NEWS 14 Ontario student groups hold International Day of Action
SCIENCE Campus biodiversity: The most common critters around U of T
NEWS
Jewish students at U of T reflect on changes to their identity, community over the past year
NEWS
Students lead study-in after Temerty Faculty of Medicine halts postering campaign
SPORTS Dominant Blues win third OUA championship in four years
21 Sussex Avenue, Suite 306 Toronto, ON M5S 1J6 (416) 946-7600
thevarsity.ca thevarsitynewspaper @TheVarsity thevarsitypublications the.varsity The Varsity
Vol. CXLV, No. 7 MASTHEAD
Eleanor Yuneun Park editor@thevarsity.ca
Editor-in-Chief
Kaisa Kasekamp creative@thevarsity.ca
Creative Director
Kyla Cassandra Cortez managingexternal@thevarsity.ca
Managing Editor, External
Ajeetha Vithiyananthan managinginternal@thevarsity.ca
Managing Editor, Internal
Maeve Ellis online@thevarsity.ca
Managing Online Editor
Ozair Anwar Chaudhry copy@thevarsity.ca
Senior Copy Editor
Isabella Reny deputysce@thevarsity.ca
Deputy Senior Copy Editor
Selia Sanchez news@thevarsity.ca
News Editor
James Bullanoff deputynews@thevarsity.ca
Deputy News Editor
Olga Fedossenko assistantnews@thevarsity.ca
Assistant News Editor
Charmaine Yu opinion@thevarsity.ca
Opinion Editor
Rubin Beshi biz@thevarsity.ca
Business & Labour Editor
Sophie Esther Ramsey features@thevarsity.ca
Features Editor
Divine Angubua arts@thevarsity.ca
Arts & Culture Editor
Medha Surajpal science@thevarsity.ca
Science Editor
Jake Takeuchi sports@thevarsity.ca
Sports Editor
Nicolas Albornoz design@thevarsity.ca
Design Editor
Aksaamai Ormonbekova design@thevarsity.ca
Design Editor
Zeynep Poyanli photos@thevarsity.ca
Photo Editor
Vicky Huang illustration@thevarsity.ca
Illustration Editor
Genevieve Sugrue, Milena Pappalardo video@thevarsity.ca
Video Editors
Emily Shen emilyshen@thevarsity.ca
Front End Web Developer
Andrew Hong andrewh@thevarsity.ca
Back End Web Developer
Razia Saleh utm@thevarsity.ca
UTM Bureau Chief
Urooba Shaikh utsc@thevarsity.ca
UTSC Bureau Chief
Matthew Molinaro grad@thevarsity.ca
Graduate Bureau Chief
Vacant publiceditor@thevarsity.ca
Public Editor
Associate Senior Copy Editor
Asmi Khanna, Damola Omole, Sharon Chan
Associate News Editors
Avin De, Shontia Sanders
Associate Opinion Editors
Caitlin Adams, Ameer N. Vidal
Associate Features Editor
Sophia Moniz, Chris Zdravko
Associate A&C Editor
Mashiyat Ahmed
Associate Science Editor
Mariana Dominguez Rodriguez
Social Media Manager
Associate Sports Editor
Victoria Man, Medha Barath
Associate B&L Editors
Vacant
Associate Design Editors
Jaylin Kim
Associate Illo Editor
Jason Wang, Kate Wan
Associate Photo Editors
Nidhil Vohra
Associate Video Editor
Charel Suarez
Associate Web Developer
Copy Editors: Cindy Liang, Dhritya Nair, Hannah Wilson, Jessica Lee, Lexie Mathew, Madiha Syed, Matthew Cancelliere, Nancy Zhang,
Cover Zeynep Poyanli & Kaisa Kasekamp :
BUSINESS OFFICE
Ishir Wadhwa business@thevarsity.ca
Business Manager
Rania Sadik raniasadik@thevarsity.ca
Business Associate
Eva Tsai, Muzna Arif advertising@thevarsity.ca
Advertising Executives
The Varsity acknowledges that our office is built on the traditional territory of several First Nations, including the Huron-Wendat, the Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit. Journalists have historically harmed Indigenous communities by overlooking their stories, contributing to stereotypes, and telling their stories without their input. Therefore, we make this acknowledgement as a starting point for our responsibility to tell those stories more accurately, critically, and in accordance with the wishes of Indigenous Peoples.
Jewish students at U of T reflect on changes to their identity, community over the past year
7 [attacks] happened, it was definitely surprising, but it felt like — for [the] people around me — it was the first time they heard of the conflict at all,” he said.
hundreds of thousands of people who are being killed in the Middle East.”
Content warning: This article discusses antisemitism and the recent and ongoing violence in the Middle East.
October 7 marked one year since the Hamas led attack on Israel, which killed 1,139 people and resulted in the capture of approximately 250 hostages. Since 2023, Israel has continued to bomb and displace Palestinians in Gaza and has recently intensified its attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
As of writing, Israeli officials report that Hamas has returned 117 captives to Israel. Meanwhile, Israel’s military actions have killed over 42,000 Palestinians, with more than 10,000 reported missing following attacks on nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and health centres. In Lebanon, Israel’s attacks have killed over 2,000 people, most of whom were killed since September.
At U of T, the violence and deaths in the Middle East have been central to student protests, vigils, and student union elections. Over the summer, U of T saw Canada’s largest pro-Palestinian student encampment at King’s College Circle, highlighting division between community members on campus. While the Canada-wide Jewish Faculty Network supported the protesters, some Jewish faculty members, such as Rotman School of Management Professor Ramy Elitzur, accused Jewish students involved in the encampment of being anti-Semites.
In interviews with The Varsity, Jewish students at U of T discussed changes in their communities, on campus, and within themselves over the past year.
October 7, 2023 and 2024
K — a practitioner of Reform Judaism and a graduate student at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation — recalls feeling confused and conflicted upon waking up to the news of October 7. She grew up attending Jewish Sunday school and was raised in a Jewish household. While she does not have family in Israel, she remembers a sense of shared shock and devastation in her family when they heard about the events of that day.
“I was really struggling to understand this feeling that I didn’t realize was so strong… like how it would have impacted me to know something happening in a foreign country that technically I have no national ties with, but religiously is significant,” she said.
Genevieve Beirne — a practitioner of Reform Judaism raised in New York and a third-year engineering student at U of T — grew up attending religious school once or twice a week, participating in Friday night Shabbat dinners, and going to synagogue on Jewish High Holidays. Although she does not have family in Israel, the attacks of October 7 were a shock to her, and she noted that many people with personal ties to Israel had emotional responses to the attacks.
Oleksii Varlamov, a third-year philosophy student, was born and raised in Ukraine by Jewish parents. As a child, he attended a Jewish school and could read Hebrew but was no longer religious by the age of nine. Unlike K and Beirne, Varlamov recalls being less surprised about the events of October 7.
“For me, what was surprising is how surprised other people were. The oppression of Palestinian people by Israel has been something that I’ve thought about for a long time. When [the] October
While Beirne expressed interest in visiting Israel in the future, even without a familial connection to the country, Varlamov indicated that he has no affiliations with the state.
“I’ve never been to Israel. My parents have never been to Israel… It’s just a place that exists… I have as little relation to [Birobidzhan] as [I do] with Israel,” he said. Birobidzhan is the administrative centre of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, a region in Russia that is the only other official Jewish state in the world, aside from Israel.
Encampment and the definitions of antisemitism
On May 2, a group of student protesters set up an encampment in King’s College Circle, demanding that the university disclose its investments, divest from companies that supply the Israeli military with weapons and technology, and cut ties with Israeli academic institutions. U of T stated that claims of its connection to the Israeli military “have no basis in fact,” and filed an injunction with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to remove the encampment. When the court granted the university’s request, the student protesters cleared the encampment on July 3.
On the second day of the encampment, Hillel Ontario and Hillel U of T — a Jewish student organization — posted a joint statement on Instagram, urging the university to “enforce their existing policies and hold violators accountable for their actions.” The statement expressed concerns over “chants of ‘all the Zionists are racists; all the Zionists are terrorists’ and graffiti that stated ‘Go back to Europe.’”
While Beirne did not enter the encampment, she recalled seeing photos of the graffiti and thought it was discriminatory. However, she said, “I personally did not feel any less safe on campus… I disagree with the Hillel statement [because] I think we should be respecting people’s right to protest and freedom of speech.”
“I think that the vast majority of what the protesters were advocating for and saying was not antisemitic. It may have been anti-Israel,” she added.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism categorizes claims that “the existence of a State of Israel [is] a racist endeavor” as antisemitic. However, definitions vary. For example, the Nexus Task Force’s Guide to Identifying Antisemitism in Debates about Israel notes that “harsh characterizations of Israel that may be unfair are not necessarily antisemitic” and that “criticism or disagreement with Israeli government policies are not antisemitic.” The Nexus Project works with American scholars and political leaders to advocate for US government action against antisemitism.
In 2022, U of T President Meric Gertler rejected the IHRA working definition, deeming it insufficient to address many of the antisemitic incidents on campus. As of writing, U of T does not have an officially adopted definition of antisemitism.
K noted, “I think that anything critical of the Israeli government is legitimate and real… [but] it’s hard for me to give a general answer to what constitutes antisemitism… I think that every Jewish person will have a different answer to it.”
During the student encampment, she found the protests unsettling over fears that she would not be welcome but added that, “I’m not going to criticize people for protesting the fact that there are
“For Jewish students and Jewish people all over the world, the issue is that we’re not allowed anymore to determine what is and isn’t antisemitic,” she added. “So, while I completely agree that by no means is all criticism of Israel antisemitic, and a lot of it is not, when it does cross that line, a lot of people [cannot] understand or accept that Jewish people who feel afraid of [antisemitic] rhetoric are the ones who themselves know what it means and know the significance that it carries.”
Varlamov remembers experiencing antisemitic jokes and physical violence while growing up in Ukraine, but he has not faced similar incidents since moving to Canada. During his frequent visits to the encampment in May, he recalled participating in one of the encampment’s weekly Shabbat dinners and noted that he did not feel unwelcome or uncomfortable because of his identity.
In the middle, in between, and the unsaid Some of the students expressed difficulty in finding their space within student protesters and within their own communities.
“I’ve… felt alienated by people, no matter what their view is — whether it be in support of Israel [or] in support of Palestinian determination, I think that these viewpoints are viewed as mutually exclusive — which has been very difficult and deeply uncomfortable,” said K.
She noted that her main source of fear is revealing her Jewish identity to people outside of her community because of uncertainties about how people will react.
“I can remember the first time ever I was asked to provide an opinion on Israel. I was 13 [years old] at my middle school graduation, and I was the only student who was asked. And, of course, I was asked because I was Jewish,” she said. “I feel that this isn’t a safety thing, but I feel that it’s hard to share my identity because I will [then] be asked to provide a big, lengthy piece on the issue.”
On the other hand, Beirne finds difficulty connecting with people within her Jewish community.
“A major effect [on] me is feeling like I disagree with the majority in a lot of Jewish spaces right now,” she said. “In some cases, like with Hillel, there is a lot more going on [this] year than there was two years ago. It’s frustrating to think [that] the Jewish community on campus [is] so much more active now because of a war that Israel is raging on a foreign country.”
“I want to have a Jewish community that is not tied to war,” she said.
Hillel U of T did not respond to The Varsity in time for publication.
Oleksii Varlamov is an International Affairs columnist for The Varsity’s Opinion section.
If you or someone you know has experienced harassment or discrimination based on race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship and/or creed at U of T, report the incident to the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity office: https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/help/. You can report antisemitic incidents at U of T to Hillel U of T at https://hillelontario.org/uoft/reportincident/.
If you or someone you know has experienced antisemitism and is in distress, you can contact: Hillel Ontario at counselling@hillelontario.org
• Chai Lifeline Canada’s Crisis Intervention Team at 1 (800) 556-6238 or CIT@chailifeline.ca
• Jewish Family and Child Services of Greater Toronto at 416 638-7800 x 6234
• The Hamilton Jewish Family Services at info@hamiltonjfs.com
Matthew Molinaro Graduate Bureau Chief
Content warning: This article discusses sexual and racial violence, gender-based violence, and rape culture.
The Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Response for Survivors (PEARS) Project has postered for over two years at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (TFM) to address concerns over the school protecting predatory faculty at the expense of students and survivors.
On October 2, GradPEARS — the PEARS Project graduate student division — led a study-in at the TFM. The PEARS’ Project is a student grassroots and trauma-informed coalition that offers peer support and resources for sexual violence survivors at U of T.
For about two hours, PEARS Project members and allies postered across the main floor of the medicine building and handed out informational programs linking to their open letter condemning predatory, racist, and violent behaviour at the TFM.
PEARS’ Project advocacy
According to a GradPEARS Instagram post, the recent wave of TFM faculty’s predatory behaviour and rape culture is based on numerous student reports it received about professors’ sexual harassment, inappropriate comments, touching, stalking, and instances of racism in the faculty.
Throughout September of this year, GradPEARS posted infographics about professors at the TFM ripping up specific sections of posters that mention supporting survivors, and proceeding to tear the posters down. In a now-deleted Instagram comment, TFM Vice Dean Justin Nodwell admitted that he took down the posters, as they “were in a clearly unauthorized location.”
In a September 20 Instagram post, GradPEARS uploaded a September 12 email from TFM that offered a response to the posters and other printed materials, directing students
to the school’s Workplace Harassment Policy, Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy, and to their principal investigator or professors. The same post also mentioned an email a student received from TFM that linked to the U of T’s User Guide on U of T Policies on Protest, listing violations that could lead to Campus Safety actions and municipal police involvement.
In an email to The Varsity , a U of T spokesperson referred students seeking to put up posters to the “longstanding guidelines on postering in designated spaces” and students seeking to report sexual violence on campus to the university’s policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Prevention, the Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre, as well as Campus Safety or the appropriate municipal police services. They stated that commenting on GradPEARS’ social media posts “would be premature,” and wrote that “a poster doesn’t constitute a report or disclosure under our [sexual violence] policy.”
On September 18, GradPEARS circulated a letter on Instagram that listed four demands to the faculty and university: putting out an actionable statement of commitment to a violence-free and police-free space of learning that acknowledges the faculty and university’s culture of harm toward students; mandating third-party anti-violence, consent, and inclusive training for all faculty; allowing and encouraging the sharing of thirdparty workplace resources for survivors; and ensuring gender-neutral, accessible washrooms and free menstrual supplies in all labs and Temerty Faculty buildings.
Among the signatories are the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU). In an email to The Varsity, UTGSU President Amir Moghadam reiterated the union’s unwavering solidarity with survivors and the work of the PEARS Project.
“The reported incidents of harassment, discrimination, and institutional negligence are deeply alarming. Such behavior has no place in
our academic community, and the silencing of survivors is utterly unacceptable. Every student deserves a safe, respectful environment in which to learn and work,” Moghadam wrote.
