the
STRAND VICTORIA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER VOLUME 66, ISSUE 6 | 29 NOVEMBER 2023
My top ten Kevin James/Eric Stonestreet meme moments STRANDED | PAGE 15
UofT students and Palestine NEWS | PAGE 02
Sustainability spotlight: UofT Trash Team and MealCare Toronto in conversation SCIENCE | PAGE 10
02 NEWS
EDITOR | ZINDZISWA MALANCA NEWS@THESTRAND.CA
UofT students and Palestine The U of T student community has taken considerable steps to educate itself on the Palestinian humanitarian crisis and aid in pressuring for a ceasefire. KARIM ARIF ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
In light of the ongoing slaughter of thousands of Palestinians, much of the U of T student community has shown their unwavering opposition to the atrocities. The past two months have seen ongoing acts of solidarity with students wearing keffiyehs (a traditional Palestinian headdress and a symbol of resistance) and attending mass proPalestinian demonstrations. However, as university students, do these political actions hold any ground in changing the situation in Gaza? What’s happening in Gaza and what does it have to do with Canada? The atrocities committed in Gaza are characterized by decades of land disputes between the indigenous Arabs and settler Zionists, who formed the political state of Israel. The Gaza Strip is home to over two million Palestinians and is under the occupational control of the Israeli state. Under occupation, Israel has historically restricted the flow of essential goods such as food, water, and electricity into the area.
pro-Palestinian student community at UofT has strongly criticized the Canadian government for these failures.
Sponsorship Program (OSP) also attempted to gather student support by raising funds for Gaza’s humanitarian aid in charity sales. Furthermore, the sale of keffiyehs in the fundraiser intensified proWhat’s our significance in this matter? Palestinian sentiment among students. The success of which persuaded the MSA to hold a second In attempting to rally student support, pro- bake sale on November 15. In their October to Palestinian groups on campus are hoping to aid November charity week alone, MSA recorded over in ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. As $15,000 in donations for humanitarian aid to UofT sits next to the Ontario Legislature building, Gaza. student demonstrators sought to take advantage of their indirect influence to pressure Ontario MPPs More recently, the Hearing Palestine for a ceasefire. Although members of the provincial “intellectual hub” has gained considerable assembly, MPPs still hold political influence over traction in its attempt to educate students on the their parties. humanitarian and social issues associated with the historical struggle for Palestinian liberation. As a centre for academic discussion, they have More recently, U of T “student and faculty hosted lectures inviting a diverse range of agitators” established a “coalition in solidarity with academics to help students understand Palestinian Palestine,” to demand the university’s adoption discrimination in Gaza. The recent November 17 of pro-Palestinian policies. The open letter’s session discussed the “meaning of decolonisation” demands include but are not limited to, a call and how it can be taught in academic spheres given for an unconditional ceasefire and the adoption the ongoing apartheid. By educating students, of systems to prevent on-campus anti-Palestinian Hearing Palestine helps rally student support by racism. It plans to hold a walkout on November 29 pressuring the government to support a ceasefire to mobilise its demands and show solidarity with and incentivising them to aid in providing PHOTO | MUSLIM STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION the oppressed Palestinians.
October 7 marked a deadly terror attack against Israel by the militant terrorist organization Hamas. As of writing, the murder of over 1,400 Israelis led to Israel’s defense minister declaring a “complete siege” over Gaza by cutting off food, water, and fuel, and bombarding the strip. The state’s cruel retaliation has led to the cumulative punishment of civilians living in Gaza with over 13,000 Palestinians slaughtered.
The Palestine Forum, a UofT pro-Palestine initiative, also directed political support from students towards signing MP Alexandre Boulcerie’s petition, which called for “necessary measures to address the Israel-Palestine conflict.” Given that the petition has accumulated well above the requirement of 500 signatures, it is expected to be presented in the House of Commons on November 23. Although Mr Boulcerie is part of the minority the petition still pressures MPs in the House The Canadian government has resisted NDP, of Commons to consider public demands for demands by pro-Palestinian advocates to call for Canada’s support of a ceasefire. a ceasefire. Hence, on the international stage, such as in the UN’s recent emergency session, the state Student organisations, such as the Muslim failed to call for the end of the Gaza genocide. The Students’ Association (MSA) and Orphan
Victoria University concludes negotiations with USW Local 1998 An agreement was reached to increase wages across-the-board. SHANE JOY STAFF WRITER
On 1 November 2023, the Victoria University Board of Regents (BoR) and employees in the United Steelworkers Union (USW) Local 1998 voted to ratify the tentative agreement reached by their negotiating teams on October 19. On the same day, the BoR and USW also voted to ratify the tentative agreement to Consent to the Conversion of the Victoria University General Pension Plan to the University Pension Plan (UPP). A central highlight of the agreement between Victoria University and the USW is the across-theboard wage increases. Over the course of the threeyear term of the agreement—July 1, 2023 to June 31, 2026—wages will increase by 12.8 percent: nine percent in the first year, two percent in the second year, and 1.8 percent in the third year. In fact, the first year’s wage increases will be applied retroactively to July 1, 2023. The USW also achieved protection against the avoidance of overtime pay and several health
care benefit improvements, increasing coverage for paramedical services, vision care, mental health care, dental care, hearing aids, and prescription drugs. According to Joanne Evans, Director of Human Resources at Victoria University, “The wage increase reflects the fact that Ontario’s Bill 124, which capped wage increases to one percent, was struck down by the provincial court. Like many public sector employees, including UofT, the salary increases are more than usual, reflecting the past few years of restraint. Given that in the last few years, salary increases did not keep pace with inflation because of Bill 124, we believe this newly ratified agreement to be fair and reflective of the value that our employees bring to campus every day.” During the bargaining discussions, the USW actively pushed back against what they suggested was “the University’s overuse of temp agency and contracted out/in workers” to do the work of the bargaining unit. In response, they received assurance that “it is not the University's intent to utilise persons employed by the University who are not members of the bargaining
unit or hire temporary agency staff, contracted-out or contracted-in positions.” Responding to other concerns about the University’s circumvention of the posting of part-time and full-time bargaining unit jobs, Victoria University noted that “it is not the University's intention or expectation to use casuals to circumvent… the filling of part-time and full-time bargaining unit positions,” and that “it is not the University's intention or expectation to post part-time positions to reduce full-time opportunities…or to circumvent the posting of full-time bargaining unit positions.” The USW Local 1998 represents the interests of salaried workers in administrative offices as well as full-time, part-time, and casual hourly paid employees, including those working in Food Services, Residence Services, Housekeeping, Grounds, and Maintenance at Victoria University. Currently, undergraduate and graduate student workers are not unionised. Shane Joy is the president of VUSAC and sits on the Victoria University Board of Regents.
NEWS 03
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 29 NOVEMBER 2023
VUSAC Fall Caucus update The biannual Caucus addressed topics from ongoing geopolitical concerns to localised issues, and reintroduced the question-and-answer period. CAITRIONA FEDERICO CONTRIBUTOR
Vic’s biannual Caucus occurred Friday, November 3, beginning at 6 pm in Alumni Hall. It was led by Cam Miranda-Radbord, the VUSAC VicePresident External (VPE). In attendance for the panel were the usual Dean Kelley Castle, President Rhonda McEwan, Registrar Yvette Ali, Principal Angela Esterhammer, and some new additions, Finance Director Anthony Yeung and Executive Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability Vickas Mehta. These recent elects were important additions to the administrative panel, fielding some key questions regarding the structure of meal plans and a development in sanitation management to be implemented across all Vic buildings. Levies and clubs were also required to send a representative. The Caucus began with a land acknowledgment. Many questions revoled around the overarching theme of student inquiry on the Israel-Palestine humanitarian crisis throughout the event. These questions included thoughts on Vic’s divestment from companies supporting the Israeli government and an international study abroad opportunity offered by the university that takes place at an Israeli University. President McEwan responded to these questions through a practical yet compassionate lens, indicating that divestment is a long process. Vic will remain focused on helping support its students through this tragic time. The registrar added that the international experience had not taken place in several years due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel and would likely not be seen to take place in the future.
shift in affordability, and the new “flex-meals” program designed to be used as a meal for oneself or guests. Anthony Yeung fielded these questions, explaining that a meal at Ned’s for $13 was already causing them to take a loss year after year. Since the meal includes a hot entrée, a drink and multiple snacks, this is the lowest price they can offer to students, and upon comparing prices at surrounding restaurants, they expect that students are getting more for less in their Ned’s meal. Yeung also explained the breakdown of meal dollars, flexdollars, and Vic dollars, which they stated had to do with taxable dollars and tax-free spending on prepared food, which Yeung and his team aim to maximise while giving students options. The conversation around the affordability of food will likely continue in future caucuses as food prices in Toronto climb.
