Volumer 45 Issue 5

THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

October 15, 201 8 Volume 45, Issue 5 themedium.c a

Cannabis laws & UTM

Critiquing U SPORTS Policy

Art and tech and nature

Making class engaging

U-Sports transgender policy

News, page 3

Opinion, page 4

Arts, page 5

Features, page 8

Sports, page 11

Mississauga mayoral platforms: A breakdown A closer look at the platforms for the current candidates, and what they hope to do about student issues MELISSA ARAGON ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

On October 22nd, eligible voters will be able to elect a mayor, ward councilors, and school board trustees for the City of Mississauga in the 2018 municipal election.

Since its incorporation in 1974, the city has seen four mayors, including the city’s longest serving mayor, Hazel McCallion. After McCallion’s 36 years of leadership, current mayor Bonnie Crombie took over in 2014.

This year, the eight candidates running for mayor include: Bonnie Crombie, Scott E.W. Chapman, Kevin J. Johnston, Mohsin Khan, Andree Lee, Yasmin Pouragheli, Syed Qumber Rizvi, and Tiger Meng Wu. To help students make an informed decision on election day The Medium reviewed the mayoral candidates’ stances on issues UTM students are facing today.

Transit: On transit, incumbent mayor Crombie told The Medium, “Over the last four years under my leadership, our City’s transit and transportation

EARL WERNER/INSAUGA.COM

Mayoral candidates Crombie, Chapman, Pouragheli, Rizvi, and Lee (left to right). map has grown. From securing full funding ($1.4 billion), for the Hurontario LRT, to completing the Bus Rapid Transit Way to the Airport Corporate Centre, to increasing MiWay service by 160,000 hours.”

If re-elected, she stated that she will “advocate to the provincial government for rapid transit on Dundas

Street from the University of Toronto Mississauga to Kipling Subway Station.” She will also “continue to advocate to the province for all-day, two-way GO service on all three Mississauga GO train corridors, but in particular the Milton Corridor, the second busiest in the entire system.”

In Chapman’s campaign, he states that if elected he will ‘completely revamp Mississauga transit’ so that ‘during regular transit hours there will be a 15 minute or less connection time between all buses”.

Johnston’s official website states, “we must freeze Mississauga Transit and MiWay fares for four years and

introduce 4-hour transfers from the time you request it.” Johnston hopes to ensure fewer empty busses by “fixing bus routes and bus scheduling.”

He hopes to offset costs by “aggressively selling advertising space on, in and around all transit terminals.”

Khan has not made any comments regarding transit affairs during his campaign.

Lee, a retired engineer from Ontario Hydro Nuclear, told The Medium “if elected, [he] will personally take the bus (one more person joining the crowd).” He went on to say “I remember when I was a student, sometime[s] the bus company sent an empty bus to pick up passengers in the mid-route to lessen the load.

That was years ago.”

During the UTMSU’s mayoral candidate forum, Pouragheli said she was inspired by Turkey’s practice of discounting transit passes in exchange for one’s trash or recycling while Rizvi argued the upcoming construction of the Hurontario will increase instead of elevate congestion in the Hurontario corridor.

Mayoral continued on page 2

Kevin Johnston denied entry into candidates forum Current mayoral candidate for Mississauga reportedly not invited to forum, gives speech outside event KAYVAN AFLAKI WITH NOTES FROM ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) hosted Mississauga’s mayoral candidates on Thursday October 4th in the Kaneff Centre. The two-hour panel is the only scheduled debate involving Mississauga’s mayoral candidates. The event was livestreamed on the UTMSU Facebook page.

Candidate Kevin Johnston, a Mississauga resident and operator of the online media outlet “The Freedom Report”, was reportedly not invited to participate in the debate.

According to a video on Johnston’s official YouTube account, Johnston can be seen attempting to register for the forum outside of the venue.

However, executive director of the UTMSU Munib Sajjad tells him that the event is at capacity.

Johnston told The Medium in an interview that there looked to be approximately fifty people inside the venue.

The maximum capacity for the room, Kaneff 137, is three hundred and fifteen.

METROLAND FILE PHOTO

Kevin Johnston was seen attempting to register for the forum.

“I would say the auditorium was about one fifth full, perhaps less than that,” stated Johnston. “[They] were very secretive about the whole thing, which is something that I’ve gotten used to unfortunately with extremely left-leaning individuals,” he continued. “They never give an explanation—they just want to shut the debate down and never be held accountable for it.”

In a press release on the mayoral

candidates forum, the UTMSU stated that it “believes that freedom of speech and freedom of expression is essential to our democratic system. It also supports students’ rights to study, work and socialize in an affirming environment that is free from harassment, violence and discrimination.”

According to a mississauga.com news article, Johnston was accused of wilfully promoting hatred and charged under the Criminal Code of

Canada.

Johnston told The News on March 7, that the charge relates to an allegation that he published material that “could be viewed as demeaning to Muslims.”

Johnston told The Medium, “We’re fifteen months later after that charge was filed, and I haven’t even entered a plea yet. So, what’s happened here is that the only one taking it seriously now is the crown attorney. The judges

don’t even want this case, but I do.

Part of it comes with being charged in my own country under Islamic blasphemy law. It’s going help me sell a whole lot of books in the future.”

The Medium asked Johnston his opinion regarding Premier Doug Ford’s free speech policy, to which he replied, “I support free speech unto my dying breath.”

“Unfortunately [students] have been babied and told that it’s a good idea to put your feelings before facts,” he continued, “and that it’s a good idea to call men like me and Doug Ford […] racist simply because we have an argument that’s different than what [students] have been told in school.

The truth hurts, but it’s still going to help you a lot more than comfortable lies will.”

UTMSU Media told The Medium that they extended invitations to six mayoral candidates: Scott E.W. Chapman, Bonnie Crombie, Andrew Lee, Yasmin Pouragheli, Syed Qumber Rizvi, and Tiger Meng Wu. “The event was extremely successful, with the candidates engaging in a dynamic debate [...] from all sides of the political spectrum,” they stated.

Forum continued on page 3

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«NEWS

THE MEDIUM 10.15.2018

September 28, 2018 Police Assisstance Campus Police attended the Davis building for a student experiencing medical distress.

September 29, 2018 Police Assisstance ECSpeRT and Campus Police attended a residence for a student experiencing medical distress. The student started to feel better and EMS was not required.

October 4, 2018 Theft A student reported the theft of her laptop from the women’s change room in the RAWC. The laptop was left unattended while the student used the washroom and when she returned, it was no longer there.

October 7, 2018 Theft A student reported the theft of their Goyard bag from their residence after an acquaintance had dropped by.

September 28, 2018 Police Assisstance Campus Police attended the RAWC for a non-community member experiencing medical distress. EMS and Mississauga Fire also attended. The male was transported to hospital for further assessment.

September 29, 2018 Police Assisstance Campus Police and ECSpeRT were called to attend a residence for an intoxicated student. The student was transported to hospital for further assessment.

October 5, 2018 Police Assisstance A student was transported to hospital for a knee injury they sustained while playing soccer.

October 5, 2018 Theft A student reported the theft of their cell phone. The student had dropped their phone outside a classroom and were unable to locate it.

October 9, 2018 Property Damage Facilities staff reported to Campus Police that a step in the CCT building had been damaged.

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.

UofT opens new school

WENDELL MACAPAGAL/THE MEDIUM

The new school aims to study cities and urban centres.

ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto has made it their goal to address problems cities and urban centres are facing by establishing a new “School of Cities.”

According to their website, the school aims to bring together “urban-focused researchers, educators, students, practitioners, and the general public” to address challenges and make cities and urban regions “more sustainable, prosperous, inclusive and just.”

The School of Cities funds urbanfocused research, as well as education and outreach initiatives that are

Transit, safety, academia

carried out by members of the U of T community.

The maximum award for small grants, such as education and outreach initiatives, is $1000.

The largest grant U of T members can apply for is the $50, 000 Research Urban Challenge Research Grants.

To be eligible, there must be participation from at least four U of T departments, two U of T campuses, one community group, one city, and a minimum team commitment of two years. As of now, no one has received funding for the grant.

The Medium will be publishing more details as the story develops.

MESHA GHAYUR/THE MEDIUM

Crombie wants to invest in enforcement activities to combat crime.

Mayoral continued from page 1 Wu, a current UTM student running for mayor, stated in his campaign platform that he will be “adding additional routes during peak hours to accomplish the goal of increasing ridership by not relying on personal transportation and increasing opportunities for employment.”

Youth Employment Incumbent mayor Crombie said to The Medium she will continue to host the ‘Mayor’s Youth Employment Expo’ each year and continue the ‘Youth Speakers’ Series’. Furthermore, she “will continue to work with UTM and Sheridan on bridging the skills gap with business to ensure graduating youth are ready to meet the jobs employers need filled” through the ‘Building Skilled Talent Together Program.’

Chapman and Khan have not made any comments regarding youth employment during their campaigns.

Johnston told The Medium he hopes “to bring fortune 500 companies back into [Mississauga],” as well as “foreign investment.” His main goal is to work with major corporations around the world to bring back manufacturing and create jobs. People who work feel better about themselves, so they’ll contribute more to society.”