Throughout the afternoon of the study-in, PEARS Project member and recent U of T graduate Jay Prentice spoke to numerous community members about GradPEARS’ advocacy. Prentice described the study-in as part of building awareness, support, and conversation about sexual violence within the TFM.
“Is this really the environment that you want to set up? Is this really the type of medicine that you want to create? Why is this [study-in] not welcome?” they said towards the school. “Why is creating cultures of harassment, cultures that allow racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism to persist, why is that something that is allowed to persist when we can together break it down?”
The study-in extended the PEARS Project’s ongoing organizing for students across the university about sexual violence and the specific ways that cultures of silencing, transphobia, and racism deny survivors visibility and justice.
Students weigh in
The Varsity spoke to graduate students at the study-in about their experiences of silencing and marginalization at the TFM. Each student requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation because of their personal connections to TFM.
H described how the faculty’s “unspoken contract” of social relationships “systematically disempower[s]” survivors. H explained that students in STEM programs, such as the Faculty of Medicine, do a lot of work under a direct supervisor, which increases the risk for exploitation, abuse, sexual violence, and sexual harassment, and the ability to report becomes more difficult in those situations.
“Every aspect of this relationship is very, [in] my opinion, very one-sided and extractive, exploitative,” H said.
For graduate student A, this relationship “amplif[ies] the contradiction that grad students feel,” when the university acknowledges power hierarchies but allows grad students to live within them.
“The way that they do things is definitely not trauma-informed, not survivor-centered,” A added.
Policies and posters
The PEARS Project argues that the responses from the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
perpetuate rape culture.
In an interview with The Varsity, Co-Director and PEARS Project founder Micah Kalisch outlined how tearing down posters and silencing students manifests as harm to survivors. In her current role, Kalisch has spent multiple years learning about the experiences of student survivors across U of T, including the university’s responses to TFM professor Robert Reisz’s violation of U of T’s Sexual Harassment Policy and allegations of sexual harassment against former Trinity College Provost Andy Orchard.
For Kalisch, allowing any professor found guilty of gender-based violence, racism, and academic bullying to teach, supervise, and run labs shows a “large-scale institutional negligence” to how power plays out in practice.
The PEARS Project has been closely involved in the progress and changes to U of T’s Sexual Violence Policy. As it stands, the policy outlines that “The [u]niversity recognizes that power dynamics are inherent in institutions of higher learning and is committed to appropriately account for these dynamics in the processes set out in this Policy.”
“Posters have been going up say[ing] things like ‘we don’t tolerate sexual harassment in our labs.’ For anybody to look at that poster and oppose that or to feel personally attacked by that is incredibly concerning, and really is at its core, rape culture,” Kalisch said. “To look at a poster that says ‘we don’t allow sexual harassment in our labs,’ and to feel like somehow we’re attacking you, that’s a concern.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence or harassment at U of T:
• Visit safety.utoronto.ca for a list of safety resources.
• Visit svpscentre.utoronto.ca for information, contact details, and hours of operation for the tri-campus Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre. Centre staff can be reached by phone at 416-978-2266 or by email at svpscentre@utoronto.ca.
• Call Campus Safety Special Constable Service to make a report at 416-9782222 (for U of T St. George and U of T Scarborough) or 905-569-4333 (for U of T Mississauga)
• Call the Women’s College Hospital Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care Centre at 416-323-6040
• Call the Scarborough Grace Sexual Assault Care Centre at 416-495-2555
• Call the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 866-863-0511
Selia Sanchez, James Bullanoff News Editor, Deputy News Editor
Content warning: This article discusses death and the recent and ongoing violence in Gaza and Lebanon.
On October 5, the Palestinian Youth Movement — a transnational, grassroots organization of young Palestinians — held an International Day of Action rally in Toronto. Nearly 50 rallies were organized in major cities across Canada and the US as part of the movement.
Among the 14 student groups across Ontario that participated in the rally were UofT Occupy for Palestine (O4P), Tkarón:to Students in Solidarity with Palestine (TSSP), the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union, and the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union.
The protesters met at King’s College Circle and marched to Yonge-Dundas Square, stopping at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
Students rallied in protest of the ongoing violence in Gaza over the past year. As of writing, more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and over 1,200 people in Israel have been killed since October 7. Since 2023, Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have also killed over 2,000 people.
The rally Approximately 150 protesters gathered at King’s College Circle around 1:00 pm to begin the rally. The protesters included students from York University and George Brown College.
Across from Simcoe Hall, the students chanted,
“disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,” and “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free.”
Since May, student protesters have demanded that the university disclose its financial holdings, divest from companies supplying weapons to Israel, and cut ties with Israeli academic institutions.
Around 30 minutes later, the protesters began to march. They went down King’s College Circle Road to College Street, walked past Queen’s Park, and turned down Yonge Street. They then stopped at Nelson Mandela Walk near the TMU campus.
In a statement to The Varsity, Sara Rasikh — a second-year masters student studying social justice education and O4P spokesperson — explained that by marching through both campuses, the protesters “made it clear that students from campuses across the province and country stand united.”
A university spokesperson wrote to The Varsity that any claims connecting the university to Israeli military action have “no basis in fact.”
As they continued to march, student protesters chanted “no tuition for destruction,” and “the students united, will never be defeated.”
By 2:30 pm, the students joined thousands of protesters gathered at Yonge-Dundas Square.
Students speak out
On the same day as the rally, TSSP released a statement to the media outlining the student protesters’ demands.
“Fourteen student groups from Toronto, Waterloo, Windsor, London, Guelph, and Kitchener are responding to the international call to action that sheds light on the ongoing genocide
Student protesters criticize speech for “textbook anti-Palestinian racism”
James Bullanoff Deputy News Editor
Content warning: This article mentions antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism.
On September 23, U of T President Meric Gertler issued his remarks at the Conference on Historical and Contemporary Antisemitism, an academic event hosted by the Lab for the Global Study of Antisemitism.
UofT Occupy for Palestine (O4P) — the student group that held the 63-day encampment at King’s College Circle — criticized Gertler’s remarks in an Instagram post as being “textbook anti-Palestinian racism.”
Gertler’s remarks
The Conference on Historical and Contemporary Antisemitism was a two-day event hosted by the Lab for the Global Study of Antisemitism at the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. The event brought together several scholars and U of T researchers with extensive expertise in antisemitism studies, marking the first academic event focused on the interdisciplinary study of antisemitism.
During the conference, Gertler spoke about the rise of antisemitism at U of T and key initiatives the university will take to combat antisemitism and all forms of racism.
He noted that Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and its aftermath created “a dramatic and deeply troubling upsurge in antisemitic acts and speech — a development that has shown itself across society, and quite dramatically at institutions of higher education, including the University of Toronto.”
“While there has been increasing concern about antisemitism on our three campuses for some time, it was greatly intensified by the presence of the en-
in Palestine, which Canadian institutions are funding through their investments in military, defence, and technology companies sustaining the genocide, as well as businesses operating on stolen Palestinian land,” the statement read.
The statement also noted how international organizations, like the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the International Court of Justice, have condemned the actions of the Israeli government as violations of international law.
“Students across Ontario have consistently protested the complicity of Canadian institutions in the 76-year occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestine by Israel throughout history,” read the statement. “As we approach one year of genocide, we not only honour our martyrs, but also the resilience of Palestinians.”
This March, a UN human rights expert reported that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that the Israeli government is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. On October 18, a UN Independent International Commission of
Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory also found that “international law obliges Israel to end its occupation.”
“Participating in the international day of action was essential to stand against the ongoing genocide in Palestine, which has been an urgent global issue for the past year,” Rasikh noted. “It’s important for us as students to show solidarity with the Palestinian people resisting colonial violence and to recognize our responsibility in challenging institutions complicit in that oppression.”
Rasikh also explained, “Students can expect more programming, including teach-ins, protests, and collaborative events between different student movements.”
“There will also be continuous efforts to engage new students in understanding the university’s role in global oppression, along with mobilizations aimed at creating sustained pressure on U of T to align its actions with the principles of justice and human rights,” she added.
campment at the heart of our St. George campus,” said Gertler, “and [the concern] remains evident in this new academic term, as tensions over the war in Gaza continue to manifest themselves.”
Gertler noted that while Justice Markus Koehnen — the judge who presided over U of T’s injunction hearing to remove the encampment — found that encampment protesters didn’t engage in antisemitic language or actions, “many members of the community experienced deeply offensive incidents of antisemitism in the vicinity of the encampment.”
“Let me acknowledge, here and now, that those incidents have caused undeniable harm to members of the Jewish community at U of T and to the [u]niversity as a whole,” said Gertler.
Gertler also acknowledged the ongoing efforts the university is taking to address antisemitism. He noted that he recently convened with an “informal group of academic colleagues,” to consider developing a definition of antisemitism for the university.
“Discrimination based on creed or place of origin does not cease to be prohibited simply because the word ‘Jewish’ or ‘Israeli’ is replaced with the word ‘Zionist,’” said Gertler.
In addition to this, he highlighted a few other initiatives, including the decision in April to no longer make statements on “matters of scholarly debate or contentious political issues;” enhancing the capacity of students, faculty and staff to “discuss and debate difficult, politically charged issues across positions of difference” through English Professor Randy Boyagoda’s Civil Discourse Working Group; and developing a User Guide to U of T Policies on Protest and Use of Campus Spaces to provide a clear outline of university protest policies, which some organizations across campus criticized.
Finally, addressing student protesters’ calls on the university to terminate all partnerships with Israeli academic institutions that support the violence in Gaza, Gertler mentioned “We remain unequivocally opposed to academic boycotts — targeting scholars or institutions simply because of the country in which they are located” and that U of T will continue supporting academic collaboration with scholars and universities in Israel.
“I and the rest of the leadership of the university are fully committed to addressing this challenge, to help avoid further injury and to move our community forward,” he said.
Student concerns
In an Instagram post on October 1, O4P criticized Gertler’s remarks and broke down key parts that they deemed problematic.
O4P wrote that Gertler’s remarks “whitewashed Israeli crimes while dehumanizing Palestinians” and that he “frames Israel’s genocide as a defensive war.”
“In his address, Gertler laid the groundwork for suppressing pro-Palestine speech on campus, saying U of T will “clarify” its definition of antisemitism while suggesting pro-Palestine
activists use the word “Zionist” as a substitute for “Jewish,”” wrote O4P.
In an email to The Varsity , Sara Rasikh — a second-year masters student studying social justice education and an O4P spokesperson — expressed being troubled by Gertler’s remarks. “It was disheartening to see the [p] resident of the University of Toronto, someone in such a powerful position, perpetuating narratives that silence and delegitimize Palestinian voices, especially at a time when the atrocities committed against Palestinians are so glaringly evident,” wrote Rasikh.
In a statement to The Varsity , a U of T spokesperson wrote that they “do not typically respond to social media postings.”
They added that “Students and other members of the community who have feedback are encouraged to contact the appropriate office or [d]ivision to express their concerns.”
In response to the spokesperson’s statement, Rasikh wrote that “Social media is a powerful platform for marginalized communities to express their voices, and dismissing these platforms reflects the university’s unwillingness to engage in a meaningful dialogue about its complicity in anti-Palestinian racism.”
Urooba Shaikh
UTSC Bureau Chief
On September 3, multiple U of T faculty, staff, and students sent a letter to UTSC’s Office of the Vice Principal and Dean (OVPD) outlining their concerns about the non-renewal of UTSC Campus Farm Coordinator Béatrice Lego’s contract, which ends on November 8.
In the letter, the UTSC community expressed concerns over the transparency surrounding Lego’s contract expiration and the future maintenance of the farm.
UTSC
The UTSC Campus Farm is a 10-acre brownfield site — a vacant or underutilized place where past industrial or commercial activities may have left contamination such as chemical pollution behind — dedicated to teaching, research, and community engagement on campus. Five acres are allocated for teaching and community engagement, while the other five support research studies for UTSC faculty and their students.
The Teaching Farm features a small orchard, an Indigenous garden is a place that lets students learn about Indigenous cultivation methods, Indigenous foods, and food sovereignty — or the ability for communities to control how food is produced, traded, and consumed — and has 30 raised planting beds. Numerous crops, including tomatoes, kale, garlic, potatoes, and herbs, have been successfully cultivated on the farm. Food grown by the farm is donated, given to student union food banks, or taken home by those who work or volunteer at the farm, as it cannot be sold.
UTSC also has a Campus Farm Master Plan, which aims to better connect the space with UTSC by furthering it as a community space for healing and wellbeing as well as research and learning opportunities.
Impacts of the removal
Farm users say that Lego’s removal will have both immediate and long-term impacts on the farm and
its operations. Lego’s role as UTSC Campus Farm Coordinator — which she has been for six years — involves guiding research, teaching, community engagement, planning for experiential learning opportunities, and managing the farm.
“The indefinite lay-off of Dr. Béatrice Lego comes as a disturbing shock to the entire Farm community, including staff, students, Indigenous collaborators, youth groups and other community partners, with no consultation that pertains to academic success,” wrote the letter.
Paul Pritchard, a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at UTSC and a member of the Red River Métis, told The Varsity that “the farm does not run without Lego.”
“We are now in a position of complete unknowing… which is totally destabilizing for what we do,” said Pritchard. “There’s just so much work to be done, and all of this has come to a standstill in many ways.”
The change has created uncertainty regarding upcoming and ongoing course plans, projects by pre-tenure faculty, and student positions. The letter stated that two work-study positions for the 2024–25 academic year have been cancelled.
“The farm is crucial to me as an Indigenous student because… it’s a safe place for us to build [a] community,” said Pritchard. “I’ve been a TA for those classes and watched how students learn to get their hands dirty. They learn about plants, and then they come back the next year.”
A lack of trust
Farm users are concerned about transparency, as there was no consultation regarding Lego’s removal or the transition plan.
Marc Cadotte, a professor of biological sciences at UTSC who sent the letter on behalf of the signers, wrote in his email obtained by The Varsity to the OVPD, “I would personally say that this is one symptom of a larger shift over the past 6 or so years towards greater administration and insufficient consultation and reduced empowerment of those that deliver the mission of the institution.”
The letter outlines that there have been very few visits to the farm from the administration, indicating
“It is about fighting for a future”: U of T students hold vigil to mourn fallen in Gaza
U of T community members speak out in solidarity with Palestinians
Damola Omole Associate News Editor
Content warning: This article discusses death and recent and ongoing violence in Gaza and Lebanon.
On October 7, members of the U of T community gathered on the steps of Sidney Smith Hall to honour and commemorate the innocent lives lost during Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
As of writing, more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and over 1,200 people in Israel have been killed since October 7. Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon have killed over 2,000 people.
UofT Occupy for Palestine (O4P) — the student group that held the 63-day encampment at King’s College Circle — and Tkarón:to Students in Solidarity with Palestine organized the gathering.
This vigil marks the first event in a series of solidarity movements for Palestine and Lebanon. Organized by O4P, the series is collectively referred to as the “Week of Rage.”
The vigil was moderated by Sara Rasikh — a second-year masters at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education and O4P spokesperson —
featured stories read by members of the crowd, statements from U of T students, an organized prayer, and a candlelight demonstration.
