Volume 45 Issue 9

THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

Novemeber 12, 201 8 Volume 45, Issue 9 themedium.ca

Smoking banned

Classrooms are overrated

King Henry takes the stage

Cannabis concerns

Eagles lose momentum

News, page 3

Opinion, page 4

Arts, page 5

Features, page 8

Sports, page 11

UTMSU raises executive salaries A $5,000 increase in executive salaries was made during a policy & procedures committee meeting ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR

The UTMSU is currently working on raising the salaries of their executive members from $28,500 to $31,600.

According to meeting minutes recently released by the UTMSU for their Board of Directors meetings and their Committee meetings, the decision was passed during their first Policy & Procedures Committee Meeting on August 21st, 2018.

The Policy & Procedures Committee discusses the union’s policies and presents recommendations to the Board of Directors. The committee is composed of the UTMSU President Felipe Nagata, the VP University Affairs Andres Posada, the Executive Director Munib Sajjad, and a Division III Board of Directors member, Valentino Gomes.

During the meeting, Sajjad stated, “[…] one of the things I was looking into was the amount of work the executives actually do, the overall stipend that they receive, and the overall flow of the organization.”

Under Doug Ford, the conservative government of Ontario decided to freeze the minimum wage at $14,

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

The change is to reflect the work of the students’ union, says Sajjad. ending the rise of Ontario’s minimum wage to $15 at the beginning of 2019.

Sajjad cited Ontario’s recently legislated Bill 148, “a plan for fair workplaces and better jobs,” and said “[the UTMSU executive] wage has been

under-paced for the last six to ten years.”

The meeting proceeded to move into an in-camera session for twentyeight minutes. After they came out of in-camera, Sajjad stated that during

the session in-camera, an amendment was brought forth to amend the minimum numbers of hours worked by the Executive from thirty to forty hours a week. As well, the salaries of the executive members would be

raised to $31,600.

“This is to account for working at $15 per hour, forty hours per week,” Sajjad stated during the meeting.

“This is in accordance with the hours actually worked and in being paid a fair wage. Again, this change is to reflect the work of the students’ union, and to address legal opinions which were passed on to us.”

Currently, as of the 2016-2017 academic year, the “Executive and Associate Remuneration” section of the UTMSU’s Operation Policy states that, “Members of the Executive shall receive an annual salary of $28,500 […] at the beginning of every fiscal year, the salary shall increase by the cost of inflation, using the CPIToronto, as defined by Statistics Canada.”

During the November 2nd Board of Directors Meeting, Gomes brought up the changes to the other directors, stating, “Since our UTMSU as a whole embraces fair wages in terms of our employees in places such as The Blind Duck, the Duck Stop, etc., it was noticed that executives were not actually being adequately paid themselves.”

Salaries continued on page 2

U of T receives $2.4 million for A.I. research The donation will help foster extensive research into the rise of artificial intelligence and its effects on humankind KAYVAN AFLAKI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto has received a $2.45-million donation to establish a Chairperson to study how the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) will affect humankind. The donation was financed by Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn and a partner at Greylock, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm.

Hoffman’s professional background began in 1998 when he joined as a founding director of PayPal. He became the organizations chief operations officer two years later. Hoffman went on to co-found LinkedIn in 2002, which merged with Microsoft in 2016 for $26.2 billion. Coupled with his roles at LinkedIn and Greylock, Hoffman has authored two bestselling business books, with a third—Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies—released this October.

As a philanthropist, Hoffman has financed the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a company dedicated to eradicating disease, and OpenAI,

PHOTO FROM PIXABAY.COM

Smith centered his proposal on conducting foundational research on the effects of AI on society. a non-profit seeking to ensure the rise of digital intelligence benefits humanity.

Brian Cantwell Smith, Professor of Information, Philosophy, and

Cognitive Science, has been appointed to the Reid Hoffman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and the Human at U of T’s Faculty of Information, also known as iSchool.

Hoffman, who earned a Bachelor of Science at Stanford University and a Master of Studies degree in philosophy from Oxford, was a student in one of Professor Smith’s

courses in 1989.

Smith centred his proposal for the chair on conducting foundational research on the practical effects of AI on society. However, it raises deep questions about what AI is, the difference between human and artificial intelligence, and how the development of AI could affect our self-understanding as humans.

Speaking to U of T News, Professor Wendy Duff commended the appointment.

“I could not be more thrilled that someone with Reid Hoffman’s tremendous vision and influence has chosen the Faculty of Information as a natural home for answering broad questions about life in the age of AI. The work of the chair fits perfectly with the faculty’s academic mission and its multidisciplinary approach to information.”

In an interview with The Korea Herald, U of T President Meric Gertler expressed that the development and integration of artificial intelligence has only recently begun taking root.

A.I. continued on page 2

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A.I. research indicates research growth for UTM November 5, 2018 Police Assisstance Campus Police attended OPH for a student experiencing medical distress.

November 6, 2018 Theft Campus Police received a report of IT equipment being tampered with and stolen from the Vivarium area. CCTV coverage shows two males reaching up in the ceiling and removing the equipment. Investigation continues.

These reports are those that have been released to The Medium and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list.

Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905 453 3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477.

Anyone with information regarding any of these incidents, or any other incident, is requested to contact the UTM Campus Police at 905828-5200, Peel Regional Police at 905-453-3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Pay increase to take effect

PHOTO FROM PIXABAY.COM

U of T wants to establish itself in AI research and development.

A.I. continued from page 1 “There’s no question that topics like data science and machine learning could find their way into undergraduate curriculums increasingly,” he said.

“The history of technological development shows that the very forces that disrupt the economy also create new employment opportunities and whole new industries that we can’t predict.”

Gertler explained further that the advent of the Reid Hoffman Chair represented one of many pursuits un-

dertaken by the University of Toronto to establish itself in AI research and development. Gertler pointed to the Samsung Electronics Artificial Intelligence Center at the university and recent partnerships with LG Electronics and Huawei as other examples of the University’s growing commitment to explore machine learning and AI. The Medium previously reported that UTM has recruited three new faculty members to support the potential development of a new Robotics Cluster. UTM Principal Ulrich Krull explained that the university

laboratory building, if proposed and approved, would offer research space primarily focused on machine learning.

The Reid Hoffman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and the Human opened this fall and will continue to operate through the spring semester of 2024. During this time, the Chair will support extensive research into related questions surrounding AI. Professor Smith will give a public lecture on artificial intelligence each year.

U of T elects chancellor Dr. Rose Patten will become U of T’s chancellor beginning July ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR

OLIVIA ADAMCZYK/THE MEDIUM

The motion was passed on November 2nd, 2018.

Salaries continued from page 1 “However,” he continued, “I wanted to bring this motion to the entirety of the Board of Directors, because during that meeting, I was the only Board of Director there, and the executives in attendance naturally have a conflict of interest.”

Sajjad went on to tell the board that $190,000 had been allocated in the budget for executive salaries at the beginning of their working term.

The motion to pass the Policy & Procedures minutes’ package, which included raising the salaries of the executive members from 26,500 to $31,600, passed unanimously, aside from the abstentions of the executive members present.

The motion to increase the wages was put forth by Valentino Gomes and the motion was passed on November 2nd, 2018. All members of the executive board abstained their vote

The University of Toronto has elected Rose Patten to a three-year term as Chancellor beginning July 1st, 2018.

As Chancellor, Patten is the ceremonial head of the university, and will act as ambassador to the university’s alumni and wider community.

She will also officiate at convocation and award degrees to graduating classes.

Dr. Patten served on the Governing Council for nine years, from 1998 to 2007, including three years as chair.

In 2009, she received an honorary degree from the university for her leadership role in Canadian banking. She also chaired the Task Force on Governance for U of T, which led to the university’s current tri-campus governance structure.

Patten is a founding Director of Metrolinx, the organization of transportation for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Areas.

She is also well-known for her record of volunteer leadership, and was recognized by U.S. Banker Magazine as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking. Most recently, she served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Hospital for Sick Children, from 2014 to 2017.

Currently, Patten is the Special Advisor to the CEO and Senior Executives at BMO Financial Group.

During the installation of Patten as Chancellor, former Ontario finance minister and current Chancellor of York University Greg Sorbara stated, “Few people have contributed as much energy to the well-being of this great university as has Dr. Patten.

From leadership in the world of business and banking, to philanthropy [and] a lifelong commitment to education, healthcare, and many forms of civic engagement.”

Vice President and Provost of U of T Cheryl Regehr said, “I can think of no one better suited as our esteemed chancellor than Dr. Rose

Patten, [who] championed diverse and emerging leaders in banking, business, and at every level here at the University of Toronto.”

In her speech to the graduating class of 2018, Patten spoke of the potential of the university and shared her own lessons on leadership.

