Issue 11, Volume 143 (November 28 2022)

THE VARSITY

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PEARS open letter demands termination of UTM professor, gains over 1,400 signatures

letter published

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Nawa Tahir Managing Editor, External

Content warning: This article discusses sexual harassment.

On November 20, the Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, Response, for Survivors (PEARS) Project — a survivor-led advocacy group that supports sexual violence survivors at U of T — published an open letter calling on U of T to terminate Professor Robert Reisz.

The open letter came after The Varsity published an article about an external investigation that found that Reisz had violated the university’s sexual harassment policy and had failed to respect supervisory boundaries. The investigation, which U of T commissioned, concluded in January of this year. Reisz currently supervises students at UTM and is scheduled to teach two courses next semester.

The open letter also called on U of T to publicly condemn Reisz’s actions, offer support to those affected by Reisz’s misconduct, and commission external investigations to review the university’s implementation of its policies.

As of November 27, seven days since its publication, the letter has garnered 1,419 signatures from U of T undergraduate and graduate students, campus student groups, students and scholars from other universities, and friends and family of U of T students.

In an interview with The Varsity on November 26, Micah Kalisch — founder and director of PEARS — stressed that the rate at which the open letter surpassed 1,000 signatures shows “that there is a community of people there who believe survivors and support survivors and want to see this campus be a safer place.”

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU), University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), and Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) are among the 36 organizations that have signed the open letter. The Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council also signed the letter and shared its own council statement.

External investigation into Reisz’s misconduct

In 2020, Reisz’s former students Yara Haridy and Bryan Gee reported him to the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Haridy and Gee’s 72-page report alleged numerous incidents of “academic and sexual harassment.”

Following this report, U of T commissioned Kenda Murphy, a legal counsel and workplace investigator, to look into the allegations. Haridy and Gee received summaries of Murphy’s findings in January 2022. Murphy concluded that the majority of their allegations were factually substantiated.

In April, Haridy and Gee received letters from Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life Heather Boon, in which U of T accepted Murphy’s findings.

Four undergraduate students are currently working in Reisz Lab and two graduate students joined the lab this fall. In October, a U of T spokesperson wrote to The Varsity, “The faculty member is permitted to work with, supervise and mentor students.”

PEARS open letter

PEARS demanded that, according to U of T’s Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Process Chart, the university president should strike a hearing committee to decide if Reisz should be terminated. Citing the Policy and Procedures on Academic Appointments, PEARS wrote, “Based on the findings of the school’s investigation, Robert Reisz’s actions constitute just

cause for termination.” Since Reisz has tenure, Section 5 of the policy, regarding termination of tenured appointments, may be relevant. According to the policy, grounds for termination of a tenured faculty member include “gross misconduct.”

Furthermore, PEARS demanded that the university publish a formal, transparent, and comprehensive statement publicly condemning Reisz’s actions to ensure accountability. Additionally, PEARS demanded that the university issue an apology to the survivors.

PEARS further acknowledged that survivors at U of T would struggle with the news and require further resources, external to the university. The open letter states, “Knowing Robert Reisz has been found guilty and remains employed is an incredibly challenging, painful, frightening, exhausting, and hopeless feeling.”

In the April letter to Haridy, Boon wrote that the only incident Haridy reported that violated U of T’s sexual harassment policy was one in which Reisz asked Haridy for a hug. Another incident that Haridy reported — which Murphy found to be factually substantiated — was Reisz referring to Haridy as “babe” in an email.

In its open letter, PEARS wrote, “According to the students who brought this forward, many of his comments/actions were not found to be in violation of the policy; however, on paper, they should be.” Accordingly, PEARS believes that U of T’s sexual harassment policy is not being implemented in this case.

The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act stipulates that universities should ensure that their sexual harassment policies are being implemented. In the open letter, PEARS pushed for U of T to hire external investigators to review its policy implementation.

Governance and student union responses

This past week, the Governing Council’s University Affairs Board (UAB) and Business Board held meetings that discussed the sexual violence policy review. The UAB considers non-academic policies and the Business Board approves major business management transactions.

At the UAB meeting on November 22, UTSU President Omar Gharbiyeh said that Reisz’s continued employment at UTM “has reached a point of liability for the institution.”

Jay Prentice — PEARS’ internal director and events coordinator — also spoke at the meeting, urging U of T to take action.

In response to Prentice’s speech, Vice-Provost, Students Sandy Welsh read the statement that The Varsity received from U of T Media Relations in October.

In an interview with The Varsity, Kalisch mentioned that university administration read out “a pre-prepared response” at the UAB meeting, which they felt was dismissive.

In the Business Board meeting held on November 23, Kalisch said that since PEARS published the open letter, PEARS executives have been communicating with survivors in need of support and resources.

Kalisch told the meeting attendees, “I am standing before you in a far less professional manner than I typically do because I am trying to explain how exhausted we are. None of my other colleagues could be here today because they are burnt out. They are terrified and they are heartbroken.”

In an email to The Varsity, Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr wrote that, at the Business Board meeting, “I addressed concerns brought forward by our community in a recent open letter to the University (initiated by the PEARS Project), and recognized the work by PEARS and others to urge the University to do better.”

In an email to The Varsity, UTMSU President

Maëlis Barre wrote that the UTMSU has met with the UTM Dean of Academics and the Sexual Violence and Prevention Support Centre to discuss Reisz’s continued employment at UTM. The UTMSU is also organizing a protest on November 30 at the UTM campus.

In an email to The Varsity, UTSU’s Vice-President, Equity Sarah Rana wrote, “It is important for our community to recognize the impact this news has on survivors and racialized students and the ways in which they may feel unprotected and un-cared for by the very institution meant to support their growth.”

Supporting survivors

In an interview with The Varsity, Kalisch said, “Since the article came out, there’s been an increased number of people requesting resources or requesting time to chat with us.”

On November 26, Kalisch told The Varsity that some survivors, who were planning on reporting sexual violence incidents to U of T, have recently told them that they aren’t comfortable reporting anymore.

Regehr further wrote to The Varsity, “In light of what we have heard, it is clear that we still have work to do. The University is committed to creating an environment where all members of our community can live, work and study, free from harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment. We know that we need to continue to evolve our processes to meet the needs and expectations of our community.”

“For example, the University will be implementing the Association of American Universities recommendations related to sexual harassment and sexual violence to address the issue of ‘passing the harasser,’ and increasing institutional accountability through robust annual reporting. These are important steps forward in how we protect our community,” wrote Regehr.

U of T is one of two Canadian institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU). One of AAU’s recommendations is that institutions share the sexual misconduct history of their former and current employees with other prospective employers. The AAU also recommends that hiring committees request applicants’ sexual misconduct history from their prior employers.

A recommendation regarding ‘passing the harasser’ was one of the 12 sexual violence policy review recommendations that U of T officially accepted on July 15.

Regehr wrote to The Varsity, “Our commitment to improvement is ongoing. We owe our strongest effort to get this right.”

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence or harassment:

• Contact the PEARS Project at thepearsproject@gmail.com for disclosures, trauma-informed support, and consultations.

• Contact the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre at (416) 597-8808.

• Call the Women’s College Hospital Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care Centre at (416) 323-6040.

• Call the Scarborough Grace Sexual Assault Care Centre at (416) 495-2555.

• Call the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at (866) 863-0511.

• For further resources, including information about accessing U of T services, visit the ‘Resources for Myself’ tab on thepearsproject.wordpress.com.

For further leads, please reach out to Nawa Tahir at nawat@thevarsity.ca. For all other communications regarding this article, including concerns and correction requests, please reach out to Jadine Ngan at editor@thevarsity.ca.

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Open

in response to Robert Reisz’s violation of sexual harassment policy

The Breakdown: Accessing abortion as a student

Two different procedures available depending on length of pregnancy

From choosing between the numerous options to navigating social stigma, accessing abortion care can be difficult. However, U of T clinics provide medication-induced abortion, and U of T student insurance plans cover most surgical abortions. In this article, The Varsity breaks down the options, resources for, and costs of getting an abortion as a student.

Medical abortions

According to Planned Parenthood Toronto, there are two main types of induced abortion: medical and surgical.

In Toronto, medical abortions are available until nine to 11 weeks gestational age (GA), which measures how far along a pregnancy is. Prior to receiving an abortion, an individual must receive a counselling or education session.

The individual seeking the abortion also may need to undergo a variety of tests, including a sexually transmitted infection (STI) test, blood tests, or an ultrasound. Some clinics will complete all tests in one visit, while others tend to do certain tests at separate appointments or may refer the individual to another clinic for testing.

If one decides to continue with a medical abortion, a physician can prescribe a medication called Mifegymiso, which is the Canadian brand that sells mifepristone and misoprostol together. These medications work together to end a pregnancy. Mifepristone blocks the effect of progesterone, a hormone that is needed for a pregnancy to continue. Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and triggers relaxation in the cervix, helping push out the contents of the uterus.

24 to 48 hours after the initial ingestion of mifepristone, an individual is instructed to take follow-up misoprostol tablets. Individuals also require follow-up tests to confirm the success of the abortion. Depending on the situation, these tests may include a blood test or ultrasound one to two weeks after taking the medication, or a urine pregnancy test four weeks after taking the medication.

Surgical abortions

Surgical abortions are a viable option up to 24 weeks GA — far longer than medical abortions. Similar to medical abortions, an individual wanting to undergo a surgical abortion requires a counselling and education session, as well as multiple tests.

Depending on where the abortion takes place, an individual may be placed under general anaesthesia, a sleep-inducing drug, a local anaesthetic, painkillers, or conscious sedation. Conscious sedation is when an individual is still awake, but calmed or dazed.

Hospitals normally resort to general anaesthesia, while independent clinics opt for local anaesthetics, painkillers, and conscious sedation.

The procedure may take anywhere from two to 15 minutes and no cuts or stitches are required. The individual is not allowed to drive themself home following the procedure. Many clinics or other providers recommend a checkup two to three weeks after the procedure.

To receive an abortion procedure past 24 weeks GA, one may need to search outside of Canada. Planned Parenthood Toronto suggests that individuals who want to receive an abortion after 24 weeks GA contact The National Abortion Federation, which can often help with patient referrals and sometimes procedure costs.

Side effects of a medical abortion

Side effects of a medical abortion include heavy bleeding and cramping. As well, misoprostol can cause nausea, diarrhea, fever, chills, and headaches. Individuals will also notice their body expelling the pregnancy tissue within 24 hours after taking the misoprostol tablets.

In certain cases, individuals who get medical abortions may need more medication, blood tests, or ultrasounds, and possibly even a surgical abortion, before the process is successful.

Abortions in Canada

On September 28, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement acknowledging International Safe Abortion Day and highlighting the government’s “unwavering commitment to upholding a woman’s fundamental right to choose.”

“Here in Canada, we have had access to safe and legal abortions for almost 35 years thanks to decades of hard-fought activism. Abortion is covered under our universal health care system. But there is still more work to be done to improve accessibility, particularly in rural and remote communities,” he announced.

Student health insurance

The UTMSU and UTSU’s respective Health and Dental plans each cover up to $250 worth of oral contraceptives and contraceptive devices each policy year. SCSU members are covered for up to $300. The Plan B pill, which can prevent pregnancy the day after sex by preventing ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus, is considered an oral contraceptive, and is thus covered under these plans.

Mental health supports available for students

Students considering an abortion or going through the abortion process can access support at the Sexual Education Centre. The centre offers peer-to-peer counselling and has a plethora of resources on their site. To access counselling, students can visit room 326 of the Student Commons, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. There is no need to book an appointment.

Students can also seek support through Health & Wellness, which provides same-day counselling appointments for students requiring immediate support. Health and Wellness also provides counselling at various locations across the UTSG campus. More information about specific locations can be found on their website.

The UTSU Health plan covers up to $100 a visit for up to 15 visits with mental health practitioners.

University-provided abortions, contraceptives, and other reproductive care

Students can visit Health and Wellness to receive medical abortions, birth control, and other reproductive care. To book an appointment with Health and Wellness, students can call between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

According to a statement from a U of T spokesperson, U of T clinicians can prescribe medical abortion drugs during virtual and inperson appointments. Although U of T clinics do not directly provide surgical abortion services to students, they can refer patients to outside services that provide medical and surgical abortions or share contact information for external clinics.

Students can purchase birth control or alternative contraception at the Health and Wellness office. Health and Wellness also offers intrauterine device (IUD) insertion, STI testing, and birth control counselling; however, their emergency copper IUD insertion program is currently on hold due to the pandemic. Students in need of an emergency copper IUD can contact Planned Parenthood.

Where students can get a medical or surgical abortion

A student seeking a surgical abortion should contact an abortion clinic near them to schedule an appointment. No referral is necessary to get an appointment at an abortion clinic. Both medical and surgical abortions are covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), but clinics might have administrative fees, ranging from $60 to over $300 on average, that the student will have to cover themselves.

Students enrolled in a University Health Insurance Plan might have coverage depending on their plan but will likely have to pay costs upfront and get reimbursed. Costs for a medical abortion can range from $300 to $370, with visit or administrative fees totalling upwards of $1,000. Meanwhile, surgical abortions can cost from $400–$2,300 depending on GA, the clinic where the procedure was held, and the type of procedure. Surgical abortions that take

place earlier in pregnancy typically cost around $500. Services at Planned Parenthood Toronto are free to anyone living in Canada regardless of insurance status.

According to the Ontario government, fulltime students originally from outside of Ontario but enrolled in an educational institution in Ontario are eligible for health insurance coverage that includes insured physician and hospital services.

There are several clinics offering abortions near the St. George campus. Women’s College Hospital on Grenville Street has a Tuesday to Thursday drop-in clinic that offers confidential sexual and reproductive health care including referrals, counselling, physical exams, and care. It offers both medical and surgical abortions, as well as a ‘no-touch’ abortion for patients who cannot go the clinic in person. A notouch abortion is when a patient is prescribed Mifegiysmo over a virtual appointment with the prescribing physician.

The Cabbagetown Women’s Clinic is located at 302 Gerrard Street East and offers medical abortions from four to 10 weeks GA and surgical abortions for up to 24 weeks GA. Students can book an appointment on their website or by calling their phone number 416-323-0642. Their services are covered by OHIP.

The Choice In Health Clinic on 1678 Bloor Street West in Toronto is a pregnancy and abortion clinic that provides services for students experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. These services are available by appointment and are free with OHIP. Students can book an appointment online or by calling the clinic at 647-370-3203.

Students in Scarborough can seek abortion care at the Positive Experience Wellness Centre, located at 1200 Markham Road. The centre provides medical abortions for up to 10 and a half weeks, and appointments can be made by calling them at 647-347-1200 or requesting one on their website.

Students in Mississauga can access abortion care through the Mississauga Woman’s Clinic on 101 Queensway Boulevard. The clinic provides both surgical and medical abortions, and students can make an appointment by calling the clinic at 905-629-4516 or — if they are seeking a medical abortion — through their website.

Planned Parenthood Toronto is located near the UTSG campus. NICHOLAS TAM/THEVARSITY

Caroline Bellamy, Lexey Burns Design Editor, Deputy News Editor

UTSU hosts week of events for eXpression Against Oppression 2022

Events included smudging ceremony, documentary screening

Schwalb, Tony Xun Assistant News Editor, Associate News Editor

Each year, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) hosts eXpression Against Oppression (XAO), a week of events that celebrate U of T’s diversity and facilitate discussions of oppression on campus and in the broader world. This year’s XAO took place from November 21 to 28 and included events such as a Multicultural Bazaar, where students learned about various cultural clubs; an antiracism panel featuring dumplings from around the world; and Palestinian Solidarity day, planned in collaboration with the SCSU. The Varsity attended two XAO events: an intuitive art workshop with Indigenous teachings and the screening of a documentary about human rights abuses in the Xinjiang province of China.

Indigenous art and smudging

On November 22, Veronica Johnny led a smudging ceremony and workshop on Indigenous art as part of XAO. Johnny, a Cree and Dene multidisciplinary artist, is the founder of IndigenEd, an organization that spreads Indigenous female voices through art-focused educational initiatives. During the workshop, Johnny focused on providing a healing space for the participants through art, music, and ceremony. Smudging, which involves burning various medicinal plants, is an Indigenous cultural practice used to cleanse, offer thanks, and connect to the earth. After introducing herself

to each person individually, Johnny combined sweetgrass, sage, and cedar in a small cast iron frying pan.

