January 25th, 2021

January 25, 2021

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

Vol. CXLI, No. 15

Canadian government called to investigate death of Baloch activist, U of T student Karima Mehrab Mehrab supported Balochistan’s independence, Toronto police rules death non-suspicious

Khatchig Anteblian Associate News Editor

cases has prompted people to demand further investigation into her death.

Content warning: this article contains mentions of self-harm.

On December 22, the body of 37-year-old human rights activist and U of T student Karima Mehrab — also known as Karima Baloch — was found near the Toronto waterfront after she had gone missing the day before.

Mehrab, who started a degree at U of T in fall 2020, was from the western province of Balochistan in Pakistan and was an advocate of the region’s independence. Named one of the BBC’s 100 most inspirational and influential women, Mehrab had been living in exile in Canada after fleeing Pakistan in 2016 — fearing for her safety as she described being the constant target of Pakistani authorities due to her beliefs.

Toronto police have said that they do not suspect foul play in her death; however, her family and a wider group of human rights activists have been calling on the Canadian government to further investigate her death.

Mehrab’s life The largest of four provinces and rich with natural resources, Balochistan has been the centre of a decades-long independence movement in Pakistan. Thousands of people have been protesting and coming together about the situation in Balochistan under organizations such as the Baloch Students Organization (BSO), of which Mehrab was the first woman chair, to raise awareness and put an end to the Pakistani government’s persecution of the Baloch people. They also hope to draw attention to the pattern of enforced disappearances among the Baloch people.

Mehrab and her family had been constant targets of harassment and persecution by the Pakistani authorities. Her house was targeted by the military, and a few months after she came to Canada, her uncle was abducted, and she was asked to stop her work and return to Pakistan in exchange for his release.

Her uncle was later found dead.

The threats and harassment did not stop when she arrived in Canada, however. A few weeks before her death, she received multiple threatening messages asking her to return to Pakistan and surrender. “Three leaders of BSO were abducted in Karachi in Pakistan, and from their mobile phones, the abductors took Karima’s WhatsApp number,” said Lateef Johar, a member of the BSO and friend of Mehrab. “I was with her here in Canada.

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They asked her to go to Pakistan and surrender to them.”

Additionally, after Mehrab claimed asylum, an investigation was launched on her in Canada because of her connection with BSO, which is a banned organization in Pakistan.

On the day of her disappearance, “she said she wanted to visit the doctor and walk back, but she never came,” Sameer Mehrab, Karima’s brother, said in an interview with The Varsity. Sameer, also an activist and a

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student at U of T, pointed out that Karima’s case mirrors other disappearances of Baloch activists. In March of last year, his friend and activist Sajid Hussein also went missing, and his body was found two months later in a river in Uppsala, Sweden.

Although there is no evidence as of now to suggest that Karima’s disappearance and death was orchestrated, the kidnapping and disappearance of Baloch activists is an issue that she had been fighting against through her work, and the similarity in the different

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Responses, calls for investigation “We are asking the Canadian government to do a better investigation to find out [what happened to her],” Johar said. “The police are saying that it might be self-harm, but we don’t really believe it could be self-harm.”

“I will not go with this narrative that the Canadian government still doesn’t know what’s [been] happening in Balochistan for the last 20 years,” Sameer said, noting that the Canadian mining company Barrick Gold, founded by Peter Munk — who patronized U of T’s school of global affairs — operates in Balochistan.

Barrick Gold was involved in a court case against Pakistan and was awarded $5.8 billion in damages over a disputed mining license in 2019. “I’m not sure how you justify that you’re mining on our land with the help of Pakistan, and you’re benefiting, Pakistan is benefiting, and Pakistan is slaughtering our people,” Sameer said.

“The public can claim that they are not educated about Karima and about Balochistan, but U of T cannot claim that,” said Sameer.

“A member of U of T was persecuted… at least U of T should talk about it and condemn what is going on with our people and what Karima went through.”

The dean of Woodsworth College, where Karima was a student, released a statement on January 12 about her death. The statement reads, “She was a highly engaged student with a deep commitment to her community and a global reputation for her political activism and human rights campaigns. Karima was also an inspiration to many within our university and well beyond.”

“We know that Karima’s passing has affected many people within our community,” a university spokesperson wrote to The Varsity. The spokesperson did not respond to a question on whether the university planned to make any additional statements about her death.

