is partially based on estimates of how much third-party firms invest in fossil fuels. “[Concordia] started to have other firms handle their investments, and those don’t actually have to disclose their investment portfolio,” he explained. “So there’s a huge transparency issue going on there because we don’t actually know what it’s invested in, and I don’t think [the administrators] do either.”

Photo by Ana Hernandez.

In September, The Concordian met with Concordia President Alan Shepard and discussed divestment within Concordia. “We’re the first Canadian university to set aside some funds that were not invested in the fossil fuels sector,” said Shepard. “Other institutions followed soon after we made that move.”

The first move of divestment was made in December 2014, university spokesperson Chris Mota said at the time. “In time we will add to it,” said Shepard.

The global divestment movement has diverted $3.4 trillion worth of investments from the fossil fuel industry to date, according to gofossilfree.org. However, this gesture is largely symbolic because companies are not directly affected financially by the trading of their stock—a diversion of $3.4 trillion does not indicate a $3.4 trillion loss for the industry. However, as Peters explained, “The point isn’t to economically bankrupt them, it’s to politically and socially bankrupt them.”
Peters also noted that promoting competing industries can have financial consequences for fossil fuel companies. “Half of it is getting [institutions] to divest, but the other half is getting them to invest in [socially responsible companies], in the new social economy, in the renewable economy. So that’s one way you could see marginal gains being made financially against the industry, by helping to prop up the alternative.”

With files from Savanna Craig

Categories
Student Life

A Concordia service to help you talk it out

Graphic by Thom Bell

Concordia launches a new emotional health coaching service for students

Concordia’s Counselling and Psychological Services office launched a new emotional health coaching service for Concordia students dealing with emotional turmoil.

SOS for Your Emotional Health is a series of six weekly private group sessions taking place from Sept. 19 to Oct. 31.  The series’ goal is to help students with stress management, anxiety and depression, and dealing with other difficult emotions.

“We live in a very anxious world,” counsellor Eric Widdicombe told The Concordian.  Widdicombe runs the program with colleague and fellow psychologist, Jewel Perlin. “People have a hard time being able to self-soothe and self-regulate, and they’re looking for ways to do that,” Widdicombe said.

Each seminar aims to teach the group a new skill set related to dealing with mental health.  In a recent session, the facilitators presented the topic of mindfulness, which is defined as a firm grounding in the present, in current feelings and sensations, rather than a preoccupation with the past or future.  At the session, “the participants had to eat chocolate slowly and mindfully, to taste it as if for the first time,” said Widdicombe.  This exercise emphasizes staying centered, and focused on the present.  Previous seminar topics included emotional regulation and stress tolerance.

“I realized I was depressed when it occurred to me that my behaviour was changing, and that the changes had a negative impact on those around me,” one anonymous seminar participant told The Concordian. “I heard about [the group] from the counsellor I was meeting with through the counselling services.”  The participant said the group’s dynamic was welcoming and encouraging.  “I find we all get along very well and there’s a lot of respect for boundaries, so if someone is having a bad week or doesn’t want to engage in friendly banter, nobody pushes them … Overall, I feel better. I feel that I’m more able to take charge of situations that would previously have overwhelmed me and left me feeling hopeless,” they said.

This program is an addition to the resources already offered by Concordia’s Counselling and Psychological Services. The triage system offers drop-in and by-appointment evaluations, that determine which students can begin regular sessions with a counsellor. Other services include support groups for shyness, mindfulness and even perfectionism.

“Across universities, there’s a trend that more and more students are presented with more difficult problems,” said Widdicombe. “So there’s a lot more students and the ones that are [distressed] have more severe mental health problems or challenges.” He cited the expanding role of technology in recent years as a major factor in emotional distress.

Widdicombe said poor sleep habits, loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating are all signs of chronic emotional distress. While Widdicombe is concerned about these increased instances of emotional problems, he said he remains optimistic. “I think there’s less stigma about mental illness and seeking help for it, so people are willing to come to our service and they don’t have any bones about it.”

The group started in September, and is not currently open to new participants. However, Widdicombe said the group will likely run again, perhaps as early as this winter.

Widdicombe’s main suggestion for those struggling with difficult emotions is “to seek out help—to come to triage to see what groups we offer, and to know that there’s support out there.”

Information on all services is available on the Counselling and Psychological Services webpage, which is accessible through MyConcordia under the heading “Student Services.”

Graphic by Thom Bell

Categories
Music Quickspins

July Talk- Touch

July Talk- Touch (Sleepless Records/Island, 2016)

It would be inaccurate to say that July Talk have softened up since their self-titled 2012 debut album. While Touch isn’t as raw as its predecessor, that’s simply because the band is channeling their forceful energy in different ways—this time with the occasional disco beat behind them. The aggression is still there, it just has to make way for groove-heavy songs like “Now I Know” and hazy ballads like “Strange Habit.” Peter Dreimanis’ ashy growl is still there too, although Leah Fay isn’t quite as angelic as she was the first time around. The album’s overarching theme is one of emotional and physical loneliness, and the need for genuine human connection. The production could stand to be a bit more layered—the band is aggressive enough without always adhering to to the same uncomfortable volume. A slightly more mainstream effort overall, with just enough meat on its bones to warrant repeated listens.

Trial Track: “Push + Pull”

7/10

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