According to Johnny, Indigenous people in Alberta began using pans instead of traditional bowls in smudging ceremonies to avoid detection from the colonial government, which banned Indigenous peoples from engaging in ceremonies from 1895–1951. “Even in times of genocide, where they were killing us and hunting us, we were still using our medicines [in secret] and passing it on,” said Johnny.

One by one, participants were invited to waft the smoke around themselves while centering on their hopes. “When the person is smudging, we want to send them our good energy,” said Johnny.

Following the ceremony, Johnny spoke about Indigenous art and its role in providing healing. She shared a story from Duke Redbird — an Elder from the Saugeen First Nation — about Norval Morrisseau, a nationally renowned Anishinaabe artist. According to Redbird, Morrisseau would sit in parks, and when he saw a passerby who needed healing, he would sketch a picture and gift it to them, as if he was giving a prescription.

“Indigenous art is not about painting what we see… it’s about painting what we don’t see,” she said. “[Morrisseau] would give [passersby] things that they needed to see.” With the intention of fostering healing, participants intuitively drew and painted against the backdrop of Johnny’s singing.

Throughout the workshop, Johnny highlighted the importance of learning from Indigenous peoples. “[Colonizers] thought we were less than, when we were actually really connected nation[s]… who had been caretakers [of the land] since time immemorial,” she said. “I just love to think about what life would be like if we were actually heard.”

The Varsity spoke with attendees, who highlighted the illuminating and healing effect of the event. Owen Thompson, an Anishinaabe participant and student in the School of Continuing Studies, highlighted the unique environment Johnny had created. “It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to go out and have someone, especially an Elder, smudge you… and put your effort and time into creative works in a relatively safe environment,” he said.

Documentary screening

On Friday, November 25, the UTSU screened In Search of My Sister , a documentary following Uyghur activist Rushan Abbas and her journey to uncover the truth behind her sister’s disappearance. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with Jawad Mir, the film’s director, and Samer Zuberi, MP and chair of Parliament’s Subcommittee on International Human Rights. Mir and Zuberi spoke at length on human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the Canadian government’s responses, and the role of demonstrations and activism in raising awareness.

so many places I want to go, and if I can do that with research intent, even better!”

Even outside of the classroom, Patton loves art, and particularly tattoos. “My hot take is that tattoo culture should be part of the art historical canon,” she said. Her goal is to get a tattoo in every city she visits while travelling abroad; when in Paris, she received a tattoo of Remy the rat from Disney’s Ratatouille

The government of the People’s Republic of China is targeting the Uyghur population in China’s Xinjiang province with discriminatory surveillance, cultural and religious persecution, and genocide. Leaked documents and activists have revealed the existence of massive labour camps where systematic human rights abuses occur. In August, a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights found that arbitrary detention of Uyghurs in Xinjiang “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.”

In an interview with The Varsity , Mir focused on hypocrisy from Western corporations, including Apple, Nike, and the NBA. Mir called out “selective outrage,” arguing that Western companies are quick to speak out about feminism and transgender rights but stay silent on forced labour in Xinjiang. Companies that refuse to stop doing business in Xinjiang, Mir said, are “complicit in genocide.”

Zuberi called for Canada to do what it can to support the Uyghur community through humanitarianism. He plans to introduce a motion in Parliament to resettle 10,000 Uyghur refugees in Canada. He also supports increasing sanctions on the officials responsible for atrocities and aims to bring change through public awareness.

Zuberi also endorsed calls to “cleanse our supply chains.” In an interview with The Varsity , he cautioned against “unknowingly supporting the unspeakable,” warning that Canadian businesses are invested in Xinjiang. Large quantities of tomato products, cotton, and materials for solar panels are sourced from Xinjiang, potentially with connections to forced labour.

According to Zuberi, U of T students should “think about the products that they buy.”

“We cannot underestimate how our actions can create positive change,” said Zuberi.

Boisvert Associate News Editor

This November, Iakoiehwáhtha (Iako) Patton received a Rhodes Scholarship, a prestigious award that will allow her to study at Oxford University. Patton is a fourth-year U of T undergraduate student from the Kanien'kehá:ka community who studies art history and anthropology with a minor in Renaissance studies. She is among the 11 Canadian recipients of the scholarship for 2023.

The Rhodes Scholarship, which is administered by the Rhodes Trust, is the oldest international scholarship program. The scholarship was established in 1902 through the will of Cecil John Rhodes, which devoted most of Rhodes’ fortune to the program. According to the Rhodes Trust, the scholarship aims to “identify young leaders from around the world who, through the pursuit of education together at Oxford, would forge bonds of understanding and fellowship for the betterment of mankind.”

Interest in art history

Patton’s research interests lie in fifteenth to seventeenth century Netherlandish Art. In an interview with The Varsity , Patton said that her interest developed “in part because I took a bunch of classes by [U of T art history professor] Ethan Matt Kavaler, and he really cultivated my love for that specific period of art history.”

This appreciation extends both ways: in an email to The Varsity , Kavaler wrote, “Iako Patton is one of the most gifted students I have had the privilege of teaching in over 25 years at the University of Toronto. Patton has a keen mind and an unusual skill at parsing abstract arguments.”

One of Patton’s favourite works is Hieronymous Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights.” Bosch’s painting is a Netherlandish triptych, a three-panelled altarpiece. “If it’s

a good triptych, it has a fantastic crazy hell panel,” said Patton, referring to the right-most panel of the triptych.

Patton also works as a research assistant for St Michael’s College Professor Reid Locklin, researching Indigenous art history for the re source website Teaching and Learning as Treaty Peoples. Her work for the website sits “at the intersections of art history, Christianity, colonial ity, and Indigeneity.” In an email to Locklin wrote, “I can think of few other students more worthy to be honoured as a Rhodes Scholar.”

Patton is heavily involved with U of T’s Art History Department. She is the president of the History of Art Students’ Association, a position that has garnered praise from professors. “As president of the History of Art Students’ Association, she has been a terrific ambassador for our discipline and has contrib uted to the flourishing of our under graduate program,” wrote Joseph Clarke in an email to The Varsity Clarke is the Assistant Chair of the Department of Art History.

Last summer, Patton took a sum mer abroad course run by the chair of the Department of Art History, Professor Giancarla Periti. In an email to The Varsity, Periti wrote, “Iako’s intellectual curiosity and questions helped to generate interesting conversations. As a teacher, it was a real pleasure to have such a remarkably gifted student as Iako in the course.”

Outside of academia

In the future, Patton hopes to travel and pursue a PhD. “I want to go to every major museum in Europe,” said Patton. “There are

Patton also loves to weight lift at the Hart House Gym. Currently, her deadlift maximum is 225 lbs.

During the pandemic, she took up the form of exercise and it has become an important part of her life. Outside of her research, Patton helped plan the past two annual Campus (Re)conciliations Conferences. According to the Victoria College website, the Victoria College-run conference “provides a space to listen to Indigenous leaders, community members, and students speak about their research, reflections, and experiences.” Patton is also involved in this year’s conference, which is scheduled for March 23.

Jessie

Alana

SCSU fails to pass single motion at Annual General Meeting because quorum not met SCSU to pass

course retake policy, implement new transit grant

Alyanna Denise Chua, Jessica Lam UTSC Bureau Chief, Illustration Editor

The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 23. The SCSU was not able to pass any motions, as the meeting did not reach quorum.

During the meeting, SCSU executives reported that they have successfully lobbied for the course retake policy and transit grant. They also commented on the issue of sexual violence at U of T and outlined the services, events, and advocacy activities they have planned for the rest of the academic year.

Quorum issues

The SCSU’s AGM failed to meet its required quorum of 500 members. Only 175 members — including proxies — were present at the meeting and so members were not able to vote on any motions presented on the agenda.

The SCSU will push its AGM motions to the Winter General Meeting next term. SCSU executives only presented their executive reports at the AGM.

Vice-President External Thai Dillon Higashihara confirmed that, “As of now, there is no move to change our bylaws or change quorum.”

Alyssia Fernandes, vice-president campus life, added that this was the first in-person AGM since COVID-19 started. “So, we’re hoping that winter will be more successful in terms of numbers.”

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) recently rewrote their bylaws, removing the ability to have proxies and dropping their required quorum to 50 members.

Lobby successes: course retake policy and transit grant

After months of lobbying the UTSC administration, the SCSU will be able to present the course retake policy for approval at a UTSC Academic Affairs Committee meeting in February. SCSU Vice-President Academics Amrith David said that the Office

of the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean had informed the SCSU that the deans will endorse the policy.

The course retake policy — also known as the “second attempt for credit” policy — will allow UTSC students to retake courses, and have their highest grade from the course reflected on their GPAs. Students will only be able to retake a maximum of two credits’ worth of courses throughout their academic careers.

Currently, UTSC’s policy states that a student’s retake attempt will not impact a student’s GPA, nor will it count toward degree requirements. David said that UTSC students can expect the course retake policy to take effect by the fall term of the 2023–2024 academic year.

Vice-President Equity Yumna Abdelhameed also said that the SCSU has “accomplished” its transit grant. This grant aims to help members who are experiencing transit-based financial stress and will allow applicants to receive up to $500 “depending on their needs,” according to Abdelhameed. She hopes to implement this grant by the winter term.

U of T’s Policy on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence

Higashihara said that the latest revisions to U of T’s Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment are “lackluster” and “questionable” in terms of language.

Earlier this month, Vice-Provost Students Sandy Welsh presented amendments to the policy at various governance meetings. These amendments include stronger language for the nontolerance for reprisals against anyone who reports sexual violence and increased clarity in nonadjudicative processes.

Higashihara said that the policy fails to be survivor-centric. He called for further revisions such as replacing the terms “complainant” with “survivor,” and “respondent” with “assailant.” The Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, Response,

for Survivors (PEARS) Project — a student-led, trauma-informed initiative that supports survivors of sexual violence at U of T — also raised similar concerns about the policy at earlier stages of the policy review.

The SCSU has signed a recent open letter by the PEARS Project, which calls for the termination of Robert Reisz — a UTM professor who violated U of T’s sexual harassment policy, but continues to teach and supervise students.

Higashihara said that the SCSU promoted the PEARS Project’s open letter on their social media channels, and urged AGM attendees to sign the open letter as well.

Upcoming services, events, and advocacy activities

The SCSU executives also presented reports about their services, events, and advocacy activities for the rest of the academic year.

Abdelhameed announced that the SCSU has finally opened the Racialized Students Collective (RSC) room at the Student Centre. “It’s very much like a living room for racialized folks to be comfortable on campus,” said Afshana Miah — the RSC coordinator and a fourth-year global development studies and psychology major — in an interview with The Varsity. The space will feature books and board games, among other amenities.

The SCSU will also host Speak Out week from November 28 to December 2. Events include International Day for Solidarity with Palestine, a cooking workshop, and a lecture titled “How Universities Cannot Respond to Global Crises.” The lecture will be given by Michelle Stack, an associate professor from the University of British Columbia’s Department of Educational Studies, whose research interests include educational equity and knowledge translation.

Lastly, the SCSU is still working to implement the union’s sexual violence survivor grant. Abdelhameed anticipates that the SCSU will simply need to “have more conversations” about the grant with UTSC administrators. She hopes for the grant to be implemented in the 2023–2024 academic year.

Lexey Burns Deputy News Editor

On November 24, the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) held its Annual General Meeting, allowing all UTM students to propose and vote on important changes to the union.

After Division 2 Director Niguel Walker presented an amendment allowing the vice-president equity to appoint a chair if they were unable to make a bursary committee meeting, students approved all of the executive committee’s proposed changes to the UTMSU’s bylaws. These amendments include provisions allowing executives to pass the responsibility of chairing a meeting to another representative, removing mentions of the UTSU from the bylaws, and allowing BOD members to resign over the summer months.

Students also approved the audited financial statements for the Blind Duck Pub and the UTMSU, which the UTMSU’s Board of Directors (BOD) reviewed during its November meeting.

During the meeting, the UTMSU also highlighted its upcoming Lobby Week, which will take place from January 30, 2023 to February 3, 2023.

During this week, the UTMSU aims to highlight three of its main campaigns: Academic Advocacy, Education For All, and Food Security Now.

Academic Advocacy campaign

As part of its Academic Advocacy campaign, the UTMSU calls on the university to allow students accused of an academic offense to review evidence from their case at least four weeks prior to Departmental, Decennial, and Tribunal hearings.

The UTMSU also wants U of T to set a time limit for resolving academic misconduct cases, capping Departmental and Decennial cases at two months and Tribunal meetings at six months. This time limit would allow students to continue their studies without hearings stalling their ability to take courses or graduate.

Currently, departments are authorized to handle matters of academic integrity for assignments worth 10 per cent or less of a course’s final grade. The UTMSU also wants to increase that threshold from 10 per cent to 25 per cent. “As UTM students, we know half of our assignments are [less than] ten per cent. It’s usually more than that,” Suraqa Noor, vice president university affairs, said in an interview with The Varsity.

Noor also explained the need to reinforce instructors’ duties outlined in Section C. I.(A) of the Code of Behavior on Academic Matters, which requires that instructors inform a student immediately after discovery of an academic offence.

Finally, the UTMSU is lobbying U of T to extend the credit/no credit deadline to the day students receive their final grades.

Food Security Now campaign

Regan Roopnarine, vice president equity, presented the recommendations from the Food Security Now campaign.

The UTMSU hopes to increase the diversity of food options on campus by pushing food services to provide better vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher, and gluten-free options, as well as train staff on how to make and serve foods that accommodate these diets. For example, Roopnarine said that food services should train staff to not use a knife previously used on regular meat to cut halal meat.

The UTMSU also wants to expand students’ avenues to provide feedback and extend food service hours to accommodate students who don’t always eat at typical meal times.

Finally, the UTMSU wants the UTM administration to partner with the UTM Food Centre “to promote local waste reduction and improve food security on campus.”

Education For All Campaign

As for the Education For All Campaign, the UTMSU wants to lobby the provincial government on the “reduction and gradual elimination of tuition fees for all students” and support efforts lobbying both the Provincial and Federal Governments to

work toward transitioning student loans to student grants.

During his presentation of the lobbying goals, Alistair Kirk, vice president external, highlighted the need for alternative modes of education. “We want the university to provide an online option… for undergraduate classes,” said Kirk. “Professors have gotten accustomed to using video sharing platforms and video conferencing calls and also have already recorded lectures, so we think that they already have the resources to pursue such a goal.”

Finally, the UTMSU hopes to increase nonacademic scholarships for students and eliminate the tuition fee increase for out-of-province students.

JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

University Affairs Board recommends amendments to Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

PEARS, UTSU express concerns, UAB reviews UMLAP

Jessie Schwalb Assistant News Editor

Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual harassment.

On November 22, the University Affairs Board (UAB) met for the second time this academic year. Despite misgivings from the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) and the Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, Response, for Survivors (PEARS) Project, the UAB voted to recommend that the Governing Council accept the university’s revisions to the Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment. Board members also reviewed annual reports on the University-Mandated Leave of Absence Policy (UMLAP), the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre (SVPSC), and Non-Academic Discipline.

Revising the Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment

The Ontario government requires universities to review their sexual assault policies at least once every three years. In July 2022, the U of T administration accepted all 12 recommendations from the review of the Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment. As part of implementing the review’s recommendations, Sandy Welsh — viceprovost, students — presented potential revisions to the policy at the UAB meeting. The revisions include adding a clause that would require U of T to annually publish statistical information on the incidence of campus sexual violence. It also includes using stronger language to stress zero tolerance for retaliation against those who have brought forward sexual harassment allegations.

Following Welsh’s presentation, two students spoke: UTSU President Omar Gharbiyeh and

“We’re happy with the direction [the policy is] taking, but it’s insufficient,” said Gharbiyeh. He added that the Vice-Provost’s office has not met many of the UTSU’s concerns, especially around the issue of consent.

Prentice echoed this sentiment. “It is unacceptable that the university keeps trying to get away with policies that do the bare minimum,” they said.