To people like Johar and Sameer, Karima’s death adds to the growing wounds that they’ve been experiencing all their lives. “I don’t know anyone in my generation who died a natural death,” said Sameer. “And when they go, they take a part of your life.

The rest of the community who survived this trauma is devastated.”

However, they plan to keep fighting. Sameer concluded, “Neutrality will only enhance the powerful.”

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How U of T is adjusting to the impact of COVID-19 on mental health

Accommodation requests have increased dramatically in recent years Lauren Alexander Deputy News Editor

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered many aspects of students’ lives, from socialization to course delivery. As students face additional stressors from the pandemic, accommodations that students need for mental health concerns have also changed.

Additionally, U of T has seen an unrelated increase in registrations with accessibility services in recent years, especially for students with mental health as their primary disability.

Response to COVID-19 The university has been working to address these concerns by revamping student programming and redesigning accommodations for the online space.

The university continues to provide virtual accommodations for students, though campus testing centres are still open for students who may require in-person support due to disability.

As it may be increasingly difficult to obtain medical documents during the pandemic, the university is offering “interim accommodations” for students who are unable to obtain documentation right away.

A U of T spokesperson wrote to The Varsity that students with other types of disabilities, such as head injuries, and those with sensory-related disabilities, such as hearing and vision impairments, have had particular difficulty with moving to virtual learning.

U of T has encouraged professors to employ more inclusive teaching practices, such as reading text aloud during lectures and providing descriptions of images they use. The spokesperson noted a few other initiatives, including encouraging professors to record live lectures and content, asking speakers to identify themselves by name before responding, and discouraging professors from asking

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students to speak without warning.

The university spokesperson noted a one third decrease in requests for volunteer note takers this year, likely due to lectures being recorded.

In general, U of T has seen a huge increase in requests for mental health accommodations, as an October article from The Varsity outlined how the Deaf community is being accommodated and found that some have increasing difficulty communicating on a day-to-day basis due to the use of face masks. On the other hand, students with other disabilities, such as mobility concerns, have benefitted from learning virtually. They reported that such students have often needed less assistance when learning virtually.

Yearly trends U of T continues to see yearly increases in the amount of students registered with accessibility

services, and a greater proportion of those students are registered with mental health as their primary disability each year.

Data provided to The Varsity by a university spokesperson showed that, at UTSG alone, the total number of students registered with a disability increased from 2,941 in the 2013–2014 school year to 5,270 in 2019–2020. The data shows a seven per cent increase in the amount of students with mental health as their primary disability, with 43 per cent in 2013–2014 and 50 per cent in 2019–2020.

UTSC showed the most stark increase in mental health-related requests. During the 2013–2014 school year, only 35 per cent of the total 517 registered students had mental health as their primary disability. The proportion increased to 52 per cent out of 1,496 registered students during 2019–2020.

However, these are general trends that mostly predate COVID-19.

UC Lit survey recommends professors do mental wellness check-ins, accommodate students in different times zones

Survey identifies social isolation as a major problem for students Lauren Alexander Deputy News Editor

A survey from the University College Literary and Athletic Society (UC Lit) conducted from November 5–18 asked respondents about the impact of online learning on their mental wellness, as well as how accessibility has been affected. The survey had 73 respondents, who were mostly University College students. The survey ultimately lists a number of recommendations to address accessibility issues, including encouraging incentives for note takers and increased leniency and flexibility from professors.

A U of T-affiliated study published this past September, which surveyed 730 U of T students, found that students who did not have pre-existing mental health conditions reported increased symptoms of depression and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study attributed much of this to the social isolation of the pandemic.

The UC Lit University and Academic Affairs Commission will conduct a similar survey in February to analyze the impact of any changes.

Findings Overall, respondents reported feelings of social isolation, lack of motivation, and feeling “drained, overwhelmed and stressed” when learning virtually. Some reported feeling as though they constantly have to catch up, as well as a “lack of time for self-care.”

The survey also showed students feeling a “blending of weekdays and weekends and lack of time for breaks,” as well as difficulty directing mental attention to non-school-related responsibilities. Some reported feeling less supported by faculty and the university, and felt additional stress and expectations from deadlines and assignments.

Students who were registered for accessibility services reported a couple of barriers to receiving ac-

commodations. Some respondents noted a lack of registered note takers and lecture notes, while some wrote that it was harder to conduct phone appointments and meetings with advisors for accessibility.

