Tag: concordia

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Music

The Faceplants go Animalistic

The Faceplants’s debut show in Montreal was one to remember, as the band members put on a high energy performance for the crowd.

The journey of the Vancouver-based band who released a killer first album

Over 10 years ago, at a skatepark in Vancouver, Daniel Botch and Garrett Ward decided to form a band. Now, after years of hard work, they look at each other on stage at Montreal’s Piranha Bar on Aug. 28 and think to themselves, “We’ve made it.”

At just 14 years old, Botch and Ward started The Faceplants. Botch used to live in Winnipeg, but moved to Vancouver when he was young. There, he met Ward—they lived close by, went to the same high school, and have been close friends ever since.

Botch, the lead singer, and Ward, the guitarist, reminisce on what inspired the name of their band, but both have very different stories. Ward’s take on the name is that, while skateboarding, he would quite literally faceplant off his board—and it stuck. He thought it was the obvious choice for the band name. Botch’s version of the story is that they were very inspired by ska music. Ska pulls inspiration from reggae and rock. Many ska bands have outrageous names, and “The Faceplants” fit the bill.

Over the years, the band has evolved. Eight years ago, 23-year-old pianist Graham MacKinnon joined The Faceplants. He knew Botch and Ward from high school, and said that being younger than them has made him grow up sooner than he thought he would have otherwise. Almost four years ago—a year before the band went on a hiatus to rework their image and sound—28-year-old drummer Paddy Spencer and 22-year-old bassist Chris Wong joined the band, and The Faceplants as we know them have been together ever since.

The self-managed band says that they were lucky enough to be able to take those three years off to really work on their music the way that they wanted to. They wanted to be proud of what they were putting out, rather than just following music trends like they did before their hiatus. After years of hard work and dedication to their craft, The Faceplants came out with their first LP,  which was released on July 27.

Animalistic has nine songs and runs for 38 minutes. The same day as Animalistic’s long-awaited release, the band left for a cross-country tour. They hauled themselves and their equipment in a 12-passenger van, hitting 16 cities in just over a month, Montreal being the third-to-last stop.

Spencer describes The Faceplants’s musical style as a “modern twist on classic rock,” which you get a taste of when they start their set with “Animal.” The song has a tribal drum beat throughout most of it, high energy vocals, an almost in-the-jungle feel, very true to its name. The next song they play is “Unholy,” which is undoubtedly their most well-known song. The first 90 seconds is vocals and piano, then you get hit with drums, bass and guitar, all seamlessly melded together to give you the perfect rock experience.

The band closes off their high-energy, crowd-interactive set with the last song on their album, “Sweet Living Sickness /// The Journey,” which is a collective favourite for the bandmates. The song expresses the journey that The Faceplants have gone on over the past few years. Every song on the LP makes a reappearance on this final track, with part of each melody bleeding into the background.

The Faceplants ended their tour on Sept. 1 and headed home to relish in the accomplishment of their first national ride. The hard work may seem to be over, but they will continue working on music videos for the rest of their album. They’re already planning on creating new music, which is sure to attract more fans. If you grow to love them, you have the possibility of seeing them live one day, as they hope to return to Montreal in the next year.

Categories
Music

Beat Market brings audiovisual heat

Beat Market combine processors and percussion.

A ceiling bustling with huge plastic balloons, red and blue lights diving across the walls and the shining faces of shuffling limbs: it’s a Friday night at the Fairmount Theatre and Beat Market has just taken the stage.

Montreal-based DJ duo Beat Market, formed of keyboardist Louis-Joseph Cliche and drummer Maxime Bellavance, swept their 100 audience members away during the release of their new EP, All Good. Unfortunately, there were some initial technical difficulties, and the opening act, The Fitness, was unable to play. Despite these factors, it was “all good” and the venue’s energy was never lacking.

The first song built slowly, a minimal pallet of sounds moving the crowd until the deep bass and decisive drumming kicked in, along with a colourful light show that made for a hyper-stimulating atmosphere.

Music and visuals go hand in hand and are destined to be intertwined, a technique that seems to be working for Beat Market. Beat Market’s Art Director and digital mastermind, Kitana, used to work for Moment Factory, a world-renowned Montreal-based studio. Their multimedia productions create completely unique universes that envelop the participant. So, it is easy to see why, along with those hypnotic beats, the visuals have the audience coming back for more.

Beat Market showcases more than your average electronic dance music. The duo had a retro synth, Daft Punk-inspired style that the audience was loving. Though somewhat repetitive, staying mostly in a steady 4/4 tempo the whole night, there were some wild bass drops and rhythmic switchbacks, making the two energetic performers engaging to watch.

