February 26, 2018

Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 19 February 26, 2018 thevarsity.ca —— University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880

Making waves Blues women placed second, men placed third, and Kylie Masse set a new Canadian record at the U SPORTS Championships. U of T won 22 medals in total. page 20

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UTSU to hold referendum on student U-Pass Students will get opportunity to vote on proposed U-Pass fee during UTSU spring elections Aidan Currie Deputy News Editor

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) passed a motion to hold a referendum for UTSG members to establish a new U-Pass fee of up to $322.50 per session, or approximately $80.60 per month, at a Board of Directors meeting on February 24.

UTSU President Mathias Memmel confirmed the fee would be no higher than $80.60 per month, compared to $116.75 per month for a Metropass. Should the referendum succeed, the fee would be established at a TTC board meeting on March 20.

The motion approved the referendum question, which requests that the UTSU board be authorized to increase the fee by up to five per cent per year to account

for increases in administrative and transit costs.

Students would not be able to opt out of the fee. UTSU Vice-President External Anne Boucher said the union pushed for that option but was unsuccessful in securing the choice. “We’d even suggested a distance-based opt-out, but there was no take,” she told The Varsity.

“It was made very clear to us by TTC stakeholders that an opt-out would not be possible if U of T students wanted a U-Pass.

“It’s a price some of us will have to warm up to, but given all factors, it’s the best price we could have ever

hoped for.”

Faculty of Medicine Director Donald Wang was critical of the motion to hold the referendum. Wang asked how the board could ask students to vote when the UTSU has not yet come to an official agreement with the TTC regarding the exact cost of the U-Pass.

Memmel confirmed that there is “no scenario” in which the UTSU would begin collecting fees without having a contract in place with the TTC.

UTGSU’s Race and Ethnicity Caucus condemns racial violence, harassment on campus Group cites incidents of racism, says “health and safety of its members” must be upheld Ilya Bañares Associate News Editor

The University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union Race and Ethnicity Caucus has asked the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3902 to take action against racial violence and harassment on campus.

The caucus sent the letter on February 6. CUPE 3902 represents contract academic workers at U of T, including sessional lecturers and teaching assistants.

The letter outlined three instances of racism last semester.

One of the incidents cited was the case of Michael Marrus, a former

U-PASS, page 3

This week, we’ll be seeking a fee increase from students — our editorial explains why.

Senior Fellow at Massey College who used an anti-Black racial slur against a Black Junior Fellow at the college. Marrus later resigned his post in the wake of the controversy.

In the letter, the caucus wrote that “the cases of racial violence at hand, and the lack of appropriate response on behalf of the university, have culminated in an environment of emboldened racism and white supremacy at the U of T. We are thus calling on our local to uphold its responsibility to ensure the health and safety of its members.”

Other incidents include posters that popped up on campus in November that read, ‘It’s Okay to Be White.’ They were reportedly UTSGU, page 3

page 11

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A scene from #TOlightfest at the Distillery District. SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY

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var.st/news U-PASS, from cover “It’s not a perfect situation,” said UTSU Vice-President Internal Daman Singh during the meeting. “In a perfect situation, we’d have a full contract drafted.”

Wang also worried that the agreement with the TTC would not be in accordance with the UTSU’s Bylaw XIX.b on Autonomy, which states that the UTSU “shall not enter into any perpetual agreement that cannot be terminated by a vote of the Board of Directors.”

Memmel claims that the contract with the TTC will not be perpetual and will be fully compliant with UTSU bylaws and policies.

Beginning next week, the UTSU will be updating its website, postering, and publishing ads ahead of the March 5 deadline to give notice of the referendum. Memmel told The Varsity that, before voting, students can expect to know how U-Pass distribution will work, what expenses will be incurred, and what arrangements can be made for students in “unique situations,” including students in second-entry professional programs.

Students can also expect more information regarding the U-Commute survey, which ran from August 28 to September 28 last year. Boucher confirmed that some of the informa-

tion gathered in the survey includes that 74.32 per cent of U of T students use transit to get to class, 84.63 per cent of U of T students use transit for other travel, and 98.25 per cent of U of T students use the TTC. The UTSU, along with student unions from Ryerson University, OCAD University, and George Brown College, has been in negotiations with the TTC since summer 2017. The TTC board voted unanimously in favour of a U-Pass on December 11, 2017.

unnoticed by our executive committee,” wrote the union. The local will develop an anti-racism campaign, lobby the university for a safe space, and hire an anti-racism consultant to look at the local’s own policies.

In an interview with the Toronto Star, U of T Vice-President of Human Resources and Equity Kelly

Hannah-Moffat said that “the issue is a top priority for us. By no means are we naïve to the issue, and we feel that it’s something we have to work hard on, and it’s something that we have to continue conversations on.”

UTSGU, from cover planned for Halloween via an altright, white supremacist post on the website 4chan.

The letter also made reference to an incident of anti-Black racism in the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering, in which three nonBlack students used the n-word in a group chat. The Black Students’ Association later organized a town hall in response, along with with the Black Liberation Collective and the National Society of Black Engineers.

The caucus said the incidents have created a “toxic workplace environment for U of T employees” and asked CUPE to address the issues.

CUPE 3902 published a letter in response on February 15. “The rise in instances of racism, especially anti-Black racism, as well as the administration’s slow response, in some cases, and conspicuous silence, in others, have not gone

Many members of the UTGSU are also part of CUPE 3902.

RUESHEN AKSOV/THE VARSITY

UTM seeking student suggestions for new building name UTM Conservative Student’s Association pushing to name building after Stephen Harper Kathryn Mannie Varsity Contributor

As construction on the final section of a building on the north end of the UTM campus comes to a close, community members are being asked to submit suggestions for its name.

The naming process began on February 12 and will end on February 25. UTM students, staff, faculty, and alumni may submit as many suggestions as they wish. These suggestions will be reviewed by a large committee consisting of students, staff, faculty, and alumni. The committee will select three names to be recommended to the principal of UTM, Ulrich Krull, who will then choose one name to be passed through U of T governance.

Construction on the new building,

which will house the Departments of English and Drama, Philosophy, Historical Studies, Language Studies, Political Science, and Sociology, is set to be completed this summer.

Susan Senese, UTM’s Interim Chief Administrative Officer, said that this “is not a competition or a contest. It is just a community opportunity.”

The University of Toronto Mississauga Conservative Student’s Association has encouraged UTM students to name the building after former Prime Minster Stephen Harper.

Harper was a U of T student for two months before dropping out.

UTM’s post has circulated on U of T subreddit r/uoft, prompting suggestions such as “Building McBuilding Face” and “glassy squares boi.”

“Building McBuilding Face” and “glassy squares boi” have also been suggested.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

U of T to enter provincial mediation over building plans at Spadina and Sussex Mediation to consider community concerns about proposed student residence Jillian Schuler Associate News Editor

U of T succeeded in getting provincial mediation in an attempt to settle an agreement over the buildings on the corner of Spadina Avenue and Sussex Avenue. A Pre-hearing Conference (PHC) on February 16 followed the January decision to go into mediation.

The February PHC set dates for a follow-up conference, which is to occur in September 2018. In the meantime, mediation with the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) is set for March 1 and 2, with the actual hearing expected to be scheduled for some time in 2019.

Sue Dexter, U of T Liaison for the Harbord Village Residents’ Association, said that a settlement reached during mediation would make the follow-up PHC in September redundant. However, Dexter added that this would “require agreement on serious issues among multiple parties.”

In addition, one of the buildings on the site is subject to its own review by the Conservation Review Board, as the city has made the building a

heritage site.

The corner lot has been considered by the university for years as a site where they hope to construct a new residential building for students.

Since the university’s proposed plans for the building became public, there has been resistance from City Council, some community members, and neighbourhood associations in the surrounding area.

Provincial mediation was agreed upon by all groups, as concerns held by the surrounding community could be addressed on a more individual basis. Noise and safety issues, the density, height and scale of the building, and the effect of the construction on the area’s “green space” are among the concerns that both sides of the mediation hope to address with the help of the OMB. Ceta Ramkhalawansingh of the Grange Community Association, another party recognized by the OMB on this issue, hopes that the mediation will result in the university responding “positively to the issues that have been identified and [making] changes to their proposal.”

Ten Editions bookstore was designated as a heritage site last year. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

4 • THE VARSITY • NEWS

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CFS broke own bylaws in lawsuit against Steve Paikin promotes BC student union, UTSU VP says book at Faculty Club Federation sued Selkirk College Students’ Union without approval of National Executive Carey Davis Varsity Staff

The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) National, the country’s largest association of students’ unions and a group of which the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) is a member, may have violated its own bylaws in pursuing litigation against one of its member student unions, according to UTSU Vice-President Internal Daman Singh.

On March 21, 2017, CFS National filed a civil suit against the Selkirk College Students’ Union and its Executive Director, Zachary Crispin, claiming that Selkirk failed to properly follow the process of holding a referendum on

membership. This suit, however, was apparently not approved by the National Executive, the body representing both federal and provincial CFS leadership, prior to being filed, according to Jenelle Davies, British Columbia representative on the executive. This contravenes CFS Bylaw IV.2.1, which stipulates that the National Executive “shall have exclusive authority” to initiate legal action on behalf of the federation.

CFS Executive Director Toby Whitfield indicated the suit was discussed in camera at a National Executive meeting on March 23, two days after the claim was filed. Davies claimed she was unaware of this meeting.

If the National Executive had ap-

proved the claim, it would have been marked on record, which is not reflected in the minutes, said Davies.

Although the suit has been dropped

by CFS National, the Selkirk College Students’ Union cannot administer a referendum without CFS cooperation.

Santanna Hernandez, chairperson of the union, said that Selkirk College students filed a second petition for a referendum on terminating membership with CFS National in November 2017, after they indicated that they would like to leave the CFS in a plebiscite. This petition has been verified by CFS National, but a referendum on the union’s membership has yet to be scheduled.

CFS National did not respond to The Varsity’s request for comment.

Former UTSU Executive Director Sandra Hudson sought additional $100,000 in damages during lawsuit

The Agenda host faces questions surrounding sexual harassment allegation Ann Marie Elpa Varsity Staff

Steven Paikin, the host of TVO’s flagship current affairs show The Agenda, visited U of T’s Faculty Club on February 22 to promote his newly republished book. The event consisted of a moderated discussion with former journalist Allan Bonner as well as a Q&A period with the audience.

Paikin’s visit to the university comes a few weeks after he was accused of sexual harassment by former Toronto mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson.

Thomson claims Paikin made unwanted sexual advances toward her, writing on her website, “Not five minutes into the lunch the host asked me if I would sleep with him.”

Paikin briefly fielded questions regarding the allegation during the Q&A period. “I don’t know why this is happening, but apparently it is. The inci-

dent in question never happened,” he said.

Paikin declined to comment further on the allegations to The Varsity, citing an independent third-party investigation currently being administered by an employment lawyer.

Paikin’s book, Public Triumph, Private Tragedy: The Double Life of John P. Robarts, covers the personal life of Ontario’s Premier from 1961–1971.

Robarts advocated for the improvement of the provincial education system, the expansion of public transit in the GTA, and he opposed Québec separatism.

“John Robarts’ story, in particular, is absolutely Shakespearean,” said Paikin in an interview with The Varsity.

“This guy had a brilliant public life and an absolutely, ultimately tragic life, and it’s one of the truly great Shakespearean tales of Ontario politics.”

Hudson filed claim against UTSU, President Mathias Memmel during lawsuit, alleging breach of confidentiality

The allegations stemmed from comments made by Memmel at an April 29 UTSU board meeting. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Aidan Currie Deputy News Editor

Former University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) Executive Director Sandra Hudson filed a lawsuit claiming $100,000 in damages against the union and its President Mathias Memmel while legal proceedings for a previous lawsuit filed against her were still taking place. Hudson alleged that the UTSU and Memmel breached a mediation agreement after Memmel disclosed information about the thenongoing lawsuit at an April 29, 2017 Board of Directors meeting.

The UTSU’s lawsuit against Hudson, which was settled in October 2017, alleged civil fraud.

Hudson’s statement of claim, filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on May 31, 2017, states that the two parties attended a mandatory mediation on October 6, 2016, after which the UTSU, Hudson, and other attendees signed a mediation agreement. Memmel, at the time serving as UTSU Vice-President Internal and Services, signed the Mediation Agreement on his own behalf.

This agreement contained a “confidentiality provision,” which states, “All written and oral communications made in the course of mediation will be treated as confidential and without prejudice.” All those who signed the mediation agreement were bound by the confidentiality provision, including

Memmel.

At an April 29, 2017 Board of Directors meeting, a motion was passed to discuss whether or not to drop the union’s lawsuit against Hudson. Members of the Black Liberation Collective were present in the room to protest the lawsuit. When Memmel’s efforts to move the meeting in camera were met with protests, Memmel publicly went into detail about the lawsuit after consulting with the UTSU’s legal counsel, Andrew Monkhouse.

Hudson’s statement of claim alleges that Memmel breached the confidentiality provision in the mediation agreement when speaking in support of continuing the lawsuit. “In so doing, Memmel referred to the [UTSU’s allegations], and then proceeded to make selective disclosure of confidential discussions and offers allegedly made at the mediation… notwithstanding that members of the public were present and that the Meeting was being video recorded.”

The statement of claim further alleges that the information disclosed

by Memmel was “highly prejudicial” to Hudson, and that Memmel tried to make it appear as though Hudson had committed the misconduct for which she was being sued.

“The malicious, high-handed, arrogant and outrageous conduct of the Memmel [sic] and UTSU warrants an award of punitive damages to ensure that they are appropriately deterred

from such conduct in the future,” continues Hudson’s statement of claim.

The UTSU and Memmel, as joint defendants, filed a statement of defence in which Memmel denied having disclosed confidential discussions. The statement of defence states that the information disclosed at the meeting was in reference to non-confidential negotiations and therefore not protected by the mediation agreement.

The statement of defence further claims that Memmel’s answers to questions “were a direct result of a major protest, which was organized and encouraged by Ms. Hudson for the purpose of putting pressure on the UTSU executive regarding her other lawsuit.” The statement calls Hudson’s alleged encouragement of others to ask questions and subsequent decision to sue based on the answers to questions “inappropriate.”

