Washington’s sister march in Montreal attracted thousands of women to protest new U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo by Ana Hernandez
The “sister march” was one of over 600 massively successful anti-Trump protests
Thousands of peaceful protestors gathered at the Esplanade de la Place des Arts in downtown Montreal on Saturday as an act of solidarity with women and other marginalized groups that will be affected by Trump’s presidency. The Montreal Women’s March on Washington, which took place the day after Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president of the United States, was part of the Canadian series of anti-Trump protests happening worldwide.
The protest was characterized by the creative signs brandished by protesters, many of them including feminist and social justice-themed messages, ranging from “climate change is real” and “love > fear” to “the pussy grabs back.” While the protests weren’t officially in support of former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, there were many signs featuring messages of support for the popular vote winner. Such signs included Clinton’s campaign’s slogan “I’m With Her” and references to Trump’s “nasty woman” insult from the third presidential debate, which later became a rallying cry for Clinton supporters.
Despite the angry tone of many protesters, the event focused on a hopeful message. In between performers and speakers, protesters chanted “all we are saying is give peace a chance,” and a popular slogan among protesters was “the future is still female.”
The event also featured pink tuques referred to as “pussy hats,” a reference to Trump’s infamous recorded conversation with Billy Bush in 2005 during which he proudly described behaviour that many view as harassment and sexual assault. The hats were featured prominently at Montreal’s rally and sister events worldwide.
Photo by Ana Hernandez
Numerous human rights organizations endorsed the event, including Amnesty International, whose general director, Beatrice Vaugrante, served as a keynote speaker at the rally. Although the event was titled a women’s march, it focused on inclusion and included a diverse line-up of speakers, including Rachel Zellars, the executive director of the non-profit Girls Action Fund; trans rights activist D.T, Indigenous rights activists Maitee Labrecque-Saganash and Viviane Michel, and Sue Montgomery, a journalist for The Montreal Gazette. Montgomery is well-known for starting #BeenRapedNeverReported, a social media campaign aimed at starting a conversation about the complex reasons many women choose not to report sexual assault.
“We are stronger than all those who believe our bodies are for their taking, all those who believe they can grab our pussies,” Montgomery said to the crowd in her speech, focusing on the strength and resilience of those disappointed by the election rather than the anger and sadness they feel.
The fact that the United States elected a president who has been accused of sexual misconduct by over a dozen women was one of the prominent issues discussed at the protest.
“That we have a president who’s even been thought to have [committed] sexual assault… I think that’s an incredible thing, that people have voted that into our highest position in our country,” said Meredith Rowe, an Ohio native and McGill University student who attended the Montreal rally.
While the majority of attendees were women, there were several male protestors at the event, and many attendees brought young children and grandchildren to the march.
Photo by Ana Hernandez
Bernard Morin, a protester who brought his young son, said he felt the event was a way to set an example for his child. “I want to make sure that his future is better than what could happen in the next few years. It’s an initiation for him,” Morin said.
While the original march took place in America’s capital, Global News claims that over 600 sister marches were held on every continent—including Antarctica. Demonstrations were held in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and a number of other Canadian cities on Saturday, along with the Montreal rally. Global News also estimated that 5,000 protesters showed up for the Montreal protest, while the Los Angeles Times estimated that about 500,000 protesters marched in Washington D.C. and at least three million more attended protests worldwide.
Check out our coverage of the Montreal Women’s March on Washington below.
Article updated on Jan. 31. 2024 – One of the sources listed in this article has come forth and requested to be anonymous.
Winners Youssef Chahdoura, Nicholas Lee, George Shen and Michel Jing. Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar
ConUHacks II brought together students from all over North America
ConUHacks, Concordia University’s hackathon, was held this weekend at the John Molson School of Business. More than 400 students from all over North America in the fields of software engineering and computer science came together to create an application or website with their respective teams.
The students began working on their projects Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. and had until the same time on Sunday to finish them. During the closing ceremony at 4 p.m., the six teams who made the finals showcased their projects to the other participants.
The application that won first place was Blindspot, a selfie-taking application for blind or visually impaired people completely controlled by voice commands. Youssef Chahdoura, Nicholas Lee, George Shen and Michel Jing created the app. Chahdoura studies at the University of Ottawa, while the other three study at Waterloo University.
“I came in with the idea that I wanted to help blind people, and then my teammates had the idea to take the perfect picture,” said Jing. When asked what the hardest part of their hackathon was, Jing said that, for some of them, it was their first time coding in Java for Android so it was a challenge. It was Chahdoura’s first hackathon, so he said to win first place was “a really awesome experience.”
A particularly interesting project that came out of the hackathon was the Go.study application created by Team 70. The application, explained by the team as a mix of Tinder and Facebook, initially invites the user to log their course number and university and they will then be matched with someone from their class to study with. The team said they will eventually expand their application and create a group chat.
Another interesting application was storyflow.me, a website that allows people to bring all their Instagram stories together to create a big story. The user creates a story and then invites friends to add on to it. The website is currently available for Instagram users to try out.
