Volume 47, Issue 22 by The Medium

The Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Toronto Mississauga since 1974

Issue 022 Volume 47 March 22 2021

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UTMSU ELECTION RESULTS

TOXIC MASCULINITY

SCIENCE LITERACY

The unofficial results of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) elections were announced on March 19, with a sweeping victory across the board for the student slate Build Back Better UTM.

On March 3, Sarah Everard was walking home at night in South London when she went missing. Days later, a Metropolitan police officer was arrested under the suspicion of kidnapping.

The start of the Covid-19 pandemic brought forth an immense flow of research on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, at times, it was hard for the public to locate this reliable information.

>> ELECTION continued on page 02

>> MASCULINITY continued on page 04

>> SCIENCE continued on page 06

NEWS

Activists come together for the first Global Climate Strike of 2021 Isik Vera Senel News Editor

n March 19, environmental activists from around the world came together, both in-person and virtually, for the first Global Climate Strike of the year. The strike took place in more than 60 countries and 1,000 locations. 2019 was an important year for environmentalism as awareness surrounding climate change increased, and more people began to demand government action. Approximately seven million people worldwide participated in the September climate strikes.

>> STRIKE continued on page 02

FEATURES

ARTS

One month until Earth Day: The urgency of combatting climate change

The Roaring Girl brings 60s rock & roll to Theatre Erindale

Larry Lau Contributor

n the past century, the human race has achieved immense technological advancements as well as scientific and artistic accomplishments—a great feat in human history. Yet, along with these outstanding achievements, humankind has done unprecedented damage to the Earth’s environment, threatening the well-being of all living organisms on the planet, including themselves. Effects of climate change, such as damage caused by extreme weather conditions, as seen by the recent Texas winter storm in February 2021, have become more prevalent. There is a common misconception on the meaning of two crucial terms: climate change and global warming. Climate change refers to the change in global weather conditions, including change in precipitation levels, average surface temperature, and increased unpredictability of weather patterns. As an important contributor to climate change, global warming’s definition is narrower, focusing on the rise in global temperatures. The root cause of global warming is not the greenhouse effect itself, but rather the enhanced greenhouse effect due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases.

The term greenhouse effect, as suggested by its name, can be explained using an analogy relating to agricultural greenhouses. In a greenhouse, the glass serves as a special barrier, allowing sunlight in, but retaining some of the light through the principle of reflection. The trapped sunlight raises the temperature of the greenhouse slowly, and the glass prevents the warmer air from escaping into the sky. This is exactly how the greenhouse effect works, except the glass is now the Earth’s atmosphere. On its own, the greenhouse effect is not a malevolent phenomenon that disrupts human activities. In fact, as one of the many intricate systems supporting life, the greenhouse effect serves to ensure the Earth’s temperature is high enough to sustain life. The culprit is the dramatic increase of polluting human activities that have disturbed the fine balance needed to sustain increasing global temperature. Increased vehicular emissions and industrial gas exhaust have released abundant amounts of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and many other “greenhouse gases,” which strengthen the greenhouse effect. >> EARTH DAY continued on page 05

Nayana Agrawal Contributor

efore the curtains close this season, Theatre Erindale gets set to debut The Roaring Girl. The play—written in 1611 by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker—is given new life by Director Samantha Wilson, exploring the cultural clash between two groups: the mods and the rockers. Swapping London’s traditional 1600s for its swinging 1960s, Theatre Erindale’s The Roaring Girl will plunge audiences into a free love era rom-com of colourful outfits, British slang, and classic rock music. The virtual performance, which opens on March 24 and runs through the 27, will be presented by UTM’s fourth-year Theatre and Drama Studies students. Among these students is Liam McKinnon, who’ll take on three separate roles: a gallant named Laxton, a seamster named Openwork, and the notorious cross-dressing thief, Cutpurse. In a recent interview with The Medium, McKinnon detailed his experiences with virtual preparation, his thoughts about the play’s tone, and his hopes for the future students. Our conversation began with the story’s premise. >> ERINDALE continued on page 10

NEWS

Editor | Isik Vera Senel news@themedium.ca

Student slate Build Back Better sweeps UTMSU election Unofficial UTMSU election results declare Build Back Better UTM victorious with 4,230 votes.

Sheryl Gurajada Associate News Editor >> ELECTION continued from page 01

Photo/Ink Drop

Activists come together for first Global Climate Strike of 2021 Isik Vera Senel News Editor >> STRIKE continued from page 01 The movement was led by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who had been making global headlines in 2018 for her weekly strikes across from the Swedish Parliament. The teenager went on to create the climate movement Fridays for Future and inspire millions around the globe. In Toronto, more than 150,000 people took to the streets to demand climate action and fight for a better future during the 2019 climate strike. However, when 2020 came around, the world was impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic, and cities began to enforce lockdowns. Protests were cancelled indefinitely, and activists took to social media to continue their campaign. On January 13, 2021, Fridays for Future published a press release announcing its plans for the next Global Climate Strike. The press release announced the theme for the March Global Climate Strike to be #NoMoreEmptyPromises, holding world leaders accountable for their past assurances of climate action. “In the midst of the various public health, sociopolitical, and economic crises that the world continues to face entering the new year, climate activists are gearing up for the next Global Climate Strike on March 19 to demand immediate, concrete, and ambitious action from world leaders in response to the ongoing climate crisis,” read the press release.

The activists had five demands from the City of Toronto in accordance with the Climate Emergency Declaration the City Council issued on October 2, 2019. Fridays for Future Toronto demanded that the city advance its efforts to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, establish an equitable job strategy, publish a report on initiatives and progress by the end of the year, and release an updated 2021 climate action plan. Due to pandemic regulations, the March 19 protest was made up of 40 or so activists who walked through downtown Toronto while also social distancing. While the participant numbers are incomparable to protests which took place before the global pandemic, it is a welcome reminder that local youth continue to fight for their future and hold the government accountable. “For over two years now, youth climate activists from around the world have been striking and taking to the streets to demand climate justice,” stated the Fridays for Future press release. “Now, with the Covid-19 pandemic, the actions will be taking on different forms in different places, but their call for #NoMoreEmptyPromises is uniting people beyond borders under the same goal of immediate climate action.” Since the novel coronavirus was declared a global pandemic, many environmental activists, including Greta Thunberg, have been participating in virtual strikes every Friday. Activists can continue to protest for climate action by joining live streams and video calls while also keeping their communities safe by staying home. Links to weekly virtual strikes around the globe can be found on the Fridays for Future website.

