The Concordian Vol. 31. Issue 1

Volume 31 Issue 1 August 27, 2013Independent student newspAper At ConCordIA unIVersIty. sInCe 1983.

In this issue //

news

C4 is out the door P. 2

life arts

Breakfast TV with Alums P. 7

music

Revisit the joys of Osheaga P. 9

How athletes stay fit in summer P. 12

theconcordian.comwe tell your stories. Follow us on twitter: @theConcordian

Pen makes for better study P. 5

sports

And so it begins...See Editorial, p. 13

theconcordian

newsWrite to the editor: [email protected]

2 // Tuesday, augusT 27, 2013

Clubs// neWs

Marois wants secular charter

Quebec Premier Pauline Marois says her party’s planned Charter of Quebec Values will be a uniting force for the province. During her first public com-ments on the controversial proposal, Marois rejected any suggestion that the new rules would be a source of division among the population. De-tails include a plan to prohibit public-sector workers from donning turbans, kippahs, hijabs and displaying visible crucifixes.

slOAne mOnTgOmeRyCo-news editor

CITY

trudeau adMits

sMoking pot as Mp

The admission was made during a recent interview for the Huffington Post. Although he said he last smoked marijuana about three years ago, his admission has provoked a fair deal of controversy between opponents and supporters alike. The Liberal party leader and Papineau MP explained in an article published by CBC Aug. 22, “I have not taken other drugs, I have been in my past a very rare user of marijuana, I think five or six times in my life that I’ve taken a puff — it’s not my thing. I think I’m in more trouble for admitting that I don’t drink coffee on social media today.”

fire on plateau,

unidentified victiM

The incident happened at about 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 25. Witnesses claim a gas barbecue exploded and firefighters allegedly smelled propane upon arrival on the scene but police have yet to come to a conclusion. The investigation is being transferred to the arson unit, with hopes to determine a more exact explanation. Police said the burns are making it dif-ficult to identify the victim.

CsU // neWs

pharMacists to expand their role

Starting Sept. 3, new responsi-bilities will give pharmacists the ability to create and modify new and existing prescriptions as well as the option to switch between medications deemed equivalent in case of a shortage. Addition-ally they will have an expanded role away from the counter in the interpretation of laboratory analyses.

C4’s club status revoked by CSUClub presidents and members are still determined to pursue their goals

Kelly DUVAlCo-news editor

The Concordia Case Competition & Consultancy Club (C4) may no longer be an official club but that doesn’t mean they’re throwing in the towel.

For reasons the presidents of C4 don’t agree with, the club is no longer registered under the CSU. C4 was approved last year and was to be given a budget this year but the club’s status was revoked at the CSU special council meeting held Aug. 7.

According to student union regulation 60d, regarding new clubs, “the group must be unique with its ideas, events and activi-ties.” The CSU did not find this to be the case for C4.

“There currently exist multiple case competitions and consultan-cy groups that are based in JMSB but which are open to all stu-dents,” said VP clubs and internal James Tyler Vaccaro. These clubs include The Apprentice, 5 Rounds Consulting, Enactus and the Man-agement Consulting Club.

The presidents of C4, Julien Fortuna and Fedor Molnar, both of whom have owned multiple com-panies, explained their goal was to provide Concordia students with experience outside the classroom and offer basic business needs.

“We’re about meeting and net-

working with successful people,” Molnar said.“Our major goal was to establish a strong community within Concordia,” added Fortu-na, who feels Concordia lacks an association accomplishing this.

The club would have teams where one member was required to have business knowledge and act as a mentor for other members who could be from any depart-ment at Concordia. Members of C4 would organize case studies and competitions wherein an un-limited number of students could participate. Vaccaro explained the ambiguity in regards to this club was the main issue.

“There was no clear outline of projects to be undertaken, docu-mentation of approval by the CSU or an outline of funding require-ments for this club,” he said.

“All the documents are on all of our computers and they should be at CSU from previous semesters,” said Molnar. “They didn’t consult us before making any decisions.”

Vaccaro has an email exchange from the former clubs co-ordina-tor informing C4 that they have not included enough information to be approved. Since he’s been unable to contact former VP clubs and internal Nadine Atallah for more than a month, questions re-garding the validity of their club status could not be answered.

The CSU considered the way C4 labeled themselves as Concor-dia’s case competition club to be

a problem, since JMSB already does this so expertly.

“C4 is b r a n d i n g themselves the way JMSB brands t h emse l ve s , ” said VP finance Scott Carr. “[This] takes away from [ J M S B ] ’ s credibility.”

Fortuna and Mol-nar said they never wanted to rival the John Molson Competi-tion Program and don’t want to turn students into en-trepreneurs.

“We’re not here to make mon-ey, we’re here to help the stu-dents,” Fortuna explained.

Regarding C4’s budget, Vacca-ro said “the project that C4 has en-visioned would require a substan-tial amount of funding; an amount that could not be provided by the CSU for a club with no historical precedent.”

C4, however, expected spon-sorship from entrepreneurs and professionals who would be will-ing to help students.

“I just don’t see how we’re do-ing anything bad to the student body,” said Molnar. “We’re getting

people to be more connected, get-ting students to be active.”

Vaccaro has informed C4 that they may reapply through the Clubs and Space Committee pro-vided they include more informa-tion about their planned projects and offer valid reasons that what they’re offering is unique.

Molnar and Fortuna plan on pursuing their goals independent-ly. “We’re still gonna go through with it, with CSU or without CSU,” said Molnar. “We have a team ready and people talking about it, so it would be stupid to stop right now.”

CSU appoints new general managerexecutives to benefit from assistance of new general manager


The Concordia Student Union selected Robert Henri to be the new general manager,

on Aug.14. The position had previ-ously been unfilled for over a year, leaving CSU executives eager to find the right person to take on the

position.“Having a general manager will greatly benefit all the CSU exec-utives and give them more opportu-nity to focus on their jobs,” said CSU President Melissa Kate Wheeler.

In May 2012 the previous gen-eral manager resigned and until this August the CSU has been operating without any advising or manage-ment from a general manager. Dur-ing the 2012 fall semester former CSU President Schubert Laforest became ill and after only half his session as president, had to resign. Following this misfortune, the CSU council elected Andrew Roberts in March 2013 to take over as presi-dent for the remainder of the school year.

Immediately after accepting his position as CSU President, Roberts got in touch with Human Resources and formed a hiring committee to

start the process of searching for a new general manager. By the time the candidates were shortlisted, Roberts had finished his term as president and Wheeler stepped up to finish the selection process, while simultaneously commencing her work for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year.

Wheeler, CSU executives and the hiring committee came to a unanimous decision that Henri was the best choice for the position. “He was the most well rounded candi-date for the job.” “With Robert here we’ll be able to focus on our work, CSU would have really suffered without him and I don’t know how they survived last year without a general manager,” said Wheeler.

Henri has already started work-ing with the CSU, his new role as general manager will focus mainly

on dealing with the CSU’s account-ing and finances, as well as manag-ing the staff of executives. Wheeler is confident that Henri’s background in accounting will greatly benefit the CSU and his hiring will undoubtedly be a relief to VP Finance, Scott Carr, who had been taking on the major-ity of the work associated with the role of general manager in the ab-sence of a qualified replacement.

A stream of unfortunate events and the decision of the previous CSU council to postpone the selec-tion process lead to a year without a general manager and unquestion-ably much heavier workload for CSU Executives. With the assistance of the new general manager, Wheeler predicts a less stressful school year, giving the CSU executives more time to focus on their jobs and upcoming tasks.

3Tuesday, augusT 27, 2013 //

Award // neWs

Campus // neWs

Students to be rewarded for enriching campus lifeCampus Choice Awards seeks applicants for its many award categories


Many students put in ex-ceptionally hard work to enrich campus life or take on strong lead-

ership roles to guide new students, and for this they usually receive little recognition. CampusPerks is an or-ganization created to change this, with a focus on rewarding students for their work. Beginning this year, CampusPerks is introducing the Campus Choice Awards as a way to highlight exceptional students who have gone out of their way to im-prove the atmosphere on campus. To qualify for the Campus Choice Awards, students can create art, plan a school event or take on a creative or entertaining endeavour.

Strangely enough, CampusPerks started by accident. Dave Wilkin, the creator of CampusPerks, was a

student at the University of Waterloo. While organizing one of the biggest intramural volleyball tournaments in the school’s history, Wilkin was in-formed that the tournament would have to be cancelled.

The tournament was unfortu-nately cancelled at the very last minute due to budget constraints. Wilkin’s devastation led him to start a campaign on Facebook to raise the funds himself, determined to ensure that all his fellow teammates got to play in the tournament they had trained so hard for. His enthusias-tic spirit and resolve allowed him to raise the money for the volleyball tournament in just three days.

After the success of his tourna-ment, Wilkin came to the realiza-tion that increasingly high tuition fees combined with poor funding for clubs created a huge obstacle for students who wanted to enhance and enrich campus life. This specific incident led to the development and creation of CampusPerks.

Last year CampusPerks part-nered up with S-Trip! and awarded a student with a one-year scholarship. The scholarship not only covered their entire tuition fees but also all of their books, set them up with a sum-mer internship and sent the awarded student with three of their friends on a grad trip to the Caribbean. In an-other case, CampusPerks teamed up with Tourism Australia to send a uni-versity travel blogger on a 17-day trip to explore and experience the best of Australia; while they got to blog and document their travels for their class-mates and friends back home.

The Campus Choice Awards were launched a few weeks ago, with the intention of highlighting and exposing, as much as possible, all the incredible talent and excellent work that occurs on campuses across Canada. There are five categories, that will be open to applicants at dif-ferent times during the year.

The first two categories selected to start the awards are Canada’s Best

Campus Event and Canada’s Best Artist/Entertainer(s). CampusPerks and Campus Choice Awards rep-resentative, Nicolas Petraglia, said, “The reason for starting with these categories is to highlight events be-fore they happen and get artists ex-posed before the year starts, with hopes to help them get their name known and thus help them promote their future shows, galleries, etc.”

In both categories, students can apply as an individual or as a group. The other categories will be open for applications starting in November, beginning with Team and Clubs Edi-tion, followed by Student Leader Edi-tion running in January, and finally the Athlete Edition in March.