Over the weekend, students were also welcomed to attend different workshops offered by the sponsoring companies, such as Microsoft and Morgan Stanley. Attendees were able to visit a career fair where some company representatives were recruiting students for internships, including Google and Spiria.
ConUHacks will be back next year, but the date of the hackathon has not been decided yet.
Protesters disperse with the remains of a burning paper-mâché Trump left in front of the U.S. consulate
As Donald Trump was sworn into office on Friday, repeating his promise to “Make America Great Again” during his inaugural speech, protesters in Montreal were mobilizing to express their outrage, proclaiming “America Was Never Great.”
Hundreds gathered at the corner of Jeanne-Mance and de Maisonneuve for the Resist Trump and the Far-Right rally, where organizer Eamon Toohey delivered an opening speech shortly after 11 a.m.
“The days of polite protest, of waiting for the next Jon Stewart sketch to limply chastise an emboldened enemy—those days are far gone,” he said.
Photo by Kirubel Mehari.
“To those clamoring for love, [saying] that love trumps hate—resistance is the greatest act of love that you can muster. We need to continue to resist, to take disruptive, direct action until we’ve resigned fascism to the annals of history.”
The march was organized by the Quebec Public Interest Research Group at Concordia (QPIRG Concordia), a left-wing organization with a nearly 40-year history of supporting social and environmental causes. According to QPIRG Concordia’s website, it has previously coordinated demonstrations against apartheid, climate change and the nuclear arms race.
This protest was organized in solidarity with similar, much larger protests in Washington D.C. and throughout the United States, and was followed by another demonstration later that evening.
Protest signs read, “No legitimacy for fascists” and “Trump is evil, Trump is nuts. People hate his fucking guts.” The latter was designed by Kerry McElroy.
Photo by Kirubel Mehari.
“My biggest concern is that he’s going to bring down the country and bring down the institutions and bring about civil war,” she said. “I think he’s an authoritarian and I think he’s a fascist and I think he’ll take whatever power he can.”
One protester, Jonathan Ouzariman, brought a paper-mâché effigy of the new president. When asked if he would burn it, he replied, “Absolutely.”
Journalist Ian Down interviewing protester Jonathan Ouzariman, who made paper-mâché effigy of President Trump. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.
Protesters marched east on de Maisonneuve, and then back west on René Levesque. Order was kept, but the threat of violence was ever-present. Police circled the crowd on bikes. Others formed a blockade in front of the U.S. Consulate as protesters marched by. Shopkeepers watched warily as the crowd poured into the Eaton Centre, their final destination. A small marching band, instruments adorned with political slogans, accompanied them.
“The demo has two aims,” said organizer Nicole Leblanc. “One: A show of solidarity with folks in the United States who will be directly affected by Trump’s policies. Two: To call attention to the fact that what Trump represents is a larger, far-right ideology that advocates a set of racist, islamophobic, sexist, transphobic and anti-immigrant policies that absolutely must be opposed and resisted everywhere it occurs.”
Photo by Kirubel Mehari.
When asked if racists should be afraid to express their opinions, Toohey replied, “Honestly? Yes.”
“We want racists and right-wing extremists to fear and to expect repercussions and backlash if and when they openly express such ideas,” said Leblanc.
By 1 p.m., the crowd had dispersed completely. All that lay in their wake was a smoldering figure dumped in front of the U.S. Consulate—the charred paper-mâché effigy of the American president.
ConUHacks II will bring more than 400 students together
Montreal’s prime major league hacking marathon, ConUHacks, is gearing up for its second edition of the 24-hour “hackathon” competition.
Organized by HackConcordia, a group of computer science and software engineering students, the event will bring together more than 400 students from across North America to show off their self-expression and creativity through technology. The hackathon will take place at the John Molson School of Business on Jan. 21, at 6 a.m. and will end Jan. 22, at 7 p.m.
The main goal of the hackathon is to create new web or mobile services over a limited time period – in this case, 24 hours. Hackathon projects, or ‘hacks’ can come in the form of websites, mobile applications and robots.
The free event welcomes students from all programs, whether they are new to the concept or not. The hackathon will be hosting tutorials and inviting mentors to help anyone having trouble with different softwares.
“You’re provided with mentors, various workshops, equipment and free food throughout the event,” said participant Aboud Dalab about the competition. “After the time-limit hits, individuals or teams present their projects.” The winners will be chosen by company mentors.
HackConcordia is one of the multiple hacking groups in North America and is part of the official student hackathon league, the Major League Hacking (MLH). MLH helps finance more than 200 weekend invention competitions, bringing more than 65,000 students together from around the world, according to their website.
This year’s ConUHacks will be open format, meaning students will be able to create their projects on web, mobile, desktop or hardware applications.
To give an idea of the scale of the event, last year Concordia received 1,252 applications, but only took 388 participants from 29 different universities. Most of the participants last year came from the U.S.
Some of the most used applications, such as Facebook Chat and the “like” button were first created at internal company hackathons. Another example of a notable hackathon development is GroupMe, a group messaging application that Skype bought for more than $50 million.
