Volume 45 Issue 21 by The Medium

THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

March 11, 2019 Volume 45, Issue 2 1 themedium.ca

Sauga’s Peel seperation?

A letter on Norman

Expression through poetry

Do video games weaken morals?

UTM’s women’s soccer say ‘Bye’

News, page 2

Opinion, page 4

Arts, page 5

Features, page 8

Sports, page 11

Anti-Israel activist speaks at UTM Speaking to over 200 people, Norman Finkelstein gave a lecture on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR “Israel does not have a right to defend itself against protesters in Gaza who pose an imminent threat,” said anti-Israel activist Norman Finkelstein when he spoke at the University of Toronto Mississauga on March 6. The author and political scientist was invited to speak by the Association of Palestinian Students (APS) for their ‘Make Hummus not Walls’ week. On the event’s Facebook page, the APS described Finkelstein as an “acclaimed” political scientist who “specializes in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Holocaust.” Finkelstein focused most of his talk on Gaza, “International law prohibits the use of force by an occupying power to suppress wide-spread popular insurrection for self-determination.” “Israel is not allowed to use any [force] in Gaza,” he continued, “whether it be moderate or excessive, whether it be proportionate or disproportionate, whether protestors are unarmed or armed, whether protestors don’t or do pose an imminent threat to life.” Finkelstein went on to say that an occupying power has the obligation, under the fourth Geneva conven-

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APS describes Norman Finkelstein as an “acclaimed” political scientist specialized in the conflict. tion, to ensure the welfare of the occupied people. “Does Israel have the right to maintain public order in the face of the Gaza blockade that has made it

un-livable? Do they have the right to suppress the resistance against their occupation? No, you only have the right to maintain public order if you are watching over the welfare of

the population. You can’t strangle a people and then claim you have a right to maintain the civility of that population.” Having authored books with titles

such as “Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History,” “The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering, and “A Farewell to Israel,” Finkelstein is not new to controversy. In 2008, he was deported and banned from Israel for 10 years after being interrogated about his contact with Hezbollah, an Iranian-funded Lebanese militia which is considered a terrorist group by Canada. According to an article in The National Post, during the 2006 war in Lebanon, Finkelstein compared Hezbollah to the Allied resistance against Nazis in the Second World War. Judy Zelikovitz of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said that Finkelstein’s invitation to speak was “shocking and deeply disturbing,” saying he “shamefully spent his academic career minimizing the impact of the Holocaust, calling those who have sought restitution ‘cheats’ and ‘greedy.’” Finklestein’s presence at UTM was met with some backlash from some social groups calling for the university to prevent the talk from taking place on university grounds.

Speaker continued on page 2

Plan to revitalize U of T building in motion Due to lack of infrastructure updates, the FitzGerald building has been vacant since the July of 2018 MELISSA BARRIENTOS ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR On February 28, the Governing Council submitted their final approval for the FitzGerald Building Revitalization project. Since March 2017, the university has explored the possible revitalization of the building and began the approval process in January 2019. The FitzGerald building, located on the St. George campus at 150 College Street, was built in 1927 and is listed under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry had previously been using the building for wet-laboratory research and faculty space, but due to the lack of infrastructure upgrades, the building has deteriorated. In July 2018, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry were both relocated to renovated buildings on campus, leaving the FitzGerald building vacant. According to the Project Planning Committee for the FitzGerald Building Revitalization, “The University

PHOTO FROM ACE.UTORONTO.CA

The FitzGerald building is located on the St. George campus at 150 College Street. envisions that the Fitzgerald Building will be exemplar in adaptive re-use and set a precedent for progressive campus work environments. The pri-

mary goal is the creation of a modern, flexible, collaborative office environment, where the quality of space results from the acknowledgement and

accommodation of an evolving ‘me’ to ‘we’ workplace culture.” The committee proposes a “neighborhood-type plan” that opts for

open workstations over offices to encourage a collaborative workplace. The building will host the following central administration groups: Division of Advancement, Advancement Communication Marketing, Governing Council - Internal Audit, Human Resources & Audit, Office of the President - Finance Division, University of Toronto Communications, Ancillary Services, Parking & Transportation, and Planning & Budget. “The housing of various central administration functions together under one roof will help create synergies and efficiencies to best serve the academic needs of the university,” said the Project Planning Committee in the Report of the Project Planning Committee for FitzGerald Revitalization, dated November 23, 2018. The Committee also proposed three main changes to promote collaboration, including an addition to the south roof to provide access to the fourth-floor’s east wing. Building continued on page 2

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Finkelstein criticized March 1st, 2019 Police Information Campus Police attended parking lot 10 for a car with excessive parking tickets and no permit. The driver returned to their vehicle prior to the arrival of a tow truck. The driver was cautioned. March 5th, 2019 Fraud Parking staff reported the use of fraudulent parking permit displayed on a car.

March 4th, 2019 Suspicious Person Campus Police attended the library for a male yelling chants in the silent study area. The male was gone on arrival. March 5th, 2019 Police Assisstance Campus Police attended the Instructional Building for a student that had slipped and fell. ECSpeRT attended and provided first aid. The student declined any further medical treatment.

March 6th, 2019 Police Assisstance Campus Police attended a chemistry lab for a student experiencing medical distress.

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Benlol sent an open letter to the U of T President stating there should be limits on free speech.

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.

Speaker continued from page 1 Avi Benlolo, President and CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) in Ontario, sent an open letter to U of T President Meric Gertler stating, “Israel Apartheid Week was founded by students on your campus and allowed to procreate and spread like a

cancer throughout the world. As a result, each year a new generation of Canadians is taught to hate [Jews] on University campuses across the nation […] Of course, we all subscribe to free speech. However, in Canadian law and sensibilities there are legal limits.” Both the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre (RGASC) and the

Political Science & Pre-Law Association (PSLA) rescinded themselves as co-organizers of the event. ““Due to the decision made by the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, and the academic scandal involving Finkelstein, we felt that PSLA should not be associated with this event. Finkelstein, of course, has the right to free speech.”

Crombie talks “Mississ-exit” Building to be improved

J.P. MOCZULSKI / THE TORONTO STAR

Crombie believes the separation is about controlling destiny. VANESSA CESARIO SPORTS EDITOR Mississauga Mayor, Bonnie Crombie, is pushing for a “Mississ-exit” from Peel Region, the area that makes up the three municipalities: Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon. These three municipalities work together to share the responsibilities of garbage collection, policing, water and sewers, and various social services. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Mayor Crombie claimed that the split would allow Mississauga to gain control over tax rates and decide its own priorities. “To be honest with you, it’s about more than the cost savings,” she said. “It’s about controlling your own destiny.” This is not the first time, however, that a political leader has pushed for

this separation. In the early 2000s, former mayor Hazel McCallion, proposed separation and produced a study that claimed Mississauga taxpayers could save $31-million if they separated. Mayor Crombie explained that the shared water and sewer systems could instead be run by a “utility board made up of representatives of the local municipalities” and Peel Regional Police could remain as is: governed by the police services board. Although many political leaders are skeptical of the split, former Waterloo Region chairman, Ken Seiling, admits the work is still in the “listening phase.” Once more details about the separation are worked through, they will be revealed to the public.