Gharbiyeh also slammed the policy for “jargon and ambiguity,” and argued that the reviewers did not sufficiently consult with the community.

Both speakers referenced how UTM Professor Robert Reisz violated the university’s sexual harassment policy. “It is difficult to see this as anything other than a systemic failure,” said Gharbiyeh. “This has reached a point of liability for the institution.”

Prentice called on the university to act against Reisz. “This is evidence that our entire policy, practices, and system are dangerously ineffective. We need real change and real action,” they said.

Despite these objections and three abstentions, the UAB voted to recommend that the Governing Council approve the proposed revisions to the policy.

UMLAP Annual Report

Welsh also presented the annual report on UMLAP, a policy that allows the vice provost to place students on leave in cases of significant concerns about the students’ mental health, as well as the safety and wellbeing of others. According to the report, the Vice-Provost has placed 17 students on leave since the policy’s implementation in 2018. In 2021–2022, the Welsh received seven

requests to invoke the policy and placed four students on mandatory leaves of absence.

Members of the U of T community and the Ontario Human Rights Commission have criticized UMLAP, arguing that the policy discourages students from accessing mental health treatment and disrespects student autonomy.“I acknowledge that there have been students that are concerned about seeking help from health and counseling services across the university because they fear that they will be put on a leave,” said Welsh.

However, Welsh explained that campus counselling services maintain confidentiality, as required by Ontario law. Additionally, the policy is only invoked in response to “serious concerning behaviour,” and not in response to students disclosing mental health issues.

Welsh highlighted the limited use and compassionate intention behind UMLAP. “The policy is intended as a last resort when all other attempts and accommodative measures have been exhausted,” said Welsh. The Vice-Provost is currently finalizing amendments to UMLAP based on a 2021 review. They hope to present the revisions next term.

Report of the SVPSC

Angela Treglia, director of the SVPSC, delivered SVPSC’s annual report to the UAB. The SVPSC is a tri-campus resource that aims to assist and

Musisi wrote in an email to The Varsity that Hill and Rodgers were not engaging in accordance with the UTGSU equity statement. According to the UTGSU’s Policy Handbook, the UTGSU does “not condone or tolerate behaviour that undermines the dignity of any individual. Expressions of hate such as intimidation, harassment, offensiveness or hostility will not be tolerated.”

support survivors of gender-based violence and encourage consent culture at U of T.

Over the past year, the SVPSC ran 75 educational initiatives, including a two-day symposium and workshops on art, boundaries, and men’s role in combating gender-based violence. They also received 308 requests for support from community members who had experienced or become aware of a sexual violence or harassment incident. Of these requests, most came from students, and 25 resulted in reports of sexual violence.

“We know that it can be difficult and can take some time before someone feels safe disclosing and disclosing at all, and we want to be able to provide a safe space for someone who may be seeking support and wondering where to go next,” said Treglia.

Some students have criticized the SVPSC for unresponsiveness and lack of transparency. “We are working towards building and reinforcing trust and increasing awareness of our services through the development of an awareness campaign and redesign of our website and strategic communication initiatives,” said Treglia.

Currently, the centre is developing new bystander intervention and substance use trainings and collaborating with the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office to revise trainings on the intersections between racism and sexual violence.

Additional business

The meeting began with a lengthy discussion concerning amendments to the agenda. As a result, the agenda was not adopted until approximately an hour and a half into the meeting. Additionally, the General Assembly voted to censure two of its members.

Agenda antics

The meeting began with a motion from Adam Hill, the representative for the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Division 2. Hill motioned for the agenda to include discussion of what he described as “improper officer conduct,” referring to the union’s failure to conduct a quorum check at the most recent BOD meeting after one director left.

UTGSU President Lwanga Musisi immediately countered the motion, saying it was out of order and that the proper opportunity to discuss this matter would be at the Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled for December 6.

UTGSU Chair Sandhya Mylabathula added that similar discussions about officer conduct that took place at the BOD meeting had served to delay the proceedings, so the motion would be ruled out of order.

In response, Hill put forth a motion challenging Mylabathula’s position as chair. Although the president put the motion to a vote, it ultimately failed, allowing Mylabathula to remain the chair of the meeting.

Chris Rodgers, a representative from Pharmaceutical Sciences, motioned for a special members meeting to consider the removal of Vice-President Internal Sarah Alam due to “violations of UTGSU bylaws.” Rodgers took issue with Alam’s statement during the October 25 UTGSU BOD and General Assembly meeting. According to Rodgers, Alam stated that the Chief Returning Officer candidate had been selected by a UTGSU staff committee and not by the BOD, as outlined in the bylaws.

In an email to The Varsity, Musisi wrote that the motion was not added to the agenda because the executive committee determined it was out of order.

The censure

Danielle Karakas, vice-president academics and funding for Divisions 3 and 4, proposed a motion to censure Hill and Rodgers for holding up the meeting with adoptions to the agenda. Some other students expressed similar concerns in the Zoom chat.

In an interview with The Varsity, Hill said he empathized with the students’ concerns but he thought it was important to raise the issue with the members.

“It was the will of the Assembly members as they considered Adam Hill and Chris Rodger’s behavior not in line with the equity statement, despite the Equity Officer’s several attempts and calls to the members to conduct themselves within line of the Equity Statement,” wrote Musisi.

The motion to censure Hill and Rodgers ultimately passed and they were barred from speaking for the rest of the meeting.

The remainder of the meeting consisted of reports from course unions and committees. Karakas gave an update on the Graduate Student Advisory Council, which had been reviewing the route for graduate students to address potential conflicts with their supervisor. She mentioned that students would need to address any conflicts with their department head first and then the SGS. She added that the UTGSU would be able to provide support to students as well.

The last item regarding the appointment of committee members was struck from the meeting agenda after it was brought to Mylabathula’s attention that the General Assembly did not have the ability to appoint committee members. The meeting adjourned just before 9:15 pm.

Jay Prentice. Prentice is the internal director and events coordinator at the PEARS Project, a tricampus coalition that supports survivors and advocates against sexual violence on campus.

The UAB held their meeting on November 22. CAROLINE BELLAMY/THEVARSITY

The University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) General Assembly convened online on November 22 for its second meeting of the academic year.

Emma Livingstone Graduate Bureau Chief

Editorial: The gaps in U of T’s reproductive health services We

The overturning of Roe v Wade on June 24 has had a ripple effect on the social fabric of America. Since Roe v Wade was overturned, 13 states have completely banned abortion, while thousands of Americans continue to advocate against the Supreme Court’s decision. This justifiable outrage isn’t only prevalent among Americans, but also extends across the border to Canada.

The landscape of abortion in Canada is very different from that in the US. In 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision on R v Morgentaler decriminalized abortion across the country. The landmark case went on to gain the reputation of being the Canadian equivalent of Roe v Wade. But unlike some of our neighbours to the south, no laws prohibit pregnant people from getting an abortion in Canada, and the cost of both surgical and medical abortions is covered federally.

The central problem in Canada is access. From the long distances that pregnant people have to travel to the long wait times that often follow, access to reproductive health care is a puzzle, and Canada has yet to put the pieces together. On top of that, parts of the sexual health system in Canada and the US are still deeply interconnected, and so the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade may further aggravate the shaky foundation of abortion accessibility in Canada.

Although access to abortion has become a politically contested issue, the World Health Organization calls induced abortions “a simple and common health-care procedure.” Amnesty International also affirms that the procedure is “a basic healthcare need.” In places with a shortage or absence of safe access to abortion, pregnant people may seek out unsafe abortion procedures, leading to preventable deaths and injuries.

Issues of abortion access are issues of health care, which will directly affect universities in particular. Abortion is tied to university graduation rates: if a student experiences an unplanned pregnancy, they may struggle to complete their studies. This creates a barrier to accessing education that uniquely targets a subset of women and trans students — particularly racialized students, who face additional barriers to accessing health services. So, it’s more relevant than ever before that U of T students can easily access the health care they need. It’s why we’ve been working on pieces like “The Breakdown: Accessing abortion as a student,” which we’re running in News (page 3) this week. Abortions are time-sensitive medical procedures; in order to properly support the university

community in accessing sexual health care, we all need to pitch in to make sure the pathways to this procedure are clear.

But as our reporters looked into abortion access at U of T, they ran into a wall. And then another one. And another. According to a spokesperson from the university, clinicians at university-run health clinics are, in fact, able to provide abortion-related prescriptions to students. But that information isn’t present in the university’s public-facing health care documentation. Instead, it’s buried behind directly contradictory statements from organizations that U of T students might rely upon to access sexual health care.

U of T’s pathways to abortion access are twisty and opaque, and it feels impossible to glean any information on them from the outside. And that’s a problem — especially when it comes down to such time-sensitive and stigmatized procedures, where access could have long-lasting effects on seekers’ health.

So, this week, we’re not just going to break down what U of T says it offers its students. We’re going to break down what it doesn’t do, why it needs to be doing better, and what it will need to offer if it wants to provide functional sexual health care.

Accessing abortion services

First things first — we have to define our terms. When you hear the word “abortion,” it may not always be clear what that refers to. In a medical sense, though, the term “abortion” refers to the early termination of a pregnancy.

In some cases, abortion may refer to a surgical procedure, which is considered relatively safe. Surgical abortions are permitted up to approximately 24 weeks of pregnancy, after which Canada doesn’t allow abortion. Canadians who require an abortion after 24 weeks often travel to the US — but that may change with the overturning of Roe v Wade.

However, someone seeking to end a pregnancy during the first 11 weeks can also access a medical abortion, commonly known as ‘the pill.’

Medical abortions, which involve taking a pair of federally approved medications collectively called Mifegymiso, are relatively simple to administer, and serious side effects are rare. Mifegymiso can be prescribed directly by family doctors who have undergone the requisite training. Given the additional pressures on reproductive rights and the Canadian health care system now that Roe v Wade has been overturned, the pill has become more important than ever in safeguarding access to abortion.

For university students in Ontario, abortion accessibility has come a long way. Currently, any Mifegymiso prescriptions and surgical abortions that take place in a hospital or clinic are covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). For out-of-province and international students, Ontario’s University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) covers student medical services, including medication abortions.

Whether or not you can use the pill, however, is a time-sensitive question. Currently, the pill cannot be prescribed after 11 weeks of gestation. This creates a relatively short window of time, given that symptoms of pregnancy often may not emerge for a couple of weeks. To add to this dilemma, U of T’s framework for accessing the pill is far from transparent.

According to a university spokesperson, university clinicians, including doctors at Health & Wellness, can offer Mifegymiso prescriptions in-house through virtual and in-person appointments. In addition to prescribing the pill, Health & Wellness doctors can also refer students to non-U of T clinics where they can access a surgical abortion.

None of this information is available to students on the Health & Wellness’ page on sexual and reproductive health, or on the corresponding pages from UTM and UTSC health services. Furthermore, students have expressed frustration at the long wait times and inaccessibility of appointments at university health centres like Health & Wellness — which may represent a particular barrier to abortion access, given the time-sensitive nature of the procedure.

Additionally, miscommunication between different centres at U of T adds to the confusing and difficult process of accessing abortion through the university. Contrary to the university’s statement, the Sexual Education Centre (SEC) — a peer support and education centre for UTSG students — stated that the doctors at the Health & Wellness Centre do not provide abortion services to students and that the SEC does not refer students seeking abortions to Heath & Wellness. This inconsistent information could pose a problem to students seeking sexual health information from the university.

How U of T can improve U of T health services can provide medical abortion prescriptions to students — that’s something that the university absolutely should be doing.

But U of T needs to streamline its system. We’re calling on U of T to make abortion a safe and transparent process for students. The university reports that it is already providing medical abortion

prescriptions and surgical referrals, but there is so much more required to actually make abortion accessible for students.

Making abortion accessible means clearly stating what abortion services the university offers on its health services websites, which students are likely to visit when seeking health care.

It means providing students with a precise breakdown of the timeline and costs surrounding an abortion. It means regular outreach and feedback systems to make sure students are familiar with campus services.

It means organizing communication between offices and campuses across the university, so students can approach sexual health centres and receive consistent and accurate information about their options.

Improving access at U of T, especially, matters because, for many students, the university may already serve as the first stop for health care. Students who are not from Toronto may be seeking health care away from home for the first time at U of T health centres, and may find it difficult to navigate options outside the university.

Without an obvious gateway to find information and get access to abortion-related health care, students may encounter additional barriers that have been deliberately constructed to hinder abortion access. In Canada, there are more crisis pregnancy centres (CPCs) — which The Globe and Mail describes as “anti-abortion organizations that provide counselling and other prenatal services” — than abortion providers.

Action Canada, a Canadian abortion advocacy group, has identified 77 CPCs in Ontario — the highest number across Canada — and only 38 abortion providers. Pro-choice organizations criticize CPCs for “deceptive” practices, stating that they sometimes spread harmful myths about the consequences of abortion, and often seek to deter pregnant people from accessing abortion care.

CPCs do not always have the words “crisis pregnancy centre” in their names, so they may be difficult to identify. In Toronto, the Pregnancy Care Centre states that they “help women with unexpected pregnancies,” but also that they “offer all the support we can so that babies are not aborted.” Some students, particularly from outside Canada, may not know the difference between CPCs and abortion clinics. If faced with an unplanned pregnancy, students may waste precious time and energy navigating this confusing off-campus system.

Bolstering reproductive care access at U of T can help demystify the process of seeking an abortion, eliminate the task of traveling to off-campus clinics, and reduce the number of steps necessary to receive care. Ultimately, if U of T students know they can rely on university-affiliated primary care providers to prescribe abortion pills in a timely manner, these students will face fewer barriers to receiving the care they need and deserve.

At U of T, the SEC reports that it hasn’t seen a high number of students coming in for information on abortion — but the reason for that is unclear. Perhaps few students require abortions, or perhaps they don’t believe on-campus options will help.

This is untenable. It’s hard to navigate a confusing and uncommunicative system at the best of times, let alone during a medical emergency.

So if U of T wants to provide safe and supportive medical care to students, it’s time to step up. The path to abortion access at U of T may be like a maze, but the path to improving it is pretty straightforward. Now, it’s just a matter of demonstrating that the university cares enough about student health to take the first step.

The Varsity’s editorial board is elected by the masthead at the beginning of each semester. For more information about the editorial policy, email editorial@thevarsity.ca.

need better communication about abortion care at the university

The Varsity Editorial Board

We need to protect charter rights

Ford’s invocation of the notwithstanding clause raises questions about when it should be used

SHANNA HUNTER/THEVARSITY

Urooba Shaikh Comment Columnist

Last month, when Premier Doug Ford used the notwithstanding clause to stop a strike by Ontario education workers, his decision heightened the tension between the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Ontario government. Following Ford’s use of the clause, Canadians continue to debate about what this clause means for our ability to exercise our Charter rights.

What is the notwithstanding clause?

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms sets out rights and freedoms that Canadians believe are necessary in a free and democratic society. When proposing new legislation, the courts usually decide if it is within the reasonable limits of the Charter.

However, the notwithstanding clause gives governments the power to implement potentially unconstitutional legislation — any law that is not within reasonable limits of the Charter — for a period of five years. Including the notwithstanding clause was imperative in getting provincial support for the 1982 proposal of the Charter. As such, the clause is now enshrined in section 33 of the Charter.

Given the substantial power the notwithstanding clause gives governments over citizens, it comes as no surprise that the clause has been a hot topic of debate since its enshrinement. However, the nature of its use this time around has caused concern all over the country about what it could mean for our ability to exercise our rights in the future.

How have premiers misused the clause?

CUPE’s recent demands of the provincial government included an 11.7 per cent annual wage increase for educational support staff. However, the Ford government instead offered raises of two per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all others, which CUPE rejected.

As such, education workers across the province organized a walkout on November 4 that

resulted in school closures and picketing lines. This was when Ford initiated the notwithstanding clause to pass Bill 28, or the ‘Keeping Students in Class Act,’ which would prevent further walkouts and school closures from happening.

Ford’s government has now used the notwithstanding clause twice, more than any other provincial government in Canadian history. This raises questions about how freely and under which circumstances should provincial governments use the notwithstanding clause.

