U OF T PRESIDENT MERIC GERTLER SITS DOWN WITH THE VARSITY FOR THE LAST TIME Gertler
Jessie Schwalb Business & Labour Governance Correspondent
Content warning: This article discusses incidents of Islamophobia, gender-based violence, voyeurism, and mentions of Nazism.
June 30, 2025 will be Meric Gertler’s last day as president of U of T — marking the end of nearly 12 years of leadership.
On September 16, The Varsity sat down with Gertler to discuss a year marked by student protests against the university’s investments, mourning for victims of Israeli bombings in Gaza, at least eight reported voyeurism incidents at New College, and budget challenges tied to the ongoing domestic tuition freeze and rising costs.
The Varsity: U of T now ranks as a top public university, but at the same time, a lot of people on campus seem more discontented with the university administration than ever. Why do you think that disconnect between the public rankings and U of T community viewpoints exists and what can the administration do to heal those rifts?
Meric Gertler: I actually don’t accept your premise that more people are unhappy with the administration than ever. Universities are places that, by definition, attract people from a variety of different backgrounds who are passionate about the disciplines that they’re studying and about the world around them. And that world is more challenging and stressful these days. I think what we’re seeing is people in our community expressing that anxiety in a variety of ways.
I also believe that the pandemic has had an impact on people’s well being, and on their ability — or lack thereof — to interact with one another in a civil and respectful way.
TV: Some have criticized U of T for addressing issues, from Islamophobia to fossil fuel divestment, through processes like task forces and working groups that can take years. How could U of T speed up some of those processes, and do you think it should?
MG: What I have learned through experience is that if you try to rush these consultative exercises and go a little too quickly, you’re likely to run into bigger problems where people will feel like they haven’t had adequate opportunity to be heard.
Yes, they can take time, but I think what one has to remain focused on is the quality of the recommendations that come out of the process, and the extent to which the community is willing to embrace those recommendations. You’ll never achieve complete unanimity or consensus but in my experience, as long as people regard the process as being sufficiently open and [feel they have had] an opportunity to weigh in fairly, they’ll be okay with the results and recommendations implemented.
TV: I do want to speak about the steps from these groups’ recommendations to implementation. In 2014, you appointed an advisory committee to look into whether U of T should divest its financial holdings from fossil fuels. In 2016, you rejected that committee’s recommendation that U of T divest, but you reversed course six years later in 2021. Can you walk us through how divestment decisions are made at the presidential level?
MG: I would describe that process a little bit differently. That advisory committee deliberated extensively, sought extensive consultation, and wrote a very thoughtful document which made the case for why university action in this space was quite important and urgent. They did recommend a specific form of divestment — it was not wholesale divestment, and it had a number of specific tests associated with it.
I was aligned with the spirit of their recommendations that the university take some action, but I didn’t actually think that their recommendations would move us far enough, fast enough. We calculated that, had the university simply divested from investments it held directly or indirectly in fossil fuel companies, it might have reduced the carbon footprint of our portfolio by about 13 per cent. Instead, we embraced a different approach where we applied an Environmental, Social, and Governance framework to all of our investments.
In a few years, University of Toronto Assets Management (UTAM) was able to reduce the carbon footprint of our portfolio by 39 per cent: three times larger than what would have happened had we simply divested from fossil fuels with the passage of time.
Simultaneously, third-party fund
managers began coming forward and offering new investment vehicles that were similar to their existing funds but eliminating fossil fuel investments. By 2021, when we were doing our annual assessment of our progress, we thought that the time was right to implement a divestment strategy.
TV: Speaking of UTAM, the university has come under fire from some groups for a lack of transparency. Earlier in the year, Chief Financial Officer Trevor Rodgers told us that U of T is open to engaging with its investment managers to increase transparency, but we haven’t really seen any action since then. We have [also] noticed that there’s been a lack of transparency specifically for the student press, where The Varsity was barred from attending a press conference that you held during the encampment. What steps can the university take to increase transparency, both for students generally and specifically for the student press? MG: Transparency is important, and we are committed to increasing it.
Currently, UTAM reports the names of the third-party managers it works with [but] doesn’t identify the funds or their contents. The barriers are that the contents of those funds change frequently and that, when UTAM signs on with these third-party fund managers, they sign investment agreements that usually have confidentiality clauses in them.
Having said that, the school has begun a conversation with third-party fund managers through UTAM to explore ways in which it could reveal more about the investments that it holds. We’re also looking at what other Canadian universities are doing, particularly those that have an investment approach that is similar to ours. You can expect to see more developments in that space within this current academic year.
With regard to The Varsity and student media, our goal certainly is to achieve a reasonable level of transparency as much as possible, and I regret if there have been any incursions on that in the past.
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TV: In our 2023 interview with you, you said you had high hopes about the Blue Ribbon Panel’s report. Has the report that they came out with and the province’s reaction to it lived up to your hopes?
MG: We thought the report was terrific. Alan Harrison — the Chair [of the Blue Ribbon Panel] — and the other members of the panel did great work in clearly setting out how successive provincial governments have systematically under-invested in public higher education in this province. The panel also demonstrated that the Ford government’s decision in 2019 to cut tuition fees for domestic students by 10 per cent and to keep them frozen ever since has had a hugely damaging effect on universities and colleges across the province. Their recommendations, not surprisingly, were targeted at addressing both of those issues: increasing the grant and unfreezing tuition fees.
The government’s response, quite honestly, was very disappointing. On the one hand, we are very pleased to see that Minister Jill Dunlop, the then-minister of colleges and universities, was able to persuade her cabinet colleagues on the importance of the first base increases to funding in many years. While it’s a welcome start, it’s not going to have a huge impact on our finances. We were also disappointed that they continued the tuition freeze for at least three more years.
We have high hopes for the Strategic Mandate Agreement, which is a process where every university and college in Ontario negotiates a contract with the ministry that articulates the distinctive strengths of each institution and how the government will support each university in achieving those strengths, including hopefully additional funding.
TV: Switching gears a bit — this year, we had a string of voyeurism incidents at New College, and we’ve also seen a lot of allegations of gender-based violence in
Greek life spaces around the university. What changes need to take place at the university to limit gender-based violence?
MG: We are doing everything we can to encourage a culture of consent: we have increased the funding to and staffing of the Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre; we rolled out a new series of educational tools; and we continue to evaluate and assess our practices.
In the cases of voyeurism at New College, our goal has been to communicate as clearly and as quickly as possible to all members of our community so they’re aware of the risk and then to take appropriate action. We also apprehended individuals associated with the cases of voyeurism.
We can pass the best policies in the country, but ultimately it comes down to creating the right culture and making sure that people understand what their obligations and responsibilities are as members of a community.
TV: In January, the university removed Imam Omar Patel as a chaplain at UTSC for allegedly comparing the Israeli government to Nazi Germany in an Instagram post. However, the university appears to have taken no action against Professor Ramy Elitzur, who compared Jewish students taking part in the [O4P] encampment to Jewish people who collaborated with Nazis during a Governing Council meeting. Why was Imam Patel not afforded the same freedom of speech afforded to other members of our university community?
MG: The matter pertaining to Imam Patel remains a personnel matter, and hence I am constrained from speaking publicly about the details of that particular case. I have heard from students both at UTSC and UTSG about
Mini crossword: School Spirit
the importance of that kind of chaplaincy, and our colleagues at UTSC have taken as many steps as possible to make sure that students are supported in the same way.
With regard to the faculty member that you mentioned, I will say that the university walks a very fine line between upholding the academic freedom of our faculty and librarians and the freedom of expression that all members of our community enjoy, which can include the right to say things that are controversial and even troubling or disturbing — so long as they are not deemed to be hateful or breach laws or university policy.
We have had a lot of examples over the past year where members of our community have said things that are upsetting to other members of our community, although they have stopped short of crossing that line, in our view, into unlawful speech or acts. Just because you have the right to say something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to say.
TV: Do you have any advice for your successor?
MG: This is a wonderful place. On the one hand, we’re routinely ranked among the very best universities in the world. At the same time, we’re huge and we’re accessible — we provide more financial support to students than any other institution in Ontario and most others in Canada.
My point is that it’s so rare to find that combination of world- class excellence and openness, accessibility, and diversity. So, my advice to my successor is to recognize and appreciate that very special space that we occupy and, second, to do everything possible to maintain that really unusual and unique status.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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MSA holds press conference to address Islamophobia, hateful groups on campus
U of T’s MSA, O4P call on the administration to apologize to students, ban hateful groups
student safety now?”
Content warning: This article mentions incidents of Islamophobia.
On September 12, U of T’s Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) held a press conference in front of Simcoe Hall, calling on the university to address Islamophobia on campus.
This came a few days after UofT Occupy for Palestine (O4P) — the student group that organized the 63-day encampment at King’s College Circle — held a back-to-school rally on September 6. At the rally, students claimed that counter-protesters were harassing U of T community members with hateful and Islamophobic speech.
Press conference
MSA President Mohamad Yassin led the conference, with around 10 students standing behind him in solidarity.
Yassin claimed that during O4P’s back-to-school rally, counter-protesters “spew[ed] extremely racist and blasphemous Islamophobic remarks” at students.
According to the National Council of Canadian Muslims, among the counter-protesters present at the rally were members of the Jewish Defense League — a recognized right-wing, terrorist group in the US.
The MSA and O4P have since called on U of T to ban the presence of hate groups on campus. Yassin told The Varsity that they have yet to receive a response from the administration about these concerns.
“When terrorist-associated groups roam freely on our campus shouting hateful and Islamophobic remarks at our students, the administration did nothing,” Yassin said during the conference.
“President [Meric] Gertler, Vice-Provost [Students] Sandy Welsh, where are your statements affirming
Yassin noted that “this is only one of many incidents and is the culmination of repeated failures on the administration’s part to address Islamophobia on campus.”
On September 20, in a statement to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson wrote that the university “continues to be responsive to the unique needs and concerns of our community and has posted resources and supports for Palestinian, Arab[,] and Muslim community members.”
“Members of the U of T community and visitors to our campuses who have safety concerns should contact the relevant university Campus Safety service, or call 911 in an emergency.”
Following the press conference, Yassin explained to The Varsity that members of the MSA had been meeting with the administration since November to discuss Islamophobia on campus and how the university can support students.
When asked about these meetings, a university spokesperson did not comment.
Yassin mentioned that students have recently been talking to the university about establishing an anti-Islamophobia, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian working group, but said that with the administration, there are “a lot of delays and nothing ever actually gets done.”
The U of T spokesperson wrote, “The university will continue to move forward with the development of a working group to address the experiences of Islamophobia, anti-Arab[,] and anti-Palestinian discrimination.”
The statement also noted that the university created and filled a new position within its Institutional Equity Office, which is focused on “the intersections of faith and race-based discriminations.”
Student demands
On September 13, the MSA and Humans of the Ummah — a U of T community organization within the MSA — released a joint statement on Instagram
Students raise concerns over UTSU changes to mental health coverage
Union criticized over lack of transparency, creating barriers to healthcare
can apply for an additional $1,100 per year — up to $100 per visit — covered by the UTSU Mental Health Support Fund.
calling on U of T “to take responsibility and prevent hate groups” from spreading hateful speech.
“There is no room for such flagrant Islamophobia and racism on our university campus,” the statement read. “U of T, like every other university, has an obligation to protect its student body from targeted hate.”
