Volume 48, Issue 4 by The Medium

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

Issue 4 Volume 48

September 27 2021

themedium.ca

ORANGE SHIRT DAY

THE ACTIVIST

THEATRE ERINDALE

This Thursday, U of T will join millions of Canadians in recognizing Orange Shirt Day. Occurring annually on September 30, Orange Shirt Day is designated to raise awareness toward Indigenous communities and the children who attended residential schools.

A new television show called The Activist is set to premiere in October 2021, starring Priyanka Chopra Jones, Usher, and Julianne Hough. The show brings six activists to compete with the stars in creating meaningful change for three vital causes—environment, health, and education.

Finally, in accordance with public health guidelines, some students in the Theatre Drama Studies (TDS) program are back in person and have started table reads for the first show of the season: If We Were Birds by Erin Shields.

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NEWS

What students can expect after a third win by Trudeau’s Liberal Party Anjalli Becharbhai Staff Writer

ast Tuesday September 21, it was announced that Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party secured a third victory in this year’s snap election. The liberals won a minority government with 157 seats, short of the 170 seats needed for a majority government. The opposing Conservative party won 122 seats. While there were mixed views on whether calling a $600 million dollar election was necessary in the middle of a term, the Liberal government will continue to provide additional financial relief, new job opportunities, and research expansion for students over the next eighteen months. >> LIBERAL WIN continues on page 02

NEWS

FEATURES

Canada welcomes Afghan refugees amid troubling humanitarian crises

Faculty Feature | Learning through teaching: Professor Laurel Waterman’s inspiring approach

Shreya Joshi Contributor

Lou-Anne Carsault Contributor

arlier this August, the Taliban took over the country of Afghanistan after nearly two decades of war. Today, the Taliban brutalizes and detains journalists in attempts to censor protests currently happening in Kabul. Though it is unclear what the future of Afghanistan will look like for civilians, Canadians have been playing a vital role in ushering Afghan refugees to safety. Through governmental policies, national non-profit organizations, and financial assistance, Afghans will be able to seek support and shelter in Canada. The Canadian government has been implementing several programs and policies to aid Afghans in escaping the Taliban takeover. Canada’s special immigration program transports Afghans as quickly as possible by sending officials and soldiers along both the Canadian border and the Afghan front. Additionally, the department of Foreign Affairs has been working to resettle 20,000 refugees as of August 13. >> REFUGEES continues on page 03

or more than a decade, numerous Professional Writing and Communication (PWC) students have crossed paths with Professor Laurel Waterman’s sharp edits and engaging classes. As she elevates her students’ expertise in the writing field, she is inspired in ways that impact her own teaching, learning, and writing paths. For Professor Waterman’s endless curiosity, teaching is the most important step of a learning journey. In her undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia, Professor Waterman studied political science. She hoped to gain a better vision of the global governmental system and structures in place. On her first day, she thought: “I’m going to change the world.” By the time she graduated, she thought: “I’m going to make a local change in the world,” later becoming a professor.

Professor Waterman started her teaching career at George Brown College. There, she developed a variety of classes such as Speaking with Confidence, Lifestyle and Wellness, and Food and the City. Her inspiration came from four months spent in India when she was nineteen. While Professor Waterman taught at George Brown, she learned how to teach by completing her Master’s in Adult Education and Community Development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). When she needed to pick a subject for her master’s thesis, the choice was tricky. What comes next might be familiar to you if you’ve ever attended one of her classes. Her supervisor asked the class to take 20 minutes to write a list titled “What do I need to know?” As Professor Waterman built her list, she realized that food was a recurrent topic. She focused her master’s thesis on food and sustainability due to her interest in environment and climate change. >> FACULTY FEATURE continues on page 08

NEWS

Editor | May Alsaigh news@themedium.ca

What students can expect after a third win by Trudeau’s Liberal Party The 2021 budget for education provides various financial resources to support students in paying their tuition and finding work post-graduation. Anjalli Becharbhai Staff Writer

>> LIBERAL WIN continued from page 01 While there were mixed views on whether calling a $600 million dollar election was necessary in the middle of a term, the Liberal government will continue to provide additional financial relief, new job opportunities, and research expansion for students over the next eighteen months. The mandate for education will focus on implementing policies that provide students with greater financial assistance. The budget aims to invest $4.1 billion dollars to help make postsecondary education more affordable. Full-time students can expect to see an extended doubling of the Canada Student Grants to $6,000 until July 2023. Students will also be able to waive interest fees on federal student loans until March 31, 2023. These initiatives will enable students to feel less pressured to make sudden payments and allow them to instead focus on the completion of their studies or finding work. In terms of repayment assistance, students earning $40,000 or less annually will not need

to make payments for their federal student loans. Students with persistent or permanent disabilities will also receive extended financial support. With the rising tuition costs and unemployment, students can expect various financial support systems to aid them in completing their studies. The Liberal government recognizes that the pandemic resulted in heavy stress and uncertainty for Canadians in terms of job security. Due to emergency programs being available to the community, the country was able to produce one million jobs. Canada has recovered 92 per cent of jobs lost during the pandemic. By comparison, the United States has only recovered 75 per cent of jobs lost. Given this accomplishment, the government will continue to allocate their funds in an aim to provide students with additional resources to build their professional networks. The government promises to invest $721 million over the next two years to help connect students with employers and provide them with over 100,000 new quality job opportunities. These funds will ensure employers have the resources to hire more graduates anwd allow companies to expand in terms of innovation. The Student Work Placement Program will provide 50,000 work-integrated learning op-

portunities for post-secondary students to gain work experience related to their field of study. The Canada Summer Jobs program will also provide approximately 94,000 additional job placements making it easier for students to find work during the upcoming summer months in 2022. The government also predicts the demand for research expansion will increase. With modern innovation, technology, and research advancements the government will continue to oversee successful projects such as the development of a Covid-19 vaccine within a short time frame. Investment towards expanding the number of research chairs will help train the next generation of highly skilled individuals through student supervision, teaching, and the coordination of other researchers’ work. Students can expect an addition of 1,000 Canada Research Chairs to help attract and retain top talent at Canadian universities and support graduate research. Research chairs will focus on improving gender and racial equity among Canadian faculty by promoting interdisciplinary research. The government will also reinforce Canada’s world leading

capabilities in life sciences and bio-medical research. As the Liberal government continues to invest in Canadian youth through various financial resource provisions, students will be able to find meaningful work in the industries and fields that their education relates to.

The Dundas Bus Rapid Transit Project introduces new transportation plans for the future of the GTA Metrolinx highlights key prospects and considerations while addressing the public’s associated concerns. Larry Lau Associate News Editor

s the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) continues to increase in population, growing employment opportunities and rapid urban development has raised the demand for efficient transit systems along major roadways. Last Wednesday, Metrolinx hosted a presentation and Q&A session regarding the Dundas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project. The panel consisted of experts from Metrolinx’s project team including Maria Doyle, Darcy Wiltshire, Greg Medulun, Matthew Williams, and Kevin Phillips. One of the many transit projects engineered to improve transit network efficiency and thus combat traffic congestion includes the Metrolinx-led Dundas BRT Project.