Others reported their accessibility needs being met by the university.

Respondents who were not registered with accessibility services, however, reported more accessibilityrelated barriers to their learning. Some reported social isolation and being afraid to ask for extensions on assignments. Others reported mental health challenges, though they are not registered to receive accommodations for this.

Technical difficulties, including slow internet and “choppy lectures,” were also issues, along with difficulty focusing on work without access to libraries.

Students who speak English as a second language said that lecture transcripts might assist their learning.

In an email to The Varsity, UC Lit University and Academic Affairs Commissioner Vaish Vijayan, who was in charge of drafting the UC Lit’s report, wrote that she has met multiple times with University College administrators to review the survey results. University College has also helped distribute the survey to professors and are using the survey and course evaluations to work on “adapting teaching methods.”

Recommendations The UC Lit hopes that “professors will create environments of flexibility and compassion” upon seeing the results of the survey. The survey also provided a list of recommendations for increasing accessibility and reducing student strains, such as accommodating students in different time zones with recorded lectures and providing lecture transcripts for students who speak English as a second language.

The report also suggested that U of T make the accessibility intake process easier, as well as provide advisers to assist students through the process. As some students have reported a lack of note takers for their courses, UC Lit recommended that a registered note taker be available in every class through additional incentives other than Co-Curricular Record acknowledgement, if necessary.

In terms of mental wellness, the report recommended providing increased leniency and flexibility on extension requests, encouraging professors to do mental wellness check-ins, increasing the amount of study groups, and providing more information on workshops and resources for students.

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New U of T student group to help residents of long-term care homes during the pandemic

SAGE also provides frontline workers with support Joy Chan Varsity Contributor

Providing geriatric care and relief to long-term care (LTC) homes, several University of Toronto students have founded the Student Association for Geriatric Empowerment (SAGE). This initiative was inspired by the course HMB440 — Dementia, taught by Professor Franco Taverna and was formed in direct response to the dire situation in LTC homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected residents at a disproportionately high rate.

SAGE connects with seniors through video calls, pen pals, and cards, and also supports frontline workers. The Varsity connected with several members of the group over email who shared their insights on the work of the organization.

Creating SAGE Inspired by their experience in the university’s dementia course, Co-Founder and President Rowaida Hussein and her classmates sought to apply knowledge from their classroom directly to the ‘real world.’ The course touched on issues in LTC homes and allowed for students in the course to visit various care homes in the GTA as an opportunity to interact with and form relationships with seniors who lived at these homes.

This unique hands-on experience was put on hold in March due to widespread lockdowns in response to the spread of COVID-19. Suddenly unable to visit their friends in the homes, the classmates started to support the workers,

donating food and care packages. In addition, as many of SAGE’s executive team members and volunteers are recent 2020 graduates, they had more time to pursue SAGE as the pandemic dissolved other life plans that they had.

Co-Founder and Director of Education & Advocacy Saloni Gupta wrote that the lockdowns made it more difficult to figure out what residents and workers needed, particularly at a time when they are handling more urgent health and safety priorities.

The remote conditions of this group’s initiation, however, were “perhaps a blessing” because as they, too, had to stay at home, SAGE members developed a deeper understanding of the isolation that LTC residents face. SAGE members’ own isolation and transition to online communication made them more determined to find ways to safely reach out and overcome the barriers to socialization, such as lack of technology.

In the present situation, SAGE’s hope is to provide immediate support to LTC homes in Ontario during the pandemic — residents, families, and staff included. Vanessa RezaiStevens, one of SAGE’s communications executives, shared that SAGE has organized a variety of baked goods, beverages, self-care products, and personal protection equipment donations as a small gesture of appreciation to LTC staff.

For the seniors themselves, SAGE has launched a variety of social programs, including pen pals and companion calls over the

SAGE is a volunteer organization to help those in long-term care homes.

COURTESY OF THE SAGE PROJECT

phone and video. “It is crucial that we keep residents engaged and connected to the community, to avoid loneliness and anxiety,” RezaiStevens explained, especially since visiting has been severely restricted during the pandemic.

Looking forward In the long term, SAGE’s mission is to “promote a more individualized approach to caring for seniors and stress the need for a sense of ‘normal life’ in these facilities” through structural and social changes.

