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Tag: student life
Learn all about how a group of Concordia students are empowering women
Making HERstory is a Concordia club that is dedicated to changing the perception about feminism, that perception being all about gender equality between men and women, not women being perceived as dominant.
The Concordian had the chance to sit down with some of the club’s executive members to understand what the club is all about and how it came to be.
“Everyone that knows me well knows how passionate and dedicated I am towards achieving big goals. As a proud woman, I decided to join Making HERstory to show everyone what women are made of and what they are capable of,” said Gaelle Abou Issa, the club’s vice-president external.
Angela Farasha, the club’s president, explained that there is a special project in the works to commemorate International Women’s day, which took place on March 8.
“We are preparing for a unique ‘Equality’ project in collaboration with some of our professors in Concordia,” Farasha said. “We can’t talk about it yet. However, make sure to follow us on social media @makingherstoryconcordia to know more about it when the time comes.”
The events that are hosted by the club are some of the highlights for the team. Farasha explained that a majority of the events are done with an educational purpose in mind.
“We focus on educational events that revolve around women empowerment. Such events will discuss raising awareness about women’s rights, issues women face in Canada and other parts of the world, the importance of financial independence for women, the importance of developing a positive body image and many more,” Farasha said.
Social Media Manager Lana Haidar said she joined the club because she “wanted to make a change and difference and [felt] the need to be a part of something special.” She added that the group has been very welcoming.
The execs can all agree that the club truly took off during the pandemic, when they hosted a variety of online activities and workshops. The transition to in-person schooling made promoting the club much easier for the execs.
“After transferring to in-person, promoting and advertising became easier. The word spreads and a lot of people discover the association and learn about it from their peers, members of the association, as well as social media,” said Vice-President Internal Hajar Lamri.
The execs look forward to connecting with women from different backgrounds at Concordia as the club continues to grow.
A look inside making your own t-shirt grocery bag.
With Earth Day on the horizon, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) hosted an anti-consumerism week. This year’s event theme was Food Sovereignty, Sustainability & Solidarity.
In late February, the CSU put on a variety of talks, workshops, and presentations so that students could get inspired to lead a more sustainable life.
Personally, I am always curious about different methods and ways to lead a more environmentally-conscious life. When I was looking into events for the week, the ‘Make Your Own Grocery Tote bag!’ workshop appealed to me.
The use of single-use plastics has slowly but surely started making its way out of our everyday lives. According to a Global News article, two-thirds of people in Quebec say they use their own bags or bins to shop.
Whenever I go to Dollarama or Walmart, I always forget reusable bags, so I always end up paying for them when I get to check out. So this workshop was perfect for me. It happened on Feb. 21 at the Hall Building at the Downtown Campus.
As soon as I got to the workshop space, I saw the event organizers setting up sewing machines and some tables in a ‘U’ formation. The event organizers were people from the Concordia University Centre for Creative Use (CUCCR). Leading the workshop were Sustainability ambassadors, Kavi Nera and Maya Jain.
Kavi Nera, a Concordia sustainability ambassador, and Maya Jain, the Material Depot programming and coordinator for the CUCCR lead the participants in the workshop. Kaitlynn Rodney // The Concordian
Every participant was given a step-by-step guide on how to turn an old shirt into a bag. For participants who did not have an old t-shirt, the CUCCR provided one from past events, like Frosh week.
The workshop began by determining if you had a big enough shirt to make one bag and two smaller bags from the same shirt.
If you had a small shirt, you would begin by cutting the collar and sleeves off. Afterward, Neva gave a small tutorial on how to use a sewing machine to sew the bottom of the shirt closed.
Community editor, Dalia makes her bag at the Concordia center for creative reuse’s workshop for anti-consumerism week. Kaitlynn Rodney // The Concordian
For those that had big enough shirts to make smaller bags out of, the procedure was a little different. People had to make small incisions on the bottom of the shirt and then use a double knotting technique to close up the shirt.
Al Turgeon, a contemporary dance major at Concordia is using one of the shirts supplied by the CUCCR to make her map using the non-sewing method. Kaitlynn Rodney // The Concordian
I feel that with inflation at the back of our minds, it’s always helpful to know some tips and tricks for cutting costs and helping reduce waste on earth. I look forward to next year’s activities for anti-consumerism week.
