THE VARSITY The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
November 19, 2018
Data at U of T: gender demographics, donations, wireless connections
SCSU Annual General Meeting Recapping the events of the night, page 3 Debates on funding student organizations, page 5 Controversy over agenda, read online
Breaking down the publicly released data the university collected in 2017 Andy Takagi Associate News Editor
The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union’s AGM took place on November 14. JOSIE KAO/THE VARSITY
Feature Reconnecting with the past, looking to the future: an interview with UTSC’s new Indigenous Engagement Coordinator
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Housing in Toronto: report shows grim rental market Rent continues to rise, building of expensive condos favoured over cheaper rental units Hannah Carty Varsity Staff
The rental market in Toronto remains dismal, with a recent report from Rentals.ca showing that Toronto rents are the highest in the country, especially in the heavily student populated areas around UTSG. As of October 24, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom was $2,166, and a two-bedroom was $2,589. Rentals.ca, a popular website for apartment hunters across the country, also reported that the Ontario average asking rent per square foot was $2.76. Vacancy rates in the city are below two per cent, creating a competitive housing climate among Torontonians. Being in the centre of downtown, UTSG is surrounded by some of the most expensive neighbourhoods in Toronto, such as Yorkville and the Entertainment District. Average rent in Yorkville, which surrounds most of
the northeast corner of campus, was $3,468 a month. However, escaping downtown isn’t a solution to the rising rents, as the top eight most expensive cities in the country are all part of the GTA, including Richmond Hill, Mississauga, and North York. Rental prices are being pushed up by the unwillingness to buy, according to the website’s report. Toronto has experienced a housing bubble in the past year or so, therefore making people more hesitant to buy. In addition, high mortgage credit requirements — along with the recently increased interest rate — is “reducing the credits available, reducing the ability for people to buy. So they’re choosing to rent for longer, so that’s certainly increasing demands in the rental market, which would have gone into the ownership market,” according to Ben Myers, who runs the consulting firm that analyzes the data for Rentals.ca’s housing report. Rental rates, page 3
Vol. CXXXIX, No. 10
Business U of T startup Grid makes parking painless
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Comment Smoking ban — boon or bust? Two students debate
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Arts “I would say chess is in my blood”: inside the world of competitive chess
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Science Challenging the idea of Type A and B personalities
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Sports Our favourite NHL memories
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Every year, the Office of Planning and Budget Office releases a report on the demographic data that U of T collects, including figures on international enrolment, the number of degrees awarded by field, and even the average number of wireless connections per day. Notably, engineering and science degrees were heavily skewed toward male recipients, while education and physical education degrees were mostly given to female students. The report also shows that an overwhelming amount of international students at U of T are from China, with other countries making up a small percentage in comparison. Here’s a breakdown of what that data shows and what stood out. Student gender balance Of the 65,051 full-time undergraduate students last year, 55.7 per cent identified as female, 43.7 per cent as male, 22 students as another gender identity, and 341 students’ gender identities remained undisclosed. In its collection of data on student gender, the university only started including the category of “another gender identity” in 2017. In comparison to figures from 2007, the university has maintained the ratio of female to male full-time undergraduate and graduate students. Part-time undergraduates were 61 per cent female in 2007. The 2017 data shows a slight majority male student population among part-time undergraduates. Part-time graduate students had the largest disparity in gender, with 64.4 per cent of the population identifying as female — two per cent up from 2007 numbers. Data on the number of degrees awarded by field of study for the 2016 calendar year shows large gender disparities in the areas of engineering and physical sciences, education and physical education, and mathematics and physical sciences. Engineering and physical science degrees overrepresented male students, with only 380 undergraduate degrees out of 1,186 being awarded to female students, amounting to less than 33 per cent. Disparities are especially apparent in doctoral engineering and physical science degrees, where only 26 per cent of the 156 degrees awarded were to female students. Among the 1,115 undergraduate mathematics and physical science degrees awarded in 2016, 39 per cent
were to female students. These same disparities appear for doctoral degrees as well, with only 24 per cent of the 105 doctoral degree recipients and 31 per cent of the 118 master’s degrees being awarded to female students. Education and physical education degree recipients also showed gender disparities, where female students are overwhelmingly represented. Across 1,287 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees awarded, threequarters were female, with the largest disparity among the 759 masters students, where only 21 per cent were male. International student enrolment International students who attend U of T are overwhelmingly from China. With 65.1 per cent of the undergraduate international student enrolment, the 10,463 Chinese international students made up 14.6 per cent of U of T’s total undergraduate population in 2017. The second-highest international population was from India, with a comparatively few 677 students enrolled. Students from South Korea, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Nigeria made up the remaining international undergraduate student population with roughly 12.8 per cent share of total international undergraduate enrolment. Trends remain similar for graduate international enrolment. Students from China made up 34.7 per cent of the graduate international student population — with students from the United States and India having made up 11.4 and 11.2 per cent of international graduate students, respectively. By geographic region,undergraduate international enrolment has fluctuated. Enrolment from North America has increased from 281 to 449 students since 2013, while international students coming from the Caribbean and Latin America are on a rapid decline, with 2017 seeing about half of the 2014 enrolment. However, European international student enrolment maintained high levels, at around 800 students per year. The Asia and Pacific region’s enrolment has seen a 68.9 per cent increase since 2013, more than any other regional division of international enrolment for undergraduate students. Again, these trends are mirrored in the graduate student population. Of the 3,118 international graduate students in 2017, more than half were from Asia and the Pacific, with North America and the Middle East making up the next largest populations. Data, page 4
2 | THE VARSITY
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
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Jack Talk UTSC
Time: 6:30–7:30 pm Location: HW216 Hosted by Jack.org UTSC
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Fight Like A Girl
Time: 6:00–7:00 pm Location: Hart House, Exercise Room *Registration required
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Keith Cheng Associate Design Editor Theo Arbez, Dina Dong Associate Photo Editors Iris Deng, Fiona Tung Associate Illustration Editors Vacant Associate Video Editor
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One Acts Festival: Hidden Truths Time: 6:30–9:00 pm Location: Leigha Lee Browne Theatre *$5 for students Hosted by the UTSC Drama Society
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Mo Cheese Please!
Time: 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Location: Student Centre *$2–3 per sandwich Hosted by ICCIT Council, DEMA
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UTSC MSA Board Game Night
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news@thevarsity.ca | 3
THE VARSITY | NEWS Rental rates, from cover The problem of rising housing costs is compounded with the issue of minimal options for on-campus housing at UTSG. During the 2017– 2018 school year, only 6,616 students were able to live on campus, spread out over 11 residences. U of T boasts a total enrolment of 90,077 students. Most of the students living on campus are in first year, leaving a vast majority of St. George’s 43,820 undergraduate students to find housing elsewhere. However, it is difficult to pinpoint how many students are renters, since U of T does not release statistics on the number of commuters. A plan to build a new residence at Sussex Avenue and Spadina Avenue was recently approved by the city, but it will not be completed until 2021. A new residence is also in the works at Trinity College, tentatively located next to the Gerald Larkin Building. However, it is only in the earliest stages of planning and there is no set timeline yet. Outside of U of T, the willingness of developers to build condominiums, which create more revenue, is not being met by the same demand. According to Rentals.ca, there simply isn’t enough rental housing being built. Rentals.ca found that while condos comprised nearly 20 per cent of the listings on the site, they made up only six per cent of page views. Due in part to the prevalence of condos, Toronto is comprised of half owners and half
Recapping the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union Annual General Meeting Heated discussion on agenda, amendments, motions funding equity collectives
FIONA TUNG/THE VARSITY
renters, as opposed to the national average of two-thirds owners and onethird renters, said Professor David Hulchanski of the Department of Urban Studies. Hulchanski also commented on the aging of Toronto’s rental buildings, noting that “existing rental stock is about 40 or 50 years old and getting older. In Toronto, almost half of rental stock is in the form of those clusters of 20-storey high rises that were built in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s.” The most recent complication to the housing situation is the provincial government’s plan to end rent control for new buildings. Current rent-
controlled apartments are safe, but there will be no new supply of them. This could cause rents to rise even further, as proprietors of new housing will have no obligation to provide rent-controlled housing. The myriad of factors that contribute to Toronto’s rising rents, such as immigration and low unemployment, are not likely to dissipate while the city continues to prosper. Toronto is currently experiencing low unemployment at 5.6 per cent. “We’ve really grown dynamically and we are a very successful, desirable city to live in, but we haven’t maintained a fair housing system,” said Hulchanski.
Association of Political Science Students hosts panel on gun violence in Toronto Discussion centres on root causes of violence, role of policing Michael A. Mejia Varsity Contributor
The rise of gun violence in Toronto and its connection to the United States was discussed and debated in a panel hosted by the Association of Political Science Students on November 16, with panelists agreeing that increased policing is not a solution. The panel included Sureya Ibrahim, a community leader from Regent Park; Julian Tanner, an Associate Professor of Sociology from UTSC; and Marcell Wilson, co-founder of the One-by-One Movement, a nonprofit organization founded by a group of former gang and organized crime members to create effective social programming for youth. The panelists discussed the root causes of the Toronto gun problem and potential remedies for the crisis, beginning with the rate at which gun usage has been increasing in the city. Tanner, whose research explores youth gangs, youth culture, and criminality in Toronto, credited the rise in guns to “our proximity to the United States.” Wilson, a reformed gang leader, refers to his past history as the ex-leader of one of Canada’s most notorious gangs, “the Looney Toons.” He echoed Tanner, saying that “guns are not produced in the ghetto. Someone has to bring them here.” “For as long as there is a lack of financially stable and realistic inclusive social programming, violence and gangs — gun culture — will continue to thrive. I believe that others like myself… with lived experience will make important contribu-
tions to the development of these programs,” said Wilson. Ibrahim followed this by suggesting that the city implement a “multitude approach” to address the increasing violence. Drawing from her experiences as a liaison with Toronto Police Service 51 Division, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Children’s Aid Society, she said that the approach “has to be hand in hand, working with the school system, social workers, and the police.” All three panelists agreed that Toronto Police need to find alternative approaches to handle the gun problem. Tanner pulled findings from his research, saying, “Many of the young people that we talked to feel stigmatized by the community they live in and they feel profiled.” Ibrahim referred to the presence of liaison officers in her area, saying that police “need to learn from the community, not just come and invade the community.” “You may live in a polarized community and be labelled as a dangerous
person simply because you come from this community. Police play a role [in] feeding into that,” said Wilson. Wilson did not openly dispute the potential benefits of having officers in polarized areas. Instead, he offered more proactive alternatives, such as monetary investments from police into programs like the Oneby-One Movement. “What I would suggest for our local government is to talk to people like us, who are in the community, who have the experience. We are receptive to working with our local government and bridging the gap between polarized communities and the police,” said Wilson. At the core, said Tanner, “gun violence is a consequence of social and economic inequality and disadvantage.” The panelists agreed that the best route for reducing gun violence would be putting money into social programming. From statistics and his own research, Tanner confirmed, “Policing by itself is not going to solve the problem.”
The panelists agreed that police need to find an alternative approach to gun violence. SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
The AGM, held at UTSC, saw backlash against the agenda from members. JOSIE KAO/THE VARSITY
Abhya Adlakha Varsity Contributor
The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union’s (SCSU) Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 14 focused heavily on meeting procedures, extended debates on amendments, and several equity-related motions. The six-hour meeting was also a platform for discussion on the audited financial reports from the 2017–2018 year, executive reports, and questions about space issues at UTSC. The AGM began with welcoming remarks by Wendy Phillips, the Indigenous Elder at UTSC. She acknowledged the mishaps at the previous AGMs in the past and requested that everyone “be kind to one another” and to work with the SCSU. SCSU President Nicole Brayiannis made the first motion for the approval of the agenda, which was uncharacteristically followed by a long debate and hostility from a few students. Anup Atwal, President of the Scarborough Campus’ Union Reform (SCU Reform) Club, led the debate, arguing that his motions in the agenda were “heavily amended, edited, and didn’t reflect what he needed to say.” The SCU Reform Club was started this year in protest of what students saw as the SCSU’s lack of transparency, engagement, and good governance. Atwal called for his motions to be removed, which was followed by a heated argument between him and the speaker about the legality of the bylaw committee to amend motions. Ray Alibux, who was involved in last year’s controversial SCSU elections, tried to add another motion to the agenda, asking to remove SCSU Political Science Director Raymond Dang. However, the speaker halted his motion, claiming that it was slander. After the agenda was approved, the AGM moved on to the auditor’s report of the 2017–2018 financial year, which was presented by Yale and Partners. The auditor’s report passed quickly, and the discussion moved on to the executive reports presented by the SCSU. Executive reports serve as a platform to show all the work that has been done by the SCSU so far and give students a chance to address any concerns. Students asked questions about the lack of recreation rooms on campus, overcrowded study rooms, and the lack of 24-hour food options on campus.
The SCSU acknowledged that these problems existed and said that it was working with the university to find solutions. The equity-related motions submitted by students included increased funding to the Muslim Chaplaincy and the UTSC Women and Trans Centre. The motion for the former proposed funding $25,000 a year to the Muslim Chaplaincy, which students opposed because they said that it was not fair to favour one chaplaincy, and that funding should be the university’s responsibility. This motion passed with extensive amendments, including striking the proposal for funding just the Muslim Chaplaincy, making provisions to open up discussions to give more support to all chaplaincies at UTSC. The next motion, regarding changing the period for the Fall and Winter General Meetings, passed quickly with hardly any debate or opposition. This motion included presenting a revised operating budget at every meeting and including director updates in the upcoming Winter General Meeting. Similarly, after five hours of discussion at the AGM, the Board of Directors-related motion made by Raymond Dang was directly called to question and passed quickly. This motion included the election of a Vice-President Campus Life and the introduction of one elected international student representative as a voting member on the Board of Directors. Around 10:00 pm, the AGM finally arrived at the last motion of the day, which proposed a $7,000 donation to the UTSC Women and Trans Centre for its 2019 conference, “Making HERstory.” Discussion was heavily focused on where the money would come from as well as what it would be used to buy. SCSU Vice-President Equity Chemi Lhamo made an amendment to reduce the amount of funding requested by the Women and Trans Centre, as the SCSU usually has a cap of “$5,000 for all entities.” Brayiannis agreed with her and said that “$2,500 was the most reasonable amount they could allocate to the conference.” The amendment was passed and the contribution was decreased from $7,000 to $2,500. Subsequently, the AGM was adjourned, having run for six hours.