Stories of war
Throughout the vigil, members of the crowd took turns reading stories of individuals who lost their lives in the war on Gaza. These included Hind Rajab and her family, Gazan identical twins Mohammed and Ahmad, and Yousef Dawas.
One speaker recounted the tragedy of Rajab and said, “[Their] home in northern Gaza was surrounded and besieged by the [Israeli] occupation. Inside, over 80 people were trapped for days without food or water, until Israeli forces fired incendiary shells, burning Rahab and 80 family members to death.”
The crowd also listened to the story of Mohammed and his twin brother Ahmad. “Ahmad was killed on November 18, 2023, leaving Mohammed to mourn, writing, ‘Ahmad, my heart, my twin, my friend, was killed alongside my family in the south. God, please look after them.’”
“Mohammed’s mourning was short-lived, as he joined Ahmad in heaven on December 11, 2023,
negligence regarding the farm’s importance and needs.
Farm users also report that they have been requesting infrastructure and safety support, such as security cameras, Wi-Fi, and Campus Safety patrols, which have only recently begun to be implemented following an incident of vandalism at the farm.
In a statement to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson wrote, “Last month we experienced an act of vandalism, which was the first incident of this kind since the farm opened six years ago.”
“As a result, we installed trail cameras to monitor the site after hours. Additional safety features will be considered once infrastructure is in place.”
Danielle Kwan-Lafond, an assistant professor of sociology at UTSC who conducts teaching, research, and work-study positions on the farm and co-signer of the letter, wrote in an email obtained by The Varsity to the OVPD about concerns over the lack of administrative response.
“So much of this feels like the result of neglect and a refusal to hear the many requests that have come over the years; almost always via Béatrice, who has been faculty’s only line of communication to the Dean’s office about the Farm,” wrote Kwan-Lafond.
Concerns about the future of the farm have also arisen. In a Reddit thread posted on October 17, students discussed the possibility of the farm being replaced with a park.
Simon Reyes, a former work-study student at the farm, wrote in a statement included in the letter: “The UTSC Farm and Indigenous Garden are irreplaceable spaces for community, learning, and reconciliation. It would be a shame… to lose this space, and Béatrice as the Farm Coordinator who is extraordinary when working with students and teaching the importance of urban agriculture and farming.”
How will the gaps be filled?
On September 30, the OVPD sent an email to
the UTSC community calling for nominations for the position of Special Advisor on Teaching and Pedagogy at the Campus Farm.
According to the email, the role will involve “[promoting] a holistic understanding of agriculture and its pedagogical implications… to enhance both pedagogical effectiveness and… understanding of sustainable practices and their application.”
Farm users say they were informed that this position would be implemented as part of the Campus Farm Master Plan, and that the Office of Business, Operations, and Strategic Affairs would provide operational support. However, they were not aware that Lego’s position would be terminated along with these changes.
Liat Margolis, associate professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design and co-signer of the letter, said to The Varsity the changes will not be sufficient to fill the gaps left by Lego’s position.
Just as chemistry labs have technicians with expertise in protocols and equipment, she said, the Campus Farm requires someone who possesses the knowledge and practical skills to support its initiatives.
“What’s different here [from the chemistry labs]? “It’s the exact same, only there’s a complete disrespect and disregard to the fact that growing [a farm isn’t] something somebody from Grounds can just pick up and add to their todo list on a daily basis… That’s a completely different job description,” said Margolis.
The letter demands the renewal of Lego’s contract for at least 12 months, consultation and transparency ahead of any changes, protection of the farm from development, and fulfillment of requests for infrastructure.
In a statement to The Varsity , a U of T spokesperson wrote that, “With regards to the co-ordinator role, we want to be as forthright as possible, but for reasons of confidentiality and people’s privacy, we are not sharing more details.”
when he too was killed by [an] Israeli airstrike.”
A speaker also shared Dawas’ story. “Yousef was a musician, writer, social activist, and a poet. [His] dream was to become a psychoanalyst, [and] he also dreamed of travelling to Palestinian cities that he was never allowed to see. Yousef was killed on October 14, 2023, with 27 members of his family.”
Several members of the U of T community with direct ties to the war shared stories about its impact on them and their families. Due to the sensitive nature of the accounts, the individuals who spoke chose to remain anonymous.
One speaker reflected on the war from the perspective of having family in Gaza.
“I remember my grandparents were there. I remember being scared for them, for other family members — aunts, uncles, distant cousins, people my mother and father grew up with. I remember it being 11 days of bombing. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t the first time they bombed Gazans. They bomb, Gazans persevere
and rebuild. That was the context Gazans lived [in] — life around the constant threat of escalated aggression.”
“Today, we honor the martyrs from the past year, but in a way, it almost feels like we must also honor the martyrs of right now, the martyrs of tomorrow and the next day and so on because it hasn’t ended.” the speaker continued. “Instead, we see this same pain and suffering inflicted on more people, and even though it’s been a year, it feels like the past October all over again.”
If you or someone you know is in distress, you can call:
• Canada Suicide Prevention Service phone available 24/7 at 1-833-456-4566
• Good 2 Talk Student Helpline at 1-866925-5454
• Connex Ontario Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600
• Gerstein Centre Crisis Line at 416-9295200
• U of T Health & Wellness Centre at 416978-8030
October 22, 2024
thevarsity.ca/category/business biz@thevarsity.ca
Jessie Schwalb Governance Correspondent
At a September 25 Business Board meeting, the U of T administration revealed that the encampment cost the university at least $4.1 million. On the September 17 Planning and Budget Committee, the administration also spotlighted an April ransomware attack that exposed thousands of Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) alumni’s personal information and revealed vulnerabilities in U of T’s cyber security infrastructure.
Encampment and $4.1 million
Scott Mabury — U of T’s vice-president operations and real estate partnerships & vice-provost academic operations — told the Business Board that the student protesters’ 63-day encampment on King’s College Circle had cost the university $4.1 million. The protesters demanded that U of T disclose its investments, stop investing in companies providing weapons and services to the Israeli military, and cut ties with Israeli universities.
Direct costs such as hiring lawyers to secure an injunction permitting U of T to remove the encampment and paying for increased security and repairs made up $3.8 million of the sum. The remaining $300,000 was the revenue that the university didn’t receive, either from parking at King’s College Circle Garage or cancelled events. Mabury said that the $4.1 million sum encompasses most of the costs, although U of T might have to pay a few more legal bills.
The university declined to respond to The Varsity ’s question about how much U of T spent on lawyer fees.
In U of T’s submission to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on May 29, U of T’s Chief Operating Officer of Property Services & Sustainability, Ron Saporta wrote
that as of May 22, the encampment cost the university more than $300,000 in property damage, security costs, health and safety, and reorganizing events.
According to Campus Safety Community Liaison & Support Team Assistant Director Ryan Dow, approximately two-thirds of the cost resulted from paying for increased security. Justice Markus Koehnen cited the “unrecoverable costs” to the university in his ruling in favour of the university.
“So that’s bad”
On April 22, OISE experienced a ransomware attack that exposed personal data for up to 14,238 people. More than 8,200 of those people experienced breaches of private information that included their Social Insurance Numbers (SIN).
“So that’s bad,” said Mabury in the September 17 Planning and Budget Committee meeting where he discussed the attack.
Mabury told the committee that much of the data exposed was “end of life,” which means that it is not of any use whatsoever. He also noted that the data included SIN from students who had graduated in the late 2000s. “There is no reason to have that data, certainly in an unprotected environment,” he said, due to it being outdated.
The university’s retention policies state that records of students who graduated should be kept for seven years after graduation. After seven years, departments can destroy masters’ student records and transfer doctoral student records to the archives. Student award and invoice records are only kept for six years after graduation and then destroyed.
According to Mabury, lacklustre security practices including reused passwords and accounts made OISE vulnerable. The
incomplete inventory of its data also made it more difficult for the division to figure out what it had lost.
David Lie — a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society — told The Varsity in an interview that inventory practices can vary wildly between institutions across Canada. Private information might be spread across different units or people, which can make it hard to know what information the institution actually has.
U of T notified the individuals impacted by the attack — most of whom are alumni — and offered them credit monitoring. The university did not engage with the hackers. In total, the attack cost OISE $250,000 and removed its faculty from the web for two weeks, which hampered work.
Since the attack, OISE has changed administration passwords, reset systems, installed anti-viral software, and re-secured its servers. OISE now also has 100 per cent endpoint protection: security on user devices to prevent hackers from gaining entry.
According to Lie, endpoint protection is important but difficult to achieve. He explained that users might use bad passwords or devices with malware, and that devices can even fall into the wrong hands. “There’s all sorts of risks that are associated with an endpoint that's physically in the possession of a single user that doesn’t necessarily have a lot of security training.”
However, Mabury noted that, “from a learning standpoint, we are still very vulnerable.” He explained that AI has increased the risk of fishing since generative AI can craft phishing emails at a cheaper and larger scale. “So the concern lies more around increased volume,” he said.
Especially given the recent increased volume of phishing emails, Lie highlighted the importance of setting up multi-factor authentication. “It’s annoying, but it’s actually a very effective line of defense against phishing,” he explained. “The chances you’re going to fall for [a phishing email] is not if, but when.”
U of T has not yet finalized its student counts for the year. However, the current data suggest that the university is overperforming on domestic enrolment but enrolled around 800 fewer international students than targeted.
Considering that most international students enrolled with the Faculty of Arts & Sciences pay $61,720 in tuition, Mabury noted during the Planning and Budget Committee meeting that the university’s tuition revenue will be $40 million to $50 million less than planned.
Mabury told the board that the downward trend in international enrolment reflects issues across Canada. From September to October 2023, the Canadian government accused the Indian government of killing a Canadian British Columbian resident and activist who was wanted by Indian authorities, launching a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. This past year, U of T experienced a 40 per cent drop in applications from Indian international students.
In January, the federal government announced that it would cut the number of international undergraduate study permits it issues by 35 per cent and announced an additional 10 per cent cut on September 18. It also put in place additional barriers to obtaining post-graduation work permits. “The country seems to be telling the rest of the world that we don’t want them,” Mabury said.
The next Business Board meeting is scheduled for November 27.
Thomas Law Labour Correspondent
Content warning: This article contains descriptions of violence and mentions antisemitism.
While U of T’s pro-Palestinian encampment has cleared, the topic of Israel’s war on Palestine remains divisive on campus, especially after CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn attracted significant controversy for his public statements in support of Palestine.
On August 11, Hahn reposted a video on Facebook featuring a Paris 2024 Olympics diver, who has a Star of David tattoo on his arm. As the diver descends into the swimming pool, the video cuts to footage of a falling bomb, followed by scenes of explosions, destruction, and children being evacuated.
After receiving backlash from CUPE members, Hahn deleted his post with the video a week later and issued an apology, stating, “My intent was never to associate Jewish people with the violence enacted by the state of Israel.”
CUPE’s National Executive Board (NEB), on which Hahn also serves as a general vice-president, subsequently voted on August 20 to remove him from his provincial and executive positions. However, CUPE had no legal recourse to oust him, as he was appointed through a democratic vote. As of writing, Hahn remains in his post.
Leading CUPE efforts
As the provincial head, Hahn is responsible for many unionized workforces at U of T — although not all unions fall under his preview, such as the Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 578, representing research associates at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Hahn’s remit includes CUPE 3902, which represents U of T’s education and research workers, as well as
CUPE 1230, which represents U of T librarians.
Hahn demonstrated his support for U of T workers who threatened to go on strike last winter over concerns related to pay, working conditions, and outdated contract terms. In February, he spoke at a rally at Convocation Hall, addressing workers from across various U of T unions united in their demands. On March 4, U of T workers received new and improved terms, including salary increases.
Supporting protests for Palestine
However, supporting workers’ rights would not be Hahn’s last appearance at U of T this year, nor are his social media posts his first brush with controversy. The day after October 7, 2023, Hahn posted a message on X celebrating the “power of resistance,” which included the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Laura Gu
Varsity Contributor
We are two weeks away from the 2024 US presidential election day. Current national polling averages show that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are neck and neck.
Both candidates have invested heavily in paid media, which now accounts for 46 per cent of total campaign spending. The candidates are competing for votes in an era where digital
marketing increasingly outshines traditional canvassing methods, such as door-to-door solicitation and phone banking.
Current Vice-President Harris’ campaign has distinguished itself through its use of reactive marketing — quickly responding to real-time events and trending topics to engage with the audience at the moment. Her approach mirrors corporate marketing strategies, such as Coca Cola’s billboards promoting social distancing during COVID-19. Harris’ campaign has
In May, Hahn and other union members, including those from the Ontario Federation of Labour, were seen hugging and shaking hands with the protestors outside the encampment. On July 2, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted U of T a court order to clear the encampment by July 3, and the protestors dispersed before coming into contact with law enforcement.
Dividing lines
Hahn’s latest controversy has drawn out supporters and detractors from both sides of the divide.
Both CUPE 1230 and CUPE 3902 released official statements expressing their support for Hahn. CUPE 1230 stated, “We are witnessing a national open-air brouhaha in which we, the members of CUPE Ontario, must scramble to piece together the facts while Doug Ford and his ministers praise
utilized trending meme formats and celebrity endorsements to connect with Gen Z.
About Harris’ campaign
Shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race on July 21 and endorsed Harris, she rapidly rebranded her image, focusing on engaging Gen Z with more relatable and culturally relevant messaging.
Harris’ campaign accounts on X, TikTok, and Instagram were emblazoned with blurry lowercase letters on a bright green background: a design inspired by the cover of Charli XCX’s recent album, Brat. This design emerged following Charli XCX’s public endorsement of Harris, in which she posted on X that, “Kamala IS brat.”
Similarly, kamalahq’s best-performing TikTok video, which has garnered over 59 million views, references Chappell Roan’s song, “Femininomenon.” Harris has embraced a playful and approachable persona on social media, often going
the CUPE NEB.” In August, Ford had referred to Hahn as a “bully” and a “disgusting human being,” in response to the video Hahn reposted.
In their statement, CUPE 3902’s Executive Committee reaffirmed “long-standing solidarity with the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation and apartheid.”
However, reactions to Hahn’s post and NEB’s vote to remove him are neither uniform nor universal. Groups like the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs have called for Hahn’s resignation.
In November 2023, nearly 30 CUPE members filed a human rights claim with Canada’s Human Rights Tribunal over systemic discrimination and antisemitism, claiming that CUPE has engaged in “systemic discrimination and promoted antisemitism,” with Hahn’s actions making Jewish members feel isolated.
Many have also defended Hahn’s statements, with an online petition demanding his retention attracting over 200,000 signatories.
Working in solidarity
Canadian trade unionists have a history of supporting foreign causes, including opposing the Vietnam War in the 1960s and vocalizing their opposition to South African apartheid. At CUPE’s National Convention in October 2023, the membership voted to “conduct member education about the history of Israel’s occupation and colonization of Palestine, Canada’s complicity, and what trade unions can do to support a just peace.”
