Volume 45 Issue 23

THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

March 25, 2019 Volume 45, Issue 2 3 themedium.c a

Trudeau visits Mississauga

Meet our runner ups

Analyzing artistic ethics

Radicalization today

Varsity soccer places third

News, page 3

Opinion, page 4

Arts, page 5

Features, page 8

Sports, page 11

UTMSU protests student choice initiative The union, in conjunction with the Canadian Federation of Students, hosted a student-walk out MELISSA BARRIENTOS ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR On Wednesday, the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) led students on a march around the UTM campus in protest of the recent changes made by the Ontario government, including the cuts to OSAP funds and the Student Choice Initiative.

The Canadian Federation of Students—Ontario (CFS-O)’s campaign, called We The Students, hosted a Province-Wide Student Walk Out that invited students’ unions across Ontario to protest in solitary on Wednesday, March 20th at 12:00 p.m.

Sixteen students’ unions joined the cause, including the unions at the U of T St. George campus, Ryerson University, York University and Seneca College.

The We The Students campaign states: “The Ford government has levelled an unprecedented attack on our independent, democratic students’ unions. The changes to OSAP Ford wants to make will mean more debt

KEVIN TAGHABON/FACEBOOK

The CFS-O’s We The Students campaign invited students’ unions across Ontario to protest. for students. The cuts to college and university budgets will mean larger class sizes, more deferred maintenance and even greater exploitation of workers on campus.”

At 12:00 p.m., students gathered at the Students’ Centre to hear UTMSU members and student organization representatives comment on the recent government changes and how

they will affect tuition fees, student organizations, and free expression on campus.

“There are over 140 student organizations at UTM,” said Nour El-Ajou,

the president of Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA). “The Ford government is threatening these organizations.”

The UTMSU then led the walk out through most of the instructional buildings on campus where students were encouraged to join the protest.

In the IB building, the UTMSU provided the Twitter account for Sheref Sabawy, the Member of Parliament for Mississauga—Erin Mills, and urged students to take to Twitter to show their disappointment toward Sabawy’s negligence in representing UTM students.

The walk out ended in the Davis Building where UTMSU President Felipe Negata, the president of UTMSU, read out loud a list of demands to UTM’s Principal Ulrich Krull. The list stated the following demands: 1. UTM administration must sign on to a joint letter along with the UTMSU in speaking out against the cuts to OSAP, grants and the Student Choice Initiative.

Protest continued on page 2

ICUBE UTM celebrates entrepreneurship The organization hosted PITCH19, an event that awarded business start-ups with money and resources MDUDUZI MHLANGA STAFF WRITER

This past Wednesday, the University of Toronto Mississauga hosted ten start-ups for the PITCH19 conference, which celebrates entrepreneurship and innovation. ICUBE UTM, a subsidiary of the Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI), hosted the event.

PITCH19 provided the start-ups an opportunity to network, speak with potential investors, and present their business ideas. They were also given time to speak with the CEO of SOTI Inc., Carl Rodrigues.

SOTI is a provider of mobile and IoT management solutions. It provides thousands of companies around the world with security, management, and support for their mobile operations.

The top three PITCH19 start-ups were Notetonic, LinkMentalHealth, and ePayRails.

Notetonic won the first-place prize, which included $4,000 in cash, $3,000 in intellectual property services, $2,000 in accounting services,

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ENTREPRENEURSHIP/FACEBOOK

The top three PITCH19 start-ups were Notetonic, LinkMentalHealth, and ePayRails. and five hours of legal advice from LaBarge Weinstein LLP. Notetonic is a powerful note-taking software that uses artificial intelligence to extract key words from students’ notes and provides brief descriptions and dia-

grams in real-time.

The creators, Adnan Zuberi and Azmat Zuberi aimed to make notetaking better and develop it into a cloud service. In 2016, they came across AI and aimed to integrate it

into their product. Azmat stated that incubators like UTM’s ICUBE provide a great deal of assistance to start-ups like theirs.

“They have been like a backbone—they have given us space and

web service discounts. They have critiqued us, looked at our presentations, and given us ideas. ICUBE was really amazing.”

Azmat stated that Notetonics’ next steps would be to work on acquisition offers. They are currently developing a partnership with Microsoft.

LinkMentalHealth came second in the competition. This team works to make it easier for people dealing with mental health issues to access the resources they need quickly.

Co-Founder Radwan Al-Nachawati stated, “80 per cent of students don’t know how to access their access health coverage.” The company asks questions about the type of therapist the student is looking for, considering factors like gender, religion, income, and preference.

In addition to connecting students with therapists, LinkMentalHealth also help students under what types of coverage they have available to them. The start-up was awarded $2,500 in cash alongside $1,000 in accounting services.

ICUBE continued on page 3

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THE MEDIUM 03.25.2019

March 14th , 2019 Police Assisstance Campus Police attended a residence for a student experiencing medical distress. Mississauga Fire and EMS attended. The student was transported to hospital.

March 19th , 2019 Police Assisstance Campus Police attended a residence for a student experiencing medical distress.

Krull signs list of demands

March 18th , 2019 Property Related A student reported her belongings were put in the garbage when she returned to the area she was studying in.

March 19th, 2019 Police Assisstance A student reported that she slipped and fell on a path while on the way to class.

March 20th , 2019 Property Damage UTM staff reported a damaged glass pane on the ground floor of the HSC

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.

Anyone with information regarding any of these incidents, or any other incident, is requested to contact the UTM Campus Police at 905-828-5200, Peel Regional Police at 905-453-3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Federal government funds Mississauga

IAIN COLPITTS/METROLAND/MISSISSAUGA NEWS

Trudeau’s visit to Mississauga came with $80 million from GTF.

ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR Last Thursday, Justin Trudeau visited Mississauga to announce that the federal government would give the city $80 million from the Federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF). The Gas Tax Fund is a permanent federal transfer that provides municipalities long-term funding to build and revitalize public infrastructure.

“This year, with the municipal topup for infrastructure in Budget 2019, we’re doubling the amount of money cities get through the Gas Tax Fund transfer,” said the prime minister.

“Your city now has more funding to invest in things like transit, transportation, road repairs and new buses.”

The GTF is provided bi-yearly to

provinces and territories. The recent transfer of funds from the federal government was twice as much as previous years.

“Mississauga will be receiving approximately $80 million in funding, said Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie. “We’ve been calling on more funding to be directly transferred to cities.”

Usually, the funds go through the province, however Trudeau commented that the Ontario government “has not wanted to partner on investing in infrastructure across the province, particularly in our cities.”

According to the Federal party’s budget, announced Tuesday, it is proposed that the GTF be increased by $2.2 billion.

PHOTO FROM PIXABAY.COM

Krull said he couldn’t sign on behalf of the University of Toronto but he still supports the UTMSU. Protest continued from page 1 2. The UTM administration speak to Governing Council and discuss the impacts of the student choice initiative to the thousands of students who depend on the UTMSU. 3. Committing to attending a townhall hosted by the UTMSU dedicated to student groups and preserving our autonomy.

4. Sign the petition that we will send to the government Principal Krull signed the demand with, “UTM will work to support UTMSU, Ulrich Krull.”

“I can help deliver your message,” said Principal Krull. “That’s what I’m committing to, that we at UTM will work to support the UTMSU. On a personal level, I very much support the students’ union. This is a part of the life of the campus […] How can an academic, who stands in front of students in a lecture, understand what the life of a student is? There’s no way to do that. You need to be able to speak to the administration and you have voted in a tremendously powerful, very effective student union executive.”

Regarding the first of the four demands Principal Krull responded, “I cannot sign on behalf of the University of Toronto. Anything that goes public, for example to the government, that would be under the signature of either the president or Governing Council. But I can sign on the basis of supporting you and the initiative to get this heard by the president and by Governing Council.”

According to Krull, the government has yet to release concrete details on what will happen with the Student Choice Initiative. “We have a fairly good sense of what is now going to be opt-in and opt-out. But we do not yet have the formal decree from the government of what this thing will look like in its final structure.”

“One of the issues associated with the Student Choice Initiative is that

students have the option to opt-out, continued Krull. “That’s what this is all about. If […] it had been in any other commercial type activity, we would all expect that to be the case.

If you do not want to buy something, you are not forced to buy it.”

“My responsibility, like yours, is to convince students that what is being done by the UTMSU is important.

Whether it’s the food bank, whether its representation in the newspaper, whether it’s representation in the administration. These are all critical factors in terms of how we run this institution and the cultural factors that make it successful.”