The project is geared toward improving bus services along Dundas Street between Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, and Toronto. The project aims to include dedicated bus lanes designed to separate buses from traffic. These designs aim to increase bus service frequency and reliability. Under the current plans, the BRT Project will extend from Highway 6 in Hamilton to Kipling Transit Hub in Etobicoke, Toronto, netting a total of 48 kilometres of bus lanes. The BRT connects with the upcoming Hurontario LRT at Hurontario & Dundas, along with TTC Line 2 and GO Transit Milton Line at Kipling Station. Kevin Philips, the BRT project manager from AECOM, discusses a key benefit brought by the Dundas BRT. He states, “we have identified that there would be an average travel time savings for bus riders of up to 14 minutes.” The BRT will improve connections between the

communities of Mississauga, all the while aligning with the city’s plan of developing an effective transportation network that allows free and efficient movement. Upon completion of the BRT system, UTM students who frequently utilize the MiWay routes 1C and 101 will find trips to the subway faster and more reliable. The team also presented preliminary designs on the BRT system, focusing on the 17 kilometre stretch of Dundas Street running in Mississauga. Eight bus stops have been proposed along the stretch of Dundas Street east of Confederation Parkway, all located at major cross streets. These stops are more sparsely placed than those of the current local bus routes, which will allow higher operation speeds and facilitating. Further stops will be planned as the project will be in effect this year. >> TRANSIT continues on page 03

HAYDEN MAK/THE MEDIUM

>> TRANSIT continued from page 02 Many pre-existing streets will be widened to 42 metres, with various portions only being widened to 36 metres and 40 metres. The new road layout will include four general purpose lanes (two for each direction), one left-turn lane, two directional bus lanes with bus platforms, and cycling tracks along both sides of the road. Based on preliminary estimations, two stretches of Dundas Street are projected to be great environmental obstacles to road widening. First, the densely developed Hurontario Street corridor is subject to additional widening constraints. The existing street is only 23 meters wide which will introduce issues involving land acquisition since it would not be possible to further extend the width. The road widening process will become complicated, if not controversial, should heritage buildings be among the displaced. Numerous alternatives have been introduced, but the Metrolinx’s project team is now inclined to move forward with widening this stretch of Dundas Street. Second, the stretch of Dundas Street near Erindale Park and UTM lies near natural and cultural heritage sites. Widening the road would impact the natural landscape and may also require land acquisition. The team is conducting further investigations before deciding the course of action for this section of the road. “We are exploring opportunities to mitigate the potential property impact in the areas where possible, and we are doing this through optimization of the [Dundas BRT] corridor plans,” states Philips. As the project moves forward from one stage to another, more public consultation events will be held to keep the public updated with the project progression and to address any new concerns.

Canada welcomes Afghan refugees amid troubling humanitarian crises Immigration programs, non-profit organizations, and individuals provide financial support to Afghan refugees arriving in Canada. Shreya Joshi Contributor

>> REFUGEES continued from page 01 Canada’s leaders have been aiming to implement special immigration programs for Afghans who contributed to helping Canada defeat the Taliban along with initiatives for vulnerable groups such as women in leadership, LGBTQIA+, human rights activists, persecuted religious minorities, and more. Several Canada-based, non-profit organizations are working on an international scale to help not only Afghan refugees, but Afghans in their home country who are unable to escape or are at high risk during Taliban rule. The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County is an Ontario non-profit organization working to facilitate the immigration process of Afghans through the federal government as well as helping these refugees acclimate to Canada. Similarly, Islamic Relief Canada is using donations to ensure that displaced Afghans have access to food, water, and hygiene. As for combatting feminist issues in relation to the Afghan crisis, the Canadian headquarters at Women for Women International are using financial contributions to help female survivors of militaristic conflict to find shelter and stay connected for support. Other organizations that are helping mitigate the struggles of displaced Afghan refugees are UNICEF, Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, and Veterans Transition Network. Meanwhile, Wais Habibzai, an Ontario-based AfghanCanadian entrepreneur, is making an effort by gathering

his own personal income to make a positive difference for members of his native community. Habibzai, a Toronto property developer who fled from Afghanistan to Canada in 1992 after his house was destroyed, has spent $50,000 in essential supplies to mitigate the burdens of displaced refugees. Habibzai has also worked vigorously to recruit dozens of volunteer translators and turn conference rooms in refugee hotels into storage rooms for clothing and necessary items. University of Toronto’s International Vice-President Joseph Wong recently released a letter in support of the university’s Afghan students. In the letter, Wong offers support to students struggling with the aftermath of the recent news and sheds light on university support programs such as the Employee and Family Assistance Program, My SSP, and the Emergency Watch Centre. In an interview with The Medium, Professor Michael Akladios of the department of historical studies at UTM mentions the role of the government and what it should do to help Afghans. “I believe that the Canadian government has a responsibility to clarify and improve procedures on the ground in Afghanistan to evacuate and resettle refugees.” He goes on to say, “the terrible tragedies we are witnessing in Afghanistan are neither natural nor preordained. Accurate, informed conclusions require both nuance and a recognition of complexity. More should be done to raise awareness and educate the Canadian public, and to support the work of NGOs that require financial contributions to continue their relief and resettlement efforts.” With the rapid events evolving in Afghanistan, members of the UTM community and organizations across Canada will continue to show their commitment to supporting and welcoming Afghan refugees.

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A review of the University-Mandated Leave of Absence Policy Professor Donald Ainslie highlights policy objectives and discusses the impacts students have faced in the past. Razia Saleh Associate News Editor

n September 23, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) hosted their first town hall meeting of the fall session to review the University-Mandated Leave of Absence Policy. The meeting was led by Professor Donald Ainslie, who is the chair of the Department of Philosophy at U of T, and Varsha Patel, Assistant Dean of Student Success and Career Support at the University of Toronto Scarborough. First introduced in June 2018, the policy was drafted to support students that struggle with their academics and mental health. It provides students with the option of taking a temporary leave of absence from their studies to focus on their mental health. As described in their revised version, the policy also encourages students to seek assistance and support in a nonpunitive manner—meaning no student will be disciplined for exercising their options. During the town hall meeting, members were

concerned whether students might perceive this policy as a “potential barrier to students seeking mental health services.” The Report of the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health addresses this in Recommendation 18 of the report. It advises that the university should take a more “comprehensive educational” approach, so students are shown that the policy acts as a support mechanism rather than a means for students to take a leave of absence whenever they seek medical care. Professor Ainslie mentions his past experiences with students and states, “there were a handful of cases, I’m really talking a handful, very small number [of] cases each year where a student was engaging in disruptive behaviour related to their health, even when the university was offering as many accommodated supports as they could.” There are two scenarios in which a student might fall within this policy. The first is if a student’s behaviour poses a risk of physical or psychological harm to themselves or others, and the second is for students who refuse support but have caused issues in the past.

Ainslie mentions that the Code of Student Conduct deals with disruptive behaviour through a disciplinary approach. He goes on to say, “what was happening before the passage of this policy is that students were being brought charges through the Code of Student Conduct in cases where the behaviour was the result of serious mental health crisis and I think everyone more or less recognized that discipline was not really the right approach here.” In the process of formulating the policy, the university looked at other schools where students experienced the same types of challenges to consider all perspectives. Professor Ainslie also highlights that the university consulted with student governors and student unions to decide how the policy should be approached. Professor Ainslie says the policy will continue to focus on the students and will ensure maximum academic success despite arising challenges. Furthermore, this mandated leave-ofabsence policy is only used as a “last resource” for serious extenuating circumstances. “[If] a student continues to engage in problematic behaviour, the accommodations don’t

seem to be working, and the student doesn’t offer voluntary leave then there’s a move towards the possibility of a mandate of leave.” This will enable UTM to place students on a temporary leave but prior to that, consultations with the student’s support team must be adhered to. The policy will also ensure that the university will follow certain terms and conditions for students who face voluntary or involuntary leave from their academics. This includes tuition refunds, a continuous access to health and wellness services, health benefits, and any other needs that would benefit the student’s academic goals. Students, faculty, and librarians are encouraged to review and provide feedback on the University-Mandated Leave of Absence Policy via a feedback form. This will enable UTM to determine how to improve and invoke student’s needs in the policy if necessary. The next virtual Town Hall Meeting is scheduled for October 5 when the faculty will review the policy again.