CUPE 3902’s statement maintained that the decision “aligns with decades-long labour organizing to connect workers’ struggles globally and practice solidarity through worker-led action.”
The statement further emphasized, “In line with our union values, the CUPE 3902 Executive Committee asserts that freedom struggles everywhere are workers’ struggles and, therefore, integral to the strength of the labour movement.”
by her first name or the nickname “Mamala,” and leaning into light-hearted, viral moments, such as her story about coconut trees.
Recent polls show that these efforts are making a difference. A SocialSphere Survey in battleground states found that Harris’ favourability among registered voters aged 18 to 29 rose by 16 percentage points, from 33 per cent to 49 per cent, between July and August.
Financing the campaign
Marketing Harris’ campaign has been costly. In August, her campaign spent $135 million on media buys and ad production — which accounts for nearly 78 per cent of her total spending, and is more than three times Trump’s expenditure in the same category. According to The Washington Post, Harris has allocated additional funds for bells and whistles, typically used in corporate product launches and professional sports championships, to generate more noise.
However, this investment has paid off. By August, Harris had spent a total of $174 million on her campaign, garnering attention and support that translated into $190 million in donations. This means her campaign raised $16 million more than it spent. In contrast, Trump’s campaign spent more money than it raised, resulting in a deficit of $16 million.
Reactive marketing behind Harris’ appeal to Gen Z
According to Time Magazine, Harris has invested heavily in data collection and analysis, enabling her campaign to gain insights into voter demographics, identify key issues, and engage effectively with potential voters.
One unique aspect of Harris’ campaign is its use of reactive marketing exemplified by the campaign’s embrace of the “Brat” persona. Both Forbes and the United States Studies Centre agree that her strategy resonates particularly with Gen Z, as it aligns with the generation’s values of authenticity and rejects the polished “clean girl” aesthetic: a phenomenon reflected in the popular Brat album.
October 22, 2024
thevarsity.ca/category/science science@thevarsity.ca
you? Or against
Carolyn Liu-Kang Varsity Contributor
Imagine this: you finally decide to reach out to a medical professional about your smoking habits, and they place you in front of a conversational artificial intelligence (AI) bot. Or maybe you’re plowing through piles of research papers for hours when software can summarize them for you in seconds. Large language models (LLMs) are an exciting
AI tool, developing at a dizzying pace with what seems like endless possibilities. LLMs are deep learning models that can process and generate language. Many experts have cautioned against its potential detrimental uses. Research on advancing what AI can do is important. However, it’s just as important to understand what it can’t.
From October 4–5, the Data Sciences Institute and Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society at U of T held a hackathon and
most common critters around U of T
How does animal behaviour change in populated areas like our campus?
Matthew Bain
Varsity Contributor
It isn’t uncommon to see one or more students on U of T’s campuses waving their hands at a squirrel in a bid to lure them over. Wildlife exists across the city, but the university is a notable hub for different animals. While animals are common across rural areas in Canada, many of these species on campus have adapted in various ways to thrive in urban environments.
Tree squirrels: At home in a trash can
An interesting difference between urban and suburban areas is that while squirrels on campus freely approach students, those outside of the urban area are anything but calm.
In the suburbs, squirrels often flee up trees at the first notion of a person noticing them, while those in forested areas are almost seldom, owing to their more cautious lifestyle. Lingwen Ye, a first-year UTSG student, is still getting used to university life. She wrote in an email to The Varsity that the squirrels on campus are “much bolder than the squirrels I’ve encountered in the past… [and] they are everywhere.”
What creates such a change? Well, by hanging around groups of people regularly, being called over and fed often, the squirrels lose their aversion to humans. Their flight initiation distance — or the range at which they begin to run — quickly begins to decrease. The animals are also better able to feed themselves, complementing their diet with what food people toss them and what they can scavenge from the ground or trash bins.
George Mason University student Kate Ritzel and assistant professor Travis Gallo published a
symposium titled, “Responsible LLM-Human Collaboration.” I attended a few talks on October 5, ranging from bias in AI models to ethical challenges in AI reasoning.
AI’s trustworthiness
How reliable are the answers provided by these AIpowered conversational agents?
Zhijing Jin — an incoming computer science assistant professor at U of T — posed this question. She started off her talk on improving LLMs’ reliability and cooperation through causal reasoning with a striking example. Asking the Google AI search agent how many rocks you should eat per day generated the following response: “At least one a day, keeps the doctor away.”
Common sense tells us that’s not quite the right answer. These AI errors are called ‘hallucinations,’ which are misleading results generated by AI models. While these agents are good at combing through large databases for quick responses, Jin asked the crowd: what do we do if their sources are wrong?
Other presenters highlighted these so-called hallucinations as a prevalent issue, from software engineers to data analysts alike. Enamul Hoque Prince, associate professor and the director at York University’s School of Information Technology, mentioned ChatGPT’s ability to interpret visual data. He found that when prompted to make a conclusion about a chart displaying a decreasing trend anywhere between 2020–2023, it tended to incorrectly blame the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, what can we do about it? Jin mentioned the importance of understanding the cause of phenomena, as opposed to their correlation. When you ask an AI model a question, its database may only give an answer that is most common with that question, instead of what the answer should be. Causal queries — requests inputted into an AI system that looks at the cause and effect of different outputs — are one of the tools they utilize on the output answer. Think of it as fact-checking
its response with other prompts to determine how LLM’s make these mistakes.
Ethical biases in AI Society is privy to biases about other groups and identities. Is AI the same?
Yasir Zaki, assistant computer science professor at the New York University in Abu Dhabi, researched this question. Zaki looked at an image generator called SDXL and simply asked it to generate a photo of a person.
After SDXL generated 10,000 images, 47 per cent of the images represented white people and 65 per cent of them were men.
When prompted to show a photo of a person with specific professions, SDXL displayed biases as well, with photos of men dominating most professions, while many photos generated of women were for stereotypically female positions such as nurses or secretaries.
Is this inherent to the model? Zaki found that part of the bias comes from the data the model was trained on, and part of it is how the model has been tuned. They developed their own models that better distribute the results to emulate our population.
What can we do as casual users of AI?
Overall, caution should be taken when using any artificial intelligence tool. While researchers are working on bridging the gap in reliable and ethical uses, the question remains on who the responsibility falls onto. We all have a role in protecting and ensuring reliable information is being used. At the end of the day, our brain is the most important tool in our arsenal.
As someone who is slightly afraid of AI, I left the symposium with a feeling of bewilderment at all the potential that these LLMs can offer in our daily lives. The conference offered a less fearful and more realistic look at the problems AI proposed and what needs to be improved, demystifying the grand promises many people attribute to the technology.
collection of research in the academic journal Frontiers, which documents this change in mammals. They concluded that “as learning and behavioural adjustments are the primary ways animals cope with environments, the highly modified urban landscape provides a proving ground for the ability of wildlife to adapt.” The animals that can adapt to living in an urban environment are the ones to thrive, as the survival of the fittest goes.
Of course, living in such a populated area also carries risks for the small creatures. Pest control, other animals, and vehicles all pose dangers to the city’s squirrels, which continues their aversion to human activities and potentially fuels aggression.
“They don’t seem to be particularly bothered by humans, but… they keep a wary eye around us,” wrote Ye. After all, few things move as fast as a squirrel trapped inside a building.
A bird’s eye view of the city’s population
In the same vein, many avian species change their behaviour in response to urbanization. One of the birds most associated with city life — pigeons — has adapted much like the squirrel. Flourishing next to humans, pigeons on campus hover close to humans and fly off only when startled or charged. Digging into trash bins and picking up discarded street food, pigeons have learned that people — especially students — mean easy access to food.
Another U of T student, V Tucci, brought up the fact that “they’re here because we domesticated them, and then we let them go… [now they’re] being domesticated by people [again].”
Humans have domesticated pigeons for centuries, keeping them for show, as pets, and as messengers, but were released into the wild. Since they were bred to be good at living in urban cen-
tres, they’re a very common sight across the city.
Though some may think of pigeons as pests, others are beginning to take feral pigeons in as pets.
Another common bird — the house sparrow — flutters off at the slightest provocation in a great cloud of flocks. They pick at seeds, buds, and berries, and are found wherever humans are. These tiny birds thrive off of the security we provide from natural predators.
What else hides on our campus?
Perhaps when one thinks of animals living in urban centres, perhaps none come to mind more readily than the rat or mouse. These rodents, experienced in feeding off the waste of humans, are considered pests by most people, with exterminators being contacted for students on residence should one be seen.
With such an effort to be rid of them, rats and mice have come to be more nocturnal, appearing at times when they are less likely to be seen and flee at the first sign of danger. By risking themselves in the bid for food, the survivors have learned to avoid people, while still benefiting from their presence.
When someone mentions life that has been affected by urban sprawl, one likely doesn’t picture plant life; however, the flora around the school has similarly adapted to the life of students. One can see large pathways of dirt slicing through Queen’s Park — known as desire paths which arise as unplanned trails caused by people eroding the ground beneath — track the regular movements as students hurry from one building to another.
At UTSC, the Ma Moosh Ka Win Valley Trail provides ample space for students to enjoy nature. As people continue to travel on the path, they may trample plant life and compress the soil, making it more difficult for vegetation to bloom. On the opposite end of the spectrum, trees are often given ample space to expand, while mushroom colonies bloom in the less travelled areas.
Ultimately, with such diverse wildlife around U of T, running into something with a beak or paws between classes is a common occurrence. Living alongside almost 100,000 students, wildlife around the campus has been forced to adapt to our movements, working in a form of symbiosis as everyone tries to carve out their own ecological niche.
offers an accessible avenue to learning about the climate crisis
Steve Easterbrook’s work provides a detailed history of climate modelling
In today’s world, where the effects of the climate crisis are seen in increasingly fierce storms, unpredictable seasons, and the alarming frequency of wildfires, it is more crucial than ever to understand the science behind these events. Steve Easterbrook, a computer science professor and the director of U of T’s School of the Environment, draws on his experience at NASA’s Independent Software Verification and Validation Facility in his book Computing the Climate, which makes complex climate model science accessible and relatable.
Climate models are tools that scientists use to
understand Earth’s past, present, and future climate. Easterbrook demystifies the complex world of climate modelling, connecting it directly with our personal and community experiences, helping us to grasp what we know about the climate crisis and how to predict its impacts. Easterbrook’s book serves as a beacon for those who find science intimidating yet recognize its profound influence on our daily lives.
Translating complex science into everyday action
At the heart of Easterbrook’s work is a commitment to making the intricate details of climate science accessible to everyone. Imagine understanding predictions about rising sea levels or more intense heat waves without needing a degree in meteorology. He uses clear, jargon-free language to explain these complex models, allowing us to grasp how predictions are made and why they matter — whether it involves choosing renewable energy sources or advocating for policy changes.
Easterbrook’s narrative is more than just a series of explanations — it’s a story of human ingenuity and determination. He traces the evolution of climate science from early experiments to sophisticated models like the Community Earth System Model Version 2, showing that behind every scientific advancement are people — who are passionate, curious, and sometimes flawed but who always strive to better understand our world. This historical perspective helps us appreciate the depth and breadth of battling the climate crisis, connecting the dots between our past efforts and our current struggles.
Computing the Climate is informative and empowering to read. Easterbrook provides the readers with a clear understanding of how predictions are formulated, which equips us with the tools to make informed decisions about our future. Whether it’s voting on local environmental issues or engaging in policy debates, the knowledge gained from this book places power in the hands of the reader.
Equipping us to face climate challenges
This book is a call to action; an invitation to move beyond passive concern and actively engage with the greatest challenge of our time. For anyone overwhelmed by the doom and gloom of climate predictions in the media, Easterbrook offers a message of hope and empowerment: understand the models, understand the science, and you can help craft solutions. In the last chapter, the book explains how climate models have accurately predicted global warming for over a century and helped combat climate misinformation. By breaking down complex data into accessible language, readers are empowered to grasp the urgency of staying within the two degrees Celsius global temperature limit and to take specific actions, such as supporting international climate policies.
Among the compelling reviews of Easterbrook’s Computing the Climate, one point stands out for its
broad appeal. Prominent climate scientist Michael Mann highlights in a review that Easterbrook’s work not only explains how climate models function and their critical role in predicting and mitigating the climate crisis, but also argues why we must trust these models and act upon their warnings before it is too late. For instance, Easterbrook discusses the 1992 Earth Summit and subsequent global climate policies, highlighting how understanding these models can guide our support for policies like the two degrees Celsius limit and net-zero emissions.
Easterbrook offers a message of hope and empowerment: understand the models, understand the science, and you can help craft solutions.
Computing the Climate is an essential read not only for those intrigued by the mechanics of climate models but for anyone concerned about the future of our planet — parents, business owners, activists, and especially students. At the forefront of bridging academic knowledge with real-world application, Easterbrook has designed an innovative course at U of T, titled ENV101 — Confronting the Climate Crisis.
Open to all undergraduates, this course uniquely equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to proactively address the challenges of a changing climate. Discussing the climate crisis from a social, scientific, economic, and cultural perspective, prepares undergraduates not only to understand but to engage with and influence the course of our environment.
Computing the Climate distills complex scientific concepts into understandable and actionable knowledge, which extends the ethos of Easterbrook’s course. The book invites readers into a vital global conversation about our collective future. Engaging with it is not merely an academic exercise; it is an act of responsibility and empowerment. For everyone who experiences daily weather changes and contemplates long-term climate shifts, picking up this book is a step toward becoming an informed, proactive participant.
Content warning: This article discusses misogyny, sexual violence, substance use, and eating disorders.
My mother loves to travel. Or, more accurately, she loves to fantasize about it. Imagining herself as a tourist taking on the glamourous streets of Paris or the chaotic medinas of Marrakesh. Sooner or later, however, she is forced to abandon that elusive realm of possibility for the realities of wifehood and motherhood.
Countless times I’ve sat at our oakwood dinner table, lazily stirring the bowl of chicken noodle soup my mother made me when she asks how the food is. Does it need more salt? Is that spoon the right size for you?
However, what she really wants to ask is: Am I a good enough mother? Have my sacrifices for you been worth it?
As a South Asian woman, my mother was raised to believe the emotional and mental burdens she takes on are translations of her love and worthiness as a mother. But I often wonder what about her self is independent of this? Who does her emotional caretaking?
I sometimes find myself taking after her accommodating personality. In my friendships with some men, I find myself hyper-analyzing what I said and how I acted, while retrospectively contemplating the social situation from their perspective. I try — sometimes foolishly — to discern their feelings, intentions, and desires, often more than they themselves are expected to.
I recognize that as social creatures, it will always be our destiny to find the greatest comfort and meaning in relationships with others. However, I don’t believe women must attain this at the expense of self-minimization, of self-sacrifice, all for a patriarchal sense of the greater good or compliance with societal expectations of women, mothers, and daughters.