According to Minister of Justice David Lametti, “[The notwithstanding clause] was meant to be a last word for a legislature to exercise parliamentary sovereignty. If it’s used at the beginning, it guts Canadian democracy and means the charter doesn’t exist.”

While the original purpose of the notwithstanding clause was to limit the power of the courts and allow governments elected by the people to have final say when passing legislation, it seems that premiers have only invoked the clause thus far to get their own way as quickly as possible.

By not implementing the clause and actually having new legislation reviewed by the courts, premiers could help ensure that new legislation upholds the values of a free and democratic society. Yet premiers seem to want to avoid the court review process for that very reason.

In 2019, Québec Premier Francois Legault used the clause to pass Bill 21, which bans the wearing of religious symbols in the public sector, saying that it is “the will of a majority of Quebeccers.” However, Legault failed to consider that one of the Charter’s founding principles is respect for minorities, and overriding this right puts the Charter’s supreme nature into question.

Cara Zwibel, director of the fundamental freedoms program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, encapsulates this when she says, “To me, [the notwithstanding clause] is for cases where you’ve gone back and forth with the courts, you’re tackling a difficult issue and there’s disagreement about a right or the scope of a reasonable limit and the government decides, ‘ultimately we know best.’ ”

So what can be done to protect the Charter?

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has said that they want to see the notwithstanding clause repealed in order to protect the rights of Canadians. However, amendments to the Charter require agreement from at least seven of the provinces, and given the power the clause gives premiers, a repeal is unlikely to happen.

Instead of removing the clause altogether, there should be more specific and binding guidelines about when exactly the clause can be used. This could include at least one round of mandatory review by the courts, which could lead to alternate suggestions that would not result in the passing of unconstitutional legislation. Another measure that could be imposed is a limit on the number of times a government can invoke the clause, in addition to the fiveyear limit on any legislation passed using the clause.

These restrictions would help to solidify that the clause should only be used in extenuating circumstances, and not as a first course of action any time governments want to pass a law. As Carissima Mathen, professor of law at the University of Ottawa, puts it, “If the political consequences don’t seem to be very strong for the government, then unfortunately I think what you start to see is a temptation to use [the notwithstanding clause].”

Ford’s invocation of the notwithstanding clause seems to imply that it will only become more commonly used by governments going forward. However, Ford’s battle with CUPE has also shown that citizens can battle governments and win. When there was public outcry about Ford’s use of the clause, he eventually backed down. It is imperative that governments continue to be held accountable, by the courts and by their citizens, to ensure that fundamental rights are guaranteed in a free and democratic society.

Urooba Shaikh is a second-year student majoring in molecular biology and minoring in public law and psychology at UTSC. Shaikh is a Comment-in-Brief columnist for The Varsity’s Comment section.

Jocelyn Mattka Comment Columnist

U of T has made considerable progress over the past three years to improve student mental health and well-being supports. The improvements made through the Provostial Task Force targeted all three campuses and focused on student services at a macro level.

However, the smaller-scale services, such as those offered through U of T’s colleges, should be given more attention. College-based services have the ability to focus on student issues in a targeted, personal, and accessible manner.

On October 21, Victoria College hosted the annual Minding our Minds conference. The conference was made up of several presentations, including two keynote speakers: Victoria College’s President Rhonda McEwan and psychiatrist David Gratzer from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

In addition, the conference included a student panel where students had the opportunity to discuss their ideas on the intersectionality of technology, COVID-19, and mental health during a fireside chat with Kelley Castle, the dean of students at Victoria College. A few discussion points arose during this conference that should be considered by all of U of T’s colleges and faculties.

Students addressed the issue of mental health services being difficult to approach. Although supports do exist, students may still feel barriers from accessing them. Even when

supports are accessible, they still require students to make initial contact and work through a series of steps prior to accessing the service.

For example, U of T’s “same-day” counselling service requires phone calls to Mental Health and Wellness and filling out forms before any accessible service. For some students, it is easy to see how a process like this could be daunting or even a potential barrier to them receiving service.

During the Minding our Minds conference, an important point was raised: a simple strategy

to make mental health service more accessible and effective would be by further promoting the role of the registrar as a point person for navigating mental health services.

Students also discussed why they may be slow to approach official services in contrast to the unofficial support of their peers. Although official support, or support that can be offered by approaching faculty, may be most effective in meeting a student’s needs, students are often wary of bringing mental health issues to authority figures.

In order for students to feel more secure, it needs to be made clear to them that they can access mental health support in a way that feels comfortable and confidential. Focusing on collegelevel services could help to provide students with a sense of comfort and small-scale environments. These factors should in turn guide students to the most appropriate services to address their needs.

Jocelyn Mattka is a second-year student at Victoria College. She is double majoring in criminology and sociolegal studies and sociology.

Mental health services at the college level should be better promoted Re: “The Breakdown: U of T’s progress on addressing student mental health”

Mental health services at Health and Wellness NICHOLAS TAM/THE VARSITY

Legislative Assembly of Ontario SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY

29 per cent voter turnout isn’t enough

Jasmin Akbari Varsity Contributor

All too often, we hear about how voting is a privilege, one that we should be grateful to have in this democratic country. Yet, despite the emphasis on this civic duty, we continue to see low voter turnout at Canadian elections.

During this year’s Toronto municipal elections, the voter energy was low and the city was not as engaged in the election. I even found it hard to drag myself to the poll stations. After all, it is easy to become jaded when there is so little information on the municipal election.

Municipal elections generally do not have the same feel as the federal ones, as there are fewer heated debates or warring candidates. For instance, the municipal election this year felt lukewarm, and there seemed to be a silent agreement that nothing would change; John Tory would win, and issues related to the housing crisis and homelessness would simply stay the same or get worse over time.

As I later found out, others in Toronto seemed to share my sentiments, as the voter turnout for Toronto was at a record low of about 29 per cent of eligible voters.

Why didn’t people show up to the polls?

Low voter turnout can happen for many reasons. In the last few years, the pandemic has become a possible cause for this very low turnout, as it has isolated individuals from their communities and politics. However, the

low voter turnout this year was not due to the pandemic alone.

In an interview with Yahoo news, Renan Levine, a political science professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough, suggested that lower voter turnout was due to the large number of candidates, and voters not knowing which party each candidate was from. For instance, in the University—Rosedale electoral district, a total of 14 names appeared on the ballot for the Ward 11 city council seat.

provide to further persuade voters. Consequently, these candidates may struggle with engaging potential voters and motivating people to go to the polls.

However, turnout was not just low for the recent municipal election, but also for the most recent Ontario provincial election. This could be attributed to political campaigns at all levels of government simply failing to connect with the people.

Why is it important to vote in municipal elections?

We often view municipal politics as trivial in comparison to provincial and federal politics. However, municipal politics play a significant role in our daily lives.

The mayor of our city, John Tory, works with both the provincial and federal governments to adopt policies and tackle is-

motions to the City Council to raise awareness and foster change for different issues in our city.

Our mayor and councillors have a significant impact on public transportation, municipal policing, libraries, parks, water treatment, and municipal Hydro. As such, our vote in municipal elections plays a critical role in getting what we need and value from our city. By failing to vote, we risk electing people who do not understand the needs of our ever changing society.

For instance, homelessness has lately been a pressing issue in Toronto as renting and housing prices soar. Councillors who sit on committees that run the Toronto shelter system play a significant role in ensuring that the problem of homelessnes is addressed. As such, we must vote for councillors who have effective policies and ideas to tackle homelessness into city hall.

City Hall is the governing body that plays the most significant role in the daily lives of the people of Toronto, so we must work to increase voter turnout and reignite the joy of civic duty in the city. What may seem trivial, like police task forces and paramedics, are actually what we need our council to focus on for the betterment of our society.

Just decades ago, racist and patriarchal laws prevented many people from voting and weighing in on our public system. Now that many of us finally have this civil right, we should take full advantage of it.

After all, voting is a privilege that we have been afforded, and without it, our voices aren’t heard. As we approach future federal, provincial, and municipal elections, we must ask ourselves who we want in power and why, and make use of our civil rights to get them into this position.

Hiba Faisal Varsity Contributor

Being an international student in Canada can often be very challenging. Leaving your home, moving to a new country, and adjusting to a new culture and education system is a struggle.

However, this process becomes even more challenging when trying to navigate the restrictive system Canada has in place for international students. The previous legal limitations stated that international students could only work a maximum of 20 hours a week. This work-hour cap left international students vulnerable as they struggled to find job opportunities in an already competitive market.

For instance, when I received my study permit, I was only legally allowed to work 20 hours a week. However, part-time jobs can require as many as 30 hours of work per week. With that being said, most part-time jobs considered part-

time to be a minimum of 24 hours, which for me was not legally possible.

The 20-hour work limit for international students was problematic

As such, finding jobs that could accommodate a 20-hour work week was not an easy task. I remember a very awkward conversation with a supervisor at one of my part-time jobs as a sales advisor. I was scheduled to work 26 hours a week. However, when I informed my supervisor that I could only work a maximum of 20 hours, I received an annoyed look and an exasperated sigh.

Although it was not a pleasant experience, I can sympathize with my supervisor. After all, they needed people with long working hours, and because I could not work those hours it meant another employee would have to work extra hours. In other words, it was a lose-lose situation for all of us involved.

It’s restrictions like this that might demotivate employers from hiring international students. This makes it difficult for international students like me to gain experience and have a source of income.

The challenges I’ve experienced as an international student are not unique to me. Canada is the third-most popular country in the world for international students looking to complete higher education. As of 2021, there were around 388,782 international students enrolled in Canada’s higher educational system.

The Canadian government encourages students to join their educational systems but at the same time creates a restrictive employment policy that prevents students from getting jobs.

International students pay significantly more in tuition fees. This financial burden on top of the rising cost of living forces international students to find work to ensure survival. As a result, many international students are placed in a vulnerable position where they can easily be exploited. Students might have no choice but to work “under the table” in order to pay for the cost of their living arrangements. Sometimes students might work overtime and risk being deported.

Overall, these working conditions create a difficult and unsafe environment that increases the likelihood of exploitation and mistreatment. Additionally, this also interferes with students’ ability to further their careers in Canada as they struggle to gain experience and attain income that allows them to stay. However, all of this is about to change in the coming year.

Will temporarily lifting the 20-hour work limit help students?

Starting November 15, international students are no longer confined to the 20-hour work limit. Instead, they are able to work both full-time and parttime positions with unlimited hours. This change is incredibly significant for students like me.

International students will have the power to balance increased tuition costs and living costs in the coming year. Removing the 20-hour cap will also help prevent harassment and exploitation in the workplace. Another reason why this is significant is because it allows international students to gain experience in the industry of their choice.

Additionally, this initiative will allow international students to meet the Canadian work experience requirements for permanent residence. Before this policy was initiated, the process for permanent residency would have been a lengthy one that would only begin upon graduation.

I’ve often heard from other students how employers will sometimes avoid hiring international students because of all the restrictions they have.

While this change is a step in the right direction, it is not permanent. According to Sean Fraser, the Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, this policy change is only temporary and will end in 2023. It also only applies to full-time students.

The Canadian government needs to continue finding solutions that support the well-being of international students in the workplace. According to Fraser, international students are a “large part of the labour market working in places such as gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, and factories.” This confinement to the service industry is a form of exploitation of its own.

International students leave their homes to find new opportunities and bear large financial burdens. While Canada welcomes them, the 20hour work cap is way too restrictive. There need to be more initiatives that allow international students to be able to work in Canada with ease.

Hiba Faisal is a fourth-year student at University College double majoring in English and political science and minoring in history.

Jasmin Akbari is a third-year industrial relations and human resources, digital humanities, and writing & rhetoric student at Woodsworth College.

As voter turnout in Canada continues to decrease, democracy slips away

The 20-hour work limit for international students should be permanently lifted Navigating the Canadian workforce as an international student is challenging

Toronto City Hall SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY

Hijab: Bloodstained

or

beautiful?

The volatility of feminism in the Western world

Safiya Patel Deputy Senior Copy Editor

I grew up oblivious to patriarchy.

Growing up in a house with two sisters and loving and proud parents who have always supported my every goal, I never had cause to believe that there was a systemic reason for why I could not achieve anything

I wanted to. My mom worked part time as a physiotherapist and my dad ran his business from home — as far as I knew, a woman could do anything a man could.

As I grew older, the warm bubble around my little corner of the world slowly began to fade away.

At school, I read books about young girls in Afghanistan

living under the Taliban regime, young girls who were forced to cover their hair and pretend to be boys just so they could leave their homes. It was then that I began to realize that the safety to which I was accustomed was not universal. I began to understand the privilege that living in a Western country afforded me.

I came to appreciate the values of the country whose passport I held, and beamed with pride whenever Canada’s multiculturalism was mentioned. Here in Canada, I could dress however I wanted. In Canada, my jejune perspective told me that I could become whomever I wished.

But when I did start dressing how I wanted, when I started covering my hair with a headscarf — as my religion, Islam, stipulates — I didn’t feel the same warm acceptance that my bouncy ringlets had enabled. The offhand comments laced with disdain, the stares and whispers I became a target of, shattered any pride I had in my country. Living in the Western world might indeed afford me certain privileges, but my identity as a Muslim woman mitigates these privileges.

Rejection hurts — as anyone whose crush has ever snubbed them should know. And it hurts all the more when it comes from a place to which you have only ever given love.

As the solace of the Western world faded away, I realized that my illusion stemmed from a very small corner of the world that preached freedom but then created a rigid definition of it. My world was small and safe; every step I took away from it made me realize just how small it was.

Unveiling freedom

When I stand in front of the mirror every morning, I tie up my hair in a way that I know will elicit tangles and headaches, then hide it under a headscarf. It’s not always easy to know that I am making myself just a little less beautiful. But I make this choice every day because I want to be more beautiful in God’s eyes. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the saying goes, and I have made a choice regarding which beholder’s opinion I value.

Islamic guidelines ask women to wear a headscarf and guard our modesty in both how we dress and act. This modesty is called “hijab” — an Arabic word that means “veil.” While hijab commonly merely evokes images of the headscarf, it encompasses more than that. It represents the general idea of carrying oneself in a modest manner.

Regardless of any cultural or personal connection a woman has to her hijab, the underlying reason we choose to wear it is because God asks us to.

If you ask hijabi women — those who are free to make this decision without the encroachment of political or cultural values — why they wear hijab, you will get a myriad of answers. Some will say it frees them from being a slave to Western culture, which reduces a woman to her body. Others, that they take pride in displaying this outward symbol of their belief. Others still, that they value their modesty.

My hijab is simply a symbol of the strength of my belief — and a tool to hide bad hair days. But I am not the spokesperson for all hijabi women. Al-

though we have the same underlying beliefs, our personal reasons are just that — personal. They concern only ourselves and God, not our fathers, not the old man across the street yelling at us to go back to our country, and certainly not any political leader.

While the ruling parties of countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia politicize women’s modesty, there is no basis for this in Islam. By no means does hijab involve external accountability; Islam gives neither men nor political authority figures the right to force a woman to wear a headscarf or punish her when she doesn’t.

In fact, Muslim men must observe the modesty of hijab by restraining their eyes even before women cover their hair. Instead of condoning or facilitating oppressive institutions such as Iran’s morality police, Islam does the opposite. If you see that someone is not observing the hijab, you don’t get to chastise them. You simply look away.

In contrast to Iran’s morality police, Islam’s morality police involve only one’s own conscience and one can only police their own modesty.

“There is no compulsion,” the Quran specifies, “in religion.”

Conservative liberalism

This lack of compulsion, the freedom to act according to one’s own will, is also characteristic of the culture in modern Western society. North American culture and government appear to glorify liberalism and freedom of choice, to celebrate the acceptance of and displaying one’s identity.

However, this liberalism is inherently paradoxical — such acceptance of different identities and beliefs and values exists only within rigid, well defined borders. In an interview with The Varsity , UTM Political Science Professor Katherine Bullock explained this phenomenon: “Since religion is often considered dogma and not reason-based, and tradition and customs are seen as chains inhibiting individual freedom, liberal culture often looks askance at religiously-motivated dress such as hijab.”

