Volume 46, 17

February 10, 2020

THE MEDIUM

The Voice of The University of Toronto Mississauga | themedium.ca

Vol 46, No. 17

NOUR SAQQA/THE MEDIUM

Spotty Wi-Fi, lack of accessability, bumpy rides, long lines, and lack of proper cooling among complaints regarding shuttle busses.

UTM shuttle bus service faces criticism

UTMSU talks mental health at town hall

Despite the ongoing improvements, students continue to find issues with accessibility and comfort FARISHTEH KHAN ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The UTM Shuttle Bus Service has introduced four new buses with enhanced features, including upgraded Wi-Fi. The buses were introduced recently as part of the service’s ongoing attempts to respond to shuttle bus user feedback.

Four buses were rolled out in 2017, bringing with them Wi-Fi capability to UTM’s Shuttle Bus system. However, in recent years, there have been complaints surrounding the system, its accessibility, convenience, and comfort. In response, four new buses have been brought in with a new Wi-Fi service provider, improved air conditioning, and a suspension with an accessible lift.

“The Wi-Fi service can accommodate online activities such as light browsing, email, and chat,” said Megan Evans, manager for Parking and Transportation Services. “Unfortunately, it will not support high levels of streaming or data intensive

applications.”

Cynthia Julie-Ann Parker, a firstyear management student, believes that the Wi-Fi service still needs work.

“The Wi-Fi is iffy. If the bus is rather full, then the Wi-Fi doesn’t connect,” said Parker. “The only time I’ve gotten it to really work and have decent connectivity is when there are less that 10 people on it.”

Sherif Nabeeh, a second-year economics major, also pointed out the differing Wi-Fi availability across the system.

“The Wi-Fi is inconsistent, because some buses have Wi-Fi and others just don’t,” said Nabeeh.

Students have also voiced mixed opinions of the bus drivers.

“A lot of them unnecessarily slam on the brakes and accelerate during traffic which literally makes you feel like you’re getting whiplash,” Parker said.

Her sentiments were echoed by other students who were interviewed for this article.

Nabeeh spoke of a different experience with the shuttle bus drivers.

While he agrees the driving itself is questionable, his experience with a particular driver warranted a shoutout. “I don’t know what his name is,” said Nabeeh, “but he has his bus pimped out with fairy lights and great music!”

The rough ride coupled with the lack of proper cooling makes for an uncomfortable journey altogether explained Parker.

“Every single time I ride the bus, I get nauseous. I’m not sure if it’s because of how bumpy the ride is, or how crowded the bus is,” Parker stated.

There are also calls to improve administrative affairs.

Erica Dixon, a first-year life sciences student, said, “Honestly, [the shuttles] come at weird times that don’t work with my schedule and I’d rather take the GO bus.”

This sentiment has been voiced by other students as well. Parker is particularly vocal about her experience.

“I’ve literally been at the bus stop, seen the line, and opted to take the GO train or MiWay bus instead,” said Parker.

Students using the shuttle bus service seem to be generally unaware of the improvements introduced. It is expected that as more buses with the new features are added, the positive consensus will spread more universally across users.

Administratively, the service has much to gain from the feedback of its users. Evans hinted at attempts to bridge the communication gap in the future.

“The ability to have a real-time mobile application is desirable and options to deliver this service are being investigated,” Evans explained.

“However, the implementation for this technology is complex, challenging, and time-intensive.”

At the moment, there are no active efforts to pursue this, but Evans hopes to see advancements in the future.

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News Should we get rid of students’ unions?

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Comment

UTM introduces Centre for Student Engagements

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Satire UTM fights hard in volleyball sets

Sports

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02.10.2020

Editor | Melissa Barrientos

UTMSU talks mental health at a Town Hall event Panelists at the event discussed information accessibility, TA involvement, and administration issues MIHAIL CUBATA CONTRIBUTOR A crowd of roughly sixty people gathered at the William G. Davis Building this past Thursday for the Mental Health Town Hall hosted by the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU).

The event was meant to provide a place to “share thoughts, concerns, and recommendations about mental health on campus,” according to the UTMSU Facebook page.

The Town Hall featured five panelists, each with a stake in improving mental health on campus. The event opened with a short speech from each person, where they detailed the challenges they faced and measures being taken towards helping students with mental illness.

The presentation then transitioned into an open discussion, where the panelists fielded questions and heard out criticisms and suggestions from attendees. Afterwards, the panelists were asked to leave, and the event moderators announced a closed discussion, encouraging people to share their personal experiences with mental illness.

The event closed with a series of guided questions from the hosts with the goal of receiving feedback on how mental health services on campus could be improved.

“Ontario’s mental health system is not well,” said panelist Andrea Carter, assistant dean of student wellness and support & success, in her opening speech.

As assistant dean, Carter is responsible for supporting all non-academic aspects of student life. Despite facing systemic challenges, she stated progress is being made. She described several new programs aimed at improving student mental health, including a “wellness hub” in the Davis Building where students can drop in at any time, as well as a partnership program with UTM Athletics that pairs students with a personal trainer and counsellor.

Fiona Rawle, an associate biology professor and associate dean of undergraduate, used her time on the panel to highlight the role of teachers in ensuring student well-being.

“Through smart course design and deliberate syllabus design, we can help address [mental health issues],” said Rawle, describing opportunities to improve teaching staff ’s mental health training.

Rawle cited harsh assignment deadlines and unequitable extension policies as mental health “pressure points” found on course syllabi.

Similarly, panelist Abda Schumann spoke about the role of graduate students and teaching assistants (TAs) in the mental health equation. Accord-

ing to Schumann, who is a graduate student and mobilization officer for CUPE 3902, students like him face many problems that lead to mental health issues like massive workloads, uncertainty of employment, and lack of proper teaching training.

He went on to argue that the decline in the teaching quality of mental health for TAs could in turn create mental health problems in students.

Schumann also noted the potential for TAs to reach otherwise isolated students with mental health issues.

He said that with proper training, a TA could be able to help an at-risk student that wouldn’t seek help by themselves.

The Canadian Federation of Students Ontario (CFS-O) representative, Kayla Whyler, was also one of the panelists. She discussed the CFSO’s “My Mental Health Matters” campaign, created in collaboration with students from across the country.

“The campaign calls for mental health resources that are accessible, diverse, and intersectional,” Whyler said.

The campaign’s mandate has already seen success. In 2018, the Ontario government invested $17 billion dollars into mental health and addiction initiatives across the province.

But Whyler states this seemingly large investment is only a small step towards the goal of the campaign.

“This investment is actually a rather small drop in the bucket [in regard to] what needs to be done,” said Whyler. “We need action from our campus community and commitments from our administration.”

UTMSU president Atif Abdullah was the fifth panelist at the event.

Abduallah encouraged attendees to provide suggestions on how to better student mental health support on campus and listed several policy adjustments the UTMSU was pushing for in order to decrease pressure on students, such as a limit on lateness penalties and a decreased reliance on doctor’s notes for exceptions or extensions.

“You shouldn’t need to pay $120 dollars to prove you can’t come to school,” said Abdullah when describing the purpose of the self-assigned sick note that requires no doctor note and is currently in the process of being implemented at UTM. The five panelists faced some tough questions during the open discussion section of the event. A recurring topic was the lack of awareness of campus mental health services.

“When I go on the UTM website, there’s barely any mention of mental health services anywhere,” said Ibbi Siabzawari, a third-year linguistics student.

“We need better representation of what services are available,” Zoe

Virola, a fifth-year in biology and psychology, agreed. “I only found out about accessibility services from them asking for volunteer note takers.”

Abdullah reaffirmed Siabzawari’s statement. “I agree that it’s not well advertised,” he said. Abdullah assured attendees that making sure students know help is available, both on campus and online, is a top priority of the union.

Andrea Carter acknowledged Sibzawari and Virola’s concerns as well, noting that the current practice of “bombarding [students with mental health resources] at the start of the semester doesn’t help.”

She mentioned several ongoing efforts to increase awareness including the My SSP (My Student Support Program) app, which lets students call or chat with a counsellor anytime in any language with a mobile app.

Carter noted the importance of using the same mediums that students do when trying to reach at-risk individuals.

“We strive to assess and evaluate what works and what doesn’t,” Carter said in reference to the many mental health projects being introduced on campus and online. “We’re very happy to be included in this conversation tonight, because it is very important for us to hear from you.”

Ontario collaborates with universities to contain virus After a Western University student tested positive for the coronavirus the government improved contact with post-secondary institutions

BELICIA CHEVOLLEAU/THE MEDIUM

U of T is following health protocols and ensuring risk stays low.

SALEHA FARUQUE DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR The Ontario government has committed to protecting college and

university communities from the emerging coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by carrying out a multi-faceted response to the outbreak.

Ross Romano, minister of col-

leges and universities, was joined by Christine Elliott, minister of health, to highlight ongoing priorities made by the province.

“The health and well-being of Ontarians, including our post-secondary students and faculty from Canada and abroad, is our number one priority,” said Elliott and Romano in the press announcement.

The joint statement was made after health officials confirmed that a university student was the third coronavirus case in Ontario, and the fourth in Canada. According to public health officials, the Western University student was deemed a low risk to the campus community.

The student reportedly followed all protocols and procedures and recovered within a few days.

She remains self-isolated in her home, stated the Middlesex-London Health Unit.

According to the Ministry of Health, the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus remains low. Recent reports have also shown On-

tario coronavirus investigations to be in decline.

Dr. David Williams, chief medical officer of health, and Dr. Barbara Yaffe, associate chief medical officer of health, called the situation “reassuring” in press briefings last month.

“The system is working, and we’re investigating individuals of concern who have self-reported and come forward,” said Dr. Williams.

The briefings have also been joined by leaders from Ontario colleges and universities to provide them with up-to-date information.

Seven cases of the coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have been confirmed in Canada as of February 8. Three of these cases were found to be in Ontario, and four in British Columbia.

U of T has undertaken ongoing measures to inform students and faculty of correct procedures. The school is monitoring the situation and remains in communication with faculty health experts working at the school’s hospital partners.

Three health updates have been

published on the U of T website, along with an FAQ page addressing common questions by the university community.

“The University of Toronto is taking this very seriously and is receiving directions from public health officials, who continue to indicate that the risk in Canada is low,” Sandy Welsh, U of T vice-provost, explained in a statement to U of T News.

Welsh also warned that the effects of misinformation can lead to discrimination, adding that “assessment of risk should be based on travel and exposure history, not on race or ethnicity.”

In a statement, Elliott pledged Ontario’s pre-emptive efforts to respond and monitor the situation.

“The province’s public health officials and everyone working on the front lines of our healthcare system are effectively monitoring for, detecting, and containing this virus,” said Elliott to the public.

