January 17th, 2022

January 17, 2022

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

U of T COVID-19 rapid test program put on hold Rapid screening kits will still be provided for those with approved vaccine exemptions

Vol. CXLII, No. 14

More in this issue...

News Students rail against lack of hybrid options, vaccine mandate at UTSU town hall

News Athletes mourn loss of varsity sports

Comment Remove Ford from office over his COVID-19 response

Science The key to stopping disease could be vaccines that spread like viruses

fully vaccinated and those with a valid vaccination exemption that the university has approved.

Elizabeth Shechtman Associate News Editor

U of T’s at-home rapid antigen screening has been put on pause “due to a lack of supply,” according to the university website, as national shortages of COVID-19 rapid tests make them increasingly difficult to obtain. This program was originally put in place to screen members of the U of T community who fall under one of two categories: those who are not

The rapid testing program Previously, those using the rapid test kits were required to screen themselves at least two times each week and report all screen test results on UCheck. Tests were meant to be taken at home and a negative test result was needed to come to campus. U of T encouraged fully vaccinated community members to participate in the program as well, if they wanted to.

In an email to The Varsity, a spokesperson for the university wrote that, at the current moment, only a small number of employees have not already been fully vaccinated. “For those few who have approved exemptions, they must still use rapid-testing [kits] if they need to be on campus,” wrote the spokesperson.

The spokesperson clarified that kits will still be available to any member of the community who requires a test due to an approved exemption. In addition, they wrote that U of T will provide pick-up locations for the rest of

the community on all three campuses “when supply becomes available.”

Pop-up distribution sites on campus One solution to the shortage of rapid test kits has been the creation of pop-up rapid test distribution sites. On January 6, the Ontario government designated UTM’s Recreation, Athletics and Wellness Centre building as the location for a free drive through where people could pick up COVID-19 rapid tests. Test kits were made available for individuals who had not recently been in contact with anyone that had contracted COVID-19. Distribution was limited to one test kit per person, and anyone visiting was told to wear a mask and to follow all other public health measures.

By about 9:30 am, all the tests had been handed out. Some attendees were very frustrated with the situation, saying that more test kits should be made available for postsecondary students.

As of right now, no further details have been released on when more rapid testing kits will be available for the U of T community.

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Students discuss hybrid options, vaccine mandate at UTSU COVID-19 town hall Uncertainty continues over the university’s plans for winter 2022 Beatriz Silva Varsity Contributor

The University of Toronto Student Union (UTSU) held a town hall on January 14, led by UTSU President Alexa Ballis and Vice-President, Public and University Affairs Omar Gharbiyeh, to discuss students’ concerns about the winter 2022 semester. Students reflected on U of T’s response to the pandemic in fall 2021 and discussed their concerns for the winter semester.

U of T held in-person courses in the fall, but cancelled exams and delayed in-person classes until January 31 as a response to the spread of the Omicron variant.

Future in-person safety measures Some students are concerned about the effectiveness of UCheck in preventing COVID-19 outbreaks on campus, considering that the system relies on self-assessment. For the winter term, they expect a more reliable system that can ensure safety if classes are held in person.

The university’s vaccination policy was discussed in detail at the town hall. U of T currently requires students and staff to provide proof of vaccination before coming to campus.

While they recognized the importance of the vaccine, many attendees said that they considered it unfair for the university to deny enrolment to unvaccinated students, especially those with medical or religious impediments.

In particular, some students noted that

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Hybrid learning for winter 2022 The majority of students who spoke at the town hall considered hybrid learning the best option moving forward.

As COVID-19 cases continue to increase in Toronto and at U of T, many students said they are fearful of going back to in-person learning.

International students who have returned home or students who live with individuals at high risk of developing COVID-19 complications might also not be able to attend in-person classes.

One student shared a petition that asks U of T to shift the winter semester to an online or hybrid format, which has garnered over 2,300 signatures as of January 16.

Ballis confirmed that the UTSU will continue

to advocate for hybrid learning as the best way to accommodate students’ needs and ensure student safety.

Uncertainty for the new year Overall, students were discontent with the university’s cancellation of exams at the end of the fall semester. While some admitted that they benefitted from the cancellation of exams, others claimed they were hurt by the redistribution of marks and wanted to prevent the university from doing anything similar in the future.

U of T’s most recent update on December 15 has also created enormous uncertainty among students, with students expressing anger at the lack of communication from the university on how the winter semester will be delivered. During the town hall, many students asked the UTSU to pressure the university for a more concrete plan.

International students also spoke out at the town hall, discussing how they are affected by uncertainty over the winter semester. Many said that they or their friends are waiting for an announcement from U of T to decide whether or not they should come to Toronto and worry about accommodations, financial burdens, travel bans, and other issues. In the meantime, they face an increase in university fees, even though they are not able to make use of many university facilities.

Gharbiyeh guaranteed that international students are currently a priority for the UTSU and said that the union will continue to advocate for them.

Only one UTSU director deemed to have abandoned office this year Decrease from three directors, one resignation last year

Nawa Tahir deputysce@thevarsity.ca Deputy Senior Copy Editor Marta Anielska deputynews@thevarsity.ca Deputy News Editor

unvaccinated students without an exemption will be unenrolled from their courses if they do not show proof of vaccination, even if they are studying entirely online.

One of the affected students, Kuan-Te Lu, said, “Unfortunately, the school’s one-size-fitsall vaccine policy does not take into consideration people with my condition. So unless I play Russian roulette with the first shot, and see if I get myocarditis or not, I am denied an education. This is an accessibility issue.”

U of T has a vaccine exemption policy to recognize students who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons. However, medical exemptions require students to prove they’ve had reactions to the first dose of the vaccine.

Sara Lynne Kallas Varsity Contributor

According to attendance records for the University of Toronto Students’ Union’s (UTSU) Board of Directors meetings, only one out of its 37 sitting members was deemed to have abandoned office this year, according to Bylaw X. Additionally, one director has resigned.

Bylaw X, a section of the UTSU’s governing document, outlines the parameters for the number of meetings that directors need to attend to fulfill the duties of their office and how many absences indicate that a director is deemed to have abandoned office.

The analysis marks a consistent improvement in UTSU attendance over the last few years. The Varsity’s 2021 analysis found that in the 2020–2021 school year, three directors were deemed to have resigned.

Changes to Bylaw X According to Bylaw X, if directors have unexcused absences at a certain number of meetings, they may be deemed to have resigned. Directors are deemed to have resigned if they have accumulated two consecutive unexcused absences and have not responded to attempts made to contact them by the speaker and vice-president, operations for at least 21 days.

Although attendance increased this year, the UTSU has proposed a number of changes to Bylaw X to loosen attendance requirements for directors.

The amendments regarding the Abandonment of Office portion of Bylaw X would increase the number of absences at board and committee meetings allowed before directors are designated as having abandoned office. Moreover, if directors receive an excused absence or send their regrets before the meeting, they will be considered present at the meeting, even if they cannot attend it. The changes will be voted on at the upcoming UTSU Special General Meeting.

If the amendments are accepted, a director would be deemed resigned if they accumulate

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10 unexcused absences at any meeting, six unexcused absences at committee meetings, or four excused absences at board meetings. The amendments would also change the contact policy for absences — directors could report to either the speaker or the vice-president, operations to get their absences excused.

Furthermore, the notice period that must be given to a director if they are deemed to be resigned would be extended to 10 days, instead of seven.

Finally, a director would be given a prolonged opportunity to speak in their own defence during the debate of a motion to accept their resignation — a period of 15 minutes, instead of the original five.

Vice-President, Operations Fiona Reuter, who proposed the changes to Bylaw X, wrote in an email to The Varsity that Bylaw X has long been controversial and that the changes serve to address criticisms of the bylaw. Reuter further expressed hope that the amendments will be accepted in the

aims of “ensuring that Executives are held more accountable to their roles and positions, while also providing Directors more flexibility in writing.”

One director deemed resigned Victoria College’s Director Stuti Roy has been deemed resigned on the basis of missing a total of four unexcused meetings. A number of other directors had two or more absences, but Reuter wrote that they were not deemed resigned since some of the absences were not consecutive, and others contacted a member of the executive committee following their absences.

Reuter commended the dedicated directors who have made “great efforts to get involved,” despite the ongoing pandemic, while also recognizing the role that the UTSU executives’ flexible administration played in achieving strong attendance.

The Varsity has reached out to Stuti Roy for comment.

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New vertical parking space project being planned at UTSC Dean Gough says UTSC is preparing to be fully operational for students by end of January Plans and preparation for the remaining winter term Gough shared in his report that he hopes to have updates on the delivery of the rest of the winter semester by the second week of the semester.

“I fully acknowledge that not everyone will be in agreement… As one that is instrumental in making such decisions, I too have [been] frustrated that decisions, no matter where they end, will have clear disadvantages to certain groups,” he added.

“All aspects of a full in-person return are being carefully considered, and they’re not trivial,” said Gough. He assured committee members that all decisions are being made in consultation with other divisions and the provost’s office.

“We have been planning and working to have the campus fully operational to receive students [by] the end of January,” Arifuzzaman added.

The Retail and Parking Commons construction project.

Syeda Maheen Zulfiqar UTSC Bureau Chief

A new parking construction project — the Retail and Parking Commons — is in the works at UTSC. A report on the project was presented at the UTSC Campus Affairs Committee meeting at its first meeting of the year on January 13.

At the Campus Affairs Committee meeting, and at a meeting of the UTSC Academic Affairs Committee on January 10, Vice-Principal Academic & Dean William A. Gough presented a report regarding the dynamic plans for the duration of the winter semester. Katherine Larson, vice-dean teaching, learning & undergraduate programs, also provided an update on minor modifications to the undergraduate social sciences and the graduate management curriculums at UTSC.

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Report on Retail and Parking Commons Andrew Arifuzzaman, UTSC’s chief administrative officer, shared an introductory report on the planning of the Retail and Parking Commons project at the Campus Affairs meeting.

“Located on what is now surface Lot H, a new 42,877 [gross square metre], six-storey structure will serve staff and faculty on the north campus with permit parking on upper levels, and short-term parking for visitors and for students who choose to pay for short-term parking instead of buying term or annual permits,” Arifuzzaman explained.

Arifuzzaman also spoke on why it is necessary to begin integrating vertical parking structures on campus: “If we were to stay with surface parking, which has been the tradition at the campus, effectively what it does is it blocks off all of our future de-

velopment opportunities with just creating parking.”

The structure will also be the new home of UTSC’s bookstore, which is currently located in the Bladen Wing building. Additionally, its covered ground floor may be used for various oncampus activities, such as for farmers’ markets.

Moreover, the project was planned with sustainability efforts in mind, and it will thus be a mass timber construction, which creates panels, posts, and beams by layering wood. In doing so, the project “avoids [using] approximately 977 tonnes of [carbon dioxide] compared to a pre-cast concrete structure and sequesters 3,763 tonnes of [carbon dioxide] for a total environmental benefit of nearly 4,740 tonnes of [carbon dioxide].”

The project is anticipated to be completed

by January 2024.

Modifications to curriculum Larson shared recent changes to the undergraduate social science curriculum. “It’s always really exciting to start to see these minor changes coming through and the really rich and diverse ways in which our faculty across departments are contributing to the excellence of our curriculum,” she said.

Two new courses will be added to the Department of Anthropology, five to the Department of Global Development Studies, and two to the Department of Health & Society. The inclusion of these courses within each of their respective departments is intended to fill gaps in the existing curricula and cover new topics that have progressively become relevant in each field.

Mary Silcox, vice-dean graduate & postdoctoral studies, presented the changes that the university has made to the graduate curriculum in the Department of Management pertaining to the Master of Accounting and Finance program, which prepares students to take the Chartered Professional Accountant Common Final Examination. In essence, the changes mean that certain courses that used to be taught later on in the program will now instead be taught in the program’s initial two sessions.

U of T Varsity Board, OUA criticize Ontario’s decision to cancel sports Varsity athletes speak out on the consequences of sport cancellations Elizabeth Shechtman Associate News Editor

On January 3, Ontario instituted a ban on indoor sport activities, along with a number of other new COVID-19 restrictions. The ban, set to expire on January 27, makes some exceptions for elite amateur groups, but excludes Ontario University Athletics (OUA), which includes all varsity sports at U of T. Since then, varsity athletes at U of T and beyond have spoken out about the ban, which they say fails to acknowledge the hard work of the athletes and strains athletes’ mental and physical health.

Student athletes weigh in On January 7, U of T’s Varsity Board, which represents all varsity athletes at U of T, released a statement on its Instagram criticizing the recent cancellations of recreational OUA sports. “We stand with all Ontario University student-athletes during this time, and support the voices of those looking for change in Ontario sporting policy,” wrote the Board.

The statement argues that the OUA is “the benchmark for elite amateur sport in Ontario, and should be treated as such.”

“We are asking that the Ontario government provide transparency and clarification into the criteria used to determine why certain amateur

leagues are deemed elite while the OUA is not, and reconsider the classification of Ontario University Athletics,” reads the statement.

The OUA also put out a statement on January 4, expressing that student athletes need to be recognized for their efforts.

In an interview with The Varsity, OUA President Gord Grace said, “I think everybody in our society has faced some challenges through COVID-19; there’s no doubt about that. Our student athletes in particular, because they spend so much time in their sport, and not being able to practice and train in their sport has created a lot of anxiety, a lot of health issues.”

Grace said that the OUA’s medical advisors have been researching the mental health effects of the pandemic on student athletes through surveys, and have found that the cancellations have impacted the students’ mental health as well.

Grace also commented on how team dynamics change when team members are away from each other for a prolonged period of time. Sports provide support for the coaching staff and students, and when that support is gone, it can have a huge effect on those involved.

He still hopes OUA members will be able to get back to sports soon. “If we can get back to training under the supervision of our [full-time] coaches… in a safe environment, [while] following all the protocols, at least we’d be able to provide some sort

The Ontario government banned indoor sports on January 3.

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of outlet for our student athletes, so they can get ready for when the restrictions are lifted.”

Aidan Dogterom is a third year varsity athlete playing for the U of T football team. Dogterom hopes that the government will reconsider the decision to close indoor sports facilities so athletes can get back to training.

“It’s been pretty tough without all the indoor facilities,” Dogterom wrote in an email to The Varsity.

“Both physically and mentally, I know my teammates and I are struggling and worrying about the upcoming season. It’s not easy taking a break from a sport for so long and then having to go back and train your body at such a high intensity level.”

The government has not yet released any further statements on potential solutions to the frustrations expressed by Ontario postsecondary schools’ varsity sports community.

Response from the university In an email to The Varsity, a spokesperson for the university wrote that “Our Varsity Blues studentathletes, coaches, and staff are a resilient group.”

The university is working on a number of remote training opportunities for sports teams on campus and are working with the OUA and U SPORTS, a national university sporting organization, on returning to in-person training when public health and university guidance allows.

The spokesperson suggested that students do some sort of physical activity everyday, whether that means an online workout or a walk outside in the fresh air. U of T also offers virtual fitness programs, such as Virtual Fitness Studio and MoveU Anywhere workouts. “We look forward to re-opening our facilities for sport and recreation activities as soon as public health guidelines permit us to,” they wrote.

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UTM students advocate on social media for hybrid learning @transparentutmsu’s Shen Fernando on the push for a hybrid winter Lexey Burns UTM Bureau Chief

Students at UTM have consistently been advocating for a hybrid semester throughout the year.

Many students have expressed concerns about transportation, housing, and safety should classes return to an in-person format. In October, a UTM student started a petition that garnered over 3,400 signatures calling for UTM to keep the fall semester partially or fully online. The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) also organized an email zap in the fall to campaign for a hybrid winter semester.

After a call from Instagram account @transparentutmsu — which has over 1,000 followers — UTM students have taken to social media to express their discontent as a return to in-person classes still looms at UTM. Currently, a return to in-person classes is scheduled for the beginning of February.

Instagram account @transparentutmsu has returned from its hiatus to advocate for a hybrid learning experience for the winter 2022 semester at UTM in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Most courses at UTM are running remotely until January 31, though some courses have returned to in-person already. Rhonda McEwen, UTM’s vice-principal, academic and dean has said that announcements will be made early next week with more information on course delivery at UTM.