The perpetuation of the idea of these chains is illustrated through the politicized, oppressive construction of the hijab in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has led to the death of Mahsa Amini. In response, the world has erupted in outcry against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s oppressive laws and violent policing surrounding women’s modesty. Iranian women are removing their hijabs in protest of the regime’s regulations surrounding the headscarf and publicly burning their hijabs to symbolize their rejection of and rebellion against the regime. Women around the world are cutting their hair to display solidarity with Iranian women.

Such a movement is both necessary and noble, but the nature of the subject allows for misguided — even Islamophobic — rhetoric surrounding the religious symbol of hijab. The hijab is a visual symbol of the Republic’s misogynistic regulations. It is also, first and foremost, a symbol of faith for Muslim women around the world.

French actresses such as Marion Cotillard and Charlotte Gainsbourg are among those who have cut their hair to make a statement against a regime that makes a woman’s body the subject of public debate and anti choice regulations. However, the same description is fitting for France, where laws similarly restrict a woman’s decision to wear hijab.

Such inconsistency is not unusual in the Western world. As Bullock outlined, Western people “may feel a sin-

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder — I made the choice regarding which beholder’s opinion I value JADINE NGAN/THEVARSITY

cere desire to help Iranian people stand up to a regime that imposes hijab on women to the point of beating a woman to death.” However, she continued, “The impassioned rallies and reactions ignore the flip side in their own countries, where women are banned from wearing hijab or niqab.”

Bullock concluded, “One must support a principle universally, not selectively.”

Of politics and religion

Ruling parties in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia have imposed restrictive laws on women and are involved in horrifically violent practices surrounding women’s modesty, which have time and again received criticism, and rightfully so. However, not unlike how Iran transforms the hijab from a personal value into a political statement, Western countries impose legal restrictions on the use of the hijab — in the name of liberalism.

Laïcité, France’s constitutional principle of secularism, works to legally separate church and state and claims to adopt neutrality toward religion. However, the country banned wearing visibly religious symbols in professional settings in 2004, and wearing religious face coverings — such as the niqab, an extra layer of modesty that some Muslim women choose to wear — in any public setting in 2010. Several other European countries have followed suit, with Switzerland being the latest to adopt the latter policy in 2021.

These restrictive laws are not foreign to our side of the ocean; in 2019, Québec introduced Bill 21, which prevents public sector employees from wearing any religious symbols at work and denies government services such as health care and public transportation to anyone wearing face coverings for religious reasons.

The crux of these laws is that religious values should not bleed into government institutions. Never mind that a giant gold crucifix hung over the speaker’s chair in Québec’s National Assembly at the time the bill was passed.

Such legislation imposes restrictions on religion in the name of protecting secular governing, but in fact fails to separate the two, instead weaving them together by

bringing politics into religion. Governments have found a loophole to paradoxically dictate the practice of religion under the guise of maintaining neutrality toward it.

Western governments’ practice of appointing themselves arbiters of religion is fruit — albeit of a less violent variety — from the same tree as Iran or the Taliban regime dictating what women must wear.

Veiling weapons

As a child, I found safety in the glamour of Western liberalism. Now, however, I chafe at any discussions of feminism, because such conversation requires a reference point and thus inevitably demonizes conservative ideals, such as those of my religion. By equating the religious symbol of the hijab with political control of women’s modesty, the same rhetoric that uplifts the acceptance we preach in North America leaves little room for accepting religion.

While Afghan soldiers or British colonizers need not have ever touched a headscarf, the hijab nonetheless became a weapon in their arsenal; they transformed it into a symbol of the enemy’s brutality that they claimed to be fighting to eradicate. By becoming the antithesis of the free woman, the hijab became the weapon of Western governments.

From the United States to Canada to France, our governments opine on and excavate the inner workings of oppressive laws of other states, but they only do so when politically convenient.

Take, for example, the US-Afghanistan war. In 2001, the United States’ then-President George W. Bush affirmed, “The central goal of terrorists is the brutal oppression of women.” However, Bush’s status as a women’s rights’ champion is dicey; while the American presence in Afghanistan did indeed enable Afghan girls to go to school and criminalized violence against women, his administration primarily focused its liberation of oppressed women only on women living in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia, women experienced a rivalling repression; male family members were ‘guardians,’ and had the de facto right to dictate a woman’s every step outside of the home — including whether

she could even step outside of the house — as well as to exercise violence against female family members, and even file legal complaints of “disobedience” against the latter. Women could not drive and were denied custody rights.

But United States’ presidents have long adopted an effusive response to Saudi Arabia’s activities, including overlooking this oppression to maintain ties with the kingdom; such a response fosters military cooperation and preserves the States’ access to oil.

And when Britain invaded Egypt in the late seventeenth century, the first Earl of Croner, Evelyn Baring, wrote that this occupation was a quest to free Egyptian Muslim women from Egyptian men’s supposed ideals of repression, allowing them a chance at a civilized life. But Baring was apparently fickle in his advocacy for women’s rights, restricting it to countries whose values differed from England’s, since, back home, he was the president of the Men’s League for Opposing Woman Suffrage.

Bullock’s assessment of such cherrypicking activism is perfectly pithy: “Western governments, like all governments, usually place trade interests and security alliances ahead of a uniformly applied principle of human rights.”

It is easy to point a finger at our southern border or criticize what we find in the annals of Europe’s colonization, but Canada is not a stranger to this inconsistent solidarity. Even the country’s response to the recent surge of global ongoing protest illustrates the Western practice of fighting for women’s rights only when the subject of ridicule has enemy status.

In an interview with The Varsity , U of T Faculty of Law Professor Anver Emon contrasted Canada’s lighting up the parliament with the colours of the Iranian flag to show solidarity toward the women of Iran with Québec’s Bill 21: “The largely silent response to the illiberal-cum-authoritarian Law 21 in Québec, when juxtaposed with protesting the Iranian government, is not about liberalism, or supporting women’s choice.”

“Rather, it’s consistent with a foreign policy that has, since 2011, demonized

Iran,” Emon explained. Iran’s repressive laws indeed call for challenge and dissent but, as Emon noted, Canada’s own political agenda, and not the Republic’s cruelty, is the impetus for Canada’s show of solidarity.

After the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran in response to the country’s nuclear program beginning in 2006, Canada was among the countries that followed suit. In 2010, under the Special Economic Measures Act , Canada tightened existing sanctions and, beginning in 2011, amended the act to impose the general prohibition of import and export with Iran.

These sanctions and their exacerbation through the 2011 prohibitions, Emon explained, “contribute to devastating [Iran’s] economy,” and thus also “Iran’s people.” As such, Canada shows solidarity with Iranian women while contributing to the suffering of these same people.

In Emon’s words, “Lighting up Parliament with Iranian colours in solidarity with the protests is hypocritical, costless, and politically convenient.”

Iranian women need more than a merely performative fireworks show; they need people in power to hear them, to take action to remove them from their suffering, to free them from oppressive political power.

And contrastingly, Muslim women do not need a white knight — no pun intended — to ride into our lives and emancipate us from the shackles of our religion or from a religious patriarchy; in a world that preaches realizing one’s identity, some of us choose to chain ourselves to these ideals.

Our hijab is not an evil we need saving from, nor can it be reduced to the definition that oppressive political regimes impose upon it. Here, in Canada, Muslim women might have the freedom to choose whether to wear hijab, but we walk on our tiptoes, afraid that this visible symbol of our beliefs will reduce us to an idea of the hijab that is synonymous with oppression, to the construction of hijab that permits self-congratulatory rhetoric from the Western world as it attempts to free us from this illusion of repression.

It’s not our hijab that veils our identity and freedom, but the shadows we have to hide it under.

JESSICA LAM & AUGUSTINE WONG/THEVARSITY

The fight for good jobs at U of T’s campuses

University called out for

Georgia Kelly Associate Business & Labour Editor

After her father was diagnosed with cancer, Diana Medeiros’ mother became the family’s sole breadwinner by working as a caretaker at U of T. The work allowed her to support her family and send Diana to get her bachelor in kinesiology at U of T. Diana’s mother is a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 3261, which represents caretaking staff, drivers, technicians, and other service workers employed by U of T. The stability of her mother’s job enabled Medeiros to pursue her education to be a cardiovascular technologist.

Not all service workers at U of T campuses will be able to enjoy that same security, as several caretaking positions at U of T have disappeared due to contracting out to for-profit firms. CUPE 3261’s Good Jobs U of T campaign, which the local launched in September, asserts that U of T is undermining service workers’ bargaining power by hiring workers from third-party contractors.

“We are losing jobs due to attrition,” CUPE 3261 president Allan James said in an interview with The Varsity. James claims that the university replaces retiring CUPE 3261 members with workers from third-party contractors. This has happened with 150 positions since 2014, CUPE communications officer Daniel Tseghay told The Varsity in an email. He explained that these workers are cut off from the protections that CUPE 3261 has negotiated with the university.

Over the last few weeks, CUPE 3261 has tried and failed to negotiate limits on contracting out labour at the university. Although existing CUPE 3261 members’ jobs are protected, the local says that the university has been continuing to gradually replace those protected positions with more vulnerable ones as retiring workers are being replaced by workers brought from third-party companies.

depriving

The search for subcontracted workers on campus

service workers of adequate wages and benefits

Some subcontracted workers at U of T are represented by other, weaker unions, while others are not unionized at all, according to research done by U of T professors Kiran Mirchandani and Michelle Buckley. In an executive summary of their findings, Mirchandani and Buckley reported that, “on average, subcontracted cleaning, food service and security staff made 26 per cent, 19 per cent and 25 per cent less [in salary] than their directly employed counterparts.” They also reported “dramatic differences” in these employees’ benefits and working conditions, despite the fact that their responsibilities were essentially the same.

The executive summary describes the university’s records of service work contracts as “a murky maze - full of obscure documents, siloed knowledge, and dead-end information trails.” Mirchandani noted she was surprised to find that there was no system keeping track of the various subcontractors across the university’s campuses. She and Buckley resorted to sending student researchers “door to door” to find out who was employing

the caretaking staff in various buildings.

Human Resources administration is divided amongst 13 different offices and “various central HR units,” a spokesperson from the university told The Varsity in an email. They noted that the University uses “established, unionized service providers,” which contradicts Mirchandani and Buckley’s findings that not all service workers at U of T are unionized. However, they could not point to any central office or standard of ethics for hiring subcontracted labour.

Other Canadian universities have agreed to some protections against contracting out, as Tseghay pointed out in an email to The Varsity. However, the language in these universities’ collective agreements with their CUPE service workers is vague. The University of British Columbia has agreed to make efforts to “constructively address” concerns regarding contracting out. Wilfrid Laurier University has agreed to employ CUPE employees as its labour needs increase, provided it is “operationally feasible.” Toronto Metropolitan University has stated that it supports work performed by

CUPE Local 223 members, and is undertaking a review of work that is being performed by outside contractors. The University of Guelph (U of G) has agreed to meet with CUPE Local 1334, which represents service workers at U of G, when necessary to discuss concerns with contracting out.

It’s not a question of whether the university can afford to pay directly employed workers, either: “The university can [both] preserve [service workers’] jobs and be fiscally responsible,” James asserted. According to the University’s 2022–2023 Balanced Budget report, expenditures are projected at $3.23 billion for the 2022–2023 academic year. About 27 per cent of that budget, $865 million, is allocated for compensating nonacademic staff, including administration, campus police, library workers, as well as service workers. On the other hand, U of T spends $1.018 billion on compensating academic staff, which represents about 31.5 per cent of its budget.

Solidarity with service workers is growing

Over 170 U of T faculty and librarians have signed an open letter written by scholars to U of T in November. The letter echoes the demands of CUPE 3261’s Good Jobs U of T campaign. It notes that service workers “are mostly women, racialized minorities and newcomers to Canada,” and that subcontracted positions at the university campuses are “poverty-wage jobs.”

“My tuition fees should be going to the people that are actually running this campus,” declared Fatemeh Nami, president of the Arts and Science Student Union, at a rally in front of Sidney Smith Hall on November 16. Attendees included members from CUPE 3261, CUPE 3902, the United Steelworkers, and Students Mobilizing against Systemic Hardship. One day later, CUPE 3261 averted a labour strike by settling on a tentative agreement with U of T that fails to limit contracting out labour, but “includes important progress to begin to make change,” according to its bulletin.

Sam Bankman-Fried — founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX — was once one of the richest people in the field of cryptocurrency. His seemingly credible appearance and persona attracted dozens of investors toward him and his company. He has since experienced a fall from grace. His positive and future-oriented words — “My goal is to have impact” — have instead become a bitter pill to swallow for FTX investors, who have now learned that FTX was built on an illusion.

A brief history of FTX FTX is a Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange platform that was founded in 2019. After its launch, FTX attracted several investors from Silicon Valley and Wall Street, eventually growing into the fourth-largest cryptocurrency exchange for derivatives trading.

FTX’s growth was rapid, and it became a notable rival to Binance — the world’s largest crypto exchange by volume. FTX had also created a digital token, FTX Token (FTT) which is similar to cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. It is not uncommon for crypto platforms to create their own tokens, as they also offer platform perks associated with the token to buyers.

Bankman-Fried was known as the “Crypto Saviour” in the crypto industry; when digital assets collapsed earlier this year, he bailed out several firms, spending about a billion dollars. FTX also seemed immune to this downfall.

However, earlier this month, the bank sheet of

Following this revelation, Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance, announced that the company would sell off its FTT tokens, thus sharply dropping the price of FTT. This led many other FTX customers to withdraw their assets from FTX, putting the platform in a liquidity crunch.

The collapse and subsequent fallout Binance did try to employ a rescue plan on November 8 to buy out FTX. During this time, FTX was under a liquidity crunch and had customers demanding withdrawals of their deposits due to the leak of Alameda’s balance sheet.

However, the problem was that FTX no longer had their deposits, and on November 9, Binance pulled out of the deal. In an interview with CNBC, Patrick Hillman, Binance’s chief strategy officer explained that FTX always seemed to have money, and yet, nobody knew where it was coming from.

Are Canadian investors bearing the brunt? While the Bahamas seem to be a long way from Canada, many Canadian organizations had invested in this company and could face financial loss. Namely, the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (OTPP) invested 95 million USD into FTX. While this investment reflects only 0.05 per cent of the OTPP’s total net assets, it still leaves the question of whether the decision to invest in a new technology such as crypto is worth it.

In an interview with TVOntario, Lisa Kramer, a professor in finance at U of T, provided their thoughts on the OTPP investing money into FTX, mainly pointing out how it was dangerous for the OTPP to invest in an asset that is so volatile like crypto. Kramer also pointed out that the leaders at the OTPP will need to establish to members that their investment in FTX is not a common occurrence or a representation of their investing plans.

Thankfully, the full damage that the collapse of this company has brought on has only had little impact on Canada due to the country’s crypto regulations. This is because FTX had difficulties with government agents such as the Ontario Securities Commission in 2021, leading to new regulations surrounding the trade of crypto. And in Canada, there were around only 30,000 users up until FTX’s crash — a very small part of FTX’s one million users worldwide. FTX had only just begun to fully submerge itself into Canadian

crypto markets, with the plan to purchase Bitvo, a Calgary-based crypto platform in order to gain their dealer status granted by the Alberta Securities Commission.

Despite FTX’s collapse shadowing major crypto companies' accomplishments, this story has a lesson for investors, policymakers, and regulators in the securities field. Ultimately, as we enter a more digital world, we must ask ourselves what matters to us and what values we must hold to maintain user trust. While the FTX crash came as a shock, it should not come as a shock that people invested in it. One of the reasons that investors had been attracted to FTX was that Bankman-Fried was charming and seemed to have an answer for everything; he was seen as an innovator. Now, as the bankruptcy case unfolds, we can only make assumptions about what current FTX CEO John Ray plans to do to pull FTX out of its massive destruction.

Alameda Research — a quantitative trading firm owned by Bankman-Fried — was leaked, revealing that the company held a large amount of FTT. This usage of FTX by Alameda to help keep Alameda afloat did not hold well in the crypto industry.