Lee told The Medium, “I noticed a lot [of] young people, when they [are] looking for jobs, they will always be asked about experience. ‘No experience, no job and no job, no experience’. It is a vicious circle for young graduates.” He proposed a “Mayor’s Fund” to give “young graduates a starting point.”

In similar approaches to battling youth unemployment: Pouragheli’s campaign involves “partnering with institutions to combat youth unemployment.” Rizvi’s campaign aims on “creating job opportunities for highly educated youth and young families.”

Wu’s campaign includes “working with local universities, colleges, and peel school boards in providing vast opportunities to the younger generation and recent graduates.

Safety

Combating crime requires “investing in enforcement activities, as well as programs that tackle the root cause of crime to prevent it from happening in the first place,” stated Crombie.

“I will rejoin the Peel Police Services Board to work closely with the police chief and the community to ensure we maintain a safe community, with a modern police force that people continue to have trust in.”

Regarding prevention efforts against crime, Crombie stated that if re-elected she will “create the Mayor’s Roundtable on Community Safety to bring together the federal and provincial governments” to “coordinate advocacy efforts, share their best practices, and work together to tackle crime and improve safety in our community.” And in the 2019 Budget she will “ask staff to conduct a review of our youth recreation programming to see where the gaps exist and invest in more programming for at-risk youth.”

Chapman’s campaign stated that he ”would outfit every police officer with a body camera” as they “will help give the public hope that the officers will act accordingly if they’re being monitored. It will also help protect the integrity of our officers against unfounded accusations. The cost of the cameras will be paid for within 10 years by speeding up court cases and eliminating some of them all together with the assistance of video evidence.”

“We have a major gang problem, and a major knife, and gun, and drug problem in Mississauga,” Johnston told The Medium. As mayor he will work closely with police so that they will “no longer have interference from city hall and will be encouraged to use modern policing investigation methods to bring Mississauga’s out of control crime back under control.”

Khan, Rizvi, and Wu have not made any comments regarding safety or crime during their campaigns.

Lee stated, “fighting crime cannot count on police alone,” and that it requires “community cooperation to prevent criminal events from their sources.” Regarding campus safety, Lee commented that he “will need a strong police presence to protect students.”

Pouragheli’s told The Medium that “students should expect steady, legislative reforms” if he is elected into office.

“I believe a mayora can achieve much change and needed legal reforms if they actually try,” he continued. “While fixing the roots of crime may take time and while it’s a federal issue – a cross border registry is the only way to manage and track the illegal gun shootings.”

Academia Incumbent mayor Crombie is “proud that UTM is the fastest growing campus in the U of T network, home to a number of cutting-edge buildings, including the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry led by Dr. Patrick Gunning.”

If re-elected Crombie stated, “as mayor, I will continue to support our $1 million annual contribution from the City of Mississauga to UTM, as well expand the partnership between our City and UTM.” Chapman, Khan, Pouragheli, and Wu have not made any comments regarding Academic growth in their campaigns.

Lee commented on Mississauga’s placement between Waterloo and Toronto, stating, “Waterloo is our Tech Centre and Toronto the Financial Centre. “We should be able to use this advantage to develop some linkage. Give me the chance, I will try my best.” Furthermore, recognizing the high demand of graduates from the “hotel management” program at Cornell University, Lee asked, “can we start a ‘city management’ course at UTM?” Rizvi’s campaign involves a proposal to the “Provincial Government to allow us to have [our] own University called “University of Mississauga.”

The municipal elections will be held on October 22nd.

Mayoral candidates Scott Chapman, Mohsin Khan, Syed Qumber Rizvi, and Tiger Meng haven’t replied to a request for comment. Additional information gathered was obtained from their campaign statements and UTMSU’s mayoral candidate panel held on October 4th.

Zero waste market at UTM The annual farmers market was held before the reading week

ZERO WASTE UTM/FACEBOOK

The theme of the farmer’s market each year is zero waste.

AVLEEN GREWAL

Zero Waste UTM and the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union teamed up with multiple local stores for a Zero Waste Farmers Market on October 3rd. The businesses that sold products at the famers market include Bees are Life, Marigold’s Maple Syrup, Captain Jamie’s, the Upcyclery and Enfleurage Organizers, and Bare Market.

“We have all organic, safe to use, FDA approved products,” said Dayne from Bare Market. “We are based in Toronto, but often set up in Mississauga to promote out products, and to promote a healthy lifestyle and reducing our waste.”

Selling everyday household items from homemade household cleaners to detergents, pet shampoo to cosmetics in bulk, and reusable sanitary products to metal straws, Bare Market’s stall attracted a large crowd.

“We have the farmer’s market every year, and this year the theme is zero waste,” said Erin Andrews from Zero Waste UTM. “We want students to know about the carbon footprint they are generating, and making sure people know about the alternative, green products people have to offer.”

Both Marigold’s Maple Syrup and Bees are Life had locally produced maple syrup and honey. Bees are Life was also selling beeswax hand cream, soaps, roll-on deodorants, body lotion, and candles. They also had ma-

son jars full of pure bee pollen on display as well.

“We at Upcyclery believe in living in harmony with the environment, and reducing personal waste. That’s why all our products are made from recycled material,” said Sarah Kern showing off her colourful collection of produce bags, handkerchiefs, and food wraps.

Next to Upcyclery was Captain Jamie’s, whose table showcased organic, homemade personal hygiene products, from soap bars to skin toners Later in the day, UTMSU’s VicePresident Equity, Leena Arbaji held a panel discussion with some of the vendors. Arbaji mentioned the importance of sustainability and using environment-friendly products.

Cannabis on Campus University releases current information on smoking cannabis

OLIVIA ADAMCZYK/THE MEDIUM

The university plans on helping students learn about the implications of cannabis use.

ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto Mississauga has released information about the upcoming legalization of cannabis this week.

According to current university regulations, UTM students will be allowed to smoke and vape cannabis at any location where tobacco smoking and vaping are currently allowed, as long as the person is of age, outdoors, and at least thirty feet from doors and windows.

Currently, in concert with broader public health campaigns, the university aims to educate students to

consider health education and harm reduction strategies related to cannabis use, similar to efforts on tobacco and alcohol use.

In a statement released by Dean of Student Life, Mark Overton, the university will “help students learn about health impacts, considerations around safer sourcing, the importance of understanding potency in different products and formulations, and the potential for addiction.”

Improper use of cannabis will be identified by faculty, staff, and student peers. “As with tobacco use, enforcement will generally be complaint-driven,” stated Overton. “Users breaking laws, such as underage

use, over-possession, or distribution […] will continue to face code and legal actions.”

The university will provide additional information to international students on things to consider if they are planning on visiting countries where the use of marijuana is illegal. Furthermore, UTM will also be sending reminders and additional information to students about residence expectations, including “a ban on cultivation” and the importance of storing cannabis in private spaces rather than shared spaces.

The Cannabis Act, also known as Bill C-45, will come into effect on October 17, 2018.

10.15.2018 THE MEDIUM NEWS

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HUMANS OF UTM

“I think there’s something nice in seeing UTM unifinished: it’s humanizing. It’s like we’re watching our campus grow bit by bit as it adapts to us. That’s beautiful in a way, don’t you think? I was in the campus a lot this summer and every time I walked in I can see something new each time I walk in. It was like something magical popped up out of nowhere. Of course, I’m looking forward to it being done and easier to navigate, but it’ll feel a bit stale too. There’s a thrill in watching things.”

Candidates explain their platforms Forum continued from page 1 In a correspondence with The Medium, UTM Campus Conservatives president Harris Watkins stated that, “I believe the views [Johnston] espouses are completely incompatible with what the university stands for, and therefore I support the choice to not include him in the forum.”

The Forum The panel began with introductions from each of the mayoral candidates, followed by questions from the UTMSU on municipal issues, such as transit and housing. Audience members submitted their own questions over the course of the event.

Incumbent Mayor Crombie praised Mississauga city council’s accomplishments over the last four years but added that “there was still work to do.” Crombie explained that her tenure was successful in attracting over 430 new businesses and increasing the tax base by $20 million. She went on to explain that her platform had a focus on improving affordability and public safety while resolving transit issues affecting MiWay. Crombie, Chapman, and Pouragheli agreed that the provincial government had a responsibility to support municipal infrastructure and transit improvements. Rizvi had a different view, citing the Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT) line as a precedent for traffic congestion through the Hurontario corridor.

Lee proposed improving accessibility for Mississauga seniors by expanding existing transit options.

On the issue of student housing,

Lee focused on seniors, citing that seniors’ housing should be taken into consideration at the time of planning new residential and commercial developments across the city. Rizvi said builders and developers continue to make housing expensive because of a high profit margin.

Pouragheli, a 26-year-old law graduate and University of Toronto alumnus, offered solutions inspired by pilot projects in Germany called “micro-apartments.”

Pouragheli went further by proposing bylaws that restrict mixed-use housing, which combines residential and commercial uses of the same space.

Chapman advocated in favour of easing restrictions on renting rooms in the city.