02.10.2020 THE MEDIUM NEWS

U of T graduate denied work at Amazon for his Iranian descent

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Sustainability clubs host a clothing swap event Zero Waste UTM and SAGE raise awareness of fast fashion with clothing swap event

Mohammad Owlia speaks out about his interview experience DILJOT BADESHA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Last week, SAGE, the student association for geography and environment, and Zero Waste UTM, a club that brings awareness of waste management issues within the environment, collaborated to host a clothing swap event in the Davis building (DV).

From February 4 to February 6, students had the opportunity to participate in the event by bringing their own clothes and swapping it with clothing brought by other students for as little as $0.50.

Prior to the event, people interested in being a part of the clothing swap were asked to drop off their clothes at SAGE’s office (DV 3213) in

use products instead of purchasing re-usable products, they contribute to the growing waste on the planet.

“You can purchase [things] for yourself that are re-usable […] of course after what you used is already degraded,” said Karim.

Nele Stockmayer, a third-year exchange student from Germany studying biology at UTM, said that events like the clothing swap help spread the importance of living more sustainably to other students.

“One important thing is sometimes [students] don’t have to buy anything but it gives a consciousness about how much we are using and that there are [reusable] things that we can use instead,” said Stockmayer.

This is not the first time a clothing swap has taken place on campus.

of SAGE and a fourth-year student majoring in environment and geography, hoped that the event would ultimately inspire students to “switch from fast fashion and go for more sustainable initiatives.”

“We want to reduce our impact [on the environment]. We want to shed light on fast fashion, the problems with fast fashion, and [encourage] more alternative, sustainable ways of getting clothing,” said Khatib.

Tingting Zhu, a geography lecturer at UTM and the faculty liaison of SAGE, told The Medium that it is normal for humans to fill their closets with clothing they no longer wear.

“As human beings, we have a sense of fashion and have preferences over clothes which lead to a common

BELICIA CHEVOLLEAU/THE MEDIUM

This grad was denied because of U.S. laws against Iranians.

ALYSSA HARILALL CONTRIBUTOR

Early last month, Mohammad Owlia, a University of Toronto (U of T) graduate, was denied the opportunity to work for the global company Amazon due to his Iranian Citizenship status.

According to CTV News, Owlia received an email from a recruiter in Seattle on behalf of Amazon asking him to apply for a software engineering position in Toronto. Owlia described his over-the-phone interview with the company as an unusual experience when they brought up his Iranian citizenship.

Amazon is a large online retailer based in Seattle, Washington, in addition to its many locations across North America.

While reading through Owlia’s resume, the recruiter paused and apologized for being unaware of Owlia’s Iranian citizenship. He proceeded to question whether Owlia had a current Canadian citizenship or permanent Canadian residence. When Owlia responded “no,” the recruiter followed up by stating that they “are being instructed not to hire any Iranians.”

Owlia has a post-graduation work permit which allows him to apply for jobs in Canada for up to three years.

He is also planning to apply for a permanent citizenship through the “Canadian Experience Class route,” which requires him to obtain skilled work experience in Canada for at least a year in his related field.

Owlia made his concerns about being discriminated against clear to the recruiting officer.

The young man told CTV News that the recruiter suggested he apply for the job position again once he gets a Canadian citizenship and reassured him that she is just following orders

regarding his application denial.

The recruiter’s claim is backed by the fact that Amazon is a United States (U.S.) based company and therefore must comply with the U.S. regulations on export control laws and policies. This includes refraining from sharing software and technology to “Embargoed Country Persons,” which to U.S. policies includes individuals who are current citizens of Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.

Without the authorization from U.S. government officials, Amazon is prohibited from importing or exporting any information regarding software codes and technology to countries that the U.S. has placed a trade ban on. The U.S placed an embargo on Iran in the mid 1990’s and lifted it by the year 2016, however in 2018 the ban was reinstated by the Trump administration.

According to CTV News, Amazon responded to these discriminatory allegations by stating that, “it is Amazon’s policy to comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations.”

“This policy applies globally to every Amazon business in every country where Amazon operates, including Canada. In keeping with this policy, Amazon employs many Iranians in our offices around the world, but only when we are legally authorized to do so” stated an Amazon spokesperson to CTV News.

Students at U of T like Sameer Dhami, an economic specialist student at UTM, find this news shocking and disappointing.

“I don’t think that it’s fair to restrict certain individuals on what jobs they can apply for or have based on their citizenship, especially in Canada,” said Dhami. “This is the first time that I am hearing of these laws and it is extremely unsettling.”

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

The event aimed to encourage sustainability, secondhand clothing, as well as ending fast fashion. order to get a ticket with the number of items they donated. The ticket allowed students to easily swap the exact number of clothes they donated beforehand so they didn’t have to bring in their clothes to the actual event.

Nevertheless, students not aware of the event beforehand still got the chance to bring their clothing on the day of the event and swap them with other clothing.

Mahsa Seema Karim (Shazeen), vice-president external of Zero Waste UTM and a third-year student studying environmental management, explained the importance of SAGE and Zero Waste UTM teaming up for this event.

“We collaborated based on the fact that we wanted to promote sustainability on campus,” said Karim.

Zero Waste UTM also had re-usable products such as bamboo utensils and beeswax wraps for students to purchase.

Karim explained that when students continue to buy the same daily-

“We saw Zero Waste actually running this initiative,” said Carina Suleiman, the academic coordinator for SAGE and a third-year student majoring in environmental management and political science.

“They run this initiative for one day during the year so we thought it would be a great expansion on the idea and have it over several days,” continued Suleiman.

According to Suleiman, the main idea of the clothing swap is to stop fast fashion.

“I think the biggest lesson that we want to communicate is [we need to stop] fast fashion,” said Suleiman.

“There is nothing wrong with exchanging clothes and giving them a second home.”

“There is [also] this aspect of donating to community organizations, environmental organizations, as well as women shelters. We feel that it’s a great way to give back to our community in a way that students can participate in,” said Suleiman.

Jihan Khatib, the co-president

scene that some of our gently worn clothes are buried in our closets,” said Zhu. “In clothes production, a huge amount of raw materials and energy are consumed, which eventually results in an enormous waste.

The clothing swap promotes sustainable fashion among students without sacrificing our social needs.”

“We hope to upscale this local recycling initiative over years, increase our awareness of sustainable living, and eventually alter our buying habits regionally and globally,” continued Zhu. All proceeds from the clothing swap will go to Ecosource, a nonprofit environmental organization that inspires the community to be more sustainable in Mississauga. The remaining clothes from the event will be donated to the Interim Place, a women’s shelter in Mississauga.

SAGE will continue their environmental sustainability initiatives with an open sustainability panel on February 13 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the UTM room (DV 3141).

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THE MEDIUM 02.10.2020

UTMSU talks initiatives for the rest of their term

HUMANS OF UTM

With more than halfway through the year, UTMSU discuss project updates ISIK VERA SENEL ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The election campaigns for the new executive team of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) are imminent with March approaching. This also means that there are two months left until the current executive team steps down at the end of April.

Atif Abdullah, the current president of the UTMSU spoke with The Medium regarding the ongoing initiatives of the union and what the current team hopes to achieve before the end of their tenure.

Abdullah stated that the UTMSU will be focusing on transit and re-evaluating some conversations they’ve been having with neighboring cities, especially Brampton, now that the Student Choice Initiative was struck down.

“Last year we actually had a deal on the table with Brampton and Oakville, however, we were not able to even further negotiate or take it because of the Student Choice Initiative (SCI), and how transit passes have been shut off in that,” said Abdullah.

As the SCI makes transit a mandatory student fees, UTMSU and transit organizations were hesitant to confirm on an agreement, especially when UTMSU and the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario (CFS-O) set out to fight the SCI. The UTMSU president also stated that their renewed contract with MiWay, the municipal transport operator in Mississauga, included a decrease in the annual fee hike.

“We just successfully negotiated another contract with MiWay that actually did bring down the yearly increase […] in the transit pass,” continued Abdullah.

Academic policies will also be a priority for the UTMSU for the remainder of their term. Ever since they began their election campaign, the executive team has mentioned their goal to implement a permanent selfassigned sick note policy. The policy was piloted in the summer term, however the UTMSU hopes to have it permanently implemented by the upcoming summer. “[Academic policies have] always been the backbone because [they’re] something that affect every single student. So, we’re keeping the pressure on self-assigned illness notes,” said Abdullah.

Another discussion that the UTMSU will be having with the university administration regarding academic policies is the use of subscriptionbased services like Top Hat, which results in additional costs for students.

“We’re continuing with Top Hat because we’ve been learning a lot about Top Hat and how U of T’s new agreement with Top Hat is working,” said Abdullah. “Because U of T does have a new agreement with Top Hat that didn’t exist before this year. However, it’s not a contract.”

“We have been in conversations about what it looks like in the long term and how we can incorporate it somewhere along the lines of UBC (University of British Columbia), where Top Hat is accessible for every single professor and classroom [while having] the cost absorbed by the university itself and not [be] a burden on the students,” continued Abdullah.

The UTMSU is also planning on organizing multiple events in the upcoming weeks including eXpression Against Oppression (XAO), which is an annual week-long event that focuses on the different types of oppression and how to fight them.

Environmental activism will be at the forefront of initiatives explored at these events, especially with sustainability week approaching.

“We have XAO which focuses more against oppression. Environmental racism is a big one that we’re focusing on this year. We’ll be helping co-host and collaborate with UTM and with the Masters of Sustainability Program for the sustainability week, and hopefully the last big blowout is the block party,” said Abdullah.

The Medium also asked Abdullah about the union’s plans for increasing student participation in the UTMSU elections and student politics. Abdullah stated that the UTMSU will begin advertising soon to increase awareness and organize informative events for students who don’t completely understand what the UTMSU and the executive team are.

“We’ll be hosting information sessions and we’ll be hosting a couple of them to accommodate for student timings and classes and we’ll be hosting a couple of sessions where there’ll be sort of an open information panel about what it looks like to be a UTMSU executive,” said Abdullah.

“So, people understand what kind of commitment they’re getting into or what things you have to give up in terms of academics,” continued Abdullah. “[As a UTMSU executive member], you can no longer be a fulltime student. You’re bound by your policies to have a cap on the number of courses that you take.”

Abdullah stated that these information sessions will aim to help students understand both the fun and challenging aspects of being a UTMSU executive.

“So, understanding how to find that balance between the work, but also not getting stressed or overwhelmed.”

Fire alarm set off in Davis “Human error” sets off fire alarm in Davis, reports follow the next day DILJOT BADESHA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR On January 27, an unexpected fire alarm set off in the Davis Building (DV) resulted in several students, staff, and faculty being sent out of the building for a period of time around noon.

The University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) twitter account first tweeted about the incident at 12:20 p.m. The tweet read, “Fire Alarm in the William G. Davis Building, please exit the building.”

About 40 minutes later, at 12:57 p.m., another tweet was sent out, indicating that the Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services had given an “all clear” signal, allowing the building to be open again.