Shen Fernando, a third-year political science student, started posting on this account last year sharing claims that the UTMSU executive candidates were violating the union’s election procedure code for unsolicited campaigning. Fernando initially retired the account in spring of 2021 after the election was over, believing that the purpose of the account had been resolved.

In an interview with The Varsity, he said that he began seeing people posting on social media platforms recently, wondering why the account disappeared at a time when students were dealing with what he sees as another problem at UTM: the lack of hybrid learning options available to students during the pandemic.

Fernando explained that he is immunocompromised and, when he personally reached out to UTM administration asking for accommodations, he was sent to Accessibility Services, which he felt was not able to accommodate him fully.

Fernando explained that some of the co-admins of the account refused to return since they would be targeting the UTM administration, which he said was more out of their comfort zone than when they were previously targeting the UTMSU. “If you have concerns, if you feel as though your rights as a student are being violated, you can take things into your own hands,” Fernando added.

He explained that one of the more encouraging actions @transparentutmsu has managed to

achieve is the shift in UTM’s Google reviews. Supporters who left reviews under the hashtag #UTMDivided were able to bring UTM’s Google page’s 4.6 star review down to 4.5 in a day. “We weren’t trying to get the Google reviews down to one star or anything like that, those actions were more so to show students that you have opportunities to take things into your own hands,” he said.

Some of the next steps he plans for the account include the publication of a series of videos advocating for different student rights, including the addition of hybrid learning options for the fall 2022 term, accommodations for students with disabilities, and bringing back UTM varsity sports after they were cancelled earlier this year. Fernando also plans to advocate against the approval of the controversial company Aramark as a new food provider at UTM. “If nobody advocates for the students — if nobody’s here to bring up these concerns — then nothing will change,” said Fernando. “Bring on the conflict.”

Fernando said he’d been asked multiple times if he planned to run for UTMSU president or for any other executive position. “The moment that we try to do something like that, @transparentutmsu might not be the same as it is, and we want to keep it intact. We want to keep it as it is right now, because it is effective and it is working for students.”

Mitra Yakubi, president of the UTMSU, wrote in an email to The Varsity, “I welcome and encourage

@transparentutmsu’s Instagram page.

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members to take active roles in advocating for a free and accessible post-secondary education.”

She explained that, as a union, the UTMSU is accountable to all of its members and that it will continue its due diligence in supporting members’ needs. She added that there are “many avenues” for members to seek support.

Yakubi wrote that the next UTMSU commission meeting is on January 17 from 4:00–6:00 pm, and she hopes members will utilize the space to discuss how students can “collectively lobby the university for accessibility accommodations and a safe return.”

UTM enrolment increased by 26.4 per cent in 2021 Announcement for return to in-person classes to come this week Lexey Burns UTM Bureau Chief

According to UTM’s Annual Enrolment Summary — presented by Registrar and Director of Enrolment Management Lorretta Neebar to the campus’ Academic Affairs Committee on January 13 — UTM’s intake of new students was much higher this year as compared to previous years.

Announcement of return to in-person learning expected soon Rhonda McEwen, UTM’s vice-principal, academic and dean gave the Presidential Assessors report, in which she explained that some exceptions were made to achieve an earlier return to in-person learning for certain programs. She confirmed that 21 courses have begun in-person learning, including labs, and certain drama courses in the Department of English & Drama.

“We are happy to say that the decisions we made, and the exceptions that we did entertain, did actually hold through with the delay to the start of this term due to the rise of the Omicron [variant],” she said.

McEwen explained that UTM’s assumed-return to-campus dates — created based on the modelling data from the Ontario Science Table and from

Ministers of Health across both the Peel and Toronto regions — seem to have been modelled accurately.

“We are starting to get notification that we are hitting that peak [of COVID-19 cases], and that we should start to see [case numbers] drop off,” she said.

She explained that, for now, many departments are running courses online until January 31, and that further announcements from the university will be forthcoming. “I don’t want to preempt them too much. But those announcements should come early next week.”

Registration data According to Neebar’s examination of the new and returning student populations, the number of new intake students has risen by 26.4 per cent — from 3,539 enrolments in fall 2020 to 4,473 in fall 2021. However, the number of returning students dropped by 7.5 per cent from 11,763 in 2020 to 11,675 in 2021.

Neebar explained that the drop in returning students was “almost exactly the [number] of students we were short last year on our intake,” and while this correction wasn’t intentional, Neebar said it symbolised good student retention.

Neebar said that their data is all “headcount” and that it doesn’t differentiate between enrolment

statuses, such as part-time or full-time enrolment.

“I’m really just looking at how many individuals are enrolled at UTM,” they said.

“We have about as many students registered as an upper-year student as we did in the past, which is great news because our incoming class was a little bit smaller last year,” Neebar added.

Increased international enrolment While the proportion of international students in the general student population remained roughly the same as in past years — with international students making up 27 per cent of the total student population — international enrolment increased to 37 per cent of all new students. “The first thing I’d like to say [regarding why this happened] is that it’s incredibly difficult to predict yield and do yield modelling in a pandemic,” said Neebar. Neebar attributed the increase in total intake to the increase in international students.

Enrolment figures are less and less consistent each year, and so UTM has a higher number of students than expected. Neebar said that the registrar had “more offers this year, in anticipation that we would struggle with our international numbers, but… we had many more students accept than we expected.”

The UTM acceptance statistics were 61.8 per cent from Ontario secondary schools; 20.9 per cent from foreign secondary schools; 9.8 per cent from other Canadian secondary schools; and 5.5 per cent were from university or college transfers from Canada. A final 2 per cent came from foreign universities and “Other.”

Neebar also presented the intake figures when divided by citizenship as well as students’ domestic and international status. “For example… with India, we have 170 students with citizenship in India.

However, 133 of them are considered international, and 37 of them have some sort of domestic status in Canada,” they said.

Other enrolment information Computer science, mathematics, and statistics were the most popular programs among new intake students, representing 17.6 per cent of the total.

Social sciences came in a very close second at 17.3 per cent, and commerce in third with 13.53 per cent.

UTM saw a drop in graduations in June, which the registrar’s office believes was due to the fact “that some students were hoping that we would be back to having an in-person ceremony and so they pushed off their June 2020 graduation in hopes that they would be in a November convocation in person.”

U of T student Nicole Mfoafo-M’Carthy named Rhodes Scholar The second-year medical student is among 11 Canadians granted prestigious scholarship Cedric Jiang Associate News Editor

Nicole Mfoafo-M’Carthy, a second-year medical student at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, has been named a Rhodes Scholar. Mfoafo-M’Carthy is one of 11 Canadians that have been selected to receive the prestigious international scholarship.

Established in 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship is one of the world’s most prestigious scholarship programs. It aims to recognize young leaders globally and support them in making an impact through their studies. The recipient receives a scholarship to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford.

Mfoafo-M’Carthy started exploring health care when she was studying health sciences as an undergraduate at the University of Calgary, and then continued her journey at U of T as a medical student. In an interview with The Varsity, she

said that the clinical experience at hospitals during the pandemic made her realize the significance of policy in patients’ experiences with the health care system and their overall well-being.

“As a physician who is invested in that kind of holistic notion of health, I do want exposure and understanding of that policy side and that public health side,” said Mfoafo-M’Carthy. “Therefore, I can also have a role in supporting my patients outside the health care system by promoting healthy public health policy.”

Mfoafo-M’Carthy said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted flaws that have long existed in the current health care system, especially the insufficiency of its support for marginalized communities. She noted that the importance of addressing the issues and tailoring more resilient health care policies could no longer be ignored.

“Historically, we’ve been able to ignore them because of different conditions,” she said. “With

a pandemic, it was a situation where you couldn’t really overlook it any longer.”

Mfoafo-M’Carthy is very excited about studying abroad and the opportunity to make a global connection with fellow Rhodes Scholars from around the world. “I think it’s a really good opportunity to be connected to such an amazing cohort and network of Rhodes Scholars, but also to be in a space where you can explore different sides of yourself and how you have come to be a fuller person,” she said.

That global perspective for Mfoafo-M’Carthy also means expanding her scope of thinking when it comes to her research pursuit. She said that there are challenges in the health care field, like that of serving an aging population, which are not unique to Canada and also happen in many other countries. Her international experience can offer more diverse solutions and viewpoints that are currently not in her toolbox in Canada.

“I think the global perspective is really important because it kind of allows you the opportunity to expand your imagination,” said Mfoafo-M’Carthy.

“And you can consider policies that exist outside of the current Canadian scope, and look at what people are doing in different places, and how you might want to incorporate that in your situation back home.”

When asked about her advice to students who are currently still navigating their interests and experiencing confusion about their direction, MfoafoM’Carthy said it is a good idea to get exposure to many different areas of study and explore different ideas to find a community for yourself.

“I think sometimes we approach these large questions as if [finding answers] is a very linear process, but allow yourself the opportunity to interact with things that you aren’t really sure about and give yourself room to explore different ideas,” she said.

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JANUARY 17, 2022

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“Every second is precious”: Ontario nursing staff shortage places pressure on students Nursing Undergraduate Society’s president discusses nurse shortage Nurses and public health infrastructure in Ontario have both been under pressure throughout the pandemic as hospitals grapple with high rates of early retirement and general burnout for many health care workers. The current Omicron variant wave has pushed daily case counts to an all time high — as of January 6, two hospitals in the GTA have moved to Code Orange due to staff shortages and an influx of patients.

U of T’s nursing students have felt this pressure acutely. The Varsity interviewed the president of the Nursing Undergraduate Society, Sunny Baek, to discuss how U of T’s nursing students have been affected by the shortage.

hand. According to a statement released by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, the province entered the pandemic with about 22,000 fewer registered nurses per capita compared to the rest of Canada, and the statement expresses wariness that this might worsen. In 2020, Ontario had the lowest nurse-per-capita ratio in Canada, with only 665 registered nurses for every 100,000 people. The national average is 814 nurses per 100,000.

Additionally, in March 2020, Canada had 1.95 acute care hospital beds per 1,000 people. Aside from Mexico, this is the lowest ratio of any country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, an organization with a membership of 37 countries that aims to find mutually supportive solutions to social and economic issues.

A problem before the pandemic Although Ontario’s nursing and health care shortages have been exacerbated by the pandemic, fissures existed in the system before-

Nursing students’ perspective U of T’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing grants a myriad of degrees for young health care professionals. Its Bachelor of Science in

Padraic Berting Graduate Bureau Chief

Nursing — a two-year bachelor’s program — trains students to become registered nurses immediately upon graduation.

In a conversation with The Varsity, Baek spoke to the stressful nature of training to be a nurse under the current circumstances. As the twoyear program is a highly accelerated bachelor’s degree, she emphasized that every moment counts as students attempt to become nurses within such a short span of time.

She added that, due to the nursing shortage, finding clinical instructors has been exceptionally challenging. However, she noted that the nursing students are extremely grateful for the help they have received from faculty, partner hospitals, and unit nurses.

Baek described the process of working in placements during the pandemic as having to constantly question whether you’re helping or hindering the work of the other nurses.

The government of Ontario recently unveiled a plan to make internationally educated nurses able to

MAKENA MWENDA/ THEVARSITY

practice in Ontario as a way to alleviate the existing burden on the health care system. Although virtually all hospital worker groups praise this as a step in the right direction, many like Baek see it as “a very slow move that should have happened way earlier.”

Additionally, many people remain critical of Bill 124, a provincial law that limits Ontario public sector workers’ salaries from increasing by more than one per cent annually. Baek described the bill as “absolutely horrendous,” and stressed that the general public should be aware of its negative impact on nurses and other public sector workers.

PEARS holds two town halls on sexual violence policy Student grievances include unclear language, conflicts of interest are crucial to the review,” Welsh added. “The review co-chairs have invited the student leaders of PEARS to meet with them, and look forward to their feedback.”

KALLIOPÉ ANVAR MCCALL/THEVARSITY

Marta Anielska Deputy News Editor

The Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, Response, for Survivors Project (PEARS), a traumainformed initiative at U of T led by sexual violence survivors, held two town halls on January 7 and January 10 to consult with survivors on an analysis of U of T’s sexual violence policy that was recently released by PEARS. The policy analysis — created in collaboration with the Dandelion Initiative, a group that works to promote survivor-centric practices for survivors of sexual assault — was created in response to U of T’s current review of its sexual violence policy that it is obligated to carry out every three years.

The policy was presented at the town hall, where students were able to comment on PEARS’ critiques and recommendations. Attendees also voiced their concerns, which will be added to the analysis before it is presented to university officials.

Policy analysis The analysis, which includes critiques of a handful of policy sections as well as recommendations to improve them, aims to make the university’s sexual violence policy more intersectional and survivor-centric. PEARS will be conducting an anonymous survey to obtain quantitative data that can be shared alongside the analysis.

The analysis notes that survivors often feel unsupported by the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre (SVPSC), which was created to work toward a campus environment where community members are safe from sexual violence.

It primarily critiques the university’s policy on the basis of potential issues surrounding conflicts of interest, the lack of survivor consent in the reporting process, the timeline and procedures for reporting, and “contradictory and unclear language.”

Though the policy states that part of the SVPSC’s mandate is to support survivors, many have reported that it is inconsistent about responding to students and that, when they call the centre, their calls are sent to voicemail. Moreover, the analysis concludes that students may feel uncomfortable reporting to the SVPSC or Campus Safety due to a lack of trust in both institutions.

The analysis also calls on the university to outline what supporting a member of the community who has been accused of sexual violence would look like, how that would impact the survivors and the reporting process, and how it would differ if the respondent is employed by the university.

Regardless of whether the survivor wants to make an official report, the university is allowed to proceed with a formal investigation if it deems not doing so a threat to the university community.

The analysis recommends that the university include criteria for what would be considered a threat to the university community and trigger an investigation without the survivors’ consent, so that survivors can be aware of those criteria when disclosing their experiences.

PEARS also writes that rushing survivors to report as soon as possible and setting a oneyear timeline for all cases to be resolved conflicts with the university’s goal to ensure investigations follow a fair process. A lack of information surrounding the vetting of witnesses and designates, who adjudicate cases, was also brought up as a concern.

In an email to The Varsity, Sandy Welsh, U of T’s vice-provost, students, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to protecting community members from sexual violence and acknowledged that there is still more work to be done.

“Many of the issues raised in [PEARS' report]

Town hall discussion In an interview with The Varsity, Micah Kalisch, the founder of the PEARS Project, said that the intention of the town hall was to provide students with a shared space to review PEARS’ analysis, provide feedback, and ask questions. All attendees who contributed to the conversation received an honorarium for their emotional labour.

In addition to talking about the analysis, town hall participants looked over the definitions in the sexual violence policy to see if they were inclusive and representative. Survivors wanted to see the university add more definitions, including those for ‘gender-based violence,’ ‘witness,’ ‘retaliation,’ ‘confidentiality,’ ‘rape culture,’ and ‘intimate partner violence.’

Students also voiced concerns about the university’s use of legal language in a document that does not speak to any real legal procedures. According to Kalisch, the term “complainant” being used for survivors feeds into a culture of doubt and makes those who are seeking resources or support feel uncomfortable.

“There’s a very big difference between just providing a survivor [with] support and going and arresting someone,” Kalisch explained. “If somebody comes in and says that they’re a survivor [then] they’re a survivor. And you treat them like a survivor, and you believe them.”

Kalisch clarified that they believe in a fair investigative process, but that they’re concerned with how the university’s mindset impacts those procedures, especially if it has a vested interest in protecting a student or employee that has been accused of sexual violence.

Ultimately, Kalisch concluded that it would be best if the reporting process and investigation were conducted externally. According to them, the SVPSC could still act in situations where the respondent is not involved, but removing the university from the reporting process would assuage concerns about conflicts of interest.

Additionally, students wanted to see more diversity in the SVPSC, as well as sections in the sexual violence policy outlining survivors’ rights, expressing the university’s commitment to ending violence against women and gender-diverse people, and noting the rarity of false allegations.

Next steps PEARS will proceed by updating its analysis with the feedback it received from the town hall. Kalisch noted that many survivors who attended the town hall said this was the first opportunity they had to truly engage with the university’s policies outside of a feedback form provided on the SVPSC’s website.

PEARS will speak to SVPSC representatives on February 15 to present its findings and get answers to the questions asked in the analysis and at the town hall. It will then present those findings on social media and contact town hall participants to provide an update.