“It’s always been our position that all of Hudson’s various claims were and are baseless, and that was clear from the start,” said UTSU Vice-President Internal Daman Singh. “They didn’t factor into our decision to settle, and they’ve all been resolved to our satisfaction.” Singh added that Memmel recused himself from negotiations and did not personally contribute to the union’s decision to settle or the terms around the settlement.

The Varsity has reached out to Hudson for comment.

Paikin was promoting his newly published book about John P. Robarts.

SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY

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Talking #MeToo with The New York Times Rotman event hosts investigative reporters to discuss the challenges of reporting on sexual harassment Reut Cohen Arts & Culture Editor

Jodi Kantor and Emily Steel, two investigative reporters from The New York Times who broke the allegations of sexual harassment against powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, sat down for a discussion at the Rotman School of Management on Wednesday, February 21.

The sold-out event, titled “Journalism and the #MeToo Moment,” also featured the Times’ new gender editor, Jessica Bennett. Bennett is the first individual to hold this position, the goal of which is to improve coverage of women’s and gender issues across platforms.

The event was co-hosted by the Martin Prosperity Institute and the Institute for Gender and the Economy at Rotman, as well as the Times.

Jamison Steve, the Prosperity Institute’s Executive Director, opened the event by acknowledging the value of Rotman’s relationship with the Times; this is the third event that the outlet has hosted at U of T. Panelists discussed the cultural impact of #MeToo and the explosion of stories regarding sexual harassment and misconduct that have emerged since Kantor and her colleague, Megan Twohey, broke the story on October 5, 2017 of Weinstein’s mistreatment of women over the course of three decades.

Ian Austen, who has reported on Canada for the Times for over a decade, thanked the paper’s subscribers for their support of quality journalism and briefly introduced the discussion’s moderator, Catherine Porter.

Porter, a former columnist for the Toronto Star, has served as the Times’ Canada bureau chief since February 2017.

In her introduction of Kantor, Porter noted that Kantor’s reporting has not only focused on Weinstein as an individual actor, but also the “complicity machine” that enabled him to continue his behavior, even as it was something of an open secret in Hollywood. For their investigation, Kantor and Twohey spoke to more than

200 people over the course of four months.

In addition to her reporting on O’Reilly alongside fellow Times reporter Michael Schmidt, Steel has written about the culture of harassment and inappropriate conduct at VICE News. Porter pointed out that Steel’s reporting has demonstrated how legacy media outlets are not the only ones with issues of sexual misconduct, but that newer and millennial-oriented ones have problems as well.

Bennett began her tenure as gender editor on October 30, just weeks after the Weinstein story had broken. She said that it was “overwhelming” to see the widespread response to the story.

“We’ve been staggered by the global reaction to this reporting,” added Kantor.

One audience member asked about the factors that had led to this public reckoning. “People always want to look for one moment,” said Steel, “but it really is a chorus of voices growing louder and louder over the years.”

The difficulties that journalists face while reporting on allegations of sexual misconduct were a recurring theme of the conversation. Kantor and Twohey were writing under legal threat from Weinstein, and they were pushed by their editors to obtain as much documentation as possible to corroborate the women’s stories.

They were also trying to speak directly to high-profile actresses without involving agents or managers.

“How do you get Gwyneth Paltrow’s phone number?” asked Kantor, to laughter from the crowd.

Other stories, like Bennett’s reporting on allegations by nine women against the playwright Israel Horovitz, did not have the same type of paper trail available, and they relied more heavily on corroboration of each woman’s story.

All of the panelists were vocal about how many of the high-profile figures accused of sexual harassment, such as Matt Lauer, Mark Halperin, and Charlie Rose, were “narrators and authors” of the culture, who often exerted significant influence through the media.

“These were people who were, in part, responsible for how we thought about ourselves,” said Kantor.

Kantor noted that there are often institutional obstacles to preventing sexual misconduct, which she termed the “systems and machinery of harassment.” Human resources departments may not be properly equipped to deal with allegations, or workplace sexual harassment training may be treated as a joke.

Still, Bennett seemed hopeful. “I do think there’s a lack of tolerance among young people for a lot of behaviour that has been normalized,” she said. “Young people are not going to put up with what our mothers’ generation did.”

From left: Catherine Porter, Emily Steel, Jodi Kantor, and Jessica Bennett. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

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Governing Council elections results released

UTM launches new scheduling tool for U of T students

Price Amobi Maka, Edie Guo, Litos Li among students elected

TimeTracker meant to keep track of academic, extracurricular activities

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

Eleanor Lazarova Varsity Contributor

Eight students are elected members of Governing Council. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Ilya Bañares Associate News Editor

Governing Council elections results have been released after more than a month of campaigning. There were eight positions available, intended to represent fulltime undergraduates in Arts & Science, Mississauga, and Scarborough, full-time undergraduates in professional faculties, and graduate students in Humanities & Social Sciences and Physical Sciences & Life Sciences UTM student Price Amobi Maka was one of two people elected to represent full-time undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts & Science, as well as the Mississauga and Scarborough campuses. He received 607 votes, the highest of all 23 candidates.

Maka, a fourth-year Political Science and Criminology student, ran on a platform of lobbying for lower tuition fees, cooperating with clubs, pushing for increased funding for academic societies, and creating a safe and inclusive environment for student events.

“My campaign trail was rigorous and dire with its share of ups and downs,” said Maka.

“But overall, I am extremely happy with the results for the sole purpose of the team I had behind me, backing me up and riding for me with their support the whole way through.”

Trinity College student Edie Guo was also elected for the same constituency, garnering 471 votes. A member of the Hart House Board of Stewards, she campaigned for an improved exam repository that included all answers, having CR/NCR available after exams, and setting up a mental health emergency room, among others.

“I campaigned on five points during my election in areas of academic support, mental support, and increased investment in green energy,” Guo told The Varsity. “I hope that my points could be achieved and I hope the issues that I prioritize are of the utmost efficiency to both the students and the university.”

Litos Li, a student in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Engineering, and Tom Sutherland, a student in the Faculty of Law, won the election to represent full-time undergraduates in professional faculties.

Li’s campaign advocated for affordable education and improvements in mental health services. Sutherland, a former Student Governor on the board of the University of Western Ontario, campaigned on a platform of fostering open communication with members of the constituency.

“I would advocate for improved learning experience and international students rights,” said Li. “Ever since I posted my campaign material in various platforms, I received a lot of passionate responses about what I’m advocating for. The university should definitely enhance its health and wellness center and pay more attention to students learning environment (physically) as well.”

Li received the highest number of votes of all nine candidates for the position, garnering 276 altogether. Sutherland earned 114 votes. Although two candidates, Zhenglin Liu and Twesh Upadhyaya, both engineering students, received more votes than Sutherland, election rules dictate that the victors are not allowed to be from the same academic division.

“I hope to ensure that the interests of the professional students don’t fall to the wayside when the university makes decisions,” wrote Sutherland in an email to The Varsity.

“University is tough, but it shouldn’t be tough for the wrong reasons such as financial hardship, poorly structured academic programs, or alienating work lives.”

School of Public Policy and Governance student Harry Orbach-Miller was elected to represent graduate students in Humanities and Social Sciences, and Sandhya Mylabathula was elected to represent graduates in Physical Sciences and Life Sciences.

Trinity College student Susan Froom and Woodsworth College student Mala Kashyap will represent part-time undergraduate students. Their positions were acclaimed prior to the voting period as they were the only two candidates running.

Governing Council is the highest decisionmaking body at the University of Toronto.

UTM TimeTracker is a new online scheduling tool meant to help students organize their academic lives. The tool, launched by UTM’s Office of Student Transition, can track assignment due dates, study time, and grades. Developed by a UTM alumnus, TimeTracker was created to mitigate concerns that poor time management is a large barrier to academic success.

“Most new university students face a new, flexible study environment where they have a great degree of independence in planning their time,” said Sveta Frunchak, Learning Strategist with the UTM Office of Student Transition’s Orientation and Transition Pro-

grams. “Research shows that procrastination — in [an] academic environment, mostly in the form of delaying completion of assignment and postponing to study for an exam — is very common among students around the world.”

The main feature of the tool is an organizational calendar that can be customized to a student’s particular schedule. Students can upload their schedules from ACORN, and additional non-academic events and extracurricular activities can be added as well.

“The tool has a holistic nature,” said Frunchak. By integrating co-curricular engagement and wellness measuring, it “provides students personalized support and accountability with tracking their time.”

Frunchak said many students “need to learn how [to] organize their out-of-class time effectively.” With this in mind, there is a statistics tab that helps plan how much time should be spent working on each course.

Other features include a mark calculator that can determine grade point average. These statistics generate personalized weekly reports that can give students a sense of how they are doing academically and how they can improve.

Even though it was created for UTM students, TimeTracker is available for free to any U of T student. Only a valid UTORid is required to access it.

The Office of Student Transition is currently hosting tutorials to help students learn how to use the calendar. Students can sign up on the office’s official website.

Funding for Childcare Needs-based bursaries are available to undergraduate students to assist with financial need related to childcare expenses. The values of this grant vary depending on individual student needs and available funding.

These expenses can be related to care for children in the evening or weekends, after-school programs or camps for breaks during the school year where the U of T student parent would either be in class or studying as they work towards their degree.

APPLY NOW www.utsu.ca/childcare Application Deadline: Mar 12, 2018 Pick-up form at the UTSU office or the Family Care Office, Koffler Centre 214 College Street, Main floor.

FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • 7

var.st/news

SCSU to address elections concerns UTSU to hire students to help with You Decide in second general meeting campaign

Meeting date to be announced Josie Kao Associate News Editor

The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) will hold a second annual general meeting to address student concerns and the controversies that surrounded February’s SCSU elections; its date has yet to be announced.

Vice-President External Kubra

Zakir wrote on Facebook, “There have been a lot of questions and concerns about the SCSU this year.

For the first time in many many years, we are hosting a second general meeting to address student concerns and many of the controversies y’all are talking about. Make sure you come voice yourself and hold us accountable.”

One such controversy during the

The decision to hold a second general meeting was made at a February 12 board meeting. MAISHA ISLAM/THE VARSITY

election period was the disqualification, reversal of disqualification, and second disqualification of current Vice-President Operations Deena Hassan from running for President. Hassan was involved in a protest against the SCSU over what she claimed to be unfair treatment by current President Sitharsana Srithas. The protest led to scuffles that resulted in two injuries.

Srithas said that tensions have risen within the current executive following the elections. “I think most of it sprung from elections and I think that kind of escalated just general things that we might disagree with on working terms.”

The decision to hold the second general meeting was made at the SCSU’s February 12 Board of Directors meeting.

Hassan declined The Varsity’s request for comment.

—With files from Marjan Asadullah and Michael Chachura

University upholds decision to officially strip Chris Spence of PhD 67 alleged counts of plagiarism found in former TDSB Director of Education’s dissertation Hannah Carty Varsity Contributor

A U of T appeals tribunal upheld the June 2017 decision to strip former Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Director of Education Chris Spence of his PhD due to 67 alleged counts of plagiarism found in his dissertation.

In 2013, it was revealed that Spence’s plagiarism spanned articles, books, blogs, and his dissertation.

Since then, he has resigned from the TDSB, and in 2016, the Ontario College of Teachers revoked his teaching licence. The university attempted to hold a hearing since then, but it was only able to do so last year.

The original June hearing proceeded despite Spence’s request for adjournment, citing mental health issues. Neither Spence nor his lawyer, Darryl Singer, were present for the hearing. Singer claimed that no penalty should have been given, due to their absences. However, Spence had been previously warned that the hearing would take place whether or not he had counsel, and that it could proceed even if he was not present.

As reported chronologically by the Appeals Board report, the past five years were marked by a constant back and forth between the tribunal and Spence, with Spence repeatedly citing health concerns against the university’s continued attempts to hold the hearing.

With his frequent absences, Spence elongated his hearings with

Campaign aims to trigger referendum on Canadian Federation of Students Josie Kao Associate News Editor

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) is hiring students to help with You Decide, a student-led campaign to hold a referendum on leaving the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).

The position, titled Outreach Associate, will be responsible for “handling outreach strategies to make members aware of [You Decide], collecting signatures on physical petition sheets, and coordinating class visits in large lecture halls to speak to students.” There is not a set amount of Outreach Associates being hired, said UTSU President Mathias Memmel. “It’ll be based on the availability of those who are selected.”

The CFS is an organization that represents over 70 student unions across Canada, with the mandate of lobbying provincial and federal government on behalf of students.

The federation and the UTSU have had a turbulent relationship for years, with current and previous UTSU executives endorsing leaving the federation, citing lack of accountability and opaque financials.

A referendum of the UTSU’s membership must be held in order to leave the CFS. In order to hold that referendum, a petition in favour of it must be signed by 20 per cent of students in the membership. You Decide is in the process of collecting those signatures.

Memmel said that the UTSU is hiring for this job because “You Decide has been endorsed by the UTSU, so it’s appropriate that we do what’s necessary to support the campaign. As we said last year, we’ll support any student-initiated effort to leave the CFS.” UTSU Vice-President External and U of T’s CFS-Ontario (CFS– O) representative Anne Boucher echoed Memmel’s statements, say-

ing that since the UTSU has already endorsed You Decide, it is going to do everything it can to help.

“It’s also nearly impossible to leave the CFS, so we’re going to do what we can to leave. It’s in students’ best interest to do so,” wrote Boucher. “Compared to the amount of money that CFS takes from students, the amount we’ll be spending to leave (i.e. by paying student collectors) is microscopic.”

In 2016, U of T student unions, including the UTSU, contributed $598,678 in membership fees to CFS–O, which amounted to about 38 per cent of the federation’s budget. The position of Outreach Associate will pay $14 per hour for a three-month term, with a minimum of five work hours per week.

On whether this new position would affect the UTSU’s relationship with the CFS, Memmel said he “couldn’t care less what the CFS thinks.”

“The CFS is just another nasty, self-serving corporation. It doesn’t do anything for U of T students, except for those on the CFS payroll,” said Memmel. “We’ve spent three years demonstrating that we don’t need the CFS, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise.”

Boucher said that the two groups’ relationship is already strained, and that she’s experienced that strain in her own dealings with the federation.