Four of the five positions on the UTMSU executive team were uncontested. Moreover, 11 new members were elected to the Board of Directors, out of the 17 candidates. Current President Mitra Yakubi was re-elected for the 2021-2022 academic year with 879 votes in favour and 257 votes against. The VP internal candidate Lai Wei was elected with 914 votes, VP external candidate Maelis Barre with 895 votes, and VP university affairs candidate Merica Joy Carlos with 894 votes. The only seat on the executive team with more than one candidate was the VP equity position. Ryan Tomlinson from the Build Back Better UTM slate was elected with 648 votes. The other VP equity candidates, Laiba Khan and Maryam Yousefipournigjeh, received 233 and 173 votes respectively. With Covid-19 restrictions in place, this year only included a virtual voting option, with an approximate 50 per cent decrease in voter turnout, from 14.7 per cent in 2020 to 7.5 per cent in 2021. The voting process this year involved students entering a virtual conference call on the video conferencing software Zoom to verify their student number and receive a voting pin. This pin could then be used to cast their ballot. The whole process reportedly took no longer than five minutes. However, some students questioned the efficiency of this system, especially when compared to the online voting portal used by other U of T-based clubs and unions.

Reaction from the student body has also been playing out on Reddit, an online discussion platform, which allows members of the UTM community to engage in an open forum discussion. Many posts by UTM students showed concern over the lack of competition in UTMSU elections in recent years. Re-elected President Mitra Yakubi, who had posted a thread on Reddit highlighting her campaign points, was also very active on the website and responded to some of the comments made by Reddit users. In addition to the criticism over the voting process this year, UTM students spoke out about the compensation in place for UTMSU position-holders. In response to a student asking about the president’s compensation, Yakubi stated that “unlike other students’ unions,” all members of the UTMSU executive team receive the same pay. “By having paid positions, it allows me (and really any other student that runs and gets elected) to focus on [the] job because at the end of the day, it is full time,” stated Yakubi. “For me personally, I’m still a student and paying for my tuition myself so I can make ends meet while doing work I love.” Yakubi also argued that students would be unable to work in the union if the executive team positions were unpaid. “I am paid minimum wage (for the whole year it’s about $31k) and we aren’t paid for any overtime work which is often required with this position,” continued Yakubi. “Also, as an organization we have actively advocated for fair wages, eliminating un-paid internships and so forth for students, so I think it’s important that we hold our self to the same standard and pay folks for their labour.”

Ken Jones/U of T News

Isik Vera Senel News Editor

UTSU asks for the UMLAP review be delayed A joint letter argues that a more thorough review of the policy can be made during the Fall 2021 semester.

n Friday, March 19, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) sent out an open letter to Professor Donald Ainslie, the head of the UniversityMandated Leave of Absence Policy (UMLAP) Review Group. The letter requested the review timeline of the policy be pushed to Fall 2021 to increase student participation in the process and produce an accurate analysis of the UMLAP. The joint letter was sent in collaboration with the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU), the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU), and the Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students at U of T (APUS). The UMLAP was approved on June 27, 2018, after it was withdrawn in January following a suggestion by Renu Mandhane, the chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission at the time. Mandhane argued that the policy stigmatized students’ mental health issues and was “concerned that the policy does not strike an appropriate balance.” This policy states that a student struggling with mental health issues that are negatively impacting their academic record and refuses to take a voluntary leave of absence can be forced to leave by the university. The 2018 UMLAP policy report stated that the policy would only be invoked when a disciplinary response under the U of T Code of Student Conduct is not appropriate and would only damage the student’s academic career. “It may not be consistent with the duty to accommodate to merely let the student

confront significant negative academic consequences in these situations,” read the report. “This Policy, therefore, sets out additional options to better reflect the needs and the situation of the student.” The UMLAP was faced with criticism and resistance by U of T students and staff following its approval. On October 2, 2019, Natalia Espinosa, a third-year anthropology student at UTM, was handcuffed at the Health and Counselling Centre while seeking professional mental health assistance. After Espinosa’s story was published, more than 130 students and staff came together and wrote an open letter to the university administration regarding the shortcomings of mental health support at U of T. The letter demanded the university issue an apology to Espinosa and remove the protocol of handcuffing students experiencing a mental health crisis. Moreover, students and staff requested that the UMLAP be repealed. On January 15, 2020, the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health published its report with 21 recommendations to the university regarding improvements to the mental health services available to U of T students. One of the recommendations made by the task force suggested that an in-depth examination be made of the UMLAP and its potential impacts. Following the task force’s report, the university stated that they would adhere to all of the recommendations, including reviewing the UMLAP. The review process is scheduled to conclude at the end of the Winter 2021 semester; however, many students believe that the review deadline should be extended. The joint letter by the students’ unions argues that the circumstances of the current academic year, due to the

global pandemic, obstructed the review group’s ability to construct a sufficient analysis of the policy’s impact on students. “The current review process for the UMLAP places consultations during one of the busiest times of the academic year,” stated the letter. “As global citizens, we are collectively experiencing and trying to navigate ongoing trauma brought on by the pandemic but also the rise of inequities, social injustice, hate crimes, and deteriorating mental health. Issues such as time zone differences, access to internet and technology, as well as simply coping and managing during the pandemic make engaging with the review process even more complex.” The letter went on to request that the UMLAP review process should be pushed to the Fall 2021 semester, stating that the new deadline would allow more students to engage with the review and voice their opinions. “Students across all three campuses, regardless of their year of study program or degree, have voiced concerns about the punitive nature of the UMLAP,” continued the letter. “Since policy reviews occur only every three years, we believe that more time should be devoted to meaningful consultations in order to effectively incorporate student feedback.” The letter acknowledged the physical and emotional struggles students have been facing during the pandemic and stated that if the university agreed to delay the review process, the Governing Council would receive the report in February 2022 at the latest. “As organizations who are committed to supporting students and their wellbeing, we hope this extension will be welcomed in light of the ongoing difficulties students are experiencing from around the world,” read the letter. “Students are just trying to survive.”

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COMMENT

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Police constable Wayne Couzens is charged with the murder and kidnapping of Sarah Everard. (Elizabeth Cook/Illustration)

Reflecting on Sarah Everard and toxic masculinity The disappearance and murder of Sarah Everard spurred many women around the world to come forward, detailing their own experiences with sexual harassment and rape culture. Aroni Sakar Associate Comment Editor >> MASCULINITY continued from page 01 On March 12, the Metropolitan police confirmed that they found Everard’s body and arrested the police officer under suspicion of murder. The discovery of her body came two days after the release of a survey by UN Women that found 97 per cent of young women in the United Kingdom have been sexually harassed. In this same report, they found that 96 per cent of women did not report the incidents and 45 per cent believed nothing would happen or change if authorities were informed. Both the results of the survey and the murder of Sarah Everard have exposed a complete lack of faith and trust in the police system and its protective measures. The proportion of women who have been harassed is, sadly, unsurprising to me. The World Health Organization released the statistic that, on a global scale, one in three women experience sexual violence at some point in their life, especially younger women. As a young woman myself, my reaction to these statistics was an emotionless sigh. I realized that there is always a chance that I could be one of those women—that I will never be completely safe. This realization hovers in the back of every woman’s mind, each time. Each time I walked back to the campus residence from the

