Author: Nelly Sérandour-Amar

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Montreal demands a $15 minimum wage

More than 1,000 people attended the demonstration on Saturday. Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar

Various community and anti-poverty groups rallied together to #FightFor15

On Saturday Oct. 15, more than 1,000 people gathered at Villeray’s Parc le Prévost to rally for a $15 per hour minimum wage in Quebec.

The demonstration united approximately 31 different anti-poverty, community and student-run groups, as well as different party leaders from Projet Montreal and Quebec Solidaire.

One of the main campaigns that took part in the rally was 5-10-15. Their goal is to improve working conditions. Five represents having your work schedule at least five days in advance, 10 represents ten days off for illness or family matters and 15 represents a $15 minimum wage per hour.

Virginie Larivière, spokesperson for 5-10-15, said it was clear all the different organizations present needed to come together, since they were mainly asking for the same thing—a minimum wage of $15. “It’s a big start today—it’s the first time we are all going out publicly,” she said. Many participants were wearing a 5-10-15 sticker to show their support for the campaign.

“Today, we are marching to demand for a minimum wage of $15 an hour, because we find it unacceptable and inconceivable that in 2016, workers are working full-time and still find themselves below the poverty line,” said Dominique Daigneault, president of conseil central de Montreal Metropolitain CSN. “It’s a question of respect for those who work daily, to provide them with services and the opportunity to have a decent living.” Minimum wage in Quebec is currently $10.75 per hour.

Daigneault said the campaign is continuing to move forward, due to the increase of groups joining the movement. “We’re joining a vast movement that is taking place all over North America.”

Protesters walked from Le Prévost Park in Villeray to Parc metro station. Valerie Plante, the councillor for Projet Montreal, was impressed with the number of people who showed up. “It’s one of the main steps we need to take to keep going,” she said. “I’m happy to see that in Montreal, and throughout Quebec, we are moving forward to request that everyone gets a fair wage,” she said.

With files from Cristina Sanza

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Montrealers walk for mental health

Smiling participants raising awareness about mental health. Photo by Alex Hutchins

People from the city gathered to help raise awareness about mental health

Hundreds of Montrealers came together on a rainy Sunday morning to raise money and awareness for mental health.

Children and adults participated in the 8th annual MONTREAL WALKS for mental health event. The four-kilometer walk began at Phillips Square, passed by Concordia University and parts of the downtown Montreal area before concluding back at Phillips Square.

Throughout the year thus far, MONTREAL WALKS has raised $32,000 during various events, which will be donated to non-profit organizations that provide mental health services in Montreal.

MONTREAL WALKS for mental health director Orly Ashair was impressed by the number of people who committed to the event and walked through the wet weather. Walkers participated individually or in teams.

Smiling participants raising awareness about mental health. Photo by Alex Hutchins

“Different organizations share a fundraising drive with us,” said Ashair. Out of the money raised, Ashair explained the organizations get to keep 60 per cent to donate to a group of their choice, which must be related to helping mental health. The remaining 40 per cent goes towards funding the yearly MONTREAL WALKS for mental health. However, organizers of the walk are strictly volunteers, thus unpaid, Ashair added.

One of the teams that took part in the event was Jack.org Concordia, the university’s chapter of the broader Jack.org organization. The organization consists of a national network of young leaders seeking to change perceptions of mental health. The group walked in the pouring rain to help eliminate stigma and discrimination towards people living with mental illnesses.

Alexis Perez, Jack.org Concordia’s president attended Sunday’s walk. “During this experience, people shared their stories,” she said. “From my perspective, it was great to unite as one, and come together to end the silence around mental health.”

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Jack.org Concordia is teaming up with the university to host a variety of events and activities, including yoga and art session, throughout the month of October. Their goal is to teach all students about mental health and have people share their personal stories.