“We live in disruptive times full of uncertainty, and even confusion. But the world today is also brimming with creativity and enormous potential. U of T’s deep and broad relevance, and its outlook, is energizing and tremendously exciting. This institution is both a driver of innovation in the broadest sense, and a defender of the human values on which true, sustainable progress depends.”

“Having a positive impact is what great leaders strive for as a measure of success,” she concluded.

Dr. Patten will succeed former politician and diplomat Michael Wilson as Chancellor, whose second term will end on June 30th.

Smoking to be banned U of T moves to ban all types of smoking on all three campuses

11.12.2018 THE MEDIUM NEWS

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HUMANS OF UTM

“I’ve always been torn apart. Living a life that you want to live, something you’re passionate about, that’s acceptable in society–like being a doctor or engineer, or going into something different like social work. I’m the oldest and I have the most pressure in my family, so I have to be the elitest and I feel like that’s the biggest struggle 0people our age face, [especially] minorities like me, they face a lot.”

OLIVIA ADAMCZYK/THE MEDIUM

The smoking ban will be implemented from January 1, 2019.

ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto has a proposed smoking ban that will be implemented starting January 1, 2019.

The ban will apply to the smoking of lighted tobacco or cannabis, as well as the use of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices on campus. Indigenous ceremonial activities and medical conditions will be accommodated for.

In an article released by the university, Vice-President of Human Resources and Equity Kelly Hannah-Moffat stated, “The main motivation for this policy is to have healthier campuses. The health hazards of smoking and second-hand smoke are well documented.”

The university’s smoking policy has not been updated since 1995, in which it states that Designated Smoking Areas may be permitted in residences and the campus pub. The policy also states that “residents in single rooms (and their guests) may

smoke in the room, provided the door is closed.”

According to the policy, “studies conducted around the world show a statistically significant correlation between lung cancer and involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke.”

As well, exposure to second-hand smoke “increases the prevalence of acute respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, and exacerbates existing health conditions such as heart disease, asthma, allergies” and cystic fibrosis, among others.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, “smoking causes about 30% of all cancer deaths and approximately 85% of lung cancer deaths.”

The ban comes after the Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (Sheridan College), which has a joint-program with UTM, adopted a smoke-free policy last month..

U of T plans to offer support to faculty and staff through the not-for-profit organization Green

Shield, which provides a smokingcessation program, including some drug coverage and pharmacist counselling.

The new smoking-ban policy will give the separate U of T campuses the opportunity to implement temporary outdoor designated smoking areas during a transitional period when the policy first takes effect.

In a previous governing council meeting, concerns were raised as to where students and employees at UTM could legally smoke given the limited amount of public property, as well as how the university would penalize students unwilling to follow the ban. The proposal has yet to address concerns of disciplinary action or alternative smoking areas for students and staff.

For students at UTM, smokingcessation programs are available through the Health and Counselling Centre (HCC).

The policy changes will be brought before U of T’s Governing Council for approval this December.

U of T announces new partnership Amgen Scholars Program comes to U of T

Club funding at UTM A breakdown of where to find funding for your club on campus ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR The Centre for Student Engagement (CSE) has been recently advertising their various funding initiatives for clubs and other student groups on campus. Here is a breakdown of the resources that are offered to students: The Centre for Student Engagement offers four main options for funding: the Community Engagement Fund, the Collaboration Fund, the Good Ideas Fund, and the CoCurricular Participation Bursary.

The Community Engagement Fund provides “monetary support to projects, events, and initiatives led by UTM student groups and academic societies working in partnership with community organizations in the Peel Region.” Students

can apply for the fund throughout the year.

The Collaboration Fund is for any event that is being held by two (or more) student clubs or academic societies. It also has a rolling deadline.

The Good Ideas Fund is offered

by Hart House, the “social epicentre” of the University of Toronto.

The fund is for initiatives and events that “enhance the on-campus experience of other students at U of T” and focus on “inclusivity, specifically marginalized and underrepresented groups, Indigenous education and cultural understanding, and tri-campus student engagement.” The fund subsidizes up to $2000, but has a deadline at the beginning of each semester.

Finally, there is the Co-Curricular Participation Bursary, which

offers a reimbursement for any and all events that are CCR (Co-Curricular Record) approved. Some of the funds that a student can have reimbursed include transportation costs, conference fees, and registration fees. This bursary can be applied for throughout the year.

Other types of funding: The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union offers funding to all UTMSU-recognized clubs and societies. To receive recognition, students must apply at the end of the academic year via Ramzi Thambit, the UTMSU’s Clubs Coordinator.

The union also offers “green grants” to sustainable initiatives on campus, as well as additional funding to clubs and societies that collaborate together on their events.

STEVE SOUTHON/UTORONTO.CA

Students get a chance to be involved in the medical biotech field.

ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto recently announced a partnership with the Amgen Foundation, one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies.

The partnership will see the launch of the Amgen Scholars Canada Program, a research program offered to undergraduate students that gives them the opportunity to be involved in cutting-edge research in the field of medical biotechnology, and be mentored by some of U of T’s top scientists.

Starting in 2019, fifteen undergraduate students will be chosen from across Canada to be a part of a 10-week research placement at the Faculty of Medicine and the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

According to the university’s joint press release with Amgen, “The program aims to increase learning and networking opportunities for students committed to pursuing a career in science and engineering.”

Through the program, students will attend scientific seminars, workshops, and other networking events, including “regional summer symposia” where students can share their research projects, as well as connect with some of the leading industry and academic scientists.

The Amgen Scholars Program has been around since 2006, however this is the first time the University of Toronto will be hosting the program.

U of T is now accepting applications for the 2019 Amgen Scholars Canada Program, until February 1st, 2019.

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11.12.2018

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 Fatima Adil Liayana Jondy Sports Amrish Wagle Photo Julia Healy Brittany Semplonius 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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All hands on deck: learning beyond the classroom Practically involving yourself in your learning will lead to many more benefits in life This week we have a piece in our features section on four undergraduate students who took a trip to Hokkaido, Japan with Dr. Gary Crawford, a professor in UTM’s anthropology department. Reading this had me thinking about opportunities here at UTM to learn beyond the lecture hall.

UTM does offer a variety of opportunities for students to embark on trips, and excursions related to learning. However, it feels that these opportunities are either hard to find or just non-existent at times.

During my undergrad in criminology, it felt as though my duty was to focus purely on my hundreds of pages of readings, and expect to learn through that. Now, I may just not have been as involved as I should have been, however it took four years before I actually had the chance to be involved in my field of work practically.

You remember back in elementary school when they’d teach us about the different kind of learners? There were visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners, kinesthetic being the practical learner type. These styles of learning are most commonly emphasized in teachers colleges and various leadership programs. Students are typically split into one of those three learner types. While it is mentioned that students can be a mix of all three, I find that universities still tend to adhere to learners that are visual/auditory.

This isn’t necessarily a terrible way of teaching, however, I thoroughly believe that everyone falls into the kinesthetic learning in one fashion or another. Humans generally become great at doing things repetitively, and practically. Musicians, artists, philosophers, scientists, etc, all become known for their work for being hands on and in the field of it all. Did they

all spend time learning theories, and engaging in auditory/visual learning styles to become great at what they did? Yes of course. The point is eventually, they became a part of a kinesthetic process, and this process is the most valuable of them all.

As an instructor myself, I find it particularly difficult to keep those I teach interested constantly by just speaking at them. I always find that they become active in learning when I’m active in their learning. I see the yawns, the lack of understanding, and the nodding they give to me as a fake sign of caring about everything I speak about. However, as soon as I introduce practical methods of learning, suddenly the room brightens up and learning becomes so much more useful.

As a film student, I am grateful for all of the dissection of films I did in cinema studies classes during my undergrad, however, it didn’t reach the root of the creation of these films which I truly wanted to understand.

There was no opportunity to understand and work through that practically during my undergrad and I too became frustrated with purely learning the theoretical aspects of filmmaking.

Ideally, UTM needs to offer more practical opportunities to involve students. We naturally will learn a lot more by being involved in the lesson rather than sitting and listening.

Auditory/Visual learning is a limited teaching style that doesn’t actually accomplish as much as we think it does.

Students who want to read articles and various books to understand lessons will learn much more than students who are forced to. This is a practical method of learning, and is rooted in the instructors creating a

JEANLOUIS REBELLO/THE MEDIUM

want to engage in a physical method of learning rather than pushing the need to. This turns students off and pushes them away from learning.

All of us are kinesthetic learners.

Hands-on is generally the best way any one can learn, and if UTM can provide these opportunities to students to be more involved with the learning, I guarantee an increase in scholarship will occur. Those four undergraduate students learned far more than they ever could have about Hokkaido, Japan than if that professor decided to teach about it for two hours per week.

I’m not going to recommend, encourage, or even advocate for you to be involved in practical learning methods; it is a definite must for you to engage yourself in it. As an instructor of youth myself, putting in the work to be involved in learning will create sharper and more understanding students.