bus stop at 7 p.m. and the road lights weren’t working because of construction in front of Davis, and I’d be scared the guy in the hoodie walking a few metres behind me might just try something. Each time my friend would go home by bus at 9 p.m., and she would stay on the phone with me to make sure I was a witness to everything, just in case. Each time my roommate would teach me how she held her keys in between her fingers, ready to defend herself—just in case. As a young woman, I know that not all men are bad enough to hurt me, but I am scared regardless because there are enough men that could. I was concerned by the responses to the release of the UN survey. A lot of men became defensive, claiming that this survey accuses 97 per cent of men of being assaulters, that women these days cannot take a joke, that not everything is harassment, and women are too sensitive. The response was expected and included victim-blaming and women shaming. Sarah Everard did everything that a woman is “supposed” to do to ensure her safety: she was on a call with her boyfriend while walking home, she shared her location with her friends, she walked on a well-lit road, she wore proper shoes and clothes that covered her full body, she didn’t have headphones on to could have made her less aware of her surroundings. She did what every woman has been conditioned to do to make sure that we don’t get hurt. Yet, she was kidnapped and murdered anyways. What a lot of boys, and honestly, some girls, have failed to realize is how normalized rape culture has become. Even the com-

mon phrase “to hit on” used in circumstances of flirtation or sexual engagement comes from violence. It is rooted in the demand for unwanted sexual favours—a predatory dynamic. The language used in the media about sexual cases is passive—it’s always the woman that got raped and not the man that raped. The passive language in headlines and reports shifts the blame onto the woman for her actions that made her get raped, instead of the man who did it. This is not the case for other violent crimes like murder, where the aggressor is almost always labelled in the headlines. The denial of the aggressor in the media is another way of perpetuating victim shaming and blaming. Girls are taught how to defend themselves instead of boys being taught to not come off as aggressive. Yes, “#notallmen,” but it is “#allwomen.” Instead of censuring women’s bodies with strict dress codes, teach men how to be more professional and not get distracted. The culture to make women accommodate to men’s desires and aggression needs to stop. It is not a woman’s job to take a joke that is offensive to her, and what may not be offensive to one woman doesn’t mean it’s not offensive to all women. It is not a woman’s job to convince a man that she feels scared. It is not a woman’s job to make someone want to fight for her justice and safety. UN Women UK’s executive director Claire Barnett said, “This is a human rights crisis. It’s just not enough for us to keep saying, ‘this is too difficult a problem for us to solve.’ It needs addressing now.”

features

Editor | Elizabeth Provost features@themedium.ca

Adversities of climate change and our role in saving the Earth As Earth day approaches us on April 22, here is how we can save our planet in one month. Larry Lau Contributor >> EARTH DAY continued from page 01 This is exactly how the greenhouse effect works, except the glass is now the Earth’s atmosphere. On its own, the greenhouse effect is not a malevolent phenomenon that disrupts human activities. In fact, as one of the many intricate systems supporting life, the greenhouse effect serves to ensure the Earth’s temperature is high enough to sustain life. The culprit is the dramatic increase of polluting human activities that have disturbed the fine balance needed to sustain increasing global temperature. Increased vehicular emissions and industrial gas exhaust have released abundant amounts of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and many other “greenhouse gases,” which strengthen the greenhouse effect. Rising temperatures have also contributed to numerous ecological disasters. The surge in ambient temperature has caused the melting of polar ice caps, which directly resulted in the endangerment of wildlife. Polar bears, the gargantuan white bears of the north, are one of the many endangered animals, suffering habitat loss as their icy homes break off and melt into the Arctic Ocean. Warmer regions are not spared by the increased temperatures of oceans either. In both 2016 and 2017, widespread coral bleaching was observed in the Great Barrier Reef as record-breaking temperature highs in the Southern Hemisphere summer warmed the oceans. The phenomenon of coral bleaching occurs when the rising water temperature forces corals to expel algae that give the corals their colors. This exposes the white skeleton of the corals; hence they look “bleached.” While not immediately fatal to the coral, the algae and coral survive together in a symbiotic relationship—without the algae, the coral would starve. Even if the coral avoids starvation, it would be weakened from the warmer water, increasing its vulnerability to mortality. As mass starvation of corals occurs, the reefs, if not permanently destroyed, would take decades to recover from the damage. The marine life dependent on coral reefs for survival and protection are threatened, potentially lowering the biological diversity of the affected ocean. As this affects the livelihood of every member of the food chain, the implications of the destruction of coral reefs are dire. Humans are not spared from this environmental catastrophe either. Naturally, melted ice has to go somewhere; it does not simply vanish into thin air. A direct consequence of melting ice caps is rising sea level, which puts shoreline human establishments at risk. The famous sinking city of Venice, Italy, may

soon become a real-life Atlantis as it eventually becomes inundated by the rising waters. Last year, numerous islands off the Indonesian shores vanished under the tides—a rude awakening to all low-lying coastal regions. Looking further into the future, the environmental situation for humankind looks even more dire. The equatorial regions may soon become uninhabitable due to extreme humidity in combination with skyrocketing temperatures. Extreme weather would trouble all living beings on Earth, causing destruction and death in its wake. The change in climate in various regions could lead to unpredictable complications. Laws and policies are needed to halt climate change, but there is something every one of us can do to help save our planet. Hu-

such ride-hailing services increased pollution as their use is greater than that of public transit. For short journeys, walking would be phenomenal, as it not only reduces emissions by replacing car trips but allows people to destress, slowing down their pace of life. Nowadays, people spend so much time in virtual realms that they seldom take a step back and notice the beauty of nature and human life. Equivalently, biking is an excellent alternative to vehicular transportation. No pollution is caused by cycling activities, and such activities promote a healthy lifestyle as they are a source of exercise, one that improves cardiovascular health while also lowering stress levels. Should the distance be deemed too far for the aforementioned alternatives, people

mankind’s impact on the Earth is cumulative of every person’s action, such that one minor change in every person’s daily routine could add up to something significant. Transportation is one of the many daily activities where changes in its use can help save the planet. Private vehicles may be the most convenient mode of transportation, but they are also the primal source of vehicular emission, producing greenhouse gases and particulates that lower air quality and can potentially cause respiratory health issues. Likewise, using ride-hailing services such as Uber is not necessarily environmentally friendly as, ultimately, the vehicles used are still private vehicles capable of only carrying a few people. In fact, scientists noted that

should be seeking nearby public transit options such as buses, trains, and trams or streetcars. It is worth noting that public transits’ efficiency in terms of greenhouse gases produced per passenger increases with the number of passengers using it, and it becomes progressively more efficient than cars as it nears maximum capacity. Naturally, the coverage of public transit is limited, but if people use those options when available, they would be replacing their polluting car trip with a less polluting public transit trip, reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions. Each reduced trip counts as its effect add up to a sizeable and noticeable impact as time goes on. Another action the average citizen can take is related to energy usage as the energy