If you have any other questions, the Campus Perks team encourages you to reach out. For any students wanting more information or won-dering how to apply, visit their website campusperks.ca and get into contact with their team via email.

Experience the city and Concordia at CSU orientationevents underway to help new and returning students start the year off right


A new school year means, among oth-er things, that the Concordia Student Union has an ar-

ray of orientation events lined up geared towards first year students. The CSU wants to share their pas-sion for Montreal’s liveliness with the university’s vast student pop-ulation. This year’s orientation theme, “Experience,” is inspired by Montreal’s Expo 67. Spanning two weeks, orientation events last until Sept. 12.

A concert in Jean Drapeau Park, the site of Expo 67, has been planned by the CSU in collabora-tion with Commerce and Admin-istration Students’ Association (CASA) for Sept. 6. While the per-formers have yet to be announced, the CSU promises “the most mem-orable concert to date.”

Students will have fuel to get through the first two weeks of school, as free coffee from Café Santropol will be available at both the Loyola and Sir George Williams campuses.

To kick off the string of events, free breakfast including Fairmount bagels will be served just outside the Hall building on the first day of classes. Later in the week, on Sept. 10, there will be an all-you-can-eat breakfast where students can put faces to the names of members and executives from CASA, ASFA, FASA and the ECA, who will be there to meet them.

CSU and überculture, a diverse group of creative-types made up of Concordia students and alumni, will host an art fair on Sept. 4 where students can discover and pick up unique pieces at a low cost. The group’s campaign to “empower in-dependent art, media and culture” will be supported at the fair.

At the Open Air Pub behind Reggie’s, students can attend dif-ferent daily activities including

henna workshops on Sept. 3 and the CJLO record sale on Sept. 9. The pub will stay open until 2 a.m. on Sept. 5, marking the first of Reg-gie’s weekly Thirsty Thursdays.

Reggie’s is also the locale for the Sustainable Food Fest on Sept. 11 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., where students can help themselves to lo-cally produced goods and support sustainability. A little later that evening at Reggie’s, students’ tal-ent in poetry and comedy will be highlighted at the Poetry Slam and Open Mic Night.

Before the summer ends, stu-dents can relax at least once more on a rooftop terrace. On Sept. 9, a jazz cocktail event with live music will take place downtown on the 11th floor and terrace of the EV building, where students will be given two free drinks.

The Loyola BBQ on Sept. 4 is where students can try their hand at ultimate frisbee then feast on burgers (meat or veggie) and pop-sicles. The CSU and ASFA along with another club, which has not

yet been announced, will host a cultural night at The Hive, also at Loyola Campus, on Sept. 10. The secret club will be serving tradi-tional food.

After eating and lounging, stu-dents might be eager to get a little more active. To suit those needs, free pole dancing and kickboxing introductory classes will be held on Sept. 10 in the Hall building. At the Loyola Chapel on Sept. 11, the John Molson Sustainable Business Group is hosting a free yoga class. If students fall in love with an ac-tivity, they can register for regular classes at both gyms.

To end the orientation, on Sept. 12, there’s an ‘80s dance party in the Hall building as well as a ‘90s themed final party at Reggie’s. The CSU invites students to slip back in time and indulge in nostal-gia before settling back into what can quickly become a hectic new school year.

For more information and the complete schedule, visit csuori-entation.com

2nd degree Murder

charge in toronto

Toronto Constable, James Forcillo, is the second police officer to face charges of second-degree mur-der in the 23 years that the On-tario Special Investigations Unit has been in place. Forcillo shot 18-year-old Sammy Yatim nine times after he pulled out a knife for unknown reasons on a Toronto streetcar on July 27. Released on $510,000 bail, Forcillo’s court date is September 30.

NATION

ticket for trudeau?

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police want to stop criminally charging people for possessing small amounts of mari-juana, and instead, put in place a system for fining offenders. While the officers still don’t support le-galization, issuing tickets would minimize court time and help indi-viduals avoid criminal charges that would prevent them from employ-ment and citizenship. Meanwhile, Liberal MP, Justin Trudeau, who supports the legalization of mari-juana, admitted he has smoked pot since becoming a member of parliament.

indigenous “survival sex”

New research by American mas-ters student, Christine Stark suggests that women, teenagers and babies are being sold into the sex trade on ships in the Duluth Minnesota harbour. Ke-zia Picard, the director of policy and research at The Ontario Na-tive Women’s Association, pos-its that this is a result of the extreme poverty facing many in-digenous people, but says more research needs to be undertaken before anything can be consid-ered conclusive.

driver abuse

On Aug. 20, Ottawa bus driv-ers gathered on Parliament Hill to push for tougher pen-alties for passengers who as-sault them. More than 2,000 Canadian bus drivers are as-saulted each year, says Liberal MP Ralph Goodale. In 2009, an OC Transpo driver ended up with a broken rib from a passenger’s punches, after which the culprit was given a 120 day suspension from rid-ing buses. Other assaults have included death threats, spit-ting and punching.


4// Tuesday, augusT 27, 2013

lifeWrite to the editor: [email protected]

Technology // life

student entrepreneurship // life

Connecting to Concordia is easier than you may think but with so many pag-es, websites and platforms, it’s hard to

know where to start. Concordia has made a number of efforts in recent years to keep stu-dents connected through the web and social media. There are more ways than ever to eas-ily access information about events, seminars, workshops, clubs and volunteer opportunities in and around the university.

Concordia journalism student Andy Fi-del feels the web is one of the best ways for university groups to communicate with stu-dents.

“It’s so easy to just click ‘retweet’ or ‘share’ and it works,” she said. “Like at Queer Concordia, we made posters and advertised our events around both campuses but the best way to reach out was online. That’s why, this year, we will have a website.”

Fidel also notes that while Concordia’s official web and social media initiatives have been a great source of news for her, she has

Connect to Concordia this September

had less luck learning about events before they actually happen.

Here are some suggestions for how you can stay connected to the Concordia commu-nity online:

Concordia’s website (www.concordia.ca) is really the first place you should start. Any-thing you need to know about the university can be found here. Most importantly, students should check myconcordia.ca on a regular

basis. It’s here that you can access anything from your schedule, grades, student account balance to special messages and even locker rentals and renewals.

For Concordia’s official social media initia-tives you can head over here to find links for the social sites you use the most: concordia.ca/social.html. Choose any of the social me-dia options and you will find information on university news and special events such as

orientation activities.If you’re looking to get in touch with vol-

unteer opportunities in and around Concor-dia, the Concordia LIVE Centre has a webpage (volunteer.concordia.ca/newsandevents) and Facebook page to keep you in the loop.

Some of the biggest student groups and faculty associations also have pages on Face-book such as the CSU, the Concordia Student Union; FASA, the Fine Arts Student Alliance; and ASFA, the Arts and Science Federation of Associations. Simply enter the name of the student group or association into the search bar. You can also find other clubs or student groups you may want to be involved in by searching them through Facebook. Queer Concordia, for example, is a great resource for Concordia’s LGBTQ community.

There are also some Concordia-related Fa-cebook pages that are just for fun. Spotted At Concordia is inspired by Craigslist’s famous missed connections. It’s where students who spotted someone who piqued their interest on campus can leave anonymous messages.

Of course, Twitter can be a best friend for any student using a smartphone. If you follow @concordia, you’ll receive up-to-the-minute news on anything from sports tryouts, new research or special events for students.

For those who are hooked on Instagram, Concordia’s @concordiauniversity account will keep you on top of the people, spaces and events that make Concordia unique. It’s a great way to explore student life through pictures.

While most students might look to a part-time job to keep some cash in their pockets, John Molson School

of Business student, Ali Khadjavi, started his own company.

In 2009, Khadjavi launched his company, Nettoyeurs Express, with his brother Reza, after beginning his studies at Concordia as an independent student. A natural go-getter, Khadjavi is currently working towards his Bachelor of Commerce.

Born in Tehran, Khadjavi moved to Can-ada when he was five-years-old. He and his brother, Reza, have had an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age and came up with their business idea together.

“We were looking for a traditional busi-ness with a twist and discovered that dry cleaning was an easy business to start since many dry cleaners outsourced the work,” Khadjavi said. “So that means very little start up costs and good margins.”

The brothers target their business to busy

students and young professionals who need laundry services and dry cleaning, but might not have time to make the trip to the cleaners or the laundromat themselves.

Nettoyeurs Express has done away with the traditional storefront in favour of a more modern web-based model. The sophisticated website enables their clients to select from a wide range of pickup and delivery hours. Laundry and dry cleaning is picked up from clients’ homes, workplace or hotel and can be delivered within 48 hours or less, depend-ing on the service option selected.

Always thinking ahead, the brothers turned to additional niche markets as well.

“We also service businesses such as clinics, spas, daycares, firms and other small com-panies,” Khadjavi said. “We are also very popular for our office weekly pickups for large companies such as Aldo Group, Ernst & Young and for our laundry services in the McGill Dormitories.”

Bursaries, mentorship programs and business coaching through Youth Employ-ment Services were all helpful for Khadjavi to get Nettoyeurs Express off the ground. He notes that Québec is an excellent province for young entrepreneurs to start a new business.

During their interview on CJAD’s program, Today’s Entrepreneur, the broth-

More than just school spirit

Photo by writer

ers advised young people looking to start a business not to underestimate the impor-tance of a strong web presence. It is no lon-ger an aspect of business that can be ignored and it has certainly been essential in setting Khadjavi’s business apart from the competi-tion.

Khadjavi is also quick to point out the campaign his company holds every September on their Facebook page, “Give $20 Get $20,” which he notes is very popular amongst the student population.

There will always be competitors in the laundry business, but Khadjavi and his brother are ready for it and even welcome it.

JmsB student Ali Khadjavi shares student-friendly business

AngelA mACKenzie Contributor

AngelA mACKenzieContributor

stay updated to make back-to-school easy and beneficial

11

Tuesday, augusT 27 // 5

Health // life

You are what you eat, and then somestaying healthy against school odds

nATAsHA TAggARTOnline editor

The season of early morning commutes and late night studying is around the cor-ner and once it gets started, personal health and well-

being are pushed further down the list of priorities. How can we think about eat-ing right when there are three essays and an oral presentation due before we make it to week two? Enter Concordia’s Health Services, here to make your life a tad easier when it comes to all things health-related.