The university will also be conducting nine consultation sessions over Zoom until the end of February. Participants will be able to share their thoughts on the current policy and opportunities for improvement. “We know that the community’s trust in our Policy and the supports we offer is crucial - and we are committed to building that trust,” Welsh wrote.

For Kalisch, the university’s next steps should include listening to students, working with them to implement recommendations, and reimbursing them for their contributions. “None of this is new,” Kalisch concluded. “Survivors have been asking for this at U of T for years… so I think the next step for them is to actually listen to what survivors have been saying.”

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence or harassment at U of T: • Visit safety.utoronto.ca for a list of safety resources.

• Visit svpscentre.utoronto.ca for information, contact details, and hours of operation for the tri-campus Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre. Centre staff can be reached by phone at 416-978-2266 or by email at svpscentre@utoronto.ca.

• Call Campus Safety Special Constable Service to make a report at 416-978-2222 (for U of T St. George and U of T Scarborough) or 905-569-4333 (for U of T Mississauga) • Call the Women’s College Hospital Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care Centre at 416-323-6040 • Call the Scarborough Grace Sexual Assault Care Centre at 416-495-2555 • Call the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 866863-0511

Business & Labour The impacts of encoding work-life balance into law

January 17, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/business biz@thevarsity.ca

Why do we spend so much during the holidays?

Beating the post-holiday financial blues Alex Levesque Varsity Contributor

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Evaluating how Bill 27 will work for workers Akshita Aggarwal Lead Copy Editor

Silencing your email notifications after work is not only a good idea to improve your work-life balance, but some companies are now required by law to allow you to unplug. New legislation requires Ontario businesses with 25 or more employees to have a written policy in place about employees’ rights to disconnect from their job at the end of the workday.

A novel concept in labour law Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act (WWA), was introduced by the Ontario government in October 2021 and received Royal Assent on December 2, 2021. Each year, eligible businesses would have two months, January 1 to March 1, to ensure their work-life balance policies are in place and compliant with the WWA. The WWA also bans the use of non-compete clauses, which are used to legally prevent employees and ex-employees from exploring other work opportunities within the same field. According to the Ontario government, the banning of non-compete clauses is the first regulation of its kind in Canada and one of the first in North America.

The ideas behind the WWA have received positive feedback from across the aisle, as it aims to prioritize the well-being of workers in the face of an economy where working long hours has become normalized, as profits increase for corporations at the expense of these workers. The WWA allows for a work-life balance and worker empowerment in the face of changing technologies, automation, and remote work, which helps companies to continue attracting highly skilled workers into the province.

Stricter rules for employers and recruiters Other changes as part of the WWA include the mandatory licensing of recruiters and temporary help agencies, which will help protect vulnerable workers from being exploited and impose harsh penalties on recruiters who charge illegal fees. This would also help international workers and internationally trained individuals find jobs in their fields.

Advocates for migrants to Canada have criticized the legislation, specifically because of its weak enforcement tools for ensuring that recruiters and temporary help agencies are properly

licensed. Many organizations rely on professional recruiters to hire migrant workers in the food supply, tourism, and fishery industries. Advocates argue that the fines are too small to be a deterrent to exploitative behaviors. Specifically, they have asked for an automatic fine of $15,000 for employers who have not used a legitimately licensed agency to recruit employees, as well as a security bond of a minimum of $25,000 against licensed recruiters. These security bonds would be paid by recruiters to cover fines if they violate laws regarding the hiring of migrant workers.

Lastly, migrant advocates have criticized the WWA for how it places the onus on employees and migrant workers to prove that they have paid an illegal recruitment fee in cases of mistreatment, which is counterproductive to protecting their rights. They have argued that the onus needs to be put on employers to ensure the elimination of exploitative behaviors, such as charging prospective workers illegal recruitment fees.

Reading the fine print According to the minister of labour, training and skills development, Monte McNaughton, the WWA puts the worker in the driver’s seat of Ontario’s economic growth, and demonstrates the essential role that the workers play but were not recognized for, until now.

On the other hand, there has been some negative feedback on the legislation, with issues being raised about unclear definitions and harsh penalties. For example, the ban on noncompete clauses does not apply to those in ‘executive roles.’

The WWA does not provide guidance on what the term ‘executive’ entails, meaning that those affected will have to take the Employment Standards Act into consideration and see how an ‘executive’ is defined within their own contexts.

This would mean looking at the actual duties of an employee rather than simply the title of their role — which may include ‘executive’ or ‘chief’ — in order to determine whether non-compete clauses would apply to them or not.

New graduates entering the workforce for the first time would only be protected by the WWA’s disconnecting from work policies, if they accept a job offer from a company with at least 25 employees. The graduates should pay close attention to see if there are non-compete clauses in their contracts, and be prepared to advocate for themselves if needed.

In 2020, the average Canadian spent $693 on Christmas gifts.

The Retail Council of Canada has predicted that the average Canadian spent $792 in 2021.

Does this amount sound familiar to you? Individual expenditures on holiday gifts will vary depending on individual incomes, but many Canadians feel like they spend a lot of money during the Christmas holidays. Perhaps we should consider where that obligation to spend comes from, and how we can deal with the financial aftermath.

Obligations, obligations It is undeniable that there is an expectation to buy gifts during the holidays. Gift-giving is inherently guided by our interpersonal relationships and their depth. A psychological review conducted by the University of Hertfordshire noted that the obligation to buy gifts is rooted in a desire to express appreciation and love toward the people with whom we are in a personal relationship. Gift-giving is also contextually situated. Just like any other person, I’d love for my best friend to buy me a spontaneous gift in the middle of summer, but gifts are usually only expected to be given on specific occasions, such as Christmas. If my best friend bought me a gift during the summer, I would be surprised, as there would be no context to justify it.

In this sense, the obligation to buy gifts is inspired by our desire to nurture our interpersonal relationships, and mostly guided by our social traditions.

Credit cards and guilt Consumers who get caught up in the socioemotional traditions of the holidays are likely to rack up debt. According to a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Forum in 2021, 23 per cent of the surveyed shoppers exceeded their spending limits on Black Friday and Cyber Monday by around $250. On a larger scale, Tashia Batstone, the CEO of FP Canada, noted that Canadians are expected to owe $814 more in debt as they hobble into the new year –– and I say ‘hobble’ for a reason, given the large sack of debt they are now carrying on their backs.

Fortunately, 60 per cent of survey respondents noted that they stayed on budget. I am part of that 60 per cent, but despite having avoided Christmas debt this year –– motivated by my irrational fear of owning a credit card –– I

find myself feeling financial guilt nonetheless.

Maggie Baker, a psychologist and financial therapist, says that consumers must have a conversation with people with whom they have the ‘big three’ relationships — their family, friends, and partners — to see what their expectations are. After all, COVID-19 has changed the financial situation for many Canadians, and with increased economic instability given the spread of the Omicron variant, our spending habits have been humbled. Household spending reduced by 13 per cent during the second quarter of 2020 — a record-breaking decrease.

In this sense, discussing your budget with people in your ‘big three’ and talking with them about what they want is the most ideal course of action for the next year.

Getting over the financial hump, mental or otherwise Re-evaluating our gifting structure is another viable option. Amy Richardson — a premium planner for Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, a financial portfolio management service — suggests that we do secret Santa exchanges next year as opposed to buying a gift for each individual loved one. Establishing a spending limit and reducing the number of gifts each person buys is sure to tone down everyone’s financial anxiety.

Of course, the obvious solution to avoid any financial problems is sticking to a good budget!

Oftentimes being in debt is not the prerequisite to experiencing financial guilt. Personally, spending any amount of money on myself or others — even if I’ve budgeted to do so — can still make me financially anxious. Should I be saving that money? Is it really essential that I buy myself that cool belt?

First of all, it is absolutely essential that you buy that cool belt. If you’ve budgeted your money correctly, there should be no shame in spending money on yourself or others.

You worked for that money and you deserve to use it.

All in all, whether you’ve budgeted your money unwisely and feel horrible, or you’ve budgeted wisely and still feel horrible, an important mental tip to slide into your wallet is that financial anxiety is not unlike other anxieties: the severity of it is hyperbolized in your head. Of course, if you’ve accidentally bought a lifetime subscription to a bank-accountdestroying pyramid scheme, that’s a different story — but buying too much over the holidays is both a fixable and emotionally manageable financial MILENA PAPPALARDO/ occurrence.

THEVARSITY

Comment

January 17, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/comment comment@thevarsity.ca

Our New Year’s resolution should be to vote Doug Ford out His total lack of leadership and degradation of our health care systems merits no less Logan Liut Comment Columnist

due to the complete collapse of our mismanaged provincial health care services. Seniors like my great-grandmother — some of our most at-risk fellow citizens — are catching COVID-19 in forprofit long-term care homes, which have received inadequate help from the provincial government.

In the middle of a pandemic, our health care system should be reinforced and invested in, but instead, it has been left disgraceful, dilapidated, and unprepared. Our public and universal health care is no longer universal because of Ford’s cuts, unpreparedness, and timidity. People have died and are dying because of that man’s decisions.

Our province is once again in crisis because of Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative party. This winter break has shown Ontarians that Ford and his government are not only inept but also unprepared, deserving nothing less than our total condemnation.

Of course, our university communities are already familiar with the effects of Ford and his incompetent, sorry excuse for a government. From the authoritarian imposition of the Student Choice Initiative (SCI) to his cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), he has disrespected the U of T community beyond the point of forgiveness.

Ford’s interference with our universities In September 2019, The Varsity interviewed some students and faculty who were directly affected or who knew people that were directly affected by Ford’s cuts, who had to take on extra work or give up their dreams of attending university entirely.

In that article, Ananya Banerjee, an assistant professor and interim program director at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health described the dire situation: “Fewer individuals from marginalized communities will be entering our post-secondary education system, and those that do will spiral into severe debt in order to afford it, leading to a rise in mental health issues.” That’s exactly what has happened, all because Ford and his ‘Progressive’ Conservative party cannot bring themselves to even act as if they care about their constituents.

That is because, evidently, they don’t — and it seems like Doug Ford never has.

Ford has also tried to interfere with university affairs through the SCI, albeit unsuccessfully. If the SCI had remained in effect, who knows how many negative consequences could have been caused for the thousands upon thousands of our fellow students at U of T. From the very publication that you are reading, to legal services provided for students facing accusations of plagiarism, to many more student resources, important student services could have been put in jeopardy or completely erased.

ANUSHKA SAINI/THEVARSITY

We must not allow Ford to continue interfering with Ontario universities. He justifies harmful policies by claiming to purge universities of “crazy Marxist nonsense,” and in doing so, he appeases far-right members of his party by fighting against the things schools like U of T truly represent: enlightenment, free thought, tolerance, inclusivity, and progress.

Ford gets an F on COVID-19 Ford’s vendetta against good, publicly funded education continues to this day, and unions that support teachers — including countless Ontario Institute of Studies in Education alums like my own mother — continue to be treated by the provincial government as the bane of Ford’s existence.

Especially with the rise of the Omicron variant, we’ve seen teachers and health care workers, among others, working hard during the pandemic to keep essential services functioning — yet they’re not being praised and supported by the government of the people they serve. Instead, their unions and associations have criticized Ford for making their lives harder through his cuts and unfair legislation.

These workers aren’t alone. Indeed, us students, staff, and faculty know the effect of Ford’s failed premiership too well.

Because Ontario has restricted testing for COVID-19, many students, health care and education workers, and regular citizens have been made to feel so unsafe and they fear going to work or going on campus. The government’s refusal to plan ahead has also fuelled people’s fear of catching COVID-19 — his leadership has failed both the test of people’s confidence and the test posed by this pandemic.

A government responsible for over 14 million people should have stepped up to the plate by now and taken the proverbial bull by its horns.

Instead, alongside the atrophy of an utterly unprepared cabinet, our own premier — the leader who controls our education and health care — disappears from public view when the going gets tough.

Let’s not forget about the public school teachers who have had to work through the pandemic with barely any improvements in classroom ventilation and no blanket mandatory vaccination mandate for teachers or students meeting in person.

Now, the government’s lack of responsibility has gone so far as to compromise our testing and health care infrastructure, leading many Ontarians to revert to a private health care dystopia, paying out of pocket for basic pandemic needs such as testing, and even for non-urgent surgeries,

Enough is enough Good people all over Ontario are facing difficulties due to Ford’s critical missteps. Hardworking parents, both at U of T and across Toronto, are facing the impossible choice between supervising small children doing online learning and showing up to do essential work while scrambling to find childcare options. Ontarians are now being told that they can’t get tested, and people looking to get potentially life-changing surgeries are being turned away. Due to OSAP cuts, prospective and current students at our university and across the province have to weigh education against the prospect of huge debts, the inability to get a loan, and the already existing marginalization.

It’s not enough for Ford or his cabinet to hide behind the excuse of a difficult pandemic. No province has been perfect, but not many of them have collapsed as profoundly as Ontario has. Our province is in shambles, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

The next provincial general election is currently scheduled on June 2, and anyone legally residing in Ontario can register to vote on the Elections Ontario website. Those who would like a reminder to go to the polls and help stop another Ford government can schedule a pre-election reminder email on the Ontario Federation of Labour website.

We cannot make the same mistake. We must vote Doug Ford out.

Logan Liut is a first-year social sciences student at University College.

Essential workers still lack the support they need People who were hailed as heroes deserve more recognition Shernise Mohammed-Ali Associate Comment Editor

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The emergence of the pandemic back in 2020 brought numerous changes that altered society as we know it. It was a time in which we were confronted with a novel and unpredictable virus. For many, the pandemic came with job cuts and lost income.

Some may also consider the beginning of the pandemic as a ‘cultural reset’ in which we questioned what was truly important to society. It was a period of uncertainty, a period in which we hoped — and naively wanted to believe — that this would all be over soon.

Despite their necessity, the physical distancing guidelines not only changed the way we interacted with our friends and family, but they also changed how we interacted with the rest of the world. In some aspects, this meant we gained a stronger sense of community and social responsibility — as evidenced by the numerous commercials of companies promising that they’re here and ready to support us during the pandemic.

Perhaps it was this stronger sense of community and social responsibility that led to a change in how we view essential workers. In otherwise ‘normal’

times, essential workers often go unseen. They are nurses and first responders. Yet they are also fastfood workers, cashiers, and transit workers.

The jobs of essential workers are often disproportionately held by marginalized groups such as people of colour and women. They may not be highly paid individuals, but by risking their lives, they stood — and still stand — at the forefront of the pandemic to not only provide us with essential services but also keep the economy going.

Thus, it comes as no surprise that they were regarded as “heroes” at the beginning of the pandemic.

In many different places, people cheered every evening in honour of the health care workers on the front lines. In numerous commercials and ads, other essential workers were briefly recognized for their work during the pandemic — it can be said that these workers were the heroes of the pandemic.

At least it was so in the early days of the pandemic.

As we now move into our third year of a still-raging pandemic, we fail to give essential workers the same recognition that they once had. In fact, in a recent press conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams referred to these workers as “low-skilled” and lacking in “academic skills.” This marks a considerable departure from “essential.”

The pandemic has put health care workers on the front lines.

AUGUSTINE WONG/THEVARSITY

Another instance in which we see essential workers not getting the recognition they deserve is in the recent nurse shortage in Ontario. Across Ontario, there are an alarming number of nurses that are burnt out and, as a consequence, taking a step back from the profession. This has led to a shortage of nurses when we need them the most.

According to a recent article in Global News, the shortage of nurses predates COVID-19, and the pandemic has worsened nursing conditions that were never addressed, such as an aging workforce and poor salaries. What’s more, the lack of protection and mental health support for nurses has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. This has inevitably resulted in a public health crisis in which many nurses are choosing to change professions altogether.

Expressing solidarity with their cause is simply not enough. The government of Ontario needs to invest more in the nursing sector by increasing their

wages and improving mental health support. Only then can we begin to address the considerable stress that nurses are under.

In short, the way in which we treat our essential workers has to change. These workers have literally given their lives so that we can have our basic needs — yet we fail to recognize this. Instead, we designate these workers as “low-skilled” and remain ignorant of their needs. We continue to exploit and undervalue their dedication to not only their jobs but also to getting society through a pandemic.