With Bellavance on drums and Cliche on keyboard, and both on their laptops, Beat Market plays with a unique combination of digital and analog sounds, enhancing the retro tone of their music. Some highlights of the show were the unexpected appearances of Montreal singer and actress AIZA, and rapper KNLO of the Montreal rap group Alaclair, who took the stage on consecutive tracks to lay down some sweet vocals.

Ultimately, for Cliche and Bellavance, it was this fusion of artists, audience and mediums that inspired the EP, and the meaning behind the title, All Good. Above all, the playful duo suggests that people go out and “live life in a funky way”.

Fans can support Beat Market by subscribing to their YouTube and Spotify accounts, or by purchasing their EP All Good on Bandcamp or Spotify.

Categories
Opinions

Freedom of expression on campus

Archive graphic by Zeze Le Lin

Why the JCCF’s findings on Concordia’s free speech policies are not credible

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) has published their 2017 Campus Freedom Index. The index grades universities and student unions on their defence of free speech on campus—on paper and in practice. According to the index, Concordia’s policies regarding free speech receive a B, while its practices earn a C for 2017. The Concordia Student Union (CSU) was given an F for its policies and a C for its practices.

These findings seem quite concerning. As I’m sure most people would agree, universities are meant to be bastions of free speech. Various media outlets seem to share this concern. Articles by Maclean’s and the CBC have outlined the supposed demise of free speech on Canadian university campuses, citing the Campus Freedom Index as evidence.

As with so many discussions in the media about the free speech debate, these articles fail to critically engage with the ideology behind the Campus Freedom Index and other free speech crusades. In particular, considering the known ideological leanings of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, it’s imperative that we frame any of their findings appropriately.

So, in the interest of free speech, here is the other side of the argument. The JCCF is an organization that spends much of its time defending campus anti-abortion groups. We must remember that abortion rights in Canada are not a given. Many groups are still actively working to undermine and reverse current protections. Last month, the membership of the second-largest federal political party in Canada nearly voted to revoke restrictions on anti-abortion legislation being introduced in Parliament.

When abortion rights are limited or revoked, mothers die. It’s as simple as that. Moreover, the tactics used by anti-abortion groups frequently cross the line into direct harassment. Even so, the JCCF is actively defending a group that set up a prominent anti-abortion display in the middle of the University of Alberta campus. Vulnerable members of our communities are targeted by such displays. And so, by giving a platform to these sorts of ideas, we risk further marginalizing people and silencing their voices and ideas.

Universities and student organizations have a duty to protect their students. They are responsible for creating a space where everybody can engage in academic debate and discussion. If universities allow harassing, violent speech on campus—if they help foster unsafe spaces—they are limiting the number of voices that will be heard in any given debate.

Paradoxical as it may seem, reasonable limits on speech are necessary for free speech to thrive. Limits on paper are necessary to eliminate greater restrictions in practice by those with more structural power. I am proud to be a member of a student union whose policies actively bolster the voices of the marginalized. I am proud to study at a school that understands that totally unfettered speech on campus is not a standard to which we should aspire.

The debate over free speech on campus likely won’t end anytime soon. In a political and philosophical minefield, there aren’t any easy solutions. What I do hope for, at least, is that we can lift the veneer of neutrality in calls for “free speech on campus.”

In particular, when the free speech debate enters the world of actual policy—such as Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s threat to withhold funding from universities that do not comply with his government’s narrow definition of free speech—we need to engage with the deeply ideological frameworks that calls for free speech rest upon. Free speech, as championed by the JCCF and the Ford government, among others, limits the speech of the marginalized. Media that report on these groups must grapple with that reality, lest they be complicit in that same marginalization.

Archive graphic by Zeze Le Lin

 

Categories
Music

Heartstreets are carving out a place in Montreal’s music scene

Local duo speaks about creating outside the confines of genre

A quick Google search of “Heartstreets” will pull up a description of the band as being R&B, soul, dance, and electronic all at once. In this instance, Google too is at a loss for words—or at least one that encapsulates a sound defiant of any one (or two or three) categories. But that might not be such a bad thing.

According to Gab Godon, one half of this Montreal-based duo, the beauty lies in the ambiguity. “Our music doesn’t always make sense, and I don’t think we have one song that will completely describe what we do. We are a lot of things,” Godon said. “What we are is two girls, singing, rapping and always creating together, and that becomes Heartstreets.”

On paper, Heartstreets is a collaboration between longtime friends Godon and Emma Beko, who bonded over a love of music and a persistent creativity. To become acquainted with their music on a sonic level, however, brings a whole new understanding of their partnership. Punchy, electronic beats and smooth rhythms offer a dynamic backdrop for Beko’s intricate, 90s hip hop-influenced raps and Godon’s soulful vocals, which draw from the R&B mastery of Lauryn Hill and the Fugees. Each contrasting element brings out the best in the others, blending seamlessly and eroding the narrow delineations imposed by preconceptions of their sound.

