The Strand | Vol. 66, Issue 4

the

STRAND VICTORIA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER VOLUME 66, ISSUE 4 | 11 OCTOBER 2023

Transgenerational imprints: The legacy of trauma and stress

Major renovations set to occur on campus

SCIENCE | PAGE 10

Scarlet, gold, and the thin blue line

NEWS | PAGE 03

FEATURES | PAGE 08

02 NEWS

EDITOR | ZINDZISWA MALANCA NEWS@THESTRAND.CA

Remembering Ryerson Victoria University undergoes year-long art exhibition as it decides what to do with the former college President’s portrait MICHAEL ELSAESSER FEATURES EDITOR

Content Warning: Mentions of residential schools On September 29 2023, a day before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Victoria University held an event to launch its new project, Reflections on Art & History at Victoria University. At the event, community members heard from President Rhonda McEwen, Professor Jonathan HamiltonDiabo, and former Vic student Riley Yesno about the experiences of Indigenous students and held discussions about reconciliation.

PHOTO | SARA QADOUMI

The Reflections on Art & History at Victoria University project will involve the display of art made by Indigenous and Black students.

Alongside that initiative, the centre point of discussion at the event, and with the yearlong project, was the unveiling of the Egerton Ryerson portrait frame. The frame was rehung in the foyer of Old Vic with the tearing away of a cover by President McEwen as the university’s press team captured photos. Next to the frame rests an educational statement about Ryerson’s legacy and a QR code for students to send feedback on the project. This feedback will then be compiled by Victoria University and presented to the President’s Indigenous Advisory Circle (IAC), which codeveloped the project. Following discussions regarding the feedback, Victoria University and the IAC will decide what to do about the Ryerson portrait this upcoming April.

in 1836” and was appointed as the university’s first Principal. However, he also “proposed residential schools which would be overseen by the Indian Department but run by church denominations, which would be predicated upon Christianization, and which would train students to become agricultural labourers.”

This project, and discussions of Ryerson’s portrait, has led to many conversations on campus. Maximus Caron, Co-Manager of the Caffiends student cafe, which is next to the returned Ryerson portrait frame, told The Strand, “I’m a bit confused as to why the university feels the need to not make a clear statement against racism and the man who helped found the residential school system. The lack of communication and uncertainty about the permanence of the removal of Ryerson tells me as a student the university doesn’t necessarily care, but rather is temporarily saving face. Just because he was a founder of Vic does not mean we have to embrace or accept him by any means.” In a public statement, President McEwen said, “Instead of hiding our history, we are choosing to have a dialogue with it. Students, faculty, librarians, staff and community members are invited to learn, challenge, and consider how we present and engage with our history.”

The portrait of Egerton Ryerson was taken down in June 2021 due to security concerns over the pandemic, along with other artwork.

In March 2021, the Victoria University Research Panel on the Legacy of Egerton Ryerson claimed that community members must not forget Ryerson or his role and instead learn more about his legacy. Around the same time, the Presidential Report on the Legacy of Egerton Ryerson was released, which noted that Victoria University will soon begin calls for Ryerson is intricately linked to Vic’s founding, student artwork, which will be mounted in the as he “was responsible for negotiating the royal Old Vic foyer alongside the portrait frame. charter that officially established the Academy

Victoria University undergoes process of renegotiating federation agreement All three federated colleges are working with the central university to determine the parameters of their relationships moving forward MICHAEL ELSAESSER FEATURES EDITOR

Victoria University, along with the other two federated colleges, Trinity and St. Michael’s, have begun the process of renegotiating their federation agreement with the University of Toronto. This agreement was last updated in 2008, and it acts as a foundational document to guide relations between the educational institutions. The practical aspects of each of the federated college’s relationships and funding agreements are outlined in their operating agreements, which will be reviewed following the discussions around the federation agreement.

Exact details of the ongoing renegotiations are privy to confidentiality, but in a statement to The Strand, Victoria University stated, “Through good faith and a shared commitment to our

students, negotiations are currently proceeding to update the agreement.” The statement continued by explaining that the agreement allows Victoria University to admit “UofT students into our colleges, deliver courses, independently manage our assets including our buildings, and have our own faculty and staff.

Our close collaboration and shared priorities with UofT are focused on best serving our students, who have the benefit of being part of both UofT and Victoria University. This includes rigorous academic programming that prepares our students for a complex and quickly evolving world, innovative curriculum development and funding based on space allocation and student census, as well as academic, co-curricular, wellness, and social resources.”

Radbord stated that this renegotiation “has the potential for a big to really change and change in ways that are really positive...it’s really important for students to be involved in the process because it’s not only going to affect our class but also generations of students to come. So things like meal plans, residence accommodations, academic support, all of these need to be at the forefront...I think that the current situation is untenable. When you look at how much students are paying to eat and to live. I think that we need something to change, and I think that this can be the start of that process ...We deserve the low fees, the sufficient financial aid, the things that will allow students to attend, no matter the economic circumstances of the family they were born into. So I think that needs to be at the core of what administrators advocate, and In an interview with The Strand, VUSAC that’s what we’ll be pushing for.”

Vice-President External Cameron Miranda-

NEWS 03

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 1 NOVEMBER 2023

EDI Working Group re-established at Victoria College Principal’s Office continues efforts to improve Victoria College academic programs work is that the Victoria College website now describes the EDI activities of each of its six Staff, faculty, and students have high academic departments, allowing the sharing of expectations for this year’s iteration of the Working The Working Group on Equity, Diversity, and crucial information and progress with the wider Group. In an email statement, Grase Kim, Inclusion (EDI) in Victoria College Academic community.

Director of Administration for the Office of the Programs is returning for another year. Established Principal and a co-facilitator of the working group in Fall 2022 following a meeting between members The initial progress made by the Working stated, “This year, we hope to continue to provide of VUSAC, The Strand, and Victoria University Group was well-received by members of the students with an opportunity to communicate administrators about implementing curriculum Victoria College community. In an email their experiences,” noting that “Their input can reviews, the Working Group met from January to interview, Victoria College Principal Angela also help enhance Victoria College academic April 2023 and included 12 student representatives Esterhammer, who chaired the Working Group programming in the future.” On the other hand, from Victoria College programs, Vic One, and in its inaugural year, stated, “I would say that Diana suggests that the Working Group still has VUSAC. from [the] outset this Working Group has been “a lot of work to do, and...would love if [it] served intentionally very student-focused, and last year as a starting point for including student voices on In its first year, the Working Group covered it was a really valuable opportunity to listen to EDI initiatives across campus life.” a vast array of questions and topics. In addition students’ lived experiences and their ideas about to reflecting on what EDI looks like in Vic how to approach [EDIA] in academic programs.”

The EDI Working Group is accepting programs, as well as what it means to “decolonise” Furthermore, VUSAC Equity Commissioner and applications from students in Victoria College curriculum, the group discussed accessibility, former Working Group member Diana Vink says programs and former Vic One students until inclusive pedagogies and forms of assessment, and that it is exciting for its “potential to expand [and] November 6. representing diverse backgrounds and perspectives encourage EDI initiatives in other aspects of Vic among faculty and their teaching materials. life.” While narrowly focused on academics, they Shane Joy is a Co-Chair of the Working Group on Critically, the Working Group also considered believe “there are similar conversations that need to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Victoria College how to translate discussion into action. While happen in regards to Vic’s housing, extracurricular Academic Programs. still in development, an outcome of the group’s life, and accessibility of student spaces.”

SHANE JOY CONTRIBUTOR

Major renovations set to occur on campus BoR votes to approve new capital projects at the Goldring Student Centre and E.J. Pratt Library SHANE JOY CONTRIBUTOR

On October 12, 2023, the Victoria University Board of Regents (BoR) voted to approve major renovations at the Goldring Student Centre (GSC) and E.J. Pratt Library.