According to a spokesperson for Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, the fire department was

dispatched at 12:07 p.m. after receiving a call about the fire alarm. There were two trucks sent to the campus.

The trucks left campus shortly after at 12:27 p.m.

Robert Messacar, the Director of Campus Police Services at UTM, said the alarm was caused by “human error” as a construction worker accidently set off the alarm while working in DV. Although the estimated completion date of the renovation project was listed as January 2020 on UTM’s Facilities Management and Planning website, some parts of DV are still under construction.

Messacar also confirmed that a fire alarm had not gone off in the Communication, Culture, and Technology (CCT) building like some students had originally thought.

“The occupants within CCT likely heard the trouble signal (the beep-

ing tone) coming from the CCT fire alarm annunciator panel located near the link to Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre (HMALC),” said Messacar.

“This was not a ‘fire alarm’ within the CCT building, but rather a trouble condition identifying that the adjoining Davis building was in alarm.”

There were also reports of a fire truck on campus the next day, on January 28. The truck passed across the campus around 6:35 p.m.

According to Messacar, the fire alarm on January 27 and the other unknown incident occurring on January 28, involving the Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, were not related.

“The fire department is often on campus for a variety of reasons not related to actually responding to fire emergencies,” said Messacar.

January 30, 2020.

Police Assistance.

Eight students were trapped in elevator 1 in the library. An elevator technician attended and freed the students.

January 31, 2020.

Police Assistance.

Residence staff contacted Campus Police for assistance in shutting down a large gathering at a residence. When officers attended the gathering had dispersed.

February 4, 2020.

Driving Complaint.

Campus Police attended the RAWC for reports of multiple locker thefts.

Investigation is ongoing.

February 5, 2020.

Mischief.

A suspicious male was reported to Campus Police. The individual was cautioned for mischief.

January 30, 2020.

Motor Vehicle Accident.

A community member reported being struck by a vehicle while on his bicycle. The cyclist sustained minor injuries and attended the hospital.

Peel Police was notified.

February 4, 2020.

Theft.

Campus Police attended the RAWC for reports of multiple locker thefts.

Investigation is ongoing.

February 4, 2020.

Theft.

Campus Police received reports of multiple electronic device thefts in IB building. Investigation is ongoing..

February 5, 2020.

Theft.

A student reported a theft of their skateboard in IB building after leaving it unattended.

These reports are those that have been released to The Medium from Campus Police and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list.

Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905-453-3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

02.10.2020 THE MEDIUM NEWS

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Mississauga organizations protest xenophobia Following the coronavirus outbreak and anti-Chinese racism cases, organizations released statements condemning racist action SALEHA FARUQUE DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR The Mississauga Community Legal Services (MCLS) released a statement on January 28 condemning anti-Chinese discrimination and xenophobia amid the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak.

The statement was also co-signed by 15 community organizations based in the GTA area.

The Mississauga community legal clinic, a non-profit entity funded by Legal Aid Ontario, highlighted inaccuracies in public perception of the global coronavirus outbreak. “The coronavirus is not isolated to people of one nationality or race,” the MCLS statement read.

Also called the 2019-nCov, the virus was identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) through several cases of pneumonia originating in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019. The elusive virus causes fever and respiratory-type health problems. To date, Ontario has confirmed three coronavirus cases, and seven cases overall in Canada.

“This is a world health issue that has its most serious impact in one area of China (Wuhan), but it has affected people of all different races.

Some cases have been found in other parts of China and other parts of the world,” the MCLS statement read.

As of January 20, 2020, only 282

DELANEY ROMBOUGH/THE MEDIUM

The hysteria surrounding the health crisis has begun to lash out in unnecessary ways. cases were confirmed worldwide, a figure that increased to 31,481 in February, according to the WHO. MCLS also drew attention to the surge of racism against Chinese-Canadian communities, and referenced historical discrimination experienced during the 2003 SARS outbreak.

“The discrimination against East Asians at that time did not make the public safer,” said MCLS in their statement. “Instead it isolated people, entrenched stereotypes, led to increased bullying in schools, and spread fear of people of East Asian heritage.”

The MCLS’ announcement ini-

tially reacted to an online parent-led petition that called on the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) to isolate students whose families had recently visited and returned from China.

The petition also demanded that students “self-quarantine” at home for 17 days, that schools keep track of students’ travel, and that other parents are informed to decide on whether to remove their children from classes.

Juanita Nathan, chair of the YRDSB, said that such situations “give rise to discrimination based on perceptions, stereotypes, and hate.”

In response, the MCLS applauded the school board for “its excellent message to focus on the evidence, show empathy, and avoid racial profiling.”

The MCLS statement was endorsed by organizations such as the Urban Alliance on Race Relations and Access Alliance Multicultural Health & Community Services.

Post-secondary institutions have also faced similar reports of stigmatization of certain student populations.

Last month, the U of T bookstore was accused of being insensitive after selling surgical face masks and respirator masks for $100 to $160. The

items were removed after students expressed outrage at the marked-up prices.

Frank Ye, a University of Toronto graduate student, told Al-Jazeera News of the potential damage caused by scrutinizing Chinese Canadians.

According to Ye, these effects include “ostracizing the community, hurting businesses, [and] hurting people because we’re letting paranoia rather than facts drive how we react to this.”

Kerry Bowman, a University of Toronto bioethicist, also echoed a similar perspective. “All of us, irrespective of where we’re from, need to look at if we’re feeling well and [experiencing] symptoms,” he told Global News in a statement.

Bowman previously worked for hospitals during the SARS outbreak and recalls fearful sentiments around Chinese-Canadian people. “That’s very problematic because we need to look at this from an infection point of view,” he explained.

Kristyn Wong-Tam, a Toronto Councillor, reminded the public of “lessons learned” through a statement released on Twitter.

“Toronto is home to almost 300,000 residents of visible Chinese descent,” said Wong-Tam in the statement. “We all need to stay calm, work together to remain safe and healthy, and continue to build our city on a solid foundation of compassion and love.”

The City Centre will have a new mixed-use pedestrian area Construction will start this summer to build a mixed-used area over the parking lots surrounding Square One CAITLYN RAJKUMAR-SAHADATH

CONTRIBUTOR Last month, the largest development for central Mississauga was announced. Oxford Properties Group and Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo) stated that the Square One District is going to be transformed into the “largest mixed-use downtown development in Canada.”

According to the University of Delaware, mixed-use developments are “pedestrian-friendly developments that blend two or more residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, and/or industrial uses.”

Oxford announced in a press release that they are going to be utilizing the parking lots around Square One to transform them into highdensity living and working zones.

Eric Plesman, the executive vicepresident of Oxford, said they are going to “turn under-utilized land into offices, apartments, and shops [that] will measure 1.67 million square kilometers.”

The first phase of construction, in partnership with The Daniel’s Corporation, will begin this summer. Two residential towers, 36 and 48 storeys respectively, will be built and over the next few decades will integrate more business blocks to tie into the Hurontario Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system.

The Medium spoke to some UTM

students about their opinion on the matter.

Maria Chafe, a fourth-year majoring in English literature, was concerned about parking availability after the project begins.

“A lot of people in Mississauga

teresting to see how this affects the housing market in Mississauga, especially for young people. A lot of us will be moving out, buying or renting wherever we can. I’m excited to see if they’re going to make these options more affordable.”

ment the two residential towers will create 3,500 jobs, but the entire project of converting Square One into a mixed-use development will generate 35,000 jobs, offering careers in all subcategories for Ontarians. The project will also aim to occupy the

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This new space will open up better ways to get to Square One that could cut carbon emissions. drive to Square One to get their shopping and groceries done, and just to hang out,” said Chafe. “Where are we supposed to park our cars if they’re taking the parking lot and making condos out of it?”

She also gave her thoughts on the housing market situation. “It’ll be in-

Oxford spokesman, Daniel O’Donnell announced at a press conference that, “the population of Mississauga is going to double in 20 years, [so we] need to make renting a longterm option for families.”

Oxford and AIMCo also mentioned that with this major develop-

towers with tenants around 2024.

One of the major goals for this project is to bring more connectivity to central Mississauga. By connecting the LRT to City Centre and making it more accessible for commuters to get to-and-from Square One, it allows for more revenue to enter the area.

Another major factor that was taken into consideration was the sustainability of the project. Daily Commercial News said, “the sustainability component is going to be achieved both in our approach to the construction but also the fact that we have the LRT and this multi-modal mobility hub.”

Caitlin Randria, a fourth-year majoring in sociology and education, was excited to hear about the sustainability aspect and the transit connectivity.

“I think this is a great way to encourage more citizens to choose lower-emission options of commuting around the city,” said Randria.

“Reducing carbon emissions is a major issue in our generation, so it’s really reassuring to see that these major corporations are taking sustainability and the environment into consideration when designing these complexes.”

With the heart of Mississauga being a bustling and busy working environment, it is difficult to incorporate pedestrian and walking-friendly spaces.

Oxford and AIMCo plan to change this by introducing The Strand, the area where they’re implementing the pedestrian-friendly and civic sector of the project.

In some parting words, Plesman said, “It will be a place where business, life, and leisure can come together as one.”

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02.10.2020

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Should we get rid of students’ unions?

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After scandals and abuse of power from students’ union, is it time to get rid of them?

ASSOCIATES News: Harris Watkins, Isik Vera Senel, Diljot Badesha Satire: --

AYA YAFAOUI STAFF WRITER

A&E: Shalomi Ranasinghe Features: Latisha Lobban, Bismah Rizvi Sports: Noor Bhatia Photo: Hayden Mak, Kellsy Ann Meneses, Nour Saqqa, Irtaqa Arif

DISAGREE WITH SOMETHING? LETTERS POLICY

Ryerson University recently terminated its agreement with its students’ union, RSU, over the credit card scandal that occurred during the 20182019 year that allegedly saw $275,000 worth of questionable spending. After 34 years, the university cut ties because they “lost confidence” in the union due to financial mismanagement, in-fighting, workplace issues, and disorganization.

The university has also suspended all funding to the RSU on the basis that the RSU cannot lead the student body with good governance nor provide the services students have paid for. In response, the RSU has filed a legal suit against the university to restore its funding and its status as the official elected student representative body, citing a breach of contract with $2.7 million in damages.

In the same boat is the University of Ottawa, where the students’ union there was accused of financial mismanagement and improper governance. An investigation into the federation led to the university withholding the federation’s access to student fees. After the university called for a referendum, students elected a new student body, the University of Ottawa Students’ Union, to represent them.

All in all, this system is a mess. The fact that corruption is so entrenched in students’ union politics is disheartening. The lack of transparency of an elected student body is disappointing. And the inevitable, immediate negative impact on students is unfair and shameful. Yet, I can’t say I’m surprised.

Students’ unions are student-led bodies that are given large amounts of money to use for a variety of causes, and they are entities that go virtually unchecked. They are not scrutinized

by the student electorate nor are they investigated and questioned enough by independent sources such as student-run newspapers or university officials. The most any of us can muster is disdain and the occasional rant to our friends.

