Hisham Saadi, the man who sent a letter threatening to detonated bombs at Concordia, will be back in court on Nov. 9 for his trial. Photo by Ana Hernandez
The CSU offers support to students, administration yet to update about any building closures on March 2 and 3
After a bomb threat against Muslim members of the Concordia community caused building evacuations at the downtown campus, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) and students are standing in solidarity and offering their support.
Since publication of this article, a 47-year-old man has been arrested on the early morning of March 2 in connection to bomb threats imposed on Concordia campus, according to the Montréal Gazette.
The bomb threat was made by the “Concordia chapter” of the Council of Conservative Citizens of Canada (C4) in a statement released on the morning of March 1 to various student groups and media outlets—including CJLO 1690AM, Concordia’s community radio station.
In the press release, C4 stated “between March 1st at noon and March 3rd at 2 pm, [they] will DETONATE once per day small artisanal amateur explosive devices that [they] planted on two floors of the Hall bldg and one floor of the EV bldg.”
Concordia President Alan Shepard announced in a written statement Wednesday afternoon that students and faculty would be allowed to return to class as of 6 p.m. Shepard thanked community members for their patience.
In reaction to the events, the CSU’s executive team released a statement, in which they called the threat an act of terror, and reminded students that the white supremacist rhetoric we presume is only south of the border is a reality in Canada too.
The CSU executive team assured the Muslim community that they will continue advocating for their right to pray on campus. “We are currently coordinating with all relevant parties at Concordia University to ensure every student’s access and safety, and with the SPVM in their investigation,” the executive team said in their official statement.
The CSU reminded Muslim community members targeted by this type of hatred to seek support from the CSU Advocacy Centre—which provides aid for students facing discrimination and violence—or the CSU Legal Information Clinic, which offers students legal information and referrals.
The Centre for Gender Advocacy and the Muslim Student Association (MSA) were mentioned by the CSU as other services students seeking aid could reach out to.
In their statement, the CSU called on the university’s administration to cancel classes for the remainder of the week, since the C4’s threat specified that attacks would take place on March 1, 2 and 3. The CSU said they want to ensure the safety of Muslim students, staff and faculty.
Despite the fact that classes at Concordia resumed on Wednesday evening, Assistant to the Dean Lauren Broad sent out an email stating the Concordia Council of Student of Student Life (CCSL) meeting planned for March 3 would be moved from the SGW campus to the Loyola campus.
Students and other Concordia community members linger outside EV building. Photo by Ana Hernandez
In the email, Broad said the meeting was moved to “ensure full participation” since “some people may feel nervous about the statements in the media regarding the rest of the week.”
A petition has been created in support of ensuring the safety of students, particularly Muslim students at Concordia. The petition calls for Concordia to provide academic amnesty for students who request it––in other words, students would not be penalized for missing exams, labs, tests, quizzes or any evaluation that may take place between now and March 3.
As stated on the petition page, “this petition does not call for a cancellation of all classes, but for a guarantee from Concordia that students feeling unsafe will not be penalized for missing class.”
In addition to the support system offered by the CSU, other students have offered solidarity and a lighthearted approach to the recent events.
Concordia student Farhan Chöwdhury created a Facebook event, “Fight Against Flipflophobia,” with his sister Tahrim, to encourage students to wear flip flops on March 2. This unusual show of solidarity is in response to C4’s criticism of Muslim men wearing flip flops as they walked from the bathroom to the prayer room in the Hall building.
“We decided to be lighthearted about it because reading the thing made it seem silly. Now the bomb threat is serious—but the anti-Muslim bit there was a joke. It should be ridiculous that people are offended by others wearing flip flops and that’s what we want to get across,” said Farhan, who said he’s grown accustomed to anti-Muslim sentiments, and finds it ridiculous to fathom that C4 would make a bomb threat over Muslim men in flip flops.
The Concordianreached out to the university to ask whether there would be building closures on March 2 and 3, but they did not respond before this article’s deadline. However, according to the CBC, Concordia will be increasing patrols of its private security officers, and Montreal police will be present outside campus for the rest of the week.
Buildings evacuated due to letter threatening Muslim students at Concordia
Concordia University has taken a number of security measures after a letter was sent to the Concordia radio station CJLO and Muslim Student Association (MSA), among other groups, threatening to plant a bomb in the EV and Hall buildings of Concordia’s downtown campus on March 1.
The measures include an evacuation of the threatened buildings, shutting down the Concordia tunnel system, and cancelling classes and academic activities in the GM building. The JMSB building and the Webster library are still open for student use.
The letter, which was sent by the “Concordia chapter” of the Council of Conservative Citizens of Canada (C4) claimed that, “between March 1st at noon and March 3rd at 2 pm, [they] will DETONATE once per day small artisanal amateur explosive devices that [they] planted on two floors of the Hall bldg and one floor of the EV bldg”.
Photo by Ana Hernandez
The group claimed that this decision was prompted by the fact “Donald Trump is now in office south of our border” and that they would not tolerate the “behavior” of Muslim students. The group claims the proposed violence will continue until Concordia halts “religious activities of all kinds” on campus—but later says their intention is for the university to halt Muslim religious activity specifically. The group claims the bombs are not “meant to kill anybody,” but are intended to cause injury to Muslim students, and “some non-Moslems may be collateral damage.”
The timing of the bombs correlate with Concordia’s Islamic Awareness Week, where, according to the organization’s website, the MSA was planning on “[sparing] no expense” to “clear up any misconceptions about Islam” with a number of displays and workshops in the 7th floor lounge of the Hall Building, an area often used for worship and religious activities.
According to Rami Yahia, Internal Affairs Coordinator of the CSU, the MSA and CSU are in contact about new security measures going forward to help the MSA. The CSU stands in solidarity with Muslim students and all victims of Islamophobia, said Yahia.
Upon receiving the letter at approximately 9:46 a.m. on Wednesday, the CJLO news editor and managing editor reported it to the police.
Photo by Ana Hernandez
For hours, campus activity carried on as usual. Students were not publicly informed of the threat, and all floors and buildings remained open. However, numerous security guards made rounds through the Hall Building, checking garbage cans and taking note of possible suspicious activity.
At approximately 11:30 a.m., an alarm went off throughout the building, and an overhead voice warned students to promptly leave and “get away from the building.”
Photo by Ana Hernandez
Despite this, the initial response from students in the Hall Building’s 7th floor lounge was far from panic—it took a few minutes for many students to respond, and pockets of students remained in the building, talking amongst themselves. Even the Green Beat Cafe continued to serve customers.