Orange Shirt Day at U of T in support of Indigenous communities Hart House, UTM Indigenous Centre, and First Nations House host various virtual and in-person events to provide support for Indigenous communities. Hema Ramnarine Contributor

his Thursday, U of T will join millions of Canadians in recognizing Orange Shirt Day. Occurring annually on September 30, Orange Shirt Day is designated to raise awareness toward Indigenous communities and the children who attended residential schools. Canadians across the country will wear orange and engage in meaningful discussion in hopes of building bridges. The University of Toronto will be offering resources to raise awareness, both virtual and in-person. On September 30, Hart House will be hosting a virtual event featuring a keynote address by Lee Maracle, an award-winning poet and author. She is also an instructor at U of T, and a mentor for Indigenous students. The event will also feature a video by Phyllis Webstad who will discuss the significance of Orange Shirt Day. This is a free event and participants will be required to register on the Hart House website before attending. U of T also recognizes that spreading awareness is one of the key methods to commemorate Orange Shirt Day. This year, staff and students are encouraged to use the Orange Shirt Day icon as their profile picture until September 27, and make use of the virtual backdrop for all their online meetings. In addition, the UTM Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office recently launched the Orange Shirt Day social media campaign. Every week until September 30, the office will provide resources, supports, tours, and history surrounding Orange Shirt Day. These posts will include videos, graphics, information, and stories for people to “Learn, Listen and Act” during the campaign and after.

Faculty at UTM will provide resources to help instructors incorporate Indigenous teachings and histories into their lessons. These will include the Deepening Knowledge Project, which aims to “infuse Indigenous Peoples’ histories, knowledges and pedagogies into all levels of education in Canada,” as well as the Four Feathers Writing Guide. This guide will work to develop Indigenous students as academic writers. The UTM Indigenous Centre also has also curated list of resources such as books, podcasts, and videos for those who want to learn more about Orange Shirt Day and the significance behind it. For podcast listeners, Indigenous Roots and Hoots, produced by the Legacy of Hope Foundation, tells the stories of Indigenous authors, artists, scientists, and more, highlighting their experiences across Canada. UTM Indigenous Centre’s resource list also features several short films and documentaries that explore the horrors of residential schools and their lasting impact. Legacy of Hope: Survivor Stories, Indian Horse (available on Netflix), and We Were Children (available on Amazon Prime) all tell the stories of Indigenous children and what they faced at the hands of this system. The list also includes a selection of readings and books, including “Unsettling the Settler Within Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada” by Paulette Regan and “A National Crime” by John S. Milloy. Lastly, the UTM Indigenous Center encourages people to take meaningful action such as making donations to Indigenous foundations, writing commitment statements, or writing to elected officials. More information can be found on their website. U of T’s First Nations House will be available to support Indigenous students and their families and create a space where members can celebrate their culture. On September 30, a virtual work-

shop and sharing circle for students will take place at 3 p.m. EST where participants must register ahead of time. The organization will also share strategies on how to balance the focus of a student while honouring one’s ancestors. Orange Shirt Day is vital in recognizing the significance of honouring the experiences of Indigenous communities. With the resources available at U of T, all students should take the time to engage in conversation, learn, support Indigenous communities, and find ways to answer the calls to action set out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

MASTHEAD EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Provost editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Elisa Nguyen managing@themedium.ca News May Alsaigh news@themedium.ca Opinion Aroni Sarkar opinion@themedium.ca Features Ricardo Jaroslav Valdes features@themedium.ca A&E Danica Teng arts@themedium.ca Sports Duaa Nasir sports@themedium.ca Photo Hayden Mak photos@themedium.ca Design Manjot Pabla design@themedium.ca Copy Juliana Stacey juliana@themedium.ca Miguel DaSilva miguel@themedium.ca Social Belicia Chevolleau social@themedium.ca Videographer Nikolas Towsey video@themedium.ca

ASSOCIATES & APPOINTED ROLES Larry Lau, News Razia Saleh, News Kareena Kailass, Opinion Dalainey Gervais, Features Prisha Nuckchady, Features Dellannia Segreti, Sports Gladys Lou, Photo Simrah Siddiqui, Photo Isik Vera Senel, UTMSU Correspondent Julia Skoczypiec, Theatre Erindale Correspondent Robert Bui, Campus Athletics Correspondent Erin Dalaney, Satirist

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OPINION

Editor | Aroni Sarkar opinion@themedium.ca

A new national day for Truth and Reconciliation! But not for everyone. Ontario decides not to implement the federal holiday reflecting upon Indigenous resilience. Lydia Clarke Rehman and Kareena Kailass Contributor and Associate Opinion Editor

anada’s historically shameful colonial government and legal system is yet again all talk and no action, displayed by the Ontario Provincial government’s latest decision to not observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a holiday. One national holiday in Canada is not enough to repair the damage done to all Indigenous Peoples. However, it would at least provide a day to reflect on and recognize the history of atrocities that continue to be committed against them, such as the tragic legacy of the residential school system (IRS). The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) report began its implementation shortly after the Indian Residential Settlement Agreement in 2007. The agreement was to empower the TRC to drive the reconciliation process for former residential school students, their families, communities, and all Canadians. The six-volume final TRC report included 94 calls to action, a historical record of the residential school system, and attests to the resilience and courage of each survivor and their families who came forward to share their stories. This federally-mandated IRS system yielded horrific lifelong trauma to Indigenous communities. Today, we still see remnants of the IRS system through intergenerational trauma, historical, and racial discrimination, disease, inaccessibility to resources, and unacknowledged death. This is significant as Canada boasts being a “multicultural nation” and having a “profound respect for diversity,” but this is rooted in the dark history of the mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples.

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Although the federal government is on board with the TRC’s report and decisions, Ontario’s decision to not implement this holiday highlights both the performative intention of the holiday, and the inefficiency of federalism. The colonial legal system is riddled with limitations that hinder progress within social and historical issues. There is great ambiguity between the legislative branches, which permit inconsistencies and gaps in legal frameworks. These unclear policies and contradictory laws disproportionately effect Indigenous Peoples and other minority groups. As pointed out in the TRC, the need to educate Canadians about the experiences of Indigenous Peoples—both past and present—is essential in the healing process. The TRC also emphasizes that reconciliation means remembering and changing our behaviours and actions in light of past events. The implementation of this holiday, for more than just federal workers, would lead to awareness that Canadians have never seen before, but unfortunately, both the federal and provincial governments seem to be opposed to this notion. The TRC further highlights that reconciliation is focused on establishing and upholding a mutually respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of the nation. The federal and provincial government’s overarching power to withhold the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation from all Canadians thereby plays an instrumental colonial role in the hindrance of Canadians moving toward reconciling. Indigenous perspectives should be prioritized and heard. Wear your orange shirt on September 30 to stand in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples on this nationally recognized holiday.

Editorial

Is balancing our social life, school, and sleep possible? It’s time to debunk the triangle theory and take control of our lives. The Medium

s students, we’re all familiar with the classic dilemma: study, socialize, or sleep—pick two. Let’s say you pick study and sleep, because you’re a good student and you care about your grades. In that case, your social life crumbles and your university career may not be as memorable as you wanted it to be. Perhaps you choose social life and study, but then how are you supposed to avoid dark circles under your eyes? For our purposes, let’s call the study, social life, and sleep

dilemma the “triangle theory.” The problem with the triangle theory is that it doesn’t truly describe the life of a student. Some of us must work part-time jobs, attend classes, do homework, and spend time with friends and family. If you attempt to do all of them on a regular basis, you’ll eventually end up crying while watching Netflix and hoping that tomorrow will be a better day. There are two real solutions to the triangle theory: 1) learning to merge them all, and 2) prioritizing which ones are important and when. Let’s go back to the study and sleep scenario. The key to including social life is to find friends whose schedules and goals align with yours. That way, you can study with them

during the day and have breaks in-between where you socialize. Study breaks prevent you from burning out and keep you focused. Pair that with socializing and you’ve got yourself a merged triangle theory. University also has periods when the workload isn’t piling up all at once, namely reading week. Though reading week is intended for us to catch up on school, it is also a time to relax and spend time with friends and family—a perfect opportunity to prioritize what we need most. University is a training period for our time management skills; it’s a stage where we find what works best for us and when. Balancing our social life, sleep, and school is possible—so long as we fine-tune our time management skills.