It should be no surprise that the musical partnership came together in a similar way. Like a plot-twisting scene from a movie, everything fell into place for the duo over a bottle of wine and an Adele song. “Hometown Glory,” Beko recalled, was the song Godon showed her that pivotal night. “She sang it and I thought it was so beautiful, and there was a blank space in the song and so I was like, OK I’ll show you some of the raps I’ve been writing.”

The rest was history and the duo hasn’t stopped creating together since. “It was so fun,” Beko said of their first time in the studio. “We did a second one and a third one and at one point we had four [tracks] I think? And the producers were like, let’s put it out. We hadn’t even really thought about creating a band or having a music group really; it was just out of pleasure. And it still is out of pleasure.” The only thing they needed was a name for the new project. “We had a bunch brainstorms and ideas, and a friend of ours had suggested ‘Street Hearts’ because we’re two, and the duality between grittiness and the soft side we have,” Beko recalled. “But there was a band called Street Hearts—a Rolling Stones cover band—so then we just did Heartstreets.”

Godon described their first release as the moment the pair realized making music could be more than just a hobby. “Once the EP was out, there was the release party at Théâtre Fairmount. It was a big venue, and the first show we were producing. I remember after that I was like, yeah this is happening. We’re in it and we’re not getting out of it; we want to go all the way.”

Carving out a unique place in Montreal’s music scene seemed to happen unintentionally for Godon and Beko, as they began to grow in popularity after the release of their first album, You and I, in 2016.

“I guess we were very innocent at first and didn’t really realize what was going on in our city. We were more focused on becoming artists and creating our identity and our vision,” Godon said, noting the large francophone presence in the local hip hop scene. “We do music in English, so it does separate us from a lot of the francophone artists who are more out there.”

“After eight years, we still feel kind of like outsiders, but not in a negative way I think, we just assume it. But it’s not stopping us from trying to reach our goals,” Godon said. “Making music is not easy. I’m discovering, more and more, it is a shark’s world. But that’s just the way it is. We’re still just trying to do the best we can.”

Fast forward several years, and the duo have performed at festivals like Osheaga, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Pop Montreal, Canadian Music Week, and, most recently, Mile Ex End Montreal. They’ve worked with local producer, Kaytranada, on the single “Blind,” and with Ryan Playground on the song “Lead Us,” one of Beko’s favourite collaborations.
“When we do it live […] she’ll be accompanying us without the beat, so it’s just her acoustic guitar and our voices,” Beko said. “It’s super cool to do. Since our music is mostly electronic, we do one formula of our show where it’s us and a sampler, but it’s fun to break it down sometimes and make it acoustic and intimate.”

For those who have yet to add Heartstreets to their playlists, Godon and Beko have some recommended starter tracks. “Listen to ‘Under My Skin’ and ‘Cruising With You,’ which are two of our most popular songs that have very different vibes,” Godon said.

“Completely different vibes, but you’ll feel a continuity in the music because, like Gab said, when we’re together there’s this vibe we give off,” Beko added.

Up next for the pair is a new song, this time a collaboration with francophone singer, Ariane Brunet, who goes by L’Isle. “It’s our first feature in French, our first bilingual song, and it’s awesome,” Beko said. The song is set to be released on Sept. 21. Beyond that, Godon said the duo are continually exploring their collaborative creativity and are excited to see where it takes them next. “We really do this because we like making music and we like sharing it with our fans and performing. It’s just for the pleasure of being able to share that.”

Photo by Mackenzie Lad

Categories
Concordia Student Union News

CSU approves $50,000 drug cap

Graphic by @spooky_soda

The insurance limit will safeguard its plan from large claims.

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) has approved a $50,000 cap on prescription drug coverage for every student under its health insurance plan.

In a special council meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 22, the union voted to introduce the cap following the recommendation of its health insurance provider, Alliance pour la santé étudiante au Québec (ASEQ).

In a letter to the union, the ASEQ said the $50,000 maximum is necessary to safeguard the health plan from abnormally large claims. “We are not aware of any students who have made claims to this level,” the organization said. “While the risk is abstract, it is not zero, and an overall limit is therefore recommended as a precautionary measure.”

“Recent developments in pharmaceuticals have led [ASEQ] to reassess the risk for the CSU,” the letter said. “Specifically, we are concerned about new specialty medications, including biological medications, which can be extremely expensive.”

Under the new rules, students who take prescription drugs will only be reimbursed up to $50,000, after which point they will have to cover any extra costs. The cap applies to all prescription drugs covered by the health plan.

Under the previous regulations, one abnormally high prescription drug claim could have led to a fee increase for every student, from 5 per cent for a claim over $25,000, to 35 per cent for a claim over $300,000.

The letter from the ASEQ further states that the CSU was the last student union in Quebec without such a cap on prescription drug claims. CSU Finance Coordinator John Hutton said the previous administration was approached by the ASEQ in January to change its regulations, but action was never taken.