The righteousness of sacrifice
Sacrificing one’s menial comforts, or even something more significant, for a cause greater than oneself has long been a beacon of nobility in religious and political realms. In fact, the ritual and concept of sacrifice date back to many ancient civilizations that practiced polytheistic religions and, subsequently, the Old Testament, which laid the foundation for Christian ideals of sacrifice. Material and human sacrifices — specifically practiced by Mesoamerican societies before Christopher Columbus’ arrival — were central to establishing, strengthening, and restoring divine alignment with deities, thereby achieving a state of salvation and spiritual cleanliness.
Revolutions that would go on to alter the course of history have often been galvanized by instances of martyrdom. Take, for example, the execution of King Louis XVI during the French revolution. For the revolutionaries, his guillotining was sanctioned as the gateway to a new democracy, while for supporters of the monarchy he was a Christian martyr whose spirit would return to save France from the sins of its revolutionaries.
To surrender and sacrifice then, is to lay oneself bare, spiritually, and emotionally, at the dawn of a cause greater than ourselves. Even divorced from the religious and political, sacrifice is an intensely personal aspiration that reveals our true priorities and strength, helping us build a clearer portrait of who we are as individuals.
But this romanticized notion of sacrifice is far removed from the realities faced by women and young girls as they navigate work, romance, wifehood, motherhood, aging, or most importantly, selfhood.
Interpersonal as well as societal relationships between men and women function as a political institution designed to ensure men’s physical, economic, and emotional access to women. Similarly, patriarchy operates to institutionally socialize women towards a sacrificial identity to ensure the ‘greater good’ in relationships, families, workplaces, and even entire nations.
Women’s dual role in the domestic and public spheres highlights the normalization of women’s unpaid labour in the household alongside their contributions to the public or professional spheres.
In a 2008 study in The International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, several professional women in India spoke about their perceptions of their role in society and relationships. One woman said, “I gave up a professional career in a multinational company, which I planned for myself, but this was a voluntary decision when I got married and had children.” Another woman with a masters degree claimed that because her husband is busy as a lawyer, he “is totally dependent on” her to stay home and take care of him.
Outside of paid work, women do two and a half times more unpaid care and domestic labour. Unpaid care work includes not only the physical labour of running a household but also the emotional investment in raising and caring for children and other dependents, such as the elderly or in-laws. On top of this, women are expected to make it all look effortless. The household work that women do — whether they’re raising children or pursuing a career — often goes unappreciated because it is a gender expectation and does not create material value.
A patriarchal society redefines sacrifice as tied to women’s worthiness in this world, whether that be worthiness for her husband, her children, or society at large. Without this necessary reconditioning, the patriarchy would not survive as it thrives on the unacknowledged sacrifices of women.
The gendered burden of sacrifice: perceptions and consequences
Even though patriarchal standards harm men too, sacrifice is a gendered conversation because the motivations behind and consequences of sacrifices differ between men and women. The patriarchy associates femininity with vulnerability, dependency, and complacency, and defines masculinity through power, status, and strength — and individuals such as low-income men or members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community who do not conform are often outcasted as ‘effeminate.’
Gendered dynamics of sacrifice often play out in intimate relationships between men and women, where the sacrificial capacities of each partner contribute to the stability of the relationship. However, in a healthy relationship, a balanced level of commitment, where both partners should be willing to make sacrifices is important. Yet women and men inhabit different social roles mandated by the patriarchy, which creates sacrificial asymmetry.
According to a 2020 study in Current Issues in Personality Psychology, although both partners sacrifice for the relationship, men perform sacrifices tied to their lifestyle and sense of obligation such as socializing more with their partners than their male friends, while women make sacrifices associated with their socialized roles as nurturers and caregivers — often sacrificing their own emotional
and psychological wellbeing for that of the family or relationship.
Some may argue that the masculine and feminine capacities for sacrifice complement each other to mutually stabilize a family or relationship. However, this perspective overlooks the importance of achieving harmony in a way where both partners contribute equally to emotional and material sacrifices.
When one party in a relationship feels that they’ve given up or compromised more of themselves — such as women who do all the emotional work in a relationship, or who have sacrificed their careers for their husbands’ benefit — the imbalance of sacrifice can often breed discontent. Therefore, it is unsurprising and perhaps warranted that the asymmetry inherent in the social roles of men and women can create a sense of injustice in women.
The societally ordained capacity for certain types of sacrifice between men and women serves as an arbiter for both masculinity and femininity. Both men and women make sacrifices to maintain a positive impression of their masculinity or femininity among their interpersonal relationships. The crucial difference is that women make sacrifices for the men in their lives, while men, too, make these sacrifices for the approval of other men. If women are not to be sidelined, they’re forced to impose the patriarchal standards on other women, just to have a leg up over some women — but never over men.
The patriarchal panopticon
While both men and women sacrifice, women often face tangible consequences when they fail to make suitable sacrifices — oftentimes to accommodate the egos of men.
For example, in many South Asian households, women who do not follow a prescribed timeline of marriage and motherhood may experience both humiliation from their families and internalized perceived incompetence as women. In certain cases, their families may even cut ties with them financially.
The panopticon, a term coined by philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham, describes an architectural design in which individuals cannot know when or if they are being watched by an authority figure, and are thus compelled to selfregulate to avoid punishment from said figure. The patriarchal architecture has a similar design, where women and other gender minorities behave in ways that cater to the gaze of the patriarchy in order to pacify or please it. In doing so, sacrifices become inevitable.
Sacrifice is survival: Bangladesh’s Kandapara village
Women’s sacrifice is systemic and normalized in Bangladesh’s Kandapara brothel village.
On a dewy evening, a young woman navigating the labyrinthine and reckless streets of Kandapara, waits in line at a local makeshift pharmacy. She doesn’t have a prescription, nor does she know the consequences of the drug she’s about to request from the “pharmacy vendor.” Wide-eyed and jittery, the woman hurries back to her pimp with the medication in hand, avoiding the gazes of men who will soon become her clients as the night nears.
Kandapara, Bangladesh’s oldest and largest legalized brothel, is a slum where girls and women are not only prostituted but also live in, often without formal access to education. Though sex work was legalized in Bangladesh in 2000, sex trafficking and exploitation were not, and those are the primary ways young girls enter Bangladesh’s Kandapara brothel village. Through watching several documentaries and
standards. Just look at the ‘Sephora Kids’ — 10-year-old girls spending hundreds of dollars on harmful skin products — to the climbing numbers of people, including teenagers, getting plastic surgery. In 2020, 92 per cent of all procedures globally were for women. However, sacrifice itself is not the enemy; rather, it is the unequal burden on women to sacrifice and conform to patriarchal social roles that is problematic. It is not the desire to be beautiful that is of concern, but the obligation to be, specifically for the appetite of men.
The parts of ourselves we choose to sacrifice for a ‘greater good’ we deem worthy reveal much about our identities and the world we live in. But to question, resist, and prioritize one’s needs and self-vision in the face of
In parts of the world where this sacrificial identity is deeply ingrained and goes uncontested, how can we expect women to build strong identities independent of the patriarchal panopticon?
sacrificial demands often invites accusations of selfishness, immorality, and being unfeminine.
In many South Asian and other deeply patriarchal societies, for instance, the pinnacle of womanhood is often defined by the roles of mother, ‘good wife,’ and a palatable daughterin-law. When a woman becomes a mother, she must juggle emotional, financial, and physical sacrifices. In contrast, men, who are highly respected in Indian society, are primarily expected to fulfill the role of a provider, often materially, to be celebrated. Meanwhile, the mothers and wives tend to operate in the background of their husbands’ lives.
Invisibility and sacrifice: self-erasure in relationships
The work that women do — whether it involves raising children, pursuing a career, or sacrificing their own ambitions for others — often goes unappreciated because it is expected without their contestation. For many women, sacrifice becomes
a form of emotional and cognitive labour rooted in their relationships with men. Social expectations impose an unequal burden on women, demanding that they not only manage their own emotional and cognitive states, but also do the ‘invisible’ work of catering to and appeasing the emotional states of
I needn’t look further than my mother to understand why so much of her emotional and cognitive energy is directed toward her interpersonal dynamics with my father, as she has always been the emotional caretaker in her relationship with him. Whenever their arguments escalated, it would often end with my father barging into his room, slamming the door — the sound reverberating through the house. It was always my mother’s job to explain to us what had happened — but why?
My mother is happy to fulfill her duties as the emotional caretaker of the family, while also being a professional. However, I’ve come to understand that her willing obedience is a form of self-inflicted invisibility — a form of self-erasure rooted in the expectation to cater to the patriarchal gaze of who she is supposed to be.
Oftentimes, oppression isn’t grand. It can be woven into the fabrics of everyday life, manifesting in the trivial duties we assume as a consequence of a patriarchal society, under the belief that these roles we play will bring us happiness.
Self-erasure is the key demand of the patriarchal project on women. Construing the sacrificial identity, even to brutal lengths, as a definer of a woman’s worth as a mother, professional, and human being tells women that they must fully sacrifice their vision of who they want to be in order to be worthy of their femininity — to earn it,
To see one’s self entirely and independently of the sacrificial roles is to exercise a rebellious facet of self-love. Indeed, this capacity to recognize ourselves as whole — acknowledging our desires, feelings, pains, and triumphs as fully realized and not contingent upon another’s definition — is true self-love. It is this awareness that can halt the cycle of generational harm.
Women have always been the backbones of families, communities, and economies. They have been and continue to be the soul of revolutions that have shaken the world. It is a woman’s trust in her true self, along with the power and expression that comes with it, that forms the lifeblood of all that is sacred in this world.
But in parts of the world where this sacrificial identity is deeply ingrained and goes uncontested, how can we expect women to build strong identities independent of the patriarchal panopticon? As a student, typing this out behind a screen and continents apart from the women in Kandapara, I can only address so much of their realities and the culture of sacrifice and patriarchy upholding it.
But I think it’s important to note that the same parasitic patriarchy that enslaves reluctant sex workers in Bangladesh is the same one that affects women and men everywhere, regardless of geographical boundaries. As a woman, my personal resistance against any form of toxicity imposed on me will only manage to disrupt a small corner of patriarchy; but this does not demotivate me. We might not be able to undo centuries of systemic oppression by our individual defiance, but neither are we free to abandon trying altogether.
October 22, 2024
thevarsity.ca/category/opinion opinion@thevarsity.ca
Ava Reitmaier Stone Campus Affairs Columnist
Content warning: This article discusses sexual violence and mentions rape, racism, transphobia, and ableism.
In the wake of recent accusations of misconduct at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, there are tensions surrounding an even earlier instance of sexual violence on campus — UTM Biology Professor Robert Reisz and his continued employment despite an external investigation finding him guilty of sexual harassment.
At the time of writing, U of T is in the first eight weeks of the semester — the infamous “Red Zone” when most sexual violence occurs on university campuses — and our attention is being drawn to the prevalence of abuse and harassment in our community.
At times like these, it’s important for us to remember that when deciding whether to believe a survivor, believing is often the more logical choice.
A history of sexual violence on campus
In 2020, U of T alumni Yara Haridy and Bryan Gee submitted a 72-page report to U of T’s Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, detailing the bullying, sexual harassment, and racism they experienced by their then-graduate advisor, Reisz. U of T hired a workplace investigator, who determined that Reisz was guilty of violating the university’s Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy — citing incidents such as calling Haridy “babe” in an email and saying “if [I] were a few years younger [I] could really go for someone like [Haridy].”
Despite the investigation’s verdict, Reisz remains an active professor at UTM. In November 2022, an open letter which now has almost 2,000 signatures called on the university to terminate Reisz, to no avail. When The Varsity asked President Meric Gertler about Reisz’s continued employment and the steps U of T has taken to inform students of his conduct in a 2023 interview, he offered little beyond a generic statement about promoting safety and inclusivity within the community.
Recently, the Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, Response, for Survivors (PEARS) project is a “trauma-informed” group dedicated to supporting survivors of violence and abuse at U of T again. On September 17, PEARS issued an open letter recounting numerous reports of sexual harassment, racism, transphobia, and ableism at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, noting that when these incidents are brought to the attention of the faculty, survivors are often dismissed or threatened with police involvement.
In response to this institutional violence, PEARS posted anti-harassment posters around the faculty, advocating for workplace safety and the termination of Reisz’s employment. In an Instagram post, PEARS wrote that some of these posters have been torn down by members of the faculty.
Logic and belief
We often hear the phrase “believe survivors” which can be mistakenly interpreted as a beseechment to, regardless of the evidence or lack thereof, blindly believe anyone who raises an accusation. This misconception is likely so widespread because it supports narratives that aim to discredit survivors. “Believe survivors”
Compensating our contributions to the institution during the rising costs of living
Ragini Kaushal
Graduate Studies Columnist
U of T’s School of Graduate Studies (SGS) accounts for thousands of graduate students each year.
The SGS awards degrees to about 850 PhD students and 1,375 research-stream masters students annually. To receive funding from the institution, graduate students must be enrolled in a funded program, which is typically in the research stream. However, some graduate programs in the professional stream — where students also contribute to research at U of T — remain unfunded, making these students responsible for financing their programs independently or through government and external loans.
Students enrolled in a research-stream program are typically expected to produce research for the institution through a thesis or research project during their studies. In contrast, professional-stream programs may have similar expectations but are more focused on advancing a student’s skills in their respective fields.
Yet, I believe the distinction between funded and unfunded degrees — based on whether a student is contributing to research on behalf of the institution — is not only problematic but also exacerbates financial and social inequality. Every graduate student, regardless of whether they are in a professional or research stream, contributes research for U of T, irrespective of the formality outlined in their acceptance letter.
What’s the difference?
Beyond research, many graduate students in the professional stream are typically responsible for gaining experience in their respective disciplines through co-ops or placements in fields such as teaching, nursing, medicine, and law. While they are occasionally reimbursed for their work, this labour is in addition to the efforts expected in their coursework.
Placing the financial burden on students pursuing graduate education in medicine, law, nursing, and other professional programs limits these opportunities to individuals who can afford the fees or take on government loans. Many students spend years repaying these loans after graduation, further widening the class divide in higher education. Therefore, I think that separating higher education into professional and research stream categories exacerbates class inequalities.
does not ask you to disregard logic — in fact, it encourages you to focus purely on logic.
Take those who spoke out against Reisz. Setting aside the fact that an investigation already determined that Reisz was guilty of harassment, why could we have reasonably assumed that Haridy and Gee were probably telling the truth anyway?
Historically, survivors who go public with their experiences of violence at the hands of powerful men have been vilified, discredited, and blacklisted.
In 2019, journalist E. Jean Carroll sued former US president Donald Trump for sexually abusing her in the mid-1990s. Trump claimed that he wouldn’t have raped her as she wasn’t his “type,” his attorney argued that Carroll was someone who “seeks fame wherever she [can] get it.”
In the courtroom, Carroll’s attorney asked if she ever regretted going public. She said that she did, “about five times a day.” Trump was ultimately
speaking out against a powerful man. Carroll’s story is depressingly typical. Haridy and Gee took the risk, and the logical conclusion was that they weren’t lying. They didn’t have academic prestige — Reisz did. They didn’t have a massive institution standing behind them — Reisz did. So many survivors aren’t granted the justice of an investigation, let alone a conclusive one. Less than half, 42 per cent, of sexual assault cases in Canada conclude a guilty verdict.. Even if investigators prove that a survivor is telling the truth, they cannot guarantee that an abuser will be removed from the position of power that enabled their abuse in the first place.