Principal Krull proposed that, in order to counteract the Student Choice Initiative, UTM students must ensure a large majority of students will be shown the value of student services and will opt-in.

Regarding the fourth demand, Principal Krull stated he can not sign a petition that uses “the type of language and the type of text [that] starts demanding free tuition, that’s beyond what we’re talking about here.” But Principal Krull amended that “if [the petition] is focused on the impact of what’s happening with OSAP and what’s happening in terms of student choice […] I’m happy to sign as an individual not representing the university.”

Felipe Nagata, the president of UTMSU, also spoke to The Medium about the importance of protesting, the set-up of the walk out, and mediums of free speech.

“I think it’s important to have these kinds of actions just to show that it’s not the president of the UTMSU who’s speaking for the people” said Negata. “We are hearing the voice of the people. Student organizing is so powerful in so many ways. It empowers the group so we can fight back.”

Regarding possible negative responses about the walk out protest, Nagata said, “We’ve never had this big of an action at UTM. So, I think

that yes, class is important, but the student initiative is also important since it will be affecting the whole student body.”

“I think it is very valid for us to step out of class for a walk. I think it is very valid for us to defend our rights,” continued Negata.

The UTMSU also emailed professors beforehand to invite them to the walk out and to let them know that students might step out of class in support of the protest. “We’re all in this together. Professors, teaching assistants, and the university will all be affected by these changes.”

With his experience as Vice President of Campus Life in 2017, Nagata surmised “that a protest should be fun. There is this misconception and stigma with protesting that’s almost like I don’t want to do it because it’s going to be violent or it’s going to be negative. But it doesn’t have to be. We were chanting things that we want to see but we weren’t offending anybody, and we weren’t like making strong demands that would affect people’s life in negative ways.”

“It’s such a vibe that brings people together and that’s how I look at actions. That’s my vision for it.”

Regarding the Twitter initiative, the UTMSU proposed to students in the middle of the walk out, Nagata stated, “Twitter is the most effective when it comes to politics in Canada.

The twitter action actually came from a meeting we had with Sheref Sabawy, the MP representative of UTM. At some points he was understanding of the Student Choice Initiative, but he was completely against the OSAP changes. He also didn’t understand much about what the Student Choice Initiative entailed.”

“So, it was very frustrating that a person who represents the biggest university in Mississauga didn’t know about this issue and didn’t stand for the students in his riding.

The Twitter action is a way to bring student issues to his attention.”

Start-ups focus on utility

ICUBE/FACEBOOK

ICUBE provided opportunities that Rodrigues says the teams at PITCH19 were lucky to have.

ICUBE continued from page 1 Coming in third place was ePayRails, a start-up created to offer a centralized portal for accounts payable, accounts receivable, and consumer payments. Cindy Guyon, director of business development, stated, “we’re modernizing the payments industry and changing the way businesses pay and get paid.” The start-up was awarded $1,500 in cash and access to the LaBarge Weinstein start-up program alongside LinkMentalHealth.

SOTI President, CEO, and founder Carl Rodrigues told The Medium that the teams at PITCH19 were very fortunate and lucky to have opportuni-

ties provided by groups like ICUBE to assist in business acceleration.

Previously a UTM student himself, Rodriguez said that the entrepreneurship landscape at UTM “didn’t exist.

You just came here to get a degree and look for a job. It’s very different now.”

Rodriguez advised young businesses looking to make an international impact that “if you want to compete as a global player, you have to find those angles that allow you to compete, because your competitors will do it.” He stated that accessing global talent is important.

Other start-ups in the top ten included Feely Piano School, a startup for in-home piano tutors aimed

at “helping students find success in musical achievement.” There was also YourTable, a start-up to help connect, network, and build friendships with people over dinner.

Their motto is, “Sit down as strangers. Get up as friends.” Another startup was InStage, which uses virtual reality software to assist students and employees in practicing for interviews, panel interviews, and elevator pitches.

PITCH19 was sponsored by ICUBE and SOTI, in partnership with U of T Mississauga, IMI, U of T Entrepreneurship, and the RIC centre.

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HUMANS OF UTM

My favourite part about the University of Toronto experience is the people that I’ve met.

It’s not so much the classes I’ve taken – although they were interesting – it’s the people that make this university experience the best that I could ever wish for. The reason why is because outside the classroom that’s where the real personal growth happens through, you know, hardships, successes, but not heartbreaks though because you missed me with that sh*t. […] Sometimes your realest friends can be assholes but they really do care about you. I hope that I can continue to make new friends in the future.

One step closer Rec Room grand opening to “Mississ-exit”

PHOTO FROM FLICKR.COM

Crombie’s motion passed in City Council last Monday.

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

The Rec Room in Square One covers over 44,000 square feet which is larger than the one in Toronto.

YASMEEN ALKOKA PHOTO EDITOR On Monday, March 18, the Square One Shopping Centre held its grand opening for The Rec Room, a massive entertainment and food centre. Covering over 44,000 square feet—larger than the one in downtown Toronto— The Rec Room combines the fun atmosphere of an arcade with a classy restaurant aesthetic that advertises Canadian-inspired cuisine.

The space is organized into various sections, each labelled with an appropriate name. On the main floor, the restaurant seating for “Three10” and sports bar occupy the majority of the area, which has a wide open-concept layout. On the other side, there is an

axe throwing section near the coatroom and washrooms, as well as the trophy case—where you’ll find quality prizes to collect after playing at the arcade (also known as “The Yard”).

Prize examples include board games, nerf guns, purses, Go-Pro cameras, and Fit Bits.

Even though the extensive arcade with over a hundred games can be found on the bottom floor, there are also a few individual games spread out in the pathways on the main floor, including pool tables near the lounge.

To celebrate billiards, the main floor also holds a large, colorful “Mississauga” sign with pool cues included in the design. There are also private dining rooms intended for parties and corporate events on both floors,

with tables, chairs, and a TV screens playing an aquarium scene set up.

Downstairs, arcade games spread across the floor with huge screens, neon lights, and beeps at every corner. There is a separate bowling alley, as well as “The Shed” lounge, which serves poutine, fries, beer, cocktails, wine, and donuts. Away from the games, “The Hall” area holds a stage and seating area for future live entertainment, including music, comedy, and more.

The new addition to Square One is definitely a big change for Mississauga. The Rec Room invites you into a fun and classy escape from the everyday suburban grind. Regular hours will begin on Monday, March 25.

ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR Last Monday, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie’s motion to request the province pass legislation to make the city independent from the Region of Peel passed in City Council.

“Analysis shows we sent $85M to the Region to fund the growth of other cities. This is not fair to residents and businesses. Our money should go towards Mississauga priorities. We must be able to govern our affairs and set our vision without interference.”

Crombie tweeted last Wednesday.

The motion calls on the provincial government to pass legislation that will consider Mississauga a “singletier” municipality, allowing it to be governed municipally without a second layer of regional governance. The motion also calls for the city to main-

tain it’s current municipal borders.

In an interview with CBC Toronto, Crombie stated, “We see cities like Windsor, London, Guelph, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay… they’re single-tier, they’re independent. Why shouldn’t Mississauga have the ability to control our own destiny as well?”

Reacting to the news of Crombie’s motion, Brampton mayor Patrick Brown said, “Brampton for years has helped subsidize Mississauga’s water treatment centre and regional roads.”

In response, Crombie stated that Brown’s argument was “disingenuous,” citing the fact that Mississauga provides 59 per cent of funding to Peel, but has just 50 per cent of the vote at regional council.

Before finalizing its position on the matter, the city plans to hold a community meeting in early April.

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THE MEDIUM PHOTO CONTEST RUNNER-UP

PHOTOJOURNALISM SYEDA BOKHARI

PORTRAIT HIEN MAI LE DO

LANDSCAPE PAWEL MIGDAL

CORRECTION NOTICE The March 18 article “Combining environmental activism and fashion” has been corrected.

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The future of art: decolonization & #MeToo In an age of social consciousness surrounding artistic ethics, issues of power dynamics are illuminated SRIJAN SAHU ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR

Hart House Debates and Dialogue presents Artistic Ethics in an Age of Social Consciousness. In the midst of rising social movements, it is important we discuss how to maneuver in an industry marred by issues of exploitation and discrimination.

A group of select panelists ranging from professional curators to artists explored how art has changed, and ought to change in response to ethical questions of racialization, sexual harassment and colonialization.