The statement further outlined three demands for university administration: issue an apology to students for “allowing hate groups,” ban hate groups from campus, and establish an antiIslamophobia, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian racism working group.
Four days later, on September 17, O4P encouraged students in an Instagram post to contact the university to pressure it to “uphold freedom of expression and protect the safety of its students.”
O4P called on students to demand that the university ban terrorist groups, militia groups, and the Toronto Police Services from campus. They also called on the administration to rescind the “new regressive protest policy.”
A U of T spokesperson noted to The Varsity that the university has not made any changes to its protest and free speech policies for the fall term.
They explained that, “Members of the public are generally allowed in unrestricted areas of our campuses as long as they abide by the law and university policies.
“Campus Safety officers connect proactively with organizers of protests and counter-protests on our campuses to share information and ensure alignment on safety,” the spokesperson wrote.
“Members of the U of T community and visitors to our campuses who have safety concerns should contact the relevant university Campus Safety service, or call 911 in an emergency.”
students raised concerns that the coverage had changed without the UTSU informing students.
Shay Duddy, a fourth-year physics specialist, saw the post on her commute home and spoke to The Varsity about her initial reaction.
“I had a breakdown,” said Duddy. “I almost started hyperventilating on the subway, because [this is like] a lifeline. I actually do need it.”
What troubled Duddy the most was that she didn’t hear about the changes directly from the union, but instead found out through Reddit.
“I instantly emailed [the union], and I was like, ‘What the hell?’… ‘What’s wrong with you people? Can you at least give us an explanation of why this happened?’” recalled Duddy.
In an email response shared with The Varsity, UTSU Vice-President Finance & Operations Elizabeth Shechtman wrote to Duddy, “We are pleased to announce important updates to our health and dental plan that address your recent concerns.”
If you or someone you know has experienced harassment or discrimination based on race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship and/or creed at U of T, report the incident to the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity office: https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/help/.
You can report incidents of anti-Muslim racism through the National Council of Canadian Muslims’ Hate Crime Reporting form at https://www.nccm. ca/programs/incident-report-form/.
If you or someone you know has experienced Islamophobia, or anti-Muslim racism, or is in distress, you can contact:
• Canadian Muslim Counselling at 437-8866309 or info@muslimcounselling.ca
• Islamophobia Support Line at 416-6138729
• Nisa Helpline at 1-888-315-6472 or info@ nisahelpline.com
• Naseeha Mental Health at 1-866-6273342
• Khalil Center at 1-855-554-2545 or info@ khalilcenter.com
• Muslim Women Support Line at 647-6222221 or gbv@ccmw.com
If you or someone you know is in distress, you can call:
• Canada Suicide Prevention Service phone available 24/7 at 1-833-456-4566
• Good 2 Talk Student Helpline at 1-866925-5454
• Connex Ontario Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600
• Gerstein Centre Crisis Line at 416-9295200
• U of T Health & Wellness Centre at 416978-8030
Parker also noted that the union’s Google Form to access the fund “doesn’t seem very secure,” as students are required to submit their bank information through it.
“I’m worried about the barriers that [the change] might create. I think for folks who are really struggling too, it adds another hoop that they have to jump through to get care,” said Parker.
Madeleine Cho, a fifth-year student studying kinesiology, also expressed her concerns to The Varsity.
“We were blindsided by it. [The union] didn’t release anything until it seemed [like] everyone [had already] found out and was reaching out. [Only] then [did] they come out with their post and the explanation about their fund,” she said.
In September, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) made changes to their mental health coverage plan, prior to notifying students.
The union informed the student body on September 16, days after students took notice online. The Varsity spoke with students who have since criticized the union’s transparency and the changes made to their mental health coverage.
Mental health support
After switching their insurance provider to Green Shield in 2021, the UTSU insurance plan has covered up to $100 a visit for up to 15 visits to a mental health care practitioner each policy year.
On September 16, the UTSU made an Instagram post to formally announce the mental health coverage changes. The updated plan provides 80 per cent coverage for up to $400 per year. Once the standard mental health coverage expires, students
In their post, the union wrote, “We aim to keep mental health support accessible and affordable, ensuring that every student can get the help they need without financial stress.”
The union also mentioned that they are maintaining their $1,500 yearly health coverage maximum — through the standard $400 and an additional $1,100 — in order to continue supporting students.
To access the Mental Health Support Fund, students need to complete a Google Form for consideration and “meet the eligibility criteria” — which is not specified on the form.
Unknown changes
Students noticed the discrepancies between the UTSU Student Care page and the UTSU’s Health and Dental webpage before the union announced it. In a Reddit post made on September 12,
“To ensure that your healthcare premiums remain among the lowest in the country and to enhance our support for mental health, we have made significant improvements to our coverage,” Shechtman wrote.
The email provided a breakdown of the new changes to the union’s coverage, but never addressed what Duddy believed was most important: a “complete lack of accountability.” She also noted that “there wasn’t even an apology.”
Barriers to healthcare
Other students also only learned about the changes through the Reddit post. Taryn Parker, a student in her final-year of women and gender studies and sexual diversity studies, spoke to The Varsity about her concerns regarding the changes.
“I think it’s irresponsible that [the union] did this in the middle of September, that students found out about these changes by themselves, and then had to spend an entire weekend panicking, trying to find alternative means,” she said.
Cho wrote an email to the union on September 16 at 12:19 am, noting that the union’s website still showed the old coverage plan, and that the union should “send out a clear and explicit communication to all UTSU members to update them on this drastic change in mental health coverage.” She has yet to receive a response.
As a result of the union’s changes, Cho changed her student status to a part-time student, allowing her to fall under the Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students’ coverage plan, which includes $125 per visit for up to 15 sessions with psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, or clinical counsellors each policy year.
“I understand the need to change plans and to make these adjustments and evaluations year to year, but there’s zero excuse for not letting us know,” Cho said.
In an email to The Varsity on September 22, Shechtman wrote that the union will have a meeting with its health and dental service provider, and that they are looking into other options to support students.
“As of right now, everything that has been shared on our social media and website is the most current and up to date information,” wrote Shechtman.
Selia Sanchez News Editor
James Bullanoff Deputy News Editor
MSA held a press conference in front of Simecoe Hall addressing Islamophobia and hateful groups on campus. AKIF MUBARRAT BHUIYAN/THE VARSITY
SOPHIA LEUNG/THE VARSITY
Students rally against mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows First Nation
Community continues to suffer from water contamination since 1960s
Olga Fedossenko Assistant News Editor
Content warning: This article discusses antiIndigenous racism and suicide.
On September 18, a group of 8,000 demonstrators — including U of T community members — marched to Queen’s Park to demand action for the people of Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek, an Ojibwe First Nation community in northwestern Ontario also known as Grassy Narrows First Nations.
The Grassy Narrows River Run rally originated in 2010 and was organized and led by members of the Grassy Narrows community. The demonstrators marched from Grange Park to the Ontario Legislative Building, where they displayed a 150-square-metre banner that read “Justice for Grassy Narrows” outside the main entrance of the legislature.
Grassy Narrows Chief Rudy Turtle announced the demonstrators’ demands for the federal and provincial governments to compensate the Grassy Narrows community for the ongoing mercury crisis, end industrial threats to Grassy Narrows’ land, and support the restoration of the nation’s way of life before the chemical pollution.
Ahead of the rally, several student groups announced their support for the cause and called on other U of T students to join them in the protest.
Mercury effects in Grassy Narrows Mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows dates back to the 1960s and ’70s when the Dryden Paper Mill dumped approximately 9,000 kilograms of untreated mercury into the English-Wabigoon River system, located 130-kilometres upstream from Grassy Narrows First Nation. In 1970, Ontario banned commercial fishing in the river due to fish
containing high levels of mercury. The mill continues to be in operation today.
In June, Grassy Narrows First Nation filed a lawsuit against the federal and provincial government, alleging they violated their duties under Treaty 3 by failing to protect against or remedy the effects of mercury contamination in the English-Wabigoon River system.
The suit shortly followed the release of Western University’s report, which suggested the contamination is being made worse by ongoing industrial pollution from the mill.
In 2017, the Ontario government committed to funding an $85-million remediation plan for the river system. Additionally, the federal government promised to construct mercury treatment facilities for the Grassy Narrows First Nations and the neighbouring Wabaseemong First Nations.
In its 2020 fall economic statement, the federal government committed “$200.1 million over 5 years,” starting in 2021 to address mercury-related health issues and committed to providing $300,000 “ongoing” to build and operate mercury treatment centres in each community.
The river continues to affect the residents of the area to this day. “Because of the [paper and pulp] industry, our children are suffering from neurological problems. Our elders, some of them can barely walk,” Chief Turtle said, during his speech before the rally began. He called on the demonstrators to continue to stand up against the poisoning of their river.
“We are still on the mighty English river and we will stay there as long as the sun shines, as long as the grass grows, [and] as long as the river flows,” he said. “We’re not going away!”
Fewer than 1,000 people live in Grassy Narrows today. Approximately 90 per cent of
residents suffer from mercury poisoning, which can cause behavioural disorders as well as harmful effects on the digestive and immune systems, lungs, and kidneys.
In an interview with The Varsity, Annie Sneaky — a member of the Grassy Narrows community — said that Grassy Narrows youth are three times more likely to attempt suicide than young people from other First Nations in Canada because of the neurological effects of mercury poisoning.
“I lost my two sisters to suicide, one of them being my twin sister,” she said. “I’ve lost way too much family to suicide.”
Sneaky’s father couldn’t attend the rally because “he could barely walk” and “[could] barely hold his arms above his head” due to the poisoning.
“That’s why I’m doing this,” she said. “I know that it’s not going to stop in my lifetime… but for future generations, I just hope that they don’t have to be doing this, and I hope that they don’t have to suffer.”
U of T students’ involvement with the rally
On September 17, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU), the Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students’ Union,
Regenesis UTSG, and the U of T’s Student Environmental Resource Network released a joint post on Instagram, calling on students to, “Join [them] in standing up for what’s right and protecting our rivers for generations to come.”
The next day, UTSU members gathered in front of the Students Commons to join the rally at Grange Park.
The union’s Vice-President Public & University Affairs Avreet Jagdev was in charge of the rally preparations. She talked about the union’s motivations to support Grassy Narrows in an interview with The Varsity.
“Grassy Narrows is [an Indigenous community] that is super geographically close to us… we see it as our responsibility to make sure that we are here, and we are very clear in our commitment to supporting Indigenous communities,” she said. Jagdev also mentioned that the union had some discussions prior to the rally with Grassy Narrows representatives about how they could promote the rally among U of T students.. In an Instagram post made prior to the protest, student climate advocacy group Climate Justice UofT stated that, “As students, youth, and members of the community, we have so much power when we come together in solidarity.”
Students rally at Queens Park to advocate against mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows First Nation. GENEVIEVE SUGRUE/THE VARSITY
Students and protesters march through the street advocating against mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows First Nation. GENEVIEVE SUGRUE/THE VARSITY
Opinion
September 24, 2024
thevarsity.ca/category/opinion
opinion@thevarsity.ca
Gertler rightly rejects request to implement IHRA definition of antisemitism
MP Housefather disregards true dialogue in parliament’s antisemitism meeting
Content warning: This article discusses antisemitism.
