Author: Matthew Daldalian

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Concordia Student Union News

Concordia Student Union divests $10M from Scotiabank over defense ties

The Concordia Student Union logo taped outside its Loyola Campus office. Photo by Chantal Bellefeuille / The Concordian

The motion was passed unanimously and will go in effect in late June.

In a significant pivot towards ethical banking, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) has decided to withdraw its investments from Scotiabank, citing the bank’s financial entanglement with Elbit Systems, a noted defense electronics company supplying the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).

This decision aligns the CSU with the broader Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) movement, aiming to pressure entities involved in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

At the heart of the divestment is Dave Plant, a CSU council member, who introduced the motion during a union meeting. “Our funds and where we place them can influence corporations […]. It’s about making a stand,” Plant said.

The CSU’s financial shift will move away from Scotiabank by the end of June, redirecting $10M to Desjardins, a banking institution noted for its adherence to ethical investment guidelines. This move was unanimously agreed upon by the council, consisting of elected representatives from all faculties. 

Plant’s motivation stemmed from Scotiabank’s investments in Elbit Systems, but also in Vanguard and Blackrock, both of which are heavily invested in arms manufacturing and the North American housing market crisis. 

Concordia University’s Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) Coordinator Zeyad Abisaab shed light on the organization’s strategic involvement in the BDS movement and its historical roots within the context of Palestinian advocacy in the West.

Abisaab is also a history student at Concordia. He emphasized the role of economic sanctions used to enact change. “Economic pressure has been the tactic used by every single country on earth,” Abisaab said.

Detailing the BDS movement’s objectives, this approach seeks to dismantle the economic structures supporting Israel’s military and colonial endeavors through targeted boycotts and divestments.

“BDS, just like the foundation of all of these human rights organizations, like SPHR for instance, aims to address [Israel’s actions] and combat them or fight them in a way that isn’t violent,” Abisaab explained. 

Highlighting the incremental impact of these actions, Abisaab drew parallels with the significant economic repercussions experienced by companies like Starbucks, which faced backlash for their ties to funding Israel’s military actions.

Abisaab hopes for increased student mobilization and engagement with BDS efforts, emphasizing the importance of collective action in achieving tangible results. Abisaab encouraged students who want to make a similar impact to join the student walkout and rally on April 11. The rally will have Concordia students as well as those from McGill and Dawson. 

“Considering moving billions of dollars from one bank to another, there’s a lot of intricacies to be expected,” explained Kareem Rahaman, the CSU’s finance coordinator.

Addressing the divestment’s rationale, Rahaman concurred with the sentiment that the move aligns with broader divestment principles, particularly in protest against investments that indirectly fund conflicts in the Middle East. 

He described the switch as “more of a moral and ethical switch,” emphasizing Desjardins’ cooperative nature and its closer alignment with CSU values than Scotiabank. Rahaman assured that future planning would ensure seamless operations.

“It’s $10M divested from Scotiabank, which will be probably put into Desjardins, a not-for-profit bank that focuses on the Quebec economy above all else, which is good,” Plant said.

Plant further highlighted the alignment with the BDS movement. “In our current capitalist system, I think we should be voting with our money as a means of enacting change we want to see,” he said. 
Plant believes the move by the CSU may inspire other students to scrutinize other institutions for their unethical investments.

“It sets a precedent,” Plant said.

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News

Concordia hosted-event opens discussion for children’s online safety

Concordia PhD candidate hosts Online child safety workshop to educate child safety in the digital age. Photo by Matthew Daldalian / The Concordian

 In the wake of World’s Children Day, one Concordia public scholar hosts events on child safety in the digital age.

On Nov. 20, 4th Space Concordia, the university’s event-hosting public space, opened its doors for a week-long event educating attendees on children’s safety when consuming content online.

Headed by Azfar Adib, a PhD candidate in electrical engineering and computer science at Concordia, the events centered around the legislative, technological and social aspects of children’s online safety in Canada.

The first event consisted of multiple panelists including experts in technology and legislature, as well as members of advocacy groups. Panelists answered questions pertaining to the subject matter from both moderator and audience. 

“I think as technology changes, I probably will know less as it goes on. And so there might be a gap between me and my child,” said Brogan Stewart, PhD candidate in environmental science at Concordia University. “I didn’t realize, like, the extent of it really until I came here.”

Stewart, who is currently expecting a child, said her curiosity surrounding methods used to prevent children from accessing mature content motivated her attendance. She believed it may become a problem she’ll have to deal with later on.

Stewart, who witnessed the rise of the internet growing up, expressed her fears of no longer being able to prevent her children from stumbling upon content unsuited for kids, especially pornography.

“It’s not just a different format, you know. The content, the abuse, the dehumanization, the objectification—it’s really difficult to keep [porn] away from kids,” said Penny Rankin, Vice President of the National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC) and one of the panelists. “And the trouble is, we have a demand for it […]—it’s addictive.”

The NCWC advocates on behalf of women and children. In recent years, Rankin has been involved in the ongoing situation of trafficking of women and children in the adult entertainment industry. In late 2019, popular pornography website PornHub and its parent company MindGeek (now Aylo) were accused of sex-trafficking and hosting non-consensual intercourse.

