Equity Centre update
Reimagining graphic novels
Building your ideal career
Hinic-Frlog’s unique teaching
Stress and healthy habits
News, page 2
Opinion, page 4
Arts, page 5
Features, page 8
Sports, page 11
Sanders discusses health care and power U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders talks American health care and how wealth affects politics and power ALICIA BOATTO NEWS EDITOR United States Senator Bernie Sanders delivered a keynote address at the University of Toronto discussing the importance of universal healthcare and how American congress can learn from Canada’s healthcare system. Sanders has been a vocal supporter of Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act and reforming America’s healthcare system to cover more American citizens. Sanders’ visit to the university comes as part of a larger visit to Canada to learn more about the intricacies of the Canadian healthcare system. Held at the Convocation Hall on Sunday, Sanders stated that while Canada’s healthcare system is not perfect, countries should be looking for ways to improve their systems. “No country in the world has all of the answers and never will as technology changes, as needs change. And sensible policies, as the president of this university made the point, we
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Sanders addressed a full crowd at Convocation Hall at the St. George campus. look all over the world and we ask the hard questions; is it working better there? What can we do to make our system better?”
According to Sanders, over 28 million Americans currently have no health insurance, with many more Americans being underinsured and
unable to pay high deductibles. He also highlighted the work of Tommy Douglas, the Premier of Saskatchewan in 1944, as his plan for a
new Medicare system in his province became the model for Canada’s current healthcare plan. Sanders went on to discuss how having billionaires in high political office creates a disparity between the government and the needs of the people. “Real change, it never happens from the top on down,” he said. “Real change always happens, from the bottom on up.” The U.S. Senator criticized America’s current political situation, as wealthy political groups aim to influence elections by giving large sums of money to extreme-right wing candidates who further promote the needs of the rich, specifically citing the Koch brothers, a wealthy business family known for their strong political ties . “They are spending enormous amounts of money. They have taken the Republican party from what used to be what we call a center-right party to a right-wing extremist party,” he stated. Sanders continued on page 3
Past UTMSU president hired for new position Former 2015/16 UTMSU president, Uranranebi Agebeyegbe, is now the new campaigns coordinator ALICIA BOATTO NEWS EDITOR Former president of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union, Uranranebi Agbeyegbe, who is currently a non-UTM student, was hired into the newly created position of campaigns and communications coordinator. According to UTMSU’s president Salma Fakhry in an email to The Medium, the hiring processes for full-time staff was organized through “relevant networks and not-forprofit jobs bulletins.” The job posting was advertised through a site called Charity Village. Fakhry also stated that previous experience with the UTMSU is not required, but experience with a non-profit organization would have been an asset. “The UTMSU has, for years, wanted and needed a position focused on campaigns, research, and volunteer network development. The process was initiated by the previous executive and board and a hiring committee was struck by the board last year,” UTMSU’s president wrote in response to why the position was
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Agbeyegbe holds the newly created staff position of Campaigns and Communications Coordinator. deemed necessary for this year. Fakhry did not directly address The Medium’s questions on the specific responsibilities of Agbeyegbe’s position. “The hiring process was open
for all to apply, skills were evaluated above all, and we looked at proven history of campaign organizing, research compilation, and volunteer management,” she added. Referring to having non-UTM
students hold paid positions, Abdulla Omari, formerly on the UTMSU board of directors in 2015 stated, “Having a position of full-time that is a non-student, changes that structure and that dynamic. I still remember
being a volunteer and sitting in the room with these 26-year olds trying to plan things, and it’s intimidating. And to have a man who’s, again, no longer a student managing these things, means students inherently have less input, students inherently have less voice.” According to Omari, the choice to establish a new full-time staff position goes through the executive committee, then the board of directors to ratify the decision and establish the salary that is given to full-time staff. “We really did try to make an honest effort to avoid having full-time staff taking things students could be doing, especially when we’re paying them with their own money. So, for me, when I look at this position, I’m seeing a non-student making a salary wage for a job that was accomplished before by four students,” Omari stated about his time in office. Omari said that there has been discussion of a campaigns and committee coordinator in the past, which was reviewed during his time as a board member. Staff continued on page 2
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THE MEDIUM 10.30.2017
Bylaws vague on non-UTM staff
October 19th, 2017 Suspicious Person Campus Police were called to attend the library for a female solicitor. The female was described as belligerent towards staff. The female was gone on arrival. Campus Police searched the area but no one matching the description provided was found. October 21st, 2017 Motor Vehicle Collision A non-community member reported to Campus Police that a vehicle was driving dangerously in the back of lot 5. The vehicle in question was doing burn outs and drifting and took off at a high rate of speed. The vehicle then blew a tire and was no longer drivable. Campus Police attended and spoke to the driver. The driver admitted to driving carelessly on campus and as a result, driving privileges have since been revoked. October 23rd, 2017 Drug Offences Residence staff contacted Campus Police to report that a baggie of marijuana fell out of a male’s pocket as he was walking through OPH. Residence staff identified the male and Campus Police attended. Peel Police also attended and cautioned him under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. Peel Police seized the marijuana and a grinder that was found on the individual.
October 20th, 2017 Bolded offence name. Parking staff contacted Campus Police to report a fire hose cabinet that had been damaged on the P2 level of the CCT Parking Garage. October 20th, 2017 Suspicious Person Campus Police received an online report of a female soliciting donations from students in Deerfield Hall. October 21st, 2017 Noise Complaint Residence reported to Campus Police that there was a large gathering occurring in residence. Campus Police attended and observed a large number of people inside and outside the unit. Campus Police and residence staff shut down the gathering without incident. October 21st, 2017 Police Assistance Campus Police were called to attend a student experiencing medical distress. Campus Police contacted EMS and the student was transported to hospital for further assessment. October 24th, 2017 Theft A student reported to Campus Police that his rental bike was stolen from a locked bike rack outside of residence.
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UTMSU’s bylaws can be found on their website. Staff continued from cover The UTMSU board of directors informally rejected the creation of this position in previous years, due to a lack of need and budgetary concerns.. He stated it was “not agreed [upon]. Just because we felt that the expenditure was not really equal […]. There is only so much you can do in a title like that,” said Omari. In Fakhry’s email, she responded saying: “There was a need for more campaigns work to be done and on a full-time basis. The posting went up on our website, newsletter and Charity Village, interviews were had and a person was chosen (like any standard hiring procedure).” The hiring procedures and proto-
These reports are those that have been released to The Medium from Campus Police and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list. Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905 453 3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477.
cols are outlined in the UTMSU bylaws located on their website. According to Bylaw XIV: “The Executive Committee has the right to employ unionized and contractual staff as it deems necessary for the best interest of the Union. The Executive Committee shall review their terms of employment as outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Union and the respective Union representing the Staff.” The UTMSU policy manual states that the hiring committee for new staff consists of the UTMSU president, the vice-president internal, the vice-president equity, and two members from the board of directors. According to Omari, it is not
against any policies for staff to attend governance meetings, however, he stated it would be unusual for a hired staff member, who was not elected, to deliver presentations to the administration and thereby represent the student body. “When you’re talking about student unions, you are talking about something that is inherently meant for students. It is meant as an organization that’s supposed to help students field their opinions, field their campaigns, and enjoy them,” said Omari. Agbeyegbe had served as a UTMSU executive for two consecutive academic years, in 2014/2015 as the VP external and in 2015/2016 as the president.
Equity Centre not open A formal opening date has not been set
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UTMSU previously listed the centre as a 2016 accomplishment. SHARMEEN ABEDI STAFF WRITER
The opening of an Equity Centre at the University of Toronto Mississauga has been a long-term goal for the UTMSU’s vice-president equity and was listed as an achievement for last year’s executive team. The centre, however, has yet to be opened and an opening date has yet to be set. The Equity Centre will be located on the second floor of the Student Centre. According to the current VP equity Sagal Osman, the centre is meant to be a safe space for students and to encourage inclusion of different groups in the community. The UTMSU Equity Statement states that any hostile or harmful behavior shown toward a particular group is strictly intolerable and condemned. They also declare that
any verbal abuse that is rooted in “anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, racist, classist, ablest, homophobic, sexist, or transphobic sentiments” will not be condoned. Osman, the VP equity, stated in an email to The Medium: “The UTMSU is very excited to have our own equity service centre. Not only will it be a space for folks to access valuable information and other types of resources, but it will also be a safe space that allows individuals to decompress and organize with other community members that they identify with.” The Equity Centre will be run by volunteers. Once it is open, the UTMSU will post weekly office hours to let students know when they can drop by. Osman did not specify an estimated opening date or why the opening of the centre has been delayed.