Clear your mind of the university/college, or undergrad/masters

debates, and just grab every opportunity you can during all levels of learning to be hands on. In the long run you’ll learn more in five minutes engaging in kinesthetic learning, than you would in three-hour lecture hall classes.

While the logistics may be tough, the opportunities exist and it is both up to the university to open up these opportunities, and to you to actively pursue them.

Don’t be a bystander in your learning, be active, hands-on, and be a part of your learning. Being a student is a lifelong pursuit, so make it more than a pursuit and make it an active engagement.

I guarantee, you’ll see results.

YOURS, MAHMOUD SAROUJI

CORRECTION NOTICE The October 28 article “UTMSU food center reopens” was corrected.

11.12.2018

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Henry IV: an authentic staging of Shakespeare Theatre Erindale’s production of Henry IV Part 1 and 2 showcases nuanced acting performances REBECCA FLEMISTER

Theatre Erindale kicked off their studio series with Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2. Directed by James Wallis, the show launches the third-year Theatre and Drama studies class into their first Theatre Erindale season. This show is a prime example of a director relying on the text to tell the story, and for that reason, the drive for the show falls almost entirely on the backs of the actors.

The direction for Henry is neutral to the point of near non-existence.

With no bold interpretation of the text, this show puts a spotlight on the acting, since the actors are essentially the only thing there is to pay attention to. There was no established time period, which was reflected in the mish mash of traditional Shakespearian garb and modern apparel.

Props and set pieces were used in the most literal way possible and lighting and sound cues were kept to a bare minimum. This show is not a reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s work, nor does it play with the story or highlight specific themes. It seeks, instead, to tell the story as written.

Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2 are the second and third plays in Shake-

THEATRE ERINDALE/FACEBOOK

Theatre Erindale kicked off their studio series with Henry IV, Part 1 and 2 directed by James Wallis. speare’s tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of King Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V. Part 1 introduces Henry IV during his unquiet reign of England. His son, Hal, the future King Henry V, is spending all of his time getting drunk in taverns with his low life friend John Falstaff, putting a strain on the relationship between father and son. At the same time, the King is at odds with the Percy family, who are plotting a rebellion against him for failing to ac-

knowledge his debt to them for helping him acquire his thrown.

In Part 2, the rebellion has been defeated but the King is growing ill and Hal, knowing he will have to assume the throne after his father’s death, distances himself from his old friend Falstaff. Part 2 also follows Falstaff, now an army captain, as he travels around the country side recruiting young men to serve in an upcoming battle.

In Part 1, the text is placed at the

forefront. The text drives the narrative, often at the expense of creating clarity in the story telling. The main strength of this part of the shows was derived from its monologues. Every actor delivered a confident performance of the Shakespearian text, most notably Falstaff, played by Samantha Dodds and King Henry IV, played by Emma Ratcliffe, yet many of these moments stood in isolation from the rest of the show. Interpersonal relationships were often left

unestablished, which in turn made the relationship driven aspects of the plot murky.

This, however, was quickly remedied in Part 2, much to the credit of Max Ackerman in the role of Falstaff. Although Ackerman played a messy alcoholic, there was never a sense that he didn’t have full control of the stage. He gave a generous performance, establishing a clear relationship with every character he interacted with, and if the stage was bare, he would turn his connective energy towards the audience, using soliloquies as opportunities to play off the audience. His performance showed, not only a clear grasp of the language, but also a full awareness of the larger story at work.

Scenes between actors Daniel Gravel and Ackerman brought necessary chemistry and levity to the show. As Justice Shallow, Daniel Gravelle gave a nuanced performance, bringing magnetism and zing to an easily dismissible role. His shifts between conservativism and humour were tied together nicely by the gentle lilt in his voice, which imparted warmth onto his entire performance.

Henry IV continued on page 7

Female ensemble of The Penelopiad shines Amanda Cordner captivates audiences in Hart House Theatre’s production of The Penelopiad SAHIBA SHAH

On Friday evening, Hart House Theatre held the opening production of The Penelopiad, directed by Michelle Langille, and adapted from Margaret Atwood’s novella. The story centers around Penelope, wife of Odysseus, and her twelve maids who were hanged upon Odysseus’s return to Ithaca from Troy, whence a war raged for the beautiful Helen of Troy. In The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood tells Penelope’s side of the story and how she waited twenty years for her husband’s return, how she kept her suitors at bay, how she recruited twelve of the youngest, most beautiful maids to help distract the suitors, and how their mental and physical labour was cruelly disregarded.

Actor Amanda Cordner played the role of Penelope, wearing a golden crown and a blue gown, and delivered her lines with an unmatched confidence, a clear, captivating voice, and an imposing presence that demands attention. A spirit in the underworld, Penelope recounts her early life and her marriage to Odysseus, played by Arielle Zamora who brought humour and conviction to the role. Thirteen actors in total graced the stage,

SCOTT GORMAN/HART HOUSE THEATRE

In The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood tells Penelope’s side of the story. with the twelve maids playing various other roles, switching in and out of costumes throughout the play.

Ellie Posadas played the role of the maid Narcissa as well as the boastful beauty Helen, whose unabashed confidence in her beauty gave the audience quite a few laughs. Even in the underworld, she is a menace to Penelope, whose husband was one of the many people enamoured by Helen’s beauty. In a memorable scene, Penelope points to the audience and accuses Helen of attracting so many admirers even in spirit form. Helen replies, “Desire does not die with a body, only the ability to satisfy it.”

Other notable performers include Rose-Ingrid Benjamin, who plays the role of Kerthia and doubles as the Oracle. During one of the many songs sung by the maids, Benjamin sings a few solo lines in an absolutely stunning, melodic, goosebump-inducing voice that shines in a league of its own. Actor Kyra Weichert plays various roles, including Telemachus, the son of Penelope and Odysseus. Her portrayal of the weak-willed, gullible Telemachus was compelling, and often humourous.

The twelve maids, insultingly dubbed “the dirty girls,” suffer taunts

by Telemachus and abuse from the

suitors, enduring it in loyalty to their queen Penelope. A memorable scene depicts the maids lying on the floor next to each other, crying out in sparse breaths as their bodies get ravaged. They help Penelope weave a shroud for Laertes, Penelope’s fatherin-law, holding ropes in hand, stitching them as threads, “weaving, grieving.” The audience is reminded of this scene, of the maids’ labour, when in the final act, they are handed ropes upon Odysseus’s return. Penelope is locked away in her room, given a sleeping draught, unable to attest to the maids’ service to her. Sobbing, the maids tie ropes into nooses and as

they tighten them around their necks, lights flash at the audience, blinding us as the deed is done. In the next scene, the maids sway lifeless from the ropes.

A recurring image of the maids with their hands over their mouths remains with the audience, the image of silenced women, in history and now. In the underworld, in Penelope’s mind, they torment her with their screams. They shout, “We had no voice / we had no name / we had no choice / we had one face / one face the same / we took the blame...”

In one of the last scenes, the maids hold a trial for Odysseus in the underworld. Yet they do not get justice.

Still, they are tormented, haunted by their abuse in the mortal world. Still, Penelope drowns in guilt. She delivers a soliloquy at the end. She is alone as the spirits of the maids run from her.

“Run isn’t quite accurate,” says Penelope. “Their legs don’t move. Their still-twitching feet don’t touch the ground.” The play ends as the maids sway in the background, hanging from their nooses, perpetual shadows that haunt Penelope, leaving a poignant impression upon the audience.

The Penelopiad will run at Hart House Theatre until November 24.

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EDSS talks female leads & re-invention The cast and crew of the English and Drama Student Society’s revival of Trifles discuss their goals KEENA ALWAHAIDI ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR

The English and Drama Student Society is dishing up feminism and an unorthodox re-telling of Susan Glaspell’s Trifles—and you can see it all on campus this weekend. I sit down with Muhaddisah Batool, art director of Trifles, who tells me that her idea to re-stage the play came from an assignment she had to complete for Jacob Gallagher-Ross’s class, Contemporary and Modern Theatre and Drama. The idea for the project was to take a play and showcase how it would be staged today, so that it produces the same “shock value” that it would have in the same year that play was staged.

When thinking about the content of the play and how she would stage it today, she says, “If this is about firstwave feminism and about privileged, cis-gendered, white, able-bodied women and what they need to do to reclaim their space—I figured as hard a pill it is to swallow then—I think now that wouldn’t pack as much as a punch. Now, it’s a matter of catching up people who are systematically marginalized.”

Trifles was originally a 1916 play, focusing on a group of men and women who show up to a murder scene at

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

A photo of Saskia Muller, Chrisitina Orjalo, Daniella Dela Peña, and Bronwyn Kenough (left to right). a house. When the women solve the crime and realize the motive, the men overlook their brilliance because of the simple fact of their femininity.