Rankin was among the many who protested at the company’s Montreal offices, along with the aforementioned event host, Adib, and independent senator Julie Miville-Dechêne. 

Millville-Dechêne previously introduced two Senate public bills, namely Bill S-210, “which would require the implementation of age verification methods online to protect minors from exposure to online pornography.”

Rankin believed the consumption of pornography at a young age is detrimental to a minor’s development, further desensitizing them to unrealistic expectations or violent acts during intercourse. She’s been calling on the government of Canada to adopt laws to prevent further exposure, such as implementing bill S-210’s harsh age verification laws.

“It’s a first step. This is not going to solve the problem, but it is going to at least finally– shine not just a light on an issue– it’s going to hopefully be a first step from a legislative point of view,” Rankin said.

Since 2019, host and moderator Adib has been working alongside people like Millville-Dechêne and Rankin on implementing non-invasive technology to verify age and prevent children from accessing pornographic content. His research at Concordia has led him to develop verification via electrical signals of the human body, specifically from the human heart.

Adib’s device is attached at the wrist and uses artificial intelligence to identify the individual’s age through their heart rate.

Adib has previously spoken at the Senate in 2021 alongside Millville-Dechêne for the implementation of his technology. As his developments gained more followers and funding, he said he believed it to be a realistic alternative to providing personal information, like information on I.D.’s. However, he believed its application won’t be fool-proof.

Adib said the child online safety events were spurred on due to PornHub’s parent company recently undergoing an administrative overhaul, which he believed aimed to distance themselves from controversy.

Bill S-210 was recently debated in the House of Commons on Nov. 23, its second hearing after passing in the Senate.

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News

Advocacy group’s open letter starts debate over security cameras in gender-neutral facilities on campus

Queer student group demands Concordia removes security cameras in gender-neutral bathrooms. Photo by Lily Cowper / The Concordian

Concordia’s gender advocacy group has garnered a lot of support online and is looking to make a tangible impact on campus

On Nov. 1, independent 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy group, ConU Against Gender&Queer Violence (CAGQV), initiated an open letter to remove security cameras installed in gender-neutral washrooms across Concordia’s Sir George Williams campus. Multiple queer student organizations have since given their support to the CAGQV’s open letter. However, certain members are not in accordance with the removal of security cameras.

The group, which began as an Instagram page, believes that the presence of security cameras in gender-neutral washrooms compromises the safe environment these spaces could provide. In a statement released on their social media, the advocates argue that such surveillance perpetuates anti-trans rhetoric and violates student privacy. 

Steve Kalaydjian, Concordia student and member of CAGQV spoke on the inappropriateness of the measure. “The fact that people are, you know, surveying what could happen implies that some are assuming something inappropriate could happen, which is simply not the case.”

Clara Belzile, Concordia student and member of CAGQV, claimed that no empirical evidence supported the installation of security cameras in these washrooms. They believe the lack of cameras in gendered bathrooms are indicative of biases against certain users with queer identities. 

The advocacy group has proposed a list of demands pertaining to accessibility and usability of gender-neutral bathrooms and certain other facilities across campus. The demands include installing disposal bins for menstrual products in inclusive bathrooms, gender-neutral washroom signage and gender-neutral changing rooms. 

“When it comes to creating a safe space, other universities in the greater Montreal area have done it,” Kalaydijan said.

The open letter is currently posted on the group’s social media for those who wish to support their efforts. Kalaydjian said group members are willing to discuss matters further with student groups and Concordia’s administration.  

“The idea was that this could reassure certain people who may not be comfortable using that space [gender-neutral washrooms].” said Darren Dumoulin, director of Campus Safety and Prevention Services. “I don’t want to give people the impression that somebody’s sitting there and watching. That’s not what’s happening.”

Dumoulin sympathizes with members of CAGQV, he stated that the intention behind the cameras was rooted in prevention above anything else and isn’t meant to render certain groups on campus uncomfortable. He referred to an incident which occurred in a gender-neutral bathroom at the Hive Cafe involving a male student photographing students without their consent. This would set the precedent for the installation of security cameras in inclusive washrooms. 

However, there haven’t been any outstanding incidents since the construction of gender-neutral facilities. Dumoulin claimed that there is no assured way to say if the security cameras are in fact a preventative factor. 
According to Genevieve Leblanc, administrative coordinator of Queer Concordia, members of their group collectively agree with the CAGQV advocacy group’s demands, but not the removal of security cameras. Otherwise, member opinions are split.

“I fully believe it’s really a question of safety, to implement a balance since everyone can go in there,” Leblanc said. “I think the school put them there just to prevent something bad, not to hurt any student.”

If any student wishes to air their grievances with gender-neutral facilities, Dumoulin recommends attending meetings of the recently established Campus Safety Advisory Group. Group meetings are attended by members of various student associations along with the Concordia Student Union (CSU).

“If there’s anything to be said, we’re open to having a discussion around it. I don’t want people to think that it’s a done deal, or it’s closed. Seeing what can be done or explaining what and how it’s being used—it’s really important,” Dumoulin said.

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Arts and Culture Community Student Life

Game development club makes space for aspiring creators at JMSB

Karin Etemadi (center) and her team, the Saltshakers, plan out the design elements of their horror game set in the JMSB building on Nov. 3. Photo by Andrae Lerone Lewis.