The panel included Quill Christie Peters, Michele Pèarson Clarke, Georgiana Uhlyarik, Indu Vashist, and Gabrielle Moser, who also served as the moderator. In a discussion where special attention was paid to the MeToo movement and Indigenous decolonization, they addressed questions such as “Is it ethical to celebrate the work of an artist that has been found guilty of sexual assault?” and “How do we decolonize artistic spaces?”

All panelists seemed to voice a common dissatisfaction with the “flawed” workings that currently exist within the art community. Curators are assigned a distinct power to organize and decide the potential effect an art can have on its audi-

SHIFA SIDDIQUI/THE MEDIUM

In one of the discussions, special attention was paid to the MeToo movement. ence. However, the true purpose of the curator has become lost within the structural hierarchy. This has important implications for the racialized artists who don’t get to work with people who actually understand their art and where they come from. Often in such instances, their art is misrepresented. Michele Pèarson Clarke, a Trinidad-born artist shared how she deals with the lack of representation of curators of color. “From an artist’s perspective, I wonder are you interested in my art or simply me because I check a lot of diversity boxes. I ask curators questions to assess whether they ac-

tually care for my art.” In a sense, we like to think we have made progress in racialization of art, but instead, we are fooling ourselves with a fad which makes the dominant group feel satisfied. Indu Vashist indicated the extent of misrepresentation of minority groups: “South Asians are not an ‘it’ group. Out of the three south Asian art exhibits in Ontario, only one is being curated by a Hindu.” One highlighted solution to this problem was white curators should step aside and allow people of color to curate and be responsible for the textural and planning framework behind racial-

ized art.

In this decade of resolutions, we have made great strides to correct the deficiencies of our society. Sadly, decolonization is one of those issues that has taken a backseat to the more popularized ones. It has since become a token topic and should be brought back to discussions of territory and land disputes. Similarly, to racialized art, there is a visible want for more indigenous curators to address real issues of decolonization and not just those brought in for inclusivity. The panel agreed that indigenous curators and people of power must be employed.

The panel then moved on to discuss the more delicate topic of sexual harassment in the art community. Separating an artist from his/her art is a lot harder than it sounds, especially when you consider the several factors involved.

Were they convicted? How believable are the allegations? These are just few of the questions faced by the viewer when they contemplate whether they can enjoy an art guilt free.

The panelists agreed that the institutions ought to establish accountability, as often times artists who are alleged to misuse their power continue doing so since there are no direct consequences for their work. Georgiana Uhlyarik said, “Institutions present context for the art and public pressure should be used to change institutional behavior in these matters. There is power in boycotting and social media, but institutions themselves are unlikely to change. If an artist is contempt of sexual harassment, it’s the institution’s responsibility to contextualize the art. By praising these artists as pioneers, the institutions are fostering their behavior. Rather, viewers should be made aware of these allegations and the final choice to view them or not should rest on each individual.”

Ethics continued on page 7

Paige Julian on deconstructing comics & exploring identity Julian’s piece “Blueprint” in You Look the Other Way addresses social constructions of identity PAULA CHO A&E EDITOR

After four years of discovering her artistic style and passion for storytelling, Paige Julian is showcasing her final project as a student in the Art and Art History program in You Look the Other Way. The first show of the two-part exhibition features work by Julian and ten other graduating artists that reflects their unique conceptions of identity within larger social frameworks.

For Julian, the theme of the exhibition surrounded “the things you don’t necessarily see—things you might not be looking right at but are underneath and structure a place. My piece looks at the foundations and the unwritten parts of life or life in the house and identity.”

Julian’s work “Blueprint” is a series of blueprints of a house that are deconstructed to show the identities that inhabit each room. By superimposing her comic-book inspired drawings over a technical document of architecture, Julian explores the

parallel between social constructions of identity and the physical construction of home.

The process of creating “Blueprint” involved numerous steps and artistic techniques: “it’s all screen printed so I had a screen that you have to expose almost like a photograph. I used parts that I had digitally and parts that I hand-drew and scanned in. I then placed them onto the screen, put ink through, and finally it went on paper.

Every single piece had to be a separate layer, so there’s a lot of layering in the work.”

Julian’s intentional usage of colour deviates from the normalized associations between colours and identities. Instead of allowing viewers to immediately connect a color with an identity, she strives to challenge what is beneath these social norms.

“I used to work in an ice cream store and for all the cakes, people would always ask for the boy colours or the girl colours. People will always infer that ‘this room is pink so it must be a girlier part’ but I wanted to take that apart and use a bunch of different colours for each room.”

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Paige Julian showcases her final project as a student in the Art and Art History program.

Currently, Julian is working on another print project based on reorganizing comic panels and the ways graphic representations can be manipulated. “I have all these pictures and would lay them out in a sequence, which is how you would read it. But if I rearrange it, you have a completely different story so that it’s unclear where it begins and where it ends.”

As a graduating student interested

in pursuing a career in narrativebased art and storytelling, Julian is taking many lessons away from her time in UTM’s AAH program, including “that art is a lot more open to interpretation than I thought. For example, I like to deconstruct comics—that’s the thing that I’ve been focusing on in many of my pieces.

Seeing the diversity of ideas and directions that we’ve taken within the same program is really inspiring.”

“I would tell an aspiring artist that the best way to stay motivated in their art is to integrate things that they value into their projects, even if it goes against traditional convention. Staying true to your passions will make it easier to feel good about your art in the long term and helps you stand out as an individual.”

You Look the Other Way runs at the Blackwood Gallery until March 30.

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THE MEDIUM 03.25.2019

Self-reflection in You Look the Other Way Graduating artists of the Art and Art History program are showcasing their final projects at the Blackwood Gallery KEENA ALWAHAIDI ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR The Blackwood Gallery has unveiled the first of two graduate exhibitions of the UTM and Sheridan Art and Art History 2019 class. You Look the Other Way was cultivated by the FAH451 class Curating Now, and features eleven artists in total. The second half is entitled Now Look Me in the Eyes and comes later this semester, completing the entire exhibition for the Art and Art History graduates.

Focusing on the idea of exploration within their own identities, the artists have chosen to manifest their interactions with the spaces and environments they come in contact with every day. There is an urge to be artistically responsible in this exhibit: they attempt to find an important way to realize how our voices can be brought up through history, art, and media. Their installations perform this obligation to its viewers. We are directed to it in every sense of the idea.

I am directed to a blueprint image on the right side of the exhibit. The screen print is produced by Paige Julian, who has single-handedly produced her views on relationships by showcasing different rooms in the same home. The piece is entitled

ASHLEY VANDERKOEN/THE MEDIUM

The first of two graduation exhibitions features eleven artists in total.

“Blueprint,” because coincidently, that’s exactly what it is. The rooms on the blueprint are together on the surface but separate, each telling their own story within one structure. The blueprint is of Julian’s own home, and while these lines and illustrations look the same on the outside, they should be considered as a space where different things can happen to only one person.

These ideas are manifested in a

similar way in the other installations, although most of the other works find a way to achieve identity exploration a little differently. They strive to maintain the same theme but authentically showcase their individualities.

One installation that takes up a good majority of the exhibit is Katherine Frank’s “Reverse Portraits,” whose work is not one that you would expect straight from its

title. However, this is the very essence of the piece and if you’ve been stumped, then Frank’s motive has been fulfilled.

Her series of photographs run from one end of the wall to the other, depicting individuals from the neck up, turned around so that our faces are not met with theirs. We are met with figures we don’t have the privilege of meeting face first—literally.

This point is made clear when we re-

alize that Frank’s photographs spark the curiosity we face meeting new people and even meeting old friends.

We never really know people just on the surface. We can’t distinguish someone from the looks of their faces or by their demeanors.

Near the back wall, I am met with Isabella Venditello’s “I HEART MUM,” a piece of abstract work that is a far cry from one idea or the other. She includes both the ugliness and the beauty we find within our lives and the good and bad of it all.

In life, we are met with negative and positive powers within ourselves that are often difficult to define. However, Venditello does her best while acknowledging these notions. As many works of abstract pieces encourage us to do, her piece is left open to our minds and to our experiences that shape our understanding of the work.

The graduates and their artworks represent what they may have not even known about themselves. Their expressions and projections of their lives seek to define their identities in a multitude of ways. We are met with works that challenge their views on the world, as well as their takes on themselves.

You Look the Other Way runs at the Blackwood Gallery until March 30th.