“You’re immediately othered when you enter CFS spaces just for being from local 98 (UTSU), due to our efforts of keeping them accountable and presenting motions that would force them to be more transparent (eg take minutes, adopt online voting, etc),” she wrote.

The CFS and You Decide did not respond to The Varsity’s requests for comment.

Spence’s lawyer said he intends to bring the case to the Ontario Divisional Court.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TDSB FACEBOOK PAGE

both U of T and the Ontario College of Teachers. However, Spence was unsuccessful in proving his medical claims. A doctor who reviewed Spence’s report claiming health concerns decided that there was not enough evidence to prove that he would be physically or psychologically incapable of participating in the hearings.

Ultimately, in the view of the tribunal, Spence never fully substantiated his claims that he was medically incapable of participating. At the original hearing, Spence’s counsel claimed he was unable to participate due to an anxiety attack the day before. This claim was not medically affirmed.

In his request for appeal, Spence argued that, were he able to participate in the hearing, it would have influenced the outcome. He also ar-

gued that the revocation of his degree after a successful 20-year career had an “inordinately serious and inappropriate impact,” which the tribunal found to be reason for a greater penalty rather than a lesser one.

The appeals tribunal expressed that there was nothing irregular about the decision, and that Spence’s claims that he was not given sufficient notice were unsubstantiated.

Singer told the Toronto Star that he intends to bring the case to the Ontario Divisional Court, and that he has until March 2 to file notice if he chooses to do so. Spence also plans to appeal the retraction of his teaching licence.

Memmel has said that the UTSU would support any student-intitated effort to leave the CFS. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Comment

February 26, 2018 var.st/comment comment@thevarsity.ca

If we want to save the planet, let’s look to our laws Students should rally behind strengthening the Canadian Environmental Protection Act Zach Rosen Current Affairs Columnist

Scientists 4 CEPA, a group made up of more than 500 Canadian scientists, recently signed a petition letter calling for the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) to be strengthened. The letter, addressed to the Prime Minister, calls for 11 specific changes drawn from a parliamentary review of CEPA from 2017.

Among the 11 CEPA policy changes recommended in the letter are requiring mandatory labeling of toxic substances, increasing protections for vulnerable populations such as low-income and Indigenous communities, creating legally binding national air quality standards, and enshrining the right to a healthy environment.

In light of these recommendations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should make strengthening CEPA a priority. Not only are these suggestions incredibly important and entirely necessary for protecting the health of Canadians, they are also politically prudent.

Canada is not as good as we would like to think we are at protecting and preserving our environment, and our collective failure to do so is having an adverse effect on our health.

A 2017 UNICEF study on the well-being of children in rich countries ranked Canada 19th for air quality and 25th overall.

Canada’s growing shortcomings were also noted by the annual report of the World Energy Council, which ranks countries according to energy security, equity, and sustainability.

While the 2014 report had Canada ranked sixth overall, by 2017, Canada had plummeted to 21st. The reason for this distressing fall is the country’s poor rankings on the sustainability side: 56th in 2014, 100th in 2017. When the health of our citizens, our environment, and our planet is at stake, results like these are not good enough.

Recommitting to environmental protection is also economically prudent. According to an International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) report called “Costs of Pollution in Canada,” the consequences of air pollution alone on Canadians’ health cost Canadians $36 billion in 2015 — that’s about $1,000 per person. The same report notes that “pollution threatens not only Canadians’ current well-being but also the prospects for sustaining that well-being into the future.”

Adopting the changes that Scientists 4 CEPA suggest would be a clear affirmation that the government takes these shortcomings seriously and is committed to reversing this troubling trend. The UNICEF and IISD reports both emphasize the impact of poor air quality on Canadians, and creating enforceable national air quality standards is an important step. The petition also advocates for periodical chemical risk assessments, explicitly requiring alternatives to toxic substances when feasible, and increasing the budget for enforcement. Strengthening CEPA’s regulatory power would help curb the effects of pollution on Canadians’ health and on our environment.

It should be noted that implementing such changes would also be politically savvy. In the eyes of many, the Prime Minister’s environmental record has not lived up to the lofty goals that were promised during his 2015 campaign — which should be of increasing concern to the Liberals, given that the next federal election is fast approaching in the fall of 2019.

Back in 2015, Trudeau was adamant

that a Liberal government would bring “real change” on environmental issues. He promised “a price on carbon pollution” and to “invest in clean technologies.” He was adulatory about Canadians’ view of our environment, saying that “we appreciate its beauty, understand its dangers, and know its value.”

Admittedly, Trudeau’s government has had some notable environmental successes. Pushing the Paris Climate Accord to agree to more restrictive goals than expected was a major accomplishment, as was the decision to hold the provinces to a national carbon tax. However, his platform on the environment has not quite lived up to the hype. Critics have raised concerns that the Prime Minister’s continued commitment to fossil fuels, which has included green-lighting the Trans Mountain Pipeline and Enbridge's Line 3, reduces his Paris obligations to plain rhetoric.

Adopting the proposed changes to CEPA would serve the Trudeau government, and Canadians, in other ways. Not long ago, the Prime Minister gave an aspirational speech to the House of Commons, announcing a new framework for the “recognition and implementation of Indigenous rights.” Although the two issues may seem initially unrelated, strengthening CEPA could show that the broad rhetoric on display in the House of Commons was more than just words.

The connection between environmental protection and Indigenous rights — rooted in claims of sovereignty and selfgovernance as well as spiritual connections to land — is highlighted by the parliamentary review of CEPA that triggered this petition. The review urges that the act be amended to recognize “the importance of considering vulnerable populations in risk assessments” and to “recognize the principles put forward in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.” It also recommends that a requirement be set out for consultation with Indigenous peoples before provisions are enacted.

The recognition of the right to a healthy environment could provide vulnerable groups, including Indigenous peoples, with a legal avenue to ensure that they are provided with clean air and drinking water. This is especially salient since Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by environmental crises, including lack of access to clean drinking water; the

number of boil-water advisories in Indigenous communities reached 91 in January.

Given these ramifications, it is important to treat environmental protection as a long-term investment. Miriam Diamond, a leader of Scientists 4 CEPA and U of T professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, emphasizes the importance of idealism in doing so. “We're addressing nuts and bolts issues, but we need the vision,” she says. “We need to be idealistic; we need to dream and think how we've got to to a better place. And that better place has to be a sustainable future.”

Adopting the recommendations to CEPA proposed by Scientists 4 CEPA represents a crucial step toward equity and sustainability — and U of T students and faculty alike are in a unique position to make an impact on this issue. Students can write to their professors asking them to put their names behind the petition, and students themselves can also make classroom announcements before lecture and tutorial. They can also circulate the petition in graduate and faculty departments. Campus environmental clubs could help make the issue more visible by getting their members involved as well.

One thing is certain: given the current state of our planet and of our health, the status quo is not going to cut it. As Diamond puts it, “We can’t keep doing what we’re doing without impact.”

Zach Rosen is a second-year student at Trinity College studying History and Philosophy. He is The Varsity’s Current Affairs Columnist.

BELINDA HOANG/THE VARSITY

FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • 9

var.st/comment

Keeping your financial house in order To prevent theft, fraud, and mismanagement, student leaders must enact changes to policy and institutional culture

Past instances and allegations of financial mismanagement should spark a change in strategy. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Peter Huycke & Stephen Warner Varsity Contributors

Over the past few years, stories of financial mismanagement within student societies at U of T have regularly appeared in the pages of The Varsity. For example, it is suspected that money was stolen from the Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (VUSAC) office twice in two years, and money was recently believed to have been stolen from a locker rented by the Undergraduate Earth Sciences Association. Alongside these alleged thefts, there have been concerns over potential misspending and discrepancies in financial disclosures by the Cinema Studies Student Union, as well as ongoing concerns regarding the St. Michael’s College Student Union (SMCSU).

Student societies are not treating finances with sufficient professionalism. Much attention is often understandably focused on the most egregious allegations; stories about hidden bank accounts and lawsuits over $277,000 in alleged fraud are exciting, while petty theft of $500 is not.

However, the repercussions of ignoring more minor issues of mismanagement are just as pressing as those stemming from higher-profile stories.

During our tenure on VUSAC in the 2016–2017 academic year, we investigated the theft of revenue from the Code Red semi-formal event, and we implemented financial management policies in response. We believe that theft and mismanagement can be countered through strong policies and professional culture, both of which are often lacking in student groups.

The recent suspected theft from the Victoria College Drama Society (VCDS) from within the VUSAC office is similar to last year’s theft of ticket revenue from Code Red. VCDS is its own autonomous group at Vic, and thus it is not bound

by VUSAC’s new policies. However, the repetitiveness and similarity of these occurrences, both at VUSAC and elsewhere, have led us to believe that there are root causes of financial malpractice across all student societies, with solutions that are equally applicable across campus.

After investigating the Code Red scandal, in which roughly $500 in ticket sales went missing, we concluded

that there were two central problems with money management at VUSAC. First, the fact that money was stolen so easily from a cash box demonstrated fundamental flaws regarding how money was stored after events. Second, poor record-keeping resulted in our inability to identify exactly how much cash should have been on hand given the number of tickets sold.

To ensure money was handled more responsibly, we put together a policy document mandating that the member of council in charge of any given event be responsible for the storage and security of cash revenue generated, and we laid out a step-by-step process for how to secure cash generated through in-person sales. We also put together record-keeping guidelines for ticket sales in order to ensure accountability and accuracy if theft does occur.

The lessons we learned at VUSAC last year have broad applicability, even beyond issues of petty theft. In 2017, the University College Literary & Athletic Society (UCLit) was faced with a budget shortfall after unpaid expenses from their orientation week were discovered. UCLit dealt with the outstanding expenses via a contingency fund designed for precisely that kind of financial misstep. Better recordkeeping may have prevented these expenses from being unpaid in the first place, and, at minimum, could have allowed for the people involved to recognize their mistake earlier.

The UC Orientation Co-Chairs took responsibility for their actions and should be commended for their accountability. Despite the numerous precautions that can prevent deliberate malfeasance, mistakes will inevitably occur, and it is thus important for those involved to be accountable and transparent when mistakes happen.

Unfortunately, not everyone is as prepared as UCLit appeared to be. From our time at VUSAC, we learned that even well-intentioned people can make mistakes. With so many moving parts of a large organization, it took a few weeks for us to find out about the theft and investigate. We also found that the budgeting process was inflexible to unexpected changes from individual components within the budget, resulting in little room to manoeuvre when reconciling the budget projections with the financial realities.

This is not, however, to suggest budgeting processes

should be looser. Rather, constraints on the ability of students to reallocate money are essential, as they ensure financial transparency throughout the budgeting process.

Student leaders at other societies should expect these limitations, and they should plan for the eventuality of financial complications.

Moving beyond policy, student societies faced with financial mismanagement also require a culture shift to actually achieve the operational changes we have highlighted. Ideally, a more engaged student population can hold its leaders accountable. The reality, however, is that students lead busy lives and often do not have the time to pore over budgets and policies. In absence of more extensive student involvement, it is incumbent on student leaders to create an institutional culture that promotes financial accountability and best practices.

Enforcement of student society policies remains weak, and student leaders face few — if any — repercussions for breaching them. But firmly establishing operating policies can have positive effects in terms of institutional culture and allow future generations of students to learn best practices and establish norms that carry over year to year.

Losing or misplacing student funds should always be taken seriously. If mismanagement escalates, the repercussions may range well beyond the financial. Student societies that continue to engage in financial malpractice may see a loss in their independence. One need only look as far as SMCSU to see the result of continued malfeasance: the requirement of co-signing authority of administration on all financial decisions over $500. If student societies hope to retain their independence, it is essential that they keep their financial houses in order.

Peter Huycke is a graduate student in the School of Public Policy and Governance. He graduated from Victoria College in 2017 and served as VUSAC's interim Finance Chair from January 2017 to the end of the 2016–2017 academic year.

Stephen Warner is a graduate student in the Department of Political Science. He graduated from Victoria College in 2017 and served as Vice-President External of VUSAC during the 2016–2017 academic year.

10 • THE VARSITY • COMMENT

comment@thevarsity.ca

Nostalgia for old traditions makes it hard to see their faults Certain university relics belong in the dustbins of history Adina Heisler Student Life Columnist

On February 1, 2018, the governing board of Massey College voted unanimously to change the traditional title used by the Head of College from ‘Master’ to ‘Principal.’ This decision comes after an incident back in September, when former Senior Fellow Michael Marrus made a racist remark to a Black Junior Fellow and, referencing the title, said, “You know this is your master, eh? Do you feel the lash?”

This change is just one of many that have recently been made to long-standing traditions at the university — traditions that have turned out to cause more harm than good.

In situations like these, we should welcome the opportunity to revisit and challenge our past. That includes striking traditions off the books if it is demonstrated that they are no longer appropriate.

In a university as old as ours, we have a long and unpleasant history to reconcile with — we’re bound to have some traditions that have not withstood the test of time. What may have once been considered acceptable is now recognized to be offensive at best, actively discriminatory at worst.

Women weren’t permitted to enter the university until 1884, and they weren’t admitted as full members of Hart House until 1972, following a long struggle over entry. Many saw the space of the university, and particularly the space of Hart House — which organized leisure activities and sports — to be traditionally male spaces. We now know that this is patently absurd.

In recent years, several frosh cheers have been altered or changed to remove more offensive elements, including phrases promoting bigotry or rape culture.

Having participated in frosh at University College twice, once as a frosh and once as a leader, I understand that cheers can feel like a special, exciting part of a college’s identity and often represent fun traditions to pass on year to year. However, we must recognize that some of these cheers are disrespectful. In 2009, The Undergraduate Commerce Society (UCS) was investigated by UTM administration after two anonymous students made complaints about discriminatory and bigoted cheers from the UCS orientation — known as ‘Biz Frosh’ — which included chants about sexual assault.

In 2014, the coordinators of Innis College orientation announced intentions to remove some cheers that “crossed the line.”

Meanwhile, at St. Michael's College, President David Mulroney has set out the goal of trying to bring the college closer to its Catholic roots. Many community members, however, feel that this goal has had discriminatory effects: allegations have been made that Mulroney refused to hold a prayer service for Muslim students following the Québec City mosque shooting and has denied complaints of discrimination against LGBTQ+ students at St. Mike’s.