Hackathons are, in a sense, a career fair for students in computer science and software engineering programs according to participant Korhan Akçuran. He believes that, for many students, himself included, hackathons are a great opportunity to think about their future careers as programmers and to meet great contacts. Prizes are also given to winning projects. Last year’s prizes amounted to close to $26,000. HackConcordia will provide coffee and food, but suggests the hackers to bring a change of clothes and toiletries. Registration to participate is still open on ConUHacks’ website.
Meet some of Concordia’s participants!
Name: Korhan Akçura
Program: Second year in his masters of software engineering
“I decided to join this year’s ConUHacks II because I have a competitive personality and I like to solve challenges. I also believe that my creativity will be pushed to its limit with the limited time given. I am participating for self-improvement and to give the best of me to produce a successful software project in a short time. I participated at the Quebec Engineering Games and Quebec Engineering Competition while I was an undergraduate at Concordia. My mission is to apply my programming skills in a competitive environment, to produce an original project with my team. I will enjoy being in an environment with like-minded people where I can learn, share and develop my programming and technical skills. But most of all, I am participating for the fun and the satisfaction that will come after accomplishing the challenging task.”
Name: Aboud Dalab
Program: Second year in BA marketing
“I decided to join the hackathon to learn from all the mentors who will be present. I was introduced to the hackathon world because of my friends in the computer science program and then did my own research to find other hackathons near Montreal. When you’re hacking, you’re building, so we will see as a team what we will decide to create. Generally, hackathons are very messy due to the 24-hour time limit. I doubt that we will follow a specific form of hacking due to time. Another great part of hackathons is that they are looking for people from all sorts of backgrounds, meaning not only programmers and software engineers. This prepares us for real life because to create a software project, you need all kinds of people from different fields.
Name: Daniel Privorotsky
Program: Second year in BA software engineering
“I decided to join the hackathon for a few different reasons. First off, the fun that comes from creating new things, challenging yourself and placing your knowledge to the test. Additionally, it is a great opportunity to meet people and expand your network. And, of course, it looks pretty good on your CV. My friends told me about the hackathon, which is why I joined. I have participated in one hackathon event before, but this year will be my first time at ConUHacks. I am excited to see the challenges that will be given to create the programs. Since there exist many different kinds of programming languages, interfaces, platforms and so on, having members who specialize in certain fields can be very helpful.”
Looking for a place to live in Montreal can be overwhelming, especially for international students who are unfamiliar with the city. Concordia’s Student Union off-campus housing and job bank (HOJO) held a free lunch for students on Jan. 16, offering tips on how to find a place to live in the city.
HOJO is an off-campus resource centre in the mezzanine of the Hall building at Sir George Williams Campus and CC-426 on Loyola Campus which advocates for students’ workers’ rights and tenant rights. HOJO helps students find affordable, safe and clean housing in Montreal. They also provide free-legal information to students regarding leases, roommate problems, jobs and any other issues they may face.
The “Lunch and Learn” featured a presentation on apartment renting laws in Montreal and different tips to help students find a home in the city.
“Landlords pray on international students who are afraid to point out problems they might have with their lease and apartment,” said Safrine Mouajou, a HOJO representative. “So many students come to our services afraid of their landlords and scared to defend their rights.”
When searching for a place to live, students should look at whether their future home has gas or electric heating, what sorts of appliances are included and whether the place is furnished, said HOJO representative Hannah Brais to the crowd of students during the presentation.
“Students should take into account factors such as proximity to their schools and if they are looking for a roommate when searching for a place to stay,” Brais added. “Make a list of [traits] you search for in a roommate.” In addition, students should find out whether electricity, heating, phone, Internet and parking are included in their rent.
Brais said HOJO does not recommend homestay, where a Concordia student lives with a Montreal family and shares their home. She recounted previous instances of abuse in homestay situations, where locks had been put on the fridge, preventing students from eating and keeping food at the home they were renting.
Mouajou also suggested that students “go out and explore the city” when searching for a place to live. “Do not simply rely on the pictures listed online,” she said. “See the place for yourself.”
“When signing your lease, make sure that the unit you saw is the same unit you are renting,” said Brais. “Leases automatically renew each year and tenants should give three to six months’ notice in writing to their landlords if they wish to end or transfer their lease.”
HOJO representatives also discussed students’ rights, such as how the landlord must give tenants 24-hours’ notice before entering their apartment space. Students always have the right to refuse rent increases, said Mouajou. If they have a problem with the amount, they can discuss it with their landlord or file a motion with the rental board commissioner.
For more information on student housing and job options, HOJO encourages students to make an appointment or visit their websitewww.csu.qc.ca/hojo.
Led by academic and advocacy coordinator Sophia Sahrane, the organization will be exclusive to students of colour
The Concordia Student Union (CSU)’s academic and advocacy coordinator, Sophia Sahrane, announced plans for a committee led by and designed to serve black, indigenous and people of colour at Concordia. Sahrane publicly announced the upcoming committee via Facebook.
The BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of colour) Committee will be open exclusively to racial minorities on campus, making it the first organization of its kind at Concordia. Sahrane said the idea for the BIPOC Committee came after witnessing barriers for BIPOC students and organizations at Concordia firsthand.