Hutton said this limit is well above any claim a student is likely to make. According to documentation provided by the CSU, the highest claim made by any student since 2012 was $33,572.89 in the 2013-14 academic year, followed by $16,810.99 in 2014-15.

“This policy will not mean that people will be denied healthcare,” said Hutton. “It means that when the insurance plan the student has is insufficient to cover [their condition], it will give them opportunities to activate what’s called a compassionate care clause that a lot of pharmaceutical companies are required to have.” Such clauses offer coverage for drugs not covered by public healthcare or insurance, with the exact terms and conditions varying from company to company.

“We are there to help make sure compassionate care clauses get activated,” said Hutton.

Although the new rules also prevent intentional exploitation of the system, Hutton said this was never the primary goal of the cap.

Other forms of insurance provided by the CSU already have limits. According to the ASEQ, the union’s dental plan has an annual maximum of $750, and its travel plan can cover claims up to $5 million.

All Canadian undergraduate students who have not opted out are covered by the plan. International students are covered by a different plan, which is not administered by the CSU.

Students can learn more about the CSU’s health and dental plan on the union’s website.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

Categories
Opinions

The past, the present and the press

Concordia's first official mascot, "The Stinger". Archive photo by Jonas Papaurelis.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of The Concordian newspaper. In those 35 years, the student-run newspaper has undergone major shifts—just like any form of media. We believe that at any point in time, the media reflects the values of the society it thrives in. They say history is written by the victors (read: oppressors?), and what is the press but a first draft of the history books. With this in mind, we can appreciate that the voices highlighted in a newspaper in 1983 were much different from those that find space in a newspaper today. But that isn’t to say both newspapers, at both moments in time, weren’t important.

A university is home to diverse voices and ideas, and therefore, should support a platform where all of these unique perspectives can be heard. While a student newspaper doesn’t necessarily give every person a voice, it certainly helps recognize our collective ideas as we elevate even the voices pushed to the margins. We at The Concordian are proud to use our tools and platform to shed light on important issues that make up Concordia University.

A look through our archives shows that even in the year 1990, the idea of women walking home at night and their safety was a concern. Even though, with the recent #MeToo movement, it might seem like this is a conversation we’re only beginning to have, it’s safe to say this issue has been present for years—centuries, actually. Other stories in past issues of The Concordian emphasized gun control laws in Canada and the mistreatment of marginalized groups by law enforcement.

In 2018, these issues are still at the forefront of our minds. The news constantly reiterates these concerns, and rightfully so. But it’s both troubling and refreshing to learn that these same issues were being highlighted in our newspaper three decades ago. Troubling because these problems are still so ever-present; refreshing because we’re glad these stories were given a platform in our newspaper.

That’s not to say The Concordian has always been a place for pieces that empower voices and highlight necessary topics. Just like other media throughout the ages, its content is a reflection of the time and place in which it exists. It is undeniable that the voices and stories of many have long been silenced—and are still being ignored—by the bulk of mainstream news and entertainment outlets. Since minority experiences were (and are) often seen as inferior to those of the social majority, news outlets reacted accordingly. The sentiment of “give the people what they want” was solidified in our history.

Here at The Concordian, we do not deny our part in perpetuating harmful narratives in past years. However, as much as we work to adapt to changing social norms and values, we also aim to maintain ideals of inclusivity, respect and honour. Every week, we work to produce content that is representative of what matters to students at Concordia. As we begin this new year, we’d like to thank our fellow students for supporting our endeavours, and for allowing us to tell your stories. We love hearing from you, so please do not hesitate to reach out. Our hope is that somewhere amongst our pages, you find something you can identify with.

Concordia’s first official mascot, “The Stinger”. Archive photo by Jonas Papaurelis.

Categories
Opinions

Editorial: Sad, stressed and spread too thin

Graphic by Wednesday Laplante.

Whoever said absence makes the heart grow fonder was obviously lying. Absence from university does not make the heart grow fonder. In fact, saying goodbye to summer just makes our distaste for the demands of university grow stronger. While we’d love to write a hopeful and chirpy editorial about back to school thoughts, we at The Concordian thought it’d be best to be honest during this time of year.

If you’re looking for a happy editorial, you should probably stop reading now. Actually, scratch that––we’ll always welcome readers, both new and old. But, let’s be honest here: most of us aren’t happy about coming back to Concordia. And if you are happy, then well…that’s pretty great, actually. We’re happy for you. But for those of you who are in the same boat as us, let’s use this space to rant about how crappy this upcoming semester will be.