Unraveling the collapse of FTX

The crash of a crypto giant is leaving everyone on edge

Jasmin Akbari Varsity Contributor

ELVIA IP/THEVARSITY

Arts & Culture

November 28, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/arts-and-culture arts@thevarsity.ca

What Matters Most: Photographs of Black Life, at the AGO

4,000 Black family photographs show us the cultural importance of domestic life

Sam Rosati Martin Varsity Contributor

What Matters Most: Photographs of Black Life is a current exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and is running until January 8, 2023. Zun Lee is the co-curator and collector of over 4,000 family photographs spanning from the 1960s to the early 2000s, showing intimate scenes of African-American domestic life.

The exhibition is concerned with instant-print photography as a mode of Black self-representation, as well as with the politics of dispossession and white supremacy, which led these lost family heirlooms to be displayed in a museum in the first place.

When you enter the exhibit space, which spans two rooms on the AGO’s first floor, you are surrounded by black magnet boards mounted on the walls of the room, upon which the polaroids of quotidian life rest. The photographs span time and place, and are very loosely organized — birthdays, weddings, dinners, and moments of rest are spread out next to each other, pointing to the loss of context and of meaning that surrounds the entire Fade Resistance collection.

Lee has been collecting these “orphaned ghosts” for years and writes that these polaroids “highlight the importance of ‘seeing ourselves as we are,’ ” and that they “remind us that there is a vivid history of Black visual self-representation that offers an eerily contemporary counter-narrative to mainstream distortion and erasure.” This affirmation of Black life, of Black creativity and self-representation, is a subversion of the conventional photographic representation of Black bodies.

The curators of What Matters Most take care to represent Black life as diverse, and treat the subjects of the photographs with care and attention, almost as if they had been behind the camera themselves. Yet, the enormous scope of the loss and dispossession that surrounds these photographs is felt strongly when you’re walking around the exhibit. The absence of writing around these portraits of family, friends, and lovers stands in stark contrast to the expressions of love and autonomy within the polaroids themselves.

ally and materially systematically dispossess Black and Indigenous people. The visibility of these ongoing histories is heightened in What Matters Most

I think that the curators are aware that their exhibition might elicit these feelings in visitors: they do not pretend that these images are being presented neutrally. Rather, they are aware that the very act of gazing at these portraits the way one might gaze at a painting speaks to the societal mechanisms of dispossession that gave rise to this exhibition, as well as pointing to the profound beauty and importance of these lives. On each magnetic panel holding the photographs, there is a note for visitors to get in touch with the museum in case they recognize anyone in the photographs. The potential for reconnection further cements this exhibition’s subversive status.

I had never seen an exhibition like this at the AGO — one that is made up in large part by the poetic potential of people who visit it, who come together and think together about photography

In the absence of writing and with attention to the fact that these family archives have been ripped from families, the exhibition invites visitors to take part in writing themselves. In the middle of the room, there stands a table, with copies of the polaroids strewn across it. Next to it, pens and books: prompts for the public to take part in the collective task of reckoning with this dispossession, of reckoning with what matters, of reckoning with this exhibition’s very place in the colonial institution that is the museum.

The position of these photographs in this space, as artwork in a museum, elicits a wave of overlapping and contradictory emotions. I felt, as a transient visitor to the artifacts of these people’s lives, like somewhat of an interloper. These folks may not have wanted to have these artifacts displayed in a museum and to have scores of viewers each day project their lives and experiences onto the muse’s, into the silences surrounding the white frames.

As a white settler, what drew my attention were the ways in which the white gaze and white ways of looking and taking photographs, especially in the museum, have been weaponized in order to cultur-

and history.

“The fact that these images are now separated from the erstwhile owners makes one speculate about their potential fate,” Lee wrote. “We don’t know what happened to the individuals but the power of their stories lives on. I’m publishing this collection from my archives to help preserve these stories. We may never fully grasp what these Polaroids originally meant. We can, however, feel inspired to reimagine what it means to see ourselves as we are.”

The exhibition questions its very status, and invites the public to come together to collectively grapple with these pictures, notions of communion, and belonging, and the question: what matters most?

From left to right:

Unknown photographer, [Man and woman sitting at table, his arm around her waist], 1963–1970. Colour instant print (Polaroid Type 108), 8.5 × 10.8 cm. Fade Resistance Collection.

Purchase, with funds donated by Martha LA McCain, 2018. © Art Gallery of Ontario 2018/890

Unknown photographer, [Man lying in bed with a smiling baby], 1981–1991. Colour instant print (Polaroid Type 600), 10.8 × 8.8 cm. Fade Resistance Collection. Purchase, with funds donated by Martha LA McCain, 2018. © Art Gallery of Ontario 2018/3490

Unknown photographer, first Hair Cut, two years old [Man cutting child’s hair], January 16, 1982. Colour instant print (Polaroid SX-70), 10.8 × 8.8 cm. Fade Resistance Collection. Purchase, with funds donated by Martha LA McCain, 2018. © Art Gallery of Ontario 2018/2093

Unknown photographer, [Group gathered inside looking at Polaroids], 1963. Black and white instant print (Polaroid Type 107), 8.5 x 10.8 cm. Fade Resistance Collection. Purchase, with funds donated by Martha LA McCain, 2018. © Art Gallery of Ontario 2018/982

From bedroom recording studio to Spotify EP

U of T student Anna Hardie gives Toronto music lovers a dreamy escape

Patricia Gnadt Varsity Contributor

Found on streaming platforms under the alias a.h., U of T student Anna Hardie recently debuted her sophomore EP Hole in the Sun — a collection of acoustic ballads with incredible melodic lyricism and folk undertones.

The Varsity spoke with Hardie about the deep emotional world she dives into throughout the album, which articulates a collection of nuanced ideas regarding distance, releasing the past, climate anxiety, love, comfortability in your skin, and much more

Hardie’s city

Hardie, who was born and raised in Toronto, has returned to the city after completing her undergraduate degree in New Brunswick. Amazingly, she created the entire EP independently in her bedroom while completing a graduate program in public policy and economics.

Hardie described her recording process as “very informal.” She recorded everything in her room using a regular mic. She even noted that “There’s no soundproof or anything. My bed is a good insulator for sound.”

The three-track bedroom pop album dis-

cusses

Artistic process

Hardie’s writing process was not linear. Instead, each song has several layers of meaning that underlie the lyrics. Throughout the album, she develops the collection of motifs over time, then combines them into a complex lyrical expression.

The album has an atmosphere of simplicity

the writing process “depends on the song… For most of them, the melody and the chords come together at the same time. I’m just rambling as I go, and there’s no cohesion… It’s a melody and then chords first… Then I [add] lyrics that have actual meaning.”

Unlike her previous release, this EP centres itself around the instrumentation of a do-ityourself acoustic pop album. Ultimately, it creates a relaxed soundscape of acoustic guitar, piano, and drums, which act as a foundation for the delicate strength of her vocal melodies, allowing you to sink into her

Hardie herself is particularly proud of the track Golden because of the way it evokes the warm feelings she has when with her loved ones. The dreamy track has a Toronto history; Hardie wrote it about the joy of being in Queens Park.

However, there’s more to Hardie’s brilliant EP than just the music. The cover of the EP, which she and her sister designed, includes a sunny portrait of Hardie sitting under a tree on the grass with a watercolour magenta sun and lilac sky.

She noted that when making the cover she “really wanted to capture the sun.” To make the sun have even more visual power, she mixed watercolour and then got her sister to help her take a picture.

Future endeavours

Hardie intends on performing live shows locally in Toronto under the alias a.h. in the future. “I want to release something right before summer hits. I want to do something a little more fun, because I’ve always written slower and sadder songs. [I] totally want to ride that wave and go into more upbeat music,” Hardie said.

These shows are sure to convey the dreamy charm that is a hallmark of Hardie’s music.

African-American domestic life and culture have long been erased. COURTESY OF ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO

the space between nature and humanity, with each song painting a story that traces her own emotional world.

Anna Hardie’s new album, Hole in the Sun, is a warm collection of acoustic ballads COURTESY OF ANNA HARDIE

Home is where the existential dread is Karine

issues

Szabo Associate Arts & Culture Editor

Hidden in your new Amazon package is the hard work of the factory workers who shipped it. Tucked away in your closet are the toilings of a little old woman who loves to knit, and concealed inside your delicious cabbage is the skill of many farmers.

Karine Gibulo’s newest art exhibition at the Gardiner museum shows us the stories behind the objects in our house, in all their charm and existential dread. The exhibition — which opened on October 20 and will be at the Gardiner museum until May 7, 2023 — uses 500 miniature figures strategically placed throughout a model home to show the way that global issues surrounding the pandemic, climate change, and factory labour affect each of us personally.

Clean your room!

The exhibition is structured as a house eerily reminiscent of my own home. You enter through the front porch with an Amazon package patiently waiting to be opened. You snake through the kitchen, with its oversized fridge, and see a study filled with curiosities. It’s simply a regular house — yet, unlike in my house, whimsical little people are posed throughout it, contending with the harsh realities of our world.

Each miniature tableau, whether in a box or a bathtub, contains a multitude of social messages. Gibulo tackles climate change with polar bears hiding in the melting ice of the fridge. In the living room, a forest fire — started by the same type of iron that my mother owns — threatens animals’ lives. In the study, the curiosities on display are not just curiosities, but in fact, old people who have shrunk so much they’re kept in jars. The scene

At

Szabo Associate Arts & Culture Editor

Today, billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Kim Kardashian throw around millions of dollars like it’s nothing and yet seem to constantly make more. Our world’s money is tied up in the hands of a select few who seem to have prayed to the right gods, invented the right jobs, and woken up at the top. Forbes’ 2022 list of billionaires listed 2,668 billionaires across the world, with a collective net worth of $12.7 trillion. Eighty six per cent of those billionaires got even richer in 2021.

The rest of us can’t help but watch the glamorous power of money. The reality is that most of us, who are not billionaires, are outsiders. Statistically, everyone who reads this article is an outsider, whether you envy, hate, worship, or feel indifference toward the approximately 0.0001 per cent or less of the population who have found their way inside the billionaires club.

Love it or hate it, money is power — and that fact lies at the centre of our obsession. It fuels contradictory impulses within us: the first watches the rich in hopes of one day achieving the same level of success, while the second, aware of growing economic disparities, basks in the vindicating knowledge that the majority of rich people are no better, nor happier, than the rest of us.

Monkey see, monkey do

The marital disputes of Princess Diana and Prince Charles in Netflix’s hit royal drama The Crown are sad, but in many ways ordinary. Charles refuses to value Diana, he’s cold, they cheat — it’s the kind of everyday soap opera that likely also plays out in many lower- and middle-class homes everyday. Yet Charles and Diana are royalty. They don’t fight in a townhouse — they argue across spacious, luxurious rooms in clothes worth more than most people’s yearly salaries. Their wealth gives them glamour, which makes their lives feel more interesting and important.

We, the people, want to see that! It’s not just The Crown; we love to watch wealth in general. Many TV shows focusing on the highs and lows of being ridiculously rich are ridiculously popular. The White Lotus, for example, an HBO show about the various dramas surrounding the lives of wealthy hotel goers, drew 1.5 million viewers on HBO Max with its season two premiere.

Across North America, our attention has been captured by a small minority. It’s natural; in a similar way, one study found that monkeys will trade cherry juice with researchers in exchange for video tapes of higher status tribe members. The monkeys want to see how higher status members behave, hoping that if they do the same they can also one day be prominent tribe members. In a society where wealth is often the path to success, we watch — like monkeys — on the edge of our

seats to see how successful people act, hoping that in the process we’ll find out how to make ourselves like them.

As a result, many financial dramas have an inspirational quality. In the hit TV show Billions, fictional hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod talks constantly about how he brought himself up from nothing to become a billionaire. With a house in the Hamptons and a beautiful family, it is easy to watch the show and desire his life.

Yet Axelrod is at times so deeply burdened by the pressure of making money that, as viewers, we wonder if the prize is worth the game. Axelrod is constantly under fire from the government and, at times, his own friends. There’s a sick pleasure to be derived in watching him squirm. He may have more money than me, but I don’t need to worry about going to jail for fraud.

Mom,

I

want to go home

These big sad eyes make the social issues Gibulo explores feel personal. It’s so easy to constantly see scenes of destruction and feel only apathy, but Gibulo is showing us these terrifying realities through new eyes — the 1,000 eyes of her miniature figurines, to be exact.

We hear so often about the pain in our world — the terror of Amazon factories, nursing homes, and forest fires — yet it feels so far off. We are safe from these nightmares in our own homes, or so we think!

Gibulo shows us that we are not. The problems of our world exist within all our lives, even if we want to ignore them.

The intimacy of Gibulo’s house makes these social issues feel even closer. When I looked at the pink flowers on the bedspread Gibulo had lovingly laid out, I felt like I was an intruder. The pains of our Earth are in our most intimate spaces; they even exist within the comfort of our beds.

Get out of my house

My house — and yours — is like Gibulo’s. Within the Amazon package on my front porch is the work of many tireless, underpaid workers. Maybe there’s even a story of climate change in the making of your iron.

I don’t want that anywhere near my home. I want my home to be mine, free from the problems of our world. Housewarming showed me that it’s not and that we cannot ignore the world. Social issues affect us all, whether we want to hide from them or not.

I wish that I could see the miniature people within my home — and I hope that one day, as our world improves, these labourers will consistently receive the respect they deserve.

The key to happiness?

As fun as it is to watch successful people succeed, it is at times even more fun to watch them fail. In Succession , an HBO show about a family torn apart as their father decides which among their band of dysfunctional siblings deserves to take over his company, the characters never enjoy their money. In the season three finale, one character is so depressed he tries to drown himself in the most beautiful Italian pool I have ever seen!

We may envy that the billionaire heirs of Succession have private jets, but they’ll never be happy enough to enjoy them. We get a sense of retribution for the wealth gap we experience: we are not rich, but we don’t have to suffer as these characters do. They’re punished for their wealth, and even though we don’t have their money, we get to enjoy the knowledge that, deep down, we’re happier than them.

Right now, as income inequalities grow to an extent never before seen, it becomes more fun for us to ogle the joys of wealth and smirk at the downfalls of the wealthy. The reason shows displaying wealth, like The White Lotus , S uccession , and even Keeping up with the Kardashians , have become so popular in the last ten years is because increasing numbers of people are losing their wealth. In the United States, the poorest have experienced no net income growth from 1980 to 2014, while the richest have seen an average annual salary growth of six per cent.

Ultimately, the content we consume is a window into the cultural issues of our time. As our world becomes less economically equal, we’re reflecting that by creating more media centered around the wealthiest members of our society. We want to see society’s most powerful people so we can understand why they’re powerful and how we can be the same as them. And then, at the end of 45 minutes, we can giggle with delight when they lose everything.

makes me think of all the seniors who have been isolated in nursing homes during the pandemic.

times, Gibulo’s house feels overwhelming. In every room, there seems to be the lurking possibility of danger if there is no danger already in progress. When I have imagined tiny people making a

world in my house, I have always thought of them as chipper explorers — yet Gibulo’s figurines all have the big sad eyes of the regular-sized people I already know. The minuscule young woman swimming in the bathroom sink seems just as full of dread as me.

Gibulo’s Housewarming is a whimsical look at global

Madeline

Not ‘eat the rich,’ but ‘watch the rich’ The contradictory impulses at the centre of our voyeuristic obsession

Madeline

Wealth watching lets us indulge in envy and desire.

VURJEET MADAN/THEVARSITY

The Gardiner Museum, located at 111 Queens Park, will be showing Housewarming until May 7th. MADELINE SZABO/THEVARSITY

U of T musician Da Ren releases newest single “Beautiful Nightmares”

Da Ren discusses music, philosophy, and being a creator

Anielska Arts & Culture Editor

It is easier to understand artistic movements in hindsight, because it is difficult to identify what characterizes a period while you’re a part of it. This might also be because the majority of art is created by layering centuries of influences on top of each other, so the product is able to define the current age while also contextualizing it through the past.

This is something that U of T musician Da Ren Jiang, a fourth-year student studying philosophy and arts management, understands intimately. Jiang, who goes by the stage name Da Ren, aims to blend a multitude of styles together to find a balance of sounds that represent him and his interpretation of society. He released his first album, Ecstatic Love, in 2019 and recently released a new single, called “Beautiful Nightmares,” off his upcoming album of the same name.

