Issue 11, (Volume 144) (November 27, 2023)

November 27, 2023

THE VARSITY The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880

Vol. CXLIV, No. 11

At 2023 AGM, student dissent defeats UTSU execs’ attempt to abolish senate Students criticize the UTSU’s COVID-19 measures, AGM structure, Israel-Palestine response

Devin Botar & Selia Sanchez Associate News Editor & Deputy News Editor

On November 19, almost 100 students took part in the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) Annual General Meeting (AGM) after its first attempt to hold the AGM on October 29 failed to meet quorum.

Members of the student body struck down UTSU executives’ plans to abolish the Senate and spoke about financial statements, executive committee reports, COVID-19 safety measures, and the union’s response to violence in Gaza and Israel.

UTSU executives’ plans to strike the Senate The largest topic at the meeting was UTSU executives’ attempt to strike the union’s Student Senate, with the promise that it would replace it with another type of student advisory group. A group of mostly engineering students spoke out against abolishing the Senate, and members ultimately voted the motion down.

At the 2022 AGM, members decreased the size of the Board of Directors and made plans to create the Student Senate to provide additional student voice, with the first senate elections to be held in September 2023. But, when September came, UTSU executives announced their plans to abolish the Senate, predicting it would be ineffective.

Since September, UTSU executives have advocated for replacing the Senate with a council — whose name it never finalized, but which it has most recently referred to as “Advocacy Group Advisory Committee” — made up of representatives from different student groups.

The Senate: To be or not to be?

UTSU executives argued in favour of abolishing the Senate, saying the Senate would open the union to financial and legal risks. Executives also said that campus groups already had sufficient avenues for representation, citing biweekly meetings that the union has begun to hold with student government heads of each college. They added that the proposed Advocacy Group Advisory Committee would extend representation to smaller groups that need it and include student groups that the university does not recognize.

Right at the beginning of the meeting, fifth-year engineering student Ege Feyzioğlu objected to the validity of the motion, arguing that the UTSU had provided insufficient notice for a bylaw amendment. UTSU bylaws require 30 days of notice, and she said the UTSU only published the agenda two days prior. UTSU VicePresident, Operations Samir Mechel said a UTSU newsletter gave notice of the amendment two months earlier on September 29, and voters struck down Feyzioğlu’s objection.

Feyzioğlu, along with seven other students raised issues with the UTSU’s argument. These students argued that the Senate would have no binding decision-making power and, therefore, would pose no financial or legal risks for the union. They also argued that the Senate was important for student group representation.

The students also said that if the Senate was abolished, they did not have confidence in the UTSU’s plans to replace it with the Advocacy Group Advisory Committee, when the details about the committee were all subject to change.

Six of the eight people who spoke out against abolishing the Senate were engineering students, possibly reflecting a long history of conflict between engineering students and the UTSU. In an email to The Varsity, Feyzioğlu wrote that several of her friends had also joined her in attendance after she mentioned the AGM on a Discord server.

The Engineering Society (EngSoc) has recently criticized the UTSU for a lack of representation in its governance. In his executive report, UTSU Vice-President, Public & University Affairs Aidan Thompson reported that the union is well on its way to repairing relations with the EngSoc. In an email to The Varsity, EngSoc President Parker Johnston said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the future of the EngSoc-UTSU relationship.

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Federal government set to reintroduce 20-hour weekly work cap for international students Student organizations and unions call for work cap’s removal James Bullanoff UTSC Bureau Chief

A pilot program the federal government implemented over the last year, lifting its 20-hour per week cap on the number of hours international students can work off-campus, is set to end after December 31.

Student advocates have raised concerns about the federal government reinstating the cap, noting that it could mean students have less access to legal work opportunities and could impede their ability to earn enough to afford U of T’s high international tuition rates. Some also raised concerns that the reintroduced cap will lead students to seek jobs illegally, opening them to exploitation.

Work limits for international students The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulation states that international students who hold a study permit but no work permit cannot work more than 20 hours per week off-campus during the academic session; however, they can work full-time during breaks between sessions. Students can work as many hours as they’d like on campus in addition to working off-campus.

According to the Government of Canada’s website, students found to have violated the work cap could lose their student status, not receive approval for future study or work permits, or face deportation.

In a press release on October 7, 2022, Federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Sean Fraser announced that, given employers’ challenges retaining workers and the shortage of workers, the federal government would lift the work hour cap on international students from November 15, 2022 until December 31, 2023. The announcement came after years of international student advocacy calling for the government to remove the work cap.

As the December deadline approaches, the federal government has not indicated that it will renew its removal of the work cap.

Work hour concerns Many student organizations have voiced concerns about the work-hour cap’s reintroduction.

In an email to The Varsity, Scarborough Campus Students’ Union Vice-President Equity Denise Nmashie and Director

of International Students Fawzia Elhag argued that the government should remove the cap. They wrote that the cap might force international students to quit their current jobs or miss opportunities that would further their careers — which they characterized as “a form of discrimination against international students.”

“I was talking to another student union president, who actually could not hold the job of student union president… if not for the lifting of the cap because student unions are counted as offcampus work,” said Aidan Thompson — University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) vice president, public and university affairs — in an interview with The Varsity. According to the federal government’s website, on-campus work can refer to research work or work done at any campus building.

The change won’t impact all international students. Mayeesha Karim — a fifth-year international student from Bangladesh double majoring in human biology and psychology with a minor in linguistics — said a 20-hour limit wouldn’t impact her. “I think even doing 15 hours a week on top of my full course load… while doing extracurricular activities is already hard.”

However, Thompson said that the “unprecedented affordability crisis” is leading many students to seek additional hours.

At U of T, international full-time undergraduate students studying in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences paid almost 10 times the tuition fees charged to domestic Ontario students in comparable programs. International students cannot access funding through the provincially-run Ontario Student Assistance Program or the University of Toronto Advanced Planning for Students program — U of T’s largest financial aid system.

Sarom Rho — an organizer for advocacy organization Migrant Workers Alliance for Change — told The Varsity that, given the financial situation faced by students, many will continue to work “but in more dangerous conditions.”

“This is a question of whether we want a system that greenlights exploitation of international students,” she said.

Phuong Le, a fourth-year international student from Vietnam double majoring in psychology and sociology, echoed this in an interview with The Varsity. “I used to watch a lot of my friends being exploited by certain jobs they work in and also have to work extra hours illegally,” she said.

Last week, the UTSU travelled to Ottawa with the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations advocating for the federal government to remove the work limit for international students.

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The Varsity would like to acknowledge that our office is built on the traditional territory of several First Nations, including the Huron-Wendat, the Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit. Journalists have historically harmed Indigenous communities by overlooking their stories, contributing to stereotypes, and telling their stories without their input. Therefore, we make this acknowledgement as a starting point for our responsibility to tell those stories more accurately, critically, and in accordance with the wishes of Indigenous Peoples.

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Financial statements and executive reports Mechel presented the union’s 2022–2023 audited financial statements. The UTSU’s assets and liabilities increased from roughly $6.5 million to $7.9 million, which Mechel said was largely because the union wrote its financial report when it had an influx of insurance money from students that it had not yet sent to its insurer.

The bulk of the UTSU’s revenue in the 2022– 2023 academic year came from its health and dental plan, student fees, interest income, levies, and sponsorships. Expenses included the health and dental plan money it sent to its insurer, salaries, programs and services, and meetings.

UTSU President Elizabeth Shechtman said she has been working on bringing back the UTSU’s First Year Council, establishing semi-permanent club office spaces, changing the Student Commons building hours, increasing prayer rooms on campus, increasing kosher food options in dining halls, and establishing an online platform for reporting sexual violence.

Mechel said that the UTSU hoped to double the amount of student aid it will be able to give students in the winter semester through the student aid program. He also said the UTSU has restarted its Food Rescue Program, which aims to address food insecurity on campus by providing free meals to students.

Both Mechel and Thompson highlighted the UTSU’s Community Housing and Employment Support Services initiative, which provides students with free legal advice on housing and employment after students voted to ratify it in the spring 2023 election.

Additional student criticism During the members’ forum and question period, fourth-year anthropology student Inayah Sakhawat asked about the UTSU’s efforts to address COVID safety on campus. Shechtman said that the UTSU provided optional masks and COVID tests in its office.

JESSICA LAM & CAROLINE BELLAMY/THEVARSITY

In an email to The Varsity, Sakhawat said the union should implement more safety measures on campus, including mandatory masking, distribution stations for masks and nasal sprays, and work toward more sustainable academic protocols for students with chronic illnesses.

Sakhawat and Avreet Jagdev — a third-year political science and critical studies in equity and solidarity student — both raised concerns during the AGM. After the meeting, they also raised concerns about the structure of the AGM itself in messages to The Varsity.

“The student union represents over 40,000 students and allocating 15 minutes to asking and answering questions is nowhere near enough for students to have their voices heard or for the executive to provide adequate answers,” Jagdev wrote in a message to The Varsity.

“Anything said needed to be said within a minute or two which adds pressure and further creates an inaccessible environment for participants,” wrote Sakhawat.

In an email to The Varsity, Mechel said that the union applies a 15-minute time to all items on the

agenda to “keep the meeting time reasonable.”

He added, “For other ways to voice concerns, our emails are always open and indicated on the [UTSU] website.”

In her message, Jagdev also criticized the UTSU’s response to the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine. “Standing with those who call for a ceasefire is not enough, we need action and mobilization from the UTSU,” she wrote. “That is how you show true solidarity, not with a two-sided statement.”

During the meeting, Mechel said that the UTSU had not yet come to a consensus about what actions it should take around calling for a ceasefire and divestment from certain corporations affiliated with Israel.

“While we recognize that there is a history behind the current apex of violence, we do not feel we are able to sufficiently explain this history in an Instagram post,” Mechel wrote.

Disclosure: Elizabeth Shechtman was an associate news editor at The Varsity in the 2021–2022 academic year.

Read more online: thevarsity.ca/category/news “A different level of pain”: Sidney Smith sees second vigil for Gaza’s casualties

UTMSU faces backlash over failed student centre expansion referendum

Resources for articles discussing violence in Israel and Palestine 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/, and antisemitic incidents at U of T to Hillel U of T at https://hillelontario.org/uoft/report-incident/.

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 1-866-

• • •

925-5454 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

If you or someone you know has experienced anti-Muslim racism or is in distress, you can contact: • Canadian Muslim Counselling at 437886-6309 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 1-866-627-

• •

3342 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 has experienced antisemitism or is in distress, you can contact: • Hillel Ontario at counselling@hillelontario. org • Chai Lifeline Canada’s Crisis Intervention Team at 1 (800) 556-6238 or CIT@chailifeline.ca • Jewish Family and Child Services of Greater Toronto at 416 638-7800 x 6234 • The Hamilton Jewish Family Services at info@hamiltonjfs.com

CORRECTIONS: A Sports article published in Issue 10 entitled “Canadian gridiron stars: Tracking Maple Leaf talent in the 2023 NFL season” mistakenly stated that nine weeks had passed since the beginning of the NFL season as of the publication date. In fact, 11 weeks had passed since the start of the season.

A News article published in Issue 9 entitled “UTGSU Vice President External Neelofar Ahmed resigns ahead of vote to remove her from office” has been updated to include comment from Amir Hossein Moazzami, the former Executive Director of the UTGSU. A News article published in Issue 10 entitled “BirdSafe U of T documents over 80 bird collisions with windows across UTSG” has been amended for accuracy and clarity. The trademarked “BirdSafe” name was changed to “Birdsafe.” The article originally referred to a series of bird collisions as involving non-native bird species, but in fact, they involved native bird species. The group were able to treat windows at E. J. Pratt with the support of Kambiz Jahromi, a university employee who helped to organize a volunteer-led campaign and who assisted in budgeting for a permanent window treatment. The article now includes a link to the organization’s Instagram page, instead of an old Twitter page, where students can report incidents of bird collisions. The article was updated to include information about the permanent retrofit at New College.

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NOVEMBER 27, 2023

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Students groups, university release statements on ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine Students call on the university to provide clear guidelines on academic freedom, free speech Selia Sanchez Deputy News Editor

Content warning: This article discusses recent and ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza and contains mentions of genocide and anti-Palestinian racism.

Since October 7 attacks on Israel by the militant group Hamas, which killed approximately 1,200 people, strikes by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have killed more than 11,300 Palestinians in Gaza.

U of T student unions, student groups, and departments have since released statements in response to the ongoing violence, some of which have received pushback from other parts of the U of T community. Many student groups discussed the importance of academic freedom and free speech around Israel and Palestine, and some students have called on the university to release clear guidelines on academic freedom and speech around Palestine.

U of T’s statements and pushback On October 9, Vice-President International Joseph Wong released a statement to the university community, expressing sadness over the attack on Israeli civilians, on “the outbreak of war [the previous] weekend,” and offering condolences to “all those suffering in Israel and Palestine.”

On October 13, someone released an open letter — since signed by over 2,000 U of T students, faculty, staff, librarians, student associations, and alumni — expressing their “shock and disappointment” in response to Wong’s statement. The letter raised multiple concerns with Wong’s statement: that it only mentions the attacks on Israeli citizens, not the IDF’s subsequent strikes on Gaza, and that it fails to acknowledge the harsh conditions that Israel has imposed on Palestinians for years.

The letter called on the university to release a new statement reaffirming academic freedom, acknowledging long-standing violence against Palestinians, and creating a presidential, provostial, and vice-presidential working group to inform the university’s response to anti-Palestinian racism.

While the letter called on the university to publicly respond by October 19, the university has yet to provide a public response specifically addressing the letter as of November 26.

However, U of T President Meric Gertler released a statement on October 18 discussing universities’ responsibility to protect community members’ right to academic freedom, noting that this right makes the university “uniquely able to host constructive debate and foster deeper understanding of complex issues.”

Gertler also noted the university community’s obligation to share its expertise “to inform public discourse and deepen understanding.”

BIEW BIEW SAKULWANNADEE/THEVARSITY

Calling on the university to take a stance On October 15, 17 UTSC student groups and non-U of T groups, released a joint statement, posted on the Muslim Student Association (MSA) UTSC’s Instagram account, that recognized the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and condemned the Israeli government’s actions against Palestine.

“In face of overwhelming injustice, neutrality is not an option,” the statement reads.

In an interview with The Varsity, spokespeople from the International Development Studies Student Association (IDSSA) UTSC — one of the groups who signed the statement posted by the MSA — said that they feel the university should take a stronger stance as it claims to advocate for decolonization, equity, and diversity.