Captain Marvel: the female superhero we all need The newest release in the Marvel Cinematic Universe features Brie Larson as the lead TRISHA CLARENCE ASUNCION

Captain Marvel is the latest superhero movie released by Marvel Studios, making it the twenty-first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brie Larson stars as the titular character, whose real name is Carol Danvers. The film revolves around Carol Danvers as she discovers the truth about her past.

Captain Marvel differs from other origin stories of superheroes. In this film, our superhero already has powers at the beginning of the movie. The film works backwards, and we learn more about the Carol before she received her powers and the moment she became Captain Marvel. It’s a nice change from all other origin stories, where we meet the superhero and see them through the things that give them superpowers and their attempts to control them.

By the end of those films, including this one, a superhero is established with an acceptance for their powers and a clear idea on how they’re going to use their powers for good.

This is the kind of superhero that girls need. It’s Marvel’s first female led superhero film, which is why it was so controversial in the media,

PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM

Captain Marvel topped the box office with $153 million during opening week. especially leading up to its release.

Many people argued that the movie is too “feminist,” but I think it’s just the right amount. There are several scenes in the movie that present the everyday challenges that women

face on a daily basis.

In one scene where Carol is standing outside of a store, a man catcalls her and tells her to “smile more.” I, as well as many females, have experienced a similar kind of exchange at

one point or another. Near the end of the movie, she engages in a standoff with her mentor, Yon-Rogg, who turns out to be one of the bad guys.

During the battle, Yon-Rogg challenges Carol, telling her to “prove

herself to him” and saying that she is “too emotional.” These are also common phrases women hear from men who believe they are the superior gender.

Captain Marvel does not push its feminist views to its viewers. Rather, it’s included enough sporadically to just make a statement. Many women and men have praised this film for its inclusion of the scenes I mentioned above. It shows audiences the challenges women face and it needs to be talked about.

Captain Marvel has been doing really well in theatres since its initial release, topping the box office with a whopping $153 million during opening week. Its earnings continue to skyrocket, surpassing other superhero films like Spider-Man and Wonder Woman. The film resonates well with fans, who are giving the movie nothing but good reviews.

However, the critics do not share the same sentiment and argue it does not stand up to the hype of other Marvel movies such as last year’s Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. Brie Larson will reprise her role and return as Captain Marvel in Avengers: Endgame, which will be released in theatres on April 26.

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REWIND DELANEY ROMBOUGH STAFF WRITER Oklahoma! (1955) is a movie musical based on the 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical of the same name. It’s a story about farm girl Laurey Williams (Shirley Jones) and her two suitors cowboy Curly McLain (Gordon MacRae) and farmhand Jud Fry (Rod Steiger) as they try to win her over to take her to a town party.

On the morning of the party, Curly rides through the bright, vibrant cornfields, singing the iconic “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” along the way, to Aunt Eller’s (Charlotte Greenwood) farm to ask her niece, Laurey, to the party that evening. Offended that he waited until the morning of the party to ask her, Laurey agrees to go with Aunt Eller’s farmhand, Jud, just to spite him even though she clearly feels the same way about him as he feels about her.

In this movie, there’s not just one love triangle but two. Will Parker (Gene Nelson) has returned from Kansas City in hopes of marrying Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame) but

SHALOMI RANASINGHE

Environmental issues are a major debate within today’s society. Climate change, in particular, is a controversial topic. Citizens are constantly encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint, use reusable bags and beverage containers, carpool, save water and electricity, recycle, and more in attempt to help the environment.

The differences that we make have the potential to bring forth a greener future. Under these circumstances, author Ernest Callenbach decided to create a utopian society in his novel, Ecotopia, which focuses on an ecologically friendly country where citizens live in harmony with the environment.

UTM offers the course Literature and Environmental Criticism, ENG259, which allows students to develop an ecocritical lens towards literature. The course explores various novels, in which the narrative interacts with the environment. One novel in particular is Callenbach’s Ecotopia.

Published in 1975, Ecotopia is set in a fictional country that gained independence by breaking from the United States of America. Ecotopia

she is currently seeing travelling salesman Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert), who agreed to marry her in exchange for $50 from her father. Annie loves Will but her father approves of Ali. In the end, she chooses Will.

Later, several local families arrive at Aunt Eller’s farm to get ready for the party. One of the girls, Gertie (Barbara Lawrence) flirts with Curly. Curly isn’t interested but he plays along to make Laurey jealous.

Laurey sees the two of them and gets upset, so she decides to sing “Many a New Day” about how she doesn’t need a man with the rest of the female ensemble. However, the afternoon drags on and Laurey becomes more miserable about Curly. She uses a bottle of smelling salts from Ali, who told her it was a magic elixir and slips into a long dream sequence. In Laurey’s dream, her and Curly were about to be married but Jud crashes the wedding and kills Curly. This sequence was beautifully shot with the story being told through music and dancing rather than dialogue. When she wakes up, Laurey realizes that Curly is the man for her but it’s too late for her to change her mind about

who to bring to the party.

Throughout the movie, there has been a subtle rivalry between the farmhands and the cowboys. The party scene opens with a great song and dance number “The Farmer and the Cowman” about how they should get along since they share the same territory. At the party, Will says that he and Annie are now engaged and Laurey fires Jud from her aunt’s farm.

After learning this news, Curly proposes to her and she happily accepts.

The movie ends with Curly and Laurey’s wedding, but things get out of control when Jud shows up and sets fire to a haystack, threatening to kill Curly with a knife. Curly and Jud fight it out like men tend to do but it ends with Jud falling on his own knife, killing him. After a makeshift trial at Aunt Eller’s, where Curly is found not guilty of murder, Curly and Laurey ride off into the sunset for their honeymoon, singing “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’” again.

Yes, it’s a cliché ending however, it works because everyone’s happy and they end up with who they were supposed to be with.

formed when northern California, Oregon, and Washington broke apart to establish an ecologically friendly nation, which allows humanity and the environment to live in a state of equilibrium. The novel follows an American journalist, William Weston, who travels to Ecotopia on business and reports his experience to the New York Times-Post.

The narrative is written in firstperson and follows William’s published columns for the newspaper. At the same time, the novel alternates into his diary, which is noted by the use of italics and incorporates his personal thoughts and experiences.

William aims to report, in an objective manner, the lifestyles and laws of Ecotopian’s. Readers learn about Ecotopia’s energy-efficient cities, tree worship, and women-lead governments.

Ecotopians live in a “stable-state” ecosystem and do not produce or use any material that will harm the environment. The country has eliminated the use of individual cars, and citizens use public transport to get around. They also use biodegradable materials, such as wood, so decomposed elements don’t harm the ecosystem.

Throughout the novel, William

reports on the various aspects of Ecotopian life. He begins his reports with his experience of crossing the border to enter Ecotopia. William investigates Ecotopia’s economy, population decline, children’s education, solar energy use and more.

William is unimpressed by the citizens and finds their blunt personalities bizarre. Ecotopian’s live a lifestyle of self-expression and openly disclose their emotions to strangers—a social characteristic that William is not fond of. Also, he finds their environmentally-friendly clothing to be aesthetically unpleasing. However, William meets an Ecotopian woman, Marissa, and is enticed by her personality and sexual freedom. The two form a relationship together, as William mentally compares Marissa to Francine and Pat, the women he has back home.

As the novel progresses, William’s reports outline the operations of the nation and how they remain environmentally friendly. Readers learn of a futuristic and utopian lifestyle which betters the planet.

If you’re interested in being submerged into an ecologically friendly nation and William’s life, pick up a copy of Ecotopia.

A discussion on artistic ethics

PHOTO FROM THEARTISTICSYNAPSE.BLOGSPOT.COM

It is important to consider why dilemmas are prevalent in art.

Ethics continued from page 5 These issues become more sensitive when the accused are of racialized background or their families are still living. Vashist mentioned that after an acclaimed Indian artist passed away, several people who worked under him shared stories of sexual harassment. The museums displaying his works were faced with the ethical question of presenting his art, while his family objected to the attention paid to the allegations.

Perhaps, it is important to consider why such dilemmas are more prevalent in art compared to other fields. For example, if a scientist were accused, no one would argue for dis-

crediting their findings or theories.

Art is different. A lot of what we consume is often backed by institutions who suppress art progression and harmful corporations that partake in unethical practices. “We can’t create binaries; we are all complicit in some ways. It’s complex to navigate in that world of black and white. Simply hope that one day, we will change the landscape. And as an artist or viewer, do your due diligence. Especially, if you’re a new artist, don’t fall prey to the conception that you ought to be grateful—instead look at it more objectively on a case to case basis.