4 | THE VARSITY | NEWS Data, from cover Donations In the 2016–2017 school year, U of T received $274,854,977 in pledges and gifts, with 37 per cent of donations coming from alumni. Research grants also made up a large proportion of donations at $62,535,116. The university also received money from various corporations, foundations, and “friends.” The largest donors are listed online. Donors who have gifted $25,000,000 or more include Paul and Alessandra Dalla Lana, Sandra and Joseph Rotman, John H. and Myrna Daniels, and Peter and Melanie Munk. If an individual donates $1,827 or more, they
news@thevarsity.ca can join the Presidents’ Circle club. The club holds special lectures and events presented by “the University’s most celebrated, insightful and inspiring professors.” Donations are also accepted online, where various funds can be selected to specify where the donor would like their money to go. This includes funds specific to programs, institutions, campuses, and colleges. There is also a President’s Fund for Excellence, listed as part of the Boundless campaign’s “area of greatest need.” Student Residences New College had the most students in residence in 2017, holding 900 students with a 901 capacity. Of the 6,616 residence spaces for students at U
of T, 4,017 were occupied by first-year students. University College held the highest number of first-year students relative to its capacity. Besides graduate and family housing, Trinity College held the lowest number of first-year students among the 460 spaces available. All residences at UTSG were operating at 95 per cent capacity or above in 2017. Chestnut Residence, University College, and Victoria College were all operating at 100 per cent capacity last year. UTM’s undergraduate housing had a 1,462 student capacity with 642 first-year students. Residences at UTSC housed 754 students of its 767 spaces available, with 613 first-year students in residence.
Wireless connectivity The university also collects data on the number of connections to U of T’s wireless network across all three campuses. Similar data also shows how students use university-provided web services such as ACORN, including the number of students changing or choosing academic courses, how many students have added bank information, and the number of credit card fee payments that declined. The average number of connections to U of T’s Wi-Fi per day has doubled since 2013. In 2017, 59,636 unique users accessed U of T’s network per day, with an average of 95,578 devices connecting.
ANDY TAKAGI/THE VARSITY
NOVEMBER 20, 2018 | 5
var.st/news
SCSU AGM 2018: Long debates to fund student organizations clash with financial realities
Motion to donate to Muslim Chaplaincy fails, funds for Women and Trans Centre’s 2019 conference set at $2,500
Many SCSU members expressed concern about funding certain equity groups. JOSIE KAO/THE VARSITY
Jayra Almanzor UTSC Bureau Chief
At the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union’s (SCSU) six-hour 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 14, motions to fund the Muslim Chaplaincy, as well as the Women’s and Trans Centre’s (WTC) 2019 conference “Making HERstory,” were proposed and met with controversy over whether to donate money. Muslim Chaplaincy The motions for the SCSU to give $25,000 annually to the Muslim Chaplaincy for operational costs were struck down by members in attendance. SCSU Vice-President Equity Chemi Lhamo said that although there are other religious groups on campus, none of them are funded by the SCSU. Some other religious groups at UTSC include the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Jewish Student Life. A union member at the meeting said that it is unfair to other religious groups for the SCSU to fund only the Muslim Chaplaincy. Union member and 2018 SCSU presidential candidate Ray Alibux proposed that the SCSU should instead donate $25,000 for a multi-faith chaplaincy in order to make the motion fairer to all religious groups at UTSC. “Having a single fund for a single group may lead to issues like people feeling excluded,” said Alibux. Another member opposed Alibux’s amendment, saying, “We have no money, that’s why we amended the [previous] motions.” Alibux’s amendment failed and other amendments to strike out the motions asking for the SCSU to donate to the Muslim Chaplaincy passed. The same motion also proposed that the SCSU provide a permanent space for the Muslim Chaplaincy. Members expressed concerns that this motion may create conflict between religious groups at UTSC. Lhamo proposed to amend the motion to say that the SCSU will lobby for U of T to pay for it, and permanent spaces would be provided for both the Muslim Chaplaincy and other multifaith initiatives. SCSU President Nicole Brayiannis spoke in favour of Lhamo’s amendment, and said that future plans for
buildings like the Instructional Centre II will provide “ample opportunity” to lobby for the spaces. After a long discussion, the muchamended motion was finally passed. Women and Trans Centre Shagun Kanwar, the Finance and Safety Coordinator at the WTC, moved for the SCSU to contribute $7,000 to WTC’s 2019 conference, “Making HERstory.” The motion was amended so that the monetary support was lower, after concerns from students about where the money would come from and where it would go. When asked why the WTC needed $7,000 more if it already had $40,000 in levies, Kanwar said that much of the levies were spent on honorariums for WTC coordinators. Each WTC coordinator receives $8,000 for two semesters. “The honorarium in there is not reasonable,” said one student. Raymond Dang, the Director of Political Science on the SCSU board, disagreed and said that WTC coordinators deserved to be paid this amount because “a lot of the time a lot of these coordinators pass their hours [for their pay].” WTC External Coordinator Leon Tsai presented the budget breakdown for the conference, which showed that out of the total cost of $30,000, about $24,000 was allocated toward speakers and performances, while $6,000 was for logistics. Of the $24,000, over $20,000 of that would be paid toward the keynote speaker, whom the WTC members said was a highly regarded #MeToo figure. According to Brayiannis, since most of the surplus money is budgeted toward building maintenance like roof repairs, most of the donations to WTC would have to come from the donations line. In hopes of being practical with the donations line, which has a limit of $5,000 for all entities, Lhamo said that access to funding is already difficult anywhere. She emphasized the SCSU’s role as WTC’s co-collaborator and wanted to change SCSU’s donation from $7,000 to $2,500. Lhamo’s amendment to lower the SCSU’s monetary contribution passed. Kanwar’s motion for the SCSU to assist WTC in advertising the conference also passed.
US Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan visits U of T Faculty of Law American jurist discusses Kavanaugh hearings, judicial system with Justice Rosalie Abella Ilya Bañares Deputy News Editor
A U of T Law-hosted conversation between Elena Kagan, Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States, and Rosalie Abella, Canadian Supreme Court Justice, focused largely on the state of the American judiciary, as well as the recent controversial hearings of US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The event took place at the Jackman Law Building on November 12 and was livestreamed on YouTube. Abella began the conversation by asking Kagan, “I think it’s on everybody’s mind who watched the recent hearing: Do you like beer?” referring to Kavanaugh’s repeated phrase during the Senate proceedings — eliciting a laugh from the audience. Kagan dodged the question and the discussion moved on to comparisons between the two judicial bodies of Canada and the US. Kagan noted that although confirmation hearings allow the public to get to know the process and the nominees, they have some problems. “It seems good to me from the perspective of transparency of governance, people [senators] taking their constitutional role seriously and having an opportunity to see a person, and to try to figure out what kind of justice she or he would be, and in the abstract, I think that’s a good thing,” said Kagan. “In the concrete, it’s a little hard to watch any of these hearings and think they accomplish all that much.” In Canada, justices are appointed by the governor general according to the prime minister’s recommendation, unlike in the United States, where the president nominates a person who must
be subsequently confirmed by senators. preme Court is,” she asked, “and how it Kagan also said that in previous years, can be considered legitimate in its treatmany nominations to the US Supreme ment of women who have experienced Court have had wider bipartisan sup- violence, when you have not one, but port, noting that judges received support two justices who have been levelled with from members of a party that did not credible accusations, and the appointnominate them. More recently, debates ment process has put them forth.” have become more politicized and diThe two justices referenced are Kavavided. naugh, who has been accused of sexual “I do think there’s room for people violence by Christine Blasey Ford, Debto listen to each other and try to find orah Ramirez, and Julie Swetnick; and common ground and try to find areas Clarence Thomas, who was accused by of compromise,” said Kagan. “The way Anita Hill in 1991. to find agreement and the way to find Kagan replied, “You’re right, you consensus, is not to keep talking about should not have asked me that questhose big questions, because you’re just tion, and I’m sorry to say that but there going to soon run into a wall, but to see are some questions that — I’m part of if you can reframe the question.” this institution, I care about it a lot, I Kagan noted that after Justice Anto- care about my colleagues a lot and that’s nin Scalia’s death, the court worked very something that I’m not going to be talkhard to not come under gridlock and ing about.” get stuck with tied votes by only having eight members. In the two-year period, Disclosure: Teodora Pasca was The VarSenate Republicans refused to consider sity’s Comment Editor from 2016–2018. Judge Merrick Garland, a nominee of President Barack Obama. During the Q&A session, law student Teodora Pasca told Kagan that she “almost regretted” asking her question, but she said that she and many people she knew in the legal profession watched the Kavanaugh hearings “with a little bit of pain in our hearts.” “I’m wondering what you think the Elena Kagan (left) declined to comment on the Kavanaugh hearings. LISA LIGHTBOURN/Courtesy of the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO role of the Su-
Arts & Science exam schedule takes longer to complete due to large size, unclear central planning body
“Minimizing the number of students who have conflicts” seen as the main goal
Silas Le Blanc Associate News Editor
The Faculty of Arts & Science’s 2018 December exam schedule was released on October 31, leaving many students frustrated with the delay. According to U of T, the delay is in large part due to the size of the university and the lack of a central planning policy, which is unlike other Canadian universities. In an interview with The Varsity, university spokesperson Elizabeth Church said that the primary focus of those in charge of structuring the exam schedule was to avoid as many conflicts as possible. “In order to minimize conflicts in the exam timetable… it takes some extra time to look right down to the student level to look at the schedules and try to adjust them to reduce the number of students that have conflicts.”
She added that further difficulty came from needing to have course enrolment numbers finalized before the schedule could be released. There is also little in terms of institutional policy that goes into structuring the exam schedule. Ryerson University and the University of British Columbia (UBC) were clear about their policies and sent The Varsity a detailed outline of the expectations of both students and faculty. It is unclear who specifically is responsible for the exam schedules, as Church said that a number of different faculty and registrars from across many different departments are involved. When asked how many staffers work on the exam schedule, she replied, “It’s hard to give a number because it involves different people across the university, so registrars as well as people who are organizing facilities and spaces as well.”
UBC planning system Other schools such as UBC and McMaster University released their exam schedules much earlier, on October 10 and October 15 respectively. In an email to The Varsity, UBC Associate Registrar for Enrolment Services Annie Yim specified that, “Final exam requests are collected via our Student Information System, where departments insert the final exam information received from the instructors.” This information is then exported to an automated exam scheduler system, which prioritizes avoiding conflicts. Once the software has finalized the schedule, it is published, and then exam room locations are published two weeks later. UBC’s deadline to finish their exam schedule this year was September 18, around a month and a half before U of T students got theirs.
Business
November 19, 2018 var.st/business biz@thevarsity.ca
U of T startup wants to take pain out of parking
Grid Parking co-founder on finding the right spot at the right time Michael Teoh Business Editor
“The dynamic nature of parking does not allow you to be sure that you’re going to find the right spot at the right time.” Substitute ‘parking’ for ‘entrepreneurship’ and Grid Parking co-founder Ahsan Malik’s statement would still ring true; both require a significant degree of patience, sufficient time, and a bit of luck. Fortunately, Malik and his startup’s team have the extra ingredients needed to start taking the pain out of parking: market research, pilot testing, and $20,000 in seed funding. Co-founded by current U of T student Birinder Lobana and recent alumni Muhammad Sheikh and Malik, Grid aims to provide users with real-time data of available parking spaces through an app. The
ultimate goal is to make parking — especially in major downtown hubs like Toronto — faster and more convenient. On September 5, Grid won the $20,000 Hatchery Prize at the sixth annual Demo Day. Demo Day 2018 was the culmination of the four-month Hatchery Nest accelerator program. Out of a cohort of over 30 groups, 13 finalists were given the chance to pitch their startups to a panel of judges. For Malik and his team, the prize represented both the end of a journey that they had started from the 2017 Hatchery Nest cohort, and the transition of the project from a concept to reality. Looking for a spot The inspiration to begin work on the startup stemmed from Lobana and Malik’s personal frustrations with finding parking in downtown To-
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ronto. The two met while playing soccer and frequently had to find parking at different venues to continue playing sports. This frustration led them to pursue a solution. Malik’s experience as a mechanical engineering student and Lobana’s computer science background made the collaboration straightforward. The system they wanted to design, however, required hardware, which is where electrical and computer engineering student Sheikh would come in. “I’d say that we all came from cities that are not as mesmerizing as we found Toronto,” said Malik. “[The] interest in diversified fields… combined together into one space… Fueled our imagination to what we can do and putting in the efficiency that we see is still needed in the system.” Together, the three applied to the Hatchery Nest program at U of T in 2017. According to Joseph Orozco, the Entrepreneurship Hatchery’s executive director and co-founder, close to $40 million has been raised collectively by startups that have participated in the program in the last five to six years. The Nest opens applications in September, and holds interviews for admission in February. The program runs from May to August, providing groups with advisory boards consisting of mentors from numerous different fields that provide groups with detailed feedback and resources to develop their businesses. “[This] expanded collaborative network… [allows] us to keep on creating startups and generating a dealflow that is certainly transforming Canada and allowing our students to think big,” said Orozco. Grid was not among the four teams to secure funding during Demo Day 2017, and Malik attributes this to his team’s failure to identify all the stakeholders that would be affected by their business. “It took us time to realize that establishing a proper business has to find a very sweet spot within the existing chain of stakeholders involved in the market which you are going into,” said Malik. “The first time when we were presenting to investors, we were presenting the very, very positive feedback that we had received from the users, the driver’s side. So that market was not the right fit for the business model.” Circling around Still, failure to secure funding did not mean that involvement in the Hatchery Nest program was a failure for Grid. With the feedback they received, the team returned to the clients they had interviewed and sought new clients in different markets in order to refine their pitch. Equipped with a richer diversity of feedback and responses, Grid reapplied to the Hatchery Nest in
2018. The team continued to fine-tune their ideas, and Malik notes that a meeting with Airbus Chief Technology Officer Grazia Vittadini and mentorship from John Phyper were particularly valuable. Malik also added that Orozco connects groups with industry leaders and U of T students in the business stream in order to provide groups with more business-oriented input. “[Orozco’s] feedback during your presentations is something that really combines everything that he has seen from the previous successful startups to help you know that what you’re trying to do is even viable or not in the long run,” said Malik. The involvement of other student-led startup groups also helped Malik and his team develop their idea. “Those people are also going into their ventures, into the world of unknowns, trying to build something right from the beginning, lay the foundations. So they’re going through the same phases as [we] are.” Finding a fit In October, Grid began pilot testing using portions of their seed funding. This currently consists of additional market research and networking to adapt the team’s design. “So the challenge is to incorporate the feedback of our actual customers, the clients, into the design we are building, and [determining the] trade-off between cost, performance, quality, scalability, and those kinds of things,” said Malik. In the long term, the team hopes to expand their market to other major city hubs, including Calgary, Montréal, and Vancouver. For now, their go-to market is companies that sell tickets and already collect user information that can incorporate Grid’s interface of reservation links into their own. This would include stadiums for concerts or sports events and hotels. From there, the team will look to expand to more public spaces. “It’s hard to put a timeline to it because so many factors are involved, but by the end of next year, we hope to be at [places like] Pearson airport, Yorkdale Mall, Rogers Centre,” said Malik. The team is also looking into receiving further support from accelerators such as NEXT Canada and the Creative Destruction Lab. Grid has received investment offers from friends and investors who attended Demo Day. Malik noted, “The point right now is that we, being engineers, lead with technology and its performance. So our focus right now is pilot testing and we know that we can raise much higher funds once we have proven that our concept is driving the future of mobility.”