10.30.2017 THE MEDIUM NEWS
Sanders : “How free are you?”
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HALLOWEEN COSTUME?
Daniel Bhatt 3rd year, Biology
Kevin Karrandjas 2nd year, History
“A dead soldier”
“Jon Snow”
Sarah Girgis 3rd year, Accounting
Rachael Masih 2nd year, PWC and CCIT
“Creepy doll”
“Louise Belcher”
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Sanders questioned the concept of freedom if people are still unable to access proper healthcare. Sanders continued from cover Sanders noted that this trend of wealthy politicians condenscing power is occurring across the world and referred to it as an “oligarchy”. He also cited the recent attempts by the Republican party to dismantle the Affordable Care Act as an effort to regress America to a time “where freedom was based on the amount of money you had in your bank account.” According to Sanders, wealthy families and groups like the Koch brothers are seeking to privatize social security and public health in order to give more tax breaks to the top one per cent. “That is what happens when billionaires are able to buy a political party. Do not let that happen in Canada,” he said. Sanders went on to emphasise that the definition of healthcare needs to
be expanded to include dental care, eye care, and psychological needs. He concluded by speaking against pharmaceutical companies both in America, as well as Canada who take advantage of over-charging for prescription drugs. A brief Q&A was held after Sanders’ keynote address with Dr. Daniella Martin, the vice-president of Women’s College Hospital. Martin posed questions to Sanders about how to disprove perpetuated myths about the Canadian health care system. Sanders stated that partly why the idea of universal healthcare is criticized is because people feel that doctors would become “slaves” to the needs of patients and the notion of universal care is too radical. “There is so much to be learned and we will take back what we learned here and what we know
about the Canadian healthcare system to the Unites States Congress and to the American people,” Sanders stated. “We in the United States are about to ask a simple question: How does it happen that here in Canada you provide healthcare to every man, women, and child, and you do it in fifty percent of the cost that we spend on health care in the Unites States? And the answer is to a significant degree that we have a health care system not designed to provide quality care to all people in a cost-effective way, but frankly, a system designed to make billions in profit for the drug companies and the insurance companies.” Bernie Sanders gained global notoriety when he ran against former U.S secretary of state Hillary Clinton for the leader of the Democratic Party in the 2016 U.S presidential elections.
UTSU bylaw amendments UTSU to vote to remove VP external and university affairs ALICIA BOATTO NEWS EDITOR
The University of Toronto Students’ Union plans to vote on several bylaw amendments, including the addition of vice-president advocacy and the removal of the positions of vice-president external and vicepresident university affairs from the executive committee during their Annual General Meeting on Monday, October 30th. “The current division of labour is inefficient and we’ve been made a point of addressing inefficiencies this year,” stated UTSU’s president Matthias Memmel in an email to The Medium. “Ultimately, the amendment reflects how things have been done for many years, so very little will actually change.” The VP advocacy will be responsible for chairing the Student Advocacy Commission, representing the UTSU to other student unions, and will focus on promoting the academic interests of the other UTSU members. According to Bylaw VIII in UTSU’s bylaw amendments, this new VP position will combine aspects of VP external and VP internal. The position of VP external was responsible for represent-
ing the UTSU in communications with other post-secondary student unions, as well as national student organizations. The VP external also functioned as the official representation to the Canadian Student’s Federation. VP university affairs functioned as the acting president in the absence of the union president and VP internal, as well as handled all communications between the union and college, faculty, academic councils, and the central administration. VP university affairs was also responsible for chairing the Academic and Student Rights Commission. The UTSU president will be responsible for some of the VP university affairs job duties, as well. “The duties of the VPUA would be split between the president and the new position of VP Advocacy. The VP advocacy would be responsible for academic advocacy as well as external advocacy, and the president would become responsible for relations with the university and relations with other student societies,” Memmel wrote. If the amendments for Bylaw VIII are approved, both positions of VP external and VP university affairs will be removed from the UTSU’s executive team for the next
academic year. UTSU also seeks to implement a new student advocacy committee under Bylaw XI that would focus on establishing collaborations with outside organizations and advocate for academic and education-based issues. The union also plans to address concerns regarding its autonomy when joining outside organizations. According to the AGM agenda, “The UTSU shall not become a member of any organization from which the UTSU would not be able to withdraw via a vote of the Board of Directors,” and “The UTSU shall not enter into any perpetual agreement that cannot be terminated by a vote of the Board of Directors.” Last year, the UTSU has released multiple statements declaring their interest in leaving the Canadian Federation of Students due to disagreements with some actions, such as the delayed releasing of audit reports. The UTSU’s AGM will be taking place on Monday 30th at 6pm at the St. George Campus. All members of the UTSU will be eligible to vote on the proposed bylaw amendments, including all members of the UTMSU.
Enrolment to be cut U of T enrolment rates to be smaller ALI TAHA
The second Town Hall meeting of the academic year held last Monday discussed announcements from the provincial government to postsecondary education institutions, as well as some collaborations happening between the University of Toronto Mississauga and multiple organizations. The provincial government has recently specified experiential learning as a needed aspect of post-secondary education. Such examples of experiential learning include performance and artistic productions, clinical placements, co-op programs, internships, work-place simulations, and work-study programs. The government also ruled that the number of undergraduate enrolment be limited. In regards to the University of Toronto’s population, there will be a reduction of undergraduate students allocated to the university, as UTM’s Principal Ulrich Krull stated. “We’ve been told that [high enrolment rates] can’t be allowed. Given that the University of Toronto has over 80 000 students, the reduction numbers, which total around 2,000, is of not great consequence.” Krull said that UTM will slow down the amount of undergraduate students that will be accepted in the coming years, as well. In an attempt to attract the tech giant Amazon, the provincial government intends on funding at least 1,000 more graduate-level jobs that
relate to the fields of data analytics and technology. According to Krull, “We can attract Amazon to southern Ontario by demonstrating that we are prepared to create a highly educated workforce.” UTM will also be building a relationship with Trillium health partners, who will work with the Institute for Management and Innovation and the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry to work on a patient care system. Krull stated: “[Trillium] would like to work with the Institute of Management and Innovation to be able to revise and refine patient care. This will be through the management of patient care, the efficiency of the hospital.” The university also received a visit from the president of the National Research Council, which is the premier research department of Canada. The organization has multiple laboratories across Canada, except in the GTA. The NRC would like to invest on “building a new NRC centre close to the campus and invited UTM to be the institution to partner with them.” When asked if there are any plans on building a hockey rink on campus, Krull responded by saying that the university has “a plan to build outdoor, but not indoor ice,” and also suggested that the university could pay to rent a bus for fans to transport them to and from one of their hockey games. The next Town Hall will be on November 27 in the Student Centre from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
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Ending the graphic novel stigma Don’t fear the pictures, they bring you into a new world of storytelling you’ll love I’m sure many of us have read a graphic novel or comic in some form. You may have just read a few panels at the back of a local newspaper while on a bus, or an entire novel from beginning to end. Graphic novels have always been a fascinating form of literature to me. I will admit that my knowledge and full engagement with graphic novels have not been the best, but I absolutely love walking through the graphic novel section at Chapters and reading the first few pages of as many as I can. What intrigues me about graphic novels is their ability to combine simple or heavily detailed images with text and really draw readers into the world of the novel. Graphic novels take you through space and time while only using panels on a page to do so. The sheer detail and immensity involved with the writing and illustration of a graphic novel in itself is what I love about reading them. However, the legitimacy of a graphic novel is a question that has been asked by many. How important are graphic novels to the world of literature? Can they be classified as high forms of literature? Should graphic novels be placed in the same plane of works as Shakespeare and F. Scott Fitzgerald? Are graphic novels essential to academics and should they be taken seriously in this respect? To me, the answer is yes to all those questions. Graphic novels have, for decades,
taken on the reputation of just being comics. They’re just little books or panels that you read to get a decent laugh out of and then move on. They aren’t meant to be taken seriously because many people think they’re just imaginative picture books that are only for young kids. What good is a picture book to an adult? Well the irony is, there are adults illustrating and writing these books for children, youth, and adults alike. Let’s consider the illustration portion of graphic novels. The repetitive process of drawing the same character, hundreds of times, while ensuring there is no difference between the characters from one panel to the next, is in itself an amazing feat. A repetitive process yes, but essential to maintaining continuity as well. Illustrators have to take their time creating characters and imagining their facial expressions, their body movements, the style of their hair, their clothing, and more, from scratch. Sometimes, these graphic novels are 60, 200, or even 300 pages long. That is an immense amount of time dedicated to the creation of the visual world that shouldn’t be discredited. The visuals also need to be able to elicit feelings of sadness, adrenaline, happiness, and so much more. The best part about the illustrations themselves is that they’re all still images. The flow and the motion of the images comes from the illustrator’s ability to create smooth transitions between the panels and within them. The images don’t need to be
extremely detailed either for one to be part of the flow of images. Basic facial expressions can sometimes be just enough to get you to shed a tear. Of course, the writing itself can’t be forgotten about. The thought of a speech bubble seems so odd, as they’re just little white circles filled with text in them as ways of speaking—it seems so unnatural. However, what’s fascinating is that the shape the dialogue is embedded in determines the kind of dialogue being said. A box means it’s from a narrator or it’s providing context, a speech bubble is dialogue coming from a character, a jagged sharp box means that the character is screaming, and so on. There’s also the ability for writers of graphic novels to create words for various sounds. Words such as “Kaboom,” “ka-pow,” “urgh,” and “pew,” are a few examples. This combines the concept of sound and word in ways we don’t usually engage with. Though I’ve only scratched the surface of the work placed into the creation of a graphic novel, the work behind the literature is just as, if not more, creatively and intelligently complicated as writing a traditional fiction novel. The illustrations don’t lessen the value of graphic novels. In fact, they add another facet of creativity that gives readers a different way of understanding the narrative. Graphic novels have the ability to have absolutely nothing on a page except for a small visual or a word, which can impact the significance of
the narrative. They’re such interesting and magnetic forms of storytelling that they deserve to be recognized as formal literature. That’s not to say they aren’t being recognized as such. I did take a graphic novel course in my third-year of university that opened my mind to the understanding of these books. However, because they’re so rare, the courses related to graphic novels at universities are often viewed as bird courses that’ll give you a break from the other overwhelming ones in your program. That is not okay—the amount of work and dedication put into the development and publishing of graphic novels is just as intense and rewarding as a fictional novel. Just like any other narrative form, graphic novels have the ability to move readers. Since this is the case, they need to be taken seriously in an academic setting. Graphic novels, such as Maus and Stitches, are only a few of many wellwritten and beautiful novels that moved me and made me fall in love with the medium. Don’t worry, you’re not a kid if you read graphic novels, nor are you not allowed to read them because suddenly you’re too old for them. Graphic novels have the ability to bring change and change someone’s world. You could be that someone.