In a worst-case scenario, this allows student unions to abuse the power given to them and misappropriate funds, or operate in a disorganized, frustrating manner most of the time.

One need only look to our own students’ union, the UTMSU, for examples of this incompetence.

Club leaders have complained that crucial paperwork submitted to the UTMSU has been lost on numerous occasions, either as a result of a person leaving the position or due to internal disorganization. They have also complained of confusing, frustrating bureaucratic turnarounds that leave them stuck and with no clue on how to move an issue forward. Beyond clubs, there is confusion around some of the services that the union facilitates, most notably the insurance policy provided to students.

One crucial aspect of the UTMSU’s mandate is to further student issues, yet the union seems to be acting as fast as a sloth when it comes to fighting for issues that students are genuinely affected by, the most basic issue being the horrid Wi-Fi that plagues this campus. Oh, and let’s not forget the nepotism that has infected the UTMSU. So, if the students’ union—in particular the UTMSU—is so disorganized and ineffectual, should we even keep it around? Unfortunately, yes.

Students’ unions, when functioning properly, provide students with many important services, chief among them being a voice at the university level.

However, it is the hidden mechanisms that work behind the scenes that need to be discarded or reformed.

So, why does all this keep happen-

ing? The easy answer is student apathy, but apathy is only part of the problem.

The more complicated answer is student alienation, which in turn serves to increase student apathy. The confusing bureaucracy that exists at the heart of student union organizations is a key factor in why many students are not engaged enough to be able to check their student bodies effectively.

Services and policies need to be more accessible for students to allow them to get a clear sense of the things their elected representatives are doing and working towards. Elections and channels of involvement need to be clear and open to give students the opportunity to become easily involved with their student community.

Yet, students’ unions are also plagued by the very nature of their institutions to reproduce the same ideas and leadership as previous iterations.

This has led to the union becoming static and stale, and also allows for corruption to grow. The monopolization of the union elite can only be remedied by factionalism. Essentially, other student groups will need to enter the student political arena and fight for change to advance our micro-democracy.

If all of this sounds pointless or overly idealistic to you, I am inclined to agree. The massive reforms needed to make the student union model functional need a committed student population that will oversee such change and will work to continue it for future generations.

That is a lot of work for a bunch of sleep-deprived, work-swamped, mentally fragile undergraduate students. So, I guess we’ll have to wait until the scandal train rolls into the Student Centre to care enough to even start talking about having the UTMSU fulfill its most basic mission: operating competently.

02.10.2020 THE MEDIUM COMMENT» 7

Learning how our happiness is for sale A trend towards mindfulness has shown consumption and consciousness go hand in hand CESAR HERNANDEZ CONTRIBUTOR As high school approached its end, I was excited to buy my graduation suit. I had worked at a fancy clothing store for a year by then, so I figured I knew my way around fashion. Just two months prior, I had bought a pair of dress shoes that fit and felt perfect.

I thought that my experience with both sales and customers was going to help me in the process of choosing the perfect graduation suit.

I was wrong.

The day I decided to purchase my graduation suit, I spent enough time at the store that it brought on a headache.

Perhaps you have been in a similar situation. The frustration-ensuing, anxiety-kicking, discomfort-entering feeling, where the vein in your forehead is about to burst. All that for what seems like the inability to complete a simple purchase.

But why? The answer, and the complexity of our decision-making processes as customers is equally fascinating. As we strive to become conscious of what is driving us to purchase a product, this becomes more and more relevant to how we navigate our lives.

Imagine you are walking into a store, confidently thinking of an item. You feel sure that you need it, and you know you are going to buy it. If you’re like me, and most other people, countless recollections of this likely flood your memory. But then, we feel this confidence drop towards the ground as we contemplate the countless headphones, shirts, books, and beverages that stare right at us.

How are we supposed to choose the right laptop out of a hundred of options if we couldn’t even decide what

MELANIE PONGRATZ/UNSPLASH.COM

Happiness is unsustainable in the model that holds material possessions as a source of joy. latte to order this morning?

This is what some call the paradox of choice. The more options we have, the happier we will be. And yet, my experience picking out my graduation suit seemed to indicate just the opposite. The options of color, fit, lapel, and number of buttons were endless. I only wanted a suit but was putting the mental effort I needed to buy a car!

I realized how difficult it was to narrow down my choices while remaining conscious of my preferences. Engaging our thoughtful and critical self helps us arrive at the much-wanted choice. Take a deep breath. Make a pros and cons list in your head. Ask if you really want that new pair of shoes, or if that birthday money could be spent on something else. As with everything else, though, that mental effort we exert comes at a cognitive cost.

“I’m smart with my money, I’ll make sure I get a good deal,” I thought as I walked out of the house. I ended up going over my budget. Nearly four hours later, I had a suit, two ties,

three pairs of socks, and a new pocket square. Essentially, I had shopped for the MET gala, not my high school prom. I felt a mild discomfort. I did not know this then, but there was an obvious value-action gap. Back then, I dismissed it using an old trick: “you never know when you are going to need it,” I told myself. And just like that, the discomfort was, at least momentarily, gone.

We often justify our spending behaviors with what we think is the best-fitting rationale. As we line up at the register in the grocery store with 12 more items than we need, our brains go into defense mode. The distress created by the value-action gap is no different in our brains that the distress provoked by failing a test that we studied hard for. The only difference is how our brain bridges the gap: feeling we didn’t study enough and tapping our credit card just in case we want pancakes for breakfast.

Every action that creates a gap with our values leads our brain to justify its choice and rids us of the cognitive dissonance, that feeling of mental

distress due to our inconsistencies.

After I put my items away in the closet, the lingering happiness from my purchase wore away in seconds.

Why did what I felt was a reasonable purchase make me happy for only a few minutes? I began to regret buying the suit and regretted not looking for better options. In fact, the more I entertained this thought, the more I thought of ways in which to regain my happiness. I had searched, found and purchased, but I was back where I started. I had been running a treadmill of pleasure all afternoon, and I was exhausted. Shopping for my grad suit had been a project, not the walk in the park I thought it would be.

To me, retail therapy is counterproductive. Small, momentary highs ultimately and inevitably lead us to a hedonic treadmill. We’ve all felt it: the fleeting happiness at a restaurant after the first bite, or the sudden holiday blues once our plane lands. Yet, the beautiful people in the ads never stop smiling. A perpetual grin signaling to our brain that opening a Coca Cola bottle is opening happiness, and

spraying Gucci Guilty makes us smell like Jared Leto.

The good news for our generation is that a trend towards mindfulness is among us. Consumption and consciousness are starting to go hand in hand. Thrifting clothes and shopping with cloth bags is slowly gaining popularity. Consumption, in great part, is fueled by our desire to seek happiness, which grants more importance to this change. After all, what is more important to us than our own happiness?

Brands have become a part of our lives and our identities. A brand logo study found that recognized logos trigger positive emotional responses in people, while unknown ones don’t.

Our concept of happiness rests partially on the brilliant crafts of creative teams around the world. I associate Air Canada with the time I moved from Colombia, Coca Cola with family gatherings, and Disney with the nostalgia of Saturday morning cartoons. Along with all the other choices we make, it is our responsibility to choose the right brands that will represent our contributions to this change.

Realizing that happiness is just the moment before you need more happiness makes sustainability that much more difficult. We are human, and often we find ourselves torn apart in the paradox of choice, experiencing the discomfort of a value-action gap, and running on the hedonic treadmill. In such conditions, making mistakes seems almost inevitable.

To that, I propose that in the face of this difficulty, we can find salvation.

If we can figure out how to align our inner desires with our outward illusions, we might find that perhaps the best things in life are free.

UTM STUDENTS' UNION SPRING 2020 ELECTIONS Positions Executive Positions (5) President Vice President Internal Vice President External Vice President Equity Vice President Student Affairs

Board Positions (14)

Division 2 Directors At-Large - 11 seats Division 3 Part-Time Directors - 2 seats Division 4 Professional Faculty MAM Representative - 1 seat

Nomination Period:

Campaign Period:

Monday, February 24 at 9AM to Friday, February 28 at 5PM

Monday, March 2 at 9AM to Thursday, March 13 at 6PM

Pick up a Nomination Package in Room 115, Student Centre.

Please bring your T-Card for identification.

Voting Dates:

Silent Period:

Friday, February 28 at 5:01PM to Monday, March 2 at 9AM

All Candidates Meeting: Saturday, February 29 at 12PM

For more information please visit utmsu.ca or contact the Chief Retuning Officer at cro@utmsu.ca @myutmsu

Tuesday, March 11 to Thursday, March 13 from 9AM-6PM

Voting Locations:

Instructional Centre, Kaneff Building, Davis Building, CCT Building, MAM Building, Deerfield Building, and MN Building

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02.10.2020

Editor | Erin Delaney

SATIRE

UTM introduces new Centre for Student Engagements ERIN DELANEY SATIRE EDITOR In the digital age of dating, where your love life hinges on a single swipe or like, it can be hard to find the everlasting love we all crave. That’s why UTM’s Centre for Student Engagement is pivoting from getting students involved on campus to getting students involved with each other.

“The new Centre for Student Engagements really came out of the crippling loneliness that UTM students always complain about.” Valerie Tine, Head of Matchmaking, explained to The Medium. “We encouraged them to talk to people in their classes and ask people out on dates, but they’re about as successful as a Ryerson students’ union. That’s why we are cutting to the chase and helping students find love on campus.”

The Centre for Student Engagements already has a success story under their belt with Nunib Ajjad* and his faithful wife and former boss, Mour Salideeb*, proving that romance is alive everywhere, even in a lackluster and underwhelming students’ union.

“We had been dating for a while before I decided to hire him, but it was love at first sight of the contract,” Salideeb shared. “It was such a whirlwind romance. We were wed in the Davis

OLIVIA BAUSO/UNSPLASH.COM

UTM takes action against crippling loneliness by setting up students for future love and success. food court, honeymooned at the principal’s residence, and made love in the forensic cottage. That’ll give them ample fluids to study.”

“It was such a beautiful wedding,” she continued. “All of my other employees attended the wedding party, and Meric Gertler DJ’d our reception.

I’ve never seen anyone do the worm like that man.”

“People like to hate us, but they’re just jealous of our love and the pay cheques that come out of students’ tuition,” Ajjad told The Medium.

We asked the couple how they keep the passion alive in a bureaucratic environment, to which Ajjad responded, “The most romantic thing my wife ever did was give me a job. Do you know how much you have to love someone

to be able to work with them?”

Salideeb offered her own advice for a successful marriage: “Romance and relationships are all about compromise. Sometimes he’s the dom and I’m the sub, sometimes I’m the boss and he’s the employee. It’s all about give and take. Like, I’ll give him a job and then I’ll take it for myself! When I’m faced with conflicts in my relation-

ship, especially ones of interest, I find the best way to resolve them is to just ignore them and hope no one brings them up.