The casual response was likely due to the fact it had not been publicly announced that the nature of the evacuation was a bomb threat. Jonathon Clarke was one of many students who remained unworried by the initial alarms.
“Usually, in evacuations, there’s a continuous beeping,” Clarke said. “I’m honestly more worried about the sound system, the response to future emergency situations.”
Eventually, even the most reluctant students were forced to evacuate, and the Hall and EV buildings, as well as the downtown campus’ tunnel system, was shut down to everyone except security and police.
The Guy-Concordia metro station was briefly shut down, with metro cars not stopping at the station. Once it resumed to regular service, the indoor entrance from the university remained inaccessible.
“I don’t know what happened,” said student Tom DaMagnez, who was in the Hall Building to hand in a midterm assignment. “I went in and immediately people told me I had to leave. I thought it was a fire.”
“We are shocked that such hateful and violent expression of intolerance has targeted our community,” Concordia University said in a written statement. “There is no room for such threats in our society. Concordia is a university that embraces diversity as a key element of who we are. We will support each other and make sure we remain a welcoming, inclusive institution for all students, staff and faculty.”
Concordia officials have claimed that the evacuated buildings and classes may resume at 6 p.m., but this is subject to change. Security guards are currently monitoring the evacuated spaces, and students are warned to take caution and stay informed by checking the Concordia website for updated information.
Part-time music vocal instructor Irene Feher brings out the musicality in all her students
As I prepare my recorder for the interview I’m about to have with part-time music professor Irene Feher, she takes a seat at the grand piano in the room. We’re in a music class in the MB building. “I’ll be comfortable sitting here,” she says, as her fingertips glide across the piano keys. The lights above her illuminate her body, which sits tall and straight at the piano bench. She begins to improvise a few piano chords while humming.
A few bars later, she is singing a series of oohs and ahs. There’s no method to how she’s doing it—it is free, it is random. But there is a power—a meaning, a feeling—in the jibberish. I knew by the goosebumps running down my arm, and the wide-eyed gaze I had listening to the combination of sounds. And that, Feher would say, is the art of improvisation in music.
Improvisation wasn’t a big part of Feher’s life until a few years ago. But coincidentally, her late aunt, Annie Brooks, used to improvise all the time when she was young.
“Annie used to spontaneously break out into song,” Feher said. “And it’s funny because I feel the importance of it more now than I did when I was experiencing it in the moment. She could sing and improvise… It was just astonishing to listen to the breadth of her expression, and the colours she would put into her voice.” She was one of Feher’s early musical influences.
“Music has just been in my life for as long as I can remember. It’s kind of a clichéd statement that people make, that you don’t choose a music career—the music chooses you,” said Feher.
Originally untrained vocally, she learned to sing through being in bands. In the 80s, Feher performed regularly and went on tour, singing a lot of dance and rock music. She had a popular music background, but the now mezzo-soprano had a limited range at the time. “[I was] singing a lot of guy stuff, you know the very deep black velvet type singing,” she said, mimicking a deep voice. “But I had so much guts. I just went for it.”
Ultimately, she found the bar scene too tiring and unstable. In 1990, Feher began taking vocal lessons with classical music teacher Huguette Tourangeau, to help expand her range and improve her voice. Through Tourangeau, she discovered the world of classical music.
Classical music simply spoke to Feher. “I remember Huguette telling me, ‘you have a classical soul,’” said Feher.
Five years later, Feher made the courageous choice of going back to school at 30—to study music at Concordia. Her decision was met with disapproval from her father, who thought she should do something more practical, like an office job. However, Feher strongly felt she needed to pursue music.
“I knew I wasn’t going to have a big classical music career, I started way too late. But I knew whatever the outcome would be, I’d be much happier,” she said.
“I was probably one of the few 30-somethings who would be getting up in the morning saying ‘I’m going to school, oh my God!’ I felt like a kid,” she said with a big, bright smile. “I couldn’t wait to get to class. Concordia was just this place that allowed me to foster my passion, and not feel judged.”
She noted one of her professors, Beverly McGuire, as someone who had great influence on her, because they came from similar backgrounds—in popular music. “A lot of the people who go straight into classical training either have parents who are classical performers, or they’ve been exposed to [classical] music all their lives, or they’ve been studying from a very young age… I didn’t have that,” she explained. “My hero at the time was Barbra Streisand.”
She now works alongside many of the professors who taught her, including McGuire. Feher began teaching at Concordia in 2009.
Currently, Feher teaches one music course at Concordia called Private Study – Classical and Contemporary Voice, which is offered at various levels. She sees students individually for vocal lessons.
Irene Feher is a part-time vocal teacher at Concordia. Photo by Frederic Muckle.
“It’s been a wonderful experience, because I see students from all kinds of different backgrounds, many of them having backgrounds resembling my own,” she said. She explained some students may be singer-songwriters, some may be actors wanting to learn music, some may have been playing gigs all their lives—they’re all unique.
She has learned a lot about her students over the years. “I’ve learned to listen to every student as an individual. By listening better, I’m trying to allow them to be the best individuals they can be. It’s not about making a bunch of cookie-cutter singers,” she said. “It’s about having these individuals bring what they already have to the table, and making that grow. It’s the diversity of the Concordia students that makes it a very exciting atmosphere.”
Within the part-time faculty union, Private Study teachers at Feher’s level of seniority can teach a maximum of 12 students. This semester, Feher has 10 students. Feher explained part-time Private Study teachers are paid on an hourly basis, but only for the time spent in the classroom. Feher said, however, there is a lot of work that goes on outside lessons, such as emailing students, preparing schedules, learning the pieces the students will be singing, among other tasks.
“I think there is less understanding university-wide of what goes on to make those lessons successful—what has to go on outside of those lessons,” she said. “If I were to offer a suggestion, I think all Private Study teachers should meet, and a consensus can be agreed upon as to an average number of hours that are actually put into class preparation, and that could be mandated into the contract.”
However, Feher said there are blessings to being a part-time professor. “When you’re part-time faculty, you can still lead that whole other part of your life, which is that of an artist. I’m giving improvisation workshops, concerts, involved in some interesting research and I’m singing. So that’s the blessing.”
Prior to teaching at Concordia, Feher spent a lot of time at McGill, as she completed both her graduate and doctorate degrees in Voice Performance and Pedagogy, at The Schulich School of Music.
“McGill just opened up my eyes. It was a whole other experience because I really got the view of what formal classic training was,” she said, explaining it was also a bit of an intimidating experience. “I felt like an imposter. I felt like I didn’t belong there. Because I didn’t have that [classical] background. Because I didn’t start music at a young age.” Regardless, she said she loved her experience at McGill.