“Since I started my mandate, the CSU has not been supporting BIPOC projects or initiatives or issues, or when they do support it, it’s very, very minimal,” Sahrane said. “I looked at all the projects from my [executive] team and a lot of the proposals [they receive] are from non-BIPOC individuals.”
Projects and student groups led by BIPOC students and focused on BIPOC issues will be able to apply directly to the committee for funding. Sahrane said she hopes the committee will lead to collaborations and special projects with BIPOC-led groups on campus. Sahrane also confirmed the committee will have an annual budget of $15,000, and all funding will be allocated to BIPOC individuals and initiatives.
While the group is not open to white students or accepting proposals for projects led by white students, Sahrane said the committee will be welcome to all BIPOC students, including individuals who pass as white.
“For people who are black, indigenous or POC but don’t look it, being BIPOC is still a part of their identity, so they’re welcome to apply as well,” said Sahrane. “It’s exclusive in the sense that it’s non-mixed, but we’re trying to make the CSU as a whole more inclusive.”
Currently, the CSU is looking for BIPOC students interested in joining the committee on a volunteer basis. The application asks for a commitment of four to six hours per month and interested students can apply on the CSU website until Jan. 28.
For Sahrane, having a CSU committee focused exclusively on the needs of BIPOC students and having guaranteed funding for BIPOC projects is essential to ensuring a more inclusive student union and a more inclusive campus.
“BIPOC individuals are people who have been racially marginalized, as well as economically and socially in our society,” said Sahrane. “So this is a way to counter that… to level the playing field.”
With files from Nelly Serandour-Amar and Savanna Craig
ASFA executives weigh in on critiques they received and motivation for the association’s future
As ASFA executives roll out for another semester, The Concordian sat down with a portion of the team to learn about their future plans for the upcoming semester, their inability to reach quorum in December and their response to the criticism the association has received in the past.
Talk of reforming ASFA
In April 2016, ASFA held a vote with the referendum question of whether the federation should be restructured or not, which was ultimately rejected. Executives weighed in on revisiting the vote.
“Before you reform ASFA as a whole, you should try to fix what’s already there and do your best for it to be representative of the goals that ASFA has,” said ASFA vice-president of internal affairs, Julia Sutera Sardo.
“There are some issues that were found in the by-laws,” said Sutera Sardo. By-laws are currently under adjustment. The policy review committee, a committee responsible for reviewing policies to ensure they are proper, has been very focused on updating by-laws and ensuring that they are accurate, said Sutera Sardo.
“The problem with the reform proposal last year is that it was very poorly made,” said Agunik Mamikonyan, ASFA’s vice-president of external affairs and sustainability and a former School of Community and Public Affairs councillor. “I would say the team wasn’t as driven to make ASFA rise again and become what it used to be.”
We have had to deal with a lot of things this semester,” said Sutera Sardo, referring in part to the executive team’s revision of improperly passed standing regulation, including last year’s reform policy. The policy was meant to restructure the federation but was ultimately rejected in April.
Reflecting on ASFA not reaching quorum in December
From Nov. 28 to 30, ASFA held a vote at both campuses to increase ASFA’s levy fee by $0.12—from $1.22 to $1.34 as of January 2017. However, the vote failed to reach the minimum of 517 votes required to validate the vote.
“Just because quorum wasn’t reached does not mean ASFA is not present,” said Mamikonyan. It does not mean ASFA is not doing well, she said, it just means people may be satisfied enough not to feel a need to vote.
“We had 20 out of 32 member associations conduct elections during the by-election period,” said Sutera Sardo. She added it was a hectic time, which may have had an impact on people coming out to vote for ASFA.
“One of the reasons we wanted to increase levy fees was to give some more money to member associations,” said Sutera Sardo. This would help member associations (MAs) do new things and try to engage their own memberships, she said.
ASFA is not giving up on engaging MAs as a whole, said Sutera Sardo, adding that executives have been organizing events to connect MAs with one another, including a recently-announced wine and cheese for MAs in February.
Accepting the past and moving forward
Executives responded to criticisms made to ASFA by student-media and other sources.
“ASFA from [2014] is not the same as 2016 ASFA. We’ve changed and the Mei Ling affair is part of ASFA’s past,” said Sutera Sardo. “We’re not silent about it and we’re trying really hard to work to stop any oppression that’s happening.”
ASFA passed an anti-racist position motion during council on Jan. 12. The motion states that the association should recognize the impact discrimination, systemic racism and colonialism has on black and indigenous people and people of colour and to be an ally to them.
“We just want to enrich student life on campus and protect the rights of our students,” said Sutera Sardo. This semester, ASFA will be releasing an academic journal, which will give arts and sciences students a chance to publish academic work. Additionally, Sutera Sardo said there will also be an anti-racism and appropriation of indigenous cultures workshop, a queer and sexuality conference and a sustainability fair held by ASFA. They will also be purchasing feminine hygiene products which will be readily available and free at MA offices in weeks, said Sutera Sardo.