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The renovated building is expected to be open by October 2020. Building continued from page 1 The Committee likewise proposed a new rooftop terrace facing the CCBR forecourt to serve as a “buildingwide amenity,” and an atrium to fill the south courtyard “E” shape and encourage cross-collaboration between administrative departments. The proposed atrium would also provide a second accessibility entrance to the building. The Committee also proposed the South entrance become the new front entrance in order to “improve the building’s urban rela-

tionship to College street.” The proposed new entrance encourages “pedestrian connections with Pharmacy and the CCBR forecourt while also enhancing the landscape with trees, plantings, site furniture and lighting.” The Committee emphasized that “the proposed alterations will conserve the vast majority of the building’s significant exterior architectural elements, with only minor alterations to the identified heritage attributes. The impacts are mitigated overall by the renewal of a protected heritage

property for continued academic/ administrative use, with a sensitively–designed renovation exemplary in sustainability and energy efficiency.” Following the Governing Council’s approval on February 28th, the Demolition and Hazardous Waste Removal stage of the project began and will be completed approximately by the end of March. The Construction stage is then scheduled to start by May. The FitzGerald building is expected to be open by October 2020.

BDS committee established

03.11.2019 THE MEDIUM NEWS

Last month, the UTGSU established a permanent BDS committee

HUMANS OF UTM

PHOTO FROM UTGSU.CA

The committee was inspired by the wider 2005 BDS movement. ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR On February 26, during the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union’s (UTGSU) Special General Meeting, members voted to establish the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Committee as a permanent committee within the organization. The committee, inspired by the wider 2005 BDS movement, was created in 2012 with the mandate of advocating for the university to “refrain from investing in all companies complicit in violation of international law,” including companies that profit “from the illegal occupation of Pales-

tinian land […] and from the collective punishment of Palestinians.” The wider BDS movement has worked to urge corporations, universities, and local governments to boycott Israel for its treatment of Palestinians and the occupation of Palestinian territory. Although some people have labeled the BDS movement as anti-Semitic, the movement rejects this claim. BDS Committee Chair Robert Prazeres told The Varsity, “The BDS campaign advocates for severing ties with companies and institutions complicit in human rights abuses against Palestinian civilians, on the basis of their complicity in those human rights abuses only. Advocating for

this sort of action is a tried-and-true strategy of many human rights movements and, needless to say, is a protected form of political expression in every free democracy.” During the SGM, discussion on the motion was cut short when a motion was put forth to “call the question,” which automatically ends debate and moves the motion to a vote. The call to question caused around two dozen members to walk out of the meeting in an attempt to make the meeting lose quorum. Quorum, which was set at 150 members, was maintained by a small margin after the walkout. The motion ultimately passed.

I feel as though placing ourselves into categories limits the possibility for ground-breaking innovation. It’s only when we encapsulate the entirety of a spectrum and support diverse opinions that we can develop the best possible solutions. By breaking these barriers, a more inclusive society may emerge. It is critical for us to develop these thinking habits, and TEDxUofT will incubate this environment of ideas worth spreading. Here, we can reflect on how we’ve approached decision making in the past, and appreciate the spectrum of ideas possible moving forward. Celebrating each other, with each other, is what TEDxUofT is all about.

U of T acquires manuscript

GE week comes to U of T

The week focuses on engineering and solving global issues

PHOTO BY GEOFFREY VENDEVILLE

The announcement was made on International Women’s Day. ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR

GLOBAL ENGINEERING WEEK/THE MEDIUM

Events during the week include a speaker panel and a student hackathon. ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR This week, the University of Toronto will be hosting a series of events and workshops to celebrate the third annual Global Engineering (GE) Week. Global Engineering Week is a week-long initiative that connects engineering students to industry experts, universities and NGOs through a speaker series, events, and case studies in courses. The aim of the initiative is to immerse students in some of the world’s toughest problems, from climate change to health care.

Founder, and U of T Alumnus, of GE Week Malik Ismail hopes that students will take a multidisciplinary approach when thinking about global issues. “We want to expose engineering students to solving problems in non-traditional contexts, whether it’s solutions to a complex issue in the developing world, or in Northern Canada. There are socioeconomic implications, financial implications and unique circumstances based on your local stakeholders—a well-rounded engineer, one who makes a positive difference, would be mindful of all these aspects.”

This year, the universities of Waterloo, Concordia, and Western have all adopted GE Week. “We’ve experienced three times the growth since I started GE Week three years ago,” said Ismail. “This year, we’re excited to have the opportunity to engage nearly 10,000 engineering students across four universities through immersive and hands-on events.” Events during the week include a speaker panel on the role of artificial intelligence in global development, as well as a student hackathon, Hack the Globe, which began on March 2nd and will continue until March 17th.

The University of Toronto Libraries recently acquired a rare manuscript written by 15th century Italian and French author Christine De Pizan. The announcement was made in celebration of International Women’s Day. Written in 1470, The Book of Peace is one of three manuscripts that are known to have survived. Although she lived a relatively safe life in her youth, Christine’s adulthood was marked by the death of her father and husband. This drove Christine to turn to writing to provide for herself and her three children. In an interview with U of T News, Suzanne Akbari, director of U of T’s Centre for Medieval Studies, stated, “It’s fitting to celebrate Christine on International Women’s Day. It’s easy for many of us to think we’re in a post-feminist age but, on the other hand, we also see a lot of reasons to believe that we’re wrong to imagine that.” “There’s still a value in thinking about those kinds of issues, and so they’re playing out in the public

sphere in ways that Christine herself would have been really interested in and, I have no doubt, really engaged in.” Lori Walters, a visiting scholar at the centre, described De Pizan as “an extraordinary feminist icon” through her determination to dictate her own life. “In her works, she has what you might call allegorical autobiographies in which she talks about her life in metaphorical terms,” said Walters. “In one of them, she memorably describes how she was turned from a woman into a man in a time of hardship. It’s a way of describing in a really vivid way how she had to take on certain kinds of roles and certain kinds of tasks in the world, very different from what most women would have to deal with.” The Book of Peace, written after the death of King Charles VI, describes the virtues needed to foster peace and good leadership. Akbari spoke on the potential of hosting symposia centered around The Book of Peace and Christine’s ideas on politics, women, and freedom.

03.11.2019

MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Mahmoud Sarouji editor@themedium.ca

Be honest about the bias

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Open Letter to the UTM Community: During this past week, university groups across the country mobilized against what they consider to be an ‘apartheid’ against the Palestinian people. We hold no issue with this endeavour. Though myself, and many of our members, disagree with their worldview, we would fight for their freedom to express it. That being said, the Association of Palestinian Students (APS) hosted Norman Finkelstein this past Tuesday. Norman is not a conventional speaker. He uses his Jewish identity as a shield for his anti-Semitic views and support for terrorist organizations. Ironically, he actively accuses Jews

of using the Holocaust as a means by which to gain political and financial gain; deeming it the “Holocaust industry.” He even went as far as to say the terrorist group Hezbollah are fighting against Nazis (in reference to Israel) and declared, “we are all Hezbollah” at a rally. Academia has rightfully thrown him aside, with DePaul University (a left-wing institution) denying him tenure and not renewing his contract. Academics, like Alan Dershowitz of Harvard publicly challenging his obscene conclusions. Yet the APS still referred to him as “a political scientist” and claimed he “specializes in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Holocaust.” However, as stated at the beginning

of this letter, they have every right to host him. Nonetheless, academic honesty is required. Painting him as some run of the mill political scientist is a facade and misleads attendees into believing he is a legitimate voice in a highly contentious field. The APS furthered the facade by attempting to have the Political Science and PreLaw Association as well as the Robert Gillespie Academic Learning Centre co-host. Both of which wisely pulled their names from the event upon realizing who the speaker was. Events being hosted on campus, which claim to educate on controversial issues, surely will have some sort of bias. However, admitting the bias is a crucial part of the process of learning and growing as intellectuals.