During her doctoral studies, she discovered the world of vocal science—vocology—a relatively new field about science and habilitation of the voice, through her voice teacher, professor Winston Purdy. At McGill, she was awarded the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) fellowship for her research on the use of visual feedback to instruct lyric diction. She travelled to the UK to present her work.
While she was fascinated by the scientific aspects of the voice, Feher was itching to tap into her creative side again once she completed her doctoral degree. But, a big shift occurred in her musical life—she felt stumped by her own voice. When she would get up on stage to sing, or try to sing at all, she had difficulty—anxiety, tension and restrain. She said it got to a point where even hearing other singers perform stressed her out.
“I loved my music, and I loved teaching, but there was a joy and a soulfulness that was missing for me. A part of me was not there,” she explained. “I think a part of that was my wanting so much to fit into that [classical music] expectation—and I placed the expectation on myself—of wanting to fit in and be a classical musician, because I had such respect for classical musicians.”
Feher took a short break from performing to overcome her vocal difficulties and tension. She turned to body work—yoga, meditation and the Feldenkrais Method—a type of exercise therapy aimed at improving flexibility, posture and reducing pain and tension.
In 2013, she came back to the musical world, in a new and exciting way. She went to her first session at Music For People, a non-profit organization with the goal to revitalize music-making through the art of improvisation. Feher said Music For People was an opportunity for her to go back to the basics of what music was.
“My world was rocked,” she said. “All of a sudden something had broken open. It was what I was looking for.” The biggest lesson she learned from Music For People: there are no wrong notes.
“When I improvised, I was hitting notes that I hadn’t hit in years, in fact not at all in my classical singing,” she said. “Then when I’d go back and do the classical exercises, I couldn’t do the notes… I realized the inspiration was coming from inside of me… How I feel in my body when I make music is so different now.”
She is currently part of the organization’s four-year musician leadership program, where she leads and coordinates group sessions. Upon her graduation this fall, she will be a certified Music For People facilitator.
What Feher learned at Music For People helped her as a music teacher, and she includes improvisation-based exercises in her lessons now. “The training is not only improvisation, but in facilitation. Learning how to facilitate changed my teaching. Because it wasn’t about me imparting information. It was about me enabling and bringing out the genius in the students,” she said. Feher is hoping university music programs will start integrating improvisation into formal music study.
Along with vocal challenges, Feher also openly discussed a visual challenge she has faced from birth—congenital cataracts—the clouding of the eye lens, which results in impaired vision. When she was young, she was operated on to have the lenses removed from her eyes. She is legally blind, but has low vision—which is usually described as partial sight.
“That limited me to many jobs. I can’t drive, for example. I have to enlarge text by 300 per cent. I have certain challenges,” she said. “But, in many ways, not being able to take the safe route allowed me to take the brave route. I went for what I wanted to do.”
She felt it was important for her to touch upon her visual impairment, as many students she meets face challenges, too. Her advice: look for that one thing in your life that you love to do, that you can do for hours and hours, and do it. For Feher, that is music.
“Yeah, it takes me three times longer to read something than the average person. But when I discovered that I had my little place in the sun, that I could sing a song in front of a group of people, that I could stand up in front of a group of people and have them all making music out of nothing, then I realized—it doesn’t matter that people can read three times faster than me,” she said. “We all have our own individual talents. We often focus too much on what we can’t do, than what we can do.”
If there is one change she would like to see within the industry of music education, it’s for learning music to become more accessible, more mainstream. “I love virtuosity, don’t get me wrong. I have such appreciation for great artists,” she explained. “But I believe if we have more people learning through making music together, communal music-making, I believe we would connect more with each other. I believe very strongly in the power of music to connect people.”
Other than teaching at Concordia, Feher also teaches a class at McGill and conducts singing lessons in her home studio, Living Your Music. She has been teaching privately at home since 1993. She accepts students of all levels, ages and musical styles.
This semester, she has also been facilitating a series of free improvisation workshops at Concordia called “Collabra-dabra-tory,” which take place every second Monday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in MB. 8.135. They are open to all students.
ConMUN took home 12 awards at two conferences, including the award for Best Delegation at the 2016 Montreal United Nations Conference. Photo by Megan Hunt
The Model UN delegation is already preparing for the upcoming application period
Following an incredibly rewarding semester, the Concordia Model United Nations (ConMUN) is celebrating a number of recent victories and making plans for the future. The organization took home 12 awards at two conferences, including an award for Best Delegation at the 2016 Montreal United Nations Conference.
Throughout the year, ConMUN, the university’s official model United Nations organization participates in a number of simulation competitions, where delegates debate and propose solutions to hypothetical situations involving the United Nations.
Of the 12 Concordia delegates who participated in the Montreal conference in December, seven took home individual awards, including three for Best Delegate in various model UN situations. The Best Delegation award was given to ConMUN as they received the most individual awards out of all participating delegations. The group’s success carried into 2017 with a February victory at McMUN, the McGill University Model United Nations conference.
After three days of conferences that simulated agencies within the UN and various historic events, four ConMUN delegates—Laura Galvez, Eleni Gkesoura, Julien Sinnett and Andrei Bochis—took home awards. Bochis also took home an Outstanding Delegate Award for his participation in a simulation of the Fall of Constantinople. According to Seeba Chaachouh, ConMUN’s VP of marketing social media, this is the first time the organization has received awards from both conferences.
“When the ConMUN delegation attends conferences, we represent the larger Concordia community,” said Julien Sinnett, ConMUN’s vice-president of special projects. “We show everyone in and outside of Montreal, including attendees from high school, CEGEPs and universities, how hard-working we are and our academic propensity.”
While the conferences are just simulations, ConMUN remains focused on real-world solutions. Throughout the fall semester, the delegation participated in a number of charity events, including a Christmas gift drive for homeless Montrealers and a game night event at Concordia’s downtown Hive Café to raise money for UNICEF.
Although the ConMUN delegation is proud of their recent accomplishments and philanthropic efforts, the delegation is already looking ahead to next semester, and focusing on recruiting ambitious and hardworking students to represent Concordia at future conferences.
Throughout the year, ConMUN offers training sessions for students interested in participating in conferences, as well as workshops to help students hone their debating, writing and public speaking skills.
Photo courtesy of ConMUN.
Later this semester, ConMUN will be releasing an application form for students looking to join the delegation. Sinnett explained that, after the initial application, selected applicants will be chosen after participating in two model simulations similar to what would be expected during a conference. However, Sinnett insists that ConMUN is a welcoming organization.