ASFA president, Andrea Krasznai, aims to ensure proper organization for the future, by creating an executive guide to help incoming executives feel supported. It will include valuable tips and information, such as a list of ASFA computer passwords or how to register a student organization. There are issues like this that pop up during an executive’s mandate that could have easily been avoided had this information been passed on directly, said Krasznai.
Commenting on critique
ASFA has undergone criticism regarding the federation being useless or indirect. Some of the executive team provided a response to these critiques.
Krasznai said she disagrees with statements pertaining to ASFA being unuseful. “The question at the end of the article, “What is the point of ASFA”—I said it in my campaign,” said Krasznai, referring to an article The Link published in 2016. It questioned ASFA’s relevance, referencing the history of the association failing to reach quorum.
ASFA’s goal is to provide academic and social enrichment, said Krasznai. ASFA provides grounds for connecting students socially and directing students to academic resources students may not know about, she added. Some of these resources can be knowledge of bursaries Concordia offers, which Krasznai said the university is failing to properly advertise to students.
Krasznai said a goal within her mandate as general coordinator is to put all of the bursaries on the ASFA website. Krasznai only found out about bursaries during her third year.
Referring to the same article, Mamikonyan said ASFA was critiqued on not having a clear vision. “That’s why it’s so wonderful,” she said. “There’s such diversity within [ASFA] that there’s different opinions coming together.” She said she sits on many boards that don’t have a variety of opinions. “Everyone’s expressing the same opinion and that’s not the point of board members.”
Member association representatives photographed at ASFA meeting held on the seventh floor of the Hall building. Photo by Ana Hernandez
ASFA hires new vice president of communications and promotions and presents two motions
The Arts and Sciences Federation of Associations (ASFA) hired a new vice-president of communications and promotions during their first council meeting of the winter semester. The council also passed an anti-racism position motion and a motion to support those who menstruate.
The council meeting took place in the Hall building on Jan. 12. The ASFA vice-president of internal affairs, Julia Sutera Sardo, submitted and presented the anti-racism motion. It passed with supporting votes from all member associations (MAs).
“The anti-racist position motion requires ASFA to recognize the influence of colonialism, discrimination and systemic racism that has and continues to happen to this day to black, [and] indigenous people of color (POC),” said Sutera Sardo.
ASFA president Andrea Krasznai photographed on left. Photo by Ana Hernandez
In addition, the motion calls for ASFA to value the outlooks, experiences and identities of black and indigenous POC. “Be it further resolved that the ASFA condemn any and all forms of oppression, and be a voice for and an ally to individuals who experience marginalization,” said Sutera Sardo during council. The motion would require the association to support a safer, all-inclusive campus for those of any religion or culture—while holding Concordia administration to an equal standard, as written in the motion.
Furthermore, the motion acknowledges that ASFA currently commences council meetings by acknowledging Concordia University is located on Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) land. The motion encourages the association to continue this formal land recognition at the beginning of each meeting.
The second motion, the Support for Individuals that Menstruate Position Motion, was also submitted and presented by Sutera Sardo. It requests that ASFA finance and supply feminine products in all MA offices for students in need. Sutera Sardo said that ASFA, an organization which represents more than 20,000 students, many of whom experience menstruation, may not have the funds or means to acquire feminine hygiene products. She said this is especially prominent at the Loyola Campus, which is located in an area where it is not as easy to acquire these products, as pharmacies are not close by.
“Be it resolved that the ASFA recognize the experiences of individuals who menstruate and actively take actions to alleviate the barriers that they face,” said Sutera Sardo.
In Sutera Sardo’s motion, she requested that ASFA create a permanent “Feminine Hygiene Products” budget line within the Advocacy Committee budget, allocating $2,000 to the purchasing of a variety of feminine hygiene products for each school year.
“ASFA Advocacy Committee [would] be responsible for making a variety of feminine hygiene products available for free in continuity to its members on both campuses through its downtown and Loyola offices, as well as the offices of its member associations,” said Sutera Sardo.
Christina Massaro, the ASFA vice-president of finance, spoke against the motion. “If you go to Health Services, you can easily get a pack that comes with two tampons and a pad,” Massaro said during council. Those in need of feminine products will think of Health Services before they think to come to ASFA, said Massaro.
In response, Sutera Sardo said she has been approached by some students who said it was easier and more accessible to go to a MA office, rather than Health Services. “If you’re on the 12th floor of [the Hall building], it’s easier to go to either the Geography Undergraduate Student Society or the Political Science Students’ Association and get yourself a pad and tampon,” said Sutera Sardo. “You can’t necessarily run to Health Services.”
Sutera Sardo said Health Services has run out of these supplies before and for someone in need on the Loyola campus, it is harder to find feminine products close by.
The motion was not fully passed, but the motion was tweaked so that MAs, councillors and executives would agree that ASFA should recognize the barriers people who menstruate may face.
Sutera Sardo told The Concordian the $2,000 ASFA would be budgeting towards the initiative discussed will be on hold until the next ASFA council meeting in February. By then, a plan for how to distribute the supplies from MA offices will be determined.
Sutera Sardo told The Concordian ASFA appointed Georgios Simeonidis as an independant councillor during council.