Myanmar’s National Unity Government declares defensive war The violent escalation highlights the bloody process of establishing democracy. Aroni Sarkar Opinion Editor

n February 7, 2021, I published an article for The Medium discussing the military coup that occurred in Myanmar on February 1. Over the course of the last eight months, since the coup and the arrest of State Counsellor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, “1,046 civilians have been killed and 6,230 are currently detained.” The remainder of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy administration and supporters—those who haven’t been killed or exiled—have secretly formed the National Unity Government (NUG) which is attempting to re-establish its governmental authority. “[The military Junta] are a failed coup and a failed regime. […] They cannot perform any functions of a government […] in healthcare, in education, in the economy,” said Dr Sasa, a cabinet member of NUG. The NUG has appointed international ministers and set up offices in places like Prague and Washington D.C. to gain international recognition and legitimacy in their operation. However, no foreign governments have officially recognized the NUG, and they have only invited the military Junta members and their chief to attend international summits. But, many have claimed that the mere fact that foreign officials are communicating with the NUG, and have praised their continued fight for democracy, means they have established “more meaningful contacts than the SAC,” which is the State Administration Council, established by the military Junta after their coup. “The NUG is probably more organized than previous exiled governments, but they face similar challenges of legitimacy, and as the conflict drags on, relevance,” said David Mathieson, Myanmar expert and senior researcher for the Human Rights Watch. After months of failed attempts at international recognition, on September 7, the NUG’s acting President, Duwa Lashi La, called on Myanmar’s citizens to launch a

“People’s Defensive War” against the military Junta. “We have to initiate a nationwide uprising in every village, town, and city in the entire country at the same time” said La. Zaw Min Tun, the SAC’s spokesman, responded to this call by stating that the NUG is only spreading rumours and that people shouldn’t take it seriously. This declaration was made a week before the UN General Assembly in New York, where a decision was going to be

like torture and sexual assault of the enemy. Inspired by the declaration of war, protests around the borders of Thailand and China reignited, and resistance fighters have banded together to form different civilian militias for different regions. “This is such an honor for us,” said one anonymous resistance fighter. Since the declaration, witnesses said they saw fighter jets and military troops deployed. Within a week, fights between the Junta and

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made about the international response to the Myanmar conflict. This declaration of civilian war is a drastic escalation after months of ceasefire between the parallel governments. China and Russia are the only two countries to officially recognize and initiate relations with the military government, whereas the U.S. and other countries have imposed sanctions and firmly stood against supporting the military regime. The NUG released a code of ethics for civilians, civil servants, student unions, armed groups, and administration members to abide by as they volunteer to be frontline fighters. This code includes the rejection of war crimes

the Kachin Independence Army broke out in Sagaing, the north-west region of Myanmar. Simultaneously, conflict also began between the Karen National Union and the Junta in the southern region of Tanintharyi. The local armed forces of the Magway region said they attacked five military targets. Hundreds of other smaller clashes have broken out throughout the country. There have been about 68 explosions in the country, which destroyed more than 80 military-controlled telecommunication towers and resulted in around 700,000 people losing internet access. Amidst all this violence, the freedom fighter and country leader that all these demo-

cratic fighters are rallying behind—Aung San Suu Kyi—remains silent. All she had to offer was “no comment” in response to the war declared by her own party members and supporters. As I discussed in my last article, Suu Kyi claims to preach non-violence, yet, she defended the same military Junta prior to the coup on the violent war crimes committed against the Rohingya. Since her detention after the coup, she has attended several court proceedings for absurd accusations like “importing walkie-talkies illegally.” At least 20 soldiers have died since the war began, and more than 20 civilians have died too as result of the Junta’s retaliation in villages. This sudden but expected escalation demonstrates the ugly process to achieve stable democracy in a nation. Conflicting and indecisive actions from the international community only contributes to the intensification of conflict. Empty support for the democratic movement by Western countries like the U.S. doesn’t really do anything substantial for the people of Myanmar; it only eases a little of the discomfort and guilt some Americans might feel as they watch the news. The lack of international news coverage on the events following the declaration of war exposes the performative and shallow interest the world shows in important humanitarian crises. Affirmative and strong action needs to be taken in support of democracy, especially in a time when there is a rise of authoritarian leadership and overthrown governments. Although historically intervention by Western countries in Southeast Asian countries resulted in more bloodshed and the eradication of democracy, unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any other better ideas at the moment for Myanmar. And with the case of Aung San Suu Kyi, it’s even more complicated to choose to support her because on the one hand, she is the freedom fighter for democracy, on the other hand, she defends the genocide that democracies around the world condemn. In the end, the fact remains that a violent and inefficient military government is ruining the lives of millions, and we need to advocate for their lives more than ever.

The illusion of women’s empowerment Ring Girls demonstrate the nuanced conversation on body positivity versus objectification. she was “disgusted” that Formula 1 had “given in to the minority to be politically correct.” Their comments embody the feminist idea that women can choose what to do with their bodies and how much of it they want to show. But they also highlight a primary flaw in the concept of “empowerment.” People hide objectification under the label of empowerment. Those with internalized misogyny use the blurred line between empowerment and objectification as a means to satisfy their own desires. The primary difference between the two practices is that empowerment comes from within and is for the benefit of oneself, whereas objectification comes from outside influences and is geared towards an external gaze. Stacey Copeland, British professional boxer said that she uses mascots to do the same job as ring girls because “[ring girls’] role only has to do with how they look [and] I don’t think that’s the most positive representation of women in sport.” Although it is true that being comfortable showing skin is empowering for women as individuals, the fact remains that the undisputed purpose of the Ring Girl is to keep male viewers entertained and attracted. Also, not being groped or feeling like a piece of meat shouldn’t be the only things that determine whether a woman is being treated with respect or not—that is the bare minimum. The question remains: how do we identify the people who disguise themselves as well-wishers and sell us misogyny using the false tag of empowerment? We must first differentiate between empowerment and objectification, and then understand the elements of misogyny that influence our daily actions and interactions. It is difficult and complicated to filter through daily actions that are rooted in toxic gendered ideals, but having these nuanced conversations is a right step towards equipping ourselves—and our future generations—with the tools to recognize and fight against hidden misogynistic agendas.

Hamna Riaz Contributor

hen you think of the word misogyny, what comes to mind? Maybe women in the sixties with rollers in their hair, shining the shoes of a man in a grey suit, or perhaps you think of more current examples, like the wage gap or the glass ceiling. What if I told you that a blatant display of misogyny exists right now which we are—for the most part—blind to. “Ring Girls” have played an integral part in the “charm” of the boxing and MMA world since the 1960s. Ring Girls are attractive women who stand next to the athletes at the beginning and end of matches, and walk across the ring holding up a number to indicate the start of a round. The average Ring Girl makes between US$30,000 to US$75,000 a year, and the main job requirement for this position is to be conventionally attractive. While the title of “Ring Girls” is boxing and MMA specific, similar positions exist in other sports such as “Grid Girls” in Formula 1, “Walk on Girls” in professional darts, “Podium Hostesses” in cycling. However, both Formula 1 and professional darts recognized the blatant objectification of women and have removed the Grid Girl and Walk on Girl positions. Formula 1 stated that having women in these positions was “at odds with modern society.” As over 50 per cent of the MMA and boxing demographic is men, the majority of the marketing decisions, like Ring Girls, are geared towards attracting this demographic to the sport. Surprisingly, this decision was not fully supported by the Ring Girls themselves. Kristie Raby, a Ring Girl, said that “Not once have I been put in a position where I have been groped or felt like a piece of meat.” Charlotte Gash, a Grid Girl said that

America’s next top activist? While real activists suffer, Hollywood decides to make a reality TV show. Haya Abu Ghosh Contributor

new television show called The Activist is set to premiere in October 2021, starring Priyanka Chopra Jones, Usher, and Julianne Hough. The show brings six activists to compete with the stars in creating meaningful change for three vital causes—environment, health, and education. Their performance will be judged through social media engagement. Throughout history, activists have struggled enormously when advocating for their causes and trying to get the attention of mainstream media. In countries such as China or