Decide for yourself and justify your choices.”

March 25

UTM Don’t Pass It Down

March 29

Trinity Art Show

March 29-30

U of T Festival of Dance

March 31

ROM Wildlife Photographer of the Year

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03.25.2019

Discussing radicalization among young men Last Tuesday, UTM’s political science department invited Jamil Jivani to discuss radicalization KEVIN KIM ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

Last Tuesday, the political science department at UTM in collaboration with the Office of the Dean presented their Annual Public Affairs Lecture hosted by Jamil Jivani, author of Why Young Men, which was released last year. In the book, Jivani outlines some of the main reasons why young men in particular are driven to engage in violent crime. His lecture at UTM, titled “Roots of Radicalization,” built upon this topic, extending it to elucidate the similarities between demographics prone to acts of violence that have been brought to attention recently.

Jivani travelled to Brussels and Paris after the terror attacks that occurred in the cities, seeking to uncover the reasons why young people are prone to radicalization: a buzz-word that entails the process by which people gradually adopt extremist ideals that clash against the ideals of nations. Although radicalization can be non-violent in nature, Jivani focused on the violent tendencies that are exhibited as a direct product of radicalization.

He made his way to Egypt and Kenya afterwards to learn more about the communities that fight against radical

ideologies.

Jivani sought to make clear the overall direction of his presentation: a talk that encourages a solutions-based approach, separate from ideological boundaries. To expand on this, he broadly generalizes different ideologies that are commonly referenced in the political scene, known to many as left-right political spectrum. While the right-wing embodies personal responsibility and matters of culture, family, and faith, according to Jivani, the left-wing tends to believe in the existence of systemic barriers and advocates for equality, equity, and inclusion. He mentions these ideologies to make a point about the desire for solutions—often these ideologies cloud discussion and, in the event that they contrast, make solutions quite difficult to achieve.

Jivani’s first look into radicalization begins with gangs—a topic that phases in and out of attention. There were about 51 lives lost to gang activity in 2018 in Toronto, but despite this seemingly high number, there was scarce media coverage, and no alarming public outrage. This could be compared to, as a recent example, the assault in New Zealand—which resulted in a similar number of casualties—received international attention. Jivani chalks this down to how

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Jamil Jivani lectured about similarities between demographics prone to acts of violence. the perpetrators in both cases are understood and perceived.

One specific example he discusses at length is how violent crime was handled in Chicago where over 3000 people were shot in 2018. To remedy this issue, a program was rolled out over the course of several months that sought to put people to work, and the result was a 43 per cent drop in violent crime, according to a study con-

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Jivani points focuses on moral relativism, toxic masculinity, and the glorification of violence.

ducted in 2014. Jivani notes that on the surface, this approach embodies left-wing ideologies, which attempt to reduce poverty in society in order to reduce crime rate.

However, upon further inspection, a few interesting points came from the Chicago program. At the end of the day, those involved in the program made little profit from their work in the program as their jobs were typically part-time and offered only minimum wage. Additionally, although there was a significant reduction in violent crime, other types of crime retained the same frequency. The theory behind the program’s success then, most likely, lies in the positive impact it has on self-control, decision-making, and overall discipline, as well as giving those who may have once had nothing to lose a greater purpose in life. The program as a whole ends up being a mix of political ideologies, solidifying Jivani’s point that solutions to problems of violence must be considered separate from viewpoints.

As Jivani moves on to discuss Jihadism, he first mentions an organization that trains young citizens for the work force, similarly to the program in Chicago. Education for Employment (EFE) has landed many previously unemployed youth jobs across the Middle East and North Africa. Jivani reached out to the EFE to ask alumni of the organization whether they believed that the program helped to re-

duce terror attacks at all. One respondent wondered whether there was an underlying assumption that if he was not subject to the EFE, he would have surely instead become a terrorist.

Jivani thought upon this and realized this to be the prevailing assumption of himself, and perhaps North America and Europe as a whole. As religious tribalism becomes more politicized, Jivani stresses the need to humanize Jihadist belief systems in order to see how youth may be driven to participate in acts of terror.

To touch briefly on white supremacy, Jivani points out the severe lack of attention that white supremacy has received in comparison to other groups that involve themselves in violence. There exists some hypocrisy in the media regarding this, as Jivani points out the tendency of media outlets to blame entire populations for Jihadist acts of terror, while simultaneously treating white supremacists case by case, individually.

Across all these violent movements, there are similarities that Jivani makes clear, in his presentation: moral relativism, toxic masculinity, and the glorification of violence. Topics that can be discussed at length by their own merit, Jivani touches on their relevance briefly before ending with a final reminder to set ideologies aside when discussing solutions to violent crime.

03.25.2019 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

So, you think you want to study abroad?

Asude Ayvaci says her student exchange to Denmark is one of the highlights of undergrad SYEDA ZEHRA

Inspired by her friend’s student exchange experience, Asude Ayvaci, a fifth-year student at UTM, decided to embark on a similar journey. Ayvaci is currently spending her winter semester at University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Living in a studio apartment in downtown Copenhagen, Ayvaci describes her exchange experience as phenomenal and surreal. In an interview with The Medium, she explains that she loves the cute and cozy local cafes, the constant jazz music, the candle-lit streets, and the rainy season that this European city has to offer.

Ayvaci is currently taking two courses, Social Psychology and Danish Culture which will both be counted for a credit to fulfill her degree requirements. She notes that University of Copenhagen’s educational system is quite different from University of Toronto as most courses and their assessment are heavily based on reading. Most importantly, Danish students don’t receive a grade mark, but only get to know if they have passed

or failed a course. With a light course load, she finds it manageable to do the readings, explore the city with her other exchange friends and also make time for hobbies like free yoga classes at Folklets Hus. Ayvaci is also fascinated by the magnificent history and prestige of University of Copenhagen, and how some famous Danish poets, writers, and artists have also graduated from there. She speaks highly of the campus design and the medieval-historic feeling it offers. Like any exchange student, Ayvaci first felt nervous about this experience, but with the support that the International Center offers, she has been able to gain confidence to find her way in this new city.

The Danish Culture course really helped Ayvaci learn, understand and connect with the Danish history, culture, and allowed her to put things in perspective. This course hasn’t only helped Ayvaci navigate her way through in Denmark but also in Sweden as the cultures of these countries are very similar.

For Ayvaci, she finds that Danish people are quite reserved but are welcoming once you approach them for help. She also loves how ecofriendly

the city is, and how Copenhagen is making strides towards reducing their carbon footprint by making it accessible for people to bike as much as they can instead of driving, which is a rare sight.

Ayvaci hopes to make the most of this experience and intends to extend her stay in Denmark once the semester finishes to make some time to travel to different cities in Europe.

According to Ayvaci, it is very cheap and easy to travel to other cities, for example a round trip to Vienna is only $60.

She also advises students to go on an exchange program once to experience a completely different culture, live in a new place, meet new people and learn to be independent. In order to do this, she advised students to have high grades (above 3.0), have a plan, create a budget, and take OSAP and grants wherever possible to cover the expenses.

Ayvaci describes her student exchange experience to be one of the highlights of her undergrad, as it helped broaden her horizon and exposure to a completely new place and culture.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASUDE AYVACI

Asude Ayvaci is currentlly spending her semester in Denmark.

Di Francisca: Dancing, fencing, and motherhood UTM’s ITA350 class interviewed Elisa Di Francisca, an Italian Olympic foil fencing champion TONINA MAURO ISABEL BONACCI

The students in the 2018-2019 session of ITA350: Language Practice, a third-year Italian class taught by Professor Paola Bernardini at the University of Toronto Mississauga, had the opportunity to interview the talented Italian celebrity Elisa Di Francisca, an Olympic foil fencing champion. The class, an advanced level course “designed to give students oral and written proficiency,” runs for the entire academic year.

As part of their course work, the students asked Elisa Di Francisca a variety of questions about her life, which she was happy to respond to.

Not only did the students receive a detailed and honest response to the questions asked, but they were also able to have a more personal interaction with a native Italian speaker, allowing a chance to put their language studies into practice.

Due to Di Francisca’s background in foil fencing, the students began the interview by asking questions about her career and her experience as an Olympic champion. Di Francisca began practicing fencing when she was only 13 years old. Before fencing however, Di Francisca spent some time practicing classical dancing.