Let’s face it: most of us are probably going to end up with bad teachers––or worse, we’ll end up being forced to teach ourselves the material because our professors will read off of useless PowerPoints. Sometimes, Rate My Professor doesn’t do its job in helping us choose the best instructors. “Hot” and “Easy” aren’t good enough criteria at this point. Will our professors make us uncomfortable by making inappropriate jokes? Will they deduct points if our margins aren’t the right size?

As if that’s not stressful enough, most of us are probably scrambling to try and figure out what our next move is. Should we apply for that internship that seems too good to be true? Should we plan to get a master’s because our first undergrad seems to be completely useless? So many choices, yet so little motivation to pursue any of them.

And for those of us who actually do have side gigs at the same time as school, the word “balance” seems like a made-up term used by wizards. How are we expected to balance our work life and school life, when it feels like we don’t even have lives at all? Working our bottoms off at a part-time, minimum wage job to earn some money while simultaneously writing 14 pages for a one credit course is clearly an unrealistic expectation. Not only that, but our CV needs some “pizazz” too — we need volunteering experience, organization names and reference letters from people who are supposed to vouch for our crappy characters. Where do we find the time and energy for all of this?

The truth is, university isn’t always a fun time. And we should stop being expected to live our best lives at a time where everything just doesn’t seem that great. It’s okay to be mediocre, and it’s okay to strive for an average university experience. We don’t need to constantly sign up for organizations—we don’t need to put more on our plate than we can handle just so our CV looks great. We can be regular kids, who attend class (sometimes) and we should be okay with this. Whoever said university is supposed to be the best time of our lives was probably living in Finland, where education is actually considered to be the best. In reality, most of us aren’t having a great time. We’re acne-ridden, stressed, depressed and certainly not well-dressed.

In all seriousness though, having access to higher education is a privilege, one that we at The Concordian don’t take for granted. Having said that, returning to the world of academia can be daunting and discouraging. Take a deep breath, have a moment of silence for your impending student debt and know that you’re not alone in feeling a little hopeless at this time of year.

Welcome back.

Graphic by Wednesday Laplante

 

Categories
Concordia Student Union News

Unauthorized $24,000 expense leads to CSU investigation

Former CSU General Coordinator Omar Riaz. Photo by Etienne Lajoie

Concordia Student Union (CSU) executives are seeking further information involving the actions of former general coordinator Omar Riaz who allegedly incurred an expense of more than $24,000 without proper approval on July 17, 2017. The payment was made to Deloitte and Stantec, two consulting firms, to consider the viability of purchasing a building to extend club spaces.

Deloitte conducts the CSU’s annual audits, but Deloitte and Stantec were contracted on-and-off for this project. The union’s finance coordinator, John Hutton said that when Riaz signed the three letters of engagement with Deloitte and Stantec, the letters needed to be approved by the financial committee. The committee consists of the CSU council and the Student Space Accessible Education and Legal Contingency (SSAELC) fund committee.

According to Hutton, so far, there is no proof Riaz consulted with any of the three bodies.

General coordinator Sophie Hough-Martin said the CSU currently has an outstanding debt to the two firms because of the consultation. The payments to Deloitte and Stantec are still pending and are to be paid through the SSAELC funds. Hough-Martin added that council felt Riaz should be held accountable for his actions.

On June 14, 2017, council voted against a motion to buy a new building for club spaces. According to Hough-Martin, at the time, council did not believe sufficient research, planning or visioning had been conducted to warrant purchasing the building.

During the first council meeting of the following academic year, however, council faced three invoices totaling at $24,033.32 to be paid to Deloitte and Stantec for conducting a consultation on purchasing a building on Bishop Street. The invoices were filed under the names of Omar Riaz and Robert Henri, the CSU’s current general manager. The invoices were commissioned on July 17, 2017.

During the 2018 council meeting, finance coordinator Hutton presented the invoices, since he needed council’s approval to pay the consultation fees. Hutton told The Concordian that he spoke to Riaz during an informal meeting shortly after the invoices were brought to his attention in May 2018.

According to Hutton, the executives didn’t know about the invoices or the letters of engagement earlier, because Riaz had ignored them for many months.

According to the CSU’s standing regulations, an approved amount between $10,000 and $50,000 must be further approved by the finance committee. The finance committee is comprised of the finance coordinator, four councillors and one member-at-large.

Former general coordinator, Omar Riaz said that several councillors pushed for professional advice. “Council overwhelmingly requested that the executive [team] seek professional opinion in regards to what is included in the reports,” Riaz told The Concordian. “The building was not in our interest, and [we] finally did not buy it. This was not a unilateral decision as council requested it and executives were aware of it.”

Nonetheless, Hutton said Riaz still needed approval from the three parties. “I believe Omar when he says he believes that he had a mandate to reach out to professionals for opinions,” Hutton said. “He still had to get approval to initiate the contracts.”