“[Students] can come into health services where we have a lot of reliable, evidence-based information [to] find out more about what is healthy eating,” said Concordia Health Services health promotion specialist Gabriella Szabo. “That’s a great place to start.”

Instead of starting mid-semester or waiting until New Year’s to get healthy, make a pledge to start right now. Easier said than done, probably, but you might be surprised how easy it is to stay on track once you

have the right amount of commitment.“We don’t have to only want it, we

have to want to want it,” said Szabo. “If the person wants to eat healthier, they need to build that commitment to that goal of eating healthier and it needs to be really important [to them].”

The Health Services website has tools and guides including booklets on living well, customizable plans and lists of food resources in Montreal. In addi-tion to that, Szabo recommends taking a look at Canada’s Food Guide for more information. Throughout the year Con-cordia students can also participate in workshops discussing eating well, work-ing out, stress management and other health-related topics.

To live a healthy lifestyle you won’t have to start stuff-ing your face with kale smoothies or start substi-tuting an apple for a burg-er. There’s room for all kinds of food, including junk food,it all depends on portion control and balance.

“There’s no such thing as good food or bad food, there are just foods you should choose more of and some you should choose less of,” said Szabo.

Plant foods such as fruits and vegeta-bles are at the top of the list of what we should choose most of. It just happens to be that these foods are easily portable for an on-the-go snack and are usually mess-free and perfect for class.

“If you already eat lots of fruits and vegetables then that’s great keep doing that and if you don’t, then one goal to set for yourself is might be [a]‘I might introduce one new fruit or vegetable into my diet every week,’” said Szabo.

If you’re one to run out the door without bringing a

lunch and find your-self exposed to the

temptations of fast-food

utopia, we’ve

got you

covered. Concordia has healthy eating options right on campus: the People’s Potato on the seventh floor of the Hall

building, and the Loyola Luncheon which has free vegetarian lunches every

day in the Hive. If you want to stock up on discount-priced fruits and veggies

you can check out the Good Food Box.We’ve all had to fight the desire to

face-plant on our desk and take a nap, but if you avoid skipping meals this will help with alertness. However it’s about more than just food intake, there are sev-eral other factors that play a part in our performance in or outside of school.

“Getting enough sleep and enough physical activity regularly is so important because it gets the blood flowing and it gets the oxygen going to the brain which helps us stay awake,” said Szabo.

There’s no doubt it’s hard getting started, but with the right mindset to complete goals, nothing is unattainable.

“We need to build our commitment, make a plan and track it,” said Szabo. “So if we ever get off track we can get right back on.”

Technology // life

Is your laptop and social media failing you ?

AngelA De CiCCOContributor

Pen and paper is as outdated as quill and ink. Class begins and, like a game of Guess Who, laptops flip open. Portable com-puters are an easy and efficient

way to take notes, especially when lectures run at the speed of light. However, laptops mean quick access to millions of online and social media distractions and a second spent checking the latest tweets or the per-son outbidding you on eBay never really lasts a second. Before you know it, you are packing up your things and saying farewell to another class that has you more updated on who’s doing what this weekend.

A recent study published in Computers & Education suggests that using computers during lectures could be doing more harm than good and can have a direct effect on a student’s grades and could potentially be lowering their classmates’ marks. The study conducted two experiments designed to gauge how laptops lead to multitasking and how multitasking leads to distraction.

“We found that, lo and behold, the students who multitasked performed much worse on the final test,” Faria Sana, co-au-thor of the study, said in an interview with The Globe and Mail published Aug. 14.

Checking emails, updating statuses, play-ing games and watching movies is all some-thing students have seen other students do during lectures. “Seeing dozens of laptops in a class is now common,” said Sana and

leads to “a lot of students spending a chunk of their time in class doing things that are not related to the academic environment.”

“Having Internet access is what distracts me. I know it’s there so it becomes easy to get carried away,” said Natasha Reda, an English literature student at Con-cordia University. “If I didn’t have access, I would probably listen more and take bet-ter notes.”

For students who go the old-fashioned way with pen and paper, laptops are as much of a distraction because spying on your classmates Pinterest page or Face-book news feed is inevitable.

Paying attention can be challenging, especially after a long summer. “We’re hoping that based on the results, students will take responsibility for their actions,” Sana told The Globe and Mail.

Concordia Counselling and Develop-ment offers learning services that give students tips on improving concentration and note-taking strategies. Laptops may seem like the most productive tool to have during lectures but unless you have the willpower to keep from unrelated websites and tasks, your laptop may literally be fail-ing you. Multitasking is never a good idea, so start the semester off right and reevalu-ate how you spend your time in class. For more tips, attend Counselling and Devel-opment’s workshop on Wednesday Sept. 18 at 4:30 p.m. in H-440, 1455 De Mai-sonneuve Blvd W.

study suggests that multitasking leads to lower grades

Photo by healthiermi - Flickr

For more information about what is offered at Concor-

dia’s Health Services, visit http://concordia.ca/stu-

dents/health.html

artsWrite to the editor: [email protected]

City // ARTs


Montreal fall fests find friendly faces frolickingJust because summer is over, the fun doesn’t have to stop

JADe ADAmsContributor

As the warm season draws to a close, the happiness that comes along with it seems to fade faster than that summer glow you worked so hard to achieve. Living in a colourful and diverse city such as Montreal, there is truly no need to worry as summer is not the only time to enjoy what the urban centre has to offer. These fall festivals prove that when the temperatures begin to drop, the heat radiating from the city doesn’t have to stop.

Until Sept. 2, the Montreal World Film

Festival will be presenting films from all over the world to foster cultural understanding and promote innovative works. The festival has student films, emerging artists and even a number of categories that attendees can vote for. A great part of the festival is the Movies Under the Stars programming which presents free movies during each night of the festival in the Esplanade de la Place des Arts.

The third edition of OUMF (Festival d’Art Émergant) takes over the streets of the Quarti-er Latin from Sept. 4 to 7. The festival focuses on design and visual arts, literature, cinema, knowledge and music. These five components will be available to experience both on the street and at various venues. The events range from a dance battle Friday night called “Danse ton age” to a deathcore show at Café Chaos on Friday night whereas Saturday you can check out a DJ show by Radio Radio or play some free board games at Chez Geeks.

Art Tattoo Montreal takes place this year from Sept. 6 to 8. Not only will this festival have beautiful art to admire but tattoo artists from Canada, the United States and Europe will be available for appointments if you re-serve your spot early. Whether you are headed to the festival to satisfy your curiosity or you’re craving a new piece for your sleeve, there will be seminars, burlesque dancing, live drawing, vendors and other activities going on through-out the weekend to add to the experience.

There’s still time to put together a quick

Concordia // ARTs

Why rest, O wicked?Try out some of these university’s extracurricular art offerings

What will your university experience look like? As most of us are just starting to recover from Frosh-week debaucheries, we may find ourselves with some time to make sure advi-sors are met with, classes registered for and (sinfully priced) textbooks bought. And now that that’s over with, this is the time to choose the ways with which you can foster your creativity, the assortment of families to be a member of and how to supplement your over-all time spent here at Concordia.

For the visually-inclined amongst you, Concordia University Television (CUTV) is an obvious outlet. CUTV is the oldest student-run TV station in the country and is fully stocked with editing equipment and a produc-tion studio. As a member they will train you during production workshops or send you out to cover campus events, depending on what you’re into.

If, instead, your interests lie in the audi-tory arts, then you may consider joining the award-winning CJLO, Concordia’s official ra-dio station. From rock ‘n’ roll to sports talk, this station offers content for all students, and you can join its staff of volunteers to make it

ROA ABDel-gAWADArts editor

happen.Concordia’s Fine Arts Student Alliance

(FASA) also offers students the chance to showcase their artistic talents: FASA-run Café X and Gallery X— marking their spot in the EV and VA buildings, respectively, — accept artwork in various mediums.

Placing their own mark in universities and colleges across North America and Europe is Montreal-based Cinema Politica, a film series focused on bringing world issues and global problems to campuses. Volunteering opportu-nities are plenty and their screenings are al-ways free and are held each week in the Hall building at 7 p.m.

Each year faculty members, staff, and stu-dents (Music majors and non-Music majors alike) bring their singing voices together for the University Choir — also known as MPER 231A in the Undergraduate Calendar. Yes, you are reading this correctly, this is for university credit. Auditions are held on the first day of class, and a year of rehearsals culminates in a solid ensemble ready for concert performanc-es.

In case you are interested in participating in something bigger, Art Matters is Concordia’s annual student-run festival that celebrates the university’s diverse art forms. Running for over a decade, the festival relies on volunteers to set up exhibitions, run screenings, and organize concerts and workshops — all created exclu-sively by Concordia students. For information on how to get involved or submission crite-ria visit artmattersfestival.org

costume for Montreal’s Comic Con which will be bringing panels, workshops, and tons of merchandise to the city from Sept. 13 to 15. The costumes alone are enough reason to want to explore but come ready to get pictures or signatures from one of the many special guests in attendance, such as Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Laurie Holden and Michael Rooker as well as some professional wrestlers and Lou Ferrigno.

Another moviefest to look forward to later in September is the Montreal International Black Film Festival. Starting on Sept. 18, it aims to diversify the types of films shown in Canada, showcase independent films and pro-vide a fresh look at black cinema from around the world. This year, the festival pays tribute to Danny Glover with its Humanitarian Award during the opening night ceremony followed by a screening of Chasing Shakespeare by Norry Niven.

Later in September, POP Montreal will re-turn for its 12th edition. The festival will last five days starting on Sept. 25. It will showcase visual arts, musical performances, fashion shows and, undoubtedly, some great parties. With hundreds of musical guests, there will be something for everybody so get a head start looking around the website to see which shows you need to mark down on your calen-dar. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Portugal. The Man and Local Natives are just a few of the names that are sure to draw some big crowds.Photo by LP Maurice


Cinema // ARTs

City // ARTs

Start your day with Breakfast Television

DAViD ADelmAnContributor

montreal’s newest show gives some of Concordia’s alumni a place to call home

It is no secret that the Montreal anglo-phone job market for television news-casters is quite limited and the compe-tition to fill these positions is extremely demanding. However, some Concordia

journalism graduates have found a home on City Montreal’s newest local morning show, Breakfast Television.

