THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA
Novemeber 19, 201 8 Volume 45, Issue 1 0 themedium.ca
UTMSU tackles online voting?
A student’s take on UTMSU pay
Women’s rights aren’t so trifiling
From UTM professor to CEO
Homage to a friend
News, page 2
Opinion, page 4
Arts, page 5
Features, page 8
Sports, page 11
UTMSU ‘course retake policy’ a reality Amendments to the “repeating passed courses policy” gives students a second chance at a better grade ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR Last week, the University of Toronto Mississauga Academic Affairs Committee passed a motion to make changes to the existing Repeating Passed Courses policy that currently allows students to use one repeated course credit towards their cumulative grade point average (CGPA). With the new changes, the second attempt will be labeled as a “Second Attempt for Credit” (SAC), and it will count toward credit totals and their GPA. The changes come after years of advocating done by the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) for a “Course Retake Policy.” According to the current policy, “students are allowed to repeat passed courses only once” and “the second attempt is not counted in the student’s GPA calculations or in the degree credit count but is instead denoted as ‘extra’ on the student’s academic record.” In 2012, the UTMSU brought up the issue after succeeding on passing the “Credit/No Credit Policy.” In their advocacy work with the Office of the Dean and the UTM Registrar,
the union stressed the importance of academic policies that would help combat poor mental health among students. During the meeting, UTMSU President Felipe Negata praised the policy, stating, “I cannot begin to imagine the number of students this policy will help. I’m an international student and, reflecting on my experience, I moved here by myself—I was learning how to cook and budget my finances, and I was also taking a full course load. It’s really exciting to see what we’re doing here today, the second chance we’re giving to students.” “I’ve been able to call UTM my home for the past four years, and like a home it’s always nice to see improvements,” he continued. Since September of 2015 there have been 1340 instances of repeating passed courses. When the second attempt was completed, students achieved a median increase of thirteen per cent over their previous grade. Of the overall instances, ten per cent of students received lower marks than their original grade. During the meeting, acting VicePrincipal Academic and Dean Angela Lange stated, “[Grades] don’t improve hugely on average, so the notion is
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The policy change will go into effect starting May 1st, 2019. why not let them have that percentage increase? We don’t want students to think, ‘I’m going to take this second attempt and I’m now going to
increase my GPA a huge amount’. A student who got a seventy isn’t all of a sudden going to get a hundred.” The policy changes passed unani-
mously, and will go into effect starting May 1st, 2019. Policy continued on page 2
PSLA panel discusses the impact of 1968 The panel took an interdisciplinary approach at how political events fifty years ago have shaped politics today MELISSA BARRIENTOS ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Last Wednesday, the Political Science & Pre-Law Association hosted an interdisciplinary panel called “The Impact of 1968: How the World Changed,” in recognition of global events that “shocked the world” fifty years ago. With an interdisciplinary approach to the political and cultural revolutions of 1968, the panel consisted of professors from Political Science, History, and Sociology, including UTM Professor Mark Lippincott and UTM Professor Spyridon Kotsovilis from the department of Political Science, U of T Professor Sean Mills from the department of Historical Studies, and U of T Professor Kristin Plys from the department of Sociology. Professor Kotsovilis opened the panel with an introduction to four events that highlighted the year: the communist North Vietnamese surprise attack on South Vietnam and the U.S., the two-week long strikes throughout France led by students
PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The panel discussed the North Vietnamese attack on South Vietnam and the U.S. and workers, the brief period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia known as the ‘Prague Spring’, and the staggering effects of Maoism in China.
Viewing the revolutionary events of 1968 through a global perspective, Plys stressed the fact that it was the idea of decolonization that spurred strikes and movements
against traditional political parties. After World War I, the U.S. emerged as a superpower with political and military dominance, but it’s involvement in the Vietnam war stirred
civil unrest as more than 16,000 Americans had already died in Vietnam when the North Vietnamese communists launched the ‘Tet Offensive,’ which took the U.S. army by surprise. Following the attack, Vietnam War protests began across America, which was compounded by the civil rights movement and the beginning of the cold war. Similarly, in Asia, Plys stated that people began to realize “not much changed after they gained independence” and attempted to “fully realize their global independence.” For instance, in India, workers were promised an improvement of working conditions but were instead met with poorer conditions than when they had been ruled by Britain. Moreover, the student-worker protests for better working conditions and civil rights transformed France and paved the way for the women’s liberation movement and the gay rights movement in the years to come. Panel continued on page 2
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THE MEDIUM 11.19.2018
EEU introduces expanding intership programs
No campus police reports were submitted to us as of press time.
These reports are those that have been released to The Medium 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 8477.
Comparing 1968 to 2018
PHOTO FROM UNSPLASH.COM
EEU has helped in the implementation of a new fourth year internship course, CPS400 Policy continued from page 1 The meeting also provided an update on the ‘experiential learning’ initiatives the university has been implementing. Experiential Learning Officers Stephanie Vega and Kayla Sousa, who offer direct support to the department of biology, the department of chemical and physical sciences, the forensic science program, as well as the Institute of Culture, Communication, Information and Technology (ICCIT), discussed what UTM’s new Experiential Education Unit (EEU) has done since the end of the 2017-2018 academic year. By performing outreach to new
and existing placement partners, the EEU has assisted with the aforementioned departments to offer new, and expanded, internship opportunities, including the department of Biology’s fourth year internship course, BIO400. As a result of their efforts, the EEU has obtained eighteen new internship opportunities for the 2018-19 academic year were created with a final student enrolment of 15, with all students being successfully placed into internships. With regard to the department of chemical and physical sciences, the EEU has assisted in the implementation of a new fourth year internship course, CPS400, which created nine new internship opportunities for the 2018-2019 academic year.
“In formalizing these opportunities, pre-existing relationships with partners were strengthened, and new partnerships with the university were formed,” Vega said during the meeting. “We have seen a tremendous growth, particularly in the internship courses,” stated Sousa. “We had a goal in May of securing about ten to twelve internship postings which students could then apply to. We were ultimately able to procure forty-nine.” In the coming year, the EEU hopes to establish a feedback advisory board consisting of partners and alumni, as well as host information sessions for students.
UTMSU releases AGM agenda Union looks to endorse their separation with the UTSU
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Kotsovilis says the events are distant but still traumatic. Panel continued from page 1 Lippincott followed with a review of what changed and what didn’t change between 1968 and 2018. In the U.S. there were about 159 riots during 1967, and many more in 1968 following Martin Luther King’s assassination, reflecting the unrest within the country in the midst of the Vietnam War. Two months later, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy drew out a social disillusion of political justice. Among the outbreaks of protesting, students led powerful strikes in colleges, and Yale University considered admitting women, which came to pass years later. “We think these events are distant,” said Professor Kotsovilis, “but they are still traumatic events being
felt to this day.” Professor Lippincott ended his portion of the panel by highlighting the overlap between the “newleft” and the “new-right” in the U.S. He argued that both are currently anti-corporation, and anti-elite. Both sides of the political spectrum believe that “everybody is lying to [them]” and that the media should not be trusted. The panel wrapped up with a Q&A where a brief review was given about the comparison between events that occurred in 1968 and are still in effect today, including the Second Wave Feminist Movement, the instability of the European Union (EU), and the ongoing fight for justice and democracy in Mexico.
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UTMSU is hosting its AGM at the end of November. ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR On November 29th, the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the 2018-2019 academic year which will see the endorsement of the separation between the UTMSU and the UTSU, bringing the two organizations a step closer to terminating the Associate Membership Agreement (AMA) they signed in April 2008 and the possibility of implementing online voting for UTMSU elections.
The official process of breaking ties began earlier this month during the University of Toronto Students’ Union’s (UTSU) AGM. The motion to endorse the separation passed unanimously with 222 votes. The two unions hope to separate by August 31, 2019. There is only one motion submitted by a student, calling on the UTMSU to implement an online voting system for their elections in a similar manner to that of the UTSU election system. The motion, put forward by UTM student Ethan Bryant, criticizes UT-
MSU elections for “their toxic nature,” and states that “the competitive nature of election campaigns leave students open to being harassed by campaigners.” Citing the necessity of open and accessible elections, the motion goes on to say, “[Be it resolved that] the UTMSU consult with the UTSU to properly set up an online voting system that mirrors the UTSU’s voting system.” The annual general meeting with be held in IB140 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
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Five days of giving at UTM
11.19.2018 THE MEDIUM NEWS
The week-long event, organized by the UCS, is in its fourth year
HUMANS OF UTM
MUHAMMAD ALI/THE MEDIUM
Five Days of Giving also included de-stressor events for students. SHVETA BHASKER
Last week, the Undergraduate Commerce Society (UCS) organized their annual “Five Days of Giving” event. All the events took place in the Kaneff building and Student Centre, and all proceeds from the week-long event went to Operation Christmas Child, an initiative being led by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization. The first day was dedicated to collecting toys for a toy drive, the
second day they collected School Supplies, the third day there was a Henna station, on the fourth day there was a de-stressor event where students made tie-dye t-shirts, and on the last day there was also a volunteer wrap-up where all the attendees volunteered at local charities and collected items to be packed for delivery on Saturday. Maryem Abbas, UPS’ Creative and Promotion Director, stated that, “each year we choose a different charity and this year we chose Operation Christmas Child. The Undergraduate
Commerce society is aiming to help students work with the community around them”. When asked about their future aim with the event, UPS’ Chief Branding Officer Asheesh envisioned that the event will “help engage our members with the community” and that “children that don’t get toys for Christmas otherwise will get supplies and toys that will help them.” The UCS is in its fourth year of hosting the weeklong event, and hope to host it again next year with another charity.