The principal capital project set to take place at the E.J. Pratt Library is a roof replacement. After years of wear and tear, the protection provided by the rooftop has reached the end of its useful lifespan. Due to inflation, increased labour costs, and global supply chain complications, the project is budgeted at around one million dollars, including contingency and taxes, which is higher than the original estimate prepared in 2021/22. While expensive, further deferral of the renovations will reportedly pose risks to the continuity of operations in the building and cause water damage, potentially to the library contents.

The renovations set to occur at the GSC fulfil the long-standing vision outlined by Victoria University in the Ten-Year Capital Plan and FiveYear Strategic Framework. To establish a single location where students can go to access the services they use most, the Office of Alumni Affairs & Advancement (currently on the third floor) will move to accommodate the Office of the Registrar and Academic Advising, which is expected to occupy the second and third floors of the building’s east wing. This shift requires the construction of new office spaces on the second floor, activating incomplete shell space in the Regents’ Foyer, and other minor modifications to the first and third floors. The Office of the Dean of Students will remain on the first floor. With a completion date of July 2024, the anticipated project cost is approximately $1.5 million, a significant reduction compared to the Board’s initial estimate.

Victoria University administrators suggest that the recently approved renovations will be

beneficial for students. In an email interview, Victoria University President Rhonda McEwen stated, “While the Goldring Student Centre has the word ‘student’ baked into its name, the reality is that every building and outdoor space on our campus is in service of Vic U students...

The changes in the Goldring Student Centre will consolidate the spaces for the Office of the Dean of Students, the Office of the Registrar and Academic Advising and the Writing Centre under one roof.

This colocation offers students a one-stop approach to accessing resources, such as academic advising, mental health and wellness resources and writing support. We are taking an expansive approach to student services, ensuring easier access to studentfocused resources.”

On the other hand, students express concerns about the upcoming renovations. In a request for comment, second-year student representative on the BoR Amy Mann stated, “I think the E.J. Pratt roof fix is great and is important for upkeeping student spaces. On the other hand, $1.5 million is a lot to spend to add more office spaces for administrators.

The ballooning cost of administration is a big problem across the university, and we should be concerned if administrative spaces start to replace student spaces.”

Shane Joy is a member of the BoR as the VUSAC President.

PHOTO | ULTRAVIRES

04 EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | SHELLEY YAO EDITOR@THESTRAND.CA

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The Strand has been the newspaper of record for Victoria University since 1953. It is published 12 times a year with a circulation of 800 and is distributed in Victoria University buildings and across the University of Toronto’s St. George campus.

The Strand flagrantly enjoys its editorial autonomy and is committed to acting as an agent of constructive social change. As such, we will not publish material deemed to exhibit racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or other oppressive language.

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SHELLEY YAO & ANYA SHEN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & POETRY EDITOR

OPINIONS 05

EDITOR | STEPH GYIMAH OPINIONS@THESTRAND.CA

Historical memory and the necessity of remembrance The efforts of Latin American societies to remember periods of internal conflict speak to the region’s desire for national conciliation MANUELA MORA CASTILLO CONTRIBUTER

On September 18, 1985, Dr Julio César Strassera stood in front of an Argentinian courtroom and delivered a heartfelt speech on the horrors of the country’s military dictatorship. Acting as the Chief Prosecutor against Jorge Rafael Videla and his advisory cabinet in the famous Trial of the Juntas, Strassera uttered the words that have, since then, been embedded in Argentinian history: “I wish to use a phrase that is not my own because it already belongs to all the Argentine people. Your Honours: Never again.” As the room erupted into applause, the sentiments of memory, non-repetition, and truth clarification became mantras for years to come, both in the country and the region as a whole. What Strassera did in that trial, beyond pursuing the judicialisation of a former head of state in a civil court, cemented Latin America’s mission to reckon with its own violent past.

From Guatemala’s civil war to Chile’s military dictatorship to Colombia’s internal conflict, Latin America is a turbulent territory. By the end of the nineteenth century, the region’s most prevalent regime types were military dictatorships and civilian oligarchies, which inevitably created the sociopolitical basis for the struggles that arose in the following years. Today (in

spite of rapidly decreasing statistics), Latin American countries account for a third of all murders in the world. The continuous presence of criminal groups has aggravated existing humanitarian emergencies. It comes as no surprise then that the region’s violent image has shaped the discourse around its developmental struggles, prompting the Global North to ignore how these societies, battered by waves of conflict, have embraced their violent history in the pursuit of nonrepetition.

Known in academia as “historical memory,” the politics of remembrance

emphasises the necessity to recognise national instances of violence. For the most part, it seeks to aid the victims, persecute the perpetrators, and clarify the truth through an attempt to achieve national reconciliation.

Nevertheless, in my view, it speaks to so much more than that. Historical memory necessitates a society’s collective reckoning with its national past, as demonstrated

by Chile’s Museum of National Memory and Human Rights, Colombia’s Centre for Historical Memory, and Argentina’s National Memory Archive. Thus, reducing remembrance to the acknowledgement of injustices is insufficient, for historical memory only transcends time when it is constantly and justly commemorated. It must be able to breach the realm of political discussion and become part of a common national understanding by occupying physical and academic spaces. For example, Chile has dedicated an entire museum to documenting the atrocities of Pinochet’s regime, ensuring that memory surpasses the theoretical sphere in favour of occupying physical space. By allocating a portion of the city to depict a turbulent part of the country’s history, Chileans who walk past the museum will be confronted, even unconsciously, with the need to remember.

Similarly, the Colombian and Argentine archives ensure that memory permeates every aspect of academia as historiography PHOTO | ARCHIVO HASENBERG-QUARETTI

political act. The past should be thoroughly studied and rightfully understood since future generations must be taught what happened, even if they are awful memories.

The nation’s tenets and the establishment of its future path lie in the recognition of history, however brutal and unappealing it may be. In a way, a nation without its history is nonexistent, and we must not hide under the façade of perfectionism—every country has its own previous troubles and is responsible for avoiding raising ignorant civilians. After all, every member of a given political community has been affected, in one way or another, by its past, and not everyone has the luxury of dismissing it.

It is because of this that memory— in its very essence—is political. Those who control, erase, and direct a collective understanding of violence dictate who deserves to be mourned and who does not, as history and its consequences are altered to fit personal narratives. There is nothing more dangerous than people who refuse to reckon with their national past since they wield the power to eradicate the pain of those who have no choice but to dwell on theirs.

If this were centred on Chile, Argentina, or Colombia, the denial of historical memory signifies the dismissal of thousands upon thousands of internal victims in favour of a fabricated narrative. What is worse, this negation is a despicable insult to those who shared their suffering at the hands of the perpetrator—be this the state, an armed group, or systemic injustice—and to those who are no longer able to complain.

Therefore, this is an invitation to do with histories of violence what Latin America has attempted to do with theirs, etching into memory all its painful details.

Historical memory is not about glorifying violence but about approaching it with the respect and solemnity it deserves. In many instances, history is fond of sugarcoating violence, but this is a reminder that certain situations, like the forced disappearances under Videla, the murders under Pinochet, and the extrajudicial killings in Colombia, should be told as crudely as possible.

Memory only works when we internalise its must face the current pursuit of truth full impact, despite how upsetting it may and compassion every time it discusses be. national stories. Ultimately, by constantly reinforcing the necessity to confront the past, these countries achieve the necessary There is honour in remembering element to adequately treat historical our national history since we owe it to memory: consistency. everyone who has been lost in the pages of historical omissions, either by evil intent or mere ignorance. In my case, I strive for Evidently, there are multiple reasons remembrance in the name of the weeping why the persistent remembrance of violent “Mothers of La Plaza de Mayo,” for the historical events might make people victims in Chile’s National Stadium, and uncomfortable. But, I maintain that there is for the peasants caught in Antioquia’s a moral value and a civic duty in recollection. crossfire. It is for them that we have to As a matter of fact, historical memory remember so that we can all collectively should not be a theme of political debate, embrace Strassera’s closing words and claim even when remembering is an inherently “never again.”