“All are welcome to come to ConMUN…[the organization] is important because [it] teaches people interpersonal skills and discusses important international issues,” Sinnett said.
In the meantime, students interested in joining ConMUN and representing Concordia at upcoming MUN conferences are welcome to attend training sessions from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays between Feb. 27 and March 12.
The sessions offer introductory information in applying to ConMUN, as well as writing and debating practice from seasoned ConMUN delegates. However, attendees are not obligated to apply and are welcome to use the sessions to help them with classes, other student groups or personal growth. The sessions are open to all students, regardless of department.
“We also have social events, including bake sales, where anyone can come and ask our executive team questions,” Sinnett said. Schedules for upcoming events will be available later in the semester, he added.
For more information, interested students can contact the ConMUN executive team at conmun@gmail.com for more information.
Rage Montreal is the perfect place to explore your wild side
Here’s something you might not know—you don’t need to trek three hours into the frigid, rural Quebec countryside to get in touch with your inner gruff, wild and unhinged self. No, as a matter of fact, all you need to do is stop by Rage Montreal, one of the city’s only axe throwing playgrounds located in an urban setting.
Naturally, axe throwing begs a few questions. This is really a thing? Alright, then how do you play? Is it fun? How does it work? Do I run the risk of minor to serious amputation? These are all valid concerns, of course.
Just a hop, skip and a jump away from Berri-UQAM metro on Amherst Street, you’ll find Rage Montreal, the city’s premier axe throwing facility. Entering the space, it quickly dawns on you that this place is no joke. You’re immediately greeted by rustic chain-link fences that divvy up the multiple battered and splintered target zones, while the distinct smells of sawdust and wood chips invade your nostrils. Then, of course, there are the weapons themselves. Gimli from Lord of the Rings would look on in admiration at the number of axes and hatchets of all shapes and sizes lining Rage Montreal’s walls.
You descend the stairs of this lumberjack utopia where you’re required to check in with staff on site. All attendees must reserve a time-slot and specify the number of targets they intend to use in advance. The more targets you want to reserve, the more your session will cost you.
Once you’re settled in, informal axe-wielding lessons begin. There’s no throwing at this stage yet, though. Like any sport, mastering the basic technique comes first. Instructors start by teaching the fundamentals of the sport and the proper form before axes are even brought out.
The floor, two walls and a coloured plywood target stood between the target and me. In training, I was instructed to stand approximately 15 feet from my target behind a demarcated line of tape. According to my instructor for the evening, the tape is a sort of ‘guideline.’
Graphic by Florence Yee
At this point, first-time players are introduced to their axes to get familiar with the weight, grip and feel of the weapons and to learn the all-important axe throwing stance and throw.
Not dissimilar to an en garde fencing position, bending one’s knees ever so slightly, a player’s dominant hand and foot are placed well behind the line of tape while the weaker arm and foot stand forward, on the edge of the line. Axe in hand, I got to practice the motion of the throw. With my dominant foot planted firmly on the floor behind the line and axe-wielding arm at the ready, I was instructed to grip the lowest possible point of the axe’s hilt firmly and crank my arm behind my back with the axe pointing downward, running parallel to my shoulder blades.
Here’s where it gets tricky. A ‘good throw’—in other words, a throw that will make the axe’s blade sink firmly into the wood—must not curve. The throw must align perfectly with the movement of your shoulder and follow an arced-shape trajectory, lest the player risk an embarrassing string of failed attempts.
You start off with the standard axes that most players will use and you get to throwing. Here, the rules are strict but clear. There’s one player per target and no player may throw an axe while another goes to collect his or her weapon.
Once you get the hang of it, the beauty of the sport really comes alive. As the evening went on and the speakers blared all the Black Sabbath hits, we were given larger axes to test our newfound skill with. By the end of the night, I was able to rack up a few very solid throws and two genuine bullseyes.
I may not be joining any of the axe throwing leagues organized by Rage Montreal in the near future or attending any National Axe Throwing Federation events (yes, there is a federation). However, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to pass by again and give this unique, niche sport another well-deserved go.
Rage Montreal presents an excellent opportunity for passionate axe throwers and novices alike to take part in a fascinating sport in a pleasant atmosphere that allows you to vent out the everyday frustrations and stress of Montreal city-life.
Rage Montreal is open seven days a week from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., with Tuesdays and Wednesdays reserved for special events and large group activities.
Experiencing the worst tease of your university experience
I will never forget the day I was told that I couldn’t.
It was my first semester at Concordia University. Having just graduated with a college degree in commerce at my parent’s request, I was excited to finally be in a program I was passionate about: English literature. Bring on Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot and James Joyce. Bring on the 2000-word essays, discussion questions and take-home exams.
My moment finally came when my ENGL 260: Introduction to Literary Studies professor handed out the instructions to our first written assignment. After years of memorizing formulas and digesting the 4 P’s of Marketing, I would finally be able to let my creative juices flow.
But my creative train of thought quickly derailed. I watched as the professor stiffened his posture, settled his glasses on the tip of his nose and drew in a deep, powerful breath. He proceeded to warn us not to expect any A+ grades in this class.
His rationale, he explained, was that such high grades are reserved for the level of knowledge and quality of work that graduate students produce. At this point in our academic journey, we should be content with Cs, he said.
I had been judged before writing even a single word. My confidence and my ambition—not to mention my GPA—would suffer for the simple reason that I was in my first year.
Somehow, I managed to get through the hours of reading and thinking required to write that essay. I knew there was a good chance I wouldn’t get a high grade, but that wasn’t enough of a reason for me to slack off. I couldn’t put my name on something I wasn’t proud of and, for that reason, I gave this paper my absolute all.
A couple of weeks later, an ugly “C” stared back at me in bold writing, the ink as red as my boiling cheeks.
Should I have chosen a different topic? Picked a more interesting thesis? Given different examples? After reviewing my essay with both my TA and my professor, I realized the answer to all of these questions was very simple: no. There was nothing I could have done to get a better grade.
Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot wrong with my essay. However, after speaking with my professor and T.A., I realized the ‘mistakes’ I had made in this paper were understandable mistakes that any student in their first year would have made.
As an example of their overly high expectations, I was told I should have explained what I meant by the word “well-being.” With a plethora of ways to interpret that word, how could I not provide a definition in my essay? It was a mistake any newbie could have made.
But how is it fair to penalize my current abilities just because I will be smarter by the time I graduate? Can’t I still have something meaningful to say in the meantime?