On November 5, a number of student climate justice groups — including Climate Justice

UTMSU 2023–2024 operating budget predicts net loss for the first time in years BOD allocates donations for Palestine humanitarian aid at November meeting Kamilla Bekbossynova UTM Bureau Chief

On November 10, the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) Board of Directors (BOD) held its fifth meeting of the academic year, where BOD members approved the union’s operating budget, and the operating budget for the Blind Duck pub. The union expects to end the year with a net loss for the first time in at least four years.

The BOD also voted to allocate a $500 donation for humanitarian aid to Gazans in response to the ongoing crisis. Executive committee members discussed advocacy projects and upcoming events.

The union will hold its Annual General Meeting on November 29 at 6:00 pm. All UTM undergraduate students can attend the meeting to

UofT, VUSAC Sustainability Commission, Dig In! Campus Agriculture, Regenesis UTSG, and SMASH UofT — released a joint statement that condemned the Israeli government’s siege on Gaza and stood in solidarity with Palestinians.

In an email to The Varsity, Climate Justice UofT wrote, “As long as [the university] does not come out and say that Israel is perpetrating a genocide, it leaves room for the experiences of Palestinian students, and the state-

vote on any proposed changes to the union’s bylaws, hear about the union’s previous work and plans for the future, and determine whether to approve the union’s 2021–2022 financial statements.

Budget reports John (Yongxin) Liang, UTMSU vice-president internal, presented the union’s 2023–2024 operating budget. This academic year, the union expects to spend $1,546,950, contribute $100,000 to a contingency fund, and receive $1,612,500 — with a total projected loss of $34,450. In the 2020–2021, 2021–2022, and 2022–2023 academic years, the union’s operating budget projected a net gain. The union expects higher expenses and revenue this year, projecting its spending to be 6.6 per cent higher than last year.

ments of those in solidarity with them, to be questioned.”

Genocide, as defined under the 1948 United Nations (UN) Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, constitutes actions such as killing or causing mental harm “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” Some UN experts and Palestinian human rights organizations have accused the Israeli government of committing genocide against Palestinians. As of November 14, experts on international law interviewed

by Time magazine remained split on whether the Israeli government’s actions could be characterized in a court of international law as genocide.

The spokespeople from the IDSSA UTSC called on the administration to develop clear guidelines that indicate what community The union estimated that orientation costed $290,000, excluding concert expenses. The union received $13,000 less from sponsorships than it had anticipated. Election costs were also higher than those listed in the preliminary budget — totalling $79,500 — because the union ran both the division election and the student expansion referendum. Salary and benefits costs also increased slightly compared to last year, which Liang attributed to the increase in Ontario’s minimum wage from $15.50 to $16.55.

Bursary, club funding, and emergency funding remained similar to last year.

Liang also presented the operating budget for the Blind Duck, the UTMSU’s pub. The union expects that the Blind Duck will earn $525,000 from sales and an additional $173,500 from other sources, such as the levy, club subsidies, and rental income from the bubble tea store next to it, for a total revenue of $698,500. Its total expected expenses amount to $732,800, for an overall loss of $34,300.

Liang explained that the pub expects a consistent revenue stream, with a slight increase in food sales expected given higher demand. The union projects that membership fees, excess money from health and dental plan levies, and U-Pass fees will remain consistent compared to the 2022–2023 year and that other revenue sources will remain stable.

members can say without fear of academic suspension or probation.

U of T’s 1992 Statement on Freedom of Speech dictates that the university “must allow the fullest range of debate” while allowing it to limit speech that interferes with authorized university business or other lawful speech. However, the statement does not provide specifics about what allowed or unallowed speech looks like.

The IDSSA UTSC spokespeople explained that many U of T community members, especially untenured professors, feel scared to speak up because of potential repercussions for their careers. Some individuals in Canada and the US have lost their jobs after posting statements related to Palestine following October 7, although the exact number remains unknown.

In a statement to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson highlighted a portion of Gertler’s October 18 statement, where he wrote, “Uncomfortable, even upsetting positions will be expressed by members of our community. It is our collective duty to ensure that such perspectives, so long as they are lawful, continue to be heard.”

SCSU, UTSU statements On October 16, the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) released a statement that expressed its “condolences to the Palestinian community and all innocent Israeli lives lost in recent and decades-long events.”

SCSU Vice-President Academics and University Affairs Afshana Miah said in an interview with The Varsity that, as a student union that advocates for decolonization, equity, and anti-oppression, she saw it as the SCSU’s ethical responsibility to release a statement.

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) released a statement on October 28, expressing “unwavering support for all students who may be facing hate and discrimination on our campus or elsewhere.”

The union announced that “a statement alone is not enough,” and stated that it will be donating $10,000 to humanitarian relief efforts providing food, water, and medical supplies to Gaza.

If you or someone you know has experienced harassment or discrimination or is in distress, please see resources on page two.

Food and beverage expenses increased, which Liang attributed to the higher cost of food items. The union expects other expenses, such as advertising, promotion, cleaning, insurance, and security, to remain at their current levels.

The BOD passed a motion to donate $500, through the Association of Palestinian Students (APS) at UTM, to aid Gazans in the ongoing Gaza humanitarian crisis, and $500 to Independent Jewish Voices, an organization working to amplify pro-Palestine voices and advocate for peace in the region.

Executive reports and upcoming plans In her report, Okikioladuni (Kiki) Ayoola — UTMSU vice-president external — highlighted and invited students to apply to the recently launched Transit Advisory Committee, which will advise the City of Mississauga on improving public transit services.

Ruth Alemayehu, UTMSU vice-president equity, explained that the union has started planning events for Black History Month and working to develop resources for the Black Student Association’s mentorship program, which connects upper-year students with underclassmen.

Upcoming events from the union include a Holiday Market on November 30 in collaboration with the Little Market, and Winter Fest Week, which will take place from November 27 to December 1 and feature events and destressors for students.

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THE VARSITY

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Professors’ commentary on violence in Israel and Gaza sparks debate on free speech Students and faculty express concerns about safety on campus in the wake of controversial public comment Maeve Ellis & Muzna Erum Assistant News Editor & Associate News Editor

Content warning: this article discusses antisemitism, Islamophobia, and recent and ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza.

Two professors’ online commentary related to the violence in Israel and Gaza have sparked questions among the U of T community about academic freedom — and when the school’s administration should take action against professors’ public speech.

In October and November this year, Professor Uahikea Maile, an assistant professor of political science at UTSG, posted a tweet and made statements on a podcast celebrating “Palestinian anticolonial resistance,” which some students, faculty, and campus groups have characterized as antisemitic and as celebrating violence against civilians.

Meanwhile, in 2013, UTM psychology Professor Stuart Brian Kamenestky posted cartoons on Facebook that some students, who have recently set up a petition calling on U of T to take action against him, have characterized as Islamaphobic.

Professor Maile’s comments amid October 7 Hamas attacks Around 4:00 pm on October 7, the day Hamas launched attacks against Israel that precipitated the current violence in Israel and Palestine, Maile — who is Kanaka Maoli (Indigenous Hawaiian) — posted on X. “As Hawaiians wake up to the news of Palestinian anticolonial resistance in Gaza to Israeli settler colonialism, remember that—from Hawaiʻi to Palestine—occupation is a crime,” he wrote.

In a November 5 podcast episode from the Indigenous activist coalition The Red Nation, Maile discussed a solidarity statement on Palestine he wrote with other Indigenous activists. Speakers discussed violence by the IDF against Palestinians since and before October 7 and compared Palestinians’ experiences with the experiences of Indigenous peoples around the world.

“To see the breaking free of Gazans from the world’s largest open-air prison containment site, where a majority of the population of Palestinians are already made to be refugees, was an expression and a movement and a feeling of jubilation for that kind of free and liberation to occur… so in that jubilation, I was very energized,” said Maile.

Although Maile didn’t specify what he was referring to in this quote during the podcast, he wrote in a November 18 essay called “Let Gaza Change You” that he was expressing happiness in response to images of Palestinians piloting bulldozers and bringing down sections of the border fence around Gaza.

On November 9, Hillel U of T posted an open letter on Instagram condemning both Maile’s comments during the podcast and his October 7 post for characterizing Hamas’ attacks as anticolonial resistance.

“For Jewish students, faculty, and staff at U of T, as well as all those affected by the terrorist attacks of October 7, hearing a professor suggest that we might have something to learn from Hamas, a Canadian-designated terrorist entity, is clearly a call to violence. Not only does Professor Maile suggest that we can learn from a brutal terrorist massacre of innocents - but he felt jubilation in its wake. This is unacceptable,” Hillel U of T wrote.

The letter stated, “It is obvious that Maile’s words go beyond any sort of academic freedom, or freedom of expression. This is hate.”

It notes that some students and faculty have approached Hillel U of T to express fear about returning to campus because of Maile’s remarks and called for U of T to hold Maile accountable.

U of T’s Statement on Freedom of Speech states that “no member of the University should use language or indulge in behaviour intended to demean others” based on group characteristics such as ethnicity and ancestry. Still, it continues, “the values of mutual respect and civility may, on occasion, be

superseded by the need to protect lawful freedom of speech. However, members should not weigh lightly the shock, hurt anger or even the silencing effect that may be caused by use of such speech.”

U of T’s Memorandum of Agreement with the faculty association entitles faculty to academic freedom — the right to “investigate, speculate, and comment without reference to prescribed doctrine, as well as the right to criticize the University of Toronto and society at large.”

When The Varsity asked Maile if his remarks were in reference to violence against Israeli civilians on October 7, Maile wrote, “I reject this interpretation of the words that I’ve said. The misrepresentations of me based on this interpretation are slanderous.”

Reactions from students and professors Nathaniel Borins, a third-year political science specialist at UTSG who identifies as “a visibly Jewish student,” first came across Maile’s remarks on an online post and was immediately shocked. He worries that Maile’s comments and the hatred they express will “inspire” students he will interact with, and believes that U of T should condemn the remarks or take disciplinary action. “[These remarks] create an atmosphere that is less safe for Jewish students and signals to other people in the university who mean the Jewish students harm… encouragement for them to follow such impulses,” he said.

According to Lilach Gilady, a UTSG associate professor of political science, Maile’s remarks also make her workplace feel less safe. “It’s not just an abstract question of freedom of speech or academic freedom. It’s also a workplace,” she told The Varsity in an interview. “Should I, as a faculty member, feel comfortable sitting with this particular colleague in our community when he has expressed jubilation at the murder of my family friends?”

The incident also raised questions about how faculty members’ social media presence should reflect on their academic institutions.

“When you identify on social media as a U of T professor, is it really, completely disconnected from your workplace?” she said. “This ongoing conflict has really brought this question to the forefront.”

Yoel Inbar, an assistant professor in the UTSC psychology department, found Maile’s remarks offensive but still argued that they should be protected by academic freedom.

“While this is a case that’s clearly morally offensive, it’s also to me not a particularly difficult case.

In terms of academic freedom, he went on a podcast, he expressed some views that many people are going to disagree with — and he did not threaten anybody, he did not incite violence,” he said.

Professor Melissa Williams of the UTSG political science faculty said people have been misrepresenting Maile’s views in a way that is

indicative of wider issues in discourse about the violence in Gaza and Israel.

“It is categorically false to say that anything in Professor Maile’s statements in the Red Nation podcast, or in any of his social media posts, justifies violence against civilians,” she wrote in an email to The Varsity. She wrote that Maile’s essay “makes explicit” that his reaction on October 7 specifically referred to the images of a bulldozer allowing Palestinians to break free from a fence around the Gaza Strip and had nothing to do with Hamas.

Williams also wrote that the issue points to a double standard in what people can say about Palestine. “Hate speech directed at any group is not acceptable, but it is important to acknowledge that in the current moment there are concerted efforts to redefine the meaning of ‘antisemitism’ to include any criticism of the state of Israel and to bar advocacy for Palestinian rights,” she wrote.

Student petition criticizing Professor Kamenetsky On October 16, Students Against Discrimination at UofT created a petition demanding U of T investigate Kamenetsky for Facebook posts he made in 2013. As of November 24, the petition has 2,358 signatures.

The screenshots of Kamenetsky’s Facebook posts included in the petition are shown to be posted on his personal account. All of the posts are dated from 2013, and they comprise various graphics promoting Israel, including a cartoon with a stereotypical depiction of an Arab man.

Additionally, a screenshot of a more recent LinkedIn post reshared by Kamenestky features a cartoon that Kamenestky describes in a November op-ed as a “caricature of a Hamas terrorist (typical green headband for clear identification with Islamic extremism) attempting to wash his bloody hands.”

The cartoon includes the caption, “Israel has shut off water supply to Gaza.”

The petition claims that these posts are “offensive,” “misleading,” and demonstrate discrimination against Arab students at UTM. “Professor Kamenetsky’s posts have painted us as violent terrorists and savages - a gross misrepresentation that fosters an environment of fear and hostility,” it reads.

In an email to The Varsity, Kamenetsky explained that the posts were not directed at Arab individuals but toward “Hamas, terrorism, authoritarian regimes and media bias.” He claimed that Muslim students had already contacted him asking him to remove the cartoon post, and that he removed the post. The Varsity did not find any of these posts on Kamenetsky’s Facebook page.

The student petition calls on U of T to thoroughly investigate the posts and take “appropriate disciplinary action” against Kamenetsky, claiming

that the posts violate U of T’s “Code of Conduct.”

According to U of T’s Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment policy, which follows the Ontario Human Rights Code, any behaviour that includes “threatening or offensive comments” and creates a poisoned environment in the workplace can violate the right to equal treatment without discrimination.

Academic and non-academic administrators are also required to fulfill the institution’s requirement of creating a space of learning, free from discrimination and harassment.

A Reddit thread shared all of the posts mentioned in the petition and questioned why he had not received any repercussions.

The student who created the petition — who asked for anonymity given the economic repercussions people in the US and Canada have experienced for publically supporting Palestine — identifies as Arab. They told The Varsity that they created the petition after seeing the Reddit thread and the posts published on Kamenetsky’s account.

They explained that they don’t know if the posts that Kamenetsky shared were necessarily “hate speech.” Yet, they still stated that it was very unprofessional for a professor to be posting “bigotry” and “biased-sided commentary.”

“The fact that he is probably teaching lots of Arab and Muslim students, and to see how he really views us outside of the classroom was quite eye-opening. So I think I was just disappointed, angry,” said the student.

Professor Kamenetsky’s response In his email to The Varsity, Kamenetsky wrote that he values all lives and that his “heart bleeds” for “all innocent lives lost in any conflict.” He said he has been promoting human rights for his entire career.

Kamenetsky described the petition as a “witch hunt consistent with cancel culture trying to silence me.” He said there was “nuanced conversation” in the Reddit post, but claimed that no one else had reached out to him about the petition to “have a reasonable conversation and rational debate.”