Steve Mann on Inventrepreneurship and the ‘tree-shaped person’
U of T professor’s course has inspired tech startups worth millions Matias Gutierrez Associate Business Editor
Professor Steve Mann is using Inventrepreneurship to change the way U of T students think about startups. “We bring a kind of ‘jazz’ flavour to something that is normally a very ‘classical’ kind of education,” he said. Regarded by some as the “father of wearable computing,” Mann teaches the graduate course APS1041: Inventrepreneurship. In the course, he teaches students fundamental scientific principles that have led to innovative breakthroughs and startups. Mann is also the Chief Scientist of the Creative Destruction Lab, which provides a network of entrepreneurial talent and capital to support early-stage startups. Among the most notable startups to come out of his course are InteraXon, Transpod, and Metavision. Combined, the three startups have raised approximately $168.8 million in funding. InteraXon has created a wearable brain-sensing headband called Muse that measures brain activity and provides audio feedback to users that
accompanies the readings. The result is an immersive, intuitive, and personalized device that aids meditation and concentration. Transpod, founded by Mann’s student Ryan Janzen, is focused on designing and manufacturing ultra-high-speed transportation technology and vehicles in a similar vein to Elon Musk’s Hyperloop, while Metavision manufactures augmented reality glasses. Mann structures his classes with an emphasis on authentic individualized mentorship, which he describes as having a “focus on invention,” while adding fundamental elements of mathematics, physics, and other scientific grounding. He also aims to combine elements he has seen employed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford. “I combine the mathematical scientific depth and rigour of MIT with the social and business relevance of Stanford, to give the students the grounding that they need to make a new scientific breakthrough that can attract investment capital and be commercialized,” he wrote in an email to The Varsity. Mann prioritizes the development of what he
CHERYL CHEUNG/THE VARSITY
calls “tree-shaped” individuals in his lessons. “Whereas other engineering disciplines typically favour the ‘T-shaped’ person who has one deep area of expertise (the vertical part of the ‘T’) combined with broad social and communication skills (the horizontal part of the ‘T’), I emphasize what I call the ‘Tree-Shaped person.’” These tree-shaped individuals have a wider variety of skills that reach into more areas, providing them with a more diverse toolset. Mann’s objective is to create well-rounded entrepreneurs
who are better prepared for real-world challenges and innovation. When asked about the future, Mann was optimistic about the potential of InteraXon and wearable technology at large. “I think the next big thing in the coming years will be health and wellbeing, especially mental health,” Mann said. “Our company, InteraXon, created the world’s leading brain health platform.”
Comment
November 19, 2018 var.st/comment comment@thevarsity.ca
Smokers: goodbye or good riddance?
Two students debate the potential smoking ban at U of T
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Andrea Chiappetta & Ori Gilboa Varsity Contributors
On November 9, the University of Toronto announced that it will implement a smoking ban on all three campuses, effective January 1. Smoking tobacco and cannabis, as well as the use of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices, will no longer be permitted. Exceptions will be made for Indigenous ceremonies and medical use. Two contributors debate the merits of the policy.
A welcome change
This ban could not come soon enough. It is high time that the university protects its students, staff, and facilities from the effects of smoking. Kelly Hannah-Moffat, U of T’s Vice-President Human Resources & Equity, said that the purpose of the updated smoking policy is to “ensure that we have a healthy campus.” Taking into consideration the negative consequences of first and secondhand tobacco and cannabis smoke, as well as the cleanliness of the campus, the policy change is set to make a positive impact on the university. In 2017, Statistics Canada found that almost one in five Canadians between the ages of 18 and 34 are currently tobacco smokers. The health effects of tobacco smoke are well-documented but are nonetheless worth mentioning. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, smoking causes approximately 30 per cent of all cancer deaths and 85 per cent of all lung cancer deaths each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco is responsible for more deaths per year than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. The effects of smoking extend far beyond the user — especially harming the environment and bystanders. Research shows that there is no safe level of secondhand tobacco smoke. It contains both mainstream smoke, which is exhaled from the smoker’s mouth, and sidestream smoke, which is emitted from the end of the cigarette. Sidestream smoke is actually more toxic than the smoke inhaled by the smoker; it contains smaller particles, which make their way into the lungs more easily. Around two-thirds of the smoke emitted from a cigarette can be inhaled by anyone in the area,
and this inhalation is involuntary and dangerous. According to the American Lung Association, tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 toxic chemicals, 40 of which have known links to cancer. The effects of the smoke can be measured within five minutes of exposure, and all too often, students do not get to choose whether they are exposed. Over 800 non-smokers die from lung cancer and heart disease due to exposure to secondhand smoke every year in Canada, and shielding U of T’s community from this preventable phenomenon is of paramount importance. Ridding the campus of this damaging practice will protect both students and faculty, and hopefully create a safer and healthier environment for all. The recent legalization of recreational cannabis in Ontario played a part in the university’s discussion of the smoking ban. Though not as severe as tobacco smoke, cannabis still has negative effects on both first and secondhand smokers. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, firsthand cannabis smokers exhibit significant airway inflammation, increased airway resistance, and lung hyperinflation, and those who smoke regularly report more symptoms of chronic bronchitis. What has been found about the effects of secondhand cannabis smoke is not promising. A study conducted on rats found that secondhand exposure to cannabis smoke negatively affected blood vessels as much as tobacco smoke, and the effects lasted for a longer period. Just as with tobacco smoke, the university has a responsibility to minimize cannabis smoke risks experienced by its community on campus. Keeping the university hospitable will be a welcome consequence of the ban. Cigarette waste is a substantial issue on campuses that permit smoking. A project undertaken at two universities in San Diego showed the scope of cigarette waste on campus. In an hour, volunteers at both universities managed to collect over 30,000 cigarette butts, averaging almost 400 per volunteer. This kind of saturation can make outdoor spaces unpleasant and off-putting when coupled with secondhand smoke. This policy is not meant to punish smokers. After all, the administration will work to make the transition easier for smokers on all campuses by offering to create temporary smoking areas and making smoking cessation services available. Rather, the policy change simply aims to make U of T more safe, healthy, and hospitable. It will work
to improve our public outdoor spaces and make a positive and longlasting change on campus. Ori Gilboa is a first-year Humanities student at Victoria College.
Policy or prejudice?
When I first caught wind of the Trudeau government’s intentions to legalize cannabis during the 2015 federal election, I will admit that I was not a fan. I have not and actively choose not to engage with any form of smoking. But today, I go about my daily life unhindered by the legality of cannabis. I have made peace with my prejudice on the substance. I am therefore nothing but puzzled when I look at the smoking policy set to take effect in the new year. As the university is an apparent defender of personal freedoms, the decision to implement this policy is overreaching and unrealistic. The ban take away the personal choice of students, staff, and any other person on campus to smoke. Not to mention, regulations on outdoor smoking are already enforced by the Ontario government. The regulation addresses the legalities of smoking in venues such as patios, playgrounds, and outside areas. While many studies have concluded that these activities pose risks to the user, controlling, instead of banning, outdoor smoking already reduces the health impacts on the general public. I worry that Campus Police will be preoccupied with cannabis-related complaints. But campus safety should be one of the most important priorities for the university. Walk-safe programs, adequate lighting, and nighttime security are pillars to working toward a safe campus for all. Campus Police works with the university on this, in addition to responding to many calls dealing with various assaults. In its 2016 Annual Report, the police service noted that it uses campus resources wherever possible, but sometimes outside resources are required for training and development. I hope the new ban will not put a strain on the work that the police do every day. After decades of cigarettes being smoked on campus, it is also curious that the university has suddenly decided to implement this smoking ban. I cannot help but notice the timely fashion of the
policy in relation to the recent legalization of cannabis. For a university that is working to erode the existence of stigmas on campus — through education campaigns on mental health or LGBTQ+ issues, for example — it seems to me that the stigma around cannabis is the cornerstone to one of the most controversial policies introduced to date. In addition to already infringing on personal choice, the university seems to disregard the practicality of the ban. Make no mistake: this policy is not pragmatic. U of T’s three campuses make up hundreds of acres of land. UTSG alone includes land from the intersection of Bloor Street West and Spadina Avenue to Bay Street and College Street. The university is often an escape from the bustling city that is Toronto. And the campus is not a gated kingdom; many members of the public pass through campus every day. It would therefore not be realistic to prohibit smoking in this environment. We also need to acknowledge what is being asked of those who decide to smoke: if you choose to smoke, you must travel off-campus. But it’s not clear where exactly off-campus would be. If a student were to be in the middle of King’s College Circle, it would be inconvenient for them to walk 10–15 minutes just to smoke for two minutes. It could also have a clear impact on their punctuality to class and extracurricular commitments. It seems that the administration did not account for the experiences of a student who smokes when deciding to roll out this policy. As the policy moves forward, I would expect a certain level of compromise: designated smoking areas, to say the least. Our time, money, and attention should focus on the student experience. Ostracizing students for their personal choice to smoke is not a step in an equitable direction. We should consult with students who do not smoke and consult with students who do. Bringing diverse voices to the table that appreciate the input of each other will live out the equitable practices we preach. While the idea of smoking may be unattractive to those who do not engage in it, like myself, I will not allow my preference to trump another’s agency. Andrea Chiappetta is a second-year Political Science, American Studies, and History student at Woodsworth College.
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Checking men out — of power
Analyzing women’s place in politics following scandals around U of T alumni Tony Clement and Jim Wilson Clement resigned from the Conservative caucus after admitting that he had been blackmailed for sending sexually explicit messages and photographs. On the provincial level, Andrew Kimber, one of Premier Doug Ford’s key aides, and Jim Wilson, a cabinet member, resigned from their positions after staffers accused them of sexual harassment. Wilson also resigned from the Progressive Conservative (PC) caucus. Incidentally, and embarrassingly for U of T, both Clement and Wilson are alumni who served as members of the university’s Governing Council.
An old and timeless narrative
MP Tony Clement resigned from his caucus following a sexual misconduct scandal. Courtesy of ICANN PHOTOS
Meera Ulysses Current Affairs Columnist
Content warning: discussion of sexual violence. This month, a series of scandals in the federal and provincial governments led to three high-profile resignations. On the federal level, MP Tony
Do you want bugs with that?
Given recent food safety controversies, the SCSU must take action to ensure the well-being of UTSC students Michael Phoon UTSC Affairs Columnist
The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 14. Despite a lengthy six-hour program that discussed all items on the agenda, the attendees surprisingly failed to discuss one of the most serious issues currently affecting students: questionable food safety on campus. Asian Gourmet, a popular Chinese-themed vendor, has made a name for itself this year by selling food that contained a bug in it to students on at least two occasions. In March, a student found a large winged insect in her bok choy meal. A similar incident occurred in October, involving another student. As reported by UTSC’s student newspaper, The Underground, Asian Gourmet conceded that it
These incidents reveal a serious problem: men in positions of power continue to engage in sexual misconduct and harassment against women. This is especially concerning given that that we elect such men to govern important affairs in our society, yet they lack the character and ethical compass to respect women. The abuse of women by powerful men is, unfortunately, an old and timeless narrative. These controversies follow uncomfortably close to the resignation of former PC leader Patrick Brown — yet another U of T graduate — after he was accused of sexual assault last winter. On the provincial level, the resignations of Kimber and Wilson are particularly harmful to a government so recently elected. Ford has had to suddenly reorganize his cabinet and supporting staff, which severely undermines confidence in the ability of the ministers to fulfil their duties and manage the province. What is another blow to the integrity of the PCs is that Ford’s initial response was to concoct a false story and omit the real reasons behind Wilson’s departure. To hide important information from the public contradicts the premier’s
would often find and pick insects out of the vegetables, but the two described incidents occurred because the insects were likely trapped within the leaves of the vegetables. It even admitted that given the quantity of food involved in the cooking process, employees don’t “look carefully” when it comes to insects. Following the incidents, DineSafe, Toronto Public Health’s food safety program, inspected Asian Gourmet on October 15, handing it a “conditional pass” with a list of infractions. These included: failure to maintain food at an appropriate temperature; not properly washing the surface of the kitchen; not properly protecting its food from contamination and adulteration; not using properly cleaned utensils; and, worst of all, using a dirty cloth to clean food surfaces. It might seem puzzling that Asian Gourmet remains popular and attractive to UTSC students, especially for lunchtime service, despite the repeated bad publicity. It is not as though students are irrational. The truth is that the food vendors at UTSC are limited, both in number and variety. A lack of competition leaves students with little choice and likely drives the careless service at Asian Gourmet. The SCSU’s response, as indicated in a November 8 statement, is that it only operates as the landlord, leasing the Student Centre space to food vendors. Vendors like Asian Gourmet “operate independently, and are therefore outside the management of the SCSU.” But food safety at UTSC is not just an issue for independently operated vendors. For instance, Rex’s Den — operated directly by the SCSU — also drew attention when hair and insects were discovered in the food served to students. During the summer, Rex’s Den also received a conditional pass from a DineSafe inspection, with two significant infrac-
favourite slogan, “for the people,” which calls for transparent and accountable government. For a party that so recently gained power, blatantly lying to the public erodes civic trust. We, the citizens, have a right to know information that bears significance on how and by whom the province is being run. Though these specific incidents all concern conservative figures, sexist harassment or violence by men in politics is by no means exclusive to one party. Under the previous Liberal government, former premier Kathleen Wynne revealed to the public that at least two Liberal MPPs had had allegations of sexual harassment made against them. Hence, this issue speaks more broadly to a culture of entitlement and misogyny in which powerful men are grounded. However, because conservatives frequently allege that their ideology is grounded in the maintenance of family values and morality, incidents of sexual misconduct, harassment, and assault reflect hypocrisy on the part of these politicians.