U of T receives research funds Four UTM professors have received and renewed research chairs
PHOTO FROM UNSPLASH.COM
The cumulative value of the funding to the U of T Research chairs is $19 million. ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR Last week, federal science minister Kirsty Duncan announced at the University of Toronto that the university will be home to twenty-one new and renewed research chairs. The chairs are spread across a variety of disciplines, including the departments of molecular genetics, biology, medical biophysics, immunology, nursing, physics, and statistical sciences, among others. The cumulative value of the funding to the U of T chairs is $19 million. The announcement comes as a part of the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) which, according to their website, “stands at the centre
of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world’s top countries in research and development.” Of the twenty-one chairs awarded to U of T, half of them went to women. This comes after the university implemented the recommendations of an equity-diversity and inclusion working group that was struck last year. “We hold these principles as central to our public mission and our commitment to academic excellence,” stated U of T president Meric Gertler in an article released by the university. Two UTM professors received research chairs recognition, including the department of biology’s associate professor Marc Johnson, who has a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Ur-
ban Environmental Science, and the department of psychology’s associate professor Elizabeth Johnson who received a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Spoken Language Acquisition. Professor Patrick Gunning, from the department of chemical and physical sciences, renewed his tier 2 Canada Research chair in medicinal chemistry. Johnson, awarded a Tier 2 Research chair in Urban Environmental Science, also serves as Director for the Centre for Urban Environments at UTM. Duncan also announced the Canadian government’s plan to invest $210 million over the next five years to add 285 additional chairs to the CRC program.
“ The reason I stay motivated is I really want to succeed in life. Looking up to my brothers and sisters, I see all of them suddenly in their own different places. I’m the youngest in the family, so every one of my other siblings, they’ve already established themselves in life. I really want to be able to get myself to that same kind of place with them. I guess being raised as the youngest, everyone is expecting the best of me. I’m mainly not wanting to disappoint them, but I want to make sure that my parents sending me here from Kenya was the smart choice and they got something out of that. One way to stay motivated is to see every new thing that I do as a new experience. Whatever I’m doing in class is going to be applicable to my new life.
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11.19.2018
MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Mahmoud Sarouji editor@themedium.ca
UTMSU Wage increase
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The folks at UTMSU work hard, and they absolutely deserve the salary increase, so why the fuss? If you ask any UTMSU executive this year or in the past, they will tell you that they are overworked and underpaid. And I believe them. I have personally witnessed their grueling schedules, and the energy they put into their work. Just take a night stroll by the student center any weekday, you’re bound to see a few of them still at the office. Yet, the fee increase has made quite a few people unhappy. Why is this? Sure, it would have helped if there were no scandals, or if the scandals were handled with a bit more matu-
rity. And we all wish we had the ears of our officials. But I think through the years, for one reason or another, the UTMSU has lost its vision. If you’re an optimist, you might imagine the student government being made up of the best and brightest. They get things done, own up to their mistakes, and you’re a bit melancholy at the thought of them leaving to do greater and better things. In which case, what is an extra dollar per year from everyone at UTM? Heck, doubling their salaries will only cost me $10 bucks, and that’s my “lost Tcard” budget. But that’s probably never going to happen, so what about this:
It’s a volunteer position. They get to plan some parties, order some pizza, and even sit in on meetings and pretend the administration cares. At the end of the year, they leave with some more friends, a new line in their resume, and if no one will hire them they can come back and do some coordinating or whatever. Either way is fine. The salary matches the expectation which matches with the responsibility. That is not what we have now. We have a student union that tries to do too much, accomplishes too little, and is responsible to no one. So what if the UTMSU last year failed to deliver on a single one of their campaign prom-
ises? They get to collect their paychecks and not “respond for a comment on any of the work they have done while in office this year.” (The Medium, March 2018). UTMSU should rethink their role on campus if people think the work being done deserves less than minimum wage. RUSSELL WU
CORRECTION NOTICE The November 5 article “UTMSU raises executive salaries” was corrected.
11.19.2018
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Trifles: bringing new relevance to a classic The English and Drama Student Society’s production reimagines Galspell’s feminist drama Trifles REBECCA FLEMISTER
This past weekend on November 16 and 17, UTM’s English and Drama Student Society presented Trifles in the MiST Studio Theatre, a production described as “a play built upon the ruins of Susan Glaspell’s text.” Susan Galspell’s Trifles, often included in American literary canons as an example of an early feminist drama, is predominantly a play about the divisions between men and women. Trifles shed a light on the established gender roles of its time to address how men contributed to female oppression. Director Christina Orjalo and her creative team acknowledged the vast changes in feminist thought since the play’s original release by reimagining Trifles as a new feminist work for a new generation. This production interrogates Glaspell’s play through an intersectional feminist lens and populates the stage with a diverse all-female cast. The original Trifles begins with three men entering the empty home of Mr. and Mrs. Wright, followed by their wives. The men in the play investigate the murder of Mr. Wright. The majority of the suspicion for his murder falls on his wife, Mrs. Wright. Throughout the investigation, the male characters belittle the female characters and dismiss their attempts to help with the case. But as the men search the upstairs of the house for
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Trifles represents diverse voices and brings new relevance to a historical piece. evidence, their wives find clues to solve the murder downstairs in the kitchen. They piece together that Mrs. Wright was being abused by her husband, giving her a motive for his murder. Understanding how it feels to be oppressed by men, the wives hide the evidence that would lead to Mrs. Wright’s arrest, which can be read as a gesture of female solidarity. Although Glaspell’s play addresses the feminist issues of its time, it only truly represents white middle class woman. The EDSS production seeks to include the types of female voices that the original production left out. In Christina Orjalo’s adaptation of Trifles, the division of power isn’t defined by gender, but by privilege. By making all of the characters in the play female, she is able to show how
women oppress one another based on their differences. The show illustrates that patriarchal oppression is not just a system enforced by men, but an ideology that has been unconsciously internalized by both men and women. This production attempts to explore most forms of modern social oppression that affect women. In Ally Matas’ portrayal of police Sergeant Henderson, she incorporates the same dismissive and domineering qualities in her performance that the male version of her character exhibited in the original text. Henderson’s demeaning comments towards her more traditionally feminine wife, played by Zahra Sina, points to the internalized sexism that can exist in relationships between women. This kind of internalized discrimi-
nation is incorporated within every female relationship in the play. Officer Zaidi, played by Rochelle Thevasagayum, fights to gain respect as a woman of color in the police force, but in the process, she dismisses women with less prestigious careers than herself. P. I. Garcia, played by Saskia Muller, tries to compensate for her lack of police training by antagonizing the police officers who are treating her like she’s incompetent. And all of the women dismiss Louise Hale (Daniella Khayutin), a Russian immigrant who works in the building where Mr. Wright was murdered. All the while Officer Peters, played by Jane Mackenzie, is dealing with internalized homophobia against herself as she attempts to reconcile her romantic feelings towards the accused
Mrs. Wright, and come to terms with her queer identity. The show attempts to personify the idea of intersectionality by forcing every character to confront both her privilege and her lack of privilege, how she is both the abused and the abuser. The show is thematically strong, however there are minor technical issues that leave it feeling unfinished. The set was covered with crumpled solo cups and party debris, which became distracting, especially when the cups were accidently kicked aside in the middle of a scene. Some of the dialogue that was written by the cast became unnecessarily expositional and they occasionally spelled out the underlying themes of the show instead of letting the subtext and symbolism speak for itself. This show does pack an unbelievable amount of social commentary into a 30-minute one act play. The cast touches on racism, sexism, classism, xenophobia, work place discrimination, and unrecognized domestic labour. The show also effectively inverts and interrogates a canonized classic by showing that women can convincingly play the same types of roles that men have always been allowed to play. Christina Orjalo’s Trifles is a show with a lot of intelligence and heart, and an unbelievable amount of potential. The show represents diverse voices in its conception, creation, and execution, and brings new relevance to a historical piece of feminist drama.