In many cases, upholding and respecting certain traditions is important. It allows us to connect to a long history, and helps us feel like we are part of something greater than

ourselves. Entering this enormous, historical university can be intimidating, but participating in traditions, old and new, makes us feel included.

However, if those traditions themselves are what uphold exclusion, then they have failed in their purpose. If upholding traditions means creating an unsafe environment for marginalized students, those traditions ought to go by the wayside.

Traditions have to change in order to ensure that the university atmosphere is welcoming and inclusive to all.

We should remember that those who are hurt most by old traditions are rarely the ones begging for their continued existence.

When frosh cheers were changed, several people complained that doing so was superfluous or pointless. But for many women, getting rid of misogynistic language in these cheers means combating larger power structures that are meant to marginalize them — especially given that they have historically been excluded from university spaces.

Similarly, using the title of ‘Master’ at Massey College might be seen as a harmless tradition — but it was also one that opened the door for instances of anti-Black racism such

as the one in September.

Of course, changes in tradition or symbolism should be accompanied by more substantive remedies. At Massey, Head of College Hugh Segal has agreed to work with Junior Fellows to organize a town hall on racism, promising to institute anti-racism education for all members of the college. Taking the ‘Master’ title off the books was a good way to spark these changes.

Like it or not, times are changing, and as the university evolves, traditions should follow suit. We no longer attend a university that keeps women out. Cheers promoting violence or bigotry are no longer tolerated. And, through it all, our university is becoming ever more diverse.

We can hold onto the traditions that make us feel like a part of this place, but we need to make sure what we hold on to isn’t keeping others behind. The past was not all perfect — it’s time to take off the rose-coloured glasses and move forward.

Adina Heisler is a third-year student at University College studying Women & Gender Studies and English. She is The Varsity’s Student Life Columnist.

The ‘Master’ title was changed following a racist incident in fall of 2017. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Letters to the editor Re: One year later: reflections on the Québec mosque shooting

Re: UTM seeking student suggestions for new building name

“Excellent and poignant article, Haseeb. I am a Christian and I feel sad and disappointed and outraged at the increase of hatred in Canada. Know that there are many of us who stand with you, now and always. We can work together towards a better Canada.”

“Why would we name a U of T building after a U of T drop out?”

— Donna Stackich-Bergles (from web)

Re: Remembering ROSI “bye felicia" — Luke Zhou (from web)

— Christopher Chiasson (from web)

Letters to the editor should be directed to editorial@thevarsity.ca. Please keep submissions to 250 words; letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Editorial

February 26, 2018 var.st/comment editorial@thevarsity.ca

Vote ‘yes’ to support the student press We need your help to meet rising costs, improve our coverage, and expand our membership The Varsity Editorial Board

Over the past few years, The Varsity has significantly expanded its operations. We’ve added a number of new positions to our masthead, introduced a Public Editor, reformatted our semesterly magazine, and redesigned our website. In September of 2017, we created an entire website dedicated to articles translated into Simplified Chinese.

But like many news organizations across Canada, The Varsity is facing tough financial circumstances — and we need your support.

This month, The Varsity will be seeking a levy increase of $0.80 per session from all fulltime undergraduate students, as well as a new $0.80 levy from full-time graduate students.

It’s a small price to pay — considerably less than one TTC token — but it will go a long way.

Traditionally, The Varsity has done more with less. Our current sessional levy — $2.01 from every full-time undergraduate — is considerably smaller than that of other Canadian student newspapers. And, like most news organizations in today’s media industry, we’ve experienced an overall decline in ad revenue since the financial crisis of 2008.

In response to reader demand, the scope of our coverage and the speed at which we release it have changed drastically. What we write about no longer pertains only to the full-time undergraduates who pay our levy, but to anyone affiliated with the university and to anyone concerned about its ongoings. While this may have somewhat heightened our costs, these extra expenses have certainly been manageable — until recently.

Why the increase?

Largely due to the Ontario government’s increases to general minimum wage — an increase to $14 per hour in 2018, slated to reach $15 per hour in 2019 — The Varsity must spend tens of thousands of dollars more in salary expenses for its employees. For all the hard-working students employed by The Varsity, this increase is well deserved. But it puts the organization in a sticky situation: without a greater stream of revenue, The Varsity is forced to choose between running a deficit or

cutting important expenditures in order to balance the budget, such as circulation, jobs, or editorial projects.

As a campus newspaper whose duty is to inform and provide a voice for students, we want The Varsity to thrive. Accordingly, the increase we’re proposing not only supports the new costs that come with the rising minimum wage, but it facilitates The Varsity’s potential for expanding and improving coverage.

The funds provided by this increase would allow for a few expansions of our regular operations.

It would allow us to add two new positions to our masthead: a UTM Editor and a UTSC Editor. For far too long, The Varsity has struggled to deliver timely, consistent coverage of the campuses furthest from our downtown office.

We’re constantly attempting to improve our coverage of UTM and UTSC, but we’ve discovered how difficult that can be when we’re located so far away. This difficulty is detrimental to conveying important news stories to our readership in Scarborough and Mississauga, whose unions and institutions are as much in need of active scrutiny as those at UTSG. The introduction of new positions at both campuses could change this. To really know a place, you have to work there, and that’s exactly what our UTM and UTSC Editors would do. These editors would primarily be responsible for overseeing coverage of local news, and would function to grow our team of contributors at either campus as well.

This, in turn, would allow our news team at UTSG to double down on local news coverage, which can only improve if our staff is able to allocate more time and resources to it. Our Deputy News Editor can focus on a story unfolding at St. George while our UTSC Editor covers another in Scarborough.

We would also use this opportunity to expand our resources for budding student journalists, designers, and other contributors. A portion of these funds would go toward hosting more workshops, inviting more guest speakers, and providing greater access to journalism-related conferences that would allow our volunteers and the membership at large — meaning anyone who pays our student levy — to develop

PEARL CAO & DARREN CHENG/THE VARSITY

their skills.

Many students who pass through The Varsity go on to have successful careers in journalism, and many more go on to apply the skills they learn on the job to other initiatives.

By providing students with more learning opportunities, we can help prepare them for their futures.

Why graduates, too?

Although our current membership consists only of full-time undergraduates, the prospect of expanding our membership to include full-time graduate students is an exciting one.

An expanded membership would open doors for graduate students interested in getting involved in student journalism.

The scope of The Varsity’s coverage has expanded significantly to encapsulate the stories that are important to the graduate student experience. In our most recent reader survey, a common response to our question of “Why do you read The Varsity?” was “To be informed about graduate affairs.” We’ve reported extensively on this year’s negotiations between CUPE 3902 Unit 1 and the administration, we actively covered the TA Strike in 2015, and we often write stories concerning graduate funding and employment.

The perspectives that are often missing from this coverage, though, are those that belong to graduate students. According to our current bylaws, employment at The Varsity — meaning anyone elected to the masthead, be it News Editor or Video Editor — is limited to our mem-

bership. By including graduate students in this category, we’re extending the opportunity to obtain part-time employment on our masthead and to vote in our internal elections and Annual General Meetings. We’re also extending graduates the opportunity to ensure accurate and adequate coverage of graduate affairs by joining our Board of Directors. As such, our bylaws would be amended so as to reserve a seat specifically for a graduate student.

Support the student voice Newspapers, especially those on campus, face increasingly precarious circumstances. The decline in ad revenue we’re experiencing is not unique to The Varsity, but rather it is emblematic of difficulties faced by media institutions everywhere. As a result, student papers must depend more on students to fund their operations.

The levy, although small in size, greatly benefits The Varsity’s potential for expanding and improving coverage. Ultimately, this is something that should be considered a success not only for a student organization, but for the prosperity of democratic society at U of T. On February 28, March 1, and March 2, please help us continue to serve you by voting ‘yes’ to The Varsity’s levy increase at voting. utoronto.ca.

The Varsity’s editorial board is elected by the masthead at the beginning of each semester.

For more information about the editorial policy, email editorial@thevarsity.ca.

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Content warning: descriptions of suicide attempts and self-harm There’s something uniquely haunting about your first panic attack. For me, it was in my dorm room at Whitney Hall in 2015. It’s truly something I cannot forget. I remember shaking vividly, gasping for breath with tears pouring down my face, and taking one sleeping pill, two sleeping pills, three sleeping pills, and then four. I did anything to snap myself out of how I was feeling. Yet, with all that I remember, the reason for the attack remains a mystery.

Coming to U of T

Attending the University of Toronto was supposed to be my dream come true. I saw it as a rigorous academic environment that would challenge my ideas and help me grow stronger as a person. Living in residence was meant to boost my social game beyond where I was in high school. I was excited to meet people. I looked forward to my classes.

I had a bulletin board full of postcards from student groups I wanted to join.

I did not expect that my mental illness would take these experiences from me. I did not expect to be lonely and isolated — hell, the idea of being average was terrifying to me. Yet there I was, in first year, student 1001166285 and seemingly nothing more.

The morning after my first panic attack, I begged my residence don for help. I needed answers. Major depressive disorder is something I’ve dealt with since the sixth grade, but I didn’t think it would follow me into university. I had never really felt anxious before either. Experiencing both depression and anxiety together created an overwhelming cycle of not feeling good enough and restless with the possibility of not meaning anything to anyone.

These thoughts landed me in the Health and Wellness office in February of my first year. I was diagnosed, I was medicated, and I remained in relative peace for the eight months that followed.

My second year

Living as a student in Toronto started to take its financial toll. I had my part-time job as a work-study student for St. Michael’s College, but I eventually had to take a second job at a restaurant to help support myself.

Collectively, these added up to nearly 25 hours of work per week on top of my regular course load.

As many students know, the toll this kind of load takes on our mental and physical health can be extreme.

In October 2015, I had started to develop a series of medical problems that the general practitioners at Health and Wellness were unable to diagnose. For two months, I cycled between blood work, new prescriptions,

MRIs, CT scans, and new diets to see if anything would ease my symptoms. I was having trouble sleeping, keeping food down, and concentrating — these feelings were frustrating, scary, and distracting. I could feel a gradual resurgence of my mental illnesses, but with greater extremes.

By November, I actively started to plan for my suicide. I felt that the abundance of medications that I was prescribed would make it fairly easy to do, and there was nothing I could do to convince myself that my life was worth anything to anyone. I started missing almost all of my classes and was bailing on social plans because of work commitments.

My medications were giving me terrible side effects, and the constant trial-and-error of these drugs made it impossible for my body to ever adapt. My entire life seemed so uncertain — except for my death. This was one area where I felt I had control.

On December 1, I overdosed on my medication in the second suicide attempt of my life. I woke up the next morning understanding that I had passed out, slowly coming to the realization of what I had done.

I told my best friend, and he nearly forced me to tell my doctor. I walked to my doctor in tears, feeling betrayed by my friend for making me go. I felt humiliated. I was disappointed that it did not work. I wanted it to stay a secret.

When my doctor heard what happened, I was sent to the emergency department at Mount Sinai Hospital. After a series of tests of my vital signs, I was sent into a glasswalled room that was guarded by a security officer. Other patients were walking down the hallway making eye contact with me through the glass, wondering why I was under the supervision of security. Was I dangerous to others? Did they fear I would run away if I was left alone?

After six hours of waiting in Mount Sinai, I was transported to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), where I was required to spend at least two nights. I was forced to surrender all of my property, including the pens I used to write my homework, for fear that I would use them to hurt myself. I had to give up my phone, making it impossible for me to contact my friends and family. At CAMH, I met with a series of specialists who worked with me to make sense of what happened, while providing me with the resources I needed to keep it from happening again. After two incredibly lonely and isolating nights, I was sent out the door.

U of T administration and faculty

By the time I left CAMH, U of T was approaching the winter break. I planned to go home to see my family for Christmas, hoping to start fresh in the new year. To my surprise, I returned to deal with a series of

concerns from the University of Toronto’s administration, who were apparently notified of my suicide attempt.

Let me make one thing abundantly clear: removing suicidal students from campus is not new to the University of Toronto.

Students have claimed to have been removed from campus for being suicidal before — this was an idea discussed by administrators as it pertained to my case.

The whole thing was very strange to me: I was called in to meet with my registrar, someone I had never met, who wanted to talk about my case. When I went, I learned that the university had struck a committee to handle my situation, which included a crisis counsellor and other people I did not know. I still have no idea how so many people learned about my suicide attempt, but the uncertainty of what would happen was terrifying. My registrar discussed the idea of me leaving for the semester, saying that the university had the option to force my departure regardless of what my decision was.

There’s something off-putting about a stranger telling you what is best for you. Despite good intentions, I was able to convince her that U of T was somewhere that I needed to stay. I needed the distraction of class and work. I needed the distraction of my friends, of extracurricular life, and of the joy I found in places like Hart House. I was lucky that this round of negotiations worked in my favour — many students in similar positions do not have that option or influence.

The discussions slowly faded. I was no longer on the university’s radar as a threat, but at the same time, I came to a position where I would never disclose that information to anyone, ever again.

The nights spent in CAMH continued to haunt me. These services are necessary and can be helpful to a lot of people, but it’s hard to view them fondly when you’re forced to go.

If I entered on my own terms and could leave when I felt it was necessary, perhaps I would have viewed the situation more positively.

In March 2016, I had a series of panic attacks the night before my linear algebra midterm. I was up throughout the night contemplating suicide, I was self-harming again, and the majority of my night was spent curled up in a corner of my bedroom. As soon as Health and Wellness opened the next

morning, I went to tell them what happened.

I obtained a medical note indicating that I was completely unfit to perform academic obligations. This note was rejected by my professor on the basis that I appeared healthy. If he could have seen me a few hours earlier, I’m sure the outcome would have been different. Mental illness is good at hiding itself behind a smile. It’s easy to nod and say that things are okay.

The media

My story attracted media attention from news outlets, with comments expressing both support and suspicion that I wanted to get out of an exam or that I was seeking attention. The story was picked up through

Dealing with depression A U of T student grapples with mental illness Article by Joshua Grondin Illustration by Elham Numan

a series of venting tweets. I wanted people to know what happened so that they could see how ableism manifests itself on our campus, particularly as it pertains to mental illnesses.