City’s Breakfast Television has had suc-cessful precedents in other Canadian cities, dominating morning television with its fast-paced, interactive segments. That’s why Rog-ers Media designed an exciting new studio inside its downtown Montreal headquar-ters built with state-of-the-art technology to broadcast new media. This will include an immense video wall that features nine flat-screen monitors and a 65-inch interactive touch-screen monitor that will give the au-dience a unique perspective to what’s hap-pening worldwide through the lens of social media. To top it off, the live reporters on the team will be out in the field using a new broadcast technology called Dejero which relies on newer cellular systems and is more efficient when compared to older methods of transmission.

Aside from the modern studio and its new gadgets, the team officially became complete with the addition of three Concordia alumni: Catherine Verdon-Diamond, Laura Casella and Elias Makos. For the show’s executive producer and local content manager, Bob

Babinski, this feels like “old home week”. A journalism professor at Concordia University for over 25 years, Babinski has worn many hats in the world of television, both on-camera and behind the scenes, which has led him to Breakfast Television alongside students he taught almost a decade ago.

“It just goes to show you how significant the Concordia journalism program has been in the city over the years, that any newsroom in the city is dotted with Concordia graduates. I’d like to think that it’s a tip of the cap to the success of the program,” said Babinski.

Montreal can be a tricky market because

there are not always many opportunities in broadcasting, but for Makos, Breakfast Televi-sion’s new media producer and commenta-tor, landing this position couldn’t have come at a better time. “You don’t get to work with this caliber of high-energy individuals all to-gether very much in a career,” said Makos, who is more psyched about the team he’s working with than all the new gadgets he’ll get to play with. “My focus has always been around technology and everything new me-dia, but one of the reasons why I am more excited to be here is this versatile team and fast-paced show… that will be unlike any-

thing the anglophone market in this city has seen,” said Makos, who can’t wait to operate the 65-inch monitor.

“For a long time I wanted to be on tele-vision, but I didn’t know how to go about it,” said Verdon-Diamond, who had originally planned on being an algebra teacher. Though she studied mathematics in university, she somehow found herself years later working behind-the-scenes at the CBC. “Then, all of a sudden this opportunity came up, my boss at the CBC suggested I try out reporting. I was doing weather for the 11 p.m. news and now I will be heading to work at 4 a.m. to pre-pare for this show,” laughs Verdon-Diamond, who will be Breakfast Television’s traffic and weather specialist.

For news reporter Casella, breaking into television has always been her dream. She started off in radio, but is delighted to have changed mediums. “I finally have visuals to work with!” She believes that for students who want to be broadcast journalists, learn-ing to be confident enough in your ability takes a lot of time. She explains, “I laid out my path for myself, it was not easy and you have to strive for it, just because there are not as many jobs in this field as there are others.” When asked about Montreal’s media indus-try, Casella said, “I wouldn’t say the anglo-phone market is a struggle, but it’s something you really have to work hard for and chase ...You know what? Just go for it, don’t be afraid to go for it … don’t give up.”

The morning show premiered Monday Aug. 26 and will continue to air from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. daily and is available to local ser-vice providers.Photo by DaviD aDelman

summer 2013 biggest movie hits and misses

sARA BAROn-gOODmAn Contributor

Most Anticipated: The Great Gatsby – 7.5/10There is bias here. We fell in love with

the book in tenth grade. Like Gatsby him-self, most people have been waiting five years for this dream to come true. And like Gatsby, it seems that reality never quite lives up to the fantasy.

Baz Luhrmann’s version of the movie was the embodiment of a Jazz Age party. It was visually vibrant, the musical score was modern, and the camera dipped and swirled across the screen like it was danc-ing the Charleston. The casting was spot-on, with Leonardo DiCaprio being the obvi-ous successor to Robert Redford as Gatsby, and Carey Mulligan charming us all as the

wide-eyed Daisy. However, bits of the film felt

recycled from other Luhrmann pictures. In particular, Tobey

Maguire as Nick Carraway, sitting at his typewriter while the words lift off his page and float around the screen - if one were to screw their eyes upright it could just as easily have been Ewan McGregor typ-

ing away in Moulin Rouge. Another qualm was the narration. Nick

becoming the author of the book, writing it from his sanitarium, seemed like a cheap reference to Zelda Fitzgerald living out her later life in a similar place, doing work her husband took credit for. Maybe this is read-ing too much into it, but it is irksome none-theless.

Most Likely to Become a Cult Classic: Sharknado – 0/10 if you’re taking it seriously; 10/10 if you’re not.

This gem of a movie, starring Tara Reid and Ian Ziering, premiered July 13 on the Syfy channel.

For those of you who live under a rock and have managed not to hear about this TV movie masterpiece, the title says it all. It essentially involves sharks who get sucked up into a tornado, and subsequently rain down on the unsuspecting citizens of L.A. Of course, by sharks, this really means the low budget option, which would be shark-like puppets and recycled stock footage of hammerheads in murky water.

Spoiler alert: the best moment was the scene in which Ziering’s character gets

swallowed whole by one of the sharks. Just as the audience begins to accept his uncer-emonious death, he cuts his way out of the animal’s underbelly and emerges from the flaps of shark flesh, covered in blood. It was hauntingly reminiscent of a birth canal, and made only more fantastic by him pulling out one of the other protagonists behind him. A shout-out also goes to Reid, who seems to have wholly forgotten how to act.

Most Pleasant Surprise: The Conjuring – 8/10The prediction was that The Conjur-

ing would be a hybrid of The Exorcist and Chucky.There were no expectations beyond some cheap thrills. Then five crucial words appeared onscreen: based on a true story.

This is the hook that kept the interest piqued, and prompted a Wikipedia search to find the details of the real story.

The merging storyline of paranormal in-vestigator couple, Ed and Lorraine Warren, and the haunted Perron family made it more compelling and story-driven than the usual fear-mongering film. The use of gore was minimal, making it all the more stomach-churning when disturbing images did pop up.

Examining the throwbacks, throwoffs, and throwaways


Activities // ARTs

Take a sneak-peek at the exciting art classes Concordia has in store

ROA ABDel-gAWADARTs eDiTOR

Concordia has one of the largest Fine Arts faculties in the country, and it would be remiss not to take advantage of some of what it has to offer. This year, instructors for courses include theatre directors, mu-sic producers, visual artists, and a Hip Hop MC. So if you’ve got room in your schedule, register for one of their courses and infuse your semester with inspiration. Here are some samples:FFAR 298J Art Forms Of Bollywood

Ah. The culture, the colour, the song and dance of Bollywood’s film history. In fact, emphasis on this course will be given on film music. FFAR 298V The Art Of Cool

What’s cool, you ask? Concordia has an answer for that. In this course, taught by Montréal’s own Hip Hop MC, The Nar-cicyst, you’ll be dealing with the concept of ‘cool’ and its appropriation in media. Now that’s cool.MPER 201 Orchestra I

Play an instrument? A musical instru-ment? Then you should join Concordia’s Orchestra. Auditions are held in the first day of class, and you can withdraw by the regular DNE deadline if you don’t make the cut. PROD 211 Introduction to Theatre Pro-duction

Only for this upcoming year, this course, teaching students the components of professional theatrical operations, will be open to students in all faculties. Sign up now while you have the chance.TPER 201 Introduction to Acting

Spend four hours each week expanding your physical language and expression, learn the art of improvisation, and put it all together for a performance at the end of the semester.

Get creative at Concordia-for credit That other kind of club Act, dance, write and play with your fellow Concordians this year

ROA ABDel-gAWAD Arts editor

Under the Concordia Student Union’s umbrel-la, more than 50 clubs and associations are given license to create subcommunities for students, cultivating a more rewarding, and certainly a more fun, university experience. Many of these clubs focus on the arts so be on the lookout for these booths during the Clubs Fair on Sept. 12.Concordia Music Club: You need not be part of the music department to get tuned in this year. Take part in their or-ganized jam sessions, open mics and other forms of musical endeavours with fellow stu-dent musicians.Concordia Starcraft Community: Let’s get rid of the gamer stereotype, shall we? This club

is front and centre when it comes to promoting the university’s and Montreal’s e-sport culture, so get ready for competition and real-time strat-egy.Journalists for Human Rights: Use your pen for good this year as a member of JHR, and promote social awareness. Write articles and editorials addressing local and in-ternational issues and give voice to those who have none.Uberculture Concordia: Ever leafed through Adbusters and appreciated their in-your-face stance? Uberculture Concordia is your local an-swer to the magazine and to the movement. Get involved in campaigns, guerilla theatrics and promote independent art and media.Concordia Mechanicals: Thespians, gather round. Write, produce or per-form with the Mechanicals and bring your col-lective creations to life on stage.Otaku Anime of Concordia University: Wheth-er you know what an otaku is or not, this group welcomes all. Attend their free bi-weekly anime film screenings, browse through their extensive Manga collection and take part in Otakuthon and Anime North.

musicWrite to the editor: [email protected]

festivals // mUsiC


Osheaga 2013 raised the bar sky high montreal music festival leaves its mark on music and art lovers

BéATRiCe Viens CôTéContributor

Montreal, summer, and music: three words that sound perfect together. Of the numerous music festivals that took

place during the summer season, there is one in particular that caught the public’s attention, maybe because music lovers wait an entire year for this weekend of musical and artistic enchant-ment. We’re talking of course about the Osheaga Music & Arts Festival.

The festival, which took place from Aug. 2 to Aug. 4 on the beautiful site of Parc Jean-Drapeau, celebrated its eighth anniversary this year. Every year, Osheaga attracts more and more interna-tional spectators and welcomes them with open arms. Flags from all over the globe were displayed proudly across the terrain, showing Montreal’s pride in its diversity.

There were high expectations for this year’s edition and it is safe to say that they were met. First, the lineup pleased music lovers of every

genre. Second, the schedule was more than sat-isfying. Of course, it can never be perfect, but with more than 30 artists per day and five stages, festival goers had the possibility to experience most of the performers even if they were playing simultaneously.

Despite the great lineup, many music lovers were unable to attend all three days of the sum-mer bonanza and were therefore forced to choose between which sets they would rather see. But with amazing artists performing each day, Os-heaga attendees witnessed Capital Cities kick off the festival with energy, they sunbathed with Daughter, Ben Howard and Alt-J, clapped their hands with The Head & The Heart, heard Ellie Goulding’s adorable british accent, sang out loud with Vampire Weekend and Phoenix, dreamed with Beach House, travelled back in time with The Cure and danced with A Tribe Called Red.