Incumbent Crombie cited the city’s affordable housing strategy, “Making Room for the Middle”, saying that it “aims to address affordability issues in the city with various regulations.” Among these, Crombie explained, are the addition of inclusionary zoning and requiring new developments to have a minimum 35 per cent of affordable housing units.

Inquiries on immigration and child care were discussed at the conclusion of the debate in the form of audience questions. The candidates did not comment, explaining that these represented federal and provincial issues, and would remain unaffected in the municipal election.

Following the debate, Crombie joined the UTM Campus Conservatives at a “Pub Night” event hosted off-campus.

Sajjad declined to comment on the incident between him and Johnston.

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10.15.2018

MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Mahmoud Sarouji editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Alicia Boatto managing@themedium.ca News Ali Taha news@themedium.ca A&E Paula Cho arts@themedium.ca Features Jessica Cabral features@themedium.ca Sports Vanessa Cesario sports@themedium.ca — Photo Yasmeen Alkoka photos@themedium.ca Design Alexa Neves-Hua design@themedium.ca Copy Mahnoor Ayub copy@themedium.ca Online Olivia Adamczyk online@themedium.ca ASSOCIATES News Kayvon Aflaki Melissa Barrientos A&E TBA Features TBA Sports TBA Photo TBA Copy TBA GENERAL STAFF Webmaster Lyndon Amat web@themedium.ca Distribution Manager Adam Sarouji distribution@themedium.ca Ads Manager Mayank Sharma ads@themedium.ca Cartoonist Anthony Labonté COPYRIGHTS All content printed in The Medium is the sole property of its creators, and cannot be used without written consent.

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New U SPORTS policy puts female athletes at a disadvantage Lack of understanding about gender differences leads to underdeveloped policy What happens when you allow men to join women’s sports teams? Nothing, apparently.

At least that is what U SPORTS, the national governing body of university sports in Canada, is arguing.

On September 27th, the organization released a press statement that approved a new policy for transgender student-athletes.

According to the release, “U SPORTS student-athletes will be eligible to compete on the team that corresponds with either their sex assigned at birth or their gender identity, provided that the student-athlete complies with the Canadian AntiDoping Program.”

The new policy—that includes Ryerson and 55 other U SPORTSaffiliated institutions—“does not require student-athletes to undertake hormone therapy in order for them to complete in the gender category that is consistent with their gender identity.”

This is the first time a policy of this nature has not mandated the use of hormone-therapy for student-athletes competing as the opposite gender than the one they were assigned at birth.

When it comes to sports, there are three physical traits that separate men and women: mean weight, mean height, and mean percent of weight that is muscle mass.

According to a 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey, men on average weigh 31 pounds more than women, with a mean height of 5’7” compared to a mean height of 5’3 for women.

In an article written by Thomas F. Lang on the bone-muscle relationship in men and women, men are, on average, physically stronger than women, who have less total muscle mass, both in absolute terms and relative to total body mass.

Furthermore, according to a study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, men have larger hearts, a greater cardiovascular reserve, and greater lung volume per body mass.

Another study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine showed a strong correlation between high levels of testosterone and high levels of aggression. Men have, on average, 7 to 8 times more testosterone than women.

There are, of course, many cases in which women are physically stronger

and faster than men. But a majority of the time there is a clear disparity. That is why sports teams exist for both men and women.

That being said, a serious question arises from this new policy: If gender is inconsequential to creating sports teams, why not make all sports co-ed?

Depending on the sport, a transgender girl may end up injuring one of her teammates or a member of the opposition.

Through this policy, it becomes much easier for male student-athletes to cheat the system, whether they like it or not. All they have to do is identify as the opposite gender, and they have a straight shot to the top.

Such an incident was reported by the New York Post.

Earlier this year, Mack Beggs, an 18-year-old female transgender athlete, won the girls’ state wrestling title for the second year in a row. According to the article, Beggs “entered the state tournament with a 32-0 record.”

Furthermore, when we start saying there are no significant differences between men and women, what happens to transgender people who make the claim that they are “born this way?”

That is a biological claim. It’s the strongest defense they have against their critics. They are arguing that they are in the wrong body. They are acknowledging the differences between men and women.

U SPORTS should be very careful with what rules they implement.

With this transgender policy, male student-athletes could exploit the system, leaving female student-athletes vulnerable to losing their own sports leagues.

There are several physical differences between male and female athletes that make all the difference between a minor and severe injury.

I certainly would not want to have a male athlete on a all-female football team.

There are many issues with this new policy, but only time will tell how severe the consequences will be.

ALI TAHA

CORRECTION NOTICE The October 9 article “A solid homecoming turnout for UTM” was corrected.

10.15.2018

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Intersections of humanity, art & earth Dragan’s exhibit on view at the Blackwood Gallery visualizes unlikely connections in nature ASH MORE

When Either But Not Both Are True explores the relationships between humanity, technology, and nature.

The name itself evokes a sense of intrigue in the viewer and forces you to think deeply about the connections throughout and between our worlds.

Miruna Dragan, a Calgary-based artist originally from Romania, focuses on the impacts of nature and the impacts of technology in the context of an increasingly-socially conscious world. She analyzes the role of humanity in conjunction with the environment that surrounds and provides for us. She also places emphasis on humanity’s perception of its connections to nature, as well as the technology-focused viewpoint from which we change the Earth. While viewing her exhibit, you’ll find yourself leaning forwards and closely inspecting the distinct materials and unique textures in each and every piece.

As you first enter the gallery, the atmosphere changes drastically from the rest of the building. The colourful doors at the entrance and the bright lighting of the Kaneff Centre are in stark contrast with the dark ambience and muted colours inside the exhibition. Red, green, and blue spotlights shine down from the ceiling and produce beautiful shadows. You feel as though you are part of the artwork when you look down to see your form

YI RONG TAM/THE MEDIUM

The exhibit showcases the connections between human societies and the natural world. shadowed in a multitude of colours.

“Salt Wall” creates an immersive experience for the viewer. The wallpaper depicts a salt mine, but at a first glance, the image bears resemblance to a photograph from NASA, as the black-and-white shapes resemble the rings of Saturn. In fact, the contrasts between the earthly origins of a salt mine and the far reaches of Saturn highlights the connection between even the most distant parts of nature.

If you look closely, you can also see that the image is composed of differently-sized black dots that stand out against the white background to create the picture. Are these dots part of the artwork, or simply a by-product of the printing process? Dragan’s work remains intentionally ambiguous to the viewer and encourages you to ponder about the experience long after you have left the gallery.

“The Vale of Avernus,” a photograph printed on metallic paper, utilizes the lighting in the gallery to stand out from the background. The reflections work with the polished material to create a focal point for the viewer, and without the presence of lighting, the art piece would become meaningless. Although the image depicts a cave, the use of kirigami— a Japanese style of paper art that involves cutting rather than folding like origami—attracts the viewer’s attention as their gaze travels downwards.

“In The Sage Telestic Waters, I See…” are three distinct clusters hanging from the ceiling. Dragan constructed them with molten aluminum and water beads, which expand when placed in water. She poured the aluminum over the water beads and allowed the metal to take its shape, which creates an interesting piece to

admire. The clusters demonstrate that even the toughest metal can conform to the most flexible liquid. The clusters are some of the most prominent pieces, and yet are the easiest to forget due to their positioning with the rest of the exhibit.

The exhibition runs parallel to The Work of Wind: Air, Land, Sea, a larger presentation which highlights the problems created by hyper-capitalistic societies and the environmental impacts of colonialism. Both exhibits showcase the connections between human societies and the natural world upon which we build our cities and nations, while also creating a dialogue on the consequences of our actions on the environment.

Dragan’s works have been featured in museums and exhibitions throughout the world, including the Museo de la Ciudad in Queretaro, Mexico.

She offers a new perspective on existing myths, symbols, and archetypes through her artwork. She emphasizes one question: how has humanity affected nature? And she uses a variety of different materials, colours, and textures to answer this question and show that the natural world is fluid and ever-changing.

For many contemporary art installations in Dragan’s work, the art feels more like an event and an experience rather than a stationary sculpture or painting. Viewers need to take the time to understand the artwork, and in doing so, the viewers become part of the artwork itself. Her exhibits evoke the same feeling as Yayoi Kusama’s interactive installations, which immerse the viewer in the process of creating art and help you understand the meaning behind her creations.

As you leave the art gallery, you face one final art piece: “Keeper,” a small black figurine near the entrance, placed near a few stacks of books. The story goes that Dragan first saw the figurine at a bookstore she frequented often, and when she met her husband, he brought her to the same bookstore to show her the same figurine. This small anecdote sums up the experience of the exhibit, demonstrating those connections between all aspects of our lives.

Miruna Dragan’s exhibit, featured at the Blackwood Gallery, runs from September 6 to December 1.

A Star is Born: the luminous tale revisited Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper captivate viewers in the third remake of the classic film VICTORIA DANESI

Walking into A Star is Born (2018), I was skeptical of Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut. The film is the third remake of the Janet Gaynor led 1937 film of the same name, following the 1954 classic musical with Judy Garland and the unquestionably inferior 1976 rock musical with Barbra Streisand. It didn’t appear that the story could be told in a convincing way again, but I gladly stand corrected.

