Snowyola brought together over 100 students to the Loyola Quad. Photo by Ana Hernandez
ASFA held its first winter orientation with outdoor fun at the Loyola quad
Over 100 students gathered at the quad on Loyola campus to celebrate Snowyola—the first-ever winter orientation.
The event was held by the Arts and Sciences Federation of Associations (ASFA) on Jan. 19, and ran from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. An after-party was also held at Reggies from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. During the main event, DJ Czich, who was in charge of music for the night, gave Snowyola attendees a wide variety of music to groove to. Everything from hip-hop to EDM to pop filled the air, complemented by an impressive display of colourful LED lights fixed to the DJ setup.
Partygoers had access to Molson Canadian beer, which was the official sponsor of the event. Not only was there an abundance of beer, but bags of chicken and falafel pitas were also made available from the newly-opened Boustan in NDG, along with a large tray of a variety of Subway cookies.
While Snowyola offered new and returning students a unique way to socialize and connect after the winter break, ASFA used the event as a means to fundraise and raise awareness for Dans la Rue, an organization which helps homeless and at-risk youth in Montreal.
“Dans La Rue is a local Montreal charity, so we were confident that our input would impact the community directly,” said Rachel Rammal, one of the event’s head organizers and ASFA’s vice president of academic and Loyola affairs. “We were also drawn to this charity because their help mainly targets the youth, kids our age even, so it’s definitely a cause that we feel strongly about.”
At the event, students could buy Snowyola-themed pom-pom hats, which were striped white and burgundy with a snowflake embroidered on them. One hundred per cent of the pom-pom hat sales went to Dans la Rue, as well as at least 25 per cent of the total ticket sales, according to the event’s Facebook page. Fifty per cent of the after-party ticket sales were also donated.
When asked about the possibility of hosting a Snowyola event in years to come, Rammal said: “I am confident that we have laid down a strong foundation to build upon should the future executives want to take on the challenge.”
Photograph of the Loyola Quad where Snowyola will be held on Jan. 19. Photo by Savanna Craig.
“Snowyola” will take place on Jan. 19 at the Loyola Quad
The Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) welcomes Concordia students to “Snowyola,” a winter orientation inviting new and returning students to enjoy music, raffle prizes, food and music at the Loyola Quad on Jan. 19 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“It is a reality that the majority of new students miss the chance to attend orientation events organized by the university or their faculty association,” said ASFA vice-president of academic and Loyola affairs Rachel Rammal, because these events are usually held during the summer months. She said this can leave students with a small window of opportunity to become accustomed to university life, by meeting new people and making new friends.
Rammal said this event was initially inspired to bring more life to the Loyola campus during the winter and to raise money and knowledge about the issue of homelessness during the winter. “Our aim is to donate at least 25 per cent of the ticket sales revenue to the Dans la rue foundation,” said Rammal. She added that 100 per cent of the proceeds from their pom-pom hats sales will go to the Dans la rue organization, which provides aid to homeless at-risk youth.
“We hope that with Snowyola we can help reduce some of the anxiety that comes with starting university for the first time,” said Rammal, describing Snowyola as a carnival-type of event. By showing up to the event, participants can expect to be accompanied by music, food, beverages, and raffle prizes, said Rammal.
She said the event will give students the chance to make new connections and learn more about the different faculty associations, as all faculty associations have been invited. Students will also be able to enjoy Loyola’s transformed, snow-filled campus during the winter.
“With this activity, Snowyola, ASFA wanted to ensure that incoming students are also made to feel comfortable,” said ASFA VP of internal affairs and administration Julia Sutera Sardo. “Loyola campus covered in fairy lights with a ton of hot chocolate is definitely a great way for this to be done.”
“For returning students, the situation is a bit different in the sense that, often, many need an energy boost come the winter semester or feel demoralized after not getting the fall GPA they wanted,” said Rammal. For others, the event can be a boost “get back to the grind” for the second semester, said Rammal.
“With an event that celebrates the new semester like Snowyola, we hope to give students an opportunity to enjoy themselves with their friends before they are submerged with assignments and midterms,” said Rammal.
According to Rammal, the event fully came together halfway through the fall semester. “The Loyola and social committees decided to join their forces and host the event together to maximize the success of Snowyola,” said Rammal.
Sutera Sardo said Snowyola is a precursor to more social events and workshops that will be held in the winter semester. ASFA has been criticized for not being as active as usual on campus during the fall semester, however, Sutera Sardo said ASFA is open to all feedback and critique from students.
“Our goals for the semester are centered around engaging our peers and providing them with various tools and opportunities,” said Sutera Sardo.