According to the MONTREAL WALKS website, currently, about 18 per cent of Quebecers have a mental health disorder. In Montreal, 29 per cent of people will experience depression, anxiety disorders or disorders related to drugs or alcohol in their lifetime. Also, two out of three people suffer with mental health in silence, for fear of being judged and rejected, according to the website.

In the last four years, the event has raised more than $35,000 yearly for local community mental health organizations.

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Quebec Community Newspaper Association seeks government help

Graphic by Nelly Serandour-Amar

The QCNA joins the Coalition pour la pérennité de la Presse d’information for the survival of local print news media

The Quebec Community Newspaper Association (QCNA) has recently joined the Coalition pour la pérennité de la presse d’information, to raise awareness on the importance of maintaining local print news media. To help them with this issue, they have called on the Quebec government to assist in the long-term survival of print news media in the province.

The Coalition are asking for a temporary five-year financial assistance plan from the Government of Quebec, for the province’s newspapers, it was stated in a press release on Sept. 28.

Included in the financial assistance plan is a refundable tax credit covering 40 per cent of the cost of news production, 50 per cent of investments in digital, an increase in the government budget for advertising placements and the abolition of the sales taxes (GST and TVQ) on newspapers sold. With the help from the government, it would cost the print newspapers less to do the transition to digital.

Richard Tardif, Executive Director of the QCNA, said “while the newspaper business is a difficult one right now, it’s logical as experienced newspaper people for us to be at the table with the Quebec government given the ongoing revision of its cultural policy.”

Over the last 37 years, the QCNA has represented Quebec’s independent English and bilingual community newspapers. QCNA joined the Coalition, which is made up of a variety of daily newspapers such as Le Devoir, Groupe Capitales Medias, Hebdos Quebec, media group TC Transcontinental and many more.

On top of the financial aid they are seeking from the government, the Coalition and QCNA are also looking into getting exempted from the payable contribution under the Environment Quality Act. The act requires newspapers to pay for municipal recycling services, which is something that the QCNA feels is damaging to newspapers. Tardif said that it is “forcing owners of newspapers serving small communities, to re-evaluate their budgets with few choices but to consider a decrease in qualified staff and less content.”

The government has still not responded to the Coalition’s demand. Tardif said it may take a few months to get an answer.

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Jack.org Concordia Meets Their Royal Highness

Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.

Student Miranda Benoit had the chance to meet with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to discuss mental health

Nineteen student leaders from Jack.org, Canada’s only national network of young leaders working to end the stigma of mental health, met with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Oct. 1. Concordia student Miranda Benoit was one of them.

Benoit, 22, recently moved here from Newfoundland to start her masters degree in psychology. Growing up in a stigma-free environment, she said she was encouraged to talk about mental health. However, she noticed many people around her did not have the same type of environment growing up—so she joined Jack.org. “Jack.org was a wonderful way for me to advocate that other people should also have that right,” Benoit said.

During her studies at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Benoit found the Jack.org chapter of Grenfell Campus. She is now a volunteer at the Concordia chapter. It was her active involvement with the organization that got her an invitation to meet Their Royal Highnesses.

“It was very exciting,” she said about being given the opportunity. “I think it was a little bit of luck and hard work mixed together.”

Before meeting royalty, the group of nineteen students had to practice their formalities when it came time to meet Their Royal Highnesses. “Some of us met in Toronto for a training on how to address them, and also the safety of being on a boat since we were going to sail one with them,” Benoit said.

While in Toronto, the students also helped organize the upcoming Jack.org Summit that will be hosted there this spring.

When the group landed in Victoria, Benoit said she was nervous, but in the best possible way. “I think it’s huge to have people that are so well-known, with such big following, advocate mental health, she said. “[It] really puts the topic on the big stage.”

Their Royal Highnesses are active advocates themselves, she said. The Duke and Duchess  are very much involved with the United Kingdom’s mental health organization called “Heads Together,” which aims to change the national conversation on mental health and wellbeing and provide vital assistance for people struggling with mental illness.