These workers are essential, and yet they’re treated as though they’re expendable. It’s time that we give them the compensation, respect, and recognition that they deserve.

Shernise Mohammed-Ali is a third-year neuroscience, psychology, and English student at Victoria College. She is an associate comment editor at The Varsity.

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It’s time to solve the tenure problem The long sought-after job title should consider new requirements Isabella Liu Varsity Contributor

It’s rather ironic, some might say: the call for the death of the tenure, a practice that provides job security, is coming right at a time when job insecurity has never been more prevalent. But there exists no better time to discuss tenure. The future is shaky due to COVID-19, and with that comes the perfect opportunity to finally settle the score over one of the longest running controversies of the academic world.

Truthfully, it would be unfair to call tenures wholly useless and do away with them entirely; they are a valuable reward for teaching and provide stability above all else. However, that is not to say that the way universities currently manage tenures is perfect and requires no revisions.

As the world of education changes and grows, many concerns have risen over the years, including issues with a fear of complacency among professors, conflicts between professors and their universities, and more — all of which should not be disregarded. Thus, while tenure should be kept in institutions of higher education, changes must be made to its provisions and how it is employed to address the public’s worries.

First introduced in the 1700s, the original purpose of tenure was to protect the academic freedom of teachers under religious schools. Since then, the concept has grown and expanded to include different requirements, limits, and capacities, becoming what it is today: a spot on an institution’s faculty for an indefinite period of time. Today, a large number of American and Canadian universities offer tenure

to professors who have proven their academic and professional capabilities, show redeemable merit, and have been reviewed as someone who can contribute greatly to the university.

The concept of tenure itself is not a harmful practice. Tenure protects professors’ academic freedom, speech, and more.

Apart from that, tenure serves as a reward.

Achieving the position of a college professor is difficult and comes with many risks and sacrifices.

According to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the average age at which most candidates complete doctorates is 31.6 years old, based on the latest data from 2014. Hence, becoming a professor can mean throwing away many of one’s early adult years. The opportunity cost for potential professors — letting go of their ability to do something else, such as start a family or go travelling — is high, and the workload is immense.

Moreover, the demands that come with teaching can be extremely stressful, which can mean an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Tenure serves as a form of recognition to these professors for the work they’ve accomplished and challenges they’ve faced, and it’s something to look forward to and work toward in such a stressful environment with such high demands.

Yet, at the same time, tenure is not that simple.

Over the last few years, it’s become increasingly controversial due to the rising concern expressed by some writers that it does more harm than good to the quality of education in the Americas overall.

One of the most prominent arguments against tenure is that it promotes complacency, leading to

unproductivity and issues with teaching methods.

Essentially, when tenure provides the reassurance that a professor will not lose their position in most circumstances, the fear is that they will get ‘too comfortable.’ With their new safety net, professors may make minimal effort in their position and achieve worse results. Their productivity falls as a result, and the quality of the education they provide may fall too.

In 2014, a Californian judge brought up these concerns when they deemed the state’s tenure policies harmful and in violation of a student’s right to quality education, leaving them with “ineffective teachers.” While this ruling was mostly directed at tenured teachers in elementary through high school, the concern for quality education permeates across all levels of education.

Other criticisms of tenure include its expensive costs — a single tenured professor costs around $100,000 annually, on average — and clashes between the professor and university over scheduling, curriculum details, and student complaints.

Furthermore, when a professor refuses to adhere to certain administrative decisions, such as employing new forms of technology or teaching methods, they risk hindering the school’s progress to higher quality education. From the lack of actual teaching that tenured positions require, to the fear that they block out ‘new talent’ from being scouted, the core worry over tenure boils down to the theory that tenure makes professors too “comfortable”; that tenured professors are supposedly entitled to too much.

The topic is controversial because the arguments on both sides are strong. It’d be wrong to claim that tenure does nothing, but it’d also be unwise to rule out the possibility of any of the

concerns people have expressed about it coming to fruition. Thus, a compromise is the best solution — and in this case, that can be done through long-term rolling contracts.

It’s clear that a major vice of tenure is its lack of accountability: there are no standards to be met or criteria for professors to complete each year to ensure that they are providing their worth. That’s where the idea of rolling tenure contracts comes in.

They provide the exact same benefits as standard tenure does at any school, from a higher salary to an indefinitely guaranteed position that they can retire from at any time, yet they also solve many of its issues.

Similar to an annual review, rolling contracts would be reviewed every academic period or so, requiring the professor to stay on top in order to meet the standards for their contract renewal.

Moreover, should any professor violate the terms of the contract or begin to show clear signs of unproductivity, it becomes easier to terminate them from their positions. Contracts help establish a baseline amount of contribution that the professor must make toward the school — ideally, no less than what they commit to pre-tenure — but promise the safety of their position otherwise.

At the end of the day, tenure has positive contributions: it protects the academic freedom of educators, provides stability for a tough occupation, and more. However, it’s possible to fix the tenure system’s underlying flaws by revamping and tightening it while still keeping said system intact.

Isabella Liu is a first-year social sciences student at Victoria College.

More Black voices in research means better outcomes Black Research Network is the beginning of much-needed support for Black scholarship Jasmin Akbari Varsity Staff

Content warning: This article discusses death and anti-Black systemic racism in medical research.

University of Toronto, along with the rest of Canada, has a history of segregating against Black academics and their research. Historically, Ontario has legally banned Black students from attending schools with white students. Moreover, Canadian universities, including the University of Toronto, would reject Black students’ applications out of hand. This occurred most notably in medical schools and nursing schools, and even if Black students were able to receive their medical degrees, very few hospitals would accept Black medical interns.

A 2017 research book depicting a data-based study published by the University of British Columbia found that despite the beginning of diversity and equity-driven policies in the 1980s, there have not been many major changes in academia to accommodate and promote Black researchers. More importantly, this study found through data that Black researchers and other racialized minorities have more difficulties securing funding for their work and even getting their work published.

The Black Research Network Research is the origin of new knowledge and can encourage change in outdated systems. At first glance, supporting Black research seems to be an isolated issue for the Black community only; thus, it can be difficult to understand why people outside Black communities should care.

But without the opportunity to receive funding or support, Black researchers have fewer opportunities to promote the needs of their communities in institutions such as courthouses, hospitals,

and universities. As a result, research as a whole is often distorted and does not accurately reflect the entire population, which can ultimately harm everybody.

U of T formed the Anti-Black Racism Task Force in response to worldwide protests against racial injustices. The Black Research Network (BRN) at U of T was launched in October 2021 following the task force’s report in March 2021, which recommended that U of T fund and support the BRN. The goal of this network is to enhance and aid Black scholars at the university through the BRN’s four pillars: research excellence; mentorship and pathways; funding and investment; and community, collaboration, and partnerships.

Why the BRN matters Establishing a network for the Black community at the university can promote Black scholarship and excellence. More importantly, the BRN can create a safe space and support system for U of T’s Black community. The need for this has become far more evident with the current pandemic, especially in light of how the lack of research for the Black community in Canada and the lack of support for Black researchers have been detrimental to the health care provided to the Black community.

Systemic racism, rural isolation, and poverty all affect the health care that Black Canadians receive. If health care is a universal right for all Canadians, why are the needs of the Black community not met?

Decades of institutional mistreatment by the medical system and providers have left the community with trauma and distrust. Studies have shown that some members of the Black community distrust COVID-19 vaccines due to the long history of abuse and mistreatment that Black patients have undergone. The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments, which exploited many Black men for medical research and resulted in

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128 deaths, is only one of the many injustices that Black communities have experienced in North America.

Moreover, there is still very little research conducted on why and how certain health conditions and illnesses affect Black people disproportionately, such as diabetes and breast cancer. By supporting Black researchers, health care workers can gain a better understanding of the experience of Black Canadians and, more importantly, find ways to provide better health care for them.

However, the health care system is not the only system that negatively impacts the Black community. The legal system and corporate world are also places where Black voices are not heard. To put it simply, without Black researchers at the forefront of change, the needs of the Black community would likely never be met, and systemic racism in Canada would probably not have been addressed.

What lies ahead The problems that exist in our institutions today will not be solved in a year, much less a day.

Instead, change is a long process that will require everyone’s cooperation.

The University of Toronto must continue to support and provide opportunities to Black professors, librarians, postdocs, graduate

students, and undergraduates. Supporting Black researchers — whether it be behind the scenes, throughout the research process, or after publication — can create impactful changes.

Supporting Black researchers and promoting their work are other steps allies can take.

Black researchers are needed at the forefront of policymaking to protect the needs of the Black community. Supporting the voices of Black Canadians can also bring forth more innovation, as diversity is considered to boost it.

As we enter the new year, we must take time to reflect on 2021 and the many revelations that have come with it. More importantly, it is time to encourage the leaders who are leading this change to support U of T’s Black community.

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

If you or someone you know has been affected by anti-Black racism, you can call: • U of T’s Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office at 416-978-1259, or • Black Youth Helpline at 416-285-9944, or • U of T My Student Support Program at 844451-9700.

thevarsity.ca/section/comment

JANUARY 17, 2022

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Forum: Should we give a hard no to hard deadlines?

COVID-19 has changed the academic landscape of course policies Jocelyn Mattka and Katherine E. Todd Varsity Contributors

Given the impact of the pandemic on student mental health, some professors have ditched late penalties. However, some students think strict deadlines should also be abolished for the sake of student well-being. Two contributors debate the necessity of hard deadlines, one arguing in their favour and the other suggesting the use of unenforced due dates to help students space out their assignments, instead.

Deadlines exist for a reason Hard deadlines have value because they can keep students from falling behind in course material. Deadlines can act as a time management tool, keeping students from leaving an overwhelming pile of work to the last minute.

As a first-year Faculty of Arts & Science student, I have found that the planning and organizational skills that university courses require are significantly greater than those needed for high school courses. If these courses completely removed strict deadlines, I believe a different kind of stress would emerge from the expectation that students must do 100 per cent of the organizational work themselves.

According to Duke professor and author Dan Ariely, deadlines are the driving force for turning intention into action. Without looming deadlines, assignments are easy to push off — intentionally or not.

Another reason why I support deadlines is because they allow for feedback. When deadlines are placed throughout the semester, professors have the opportunity to let students know how they are doing with the work, offer suggestions, and provide encouragement. In some cases, feedback on early assignments can be used to help a student determine if they are in the appropriate course, or if they will be able to succeed in the course given the rest of their current workload. If students wait until too late in a semester to submit their work, they may not be able to make the most of these valuable assessment opportunities.

Finally, deadlines represent one of the most important learning habits: practice. When I began

ANDREA ZHAO/THEVARSITY

MAT135 — Calculus I this past September, I was presented with a module that compared the process of learning in general with the process of learning math. From it, students learned one similarity between these two processes that could apply to other courses: the best way to study is to practice. Deadlines throughout the semester can ensure that students are constantly practising, which better prepares them for the final exam than any amount of last-minute cramming.

Overall, I believe there are many valid reasons for maintaining the existence of strict deadlines.

With that said, given the current circumstances, it is also important that professors continue to be mindful of the additional stresses and difficulties being managed by their students. Making extensions easy to access, continuing to reduce late penalties, and being receptive to student feedback are all ways that professors can reduce student burden while still maintaining deadlines.

Jocelyn Mattka is a first-year social sciences student at Victoria College. She is also a firstyear VUSAC councillor.

Strict assignment deadlines are ineffective during a pandemic Deadlines for assignments are usually beneficial.

However, in an unprecedented pandemic, the stress students incur due to deadlines becomes detrimental to their well-being and success. Now that COVID-19 has come to dominate conversations about education, the Ontario government has released guidance for educators, suggesting that they should consider the mental health of students a top priority.

Canadian youth were already facing a mental health crisis before the pandemic, with one in five young Canadians meeting the diagnostic criteria for at least one mental disorder. Compared to youth in other economically advanced countries, young Canadians were already suffering disproportionately from mental health issues; a 2020 UNICEF study comparing measures of well-being in 38 high-income countries ranked Canada at 31st.

Studies conducted after the start of the pandemic have suggested that youth are now struggling even more. According to the World Health Organization, loneliness associated with lockdowns and remote learning, depression, anxiety,

substance use, and self-harming behaviours are all expected to rise as the pandemic continues.

A researcher at Stanford University found that 56 per cent of students from 10 high-performing Californian high schools considered homework to be their main source of academic stress before the pandemic started. Students believed that stressful assignments negatively affected their health, created barriers to extracurricular pursuits, and ate into time they would otherwise spend with friends and family. A study published in BMC Psychology also found that since COVID-19 began impacting educational systems and school closures became widespread, over 60 per cent of domestic US college students have found it more difficult to complete their courses remotely.

Educators traditionally impose deadlines for assignments because deadlines teach students about ‘real-world skills,’ work ethics, and the consequences of their actions. Deadlines are even known to temporarily increase performance due to what is called the Yerkes-Dodson law, where moderate amounts of stress created by deadlines psychologically stimulate students.

However, when stress levels become too high — like during a pandemic — deadlines no longer help students succeed and teach them how the real world works. Instead, those deadlines add to the massive list of stressors students are already facing, setting them up for failure.

Soft deadlines could be a solution to this difficult problem. Although flexible deadlines may hinder educators’ ability to give timely feedback and pace their marking, the adoption of soft deadlines before a final due date would allow educators to avoid penalizing students for missing deadlines that are negatively impacting their mental health.

As students struggle to continue their studies, educators need to adapt to the current situation and assist their students during these particularly trying times. The goal of education should be to teach students and accommodate them, not to create more stress and further mental health issues.

Katherine E. Todd is a fourth-year student studying political science and public law at UTSC.

There are clear policy solutions for our mental health crisis Some policies that come at little cost but save millions of lives MIA CARNEVALE/ THEVARSITY

Faiz Jan Varsity Contributor

Content warning: This article mentions death by suicide.

The Australian flannel flower is so pale that it looks sad. Yet this stubborn and persevering plant was chosen as Australia’s symbol for mental health awareness. This flower stands as a symbol and testament to the measures Australia took to ensure that everyone would have access to the mental health care they needed. And while the system is far from perfect, it has worked, causing an 83 per cent increase in care service over the decade before 1997 and lower rates of mental illness than Canada.

The flannel flower has come to represent not only the need for mental health care, but also the

possibilities for success in confronting the mental health crisis. Roughly 4,012 Canadians annually die by suicide, millions experience depression, and millions more deal with substance use disorders at some point in their lives, and this mental health crisis has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

But research is piling up to provide a glimmer of hope in an otherwise desolate time.

A recent report — to which I contributed — conducted an in-depth study of policies that may significantly improve mental health care.

This study has added to the research from the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the Conference Board of Canada, and a plethora of other researchers in showing how lessons from the likes of Australia can be applied in Canada.

Nearly all policy research on mental health care consistently identifies four issues to address: social stigma that prevents access to care, excessive cost of care, lack of knowledge of mental illness by important community leaders such as medical professionals, and a lack of awareness and available resources for mental illness. And the research has pointed to four corresponding policy solutions.

For one, by giving students free access to 26 sessions of cognitive behavioural, dialectical behavioural, or psychodynamic therapy, we can make sure that everyone can afford the care they need. A survey I helped conduct by the Rideau Students’ Union shows that over 78 per cent of students attribute high costs as a primary motivator of them not accessing care, but this would no longer be the case if it was simply made free. These

three types of psychotherapy ensure that there is a variety of options for students to get the kind of care that best suits them. Additionally, according to a study by Falk Leichsenring, rates of success in overcoming depression among the individual kinds of therapy are as high as 87 per cent.

A second solution would be a policy mandating students have at least one annual mental health check-in for a period of six years. While some may find this aggressive, the policy would go a long way to solve two major issues. Firstly, it would greatly combat the issue of social stigma, simply by making it common to access care. Reporting your absence from a lunch date due to a mental health check-in would be fine in a world where everyone has them from time to time. The mandated sessions also need not be too invasive and can be used to teach students about mental health and about available resources, ensuring a further reduction of stigma and allowing students to know where to go for future problems, if they have any.

Additionally, this policy could also go a long way to aid those who suffer from ego-syntonic disorders — mental disorders clients do not realize they have or are in denial of — by simply informing them of their situation and guiding them toward improvement.

There must also be mandatory mental health training for police officers, medical professionals, teachers, and professors. Research indicates that these leaders — who regularly encounter individuals with mental illness and can have a significant effect on recovery — don’t have the knowledge to identify and help those with mental illness.