Paint Battle: brushing past the competition The Department of Visual Studies SS, Arts for Hearts, and UTMSU collaborated to host a paint battle SAHIBA SHAH
A Paint Battle was held last Wednesday evening at the Student Centre, hosted by the Department of Visual Studies student society in collaboration with UTM Arts for Hearts and the UTMSU. Easels and canvasses were set up in the middle of the Presentation room for eight artists who would go through four rounds of painting in order to win a grand prize. Each round eliminated two painters according to audience vote. Free food was also provided, along with a freeto-paint table set up for anyone who wanted to paint. The President of DVSS, Jae, explained that the purpose behind the event was “basically to have fun.” The event is held every year and encourages artists to get into the spirit of live competitive painting. This year’s event had a sizeable turnout, with the audience scattered about the room, observing the paintings and chatting about their favourites. Music videos played on a projector screen in the
BRITTANY SEMPLONIUS
Eight artists went through four rounds of painting. background, colourful lighting lit up the ceiling, and acrylic paints were set up on two separate tables for competitors and free-painters alike. The first round’s theme was nature: artists were limited to use cool colours only and aids were allowed. A timer was set up for 20 minutes, at the end of which the audience walked around the room and voted on their top six paintings. The paintings ranged from blue fish swirling around in water and an array of almost fluorescent purple
and green flowers, to islands floating in the middle of the sea and mountains in many different shades. At the end of the first round, two artists were eliminated, based on audience vote, and given gift cards for participation. Round two called for portraits only. It was timed to 20 minutes again but consisted of no colour restrictions and no aids. Artists’ portraits ranged from pop-art style, to animestyle, to silhouettes. Audience members walked around at the end of the
round, discussing their preferences. Some loudly declared their love for certain paintings while others whispered among themselves, oohing in admiration. For round three, artists dwindled from six to four. The theme for round three was abstract art and was timed for 20 minutes with no colour restrictions or aids. Three of the artists splashed paints upon their canvasses in various creative combinations, while the fourth painter, Arumitha,
combined elements from previous rounds, painting an abstract portrait of a girl staring at her reflection in a cracked mirror, using cool shades of green, blue, purple, and black. Artists Arumitha and Virginia reached the final round of the Paint Battle. Although there were no restrictions for this round, the artists would only get 15 minutes to finish their paintings. Artist Virginia painted a blue dinosaur with a colourful background and the words “a happy dino” in capital letters. Artist Arumitha painted a portrait of a girl without eyes, surrounded by green and black leaves. The audience counted down the last ten seconds as the finalists finished their paintings. After the final round, audience votes were tallied, and proceeding a drum roll, artist Arumitha was announced as the winner of the Paint Battle. The first prize was a $100 gift card to DeSerres, with the runner-up receiving a $50 gift card. Overall, the Paint Battle’s competitive and interactive aspects made for a memorable evening.
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Turning passion into creative careers UTM Creatives for a Change hosted their annual networking event, Careers in Creativity YASMEEN ALKOKA PHOTO EDITOR
On Wednesday, November 14, UTM Creatives for a Change hosted their annual event, Careers in Creativity, at the Blind Duck Pub. Speakers from creative industries attended, along with passionate UTM students. The night was a learning experience, a networking opportunity, and an inspiration to be creative. The panelists included Justin Wu, Julian Nieva, Domenic Lisi, Jacqueline Ashton, Muneet Dhaliwal, and Yazmin Butcher. The professionals had approximately 15-20 minutes to share their stories and leave a message with the crowd. Justin Wu is a film director and photographer based in Los Angeles and Toronto. His work has been featured on TV and online, including MTV, Elle, Vogue, and Huffington Post. His work is stunningly artistic and left gasps and whispers in the audience as the screen projected an image of a ballerina floating on a black backdrop. Wu has over 51,000 followers on Instagram, and I imagine he gained a handful more from the students at the event. Julian Nieva is a producer specializing in film and design at Kid. Studio and Common Good. Tv. He has produced music videos for popular artists, including The Weeknd, Future, Big Sean, 6lack, and French Mon-
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Julian Nieva emphasized the importance of connections and relationships. tana. He’s also produced commercials for big brands, including Nike and Converse. Nieva stirred the audience when he revealed that he graduated from UTM and used to play basketball at the RAWC. He emphasized the importance of connections and relationships, since those are what helped him achieve some of his successes. At the end of the night, Nieva returned on stage to share an unreleased music video that showcased how he was able to bring his passion for basketball into his producing career. Domenic Lisi is an art director at Cruel Inc. in Toronto. He has worked
with clients such as Jägermeister, Red Bull, Mott’s Clamato, Mascot Brewery, and The Supreme Cannabis Company. His presentation mimicked that of a stand-up comedian, as laughter spread across the room due to his natural sense of humour. Lisi’s talk reassured students that there is hope for creatives. His story showed how artists often have to take on bottomfeeder jobs and endure struggle for a long time before they are successful, but that it is definitely possible to get there. Jacqueline Ashton is a model, influencer, and photographer based in
Toronto. She focuses on capturing a diverse range of female subjects, displaying a sense of intimacy, femininity, and confidence. Ashton has worked with Aldo Shoes, Easy Period, VICE, CBC Life, Tokyo Smoke, and more. Her presentation slides featured Rihanna references, which makes sense since Rihanna is a strong female idol who often inspires through feminism and fashion. Muneet Dhaliwal is the co-founder of Miami Ad School Toronto, which is a portfolio school catered to helping students pursue creative careers. Her presentation was educational, inspir-
ing, and moving. She showed a video made for Sick Kids that left goosebumps on my skin and discussed the power of advertising. There was one particular line that stuck with me: “Pick a social issue. Create a digital solution.” Dhaliwal encouraged students to find something they cared about and use their creative skills and knowledge of the online world to create something that could make a difference in the world. Yazmin Butcher is a graphic designer, illustrator, creative director and co-founder of GXXRLS Creative Agency. She has been featured in The New York Times as well as other publications and has spent a couple of years working as a full-time freelancer. Butcher shared some of the lessons she has learned from her experiences, such as never wanting to work in a studio that isn’t run by herself, and also admitted to the fears of starting a full-time job after being used to freelance for a while. The night was a success, and students had the opportunity to network with the speakers while munching on free refreshments. As Nieva said, “Just be chill.” He encouraged students not to act as “fans” if they get to work with their favourite artist but instead, show them what you can bring to the conversation. Dhaliwal also left an important message—creative passions don’t have to be just hobbies, they can turn into successful careers.
Q&A with writing industry professionals Five UTM clubs collaborated to host a Writer’s Career Panel, featuring a linguist, author, and playwright MONIKA KRIZIC
On November 16th, the Writer’s Career Panel was hosted in UTM’s Spigel Hall to provide students with the opportunity to learn from professionals in the writing industry. It was organized by UTM Scribes, UTM Cinema Studies Association, UTM English and Drama Student Society, Language Studies Academic Society at UTM, and Creatives for a Change. It featured five panelists: a linguist, an author and illustrator, a screenwriter, a playwright, and a journalist. Each provided a discussion in their area of expertise, driven by questions asked by the event’s hosts. University of Toronto professor of Slavic Linguistics Christina Kramer received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Raised in a strictly English-speaking family, she struggled with acquiring new languages but remained certain about her love for words and learning languages. She says that she has “tried and failed to learn dozens of them.” Since then, she has published articles and books on South Slavic languages and translated several novels from Slavic to English, saying that “as a translator, I get to be a writer, but I am embodying the
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Students were able to ask questions with the panelists, including Professor Christina Kramer. mind of another writer and speaking that writer’s voice in English.” Toronto-based author and illustrator Hana Shafi, known for her work It Begins With the Body and Healing is Not Linear, completed her undergraduate degree at Ryerson University studying journalism. She currently specializes in creative poetry and non-fiction narrative prose. The common misconception in her field she discussed is that every work needs to be excessively profound. Through years of writing, Shafi dis-
covered that “there is nothing wrong with writing about experiences from your day to day life and being honest by writing and illustrating your real life.” Screenwriter and director Chandler Levack graduated from the University of Toronto with a specialist in cinema studies and later went on to complete a screenwriting program at the Canadian Film Centre. She began by writing music and film reviews for on-campus publications, and went on to writing
feature scripts and directing music videos. Last year, she wrote and directed her first short film We Forgot to Break Up, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and South by Southwest. She encourages people looking to get into any artistic field to never stop creating: “the more films that you make and the more writing that you do, the more you will understand your own voice.” Playwright Gary Mok attended and wrote plays at the National
Theatre School of Canada and has since been notably awarded the RBC Emerging Playwright Award for We could be clouds (2017). Originally a hotel management student, he discovered his passion for playwriting through a friend in a theatre program. By studying theatre, he was exposed to other forms of storytelling through ballet and frequent visits to art galleries. His takeaway advice for emerging artists is to “allow yourself to be inspired by more than just the medium you want to pursue.” Journalist Ann Walmsley graduated from Trinity College at the University of Toronto with a degree in English literature and has written for publications such as The Globe and Mail and Maclean’s. Her recent work The Prison Book Club, a novel highlighting her 18-month experience in a men’s medium security prison book club after being traumatized in a violent mugging, aims to tell “a story of two journeys—the man’s story toward literature and my journey toward recognizing their humanity.” The evening ended with the panelists answering questions asked by students on a more intimate level. The event was successful in providing students with the setting to network with other students and professionals of various writing careers.