On June 18, Hutton sent Riaz an email with specific questions to clarify the situation, since his inquiries had not been answered during their informal meeting. In the email, Hutton asked Riaz to confirm whether or not he consulted the necessary parties before incurring the expenses.

On June 13, council moved that the outstanding debt should be paid from the SSAELC fund, which is usually used for renovations of student spaces and unforeseen legal issues.

The executives have consulted their legal team on the extent to which the CSU’s bylaws

were violated and how to respond to the violation, as mandated by council during the 2018 meeting. According to Hutton, their lawyer advised them to investigate the matter and obtain all of the facts. The CSU has not yet commenced any legal action.

“As a team, we are coming up with a solution to make sure that actions like this don’t happen in the future […], and that we come up to a reasonable solution to this issue, because we don’t believe student money should be spent in this way without proper accountability and oversight in the future,” Hough-Martin said.

Photo by Etienne Lajoie

Categories
News

Concordia’s sexual misconduct task force’s issues its recommendations

Concordia University released the report of its task force on sexual misconduct and sexual violence on June 26. Training sessions, a step-by-step guide for filing complaints, an online hub and the implementation of a standing committee on sexual misconduct and sexual violence were recommended as key steps to moving forward.

Alan Shepard, Concordia University’s president launched the task force in January 2018, in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual violence in the creative writing department. Its mandate is to consult the Concordia community about problems with the university’s policies and procedures concerning sexual misconduct and violence. To do so, the task force collected information and data through community conversations, surveys, and community members’ feedback.

To clarify Concordia’s Policy on Sexual Violence, the report recommended a wider definition of sexual violence and specific examples to include power imbalances and coercion. It also added that the discouragement of relationships between students and employees should be better emphasized in the Code of Rights and Responsibilities and Consensual Romantic or Sexual Relationships Guidelines.

A survey issued by the task force at the end of April was completed by over 1,500 community members, which was comprised of over 900 students and almost 600 faculty and staff members. Their level of familiarity with the current policies and resources available at Concordia was significantly weak, with an average rating of 2.1 out of 5. To address this lack of knowledge, the task force recommended that the university write a step-by-step guide for filing complaints. Lisa Ostiguy, the deputy provost and chairperson of the task force said they are “creating a mapping [of the processes]. If you experience this, here’s where you could go, here’s what they do, here’s what will happen when you get there, and here are your options when you get there.”

The step-by-step guide is expected to be complete by the fall semester. It will be a collaborative effort between all parties involved, such as the Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC), the Office of Rights and Responsibilities (ORR) and campus wellness and support services, among others. For instance, Jennifer Drummond, SARC’s coordinator, is responsible for outlining the centre’s processes and services in the guide.

A significant take away from the survey is that members of the Concordia community don’t know where to find help or how the processes used to file complaints work. The task force suggested an online hub, which will likely be linked to the Concordia website, to serve as a potential solution to this issue. According to Ostiguy, it will create a place where any relevant information can be found. The hub will also be constantly updated by the task force and the soon-to-be-established standing committee on sexual misconduct and sexual violence.

The task force has also placed training and education of the Concordia community as its top priority. Due to Bill 151, training will be continuous and mandatory, as is required in all post-secondary institutions. According to the report, the training will take multiple formats, including online and in person, and will be “sensitive to intersectional concerns” as well.

In the next two months, the task force will put together a standing committee mandated by Bill 151 to revise and implement the relevant policies and keep track of the university’s progress.

Graphic by ZeZe Le Lin

 

Categories
News

Canada’s response to the Rohingya crisis: What’s missing?

aees Ahmed, executive director of the Rohingya Human Rights Network, poses with a group of Rohingya children in an undated photo. Courtesy of Raees Ahmed

The Canadian government released its Strategy to Respond to the Rohingya Crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh on May 23. Based on the recommendations of Canada’s Special Envoy to Myanmar, Bob Rae, the report outlines the government’s plan to respond to the displacement of more than 600,000 ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine state since August 2017.

The strategy has four goals: “Alleviating the humanitarian crisis,” “Encouraging positive political developments in Myanmar,” “Ensuring accountability for the crimes committed,” and “Enhancing international cooperation.” According to the report, Canada will provide humanitarian aid to refugees in neighbouring countries, offer assistance to the communities hosting these refugees, and promote accountability for perpetrators of the crisis. Canada has pledged $300 million over the next three years towards these ends, which is short of the $600 million over four years recommended by Rae.

Kyle Matthews, the executive director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, praised Canada’s ramping up of humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees and its call for those responsible for the crisis to be brought to justice. In an interview with The Concordian, Matthews also commended Canada for having appointed a special envoy to address the Rohingya crisis. He said this is unique not only among the world’s nations, but also in Canada’s history, since such an official was never appointed to deal with similar crises in the past.