generation process also produces greenhouse gases. Only 19.3 per cent of Canada’s Electricity Generation uses fossil fuels. In fact, Ontario no longer has operational coal-fired power plants, which are the most polluting energy processes. Regardless of this remarkable achievement, it is reported that Canada ranks among the top for per capita electricity consumed, reaching fourth globally at 17653 kWh in 2019. On average, Canadians are using copious amounts of energy, which is, of course, partially related to winter heating needs. Nonetheless, people should be looking to reduce their individual electricity consumption. Changing fluorescent light bulbs to LEDs would reduce power usage and lower electricity bills simultaneously—a win-win situation. Reducing air conditioning usage in the summer would also go a long way in slowing global warming. Not only would this reduce electricity consumption by a great margin, but the nature of air conditioners’ operation directly contributes to global warming. Air conditioners may reduce the temperature of your room, but the air the unit releases into the atmosphere is hot. As such, when air conditioners are powered on, the air temperature of the surrounding rises, exacerbating the effects of global warming. Lastly, people should remember to switch off electrical appliances when they are not used. While this elementary concept is taught as early as in preschool and kindergarten, it’s a crucial step that each person can take to reduce energy consumption. A challenging action people can take to help slow climate change is shifting their diet to a plant-based one. Studies show that the production processes of meat, most notably livestock farming, produce large amounts of greenhouse gases—accounting for roughly 14.5 per cent of all carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. By reducing the amount of meat in one’s diet, people would be reducing the demand for the product, thus reducing the number of livestock farms. An added benefit is that by eliminating the prevalence of animal farms, the area originally used for grazing could be reforested, which in turn can reduce carbon dioxide levels and increase oxygen levels. While it may seem like individual contributions have no effect on global climate change, the effect becomes apparent as more individuals contribute. A single action, if taken by tens of thousands of people, becomes a collective action that drives change. If we all do our share of reducing greenhouse gas emissions together, we can slow the advance of global warming and, subsequently, climate change. Truly believe that your decision matters and that your action is significant, and we will be able to save the place that we call home. The climate clock has left us with six years and just over 285 days; perhaps a few simple steps could buy us some more time.

SciForAll: An innovative and interactive approach to Covid-19 education

Irtaqa Arif Contributor >> SCIENCE continued from page 01 This inspired Amir Arellano Saab, a Ph.D. candidate of the McCourt Lab and Savchenko Lab at the University of Toronto, to present Covid-19 information to the public in a simple and effective manner. He wanted to provide information in conjunction with interactive graphics. To achieve his goal, he approached Katrina Hass, an MSc student at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Medical Science in Biomedical Communications. Amir’s passion for structural biology and Katrina’s experience as a medical science illustrator proved to be a meaningful collaboration in the form of SciForAll.org, a website where structural biology information is presented through interactive graphics. SciForAll first went online in September 2020. To run the site and continuously update it, Arellano Saab and Hass are working alongside a team of students and scientists. “SciForAll took us three months [to assemble]—from conceiving the idea to releasing it,” recalls Arellano Saab. The initiative is supported by the University of Toronto and TakingITGlobal, a network that supports youth action and social innovation aimed at tackling global challenges. Currently, the platform focuses on delivering information about Covid-19 through a structural biology perspective, hence providing accurate scientific data amid a time of misinformation about Covid-19. The site explores Covid-19’s main proteins, such as the Spike protein, the Main Protease, and the Envelope protein. Each page dedicated to the Covid-19 proteins is designed to be interactive: hovering the mouse over the figure allows the reader to discover more information. Hass states that the interactive features play a vital role in effectively delivering the information to the public. “The information [can be found] on other sites [which present information] in blocks of text; our website is different than that. It [includes] graphics and [makes them] interactive,” says Hass. The combination of short text excerpts and interactive graphics allows site visitors that do not have a scientific background to easily understand the ins-and-outs of the virus. SciForAll also aims to develop children’s interest in structural biology. A section of the website called “Kid’s Zone” is dedicated to kids and explains Covid-19 in an even more interactive manner, providing fun resources for children to check. As such, the target audience of SciForAll is very broad, from adults to younger children. The website also includes information on the misunderstood Covid-19 variants and a downloadable infographic, which is avail-

able on the website in multiple languages. SciForAll has fostered a very inclusive and accessible space by presenting information in four languages: English, French, Spanish, and Chinese, and the downloaded infographics are also available in Japanese. “This is a very important thing, not only to approach people on the other side of the world, but also to target underrepresented communities in Canada, [who] don’t have access to this type of information,” says Arellano Saab. “[We are] hopeful that by translating our content, we can reach those people.” The process of designing content for the website begins with an idea. The main source of information for the website comes from primary literature and health organizations such as Public Health Canada and the World Health Organization. Next, the relevant information is assembled into a script by Arellano Saab, and Hass reviews it to determine if a reframing of the content is needed. The script is then used to design the layout of the webpage or the infographic. On the SciForAll website, it is essential that the content is displayed in sections that are easily palatable. “A large challenge is making sure that text is good for the general public too,” says Hass when discussing the challenges in writing content for the website. Both Arellano Saab and Hass come from scientific backgrounds and found it initially challenging to tailor the scientifically loaded content into general terms for their target audience. “[We] need to find the right balance because you need the information to be scientifically accurate and at the same time easy to understand. That is sometimes where a lot of time is spent thinking,” says Arellano Saab. In the near future, one of the main goals for the SciForAll team is public outreach and exposure on social media, which will hopefully increase traffic to the website. The team has recently published an infographic for the Covid-19 vaccines and hopes to translate the content on the website into more languages commonly spoken in the Greater Toronto Area to maximize its reach. In terms of longterm goals, the team hopes to expand the content offered on SciForAll to include topics such as the applications of structural biology beyond Covid-19. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a great increase in research and a flux of information on the new discoveries made. Initially, this information was largely available to the members of the scientific community who were able to easily access and understand it. SciForAll has successfully increased the accessibility and reliability of Covid-19-related information to the public through its innovative and interactive graphics. During such a sensitive and quickly evolving crisis, it is important to stop the spread of misinformation to not only protect ourselves from the virus, but also to protect each other.

Infographic/SciForAll

Led by two University of Toronto graduate students, SciForAll aims to educate a wide audience about structural biology as it relates to Covid-19.

07 Professor Barend Beekhuisen on computational linguistics and its vast application to

LIN340 everyday life.