Most famous haunted house The Haunting of Hill House mixes horror and family drama
11.19.2018 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 7
REWIND VICTORIA DANESI
PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM
The TV show is intelligent, emotional, and terrifying. SRIJAN SAHU “No live organism can continue to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality. Even larks and katydids are supposed by some to dream. Hill House, not sane… stood by itself against its hills holding darkness within. It had stood so for hundred of years before my family moved in and might stand for a hundred more. Within, walls stood upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House. And whatever walked there, walked alone.” The opening monologue lifted directly from Shirley Jackson’s novel is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. The Haunting of Hill House is by no means a fun show; it’s about a family struggling to outrun its demons, familiar from their summer spent in the country’s most famous haunted house. In the end, they must reunite at the very source of the plight and face the ghosts of their past. A warning that mild spoilers lie ahead. Hugh Crain and wife Olivia are serial house flippers who move into Hill House in hopes of making a fortune. Instead, he and his five children end up reeling from the death
of their mother on a fateful night in the titular nightmare house. The eldest, Steven (Michael Huisman) is a horror novelist who made it big by writing of the family’s experiences in the house. Like her brother, Shirley (Elizabeth Reaser), now a mortician, has built her career around the macabre. The youngest siblings, Luke and Nell, are most affected by the house. Luke grows to find comfort in the needle. Nell’s suicide becomes the catalyst for the show’s presentday storyline. And the middle child, Theodora, has her own way of dealing with the trauma; she becomes the emphatic bridge between her mentally broken younger siblings and her two older skeptical ones. All this is compounded by a lack of father figure. Hugh, unable to explain his wife’s death and forever scarred, distances himself from his children’s lives. The series’ slow pace allows it to delve into the Crain family in detail. It’s more like an eerie character study with a ghostly presence hiding behind every shot. There are tons of horror Easter eggs and tucked-away ghosts. Director Mike Flanagan offers horror fans everywhere a bit of everything. Viewers should expect the usual jump scares, spooky spirits,
and gaping mouths that have become synonymous with the paranormal genre. The main specter, of course, is the Bent Neck Lady. Don’t let the family drama distract you from the supernatural. Carla Gugino’s character slowly dips into insanity, coupled with a house that doesn’t let you leave with the help of its many ghosts. The real haunting of Hill House may very well be the tragic lives of those inside, but when the ghosts finally show, it’s scary. Viewers may be so enthralled with the narrative that they least expect the scare. However, the adaptation has received criticism aplenty for its lack of reference to Jackson’s book. In over ten hours of screen time, only three times was the series relevant to the supposed source material. Flanagan changes everything, from the characters and their relations, to the house itself. Only remaining faithful to character names. Nevertheless, it is intelligent, emotional, and terrifying when it needs to be. The Haunting of Hill House is more than a horror story. It sets a precedent for a new era of TV horror, leaving us with the thought that every family has a horror story of its own, no matter which house they live in.
Not so fantastic beasts
From the opening scene of Marty (1955) to the closing credits, you can’t help but sympathize with the titular character. Directed by Delbert Mann and written by Paddy Chayefsky, the film follows Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine), a 34-year-old butcher from the Bronx. The film begins with Marty at the butcher shop, serving customers while chatting about his younger brother’s recent wedding. Still single, the customers badger Marty, saying he should be ashamed of himself, still living at home while all his younger siblings have married. This constant berating does not stop at the butcher shop, as Marty’s widowed mother Teresa (Esther Minciotti) urges her son to go to the Stardust Ballroom to try and meet someone. Marty, who has given up on finding love after being rejected constantly, reluctantly goes and like always, stands at the side of the dance floor alone. As Marty awkwardly stands against a wall, he is approached by another man, who offers to pay him five dollars to take his blind date Clara (Betsy Blair) so he can meet up with an old girlfriend. Marty outwardly rejects, scolding the man for treating his date that way. Clara sits by herself as she is abandoned by her date, running out to the balcony crying. As Marty goes to comfort her, the two connect, walking around New York City confining with one another about their loneliness and ambitions. It’s a sweet and simple story, watching Marty and Clara fall in love.
However, things get complicated when Teresa meets Clara and realizes that she will be all alone if Marty marries. His mother and friends urge him to not continue the relationship, citing excuses about Clara’s appearance and non-Italian heritage. Being pushed around all his life by family and friends, Marty must stand up for himself and finally think about his own happiness. The narrative’s emotional core is reliant on Borgnine’s incredible performance. You feel every painful moment and celebrate every triumph Marty experiences. As Clara and Marty sit in a diner, he reveals the suicidal thoughts he had after returning home from World War II, and the pain in Borgnine’s eyes is agonising. One of my favourite subplots is between Teresa and her sister Catherine (Augusta Ciolli). Catherine is a headstrong woman, who moves in with her sister after she overstays her welcome with her son and his wife. The two sisters’ bickering is comical and can be familiar for viewers who grew up with older relatives of that era and culture. The film can show its age at times, however, especially one instance when Marty attempts to kiss Clara that would be questionable if released today. Marty won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Borgnine. Delbert Mann received Best Director and Paddy Chayefsky won for Best Adapted Screenplay. Marty may not be the most wellknown Best Picture winner today, but this hidden gem is definitely worth a watch.
Plot & execution of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald disappoint MAYA SUPER Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the sequel to a prequel that no die-hard Harry Potter fans asked for. Two years after the first one, which introduced characters like Newt Schamander and Leta Lestrange, we meet Newt again. However, this is not Newt’s story. It is nobody’s story, really. There are too many storylines with too many redundant characters. As many other reviews have said, JK Rowling is doing a “George Lucas.” This is when you take a brilliant concept and put too much into it, thus destroying it. At a time when the roots of fascism are crawling in, Rowling tries to be politically “woke” by making Grindelwald a Trumpian-Hitler figure, who gets people to join his cause by rallying. It feels forced. Johnny Depp, racked with domestic abuse scandals that followed him to this film (feminist JK Rowling ignored these allegations and hired him anyway), portrays a purely evil Grindewald as a knock-off Captain Jack Sparrow. Her political allusions do not work. However, Dumbledore, portrayed by Jude Law, is one of the few redeeming characters of this movie. He creates the twinkle in his eye that Dumbledore has in the books. He and Depp
hold the movie together. However, the other cast members are either unconvincing or they do not get enough screen time. Newt, played by Eddie Redmayne, has so much potential, as does Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz). Both could have been compelling characters but are severely underutilized. Furthermore, David Yates, who has previously directed Harry Potter films, uses a bland palette of color. There is a dreary feel to the set pieces, which are very lulling and not magical at all. The few times Yates does use color is in the scenes at Hogwarts. However, these scenes do not redeem this movie. One of the biggest letdowns of this movie was the plot. It is clunky. There is no flow. There are too many “wow” moments flung at the audience. It feels like Rowling took a fan-fiction and crammed it into something she wrote in the morning. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love Harry Potter. Yet, this was a convoluted, try-hard, overly complex movie that felt like two movies mashed together, each with different tones. Had this been a book to movie portrayal, or even just a book, Rowling’s overly complex fanbaiting might have worked. The plot is very hard to follow even as a Potter fan. The soundtrack plays on nostalgia
to distract people from the absurdity of this film. Whilst it is more toned down in this film, it does not work. There is a loss of the magic that the previous soundtracks had. It removes audiences from the film. Fantastic Beasts had a lot of potential. However, Rowling is making a crucial mistake by changing the Harry Potter universe. She is creating areas that people do not care about. She is expanding on issues in her stories that are irrelevant. The movie could have been 43 minutes long. I would not recommend this movie. It is a cheap cop-out from a once brilliant author. She is ruining the reputation of her famous books. The cluttered movie, containing multiple characters with confusing backstories, a hauntingly out of place soundtrack, and bad CGI, does not work. JK Rowling is clinging onto her iconic series, thus ruining its legacy. Don’t waste time seeing it in theatres. It is a torturous, boring movie. The plot, or lack thereof, is a cheap cop-out from somebody who is trying so hard to stay relevant. It would be better to just stream it in a few months. The only fantastic thing about this movie is that fans will break their banks for it, thus spawning more cheap knockoffs.