Arguably, the most exciting question that was submitted for the panel was on the half-ply toilet paper available in the Goldring Student Centre and across all Vic buildings. Vickas Mehta’s first Caucus was a hit when he answered this question with the announcement of the availability of twoply toilet paper availability across Vic campus; which President McEwan aptly noted would be a 1.5 ply increase. Vickas continued that the reason for the thin toilet paper was to preserve the old plumbing systems that the old campus buildings still have—a reasonable concern with Old Vic being built in 1891. However, Vickas and his team have been working on this project along with plumbing engineers to test the system throughout the summer and have determined that the plumbing will be able to handle the widespread use of compostable two-ply toilet paper. This change Another popular topic was meal plans, which is expected to be fully rolled out by February tend to be a recurring theme among Caucus. The 2024 in all Vic buildings, including the Goldring topic was centred on the cost of living crisis, the Student Centre, E. J. Pratt Library, Old Vic, and PHOTO | SARA QADOUMI
the student residences (those in which toilet paper is provided, of course). On the outcome of the fall Caucus, Cam, the VPE, commented, “Turnout for Fall Caucus was historic, with a record number of questions being submitted. As VUSAC works toward being a more transparent, accountable organisation, the Caucus was a heartening sign of real progress.” The caucus ended with the reintroduction of a question-and-answer period with VUSAC to improve transparency and accountability of the student council. When asked about the intended outcome of this readdition, Shane Joy, VUSAC president, stated, “In addition to providing the opportunity for people to question administrators, we should be affording students the same opportunity to hold the VUSAC executives accountable as well. In practice, while the conflict in Israel and Palestine was a focus of conversation, it was a great chance for us to be able to share our progress this semester as well as our views and priorities with the student body. Transitioning back to a format in which more of the council and other student leaders deliver reports would be interesting to implement moving forward, as it would make the community more aware of what everyone is doing.” Students continue to look forward to the Winter Caucus, where they will be able to ask further questions and hold both administration and VUSAC accountable, with greater transparency regarding the leadership’s activities. Caitriona is a member of VUSAC as the Equity Co-chair.
04 EDITORIAL
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OPINIONS 05
EDITOR | STEPH GYIMAH OPINIONS@THESTRAND.CA
The commodification of equity Should performativity be considered progress? STEPH GYIMAH OPINIONS EDITOR
feel rushed and unthoughtful as institutions attempt to quickly adhere to changing social values. Even three years after the shift to EDIA, these policies feel performative. At the UofT, for example, equity training often contains elementary-like worksheets to explain the theory of intersectionality and cartoons to explain microaggressions. There is nothing wrong with making complex critical theories more accessible, but this should not remove a large amount of context from the theory.
The Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 were a genesis of sociopolitical consciousness for many. As we were confined within our homes, watching police forces use needless violence against the Black Community, there was a moral compulsion to recognise the uncomfortable and unruly truth of systemic violence. As this political consciousness and solidarity diffused throughout the public, there was increasing pressure on institutions and corporations to acknowledge their role Furthermore, it's difficult to consider in perpetuating systemic inequality. As a EDIA policies as genuine as universities result, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and often fail to meaningfully reprimand Accessibility spread like wildfire. faculty members who engage in acts Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDIA) that are contradictory to these policies. is a broad set of administrative policies and For example, at UofT, Professor Robert commitments to anti-discrimination. As Reisz faced allegations of racism and EDIA gained popularity, public and private sexual harassment. Through an external institutions began to align themselves investigation, UofT found that the with these values by unequivocally allegations were true. However, he did denouncing discrimination and pledging not face termination. Reisz was scheduled to uplift diversity. The proof of these to teach in the winter semester of 2023. institutions’ commitment to EDIA often UofT's lack of accountability measures for comes in the form of equity training, faculty members illustrates how, despite equity commissioners, and the continuous having equity policies to protect vulnerable publication of their diversity statistics. populations, the institution frequently fails to uphold the policies it pledges to. Universities are notorious for this. The dissonance between how institutions Yet, much of this feels extremely represent themselves through EDIA superficial and unhelpful. The policies emerged during a moment of intense social compared to how they act in practice leaves pressure. As a result, many EDIA initiatives me with the question: is there authenticity PHOTO | POTOMAC PULSE
underlying these initiatives? I have concluded that there is no integrity within the pledges insofar as diverse voices are tokenised while simultaneously silenced. These surface-level policies and the tokenizing of diversity illustrate that equity has become capitalised upon. EDIA policies have become a means by which these institutions can display their alleged high moral standing. The focus of EDIA is no longer the communities it was made for but the optics of these institutions. Black people are being placed on university brochures despite not attending the school, while the work of Black scholars within these institutions is devalued and undermined. This paradox is indicative of the ulterior motives of EDIA as a marketing ploy. As financial objectives distort the true purpose of EDIA, these policies come off as opportunistic, performative, and superficial. The commodification of equity allows institutions to sell diversity as a product while failing to meaningfully support diverse populations. Moving forward in promoting genuine equity, higher education institutions have a duty to encourage critical thought. These frameworks and theories which help us understand the world should not be limited to social science and humanities programs. Critical studies, such as anti-colonial and anti-racism perspectives, are essential to all fields of study and, therefore, should be understood as interdisciplinary. Eugenics was once considered a legitimate field of study in medical science. Revisionist education is a tool of propaganda: Architecture is an apparatus of settler-colonialism. Systemic violence is diffused throughout society. Therefore, if universities are interested in challenging systemic inequality, they must provide students with knowledge that can be applied in their careers. This would be more meaningful than mapping ourselves out on the wheel of intersectionality. The implementation of EDIA is a step in the right direction. I fear that many of these institutions do not realise that. It is simply a step. There is so much more meaningful work that needs to be done beyond dropping buzzwords and think pieces that can be found on Twitter. Especially within post-secondary institutions, I believe a fundamental aspect of education is encouraging deeper and more insightful knowledge. Teaching EDIA policies at an elementary level is not inciting this. Equity must be embedded into the work we do— from medical sciences to engineering to the arts—if we are passionate about dismantling systems of oppression.
06 OPINIONS
EDITOR | STEPH GYIMAH OPINIONS@THESTRAND.CA
The meaning of the Okanagan Charter for Victoria College students The Okanagan Charter is a step in the right direction, but we are in need of clarity and accountability measures SHANE JOY STAFF WRITER
The University of Toronto has a poor track record for mental health. According to the most recent National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) results published by UofT, the university scores lower than many of its Canadian peers in creating a “supportive environment” for students. Under this broad measurement, the NSSE survey assesses whether students feel like they have access to social opportunities and receive support for their mental well-being, academics, and nonacademic responsibilities. Receiving a score of 27.5/60 among first-years and 22.4/60 among students in their final year in 2020— a respective 2.6 and 2.5 point decrease from 2017—the University of Toronto’s ability to create a supportive environment leaves much to be desired. Unlike those published by other universities, the NSSE results are not disaggregated by question. Indeed, college-specific scores also aren’t provided, meaning administrators are prevented from receiving crucial information to help guide their priorities. Nevertheless, on October 26 2023, at the 11th annual Minding Our Minds Conference hosted by the Office of the Dean of Students, Victoria University made a commitment to improving the climate of mental health on campus by signing the Okanagan Charter. Developed at the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges held at the University of British Columbia on the territory of the Okanagan First Nation, the Charter contains two overarching calls to action: “embed health into all aspects of campus culture, across the administration, operations and academic mandates,” and “lead health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally.” After signing the Charter, signatory institutions must submit their specific commitments to the Canadian Health Promoting Campus Network Chair. When asked what specific actions Victoria University will be taking, President Rhonda McEwen noted in an email interview that “the implementation plan for our five-year Strategic Framework outlines quite a number of health initiatives that are either complete or in progress. These include additional mental health resources for students, trauma-informed teaching training, and staff and faculty wellness tools. We’ve also recently added a ‘re-orientation’ for neurodiverse students, and in the fall, we will have dedicated sessions in Vic Ready for entering students with ASD and ADHD. The Registrar’s Office is [also] now beginning all one-on-one advising sessions with a wellness check.” Additionally, Dean Kelley Castle stated that her office “has added new mental health and wellness services…so Vic U now has one embedded general counsellor, one dedicated counsellor for BIPOC students, two wellness interns (from the psychotherapy program at Emmanuel) and the new Assistant Dean of