Pakistan, activists are arrested or injured for advocating for change. In 2020, pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong led to dozens of people getting arrested and hundreds injured for fighting against the national security law. Malala, who advocated for women’s education against the Taliban forces, was shot and nearly died. Hosting a TV show to have activists compete and determine which of their causes is more important or more entertaining is disgusting and highly problematic. Activism is not a game. Each cause deserves the attention, funding, and support needed to create a change in society. Jameela Jamil, an activist and actress, tweeted in response to the announcement of the show “couldn’t they just give the money it’s going to take to pay this UNBELIEVABLY expensive talent and make this show, directly to activist causes? Rather than turning activism into a game and then giving a fraction of the much-needed money away in a “prize…?” People are dying.” Of the six activists, the winner will receive a grant and a ticket to the G20 Summit in Rome, where they can present their ideas and causes to world leaders—with no guarantee that they’ll get the support. Essentially, the show is just a complete waste of money and resources, and it diminishes the value of true activism and advocacy. Following the enormous wave of backlash and criticism against the show, producers decided to change the format into a documentary. It will now showcase the efforts of six activists and give grants to an organization of their interest. While this decision is a much better way to spotlight important causes, and will raise awareness on a global scale, the process of selecting which activists are better suited for this documentary series, and which causes are more profitable through the show, is also problematic. The judges of the show were not spared from criticism ei-

ther. Julianne Hough took to Instagram and admitted that she is “not qualified to act as a judge.” A 2013 photo of her doing blackface for Halloween re-surfaced amidst all this, to which she responded that it “added insult to the injury.” She added “that there was hypocrisy in the show because at the root of activism is a fight against capitalism.” In 2019, Priyanka Chopra Jones was accused of promoting nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan by supporting India’s military using #Jai Hind and #IndianArmedForces during a politically tense moment between the two nations. When confronted about this by a Pakistani activist at an event, Chopra invalidated the activist and continued showing her support for the Indian military. This was questionable, considering she is a UNICEF ambassador. “The show got it wrong, and I’m sorry that my participation in it disappointed many of you,” she said. The producers of the show—Global Citizen, an international advocacy organization that hosts fundraising events featuring some of the most prominent celebrities of the world—took to Twitter and apologized for the previous formatting, “Global activism centers on collaboration and cooperation, not competition. We apologize to the activists, hosts, and the larger activist community—we got it wrong.” The fact is, an international humanitarian organization should not have made such a decision to begin with. Their ignorant choice to produce this show, even after careful consideration, highlights how out of touch ‘elite’ organizations can be from the struggles of actual resistance movements. Activism, at its core, relies on co-operation, not competition. When we put real-world issues against each other, we diminish and downplay their inherent value. We should be amplifying the voices of activists, not teaching audiences that someone’s cause is only worthy if they’re able to get a certain number of likes on a post.

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Editor | Ricardo Jaroslav Valdes features@themedium.ca

Learning through teaching: Professor Laurel Waterman’s inspiring approach Laurel Waterman on her journey from student to instructor. BRETT TWAITS

>> FACULTY FEATURE continued from page 01 Professor Waterman interviewed four different food activists for her thesis and asked them: “How do you eat in a sustainable way?” She noticed that everyone had different visions on the topic, but the most important aspect was simply to “be aware of our eating practices.” In completing her thesis, she wrote a book titled About Local Foods. Writing and reading have always been fundamental in Professor Waterman’s life. However, she only realized the extent of her interest when she met professor and former PWC director Guy Allen at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). She attended his graduate level Expressive Writing class at OISE and stumbled upon writing freedom. “Guy Allen is one of the most influential teachers I ever had. He became a mentor and a good friend,” she says. Soon after, Professor Allen asked her to apply to UTM to teach WRI325: Community and Writing because of the topic of her master’s program. As Professor Waterman enriched her professional writing knowledge, she transmitted it to her students. She attended writing workshops to deepen her learning and created new classes at UTM. “Part of my philosophy of teaching is to always attempt to be a student at the same time. Being a student humbles your teaching and keeps you connected to the student’s experience,” she adds.

“Part of my philosophy of teaching is to always attempt to be a student at the same time. Being a student humbles your teaching and keeps you connected to the student’s experience” Professor Waterman created WRI488: Food and Writing based on her food and sustainability research. She considers food as a central part of our individual cultural identities and admits to learning so much from the personal narrative stories developed in this seminar class. However, her favorite class remains WRI365: Editing: Principles and Practices. “The editing course is the course I am proudest of because it is the hardest one for me to develop and execute,” she continues. When asked about her best UTM memory, Professor Waterman didn’t know where to start. Her driving force as a teacher is to see her students succeed and access opportunities. “The Mindwaves and Compass launches every year are really special. I just feel so proud of the students,” she confesses.

Lou-Anne Carsault Contributor

Professor Waterman feels privileged to be part of the PWC program—not only because she meets promising writers every year, but also because she develops strong bonds with her students. “My students put so much of themselves in their writing and I’m so privileged to read it,” she explains. “I learn about their lives in a way that I wouldn’t be able to if I was teaching something else.” Professor Waterman cherishes personal narrative writing that she considers academically relevant. “Learning how to write about significant personal experiences in a clear and engaging way is such an important educational practice,” she describes. “It empowers the writer and develops empathy, compassion, and connection with the readers.” The importance of writing in her life grew exponentially three years ago when her husband suddenly passed away due to heart failure. “I was completely destroyed and all I could do in the aftermath was read and write,” she says. “I wrote for hours every day, and it was my anchor to the world. I wrote down all my memories with my husband, as well as my deeper thoughts and even if it was extremely painful, it was also therapeutic.” The shock of her husband’s death, followed by her grieving experience, shifted Professor Waterman’s research interests. Last September, she started her doctorate at OISE’s Department of Pedagogy and Curriculum. The focus of her research is consciousness studies and well-being in education. By studying this topic, she hopes to unveil a new understanding of consciousness. Currently, most fields describe that the brain creates consciousness. However, Professor Waterman explains that consciousness is present even when the brain doesn’t work. To learn more about the subject and challenge the general perception of consciousness, Professor Waterman plans to develop a graduate-level class at OISE to bring consciousness studies into education and start discussions with her students. For the first time since she started teaching, Professor Waterman began September exclusively as a student. In fact, after the birth of her daughter last May, she will remain on maternity leave until the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. “Being a student and not a teacher at the beginning of the year is great because I have so much less to prepare,” she laughs. Professor Waterman’s fulfillment in the professional world comes from her ability to keep an open mind and clearly define her passions and interests. When it comes to advice for current PWC students, she smiles and says: “Always be curious and passionate and write about all the things you’re curious and passionate about. Write about what you love, and good things will happen for you.”

The importance of having a mentor Mentors help us grow and overcome challenges through advice and guidance.

Irtaqa Arif Contributor

n recent years, mentorship programs at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) have become widely available across student organizations and program departments. This rise has prompted a curiosity in the use and benefits of these programs. Laura Walkling, the student engagement coordinator at the Centre for Student Engagement (CSE), provides her insight to the importance of having a mentor and the programs offered on campus. “[Mentorships] are a working alliance in which individuals work together over time to support the professional growth and success of the people in that relationship, through career-focused, social, and engagement support,” says Walkling. >> MENTOR continue on page 09