BELICIA CHEVOLLEAU
The College Info Geek is a weekly podcast that offers practical advice for students about studying, managing your finances, and tips on being an adult. This lively podcast, hosted by YouTuber Thomas Frank and web developer Martin Boeh, seeks to empower college and high school students by providing them with knowledge and resources to succeed. Every episode, they include notes on their podcast website along with timestamps and at the end of every video, there is a recap in case you only have time for the SparkNotes version. I listened to Episode 235, “How to Fix Your Spending Problem” and here are some of the things I learned. In this episode, they discussed a list of ten tips for curbing your bad spending habits. These tips ranged from avoiding impulse purchases to ignoring sales of items you didn’t intend to buy, and from limiting expensive social outings with friends to watching your subscription lists. They started the episode by dis-
cussing manual expense tracking. Martin stated that it is important to know how you are spending your money and why you are spending it. He specifically mentioned the iOS app Daily Budget as a tool to manage your spending money. It allows users to see how much money they can spend daily after subtracting bills from their income. Furthermore, it calculates how much spending money you’ll have tomorrow if you don’t spend today which promotes saving. Martin admits that he doesn’t always do this, but it can be a helpful tool for seeing which fields need to be budgeted more. He suggests even using notes to budget your worst spending habit and manage your weakness. Similarly, Thomas revealed that he looks for patterns in his bank statement that highlight his problem areas. Seeing which items suck up your money, such as that daily Starbucks latte and bacon sandwich, makes you more conscious of your unnecessary expenses. To read the rest of this article, visit themedium.ca.
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Eugenia Duodu: From UTM to CEO Dr. Eugenia Duodu, a UTM Ph.D. chemistry graduate, is the current CEO of Visions of Science JESSICA CABRAL FEATURES EDITOR
This week The Medium spoke with Dr. Eugenia Duodu, the current CEO of Visions of Science and a graduate of the University of Toronto, to discuss her experience at UTM and her current work with the Vision of Science organization. In 2010, Duodo graduated from UTM with her Honours Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biology and by 2015, Duodo completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Gunning. The Medium (TM): What was your journey to academia like? Were you always passionate about science? As a high school student did you always want to study science? Dr. Eugenia Duodu (ED): I think that for me it was never absolutely clear and that was okay. I know that I was very passionate about science and pretty encouraged to take it. I always loved it but I think it was grade 11 and 12 that I made the decision to really pursue it and then from there all throughout my undergrad I chose to continue in science courses because I was not only doing well, but I also really did enjoy it and it did move me. I knew that was what I would be studying simply out of interest and passion. I am passionate about it. TM: Why did you decide to go to UTM? ED: I actually came to UTM with my mom when I was deciding on which university to go to. As soon as I got on campus and did the campus tour, there was just such a sense of not only warmth but community. Everyone that I encountered and everyone that I interacted with just felt very much like a community and a community that I felt like I could be a part of. I had done other campus tours but I never felt that way, in some cases I felt a little out of place, a little intimidated. When I came to UTM, I just felt like “Wow, I think I can build a
community here.” I chose UTM over any other university for that reason. I also loved the campus itself, the green space and everything like that. I just really thought that it looked beautiful and I wanted to be in that environment. TM: Do you have any memories that standout about your experience at UTM? Any clubs you joined or societies that you were part of that really helped to make your experience? ED: Yeah, I was part of the [Erindale Chemical and Physical Sciences Society] at UTM and I thought that it was an interesting experience simply because up until then I hadn’t really been actively involved in anything. By being able to be involved in [that] and then making it onto the executive team I met some really awesome people I would have never befriended or have met had I not been a part of that [society]. Just being able to create a little bit of a community in the faculty of chemistry was important to me. I had awesome memories with professors [and] I had awesome memories with friends. I had so many good times, even the late nights studying, or staying up in the library. As much as it was stressful I was always with good friends who I considered family and there was always just this overwhelming sense of support and dedication around me. TM: Has UTM shaped the way you pursue any of your leadership roles or any of your career paths? ED: I think really what stands out for me has been the amazing professors I had the opportunity to meet and get to know. I think the overwhelming support I have gotten on a personal level at UTM has really shaped the way I interact with people now in terms of just taking time to listen to them and being forthcoming with connecting people with new opportunities. I felt like all of the professors I spoke to were really encouraging. To be able to carry that forward has been important in what I do now.
LEILAH DHORE/CBC.CA
Duodu discusses her experience at UTM and her work with the Vision of Science organization. TM: What exactly did your research focus on in Patrick Gunning’s lab? ED: Patrick Gunning’s lab is a medicinal chemistry lab. Personally, the research I engaged in was also in medicinal chemistry but more in the area of recognition. I was responsible for helping to develop detection tools that could be used as diagnostic tools for cancer and Alzheimer’s research. TM: What interested you about this particular field of research? ED: I had been familiar with Dr. Gunning’s work in my undergrad and I really wanted to be a part of a lab where I knew that I could grow and be part of exciting research. I was really impressed with the opportunity, so I decided to go for it. TM: We heard that you are currently the CEO of Visions of Science, we were wondering how you initially got involved with this company and what does the company do? ED: I got involved with Visions of Science around 2011, as a volunteer. I was googling science and community [involvement] because I had always been passionate about marrying those two things together. I had worked in communities most of my life, but I was also studying and pursing science, I just really wanted to be involved in something that bridged
PHOTO FROM VISIONS OF SCIENCE BLOG
Duodu has been involved with Visions of Science since 2011.
that. I decided to volunteer at one of their events. From there I got connected with the executive director at the time, who was transitioning and the whole organization was going through a transitional shift. It just was timing, I was able to assume a leadership role very quickly and became the CEO shortly after I graduated from graduate school. And then what our organization does is we work with youth in low income communities and we empower them through meaningful engagement in science, technology, engineering and math. We do this through offering a number of interconnected programs which will help them through grade 3 all the way up to grade 12. We’re really trying to create and convene youth around STEM not only for the purpose of academics but also for social-emotional development. And really get everyone engaged and confident about pursuing stem if that’s something they want to do. TM: Is there somebody or something that inspires you or motivates you to continue your work with Visions of Science and other projects that you undertake? ED: I think really all the youth that we work with are our constant motivation. We’re humbled to be able to watch them grow and I think that we are already seeing the growth of the youth we work with. As I’ve said, I’ve been working with the organization since 2011, so some of the youth we’ve been working with we have seen grow and they’re in high school now and they’re still involved. So being able to see that long-term impact is what keeps us going all the time. And I also work with an incredible team of people who are dedicated, motivated and just amazing. TM: This is a question to help other undergraduates, but how do you maintain a work-life balance? ED: For me as much as I work hard, schedule meetings and I schedule projects, I make sure that I am that rigorous about scheduling time
for myself and time for my family. I’m just really intentional about making that happen, and sometimes some days are better than others. But definitely being intentional has helped. TM: How does your identity as a woman of colour affect your experiences in the science-related fields, have you had to overcome any challenges or have you had to deal with anything in relation to that identity? ED: I know that in the beginning, just feeling very alone in my field has been interesting to navigate. Just not being able to see myself being represented, but then knowing that I have a personal responsibility to do well has created a lot of pressure. I used to really take things very hard on myself because I just felt like “Wow, I’m representing so many different people that aren’t here right now, so you better do well.” There is a sense of responsibility that I carry. And also for me, it’s a prime opportunity because I think as we work with our youth I’ve seen our youth step up, and our youth have been very vocal about how important it is to know my story, and how it’s also important to see themselves reflected in some cases, or just to see a woman of colour in positions of power, like not only in science but also in running an organization. I think there’s a responsibility that comes with it to make sure that I’m not hiding, to make sure that I’m very candid about the successes and also the failures and struggles so that people don’t feel like this is something that is unattainable. TM: Do you have any advice for students who are considering a similar path in science? ED: I would say just be very open to exploring the different things that you’re passionate about. And also, be encouraged because it is a hard road, but it is something that is very worthy. Just be encouraged even in the good times and the bad times know that people have gone through it and they’ve survived, and you can definitely do it too.
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Gauthier’s games combine biology & art UTM’s most recent Biomedical Communications Ph.D. graduate speaks about her research & interests ZARMEENA KHAN
UTM’s Master of Science in Biomedical Communications is a unique two-year program that offers students a chance to prepare for a communications career related to health, medicine and science. Last week, The Medium sat down with Dr. Andrea Gauthier, UTM’s most recent Ph.D. graduate from the Biomedical Communications program, to discuss her research and her interest in both biology and art. As a high school student, Gauthier always had a keen interest in art, specifically illustration. She pursued a Bachelor of applied arts in illustration with a specialization in technical and scientific illustration at Sheridan College. It was at Sheridan that Kathryn Chorney, a Biomedical Communications graduate, introduced Gauthier to the field of medical illustrations. Dr. Jodie Jenkinson, an assistant professor in biomedical communications at UTM and Gauthier’s Ph.D. supervisor, inspired Gauthier to pursue doctoral research. Gauthier celebrated her convocation this November, as a Ph.D. graduate under the supervision of Jenkinson in the ScienceVis Lab. “Biology was my favorite class in high school,” Gauthier recalls. She says that she was passionate about art and biology but at the time, she was
YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM
Dr. Andrea Gauthier had a keen interest in art and illustration since high school. not aware of how to combine those two fields together in a comprehensible way, not until Kathryn Chorney introduced her to the biomedical communications program at the University of Toronto Mississauga. According to Gauthier, her research focuses on “the intersection of science communication and game based learning research. Within the department of biomedical communications, we look at how the design of visual media affects how viewers perceive or learn from it.” Gauthier is interested in how the design and interactions of the game influence how
people behave in the game and the results in learning outcomes. Gauthier specifically looked at conceptual change in molecular biology. “We envision cells to be these very efficient little machines and we think of randomness or change as inefficient so people get this misconception that molecules don’t move randomly or they’re moving randomly until they’re needed by the cell to go to something and that’s just not the case,” Gauthier explains. “It’s because everything moves so fast and there’s so many of them that even though everything is happening randomly,
it works. It’s very hard to envision even though students are being told they move randomly, they don’t have a clear understanding of what’s happening within a cell.” During the beginning of her Ph.D., Gauthier designed a game for learning vascular anatomy called “Vascular Invaders.” “One thing that our anatomy instructor said was ‘The best way to learn vascular anatomy is to imagine that you are in one place in the circulatory system and you need to get to the other. Name all the blood vessels you go through to get there.’ I
thought, you know what, that sounds like a game, so I based vascular invaders off of that concept,” Gauthier says. She saw that people used the game more exploratorily when they weren’t given limitations within the game, such as limited energy. On the contrary, people who were given the game with limitations used a very strategic method to go through the levels. “Even though the learning outcomes where the same, it was very interesting to see how the different versions of the game changed the method of learning,” Gauthier notes. During the bulk of her Ph.D. Gauthier has worked on a game design called “MolWorld,” short for molecular worlds, to get people to visualize the randomness of molecules through a simulation and to get them to face the actual misconceptions about the behaviour of molecules in a cell. When asked about her favourite memory from working in the ScienceVis lab, Gauthier explains that it was amazing to see the full lab of biology students playing her game for the first time and to see their thought process play out on the screen. Looking towards the future, Gauthier’s ultimate goal is to be doing research at an academic level in either game based learning or science visualization, or ideally a hybrid of the two.