Snowyola takes place on Jan. 19 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Quad on the Loyola campus.
The west-end campus opened its doors a hundred years ago. Photo by Savanna Craig.
The Loyola campus celebrated the establishment’s 100th anniversary and the harvest season
Concordia University celebrated the end of the harvest season and Loyola campus’ 100th anniversary on Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The day was filled with family-friendly activities, including fitness classes, games and a concert, as well as food and drinks provided by the Hive Café and Seasons Catering, Concordia’s in-house catering services.
The west-end campus opened its doors a hundred years ago. Photo by Savanna Craig.
Despite the heavy rain, people of all ages joined the festivities inside the lobby of the Vanier Library, as well as in the Hive Café Solidarity Cooperative. People were able to buy produce from the Farmers’ Market, see the football game where the Concordia Stingers played against the McGill Redmen, and finally a concert in the Loyola Chapel featuring The Zara Strings performing music of Edwin Orion Brownell.
André Roy, the dean of Concordia’s faculty of arts and science, spoke on behalf of the Loyola campus and said the school was very proud to be celebrating 100 years. “From its Jesuit roots to the many local outreach projects we’re involved in today, Loyola has always played an important [role] in our community,” Roy said.
The official date of the anniversary was Sept. 23, but last Saturday was an occasion to celebrate the fall season and the 100-year milestone. Loyola College was originally a Jesuit college before being consolidated with Sir George Williams University and becoming Concordia University in 1974. The college was first established at the corner of Bleury and Ste-Catherine Street in 1896, but moved to the present west-end campus on Sherbrooke Street West in Notre-Dame-de-Grace in 1916. This is why 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment.
“This fall, as we mark the milestone anniversary, we are pleased to invite community members to celebrate with us,” said Roy. “Here’s to 100 more years of Loyola in NDG.”
The Loyola campus includes the Communications and Journalism building, the Richard J. Renaud Science Complex, the Vanier Library, and others.
Kevin Soltany’s quirky, psychedelic whiteboard art captured the attention of Hingston Hall’s residents. Photo by Rita Latif.
Concordia’s “artist in residence” uses whiteboard as a social, artistic experiment
To fine arts student Kevin Soltany, it all started as a simple school project But now, the 19-year-old’s drawings are an inspiration to many of Concordia’s students living in residence.
A few months ago students noticed an interesting drawing appear on a whiteboard in Concordia’s Hingston Hall (HB) building. The only thing used to bring the artwork to life was a black marker. People started to wonder who drew it, and that’s when students in residence found out that one of their own possessed this amazing talent. They continue to wait eagerly for his next masterpiece, wondering what it would be.
Kevin Soltany’s quirky, psychedelic whiteboard art captured the attention of Hingston Hall’s residents. Photo by Rita Latif.
“It was a project for school,” Soltany explained. “We had to make our art and get critiques by our professor and classmates. The art had to be somewhere the public can easily access, [so] that’s why I chose to draw it on the whiteboard in HB.”
Born to Iranian parents in France, Soltany lived there most of his life before moving to Georgia, United States, with his mother. When he was younger, he was inspired by the Japanese comic channel Manga, and tried to imitate this style of drawing. He stopped drawing when he was 12, however, when people told him that he wasn’t good enough to pursue that style of drawing. He felt that it was no longer his calling.
While living in the United States, Soltany’s mother enrolled him in art classes. He wasn’t really a fan of them because he felt that the art in Georgia was too conservative. Then one day he discovered something that he really liked, a specific style through which he could express himself: realistic art.
A few years later, when he was 16, Soltany came to Canada on vacation and fell in love with Montreal and its art. “Montreal is young, it’s alive and really cool,” he said. “Plus I really like the type of art they have. It’s free and open.”
With time, Soltany started to develop his passion for realistic art, and used “psychedelics” for inspiration. Psychedelic art is based on the way a person feels after using drugs such as LSD and psilocybin, letting the mind express itself freely. And according to Soltany, “psychedelic is a fantasy world! Mixing this style with the realistic is a good mix because you can express a lot of things through that style [that] people can imagine.”
Kevin Soltany. Photo by Rita Latif.
When asked about his drawing style, Soltany said he just wants to use his skills, experiment with them and try to draw in 3D on the whiteboard in the hallway. For him, this is a perfect spot because he likes getting critiqued by his fellow students. He believes this is what a true artist needs.
Soltany usually prefers to use a pencil, more than any other material, when he starts a new project. He starts by drawing a sketch and when he’s satisfied with the composition he starts adding detail to it. “You can do whatever you want with a pencil, you can draw whatever you want… it’s like magic,” he said.