When entering a more creative program of study such as English literature, there is no calculator from which you can derive your answer. There is no formula for understanding ideas. The grading scheme of such disciplines is different and less regulated than, say, the John Molson School of Business. This difference, however, should not mean disappointment.
I am not saying I deserved to get an A+ on this particular paper. However, I do believe that it is because of this professor’s high standards for the A+ that my classmates and I received such low grades.
Whether you are a high achiever or not, the lack of A+s in a university curriculum should worry you. To treat the A+ like a hero is to villainize the student mind, and it is precisely this kind of thinking which encourages a disrespectful power dynamic between teachers and students. For the sheer fact we are paying to be here, we deserve a chance to get that A+ if we damn well work hard enough for it.
High achievers should not have to write a revolutionary piece in order to achieve good grades. Similarly, students who are content with satisfactory grades should not have to work twice as hard just to receive a passing grade.
No student should be told their best efforts aren’t good enough at any point during their academic career.
I have since encountered some professors who are willing to hand out A+ grades to well-deserving students. These were the classes which encouraged a strong atmosphere of mutual respect.
The unattainable A+ is an unnecessary tease. On behalf of students everywhere, I urge professors to leave the teasing to their own private affairs, and off the syllabus.
ESports are on the rise, especially on college campuses.
Students around campus are proving eSports are more than just video gaming
When reading any eSports article by mainstream sports media, you will see a range of opinions. Some argue eSports are legitimate sports—others not so much. But the fact is, eSports is a growing industry and will likely stick around for a while.
Universities are committing to eSports. There are diverse leagues, tournaments and scholarship opportunities popping up to support and fund competitive video gaming. For the past five years, Concordia has been developing an eSports association for those who want to play competitively against other universities.
The Concordia University eSports Association hosts different games, but is currently focusing on their Overwatch roster after earning favourable results in a couple of tournaments since the beginning of the school year.
This begs the question—what is Overwatch? The game is a team-based objective first person-shooter, which basically translates to two teams of six, composed of various characters, trying to win an objective over their opponent. The game came out in May 2016 and is still new compared to other competitive games, like Counter-Strike. The Concordia team was formed in September 2016.
On the weekend of Feb. 10, Concordia’s Overwatch team competed at LAN École de Téchnologie Supérieure (ETS), an eSports tournament held at Place Bonaventure. They placed in the top eight out of 41 competing teams.
“I loved the game and thought maybe making a team would let me enjoy [it] even more,” said Camilo Perez, the captain and coordinator of the Overwatch team. He and teammate Johnny Mak met in CEGEP and managed to get students of the same skill level together to create a competitive gaming team at Concordia.
Concordia’s eSports team made it to the top eight at LAN ETS a few weeks ago. Photos by Sabrina Ahn.
When building the team, Perez said it was important to take players’ personalities into account. If someone is toxic in the game and to their teammates, he explained, they would not be accepted, even if they play at a high skill level. “Having someone like that in the team wouldn’t make for a good environment,” Perez said.
“It’s really a team effort. So at our level of play, if someone makes a mistake, the whole team suffers,” Mak said.
Support player and shot-caller Alex Patton agreed. “We really have to trust each other,” Patton said. “Mistakes are heavy. Especially against good teams, any little mistake that we make we get punished for it.”
Their first tournament was the Tespa Collegiate Series, a web-based intercollegiate competition where participants can win up to $20,000 in scholarship money. “We played against other universities in the [U.S.], and that tournament is what sparked my interest in making the team more competitive,” Perez said. The team finished among the top eight of all the participating Eastern universities.
Since there isn’t a university league like U SPORTS for video games, the Concordia Overwatch team only participates in tournaments, such as LAN ETS or Tespa. To stay at their best and to build team chemistry, they practice two to three times a week.
Perez is the one who schedules scrimmages and practices for the team. “I set up a schedule for practice and everyone shows up. And that’s the law,” Perez said with a laugh. These practices are mostly against other Overwatch teams, such as their Université de Montréal rivals.
Yet, even when they’re not practicing, they still play the game. “We don’t necessarily have to always play together,” Perez said. “Even when we’re not practicing, we play by ourselves.”
“We [have substitute players], but we’re usually available,” Patton said when asked if the team has any backup players in case of absence or illness. In one of their tournaments, the Concordia University eSports Association vice president, Dimitri Kontogiannos, had to sub in for one of the players who was at a curling tournament.
Overall, the team has had their fair share of success in the short amount of time they’ve been together. They placed among the top eight twice in different tournaments, and won a series at Meltdown, a Montreal gaming café.
“I guess we can confidently say on record that we’re probably the best university in Quebec for Overwatch,” Perez said.
Going forward, the team has plans to stream some of their games online for fans to watch, once they find someone to voice the games. The Concordia Overwatch team is now focused on the Ligue Cyber Espoirs, an intercollegiate Montreal-based tournament in April, hosted by the Fédération québécoise de sports électroniques.
MIGS invited German anti-Semitism researcher Günther Jikeli to host the talk
Anti-semitism expert Günther Jikeli challenged Concordia students and faculty to confront Muslim-European anti-Semitism in a recent talk.
“Muslim Anti-Semitism in Europe: What Changes Can Be Expected With The New Wave of Refugees?” was presented to a dozen attendees on Feb. 17. The event was organized by the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS), a Concordia-based research group which advocates for genocide education and government intervention in cases of genocide.
Anti-Semitism, Jikeli said, is more common among Muslims than among the general European population.
Citing his own 2006 study for the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy, Jikeli said that Muslims in France, Britain, Germany and Spain were on average 10 times more likely than the general population to hold “very unfavorable” views of Jews.
In Spain alone, 60 per cent of Muslims held “somewhat unfavorable” or “very unfavorable” views of Jews, according to Jikeli’s research. In a 2014 survey by French think tank Fondapol, more than half of French Muslims felt Jews had too much influence in politics, the media and the economy.
Jikeli addressed four distinct forms of Muslim anti-Semitism based on his own survey of European Muslims. Photo by Ana Hernandez.
Jikeli said there are currently 22 million Muslims within the European Union, representing 4.3 per cent of the total population. Seventy per cent of them live in the U.K., France or Germany.
Based on his own survey of European Muslims, Jikeli identified four distinct forms of Muslim anti-Semitism: hatred grounded in conspiracy theories about Jews and their influence, anti-Zionism that associates all Jews with Israel, ethnic narratives about Jews and Muslims being sworn enemies, and anti-Semitism with no clear foundation.