Director Christina Orjalo tells me that their version touches on the same storyline, but the difference? An all-female cast. “Our version is the same foundation but we took out all the men and put in women, because women don’t get enough chances to get up there. It’s the same circumstances where a wife kills her husband […] the women are mostly all police officers.” She says that their play has

strong themes of “power dynamics, internalized homophobia, and internal sexism.”

With all the work they’ve put into the re-focusing of this show, the cast and crew are mostly excited about what audiences will walk away with.

Daniella Dela Peña, head of wardrobe and assistant director says, “It’s been a really fun process, and I think […] it was great just being able to see what women and women of colour were able to bring to the table. It was just nice to see the widespread of interest in the play itself.”

Saskia Muller, who plays Investigator Garcia in Trifles, echoes the same thought. “It’s been really great working with a team of strong, young people. Joining the project, I didn’t have reservations. I was really excited to explore this in a 21st century lens. Being white, cis-gendered and straight, I realized that I need to recognize my privilege in the room as my character and work with that.”

Muller says that since her character’s fight is to prove herself, she feels that most women today, including herself, have to go through this.

Watching lots of strong male leads on television growing up, Muller says that she’s always felt that she’s needed to top it.

It seems that a lot of the cast and crew may identify with these same notions. Stage manager Bronwyn Keough tells me that through the audition process, actors had to prove how much this discrimination still exists.

“We asked them to come in with a monologue and we had a set of questions for them specifically on whether or not they ever felt discriminated against as a woman, or whatever gender they identified with, and we wanted to get their opinions on how we’re taking on Trifles.”

According to the cast and crew, this show will be entertaining for all, especially if you’re willing to see strong female leads in roles they’ve seldom played in the past. Keough sums it up nicely when she says, “[Audiences] will be seeing a different take on power dynamics within relationships with women, because so often a woman’s role in theatre is determined by her relationship with a man, and that’s absolutely not the case here because there are no men present. It’s just based on their relationships with themselves and their relationships with the women around them.”

EDSS’s production of Trifles will run November 16-17 at the MiST Theatre.

Caught in the plot, no escape from generic Musical performances and Rami Malek’s astounding acting stand out in the Queen biopic WENDELL MACAPAGAL

Bohemian Rhapsody chronicles the life of Freddie Mercury and the rise of his band Queen. The film starts with Mercury’s origins as an immigrant worker at the Heathrow Airport to him becoming both one of the greatest rock stars in music history and a symbol for the AIDS epidemic.

The story is full of the clichés seen in rockstar biopics: the protagonist is the black sheep of the family and joins other misfits to prove everyone wrong. They go on to prove everyone wrong and gain success until the protagonist’s flaws slowly rip the band apart. The protagonist has a moment of self-reflection and reconciles with the group at the end to give a final performance. The hero’s journey template is followed strictly and only the music, the cinematography, and Malek save the film.

Rami Malek holds the film together with his captivating performance as Mercury. Malek shines through the eccentrics of his character and charms the audience. In the film’s darkest hour, Malek’s performance is so poignant and troubled that it makes up for the generic plot. With awards season coming up, Rami will be a strong player this year.

Thanks to the brilliant discog-

PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM

Macapagal says the film is “cinematographically interesting.” raphy of Queen, the music shines as well. While the voice of Freddie Mercury coming from the mouth of Rami Malek is surprising at first, it makes for a good stylistic choice as Rami captivates the audience through his stage presence. As an audience member, the generic plot of the film is overcome with memorable music spread out through the film, as well as stories about how they wrote and recorded each.

The conversation about AIDS and

Mercury being the martyr for the fight is complex. On one hand, you could argue that the film brings the issue to the forefront. No story of Freddie Mercury is complete without mentioning the stigma around gay men and AIDS at the time. Following a character through his journey and it being ended abruptly by this disease is important to bring the conversation around it forward.

The other side of the coin is that the film, in a way, vilifies Mercury’s

sexuality. The problems within the band arise as he falls deeper into sexual exploration and his love of men.

His relationship with his assistant Paul (Allen Leech) is his downfall and the antagonist of the film ends up being Mercury’s own promiscuity.

It’s just when his assistant Paul, walks into Mercury’s home that he decides to turn his life around because of the words of his ex-fiancé Mary (Lucy Boynton).

The film can’t be reviewed without

recapping the drama that surrounded the production of the film. While Bryan Singer is credited as the director, he famously disappeared from the set of the London production just as the #MeToo movement had started to take form. Singer, most famous for his X-Men films, has had a reputation linked to abuse of young, aspiring men in Hollywood. While this floated around for many years without damage to his career, the Weinstein Effect caught up to him.

In addition to these, he’d been reportedly clashing heavily with the crew, the studio, and the star, Rami Malek. Dexter Fletcher directed the rest of the film after Singer’s disappearance, but guild rules fell in favour of Singer receiving credit, and Fletcher receiving a producer’s credit.

Nonetheless, the film still presents a cohesive story and the change in director was not as obviously jarring as some other cases (most notably, Justice League). The film is cinematographically interesting and the musical performance scenes really stand out.

Bohemian Rhapsody is an enjoyable watch, but it is a big shame that the man known for pushing boundaries and funneling new ideas is immortalized with a film that does none of that.

REWIND SRIJAN SAHU

Dog Day Afternoon is a Sidney Lumet melodrama that draws from the true story of an unsuccessful robbery that took place in Brooklyn, 1972. Sonny (Al Pacino), an inexperienced criminal, attempts to rob a bank alongside his partner, Sal (John Cazale). The plan quickly goes awry when a third accomplice gets cold feet and flees two minutes into the heist and a hostage situation develops. The two are trapped in the vault with the bank’s female employees, while a crowd of media and police flock outside.

Most of Lumet’s movies are centered around New York and go on to show the various aspects of the city’s life. This is best displayed by the opening of the film wherein a series of images are shown that set the tone for the rest of the movie. A boat arrives at the harbor. A dog is rummaging for food in the trash. Workers are going to their jobs. People are stuck in traffic on the roads. Kids are playing in the pool. We see the average joe doing average joe things. From the get-go, there is nothing special about the film or the people. It shows only what happened, much like a documentary. It captures the reality of an absurd hostage situation—the masses get involved, the authorities fight over jurisdiction, and the criminals become celebrities. However, there’s no thrill or action you usually come to expect from a heist movie. This really eats into the emotional impact the film could’ve had. Nevertheless, it is still a great movie that engrosses you with its relatable characters and quirky humor.

We find out the real motivation be-

hind Sonny’s actions—he is seeking money for a sex-change operation for his queer partner. He shouts “Attica” to the crowd in response to the Attica Prison incident and the crowd gets behind him, cheering for Sonny. But, when it is revealed that he is queer, they start jeering him.

The robbery receives plenty of media attention, and everyone is looking for an opportunity for immediate stardom. Knowing they’re on TV, hostages comb their hairs. A pizza deliveryman tasked with delivering food to inside the bank stops at the door to wave at the camera and shouts, “I’m a star!” instead of being hysterical about the ensuing situation. The movie is filled with irrelevant absurdity. This is an unfortunate critique of 70’s American landscape, where the crowd sides with the criminals and the hostages identify with their captors. The movie is confined between only two sets: the bank where the robbery takes place and the barber shop across the street where the police have set up shop. The director briefly moves focus, only to show the regular neighborhood streets and a single long shot of the city.

At times, as an audience member, you feel like you’re just along for the ride. You can’t help but feel baffled by some of the things you observe. Like, why does the main character, Sonny, a war veteran, one day wake up and decide to rob a bank? Why does he have such dysfunctional relationships with his wife, lover, and mother? These characters symbolize so much of what is true of the city. In afterthought, the title “Dog Day Afternoon” perfectly summarizes the movie—just a sultry hot day of summer.

11.12.2018 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 7

The king finds his stride

THEATRE ERINDALE/FACEBOOK

Henry IV, Part 1 and 2 runs from November 8 - 18.

Henry IV continued from page 5 The relationship between Hal and King Henry finally came together in their last scene. In their final confrontation, the King, played by Michael Roy Course, is seen, bitterly clinging to life. After initially accusing his son, played by Sarah Abdel Rahman, of not truly loving him, the two engage in an emotionally charged exchange, ending in a tearful reconciliation between

father and son. Both actors deliver a poignant performance, bringing weight to the final moments of the strained relationship, which ultimately brings both shows together.

Henry IV, Part 1 and 2 are lengthy plays, sandwiched in the middle of a long and complicated historical tetralogy. Mounting these stories was no small feat for a debut performance. James Wallis‘ cast rose to the occasion, deliv-

ering extremely technical performances that span over four hours collectively.

If you already appreciate Shakespearian drama and the poetry of the language or have an interest in supporting student actors and are willing to learn alongside them, this is a show for you.

Henry IV, Part 1 and 2 runs at Deerfield Hall Studio Theatre from November 8 – 18.