Residents of LTC homes are given less freedom over how they choose to spend their time, as mealtimes and programs follow a strict daily schedule. The physical spaces of LTC homes, which often lack privacy and personalization, also contribute to their institutionalized nature. SAGE’s hope is for small-scale, homelike models to be implemented into new LTC fa-

cilities and adapted to current homes, according to Rezai-Stevens.

In the new year, SAGE’s goal is to expand its projects and reach more homes across the GTA as a means of enacting long-lasting change beyond the pandemic, which has already worsened the circumstances of these homes. One of SAGE’s new projects addresses the digital divide in these homes through fundraising to equip seniors with the technological needs to stay connected to their loved ones.

Other potential projects include connecting seniors and elementary or high school students and facilitating virtual exercise or mindfulness classes. SAGE hopes to expand its work to seniors living in the community as well. One of SAGE’s communication executives, Katharine Berardinetti, added, “Truly, when guided by SAGE’s mission to support elderly people and frontline workers, the possibilities are endless.”

Students find financial aid not sufficient to help with increasing tuition

Financial burden affects mental health, performance Marta Anielska Associate News Editor

The past few years have seen drastic changes to student financial aid in Ontario, with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) receiving huge funding cuts that incited mass student protests in 2019.

OSAP, however, is not the only source of student financial aid. U of T’s website on financial aid states that its goal is to fill the gap left when OSAP or other government financial aid is insufficient. However, some student groups have questioned whether the university has met this goal.

Even though official university policy states that “no student offered admission to a program at the University of Toronto should be unable to enter or complete the program due to lack of financial means,” many students have reported that financial aid remains insufficient.

Falling through the gaps In an email to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson wrote that the university’s “student aid mechanisms are designed to ensure that every student who needs, and is entitled to, student aid receives it.” They added that any student who is worried about their position should contact U of T’s financial counselling services or consult their website.

In the 2018–2019 academic year, U of T provided a total of $227.9 million in student support, a number that has consistently increased each year, with $211.1 million having been provided in 2017–2018 and $191.8 million in 2016–2017.

Most of that money went to financial need services, such as University of Toronto Financial Aid (UTAPS) and also includes graduate fellowships and merit-based awards.

However, the Computer Science Students’ Union (CSSU) recently conducted a survey to assess how higher tuition fees affect students in programs such as computer science, data science, and bioinformatics and computational biology, which

were formerly deregulated. Deregulated programs are those which do not have regulations on how much the tuition fees can increase.

The survey found that financial aid is not as effective at curbing student financial strain as the university claims. “Many students in need fall through the cracks and are not supported by the University’s program,” wrote the CSSU in an email to The Varsity.

It added that the university relies on the OSAP definition of financial need, which is defined by the amount of educational cost, including tuition, books, child care, and more, minus the expected financial contribution, which is calculated through student income and assets plus any parental or spousal income and assets, if applicable.

The CSSU asserted that this definition is “quite restrictive, [leaving] many lower-income and lower-middle income students without adequate support.”

Ninety per cent and 72 per cent of survey respondents who were in formerly deregulated and regulated programs, respectively, reported feeling pressure to seek part-time employment or compete for internships due to high tuition fees.

Several students detailed why they are not eligible for OSAP and, consequently, ineligible for UTAPS. One student explained that though their parents do not provide them with financial assistance, they are ineligible for OSAP because it takes their parents’ income into account. Another wrote that they are ineligible because they have an outstanding loan from a previous degree.

Students who do receive financial aid support may also find that they have less flexibility in planning their education due to OSAP restrictions, especially during the pandemic. In an interview with The Varsity, Adrianna Sullivan, a fourth-year sociology major, planned to move her studies from full time to part time this semester but was unable to due to restrictions on her financial aid.

Students switching from full-time to part-time studies must manage two separate loans, so she

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would be required to begin paying back the loan from her full-time studies after a six-month grace period from the province.

“I was going to be part time this year… and then I saw that I was actually not able to do that without compromising my financial situation,” Sullivan said, as she relies heavily on financial aid to pay her tuition.

She added that because of her rough transition to online learning, she’s experienced a decline in her academic performance and mental health. “It would have really helped, I think, to have a lighter course load.”