The veil of objectivity, created by the APS, serves solely to weaken the discord around this issue on campus. We wish to fight him and his antiSemitic speech with more speech and we hope this letter serves to highlight the disingenuous event hosted by the APS. Sincerely,

Michael Lo Giudice Past – President UTM Campus Conservatives

02.11.2019

Scarlit Slam: shining light on mental health UTM’s ICCIT Council hosted a poetry slam where poets expressed their own struggles with mental health YASHLEEN JHAND

Last Wednesday, UTM’s ICCIT Council hosted their annual poetry night, Scarlit Slam. The event seeks to give students a platform to express their stress and anxiety through poetry. ICCIT partnered with Creatives for Change, Jack.org, and Linkmentalhealth Inc. to raise awareness of mental health issues and encourage dialogue. The slam was held in Kaneff where coffee, cookies, and LED tealights set the mood as the poets took the floor. The poems differed in length, genre, and tone. Some were stories, some were diaries, and some, confessions. But each one was an experience and the night was full of talent and emotion. Zaynab Alkari’s poetry began the night. Her poems dealt with grief, loneliness, and the healing effects of time. Her poem The Mother’s Garden is about loss, told through the metaphor of coming to terms with the death of a garden as the seasons change. Alkari painted nature into her poem. We could feel the pain and hope through her flowers, leaves, and skies. Matthew Prebeg, who said he was “not a poet at all,” performed his

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The Scarlit Slam event hoped to give students a platform to express their stress through poetry. poem Six Degrees of Separation. It was a poem he wrote in the hospital about suicide and the trauma of a suicide attempt. It’s about depression and how hard it be can be to find the language to communicate it. Prebeg takes us on a journey through the different stages of his experience and ends in a place of hope and optimism. Prebeg is also the co-lead of the UTM chapter of Jack.org, which is a youth advocacy group that works to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental issues. Zineb Hamaimou spoke about anxiety. Like Prebeg, she also shared

the difficulty of explaining mental illness. In her poem, she expresses that she knows her fears are “irrational,” but that logic doesn’t invalidate her feelings. The poem also adds religion into the conversation. Specifically, a perversion of it that can create barriers in trying to have a conversation about mental health. On a lighter note, Ahad Syed recited his rap about the stress of university. Syed’s performance generated lots of laughter and cheers from the audience as he talked about an experience that everyone in the room was intimately familiar with. The anxiety,

the pressure, and the sleep deprivation of being a university student. Syed managed to be funny while still sincerely depicting the self-doubt and negativity that a competitive environment like U of T can foster. Published author and designer, Sujaya Devi, performed four of her short poems. They dealt with a variety of issues, like romantic relationships, being objectified, being manipulated, and the danger of society’s preoccupation with perfection. Devi’s poetry elicited nods, snaps, and “ohhh”s at nearly every line. Jamie Alfrez was a great performer

and his energy and rhythm made his poetry memorable and powerful. His poem, Painkillers, which he wrote that very morning, conveyed how hard it can be to get through the week and why sometimes he’d rather be numb to his emotions. Alfrez conveyed pain and hopelessness convincingly and had the whole audience engaged throughout the performance. The night ended with a musical performance by Sean and Rachel. They performed a cover of Demons by Imagine Dragons as the audience collected their thoughts and emotions. Despite how different the poems seemed, each one inspired connection and ended in a place of optimism. Edline Roldan, one of the co-organizers, re-emphasized their goal for the night: “Art definitely connects people,” she said, “so we wanted to create a space to express freely.” “A place for people to just let out stress,” added Shanen Lautan, the other organizer, “especially during midterms.” It seems as though they succeeded. Although the poems could be heavy and emotional, the night ended with smiles. “It just relaxes you,” said Shabana, a member of the audience. “It takes away your anxiety.”

VCDS’ Mamma Mia! celebrates family and ABBA The Victoria College Drama Society presented a heartwarming production of Mamma Mia! at the Isabel Bader Theatre SRIJAN SAHU ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun shines bright, Victoria College Drama Society presents a warm tale of love, friendship and self-discovery told through the ever-classic hits of ABBA. VCDS’s latest production attempts to evoke feelings of nostalgia with the various ABBA compositions. The beach set and warm message may seem strange in the cold harsh winter weather, but it provides audiences with a respite, even if it’s only for a couple of hours. In particular, the cast wearing flip-flops and beach shorts jovially dancing across the stage is a cozy and comforting sight. Mamma Mia! is the sort of play you shouldn’t pay very close attention to, because then you will question why it takes place on a Greek island where nearly everyone is American. Rather, overlook the plot inconsistencies and enjoy its over-the-top acting along with the cast that don’t take themselves too seriously. Mamma Mia! introduces viewers to 20-year-old Sophie (Renae Wolfesberger) one month before her wedding day. She was brought up by her

single mother Donna (Lisean Henry), who never told her who her father was. As luck would have it, Sophie stumbles upon her mother’s old diary and manages to deduce the names of three potential fathers—Sam (Gianni Sallese), Bill (Kody McCann) and Harry (Leo Morgenstern) whom she invites to the wedding in an attempt to find her true patronage. She soon realizes the task is a lot harder than she imagined, while Donna is forced to confront her buried but not forgotten past life. Hilarity ensues when it becomes clear that no one knows who the real father is and unresolved past flings present Donna with new problems on the eve of her daughter’s wedding. The whole cast puts in a noteworthy performance as they belt out ABBA hits which is no easy task. Donna’s two best friends played by Alexandra Palma and Elizabeth So are especially memorable and provide tongue in cheek entertainment in every scene. The show highlights the joy that can be found in love, family and friends. The plot, which is dramatic to the “point of excess,” thrives under a production which isn’t afraid to be foolish. Perhaps, some aspects of the play are dated: Donna’s storyline is basical-

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Mamma Mia! ran at the Isabel Bader Theatre from March 7th to 9th. ly “I don’t need a man!” only to later change her ideals and get married. In the director’s notes, Ronan Mallovy says, “I’ve been asked a few times what my directorial vision is and to be honest it’s been difficult to come up with the type of answer most people are looking for. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with an incredible cast and crew who, on top of being talented, have been outspoken with their own ideas for what the show can be. My job for the most part has been

a glorified coffee filter—to distill those ideas into a unified product.” More than anything, the atmosphere created is the main feature of the show. I would describe Mamma Mia! as a play defined by its music. More so than other musicals because its music is so popular. It doesn’t matter how old you are, ABBA manages to pull you back into the 90’s euphoria. For me, it reminded me of my own middle school ABBA inspired production. I saw those seated in front

of me, swaying their hands and singing along when “Super Trouper” and “Voulez-Vous” were performed. The show offers you plenty opportunities to engage and enjoy the heartfelt emotions. The curtain call lasts for three entire songs and audiences are encouraged to join in. Mamma Mia! ran at the Isabel Bader Theatre from March 7th-9th and included a pre-show talk about the relationship between music and text portrayed on the stage.

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Schitt’s Creek: bringing hilarity and heart Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek follows the Rose family who lose their fortune and are forced to move DELANEY ROMBOUGH STAFF WRITER

As far as good shows to binge on Netflix goes, the latest show that everyone’s talking about is CBC’s Schitt’s Creek. Schitt’s Creek is a Canadian sitcom co-created by Canadian actor, producer and television personality Daniel Levy and his father, comedian and actor, Eugene Levy. It originally premiered on CBC in January 2015 and is now into its fifth season. Schitt’s Creek is about the Rose family, Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Moira (Catherine O’Hara) and their two adult kids Alexis (Annie Murphy) and David (Daniel Levy). The Rose family lose their family fortune and are forced to move to a small town called Schitt’s Creek, which the Rose family owns, where they move into the town’s motel on a permanent basis. The Rose family struggles to adjust to living in a run-down town after having lived a luxurious life back in New York. The Rose’s meet the locals including the mayor, Roland Schitt (Chris Elliott) and his wife Jocelyn (Jennifer Robertson) and the motel manager Stevie (Emily Hampshire).

PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM

Schitt’s Creek is a show that Rombough suggests you watch for the characters over the plot. This is not a show you watch for the plot. This is a show that you watch for the characters. Every episode stands on its own—there’s not much plot continuity until the later seasons. But the characters are all so hilarious. They all have their own quirks and distinct personalities. Johnny was a successful business owner of Rose Video and tries hard to provide for his family. Moira is a

former actress who loves wigs and shirts with Shakespeare-esque collars. David has a flair for fashion, art, and all things luxurious-living and has a great sarcastic sense of humour. Alexis tries to flirt her way through life and was known to get into trouble during her travels around the world before moving to Schitt’s Creek. Together, this cast of characters brings the hilarity and

heart to the otherwise mundane town of Schitt’s Creek. That’s not to say the locals in Schitt’s Creek are mundane. They’re your slightly stereotypical small-town bunch but they’re fun and colourful and show the real personality of Schitt’s Creek. Every week, there is something new that the Rose family has to deal with. It keeps the audiences on their toes wondering what “nor-

mal” thing these former rich people will have to deal with for the first time, such as, a leaky faucet, cooking, killing flies in their rooms, and yoga classes. Stevie likes to poke fun at the Roses for things like this especially because she’s the one they usually turn to for help. It’s the collision of two completely different worlds that makes this show so hilariously entertaining. Schitt’s Creek locals think the Roses are weird and the Roses think the locals are weird. It’s a perfect show to come home to after a long day of classes and to have a good laugh at crazy rich people. However, over the series, the Roses have had some very good character development and have started to embrace living in Schitt’s Creek—David has a boyfriend and is running his own store, Alexis graduated high school and completed a college certificate, Moira joined the Schitt’s Creek Town Council, and Johnny co-owns the motel with Stevie. The show is cleverly written, has an amazing cast, and is full of heart. The first four seasons of Schitt’s Creek are available on Netflix and season five is currently airing Tuesday nights on CBC.

REWIND LEEN BLAIBLEH

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner offers us a timeless look into late 1960’s American society, while examining prejudice and racism through the introduction of interracial marriage on screen for the very first time in American cinema. The film demonstrates Hollywood’s take on a call for social justice and challenges the audience to confront their own ideas of ethnocentricity. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner takes place over the span of 12 hours and encompasses several events, beginning when Joey Drayton (Katharine Houghton) and John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) arrive together on a flight into San Fransisco. Joey invites John, an African American Doctor, to meet her white liberal family and inform them of their soon to be marriage. Matt and Christina Drayton (Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn), wealthy and liberal supporters of civil rights, are exercising their beliefs and being put under the test by their daughter Joey. The Chicago Tribune explained that “the movie retained a central and deeply complex position in culture,” as it conveyed stereotypes not just in terms of race but also gender. Sydney Poitier’s character John Prentice, is a graduate of John Hopkins who teaches at Yale University, while simultaneously working with

the United Nations and writing academic textbooks in his leisure. He is simply every parent’s dream. Poitier was portrayed as an intelligent, educated and well spoken black man to prove that any objections to their union could only be raised due to racial differences. This was heavily evident by Tillie, the Drayton’s African American maid. Her refusal to view him as a white woman’s equal, let alone her husband was commonplace during that era and is encapsulated when she utters the sentence “I do not like when one of my own does not know their place” to Joey while they discuss the matter in private. Many black Americans were against the idea of integration and interracial relationships for a myriad of reasons with Tillie being at the forefront. The director, Stanley Kramer, intentionally portrayed both families as wealthy, educated and forward thinking with only one crucial difference: race. Even the age gap, 14 years, didn’t seem of any significance when drawing parallels against racial lines. Depicting the characters in a certain light is paradoxically the most remarkable asset and hindrance for the film. Joey is a young woman whose naïveté, impetuousness and frankness give her character a bubbly, optimistic outlook on the current social climate. Her exclusion from important discussions was typical of misogynistic behaviour and while she was inexpe-

rienced regarding racial prejudice, she should have been shown more respect surrounding decisions affecting her future. Poitier’s character, on the other hand, resembled a dedicated, dependable and charming man all at the same time, making him fall in love with a “pollyanna idiot.” These character attributes reflect how women were typically viewed at the time and the condescending characterizations that are still prevalent today. The main female characters are portrayed as empathetic with their decision making that is viewed by their male counterparts as emotional. Throughout the movie, Matt Drayton describes his wife as an emotional woman who fails to recognize what might be in Joey’s best interest. When John speaks to Joey’s parents in the study, he explains that there will be no marriage without their blessing, not consulting his future wife about such a crucial decision. Evidence of the patriarchy is blatantly obvious when Christina tells her husband that even if John is willing to call off the marriage, Joey will not agree. In 1967, interracial marriage was illegal in some states, yet this movie was still Oscar nominated despite the stereotypical depictions. Ultimately, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner broke barriers on the big screen and its themes are still celebrated today.

APRIL JOY ABIT

There is no such thing as a fish. Unbelievable as it sounds, this is the first fact presented in the first episode of the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish. The series is produced and presented by researchers of a British comedy quiz show called QI (Quite Interesting). The researchers refer to themselves as “The QI Elves.” In this weekly podcast, the elves aim to inform listeners about interesting facts they come across during the week. It is structured as a discussion amongst four QI elves. The regular hosts of the podcast are James Harkin, Anna Ptaszynski, Dan Schreiber, and Andrew Hunter Murray. It starts off with one of them presenting a fact, and the conversation continues with the others bouncing off jokes and adding more information based on related research. This goes on until all four facts are presented. Both entertaining and engaging, they often try to include the listeners in the discussion by encouraging people to send in questions through Twitter or email. Other times, they present in front of a live audience who contribute facts for that specific episode. Imagine this: you hear a bubbly jingle that has your head bobbing along, coupled with an electronic voice that announces your bath is ready. You don’t really notice because it’s in Japanese. Then, you hear “another

one is called cat-fisting.” You pause. You rewind the podcast because you need context. It turns out that they were discussing interesting fishing methods after they were told that Belgian fishermen used to go fishing on horseback. That led to cat-fisting which is exactly what you think it is, or maybe not. What this means is you put your fist in the water hoping that a catfish decides that it looks appetizing enough to latch on to. Simple, relatively efficient, and bizarre. That’s the selling point of the show. It captures your interest with something unusual and proceeds to blow your mind at more ridiculous yet equally enlightening information. Most of them are facts you never thought you would ever want or need to know. It certainly gives you several things to consider, like how scuba divers write under water, how there are barcodes for zebras, or why butchers in Ancient Egypt used to wear high heels. No Such Thing as a Fish doesn’t just teach; it makes learning fun through one of the most convenient platforms. Increase your repertoire of random facts! At your next social gathering, impress your peers and colleagues with your knowledge on pigeon milk. They may or may not believe you, but it is a good way to start a conversation. From there, the possibilities are endless. After all, if there’s anything to learn from this show, it is that reality can be far stranger than fiction.

03.11.2019 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 7

SHALOMI RANASINGHE

Have you ever wondered what the future has in store? Flying cars, artificial intelligence, cloning, a cure for uncurbable diseases, the list goes on. Most people imagine the future full of advanced technology that can make the lives of humanity easier and more convenient. However, one author, in particular, had a different idea of what the future entails. H.G Wells, who is known as the “Father of Science Fiction,” published his novel The Time Machine in 1895. At University of Toronto Mississauga, the course ENG333 Modern Fiction includes The Time Machine in its syllabus. The novel focuses on the character the Time Traveller, who uses his time machine to travel through time. His machine stays put in the same spot, however, he is able to travel through the fourth-dimension. The novel begins at a dinner party and the guests are waiting for the arrival of their host, who is later referred to as the Time Traveller. At dinner, the Time Traveller tells his adventure of travelling into the future. The Time Traveller travels into the year 802,701. There, he meets a human-like species, called the Eloi. The Eloi are short, childlike creatures who live in small communities. The Time Traveller is unable to verbally communicate with the Eloi; however, he observes their lifestyle. He hypothesizes that civilization has evolved to the extent of simplification, where life is perfect and working is unnecessary, considering the Eloi live carefreely.