Jazz night with the Artistic Resource Team The Artistic Resource Team (ART), a residence-based club, hosted an open-mic night last week DELANEY ROMBOUGH

On November 8, the Artistic Resource Team (ART) held a Jazz Night Coffee House. ART is a residence-based club that encourages artistic initiatives among students living in housing on campus. The event welcomed many student staff and first-year students where they were able to show off their artistic talents. There were twenty acts that performed, which included singing, spoken word poetry, and instrumental music.

Many of the performers chose to sing. The night opened with Home Notes, the residence choir, singing their rendition of Leonard Cohen’s, Hallelujah, which was a great way to start the show. Students seemed to enjoy covering Adele songs— Dhanya Ashley covered All I Ask of You and Manda Craig and Juliette Melchor, who are residence staff, covered When We Were Young.

Adele is a difficult singer to cover as she has such a unique voice, but these performers did an excellent job and really made the songs their own.

There were also some great group numbers and duets. One of

DELANEY ROMBOUGH/THE MEDIUM

The Jazz Night Coffee House encouraged artistic initiatives among students living on campus. the most enjoyable performances was Abe Ryker, John Mark Da Re, Emily Muller, and Cole Chalupka rapping “My Shot” from the hit musical Hamilton. Part of what made their performance so fun was the use of the official Hamilton instrumentals, orchestrated by Alex Lacamoire, which were released back in June 2017. The audience really enjoyed this number

and didn’t hesitate to sing along with the backing vocals and harmonies. It wasn’t surprising that one of the duets was Shallow from the recent remake of A Star is Born—with Natalie Sancewicz on the piano and Tym Kardach on the guitar, their voices and the instruments worked really well together.

Gregory Chung, Marcus Bissoon, and Swathi Govindarajan gave two

memorable performances of You and Me by Lifehouse and Sunday Morning by Maroon 5, which was enjoyable because the songs are familiar.

Many singers also brought their guitars up with them, which made the songs seem more personal and allowed performers to put their own twist on the song. Ben Chanowk Jamir played the guitar while

singing an original song, which stood out and was impressive.

Of course, there were other acts aside from singing. Darren Clift played a beautiful and delicate fingerpicking song on his acoustic guitar and earned a well-deserved standing ovation from the audience. Tooni Temowo played a beautiful rendition of Christina Perri’s hit song Thousand Years on the piano. Towards the end of the evening, Michael Kuding played Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 26, Mozart’s second last concerto, on his clarinet along with a piano backing track. It was obvious how much Michael loved this piece and how well he knew the music, which made it special to watch.

The ART created a warm, welcoming space for these performers to come and share their artistic talents with their friends and community. From this event it was clear that there is no lack of artistic talent at UTM. Whether music and art are just casual hobbies or something they’ve been doing seriously for a long time, each of the performers shined and it was wonderful to see them do something they love.

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11.12.2018

The highs & lows of legal cannabis Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah speaks about issues surrounding cannabis prior to, and after, legalization FATIMA ADIL ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR Cannabis, marijuana, pot, or weed.

However you choose to refer to it, the popular recreational drug is now legal in Canada. While opinions range from outrage to elation, there are several implications to consider. This week, The Medium sat down with Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant sociology professor at UTM, to discuss the various aspects surrounding cannabis prior to, and following, legalization.

The first issue examined is the effect of marijuana legalization on young people. In Ontario individuals aged 19 or older can now legally buy, use, possess, or grow marijuana. OwusuBempah emphasizes that “people under the age of 19 are still not legally allowed to possess cannabis,” and that now there are “strengthened laws [with] more punishment for people who traffic cannabis to young people.”

Despite this, there is concern regarding young people who may be likely to sell to other young people.

Youth are also overrepresented in individuals arrested for cannabis possession. Owusu-Bempah explains how “young people have higher rates of use, [are] more likely to be in public, and have a higher rate of contact

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah explains the effects of legalization on young people. with police” as compared to adults.

Aside from teens being “more susceptible to police contact,” the data further suggests that “black and Indigenous people [were] more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white people, even though [it is] know[n] that the groups used the drug in relatively similar rates.”

An interesting fact Owusu-Bempah relates is that “even under drug prohibition, Canadian youth had among the highest rates of cannabis use in the entire world.”

As for individuals who were con-

victed of cannabis possession before legalization, Owusu-Bempah clarifies that “for the most part, people who [were] arrested would not go to prison as [cannabis possession] was not considered that serious of an offence.” Being convicted would have likely resulted in a “non-custodial sentence” which includes probation or community service. The conviction would furthermore appear on the individual’s criminal record and the person would “become known to the police.” Owusu-Bempah says “when [the person was] caught doing

something else wrong, the cannabis possession offence would then reflect negatively and drop them further into the justice system.” This is why Owusu-Bempah used to describe cannabis as a “a gateway drug—not a gateway to harder drug use as is often thought of, but a gateway into the criminal justice system.”

Passionate about “providing amnesty for those who have cannabis convictions,” Owusu-Bempah explains how the “lives of the 500,000 Canadians who have a criminal record for cannabis conviction have

been damaged.” These people “have a harder time finishing their education, securing meaningful employment, securing housing, and also travelling.”

Owusu-Bempah is currently “working to have the government erase [their] criminal records”—as the crime is no longer illegal—and he believes that “we should be making sure that those people are able to get jobs in the legal cannabis industry.” Additionally, he wants “the government [to] put a certain amount of money that they get from cannabis sales taxes back into the communities that were most policed.”

When asked about illegal methods of obtaining marijuana, OwusuBempah provides a realistic answer, “for now, a black market is going to remain.”

For individuals who do not have online methods of payment to purchase cannabis online in Ontario, those who “might not want to wait for their product to arrive in the mail,” or those who “might be skeptical of the government,” they may find previous illegal sources as more convenient or appealing. However, Owusu-Bempah is hopeful that “ultimately, as legalization progresses, more and more [illegal dealers] will be put out of business.”

Exploring human remains identification Dr. Nicole Novroski discusses the Forensic Science department’s new Special Topics 300-level course LIAYANA JONDY ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

The Forensic Science department at UTM will introduce a new Special Topics 300-level course taught by Dr. Nicole Novroski, an assistant professor in UTM’s anthropology and forensic science department. The course, FSC350, will focus on the topic of “Missing Persons DVI and Unidentified Human Remains” and will be held in the second semester of the current academic year.

Novroski, a new faculty member at UTM, came from the Center for Human Identification (CHI) at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in August. Her research interests include how current technologies in forensic biology can help with deconvolution of really complex DNA mixtures (DNA that has more than one person in it), new ways to process biological evidence, and investigating new kits and equipment that would improve how forensic casework labs process samples.

FSC350 will integrate some of

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

The new course, FSC350 will give students the opportunity to study real cases.

Novroski’s research in order to address crucial topics that are relevant in forensic science, but haven’t necessarily been offered to forensic science students as an area of interest.

“My approach as a new faculty member was to explore those untapped interest areas like missing persons and disaster victim identification. I wanted to broaden people’s perspectives in terms of their understanding of such topics,” says Novroski.

Forensic science courses are rather

focused when it comes to certain topics but this new course is intended to be more broad and interdisciplinary so that, as Novroski explains, “students will walk away more aware of what missing persons investigations involve from all areas of the judicial system, from an investigator’s perspective and from a scientist’s perspective. What roles does society play? What roles social media plays?

How the family members can be involved?”

When it comes to missing persons,

disaster victim identification (DVI), and unidentified human remains, there are many forensic disciplines that play a role. Novroski notes, “With this course, we are going to have the RCMP come in, the OPP, the Toronto Police Cold Case Unit, and hopefully expose students and other faculty alike, not only to the resources that are available in Canada and how those resources come together and cooperate, but also how all the forensic disciplines play a role and how forensic biology dips into many of those

different disciplines. So, when you think about entomology, well you can still get DNA from insects and with anthropology, you can tie that back to genetics and ancestry and phenotyping. Basically, going full circle but with a heavy focus on biology in order to highlight the importance of forensic biology in those types of investigations.”

Students taking FSC350 will be given the opportunity to study real cases as the course progresses in order to facilitate considerations of how different disciplines have played roles in those cases. “I think that that will be a great interactive component for students to think about. What else could have been done? What were the obvious signs that were missed?” remarks Novroski. “It’s easy to go back and critique but when you’re in the moment you have people’s emotions, obscure and unreliable eyewitness testimony.

So, there are all these things that factor into cases that make them either more complicated or more difficult to work through at the time.”

Course continued on page 10

11.12.2018 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

A week travelling in Hokkaido, Japan Four undergraduate students learned about Japan’s archeological history during fall reading week JESSICA CABRAL FEATURES EDITOR During the 2018 fall reading week, Dr. Gary Crawford, a professor in UTM’s anthropology department who specializes in archaeological botany and environmental archaeology, ventured to Hokkaido, Japan with four of his undergraduate students, to investigate the beginning of agriculture in Northern Japan. Travelling with students Grace Chan, Casey Lun, Eugene Tolentino, and Stefanija Stojkoska, the group studied the relationship between plants and the Indigenous people of the area, the Ainu, as a part of the ANT399Y Research Opportunity Program. This trip, organized by UTM’s International Education Centre, allowed the students to develop their research skills and their understanding of the archeological history of Japan. Last week, Dr. Crawford and his students sat down with The Medium to discuss their time in Japan.