The newest iteration follows Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), an alcoholic and drug-dependant country rock star, who stumbles into a Los Angeles drag bar looking for a drink.

As people begin to recognize him, Ally (Lady Gaga) takes the stage and impresses Jackson with her rendition of “La Vie En Rose.” Afterwards, Ally confides to Jackson that she never pursued music professionally due to past negative remarks about her nose from music executives. Ally has given up on the superficial music industry, but as she shares her original

PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM

The film follows Jackson Maine played by Bradley Cooper and Ally played by Lady Gaga. songs, Jackson continues to see her undeniable raw talent.

Jackson invites her to his next show and convinces Ally to perform one of her songs alongside him, and the duet becomes a viral hit. As the two fall in love, Ally’s stardom is on the rise, while Jackson spirals from battling his addiction and turbulent relationship with older brother Bobby (Sam Elliott).

Cooper and Gaga’s chemistry is electrifying, most notably in the first half of the film as Jackson and Ally’s relationship develops. The night the

two meet, they go shopping at a local grocery store after Ally injures herself defending Jackson at a bar.

While checking out, the cashier takes a candid photo of Jackson who is clearly drunk, but mistakenly leaves the flash on. Ally once again stands up for Jackson, whom she only met hours ago. Lady Gaga is the standout performer, naturally carrying the film throughout. Cooper’s performance, however, does shine in the second half as he portrays Jackson’s continued struggle with alcoholism and a declining career.

The musical performances are immersive, with “Shallow,” the duet that Jackson convinces Ally to perform which propels her career, being the most notable. Cooper shot many of the musical performances at various music festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury, adding to its realism.

Several songs throughout the film will be stuck in your head long after leaving the theatre.

There are some obvious flaws in the second half of the film, as certain emotional moments feel rushed in the lead up to the tear-jerking con-

clusion. When compared to the other iterations of A Star is Born, Cooper’s does not stray away from the cemented plot that all the others share.

It feels as if Cooper felt obligated to stick to the familiar narrative beats, sacrificing additional screen time of Jackson and Ally’s relationship that makes this version so engrossing.

There are some great nods to the three previous versions. The focus on Ally’s nose at the beginning of the film can be seen as a reference to the 1954 Judy Garland version when studio executives shared the same criticism. The Barbra Streisand 1976 iteration is also outwardly referenced, with the recreation of the famous bathtub scene this version is best known for. The line Jackson says after they part ways the first time they meet, “I just wanna take another look at you,” has been said in various ways throughout all four versions.

With its powerhouse performances and visceral music sequences, A Star is Born shines bright in the retelling of the decades old Hollywood story.

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Shaping a world more unsettled via art The I Continue to Shape exhibit explores the practices of art as means toward creating a more just future PAULA CHO A&E EDITOR

Oftentimes our history books are written by those with the power to tell it. These narratives are therefore subject to distortion and in certain cases, leaving certain characters and perspectives excluded from public rhetoric. Curated by Cheyanne Turions and located in the Art Museum at U of T, I continue to shape exhibits a collection of artworks that aims to resist dominant discourse on colonialism and recontextualize the Indigenous experience. The artists prove that when given the agency to challenge long institutionalized patterns, they have the power to transform a one-sided history and to generate new narratives via the art they create.

Nicholas Galanin’s photographic composition “Things are Looking Native, Native’s Looking Whiter” is displayed by the entranceway of the exhibit. He juxtaposes a photograph of Princess Leia from the Star Wars franchise with a photograph of a Native woman side by side. The parallels in their appearances are striking. Both women wear highnecked robes and don stoic facial

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“WE CALL” is a two-wall text painting by Cathy Busby portraying calls to action. expressions. Most notably, both women have their hair parted down the middle and tightly coiled in side buns. Galanin illustrates not only the obvious influence of Indigenous culture on the iconic hairstyle of Carrie Fisher’s character, whether deliberate or unintentional, but also the cultural appropriation that occurs in media, and more specifically in films of the science fiction genre.

Etymologically, the word “utopia” directly translates from Latin to “no place.” Maria Thereza Alves’ pho-

tographic series titled “Nowhere” delineates European ideas of utopia and their effects on Indigenous life and lands around the world. Alves’ photographs depict areas of Brazil, where she is originally from. Using black sharpie markers, she has physically edited each photograph, disturbing the portrayals of the natural landscape. There is one photo that is almost completely covered with sharpie markings, suggesting the erasure of Native imagery by colonial settlement. Alves hopes to shed

light on how people in South America were objectified by colonizers who thought their land was a blank slate to start anew. Between her photographs on the wall are long wooden beams, similar to those found in construction sites. They represent the deconstruction of predominant ideas of colonialism and the reconstruction of more holistic ones.

In a series of paintings titled “Props for Reconciliation,” Joseph Tisiga incorporates characters from the Archie comic books with repre-

sentational tropes from Indigenous cultures. In one painting, Jughead seems to be dismissing a ceremonial pipe being offered by a Native chief.

Indigenous iconography such as a tipi in the background suggests that they are on Native lands. The surface of the painting is abrasive and faded, perhaps to indicate how Indigenous culture is fading from the forefront of its own story.

“WE CALL,” a two-wall text painting by Cathy Busby, is a vibrant installation portraying calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report.

Each phrase begins with a capitalized and highlighted “we call,” and is followed by a request addressed to academic and cultural institutions. One call read, “WE CALL upon post-secondary institutions to create university and college degree and diploma programs in Aboriginal language.” These wall-text panels loudly remind us of our role in dismantling the structures we have inherited and shaping a world more tender and more just than the world we have now.

I continue to shape runs at Art Museum at the University of Toronto until December 8.

Harlem Duet: a modern telling of Othello Critically-acclaimed Canadian play Harlem Duet delves into themes of betrayal, race, love, and lost REBECCA FLEMISTER

Djanet Sears’ award-winning play Harlem Duet is back at Tarragon. This production serves not only as a welcome home to a critically-acclaimed Canadian work, but also as a reminder that the critical conversation that the play offered up in the 1990’s is far from over. After premiering in Toronto in 1997 as a Nightwood Theatre production at the Tarragon extra space, Harlem Duet is taking over the theatre’s main space. Winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award, Floyd. S Chalmers Canadian Play award, and four DORA Awards, Harlem Duet continues to prove its painful relevance 21 years later.

Written and directed by Djanet Sears, Harlem Duet is both a nonchronological prequel and a critical commentary on William Shakespeare’s master work Othello. This Rhapsodic Blues Tragedy follows Billie (Virgillia Griffith), a young black graduate student living in Harlem.

When her professor husband of 9 years, Othello, (Beau Dixon) leaves her for a white woman named Mona (Tiffany Martin), as in Desdemona, Billie is overcome with grief and jealousy. She is left to reconcile with the roles race and gender have to play in her divorce. As the play focuses on the modern couple’s story line, it also situates their conflict within the larger context of American history.

PHOTO BY CYLLA VON TIEDEMANN FROM TARRAGONTHEATRE.COM

Harlem Duet is both a prequel and a critical commentary on Shakespeare’s Othello.

The pair is recast as a slave couple in the American south in the 1860’s, before the Emancipation Proclamation, and again as actors during the Harlem Renaissance. In every iteration of the story, the man walks out on the woman, which allows Billie’s pain and vengeance to reverberate across history.

As the play explores the couples conflicting black ideologies and the subsequent decline of their relationship, Sears also addresses the limitations placed on black Americans using Shakespeare’s Othello as a through line. In the directors note, Sears writes, “Othello is the most

well-known Black character in all of theatre. In fact, Othello has achieved archetypal status of mythic proportions. But portraits of Othello, the character, or Othello the syndrome (morbid jealousy), all appear to have been painted by non-Black people.”

Sears uses the plot of Othello to illustrate how black people still struggle to break free from the limited roles white American society has allowed them to play, both on stage and in their every day lives.

Dixon embodies this struggle as both a black professor, struggling to find success in the predominantly white world of academia, and as

an actor in 1920’s Harlem, longing to play a Shakespearian hero other than Othello. Dixon delivers a heartwrenching performance, delivering compelling speeches about the unavoidable sacrifices a black man makes when seeking success in a white world. Dixon doesn’t allow his characters to be painted as villains.

He manages to be both loathsome and empathetic, often in the same moment.

Griffith’s characters refuse to be neatly cast into the Shakespeare story line. At times, she appears to be playing Desdemona, in another moment she takes on the lines of the villain

Iago, and in others she appears to play Othello himself. Griffith masterfully switches between characters and time periods, defiantly resisting being fixed into one role. She is not just a hero, a lover, or a villain, but a complex combination of all three. She lets the audience root for her and chastise her in a single scene. Despite this complexity, she is still fated to end up like Shakespeare’s Othello, brought down by her own jealousy, and the audience is left to sort out if her fate is justified or not.

Harlem Duet leaves the audience with more questions than answers, and that is where the show finds its strength. The entire performance is given a blues motif, which is highlighted by a live duet between Cymphoni Fantastique on the Cello and Bryant Didier on the stand-up base.

Both musicians play the same instrument in a different way. This ongoing duet weaves two opposing styles together to create a conversation.