From punishment to rehabilitation
In the cases of Kimber, Wilson, Clement, and Brown, decisive and immediate action was taken against these men. It would seem that allegations of harassment or assault against women is treated as a serious matter. And yet one has to question how severe or lasting these consequences are. Over the past year’s #MeToo movement, many women have come forward to speak out against the abuses that they suffered at the hands of powerful men, many of whom face some kind of punishment — for instance, the prosecution of Bill Cosby. Yet many of these men are quickly rehabilitated. In January, Patrick Brown resigned as PC leader following a number of allegations of sexual misconduct. Just months later, in October, he was elected as mayor of Brampton. Clement resigned from the caucus but retains his seat as an independent. Wilson resigned from his cabinet position and caucus, but not his seat, and had his resignation initially framed exclusively as a self-care issue. He was briefly approached with sympathy and well wishes from within the party and from the public. Some men are not even punished to begin with: despite credible testimony from Christine Blasey Ford and widespread public outrage, Brett Kavanaugh was still appointed as a Supreme
Court Justice in the US. It is disillusioning that a man’s ill treatment of women is not enough to seriously impact public opinion — that he remains regarded as capable and worthy of holding positions of political power. It points to a societal disregard for women’s safety and well-being, and what we’re saying is that one’s treatment of women is not indicative of the constituency of one’s character.
Barriers to politics
Women already face significant barriers to working in politics. Despite making up half of the population, we are consistently underrepresented in government. Only seven of the 21 members of Ford’s cabinet are women. Even when women are able to secure positions in politics, they are often met with mockery and disrespect. Consider that the allegation of sexual harassment against Kimber came from his female coworkers within the PC party. Misogynistic rhetoric is to be frequently found in political debates, as was made clear in the public debates between Ford and Wynne as well as between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, where underhanded comments about the women’s appearances or temperaments abounded. That women continue to be met with disrespect and have their boundaries violated by the men working with them is appalling, and only reinforces the gender barrier in politics. As citizens, we have a right to a transparent and responsible government that takes incidents of gender-based harassment within its ranks seriously. We must hold these men in power accountable for their actions and ensure that women can safely access politics. As students and youth at U of T, we are of a class that is currently making its way into the world as the leaders of tomorrow. It is up to us to craft a future that is grounded in transparent and ethical government and in fair and respectful treatment of women. It starts by not letting injustices like this slide by unnoticed and unaccounted for. Meera Ulysses is a second-year Equity Studies and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations student at New College. She is The Varsity’s Current Affairs Columnist.
Insects have been found in food sold by Asian Gourmet to UTSC students. PATRICK CRUZ/THE VARSITY
tions listed. Vendors like Asian Gourmet and Rex’s Den must do more: they have a responsibility for food safety, not just to meet municipal regulations, but also to ensure the health and well-being of students and customers. There is no excuse for these incidents — and they only represent those cases in which students clearly found and chose to report items that compromised their safety. Students who don’t notice insects or hair in their food could fall in danger. The SCSU must recognize that the pattern of food safety issues is a significant concern, especially considering that one involved its own vendor. It is necessary for the SCSU to take action and not just offer statements. As Asian Gourmet’s landlord, the SCSU should
firmly consider terminating its contract. This might seem excessive, but it would demonstrate that the SCSU puts the interests and needs of UTSC students above those of food vendors, which can always be replaced with other franchised food companies. At the very least, a warning to Asian Gourmet by the SCSU could force it to improve operations. As for Rex’s Den, the union must take full responsibility and ensure that management lives up to optimal food safety. In general, it should consider implementing stricter food safety policies. The SCSU must uphold its duty to represent students and do what is best — and that means ensuring food safety on campus. Michael Phoon is a second-year Journalism student at UTSC. He is The Varsity’s UTSC Affairs Columnist.
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Op-ed: What students stand to lose with Bill 47
Fight for $15 and Fairness UofT on why we must resist the Ford government’s rollbacks of our labour rights Clement Cheng, Simran Dhunna & Mia Sanders Varsity Contributors
In November 2017, the Liberal government passed Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, a watershed moment in Ontario’s history. As a result, over 1.7 million minimum wage workers saw a direct pay increase from $11.60 to $14 per hour, with the $15 minimum wage to come this January. Millions more benefited indirectly from wage bumps. Today, the Progressive Conservative government is turning back the clock on our rights with Bill 47, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act. On November 20, our MPPs will start the third reading of the bill. The vote will proceed after only five hours of public consultation. Citing the two weeks of extensive consultations preceding Bill 148, Deena Ladd from the Workers’ Action Centre and the Ontario Federation of Labour called these consultations a “sham.” Though Doug Ford prides himself on being “for the people,” Bill 47 would endanger millions of workers by repealing almost all of the provisions under Bill 148, including paid sick days, equal pay for equal work, fairer scheduling laws, and easier ways for certain sectors to unionize.
Why students should be concerned
Among those who stand to lose the most are students. As Ontario has the highest average tuition fees in the country, many of us have no choice but to compromise our studies by juggling multiple jobs to pay tuition, afford rent, and support our families. Those of us working in academia, such as teaching assistants, also face precarity. Over 75 per cent of college faculty members are temporary contract workers. Ontario’s colleges and universities estimate that they pocket $336 million annually by paying these precariously employed faculty less than their permanent colleagues, who do the same work. And it’s not just postsecondary students who depend on a better minimum wage and fairer working conditions. Two weeks ago, high school students protested Bill 47 to expose that Ontario is the only province in Canada where student workers under 18 earn a subminimum wage of $13.15 per hour compared
to the adult rate of $14 per hour. Bill 47 would cancel the scheduled increase in the subminimum student wage, directly impacting students’ ability to save for postsecondary education at institutions like U of T. Once in university, many of us take on precarious, low-paying jobs — often in the service and retail sectors — that expose us to a slew of poor working conditions. Students are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of Bill 47 due to our demanding school obligations and the structural barriers some of us face. This is especially true for racialized, women-identified, gender non-conforming, queer, trans, workingclass, disabled, and international students. If it passes, Bill 47 would deny us the right to 10 job-protected leave days, two of which are paid — a rollback that 77 per cent of Ontarians oppose. The bill would also repeal fairer scheduling provisions, such as being able to refuse last-minute shift changes without risking our jobs. Taking time off and having flexibility in scheduling is especially important for students who commute, live with mental or physical illness, and have caregiving responsibilities. Moreover, many U of T students find work through temporary agencies. By repealing the Equal Pay for Equal Work provision, Bill 47 condemns students who are temporary workers — often racialized and international students — to be paid less than permanent workers for the same job. It also gives a green light to employers who violate employment standards by reducing the penalties for labour violations by 75 per cent. Unfair labour laws such as those crafted by Ford have a body count. Just two weeks ago, a fourth temp worker died at a Fiera Foods-affiliated company that is notorious for having 191 health and safety violations. The same company claimed the lives of 17-year-old Ivan Golyashov and 23-year-old Amina Diaby, whose hijab got caught in a machine.
U of T’s complicity
Corporate elites continue to lobby against the very laws that are meant to prevent the deaths of young workers like Golyashov and Diaby. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been spearheading these lobbying efforts, claiming that Bill 148 was “too much, too fast.” As a member of the OCC, U of T cannot be absolved of its complicity in Ford’s pursuit to slash Bill
Condos are the future — not singledetached homes
As we strive for affordable housing in Toronto, we need to embrace mid- to high-rise development Abeir Liton & Napas Thein Varsity Contributors
We need to face the reality of affordable housing in Toronto, especially as we strive to retain communities and prevent gentrification. Implementing rent-to-own programs, suggested by former mayoral candidate and chief city planner Jennifer Keesmaat, is of course, a way we can provide lower-income earners and those new to the housing market an opportunity to live in and own a home in Toronto. This gives tenants an opportunity to apply a portion of their monthly rent against the down payment on their home, so renting becomes a pathway to ownership. Running neighbourhood improvement area programs and John Tory’s proposal to building more affordable housing in Toronto are also potential ways of easing the increase in housing prices in Toronto, while preventing the outflux of existing residents. They ensure that lower-income residents aren’t pushed out from the communities they live in, but instead prosper with the development around them. However, we also need to be specific about
what affordable housing should look like. We should recognize that single-detached homes are not the future — condos are. Toronto is the fourth-largest city in North America and the largest in Canada — and it is growing. Skylines are inevitably going to be composed of more obstructive skyscrapers. Streets are going to be walked by more people. Businesses we like and don’t like will continue to sprawl throughout the city. Living in Toronto today means that your dream two-storey detached home, perfectly unobstructed by views of skyscrapers and condominiums, remains exactly that: a dream. Students, unless you end up very rich soon, that dream needs to move to the suburbs, or turn into a condo. Yet some residents do not want to change in line with the growing city. They view Toronto’s Manhattanization as a problem. Some are afraid of changes to their communities and to the landscape of their neighbourhoods. This reflects the Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY ) attitude that is sprouting across the city. Recently, outgoing City Councillor Janet Davis tweeted a picture of a “too-tall build-
The U of T chapter of Fight for $15 and Fairness calls for student action on labour rights. JARED ONG/THE VARSITY
148. While Ryerson University, another member of the OCC, has attempted to distance itself from the organization, our university has remained silent. Now would be a good time for U of T to come clean. To the administration: establish your stance on Bill 47, clarify your relationship with the OCC, and explain why you, as a public university, continue paying membership to a corporate lobbying group that actively undermines workers’ rights — and, by extension, our financial security and well-being as students.
How students can win
Unlike the university, we have not been idle. The U of T chapter of Fight for $15 and Fairness has started conversations with hundreds of students across campus. From petitioning at Sid Smith to handing out leaflets at Clubs Fair, we have heard from U of T students of all stripes: commuters who spend hundreds of dollars a month on transit, students raising young children, and classmates supporting their grandparents. Among the thousands of students who have signed our petition, many are shocked to hear that the Ford government is attacking their future and those of their families. Along the way, we have been debunking some myths. For instance, Bill 148 is not an “absolute jobkiller” as Ford would have people believe. Since Bill 148, the average number of hours worked has increased, and 139,000 net jobs have been created in the province year-over-year. While canvassing, we also uncovered the deception behind Ford’s new income tax cut for lowincome workers, which leaves them with around ing,” which seemingly ruined the pleasure of the skyline for commuters driving west on Danforth Avenue. As well, famous Torontonian author Margaret Atwood, alongside several other high-profile residents in the Annex, have led a pushback against a mid-sized condo development in the neighbourhood. This is not to say that NIMBYism is unfounded. Concerns of gentrification from the influx of rich people and hipsters are not new. But when the concerns of Davis and Atwood match up to the issues of housing shortages and decreasing affordability, then maybe the development of a new condominium in your neighbourhood is due. The pushback on apartment and condo development is not helping. Rent prices are soaring while demand is intensifying. Many students on budgets and loans are struggling, and it’s only getting worse. It’s time for us to stop pushing against the economic forces of high-rise development, and begin to incorporate them into our communities and neighbourhood identities. It is not sensical that some residents want neighbourhoods less tall and less busy, especially when key areas like Bloor Street and Yonge Street and the Annex are perfect locations for student housing. There are, of course, many new ways that companies and institutions are currently mitigating the issue of affordability in Toronto. As mentioned, neighbourhood improvement area programs can work to preserve your neighbourhood community identity. More or-
$1,000 less in their pockets per year than if the $15 minimum wage came into effect. Under Ford’s plan, the minimum wage would be frozen at $14 until October 2020, after which it would be indexed to inflation. In other words, Ontarians would not see the $15 arrive until 2025. The province-wide Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign has been organizing tirelessly for years to win Bill 148. Now that it’s under imminent threat, we will continue to organize against a government that is ruthlessly trying to turn back the clock on our labour rights. With the power of thousands of students behind us, we will win again. On Tuesday, November 20, the Ontario Legislative Assembly will debate on Bill 47. Please join the Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign in Queen’s Park to pack the gallery and stand united against this regressive legislation. Arrive no later than 4:30 pm to get through security. You may also submit a customizable letter calling for the withdrawal of Bill 47 here, which will be sent to Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs: https:// www.15andfairness.org/withdrawbill47. Clement Cheng is a fourth-year Peace, Conflict and Justice, English, and Geography student at Victoria College. Simran Dhunna is a first-year student in the Master of Public Health in Epidemiology program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Mia Sanders is a second-year Women and Gender Studies and Diaspora & Transnational Studies student at Victoria College. They are members of the U of T chapter of Fight for $15 and Fairness. ganizations allow workers to work from home today than ever before. Postsecondary institutions are promoting satellite campuses — such as UTM and UTSC — and it is unfortunate that the provincial government cancelled the funding of three new GTA university campuses. All three levels of government are funding and promoting new pathways for transit. But these solutions do not compare to the physical construction of more housing within the city. And in a city where buildings can be built much faster than fast transit, what other solutions do we have for ensuring access to affordable housing, other than by building more housing upward? Toronto is a bustling and fast-growing city. Investment, jobs, and opportunities are coming in faster than ever before — and following this growth are the people. Most will benefit. However, housing demand will continue to grow and so will the cost of living, unless we build more housing to counteract that. The best solution is to build more highrises. What Toronto’s communities need to do is open themselves up to further urban expansion and innovation. We need to grow and live with this reality — not oppose it. If you don’t like it, feel free to move to Ajax. Abeir Liton is a second-year Political Science and Human Geography student at St. Michael ’s College.Napas Thein is a second-year Public Policy and Urban Studies student at New College.