Participants in Concordia’s Game Development Club (GCD) Game Jam spent last weekend making their dream games.

On Nov. 3, gaming enthusiasts from a variety of skill sets gathered at Concordia University to compete in the once-per-semester game development competition dubbed the Game Jam.

Hosted by Concordia’s Game Development Club (GCD), the event opens the opportunity for aspiring game creators from in and out of the university to demonstrate their skills under a strict 48-hour time limit. Either solo or with a team, Game Jam participants create a video game from scratch using their unique set of skills and expertise.

Maxx Freund, the president of the GCD and fourth-year software engineering student at Concordia, joined the club two years ago, following his interest in gaming and technology. “I joined the GCD knowing nothing about how to make a game and I made a really bad game, but I learned how to do it,” he said. “That was cool, because we had a product that we could be proud of.” 

Three Game Jam iterations later, he’s taken on a role akin to a curator for the event. Freund broke down the creative process behind most teams; ideally, each team’s development process requires for artists to design concepts and characters, for programmers to map out controls, and for other roles to tackle aspects such as music design and game level design.

Each Game Jam offers challenges for would-be developers to complete, including a theme they must base their creation on. Chosen by the club’s executive team, the theme offers “a lot of creative freedom,” according to Freund and may be interpreted differently by each team.  

Timothée Lafont (center right) and his team working on level design for their game Away Back on the sixth floor of the JMSB building on Nov. 3. Photo by Andrae Lerone Lewis.

This semester’s featured theme was “the space between.”  Submissions ranged from traversing alternate realities to surviving alone on a desolate spaceship.

“They’re the best way to get that experience on how to build a game in such a short amount of time,” said Timothee Lafont, a teacher in game design at LaSalle College. “It pushes you to come up with clever ideas to come up with an engaging game.”

Using Unreal Engine 5, a game development software, Lafont’s team planned to make a puzzle game that would warp around the player as time passed. Along with his team of concept artists, Lafont aimed to make the game visually remarkable with unique  level and character design. He was confident in his team’s ability to accomplish the task before the time limit.

Another team, headed by Karin Etemadi, a student in cell molecular biology at Concordia, started plans for a game set in space where the player must survive monsters in a desolate spaceship. A first-timer, Etemadi said she did not know what challenges her team, “the Saltshakers,” would face, but they aimed to produce a working model nonetheless.

Both teams successfully submitted their work in time for the event’s closing ceremony on Nov. 5 at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business. The results will be determined in the coming weeks.

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News

Experts weigh in on growing discourse surrounding A.I. misinformation amidst Israel-Hamas war

Graphic by @the.beta.lab

With the rise of A.I. misinformation campaigns, journalists and social media users might have to update their media literacy skills.

As the Israel-Hamas war persists, it’s become more common for users on social media to encounter unverified imagery generated by artificial intelligence used to fuel misinformation campaigns.

The development of text-to-image generators trained via A.I. has allowed the spread of misinformation through images that are not representative of reality. With A.I. image generators like DALL-E receiving regular updates, generated content has already begun shaping the way modern audiences consume news.

“We’ve had so many people who are unwilling to enhance their trade and we can’t be in that situation anymore for the good of journalism,” said Ernest Kung, the A.I. product manager for the Associated Press. 

On Nov. 1, Kung shared his experience working in busy newsrooms with Concordia’s journalism department. During his conference, he presented multiple ways in which journalists could use A.I. tools to ease their day-to-day work routine.

Although Kung believes the implementation of A.I. is inevitable, he understands that the unregulated nature of certain generators causes more harm than good. Due to profitability or misinformation campaigns, ill-intentioned actors can now change the narrative of entire conflicts with the touch of a mouse.

“It is a cat and mouse game,” Kung said. “Someone’s always going to build a better A.I. tool to create fake imagery and someone’s always going to create a better image detection system.”

Nevertheless, Kung encouraged social media users and journalists alike to familiarize themselves with A.I. to avoid being blindsided by fake content online in the future. 

Media literacy in detecting A.I.-generated content is approached differently by various experts. Tristan Glatard, an associate professor in computer science and software engineering at Concordia, believed the solution lies in the hands of individuals to identify inconsistencies and check the sources behind A.I.-suspected imagery.

“I don’t think the solution is technical. It should be general education of citizens on how to detect fake imagery,” Glatard said. “Check your sources, double check, you know? It should be education on how to consume the news, not how to detect the images.”

Glatard suggested social media users may attempt to locate topological mistakes within suspected images. These include noticeable inconsistencies such as warped body parts or objects. Glatard also recommended A.I. image detectors, which he claimed have improved alongside generators.

Some social media platforms have already implemented methods to flag misinformation, such as X’s community notes or Instagram’s content labeling. 

Photojournalist and professor in Concordia’s journalism program, Liam Maloney, suggested a different approach to identifying fake images.

“There are still some telltale signs, but by and large the A.I. have gotten extremely good at faces,” Maloney said. “Even images that I made previously, when I look at them now, they seem hopelessly primitive.”

An early adopter of A.I. generators, Maloney believes newer models are no longer bound to small sets of data, therefore generated imagery is harder to identify. He claimed early generated content was often limited to imagery from the public domain, such as iconic pictures of past conflicts.