Student Wellness position to provide non- VUSAC and other student groups to increase clinical coordination of support and referral for the number of student peer supports [they] students struggling with mental health issues.” offer…” The continued engagement of diverse student voices will be central to ensuring that By allowing the presidents of VUSAC and the Charter’s implementation is inclusive of all Emmanuel College Student Society to sign backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences. the Charter as witnesses, Victoria University administrators made a symbolic commitment To demonstrate that they have taken to be held accountable by students for its meaningful action on the Charter’s implementation. However, it is important that commitments, administrators must make their this is followed up with proactive, consistent progress known to students. When asked, efforts to listen to students’ concerns. In an President McEwen stated that “our community email interview, Teresa Kristina Wijaya, the can track our progress on initiatives through VUSAC Mental Wellness Co-Chair, said our newly launched website” for the Strategic “aside from program execution, the [Mental Framework’s implementation plan, on which Wellness Commission] can hopefully be the students “will see additional initiatives when gateway through which students' voices can we add years [three], [four] and five.” However, be considered! As a student-run commission, administrators must also work to establish we hope that we can represent the students' metrics that allow the community to track voices in every step of the way…” Further, their improvements. Through the regular Charlie Sun, the VUSAC Mental Wellness issuance of surveys, hosting focus groups, Commissioner, suggested that “facilitating and conducting interviews with students, an open and transparent communication administrators can collect, interpret, and share channel between students and administrators the crucial information UofT deprives them is fundamental to the success of this process. of. Without addressing the ongoing challenge Such a channel not only provides students of measurement and data-sharing, Victoria with a platform to express their opinions University will not be able to effectively but also enables administrators to gauge the communicate its progress. effectiveness of the charter from the perspective of those directly affected by it.” Victoria University’s adoption of the Okanagan Charter is a momentous Victoria University administrators development for mental health on campus. responded to The Strand with a number By being the first federated college to sign of ways in which they intend to engage the Charter, even signing before UofT itself, students after the Charter’s implementation. it continues to demonstrate its distinctiveness Recognising that “students play an integral role to past, present, and future students. However, in providing feedback on existing resources listening to and centring students’ concerns, and have offered many great ideas that we have collaborating with the broad array of leaders been able to implement,” Dean Castle said in the community, and communicating the that her office “will continue to listen to and progress on its commitments along with the engage with students through our established data to back it up is crucial to ensure the signing structures such as [C]aucus” and that “updates is not the beginning and end of the journey. on the Okanagan Charter will now be standing agenda items on the Dean’s Advisory Shane Joy is the President of VUSAC and a Committee…” Further, President McEwen signatory of the Okanagan Charter for Victoria noted that Victoria University administrators University. “have also committed to working with PHOTO | MINH TRUONG
OPINIONS 07
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 29 NOVEMBER 2023
Not just a home away from home The importance of third places, and how they influence university life MICHAEL ELSAESSER FEATURES EDITOR
I started my first year with a virtual orientation. That meant the peak of my first week was joining a Zoom call filled with Vic clubs and levies, hopping from breakout room to breakout room looking to find my place. After visiting a couple of student groups, I landed in the room for The Cat’s Eye Student Pub and Lounge. There I was able to see two of the executives chat and joke around. You could feel their friendship, their humour, and their joy through the screen as all the first-years listened in. I, alongside dozens of others, signed up to be one of the levy’s volunteers, known affectionately as the Subcommittee, or Subcomm. Since my first year was almost entirely online, we rarely were able to actually be in the lounge space, but it was still clear how passionately the executive team was working to re-open the space safely or translate it into a digital format (with a Discord server being made). I didn’t fully realise why they fought so hard to keep this levy going through the pandemic lockdowns until I became an executive myself and saw the place fully open. The Cat’s Eye isn’t just a student group; it’s a student-run third place, which is essential to our student life. PHOTO | SARA QADOUMI
Third places refer to locations that “are neither home nor work, but locations somewhere in between.” According to the BBC, the term was coined in 1982 by sociologists Ramon Oldenburg and Dennis Brissett. These can include your favourite Kensington coffee shop (or Vic’s own Caffiends if you want to keep it fair-trade and student-run), a local library, or even the quad, which can be a site to university-brochure-like games of spike ball. These locations are precious in that they not only bring people together but hold them there in safe hands. They are meant to be neutral locations where all people can congregate without serving a capitalist idea of productivity.
of students reading an investigative piece in The Strand about David Gilmour or watching protest signs be made as activists fought for divestment and educated unaware students of the cause. These spaces hold power as sites for the production of shared knowledge surpassing that of any singular individual. Each of us deals with a complicated web of issues, but when we come together to discuss them, we are able to find commonalities and trace back their roots to shared causes. It is through this knowledge that students can gain a better vision of how they fit into the broader population, and they can join together to resolve issues or dismantle systems which work against their collective wellbeing.
their neutrality. It is very clear that society is dangerously polarised with the help of social media algorithms and having to spend years separated physically from one another. We have also been seeing a loss in third places within our cities. However, as pointed out by Nathan Allebach in an interview with CBC, “If we look at it through a racial lens, [in] the civil rights era you have a lot of issues where Black communities had public pools that were literally filled with concrete, because there were white communities that did not want these public spaces to be filled with minorities. So you have more institutionalised forms of trying to curb these social institutions [like that], and then you have the more broad, long-term systemic effects While third places can be the site of community [of ] zoning.” He went on to describe how through organisation and anti-oppression work, it is municipal zoning practices, which prioritise only also imperative that the neutrality is properly profitable expansion, third places slowly continued challenged. In the book, Rethinking Third to decrease through the decades. Places, Simone Fullagar, Wendy O’Brien and Kathy Lloyd explore feminist perspectives on One can even look back at our own Victoria the matter. These authors “identified the need to College as there has been a documented pattern move beyond the assumption that leisure cultures of students losing these student-run third places performed in third places are necessarily gender in exchange for administrative offices. There is a inclusive and equitable.” For example, Johnson dangerous tide that has been around for many and Samdahl (2005) identified how gay bars can many years prioritising “productive” spaces while ignoring the urgent need for areas not meant to be productive but solely for existing. Within the societal microcosm of university, student-run spaces provide a unique comfort as our peers get to shape the space in which they inhabit, allowing it to reflect them. Just walking through The Cat’s Eye you can see the chalk walls adorned with art, messages, and memes alike. You see student decor desires resolved from bean bag chairs to a cascading ceiling of fairy lights to a variety of video games to enjoy between classes. The students know what we want to see reflected in our spaces to make them as welcoming as possible for our community. Throughout my time at Vic, I’ve grown incredibly attached to The Cat’s Eye as a space which signifies more than just a home away from home. It has been the site of so much personal development and enjoyment. I formed my strongest relationships within its walls not because of coursework but because we enjoy just existing with each other. The walls of the lounge have seen me gain and develop my voice and confidence to speak and live my values externally. I have only been able to develop into myself because of the safety I have been able to feel in the space and with the community it brings together. In my roles helping to run the lounge, I have been able to reflect on the constant presence of third spaces and how they have set the scene for major moments in my life. Before The Cat’s Eye, it was my high school drama room during lunch where we would play music, chat, and host impromptu lip-syncs. Before that, it was my elementary school playground where we played a variety of running-based games, where I would explore imaginary worlds with friends, and where I would scrape my knees on the pavement and stain my clothes rolling down the grassy hill. As people, we need to do more than work and sleep. Our lives can become so rich through connection, exploration, discussion, and just existing in a space. While we continue to see reductions in what can be referred to as third places, people are resilient and will find ways to come together.