YOURS, MAHMOUD SAROUJI
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Just do it, sell it, and market it yourself Two fourth-year students weigh in on what it takes to advertise and profit from their creative hobbies KASSANDRA HANGDAAN A&E EDITOR Combining what you love to do and what would be profitable, for most, is a recipe for an ideal career. For fourth-year French and political science student Hannah Park, and fourth-year commerce student Precious Benemerito, monetizing their creative hobbies through online platforms has allowed them to financially benefit from and expand the range of their artwork. Park advertises her DIY cards on Instagram. She states that besides being a marketing platform, Instagram serves as a good source of inspiration for artists with similar interests. At the beginning of her artistic career, Park described an early childhood interest in drawing. From there, compliments from classmates gave Park further motivation to pursue the craft. Park said, “It was through my drawings that I could get to know my classmates and meet new friends who had the same interests and passion as me. I remember the excite-
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As DIY artworks gain popularity, artists take to social media platforms to advertise their works. ment I felt when my classmates would ask me to draw them something. I could find joy and a sense of belonging through art.” Park stated that the value of her artwork extends beyond a purely business aspect. At the moment, Park focuses on creating and selling cards for friends. Thus, there is still a sentimental value attached to the
artwork that Park sells to friends. “Through my cards and DIYs, I could leave something behind that they could remember me by,” she explained. In terms of finding inspiration for her DIY cards, Park states that since she intimately knows the buyers, who are typically friends, and she personalizes the cards according to
specific interests. She stated: “I try to look into the person’s passions and hobbies, remember an inside joke or I’ll start off with a theme and go from there. I don’t ask them what they want in their cards, since I want to surprise them.” On the other hand, Benemerito engages in the specific crochet art
form of Amigurumi—a Japanese art form of creating dolls. Benemerito started selling her artwork while still being a biology student before switching to commerce. Monetizing her artwork led her to change academic career paths. “When I first started selling my dolls as a biology student, I was at a crossroads with regards to my academics as well as my career aspirations. Combining arts and basic business skills helped me to understand what it meant to turn passion into profit as well as what it meant to find satisfaction in a career. Ultimately, the entire experience was the push that led me to switch degrees and start my business career,” she elaborated. Benemerito emphasized the importance of having a unique and thorough product plan. By this, she stated that the quality of the product is of chief importance. Though a product itself may be generic, Benemerito said that what makes a difference is how the the product is marketed. DIY continued on page 6
Celebrating Canadian artists under 40 The Sobey Art Award rewards finalists with $50,000 in cash to fund their future artistic endeavors MELISSA BARRIENTOS
Last Wednesday, Nova Scotia artist Ursula Johnson was awarded the 2017 Sobey Art Award at a gala ceremony held at the University of Toronto Art Museum. Johnson was awarded $50,000, making her the first artist from the Atlantic region to win the Sobey Art Award. Established in 2001, the Sobey Art Award has become Canada’s most prominent award for contemporary art. The award is jointly administered by the Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada. It is annually presented to a Canadian contemporary artist under 40-years-old. Johnson, as a multidisciplinary Mi’kmaq artist, incorporates performance and site-specific installation into her artwork to express colonialism and its effect on indigenous cultural practices. Her pieces often combine traditional aboriginal art forms, including basket weaving—a cultural practice unique to her Mi’kmaq community—with contemporary works so that viewers can explore their own identity and ancestry. One of Johnson’s pieces included an animal cage as a wire fence wraps
YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM
One of Ursula Johnson’s pieces makes use of a wire fence wrapping around a moose fence. around a moose fence in the middle of the room. When I had lingered by the gate I was prompted by an attending guide to enter the cage. Positioning myself at the center of the long wooden cage, I felt contradicting emotions. While I felt entrapped inside the moose and wire fencing, looking out to a modern-like scenery of the woods in the vinyl wallpaper, I felt as if I were being scrutinized under the red lighting. When I looked up and noted the cage had no roof,
a detail that is not noticed from the outside, I felt a bit liberated knowing I wasn’t completely enclosed. I headed to the gate only to have the guide explain to me that the gate only opened from the outside and that I had to find the other exits. Upon close inspection, I noted that hidden within the sides of the moose fence were doors that could open once unhinged from the outside. Johnson’s art piece demonstrated colonial history and its effects on
her Mi’kmaq cultural heritage as the natural moose fencing creates a tension with the heavy presence of steel and sense of entrapment. Another intriguing artwork displayed in the Sobey Art Award exhibition is by Jacynthe Carrier, a shortlist finalist from Quebec. Through the medium of photography and videography, Carrier captures humanity’s delicate relationship with its environment. Carrier uses the expanse of three rooms, with the centre
room displaying a series of photographs along its wall that opens up to rooms displaying videos on opposing sides. This is possibly an attempt to illustrate a connection between the three pieces of work. In the room to the left, a video shows people, most of whom are wearing semi-formal attire and jewelry, on the sand arranging rocks with no particular order but with precise care. The room to the right of the center displays a video of people in a workshop moving randomly yet acutely with purpose. The repetitive and almost habitual actions of the people and the sense of dissonance within humans and nature explicably illustrates the fragile relationship between humans and the environment. The shortlist of finalists for the 2017 Sobey Art Award, each of whom received $10,000, included four other artists: Raymond Boisjoly of the West Coast and Yukon; Divya Mehra of the Prairies and the North; Bridget Moser of Ontario; and Jacynthe Carrier of Quebec. The exhibition of the artwork by this year’s five shortlist finalists will continue at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto until December 9.