“I may be pushing my mid-twenties and still working at a students’ union, but the love keeps me young.” She continued. “He’s in the labour union now, which is perfect. Love is labour. The two of us put the ‘union’ in civil union.”

For students unable to hire the loves of their life, the Centre for Student Engagements is proud to introduce new workshops focused on facilitating long lasting relationships. The “I Don’t Hate Your Mom, I Just Don’t Like Her” workshop will teach you how to avoid getting dragged to your significant other’s family events without being sent to the dog house, while “Sharing a Bed 101” and “This Shower Ain’t Big Enough for the Two of Us” give students the skills to share intimate spaces and learn how to conceal their farts from their loved ones.

For gentlemen struggling to please the women in their lives, head down to CC1080 for a workshop on “Cliteracy,” which should help you push your girls’ buttons in just the right way. *Names have been changed to protect the sanctity of marriage.

UTM’s most eligible bachelors share tips and tricks ERIN DELANEY SATIRE EDITOR This article is based on true stories...

Sadly.

While most people spend their undergrad trying desperately to secure their bachelors degree, their love lives are often left in ruins. While it’s important to focus on your degree, why not take a gander at some of UTM’s most eligible bachelors! Read on as they explain their dream dates and recipes for success in their relationships: George is a humble fourth-year who is truly a ladies’ man at heart.

When asked, he described his perfect date, “I take her to the discount movie theatre, then I buy her a burger.

The movie makes her drowsy and the red meat releases more sleep chemicals. The main goal is to get her guard down so that she’ll be more willing to touch my shrimp dick. Then, I take her to my humble abode, my parents basement. I play her three songs very loudly on my piano, and I sing even louder. Then I tell her that her music taste sucks as I attempt to cop a feel.

I try to get laid and get rejected, so I take her back home. The formula is there, it’s just a matter of experimenting on different subjects.”

Seth is a third-year PWC major, and while he doesn’t have a formula for dating, he is reliant on his patented approach. “I’d been making some pretty intense eye contact with this sweet thang in my writing class, so I gathered the confidence to strike up a conversation. After a light roasting of the Men’s Rights Activist sitting across from us, we definitely had a spark.

“I invite her back to my place, and make her watch The Dave Chappelle Show. Neither of us laugh or make any physical contact. She eventually leaves after two episodes and I am left to finish a Tyrone Biggume sketch by myself.

“Next class, I barely talk to her. A week later I DM her on Instagram and invite her to a costume party.

We come up with a great couples costume, and she arrives at my house in full costume. I, on the other hand, am wearing normal clothes. Ladies love surprises. We hang out at my house before our bus comes, and I

avoid making eye contact with her while I try to down as many beers as possible.

“I manage to make her so uncomfortable that she leaves after 15 minutes. Obviously I can’t go to the party now I don’t have a costume, so I DM her and blame her for not being approachable, despite the fact that she had come over to my house after I invited her. The semester passes and we never talk in class again. I’ve been on like, three awful dates with her over eight months, so something about my approach is working. She can’t resist me.”

Even those in committed relationships still display bachelor-like qualities. Jackson Romero’s relationship bliss has melted away due to the stress of Valentine’s Day. He explained to The Medium, “I just got into a fight with my girlfriend.

She was bitching about how I wasn’t going to do anything for Valentine’s Day and that I don’t care about her.

I took her to Wendy’s last week, isn’t that enough? I give her so much. She has no friends because she’s such a loser so I introduced her to mine. I am such a good boyfriend that I talk

JONAS KAKAROTO/UNSPLASH.COM

Unfortunately, the bare minimum is no longer cutting it in dating. about how much she sucks and that I hate her to random strangers sitting beside me in class. A bad boyfriend wouldn’t even mention her at all.”

So when your singleness is getting you down this V-Day, consider how much more awful dating is!

02.10.2020

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Editor | Vinney Wong

CFRE holds relief concert for Australia CFRE Radio hosted their first pub night which also doubled as fundraiser for the Australian bushfires HEMA RAMNARINE CONTRIBUTOR CFRE Radio hosted their first pub night of the semester on January 31. Held at the Blind Duck Pub, the event was organized to raise funds for the Australian Red Cross, to support aid and disaster relief in light of the devastating bushfires still burning across the continent.

Money was raised through PayWhat-You-Can tickets and drinks sold at the bar. They managed to raise an impressive $1,000 over the course of the night, through sales and a matched donation by the CFRE. The night was kicked off by performances from the talented students of UTM, including Fatima Ahma, a beautiful singer and founder of UTM’s Karaoke Club. “I started singing in public in high school, but I was almost too self-conscious to perform tonight. The fact that it was for charity was extra motivation.”

UTM student Riddesh Shah performed a rendition of “The Times They Are A Changin” that had everyone singing along, and you never

NOUR SAQQA/THE MEDIUM

UTM has got talent! CFRE Radio raised $1,000 during an evening of talented performers. would have known that it was his first public performance. “This was my first chance to perform, I wasn’t gonna let it go!”

Shah was followed by first-year

theatre and drama studies student Sierra Small. She blew the audience away with a performance of “In My Dreams,” from the Broadway musical Anastasia. Small, who’s also been

singing since high school, admitted that she was worried about her choice of song. “Sharing art is such a personal thing because you always want to do it justice.” While at first

it might have seemed like an odd choice for a charity concert, Small absolutely made it work.

Dead City Blues, an indie rock band featuring Bartek Godzwan, Daniel Salvador, Josiah Toyo Ta, and Kevin Tran, performed next.

Remarkably, it was also their debut performance.

The student performances were followed by sets from talented local artists DROP TOP ALIBI, DJELO, José Lobo, and Sweet Tooth. The audience was rocking out and having fun, and the event was a resounding success in more ways than one.

“No one really knows that we’re here,” said Gale Dy Sun, events director at CFRE. “Most people walk by us in the student center without noticing we’re here, so we wanted to both put ourselves out there and put on a fun night for the students of UTM, while also helping a good cause.”

All in all, it was a fun night filled with great music, as UTM got to celebrate their own while also donating to a worthy cause.

J. Lo and Shakira dazzle the Super Bowl The Latinx superstars gave their all in a jam-packed show with mesmerizing choreography and projections VINNEY WONG A&E EDITOR After two years of mediocrity, the NFL finally redeemed itself by recruiting Jennifer Lopez and Shakira for its Super Bowl halftime show on February 2. The co-headliners turned the Miami stage into a fiesta with showstopping hits, choreography, and visual projections.

“Hola Miami!” shouted Shakira, who kicked off the spectacle with her 2009 hit “She Wolf.” Flanked by more than two dozen dancers in matching ruby red leotards, the 43-year-old Colombian superstar strutted across the stage before reminding audiences of her rock and roll roots on “Empire” where she riffed on a guitar. She then remixed her number one hit “Whenever Wherever” with Cardi B’s “I Like It,” inviting Bad Bunny out to perform his verse. The Latin trap star seemed to channel his inner tinman for the appearance, wearing head-to-toe silver. One Spanish song wasn’t enough to satisfy audiences, so Shakira threw in the sexy reggaeton hit “Chantaje” (sans Maluma) before closing out her set with global smash “Hips Don’t Lie.” Not to be outshined, Lopez made her grand entrance on top of a fake Empire State Building to “Jenny from the Block.” Dressed in studded black leather and knee-high boots,

TALA ALKHALDI/THE MEDIUM

The iconic performers banded together to mash-up their own hits with extravagant dance numbers.

Lopez descended from a lit-up dancer’s pole onto a mini staircase surrounded by an army of mini-skirted back up dancers. She segued into the romantic comedy rap track, “Ain’t It Funny” then quickly transitioned to her 2005 hit “Get Right,” which was punctuated with a fierce floor slide that had the crowd going wild.

Channeling her Hustler’s charac-

ter, Lopez ascended the pole once more as lasers shot around the stadium and dancers circled her. Straddling upside down on the pole, she performed “Waiting for Tonight” while her dancers boosted her on their shoulders. Colombian reggaeton singer/rapper J. Balvin was then summoned onto the stage to guest on “Booty,” before blending his 2017

smash “Mi Gente” with Lopez’s famous hit, “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.”

Lopez then slowed down the pace, inviting her 11-year-old daughter, Emme, on stage for a reworked version of “Let’s Get Loud.” The song was interspersed with Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” while children sat in lit-up cages—an explicit reference to the immoral im-

migration policies by the Trump Administration. As the tempo increased (thanks to Shakira assisting on drums), Lopez rejoined her daughter on the stage in a massive furry cape with an American flag exterior and Puerto Rican flag interior (a nod to Lopez’s heritage). “Latinos!” she yelled in celebration alongside her daughter—the scene was heartwarming and challenged the “keep politics out of sports” rhetoric that has come to define the league.

The 14-minute performance ended on a high note, with Shakira engaging in a dance battle with Lopez while also trading songs. Lopez sang the opening line of Shakira’s “Waka Waka” before the latter showcased her quick-stepping skills on the track. Lopez returned for Salsa showdown with “Let’s Get Loud” before rising on top of the stage beside Shakira who shouted “Muchas gracias” as fireworks went off in the background.

Although the show felt like two separate entities at times, it was an exhilarating showcase of unity and girl-power. Lopez and Shakira bridged cultures and performance styles to create a seamless spectacle that left audiences with little time to breathe in between songs. They embodied the message of representation and opened audiences to worlds that extend far beyond Miami.

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THE MEDIUM 02.10.2020

The hardships of the K-Pop industry K-Pop is not the bright, happy world that fans perceive it to be as stars are often overworked DANICA TENG ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR People often like to get lost in music. We like the way it makes us feel.

We like the creators and the talent.

Not even language barriers can come between sounds that catch our ear.

Korean may be a foreign language to many here in Canada and globally, but K-pop still manages to enchant such a wide audience no matter where they are. Though K-pop is not the only foreign genre out there, it has made a fast rise to the top in recent times.

K-Pop culture differs from American music in different aspects, one of the more notable ones being their music videos. The budget for these videos can even go up to over a million dollars for some of the more expensive ones. As a result, most music videos gain millions of views—like Psy’s “Gangnam Style” with 3.5 billion views or Blackpink’s “Ddu-Du Ddu-du” with one billion. This massive spread and impact of K-pop has created many dedicated fans worldwide.

But what goes on behind the scenes of these videos? What did it take to create everything that we see? How do K-pop idols seem so perfect?

Behind the curtain, K-pop is a grueling industry, and the path to get there is just as rough. After going through arduous audition processes

ANANYA ANANTH/THE MEDIUM

The K-Pop industry is filled with high standards, rigid training regimens, and extreme diets. and finally getting signed with a company as a trainee, it is still a long road to debut. Even then, life only gets tougher. Diet control, overworking, hate comments, manipulation, mental illnesses, and a no-dating rule are only some of the problems that exist after debut. Though many idols still enjoy the fame and chase it, the common occurrence of hardships within the industry keep getting exposed.