act as a third place for queer identification away from heteronormative judgement; yet, they also noted the pervasiveness of misogynistic practices that excluded women.” They continued on by recognising that in a patriarchal society, where space is both socially and legally owned by men, “the third places chosen for interaction must be safe and transparent places, both physically and socially for women.'' The study of space and thirdplaces has been expanding to consider the effects of various identities on the consideration of a space as truly 'neutral'. Unfortunately, in their research, the authors found that “gender has largely been thought of in an isolated way from other relations of power (ethnicity, class, religion, These types of spaces have also been crucial in age, ability, sexuality etc.). One of the limitations organising and anti-oppression work. When people in Oldenberg’s (1999) work on third places is gather to discuss news and share ideas, change the privileging of a white, masculine and largely can brew in the air. For example, King Charles II middle-class worldview that is assumed to be the became worried about uprisings after cafes began ‘norm’ against which other racialized identities and appearing, as people from various walks of life were meanings are defined or ignored. The example of able to meet one another and talk politics. He went pubs as visible third places highlights this point even as far as to attempt a ban, which only lasted in relation to the normative assumptions about eleven days. By spending time in The Cat’s Eye, masculinity, heterosexuality and whiteness.” I’ve been able to watch this promise of third-places They highlight the need to use frameworks of Michael Elsaesser is the Finance and Promotions come to fruition. Some of my fondest memories in intersectionality, as developed by Black feminist Director of The Cat's Eye. the lounge have been partaking in discussions and scholars, to investigate the spaces that are socially the sharing of knowledge. Whether it's a group defined as third places and re-consider the idea of
08 FEATURES
EDITOR | MICHAEL ELSAESSER FEATURES@THESTRAND.CA
The political canvas: artistic agency contends the forces of censorship
Palestinian artists find their voices stifled by the global stage
PHOTO | SOTHEBYS
As the brush strokes of Palestinian artists aim to capture the nuances of their experiences, an unwarranted hand of censorship leaves their canvases fractured and narratives truncated. Modification, suppression, and exclusion of Palestinian creatives resonate as a poignant testament to the power dynamics at play, casting a shadow over the canvas of cultural diversity. LAIYENA IMRAN CONTRIBUTOR
In the midst of media repressing the Palestinian solidarity, statements, and protests by distorting the resistance as violent, chaotic, and futile, I think it is productive to gain insight into Palestinian resistance through art: a language, that through sharing stories, feelings, and identities humanises narratives, bridging the gap between ourselves and those who may appear distant or foreign. Creating art, exercising agency with free will, and using one's own voice is an act of liberation. This liberation bears the transformative power to instigate change. However, the canvas of Palestinian art and expression has long been marred by the brushstrokes of suppression and censorship throughout modern history. Censorship, a straitjacket on freedom of speech, has relentlessly gripped the Palestinian
oppression. The narrative landscape, painted with vivid strokes of cultures, traditions, history, and struggles through artistic forms, has been systematically stripped away from the Palestinians. Ghassan Kanafani, a Palestinian teacher, author, and revolutionary, laid the foundation for what was later coined “resistance literature.” His work, Return to Haifa, sticks out to me for its deeply personal lens that demonstrates the emotional complexities faced by individuals and families during the events of the 1948 Nakba. Kanafani delves into themes of
displacement, loss, and the transformative impact of war on identity, providing readers with a visceral understanding of the lasting scars left by the Nakba, illustrating a narrative of Palestinian oppression at the hands of Israel. The author was a spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and advocated against the establishment of the State of Israel, and for this advocacy, 36-year-old Kanafani was assassinated by the Mossad along with his 17-year-old niece in Beirut on July 8, 1972. In an interview, Richard Carleton asks Kanafani why he does not advocate for peace talks with the Israeli leaders to “stop the death and the misery, the destruction and the pain” of Palestinians, Israelis, and Arabs, for living in what Kanafani refers to as “starvation, killed for twenty years, and forbidden to use even the name ‘Palestinians’” is “better… than dead though.” To these statements, the revolutionary replied, “You don’t mean exactly ‘peace talks.’ You mean capitulation. Surrendering… People usually fight for something. And they stop fighting for something…To us, to liberate our country, to have dignity, to have respect, to have our mere human rights is something as essential as life itself.” Here, Kanafani implies that peace talks with the newly established State of Israel in the previous British mandate Palestine would mean surrendering to subjugation. Kanafani had no military experience; however in Lebanon’s The Daily Star newspaper obituary, he was regarded as a “commando who never fired a gun, whose weapon was a ballpoint pen, and his arena, newspaper pages.” Another artist, Mohammad Abu Sakha, a 26-year-old Palestinian circus performer, was released on August 31, 2017, after nearly two years in an Israeli prison without charge or trial. He was arrested in December 2015 while crossing the Zaatara military checkpoint on his way to work at the Palestinian Circus School in Birzeit, near Ramallah and was held under a series of administrative detentions, regularly renewed. The military court ordered his administrative detention for six months, accusing him of "illegal activities" with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, but provided no evidence for the allegation. Amnesty International claims the Israeli authorities have “kept much of the ‘evidence’ they purport to hold against him secret, making it impossible for him to build an effective case to defend himself or challenge his detention.”
FEATURES 09
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 29 NOVEMBER 2023
A ten-year-old cartoon character, Handala is distinctively marked by his perpetual backwardsfacing stance, symbolising the way the world turned its back on the Palestinians in 1948. Purposefully depicted as a shabby, unkempt Palestinian child, Handala represents its creator, Naji Ali, and other Palestinian children who were expelled from their homes to pave the way for the establishment of the State of Israel. The choice of the name Handala originates from the Arabic word "Handhal," referring to a bittertasting plant native to Palestine, symbolising the embittered experience of children like Handala, expelled from their homes. Handala's lasting impact as a personification of Palestinians underscores the resilience of artistic expression even in the face of censorship, serving as a testament to the enduring power of art to convey suppressed stories. In 1987, Naji Ali was tragically shot outside his London office. Renowned for creating the character of Handala, Ali worked for the Kuwaiti newspaper, Al Qabus, at the time. The identity of his killers remains shrouded in mystery to this day. Handala, the fictional creation, mirrors the painful reality of Naji Ali’s own past—as he, too, was forced to flee his village in the 1948 Nakba at the age of ten. Ali once said of Handala: "He was the age I was when I had left Palestine and, in a sense, I am still that age today, and I feel that I can recall and sense every bush, every stone, every house and every tree I passed when I was a child in Palestine." I want to remind the readers that artworks are not created in a vacuum; each stroke of the artist's brush, every chosen word, and the melody of resistance in Palestinian art echo people’s yearning to reclaim their narrative, to transcend the confines of oppression and censorship. Palestinian Death: Too Controversial for the ROM? In the wake of the delayed opening of the Royal Ontario Museum's (ROM) exhibition "Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery" in late October 2023, a series of events revealed an unsettling clash between artistic expression and institutional censorship. The turmoil began when Palestinian American artists, Jenin Yaseen and Sameerah Hosam Ahmed, along with other collaborators faced a Zoom call with ROM officials, who presented a document calling for the removal of specific words due to “heightened sensitivities” surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict. This led to modifications in their exhibition, prompting an ultimatum for the artists to either accept the changes or withdraw entirely. However, in a bold act of resistance, Yaseen initiated an 18hour protest sit-in inside the exhibition space with another unnamed Palestinian contributor. The ROM eventually reopened the exhibition after negotiations, displaying Yaseen's original painting with a disclaimer. As the museum issued an apology for the "pain and frustration" caused, I examined how modifications distort the original stories, impacting the activism inherent in their art. In essence, I aim to shed light on the broader issue of artistic autonomy and cultural representation within the context of the ROM's exhibition.
shared by life. Artworks highlight death through biological, artistic, and cultural contexts, showcasing diverse cultural practices and rituals and thus encourage guests to reflect on grief, remembrance, and survival. The ROM, citing "heightened sensitivities around the Israel-Hamas conflict," proposed modifications, including replacing "Palestine" with "West Bank" and softening the language. The substitution of Palestine with the West Bank alone implies ROM's insensitivity and disregard for the tragic loss of civilian lives and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza. This change seems to distance Gaza from its rightful place within Palestine, undermining Gazans from the broader Palestinian experience.
violating the core principle of artistic autonomy. The cultural representation, depicting the struggles of Palestinian families in the context of green burial practices, is compromised as elements crucial to conveying this narrative are removed and altered. Yaseen's artwork was not merely a creative expression; it served as a form of activism, shedding light on social and political issues. I interpret the alteration as an attempt to sanitise and control the narrative, thereby diminishing the struggles of Palestinians.
