Volume 48, Issue 8

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

Issue 8 Volume 48

November 8 2021

themedium.ca

MIRROR MIRROR

IF WE WERE BIRDS

AJ ADEYEMI

I found myself lost without friends—like a missing piece of my university experience. I quickly learned that I was not alone in this feeling of uncertainty. But is online school to blame for my lack of new friends, or is there more to this puzzle? The answer is simpler than we think.

Although the play was in many ways uncomfortable to watch, its message was necessary, emotional, and empowering. The voices of the female chorus continue to echo in viewers’ minds.

The beauty of this piece resides within these silenced voices that came together from varying walks of history and spoke as one.

Growing up, Adeyemi made a major switch in school systems. The Canadian-born athlete moved to Nigeria at four years old and after six years, was sent to a U.S. military academy by his parents for two terms. “It taught me how to grow up,” says Adeyemi.

>> read more on page 09

>> read more on page 11

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NEWS

Vaccine updates for Ontario universities Razia Saleh Associate News Editor

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accine mandates are becoming increasingly prevalent for the lives of many, including students in Ontario. Vaccines have produced barriers to education, as students require both doses to attend classes during the upcoming winter semester.

Ontario’s education minister discloses the risks if the province mandates vaccines for education workers in all levels. According to Stephen Lecce, nearly 50,000 individuals face the risk of losing their jobs due to failure of disclosing their vaccine status.

>> VACCINE continues on page 02

NEWS

OPINION

Palestine faces an increase of unjustified attacks

How a Hollywood tragedy reignited the gun debate in America

May Alsaigh News Editor

Selen Onculoglu Contributor

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sraeli forces recently launched a multitude of raids and arrests, which resulted in several Palestinian injuries. During these attacks, 49 were wounded, while another 10 were captured by occupation forces. Some injuries were caused by rubber-coated metal bullets and shrapnel from sound bombs. The number of these raids have significantly increased in occupied East Jerusalem, forcing countless Palestinians out of their dwellings.

Many Palestinian families gathered at Damascus Gate to commemorate the birthday of the Prophet when Israeli forces attacked civilians with weapons, including the firing of tear gas and other lethal fumes on October 19. For the second day in a row, forces stormed the area, resulting in the physical abuse of several individuals including children.

Earlier this June, nearly 130 Palestinian homes were demolished for the construction of a biblical theme park. Despite legal challenges to the demolition of these residences, the Israeli municipality is continuing to devastate Palestinian premises. >> PALESTINE continues on page 04

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lec Baldwin, a 63-year-old actor known for various movies like Beetlejuice, The Cooler and The Departed, is now known for shooting two crew members at the set of his new movie, Rust. On October 14, Baldwin accidentally shot Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer working at the set of Rust, and Joel Souza, the director of the movie. While Souza was wounded and survived the terrible incident, Hutchins tragically passed away, raising questions about the safety of film sets and the precautions taken for stunt props. How did this accident happen in the first place?

Baldwin was playing the character of an outlaw who was supposed to shoot a gun in a scene and was reportedly handed the gun by the assistant director. The crew members confirmed that it did not have any live rounds in it. It wasn’t until Baldwin shot the gun that the crew realized the fatal mistake. The bullet wounded Sousa and went through Hutchins’s shoulder and

dreadfully, she did not survive.

For a while after the incident, Baldwin remained silent, partially due to the sheer shock of having just killed a crewmate, and partially because of the ongoing investigation. Then he finally tweeted: “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family.

My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”

Baldwin’s wife told reporters that she was trying to take Baldwin away from the city, as he was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Many celebrities like Timothée Chalamet, James Gunn, and Elijah Wood expressed their sadness through social media, which gave rise to many questions about gun safety on Hollywood sets. >> GUN DEBATE continues on page 06

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NEWS

Editor | May Alsaigh news@themedium.ca

Vaccine updates for Ontario universities Pressure emerges with the increase of vaccine mandates for many educational institutions.

Razia Saleh Associate News Editor

>> VACCINE continued from page 01 Many universities, including the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), have implemented a vaccine mandate for students to abide by, to facilitate the reintegration of in-person classes. At UTM, students are expected to be fully vaccinated, and if they are not, they must complete a rapid test to enter ‘high-risk’ environments.

However, not all universities are following a similar approach to this vaccine policy. Recent reports show that Laurier University has expected their students to be fully vaccinated with both doses with no exceptions to be able to attend in-person and online classes.

Current students taking in-person classes were expected to have their vaccination cer-

tificate by October 8, not including those taking online courses in the fall. The policy has prevented unvaccinated students from accessing their university course website and even be deregistered from their current courses, leaving many concerned and frustrated.

On the other hand, other universities, such as the University of Ottawa, are allowing students unable to receive the vaccine due to medical reasons to attend both in-person and online classes.

Further, Saint Mary’s University has decided to suspend daily check-in requirements, as a high volume of students have been able to successfully provide their status. Take home kits are also available at the school for any students who may need them.

Recently, many petitions insisting on the dual delivery of classes have become more popular on the UTM campus. However, based on a recent statement from Principal and Vice-President Alexandra Gillespie, this

accommodation will not be considered due to restrictions and safety regulations.

“It’s time to return, safely, to UTM—a public university with a responsibility to provide in-person teaching. Courses that started online in the fall will remain online, but starting in January, we will offer the majority of our classes in-person and provide the incredible campus experience that originally drew you to UTM,” mentions Gillespie. “The vaccination rate amongst the U of T community is greater than 99 per cent, and we remain committed to our mask policy, UCheck health screening system and strategy on ventilation.”

Though vaccine mandates restrict a handful of individuals from accessing education resources, they function in the best interest of both students and staff. Universities such as UTM are carefully considering the safety of the public community through the promotion of a vaccinated community.

More information on UTM’s vaccination policy can be found on the U of T website.

UTM’s upcoming capital development projects Principal Alexandra Gillespie and other executive committee members introduce new building and infrastructure projects and their potential effects on the student experience.

Larry Lau Associate News Editor

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ast week on November 1, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) held a discussion forum for students and faculty. The meeting addressed some of the university’s latest projects, including the UTM Campus Master Plan, the Science Building, the new residence, the F2 building project, and the CUP2 node expansion. The panel consisted of Professor Alexandra Gillespie, the vice-president and principal of UTM; Susan Senese, the interim chief administrative officer of the executive committee; and Luke Barber, the interim executive director of facilities management and planning at UTM. “There’s a lot of building activity going on here at UTM. Although we have done a lot of building and capital development in the last decade, UTM is still in that mode of building up the infrastructure we need to support such a large body of outstanding world-class researchers and students,” says Gillespie as she highlights some of the university’s latest upcoming capital development projects.

The outlook of UTM’s campus will be redefined in the upcoming years, with several noteworthy capital project developments already in progress or under planning.

Students who regularly visit the gym may

notice a visible construction site next to the RAWC and below the William G. Davis Building. The construction plot will transform into the New Science Building and is slated for substantial completion by Summer 2023.

“The New Science Building is a [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)] gold-rated science facility that includes a geothermal field for heating and cooling, making it one of the greenest scientific buildings in North America,” puts forth Barber.

The facility sizes at 7000 net assignable

HAYDEN MAK/THE MEDIUM

square meters, which include spaces usable for programming, thus not including corridors, washrooms, and utility rooms. There will be an additional 31 collaborative veterinary research laboratories in the building, boosting the total campus capacity by 40 per cent. Researchers will be offered full support during the transition from existing buildings to the completed science building complex.