Many concerns about the traffic flow onsite were brought up - apparently there had been some problems last year - but it seemed like ev-erything had been fixed so that all daily 40,000 concert goers could enjoy their experience. Also, the various types of food installations were pleas-

ing to both the vegetarian as much as the carni-vore and the sweet tooth.

Osheaga not only had a strong musical scene, it also celebrated the arts in general. Thus, in the peaceful surroundings near La Scène Verte and La Scène des Arbres, people could devote them-selves to various artistic activities such as graffiti, chalk drawing or body painting.

A tent was erected for an exposition called Musique sur papier, which consisted of 50 or so concert posters made by different graphic de-signers. The festival’s decorators should also be properly credited for their work. The decorations completely enthralled the festival goers and pro-pelled them even further into a place of wonder and delight. There were small bulbs, big lumi-nous balloons, origami-styled lamps, naïve and colourful writing made out of wool and ropes.

Although it’s been said over and over again, there is no denying the fact that the Os-heaga Arts & Music Festival is nothing short of spectacular. Even though the previous years were astounding, it seemed like this year’s edition allowed the festival to reach a whole new level of musical excellence.

albums // mUsiC

selinA gARDContributor

Fall has quite a few surprises in store for audiophiles this year. Amid the over-hyped releases by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, you’ll find tons of under-publi-cized gems worth checking out.

1. AM - Arctic MonkeysThe Sheffield city quartet has come out with a new sound that old fans will either love or hate. Their first single off AM, “Do I Wanna Know?” about an unre-quited love is impossible to resist. Lead singer Alex Turner’s vocals paired with Matt Helders’ drums - nicknamed the ‘Rhythm Panther’ - make for an unforgettable fall hit that will leave you breathless. The follow-up single titled “Why Do You Only Call Me When You’re High?” is less about romance and more about lust but manages to deliver with an un-expectedly funky and hypnotic chorus. The rest of the album comes out on Sept. 9.

2. AHJ - Albert Hammond Jr.Albert Hammond Jr, best known as the guitarist for The Strokes, is releasing his third solo album on his bandmate Julian Casablancas’ label Cult Records on Oct. 8. It is often said that quality trumps quan-tity and this is certainly the case with AHJ. With only five tracks on the album, Hammond Jr. gives it his all with songs such as “Carnal Cruise” and “Rude Customer.” Although a single has yet to be released, the fact that the album was produced by Gus Oberg, who has previously worked with The Strokes, should provide a clue as to what the songs will sound like.

3. MGMT - MGMTThe New York electronic duo is about to release their self-titled third album MGMT. “Your Life is a Lie” is the only song that has been released so far, and it is exactly the psychedelic other-worldly jam you would expect from them. With a loud cowbell clash-ing throughout, their single hints at the direction of the rest of the album. Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser have not strayed too far from their roots with MGMT and fans of their previous albums will not be disappointed on Sept. 17.

4.The Bones of What You Believe - CHVRCHESPronounced “Churches,” this Glasgow band is releasing their first album The Bones of What You Believe on Sept. 23. In “Gun,” lead singer Lauren Mayberry’s sugary sweet voice is laid over synthetic-heavy beats, making this song an original and an ex-citing listen. “Lies” packs a heavier punch but both songs are equally worth listening to. CHVRCHES is set to explode on the alternative music stage so grab your copies as soon as you can.

5. Days are Gone - HaimHaim is relatively new to the game, with their first album Days are Gone coming out Sept. 30. Made up of three sisters from L.A, they have drawn inevitable comparisons to Fleetwood Mac, due to their folksy sound and flowing hair. If Stevie Nicks is not neces-sarily your cup of tea, do not be deterred because these girls are one-of-a-kind. The buzz surrounding their debut album should be more than enough to pique your interest. Their songs range from pop hits to more mellow tunes but they always provide a more than danceable beat.

Upcoming albumsseptember gears up for some

great alternative releases

The Band VampireWeekend WoWed The audience aT osheaga on Firday, pumping ouT some oF Their neW music.

theconcordian10 // Tuesday, augusT 27, 2013

Compiled by Paul Traunero Contributor

Top 10 Summer Album Releases

10. Yeezus - Kanye West Influenced by industrial, new-wave, and Chicago house music, Kanye West’s polarizing sixth studio album, Yeezus, is abrasive, misogynistic and lyri-cally superficial, but also ambitious in its stripped-down production and originality.

9. Apocalypse - Thundercat (Jul 9, 2013)The sophomore release from bassist and Flying Lo-tus collaborator Stephen Bruner is not easy to cat-egorize. A fusion of hip-hop, electronic, soul and

jazz, Apocalypse proves that it’s more than just the sum of its parts. The album is full of in fectious bass lines and soulful melodies, showcasing Brun-er’s talent, both as a songwriter and a producer.

8. About Farewell - Alela Diane Alela Diane’s divorce from her husband was the influence behind her fourth full-length release. A sobering account of how love’s flame can fizzle out as quickly as it once blazed, About Farewell is more than just a breakup album; it is achingly honest and raw, all the while maintaining senti-mentality.

7. Ceremony - Anna von Hausswolff Swedish singer-songwriter Anna von Hausswolff’s sophomore release is a sonically immense and at-mospheric album. As rich and majestic as the pipe organs and synthesizers she employs, the album demands your attention with its striking confi-dence and cinematic arrangements. With preva-lent lyrical themes of death and loss, Ceremony won’t likely be the soundtrack to your summer beach parties.

6. The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars The Civil Wars’ follow-up to their 2012 Grammy award-winning album Barton Hollow may have been paved with discord, but Joy Williams and John Paul White’s personal differences have led to the creation of their darkest and most intense album to date.

5. Random Access Memories - Daft Punk Random Access Memories was well worth the eight year wait from the French electronic duo. Boast-ing a mix of dance, electronic, soul and disco in-fluences, many would agree the lead single “Get

SIDE A: If you’re excited to go back to school

1. The Black Lips – “Modern Art” – Ara-bia Mountain2. Tame Impala – “Half Full Glass of Wine” – Tame Impala3. Wavves – “Sail To The Sun” – Afraid of Heights4. Mac DeMarco – “Cooking Up Some-thing Good” - 25. Bass Drum of Death – “Get Found” - GB City6. Lovvers – “Human Hair” - Think7. VIRALS – “Gloria” - Coming Up With the Sun8. The Orwells – “Mallrats” – Remember When9. The Vines – “1969” – Highly Evolved10. Rod Stewart – “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” – Blondes Have More Fun

If you’re one of those stu-dents who is super stoked to be heading back to class, check out Side A of this mixtape. This com-pilation is full of good vibes and upbeat tunes

that’ll have you rocking so hard in class the professor will ask you to leave.If you’re craving some good mu-sic, but also like to experience an angsty funk often associated with the end of summer, see Side B. There’s a few strong, angry tunes to blast if you’re frustrated with something (essays), and also more mellow tunes with a bunch of minor chords to sooth your mind during homework-flooded nights.

Compiled by:

Mia Pearson

Weekly Mixtape: Back to School

SIDE B: Back to school sucks

1. Thee Oh Sees – “Toe Cutter Thumb Buster” – Floating Coffin2. Ty Segall – “You’re the Doctor” - Twins3. The Growlers – “Slack Back Boot Man” – Greatest Hits4. Yuck – “Get Away” - Yuck5. Lilacs & Champagne – “Everywhere, Everyone” – Lilacs & Champagne6. Pangea – “Sick Shit” - Single 7. Youth Lagoon – “Dropla” - Won-drous Bughouse8. Kurt Vile – “Never Run Away” - Wakin on a Pretty Daze9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Red Eyes and Tears” - B.R.M.C.10. Best Coast – “Our Deal” – Crazy for Yo u

Lucky” is a serious contender for the summer’s biggest anthem.

4. Body Music - AlunaGeorge (Jul 29, 2013)Body Music is the debut album from London-based electro-soul duo Aluna Francis and producer George Reid. The mix of Aluna’s sugar sweet vocal style and George’s garage and dubstep influenced production has crafted a sophisticated urban pop album that sounds fresh, all the while feeling nos-talgic.

3. Impersonator - Majical Cloudz After releasing several EPs and being featured on Grimes’ 2012 album,Visions, Montreal-based pro-ducers Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto, also know as Majical Cloudz, have finally released their debut album. Impersonator demonstrates synth-pop at its most restrained, offering an emotionally cathartic experience that is as haunting as it is complex.

2. Pushin’ Against a Stone - Valerie June June defines her sound as “organic moonshine music”, and on the Tennessee country singer’s fourth full-length album we couldn’t agree more. Pushin’ Against a Stone was produced by Kevin Augunas and The Black Keys’ frontman, Dan Au-erbach, which explains the album’s clarity and pop sensibility.

1. WomanChild - Cécile McLorin Salvant Pulling inspiration from jazz legends like Billie Hol-iday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald, Savant offers something fresh and original yet steeped in tradition. The technical ability, tempo and cha-risma displayed in WomanChild are evidence that she is far from a novelty act, but rather a true origi-nal in a re-emerging genre.

>> Music Industry Comes To-gether for a Good Cause //A benefit concert was held Aug. 22 in honour of School of Seven Bells’ guitarist Benjamin Cur-tis. Curtis was recently diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. The Put Your Sad Down concert was organized by Strokes’ man-ager Ryan Gentles who was able to get dozens of big names from the industry to help out. Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. headlined the fundraiser with the help of his solo band. Gentles also enlisted help from Hammond Jr.’s Strokes band members Fabrizio Moretti and Julian Casablancas. Moretti, along with friend and musician Devendra Banhart, played the part of DJs for the night while Casablancas donated the infamous velvet blazer he donned for the cover of his solo album, Phrazes for the Young. Other attendees included Joe Jonas from the Jonas Brothers, British model Alexa Chung, Paul Banks from Interpol, along with hundreds of friends, family and fans alike.

>> Canadian Dentist Hopes to Clone John Lennon //

Two years ago Canadian dentist Michael Zuk bought John Lennon’s molar at an auction for over $30,000. Zuk announced in a recent press release that he intends to extract the late Beat-les’ DNA in the hopes of cloning him someday. Lennon originally gave his housekeeper the molar in the mid-1960s with the intention of having it disposed, but instead she kept it and later passed it on to her daughter. The legend-ary Liverpudlian’s tooth was kept in the family until it was purchased by Zuk at an auction in 2011.