The ROM's modifications, including linguistic changes, misattributions, and the replacement of artwork, reflect an attempt to control the narrative around the Israel-Palestine conflict. By altering the language and content of the exhibition, the ROM sought to manage The alterations went beyond linguistic the sensitivities associated with the conflict and and mere aesthetic changes, with significant possibly to avoid controversy or backlash. In misattributions and replacements, prompting a doing so, however, the institution silenced the protest sit-in. authentic voices of the Palestinian artists and compromised the activism embedded in their Hosam Ahmed's quote, reflecting her art. The act of censorship, in this context, seems family's Muslim green burial practices and the more about maintaining a curated narrative nurturing care extended to graves and plants, was than fostering genuine artistic expression and inaccurately divided and attributed to another representation. contributor by the ROM. This misattribution disrupted the accurate portrayal of Ahmed's Art serves as a mirror reflecting the socioperspective, as the first part of her quote was political landscape, allowing communities incorrectly presented as the museum's voice, to showcase their histories, grievances, and and the second part was wrongly attributed dreams. In the case of the ROM's exhibition, to another Palestinian contributor, Susan the attempt to sanitise and control the narrative Jenin Yaseen. The misattribution of Ahmed's underscores a broader issue—how institutions perspective as the museum's voice reflects a wield authority in shaping the discourse around troubling infringement on artistic autonomy contentious subjects. The narratives embedded and cultural representation. This distortion not in the artists' work are not mere brushstrokes; only undermines the authenticity of the artist's they are expressions of a lived reality, a cultural voice but also raises concerns about institutions heritage, and a form of resistance against forces assuming authority over narratives, diluting the that seek to distort or silence them. inherent activism in the artists' work. The suppression not only stifles individual More prominently, Yaseen's artwork artistic expressions but also becomes a broader underwent a profound transformation at reflection of the challenges faced by marginalised the hands of the ROM. On October 27, the voices in asserting their cultural identity. Altering painting titled Indeed, to our love, we will return, or removing elements from the artworks is akin featured in the Muslim Green Burial display, to erasing chapters from the collective story of a was entirely replaced with another painting. The community—in this case, the Palestinian people. replacement, bearing the same title and labelled (reproduced), featured a quote not crafted by the Its impact extends beyond the confines of the artist. This drastic substitution ensued after the museum walls, reaching into the international artist refused to censor minor motifs within the sphere where perceptions of a culture are extensive display painting. shaped. The ROM's actions to 'soften' the struggles depicted by the Palestinian artists The original artwork depicted a lifeless body contribute to a narrative that may inadvertently adorned with flowers, aligning with Ahmed's perpetuate stereotypes or misconceptions about earlier quote on Muslim burial practices. the Palestinian experience. This echoes a wider Within this intricate depiction, a small section concern about the responsibility of cultural highlighted a poignant motif—an image of a institutions to present diverse and authentic deceased individual cradled by two soldiers. narratives, free from undue influence or According to Yaseen, this motif starkly reflected censorship. the harsh reality faced by Palestinian families, denied the right to observe green burial practices The power dynamics evident in the due to bodies being held in the “occupation's censorship highlight a need for a reevaluation freezers and the cemeteries of numbers." of the relationship between institutions and Intended to portray the violation of Palestinian the artists they aim to showcase. Museums and bodies held hostage by Israeli soldiers, Yaseen's galleries, as custodians of cultural representation, painting fell victim to cropping, deliberate should act as platforms for fostering dialogue, painting over of sections, thus distorting the understanding, and appreciation for the richness impactful narrative it initially conveyed. In of human experiences. When censorship seeps response, the artist protested during the sit- into these spaces, it not only infringes upon in, providing a large canvas by a Jewish ally to the autonomy of artists but also diminishes the magnify the original motif in the small section of potential for cross-cultural understanding and the painting, making it "clear that [she is] NOT empathy. censoring the reality of the Palestinian struggle.”
The exhibition, curated by Chen Shen at the ROM, was previously installed and developed at Chicago’s Field Museum. At the ROM, the By cropping and deliberately painting exhibition calls for the guests to contemplate over sections of the painting, external forces the abstruseness of death, a universal experience undermine the artist's intended message,
10 SCIENCE
EDITOR | KIERAN GUIMOND SCIENCE@THESTRAND.CA
Sustainability spotlight: UofT Trash Team and MealCare Toronto in conversation UofT's Trash Team and MealCare inspire change in community and campus KHAIRATUN YUSUFF CONTRIBUTOR
This week, I sat down with Mary Long, a fourth-year double major in biology and global health and a dedicated member of the UofT Trash Team and MealCare Toronto, two student-led initiatives at the forefront of sustainable practices and community service on campus. The UofT Trash Team is a science-based community organisation that focuses on increasing waste literacy in the community and reducing plastic pollution in our ecosystems. MealCare is a key player in tackling food insecurity by redistributing surplus meals to those in need. The Strand: What specific projects or initiatives is the UofT Trash Team is currently working on? Mary Long: We work in three main areas: community outreach, education, and solutions-based research. One big program is called Fighting Floatables and that is around the Harbourfront and Tommy Thompson Park, which includes Seabins, skimming, and litter traps that capture and divert macro and microplastics. We then have research students that categorise and quantify the plastics caught in these traps. Another example of our solution-based research is on wet wipes, which are made of plastic, but there is not a lot of awareness on that. One of our researchers, Simran [Hansra], is doing a project to increase awareness and auditing grocery stores to see what kind of wet wipes products are being sold and how they're being labelled. About 80 percent of wet wipes she sampled were made of polyester or polyethene that don’t degrade in the ecosystem and have been clogging up our draining systems. You mentioned that your summer research project was with the UofT Trash Team. What was it about? That was a project I did this past summer where we installed recycling receptacles for cigarette butt recycling around high-rise buildings in St. James Town. We wanted to see what effect this would have on the ground cigarette butt litter. So, we quantified the litter on the ground nearby the receptacles before and after installation. We did observe a decrease in the amount of litter we found on the ground after the receptacles were up. Over the course of the summer, which was around 12 weeks, we collected around 1,938 cigarette butts and everything was sent to recycling. What challenges does the team face in their work, and how do you overcome them? One challenge I've noticed is how we collaborate and coordinate with all the different organisations that have jurisdiction over different aspects of our work. How we navigate those challenges is by making sure to always keep up clear communication and have regular meetings with all our stakeholders to make sure we are on the same page. How can students and the broader community get involved or support the UofT Trash Team's initiatives? You can go to our website and join our mailing list to get notified of volunteering opportunities and stay in the loop about our work. Could you share any success stories or notable achievements the UofT Trash Team has had in recent years? One thing that's been super cool is the growth of the team. The UofT Trash Team was founded only in March of 2017 and has really grown into a multidisciplinary group. In terms of our impact,
this past summer, we diverted over 73,000 microplastics through our trash trapping program and in 2022, the organisation got the UofT Sustainable Action Award in recognition of the sustainability impacts that we've had. What is your favourite part about working at the UofT Trash Team? It’s the people! Everyone I've met there is super nice, and it's a really fun and positive environment! Let’s talk about MealCare. How does MealCare Toronto go about collecting surplus food from events, and what is the process of distributing it to community organisations? We have a rotating team of volunteers who are on call every other week. We have a Google Form on our Instagram, and you fill it out a week before your event to reach us. Volunteers on call for the week are responsible for getting that food and delivering it to nearby shelters. How do you ensure the safety of the donated food? We pick up the donations right after the event ends to make sure it's not at room temperature for too long and drop it off right away. We also have a partnership with Chestnut Residence and the UTSU [University of Toronto Students' Union] Food Bank, and we package leftover food from Chestnut Residence and deliver it to the food bank. Also, all our volunteers are food-safety trained, and we track everything to comply with the UofT food safety standards. How do you choose which organisations to give food to? A lot of it is places that are close to UofT because we go by TTC or we also have drivers. Places that we've donated to in the past are the YWCA, Margaret’s—just places around downtown and we call them beforehand to see if they'll accept the donation. It's not only geographical but it's also based on who needs food at the moment.
PHOTO | U OF T TRASH TEAM
Can you share a memorable part of your experience at MealCare? One memorable event from last year was when we did a pickup from a sorority and so we delivered that via the subway. The subway was super crowded, but everyone who saw us was super nice and offered us their seats and said thank you for doing this kind of thing. That was very heartwarming. The people that were living at the shelter were also happy about having dinner that day, and it was nice seeing how happy they were for it. It also drove home the fact that I was very grateful that I personally didn't have to worry about not having food on the table. What challenges have you faced in your work and how does the team work to overcome these challenges? I think one challenge is working around all our schedules because it's all student-run but having different people rotate made it easier to do the volunteer commitment. More to that point, how can individuals who are interested in supporting MealCare Toronto's cause, get involved or contribute? If you are running an event on campus and think you might have leftovers, you can go to our Instagram and fill out the form in our bio. We will be hiring volunteers at the start of next school year, so I encourage you to sign up for that! Looking ahead, what future goals or projects is MealCare Toronto excited about pursuing to further its impact? The execs’ goals are to ensure a sustainable model of operations since they will be graduating. Another goal is to hit 20,000 pounds of donated food by the end of the year. To date, the organisation has rescued 15,000 pounds of food. For future projects, one thing that's very early in the works is getting a community fridge. So we would have event donations come to the community fridge, and students and staff can just drop by and take [food] if they need it.
ARTS AND CULTURE 11
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 29 NOVEMBER 2023
1989 (Taylor's Version) The New Testament of our generation's pop Bible PHOTO | TAYLOR SWIFT
back,” she shrieks during the bridge, the crown jewel of almost every Taylor Swift song. “Now That We Don’t Talk” features another addictively catchy chorus, highlighting Swift’s whispery falsetto as she recounts the fallout after a breakup. In the track, she dishes out a few playfully scathing remarks: “I don’t have to pretend I like acid rock/Or that I’d like to be on a mega yacht/With important men who think important thoughts.” “Suburban Legends” is a detour from the metropolitan cities and the sandy summer beaches of the 1989 aesthetic, visiting the suburbia she left behind in her early country albums with a new perspective. Reminiscent of tracks from her other albums,“‘tis the damn season” and “Midnight Rain,” “Suburban Legends” looks back on what could’ve been in a high school relationship after the narrator chose to follow her ambitions instead: “I had the fantasy that maybe our mismatched star signs/ Would surprise the whole school/When I ended up back at our class reunion/Walkin’ in with you.” This underrated track (or as underrated as a Taylor Swift song can be) is a standout, my current favourite of all the vault tracks.