On May 27, the House of Commons held a parliamentary meeting between the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights — which reviews the Department of Justice’s bills, policies, spending, and its six related federal agencies — and four presidents of Canada’s preeminent universities. The presidents included U of T’s Meric Gertler, Concordia University’s Graham Carr, University of British Columbia’s Benoit-Antoine Bacon, and McGill University’s Deep Saini.
The meeting, “Antisemitism and Additional Measures that Could be Taken to Address the Valid Fears that are Being Expressed by Canada’s Jewish Community,” concerned rising antisemitism on campuses: a muchdiscussed topic in light of increased proPalestinian protests on university campuses.
My Jewishness is an important part of my personal identity. Both my mother and father have recounted their familial experiences with antisemitism and how it affects them. These personal experiences have, in turn, shaped my commitment to tolerance and open-mindedness toward differing perspectives.
As such, I found Anthony Housefather, a Jewish Liberal MP, and his rhetoric particularly appalling. His attempts at strong-arming con versation and his poor questioning procedures reveal a concerning disinterest in addressing antisemitism in a meaningful way, as he simply conflates it with anti-Zionism.
Gertler casts a surprising figure In my opinion, President Gertler demonstrated a surprising resilience to the MP’s confrontational rhetoric during the question period. Out of all the presidents at the meeting, only President Gertler held and defended positions that meaningfully differed from Housefather’s.
This article is not meant to be an appraisal of President Gertler, but rather a reflection on the sheer absurdity of the questions and procedures of the meeting. I don’t think President Gertler is by any means pro-Palestinian. This is evident to me from the fact that his administration sought a court order to remove the student encampment at King’s College Circle and requested “24/7” police presence at the encampment. Additionally, President Gertler personally visited and delivered a lecture at the Hebrew Univer sity in Jerusalem in 2011. This university has recently described itself as a “proud Israeli, public, and Zionist institution” after suspend ing a faculty member for speaking out against Zionism.
However, I think it is interesting that when questioned by Housefather, President Gertler — the son of a Holocaust survivor — stated that he believed the chants at the student encampments such as “we don’t want no Zionists here” could simply be “experienced as antisemitic” in the “current context.” He did not explicitly condemn the chants as antisemitic like all other presidents in parliament did. Additionally, he was unwilling to say that he personally condemns the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.
Importantly, when Housefather asked if their respective universities would be willing to implement the “working definition for antisemitism” by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), all other presidents except President Gertler affirmed
it. Importantly, President Gertler brought up what I see as a pretty damning reason not to implement this working definition in the university.
The complexities of definitions
Even the creator of the IHRA working definition opposed such an application. In a 2019 article in The Guardian, Kenneth Stern, who drafted the IHRA antisemitism definition, described then-US President Donald Trump’s order to impose the definition as a campus hate speech code to be an “attack on academic freedom and free speech.”
Stern also warned that using the definition as a hate speech code would “harm not only pro-Palestinian advocates, but also Jewish students and faculty, and the academy itself.”
In my view, the issue with this definition is that it conflates anti-Zionism and antisemitism with each other. According to the IHRA definition, “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” is an example of denying Jewish people their right to self-determination. However, I wholly disagree with this.
To me, labelling Israel’s statehood as a racist endeavour in no way denies Jewish people the right to self-determination, given that Israel is a state that denies Palestinian sovereignty to justify its occupation of Palestinian territories. Similarly, I believe that criticizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine — which is partly motivated by a similar
like Housefather’s can lead to perspectives on Israel that I believe the Nexus Task Force would find antisemitic because of the conflation of Israel and Jewish identity.
Finally, I believe the IHRA’s working definition limits Jewish self-determination. To me, subscribing to the working definition necessitates equating Jewish identity with Zionism: limiting the freedom a Jewish person has in defining their own identity in relation to Zionism.
This limitation is particularly malicious given how varied the Jewish identity can be. Consider the cultural differences between Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews, where the former trace their roots back to the Iberian peninsula and lived under comparative stability under Islamic rule, while the latter experienced the brunt of pogroms — organized massacres of Jewish people within Europe.
I’d argue that the difference between those whose families have and have not been immediately affected by the Holocaust can be significant and can affect their political stances.
As an ethno-religion, I believe that the Jewish identity is necessarily varied, and placing it in constraints such as the IHRA definition is antithetical to Jewishness itself.
Maintaining vigilance
At parliament, President Gertler barely managed to respond to the IHRA question before Housefather interrupted him since President
“Yes,” “No,” or “I cannot answer” as viable responses. But this is the clearest example of the questioning procedures’ absurdity.
If President Gertler answered in the way that Housefather asked the presidents to, I’m sure it would be very easy for Housefather — a self-described proud Zionist — to label President Gertler as an anti-Semite. Predictably, Housefather did not even acknowledge President Gertler’s response to the IHRA question, saying that “a no would have sufficed.”
It’s evident to me that Housefather’s priority wasn’t “addressing the valid fears of the Jewish community,” as the meeting set out to do, but taking any opportunity to demonize university presidents to further a Zionist agenda. I don’t think Housefather actually cares all that much about Jews or antisemitism, but I’m sure he cares quite a bit about Zionists and anti-Zionism. Vigilance about the conflation between Zionism and Jewishness is crucial in current times. Zionists will insist that the two are inextricably linked, but as a Jew myself, I can confirm that they aren’t. It is a necessary part of the Zionist project to present Jewishness as a monolith, and we should all remain on high alert against such rhetoric — wherever it is and whichever form it takes.
Oleksii Varlamov is a third-year student at St. Michael’s College studying philosophy. He is the
Vigilance about the conflation between Zionism and Jewishness is crucial in current times.
Oleksii Varlamov International Affairs Columnist
MEDHA BARATH/THE VARSITY
The Conservative Party must embrace urbanism to solidify their GTA gains
The next government must offer city dwellers a comprehensive public transit deal
Rudy Yuan Varsity Contributor
One of the biggest political surprises in Canada this past summer, to me, was the Conservative Party’s June victory in the Toronto-St Paul’s by-election. Conservative MP, Don Stewart, filled the vacancy in the House of Commons.
This shocking result saw the Tories gain what had been a Liberal riding for three decades by a slim 633 votes, finally breaking into Toronto. Though Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and his supporters have every reason to celebrate this victory, I believe the razor-thin margin should make them consider what more they could do to solidify their gains in the GTA.
Although I’m sure the Tories can easily form a majority government if they maintain their current poll numbers, if they wish to be a multi-term government that serves the interests of all Canadians, they should reconsider their appeal to urban voters.
What the Conservatives have to offer
Under the loud and charismatic Poilievre, the Conservatives have been riding high in the polls across much of the country for several consecutive months. It may even be tempting to view the Tories as a government-in-waiting. Poilievre’s social media platforms and news coverage of him are filled with clips of him at rallies and conventions, offering a glimpse into what his vision for Canada looks like namely, low taxes and less government regulation.
Poilievre released an official statement in September 2023 condemning “gatekeepers,” including city councillors, who oppose new infrastructure projects — labelling them as “NIMBYs” ( not in my backyard) and blaming them for preventing home construction in big cities. Through this statement, it is clear to me that his party recognizes the political power that urbanism carries in Canada.
In my view, to be an urbanist means to take an active interest in the development and well-
being of cities and their public infrastructure. I think that public transit development is a key part of urbanism, as public transit can give city dwellers more choice in transportation if it becomes more convenient, affordable, and comfortable than driving.
Unfortunately in Toronto, this is not the case. We have erratically slow ‘reduced speed zones’ causing delayed and unreliable subway journeys and indefinitely delayed transit projects like Line 5 Eglinton, which are raising public transit users’ frustration. If the Conservative Party can identify and exploit these frustrations, I believe they may have much to gain in the upcoming federal election.
It is apparent to me that transit policy is an emerging battleground in federal politics.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government took an early lead in urbanism through creating the Canada Public Transit Fund in July — which will provide three billion dollars per year to public transit developments
starting in 2026–2027. However, Poilievre seems to already recognize this, pledging to cut funding to cities that do not create highdensity housing developments around transit stations.
Conservatives and public transit:
A not-so-unlikely duo
While I think the Conservatives’ effort to increase urban density and ensure efficient land use is commendable, it stops short of committing to fund new public transit projects like the Liberals, and would be best complemented by such.
In many parts of the world, conservative parties do not shy away from embracing urbanist policies that fund public transit.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson established London’s bike-sharing program in 2010 — affectionately dubbed “Boris Bikes” — while he served as the city’s mayor. He then went on to head the British Conservative
government which pledged three billion pounds in 2021 to improve the UK’s bus service.
Among his Conservative successors, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government proposed to improve rail service in 2023 with the re-nationalization of railways under Great British Railways — a plan that Keir Starmer’s current Labour government has vowed to continue.
Simultaneously, Germany’s fiscally conservative party, the Free Democrats — which is part of the governing coalition and is in charge of the German finance and transport ministries — introduced the 49-euro Deutschlandticket in 2023. Unprecedented in its scale and affordability, the ticket includes unlimited rides on most local public transit services in the country and even some cross-border services.
Finally, Japan has been long governed by a firmly right-wing Liberal Democratic Party and simultaneously leads the world in transitoriented urban design.
Canadians are overwhelmingly becoming city dwellers and I believe we can only stand to gain if elections are fought on various urbanist policies, rather than urban versus rural interests. Urbanism and public transit should not be considered a left-wing or right-wing issue, and in my view, do not conflict with conservatism at all. Urbanist policies are necessary to conserve the cultural heritage of our cities by preserving historic character.
To firmly break into the GTA, the Tories should fully embrace the normative power of urbanism and release comprehensive propublic transit policies. Our democracy can only become healthier if all parties make deliberate, unequivocal attempts to serve both urban and rural voters alike.
Rudy Yuan is a third-year student at Trinity College studying international relations and German studies. He is the co-founder and copresident of the University of Toronto Rocket Riders — The Student Transit Forum.
Kamala Harris is an awful presidential candidate
The “lesser evil” is still a grave threat to humanity
There has been a surge of approval for Kamala Harris ever since current US President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed her as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
However, many of those in the Palestinian liberation movement are choosing not to vote for Harris due to her unwillingness to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity. I believe that their decision is entirely logical, as I see Harris and the Democratic Party’s policies as detrimental to humanity.
There are no “two sides”
Many liberals have praised Harris’ ability to account for both sides amid the occupation and genocide in Palestine, arguing that the frustration against Harris is overblown given that she has expressed a dedication to establishing a two-state solution with Israel in historic Palestine and securing a ceasefire in Gaza. However, I believe her attempts to appease two sides are futile.
Since October 7, 2023, nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces as of writing. This number does not account for bodies stuck under rubble or burned beyond recognition, nor those who died from diseases or forced starvation by the Israeli government. A recent study from the medical journal Lancet even suggests that the Palestinian death toll is closer to 190,000.
I believe this genocidal war on Gaza would not be able to proceed for so long without billions of American funding, which accounts for 15 per cent of Israel’s defense budget as of March 23. This percentage has likely increased given that the US supplemented their aid by 3.5 billion USD in August — a portion of the 14.1 billion USD funding bill passed by Congress in April. Since Harris stated in August that she will not place an arms embargo on Israel, I think it is nonsensical to say she cares about Palestinian lives.
Harris should drop the two-state solution which, in my opinion, has only grown more unrealistic in each passing decade, with the rise of Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank.