10 | THE VARSITY | FEATURES
Room for Indigenou engagement at UTS An interview with Indigenous Engagement Coordinator Juanita Muise Writer: Eva Wissting Photographers: Sumayyah Ajem & Shanna Hunter
“I love the position that I’m in because I get to share some of my culture and really help people connect and pass it down, pass it on,” said Juanita Muise. Juanita is the Indigenous Engagement Coordinator, a new role at UTSC instituted in August. I met Juanita one early morning in the TV Lounge at the Student Centre to learn more about the role. When asked to describe her job, Juanita explained, “The engagement part is [about] engaging with faculty, staff, students. Also, engaging with the Indigenous community outside our campus to build relationships and also… having a space for Indigenous students where they can connect with programming.” She added that the Indigenous Outreach Program “touches on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit… cultural events.” “[The parents of ] a lot of students that grew up in the urban setting… may not have gotten the cultural teachings because of what happened in the residential schools, or if their family moved off reserve… or they married outside of their culture, then a lot of them were not permitted to practice their culture.” A significant part of Juanita's role is to make it possible for those students to reconnect with their culture. And it’s working — she shared several anecdotes about students who’ve already benefited from the program. “This creates a safe space,” Juanita said, “where [students] can learn and grow and ask those questions and inspire everybody to learn and grow together, to create that community here on campus.” Reconnecting with the past Juanita had her own experience of reconnecting with her Indigenous identity. “I grew up in western Newfoundland and [was] non-status, so for most of my life until I was a young adult, we were not even acknowledged or recognized in my community.” She explained that this was a consequence of Indigenous erasure. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Indigenous community was all but extinguished, both physically and psychologically. Joey Smallwood, the first Premier of Newfoundland, claimed that there were
no Indigenous people left in Newfoundland. In other words, this violent history is accompanied by a tradition of denial. Even today, Juanita said some Indigenous Newfoundlanders claim that “they’re mixed race, they’re not real,” instead of claiming their identity. “I didn’t even identify because even in the school system, you’re treated differently if you’re native,” said Juanita. “In my small town, when I was 15, my uncle was a chief of the band… and he went and brought over from Nova Scotia some traditional teachers to teach us more about our culture. So, the Mi’kmaq people from Nova Scotia… came and were teaching some of the songs and the dance and some of the ceremonies… There’s been this huge revitalization.” “When my uncle started doing this and more people started identifying as being native, my aunt started helping people find their roots and their history. People wanted to know, ‘Where do I come from,’ ‘Who am I?’ A lot more people started feeling like a part of them and it was okay now. It was okay. Someone was giving them the right to say it’s okay to be proud of where I come from.” She continued, “Because during that revitalization that sense of community that was lost started to grow. And that’s how it grows. Community grows by giving people a place where they can grow and flourish and learn.” Juanita also explained how she reconnected with her Mi’kmaq roots after moving to Ontario. “I went to the Friendship Centre downtown and I really felt like it was open to everybody. There was one lady who was Mi’kmaq and she had a drumming group and I… felt a connection,” she shared. Two themes that Juanita mentioned repeatedly throughout our conversation were community and knowledge. It was easy to tell that she’s passionate about both. When she spoke about community, her use of the word encompassed the UTSC community, the broader Scarborough community, and the Indigenous community.
Her studies, Indigenous perspectives, and tokenization During her undergraduate studies, Juanita became aware of the need for discussing Indigenous issues and Indigenous perspectives. She also emphasized that there can be many reasons why some students don’t identify as Indigenous. For example, there’s a risk of becoming “a token,” especially when there are few Indigenous students around. Students who openly identify as Indigenous are sometimes forced to act as cultural intermediaries, and answer many questions about Indigenous culture and related issues. I asked Juanita if the Indigenous history of Canada was discussed in her courses when she was an undergrad.“No,” she said. “I [studied] social welfare and social development and they focused mainly on the social system that started out in the UK. So, they explored the history there, that system, and how other countries, as they were colonized, took on that approach. So, a lot of it was European and looking at European history and not so much Canadian.” “So what I did in my undergrad, to really bring awareness, is a lot of research on Indigenous issues in Canada and Ontario on my own, because I wanted to bring that to the discussion. But not everybody is confident enough to do that. It was just, to me, like the professors weren’t doing it so someone needed to.” I asked her what reaction she got. “It was a lot of the typical reaction. If issues came out about reserves, like if there’s flooding or economic hardship, [people would ask,] ‘Why don’t they just leave that place?’” To Juanita, this is “not really understanding or wanting to understand the reasons with the history behind that and why it’s like that.” I wondered how Juanita found the courage to speak up like that. “I come from a strong line of women in my family. You know, I had to act. For me, sitting back and just not saying anything is worse,” she told me, smiling. “[But] there [were] days when I felt like, ‘No, I just don’t have the energy to debate this today.’” She felt it was necessary to “always have to have the facts, make sure to
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back up everything.” “That’s why I went into education after my undergrad,” she explained. “Even with so much reconciliation in the schools, often I find that our Elders and students are used as tokens, symbols. “That’s why I’m planning to go in to do my PhD in education leadership and policy because I really want to be a part of that change. So, me, in this role, building those relationships… with faculty [and] students, that is sort of prepping myself for my PhD. This here is a stepping stone where I can actually have more influence over change.” Issues on campus I’m curious about how Juanita feels about land acknowledgment. “Well, I think when it comes to acknowledging the land, a lot of people are not from here, so I think before we can acknowledge, we should let them know where they are and some of the history behind that, but we don’t do any of that,” she said. “The idea of acknowledging the land out of respect for the Indigenous people who have been here before us is nice, but at the same time, it’s often undervalued.” “[If a land acknowledgment] is a script that people are told they have to read and they’re just ticking off that box, there’s no value in it.” The importance of understanding why we do something and what’s behind it was another recurring theme during our talk. Juanita brought up different traditions of knowledge, and the value gaps between them. She talked about the school system in an Indigenous community in the north, where she worked before coming to UTSC. “More than half of their programming is on the land. So, they’re not just following the Ontario curriculum. They’re actually also learning from their Elders… and members of the community, and that took up a large chunk of their learning.” This included learning about medicines and trapping and how to harvest foods. “This is learning,” Juanita explained, “but it’s just not valued in our education system.” Then, “when they finish grade eight, a lot of these students still have to leave their communities… [and] everything they’re familiar with.” Moreover, Juanita describes how these students are also disadvantaged because during their primary school years, they have had less access to support and special education, as compared to other students in Ontario. I asked Juanita what it was like to come to UTSC. “I see there’s a lot of opportunities here at this campus because this campus is still fairly young and there’s room to grow.”
Still, she’s anxious to see improvements for the Indigenous community on campus. Her main concern at this point is the lack of space for the UTSC Indigenous Elder, Wendy Phillips. Juanita is told that change takes time, but she feels that finding an office space for the campus Elder is something that should be fairly simple. She’s also committed to building relationships with faculty and staff. She thinks it’s necessary that people in leadership roles show their commitment to reconciliation. “We have all these events and we have pretty much the same leadership that comes to events. If you’re really on board with this change, come and see where our needs are, speak with the Indigenous students.” Again, Juanita is concerned with the meaning behind the words. Just like reading a land acknowledgment for the sake of ticking off a box, the same goes for the engagement with reconciliation and the presence of an Indigenous Elder on campus. “It’s great that [our programming is] making people come together and connect and learn and have those conversations that need to happen. But we still don’t have a space [for Wendy].” Juanita’s concern with a space for the Indigenous Elder is also about having safe spaces for Indigenous students. “That’s what I’m fighting [for]. Hopefully by next year, we’ll have something in place. They keep saying [that] in two years we’re going to have a First Nations House here, on this campus. We can’t wait two years. It’s not fair to our students that are here now. Everybody deserves to have a space.” “A lot of people don’t understand the value behind having a space, why creating a safe space for Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students to meet with an Elder, or for our feast. We feast to celebrate the seasons. We just don’t have that space to celebrate the feast.” Looking to the future Despite her concerns about a space for the campus Elder, Juanita is very enthusiastic about her job. “When I heard about this position in the south, I just jumped on it.” “I really love every day,” she said. “I have a wonderful team that’s supportive… I love connecting with the students, building relationships with faculty and staff… I’m not really in the position to bring about a lot of change but I know that I am having an influence on a lot of people and so I feel good about that.” “That’s another thing about our culture. Everybody has gifts and it’s just about nurturing those gifts that everybody has and to be able to share. It’s all about sharing,” Juanita said. “Everyone can create their own bundles and be able to bring that in their life journey wherever they go.”
Arts & Culture
November 19, 2018 var.st/arts arts@thevarsity.ca
The International Olympic Committee has recognized chess as a sport since 2000 as there are likely no other sports in which two people are locked in a competitive struggle for such an intense period. KAITLYN SIMPSON/THE VARSITY
Checkmate Hart House Chess Club successfully hosts first-ever Ivy League Challenge Kaitlyn Simpson Managing Online Editor
It was a gloomy morning on Friday, November 9. I sat in the Hart House South Dining Room waiting to experience my first chess tournament. As a childhood fan of chess, I was looking forward to the tournament — even if I was a complete outsider to the world of competitive chess. Held on U of T soil, the first-ever Ivy League Challenge took place from November 9–11, bringing together top university chess players from across the continent. Teams from Yale University, Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and Princeton University travelled to Toronto to participate in the three-day event. “We have invited some of the best chess schools, the best universities in the northeast,” Panayoti Tsialas, Tournament Director and Hart House Chess Club’s Fundraiser Executive, told me. “I would dare say that this is the second strongest student competition, probably in the continent, based on the strength of the people who are participating.”
The tournament
As each round officially began, the room would fall silent. Many players donning sweaters from their respective universities would periodically stand up, stretch, and walk around, glancing at other matches or grabbing a glass of water. The tournament followed World Chess Federation (FIDE) rules and procedures. Each opponent had an hour and a half of time to play; this left plenty of time to think deeply about the game, analyze the board, and wait for an opponent to move.
Players received one point for winning a match, a half point for a tie, and zero points for losing. If a team’s combined score was higher than 2.5 in a round, the team received one match point. A half match point was awarded if the combined score was two, and zero match points were awarded if the combined score was 1.5 or less. The Ivy League Challenge had six teams of four — two U of T teams and one team per visiting university — with two alternate players. Team chess is different from individual chess, U of T student and FIDE Woman Grandmaster Qiyu Zhou told me. In team chess, players care about the collective result of the team over their individual games. “Regardless of whether you think that your individual position is promising, if your team would need just half a point in order to get to two points [and a] half… you might agree to withdraw precisely for the team to win,” she said. Riskier strategies, Zhou informed me, reflect on the whole team. Co-captain of the Princeton chess team Aaron Balleisen said that participating in chess tournaments is “way more fun when you’re doing it with other people,” noting that his high school did not have a chess team. The tournament was also broadcast live through chess5.com. Broadcasting the games made the tournament accessible to a greater number of people who could follow and comment on matches as they happened. “It can be a very exciting sport to watch,” Tsialas said, “because unlike football or other sports where, by watching, you don’t exactly participate… in chess you can make
your own calculations as the game goes on. You can actually sort of bring yourself to the position of the player.”
Players, teammates, students
Unlike some schools, the players who competed in this tournament are not offered chess scholarships. This means that school comes before chess, and it can be challenging for the players to find time to prepare for tournaments like the Ivy League Challenge. “When you’re in [kindergarten to grade 12] you’re a lot more active in tournaments — just the way your life is structured. But once you get to college, it becomes a lot harder to play,” second co-captain of the Princeton team Isaac Martinez told me. Martinez’s thoughts were echoed by most of the players I spoke to. University of Toronto Team B captain Nikita Gusev said that practising as a team can be difficult because “everyone has busy schedules and most of us do stuff on the weekends too, like teaching chess or a lot of part-time jobs.” U of T was fortunate to have Zhou — a first-year Trinity student hoping to double major in economics and math — on our team. Having won her first medal at five, Zhou is now a FIDE Master and Woman Grandmaster in chess. The 18-yearold started playing competitively in Finland and has participated at the Women’s Chess Olympiad — known as the Olympics of chess — as part of team Canada since 2014. In 2016, Zhou won the Canadian women’s chess championship. Given her background and how
frequently she travels and plays games, Zhou said that most of her peers know her as “the girl who plays chess,” and the Ivy League tournament presented an opportunity for Zhou’s peers to watch her play. When I asked Zhou how she prepared for the tournament, she said that, for most players, “preparation is something that has accumulated over several years.” Despite school being her focus, Zhou did try to complete “a couple of puzzles here and there” during reading week. Zhou was also the only woman to compete in the 24-player Ivy League tournament. “I’ve been pretty much the only woman player playing in tournaments since I was five, when I won the Finnish National Championships, [which] is for under-10 boys,” Zhou said. “As the only female in most men’s tournaments, it’s sort of empowering in the sense that I really want to get other women into playing [chess], but also I’m proud of the fact that I’m able to compete on the same level as a lot of these top male players.”
The results
In the end, U of T came in fifth and sixth place. After a three-way tie leading into the final round, Princeton came in first place, Michigan and Harvard tied in second, and Yale came in fourth. Gusev said that the U of T teams were “definitely underdogs” in the competition, but they put up “a good fight.” The top four individual board prizes were given out to Martinez — who won all five of his games — Princeton’s Kapil Chandran, and Michigan’s Mark Heimann and Safal Bora. The best game of the
tournament was awarded to Atulya Shetty from Michigan and Chandran. When the award ceremony was finished, in typical chess tournament fashion, a charity blitz tournament followed. In the blitz, each player had a mere three minutes to play and the games progressed quickly. Members of the public were welcome to participate.
A community game
The University of Toronto Chess Club was founded on October 24, 1895, at University College. Predating Hart House, the club’s 123-yearhistory makes it the oldest chess club in the country. Today, the Hart House Chess Club welcomes all. The club currently has 82 members and, in addition to hosting and participating in competitive chess tournaments, it provides weekly lessons, casual tournaments, and lectures. The Hart House Chess Club hopes to build on the relationships that it established with other universities and continue promoting chess on and off campus through the tournament in future years. Throughout the weekend, I asked players and organizers how they got involved in chess and why they continue to participate in it. Hart House Chess Club’s Alumni Chair, Ben Hahn, expressed a common sentiment: “Chess is in my blood and I don’t think I can get rid of it. I’m probably just an average player, but I enjoy the game, I enjoy the people, and I enjoy the environment.” While observing the tournament, I came to agree that chess is much more than an individual game. It’s a collective experience — one that I was grateful to observe.
NOVEMBER 19, 2018 | 13
var.st/arts
Why are we addicted to belittling the experiences of survivors?
Exploring why our criminal justice system allows sexual assault perpetrators to walk away without answering for their actions
The discourse surrounding rape culture is still prominent in Western justice systems. Most recently there has been protests in Ireland after thong underwear was cited in a rape trial. SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
Martina Tomaselli Varsity Contributor
Content warning: discussions of sexual violence. It is highly likely that while you are reading this article, a survivor of sexual assault is living through the following scenario or something similar: A young woman reports a case of rape and is then subjected to a paradoxical investigative and judicial process. Her role of survivor shifts, without her consent, to that of the bearer of guilt. A nonexistent verdict accompanies the lack of actual empathy from the police and court system. As a survivor of assault, she becomes the bearer of guilt and shame. Then the accused is given an inadequate punishment and she is left with the infamous words: “You asked for it.”