When he draws on the whiteboard, Soltany uses the same technique, but he also uses shadows to help him get the result he wants. “The shadow is really important,” he stated. “And so is the light, so it’s all about the shadowing of the drawing.”
It’s harder to draw with a marker, but for Soltany it’s so much more interesting and makes the drawing pop a little bit.
“First you have to draw your idea briefly and really fast,” he said. “Start with a sketch, and when you have your composition go in with the details, you erase what isn’t good. Start with an idea and if it’s bad then adjust it. For example, in one of my drawings I started with a skeleton and on top of that I drew a man.”
Soltany draws because he likes to. He doesn’t like it when he is forced to draw, as there’s always something he wants to show through his pieces. Of course, he likes it when people appreciate and admire his work but he also prefers to be completely satisfied with it first. That’s when he feels like he is on the right track with what he is doing.
That’s why when he first started drawing, Soltany felt like he had a mission to use his art to make a difference, especially when it comes to the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
Even though he is half Jewish, Soltany is pro-Palestine and believes that what happens in Palestine is unfair. “Israel receives a lot of ‘gifts’ from the United States every year while Palestine doesn’t get anything,” he said. “If we can’t show that by politics then maybe we can show it with art!” He believes that some people decide to ignore what they hear and see on the news; that’s why he wants to use his art to show what some try to escape from, or what they try to hide from the rest of the world.
“People say I’m not emotional,” said Soltany. “But I’ve seen so many things that made me strong that I either show through my art or I don’t show it at all.”
Shuttle buses use the St-Jacques exit ramp to ferry students between ConU's two campuses. Photo by Madelayne Hajek
Shuttle buses use the St-Jacques exit ramp to ferry students between ConU’s two campuses. Photo by Madelayne Hajek
The newly reopened St-Jacques exit ramp off the westbound Ville-Marie Expressway , which is extremely curvy and potentially dangerous, is raising concerns for Concordia University’s students and staff.
“You enter the ramp quite violently when you’re doing 70 kilometres or more on the highway so it’s scary when you see that curve,” said Mathew Pizzanelli, a Concordia student who uses the ramp to get to the Loyola campus. “Suddenly you realize that you have to reduce your speed significantly.”
The St-Jacques St. exit reopened in late August after its reconstruction to make way for a vehicle entrance for the McGill University Health Centre super hospital, which is in the process of being built. The exit has been closed since February.
According to an article published in The Gazette, the new ramp is not a typical loop normally used for exit ramps but a reverse curve which forces drivers to take a steep right, a steep left followed by another right.
Concordia University’s shuttle bus service that transports students from the downtown campus to the Loyola campus in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce uses this exit daily. According to university spokesperson Chris Mota, Concordia has not received complaints from students or bus drivers about the new ramp, although shuttle bus driver Vince Torchia immediately noticed the potential dangers of driving too fast.
“It’s a big difference from the old one,” said Torchia. “As soon as you get there you really, really have to slow down or you can hit the wall.”
Yet, the main purpose of the ramp is to force cars merging onto St-Jacques St. to reduce their speed.
“It was a request by the City of Montreal,” said Caroline Larose, spokesperson for Transport Québec. “They wanted drivers to slow down before entering a residential area.”
While it is understandable that the city would want vehicles to slow down, Luis Amador, a Concordia University civil engineering assistant professor, believes this is an inappropriate measure.
“What do you do when you’re back on a street that is straight, if these curves have forced you to slow down? You will accelerate again, so it’s not going to help,” said Amador. “If they want vehicles to slow down on St-Jacques, they need to bring proper measures on St-Jacques.”
Amador suggested placing little poles or markers on the side of the road to give drivers the sensation of going faster than they actually are and said widening the sidewalks to produce more narrow lanes will force drivers to slow down when approaching the intersection.
He also explained that drivers only have about six seconds from the time they see the 45 kilometre speed limit sign that also indicates a curve. It then takes about three seconds to react.
“You see the sign indicating 45, you decide to slow down, you take the foot off the gas, and three seconds after you are on the curve,” said Amador.
This becomes more of a problem when drivers may miss the road signs due to poor visibility because of blowing snow, hail or fog. However, Amador emphasizes that the ramp is still under construction and more signs may be added.
Transport Québec hasn’t reported any accidents, though it’s been open for two months and typically accidents are looked at over a three-year period.
Amador advised caution to all drivers, including the Concordia shuttle bus, and encouraged those taking the ramp to fully follow the curves.