The next project focuses on creation of the Students Services Hub. This yet-to-be tendered project would be the third phase of a multistage William G. Davis Building renovation plan and will be slated for substantial completion by March 2023. Student services such as the Health and Counselling Centre (HCC), Accessibility Services, and the Career Centre among many others, will be relocated to this hub upon its completion.

The target of this project is to consolidate campus resources and services at a single hub, thus inspiring creative collaboration between students and providing the best possible support to the student body. With this, it is hoped that students have a holistic learning experience during their time at UTM and achieve success not limited to the scope of academics alone.

Another project consists of the F2 build which is comprised of the Arts, Culture and Technology (ACT) building, along with the Robotics Laboratory Environment (RLE) building. The primary focus of this relates to the fields of computer sciences, robotics, and

Communication, Culture, Information & Technology (CCIT), providing 8300 net assignable square meters of space. The project is to be located outside the Outer Circle Road and is currently slated for substantial completion between 2025 and 2026.

Another part of the F2 build is the CUP2 project where geothermal fields will be constructed under the F2 build constructs. The CUP2 project is part of UTM’s three-node energy plan, which aims to achieve the campus’ low carbon strategy, also allowing future facilitation of a carbon-neutral, or optimistically, carbon-positive campus.

Accounting for UTM’s student population, the next project is the construction of a 400-bed student housing complex, expected for substantial completion between 2026 and 2027. The building will be located in the vicinity of the Schreiberwood Residences and connect to the existing Oscar Peterson Hall (OPH) via an outdoor canopy.

With the increase of student housing capacity, the UTM student community will expand, facilitating increased peer connections. More students may benefit from improved academic performance through the utilization of readily accessible in-person campus resources and overall beneficial residence experience.

In the years to come, UTM will see many of its capital development projects completed, with progressively more being tendered and started, all of which are aimed towards enhancing every student’s university experience.

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Students express their concerns about returning to campus in January “Students are extremely worried about the Covid-19 protocols currently in place at U of T, they do not believe it is sufficient enough to protect them,” says UTMSU President.

Isik Vera Senel UTMSU Correspondent

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he University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) Commission met for the second time this year on November 3 to discuss U of T’s January return to campus. The UTMSU Vice-Presiadent of University Affairs Merica Joy Carlos expressed the union’s intentions to create more academic accommodation policies, especially for students who struggle with online education.

“One of the academic accommodations that we really want to implement is uploading lecture recordings and making this mandatory for professors as it may be easier for students who may have missed a class because of an emergency, or they just couldn’t catch that class for that session,” states Carlos.

During the meeting, several students shared their concerns about returning to campus next semester. Sayesha Gupta, a UTM

student living in the GTA, said that she found the announcement of the return abrupt, and that she wasn’t expecting to commute to campus during the winter months.

“I wasn’t prepared to travel to campus, especially because come January, it’s supposed to be the worst winter, and being prepared for that is a little bit difficult when you only have a month’s notice,” states Gupta.

“Right now, we’re focusing on exams, so I really doubt a lot of students are going to realize that we’re going [back to] campus until mid-December when it’s too late for them to look for accommodations or figure out transportation,” Gupta continued.

In an email interview with The Medium, UTMSU President Mitra Yakubi stated that the return to campus should be a gradual process that considers the concerns of students.

Moreover, she expressed that the university should enforce mandatory social distancing measures, capacity limits, and continue to offer online courses.

“I believe that if UTM implemented social distancing, classroom capacity limits, and

funded extra staff to help faculty and lecturers who want their classes recorded, then our return to campus would be slightly safer,” states Yakubi. “However, I feel like the process has been rushed and abrupt and this cannot be fixed for students who need to secure housing.”

Yakubi also mentions that a return to campus during the Summer 2022 semesters would

HAYDEN MAK/THE MEDIUM

have been better, as returning to campus in January has created several logistical issues for both international and domestic students.

“International students are worried about their visas because the process is currently extremely slow and rigorous,” said Yakubi.

“Now, students are finding it difficult to make housing, transportation, and travel arrangements.”

Yakubi also criticized the UTM administration for insufficient health and safety regulations, stating that students feel unsafe, but have no choice but to come to campus as their classes will be offered in person.

“We believe that it was wrong for the university to lobby the government for capacity exemptions,” said Yakubi. “[Covid-19] doesn’t choose who to infect based on whether they are in a lecture hall or not.”

The Commission meeting gave an opportunity for many students to voice their concerns regarding next year’s return to campus.

With the contribution of Yakubi, students are urging U of T to modify their Covid-19 protocols due to safety and financial reasons.

Shuttle bus services continue to operate under new guidelines and adjustments Reduced capacity limits, mandatory screening tools, and other travelling measures in place for students seeking transportation.

Shreya Joshi Staff Writer

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he University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) Shuttle Bus Advisory Group held a meeting on October 27 to revise changes to the university’s current transportation system. During the meeting, it was announced that shuttle bus services will officially resume under certain conditions. These include the implementation of strict social distancing measures, mandatory masking policies, and necessary completion of the UCheck self-assessment tool prior to boarding. Failure to meet any

of these requirements will inhibit passengers from boarding.

The maximum boarding limit—a measure put in place to reduce the spread of Covid-19—will now be 12 passengers starting this year. Depending on the number of cases that emerge, this rule is subject to change at any time. Some new changes also include enhanced software and hardware for passengers, such as an accessible lift, upgraded suspension, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, coach style seating, and three-point seatbelts. There will also be frequent cleaning and sanitization of seats and high traffic touch points.

Shuttle services will continue to be fare-free and unlimited for all UTM students that have a valid University of Toronto (U of T) student card (TCard) and are currently registered at the university. Other riders, including St. George students, faculty, and staff, will have the option of paying a ticket fare or purchasing a semester bus pass. The nonrefundable ticket fare is seven dollars, and it must be purchased in advance at select locations. Drivers have the right to deny access to individuals who are not eligible to ride the shuttle bus.

The university’s St. George and Mississauga campuses launched their calendars with a reduced schedule that can be found on the U of T website. Additionally, UTM is also offering a schedule for trips heading to Sheridan College, located by Square One Shopping Centre.

Due to Covid-19, Ontario’s pub-

lic transportation services have not been utilized as frequently compared to pre-pandemic times. According to a survey published by the University of Toronto Transportation Research Institute in August 2021, the second wave of Covid-19 has significantly shifted commuting patterns.

Approximately 32 per cent of respondents were reluctant to ride transit amid a public health crisis, while 12 per cent were reconsidering their means of transportation. Even though 56 per cent of those surveyed had no intention to stop using public transit, 58 per cent indicated owning a car to be more appealing. Among the pool of respondents, 14 per cent purchased vehicles between May 2020 and March 2021.

Students at the UTM campus believe that resuming transportation services will greatly benefit them, especially considering the transition to in-person learning. Samuel Squires, a first-year management student at UTM, provides his insight on these new changes. “I think it’s a really good service and it’s really helpful that the school offers it.” Similarly, Murphy Zhai, another first-year management student, states that “it’s good news, easier and cheaper for us when we shift back in person.”