I did not want special treatment — hell, I didn’t even expect the media to see or care. But when they messaged, I responded, because it seemed like a good way to raise awareness.

These experiences formed an integral part of my life on campus. I would not express them positively by any means, but they are things that taught me valuable life lessons and completely changed the way I view my mental illness. These are no longer experiences I try to hide. They affect my life every single day in a vast number of the decisions I make. I will acknowledge that they are a major part of who I am. But adapting to them is a process, and one that most certainly takes time.

Growing as a student, growing as a person

I am now in my fourth year of university. The past two years since my medical note was rejected have not been easy, but I’m learning to cope. I’m still experimenting with Health and Wellness services to see what the most appropriate steps are for me to take. I’m still experimenting with different medications and treatments. I’m still trying to find the right psychiatrists to help me along the way.

I have friends who have learned to recognize

the onset of my symptoms and know what it takes to help get me back on track. For this, I’m eternally grateful.

It’s not easy to deal with mental illness as a student on campus. It’s especially difficult to be a suicidal student on campus. From time to time, the thought of ending my life still comes to my mind, but it’s greatly surpassed by the idea of how much more my life has to offer. I’m 21 years old now. There’s a lot I have left to see, a lot left to do, and a lot of love and friendship to build along the way.

Sharing my story helps me cope, but it also serves as a reminder that the university is not always friendly to students with mental illness. It’s approximated that around 20 per cent of Canadians struggle with mental health problems, and these numbers are even more amplified for racialized and marginalized people. We must do more.

Sure, I’m still student 1001166285. I’m also a student with major depressive disorder and suicidal tendencies. I’m a student who can get very bad panic attacks triggered by my academics and social relationships. But I’m also a student who is getting better. I’m a student learning to cope. I’m a student who has once again found interest and excitement in my life. I’m a student who still struggles from time to time, but I’ll keep on moving on.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with depression or suicide, information and resources can be found at https://suicideprevention.ca.

Arts&Culture

February 26, 2018 var.st/arts arts@thevarsity.ca

In conversation with Gabrielle Aplin Toronto was the first stop on the British musician’s 2018 North American tour

Aplin performed at the Velvet Underground last Wednesday, along with opening acts John Splithoff and Hudson Taylor. GRACE MANALILI/THE VARSITY

Rachel Chen Managing Editor

The lineup for Gabrielle Aplin’s concert at the Velvet Underground wrapped around the block, while a second line of fans clambered for last-minute tickets to her sold-out performance. Last Wednesday’s show was the first stop on Aplin’s 2018 North American tour, also featuring John Splithoff and Hudson Taylor.

Aplin first gained popularity by posting videos to YouTube in the early 2010s. Since then, she has topped the charts at home in the UK with multiple hit singles and has toured internationally. Most recently, Aplin released her AVALON EP. A third album is in the works, which she hopes to release later this year.

The Varsity caught up with Aplin before her show for a quick Q&A. The Varsity: How do you like Toronto?

Gabrielle Aplin: I love Toronto. I feel like I need to do more Canada as well. I only ever come to Toronto, and it’s only ever been when I’ve been going to the States. I would love to come back and just do Canada in isolation…

The people are so cool. I’m from Brighton, and it’s really kind of independent and cool and quite a multicultural quirky place, and really creative. I feel like there are a lot of similarities between the two places.

TV: You sold out here!

GA: Yeah, this is the second time I’ve played here. The last time I played here, it was my first time here and my first show here. I was really nervous, actually, and the crowd was amazing. Usually I get really nervous, but I’m pretty excited for tonight.

TV: I saw that Hudson Taylor is touring with you. I thought that was very exciting because I remember back when you guys were in the YouTube days, and it was the whole group of you just jamming together. How does having that background, with an entire group of friends of musicians, affect your songwriting?

GA: I don’t know if it would have impacted my

songwriting because that is kind of an insular thing, though I feel like it’s made us all great musicians and it’s made us learn how to play with people on the fly, and that’s what is really fun. I think it’s just really nice to have a musical community as well, groups of artists doing things together.

It’s something that happened for a bit in the ’60s and ’70s, and it kind of went away in the ’80s and ’90s most recently. And now, it’s kind of happening again — these clumps of musicians bringing each other up.

TV: Something I find very interesting about your songs is that you always capture the grey in relationships — like in “Please Don’t Say You Love Me” or even “Hurt.” It is a very different kind of relationship that you cover, and I think people can connect to that. What inspires your songs like that?

GA: Yeah! I’m just really nosy. I go into my friends’ relationships and write about them because I’m pretty solid and comfortable. I never really have anything crazy going on, so I really draw from my friends.

TV: I read in a past interview where you talked about how you like the other parts of your business, not just the music part. I have noticed that your music videos have gotten increasingly high in production quality. Could you talk more about your vision for your music videos?

GA: I love all the things that come along with a project. In a campaign, I think it is really important to have music but also the artwork for the music. When you look at it you have to know what the artwork is for it to be cohesive.

I love it. I really get involved in my artwork — even my press photos and my press releases.

Especially with the videos, they never got more expensive. They’ve actually gotten cheaper.

I guess I got more comfortable with experimenting and trying to put a different spin on things as opposed to just literally making a narrative that goes with the song. I try and do something fun. I love to play with colour and fashion and eras as well.

TV: Can you name a time or anything specific that inspired this change? The second “Home” video is very different from the first, and “Miss You” is very different from that.

GA: The first “Home” video, I was kind of making it on my own. Me and my friends, we did it for 50 quid. It was, ‘What can we do for £50?’ That is amazing. It doesn’t look like it was done for £50.

I think those funding limitations can actually push your boundaries to create an idea.

Even “Miss You,” for example. I really like Wes Anderson, his less recent films, his analogue camera tricks, things he uses to create these weird distortions. I love doing that and using analogue things like prisms to put in front of my lenses to create something dreamy. I really like it being really DIY. TV: It doesn’t look DIY at all!

GA: It’s really DIY; it’s just a really high res camera!

TV: You were a YouTube star and you broke into the mainstream. Do you find that things are a bit different, being someone who came from YouTube?

GA: No, not necessarily. I think I didn’t make it my only thing. Maybe. As much as I love it as a platform, I didn’t want to be a YouTube artist, I wanted to be a commercial artist. So as well as YouTube, I was using MySpace when it was still happening, just the tail end.

In the UK, we have BBC Introducing and they are amazing, so I used BBC resources for younger artists. They’ll get you playing at big festivals like Glastonbury on their stage, they will get you on their radio station — it was definitely a collaboration of all those things really. I don’t feel like [YouTube] pigeonholed me, and it allowed me to have success outside of it. I never lost opportunities.

TV: What do you think you did differently from people who did get stuck on YouTube?

GA: If that is what they want to be, then great!

That’s amazing. I think for me, I never intended to be a YouTube artist. I put some videos

up, before there were loads of YouTube artists that I was aware of, just thinking that I was going to share some videos because I didn’t have a way to record them just audio-wise.

Otherwise, I would have tried to make them look a bit more professional; I didn’t try to be famous on YouTube.

TV: Following off the tangent of YouTube, now you have Instagram, Twitter — how has audience engagement changed for you?

GA: I think it has gotten a lot more quick, actually. The internet is just so fast. I think Twitter is amazing; it’s instant reaction and connection, and I think it is really important to say thank you to the people that are listening to and buying your music. I feel like Facebook has kind of tailed off a little bit. It’s become harder for artists to reach out to fans on Facebook because there are things like, you have to pay to reach your fans, even though they follow you. It’s made it less genuine in that sense.

TV: One last question. As a woman in music, have you found that more difficult?

GA: I like to think I’ve never been not given an opportunity just because I am female, but I don’t know if that is because it’s been hidden from me or not. I always have a great time. I work with lots of older men who I’ve gotten on with, who don’t talk to me like I’m a young girl — they talk to me like I’m the same as them, and that is great. I know that isn’t the case for everybody.

I would say I’ve worked with at least 40 or 50 writers and producers, and two of them have been female, in my whole time I’ve been doing this. So I definitely think there is a disproportion between male and female producers or writers, but I don’t think that’s because there are less of them; I just don’t think that they’re getting the opportunities that men are, maybe.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • 15

var.st/arts

Titus Andronicus set to open at Hart House in March Director James Wallis discusses diversity in theatre and Shakespeare's continuing relevance tention, and pace. If you have clarity, you will know what you’re saying and why you’re saying it. To me, acting is action — so you have to have intention. What am I doing to the other person on the stage? What are they doing to me? How does that affect the situation?

And then, because Shakespeare’s plays are mostly written in verse or in stilted prose, there is a rhythm to them, and you have to keep the pace moving forward. Shakespeare’s plays always move forward; they never go back.

So those three things — clarity, intention, and pace — are my number one priorities whenever I do any work of Shakespeare or his contemporaries.

Kashi Syal Associate Arts & Culture Editor

From March 2–10, Shakespeare's most gruesome tragedy will play out on the Hart House stage. Set in Rome, Titus Andronicus deals with themes of sexual violence, justice, and, ultimately, revenge.

The Varsity sat down with James Wallis, the director of the production, to discuss diversity in theatre, the relevance of Shakespeare in 2018, and the crux of what makes an effective director.

The Varsity: Do you have a set structure or idea that you tend to implement when directing a Shakespeare play?

James Wallis: I’m interested in how the text tells the story, characters, and the situation.

You get that through three things: clarity, in-

TV: Why Titus Andronicus?

JW: I’m always investigating Shakespeare. As I always say comically, it’s gone beyond obsession at this point! To me, it’s the fact that these plays exist in a realm of questions, which is what I find so fascinating. That is what I am constantly after — being able to ask those questions through my work. So, with Titus Andronicus: what does violence do to us? Why does it horrify and entice us? What do we do when we want to revenge ourselves on a person? Should we? Do we have the right to?

TV: Titus Andronicus is another tragedy about revenge, but it is slightly more removed from reality. How have you been able to link this back to our current political climate?

JW: I think at times, taking relevant topics and putting them right in front of an audience can

almost destroy the ambiguity of the piece. So my goal is always to allow the play to ask questions and not to give answers. With that being said, Titus Andronicus is a play that is about revenge, about a society at its peril, and a society at the height of its former history that is at a breaking point.

It’s about the violation of a young woman and how that affects the people around her — the play is about the consummation of taking vengeance on a person. My interest was, ‘How do we view revenge now? Is vengeance something we believe in? Is it an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?’ I don’t know. I think it’s different for everybody. In a society that is as divided as ours, I think vengeance acts as a catalyst for how that divide is brought forward.

TV: Diversity in theatre is so important, especially in Shakespeare — were you conscious of this when casting?

JW: My goal is always to bring more diversity into Shakespeare from the ground up, especially with the actors. There are a lot of great actors out there. [Titus Andronicus] was relatively successful. This play has a racial dynamic — it is about an individual who is an outsider, not only because of his race, but also because he is an individualist, an atheist, and a person who believes he can take this opportunity and roll with it.

He is the smartest person in the play, and he knows how to manipulate information and power over people. It’s an interesting dynamic that sits in the play, this idea of the outsider because of their race and ideas. How do you cast

within that? You cast them on what they look like, but you are also bringing in more diversity because that is what you should be doing.

I try to do that, I don’t know if I succeed. To be frank, colour consciousness is something we have to be very aware of — how the idea of casting is affected by who the person identifies as, not just racially, but also in terms of gender and sexuality. We have to be very conscious and considerate of what people are trying to bring humanly to themselves, because it is effective and it is telling when it’s on stage and people are watching.

TV: Shakespeare’s been done to death, but I noticed that there are carnival elements to the production — what else is different about your version of Titus Andronicus compared to others?

JW: The play lives in the grotesque, it lives in the horrible and the comic, and I really wanted to use this idea of a broken being — something that reflects back but is also distorted. One thing that came to my head was a hall of mirrors at a carnival. The carnival aspect is a thematic and design idea that brings the play closer to that comic and horrible place. Titus Andronicus is like a distorted satire of the revenge trope. The tragedy is taking the genre of horror and subverting it a little bit.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

New photo exhibit at Fisher Library documents life of Allen Ginsberg The poet’s personal photographs provide a narrative of his life and work Lauren Dubay Varsity Contributor

A new exhibit at Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Fleeting Moments, Floating Worlds, and the Beat Generation: The Photography of Allen Ginsberg, portrays the life and work of the renowned poet through his personal photography.

Ginsberg, a literary icon who passed away in 1997, rose to fame through his controversial, incisive, and innovative poetry. As one of the pioneers of the Beat poetry movement and author of the classic pieces “Howl” and “Kaddish,” the discovery of Ginsberg’s personal photography in the 1980s soon became a subject of fascination among literary scholars, historians, and Beat enthusiasts.

The curator of the exhibit, John Shoesmith, combines his own passion for Beat poetry and photography to carefully curate the exhibit in a manner that not only outlines the themes of Ginsberg’s work but that provides a narrative of his life. It also highlights the influence of his artistic peers, placing his work in the broader context of the post-World War II Beat poetry movement.

The intimate setting of the dimly lit Fisher Library, along with the nature of the photographs themselves, makes the exhibition experience akin to browsing through Ginsberg’s personal photo albums. Like his poetry, the photographs capture the true essence of moments ranging from dark, sombre portraits of his grandmother to playful snapshots of his friends from college.

The exhibit is organized in a partially chronological manner and broken up by eight different ‘cases.’ They begin with an exposition of photos of Ginsberg’s family and early life before moving on to photos from his years at Columbia University, where his peers and literary influences, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, are featured.

The cases then characterize a number of photographs by their relation to Ginsberg’s most famous work, “Howl,” providing context for its inspiration, composition, and publication.

These then set the stage for subsequent cases with photographs that document the height of the Beat movement, Ginsberg’s travels in the early 1960s, and his encounters with famous artists like Bono and Madonna.

Interspersed with the photographs are other artifacts that provide context for Ginsberg’s photos and poetry, including poems by William Carlos Williams and publications of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, which are intended to represent Ginsberg’s influences and inspiration.

The exhibit continues into Fisher Library’s Maclean Hunter Room, which features the first publications of Ginsberg’s photos, as well as framed photos on the walls that spotlight Ginsberg’s experiments within the medium of photography.