Maloney acknowledged the method of identifying topographical mistakes in imagery but said newer models would correct them in the future. Instead, he recommended two methods which he believes to be more effective.

The first, geolocation, would require the verifying party to analyze features of a photograph and correlate it to satellite imagery. For example, comparing the shapes of buildings to the corresponding historic imagery. The second was chronolocation, which requires users to account for the time of day presented in the picture. Once identified, the verifier would have to correlate that to other aspects presented, such as the shadows cast or the sun’s angle. 

Both Maloney and Glatard said they’ve encountered generated content linked to the Israel-Palestine conflict, which they believe were shared primarily to spread misinformation.

Maloney, who’ll be introducing a class focused on A.I. and journalism next semester, said the balance between both fields would grow harder to maintain as time passes and generators become more sophisticated. “By the time I start teaching, the material that I’m using would be outdated,” he said.

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News

What the CAQ’s tuition increase will mean for prospective out-of-province students

One Toronto high-schooler is reconsidering his choice of university after the Legault government’s latest announcement.

The Legault government’s announced tuition rate hikes are causing much debate amongst students and university officials. As undergraduate tuition is set to nearly double next year, those looking for a future education in Montreal might start looking elsewhere.

“It’s pretty disheartening,” said Gaven Niron, a senior high school student from Toronto. “I think several of my friends saw ourselves in Montreal. Now, the future doesn’t look so promising.” 

For some time, Niron has been eyeing Concordia’s journalism and art history programs. He practises music and writing in his spare time, which he believes might be inspired by Montreal’s culture following his multiple visits to the city.

Not long after the Coalition Avenir Quebec’s (CAQ) initial announcement, Niron was informed of the tuition raise, coming just in time for his first semester at Concordia. “It would be a very tough pill to swallow to put aside school in Quebec,” he said. 

The tuition raise was announced by Quebec’s Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, on Oct. 13. Following this information, Concordia posted an informational guide regarding the announcement. By fall of 2024, out-of-province students will be required to pay about $17,000, almost double the previous average of $8,992. International students will have to pay a “minimum rate” of $20,000, although this may be subject to change depending on the university, according to Déry. 

Déry explained that the new rates will more closely reflect what non-Quebec students would be paying outside of Quebec. She also claimed the change would rectify a trend of out-of-province students taking advantage of Quebec’s decreased rates only to find work elsewhere after graduation.

The additional cost generated by this change will go directly into funding “the French-speaking network,” Déry said in an interview with the Journal de Québec.

Although his understanding of Quebec’s politics is sparse, Niron views the policy change as disruptive to Quebec’s growing diversity. He believes international students might not feel welcome after hearing the news, and hopes Quebec’s student population will come together in protest of the CAQ’s announcement. 

Two university students have already started planning a first major protest in opposition to the tuition hikes. Titled the “Bluefall Protest,” this project first took root on social media, garnering support from major university institutions, even the francophone ones.

The protest is headed by Noah Sparrow, a third-year creative writing student at Concordia University, and Alex O’Neill, a second-year McGill political science student.

“Our goal for this protest is to showcase to the Quebec government that we are united in our cause, and we’re not going to be silent about it,” Sparrow said. 

Sparrow and O’Neill believe the change is rooted in larger issues of discrimination against English-speaking minorities. They believe the CAQ’s decision was undemocratic, as students and professors were not consulted over such a large change in the status quo.

The Concordia Student Association (CSU) and the Student Society of McGill (SSMU) have also condemned the hike by releasing a joint statement on their social media accounts. 

The Bluefall Protest organisers have a history in rousing collective action, and have high hopes for their new undertaking. “We can use the [protest] to show that the province has moved past language politics,” O’Neill said. The university-joint strike is expected to take place on Oct. 30 near Dorchester Square. 

Lorraine O’Donnell, Senior Research Associate at the Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN), believes the recent hikes were foreshadowed by previous moves like Bill 101 and Bill 96. She worries this will have a negative effect on enrollment and teacher employment.

O’Donnell sympathised with out-of-province students who will miss the opportunity to attend university at an affordable rate, which would eventually widen the class divide between anglophones and francophones. 

As for Niron, he plans to gain residency in Quebec by taking a gap year in the province, which will allow him to pay the Quebec student tuition rate.

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News

Keeping it dirt cheap: how a student attempts to revive thrifting culture on campus

Chris Aguiar, an economics student, is proud of his pop-up shop outside the Hall building as he promotes thrifting culture on campus. Photo by Dom Doesburg / The Concordian

A pop-up shop stacked with clothes appeared in front of the Hall building before reading week.

Days before reading week, students shuffled across campus to finish their classes, preparing for a well-deserved break. One student, however, had a different plan in mind.

Chris Aguiar, a Concordia student in economics, set up shop in front of the hall building with a pair of clothing racks chock-full of his personal garments. His goal: to bring back a moment from the thrifting culture he thought was lost.

“I think there’s a lot of people trying to exploit [thrifting] for personal gain,” Aguiar said. “It just takes away from the spirit of a thrift find. I’m gonna keep it dirt cheap just because I got it for dirt cheap.” 

Aguiar has been thrifting for years, seeing its development from an alternative in affordable clothing into a mode of fashion. Over time, he’s built up an appreciation for the culture surrounding thrifting. Amassing a sizable collection, he hoped to clean some of it out to free up his closet and turn a profit. 