Medical comics draw on health & illness The travelling graphic medicine exhibit will be on display at the UTM library until December 18, 2018 FATIMA ADIL ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR
While the terms “graphic comic” or “graphic novel” may bring to mind images of a fictional story of the battle between good and evil, there are definitely other ways to utilize the immensely popular comic style. The U.S. National Library of Medicine has created a graphic medicine exhibit titled “Graphic Medicine: IllConceived & Well-Drawn” that uses comics to share personal stories of illness and health. Fortunately for UTM students, the exhibit is currently on display at the UTM library until December 18th, 2018. With its loud colours and bold, creative lettering, the exhibit, curated by cartoon artist Ellen Forney, is hard to ignore. The display is comprised of six large banners and is located on the main floor of the library. Easy to understand, it presents an innovative and interesting approach to conveying what graphic medicine is. According to their website, the U.S. National Library of Medicine describes the exhibit as an “increasingly popular, yet little-known literary field that presents personal illness narratives and health information through the medium of comics.” The display depicts various “graphic memoirs” that feature experiences with health issues, such as breast cancer, deafness, and HIV/AIDS.
JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM
The bold, colourful exhibit by Ellen Forney in the library is hard to miss. One banner titled “Drawing from Experience” is devoted to showing how the patient can embody a cartoonist and can communicate their personal experience as a patient alongside sharing the emotional aspects of their journey. Another banner contains comics exploring interactions with the healthcare system and states that the “insight” in the comics can provide helpful feedback to healthcare providers and “promote effective treatment.” Other banners iterate that the graphic medium is not only limited to patients: the perspectives of caregivers and health professionals also comprise graphic medicine along with the communication of clinical information. Although many of the students
The Medium interviewed admitted to noticing the exhibit but not reading it, one UTM student was impressed by the “insightfulness of the display.” Sarah Adil, a first-year commerce student, says that “once [she] started reading the display, [she] found it to be very interesting [as it] displayed various ways patients deal with clinical illnesses.” She especially enjoyed how the “art allowed the cartoonist to convey emotions accurately” and comments that the comics may be useful in “connecting patients with each other.” The Medium also sat down with Jessica Hanley, UTM’s Science Liaison Librarian, to explore the content of the travelling exhibit and its importance. Describing how the exhibit was conceptualized, Hanley says, “It came about because the U.S. Nation-
al Library of Medicine, just outside of Washington DC, found [a] niche area [while] looking for better ways to communicate medical issues, medicine, and treatment of patients. [Since] graphic novels are becoming more and more popular, they [started] exploring using graphic art to explain these issues.” Hanley, passionate about the exhibit, thinks it is “cool [as she] is really big on science communication and how a lot of people struggle with [understanding scientific language] because science is not [always] translated into layman’s terms.” She believes that “it is really important to show that there are other ways to convey information to patients” and explains how she thinks that “it’s much more manageable and digestible understanding this type of me-
dium versus [being provided with] a handout of all these crazy medical terms [which the patient or caregiver] doesn’t understand.” The exhibit is travelling all over North America and arrived in Mississauga from Denton Public Library in Texas, USA. It will next be on display at the Gerstein Science Information Centre at the St. George campus of the University of Toronto. Hanley recounts how excited she was when Dr. Shelley Wall, a UTM Biomedical Communications professor, contacted her about having the exhibit at UTM. Hanley explains that since there are “a lot of science programs here at UTM, a lot of art programs, and a biomedical communications program, [Dr. Wall and I] thought that it would appeal to a wide range of students” and that it was “a great opportunity.” An added bonus was that the “National Library of Medicine [was] cover[ing] all the cost to ship it.” Hanley finishes off by praising the exhibit’s uniqueness: “[The exhibit] is really cool because medical information and patient experience being conveyed in this way is not something you commonly see. It makes some of these very difficult subject areas a lot easier for people to understand.” Students are encouraged to use the U.S. National Library of Medicine to learn more about graphic medicine.
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THE MEDIUM 11.19.2018
Fish reproductive fitness Dr. Frankowiak spoke at last week’s Biology Seminar Series event
Being Black on Campus JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM
LATISHA LOBBAN FOURTH YEAR, ENGLISH & PWC
Dr. Ryan Frankowiak’s research focuses on reproductive fitness. KEVIN KIM Last Friday, Dr. Ryan Frankowiak, a professor from Queen’s University, gave a talk titled “Two sides of the same coin: Disentangling adult and offspring fitness components,” as part of UTM’s department of Biology’s “Biology Seminar Series.” Frankowiak’s seminar concerned the variance in reproductive fitness and its respective components that arise in mature adults compared to their offspring. The principle of fitness itself is commonly defined in tandem with the phrase “survival of the fittest.” Individuals in a population that possess and can pass on beneficial traits will be more fit for their environment compared to other individuals in that same population. Frankowiak chose to examine the Smallmouth Bass as a prime candidate for this avenue of research. Frankowiak explains that “it is native to North America, it is a territorial nest builder, [and] it has male parental care, so the female does not provide any care at all. They are thought to be socially monogamous, and they show considerable plasticity in life history characteristics.” These specific traits allowed for a research project to be built on examining how they relate to reproductive fitness. Certain fit-
ness components that were specifically examined in relation to these traits included survival, mating success, fertility rate, and growth rate. The first part of Frankowiak’s research focused on the “adult components of fitness.” The site of interest that was studied was Lake Opeongo, located in Algonquin National Park. In summary of his findings, it was found that “the mating system in [smallmouth bass] is monogamy, with a low rate of polygynandry. We do see multiple mating, but we suspect it may be constrained by the active parental care by males, and females not being able to get access to males that are actively defending their nests.” Because of this, it is suspected that there are restrictions on sexual selection that lead to a lack of sexual dimorphism. Additionally, an important factor in Frankowiak’s research was “the natal philopatry” trends that smallmouth bass exhibit. While philopatry represents the tendency of an organism to return to an area consistently, natal philopatry concerns the tendency of animals to return to their original birthplace to produce offspring. Frankowiak found that male smallmouth bass possess a very high tendency to stay within the nests that they originally build during mating
season, while females are much more likely to move around between nests. This may be due to the habit of males to defend their territory. To conclude Frankowiak’s research on adults, he examined the environment in which smallmouth bass live and how related factors affect reproductive fitness. He observed that “the difference in reproductive success was large as determined by the environment.” This supports the idea that smallmouth bass require a post-nesting season relatively free of turbulent or stressful conditions, as it is a critical time period for the species and their reproductive success. Regarding research on the fitness patterns among offspring, Frankowiak explains that many guiding questions are present: “Do dispersal patterns differ among the families, or locations? Depending on where you are, or what family you belong to, do you move differentially? Do juveniles choose to remain near kin? […] or is it in fact due to philopatry? In terms of habitat occupancy, do these juveniles just distribute themselves along the shoreline randomly, or are they actively selecting areas that are most conducive to their growth and survivorship?” Researchers will continue to examine the reproductive fitness among juvenile smallmouth bass.