In contrast to the venue of the previous cases, the natural light and airiness of the Maclean Hunter Room complement Ginsberg’s playful ‘selfies’ as well as a series of photos taken in his kitchen and of windows in his house. These collections are indicative of his interest and ex-

Fisher Library holds a collection of personal photographs, such as this one, that illustrate Ginsberg's experiences over the course of his life.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THOMAS FISHER RARE BOOK LIBRARY

ploration into photography as a creative outlet apart from poetry.

While many of the photos displayed in the exhibit were basic portraits of Ginsberg’s friends and family, their significance is the insight they offer into the lives of the iconic Beat poets, artists, and musicians who existed in his social circles.

As one of the exhibit case’s labels states, Ginsberg is more accurately characterized as a documentarian rather than an artistic pho-

tographer. It is from this perspective that the exhibit becomes valuable, not for the artistry of the photos themselves but for their historical significance and their insight into one of the most creative and innovative literary minds of the modern age.

Fleeting Moments, Floating Worlds, and the Beat Generation: The Photography of Allen Ginsberg will run at Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library until April 27.

16 • THE VARSITY • ARTS & CULTURE

arts@thevarsity.ca

Breath of the Wild, one year later The Zelda game’s anniversary demonstrates how influential it has become Edgar Vargas Varsity Columnist

March 3 marks the one-year anniversary of the release of Nintendo’s latest console, the Nintendo Switch. The Switch has become the fastest selling video game console in US history. It sold 14.8 million units worldwide in 2017 alone.

The same-day release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was an important contributor to the console’s success. The game soon became my own personal favourite, and it was met with universal critical acclaim. Since its launch on the Switch and the Wii U in 2017, Breath of the Wild has sold over 6.7 million copies worldwide. It also currently holds 70 perfect scores on Metacritic, including from major publications such as IGN, GameSpot, Polygon, and Time.

I grew up playing video games. Nintendo’s second international-market home console, the Super Nintendo, was my first experience with them. Since then, video games have become a constant source of enjoyment in my life, whether that be through multiplayer games with friends or in an immersive, single-player experience.

Admittedly, as the years go on, Nintendo’s new releases gradually cease to impress me. The same goes for the rest of the gaming community. The Switch’s predecessor, the Wii U, was the company’s lowest selling console with 13.56 million units sold in its lifetime. It was a financial

plague to the company — a year after its release, Nintendo reported an operating loss of $355 million USD. It was, therefore, refreshing to see Nintendo returning to its former glory with the release of Breath of the Wild.

The game has resonated deeply with me and countless other gamers around the world because of the unprecedented amount of freedom that it provides its players. There are no organized levels, no time frame or rigid story structure. The game encourages players to veer off the game’s main path to solve hidden puzzles, climb mountainscapes, help villagers find true love, or tame wild horses.

It allows itself to be tailored to the individual player, whether they’re a novice at Zelda or a longtime fan of the series. Every individual will have a unique gaming experience when playing Breath of the Wild.

Breath of the Wild’s clever reinvention of open world games’ tropes and its careful handling of a unique story provide players with a Zelda game that is unlike any other.

While other open world games consistently encourage the retrieval of collectible in-game items, Breath of the Wild inserts hundreds of collectibles and hidden items throughout its landscape, but it never forces the player to look for them. Despite its attempt to reinvent a 31-year-old franchise, the game also still includes several fan favourite characters, iconic locations, and gorgeous renditions of classic Zelda tunes that evoke feelings of nostalgia and excitement.

TESS KING/THE VARSITY

Exploring the world of Breath of the Wild has proven to be one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had in a game.

Though we’re all exploring the same world, I’ve had many conversations with my girlfriend, close friends, and even strangers about our unique playing experiences.

The game proves tough to accidentally spoil too, because each player’s experience

is entirely unique. The cutscenes for the story missions are the same for all players, but how and when one reaches them often differs completely from one to the next.

Only time will tell what the next Zelda game will look like or when it will be in our hands. Until then, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will continue to stand as a new benchmark of quality and care in video games, of any genre, for years to come.

Can awards shows be true catalysts of change?

Onlookers must be willing to engage in tough conversations, rather than relegate them to celebrities Hannah Carty Varsity Contributor

At the 2018 Golden Globes on January 7, Oprah Winfrey stepped onto the stage, dressed in black, and gave a speech so formidable it inspired a rallying cry of “Oprah for President.”

In the room, Oprah was joined by a broken industry trying to reconstruct itself. For the most part, the celebrity attendees wore their black garments in solidarity and affixed to them their #TimesUp pins. A few even brought activists as their dates.

They listened and laughed as Seth Meyers opened with “Good evening, ladies and remaining gentlemen,” and gave the appearance of being on the right side of the ongoing social conversation regarding sexual misconduct.

Following the Golden Globes were the Grammys on January 28. The performers spoke about race, immigration, and women’s rights, while the show saw a 20 per cent decline in ratings from last year. It seems evident that politics has invaded these already self-congratulatory ceremonies, but are they really a vehicle for change?

Awards shows have not come to politics so much as politics have come to them, as the continuing story of sexual assault retribution on a grand scale has played out in the last several months. Our idea of politics has so enveloped the way we communicate with each other, the way we express ourselves and love each other, and the way we make

art that I doubt there are many current movies, television shows, or albums that do not espouse any political message. Hollywood is, after all, a collection of humans with political ideologies, and the media that it produces aims to represent both the best and the worst of humanity.

But can we acknowledge that observing Hollywood’s platforms reveals a sexually oppressive culture exploding in front of us?

The idea that we can so easily separate the good from the bad will not leave us with clear divisions between right and wrong.

The Globes gave its viewers the fleeting illusion that Oprah can be our saviour and that Hollywood is ready to accept the changes that are coming for it. But the very next day, reports of five sexual assault allegations against James Franco, who had worn his own #TimesUp pin as he won Best Actor the night before, broke the mirage of an industry unified against sexual assault.

The following week, Franco appeared on talk shows, where he spoke about the allegations leveled against him. He was given the most public of platforms to speak his piece.

Unlike the many powerful women who were able to amplify their voices while speaking out against Harvey Weinstein, like Lupita Nyong’o writing a personal essay in The New York Times, Franco’s accusers are largely unknown, and they do not have the sort of influence that has helped other women share their stories. It seems as though they may soon be forgotten, and

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

Franco will likely end up right back in the ranks of Hollywood.

The story we want to tell is one of lasting change — change that doesn’t stop with one awards show, one speech, or one year. We’re trying to create a story where every woman — every person — feels like they can harness the power to create that change.

The best antidote to men who abuse their power seems to be powerful women. In that vein, Oprah’s speech represented the power that women can have.

Oprah’s words are not necessarily equivalent to direct action, but her speech breathed life into a world starved for some positive rhetoric on the subject.

The highlight of Oprah’s speech was its larger message, one that may have been lost in the frantic shuffle to politicize her

words. “I want tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue,” said Oprah. “They’re the women whose names we’ll never know.”

While I doubt that the Globes, black outfits and all, will make the kind of impact that industries such as Hollywood still need, there are still new organizations such as Time’s Up actually raising money to benefit survivors. There are the millions of spectators who will learn how to speak up from this era of chaos.

We need to have open conversations about issues such as sexual assault. If we can’t have them ourselves, then we’ll be left watching celebrities like Oprah do it for us.

Science

February 26, 2018 var.st/science science@thevarsity.ca

Cryptocurrency 101 Your guide to all things blockchain, Bitcoin, and altcoin Matthew Veitch Varsity Contributor

By now, many people have probably heard of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. It’s also safe to say that many people do not fully understand what Bitcoin and cryptocurrency are. Here is a breakdown of cryptocurrency: what it is, how it works, and why it was developed in the first place.

What is cryptocurrency, anyway?

Cryptocurrency is a digital form of currency that is transferred directly between two individuals without a middleman. It’s not tangible like cash, coins, or gold — it exists only digitally. To secure transactions, cryptocurrency makes extensive use of encryption techniques, or cryptography, which gives the currency its name.

All transactions are chronologically recorded on a public, digital ledger referred to as a ‘blockchain.’ Essentially, ‘blocks’ of information pertinent to recent transactions — payer identity, amount transferred, payee identity, and the like — are continuously added to

a ‘chain.’ Of course, there is no physical blockchain; it only exists digitally.

Traditionally, the transaction history of bank credit is centralized under one authority, and banks can devalue dollars by printing more money. If, however, bank credit were decentralized, there would no longer be a need for a central bank to keep ledgers and banks would no longer be able to control value. Therefore, decentralization protects currency from inflation.

Blockchain is unique because it uses distributed technology in which transaction history is decentralized. In other words, the information is public, stored at multiple sites rather than just one, and can be verified by multiple users.

This idea of a decentralized currency is where cryptocurrency finds its value and is part of what makes cryptocurrency so revolutionary.

What’s the big deal?

The sudden hype around cryptocurrency may be because Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency, peaked at about $20,000 per coin in December 2017, overwhelmingly exceeding its initial value of $0.06 per coin in 2010.

This means that if you had invested your $10 lunch money into Bitcoin back then, your investment would now be worth over $2 million.

If you had cashed out at the peak in December, you would now have over $4 million.

Over the past year, Bitcoin has gained momentum and its value has accumulated exponentially, leading many to dub 2017 as “The Year of Bitcoin.”

When and why did this all start?

It all started with Bitcoin in 2009. It is unknown who founded Bitcoin, but we do have the pseudonym of its creator: Satoshi Nakamoto. If this mysterious entity is one individual and not a group, then Nakamoto is potentially a billionaire.

Bitcoin was created to deal with the problems

of the current financial system — using it, at least initially, resulted in faster payments than traditional ways of transferring money through a bank, lower transaction fees, and all the perks of decentralization.

On campus, student groups like the University of Toronto Decentralized Tech Association have recognized the importance of cryptocurrency and hold discussions and information sessions to promote this technology.

Average — an indication of stock market performance — fell more than it ever has in a single day in early February 2018. That day, Bitcoin and altcoins also experienced a dip in value. Some people believe this is because people want to sell off their risky assets when either cryptocurrencies or the stock market falls. Therefore, a dip in either cryptocurrency or traditional currency can cause a sell-off in the other.

How many types of cryptocurrencies exist?

There are now over 1,500 different cryptocurrencies that exist. Bitcoin is seen as the founding currency, and all of the other cryptocurrencies are referred to as ‘altcoins.’

Altcoins promise improvements upon Bitcoin’s design, like faster transactions from Litecoin, better security and privacy from Monero and Zcash, or some other factor that makes them superior, like Ethereum’s smart contracts, which facilitate these transactions.

One year ago, Bitcoin had a market dominance of 87 per cent in the cryptocurrency world, but it now has under 40 per cent, which indicates that the influence of altcoins has been growing exponentially.

The value of the altcoins generally follows the value of Bitcoin — when Bitcoin passed $20,000 in early December, a massive growth in the value of altcoins followed. Since Bitcoin’s slight decline in the past month or so, altcoins have also been decreasing in value. The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile, but some investors find this beneficial because they can ‘buy the dips,’ or buy cryptocurrencies at lower prices.

Why are the prices of cryptocurrencies so volatile?

The market will continue to be volatile because many speculate about the true value of Bitcoin.

Although some cryptocurrencies can be used to purchase items and goods from some vendors, most mainstream goods and services still do not accept it as payment. Cryptocurrencies are only worth what people believe them to be worth, and many see them as being in a bubble that will soon pop, believing that the value of cryptocurrencies will drastically plummet.

On February 17, 2018, Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum — the second largest cryptocurrency — tweeted: “Reminder: cryptocurrencies are still a new and hyper-volatile asset class, and could drop to near-zero at any time.”

A major reason cryptocurrency values have recently declined is because several governments, like those of China, South Korea, and Russia, plan to impose heavy restrictions or regulations on cryptocurrency exchanges or ban them altogether.

On the other hand, cryptocurrencies have nonetheless been growing exponentially in value over the last few years. This is not only because people want to make quick, easy money, but also because many are starting to realize the tremendous potential of this sort of technology.

Cryptocurrency will likely be around for a long time and will play a significant role in how we make transactions in the future.

Is there a link between cryptocurrency values and the stock market?

There may be a connection between Bitcoin and the stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial

WENDY ZHANG/THE VARSITY

New device make labs more accessible UTSC researcher collaborates with Accessibility Services to make lab work feasible for those with disabilities Rachel Takacs Varsity Staff

We often think of accessibility in the context of public transportation or street signs — but what about accessibility in the laboratory? For some, performing experiments using standard laboratory equipment presents a significant challenge.

Dr. Ronald Soong, a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at UTSC, created a prototype device to make the laboratory space more accessible for students with physical disabilities.

Soong’s device allows users to externally control an arm capable of transferring precise amounts of liquids. The device then reads and records changes to these liquid solutions and announces data values through its text-to-speech capability.

“Science should be simple and accessible,” said Soong. “As a scientist, I believe I have the duties to ensure that people should have equal access to experiential learning in the sciences.”

While working as a lab coordinator and instructor, Soong saw an area where technology could greatly benefit students with accessibility needs. “With a bit of creativity, determination, and talking to the right people, I decided to take on this project and do what is right,” he said.

With his experience in electronic configuration and Arduino programming, Soong originally sought to create a device that would transfer substances without human error. Later on, he searched for other laboratory equipment that could be made more accessible and affordable.

To bring the project to life, Soong collaborated with Tina Doyle, the director of Accessibility Services at UTSC, and Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai, Head of the Variant Investigation Group within the Advanced Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at the University Health Network.

To reduce the cost barrier, Soong created the devices using an open-source platform — a program with a publicly available source code — which encouraged the implementation of assistive technology in a laboratory setting.

“Financial barrier is a big factor for students with accessibility needs,” said Soong. “Assistive technology in the laboratory is either nonexistent or highly expensive.” While similar devices with text-to-speech capabilities cost over $2,000, Soong’s device can be made for approximately $150.

Soong believes that a lack of education on the value and impact of assistive technology in classroom and laboratory settings is why this sort of technology is limited in scope and avail-

Dr. Ronald Soong is developing a device to improve laboratory accessibility.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO SCARBOROUGH

ability. “This project has opened my eyes to the challenges that students with accessibility needs faced every day.”