Finally, there should be a section in the Human Rights Code that explicitly prohibits discrimination by employers, prospective schools, or other service organizations for people who access mental health care. This is another simple policy that can reduce stigma, as many students have indicated that they are discouraged from accessing care because of a potential threat to their future. It would include ending regressive policies such as the University-Mandated Leave of Absence Policy, which allow mental illness to be used to create institutional power.

A report in the Journal Psychiatric Services found that $1 spent on mental health care would result in $2 of savings for society. These four policies, after having been reviewed, were found to be able to break-even budgetarily within seven years of implementation. And that doesn’t even account for the fact that these policies would save thousands of lives, prevent tens of thousands of cases of substance use, reduce crime, decrease poverty, and so much more.

We are witnessing a mental health crisis, but the flannel flower shows that there is hope for an easy solution.

Faiz Jan is a first-year commerce student at New College, a former policy analyst at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and a researcher for the Peace of Mind student think tank where he has conducted research on mental health policy.

He is also a member of the University of Toronto Studentsʼ Union First Year Council.

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THE VARSITY

FEATURES

Why psychology should be for “all” of us Seavey van Walsum Varsity Contributor

Across times and cultures, gendered bias has affected our design choices in many ways. In the past, many Western structures have prioritized a masculine norm: candidates for clinical trials were mostly or exclusively men, surveys of public opinion only consulted men, and athletic competitions excluded women.

Despite the continuation of some of these structures, we’ve witnessed a positive shift away from this masculine norm: women have their own categories in sports, masculine clinical trials are at least now recognized as failing women, and the public sphere

generally includes women and holds a vestige of support for trans and nonbinary people. Our methods of categorizing gender to better design competitions, public systems, and mental health treatment has evolved, and largely for the better.

That said, I’m not convinced we’ve found the right method for gender inclusion yet, especially when it comes to mental health.

Here’s why.

In 2018 and May 2021, I went to see a psychologist. As is common in the first few sessions, I took a few diagnostic tests — one of which was the Personality Assessment Inventory™ (PAI™). The PAI™ asks 344 questions and measures 11 important clinical constructs. The test asked me to select my age, ethnicity, and education, as well as indicate whether I was “male or female.”

After that, I responded to the run-of-the-mill anxiety and depression screening questions,

along with seemingly non-sequitur ones about matters of personal taste, such as sports preferences. The test then synthesized my answers and graphed them for my clinician, who described my results to me.

Anyone who takes this test will be confronted with a score that estimates how likely you are to have a mental illness like depression when compared against standards of mental health. These standards consider factors such as your age, ethnicity, education level, and gender — meaning that two people taking the test who differ in gender will be compared against different standards. The parent company of this test — PAR, Inc. — describes “specific normative data based on age and gender” as a key strength in their diagnostic accuracy.

But I was shocked by my results. I was compared to both the general population and to postsecondary students — a population riddled with stress and mental health issues.

What ranked as unhealthy behaviour for the general population appeared exemplary compared to my peers. Results that might

have otherwise scraped the diagnosability line now disappeared from its sight, plummeting below the average. At the very least, I was thankful to see my general population norm group score and postsecondary student population score displayed side-by-side; otherwise there would be no way to know how bad I had it as a postsecondary student.

But again, I was only being compared within my selected “male or female” category and I was blind to the norm of the group that had chosen the other category. This separation establishes different norms for differently gendered individuals, as it assumes different patterns of mental illness and resilience.

The PAI™ isn’t alone in this. Historically, tests like The Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, and the Schedule of Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP) use or have used normative gender or sex categories to differentiate between test-takers.

However, for just as long as gender or sexnorm groups have been used, researchers have also debated whether relying on a unisex norm group would be better. The SNAP manual wrote that “the long-held assumption that gendered norms provide

a more valid basis for assessment is being challenged.” That was in 1993.

How we display data and design gender and sex categories matters. This is because our data, and the methods we use to interpret them, impact how we structure our world to accurately reflect our population. If diagnostic tests for depression and anxiety continue to divide people by gender, then we will continue to believe that mental health conditions affect those people in different ways — when, in fact, anyone can experience them and share the same symptoms of someone gendered differently than they are.

With that in mind, I propose that we should begin using the (un)gendered category ‘all.’

This category could serve as a unisex norm, which would enable us to reflect the full scale of diversity in gender and sex, and understand them as spectrums.

The function of ‘all’ If we acknowledge that mental illness are not

caused by inherent gender or sex differences — and especially if we acknowledge mental illness are socially shaped — it makes little sense not to compare men and women together.

Regardless of whether we believe that differences between men’s brains and women’s brains are inherent or socialized, we know that our brains are indelibly shaped by environmental stressors. So, when we treat brains as ‘male’ or ‘female,’ we create differences between them.

This becomes a self-sustaining, self-justifying system. In other words, the more we assess people and conduct research with differential gender or sex categorization at the outset, the more we entrench these normative gender or sex categories.

Discussions started by feminists and men’s rights activists often cite society as the cause of a harmful mental state. The premise for their claims is about the same: victimhood on account of being assigned a gender without consent and being raised on a preexisting social script to perform gender in a constricting way.

For those who aren’t familiar with gendered socialization in its subtler forms, a 1999 article popularized by Caroline Paul’s 2016 TED Talk serves as a good case study. It found that toddlers were taught very differently about risk depending on their gender.

Researchers observed parental supervision of playtime on a “firehouse type pole” and a “free-play episode.” In these episodes, they found that parents gave sons “more directives, fewer explanations, and more

features@thevarsity.ca

Mental health diagnostic tests overlook gender diversity, but a new gender category would change that

questions communicating information about how to perform the pole task than daughters.”

They also found that parents provided more “spontaneous physical assistance” to their daughters than their sons, even though the report found that “there were no sex differences in children’s playground skills or their abilities to complete the task independently.” Given the fact that prepubescent children exhibit little to no sex-related strength differences, these results suggest an unfair bias in the way individuals are socialized throughout childhood just because of their gender.

If our goal is to create a society where no one suffers undue hardship because of gender or sex, then we must establish where socialization ends and nature begins. Only by doing so can we understand whether or not our gendered categories are justified, and to what extent they are useful.

Most importantly, we would have a clearer picture of the degree to which mental illnesses are exacerbated and encouraged by gender roles, and where the average

ought to be for everyone, regardless of sex or gender.

Using ‘all’ as a gender category helps us in this endeavour, as the category reveals how much our behaviours are influenced by gender norms. ‘All’ is the best way to categorize how people feel when they allow themselves to be, without punishing gender deviancy.

The efficacy of unisex scoring Some are also concerned that women and men express disorders and neurodivergence too differently to be scored by the same metric.

While it is true that many of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD and autism are biased against women, that bias

primarily exists because, historically, the parameters for diagnosis were modelled after primarily male clinical groups. In other words, the shortcomings of these criteria to accurately diagnose both men and women stem from men-biased metrics, not from the use of a true ‘all’ category.

ADHD and autism don’t look very different across gender categories, either. Granted, women with autism tend to ‘mask’ more — that is, to hide autistic traits and behaviours to better fit in with neurotypical people. But, even this likely has more to do with gendered socialization — specifically the idealization of ‘quiet and shy women’ — rather than inherent sex or gender differences.

Moreover, studies conducted on gender and sex bias have found that women were more likely to be misdiagnosed with borderline, dependent, and histrionic personality disorders when using gendernormed scores. It’s important to note that the word ‘histrionic’ itself comes from a word with sexist origins. On the other hand, when unisex norms were applied, they were less likely to be misdiagnosed.

Ultimately, claims that an ‘all’ category would lead to misdiagnosis

disregard the fact that diagnostic tests are not the be-all-end-all of assessment. Such claims ignore the client interviews, observer responses, and triangulations of scores between multiple diagnostic tests, which are all integral to the diagnosis process.

Some still argue that an ‘all’ category is unfair or will lead to misdiagnosis because it doesn’t account for the real, biological differences between men and women. These detractors believe the categories are inherently incomparable. But I can make the same argument about comparing individuals within the same binary sex and gender category and the widespread misdiagnoses that causes.

For example, let’s take a 2015 article in the Current Behavioural Neuroscience Reports titled “Is Impulsivity a Male Rather Than A Female Trait?” Immediately, the title promises the reader a blanket conclusion, but upon closer evaluation, the study does not provide any evidence for any blanket statements.

Rather, the researchers found that candidates who identified as ‘female’ were on average less impulsive than ‘males’ during the fertile stages of their menstrual cycle. Meanwhile, adolescent ‘females’ exhibited more risky and impulsive behaviours than adolescent ‘males.’

From this, you may come away with the

idea that women are less impulsive than men. However, you would be assuming that all women have active menstrual cycles — when, in fact, even among cisgender women, many do not. If the

category — which is why it is necessary for us to account for gender diversity if we want to

better understand and reflect our population.

If binary gender c a t e g o r i e s a re n ’t even accurate for cis people, then it’s not hard to see how they could be even less accurate if you’re not cis. Trans and nonbinary people become factored into gender binary categories as outliers rather than reliable members

average age of menopause is 51, and the expected age of menstruation onset is 11 to 14, then a significant number of women must be menopausal or premenstrual.

According to the World Bank, only 42.04 per cent of the world’s women population — the term used in the World Bank report — is between 20–49, the ages at which we can confidently expect women to be menstruating.

Hence, the study immediately neglects more than half of the cis women population — and that doesn’t even account for trans women, who may experience estrogen hormone cycles but no menstruation, trans men and nonbinary people who still menstruate, and cis women who use birth control that affects their cycle.

The reality of sex and gender diversity There is so much variation within binary categories. While there are real reasons that we use ‘male’ and ‘female’ as categories in many concrete medical contexts, the combined sex and gender experiences of the majority of people don’t fall uniformly into either

of any particular group. I experienced this myself in these tests.

After I took my diagnostic test, I received an email titled: “Apologies — no non-binary option on normative scales so your scores are compared to a [binary gender] norm group.”

It’s important to have trans-norm groups to understand the common stressors within this community. However, once these tests establish the normative baseline for mental health among trans people — a group that suffers from disproportionate amounts of mental illnesses — we have to ask what measurement of mental health we should be aiming for.

Including ‘all’ as a category promises to be beneficial even when applied beyond the realm of diagnostic psychology — from the treatment of mental health disorders to the organization of sports to every other corner of life. My vision for ‘all’ as a gendered category is that it will become as legitimate and universal as ‘male’ or ‘female’ or ‘man’ or ‘woman’ in every context; anytime there is a discussion of gender or sex, ‘all’ should be included.

SEAVEY VAN WALSUM/THEVARSITY

Arts & Culture

January 17, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/arts-and-culture arts@thevarsity.ca

Welcome to a tea party with Block Party Magazine How two UTSC students shook the dust off of literary journals Madeline Szabo Arts & Culture Correspondent

Block Party Magazine rides the line between a spunky zine and a striking literary journal. It features an eclectic mix of work from an innovative community of artists and writers. Even before I interviewed its founders, fellow U of T students Isla McLaughlin and Joseph Donato, their literary baby made me excited about the future of literature.

I recently spoke to the duo about their inspiration for Block Party Magazine, the process of creating their publication, and their future endeavours.

However, our chat felt less like a Zoom interview and more like popping into my neighbours’ house for tea. What follows is a taste of that tea party.

The Varsity: Can you describe how Block Party began?

Isla McLaughlin: Joseph and I went to grade school, high school, and university together. We both also submit to magazines together. The more we were talking about it, the more frustrated we were getting with literary magazines. Lit mags aren’t operating in a way that is accessible and stress-free.

We wanted to make an opportunity that we, as submitters, would like to receive. We got together 14 days after our second dose of COVID-19 vaccine and talked about Block Party the whole time. Then it came to be, toward the end of summer.

TV: After you figured out what you wanted to do, how did you come up with the vibe you wanted Block Party to have?

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Joseph Donato: It’s really just [about] the community. We wanted it to be very open. That is the vibe we were going for.

TV: The name is also a very important part of the vibe. How did you come up with it?

IM: We were very much looking for a name that was grounded in a place because we wanted to create a virtual community. That’s more so what we had been missing in our writing careers. We very much emerged into this writing world during the pandemic so we didn’t have a grounded space where we could share our work. We liked the idea of a block party because it’s an opportunity for neighbors to share the secret talents you never thought they’d have.

TV: So much of a community is rooted in the place where it exists. How do you think physical location ties into the journal?

JD: I was so shocked when the submissions started coming in from all over the world. It’s very international. It’s different to receive work from all over the world. Being online gives us the chance to get work from Italy, from Iran, from everywhere.

TV: In keeping with the theme of physical place, I really appreciate how you incorporate meaningful acknowledgements of Indigenous culture on your website. Tell me about how you came to include this?

IM: We want to build a land acknowledgement policy but again, we’re looking to provide a compensated opportunity for an Indigenous person to

COURTESY OF JOSEPH DONATO

do this. It’s not our place to speak over anyone and we want to make sure that if we’re engaging with it, we’re doing it properly.

TV: Interesting! That would take financial compensation. How would Block Party change with additional funding?

IM: Our goal for grants would be to create longterm editorial positions for marginalized writers.

We’re working to rectify the long standing inequities in the editorial field. There’s huge issues with lit magazines only creating volunteer opportunities for marginalized writers. We do want to create substantial, well compensated, long-term, skill building opportunities for marginalized writers.

TV: How do you think the magazine will change as the years go by?

JD: We hope that it grows and that in the fall we can provide a physical copy of the magazine because it would be a special thing to own if you’re a contributor. I also hope that we are able to give a platform to more people.

IM: In the new year, we want to publish nonfiction on a rolling basis. After university, we hope to create other publications: chatbooks and zines.

They’re very much community-based and smaller-scale in the literary world, but we like it that way. They’re relics, like these little glimpses into a community.

Ultimately, Block Party Magazine fosters the acceptance and comfort that the sometimes harsh literary world has been needing. The publication’s first issue, “Body” — developed in collaboration with Brand Strategist Abigail Wiley and collaborator Madeline Frenchette — was one in which bodies told stories “in all their pain, shame and glory.” Its next issue, “Bloom” — which will be released in March 2022 — promises to capture “growth, change, warmth, and new beginnings.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Disclaimer: Isla McLaughin and Joseph Donato are contributors for The Varsity.

Head in the clouds: Being a travel influencer during a pandemic As a social media consumer, I enjoy content that doesn’t recklessly endanger people

Cherry Zhang Associate Senior Copy Editor

Over a week ago, a video of a party happening onboard a chartered Sunwing flight from Montréal to Cancún went viral online. More than 100 influencers from Québec were on that private flight to Mexico for a vacation. In the video, some of the passengers are seen standing up and partying maskless, passing around bottles of alcohol, and vaping.

Following the backlash, Sunwing decided to cancel the passengers’ return flight to Canada.

Other airlines, including Air Canada and Air Transat, also announced that they would block the group’s members from their flights, leaving them stranded in Cancún for the time being.

I’m not sure what the intent behind the event was. Maybe the passengers simply wanted a chance to relax for a week and ring in the new year on a good note — that’s fair enough. Or maybe they were hoping to create good escapist content for their followers. Either way, I don’t know what goal their mid-flight rave achieved.

In the best of times, air travel — especially international — is already a privilege. Frequent

commercial flight cancellations and the high costs of travel-purpose PCR tests have made it even more difficult to fly now, including for those who might desperately need to fly home to see family or for other purposes.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to travel frequently in the past. I’ve also avoided flying in the last two years until I absolutely had to this summer, for the start of fall semester. It was undoubtedly my least enjoyable experience flying — and one I don’t particularly want to go through again. So it’s weird to see people partying on planes without a care in the world.

While people may have enjoyed living vicariously through influencers’ wild excursions and luxuries before, the pandemic has brought us closer to reality. We’re all painfully aware of the elephant in the room that’s made it overwhelmingly obvious how different the lives that people lead are.

Viewing it generously, I understand that it’s difficult to create content right now. A large element of being creative is that it’s often an inherently public act, which doesn’t seem possible to do in traditional ways these days. For people who dedicate their lives to being in the public space and doing these acts, it’s an odd time to live in.