The same conversation is happening between the characters in this show.

Djanet Sears created a play without a clear definition of right and wrong.

Instead, she allows her characters to react to the limitations of their own time and share in a painful, yet important conversation about how to move forward. Harlem Duet continues to pose new questions to a modern audience over two decades later.

Harlem Duet runs at Tarragon Theatre until October 28.

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Beuys’ eclectic collection Joseph Beuys exhibit consists of postminimalist artwork AVLEEN GREWAL

MUHAMMAD ALI/THE MEDIUM

The room is occupied by a large glass display case.

ETHAN SANSOM Petrified fat. Rabbit bones. Worn felt.

These are among the many unique materials you may spot upon a visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Joseph Beuys exhibit, which runs until October 2019. Located behind the centuries’ old ivory, gold, and alabaster statues of the Thomson Collection of European Art, the Beuys exhibit could not be more different from its surroundings, and for good reason. Beuys’ collection is one of many which the AGO has introduced to expand its offerings of post-1960’s contemporary art, ranging from the American and British Pop Art movement to that of the Italian Arte Povera (Poor Art).

Beuys’ work in particular is representative of the post-minimalism movement, which encourages the use of everyday objects and prioritizes meaning over aesthetic in the creation of art. Through sculpture and framed collage, the Beuys exhibit, in post-minimalist fashion, uses every-

day objects to explore the theme of death. Beuys draws on his near-death experience of being shot down as a German Luftwaffe pilot in the Second World War and being rescued by a group of Tatars who wrapped him in felt, wax, and fat, to communicate this theme of death.

The single back room which the exhibit occupies is dominated by two vitrines, or glass display cases, that Beuys has often used to display objects and sculptures, which he believed to be of social significance.

The larger of the two, entitled “Hares Grave (Vitrine),” 1964-1979, displays an overwhelming number of foreign objects. On the left is a collection of wood scraps and to the right is a trail of miscellany including empty glue containers, a comb, and most notably, a rabbit’s bone. Leaning against the container’s side are yet more wood scraps and finally, at its rear, lies a large rectangle of cans, empty packages, felt, and many more typically discarded items, all held in place by wax, tape, and other unknown adhesives.

The assemblage, carefully curated by Beuys, incorporates found materials such as felt and wax, which were significant in his own experience, to impart upon viewers his feelings of impending death.

Likewise, the dozens of surrounding framed collages and drawings, which make up the rest of the exhibit, feature similar materials evocative of Beuys’ plane crash. Among the pieces are “Two Moons,” featuring two framed pieces of felt sewn together, “Fat Sculpture,” a paper mounted on cardboard covered in fat, and “To Saturn,” which consists of oil, graphite, and aluminum covering a transparent piece of architecture paper.

The Beuys exhibit, through its collection of strange and eclectic pieces, gives visitors a fair insight into the often obscure post-minimalist art movement, and, for those willing to pick out the hidden minutia of Beuys work, offers an interesting perspective into the artist’s personal views of death.

The Good Place: The Podcast is hosted by Marc Evan Jackson and is available on all networks, including ART19, Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and the NBC website. Jackson, who plays the role of Shawn, the head demon of the Bad Place, invites his co-stars from the show and people from the production team including writers, the director, costume designers, and the visual effects supervisor.

Each episode starts with Jackson summarizing one of the episodes of The Good Place. He invites two members from the team to talk about that episode and their experiences on set, working with lead actor Ted Danson, and show creator Mike Schur, and their characters.

Jackson gives all the behind-thescenes scoop, discusses the show’s storyline, and talks about Schur’s first draft, the costume department’s obstacles, plot development, and building a comedy show about ethics without making it boring or leaving people in existential crisis.

After finishing Parks and Recreation, Mike Schur was approached

by NBC, telling him to do whatever he wanted as they needed about 13 episodes to air on their network. “[It was] obviously an incredibly rare thing, it’s a wonderful thing, it’s a lovely thing […] and because they had said that, I felt this sort of weird responsibility […] to do something really weird and different because how often in anyone’s life does one get the chance to do anything he or

she wants with impunity,” remarks Schur on the podcast when Jackson asked him about the origin of the show.

Schur also talks about the auditions and how in his first draft, Janet was written as a “kiosk” where people would go to for any sort of help. But he scraped that idea, and auditioned about 50 people for the role, their ages ranging from 14-50.

D’Arcy Carden was the most natural fit for Janet’s role.

Talking about the theme, Schur said that he initially envisioned the show to present life like a videogame, where people win or lose points according to their daily activities. Winners are rewarded and losers are not. However, Schur didn’t like that idea because he felt that was a very “money-ball idea, where the universe is like, ‘look, it’s not personal, it’s stats.’” From there, the idea expanded, and Schur discussed the morality of the point system, and the reasoning of a judge in that system.

Jameela Jamil, who plays Tahani, mentioned being nervous about spoiling the ending of season one.

Jamil confirmed that she would run from the interviewers, and just nod at them till they were exhausted about not getting any answers form her. “It was a real sense of panic,” says Jamil. “I have never had a secret to keep, ever, because everything I have done was live hosting—it’s never been about me. And now suddenly, I am involved in this huge, elaborate rouse.”

To read the rest of this article, visit themedium.ca.

Ruchi Daniel Wigwe on his debut EP Wigwe draws inspiration from a variety of musical influences around the world to create his own sound SRIJAN SAHU

A second-year commerce student at UTM, Ruchi Daniel Wigwe is a songwriter and recording artist. The Medium sat down with Wigwe to discuss the anticipated release of his first EP album and plans for the upcoming year.

Wigwe picked up songwriting at the early age of 11. Every night, he would put some ideas down and reveals, “I would read Wikipedia pages of artists I liked—Queen, Elton John, Ray Charles—to know more about them and how they made their music.” When he was 17 and graduated from high school, he was finally comfortable to show his songs to the world. He remembers thinking, “I wanted to have more to show for myself, other than ‘trust me… I’m an artist...I can sing.’”

Wigwe describes his music as PopR&B. He draws inspiration from the various places he has lived, from his time spent in Switzerland to his Nigerian heritage. You can hear elements of African percussions, Europeanbased alternative sounds, and Canadian Pop in his new EP. He explains to me that it is “tricky” for people to pinpoint his genre precisely due to the wide variety of influences.

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Ruchi Daniel Wigwe is a songwriter and recording artist.

Wigwe tries to pick different facets from successful artists and their ability to innovate. He singles out British singer Adele as a great model: “I admire her ability to come out with music that she likes to come out with, and still make immense success. Her music stays grounded yet reaches out to so many people.”

Wigwe’s first EP drops in a couple weeks’ time, and he is admittedly more nervous than excited about the release. Two songs from his first studio work with a producer are featured on the record, and he recalls the un-

certainty and hard work behind that process. “I would find myself waiting for long periods of time. When I would raise enough money to release the project, something else I need the money for would come up.”

Wigwe shot his first music video for “Rewind,” with most of the scenes filmed between Toronto and Mississauga. Wigwe doesn’t have a whole team around him, as he prefers to work with a small group who are as motivated as he is. He set out with a couple of friends on a cold-windy evening and had one of them hold

the camera while the other was put in charge of crowd control. Wigwe found the experience enjoyable but says he would like to do things differently in future music videos.

Although being an aspiring musician is a feat of its own, Wigwe strives to complement his work by understanding the other aspects involved, such as the marketing and business side. He believes graduating with a marketing degree will make him more “well-rounded.” Although balancing both at the same time can be hard, Wigwe has a plan that works for

him.

Wigwe also finds the time to write and pursue his dream of becoming an actor. He has been to several auditions and plans to make a successful career of his talents, enough to support his family and sister’s education.

“I don’t let it get to my head—if I feel like playing video games, I play video games. School is a lot more focused and there is a schedule. Music and acting is more uncertain, especially if you’re doing it professionally.”

The music and acting industry are hard to get into, so when asked what advice he would give to young people who are also trying to make it, he replies, “it’s important to trust the process and know what you want. Would you compromise values for money?

Do you want all wide success or just happiness? Just keep working smart and focus on yourself. Your friend may blow up one day, only to have short term success—so don’t look at others.”

When asked where he hopes to be in five years, he replies, “I want to have two full length albums, couple of tours around the world, act in films— a couple which I’ve hopefully written—and just be happy.”

Wigwe’s debut EP, Euphoric Interlude, will be released October 26.

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Embrace failure and active-learning Fiona Rawle, one of five professors across Ontario, received the prestigious OCUFA Teaching Award JESSICA CABRAL FEATURES EDITOR At the end of September, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) announced the winners of their prestigious teaching award for the 2017-2018 academic year. The award created in 1973, recognizes the outstanding contributions made by professors in post-secondary institutions across Ontario. This year, five professors received the honor including UTM’s very own Fiona Rawle, an associate professor teaching stream in the department of biology.

As a high school student, Rawle always loved studying science, asking questions, finding answers, and learning about the stories of mistakes and failures within the scientific community. She explains that many of the successes in science, like penicillin and pace makers, began with moments of failure.

Rawle’s curiosity and passion for science lead her to pursue a Ph.D. in Pathology and Molecular Medicine at Queen’s University. She later joined the UTM faculty in 2010.

