The Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Toronto Mississauga since 1974
Issue 1 Volume 48
September 6 2021
themedium.ca
SNAP ELECTION
RYERSON NAME CHANGE
MAX'S BIG RIDE
The Trudeau government shocked Canadians in August with a call for elections, two years earlier than the next anticipated federal election. The election is set for September 20, 2021, historically one of the shortest federal election periods and the minimum length as sanctioned by law.
On June 1, 2021, the statue of Egerton Ryerson, the founder of Ryerson University and an eminent contributor to the design of the Canadian Indian residential school system, was vandalized with red paint after the discovery of over 215 unmarked graves in British Columbia.
When Max was diagnosed with Duchenne at the age of two, Sedmihradsky’s family was devastated. DMD is a rare genetic disease that weakens and damages the muscles in the body. This disease halts the production of dystrophin, a protein that strengthens and protects muscle fiber.
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NEWS
Funding opportunities for racialized researchers and projects Razia Saleh Contributor
This year the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) collaborated with leaders from the different associations including the Black Faculty Research Network, the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean, the Vice-Principal, Research, UTM’s Indigenous Centre, as well as UTM’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Office. They have launched a new project to fund individuals of Black, Indigenous, and other racialized groups contributing to the research of destigmatizing racism and racial disparities.
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ARTS
OPINION
The Art Gallery of Ontario reopens with the Andy Warhol exhibit
Taking action against climate
Dalainey Gervais Associate Features Editor
T
he Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has finally reopened with exciting exhibits for visiting art fanatics. Classic Canadian art, statues, and historic artifacts are back on display for thespians to enjoy on an afternoon stroll through Ontario’s most renowned collection of art. One of the AGO’s most exciting exhibitions currently features art by Andy Warhol, a leading artist in the pop art movement of the ’50s. The exhibit leads visitors through an interactive biography of Warhol, from original sketches created in childhood to stories of his attempted assassination by Valerie Solanas. Displays, such as his hour-long recordings of his mother resting and his floating “Silver Clouds,” showcase Warhol’s exploration of performance-based arts. Artifacts from Warhol’s personal life are also on display, with various wigs worn later in Warhol’s life placed in glass boxes alongside some of his signed books. Warhol was obsessed with the American way of life. Having grown up in a poor immigrant household, Warhol craved the consumeristic lifestyle of the United
States, which inspired many of his works, like the 1962 “Campbell’s Soup Cans.” Warhol consistently challenged societal boundaries with his studies of gender fluidity and sexuality. As a proud member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, Warhol explored these topics through many of his series. Previously controversial paintings of African-American transgender women and drag queens of the 1970s are prominently framed throughout the exhibition next to Warhol’s outstanding pop art rendition of Marilyn Monroe. Photographs of American criminals taken by Warhol and chilling paintings of Jackie Kennedy in her infamous blood-spotted Chanel suit are shown, representing Warhol’s fascination with violence and crime in the United States. Warhol was widely known among American celebrities, with a lengthy list of famous friends including David Bowie and the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger. His A-lister friends would often visit The Factory, Warhol’s well-known workshop, and inspired many of his works. aintings of Warhol’s friends are scattered through the AGO’s exhibition, guaranteeing that visitors will see familiar faces through the gallery. >> continue on page 13
Larry Lau Contributor
A
s the Earth rapidly industrialized over the past three centuries, the pace of climate change with it. Today, we can already feel the effects of climate change through extreme weather, wildfires, rising sea levels, and scorching summers, to say the least. However, global warming will not just stop there. We need to act immediately to slow global warming such that its detrimental effects may be slowed down, since we have crossed the point where we can prevent it altogether. In early August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations published a report after eight years stating that we are in the midst of a worsening environmental crisis and have entered ‘code red’. In a matter of decades, numerous issues may arise, particularly the extreme heat, heavy precipitation, and a higher chance of frequent droughts across the world. Rising sea levels put coastal and low-lying regions at risk of being inundated. Additionally, the IPCC report identified numerous methods of reducing emissions to slow global warming. These include reducing emissions of methane and black carbon, and energy consumption. >> continue on page 07