The faculty and administration must throw their support behind this push for a greater accessibility services agenda that has been long in the making. According to Soong, the fact that the administration accepted his idea indicates U of T’s openness to new ideas and dedication to

helping students. In the future, Soong plans to build more devices that will help students with disabilities in an effort to make the undergraduate laboratories more welcoming.

“If a rocket can land vertically back on earth after lift off as demonstrated by SpaceX, we certainly have the technology to turn a knob,” added Soong. “We just need to do it.”

18 • THE VARSITY • SCIENCE

science@thevarsity.ca

Is there more to memory than meets the eye?

Rotman study finds that eye movements are critical for memory recall

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

Victor Swift Varsity Contributor

Picture the snack aisle of your local grocery store. Before you start planning your next meal, pay attention to what your eyes are doing as you bring up this mental image.

You will likely notice that your eyes are moving around as you visualize different features of this scene. A new study published in Cerebral Cortex suggests that at-

tempts to remember visual scenes benefit from the re-enactment of eye movement patterns.

Researchers from the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest tracked the eye movements and brain activity of participants as they repeatedly viewed and later recalled complex visual scenes.

They found that patterns of eye movement positively correlated with more vivid memorization and recall.

Specifically, eye movement patterns during recall represented a similar but condensed version of eye movement during original observation. To put that in grocery aisle terms: when you picture the chip section of your local snack shack, your eyes replay the critical motions that occurred when you initially scanned the shelf.

The phenomenon was first proposed in 1949 by Donald Hebb, a renowned Canadian psychologist who was influential in the field of neuropsychology.

Hebb suggested that we engage with mental images the same way we engage with the objects of our perception. We use our eyes to shift attention to different features while piecing together a coherent picture.

Before you start frantically shifting your eyes in an attempt to retrieve answers on your next exam, there are two things to note.

First, it remains unclear whether these results extend to text-based memory retrieval. “[Although] our results would be expected to extend to text-based memories if the text is memorized as part of an image of the page or screen… we have no direct evidence to support this conjecture,” wrote Michael Bone, lead author and U of T PhD student, in an email to The Varsity.

Second, it is unclear whether a deliberate eye movement can facilitate memory. “The current study and most previous studies do not investigate deliberate fixation reinstatement,” said Bone. “The participants are generally unaware that they are reinstating their fixations during imagery, and they are not instructed to do so... We have a study coming up that will directly address the causal question.”

Nevertheless, these results have great practical implications for memory assessment. Because scene-specific eye movements emerge during visualization, this motion can be used as a proxy for neural activity and memory function in some contexts. Bone said that it is possible that easy-touse and inexpensive eye-trackers could eventually replace expensive MRI machines.

“Eye tracking technology… could detect memory decline associated with the early stages of dementia based on eye-movement irregularities detected while driving, inform the user (after they have parked), and provide the option to send the relevant data directly to their physician,” wrote Bone.

With strong potential for clinical applications, this research is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Scientific research’s race problem Reflecting on the politicization of science and racialization of genetic research Charmaine Nyakonda Varsity Staff

I am frustrated by the politicization of science in the twenty-first century. The scientific community continues to research racial genetic health outcomes despite the widely accepted theory of a universal common ancestry that posits all species evolved from a single-celled organism. Many scientists, during the DNA revolution, proved that 99.9 per cent of all humans are the same and that there is no genetic basis for race — yet some researchers continue to focus on it.

A prime example of racial genetic research is the Million Veterans Program, funded by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. It is an ongoing cohort study that examines genetic influences on health and disease.

The project screens individuals for biomarkers of health issues.

Studies like this, which investigate race-related genetic differences in health, only contribute to the larger social construct of race.

Numerous scientific findings have shown that environmental factors, not race, are the major determinants of pathology. A 2016 study found that microbiomes are influenced by mode of birth and formula feeding in infants. Changes in these variables were linked to metabolic

issues and autoimmune diseases, as well as neurological disorders. Environmental differences have overwhelmingly been the suspect behind greater risks of life-threatening diseases.

The prevalent use of race as a control for genetic studies frustrates me.

I think one of the larger letdowns of the science community is that tools like ethnic adjustment spirometers — instruments that measure lung capacity — exist to this day, despite the extensive evidence against racial classification in genetics.

According to Dr. Lundy Braun of Brown University, these spirometers correct or adjust for race by using a scaling factor for non-white individuals or by applying population norms. Such spirometers were developed around the time of the Industrial Revolution and the US slave trade, when certain marginalized populations were exposed to worse living and working conditions than their non-marginalized counterparts. As a result, they likely had smaller lung capacity.

Last summer, I did an internship at a hospital back home in Zimbabwe. The experience further opened my eyes to the extent of progress still needed in the scientific community.

I had the opportunity to be placed in the neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, plastic surgery, and gener-

Science Around Town Charmaine Nyakonda Varsity Staff

Python for Data Science Info Session — The What, Why & How Two guest speakers from Kik and The Globe and Mail will present on how they have used the programming language Python in their projects. They will also discuss the use of Python for social media analytics, location intelligence, and more.

Date: Wednesday, February 28 Time: 6:30–9:30 pm Location: WeCloudData, 80 Bloor Street West, Suite 500 Admission: Free with registration Skimming the surface, but not superficially: Atmospheric chemistry at interfaces This lecture will focus on key findings from the field of atmospheric chemistry and how interactions between air and ocean or air and building surfaces can contribute to pollution and global warming.

Date: Thursday, March 1 Time: 12:00–1:15 pm Location: UTSC Council Chambers, 1265 Military Trail, Room AA160 Admission: Free

While working in a hospital in Zimbabwe, Charmaine noticed that researchers did not view race as having a large role in disease outcomes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARMAINE NYAKONDA

al surgery departments. I shadowed in the operating room, assisted with patient interviews, and observed patient examinations.

During my internship, there was little to no attribution of disease to race. Instead, physicians sought out the environmental factors and social conditions that left patients vulnerable to illnesses.

The majority of Zimbabwe’s population is of Black ancestry, and even there, I noticed that there were still variations in patients’ lung capacity and susceptibility to obesity.

I love science, but I am also constantly at odds with it. As a neuroscience major, I always feel a twinge

inside me when I read research papers that use race or ethnicity as a control in genetic studies. How is it that in a world where science itself demystified the concept of race, it is still considered a significant confounding variable that must be controlled? Why is it that without logical explanation, we still have ethnic adjustment spirometers in some hospitals?

I hope that we will one day be able to stop searching for racial causes of disease and start exploring what brings about the necessary conditions for genes and the environment to manifest into sources of disease.

University of Toronto Data Science Student Challenge 2018 The 2018 Data Science Student Challenge is a hackathon aimed at developing students’ necessary analytical skills. This event will allow students with backgrounds in computer science, data science, engineering, statistics, analytics, or math to harness their skills and meet others with similar interests.

Date: Saturday, March 3 to Sunday, March 4 Time: Saturday 9:30 am to 11:00 pm, Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Location: Gerstein Science Information Centre, 9 King’s College Circle, Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab Admission: Free with registration

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FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • 19

Notice to Members: UTSU Spring 2018 Elections UTSU is your Students’ Union and your voice on campus. UTSU is governed by a Board of Directors elected by YOU. Our aim is to provide services and events that save you money, enrich your university experience, and to advocate for issues that are important to you. The University of Toronto Students’ Union is holding its Spring 2018 elections for the following positions: POSITIONS AVAILABLE

SEATS

EXECUTIVE: Â’

President

1

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Vice-President, Internal and Services

1

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Vice-President, University Affairs

1

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Vice-President, External

1

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Vice-President Equity

1

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Vice-President, Campus Life

1

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1

DIVISION I DIRECTORS: Â’

Innis College

1

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3

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The University of Trinity College

1

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3

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2

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Two (2) Professional Faculty Directors at-large from any two (2) of the following Professional Faculties:

ELECTION DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Nomination Period: Monday, March 5th, 09:00 am to Friday, March 16th, 05:00 pm Silent Period: Friday, March 16th, 05:00 pm to Monday, March 19th, 09:00 am All Candidates Meeting: Sunday, March 18th, 01:00pm at Galbraith Building (35 St. George St.) Room 119.

CAMPAIGN PERIOD: In-person campaigning: Monday, March 19th, 09:00 am to Monday, March 25th, 06:00 pm Online campaigning: Monday, March 19th, 09:00 am to Thursday, March 28th, 06:00pm Voting Period: Monday, March 26th, 12:00 am (midnight) to Wednesday, March 28th, 06:00 pm *Note: Vote online at utsu.simplyvoting.com. Online voting opens March 26th at midnight and will be open until the voting period ends.

To run for a position, please collect a nomination package during the nomination period from the UTSU office, 12 Hart House Circle. Please keep in mind the dates and deadlines listed above.

Please note that the following Colleges/Faculties will be holding their own internal elections for their constituencies’ Director seats: ’

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1

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Contact the CRO at cro@utsu.ca/ 416.978.4911 ext 241 for questions about voting. Learn more online by visiting our website at www.utsu.ca/elections.

Sports

February 26, 2018 var.st/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

Blues women earn second, men place third at U SPORTS Championships Kylie Masse breaks Canadian record in 50-metre backstroke

Jackie Emick and Daniel Samuel Varsity Contributors

Rachel Parsons set a Canadian record in the 4x100 metre event alongside Kylie Masse, Hannah Genich, and Sarah Polley. NATHAN CHAN/THE VARSITY

Jackie Emick & Daniel Samuel Varsity Staff

Some may believe that the outcome was inevitable. The University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds entered the 2018 U SPORTS Swimming Championships as the reigning champions, with a talented roster centred around Canadian Olympian Yuri Kisil, among other valuable swimmers, and they left having defended their title.

UBC took home both the overall men’s and women’s titles, scoring 1,151.5 points and 1,362.5 points respectively. The Blues women came in second, and the Blues men earned third.

Despite all this suspected sureness, the element of competition in the air was impossible to ignore over the three-day event.

Kylie Masse led the way with a dominant performance at the meet, setting the Canadian record in the 50-metre backstroke and earning four U SPORTS records, one Canadian Club record, and five gold medals.

Entering the National Championships, conveniently held at the Varsity Pool, Masse, for the second year in a row, held the added responsibility of captaining the Blues women. “To have that title, it means a lot. I know a lot of the girls, I know when I was in first, second year, and third year, I really looked up to the captains… I’m very honoured to be the captain,” said Masse prior to the competition. “Not a lot of people get to race their high level races in their home pool and hometown, let alone home country.”

Masse’s stellar meet began in the preliminaries on Thursday morning as the Olympian broke the Canadian record with a time of 26.24 seconds. She managed to better this a few hours later with a time of 26.15.

Thursday night also saw an upset of Olympic proportions, as fellow Rio Olympic bronze medalist and Université de Montréal swimmer Katerine Savard failed to reach the podium in the 200-metre freestyle event. University of Calgary Dinos secondyear swimmer Danica Ludlow earned gold in the race with a time of 1:55.43 minutes.

The Victoria, British Columbia native earned another gold on Friday night, taking first place in the 400-metre event, and she closed out the tournament with first place in the women’s 800-metre freestyle.

The women’s 400-metre freestyle relay surpassed expectations as one of the best races of the championships. With Masse, Savard, and Ludlow swimming different legs in the event for their respective schools, the event saw a tight battle.

“It always gets really rowdy, and the environment and the atmosphere gets crazy during relays, because it’s always so close,” said Masse. “Team dynamic is really important. It’s something that even as a national and international level swimmer I always go back to.”

“Being part of a team event and having your teammates around you and push you, and are there for you through the training and the competition… I really love that part of swimming,” said Masse.

After a great start from Rachel Rodé, Masse entered the pool to loud chants of her name, and she closed down the gap on Montréal’s Camille Bergeron-Miron to within an arm’s length. Sarah Polley followed Masse, and Olivia Sbaraglia swam the anchor leg for Toronto against Savard, but she was unable to close the gap. Montréal won the gold with a Canadian record time of 3:37.76; Toronto earned second, and UBC closed out the podium.

In addition to Ludlow’s impressive showing and strong performances from the men’s team, Calgary also brought plenty of energy to the meet as swimmer Olivia Bellio hammered a snare drum in sync with the her teammates’ powerful strokes in the pool.

The Thunderbirds furiously rang handbells throughout the race, but Toronto, not to be outmatched, began each night with a boisterous chant deafening the entire pool deck.

“This is the pool that we train in every single day. It’s nothing new for us. It’s really neat to be able to see it all decked out and have all the teams here at our pool,” said Masse.

The stands were filled with spectators from all over Canada on the edge of their seats, cheering on family and friends. Fourtime Olympic medalist Penny Oleksiak was in the crowd to cheer on her fellow Olympic teammates.

Over the span of the second night, the Blues claimed seven medals, including a bronze from Rodé in the women’s 50-metre butterfly and a gold medal finish by Eli Wall in the men’s 200-metre breaststroke.

“This is my last U SPORTS and last races for U of T, so it’s been great,” said Wall. “It’s always nice to win in front of a home crowd.”

Unsurprisingly, Kisil claimed gold in the men’s 50-metre freestyle. Kisil, another member of the 2016 Rio Olympics Canadian swimming team, looked confident in the water, barely taking time to breathe during his race. He won with an extremely fast time of 21.50, breaking his own previous U SPORTS record of 21.69 set in the prelim round that morning.

Masse confidently took the gold in the 200-metre backstroke finals on Saturday night, setting a new U SPORTS record time

of 2:02.17, breaking the previous one, which she also held. The final was an emotional one, as fellow teammate and bronze medalist Sarah Polley shared an embrace with Masse following the race.

The stands were packed all night with the sound of screaming fans. It was the loudest and most energetic day of the three. All the swimmers who had already finished events, especially the ones from U of T, came out and lined the balconies to cheer on their fellow Blues. Throughout the night, the family and friends of the swimmers stayed loud and energetic. Tears of joy and tears of sadness flooded the stands, with many dreams coming to fruition and some dreams being delayed until next year.

Kisil’s main event, the men’s 100-metre freestyle, took off to a nice start in prelims with a first-place finish to move him onto the finals. During his heat, he was behind after the first turn, but to no surprise, the Canadian star pulled ahead and had a solid finish. Kisil sped to the finish to claim the gold medal with a time of 47.12. U of T’s Mitch Ferraro took the bronze medal, confidently stepping out of the water to the screams of his fellow Blues teammates.