“I’m very concerned about prob-

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Fione Rawle is an associate professor in the department of biology. lems society faces that are based in science like climate change, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and access to clean water. After having kids, I really started to reflect about science and how I could make a difference,” Rawle explains. “I started to shift and apply my interests to science education and the best ways to teach and learn science.”

Currently, Rawle’s projects focus on active-learning and the difficulty in overcoming scientific misconceptions. Through her research, Rawle investigates the barriers that hinder academic success in diverse student populations, and explores the misconceptions people have about antibiotic resistant bacteria and how those misconceptions

change during an individual’s educational journey.

For one project in particular, Rawle is collaborating with Nicole Laliberte, an assistant professor in the department of geography, to examine “productive failure.” According to Rawle, failure functions as a good tool for teaching because students learn the value of failure and

master ways to bounce back from unsuccessful moments.

“I try to model failure in class. I’m very open about mistakes I’ve made and I think that’s really important,” Rawle says. “With social media, I think people, in general, feel a lot of pressure to present a near-perfect image which is not based in reality.

So, I try to model that when I teach because science is messy, creative, and it’s not always perfect.”

Rawle typically teaches BIO152: Introduction to Evolution and Evolutionary Genetics and BIO476: Molecular Basis of Disease. She bases all of her lectures on “activelearning,” a technique that allows students to be actively involved in the learning process. In BIO152, a class of approximately 500 students, Rawle teaches DNA and nucleotide structure by asking that all of the students stand up and form a DNA chain around the classroom. Rawle explains that this activity helps students understand bonds and molecular structure by witnessing the physical bonds within the student chain.

Award continued on page 10

Seeing Scrabble through a linguistic lens Dr. Derek Denis, an assistant professor in UTM’s linguistic department, discusses language evolution FATIMA ADIL “Ok,” “twerk,” “sriracha,” and “emoji.”

These seemingly random words are four of the 300 new words recently added to The Official Scrabble Player’s Dictionary. Merriam-Webster has released this sixth edition of the game’s dictionary, which now contains more than 100,000 words, four years after the last version. The Medium sat down with Dr. Derek Denis, an assistant professor in UTM’s linguistic department, to discuss Scrabble and the evolution of language.

A well-known word board game, Scrabble was invented by Alfred Mosher Butts in 1933 and was originally called Lexiko. According to common folklore, the game became popular in the early 1950s when the president of Macy’s discovered it while on vacation. Prior to the official creation of the Scrabble dictionary in 1976, players could consult any desk dictionary to verify whether a word could be played.

When asked about the significance of a word being officially recognized by a dictionary, Denis explains how “the perspective on dictionaries is

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Scrabble has recently added 300 new words to The Official Scrabble Player’s Dictionary. not that they’re the be-all end-all of what it means to be included as a word in a language. What [being included into a dictionary] practically means is that the word has reached some kind of more general awareness in the broader speech community.”

Denis emphasizes how a word does not need to be in a dictionary to be a “legitimate” word. “There [are] tens of thousands of words that will not be in a dictionary. For me as a linguist, for a word to be legitimate,

it means that there is a community of people who have agreed a certain combination of sounds means a particular thing. [The words and what they stand for are] their shared norms,” Denis says.

As for the addition of shortened words such as “ok” into the dictionary, Denis attributes it to “convention.” He describes how “okay” has been used as “ok” for a long time and some “dictionaries will have some kind of criteria of what to include and oftentimes [the criteria]

is a word appearing in particular kinds of media a certain number of times.” Another interesting piece of information, Denis notes, is that “ok” is “not an acronym, but a different orthographic representation” of the word “okay.”

The addition of the 300 new words into the Scrabble dictionary is a prime example of the evolution of language. According to Denis, there are multiple instances where the meaning of a word has changed over time. Denis provides the example of

the word “computer.”

“A hundred something years ago, computers as we know them did not exist. But the word existed, and it referred to people—actual humans— who would compute things by hand.

Over time, the meaning changed and we have this new shared norm.”

Denis explains that although social media does impact the evolution of language, it does so less often than people may think. “One thing that social media might do is make things spread faster. We are way more connected globally than we have ever been. The border between a small social group such as a high school clique and the whole world is actually very small now.”

For those who are afraid that “internet language” is ruining the English language, Dr Denis dismisses this belief: “Acronyms, such as LOL, [are] such a small part of the communicative behaviour of people online—of course they’re not going to ruin [language]. When you’re online there [are] particular types of conventions and those conventions are going to be shared. There’s nothing odd about new words coming up like that.”

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Fusing our technology in the future October’s “Lecture Me!” event investigated the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s impact on our lives DANIEL REALE

On Tuesday October 2nd, UTM’s Experiential Education Unit held their second “Lecture Me!” event of the year at the Mississauga Central Library. The event featured Kevin Yousie, a professor in UTM’s management department, giving a talk titled “How the Fourth Industrial Revolution is Shaping How We Live.” Yousie boasts a Master of Management and Professional Accounting Award and works as the President of Crosswater Partners, a company he established in 1997, making him a trusted advisor in the Financial Services Sector.

Yousie explains that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterized by the fusing of technologies. Shaped

by Big Data and executed through technology, the Fourth Industrial Revolution promises efficiency and the reshaping of how we interact with technology. Through human interaction with machines, the dawn of this new era boasts machines’ ability to perform everyday tasks in order to allow humans to optimize their time.

Think of your home, your phone, your clothing, your appliances, and your car as a personal assistant. These objects will gather data and perform mundane tasks to optimize your productivity and quality of life.

According to Yousie, the Fourth Industrial Revolution manifests itself in four ways: monitoring, control, optimization, and autonomy. These four

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The Fourth Industrial Revolution manifests by monitoring, control, optomization, and autonomy. become the goal of technology and industries of the future.

Yousie used the story of Janet NG, a fictional character he created, to show how new technologies will affect everyday life. Dictating a day through Janet’s life, Yousie revealed the current and emerging technologies further optimizing daily life through banking, driving, and health and medicine. Janet was aided by technology, such as an intelligent self-monitoring furnace with the ability to schedule appointments with a repair team, a fridge able to

monitor and report on daily usage that creates shopping lists and orders through Amazon, and Lyft with its autonomous robotaxi that brings her home without ever meeting a human driver. Janet controlled all these tasks through her smart phone—receiving reports and “allowing” her smart appliances to complete mundane tasks at her command.

“This future is closer than we could imagine” says Yousie.

With Toyota to invest $500 million in Uber and Ford $1 billion in Lyft, the companies plan on radically

changing the landscape of transportation. GM plans to eradicate most of its existing car production and focus on robotaxis. This is a growing trend, explains Yousie, who mentions Uber buying 24,000 self-driving cars. In Tokyo, the plan is to have robotaxis, completely autonomous ride sharing vehicles, running the show during the 2020 Olympics.

Based on Boston Consulting Groups prediction, Yousie explains that “by 2030 shared, self-driving electric vehicles will make up a quarter of passenger-miles on American

roads.” Considering that this would reduce the number of cars on the road by 60%, emissions by 80%, and road accidents by 90%, the future seems safer.

In finance, Yousie claims that monitoring devices that affect insurance are in the making. These include activity monitors, driving monitors, and health monitors that report to your insurance companies and doctors, and reward safe drivers and active lifestyles in a way that credit scores reward the financially wary.

With the advent of these new technologies comes a restructuring of society—human jobs replaced by machine work, labor market disruptions, social tensions, and anxiety about privacy. Careers in STEM will become more important than ever, and the ubiquity of self-monitoring and reward based on risk will make bodies more docile.

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution benefits may become easier to reap.

Work in Nanotechnology promises easier cancer and disease treatment, the need for human value guarantees high pay for high skills, and the rolling out of these technologies on a global scale points to the potential to raise global income level.

Yousie concludes that we’re living in VUCA conditions. The Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring vulnerability, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. In it, “adaptability will be the new competitive advantage.”

Meet David Samson: sleep researcher Dr. David Samson, a new anthropology professor, discusses his journey to academia and his research MARKO SPAJIC

Dr. David Samson, an assistant professor in biological anthropology and recent addition to the department of anthropology at UTM, studies the link between human evolution and sleep. The Medium sat down with Samson to discuss his journey to academia, his research, and his advice for those lacking a good night’s sleep.

Growing up in Quebec and Indiana, Samson’s interest in anthropology began at a very early age. During his father’s twenty years of experience as a fundamentalist minister, Samson says his dad “was confronted by a prospective member of the church who was a geology graduate student. He asked him some hardhitting questions about the age of the Earth and human evolution.”

Samson recalls that his father “gave the stock answers that he had been trained to give,” but afterwards investigated the evolutionary claims.

Sparked by this moment, Samson’s father introduced his son to “thought experiments from Darwin’s Origins of Species,” and books from experts like Carl Sagan, an astrobiologist, astrophysicist, and astrono-

ERICKA CRUZ/THE MEDIUM

David Samson became interested in anthropology at an early age. mer, who talked a lot about human evolution. Through this, Samson got exposure to concepts like natural selection and evolutionary theory from childhood.