“Based on the interactions, they seemed much more interested in learning from us—to understand what our perspective on mental health was,” said Benoit.  

The students and their guests of honour were on the boat for an hour.  Benoit said The Duke and the Duchess were down to earth as they were taking time with each students to learn from them.

Now that Benoit is back in Montreal, she’s excited to take on the new projects that the Concordia chapter has in store. Their next big event is participating in the Mental Health Walk, organized by Montreal Walks for Mental Health Foundation, a four kilometer walk to help raise public awareness about mental health and eliminate stigma and discrimination towards people living with mental illness. For more information, visit www.mtlwalks.com.

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Honouring victims of Aleppo attacks

Supporters lit a few candles for the memories of the lives lost at the Aleppo attacks. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

Montrealers shows their support for victims in Aleppo, after repeated airstrikes

A one-hour vigil for the International Solidarity Day with Aleppo took place Friday at the Norman Bethune Square in downtown Montreal. This gathering was organized after a ceasefire between the U.S., Russian armies and Assad’s troops and rebel forces fell through, leading to airstrikes in Aleppo, Syria.

These attacks killed 91 people on Friday, Sept. 23, and 25 people on Saturday, Sept. 24. Over 2 million Syrians had no access to water after the airstrikes damaged a pumping station that supplies water to eastern parts of the city. Another pumping station was shut off in retaliation to the attacks, stopping the water supply to 1.5 million people in western Aleppo, according to Hanaa Singer, UNICEF representative in Syria, in an article from The Telegraph.

At the start of the vigil, only a handful of supporters gathered. Around 6 p.m., candles were lit by supporters and journalists. More supporters arrived, bringing the crowd to about 20 people. “I think people lost their hope, and they cannot find anything to hold on to the future,” said Maya Atassi, a Syrian-born supporter, of the lack of supporters at the vigil.

Fidaa Aljnui, another supporter, agreed with Atassi. “It’s frustrating,” he said. “No one from the international community is taking real action.”

Some supporters held up posters with written messages for Aleppo, such as, “Aleppo, oldest city in mankind history is destroyed,” and “Together for Aleppo.”

Mezyan Albarazi, a Syrian who has been travelling to many countries to show his support at different solidarity gatherings said he hopes “immediate action will be taken, because we are in a bad economically and humanitarian situation.”

“What I think would be the best event for all of Syrians to come together is the anniversary of the revolution, March 15,” Atassi said. She feels that that Syrians will be able to show people they are ready for a change during that event.

A manifestation was scheduled for the following day but was cancelled for unknown reasons.

There will be a second vigil next Friday, Oct. 7. The location and time have yet to be determined.

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CIBC Run for the Cure raised $1.1 million for breast cancer

CIBC Run for the Cure welcomed 5,000 people on Sunday morning. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Montrealers showed their support at the breast cancer awareness event

The 20th edition of the CIBC Run for the Cure was hosted in Montreal, Sherbrooke, Quebec City and Val D’or on Oct. 2. In Montreal, the run took place at the Maisonneuve park, and approximately 5,000 people were present.

“This event’s [goal is] to fund the breast cancer foundation mission, which is to do research, spread awareness and support women who are sick with breast cancer,” said Karine Theverge, director of communications and marketing for the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Supporters are all smiles after finishing the run. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The CIBC Run for the Cure offers participants three ways to show their support: through a five-kilometer race, a one-kilometer race and a five-kilometer walk.

People from all over the city stepped up to the challenge on their own or with friends and family. Many were wearing pink t-shirts in support of the cause. Many participants fundraised through social media, encouraging friends and family to make donations and support them.

CASA Cares, an organization at JMSB at Concordia, participated in the event. They raised $5,432 for the CIBC Run for the Cure School Team Challenge Award, said Katia Bayat, VP sponsorship of CASA Cares. “Ninety-five people ran with us, which helped us get to our goal to donate to the foundation,” she said.