The Varsity interviewed Da Ren to discuss his love for music, the artists who influenced him, and what he thinks are the goals of art.

Mixing styles

Da Ren has always been interested in music, with his first introduction being the piano at his grandfather’s house as a child when he was living in China. Even back then, he described going downstairs to play the piano as therapeutic. He found that he didn’t like the balance between creative liberation and structure in later piano lessons, but he still kept at it for a long time.

He explained that his grandfather was a painter and that, as a result, Da Ren envisions a lot of his music as paintings. When he closes his eyes, he sees the colour that he wants to represent, and then tries to correspond the sounds he produces with those feelings.

Da Ren’s production style is strongly influenced by hip hop. He started listening to hip hop music in his early teens when he was living in Vancouver. He began producing hip hop music as a teenager, working with local musicians as well as Chinese rappers.

In general, Da Ren wishes to emulate the approach of Renaissance painters, whom he believes combined ancient works and modern works to produce incredibly innovative works. As a result, he pulls inspiration from many cultures and philosophies, taking inspiration from his time in China and Canada.

Time travelling

Da Ren explained that he views listening to music a little like time travelling. By listening to songs from a certain era, we’re able to understand the culture that they originally existed in. With the benefit of hindsight, music helps us inhabit a certain context while also looking at it from afar.

Da Ren explained that when he pulls influences from different eras, he sees a multitude of stories that have been created over the ages, which all define the ages they were created in. He’s trying to tell stories that reflect the current reality while also making those stories relevant to his own experiences.

Da Ren is interested in creating music as a means of better understanding himself. He believes that quality music comes out of self-awareness and also listening to external guidance.

Interpretation

Da Ren noted that, in the modern world, we need to find a balance between providing people with music that they want and staying true to ourselves. While it’s important to remember that all art is made for an audience, making art purely for an audience you can’t relate to can be a distraction.

Ultimately, Da Ren pointed out that much of our experience of music is intensely emotional. The goal of any musician should be to find the sounds that best represent the emotions they’re trying to convey, given the resources available to them.

Our basic resources, like the sounds we can produce, are limited. But figuring out how to take those rules into account while also making something new and creative is part of what makes the act of creation fun and challenging. Much of the time, art is about subtraction.

Da Ren’s upcoming project, Beautiful Nightmares, will be released in the upcoming months.

Marta

Da Ren’s new single, “Beautiful Nightmares,” is out now on multiple streaming platforms COURTESY OF DA REN JIANG/THEVARSITY

Why does anxiety paralyze you when you have impending deadlines?

The impact of ancient brain systems on modern human

behaviour

Lauren Vomberg Varsity Contributor

Do you ever get so overwhelmed with schoolwork that all you can do is curl up on the couch and watch Netflix, ignoring your impending deadlines? Are you ever instantly transported to your childhood, waiting for your favourite meal, after you catch the scent of a certain spice?

Why does this happen? These two quirks of the human brain result from three interconnected systems: our reptilian brain, limbic brain, and neocortex.

Is it a tiger or a deadline?

The most basic and evolutionarily oldest layer of the brain is the reptilian brain, which is thought to have evolved some 500 million years ago. Modern humans’ brain structures seem to have originally evolved from aquatic species, which is why modern aquatic and reptilian animals still have this region as a major brain system. This system is comprised of regions such as the brainstem and cerebellum, and helps ensure basic survival by regulating heart rate, body temperature, and balance.

Modern reactions to stress can be traced to reptilian reactions to environmental stressors. When presented with a stressor like a predator, our aquatic ancestors automatically engaged in a fight-or-flight response. As this response pertains to survival, our reactions to life-threatening stressors can be traced to the reptilian brain.

However, our fight-or-flight responses are also triggered when facing a stressor like an impending school deadline. Either we “fight the predator” by buckling down and nailing our assignment or we “run from the predator” by avoiding it and binging Netflix. Our primitive reptilian brains are unable to tell the difference between a predator-based stressor and an assignment-based stressor. All it knows is that we are stressed and need to fight or flee.

Next time you feel stressed about an upcoming school deadline and flee to Netflix, you can thank your reptilian brain!

Emotion and memory

As we evolved from aquatic to land-based mammals, we developed a new brain region — the limbic system, which began evolving around 150 million years ago. Structures of the limbic system include the hippocampus, which is largely responsible for memory; the amygdala, linked to emotions; and the hypothalamus, which helps maintain homeostasis.

The first apparent major change in our evolution from aquatic to mammalian and the evolution of the limbic system was an increase in the size and mapping of the olfactory bulb, a neural structure critical for smell. This is most likely because ancient mammals began to rely heavily on scent to find food.

The olfactory bulb is also directly connected to regions responsible for emotions and memory: the amygdala and the hippocampus. As a result, scent is one of the strongest sensory indicators that can acutely trigger a memory. This phenomenon is known as the “Proust effect,” named after Marcel Proust, the novelist who first coined the term ‘involuntary memory.’

How are modern humans affected by the Proust effect? Well, if you have ever encountered a whiff of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, been immediately overcome by nostalgia, and transported back to your grandmother’s kitchen

as a young child, then you can thank your olfactory bulb and limbic brain.

Unfortunately, if you experienced something traumatic, a related scent can also immediately bring you right into a flashback and trigger your fight-or-flight response.

In addition to increases in the size and mapping of the olfactory bulb of our prehistoric mammalian ancestors, there were notable increases in the mapping of tactile sensations, as ancient mammals were likely nocturnal and relied on touch to find food. Touch still plays a primary role in our lives today — it is essential for infant development, and a lack of touch can result in major developmental delays.

One famous case study assessing the role of touch and development, known as The Bucharest Project, highlighted the severity of physical neglect in children. Following political upheaval in Romania in the 1980s, over 100,000 children, ranging in age from six months old to about three years old, were placed in severely understaffed orphanages. Researchers discovered that the children who experienced physical neglect faced many developmental problems, namely, major delays in inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and memory.

While other circumstances in Romania may have contributed to these developmental prob-

lems, studies conducted over the years have confirmed this hypothesis and further highlighted the importance of touch in development.

Building better relationships

Eventually, land-based mammals evolved into different species. Modern humans evolved from ape-like ancestors, and the development of our third brain region can be traced to these ancient hominids. The neocortex is the region thought to make us uniquely human and arose about 90 million years ago.

As our ape-like ancestors progressed, they became less nocturnal and more arboreal — they began to live in trees — a change resulting in major neocortical development. This region already existed in a primitive form from reptilian times. It was responsible for understanding physical sensations, but the new developments led to increased capacities for cognition that other creatures lacked. This development also enhanced our sociability, giving us human language, abstract thought, imagination, and even culture. Particularly, the need to keep track of social groups became increasingly important; it is thought that modern and extinct Great Apes' — hominid — intelligence arose simply to keep track of social relationships.

In fact, modern researchers have discovered a link between social network size and brain function of certain neocortical regions. Certain brain regions are strongly correlated with the number of social media friends an individual has, and entirely separate regions correlate with realworld friendships outside of an online platform. These discrepancies highlight how unsuited our modern environments can be to the function of our brain.

We are still evolving today, and our ability to advance in this way is a direct result of regions that adapted hundreds of millions of years ago. From the reptilian brain that keeps us alive, to the limbic system allowing us to express emotions, and the neocortex that gives us our social capacity, the impacts of evolution are still very apparent in human society today.

Salma Ragheb Varsity Contributor

One of my favourite things to learn about is unlikely collaborations. One such collaboration was between surrealism and quantum physics in the 1920s. Another, more recent collaboration is between motorsport and health care institutions, in which sensors from Formula One cars were modified and used to monitor patients in hospitals. Yet again, an unlikely collaboration between a seismologist and critical care unit staff aims to detect irregular heartbeats in children — also known as pediatric arrhythmias. Imagine this scenario. In the SickKids intensive care unit (ICU), with forty-two beds and two physicians on duty, a patient’s heart goes arrhythmic for a couple of seconds before returning to a normal rhythm. How likely is it that one of these physicians is not only at the bedside of this patient, but also looking at the monitor at the moment of arrhythmia?

Up to 29 per cent of 700 critically ill children at SickKids experience arrhythmias, which can cause complications in their conditions. In 2020, arrhythmia was implicated as the cause of mortality in 114 children at SickKids. Diagnosing arrhythmias in a timely manner is the most important factor in determining patient outcomes. Currently, clinicians monitor electro-

cardiograms that record electrical signals from the heart and are displayed on a bedside monitor to detect arrhythmias. However, noticing this irregular heart rhythm requires expert clinicians to be present by the patient monitor, which is not feasible in an intensive care unit all the time. This means that arrhythmias go undetected and undiagnosed for some time in the ICU, delaying treatment and exacerbating the potential outcome for the patient.

Sebastian Goodfellow, Dr. Mjaye Mazwi, and Laussen Labs are collaborating to design a machine-learning system that can continuously monitor the electrocardiograms of all patients in the ICU, as well as detect and diagnose pediatric arrhythmias. Goodfellow is an assistant professor at the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering at U of T, and Mazwi is a staff physician in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at SickKids.

Using examples of normal heart rhythms and common pediatric arrhythmias, expert clinicians would train this machine-learning model to classify heart rhythms as normal or arrhythmic. Upon completion, this machine-learning model could be present at the bedside of each patient, monitoring each patient’s rhythm. As a result, the model holds promise to detect arrhythmic complications in a timely manner.

Goodfellow previously studied seismology

applied to manmade seismic waves generated by mining or other engineering processes. During his PhD research, he analyzed seismograms containing high-frequency time data — data which is collected at exact, specific time differences. Electrocardiogram waveforms require similar digital signal processing. The skill set used to analyze high-frequency time series data — common between earthquake seismology and electrophysiology — is how Goodfellow got involved in health care.

Goodfellow and physicians from SickKids

have been awarded the Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant to fund this project, and the team hopes to apply the machine-learning model in the ICU at SickKids to quickly detect heart arrhythmias.

The extent of transferable skills and mutual research properties between different disciplines is fascinating. These connections make the divisions between different fields seem less distinct. This collaboration is a great example of how there’s room for productive interdisciplinary innovation.

Brain scan.

COURTESY OF MITREY VIA PIXABAY/CC PIXABAY

JISHNA SUNKARA/THEVARSITY

Creating more explainable artificial intelligence could enhance human work and creativity

intelligence

William Zou Varsity Contributor

As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly becomes a part of our lives, it has also begun affecting our productivity and work. An issue with such new technologies, though, is that they are often dif-

ficult to understand, leaving us unable to use them to their full potential.

To address this issue and better prepare students to interact with AI, the University of Toronto will be partnering with Naver, a South Korean technology company, and its Toronto subsidiary, Wattpad. Back in early 2021, Naver purchased

Wattpad from Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen, two alumni of the University of Toronto, for roughly 600 million USD.

The research partnership involves AI and improved interaction between computers and humans. U of T News reported that many graduate and postdoctoral students will receive training as part of this research project. U of T’s Frank Rudzicz, a researcher and associate professor of computer science, and Anastasia Kuzminykh, an associate professor in human-computer interaction, will act as two of the six leaders for the research projects. Rudzicz’s work will develop processes that will improve artificial neural networks to increase computer understanding of human language, and Kuzminykh’s research seeks to better understand how humans perceive and interact with conversational agents like chatbots and virtual assistants. Wattpad hopes these projects will improve its user-based services.

In an email to The Varsity, Kuzminykh wrote that collaboration between humans and computing systems could immensely improve human work, especially in situations where abundant or complicated data must be processed.

However, Kuzminykh highlighted that “the success of this collaboration is predicated on the ability of humans and AI to effectively communicate.”

A critical dimension of how users interpret AI systems is the structure and flow of conversation

Moderna and U of T partner to create

treatments for diseases beyond COVID

Ashiana Sunderji Varsity Contributor

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) technology is in the spotlight following the global pandemic and the implementation of COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Traditional vaccines inject a dead form of the virus, allowing the body to develop an immune response and antibodies so the body will know how to respond if the live virus enters the body. mRNA vaccines differ, as they inject instructions for creating a protein of the virus that will initiate an immune response instead of injecting the actual virus.

In an effort to further this technology, Moderna, one of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that created an mRNA vaccine during the pandemic, has entered into a partnership with a team of researchers in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering here at the University of Toronto. Moderna has worked and developed partnerships with various biomedical and research agencies, such as AstraZeneca, Merck, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and De-

velopment Authority. However, the University of Toronto is Moderna’s first solely academic partnership.

Why U of T?

Moderna is already in the process of working toward the development of other mRNA vaccines and treatments for other infectious diseases and has expressed its desire to innovate further in a variety of contexts. U of T News reported that during an executive meeting between Moderna and U of T, Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice president of research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, expressed, “Moderna recognizes that there is nowhere else in the world where you can find expertise at scale like you can at U of T.”

The OFK lab, led by Omar Khan — an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at U of T — works to build nanotechnologies that regulate and administer nucleic acids in order to fight illnesses, and will be the lab working in direct collaboration with Moderna.

UTSG possesses the only laboratory facilities in the GTA — the Lash Miller Chemical Laboratories and the Combined Containment Level 3

facilities in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine — that can conduct research with Risk Group 3 pathogens of bacterial, viral, or fungal classification, which is essential to

Why mRNA?

RNA functions as the intermediate between DNA and proteins. It regulates gene expression. Understanding the path a disease or illness is involved in and takes within the body can allow for the formation of gene-targeted therapy, in which RNA is injected into the body to alter protein expression and function, which helps treat the disease. This can be done for a variety of illnesses to improve the efficacy of treatment, including

from the system, as enabled by user interfaces. A lack of understanding of what humans look for in conversation is a barrier in this area that the research project aims to address to allow AI models to enable smoother conversations.

According to Kuzminykh, current AI research methods cannot provide these AI models with the proper infrastructure to predict human needs in conversation, which is why collaboration is weak in its current state.

Kuzminykh wrote that a growing field, called “Explainable AI,” aims to help people understand AI. Users’ perceptions of conversation are affected by slight differences in how agents structure sentences in communication. For example, the impact of filler words such as ‘um’ and ‘like’ depends on the conversation. A user might perceive these words as less acceptable in task-oriented conversations as opposed to social-oriented ones. Similarly, in regular interactions between people, sentence structures can also change how people perceive the intentions of others. But Kuzminykh emphasized that, despite our progress in this field, “our understanding of the effects of conversation architecture in human-agent communication is still underdeveloped.”

Kuzminykh wrote that the research team hopes that their research and development will also influence people to pursue efficient and socially just models for AI.

Mohindra Varsity Contributor

Invasive species are considered the greatest threat to biodiversity after habitat loss caused by humans, and cause truly frightening consequences. Invasive species are species that cause harm and overpopulate areas to which they are not native, having a significant impact on the ecological health and biodiversity of that environment. Invasive species must possess the required trait — including fast growth, rapid reproduction, high

dispersal, and strong phenotypic plasticity — to outcompete native species.

Some invasive species in Canada include wild teasel, zebra mussels, dog strangling vine, and reed canary grass. The consequences an invasive species causes are largely dependent on the habitat. They can become predators or parasites of native species, increase competition for limited resources, and introduce disease.

By competing with native species for resources, they can reduce biodiversity in natural environments, and even wipe out native inhabitants.

Invasive species are often accidentally introduced to new environments through human activities. Seeds, insects, and other transferable organisms can travel on packaged items being exported and imported, from the soil on the bottom of someone’s shoes to the propellers and engines of boats. The spread of invasive species has worsened as humans have continued to develop natural areas, and the speed and ease of these species’ travel have increased.

Though the situation may seem bleak, there are many simple ways you can join in the effort to help reduce the spread of invasive species. These include ensuring any plantation in your gardens is native, cleaning any equipment before moving it to a new environment — including boats and other water-related apparatus and machinery — not releasing pets into the wild, not moving plants or animals from one ecosystem to another, and

cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases, Huntington’s disease, or musculoskeletal diseases. The COVID-19 vaccines that Pfizer and Moderna created were based on the companies’ respective attempts at creating mRNA vaccines for cancer treatment.