I'm not advocating for a witch hunt, as some may call it. I'm simply urging you to consider accusations like those against the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and ask yourself this question: does it make sense to assume that this accuser is lying? Remember, witches aren’t real. Abusers are.
Ava Reitmaier Stone is a second-year student at Victoria College studying political science and literature & critical theory. She is a Campus Affairs Columnist for The Varsity’s Opinion section.
on the division. In comparison, the average monthly rent of a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto in 2022 was approximately $1,527 or $18,324 annually. Even with the maximum base funding package, graduate students would still be left with only a few thousand dollars for their remaining living expenses.
Accountability and next steps
When an institution expects excellence from graduate students, it should not be considered controversial or unreasonable to expect the university to provide them with a livable funding package.
The University of Toronto Fellowship is funded by the university’s operating budget, which is primarily composed of tuition revenues and government grants. This serves as graduate students’ main source of funding. However, many, if not all, graduate students in funded cohorts also apply for tri-council research scholarships — external scholarships awarded by the federal or provincial
government — as well as fellowships. They also often work as teaching or research assistants employed by the university.
funding source. But why are graduate students expected to compete with their colleagues for a limited pool of external awards?
It seems to me that the university is well aware of the growing controversy surrounding its lack of graduate funding. Its website features a report from a 2022 working group where representatives from graduate programs and SGS discussed the harrowing realities of underfunding. The report acknowledges the struggle of research-stream graduate students but I find it inadequate because it overlooks the issue and ultimately justifies the lack of funding for professional-stream graduate students.
Alongside this, I perceive a deflection of responsibility: the SGS claims that inadequate government support is why graduate funding fails to match the cost of living in the GTA. While U of T continues to displace the blame, student concerns remain unaddressed.
However, I believe the government has some responsibility in this matter. They provide the majority of graduate base funding packages and they are not unaware of the rising cost of living.
Union-backed CUPE strikes have successfully demanded better pay for teaching and research assistants, and I cannot help but wonder if a similar approach could secure better funding packages for graduate students. Furthermore, union representation during our time at the institution could help advocate for professional-stream students to receive fairer compensation for their contributions to the university.
Ultimately, faculty members who have direct influence over student funding should do more to change how funding is perceived and allocated within the School of Graduate Studies. Both professional and research-stream graduate students deserve a living wage, as all contribute significantly to the university.
Furthermore, graduate students enrolled in funded programs are still paid a pitiable wage, especially considering the perpetually rising cost of living in Toronto. The average base funding for U of T’s doctoral students ranged from $19,525 to $23,007 in the 2022–2023 school year depending
If the tri-council research scholarship is awarded, it replaces the funding that the University of Toronto Fellowship would have provided as well as the wages from teaching or research assistantships. As a result, these awards do not offer additional financial support; they simply substitute the original
Ragini Kaushal is a second-year masters student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education studying adult education and community development. She is a Graduate Studies Columnist for The Varsity’s Opinion section
Tania Guiti
Varsity Contributor
Content warning: This article discusses death, genocide, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab racism.
The longstanding crisis in Palestine and Israel gained worldwide attention on October 7, and has since been protested globally. While we, as Canadians, may feel a geographic disconnect from Palestine, I see the Israeli state’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians to be similar to that of Indigenous peoples in Canada’s history.
The start of European invasion Indigenous peoples in Canada existed before the first European invasion in 1497. Over time, the Christian and European languages arrived and displaced and permanently altered the Indigenous ways of life and cultural traditions.
In contrast, over centuries, all three Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Islam, and Christianity — have declared spiritual connections to regions in the Middle East which encompasses modern-day Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and southern portions of Lebanon and Syria. Many historians have detailed Palestine’s varying religious demographics with the rise and fall of different kingdoms from 1300 BCE to today.
After World War I, the UK stepped into Palestine with the 1917 Balfour Declaration and took control of the region from the then-presiding Ottoman Empire. The declaration established Palestine as a homeland for the Jewish people and allowed their immigration into the region. Although the UK promised independence from the Ottomans for the Arabs in that area, the declaration meant Palestine would be under British rule.
Calculated steps of ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide
The United Nations describes ethnic cleansing as the process of using intimidation, force, or a combination of these methods to remove an ethnic, racial, or religious group in a specific region.
Ethnic cleansing differs from genocide, as the former typically intends to displace a group, and the latter aims to destroy the group.
While ethnic cleansing is not technically defined as a crime under international law, I believe it violates international law through extreme means of removal which accompany it such as murder and sexual violence, which are individually recognized under war crimes.
There is a long history of the Western community neglecting the Israeli state’s treatment of Palestinian people. Since the 1917 declaration, including during the first war between Palestine and Israel in 1948, Israeli expansion resulted in 750,000 Palestinians becoming refugees.
The Israeli government has since converted 78 per cent of what was historically Palestine into modern-day Israel, and the remaining 22 per cent into what is now the West Bank and Gaza Strip: modern-day Palestine. Despite Israel’s violent expansion, as of 2024, 165 of 193 UN member states recognize Israel as a state, while only 146 member states recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.
In Canada, the Catholic Church in New France — which encompassed most of the modernday Maritime provinces, Ontario, Québec, and the Hudson Bay region — created the residential school system to isolate Indigenous children from their families and integrate them into the settlercolonial way of life.
The Canadian government did not acknowledge its crimes until 2008, when then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper publicly apologized to residential school survivors. The buried bodies of Indigenous children that were discovered in 2021 triggered reparations such as the federal government’s 23.34 billion compensation deal for Indigenous children in 2023.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission now recognizes Canada’s violence against Indigenous peoples as a cultural genocide: the systematic destruction of traditions, values, and language of a people. I think it is safe to say that ethnic cleansing was also involved when European settlers mass-
murdered bison to cut off an important Indigenous food source.
Furthermore, Canada governs the reserve system under the Indian Act, in which status First Nations mainly reside in governmentallotted reserves. These reserves have poor living conditions, are often extremely crowded, and need major repairs. I believe that isolating Canada’s Indigenous people in chronically underfunded regions is a continuation of settler colonialism.
The land acknowledgement before singing the Canadian national anthem is a pitiful attempt at reconciliation as well. To me, it merely says, ‘This is your land, but we stole it.’
Recent tactics
Due to the sheer multitude of crimes Israel has committed, I cannot pay due diligence in commenting on Israel’s actions, but I can try to list a few.
Israeli officials have long used animalistic language to describe Palestinians. This includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referring to Palestinians as “wild beasts” in 2016. I see Netanyahu’s statement paralleling how European colonizers called Indigenous peoples “savages” throughout history and used that belief to justify
their cruel treatment of them.
At the start of colonization, Europeans used the Doctrine of Discovery as a legal tool to justify seizing Indigenous land on the suggested basis that Christian European ways were superior to Indigenous lifestyles. On the other hand, Israeli officials have also used religious texts to justify their attacks on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In a press conference in Tel Aviv on October 28, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared Palestinians to Amalek: a nation of enemies against Israelites in the Torah.
Finally, Israel’s blockade of media resources is clearly an attempt to erase the cruelty they commit against Palestinians. This is much like Canadian residential school officials who chose to neither document the death of children nor mark their graves. It’s much more difficult to describe cruelty if it isn’t written down in history.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings from July assert that Israel should end its illegal occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Although not legally binding, this marks the first time the ICJ has commented on the legality of Israel’s occupation.
I hope I have drawn clear parallels between Canada’s and Israel’s ethnic cleansing. History is repeating itself right before our eyes. I also hope I pointed out these nations who are complicit in this violence, as passive ignorance is part of the problem.
Tania Guiti is a third-year student at University College studying philosophy and physics.
The competitive job market has detrimental effects on student mental health
Here’s how to end the spiral of demoralization
Young adults face an uphill battle when applying for jobs in 2024. According to CBC News, this year’s summer unemployment rate has risen to its highest national level since 2012, with the only exception being the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020.
Even with masters degrees in STEM fields, many students report difficulty finding positions for jobs which they are qualified for. In an interview with CP24, one graduate described the jobhunting process as “demoralizing” after submitting around 400 job applications this summer.
This resonated with me as an unemployed student. After every job rejection, I often found myself asking, “why am I not good enough?” As a student with a diagnosed mental illness, I also became intrigued by the overlap between mental health and job searching. The more I researched, the more I realized I wasn’t alone.
Links between job seeking, mental health, and unemployment
In August, online research conglomerate Resume Genius surveyed 1,000 active US job seekers and found that 72 per cent reported job hunting had negatively impacted their mental health.
Furthermore, researchers at the AIMS Public Health analyzed a 2021 survey of over 10,000 Canadians to explore the link between unemployment and mental health. They found that, compared to employed or retired Canadians, “those who were unemployed were more likely
to have lower self-perceived mental health.”
The statistics are even more shocking when examining Canadians with diagnosed mental illnesses. The Canadian Mental Health Association reports that 70 to 90 per cent of Canadians living with serious mental illnesses are unemployed. It also indicates that individuals with mental health conditions want to work but often struggle to find work due to a lack of accommodations and resources.
I was further humbled after reading a 2021 Harvard Business report on issues affecting the current labour market. Among long-term unemployed individuals in the US who were actively seeking work, only 17 per cent reported that a change in mindset and improved mental health helped them eventually secure employment.
The word “demoralized” and the feelings associated with it flashed through my mind again.
I felt trapped in a positive feedback loop where my mental illness acted as a barrier to finding work: the rejections of applications and the looming stress of unemployment further exacerbated my depressive mindset, making it increasingly unlikely that I would successfully find work.
Was there no escape? Was I too deep in this black hole of sinking depression, sucking up all hope of ever finding a job? To begin compartmentalizing my spiralling thoughts, I sought mental health counselling through U of T and reached out to accessibility services for guidance.
How to improve our mental health while we job search First, understanding the root cause of this consistent rejection helped to redirect my mindset.
In the digital age, many companies use AI-powered hiring software to sift through job applications.
The same Harvard Business report highlights this phenomenon, revealing that 99 per cent of the 500 largest companies in the US use this technology. The report also states that these automated systems can exclude potential candidates whose resumes do not match the exact criteria established by the job description, even if those candidates could perform “at a high level with training.”
Therefore, increasing the likelihood of getting hired involves tailoring our resumes with these automated systems in mind. Additionally, we should remember that a job rejection under these conditions does not reflect one’s abilities, qualifications, or personal worth. Instead, it often indicates that a computer could not draw a direct parallel between the application and the job description. Fine-tuning this process is an acquired skill that even the most qualified candidates frequently struggle with.
I urge unemployed readers of this article not to be too hard on themselves. I encourage you to research how job applications are evaluated and to strategize with job coaches on methods to manipulate these machines just as much as they manipulate us.
More importantly, use the mental health services at U of T that are already included in your tuition. As a personal example, scheduling a weekly check-in with a counsellor has not only helped me to feel better about job searching but also provided a consistent method to reprogram negative thought patterns. We are often our own worst critics, and having an outsider dismiss our worst fears and validate our hopes is essential for positive mental growth.
No matter how we rationalize our circumstances, rejection takes a toll on our mental health. It is difficult to find success when one’s mind is caught in an unending spiral of demoralization.
V Tucci is a first-year humanities student at University College. They are the social media manager for the Hardwire Student Journal.
October 22, 2024
thevarsity.ca/category/arts-culture
arts@thevarsity.ca
Hair can bridge the cultural rift between first and second-generation Sikhs
Jeevandeep Bajwa
Varsity Contributor
Entering my early adulthood as a secondgeneration Sikh, I find myself juxtaposed between two cultural binaries competing against one another. Although I have learnt the Punjabi language and follow Sikh religious practices — such as engaging in Seva (selfless service), reciting Simran (meditation), and wearing regalia of my faith, which include a kara (steel bracelet) and kes (un-cut hair) — I do not share the same diasporic experiences as my parents, who were newcomers to Canada.
While my parents shared a deep-rooted connection to the traditional and spiritual meanings associated with hair, I view my hair as a fusion of cultural heritage and personal identity shaped by contemporary trends and changes. This generational gap has led to different approaches to hair care and maintenance, as well as its significance in our lives. However, this difference of experience has also created a disconnect in our conversations about our relationship with hair in Sikhism. As a reader, you might relate to this feeling of being ‘in-between’ worlds.
As a second-generation immigrant, you may feel pulled in opposing directions. One force might draw you toward conforming to cultural norms in your community, while another tugs you toward separating yourself from culture and religion. The tension between these competing forces may lead you to yearn for one or the other, pressuring you to choose where you ultimately belong.
Sikh scholar Rita Verma’s study “Nostalgia, The Public Space and Diaspora” reveals a growing trend among Sikh youth who report feeling disassociated with Sikhism as a culture, religion, and identity. Interviewees in the study, who identified as clean-shaven Sikh males, shared that they chose to “abandon ritualistic forms of Sikhism,” such as keeping kes due to bullying at school for looking different and out of fear of South Asian prejudice in a post 9/11 world.
It is unequivocal that maintaining traditional Sikh identity involves practicing customs such as keeping kes, which physically sets us apart from mainstream culture.
Nevertheless, the rich history of hair in Sikhism has connected our people for centuries,
transmitting generational knowledge about who we are. This heritage is worthy of serious consideration by the younger generation.
Untangling generational stresses
As a child, my mornings consisted of my mother oiling and arranging my hair into neat braids. She would gather my hair with a tight grip, moving with a rhythm honed by years of practice. As she separated my hair into sections and untangled my knots, I would glance into a nearby mirror to witness the transformation. However, in adolescence, I was tasked with doing it on my own, which often led to moments of resentment toward my long hair.
Long hair can be a daily challenge. Imagine waking up in the morning and catching a glimpse of your hair in the washroom mirror, tangled into a bundle of knots. Each tug of the comb serves as an unfair reminder of the labour required to manage what should be a seamless and essential aspect of your identity.
Once you manage to get through the tangles, there’s the issue of styling. When you watch online tutorials, your hair is often too long for the techniques they showcase. And though you may eventually come to terms with your hair’s nature, the constant challenges can be frustrating. You start to think that it might just be easier to cut it.
I believed that cutting my hair would make me a ‘Bad Sikh.’ In Sikhism, kes symbolizes faith and our collective identity. However, I often felt disconnected from this teaching because it was enforced on me as a ‘Sikh rule’ that I had to follow. The discourse on hair centred around what our community deemed a ‘Good Sikh.’
Yet, at the same time, some Sikh immigrant parents, fearing their children will be ‘othered’ in Western society, may not provide a deep understanding of their history to help them embrace those values in their lives. Verma noted that “such fear, lack of understanding, rejection and feeling of disenfranchisement” causes a different type of anxiety for Sikh youth, isolating them
within their community as ‘Bad Sikhs.’