However, Matthews said the plan does not properly acknowledge those internally displaced in Myanmar. In his report, Special Envoy Rae said that, although he was not denied entry into the Rakhine state, his access was controlled and limited. Even though more than 600,000 of the estimated 1.1 million Rohingya living in Myanmar have been forcibly displaced, Matthews noted “there are still 300,000 to 400,000 who are stuck in Myanmar, and the action plan doesn’t really talk about them.” He said the situation for those still in Myanmar may be even more dangerous than for those in refugee camps in neighbouring countries.

Canada’s official strategy is guided in part by the new Feminist International Assistance Policy. Introduced in June 2017, the influence of this policy can be seen in the government’s pledges to promote the voices of women in resolving the conflict as well as devote resources to Rohingya women and girls, especially those who have been affected by sexual violence. Matthews said he hopes this policy will generate positive results, but that it is too recent to be judged adequately.

Raees Ahmed is an executive director of the Rohingya Human Rights Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the crisis and promoting the voices of Rohingya refugees. He told The Concordian that Canada’s plan is missing a concrete timeline.

“They’ve got good measures, the recommendations of Bob Rae and they’ve got a solid response in their strategy,” he said. “But when, and how? This is our big question, because time is against us.”

According to Ahmed, the issue is especially time-sensitive since the Myanmar government is allegedly destroying evidence of its actions. In February, the Arakan Project, a non-profit organization that documents human rights abuses against the Rohingya, released footage of a mass grave to The Guardian, which the organization said had since been bulldozed over.

Ahmed claimed the plan also fails to address two important consequences of the crisis: those of sex trafficking and extremism in the refugee camps. Although it is unclear to what extent extremism permeates Rohingya refugee camps, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres publicly stated: “We should not be surprised if decades of discrimination and double standards in treatment of the Rohingya create openings for radicalization.”

Additionally, the United Nations migration agency warned that, although the scope is unclear, the exploitation of Rohingya refugees—including but not limited to sexual exploitation—is widespread in refugee camps and their surrounding areas, especially in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.

Neither the strategy nor Special Envoy Rae’s report refer to the situation in the Rakhine state as “genocide.” In December, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, said the actions taken against the Rohingya contained “elements of genocide,” although he added only a court could make the official determination. Nonetheless, both Matthews and Ahmed said the Canadian government should follow through on its commitments and acknowledge the action as genocide.

“We should call a spade a spade,” Ahmed said. Under the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, of which Canada is a signatory, nations must “undertake to prevent” any action deemed to be a genocide.

The conclusion of the report on Canada’s strategy says that, “over the coming months, we will announce further elements of the strategy, keeping Canadians informed of our actions and providing support to the courageous individuals working on the front lines of this crisis.”

Photo courtesy of Raees Ahmed

Categories
News

Concordia PhD student is not welcome in the US

After being denied a US conference visa, Arabpour Roghabadi sent an email to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to thank him for Canada’s diversity. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

After a year of research comparing construction modules in Canada and the US, Concordia PhD student, Mohammadgavad Arabpour Roghabadi won’t be able to present his findings at a conference in California this June. Why? Because of where he was born.

Arabpour Roghabadi applied for a United States conference visa, after his building engineering paper was accepted for presentation during the American Association of Cost Engineers’ international conference happening from June 24 to 27. Cost engineers oversee the management and costs of building projects he explained.

After completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in construction engineering in Iran, Arabpour Roghabadi began his PhD at Concordia in January 2017, under the supervision of professor Osama Moselhi. “I wanted to work with Moselhi because he is well known in the world of engineering and has had a lot of contributions to the field,” said Arabpour Roghabadi .

After he applied for a visa as an Iranian citizen with a Canadian student visa, Arabpour Roghabadi received a letter from the United States consulate explaining he was not eligible for a visa under the Presidential Proclamation 9645, also known as the “travel ban.”

Arabpour Roghabadi felt frustrated and sad he couldn’t take part in a scientific conference simply due to his place of birth.

Per this executive order, citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Yemen, and Somalia, can no longer obtain a visa to the United States, with some exceptions. According to the proclamation, Iranian citizens may obtain a student visa or an exchange visitor visa on a case by case evaluation. The letter also informed Arabpour Roghabadi that his case was to be further reviewed by the consular office.

The letter explained he would only be granted a waiver if “denying [his] entry would cause undue hardship, that [his] entry would not pose a threat to the national security or public safety of the United States and that [his] entry be in the national interest of the United States.”

“I was asked to give the consular office all of the usernames I have on social media, all of the phone numbers I have ever had, all of the addresses I’ve had, even my family’s information,” said Arabpour Roghabadi in an interview with The Concordian. He was even asked to provide the consulate a list of all his travels in the last 15 years, as well as a certified police check. The PhD student also provided a CV and information regarding his financial standing.