High tuition fees and financial stress also factored into mental health for respondents in the CSSU survey, especially those in deregulated programs. Eighty-four per cent of students in those programs felt that tuition fees negatively impacted their mental health, compared to 64 per cent in regulated programs.

Moving forward Tuition rates have also been steadily increasing over the past two decades, especially for inter-

national students who are not eligible to receive OSAP and, consequently, UTAPS. According to the university, the financial aid budget increases to offset rising tuition rates.

However, student groups such as the CSSU have argued that financial aid is a “band-aid solution” to the real problem of “exorbitantly priced” university tuition. “Advocating for a change to a financial aid [sic] would be neglecting the problem itself — the way tuition is priced.”

Tyler Riches, Vice-President Public & University Affairs of the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU), detailed some initiatives the union is taking in an email to The Varsity.

In a pre-budget submission for the 2021 Ontario Budget, the UTSU will recommend increasing grants for low- and middle-income students, implementing a two-year interest-free grace period after graduation for loan repayment, and freezing tuition while increasing operating grants.

Members advocated for similar reforms at a federal lobby week in November. The UTSU has also worked to increase student aid allocated from its own funds in recent years.

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UTGSU executive member-at-large resigns, faces notice of impeachment

Allegations of misbehaviour, racism accumulate at January council meetings Isabel Armiento Graduate Bureau Chief

At the January 18 University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) council meeting, a notice to begin the impeachment process for Executive Member-at-Large Ben Hjorth was put forward. At a subsequent council meeting on January 19, Hjorth publicly announced his formal resignation from the UTGSU — while claiming that he had already privately resigned to the UTGSU executive on January 7 prior to the calls for his impeachment.

A focal point of these developments is the relationship between Hjorth and External Commissioner Jacqui Spencer, who have accused each other of misbehaviour and racism.

However, general member Chaim Grafstein, who called for Hjorth’s impeachment trial, noted that the action was not due to the personal dispute between Spencer and Hjorth — instead focusing on allegations of anti-Semitism toward Hjorth.

“For this to be framed [as] a personal dispute really takes away from the issues of anti-Semitism that I’ve been facing,” he said, adding that, “many have felt uncomfortable in these board meetings because of those experiences.”

Hjorth disputes the allegations of mistreatment and anti-Semitism levelled against him, instead criticizing Spencer’s behaviour at the UTGSU as the rationale for his resignation.

Lwanga Musisi, University Governance Commissioner, was among those who did not support the notice of impeachment trial, saying he felt it was a “personal disagreement” between Spencer and Hjorth. “I don’t think that these types of personal disputes should take place at council meetings,” he added.

Further allegations against executive member-at-large Aside from Grafstein’s allegation of anti-Semitism, two UTGSU executives also levelled accusations against Hjorth at the meeting. Spencer claimed that “the executive-at-large has been operating in a manner that would target me and put me in a position of a lack of safety.”

In addition, she alleged that Hjorth “has called [her] a racist and other such derogatory terms.”

She added that he’s also called her “self-serving,” “violent,” and “politically treacherous.” “[Hjorth has] attempted to resign by email, but only if I resigned first, and [he] told me that I should not show my face in any union space ever again,” Spencer said, adding, “His behaviour is vile, disrespectful, racist, anti-Black and the executives that support him should also be ashamed of themselves.”

In the meeting, Spencer disputed the general claims she said he has made about her, saying “I’ve been continuously slandered.”

When asked to further clarify the specifics of these allegations, Spencer wrote to The Varsity, “Due to an ongoing investigation into executive conduct, I cannot comment further at this time.”

Spencer added that “It is imperative that UTGSU meetings be safe spaces for [Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC)] and all marginalized and racialized students and that violence against UTGSU members not be tolerated.”

Dhanela Sivaparan, Academics and Funding Commissioner: Divisions 1 and 2, also spoke about Hjorth’s behaviour in the January 18 meeting. She claimed to have “been receiving indirect threats or micro-aggressive behaviour from the executive member-at-large.”

Allegations against external commissioner Hjorth disputed Spencer’s claims against him in an email to The Varsity, writing, “I have not targeted, slandered or compromised the safety of the External Commissioner.”

Hjorth also wrote that when stating his resignation on January 7, he did say that he felt Spencer should resign, but that his resignation was not dependent upon her own.