One in four women diagnosed with cancer are diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s website. However, the mortality rate of breast cancer has dropped by 44 per cent since 1986, due to the increase of research and awareness campaigns about how to prevent cancer, according to the same source.

For more information about breast cancer awareness and how to prevent it, visit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s website, www.cbcf.org.

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An exclusive interview with Mohamed Fahmy

A portrait of Mohamed Fahmy, by Florence Yee.

The award-winning Canadian journalist talks prison life and press freedom

Mohamed Fahmy was in Montreal on Thursday for Concordia’s homecoming key lecture series as a speaker. The Concordian had the chance to interview the award-winning journalist who has worked for media outlets such as CNN, the BBC and Al-Jazeera.

A little over a year ago, Fahmy was released from prison in Cairo, Egypt. He, along with two of his colleagues at Al-Jazeera, were accused of being terrorists. The journalists were arrested in December 2013, found guilty in June 2014, and were incarcerated for over 400 days. In 2015, following his release, Fahmy started the Fahmy Foundation alongside his wife, with the goal of fighting the suppression of the press. Now, he is ready to get back into journalism.

The Concordian: In an interview with the CBC, you said the Canadian government could have done more to help you get out of jail. How did they help you back then, and has their process changed at all since? Are they able to better serve Canadian journalists in these situations now?

Mohamed Fahmy: Once I landed in Canada, I thanked the councillors and ambassadors for doing such a great job. I felt they were shackled, with Ottawa’s conservative approach then. When I came out of prison on bail, so many Canadian people were already criticizing the government, which I felt ministers were delegating their responsibilities to junior ministers. I was very open in my constructive critique, calling the government to take a more direct stance. The government said that quiet diplomacy worked better— I felt they should be using quiet diplomacy, and also, carpet bombing diplomacy.

For this exact reason, we started the hashtag campaign #HarperCallEgypt on Twitter which was very successful. I believe that after, the government had a more aggressive approach to my situation. Having said that, with the government today, I believe they are much, much more engaged internationally and they are very responsive to urgent calls from worried families. We were able to bring back Kevin Garratt from China after two years, after unfair accusations and detention that were unfounded. The Liberal government was also able to bring back Khaled Al-Qazzaz, a permanent resident in Canada, who was released after two years. I do feel that the liberal government has been responsive. I presented my protection charter in Ottawa that I’ve written with Amnesty International. We partnered together and presented the charter to the Liberal government with one of the main goals of the charter [being] to improve councillors’ services for Canadians abroad with better protection.

TC: It must be hard to get into, but what was it like adjusting to life in prison? What was the greatest difficulty?

Fahmy: Fortunately for me, I was not tortured in any way but the prison conditions at the Scorpion Prison were a psychological torture. I was in a terrorist wing with members from Al Qaeda, ISIS and extremists, with maximum security. I was living in solitary confinement with a broken shoulder and no bed. The situation got better with the support from Canadians and the diplomatic armies across the world. It became obvious that it wasn’t about the three of us anymore, but the value of the press freedom and what it meant to a true democratic society.

Also, your mind is your most dangerous enemy at that time, and keeping your mental, spiritual and physical sides intact and balanced is very important. That’s why I keep telling people that even if they are an ocean away, they can still support innocent prisoners on the other side of the world. It may sound small, but signing petitions, rallying and involving the media is extremely important for the sake of each people abroad. For example, my lawyer used these petitions in court to convince the judge that I had a whole continent behind me and that I was not a terrorist. Also, to add, my family and the guards were telling me that there were hundreds of people supporting me outside, which helped me not to give up.

TC: What was the hardest part about writing your new book The Marriott Cell: An Epic Journey from Cairo’s Scorpion Prison to Freedom?

Fahmy: The hardest part was revisiting the solitary confinement, the unfair trial and the televised arrest. We interviewed prisoners during my time there, which I included in the book. I explained what Amal Clooney, my lawyer, was doing for the case and how my wife was smuggling notes in and out of the prison. I also wrote about my return to Canada and how we take freedom for granted as Canadians.