Photo Courtesy of Barend Beekhuizen

The use of artificial intelligence in linguistics Dalainey Gervais Contributor

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ith many individuals worrying about privacy as well as the possible dangers that may arise with society’s reliance on computer technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming particularly relevant. Artificial intelligence describes the ability that computers have developed to perform tasks that are commonly attributed to intelligent beings. From the Google search engine to the newest facial recognition software on cellphones, individuals interact daily with artificial intelligence. Hot topics in AI often revolve around the technology’s risks and benefits, yet artificial intelligence’s ability to intersect a vast number of fields is rarely discussed. Why is this? The answer possibly lies in the lack of understanding of AI’s true benefits as we focus too highly on its possible risks. For example, the field of linguistics, which uses AI as part of its applications, is often overlooked in AI matters. While many associate linguists with polyglots, the study of linguistics encapsulates the scientific study of speech perception, sounds, grammatical structure, and meaning. UTM Linguistic Professor Barend Beekhuizen is a linguist who advocates for the use of computational methods in the field, and uses these methods in his research. Professor Barend Beekhuizen specializes in computational linguistics research, a subfield of the linguistics department, where computational mechanisms are applied to linguistic data in order to extract particular information on language. “It has allowed us to look at linguistics from a perspective that just wasn’t possible before,” says Professor Beekhuizen, explaining that the fast generation of linguistic data across languages was not accessible until the introduction of computer science methods into the field. Growing up in the Netherlands, Professor Beekhuizen’s love for prose influenced him to study Dutch literature at Leiden University. However, he quickly realized that he was more interested in language: “that’s where my passion for linguistics began,” Professor Beekhuizen says. While completing his master’s in linguistics at the same university, he

discovered that his questions about how language works were not easy to test, so he began using computational techniques to build models that made linguistic predictions. He completed his Ph.D. at Leiden University, focusing his studies on computational models of language acquisition in children. Professor Beekhuizen is also interested in studying the variation of word categorization between languages and what those variations in linguistic discourse tell us about individuals’ representation of the world. More of Professor Beekhuizen’s research interests includes computational models in the use of colour term acquisition, as well as work in lexical ambiguities.

“The linguistics’ subfield also raises awareness and develops tools for people requiring accessibility services, such as those needing aid in navigating diability or language barriers.” The University of Toronto has long offered courses with computational linguistics integrated into the computer science department; however, only recently did the university hire computational linguists, such as Professor Beekhuizen. Although not a new field study, using computation methods as part of the linguistic field is a novel approach, leaving some traditional linguists hesitant in its use. “Like any new method, there will be people who embrace it right away and people who are more skeptical,” explains Professor Beekhuizen. Fortunately, the subfield’s accessibility is drawing more attention to the study and exposing more individuals to its utility. “The field has embraced computational methods as part of what they want to give to future generations of students,” says Professor Beekhuizen. The interaction between artificial intelligence and linguistics is more prominent and practical than many believe due to linguistics being central to everyday tools such as speech recognition and search engines. Additionally, the field is increasingly important in medical

and healthcare-related language processes, where computational linguistic mechanisms can be used to extract information from patient files by using keywords. Moreover, computational linguistics techniques have been adapted for use by marketing companies to receive feedback from consumers and better understand consumer needs. More students are also showing interest in the field. “I’ve noticed students on [both] undergraduate and graduate levels are interested to learn about computational methods to supplement their tool kit in other linguistic fields,” says Professor Beekhuizen. He’s had the opportunity to work with many of these students on research projects using artificial intelligence. Recently, a group of five undergraduate students completed a computational linguistics research project through U of T’s Jackman Scholars-in-Residence (SiR) program under the supervision of Professor Beekhuizen. The study investigated the context that certain translated words are used. The English words “true,” “real,” “actual,” and “right” were analyzed in the subtitles of online TedTalks. The subtitles, translated into a dozen of languages, were analyzed through computational methods to understand the context of their use, as well as make deductions on how each word is translated in other languages. “We’re currently working on a write-up of this project with the students to send to an academic journal,” says Professor Beekhuizen. The initial research period was successfully conducted virtually last year. To learn more about computational linguistics, students should consider taking Professor Beekhuizen’s course, LIN340: Language and Computers. LIN340 introduces the field by examining issues concerning computational linguistics and societies, such as equity concerns in speech recognition software. The course also provides insight on how artificial intelligence aids in answering specific linguistic questions, such as detecting sentence structures and grammatical relationships. Computational linguistics offers an innovative perspective to AI that will hopefully help us understand its advantages. The linguistics’ subfield also raises awareness and develops tools for people requiring accessibility services, such as those needing aid in navigating disability or language barriers.

Faculty Feature: Professor Lilia Top documentary and highlighting histo

UTM PWC professor Lilia Topouzova speaks on her upbringin tells stories. Segen Assefa Contributor

Photo Courtesy of Dr. Lilia Topouzova

rofessor Lilia Topouzova of the Professional Writing and Communications program at UTM specializes in history and documentary filmmaking. As a University of Toronto alumna herself, Professor Topouzova teaches a variety of courses that focus on the importance of storytelling and how we can learn from one another. Particularly, she explores how we should listen to the experiences of members of marginalized communities who are rarely afforded the chance to share their stories. Originally from Bulgaria, Professor Topouzova had a rich and transformative upbringing. “I have vivid memories of watching the fall of the Berlin Wall on television,” she said. Professor Topouzova also recalls her fourth-grade teacher removing the portrait of a dictator from the classroom wall, telling her students, “I have nothing more to teach you. History is being made.” After immigrating to Canada, she attended U of T’s St. George campus, where she had the chance to work with professors and other interdisciplinary scholars to formulate methods to put words and images together through storytelling. Professor Topouzova highlights, however, the lack of gender integration on the campus at the time, stating that there was a lot of emphasis on male-centered learning. After a long break between her masters and Ph.D., Professor Topouzova realized that she was not only interested in storytelling but also in the underlying ideas and theories that influence our perception of these stories. “I wanted to be able to frame the stories from a theoretical standpoint as well as giving them the representation they deserve,” said Professor Topouzova. She didn’t always know she wanted to be a documentary filmmaker. However, her background heavily influenced her interest in historical studies, and her natural inclination for telling stories drove her to pursue documentary filmmaking. One of her projects, The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories (2007), is an expository documentary on the Bulgarian town of Belene and the sentiments of the citizens living there after the closure of the forced labour camps that once dominated the city. When asked how the sentiments of the individuals featured in the documentary differ from the sentiments expressed by others from similar historical backgrounds,

she replied that one major difference is whether the states responsible take any onus in addressing the past. “It shouldn’t be the responsibility of citizens to educate their leaders and others. That’s on the institutional leadership,” Professor Topouzova explained. She added that this motivated her in producing films and historical work to create documentation and acknowledgment so that the stories of survivors do not become lost. Professor Topouzova has consistently aimed to redefine the word ‘history’ in her work. “I think it’s important to use the word ‘near-past,’ as opposed to using the word ‘history,’” she said. Professor Topouzova explained that the use of the word ‘history’ presents a sense of distance, when in reality, we must be aware of the recency of a lot of these major historical events. When asked if she wishes she had done anything differently in the filming of The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories, she replied, “Of course—I wish I had made it shorter, I wish I had focused on more subjects. But at the end of the day, I realize that there will never be a perfect body of work—I just have to let my work go out into the world and improve on the next project.” Professor Topouzova teaches a variety of courses at UTM, including Narrative Inquiry (WRI292), Journalistic Investigation (WRI430), and Documentary Experience (CCT454), the latter of which she designed to explore what makes up a documentary and the different methods in which we capture digital stories. When asked if she had a favourite course to teach, Professor Topouzova laughed and said, “While I love teaching all of these courses, I believe the intrinsic value of the learning is heavily influenced by my students in each of these courses.” Professor Topouzova tries not to make a distinction between the way she approaches teaching and filmmaking. She often carries lessons from her historian and documentary filmmaker perspective into the classroom. Professor Topouzova emphasizes the importance of learning from her students and making discussions and takeaways from classes a mutual process. She also stresses the importance of always seeking answers within ourselves. “Before encouraging my students to engage in outside material, I always think they should find the story within themselves,” she added. Outside of teaching and researching, Professor Topouzova enjoys yoga, reading with her son, and going for long walks.