Shuttle bus services are open on weekdays from 5:50 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., while office hours at the Parking & Transportation Services Office are available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Within these hours, students can inquire about any transportation needs such as questions regarding routes, prices, and more. Office hours will not be available during holidays, university closures, study breaks, exam sessions, and reading weeks.

As public transit is costlier for UTM students, shuttle bus services offer an advantage for many to ride at no charge. These services also consider the experience of passengers by providing accommodating resources such as free wireless networking and comfort.

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The Medium’s call to global action with May Alsaigh

Palestine faces an increase of unjustified attacks Israeli forces demolish Palestinian homes and graveyards with lethal weaponry and gases.

May Alsaigh News Editor

>> PALESTINE continued from page 01 On October 26, Israeli forces attacked Palestinian protestors at Al-Yousufiyah Cemetery who gathered to demonstrate against the bulldozing of these graves.

According to local sources, the Israeli municipality has been digging up these graves and desecrating them to make way for the theme park. The park is set to open in 2022 over parts of the cemetery spanning more than 1.4 acres of land. So far, authorities have already destroyed the graves of numerous Palestinians.

However, Israeli forces are denying these claims, instead stating that burial grounds will remain untouched.

Contrary to these assertions, video footage from October 25 reveals a Palestinian woman sobbing and hanging on her deceased son’s gravestone while being dragged away.

This footage recently circulated throughout social media capturing the attention of many young activists. The 54-year-old woman, named Alaa Nababta, has been suffering since the passing of her son four years ago.

“Bury me here,” Nababta cried to Israeli forces in the published video.

The plans to build this theme park provoked confrontations by Palestinians as their gravesites are being disturbed and illicitly interfered with. As Israeli authorities have been transgressing Muslim graves for decades, many cemeteries face the threat of demolition despite their deep history.

Today, more than 100 buildings, housing 1500 people in occupied East Jerusalem, have been destroyed due to the building of the park. With the displacement of 759 people, Israeli authorities have also demolished 568 Palestinian structures.

Today, more than 100 buildings, housing 1500 people in occupied East Jerusalem, have been destroyed due to the building of the park.

In late October, Israel classified six Palestinian human rights groups as ‘terrorist organizations.’ As a result, more than 288 social justice, civil rights, and human rights organizations based in the U.S. are calling on the Biden administration to denounce this

decision. These groups are facing mass arrests, as well as the risk of being shut down.

Any individual belonging to these groups can also be subject to imprisonment.

For further support, UTM students can consider joining the Association of Palestinian Students (APS) at the university. The association holds rallies, discussions, workshops, and activity nights for not only Palestinian students, but anyone at the school.

The association aids students by curating activities for Palestinians for them to share their experiences while also hearing the experiences others.

The president of the APS, who prefers to keep their name private, states in an interview via direct message, “Our club’s goal is to create a community that allows Palestinian students at UTM to feel welcomed and supported from not just other Palestinians, but from non-Palestinians as well. We work to foster that environment by organizing events that educate, raise awareness and promote the support of Palestine on campus.”

The association also mentions they often collaborate with other clubs on campus to provide optimal experiences for students.

“Ultimately, we are here to show Palestinians that despite how hard and alone it may feel sometimes, they are not alone on campus.

They are heard, supported, and welcomed.”

“Ultimately, we are here to show Palestinians that despite how hard and alone it may feel sometimes, they are not alone on campus. They are heard, supported, and welcomed.”

Additionally, Hearing Palestine is a talk series hosted by U of T that invites alumni from Palestinian backgrounds to share their experiences on campus. Founded in fall of 2020, the series is run by students and faculty through collaboration with the Institution of Islamic Studies (IIS). The series provides support for Palestinians by making students feel validated and not alone.

It remains unclear as to when Palestinians will be able to evade these strikes occurring within their land. Today, the numbers of victims are continuing to rise even while the country has already been removed by international maps and replaced by the Israeli network. To learn more on how to support Palestinians, U of T students can seek support through many different initiatives that operate within the university.

AHMED ABU HAMEEDA/UNSPLASH

MASTHEAD EDITORIAL BOARD

05

Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Provost editor@themedium.ca

OPINION

Editor | Aroni Sarkar opinion@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

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Who won best costume this year?

This year’s Halloween did not disappoint with the creepiest and most creative costumes yet.

Aroni Sarkar Opinion Editor

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et another Halloween has come and gone. This year’s Halloween costumes were extremely creative and interesting, and they have caused some cosmic chaos. Here’s a short list of some of the most memorable Halloween costumes this year, along with my unsolicited opinions and scores.

LeBron James stepped out with a serious Freddy Krueger costume, nailing the iconic burnt face and knives for fingers. Freddy Krueger is one of James’s all-time favourite slashers, and so of course, he has a Freddy Krueger tattoo too that paired nicely with his costume. The Kreuger overload definitely scared his children that night. I give this costume a solid three-point-five out of five, great execution (pun intended).

Lizzo didn’t hold back in her baby Yoda costume as she strutted down Hollywood taking selfies with clueless onlookers. Her showstopping twerks and body rolls on the streets definitely took out the baby-ness from the costume and added the unique Lizzo spice. I’m going to give this a four because this costume was “Good as Hell.”

Lil Nas X dribbled a basketball as self-dubbed, “He Who Must Be Called By Your Name,” traumatising children left and right. But he didn’t look all that different considering his huge forehead. His Halloween TikTok extravaganza gave even Voldemort his five seconds of TikTok fame. He gets a four-point-five, not a full five because his forehead is an unfair advantage.

Look how he massacred the look! The Weeknd donned a Don Vito Corleone costume paying homage to the iconic The Godfather character and executing the costume better than anyone else this year. Down to the silver receding hairline and wrinkles, The Weeknd captured Vito Corleone a bit too perfectly. He even managed to get the notorious Corleone facial expression and wore an identical suit. I give him a golden five because he killed this look so hard all his competitors are sleeping with the fishes.

Ariana Grande made a splash this Halloween with her Miss Creature From the Black Lagoon monster movie costume. She sipped wine in her scaly costume, gills and all, sending shivers down the spines of everyone that has ever been terrified of the water. Four points for this because somehow, she still looked smoking hot.

Saweetie wowed this Halloween with her sexy Catwoman look.

The showstopping ripped leather pants got the seal of approval from Halle Berry herself in an iconic Instagram cameo. This costume gets three points because sure, its sexy and is approved by Berrywoman herself, but it lacks the oomph in comparison to the other costumes.

Doja Cat perfectly embodied Disney’s Atlantis character Princess Kida this Halloween. Everyone’s original crush on Kida has resurfaced as Doja Cat killed this look. For a character that was maybe too sexy for Disney, it was perfect for Doja Cat, especially the pastel baby blue outfit and the swooped bangs. She gets a sparkling four points from me.

Neil Patrick Harris’s family once again killed it with their Halloween costume tradition. This year they embodied an homage to classic horror characters Norman Bates, Jack Torrance, Chucky, and Reagan MacNeil. The family portrait probably scared even the most seasoned horror movie fans. Children are terrifying on their own, let alone in costumes as horror characters, so it is five out of five from me because I refuse to be haunted by their screams.

The winning title is tied between The Weeknd and Neil Patrick Harris’s family. The ultimate tie breaker would be a thorough statistical analysis of the amount of people scared by their costumes, followed by social media engagements, and ultimately compared with Halloween trends of the year. Since I don’t have the time to put together an excel sheet, I’ll leave it up to you all to decide. With just these few looks, it clear that celebrities did not take Halloween 2021 lightly and gave it their all. There are even more frightening and creative costumes that we couldn’t even begin to talk about.