I think the ‘solution’ is also unjust given that Israel is a settler colony founded on the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Palestinian population. After killing more than 15,000 and forcefully displacing more than 750,000 Palestinians in the 1948 Nakba — or ‘catastrophe’ — Zionists declared the establishment of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948.
Given this, while I believe the state of Israel has no right to exist, this does not mean that Jewish people should be expelled from the land. There is no reason why Jewish people cannot live in a single Palestine, as the land was before Britain’s Balfour Declaration — which helped facilitate mass Jewish immigration into the land to establish a “national home for the Jewish people.”
There is no appeasing the “two sides” during a genocide and an occupation. My perspective might come across as reductive “black and white” thinking, but I think it is sensible in this context.
As someone who lives right next to Israel, I am exhausted from hearing people tell me otherwise.
I am so incredibly exhausted — not only from having to bear witness to the occupation and genocide of Palestinians but also seeing the destruction and underdevelopment that Israel brought upon the rest of the Levant in service to Israel’s longevity and the American empire’s expansionist policies.
Breaking out of the binary Arguments that Americans should vote for the Democratic Party’s “imperfect” candidate because she is the “lesser of two evils” are annoying to me because the lesser evil is still evil.
I think Americans must escape the shackles of a Republican-Democrat binary that does not present them with any meaningful changes. They should consider voting for someone like Green Party candidate Jill Stein, for the 2024 US presidential election, who has long supported Palestinian rights.
Even if Stein loses, her voters will convey a powerful message: people of conscience refuse to be satisfied with their politicians’ compromises or moderate stances that attempt to appease two sides that I believe are separated by basic morality and unspeakable depravity.
Finally, I hope we can stop being critical of those who vote for smaller parties because they supposedly threaten to let the ‘Big Bad
Conservatives’ win in America, or even in Canada. I also hope we can quit looking down on people who decide not to vote at all — they may not necessarily be apathetic, but simply see no real choice.
I myself used to say that if you do not vote, you
Lina Obeidat
Varsity Contributor
GRACE LU/THE VARSITY
Business & Labour
The fees behind the flowers
U of T students share their thoughts on UTSG’s newest coffee truck
In mid-August, a florally decorated coffee truck called Wheels & Co. Beans began full-time operations outside Robarts Library — open from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm every day. The Varsity spoke with owner Anastasiia Alieksieichuk about the trailer’s growing presence in the food truck scene on St. George Street, and gathered feedback from students regarding their satisfaction with the menu.
Originally from Ukraine, Alieksieichuk moved to Toronto two years ago due to the country’s ongoing war with Russia. She quickly noticed a gap in Toronto’s fast-paced coffee culture compared to the cafés she frequented in Europe, particularly in terms of quality and experience. This observation inspired her to open her trailer.
Alieksieichuk aims to revitalize Toronto’s customer experience by serving the local community with Wheels & Co. Beans. After originally opening the truck on Palace Pier by Lakeshore Boulevard, another food truck vendor encouraged her to bring her trailer to UTSG.
Desserts and drinks, without tax
Menu items for the fall include desserts, such as cookies for $2.50, pistachio and almond croissants priced at $6.75, and cruffins at $6.50, along with a variety of teas. Year-round offerings feature coffee roasted from Italian beans, matcha and chai lattes, and Ukraine-imported teas — plus free dog treats for pet owners.
September 24, 2024
varsity.ca/category/business biz@thevarsity.ca
Coffee starts at $3.75 for espressos, macchiatos, and drip coffees, while the most expensive options, like matcha and chai lattes, cost $6.50.
A regular latte and cappuccino are both $5.95. Americanos are four dollars and flat whites are $4.50. Protein shakes at Wheels, available in chocolate and vanilla flavours, are $7.50. Hot chocolate is five dollars — dairy-free milk and alternatives cost an extra dollar, and the same goes for additional syrups and flavours for drinks. Currently available flavours for coffees are vanilla, salted caramel, pumpkin spice, hazelnut, and strawberry.
All imported teas cost $4.95 and are available in the following flavours: earl grey, mint mix green, herbal mix, and jasmine. Signature teas are $5.50 each, with two flavours. The orange sea buckthorn tea is a mix of cranberries, orange, sea buckthorn, lemon, and cinnamon while the cherry raspberry tea is a blend of cherry, apple, raspberries, and black tea.
Alieksieichuk describes herself as open to suggestions from customers for new menu items, ei-
Queering the tech ecosystem
QueerTech members share their experiences in helping diversify the tech industry
ther via email or in person, to better reflect their diverse tastes.
The student experience
The Varsity spoke with students who have ordered at Wheels to learn about the customer experience.
Raniyah Patel, a third-year student studying health and disease, immunology, and religion, wrote in an email that the floral decor of the truck and visual presentation of the desserts initially attracted her to Wheels & Co. Beans. She appreciated the wider selection of flavours — such as coconut and salted caramel — but she noted that cafés and other coffee trucks around campus also offer unique options, with lower prices.
For example, coffee truck Caffe’in near Sidney Smith Hall offers Spanish lattes, while 18feet Espresso Bar & The Cheong in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy building sells dalgona lattes. 10 DEAN’s — a popular hangout for U of T students on Spadina and College — prices for croissants can range from six to seven dollars
depending on flavour.
Patel compared the prices at Wheels & Co. to those of a fully-functioning café, despite the lack of seating and ambience for enjoying the drink. Wheels charges $6.50 for a chai latte, which is 50 cents more than 10 DEAN. In comparison, Starbucks charges $5.75 for a grande iced chai latte.
Raniya Khan, a third-year student history and political science double major, tried Wheels’ iced chai latte with added alternatives. While she appreciated the staff’s quick service and friendliness, Khan doubts she will return due to the expensive prices.
Harnoor Gill, another third-year student, tried the matcha latte. She was surprised that the honey drizzle was self-serve rather than served by the barista. Like Khan, the menu drew her to the truck, but she noted less costly options around campus with stronger flavours.
Despite having prices that are similar to cafes, Wheels and Co. Beans’ variety of flavours and floral decor offer a unique café experience on the go.
these events,” he told The Varsity. “[When] the lack of diversity [becomes] more apparent, you start to feel a lack of belonging.”
that our community faces because there is no data around, where either policymakers or the government can base their decision on,” said Testaouni.
People identifying as 2SLGBTQ+ are estimated to represent only 8.8 per cent of the Canadian tech industry. Montréal-based non-profit organization QueerTech — co-founded by Naoufel Testaouni and Eustacio Saldaña in 2016 — hopes to improve this statistic by creating spaces and communities that empower 2SLGBTQ+ people within the technology industry. QueerTech has ambitious goals to improve queer representation in the industry to 20 per cent and to ensure that five per cent of leadership positions are held by members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
To learn how the organization operates and plans to achieve its goals, The Varsity interviewed QueerTech CEO and co-founder Testaouni, and U of T alumnus and Queertech volunteer Alex Semmelhack.
The inspiration behind QueerTech When asked about what influenced him to start QueerTech, Testaouni cited his experience in the tech industry since 2010.
“I was participating in a lot of events, conferences, meetups, and one of the things that started to draw my attention was [the] lack of diversity at
After conducting more research, he decided to start QueerTech in 2016 to aid the 2SLGBTQ+ community in having a bigger role in the tech industry.
According to Testaouni, having higher queer representation can be highly beneficial for technology companies. “A diverse community means having diverse perspectives, having more creative ways to… approach innovation, more creative ways to solve problems.” Moreover, QueerTech is guided by his belief that tech is “inherently progressive” and that it is important that the 2SLGBTQ+ community is part of the industry’s journey to “create and build the future.”
The QueerTech Research Report
QueerTech faces various challenges trying to improve diversity in the tech community. Beyond the high barriers 2SLGBTQ+ members face in entering the tech industry, Testaouni noted that securing funds for QueerTech’s programs is also challenging. He believes that this is largely driven by a lack of data on queer people in the technology industry.
“If there’s a lack of data, there’s also a lack of programming and lack of investment in challenges
After surveying 254 people and interviewing 30 employees within the tech industry who mostly identify as 2SLGBTQ+, QueerTech has attempted to fill the data gaps by publishing its “Queering the tech ecosystem: Barriers and Opportunities” Research Report in 2024. The report highlights various disparities in the workforce based on identities such as non-queer respondents being significantly more likely to feel safe at being themselves compared to queer individuals, and interviewees labelling the tech industry as “male-dominated” or “homogenous.” QueerTech’s report also called attention to problems with the recruitment process of queer individuals in technology, with 35.6 per cent of survey respondents having experienced or suspect that they have been discriminated against in the interview process.
According to the report, the industry’s problems cannot stop at “band aid solutions” like “DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] committees,” which the report claims puts the responsibility on employees. Instead, the report calls for “a focus on complete organizational transformation which prioritizes collective responsibility.”
QueerTech’s impact on the community QueerTech’s work to improve 2SLGBTQ+ representation in technology goes beyond publishing research reports. Initially a meetup group, the organization now offers programs like the six-month QueerTech Leader program to help queer people with more than five years of experience take on leadership roles.
Semmelhack participated in QueerTech’s various events such as their career fair and appreciated the available resources. After graduating with an undergraduate degree in computer science and mathematics, they initially struggled to find work opportunities through U of T’s postgraduate resources. “There were a few [resources] like resume reviews… but nothing that was actually able to connect me with other people,” they said in an interview with The Varsity
Semmelhack later received information about QueerTech’s advocacy efforts. After joining the organization, QueerTech provided them with various opportunities, primarily through connecting them with people. “It seems to me that a major goal [which] they’re accomplishing, is constructing an actual network of queer folks… that can support one another,” said Semmelhack. They believe this helps Queertech provide “continued support over people’s careers.”
Aunkita Roy Entrepreneurship Correspondent
The truck operates every day from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm. OMAR ALZAHED/THE VARSITY
Medha Barath Associate Business & Labour Editor
Queertech aims to improve queer representation in the tech industry to 20 per cent. BRENNAN KARUNARATNE/THE VARSITY
Content warning: This article discusses death and grief.
On January 16, I was with my father when he died in hospice care. Twelve hours later, I was on a flight back to Toronto. Twenty-four hours later, I found myself in class. In my dissociated daze, I was still, and in my immobility, I found that I could do nothing but observe my peers and their normalcy: the peers whose realities suddenly felt so distant from my own.
In most circumstances, it’s rare for me to keep my hands and feet still for very long. They twitch and twiddle unconsciously, like a secondary heartbeat keeping me grounded. It’s not necessarily a nervous tic but a perpetual ambience signalling that life is still within me.
The air of the lecture hall was stale like rotting wood and the sweat of a warm winter. There was a drone of quiet conversation that I couldn’t quite follow and a flood of white fluorescent lighting on desks, skin, and coats. It was in that one stuffy classroom when the events of the previous day finally registered and my body went still.
Early adulthood is a uniquely optimistic time. It is a time of energy and excitement: first apartment, first job, break-ups, make-ups — an ever-revolving door to people, places, and possibilities. The world is open, the horizon
Thoughts on beginning life with an ending
is expanding, and you are at the helm of its direction. These promises — and simultaneous pressures — are thoroughly ingrained in the way we conceptualize youth.
In the US, the legal drinking age is 21 and the age is prescribed as the standard of carefree invincibility. At 21, you can drink as much alcohol as your young and forgiving body will handle before blacking out. At 21, you should be unfettered at the precipice of life.