Body image is a big concern, not just in K-pop, but everywhere. In

the music industry, companies will often have strict limitations on an idol’s diet in order to keep a certain image. A former member of the girlgroup Crayon Pop told Insider that they were not allowed to eat midnight snacks, or other things like candy and chips, so they would have to sneak it. Other idols, like BTS, were also known to have some extreme diets.

BTS’ Jin was malnourished as he only ate a total of four chicken breasts a day for a year, with no vitamins. BTS’

Jimin also revealed that he had a diet of eating only one meal a day for ten days, because he wanted to look more handsome. On these small amounts of food, idols and trainees also have to constantly go through rigorous training in a tight schedule, with some even practicing more than ten hours a day.

These diets and training regimens seem to be extreme or dangerous, so why do idols follow them? In some cases, they are limited by their com-

panies on what they can eat or do.

However, a big cause of idols’ body insecurities come from comments worldwide. While many fans support and protect idols, there are still others that can be toxic and attack them with hateful comments. Former Pristin member Kyla received many comments that shamed her body weight, even at fifteen years old. Twice’s Jihyo was told that she looked fat by a photographer while filming a reality girl group survival show. Girls’ Generation’s Yoona has also been criticized for being too skinny and weak-looking.

While some idols have learned to love themselves, and have spoken up against this, seeing negative comments can always hurt. People may internalize these for years, and sometimes it builds up to become too much. Three big suicides in the K-pop industry have happened just within the last three years, causing the media to shine a light on the difficulties of idols and the lack of mental health awareness in Korea. The suicide of SHINee’s Jonghyun came suddenly in 2017, which was followed by f(x)’s former member Sulli in 2019, and former Kara member Goo Hara just one month after. Each suffered from depression among dealing with other tragedies in their life. With the pressure of fame and mass of malicious comments, K-pop may not be as upbeat as it presents itself to be.

Sex Education is delightfully informative The Netflix show touches on many societal issues including sex, abortions, anxiety, and sexuality SHALOMI RANASINGHE ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR Netflix’s Sex Education follows Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), a socially awkward teenager, whose mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson), is a sex therapist. The show also follows Otis’s high school classmates and their life experiences. Considering the show’s title, viewers can expect lots of raunchy sex scenes and conversations about sex. Although the series does cover safe and consensual sex, Sex Education is actually educational in other ways.

Following the release of its second season on January 17, Sex Education continues to educate its viewers by representing different people in society. The series has a diverse cast and covers controversial topics. Not only is the cast diverse in race, but their characters are diverse in experiences, disabilities, and sexuality.

In season one, Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) decides to get an abortion. Considering the controversy and stigmatisms surrounding abortions, the topic is rarely portrayed on television. However, Sex Education does not fear to illustrate the decisions regarding the procedure. They took the scene one step further and hired a medical professional to help with the accuracy, to destigmatize the procedure. Mackey told Teen Vogue, “I think the main point with this episode is we didn’t want to sensationalize abortions, and

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Controversial and taboo topics are discussed at length in this time-ambiguous teen comedy. we didn’t want to make it this huge, dramatic difficult decision.”

In season two, Aimee Gibbs (Aimee Lou Wood) is sexually assaulted on a bus ride to school. A man stands unusually close behind her, to which she realizes he is masturbating on her. She yells that out to everyone on the bus, but no one does anything.

She eventually gets off the bus and walks to school instead. Aimee tells Maeve about the incident and initially tries to brush it off. However, as the season progresses, it becomes

clear that Aimee has been disturbed by the assault. She is unable to ride the bus again, sees the assaulter’s face when she’s out in public, and eventually breaks up with her boyfriend Steve Morley (Chris Jenks).

Season two also introduced a new character by the name of Issac to the cast. Isaac (George Robinson) is a witty boy who plays pranks on others, especially Maeve. Isaac is a diverse addition to the show because he’s a wheelchair user. Throughout the series, he would make dry jokes

about accessibility and showcase the inconveniences wheelchair users face. What makes Sex Education so inclusive is they casted an actor who is a real-life wheelchair user, showcasing different representations of figures in society.

Sex Education also showcased the struggles of mental health. Jackson Marchetti (Kedar Williams-Stirling) struggles with anxiety. In the second season, he purposely injures himself and has to wear a cast. After his cast is removed, he tries to

injure himself again. Jackson opens up to his friend, Vivienne Odesanya (Chinenye Ezeudu). She encourages him to tell his parents about this, but he does not. Eventually, Vivienne takes it upon herself and has the conversation with Jackson’s parents. Sex Education illustrated the difficulties of asking for help and how it can be a vulnerable task. However, they justify the importance of getting help.

The LGBTQ+ community has been represented through many characters during Sex Education’s run. For instance, Jackson parents are Sofia and Roz Marchetti, a lesbian couple, played by Hannah Waddingham and Sharon Duncan-Brewster. The show also includes characters that are gay, pansexual, bisexual, and asexual.

One strength of Sex Education is how they normalize the LGBTQ+ community. The show does not dramatize the relationships or sexuality, but rather normalizes various forms of love and attraction which is powerful and refreshing to watch.

Overall, Sex Education continues to showcase representation through various life experiences and people.

The series is not afraid to cover controversial or stigmatized topics, but rather depicts them with knowledge.

As the series continues, fans can only wait to see other realistic representations and topics that will transpire.

As of yet, there is no official confirmation if Sex Education will be getting renewed for a third season.

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Editor | Fatima Adil

The Stewart x Gilbert collaboration Dr. Stewart and Dr. Gilbert use electrophysiology and human engineered muscle tissue to study DMD cells ELISA NGUYEN CONTRIBUTOR

Many young boys look forward to their first soccer game, to the annual summer canoeing trip, or to throwing a frisbee with friends at the beach.

However, 1 in 3,500 boys are unable to participate. They rely on wheelchairs to move around, and because their muscles progressively weaken, they are faced with cardiac and respiratory problems. Many don’t live past their late teens. These young boys have Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

“It’s a muscle disease,” Dr. Bryan Stewart, professor of biology at UTM, explains to me in simple terms. “It only [affects] boys because it’s a genetic problem with the X chromosome.”

Girls have two X chromosomes and therefore, will not have DMD unless both their chromosomes have the DMD-mutated gene. “The problem arises because [DMD patients] have genetic mutations in the gene that produce a protein called dystrophin.

[Dystrophin] is important for stabilizing muscles.”

Stewart, who researches neurophysiology and muscle physiology, explains that the symptoms of DMD

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Mini muscles are grown in dishes to help further the research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. typically appear in early childhood, when developmental milestones such as walking aren’t reached. DMD is a progressive disease which means that symptoms worsen overtime. The risk of fatality is especially high when muscular degeneration occurs in the heart and lungs.

The DMD gene was discovered over two decades ago and there is plenty of literature on drug treatments for DMD. However, despite

the extensive research, no cure currently exists. Current drug treatments are limited to focusing on reducing or slowing down the progression of muscular degeneration in DMD patients and, as Stewart states, none of them address the “root” of the disease.

The Stewart Lab is collaborating with the Gilbert Lab in hopes of filling in the gaps present in the current DMD research. They use electro-

physiology and human engineered muscle tissue to study DMD cells aiming to discover advances in muscular dystrophy treatments. On January 22, 2020, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) approved a grant to support the two labs’ joint research. The grant will propel the team of researchers forward in their long-term ambition to contribute to an effective overall strategy of treating DMD patients.

*** In 2016, Stewart met Dr. Penney Gilbert, “a stem cell biologist, and a biomedical engineer,” at the Science Leadership Program conference held at the University of Toronto. After they “realiz[ed they] had things to work on together and different sources of expertise,” they decided to join forces. They also considered whether Christine Nguyen, a Ph.D. student in Dr. Stewart’s lab, “was sufficiently interested to work on [the project],” and because she was, they started their collaboration.

Gilbert’s research at the University of Toronto examines “skeletal muscle endogenous repair.” Her lab “grow[s] motor nerves and muscle in cultures from stem cells,” explains Stewart.

“Basically, they’re growing miniature muscles.”

“In a dish,” Nguyen adds.

Stewart’s lab, on the other hand, “works on neurophysiology, muscle physiology, and a lot of development stuff.” With human engineered “miniature muscles” available, courtesy of the Gilbert lab, the Stewart Lab is able to measure the performance of a muscle along with how it interacts with the nervous system “in a way that was impossible before.”

DMD continued on page 13

Black History Month: a brief overview Where Black History Month originated, the month’s mission, and how to properly celebrate it FATIMA ADIL FEATURES EDITOR

The month of February is recognized as Black History Month, a month to celebrate the many achievements of Black Canadians and to acknowledge their struggles. In this article, we’d like to detail the origin of Black History Month, the month’s mission, and the ways we can celebrate it.

According to the Government of Canada website, in 1926, Carter G. Woodson—a Harvard-educated African American historian—established Negro History Week to “honour the accomplishments of African Americans and to heighten awareness of Black history in the United States.”

Negro History Week was chosen to be the second week of February because it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. president who had issued the Emancipation Proclamation which abolished slavery, on February 12, and of Frederick Douglass, an illustrious African American abolitionist leader, orator, and statesman, on February 14. The week was termed Black History Week

in the early 1970’s and “expanded into Black History Month in 1976.”

In 1995, the Honourable Jean Augustine introduced a motion to the House of Commons in Canada to officially recognize February as Black History Month. The motion was successful in December 1995. Augustine is an alumna of the University of Toronto where she received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Education degree. She is “the first African-Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons, the first African-Canadian woman to be appointed to the federal Cabinet, and the first Fairness Commissioner of the Government of Ontario.” She was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2007 for her advocation of social justice and her contribution to Canada.

The first African Canadian man appointed to the Senate was Senator Donald Oliver—a lawyer, real-estate developer, and politician. He introduced a motion to recognize the contributions of Black Canadians in February 2008. The motion was adopted on March 4, 2008.

Black History Month is a time “when people of African ancestry can

come together in memory of [their] rich past,” a time of acknowledging the discrimination and struggles African Americans and Canadians have been forced to endure. As stated on the University of Pacific website, Black History Month “is also an opportunity to correct many of the misrepresentations, misunderstandings and fallacies of African American culture. Black History month promotes opportunities for open dialogue and personal interactions between many cultures. These conversations and interactions can lead to a better understanding and appreciation for what experiences and daily dilemmas each of us goes through as we all try to make contributions to our families and our larger society.”

As the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People explains, there are several ways to celebrate Black History Month, some of which include: supporting a Black business, spending time with a Black elder in the community, reading a book by a Black author, and attending a Black culture event. Individuals can also learn more about Black history, engage in productive conversations

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Augustine, a U of T grad, brought Black History Month to Canada. about Black culture and history on social media, and make a more concerted effort to counter racism and prejudice present in one’s community. The University of Toronto’s Black History 365 committee and the AntiRacism & Cultural Diversity Office have “launched the Black History 365

Calendar to highlight events and programming across the tri-campuses to support [their] ongoing education and learning about the contributions of the Black community in Canada and throughout the world.” Students are encouraged to attend as many events as they can.