pouzova on her ory

ng and how it defines how she

Arts

How The Mindset Mentor can keep us motivated Julia Skoczypiec Contributor

A She believes in the importance of taking care of herself to effectively carry out the work she does—especially in a profession that requires her to work inside her head most of the time. She credits the pandemic for allowing her to spend time at home with her son as they read and explore the natural world around them. “It’s important to focus on the small things in life,” she said. “I love that I’ve had a chance to be more organized than before, as well as having a chance to spend more time with my son.” When asked what she envisions for her future as a filmmaker, historian, and person, she mentioned a film with a friend of hers that she plans to release in the near future. She additionally hopes to continue to make films and write books. One of the books she’s currently working on is about the practice of oral history in different migration groups and throughout Indigenous culture. Professor Topouzova emphasizes the importance of sharing stories that would otherwise not be told—stories in which characters are silenced. “Oral history ruptures the stories we tend to see on paper,” she added. To those interested in becoming journalists, and to all university students in general, Professor Topouzova stressed the importance of engaging with media that transforms you into the writer you want to be. “You need to read, and you need to write. Everyday. Make it a goal to spend 20 minutes with your ideas and 20 minutes with someone else’s.” She also recommended the book, Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Sadie Hartman, which explores the experiences of Black women in the late 20 th century. After realizing there was no objective archival information about the experiences of young Black women, Hartman wrote this book to fill the archival gaps. Professor Topouzova also recommended The Wire, a crime TV show, for anyone looking to broaden the way in which they view race. Professor Topouzova’s approach to addressing history is paramount to understanding race and the experiences of marginalized communities today. Through her teaching and documentary work, she explores journalistic and oral traditions and alternative ways to think about our past.

Editor | Chris Berberian arts@themedium.ca

mid the ongoing pandemic, at some point, you’ve likely felt unmotivated. I know I have. Zoom fatigue has taken over our lives while procrastination remains a daily struggle. Consumed by social media and Netflix, staying productive is a tiring task—but the media doesn’t always have to drag us into a slump. For me, starting each day by listening to a podcast has become an uplifting habit. The Mindset Mentor, a podcast by motivational speaker and mindfulness coach Rob Dial, has been my favourite. It’s a podcast that everyone can glean advice from, whether you’re a student, a working professional, or someone who’s just trying to figure out life. As Dial notes in his earlier episodes, he’s always enjoyed public speaking, but as a young adult, he struggled with his self-worth. To fulfill his passion for mindfulness and helping others, Dial created The Mindset Mentor in July 2019. With it, he created a podcast that helps others find focus, motivation, and structure in their lives—and he’s been publishing weekly episodes ever since. Throughout his episodes, Dial encourages listeners to turn the negative aspects of life into positives. To do so, he encourages us to practice

gratitude. In his wise words, Dial opens up our cluttered minds to make room for things that make us happy. By thinking positively and remaining grateful, we become more motivated to accomplish daily tasks. Of course, this is a practice that isn’t easy at first, especially during the pandemic. But Dial’s encouragement and daily tips have helped me stay more productive, and I’m hopeful you can benefit too. Each episode of the podcast is relatively short. Within 20 to 25 minutes, Dial gives listeners an enthusiastic lesson and reveals simple steps that’ll lead to success. One episode I find particularly resonating is “How to Stop Being Lazy.” In it, Dial channels laziness and provides us with steppingstones to change. He says: “Stop lying to yourself.” There’s no shame in “admitting laziness.” I’m sure we’ve all experienced laziness. I don’t know about you, but staying in bed until noon has been a constant temptation of mine during the pandemic. But through admittance, and a few other steps, we can work through our laziness and overcome it. Alongside gratitude and admittance, Dial also advises us “to take our goals and make them bite-sized.” In other words, we should start focusing on short-term goals as opposed to long-term ones. As he explains, this action not only minimizes our laziness but also keeps us motivated. In all avenues of life, having goals pushes us to succeed. More importantly, it is

the way we form our goals that’ll help us actually meet them. By eliminating our constant focus on longterm goals, we gain opportunities to feel proud of ourselves. As Dial says, sometimes long-term goals are “out of our comfort zone.” We get scared by the thoughts of accomplishing something that, at the time, seems unattainable. Taking these large goals and splitting them up into “bite-sized” portions makes it easier to take action and puts us on the path toward achieving our goals. For example, let’s say you have a 4000-word essay due at the end of the week. By splitting it up into 500-word portions, you’re creating “bite-sized” goals for yourself. This is the key to staying motivated: instead of tackling one giant goal, you continuously check off the smaller goals that amount to the same finale. The “How to Stop Being Lazy” episode is just a glimpse of what Dial’s The Mindset Mentor podcast has to offer. Through the speaker’s engaging and encouraging words, we’re given valuable insight to get and keep us motivated. While focusing on your personal goals is important, at the end of each episode, Dial always says: “Make it your mission to make someone else’s day better.” We’re all in this life together, and through one another, we can accomplish great things. Check out The Mindset Mentor if you’re having a difficult time staying motivated. I promise you won’t regret it.

Tiny Pretty Things perpetuates ballet’s worst stereotypes Paige France Associate Arts Editor

iny Pretty Things is one of the newest teen dramas from Netflix, and also one of the most problematic. The series—based on the young adult novel of the same name—perpetuates ballet’s ugliest stereotypes, putting the dance and its performers under a negative light and letting cartoonish characters take centre stage. The show follows a group of dancers at the elite Archer School of Ballet, tracking each as they rise and fall and backstab one another, all while Monique (Lauren Holly), the academy’s director, does anything to protect the company’s name from controversy. Perhaps best described as “Riverdale with dancing,” the series misguidedly grapples with tropes that not only degrade the integrity and grace of the dance but also inappropriately portrays the sexual orientation of male dancers, normalizes eating disorders, and glamourizes cut-throat competition, racism, and socioeconomic elitism. Alongside these tropes, the series packs its ten episodes with exhausted character archetypes. There’s a misunderstood Muslim boy who faces religious discrimination because of his faith, a rich blonde who gets whatever she wants, a boy who cannot accept his gay sexual

orientation, and an Asian girl who’s mercilessly pushed to her limits by her overbearing mother. And these are only the main characters. In the show, the dancers are also subject to health scares with bulimia and addiction, backstabbing, a student sleeping with her teacher, and an abusive choreographer. This series single-handily lays the groundwork for an “all-ornothing” approach to tired ideas about ballet. For many viewers, criticism of the series began with its dehumanizing title. Tiny Pretty Things implies the dancers aren’t people but things, incapable of original thought or idea. This mindlessness is integrated consistently throughout the series, as the dancers only have bodies with painfully thin personalities. You’ve probably heard it before. They are powerless. Competition is ruthless. Winning is gratifying. If they’re men, they’re gay, and if they’re women, they’re sex-hungry and a means for pleasure. Their graceful limbs are detached from any endearing emotion possible. As one dancer advises another: “You need to think like a puppet. A ballet master is the brain… You’re just the body.” Combing through cinema’s history, ballet has long been fodder for settings of horror, entrapment, and Stockholm Syndrome-type mind games. In 1948, The Red Shoes was a cold, palatial observance of a ballerina who dances herself to exhaustion and death; 2010’s Black Swan was a psychological dive into a ballerina’s self-destruction and slow break from reality.