As the Time Traveller wanders around the land and returns to his time machine, he notices that it has been stolen. He then meets the antagonists of the novel, the Morlocks, another species in this future time period, who live in darkness underground. He then realizes the Morlocks stole his machine. The Time Traveller reworks his hypothesis that human civilization has separated into two species. He believes the Eloi exploit the Morlocks through capitalism, since the Morlocks live underground. Although the Time Traveller believes his second hypothesis is the truth, he then observes the Eloi are frightened of the dark and Morlocks. Since the Morlocks don’t appear in the daylight, the Time Traveller ultimately comes to his conclusion that, in the future, capitalism continues and species separate into a high and low class. The higher class, Eloi, become so weak that the lower class, Morlocks, were able to overpower them, which explains the Elois fear of being outside in the dark. As the Time Traveller ventures to obtain his stolen time machine, he faces obstacles which make his mission difficult. He continues to learn more about the future and hypothesizes how humanity evolved into the Eloi and Morlocks. The Time Traveller’s journey back home is not as easy as his passage of leaving home. If you’re interested in an adventurous and futuristic novel, accompany the Time Traveller on his journey into the future with a copy of The Time Machine.

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2019

March 11 - 12

Theatre Erindale Presents: Three Sisters

March 14 - 24

EDSS: Slam and Chill 2019

March 14

UTMSU Presents: Trashion Show 19’

March 15

AGO: Royal Conservatory of Music

March 17

03.11.2019

Exploring ethics and video games This month’s Lecture Me! event centered on Professor Lawrence Switzky’s discussion of video games KEVIN KIM ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

UTM’s Experiential Education Unit and Office of the Dean have collaborated with Mississauga’s Library System to host lectures meant to display contemporary research occurring at the university. The series, titled “Lecture Me!” is designed to be engaging and entertaining for all, regardless of profession or interest. Professor Lawrence Switzky, from the department of English and Drama, facilitated the most recent lecture entitled “How Video Games Can Make You A Better Person,” held on March 5th. Switzky’s presentation centered on a matter of ethics and morality—specifically whether video games possess the potential to make one more aware of their own choices and, ultimately more mindful of the dilemmas that they face throughout everyday life. Prior to the lecture an analogy comparing video games to basic art forms, such as paintings, statues, and works of writing was proposed. Switzky harbours strong sentiments that video games could be regarded as the modern expression of art. “I do believe that like novels, films, plays, and other time-based art forms, that video games can encourage you to ask questions about your motivations, obligations, and intentions.”

While it’s of no doubt that video games possess the potential to greatly move and motivate an individual just as an iconic piece of art may be able to, talk of ethics, or rather the lack thereof in certain video games, has been a topic of hot debate for many years. “Talking about ethics in games in the first place might be a little bit odd or counter-intuitive to some people,” Switzky explains. “There is a quite powerful strand of mainstream culture that says that games might be the least ethical things that exist.” Video games such as God of War and Mortal Kombat often utilize varying levels of physical violence as the main driver and motivator for gameplay. Upon observation of the elements of violence that appear to be almost omnipresent in video game culture, many people often ask whether the violence committed on screen could translate in any way to certain malicious tendencies in the real world. Indeed Switzky fully acknowledges this concern and its existence. Speaking of an author named Dave Grossman, Switzky states that “He wrote a book called Assassination Generation, concerning the psychology and rationale of killing. He makes quite a broad and difficult argument.” To paraphrase what Switzky quotes from Grossman verbatim, Grossman argues that video games teach players to kill and commit acts of violence in much the same way that military

U OF T MISSISSAUGA/TWITTER

Switzky spoke about how “How Video Games Can Make You A Better Person.” soldiers would learn to do so during training, such as through conditioning. However, firm discipline distinguishes the two seemingly similar concepts. While those trained in military are made well aware of that their gained proficiencies must only be used against enemies of war, there is no such moral reinforcement when one plays a video game. Looking past violence, video

PHOTO FROM MELLONSCHOOL.FAS.HARVARD.EDU

Professor Lawrence Switzky also teaches upper year courses about the narrative of video games.

games and their design, an incredibly complex topic, warrants further exploration. Looking back on the analogy of video games to a thoughtprovoking piece of art, one game that Switzky highlighted, titled Hush and developed by Jamie Antonisse and Devon Johnson, perfectly encapsulates the ability of video games to move people and stir up feelings beyond the simple satisfaction of linear progression. Hush is, at its core, a rhythm game where a mother must soothe her crying baby to sleep at the dead of night. Hutu soldiers, raiding the Tutsi village that this mother resides in, actively seek her out and will be alerted to her presence if she fails to calm the infant. Tension and fear come front and center in the game, and by stimulating these feelings, Hush manages to bring to light the horror that was the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 and what those who experienced it firsthand may have felt themselves. Evidently, video games can raise questions possessing incredible depth that many might respond to in different ways. Switzky draws insight from Roy A. Sorensen and a book of his titled Thought Experiments, wherein Sorensen describes what is called the “wicked problem” —any scenario in which one must make

a decision that has the potential to cause harm to oneself or others, with no clearly defined answer as the most morally palatable. Switzky outlines a classic example of a wicked problem: the Trolley Problem. A train barrels towards a track with five people lying on the track: as a bystander, one may choose to allow the train to continue as is, killing five people, or instead pull a lever that alters the train’s projected path, killing one person instead. While some may consider the outcome that saves the most people to always be most optimal, the Trolley Problem possesses many variations that could alter responses—what if a train was to kill five people, and the only way to save them was to push a person off a bridge overhead and onto the track? Although the scenario is constructed in the same manner as the original, it’s not hard to see that the degree of involvement could become an issue for many. Switzky, when not playing video games during his spare time, pilots fascinating upper year courses that pertain to the narrative of video games and their significance. The final Lecture Me! Event of the year takes place on Tuesday April 2nd.

03.11.2019 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

Antibiotic resistance: A threat to health Fatima Adil, associate Features Editor, explains antibiotic resistance and how we can prevent it FATIMA ADIL ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

