ABOUT US
The Plant, founded in 1969, is Dawson College’s only student-run newspaper. We are a platform for students to share their writing, voice their opinions, and gain experience in the field of journalism.
Any Dawson student can submit articles, creative writing, or visual art to The Plant. We welcome student perspectives on all topics, but we particularly encourage Montreal or Dawson-specific content. What is happening on campus? What should fellow students know about?
Contributor articles are reviewed and edited in collaboration with our section editors before publication. Contributions are accepted at any time during the Fall and Winter semesters. We publish an issue monthly, four months a semester.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by email at theplantnewspaper@gmail.com or on instagram @theplantnews.
MEET THE TEAM
EXECUTIVE TEAM
MATHEW ANANIA
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Mathew is a second-year Law, Society and Justice student with ambitions of pursuing a career in criminal law litigation. When he’s not waiting on someone to ask him to recite a bizarre true crime case in excruciating detail, he devotes hours to pursuing his greatest passion: music. Whether it be through piano, guitar, voice, or an unhealthy obsession with the music of Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac and Lana Del Rey, music grants him the greatest escape of all. Donning a black trench coat, an iced coffee, and the book he is currently reading, he can often be seen darting through halls at record speed to get to class on time. And no, he does not carry books in his hands for the aesthetic; ripped and fringed edges irritate him to no other extent.
PIPA JONES
CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Pipa is a third-year graphic design student who wakes up every morning to drink their daily iced oat matcha latte. Their goals in life are to design pretty things and possibly open a coffee shop in a remote Scandinavian seaside village. In the meantime, they enjoy looking like the main character as they read on the metro, spend too much time romanticising the mundane, and indulge in the occasional thrifting spree (bank account permitting). Their current favourite hobby is knitting, and during this final semester they hope to keep their sanity intact and finish with a bunch of work that they are proud of. Their favourite colour is a sunny Sunday morning in winter, their favourite day of the week is a warm evening in late summer with crickets chirping at the end of the garden, and their lucky number is 379.
EMMY RUBIN
MANAGING EDITOR
Oompa Loompa Doompada-Doo, I’ve got a cutesy bio for you. Oompa Loompa Doompada-Dee, it’s about this gal called Emmy. What do you get when you read dictionaries for fun, praying to Lord Shakespeare with the faith of a nun (but not really because she’s super Jewish-un!)? Planning her life so she can write jokes for a living, what is this Emmy girl’s vibe really giving?... She spends every Friday night at home. Oompa Loompa Doompada-Duff, this song bio has gone on long enough. Emmy is that quirky kind of girl who will make a paragraph about herself sound like Oompa Loompas singing with a gun up to their heads. She’s overly proud of the fact that her name actually (actually) stands for Emerald and that she has watched more culturally impactful films than all of her friends. When she’s not trying to be Wednesday Addams, you can find her chatting up librarians and book store employees on a school night while toppling over from the pile of books she has managed to walk around with for an hour until finally taking them all home with her. At the same time. Even though she hasn’t read any of the ones on her many bookshelves. She has terrible time management skills and a propensity to overwrite
HANNAH DANE
COPY EDITOR
As she remains an absolute mess and a half, your only chances of seeing Hannah will most likely include her either speed-walking through the Dawson hallways trying to make it to class on time, chugging a Tim’s coffee, talking her head off to anyone who made the mistake of saying hello, or, if you’re really lucky, doing all three at once. If lost, she’s probably just taking a nap in the library (aka the only time you’ll ever find her quiet). Other than reading angsty Women’s Fiction or Slice of Life Novels, her only hobby involves staring endlessly at her adorable rabbit and planning for her future bunny cult (just kidding…unless…).
EDITORIAL STAFF
AYA HAFEDA
NEWS EDITOR
Aya is a third semester literature student rummaging through Tolstoy, Austen, Hughes and Rimbaud. She is a woman who’s strong will has become a bad quality, but she will never renounce it and will use it to argue about rights. She cannot survive a split second without her earphones; from Birkin to Metallica and then back to Lana, only to switch back to The Vines. Tired most of the time, she rarely has the energy to leave her face unrested, making herself look like she is miserable when she is having the time of her life. When you see her from afar and make eye contact with her, it might always seem as though she is ignoring you, but in reality she is just blind and refuses to wear her glasses.