09 >> MENTOR continued from page 08 A mentor is defined as “a trusted counselor or guide.” Mentors are people with whom we can connect with for personal development and growth. Though we seek advice from mentors, often the relationship is a two-way road—both the mentor and mentee benefit. “Mentorship relationships are successful when you feel a sense of equality or equity, [where] a power imbalance is not present, [and you] have trust and feel at ease,” expresses Walkling. Mentors can help us brainstorm ideas, hear our thoughts, and answer our questions. They push us when we need it most and challenge us when our way of thinking is limited. Mentorships require all parties to put time and effort to build the relationship. “It is not a transactional relationship,” adds Walkling, meaning mentorships don’t require an exchange of money, goods, or services. To fully benefit from one, it is important to select a mentor with whom our expectations can be fulfilled. There are numerous mentorship programs on campus with diverse objectives. The first step to choose a good mentor is to understand which mentorship program aligns with our goals—whether that be obtaining academic support from mentors in the program, or personal growth that emphasizes values, interests, and goals. Once an objective has been identified, we must remain open-minded about which mentor would be a good fit. While most of us may prefer to have mentors with specific commonalities, Walkling states that some of the best mentor relationships happen when the mentor and mentee have nothing in common. Previous research studies show how successful mentorship programs can be. According to Walkling, student retention and success are tied closely to maintaining contact with a peer; one who can provide advice on what they are experiencing. Mentors give us a better sense of connection. They boost our confidence to push through difficult times and offer advice if they’ve been through similar experiences. “Peer support is so important,” expresses Walkling. This is why mentorship programs at UTM are established, where both the mentee and mentor are students. Even outside of university, having a mentor is valuable because they provide a different perspective—they are someone who wants our betterment. The CSE offers numerous mentorship programs aimed toward student involvement and identity growth on campus. These opportunities allow students to connect with current or graduate students, as well as alumni. The International Education Centre (IEC) which offers resources to transitioning international students, along with various UTM organizations and departments, also offer mentorship programs. Many of these mentorships are available on the UTM Mentorship Hub online platform managed by Walkling. Used by academic, nonacademic, and fee-paying student groups, the UTM Mentorship Hub is a central point of connection for mentors and their potential mentees. Whether you’re an alumnus, undergraduate, or graduate student, mentorships are a great way to boost your personal development and growth. They can help us stay motivated and focused. Striving to find a mentor in life is a personal choice; a choice that can never go wrong, so long as we have the time and willingness to build that two-way road.

Canada’s first crime scene investigation house lives on Principal’s Road The house is home to mock crime scenes with trails of blood, bullet holes, and CPR dummies. Dalainey Gervais Associate Features Editor

n the mid-1800s, Charlotte Mount Brock Schreiber, the owner of the grounds where the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) is currently located, commissioned to develop the land. While waiting for the completion of her main house, now known on campus as Lislehurst, Schreiber built a smaller cottage as a summer home, which she used as an art house. Over the last century, the little house on Principal’s Road has held many purposes for the university—including the residency house of David Blackwood. For some time, it was known as the Artists in Residency Cottage, where the university invited artists to stay periodically to work on their art. For the last 12 years, the house has undertaken the role of UTM’s Crime Scene Investigation House. Used for students in the forensics program, the UTM Crime Scene House is the first of its kind in Canada. “A lot of other universities have houses like this now, but we were the first and UTM is really proud of that,” says Murray Clayton, the forensic science program officer and outreach coordinator at UTM. The house is an opportunity for students who want to experience crime scenes firsthand. Walking into a house with bloody footprints and bullet holes on the wall isn’t for everyone; the Crime Scene House at UTM helps students determine if forensics is really for them by setting up mock crime scenes. However, the crime scene house isn’t exclusive to students. Occasionally, the local police will use it for training and research purposes. “Before Covid-19, we had police cadaver dogs doing recovery demos on human tissue,” says Clayton. “It was amazing to watch them work.” The Toronto Police also use the house for Scene of Crime Officer training. Additionally, there are outreach programs

in place for high school students to visit the Crime Scene House. The crime scenes presented to high school students aren’t as graphic as those presented to university students—it gives them the opportunity to be part of a fake crime scene and learn new investigative skills. Clayton recalls a time where a police constable was invited to the UTM Crime Scene House to help in the creation of a scene. A bullet was shot into the wall, and sheep’s blood was spattered onto one of the walls of a bedroom to mimic a gunshot to the head. Although the wall was plastered to cover the bullet hole, it remains stained with blood. “Typically, the crime scenes [set up] in the house for class purposes are organized by our identification officer, Professor Wade Knapp,” continues Clayton. “He is a retired detective constable and teaches most of the major identification courses at UTM.” In the identification courses, Professor Knapp uses his experience to create crime scenes that are typically more intense in nature. Such scenes may involve kidnapping, sexual assault, or even explosives and bomb-making, preparing students for what they might encounter in their careers. “For people who haven’t spent the last three or four years in forensics, some of these scenes may cause nightmares, but we want to make the scenes as close to what students might really see out there,” adds Clayton. Ethics is an important topic of conversation when studying forensics. Out of respect for the families who have been affected by violent crimes, the crime scenes in the house will never be recreations of true crimes. “It’s important to note that all of our animal remains are ethically sourced,” says Clayton, explaining that they are donated to the university from a local farm. “These animals have either passed of natural causes or had to be euthanized due to sickness.” The blood used inside of the house is also ethically sourced, usually taken from sheep. Clayton highlights that the blood can be drawn from sheep without slaughtering the animal.

There are many features in the Crime Scene House that help students practice for real forensic work. “Several classes use these grounds so the way it’s used depends on the focus of the particular class,” explains Clayton. One of the rooms in the house is equipped with black-out curtains, where students practice using black lights and find invisible evidence in a crime scene. The second floor of the house contains storage rooms, which holds stamped evidence bags, fingerprint identification kits, and footwear analysis tools—all of which would be used to gather evidence at a real crime scene. Although the rest of the house has been renovated to be fully functional, the basement has remained the same and is mostly used for kidnapping crime scene recreations. Independent research opportunities through the Crime Scene House are also available to students who want to learn more about the forensic field. Behind the house rests a destroyed car, which was used to study the rates of charred decomposition over the winter and how investigators can identify and recover those remains. “We had taken the car to the Ontario Police College and essentially lit the car on fire,” says Clayton. The car was filled with pig carcasses before being ignited. The UTM forensic and anthropological field schools also use the land all around UTM for their studies. Students are taught to identify the signs of decomposition and are tasked with scanning UTM’s property for decomposing animals hidden by the forensics team. “The decomposition process creates warmth,” explains Clayton. “It’s not unusual to see deer laying on top of [them].” Murray Clayton and colleagues are always eager to share information and provide tours of the Crime Scene House to students. To inquire on tours or to learn more about the house, reach out to Clayton via email at murray.clayton@utoronto.ca.

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Arts

Editor | Danica Teng arts@themedium.ca

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has some tricks up its sleeves Michael Caine and Steve Martin co-star as con men, stealing the spotlight from the original film.

s poise meets pissant, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) asserts itself as a tale of two cons who fight for vanity on the French Riviera, where the rich are so painfully unaware of others who extort them for the lavishness they do not deserve. Relishing in the shiny waters that breed rich society dames, empty minds, and deep pockets, the film brings about the most unexpected rivals turned accomplices, turned back again to rivals. The it-takes-one-to-know-one dynamic shows in this duo of con men as they hustle for the good life. Lawrence Jamieson (Michael Caine) is a suave, elegant playboy who uses the art of seduction as a lucrative business. Donning a grey-tinged, pencil-thin mustache, Lawrence is presented as the central character of any romance novel—an exiled ‘prince charming’ whose charisma is so thick it distorts the trickery of his ways from the eyes of any woman he encounters. His rouse was almost foolproof, until the jarringly contrasting

American saunters onto the vacation hotspot, vying for the same wealth as the stylish debonair. Freddie Benson (Steve Martin) is a con artist who, to Lawrence’s horror, preys on his vulnerable targets and slanders their shared craft of manipulation with his outlandish approach and capers. Working on the lower end of the scam ladder, Freddie accepts donations for his allegedly ailing grandmother. By nickeland-diming the women Lawrence had planned to bilk for larger sums, Freddie rippled the waters of the businessman’s placid cove. According to Lawrence, shameful crooks like Freddie pollute the water for sophisticated con men like himself, where he once feasted on gullible rich women who wiggle their toes in the azure waters of Beaumont-sur-Mer in the South of France. Regardless of their tactics, Lawrence and Freddie are criminals by nature. They are bred to believe manipulation is the golden rule, as they both cock their heads in puzzlement to any decent human sentiments. Their corruption permeates in glorious thickness, like sharks in water waiting for the unexpectant toe. This similarity and flagrant amorality convince Freddie to threaten Lawrence, saying he’ll blow the whistle on him, unless

the senior agrees to teach him what he knows about the old-worldly, savoir-fare mastery of the art of con men. In comedic montages of lessons from the expert to the apprentice, Lawrence teaches Freddie how to glidingly saunter to and fro, how to hold a drink and lean nonchalantly against a wall, as well as how to rearrange flowers that will cause unexpecting women to lower their awareness of the con artist’s self-imposed, surface-level trickery. Realizing that Freddie is more trouble than he thought, Lawrence decides to work with him out of desperation. They make a wager of $50,000 on who will be the one to successfully con the rich American, Headly (Janet Colgate). The slapstick comedy quickly transgresses into a long wrestling match between the two feuding confident men as they surpass the other with attempts to outsmart the surprisingly elusive Headly. It is a fight for dominance of this territory with their pride at stake. After much outrageous tomfoolery, the two realize through their fight for superiority that they are certainly not the wisest cons in the area. Director Frank Oz successfully brings out the devilish tang to the machinations, while

the actors bring a sense of spoiled grandeur to their characters’ mingy, near-sighted souls. The buoyant script is a clever update of the painfully forgettable 1964 flick Bedtime Story, starring Marlon Brando and David Niven. With the original branded by The Daily Express as “the most vulgar and embarrassing film of the year,” Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has definitely mastered the skill to charm an audience.