Although Samson never thought he would become a professor teaching the material, these memories stuck with him. “I went to college at Indiana University and I didn’t know what I would do in terms of my career. But I knew if I took anthropology at least I would be inter-

ested in the topic for the next four years,” he says “So it was completely organic, and there was no part of me that went into university thinking: I’m going to be a professor.” After his undergrad, he immediately shifted into graduate school, qualifying for a scholarship that gave an opportunity to unrepresented students, such as first-generation college students.

From there he went on to publish an article in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, which he said “steamrolled

[him] into being a scientist.”

In 2013, Samson then got his Ph.D. and an assistant visiting professorship at the University Nevada in Las Vegas for a year. He then did a three-year post doc at Duke University and he says “that’s where I went from understanding how to do science to being a good scientist.” The skills he learned there helped him become a professor at UTM after being away from Canadian soil for 25 years.

In regards to his teaching skills, he says “It’s such a learned skill. You learn, you give bad lectures, you give un-engaging lectures, and then you are either comfortable with that or you are just like ‘I have to get better at this.’ I apply the scientific method to everything I do so I just started experimenting in my classes and coming up with hypothesises like ‘How can I engage them more in this.’”

Samson focuses his research on sleep’s role in evolution. His interest grew while studying great apes and their unique behaviour of building functional tree beds. “Anytime there is a universal behaviour that a clump of species has but no others, there’s usually some interesting evolutionary story behind that,” he explains.

His research brought him to Africa where he “climbed African sedimentary trees and quantified them to see what kind of ecology shaped the different properties of different beds.” In his pursuit, Samson also studied a group of orangutans at the Indianapolis Zoo to see how manipulating their sleeping environments changed their sleep physiology and linking that to their cognition.

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Atheism and secular thought in Islam At this year’s Snider Lecture, Dr. Ali Rizvi discussed the rise of The Muslim Englightenment KEVIN KIM

Secularity, the concept of keeping ideas and thoughts separate from religious beliefs, presents itself in many forms, and is accepted in varying degrees throughout the world. This year’s Snider Lecture titled “The Muslim Enlightenment: The Rise of Secular Thought among Young Muslims,” held on Tuesday October 2, explored the potentially severe consequences of atheism and secular thought in countries dominated by Islam.

Dr. Ali. A Rizvi, an oncologic pathologist and award-winning author who made the decision to turn away from religion and become an “exMuslim,” lead the conversation.

Although Rizvi has chosen to turn away from religion, this does not imply that he condemns the practice of religion. “I believe strongly in freedom of religion. But a really important part of that freedom of religion is a freedom from religion. In a free society, that means respecting both someone’s right to practice their religion, and my right to challenge and criticize it,” Rizvi says.

Rizvi emphasizes the pronounced differences between challenging ideas and beliefs and demonizing people.

“Because of my name and because

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Ali Rizvi discussed the potential consequences of atheism and secular thought in Islamic countries. of where I’m from and how I look, even though I am an atheist, I still get called a Jihadist or a dirty Muslim terrorist online quite a bit.” Islam itself is a set of ideas originating from its religious text, the Quran. To emphasize the difference in treatment between people and texts, Rizvi says that, “people have rights and are entitled to respect, [but] books, ideas, and labels don’t, and aren’t.”

Continuing on, Rizvi pulled up a 2012 study conducted by Gallup, an

international public agency. Although the rising controversy of secular Muslims has garnered attention by major news outlets, Rizvi explains that “a lot of this kind of polling isn’t done very often, it’s increasing now,” highlighting how many secularists in the Muslim community refrain from speaking out because of the risk. According to the study, within Saudi Arabia, 19 per cent of surveyed individuals reported a non-religious stance, a further 5 per cent identified as convinced atheists.

Enjoyable and educating

“We have every reason to believe that these poll members are underreported because of the taboos and the dangers that are associated with criticizing religion,” Rizvi says.

As the Enlightenment of the 18th century ushered in radical change and challenged traditional authority, secular Muslims gradually introduce new methods of thought in a similar manner through mediums of the 21st century.

Rizvi believes that the advent of

Bad sleeping habits?

Sleep continued from page 9

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Rawle makes connections between course material and the real world.

Award continued from page 8 In addition to this, Rawle implements a lot of “case-based learning,” where she makes connections between course material and the real world.

“I try to foster a learning community of engagement so students come to class expecting to participate and be involved. We do a lot of activities, we use response systems in class, students are always solving problems and always looking at misconception questions,” Rawle says.

When asked about her favourite moment from her teaching career thus far, Rawle explains that she enjoys seeing the spark of curiosity within her students and how they develop over their university experience.

I love when students come back and see me five years after they graduated and they tell me about their journey and what they’re doing now.

I love seeing their growth as people and as scientists,” Rawle says.

“I try to model failure in class. I’m very open about mistakes I’ve made and I think that’s really important.” - Rawle Approaching teaching in ways that betters student engagement has not only won Rawle the coveted OCUFA award, but has made her lectures more enjoyable and educating for her students. By employing

active-learning techniques in the classroom, teachers provide their students with an environment more conducive to their learning.

“I’m a scientist at heart and a scientist by training, so I want to teach in ways that are shown to be effective. If students are engaged and they’re actively involved in their learning, they learn better, so why would we teach in any other way? The data shows that this is the most effective way to teach and it helps students learn better but also have a better recall for a longer amount of time,” she says. “I love my lectures, I love teaching. I’m really lucky to work here.”

Rawle will be honoured at the OCUFA award ceremony hosted by CBC’s Nana aba Duncan on October 20th.

the Internet acts as the primary driving force behind the insurgence of ex-Muslim activity. The Quran, being traditionally printed in Arabic, was largely inaccessible to those that were not fluent in the language. The internet has made this barrier a near non-factor for many individuals and the Quran has now become easy to simply analyze at face value. “What took me months and years to learn, any twelve-year-old can today just pull up online by keyword search,” he explains.

Beyond accessibility, the Internet has also allowed movements to gain more momentum than ever before, with Twitter being a notable medium to facilitate such causes.

To conclude, Rizvi notes a double standard that typically exists among separate religions. Devout Christians, as an arbitrary example, are often ridiculed by many for possessing homophobic or misogynistic beliefs.

“When the same ideas come from Islamic communities, they just sort of throw their hands up and they say, […] ‘we have to respect it. This is their culture.’”

The prevalence of such a double standard possesses implications of bigotry; that those of the Islamic faith are not capable of enduring thoughtful, harsh dialogue.

This got Samson interested in working with humans.

From his research, he has found that “out of all the primates, humans sleep the least. We have the shortest sleep, but also the most high-quality sleep.” Studying sleep is very relevant as it has a host of downstream consequences. In fact, Samson says, “15 per cent of the population has experienced insomnia at some point in their life. It is a hyper-activation of the Hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis, [which] produces cortisol. In an evolutionary context, this makes perfect sense. If there is a lion stalking, and you hear a rustling in the environment, it pays to be hyper-vigilant.”

Even though we are living in much safer environments, our amygdala stills “freaks out” and treats things, such as giving a presentation the next day, like life or death.

What does Samson recommend for undergraduate students struggling to have good sleep hygiene? He says, “You can hack your circadian biology pretty easily. You want to expose yourself to a lot of blue wave light during the day. So going outside and having lunch exposed to natural lighting and natural temperature will help amplify your circadian rhythm.

At night, turn the lights low.”

He explains that being exposed to blue wave light at night can seriously inhibit melatonin production, “a principle hormone that is regulating sleep/wake activity, so you want to minimize that.”

Samson also suggests making your bedroom a “sleep-only room,” disas-

sociating it with things like gaming, reading or watching TV. And an obvious piece of advice is to put away your phone, not just because of blue wave light, but also because social media can tap into your amygdala and make you unnecessarily angry at something.

Thankfully, if you’ve been out of sleep for a while don’t fret. Samson assures us that “we’ve got homeostatic rebound mechanisms set in place. There are some debts you can’t pay off but in general we can pay off sleep deprivation debt pretty good.” A trick that he offers his students when studying for an exam is to, “make sure to get at least one good night’s rest before the exam. This is because memory consolidation is one of the primary functions of sleep.”

He continues to explain that he’s able to instinctively tell when a student comes in blurry-eyed, and can usually call out “That’s going to be a bad grade because they are sleep deprived.”

“Even if they did ten hours of really high-quality studying, they pounded some energy drinks, some shots of espresso, if they didn’t consolidate that, they are killing themselves.” The best way to study is to do it right before bed and right after waking up.

Samson says if you study right, you can, “cut the overall time in studying to a quarter. We are all tied to our circadian rhythm, there’s a peak cognitive performance [and] peak memorization. If you know how to study you can do it ten times more efficiently and just get so much more out of your life than nonstop studying.”

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Changing the face of university sports U SPORTS new policy on transgender athletes allows them to participate on the team of their gender identity KAYVAN AFLAKI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

U SPORTS, the governing agency of post-secondary athletics in Canada, introduced a new policy concerning transgender athletes on September 27th that will allow athletes to compete on teams that correspond with their gender identity. The new policy was developed by the U SPORTS equity committee and approved by the U SPORTS board of directors.