But what did this categorization of being a ‘Good Sikh’ mean for someone who stands between worlds?
For me, being a ‘Good Sikh’ isn’t merely about meeting a set of requirements; it’s about embodying the principles of our teachings — humility, service, and truth — in my daily life and making a positive contribution to society.
Re-learning the history of hair in Sikhi It wasn’t until I explored the history of the Sikh Empire that I learned how hair can serve as a revolutionary tool for change and liberation. Since the early nineteenth century, Sikhs have fought numerous battles to preserve their faith and identity. Following the traumatic events of 1984 in India, where Sikhs were targeted for their identity, our parents faced similar discrimination in the aftermath of 9/11 in North America.
Yet, in every instance, Sikhs have kept their hair to challenge the status quo. According to Verma, immigrating to North America meant showcasing “patriotic symbols of belonging” to ‘America,’ which was a crucial aspect of adapting to the host society. Therefore, I believe that proudly wearing our hair in traditional ways is a powerful affirmation of our presence.
Hair serves as an outlier, a resistance to hegemonic pressures, an outlet for selfexpression, and a carrier of people’s aspirations. More importantly, it is central to an individual’s lived experiences.
I believe there needs to be greater dialogue between the older and younger generations to find a balance between their differing value systems. Instead of being labelled as a ‘Bad Sikh’ for not adhering to all the practices of the Sikh faith, we must gracefully recognize the vital role of our youth in preserving our history and identity. It is essential to prioritize the creation of a non-judgemental space where they can engage in these crucial inquiries and conversations.
For many second-generation Sikhs who feel at odds with their religious identity, a significant step toward self-acceptance and self-love can begin with changing their attitude toward learning about the cultural significance of their hair. Today, instead of viewing hair as a burden, I feel empowered wearing it, knowing that my ancestors once fought for the right to keep theirs.
Abigaille Tannahill Fashion Columnist
From espresso-coloured coats to thigh-high leather boots, our wardrobe choices are quickly transitioning along with the seasons. As autumn rolls in, we at The Varsity have got you covered with the season’s top fashion trends that will keep you fashionably warm while staying on budget!
This year’s fall is less about buying new clothing and more about recycling past trends and pieces. Visually, think Park Avenue Princess, Downtown it-boy, Frazzled Englishwoman, and bring these characters to life out of your closet. Whether you’re exploring softer textures, embracing vintage accessories, or simply hoping to put your random, one-of-a-kind thrift finds to effective use, 2024 fall fashion is all about making old clothes feel new again.
Luxe layers
Starting quite literally from the top, we have lots of layers to work with. For warmer fall days, hold onto last year’s off-shoulder sweaters because they aren’t going anywhere.
As for the rest of your rotation, bring out your oversized knits, crewnecks, and of course, cardigans. In the jacket department, suede and wool are the prominent materials these days, acting as both statement pieces and great insulators to the fall chill. If you’re looking for something even warmer, the classic leather jacket — preferably a bit oversized — is the way to go. For waterproof choices, you can always rely on barn coats and trench coats, which are staple fall options.
This season’s colour palette is made up of
different shades of brown, burgundy, beige, and black, even beyond the top layers.
Stepping up
While we’re still enjoying shorter footwear — notably leather loafers, strapped ballet flats, and resurfacing Ugg slippers — the boot-pant hybrid boots are taking over this season. At this year’s fall Sacaï show, models strutted down the runway in striking wide-leg pant thighhigh boots, perfectly paired with knee-length dresses and skirts. Although they are a newer
Kamilla Bekbossynova Varsity Contributor
In the age of TikTok, all you need to know about a novel can be summed up in two or three keywords: “enemies to lovers,” “fake dating,” and “slow burn.” For rising authors and publishers, this is a new style of publishing strategy: these keywords sell books by catering to specific, predefined niches rather than offering anything that challenges or expands the reader’s perspective.
How BookTok shapes bestseller formulas BookTok’s rise has done something unprecedented for the publishing world, making reading viral. That sounds great, right? In some ways it is, but in the rush to market books in easily digestible 15-second videos, we’re losing sight of what makes storytelling meaningful.
Tropes — which used to be a fun way to describe trends in fanfiction or niche corners of literature — have now become a novel’s primary selling point. It’s no longer enough to know what a book is about; readers only want to know whether it fits into their narrow, curated box of preferences.
Let’s be clear, good literature will always exist. While complex, boundary-pushing novels aren’t going anywhere, your average Barnes & Noble or Indigo is filled with books that fit perfectly into the social media-driven world of tropes. For example, the publishers of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us marketed the book as a romance novel, but it contains heavy themes such as domestic abuse. All it took was a few viral TikToks, and suddenly, readers were requesting it as a birthday present, thinking they were picking up a breezy rom-com. This lack of clear communication, the reduction of complex ideas to bite-sized tropes, and the focus on social media virality have set the stage for a world where storytelling doesn’t matter as
much as scratching the reader’s pre-existing itch.
This isn’t inherently bad — there’s a reason these books resonate with so many readers — but it’s indicative of a broader shift in how fiction is being produced and sold.
This shift isn’t just limited to marketing from publishers, it’s actively changing the way authors approach their craft. Writers are now keenly aware that if they don’t include easily recognizable tropes, publishers and readers might overlook their work. The pressure to cater to the social media-driven marketplace has led to an oversimplification of storytelling, where plot complexity and character development take a backseat to ensure the book hits the “enemies to lovers” beat at the right moment.
From slow burn to no burn: when plot becomes predictable
Romance fiction has been particularly vulnerable to this trend, with contemporary romance thriving on trope-heavy marketing. Readers know exactly what they’re getting before they even crack the cover, and for many, that’s the point. It’s not about discovery or emotional connection — it’s about predictability.
This approach does work for certain genres. For instance, romance fiction is one of the most popular fiction genres on the market, and it’s no secret that these books follow a formula. Readers expect to see the same tropes play out time and again: a meet-cute, a love triangle, and an emotional confession just before the final chapter. There’s comfort in the familiar, and the success of romance fiction is a testament to that.
The danger here isn’t just in reducing stories down to their tropes but also in creating a reading culture where readers view books as products to fulfill their present needs. A reader might pick up a book because it promises “slow burn,” but what happens when that’s the only thing driving their
dimension to a familiar pairing, any knee or thigh-high boots will do the trick in creating this chic equestrian-style look.
Bottom line
If you’re also obsessed with the summertrending mori-style skirts, it may please you to know that they’re still in fashion this fall. Baggy skirts and tight minis are both suitable for the season, depending on the look you’re going for. Wear a mini skirt with some black tights to achieve an office siren — or should
I say “lecture siren” look — or try something different and try wearing jeans under a flowy dress.
Crowning glory
To elevate your look, get creative with trendy hairstyles and personalized accessories. Effortlessly chic hairstyles are must-tries right now — low French braids, knotted buns, French twists, barrette half-ups, and even the classic headband.
There’s a lot to play with when it comes to accessories: rustic watches, Bayonetta-style glasses, and bulky scarves are just a few popular pieces to work with this fall. Similar to jackets, think suede and leather material for handbags and totes, along with unique vintage handbags to add character and charm to your overall look.
Bringing it all together
In a world where fashion trends come and go, this season brings our focus to the beauty of reimagining the past. Just as autumn stirs mixed feelings of fresh starts and earnest reflections on your past self, the season also offers a chance for renewal and revamping. So go ahead, open up your closet and indulge in nostalgia.
Maybe you’ll find your old high school uniform, the outfit you wore on your first college date, or maybe your dad’s vintage jacket that you “borrowed” and never returned. Amid these cherished remnants of the past, you might even find the perfect pieces to put together this year’s fall outfits. By next fall, these outfits will carry more memories from which to draw new inspiration.
interest? The plot becomes secondary, the characters become flat, and the emotional arc of the story is reduced to a predictable trajectory. This kind of ultra-specialized consumption reduces art to algorithmic satisfaction.
The new blueprint for bestseller success In a way, the reduction of literature to tropes mirrors our broader online culture. We swipe through dating apps based on superficial interests, and scroll endlessly through customized feeds, and now we’re buying books not because they have intriguing stories, but because they fit a predetermined mold we already know we like. And for the publishing industry, this is working — at least for now.
But here’s the thing, while tropes can be fun and familiar, they shouldn’t be the foundation of storytelling. When we allow the marketing of books to revolve solely around tropes, we strip away what makes stories captivating in the first place — their ability to surprise us, challenge us, and evoke genuine emotion in us.
There’s a fine line between catering to audience demand and stifling creativity. Right now, it feels like we’ve crossed that line. Authors need space to tell their stories without the pressure of ticking off trope boxes, and readers deserve more than just a checklist of familiar themes. We’re at a critical point where the dominance of BookTok, with its viral videos and emphasis on tropes, is reshaping the shelves of bookstores in a way that’s hard to ignore. The real risk isn’t that good literature will disappear — it won’t. The danger is that the mainstream, popular books you see dominating displays at bookstores will become more about checking off boxes than telling compelling stories — stories that matter. Novels should do more than just scratch an itch. If we allow BookTok’s obsession with tropes to dictate the future of publishing, we might just find ourselves in a world surrounded with books that are little more than algorithmic content — perfectly suited to our narrow tastes but devoid of the complexity that makes literature truly transformative.
Divine Angubua Arts & Culture Editor
In an age of abundant visual storytelling, U of T alumnus Saul Freedman-Lawson stands out not only for their illustrative talent but also for subverting expectations in the genre of illustrated books and graphic novels. Their latest collaboration with author S. Bear Bergman, titled Special Topics in Being a Parent , is a clever graphic guide to practical parenting, that insightfully intersects art, queerness, and parenthood.
In an interview with The Varsity , FreedmanLawson shared their perspective on what illustrating such a book meant to them and how their own experiences as a queer and trans person inform their artistic practice and its unique place in the genre.
Freedman-Lawson’s illustrations in Special Topics bear a tender, almost poignant quality that reflects a serious thought process. The illustrations complement Bergman’s text and add depth to it. In our conversation, Freedman-Lawson explained that they approach illustration as a dialogue with the content rather than merely an embellishment. Instead of serving as decoration, FreedmanLawson’s illustrations critically engage with and expand the narrative. They challenge the
reader to consider what parenting should look like, who gets to be a parent, and what kinds of families deserve representation in our cultural narratives. With this approach, FreedmanLawson’s illustrations utilize symbolic depth to striking effect.
Through Freedman-Lawson’s artistic rendering, a couch embodies the full measure and gravitas of a home, and a home takes on the shape of a human heart. In flourishing Bergman’s ideas — who is also a trans man — Freedman-Lawson uses these illustrations to convey the nuances of queer parenthood. The book emphasizes the need for diverse, community-oriented family structures, and acknowledges the particular strangeness of being a new parent from a marginalized and often oppressed social group, suddenly granted the immense power to shape the life of a more vulnerable person. This dynamic is as uncharted within our public discourse as it is unexplored as an artistic subject, but Freedman-Lawson and Bergman dare to tread there.
What’s immediately striking about Special Topics is its refusal to fit into predetermined structures of the illustrated form. Illustrated books for adults often fall into one of two categories: visuals are either used to simplify and entertain or to express dense theoretical
ideas. But Freedman-Lawson’s work resists the pressures of this binary, navigating complex emotional and social realities with a light touch while avoiding the temptation to oversimplify.
During the interview, Freedman-Lawson touched on how their identity informs their approach to illustration. As a queer trans person, they bring a perspective that is often missing from mainstream perceptions of both parenthood and the work of illustration. As a queer child turned queer adult — FreedmanLawson’s perspective draws them to families relegated to the margins of conventional parenting books or overlooked in the broader spectrum of illustrated media. Engaging with Freedman-Lawson revealed how the very act of illustrating diverse families — trans families, queer families, chosen families — constitutes a radical and necessary practice, especially in a world that often discourages the association of queerness with childhood and childcare. This makes it both vital and challenging to create queer art related to early life experiences.
Freedman-Lawson’s personal journey informs much of their artistry. In their interview with The Varsity , they discussed how imagery they observed growing up shaped their approach to trans childhood, particularly because much of it did not engage queer and trans children in realistic, complex ways.
This lack of representation left an imprint on Freedman-Lawson, pulling them to create work that isn’t always neat or simple. Their art voices marginalized communities while leaving room for a range of unique lived experiences. In Special Topics , Freedman-Lawson’s illustrations defy heteronormative and cisnormative depictions of family. Instead, they expand the idea of the family portrait by depicting non-binary caregivers, interracial queer families, or unconventional parenting methods that prioritize love and community over rudimentary biology. One of the most poignant images in the book arises from this concept: Bergman and Freedman-Lawson collaborate to transform the traditional family tree into a broader representation of ‘the family garden.’ This expanded metaphor incorporates not just the usual immediate family, but also those outside the traditional family mould who show care — acts of love that are essential for survival.
Engaging with Freedman-Lawson revealed how the very act of illustrating diverse families — trans families, queer families, chosen families — constitutes a radical and necessary practice”
The intimate illustrations are not merely aesthetic; they function as emotional landscapes, embodying the humour, heartache, and joy of parenting. In one section of the book, Bergman discusses the challenges of raising a child in a world that is not always kind to difference, and Freedman-Lawson’s artwork reflects this tension maintaining a sense of hope.
In fact, Freedman-Lawson’s art often provides the levity needed to engage with heavy topics, such as gender roles and heteronormativity, without overwhelming readers with the harsh realities of the gendered society in which we live. The lightness Bergman and Freedman-Lawson create — evident in small, witty details and the playful expressiveness of Freedman-Lawson’s characters — serves as a counterpoint to the weighty subjects explored in the book.
An important emphasis that FreedmanLawson made is the collaborative nature of their work — not just with Bergman but with the readers, too. They hope that readers — especially queer and trans individuals — will see themselves in the illustrations and feel not only represented but also cared for. In this sense, Special Topics isn’t just a book; it’s a mirror for those who have felt unseen, a guide for parents trying to navigate the messy, beautiful world of raising children, and a testament to the power of illustration in storytelling.
Special Topics in Being a Parent is a celebration of queerness and the radical act of embracing difference — both in art and in life. Where the genre fears to tread, Freedman-Lawson and Bergman courageously apply creativity and compassion to break new ground.
October 22, 2024
thevarsity.ca/section/sports sports@thevarsity.ca
Jake Takeuchi Sports Editor
On October 12, the Varsity Blues baseball team won their OUA title game, defeating the Waterloo Warriors 15–5 at the Ajax Sportsplex. This marks their second consecutive OUA championship and third championship in four years. With eight OUA championships in its program history, the team has the most in OUA baseball.
The playoff hunt for the Jason Guindon Trophy began with the regional round, where the Blues achieved a perfect 4–0 record. They shut out the York Lions 6–0 in Game 1 on October 4, before defeating Toronto Metropolitan University Bold and the Laurentian Voyageurs in Games 2 and 3 on October 5. The Blues then advanced to the OUA North regional finals, where they edged out York in a 3–2 nail-biter on October 6.