When asked how the two relate, Di Francisca told the class that her expe-

rience in dance helped her body become more fluid and helped her balance for fencing. She shared with the class that her unique fencing strategy is to study her opponent and adjust her own technique and form accordingly. Instead of one specific technique for all opponents, Di Francisca tailors her approach to every match.

Going into each match with a different mindset and technique has allowed the Italian champion to have many successful moments in her career. She became a world champion in 2010 and a three-time European champion. While playing for team Italy, she was an Olympic champion in 2012, five-time World champion and seven-time European champion.

Despite all of her accomplishments, the moment Di Francisca claims to be her most memorable was at the London 2012 Olympics where she won her first gold medal.

The ITA350 students also had a few questions regarding Di Francisca’s ability to balance her Olympic career and her role as a mother.

The class was curious to know what a normal day of a champion fencer looked like. Although she trains every day, Di Francisca told the class that she tries to find as much time as she can to spend with her son, Ettore, who is about two years old. In fact, her determination and passionate personality lead her to start her own blog “Mamma atleta” where she talks about the struggles and glories of be-

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELISA DI FRANCISCA

Elisa Di Francisca began practicing fencing when she was only 13 years old. ing both a mother and an athlete.

This discussion lead to one of the last questions of the interview: the students asked about discrimination or sexism within the world of sports and wondered whether or not Di Francisca thinks women are at a disadvantage. Di Francisca replied with good insight on the topic. She knows that men are most likely to have a physical advantage, however, she believes that the mental strength

a woman has is far stronger and extraordinary than a man’s. This factor is what she believes has always helped her to reach the top and go for the gold.

When asked where she sees herself in ten years, after her extensive and successful career as a fencer is over, Di Francisca shared with everyone that she hopes to be retired and happily living with her family by the beach in Ischia but only after she

plans to win a gold medal for her son at the Olympic games in 2020 where she will be competing in Tokyo, Japan.

UTM’s Department of Language Studies and the third-year Italian class, ITA350, will be conducting their next interview this winter semester on March 18, with the renowned Italian independent filmmaker Marina Spada.

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THE MEDIUM 03.25.2019

Insight into Features: Fatima Adil, one of the The Medium’s Associate Features Editors, describes her experience writing for the The Medium FATIMA ADIL ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

I remember the first time I learned of The Medium. It was clubs fair at the beginning of the year, and like most students, I wasn’t burdened with worrying about assignments and tests just yet. I was a third-year transfer student from the University of Alberta walking through the IB building, eager to learn of the clubs and societies UTM had to offer. I recall passing by The Medium’s booth, having no idea The Medium was UTM’s newspaper. When I stopped to inquire further, I chuckled to myself and thought what a clever name it was: one of the definitions of “medium” is a means of expression or a mode of communication. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that all I had to do to join was provide my email, and ever since that day, I have learned from and considerably enjoyed contributing to UTM’s newspaper, The Medium.

Everyone who signs up for The Medium receives a weekly email from the editor of the section you are interested in writing for. This email lists topics which you can choose to write upon. I was interested in writing for the Features section, and therefore, every week, I received an email which included a brief description and a list of potential questions for each topic. No one is obliged to

write an article, but if you are interested in one of the topics, you can email the editor who then provides you with all the contact information you need to contact a professor you might be interviewing along with links you can peruse through to gain more information. With the wide amount of helpful information already provided, writing the article is not difficult at all.

For my first article, I had to interview a student who had volunteered at a Rohingya refugee camp. I experienced a moment of panic as before the interview commenced, the Wi-Fi connection would not work and I was unable to review the questions my editor, Jessica Cabral, had sent.

Thankfully, I had taken a screenshot of the questions on my phone, and as I pulled the picture up, I silently resolved to always write down the questions in a notebook prior to an interview. Regardless of this tiny technical difficulty, the interview went smoothly and I found myself engrossed in the student’s story and even emotional at times when she recounted the horrors encountered by the refugees. Transcribing the recording was cumbersome. However, when I sat down to write the article, the words flowed easily. Upon completion, I felt a sense of accomplishment at playing a small part in raising awareness of the Rohingya crisis.

The articles I have written range from interviews with professors to

analyses of world issues to covering UTM events. I have been exposed to various interesting points of view and researched topics I would have never heard about were it not for The Medium. It has been such an amazing experience listening to UTM’s professors describe their research passionately and learning about many of their unique journeys to academia. I have had the opportunity to write about many of UTM’s research feats including memory’s influence on pain, effects of the legalization of cannabis, and innovations in language. I have covered events such as Giving Tuesday and Alternative Reading Week—all of which are a small component of the wide expanse of topics writers can choose to explore.

Writing for The Medium has not been without its challenges. There is a short time span to interview, transcribe, and write the article however, it is always the writer’s choice to take on a topic and therefore, I do not write an article when I have multiple assignments and term tests during the week. My editor, is extremely understanding and grants extensions whenever there is a reasonable request. Sometimes a scheduled interview may be cancelled at very short notice which can be frustrating if I had only come to campus for the interview. Majority of interviewees I met have been exceedingly kind and punctual.

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

Fatima Adil, Associate Features Editor The few difficulties associated with writing for The Medium largely pale in comparison to the benefits. This may sound cliché, but the first time one of my articles was published and I saw my name in print, it really did feel amazing. I have learned a considerable amount from the edits and advice provided by my editor and I would like to believe my writing has improved. My writing speed has

certainly increased and so has my knowledge of what UTM has to offer.

This will be my sixteenth article and for my next article, I am honoured to have the opportunity to cover the TEDxUofT event. I highly value my experience writing for The Medium and urge anyone who is interested to sign up promptly. I can assure you that you will not regret it.

FEATURING: Meet The Editor How did you get involved with The Medium?

MS: I started volunteering as a photographer when I was in first year and became the Associate Photo Editor.

Why did you decide to take on the role of EIC? MS: I had been with The Medium for a while and felt like I was ready to take on the challenge and really encourage/spread word about campus journalism.

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

Mahmoud Sarouji, Editor in Chief

Name: Mahmoud Sarouji Position at The Medium: Editor in Chief Year: Graduated in 2017 Program of Study: Major in Criminology & Socio-legal Studies, Minor in Sociology and Cinema Studies.

What do you currently study at Sheridan College?

MS: I’m currently in the Advanced Television and Film Program.

When did you become interested in film? And why?

MS: I first became interested in it when I was in grade 10, and then fully committed to it in 2nd year.

I love the ability to work in a field that can tell stories, be creative, and accomplish projects that can be meaningful and impactful. Being

a part of that and seeing the projects come to life is a feeling like no other.

What’s your favourite movie?

MS: 2001: A Space Oddyssey

What fictional place would you most like to visit?

MS: Hogwarts, Hobbiton, What skill would you like to master?

MS: Cooking If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you spend your extra time?

MS: This is so cliche, but reading and watching more films/TV Shows What shows are you into?

MS: I just finished season 1 of The Marvelous Miss Maisel and I LOVE IT! So good.

What’s the coolest film project you’ve worked on?

MS: I recently worked on

a short film that is about a child pursuing his dream despite being shut down, and that was a great experience.

Who is your most interesting friend?

MS: My brother. He does so many different things that don’t relate, but can do them well. He’s a genius I swear.

What are your long term career goals?

MS: To be a Director of Photography on narrative/ documentary work.

What piece of advice would you give to people?

MS: Be kind, generous, and good to one another.

Learn to be clear and stand up when people aren’t treating you right. Most importantly, accept failure and mistakes. Be willing to openly acknowledge your mistakes, and learn to grow from them.

03.25.2019

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Eagles place third at provincials The UTM men’s varsity soccer team took home the bronze medal for the second year in a row VANESSA CESARIO SPORTS AND HEALTH EDITOR

After dominating at the OCAA Regionals tournament, the UTM men’s varsity soccer team were ready to carry that same momentum with them to their Provincials tournament held on Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22.

The tournament began on the Thursday and the top two teams from each division would face off the next day during the semi-final round. The men’s first game of the day was against the Conestoga Condors, a team the men were undefeated against in the outdoor season. The first five minutes of the game started off slow, with UTM getting some scoring opportunities but no finishes. It wasn’t until six minutes in when Markian Krencil made a perfect cross to Sanjar Kairosh who one-timed it into the net, making UTM the first team to appear on the scoreboard. UTM players, Prabdeep Singh and Mohammad Golmakani also had opportunities but fell just short of scoring. Roughly halfway through the first half, Conestoga’s forward beat the UTM defender and scored a rocket top left goal, evening out the score. Although some sloppiness from UTM followed

this goal, the men were clearly still the dominant team in the match. A few other golden opportunities were presented in the first half, but unfortunately did not lead to any goals.