After spotting a similar pop-up shop near Jeanne Mance park, he felt that setting up his racks in front of the hall building was obvious. Aguiar would be reaching his core target: university students in the middle of changing seasons. 

“Obviously, [students] want to get something nice. But more importantly, they want to thrift something,” Aguiar said. “They want a good deal.”

According to Aguiar, regular avenues selling used clothing have become a hassle. As thrifting culture has grown in popularity, he’s noticed a large uptick in prices at thrifting stores. Moreover, online thrift stores like Depop take a percentage of the sales earned by the vendor.

A Concordia-graduated designer, Hannah Silver King, works with deconstructed garments, meaning her designs are often inspired or made from used material. This process is known as upcycling and it often has her using material from thrifted items. She admired Aguiar’s efforts in selling clothes at fair prices, as she herself had noticed the recent rise in thrifted items’ prices. 

“There’s definitely a big market for it now, especially online,” King said. “If we can create this circularity [reselling thrifted clothes], I mean why not? Instead of throwing things away.”

King believes that most people wouldn’t have the resources to do as Aguiar had done—most people looking to sell their clothes would have to follow the beaten path, ultimately opting in to local thrift stores that might mark-up prices. 

As thrifting continued its journey into mainstream culture, trends naturally emerged. Some, a contributing factor into the rising costs of recycled clothing. “A lot of stores decide to curate thrifted clothing. These vendors are going to the bins and they’re picking what’s cool and selling them for triple the price,” said Quinn Kuperhause, director of business relations for the Concordia Fashion Business Association. “It’s absolutely ridiculous.”

With the rise of so-called “vintage” clothing stores, Kuperhause explained how thrift stores would have to compete for the market, which is another reason for rising prices. She sympathized with Aguilar and thought his pop-up shop was a breath of fresh air in what she believes is a heavily saturated market.

Outside of thrifting, Aguiar hoped to incorporate his passion for fashion into selling denim jeans which he produces himself. As for his pop-up shop, he claimed its week-long stay at the Hall building would be cut short as the cold weather sets in.

“I think it’s good that people want to recycle and reuse clothes more often. Everyone deserves to have drip,” Aguiar said.

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News

‘My whole motive is to just give back’: Design student fights for a user-friendly Montreal

Dashiell Friesen and the mural on Mackay Street. Photo by Lily Cowper / The Concordian

From changing public transport signage to blocking off Mackay street to cars, Concordia student Dashiell Friesen wants to bring change to Montreal’s streets.

In the early hours of Sept. 29, Mackay Street, located on Concordia’s Sir George Williams campus, was blocked off by students demanding the road’s pedestrianisation. 

Running up and down the street throughout the protest was Dashiell Friesen, one of Pedestrianise Mackay’s coordinators. Directing traffic away from the street and helping his peers paint a mural, Friesen found himself in an uncertain, yet exciting new situation.

“I’ve never done a project like this to this size,” Friesen said in reference to the mural. “It’s been an experience seeing it being created, [Mackay] being blocked off… […] It’s changed my perspective on protests.” 

Friesen is a fourth-year student in design at Concordia and a long-time advocate for increased public infrastructure. 

Growing up in the heart of New York, he said he experienced the utility of public transportation. Its proximity and ease of access was a gateway into independence in his teenage years. Friesen’s fascination for public transportation grew over the years, eventually leading him to apply his passions into real-life action such as the Mackay Street blockage.

Friesen has been coordinating efforts to pedestrianise Mackay Street since the past summer. First, his plans focused on transforming Bishop Street, as it already gives priority to pedestrians. However, he soon set his sights on Mackay Street, as he thought it served as a better equivalent to McGill University’s pedestrianised McTavish Street.

“There’s such a limited amount of space available, without tearing all the buildings down,” Friesen explained. “I think that’s what I appreciate the most with Montreal, it’s that there’s just more public space to just hang out.”

Friesen said he envisioned a pedestrianised Mackay having walking space above all, as well as seating areas and a garden.

The Mackay Street protest was not achieved solely through Friesen’s efforts. Alongside him was Lily Charette, mobilisation coordinator for the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA). Advocating for various causes during her time at Concordia, Charette is no stranger to researching and bringing a protest to fruition. 

“Dashiell was someone I would always talk to about [Mackay],” Charette said. “There was never really a big push for it, it was always pushed to the side in the past. He was really passionate about the project.”

The pair worked together to bring this project in the limelight. Where Charette hosted meetings and came up with a plan of action, Friesen would plan out mock-up models and write proposals to involved authorities such as Concordia’s administration or to the city. 

Last summer, Friesen installed signage stickers for Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) access at Bonaventure and Gare Centrale stations, days prior the Autorité Régionale de Transport Métropolitain (ARTM). 

While passing through stations, he noticed there were no clear directions guiding travellers to the new REM trains. Friesen utilised his background in design in order to print his own signs based on the city’s previous designs for other modes of transport.

After initially reaching out to the ARTM about changing the signage, Friesen’s efforts came to light thanks to news outlets. This, alongside his own efforts to contact the ARTM, prompted them to install clearer signage for the REM. 