>> Rapper 2 Chainz Arrested While on Tour //

American rapper 2 Chainz was arrested in Oklahoma on Aug.22 while on the road with his crew. The rapper’s tour bus was pulled over after police noticed a busted headlight. After ap-proaching the bus, officers were suspicious of drug use and attempted to enter, but were locked out and denied access by the driver who claimed they needed a search warrant first. Nine hours later, the bus was towed and brought to the Oklahoma County Jail where 11 passengers were arrested on ac-count of “interfering with police process”, according to Billboard. No statements were released commenting on any additional drug charges. This is his third arrest this year, the previous two being related to posses-sion of marijuana.

>> Mötley Crüe Announce Farewell Tour //

After nearly three decades of touring and mak-ing music, Mötley Crüe have decided that their 2014 world tour will most likely be their last. “We’ll do one more time around the world and kinda call it quits,” said the band’s frontman Vince Neil in an interview with Rolling Stone. Neil also hints at the possibility of new music being released before the rock veterans say their goodbyes. The band also plans to release the film version of their autobiography The Dirt, which will most likely feature their new material in the documentary itself.

JessiCA ROmeRAmusic editor

mixtape // mUsiC

sportsWrite to the editor: [email protected]

11 Tuesday, augusT 27, 2013 //

Profile // sPORTs

A familiar name joins Concordia athleticsgood resources key to stingers future success, says Patrick Boivin

If you’re a Montreal Canadiens fan, you’ve probably heard his name before. Now, you’ll be hearing of him a lot more, as Patrick Boivin joins Concordia as the new

director of Recreation and Athletics.Boivin’s athletic career began at the tender

age of two, when he learned how to ski before he barely knew how to walk. His father, Pierre, who spent 12 seasons as the president of the Canadiens hockey team, owned a ski business when Boivin was a child and he therefore spent much of his time at ski resorts.

“It was just natural that my mom and I would follow,” said Boivin about his dad’s frequent trips to the mountains. Boivin also played hockey and as he got older, he had to make a decision.

“I skied competitively until I was 13,” he said. “But my parents obligated me to decide between hockey and skiing and I went to hockey. I still play it, two or three times a week, even now.”

As a young man, hockey took the Montreal-native all over North America and Europe. He played junior hockey while studying finance and international business at HEC Montreal and went on a foreign exchange to Aarhus Uni-versity in Denmark. He played one year of prep hockey while earning his graduate diploma in Connecticut and also played a year of college hockey at the University of Colorado.

“I always had a sense that there was more than just my little backyard in Quebec,” Boivin said of his travels. “When you step out of your comfort zone, whether it’s a new job or moving from one neighbourhood to another or going to another country, I think it challenges you, and it gets you to be a little bit more than who you really are, instead of the person you are when you are very comfortable and have all your safety nets around you.”

Fresh out of school, Boivin got his first job working for the Montreal Canadiens, where he would spend seven seasons between 2002 and 2008 working in the marketing department.

“[When] I started out, I was doing promo-tion, coordinating for games, mostly handing out prizes and stuff like that,” he said. “Eventu-ally, when I left, I was a director, I was manag-ing all the fan development, all of the grass-roots marketing programs, the sponsorship activations.”

He also helped work on some projects that were planned for the club’s centennial anniver-sary in 2009.

After spending two years working for the NHL in Toronto, then-Canadiens general man-ager, Pierre Gauthier, brought Boivin back to the organization, this time as director of hockey operations.

“I was essentially a right-hand operational guy to the general manager,” said Boivin. “The general manager obviously operates the whole

team but needs to have a higher priority on everything that’s competitive. So everything that’s hockey, whether it’s scouting, whether it’s coaching, the actual performance of the team. The whole flip-side to running a hockey team is that it takes a lot of people and it takes a lot of operational time. Anything that could take up time that could better be used with him focusing solely on the team, that’s what I would do.”

Every young hockey enthusiast dreams of playing in the NHL, while every Montrealer dreams of playing for the Montreal Canadiens. Boivin isn’t any different.

“It’s tough to say [working for the Habs] was a dream come true because I never dreamed of working for the Canadiens,” explained Boivin. “I dreamed about playing for the Canadiens when I was a kid. But it’s such a passionate environment that it really was a dream job.”

And with every job, dream job or not, comes its challenges and its rewards.

“The schedule was tough,” said Boivin. “You never really stop working. It’s seven days a week until midnight, one o’clock in the morn-ing, that you can still be on the phone talking to an agent, talking to a player. I was more or less [always] on call. The very on-demand schedule is tough but you accept and kind of buy into it once you know you will be doing that job.”

Even with the heavy schedule, working those long hours brought forth many learning experiences that Boivin might not have learned anywhere else.

“A lot of [what I was doing] was very new, much like this job is right now. In my third year there, I was still learning a lot of things and I was working in the business for 10, 15 years. So for me, the learning and the quick learning be-hind it all, the challenges behind managing the salary cap and negotiating player contracts, it kind of all seems dramatic and theatrical when you read it in the papers, but when you’re on the other side of the mirror it’s very interesting and it’s not always as theatrical as RDS or as anyone else points it out. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also very interesting.”

When you think of a hockey team, or any sports team, you think about the players, what kind of money they make and if they have what it takes to win it all. But a huge part of a sports team is what they do for charity as well.

Boivin’s father became president of the Ca-nadiens in 1999. Two years later, in 2001, he founded the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation. Since then, the Foundation has raised $10 million “to support 400 Quebec-based organizations dedicated to improving the well-being of sick and underprivileged chil-dren,” says the Canadiens website.

As a result of his father’s work in the com-munity, charity work has always been a big part of the Boivin family.

“It’s always been a part of my life, partly through what my parents have done with their own charity work,” Boivin said. “When I was young and didn’t have much else [...] on my hands, I just volunteered. Now, I’ve got three or

four things that I work on on a yearly basis.”One of his projects has been the Bleu Blanc

Bouge project that was introduced in 2008. Its goal is to build five outdoor refrigerated rinks in less-privileged areas of Montreal.

“[The charity’s focus is] not only on healthy eating but healthy living habits for children but also for children living in some low-income neighbourhoods or on the poverty line,” said Boivin. “Trying to help out children that don’t necessarily have a lot of help. Ice rinks do that. They give them an option to go out and play. It gives them an option to be out and be active.”

Another charity project Boivin has been working on is the Triathlon d’Hiver for the Sainte-Justine Hospital.

“My daughter was born at Sainte-Justine and thankfully everything was okay but I have a couple of friends who haven’t been so lucky,” said Boivin. “Sainte-Justine is not only two blocks away from our house but is also very close to our hearts. My wife is on their fundraising board and they have a winter triathlon [every year where] people come out and do cross-country skiing, skating and run-ning in the middle of February. So I put a team together and we’ve, over the last four years, have managed to raise $25,000 every year.”

After leaving the Canadiens last season, Boivin took a few months off before taking on the role as director of Recreation and Athlet-ics.

Boivin said he took the job because, “The new vision that the higher management, start-ing with Alan Shepard, have regarding the role of recreation and athletics and how it can be

kind of a temple and a kind of a lighthouse for the University.”

“I think a lot of your brand as a university can be helped through recreations and athlet-ics and not just by winning but by having a great program that attracts a lot of people too. I think there is a lot to be said about how stu-dents can benefit from a well structured and great massive offerings on the recreational side. People who go out to play basketball, to play soccer and to make a lot of friends and to intertwine the social aspect through sport along with their university life, keeps them en-gaged for a number of years, even after they’re gone. So that’s what we want to build up.”

Boivin’s biggest job as athletics director will be to bring a championship back to Con-cordia. For example, the Stingers football team hasn’t won a Championship since 1998, and the last time the men’s hockey team won a conference title was in 1984.

“I won’t be changing [anything], wheth-er it’s football, hockey or anything else, tomorrow,” added Boivin. “[But] I think you need to start by making sure that the people that are in place now have the right resources to be able to succeed. Whether it’s the players, or whether it’s the coaches, or just the staff around. We’ll start by evaluating every-thing and then it’s about conditioning a winning attitude and [that] takes a little bit of time.”

For now, the best Boivin can do is to see how his teams fare in the early stages of this season; and he’ll start by going to the Stinger’s football team’s home opener on Saturday, Aug. 31.

Photo by Marc Bourcier

sAmAnTHA mileTOsports editor

theconcordian12 // Tuesday, augusT 27, 2013

fitness // sPORTs

Stingers’ summer workout regimes

sAmAnTHA mileTOsports editor

The school year is upon us and that also means a new season is set to be-gin for the Stingers. And, as with the

start of every season, players find out just how much their work in the summer has or hasn’t paid off.Throughout the summer, Stingers athletes have been coming up with different ways to stay in shape to help them prepare for the upcoming season. One way many athletes stay in shape is by playing their sport year-round.“The summer can either propel [an athlete] to the next level or cripple them if they don’t work hard,” said Taylor Garner, a forward for the men’s basketball team. “I like to stay in shape by playing as many ball games as possible.”“I play [hockey] at a recreational level with former teammates from junior,” said Youssef Kabbaj, a Stingers hockey team de-fenseman, who played with the Gatineau Olympiques in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. “It keeps me sharp for the start of training camp.”Athletes also train on their own time, with some help from Stingers strength and condi-tioning coordinator, Lisa-Marie Breton. “As a team, we were given a training regi-ment [from Breton], updated every month in order to prepare us for the upcoming sea-son,” said Andrew Bryan, a forward for the Stingers soccer team. “I work out at least three to four times a week,” said Garner. “For me, I prefer basket-ball specific exercises, ones that help with speed, footwork and cardio. As a basketball player it’s more important to be mobile than it is to be super muscular.”“We do a lot of chin-ups, shoulder and tri-cep exercises [in practice] because they’re directly related to shot power and release as well as giving an edge in one-on-one battles,” said Kabbaj. “We do a lot of split squats to strengthen my stride when [we] skate.”