Finally, he was not granted a waiver. “I was sad when I was refused [a visa] because of where I was born. In my perspective it’s a kind of racism, which should be condemned. I’m proud to be Iranian,” said Arabpour Roghabadi.

He added, “It doesn’t matter where I’m from or what my [religion is]. What’s important is how I can make contributions to the world.” With that in mind, he wrote a heartfelt letter to Justin Trudeau to thank him for being the leader of such an open and diverse country. “I wish to send a message to all students about how racism can affect the future of young people who want to make contributions, but also how Canada has the perfect platform for young people to make contributions. I’m thankful for that,” said Arabpour Roghabadi.

Moselhi will be attending conference to present his and Arabpour Roghabadi’s findings of the comparative study in building engineering, which would help give a more accurate estimation of the cost of construction.

The state of Hawaii is leading an effort to overturn the travel ban. The Supreme Court of the United States is looking into the constitutionality of the proclamation versus the question of national security, and will rule on the case by the end of the month.

Ultimately the travel ban bars over 150 million people from entering the United States. Arabpour Roghabadi ended his interview with The Concordian by reading a verse by Iranian poet, Saadi Shirazi: “Human beings are members of a whole in creation of one essence […]. If you have no sympathy for human pain then the name of human you cannot retain.”

Photo by Mackenzie Lad

Categories
Arts

The domino effect

Zoé Pelchat-Ouellet’s series, Dominos, was filmed over the course of eight days. Photo courtesy of Zoé Pelchat-Ouellet.

Concordia alumna’s web series nominated in CANNESERIES

When Zoé Pelchat-Ouellet first started working as a director, several of her more experienced friends and colleagues in the film industry recommended she start off as an assistant director. “I said no, I don’t want to be an assistant. I want to be a director. I am going to direct,” Pelchat-Ouellet recalled.

A few years later, Pelchat-Ouellet’s web series, Dominos—which she wrote, cast and directed—was nominated for Best Digital Series at CANNESERIES, the Cannes International Series Festival. Shot in only eight days, the web series is composed of five short episodes and is Pelchat-Ouellet’s largest fiction project to date.

Yet, the up-and-coming director wasn’t always interested in the arts, let alone being a director. Pelchat-Ouellet described herself in high school as shy and insecure. When she moved from Quebec City back to her birth city of Montreal to enroll in Concordia’s communications studies program, she developed an interest in photography. The program gave her the chance to explore her artistic talents as she played around with film, editing and sound design.

Each episode of the web series is centred around a different character, each of them linked to one another in the overarching theme. Photo courtesy of Zoé Pelchat-Ouellet.

While on a trip to London, a year after she finished her bachelor’s degree, Pelchat-Ouellet received a call from a friend that helped guide her toward a directing career. The friend had just broken up with her boyfriend, and suggested she and Pelchat-Ouellet collaborate and create short films together.

“I made this classic list of my qualities and flaws, and what I wanted in life,” Pelchat-Ouellet said. “The conclusion, really, was to be a director. I really liked writing and photography, and I think directing is a mix of both. It made sense. When my friend called, she put it in play for me.”

Pelchat-Ouellet decided to pursue a career in filmmaking, and graduated from L’inis, a private film institute, in 2016. Her first projects were experimental photography, poetry and short films, which she often collaborated with friends to create. Shortly after graduating, Pelchat-Ouellet started getting contracts to make music videos for artists such as Fanny Bloom, Kroy, Heartstreets and Di Astronauts.

In 2015, her first fictional web series, Les Presqu’histoires, aired on Urbania, a cultural multiplatform media producer. Pelchat-Ouellet has also produced commercial advertising content for Énergie 94.3, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Keurig, Bell Media and Fondation Québec Jeunes, among other companies.

“I took a bigger risk in the beginning that spinned off pretty well,” said Pelchat-Ouellet, attributing this success to her determination to start out as a director rather than an assistant.

The filmmaker was inspired by the youth of Montreal, as well as each actor’s individual personality. Photo courtesy of Zoé Pelchat-Ouellet.

Dominos tells the story of two brothers, Toto and Adib, as they cope with their mother’s sudden death. The drama series also follows the intertwining stories of a group of teenagers whose paths cross with the brothers’. Pelchat-Ouellet said the show reminded her of Skins, a British drama which gained attention for its cutting edge and raw portrayal of youth. Although every episode of Dominos is centred around a different character, the two shows share similar themes.

Showcasing the hazards of life, Dominos explores personal issues with touching, poetic and comedic tones. Pelchat-Ouellet said she was not only inspired by the youth in Montreal, but by each actor’s individual “vibe” and personality while shooting. This led to a fresh, in-the-moment experience on set.

As the character Toto describes in the series: “We’re like little dominoes that fall on each other; we just have to learn how to fall right.”

You can watch Dominos on TV5’s website. 

Photos courtesy of Zoé Pelchat-Ouellet

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