I’ve become interested in travel influencers and vlogs since the start of 2020. At that time, it was interesting to watch people live out adventures I couldn’t have, and, as time passed, it became a comforting pastime. Given the amount of content out there that was made during the pandemic, it’s safe to say that there is a way to be a content creator and a decent human being at the same time.

Granted, this content is very different from the material the Québec influencers produce. One of the travel channels I follow on YouTube — Eamon and Bec, also based in Canada — documented their journey over the last two years as they went from living out of a van to a cabin in the woods.

It certainly wasn’t the height of luxury in Cancún, but I found it an interesting watch nonetheless.

Genuinely, though, I don’t care if you’re staying in a fancy hotel for a city staycation or going on a private helicopter ride above the water. If that’s how you choose to spend your life and money, then so be it. I’m not enraged by the influencers’ ‘luxury’ privilege as much as I am about their disregard for all consequences.

At least one person on that party flight tested positive for COVID-19 after landing. When forced to take PCR tests upon arrival, some passengers

tried to put Vaseline in their nose to produce a negative test.

There are ways to safely travel during a pandemic. It doesn’t have to happen completely off the grid, but it is absolutely not what happened on the flight that day. For people with up to a million followers, they do have some responsibility to the public — whether they care for it or not.

Some of the influencers on that flight eventually made it back to Canada. Nobody was arrested, although investigations are ongoing. Part of being a public creator is accepting accountability, which some have yet to take.

The event organizer, James William Awad, tweeted, “Reality of the story, sheeps are mad because people partied on a private chartered plane where partying was allowed. Wake up!!” I think the implied contract with the public eye goes both ways, which includes taking responsibility for content met with love or criticism.

Yes, the past two years have been challenging. Yes, it’s okay to have fun and share it with others. I still love watching people online enjoy things I never will — but, as a social media consumer, I prefer content that doesn’t recklessly endanger people.

thevarsity.ca/section/arts-and-culture

JANUARY 17, 2022 themselves with either walking sticks or human escorts.

Why women should stop wearing women's clothing Women’s bodies are centre stage even when we don’t want them to be By abandoning women’s clothing, we’re not abandoning femininity — we’re redefining it.

RUESHEN AKSOY/THEVARSITY

Sri Uma Gundi Varsity Contributor

Content warning: This article mentions rape threats.

Women’s appearances have been a controversial topic for a long time. Whether it’s through articles about redefining modest women’s wear, reports on how religious garments preserve cultural meaning, or commentators drooling over celebrities’ dresses at red carpet events, women’s appearances are often center stage — usually when we don’t want them to be.

Recently, I’ve thought more about the marketing and expectations surrounding women’s clothing in comparison to men’s. Though my observation is far from over, I already have a lot to say.

Hypersexualization and restriction There’s a phrase that says, “She’s a pearl among women.” It is used to refer to someone who is “valued.”

Though it may be intended as a compliment, I interpret the phrase to mean that women are perceived as more ‘valuable’ than other genders and must often be safeguarded from others. This theory is backed by societal norms — the dress codes of some workplaces and schools prohibit the exposure of women’s thighs or shoulders. In contrast, men are often not reprimanded for showing these body parts, which contributes to the sexualisation of female-presenting bodies.

Most shockingly, women’s clothing can restrict our bodies’ movement. A study by the Body and Media Lab at Northwestern University found that women are more likely than men to wear clothing that’s painful, distracts them, or restricts their movement. One example is the high heel — from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century, women in Europe would wear shoes with heels as high as three feet. Because they were unable to move while wearing them, they would support

A glimpse inside the weird world of Wikipedia Your favourite unreliable source offers more odd interesting tidbits than you think Sky Kapoor Associate Arts & Culture Editor

On January 15, the world changed forever; that’s the date of birth of Martin Luther King Jr., Pitbull, and ,most importantly, Wikipedia. It was a day when the world was truly gifted.

Wikipedia, the abyss of information and knowledge, often gets a bad rap for being an “unreliable source” that anyone can edit — which is far from true. I’d go as far as to say that Wikipedia might be one of the best places on the internet — the entire sum of human knowledge is available at our fingertips!

We have Wikipedia to thank for many of life’s simple pleasures. It’s a seemingly endless source of knowledge; it is used for games like 5 Clicks to Jesus and can provide entertainment for hours at a time. Some may describe that time as “wasted,” but I describe it as fascinating.

This is an ode to the rabbit holes, the dazed and bored blue link clicks, and the deep journeys into the world of Wikipedia, this is a list of the most unusual articles I’ve encountered in my time perusing and editing this wonderful website.

10. List of people who have lived in airports Eternal layover, anyone? This list features a flighty bunch who were driven to reside in airports for over a week, for reasons including politics, family problems, and running out of money. Maybe if you’re a huge fan of these liminal spaces, you might be added to the list someday.

9. The sweater curse Knitters and crocheters alike will be familiar with the content of this Wikipedia article, which explains a term used by knitters — the sweater curse — to describe the belief that knitting a sweater for a significant other will lead to the untimely demise of the relationship. Multiple reasons

are given for this phenomenon, including unlucky timing, insufficient gratitude, and even the sweater being a catalyst for reevaluating the relationship.

I’d stick to a nice pair of mittens, if I were you.

8. List of inventors killed by their own inventions This list is one of my favourites, as it’s the perfect example of irony. The list covers everything from art to aviation, and even touches on popular legends. Most notably, the artist who created the evil, decrepit looking Blue Mustang statue at Denver International Airport was killed when a section of it fell on him, which feels very apt if you’ve ever seen a picture of the thing.

7. Rubber duck debugging Those in the computer science program will be enthralled to stumble upon this Wikipedia page, which suggests that programmers should carry around a rubber duck to aid in their coding. One would explain their program line-by-line to the rubber duck in hopes that explaining their problem to “someone else” would help them see the errors in their ways — talk about quacks!

6. List of sexually active popes It’s exactly what it sounds like.

5. List of nicknames used by Donald Trump There are so many that there’s a dedicated Wikipedia page for it. My personal favourite is “quid pro Joe,” but “Little Rocket Man” — for Kim Jong Un — might be a close second.

4. Small penis rule When writers create characters who are based on real people, the small penis rule suggests that the author give the character a small penis to protect themselves from any defamation lawsuits. The

What caused the problem?

Traditionally, men have been telling women what to wear for thousands of years. But why are we going along with it?

Natural parts of women’s bodies are often seen as shameful. Take body hair, for instance: it’s not fair that women are traditionally brought up to believe that it’s unfeminine and unattractive. Some have even received death and rape threats for showing it. Meanwhile, it’s socially acceptable for men to show body hair, which supports the policing of women’s bodies.

And then there’s the term ‘empowerment.’ Though women should be empowered, we’re often told that we should feel empowered through clothing choices such as push-up bras and bodycon dresses, or through full-body veils and hair coverings. Some argue that the recent widespread women’s sexual empowerment movement — though intended to free us from the expectations of modesty — has only reinforced a male-centric beauty standard for all, stripping us of the vocabulary to pursue our own sexual interests.

Its alternative — to dress ‘modestly’ by covering our bodies — is no better; it can be argued that ‘modest’ clothing links women’s value and respectability to how much of their body they choose to cover.

The solution: wearing men’s clothes So, what’s our solution? Here is what I suggest: unironically wearing only men’s clothes. Though the take may seem controversial, the practice is already widespread — around 64 per cent of women have worn men’s clothes before.

There’s nothing inherently feminine or masculine about either type of clothing. But the way that clothes have been categorized for each gender has unknowingly affected our lifestyles.

A baby step to embrace this challenge is ‘Octieber,’ a month-long “celebration of quality neckwear worn in a traditional style.” Taking place in logic is that nobody would want to come forward and admit that they had a small penis, which is a pretty sneaky loophole if you think about it.

3. Mollie’s nipple What would be a better way to commemorate your wife than by naming beautiful geological features after her? A man named John Kitchen commemorated several geological features after his wife Molly. It’s speculated that there’s as many as 11 geological features that bear this sweet name.

2. Hairy ball theorem The hairy ball theorem isn’t what it seems like at first glance — it’s actually a problem of algebraic topology. Mathematicians and scientists alike

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October, it encourages people of all genders to wear a tie every day for a month. Though I haven’t participated before, I’ve noticed that I regularly spend more time on my appearance than I want to, so I’m open to the challenge of committing to the garment.

As an alternative, you could jump right in and start looking to the men’s section for your clothing. You’ll save money if you do — the term ‘pink tax’ refers to the documented phenomenon where higher price of products and services marketed toward women have a higher price than analogous products and services marketed toward men.

By wearing men’s clothing, we are not abandoning femininity. We are redefining it, and are extending its boundaries to include the clothing preferences of all women. We’re taking back our comfort, confidence, and mobility.

But, most importantly, we’re boycotting designs that oftentimes treat us like mannequins, not people.

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence or harassment at U of T: • Visit safety.utoronto.ca for a list of safety resources.

• Visit svpscentre.utoronto.ca for information, contact details, and hours of operation for the tri-campus Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre. Centre staff can be reached by phone at 416-978-2266 or by email at svpscentre@utoronto.ca.

• Call Campus Safety Special Constable Service to make a report at 416-978-2222 (for U of T St. George and U of T Scarborough) or 905569-4333 (for U of T Mississauga) • Call the Women’s College Hospital Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care Centre at 416-323-6040 • Call the Scarborough Grace Sexual Assault Care Centre at 416-495-2555 • Call the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 866863-0511 have been trying to figure out a way to comb a hairy ball without creating a cowlick — there’s numerous topological and physical analyses that have tried to explain this phenomenon, but sadly, to no avail.

1. Lampshades made from human skin If I had a nickel for every time a lampshade was made out of human skin, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

If you’ve got the same incessant urge to take a deep dive into uber-bizarre content from random websites, you’ll appreciate these articles.

More importantly, you’ll understand the wisdom contained within Wikipedia — no matter how much of a bad rap it gets from nonbelievers.

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arts@thevarsity.ca

ARTS & CULTURE

Expressive protection: How masks have evolved into fashion

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Interviewing people all over the globe about the meaning of their masks

PhotoCap.

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PHOTOCRED/THE VARSITY

Gladys Lou Varsity Contributor

I read a post on Instagram from the Department of Visual Studies (DVS) at UTM that called students to participate in their face mask design contest.

According to the caption, the DVS was searching for “designs, graphics, and logos that display departmental pride.”

The post didn’t surprise me. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been wearing masks for utilitarian reasons — to prevent the spread of the virus and to follow the health and safety guidelines required by our government when navigating public spaces.

Nearly two years later, the pandemic rages on due to the recent emergence of the Omicron variant, and the function of masks has evolved and expanded.

Currently, masks can also be worn to establish our sense of belonging to a place or group. This could mean wearing one to assure the people you’re gathering with that you value their safety, to promote a social cause that you believe in, or to take the extra step to support a local business.

Ever since I read the DVS post, I began paying closer attention to the masks that people around me wore. I was curious about how the masks we wear reflect our identity, personality, and attitude.

To satisfy my curiosity, I interviewed U of T students and creatives located around the world to learn about their mask wearing habits.

Masks as identity As masks became an essential item for indoor activities during the pandemic, boutiques and artist initiatives began to design different styles. This innovation transformed masks from facial coverings to a new fashion trend and a method of personal expression.

“My mask is black and white, it has a bandanalike pattern on it. The mask I wore before this was also black and white, but with a star pattern,” U of T art and art history student Emily Edwards wrote to The Varsity. “I chose my mask to match my clothing. Black matches with everything and it’s the colour I wear most often… It is similar to the clothes I wear to express myself.”

Veronica Spiljak, a UTM alum and an interdisciplinary artist, agrees with Edwards’ point of view. Spiljak explained that she prefers floral, blue, black, and cream masks with text or graphic design elements.

“Some of the designs that I gravitate towards… are reflective of what I like to do in my own art practice, such as writing, poetry, and text-based art,” the artist explained. “I do notice that when I am wearing my favourite masks… I feel most myself and in higher spirits than normal. Especially when my mask matches my outfits. That gets me excited.”

Spiljak added that, when she wears “boring” masks, such as medical ones, her mood is unaffected, especially if in she is an emergency.

“But I guess if it was a formal event, medical masks can definitely feel a bit casual,” she explained. “If I’m at my work (which is an art gallery in Toronto), I use either the gallery’s masks that they sell, or medical masks on hand.”

Besides being used as an outlet for personal self-expression, masks can also be worn to establish identity as part of an organization.

Belicia, a freelance photographer and social and online editor at The Medium, explained that she often wears black or logo-branded masks provided by companies as promotional material.

“One mask I have is for a photography studio, and I try to wear it when doing work for them,” the photographer wrote.

Masks for practicality Though some prefer to wear masks which showcase their identity, others simply choose their masks for practicality.

Clàudia Presas, a nutritionist and theatre employee in Catalonia, Spain, explained that she wears black and blue masks most often. Presas prefers a basic style, and thinks that black is the most practical colour of mask because of its ability to pair well with any other colour.

She elaborated that her black mask combines well with the black uniform of the theatre at which she works. Outside of work, she usually wears a blue mask made by her friend’s mother. “It matches with a lot of my clothing,” she wrote.

Helen Yu, a student at UTM, thinks similarly to Presas. Yu, a professional writing and communications major, often wears a white disposable mask, explaining that she also chose her style of mask for practicality purposes.

“It’s the most breathable type for me and not too thick, so it doesn’t make my face feel bulky,” Yu wrote. “I guess it somewhat reflects my personality — it’s mostly nondescript so I blend in with the crowd and it’s comfortable and neat, which is important to me.”

“I would rather have people get to know me by talking to me than seeing a fancy mask,” she added. “White masks are very ‘tabula rasa’ [a clean slate] and [keep] things open to interpretation.”

Though Presas and Yu are content with how their masks don’t call attention to themselves, there are others who mask up, but dislike the accessory’s ability to camouflage personality and facial expression.

Masks to enhance appearance Interestingly, there are individuals who regard

masks’ camouflaging function as a method of enhancing their appearance.

“Since people can’t see my face [while wearing a mask], I don’t bother putting on makeup. I think these masks make me look less hea [lazy] or [dull],” wrote Ariel Lai, a food blogger from Hong Kong.

“I want to buy some [blush masks], but I need some time to find them,” Lai added.

However, it isn’t just physical appearance that individuals are seeking to alter by wearing masks.

Sky Ravinn, a Toronto-based artist and musician, explained that the mask they wear makes them look cheerful, even when feeling sad. “[It’s] a black cloth mask with a little cast mouth that’s smiling, with some anime blush,” they explained. “I blush a lot and smile a lot. Through the pandemic I got sad that I wouldn't be able to do those things and smile at people… but then I found this mask.”

After hearing about the opinions of masks from people around the world, I’m amazed by the diversity of functions that masks have taken on during our pandemic. As we progress toward a post-pandemic world, I’m left to wonder whether the accessory will be disregarded in time, or if people will continue to wear masks in their daily lives beyond their original health purpose.

If you’re wondering with me, don’t get too excited. Bloomberg writes that, as of January 15, 9.48 million people worldwide were getting their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine every day, and the goal of halting the pandemic “remains elusive.” So it’ll be a while until we uncover these answers.

In the meantime, we’re offered a creative accessory to ease our wait — the winning design of the DVS mask contest will be printed and distributed to students while supplies last.

Science

January 17, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/science science@thevarsity.ca

How lava lamps keep your online data secure Secure encryption relies on the random data from lava lamps This is called the key exchange problem, and it plagued cryptographers for centuries before a clever solution changed everything.

Khatchig Anteblian Science Editor

Have you ever seen a lava lamp? For some, those colourful decorations represent a relic from a bygone era when disco was all the rage and people said things like “groovy” or “boogie.” For others, they represent a fun piece of nostalgia that can brighten up a room —both literally and figuratively.

But for an internet security company in Palo Alto, they are tools that help protect millions of websites from hackers and malicious attacks.

This may seem odd. How can lava lamps protect websites? They’re just lamps with some colourful bubbles. They don’t even connect to the internet.

Well, to understand how lava lamps can be so useful, we must first understand a fundamental building block that holds everything on the internet together: cryptography.

If one key won’t cut it, get a second one The previous example of an encryption system is what’s called “symmetric encryption” — a system of encryption where the same key is used both to encrypt and decrypt messages. This was the way that cryptography was done for centuries until the late twentieth century, when another form of cryptography was developed: asymmetric encryption.