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Developing resiliency through adversity UTM’s Equity and Diversity Office organized an interactive workshop to commemorate Black History Month REAGAN ROOPNARINE CONTRIBUTOR

February 5, 2020 marked the first annual Resilience Through Adversity workshop organized by the Equity and Diversity Office at UTM as a Black History Month event. The event was hosted in partnership with the UTM Career Centre, the Centre for Student Engagement, and Connections & Conversations, and was intended to be an interactive workshop where Black youth could receive advice from experienced Black professionals regarding how to handle racism in professional settings. The event also offered opportunities to network with professionals and learn strategies to combat “racialized micro-aggressions in the workplace and academia.”

The evening began with an opening address that consisted of a land acknowledgement, a shout-out to all the organizers, and the singing of the Black national anthem. There was then an empowering speech given

by Jodie Glean-Mitchell. Mitchell, who is in the process of completing a Ph.D. in education at York University, currently serves as the director of the Antiracism and Cultural Diversity of-

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Black professionals from different careers shared their stories and offered mentoring to students. fice at the University of Toronto. She quickly established a sense of community in the room by referring to the event as a “family meeting.” Her speech discussed how to deconstruct the definition of racism, source resilience, and encourage restorative practices.

As Mitchell stated, racism is a “system of beliefs.” Conventionally, the systemic nature of racism is perceived as institutions, laws, and policies. However, as Mitchell argued, the intuitions, laws, and policies were born from a belief system that race is

hierarchical and that some races are superior to others. If systems which perpetuate racism, such as the judicial system, are difficult to infiltrate, then the belief system from which they came is even harder to overthrow. Mitchell also talked about resilience, which she said most is a trait that most assume develops over time.

Mitchell however argued that “we are born resilient.” Therefore, countering adversity requires those who face it to channel their innate resilience.

One of those restorative practices, she advised, is “knowing your worth”

and then ensuring others honor it—a statement which evoked applause from the crowd.

Following Mitchell’s speech were the breakout sessions. Attendees were assigned to different tables, with a facilitator at each table. The facilitators were UTM coordinators, bank managers, and other Black professionals, all of whom were candid in sharing their past experiences. The facilitators asked students to describe their harshest encounters with racism and then shared their own. Upon being asked why they were willing to share

their personal experiences, a facilitator, who wishes to remain anonymous, emphasized the importance of addressing topics which “are the elephant[s] in the room” as it assigns “tangibility to [the issues] instead of making them seem so ambiguous.”

Martina Douglas, the program coordinator at the Equity and Diversity Office, championed the interactive structure of the event and the formation of small groups since “sometimes folks are not really comfortable with sharing” in large groups and the Black community has “become so accustomed to … having folks lecture to [them].”

A recurring theme throughout the event was recognizing the discomfort Black people feel towards calling out microaggressions and discrimination. It was clear that racist behaviour targeted towards Black individuals is often kept private. However, Mitchell, Douglas, and the other facilitators implored Black students to refuse to surrender to discrimination regardless of any possible repercussions. All in all, the Resiliency through Adversity event was a safe space for attendees to share their past experiences and learn about how to combat racism prevalent in the workforce and academia.

Does mixed-use zoning DMD research increase affordability?

DMD continued from page 12

Vinodrai’s award-winning article on housing and mixed-use zoning BISMAH RIZVI ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

Dr. Tara Vinodrai, an associate professor of geography at UTM and a faculty member of the Innovation Policy Lab, received the best article award at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning’s annual conference. The award recognizes the research paper she co-authored with Dr. Markus Moos, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo, and graduate students Nick Revington and Michael Seasons. The Medium sat down with Vinodrai to discuss the topic and impact of the award-winning article.

Vinodrai’s article, titled “Planning for Mixed Use: Affordable for Whom?”, examines how mixed-use zoning affects housing affordability. Mixed-use zoning refers to areas with shared commercial, residential, and sometimes, industrial activity. The term ‘mixed-use zoning’ can also be used to describe an area with different types of housing, such as single-family houses, semi-detached housing, and low-, mid-, or high-rise apartments among other types. More recent city developments tend to plan for mixed-use, whereas in the past, most GTA zones would be single-use.

For example, the neighbourhoods surrounding UTM consist of nearly identical houses in residential areas and there are separate areas designated for commercial use. In comparison, new developments such as the

condos located near Erin Mills Town Center are designed for commercial activity at the lower level and residential units on upper levels.

“The assumption is if you plan for mixed-use neighbourhoods, you’ll get both a variety of housing types and a variety of economic activities, but you’ll also end up with a social mix. The hope is if you allow for this, it will lead to a more diverse city, both economically and socially,” explains Vinodrai. “It’s always assumed but never really tested [so] we decided

Vinodrai says that city planners “need to...think a little harder about what we can do to ensure equity of the city.” [that the research] would be a great way to sort of test out these theories and see what actually happens on the ground.”

Vinodrai discusses how her and Seasons were both interested in answering “what happens in cities as they change and gentrify in terms of the planner’s toolbox.” Their research revolved around analyzing Toronto between 1991 and 2006, specifically focusing on mixed-use zones and housing affordability. What Vinodrai and her team found was that mixeduse zones continue to be less affordable than other parts of the city.

Vinodrai says that city planners “need to do more than just plan for mixed-use [and] think a little harder about what we can do to ensure equity of the city.” In her more recent work, she has found that “cities want to talk about housing and economic development [but] they don’t think about the two together very much.”

New plans for development in downtown Mississauga include numerous positive factors such as investments in greenspace, transit, and housing; however, the government has given little attention to affordability. “I think that’s [a] missed opportunity [for] local municipalities to step in and say, ‘We will let you go ahead with this plan, but you need to include some revisions,’” Vinodrai advises. Working towards affordability in growing cities is possible and we see examples of it in Canadian cities such as Montreal.

Vinodrai hopes this research will “encourage local governments and policymakers to think about…how we [can] support an innovation economy and tech economy, but [also] how [to] do so in ways that don’t displace people.” Seeing that the paper has garnered recognition among academics, planners, the real estate community, and the public, Vinodrai hopes that planners think beyond a zoning designation to “ensure that a mix of land-use also leads to a mix of housing and people across the spectrum [in order] to actually include that equity dimension.”

Nguyen provides further details on the actual process: “We get the stem cells from [the Gilbert lab] and bring [them] back here to UTM where I myself also do the generating of 3D tissue. We work in the cell room, we get those stem cells, and we grow them into these 3D tissues.”

“I have healthy cells as well as DMD cells. And the way we measure the activity of the cell is by looking at the [cell’s] electrophysiology. We characterize the electrical properties of the cell, because every cell behaves as an electrical circuit. Understanding the properties of it is important for us to understand how the cells function.”

“And the third thing we do is add drug [treatments],” Stewart continues. “We can compare a healthy [muscle tissue] to diseased [muscle tissue] and compare the before and after drug treatment effect.”

“My lab doesn’t have expertise on stem cell or muscle engineering. [The Gilbert Lab] doesn’t have expertise on physiology and neurobiology. But together we have all the required tools.

We couldn’t have started the project without them, and they couldn’t have done the project without us. It’s a true collaboration.”

“And [Nguyen] is the main person on our side,” adds Stewart. “It’s the graduate students doing most of the work.”

Nguyen says that the project is “not [a] typical nine to five job. You have to wait on the cells, and when they’re ready, you have to jump on it because you have a time frame to get things done.”

“It’s bloody hard work—very finicky,” Stewart affirms.

With the approved grant from

CIHR, Stewart, Nguyen, and the Gilbert lab are one “baby step” closer to finding an effective treatment strategy for DMD. “We got some support from UTM Principal’s Research Office [who] provide funding for projects.

That helped [us] get off the ground,” Stewart acknowledges. When his lab’s proposal was later approved by CIHR, Stewart recalls feeling “surreal.”

“It didn’t hit him for a few days,” Nguyen laughs. “When he first told me, I was like, ‘Why aren’t you excited? Did it hit you yet?’ and he was like, ‘I don’t think so.’ And the next week I see him just smiling, and I’m like, ‘It hit you!’”

“Because the success rate [of receiving CIHR funding] is so low, you can never really expect to get it.

That’s not to say our research is better than other research. There is a ton of good non-funded research.” The CIHR funding will support graduate and postdoctoral student salaries and help the lab purchase equipment and necessary supplies. Essentially, “the funding allows us to do the work,” says Stewart.

“In the end, we’d like to think what we’re working on will contribute to an overall strategy of treating DMD patients. That could include drug therapies, it could include stem cell therapies, or [it could include] gene editing technologies,” explains Stewart.

“We’re also aiming to do something like personalized therapies.

If you had DMD, we’d be able to go in, take your stem cells, make your muscles in a dish, and test different drugs treatments that might work for you, [but] might not work for others,” Nguyen adds.

“But all that stuff is a long way down. [Essentially,] the eventual [goal] is to try and help people.”

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Editor | Sarah-May Edwardo Oldfield

Exercise can improve brain functioning A recent study on Alzheimer’s has found that aerobic exercise can improve executive brain functioning ANDREW STONE ASSOCIATE S & H EDITOR Executive functioning in the brain is of critical importance as it involves learning, working memory, and selfcontrol. With time, all of us will be subject to the deterioration of these skills, but there are ways to maintain proper cognitive functioning for as long as possible.

A study from the University of Wisconsin tested the benefits aerobic exercise has for brain functioning. The study focused on 23 adults between the ages of 45 and 80, selfreporting very little physical activity, and had a documented parental history of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Alzheimer’s Disease is shown to be linked to metabolic deficits in the Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC) and involves a rapid decline in executive functioning (the set of mental skills that include working memory, self, control, learning, and flexible thinking).

A decline in executive functioning can lead to difficulties in a number of cognitive abilities like focus, managing emotions, following directions, and many others, some of which are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Therefore, the research team wanted to see if increases in aerobic exercise

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Increased physical activity increases oxygen consumption in the brain which has positive effects. would improve the brain’s metabolic abilities (chemical breakdown) and reduce the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The participants were split into two groups: one group was given a brief education on the benefits of regular physical exercise and given no further instructions; the other group was tasked with undertaking

three sessions of cardio exercise per week for 26 weeks.

All participants were given an accelerometer (an electronic device that measures changes in speed) to keep track of their regular activity and how much time they spent in sedentary positions. They were asked to go on a 12-hour fast of all substances, including alcohol, food, and medications, before meeting with the

research team. The team would take their blood pressure measurements, draw blood samples, and perform brain imaging procedures. Finally, technicians assessed each participant in their capacity to carry out normal executive functioning.