According to recent data provided by Statistics Canada, only one in 10 reported sexual assault cases will result in the criminal conviction of the perpetrator, with the vast majority being allowed to walk away from their actions. Survivors are silenced by a criminal justice system with flaws. Why is society desperate to assume that most alleged victims are lying or mistaken? Is it because we’re afraid of how prevalent sexual assault really is? The disturbingly low convictions for sexual violence have many explanations, but a major contributing factor is the prejudice and stereotypes that surround sexual assault cases. For instance, survivors are often blamed for their own assault because of prejudices rooted in societal norms, which often suggest that the survivor put themselves in a risky situation. This furthers a narrative that the assault was bound to happen. Alberta, 2014. Former Canadian Federal Court judge Robin Camp
said to the 19-year-old sexual assault complainant in court, “Why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” Camp continued to engage in this misogynist rhetoric. He acquitted the accused, telling the young man that “sex and pain sometimes go together… that’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Camp’s behaviour and response to this case is a clear demonstration of the prevalence of myths and stereotypes about sexual assault in our society and our court system. This is a serious concern and should be treated as such. Judges who display beliefs like Camp’s should have no place in our justice system. Despite the recent rise of legal and social movements such as #MeToo and #WhyIDidn’tReport — which attempt to record the inequality of the outcomes of sexual assault — victim blaming remains a constant and fixed undercurrent in our culture. The reality is that, as survivors stand to testify to their experience
in front of judges and juries, they are often interrogated with questions of a highly intimate and volatile nature. Defence lawyers actively strive to dismiss the case by using invasive tactics of questioning, which not only forces survivors to relive their experiences, but at times demoralizes and embarrasses them to the point where they have to drop out of the case entirely. This is yet another reason why perpetrators are able to slip through the cracks of our justice system. Lawyers and judges often quickly dismiss these cases and move on to the next, allowing the perpetrator to continue harming others — who were, once again, simply ‘asking for it.’ Legal Director of the Women’s Legal Education Action Fund, Kim Stanton, addressed Camp’s conduct in an interview with FLARE, saying that “[having] a judge who is not adhering to the rule of law in Canada [is] very, very worrisome. For over 30 years, we have fought to have [wom-
en’s rights] protections in the actual letter of the law and if we now have a judge who knows the law and just simply chooses to ignore it or refuses to apply it — it’s a concern.” The neglect from our criminal justice system is yet another problematic hurdle that survivors of sexual assault face. It amounts to a system that allows perpetrators to walk away without having to acknowledge the consequences of their actions. A system that is firmly founded on the concept of stereotyped female sexuality. A system that will enable those in power to condemn the survivor as though it is their responsibility not to get raped in the first place. Although Canada is, on the whole, socially progressive, we continue to struggle to acknowledge the problems plaguing our justice system with respect to sexual assault.
14 | THE VARSITY | ARTS & CULTURE
arts@thevarsity.ca
BTS’ Love Yourself inspired me to love myself I lost my voice singing along to my favourite boy band
There is nothing like the excitement that comes when you see your favourite boy band live! SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
Zeahaa Rehman UTM Bureau Chief
Three weeks into my first year at U of T, I attended a concert for the first time. My friend invited me to the BTS Highlight Tour in Toronto with her when last-minute general admission tickets went on sale. Her enthusiasm, combined with my inability to say no to people, as well as my greed for not missing out on good deals, led me to agree. Though my knowledge of BTS’ music was limited to their title songs, I decided that it would be a highlight if I went to my first concert in my first month at university. Seventy dollars, seven hours spent camping outside Phoenix Concert Theatre, and several screams at the seven men entering the building later, my friend and I entered the venue at around 7:00 pm. We exited the venue an hour and half later with blistered feet, zero footage of the event — the company managing the tour had a zero-recording policy — and a shared wish that BTS would return to Canada with a proper concert soon. They had only performed four songs in this
Anya Rakhecha Varsity Contributor
Set in the classical music world, Mozart in the Jungle follows the New York Symphony Orchestra as they try to survive and navigate a time when their most trusted patrons are old enough to have served in Vietnam. In store are a talented orchestra, a new conductor, an old conductor, a union, some donors, and one oboist. Inspired by Blair Tindall’s memoir, Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, the show is a delightful surprise even after you read the Wikipedia summary — no, I don’t always do that for shows I said I’d watch. This show reacquainted me with classical music by encouraging conversations about old classical music and composers as though I knew them. Witness that even great composers and artists have human fallacies; Mozart highlights their dirty secrets and general reputation in the music world. The show also
poorly managed tour, in front of a partly-broken screen, but to a fully enthralled audience. Three years later — three weeks into my fourth year at U of T, and with $311 from my budget, I attended my second BTS concert, Love Yourself. It had taken BTS seven comebacks, three world tours, two Billboard Awards, and one American Music Award performance to finally return to Ontario. BTS announced the world tour dates and venues on April 26. I bought the tickets the day they went on sale on May 7, with much difficulty, but it wasn’t until a security guard scanned my ticket and ushered me into the FirstOntario Centre on Sunday, September 23 that I realized that I was going to see BTS live. I could finally smile back at the faces that had smiled at me from my phone and laptop screens for the past three years — except this time, I didn’t need to worry if people thought I was deranged! I could finally sing along to the the melodies and harmonies that had soothed me during bad days and hyped me up on good ones — sans the fear of getting the lyrics wrong or
introduces slightly unknown pieces by modern classical artists, such as “Hi” by Caroline Shaw. The contrast between old and new provides a revealing platform of the current classical music climate. Mozart in the Jungle is as eccentric as its title, however, what is even more peculiar is the male lead Rodrigo De Souza. Portrayed by the ever so charismatic Gael García Bernal — The Motorcycle Diaries, anyone? — Rodrigo is the new conductor of the symphony. He advocates for hallucinogens, rides a bike, drinks malt, talks to dead composers, gets cursed by other dead people, and is just a hoot to watch. Rodrigo wants to achieve the impossible but the realities of the orchestra’s financial situation and ‘red tape’ bar him from achieving his dreams. That is the crux of the show — the battle of art against money. Art cannot be kept alive without money, but it cannot thrive under its burden. All in all, the show is quite the ride.
sounding off-key. I could finally return the confession of love to the group who had taught me what it was — even if I lost my voice in the crowd of 16,000 people. And lose my voice I did. The concert started at 6:00 pm. Doors opened at 3:30 pm, and I was in my seat by 4:00 pm. The two giant screens in the venue were playing BTS’ music videos in chronological order. The concert hall had not even filled up completely and the audience’s singing had drowned out the speakers. When I sat down, I was met with BTS’ 2014 “Danger” music video, which was oddly fitting. “Danger” was the first BTS music video I had ever watched. “Danger” faded into “War of Hormones,” which gave way to the music videos from BTS’ The Most Beautiful Moment in Life trilogy, followed by the “Wings” series, and finally their Love Yourself trilogy. By the time “Fake Love” ended, the audience’s singing was deafening, my vocal cords were weakening, and the concert hadn’t even started yet. Unfortunately for my vocal cords,
the moment the lights went out, the familiar beats of “Idol” reverberated through the venue, and BTS stepped onstage. I screamed. From that point onward, I alternated between gasping, chanting, screeching, shout-singing, and screaming, but I was never silent. I would later regret this, not because it hurt to swallow for a week after, but because it rendered all my videos of the concert unshareable. Though I tried to blame most of the shouted off-key singing in the background on my sister, I knew that I wasn’t without blame. Despite having already performed the show twice in front of Canadian audiences, BTS gave us a perfect show. Every costume change was stunning — literally, because many of their costumes involved sequins. All the transitions between songs were smooth, and the choreography was splendidly synchronized. With every strobing of stage-lights, every colour change of the Bluetoothcontrolled ARMY bombs, and every moment of fanservice BTS bestowed on us, I fell deeper in love with them. Ironic, considering the name of the
concert was “Love Yourself.” BTS told us that we were their 10th show of this tour and made for a “perfect 10” concerts in North America. They gifted us with their logo reshaped into the Canadian flag. They said that they loved Canada and would love to come back. And I love them back. ‘Love.’ No other word could have expressed my adoration, adulation, and admiration for this group who have helped me — and many of my peers — love ourselves through these taxing, tumultuous, and tear-stained university years. BTS’ success and growth both astonish me and delight me. The boys I saw three years ago performing in front of a broken screen have become superstars. Now, the only thing broken behind them is new ground. They are reaching heights that few foreign artists, Korean or otherwise, have reached before. Their long list of accomplishments in three short years is evidence of their dedication, drive, and decision to love themselves — something I am determined to emulate. I’m learning how to love myself thanks to BTS.
Overlooked: Mozart in the Jungle Art versus money — where would you fall?
CHERYL CHEUNG/THE VARSITY
Science
November 19, 2018 var.st/science science@thevarsity.ca
Natashya Falcone develops healing hydrogel
UTSC PhD candidate researches cost-effective and sustainable chemical alternatives
Falcone’s sustainable and economical hydrogel could regenerate tissue cells in humans. TNS SOFRES/CC FLICKR
Flora Hewitt-Harris Varsity Contributor
Natashya Falcone, a PhD candidate working in the Kraatz Research Group at UTSC, is developing substitutes for chemical products that bear financial and environmental costs to produce. Recently, Falcone developed a hydrogel, a sustainable and economical water-based gel that could repair damaged tissues. The hydrogel is made from amino acids — the building blocks of proteins — and could repair tissues by rebuilding damaged cells. “We first start off by chemically synthesizing different peptide conjugates by essentially coupling different amino acids together,” explained Falcone in an email to The Varsity. “We then test the peptide [compound’s] ability to form gels by adding them to various solvents in various conditions to see if they self-assemble into a gel material.” Though still in testing phases, Falcone hopes the hydrogel will be adapted for use in clinical settings while reducing environmental waste. Falcone will be testing the hydrogel to determine whether it can support cell growth at all. If successful, tests on wounded tissues can begin in vivo. “We are looking at [using] it for wound healing cell support, for neuronal cell support for different nervous system damage, as well as see how bacteria can interact with these materials,” noted Falcone. “I believe this research can go in many different directions.” Further development of the substance would also allow for biocompatible and biodegradable tools for tissue engineering
and green chemical production. The gels could also be used in academic settings. In addition, Falcone has developed a cheaper mimic of the NAD coenzyme — a key component in electron transfer reactions — that is already being used in industrial applications. “This coenzyme is required by a lot of redox enzymes that help drive our metabolism system, as well as enzymes for selective chemical production,” wrote Falcone. “The issue with the natural coenzyme is that it is very expensive and also unstable at the amounts that industries would need if they wanted to use enzymes for large scale chemical production. Synthesizing mimics that are able to replace the natural one would allow a much cheaper, greener and selective chemical production.” Falcone hopes her research has an impact beyond the laboratory. “I like the idea of doing the chemistry work and making different materials but then applying them to some biological application to make what I am synthesizing useful and applicable to real life health or environmental problems,” wrote Falcone. She also reminded budding chemists that responsible stewardship of the Earth should be a priority. “We are all living on this planet and [it’s] important to take care of it. With everything going on with the pollution, and global warming, and plastics in our ocean," wrote Falcone. "[It’s] important that we don’t add to destroying our planet with toxic materials.”
A time-lapse of Supernova 1987A
PhD student Yvette Cendes models the aftermath of the supergiant star Adam A. Lam Varsity Staff
Yvette Cendes, a PhD student in the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, used mathematical modeling to visualize a time-lapse of the aftermath of Supernova 1987A. Based on existing quantitative data, the timelapse observes the supernova’s shockwave — a powerful wave that causes a star to explode in space — from 1992–2017. Since publishing her team’s findings in The Astrophysical Journal, Cendes has delivered several talks about Supernova 1987A.
The significance of the time-lapse
The team’s analyses show that the “expanding remnant” of the supernova is shaped like a three-dimensional torus, or donut, rather than a two-dimensional ring. Cendes applied statistical and mathematical techniques to the time-lapse to show that the supernova produced a shockwave expanding outward and slamming into debris that ringed the original star before its demise. As a result of the growing torus punching “through the ring of debris,” the supernova’s shockwave has accelerated, increasing in speed by some one thousand kilometres per second. The team also found that the shockwave from the supernova models a classic shockwave system. A principle similar to a shockwave can be seen when a rock creates ripples in a pond. In space, however, a shockwave operates on a much larger magnitude and causes a supernova to explode. This explosion produces supernova remnants, which are seen in the donut-shape formation of Supernova 1987A.
The origins of Supernova 1987A
U of T astronomer Ian Shelton and telescope operator Oscar Duhalde discovered Supernova 1987A on February 24, 1987. The pair was the first to observe the death of the supergiant star and its resultant explosion from the Las Campanas Observatory in northern Chile. Despite being 168,000 light-years — or 1.6 quintillion kilometres — away from Earth, Supernova 1987A has been the brightest supernova to appear in our skies since Kepler’s Supernova in 1604. According to NASA, the supernova “blazed with the power of 100 million suns” for “several months following its discovery.” While 1.6 quintillion kilometres might seem like a titanic distance, Supernova 1987A is “the closest supernova to us that we’ve observed since the invention of the telescope,” said Cendes in an interview with The Varsity. This helps to explain Supernova 1987A's brightness and why it is one of the most studied objects in astronomy.
The aftermath of Supernova 1987A
Under the supervision of U of T professor Bryan Gaensler, Cendes spent nine months analyzing data from 1992 to 2017, collected from a radio telescope called the CSIRO Australia Telescope Compact Array. Cendes’ initial challenge was learning how to translate the raw radio data from the Compact Array into images, which she eventually presented in her time-lapse. Since this was her first time using data from the Compact Array, Cendes began by replicating previously-published images that used data from the same telescope.
The time-lapse depicts Supernova 1987A’s explosion and the formation of its remnant. ESA HUBBLE AND NASA/CC WIKIMEDIA
She then produced her own images by analyzing the datasets used, comparing them to the published images, and refining her technique until her images resembled the published ones. After becoming proficient in data-to-image translation, Cendes analyzed the 25-year dataset
from the radio telescope in full. While previous researchers had analyzed parts of the dataset, Cendes said that she was “the first person to go back and really see this entire stretch of time.”