With the night coming to a close, the Varsity Blues women’s and men’s relay teams fiercely competed in the 400-metre medley relay. The women took home the gold, and the men earned silver.

Closing out the night, the Blues women finished in second place overall, and the men claimed a third-place finish. Looking forward, many of the athletes have their eyes set for the international stage.

Finally, with much anticipation — but without much surprise — Masse and Kisil were named U SPORTS Swimmers of the Year.

FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • 21

var.st/sports

2020 vision: Tokyo and the Olympic Games The problems Japan may face in the next Summer Games Andy Takagi Associate Photo Editor

Anyone who has ever been to or lived in Tokyo knows that it is impossible not to miss such an incredibly vibrant and lively city once you leave. Yet, underneath all the charm, Tokyo — like any other city — has real problems that it must face as the Olympics and global attention arrive in 2020.

Japan faces ghosts of the past and problems of the present. Since reconstruction of the Japanese government after World War II, the history of the war has been heavily distorted to separate the Japanese people from their dark history. Systematic erasure of war crimes and atrocities, such as the Nanjing massacre and the use of Korean ‘comfort women,’ presents a unique friction with the modern image of Japanese people. The controversy surrounding textbook revisions and recurring visits by some Japanese lawmakers to a shrine that commemorates the Japanese war dead, including war criminals who committed some of the aforementioned atrocities — and then some — demonstrates the extent to which Japanese war reparations have never properly been made. The existence of diplomatic strife between Japan and South Korea over war reconciliation proves that Japan still has deep issues from its past to face before the Tokyo Olympics. This is particularly pertinent as North Korean participation in the Summer Games becomes more likely.

Tensions between Japan and North Korea have increased following repeated missile tests this past fall.

The northern Tohoku region still faces local calamities and displaced evacuees after the March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear meltdowns that forced thousands to leave their homes. Since evacuations in 2011, the Japanese government continues to reconstruct the area, collecting radioactive dirt in bright bags that line the former farmland and piles of trash exposed

An Olympic venue in the midst of construction in Tokyo. ANDY TAKAGI/THE VARSITY

to radiation bordering the roadside. Buildings are left in disrepair, and most towns nearby the Fukushima power plants remain ghost towns. For many evacuees, temporary housing has become permanent life — children leave their 30-square-metre homes to go to school nearby, yet you will rarely see them playing outside for fear of nuclear exposure or of another nuclear disaster. Criticism has been raised against the government for failing these people, not only in monetary compensation, but in lack of funding for disaster prevention for the earthquake-prone nation. These objections are only stoked by the over-budget spending on Olympic stadiums and infrastructure in Tokyo, a city relatively lightly affected by the earthquake.

There’s some irony in the idea that, in 1964, Japan presented itself as a reformed, peace-loving nation. This is due to the controversy and debate over Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. This small section of the constitution is integral to Japan’s postwar identity — it renounces the nation’s

right to war. However, the current Japanese government has set a 2020 deadline to revise the constitution to recognize the Japan Self-Defense Force as a military whose duty is to defend the nation. And while there has been both domestic and international backlash, the Abe government seems resolute in the revision amid growing domestic concern over North Korean missile tests.

Recently, one stadium worker died while working on the construction of the Olympic stadium in Tokyo. The allure of tourism and cultural profits has overtaken the need for basic human rights — overworking deaths and suicide have long been a serious issue in Japan. Accusations of corruption and bribery within the International Olympic Council (IOC) to give the 2020 Olympics to Tokyo have been raised as well. These accusations are not a first for the IOC and Japan; the winning bid for the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano were preceeded by IOC members being bought ostentatious hot spring hotel rooms and luxurious flights. These issues, as well

as a plagiarism scandal surrounding the logo for the Olympics, brings serious attention to intrinsic issues within Japanese culture. In full force, Tokyo is trying to create an image with these upcoming Summer Games, and the message these scandals send to the world will define both domestic and foreign policy for years to come.

The 2020 Olympics are a platform for Japan to bridge the diplomatic gaps that have resulted from years of denying war atrocities and affronts to foreign relations. With North Korea slowly opening up its communication and efforts toward cooperation, Japan has the opportunity to not only reconcile with nations that it has historically wronged, but to live up to its promise of peace and international cooperation. I hope that when the world comes to Tokyo, they see it as I see it: a home, a place of kindness and diversity, and an example to the world that international cooperation and peace is possible.

Blues women’s fencing win OUA Championship Fencer Sara Stonehouse details the successful season Vincent Ruan Varsity Contributor

The Varsity Blues women’s fencing team were crowned OUA champions last Sunday in Ottawa. The victory marked the team’s 11th overall championship, credited to the talented roster and coach Thomas Nguyen.

Sunday consisted of the team tournament.

The tournament started with a pool system, which then led to a round-robin tournament, which is the opposite of an elimination tournament. After the round-robin portion ended, the tournament moved on to an elimination tournament. In the end, the Blues won a gold medal in the team relay for foil and épée, defeating the Queen’s Gaels. The Western Mustangs ended up winning the gold in the Sabre final, besting Toronto and giving them the silver.

The Blues finished with 360 total points in the overall team standings, beating out the second-place Mustangs by 68 points.

Three Varsity Blues players were selected as Foil All-Stars. Christie Lee, Siobhan Drysdale, and Jiahua Li were given the notable achievement. Players Donna Vakalis and Emily Principe were also selected as all-

stars for the épée portion.

The recent success in the OUA tournament was a testament to the Varsity Blues program and the work ethic demanded from each and every athlete.

“We have three practices a week, usually between two to three hours. Our A-teams are usually expected to be at all three practices,” said fencer Sara Stonehouse when asked about the team’s work habits during the season.

“Our focus is usually on footwork drills, free fencing, and practicing certain scenarios to help mimic the tournament environment and atmosphere,” said Stonehouse. “We’re lucky to have such a large coaching staff who’s there to help us balance out everything we need to do to prepare for success.”

The relationships between the players have also been a factor to team success in the past few weeks. “Even though I’m a graduate student and a lot of our players are undergrads, I still feel like we’re really close and the ages don’t matter, especially when we’re fencing,” said Stonehouse.

Stonehouse, who is a graduate student currently in her first year with the Varsity Blues women’s fencing team, has praised the op-

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s fencing team celebrate with the Kay Aoyama Trophy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VARSITY BLUES

portunities she receives playing on a varsity team.

“Tournaments are a really great opportunity to get to know each other, especially since the different weapons on our team tend to practice separately. Like this weekend, I roomed with an épée fencer who I didn’t really know before, but we got along and it was great.”

“Personally it’s just a lot of fun. The first time I played we saw a demo of all the weapons before we chose which one we wanted.

For me, with Sabre it was kind of like love at first sight a little bit,” she noted.

Stonehouse knows that although fencing isn’t the most popular sport in the world, it’s definitely on the rise.

“Traditionally it’s been a lot bigger in Europe, but it’s been slowly growing in the US. So hopefully it spreads a little bit to Canada… and maybe we can see fencing on TV in North America at some point, that’d be really nice.”

22 • THE VARSITY • SPORTS

sports@thevarsity.ca

Blues fantastic four Swimmers talk being roomates, earning 19 OUA medals combined, and where they keep their hardware Daniel Samuel Sports Editor

The image of Kylie Masse plastered on the door outside the Varsity Pool immediately captures your attention.

While the poster doesn’t detail the World Champion down to her actual size, her intense focus is still there.

Masse stands tall, her arms crossed.

She’s locked in and ready to compete.

There isn’t a way to enter the pool without momentarily pushing Masse aside.

Second-year Varsity Blues swimmer Rachel Rodé recognizes the positive effect Masse has. Rodé sees the Olympian as someone to look up to. The pair share a hometown in LaSalle, Ontario, and both swam for the Windsor Essex Swim Team.

“She’s definitely been my role model for a long time, in terms of academics and swimming,” says Rodé. “She’s also the nicest person... she’s been that way since growing up [and] hasn’t changed it at all.”

Rodé is seated on a black sofa beside Sarah Polley, while fellow second-year swimmers Hannah Genich and Sophie du Plessis squeeze together on a smaller adjacent couch.

The group are jovial and energized.

It’s a reasonable emotional state for a quartet that had won a combined 19 medals at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships just a week prior, an achievement they admit really surprised them as U of T’s swimming program took home both OUA men’s and women’s championship banners; it was the women’s fifth in a row. Genich also earned the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Award for IM Excellence.

“We weren’t really tapered heading into OUAs, so I don’t think we were really expected to do as well as we did, so it was kind of a nice surprise,” says Genich. “I think before OUAs we never thought, ‘Well, I’m going to get a medal after this’ or ‘I’m swimming for a medal.’”

“We knew that we were one of the stronger teams, but I don’t think anyone was expecting the swims that we came out with,” adds Polley.

The rapid accumulation of medals is a unique situation that great swimmers are faced with. Unlike other sports, in swimming, each meet presents the opportunity to win plenty of hardware. Polley and du Plessis break it down into simple math. “If you race four events and maybe three relays,” says Polley; her sentence is finished by du Plessis, who says, “that’s seven possible medals that you can get, so they add up quickly.”

Each of the four has devised a unique way to store their medals, some more subtle than others. “I hang mine off of my curtain rods,” says Genich. “I said this like two days ago, your curtain rods are going to break, you have so many medals,” replies Rodé.

While Genich doesn’t exactly say how many medals are currently on her curtain rod, du Plessis estimates there are “like a billion.”

“There’s OUs from this year and last and CIs from last year,” replies Genich. “I have university medals on one side and high school on the other.” du Plessis is far more orderly about where she keeps her medals. Her high school ones are at home in a big box; the medals Polley earned last year are also at her parents’ home. Rodé stores most of her medals under her bed, but she displays the ones of which she’s proudest.

As for the OUA haul, Rodé admits the group has thought about counting them up on the kitchen table and the various locations in the kitchen where they could put them on display. Polley suggests hanging them on the kitchen curtain rod.

A bond like no other Hearing their uncanny ability to finish each other’s sentences, it isn’t hard to tell that the four are also roommates.

The story of how the group decided to all share a home isn’t all that different from most students.

“Finding a house in Toronto is really stressful,” admits Rodé.

“Sarah and Rachel were living together in residence last year, and they got very close and I got really friendly with them,” says du Plessis.

“Hannah was on Scarborough campus last year,” says Polley. “So we didn’t see too much of her, but we loved her… [and] she decided that she wanted to move downtown,” adds du Plessis.

“It couldn’t have worked out better,” says Genich.

As fellow Life Science students, Rodé and Polley initially lived together in residence during first year. Rodé is candid about the way their program immediately challenges young brighteyed students, “First-year life sci at U of T is like death.”

Rodé and Polley’s co-reliance helped make the experience easier to manage. Their rooms are conveniently located beside each other, allowing Polley to shout for Rodé’s help whenever she needs it. “I can just yell ‘Rach, what did you get for this.’”

“Me and Rachel, we do everything together, we do school together, we do swimming together. Literally every aspect of our lives is together,” she adds. “We’re really supportive of one another.”

The 50-metre butterfly race momentarily challenged the group’s familial dynamic, as Rodé, Genich, and du Plessis found themselves paired against each other in the event.

“Before the race, we were joking, ‘Let’s all tie for first,’” says Rodé. “It’s not the same as racing someone you don’t know, but it’s more fun,” says du Plessis. A supportive Polley cheered on her roommates’ success as they swept the podium, with Rodé placing in first, followed closely by Genich and du Plessis. “You two were really close… I was so proud,” says Polley.

“When we swept, that was the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me,” says Rodé.

From left: Blues swimmers Sophie du Plessis, Sarah Polley, Hannah Genich, and Rachel Rodé.

STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Rodé also set an OUA record swimming alongside upper-year swimmers Hannah Lam, Emily Russell, and Masse in the 200-metre freestyle relay. “I definitely learn a lot every day from racing upper years. It’s definitely an honour to be able to race with such talented people.”

The group places a priority on school, but each strives to meet their individual expectations in the pool. Genich admits that at home, they don’t really talk much about swimming, not wanting to bring the pressures from the pool home or relive the total 16 hours per week they spend training.

Polley recalls an average morning when her teammates’ enthusiasm alone helped motivate her. “I still remember a couple times Hannah coming in the kitchen and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, I had such a good practice this morning,’ and it lifts you up.”

Sharing the same values and embracing each other fully has been an important part of what’s made them successful. They enjoy each other’s company, whether it’s during movie nights, studying in the library, or celebrating birthdays.

“We celebrate each other’s birthdays, we have a mini-party in our house. We have party hats for each one of us, cutouts for every birthday, [and] we surprise each other,” says Rodé.

“I find that we all complement each other... We make each other better,” adds Polley.

Rodé defines making dinner in the kitchen as when most of the bonding happens. “We’re all really great in the kitchen,” laughs Polley. “I’m not sure cooking is the right word,” says du Plessis. “Yeah, styles of throwing together a meal,” says Rodé.

Still, the group ensures ordering pizza is an occasional treat, though they do their best to eat healthy — a task that’s been made even tougher as living on Harbord Street forces them

to walk past Krispy Kreme multiple times per day. du Plessis suggests it’s a good balance and even bought the group some doughnuts for Valentine’s Day. “You’ve got to be happy,” she adds. “My favourite line is, ‘A happy

swimmer is a fast swimmer,’” says Polley. No one in the group is quite sure where the quote originates from, but it’s one that’s even been echoed by Masse in the past.

“I think we’re all pretty happy,” says Rodé.

WEEKLY BOX SCORES BASKETBALL MEN’S February 21 Varsity Blues

80–85

Laurentian Voyageurs

WOMEN’S February 21 Varsity Blues

50–73

Ottawa GeeGees

HOCKEY WOMEN’S February 21 Varsity Blues

February 23 Varsity Blues

2–3

2–4

Western Mustangs

Western Mustangs

VOLLEYBALL MEN’S February 25 Varsity Blues

0–3 (18-25, 12-25, 21-25)

York Lions

WOMEN’S February 25

3–2

Varsity Blues (25-8, 25-19, 21-25, 19-25, 15-5)

York Lions

var.st/sports

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FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • 23

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