Kamenetsky also shared the op-ed he wrote in November for the online Fathom Journal, which aims to promote a “deeper understanding of Israel and the region,” according to the publication’s website. He argued that U of T lacks academic freedom for faculty discussing opinions that support Israel, and especially for Jewish faculty. In the op-ed, he wrote that the cartoon of a “Hamas terrorist” he published recently could be seen as “distasteful,” but ultimately argued that it was part of an important dialogue that the university should protect as free speech. He alleged that he had received “threatening” voicemails and emails after the petition was created.

In an email to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson stated that U of T is committed to supporting all community members impacted by the posts and the current violence in the Middle East. They encouraged those affected to reach out to U of T for available support.

If you or someone you know has experienced harassment or discrimination or is in distress, please see resources on page two.

BIEW BIEW SAKULWANNADEE/THEVARSITY

thevarsity.ca/category/news

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

U of T community members mark Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience

SGDO holds art event, vigil to commemorate trans, gender-diverse people killed by transphobic violence

On November 20, the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office (SGDO) held a vigil and art event for Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience (TDoRR) — an annual observance honouring trans, two-spirit, and gender-diverse people who have died as a result of anti-trans violence.

Groups across U of T also held workshops, art-based events, and a film screening during Transgender Awareness Week, which takes place from November 13–19 each year to increase awareness of the issues faced by trans people.

of them reside in Ontario, and 15.3 per cent of non-binary people live in Toronto, according to the 2021 Canadian census.

International human rights organization Amnesty International released an article in May condemning rising levels of hate, online abuse, and harmful legislation targeting 2SLGBTQ+ people in Canada. The article references a Statistics Canada study conducted in 2018 that found that trans Canadians were more likely than cisgender Canadians to have been physically or sexually assaulted.

In September, anti-2SLGBTQ+ groups held demonstrations across the country, including in Queen’s Park — which is adjacent to UTSG. U of T students and community groups organized and engaged in counterprotests and organized a safe walk program.

Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience According to US-based LGBTQ+ advocacy organization GLAAD, transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith founded TDoRR in 1999 as a vigil to commemorate Rita Hester — a Black trans woman murdered in the US the year before — and all those killed since Hester’s death.

This year, groups and universities across Toronto — including 2SLGBTQ+ community organization The 519 and Toronto Metropolitan University — held events to mark the occasion.

Among transgender or nonbinary people aged 15 and older nationwide, nearly two out of five

The event On November 20, the SGDO held an event at the Multi-Faith Centre. With music playing, around 30 people — including students and university staff — made buttons and bracelets; drew flowers and other artwork on pieces of butcher paper; conversed; and ate samosas and muffins. Some students wrote affirming statements such as “Be proud of yourself” and “Trans voices matter” on blank tote bags.

“I really like the inclusion of [art] because it’s such a heavy day for a lot of people,” Mar Tran, a librarian at the Engineering and Computer Science

Jessie Schwalb News Editor

Content warning: This article discusses anti-trans violence and mentions death.

Library, told The Varsity.

Second-year socio-cultural and linguistic anthropology and diaspora and transnational studies double-major MJ — who requested that The Varsity avoid sharing their last name because they are not out to some people in their life — works as a trans and non-binary programming assistant for the SGDO. In an email to The Varsity, they wrote that the art-focused event provided a mental break for students. They also highlighted the importance of art as a “powerful means of expressing identity.”

At the event, SGDO staff passed out tea lights to participants. After a land acknowledgement from MJ, Scout Swartz — a program coordinator at the SGDO — spoke about the barriers “to live freely” faced by trans people, particularly those with other marginalized identities. They paused for a moment of silence to remember those lost.

Advocacy network Transgender Europe, which includes member organizations and partnerships with groups in more than 150 countries, announced on November 13 that 321 trans and gender-diverse people had been reported murdered between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. Racialized trans people make up 80 per cent of those reported murdered.

“While there can be moments of dysphoria and even violence and sadness along that path, my hope is for folks that [transition] can also be a path

JESSIE SCHWALB/THEVARSITY

Union alleges censorship from the university, “defamatory” comments from minister who are being oppressed, people who are being impacted by military occupations, by genocide.”

The UTM administration and Jill Dunlop — Ontario minister of colleges and universities — have both publicly criticized the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union’s (UTMSU) October 10 statement in solidarity with Palestine and innocent civilians affected by the ongoing violence.

In the wake of the controversy, the UTMSU has accused both the UTM administration and Dunlop of silencing student voices and pressuring the union to take pro-Israel views.

UTM administration’s response In response to the UTMSU’s statement, UTM Principal and Vice-President Alexandra Gillespie released a statement on October 13, which U of T emailed to UTM students. “It is entirely inappropriate for [the UTMSU] to express a position that does not represent the views of its full membership,” Gillespie wrote.

Bekbolatova described Gillespie’s response as “an attempt to censor students and student voices.”

The university’s Policy on Open, Accessible and Democratic Autonomous Student Organizations affirms the value of student unions “operating independently and without interference from the University in their day-to-day operations” but specifies that groups must exercise this autonomy while complying with laws and U of T policies.

Following the administration’s response, the UTMSU and UTM administration, including Gillespie, met on October 23.

Bekbolatova alleged that during the meeting, UTMSU executives asked administration officials, including Gillespie, if UTM would have not condemned the UTMSU’s statement had the statement taken a stance supporting Israel. “They nodded their heads, which is really shocking because, to me and to the executives in the union, it shows that there is a stance that… the university is taking,” she said.

U of T’s Statement on Freedom of Speech commits the university to “not limit [the fullest range of] debate by preordaining conclusions, or punishing or inhibiting the reasonable exercise of free speech.”

UTMSU statement The UTMSU’s statement, released three days after Hamas attacked Israel and the Israeli military began bombing Gaza, expressed solidarity with “all Palestinians and innocent civilians affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza and around its borders.”

The statement discusses the 16-year blockade that the Israeli government has placed on Gaza and focuses on the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Israeli government against Palestinians.

“This statement in no means justifies or accepts the killing of innocent people,” the statement reads. “The conflict between Israel and Palestine is about the self-determination and freedom of the Palestinian people and their right to resist an apartheid regime and the forced dispossession of their territory.”

In an interview with The Varsity, UTMSU President Gulfy Bekbolatova explained that as a student union — and as humans — she believes “it is [the UTMSU’s] job to stand [with] people

of joy where we find euphoria, community, family, and this rootedness in our truth,” Swartz told the crowd.

In an interview with The Varsity, Swartz discussed how the SGDO views holding events that honour peoples’ experiences and grief as part of its responsibility to create “a greater sense of belonging” for trans and non-binary people on campus amid increased violence against 2SLGBTQ+ people.

The SGDO hosts a drop-in group every Thursday for 2SLGBTQ+ students called Queer and Trans Connections. The office also holds events specifically geared toward students with multiple marginalized identities, such as a Black Queer and Trans Student Space.

When asked about offering events for people with multiple marginalized identities, SGDO Acting Director David Pereira told The Varsity, “I think if we aren’t doing that, then we’re missing the mark, right? We’re missing where students are at and what their needs are.” He discussed the importance of providing events where people can bring multiple parts of themselves to the space.

Pereira also highlighted the importance of community members engaging with the SGDO. “You hope that people will bring the energy that really feeds a group of people,” he said. “It was that today.”

Students drew and decorated tote bags during an SGDO event commemorating those killed through anti-trans violence.

UTMSU statement in solidarity with Palestine draws criticism from UTM, Ontario universities minister Selia Sanchez Deputy News Editor

5

On November 9, UTM students participated in a walkout calling for a ceasefire and an end to the dehumanization of Palestinians. Bekbolatova claimed that Gillespie agreed to address the students participating in the walkout but backed out at the last minute.

“Many, many students afterwards came to me, came to the union, [and] just amongst each other, they were very, very disappointed because they really wanted the administration to be there, to see them, to acknowledge and address them,” Bekbolatova said.

According to Bekbolatova, during the protest, UTMSU executives posted papers with the names and ages of Palestinians killed by the Israeli military in the William G. Davis Building.

Bekbolatova alleges that after putting the papers up, Campus Safety officials came to them and told students they would be taking the posters down once the students left. She noted that this felt like another attempt to censor students and prevent them from organizing in a peaceful way.

In a statement to The Varsity, a UTM spokesperson wrote that UTMSU members removed the posters at the end of the protest, “in accordance with postering guidelines.”

On November 14, UTM students, with the support of the UTMSU, organized a sit-in during a Campus Council meeting. Approximately 20 students participated in the sit-in, where they held signs with three demands for Campus Council members: stop censorship of student voices, provide academic accommodations to students who are impacted by the ongoing conflict, and demand the university call for a ceasefire.

The UTM spokesperson highlighted the

Procedures for Non-Members to Address Governing Council, its Boards and Committees.

For individuals to speak about topics not related to a specific agenda item, a member of the respective committee must present a motion to grant them speaking time, which must receive at least a two-thirds majority to pass.

Bekbolatova said that a council member tried to pass a motion to allow the participants to speak, but the motion ultimately failed.

“Moving forward, we will continue to escalate until our voices are heard and our demands and concerns are addressed [by] the university because they have not been addressed at all,” she said.

Minister Jill Dunlop’s response On October 17, Dunlop publicly condemned the UTMSU’s statement in provincial Parliament.

She claimed that the UTMSU’s statement “praises Hamas terrorist actions as necessary” and called on UTM to investigate the student union for non-academic misconduct. Dunlop proceeded to read the names of the UTMSU executives in Parliament, because “these students put their names on letters in public supporting Hamas.”

Bekbolatova noted that after Dunlop’s comments, many students came to the executives, expressing concerns about being “condemned [and] called out” for publicly speaking on the ongoing violence.

The UTMSU released a statement addressing Dunlop’s remarks on October 25, claiming that her comments were “defamatory and unjust.”

“These alarming claims are incorrect and they were perceived by students as an attempt by the Minister to dox and incite hateful, dangerous harassment targeted at the UTMSU and students who advocate against anti-Palestinian racism,” the statement reads.

The statement calls on Dunlop to “recommit to the Ontario government’s 2018 requirement for post-secondary institutions to ensure freedom of speech on campus’ is upheld.”

Dunlop has yet to provide any response to the UTMSU’s statement or The Varsity’s request for comment.

FIONA TUNG/THEVARSITY

Business & Labour

November 27, 2023 thevarsity.ca/category/business biz@thevarsity.ca

This AI tool helps users find and apply for scholarships.

Is it ethical to use it?

PhD students at U of T developed Scholarply, an AI tool. Here’s how it works Vivian Zhi Varsity Contributor

Like many people, Daniel Choi, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, finds scholarship applications a hassle. “I’ve always neglected applying to scholarships because of how much time it takes,” he told The Varsity.

While browsing Reddit, he came across a post advertising Scholarply, an app that U of T PhD students Aaron Tan, Angus Fung, and Haitong Wang created to help users find relevant scholarships and write their applications. The service uses large language models, the same artificial intelligence (AI) models behind ChatGPT. As of now, Scholarply is still in its development phase, and Choi signed up to be one of the beta testers.

Scholarply is inspired by the founders’ own struggles with applying for scholarships. Tan told The Varsity, “[Applying] just takes up too much time that we really don’t have. But as students, we obviously need financial support to continue our education.”

Wang also expressed the difficulty of finding scholarships as an international student. He noted that a lot of scholarships are only open to domestic students to begin with — and as someone who speaks English as a second language, Wang noted that it is difficult to compete with native English speakers when writing application materials.

all of them were exactly relevant to my experiences as an English and book and media studies major. One of the scholarships was related to logistics and supply chain management, which is a bit of a stretch from the experiences on my résumé.

For a scholarship that asked me to describe how I overcame a challenge, Scholarply hallucinated a story about how I struggled with my studies in my first year when dealing with my mother’s sudden illness.

Choi had a better experience with Scholarply than I did. His profile matched most of the 10 scholarships Scholarply suggested for him. This is not surprising — Scholarply is currently optimized for students with STEM profiles, which is great for mechanical engineering students like Choi.

That being said, the Scholarply team is looking to increase its scholarship offerings and expand the demographics of its scholarship offerings.

Scholarply’s key features include suggesting feedback for how users can improve their application essays. It also gives the user a “ScholarScore,”

Navigating the scholarship navigator Like Choi, I was intrigued by the premise and also signed up to be a beta tester. When you sign up, Scholarply asks for information like your name, school, program, year of study, résumé, and academic transcript. Drawing from that information, it searches for relevant scholarships and generates responses to scholarship questions.

In less than 10 minutes, Scholarply showed me nine scholarships I could qualify for. However, not

VIVIAN ZHI/THEVARSITY

They won’t feed the whole campus just yet — but their impact is nuanced Community gardens are a way of bringing affordable, locally grown produce to a community and educating members on agriculture and food systems. You may have seen a few around U of T’s campuses.

With the rising costs of groceries, food insecurity has been on an upward trend in Canada; household food insecurity across the 10 provinces was 17.8 per cent in 2022, up from 15.9 per cent in 2021. A 2023 BMC Public Health report finds that across Canada, roughly 15 per cent of full-time postsecondary students are facing food insecurity. According to the Government of Canada, food insecurity refers to “the inability to acquire or consume an adequate diet quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable

Is it ethical?

Tan was optimistic about how the widespread use of AI will affect the fairness of scholarship applications. “Everybody’s going to have beautifully written essays... So the only way for donors, providers, and us to give an objective score… is to objectively look at the content that’s in those applications, rather than how beautifully written

Students using Scholarply can see suggestions of what scholarships might best suit them.

How community gardens on campus might help navigate food insecurity Taylor Simsovic-Peters Varsity Staff

which ranks their application against other applicants using Scholarply. With this feedback, users can edit their applications accordingly — or they can submit revision requests about their application to Scholarply, which will edit the generated draft to address the request.

The ScholarScore comes from Scholarply’s AI, which analyzes information from the scholarship providers themselves, such as their specific requirements, what they are looking for in candidates, and their company values. The AI then evaluates each applicant through the perspective of the scholarship provider.

ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so.”

Food centres run by U of T student unions have also seen increased use this past year as students grapple with rising costs of living, precarious employment, and a lack of affordable housing. Meanwhile, one in 10 Torontonians now rely on food banks. This all means that getting fresh produce on the table has become increasingly difficult for many students. Community gardens can’t solve that problem — but they can help with it.

SkyGarden SkyGarden is a volunteer-run vegetable garden located on the roof of the Galbraith Building at 35 St. George Street. In an email to The Varsity, SkyGarden Coordinator Alison Morley explained that most volunteers who run the garden are U of T

Community gardens hope to help address the rising food insecurity problem in Canada.

RAYMOND WONG/THEVARSITY

students, staff, and alumni.