Feel free to share your opinions of best or worst costumes by writing a letter to the editor or commenting on this article!

Editorial 06

Your university degree is more than just a piece of paper The experiences and resources we get out of our years at UTM are invaluable.

The Medium

confirming enrollment, attendance, and a satisfactory grade.

Many students never take advantage of what that university degree represents.

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eah, it’s just a piece of paper. Low quality stuff really, not as solid as the degrees they handed out in the ’90s, conservation efforts I suppose. But it’s not the quality of the paper that matters really, it’s the quality of the education. But that’s a bit sketchy too isn’t it? Does it matter that you went to University?

The cynics are right, the ones that say, “you’re no smarter for finishing your degree,” “you’re no richer than the high school drop out that got into crypto or started a business.”

But then again, you probably weren’t interested in day trading and probably never saw yourself as a plumber or an electrician. Most of us came to school because we had a passion we wanted to pursue, some questions we wanted answered, maybe a family legacy of university graduates. But even then, a lot of students graduate, and it really is just a piece of paper

What it represents is resources, resources that are readily available to all of us. It represents the opportunity to gain experience, build a network, develop tertiary skills that are all

in extremely high demand as the labour market evolves. At UTM you need only ask. Want work experience? Walk into the Centre for Student Engagement and immediately receive a volunteer position. Want to get paid? Apply for the dozens of work-study positions only available to UTM students.

Want to become a researcher? Contact a professor and ask to work with them. Need a network? Go to the Get Hired Fair, speak to your instructors, and get involved. Want to publish your writing? Hit up The Medium with an article or submit to campus journals that cover everything from science, to psychology, to math, to literature.

You can do all these things without any conditions. Ask and thou shalt receive. Work and thou shalt be rewarded...

So break that stereotype of university just being a piece of paper. Start now, start early, and go often to the watering holes that give up opportunities like clouds release rain in London. And you might end up with more than just a piece of paper.

How a Hollywood tragedy reignited the gun debate in America A look at the recent accident on the set of Alec Baldwin’s movie Rust.

Selen Onculoglu Contributor

People tend to believe that guns on Hollywood sets are much safer than they are. However, most of the time the guns in the movies are actual guns with “fake” ammunition, called blanks. When guns with blank ammo are fired, they create a flash from the barrel of the gun and a loud realistic sound but there is no projectile involved. Many Hollywood sets prefer these because they make the scenes more realistic than with special effects. However, these guns are still real and can fire “live rounds” or bullets.

“Most of the time the guns in the movies are actual guns with ‘fake’ ammunition, called blanks.”

So, when the crew of Rust confirmed that the gun did not have any live rounds they were basically saying that the gun was safe to fire at someone, and Baldwin trusted them. The investigation into the accident is still ongoing, so new information can always surface about how the events unfolded.

However, people, especially critics of Baldwin, were eager to voice their opinions about the matter.

Donald Trump Jr. started selling t-shirts with the slogan “guns don’t kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people” on his website. Some people think that Trump Jr. is specifically targeting Baldwin since Baldwin is a huge anti-gun advocate who is also famous for mocking Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.

Trump Jr.’s supporters and pro-gun individuals have spun this tragedy to fuel their pro-gun agenda by arguing that being

progun will provide better gun education, preventing such incidents. One of these people, Eric Davis, president of Gun Owners of Vermont, wrote that Baldwin should’ve been more careful in personally watching the gun, pointing into a certain direction, or pulling the trigger. Davis claims that Baldwin’s mistakes are “the very first thing one learns in an NRA safety class.”

“According to Gun Violence Archive, gun violence killed nearly 20,000 Americans in 2020.”

Even though some people are turning this into a pro-gun issue, many others are concerned about gun safety both on Hollywood sets and in real life. According to Gun Violence Archive, gun violence killed nearly 20,000 Americans in 2020. Gun vi-

olence and gun safety is a highly prevalent and lifethreatening issue. Considering Hollywood action movies often glorify the use of such weapons, it is critical that production crews start reconsidering their precautionary methods, and actors reconsider the message they want to convey to their audiences. After all, guns pose a great danger in non-professional people’s hands, whether regular people or Hollywood celebrities.

ARNAV SINGHAL/UNSPLASH

>> GUN DEBATE continued from page 01

07

Do you trust the food labels in your local grocery stores?

Products that use forced Uyghur labour are on grocery stores shelves in Canada.

Ear to the ground:

UTM melodies

Haya Abu Ghosh Contributor

The sounds of music that ring across campus.

Aya Yafaoui Staff Writer

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recent investigation by CBC’s Marketplace, Investigative Reporting Project Italy, and The Guardian, found that many popular tomato products sold in major grocery stores, like tomato sauces, pastes, and ketchup could be products that are harvested by the forced labour of Uyghur Muslims in China. Grocery stores in Canada like Whole Foods, Loblaws, Walmart, and Sobeys have products that are connected to the work of the Muslim minority group who are tortured by the Chinese government. The Uyghurs have to choose between working in the tomato field or being tortured in the inhumane concentration camps.

“Grocery stores in Canada like Whole Foods, Loblaws, Walmart, and Sobeys have products that are connected to the work of the Muslim minority group who are tortured by the Chinese government.”

Big-name brands such as Nestle, Unilever, and Del Monte purchase their tomatoes from Xinjiang, China. Chinese companies ship them to countries such as Pakistan, the Philippines, and India for further processing. Eventually, the tomato products are sold in Canada’s grocery stores. All while most consumers are unaware of their true origins, or the labour that went into them.

The Marketplace reached out to Del Monte asking about the origin of their tomatoes and they confirmed that “[Del Monte] uses Xinjiang tomatoes but they say there is no worker exploitation.” Nestle claims “they follow government regulations.” And Unilever has not commented on the matter.

The product label regulations of Canada do not require companies to disclose the geographical source for the entire product. The only country they must make public is the last country where the product was packaged for further manufacturing before they are sold in Canada. The complication with this label regulation law is that it makes it difficult for Canadian shoppers to know where all the raw materials are from. This can cause companies to take advantage of this law by conducting corrupt and unethical practices.

Italian suppliers for Canadian grocery stores were investigated and found to be purchasing tomatoes from Chinese companies who exploit the labour of Uyghur Muslim people. When questioned about the raw materials used in their products the Italian grocers claim that “no Chinese tomatoes are used in these products.”

The grocery store Whole Foods has permanently removed

T the 365 Double C oncentrated Tomato Paste from all the stores “out of an abundance of caution” when Marketplace notified the supplier. Another Canadian tomato paste company sold in Whole Foods is Bosa Foods Italissima tomato paste. This company has an Italian supplier, Antonio Petti Fu Pasquale, whose tomato sources are from Xinjiang companies. Mehmet Tohti, executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, “strongly condemns” Whole Foods’ relation with Petti. Eventually, Whole Foods grocery store decided to remove the product and cut ties with Petti as a food supplier.

“Why are they stopping in the wake of a media investigation?” asks Adrian Zenz, Senior Fellow in China Studies at Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Tomato companies are not complying with ethical reasoning. Only when journalists, citizens, and society gained an awareness of the situation did they take action.