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Alternative ways of learning poetry KASSANDRA HANGDAAN A&E EDITOR
Developed by poet Ronna Bloom, the Poet in Community program aims to develop the creative writing interests of students at U of T. Bloom has most recently appeared at the International Festival of Authors in Toronto to present the release of The More—her latest publication drawing from her experiences in hospital wards. The PIC program was created in 2007 with the aid of U of T’s MultiFaith Centre, Hart House Theatre, Accessibility Centre, and among others. Currently occupying the position of Poet in Community is Bloom herself. Bloom explains that the instruction received in the program is not formally structured like a university lecture. She states that there is no formal classroom, teacher, or boss. Learning takes place without any evaluation through casual conversations. “The idea was to offer students a way to reflect on the parts of themselves and their experiences that
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Ronna Bloom draws from her experience as a psychotherapist in her new book The More. didn’t fit into the silos of academics or any kind of strict identity,” said Bloom. She further emphasizes that the program allows students to express their creative writing interests regardless of their academic programs: “Like someone who is a chemistry student who is also a comic book fan who struggles with commuting from home. Allow[ing] all the parts [of this student] to emerge, in writing, with the support of poetry, in an environment without grades
or evaluation.” For Bloom, the goal when teaching is to allow students to share their works in such a way that the “poetry speaks to them.” Besides leading writing workshops for PIC, Bloom has also worked as the Poet in Residence at Mount Sinai Hospital and Sinai Health System. She has also worked as a psychotherapist. Drawing from these experiences, Bloom crafted The More. At first, while on an airplane,
Bloom wrote an essay called “Walking the Hospital,” which became the central piece of the book. “I didn’t know that this book would be about health, care, mortality, meditation, vulnerability, compassion, loss, subversion, and spontaneity until it began to coalesce,” said Bloom, referring to how “Walking the Hospital” inspired a slew of similar works now published in The More. Bloom has read excerpts from The More at the International Festi-
val of Authors in front of a panel featuring Ann Michaels, Julia Cameron Gray, and Meaghan Strimas. One poem in the poetry collection, titled “Salve,” is fixated on the usage of the word in different languages. Bloom further explained: “I realized the word [salve] had these two meanings and resonances—the balm in English, the hello in Italian and the echo of being welcomed as a soothing thing. Being “helloed.” And rough necessary edge of the word ‘salvage.’” In regard to the importance of mental health as a theme in her work, Bloom states that it is simply not enough to be aware of mental health. What matters more importantly, according to Bloom, is the exploration of the human traits of vulnerability, insatiability, and connectedness to one another. “I want to pay attention to my every day experiences with others and in my writing,” she said. On March 29, Bloom will be competing in Poetry NOW: 9th Annual Battle of the Bards among 19 other contestants.
Do it yourself A talk with Lee Maracle
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Benemerito is now marketing and selling her dolls on Etsy.
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U of T instructor Lee Maracle discusses issues affecting First Nation peoples in her book. DIY continued from page 5 “For example, there are hundreds of stores selling knitted headbands but little things like photography, price and reputation can make all the difference as to whether people buy from you or leave you lost among the crowds,” she explained. For marketing products, Benemerito encourages other creative business owners to find a platform best suited for their needs. She said: “Personally, I find In-
According to Benemerito,“It’s important to remember that these things take time.” stagram to be a great platform because of its focus on photography and display in addition to having such strong interactive components. As well, the dance community that I was targeting had an incredibly strong presence on the app.” Now, Benemerito is marketing and selling her handmade dolls on Etsy—an online market for independent businesses selling arts and
crafts. The site has garnered attention for its seller base of individuals creating unique, and often personalized, artworks. In terms of balancing school and her creative endeavours, Benemerito expressed gratitude for the support of her parents. Benemerito was in charge of making dolls and handling the social media websites, while her parents supported the output process of the products. Her parents helped with finding supplies, and mailing the product packages. “It was great to have all the help behind the scenes especially since I was a full-time student,” she said. When asked about the advice she would give to others interested in monetizing their artworks, she replied by saying that patience is an important value. For Benemerito, success did not come overnight and the journey to improving her business took place during her undergraduate career. “It’s important to remember that these things take time - success does not come overnight. You have to be willing to take criticism and tailor your project to meet the evolving needs of customers. What you put into this job is what you get out of it,” she said.
PAULA CHO
Located in Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, the 38th edition of the International Festival of Authors will last for 11 days. Some events include author readings, interviews, panel discussions, and book signings. One of the participants in the festival was author and U of T instructor Lee Maracle. Interviewed by award-winning journalist Duncan McCue, Maracle discusses the controversial topics of her latest book “My Conversation with Canadians.” Maracle’s work is based on the recurring questions she receives about her Indigenous heritage. Questions like “What do I call you?” or “How can we reconcile our pasts?” are examples she addressed. She emphasized from the start of the interview that her book is meant to be conversationalist and not to definitively answer these often rhetorical ponderings, for which she has no conclusive response. “What we’re called is always changing and asking me how you can help is asking me to think for
you—I can’t,” Maracle said. Maracle asserted that Canadians have “a mountain of denial” about relations with indigenous people and hold the “myth of hospitality” about themselves. She believes that this is inherited from British upper-class immigrants who prejudicially characterized Canada’s First Nation societies as ignorant.
Maracle’s work is based on the recurring questions she receives about her Indigenous heritage. Maracle’s book highlighted how spirituality and anti-feminist impressions are the only indigenous stories people like to focus on. She addressed the argument of indigenous communities regarding feminism as an outside concept, and said: “Back then, they don’t know themselves. Feminism is an ageold concept.” Maracle added that while there is still gender oppression in indigenous society, it does not mean that feminism ceases to exist. When
asked how she wants indigenous men to support women, Maracle said that she wants men to hold their tongue when telling women what to do and to make more space for women in critical roles. “Shared space is a big part of being together,” she said. On the notion of reconciliation, Maracle defines the term as when conflict ends and amends are made. However, the conflict is not yet over since, as Maracle stated, “We don’t have an end to the colonial legacy.” Maracle stated that everyone is responsible for the collective journey we are on and to be in charge of our own choices and lives. Merely surviving is not the goal, but rather it is to achieve “firmness, kindness, and ceremony.” According to Maracle, reflecting before speaking and acting is the difference between the indigenous notion of respect and general notions of kindness. Currently, Maracle is touring the country with author readings of her book. The 2017 IFOA ran until October 29.
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Rising up from hardship Stooshinoff takes listeners on a stoic journey with new EP
REWIND SHARMEEN ABEDI STAFF WRITER
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Stooshinoff reveals grave personal matters underlying the release of Stoic.
KASSANDRA HANGDAAN A&E EDITOR Alexander Stooshinoff’s upcoming ambient EP Stoic will be released in the fall of 2018—at which point, some of the EP’s songs will be up to four years old. Stooshinoff described the creation of Stoic as a product of significant life events during a personally difficult year in 2016. “2016 was a pretty difficult year for me. Bad things just kept happening, and at one point in autumn, it became comically dark,” said Stooshinoff. In the summer of 2016, while on tour in Alberta, Stooshinoff ’s mother was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer. Not long after, Stooshinoff and his ex-partner broke up. “I had at one time hoped that that relationship would be for life. The break up was especially difficult for a variety of reasons I won’t get into, but in any case it taught me a lot about grief,” he explained. At this point, Stooshinoff spent the rest of the summer in Saskatoon with his parents in an attempt to care for his mother. After a brief sojourn at the University of Saskatchewan, Stooshinoff decided to return to Montreal where he began working on an experimental album There Are No Graves Here. He describes the album as dealing with themes of dual helplessness—something he felt while going through the experience of a break up and his mother’s illness. Stooshinoff ’s mother passed away in the summer of 2017. However, Stooshinoff admitted that there was an almost invisible silver lining to these events: “If there’s a positive end to the whole story it’s contained somewhere in the enormous love that I received from friends, family, neighbours, professors, throughout those times.” Currently, Stooshinoff ’s single “At Parting,” from Stoic, will be released by FatCat Records within
this week. The track features sound of modular synthesis rather than the naturalistic, breathy sounds found in his past album Patient Hands. Another track in Stoic, “The Poisoner,” chants the haunting refrain, “They’re all gone.” “‘The Poisoner’ concerns the ways that I harm myself through patterns of thought and the negative stories I tell about myself,” Stooshinoff explained when asked about the meaning of this refrain. “The line [referenced] deals with a kind of existential individualism of being totally on your own, and also the sadness that sometimes comes with remembrance.”