Recent study shows nearly half of Gen Z gave up on filing their digital documents
I was stunned when Philippe Gingras, creative writing and scriptwriting student at Université de Montréal, opened his laptop in front of me. With a B&W Charlie Chaplin movie wallpaper and images like old-school typewriters to replace those boring file icons, the 25-year-old’s desktop looks like a cool vintage poster.
“I see so many people in class whose desktops are really messy, and it kind of disturbs me,” he said, adding that his own desktop reflects his passions and motivates him.
However, messy desktops are pretty common among Gen Z — those currently aged between 11 and 26. According to file encryption company Nordlocker, almost half of Gen Z respondents leave all their documents on their desktop without a home.
Concordia journalism student Alexa Toguri-Laurin said her old laptop was very messy. She recently got a new laptop and worked hard to organize it better than the last one. “It doesn’t look too messy on my screen, so it doesn’t cause me too much anxiety every time I open my computer.”
The study shows 45 per cent of Gen Z respondents simply use their search bar, or the lovely CTRL+F (or CMD+F for Apple users) to find files rather than look for them.
While Toguri-Laurin agrees the search option on her computer comes in handy, it’s useless without a consistent labeling system for your files. For her, naming files strategically is much simpler and less chaotic. “There’s so much sensory overload with how messy my desktop was,” she said. “It was so overwhelming for me to scan through my entire desktop and fish out one particular document.”
Tips and tricks from fellow university students
The human brain requires order to focus better. According to a Harvard Business Review article, messy spaces are mentally exhausting and affect your ability to concentrate. Sarah-Maude Dussault, school and adaptation student from Université de Sherbrooke, uses an iPad but organizes her files thoroughly in Notability. “I have attention deficit disorder (ADD), so if I don’t save it, it never existed in my head,” she laughed.
So, how do we organize our desktops?
Language and linguistics student at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and journalist Rosie St-André shared some handy tips. She explained that she learned how to organize her computer by watching YouTube and TikTok videos. She said that watching creators like Julia K. Crist, her favourite on YouTube, organize their digital space motivated her to do the same. “It also helps you identify what kind of style you like,” she said.
After watching a few videos, St-André decided to make her own wallpaper on Canva, where she could design and colour-code her background as she pleased. She split it into three sections: school, work, and finances. She also added a motivational quote and some pretty pictures for the aesthetics.
Organization as motivation
“I feel like people get discouraged when it comes to studying because it’s so complicated to get set up for it,” said Gingras. “It isn’t hard to study, it’s just hard to sit down and do it.”
For him, having an organized desktop means sitting down and avoiding a 15-minute search for his documents. We know it – motivation comes in temporary bursts. We need to seize it while it’s there. “I love knowing that I won’t have to search for my documents every time I sit down to get some work done,” said St-André.
Although Toguri-Laurin admits her desktop isn’t your typical aesthetically pleasing desktop from Pinterest, she’s happy with her progress. “It’s an example of how much better I am at organizing my life and making things better for myself,” she said. “I’m really proud of myself for accomplishing that, because I don’t have to stress myself out like I did five years ago.”
See what the club has in store for winter 2023.
With the winter break all on our minds, it is a given that everyone is looking for things to do during the chilly season. The Concordia Ski and Snowboard Club is ready to welcome another event-filled winter.
The Concordian had the chance to sit down with four executives from the club: Michelle Fraser, Sebastian Adam, Ajay Weinstein, and Antoine Denis.
Adam, the VP internal on the team, recalled his earliest memories as a kid snowboarding for the first time.
“My dad put me on a board before I could walk so he’s always been a super big ‘boarder’. As soon as I could fit on a snowboard I was riding. I never started with skiing, I went with the better of the two,” Adam said.
While every executive on the team has a different relationship with skiing and snowboarding, they all shared the same excitement for the upcoming season.
Fraser, the VP of social media for the club, explained the upcoming events for this winter.
“We just posted our trip schedule for the upcoming ski season. We have all the dates on our Instagram page. We are going to a variety of different locations around Quebec like Mont Orford and Mont Tremblant,” Fraser explained.
“Our two most exciting events are our ‘weekender’ events. We’re having one in Quebec city and we are having one in Vermont at Jay Peak,” Fraser added.