He also disputed Sivaparan’s claims. “I never threatened the Academics & Funding Commissioner for Divisions 1 & 2,” he wrote in an email to The Varsity. “On the contrary, we maintained a warm personal correspondence until very recently, at which point I reached out to her with concerns about the External Commissioner’s treatment of other Executives on the Committee.”

He added that no evidence has been provided to support “the nebulous claims that have been made against me by the External Commissioner and those supporting her.”

Hjorth’s letter stated that he was resigning “in protest” of an unsafe work environment allegedly perpetuated by Spencer. Hjorth alleged that Spencer often responded to criticism by accusing executive members — including BIPOC members — of racism. He also claimed that Spencer engaged in “violent targeting” of other executives, “which put [the executive’s] safety, and that of the Union membership, at serious risk.”

“This is what my resignation was in protest against,” he explained. Hjorth added that his resignation was partly due to Spencer’s claims that a member had brought forward complaints

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that Hjorth had made anti-Semitic comments.

Hjorth wrote that the member’s allegations remain unsubstantiated, though he suspects they are in regard to comments he made in 2019, before he was elected as executive member-atlarge. Hjorth clarified that his comments were meant to be “anti-Israel” and “anti-apartheid” rather than anti-Semitic.

According to Hjorth, Spencer continued to threaten him with the anti-Semitism claim, despite the Executive Committee passing a motion preventing Spencer from conducting any investigations through the Equity & Advocacy Committee without a mandate from council. At the January 19 UTGSU council meeting, the General Council ruled that the motion was out of order.

In an email to The Varsity, Hjorth wrote, “I informed the Executive Committee of my resignation in protest… long before the Monday 18 January Council meeting where notice of a future motion to impeach me was given.” He added, “Only a sitting member of the Executive Committee can be impeached; the notice of motion is therefore out of order and irrelevant.”

UTSC Office of Student Experience & Wellbeing arranges celebrity shoutouts to welcome students to the new year Cameos from Lindsay Lohan, Gina Torres purchased to encourage students during online learning Alexa DiFrancesco UTSC Bureau Chief

Last week, the Instagram account @utscstudentexperience, run by the UTSC Office of Student Experience & Wellbeing, posted a unique video: “Hey everyone, it’s Lindsay Lohan. All UTSC students of Toronto, Canada, I wanted to let you know that you will be welcomed back to school in January [and] your hard work has been recognized.”

The video, purchased through the personalized video website Cameo, was part of the office’s efforts to welcome students back for the winter semester with celebrity shoutouts. All the

videos — including ones from actors Anthony Anderson, Gina Torres, and James Pickens Jr. — featured messages of encouragement to students.

The Varsity spoke with the Office of Student Experience & Wellbeing’s Rebekkah Nighswander, First Year Programs Coordinator, and Delicia Ansalem, Communications and Marketing Officer, to discuss the project.

Initial idea and planning Although UTSC students first saw the celebrity messages in mid-January, Nighswander and Ansalem told The Varsity that their team has been working on the initiative since the end

The UTSC Instagram account posted Cameo messages from Lindsay Lohan, Anthony Anderson, and Gina Torres.

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of the fall semester. “We were thinking a lot about how [we were] going to welcome students back,” Nighswander recalled. “We were thinking about… how [we could] create programming that isn’t something you necessarily have to show up for but that we could share on social media and share with our students.”

A group of work-study students were the first to suggest the idea. Nighswander also said that the students had a great deal of influence on choosing which celebrities would give the shoutouts.

“The work-study team looked through [the catalog of celebrities], and everybody got to identify their top five [choices]. We tried to take, maybe, everybody’s top one,” Nighswander added. She and Ansalem also weighed which celebrities might resonate with students the most: “Our hope… was that with having familiar [people], and maybe people that you look up to, that would be a motivator.”

Reaching out and logistics Cameo allows users to request video messages from celebrities who post listings on the site, with prices ranging from $5 USD to $3,000 USD. The cost for a 15-second video from Lohan is listed at $400 USD. For Torres, it’s $100 USD, for Anderson $150 USD, and for Pickens Jr. $250 USD. “[Cost] was a factor for us,” Nighwander said.

“We tried to find a balance of celebrities who were within a particular price point, but then also [ones] that students would connect with.”