The Uyghur Muslims in China are suffering, they are tortured for their religion and labelled as “extremist” even as the Chinese government takes extreme measures to exploit them. The moral responsibility relies on the supermarkets in Canada are stocking and selling products made on the basis of Uyghur forced labour. With the knowledge and awareness that grocery stores are purchasing tomatoes from China, it is our moral responsibility as Canadian customers to avoid these products.

“We should take action by creating petitions directed to the government of Canada to change the product label regulations and for grocery stores to change their ethical standards.”

This is much easier said than done, considering the label regulations of Canada make researching an impossibility.

And as consumers, it is unlikely we will be spending a long time standing in the grocery store tracing the geography of a product, we usually just grab the first thing we see on the shelf. But we can take other action. We should take action by creating petitions directed to the government of Canada to change the product label regulations and for grocery stores to change their ethical standards so that they no longer support food sources that exploit labour. Boycotting or choosing not to support brands and companies that exploit Uyghur labour is one small step we can take as Canadians to fight the injustices that Uyghur Muslims are experiencing right now.

his week I decided I would take the name of my column literally and go around campus listening to the different sounds that fill this campus with life. While UTM is certainly quieter than before the pandemic broke out, there are some distinct sounds that have remained constant.

I started with the building I have the biggest love-hate relationship with: Davis. When you first walk into Davis you’ll hear the soft chatter that crackles across The Meeting Place, occasionally harmonized by the clatter of pots and pans in the kitchens. As you descend to the first level of Davis and walk the patchwork halls, you may notice the subtle buzz from flickering lights overhead or the whispers of student’s wayward souls.

Of course, UTM is full of other natural sounds. Along the path from the Student Centre to the Maanjiwe nendamowinan building, you may hear the chanting of a whale or the click of a dolphin drifting through the trees thanks to the Living with Concepts exhibit by the Blackwood Gallery. Aquatic conversations that are just unsettling enough to prick up your ears and make you peer through the trees carefully. Among the trees, you might also catch the chirp of a squirrel or squawk of a bird as they dart through the foliage looking for food. They too seem to chatter amongst themselves, staring and gossiping at students when their backs are turned.

In the Student Centre, if you listen carefully next to the UTMSU’s office, you might catch the rumbling of a washing machine, laundering money. And if you take the flight of stairs to The Medium office, you might just overhear me groaning about how long my essay is or lamenting the existential dread that grips most of us during November and December.

So, take a moment away from the stresses of life and listen to the sounds around you. UTM’s subtle symphony awaits.

Until next time!

Aya Yafaoui

08

features

Editor | Ricardo Jaroslav Valdes features@themedium.ca

On investing, risk, and what the data tells us The world of finance is spectacular and filled to the brim with opportunities, but not without its associated risks.

Larry Lau News Associate Editor

“D

o people have their eyes wide open when they’re [investing]?” asks Otto Yung, an accounting and finance assistant professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). He raises a fundamental question about investing: are investors fully aware of the risks and returns of their investments?

Investments not only include potential gains, but they also include the risk of losses. While individual tolerance for risk varies from person to person, risk management is necessary to make educated investment decisions.

“When you’re investing, dependent on your risk tolerance, you want to earn a certain target return. But you also need a sense of how bad things can get,” says Professor Yung, clarifying the intuition behind an investment’s value at risk. The value at risk (VaR) is defined as the maximum potential loss an investor may face. It helps risk managers (such as financial institutions) determine if an investment has an acceptable loss, as well as if they need to “exit the point.” In other words, whether they should maintain and move on from an investment. VaRs also come with confidence levels. Confidence level refers to how certain risk managers are when calculating the VaR, and it’s often expressed as a percentage.

“[VaR] is a very popular measure in risk management, but the issue with [it] is that we don’t know how bad the loss can get once you surpass this level of loss.” “[VaR] is a very popular measure in risk management, but the issue with [it] is that we don’t know how bad the loss can get once you surpass this level of loss,” adds Professor Yung.

Basically, the evaluation is limited to the scope of the data.

Before delving any deeper into the topic of risk, we must consider the techniques and methodologies used in risk management. Professor Yung explores two components of this

topic: the concept of an investment’s value at risk and the concept of investment volatility. Investment volatility measures an investment’s value over periods of time. This measurement is handy since stock market prices can suddenly and unpredictably fluctuate daily. Volatility is measured side-by-side with the standard deviation, a metric that reflects a stock’s average price from a specific period of time.

“Think of [the standard deviation] as a measure that gives a sense of how far the returns have moved above and below the average return,” explains Professor Yung. Essentially, the standard deviation determines if an investment’s return will be high or low. The higher the standard deviation, the higher the chance of a declining market. The lower the standard deviation, the higher chance of a good and rising market.

However, the standard deviation method also has a critical weakness. In this method, every data point has equal weight in determining today’s market—regardless of how far into the past the points are. That is why there are other approaches to measuring volatility, such as the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) and the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH).

The EWMA builds upon the notion of using weights, only more elegantly. “As each trading day goes by, you are updating your model with the most recent return,” continues Professor Yung. “As [each individual] data point becomes older, it will have less impact on forecasting your volatility.” In other words, using the EWMA continuously maintains the relevance of forecasts when new data is inputted and allows for more accurate data.

The GARCH approach is the most complicated model compared to the standard deviation and the EWMA. This method incorporates elements from the EWMA model and builds upon another model named Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (ARCH). There are three inputs to this model: the long-run variance, the current return of investment, and the previous forecasted variance. The GARH model constantly updates the volatility measure across time and differing financial situations. Simply put, this model is highly accurate and effective in modelling investment returns.

Following the explanation of volatility measures, Professor Yung explains the application of these measures in real-

life markets. General observations show that the price of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are negatively correlated with VaR and volatility. The factors that lead to changes in value at risk and volatility are many. Some include news releases and overall economic trends. Good coverage in the news may increase ETF prices for a particular company, while unexpected events such as the Covid-19 pandemic may negatively impact them.

General observations show that the price of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are negatively correlated with VaR and volatility.

In April and May of 2020 for example, the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) 60 Index (a stock market index that consists of 60 large companies such as the Loblaw CO, Dollarama Inc, and Canadian National Railway Co) showed a downturn in overall stock price and a rise in VaR and volatility levels. Similar patterns were seen in the U.S. market such as the S&P-500 and Nasdaq indexes. For specific investments, we look no further than the hot topic of meme stocks, along with metals and trending cryptocurrency.

Meme stocks are defined as stocks with a sudden surge of attention and trading prices. In general, they are very volatile investments. “AMC, at the peak of the WallStreetBets movement, there was a 90% confidence that the maximum loss would be 100%,” explains Professor Yung. The high confidence level enumerates how risky meme stocks can be for investors.

“With no surprise, Ether has the highest level of VaR compared to the other investable assets. There was more than 10% chance of losing more than 16% at the height of the pandemic,” Professor Yung points out. The highest value at risk as stated, is displayed by cryptocurrency companies such as Ethereum, followed by Bitcoin, as well as metals such as silver, gold, and copper.

With decent understanding of how risk can be evaluated quantitatively, investors can make informed decisions and intelligently determine their investment portfolios, thus maximizing returns in their risky endeavours.

M.B.M./UNSPLASH

09

Mirror mirror on the wall, I haven’t made many friends, but is it my fault?

As we navigate through life, unbeknownst to us, making friends gets harder—and online school made it worse.