According to Crawford, the Ainu indigenous community of Northern Japan, are frequently portrayed in literature as “the classic example of hunters and gatherers in the northern forest.” However, this assumption appears to be incorrect. About 30 years ago, Crawford and a research team from Japan discovered that the Ainu were actually a population of farmers, a revelation that drastically changed the understanding of agriculture in Northern Japan.

Currently, Crawford conducts forensic analysis on charred plant remains found at archeological sites and interprets that data to investigate the origins of agriculture and the insights they may provide about humanity’s history. In ANT399, he teaches his four undergraduate research students how to identify plant remains from sites, how to interpret those identifications, and what the implications of doing so are.

When people think of Japan, they may only visualize big cities like Tokyo. Tourists often journey to Japan to see sights in Tokyo, but may only travel up north to visit Hokkaido for ski season, as Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, is a popular ski destina-

tion. Most people, as Crawford notes, may have never heard of the Ainu community at all. This is part of the reason why Crawford decided to bring the anthropology students to this specific location.

“That’s the reason for taking students [to Hokkaido], to show people that it’s a real place, with real people, who have real issues. It’s all about learning about the identity and history of the Ainu people in Northern Japan,” Crawford explains Although Lun and Chan have both visited Japan before, they were interested to see how this experience would differ. “I’ve been to Hokkaido before, but it was more as a tourist,” says Lun, a fourth-year anthropology specialist and forensic science minor.

“The experience is dramatically different [visiting as an academic] rather than visiting a country as a tourist.”

Chan, a third-year forensic anthropology specialist, is interested in working with the justice system and law enforcement, but when she heard about the trip from one of her professors she believed it would be a good experience to “research things that weren’t necessarily connected to [her] specific specialty.”

Stojkoska, a fifth-year majoring in anthropology and minoring in biology and environmental science, says that the trip was “kind of a spur of the moment” decision. “I was interested and captivated by the topic and I have never learned anything about that part of the world and I thought that I’m probably never going to get this opportunity again, it doesn’t hurt to apply,” she says.

A few weeks before the group departed for their trip, Hokkaido made news headlines after a powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake triggered landslides and killed more than 40 people. The entire island of Hokkaido remained without power for two days, as they had to shut down the power supply station that provided citizens with electricity. Crawford explains that the island quickly adjusted and recovered from the devastation, and that when the group visited in October, they couldn’t even tell there had been an earthquake.

Despite the recovery, a small earth-

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY W. CRAWFORD

Crawford wants to show students that Hokkaido is a real place, with real people, and real issues. quake rocked Hokkaido again while Crawford and his students visited the island. Although the group only felt a few minor tremors and the earthquake left no damage, the experience was nerve-racking.

“We were all settling down in our hotel rooms in the evening, and the hotel just started shaking. I grabbed my shoes and reached for my jacket because we needed to get somewhere safe and then it just stopped,” Crawford recalls. “I’ve experienced [earthquakes] before but never in a hotel, on the top floor. You’re thinking how do I get out of here? Where is safe?

Fortunately, it was short one, but you just don’t know whether it’s going to build or settle.”

“That was my first time experiencing an earthquake and I was in the shower,” Tolentino, a fifth-year anthropology specialist, laughs. “I just jumped out and put my robe on.

Nobody was in the hallway, so I just went back in my room and waited for someone to text me.” Chan and Lun laugh as they recall the memory.

Although Stojkoska has experienced earthquakes in the past, this one was a bit of a surprise. She recalls sitting on her bed in the hotel when

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY W. CRAWFORD

Lun says visting as an academic is “dramatically different” than visiting as a tourist.

the bed began to wiggle and shake. “I thought the bed was breaking at first,” Stojkoska laughs.

With the exception of the minor quake, Crawford and the students agree that the trip went smoothly.

Flights, transportation, and luggage arrived on time without any issues.

Reflecting on the experience and flipping through a series of photographs from the trip, Crawford stops at one photo of a sky line illuminated by city lights and credits the undergraduates for being both exceptional and adventurous travel companions.

“The first day we were there I was showing them around the city and we were going to end the day by going up to Mount Moiwa to get a night view of the city. You take this cable car up the mountain, but you had no idea the trouble it took to get that photograph.

This was in the middle of a typhoon, its pouring rain, the wind was whipping our umbrellas inside and out and we’re trying to hold the camera and our umbrellas. What I liked about these students was that nothing fazed them. I told them, ‘look its pouring rain, it’s going to be miserable up there, but I’m willing to take you up there.’ And they said, ‘let’s go, when else are we going to go?’” Crawford laughs. “That’s what was great about the students, they were so flexible and willing to experience whatever was thrown at them, and those are the types of people I like to travel with.”

One highlight in particular stood out to both Crawford and the undergraduate students: the afternoon spent speaking with Ainu elders and discussing the issues the Ainu community in Japan faces today. Crawford explains that the Ainu were colonized by the Japanese and were expected to give up their cultural traditions to seamlessly incorporate their lives into Japanese society. However, similar to other Indigenous communities around the world, the Ainu refused and have been struggling with their identity and their place in Japanese society for hundreds of years.

“We had the chance to meet with one of the [Ainu] elders and hear

from his perspective the challenges that are facing the indigenous people nowadays and what is being done and what can be done in the future,” Chan says.

Accompanied by Professor Takase, Crawford’s research partner in Japan, and three undergraduate students from Hokkaido University, the group managed to fill every day with multiple activities. Each morning, the group would enjoy breakfast made by the hotel and each evening they would venture out to find a local restaurant for dinner, but the schedule in between was completely different every day.

For Stojkoska, she admits that listening to Crawford teach the students about the various plants and pottery they encountered at each museum was one of the most interesting parts of the trip. “To be honest, every day was a spectacular moment in itself.

What I think was most interesting and most engaging was Dr. Crawford and the way he discussed everything.

He’s so knowledgeable and it was an amazing introduction to a new country and a new experience,” she says.

“Because we’re working with plant remains, I wanted to teach them something about the natural history of Hokkaido,” Crawford says, “So while we’re walking through [Japan], we’re identifying plants, we’re looking at what plants grow where to get a sense of the ecology, what’s growing here versus an urban street.”

One day, they met with an Ainu wood carver with an international reputation who had just returned from a trip to London, England, where he had one of his pieces installed in a British museum. On other days, they played with Japanese toys at a museum in Otaru, visited an archeological site on a mountain side in Nishizakiyama, and met a man dressed up as Mario driving a go-kart in downtown Sapporo.

At a salmon fishery, the group learned about how the Japanese grow young salmon to replenish the river supply.

Japan continued on page 10

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THE MEDIUM 11.12.2018

Reviving UTM’s social scene via app Amru Elmassad, a third-year commerce student, hopes to launch his app called “Ferad” in January 2019 nology which is in charge of developing the source code for the app. “I am

SYEDA HASAN

As the end of the semester approaches, students at UTM are working vigorously to meet assignment deadlines, add last minute touches to their group projects, and cram for any remaining midterms. Amru Elmassad, a third-year commerce student, very much falls into these categories. However, while the rest of the student population manages to get in a few hours of sleep after a hectic day of classes, Elmassad stays up to work on a project close to his heart: an app targeted towards university students. The Medium sat down with Elmassad to find out more about his passion project.

The app, titled “Ferad,” is aimed at connecting students on campus so that they are able to fulfill their social and academic needs. When asked why he chose Ferad as the name, Elmassad stated that he wished to pay homage to his Sudanese roots since the word “Ferad” is a Sudanese slang term used to refer to friends or companions.

“I decided to choose this name because whenever people think about this app, I would like them to think of it as a platform that allows people to become close friends, which is essentially the main mission of the app,” Elmassad says.

Elmassad aims to bridge the gap of disconnected-ness between students on campus. “When I was at Wilfred Laurier University, one of my profes-

PHOTO BY DANIAL RICAROS FROM UNSPLASH.COM

The app is due to be finished by the end of the year, and launched by the new year. sors said that if you ever face a problem, think of all the ways that you can solve it and that idea really stuck with me. I noticed that students were really disconnected and I wanted to solve this problem,” states Elmassad.

In order to do this, he has incorporated many unique features within the app to address this issue. For example, students are able to share daily updates about their tasks on the app’s main page. Other students who are carrying out similar tasks, or who are interested in the task mentioned, can then easily reach out to the person who initially posted on the feed, and make friends with them.