“‘The Poisoner’ concerns the way that I harm myself through patterns of thought I tell about myself.” - Alex Stooshinoff Since 2014, Stooshinoff has changed his stage name twice, moving from playing under his legal name to ‘Living Room,’ and currently to ‘Patient Hands.’ He explains that his change was arbitrary, after registering the name on social media websites from which the name “just stuck around.” For Stooshinoff, the new stage name signifies “quietness” or “warmthness.” Stooshinoff admitted that his musical style and interests are in a constant state of flux. Her attributed this state to “ever-changing inspiration [and] moods.” Though he thinks, generally, change is a positive thing, he acknowledged that it can, at times, be problematic. “[I often] change directions before I can even finish a record,” he clarified, “I think that’s part of why it took me the better part of three years to write Stoic.” He cited the example of his two EPs Patient Hands and Stoic. In ac-
tuality, Stooshinoff worked on both EPs simultaneously. He added that there was a strong possibility of merging both the EPs into one. Stooshinoff, who has previously studied philosophy while in university, has stated before that the field has informed his song-writing style. When asked how, in particular, philosophy has informed the way he writes music, Stooshinoff said that a lot of his musical emphasis is on “mysticism” and “general agnosticism.” At the moment, Stooshinoff is learning about how Plato and Augustine may have influenced mysticism. Philosophy has allowed him to discover how to view the world in different ways, given the unique views of philosophers that he has been introduced to. “To be clear, I’m not engaged in something something like ‘research-creation’ with my pop music, but what I’m thinking about does inevitably surface in my songwriting,” Stooshinoff added for clarity. Now, Stooshinoff is working on There Are No Graves. The challenge with this upcoming EP, he acknowledged, is somehow combining disparate musical styles under a unifying element: “There’s also a spoken word piece on there that almost feels too raw for me to release, and that was my first time working in spoken word. There’s a time-stretched version of ‘Calm’ and a processed recording of a classic piece from the middle-ages.” The cover image for There Are No Graves is a picture of Saskatchewan canola fields taken by Stooshinoff ’s father. For Stooshinoff, this image reminds him of home. So much so that working on this album has been a homecoming experience. While working on There Are No Graves, Stooshinoff is working on a record for acoustic guitar and voice. “I suspect it will take a while to finish the acoustic record I was working on,” he said, jokingly.
Child’s Play (1988) is a horror movie which follows the story of a killer doll named Chucky. Chucky tries to take over the soul of six-year-old Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) to become human. This blockbuster has had multiple sequels to continue the franchise. The movie begins by showing a serial killer, Charles Lee Ray. After being shot by the police, he performs dark magic to transfer his soul into a Good Guy doll. This doll falls into the hands of a young boy, Andy, who then tries to convince his mother and the authorities that his doll is alive. The film follows the same plot that a typical slasher movie would follow, with Chucky killing multiple people throughout the film until he is finally stopped by Andy and his mother. However, the viewers know that Chucky never really dies. In every movie in the franchise, Chucky always manages to come back to life to resume his killing spree. When Andy realises his doll is real, no one believes him and he is institutionalized. However, his mother Karen (Catherine Hicks) soon discovers the truth and with the help of detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon)— they set out to find the truth about
LABINA KHALID
“Fifteen Dogs” by André Alexis explores the implication of power in the hands of immature Greek gods. The book begins with two gods, Apollo and Hermes, who, out of boredom, place a bet with each other. They give human intelligence to 15 dogs locked away in an animals’ clinic. Apollo bets that all the dogs will die in misery since, to him, human intelligence is nothing but a cause of misery. Hermes places a less severe bet that at least one of the dogs will die in peace. “Fifteen Dogs” illustrates how human intelligence may not always be a good thing. The dogs, who were initially in a tight-knit pack, eventually part ways. The dogs who did not want to accept the changes that came after being given human intelligence not only ignored them, but started to harm any other dog who accepted the change. For instance, the pack attacked another dog named Majnoun because he supported the new dog language that Prince, a dog infatuated with poetry, created. The acceptance of these changes became harmful for the dogs. Changes in culture or society today work similarly. Not everyone is willing to accept change. This resis-
Chucky and how to destroy him. Having seen this movie many times, I can say that this is an enjoyable horror flick that one can watch repeatedly. The plot is simple, engaging, and the violence does not get too gory. One thing that never gets boring is the doll itself. Chucky is one of the few scary dolls that speaks and reacts. The line “Hi, I’m Chucky, wanna play?” is a catchphrase in the franchise and is repeated usually right before Chucky kills someone. As many other horror films, Child’s Play has several sequels, but none are as good as the original. Child’s Play 2 (1990) and Child’s Play 3 (1991) follow the same story of Chucky being after Andy’s soul, so they remain similar to the original movie. The rest of the sequels branch out to different storylines. One thing I like about this movie is how it has elements of different genres. It has a serial killer figure, Chucky, a typical feature in slasher flicks. It has a child at the centre of everything and a spooky atmosphere that is common in ghost movies. Though, it also has a crime mystery element to it, with multiple characters who are attempting to solve the mystery about the doll and figure out how to save Andy. I think the movie does a good job of simultaneously creeping you out and entertaining you.
tance to change has been illustrated throughout the media in movies like X-Men and shows like The Gifted. This concept has also been the cause of true historical terrors like the holocaust or slavery.
The survival of such arts through time ensure that the sufferings of the past are not forgotten—they may even serve as a lesson. The book also illustrates the importance of the arts in finding meaning in life. Art has always been a form of expression. In the book, Prince makes poems and it enlightens his soul. He learns to understand life and look at it to a certain depth. The idea that his art might survive allows him to die in peace. There is a comfort in knowing that a part of him will survive. Moreover, the survival of such arts through time ensure that the sufferings of the past are not forgotten—they may even serve as a lesson to avoid similar conflicts in the future. In this way, art not only remains a form of expression but also a way of learning from the past.
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A new UTM classroom experience Professor Sanja Hinic-Frlog from the biology department discusses her love for teaching and learning JESSICA CABRAL
As a high school biology student at Alternative Scarborough Education 2, Sanja Hinic-Frlog, an evolutionary biologist, paleontologist, and assistant professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga, discovered that the process of learning could consist of more than just the traditional methods of reading textbooks and writing tests. Hinic-Frlog’s biology teacher introduced her class to hands-on learning by organizing activities that allowed the students to design, discuss, and engage with experiments. Now as a professor in the biology department, Hinic-Frlong adopts similar teaching strategies in her own classrooms where she works to combine “reading with doing.” From a young age, Hinic-Frlog’s love and interest for animals sparked a childhood wish to attend veterinary school. She completed her undergraduate degree in biology at Queen’s University, where she experienced more active learning through field work for her courses. During her graduate schooling at the University of Toronto St. George
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Professor Hinic-Frlog developed her passion for birds and fossils during her time at graduate school. campus, courses in animal behaviour and field courses in ornithology and paleontology ignited a new, and slightly more specialized, passion in Hinic-Frlog—a love for birds and fossils. After her two-year master’s
degree, she worked for a non-profit organization devoted to bird conservation in California, and eventually pursued her Ph.D. in the United States. “It was a love for research and
teaching from that point on,” HinicFrlog explains in reference to the conclusion of her doctoral journey. “[The love] was always there, but I just didn’t find the subject that I was most interested in until I was doing
my Ph.D.” Through implementing her love for education and a desire to nurture a passion for learning within her students, Hinic-Frlog received an Early Career Teaching award from U of T in recognition of her efforts in incorporating creative and engaging teaching techniques in her undergraduate biology lectures, such as active learning and problem solving. Inspired by her high school teacher’s approach to education, HinicFrlog dedicates time, even in large classroom settings like her BIO202: Animal Physiology and BIO210: Anatomy and Physiology classes, to stop the lecture and challenge her students to apply the concepts they learned to practice problems. To foster deeper conversation in her introduction to human and animal physiology courses, Hinic-Frlog encourages her students to complete their assigned readings before class. During lecture, Hinic-Frlog explains that she typically structures her class around what she refers to as “minilecturettes,” a 10-to-15 minute segment of content heavy teaching. Learn continued on page 10
An appetite for learning and travelling Students in the ITA235 course spent their reading week in Italy learning about culture through food SHAYNA JAN
For many students, reading week is an opportunity to trade the woes of writing and arithmetic with the pleasure of rest and relaxation. Often however, our days are spent sleeping rather than studying. While being true for many, this was not the case for 11 ITA235 students who spent the week in Italy. In visiting Bologna, Florence, and Rome, the students were able to immerse themselves in the culture of each region and learn about the rich history of the country through their taste buds. When asked about the design of the Italian History and Culture Through Food course, specifically the decision to add a component that could be completed abroad, professor Teresa Lobalsamo stressed the value of experiential learning. Her main objective was to “heighten learning by heightening the students’ sensory experiences.” She explained the best way to do that was to “take history and culture lessons out of the classroom and into
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Italian History and Culture Through Food exposed students to the sights, smells, and tastes of Italy. the streets.” Being able to see, smell and taste the foods being discussed in lecture “undoubtedly made information easier to retain, but it also allowed students to further note the relevance of their studies.” The first day of the trip was one filled with authentic tastes, as the group visited parmigiano reggiano, balsamic vinegar, and prosciutto
factories in Modena. Not only were students shown the process from beginning to end, but they were also given some alarming facts regarding the products sold at home. One that stood out, as noted by many students on the trip, was the fact that parmesan cheese sold in Canada can contain up to 14% woodchips. As professor Lobalsamo explained,
this experience didn’t only expose students to authentic Italian cuisine, but it also “encouraged introspective analyses of our individual relationship with food.” Angela Roldan, a fifth year ITA235 student, agreed with this point, noting that the factories made her “more conscious about the Italian food that is presented to [her] in Canada.”