Generalizations like these exist in the cultural consciousness for a reason. They convey a broad truth about the shared experiences that construct youth in the abstract, and the degree to which you are aligned or misaligned from this shared construction has a real impact on your psychosocial wellbeing.
According to Oxford Languages, psychosociality is defined as “relating to the interrelation of social factors and individual thought and behaviour.” Being able to see yourself as a member of a socially constructed collective — like a collective group of young adults — offers security in understanding yourself and how you relate to others. This connection is foundational to a stable identity.
As much as we may find comfort in collectivity and social archetypes, our real lives are bound to deviate and therefore socially alienate us, but also bring us back together again in unexpected ways. I know this because I’ve seen it. I know this because I’ve lived it.
Misalignment, irony, and identity
Grieving, especially grieving a parent as a young adult, is an anachronism to youth. In this stage, you are still in a precarious moment of development in which parents are either the blueprint of what you are becoming — or what you are striving against — but usually not altogether absent from a young adult’s life. Additionally, there’s something almost perverse about being faced with the end of life at the beginning of your own.
This cruel irony puts the essence of your being and social identity in contention with the most visceral human stage: death. I found myself divided into two selves: youthfully beginning to establish myself, yet burdened by a pain that should only be known to those who are decades older and firmly rooted in their adult lives.
While my sisters and I sat by our dad in hospice, I had a rosary in one hand and a bereavement pamphlet in the other. Apparently a social worker had come in and dispersed them, but my memory is too muddled to remember her being there.
I studied the glossy, neatly folded paper with an insatiable need to know what comes next for me as a surviving daughter, and I squeezed each plastic rosary bead between my fingers for the sheetdraped man in front of me. My father wouldn’t have wanted me to pray for him. He would have raised an eyebrow and said, “Pray for those who need it,” but I think at that moment, we both needed something to intercede for us.
Unfortunately for me, the information I was
given did not equate to divine intervention. I very quickly found that the pamphlets were not written for me. For spouses and friends of course, but not the 20-something children of deceased parents. Not for an undergraduate student who has to fly abroad the very next day for a new semester. In fact, someone should hire me to rewrite those stupid pamphlets. There was no warning in the pamphlet about how you’ll use your newly developed insomnia to doomscroll LinkedIn, or spontaneously cry in the grocery store check-out line, or feel nauseous every time you hear John Coltrane. It seemed as though even the information available to me — or lack thereof — was signalling to me that, “You’re not even supposed to be reading this. You’re in the wrong stage of life to be having this experience. You’re supposed to be in your prime. Why aren’t you in your prime?”
Importantly, the pamphlet neglected to tell me that with grief, I would age. Rapidly. Even more, that I would find everyone around me the same as I had left them. After a week of existential stress in hospice with my dad, I came back to Toronto — still 21 in my body but with the eyes of someone closer to 41. I felt dysphoric between my mind, my body, and my abstract identity as a young adult. I was no longer myself as I had known her: a stranger in my own life.
Secondary grief
When you lose someone, you grieve twice. Of course, you grapple with the loss of the person,
Genevieve Sugrue Long-Form Video Editor
your former self, and that your changed internal reality holds an equal permanence to your loved one’s changed external circumstance.
When I returned to Toronto, I came back hyperaware that I’d seen an extremity of the human experience that some of my peers hadn’t — and hopefully wouldn’t — until they reached middle age. I saw my father die. With this prematurely lived experience, I realized that the structure of my life had been shaken loose from the social collective.
To put it lightly, my experience was a deeply isolating feeling of unrelatability. I felt that I could no longer share the wants, concerns, or hopes of my peers. Anxiety about GPAs and job prospects began to feel too trivial. While I sat at the back of the Innis Town Hall, sending emails to make funeral arrangements, I eavesdropped on my classmates sharing their fears about an upcoming midterm and I ached for their normalcy. I felt the wedge between our two realities so deeply. We sat in the same space but lived in separate worlds.
I grieved my father, but I also grieved my youth.
“God, I need to feel my age. We need to hit the club when I don’t feel so fucking awful,” was a line that my roommates heard from me quite often in the winter semester of 2024. Before his death, my father was too sick to travel and never had the chance to visit me in Toronto. But it’s a safe assumption that he would have supported my ‘trashy’ King Street clubbing endeavours.
I found that grieving involves a lot more tedious phone calls than anyone warns you about. If hell is real, I suspect it must be a lot like dealing with my father’s endless mess of financial affairs. Every day, I would get off the phone with some insurance company, estate lawyer, or accountant and rub
One such phone call began with the woman on the other line sheepishly asking, “How old are you?” after hearing my voice. She was very earnest about it, but the irony of her question gave me a much-needed giggle. She wasn’t as amused as I was, but I suppose I’m like my father in that way: he had a sense of humour in bleak situations, especially about his own death.
At that moment there was a small solace, a youthful undercurrent, in laughing at that question and reviving a small part of him. Reviving also, a small part of myself.
It takes a village Laughter brought temporary relief to my identity crisis, but my rapid aging was still manifesting in very physical ways. I was operating on only a sliver of energy, and all of it had to be spent working.
Every moment that I was able, I had to seize it and fulfill my commitments as a student, as a Cinema Studies Student Union executive, and as an associate video editor at The Varsity. I was desperate for social belonging, but I was at such a point of exhaustion that I could hardly even meet my most basic needs — never mind my more complicated, interpersonal needs.
I couldn’t spend time with my friends the way I used to. Although I had a desperate need to feel understood, I couldn’t give people my time or energy and I couldn’t participate in society’s carefree expectation of me as a 21-year-old. There was an extensive list of things that I couldn’t do or be in my time of grief, and it frightened me.
I was alienated because I had shifted so violently into melancholy while the world around me,
I found myself divided into two selves: youthfully beginning to establish myself, yet burdened by a pain that should only be known to those who are decades older and firmly rooted in their adult lives.
fuelled by the optimism of being 21, stayed the same.
There’s a saying that “it takes a village to raise a child,” but I found that it also takes a village to care for a grieving adult. It was my boyfriend and roommates who picked up the slack for my psychosocial wellbeing when I wasn’t able to. I felt so isolated because I couldn’t make them understand what I felt, but they took it upon themselves to embrace me — regardless of whether they could understand or not. They offered me empathy without a need to relate to my struggles. It was my community who offered me the grace and understanding I could not give myself. There were many nights where I found dinner already made for me, and many days where my boyfriend would sit with me in the snow outside of the Old Vic in comforting and knowing silence. I did not have to be ‘myself’ in order to belong with them. My experiences did not have to be relatable for
me to be understood. It was this overwhelming feeling of community acceptance that acted as a salve to my isolation. My fractured social identity post-grief slowly became less haunting and less all-consuming. I sat with it, I saw it, and I know that I still have a place in the world.
Epilogue (fingers crossed)
I can’t bring my dad back. I can’t undo what I endured. I can’t shake the knowledge of what death looks and feels like and because of this, I can’t fulfill the expectations of young adulthood as society has constructed it. But through the reassuring presence of my community, I’ve been able to reimagine my youth.
My youth is something not defined by inexperience, but something that still has room for optimism and possibility in spite of pain. Nowadays, a thought pops into my head constantly and it whispers to me, “There is still time.”
It’s been seven months since he passed away, and I grieve every day. But grief is no longer the epicentre of my being. This past summer, I spent my downtime processing the events of last winter and giving my tired soul much needed time to mend. My energy is still limited. I take things a little slower. But I am still Genevieve, still 21, still young, still at the precipice of my life, and still grounded by the community who continues to embrace me as I am.
I still walk into rooms of people with the knowledge that my experience with grief is not relatable to many, but that does not stop me from belonging. I belong despite the dissonant contradictions I have embodied. I belong, period.
September 24, 2024
thevarsity.ca/category/science science@thevarsity.ca
Science as a human endeavour
Europa Report is where science, philosophy, and fiction unite to create a sci-film noir sure to keep audiences on their toes
Quin Xie Varsity Contributor
“Compared to the breadth of knowledge yet to be known, does your life actually matter?”
This last line spoken by the fictional character Rosa Dasque (Anamarina Marinca) in the 2013 film Europa Report, epitomizes the film’s message of how little we really know about the universe. Dasque is the pilot and archivist on the Europa One spacecraft that carries a crew of six astronauts for an exploratory mission to Europa — one of Jupiter’s four largest moons.
Europa One’s mission, funded by a fictional private space travel enterprise, explores the geological terrain of Europa, and the possibility of simple life forms — such as single-celled microbes or bacteria — hidden beneath the moon’s icecrusted ocean, which is twice the size of Earth’s.
At their departure, the astronauts are optimistic
about pushing the boundaries of knowledge. However, they are unaware that a series of technical failures, human errors, and the utter unfamiliarity of the cosmic environment will gradually eliminate the bright-eyed and expectant crew, one by one. In this way, the film carries undertones of sci-fi noir.
Inspired by reality, theorized by fiction
Well-received by audiences and the scientific community, Europa Report stands out for its attention to detail. The film features multiple camera angles that mimic those used in the space station and shuttle, technologies designed to monitor crew activities and the environment without visual cues, and the analysis of cosmic samples based on their chemical composition. Additionally, Europa’s surface shots are based on actual maps from NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Europa Report’s scientific validity also keeps its technical failures — central to the plot — from descending into sci-fi thriller clichés. For example, the heat plume that threw the spacecraft off its calculated landing point, hindering optical surface analysis and motivating the botched spacewalk, resulted from the thermal activity of the ocean beneath Europa’s surface.
The movie’s technical validity stems from the production team’s conviction that holding themselves accountable to realism is essential for creating great drama. In fact, producer Sebastián Cordero and director Ben Misher stated that
The CRISPR-Cas9 story: what are the lines and who draws them?
editing is the future, but who decides what it looks like?
Sara Moretto Varsity Contributor
It was 2020. I was wrapping up grade nine science with a solid 60 per cent, hoping that if anyone saw my failed tests in the recycling bin, it would contribute to an air of mystery about me. This reason was preferable to the truth, which was that I was sick and I had been for a while. I didn’t like many subjects, least of all science, with its academic rigour and air of superiority. I felt that science was a body of knowledge sealed behind textbooks for those people who were suited to learn. It was for the people who understood pharmacy through reactions; physiology through diagrams; and who are essentially healers armed with multi-coloured highlighters.
In the same year, biochemists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna were studying bacterial immune systems. Bacteria defend themselves from invading viruses differently than humans. After an infection, bacteria store chunks of invading viral genetic material within their DNA for later reference, like a molecular ‘Wanted’ poster for future viral attacks. These bacteria store what they learned from the viruses in a section called the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) — blank areas in bacterial DNA reserved for storing the viral DNA as it comes. If the same virus attacks a bacterium again, its immune system looks to the CRISPR region. If the bacterial immune system recognizes a match, the bacterium knows how to better defend itself and then chops up the foreign invader DNA, repeating the cycle.
Hypothetically, if you controlled which DNA is stored in the CRISPR regions, you could manipulate the bacteria into inserting whatever you want into their genome. This would give you genetic scissors: allowing you to delete genes, activate
increasing the film’s budget would have made little difference in the final outcome, emphasizing that “great creativity comes out of constraints.”
And where there’s water, there’s life. Life beyond Earth — known as astrobiology — continues to engage humanity’s curiosity and imagination due to its relevance to our existence. It raises philosophical questions: Where do we come from, and what is our place in the vast emptiness of space? Europa Report was inspired by a series of astronomical excursions to Jupiter’s moons and the broader solar system, which collected promising evidence that Europa’s atmospheric conditions and geology could potentially harbour life.