Ballet has always been a cheap backdrop in cinema due to the sport’s inherent competitiveness, its emphasis on younger ballerinas and early retirements. Ballet can also convey profound emotions without verbal communication, as the body takes over, and the dancer loses control of themselves. It’s an eerie transformation that even the inspiring tale, Billy Elliot (2000), can’t shake free. Tiny Pretty Things perhaps tries to offset its heavy tropes through diverse representation. Our protagonist, Neveah Stroyer (Kylie Jefferson), is Black in a predominantly White sport. She’s given a tragic backstory, which includes the police disabling her brother in a shootout and her family members being incarcerated. Her late acceptance comes only after the murder of a White ballerina, granting her a position in the cutthroat high school. In an alternate world, Tiny Pretty Things could’ve acted as a satire to expose ballet’s troublesome ideals. Rather than expose, the show instead leans into them to be steamy and sensationalist. It’s nothing new for Netflix to air teencentric dramas, as The Society, Elite, and Riverdale continue to dominate the streaming service. Tiny Pretty Things fits right in alongside these shows, staying religious to the teenage archetypes that incite cookiecutter conformity and dissuade individualism. While the show may leap for representation, it doesn’t get far off the stage.

The Roaring Girl brings 60s rock and roll to Theatre Erindale Nayana Agrawal Contributor

>> ERINDALE continued from page 01 “The Roaring Girl has so many storylines,” says McKinnon. “It’s a whole world woven together to tell the story of what London was like in the ‘60s.” Audiences will discover that, as the play unfolds, its lighthearted comedy and romance give way to themes of deception and uncertainty. “By the end, you realize the story is dedicated to finding out who you can really trust.” As with all pandemic productions, the cast ran into trouble with planning and rehearsing. This time last year, none of the cast and crew thought they’d perform a whole play from their bedrooms. Covid-19 unleashed a unique set of challenges. “Besides the normal tech and Wi-Fi issues, we also needed to adjust our acting methods,” says McKinnon. “Performing without scene partners was definitely a unique challenge. Before we started on each scene, Samantha mapped out the space virtually and explained where everything was located relative to our cameras. I spoke to my bookshelf and my guitar to help remember where each character was standing in group scenes and where I had to look while others were talking.” Rehearsal was also taxing because McKinnon, like a few other cast members, was acting for multiple characters. “There were some casting and concept changes over the last few weeks, and that made it even harder to follow the roles, lines, and stage directions.” While the process online was difficult and time-consuming, the cast is proud of the results. Aside from the exciting costumes and the groovy soundtrack, McKinnon wants to highlight the cast’s resilience and dedication to the project. “The amount of work that the cast put in is truly admirable,” says McKinnon. “When I see them performing in their scenes, it doesn’t feel like they’re in separate boxes. I’m very excited for people to witness the sense of togetherness, even when we’re in our separate homes.” Looking ahead, McKinnon hopes that theatre students next year will be able to perform in a physical space again. “As much as I enjoyed the challenge of performing virtually, it’d be nice to perform face-to-face again and enjoy the full experience of being in a theatre.” In a ninety-minute performance, The Roaring Girl will bring an entertaining plot, dazzling visuals and music, and a suspenseful story of deception and betrayal to the virtual stage. To make the theatre more accessible during the pandemic, each ticket is sold using a “pay what you can” model, and patrons can support the performance for as little as five dollars.

The 2021 Grammy Awards were different, mostly in a good way The new-look awards show emphasized young women for their work.

Kiara Senanayake Contributor

he 2021 Grammy Awards were bound to be different. With no red carpet and minimal celebrities in attendance, people had low expectations. Arguably the Grammys’ greatest appeal lies in its extravagant live performances by the world’s most popular artists. Although this year’s down-sized audience offered little energy, the performances on stage were as electric as ever. Apart from some controversial moments, the Grammys breezed through this socially distanced night, maintaining momentum throughout its almost four-hour runtime. The 2021 awards ceremony was a success comparable to previous editions. In some respects, it exceeded them. The show, hosted by the energetic comedian, Trevor Noah, switched from a seating venue outside the Staples Centre, where celebrities adorned face masks in what looked like the most exclusive garden tea party in the world, to a stage which was watched by an intimate audience of celebrities and award nominees. The night opened with an intimate performance of “Watermelon Sugar,” by a feather-boa’d Harry Styles. The ensuing performances ranged in themes from sci-fi cyberpunk with Doja Cat’s “Say So” and Cardi B’s “WAP,” to 1970s glam rock by Silk Sonic, to whimsical woodland fairytale with Swift’s medley of folklore favourites. The big-ticket awards of the year were dispersed across the board, with many unlikely artists gaining recognition for their work. This included H.E.R winning Song of the Year for the protest anthem, “I Can’t Breathe,” and Megan Thee Stallion earning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Elsewhere, Taylor Swift became the first woman in Grammy history to win Album of the Year thrice with her album folklore,

while Styles won the Best Pop Solo Performance for the aforementioned “Watermelon Sugar.” The night’s biggest winner was undoubtedly Beyoncé. With her song “Black Parade,” the former Destiny’s Child won her 28th Grammy, becoming the most awarded artist in history. To make the night even more special, her nine-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, became the second youngest winner in Grammy history for her performance in her mother’s “Brown Skin Girl” music video. Some other highlights included a rendition of “Good Golly Miss Molly” by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, in memory of the late influential musician, Little Richard; BTS’ Seoul-ful remote performance of “Dynamite”; Dua Lipa’s performance of “Levitating”; and Stallion’s burlesque-inspired performance of her hit tracks, “Body” and “Savage Remix.” Breaking away from previous years, the 2021 Grammys also celebrated what many deem the “new generation” of incredibly versatile young artists, particularly women below the age of 30. Stallion headlined the list, who along with winning Best New Artist, also won the awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. Meanwhile, Billie Eilish won Record of the Year with “Everything I Wanted,” which likewise signalled the youth were taking helm of the music industry, the Grammys finally recognizing the young artists’ roles in shaping today’s culture. Human rights messages were also a major theme of the 2021 Grammys. Certain performances reflected the protests against Black oppression, including DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” which was updated with references to the Black Lives Matter protests, Mickey Guyton’s nominated song, “Black Like Me,” and Lil Baby’s performance of “The Bigger Picture.” Likewise, some winners reflected the theme of Black empowerment. Beyoncé’s “Black Parade” won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance, and H.E.R.’s protest song, “I Can’t Breathe,” a ref-