Researchers from McMaster University recently published an article in Nature Communications Biology that details how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. The paper presents influential findings as the World Health Organization states about 700,000 people around the world die each year from drug resistance illnesses. As CBC News reports, Maikel Rheinstadter, physics professor at McMaster, and Andree Khondker, an undergraduate biochemistry student, report that bacteria fight off antibiotics by stiffening their own cell membranes and changing the barrier’s electrical charge. This results in the bacteria being a less attractive target to the drugs. Rheinstadter and his team used X-ray imaging and computer simulations to view polymyxin B—an antibiotic—interacting with the antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Normally, antibiotics have a positive charge and are attracted to bacteria which often have a negatively charged membrane. The antibiotics then puncture the bacteria’s membrane which causes the cell to die. When resistant bacteria reduce their own charge, it lowers their attractiveness to antibiotics. What are antibiotics and bacteria? Bacteria are single-celled organisms and are found inside and outside of our bodies. While some bacteria are actually helpful, like the majority of bacteria living in our intestines, some disease-causing bacteria can cause illnesses such as strep throat. An antibiotic is a substance that either kills a bacterium or inhibits its growth and replication according to Microbiology Society. Antibiotics are a type of antimicrobial and are specifically designed to circumvent bacterial infections within the body. The

majority of antibiotics are produced in laboratories and are often based on compounds found in nature. They can fight against a wide range of bacteria or be highly specialised and only attack certain bacteria. They are one of the most common drugs used in medicine and are essential in surgeries such as organ transplants, appendectomies, and caesarean sections. The Resistance The first antibiotic discovered was penicillin—in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. Since that time, scientists and health professionals have acknowledged that bacteria will look for ways to resist new drugs. Currently, more and more bacteria are developing and sharing their resistance with other bacteria. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotic resistance is when bacteria develop the ability to fight off the antibiotics designed to kill them. The infection caused when these antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect humans or animals is difficult to treat and may result in extended hospital stays, costly and toxic alternative medicine, and increased mortality. The longer duration spent at the hospital increases health care costs and the economic burden on families and societies. With the rate of new resistant strains rising dangerously, infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, and foodborne diseases are becoming harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat as antibiotics become less effective. As the World Health Organization explains, antibiotic resistance is a natural process however, misusing antibiotics in humans and animals is accelerating the process. Overuse of antibiotics enables the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Meaning that each time a person takes antibiotics, non-resistant bacteria are killed, but resistant bacteria are left

PHOTO FROM PEXELS.COM

Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections like the common cold, influenza, etc. to grow and multiply. Poor infection prevention and control can also increase the spread of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections like the common cold, flu, most sore throats, and many sinus and ear infections. Using antibiotics for these viral illnesses is another example of how overuse of antibiotics can promote the spread of antibiotic resistance. Prevention In order to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance, the World Health Organization recommends only using antibiotics when prescribed by a certified health professional and never sharing or using leftover antibiotics. Viral infections should not be treated with antibiotics either. Measures to prevent infections such as regularly washing hands, preparing food hygienically, avoid-

ing close contact with sick people, practicing safer sex, and keeping vaccinations up to date should be actively practiced. Other important strategies centre around preparing food hygienically and include keeping raw and cooked food separate, cooking food thoroughly, storing food at safe temperatures, using safe water and raw materials, and choosing foods that have been produced without the use of antibiotics for growth promotion or disease prevention in healthy animals. Choosing antibiotic free food products is vital as people can also be exposed to resistant bacteria from animals. While any use of antibiotics can lead to resistance, when animals are given antibiotics for growth promotion or increased feed efficiency, bacteria are exposed to low doses of these drugs over a prolonged period of time. This type of exposure to an-

tibiotics may lead to the survival and growth of resistant bacteria. The resistant bacteria can contaminate the environment through animal stool. They can also infect meat—when the animals are slaughtered and processed—and produce when it is irrigated with contaminated water. People can then get infected with resistant bacteria when they eat the contaminated raw/undercooked meat and produce. Antibiotics must be used responsibly in both humans and animals because both uses enable the development and spread of resistant bacteria. Antibiotics are valuable for treating bacterial infections and reducing animal disease however, decisions about which—and how much—antibiotics can be used in humans and animals should be made after careful consideration.

Helping women access menstrual products Rachel Ram, a second-year student, created a new not-for-profit organization for women in Sri Lanka SYEDA ZEHRA

Did you know that about 70 per cent of women in Sri Lanka don’t have access to menstrual products? Inspired by their mother who had no access to menstrual products while growing up in Sri Lanka, Rachel Ram, a second-year student studying psychology and forensic science at UTM, and Steffi Ram, a master’s student at University of Guelph, have started a not-for-profit organization called The Red Tent Society to provide menstrual hygiene products to women in Sri Lanka and end stigma around menstrual hygiene in their hometown. Last week, The Medium spoke with Rachel Ram to discuss their organization and how it began. Ram was two-years-old when her

family immigrated to Canada from Sri Lanka to escape the civil war. Despite being so little when she moved here, Ram has stayed connected to her culture and country which has led her to do something for her own people back home. In 2019, she started The Red Tent Society and registered as a not-forprofit organization under the Canadian laws to ensure its credibility to donors and sponsors. Their organization is currently a federally incorporated NPO with Corporations Canada, according to Ram. In collaboration with Lunapads, a Canadian business that produces washable, cloth menstrual products, the aim of The Red Tent Society is to provide disposable sanitary napkins for a year. Products continued on page 10

PHOTO FROM SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

70 per cent of women in Sri Lanka don’t have access to menstrual products.

«FEATURES

THE MEDIUM 03.11.2019

A Week As Features Editor:

The Medium Elections are currently underway and the Features Editor position is available. Read about what Jessica’s typical week looks like in the position: My job, like the other three section editors, mainly consists of big 3 things (among many other smaller tasks). We pitch articles, we edit articles, we layout our sections. During the semester, my job becomes a constant cycle that repeats weekly and becomes part of your routine. I’ll start with Sunday. SUNDAY On Sundays, we come into the office to layout our sections in InDesign (the next Features Editor will get trained on how to use this software). We organize how the pages for our section will look, we create headlines and subtitles, and make sure that we insert all of that week’s articles properly into the layout. Our day begins at 10 a.m., and this usually takes until 2:00 p.m., faster once you become familiar with the program. After this, we have our “pitch meeting” with the Editor in Chief. During this time, we pitch the article topics we would like to cover for the next issue and the EIC approves them. Usually after this, we are free to go home. Once I’m at home, I draft my email to the writers, send it by 5:00 p.m and wait for people to reply so I can assign them topics. MONDAY-WEDNESDAY

During the week, it’s pretty quiet, unless I, myself, am covering a topic. From Monday to Wednesday, I just check up on writers and make sure everything is going well for Thursday’s deadline. During this time, I also begin browsing the school news outlets and the campus bulletin boards for topics that I can bring to our pitch meeting the upcoming Sunday.

On some days, I have to resolve conflict regarding people misquoted or misrepresented articles (this is why we highly encourage recording and asking permission before so). I manage a team of volunteers, I select Associate Editors, I provide feedback on articles, I attend events hosted by The Medium, such as our meet and greet, our AGM, and our election.

THURSDAY On Thursday night, I receive all of the articles (provided that there are no extensions), and I edit them. Once I’m finished editing them, I pass them on the our managing editor, and she edits them. Then, she passes it on to the EIC and he edits them. On Sunday morning, I return to the office, and I receive the articles with all of their tracked changes, implement the remaining revisions, and begin laying out the section.

TIMING Although this seems like a lot, I would round the time allocated to this all as approximately two hours a day on Monday-Wednesday, with three to five hours to edit on Thursdays, and perhaps another five hours on Sunday in the actual office. Also, this is a paid position, so it comes with a tiny bit of a larger work load than simply volunteering as a writer. But the experience is priceless, as working for a campus newspaper is extremely valuable on a resume. I highly recommend the experience.

I pitch my topics, I write my pitch email, and the cycle continues. EXTRA TASKS In between all of this, there are always small responsibilities that I need to tend to. I often have to make sure writers are on track, I have to ensure that they have the proper contact information for someone they are interviewing, and I have to coordinate with the photo editor to make sure photographers attend the interviews.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE AN IMPACT? There is room for development within the section, if you have ideas that you’d like to implement, a new column? a new plan?, let us know at the candidates forum and in your application. You can use this experience and make it your own!