As its name implies, an asymmetric encryption system uses two keys: one to encrypt messages, and another to decrypt them. The way this works can be visualized by thinking about our friends Alice and Bob again.

Imagine now that Alice and Bob have been keeping up to date with cryptographic advancements and want to use asymmetric encryption to their advantage. Alice starts by generating a pair of keys.

The two keys are generated using a mathematical technique called modulus arithmetic, so that they are fundamentally related to each other but one can’t be derived from the other.

Once the two keys are generated, Alice will pick one at random to designate as her secret key that absolutely no one else can see. The other key in the pair becomes her public key and can be shared with everyone. Once Bob also generates a secret and public key, they can start communicating.

The beautiful way that two keys in an asymmetric pair are related is that any message encrypted with one of the keys in the pair can only be decrypted with the other key — not even by the same key. This is the key to how asymmetric encryption works. To send a secure message to Bob, Alice can encrypt her message using Bob’s public key, knowing that it can only be decrypted by the secret key that only Bob can access. Similarly, Bob can encrypt messages using Alice’s public key, knowing that they can only be decrypted by her secret key. The key exchange problem has been circumvented; no keys need to be exchanged in this system.

This does leave the possibility of Eve using Bob’s public key to send him messages and impersonate Alice. To overcome this, Alice can encrypt her messages with her own secret key, before encrypting them with Bob’s public key. This way, after Bob decrypts the message with his secret key, he tries to decrypt the second layer with Alice’s public key. If this works, it means that the message was encrypted with Alice’s secret key which only she can access, effectively working as a signature of authenticity.

Julius Caesar can’t keep a secret How is it that you can go on your browser and enter your credit card number to order some food, open a new tab and log in to Instagram to catch up on your feed, and then go to your bank on a third tab to pay your bills, all without any of your information being stolen? The answer is cryptography — the design of secure communication through encrypted messages.

Encryption is basically the act of scrambling a message to obscure its content from unwanted prying eyes. Humans have been sending secret messages for as long as we’ve been sending written messages. One of the most famous encryption techniques — the Caesar cipher — is said to have been used by Julius Caesar himself, over 2,000 years ago, to encrypt his messages. This technique consists of shifting each letter in a target message over in the alphabet by a pre-decided number so that the text is scrambled.

Since the days of Caesar, people have been racing to develop stronger encryption methods as advances in cryptanalysis keep rendering older techniques easily breakable and therefore useless.

Nowadays, the Caesar cipher doesn’t even count as encryption anymore, since it can be cracked with a computer almost instantaneously.

Encryption on its own doesn’t get us far, though.

The trick is for the intended recipient to be able to read the hidden message while eavesdroppers are left in the dark. This implies that the sender and receiver need to share some piece of information so that the receiver can reverse the operation that the sender performs on the text to reveal the message.

In the field of cryptography, this piece of information is called a key. So in the Caesar cipher, the key would be the number that determines how much each letter in the message is shifted.

Alice, Bob, and Eve Imagine that two friends, Alice and Bob, want to communicate with each other securely, free from the prying eyes and ears of eavesdroppers like Eve. They would like to use an encryption technique that’s stronger than the Caesar cipher, but they still need to agree on a key before they start their communication, in order to be able to encrypt and decrypt each other’s messages.

Eve is very cunning and is monitoring Alice and Bob’s communications very closely. She can intercept every message while it’s on the way, read its contents, and send it along so that it reaches its destination as if nothing happened.

Alice and Bob now find themselves in a catch-22 situation. In order to establish secure communication, they need to agree on a key; but in order to agree on a key, they need to send messages out in the open since they can’t encrypt their messages without a key. They could send their initial messages unencrypted and hope that Eve isn’t intercepting them, but they can’t guarantee that. If Eve gets her hands on the encryption key, she can read every subsequent message between Alice and Bob. Another option is to meet up physically and decide on the key that way, but what if they can’t meet?

What if they don’t even live close to each other?

All of modern online infrastructure depends on secure encryption systems.

COURTESY OF MARTIN LOSKTAK/UNSPLASH

Roll of the dice Nowadays, all communication over the internet is built upon similar asymmetric encryption systems, which means that each computer needs to generate many key pairs for each communication.

Since the keys in asymmetric encryption are of the utmost importance, it’s necessary to ensure that they are strong and unbreakable. The best way to do this is to introduce randomness into the process of generating them. However, since computers can only carry out whatever instructions they’re given and nothing more, there is no way to generate real randomness using an algorithm — by definition, any algorithm is predictable.

The internet security company Cloudflare gets around this by using a wall of lava lamps. By pointing a video camera at a wall covered with lava lamps, they can effectively harvest the randomness of the bubbles, the minute fluctuations in the air, and the ambient noise created by the camera’s lens as random data to use in generating secure keys for use in online encryption.

Without cryptography and encryption, many of the things we take for granted today would not exist. Institutions like banks, stock markets, and government networks are dependent on good cryptography, and society as we know it would fall apart if our cryptographic systems failed. So, while lava lamps might seem like mildly interesting novelty items, we shouldn’t underestimate their importance in keeping our society functioning.

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THE VARSITY

science@thevarsity.ca

SCIENCE

Mehrshad Babaei Associate Science Editor

From making fire to playing music, telling stories, designing buildings, posing for Instagram pictures, and, most importantly, lying to parents, creativity has always been at the heart of human activity and progress.

Creativity is typically noticed in individuals who tend to be more inventive and original in their endeavours — for instance, in a certain gentleman named Albert Einstein and his theories on space and the universe, or, more notably, in STEM professors finding new ways to achieve mournfully low class averages every year. For graduating purposes, that is a joke.

But what does it mean to be creative? Can anyone be creative? What does creativity look like in the brain?

What is creativity?

While the notion of creativity can be subjective and there are a lot of factors that affect creativity, scientists have come to define it as having the ability to imagine and implement original ideas that, above all, have value or utility.

In an article in the Creativity Research Journal, a leading creativity researcher, Mark Runco, notes that this is the case because “original things must be effective to be creative,” since a random process could yield something that is entirely original and yet totally meaningless and useless.

This does not necessarily mean that creativity always entails life-changing, revolutionary contributions to scientific or social advancement. In fact, researchers have come to distinguish two types of creativity: ‘little-c’ creativity — everyday creativity and problem solving, which is the subject of most studies concerning the creative process — and ‘big-C’ creativity — “major productions of scientific, technological, social, or artistic importance.”

Can we think ourselves into being creative?

The science behind creativity Investigating ‘big-C’ creativity tends to be more difficult as the research cannot take place in smallscale laboratory studies. The relevant research is quite extensive and requires the examination of biographical or autobiographical, historical, and developmental accounts of particularly influential instances and individuals.

In the ‘little-c’ sense, though, everyone can be creative by gathering uished sting ve di a h hers earc Res

reativity. two types of c between SY OF EPICTOP10/FLICKR

object, or to reimagine familiar structures and shapes into new, interesting ones. The goal of researchers with experiments like these is to find out how the brain operates during bursts of creativity, and whether some individuals can be more creative than others.

Creativity and connectivity Being creative often

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different leftovers to cook a quick new meal, or by coming up with jokes, or by writing humbug for a class essay — so long as such solutions “are novel to the solver and so not already known from direct experience.”

Studies investigating this type of creativity may involve asking participants to think outside the box and ‘diverge’ from common uses of an

means making connections, like thinking that because both pineapple and pizza are great on their own, they could be great together as well. And that would be great squared — it’s simple math. The world has never seen a connection so divisive.

It is fitting that creativity presents itself through making connections that are not otherwise obvious,

given that recent studies suggest the creative process involves connecting different networks in the brain that typically don’t collaborate.

A 2016 study observed interactions between two large-scale systems in the brain that typically have an ‘antagonistic’ relationship — where one deactivates when the other is active — during creative thinking.

These systems are the default network, the regions of the brain that activate during spontaneous thinking and imagination, and the executive control network, the regions of the brain that activate during focus and careful analytical thinking. Researcher Roger Beaty states that this interaction essentially brings about the ability to spontaneously generate ideas and then assess them to determine whether they’ll actually work.

Furthermore, Beaty and his colleagues went on to research how some individuals can be more creative than others. The results of their 2018 study suggest that the more creative individuals are “better able to co-activate brain networks that usually work separately.”

The researchers assessed the same networks involved in creative thinking through the ‘alternate uses task’ — a test that asks participants to consider new and unusual uses for familiar objects, measuring their general creative thinking ability. They concluded that “Overall, people with stronger connections came up with better ideas.”

Future research is needed to determine whether these network connections could be strengthened through particular activities, and if so, whether such modifications boost creative thinking ability. If there’s one thing to take away from this article, it’s that you should sit down and seriously consider creating your own TikTok trend — be the pioneer of a dance that will take the app by storm for about two weeks and fade away into obscurity like nothing ever happened.

This is what creativity is about, I think. Thought for thought.

U of T-led collaboration finds that stellar streams hint at galactic mergers Long ribbons of stars left over from when our galaxy absorbed smaller ones Tahmeed Shafiq Managing Editor

An international team of astronomers, including members of U of T’s faculty, recently demonstrated how knowledge about our galaxy’s evolution can be gleaned from the orbits of so-called stellar streams.

These streams are elongated rows of stars that orbit the Milky Way, which, from Earth, appear like glowing streamers arcing across the night sky.

Over the past 20 years, astronomers have identified over 60 orbiting stellar streams. However, they have been difficult to study because of their distance from Earth and the relatively low number of stars in a stream.

In 2018, a U of T-led collaboration of astronomers from around the world began to change that. They started a focused observation of stellar streams visible in the southern hemisphere using a telescope at the Australian National University in eastern Australia. Now, they have reported their findings from a dozen streams in a paper that has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.

The streams originated from either clusters of loosely bound stars called globular clusters or small ‘dwarf galaxies.’ Collisions with the Milky Way likely pulled the streams out of their original environment and sent them into orbit, while the

remaining stellar mass was absorbed by our galaxy.

Lead author Ting Li, an astrophysicist in U of T’s David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, highlighted the importance of this finding in a press release. “This study gives us a snapshot of the Milky Way’s feeding habits, such as what kinds of smaller stellar systems it ‘eats.’

As our galaxy is getting older, it is getting fatter.”

The collaboration — known as the Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey, or the S5 — involved observational data from the Anglo-Australian Telescope in Australia to identify streams.

To pick out the distance to individual stars, the team also used data from the European Space Agency’s telescope, Gaia. Gaia is a space telescope that orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth. It provides highly accurate data because its reception is unimpeded by the Earth’s atmospheric temperature.

By analyzing the velocities and metallic composition of the streams, Li and her collaborators determined that six of their 12 streams came from globular clusters and the remaining half came from dwarf galaxies. This is strong evidence for the theory that galaxies like the Milky Way grow by merging with other smaller galaxies over billions of years.

The team was also able to infer the pres-

Artist’s impression of twelve stellar streams observed by the S5, seen from the Galactic South Pole.

COURTESY OF GERAINT F. LEWIS/S5 COLLABORATION

ence of dark matter in the original source of the streams. Dark matter is a mysterious substance that we know very little about. It is non-luminous, meaning that it neither emits nor reflects light, making it impossible to detect with traditional telescopes.

In fact, its very existence is only known because of the gravitational effects it has. For example, the close separation and high velocity of objects within the Milky Way cannot be fully explained through their own gravitational forces. That gravity alone would not be sufficient to hold everything together; stars and planets would fly out of their current orbits. Astrophysicists have long believed that the extra gravity must be coming from dark matter.

Similarly, the S5 discovered that the velocity of stars in streams could not arise completely from the Milky Way’s gravity. This suggests that there was dark matter in whatever source the

streams originally came from, which helped them achieve their current velocities.

The mysterious nature of dark matter makes every incremental find like this valuable, especially as it allows astronomers to clarify where our own galaxy’s dark matter might be. Streams move following invisible gravitational forces, so by mapping those forces, we can infer the location of the dark matter producing them. This happened in 2020, when a European team sketched our galaxy’s dark matter distribution by observing stellar streams yanked from the nearby dwarf galaxy Sagittarius.

Co-author Gerraint F. Lewis of the University of Sydney compared the process to a Christmas tree in the press release. “On a dark night, we see the Christmas lights, but not the tree they are wrapped around. But the shape of the lights reveals the shape of the tree,” he said.

“It is the same with stellar streams — their orbits reveal the dark matter.”

thevarsity.ca/section/science

JANUARY 17, 2022

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Vaccines that transmit themselves might be key to ending the next pandemic Self-disseminating vaccines could prevent viruses spreading from animals to humans

ROSALIND LIANG/THE VARSITY

Angel Hsieh Associate Science Editor

In the two years since the first reported case of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a dedicated coalition of global research has been investigating whether it is a so-called ‘zoonotic virus’ — that is, whether the virus first arose in an animal before it was transmitted to a human. Zoonotic viruses are very well-documented phenomena, and the evidence for SARS-CoV-2 being one is quite strong.

But even if the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic is not zoonotic, researchers believe that some populations of wild animals that frequently come into contact with humans carry many other zoonotic viruses. These viruses could easily be the seeds of future pandemics if we don’t take precautionary measures against them.

We cannot necessarily rely on vaccines to steer us through future pandemics. After all, although close to 60 per cent of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, only 9.5 per cent of people living in low-income countries have received their first dose. Vaccine inequity is among the many reasons that COVID-19 is still rampant today. So what else can we do to prevent or mitigate the impact of future pandemics?

A recent review published in Nature examined the idea of using self-disseminating vaccines to target wildlife before pathogens are transmitted to humans and create widespread infections.

While the potential benefits of this type of vaccine can be immense, another paper published in a later issue of the same journal notes that there are still many safety concerns that need to be addressed. This begs the question: how would these vaccines work, and what are those potential safety concerns?

Basics of self-disseminating vaccines Self-disseminating vaccines rely on animals that are directly vaccinated through injection to spread ‘vaccine infections’ through their interactions among wildlife populations. The

effectiveness of these vaccines is quantified by the rate at which they spread — their ‘reproduction rate’ — which is denoted by the index R0. This index represents the number of vaccine infections caused by directly vaccinated individuals. So, if a vaccine has an R0 of two, then every vaccinated animal will spread the vaccine to two other animals.

Overall, there are two mechanisms in which the self-disseminating vaccines could spread — namely, ‘transmissible’ and ‘transferable’ vaccines. Transmissible vaccines are adept at spreading through infection after the first animals have been directly injected. If their reproductivity exceeds that of a target pathogen, transmissible vaccines can eliminate the pathogen from a population altogether. This model works in scenarios in which inoculated individuals are introduced to the entirety of the population that is susceptible to the targeted pathogen.

For transmissible vaccines with greater safety concerns, vaccines with an R0 of less than one — that is, vaccines that spread slowly among the population — would be ideal for eradicating the target pathogen from a wild population. This safety measure ensures that the transmissible vaccine would be eliminated from the population as well, once continuous introduction of the vaccine halts. This is to avoid out-of-control evolution of the vaccine itself.

There is also another, less efficient, method for vaccine self-dissemination. Vaccines that use this method are generally known as ‘transferable vaccines.’ Unlike their transmissible counterparts, transferable vaccines can only be transferred from each inoculated individual to one other member of its species.

Due to their single-use nature, transferable vaccines are not as efficient as transmissible vaccines. While their limitations might present some challenges, some scientists argue that this type is preferable because of the safety concerns of transmissible vaccines.

Strategies for implementing self-disseminating vaccines

Transmissible and transferable vaccines provide the means for additional animals to be vaccinated for ‘free’ by animals that were vaccinated by traditional injection. Selfdisseminating vaccines must undergo careful considerations and the populations they target must be evaluated before the vaccines are implemented.

Transferable vaccines would not be able to achieve satisfactory results if their designers do not have a thorough understanding of the basic biology of the targeted animals. Since an infectious host is required to spread immunity, the ways in which members of the target species interact could have significant implications in the efficacy of self-transmissible vaccines.

One important example of this is bat colonies, since some bat species carry several potential zoonotic viruses. The act of grooming enables bats to orally deliver vaccines to between 1.45 and 2.11 other members of their colony.