06 OPINIONS

EDITOR | STEPH GYIMAH OPINIONS@THESTRAND.CA

To condemn colonialism: contextualising the Palestinian struggle The importance of uplifting the Palestinian narrative, from here onwards civil registry since October 13? For the family So, if I could relay one shared sentiment histories and futures wiped within a matter on behalf of all Palestinians, it would be to of days? I ask in return: do you condemn keep the conversation going. Please do not Over the last two weeks, the world has seen ethnic cleansing by an occupying, settler- stop talking about Palestine. an indescribable display of solidarity with colonial power? the Palestinian people. We have listened to Yes, we are here, right now—flooding academics, ambassadors, writers, comedians, Given this context, there begs the question social media feeds, filling the streets in Palestinian citizens, and members of of why this has happened and what we can protest, and screaming cries of horror on the diaspora spread the essence of what do. Why has the Palestine experience been your news outlets. But the fact remains that Palestinians are struggling for—liberation absent in Western media outlets for the last while the question of Palestinian occupation, and freedom. several years? Why is it that, when it appears, colonisation, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid the narrative is conveyed through a rhetoric has been an important discussion topic these With that, I can cite numerous accounts of Arab barbarism and sub-humanity? The past weeks, it does not disappear when the of the atrocities committed against the answer to this stems from the dominant media stops covering it.

Palestinians whose homes lie in the Gaza Orientalist and Islamophobic characterisation Strip—not only from this past week but of the Middle East by the West—an elaborate For us, Palestine is a family dinner from 16 years of ongoing, belligerent, topic I cannot dive into in just one article. conversation; it is a daily prayer; it is a reflex military occupation and blockade. I can also However, it ties into an unfortunate reality news search. It is relentless and unwavering, relay the last 75 years of dispossession, forced that Palestinian life is not deemed equal to just as its people are. However, the resiliency removal, and erasure of Palestinians via unjust that of others. This rhetoric encourages a and determination of an occupied minority imprisonment, militarised harassment, and desensitisation of their suffering, and it is a cannot overpower dominant, widespread blatant apartheid regulations imposed by normalised reality to hear of violence, food colonial narratives in the government and the colonial state of Israel. However, the insecurity, and unequal access to education media alone. Large-scale change starts in media’s portrayal of this issue has been one- and employment in the region. social circles, family conversations and sided and primarily outlined as a sudden personal reflection, here and with you. and unprovoked conflict—as though it This individual-level action begets societal has occurred in a vacuum. Western news What can we do from here onwards? reformation, which begets revolutionary coverage has dehumanised the Palestinian First, we must take a broader perspective on outcomes. narrative, undermined the value of this issue. The loss of all life is atrocious, and Palestinian life, and improperly framed this I am certain that all those willing to engage PHOTO | SARA QADOUMI 75-year-long colonialist project. An example in productive conversation of this biassed portrayal is the persistent would agree. However, interrogation of Palestinian speakers by we cannot allow for the Western news reporters. Before Palestinians dismissal of the Palestinian are provided a chance to speak, reporters narrative, whether in ask, “Do you condemn the loss of innocent, Gaza or the West Bank.

Israeli civilian life?” immediately redirecting The aftermath of the the conversation away from the Palestinian events in Gaza will weigh perspective. This question is grossly insensitive heavily on the shoulders and decontextualised, failing to acknowledge of Palestinians for years the disproportionate number of Palestinian to come. Meanwhile, in civilian casualties that have occurred over the the West Bank, civilians last 15 years. continue to lose their homes to Israeli settlements I urge journalists to question why Israeli and face forced, often representatives were not asked to condemn violent, removal if they the loss of innocent Palestinian life since the resist. They encounter beginning of their brutal bombing campaign military presence in areas and their ongoing blockade on Gazan of prayer, and they are civilians. I urge journalists to question why exposed to harassment and there was no condemnation and minimal bombardment daily in both news coverage for Palestinians over the last mosques and churches.

16 years despite this year being recognised as Peaceful protests are met the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2005. with threats, assault, Where is the condemnation of the loss and and the mobilisation of destruction of Palestinian life? Where has it excessive force. There is been for the last 75 years? Where will it be context, and not only when Palestinians begin to rebuild their lives, must it be recognised by homes, schools, and hospitals over the next governments and media several years? Will there be condemnation outlets, but it also must be for the erasure of 20 families from the Gazan recognised by you.

SARA QADOUMI PHOTO EDITOR

OPINIONS 07

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 1 NOVEMBER 2023

Cyberpunk’d How AI and other technologies are impacting university students JAMES LAUTENS CONTRIBUTOR

“Do you really want to live through the rise of the machines?”

That’s a question I find myself posing more and more to my friends because of the rapid technological advancement throughout our society.

You have seen it, and so have I: the power to get whatever you want with just a swipe of your finger on your phone; the ability to scream your opinions into cyberspace and find people who agree with you or call for your death; the chance to find someone from your past with a simple Google search.

Such things would have been unimaginable decades ago—yet here we are.

ILLUSTRATION | MARIA VIDAL VALDESPINO

that even major news outlets have begun to discuss AI’s ramifications for the academic world.

MacLean’s, for example, published a rather provocative article, “The University Essay Will Die Out,” which argues that AI will become a tool, much like a calculator, in formulating essays, and professors will have to respond by coming up with new assignments. While this makes for a convincing argument, the article overlooks one key thing: the importance of essays for developing critical thinking.

how a well-crafted lie gets more interactions online than a truthful post. The online world is becoming more and more like a maze of mirrors, where we see only a distorted reflection of ourselves. A weird simulacrum that threatens not only how we consume information but also how we interact with people.

We are confined to echo chambers where proper critical thinking—something that everyone should have—is tossed out for comfortable groupthink. These online echo chambers combined with AI that spoonNow don’t think for a single second that feed us information at the drop of a hat have I’m in love with essays. I’ve had a few that discouraged critical thinking in our society. have quite frankly kicked the hell out of me, but they do one thing well: teach critical I’ve seen this on both sides of the political thinking. An essay forces you to sit down and divide on social media. Politics has become a think through a problem at every stage. AI game of who is the most theatrical and who completely jumps to the end of that process. can stir up the most anger. God knows we are seeing this in Canada with a certain opposition leader. Even worse, the rise in demagogy is fed by this spreading of misinformation and use of it to their own advantage.

All of this relates back to us university students because AI and misinformation affect the development of our critical thinking skills. We must be able to recognise that something like AI, while helpful in the short term, ultimately damages our ability to think for ourselves. The same is true for social media misinformation.

Herd mentality and groupthink can erode the most powerful critical thinking skills, so users must be wary.

So, what does it mean for us university students who bear the brunt of this technological revolution? Well, unlike some of my peers, I am not super optimistic about the future. I have a creeping fear that we are seeing the beginning of some crappy, low-budget, cyberpunk story—where instead of having cool cybernetics, we get corporate tyranny. We are beginning to see this more through what everyone and their grandmothers are talking about: Artificial Intelligence (AI).

AI has been all the buzz in the academic world. This year, I noticed that every one of my syllabi includes a section discussing the University’s policy on when and how to use AI. The topic has gotten so much attention

Some AI, like Perplexity, take this further by drawing on the internet, while something like ChatGPT can only draw onto what has been inputted into it. In any case, most of the heavy lifting that promotes critical thinking, like formulating a research question, doing the research, and putting it together, can be completely skipped over when using these platforms.