“I don’t typically love participating in protests, I’m fine just seeing them. But I wanted to still be involved in advocating for something in the city,” Friesen explained. “In a way, protesting was me installing my own signs, or you know, getting a huge group of people to block a street.”

Emboldened by the change he’d been part of with the REM signage, Friesen decided to tackle pedestrianising Mackay Street. “My whole motive is to just give back in general,” Friesen said.

In the weeks since the street blockage, the painted mural has remained on Mackay Street. Friesen said he has received good news regarding the city’s plans for Mackay Street. However, he said his cohort’s job is far from over, as they’ll have to keep raising awareness in order to fuel the conversation they’ve started in Concordia’s halls.

Mackay Street and the Hall Building.

Photo by Lily Cowper / The Concordian

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News

Amateur game developers move on from popular gaming engine

Graphic by Keven Vaillancourt / The Concordian

Last month’s controversy surrounding the Unity game engine is still having an effect on developers.

Last month, the popular game development engine Unity Technologies and its developers came under scrutiny over their updated revenue share plan. This included setting a price on each download of a developed game, its most controversial change. This quickly sparked a backlash from its users and the online gaming community. 

This announcement, the “Runtime fee,” was a shake-up in the industry. Unity would have started charging creators a share of their profits regardless of their assigned plan. With each download, a creator would be charged 0.20$ at least.

After weeks of deliberation, Unity pulled back on several changes, returning to a status quo similar to the previous iteration with apologies to its users. However, members of the Concordia Game Development Club (CGD) are looking for a change of pace. 

“It kind of made me feel like I had the choice made for me,” said Arevig Nahabedian, a second-year student in computation arts and a member of the CGD. “Unity is the industry standard if you’re getting into game development. Now, I don’t know.”

Nahabedian has been a club member for over a year, but their passion lies more in the arts than programming, as they are often drawing. During CGD-hosted community events, like the game jams, they said their role is often dedicated to managing projects with little coding involved. 

Nahabedian credited Unity’s popularity to its accessibility, being utilized by large companies and amateurs alike. “I just know that there’s a disconnect between most people and larger companies,” Nahabedian explained. “Like, the profits for a potential game are not even in my headspace.”

After Unity’s latest controversy, Nahabedian believed a rift was made between the company and avid game developers, such as Concordia’s club members. Despite Unity nullifying the announced changes, Nahabedian and many of their peers switched to experimenting with other game engines. Among them were free open-source options like Gadot Engine, not bound to any profit incentive.

“This was sort of foreseeable,” Charles Partous, Vice-President of the CGD and second-year student in software engineering, said. “We knew that game engine providers could change the nature of their services. That’s part of the motivation behind me wanting to move away from [Unity].”

The Unity game engine has been a popular method of development since its release in 2005. Along with its contemporary Unreal Engine, it has been operating on a similar business model for the last decade. Both programs are free for the average creative, while bigger developers would have to opt in to their paid programs, which come with unique features. 

Although Partous understood Unity was trying to further market off their product, he believed it to be a misstep. 

“I never put too much faith into unity as a company,” Partous admitted. “It seems that they have lost a lot of goodwill within the community now. A lot of people who previously might have been spending time learning Unity may decide to shift to learning other toolsets and that’s major.”

This shift in the gaming industry is not just shared by developers inside of the game development club. George Mavroeides, a software engineer at Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) and former club president, believed the controversy’s effect will have further implications in the future. 

“It starts with Unity, but then you have the game studios behind them who are going to be affected,” Mavroeides said. “You have third party software depending on Unity. So if a lot of people leave unity, then they’re going to get affected by the numbers.”

Mavroeides works on the CAE’s graphics team, where he uses similar technology to Unity’s game engine to create flight simulators. He believed the sudden announcement last month was brought on by a loss in revenue. Specifically due to a lack of profit from ads on unity-developed mobile apps, among other factors. 

As someone who was introduced to game development through Unity, Mavroeides remained weary over the future of the industry. He believed amateurs in game development might lose their motivation to pursue the craft if they don’t find alternatives.

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News

Crisis abroad ignites passionate response from Armenian students

Maral Matig (right) proudly wrapped in Armenian flag protesting the ongoing crisis in Artsakh, where ethnic Armenians are forced to leave their homes. Photo by Matthew Daldalian / The Concordian

There is a war to be fought in the hearts of Montreal Armenians as ancestral land falls to neighboring forces.

As the evening cold sets on Sept. 23, an ancient tune reaches the ears of Montrealers near the McGill campus on Sherbrooke street.

Its trail leads to the university’s Roddick Gates, in front of which a handful of people stand tall alongside a pair of speakers, large banners raised above their heads and dressed in muted colours. Some are adorned in flags flushed of red, blue and orange, wrapped and held tight to their person. 

As the melody carries further into the city, a young woman walks forward to the edge of the sidewalk. Slowly, she pours a dirt-red viscous liquid onto her dress. 

Passersby halt, their gaze locking on her as she stands on a white sheet that absorbs the residual liquid.

Their eyes eventually fall upon the words scribbled amateurishly across the banners: ‘Protect indigenous Armenians in Artsakh’ can be read on one of them. And the message becomes just a little clearer.