Although SkyGarden produces around 400 to 600 pounds of produce each season, Morley explained that the garden’s main purpose is not to provide food for the volunteers but to educate them on urban agriculture. “Often volunteers take home a bit of produce here and there, but it is more to give them a sense of accomplishment (tasting the fruits of their labour!) than intended to provide nutrition,” Morley noted.

This past summer, SkyGarden donated its harvest to Dixon Hall Farmer’s Market, which operates a pay-what-you-choose market in the Downtown East community of Toronto. In 2018, SkyGarden donated over half of its harvest to Scott Mission, a support service in Toronto for people in precarious housing and financial situations.

Morley has also given tours of the garden to around 200 U of T community members. “The amount of produce we harvest and donate makes a pretty small difference to actual food security, but I see a larger purpose in showing people the possibilities of growing food in very urban spaces,” Morley wrote.

Campus community gardens and systemic change Michael Classens is an assistant professor in the School of the Environment at U of T. He spoke with The Varsity about his involvement with campus gardens and his academic research on Campus Food Systems Alternatives.

Classens pointed out instances of campus gardens actively contributing to enhanced food security on campus, such as Trinity College’s Rooftop Garden and Dig In! He also spoke about how those groups have organized free farmers’ markets in front of Sidney Smith Hall, not only ensuring that fresh produce grown on campus is economically accessible but also removing barriers by providing it to anyone without questions, stigma, or assumptions.

those applications are,” he said.

But will scholarship providers allow the use of AI at all? U of T states on its webpage on awards, scholarships, and bursaries that “students and applicants found to have used generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) to create content that is presented as their own ideas will be disqualified from award eligibility. This prohibited use of generative AI for content creation will be considered an academic offence.”

Scholarship donors are also starting to get concerned about the use of AI. In an email to The Varsity, The Jean Lumb Foundation, which provides scholarships to high school students, wrote, “We may consider adding a checkbox to confirm that the 500-word essay that we require is original.”

Tan affirmed that he and the rest of the team recognize universities’ rules regarding AI usage, including U of T’s. “We have been maintaining ongoing communication with universities across North America to stay informed and compliant in the design of Scholarply,” he wrote in an email to The Varsity.

Tan emphasized that the Scholarply team designed the tool as an assistant for writing user applications, not a replacement for them. “Think of Scholarply as a digital guidance counsellor: it takes the user’s profile, based on the information they provide, and interacts with them to elicit more detailed responses and insights.” The team is working on a new feature that prevents submissions with zero personal input from users.

From their base of beta testers, Tan said the Scholarply team has not received concerns about the ethics of using AI in scholarship applications.

“People are just happy to finally see a more modern, streamlined solution to what is otherwise a tedious problem,” Tan said. “People want to get access to it… and people want to see what this can do for them.”

Classens also noted that these community gardens’ potential longer-term benefits are teaching students how to “organize and advocate for change” in the structural roots of food insecurity. “I don’t think students are [often] given practical opportunities to do that work in classrooms,” he said.

Some solutions to those structural problems, Classens noted, are simply a matter of financial security — increased income, affordable housing, and reduced tuition costs. However, he also emphasized that food systems themselves — how food is grown, transported, and sold, and by whom — require transformation.

An imperfect solution Classens pointed out a limitation in urban agriculture and alternative food systems initiatives, highlighting that they tend to be predominantly white and upper middle class.

“In the absence of explicit strategies to make these places equitably accessible, they just aren’t,” Classens said.

The irony here is that students who are Black and Indigenous are among those at the greatest risk for food insecurity. Classens pointed to dedicated Black and Indigenous gardening spaces at Toronto Metropolitan University in its Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex rooftop farm as one successful instance of equitable access to urban agriculture. More broadly, Classens also pointed to the university’s recent announcement that it would cover tuition for Indigenous U of T students as a step to increasing financial security — and in turn, food security.

The role of campus community gardens in tackling food insecurity is not simple. While these gardens are great educational tools and can provide fresh produce in irregular instances, they cannot provide more substantial and consistent food. More work within and beyond community gardens will be necessary to create comprehensive food security solutions on and off campus.

Comment

November 27, 2023 thevarsity.ca/category/comment comment@thevarsity.ca

The Government of Canada’s responses to Gaza are hypocritical Canada’s diplomatic values and actions on the world stage must align Emma Dobrovnik Comment Columnist

Content warning: This article discusses death and recent and ongoing violence in Gaza and Israel.

On October 30, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly delivered a speech at an event hosted by the Economic Club of Canada on “Canadian diplomacy amidst geopolitical uncertainty.” Joly addressed Canada’s role in the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza, calling for a humanitarian truce and the release of all hostages. While Canada now expresses support for a ceasefire, this support came only a few days after it abstained from a United Nations (UN) resolution calling for one.

Despite public support for the relief in Gaza, Canada refused to vote in favour of a motion advocating for the protection of civilians. Ultimately, I’m concerned that this indicates a disparity between Canada’s diplomatic values and its actions on the world stage. Joly’s address is littered with allusions to democratic cooperation while Canada did not even act when given the opportunity to endorse the “immediate, durable and sustained” truce in Gaza the UN vote proposed.

It should be noted that Canada’s abstention followed the UN’s rejection of an amendment Canada suggested, which demanded that the UN clearly condemn the Hamas attacks. For what it’s worth, there was no request for an equivalent denunciation of Israeli forces. I feel

that the government’s lack of commitment to international security creates an incoherent foreign policy.

Canada’s inconsistencies in its Gaza promises I can’t help but feel somewhat duped when the government says one thing and does another. I was struck by the total ease with which Canada’s representatives pivoted away from discussions regarding the abstention. Joly’s pro-truce speech was made not even four days after the UN General Assembly’s emergency resolution.

Furthermore, she addressed the subject without any mention of the UN meeting or Canada’s involvement.

Although Joly emphasized the need for pragmatic diplomacy, our government patently declined to support the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Canada was among the minority of 59 countries that did not vouch for the truce, while a total of 120 countries cast votes in support of the ceasefire.

Instead of acknowledging Canada’s failure to intervene, Joly’s address appeals to our history of global democracy and conciliatory relations. It seems that our country’s officials are more concerned with invoking national pride than holding themselves accountable.

Though it has at least not outright denied the abstention, it appears that the federal government has little interest in addressing these inconsistencies between its actions and its words. Beyond the recent ceasefire

I believe the federal government must reckon with the implications of its inaction.

AMAREENA SALEH/THEVARSITY

resolution, Canada’s ambassador to the UN and former Ontario premier Bob Rae has voted against motions to recognize Israel’s violation of the UN charter. Canada has voted against draft resolutions to condemn Israeli settlement activities as well as those championing restitution toward the Palestinian people.

Deaths increase as Canada remains inactive Unfortunately, this specific inconsistency highlights how Canada’s approach to the violence in Israel and Gaza has been unclear. On October 24, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had expressed public support for a humanitarian truce. Shortly after that, on October 27, Canada refrained from voting for a ceasefire. On October 30, Joly advocated for a truce and cited Canada’s cultural legacy as a “credible partner” in engaging countries with peace and stability.

By October 31, the Gaza death toll had exceeded 8,000. As of November 25, this number has grown to over 14,800. This is all to say that the urgency of the situation in the Middle East can’t be overstated. Canada’s indecision and general meandering come at the cost of life, as death and displacement rise

across Gaza. According to the Government of Canada, the country is dedicated to modelling Canadian principles on an international scale.

Which values do we purport to embody when we fail to mitigate the erosion of an entire people?

Upon reviewing Canada’s commitments to the UN, I see that “upholding the rule of law” and “advancing peace and security” are among our primary goals. I’m skeptical whether we fulfilled either of these objectives when we chose not to condemn illegal settlements. At one point or another, I believe the federal government will have to reckon with the implications of its inaction: in addition to undermining its position on the Middle East, Canada risks damaging its credibility as an international actor. Going forward, I believe our country must assume a decisive stance on timesensitive conflicts sooner rather than later.

Emma Dobrovnik is a third-year student at St. Michael’s College studying political science and criminology. She is a Director of Mentorship for the Association of Political Science Students and an International Affairs columnist for The Varsity’s Comment section.

Refugees aren’t a problem, but our treatment toward them is Cases like that of Pakistan show that expelling refugees is not a solution to the perceived refugee ‘crisis’ Nidhil Vohra Comment Columnist

The longer the world tries to solve refugee ‘crises’ by expelling refugees, the further we stray from a resolution. The real issue lies in our approach: the tendency to categorize refugees as a problem is ignorant. Blaming refugee crises on refugees is like blaming the climate crisis on planet Earth.

Much like global warming with the climate crisis, refugees themselves aren’t a ‘problem,’ but the events that create refugees are. Such is the case in Afghanistan. Upward of eight million Afghans are currently either refugees, internally displaced persons, or seeking asylum. Their decision to leave in search of a new home, to seek stability, is a product of the strife within their country.

Afghanistan is politically unstable, and this turmoil can be traced back to the early 1970s when a coup against former president Daoud Khan forced a group of Afghans to flee to Pakistan.

A communist government came soon after, then the Taliban, the United States of America, and the Taliban again.

This instability in Afghanistan is why millions of Afghans have had to seek refuge in neighbouring countries in the past five decades. Pakistan was one of those countries until last month, when the current government ordered all ‘undocumented’ immigrants — mainly about 1.73 million Afghans — to leave the country by November 1.

Pakistan’s Interim Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar said that this move was to protect Pakistanis from the increase in terror attacks by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — an alleged affiliate of the Taliban. In response, the Taliban denied any involvement in Pakistan.

While the blame shifted, as it often does, and

people started pointing fingers, as they often do, over 370,000 Afghans were forcibly expelled from Pakistan, most of whom had spent their entire lives in Pakistan and knew little of a home elsewhere.

To them, Pakistan is where their children were born, where their parents were buried, where they earned an income, and where they built a home.

However, it seems like the emotional attachment to a place means little to the Pakistani government in the absence of documents legitimizing the refugees’ stay in Pakistan.

Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) prevents countries from sending asylum seekers to regions where they face a “clear risk of torture or other persecution.” Pakistan is a state party to UNCAT, and its government thus has an obligation to ensure the safety of the million Afghan refugees who sought shelter in their country.

However, the grim reality is that the UN conventions and treaties are often broken by member states. The Pakistani government faces few consequences for violating the treaty as UN resolutions

Since October 1, over 370,000 Afghan refugees have fled Pakistan.

COURTESY OF VOICE OF AMERICA CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Pakistani population has been growing intolerant of Afghan refugees in response to a perceived connection with the TTP. As the TTP increases its activity, Prime Minister Kakar’s fears for his people’s safety seem legitimate — but I still think the Pakistani government’s decision was wrong.

Their decision to address the refugee ‘problem’ by sending the refugees back to Afghanistan stands in violation of the international order. The United

are non-binding. The UN, its subsidiary bodies, and the international community continue to appeal against Pakistan’s actions, but no one can legally force the Pakistani government in a direction that it doesn’t wish to go in. All the while, Pakistan’s government continues to forcibly expel Afghans.

The problem is not the Afghans living in Pakistan, or Iran, or the US for that matter. The problem is the situation in Afghanistan. It is the

terror attacks in Pakistan. It is the additional problems that refugees already face in Pakistani refugee camps, like high rates of dangerous substance use and substance use disorder. It is the corruption that consumes the Pakistani police force as it harasses and jails both documented and undocumented Afghan refugees within its country’s borders. Many elements of the Pakistani democracy have been in a state of instability since independence, and thus, I believe it is unfair to ask the country’s government to solve these problems overnight. Perhaps that is why it decided to expel the refugees, as that may have seemed like the fastest way to address these problems.

I know little about decision-making in international communities. I know even less about running a country. However, one does not need to know governance to understand that human beings require access to food, shelter, and safety — none of which are guaranteed to these refugees in Afghanistan. Though it is further upsetting that the refugees weren’t guaranteed the same in Pakistan either, at the least, they weren’t subject to an oppressive regime.

Beyond documentation, beyond borders, and beyond bureaucracy, I think it says a lot when Afghan refugees would rather continue to stay in the substandard living conditions in Pakistani refugee camps instead of moving back ‘home.’ In my view, Pakistan sending Afghan refugees back is part of a worldwide problem in the treatment of and attitudes toward refugees. That is the problem that we should be looking to solve.

Nidhil Vohra is a fourth-year student at St. Michael’s College studying peace, conflict and justice and political science. He is an International Affairs columnist for The Varsity’s Comment section.

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COMMENT

Removing the LSAT’s Logic Games means accessibility for all Goodbye logic games, hello accessible LSAT Catherine Dumé Varsity Contributor

On October 18, the Law Admission Council (LSAC) announced that it will be removing the Analytical Reasoning section — better known as “Logic Games” — from its standard Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

The news came as a shock to students who were planning to take the LSAT this year. Some were annoyed, having taken the test prior to the announcement, while others were relieved having been spared from taking one of the hardest sections for which to study. Logic Games may be fun for some students, as it’s a predictable section where, once you understand the rules of the games, you can, in theory, get a high score.

However, it takes a while to train your brain to overcome logical trickery. As someone who spent this past fall studying for the LSAT, this news is a huge relief for me. Out of the three sections, I struggled with Analytical Reasoning — probably due to my learning disability, dyscalculia, which affects my ability to logically organize and put things in sequential order. So you can imagine my joy when I got the email saying that the LSAC would be removing the section.

Now, you must be wondering: why would the LSAC remove one of the core sections of the LSAT now? This decision was not a hasty one, as it took the LSAC four years to come to this conclusion.

The removal is the result of a settlement in 2019 with two blind students who claimed that the inaccessibility of the Analytical Reasoning section violated the Americans With Disabilities Act. Before explaining the section’s inaccessibility, let me explain how it works.

Analytical Reasoning expects students to organize a list of variables in a particular order,

while also being attentive to the rules that restrict the possibilities.

For instance, one example of a Logic Games puzzle might be a sequencing game, where you are to rank five people — Adam, Bethany, Colin, Eve, and Frank — along a line from one to five.

However, you have to follow certain rules, for example: 1. Adam must always be directly before Eve. 2. There must be at least one space between Colin and Frank.

3. Colin must go before Frank.

4. Bethany must be last.

With these rules, the game drastically restricts the positioning that each person can be placed along the sequence. However, it is difficult to do this kind of math in your head. This is why tutors and LSAT books suggest drawing a diagram of the variables and the rules you’re given in the problem to help visualize the probabilities in order to identify the correct sequence.

However, due to this overreliance on creating visual diagrams, the two blind LSAT takers found the Logic Games section to be inaccessible. They could not see the diagrams, much less draw them.