Starting in the late 1990s, evidence for water on Europa emerged from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft, which discovered an induced magnetic field indicative of an ocean while orbiting around Jupiter. In 2012 — around the time the movie was filmed — the Hubble Space Telescope observed signs of plumes — eruption of vaporized water into space — later confirmed by reanalyzing images from Galileo. This water vapour, directly detected at Europa’s surface in 2019, supports the hypothesis of an ocean beneath the ice. The same plumes are integral to the film’s plot, where thermal activity beneath Europa’s surface throws the spacecraft off its landing point.
As the lines between science fiction and reality blur…
The world of sci-fi — along with the scientific and cultural enthusiasm that it evokes — has long inspired real scientific leaps, including the landing site for the 2020 Perseverance Rover, which is currently exploring Mars in search for fossilized microbes.
Meanwhile, the NASA-developed space probe Europa Clipper, is set to be launched, utilizing an
ice-penetrating radar that scans for liquid water — similar to the probe depict ed in Europa Report. This is not the first time sci-fi has influenced the trajectories of science; from the development of virtual reality and avatars inspired by the cyberpunk precursor novel Neuromancer to questions of artificial intelligence safety and ethics raised in 2001: A Space Odyssey, sci-fi has long shaped scientific exploration.
Another way Europa Report serves as a blueprint for the future is through its idealization of science and international collaboration, reflected in the cultural diversity of the crew. However, this representation is overly optimistic given the realities of scientific elitism — where scientific advancement is prioritized within a privileged few — and the unequal access to future space travel across different social classes, both of which remain unresolved social issues.
As the film nears its end, audiences realize that when Europa One lost contact with Earth during a solar storm, it left the crew isolated in space, sealing their doom. Staying true to their scientific mission, the crew chooses to press on despite the setbacks, but the mission gradually devolves into a journey of no return.
Through it all, one must ask: at what cost are we willing to uncover the secrets of the universe, given that knowledge is a fundamentally human construct? Regardless of the answer, we cannot help but admire the ambition behind such scientific pursuits. With the freedom to determine the value of our knowledge in our hands, the scientists in Europa Report, driven by a quest that transcends individual existence, lived their lives to the fullest until the very end.
them, and scrapbook them as you please. You could build your dream bacteria! A real-life, living thing!
Now though, this is no longer hypothetical. The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to Charpentier and Doudna for a tool that has the ability to rearrange and alter the human genome. It is called CRISPR-Cas9.
While all this was happening, I was still sick and reading a lot. I was content with being left out of science. That was before I came across Shira Erlichman’s poem Unwished For:
“I’m standing in my town’s ice cream shop when I notice them: the white couple smiling at me. The flyer they’re on is pink: international color of positivity in the face of infertility. But they have faith, they’re trying, haven’t quit wanting what they want, in spite of it all.
It’s not conscious, but somewhere inside a voice says: “Check.”
No criminal record. “Check.”
No history of mental illness.
I say, out loud to the paper: “I know this is different, Susan, Jim, but I would never wish Frida to not have been hit by that trolley. I would never look her in the face and say, ‘I choose to unmake you and your paintings and your horroring heart. I rob the woods of your little deer.’””
The facts of CRISPR-Cas9
CRISPR-Cas9 wasn’t the first gene modifying tool on the market, but it is the cheapest, fastest, and the most precise. Biotech companies are using it to solve issues in everything from agriculture to pharmaceutical development. CRISPR-Cas9 can work on humans in fertilized egg cells and it works insanely well. Any heritable factor can be permanently changed; from allergies to pathogenic cancer variants. We could possibly delete genetic
diseases from entire bloodlines.
If this even is possible, our current understanding of genetics is not that robust — usage of CRISPR-Cas9 can have serious consequences. If DNA serves as your cell’s cookbook, then CRISPR-Cas9 is like an amateur baker, adding and subtracting ingredients. We don’t yet know what changing the recipe will do to the ‘final product.’ Off-target effects using this technology can make gene editing unpredictable and potentially debilitating for us.
There is ongoing research on CRISPR-Cas9, and there will be a day when this technology could be used on fully-grown humans — risks and all. Scientists and politicians must make ethical decisions on how to use it. Where do we draw the line?
I don’t have any answers on the usage of CRISPR-Cas9. I do, however, have feelings about it.
“‘She doesn’t want to suffer either,’ I peel the words open slowly, ‘but she’d rather be alive, than not suffer.’”
Who decides what should be ‘fixed’?
Self-advocacy is a big word within conversations around disability rights advocacy. The need to champion your experiences so your needs are considered seriously. You are in invisible pain and no one believes you. You must learn how to make them believe you.
In Unwished For, Erlichman writes about overhearing a conversation surrounding your existence in which you can hardly follow. She doesn’t write about gene editing; instead about not knowing what to feel or say when you have a problem people are trying to solve.
I know CRISPR-Cas9 is revolutionary technology. If you asked me years ago whether I would have erased the parts that made me sick — error, risk, and all — I would have said yes. Now, I’m less
CRISPR-Cas9 act like ‘genetic scissors’ to cut and edit DNA sequences.
sure about whether it was disease that made me miserable or an all-pervading preoccupation with succeeding in being ‘normal.’
I wouldn’t be my present self without what that sickness had taught me: adaptation, acceptance, and how to take care of myself. I don’t think removing a hurdle and making over it are the same thing. However, I don’t know if that justifies having someone else go through the same hurdles as well.
No one currently has the answers, but I’m hoping the right people get involved in the questions. Good geneticists and ethical policymakers, but also young people who want a stake in their future. After following CRISPR-Cas9’s developments for some time, it becomes clear that so much of discourse around this technology has less to do with science and instead on social attitudes toward illness and disability. What does it mean for the core of us to be forever ‘fixed,’ especially at the risk of death from complications?
This is all aside from financial barriers, non-heritable factors, legislation rollout, and a thousand related conversations essential to the discussion of any usage of gene-editing technology. Everyone is unsure of how a future with CRISPR-Cas9 will look — me especially. What I do know is that I don’t want to sit the conversation out.
Erlichman’s poem ends with this:
“I am not talking to a piece of paper in Herrell’s Ice Cream Shop. I am not invoking Frida. I am not naming an unloved ghost Claire. I’m licking my wrist of a smudge of strawberry cream, listening to the terrible Top 40 hit blaring overhead. I’m staring at the words No history of mental illness, trying to move my feet, and leave the world where this is taped up, natural as the moon. Will the Normal Rockwell of our time paint me standing here before it? In my jean cutoffs, finishing what’s left of a soggy cone, drugs in my blood, unwished for by strangers.”
JAYLIN KIM/THE VARSITY
Arts & Culture
September 24, 2024
thevarsity.ca/section/arts-and-culture arts@thevarsity.ca
Close observation of the invisible labour at Art Museum at U of T
New exhibition Labour delves into the unseen toil of colonized communities
edgment of the unseen labour that BIPOC must perform in order to comfortably exist under the historical context of colonization in the present.
Intriguing sounds, short movie snippets played on loop, and a sensory experience with interactive installations: all being offered at the exhibition at the Art Museum at U of T’s most recent exhibition, Labour
On September 4, the opening reception of Labour launched the exhibition for the public. Curated by Ingrid Jones, Labour is a group exhibition featuring works by eight artists of varied practices, studying the historical discrimination that colonized communities have been subjected to through the “lens of Blackness and Indigeneity.”
The exhibition challenges the oppressiveness of the institutional racial power hierarchy upon its inhabitants, shedding light on the invisible labour that they perform to uphold this system even as they are simultaneously scorned and disregarded by it.
In an interview with The Varsity, Jones shared that the inspiration for the exhibition’s thesis was drawn from lived experiences and American poet Claudia Rankine’s work. “Many [BIPOC] endure systemic discrimination within institutions, a frustration and exhaustion we share,” she said.
When discussing Rankine’s 2014 poem series Citizen: An American Lyric, Jones confessed to being drawn to Rankine’s acknowl-
Labour includes diverse artistic practices in the installations, which range across digital art, sonar design, and sculptures. Visitors walking through the exhibition will garner a fulfilling, sensory-rich experience thanks to the diversity of practices in the exhibition.
Visitors will first encounter a small couch situated opposite an older-model CRT TV in the middle of a dimly lit room. The setting is an engaging short video, a compilation of documentary tapes capturing the life of a community living under colonialism alongside blocks of text on blank backgrounds to support the narrative of this piece. Viewers can fully immerse themselves into this piece and feel the discomfort that it initiates to reflect on its historical context.
Each work is carefully curated in its own space to allow the audience to focus on each piece individually. The next piece includes eight TVs installed at eye level in a curve inside the dark room. There are repeated videos of a woman preparing food at different stages in the kitchen, with close-ups of her grating, cutting, and grinding. The audio of her actions create an overwhelmingly sensory experience for the listener, which translates into an energy of defiance in the labour that this woman is performing: forcing viewers to challenge the
conventional narrative of women as homemakers, and womanhood as a call to service. There is also a carefully curated mini library with bookshelves filled with autobiographies and novels written by BIPOC authors. The space is well-lit with cozy yellow lights, which contrasts against other areas in the gallery. Visitors are encouraged to physically interact with the books by highlighting or leaving notes on sentences that they find interesting. Additionally, there is a long wooden table in the middle of the library, full of neatly arranged kitchen utensils. Headphones installed around the table invite people to take a break, sit down, and carefully listen to the audio in order to better understand the setting.
A separate room is painted in bright orange
with an LCD screen in the middle. Labour also has a curated interactive zone where visitors can touch textile artworks to engage better with the conversation that the artists are communicating.
Jones told The Varsity that she hopes that this exhibition will be a common space where the BIPOC community can feel “seen and heard” and be able to resist the violence of systematic discrimination. For non-BIPOC visitors, Labour is a space to learn and find some understanding in the perspectives of colonized people. Overall, Labour is a community-oriented exhibition where people can better understand the contemporary relations of discrimination and the resulting power system within the context of the history of colonization.
Minah Cap
Varsity Contributor
Here discomfort initiates reflect on historical context.
COURTESY OF DOMINIC CHAN
As the exhibition felt haunted by its knowledge of a tragic history, the understanding of the weight of colonialism felt overpowering.
COURTESY OF DOMINIC CHAN
For non-BIPOC visitors,Labour is a space to learn.
COURTESY OF DOMINIC CHAN
The inspiration for the exhibition’s thesis was drawn from the lived experiences and American poet Claudia Rankine’s work.
COURTESY OF DOMINIC CHAN
Camille Turner’s Otherworld is a rare experience
Otherworld seemed to be at work where the living and the dead were in conversation
Divine Angubua Arts & Culture Editor
Content warning: This article describes racism.
In want of a visual treat, I happened upon Otherworld, which opened on September 4 at the Justina M. Barnicke gallery in the Art Museum at U of T. It is artist and scholar Camille Turner’s first major solo exhibition in Toronto and is showing until March 22, 2025, featuring a fusion of both old and new projects across a variety of forms and mediums — namely performance, photography, installation, digital, and sonic mediums.
With this exhibition, Turner is — as she always has been — locating the lives of Black people inside Canada’s dark and often unacknowledged histories. She places central emphasis on Canada’s involvement in the trans-Atlantic trade of enslaved Africans — the voices of those who did not survive the passage across the Atlantic Ocean — the intimate physical details of ships and records from the exchange of human cargo.