The protest was in response to Azerbaijan’s initial offensive on the capital of the Republic of Artsakh, recognized internationally as Nagorno-Karabakh. The breakaway region is located in Azerbaijan but is governed by its indigenous Armenian inhabitants.

“It feels like I have so much to lose now and something to protect,” said Maral Matig, one of the protesters and a Concordia student in design. “It’s a deep pain that I haven’t always felt.”

The attack was seen as a violation of the ceasefire brokered in 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the aftermath of the second major conflict for the region. 

“It was always in the background,” Matig said, referring to the 2020 war. “I was suppressing my emotions. It’s the first time in my life I’ve taken any type of concrete action.”

Since the early 20th century, Nagorno-Karabakh has long been disputed between its two Caucus neighbours. Although recognized internationally as a part of Azerbaijan, de facto control lay in the hands of its ethnic Armenian inhabitants since the 1990s—until now at least. 

More than half of the Nagorno-Karabakh population has fled due to Azerbaijan’s current control over the region. This outpour was a result of a cessation of conflict a mere day after the peace was broken again.



“They are trying to completely erase the Armenians’ identity in the region and they won’t stop,” Matig said. “We just want to live, we just want peace. And that’s it.” 

Back in March, Azerbaijan launched an unprecedented blockade on the path used to establish connection between Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, known as the Lachin Corridor. This created a humanitarian crisis in the region, with the population having to ration food and medicine among other issues.

Matig considered the blockade prelude to the on-going situation as news of rising tensions appeared on her online feed.

Now, armed only with her passion, Matig took to the streets with fellow Armenians art students to raise awareness for last week’s events.

However, Matig explained her efforts are left unheard, as the international community offered little to no support to Karabakh’s former inhabitants. She feared this lack of support or condemnation to certain actors may lead to future escalation onto the country of Armenia itself. This fear is shared by many Armenians due to their contentious history with local powers since the 1915 genocide, perpetrated by the Ottoman empire.


“We just want peace, we just want to live. It’s about survival, the continuation of our culture,” Matig explained. “Because we’ve been through way too much for this to keep happening.” 

Mesrob Arsenian, president of the Concordia Armenian Students Union, shared similar feelings. “It’s a struggle—you have to fight as long as you want to keep your identity,” Arsenian said. “It’s a part of being Armenian.”

Arsenian felt strongly about the ongoing development. However, his faithful pride was sullied as he could only watch events unfold online, halfway across the world. 

Arsenian was not surprised by the news, as little was done since 2020 to prevent any kind of attack in Karabakh. Russia, for example, an ally to Armenia, has mostly taken a diplomatic role between the two nations, brokering cease fires or keeping the peace on the ground post-war, a responsibility inherited from the Soviet Union. 

This diplomatic approach taken by nations at large was something Arsenian criticised heavily. “I know nothing is going to change but please do something because this [inaction] is getting ridiculous,” Arsenian said. “You can’t choose which human rights to care for and which not to.”

Many in positions of power or expertise, have condemned the Azeri government’s actions.  

Kyle Matthews, the Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University, has done the same. 

Matthews previously served as a United Nations official in the Southern Caucasus region and highlighted the severity of the crisis, calling for immediate action to assist the Armenians fleeing the region.

“What we’re seeing happen today is a grave violation of international norms and standards,” Matthews said.

Describing the current situation as “potential ethnic cleansing,” Matthews stressed that international law prohibits such actions, no matter what may be classified as after the fact. 

Matthews explained Azerbaijan has long found an ally in Turkey, from whom they receive support both politically and militarily. For a time, the south caucasian power received aid indirectly from Canada in the form of drones. Otherwise, Matthews said Canada as a nation has no interests in the region.

If nations were to choose harsher condemnation, Matthews suggested issuing economic sanctions against Azerbaijan or stopping trade relations.

“Rhetorical condemnation to a government who’s looking to displace a people is not enough,” he added. “Something more robust has to happen and putting a statement of concern on Twitter is not going to do that today.”

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News

Legislative overhaul sparks housing anxiety amongst students

Protesters holding a "Rent Strike" sign as they walk in Préfontaine Park / Photo by Miet Verhauwaert

Lease transfer, an indirect method of rent control, may no longer be a viable option to renting students

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government’s new housing legislature, Bill 31, is sending ripples across the housing market as students must consider moving come their next lease renewal period.

Introduced in early summer, the bill has been under scrutiny by landlords and tenants alike for its changes. Amongst them is the removal of Article 7, which gives landlords permission to deny lease assignments between tenants, better known as lease transfers.

Although said to be fair and balanced by Housing Minister France-Elaine Duranceau, protests across Quebec by tenant rights groups have been organized to argue otherwise.

“It is a direct attack on our right to affordable housing,” Ria Mayer said, a student organizer for the Concordia Research and Education Workers’ Union (CREW-CSN), who attended one of these protests. “It kind of spits in the face of tenants everywhere.”

In Préfontaine Park on Sept. 16, a demonstration was held by the Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ) to protest the latest bill and the increased cost of living. 

Mayer explained that for years, those of lower-income housing could rely on lease transfers to artificially maintain a stable cost of living while circumventing rent increases by avoiding the lease renewal period. 

Mayer added that she had the lease transfers to thank for her brother’s current living space, an opportunity she lamented over, as her peers may no longer be able to do the same soon.