16 | THE VARSITY | SCIENCE
science@thevarsity.ca
U of T researchers uncover a network of genes linked to autism The finding could explain the molecular basis of autism Shruti Misra Varsity Contributor
Professor Ben Blencowe and his team at U of T have uncovered a network of around 200 genes that are linked to autism. Blencowe and his team published these findings in a study in Molecular Cell. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprises a range of conditions that affect social interaction, behaviour, and communication skills. Because autism is not a single disorder but a spectrum of related conditions, there is no one discernible cause for it. Instead, a combination of biological, environmental, and genetic factors can be attributed to ASD. There is also evidence of a strong genetic component in individuals with autism. Previous studies have found that in a family with one autistic child, the chance of having another autistic child is higher than the general population. Identical twins are also more likely to both develop autism than fraternal twins. Most gene variations affect neural development and produce ASD symptoms through interac-
tions with other genetic and environmental factors. To determine a genetic link to autism, Blencowe and his team used a CRISPR-based method — a powerful gene editing tool — to identify neuronal microexons that are commonly misregulated in individuals with autism. Microexons are small proteincoding regions in a gene locus, and are often involved in alternative splicing. Alternative splicing codes for different proteins in the same gene through different combinations of exons — proteincoding sequences — and removing different introns — non-coding sequences — from the messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript. The altered versions of the mRNA transcript are then translated into several different types of proteins. According to lead researcher Dr. Thomas GonatopoulosPournatzis, the study was based on the team’s previous research which showed “that a network of neuron-specific microexons is frequently disrupted in the brains of autistic individuals.” In other words, disruptions in alternative splicing affect how
proteins communicate with one another, and could explain the molecular basis of autism. The researchers isolated SRRM4, a protein that regulates splicing in neural cells, and found that mice with lowered SRRM4 expression displayed ASD-like traits. The study reports that SRRM4 disruption in the brain has been found in one third of individuals with autism and has been identified as a convergent mechanism for the disorder. “A critical challenge emerging from these findings is to identify the full repertoire of factors and pathways that converge on SRRM4 to control microexon splicing,” wrote GonatopoulosPournatzis in an email to The Varsity. In particular, SRRM4 is critical during embryonic development. It helps differentiate neural cells and promotes the development and proper functioning of a working adult nervous system. In this study, the CRISPRbased screening identified and targeted specific DNA regions using a genome-wide approach. “[It] systematically [inacti-
vated] all protein-coding genes,” and tagged and isolated cells with altered microexon splicing levels. Then, high throughput sequencing identified “genes responsible for controlling micro-exon splicing,” wrote Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis. “The screen performance exceeded our expectations and we captured over ~200 regulators that affect microexon splicing by direct or indirect mechanisms. Interestingly, these genes are enriched for genetic links to autism,” he added. Uncovering “a core set of factors that are critical for microexon splicing” has implications beyond autism. Such factors could help inform researchers developing treatments for neurodevelopment disorders, including through the potential restoration of microexon splicing in misregulated cells. In the future, the researchers hope to determine the association of microexon misregulation to specific behaviours characteristic to autism, and the roles of individual microexons.
FIONA TUNG/THE VARSITY
How Type A are you, really?
U of T researchers find Type A might not be a personality type after all
Jeffrey To Varsity Contributor
A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, co-authored by Michael Wilmot, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Management at UTSC, suggests that the Type A personality may not be a personality type after all. The researchers replicated a 1989 study that produced the most influential empirical support for Type A and Type B personality theory. Despite conducting direct and conceptual replications to test the same idea, Wilmot and his colleagues were unable to find significant evidence for the existence of Type A behaviour as a type. Type A and Type B personality theory is the idea that people fall under two disparate
TROY LAWRENCE/THE VARSITY
categories: either they are competitive, organized, and impatient — a Type A personality — or relaxed, non-competitive, and patient — a Type B personality. This theory was the result of an observation by two cardiologists, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, who had found that patients who couldn’t sit still in the waiting room were more likely to develop coronary heart disease. They attributed this pattern of behaviour to a Type A personality. Further research demonstrated a similar relationship between personality and other cardiac health concerns: Type A personality individuals had higher blood pressure and a greater risk of heart disease than their relatively laid-back Type B counterparts. With Wilmot’s findings, there is now no normal personality construct that has uncontested evidence of a typological structure. The existence of personality types is controversial. We typically conceptualize personality as something that goes along a continuum, rather than as a presence or absence of certain traits. “I think people like the idea of per-
sonality types because categories are important conceptual tools we use to make sense of the world,” said Wilmot in an email to The Varsity. “However, just because we frequently like to categorize things, doesn’t mean that those things are truly categorical in some fundamental and real way.” Most psychologists agree that personality variables are dimensional. A 2012 meta-analysis led by Australian and Belgian researchers found that few investigations into normal personality variables yielded typological results, yielding “little persuasive evidence” of types, and thus “many influential taxonic findings of early taxometric research are likely to be spurious.” “From a scientific standpoint, I think the default should be to assume that all personality variables are dimensional unless proven otherwise,” wrote Wilmot. “As a result, the burden-of-proof rests on the person trying to show evidence for a typology. What is more, that typological evidence should be replicable across samples, researchers, and relevant data analytic techniques.” Since it was first conceptualized in the 1970s, Type A and Type B personality theory has remained the only typological personality construct with largely unchallenged evidence. According to Wilmot, one reason for its
long-standing, undisputed status is that most psychologists had shifted away from this model, focusing instead on the Big Five personality model, which proposes five traits along a continuum. But there is another reason that is more pertinent: most high-brow scientific journals seldom publish replication studies, meaning that most researchers would rather test new theories in their field than scrutinize the evidence of older theories. Having examined the 1989 study, Wilmot and his colleagues plan to continue working toward their original goal of conducting a meta-analysis on hard-driving and competitive personality traits with respect to work and academic outcomes. They will also aim to better understand where these traits “fit into the general taxonomy of personality traits,” such as the Big Five model. “Even though personality types are not real, typological models of personality can still have some usefulness in the real world. If it can help to partially explain or predict other people’s behavior, then a typological model can have value,” wrote Wilmot. “Put differently, a flawed model of personality is better than no model at all. However, such a model should be taken as a useful starting place, not as a final destination.”
Science Around Town Emily Deibert Varsity Staff
Roundtable with Professor Corinna S. Schindler Presented by Women in Chemistry TO, this event will give participants the chance to chat with a leading researcher in organometallic chemistry. Date: Monday, November 19 Time: 12:00–1:15 pm Location: Lash Miller Chemical Laboratories, 80 St. George Street, Room 128 Admission: Free with registration Exoplanets and the Search for Habitable Worlds Professor Sara Seager, one of the world’s leading experts on exoplanets, will talk about the search for life on other worlds at the 2018 J. Tuzo Wilson Lecture. Date: Tuesday, November 20 Time: 7:30–9:00 pm Location: Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles Street West Admission: Free Café Mathématique — Series on Infectious Diseases: The Flu, Math, and You This edition of Café Mathématique will feature a panel discussion on the ways flu research involves mathematical applications. Date: Wednesday, November 21 Time: 6:00–8:00 pm Location: The Fields Institute, 222 College Street Admission: Free with registration New Frontiers in Observational Cosmology Dr. Mike Fich from the University of Waterloo will present the latest research in cosmology at this meeting of the Mississauga chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Date: Friday, November 23 Time: 8:00–10:00 pm Location: William Davis Building, 3359 Mississauga Road, Room SE2074 Admission: Free Extreme Weather: Is It Here to Stay? Join the Royal Canadian Institute of Science for another Science Sunday, featuring a talk on the physics of climate by U of T’s Professor Richard Peltier. Date: Sunday, November 25 Time: 2:00–3:30 pm Location: Medical Sciences Building, 1 King’s College Circle, JJR Macleod Auditorium Admission: Free with registration
Sports
November 19, 2018 var.st/sports sports@thevarsity.ca
Why I root for the…
Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews represents a new era for the Leafs
New York Rangers
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The Canucks almost won the Stanley Cup in 2011
The Vancouver Canucks were in Game 7 in the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, facing off against their archrivals, the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks had tormented the Canucks for the past two years, defeating them in the second round of the 2009 and 2010 playoffs in six games both times. But this year was different for the Canucks. They won the Presidents’ Trophy for having the best record in the regular season, while Chicago barely snuck into the playoffs and found themselves pitted against the topseeded Canucks in the first round. The series started off well, as the Canucks took a commanding 3–0 lead. However, Vancouver was blown out in Games 4 and 5, and Chicago won Game 6 in overtime to send the series to Game 7. “Here we go again,” was the mindset of every Canucks fan. Early in the first period, Alex Burrows scored a one-timer off a great pass from Ryan Kesler to give the Canucks an early 1–0 lead. However, for the remainder of regulation, Chicago’s rookie goaltender Corey Crawford stood on his head to keep his team within one. With three minutes and 17 seconds left in regulation, Chicago took a penalty. It looked like the Canucks would have a great chance at
Canada’s game is back and, for a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, this season couldn’t come soon enough! Growing up in a hockey-centred household and being from Toronto, I was raised a Toronto Maple Leafs fan but soon discovered the joy in team rivalry. My brother and I have been fans of the Penguins for as long as I can remember. From collecting hockey cards to playing street hockey and not missing a single play, you could say that hockey became less of a game and more of an identity for me.
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Vancouver Canucks
Silas Le Blanc Associate News Editor
The Penguins have had a rough start to the 2018–2019 season and are currently in last place in the Eastern Conference. Here in Toronto, my dad doesn’t hesitate to remind me that the Leafs are in second, with 14 wins and six losses. There’s plenty for Penguins fans to be optimistic about, though. The team is led by star captain Sidney Crosby, and only a few years prior, in 2016 and 2017, the Penguins became the first back-toback Stanley Cup champions in 19 years. I have no doubt that our time is coming soon and that the cup will once again be held by the Penguins. Sharing in your team’s victory and having bragging rights is hands down the best feeling as a fan. But all that aside, I think that love for a team goes deeper than the jersey you wear to moments you share with fellow fans. The ability to celebrate a team as fans and stand connected through our love for the game is why I truly believe that hockey is a game that unites people.
Daniela Ruscica Varsity Contributor
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With the Toronto Maple Leafs full of young talent and viewed as a top contender to win the Stanley Cup, fans have a lot to be excited about. This feeling of enthusiasm is an unfamiliar one, as adrenaline-filled moments for Leafs fans prior to this year were few and far between. Nevertheless, this has made the moments that were cause for celebration even more memorable. Growing up as an avid Leafs fan, one of my first moments was watching my hero, Leafs centre Mats Sundin, net his 500th career goal in dramatic fashion. With the game tied 4–4 in overtime, Sundin, already with two goals on the night, picked up the puck at the Leafs blue-line, raced down the ice, and unleashed a slapshot over the shoulder of Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and into the back of the net. A fitting entrance to the exclusive 500-goalclub for a Toronto sports legend. A more recent memory that stands out is Leafs star Auston Matthews’ unforgettable first game. In the 2016–2017 season opener, all eyes were on the rookie phenom. After scoring two goals in the first period, Leafs fans around the country erupted in celebration of our
The Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017
newest star. But then, the unthinkable happened. Matthews continued his offensive explosion, scoring a third goal early in the second period for the hat-trick. Already breaking records as the first top-ranked draft pick to score a hat-trick in his debut, Matthews scored another goal in the second, making him the first player in league history to score four goals in their regular season NHL debut. Although these memories are great, nothing would be more memorable than the Leafs bringing Lord Stanley home to Toronto.
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Amrit Bola Varsity Contributor
Pittsburgh Penguins
getting the insurance marker, or at the very least, they would be able to take two minutes off the clock. In typical fashion, though, that isn’t what happened. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews scored shorthanded to take the game to overtime. The stage was set for the best regular season in Canucks history to end in the first round, especially with Burrows taking a penalty early in overtime. With the man advantage, Toews set up a perfect centring pass for Patrick Sharp right in front of the crease, but Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo slid across to make the save. Around five minutes into overtime, Chicago defenseman Chris Campoli made what looked to be a routine breakout pass, but it was intercepted by Burrows. He walked into the slot and fired a shot over the right shoulder of Crawford to win the game for Vancouver. The Canucks bench all came onto the ice to mob Burrows. Towels were waving across the stands of Rogers Arena. “Finally,” CBC commentator Jim Hughson exclaimed. “After three seasons and 19 playoff games against Chicago, for Vancouver, it’s a wonderful day for an exorcism.”
Daniel Samuel Sports Editor
Why does a Toronto native root for the New York Rangers, the original six franchise with the least number of Stanley Cups? There’s countless reasons, but I’ll attempt to keep this brief. Seven years before John Tavares signed with the Leafs and renewed Stanley Cup aspirations in Toronto, I recall being ecstatic upon hearing the news that high-priced free agent target Brad Richards had agreed to sign a nine-year, $60 million dollar contract with New York Rangers. Richards embodied what I wanted in a firstline centre; tremendous vision, the ability to hit the 20-goal mark plateau, and less importantly, a left-handed shot. He spent only three seasons with the Rangers, but he helped lead the team to a Stanley Cup appearance in 2014, which saw the Los Angeles Kings win the cup in five games. Despite having to buyout the rest of his contract the following offseason, the initial move of signing a veteran star to a long-term deal was a pretty typical decision for New York, unlike for most NHL teams. The Rangers are never afraid to take big swings in free agency, despite the fact that they’ve signed some of the worst contracts in NHL history. My love for the Rangers is intertwined with my affinity for history. Mark Messier broke the team’s 54-year Stanley Cup drought in 1994; in the early ’90s, Alexei Kovalev wore white skates
Wayne Gretzky closed out his career in New York and nearly played with Joe Sakic in a similar style to fellow Russian star Sergei Fedorov; not to mention New York was the last franchise that Wayne Gretzky played for. The 1994 Stanley Cup winners even had a University of Toronto connection behind the bench with head coach Mike Keenan. A decade prior, Keenan led the Varsity Blues men’s hockey team to our most recent national championship. Here’s a fun late ’90s story from Rangers lore that sums up the Blueshirts experience. Fittingly enough, it happened the year of my birth. In July 1997, longtime Rangers captain Mark Messier — the greatest player in Rangers history — departed New York to join the Vancouver Canucks. His exit left a 36-year-old Gretzky as the team’s best centre. Desperately in need of youth to play alongside Kovalev and ensure any possibility of contending for a Stanley Cup, the Rangers signed star Colorado Avalanche centre Joe Sakic to a three-year, $21 million USD offer sheet — a deal that would pay him a $15 million USD signing bonus upfront. The Avalanche was a small-market team that could not financially compete with New York, and relied on a fortuitous outcome to ensure that Sakic wouldn’t play for the Rangers. Then owned by Ascent Entertainment Group, the Avalanche fell back on on profits from the 1997 blockbuster Air Force One to sign Sakic; the team’s primary owner Charlie Lyons had produced the film with his production company Beacon Pictures. To sum it all up, Harrison Ford prevented New York from solidifying their future. And while it would’ve been cool to see Sakic in a Rangers uniform, 36-year-old Gretzky still managed to lead New York to 91 points, fifthbest in the league for the 1997–1998 season. It’s no wonder they call him ‘the Great One.’