erence to the fatal words of Eric Garner, George Floyd, and other Black men and women who were killed by police officers, took home one of the most coveted awards of the evening. Despite these empowering themes, it isn’t a major award show without some controversy. The controversy here started before the lights came down, off-stage and on social media, when various artists accused the Recording Academy of corruption. In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, saw a mass boycott campaign, following The Weeknd’s condemnation of the Recording Academy for their failure to nominate some clear culture-defining artists and songs of the day. This set off a string of condemnations, most notably by the pop artist Zayn, who took to social media to accuse the Grammys of corruption. In response to The Weeknd’s snub, many artists declined to perform, including Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, and Beyoncé. Similarly, while some viewed the Korean boy band BTS performance as respect for non-Western musical artists, many others criticized the Academy for being performative and not doing enough for international inclusivity. BTS’ summer track “Dynamite” failed to nab a major category nomination, despite being an international hit and No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. The omission reflected one of the key criticisms of the Academy. It’s reignited a conversation about the nomination process, which is infamously shrouded in secrecy, and has led to calls for the increased representation for people of colour. Despite these snubs and controversies, it’s important to note the victories of the evening. The 63rd annual Grammy Awards shifted from previous years, greater emphasizing the achievements of women and youth to the artform, and better recognizing the songs that define today’s political and social landscape. There’s still hope that one day, the Grammys will reflect the themes of the modern world—doing so honestly, transparently, and with musical flair.

sports & health

Editor | Sarah-May Edwardo-Oldfield sports@themedium.ca

Sports and Culture with UTMAC and IEC UTMAC and IEC host a lunch discussion about race, gender, and accessibility in sport.

Robert Bui Contributor

Brian Jones/unsplash.com; Tyrell James/unsplash.com

n March 12, the IEC, in partnership with UTMAC, continued its Global Café series of events with an easy-going hangout and informal discussion about the sports world and how it ties in with media and culture. With a wide range of topics being put forward, the talk started with the role of our parents. One attendee said simply that their love for sports, especially soccer, came from their parents. Another attendee noted that in their culture, their parents never put an emphasis on sports. From a study done in Oslo, Norway by Anders Bakken & Kari Stefansen, a “clear positive relationship between family sport culture and participation in club-organised sports” was observed, and the “relevance of family sport culture for young people’s sports participation reflects a prolonged socialisation effect.” For the attendee who enjoyed soccer, they said that socially, it was always easy to make friends because of their excellence in athletics. Another topic that came forward was stereotypes in sport. Stereotype Threat: Theory, Process, and Application by Michael Inzlicht and Toni Schmader outlined that, “Carefully controlled studies reveal that people hold both positive and negative racial and gender stereotypes about athletes, and that when negative stereotypes are brought to mind in a sports performance context, they create the burden of stereotype threat that robs athletes of their potential.” Some of the women who attended the Global Café event said that they have personally felt that sports culture towards them feels unfair, noting the pay gap between certain sports like the WNBA and NBA. One attendee also noted that in women’s volleyball, the athletes wear little clothing when playing and that has uncomfortably become the norm. A debate between attendees also began when discussing what constitutes a sport. In Olympic terminology a sport refers to events sanctioned by an international sports federation, which would include chess. An article posted in Psychology Today titled “What Makes a Sport a Sport?” considers that there must be some skill in the physical activity, that it should not be incidental, and that it should attract a crowd at its higher level. By this criteria chess, although physically taxing (sitting for a long period of time) is an incidental physicality. In 2015, Sport England was challenging the inclusion of Bridge as a sport. Had the challenge been successful, the English Bridge Union would lose its government and lottery funding. The talk ended with the topic of privilege in sports. Attendees like myself who came from low-income households had experiences being unable to pay to play on certain teams although having arguably enough talent. Meanwhile some attendees who did play on sports teams noticed that some peers were not necessarily talented but came from families with high status and connections. To wrap up my experience at this Global Café, I was able to have a relaxed yet engaging conversation with people who I most likely would have never encountered otherwise. So, in conclusion, pretty cool. UTMAC are holding virtual training sessions every Thursday, and the IEC are holding a tax information session on Wednesday March 24, as well as “Global Indigenous Perspectives through the Lenses of Cinema” on March 29.

Covid-somnia: The rise in sleep disorders over the pandemic The pandemic has affected natural sleep/wake cycles as more people take naps during the day and stay up through the night

Dalainey Gervais Contributor

he pandemic has led to a multitude of health-related issues, as well as a rise of individuals struggling with mental illness. Recent isolation has also led to an increase of sleep-related disorders, as fears of losing jobs and catching the virus has left many with restless nights. The U.S. National Institute of Health released a review of 2020 data suggesting the pandemic has affected natural sleep/wake cycles, with more individuals taking naps during the day and staying up through the night, or barely sleeping at all, adding another health consequence to the global pandemic. This phenomenon has been coined as “Covid-somnia,” a culmination of symptoms relating to sleep disorders stemming from the pandemic. The American Association of Sleep Technologists lists the five most common sleep disorders as insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome and REM sleep behaviour disorder, all of which affect an individual’s length and quality of rest. A rise in anxiety and fear regarding Covid-19 has led to more individuals experiencing symptoms of these disorders, with the American Academy of Neurology reporting a 14.8 per cent rise in prescription medication for sleep disorders in 2020. Causes of sleep disorders can range from seasonal allergies to heightened stress and anxiety. Common sleep disorder symptoms include difficulties falling and staying asleep, nightmares, and night sweats. Covid-somnia, rather than being a single sleep disorder, is a culmination of common symptoms, resulting in a general feeling of grogginess and frustration by those who suffer.

Lack of sleep and a change to the body’s natural sleep/wake cycle affects everyday life. A sleepless night may lead to difficulties focusing on tasks during the day, such as attending class and completing assignments, and having the motivation to go to work. The pandemic has already caused so many life-altering events, and a lack of sleep is another added to the list. Students are especially at risk of developing sleep disorders, and international students studying in a different time zone are at greater risk. With courses being offered online this year, many students may have decided to stay in their home country and study abroad in a different time zone. In 2018, Chinese students made up almost 65 per cent of the international student population at UTM, where China Standard Time (CST) is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST). As a student myself, I know how difficult online courses can be, but I could not imagine the stress of having to be awake through the night to attend synchronous lectures, as many students studying in different time zones must do. These students are forced to change their natural sleep cycle, often having to sleep during the day when their families are awake, and work through the night, in order to continue with their studies over the course of the pandemic. If you are struggling with sleep patterns, do not worry. There are many ways to diagnose as well as treat sleep disorders. Treatments include medicinal-based healing, such as melatonin supplements or prescription medications, dental guards or breathing devices and lifestyle changes. Although intimidating, lifestyle changes can be as simple as incorporating yoga into your schedule and limiting caffeine consumption in the afternoon.

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