“For some students it is a way to have access to housing for the first time,” Cedric Dussault, spokesperson for RCLALQ, said. “These students often don’t have anyone to back them up for their lease.”

Protesters marching down the street against Bill 31’s unfair housing laws. / Photo by Miet Verhauwaert 

Dussault explained that although lease transfers won’t be disappearing outright, the process will become much more threatening for tenants, as landlords would be given the power to nullify a lease. 

Dussault added that this addition to lease transfer law will in turn create a greater disparity in power between tenant and landlord.

Adia Giddings, an assistant worker at Concordia’s Housing and Job Resource Center (HOJO), said that she’s already witnessed the effects first-hand of the proposed bill on some students.

“We’re seeing most students go to court over their lease transfers right now, landlords are just outright denying it, they’re coming up with excuses,” Giddings said. “So, all of these types of issues have already started.”

Despite protests recently emerging throughout the province, Giddings claims that landlord groups such as the Landlord Corporation des Propriétaires Immobiliers du Québec (CORPIQ) have discussed enacting a bill to render lease transfers less viable for almost two years.

Last week’s demonstration lasted almost four hours, with separate marches taking place simultaneously in Montreal, Quebec City, Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, and Sherbrooke.

With the Bill expected to be debated over later in the fall , only time will tell if the protestors’ actions will make the desired mark.

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Concordia Student Union News

Student speaks on Experience with University Insurance as opt-out Period begins

CSU's multiple platforms and services accessible to students. Photo by Kaitlynn Rodney / THE CONCORDIAN

Students must soon disclose if they choose to keep their University insurance.

On Sept. 25, Concordia students will have their final chance to declare if they choose to stay with their student health and dental plan for the fall semester.

Offered through the Concordia Students Union (CSU), the insurance plan is included in each semester’s tuition, a fact Dom Doesburg, a third-year student in computer science, wished he knew earlier.

“Having it cover my therapy, quite literally, saved my life,” said Doesburg. “I wouldn’t have been able to stay in school, or get the support that I needed.”

For almost two years, Doesburg has been taking advantage of the CSU’s health and dental plan. Seeking mental health support, Doesburg initially paid for therapy out of pocket, something he said quickly became unsustainable as a full-time student living on his own.


The health plan covers a wide array of services, with varying amounts  upwards of $10,000 in total. For Doesburg, this primarily meant psychiatry, which the Studentcare plan covered 80 per cent of each session. 

Doesburg added that he didn’t want to miss any opportunity, as he’d later use his coverage for vaccinations and dental services. 

Despite the help he receives regularly, Doesburg explained that his journey to finding resources through the CSU was not simple.

“I did it all by myself, which was not fun,” Doesburg said. “I’ve talked to other people and they are really confused, so I’ve been helping. I think on the Concordia website, it needs to be way clearer somehow.”

Doesburg added that initial research into student health care yielded poor results, with only brief explanations on Concordia’s website. Eventually, he accessed the Studentcare website, the insurance broker associated with the CSU, where he found the information to get him started.

Brooks Reid-Constantin, a linguistics student and Concordia Student’s Nightline’s president, agreed that accessibility to professional mental health may not be within reach for every student.

“I think that it’s crazy how difficult it is to get in touch with a psychiatrist,” Reid-Constantin said. 

She explained that the student health services aided her life as a student, despite any limitations to the health plan.

Nightline operates during evening hours between Wednesday and Saturday, providing active listening to callers. According to Reid-Constantin, this allows callers, often anxious students, to feel heard and relieve them of certain stressors.

Working with Nightline, Reid-Constantin said she gained a perspective into matters of mental health, despite not being a professional. She believed that students should have more options than Nightline, and should seek professional help if accessible and medication if needed.

“It’s only ever one leg of the chair. You have to do a bunch of the work yourself,” Reid-Constantin added. “Giving anybody a head start and trying to take some of that financial burden off can be really helpful.”

The CSU operates mostly as a mediator between student and insurance broker. Often, a student is navigating the ins-and-outs of insurance for the first time, so they can definitely use the help. According to Hannah Jackson, the CSU’s external and mobilization coordinator, this is for the best.

“Concordia is a business. It is a for-profit corporation. We’re a union. We aren’t trying to make a profit every year and we aren’t trying to cut costs,” Jackson said. “We have a greater incentive to make it comprehensive and affordable, as opposed to the university administration.”

Jackson explained that the insurance coverage offered by the CSU is considered additional to that of the Régie de l’Assurance Maladie (RAMQ) including eye care and physiotherapy.

International and part-time students are exceptions, as they are not directly covered by the Studentcare. 

For the former, they must go through the university’s administration, to both Jackson and the CSU’s dismay. However, Jackson added that international students are eligible for dental care through which they may also receive the CSU’s newly established gender-affirming healthcare. 

Part-time students, although covered by the same insurance, must declare if they opt-in for coverage. As such, they must pay the yearly amount of $185 separate from their tuition.

“[Studentcare] can be bureaucratic. They can be very arbitrary in their rules,” Jackson said. “But I encourage people to explore what’s covered under their plan and to really claim it, because that money is there.”

A previous version of this article identified Brooks Reid-Constantin as external vice-president of the Nightline. Reid-Constantin is president of the Nightline.

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