In the second half, Conestoga came out hard with an early 3-on-1 counter attack that was stopped by starting defender, Damian Koscielniak, which then led to a 2-on-2 counter for UTM, but Conestoga was quick to shut it down. The game began heating up towards the end as both teams really upped their pace. Finally, UTM defender, Adam Czerkawski, got an opportunity at the top of the box where he took an incredible shot and placed it in the top left corner. No one on Conestoga challenged him so he cut inside and blasted it, in true Czerkawski fashion. With roughly 10 minutes left in the game, Kairosh stripped the defender of the ball and beat the goalie with a simple roll over and passed it into the bottom left corner of the net, making the score rest at 3-1. The boys got countless opportunities following these two goals that either went just wide of the net or were stopped by the goalkeeper. With only three minutes remaining in the game, Golmakani received a twominute penalty after a challenge with the keeper. Shortly after, Koscielniak also gets a questionable two-minute

UTM ATHLETICS/FACEBOOK

UTM Men’s Varsity Soccer team dominated the Provincials. penalty, leaving UTM to only defend with three players. Thankfully, Golmakani’s penalty ended about 30 seconds later so the men did not have to defend with three for too long. Conestoga managed to scrape in a goal at the end, but despite their best efforts to tie the game, they were no match for our Eagles. The match ended 3-2 for UTM. The second game of the day was against rival team, the Sheridan Bruins. This was the men’s most difficult

and most important match of the day as based on team stats, UTM and Sheridan were most likely the teams to advance out of their group. Within the first 30 seconds of the game, Kairosh passed it to Koscielniak and the boys set the stage early with a goal.

Less than a minute later, Kairosh caught the goalie way too far off his line and punished him with a goal from the halfway line. UTM was now up 2-0 within the first two minutes of the game. However, credit must be

given to Sheridan for not even being phased that they were already down two goals so early in the game. Three minutes later, Sheridan got their first goal, making the score only a onegoal difference. UTM’s movement on and off the ball was impeccable and leading to several opportunities.

Although Sheridan was playing well and holding their own, UTM was still the more dominant team. Forward player, Jamari Whyte, passed to Czerkawski in front of the net where he rifled it top left corner—his second goal of the day. However, less than 30 seconds later Sheridan scored making the half end 3-2, still in favour of UTM. Moving into the second half, Sheridan really turned up the pressure. The Sheridan goalie often plays as a sixth player and moves up into the attack when in the UTM zone, leaving their net wide open but also allowing them an extra attacker. UTM got a few breakout opportunities but unfortunately nothing came of them. Whyte got a two-minute penalty with eleven minutes left, but thankfully UTM was able to defend long enough to get him back on the field. Sheridan continued their 6-man attack with Czerkawski playing exceptionally well on defense.

Bronze continued on page 12

Rachel Wong’s UTM badminton success Star badminton player, Rachel Wong, moved to Hong Kong when she was only 9-years-old SARAH-MAY OLDFIELD ASSOCIATE S&H EDITOR

Both the highlight and low of Rachel Wong’s season, came when she qualified for the National Badminton Tournament. It was an amazing feeling, qualifying to represent Ontario at a nation-wide level, but it was a bittersweet feeling as well. “I was really sad. Because I knew that they were so close, and I was really nervous going to Nationals alone.”

Wong was born in Vancouver, British Colombia. When she was 9, her family moved to Hong Kong, China, following a job offer her father received. She moved back to Canada for university last year.

Now in her second year of studies at UTM, Wong majors in CCIT, with a double minor in Political Science and Environmental Management. She has a lot of interests, but is particularly interested in environmental policy. For Wong, it’s the perfect combination. It allows her to explore her varied interests, with a focus on current issues. “I chose CCIT because I really like art in design, but the program itself is also pretty broad so I can explore a lot of interests. It’s also very relevant in today’s media-saturated world. I

chose my minors because I like how scientists can show their findings and present it in a way that affects policy change, conversation, preservation, and species.”

Wong balances her time between her studies, working at the UTM Career Center, being an Executive for the DEM Association on campus, being a member of the d-league women’s volleyball team, and the varsity badminton team.

It was an interesting transition, moving from Vancouver to Hong Kong to Mississauga. Wong went from the calm suburban Richmond area of Vancouver, to the busy and fast-paced city of Hong Kong. “I think the Vancouver flag is a pretty good representation of what the city is like. It’s setting or rising of the sun, and there are waves. I think it’s a pretty good representation of what the province is like. A lot of landscapes, scenery and nature. A less extreme version of Toronto.”

In Hong Kong, Wong was challenged academically and personally.

There are two types of schools in Hong Kong—local and international. Wong attended an international school, a private school that followed the IB program and the OSSD program. In Hong Kong, the education system is very competitive. “It

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Rachel Wong is currently in her second year at UTM. felt like what university feels like now. The workload and tight deadlines. It was nice not having to adjust too much coming to university.

I really liked the education program because it encourages you to think critically, not to just memorize.

We had a film program, which was pretty cool. Everyone after graduation applied to Ivy league schools, U of T was a popular choice.”

Like here at UTM, Wong was heavily involved in sports at school.

One of the benefits of international schools are the opportunities it

provides to the students. Being active in sports at her school awarded Wong the opportunity to travel overseas to Thailand and Singapore for competitions. And Wong didn’t just participate in badminton and volleyball, she tried other sports like soccer, basketball and crosscountry, which she particularly liked.

School teams in Hong Kong have regulated practices and coaches.

UTM has two two-hour practices per week. In Hong Kong, she had school practices, which weren’t

too vigorous, and private coaching which felt necessary to attain the level she wanted to reach. “That was how I built up my foundation for badminton. I wanted to get better.

I knew we were going to be competing at school, and I also knew school training wasn’t going to be enough. I haven’t had the private training here. The coaching staff here is definitely higher level than our school training in Hong Kong.”

Wong moved to Mississauga for university. In her first year of university, Wong didn’t try out for the badminton team. She didn’t think she would be good enough to compete at a university varsity level. She tried out for the d-league volleyball team, because she knew it wasn’t going to be that competitive. During a drop-in session for badminton, she was approached by one of the assistant coaches who invited her to a tryout during one of the varsity team practices. By the second semester, Wong was on the roster and amidst the competition. “I got thrown into it. They were already halfway into their season. Regionals was like in a month.” Wong handled her introduction incredibly well, better than she thought she would.

Wong continued on page 12

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THE MEDIUM 03.25.2019

From China to Canada Bringing home bronze again Wong continued from page 11

Bronze continued from page 11 Unfortunately, with less than three minutes left, Sheridan managed to tie it up 3-3. Despite UTM’s phenomenal performance, especially when defending, Sheridan’s extra player really gave them an advantage and UTM couldn’t scrape in another goal.

The final match of the day was one of slower pace. The men played the Mohawk Mountaineers and it was a possessive game from both teams with not very many opportunities from either side. Mohawk was playing a defensive game and was even hesitating to pressure in the UTM end. Fatigue was clearly a factor as UTM looked a little disorganized with some opportunities arising, but none that ended up in the back of the net. In the second half, Andre Pinto created some excitement with a hard shot at the top of the box that hit just under the crossbar and bounced just outside the goal line. With two minutes left in the game, Whyte received the ball at half and beat three Mohawk players right before blasting it in the top right corner. The men won the game 1-0, securing the first-place spot in their pool and in the semifinals round.

The men once again played the Sheridan Bruins for third and fourth place in their final game of the day.

The following day, on Friday, March 22nd, the men had their semi-finals game against the George Brown Huskies—a team the men defeated 7-1 at their Regionals tournament. UTM had many supporters that day including six members from the women’s team and a few from the athletic department. From the start of the game, it was clear that George Brown was going in full defensive mode—or, in soccer terms, “parking the bus.” Although this style of soccer does not look the prettiest, it sure is effective as UTM really struggled to breakthrough their team defense.

Both teams were not giving up very many shooting opportunities. UTM finally started to breakdown the George Brown defense after about ten minutes of play, but it still wasn’t enough to seal a goal. Co-captain and goalkeeper, Aaron Peters, did a great job at ensuring his team remained in their proper formation and was constantly yelling out instructions to his teammates. Czerkawski was doing his best to create opportunities by running down the line, forcing his midfield and forward players inside to make space for him to shoot or at least get a cross off. UTM fans could feel a goal brewing during the first half as the men were playing very well, but unfortunately a goal did not ensue.