TC: What advice would you give people in a similar situation?

Fahmy: The advice I would give to their families is that they should continue to engage with the media in order to humanize the stories of their loved ones, and to continue to keep the attention on them. They should take advantage of all the strategies that they can.

TC: After the process you went through to renounce your Egyptian citizenship, why would you want to get it again?

Fahmy: After returning to Canada, I applied for my citizenship again through my lawyers. After six months, I finally got it back. It was very important to me because, in a way, it was like the Egyptian government was giving me vindication. It was important for me to get it and get out of this experience with the least political and professional damages as possible. I did not do anything wrong, and I would like to report the news one day there again in the future.

TC: How have your views on journalism changed since your release?

Fahmy: I am now more convinced than ever that what we do, as journalists, is extremely important. It helps people who are oppressed. Our task definitely makes the world a better place—what we do is an honourable mission, and I will continue to do so and soon engage in a new journalistic opportunity.

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Mohamed Fahmy comes to Concordia

During the conference, Fahmy was interview by Paul Karwastsky. Photo by Cristina Sanza.

Award-winning journalist talks about his experience in prison and calls for the university to support Homa Hoodfar

Concordia University welcomed Egyptian-born Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy as a lecturer for the first in a series of homecoming lectures at the Sir George Williams campus on Sept. 22.

Just over one year ago, Fahmy was released from prison in Cairo, Egypt. He, along with two of his colleagues, were accused of being terrorists, he said. They were arrested in December 2013, and found guilty in June 2014, staying incarcerated for over 400 days. Fahmy also spent six weeks in solitary confinement.

To a full house at the D.B. Clarke theatre, Fahmy spoke about his experience in prison and his campaign to free other journalists in similar situations.

Fahmy detailed his experience working at various news stations prior to his arrest—namely CNN, the BBC, and Al-Jazeera, where he worked as an English bureau chief in Cairo.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge when I took the [Al-Jazeera] job,” he said. “My last story, before going to prison, was on the branding of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.”

Three days later, there was a knock on his hotel door and security forces stormed in. He was falsely accused by the Egyptian government of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood—a banned organization.

“My prison neighbors were members of Al Qaeda, ISIS, the Muslim Brotherhood—as a journalist, I was in heaven,” he said jokingly. The audience laughed.

During the conference, Fahmy was interviewed by Paul Karwastsky. Photo by Cristina Sanza.

To occupy their time in prison, the jailed journalists conducted interviews with the different members of these organizations. “We would interview them on their political views, and in return they would do the same,” said Fahmy.

Fahmy got tons of support from not only his family, but from the Canadian press and via social media, which all lead to his release. “It was unbelievable to see the Canadian press uniting under this one cause,” Fahmy recalled. He said social media played an important role in raising awareness and getting Canadians involved. Throughout his time in prison, his family started a crowdfunding campaign where he was able to raise $40,000. With the money, Fahmy was able to pay the bills for his lawyers.

Despite the gravity of his situation, Fahmy did not lose hope and managed to stay positive. He said he read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, a chronicle of the author’s experiences as an inmate at the Auschwitz concentration camp during the second world war. This book taught Fahmy the concept of tragic optimism, which inspired him to turn his prison time into somewhat of a positive life experience, he said.

After being pardoned of all charges in September 2015, he and his wife started the Fahmy Foundation, with goal to fight suppression of the press and to advocate from unjust imprisonments around the world. He said he is currently working on passing a protection charter with Amnesty International to ensure greater advocacy for Canadians overseas.

“We need a mechanism to obligate the government to protect our people.” said Fahmy. “Not only journalists are being falsely accused … we see this happen to regular people and recently, with Homa Hoodfar.”  Homa Hoodfar is a Montreal academic who has been imprisoned in Iran’s Evin Prison since June.