In Florence, the students enjoyed some free time, which was mostly spent seeing the sights and eating as much gelato as they could possibly stomach. Students had the chance to try a Tuscan specialty, namely bistecca alla florentina, otherwise known as a thick-cut steak cooked ever so slightly, to the point of still being bloody. Just outside of Florence, in the town of Testaccio, students also had the opportunity to visit Giulio the Truffle Hunter. They were taught about the different types of truffles and how they could be hunted. Many of the students note that this day contained their favourite meal from the trip, as Giulio introduced them to a variety of authentic truffle-based foods served right from his own kitchen. Students then stopped in Rome, where they partook in a secret food tour, which, as noted by ITA235 student Amber Shoebridge, truly is Rome’s best kept secret. Shoebridge enjoyed the cannoli and the espresso, gushing that this tour “turned a tea drinker into a coffee drinker.” Italy continued on page 10
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Social media against sexual assault Thousands of women share stories of sexual assault and harrassment with the #MeToo campaign MAHNOOR AYUB FEATURES EDITOR Soon after actress Alyssa Milano had posted a tweet on October 15 that said, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet,” thousands of people, including author and poet Najwa Zebian and singer Lady Gaga, had responded to it by using the hashtag “#MeToo.” Similar to the 2012 #EverydaySexism and the 2014 #YesAllWomen campaign, the #MeToo movement has used social media, as what Anna Codrea-Rado from The New York Times describes, “a galvanizing platform for women to discuss their experiences.” Therefore as women rally towards alternative platforms for raising awareness, The Medium hopes to understand why this is becoming important, and what it can hope to achieve. “Social media has been used as a space for women to speak out and for women to express solidarity with each other,” explains professor Beverly Bain, lecturer in the women and gender studies program in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga, to The Medium. Having served as the executive director of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, Canada’s largest feminist organization from 1992 to1997, Bain has been an anti-racist and anti-violence feminist activist for over 30 years. According to
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The #MeToo campaign has used social media as a platform for women to discuss their experiences. her, “Social media platforms allow women to speak about issues that are actually very common, speak of what has happened to them, again in solidarity with each other.” Solidarity has been a unifying theme in garnering support for movements propelled by social media demonstrated by the 2014 campaign #BringBackOurGirls, which was launched after the abduction of more than 300 schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigeria. With #BringBackOurGirls punctuating more than 4.5 million tweets globally, Liz Ford
writes in The Guardian on March 19, 2015, “Hashtag activism has helped to propel women’s rights to the forefront of political agendas, bringing attention to issues often under-reported by mainstream media.” Hashtag activism, as Bain describes, elicits a spontaneous response in women towards supporting each other. “It has created a space for feminist discussion and to raise awareness for issues related to sexual assault and it’s very important for us to have a space where we
can talk about these issues and recognize their magnitude.” The use of social media in feminist struggle has become the cornerstone of what Nancy Chodorow, among others, have described as “networked feminism” in her book Feminism and Psychoanalytic Theory published in 1992. Networked feminism refers to the online mobilization and coordination of feminists in response to perceived sexist, misogynistic, racist, and other discriminatory acts against minority groups. However, while
Nisha Chittal writes in her April 26, 2015 article in MSNBC news that “a new wave of feminism is here, and its most powerful weapon is the hashtag,” a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development published in 2015 finds that the impact of social media in translating women’s voices into decision-making processes have been patchy and unpredictable, reflecting the struggles experienced by grassroots activists. While describing the importance of social media in signaling sexual assault, Bain notes, “When using these hashtags, we also have to be aware that they don’t go beyond this—they don’t end violence, and we must continue to create strategies and continue to work towards changing consciousness and addressing men’s approaches to sexual assault.” Conversations about sexual assault must inform, as Bain emphasizes, our understandings about gender, patriarchy, and assumptions about the two. An October 19 article by Alexandra Schwartz in the The New Yorker reads, “#MeToo, #ItWasMe, and the Post-Weinstein Megaphone of Social Media,” describing how the hashtag is being used to raise awareness about the sweeping malignancy of sexual assault and harassment, in the light of the assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
Media continued on page 10
The past and future of feminist activism Last Monday, Branksome Hall hosted activist, journalist, and Ms. Magazine co-founder, Gloria Steinem OLIVIA ADAMCZYK PHOTO EDITOR When confronted with the idea of inviting distinguished feminist activist and journalist Gloria Steinem to be this year’s Rachel Phillips Belash Speaker, Branksome Hall’s principal Karen Jurjevich thought, “But surely, she [Steinem] will never accept.” Gloria Steinem however, accepted the invitation to be this year’s Rachel Phillips Belash Speaker, and visited last Monday for a conversation with the girls of Branksome Hall in the morning, followed by a sold-out public talk held at the University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall in the evening. The Rachel Phillips Belash Annual Lecture Series was established in June 1998 to honour Rachel Phillips Belash, the sixth principal of Branksome Hall. Having played her role in founding the Ms. Foundation for Women, the Women’s Action Alliance, the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Women’s Media Center, and Ms. Magazine, Steinem’s voice is one that audiences listen to with deference on discussions related to the
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Gloria Steinem was this year’s speaker for the Rachel Phillips Belash Annual Lecture Series. development of girls and women. Moderated by journalist Amanda Lang, the first question of the night regarded a statement that Steinem had made earlier in the day about the lack of division by gender in the Indigenous cultures that first existed among this land. Steinem mentioned the importance of acknowledging the history that has been studied since the appearance
of the Europeans, and added, “The kind of hierarchical structure we have with gender and race and class […] is relatively new in history.” Given our constructed reality of societal division, Steinem said that it is necessary for us to unlearn our ways. She noted that it helps immensely to be physically present among other people, not among things. In being together, Steinem
emphasized, we should encourage one another and avoid criticizing ourselves unnecessarily, as this can lead to any observers, especially young girls, learning such self-deprecating tendencies. Lang furthered the discussion by asking Steinem, with her decades of experience in activism, to comment on the progress in gender equality advocacy she has witnessed over
time. Steinem joked, “One of the good things about being old is that you remember when it was worse.” Steinem said that although she does see progress, “Yes, slavery was abolished, but the racism that justifies slavery is still with us.” Regarding feminism, an audience question for Steinem was whether she could characterize the difference between feminism today versus feminism back in the 1970s. “No,” the activist explained, “The fundamental idea of challenging hierarchy and challenging roles […] is still the same.” Another question addressed if “women can have it all.” To this, Steinem replied, “You can’t have it all if you have to do it all.” She further suggested the idea that it’s not necessarily beneficial for a woman to be both a successful career woman and caring mother, as this may blind children to the ability of men to be just as loving and nurturing as women. Later in the talk, the topic of the recently circulating #MeToo campaign arose. Women continued on page 10
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The importance of consistent activism Media continued from page 9
As the UTM women and gender studies professor explains, “It’s important to understand that this didn’t start with Harvey and it won’t end with Harvey.” Bain highlights the long history of sexual assault where the current cultural awareness allowing us to engage in these conversations has been the product of years of activism and feminist struggle. Bain emphasizes, “We have to continue to challenge patriarchy and challenge these institutions that allow this behavior to perpetuate.” Social media itself requires navigation. Bain describes the duality of experiences derived from a flurry of double taps and retweets: “Using the platforms of social media and mass media puts us in a unique position of responsibility and awareness, because the same platforms are also being used for bullying and by men for starting movements that are against efforts such as the #MeToo campaign. So while it gives women a space to have these conversations and support each other, we also realize that social media is not what is going to end these problems.”