For transmissible vaccines, additional planning for the logistics of administering the vaccine to a large population is necessary. Scientists must first select individuals to directly vaccinate out of a wild population or community. This selection must be carried out efficiently to ensure an effective rate of immunization and to optimize the spread of the vaccine. Even when all the conditions of self-disseminating vaccines are met, they still need to be administered to the right animals so they can be passed on effectively.

Vaccine inner workings Transmissible vaccines, by nature, require some way to spread immunity among the target population. One approach to vaccine development is to insert a gene from a targeted pathogen into a harmless agent that will pass on the virus, called a viral vector. These stitched-together viral packages are also called recombinant viruses.

Once inside a host, the vaccine prompts an immune response, which confers protection from the target pathogen. If scientists are able to access a viral vector that can spread faster than the target pathogen, then using that to

make a recombinant vaccine might be most effective for the situation.

Once a transmissible vaccine is introduced to a reservoir, the unavoidable evolution of the viruses or viral vectors in the wild becomes a cause for concern. There is even a possibility for a modified virus to revert back to its former pathogenic state. Attenuated vaccines — copies of the virus that cannot reproduce — are unlikely to be suited for eliminating human pathogens, because they only reduce viruses’ growth rate instead of shutting down all forms of viral growth completely.

That being said, researchers predict that when recombinant vectors evolve, it will most likely result in the vectors being restored to their initial and harmless state. No matter what their predictions are, though, the replication and spread of transmissible vaccines must be closely monitored to minimize undesired and dangerous evolution.

Safety concerns Transmissible vaccines can be more efficient than transferable vaccines, and therefore might logically seem like the more preferable option for self-disseminating vaccines. However, a group of experts who published a correspondence paper in Nature think otherwise. They argue that self-transferable vaccines are the safer approach to carry out mass vaccination campaigns. Since no one can definitively predict the outcome of the evolution of transmissible vaccines in the wild, there is no way of fully knowing the risks associated with introducing transmissible vaccines to reservoirs. Transmissible vaccines may defeat their own purpose of controlling the spread of pathogens by evolving into pathogens themselves.

As researchers manipulate viral vectors in the search and development of self-disseminating vaccines, their insights could also be used to create dangerous bioweapons. Research that emphasizes optimizing transmissibility and genomic stability of viral vectors may be redirected to developing potential artificiallyproduced pandemic agents. Due to all of these safety and security concerns, the authors of this correspondence recommended implementing transferable vaccines over transmissible vaccines.

Regardless of the type of self-disseminating vaccine, their potential evolution must be carefully modelled to gain insight into their benefits for wild populations of animals. Selfdisseminating vaccines may be in their early days of development, but they still offer a novel approach for humans to combat emerging infectious diseases.

Sports

January 17, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

Breaking the ice: Blues hockey defender Gabrielle De Serres talks hiatus and stress management Discussing the 2021–2022 hockey season and some ways to manage nerves during games Audrey Miatello Associate Sports Editor

The Varsity Blues women’s ice hockey team has had an impressive start to their 2021–2022 season. They currently sit at the top of the table, with 21 points from their opening eight games of the season. They have excelled both defensively and offensively, as they have allowed only nine goals this season. With 21 goals, they have scored the greatest number of goals so far among all of their competitors.

Defender Gabrielle De Serres has been a critical part of the team’s success this year, as she leads the league with eight assists and currently has the second highest total points. De Serres is a fifth-year student at U of T who is currently in the Rotman Commerce program, specializing in management. She has been playing hockey for almost 20 years.

In her 2019–2020 hockey season with the Varsity Blues, De Serres scored eight goals, contributed to 12 assists, and was also chosen as one of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) second team all-stars. The Varsity had the opportunity to speak with De Serres about her team’s 2021–2022 season as well as her experience playing hockey.

COVID-19 and the hockey season On January 5, certain COVID-19 restrictions came into effect in the province of Ontario, one of which requires the “closing [of] indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms,” aside from a few exceptions. As a

JOSEPH DONATO/THEVARSITY

result, De Serres’ hockey season has been put on pause until at least January 26.

However, she has been staying prepared for the rest of the season by working out at home.

De Serres said that she owns some exercise equipment, and her team also uses an app which provides the athletes with exercises to complete.

Fortunately, outdoor skating rinks in Toronto have remained open, and De Serres might like to go skating, depending in part on the weather. “We’re trying to make the best out of the situation,” she said.

The hashtag #OUAisELITE has been circulating on social media recently, as a response to the recent provincial COVID-19 restrictions, according to which the OUA was not chosen as one of the

“elite amateur sports leagues” that can continue to operate.

Commenting on the hashtag, De Serres explained, “I would expect us to be considered elite, [and] the fact that we’re not is quite surprising and also upsetting.” She also added that the decision has “undervalued the kind of effort that we put into playing the sport.”

“It really is blood, sweat, and tears, and you put so many hours into being able to represent your school on top of actually having to go to school,” she said.

Managing nerves during games De Serres explained that even she, as an all-star

Novak Djokovic’s challenges on the court Djokovic on edge to see whether he will be able to play at the Australian Open Abdulmunem Tartir Varsity Contributor

Controversy struck when the world’s number one singles tennis player and 20 time Grand Slam Champion, Novak Djokovic, was not allowed to enter Australia to play at the first Grand Slam of the year. In what can only be described as a tumultuous month, with the Omicron variant causing a rise in cases, many countries have implemented protocols to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Djokovic, who had acquired a medical exemption to play at the Australian Open for his vaccination status — in April 2020, he stated he was against vaccination — was held in an airport in Melbourne for over eight hours before being sent to a hotel detention facility.

On January 10, Djokovic appeared in front of a judge, after which he was freed from the hotel detention facility, but was made aware that Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke still had the right to deport him. In the days prior, Djokovic had come under investigation for potentially submitting a “false declaration,” which was listed as the premise for the cancellation of his visa. Photographs had emerged of him having been in Spain and Serbia recently, despite the fact that he had ticked ‘No’ on a document which asked if he had travelled in the past 14 days.

In a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram, Djokovic admitted that he attended a ceremony where he presented awards to children after he had tested negative on a rapid antigen test and while still waiting for a PCR result. Furthermore, following a positive COVID-19 PCR

test, Djokovic proceeded with an interview with L’Équipe, although he did admit that this was an “error of judgement.” He confessed his faux pas; however, his inability to provide all the necessary information, when asked, brings into question the plausibility of all the information he provided.Considered one of the greatest players to ever step on the court, Djokovic has come under a plethora of scrutiny for the most part of his career. However, this all pales in comparison to the attention he has received in the media over the course of the past few weeks regarding his battle to compete in the Australian Open. Prior to potentially falsifying documents to enter Australia, there was a clear divide in people’s opinions.

Some people, including tennis star Nick Kyrgios, have come out to defend Djokovic and the manner in which the whole situation has been handled by the media. On the other hand, some Australian athletes and citizens are of the opinion that Djokovic does not still have the right to play, as Australian citizens have suffered so much themselves to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Furthermore, fellow players have criticized the fact that, due to his standing, Djokovic has received special treatment. Jamie Murray stated in a postmatch interview, “I think if it was me that wasn’t vaccinated, I wouldn’t be getting an exemption.”

As of January 16, Djokovic has left Australia and will not be competing in the Australian Open. In this competition, he would have had the chance to receive a record 10th Australian Open title and a record 21st Grand Slam, surpassing rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Djokovic was scheduled to play Miomir Kecmanović on January 16.

The ball is in the court’s court now.

COURTESY OF CARINE/CC WIKIMEDIA

player, gets nervous before a game. However, for her, it’s only “on a small scale,” and she has some techniques to help her avoid feeling nervous.

For example, although she used to have many pre-game traditions, De Serres no longer practices them before she plays hockey. She explained that these traditions could actually sometimes be counterproductive. “If ever something in my routine went wrong, it just [threw me] off before the game even [started]. And realistically, it doesn’t actually affect anything,” she said.

De Serres offered some advice for athletes who might fear making mistakes while playing sports. According to De Serres, athletes should remember to “focus on the big picture.” She said, “Later on in life, all you really remember is the general feeling that you had associated to, let’s say, a game. It’s not going to be like I missed a pass… you’re not going to remember that in five years.”

De Serres discussed her objectives when she plays hockey. She said, “My goal at every game is just to have a good time and do my best… it’s not associated with any specific achievements.” For De Serres, this helps to remove some of the pressure she feels.

If you concentrate only on specific objectives related to performance, she said, “you kind of lose the benefit of the sport, and you’re just gonna go into every single game so stressed with so much pressure. It kind of takes away the beauty of the game.” And after all, as De Serres added, “If you’re not having a good time, why are you even there?”

thevarsity.ca/section/sports

JANUARY 17, 2022

In a match between Jake Paul and Dana White, who comes out on top?

A close look into the social media battle about equality in the UFC Mekhi Quarshie Associate Sports Editor

From Bizaardvark to boxing, the social media sensation Jake Paul has always been able to captivate fans. His latest stunt was performed on New Year’s day, when Paul challenged Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), via Twitter. After wishing the billionaire a happy new year, Paul threw the first punch by promising that he would “immediately” retire from boxing and fight Jorge Masvidal if White agreed to the following three stipulations: increase the minimum fighter pay to 50,000 USD, guarantee UFC fighters 50 per cent of UFC annual revenues, and provide longterm health care to all fighters.

The tweet started a social media spar between the two celebrities. White countered Paul’s demands with a right hook by saying that Paul was “too stupid” to write the ultimatum. On top of that, he said the reason Paul called him out in the first place was because he couldn’t garner impressive enough pay-perview numbers.

However, White left himself exposed to a subsequent barrage of hits from Paul. A day later, an irritated Paul finally threw the knockout blow. On January 2, “The Problem Child” Jake Paul posted a video on his Instagram story stating that White was “ruining [Paul’s] vacation” because White did not address his proposal.

That characterizes the majority of the back and forth between the two, minus all of the corny disses here and there. While Paul’s popularity and petty shots make it seem like he was the winner of the exchange, the ‘referees’ are still

not convinced. A thorough look into the politics of the UFC is necessary to make the final call.

To start, the UFC per-fight fighter wage might not be the most captivating wage problem in sports — the WNBA, unfortunately, takes that spot — but it is a problem that has been discussed within the niche mixed martial arts world in the last decade.

scraps. The question is, why don’t fighters speak up about this, and why did a person like Jake Paul have to be the first one to bring this issue to light in ways that haven’t been done before?

The answer is simple: the supply of fighters coming into the UFC is so higher more than the demand for them, ultimately driving down the pay of each fighter. In an interview with Stephen Daniels of

Jake Paul is finally using his clout for a just cause.

COURTESY OF ANDRIUS PETRUCENIA/CC WIKIMEDIA

On top of that, the current minimum payment is about $12,000 USD per fight. The best fighters in the sport make more than three million USD in fights, but this leaves the fighters who aren’t as skilled, or as popular, fighting for the monetary

the UFC news site Bloody Elbow, former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy said that the fighters in the UFC “don’t have a lot of options in terms of bargaining power. There are 100 guys that would step in and do my job for free.” The initiative

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to pay players more has to come from the league, not from the players advocating for themselves, since someone else can easily take their place.

On top of this, the profit and loss sheet for the UFC is a lot more complicated than Paul lets on.

The UFC sees about 500,000,000 USD in annual expenses and, more importantly, 23 per cent of these expenses — their largest percentage for a single expense — are categorized under fighter compensation. So while what Paul is doing may seem honourable, his thought process is superficial, at best. Could the UFC possibly give more to fighters? Sure, but already having a large chunk of their expenses go toward fighter compensation is a decent start.

The last subject on Paul’s list was the health care of the fighters. This is probably the hardest-hitting blow to White’s business machine. While long-term health care — including after fighters retire — might seem like a lofty goal for an organization, in a league where the risk of long-term brain damage is so high, it’s an admirable goal nonetheless. On top of that, other high-risk leagues like the NFL do provide long-term insurance.

Despite this, White thinks that long-term health insurance is a “pretty crazy” idea, refusing to give it any thought. Fortunately for him, fighters in the UFC are independent contractors and not employees like most other sports leagues.

Therefore, the UFC is not obligated to provide insurance, no matter what health issues their fighters experience after they retire.

Ultimately, Paul did what he does best: draw attention. But at the end of the day, increasing fighter pay so significantly, expanding wages based on UFC revenue, and implementing longterm insurance by March 31, 2022 would wreak havoc upon the league. The UFC isn’t perfect, nor is any other sports organization; but while the living situations and payment of the fighters could ultimately be better, it’s going to take a lot more than a shoutout from Paul for it to happen. Until then, White will be sitting in his corner, waiting for the final bell to ring.

Opinion: Why isn’t Canadian college football as popular as NCAA? Ways we can change to get on the NCAA’s level

Canada could do some work to increase the viewership of college football.

BERNARDA GOSPIC/THEVARSITY

Cole Hayes Varsity Contributor

The 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship recently took place on January 10. In the final match, the University of Georgia beat the University of Alabama at the packed Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with over 68,000 fans in attendance.

Seeing that crowd made me wonder why college football isn’t big in Canada. There could be many possible reasons, such as exposure and popularity. That being said, things can still be done for Canada’s college football scene to elevate it to a level that rivals NCAA football in the United States.

One of the biggest reasons that U SPORTS — the national governing body of university sports competition in Canada — is not as popular as the NCAA is its lack of exposure. However, U SPORTS is growing in Canada. CBC Sports now has a deal to broadcast 19 of its national championship games through 2025. Meanwhile, the CBC and Ontario University Athletics — the governing body for university-level sports in Ontario —are in a partnership to broadcast 13 conference

championship games over the next two years.

NCAA football gets some huge revenue in the United States. In 2020, ESPN, ABC, CBS, and Fox paid a combined 1.4 billion USD for college football game rights. Plus, the NCAA makes another 470 million USD annually through a 12-year deal with ESPN to broadcast the college football playoffs. As long as it is marketed properly, such deals could potentially be great for U Sports.

NCAA football gets huge revenues in the United States. In 2020, ESPN, ABC, CBS, and Fox paid a combined 1.4 billion USD for college football game rights. Plus, the NCAA makes another 470 million USD annually through its 12-year deal with ESPN to broadcast the college football playoffs. As long as it is marketed properly, such deals could potentially be great for U SPORTS. The issue is that U SPORTS’ football marketing pales in comparison to how the NCAA is marketed.

I am usually informed about the majority of sports, and I had no idea that CBC’s deal to broadcast U SPORTS’ events existed until I started researching this article. Collegiate football simply doesn’t have the same exposure in Canada as it does in the

United States. This lack of exposure leads to a lack of popularity; U SPORTS football isn’t even on the same planet in terms of popularity compared to NCAA football.

One of the reasons that I think U SPORTS football is less popular than NCAA football is because of the in-game experience. The in-game atmosphere in Canada as compared to the United States is drastically different.

American football stadiums also have traditions that get the fans involved with the atmosphere, such as ‘the wave’ in Iowa. It’s not like the wave that we see at a Blue Jays game — instead, after the first quarter of games, fans and players turn around and wave at the children’s hospital that has a view of the stadium. Another such tradition is ‘Jump Around in Wisconsin,’ where fans jump around to the song “Jump Around” by House of Pain before the start of the fourth quarter. In stadiums of dozens of thousands of people, these traditions and the tailgating culture that we see in the United States lead to NCAA football being more popular than U SPORTS football.

That atmosphere brings people to games.

Similar fan involvement cannot be witnessed at

U SPORTS football games. For example, U of T does good things to get people to games, such as by giving free tickets for students, but the issue is that these games aren’t known to be the events that they are at schools in the States. Having these games being run as events rather than just games would help grow the popularity of U SPORTS football. Moreover, Varsity Stadium seats 5,000 people, while Colorado State University — a team that performed quite poorly in 2021 — has a stadium capacity of over 30,000. Their last game in a poor season still garnered an attendance of over 17,000 fans.

Unfortunately, U SPORTS also lacks popularity because non-pro sports are viewed poorly in Canada. Even the CFL, which is a pro league, is a punching bag for many. Look at the attendance for leagues like the OHL in Ontario, the AHL, and the CFL. They don’t get the numbers that the top leagues do — even if some of them are pro leagues.

In order to grow college football in Canada, it needs to be marketed well, and it needs to be treated like an event rather than a game to keep people coming.

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JANUARY 17, 2022