Cameo users also provide a general idea of what they want the message to say. “The instructions that we gave to the celebrities were: ‘How do we help students feel motivated for the semester? Can you speak to studying this semester, and can you congratulate them on… the

hard work and resiliency it takes to get through all of the world events that are happening right now?’ ” In response, they received a variety of personalized messages. “The important thing is that the good people at UTSC wanted me to let you know that they appreciate all the hard work that you guys have been doing,” said Torres in her video.

“I want to send you some positive vibes for a great winter session,” said Anderson. “Here’s to you all acing all of your classes and all of your finals. Welcome back to class. Now crack open a book and get to studying!”

Feedback from students Although U of T is a school that both Nighswander and Ansalem would describe as “traditional,” they explained that they had permission to be as creative as they wanted to be when creating the Office of Student Experience & Wellbeing’s marketing strategy. They also mentioned that the feedback they’ve received thus far has been extremely positive, noting that they’ve gotten both thank you messages and messages requesting a copy of the shoutouts.

“It was really heartwarming to see that feedback because it is a tough time, and we want students to feel motivated again,” said Ansalem.

“Our theme for this month, or what we normally do for January, is ‘new year, new you,’ so it’s a nice fresh start. A little jumpstart.”

“All of [the feedback] motivates us… to reach out to more students and see what exactly… they expect or… want, especially at this time,” Ansalem added.“[We’re] watching out for the student experience online, virtually, as well as their overall well-being throughout the semester. It definitely motivates us to push our priorities with those two factors a bit more.”

var.st/news

JANUARY 25, 2021

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New artificial intelligence tool to better assist U of T students with course selection

CARTE initiative aims to help students find more relevant courses Jessica Han Varsity Staff

The Centre for Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Engineering (CARTE) has created an indevelopment artificial intelligence (AI) tool named Education Pathways to help U of T students with course selection. The tool aims to provide students with an alternative to the Course Finder website by allowing users to match search terms with relevant courses, along with recommending early-year courses that will best prepare students for courses they may take in their following years of study.

The tool accepts a number of filters, including year of study, faculty, and campus, along with a search term. It then offers a list of courses that include not only the search term, but also related terms, as well as potential prerequisites for other searched courses.

“A more intelligent search engine” This tool was developed after a series of focus group meetings in September with students from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (FASE) to get feedback on the expectations and experiences students had in analytics, AI, and machine learning (ML) education. In response to this feedback from students, the CARTE worked on a series of initiatives, including the AI, to improve

student experiences.

In an email to The Varsity, the CARTE’s assistant director, Somayeh Sadat, wrote that students felt there were not enough advanced, niche, or skill-oriented courses in the analytics, AI, and ML course offerings, though these types of courses were, in fact, offered by the university. They found that the existing course finder was not helpful in finding these courses, as it could only search based on the exact terms put in by the user.

“More importantly, not all courses had listed prerequisites and students needed guidance on how to best prepare for advanced courses,” Sadat added.

In response, Education Pathways has been one of the recent initiatives generated to assist students. The tool works to offer guidance on courses from any area of study, including analytics, AI, ML, humanities, arts, and sciences.

Sadat considered Education Pathways to be “a more intelligent search engine compared to the course finder” for various reasons. One reason is that the tool can search all relevant courses more flexibly by exploring both the terms entered directly by the user and any other related terms. Another reason is that it suggests prerequisite courses to aid students in deciding what courses they will take in later years

TROY LAWRENCE/THEVARSITY

Developing the tool According to Sadat, the process of developing Education Pathways began with the CARTE’s research assistant, Alex Olson, using the information found in Course Finder to map out every term used in the course descriptions across U of T. Based on the information this gathered, Olson wrote an algorithm.

Sadat further explained that “by looking at the relationships between different words, it was then possible to predict the relevance of a course to any search term, even if the search only uses words that don’t come up in the course’s actual description at all.”

Finally, academic staff, students, and FASE leadership provided feedback about the tool, and in early 2021, Education Pathways was launched.

Members of CARTE have been collecting feedback and are still asking for suggestions and com-

ments from students on Education Pathways. With this feedback, CARTE can assess any future areas of improvement and the level of success of the new course search tool.

Sadat described possible improvements that could be implemented to enhance the tool and help with student pathways.

“There is potential to build on this work and supplement it with student registration data in order to better understand student pathways through electives and interdivisional connections and showcase to external partners, as well as identify opportunities to build new programs,” Sadat wrote.