The whole point of university is to develop the critical thinking skills needed to not only be a better person but also to have a satisfying career. Why would I ever want to take a shortcut with AI or participate in an echo chamber? While technological advancements may be beneficial, we should seriously start to consider how they can impact not only university students but societal tools.

Sidenote: Can we please get on with Such skipping is not good for our collective developing kick-ass cybernetics? Halloween psyche because it not only deprives us of is coming up, and I need a metal arm for my what makes us human but it also leaves us Johnny Silverhand costume. more susceptible to misinformation. Social media is a prime example of this. While social media has the power to connect us, it also has the power to divide us. For example, a recent article in The New York Times notes

08 FEATURES

EDITOR | MICHAEL ELSAESSER FEATURES@THESTRAND.CA

Victoria College’s Scarlet, gold, gold, Scarlet, dangerous with and the the thin thin blue blue relationship and police line line MICHAEL ELSAESSER AND CHARMAINE YU FEATURES TEAM

Content warning: mentions of mental health crises, suicide, police In 2019, a UofT student publicly stated she was “handcuffed by campus police while at the Health and Counselling Centre seeking help for suicidal thoughts.” The student had done all the ‘right’ things when facing a mental health crisis on campus: she went to see a campus psychiatrist but was told getting an appointment could take months. She then talked to a nurse who reassured her that it was protocol to speak with campus police.

The night she was escorted out of a campus building against her will and into a police car, she recalled feeling as if this was her “fault for coming to get help.” This incident would take place just five days after another student died by suicide.

Unfortunately, this is not the only instance for UofT students. A 2021 report indicated a 30 to 50 percent increase in university students who have been apprehended and transported for care to mental health emergency departments since 2014. These transportations—often forcibly—only contribute to the re-traumatisation of students in crises. With seemingly nobody else to advocate for them, students have long called for a non-police model of response that, instead, utilises clinical expertise, peer support, and trauma-informed approaches. Yet, to this day,

students are feeling intimidated, criminalised, involved only after we have been alerted about and stigmatised by what is now rebranded as the situation.”

Campus ‘Safety.’

At the most recent Fall Caucus, Zoё How and when are the police called at Lazaris, a soon-to-be Vic graduate and former Victoria College? member of the Board of Regents who did Cops Off Campus work during her time at According to the Dean’s Office, their UofT, spoke about concerns relating to police “approach to engaging with Toronto Police response in mental health crises. According to Services or UofT Campus Safety is to contact her and as confirmed in UofT’s 2021 Review them only if there is imminent danger to Committee on the Role of Campus Safety, students on or off campus, to members of “people who work in universities and Dean’s our community, or if we receive a request Offices are calling cops not because they think from a student in crisis to do so.” Dean of it’s helpful, but because they’re afraid they’d Students, Kelley Castle, did not elaborate lose their job if they don’t do that. So is this on what her office determines as “imminent something that is a legal liability, or are we danger,” though at the last Fall Caucus, she actually helping students?” stated that they “only call [Campus Safety] when we deem that you are either a harm to Lazaris continued to explain in an interview yourself or a harm to others... It’s only for a with The Strand that based on her conversations few of those cases, and it’s because we can’t with students, “what realistically happens in handle the situation ourselves, and we think so many cases is the cops show up, restrain the that the students need more than what we student, put them into a car, they’re shipped can provide.” It is important to note that down to CAMH [the Centre for Addiction according to the Canadian Mental Health and Mental Health] or something, and then Association (CMHA) “people with serious half the time the hospital turns them away... mental illnesses are more likely to be victims now they’re just alone in a part of Toronto that of violence themselves, than the general they’ve never been to. And the cop car drove population.” Dean Castle explained in a away as soon as they got into triage. That’s not statement to The Strand that there are other how you help someone who’s suicidal. Now reasons Emergency Services may be called they’re by themselves in the cold, alone, and on students such as “medical reasons, both re-traumatised.” from within the university and in the general public. This does not always, but may, result Following a request for data on the in police communications and/or presence. number of times that the police are called There are times when Toronto Police Services on students and the demographics of these are called by members of our community, students, Dean Castle revealed to The Strand including students, and our staff become that “Victoria University does not maintain a ILLUSTRATION | ANELLA SCHABLER

FEATURES 09

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 1 NOVEMBER 2023

central database of engagement with Toronto Police Services, and we are exploring this for the future.” This implies that the Dean’s Office has no case files which they could use to count the instances or specific demographic of cases where they involve the police. The Toronto Police Service has a long history of using excessive force in situations involving racialised peoples. This is compounded when only five out of 32 Special Constables with Campus Safety received the one hour of Mental Health Supports for BIPOC Students Webinar Training. Simultaneously, only four out of 32 Special Constables received Autism Spectrum Disorder Training or Scenario Based Mental Health and De-escalation Training. A lack of data on these decisions by administrators manufactures blindspots in the assessment of risk for students and staff.

outcomes of students using their resources, they may lead students down paths of help, which can cause further harm. The principles of informed consent are essential to students as a means of affirming autonomy and dignity when dealing with administrators.

There has also been a pervasive issue of a lack of sensitivity and confidentiality by members of the Dean’s Office when dealing with matters relating to policing. Lazaris described her experience at the most recent Winter Caucus, where “Kelley [Castle] spoke about police and mental health, and she said she doesn’t call cops in instances of student mental health. And I was in the front row of the audience. The year before, I had brought up to her that she really mishandled a case where she called the police. Hearing her say that is very triggering, so I start to well up.

In relation to the complex experiences of I look up at her, and she calls me out in the different students, Lazaris recognised, “It’s audience. This is a sensitive issue, and she’s especially bad for marginalised or immigrant generally not very sensitive about stuff.” students who don’t have citizenship here.

Getting involved with law enforcement is Unfortunately, the issue of sensitivity really scary, especially when it’s mental health surrounding student matters is not isolated stuff, where you’re worried about all the parts to Dean Castle, as Lazaris continued that she of your life collapsing.” “tried to file an equity complaint against Kelley for calling me out publicly for starting to cry when she was talking about policing. I filed a The student-led Cops Off Campus complaint with Ali [Kehl].” Lazaris went on movement to share her belief that the report was passed up the office to Dean Castle, as she received The Cops Off Campus movement has been an email from the Dean, which Lazaris strong across UofT for many years. In 2020, characterised as “super dismissive.” Lazaris over 130 professors and students signed an continued to note that the office “should not open letter to UofT President Meric Gertler have reported this back to the person who to defund and abolish the campus police. did the equity mistake.” She concluded by There has been a recent resurgence of activism remarking that “there’s no confidentiality in by various students and student groups at Vic. that office even when it’s cases of students’ Members of the Vic Social Justice Coalition trauma and students filing complaints against have been meeting with administrators such them. If you file a complaint against them as the Dean’s Office, the President’s Office, because they mishandle, or mistreat you, the Office of the Principal, and the Office or if they call the cops on you, they will be of Alumni Affairs to advocate for policing the ones dealing with your complaint.” This alternatives and trying to garner support. lack of confidentiality, sensitivity, and basic professionalism by the Office of the Dean In an interview with The Strand, Anasofia of Students can be worrying when involving Florez, the Vice-President of Vic Organization police officers and student mental health for Information, Care, and Empowerment emergencies. of Survivors (VOICES), explained how her organisation became involved with the Administration responses to student movement in the wake of the stabbing at concerns Waterloo this past June. She says that they reached out to stakeholders with similar In November 2021, UofT’s Review goals, which “came from both VOICES as Committee on the Role of Campus Safety hit well as Vic Pride having a list of demands that the nail on its own head, professing that “it VUSAC was familiar with...Vic Black is also is clear that a consolidated and coordinated in along with us on these calls and have been approach to crisis on campus that is consistent doing similar work…same goes of course for across day, evening, and night as well as Students for Collective Resistance Victoria.” weekends (24/7) does not currently exist at The groups are working on an informational the University of Toronto.” In contrast, the campaign about police alternatives for both University of Guelph has adopted a hybrid staff and students, which will be distributed approach in which contracted mental health in collaboration with the Dean’s Office. professionals from CAMH partners with Florez remarked, “Unfortunately, abolitionist their Campus Safety to form an after-hours work at Vic ends at the point at which we response team. say police actually should be off campus.