Classes on reproductive health

NESALIN SAMUEL/THE MEDIUM

About 75 women are enrolled in three day classes to learn more about their reproductive health. Products continued from page 9

After one year, the group plans to provide them with reusable napkins which can last up to eight-ten years. The reusable napkins are more sustainable and eco-friendly. In order for these women to reuse these napkins, The Red Tent Society also hopes to build washing stations by 2020 to make it easier for these women to wash their reusable sanitary napkins. There are about 75 women registered to receive menstrual products, along with that, they are also enrolled in three day classes that

will teach them about reproductive health, break down stigma around periods, and educate them about women empowerment. With these menstrual products, young girls will not have to skip school during their monthly periods. The Red Tent Society is currently funded by sponsors mostly from the Tamil Community in Canada, some of which are Eagle Star Insurance Inc, Life 100, and Liland Insurance (a Filipino owned insurance company.) They are also collaborating with some donors in Sri Lanka including Christian International and Aram Co, Abdin Jewellers, and Uni-Royal Steel Manufacturers.

Rachel and Steffi Ram hope to collaborate with more local businesses in their hometown, Mullaitivu, to distribute menstrual products among more women. Within two years, they hope to expand their initiative to another city and provide menstrual products and hygiene education to more women. Overall, Ram’s advice to anyone looking to give back to their community is “to look past what is going wrong in our own lives and relook outside our circle. Then, and only then you will see the problems people are facing and that is how you will find your own story.”

10 EDITING TIPS: 1. Remove passive voice catch any mistakes. and replace it with the 6. Avoid fillers such active voice. as however, therefore, furthermore, moreover, Example: The event is hence, thus, and inheld by The Medium. deed. Revised: The Medium 7. Introduce and conheld the event. texualize quotes. Who 2. Begin sentences with is speaking? What is the the subject and a strong quote in reference to? Is this quote from an verb. interview? 3. Maintain one idea 8. Ensure verbs and per sentence. Split up subjects agree. sentences that become too complex. 9. Try to avoid the use of “one” as a pronoun. 4. Delete phrases that make your writing 10. Avoid beginning sound wordy. sentences with “it” or Example: In order to, in “this.” spite of the fact that, in Your readers won’t which, that is to say. know what these vague words refer to. Replace Usually these phrases them with concrete can be deleted completely or replaced with terms or explain what more concise language. “this” means. For example, “This increase in airflow....” 5. Read over your article multiple times to

03.11.2019

Nothing but smiles as season ends The women’s varsity soccer season comes to an end and they say goodbye to four senior players VANESSA CESARIO SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR This past Thursday, March 7th, the UTM women’s varsity soccer team had their OCAA Regionals tournament at the OSA Centre in Woodbridge. The women were working hard all season at practices and training sessions in hopes of advancing to provincials this year. The first game of the day was against their rival team, the Sheridan College Bruins. The entire game was dominated by UTM, but unfortunately the women could not seem to find the back of the net. With roughly two minutes left in the first half, Sheridan got their first goal of the game off a corner kick set play. The remainder of the game was filled with a lot of back and forth play, but the Eagles could not seem to score. Sheridan took the game 1-0. Their second game was against the short-manned Lakehead-Orillia Thunderwolves. This game was a must win for UTM and in the first half co-captain, Azza Adhoum, and second year, Devon Nagle, both scored making the score 2-0 before halftime. Although the score line favoured UTM, there seemed to be a lack of urgency and tempo from the Eagles players. Sydney Miller and Breana Silva got two more goals for

PHOTO FROM UTM.UTORONTO.CA

The women were working hard all season in hopes of advancing to provincials this year. UTM in the second half, leading the score to end at 4-0. UTM’s third game of the day was against the St. Clair College Saints. With a win, the women would potentially secure a spot at provincials. The women held their own for the majority of the first half, but a defensive lapse gave St. Clair a 1-0 lead going into halftime. UTM came out very strong in the second half, threat-

ening to equal the score. Even after countless opportunities and strong play from all the women, the St. Clair defense held strong to preserve their 1-0 lead. The Eagles could not breakthrough, thus eliminating any hopes of advancing to provincials this year. The final game of the day was against the Georgian College Grizzlies. Both teams had slim chances of advancing to provincials, however

both also wanted to end their season with a win. After having played three previous games, fatigue was setting in for both teams. It wasn’t until 10 minutes left in the second half that cocaptain, Kayla Rice, scored a penalty kick to give UTM their second and final win of the day. Although the women’s season is officially over, head coach, Damian Yearwood, had a few words to say.

“The dedication shown by our core group this year, from fighting back to fitness after injury to working hard in the gym to get stronger, has been incredible. A varsity program asks a lot from everyone, from the admin down to the athletic therapists, but it is especially true of our student athletes. The group that finished the season are head and shoulders better than the one that started it. I couldn’t have asked much more from the squad and although we missed out on our target to qualify for the Provincial Finals, we performed well and gave two top teams in Ontario a real battle.” He continues, “Unfortunately, we say goodbye to three quality players this year, as they take the next step in their lives. Jayde, Vanessa, and Breana have been reliable, inspiring members of our soccer family. It’s always hard when players graduate. You’re happy for them and excited to see where they’ll go next, but when you spend four days a week with someone and it suddenly becomes four times a year, you really feel their absence. Working with these young women has been a wonderful privilege and I just hope that I have been able to impact these ladies as much as they have impacted me.” Please note that this article was written by a member of the UTM women’s varsity soccer team.

HCC’s healthy meal ideas for exam time HCC at UTM has some insightful resources for students, including an online weekly meal planner AMRISH WAGLE ASSOCIATE S&H EDITOR As April exams and end of semester term papers are quickly approaching, these first few weeks of March stand as the calm before the storm. This penultimate month of the academic year, when the average undergraduate brain is warming up for examinations, it is important to ensure its need for nutritious and healthy meals are well met. Unfortunately, when the priority list gets rather overwhelming and the weight of an entire academic semester comes barreling down into a few exams, it is no wonder that healthy eating is squeezed out of the day’s to-do list. The good news is that UTM’s Health and Counselling Centre has some insightful resources at the disposal of any undergraduate. Specifically, their website contains an outline for a weekly meal planner where students can use the designed table to organize their meals for the rest of the week. At a closer glance, planning for your consumption goes a long way in helping you stick to your goals for healthy eating and being totally effi-

cient during grocery shopping for the right ingredients and preparing the food. To make lasting diet changes, the HCC recommends this planning behaviour to put yourself in the

Evidently, each recipe consists of five key characteristics: they’re efficient to prepare, consist of simple ingredients, are cheap, delicious and of course, healthy. Some of the recipes

OLIVIA ADAMCZYK/THE MEDIUM

HCC offers a recipe for a great breakfast option: a parfait. right frame of mind. In addition, the HCC also has a webpage for beautiful recipes. In essence, it provides a comprehensive list of 36 meals that were researched, taste-tested, and handpicked by UTM‘s dietician, Kimberley Green.

even have links attached for step-bystep video tutorials on how to prepare the corresponding dish. For a more nuanced perspective, the HCC also offers a webpage for “trending topics” that consist of a list of quite tastefully designed pamphlets

on very specific topics related to healthy eating. Questions relevant to undergrads are addressed thoroughly, including topics such as food beneficial for acne, study snacks, weight gain, sports nutrition and muscle building. Apps can also be quite helpful in this domain for healthy meals. A popular one is Univore, which was in fact coded by some of U of T’s medical school students. It works simply with the user inputting ingredients they already have and requiring at least one type of protein, a type of fruit or vegetable and carbs. A minimum of three ingredients are required and the app basically spits out a list of easy recipes one can make using whatever’s already in their refrigerator. There is a plethora of other mobile apps that can similarly outright cure the dilemma of health eating. A particularly good idea for a healthy meal this week can be fish tacos. The bulk of the work is only in preparing the fish. The basic instructions are to spread some flavour of salsa evenly over a fish fillet and place it in the oven for 20 minutes at 230°C. Then one can simply chop

it up to place the pieces into wholewheat tortillas and then add various types of toppings including tomatoes, shredded cheese, or onions. These can also be served with guacamole or sour cream if desired. Fish tacos are rich in omega-3 fats and a great source of fiber. A particularly great breakfast recipe is known as breakfast parfait. It simply requires one to chop up a few types of fruits such as blueberries, peaches, grapes, tangerines and place them into a cup or small glass bowl. Then it can be layered with 15g of AllBran Bran Buds™ cereal and ¼ cup of yogurt. Then repeat the process with an identical layer of fruit as well as the cereal and yogurt. This sweet meal is high in fiber and can be easily stored in the fridge overnight to be consumed for breakfast. Both the fish tacos and breakfast parfait are listed in the HCC recipes webpage along with thirty-four other gems. These are clearly perfect meals designed specifically for busy undergrads that don’t have the time, money, energy, or patience to spend on healthy meals.