The “weekender” events have been done in the past, but they had to be put on hold for the past couple of years due to COVID restrictions. During these events, participants of the ski and snowboard club go away for one weekend, stay at a hotel, ski, and party.
For beginners who want to try out the club but feel apprehensive due to their skill level, the club’s executives assure you that the club is for everyone.
Weinstein, the president of the club, explained that the team is there to help answer any questions that you may have while going down the slopes.
“One of the things that we try to do with the club is that we try to get new people to come out. Obviously, in terms of liability, we can’t teach beginners how to ride but we try to make it as accessible as possible,” he said. “We make sure that it’s accessible because we know how difficult it is as a beginner because every element of skiing is super expensive.”
With accessibility on the forefront, the club hopes to recruit as many participants as they can for their most anticipated events for winter 2023.
So get out there! You can find out more about this club on their website.
COURTESY PHOTOS OF THE CONCORDIA SKI AND SNOWBOARDING CLUB.
Welcome to The Podcast. Cedric Gallant will produce and host this podcast alongside our Section Editors every week. The shows will rotate weekly to cover topics from each section of our newspaper!
This week’s show, Concordia for Dummies, was produced by Cedric Gallant, alongside our News Editor Lucas Marsh Tune in for future episodes of Concordia for Dummies, where we explore topics on students minds throughout the school year.
Graphic by James Fay
In this episode:
Lucas Marsh gives context on why Concordia’s President Graham Carr apologized for the University’s handling of the 1969 Black Student Protest. In addition to his historical explanation, Lucas interviewed Robert Wilkins, a photographer who was present when the fire broke out in the Hall building.
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Movember 2022 with JMo’SB
Been ‘staching away my Movember motivation
Now that we are in November, many may associate this month with the events linked to Movember.
In case you have been living under a rock, let me break down what Movember is exactly.
Movember is the mustache-growing charity event that occurs all throughout the course of November. The people who choose to participate in Movember donate to charities that support Men’s mental health initiatives. As well as bring awareness to men’s physical health issues like prostate cancer.
Now you might be asking yourself, Movember sounds great but how can I support these events as a student here at Concordia?
This is where the JMo’SB team at Concordia comes into play. In case you have never heard of JMo’SB, they are a non-profit sub-committee within the Commerce and Administration Student Association (CASA) cares. Their entire purpose is to raise money for men’s mental health initiatives throughout the month of November.
The team first started back in 2011 when a group of JMSB students came together to raise funds for Movember.
Fast-forward to last year, the JMo’SB team raised over $42,000 for men’s mental health initiatives. This year the team is aiming to raise over $50,000. If you would like to donate, please visit this page.
The president and co-president of JMo’SB, Liam Pinsonneault-Emond and Andrea Valcarcel gave The Concordian the inside scoop on what’s happening for Movember.
“We don’t actually have an event on November 19th for International Men’s Day but we have a lot of other events happening throughout the month,” Valcarcel said. “For example on November 18th we have a mental health day and it’s going to be at HIVE cafe, and it’s in collaboration with John Molson Women and Leadership. There’s going to be a lot of relaxing activities at that event, like decorating cookies, painting tote bags and there are also going to be panelists.”
The Nov. 18 event will be especially special because speakers from the Movember foundation itself will be among the panelists.
“We are also doing a comedy night which is going to be on November 20th at Montreal comedy club. We are actually in contact with the people from the comedy club and we asked them if the comedians could do a Movember theme. They said that they would try and find comedians that could do that,” Valcarcel explained.
Over the course of Nov. 7-11, the team also hosted two bake sales to further advance their fundraising efforts.
The month of November is an exciting time for the JMo’SB to further incite students at Concordia to participate in their events. Emond made a point to emphasize not to forget about one important thing during this month.
“For the people that this could sort of resonate with, if you have men in your life that are close to you, check in with them from time to time,” Emond explained. “Talk to them and make sure that they are okay, it doesn’t sound like much but just asking a guy how his day is going or how he’s doing, it would mean a lot to them.”
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Let the good times roll
How one student’s initiative is bringing the Concordia community together
Among the many clubs to choose from at Concordia, there is one that takes communal building up a notch.
The Concordian spoke with Asma Kattan, a human relations major and founder of the roller skating club, about how she got the idea to form it.