“I also implemented a forum feature which will allow students to start discussions with each other. Let’s say a student requires advice on switch-

ing programs, he or she can post their queries on the forum and then other students can provide advice on how that person should proceed,” says Elmassad Another aspect is the “events” feature which allows students to post about any academic or social events taking place both on and off-campus.

“Clubs and societies at universities can also post about their events to attract more students,” states Elmassad.

Elmassad has also included five different groups beforehand so that users can easily get into the flow of socializing on the app. The first group allows students to form study teams based on mutual courses or academic interests. Students can coordinate when to meet up for study sessions or just post general questions regarding

an upcoming project or midterm.

The second group is aimed at informing students about any parties taking place on campus, or nearby.

According to Elmassad, “the third group is dedicated towards allowing students to post comic strips or memes. I got the idea from a Facebook group that I saw.”

The fourth group is for students who wish to save time spent on commuting by carpooling. The final group is called “Meet Me” and allows students to meet up with other students on campus whenever they’re free, or have nothing else to do.

On being asked if this was a joint venture or a sole project, Elmassad states that he is the only one working on the app, however he has partnered with an agency called Oodles Tech-

only providing the content; they are in charge of the programming. However, after the app is developed, I’ll be taking over and will be in charge of carrying out updates and fixing any bugs.”

Elmassad has also received a lot of support from his family. “My sister has also developed an app previously and my brother is doing his Ph.D. in programming in New York, so they tend to help me out often”. The latenight chat sessions with his sister are Elmassad’s favorite part of creating the app.

A prominent issue that Elmassad may face is the fact that there are many major competitors in the market so he has to really work to promote his app amongst the student population. “I am mainly relying on social media platforms and news agencies to get my word across. While the app has costed me $2,750 for development, I also have to spend an additional $1000 for advertising” states Elmassad.

Since the app will be catered towards multiple universities in Canada, it only makes sense that a strong marketing campaign accompanies it.

The app development is due to be finished by December 14th, and Elmassad hopes to launch it for public use by January 2019. “If the response in Canada is good, I want to make the app available for students in Sudan as well,” concludes Elmassad.

The Ainu experience in Japan Missing person cases Japan continued from page 9 The team each got a cup of water with a small salmon, and then released the fish into the river.

“I can’t even count the number of museums we visited,” remarks Crawford. “I wanted to show them how prominent archeology is in the public eye. Archeology is part of every board of education. The archeologists in the town are employed by the board of education, so they actually teach kids and run museums where they highlight the major discoveries in the town, we don’t do that here, the question is why the difference?”

One evening, Professor Takase took the group to a Japanese restaurant called an Izakaya, a Japanese version of a British pub. At the restaurant, guests sit on the floor and dine on traditional Japanese dishes. Some memorable dishes for the group included raw horse meat, wasabi root, tofu, and fried chicken. “For me it was a highlight because we got to try something we would have never otherwise tried. It’s not a place where a lot of visitors would ever go,” says Crawford.

“It was quite intimate and I liked it. You get to know people in a different way,” Lun says. Chan agrees, saying that dining together “was really special” because the students got to sit and enjoy a casual meal with their professor.

Aside from continuing their work

in the lab, the five travellers plan to regularly try a different Japanese restaurant in the area to see if any can match their experiences in Japan.

“Eugene actually heard of an Izakaya in Toronto and he went there recently and he said it was really quite authentic,” Crawford laughs.

In the immediate future, Crawford hopes to share this experience with Cat Criger, UTM’s Indigenous Advisor, to compare the experiences of the Indigenous community in Canada with the experiences of the Ainu in Hokkaido. “Parallel experiences are crucial,” Crawford says.

The group spent an afternoon speaking with Ainu elders and discussing the issues the Ainu community faces today.

Tolentino, Chan, and Lun hope to embark on a reunion trip in 2020, when Hokkaido opens up a new Ainu museum. “Hopefully it comes true,” Tolentino says.

For their fellow students who may be hesitant to travel abroad, the students each offer different words of advice. “I would say that if you even slightly want to go, then you should definitely go for it. It’s the kind of opportunity that won’t happen again and you get to see these places through the eyes of your professor which is a

really special experience, it’s a once in a life time thing,” says Chan.

Lun and Tolentino agree. “You will regret not going, but you won’t regret going,” Lun states. “It’s a very different way of learning. I think I learned more and actually retained what I learned in that one week because you’re not just reading about it; you’re living it for that period of time. If you have the opportunity to do something like this, you should always try as hard as you can to take it.” Tolentino suggests talking to other students, professors, and the UTM International Education Centre for personal and financial support.

Stojkoska recommends that students “see each moment as an opportunity” and that every student should take the chance to travel somewhere if they’ve never been to that part of the world before.

When asked why it’s important to bring students to places like Hokkaido, Japan, Chan says, “Historically, the reason we’re doing this research is to highlight the fact that the people in this northern island are advanced and a lot of times they’ve been marginalized in the past. We’re here looking at their agriculture and trying to see what really happened in the past and that’s kind of how we’re using the past to reverse stereotypes that still affect people in the present. So, I think it’s really important to show people that there’s more to Japan than just Tokyo.”

Course continued from page 8

The course will give students the opportunity to go through the missing persons database so that they can see what kinds of information are available, what kinds of information are provided by the family, whether DNA evidence was provided and, if so, what kind. They’ll also consider what kinds of roles companies like “23andme” and “Ancestry.com” play when it comes to solving missing persons cases.

“My approach as a new faculty member was to explore those untapped interest areas like missing persons and [DVI].”

- Novroski Students will learn from guest speakers about what initially happens at the beginning of a missing persons investigation, as well as the role that dogs play in the investigation, entomology, soil samples, the DNA databases, the genealogy databases, the anthropologist, and the archaeologists.

“I really want students to see that regardless of their area of interest in science, that it can all tie into a missing persons investigation. It’s not

uniformly a forensic biology specific type of investigation; you’re not just doing DNA. There are so many other pieces and there are so many sociological pieces that are associated with it as well,” explains Novroski.

Due to missing persons cases being multi-faceted, involving individuals from a variety of disciplines, the course will cover a variety of areas relating to the roles that each individual plays in solving missing persons cases, whether it be police dogs, investigators, medical examiners, or bomb technicians, and even the sociological impact of these cases: “It’s a multi-faceted system and there are many people involved. The forensic biologist plays an important but small role in the grand scheme of that.”

Students won’t necessarily be assessed on their ability to “memorize facts so much as taking away larger lessons or larger pieces of information,” notes Novroski.

“Healthy discussion regarding cases that have a lot of players will be more useful than just learning about the mitochondrial DNA comparisons between reference profile and potential missing persons. These are all just key pieces of information regarding missing persons investigations and about where we’ve come from [and] where we’ve started. It’s a conversation that needs to be had and we just haven’t had it here yet.”

11.12.2018

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Nguyen: the philosophical weightlifter Jess Nguyen admits that a week before competition, he limits his social contact as much as possible VANESSA CESARIO SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

Jess Nguyen, a third-year student studying political science and philosophy, found his passion for weightlifting through a teacher at his high school. “I initially started going to the gym in grade 12 and that’s because one of the teachers at the school was a professional body builder… before he got old,” Nguyen jokes. “After a while I started powerlifting, just for fun and when I hit my first-year university, I ended up becoming exposed to weightlifting through videos on YouTube,” he continues.

In Nguyen’s second year of university he met Darren Turner, coach of the Olympic Weightlifting team.

The two scheduled a meet up where Turner could assess him and after that, Nguyen pretty much fell in love with the sport. “Personally, I was never really athletic when I was younger, but this is like a really good way to express my athleticism,” he says. He admits that he used to be a lot skinnier and always the last one picked on sports teams.

Nguyen has competed in three competitions where his most recent one, roughly two or three weeks ago, he placed second overall—an in-

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Nguyen explains that breathing is one of the main things that helps him stay focused. credible accomplishment for someone only in their second year of the sport. However, what is most admirable is Nguyen’s sheer focus from a week before competition and leading all the way up to his moment on the platform. “The week of competition I don’t talk to anyone,” he says. Other than maybe his parents and Turner, he tries to limit contact with people as much as possible as a way of staying

focused. Nguyen also enjoys using the sauna before competitions as he finds it mentally clears him.

When asked how he is able to maintain such focus, Nguyen explains that it really is a mental sport more than anything. “You just kind of have to clear your mind and tell yourself that you’re going to be in front of a lot of people, lifting heavy weight and you only get three chances to do it,”

he says. “I think it’s more important to have the vision of how you think you’ll compete. So, before you compete, you don’t envision failure. When you compete, you envision your success and how you’re going to do it.”

Nguyen compares it to the same as being an actor or entertainer on stage performing, except that you’re doing something physically active.

When on the platform about to

perform his lift, Nguyen explains that breathing is one of the main things that helps him stay focused.

“You don’t think about what could go wrong. You don’t think about how you’re going to do something. If you have a really good ‘why’, that can bear any ‘how’,” he says. “You think of yourself then, and the moment, and then what comes after.” He compares this as being similar to basketball players when they step up to a free throw line, they are so focused on the game that nothing else around them matters.