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Paige France Contributor

Bringing Theatre to Life with Props Theatre Erindale’s Leslie Wright shares how objects create magic within a play and reveals the struggles of adapting to a virtual stage. Julia Skoczypiec Theatre Erindale Correspondent

or many months, the rehearsal spaces in Deerfield Hall remained closed and lightless, as students virtually rehearsed for last year’s Theatre Erindale season. Finally, in accordance with public health guidelines, some students in the Theatre Drama Studies (TDS) program are back in person and have started table reads for the first show of the season: If We Were Birds by Erin Shields. To welcome back these excited students, the Theatre Erindale staff put together window displays in Deerfield Hall that showcase some of the incredible props used in Theatre Erindale’s 2020 mainstage production of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Props are not only important for on-stage components of performance, but according to Leslie Wright, head of props and scenic paint at Theatre Erindale, they are also necessary for the creation and execution of a believable and emotionally moving piece of theatre. “Props are [objects] that can anchor a character in a space, and they really flesh out the world of the production,” said Wright. “Having items that are meaningful to the action is important.” Wright considers props as tools for actors and as key aspects that influence an audience’s interpretation of Theatre Erindale’s plays. Regarding The Hobbit, Wright discussed the idea that props are not always inanimate objects; props can exist as characters. “It was really important to have some of those characters be props. Smaug the dragon, for example, I don’t think the play would have been as impactful if it was an actor and not a 16-foot-high dragon,” said Wright. “We had an actor voicing Smaug, but because we could create something that was enormous […] it just made [the play] a more real experience. Even creating the dragon and seeing it come alive was like magic,

real magic. We couldn’t have achieved that with just an actor on their own.” Wright also told The Medium about the collaboration needed to create props, especially ones as large as Smaug. Creativity is like a beast; it is often hard to tame. So, deciding when a prop is considered “done” is not always an easy process, and the team must make collective decisions before setting a stage. “There are lots of items that you could just keep developing forever,” Wright said. “Often, [the team must] balance the workload and the needs of the particular show. We could have gone further with Smaug; at one point, we were thinking of smoke coming out of his mouth. But it was a matter of time and managing other priorities. Ultimately, if a prop serves to tell the story, if it is safe for the actors to use, and if it satisfies the artistic visions of the designer and the director, it’s done.” After mentioning the large role props play on stage, Wright provided insight on the use and acquisition of props during Theatre Erindale’s fully virtual season last year and the challenges that came with performing online. “Last year, we definitely did not use as many props as nor-

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mal, but we still had props in our shows. We were able to do this [by] dropping [props] off to the cast,” said Wright. “It was interesting because ordinarily, with a glass [for example], we would have actors pass one glass on stage to another actor. In the case of passing [props] using Zoom, we needed two glasses—one in [each] actor’s hand. With the tricks of the camera, they passed [the glass]. That being said, we had lots of duplicates.” Looking forward to the upcoming season at Theatre Erindale, Wright hopes that prop duplicates are a thing of the past. With the enhanced sanitization of props and all on-stage components, this year’s productions are set to take place within Erindale Studio Theatre. However, audiences will most likely have to tune in through virtual platforms. If We Were Birds sets the stage from October 28 to November 7, 2021. Although it is not expected to be a “prop-heavy show,” Wright said that set design is already in the works, and that the excitement of the TDS students is extremely contagious. So, save the dates! You will not want to miss out on the first show broadcasted live from Erindale Studio Theatre.

Lucky Daye’s virtual concert pales in comparison to a live performance Despite a musician’s talent, an online set-up proves to be a challenge in gaining audience attention. Michael Cheaito Contributor

here comes a point at every good concert where your head starts to go light, and you almost lose track of your feet. You are right on the edge. And it is good. Undeniably good. At their highest virtue, concerts have a safe status in the plethora of ways to have a good time. The live concert experience can be difficult to replicate in an online livestream format. UTMSU’s SaugaFest presented Lucky Daye—a rising R&B artist whose 2019 album, Painted, garnered Grammy Award nominations—in a virtual concert on September 16. Despite how fleetingly euphoric or technically impressive a virtual concert may be, it can feel so far from the communal moment it tries to emulate. The music was, for the most part, satisfactory. If you find Lucky Daye’s brand of trap-conscious pop-soul appealing, his songs hit the spot. The second track Lucky Daye performed, “Karma,” was marked by a descending baseline and woozy vocal melodies. The introduction to his hit single, “Roll Some Mo’,” was laced with ethereal guitar notes and trebles. “Real Games” was anchored by raining drums and triumphant horns. Lucky Daye’s sound is sweet, lavish, and exciting. The penultimate track, “Love You Too Much,” dealt with a soundscape steeped in melancholy. Its dragging beat and reaching vocals almost sound whiny. During the concert,

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Lucky Daye was personable. There were a few moments when the camera came right up to the side of his face, so that blazing, golden light in the background filled any empty space in the frame—a frame which had been filled by relatively generic images of the performers accompanied by romantic hues of blue and royal purple. Singing out pleas to a distant lover beneath a shining sun, Lucky Daye looked like he was somewhere else entirely. Should you give virtual concerts a shot? Not many people did this time around. The whole time Lucky Daye performed, the number of people on the YouTube stream never flipped above 55. Lucky Daye came on around 10:45 p.m. and left about 33 minutes later. For an event marketed from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m., a significant number of viewers may have been scared off.

Despite its musical proficiency, the concert was rather drab. Even through a Marshall speaker, Lucky Daye sounded conspicuously quiet throughout, and that shaky sound set-up extended to the band. The guitars were funky, swooning, and electric, but they always sounded distant. The drums certainly came through, but many times, at the expense of everything else. However, going virtual is not a death wish. The digital realm can have its advantages. Live chats—which were missing from Daye’s concert—can create an instantaneous microculture, even if they may not always be the most mature or insightful spaces, and inventive cinematography can tell a story. A live performance is often valued because it only happens once, but even then, it can still be captured online. If a bit more effort had been put into promotion and preparation, perhaps on both Lucky Daye’s and the UTMSU’s sides, this event could have pulled off something special. Instead, the concert faltered below the line just enough to expect a small crowd on a Thursday night. It felt a bit less like a synchronous event and a bit more like a watery, aesthetically generic Tiny Desk Concert. Solution? Aim for better audio and visual quality on streams, more platforms to share the experience, and a smoother layout. At the end, Lucky Daye looked the camera in the eye and said, “I can’t wait to be in front of y’all face to face, but right now, this is the best we can get.” The concert was good, Lucky Daye. But the best? I think even on a virtual platform, there are ways to do better.