Concordia athletes ready to go for the start of the 2013-2014 season

However some athletes have suffered in-juries as a result of their off-season play, which makes it difficult to prepare for the Stingers training camps in August. Phoebe Cullingham, a Concordia rugby player, dislocated her shoulder last summer while playing for her club team, the Hali-fax Tars. As a result, she chose not to play rugby this summer. However, Cullingham was still able to do strength training three to four times a week and cardio exercises three times a week.“I think I will find [starting the Stingers sea-son] hard because I haven’t been playing at all this summer, but I expect to make up the difference, then exceed it fairly quickly,” Cullingham added. Shauna Zilversmit, a forward for the wom-en’s soccer team, suffered a torn ligament in her left knee during a game for the Mon-teuil AAA senior team and is waiting to be cleared to play. “It can be a little tough sometimes getting back [in game shape] but keeping active throughout the summer makes it easier. However, this year I am starting off with the injury and therefore haven’t been able to train throughout the last half of the summer as much.”Studying in university often means late-night pizza and soda because it’s cheap, quick and easy. For an athlete, it isn’t so simple. “I have spoken to a nutritionist to under-stand my basic needs,” said Cullingham. “I have been a vegetarian for over 12 years, so I am very careful about my protein intake, and not to over consume carbohydrates.”“After every workout I need to have a re-covery drink so that my body isn’t sore the next day,” said Kyle Armstrong, a center for the Stingers hockey team. “I also try to get in about 50 grams of protein in the morn-ings by eating Greek yogurt, egg whites and peanut butter on toast. For snacks, I make sure to always grab fruit instead of a cookie or muffin.” While every athlete has their own way to stay in shape and prepare for the sea-son, they share the common goal of being ready for success. Photos by Keith Race

Write to the editor: [email protected]

editorial // OPiniOns

13 Tuesday, augusT 27, 2013 //

opinions

food // OPiniOns

Welcome back, here’s your straightjacket...Returning to the books means welcoming back stress, anxiety and depression

And so it begins...another year, an-other semester, another slew of essays, exams, social obligations and sleepless nights. If this idea

depresses you, our apologies, but it’s time to face facts. University can be rewarding but it can also be hard. In their study, “The preva-lence and socio-demographic correlations of depression, anxiety and stress among a group of university students,” Nuran Bay-ram and Nazan Bilgel discovered that among 1,617 students, 27.1 per cent demonstrated moderate to severe signs of depression, 47.1 per cent showed moderate to severe signs of anxiety and 27 per cent were moderately to se-verely stressed. If this doesn’t ring true to you then congratulations, it would appear you’re doing just fine; for the rest of us the start of school is

the deep breath before the plunge.In their study published July 17, the Ca-

nadian Organization of University and Col-lege Health, in which 30,000 students were surveyed, 90 per cent said that university left them feeling overwhelmed. This clearly il-lustrates that university IS hard and we need to stop denying it. Stop downplaying the toll university life takes on mental health. All in-volved, from students and university admin-istrators to faculty, need to more fully accept (and plan for) university’s demanding effects on mental and physical well-being.

Stop encouraging students to complete their studies in a certain amount of time. Place less emphasis on grade and grade point averages. Create a flexible exam schedule. Give students who need it more time for as-

signments. Providing counselling and mental health services is all well and good but talking only does so much to relieve stress and anxi-ety when the 1,000 word paper is due tomor-row. And sure, you can plan to your heart’s desire to get things done in a timely manner, but things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes assignments take longer to com-plete than the time you’ve allotted to them. It doesn’t help that cramming involves less sleep, which in turn exacerbates stress, anxi-ety and depression.

Furthermore, education only gets you so far in the workplace these days. Employ-ers want to see more than just your degree on your resume. Becky Wareham, a gradu-ate recruiting manager for the wine company Waitrose is quoted as saying that her company

is looking “for exceptional, rounded, ambi-tious individuals who can show sustained in-volvement in activities other than the purely academic, such as work experience, industrial placements and voluntary work in the UK or abroad,” in an article by The Telegraph, Aug. 4. In the same article, Tricia Moon, director at Bell Pottinger, a personal relations and marketing group, says that her company wants more than just a degree — they want field-related work experience.

The question then is how should stressed out students appropriately plan for future careers when they’re simultaneously crushed under the weight of academic responsibility. Something needs to change, because the truth is, students are more often than not a reflection of our cover photo, and that’s just not healthy.

Montrealers have a case of upset pocketsfood truck price complaints contradict main purpose of pilot project

nATAsHA TAggARTOnline editor

The big buzz of the summer seems to have sizzled out pre-maturely. When news of the 66-year ban on food trunks being lifted broke, people were utterly

overjoyed. Now, months after the project has begun, the buzz is gone. Customers are criticizing the prices, selection and intent of the project. Some might be looking too deeply into it and are forgetting that we are only talking about food. How can more food be bad?

For foodies, the diversity of options is fantastic. You can get anything from butter chicken at Guru to lobster rolls at Lucille’s Seafood Company. Since the trucks rotate

stops, you don’t have to travel to different locations to try them all.

The project also gives fine dining a fast-food element. When you just want to grab a delicious, unprocessed meal and go, the options are slim. With food trucks, you’re able to eat fast but not in the traditional fast food way. Instead of going to the Au Pied du Cochon restaurant, people can visit the food truck on their breaks and eat foie gras pou-tine while walking to their next class.

Those saying the prices are higher than expected seem to have missed the memo. The intent is to provide Montrealers with high-quality food. According to a report by The Gazette, the city requires the food trucks to have “creative and original [food], present an added value to city’s gastronomic land-scape, stand out from the fast-food already on offer downtown, and use local prod-ucts.”

Maybe critics are also unaware of how much a typical lunch meal costs these days. A tandoori chicken pita can put you back $9 at Phoenix 1 but a Big Mac trio is roughly the same price, if not more. If you want a $2 reg-ular hot dog, La Belle Province restaurants

are accessible on every third street corner.Well-known restaurants and food busi-

nesses, such as St-Viateur Bagel, have a name for themselves and therefore already have a clientele. Which is perhaps why the

Quebec government did not issue permits to any non-established restaurants. Some peo-ple see the established-business requirement as a slap in the face to citizens who want to make a living in the food business, but don’t have the means to open a restaurant. How-ever, in reality, food trucks are not a viable way to make a living. The Gazette reported that even successful restaurant owners rarely have success with their food truck version. For example, owner of Grumman 78, Marc-André Leclerc, says he has not yet made any profit off his food truck, while his restau-rant of the same name made more than $1 million last year. The project is something different and fun. It is great to be able to order waffles and gourmet grilled cheese on a street corner. This is just the start so there’s bound to be a few kinks. Why is hav-ing more food choice making some people so mad? It’s simple - if people don’t like the idea of food trucks, then they should not or-der from them.

Food Trucks oFFer a Wide array oF choices and prices. phoTos By keiTh race

Politics // OPiniOns

14// Tuesday, augusT 27, 2013

media // OPiniOns

Egyptian Military vs. Muslim Brotherhood: two sides of the same coinWhy both parties are losing the battle in their own way

milOs KOVACeViCCopy editor

The world has its eye on Egypt, and many have been quick to choose a side. However, the com-plexity amidst the turmoil makes it rather hard to point fingers in just one direction.

In one corner is the Egyptian army under the leadership of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). After a year of chaos un-der Prime Minister Mohamed Morsi, the SCAF, in the supposed interest of the people, has de-posed the Prime Minister. SCAF outlawed his Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, in-stalled itself as interim protectors of the revolu-tion, and vowed a fresh round of elections.

Prim in their medal-laden and immaculate-ly pressed army uniforms, these chosen few wave a paper. They believe their ‘roadmap’ to peace and stability is the only sure defense for all Egyptians against fanatics, counter-revolu-tionaries and terrorists.

In reality, the army is a cabal that has run and exploited the Egyptian state for five de-cades. When the revolution in Tahrir square began and millions of Egyptians across the country took to the streets, united in their op-position to the authoritarian regime of Hosni Mubarak, where was the army? They were

the ones wielding police batons as maces and plowing into the very people they now claim to represent. They were the ones that stood by and even aided sectarian violence against the Copts, Egypt’s Christian minority.

To stave off the revolution, they killed in-nocent protesters; now, to preserve it, they kill hundreds more. This roadmap of theirs will surely be a path doubling back to feed upon itself, producing more of the same. Can one honestly expect anything different from an

organization whose command structure re-mains virtually unchanged throughout all this upheaval? Anybody who truly believes they’ll give over power, or even agree to share it with whoever they allow to win any future elec-tions, is sadly mistaken.

In the other corner is the equally distaste-ful Muslim Brotherhood. A blatantly Islamist movement with aims at refashioning Egyptian society to be more sharia-compliant, they eked out a victory at the polls in the first democratic

elections Egypt has ever had in its 6,000 years of recorded history. They essentially bribed their way past the finish line by providing supplies and services to the marginalized and poor.

Rather than pragmatically compromising, they proceeded to assume they had a mandate to rule alone. They ignored the constitution, handed Morsi powers above and beyond judi-ciary oversight, and alienated wide segments of the population to the point where their op-ponents had nowhere to turn to but the mili-tary.

They played and lost the guessing game of how many constitutional abuses it takes to bring down a democratically appointed government. By their numerous steps back, they’ve erased the one forceful stride forward the Egyptian people managed to take for them-selves.

This is why it is difficult to pick a side. If this was Frost’s proverbial fork in the road, neither road would make all the difference. Egypt’s people continue to suffer and die. Their hopes of implementing a government that is answerable to its constituents is quite dead.

It might as well be decided by flipping a quarter. No matter the result – heads or tails, Muslim Brotherhood or army – we are dealing with two sides of the same coin.

People have long memories, even if they have short attention spans. This brief taste of empowerment may still give Egypt’s people victory – one day.

muslim Brotherhood portrayed as victims by media

niKi mOHRDAR Contributor

Egyptian turmoil through the eyes of the West

People have the tendency to declare actions as good or bad, because it’s easier to dump the blame on one party and call it a day. When it comes

to the current situation in Egypt, things cannot simply be broken down into “good guys” and “bad guys.”

On July 3, a celebration took place in Tah-rir Square. Egypt’s first democratically elected President, Mohamed Morsi, who was also a leading member in the Muslim Brotherhood, was removed from power by the Egyptian military. Supporters of the military and state,

revolutionaries, and Egyptians alike took to the streets, but the festivities were quickly interrupted by what some have argued to be peaceful protests that have left over a thousand dead.