Kareena Kailass Associate Opinion Editor

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hen I imagined my first day of university, I thought it would encompass me wandering down the nature trails of the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), strolling through the beautiful buildings to get to class, or sitting in large lecture halls where I would meet so many people and form life-long friendships. But then, the campus announced that all courses would be held online— and with that, my hopes and dreams of making new friends crashed and burned.

It took me a while to get into the groove of things and adjust to online learning. Academically, things were looking bright. But then I realized that my first year of university was almost done and I hadn’t met anyone or forged any relationships.

I found myself lost without friends—like a missing piece of my university experience.

I quickly learned that I was not alone in this feeling of uncertainty. But is online school to blame for my lack of new friends, or is there more to this puzzle? The answer is simpler than we think. While friendships are important to us, as we grow older it becomes harder to form new bonds.

“As a child, you are exposed to different people in every class. In university, you are exposed to different people in every course.

As an adult, you are working, so you have a stable social circle,” says Melissa Holmes, an associate psychology professor at UTM. Her research consists of understanding the types of brain and hormonal mechanisms that cause us to reflect and mimic others in social settings. “People often have a partner or family [at that age], so [they] interact with [others] in a smaller environment.”

Professor Holmes states that it is increasingly difficult to make friends as we get older due to lower variability in our lives. As we age, we are less exposed to new faces. In the current era of online school, our exposure to new people is even lower—thus making it harder to form new bonds. She also explains that the friends we make in university have great weight in our lives, as they often result in long-term friendships.

“Humans, being a highly social species, are happier and healthier when they have social support.”

“Humans, being a highly social species, are happier and healthier when they have social support,” adds Professor Holmes, explaining that this does not only have to come in the form of friendships, but also in the form of family. “Humans need other

people in their lives. But it is important to remember that we differ in the extent to which we like contact. For example, some of us prefer meeting people in huge social groups like parties, while others enjoy sticking to the groups of people that they know.”

Social circles not only provide sup-

port but also influence who we become, our moods, and the decisions we make. If we interact with happy and supportive people, we get more positive effects, “but if you interact with unhappy, negative, or angry people, it will impact you in a more negative way.”

Professor Holmes describes our negative

behaviour around others as peer pressure.

She states that peer pressure continuously happens throughout our lives, and that we tend to change how we behave to coincide with what we think others expect of us.

Peer pressure comes in many forms, most prominently direct and indirect. In the direct form, we are put on the spot to make a decision immediately, such as drinking an unwanted alcoholic beverage. In the indirect form, we internalize rules and expectations of our friend group and behave accordingly to gain their acceptance.

When it comes to making new friends, we often feel insecure, self-conscious, or competitive with other people, making us hesitant about interacting with others. “We need to realize that everyone is in the same situation, and everyone has those concerns to different extents about fitting in,” concludes Professor Holmes. “Knowing that you are not alone and that if you reach out to other people, it is very likely that they are feeling similar things. You just have to reach out and let your guard down a little bit.”

“Knowing that you are not alone and that if you reach out to other people, it is very likely that they are feeling similar things. You just have to reach out and let your guard down a little bit.”

Professor Holmes advises students to revisit the campus to re-immerse themselves in the UTM atmosphere and community to gain the sense of belonging and connection that we yearn for. Using other resources offered by UTM are great avenues to building new relations, such as online networking events, clubs, and organizations.

As the new school year rolled in and I went into my second year, I still barely knew any of my peers. Over the summer, I worked with some of the clubs on campus where I met new people—the most notable one being The Medium. This boosted my confidence that I would make more friends through the various other clubs I joined, and thankfully, I was right. During Zoom lectures, my professors also separated students into breakout rooms, where I made new friends as we were given time to mingle with our classmates and get to know each other better. From being involved in clubs and the mere minutes of interacting with my classmates in breakout rooms, I formed many promising friendships.

By joining clubs and becoming one with the UTM community, I feel myself opening more to others and finding avenues of relations with many students and staff. All I had to do was start a conversation and make the first move.

10

Arts

Editor | Danica Teng arts@themedium.ca

Only Murders in the Building—a criminally comedic show to binge Solving the mystery of success with a star-studded cast and creative storytelling.

Shruti Kamath Contributor

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nly Murders in the Building stars Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez as an unlikely trio of true-crime connoisseurs in a Hulu original comedy.

Despite the show’s sinister yet comedic ‘whodunnit’ image, marketed by creators Martin and John Hoffman, it is the lead characters within their city setting that charm the viewers. The desire to uncover the mystery and solve the case initially attracts an audience, but the surprising three-dimensionality of the characters makes them stay.

Taking place in New York City, Charles (Martin), Oliver (Short), and Mabel (Gomez) are neighbours in the fictional and exclusive Upper West Side apartment building known as the Arconia. After a brief and awkward encounter in an elevator, a love of true-crime podcasts brings these three characters together. They join forces to create their own podcast by solving the case of a suicide in their building that they believe is actually murder.

At first, the series shows the characters liv-

ing through their struggles in solitude as they isolate themselves. Charles is an actor stuck in the days where he played the lead detective of a once-popular show known as Brazzos. Oliver is an eccentric, failed Broadway director struggling with financial and familial issues.

Lastly, Mabel is a laconic artist haunted by her past friendships.

IMDb.com

The bond that these three outcasts form encourages them to open up and give themselves a second chance to experience life. They use the opportunity of playing detective to reconcile with themselves and abandon their lonely shells. Against all odds, they succeed at what they once thought was impossible: trying again.

The show features many delightful cameos, such as Tina Fey, the host of our trio’s favourite podcast; Sting as himself; Nathan Lane as Teddy, a sandwich franchise owner; and Amy Ryan as Jan, a bassoonist and Charles’ love interest. Even with the limited screen time that these characters are given, they are all wellrounded and have full character arcs.

Only Murders in the Building has a simple premise, but it boasts creativity by showcasing many ways to tell a story. The series opens with a scene from the very end of the story, effectively setting up two mysteries at once.

Each episode depicts a nuanced portrayal of layered characters caught up in a murder and ends with a cliff-hanger, creating the perfect show to binge. It also explores the reality of podcast storytelling, encounters with fans, and the gruesome reality of true crime. As the show progresses through the trio’s “research”

for their podcast, some episodes vary in style.

One episode is almost entirely silent, told from the perspective of a deaf secondary character.

The finale introduces a new perspective on the murder—that of Tim Kono (Julian Cihi), the victim, himself.

To accompany the series, composer Siddhartha Khosla provides a hauntingly melodic score. The quirky instrumentals are crafted to match and accentuate many versatile emotions, such as the warmth of friendship, the hopes of new romances, and the fear and despair of death. Costume designer Dana Covarrubias uses unique pieces to match the personalities of the characters to their respective issues. Her designs make the characters more memorable and reflect their internal journeys; each character starts with big silhouettes and many layers, then ends with smaller silhouettes and fewer pieces.

With stellar performances, a gripping script, and the show’s pushing of boundaries in the simple murder-mystery genre, Only Murders in The Building is an enjoyable Hulu original that keeps viewers entertained. The series’ success has led to its renewal for a second season, with the cast returning for more antics at the Arconia.

Dune—desert power Dennis Villeneuve’s adaptation captures the world of the original novel with a trinity of techniques.