“I am the founder of the roller skating club, I’ve curated it and put all my heart into it. [I wanted] the community to have a place where people can get together to share one hobby and interest and gather to rollerskate,” Kattan explained.
When Kattan was looking for a club to join at Concordia, there was nothing that was remotely close to what she was looking for.
She made a call to the CSU and got all the information she needed to start her own club at Concordia. Kattan was told that she had to write up a cover letter, a constitution, and petitions.
“We needed around 50 petitions and we exceeded that amount. It was so fulfilling. There is so much big interest for our club now and it is getting bigger and bigger,” Kattan said.
For Kattan, the main goal of the club has always been to unite people and allow them to truly learn from each other.
Roller skating is a great way to improve your overall fitness level because it is essentially a full body workout.
The CSU roller skating club is extremely active on their social media. Their Instagram handle is @rollerskatingclubmtl. On their feed, they have posted many photos and videos from their events that were held in August before school started.
The Concordian was curious to know what the club’s future plans are, going into winter.
“We usually in the summer head to open tennis courts. In the winter, which is about eight months in Canada, we have it in private indoor safe-gated venues,” Kattan explained.
Kattan has planned four big roller skating events for the winter months.
For newcomers who want to join the club, Kattan reassured The Concordian that there are full safety measures put in place.
“Precautions are important. We have first of all a tutor that makes sure what level each person is at. So if you’re a beginner, we definitely recommend wearing the protections for roller skating. Most of the people that are members have their own equipment. They’ve been around,” Kattan said.
The club makes all participants sign a waiver of the terms and conditions that outline that the participants are solely responsible for their own safety and security.
If you’re looking for free food, music and lots of good times, look no further. Sign up for the club using this link!
Superhero fans rejoice! The Concordia Comic book club is back in action.
My friend showed me his huge comic book collection, it was quite a marvel.
Concordia Comic Book Club executives Emily MacDonald, Liam Quraeshi, and Wade Maddin explain all there is to know about comics.
“I think it started when I found my dad’s collection of comics. He had them in the basement and one time I was down there I found them all. It was quite a sight to see,” Quraeshi recalled. “Before then I never really bought any comics, so seeing all these varieties of ‘Spiderman’ and ‘X-Men,’ I became very interested in that whole world.”
Maddin explained that his early years of collecting were very much influenced by the cartoons that he watched at the time.
“A lot of the cartoons I watched growing up were all stuff like Batman. I was also a big fan of the Avengers TV show back when that was a thing,” Maddin recalled.
Just as each member became interested in comic books in various ways, their safekeeping methods differ as well.
MacDonald, who has been interested in comics since the age of 14, keeps her comics stored in four big boxes.
“I have a few hundred, like individual issues. In the comic industry the stuff that you keep the comics in is called a bag and board.
Quraeshi, on the other hand, uses the knowledge that he has acquired as a history major and applies it to the safekeeping of his collection.
“The best way to preserve any sort of paper, writing and comics included, is to keep them in a nice dry and dark area. Too much light can damage the comic by draining the colour. If the area is too moist, the paper kind of smudges a bit and they can get stuck together,” Quraeshi explained.
Quraeshi also advises any new comic collectors to have paper dividers in between each and every issue. This is for purposes of organization as well as to protect the condition of the actual issue.
In terms of the value of comic book issues, The Concordian was able to learn more about what makes comics valuable.
“Supply and demand is a big factor. Whenever there is a relatively small amount of a certain item, value increases. In some cases it can differ, a good example is the ‘Action Comics 1,’ it’s not only one of the first detective comics but it also debuts one of the most popular superheroes, Superman,” Quraeshi said.
Quraeshi, along with his two other colleagues, is eager to spread his passion for comic books with new members.
Potential new members can join the Concordia Comic Book Club Discord server and their other socials through this link.
Concordia students are making a difference in the fight against climate change.
September 23 marked the latest protest for climate justice organized by Fridays For Future in Montreal. This month, Concordia University marched for climate justice, along with many other schools.
Fridays For Future is a movement that was started by climate activist Greta Thunberg. Thunberg was 15 at the time when she helped initiate the movement back in August 2018. She, along with other activists, sat in front of the Swedish parliament for three straight weeks to protest the lact of action for our climate crisis.