While many Egyptians saw the removal of Morsi as an opportunity for growth and democracy, many saw it as a stab at equality. A whole lot of change cannot occur in such a short period of time without ruffling a few feathers. With everyone wanting their voice heard, reporting on such a layered issue be-comes even more complicated.

As people continue to lose trust in West-ern media, they become wary of which news source is unbiased and factual. The manner in which some Western media outlets have han-dled themselves during the past few weeks of the Egyptian revolution has not done much to garner the trust of the public.

For example, on Aug. 18, 2013, CNN’s Matt Smith published an article on Brotherhood prisoners who had attempted to escape from

jail and were killed by military officials in the process. Smith paints a picture of heartless sol-diers mindlessly killing helpless Brotherhood members who just had their “first democrati-cally elected leader” ousted. He then goes on to quote several Brotherhood spokespeople who claim the military is lying and is a danger to the Egyptian people. They also call the events of June 30 a “bloody” and “ugly” coup.

What Smith has done here is convince the reader that the Muslim Brotherhood is a democratically elected political party that is be-ing unjustly silenced, not a previously-banned terrorist organization that has been accused of several assassinations, countless cases of voter fraud, and ties to al-Qaeda and open support of its terrorist activities. Smith forces his readers into sympathizing with MB members because he only focuses on their side of the story. Vital information that the military, Egyptian people, police and government could have provided is left out.

What Smith (and most reporters) at the

time could have used was a more reliable view of the sides involved.

On the other side of the spectrum is the instances where news outlets publish articles written by one side and not the other. Gehad el-Haddad wrote in his article published in The Guardian, July 26, “...all the deaths have been among those protesting the coup and calling for the return of Egypt’s hijacked democracy.” He also goes on to say that anti-coup protest-ers “avoided Tahrir [Square]” and “carefully organized their marches to avoid instigating violence.” According to The Guardian’s web-site, el-Haddad is a “media spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood and senior advisor to the Freedom and Justice party.” One has to ask where the government’s point of view is.

The idea of being completely unbiased is one that has been deeply debated among jour-nalists. What’s important for the reader to keep in mind is that biases are inevitable in journal-ism, whether it’s because of association, mon-ey or simply unintentional.

Credit: Thierry Ehrmann, Flickr

anTi- scaF proTesTer Take To The sTreeTs in egypT phoTo By gigi iBrahim, Flickr

Concordia’s weekly,

independent student

newspaper.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Vol. 31 Issue 1

theconcordian electronics // OPiniOns

Plugged in and stressed outsocial media feeds into anxiety and fear of missing out

CAsAnDRA De mAsiOpinions editor

Aziz Ansari’s character on the popular NBC sit-com Parks and Recreation has a similar routine to mine and many of my acquaintances. “Everyday, I start by hitting up Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.” Add email to that and he basi-cally described my morning.

Social media has become a vital part of many lives. Thoughts, feelings, achievements and “self-ies” are posted up online for all to see. Users crave the response they get from friends and followers. It’s like the modern day version of standing on a soapbox, flailing ones arms and screaming out “look at me, look at me!”

The tweeting, liking and filtering of photos has created a new type of anxiety, one coined So-cial Media Anxiety (SMAD). Author Julie Spira, who wrote a book on netiquette, outlined the signs of SMAD in a Huffington Post article. They include: constant texting and checking of social media, even in social situations, turning into an anxious mess when people do not receive an im-mediate response to tweets, and having a smart-phone surgically attached to ones hands.

There aren’t many figures, but according to the Telegraph, a study performed last year by Anxiety UK on 298 people at the University of Salford showed that “55 per cent of people felt “worried or uncomfortable” when they could

Justice // OPiniOns

not access their Facebook or email accounts.” A whopping 53 per cent said they saw a change in their behaviour, 51 per cent of them said it was a negative change.

Another common stress is the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). People may experience this feeling when viewing photos on Facebook or Instagram. Users see what other people are experiencing, and feel like they are missing out on social events and interactions.

FOMO is actually something that is being studied. A research team from the University of Rochester, University of California-Los Angeles and University of Essex published their study in July 2013’s issue of Computers in Human Behav-ior, according to USA Today. The study showed that FOMO was highest in those who are under 30.

It may be funny for some to joke about or dis-miss this psychological issue. However, with time

this problem may become more prominent, es-pecially with teens growing up in a world where social media is the norm.

It leaks into real life situations too, and could possibly hurt relationships with friends and fam-ily. A recent study from the United Kingdom, which polled and gathered the reaction of 508 participants, showed that people who post too many “selfies” and who are constantly updating their social media pages actually come off as less likeable, according to the Huffington Post.

Social media feeds into the natural human need to feel a sense of belonging. However, it is important to take a step back and realize some-thing. People post what they want others to see. It’s a controlled reality. That doesn’t mean it has to control you. Computers and phones come with off buttons for a reason, right?

Taking the law into their own handsVigilante justice may do more harm than good

Vigilante justice. The term has been circulating Canadian news recently, mainly as a result of the Rehtaeh Parsons case. As of Aug. 15, two boys are facing child pornography charges, after allegedly sexually assaulting the then 15-year-old Parsons in 2011 and circulating photos. The boys’ identities are being kept hidden because they were minors at the time of the crime.

Many are upset that there are no sexual as-sault charges. On Aug. 9, CBC reported that po-lice yet again warned “that anyone who takes direct action against suspects in the Rehtaeh Par-sons case will face legal consequences.”

Popular online group Anonymous played a large role in this investigation. According to the Huffington Post, the group spoke out against those supporting the boys after Parsons’ death following an attempted suicide back in April.

The investigation in this case was slow, and at one point non-existent. Back on April 19, the group accused police of hypocrisy and “protect-ing their own interests.” Anonymous did their own investigating and managed to acquire the names of the four boys involved. They threat-ened to release the names if Halifax police did not reopen the case.

The fact that there are people out there who can hold the government and law enforcement agents accountable for their actions is empower-ing for citizens. People should not allow those in charge to get too comfortable and let details slip

through the cracks. However, the backlash that could follow when people take the law into their own hands is also quite worrisome.

If the names of the boys in the Parsons case were released to the world, the reins would be handed over to the public. There is no telling what some people can and would do, which could possibly create a whole other mess for po-lice, distracting from the initial case in question. Not to mention that releasing the names would actually violate the Youth Criminal Justice Act, according to CBC.

There is a difference between those keeping the police on their toes and those taking the law into their own hands and breaking the law in the process. The problem with vigilante justice is the lack of organization and compliance with our le-gal system. Whether you agree with the way a case is being handled or not, harassing, threat-ening or harming someone who is suspected of a crime, no matter how heinous, is a crime in itself that could cost someone’s life. Just last month a California couple shot and killed their neighbour, whom they suspected of molesting their four-year-old daughter

at a sleepover, according to NBC News, Aug.23. Investigators later found that no such foul act against the child had occurred.

Social media has played a starring role in this new form of online and at home investigating, Those playing FBI on Reddit or Twitter can eas-ily circulate false information without knowing it. Take the example of Sunil Tripathi, the man falsely accused of being the Boston Bomber.

Tripathi was missing at the time, his family searching and worried for him as he had a his-tory of depression. Social media users began cir-culating his photo. They said he resembled one of the suspects. This was later dismissed once police announced their suspects were the Tsar-naev brothers. However, all the posts incriminat-ing Tripathi were already out there and couldn’t be taken back and his body was found a month later, a victim of suspected vigilante justice. It’s important to remember that everyone is inno-

cent until proven guilty by a court of law and the public needs to let the justice sys-tem do its job, otherwise innocent people

will be irrepara-bly damaged.

CAsAnDRA De mAsiOpinions editor

amanda l. ShoreEditor-in-Chief

[email protected]

nathalie laflammeProduction manager

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Kelly Duval Sloane montgomery

Co-News [email protected]

Sabrina GiancioppiLife editor

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Roa abdel-GawadArts editor

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Jessica RomeraMusic editor

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Samantha miletoSports editor

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Cassandra De masiOpinions editor

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Keith RacePhoto editor

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natasha TaggartOnline editor

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Jennifer KwanGraphics editor

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elizabeth TomarasChristina Rowanmilos Kovacevic

Copy [email protected]

Besher al malehPhilippe labreque

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editorial office7141 Sherbrooke St.Building CC-Rm 431

montreal, QC H4B 1R6

514-848-2424 ext. 7499(editor-in-Chief)

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Ruben BastienBoard of directors

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ContributorsJade adams, David adelman, Sara Baron-Goodman, angela

De Cicco, Selina Gard, milos Ko-vacevic, angela mackenzie, niki

mohrdar, mia Pearson, Catlin Spencer, natasha Taggart, Paul Traunero, Béatrice viens Côté,

TUES 27FILM- World Film Festival-

ORIENTATION- Discover Concordia Undergraduate Arts and Science Students- 13H-1630H - PT 110 Oscar Peterson

Hall

ART- From Philadelphia To Monaco: Grace Kelly— Beyond The Icon- McCord Museum

MUSIC- Montreal Jewish Music Festival: Ben Holmes Quartet- Upstairs Jazz Bar- 20H

WED 28FILM- World Film Festival-

ORIENTATION- Discover Concordia Undergraduate Fine Arts and ENCS Students- 13H-1630H- D.B. Clarke Theatre

MUSIC- Blonde Redhead- Corona Theater- 22H

THURS 29FILM- World Film Festival-

ORIENTATION- Discover Concordia Undergraduate JMSB Students- 13H-1630H - D.B. Clarke Theatre

MUSIC- Hip Hop Karaoke Montreal- Le Belmont- 22H

ART- From The Masters’ Hands- Musee des Maitres et artisans du Quebec- 12H-17H

MUSIC-The Sidekicks- Il Motore-19H

FRI 30FILM- World Film Festival-

MUSIC- Felix Cartal- New City Gas

SAT 31FILM- World Film Festival-

ART- From Philadelphia To Monaco: Grace Kelly— Beyond The Icon- McCord Museum

MUSIC- Digitalism- Société des Arts Technologiques -22H

SUN 1FILM- World Film Festival-

MUSIC- Mudhoney-Il Motore- 2H

MONDAY 2FILM- World Film Festival-

The Concordian Vol. 31. Issue 1

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Transcript of The Concordian Vol. 31. Issue 1