“I don’t call her a prisoner,” Fahmy said about Hoodfar. “She is a political hostage and Iran wants something from Canada—and we still don’t know what it is.”

Fahmy said he believes there should be a change in the way government deals with these problems, and that it is urgent. “She is sick, and she needs support from everyone,” he said.

Fahmy’s complete journey will be detailed in his upcoming book, “The Marriott Cell: An Epic Journey from Cairo’s Scorpion Prison to Freedom,” which will be released on Nov. 15.

Be sure to check out The Concordian‘s exclusive interview with Fahmy in print and online on Sept. 27.

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Liberal minister discusses the environment

Minister Marc Garneau listens to Montrealers concerns. Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.

Minister Marc Garneau meets with Montrealers to talk about the environment

Transport Minister Marc Garneau discussed climate change, while Montreal citizens voiced their concerns, at the Loyola chapel on Sept. 15. The conference started with a quick presentation regarding the federal government’s goals to prevent climate change from worsening.

“It is clear that it is a subject very dear to Canadians,” said Garneau. “Last December, our Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment were very much involved at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris,” said Garneau, adding that it was at that moment “Canada took a serious engagement towards greenhouse gases.”

Minister Marc Garneau listens to Montrealers concerns. Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.

During the UN conference, according to The Globe and Mail, Canada had pledged to, by 2030, cut its emissions by 30 per cent from 2005 levels. Emission reduction goals set by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol were not met. On an international level, developed countries committed to spend at least $100 billion a year between 2020 and 2025 to help emerging economies deal with the effects of climate change. Finally, all countries were urged to save their remaining intact forests and leave fossil fuels in the ground.

Given that climate change is one of the greatest challenges humans face, Garneau said the Liberal government believes it’s time to build a strong, clean and sustainable economy for the sake of Canadians and the environment. According to the official Canadian government’s website on climate change, the country’s temperature has warmed up by 1.6 celsius in the last 50 years—double the global average—causing more extreme weather patterns and increasing snowfall in the northwest arctic, which puts many Canadians and indigenous communities at risk.

Garneau emphasized that taking on this challenge of creating a greener economy will require help from the entire Montreal community and the rest of Canada. He then presented Canada’s plan for dealing with climate change:

    • Mitigation: How and where will we reduce these emissions?
    • Innovation: Seeking ideas for new technologies and jobs
    • Carbon pricing: A must-be-paid price for the right to emit the gas into the atmosphere
    • Adaptation and resilience: A plan to prepare for any impact that climate change will have on Canadians and the rest of the world

The minister also presented a chart that broke down Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions across sectors: Oil and Gas (26 per cent), Electricity (11 per cent), Transport (23 per cent), Energy-Intensive, Trade Exposed (EITE) industries (10 per cent), Buildings (12 per cent), Agriculture (10 per cent), and Waste and others (7 per cent).

As his presentation came to an end, Garneau asked a few questions to the audience. For example, he asked: “What measures can individuals and governments take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?” He also asked: “What are some ideas to promote innovation, new technologies and job creation aimed at reducing greenhouse gases?”

About 40 people stood up for their allotted two minutes to voice opinions and share their concerns. When Raphael Côté, a student from UQAM, took the microphone, he spoke about the pie chart breaking down Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.

He explained how the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, including electricity, oil, gas, transport, EITE, buildings and water all come to a total of 90 per cent of the gas emissions. “The only vital need [for greenhouse gases] is [in] agriculture,” Côté said. “Would you be ready to attack the industries responsible for producing these greenhouse gases?”

Garneau answered by saying the government is working with the UN to reduce activities of industries that produce greenhouse gases.

Garneau invited those who hadn’t had a chance to speak to email him questions and suggestions. Similarly, Shane Johnston, a volunteer from Vrai-Plan Climat, was also a part of the event. Vrai-Plan Climat is a non-profit organization developed after Trudeau’s government’s new national climate strategy for Canada came out. They work to ensure no one is being left behind in this government plan.