ASFA went into closed session for the hiring of ASFA vice-president of communications and promotions, and the details of the deliberations were not disclosed. However, ASFA president Andrea Krasznai told The Concordian the position will be filled by Paula Monroy, an undergraduate from the urban studies program.
Krasznai mentioned that, during the closed session, there was a motion passed concerning the general elections. “All I know right now is that we’re going to have the general elections between March 1 and 31,” she said. The general elections will be held to choose the incoming ASFA executives and independent councillors for the 2017-2018 school year.
ASFA’s next council meeting will be held on Feb. 9 held in Hingston Hall, Wing HC, Room 155 on Loyola campus.
The Concordian has updated this article for accuracy purposes. We apologize and deeply regret the error.
Taking a look at some of the universities Concordia has international partnerships with
Concordia International will begin offering information sessions for students interested in studying abroad, as the application deadline for the 2017-2018 academic year is due Feb. 1.
For those who need help completing their application, Concordia International staff will be available to students on Jan. 18 during a Concordia Student Exchange Program (CSEP) application workshop. Participants are encouraged to stop by the workshop in H-517 at the downtown campus anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Concordia is partnered with 150 universities across 35 countries. The Concordian has compared, cost of living, education, food and more for five locations.
Graphic by Florence Yee.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
University of Western Sydney (UWS)
UWS has more than 44,000 students and more than 3,000 thousand staff members, according to the UWS’s official website. The university has seven different campuses with a shuttle bus service to travel to and from them. In a rank conducted by the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, UWS was ranked the 78th best university worldwide in 2017.
UWS offers a variety of courses under the subjects of health and medicine, applied and pure sciences, social studies and media, business and management, computer and IT, and creative arts and design.
University of New South Wales (UNSW)
UNSW has three campuses and was ranked the 46th best university in the world in 2015 by QS World University Rankings. UNSW was also ranked the number one choice among Australia’s highest employers in 2015 by LinkedIn. More than 52,000 students attend UNSW, including 13,123 international students from more than 120 countries.
Within the nine faculties at UNSW, there are 900 academic degrees offered to students. The nine faculties include the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UNSW Business School, UNSW Art and Design, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Built Environment, Science and UNSW Canberra—the Australian Defence Force Academy.
The city of Sydney
According to The Economist’s 2015 Safe Cities Index report, Sydney is the sixth safest city in the world. There are many activities and social events for students, including biking along the city’s cycling paths, exploring bushwalking—an Australian term for hiking/backpacking in natural areas—camping and surfing at beaches such as at Bondi Beach. For sports lovers, Western Sydney offers local community competitions you can watch or participate in, for sports such as cricket, basketball and soccer. Sydney is home to a large number of bars and clubs open 24 hours.
BEIJING, CHINA
Communication University of China (CUC)
CUC has an enrollment of 15,000 full-time students and approximately 1,000 international students from more than 110 countries around the world. CUC has been ranked the number one university in China for journalism and communication studies, as well as theatre, film and television studies, according to the latest National Discipline Evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Education in China.
Renmin University of China (RUC)
RUC is research-oriented with a focus on humanities and social sciences. In 2015, RUC was ranked China’s 26th out of 196 universities by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. RUC has approximately 24,522 students, including 1,113 international students. There are 23 different departments offered with a variety of programs amongst each department. Some of the departments include: Philosophy, Liberal Arts, Chinese Classics, Arts, Foreign Languages, Journalism and Communication, Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Public Administration and Policy, Economics, Finance, Law, Marxism Studies, International Studies, Science and the Sino-French Institute.
The City of Beijing:
An inexpensive activity students can participate in are morning sessions of Taichi held in parks across the city, such as in Ritan Park. Those who are looking for a place to drink should visit Sanlitun Bar Street, located just south of the embassy district. It is one of the more popular spots for nightlife in Beijing, open until 2 a.m. Those who plan to stay abroad in China should be mindful that various social media websites are blocked from use by the Chinese government, such as Facebook and YouTube.
PARIS, FRANCE
Institut d’Études Politiques (IEP) de Paris
The Paris Institute of Political Studies in English or nicknamed “SciencesPo”—has seven different campuses across France. There is one in Paris, Poitiers, Menton, Dijon, Reims, Le Havre and Nancy. The same bachelor’s degrees are offered at each campus, allowing students to choose their prefered campus. However, doctoral programs and master’s degrees are only offered at the Paris campus. The 2016 World University Rankings rated SciencesPo as the 4th best university for politics and international studies.
Université Panthéon-Sorbonne
Also known as Paris 1, this university has a capacity of 1,183 faculty members and 32,564 students. Paris 1 has been rated by QS World University Rankings as the 228th best university in the world. The same source rated their archeology program as the 12th best worldwide, their history program as the 18th best, their law and legal studies programs as 20th best and their philosophy program as 23rd best.
The City of Paris
Paris is filled with many historical gems and beautiful architecture for anyone visiting the city to explore. There are also many markets around the city selling local food, inexpensive books and various second-hand items. While going out at night can be pricey, students should check out La Zorba, an inexpensive bistro open at 5 a.m., for an early bite or late-night partiers for a drink.