«SPORTS

THE MEDIUM 03.11.2019

For Power, hockey’s not just a sport Philip Power had the opportunity to sign a contract with a Junior B hockey team but decided to decline SARAH-MAY OLDFIELD ASSOCIATE S&H EDITOR Phillip Power doesn’t remember a time Hockey Night in Canada wasn’t a big deal in his household. His earliest memory comes from when he was about 4-years-old. “In 1999, the Leafs made it to the Eastern Conference Final. My mom completely decorated our Dodge Grand Caravan in blue marker. It was crazy.” Now in his 6th year at UTM, Phillip Power works towards completing a double major in History and Political Science, while playing right wing for UTM’s d-league men’s hockey team. Power was born in Brampton, Ontario before moving to Caledon when he was 13. He says the move from a suburban setting to a rural was a bit different. “I have friends in Toronto who still don’t have driver licenses. Even the poorest person in Caledon has a car. You can’t really do life without one in such a rural area. There’s no transit system,” says Power. However, like many Canadian towns, hockey is a big deal in Caledon. “It’s cultural. I know people who are associated with hockey. They put their kids in hockey. They played hockey themselves growing up. And then when you talk to them they don’t really know anything about hockey. Hockey is like a cultural unifier. But I enjoy the sport for the sport itself,” he says. Power is the second in his family to have played hockey, the first being his grandfather. His father loved the sport growing up, but due to financial constraints was never given an opportunity to play. The Powers are nuts about hockey. Hockey night in Canada is a family affair. “We buy beer, pizza, and even burritos now, or some kind of junk food. Every Saturday night we sit down, watch the Leafs. On the rare occasions the Leafs aren’t playing, it just isn’t the same. It’s like ‘what do we do?’” Like most children who come from hockey loving families, Power was in skates and on the ice almost as soon as he was able to walk. At 3-years-old he began learning how to skate. And by 5 he was playing in his first hockey games with Tim Horton’s Timbits

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

Phillip Power is the Assistant Captain of UTM’s men’s d-league hockey team. Hockey. Power proved to have talent for the game, making the AA team, the second highest level of competitive minor league hockey by the time he was 6. “I got involved [in hockey] in the first place because it was just so natural. It was just what you did. You played hockey. My Dad said, ‘Look if he doesn’t like hockey, I’m not going to force him to play hockey. But I am going to force him to try it.’” Power continued to play competitively until he was 15-years-old. Hockey had become his life. “There was no alternate reality where I wasn’t doing this. Playing hockey.,” he said. There were a couple accomplishments that solidified his love for the game. The first came when he was 6, playing for his AA team. “There were two of us on the team that hadn’t scored yet all season. I was one of them. I remember our coach coming into the locker room and hyping us up. And later I remember standing on the ice in front of the net. The puck came to stick. I shot it, and it went in top corner. I just stood there bewildered that the puck went into the net.” The second accomplishment came when he was 13, at a hockey tournament in the U.S. with his team, the Vaughn Panthers. They played on the Olympic ice rink of the Placid Olympic Center. They came first place at the tournament, and Power

was awarded Most Valuable Player. “I didn’t think I was going to win it. I remember thinking my friend, Daniel, was going to get it. He’d played a great tournament and I was so pumped for him. I was blown away when they announced my name.” Power credits one more experience that solidified his love for the game: when he retired from serious competitive hockey at 15-years-old. Being 15-years-old is a pivotal time in a young hockey player’s life. The summer after this year is where young athletes can be selected to play in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) or you could sign a junior contract, which is like the OHL but a lower level. Aspiring athletes at either of the aforementioned levels can still make it to the NHL. At 15, a lot of players drop off. “The dream is dead. You know you’re not going to the NHL. Almost certainly that you’re not going to,” says Power. Ultimately, it’s ether you get your shot, or you don’t. Power had the opportunity to sign a contract with a Junior B hockey team. He and his mom were on their way to sign his contract when something changed. “My mom can always tell when something’s up. She asked me if I was okay, what was going on. I told her I didn’t think I could do this [hockey] anymore, and she asked me if I was sure. She said okay and

turned the car around.” Power’s parents were supportive in his decision to pursue an opportunity in a hockey career, and his decision to decline it. The following year he made the decision to just play House League hockey, a lot less competitive. “I didn’t believe I was going to enjoy it. I knew it wasn’t going to be that competitive, that there would be a lot of guys feeling out the game, learning how to play. But I still loved it,” Power came to realize that he could love hockey in a different way. Not just for the competitiveness, but for what it is. With a bit of a break from the sport he’d been playing since he was 5-years-old, Power chose to focus on school. It was his parent’s expectation that he’d go to university. It wasn’t up for debate. “I didn’t know what University was. I had to look it up. I found out about the University of Toronto. I looked at all the pictures online, of all the campuses. It was beautiful, and I decided I wanted to go,” he said. “I told my dad I wanted to go to U of T, and he said, ‘with your marks, you’ll be lucky to get into York.’” Phillip’s father had a point. He didn’t have the strongest grades, averaging in the 60’s in most of his classes. He worked hard, and got into UTM. Although Power wishes he’d at least considered other schools, like Queens or Carleton, he doesn’t regret his final

decision. “The opportunities I’ve had here at this school, are ones I’d never thought I’d ever do.” Power considers himself a fan of good hockey, before any team or player. “My favourite team has changed over the years. I’ll find a team and really latch on to how they play. Right now, it’s the Leafs. I grew up watching them, but right now they’re good. They’re just good. It’s a such a great time to be a hockey fan and a Leafs fan right now.” Growing up, Power looked up to Steve Yzerman, former player of the Detroit Red Wings. His second favourite is Ryan Smith, who played for the Edmonton Oilers. “I’ve always kind of played like Smith and saw myself in him. He was a two-way forward with the ability to make plays,” says Power. He also looks up to his father, especially for his work ethic. “If you ever need to do something, that you think is impossible—ask my dad,” says Power. Power is the Assistant Captain of UTM’s men’s d-league hockey team and he takes pride in wearing the capital-A on his jersey. He considers himself to be one of the leaders on his team, a mature presence both on and off the ice. But he also sees himself as the one who tries to bring everyone together. “I try to help create the social bonds, by pushing us to do social events. We don’t do it often, once or twice a year, but we never did it when I was a first year. It makes us stronger. It makes us actual friends. It makes you actually like the guy you’re playing with which makes a lot of other things easier,” says Power. Power loves UTM and doesn’t think people give the school enough credit. “We get called the ‘St. George Rejects’, and I know it’s in jest. But I don’t think people appreciate this place, and what it means. Everyone knows everyone, it’s like a very big high-school in the best sense. And playing for the team here is a chance to represent that. To get the name out there, to a wider world that either doesn’t know about us or makes fun of us.” UTM’s d-league men’s hockey team take to the ice on March 20th, where they face UTSC at Varsity Arena for the D-League Championship.