Students at Concordia University actively took part in a strike on Friday, Sept. 23 to protest against climate change.
The Concordian was present at the climate march to document the protest and speak with students about their involvement with climate justice.
On the morning of the march, students assembled on the Reggies bar terrace behind the Hall Building at Concordia.
Speeches were given by students who work at the Hive about the purpose of the day’s march, demanding two things:
- Ban fossil fuels by 2030, in terms of production, processing, exports and imports.
- Impose a massive tax on the wealthy while reinvesting into public services and social programs to ensure decent living conditions for all.
As the speeches concluded on the Reggies terrace, The Concordian met up with Concordia student Octavie Doherty-Haigh. Haigh gave her thoughts about why she was participating in the march.
“I came here to the climate march today, because I know that change needs to happen. I know that during the pandemic, there’s been so much of a shutdown and that’s why it’s important to be here in person,” Haigh explained.“I know that consuming meat is one of the biggest contributing factors to CO2 levels rising, so I’ve taken meat out of my diet. I also plant trees during the summertime.”
Students from Dawson College soon joined Concordia students to begin the climate march.
Concordia, Dawson, and McGill students marched together to the George-Étienne Cartier Monument situated on Mont-Royal.
At the monument, all the participating schools and organizations assembled.
The Concordian spoke to three other students about their involvement in combating climate change.
Anna Abbott explained how individual change can make a difference in the community.
“I do believe in individual change, I take the public transport when I can. I’ve been vegan for six years now. Bigger movements like this are so important to engage the community,” Abbott explained.
Many of the students at the climate march are actively switching to a plant-based or completely vegan diet in order to combat climate change. Others at the climate march simply just turned up, like Concordia student Gabriel Casola.
“I am not doing much to combat climate change in my own life. I am here at this event and I am more than happy to be involved,” Casola said.
At the monument, a speech was given by the President of the National Committee for the Rights of First Nations Normand Pilot.
Pilot spoke about how as a community, we have to take care of Mother Earth and how future generations won’t have a chance if we don’t.
Everyone at the protest wanted to have their voices heard. Over 130,000 students were in attendance.
Fellow Concordia student and theatre major Julia Pye summarized protesters’ thoughts on the event succinctly:
“I think the most important fight in climate change is the vote. I think that the government holds all the power and if we don’t get young people out there to vote, it’s going to be a horrible thing. Even talking to people around here so many people don’t know about the Quebec elections. I think educating the youth on that is the most important and knowing who you are voting for can literally save the planet.”
See More Photos From The March:
Welcome to The Podcast. Cedric Gallant will produce and host this podcast alongside our Section Editors every week. The shows will rotate weekly to cover topics from each section of our newspaper!
This week’s show, Concordia for Dummies, was produced by Cedric Gallant, Gabriel Guindi, alongside our News Editors, Hannah Tiongson, Lucas Marsh, and Staff Writer Mareike Glorieux-Stryckman. Tune in for future episodes of Concordia for Dummies, where we explore topics on students minds throughout the school year.
In this episode:
Cedric Gallant covers this week’s headlines and shares interviews with First Nations leaders around Montreal reflecting on Truth and Reconciliation Day (Sept. 30).
For our Concordia for Dummies segment this week, we decided to host a discussion between a few members of our staff, all of whom came to Concordia with different backgrounds, cultures, nationhood, and native languages. Listen in for a roundtable discussion on the various Quebec party platforms as we head into our Provincial Election Day tomorrow, Oct. 2.
Thanks for listening and make sure to tune in next week!
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Chatcordia : The Student Diet
Welcome to The Podcast. Cedric Gallant will produce and host this podcast alongside our Section Editors every week. The shows will rotate weekly to cover topics from each section of our newspaper!
This week’s show, Chatcordia, was produced by Cedric Gallant and Dalia Nardolillo, The Concordian’s Community Editor. Tune in for future episodes of Chatcordia, where we interview students about all things from serious to silly!
In this episode:
Cedric Gallant covers this week’s headlines and interviews Concordians at the Climate march last weekend.
For our Chatcordia segment this week, Community Editor Dalia Nardolillo asked Concordia students what they’re eating as we head into the busy (and often without lunch) days of the Fall semester.
Thanks for listening and make sure to tune in next week!