AUDREY LAI CONTRIBUTOR
A shedding of her Nashville country roots for New York City synthpop, the release of 1989 in 2014 ushered in a rebirth of Taylor Swift as a global pop icon, and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is her second coming. On October 27, Taylor Swift released the re-recording of 1989 with three wildly successful re-recorded albums already under her belt on the heels of the first North American leg of the cultural phenomenon of the Eras Tour. With Swift somehow even more on top of the world than she was during the release of the original album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is Swift’s victory lap, a celebration with her devoted followers for the pop Bible, which first catapulted her to international superstardom.
The fan favourite of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is undeniably the exhilarating ride of the closing vault track: “Is It Over Now?” Swift references the accident in “Out of the Woods” (“When you lost control/Red blood, white snow”) and infidelity in the relationship only briefly mentioned in “Style” (“And did you think I didn’t see you?/There were flashing lights/At least I had the decency/To keep my nights out of sight”), expanding the stories of her personal life fans can only take a glimpse at through lost some of its original’s hopeful ardour. interweaving specific lyrics and blurry paparazzi photographs passed around the fandom like folklore. Along with the re-recording of songs featured The song strings together a deluge of jaded insults on the 2014 album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) features (“You dream of my mouth before it called you a lying five “From the Vault” tracks, songs written during traitor/You search in every model bed for something the 1989 era that were never previously released. greater, baby”) and hopeless pleas (“Oh, Lord, I think Each track harkens back to 2014 in all its glory, but about jumpin’/Off of very tall somethings/Just to see each adopts remnants of Swift’s latest original album you come runnin’”) in the endearing way that only release, Midnights, in its twinkly production. Taylor Swift can. When the vault tracks were revealed after Swift sent her fans on a wild treasure hunt on a Google puzzle-solving game, the track “Slut!” was expected to be a satirical pop anthem on the media scrutiny over Swift’s relationships à la “Blank Space.” However, the actual track is more understated, cloudy in its softness but also its subtle sombre undertones. Its intimate lyrics could easily be in an edit you might find on your early 2010s Tumblr dash (“Flamingo pink, Sunrise Boulevard/Clink, clink, being this young is art”). While acknowledging the double standards of the media when it depicts her as a serial dater while her lover comes out unscathed (“Love thorns all over this rose/I’ll pay the price you won’t”), she expresses her hopefulness that she’ll still find love (“And if they call me a slut/You know it might be worth it for once”).
Welcoming us back to New York, Swift plunges us into all too familiar soundscapes from almost a decade ago. As if peering back into an old Polaroid picture, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) unquestionably preserves the genetic makeup of its original version. In accordance with her commitment to sonic continuity in her re-recording project, the sound of the re-recorded tracks remains almost identical, only enhanced by her matured vocals. However, some details in the production of a select few re-recorded songs hindered their star quality: the bass strums during “Say Don’t Go” has the delightfully echoey chorus the beginning of “Style” were missing the original’s of a HAIM song, pleading with her ex-lover who’s electrifying verve, and the “ah’s” in “New Romantics” just left her. “I said ‘I love you’/You say nothing
1989 was named after the year Taylor Swift was born, signalling her rebirth as an artist. In a massive career risk, Swift traded her Tennessee hometown for Manhattan apartments, country acoustic for electric guitar, and American Sweetheart naivete for a winking self-knowingness—proving her ability to evolve, which solidified her longevity in the music industry. Nine years later, recording 1989 once more in an effort to take back ownership of her albums, Swift is reborn again. As we take a walk down memory lane and revisit the Manhattan streets of 1989, Swift once again reminds us: “The lights are so bright, but they never blind me.” And in the face of her fortitude and her ever-growing devoted fanbase, they never will.
12 ARTS AND CULTURE
EDITOR | DANA LEE ARTSANDCULTURE@THESTRAND.CA
The last laugh JULIA DEDDA CONTRIBUTOR
A sitcom, or situational comedy, is a “serialised comedic program where each episode revolves around a different situation. In each different situation, however, there is the same cast of characters who return from episode to episode.” This style of television was at its peak in the 90s, with sitcoms such as Friends, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air gracing the screens. Once the twenty-first century hit, sitcoms were still going strong, with Modern Family, The Office, and The Big Bang Theory. And while sitcoms are still on the program today, such as South Park and Rick & Morty, we’ve seen a decline in popularity from this beloved genre of television. Why is that, and what has replaced it? What has caused the decline in sitcoms, and will they resurge? Sitcoms have many styles that have changed across television through the decades, starting with multicam or laugh track sitcoms. These were popular in the 90s and early 2000s and extended as late as 2019 with The Big Bang Theory. While these shows have been described as the best sitcoms in television history and are memorable to many viewers, the laugh track may get annoying and may deter people from watching the show. At least, that’s the theory, though sitcoms with laugh tracks have had long runs and have been described as successful. Sitcoms such as Friends, Seinfeld, That '70s Show, and The Big Bang Theory stayed on the watcher’s list for over a decade before being cancelled. Then there were workplace and domestic comedies: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office, Modern Family,
The Goldbergs, and How I Met Your Mother. These did not include laugh tracks but provided the comfort of watching characters thrive in their domestic lives. The decline in sitcoms is due to program cancellations. A program being cancelled can happen for many reasons, including long-running shows, high production costs, and low viewership. Jim Parsons, who played the adult Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory from 2007-2019, opted out of the show because the rest of cast had “been able to do this for so many years now, it doesn’t feel like there is anything left on the table.” Friends and The Office left the screen for similar reasons. I mean, you don’t want a show to get TOO repetitive. Contrarily, Family Guy was renewed last January for another two years up until 2025 even though it is due to become one of the longest-running sitcoms in television history. It seems as if the animated sitcoms are having their 15 minutes of fame nowadays; in addition to Family Guy’s successful renewal, Bob’s Burgers and South Park are staying on. But, the majority of sitcoms have been cancelled in recent years. Sure, some of them are available for rewatch on Netflix, but we haven’t seen a fresh new sitcom in a while. While Schitt’s Creek and Blackish were refreshing, the shows didn’t last as long as viewers would have liked. Why so many cancellations? First of all, we live in a technologically driven world. While more streaming platforms have become available to us, it has killed the sitcom scene. Viewers used to turn on the television at a specific time and day and could only watch one episode
at a time. Now, with hundreds of titles on streaming services, our society today has difficulty committing to one show or watching one show in a short amount of time. And, this is bad news; sitcoms, like any good show, need time to develop their storylines. According to Comic Book Resources, “Networks understood that not everything will be a hit right away and that shows need time to grow. Streaming services don't care as they look for instant gratification.” This is true. Shows on Netflix and other streaming platforms are often cancelled before the first season event concludes. Today’s generation of viewers also want more, especially when the pandemic hit during which people were at home and needed entertainment. They don’t want half-hour episodes; rather, they’d prefer longer run times to satisfy their television craving. Ironically, we have shorter attention spans now more than ever; our focus has deteriorated, yet our focus on television and dopamine rushes from social media has increased dramatically. While there are still sitcoms on our screens today, they lack the heart of past shows. Shows that would provide nostalgia and laughs have now been replaced with dramas. It is rare to find a truly riveting television series today, and none of them are modern sitcoms, in my opinion. Today, dramas, comedies, and a mash of comedy-dramas have dominated the television scene. We are unsure where television will go in the future, but for the time being, I don’t expect a sitcom revival anytime soon.