The LSAT is a required portion of the application for top law schools in Canada, the US, and Australia. In addition to GPA, personal statement, and references, the LSAT makes up a significant portion of the application. Thus, LSAT takers who are unable to complete the test due to inaccessibility would likely find themselves unable to study law and become a lawyer.

This is why I am thrilled that the settlement’s success led to the LSAC removing the section. I believe this change would drastically improve the accessibility of the test and allow more persons with disabilities who aim to become lawyers to

Universities should be required to provide emotional support to students We must provide for students battling with mental hardships Yujin Du Varsity Contributor

Recently, I have seen memes bantering about adverse mental health states circulating around university students, routinely receiving an abundance of likes and comments on social media. Although I see most consumers of these memes as simply self-deprecating, I believe the popularity of these memes implies a degree of widespread, commonly experienced emotional and mental hardship among university students, which can lead to serious health problems if not treated appropriately.

Thus, I see it important for U of T to provide essential emotional support for students who are and will be needing it.

The mental well-being of university students is in jeopardy Mental well-being is a broad umbrella term that consists of a variety of concepts, including “psychological functioning, life satisfaction, and ability to develop and maintain mutually beneficial relationships,” as defined in an online cross-sectional study of university students.

In my view, many university students are more vulnerable to mental health issues due to leaving home for the first time and experiencing sudden changes in accustomed lifestyle and social roles. These stress-inducing factors are accentuated by the abrupt increase in the amount and difficulty of schoolwork from secondary schools to university, which commonly morphs into persistent academic stress.

According to an online questionnaire study conducted in Australia, the perceived stress level of students’ situations has increased in the past years and is continuing in this direction.

Additionally, the online cross-sectional study indicated that over 60 per cent of university students in the Netherlands experience abundant levels of perceived stress, and over 50 per cent suffer from emotional exhaustion.

Therefore, it is not surprising that psychological symptoms among university students have increased over the last decades.

World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys show that anxiety is the most prevalent disorder among university students, followed by mood disorders such as depression. With these examples from Australia and the Netherlands, I believe that U of T should start to be concerned with the increasing magnitude of university students facing mental health problems.

Universities should be protecting students’ mental well-being Research studies in Anglophone countries suggest that external personal resources like social support can alleviate the negative impact of perceived stress on mental health. I believe that universities are the most convenient, familiar, and reliable source of social support for their students to consult when experiencing adversities, compared to psychological services outside of school that may not be attuned to academic environments or family members and friends that may not be physically proximate to the student.

impact legal and policy change for the benefit of the disability community.

After the settlement in 2019, the LSAC had four years to find a replacement for Analytical Reasoning. Starting in August 2024, the section will be replaced with an additional version of the test’s current Logical Reasoning section. While this change may seem like the LSAT would become easier, you should be cautious. Kristin TheisAlvarez, the dean of admissions at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law said: “I’ve seen the data — it won’t.”

The LSAT is still a required portion of the law school application process, but I hope that this radical change after a 75-year existence will lead to a wider discussion: whether we should make the LSAT optional.

After all, the LSAT is not the best form of content preparation for law school. In an interview with The Innis Herald, cybersecurity lawyer and former LSAT coach Raajan Aery said: “The test doesn’t really prepare you for law school. Rather, the LSAT prepares you for taking the test. It teaches you learnable skills

such as logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, reading comprehension, and argumentative writing.”

“These are important skills to have as a lawyer in general, but taking the test multiple times does not guarantee that you will be a good lawyer.

Rather, to be a good lawyer you must learn skills that are taught to you in law school as well as on the job in the law firm,” he added.

While I still highly doubt that law schools will be willing to get rid of the LSAT as the one quantitative section of the application that helps them sift through the giant pile of applications, I am glad that students with disabilities will have a better chance of applying to law school and pursue their dreams as a lawyer. Here’s to hoping for further change that will increase accessibility for everyone.

Catherine Dumé is a fifth-year student at Innis College studying political science. She is the current co-chair of Accessibility Services and the founder of the University of Toronto Accessibility Awareness Club.

I am glad that students with disabilities will have a better chance of applying to law school.

JULIA DEDDA/THEVARSITY

In my view, universities should establish emotional support systems that can at least provide students with basic psychological counselling sessions. The number of US students who spontaneously reach out to request university counselling services has increased by 29.6 per cent since 2010, so students are demonstrating a need and a will to seek emotional support. The Health & Wellness program that U of T currently offers self-guided counselling appointments, but I believe that the university can go further and offer psychotherapeutic counseling sessions or refer students to reliable outside medical sources.

I see current global society’s constant change and crises challenging everyone’s emotional state. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, a research study reported that the prevalence rate of probable clinical depression and anxiety in US university students upsurged to a surprising 48.1 per cent and 38.5 per cent, respectively. Evidently, other global crises also capture students’ attention, such as climate change or the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine, and induce intense emotional reactions.

I understand that U of T and its emotional support workers cannot comment officially on every single issue, but this should not affect universities’ emotional support because I believe

emotional support workers can provide pure emotional support without ‘solving’ or lecturing on an issue.

Counselling can help students navigate emotional instabilities Ample research evidence proves that university students’ mental health can improve after psychological counselling. What’s even better is that psychotherapy not only results in reduced negative psychological symptoms but may also address the emotional aspect of the helpseeker’s personal problems; ameliorate aspects of their social relationships and mental health functioning; or even boost their confidence through only a short-term intervention. In other words, emotional support can assist in navigating immediate emotional issues and equip students with methods to adjust and stabilize their emotions for future situations.

While offering academic education, I believe U of T should also direct its attention to students’ emotional and mental well-being. I will be delighted to see individuals who need emotional support receiving it — because we all need it.

Yujin Du is a second-year student at St. Michael’s College studying psychology, Buddhism, and East Asian studies.

I believe U of T should direct their attention to students’ emotional and mental well-being.

NIKKI SONG/THEVARSITY

Arts & Culture

November 27, 2023 thevarsity.ca/category/arts-culture arts@thevarsity.ca

To rush but not stumble: Trinity College’s Romeo and Juliet Trinity College Dramatic Society revives Shakespeare in the quad tradition Miran Tsay Varsity Contributor

Despite the biting cold in the Trinity College quad, spectators gathered on picnic benches and chairs, carrying blankets and extra jackets, to watch Romeo and Juliet on October 21. The Trinity College Dramatic Society (TCDS) organized the play, which ran for two nights, on October 20 and 21.

Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed in the Globe Theatre, with no roof and subject to the weather of Mother Nature, but the tradition of ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ — where Shakespeare’s plays are performed in public — has recorded roots from the ’50s in America. Joseph Papp founded the New York Shakespeare Festival, which gave performances of Shakespearean plays all around the city, including at outdoor locations like Central Park. Papp himself directed and organized most of the plays for years, with little to no pay, to establish the program.

At Trinity College, a theatre company led by Earle Grey — an actor, playwright, and director — ran annual Shakespearean productions in the quad from 1949–1958. The company would perform three or four plays in the summers and host a drama school to teach students production and theatre skills.

After some time without a Shakespearean play in the fall performance lineup, this year’s Romeo and Juliet was a revival of the company’s traditions.

“It’s supposed to happen every year, early on in the summer, to kick off the TCDS events.

It’s open to the whole community,” Anneke

Lee, the producer of Romeo and Juliet and president of TCDS, discussed the tradition of Shakespeare in the quad with The Varsity. “It’s either selected scenes from a Shakespeare play or as much of it as we can realistically do in the quad.”

TDCS tries to do alternating genres of plays — tragedies, romance, or dramas — but the one constant of creative and fun fight choreography is always there. This is the case

realistically do within a month timeframe,” Lee said. Using a window on the third floor of Trinity College for Juliet’s balcony scene and the arch to have actors enter and exit, the play embraced the quad.

Traditionally, the TCDS holds Shakespeare in the Quad the second week of September, but since a lot of students involved are international students, the TCDS opted to start its production in September and race against the

The TCDS performing under moonlight.

GRAVITY GUINARD/THEVARSITY

in Macbeth or Hamlet, and even in a romantic tragedy like Romeo and Juliet where there are two dramatic sparring scenes.

Since the play is performed outside, without any of the traditional setup of a stage or seats, it is often minimalistic and casual. There were small tables with books, and performers brought on a blanket for the ending scene.

“We brought in some standing lights, we brought in speakers… and as far as the rehearsal process goes, a lot of it was just figuring out how much Shakspeare we can

The Victoria Pool Society: A society unlike any other

cold. It was also Director Liz Sayers’ first time directing a play, having been an assistant stage manager in the past. The TCDS pulled this production together in about one and a half months, after the casting call on September 8.

Ulis Bertin, the actor who played Romeo, also discussed the crunched timeline. “It was a manic pace… so I’m very pleased that we were able to pull it off with as much accuracy and confidence as we eventually managed.”

Complete with monologues, bantering debates, and a group opening, the two-and-

a-half-hour run time was nothing to laugh at.

“The best aspects of this production were its resourcefulness and dedication to getting things done,” Bertin said.

Lee also noted the cast’s dedication, even when rain on opening night forced them to move the performance inside to Cartwright Hall. “We were really able to step up, and people have such amazing, innovative ideas to make the space better.” Since they performed in Cartwright Hall the first night, Lee said, “We brought all of these beautiful fake flowers to the quad the second night, and we had more interesting ideas about what we could do with the lighting because we were forced to play with it in Cartwright Hall to make it work.”

Nature didn’t let the team off the hook the second night, either. On October 21, it was freezing. The cast and crew adapted again and improvised an intermission, letting everyone take refuge inside for 15 minutes.

From moving the set pieces to dealing with the weather, “the efficiency and time and resources [put into the play were] saved only by a surplus of enthusiasm from everyone participating,” Bertin said. Coordinating a 12-person cast alongside a crew is ambitious and no easy feat. The team’s effort came through in the end, resulting in two lovely shows and keeping up the Trinity Shakespeare in the Quad tradition.

TCDS hosted Twelve Angry Men on November 23–25, Grease is in the works, and it hosted a casting call for A Streetcar Named Desire in October. Since Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy and a romance, next year’s Shakespeare in the Quad is a coin toss. But as per tradition, we can look forward to swords.

The founder brought a UK tradition to U of T.

COURTESY OF MAYA KAMATH-PATEL CC VICTORIA POOL SOCIETY

How the casual social club turned into a student sensation Thomas Law Labour Correspondent

“It’s not about pool, it’s people wanting to go and have a good time and meet new people… it’s a social club with a backdrop of pool,” said Theo Sokol, president of the Victoria Pool Society (VPS). Sokol does not run your average university club; the VPS is quickly growing its numbers and is certainly carving out a unique and appealing niche — to the point that this purported pool society is looking to branch out into other sports and social activities.

It’s a simple premise — every month or so, students from across the university can sign up to play pool at the Annex Billiards Club on Bloor Street West, escape off campus, and meet new people. It’s a tried and tested means of bringing people together at universities around the world, but one that has been underutilized at U of T. Originally from London, UK, Sokol told The Varsity: “English universities and the whole culture [there] is very different to what it is in Canada. It’s very relaxed, the societies are very easygoing… it’s all about creating a community.”

The emphasis is very much on the social aspect of a society, with individuals coming together over any given activity rather than primarily focusing on the activity itself. “When I came to U of T, there was nothing like that.

All the clubs are really cool, but they’re all on campus, they’re very focused on whatever the club is,” said Sokol.

Originally set up after a few drinks by Sokol and some of his friends, the pool society was established last year as a small, low-

key club where a few people would have fun over some casual pool games. However, just gaining funding for an off-campus activity, given that there are pool tables available at Victoria, was a struggle. “When we first got funding from Vic, they said to us, ‘Why do you need funding? There are pool tables at U of T,” Sokol recalled. “I was very blunt, I said, ‘That’s super uncool.’ We want people to go off-campus.”

But over the summer, the society “suddenly blew up.” The VPS Instagram account (@vicpoolsociety) grew its follower account tenfold, with demand for its monthly pool socials massively growing. “Everyone was seeing it on their social media, and now when we throw events [and] advertise them on social media, within a day, at least 100 people are signing up,” said Sokol.

Such has been the growth in social media following and awareness that, as Sokol enthused, “I was at Gracey’s clubbing, and I was really chuffed when these two girls came up to me and went, ‘It’s you! You’re the guy from VPS. Everyone knows who you are.’ It was so weird.”

Currently at over 1,600 followers, Sokol predicts the VPS Instagram will exceed 2,000 in two weeks. He waxed lyrical about the society’s new graphic design and social media management team — Charles Akira, Maya Kamath-Patel and Magdalena Berton — that came in over the summer as well as about the nature of the interaction with followers.

“It’s not just following, but our engagement rates are really, really high. I used to work for a boxing promotion company, and they specialized in events. I remember their engagement

rates were five to seven per cent, which was really good. Our’s is 15 per cent — it’s social media gold.” He made an effort to point out that this growth has been organic, with no paid promotions or advertising.

The unexpected success of the VPS has led the group to consider branching into a wider array of extracurricular events. Sokol’s connection to boxing is one that the society is looking to expand upon. “One of the things I really want to do is promote a boxing event in Canada,” Sokol said. “In the UK, they have ‘student fight night.’ That’s never existed in Canada, nobody’s thought of it until now.

How cool would it be — ‘VPS Box,’ the first student fight night in Canada. It’s really exciting and so different from everything else.”

Other events that the VPS is working on include a party in collaboration with the Kappa Alpha frat on December 1. He also made a cryptic allusion to a collaboration with a major brand sponsoring this event — “a really big firm, not the local convenience store” — and hopes to set up a monthly collaboration with a local nightclub.

The VPS began as an excuse to socialize over some pool, an excuse to take a mental and physical step away from the stresses of university with fellow students. Its casual but lively ambiance and novel approach to student life has seen it grow into one of the most in-demand and ambitious societies at U of T — one breaking the mould to bring people together in a refreshingly outward-facing, social fashion.

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ARTS & CULTURE

To cuff or not to cuff?

The poet’s perspective on the loneliest time of the year Cypress Chernik Varsity Contributor

As our precious sunny days trickle out and are replaced with 4:00 pm sunsets and indigo rainfalls, it feels like no amount of pumpkin spice lattes can quench the seemingly universal desire to get into a relationship. Every year, there is an onslaught of Hallmark movies and sweet, cuddly ads about warm fireplaces and cute winter accessories; thus, we have cuffing season.

So, what exactly is cuffing season? Generally, it’s considered to be the period of cold weather, approximately from October to April, which inspires a general need for coziness and comfort.

The urge to stay inside in winter may be traced back to our biological instincts to work hard during warm months and rest during cold ones; the longer nights, chilly temperatures, and scarcity of sunlight all contribute to lower serotonin levels and higher fatigue. It’s only natural that sometimes the only thing we want to do in the winter is curl up in bed and drink hot tea.