With further innovation, these treatments could potentially reduce symptoms or even cure a variety of diseases altogether. The ModernaU of T partnership aims to produce research in a range of fields including molecular genetics, biomedical engineering, and biochemistry, to develop RNA innovations that will improve disease prevention and cures. It will be very exciting to see where this partnership takes medical and biotech innovation right here at U of T.

volunteering with local initiatives, such as Toronto Field Naturalists, to help remove invasive species.

Wattpad partners with U of T to develop more explainable artificial

conducting innovative research in the realms of health and disease.

mRNA

mRNA vaccines hold the potential to alleviate symptoms of cancer, diabetes, and more

Meera

SIMONA AGOSTINO/THEVARSITY

JESSICA LAM AND ZEYNEP POYANLI/THEVARSITY

Wild teasel.

COURTESY OF ANDREW SEBASTIAN VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONSCOMMONS

Jonah Cantelon is U of T’s fly guy

U of T snowboarder talks FISU Games, school, snowboarding lingo

Andrew Stephen Varsity Contributor

Cantelon's upbringing

From the crazy 720-degree flips he performs on trampolines to incredible jumps on the mountain, one thing is clear about U of T snowboarder Jonah Cantelon — the kid can fly. He was recently selected to be one of the nine snowboarders representing Canada at the 2023 Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) games, where he will be the only representative from U of T. The Varsity interviewed Jonah to figure out what makes him tick.

Cantelon grew up in Abu Tor in Jerusalem, which he described as “not a place that’s known for its snow.” He then moved to Eastern Townships, Québec, an area that didn’t have a snow park. His achievements are great considering that the odds were stacked against him.

Jonah started taking snowboarding seriously when he moved to a mountainous area in SainteAgathe-des-Monts Québec at eight years old. He reminisced on this time in his life with a sort of

sentimentality, growing up in what seemed to be a snowboarding haven.

“I grew up riding [on this local ski hill] every weekend, missing school sometimes,” said Cantelon in an interview with The Varsity

When asked about what made him gravitate to the thrilling slopestyle and big air events he competes in, he described his early inspirations, saying, “[Growing up] we didn’t have internet where I lived, so I didn’t watch much of the snowboard world but, we had one movie at home, which was The Art of Flight, which is the greatest snowboard movie of all time starring Travis Rice, so he was definitely a big inspiration for me.”

When asked about his snowboarding evolution, a smile grew on Cantelon’s face as he stated, “For me, though, the biggest thing was that I loved snowboarding and I loved doing flips. My mom is a gymnast, and she taught my brothers and me how to do flips at a very young age, so I thought I may as well do the two together because it was really fun.”

The FISU games

Cantelon is representing the University of Toronto at the FISU games, and he is the only Canadian competing in the slopestyle event. “I have never competed in an event as high profile and mainstream as this [the FISU games],” he explained. “I want to do my best, whatever that may be. If it puts me on the podium, that’d be great... I’m not looking for a result. However, a good result is always the goal.”

Snowboarding competitions are foreign to many, so Cantelon summed up the Difficulty Amplitude Variety and Execution slopestyle judging system for those who wish to follow the FISU games with greater insight.

The difficulty component, he said, “is pretty straightforward. It’s just how hard your tricks are.” Regarding the amplitude component, “[The judges] love to see people going big. You don’t

want to barely make it over the landing. You want that wow factor!” The variety component, he stressed, “is definitely the hardest component because every [boarder] has a preferred direction to spin, and [the judges] want to see spins [in alternating order in different directions] on both jumps and rails.” Finally, he described the execution component as landing and executing everything neatly without errors.

Cantelon’s favourites from his bag of tricks include the frontside 360 degrees, tame dogs — essentially a sideways frontflip — and his hardest trick, the front triple fourteen — three flips and four complete rotations. With these at his disposal, Cantelon can surely produce an outstanding performance at the upcoming games.

The hardships and allure of his life as a student athlete

After hearing the accounts of his preparations for the FISU games, it’s hard not to appreciate the rigorous training regiments that student athletes like Cantelon must go through to fulfill their goals. Cantelon spent this past summer working, training and living at Maximise, a training facility located in the Laurentian Mountains of Québec. During the offseason, he practiced on the synthetic snow surface available at Maximise, jumping into a massive airbag — an activity that is truly a sight to behold. Cantelon continued his intense training in the fall, which introduced a weekly six-hour commute from Toronto to Sainte-Agathe-desMonts, Québec. What would be a nightmare for

many didn’t faze Cantelon.

When he’s not flying through the air, Cantelon is a second year philosophy student. When asked whether athletics felt like a hassle or a positive break from school, he said, “It’s definitely a break from school; I love both, though.” Cantelon is pursuing a degree specializing in philosophy, emphasizing his passion for academics and athletics. He described both as “equally life giving.” Cantelon elaborated, saying, "Snowboarding allows me to be grounded in my education while getting to travel the whole world competing in really cool places!”

He maintains that U of T has been beneficial to his snowboarding career in many ways, describing the many resources he has access to as a student athlete, which make his busy life more manageable.

Cantelon concluded the interview on an inspiring note to any athlete hesitant to pursue athletics at the University of Toronto due to the difficulties they may encounter, saying, “U of T does a great job helping out student athletes, it’s been a really wonderful experience, and I’m looking forward to the rest of it.”

On November 13,

“[It] was an underdog… experience,” Emily Ševčík, fourth-year student at UTM and the team’s co-captain, explained in an interview with The Varsity. “Nobody expected us to win… it’s always St. George Red or St. George Black [who] win.”

Ševčík grew up playing center back, yet upon arrival at UTM, she began playing as a left winger and striker. The transition was a wise one — throughout the season and into the playoffs, Ševčík recorded a total of five goals, including the winning goal in the final. She’s fast, aggressive, and has a really good shot — in the semifinal, she scored a goal from the halfway line.

“As a kid, I was really athletic [and] really out there,” explained Ševčík. “I did dance, ballet, gymnastics, skating, swimming, hockey… [and] soccer.”

“I didn’t like soccer at all,” Ševčík stated. Yet, her father coached the team. Originally planning to quit, Ševčík changed her mind when she scored her first-ever goal.

“If it wasn’t for my dad… [telling me] don’t give up, and if it wasn’t for me scoring that goal, I probably wouldn’t be here today,” she explained. “As I started playing [soccer] more, I started loving soccer.”

Her love for soccer grew as she began university. In her first year at UTM, she played on UTM’s Varsity team.

As a first-year student surrounded by more experienced players, Ševčík felt pressured. She was still determined to succeed, yet her experience was relatively short, as the program got discontinued during the pandemic. Despite this setback, Ševčík has continued to play soccer in the Tri-Campus League.

Yet, playing on the new team wasn’t easy. “The entire team was new,” she explained. “I didn’t know anybody [and] nobody knew each other.” This was made more challenging as the team only practiced together once a week.

“With a team sport like soccer you have to practice a lot together… [to] get to know each other’s style of play,” she explained. “It was pretty difficult for us to get to know each other as players.”

In the very first game of the season, the team lost 4–2 to the St. George Red. “It was pretty demoralizing,” Ševčík reflected. The team was dysfunctional and barely practicing, and she questioned whether the work she put in was worth it.

When recounting the loss, Ševčík stated “[This] group of girls… are really dedicated, really good soccer players.” As one of the more experienced players, she recognized her responsibility to lead her team and put herself out there to motivate them.

Results began flowing in. For the rest of the season, the Eagles only lost one more game

and ended up finishing second in the league. In the playoffs, the Eagles triumphed over St. George Red to secure a spot in the final — the first time a UTM team had done so.

Going into the final, there was a lot of pressure on the team, especially on Ševčík and her fellow co-captain and goalkeeper, Mackenzie Kieswetter. “Everyone was expecting me to… score,” Ševčík explained. “And they were obviously expecting [Mackenzie] to… save everything.”

Before the game, Ševčík high fived everyone, getting them excited. The nerves among the team were evident. “I knew that if we were going into that game nervous [or] really scared, we weren’t going to do well,” she explained. However, Ševčík struck the ball into the net in the first three minutes of the game. “Everybody went crazy,” she stated. “The people… on the bench, everyone on the field.” It’s a memory that stands out the strongest for Ševčík. The game became much more defensive as the Eagles tried to preserve their lead, yet they still dominated from the start to finish. In the final minutes of the game, Kieswetter made a crucial diving save — another moment embedded in Ševčík’s head.

“As soon as that save was done, the ref blew the whistle and the game was done,” Ševčík explained. “After the game, we were all on a high.”

For the upcoming summer, Ševčík plans to try out for some League1 Ontario teams — Ontario’s semi-professional soccer league.

Meanwhile, the indoor season starts in January and after falling short during the last indoor season, Ševčík plans to win. Additionally, as a fifth-year student, she plans to help the Eagles defend their Tri-Campus championship next fall when the outdoor season starts again.

Ševčík explained that her experience at U of T might have been better if she was still playing soccer with the Varsity team, but eventually said, “I’m still playing Tri-Campus [League] and I made a whole bunch of friends.”

“I just continue to play [soccer] because I love playing… as long as I’m playing soccer, that’s what makes me happy,” said Ševčík.

Cantelon gets sky high hurtling off a ramp. COURTESY OF JONAH CANTELON

the UTM Eagles beat St. George Black 1–0 in the Tri-Campus League finals — becoming the first-ever UTM women’s soccer team to win the tournament.

Kunal Dadlani Associate Sports Editor

Emily Ševčík and Mackenzie Kieswetter hoist the championship trophy.

COURTESY OF BEN CARMICHAEL AND ALEXANDER CHEN

Blues guard Calum Baker drops 27 points in 95–72 win against Nipissing Lakers

The Varsity Blues men’s basketball team secure six-game winning streak after Friday night’s game

Victoria Paulus Varsity Contributor

With a five game winning streak and an 0.857 win percentage, the Varsity Blues men’s basketball team faced the Nipissing Lakers at their home court, hoping to bring home another win. Although the Lakers came into this match with a five-game losing streak, they managed to keep the game close until the end.

What happened

Callum Baker and Noah Ngamba, who both joined the Varsity Blues this season, played key roles in leading the offense, curating creative passes and putting points on the board. Unlike other matches that the Blues have played thus far, there was no telling which team would take an early lead; the first quarter ended with a close 20–18 score and only a two-point lead for the Blues.

In the second quarter, the Blues applied tighter defensive coverage and rushed the paint more aggressively, which allowed them to take a double-

digit lead with less than a minute to halftime.

A 47–36 lead at the start of the second half gave the Blues the confidence they needed to continue increasing their lead through the rest of the quar-

ter. With just 2.5 seconds left in the third, Blues’ guard, Baker, was hit by Lakers’ guard, Noah LaPierre, and was given a foul. Baker scored both free throws, leading the Blues into the fourth quarter

with a 66–56 lead against the Lakers.

However, the Blues did not stop there: they started the final quarter with an intensity that carried on until the end of the game, determined to finish off strong. As the buzzer went off, the Blues celebrated a hard earned 95–72 win.

What’s next

All eyes are on the Blues’ dynamic duo Baker and Ngamba, who carried their team to a 23-point lead victory on Friday. Baker secured 27 points and two assists, and Ngamba was right behind him with 20 points and four assists. Going forward, the fans are excited to see what Baker and Ngamba have in store for the rest of their season.

The Blues’ defeated Laurentian University 82–70 on November 26, after another strong performance from Baker and the crew. The Blues now sit first in the Ontario University Athletics central division at 7–1, and are hoping to continue their winning streak throughout the rest of the season.

World Cup: Canada-Belgium game summary

Canadian team showed promise in 1–0 loss to Belgium

Mac Bell Varsity Contributor

losing, Canadian fans shouldn’t be disappointed in their team. According to FIFA rankings, Belgium is currently the second best country in the world, whereas Canada is ranked 41.

Despite that disparity, John Herdman’s team put up a good fight against the Red Devils, holding their own all game. Canada had 22 shots to Belgium’s nine and drew a penalty in the 10th minute of the game. Unfortunately, Canadian fans were not treated to their country’s first ever World Cup goal as Alphonso Davies was anticlimactically stopped by Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois. Belgium scored the only goal of the game right before the half, when Michy Batshuayi received a long ball and put it past Milan Borjan. That goal was a backbreaker for Canada, and they were never able to tie it up. So, what went wrong for Canada? They dominated much of this game but didn’t score a goal. This Canadian team has a lot to be proud of,

since they went up against one of the best teams in the world. For a team that’s playing in their second World Cup, that’s impressive.

But knowing this Canadian team, they didn’t just come here for a good time. If they want better results, their finishing will have to improve. Despite having 22 shots, only three were on target. That won’t cut it at this level. Canada’s attackers were not clinical enough in front of the net for a team whose eyes look beyond the group stage. Jonathan David will have to step up, and Herdman may want to start Cyle Larin, who looked dangerous once he joined the game in the second half.

While their loss to Croatia during their second game on November 27, marked Canada’s first World Cup goal, but also ends their round of 16 hopes, the Canadian Men’s national team looks to have a good performance against Morocco on December 1 to salvage this trip to Qatar.

How is Qatar’s temperature affecting World Cup athletes?

wrote when asked about the effect of sport on body temperature. However, a stable body temperature becomes harder to achieve when the body is exposed to extreme heat.

After their first two World Cup games, the outcome of the Canadian men’s national team games is somewhat predictable. They’ll start off strong, with a high press, lots of energy, and ruthless attacking. Their missed penalty against Belgium and early goal against Croatia attest to this. However, as the clock winds down, the pitch gets muddied, and the distance travelled increases, they seem to be more sluggish, a shell of the team that you saw at the beginning of the game. Why is this the case? Why can’t the damn team just string together 90 minutes of good soccer? The answer to this question is fatigue — which can be exacerbated by the harsh Qatari heat.

It seems like the air conditioning system Qatar has implemented is working, as the temperature during Canada’s game against Belgium was 21 degrees Celsius at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, and 24 degrees Celsius at Khalifa International Stadium against Croatia. Typically, temperatures in Qatar reach 29 degrees Celsius in November.

The Varsity interviewed an exercise physiology professor in the Department of Physiology, Ira Jacobs, to get a look into how athletes can beat the heat in Qatar.

“The warmer the temperature around us

mans can transfer heat out of the body and it becomes increasingly difficult

ing the World Cup becoming more sluggish and lackadaisical in the later parts of the second half, it’s due to bolic processes slowing down in the

companied by symptoms that cause ing and thereby reduce the rate of

However, there is a silver lining for some players; certain individuals are more accustomed to

heat than others, and this may create a significant advantage on matchdays.

“Aerobically fit individuals, such as the soccer athletes participating in the FIFA World Cup, have several physiological adaptations to their training that enable them to tolerate a greater heat stress before body temperature regulation becomes compromised,” Jacobs wrote. Some of these adaptations include greater blood volume, greater density of sweat glands on the skin, less body fat to impede the transfer of heat, and overall tolerance to heat before exhaustion takes place.

Jacobs stressed the importance of undertaking some form of heat acclimation training for athletes to be able to perform well under the scorching Qatari sun: “If one also engages in light-to-moderate exercise each day in a hot climate, then acclimation is optimised and can be achieved within 10-14 days.” With a bit of training, you too can change your body to function better when being exposed to extreme heat, which is quite incredible.

The research on athletes’ heat adaptability and the direct correlation to the results of soccer games is limited, as soccer is a game of skill, effort, and a little bit of luck. But next time you see your favourite player miss a penalty, whiff a pass, or slip on the pitch, ask yourself how much of that could be due to their bodies’ metabolic processes.

On Wednesday, November 23, the Canadian men’s national soccer team fell 1–0 to Belgium in their first World Cup game in 36 years. Despite

“When we exercise we generate a lot more heat than when we are sedentary, primarily as a by-product of the increased metabolism necessary to fuel exercising muscles.” Jacobs

conversation with Professor Ira Jacobs on the role of heat stress on athletic performance

Mekhi Quarshie Sports Editor

Lakers guard Danny Lukusa pounds the ball past Blues Guard Iñaki Alvarez. COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER KRUK/VARSITY BLUES MEDIA

Atiba Hutchinson, Jonathan Osario, and Lucas Cavallini look out into the distance. COURTESY OF CANADA SOCCER

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