AlRawabi School of Girls show the untold realities of women living in the Middle East Netflix’s drama series tackles patriarchal structures and misogynistic viewpoints by addressing controversial subjects. May Alsaigh News Editor

Spoiler warning: this article discusses the ending of the series.

irected by Tima Shomali and Shirin Kamal, AlRawabi School for Girls is Netflix’s latest Arabic series about a young group of girls attempting to navigate adolescence within a patriarchal society. To establish a connection with the audience, the limited series explores various themes that address the experience of countless women living in Middle Eastern countries. Taking place in Amman, Jordan, the series addresses sensitive subjects, such as honour killings, and portrays them in a suspenseful yet brilliant manner. The show also does a great job of highlighting social issues that are not only relevant to Middle Eastern women, but to all women across the globe. Starring Andria Tayeh, Noor Taher, Rakeen Saad, Joanna Aride, Salsabiela and Yara Mustafa, the Netflix original follows the story of bullying in an all-girls high school. Portrayed as the outsider, Mariam (played by Tayeh) plans to get back at her tormentors after being beaten then shamed in front of the entire school. The show takes on a typical narrative where the bullied individual becomes the bully to teach a lesson. Though several films have pur-

sued a similar plot, this show differentiates itself from others by depicting the experiences of the six main characters, rather than focusing on the victim’s story to show that, in the end, everyone has a lesson to learn. Though the producers could have trimmed some sequences to quicken the plot, certain scenes are drawn out to establish a connection between the audience and the characters. This technique not only pushes us to the edge of our seats in anticipation, but it also entices the audience to keep watching. As another clever tactic to grab the audience’s attention, the show insinuates growth in the vengeful characters, rather than displaying them as hypocrites. The producers do an incredible job of executing suspense with the sympathetic victim turned antagonistic villain as Mariam adopts a mob mentality and dismisses all rational thoughts. Throughout the revenge plot, AlRawabi School of Girls astonishes audiences by illustrating cultural norms and the importance placed on family honour, as well as how they affect the behaviours of young girls. As per traditions in the Middle East, the girls in the show suffer major consequences if found interacting romantically with the opposite sex. Though romantic relationships are nothing unusual in Western societies, this is not the case for most Middle Eastern women. Mariam’s bully, Layan (played by Taher), often sneaks out of school to meet with her boy-

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friend in secret. In the end, Mariam uses this knowledge to once and for all ‘destroy’ Layan’s life, as Layan ends up doing, by anonymously forwarding the location of the secret rendezvous to Layan’s brother. While there is a twisted sense of justice achieved for the victim, the show shifts its focus from bullying to representing the experiences of women living in misogynistic communities. The show ends at a scene where Layan’s

brother, Hazem (Sari Silawi), finds her in a bachelor’s pad with her boyfriend wearing his clothes, while her school uniform hangs on a rack outside. Though the couple refrained from any sexual interaction, Hazem is led to believe otherwise. The final scene fixates on the drying rack outside and the sound of a gunshot. The ending may seem open-ended to Westerners, but it is clear for several Middle Easterners. AlRawabi School of Girls taps into the microaggressions and social expectations that many women encounter all over the globe, especially within the Middle East. The ending represents the massive issue of honour killings that occur almost every day, in which individuals are killed by either their family member or an outsider to eliminate shame in a family household. In this case, many believe Hazem kills Layan as a result of her ‘shameful’ actions. Though the media uncovers several stories of these crimes, many women’s stories are left untold, as honour killings are a cultural norm in numerous Middle Eastern regions. Systems of patriarchy are deeply embedded within these areas and result in the killings of countless innocent women across the globe. Women are taught that their behaviours are wrong, and by engaging with members of the opposite sex, they must be punished. AlRawabi School of Girls does a brilliant job of addressing this issue by showing the audience what many women experience but also by shifting the blame on the man, rather than the woman.

sports & health

Editor | Duaa Nasir sports@themedium.ca

WEEKLY EXERCISE SERIES: Long distance running A U of T track and field student athlete shares the mental benefits of running long distances. Anjalli Becharbhai Staff Writer

rack and field is the second most popular sport in the world, following soccer. In track and field competitions any running event 1500m and up is considered distance running. As you run for long distances your heart pumps harder, pushing blood through your body at a faster rate. As you push yourself to go harder and faster, your body starts releasing endorphins, which can lead to a “runner’s high.” Endorphins are naturally occurring chemicals in the body that reduce feelings of stress and pain. Running is an exercise that requires minimal equipment and offers a full body workout that benefits your cardiovascular health, brain cell development, and mental wellbeing. It also encourages people to socialize and go outside more often. Running on a sunny day allows the body to enjoy fresh air and soak up Vitamin D from the sun, crucial to maintaining optimal energy levels and an elevated mood.

The Medium spoke to Olivia Karn, a longdistance runner with personal bests of 1500m 5:00.01 and 6km cross country 23:53. Karn is a first-year life sciences student athlete on U of T’s track and field Varsity Blues team. She discussed her journey with running and the positive effects she noticed on her mental health, self-image, and coping with the loss of a loved one during the pandemic. Karn was introduced to running at an early age. “I started running when I was about four or five, my dad used to run when he was younger so he would take my sister and I out for small runs with him. After he got me started, I just developed a passion for running and I haven’t stopped since. Running just makes me happy.” As Karn began to run more frequently she mentioned that one of the main benefits of running was the community that she felt a part of, which enabled her to cope with hardship. “Running isn’t a sport that just benefits my physical health,” says Karn. “Running has benefited my mental health, made me more confident in myself, and provided me with lifelong friends. The running community is one big family, and this community has helped me

through multiple challenges I have faced in my life.” ‘This past year was especially hard for me because this past May my aunt passed away from Covid-19,” continues Karn. “Running provided me with a space to deal with my emotions. Running is an empowering community that lifts people up and encourages them to be the best that they can be.” Karn advises new runners to never “worry about whether you are too slow because runners don’t care whether you are faster or slower, we just love meeting people that share our passion for running!” The mental benefits of running are numerous. Whether you are a beginner or have competed in multiple track and field competitions, running provides a way for many people to reach new goals and take on new challenges. The running community fosters a space for newcomers and seasoned veterans to achieve mental clarity and simultaneously get fit. Karn has one final tip for anyone interested in running, “Oh, and get a good pair of shoes because you don’t want to get injured.”

The fourth annual Be Well UTM: Resource & Activity fair The Health & Counselling Centre offers a variety of workshops and resources for students. Duaa Nasir Sports & Health Editor

he Health & Counselling Centre at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) ran their fourth annual Be Well UTM: Resource & Activity Fair last week from September 20 to September 24. This virtual fair contained a selection of workshops and resources for students, centered around physical and mental health. The resources and workshops included Resource Spotlights, Wellness Talks, Fitness Classes, Wellness Workshops, and CCR Community Cafes. They focused on a variety of subjects such as mental health, dance, food, art, finance, and physical activity. Students who attended had the opportunity to earn a $10 lunch gift card and a CCR credit. One of the Resource Spotlights I attended, called BounceBack, is a three-to-six-month program that focuses on building skills to cope with depression and anxiety. This program is managed by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and available at no cost. Anyone interested can check out bouncebackontario.ca for more information. Another session I attended called Mental Health Hour, gave BIPOC and QTBIPOC students a chance to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This session will continue to run the last Wednesday of every month from

2 to 3 p.m. Those interested can reach out to vi.phan@utoronto.ca or check out the Health & Counselling website for more information. Another student, Dalainey Gervais, who is studying linguistics and anthropology at UTM, helped lead a Resource Spotlight for My SSP. My SSP is a resource that provides students free, confidential mental health support 24/7. U of T students can call 1-844-451-9700 if they are within North America and 1-416-380-6578 if they are outside of North America. UTM students who want more information can reach out to sas.utm@utoronto.ca. “The resource spotlights [were] a great opportunity for students to learn about services on campus,” says Gervais. “I was also really shocked to see how many programs I have access to that I have never heard about before even though I’ve been on campus for four years,” Gervais adds. My SSP offers a free app that students can download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for access to wellness resources and live support from experienced professionals. While the Be Well UTM: Resource & Activity Fair lasted for a week, the Health & Counselling Centre continues to offer Wellness at Home, a “virtual program featuring daily wellness workshops, activities & resources from Mondays through Fridays.” These workshops focus on topics such as meditation, food, self-care, and building community. Student can follow UTM’s Health and Counselling Centre (@utmhccwellness) on Instagram for information on upcoming events.

HCC WELLNESS/FACEBOOK