Cuffing season is a response to this general lack of motivation and low level of joy. Even so, it’s a modern idea: the goal is to get into a relationship just for the duration of the colder months and then be “un-cuffed” in time to enjoy your freedom in the spring and summer.

Cuffing season tends to get mixed reactions.

On one hand, we all feel a little sadder and lonelier when it gets cold and dark outside. It’s only natural to want someone to snuggle up with, especially when going out with friends can be so much effort. Some therapists even recommend “getting cuffed” during the winter season

as a way to circumvent isolation. Many people also suffer from seasonal depression, and finding a temporary companion can be a good way to combat it. It’s even been documented: a study on Dating.com found that user activity on dating apps sees an increase between November and February by 30 per cent!

However, does it really make sense to date someone to feel a little less lonely? We all have to come to terms with winter eventually, and maybe getting a cuddly dog or an extra blanket is a better solution.

Though the commonality of fleeting relationships is fairly unique to modern dating, feeling lonely and wistful in the wintertime is not necessarily anything new. Consulting therapists and reading articles can explain a lot about why we get so lonely, but if you aren’t having any success getting cuffed on dating apps, maybe the cure to these feelings lies in the abundance of media you may be able to relate to.

The connection between romantic desire and physiological needs like sunlight and food is not uncommon in poetry and music. Whether this is an association we are inherently drawn to or one that resonates because it has been so prominent in media, it’s still unsurprising that we have a higher need for companionship in winter.

A line from Preston Pablo’s song “Flowers Need Rain,” exemplifies this: “I need you like the flowers need the rain / I need you like the sun when the clouds turn grey.” Gloomy weather makes him lonely too!

An older example is Amy Lowell’s poem Diya: “...to need / Me through and through, as flowers need the sun.”

YIXUAN GUO

These are surprising sentiments, at least to me, because the term “cuffing season” itself actually sounds pretty binding and restrictive, considering it’s referencing the idea of being handcuffed to another person. Ideas like these can definitely help to make sense of some of the emotions we experience when the seasons change. How can we survive winter without love, really, if it is already as vital to us as sunlight and water?

“Bryant Park at Dusk” is a poem by Geoffrey Brock written from the perspective of a lonely man walking on a fall evening, who experiences a particular twang of sadness observing a woman reading at the park. “And the grass grew green again, and the woman / Reopened her eyes to read.” These are the poem’s last two lines; though there are very few descriptions of seasonal imagery in the poem, to the speaker, the movements of a beautiful woman

bring about springtime. We can often find comparisons in art that tie love to the blossoming of life, and heartbreak and loneliness to darkness and decay.

These comparisons seem commonplace but can help understand the strange idea of cuffing season. The fleeting nature of a cuffing season relationship might seem counterintuitive to the comfort and stability they are meant to provide, but perhaps poetry says otherwise. Even Shakespeare’s famous “Sonnet 18”: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” cites his lover as a bringer of warmth.

So, should you start looking for someone to cuff yourself to this winter? Well, it certainly seems like we might all need some extra love, especially as we head into finals season. But, maybe you shouldn’t tether yourself to someone just for body heat unless they truly bring a summer’s day to your winter’s 5:00 pm.

Review: Killers of The Flower Moon Martin Scorsese’s epic unveils gripping tale of betrayal and injustice Musa Shah Varsity Contributor

In a world where franchise films are driving the highest profits, film studios are further persuaded to release more content that feels like the same derivative material. However, one director has been very vocal about his concerns that the art form of film is navigating to themepark-level entertainment, rather than pushing the art form forward.

World-renowned American-Italian director Martin Scorsese has been vocal about franchise films’ dominance and the influence it might have on the diversity of cinematic storytelling. His feelings for Marvel films are well known, as he expressed that they were not “cinema.” Despite his comments about Marvel being misconstrued in the media, he has expressed concern regarding how Marvel’s films limit opportunities for smaller-scale films to be seen.

Beyond his superb filmography and fame as a director, Scorsese is known for his love for film preservation and has been involved in attempts to repair and protect classic films.

He’s also vocalized his support for indie directors such as indie studio A24’s Ari Aster and Ti West. Since the emergence of streaming services, great films that don’t have the same budget or scope as a franchise like Marvel are being pushed into streaming services instead of getting the theatrical releases they deserve.

As a step to prevent another underrepresented story from not getting its due attention, Scorsese has used his platform to tell the story of the Osage Nation in the

United States and how they were victimized by American greed and colonization.

In his film Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone, Scorsese, at the age of 80, is still as sharp as ever, if not sharper. Gladstone, who plays Mollie Burkhart, a member of the Osage Nation, has received a lot of attention for her performance.

The three-and-a-half-hour drama investigates a sequence of murders committed against wealthy Osage community members in Oklahoma during the 1920s. The murders were committed by people wanting to take advantage of the discovery of oil on Osage land, sparking a conspiracy and a major FBI investigation. Through Mollie Burkhart’s relationship with Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio), the film dives into the historical period and exposes the colonization of the Osage community, motivated by greed.

Scorsese’s epic follows similar themes to his classic films Goodfellas and The Departed, such as greed, money, religion, and morality.

However, Killers of the Flower Moon is different because, for the first time, Scorsese explores Indigenous issues in one of his major films. The movie attempts to accurately portray true events and discusses how the lives of Osage Nation members were taken from them as a result of white Americans’ imperialist actions. There have been very few depictions of Indigenous peoples in mainstream films that are well-informed by their cultures and haven’t portrayed them as villains, let alone by a major Hollywood director.

The Osage people are at the forefront of

Director Martin Scorsese with the cast of the movie and Osage Chief Standing Bear.

COURTESY OF CANAL22 CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

the story in this film. Scorsese stated that he worked closely with the Osage community to depict their people in the most authentic way possible on the big screen, in addition to hiring many members of the Osage nation whose family members were descendants of murder victims during that event. Geoffrey Standing Bear, the Principal Chief of the Osage Nation, offered resources that could assist in the film’s production.

An Osage language consultant named Christopher Côté told The Hollywood Reporter, “As an Osage, I really wanted this to be from the perspective of Mollie and what her family experienced.” He expressed concerns in the same vein regarding the storytelling of the film, specifically about how it focused on Ernest’s perspective more than Mollie’s. However, Côté acknowledged that Scorsese “did a great job of representing our people.” I believe this is only the beginning of an optimistic future for Indigenous representation in expressing Indigenous tales with respect and honesty.

In my opinion, this is one of, if not, the best films of the year. While the acting is excellent, the narrative behind the film is what makes it worthwhile. Despite the lengthy runtime, view-

ers should not be turned off. The film’s timing is flawless, and it does not feel like three and a half hours. Scorsese outdid himself with this film; the story seeps into your consciousness and never leaves, forcing you to consider your own morality and the importance of living a life of integrity.

This film is an important step in the honest depiction of people who do not get the recognition or respect they deserve in conventional Hollywood narratives. Indigenous peoples across the Americas have been treated as if they do not exist when, in reality, they are foundational to the very land we live on. Scorsese uses his masterful way of storytelling to capture these historical truths and more and collaborates with great talent across the board, whether it be through the actors, production design, cinematography, or music.

If you want to watch a film that is unapologetic in its depiction of history through very compelling characters and beautiful production, then this film is for you. Killers of the Flower Moon definitely serves as a forward step for more theatre-released films to depict unrepresented stories with honesty and collaboration with the communities they represent.

thevarsity.ca/category/arts-culture

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

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sister. Now, it’s been rated nearly 25,000 times on Goodreads and has been nominated for two awards.

The arts of storytelling: R. F. Kuang and Vaishnavi Patel The two authors on the complexities of translation, cultural stories, and dark academia

Kuang and the untranslatable When asked about the research process for her novel Babel, Kuang said that it was a process of becoming the kind of scholar who could write the book she wanted to write. To create the speculative fiction novel, which surrounds an 1830s Oxford, Kuang drew upon historical handbooks of Oxford, textbooks about public buildings at the time, and personal memoirs from the era. She did what she calls “vocal training.”

She spoke about how she read everything that she could in the genre. She said that she did not want to just write about the 1800s, but that she wanted to have a discussion with the era.

Kuang had just started translating professionally — translating Chinese texts to English — when the seedling ideas for Babel took root.

Translation is often thought of as progressive, as a method of bringing stories from one party to another. However, it is not that simple.

Kuang spoke about how she had not spent a lot of time thinking of the process of translation as a form of violence. However, she discussed how there is an act of change, of destroying and recreating in translation. A sentence, a sentiment, a theme, shifts — sometimes ever-soslightly and other times dramatically — perhaps from just a single word. Kuang tackles this betrayal known as translation in Babel.

On ‘dark academia’ Babel squarely fits under the subculture of dark academia, a genre focusing on classic — and therefore often white — literature, education and learning, Greek and Gothic architecture, and allusions to the classics. The Harry Potter series brought its own idea of dark academia to the masses, while books such as Donna Tartt’s The Secret History seem to have revived interest in the classics. Think of the film Dead Poets Society (1989) and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Grey, which both also embody the subculture.

There is no way to overstate the deep examination of education and translation Kuang undertakes in Babel. The book’s full title — which is constructed in the style of an academic paper — indicates the importance of academia in the novel. Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution, asks questions about cultural and artistic colonialism through both subtle and outright rewriting of narratives. Babel tackles the weight and costs of the “pursuit of knowledge.”

When asked about the fetishization of their respective genres, Kuang vaguely touched on the roots of dark academia. Regarding dark academia’s nostalgia for the past, Kuang asks whose version of the past we escape into when we idealize it. Academia was never welcoming to all. By romanticizing vintage academia, what are we saying about our ideal education system?

Rich literary traditions are carried on and retold in new works of fiction.

VALERIE YAO/THEVARSITY

Miran Tsay Varsity Contributor

“Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.” — Babel, R. F. Kuang From tall, elite observatories to grouchy mentors and end-all-be-all examinations, the use of academia in fictional stories waters worldbuilding. Found across genres from fantasy to Renaissance to poetry, academia as a setting or theme is a timeless trope in storytelling.

On February 18, 2023, authors R. F. Kuang and Vaishnavi Patel sat down with the Trinity College Book Club to discuss elements of academia in their fiction and nuances of bringing their stories to life, and to participate in a short audience question-and-answer session. Moderated by Trinity College students Sarah Mughal and Zeina Seaifan, the panel took place at George Ignatieff Theatre and ran for an hour. It was followed by a book signing.

Patel’s addition to the ever-growing library Patel’s Kaikeyi is one of thousands of retellings of the Ramayana — an epic first written in Sanskrit. She spoke about how her research for the book started when she was six years old, when she heard the stories of the Ramayana from her grandmother. “So, really, I have been working on this book my entire life,” she said.

Noting how the story is both an ancient text and an oral tradition, Patel read dozens of translations and did deep research to understand the core of the stories. She spoke about how she had to read not only those translations but also a lot of other readings to reach into the specific details of the stories. “I didn’t want to make alterations without understanding the originals,” she explained.

Renditions that branched off the epic poem have appeared in many regions of the world, in different languages, by many writers, and with diverse takes on its numerous characters.

Patel explains that she was originally familiar with the “dinner table version” of the story but

that as she started the research project for her book, she discovered that as Hinduism spread, new versions of the Ramayana showed up. She spoke about, for example, shadow puppet versions of the Ramanaya that are very different — and about how part of her writing process involved discovering the extremely deep and rich tradition of retelling.

The tradition of myth retelling has continued into modernity. From current Greek feminist retellings to plays and more current movie adaptations, myths are the stories that humanity returns to. Consider Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson franchise, Dante’s Inferno in Hozier’s “Unreal Unearth,” the Chinese myth of Chang’e in Over the Moon (2020), and more. The very act of passing down oral traditions is retelling, perhaps with small variants or embellishments.

One question that arose during the panel was: do people pass down stories to teach about religion or tradition, or are they simply told for personal enjoyment? Kaikeyi was originally just meant for Patel, and maybe her

Your greatest passion Both Patel and Kuang stressed that storytelling works best if you trust yourself. When asked about her main lesson, Patel advised the audience to trust their gut. She told them that they could do their research but that, at the end of the day, it was ultimately important to go with their instincts when writing. Even when faced with criticism, since you can never please everyone, you have to tune it out and trust yourself.

Kuang spoke about how publishing is a very unpredictable industry and how the only consistent thing writers can do is write something for themselves. She advised listeners to write with their greatest passion in mind and that if they did not write what excited them, they would be doing their work a disservice.

Academic themes and concepts are so close to us students because we find ourselves in the midst of our own ‘bildungsromans’ — moral and psychological coming-of-age stories, typically featuring young adults, sometimes set in college. R. F. Kuang and Vaishnavi Patel have transformed their own journeys in academia into daring and intelligent novels.

Science

November 27, 2023 thevarsity.ca/category/science science@thevarsity.ca

George Eliot believed in human variation and plasticity at a time when deterministic models predominated.

COURTESY OF FRANCAIS D'ALBERT DURADE AND MANUELSCHOTTDORF CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Neuroplasticity is freedom George Eliot’s views on neuroplasticity Avery Murrell Varsity Contributor

Life is full of questions. Whether they can all be solved has been debated for centuries and is a source of inspiration for scientists and statisticians alike. Is there a limit to existence? An ending to be found? A mechanism to be understood?

Many in the scientific world have thought themselves capable of reducing life’s complexity to a supreme array of formulae. However, novelist George Eliot, whose work was guided by the individual experience, remained a firm disbeliever of this notion, presuming instead that to be living meant to be ceaselessly beginning. In other words, Eliot believed that life is plastic, easily changed.

Although born as Mary Anne Evans in 1819, Eliot was a woman of many names, each one reflective of her ever-changing identity. During a time that offered women very few freedoms, she changed her name to George Eliot after publishing her first novel. Among her most renowned compositions are Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda, both reflections of her own life in many aspects as well as her convictions about the nature of the individual.

Eliot drew inspiration from the empirical and equally imaginative scientific process, which is centred around finding evidence to prove theories. She wove theories of physics and evolution into her stories. Respecting the ambiguity of biological processes at the time, she believed that human nature is malleable and therefore infinitely free.

Eliot’s philosophy completely contrasted that of many scientists at the time who remained rooted in their search for concrete answers. She essentially supported neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change with experience, way before its discovery.

A brief history of human nature according to science In the nineteenth century, scientific debate centred around the question of human freedom, and philosopher and mathematician Auguste Comte’s theory of positivism — the belief that human nature in its entirety could be understood with an empirical approach — reigned supreme.

As with religion, it claimed to explain everything regarding the human experience — but with scientific principles, with the rampant, devout support of scientists.