Along these historical lines, Turner’s acute concerns manifest voices and arcane expressions of their own. Turner multiplies herself to become differing expressions of the need for repatriation; the need to restore a cosmological balance through remembering the past and bringing those lost inside it, those who are victims of it, back home to a final resting place that affords them dignity and acknowledges their personhood. As a ghostly woman in traditional white attire, she walks through several video installations whispering, witnessing, and conjuring this restoration.
In a video installation titled “Sticks and Bones,” Turner is dressed in black regency-inspired attire and trudges along an empty Newfoundland shore, gathering sticks, bones, and other items washed up by the Atlantic Ocean.
In another video installation titled “Sarah,” Turner plays an unnamed woman whose research leads her to the devastating truth about a slave ship named Sarah that was constructed in 1790 within the now-Canadian province Newfoundland, in which 135 people died en route as human cargo. While we do not know the researcher’s name, she gains a new understanding of herself by conjuring this slave ship and the knowledge of the human cost of the slave trade.
At a sensory level, the exhibition is textured with deep, soft sounds and stark imagery. On a solo tour of the space on the eve of the gallery’s opening, I observed a supreme silence textured by what felt like voices from the past, present, and future spliced together.
At the installation “Pods for Dreaming,” I lay down on the reclining seats within a simulation of a spaceship and listened to anonymous chanting, a man’s voice repeating, “Ancestors we are here, we are ready to honour you.” Out
of another speaker, Turner’s voice ‘calls on’ the oceans, coaxing the water to divulge its secrets — meaning the bodies and bones of those that succumbed to the middle passage.
As the exhibition felt haunted by its knowledge of a tragic history, the understanding of the weight of slavery’s debts felt overpowering.
However, on opening day the only voices I could hear came from the jubilant chorus of guests and those who came to support Turner.
When I listened closely, I could barely hear the voices of the installations. They seemed mute, at peace. As a Black person around other Black people in that space, interacting with Turner’s work felt like justice in itself. One felt as though our celebration evoked our ancestors, but then it became hard to tell whether it was in fact them that had summoned us inside the gallery or us that had summoned them. The title Otherworld seemed to be at work here. The two worlds — the living and the dead — seemed to be in conversation.
At a video installation called the “Afronautic Research Lab,” one of Turner’s personas — the previously seen woman in white — compiles historical documents on a table and literally opens up the archive, providing the ‘Afronauts’ with the necessary materials they need to understand the world that they have returned to.
Turner weaves an alternative history of
African people who left the earth long ago to explore the cosmos, travelling through time and outer space. These Afronauts are Africans who later return home from their place in the stars to a post-colonial age profaned by historical wounds. The Afronauts come back to facilitate their people’s healing from the wounds of the past, an initiative that simultaneously functions to mend the evils of the trans-Atlantic slave trade by first remembering its victims.
Focal to the gallery space stands the very same research lab, the archive unearthed and brought into the light for all visitors to engage with. Throughout opening night, the audience became the Afronauts. We rummaged through old ’90s newspapers detailing factions of the Ku Klux Klan in Brampton and Oakville, a printout
of Justin Trudeau in blackface from his younger years, posters detailing reward money for ‘lost cargo’ that ran away, and so on. The lab was quickly engaging, deeply heartbreaking, and effectively empowering with its new knowledge. Otherworld was a dream. I left the exhibition raw, bereft, and hopeful all at once. By layering history within counter-history, Turner disorients her audience and frees us from the confines of set histories and fixed futures, releasing us to reach for the stars as the Afronauts did while also reminding us to always return home to share our gifts. In a conversation with Turner, she said something that struck me. “If they can come down here, why can’t we go up there?” she asked. This, simply, is what Otherworld is about and it triumphs.
The Afronauts come back to facilitate their people’s healing from the wounds of the past.
COURTESY OF DOMINIC CHAN
Jones hopes the BIPOC community can feel "seen and heard" at the exhibition.
COURTESY OF DOMINIC CHAN
Otherworld was a dream.
COURTESY OF DOMINIC CHAN
Turner disorients her audience, freeing us from the confines of set histories and fixed futures, and allowing us to reach for the stars.
COURTESY OF DOMINIC CHAN
Every living being is our kin
A photo essay of Highland Creek to explore our relationship with our non-human neighbours
Sultan Nessa Varsity Contributor
We are part of the natural world. We are animals, apes, and the only species left in the Homo genus from what used to be at least nine. We are related to every other living organism on this planet, from the coral in the ocean to the deadly mycobacterium tuberculosis. Which means that
is a
possibly a
we all come from the same place and share a common ancestor.
Non-human life is everywhere. Geysers, puddles, ocean trenches, cities, your gut — everywhere. The non-humans are more diverse, abundant, and stranger than we can grasp. You could spend your whole life dedicated to studying the biochemistry of just one species of fungi in your neighbourhood.
Sure, you can trauma-bond with the dude who won’t stop talking about his two-month “spiritual” journey in Thailand, or you could get to know a truly interesting creature such as the pawpaw tree, known for the pawpaw fruit that the Canadian Encyclopedia claims tastes like “a combination of banana, mango, and pineapple” and smells like death.
What I’m getting at is that the root cause of the destruction of our Earth is our belief that we are separate from it — that humans are above every other life form and process on this planet and that we are more valuable. This false dichotomy — that there is human society and then there is nature — perpetuates this destructive mindset.
Human society is not separate from nature but rather a subset of it, which means it is not impossible for us to coexist as we are not inherently destructive. We are organisms that shape our environment just like every other organism, and we can do so in a beneficial manner.
If you want to truly “appreciate” nature, get to know it. We all call this city home and form communities within it. Non-humans share this home and have their own communities that overlap with ours. They are our neighbours. Learn their names, their identities, and how they live. Recognize them as the kin they are.
I live on the UTSC campus, with Highland Creek right behind me. Let me show you a little bit of my community in the form of somewhat crappy Samsung photos.
I caught this beautiful white-tailed deer having dinner as I was leaving. She saw me but didn’t seem to mind me professing my undying love for her — though not in a weird way. They need to eat about two to five kilograms a day, so I let her do her thing.
I’m still learning, so if I misidentified any of these creatures, let me know. For context, people sometimes refer to me as Indian even though I’m Bengali — yes, there’s a difference. These organisms are not people, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less important. Every life is unique and worth knowing.
Meet the paths, stones, and the river that winds through Highland Creek.
This absolute supermodel
spruce,
white spruce, also known as the Christmas tree. She can live for almost a thousand years, and she certainly deserves to. Just look at her. We’re just friends — she doesn’t like me like that.
Ah, a black-eyed Susan. She’s everywhere and quite bold, but she looks great in the garden and attracts butterflies. I’ve named this one Susan.
These are a couple of Eastern hemlocks. Communities need each other, so when the hemlock population declines, the Eastern redback salamander loses half its population.
This stunner is an Eastern white cedar, also known as the “Tree of Life.” Look into why. You pay for the internet for a reason.
I don’t know what these are because insects both scare and fascinate me, but according to Google, they are red soldier beetles. I also just happened to catch these two mating.
Just so you know, this is all part of the Laurentian Shield, one of the oldest bedrocks on Earth, which underlies much of North America.
Meet an American elm. These trees have been doing their best to resist Dutch elm disease, and I hear they’re making a springing comeback.
A couple of flashy wild bergamots. They’re part of the mint family, and can be used to make Earl Grey tea. They are also close friends with bumblebees.
I saw this squishy thing as I ventured further into the creek: an Eastern chipmunk. Don’t feed it — it bites and can become accustomed to handouts.
This is a sugar maple tree, the source of maple syrup and a major food source for all the critters around, like the bitey chipmunk.
Sports
September 24, 2024
thevarsity.ca/section/sports sports@thevarsity.ca
Toronto Blue Jays host third annual University & College Night
Jake Takeuchi Sports Editor
U of T students and alumni celebrate Kirk’s walk-off in 12th inning
Surrounded by university sweatshirts and U of T Bookstore hoodies in the concrete corridors and lively concourse at the Rogers Centre, you might easily confuse the atmosphere for a career fair instead of a baseball game.
“I haven’t gone to a baseball game ever,” said Sanueo S., a first-year physics and environmental science student, in an interview with The Varsity: a sentiment echoed by many others at the game. Second-year economics and psychology major Rashi S. confirmed that they had never been to a Toronto Blue Jays game and likely wouldn’t have attended if it hadn’t been for the student event night.
On September 13, the Jays hosted their third annual University & College Night against the St. Louis Cardinals. Each season, the Blue Jays hold “Specialty Nights,” featuring themed matchday experiences, giveaways, and exclusive merchandise. For University & College Night, the team offers discounts on group purchases of fewer than 250 tickets, with further discounts available for 250 or more. Another major draw was the giveaway of a Blue Jays co-branded tumbler with the U of T logo, included with every ticket, which will likely make appearances around campus in the coming months.
“It’s a great way for us to tailor to the amount of students that we have in Toronto,” explained Kelly Ste. Marie, senior manager, promotions & theme day activations, in an interview with The Varsity “[It’s] an opportunity for students to [connect] with their classmates [at] the ballpark, and maybe [get] introduc[ed] to the Blue Jays… It’s kind of our way to tie the Blue Jays to the city of Toronto and everything it has to offer.”
Some sections of the ballpark felt like a U of T invasion. By selling tickets in specific sections, the team allowed U of T students to sit together
in large groups. When U of T’s name appeared on the scoreboard in the middle of the fourth inning, the cheer was one of the biggest of the night. It helps that even the Jays’ alternate logo — the City Connect logo — looks similar to our very own Varsity Blues’ emblem.
“I’m [excited to watch] the game with everyone in our program,” said Rachel S., a second-year nursing student who got her tickets through her program’s undergraduate society. “It will be our first time meeting the first-years. It’s like our whole program [is here].”
Groups from U of T that purchased tickets include representatives from UTSC, Trinity College, U of T Alumni, U of T Nursing Undergraduate Society, U of T Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech and Language Pathology. Some groups, such as UTSC Student Housing and Residence Life, subsidized the ticket price to $20.
Modupe O., a third-year student studying biochemistry at UTSC, explained that everyone living in UTSC residences got tickets. As a residence advisor, Modupe attended the game with fellow residents.
Amid a retooling season for the club, Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins made several tough decisions, including trading away veteran stars at the trade deadline. With key players such as outfielder Daulton Varsho out for the season due to injury, the team looked to their revamped line-up to finish the season strong.
In this youthful and raucous atmosphere, the Cardinals opened with their first four batters hitting singles off starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, finishing the first inning with two runs. However, after a shaky start, the Jays rallied around solid defense. The team responded in the fourth inning with a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. double, a Spencer Horwitz sacrifice fly, and an Alejandro Kirk single — all of which contributed to a runner batted in, bringing the score to 3–2.
Wrestling’s hidden shadows
A closer look at the injuries, substance use, and exploitation behind pro-wrestling’s glamour
substance use, injuries, and exploitation.
Guerrero capped an excellent defensive night in the seventh with an incredible play to keep the Cardinals at bay. The nine-time All-Star currently ranks sixth in the entire MLB for on-base plus slugging and third in hits this season, and Jays fans will undoubtedly have their eyes peeled all offseason for his upcoming extension negotiations.