Going into the second half, the roles seemed to have switched between the teams. George Brown began getting more of the opportunities and the UTM men kept resorting to playing long balls to the forwards

which does not work against a team who “parks the bus” as they essentially have all five men defending.

The game began getting much more aggressive than it previously was with both teams getting fouls but no goals stemming from them. With nine minutes left in the game, a George Brown counter attack leads to the first goal of the game. After this goal, the UTM men looked so defeated and were unable to break through George Brown’s defensive line. UTM lost the game 1-0—an unfortunate result to their otherwise very impressive Provincials tournament.

The men once again played the Sheridan Bruins for third and fourth place in their final game of the day.

The game started similar to their match the previous day—with a goal in the first 30 seconds of the game. Koscielniak crossed the ball and it deflected off the keeper where Czerkawski was quick to capitalize on the rebound. With less than three minutes left in the first half, UTM’s other co-captain, Jaimin Rehal, crossed an unbelievable ball to Krencil on the opposite side of the field where he just shot it wide.

UTM entered the second half with the same sense of urgency as the first.

Although bronze was not the medal the boys were hoping for, there was no way they were leaving with no medal at all. Only twelve minutes left in the game and senior player, Pawandeep Sandhu, picked up a rebound off Koscielniak’s shot where he faked the Sheridan defender and buried it in the bottom right corner. UTM was victorious in their final game of the day, bringing home a bronze medal for the second year in a row.

The UTM men’s varsity soccer team brought so much pride upon their school, with many other student athletes expressing their support and love to this team. Women’s varsity soccer player, Noor Aldoori, attended both days of Provincials and had nothing but positivity to say about the team. “Of course, third place was not the result that they wanted because I feel like the potential for first place was definitely there. But seeing how much this team has grown over the season and how much it will grow into next season, teams really do respect them now and I think they can feel that too.”

Peters also weighed in after the tournament with a few words of his own—“To be honest, I feel like we gave out a mediocre performance.

This is our second year in a row finishing third place in the province but I feel like we can achieve more than that. The boys have been training hard throughout the year with the objective to finish first.” He continues, “Regardless, we are already looking to improve ourselves and the program as we are already preparing for our outdoor season in September.

We are looking forward to training together over the summer so we can be a dominating force in the OCAA.” The men have officially entered off-season mode where they will work even harder and hopefully take home the gold next year.

After only playing for half a year, Wong won bronze at last year’s OCAA Regionals, OCAA All-Academic Award, and UTM’s Rookie of the Year.

This year, Wong became the first badminton athlete from UTM to go to Nationals and represent Team Ontario. It was an interesting experience, not only for competing on a national stage, but with teammates who were previously opponents. “It was weird at first. They were previously your opponents, and now they’re your teammates. We were a team now, and we got to bond. It was great to be part of a collective, to be representing something as big as Ontario. I was also really nervous, I didn’t know anyone. Our team (Ontario), we were previously competitors. I was worried we weren’t going to gel as a team. After the first day it was okay, it was natural that you came together and made these connections.”

Wong faced the challenge with poise and maturity. “When everyone is that high of a level, you feel like you have to live up to that. I knew obviously I wasn’t the best athlete there. That’s humbling but at the same time I felt like I had to prove like I was good enough to be there.

Especially internally, and I think that’s what drove a lot of the pressure. Personal expectations as well, because I also hold myself to a pretty hard standard. I want to do well in a lot of things, and I’ll push myself to get there.”

Most of the time, when you see a picture of Wong, she has a smile on her face. Despite a calm and collected front, she admits that she does a lot of over thinking. “I feel like I spent a lot of time overthinking things.

Like what people were going to think of me. I learned that playing more free would be a lot more beneficial for me. I definitely think I could’ve played a lot better at nationals. I have to see this as a learning experience, take less pressure off myself and accept the fact that nothing will come out of you being negative.”

Wong is both successful and inspiring in her own right. In only her second year at UTM, she was named this year’s OCAA Women’s Badminton Player of the Year, an AllCanadian, and an OCAA All-Star.

And she won the silver medal in the Women’s Single Provincial Tournament, hosted here at UTM, that sent her to Nationals.

Wong’s favourite thing about playing for UTM is the opportunity to be a part of something that’s still growing, the athletic community that’s

begun to feel like a family. “I love it.

Everyone is so supportive! Initially, I felt like all the teams were pretty separate. There’s a lot of planning with meeting up with friends who are also busy students, so I can understand why we wouldn’t connect with other teams much. But seeing other people from other teams, coming up to you to congratulate you means a lot. That kind of support means a lot to us athletes, even if it doesn’t feel like it means a lot to that person.”

Wong credits personal reflection as being the key to her success, taking the time to think about yourself and what you want. “What is it I’m taking from this experience? Why am I doing it? Am I doing it for the sake of it? Or am I truly enjoying it?

You have to find things that bring you joy and purpose. I think taking a moment to reflect on who you are as a person. Who you want to be, and where you want to be is really important. And sometimes that means accepting that you can’t do it all.”

Wong is already set to leave behind a decorated career here at UTM, already in such a short time, but she doesn’t want it to end there.

She hopes her legacy at UTM will be much larger and broader.

The rest of this article can be found at www.themedium.ca

UTM hockey victorious

The UTM hockey team defeated UTSC in the championships MIGUEL DASILVA STAFF WRITER Another Wednesday night means another night of hockey for U of T’s tri-campus d-league teams, this time featuring a stellar UTM Eagles and a resilient and scrappy UTSC. The fastpaced, open-ended, physical game ended 4-3 for this year’s champions— the UTM Eagles.

It started off as most championship games do, with a bit of nervous excitement that translates to tentative and disorganized play. Unforced turnovers, ineffective puck movement and low percentage shots from UTM made it seem as though UTSC were the better team especially when UTSC found themselves open in front of the net time and time again.

Yet the Eagles were still the more dangerous team, their speed carried them through the neutral zone with ease and they cut into the middle of the attacking zone unchallenged, but they couldn’t quite do anything meaningful with that quickness.

Around the fifth minute, the momentum shifted slightly for the Eagles but the longer they let UTSC hang around their net, the longer they risked going down in a game that they deserved to lead. They realized this and just before the end of the period, they poured on the pressure until the breakthrough came from UTM’s number twelve with his unsavable slapshot that beat the opposing goalie glove side and top shelf, 1-0 for the good guys with just forty-four seconds left in the period. Just enough time for him to score the second goal with just five seconds left off of a smooth little wrist shot, increasing their lead by two going into the second period.

The Eagles set themselves to cruise

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UTM Men’s D-League hockey team beat UTSC 4-3. control for the first eight to ten minutes of the second period, carrying their first period momentum with them. The game at this point slowed considerably and UTSC lacked any urgency in their offense, and so the Eagles followed suit and stopped making meaningful plays as well.

This was a mistake that UTSC took advantage of on the powerplay. A silly error leading to a serious turnover which gave Scarborough a nice and easy tapper to open their score-line 2-1. Déjà vu, Scarborough was quick to put up their second goal tying the score at 2 with two and a half minutes left in the second period. With UTSC all over the Eagles, not giving them anything but deep clearance attempts that often led to icing, they struck again and took the game over, 2-3 UTSC. Everything that was working for the Eagles early in the game was now working for UTSC who did it with more shooting efficiency.

Both teams went into the locker room and had a chance to re-group, re-evaluate, and finish their season with a strong third period. The ice freshly flooded and both teams ready

to go, the puck dropped on this seasons’ final period. UTM’s goalie needed to play shutout hockey if he wanted his team to have a solid chance of winning and he did just that with an incredible sprawling pad save after being beat to his blocker side. He kept the game within one score and that’s all the motivation the Eagles needed. The pace turned break-neck, the scrums in front of the net more frenzied and each shot just a little more important, each save that much more crucial. Then all of sudden, after another six straight minutes of ropea-dope two-hundred-foot hockey, the Eagles tied it up off a rebound goal by number nine, 3-3.

At two and a half minutes left in the period the Eagles score their fourth goal of the game. A clean up goal low in the goal crease by the game winning scorer number sixteen. He fistpumps a celebration to an emphatic crowd and goes down the bench to receive props from his teammates.

Congratulation to the UTM Eagles for their championship win and a great amount of respect to the UTSC hockey team for a thrilling game.