At weightlifting competitions, there are two lifts that athletes are to complete—the “snatch” and the “clean and jerk.” “I think my specialty is the clean and jerk,” Nguyen says.

Although, he does admit that it is difficult to have a favourite because the lifts are quite similar, and really just differ in their technique. “If anything, the clean and jerk is something that you can put more weight on,” he says.

“But the snatch […] takes more technicality.” His current personal best for the snatch is 90 kilos, or 198 pounds, and for the clean and jerk it’s 105 kilos, or 236 pounds. Weighing in at 70 kilos, or 154 pounds, Nguyen is on his way to almost lifting half of his body weight.

Nguyen continued on page 12

UTM falls short against the Sheridan Bruins The men’s varsity basketball team lost their fourth game of the season against Sheridan College SARAH-MAY OLDFIELD

This past Saturday, November 10th, our men’s varsity basketball team took on the fourth ranked team in the OCAA West conference: the Sheridan Bruins. In a fast-paced, physical game in which our Eagles fought from start to finish, they fell 89 to 110.

You could feel the tension in the atmosphere, from warmup, to the seconds just before opening tip. Despite facing a juggernaut in the OCAA, our Eagles held their own, keeping up with the high-paced game set by their opponents while also keeping within striking distance of them.

Our Eagles racked up fouls early in the game, sending the Bruins to the foul line with over five minutes left to play in the first quarter. After a sluggish start, UTM opened the second quarter with improved focus and intensity. They continued to fight and keep pace, cutting a ten-point Sheridan lead to single digits near the end of the first half. But fouls by UTM continued to impede their progress against the Bruins, once again sending Sheridan to the foul line in penalty.

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Khan believes the score isn’t a fair reflection of how hard they played.

The Eagles began the second half with much of the same intensity they started the second. In the middle of the third quarter, UTM’s Zamam Khan, hits a three-pointer from the corner and is fouled in the act. He completes the four-point play giving his team a boost in momentum. Back

to back threes by Kyle Krist, and then

by Nicholas Kwantwi, put UTM within five points of the Bruins. Full-court pressure defence by Sheridan forced UTM into sloppy passes, and flustered transition defence, which put the Bruins back up by double-digits to the final quarter.

Although UTM kept Sheridan from running away with the game for the first three quarters, and half way into the fourth, they were unable to contain the onslaught of fast-break points made by Sheridan. Our Eagles made one final push, but they were unable to stop the bleeding once it

had started.

“I don’t think we had that hot a start,” says Khan, who had 21 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and made 4 three-pointers before fouling out of the game. “I feel like if we didn’t let them get to such a good start, it would’ve been a lot closer towards the end.”

Men’s varsity Head Coach, Nkosi Adams, says the goal now is to focus on putting together a more complete game. “Right now we have spurts where we play well, and then we have lapses,” says Adams. He says it’s the little things his team needs to work on. Little things like foul shots and layups. “It takes everything out of you when you’re coming back and you’re missing an easy layup or an easy shot.

But it’s a work in progress.”

Despite the lack of consistency, Khan doesn’t believe the final score tells the whole story. “They may have beat us by 20, but it’s not a fair reflection of how hard we played,” Khan says.

UTM now falls 2-4 in the season.

They look to bounce back with a win next Sunday, November 18th on the road against the Conestoga Condors.

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THE MEDIUM 11.12.2018

Eagles run at nationals

Stay focused, keep breathing, and lift

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Nguyen seems to have mastered strong mental focus participating in the individual sport.

Nguyen continued from page 11

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This weekend marked Heino and Malik’s 4th run at Nationals.

VANESSA CESARIO SPORTS AND HEALTH EDITOR This past weekend, November 9-10, Sophie Glanz, Kale Heino, and Haseeb Malik from UTM’s cross country team competed at the CCAA Nationals.

Although the weather was cold and

snowy, Glanz still managed to place 14th in her 6-kilometer race with a time of 24:55. This was her second appearance at Nationals.

This weekend marked Heino and Malik’s fourth consecutive appearance at Nationals. The two men ran an 8-kilometer race with Heino running a time of 29:49 and Malik running a time of 32:19.

The Olympic Weightlifting team trains three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for 2-3 hours at a time. Sometimes Nguyen will also train on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday to “bodybuild, have fun and just relax.” Olympic Weightlifting is an individual sport and when he’s training in the High Performance Centre (HPC), Nguyen states, “I’m always competing against everyone else because even though they’re my friends, when you go to train, you’re there primarily for yourself.” He continues, “at the end of the day, when you’re training, you’re training for one person and that is to become the person you want to be. And I think

that weightlifting or any physical activity is like a step towards that.”

A very philosophical Nguyen admits that much of his inspiration came from both Turner and the Christian faith. “I think that after living for a while, even though I’m still young, everyone always gets to those low points in life where they feel like they can’t do much and they feel that there’s no way out. But there’s always this vision that you have inside of your head that’s like a light,” he says.

“It kind of just tells you to keep going and to not stop. It sort of serves as a reminder to not give up.”

Nguyen sees weightlifting as both his “aggressive” and “creative” outlet. “When you have a sport like this, […] you have to pay attention to the

details because even the slightest centimeter off of the bar coming out in front of you, could mess up your lift and you have to drop and you won’t get it,” he says. “It’s like the attention to detail—it’s what you can place your focus on and I think that’s good. Details are important.”

Before entering university, Nguyen was definitely not expecting to be part of the Olympic Weightlifting team.

Although he doesn’t believe it was solely because of university that he discovered this sport, he believes this is just where his life decided to direct him. Seeing as Olympic Weightlifting is an individual sport, having strong mental focus is key—an art that Nguyen seems to have mastered.

Eagles winning streak officially broken The women’s varsity basketball team’s record now rests at 4-2-0 after second loss this weekend AMRISH WAGLE ASSOCIATE S&H EDITOR The Sheridan Bruins paid UTM a visit for a varsity women’s basketball game, this past Saturday, November 10 at the RAWC’s Gym A/B. The Eagles have had four wins and one loss so far in the season. Unfortunately, this week they suffered another fatal blow by the Sheridan Bruins in a lively match, making their record 4-2-0.

With UTM’s first time playing Sheridan this season, the Bruins revealed exactly what they’re made of and it was an impressive showing.

In short, their players radiated skill and experience. Most of the team exhibited a remarkable level of control and speed with the ball. Even more striking was the team communication. Each shift of 5 moved as one with a distinct rapport visible in their passes. Whereas each Eagle mostly stuck to proximal and short passes, the Bruins knew each other almost as well as they knew themselves. Another clear indicator of this was their sharp and efficient plays on court.

Such a strength can only be explained by a profusion of experience. It was enough to push the Eagles’ skill to their limits for the entirety of the game.

In the first quarter, the Bruins

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Sheridan Bruins defeat UTM Eagles 73-52. maintained possession of the ball for the majority of the time, whereas the Eagles were acclimating to the speed of the game. As such, the Eagles could take the ball to the paint but struggled getting a clear targeted shot at the basket. The first shot of the game was a free throw made by Sheridan’s, Theresa Brown. In fact, the Eagles were on a roll for half the quarter, peaking

at 11-1, until the Bruins sped right back up, to tip the scales and finishing ahead in the quarter with a 3-pointer at 20-13.

The second quarter started off with UTM’s Priyanka Mehla, making a stunning fake on two players to get a layup. This quarter was also defined by defensive development. The Eagles attempted to maintain a staunch

man-to-man defence and break up the Bruins’ teamwork. Pinar Armagan scored a layup and few-throw, whereas Jade Addai, Mehla and Victoria Silva scored two points each, with Silva’s 3 being the last point of the quarter for UTM. However, Sheridan demonstrated tremendous gusto with a steady increase in aggressive defence and offence to widen the gap

in the score and finish ahead yet again at 38-23.

For the third quarter Addai, Silva and Armagan managed to get all 12 points for UTM. The Eagles kept possession of the ball for most of the time but their game was marked by sloppiness, with a lack of follow through for each shot. The Bruins were slowed way down this quarter and only after a timeout halfway in for a pep-talk, did they start to catch up and finish strong at 55-35.

The last quarter was almost palpable with both sides releasing all restraints to give it their all and drive the points as high as they can. The Bruins were losing their tight grip on defence and a much larger ratio of the Eagles’ shots was going in. For this quarter, Addai delivered an impressive performance, scoring more than half the team’s points. The game ended here with the Bruins seizing the day at 7352. As a whole, Addai scored a whopping 19 points, Armagan scored 13, Silva 11 and Jiana Alnajjar and Mehla scoring 4 and 5 respectively. The Eagles are making a trip to Conestoga College for another match against the Condors, scheduled next week on November 8. They’ve won their first four league games and this will be yet another opportunity for them to regain a winning streak.