We’re still seeing an unwillingness to fully In their final report, the Review Committee commit to alternative resources, but there’s made three over-hauling recommendations a willingness to open up knowledge and to to UofT when attempting to reorient the ultimately put it back in the hands of students role of Campus Safety. First, incorporating about what resources they take advantage of mental health education and equity, diversity, when they and their peers need it. Ultimately, inclusion, and anti-racism resources. Second, it seems that the culture and dynamic of Vic embracing changes to Campus Safety that will be shaped by giving people informed and will enhance student’s choice, autonomy, meaningful choices.” and dignity. And, third, developing a nonpolicing approach to responding to students The Strand confirmed with Victoria in mental health crises, with a tri-campus College that when students choose to disclose approach to crisis intervention during regular their mental health crises to members of the working hours and connections to after-hours Dean’s Office, they are not informed that crisis support. their disclosure may result in police action by Toronto Police Services. This lack of informed In an email to The Strand, the Dean’s consent when students disclose information Office shared that Vic has recently invested about their mental health is very troubling. in more mental health resources for students, If administrators are withholding the possible including additional staff and programs that

engage Emmanuel College interns training as psychotherapists as a form of resource for students on campus. It is their self-proclaimed goal to “support students before things escalate to the point where a crisis requires intervention from Toronto Police Services.”

So, what’s next for Vic? While this appears to still be a protocol for escalated situations, student groups are still fighting to ensure that police are ultimately obsolete on campus. A 2019 study conducted

by Fiona G. Kouyoumdjian et al. in Toronto found that interactions between police and individuals with mental illness were often confrontational and led to negative outcomes.

One participant explained, “The police are not trained to deal with mental health issues.

They’re just trained to deal with criminals.”

Lazaris reiterates that “there should be other services that cover all of the roles that cops are ‘supposed to do,’ which they butcher every time.”

The biggest aim of the ‘Cops Off Campus’ movement is to push for the university to invest in alternative infrastructure. According to Lazaris, this should include paid positions that are hired specifically for de-escalation and peer support by people who are trained with lived experiences. Additionally, rather than deploying Campus Safety to respond to mental health crises, it is vital—and more sustainable in the long run—that the university address the very root causes of these crises. Studies note that police-led models of crisis intervention often rely on a criminal justice approach that reinforces stigma and does not address the underlying issues of mental illness and homelessness. Lazaris maintains that “housing needs to be more affordable. Food needs to be more accessible.

The stress of school should not be so bad that it is making someone want to take their own life or do something, where the Dean’s Office seems to think this has escalated beyond their control. We’re a community, and at a school that has so many resources, it should not get to this point.” Also focusing on socio-economic issues, Florez proposes that a police-free campus could mean redirecting funds and efforts into advocating for monetary stability for students through awards and bursary processes. Vic student groups are also working on elongating access to the Goldring Student Centre to create safe spaces for community building.

Though infrastructural flaws remain in the framework for Campus Safety, there are alternatives for students living in Toronto.

Students in crisis can reach out to the Gerstein Crisis Centre—a 24/7 telephone service that provides support for mental health and substance use crises. Lazaris emphasises that “a smaller win, for now, is warm lines that already exist. [The Dean’s Office] can call the Gerstein Crisis Centre. That is a zero-dollar change in their protocol. That could be their first call. There are alternatives. They’re not perfect, but they are not cops and they have way better outcomes than police.”

Abolitionist work continues at Victoria College and UofT more broadly.

While the Dean’s Office provided written statements to The Strand, following direct requests for interview, an administrator declined through the Victoria University Director of Communications.

10 SCIENCE

EDITOR | KIERAN GUIMOND SCIENCE@THESTRAND.CA

Scientists @ Vic: Sara Ciganovic KIERAN GUIMOND SCIENCE EDITOR

Why is this an important thing to research, and how can this information be used in the future?

The Strand: What year are you, and what are your majors?

It’s really important to research because with a lot of neurodegenerative disorders, we can study all these stem cells that make up the brain. A lot of these stem cells go on to become what we call adult neural stem cells. It’s known in the literature that when there is a stroke or something like that in the brain, they tend to respond to the injury, but they’re not good at it. So, if we can understand the mechanisms of how they work and if we can learn how to mobilise them during brain injury, that’s super important. Just for therapeutic sake and in the future for different diseases.

Sara Ciganovic: I’m in fourth year, and I’m doing a pathobiology specialist.

What is your research?

My lab studies how the brain develops and the stem cells that are creating the brain using mice models. We’ve done a lot of sequencing analysis on the stem cell populations that exists during different embryonic and postnatal stages, and we found that there was this subpopulation of stem cells that no one’s really talked about before. They are contributing not just to the brain development but also they produce oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, so they produce other cell types. I’ve been studying their dynamics—if they’re rapidly proliferating, if they’re slow proliferating, and then also just looking at their context in diseases like stroke.

How did you get this position?

I’m in the Pathobiology Specialist program, so my department has a lot of course opportunities to do research. They introduced a third-year introduction to research course for people who have never done research before. I did that course, and I emailed my supervisor, and there was a position available for an undergrad.

The lectures were talking about different aspects of research like research ethics. How to go about writing a proposal, so you actually learn about the process. But

then most of the component is you going into the lab and working throughout the week. Over the summer, I did their summer research program where I got to start the project I’m doing now with the stem cells, and then I presented a poster, and now I’m doing a fourth-year research thesis project.

What advice do you have for students looking to do research?

There are different ways to go about it. I know some people go through like [Research Opportunity Program] courses. I definitely recommend cold emailing. I think that worked the best for me, but it depends on the department because my department’s very small, so I think it definitely helped. Also, looking at the different opportunities, like whether it’s a course.

I think the fact that it was a course really helped me.

When I reached out, I had something to talk about, like, ‘Hey, I’m really interested in this lab. I want to do this course,’ and that helps show your interest.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Transgenerational imprints: The legacy of trauma and stress The ghosts of your past trauma might be the methylation patterns on your DNA (amongst other things) KHAIRATUN YUSUFF CONTRIBUTOR

Content warning: mentions of famine, the Holocaust, and suicide

the stress response, and its dysregulation can lead to significant psychiatric and emotional problems as well as suicide.

But what are epigenetic marks, other than one of the (potential) reasons behind your attachment issues? In the broadest sense, epigenetics refers to everything that changes the function of a gene without changing the DNA sequence. At a molecular level, epigenetic marks can be various changes ranging from methylation of bases to various histone modifications. These changes can be affected by the food you eat, the air you breathe, and the drugs you take. Epigenetics is a dynamic interplay between nature and nurture.

Epigenetic changes in the context of trauma have garnered significant attention in recent years, not only because they can act as molecular signs of various disorders but also because of intergenerational trauma.

Intergenerational trauma is the idea that the effects of adverse experiences that your parents faced can be passed down to you mostly through nongenomic—or epigenetic—ways. It is undoubtedly true that people can feel the effects of the misfortunes their parents might have faced. The real question is did they ‘inherit’ these effects via the parental germline, or did they develop them in response to happenings in their own lives? Can people genetically pass trauma down to their children? Does your DNA remember the trials your parents faced? Do the epigenetic marks reveal their tribulations? In the age of flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers, it is important to look at what the evidence says. And the evidence is…complicated.