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
University of Iceland (UoI)
UoL is one of Iceland’s seven universities, however Concordia only has a partnership with one—which is in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík. The first language taught at UoI is Icelandic, however some programs are offered in English, but mostly at the graduate level. There are a variety of courses offered in English in the engineering and natural sciences, education studies, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.
The City of Reykjavík
Those looking to live in the city should beware that food prices are quite high in Reykjavík, since Iceland imports most of its goods. In the mid-winter months, there are only four to five hours of solid daylight, while from mid-May to mid-August the sun sets for only a few hours per day—this is called the “midnight sun” by many. For less than $10, those who want to see Reykjavík from the tallest part of Iceland can visit Hallgrímskirkja Church, the tallest building in Reykjavík with a lookout at the top.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
LMU has a faculty of 3,506 and 35,809 students and is recognized as a leading research and academic institution in Europe. QS World University Rankings rated LMU as the 68th best university in the world, ranked as having the 13th best physics and astronomy program and the 33th best faculty of natural science.
Technische Universität München (TUM)
TUM has a staff of 5,675 and 37,483 students with campuses in Munich, Garching and Freising-Weihenstephan. While the university has a research focus, it offers 13 different faculties for students to choose from. QS World University Rankings rated LMU the 60th best university in the world, and ranked it as having the 27th best engineering program and the 30th best faculty in natural science.
The City of Munich:
There are many free activities offered in Munich, such as visiting Olympiapark—the location of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games—and attending their free concerts during the summer months. Daring individuals can also try river surfing. You can also watch river surfers in Eisbach in downtown Munich. Although swimming in this river is prohibited, many do not follow this rule. Museums in Munich offer “one euro Sunday” entry, where it is just one euro for the day for you to marvel at Monet, Rembrandt and Warhol.
Comparing numbers from each location
One pint in neighbourhood pub:
Graphic by Florence Yee.
One cappuccino:
Graphic by Florence Yee.
1 bedroom apartment:
Graphic by Florence Yee.
Transit:
*Sydney and Beijing transit does not offer monthly passes. Instead, the system charges users for the length of time one is on the transit. Estimates are based on the use of an average commuter in Sydney.
Basic lunch menu with drink in business district:
Graphic by Florence Yee.
*All of these rates are based on approximations according to Expatistan and comparisons of different cafés, bars, real estate agencies and transit operators in each location. These numbers are a suggestion towards the average price in each city.
The first information session will be held on on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at Concordia International’s office at 2080 Mackay, Annex X, room 103, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
There will also be information sessions hosted at the same place and time on Wednesday, Jan. 11; Thursday, Jan. 12; Tuesday, Jan. 17; Wednesday, Jan. 18 and Thursday, Jan. 19. For those who cannot attend in the afternoon, there will be evening sessions held on Monday, Jan. 16 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Mikael Clement. Mikael Clement pictured in the middle at the back, and Catherine Doyle on the far right.
The organization contributed the majority of Concordia’s fundraising total
The JMSB philanthropy organization CASA Cares and their subsidiary JMoSB announced that their annual Movember campaign broke their previous fundraising records by raising $13,930 during their 2016 campaign.
Led by co-captains Catherine Doyle and Mikael Clement, JMoSB was one of four teams participating in Concordia’s Movember campaign. JMoSB contributed the majority of Concordia’s overall fundraising, with a total of $17,717- with six JMoSB students raising over $1,000 each.
Clement and Doyle, along with 10 JMoSB members and 33 volunteer fundraisers, raised money by collecting pledges from students who grew facial hair for the month of November. They also threw a public “Stache Bash” fundraising party which raised close to $2,000.
According to Clement, the 2016 fundraising total was more than twice as much as JMoSB’s last fundraising record. All proceeds will go to the Movember Foundation, a charity focused on men’s health issues, including testicular and prostate cancer, suicide prevention and destigmatizing the conversation surrounding men’s mental health.
“While the Movember cause is deadly serious, a lot of fundraisers have fun with Movember because it deals with growing facial hair,” Clement said, adding that the fun nature of the campaign contributed to its success. “We had one of our fundraisers raise hundreds of dollars from a donor who wanted the opportunity to choose his facial hair style. Everyone has their own fundraising methods and tricks so that people can have fun while making a difference.”
Clement added that, while facial hair is traditionally a major aspect of Movember fundraising, many donors and volunteers chose to spread awareness and raise money without it, and over half of 2016’s fundraisers were female.
In 2017, JMoSB is aiming to break its 2016’s record and continue increasing awareness about men’s health issues on campus.
Although the campaign is designed to be fun for participants, Clement said it’s important to remember the cause behind the campaign.
“If the fundraising by Movember can continue at this pace, by 2030 the number of men dying prematurely will diminish by 25 per cent,” said Clement. “[The Movember Foundation does] extensive research to find innovative health solutions to solve these long-standing problems… They have already had a significant impact on the crisis worldwide.”
Andrew Barlett is known in the Concordia community as the Stinger’s soccer captain. Photo courtesy of Brianna Thicke
Capitalize for Kids invites students to help support children’s mental health
Capitalize for Kids, a non-profit organization that helps support children’s mental health, is seeking the help of the Concordia community.