ILLUSTRATION | SHARADA MUJUMDAR
ARTS AND CULTURE 13
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 29 NOVEMBER 2023
Boxing in pursuit of greatness PHOTO | BBC WILLIAM CHUNG CONTRIBUTOR
“Character is that quality upon which you can depend under pressure and other conditions. Character makes the fighter predictable. Character helps him win.” These are the famous words of Cus D’Amato, arguably one of the greatest boxing trainers of all time. Cus trained three world heavyweight champions, including Mike Tyson. He had a unique approach to training, which incorporated his personal philosophy. He spoke universally about human struggle and the practice and attitude that goes into conquering the inner and outer self. He saw beyond the physical challenges of a fighter’s training and sought to define and enhance who they were at their core. Character makes a fighter. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term “Character” as “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.” In Integrity and Virtue: The Forming of Good Character, character is further explored as being permanent and inseparable from the identity of the person whom it defines. To have good character means to have the right disposition, desire, and moral tendencies. Gaining mastery over these aspects emotionally, ethically, and through consistent work achieves stability in selfgovernance and self-possession. To obtain self-governance and self-possession is to define yourself by your values, emotions, and habit of good action. It lays the foundation on the road to your personal success by tying your values closely to your identity. In The Collective Works of Edith Stein, vol. 9, Stein says, “The human soul must have self-knowledge and be capable of taking a stand with respect to its own self. It must find itself in a dual sense: it must learn to know itself and it must come to be what it is destined to be.” Stein speaks of self-discovery, where you must be in dialogue with your inner core to gain a sense of purpose and destination. The same process can be seen when Cus trains a fighter. In an interview, he said, “I have to first determine [the fighter’s] emotional state, get his background, to find out what I have to do, how many layers I have to keep peeling off so that I get to the core of the person so that he can recognise, as well as I, what is there.” Cus understood that in order to find personal success, an individual had to first recognise and learn about themself. He acted as a mediator between the discovery of self and the destination to offer guidance. In this sense, the sport of boxing had much more to do with the boxer’s mental state rather than the physical challenges. When examining some of the greatest boxers throughout history, it becomes evident that the most successful boxers understood their own strengths and potential. An example of this can be demonstrated by examining the styles they developed. The 70s were particularly a great era for boxing with big names such as Mohammad Ali, George Foreman, and Joe Frazier. Each of these fighters built their style based on their physical capabilities, such as height, reach, and muscular proportions, factoring in their speed, power, and technique. Ali came up with the expression “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” He weighed 214 pounds and towered at 6’3”, and he had incredible reach and speed. He dominated the ring with his distance control. His defence relied on upper body movement, and he was
quick to change angles when an opponent got close. He fought primarily as an out-boxer, which meant he was quick to stay out of the opponent’s range and work from the outside. This demanded stamina, distance control, and timing to look for the right opening. Foreman was a brawler. His hits were slow, and his body telegraphed his moves prior to the hit. While Ali considered his punches easier to dodge, the few that landed carried devastating power. His career had an 84 percent knockout rate, and most of them were in the early rounds. Watching Foreman train with a punching bag will show you that his punches caved the bag, leaving a mark as big as his fists. He won his last heavyweight championship in 1994 at the age of 45, an age that would have set him far past his prime. Frazier was a swarmer. He put pressure on his opponents by closing in the range. Using his short stature as an advantage, he would duck and roll through his opponent’s punches and time his offensive strikes. He was able to speedily raise and lower his upper body at will and did so with incredible stamina over as many as 15 rounds. Each of these three fighters demonstrated a unique style of boxing that suited their frame. Foreman
was slow but used monstrous power. Ali was fast and dominated the rhythm inside the ring, and Frazier was short but versatile with his power and defence. Not to mention the immense amount of practice it took them to compete on a world stage, these fighters understood their strengths and limitations and built their character into styles that suited them best. Everyone is a fighter. Perhaps not literally, but we all have challenges in our lives that lead us to question our worth and beliefs. A failed job interview, a low grade you just received from a university course, or a bad breakup. These are all challenges that we fight through, and by discovering who we are, and how we can develop to fulfil our goals, we strengthen our minds to ease the hardships in our lives. “I am the greatest.” Muhammad Ali preached that he would be the greatest in the world, long before his first heavyweight title fight against Sonny Liston. There are those who reasonably doubted him, believing he spoke out of turn. Yet, despite the opposition, he persevered through the challenges in his life with certainty and an immovable belief in himself.
14 POETRY
EDITOR | MAX LEES & ANYA SHEN POETRY@THESTRAND.CA
food poisoning JEAN POLOCHANSKY CONTRIBUTOR
it retches me mute percolation a space in my diaphragm, excess, yolk flakes scraped to the edge of the plate: white china at the core
ILLUSTRATION | CAMERON ASHLEY
Concentric Circles Working
smattered with lukewarm tea water and pickle-bile on the porcelain bowls leaving me behind
PATRICK IGNASIAK CONTRIBUTOR
out of every I wish it’ll turn to turn as if it disintegrated across the entire
yet still, this aftertaste won't go
as also the surface into the span: shoulder pivots elbow to keep in touch with for whom the trapezii set noon into neck and the pristine condition of these picking my wrists if there is nothing new and if youyou swivelled after you smooth the distance out my eye—line as several points turn each other each itself wide of turns to and felt tossing this way and that the isosceles’ weight ILLUSTRATION | ANELLA SCHABLER
Mirror ZOE SMITH CREPP CONTRIBUTOR
When a preacher searches for God’s wisdom, He looks in the mirror and sees prayers forming On the lips of his reflection. Calling to me was your mouth, Releasing a never-ending stream of thought, One consciousness to another as we spoke through the glass. I’ll never forget the promise of a kiss, barely even expressed, Into which I read like devout women scour over gilded texts. I knew I had found Him, My match, or some other being on Earth in you, One with Eve’s small smile And an innocent taste for ripe fruit.
something's off in the toast I had for breakfast, I think, or maybe the jam
ILLUSTRATION | THE STRAND
bluebirds weeping ANEMONE VAN LEEUWEN CONTRIBUTOR
The city dreams of what bluebirds are, Of shadows gone missing from a stained, spotlit sky. It dreams of a ghost slipping between skyscrapers, trembling beneath the traffic lights— A ghost building nests in the dark. Visions of a something well in the eyes of the subway-goers, the upstanding, the watch-wearing; Those thunderous, listless, longing things adrift in the veins of the world. They circulate deep beneath the rebar bones of the city; Beneath the clock face, the iron beams, And pigeons bathing in the fountain; Beneath the man who yells in the park, and the people who watch him. Somewhere there are these dreams, down in the blood of it all, in the bones of it— Down in the grit and marrow of the cracks in the sidewalk. Somewhere there is a tremendous wanting. Aren’t you forgetting to breathe, again? Haven’t you seen the mourners in the subway cars? Think of the bluebirds. Now it is dark and I am quiet. A muffled sea of heartbeats crests as far-off sirens, settles again to ripple idly above the dark pavement— It is morning. It is late. It is early, and I am alone with the streetlights through the window. The world is breathing through me. Now sidewalks wrap around my wrists and rainwater wells in my lungs. I cannot make a sound. It is endless; I am small in the darkness, upside down in the infinity of a million people. I will think of the bluebirds. ILLUSTRATION | MARIA VIDAL VALDESPINO
STRANDED 15
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 29 NOVEMBER 2023
My top ten Kevin James/Eric Stonestreet meme moments A collection of the best awkward-pose-in-the-kitchen moments I’ve had to experience in my life ADRIANA GORAIEB STAFF WRITER
The internet is a truly beautiful community, sometimes. Recently, I’ve been obsessed with the abundance of collective life experiences revealed through the new evolution of memes—namely, of the Kevin James and Eric Stonestreet genre. We’ve all seen the astounding meme of Kevin James posing in the kitchen, hands in pockets, smoulder on, looking as snazzy as ever. Similarly, both Modern Family viewers and not have been blessed with the image of Eric Stonestreet jumping around and looking like a middle-aged woman waiting to seat her family at dinner. My new Roman Empire is the thought process behind these photographs—when were they taken? Where were they taken? Why were they taken? Nonetheless, I feel very connected to these memes and would LOVE to share all the life moments that made me feel like Kevin or Eric. PHOTO | SARA QADOUMI
2. Me when I cook for my roommates ‘something special.’ The “something special” in question being mysterious banana pancakes that look like they were made by a five-year-old in a toy kitchen.
4. Me when I submit a VSEF for an event with a $1000 budget. I’m an expensive gal with expensive ideas. What can I say…
3. Me when I volunteer as tribute to dunk my head in icecold water for 45 seconds in the physiology lab. I love guinea pigging as a service to my peers.
5. Me when I have to email Celena to tell her that I did no work on my silly article but promise to get it done by 5 pm today.
4. Me when my family members ask me how my husband is doing and how fourth year in medical school is going (I am but a third-year undergraduate student—no prospective groom) The distinction between undergraduate and medical school seems to elude too many of my family members that I have begun to succumb to the delusion with them.
Hi Celena, if you read this, keep on doing the work you do queen you’re amazing thanks for letting me write <3
5. Me when I bring back all the leftover pizza from my events so my roommates can feast. I’m a hunter-gatherer in a tight-knit community— what can I say? My Top Eric Moments 1. Me (F: 19 years old) when my mom tells the doctor about my tummy ache. All the independence in my body DISSIPATES when my mom is in the picture. PHOTO | SARA QADOUMI
2. Me when the self-checkout at Dollarama doesn’t work, and I’ve scanned my tissue paper box 17 times. There is no experience more humbling. My Top Kevin Moments 1. Me when someone asks whose playlist is playing at Caffiends. I am so proud of my specially curated Caffiends setlist, and you WILL make my day by pointing it out.