Research has indicated that epigenetic markings associated with stress and trauma are particularly prevalent in the neurons involved in the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Studies have indicated that promoters of several genes involved in neuronal plasticity in the hippocampus were shown to be hypermethylated in people with early-life trauma.

Further, the expression of a hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) that is responsible for activating the HPA axis was found to be reduced in people with a history of child abuse. The hypermethylation of GR promoters has also been associated with parental abuse which can lead to gene silencing and reduced expression. These results are not surprising because the HPA axis is involved in

The idea of intergenerational trauma came into being with Rakoff’s observations on how the children of Holocaust survivors often had intense psychiatric problems. Studies, albeit done with convenience samples of volunteers, also found a higher incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mood and anxiety disorders in adult offspring of Holocaust survivors. Additionally, offspring of Holocaust survivors tended to have HPA axis changes like lower cortisol levels, in accordance with other offspring who had parents exposed to trauma, such as offspring of war veterans or 9/11 survivors. These effects were distinct based on the parental source of the trauma. Before these seminal reports, behavioural transmission was the only

When researchers at McGill University analysed 41 brain samples from the Quebec Suicide Brain Bank, they found that those who had faced significant earlylife trauma had significantly different epigenetic marks compared to those without trauma.

theory that had been considered to play a direct role, but some space was made for epigenetic mechanisms as an explanation, particularly because of the variable phenotypes that it can cause.

A growing body of evidence points to another source of epigenetic changes—in-utero exposure to stress. There is some evidence using animal models that indicates that perturbations in the prenatal environment can affect the development of the HPA axis using epigenetic mechanisms. The importance of the uterine environment in establishing epigenetic effects on the offspring was also demonstrated in the studies of a cohort of women and their children and grandchildren from the Dutch Winter Hunger. This was the famine of 1944 to 1945 that resulted due to the Nazis disrupting food supplies to the Netherlands.

Children of pregnant women who had been exposed to the famine not only had differential methylation patterns at various genomic loci but also poorer health.

The phenotype of poorer health was also seen in grandchildren of the same lineages.

Nonetheless, none of the evidence discussed shows that epigenetic effects of trauma in humans are transmitted via the germ cell (egg and sperm cells), which is what would make the effect truly transgenerational.

Studies in animal models have provided some evidence to give traction to the idea of epigenetic inheritance, but such findings are yet to be replicated in humans and as of now, intergenerational trauma might be a bit of a misnomer. However, it is a powerful concept that has resonated with various communities that have faced extraordinary hardships over multiple generations, and the incongruence of its name with precise scientific language does not take away from the validity of their experiences.

SCIENCE 11

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 1 NOVEMBER 2023

Did the COVID-19 lockdowns warp our memories?

ILLUSTRATION | SHARADA MUJUMDAR

HANNAH SHAW WILSON CONTRIBUTOR

Did time feel different during the COVID-19 lockdowns?

Can you remember? Although the lockdowns that resulted from the global pandemic may have felt neverending as we trekked through our ‘new normal,’ it seems now that it swept past us in a confusing, jumbled-up blur. In order to determine what has caused recollections of the lockdown to become distorted, researchers used empirical methods to determine the root cause of the phenomenon and the extent to which memory was affected.

Another common experience that researchers took note of was the increase in anxiety and depression that resulted from the pandemic. There was a dramatic spike in mental health issues around the globe during the beginning of the lockdowns. Support systems were disrupted as families were forced to social distance, and the weight of uncertainty was overwhelming for many as doors were shut to homes, businesses, and public spaces around the globe. These widespread struggles were hypothesised to significantly contribute to changes in people’s memories.

Perception of timeline events The events that followed the global coronavirus pandemic in 2020 were certainly unprecedented.

However, having a warped perception of time was not a novel experience—previous studies have found similar occurrences among prison inmates. Stating that lockdown was similar to being in prison seems like a comical exaggeration, but researchers deemed it a necessary comparison in terms of how it impacted our memory.

A 2022 study in the UK surveyed 277 participants with several established boredom, anxiety, and resiliency scales that determined their emotional state during the pandemic. A scale was also used that measured how heavy

one’s workload was during the pandemic and whether or not it adversely impacted the quality of their lockdown experience. Then, the participants were asked to correctly assign an event to a slot of time on a timescale that ranged from 2016 to 2022.

The results that this experiment yielded were mostly unsurprising; recent events were typically placed correctly on the timescale, and a gradual decline in accuracy was observed as the dates went further into the past. There was, however, one significant outlier in this linear pattern.

The year 2021 was extremely difficult to correctly recall for the majority of the participants. Specifically, those with higher rates of anxiety and depression and lower rates of resiliency produced poor results for the period in which lockdowns were implemented.

The results did, in fact, mimic those found in prison inmates in past studies. The causation has been linked with a lack of significant occasions, such as birthdays, outings, and holidays, that would anchor one’s linear understanding of time. Furthermore, spending too much time in a single enclosed space without sufficient social interaction, whether this be in a prison cell or an apartment, can result in greater occurrences of stress and depression that also correlate to a skewed temporal experience.

Thankfully, an altered perception of time is only noticed during these elongated, monotonous, and/or stressful periods of time. So, for the average individual, there is no danger of permanent damage being done to one’s ability to properly recall information. Nonetheless, long-term impacts may still be of great concern among certain groups of people.

Cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s and dementia patients

Caregivers and loved ones of those with cognitive impairment or dementia were concerned that there would be an escalation in cognitive dissent as a result of the pandemic restrictions. This fear stemmed from the lockdown-induced stress that would inevitably coincide with a loss of contact between families and reduced working caregivers. In response to this, a study was conducted where Alzheimer’s and dementia patients underwent cognitive testing. A faster decline in immediate and delayed recall was observed, with pre-dementia patients being especially prone to increased memory deterioration.

The mandated pandemic closures were certainly not enacted without good reason—they were effective in protecting immunocompromised people from an aggressive virus that was especially threatening in earlier variants. However, these pressing issues should not overshadow other indirect effects of the lockdowns.

The health and well-being of so many individuals were adversely affected during the pandemic, with the quality of life being worsened for those with cognitive impairment.

We should learn from the results of this study and never again allow the structures that support these vulnerable groups to be neglected. Rather, a balance should be maintained between the physical and mental health of all members of our society. Our memories play a central role in our perception of our experiences on earth and who we are as humans; the detriment of the crucial ability to recall our past should therefore warrant extensive preventative measures in order to preserve a high quality of life.

12 ARTS AND CULTURE

EDITOR | DANA LEE ARTSANDCULTURE@THESTRAND.CA

Is oversaturation in creative industries impacting the next generation of creatives?

An interview with a Toronto creative on the effects of oversaturation and how this is redefining career success in creative industries PHOTO | JOSHUA CHUA

Tell me a bit about your art: your creative processes, your greatest inspirations, and your greatest aspirations as a creative.

I work in the film and music industry, which means I work for music videos, concerts, films (shorts and features) and commercials. As an assistant camera, I don’t really get to give any input on the creative side of what I’m working on, it’s the Director of Photography’s job. As a creative director, I have many sources of inspiration. What surrounds me, like people, nature, is a big part of it.

Music takes up a huge space in my life too, so anything I’m listening to at the moment can influence my art a lot. Some creators, like Deon Hinton and Elliott Muscat, are people I definitely look up to.

DANA LEE ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

Within the past couple of decades, streaming platforms and social media have made gaining access and exposure to creative careers more feasible for people of diverse socioeconomic classes and for all types of eclectic creative visionaries. However, while the amount of streaming and social platforms continue to grow and the drive for self-employment or employment in creative industries increases, a question arises as to whether or not the creative industries have become oversaturated. The meaning of success has changed, as a million views or listens no longer has the same impact as it once did before.

With millions of people making music and films of their own and millions of influencers propagating endless amounts of content online, have the creative industries become oversaturated by creators? Or are there just enough jobs for it to work?