SIMONE BÉLANGER
ARTS & CULTURES EDITOR
As the escapist hedonist blueprint, Simone’s synapses still reek of the previous weekend’s debauchery. She has been seventeen for two years now and cries in front of haikus written centuries ago. Sipping on a sizzling cup of tea, they are found diving into the umpteenth book that will emotionally shatter them or writing ambiguous poems to canalize their incandescent but plagued brain. Simone likes: the noise of fingers dancing on a keyboard, nailing an eyeliner wing in a single attempt, overtaking electrical Bixis, playing bartender in their best friend’s kitchen on a Friday night, doodling in Physics instead of understanding simple harmonic motion, obnoxiously crushing leaves, and the purring of stray cats as they rub their soft heads against her calves. Simone doesn’t like: Sundays, chewing food when people stare at her, hitting a drooled-on joint, losing sleep to crippling insomnia, drinking watery coffees, forgetting the utterly specific word they craved to say, and engaging in debates with men. If you just thought of Amélie Poulain, Simone most likely loves you. Simone is Polish (and therefore always late): they chug pickle juice and gulp bortsch on a daily basis. Casually cosplaying as a respectable science student, Simone is nothing less than a beautifully chaotic sleep-deprived lunatic whose only wish is to avoid getting disowned.
ANGÉLIQUE BABINEAU
VOICES EDITOR
Angélique is a second-year cinema student with the hopes of becoming an accomplished filmmaker. She has a soft spot for alternative feminist cinema or anything that requires illegal downloading in a foreign language. Despite being an awful cook, Angélique is a firm believer that she makes the best avocado toast. On Friday nights, she loves getting extensively ready for a night out, but often finds herself back in bed less than two hours later, courtesy of her introverted nature. Apart from making overpriced lattes at Starbucks on the weekends, she can be found reading on benches with her headphones on, intentionally muting the world out. If Angélique is not reading three or more books simultaneously (six as of now), you should indeed be worried. Music lover, Angélique lives for overanalyzing lyrics from her favourite artists, including Lana Del Rey, The National, Men I Trust and Radiohead.
KEVIN LABOSSIÈRE
SPORTS EDITOR
From @Dawsoncollegememes to DSU executive, CLL Blue Ringer, DSU Volunteer, Joining tons of clubs, Kevin has pretty much done it all at the college. Next up on the list, The Plant! Kevin is a third year student in General Social Science. Nicknamed KLab or Supermax guy, he’s most likely the biggest sports nerd you’ll ever meet, from wearing tons of sports jerseys to an absurd number of sports team related caps, even his job is at the Bell Centre! He follows tons of sports from Hockey, to Formula One, to Football, to Baseball, his love for sports does not come to a halt. With lots of experience around the college and a drive to pursue a future in sports journalism, he is the perfect fit for the Sports Editor position of The Plant. Sports aside, he is a big fan of Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and Tyler, The Creator. If you spot an average height guy wearing a backwards cap, chances are it’s probably Kevin.
CHRISTOPHER BOA
SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT EDITOR
If you hear a whistling teapot or a creaky door in the hallways, do not be alarmed; chances are, it’s just Christopher laughing. Better known as “Chris,” the Plant’s Science and Environment Editor is in his fourth and final semester at Dawson. Although he is a student in Health Science, Chris has a much greater passion for linguistics and particle physics. He finds solace in playing Zelda games, climbing Mount Royal dozens of times each semester, and listening to a fresh new playlist every month. If you pass by Chris around campus and he does not wave back at you, he did not mean any harm. He is simply living in his thoughts.
SANAD HAMDOUNA
CURIOSITIES EDITOR
Sanad may or may not be 3 cats in a hoodie. One can draw, one can write, and the third one watches university world history lectures on YouTube for fun. Were it not for 8AM classes, he would gladly show up to school with the same energy he reserves for local punk and metal concerts, maybe even the same outfits. Unfortunately, getting him to fix his sleep schedule seems almost impossible. When not mindlessly doodling anime characters in class or formatting zines, Sanad can be found staring into the abyss or haunting the illustration computer labs late at night trying to complete his many many projects.
ALICE BOULIANNE
VISUAL ARTS EDITOR
Alice or “Alie” is a plant-based human and photographer in addition to being a second year Liberal Arts student. Despite losing their camera in an Uber in New York City, she has a soft spot for traveling. If you manage to have a full conversation with them, they will most certainly confuse you by mixing words of Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. However, you need not worry: They will always be compassionate and understanding. Ultimate tip on how and where to find Alie: Go in a forest (to maximize your chances, go in fall) at midnight and walk until you trip on a human leg. She’ll be lying down, waiting for insects and animals (or you) to show up.
EMMA MAJAURY
CREATIVE WRITING EDITOR
Emma is a second year Literature student who is fuelled by copious amounts of tea, dancing to loud music all alone and the desire to make friends with any person who sits next to her. The day that she is not reading more than 3 books at the same time is the day that the world has collapsed. Most days you’ll find her in a corner drinking a lot of water and scrolling through Pinterest.