Jikeli said there is no correlation between anti-Semitism and economic status or education, areas in which European Muslims are often disadvantaged.
MIGS Executive Director Kyle Matthews. Photo by Ana Hernandez.
Despite these findings, Jikeli cautioned against sweeping generalizations. “[European Muslims] are very diverse and even in conflict with each other very often,” Jikeli said. He also warned of European Islamist organizations which claim to represent Muslims, but are statistically viewed unfavorably by many European Muslims.
Jikeli identified other sources of anti-Semitism in Europe as well, including far-right nationalism and anti-Zionism from the political left.
According to MIGS Executive Director Kyle Matthews, Jikeli’s findings are relevant for Canadians as well as for Europeans. “Mr. Jikeli’s research poses important ethical questions with regards to what is the best strategy to help and assist refugees fleeing war and persecution,” he said.
Jikeli said that in order to properly integrate migrants and refugees into Canadian society, Canadians must be aware of other nations’ struggles with respect to integration.
He also warned that anti-Semitism is a global phenomenon. “I think people don’t want to face that there is, today, anti-Semitism among Muslims, but also among non-Muslims,” said Jikeli. “To face it is difficult, challenging, because then we have to think sometimes about our own society.”
The Concordia Stingers will play for their first conference championship in 12 years. Photos by Alex Hutchins.
Concordia’s women’s hockey team held off the Carabins to win their best of three series 2-0
After a 6-2 win in game one of their semi-final match up against the Université de Montréal Carabins, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team won game two by a score of 3-2 and will move on to the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) finals.
“We set a lot of goals throughout the year and one of the was being top two in the division,” Stingers head coach Julie Chu said. “This win pretty much guarantees that we go to nationals so we achieved our first goal, now we still have to keep working hard.”
The Stingers started the game off slow, only registering three shots in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Carabins were able to get the puck into the Stingers zone and got solid chances on Stingers goalie Katherine Purchase, who did a good job shutting them down.
With about six minutes left in the period, the Stingers caught a break when the Carabins took a penalty for cross-checking. On the ensuing power play, Stingers forward Stephanie Lalancette scored on Carabins goalie Marie-Pier Chabot to make it 1-0.
Despite leading after the first period, Chu knew her team needed to be better.
“We didn’t start great. Montreal played with a lot of desperation and they were outworking us,” Chu said. “We were working hard but we didn’t have the same desperation.”
Halfway through the second period, the Carabins tied up the game on the power play, as forward Laurie Mercier squeaked the puck by Purchase.
The Stingers will either play Ottawa or McGill now.
Four minutes later, the Concordia Stingers regained the lead thanks to a power play goal by forward Claudia Dubois, who scored a hat trick in game one.
“The energy was great today and we knew it was our game,” Dubois said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”
In the third period, the Stingers gave everything they had to hold off the Carabins. However, with just under four minutes left, Carabins forward Jessica Cormier scored on a shot that surprised Purchase, which tied the game at two.
Instead of getting discouraged and waiting for overtime, the Stingers went right back on the attack and just a minute later, Dubois scored her second goal of the game on a wraparound.
Dubois’ goal made the score 3-2 for the Stingers. The team hung on all the way until the final buzzer.
“We knew they could score and when they did our energy and our mindset never changed,” Dubois said. “We just wanted to score the next goal and we did it.”
Purchase was a big contributor to the team’s win, stopping 38 out of 40 shots. She made key saves down the stretch, and kept the Carabins off the board in the dying minutes of the game.
“I think I just didn’t want to play tomorrow,” Purchase said when discussing the possibility of a game 3. “When you win game one you have to put them away in game two and I had to be solid. When you’re getting consistent shots it’s easier to stay in the game.”
The win marks the first time the team will be going to the RSEQ finals since 2005. Depending on the winners of the other semi-final series, the Stingers will either play the McGill Martlets or the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
A look at the passionate, up-and-coming DJ behind CJLO’s Waves of Honey
It’s 10 p.m. on a Friday night, and DJ Honeydrip just started her set. Tonight, it’s at the Ti Agrikol bar. The night starts off quiet. Intimate couples and groups chat near the bar as mellow hip-hop beats fill the air. Two young men walk into the bar and immediately start swaying to the rhythm. It’s not long before others follow suit and take to the dance floor. Honeydrip makes eye contact with one of the dancers, smiles and sways to the music. As the bar fills, she switches up the beat, shifting to some African-inspired dance tunes, and the crowd responds. Honeydrip tunes out the people standing near her, her focus now on cueing the next song. She puts one of her headphones to her ear, twists a few dials on the mixer, all while rocking her body to the music. The transition is seamless. I comment on the complexity of the equipment in front of her, and how easy she makes it look. “It used to look foreign to me too,” she says. “Trust me.”
Two years ago, before Honeydrip was Honeydrip, she was Tiana McLaughlan and she was in her first year at Concordia University. A cheerleader all through high school and CEGEP, McLaughlan was searching for a new hobby at a school that didn’t have a cheer squad. “I wasn’t quite sure what to do with my free time anymore,” she said. An advertisement in the school agenda for CJLO, the university’s radio station, caught her eye. “I was very, very keen… I wanted to meet them, to show that I was super interested,” McLaughlan said. So she set up a meeting with the station’s volunteer coordinator. “Apparently most people aren’t as keen as I am usually, so I got in right away. A week later, I was offered to apply for a show.”
McLaughlan’s radio show, Waves of Honey, features mellow electronic music and interviews with musicians and DJs. Photo by Katya Teague
McLaughlan said the vibe she aims for with Waves of Honey, her Sunday night show, is “the kind of music that people groove to, bob their head to.” She often plays hip-hop instrumentals and smooth, synth-based electronic music. “I always try to keep a mellow vibe—watching the sunset or just chilling in the park kind of music,” she said. McLaughlan said the show made her want to DJ, and gave her a weekly opportunity to practice. “It helped me learn much faster,” she said. It’s also given her the chance to connect with various musicians and DJs. Many of the artists featured on her show are people she’s met through SoundCloud. “At first, you kind of feel like every artist is out of reach—they’re famous, they must be, so there’s no way you can talk to them,” she said. “But what I’ve learned a lot is that they’re super humble, and they’re super open to being interviewed, whether they have thousands of followers or not.”
In January, McLaughlan took on the role of electronic music program director at CJLO. A major part of the job is promoting the electronic music community and connecting her station’s DJs with local artists and bigger names. She herself has been getting increasing opportunities to showcase her own DJing. On Jan. 20, she opened for Purity Ring, an electronic music duo from Alberta, at Newspeak. “Newspeak was always somewhere that I really, really wanted to play,” McLaughlan said. “It’s a place that has international DJs and performers come through, and I’m just super blessed to have gotten to play there.”