I quickly noticed the disproportionate diversity on campus my first time at UTM. During Clubs Week in my first-year, I noticed a slew of clubs set up in the CCT hallway tailored towards different ethnic groups and different interests. I didn’t relate to what I was seeing, I couldn’t speak their language and already felt that I wasn’t smart enough to attend the school that I had worked so hard to get into. Beside some signs with Cantonese and Mandarin characters were students of Asian descent but I knew better than to ask what the sign said. It seemed like the old saying often used in shopping; “if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it.” I had to ask the name of the club, so I didn’t belong. My feeling of not belonging was reinforced when I tried to take a chocolate from a different table and was told, “members only.” Clubs Week felt like the scene in Mean Girls when Cady first enters the cafeteria and pictures the students as jungle animals that stick to their own kind. Everyone seemed to gravitate toward one club and that club sometimes stereotypically defined their identity. As a shy writer, whose main interests were writing poems and listening to rap and soca music, I couldn’t find much in common in any of the popular clubs on
campus. But then a week later, I saw the bright gold, black and green colours of the Jamaican flag displayed on one of the tables. I rushed over and was eagerly greeted by the former dark-skinned president who told me that they were called, Caribbean Connections. For the first time in my two weeks on campus, I felt right at home. Joining Caribbean Connections was the next natural thing to do. I tried to attend a lot of the events during the year, but quickly realized that I wouldn’t have time to because of my course load. Again, I felt alienated on campus not necessarily because of my race, but because I didn’t see the people that I knew most. As the year went on, I made more friends in my classes that were people of races other than my own. But, after three years at UTM, my closest friend from school is also Black. I am not sure why I continue to gravitate to other Black people on campus, whether in class or in clubs, but it has become somewhat of a habit for me to sit beside the other Black girl in class (when there is one). Maybe it’s because she reminds me of myself, maybe because I can see myself in her, or maybe because there are few of us on campus so I feel like we have an unspoken duty of sticking together. Maybe, because I think she may feel as alienated as I did during Clubs Week.
Can we use poop to power the world? UTM alumnus Fahaq Tariq’s company Shift aims to repurpose animal waste into sustainable energy LIAYANA JONDY ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR This month’s Classes without Quizzes featured UTM alumnus Fahaq Tariq’s talk titled “Turning Poo into Power to Save the World.” Tariq is the founder and CEO of Shift, a non-profit aimed at converting animal waste, in particular cow waste, into clean energy to perpetuate positive change in developing countries. Shift’s aim is to solve two global problems: climate change and energy insecurity, unsafe forms of energy through the collection and burning of firewood. There are as many as ten projects underway providing over hundreds of individuals in developing countries with safe cooking gas all while protecting the environment. Tariq’s personal motivation to start Shift stemmed from a variety of experiences throughout his childhood and into his pursuit of an M.BA. At the age of eight years old, Tariq had grown up in a variety of countries until his family settled in Canada. “That experience gave me a global experience,” Tariq remarks. “I saw that Canada was so different than other parts of the world that I had
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Fahaq Tariq spoke about his company, Shift, at the Classes without Quizzes talk. seen where there wasn’t even electricity. So, I was always grateful that I was in Canada but I also recognized that there was this great inequality in where I was and where I had been. This gave me a global perspective, in that I wanted to have an impact not on a local level but globally.” Shift’s aim to repurpose waste into sustainable energy is built on the foundation of viewing the world as a circle. “As you look out into the world and you see all the resources we have, whether it is fresh water, land, oil, it’s all becoming increasingly scarce,” Tariq explains. “I think that in order for us to tackle the problems of to-
morrow, we are going to have to start thinking more carefully about how we can repurpose things that already exist and create new outputs from existing inputs.” Shift’s cyclical view of the world, of using existing inputs to create new outputs, relies on looking out into nature. According to Tariq, “Nature has this elegant efficiency, if you can call it that. There’s a certain way that nature produces output that is actually elegant and beautiful. So, the technical term of this is ‘biomimicry.’ It just means copying nature.” In order to repurpose waste, Shift employs the idea of biomimicry by
copying the stomach of a cow. Tariq says, “What we are copying is this biological process of breaking down, in the case of a cow’s stomach, the food material and extracting energy from it. And this same biological process we are replicating outside of the cow’s stomach.” Cow waste is stored inside underground domes that, while the waste remains on the bottom, as the gas rises to the top are piped to houses. Even the remaining cow waste is used as fertilizer. The process by which Shift goes about repurposing waste is not one they created: “What we are doing is something different. What we are do-
ing is popularizing this technology. I don’t know how many people know about being able to turn waste into energy. And I feel as though many people still don’t know about this effective way of turning waste into energy even though it can work very well to provide individuals in developing countries with energy. We are also working on improving the conversion technology as well as making it scalable so that it can be applied to farming communities all around the world.” As of now, the ten projects that shift has on the ground is capturing 500,000 kg of cow waste a year, saving 1,500 hours a year of people not having to go out, and collect wood to burn—providing clean, free, cooking gas to 500 people, and adding life expectancy to people’s lives as they now have less likelihood of developing respiratory problems. “Shift’s pitch is this,” Tariq remarks, “to be the first organization in the world to build scalable energy domes that can convert animal waste into clean energy to solve two of the most pressing issues facing humanity: climate change and energy insecurity.”
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Boorman plays ball to honour friend Kyle Boorman of the varsity men’s basketball team, worked hard year after year to perfect his game SARAH-MAY OLDFIELD
In Georgetown, Ontario, most people assume that if you’re an athlete, you must be a hockey player. Here at UTM, at first glance, 6’2 Kyle Boorman looks like he must play basketball. Boorman is a 2nd year guard for the UTM men’s basketball team. His basketball journey began when he was six-years-old, in a league in his town. He says his drive to compete began when he was cut from his elementary school basketball team when he was nine. It bothered him, and he knew then he couldn’t let that be the end. He dedicated the next year to developing his game, made difficult by the lack of gyms in his small community. If Boorman wanted to put in the work, he had to settle for an outdoor net. In the winter months, he shoveled snow to clear his makeshift basketball court, sometimes wearing two to three pairs of gloves. His sacrifice was rewarded when he made the school team the following year. Though he achieved his goal, proved his worth, he refused to let it stop there. Year after year, Boorman continued to work on his game, until he became
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Kyle Boorman is a 2nd year guard for the UTM Men’s Basketball team. the best at his school. He credits his high school basketball coach at Georgetown High School for his increased development. His coach often worked with him throughout the summer, so he could get better. It was still difficult to get court time, even with his coach, so he continued to spend most of the time playing outside. In high school, something hap-
pened that would forever change how Boorman saw the sport of basketball. Something that would change not only why Boorman would continue to pick up a ball and play, but who he would play for. When he was 16, one of Boorman’s closest friends committed suicide. “He was the type of guy, who’d be the first in the gym. We worked out together. He really in-
spired me,” says Boorman. He has his friends last name tattooed on his arm. “What I do, I try to do for him. He was the one who always worked hard, and it really pushed me. Whenever I don’t feel like training, or shooting around, I think about him. And it gets me moving.” The tragedy might have inspired Boorman to continue in his basketball pursuit, but it also made him
an advocate for mental health. In grade 11 and 12, Boorman was the force behind a mental health awareness event at his school, which he organized in his friend’s honour. “[Mental Health] is so important, and people just don’t take it seriously. And it’s why I think raising awareness [for] it is so important,” Boorman says. Boorman was determined to challenge himself, and his capabilities, and advance to the next level: playing in university. However, Boorman wasn’t heavily recruited by any schools. He contacted a lot of college and university coaches, and schools two years ago. He even came out to some of the open sessions they held. “I wasn’t as good as some of the guys that came out. I remember a coach emailing me that I wasn’t guaranteed a spot. And the deadline to accept admission offers to universities was coming up. Over the summer I went to every single practice and workout and got better. By the end, I had made the [UTM] team.” Boorman persisted with that same grit throughout the season and was awarded UTM’s 2017/2018 Rookie of the Year. Kyle continued on page 11
A messy but hard-fought hockey game The UTM Eagles hockey team lost a close 1-0 game against UTSC at Varsity Arena last Wednesday MIGUEL DASILVA
This past Wednesday, November 14th the U of T tri-campus hockey development league gathered at Varsity Arena for another week of intercampus play. The UTM Eagles lost a hard-fought and messy game against the UTSC campus 1-0. Before either team could settle into any kind of rhythm, UTSC opened the score with a quick strike. The goal came from a speedy turnover and counter attack by UTSC, finished by a self-collected rebound that the UTSC player calmly tucked into net after just 46 seconds of play. That proved to be the game’s winning goal, but it was far from the last solid chance either team would get. It was entirely Scarborough’s game in the first period as their shifty centre men sifted their way through an uncharacteristic sloppy Eagles defense. The Eagles were overpowered and spent most of their time trying to clear the zone against an aggressive UTSC forecheck. Scarborough did look vulnerable when they were caught deep in the Eagles zone however. Occasionally the Eagles could squirt past the pinching Scarborough defense or complete a sweet stretch
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UTM Eagles played the game with high spirits, but couldn’t secure the win. pass to a winger for a few breakaway chances. The checking ramped up a bit near the end of the first and it turned into a chippy, physical game. Moving into the second period, the Eagles proved resilient and started to find their way into dangerous offensive zones. A quiet first few minutes led to some post-whistle clashes between the teams and earned them
both offsetting penalties for some bad behaviour. The scuffle did energize the lacklustre teams and the play started to open. The boys brought their wheels and picked up the pace of the game. A UTM player found an opening in the high slot but couldn’t get enough mustard on his snapshot to handcuff the Scarborough goalie. His teammate followed up on the
rebound but still couldn’t score on UTSC. UTM threw everything they had at them for about five minutes and came up empty handed despite the worthy effort. Caught sleeping after their sustained attack, UTM’s goalie found himself facing 3 attackers all by himself and managed to stop the breakaway and keep the score at a manageable 1-0 deficit. At the end
of the second period, UTSC earned a two-minute minor and a five-minute major penalty giving UTM a 5 on 3 advantage into the third period. The UTM Eagles third period opened with a failed power play and their inability to capitalize on golden opportunities was their downfall. Credit to the UTSC goalie who stood on his head and kept the game tied with his pads right on the goal line, saving multiple sneaky wraparounds from the Eagles. With eight minutes left in the game, the last moments of competitive fast paced hockey occurred. Coming off both team’s poor powerplays, they initiated a little bit of rope-a-dope hockey. Both teams sent stretch passes and puck carrying defenders into each other’s zones. Each pass was blue line to blue line and the speed caused some tense and electrifying moments. Four consecutive breakaways between the two teams was the most exciting moment of the game as they looked like flashes of blue, white and red racing each other to the net. Unfortunately, after this the game was severely hindered by tons of late penalties and it ended up working to Scarborough’s advantage as UTM lost all rhythm and couldn’t find another good chance on net.