I asked Mat Renault, a freelance assistant camera and creative director, what they think of this topic as a creative themself.

Dana: What’s your name? Age? Pronouns? And where are you from? If you have one, what is your associated company?

Mat: My name is Mat Renault. My pronouns are she/ they, and I’m 23. I’m a freelance assistant camera and creative director.

My aspirations fluctuate a lot depending on my mood. And funny enough, it’s not something I usually enjoy sharing. I feel like this is a very intimate and vulnerable part of me; I don’t like to put it on display.

Describing what’s going on in my brain can be pretty daunting. I would say I want to make people feel seen. I want to give them a safe space. I want to make them feel emotions they can’t describe. All of this, through my art.

How do you define success? Has this changed since you started working in your field?

Do you believe that your industry has become oversaturated? Why or why not?

I would like to say yes, but I think my answer is heavily affected by the strike at the moment. So many assistant cameras and so little sets. On the other hand, it’s a difficult industry, so I think it’s not gonna stay that way. Many people dream of working in the film industry, but after their first year realise how much it takes to be successful and change [their] career path. I’m not too worried.

How has the issue of oversaturation affected you at any point in your career?

It’s hard to find a job when so many other people are doing the same thing, but once again it’s mostly because of the strike. Once this situation is resolved, things will become easier. People are shooting movies all the time, and there is always someone in need of a camera person for lots of occasions. On the other hand, being a new creative director can be scary. Social media is full of crazy talented people, and the imposter syndrome hits at the worst moments. I think it’s a question of perspective, and there are clients and work for everyone, if you put yourself to it.

How do you see your industry evolving within the next ten years?

Oof tough question. I see it expanding, but also I see it getting more diverse. I hear about new professions all the time, so I think new jobs will keep being created. I just hope people will take it. I’m afraid big production companies and streaming services will find ways to make more money while paying crew and cast less, but only time will tell. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

I’m not gonna lie to you, the first thing that comes to mind is money. I’m not saying to be rich but to live comfortably. Being able to pay rent, bills and groceries, while having enough money left to go on holidays, get more tattoos, afford a second cat and offer myself a little treat regularly. Working as a freelance artist can be pretty inconsistent, so reaching this is definitely my version of success. On the creative side, it’s being known enough to reach as many people as possible, to touch a bigger audience. Having my work recognised and appreciated.

And no, it hasn’t really changed since I started working in my field.

What has been your greatest struggle in maintaining inspiration and creative fluency?

As I mentioned, consistency in the finance department can be pretty unpredictable as a freelance artist. When times are difficult, anxiety tends to take all the space, leaving none for creativity. I found myself scared to lose my creativity for good when I was struggling to pay rent.

It’s really hard to sit, relax and come up with cool ideas when all you can think about is if you have enough money to pay for your next meal.

PHOTO | DANA LEE

ARTS AND CULTURE 13

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 1 NOVEMBER 2023

The cycles of camera culture Our obsession with recycling the past SAKURA ARMSTRONG ARTS AND CULTURE ASSOCIATE

Moving past selfie sticks and ring lights, there has been a new renaissance in photography trends among young adults with the rise in popularity of film and digital cameras. Nights spent partying frequently start with taking photos on the ‘digicam’ before heading out to enjoy the evening with the hopes of catching a few more pictures while dancing. The digital camera, once just associated with childhood photos and blurry bad quality for our generation, has once again become highly sought after, despite most people having a perfectly decent camera sitting in their back pockets.

The first digital camera wasn’t invented until 1975 by engineer Steven Sasson. Even then, the technology didn’t become widespread until the 1990s, when the prices of digital cameras went down, which made them far more attainable for the average person or family.

Sales for digital cameras peaked around 2010 before declining by 80 percent by 2018, presumably due to the rise of cell phones. The film camera, on the other hand, has been around much longer, with the invention of the Kodak camera in 1888; yet, its popularity died down around the same time the digital camera began to rise. However, this downward trend has been reversed in recent years as the demand for film cameras has grown once again. One small Canadian camera shop has even stated that they produce approximately 10,000 rolls of film per week and that their store is in the process of further expansion. Today, both kinds of cameras are back in trend for young adults everywhere, as they are even being used by those who have no further photographic aspirations. This raises the question: why choose to make photo-taking more

complicated for yourself? Why choose alternative forms of photography?

One answer is obviously the inevitable recycling of trends happening every several years. With social media and the constant search for the new, unique thing, it comes as no surprise that two trends that were rivals for a moment in time are now coexisting in popularity— the cycle moving so quickly that it ultimately overlaps or perhaps has stopped existing altogether. The nostalgia of our parents’ generation and looking at old photos with grainy filters has become aspirational as we take inspiration from seemingly happier times of the past— the constant media obsession with the 90s and early 2000s speaks to this—towards our futures. The rosecoloured glasses we see the past through seem almost literal with the filters on film and digital cameras. It’s not a new phenomenon to view the past as better than the present. Psychologists even refer to this as declinism: the belief that society is constantly heading towards decline, which comes out of memories often dwelling and reinforcing the positive times of the past while forgetting the negatives. The quality of film and digital cameras allow us to recreate the imagery through which we look at the past, making us feel as though we are reliving the ‘good old days.’

On the other hand, the convenience of phototaking made by smartphones revolutionised how many and how quickly photos could be taken. On a single device, thousands of photographs can be stored, retaken, and perfected with ease—but it’s something about the inability for perfection on older forms of photography that gives it its charm. In an age where refinement is so simple, it can feel like beauty has lost its meaning, but when beauty is captured through a

more difficult means, the meaning is restored. One such means is the absolute limitation of film and digital photography. Film photography is taken on a limited roll of film, which costs money and takes time to develop, meaning that each photo counts and cannot simply be deleted and retaken. The digital camera, on the other hand, although much more simple than film, is still limited in regards to having an SD chip that has a limited space and photos on it still need to be developed or downloaded.

There’s also the aspect of delayed gratification.

Interestingly, this has become a large value of the recent trends in photography, ditching the convenience of immediately being able to analyse or edit photos without having to wait to develop or download them. One photographer even cites this as the “most magical aspect of film photography,” and one journalist referenced the recent popularity of digital cameras as the thinking behind the “slow technology movement,” that hopes to create an emphasis on “self-reflection, rather than efficiency or productivity.” The self-reflection added by slowing down the photographic process is valuable because, in a society that truly values time as a commodity, it can feel hard to justify taking some for yourself for a hobby. The excitement of getting ready to see the photos creates a positive tension. Something which is far less present in viewing photographs on your phone because in between the million clicks and live photos taken on phones, there is the knowledge that something is bound to be “good.” But even in the seemingly ugly taken on film or digital cameras, something far more raw and un-editable is captured, and maybe it’s that unique, off-guard beauty captured in old photographs that we’re trying so hard to replicate today.