Vrai Plan Climat believes that the following three principles should be at the center of the strategy: They want a plan that aligns with the science of climate change, a plan that builds 100 per cent renewable energy economy and a plan that is justice-based.

On Thursday night, Johnston was collecting emails to stay connected with audience members, so the organization can plan different events related to implementing the three goals Vrai-Plan climat has for the government’s plan. She added that it is extremely important that the Montreal community works together at a time when the environment is so fragile.

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A new, well cooked-up biology class

Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.

Teacher Catherine Calogeropoulos invites students to learn basic science and fundamental cooking skills

Catherine Calogeropoulos, a part-time professor in Concordia’s biology department, has full confidence in her newly online-adaptedclass, “BIOL 203 – Fundamental Nutrition.”

After four years of teaching the subject in the classroom, Calogeropoulos wanted to perfect it to her taste for the online section. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to mix my knowledge of biology and food together,” she said.

The class is designed to use science to teach the basics of daily nutrition. Calogeropoulos said she had to find a way to get non-science students to understand complicated scientific concepts, to pique their interest in the course.

The first time she taught the class, she said the students had to cook for their term project. Their homework consisted of following any recipe they wanted, while noting all of the nutritional facts of the meal, such as the amount of carbs and fats.  “When they came back with the results, I realized that a lot of them didn’t know what to do in a kitchen,” said Calogeropoulos.

In a slideshow she presented during her first class, she included a Meryl Streep interview. “During an interview for her movie, Julie and Julia, Streep said her mother’s motto was ‘If it’s not done in 20 minutes, it’s not dinner’,” said Calogeropoulos. “When she was a kid, the actress found herself at her friend’s house where her mother was carving up what she thought were tennis balls, which were in fact were potatoes.”

Calogeropoulos said she realized it would be a good idea to include cookbooks in all of her classes. It would show students basic cooking techniques, such as how to clean garlic, and would teach them how to use basic cooking tools.

“In lecture one, I tell students to go home and clean their kitchens and get, if possible, a few basic tools,” said Calogeropoulos, about the class. “For some students, the science is quite heavy, so I attempt to level the playing field by including cooking assignments, and more recently, reading assignments that discuss some current topics in nutrition,” she continued.

Calgeropoulos’ online version of the course will feature a professional chef showcasing the recipes. Each lesson will have a video segment of the chef preparing a meal to support the lesson of the week. “It will be easier for the students to understand how, for example, lipids work by seeing how mayonnaise is made,” she said.

Calogeropoulos believes that the course is about more than just understanding science and learning how to cook. “It’s about learning vital life skills—cooking is a discipline, and this discipline can be applied in your life,” she said.

The online class, “BIOL 203 – Fundamental Nutrition” will be offered during the winter semester.

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A look at Concordia’s stars

Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.

Space Concordia shares its victories with the rest of the university

Space Concordia have just returned from several summer competitions, including a first place win.

Space Concordia’s team placed first in Canada during their first competition of the summer— the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge (CSDC), which was held on June 16. This competition requires teams to design and build a small research satellite known as a “CubeSat” or a “nanosatellite.” After construction, the satellites  must undergo full launch qualification testing.

Eight Canadian Universities participated in this challenge, including Montreal’s Polytechnique, who landed in third place. Space Concordia President Nicholas Moore said Montreal dominating the podium was a first for the city.

The second competition Space Concordia attended was the International Rocketry Engineering Competition (IREC), which lasted a week and wrapped up late this August in Utah. The Concordia team brought back the second place prize, while École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS) finished in first place. This international competition brought together more than 50 schools from around the world to design rockets capable of reaching an altitude of 3048 meters or higher. Space Concordia’s rocket, Aurelius, flew to 3395 meters and was recovered less than a mile from the launch site, showing the quality of the research done prior to the construction of the rocket. . Space Concordia’s rocketry division won second place with Aurelius.