The Blues then competed in the OUA Final Four, where the champions of the four OUA regions faced off in a two-round, single elimination tournament. Facing the Queens’ Gaels on October 11 at the Ajax Sportsplex, the Blues — who haven’t missed the OUA Final Four since 2015 — showed their experience and composure by demolishing the Gaels 15–4. The team’s batting ran riot, scoring 14 unanswered runs between the third and seventh innings.
The Waterloo Warriors then defeated the Brock Badgers 12–10 on the other side of the tournament bracket, setting up a rematch of the 2023 Championship game, which the Blues had won 6–5.
What happened?
The Blues entered the game with a 21–10 record against the Waterloo Warriors, riding an active eight-game winning streak. Averaging
9.75 runs over those eight games, the matchup was promised to be a high-scoring contest. Despite giving up a 2–0 lead, the Blues responded immediately with a double by utility Sam Aslanowicz in the second inning to make it 2–1. The Blues’ batting exploded mid-game, scoring eight combined runs in the fourth to sixth innings while conceding just three — bringing the score to 9–5 by the end of the sixth inning.
The team held onto their lead thanks to a phenomenal pitching clinic by relievers Connor Broughton, Paul Kosztowniak, and Ethan Kwong. The trio combined to allow no hits, after Broughton relieved starting pitcher Josh Neposlan in the fifth inning.
With both offence and defense firing on all cylinders, the Blues added six more runs in the eighth and ninth while conceding none — ending the game 15–5 and claiming their OUA medals.
Infield Ryan Hsu had a clutch game, recording three hits, six Runners Batted In (RBI) performance from six at-bats. Aslanowicz contributed four hits and three RBIs, with the pair combining for 11 of the Blues’ 15 runs against the Warriors. Owen Taylor also stood out with six walks. Over the Final Four weekend, Hsu recorded five hits in two games, earning him OUA Athlete of the Week honours in an accolade filled weekend.
What’s next?
With championships in 2021, 2023, and 2024, the Varsity Blues can confidently claim their status as the best team in OUA baseball. After a grueling season that included the regular season, regional playoffs, and championship tournament, the dominant Blues will enter the off-season with an active 11 game win streak in all competitions.
Naomi Altwasser Varsity Contributor
Anne Lee is an all-rounder when it comes to athletics. Holding accolades across a multitude of disciplines, she is most notably a flanker for the U of T women’s rugby team.
Lee is not unfamiliar with the challenges that come with performing at a high level of athleticism. Yet she maintained a level of humility and strength when speaking with The Varsity — evidently a product of her drive, hard work, and persistence that she has put toward achieving both her and her team’s goals.
Lee is in her fourth-year, specializing in management and minoring in economics and women and gender studies. She cites her time as a member of the Varsity Blues rugby team as a key component that has shaped her character, and taught her invaluable lessons of teamwork that she hopes to carry with her beyond her university years.
A unique prelude into women’s rugby Lee’s journey into rugby can only be described as extremely unorthodox. Originally from Mississauga, Ontario, Lee’s initial interest in rugby was due to her older sister Bassa Lee — a U of T women’s rugby team alumna — playing on her high school rugby team. However, Anne’s first high school did not have a rugby team, so she turned to the next best thing — the high school football team.
Unfortunately, Lee could not find a place on the team. She recalled that the coach was
“choosing out these tiny boys that I knew I was stronger [than]… I felt so much anger, and I was like, what about me?” Lee used her first high school’s football coach’s dismissal as motivation rather than deterrence, and chose to continue pursuing football even after transferring to her second high school with a rugby team.
Fueled by the desire to prove herself to those around her, she fought through any reservations she had — especially being the only girl who tried out — and successfully made the team.
“Being part of the team [was] a huge confidence boost for myself because I was really unsure if I could do it,” said Lee.
Lee went on to play two seasons on both the football and the rugby teams, until grade 11 when both seasons were cut short due to COVID-19. However, she credits her experience on the football team as one of the fundamental building blocks that solidified her confidence in herself which helped push her to succeed at university-level rugby.
Given and chosen family
Lee is currently in the middle of her fourth season for the U of T women’s rugby team. Having been on the team since her first year, Lee has since become a successful veteran player and teammate. It was through playing rugby at U of T that Lee felt the most camaraderie, speaking on the positive impact that playing with such a close-knit group had on her.
“I loved the experience, and I love meeting my new teammates every year. Every game is like a war, and it makes me feel like we are comrades
Historic win against Laurentian University marks the biggest win of this OUA tournament
side, allowing Schifano to head the ball into the opposite corner, extending the lead to 4–0.
in battle. Such a strong bond forms between us when we’re all just pushing through exhaustion and pain to support each other,” she said.
Lee also spoke about her personal favourite memory with the Blues so far. “I want to say it was my first game with my sister because we were both playing on the Varsity Blues team together. Up until then, I had only ever watched her play. I had not played with her.”
“It was a Friday night late game, so it was dark out [and] the stadium lights [were on]… Our parents were watching, and the field felt so huge and so professional. I [saw] my sister… tackling people and I was like wow, this is crazy!”
As Lee has come to the final year of her rugby career at U of T, she can confidently say that the
most important lesson she has learned is taking accountability and ensuring that she is doing the best she can not only for herself but, most importantly, for others.
“If I miss a practice, or I miss out on new plays being made and I come to a game and don’t know what’s going on, my teammates have to carry that… I am putting in effort and hard work so that others don’t have to do extra to cover my part.”
Lee has been an exemplary team player who consistently demonstrates a level of care and sportsmanship that is nothing short of admirable. The respect and compassion she shows as a teammate extends to her treatment of others outside of rugby, which will undoubtedly serve her well, regardless of what she chooses to pursue in the future.
On Sunday, October 13, the Varsity Stadium turf witnessed a historic qualification for the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men’s soccer playoffs as the Varsity Blues dominated the Laurentian University Voyageurs with an unprecedented 11–1 victory.
The team’s momentum was evident, coming off a comfortable 3–0 win over Nipissing University just a day earlier. Under Head Coach Ilya Orlov, the Blues have had their most successful season since 2016 by win percentage, advancing to this year’s playoffs with an impressive record of 48 goals scored and nine wins in 12 matches.
What happened?
Toronto opened the scoring just over two minutes into the match when Blues forward Andrea Schifano volleyed the ball into the net from the penalty box after midfielder Oliver Barta’s shot struck the crossbar. Shortly after, forward Jacob Prested’s play on the left allowed Schifano to extend the lead to 2–0.
The teamwork was evident from the start, with defender Thomas Tome making crucial stops to keep Voyageurs striker Jaiden Santo far from the box during the few chances the visitors had. His efforts helped the Blues maintain their dominance in the game.
Approaching the 14-minute mark, Schifano broke through the Voyageurs’ defense once again, firing a shot that found the back of the net — completing his hat-trick and pushing Toronto’s lead to 3–0. Just two minutes later, Prested delivered a precise cross from the left
The Voyageurs managed to score their only goal at the 23-minute mark when Nicolas Patenaude curled a free kick from outside the penalty area directly into the net, reducing the deficit to 4–1.
Captain Mehdi Essoussi took a corner that found Tome’s head, converting it into a goal to make the game 5–1. Just two minutes later, forward Kingsley Belele launched a shot from outside the box that found the corner of the net, extending the lead to 6–1.
Like clockwork, the Varsity Stadium erupted in cheers again just another two minutes later when forward Bruno Sullivan assisted midfielder Oliver Barta, who scored to make it 7–1.
The Blues’ dominance made it difficult for the Voyageurs. In an attempt to stop the Blues’ offensive, Laurentian’s Sam Oduwole committed a foul inside the penalty area, awarding the Blues a penalty kick that Belele converted — bringing the score to 8–1.
Toronto continued to move the ball beautifully around the pitch. When Laurentian lost possession at midfield, Barta seized the opportunity, dribbling past defenders to score his second goal of the match, making it 9–1.
While having one player score a hat-trick is remarkable, two are extraordinary. At the 74-minute mark, Belele scored his third goal, sealing the score at 10–1 for Toronto.
As the match progressed, the Voyageurs struggled to cross the halfway line, appearing resigned to their defeat by the end. The Blues capped off their historic win with a final goal from midfielder Russell Stewart, who struck
the ball from 40 yards out, finding the net and rounding out an 11–1 victory.
This win marks the largest margin of victory for the Blues in the OUA men’s soccer history over the past 10 years; the previous record was 9–0 against the Royal Military College of Canada in 2022.
What is next?
Orlov, in his sixth season as head of the team, told The Varsity in an interview, “2010 was the first time that U of T’s won the division, so just by that… I’d say, it is the most successful [season] in the last 15 years.” For him, the key to this success is the entire team.
“I think the key for us from day one, [is] the importance of the whole squad… so everyone
contributing to the team.”
Regarding upcoming challenges, Orlov noted, “None of these players have played in a whole playoff game, so we have to make sure that the nerves and the occasion are not too much for the team.” With confidence, the coach concluded, “No matter who we play in the playoffs, it’s gonna be a tough match. We know [that] in soccer, in one-off games, anything can happen. We are just going to focus on preparing ourselves to make sure that we… play well as a team and [that] everybody helps each other out.”
The regular season performance has secured the Blues the top spot in the OUA East standings, allowing them to play their first playoff game on October 23.
Jake Takeuchi, Caroline Ho Sports Editor, Associate Sports Editor
On October 12, the Varsity Blues men’s ice hockey team lost in their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) regular season home opener at the Varsity Arena, falling 5–2 against the undefeated Queen’s University Gaels.
Prior to the game, the Blues were 10–9–6 against Queens since 2008, with the 2017 home opener being their last home victory. The Blues entered their first home game looking to extend their 2–1 record in the 2024–25 season, while the league-leading Gaels improved their perfect 3–0 record.
The Blues struggled to maintain puck possession early in the game, as the team had difficulty breaking out under the intense Queens’ forecheck. Despite crisp passing by rookie forward Cooper Way, the Blues could not find substantial offensive zone time. The team lost key graduating veterans up and down the line-up this summer, such as former captain Cole Purboo, current east coast minor league ECHL defence Nick Grima, and former starting goaltender Jett Alexander. In this new look line-up, Way led the line in the fresh rookie class looking to make an impact on the team.
Despite chipping away at the Gaels with an aggressive dump-and-chase game and boardrattling hitting, the Blues were met by an equally imposing Queens’ team.
As the pressure mounted on the Blues defensive line, the team conceded two quick goals with less than four minutes remaining in the first period. The pair of goals courtesy of Queens’ rookie Ethan Larmand saw the Blues head into the first intermission with the score at 2–0.
The second period opened with momentum still firmly with the Gaels. Just two minutes in, the Queens extended their lead via a slapshot from the point, before the Blues conceded another penalty at the halfway mark of the period. Goaltender Jordan Fairlie — who made his season debut on the night — proved to be the Blues’ best penalty killer, but his diving and pad-save heroics were not enough as Larmand completed his hat-trick goal.
A floating point shot from defence Aidan Reeves against Queens’ goaltender Christian Purboo — the younger brother of former Blues’ Cole Purboo — instilled comeback hopes in the
Donald McCarthy Varsity Contributor
The Varsity Blues football team fell to 1–6 after a big loss to the Western Mustangs at the Varsity Stadium on October 11. U of T needed a win to keep playoff hopes alive, but the Mustangs were overpowering, showing why they’re the highest-scoring football team in Canada.
The Blues haven’t beaten the Mustangs since their 24–16 Yates Cup win in 1993, which led to their Vanier Cup victory in 1993. Playoff hopes this year have been dashed, with U of T sitting at 10th place in the conference.
What happened?
Before the game, an on-field ceremony celebrating the graduating Blues players
added an emotional edge to the matchup.
Toronto held their own initially, as Western drove down the field on their first possession but was gang-tackled by the Blues and a dropped pass led to a short field goal attempt for the visitors. The kick was missed, and Toronto returned the ball out of the endzone, keeping the score locked at 0–0 with less than 10 minutes left in the first quarter.
From there, things quickly went sideways. The home team struggled on offence throughout the game, with a 2-and-out — failure to get a first down in two plays — forcing them to punt the ball. It didn’t take the visitors long to draw first blood with a hard inside run by Western’s Keanu Yazbeck for a touchdown with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
Toronto couldn’t get any momentum on offence and was again forced to punt. The
arena. Forward Zack Smith’s unassisted shortside snipe with three minutes left in the second period meant the team had renewed energy heading into the second intermission.The team closed the gap to 4–2.
Despite the good ending to the second period, the third period saw the Gaels shut down the Blues. Despite phenomenal saves by Fairlie throughout the period, Queens added to the tally late in the game to finish 5–2.
With the Gaels outshooting the Blues 17–37, it’s clear the Blues need to improve their zone entries and chance generation for the long season ahead. However, the team can continue to rely upon their steady, physical game to get back into the win column.
What’s next?
The Varsity Blues are now 2–2 on the season as they sit fifth in the OUA West division. In a
post-game interview with The Varsity , Reeves said “I think the season has been good so far… we’re trying to find our groove as a team, but I think everyone’s super excited about the guys we have and happy with how we match up with every team.”
“It’s exciting to be back at Varsity [Arena]. We love playing in front of our fans and we’ve got an exciting group this year,” said Reeves. “Everyone’s ready to get back to work. We didn’t play how we wanted to tonight, so I’m sure everyone will be hyped up and ready to go for next weekend.”
The team embarked on a five-game road stretch, with a first game against the Western Mustangs on October 19 which ended in a 4–1 loss. The road games include a detour to Ithaca, New York for an exhibition game against Cornell University amongst the four fixtures of OUA games.
Mustangs marched down the field and scored with a dart thrown to Seth Robertson in the endzone. A rouge from the ensuing kickoff made it 15–0 for Western at the end of the quarter. The Mustangs came out blazing in the second quarter, scoring 26 straight points.
The Western offence was dominant all night, racking up 443-yards of offence to Toronto’s 187 by game’s end. Toronto had some second-quarter highlights, including surehanded Blues receiver Chris Joseph’s catch over the middle of the pitch that protected the team from a big hit, but the team’s efforts were not enough to put points on the board.
The game was out of reach by halftime, despite hard running by Blues’ tailback Jack Nyrose who finished with 52-yards on 12 carries. Both teams made quarterback substitutions in the second half to give game experience to the backups, and Blues’ Sam Colby filled in admirably for Kaleb O’Donoghue
— completing 11 of 14 passes for 103-yards.
What’s next?
There’s still some reason for optimism: the Blues showed their grit against a stronger opponent.
Senior defensive back Kinsale Philip remains hopeful of heading into Ottawa next week for Toronto’s final game against the Gee-Gees. “The message this week is just to play as fast as possible, as hard [as possible], and believe in ourselves… anybody has a chance to win, and together when we have all that belief, that’s when we win,” he said.
Defeating their opponent will go a long way to building this team’s confidence for the offseason.
The team played their final game of the season on October 19, falling 7–49 at the University of Ottawa and ending the season with a 1–7 record — 10th out of 11 teams in the OUA.