Gabriel Philippe Contributor

rank Herbert’s original 1965 Dune is a double-bladed story—one of a young man set on a spiritual path that prophesies paradise or destruction, one of the precisions of conflict and vulnerabilities of error, and one of the unimaginable powers of faith and its dangers. However, it is the story’s sharp details that make it brilliant. Dune employs an elementary trinity: a balance of slow, tension-building political turmoil; cultural vibrancy; and a simplistic, yet stylish writing style that unwinds complexity. In 2021, Herbert’s legacy lands in Dennis Villeneuve’s hands, and with it, the responsibility of a new adaptation. In this film, Villeneuve guides you through half of Dune’s first book in an awe-aspiring flurry of audiovisual world-building.

A primary element that makes Dune such a unique, intriguing read is its intricate play on the political interactions between the world’s factions. Complicated politics can quickly overstay their welcome within a science fiction story, but in Dune, they are an expertly wielded tool to slowly craft tension and conflict.

The first book especially utilizes this by setting a world with unimaginable riches, passed down from foe to foe amid the obvious reluctance, greed, and vulnerability.

Villeneuve’s adaptation captivates this turmoil by adapting a similar, slow-paced structure that builds unease between House Atreides, House Harkonnen, the Emperor, and the Fremen.

Each faction upholds distinct values and unspoken motivations.

Even the Harkonnens, with their stereotypical evil air, have a believable drive within the great scheme of the Spice. Viewers see the duty and suspicion in Duke Leto’s (Oscar Isaac) stance, the distrustful Stilgar (Javier Bardem), and the conflicted Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). There is a clear progression in this grand game, one move after another.

IMDb.com

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The political interactions in Dune remain complex. Through the lens of the film, it may be difficult to understand the initial organization of power established between these factions.

Some important aspects may also feel underdeveloped, like the importance of the Spice and the role of Mentats—advisors.

Reading the book beforehand fixes this issue, but as a standalone film, it is a hindrance born of the tradeoff between a selfdeveloping story and detailed narration. This tradeoff, however, has its purpose.

Dune’s second elementary pillar is its subtle, yet rich, worldbuilding. As previously mentioned, the film skips overstretched narration. Instead, it lets the story unveil the intricate machinations of its world on the way. This approach has costs but excels at preserving the discreet cultural creation of Dune’s world, which seamlessly folds in colour and sound.

The audience can clearly perceive the sophisticated nobility of House Atreides and their righteous stance. The Harkonnens radiate an obvious aura of brutal and exploitative strength, coupled with vicious intelligence portrayed by their scheming

Baron (Stellan Skarsgård). The Bene Gesserit, an organization, embrace their shrouded purpose from behind dark veils.

These attributes are swiftly allocated, painting an array of distinguished traditions.

Then, there are the Fremen, whose mysterious desert culture is arguably the book’s greatest world-building achievement, and the movie pays tribute to this with matching expert delicacy.

Through Paul Atreides’ (Timothée Chalamet) eyes, the Fremen let viewers taste their fascinating traditions in brief flurries: a glimpse of their intricate moisture-preserving, still-suit technology; a desert mouse’s large ears that capture the morning dew; an exchange between leaders, one formal and elegant, the other rash and punctual, respecting not the image of power but rather its raw essence. These subtle elements paint the characteristic exoticism of this desert culture. Walking a fine line between fantasy and science fiction, the Fremen embody overlapping spirituality and cruel nomadic survival. They are experts of the sands they walk, fervent dreamers driven by whispers of paradise, and uncorrupted—for they value not money nor Spice, only the water in their veins.

What the book lacks is music. A reader can only imagine the themes this world dances to. Hans Zimmer does not disappoint with the film’s soundtrack. Imagine the mysterious celestial tonalities of Interstellar, interwoven with flamboyant religious chanting, and completed with the beaconing calls of a dangerous, rewarding world. Each instrument embodies an element.

The softness of strings is an asymmetrical step through the lofty air. The pounding drums and marked bagpipes show a pridefully advancing nation. The otherworldly rumbling captures the majesty of Shai-Hulud, the sandworm.

Zimmer is a master of crafting theme and ambience as one— a technique perfectly suited to the duality of strength in Dune’s environment and people. The scores in this film are breathtaking, perfectly carrying the burning voice of Arrakis.

With a mastery of this trinity, Villeneuve’s Dune is a testimony to the capacities of modern cinematography.

11

The M ’s Playlist – A Nocturnal November with May Setting the mood with some classic R&B and old-school hip-hop hits this winter season.

May Alsaigh News Editor

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ith the winter season creeping right around the corner, the darker days and longer nights of November introduce a blanket of comfort for many, including myself. With that in mind, I decided to incorporate some older hip-hop classics with a combination of modern R&B tunes into this month’s playlist. This playlist is reminiscent of songs I would blast on a ride home after a long and productive day of studying on campus. As city lights peered through the confines of tall buildings and snowflakes sprinkled down on empty roads, there was nothing like the soulful soundscapes of hip-hop and the smoothness of R&B. The hip-hop tunes I chose all include sample-based instrumentals evocative of records I would find in my older sister’s collection, layered over dusty percussion, and laced with the raw emotion of the vocalists—all ideal for November.

As I began to explore my taste in music throughout high school, I quickly discovered a strong love for oldschool hip-hop and ’90s R&B. I remember Googling lyrics to my favourite songs and was stunned by how artists tell stories through their use of clever rhymes and sharp metaphors. Even for songs that are less meaningful, I always appreciated how artists have the unique ability to produce a mood from sounds. This November playlist attempts to replicate those moods and represents some of my favourite classics ranging from different eras with artists like LL Cool J and The Weeknd.

The empowerment of voices in If We Were Birds Theatre Erindale’s first show of the season is a beautifully haunting retelling of a classic Greek tragedy that remains relevant today.

CW: Sexual abuse

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rom gut-wrenching violence to tear-inducing displays of female empowerment, Theatre Erindale’s production of If We Were Birds took audiences on a ravishing journey. Written

by Erin Shields and directed by Anita La Selva, the play was an insight into the timelessly pertinent themes of war, sexual abuse, and the mistreatment of women. With astonishing emotional builds and thoughtfully developed characters, the show left viewers pondering an often forgotten yet crucial message: the traumas of sexual misconduct leave lifelong scars.

The play was originally written by Shields as a retelling of the classic Greek tragedy Tereus, Procne, and Philomela. In Theatre Erindale’s staging, this element of Greek tragedy remained as a detailed background scenery of white Ancient Greek pillars connecting audiences to the play’s multi-layered world.

The story began with King Pandion (Kenneth Johnson) of Athens, as he gave his daughter Procne (Marissa Monk) away to marry the “heroic” soldier, Tereus (Jacob Dowdall). In return, Pandion received a chorus of female slaves (Alicia Salvador, Nell Senkevich, Rachel Tomasic, Zaynna Khalife, and Molly Botten). With her newfound husband and baby boy Itys (Senkevich), Procne was isolated from her dearest younger sister Philomela (Elif Coşkun). After much time away, Procne con-

vinced Tereus to visit her sister. When Tereus encountered Philomela’s beauty, he assaulted her and took advantage of her sexually, shouting that it was in his “blood” to do so. As a result, a chain of horrific incidents encapsulated the rest of the play—one that both haunted and enlightened viewers.