When not competing, the club was working on a different project: Icarus. Icarus is the group’s first attempt at creating a flying high-altitude balloon. These types of balloons are designed to expose equipment and scientific charge, which is a unit of matter, in near-space areas. The two balloons they created reached an altitude of 24 kilometres, extending halfway through the stratosphere.

In addition to this project, the club is currently developing a ground station to communicate with satellites.

Moore also mentioned some of the new projects that the club has planned for this year. “The rocketry team is planning to feature a pitted tube that will stick out of their rocket,” he said. “This tube will be placed right up the top of the rocket, taking air samples for more accurate airspeed.”

The club is divided into three categories: rocketry, spacecraft and robotics.

The rocketry division participates at the IREC every year. The competition challenges teams to send a 10 pound experimental payload, which is a type of satellite, to an altitude of 3048 meters before returning the entire rocket safely to the ground.

The spacecraft division concentrates on the design, construction and operation of satellites. The team is also divided into a space group, whose dedicated to building the satellites and a ground group, who works on operating and communicating with these satellites from Earth.

The club’s final division, robotics, has four main subdivisions: software, power, electrical and mechanical. Their main competition is the University Rover Challenge (URC) in southern Utah. This competition challenges the teams to design and build the next generation of Mars rovers—ones that will eventually work alongside astronauts exploring Mars. This competition is organized by the Mars Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting human exploration and settlement of the red planet.

Moore invites all students from the university to join the club. He said all undergraduate students—in any field of study—have a place at Space Concordia. From those attending John Molson School of Business to students studying the arts, Moore said that they can be a valuable addition to the club.

Students who wish to participate in Space Concordia projects are welcome to visit their office in the Hall building, on the 10th floor (1029.7).

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A new year for Concordia’s Greenhouse

Concordia Greenhouse. Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.

A look at the different events that the Greenhouse has in store for students

The Concordia Greenhouse is a relaxing place to get in touch with nature and greenery. Located on the 13th floor of the Hall building, the Greenhouse welcomes volunteers and students are looking for a place to study, a place to socialize or a place to learn about environmental sustainability.

The Greenhouse executives are preparing for a busy year with many different events and special activities. Sheena Swirlz, the Greenhouse services and programming coordinator, said they will be hosting two weekly volunteering sessions, one on Mondays, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and the other on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. At these weekly meetings, volunteers are taught how to grow vegetables and take care of plants. “By coming to these meetings, it’s a great way to learn new skills,” said Swirlz. These sessions are open to anyone at anytime, with no experience required.

Swirlz said there are three plant sales being organized throughout the year—one scheduled for October, one in the winter and one in May. At these plant sales, the Greenhouse will be selling low-light houseplants, which are well-adapted for the environment of a Montreal apartment, she said.

Swirlz said there will be events happening three to four times per week this year at the Greenhouse. “We would like to host events in which people learn how to make a terrarium, grow decorative and edible plants and finally, a series of permaculture projects,” Swirlz said. These projects will introduce the concept of permaculture to the Greenhouse visitors, which is a sustainable way to develop an agricultural ecosystem. “We also have a Halloween dance party coming up in the Greenhouse.” The Greenhouse space can also be booked for presentations and concerts.

The Greenhouse also offers four internship programs: a Four Seasons Growing; House Plants and Atrium Garden; Media and Outreach; and Farmers’ Market Stand. “We just started our first round of interns for this semester and will start looking for new ones in December,” said Swirlz. The applications will be posted on their website. These internships are open to anyone with a passion to growing their own food or plants. With this opportunity, students will be able to gain experience, learn new techniques, improve skills, help with different useful projects and even be able to put their experience time on their co-curricular record, Swirlz said.

You can visit the Concordia Greenhouse on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and try some of their ecologically-grown food available at the Frigo Vert, at 1440 Mackay Street.

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