Following Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity, polymath Pierre-Simon Marquis de LaPlace’s “social physics” entered the scene, building off of positivism and purporting that life was as predictable as planetary orbits. Social physics paints the picture of an absent-minded population, strung along by forces with distinct purpose. Any individual deviation from this formula is non-existent, as well as any sense of individuality. LaPlace wrote, “Imagine the present state of the universe as the effect of its prior state and as the cause of the state that will follow it. Freedom has no place here.”

Given the abundance of diversity on the planet, it is a mystery how scientists could have ever considered the human race to be so limited in its existence. Even Newton was skeptical, having written, “I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.”

The brain is not fixed, but in a state of constant rebirth Since then, various experiments have concluded that human nature is far more complicated than previously imagined.

In the past, scientists were convinced that the brain was complete immediately following infancy, suspended from change at the very beginning of life. While many scientists found evidence against

this theory, this evidence was largely ignored. It wasn’t until 1998 that neuroscientists found clear enough proof that they could no longer reject neurogenesis — the process of forming new neurons — because of neuroscientist Elizabeth Gould’s experiments on neurogenesis in macaque monkeys.

Gould’s experiments provided compelling evidence that our genes are not the only influence on our being. One experiment focused on two groups of monkey mothers — one housed in enriched enclosures and the other in cages — whose levels of stress correlated to their levels of neurogenesis. The offspring of the caged mothers living in stressful conditions were shown to have greatly reduced amounts of new neurons, even though they themselves never experienced the stress.

Even more miraculous was the discovery that these monkeys’ adult brains rapidly recovered following their transfer to the enriched enclosure. An abundance of new neurons formed in their brains in only a few weeks, demonstrating exactly the malleability imagined by Eliot. In turmoil, our freedom exposes itself as the brain’s incredible potential to be shaped and changed, to be pliable, like plastic.

George Eliot’s plasticity philosophy Ironically, one could imagine Gould’s female monkeys as a metaphor for Eliot’s life. She was not a complacent woman but conscious of her limited autonomy. Unconstrained by societal norms, transformation was inherent in Eliot’s life.

After her first heartbreak, Eliot became skeptical of positivism, for logic could not explain away her pain, and thus ensued her newfound view of the world. Writing became the means for supporting herself as a single woman, and Eliot, refusing to accept that she would remain imprisoned by her

sadness, established an optimism that drew her to George Henry Lewes.

A philosopher and amateur scientist, Lewes believed that our inability to uncover the mysteries of our minds is precisely what constitutes its freedom, and he became one of Eliot’s key influences. “Love defies all calculations,” Lewes wrote regarding his relationship with her.

Would Eliot have come to the same conclusions about positivism had she not experienced turmoil in her relationships? We can never know for certain, but surely a caged woman does not experience as much of life as a free one. Tumultuous events in life bring about emotional upheaval, which, as we have come to learn, is also a turnover of cells. Without periods of transformation, we remain stagnant in our bodies, vulnerable to the same reduction in neurogenesis as Gould’s monkeys.

Even DNA is a story unfolding. Like characters in a novel, we are born from a biological text that is neither predestined nor foreseeable.

The story written in DNA dictates our physical being but remains subject to change during our lifetime of exposure to different conditions.

Our environment can cause epigenetic changes, which are modifications in how our DNA is expressed, without changing the genetic sequence.

As Eliot wrote, in The Natural History of German Life, “Art is the nearest thing to life; it is a mode of amplifying experience.”

Perhaps the conditions that shaped her more optimistic outlook on life were necessary to fully grasp the concept of neuroplasticity. Our DNA, cells, and neurons do not imprison us but rather set us free when exposed to interpretation.

They allow us to change. Science is often portrayed as a means to an end, but we so often forget that it can also signify a beginning.

thevarsity.ca/category/science

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

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Studying neutron star mergers in style

Physicists paint pictures of an amazing cosmic laboratory using computers Ridhi Balani Varsity Contributor

What are neutron mergers, and why are they important? That is the question visiting professor Elias Rolant Most from the California Institute of Technology addressed on the evening of November 16 in a lecture hall at McLennan Physical Laboratories. The lecture was titled “Neutron Star Mergers: Frontiers in Computational Relativistic Astrophysics.”

A neutron star merger is the collision of two neutron stars — really dense stars composed mainly of subatomic particles called neutrons.

These powerful collisions in the cosmos provide a “frontier” of study where many fields of physics intersect and through which researchers can study the most fundamental forces of physics.

But before we talk in more detail about neutron star mergers, we have to address the protagonist: neutron stars.

Neutron stars (Please, I’m a star) Neutron stars are composed mainly of neutrons with perhaps a few protons. A neutron star is the end state in the life cycle of a star that is about eight to 25 solar masses. One solar mass is the mass of our sun, which is approximately 2×1030 kilograms — the mass of more than 330,000 Earths! The interesting thing about these stars is that they are relatively small, around 30 kilometres in diameter, yet can weigh multiple times the weight of our sun, which is around 1.4 million kilometres in diameter.

Consequently, a neutron star has a very high amount of mass confined to a small space.

These conditions lead to a lot of cool things, like nucleosynthesis, happening inside the neutron star because of its makeup. Nucleosynthesis is when protons and neutrons form new atomic nuclei and occur during neutron star mergers.

Nucleosynthesis only happens during really high-energy events like neutron star collisions

— as well as supernovas, which are massive star explosions, and the Big Bang, which is the theory that the universe started and expanded from a single intensely dense point, leading to the formation of the stars, planets, and everything else.

Neutron stars are also where matter exists in its most extreme form. Essentially, matter exists in these stars in the highest stable density possible with the highest gravity possible without them devolving into full-on black holes. Black holes are extremely dense astronomical regions with such high amounts of gravity that not even light can escape their pull.

According to Professor Most, this makeup essentially sets up the neutron star as a “cosmic laboratory of nuclear space goo” that can be “used to study [physics’] fundamental forces in their most extreme regime.”

Neutron star mergers Two neutron stars in close proximity will often leave their orbits due to the attractive gravitational forces between them. This is how a merger begins. These stars start to orbit each other, and because of their high mass, they create ripples through spacetime as they accelerate, emitting detectable gravitational waves.

When neutron stars merge, they become a hot blob of dense nuclear matter throwing out neutron-rich debris. This collision is extremely quick, just around 15 milliseconds. Finally, these two stars can collapse under their own gravity and become a black hole.

According to Professor Most, researchers first directly detected a gravitational wave signal from a neutron star “coalescence” as early as 2017, with many other neutron star detections following.

Physicists have fiercely researched these mergers in the last few years through computational relativistic astrophysics, or, as Professor Most describes it, “[using] computers to

Finding the possible in the impossible in Ursula Le Guin’s The Dispossessed Le Guin asks what it means to be a scientist in the face of uncertainty Malaika Mitra Varsity Contributor

Ursula Kroeber Le Guin’s The Dispossessed centres around Shevek, a genius physicist who stands out in an uncomfortable way in the anarchist utopia of the moon Anarres. Whether as an eight-year-old anticipating calculus without having ever heard of it, or as a 20-year-old student mentored so rigorously he is forced to live alone, Shevek is othered by his society. At the same time, he finds deep social and cultural comfort on his home moon.

When Shevek is moved to Urras, the parent planet for Anarres, his status as ‘other’ is revered.

He wants to be an emissary of knowledge — a physicist who also dispels bad blood between the worlds. With him, there is hope for dialogue between Urras and Anarres through his bridging of Sequency — the notion that time is linear — and Simultaneity — that time is cyclical — theories in a Grand Temporal Theory. Still, Shevek still feels deeply out of place on Urras — he has no duty to society other than to do physics, and that itself makes his life all the more empty.

As a scientist, Shevek faces the impossible.

He is under immense pressure to create a theory that unifies two completely different things, both in the world of physics and in attempting to create a stronger connection between Urras and Anarres.

His dilemma struck me as one that many scientists face, albeit on a less world-shifting level: how do we reckon with the implications of our research on society? What do we do when people don’t want to hear the answers that we have?

It’s no secret that a range of scientists — from epidemiologists to climate scientists — have been forced to confront these questions more often as an increasing number of people become involved in discourse surrounding scientific research.

Contradictions of science and perfect societies Rather than giving us a straight answer, Le Guin brings in even more contradictions. Her anarchist utopia isn’t quite perfect. It has bureaucracy, rumours of political suppression, and ‘othered’ people like Shevek. Not only does Anarres contain contradictions but a relationship between Anarres and Urras requires reconciling fundamentally different politico-economic views.

Urras is fraught with conflict that mirrors our planet’s during the Cold War era — unlikely to be a coincidence, as Le Guin completed this novel, which was originally a short story, due to her opposition to the Vietnam War. In Urras, the country A-Io, a parallel to propertied and patriarchal societies in our world, is on the brink of war with Thu, an authoritarian country in ideological opposition to A-Io. Meanwhile, Anarres is an anarchosyndicalist society — a society where the workers

Neutron stars rip each other apart to form a black hole.

COURTESY OF NASA CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

paint pretty pictures.” Essentially, relativistic astrophysics refers to how astrophysical components like gravity, star collapse, and the Big Bang impact space-time, and it requires Einstein’s theory of relativity to understand. The “pretty pictures” are computational models that physicists use to study and make predictions about these components.

Gravity as told by Einstein Einstein’s theory of general relativity portrays gravity as a bending of space-time by some mass, similar to how a trampoline bends under a weight placed on it. Gravitational waves are essentially the ripples in the fabric of spacetime created by massive objects accelerating.

The larger the speed or mass of an object, the stronger the ripples will be.

Because of the high mass and acceleration of neutron stars, the gravitational waves they emit are considerably strong and, as a result, detectable by human tools.

However, gravity is only one of the components researchers need to model these mergers. Physicists also need to consider electrodynamics, for example, which deals with electromagnetic waves like light and is a big component of neutron star mergers. After all, light, gamma rays, and radio waves are all emitted or involved in the merger. Not to mention, weak chemical interactions within the star itself also impact the way the stars merge.

With so many components to look at, how do physicists even go about trying to layer these have control of the means of production through a centralized union.

These conflicts are mirrored rather aptly in the physics conundrum Shevek faces — what to do when he reconciles a theory in which time is linear with a theory in which time is cyclical. When it turns out that combining Sequency and Simultaneity will be profitable for Urras, Shevek faces a dilemma.

Releasing his united theory to the Urrasti would lead to profiteering, but he also has the rare opportunity to reconcile both worlds through his presence as an Anarresti on Urras.

This isn’t just a metaphor — it’s messier than that. Shevek’s dilemma is not one simply of resolving opposing theories, but also a dilemma about the ostracization of the study of Simultaneity theory from both Anarres and Urras — much like how Shevek is othered on both planets.

The contradictions aren’t meant to be weighed against each other to find the best theory. Nor are they meant to be destroyed, allowing us to have a theory that has no contradictions. No, Le Guin wants us to embrace the contradictions, live in them, and accept them. The solution isn’t to reject the other but to allow the other to exist in tandem with yourself.

When I think about how this applies to science, I think about the field I hold close to my heart: ecology. I have assisted in a few research projects, and each one came with a dozen or so dense papers from which I had to build my understanding from the ground up.

Although I never had to confront scientific tensions as pressing as Shevek has, I often had to understand concepts across vastly different disciplines. Sometimes, these disciplines weren’t in conversation with each other, and there weren’t always rigorously defined systems that connected the concepts, but that was the point! Part of the science was finding these connections, and learning how to do so proved

perspectives to make one workable model for neutron star mergers?

The art of computational simulations Turns out, there is no one workable model.

Physicists from various disciplines offer unique perspectives that add to the picture of neutron star mergers. Computational relativistic astrophysicists create simulations that can make predictions and make sense of what is happening at these events.

Depending on what assumptions a physicist makes and the lens from which they choose to view these stars, the simulations or pictures change drastically, which is why it’s important to choose an appropriate measuring or imaging tool for the physical component the researcher wants to study.

For example, the collapse of a pulsar — a rapidly rotating neutron star emitting radiation at regular intervals — releases a burst of electromagnetic energy. Viewing these bursts using X-ray waves versus radio waves gives completely different pictures of what’s happening during the collapse.

While there are additional challenges in studying neutron stars, research in the field has developed in leaps and bounds in just the last few years, thanks to passionate scientists like Professor Most. By assembling all these tools from various physics fields, physicists can still make really accurate pictures of something happening at a cosmic lab light years away from us. invaluable in my current endeavour — philosophy.

Shevek’s journey is one that many of us can identify with. Feeling othered, facing seemingly irreconcilable tensions, and trying to balance the views you grow up with against your new experiences. A new day begins, and Sisyphus rolls the boulder up the hill again. But selfishly, I do want to believe that there is a place for the other, even if my place is here, talking about The Dispossessed with you.

Le Guin’s utopian novel addresses the challenges of contradictory science theories.

CHERYL NONG/THEVARSITY

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THE VARSITY

science@thevarsity.ca

SCIENCE

A warm winter is likely, says Environment Canada How we know this, why it’s happening, and why it matters Philip Harker Varsity Contributor

On November 1, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) released its seasonal forecasts for Canada’s climate in the upcoming winter months. These forecasts predict aboveaverage temperatures this winter across Canada.

According to ECCC, an abnormally warm winter is especially likely in the maritime provinces and the Canadian Arctic, but high temperatures are also probable in highly populated parts of the country including Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto. The prediction further states that average or below-average temperatures are not probable anywhere in Canada on any given day in December, January, or February.

Understanding climate forecasting ECCC collects climate data at hundreds of weather stations across Canada — everything from temperature to rainfall to wind speeds.

Climatologists can take years of historical data and plug it into a number of mathematical simulation algorithms called climate models to make predictions about future temperatures, precipitation, and other weather patterns. ECCC uses a number of different climate models to predict the weather patterns that are likely for each coming winter.

Climate forecasting is really just a game of predicting climate end states based on subtle environmental factors in beginning states, backed by historical data. The classic analogy to describe it would be predicting how long a car journey takes based on variables of departure time, traffic congestion, road closures, and so on.

If someone makes the same journey every day for a month, they can guess their approximate arrival time based on these variables. They just can’t be certain.

It’s the same principle with this climate prediction. ECCC predicts that the coming winter months will probably be warm based on data from recent years. They just can’t be certain yet.

Causes of a warm winter This prediction is hardly surprising given the fact that overall global temperatures have increased from pre-industrial temperatures by an average of 1.1 degrees celsius according to the 2022 “Canada’s Changing Climate Report.” Though it is hard to predict what causes climate patterns for a given year, the recent trend in unseasonably warm and non-snowy winters — and the fact that 2023 is the second hottest year globally — is a result of these increased global temperatures caused by climate change.