As part of their annual conference, the organization is encouraging students from Concordia and other Canadian universities to take part in their Student Challenge, where participants compete in a national portfolio management competition to raise money for programs related to children’s mental health.
“This is so important because brain and mental health is the number one health issue among children and youth,” said Andrew Barlett, Concordia’s Capitalize for Kids ambassador, “Mental illness affects one in five people, and the chance of depression is increased by three to five times after a traumatic brain injury.”
According to him, this challenge provides students with different opportunities to strengthen their finance and investing acumen and develop important career opportunities, all while raising awareness and funds for the cause. “I am working to bring together students, faculty, alumni and the Concordia community alike, to give back to the community all while providing a platform for students who are interested in participating in Canada’s first charitable national student investors challenge,” Barlett told The Concordian when asked about his role as ambassador.
The conference is conducted by the organization’s annual investors. “Since our first investors conference in 2013, we have raised over $4 million to help solve the toughest challenges in children’s mental health,” said Eyal Sequeira, the business development manager at Capitalize for Kids. The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, also known as SickKids, has been their main beneficiary, but he said that as Capitalize for Kids continues to grow alongside SickKids, they will also look to impact other institutions.
“Students will be exposed to the unique blend of professional development and philanthropy,” Bartlett said about the Student Challenge. “It is not often we see an initiative that adds value for all stakeholders, and [has a] positive social impact.” Barlett, who is also captain of the Concordia Stingers football team, graduated in 2016 with a degree in human relations and is currently in his second semester of the business administration graduate diploma.
This year’s Capitalize for Kids conference will be held on Oct. 18 and 19. “We have secured a few incredible speakers,” said Sequeira. The founder and CEO of Fairfax Financial, Prem Watsa, will be the keynote speaker at the event. Dan Dreyfus from 3G Capital will also be speaking. “Funny thing about Dan is that he credits his ‘breaking into Wall Street’ to winning a student investment challenge in the late 90s,” Sequeira said.
This year, the Student Challenge will run from Jan. 16 to April 16. Registration to participate in the student challenge ends on Jan. 15. Concordia students are encouraged to sign up on the organization website: www.capitakizeforkids.org/challenge.
Marché Ferdous, a Montreal restaurant, has been giving back to individuals in need.
The small Mediterranean restaurant on the corner of Ste-Catherine Street West and Mackay Street offers a free meal to individuals without sufficient funds. For the past three months, a sign has been taped to its door, which reads: “People with no money welcome to eat for free,” in French and English.
Ala Amiry, the restaurant’s co-owner, and Concordia alumnus, said the initiative began when students and homeless people would come by the restaurant hungry and unable to afford a meal.
The restaurant is located near a number of homeless people, who go to the Marché in search of food, said Amiry.
“We decided to provide free food to anyone who needs it and who is hungry, on a regular basis,” said Amiry.
Amiry said they serve a free meal to about four or five people per day but that he expects that number to increase as they gain more recognition.
Co-owners of Marché Ferdous Ala Amiry (left), Yahya Hashemi (right)
Marché Ferdous also provides discounts for students looking for an affordable meal near Concordia’s downtown campus.
Amiry said he and his partner, Yahya Hashemi, consider the money spent on providing free food for those in need as part of a business cost.
“We also give from our own pockets,” said Amiry when asked how the restaurant funds the program.
He also credited the generous donations from members of the Montreal community for helping with their new program. “Today, a woman came by with an envelope of $80 and another customer donated money to the program after purchasing a meal,” said Amiry.
“As an immigrant from Baghdad in Iraq, we suffered from the embargo and war,” Amiry explained. “We understand what it is like to suffer and we know the feeling of people in need.”
Amiry said the initiative was largely unnoticed at the start, but the restaurant earned online recognition when customer Sean Jalbert posted on Facebook about the store’s generosity on Jan. 2.
“I would always pass by the restaurant on my way to work but never went inside,” Jalbert said. “I found out what they were doing through word of mouth from one of my colleagues.”
Jalbert decided to pay a visit to Marché Ferdous to see if the advertisement on their front door was true.
“I told them that I had no money,” said Jalbert. “The workers were very welcoming and did not ask me any questions.”
Jalbert then paid for his meal and then wrote the Facebook post sharing his experience at the Montreal restaurant.
His post has gone viral and received more than 5,000 shares and some 3,000 likes.
“I’m very happy that the restaurant is getting its [well-]deserved recognition for helping the community,” said Jalbert.
He also said he hopes no one takes advantage of the restaurant’s generosity so that it can continue to support members of the community in need.
![The fact that the United States elected a president who has been accused of sexual misconduct by over a dozen women was one of the prominent issues discussed at the protest. “That we have a president who’s even been thought to have [committed] sexual assault… I think that’s an incredible thing, that people have voted that into our highest position in our country,” said Meredith Rowe, an Ohio native and McGill University student who attended the Montreal rally. Photo by Ana Hernandez](https://theconcordian.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Ana-Hernandez-3883.jpg)