PHOTO | SARA QADOUMI

14 POETRY

EDITOR | ANYA SHEN POETRY@THESTRAND.CA

Chinook’s Gifts

ILLUSTRATION | ASHLEY CAMERON

CHLOE BANTLE CONTRIBUTOR

She arrived right on time Cradling frosted memories Trailing bright yellow leaves Smiling like children do On their first day of school She gave me a box Dusted in last winter’s snow And in her whistling voice, she asked: Vas-tu bientôt retourner Chez toi?

awful

It took a while to hunt down the answer In the forests of my mind But hidden behind the half-learned groves Of Spanish, German, and Mandarin I found the garden of my childhood

MARIE KINDERMAN CONTRIBUTOR

spoony guise pausing on you through the looking glass

So I picked a bristling green flower The colour of language class I brought it to my lips Bientôt, I managed to whisper With the ease of ten years ago

to think my path lined with people as admirable

I opened up her gift to me That box full of memories A flute wrought from silver tears A script that ends with a semicolon A notebook full of scribbled worlds

as almost awful:

I, the musician, the actress, the writer, Tucked these gifts away Into the safest corner of my heart I blew to her a tearful kiss Merci pour mon enfance

eyes bigger than soup spoons

She caught the kiss in dawn-touched palms Pressed it to a clouded heart And with her final, faded whisper She told me to close my eyes

awful about the way I leave people

Rest amidst the comforts Of the mountains and the prairies Listen to the west wind sing

insisting you come on time pulling my love on a clothesline

Sleep now Knowing you are safe

letting it dry

Wrapped in the arms of home ILLUSTRATION | CHELSEY WANG

mind mending syllables compelled to brush your tears that I felt coming

pausing through the looking glass sitting up in the handstands of your feats afraid to be your awful adoring fan

STRANDED 15

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 1 NOVEMBER 2023

Remembrance, revelation, and running The R in ‘Celena’ stands for running CELENA HO STRANDED EDITOR

I ran the Harbourfront 5K the other week, which is not as impressive as the half-marathon or even the full, but my family thought it was a pretty big deal. The race started at Princes’ Gates at the Exhibition Place and ended at Nathan Phillips Square. It usually takes me 30 minutes or so to run five kilometres, but on that day, I shaved off three whole minutes. The entire time I was running, I thought back to this one time my doctor told me that my “body was not made for sports.” This was after my mom brought me into the doctor’s office because I kept getting leg cramps after going on long walks. TO BE ENTIRELY FAIR, I WAS LIKE SIX YEARS OLD. My body was “not made for sports” because I was too small or something weird like that. He never explained it to me, but I’m pretty sure that day was the beginning of my villain origin story. What was that supposed

to mean? That I’m a dainty little porcelain doll that is never to do sports? Are my bones too brittle to go for long walks on the beach? This has never left my brain.

As I was running along the Harbourfront, I remembered that I started running in elementary school when I joined the cross-country team. I only really did it because of my friends, and you didn’t need any actual skills. I liked it because it felt like I was competing against myself, but mostly, against the doctor who told me that I couldn’t. In middle school, I continued doing cross country. At one of the meets—I am so serious, you guys—I came in 69th place. If you want proof, I still have the little placeholder ticket they gave me. Guess what sport I did in high school? Just guess. Soccer—kidding!

I did cross country. And softball, and ultimate frisbee, and curling, and badminton. Was I actually interested in these sports, or was this a big “fuck you” to my doctor? Yes. But hey, I was pretty decent at these sports. For like two years,

I could say that I was the best female long-distance runner in my high school. But that’s because I was the only female long-distance runner. The entire team consisted of me and this one other guy. Shoutout to Tom! I think all hot people are cursed with really good memories (me). When I turned the corner on Bay Street towards Old City Hall, I remembered what my doctor told me. But I also remember little me not giving a FUCK. Like yeah, he might have a PhD or whatever, but I have gusto.

I remembered I joined the cross-country team anyway. I remembered spraining my ankle and thinking that I would never run again. I remembered recovering and running again a few weeks after that. My friend said that maybe it was a little bit of reverse psychology. And maybe it was. But at least it helped me realise something. Living out of spite is probably one of the funniest things you can do. Oh, and that running is good for you or whatever.

PEYTON SKOTIDAS CONTRIBUTOR

16 STRANDED

EDITOR | CELENA HO STRANDED@THESTRAND.CA

What even is MY Roman Empire?

Not a single minute goes by where I don’t think about these moments ISHA RIZWAN SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

I asked a guy how often he thinks about the Roman Empire, and he replied, “I think about once every two weeks.” At first, I thought he was joking, but I don’t think it’s a joke anymore.

Since then, I have been thinking hard: “What is my Roman Empire?” Do I even have one?

Buckle up everyone. We’re going on a wild ride inside my head, and we’re going to see what is something I think a LOT about.

Debby Ryan owns a permanent apartment in my head. She is someone who I constantly think about. She is my Roman Empire. She went down to the Disney Channel building, sat down with the president of Disney Channel, and said she wanted to make history, and that’s what this is. This is HER story. There is

this one specific moment of her that I think about an embarrassing amount of times daily.

During a red carpet, an interviewer asked her about what she was up to, and she replied, “My friends ask me the same question, and by my friends, I mean my mom and my cats, but I have been doing a lot of work, the type of work you can’t see—it’s foundational work— but one day you’ll be like: ‘Woah! That is what she was up to.’ ” Debby, if you’re reading this Queen, when will that day come? When will

that chocolate cake isn’t vegan. Now, Debby, you do know that vegan chocolate cakes are being made somewhere in the world right now? However, anything she says becomes the truth. If Debby can’t be vegan because of the cake issue, then I can never become vegan too.

Whatever she says, I believe. Vegan alternatives to baking a cake? Never heard of them. On the topic of food and red carpets, she is extremely relatable too, because what do you mean she admitted to constantly thinking about getting hot wings as soon as the event was over? I would do the same thing. Hot wings over any fancy event, any time of the day. She is our humble Queen. She once came straight from driving around a beach, eating crappy diner food, to a fancy event. This is the level of icon I aspire to reach when I grow up, and that is why I can never get her out of my head. It’s called manifestation.

All these moments are child ’s play to what is coming next. The most ICONIC piece of cinema is actually the Debby Ryan smirk and hair tuck in Radio Rebel. That changed lives.

Cinematic history was never the same after that. I often catch myself doing the Debby smirk and tuck unironically many times a day. Her rent was due, unpaid bills piling up, children to look after, cats to feed, the landlord was banging at her door with an eviction notice, and she had one chance to deliver an acting class, and she came prepared. She had ILLUSTRATION | ASHLEY CAMERON one chance to prove herself, and she took it personally. Debby Ryan came to serve, and I see the work you were doing? When will I that is what she did. She lives rent-free in my see you take over the world as you promised? head 24/7. She is my Roman Empire. And I These questions keep me up every night. want everyone reading this to watch Radio Rebel. Appreciate real art, and watch Mother Her iconicness doesn’t end here. It’s only in her element. the beginning. I saw a video of her saying that she was only vegan for a day until she realised

We asked members of The Strand what international licence written and performed Kyleeanne Wood, Senior Copy Editor: their Roman Empire was. These were their by Jonathan Sims and directed by Alexander “The burning of the Library of Alexandria.” responses…

J Newall.”

Victoria Allder, Business Manager: Shelley Yao, Editor-in-Chief: Dana Lee, Arts and Culture Editor: “Tom Holland lip-syncing to Umbrella.”

“How PNG > JPG because it just is.”

“The Jesse Williams live video from Instagram where the other streamer deals with a fake Mathula Muhundan, Associate Web Editor: Lila Carr, Managing Editor: home invasion.”

“Why everyone in Toronto seems to walk super “That scene in Real Housewives of New York slow when I’m rushing to class.” when she throws her prosthetic leg on the Anya Shen, Poetry Editor: table.”

“The Julien Baker lore iceberg.”

Sharanya Tissera, Copyeditor: “The life and Death of Princess Diana.”

Steph Gyimah, Opinions Editor: Celena Ho, Stranded Editor: “Darren Criss’ cover of Cough Syrup on Glee.” “That one guy that held the door for me in Sophie Stankovic, Copyeditor: Grade 10.”

“Everything and anything Percy Jackson.”

Kieran Guimond, Science Editor: Barron Hung, Copyeditor: “The award-winning horror podcast The Sara Qadoumi, Photo Editor: “Capybaras.”

Magnus Archives, which is podcast distributed “Sue Sylvester from Glee.”

by Rusty Quill licensed under a Creative Victoria Man, Copyeditor: Commons non attribution sharealike 4.0 “Taylor Swift.”