18 | THE VARSITY | SPORTS
sports@thevarsity.ca
Varsity Blues women’s hockey drop contest 3–1 against Waterloo Warriors
Varsity Blues men’s hockey falls short against Mustangs
Louie Bieman scored Toronto’s lone goal of the game Vincent Ruan Varsity Contributor
The Toronto Varsity Blues women’s hockey team suffered a 3–1 loss against the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday afternoon. Waterloo put a goal on the scoreboard to open up the game with a tip shot by fourth-year forward Alison Hanson, giving the Warriors a 1–0 lead to end the period. Despite the Warriors’ early lead, the Blues managed to generate eight shots on goal to the Warriors’ five. The Warriors’ lead quickly disappeared as Blues forward Louie Bieman tied the game with less than 10 minutes remaining in the second period. Waterloo’s offense appeared to be more aggressive, generating more shots than Toronto’s. With less than five minutes in the period, the Warriors jumped to another lead as forward Angela MacDonald scored, giving them a 2–1 advantage. Toronto could not find any momen-
tum as the Warriors’ late push carried them into the final period. Toronto found themselves on the penalty kill twice early on in the third period, reducing their chances of tying the game even more. First-year forward Taylor Trussler committed both of the penalties by bodychecking and boarding. The Blues could not get past Warriors goaltender Amanda Smith in the final period. Samantha Burbridge sealed the game for Waterloo with an empty netter in the final minute, giving the Warriors a 3–1 victory. Toronto’s first-year goalie Erica Fryer made 14 saves in the loss. Smith stopped 18 of 19 shots. “It was back and forth. We had some good spurts. It wasn’t very consistent though. We really only played with a sense of urgency when we were down, like the middle of the second period and the last 10 minutes of the third,” said Blues forward Louie Bieman, when asked about the team’s performance. “So,
Blues lose eighth straight contest Ambika Sharma Varsity Contributor
Toronto was unable to spark a come-from-behind victory. JENNA HUME/Courtesy of the VARSITY BLUES
it’s hard to win when you’re not playing a full 60 minutes unfortunately.” Bieman scored the team’s only goal. “Megan made a pass out front. And the goalie had been dropping all game. So I just dragged it around
Varsity Blues suffer tough loss against Brock Badgers Blues men’s basketball lose 103–54 Jaime McLaughlin Varsity Contributor
The Blues men’s basketball team had a tough go in St. Catharines on Friday night, falling 103–54 to the Brock Badgers at their Bob Davis Gymnasium. The Badgers imposed their will right out of the gate, opening the game on a 12–0 run on the merits of their high energy and upbeat pace on both ends of the floor. Fourth-year Blues point guard Christopher Barrett would stop the bleeding midway through the quarter, sinking a three-pointer from the top of the arc and another quick lay-in off a sideline out-ofbounds play to cut the deficit to seven, with five minutes remaining in the first. Barrett’s two buckets, Toronto’s first five points of the game, would unfortunately be the last for the Blues in the opening period, as Brock upped their lead to 23–5 heading into the second. The Badgers had seven assists in the first quarter alone, and complemented their smooth, unselfish ball movement on offense with an imposing, physical fullcourt press that produced 17 Toronto turnovers for the game. A much improved second quarter for the Blues saw the Badgers outscore Toronto by just five points,
25–20. However, the damage was done, and Toronto found themselves down 48–25 at halftime. The second half was much the same, as Brock’s efficient shooting gave them a 20-point third quarter advantage. Toronto’s struggles continued throughout the half and the game came to a close with a lopsided 103–54. The Blues struggled to find their team game throughout, producing six assists to the Badgers’ 27. Brock were lights out, going 55 per cent from the field and 50 per cent from beyond the arc to sink 15 triples on the night. Toronto had a comparatively harder time drawing iron, shooting 27 per cent overall and just 16 per cent from three. The Blues, however, did manage to win part of the rebounding battle, procuring 14 offensive boards to the Badgers’ seven. Toronto’s bench also maintained a slight advantage, outscoring Brock’s reserves 29– 25. Fourth-year forward Daniel Johansson led all Toronto scorers with 16 points and six boards, while rookie guard Iñaki Alvarez chipped in with 14. The Badgers improved to 5–1 with the win, perched at the top of the Ontario University Athletics West Division rankings. Toronto
The Blues currently sit in sixth place in the OUA East Division. HENRY ZHAO/ Courtesy of the VARSITY BLUES
holds strong despite the loss, with a 3–4 record in league, good for sixth in the East Division.
her, had a wide open net.” When asked about the team’s preparation for future games, Bieman said, “Don’t worry too much about this game. We have another one… tomorrow afternoon. Have a quick turnaround, think about it a bit tonight. But, rest up, get ready to play tomorrow.”
The Varsity Blues men’s hockey team dropped their eighth straight game 6–4 in an aggressive matchup against the Western Mustangs on Friday night at Varsity Arena. The Mustangs outshot the Blues 32–23, giving the Blues’ their eighth straight loss, placing them second last in the Ontario University Athletics men’s hockey standings. The Blues started aggressively as Nicholas Turenko of Mississauga drew a slashing penalty 46 seconds into the first period. The Blues continued their approach as Victoria native Hunter Atchison shot one past Mustangs goalie Luke Peresinni to score. Western responded in kind with three consecutive goals from Kenny Huether, Anthony Stefano, and Ray Huether to end the first period. The Mustangs started the second period with a goal 35 seconds in, courtesy of Theo Lewis. The Blues responded with an early goalie change as Alex Bishop came in for starting goaltender Frederic Foulem, who had allowed four goals in under 21 minutes. Blues defenseman Matt Heffernan drew the first of what would be six penalties in the period. Mustangs Jonathan Laser drew a slashing penalty, which resulted in a Toronto power play goal courtesy of David Thomson. With Toronto’s offense shrinking the gap, Kenny Huether answered and closed the second period with his second goal of the evening. The high intensity eased up in the third period, as Matt Watson scored to extend the Mustangs lead. With less than 30 seconds left in the game, Blues forward Max Lindsay scored his second goal of the evening, but it wasn’t enough as the Blues fell short to the Western Mustangs 6–4.
NOVEMBER 19, 2018 | 19
var.st/sports
Major League Baseball awards bookend an eventful season There’s always next year for the Blue Jays
WEEKLY BOX SCORES BASKETBALL WOMEN’S November 16
74–50 Brock Badgers
Varsity Blues
67–47
November 17 McMaster Marauders
Varsity Blues
November 23
Western Mustangs
vs
Varsity Blues
November 24
Windsor Lancers
vs
Varsity Blues
MEN’S November 16
103–54 Varsity Blues
Brock Badgers
November 17
89–77 McMaster Marauders
Varsity Blues
November 23
Western Mustangs
vs
Varsity Blues
November 24
Windsor Lancers
vs
Varsity Blues
HOCKEY WOMEN’S Mookie Betts won the 2018 AL MVP award. KEITH ALLISON/CC FLICKR
November 17
3–1 Varsity Blues
Waterloo Warriors
Michelle Krasovitski Varsity Staff
The Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series, handing the Los Angeles Dodgers their second World Series loss in a row. Whether you’re a Dodgers fan wallowing in disappointment all over again, a Red Sox fan celebrating your club’s ninth championship, or even a Blue Jays fan forgetting already almost all that has happened this season and thinking wistfully of the impending Guerrero era, you’d be inclined to agree that 2018 was a pretty fun season for baseball. For starters, there were three teams who recorded no-hitters — up from last year’s grand total of one. Oakland’s Sean Manaea secured one, and Los Angeles’ quartet of Walker Buehler, Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia, and Adam Liberatore combined to secure another no-hitter. In addition, Seattle’s James Paxton became the second Canadian-born pitcher to record a no-hitter; even more symbolic is that he achieved this feat against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. However, none of the aforementioned pitchers won the coveted Cy Young award, which went instead to Tampa Bay Rays’ Blake Snell in the American League (AL). Snell recorded a remarkable ERA of 1.89, helping Tampa Bay surpass expectations. The Rays finished comfortably third in the AL East division, eighteen games over .500. In the same league, the pitcher who generated the most buzz preseason on account of his ability to both hit and pitch, Shohei Ohtani, won Rookie of the Year, which came as a surprise to no one. Ohtani, along with Silver Slugger winner Mike Trout and Gold Glove winner Andrelton Simmons, made the Los
Angeles Angels an exciting team to watch, though they did not ultimately reach the playoffs. In the National League (NL), Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. won Rookie of the Year, while the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom also became a first-time winner, securing the Cy Young with an almost unbelievable ERA of 1.7. And it was a good year for pitchers — specifically, for the strikeout: for the first time in Major League history, there were more strikeouts recorded than hits. In more hitterfriendly records broken this season, the previous record of 80 walk-off home runs was broken in August. One player who contributed to setting this record was Mookie Betts, who had a year that can only be described as spectacular. The Red Sox’s right fielder finally won the AL MVP award, as well as a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger — all while helping his team win the World Series. Boston combined to win more awards than any other team, with three Gold Glove winners and three Silver Slugger award recipients, to secure 2018 as the year of Boston. In more local review, the Blue Jays put up a less than impressive season: no pitcher landed in the league’s top 50 lowest ERAs and no hitter landed in the top 50 highest averages. To say Toronto was mediocre would be a compliment, as the Jays were uninspired and utterly forgettable. However, that may have been partially due to the moves the team made during the season: the Jays dealt JA Happ to the New York Yankees, Josh Donaldson to the Cleveland Indians, and Curtis Granderson to the Milwaukee Brewers. If Toronto fans want any claim, however small, to Boston’s World Series win, it would be in Steve Pearce, who had started the season with To-
ronto until being traded in June, and was named the World Series MVP. Pearce, Betts, and JD Martinez will make the AL East a difficult division to compete in for years to come. This season, the AL East was the only division to have two 100win teams in the Yankees and the Red Sox. The former would go on to be eliminated in the Division Series, whereas the latter would go on to win the whole thing. On the flip side, not a single team recorded a 100-win season in the NL. In fact, four teams had to play one extra game — increasing their total to 163 games in the regular season — because they were tied for division champs: the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies to clinch the NL West, while the Brewers defeated the Chicago Cubs to clinch the NL Central. Milwaukee would go on to lose to the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series, though they found some consolation, as newlyacquired Christian Yelich secured the NL MVP award for his incredible season. From no-hitters to walk-offs, 2018 gave baseball fans a lot to be happy about. Established teams, like the Red Sox, the Dodgers, and the Yankees, delivered what their fans expected — while the Braves and the Brewers surprised all with their dominance. With the likes of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Dallas Keuchel as prominent freeagents this offseason, 2019 can be the success story for teams that had unimpressive seasons this year. Wherever the superstars land, and however players are traded from one team to another, one thing is for sure in this offseason: March can’t come soon enough.
November 18
4–1 Varsity Blues
November 24
Laurier Golden Hawks
Guelph Gryphons
vs
Varsity Blues
MEN’S November 16
6–4 Varsity Blues
Western Mustangs
November 17
3–2 Varsity Blues
Guelph Gryphons
November 23
Varsity Blues
@
Waterloo Warriors
November 24
Varsity Blues
@
York Lions
VOLLEYBALL WOMEN’S November 16
3–2 Western Mustangs Varsity Blues (13–25, 21–25, 25–20, 25–20, 15–12)
November 17
Varsity Blues
November 23
Varsity Blues
@
Nipissing Lakers
November 25
Varsity Blues
@
York Lions
3–0 Windsor Lancers (25–17, 25–16, 27–25)
MEN’S November 16
November 17
3–1 Western Mustangs Varsity Blues (25–21, 23–25, 25–21, 25–22) 3–1 Varsity Blues Windsor Lancers (25–23, 21–25, 25–23, 25–22)
November 23
Varsity Blues
@
Nipissing Lakers
November 25
Varsity Blues
@
York Lions
20 | THE VARSITY | DIVERSIONS
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
ACROSS 1. Peat sources 5. Weak and wan 11. Meadow 14. Capital of Germany? 15. Hardly, if ever 16. Most junk mail 17. Clay-pigeon launcher 18. Fantasies 20. Aesop’s thistle-eater 21. Feds like Ness 22. Moulin Rouge attraction 23. Closet collection 25. Venus and Serena, e.g. 26. Grinders, of a sort 28. Game with a jackpot 29. Put on a pedestal 30. Evil’s root, it’s said 31. Budgetary excess 34. Check for letters? 35. Perfectly clear 36. Spice 37. Book’s last word 38. Aleutian attire 39. Buddhist concept 40. Uses a pacifier 41. Fall foliage shade 42. Pungent relish 45. Florentine poet 46. What mechanics do 47. Crooned 48. Put away the dishes? 51. Imploring 53. Glazed unit 54. Solidly behind 55. Batter’s position 56. Sum for a hand 57. Like Oz’s woodman 58. Got nervous 59. Divas often have big ones
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DOWN 1. Sony format 2. Shared between us 3. Savanna or prairie 4. Drench to the bone 5. Prepares to paint 6. Name in chair design 7. Ireland’s ___ Islands 8. Brewery item 9. Educed 10. Ming, for one 11. Sharp weapon 12. Award honoring Poe 13. Some sports orgs. 19. Really liking, informally 21. Civil wrong, in law 24. Drill sergeant’s order 25. Braga of Hollywood 26. Hardly worth mentioning 27. Burly bovines 28. Places for oars 30. Like swamp water 31. Having better than 20/20 vision 32. Cartoon mail-order company 33. An udder thing 35. Mangle 36. Spar on a yacht 38. Least robust 39. ___ fu 40. Paparazzi target 41. Covered ground 42. Moved like rush-hour traffic 43. French artist Matisse 44. Sinclair with a Pulitzer 45. Cap of yore 47. Gluttony and lust 49. Chorister’s voice 50. Driver’s gizmos 52. Beachgoers often get one 53. Initials of a noted “Wizard”