3. Me when my roommate and I clog the toilet and need to tell our superintendent about it. The man is a trooper, that’s for sure. I feel truly awful about it, but oh well! C’est la vie.
Cause for low exam marks (and Lake of Blood) determined! Worker found to blame and not the (very well-behaved) Eldritch Monster JULIAN APOLINARIO CONTRIBUTOR
The Fall 2023 exam season has been particularly difficult for the University of Toronto’s students. Common complaints include an excessive need for memorisation, poor study guides, a lack of support for commuter students, and UofT’s controversial new Lake of Blood in the middle of the Front Campus. Students have complained about the extra time required to walk around the bubbling and frothing nightmare lake, as well as how the blood splatter keeps getting people’s white shoes dirty. I have traced the appearance of the Lake of Blood to the irresponsibility of one worker: Gary Johnson from Scarborough, who was 15 minutes late to his shift at the Portal of the Gaping Maw. Mr .Johnson is one of the many newly unionised “Acolytes of Darkness,” meant to serve the unholy monstrosity that has made its home under Front Campus. Thanks to his tardiness for Thursday’s ritual sacrifice, it seems that he has very irresponsibly brought an ancient curse to campus.
Mr. Johnson, 41, cited traffic on the 401 as the reason for his being late to the Gaping Maw’s Thursday “two-for-one” sacrifice of poorly performing Classics students. Johnson is responsible for the harnessing of the screams as the students are sucked away into a hellish torture dimension for the monster’s amusement, and it seems that without Johnson’s input, the entire operation has fallen apart. This allowed the students to escape, angering the merciful darkness under Front Campus: thus, the Lake of Blood. Johnson was reportedly a high achiever at work—never complaining about the ear-piercing screams of students nor the maddening screeching and cackling of Eldritch beings that he put up with. We were able to reach the man in question for comment during his 30-minute break this Friday. “Everyone’s making such a big deal out of me being 15 minutes late last week,” grumbled Johnson. “My boss wasn’t even that mad. Admitted that the whole curse thing he did was a bit of an overreaction. Ancient curses build character anyway, and it’s not like you guys have never been a little late to work. How
about some empathy, huh?” When asked about his thoughts on his job at the UofT portal location, Johnson had this to say: “Pays 40 bucks an hour, paid breaks, overtime on weekends. Not a bad gig. Besides, I have a feeling that supporting large Eldritch beings is going to be the career of the future. I was late because of construction they’ve been doing since the eighties, and the monster’s curse took effect within 15 minutes. Yeah yeah, complain about the Lake of Blood all you want. The monster gets results! Now, excuse me, break’s over, and I’ve got to get back to work.” With that, Johnson stepped back through the portal and resumed his duties satiating unending hunger. Toronto’s municipal government has received several calls begging for the removal of the portal but has responded that if an abomination like the Royal Family brings so much money in tourism for London, think of what a slightly less terrifying horror could do for our city! I reached out for a follow-up interview with Mr. Johnson, but because of a lack of phone service in the other dimension he has been incommunicado.
16 STRANDED
EDITOR | CELENA HO STRANDED@THESTRAND.CA
Food for thought literally Ketchup is the best condiment ever! ISHA RIZWAN SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Has any sane person ever just sat down and thought, “Hmm, I can eat a slice of cheesecake right now.” The answer is no unless you’re a psychopath and hate your taste buds. If you disagree with me while reading this, well, you are wrong— hope this helped. Cheesecake is the bane of my existence. Before you come at me, hear me out! I have tried almost all the flavours of cheesecake, I have done my research, and I can proudly say that it is at the bottom of the cake ranking tiers (chocolate cake is at the top, of course). Now I’m not here just to make claims. I came here with proof to back up my argument. What are the two most crucial ingredients of cheesecake? Cream cheese and sugar! Do you know what that sounds like? You are just eating a block of creamy cheese with added sweetness, and you are labelling it as a culinary masterpiece. Just eat a block of cheese from your fridge with sugar sprinkled on it and call it a day my friend. Also, why does cheesecake have savoury undertones to it? I’m looking for dessert and not a second dinner. I will never understand how something that's so disgraceful to humanity can have a whole factory named after it. It’s giving nepo-baby behaviour, doing absolutely nothing but still rising to the top. This is insanity, and the funniest thing is Cheesecake Factory has the worst cheesecake. This is scientifically proven (don’t fact-check me on this). In all 20/11/2023, 21:16 honesty, it’s just the texture of cheesecake that keeps me away from it. It has no structural integrity attached to it, and there is no bite to it (if you’re thinking about the soggy graham
cracker base, don’t). One thing I'll never understand about cheesecake is how it needs other elements to shine: it can never be an independent girly. Strawberry cheesecake is a prime example of this, and I hate that too because I don't like fruits in my dessert. Speaking of fruits, the fruit I hate with a passion is tomatoes. I can go on a full rant about their mushy texture and weird taste. If you23/10/2023, think about it, no one is ever craving a 14:11 tomato. However, I must bow down in front of the tomato for blessing us with the greatest invention known to humanity: ketchup.
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The Strand - Remembrance
17 Along with 28 and 37, 55 Tack on the theme of this paper 56 Grieve You know what else blows People lying about 21 What youmy maymind? be using to fill out this enjoying pancakes! No one likes them. TheyDOWN are always at the crossword, depending your confidence bottom of breakfast foodonitems. The texture1ofPhiladelphia's a pancakeNFLis team levels horrendous. It is extremely rubber-like 2 Numerous bland 22 Olympian's quest and extremely 3 _____ are red, violets 24 the It's yet to come in taste. While we are on topic of pancakes, have you ever are blue 26 Toronto’s lovely seen a person who likes totransportation eat Frenchsystem toast? Yeah, 4 Theme Cat'sneither. ___ (plural) 5 Unfeeling (abbr.) Never. Will you ever find that person? 6 Cast a ballot 28 Along with 17 and 37, 7 Motive the theme of this paper 8 Phobos or Deimos, for 30 Wrap up Mars 32 Popular catchphrase 10 Sidestep of figures such as 11 Bloody 1 2 Mary and 3 Sam I __ 4 Casper, or maybe the 12 Bright red ghosts of Annesley 15 To excel at; or a Hall playing card
ANEMONE VAN LEEUWEN CONTRIBUTOR
1 Dreams up 5 A broad road in a town or city 8 Goes bad 10 Michigan and Ontario, for example 11 Small songbird 12 A gemstone or a shade of black 14 Crimson, scarlet, cherry 16 Engagement symbol 17 Final letter, Canadian spelling 19 A type of deal 20 Butter type in cosmetics 21 Opposite of far 23 Distinctive style 24 Programming pioneer ___ Lovelace 27 Toy block brand 29 The title of this issue 33 Cunning scheme 34 Thinks highly of 36 Roses ___ red... 38 Chorus member 39 Midday 40 Faintest idea 41 Pub order 42 Small tree branch 44 Zero 45 Keep on track 46 A bird's home
The Strand - Remembrance and Revelation
Without ketchup this world would be dull, humans and Revelation wouldn’t know how to function, and all our meals would be bland. It’s just tomatoes and sugar, but it33isPeruses revolutionary ACROSS Ram's mate (cheesecake can’t relate) it's one of a kind,34 and dare I say, 35 Feline friend 1 What almost every it's the best condiment to walk on Good this earth. I can eat 37 Along with 17 andit28, student dreads. the theme of this paper luck on any upcoming with anything. Name a food, and I will have it with a side ones! 39 Cowboy contest of ketchup. Want to know something saw ___ a TikTok 5 "When pigs fly!" crazy? 40 I Much About 8 Recollection from the Nothing (William where people were bashing a girl for eating grilled cheese past Shakespeare) with ketchup, and I was flabbergasted. Is this not the a normal 41 Under weather 9 Which cheese is made backwards? Tennis shot thing to do? Grilled cheese with ketchup is 44 AMAZING. It’s 12 Emblem 46 11th month of the year the same thing as having cheese but 13 grilled Melancholy, Britishwith tomato 50 Still in soup, the game spelling 51 every Awe day with so much better. I swear14people blow my mind Poseidon's domain 53 Bottom line how wrong their food 15 opinions could be. 54 Ultimate A long time
48 A variable that is unspecified or unknown 56 Like a four-leaf clover 60 "The ___ of St. Agnes" (John Keats) 61 Owed 62 Take to court 63 Tyrannosaurus ___ 64 Head doctor, for short 65 Banshee sounding wail 66 Lease 67 Give, as homework
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The Strand - The Unthemed Issue F
The Strand - The Unthemed Issue ACROSS
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52 Brainstorm result 53 Convent residents 54 Understands 55 It's between a village and a city 57 Necessity for billiards 58 Barbie's match 59 Implore PEYTON SKOTIDAS CONTRIBUTOR