ALESSIA VIGNA
SECRETARY
Alessia is a second-year General Social Science student. One could usually find her at home, crocheting a bag with scrap yarn while on a Marvel movie marathon. She loves to play music, she enjoys singing while playing the most basic chords known to man on either her acoustic guitar or keyboard. And, although she may come across as shy at first, if she hears the name Taylor Swift, she will in fact Speak Now.
ALESSA ORSINI
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Alessa is a third-year Graphic Design student.
MIA GUELI
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Mia is a second year graphic design student, who can be spotted in the 4G wing crying over having to assemble a paper box, or maybe over a poster that simply refuses to print. From a young age, she has had a passion for the arts, currently holding the title of “struggling young artist”, but alas she perseveres and loves making illustrations. Mia spends a concerning amount of time finding new music and listening to her favorite artists such as Elliott Smith, Alex G and Björk. Mia is a serial concert goer and will impulsively drop anything at anytime to hold the shiny barricade at a live show. An ideal day for Mia is spent having an impromptu road trip with friends or blowing all her money at thrift stores.
PIPA JONES
COVER ARTIST
Pipa is a third-year graphic design student who wakes up every morning to drink their daily iced oat matcha latte. Their goals in life are to design pretty things and possibly open a coffee shop in a remote Scandinavian seaside village. In the meantime, they enjoy looking like the main character as they read on the metro, spend too much time romanticising the mundane, and indulge in the occasional thrifting spree (bank account permitting). Their current favourite hobby is knitting, and during this final semester they hope to keep their sanity intact and finish with a bunch of work that they are proud of. Their favourite colour is a sunny Sunday morning in winter, their favourite day of the week is a warm evening in late summer with crickets chirping at the end of the garden, and their lucky number is 379.
STAFF WRITERS
SILVIA CRAC
STAFF WRITER
Silvia is a second-year student in Law, Society, and Justice who hopes to one day work in the music industry in quite an unconventional way: as a copyright lawyer. When she’s not cramming for an exam at the library, you might have better luck at the nearest record store, book store or cozy café. In her free time, Silvia can often be found reading books about women with questionable moral compasses, going on Internet deep-dives about obscure gothic rock bands from the 1980s, and attempting to learn her favorite songs on guitar. A fun fact: one of her more obscure passions is the machinations of the funeral industry, to the point where her Plan B career-wise is mortuary school. Her ultimate life achievement (as of writing this bio) is spending her 19th birthday in the Black Veil Brides, Motionless In White, and Ice Nine Kills mosh pit (all hail the Trinity of Terror Tour). As you’ve probably gathered, alternative subcultures like goth and metal are a huge part of her life. Don’t worry though, she doesn’t bite!
RALUCA-MARA MARE
STAFF WRITER
Mara is a first-year health science student that can be found either overstudying in the library, joining all clubs possible or spending her money on iced coffee at Dawson’s Tim Hortons. When she’s not buried in her textbooks, she loves doing impromptu activities, going on adventures and making new friends. Her only personality trait is reminding everyone that otters hold hands when they sleep so that they don’t drift apart. An avid music listener, she’ll pretend to be the main character in the back of the bus, looking out the window dramatically. Although she is the most patient and easygoing person you’ll ever meet, Mara would go feral if she loses a game of Roblox Werewolf. After spending the day losing brain cells in calculus and overusing her Opus card, she’ll relax with her wonderful and respectable (not crusty musty) white dog while watching 73 questions with doctors by MD PD.
SOPHIE ANABELLE SOMÉ
STAFF WRITER
Sophie is a second year Health Science student who spends a bit too much time studying and catching up on schoolwork because she procrastinates beyond any level of comprehension, and because she is a little over focused on school. She walks very fast in the hallways, and she is always up to something. Whether it is volunteering or planning an event, Sophie is often up for the challenge. She likes to argue and discuss random questions regarding life and our future. Before anything, she likes having interesting and deepening discussions with others. Sophie also loves to read thrillers and romance books. It is one or the other, with no in between. She is controversially infatuated with Grey’s Anatomy, and she listens to a lot of RnB and Hip-Hop artists. One thing for sure, she likes a good laugh and hates social embarrassment.
ROKHAYA RODRIGUEZ
STAFF WRITER
Rokhaya is a second-year student who thinks of herself as a bit of a mystery. Her love for crime TV shows feeds her unrelenting curiosity. Wherever you are, turn around, she might be right next to you. If you come across her, say hi and wave. She will pleasantly smile at you. She is an introvert who sometimes has bursts of energy that scare others. If you have a question, she has the answer or sources from the many books she reads on a Friday night. She can sit for hours contemplating an idea, and that’s okay. We love idealistic people!