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THE MEDIUM 11.19.2018
Update: RAWC renos Hard work and resiliency The RAWC squash courts will hopefully open again in new year
Kyle continued from page 11 Boorman, in his second year at UTM, majors in Criminology. He says first year was an adjustment coming out of high school. It took some time to navigate academically, and it’s much better now than when he started. Boorman believes he’s not the only one who has grown this past year at UTM. “I think the sports culture has really changed. There’s been a lot more attention towards it. And people like [Varsity Program Director] Brittany [Tierney] and the rest of the department is really working hard to create more of a sports orientated atmosphere.”
Boorman is grateful for the opportunity UTM has given him, and to be a part of its growing athletic community. UTM’s varsity basketball program is in it’s second season. Our varsity men’s basketball finished second to last in their inaugural season, having won only 2 games. Though they start their second season 2-4, there’s been a lot of improvement, and it’s clear there’s much more to come. “We have a much larger roster this year than we did last year,” says Boorman.
Their size, in both individual height and numbers, has already provided UTM’s young varsity basketball program a much-needed boost. Despite all the time and effort the team puts into development, through practices, workouts, and watching film, Boorman still tries to get in his own individual workouts. He’s constantly striving for greatness, but not for himself. “This year I’ve been focusing on shooting. I’ve also been working on my athleticism, and my defence. I feel like I can really expand my game. But what my team needs right now is someone who can shoot, to hit threes and make jump shots. Zee [number 12 Zamam Khan] and Greg [number 3 Gregory Roberts] open up the floor with their drives. Those two [Zamam and Greg] are the one’s taking the contact and opening the floor for the rest of us to take those shots.” Boorman believes it’s more important to the team that he fulfills a role. If that role is shooting and defense, he’s going to do what he must to provide it. Boorman is grateful for the opportunity UTM has given him, and to be apart of its growing athletic community. He feels there’s more of a connection between the athletes this year. “Not just in our [basketball] team, but all the varsity sports. We’re more connected this year. It feels more like a family. And I’m proud to be a part of it,” says Boorman.
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The swipe-in machine at the RAWC has been broken for a few weeks. YASMEEN ALKOKA PHOTO EDITOR Since October 23, 2018, the swipe-in machine at the RAWC—also known as a turnstile—has been broken. People entering the gym or changerooms have been asked to present their TCard to the staff at the front desk. Anthony Sestito, the Facility Manager at the RAWC, explains that the cause behind the breakdown is the “age of the turnstile and traffic volume.” Unfortunately, the parts needed to fix the turnstile are “no longer made,” Sestito adds, but notes that “the scanner is currently functioning and is able to validate memberships [if necessary].” For the most part, the RAWC staff have relied on a visual presentation of memberships for validity. This raises the question of security, since it is
more possible for non-members to find their way in—which Sestito assures is not an issue since “staff check membership cards” and “every effort is made to ensure that the membership is valid.” This is not the first time the machine has broken down and a combination of the “age of the unit and replacement parts not being available,” Sestito explains, is why it is still down. In terms of replacement options, Sestito says they are “currently being evaluated.” There is no set date due to the “variety of models being considered,” but they plan to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Aside from the turnstile at the gym entrance, the absence of functioning squash courts in the RAWC have also raised questions. Sestito explains that “two squash courts have been closed
due to the construction of the Meeting Place [in Davis]” and have been “out of service since early August 2018.” The squash courts will continue to be closed, but Sestito hopes “they will be returned to service by the New Year”—when the renovations of the Meeting Place are expected to be completed. Students awaiting the reopening can look forward to one squash court returned to service as usual, while the other is being “converted into a Fitness/Virtual Fitness Room.” Further renovations in the RAWC are being considered “as part of the budget process and ongoing review of the facility as a whole.” As for now, hold onto your squash racquets and hold up your T-Cards at the gym entrance until the New Year.
Booster Juice: the unhealthy ugly truth Booster Juice “Classic Smoothies” have approximately 64 grams of sugar in their regular sized drinks AMRISH WAGLE ASSOCIATE S&H EDITOR Health has been on a rising trend within the contemporary market. Taking advantage of this atmosphere, many businesses have attempted to expand their net revenue and gain a foothold within the industry. One of the most prominent franchises in this market has been Booster Juice. They claim to have all their ingredients made of pure juice, with no added preservatives or sugar in their frozen fruits and yogurt. Not to mention, Canada’s food guide recommends the average adult to consume between seven and ten servings of fruits and vegetables per day. As such, almost all of Booster Juice smoothies contain at least four servings of fruit to fulfill more than half of the given benchmark. This is a major feature of their products used for branding their healthy image. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has recommended that most of these servings be derived from whole fruits and vegetables rather than juice. Unfortunately, such a high serving of fruit can also be a double-edged sword. While they refrain from adding any sugar, the fruits still contain naturally occurring sugars. According to the American Heart Association, although the daily consumption of sugar depends on the individual’s personal metabolism, the recom-
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Booster Juice advertises themselves as a “healthy” choice for students. mended limit for daily sugar intake is 25g for women and 37g for men. Booster Juice smoothies contain an ungodly profusion of sugar. The mean amount of sugar in their bestselling regular sized “Classic Smoothies” is approximately 64 grams. Clearly, Booster Juice smoothies are a bane to the human heart and nearly dismantle the stability of blood glucose levels. All this leads to further repercussions on health including a higher risk of diabetes, obesity, immune system conflicts and oral health deterioration. Another point to be noted is that, contrary to the rest of their in-
gredients, they do not exempt their sorbets from added sugar. Another major sin of Booster Juice is their gargantuan calorie punch in each smoothie. On average, the daily calorie intake is recommended to be around 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men. Most 710mL smoothies from Booster Juice are between 300 and 400 calories, with the average mean being 342 for their bestselling Classics. However, the overall range falls between 262 and 512 calories. This is a relatively acceptable range and admittedly isn’t empty in terms of providing the appropriate nutrition.
Due to the number of calories, customers should treat each smoothie as more of a meal rather than a snack. However, liquid smoothies don’t fill you up in a similar manner as solid food and fruits can. It empties from the stomach faster, leaving the individual hungry a lot sooner. Hence, it is recommended that smoothies in the morning be coupled with snacks, to compensate for the lack of satiety. Especially, for the individuals wishing to lose weight, it is specifically recommended that whole fruits and whole vegetables are preferred over their juiced counterparts. Feeling less
sated can lead individuals to consuming more calories throughout the day than they would if the food was consumed solid rather than liquid juice. Not to mention, it can cause sharp rise and falls in blood glucose levels, which can be quite unhealthy for the body. Individuals should also watch out for the minor health transgressions in Booster Juice smoothies, including the products with caffeine, allergenic ingredients such as nuts, and any smoothies with an incompatible amount of sugar for diabetes. Otherwise, the smoothies do deliver an abundance of actual health necessities including calcium, protein, vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and minerals. Some of them can also provide specific benefits such as Goji which is an antioxidant powerhouse and Caja which is certified organic by Quality Assurance International. Surprisingly, all of their smoothies are also exempt from any trans-fat. Other than the exorbitant prices at Booster Juice, the overall consensus of reviewers does land quite favorably for their smoothies and other products. Smoothies are not too bad for your health, as long as they’re coupled with an adequate diet and a sensible exercise regime. Not to mention, a mindful perspective can also go a long way in terms of mental health, to support your physical well-being.