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Tarana Burke created the “#Me Too” campaign against sexual assault 10 years ago. Vice writer Megan Nolan, in her October 17th article “The Problem with the #MeToo Campaign” describes her conflicted solace in its solidarity, while feeling a gnawing despair in its traction. She explains how the selective proliferation of certain movements may reflect underlying privilege. Nolan mentions, “The fact that Tarana Burke’s creation of
the movement was ignored, that it is credited to a famous white actress, is not irrelevant here.” An article by writer Zahara Hill published in Ebony on October 18 has since revealed that Tarana Burke, a black woman, created the “Me Too” campaign against sexual assault 10 years ago with the same name and aims, though without the social me-
dia virality. While illustrating the success of the campaign in its saturation of social media platforms, illuminating the ubiquitous spectrum of experiences related to sexual violence, Nolan writes: “One of the things I find frustrating about speaking about sexual abuse is that you are expected to play your own history as a trump
card. If I object to a rape joke, I’m a sour feminazi, until I explain that I’ve been raped, when I turn into a delicate flower who needs protecting and patronizing. There is no room in the discourse for an impersonal nonnarrative criticism of the culture.” Even in our age of heightened awareness, Bain emphasizes the need for consistent and assertive feminist discourse by saying: “What is going to end a culture of assault is consistent underground struggle of women, through various avenues that challenge sexism and patriarchy. And social media is one of the tools we can use and a space we can benefit from to initiate dialogue about the various kinds of assault.” Social media, while instrumental in feminist movements, can then be understood as only one of the approaches women use to rally and support each other, which requires scrutiny with as much fervor as is poured into its propulsion. As Bain describes, “Dismantling patriarchy and this culture of violence requires consistent, day to day activism, with constant struggle and advocacy for policy change lead by feminist leaders.”
What is active learning? Being together Women continued from page 9
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The #MeToo campaign began over Twitter as actress Alyssa Milano encouraged women to share their personal stories of sexual harassment. Steinem interestingly noted that sexual assault is not a matter of sex but of power. One can see this in prison, where men, who are not homosexual, will nonetheless sexually assault more vulnerable men in their presence to assert their masculine dominance. Such victims have told Steinem that in the absence of women, they have been used as women. Steinem noted that it’s unfortunate only then do some men understand the severity of
sexual assault, which is common for women. Closing the last questions of the night, a student of Branksome Hall asked about choice feminism and Steinem’s thoughts on the idea that women should be able to do whatever they want, whenever they want, inclusive of using the term “bitch” in an empowering way. Steinem responded, “It took me a long time to realize […] if someone had called me a bitch, I said, ‘Thank you.’” A recurring idea in Steinem’s talk was the notion of togetherness. In the moments that we gather together, it is important for us to listen to each other.
Active learning is an integral component of Professor Hinic-Frlog’s courses. Learn continued from page 8 Followed by assigning her students a task that, depending on the content, may take between two to five minutes to complete. Often, Hinic-Frlog poses problems that the class must solve in groups or provides a sample question in preparation for an upcoming test. “Right now we’re studying muscles and bones, so there’s a lot of terminology involved. You can’t have a conversation until you know the terms, so I pause the lesson and challenge my students,” Hinic-Frlog explains. “I use terminology to get them to stretch their bodies in class, or I’ll play a video of a dance and ask them to identify, using the terminology, what movements they see in the video or what muscles are mostly used in the activity.” Hinic-Frlog carries these activelearning techniques into her upper year classes as well. In BIO326: Orni-
thology, a class focused on the study of birds, she teaches her students how to identify bird calls and takes the class on a walk along UTM’s nature trail to practice the listening, observation, and identification skills learnt in lecture. Hinic Frlog reveals that this outdoor component of the course exposes students who attend school in the city to the sights, sounds, and realities of bird calling. Although it is often difficult to implement this style of teaching into large classes, Hini-Frlog notes that the idea of integrating active-learning into lectures is not a new discovery. She explains that there is ample evidence in pedagogical research that shows how students who engage in active learning in the classroom perform better in those courses and enjoy the content more in comparison to classes without these techniques. Her students often provide feedback on her teaching and that she uses
their comments to modify and improve the structure of her lessons. Hinic-Frlog explains: “I hear students say ‘I’m not used to this, it’s so much fun’ and sometimes I hear ‘I’m not used to this, I don’t know how to deal with it.’ I challenge myself to stay open to changing. It’s important to listen to students to see what works for them.” For Hinic-Frlog, the university experience is a composition of gaining expertise in your field of study and understanding how to apply those skills outside of the classroom. “It’s fun for me. Everybody is different in how they teach and you have to figure out what works best for you, just as you figure out what methods are best for your learning. I’m learning from students every day and I’m learning from what other people have published,” she says, “It’s a combination of those two things that help me create these new ideas.”
Finding coffee? Italy continued from page 8 Melissa Chua, a third-year ITA235 student, noted that “some of the best foods we tried could have been easily missed if we were there as tourists.” She agreed with Shoebridge on the quality of the coffee, crowning the cappuccino as the best she’s ever tasted. Lubna Ahmad, another student enrolled in the course, spoke about how much she missed the pizza and the cheese, appreciating the quality of real ingredients. By the end of the trip, Lobalsamo insisted, “Participants came to better understand the inextricable link between Italy’s rich past and its collective identity around the table.” She notes that the success of the trip
was largely “thanks to the students who embarked on the journey” and that “they are to be commended for their academic knowledge, their enthusiasm, their kindness and respect.” Andrea Carter, assistant dean of Student Wellness, Support & Success, described to The Medium that she shared this same sense of pride in UTM students, as she was able to see each student “grow and flourish” while “finding ways to overcome personal challenges.” Both the students and the faculty look forward to participating in other UTM Abroad experiences in the future. After all, when in Rome it is best to do as the Romans do. Or in this case, eat as the Romans eat.
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Cooking class with Kimberly Green UTM hosted a cooking class last Tuesday afternoon to teach students a variety of different recipes AMRISH WAGLE
In the past, certain tribes would sacrifice sleep, food, and all worldly pleasures for a single cause. Today, they’re known as university undergraduates. Students commonly forfeit nutrition to save time, money, and effort. When being crushed by deadlines, midterms, and assignments, it’s no wonder that healthy eating falls to the bottom of our priority list. In an effort to combat this epidemic, our campus dietician, Kimberly Green, along with the UTM wellness ambassadors, hosted a cooking class to educate students on the importance of healthy eating. Last Tuesday, the seminar room at OPH was diffused with the aroma of spices, fish, fresh vegetables, and an abundance of healthy choices. Throughout the afternoon, the cooking class strived to prepare a meal consisting of fish tacos, guacamole, “no calorie” beverages, and quinoa
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Students were given the opportunity to practice their skills with tools such as a chef’s knife. with black beans. During the event, participants were divided into several sections in charge of only pre-
paring a certain part of each recipe. For example, while one station was in charge of preparing the fish in a vege-
table broth, another would have been involved with grating cheese and warming tortillas. Toward the end of
the event, participants regrouped to combine their contributions into an immaculate feast for all to enjoy. The event consisted of several goals in terms of raising awareness for healthy eating. Not only did they introduce students to the services of the campus dietician, but also imparted a lesson on how to follow recipes, provide an example of a balanced meal and an introduction to the UTM website for an extensive list of healthy, budget-friendly, and ridiculously easy to make recipes. The overarching class also incorporated some fundamental cooking techniques. Participants observed how to know when a fish is completely cooked, which involves looking for opacity and flaking when poked with a fork. Students were also able to practice a technique for chopping onions and using various kitchen utensils, such as the chef ’s knife and an avocado slicer. Cook continued on page 12
The wonders of mindfulness meditation Mindfulness meditation can help students keep their anxiety levels down as the semester comes to an end MAJDA TALIC
As the end of the semester approaches, anxiety tends to rise. Reflecting on the past and considering the future can turn into a constant influx of worried thoughts. Although certain thoughts left on autopilot can help us save time, others distract us from the present and are not in any way constructive. The outcome of a given situation is dependent on the attitude with which it is approached. The practice of mindfulness meditation allows an individual to alter the way they respond to a situation by creating space between themselves and their reactions. Many versions of meditations exist, but mindfulness meditation involves bringing one’s awareness to the present moment with a point-offocus, such as one’s breath. Whenever a thought comes into the mind, it is observed without judgement. Rather than attempting to control thoughts, attention is simply brought back to the point-of-focus. Students can benefit from mindfulness meditation in a variety of ways. A Harvard study conducted in 2011 found that after eight weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction training, participants had physical changes occur in their brain. Participants had a decrease in the brain cell volume of the amygdala— a region of the brain which regulates the “fight-or-flight” response. This
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Mindfulness meditation involves a point-of-focus in order to bring awareness to the present. shows an increase in the ability to cope with stress, fear, and anxiety. Instead of being controlled by the situation, individuals are better at viewing it objectively which allows for problem-solving rather than useless worry. The study also found an increase in the cortical thickness of the hippocampus—a part of the brain involved in learning and memory. In 2009, Moore and Malinowski found that a group of experienced mindfulness meditators had a signifi-
cantly stronger ability to focus their attention and avoid being distracted by irrelevant information. A 2013 study lead by Mrazek et al. found that after a mere two weeks of meditation training, participants writing the verbal reasoning section of the GRE had better focus and memory, which resulted in a score that was higher by the equivalent of 16 percentile points. The support of mindfulness meditation is so abundant in research that many companies, such as Apple and
Google, are incorporating it to reduce stress and improve the productivity of their employees. Mindfulness meditation is simple, but not easy. Though people can benefit even after only one session, significant but important changes occur with time. Therefore, the more consistently mindfulness meditation is practiced, the more significant of a change it creates. Getting started in mindfulness meditation may seem like a challenge to beginners and even individuals
who are familiar with it. Every week, UTM’s Health and Counselling Centre offers the opportunity for a free drop-in mindfulness meditation course. The focus of each session differs and each one is guided by a different member of the health and counselling staff on rotation. Students can choose to sit on a mat, a chair, or lie down. Last week, students were guided through a meditation in which they would take deep breaths and focus on bringing awareness to various parts of their body, one at a time. Throughout the calming experience, students were often reminded to observe any thoughts and to bring awareness back to the point-of-focus without judgement. They were encouraged to feel any emotions they came across and feel any tension found in their body. The last 10 minutes of the session are left for students to slowly come back from their meditation to have enough time to travel to their next class, or ask any questions they may have. Attending a guided meditation serves to help start integrating mindfulness into one’s daily routine. It is easy to become discouraged when thoughts keep re-entering the mind. Since distraction occurs more often for novice meditators, guidance can keep individuals from being discouraged and quitting before reaping any benefits.