The Cardinals pulled back a run in the eighth, sending the game into tense extra innings. Luckily for students and fans alike, the night ended with catcher Kirk’s first career walk-off, driving in a
While Ste. Marie was tight-lipped about next year’s theme nights currently in planning, she confirmed there would be events in 2025 involving students.
“It’s awesome that [the] start of semester kind of lines up with our end of season, so it’s a great way to bring students to the ballpark. Maybe before school gets busy, students can come [out] and enjoy a game. Maybe it’s like their first baseball game ever. We could make them a Blue Jays fan for life,” said Ste. Marie.
Content warning: This article discusses substance use and exploitation in the wrestling industry, and mentions murder and suicide.
Words like “staged,” “fake,” and “dramatized” are often associated with professional wrestling. As a fan of the sport for over a decade, I have frequently struggled to explain to others what keeps me so invested. Perhaps it’s the largerthan-life portrayal of characters or the incredible display of skill and athleticism of the wrestlers. While these elements are significant, what truly captivates me is the behind-the-scenes reality — one often marked by tragedy shaped by years of
Professional wrestling is one of the most physically demanding professions one could pursue. Wrestlers are often performing up to 200 shows a year, travelling from one city to another while performing at the highest level. This relentless schedule takes a heavy toll on a wrestler’s physical and mental well-being. From the 1980s to the 2000s, many wrestlers turned to substance use to cope with the physical pain and mental stress of the job, often developing alcohol use disorders and resulting in painkiller usage. This was exacerbated by a lenient, nearly nonexistent, drug testing policy in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Eddie Guerrero, one of the most beloved wrestlers of his era, was celebrated for both his tre-
mendous in-ring skill and charismatic persona. Wrestling for nearly two decades across the globe, Guerrero faced significant challenges with substance use due to the profession’s demands. He developed an alcohol use disorder and painkiller usage, which severely impacted both his professional and personal life.
His story seemed to be one of redemption when he overcame his addictions and won a world title in 2004. Tragically, Guerrero passed away a year later at 38 from heart failure, shocking the wrestling world. His death reflected the dangerous culture in wrestling, where steroid and painkiller use was common, prompting the industry to adopt stricter drug-testing policies.
Chris Benoit, a Canadian professional wrestler and close friend of Guerrero, was widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers in the ‘90s due to his exceptional skill and intensity in the ring. Over his 22-year career, he wrestled worldwide and earned numerous accolades. However, in June 2007, Benoit shocked the world when he took the lives of his wife and son before taking his own.
This tragic incident brought intense media scrutiny to the wrestling industry. The most compelling explanation for Benoit’s actions was chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain condition caused by repeated head injuries. Doctors suggested that Benoit’s brain resembled that of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient, likely due to multiple concussions. The wrestling industry’s health and wellness policies faced criticism for allowing performers to wrestle despite being in less-than-optimal physical condition, and raised serious concerns about its practices.
Phil Brooks, better known by his ring name CM Punk, rose to stardom in the mid-2000s. Renowned for his in-ring skills and hardcore personality, Punk was also vocal about the industry’s flaws. In January 2014, he abruptly left the WWE, sparking widespread speculation. Later that year, he revealed that his departure was due to the physical and mental toll of the WWE’s inadequate
There’s no doubt that these themed nights
healthcare and a toxic work environment.
Punk’s revelations drew attention to significant issues within the wrestling industry, including the lack of union representation, exploitation of performers who are categorized as independent contractors rather than employees, and the culture of silence surrounding backstage abuses. Punk’s departure and subsequent comments sparked important discussions about wrestler welfare and the need for systemic changes within the industry. To this day, the WWE considers their athletes as contractors rather than employees, thus wrestlers are unable to unionise.
The combination of drug culture, physical strain, and an intense workload has led to a higher mortality rate among wrestlers compared to the general population. A 2014 University of Eastern Michigan study found that wrestlers aged 45–54 had a mortality rate 2.9 times greater than that of men in the broader US population, with cardiovascular disease being the most common cause of death. Well-known wrestlers such as Davey Boy Smith, Curt Hennig, Umaga, Bray Wyatt, and Rick Rude among others have passed away from heart failure. Additionally, performers like Crash Holly, Andrew “Test” Martin, Chyna, and Sherri Martel tragically lost their lives due to overdose.
Professional wrestling’s allure may lie in its spectacle and the athletic prowess of its performers, but the harsh realities behind the scenes cannot be ignored. The physical demands and lack of adequate support have led to untold suffering of many wrestlers. Both fans and the wrestling industry as a whole have a responsibility to advocate for better working conditions, healthcare, and overall support for the athletes who dedicate their lives to entertaining others. While progress has been made, ongoing conversations and reforms are necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of all wrestlers, honouring their contributions while also safeguarding their futures.
YIXUAN GUO/THE VARSITY
Ashmal Shoukat
Varsity Contributor
Alejandro Kirk celebrates his first career winning hit. THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS/ DANIA KHAN
Varsity Blues fall 17–19 to York in heartbreaker at home
O’Donoghue’s seasonhigh 329-yards and two touchdowns not
enough
for the win
Donald McCarthy Varsity Contributor
The Varsity Blues football team dropped to 1–4 after losing to the York University Lions in their annual Blue and Red rivalry game on September 21 at the Varsity Stadium. The Blues dominated the Lions in recent years, with their last loss being in 2019, but today it was York’s turn to hoist the Argo Cup. The Blues now sit in 10th´ place in the Ontario University Athletics— just ahead of the winless Waterloo Warriors.
What happened
It was a defensive battle in the first quarter with both teams struggling on offense. The Blues turned the ball over on third down on their first drive, and the
Lions converted the turnover into a field goal. The Toronto defense was stout through the rest of the quarter, punctuated by defensive-back Brayden Parker’s key interception, when he jumped in front of an errant Lions’ throw. The Blues turned this interception into a field goal to end the quarter.
The Blues conceded a safety in the second quarter when pinned on third down at their own 1-yard line, but they retaliated on their next drive. Despite pouring rain driving fans into the concourse area, Blues receiver Chris Joseph made a leaping 30-yard catch between two Lions defenders, putting the Blues on the Lions’ 16-yard line. Blues’ quarterback Kaleb O’Donoghue found receiver Dane Hurley wide open in the endzone on the next play for a sorely needed touchdown. The Lions narrowed the lead with another field goal, making it
Overseas CMNT players to watch out for this season
How is the ‘golden generation’ performing after a summer of success?
Felix Hughes Varsity Contributor
Canadian soccer players abroad continue to offer more and more hope for the nation’s team. During what is shaping up to be a golden generation for the country, it feels like Canadian soccer has a greater presence in European football than ever before.
A new season brings new challenges, goals, and demands for the men of Canadian soccer — with a home World Cup around the corner and off the back of a successful Copa América run, the pressure is on for them to succeed like never before.
Here are some notable Canada Men’s National Team (CMNT) players to look out for as they play abroad and raise the bar of Canadian soccer.
Alphonso Davies
The golden boy of Canadian soccer. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that he is already the best Canadian men’s soccer player ever, even though he is only 23. Yet, there is still much for him to prove.
Following a rough year for Bayern Munich, Davies missed out on the Bundesliga Team of the Season in the 2023–24 season for the first time since 2019. Under the new manager Vincent Kompany, Davies and the rest of the team are aiming to prove last year was a blip for the dominant force of German football.
However, with his contract up at the end of the season and strong talks of a transfer, Davies’ future remains uncertain. There has been friction between Bayern Munich and Davies from them offering him an “ultimatum” over a new contract, which means it is more likely than not that he will eventually leave.
The rumour mill points to a potential move to Real Madrid for free next summer, but with a World Cup on the horizon, Canadians hope for him to settle in any national club and prepare for a tournament on home soil.
Jonathan David
As one of Europe’s most underrated strikers, David looks well-poised to continue his fine form, having scored 52 goals in his last two seasons and 87 in 190 games throughout the last three full seasons for Lille — putting him third in their all-time goal scorers.
However, the question remains: will he ever get a big money move? There has been
a 10–8 game for the Blues at halftime.
The Blues struggled with turnovers in the third quarter, throwing an interception on their first drive. They started their next drive on their own 1-yard line and, despite stringing together a 49-yard drive, Toronto turned it over on third down with six minutes left in the quarter. The Lions exchanged a field goal for a Toronto one-point rouge, tying the game 11–11 before heading into the final frame.
The Lions opened the final quarter with a 75yard run for a touchdown. A key punt for a rouge on their next drive made the score 11–19. The Blues took possession of the ball with around two minutes left in the game and drove to the Lions’ 15-yard line. O’Donoghue made a gutsy toss on third down into the left corner of the endzone and Hurley brought it in for his second touchdown of
then CMNT manager Jesse Marsch will have a starting centre-back he can trust.
Ismaël Koné
Koné’s last season at Watford in the English championship can be classed as fairly disappointing. For a team harbouring ambitions of promotion, finishing 15th can only be classed as a failure. Like Bombito, Koné will now be heading to France, wrapping up a 12.5 million British pound move to Marseille.
Going from Watford to one of France’s biggest and most pressured teams is quite a step up, and the fact that he has yet to be involved in any games for them may worry some. However, Koné is only 22 and has plenty to learn. Under the guidance of manager
the contest. The Blues came up short on the twopoint conversion, but ended the game 17–19 for the Lions.
What’s next?
The Blues showed flashes of greatness in the game, despite the loss. “We have some of the best receivers in this league, some of the best offensive linemen in this league, and I trust my guys so much. All I gotta do is put the ball up there and they catch it, they make the plays,” O’Donoghue told The Varsity Toronto fans should remain optimistic, but a win this weekend on September 28 against Windsor Lancers away from home is crucial if the Blues are going to make the playoffs as they look to improve their 1–4 record.
Roberto De Zerbi, who proved at Brighton & Hove Albion that he can handle young talent, there is still cause for plenty of optimism around the young midfielder.
Derek Cornelius
Also moving to Marseilles, we have Derek Cornelius who was also an ever-present member of the Canadian charge at the Copa América. Following spells in Europe’s smaller leagues and the MLS, Cornelius has finally moved into a major European league — and he has started well.
It’s only the early days at Marseille, but Cornelius seems to be getting the opportunities to flourish and break out as a top-quality centre-back. Like Bambito, Cornelius is joining the major European leagues fairly late at the age of 26, so the pressure is on for him to adapt. But, any experience for Cornelius will
While he may not be Canadian, Afolayan is a Varsity Blues alumnus and warrants more than a mention. Following his spell for the Blues a decade ago, he has developed an unconventional Jamie Vardy-esque CV, as he
After spells in the non-league, a move to West Ham United that didn’t work out, and a lengthy run at perennial underachievers the Bolton Wanderers, he found himself playing for a German side, St. Pauli. He was then an influential member of the team that won the second German division, following nine goal contributions in 31 games. So far, he has started both Bundesliga games this season for St. Pauli — meaning that the man who once rejected Chelsea to pursue a degree in civil engineering is finally getting recognition for his
Had I sat down to write this article 10 years ago, chances are I wouldn’t have gotten very far, as very few Canadians were playing in Europe. This piece is a testament to how far our nation’s soccer has come and that there is now so much to be excited about: an
Canadian superstar Alphonso Davies’ future is unclear. HOSSEIN ZOHREVAND CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The Varsity Blues battle it out with the York in the "Blue Red Derby." JAKE TAKEUCHI/THE VARSITY