Although the play was in many ways uncomfortable to watch, its message was necessary, emotional, and empowering. The voices of the female chorus continue to echo in viewers’ minds. The beauty of this piece resides within these silenced voices that came together from varying walks of history and spoke as one.

“The chorus is a symbiotic collective of survivors, and they do not apologize for what had happened to them,” said Botten, a chorus member known as The Pregnant One. “All of the chorus’ monologues derived from very real accounts of women all over the world. Shame and trauma prevent so many people from speaking out when they are victims of sexual

violence, which in turn only allows [sexual violence] to continue occurring in the shadows.”

Throughout the show, members of the chorus were always seen on stage. Whether they were looming in the shadows or in the spotlight, these women seemed omnipresent. Salvador, known as The Young One, said “the chorus is always listening, and offering their support by physically being there, and radiating energy to the other women.” There was a collective portrayal of female unity and empowerment amid the violence—such a connection transcends the world on stage.

Every aspect of the production was driven by strong, heavy emotions. Dowdall—who played Tereus—expressed that amid the difficult subject matter, everyone “worked together to support each other,” both on stage and during rehearsals. This support was identifiable.

Each member of the cast carried out their character’s story with respect, and there was unison in each movement, phrase, and song.

Tomasic, who portrayed The Dwindling

MIKE SLATER

Julia Skoczypiec Theatre Erindale Correspondent

Dignity, noted that each rehearsal started with “open discussions” about the stories told. “In doing so, we developed an immense amount of trust with one another and an understanding of what it means to be able to honour these women’s stories,” said Tomasic.

Unlike any other play staged in Erindale Studio Theatre, If We Were Birds experienced a unique challenge. At all times, actors remained six feet apart to maintain social distance and follow pandemic protocols. Regardless, the performance exceeded expectations.

Compared to last season’s at-home virtual theatre, the challenge of social distancing on stage was well accepted. Monk, who played Procne, referred to Zoom theatre as “the most difficult experience” of her artistic endeavors.

“Performing as a variety of characters in our isolated homes with awful Wi-Fi glitches and a lack of any real human connection was discouraging to say the least,” said Monk. “Having had this opportunity to perform in person has meant so much. Feeling the other person in the room, seeing them right in front of you, [and] hearing their breath […] made all the difference. Even while standing distanced from one another, there’s an energy that can be felt between two people, [and it] molds itself to the present moment of a scene.”

This exchange of energies is what left audiences in deep reflection after Theatre Erindale’s If We Were Birds. Sexual assault continues to traumatize people all over the globe. This show gave a voice to those who are voiceless. It was a safe space, as well as a place of trust and acceptance. Each voice served as an important symbol of trauma, unison, and healing.

12

sports & health

Editor | Duaa Nasir sports@themedium.ca

People are more interested in you than you think Research has suggested that individuals can create more meaningful connections by having intimate conversations with strangers.

Dellannia Segreti Associate Sports & Health Editor

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hat better way to spice up your life than by taking a moment to speak with a stranger—and if you are up for an even bigger challenge, having an intimate conversation? This statement might seem drastic, but research finds that people benefit from deep and meaningful conversations.

When conversing with strangers, many of us prefer to stick with small talk because, as researchers share, we often underestimate how interested strangers are in our lives. According

to 2021 study by Michael Kardas and colleagues, it is common for individuals to create a psychological barrier to engaging in deep conversations with strangers. However, they found that when individuals engaged in fulfilling conversations with strangers, many were surprised in the connection and happiness that arose from the conversation, with some even feeling less awkward.

This topic has gained great interest from both scholars and the public alike, which led individuals like Joe Keohane to write a book titled The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World. Keohane’s book looks at the health and well-being implications that come with talking to strangers. It attempts to uncover what happens when we work to bridge the

distance between us and those whom we do not know.

Keohane points out that individuals and societies who learn to connect with strangers demonstrate clear benefits. By using recent research on this topic, Keohane shares that even passing interactions can have positive effects on our empathy, happiness, and even cognitive development by providing us with a sense of belonging.

So, what does that mean for you? It means you should talk to strangers and build a sense of connection in your community.

While you shouldn’t be nosy or invasive, you can definitely try asking people about their passions, hobbies and families instead of the weather. People are more interested in your life than you may think.

Taking a Step Back, Former Military Academy Student AJ Adeyemi’s Experience as a Varsity Eagle AJ Adeyemi discusses moving to America, how basketball has helped him, his friends, and his future.

Robert Bui Campus Athletics Correspondent

AJ ADEYEMI

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rom military school to the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), third year student AJ Adeyemi has experienced uncertainty surrounding the future of his basketball career.

Adeyemi originally intended on being a part of the management program here at UTM, but when it came time to choose programs in second year, he ended up taking a double major in Economics and CCIT. Chalking it up in the end as a blessing in disguise, Adeyemi is now apart of two programs that he enjoys: “They sort of blend together […] I feel like it’s a good mix,” he says.

Growing up, Adeyemi made a major switch in school systems. The Canadian-born athlete moved to Nigeria at four years old and after six years, was sent to a U.S. military academy by his parents for two terms. “It taught me how to grow up,” says Adeyemi. “You’re a 10-year-old kid in a country where you don’t have any family. You’re forced to grow up quickly.”

Adeyemi also learned to ignore racist remarks during his time at the academy: “I feel like you can be racist all you want, but it doesn’t affect me.”

Making friends in a military school setting would have been difficult for any individual but when Adeyemi first started playing basketball seriously in the U.S., he found his place in the basketball squad.

“Some of my good friends now I’ve met through basketball,” shares Adeyemi.

These friendships originating on the court is something that Adeyemi values with the UTM basketball team. Today, all his Eagle teammates are his friends and some even housemates.

Basketball competition heated up for Adeyemi when he got to Ridley College, a private boarding high school in St. Catharines, Ontario with a focus on athletics. On the school’s team, he realized that he could play along high-level players as a teenager. Some notable athletes that he was up against were NBA players, Luguentz Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Ignas Brazdeikis of the Orlando Magic while they competed on the same high school level.

In 2019, Adeyemi had to prove himself again at UTM. He impressed his coaches with his play at a summer training camp and was on the varsity team from there on.

After a solid beginning as a varsity player, scoring 15 points in his first game, Adeyemi went through a run of games where he was not seeing enough time on the court. Additionally, due to the amount of practice and training associated with being a varsity athlete, he began to see his grades slip. Adeyemi felt like he had to step back from basketball and focus on school, especially considering his upbringing.

“I was born in a household where your education was more important than anything else,” he says.

After stepping away from the sport, Adeyemi got his grades back on track, crediting this to his management of time, his adaptability, and his ability to ask the right questions. “You won’t live long enough to make all the mistakes in life that you need to make to be wise, so you have to ask questions,” he shares.

Although his first year of juggling school and basketball at UTM was difficult, Adeyemi kept an optimistic mind, mentioning that he was grateful for the opportunity, the teammates, and the off-court community within UTM. When asked about his future of playing for the varsity team again, Adeyemi says he hasn’t decided yet. “This year UTM doesn’t have a basketball team, so next year if they do have one, I might try it out one more time to see how it goes.”

Adeyemi’s first stint with the Varsity Men’s Basketball team wasn’t exactly how he envisioned but still made for a great experience for our profile athlete. We hope that the UTM basketball team will return for the 2022-2023 season and that AJ Adeyemi can get back to playing the sport he loves for the community he values.