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Learning easy Sugar and salt: effects recipes in OPH
Students should be sure to watch their sugar and salt intake
STEPHEN MAPPLEBECK Cook continued from page 11 Another notable addition to the class was the introduction of spices. Although spices proliferated as a cooking staple due to their ability to kill bacteria, it was a valuable lesson to learn how and when it is most appropriate to use some common spices for simple flavouring.
The wellness ambassadors also prepared “no-calorie” beverages, where soda or water was mixed with pieces of fruit. The event was also geared around strategies for cooking budget-friendly meals. Fish, as an example, can be bought cheap when frozen and can be cooked without needing to defrost. It is also cheaper to make great guacamole by smashing avocados into a paste and mixing it up with a few different ingredients, such as lime.
Many such strategies presented cheaper alternatives to storebought meals. Almost all of the participants were in undeniable consensus that the feast was utterly delicious and wholly satisfying. The wellness ambassadors also prepared “nocalorie” beverages, where soda or water was mixed with pieces of fruits such as oranges and strawberries for a shot of flavour. Most attendees helped themselves to multiple servings. At the age of 84, Warren Buffet, a very wealthy man, lives mostly off a diet consisting of an exact five coca colas a day, McDonalds, and various other forms of junk food such as ice-cream and potato sticks. In fact, Buffett states that statistics reveal the lowest mortality to be among six-year-olds and therefore he takes the safest course of action by eating like one. However, science takes an almost opposite direction by suggesting to eat healthy from all of the four food groups, staying active, and getting your eight hours of sleep.
With midterms wrapping up and finals on the horizon, sugary and salty snacks have found their way into the diets of more than a few students. While such foods are tempting and always available for the on-the-go student, a sugary escape from deadlines and cramming can have significant effects on the body. Sugar, in particular, can have many effects on the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for controlling the reward or pleasure portions of the brain. The consumption of sugar causes a release of dopamine that dwarfs the release from foods like fruits and vegetables. Unsurprisingly, cravings tend to centre on soda and candy rather than fruit, for example. As the brain becomes accustomed to high levels of sugar, it requires more to maintain the same result. Ultimately, cravings for these high sugar foods become stronger, throwing off this delicate chemical balance. Another significant effect of sugar on the body is insulin resistance. In order to break down
sugar in the bloodstream, insulin is produced. When excess sugar is consumed, extra insulin is needed, which over time can cause the body to develop a resistance to insulin. In short, it becomes more difficult for the body to control blood sugar. This can cause constriction in the arteries which stresses the heart. Links to heart disease and diabetes have been reported in studies with rats consuming high sugar diets. Still, the less severe symptoms alone should provide a student with enough motivation for cutting down on sugar.
The body’s reaction is to make the artery walls stronger, subsequently narrowing the arteries and then raising blood pressure. For many, salty foods are another favourite during high stress periods and post-exam celebrations. High salt consumption is widely accepted to be linked to high blood pressure due to its strain on the arteries. The body’s
reaction is to make the artery walls stronger, subsequently narrowing the arteries and then raising blood pressure. This is a cyclical process that restricts organs from receiving oxygen. A wide range of complications are related to this, from mild cognitive impairment to kidney failure. Less severe, though more common among students is the possibility of hypernatremia, which is caused by dehydration when the level of sodium within the body becomes overly concentrated. While the issue here is mainly lack of water, a high salt diet is thought to exacerbate the issue. Some of the most pertinent effects of hypernatremia for students include lethargy, irritability, and restlessness. The long-term results of excessive sugar and salt intake can be avoided simply by consuming less. Moreover, these are just some of the effects salt and sugar have on the body and a host of information is available on the subject. Researching on these ingredients is a significant step toward a healthy lifestyle, something that offers benefits far beyond academic performance.
Regular versus diet pop: which is better? Pop contains a significant amount of sugar which can lead to a variety of issues within the body NICOLE SCIULLI STAFF WRITER Whether you’re at a restaurant, a vending machine, or looking through your fridge, you may have found yourself stumped between making the decision of regular or diet soda. If you’re on the road to eating and drinking healthier, you may think diet soda is healthier for you because it has zero calories. Our bodies rely on natural sugars from fruits and dairy products to function properly. However, there are different types of sugars that react differently with your body. There are natural sugars, such as the glucose your body produces and fructose, which comes from fruit and honey. There are also processed sugars that are combined or changed to create “complex sugars.” One example is sucrose, which is a combination of fructose and glucose. An average can of pop contains 15-to-18 teaspoons of sugar, which roughly equals to 240 calories. This refined sugar has a fast rate of metabolism, which means it breaks down faster into glucose and fructose. But refined sugar has little nutritional value so it does not make you feel full. High levels of glucose and fructose cause insulin to increase and blood sugar levels to rise, which causes a risk for diabetes. If your body doesn’t use the energy, this sug-
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Consumers should consider the potential health risks that accompany regular or diet pop. ar can turn into fat, be absorbed into your liver, and could lead to obesity. To avoid these refined sugars, people believe they escape the health risks when they drink diet pop. Some studies show the opposite of this—diet pop causes weight gain instead of weight loss. According to an article in The Washington Post, a team of researchers from the University of Manitoba reviewed studies that researched the long-term effects of sugar substitutes over time. They found that not only were sugar substitutes unreliable for weight man-
agement, but the people that drank them had a higher body mass index and were at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease. Regular diet soda consumption could also contribute to other diseases. Some researchers have found an association between artificially sweetened drink consumption and the proliferation of type 2 diabetes. One 2013 study from Global Public Health evaluated the relationship between the availability of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and the prevalence of diabetes within a
country. With the use of published resources, the researchers found that countries who use HFCS in their food supply have a 20 per cent higher diabetes prevalence than countries who do not use HFCS. A longitudinal study from the University of Miami found possible connections between diet soda consumption and heart attacks. Researchers followed 2,465 participants over nine years as the participants documented the types of beverages they drank. Researchers found that the group who consumed diet pop
were 48 per cent more likely to have a heart attack than those who rarely drank pop. Regular pop can also cause dental corrosion. Sugar often leaves residue on the teeth and contributes to the growth of dental plaque. Diet soda does not directly contribute to dental corrosion due to lack of sugar. However, it does contain acid which can remove enamel from the teeth. This makes your teeth more vulnerable to cavities. The potential health risks of regular or diet pop should urge us to moderate our consumption of artificially sweetened drinks, such as coke, Gatorade, and concentrated fruit juices. We can replace them with natural sugars, like fresh fruits, that can be used to make homemade smoothies and juices. Soda consumption has an even greater effect on the human body because people now live very sedentary lives. It’s important to exercise and burn the calories that come with the sugar off so your body will not store them as body fat; this can prevent obesity. With a focus on finding food with natural and unprocessed sugars, along with monitoring how much we consume, soda can be a great treat. However, long-term consumption of soda, whether diet or regular, may cause severe complications in the future.