U SPORTS stated in a news release that the policy will take effect immediately for its member institutions. Among these institutions is the University of Toronto.

According to the news release, “effective immediately, U SPORTS student-athletes will be eligible to compete on the team that corresponds with either their sex assigned at birth or their gender identity, provided that the studentathlete complies with the Canadian Anti-Doping Program.”

The new policy does not require student-athletes to undergo hormone therapy for them to compete in the gender category that is consistent with their gender identity.

The news release explained that the decision comes amid a 2016 report published by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports (CCES).

The Canadian Association for the

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Athletes will be able to compete on teams that correspond with their gender identity.

Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity also provided feedback in policy development.

Andrea Carter, Assistant Dean, Student Wellness, Support & Success, described UTM’s position regarding the policy change in an email to The Medium, stating, “The University of Toronto Mississauga and the Department of Recreation, Athletics and Wellness applaud U Sport’s policy allowing equity, diversity and inclusion in athletic sport

opportunities for student athletes.”

Carter says that while UTM and the Varsity Eagles are not members of U Sport, she hopes that the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA), the regulatory bodies overseeing UTM Varsity Sport Competitions, are “inspired” by the policy announcement.

“As a department and a campus, we believe it is important for stu-

dent athletes to participate visibly and fully in a way that is consistent with their gender identity.” Carter continued. “We continue to work with CCAA and OCAA to advocate for safe, inclusive environments in sport opportunities.”

At UTM, student-athletes have expressed mixed reactions to the U Sport policy. The Medium interviewed two student-athletes at UTM to discuss the recent policy change.

Azza Adhoum, a third-year var-

sity athlete on the UTM Women’s Soccer Team, told The Medium that her initial reaction to the policy decision was concern.

“The policy seems extremely unfair,” Adhoum told The Medium.

“Biologically, males and females are different. Gender is a societal construct, but sex is not.”

Adhoum explained that in her opinion inherent differences between males and females provides reasonable grounds for her stance.

“From conception forward, male and female bodies develop differently,” she added. There are hormone differences, the onset of puberty, anatomical dimensions, all of which contribute to performance differences between men and women.”

“With this policy, [I think] a majority of athletes are put at a disadvantage.”

Aaron Peters, a third-year athlete on the UTM Men’s Soccer Team, told The Medium that he neither agrees nor disagrees with the policy change.

“Personally, when that whistle blows and I’m on the field and you are my opposition, I will compete at the highest level possible regardless of your gender, sex, or sexual orientation. After the game though, I will gladly shake your hand and go on with my life.”

Policy continued on page # 12

Eagles unable to seal spot for playoffs Over reading week, the UTM women’s soccer team lost in their second last game of the season VANESSA CESARIO SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

On Tuesday, October 9th, the UTM women’s varsity soccer team had their second last game of the regular season against the Sheridan Bruins. This was a crucial game for the women as it would have raised their chances of advancing to the OCAA playoffs.

The game did not start off as planned for the Eagles as the Bruins scored within the first minute of the game. An unfortunate stumble by a UTM player led the Bruins to be up 1-0.

The first half was dominated by Sheridan. UTM looked tired and this led to sloppy passes, unnecessary giveaways, and a quiet playing field. Sheridan managed to score two more goals within the first half—one off of a set play and one from a wicked shot by the Sheridan striker.

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UTM women’s varsity soccer lost 1-3 against Sheridan.

The halftime talk, though filled with frustration, allowed the women to sort through their dissatisfaction on the field and work together to fig-

ure out a new game plan. UTM came out stronger in the second half, showing their resiliency as a team.

Their passes were crisper, their

runs were made with purpose, and their intensity was raised. With a little fire lit under them, they pressed the Sheridan defense, forcing them

to constantly be under pressure.

UTM capitalized on Sheridan’s mistakes and were getting multiple chances to score. Finally, it was UTM’s second-year striker, Sirsly Abakah-Etrue, who buried one for UTM with a perfectly placed ball into the bottom right corner of the net.

With UTM running out of time, they were sending more women into the attack. Despite their clear dominance in the second half, the women could not seem to find the back of the net once again. The score remained 3-1 for Sheridan with UTM seeing their chances of making the playoffs slip further away.

The women played their final game of the season on Sunday, October 14 in Sudbury where they tied 0-0.

Please note that this article was written by a member of the UTM women’s varsity soccer team.

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THE MEDIUM 10.15.2018

Eagles romped in an avoidable loss Eagles suffer a whomping 7-0 loss against the Sheridan Bruins last Wednesday, October 10 MIGUEL DASILVA

On Wednesday, October 10th, the UTM Eagles men’s soccer team suffered an unfortunate loss at the Sheridan Bruins campus in a game that was UTMs to win early.

The first half of this game had a lot off attacking on either end of the field as both teams carved out space deep in each other’s halves. It was clear that the Eagles meant to force long high passes over the Bruins defense and into their strikers for quick breaks. Early connections across the width of the pitch between Shawn Faizi, Jamari Whyte, and Mark Barbuto gave the Eagles offense a good position in the final third but they didn’t have the spark of creativity to turn their incredible ball movement into goals.

Aaron Peters was as solid as ever keeping the game close after tense moments and showing the crowd his best impression of a sweeper keeper

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UTM men’s soccer team have advanced to the playoffs. making incredible saves far off his line.

Around the 28th minute, Mark Barbuto chipped a ball from the left wing into an isolated Zimba Galloway down the centre of the pitch but

he pulled the ball wide on his breakaway and couldn’t bring his team ahead.

Peters could only shut the door for so long before the Bruins found a way to break the stout Eagles back

New sports policy effective immediately

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Some athletes say they are only there to compete against the best, no matter who they are.

Policy continued from page # 11 Peters elaborates that the mentality he, like many other athletes uphold, is that sport focuses on self-improvement and personal achievement.

“I’m here to compete against the best and win, nothing else. I’m not concerned with who I’m playing against.”

When asked about whether he believes the policy change would alter the level of fairness in university athletics, Peters concluded that U SPORT’s decision would have no impact.

“If you’re skilled at your sport, then you’re skilled at your sport. If you are dominating the university game, then you obviously need to be playing at a higher level, regardless of your gender.”

Peter Donnelly, professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education and Director at the Centre for Sports Studies, says that the new U Sport policy will provide a fair opportunity for athletes to participate in university athletics.

“It is my view that U Sports has developed a progressive and enlightened policy based on the best available scientific evidence which indicates little to no performance advantage result-

ing from testosterone levels.”

“Given that the way sport is organized (on a binary gender basis), and given that biology shows that, rather than being binary, human sexual characteristics lie on a continuum, the U Sports policy of basing eligibility to participate on an athlete’s gender identity brings U Sports into line the most fair and viable policies now being implemented in sports organizations.”

When asked about the potential implications of U Sport’s policy, Professor Donnelly affirmed that the changes would only level the playing field “for the few athletes who are likely to be included under this new policy. It is possible that there will be other implications, but I am not prepared to speculate on what they may be.”

U of T Professor Bruce Kidd, also the former Principal at the University of Toronto Scarborough and a former Olympian at the 1964 Tokyo Games, shared his insight regarding the U Sport policy in an email to The Medium. Professor Kidd was also a member of the Expert Group that helped the CCES develop their 2016 report.

“After exhaustive research, the Expert Group found that ‘we currently lack the scientific evidence to directly and consistently connect endogenous

hormone levels with athletic performance. (P. 20)’,” explains Professor Kidd, citing the 2016 report by the CCES. “We also acknowledged that the science is still growing, so we added the provision that: ‘Hormone therapy should not be required for an individual to participate in high-performance sport … unless the sport organization can prove that hormone therapy is a reasonable and bona fide requirement. (P. 18).’”

Professor Donnelly and Professor Kidd are both in agreement over the landmark significance of U Sport’s policy update. Donnelly says that he is not aware of any other policies implemented elsewhere that “meet the standards of fairness, scientific evidence, and viability” akin to that of U Sport.

“To date, I know of no sports organization that has convincingly demonstrated that hormone therapy is a reasonable and bona fide requirement,” adds Professor Kidd.

UTMAC did not respond to the The Medium’s request for comment on the new policy.

The policy will be taking effect immediately and permit athletes who identify with a gender other than their birth sex to participate on the team of their identified gender.

line with their relentless speed. The Eagles tactics were aggressive, and it back fired at the 33rd minute when a quick Bruins counter attacking aerial pass caught the Eagles defense far up-pitch leaving them unable to

track back in time to clear a rebound, leading to the first Bruins goal.

The Eagles were resilient and had some fun playing tic-tac-toe with each other up the pitch showing off some skilled back heels and even a few “panna’s.”

A close offside goal couldn’t draw the score for the Eagles and it was clear they were close to putting one on the board. But the Bruins put any hopes of a comeback to bed with an unstoppable free kick that whipped into the box and deftly flicked into the net, making it 2-0 for the Sheridan Bruins.

After this goal, the Eagles could not gain a solid foothold in the game and let it run away from them in the second half. The game finished 7-0 for the Bruins.

The men played their final game of the season this past Sunday, October 14 in Sudbury against the Cambrian Golden Shields, where they dominated and advanced to the playoffs.