But the 1.1-degrees-celsius figure is a worldwide statistic. Understanding the predictions in the 2023 seasonal forecast requires a bit more nuance.

One main keyword that the media has been tossing around is “El Niño,” but it’s worth understanding what this actually means. Put simply, every two to seven years or so, the water temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean increase, causing significant climate variance across the world. For much of Canada, an “El Niño” event in the winter months means milder temperatures than a typical Canadian winter.

An El Niño event has been officially ongoing since the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) formally declared it on July 4, 2023.

The WMO reported on November 8 that the present El Niño event is likely to persist until April 2024, issuing a “widespread prediction of above-normal temperatures over almost all land areas.” El Niño will affect the climate of the entire world, and Canada is no exception.

Environment and Climate Change Canada predicts winters will get progressively warmer.

AMELIA HUI/THEVARSITY

Though El Niño events have been occurring for centuries and are a natural phenomenon in the Earth system, there is a growing body of research that suggests these events will become more frequent with heightened temperatures due to climate change.

Statistics of the Earth Climate change is not about individual seasons and events — understanding the climate crisis means understanding frequencies, trends, and probabilities. Events like the forecasted warm Canadian winter or the 2023 El Niño are compelling symptoms of a warming planet, but it’s important that we don’t interpret these phenomena in a vacuum.

Well-intentioned climate activists and concerned citizens might gesture to these events in isolation as manifestations of climate change, but such thinking is overly simplistic and potentially creates talking points for climate denialists. If an activist points to one warm winter as a sign of a changing climate, a denier might point to one cool summer as evidence to the contrary. This type of rhetoric is unrigorous.

In understanding global change, it is critical to understand the statistical nature of climatology.

The 2023–2024 winter is likely to be unseasonably warm. And even though scientists cannot pin this fact on its own to the climate crisis, such warm winters are certainly going to become more common as the planet gets warmer and warmer.

The unlikely role of neuroscientists’ molecular enemy Prion-like proteins may have a positive function in memory Ashiana Sunderji Varsity Contributor

Most infections arise when a virus or bacteria enters and disrupts internal processes within the human body systems. However, a more nuanced — and one might argue more dangerous — disruption is when pathogenic proteins known as prions disrupt the folding of essential proteins within the brain.

However, researchers recently discovered that prions may also be beneficial to the brain, and may even play a role in maintaining long-term memories.

What are prions?

Prions are abnormal, self-propagating, and disease-causing agents that induce misfolding in other specific proteins naturally found within the neurons of the brain. Prions disrupt cellular function in the brain by accumulating in infected tissue, which can eventually cause tissue death. After the tissue dies, it releases prions that can infect other cells and cause their proteins to misfold. This protein misfolding can eventually result in brain damage.

In humans, the misfolding of neural proteins can manifest as a variety of neurodegenerative diseases: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is characterized by a loss of memory, intellect, original personality, and balance; Gerstmann-StrausslerScheinker syndrome, a rare disease characterized by abnormalities in gait, coordination, and balance; and fatal familial insomnia, which is when sleep difficulties are so severe that they lead to a coma and then death. Prion-induced misfolding can also lead to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or Huntington’s disease. In animals, prion-induced misfolding is implicated in Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, which is characterized by temperament abnormalities or coordination issues.

ELENA OSIPYAN/THEVARSITY

Kausik Si and Dr. Eric Kandel’s research Proteins are crucial in forming short-term and long-term memories.

Short-term memory is formed by proteins that are already present in the brain. These proteins’ synapses undergo modifications and adjustments to contribute to the process of storing memories. Long-term memory is established by creating new proteins and making connections between neurons in the brain. A brain must maintain these connections in order for the memory to remain present beyond a few days.

However, the average half-life of a protein in the brain is only 14 days, and the hippocampus — which is involved in the conversion between short and long-term memory — is in a constant state of regeneration. So, you might begin to ask yourself, how can a memory sustain itself over a lifetime? Kausik Si from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Dr. Eric Kandel from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center asked the same.

Researchers in Si and Dr. Kandel’s lab made a discovery regarding long-term memory maintenance in a gene found in mouse neurons,

which encodes for CPEB3, the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein.

In one experiment, they used a system that allowed them to repress the CPEB3 gene to examine its effect on learning and long-term memory. They found that when they suppressed the gene, the mice suddenly could not recall what they learned two weeks prior, offering support that CPEB3 contributes to longterm memory consolidation and maintenance.

Now, at this point, you must be wondering — what does this have to do with prions?

Here’s the clincher: CPEB3’s amino acid sequence — the order of its components — includes a number of repeating glutamine amino acids, which resembled a pattern found in functional prion proteins the two researchers first found in Aplysia, the giant sea slug.

Si and Dr. Kandel discovered that these functional prion proteins can be found in two forms: the initial form, as well as a form that can make larger aggregates out of the initial form. The researchers proposed that upon learning something novel, neurons form new connections to establish long-term memory, and the initial form of the prion protein is converted into the aggregated prion form which then helps maintain this memory. Similar to how disease-causing prion aggregates continue to propagate, these functional aggregates maintain themselves by converting more proteins into aggregates.

While this study focused on functional prions in mouse neurons, Si and Dr. Kandel’s research might provide direction for tackling the dangerous internal mechanism of prioninduced protein misfolding. If this can be translated to human research, we could potentially develop a way to suppress the protein misfolding which leads to the manifestation of fatal brain disease.

Sports

November 27, 2023 thevarsity.ca/category/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

Julia Murmann’s journey on the international volleyball stage The Blues outside hitter discusses her past experiences and future goals Caroline Ho Associate Sports Editor

Having played as a member of both the Varsity Blues women’s volleyball team and the Canadian women’s national volleyball team throughout her time in university, Julia Murmann — a fourth-year health studies and human geography student — has had her fair share of experience balancing time between schoolwork and athletics.

Despite her busy schedule and recent return from China for an Olympic Qualifying Tournament only several weeks prior, Murmann maintained a composed and collected demeanour throughout her interview with The Varsity. Now, as a team member on Canada’s national women’s volleyball team, her sights are set on a greater goal: the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Path to success Murmann’s interest in volleyball began early, and so did her success in the sport. When she decided to begin playing on a team at age 11, she could only try out for a general under-13 age group, where many players were older than her. Nevertheless, she earned a spot at Leaside Volleyball Club in

Toronto. “I always played an age group older, which was really cool,” she explained. Her volleyball career continued throughout high school, where she was named female athlete of the year four times.

When it came time to apply to universities, U of T was an easy choice. “I live really close to [U of T] so I would always [participate in] their academies growing up… I always liked the coaching staff and environment here,” she recalled. “It was always one of my top picks.” Meeting Blues Head Coach Kristine Drakich and the team confirmed that U of T was the right choice for her, and she committed to the team at the end of Grade 10.

Achievements Murmann continued to experience success as a member of the Blues, being named U of T Women’s Rookie of the Year, U SPORTS Rookie of the Year, and Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Rookie of the Year in the 2021-2022 season. As an outside hitter, she led the team with 3.44 and 3.18 kills per set in the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 seasons respectively.

Murmann’s elite athleticism and skill have also led her to play beyond the intercollegiate level. In 2021, she was selected to play as an outside hitter

and libero on Canada’s Next Gen Team, a training team for younger athletes to develop into the national program, and later began playing with members of the Women’s Senior A Team.

Her experience competing internationally has brought her to various countries around the world, including the 2019 Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) U18 World Championships in Egypt, the 2021 NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) Championships in Mexico, the 2021 Pan Am Cup in Puerto Rico, and the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Nations League competitions in Türkiye, China, and Thailand.

Olympic qualifying tournament Most recently, Murmann competed with Canada’s national team in the 2023 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament in China.

Although they maintained a strong 5–2 record, Team Canada fell just five points short of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics, ranking 11th and sitting just outside the 10th qualifying spot.

However, Murmann remains hopeful about the team’s ability. “Despite being just short of [our goal], I think we had great moments, and I think we can build off of that next year.”

The team’s next opportunity will be at next year’s Volleyball Nations League tournament, where they hope to earn enough world ranking points to qualify for Paris 2024.

Blues women’s hockey team gain 3–0 victory over Waterloo Warriors Blues’ stellar performance leads to a dominant win on home ice Jennifer Lee Varsity Contributor

On November 24, the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team faced the Waterloo Warriors for their first match against each other this Ontario University Athletics season. The Blues’ strong offencse resulted in a triumph with the Blues overpowering the Warriors, adding to their current three-game winning streak.

What happened The first period started on a positive note when Blues captain Taylor Trussler, assisted by third-year forward Aili McKeown and second-year forward Kaitlin McKnight, scored the night’s first goal just after five minutes into the game. It was Trussler’s

fifth goal of the season.

The Warriors struggled to keep up with the Blues, who were on a roll, making a total of 17 shots throughout the first period. Blues goaltender Erica Fryer saved all three of the Warriors’ shots, safeguarding the net and ensuring the period ended with a 1–0 Blues lead.

The Warriors came back more aggressively in the second period, making a total of seven shots.

However, their efforts were not enough to mount a comeback against the Blues. Just when the second period seemed to be ending with no goals from either side, Blues defender Caroline Eagles — assisted by McKeown and McKnight — scored the second goal of the night with less than four minutes remaining in the period.

One minute later, third-year forward Katy

McKenna — assisted by third-year forward Abby Howland and defender Emma Potter­— scored another goal, putting the Blues way ahead of the Warriors and concluding the second period with the Blues holding a 3–0 lead.

“I think we had a few slow moments but once we got our feet going, it was really good,” Trussler said in a post-game interview with The Varsity. She praised McKenna and Howland, noting that the final goal of the period caught her off guard.

The third period went back-and-forth between the two teams, with the Warriors eager to score. The Blues were given penalties for interference and hooking, and the Warriors were given penalties for cross-checking and head

The everlasting legacy of Christine Sinclair A reflection on Sinclair’s exceptional career and her impact on sports Samantha Nelson Varsity Contributor

On October 20, Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair announced her retirement. While she does plan to play for the Portland Thorns in the National Women’s Soccer League next season, at the end of 2023, Sinclair will officially retire from international soccer.

A soccer legend Sinclair is a household name in many Canadian homes due to her great contribution to the Canadian women’s national soccer team. In January 2000, Sinclair was invited to a senior team training camp, kicking off her professional soccer career with the Canadian national team. Nearly 24 years later, Sinclair is the all-time highest international goal scorer — for both men’s and women’s soccer — scoring 190 goals from her over 300 international game appearances for Canada.

Sinclair has also won three Olympic medals in her career, winning two bronze medals in 2012 and

2016, and winning gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after Canada defeated Sweden in a penalty shootout. Sinclair knew deep down that after the win in the Tokyo Olympics, she didn’t want to make another Olympic appearance. “The way the Tokyo Olympics ended, you can’t beat it,” Sinclair said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

Another notable accomplishment of Sinclair was her induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2013.

She was also named Canada’s Soccer Female Player of the Year 14 times — winning the award for 11 consecutive years between 2004 and 2014.

Additionally, Sinclair was named the Player of the Decade in 2019 and was named to the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football Woman Team of the Decade for 2011–2020.

A role model Sinclair is a role model to many young athletes, especially women athletes. She has proven time and time again just how powerful and capable women in sports are. She will be remembered not only by

Canadians but by sports fans all over the world for the mark she has left.

Her achievements left a legacy on Canadian soccer for the better. She has been an inspiration to upcoming athletes, and even with her absence on the soccer pitch, she will continue to motivate others. She has helped to shape the young women on the Canadian Women’s national soccer team, and because of this, it is undoubtedly clear that they will easily find a woman willing to follow in Sinclair’s steps as a leader.

While Sinclair is a quiet athlete and tends to not say much, when she does choose to speak up she can move a room of depleted athletes. For example, after a loss to the US in the 2012 Olympic semifinal, the Canadian locker room was solemn, and Sinclair could not stand it. “She said something like, ‘Keep your heads

Future goals Murmann also looks forward to furthering her academic and athletic endeavours at U of T. As a part of a strong and competitive team, she has her sights set on making playoffs and playing for an OUA gold. Beyond her undergraduate career, she is considering pursuing a Masters in Public Health.

Murmann also hopes to play professional volleyball overseas, and credits U of T with providing her with support throughout her athletic career. “I have such strong support staff and coaching staff, and I think being part of this program is going to serve me well… to help me achieve my [pro career] aspirations.”

Despite her many future aspirations, Murmann also emphasizes the importance of being present in every moment. “I think it’s really easy to lose sight of what you’re doing, [whether it is] focusing on one game at a time, or being present in practice.” She advises other students to enjoy the process of working toward a goal, beyond the prospect of the final outcome.

Although Murmann’s focus shifts back to playing with the Blues’ volleyball team for the remainder of their season, there is no doubt that her future in volleyball on the international stage is promising.

Murmann is a key player on the Varsity Blues and the Canadian national team.

COURTESY OF SEYRAN MAMMADOV/VARSITY BLUES MEDIA

contact. The Blues’ defense stood strong with Fryer saving all nine of the Warrior shots yet again.

Overall, the game ended 3–0, with Fryer saving all 19 of the Warriors’ shots and McKeown and McKnight both making two assists.

What’s next On December 2 and 3, the Blues will travel to North Bay to play against the Nipissing University Lakers, the fourth-ranked team nationwide on U SPORTS as of November 27.

“Next week is a big weekend for us. It’s gonna be two very tough games. So we just kind of have to take that momentum and grow with it,” Trussler said. The Blues will carry on and bring their spirit to the next game.

The Blues shutout the Warriors to get their third consecutive win.

KATE WANG/THEVARSITY

up, I love this team, we’ve got a bronze medal to win, and I’m not leaving here without one,’” Melissa Tancredi said in an interview with Sportsnet.

At that moment, the only thing that mattered was leaving the Olympics with a bronze medal, and that is exactly what Canada did. Sinclair proves that being a leader does not mean being obnoxiously loud or ostentatious. Instead, she displays that a leader can be calm and composed, and when they speak they can inspire others.

Women’s representation in sports is a topic that will always remain important, and because of Sinclair,

women in sports have become more widely recognized and appreciated. Christine Sinclair’s legacy will live on forever, and although she may not be seen on the soccer pitch, we can be certain that she will always be known for the everlasting mark she has left on the sporting industry.

Sinclair has scored the most international goals for men’s and women’s soccer.

COURTESY OF RAY TERRILL CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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THE VARSITY

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

DIVERSIONS

The Varsity’s Weekly Crossword — The great Robarts debate Love it or hate it, we can agree on one thing... or can we?

Answers to the previous crossword

Elise Corbin Puzzles Correspondent

Grade Conversion

Jessica Lam Illustration Editor