Honeydrip performing live. Photo by Mira Barbara
Ideally, McLaughlan would like to get into Concordia’s electroacoustics program. “I know a lot of people who’ve been in that program, and they’re amazing producers and artists,” she said. “I would definitely want to create my own music,” she said. “I feel like if there’s one thing I want to leave behind in this world, it would be some cool tracks.” Yet becoming a big-time performer isn’t a must for McLaughlan. She discussed career possibilities such as music editing, owning her own record label or even working for music festivals once she completes her marketing degree at Concordia.“I mean, we’ll see where life takes me,” she said. “I’m so into music in general that I don’t care where I end up, so long as I’m doing something related to music.”
It’s 10 p.m. on a Sunday night, and “you are listening to Waves of Honey on CJLO 1690AM. This is your host, Honeydrip.” The show kicks off with “Racquets” by Indian Wells. McLaughlan adds a personal touch to the atmospheric instrumental, playing around with some effects on her mixer. “Some DJs like playing around with effects. Others not so much,” she said. I ask her if she’s the kind who does. She grins and nods enthusiastically as she twists a dial, highlighting the toc-toc tennis sounds that inspired the song’s title.
Later in the show, she interviews Canadian DJ Kid Koala. She’s a little nervous, but soon they’re having an animated discussion about his innovative, unorthodox way of practicing scratching using the wax paper burger wrapping from his fast food job before he could afford proper equipment. “Very primitive, humble beginnings,” he tells her. “But also very joyful times.” Sounds not unlike the circumstances McLaughlan currently finds herself in.
Tune in to Waves of Honey every Sunday night from 10 to 11 p.m. on CJLO 1690AM.
Warraich and his siblings as children. From left to right, Ahmed, Qasim, Fatima and Mohammed.
One Concordian’s honest portrait of what his faith means to him
As a Canadian-born Muslim, I’ve learned to live and grow in this country during one of the most trying times for Muslims around the world. Faith seriously entered my life when I was eight years old. My father had just been diagnosed with lymphoma and leukaemia, and his situation was quite dire.
We had been a relatively religious family up until this point, going to the mosque most Fridays and spending time within the Muslim community. However, my father’s sickness deepened our faith. We heavily relied on God and on our knowledge of the Islamic faith to get through that hard time.
Warraich’s father and brother
At the worst point of his sickness, it seemed not much more could be done, so my father planned a visit to the holy city of Mecca. There, he performed the Islamic hajj pilgrimage—a must for any Muslim before they die. After his pilgrimage, my father had a miraculous recovery, which further solidified his faith, and our family’s faith.
Religion is all around us. For thousands of years, it has been a driving force behind civilizations and understanding societies and the people who fill this planet. Sadly, it has also been the cause of many acts of war, genocide and persecution—whether it is a group of people using religion as a front to further their own political motives and agendas, or a group being persecuted for following a particular religion.
It seems to me that, these days, people increasingly dislike the concept of religion. Many cite it as outdated and the cause of the barbaric acts of violence we have all seen throughout the world.
I have found it difficult to refute these ideas in discussions with nonreligious or atheist people. Many who don’t practice any religion know very little about religion. As such, I believe when people see images and videos of people carrying out acts of violence in the name of religion, they paint a picture of that religion based solely on the brutality—ignoring all the positive sides of religion.
Islam is based on five pillars all Muslims should adhere to. The first pillar is “ shahada,” a declaration that there is only one God, and the Prophet Muhammad is the last of his messengers. The second pillar is “salat,” a prayer Muslims perform five times a day. The third pillar is “zakat,” which means giving charity to the poor and to those in need. The fourth pillar is “sawm,” which is the act of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. The final pillar is “hajj,” the pilgrimage to Mecca.
These pillars represent the basis on which Islam was created. Growing up, my parents really emphasized the importance of kindness and generosity.
“This should be the focus of your time here on earth,” they’d say. Islam’s pillars reinforce kindness. This is why faith plays such a big part in my life. Many people say: “What if it’s all fake? And you’ve lived your life trying to be good all for nothing?” Yet, that is the point of Islam and many other religions in the first place—to sacrifice, and live your life for others, having faith that this is your purpose.
Warraich’s father (top left), with his siblings and other relatives
For me, regardless of whether it’s all fake or not, religion has taught me these key principles. To be kind, generous, empathetic, honest and to help people, regardless of their faith. Living with these ideals and trying to uphold them regularly is, in my opinion, a good way to live your life—this is regardless of what you feel happens after we die. This is why I find religion so powerful.
On Jan. 29, in la grande mosquée de Québec in Quebec city, six men, four of whom were fathers to young children, were massacred as they stood for evening prayer. The term I want to introduce here is “shahid.” This word is used to denote a martyr, a person who has died fulfilling a religious commandment.
Though people will say these men were not fighting for Islam in the typical way we think of today, these men are the brightest and most valued of Muslims—innocent, humble and hardworking fathers who were taken from this world and from their children too early. We must not forget what happened almost 10 days ago, we must not forget the names of these men, and we must always remember what they and their families were forced to go through in order to shed light on the problems our society faces. May they find their way into eternal paradise and may their families be lessened of the burden they now face.
Concordia’s professor and editor shares his passion for film with students
Spaghetti western enthusiast, film studies lecturer and editor of the world’s longest-running online film journal, Donato Totaro has been teaching part-time at Concordia for the past 27 years. The courses he teaches, including “Introduction to Film Studies” and “Film Aesthetics,” are all within the film studies program, part of the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, where he shares his passion for film with his students.
Photo courtesy of Concordia.
Totaro completed a bachelor of fine arts at Concordia, a master’s in fine arts at York University and received a PhD in film and television from the University of Warwick. He is one of the reasons why Concordia has been the main venue for the Fantasia International Film Festival for the past 14 years and counting. He is every cinephile’s dream professor, as his motion picture knowledge will astonish all film buffs. His passion for film began when he was just a kid, trying to stay awake for his first late-night horror film. “I was 13 or 14. My uncle was only seven years older than me and he said: ‘This weekend at midnight, there’s a film called ‘I was a Teenage Werewolf.’ It’s a horror film from the late 50s. I was so excited that I would splash water on my face to stay awake,” said Totaro. It was the experience of doing something a little dangerous and subversive that sparked his interest at that time, he said. “I started watching films that I wasn’t supposed to be watching. I am doing the same with my son now, getting him to watch films that maybe he shouldn’t watch,” said Totaro.