During these sessions, the exercise group (labelled the enhanced physical activity group) ran on the treadmill for 15 minutes. Each week, the

time increased by five minutes, finishing with a 50-minute runtime by the end of the 26 weeks. They were monitored for their cardiorespiratory functioning (CRF), the ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to muscles during physical activity during each session.

The results of the study showed that increased physical activity improves cognitive functioning and can influence the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. The increase in aerobic activity improved the participants’ cardiorespiratory functioning, which increased the amount of oxygen sent to the brain. The increased oxygen consumption in the brain was found to be related to better executive functioning.

They also found a significant improvement in the brain’s glucose metabolic functions, specifically in the PCC area linked to Alzheimer’s development.

While this research has significant potential for people at risk for Alzheimer’s Disease, the findings may also have implications for everyone.

Improvements in executive functioning can benefit anyone. The fact that three sessions per week is all it takes and only requires up to 50 minutes of your time makes for an attainable addition to anyone’s schedule.

Smell the roses, improve your memory Odours presented during learning and testing helps improve both memory consolidation and retrieval DUAA NASIR CONTRIBUTOR If there is one thing we all have learned throughout our education, it is how to memorize a large amount of information in a very short amount of time. Many of us have tried mnemonics, storytelling, rereading, and rewriting, but how many of us have tried smelling a rose? This may seem strange to hear, but according to a recent study, presenting an odour cue while sleeping can increase memory consolidation and optimize learning.

How memory works is a fascinating and complex process, but you can break it down into three simple steps: encoding, consolidating, and retrieving. When you learn some new information, your brain encodes it into your short-term memory in the hippocampus (the region of the brain involved in learning and memory).

Encoding causes neurons (nerve cells) to fire in a specific pathway, which become more familiar the more you access the memory. This consolidates the memory, or shifts it from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. You can compare it to walking down a path

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Smelling cues (or auditory cues if you don’t like strong smells) can improve learning and memory. through the forest. The first time, you have to think carefully about where you are going, but if you do it long enough, eventually you will be able to walk the path with barely any thought. The final step, retrieval, is the process of accurately recalling the now-consolidated memory.

What scientists have found is that sleeping can help strengthen the connections between neurons, therefore helping to integrate short-term memories into long-term memories.

A study from the University of Lu-

beck in Germany found that presenting an odour while learning the locations of objects, and then presenting the same odour during the slow-wave sleep (SWS) part of the sleep cycle improved memory consolidation. They believed that the scent reactivated the part of the brain containing the short-term memory which increases its likelihood of being integrated into the long-term memory.

Another recent study tested this, and if presenting the odour cue all night rather than just during SWS still

increased retention.

This study involved students from two classes who were randomly assigned to either a test or control group. The test group was taught and tested on German-English vocabulary under four different conditions: No odour cue (N), rose odour during the vocabulary learning period at home and the vocabulary test at school (LT), rose odour during the vocabulary learning period and every night the week before the test (LS), and rose odour cue while learning vo-

cabulary at home, every night while asleep, during the test (LST).

Each condition lasted a week. They found that there was not much of a difference between the test and control groups when a rose scent was presented during just the learning and testing period, or when no scent was presented at all.

However, when the scent was presented during learning periods, and every night before the test, the test group did significantly better than the control group. This benefit increased when the scent was also presented during the testing period, suggesting that the odour helps with both memory consolidation and memory retrieval.

Now, you might be considering applying this knowledge to your own lives. However, if you’re not a fan of strong scents, then you can also try auditory cues. Some research has shown that playing a recording while sleeping can help with memory consolidation. You can also experiment with the intensity or use different scents for different subjects to reduce memory interference.

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Eagles fall short against UTSC Maroons UTM’s Women’s Tri-Campus volleyball team put up good fight against UTSC, but couldn’t come up with win ROBERT BUI CONTRIBUTOR On Sunday, February 2, the UTM Women’s Tri-Campus Volleyball team faced off against UTSC in their second last game of the season. The lady Eagles were searching for their first win of the season in a tough contest against the best team in the division.

Although playing their best volleyball of the season, the women’s team could not find the composure to close out sets. UTSC won in three straight sets but were pushed to their limit in the first and third sets.

The game started in UTM’s favour sparking a 3-1 lead with a combination of mistakes from the UTSC side and a solid defense from UTM’s libero, Alyssa Maxwell, who was making the first set look great. But UTSC, as strong as they are, tied the set after a rally that saw the ball crossing the net a total of eight times, 6-6.

Fourth-year Madeleine Myers showed her quality with attacks from the front and back row, which forced UTSC’s coach to take a timeout, with UTM up, 15-11.

Out of the timeout UTM continued their strong play and kept the margin within four, 19-15. But some

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High spirits and resilience carried the team throughout their sets, but they ultimately lost to UTSC. strong play from UTSC closed the gap 19-19 shortly after. UTM fought back for their lead and forced another timeout by UTSC late in the first set, 23-21. Another two points would seal the first set for UTM but out of the timeout, momentum was stunted and UTM looked nervous.

The women conceded the next four

points to lose the first set, 23-25.

UTSC went into the second set with a different mind-set and forced UTM into a timeout. UTSC led by six early in the second set, forcing another timeout when they pushed the lead to nine points, 3-14.

Fourth-year student Jessica Reynolds told The Medium, “We didn’t get

tired, [we] just put too much pressure [on ourselves] mentally. Volleyball is such a mental game. In the second half of the set we took pressure off ourselves.” UTM went on to show their spirit as they salvaged more points, losing the second set, 11-25.

UTM began to show flashes of

resilience from their first set as they traded points with UTSC to take a lead, 7-6, early in the third set. Both teams showed lots of quality on the defensive side and points were coming by way of mistakes, 16-16. UTM unfortunately failed to get another point for the rest of the match and lost, 16-25.

UTM failed to win but played exceptionally against UTSC. Madeleine Myers had a few words for The Medium: The Medium: Losing the set in such tight fashion, what was the team like during the set break?

Myers: “The team was on a high, we had really good energy and felt like it was the best set we’ve played this season. The timeout at the end broke our momentum, and we lost the set, but we were still in really high spirits.”

TM: Whose performance do you think stood out?

Myers: “It was a team effort. The coach tried to get everybody in and everybody pulled their own weight and made some nice plays. Sarah has been a great coach… she pushes the team in a great way nobody ever feels down or defeated. This year we trust and agree with the coach.”

Tenacious UTM team blocked by UTSC UTM Men’s Tri-Campus volleyball take the UTSC Maroons to four sets, but can’t complete a comeback ROBERT BUI CONTRIBUTOR Unfortunately, playoff hopes for the UTM Tri-Campus Men’s Volleyball team were crushed on January 26 in a loss to the UTSC Maroons. UTM, however, looked forward to playing without the pressure of playoffs on their mind and looked to have fun for their game on February 2.

Before the game, The Medium spoke to fourth-year Diego Solari, second-year David Ugobor, and fourth-year Joel Mcleod about the state of the team: The Medium: What was the case for last week’s game against UTSG Red? Solari: “Well we beat Red first set but just fell apart mentally afterwards.

Just super inconsistent, we weren’t playing to our fullest potential.”

TM: Why do you think the team hasn’t played to your full potential?

Mcleodi: “Well we only get one practice per week… we would definitely like to see more practices so that we can play better but the league doesn’t allow it.”

TM: How do you compare this season to the last?

Ugobor: “Last year was definitely a better experience, we had more chemistry on the court and made it to the finals. This year we have the talent and height but again just super inconsistent. We’re kind of like drugs, we all do our thing on our own but when we’re put together it’s kind of an experiment.”

TM: How do you feel going into this game knowing you can’t make the playoffs?

Solari: “It’s kind of a load off our minds because we don’t have to play

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The team kept the score close during the game, but unfortunately didn’t manage to get the W. with pressure on ourselves. We want to just play, get our hits in and never mind the score to be honest.”

The UTM Men’s team lacked their ordinary setter, so Edwin Pepelijak filled the role. Although they played solid, UTSC managed to finish the game in four sets, 1-3.

The first set started with high energy and both teams traded points, 5-5. UTM started to gain steam and attacked strong. UTSC pulled the game in their favour after UTM gave points away on questionable double touch calls, 13-15.

UTM’s mistakes piled on and their deficit stretched to five points, 16-21.

After a long rally (nine hits), UTM failed to put the ball away and faced set point 20-24. After a questionable net call by the referee, UTSC won the

first set, 21-25.

Early in the second set, a strong serve was given by Ugobor, giving UTM a lead, 4-2. More double touch calls were going against the favour of UTM and stunted the pace of the set, 6-6. UTM gained steam off of their play above the net and forced UTSC to take a timeout, 12-8.

Out of the timeout their momentum continued, leading to a nice set from Pepelijak to Solari. A huge block

by Mcleod stretched the UTM lead to seven points, 16-9. Ugobor continued the onslaught with an attack from the back row, 19-12. UTSC closed the gap and made the second set tight, 2222. UTM clinched two points to give themselves set point, 24-22. Mcleod finished the set strong with a spike down the right line, 25-23, handing

UTM their first win of the day.

UTSC came out of the set break determined to win another game, going on a run using quicks to secure points, 1-9. UTM stayed determined to play out the third set and played point for point to get into a five-point margin, 9-14. Both teams played with an edge, trading points for the whole set, 20-23. UTSC give themselves a set point by using their quickness again, 20-24. Although refusing the set point twice, UTM lost on another double touch call, 22-25.

The beginning to the fourth set looked similar to the third as UTSC pulled ahead 1-6, forcing a timeout

by UTM. The men recuperated out of the timeout and got themselves within two points, 4-6.

Both teams kept it tight and at-

tacked strong. UTSC went on another streak and started to close the game out, 12-19. UTM kept their composure facing a big deficit, and a big hit from Ugobor sent the game within two points again, 19-21. However, UTSC went on a four-point run and closed the game out, 19-25.

The UTM Men’s Volleyball team failed to get their second win of the season but showed a lot of quality and talent above the net. Although their regular setter was out, the team pushed the match to four sets and kept every set close. Solari, Ugobor, and Mcleod spoke after the game: TM: There were a lot of questionable calls: did you agree with the referee’s decisions? Were they getting to your heads?

Solari: “No! Lots of double touches this game, and some double touches happened that weren’t called, and some that shouldn’t have been called.

It was really inconsistent refereeing.

We didn’t let the calls get to us though.

We can’t let each point affect us.”

TM: Do you think you guys managed well, not having your regular setter?

Mcleod: “Yeah, Edwin did very well considering it was his first time setting. He made some good decisions and didn’t make too many mistakes.”

TM: What was the mindset after winning the second set? Could this have been a win on another day?

Solari: “After winning the second set, we were just thinking we got to keep up that type play. On our day we could’ve won. Today the passes could have been more on target, but still there wasn’t a lot of pressure this game and nobody was negative which helped.”