It started as a fun activity but turned into a more serious endeavour after Totaro read Film as Film, a book by renowned British film critic, Victor F. Perkins. “It was the first book that made me think about cinema from an intellectual standpoint,” said Totaro. Film as Film touches on film criticism and the importance of paying attention to description. “For Perkins, the best films were realistic, expressive films,” Totaro said. “The book is essentially film theory applied to film criticism.” Years later, Totaro went to study at Warwick University in Coventry, England, where Perkins taught. “I always remembered that book and I followed his career and wondered, ‘Where is he teaching?’ I contacted him and ended up working with him as my PhD supervisor. Sadly, Perkins passed away in the summer of 2016, at the age of 80,” said Totaro.
Totaro decided early on to focus on the academic side of film instead of the production side. However, during his master’s at York University, he got the chance to do some film production and screenwriting while he specialized in film studies. “I think it’s important to learn how films are made. If you are criticising film, at least you have an understanding of what went wrong from a technical standpoint,” said Totaro. Totaro began teaching part-time at Concordia in 1990.
From 1997 to 1998, Totaro took some time off teaching to pursue his PhD. It was also at that time that he became the editor of the online film journal, Offscreen. The French online film journal, Hors Champ, which started up in 1996, was looking to expand and create an English sister magazine, Totaro said. At the time, one of Hors Champ’s editors was taking a class at Concordia taught by film professor Johanne Larue, who still teaches at Concordia today. “The editor of Hors Champ asked Johanne Larue if she wanted to be the editor of the English version, but she did not have the time,” Totaro said. “She recommended me, so I gave it a shot.” This is how Offscreen started. “The first few years, I would just publish whenever I would have enough articles,” Totaro said. “Now, I do a new issue every month, which is five articles per month.” Offscreen, which regularly receives funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, is the longest-running online monthly film journal on the web—it has been active since 1997. “It [requires] a lot of networking,” Totaro said about maintaining the journal. “I speak to graduate students and I go to conferences and film festivals where people reach out. I also encourage young writers because the journal needs new blood and I want to give students their [first] chance at writing for a public,” said Totaro.
Before leaving Concordia to pursue his PhD, Totaro met with some of the original creators and programmers of the Fantasia Film Festival—Pierre Corbeil, Mitch Davis, Karim Hussain and Martin Sauvageau. “I met Davis and Hussain at a year end screening party. They were two crazy cinephiles. They were energetic and they were talking nonstop about cinema. They were also working on creating this festival,” said Totaro. In 1996, Totaro went to the first edition of the Fantasia Film festival at the Imperial Theatre. In 2002, the Imperial Theatre shut down temporarily for renovations, which resulted in the cancellation of the Fantasia Film Festival for a year because it had no home. Totaro had the idea of contacting Cindy Canavan, the person in charge of the screening facilities at Concordia. “She always had it in her mind that she wanted to make Concordia a venue for festivals. I introduced the creators of the festival to Cindy, and since then, the Fantasia Film Festival has taken place at Concordia for 14 years,” said Totaro.
Totaro returned in 1998 to continue teaching part-time at Concordia. The professor said being the editor for Offscreen may not have been possible if he were a full-time faculty member. “When you are not working full-time, you do not have the same salary, you don’t get the same privileges or resources, but you also don’t have as much administrative work, so it frees you up to do other things,” said Totaro. Nonetheless, it is teaching that is most important to him. “I still teach almost as much as I want to teach. I still have that engagement with students which is really what I love. I love film and research, but it’s the teaching that is really important,” said Totaro.
Donato Totaro with Ray Harryhausen on Concordia Campus. Photo courtesy of Donato Totaro.
Currently, Totaro teaches “Introduction to Film Studies” which is a course open to anyone at the university. “I introduce students to all these themes and approaches and theoretical paradigms and different types of films,” said Totaro. The professor also teaches “Film Aesthetics” which is a flagship course for all cinema major students. “This class teaches students about sound, colour, montage, moving camera aesthetics and film analysis. It’s a course that is particularly appreciated by production students,” said Totaro. According to Totaro, over the years, many former students have reached out and expressed how much they loved the class. “The course is well-made and it was initially designed by full-time professor John Locke who still teaches today,” he said.
“I think that old expression applies to this course… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
On the other hand, there are issues within the Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association (CUPFA) that Totaro feels should be addressed. “It takes too long to get our collective agreements ironed out. We were once close to seven years without a collective agreement. Now, we are nearly two years into negotiating a new collective agreement,” said Totaro. The collective agreement is the contract between the university and the union that outlines working conditions—it regulates the terms and conditions of faculty members. The issues part-time professors are dealing with are not only financial but also have to do with course diminution. “Job security is clearly an issue. As part-timers, we have to reapply every year. The pool of courses is getting smaller so it’s more difficult. The people at the top with more seniority get the courses and then there are no courses left for other part-time profs,” said Totaro. Totaro also said it would be beneficial to set aside a consistent number of credits per year to allocate to the part-time faculty members.
Donato Totaro with John Carpenter at Imperial. Photo courtesy of Donato Totaro.
According to Totaro, part-time professors are losing teaching opportunities because of the increasing number of courses taught by graduate students, LTAs (limited-term appointments)—based on short term contracts and ETAs (extended-term appointments)—longer term contracts. “We want to make sure that this percentage doesn’t get larger and that our pool of courses doesn’t get smaller and smaller,” said Totaro. The part-time film professor shares his office with anywhere from five to 12 other part-time film professors. “We have to negotiate schedules so we don’t conflict. It’s a minor thing but all we want is to feel like we are part of the university and that we are respected,” said Totaro. According to Totaro, part-time professors also do not have the same resources to apply for grants. CUPFA does a good job supporting its members with its own Professional Development Fund, Totaro said, but having more research opportunities and projects with greater sustainability could also greatly benefit the part-time faculty association.
Totaro was recently excited about teaching a class about The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, one of his favourite spaghetti westerns. “I was talking to my students for weeks before not to miss this class because I was screening a 35mm print, which is rare these days,” Totaro said. “Tarantino called it the greatest film ever made.” Totaro remembers a few years back, when he screened it in class, that once the movie ended, the whole class started clapping. “I was so surprised, I almost felt like crying. I touched them. It was great to get that spontaneous reaction from students.”
“I don’t think my students make a separation between if I’m a full-time or part-time teacher. They see me and they make a distinction based on my ability as a teacher. Am I engaging? Do I seem to care? Those are the things that matter.”