According to Sadat, CARTE sees high potential in improving Education Pathways so that it can better serve students’ course planning and assist them in gaining a better understanding of the latest courses.

UTGSU council meetings discuss honoraria payments, changes to voting system

Council members support executive back pay if procedure is followed Isabel Armiento Graduate Bureau Chief

The University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) General Council met on January 19 for a regularly scheduled council meeting, following an additional meeting on January 18 called by 10 UTGSU directors.

The extra January 18 meeting was called to discuss “executive conduct.” A notice to impeach Executive Member-at-Large Ben Hjorth was put forward, although he publicly announced his resignation the next day. Members also discussed whether the UTGSU executive team’s decision to backpay University Governance Commissioner Lwanga Musisi additional honorarium for the finance-related duties he undertook from May 1 to November 15 was in accordance with UTGSU policy.

The January 19 meeting included discussion on a potential switch from a ranked choice voting system to plurality voting, where people vote for only one candidate, and the appointment of the chief returning officer (CRO) for the UTGSU’s upcoming elections.

Ruling on committee investigations Concerns were raised by several members about a motion passed at a UTGSU executive and staff meeting on December 8. The motion, which was moved by Hjorth and seconded by Musisi, dictated that the Equity and Advocacy Committee would not be allowed to proceed with any investigation without the approval of the General Council.

Jacqui Spencer, the chair of the Equity and Advocacy Committee, claimed that the motion was passed in an attempt to “silence” her and prevent her from performing her “board-appointed duty” with the committee. At the January 18 meeting, UTGSU Chair Hamish Russell ruled that the motion was in order, claiming that investigation is not within the committee’s purview.

Branden Rizzuto, a former UTGSU finance commissioner, challenged the chair’s ruling at the council meeting, arguing that the Executive Com-

mittee does not have the authority to decide on or restrict any committee’s jurisdiction. According to him, the motion should have been taken to the General Council rather than decided solely by the executive.

The General Council voted to overrule Russel’s decision that the Executive Committee could make this decision.

Executive backpay Council members also expressed concern regarding a motion to back pay Musisi the full finance commissioner honorarium that was passed by the executives on December 1. Dhanela Sivaparan, Academics and Funding Commissioner: Divisions 1 and 2, abstained.

Musisi originally agreed to take on 50 per cent of the finance commissioner’s duties for 50 per cent of the honorarium until the finance commissioner role was filled on November 15, when An-Noûra Compaoré began her term. However, on December 1, the UTGSU executive decided to back pay Musisi additional honorarium.

The UTGSU executive members wrote in an email to The Varsity that they voted to retroactively pay him the full honorarium for the period he worked because he “has taken on an unprecedented amount of unpaid work to complete all finance related duties prior to the election of the Finance Commissioner.”

The UTGSU executive added that the additional honorarium has not been paid so far.

Some members expressed worry that this motion was passed against UTGSU policy. Executive Director Andre Fast assured the council that this motion was passed in accordance with the policy, which states that the executive can redirect up to 100 per cent of a position’s monthly honorarium to any member of the union.

Rizzuto argued that while the policy gives the executive power to redirect honoraria, the executive cannot back pay honorarium from a previous year to current executives without the General Council’s vote. According to Rizzuto, the motion in question falls under policy O1.11.2, which reads, “General Council shall determine, from time to time, any sti-

pend or honorarium to be paid to any person who merits such a reward for service to the Union on an occasional basis.”

The UTGSU executive wrote in an email to The Varsity, “A confirmation vote will take place at Council before any payment is issued.

If approved by CounThe UTGSU held its January council meeting on January 19. cil, the payment would come from the current fiscal year’s budget.” that the council appoint Adrian Aziz as CRO for Some members of council voiced concern that the upcoming elections. General Council passed a the decision to keep this decision from the General motion to accept the CRO nominating committee’s Council for so long fits into a pattern of financial recommendation and appoint Aziz as CRO. transparency issues.

Council then discussed a proposed election policy Multiple members expressed hope that Musisi amendment to shift the UTGSU’s voting system could be paid the full finance commissioner hono- from a ranked to plurality vote. This would mean rarium in a procedurally correct way. Member Jack- that instead of voters ranking all candidates in order lyn Koyama gave notice of a motion for Musisi to of preference, they would vote for a single candidate. be retroactively paid the honorarium. The General The proposal was backed by Internal CommisCouncil will vote on this motion at an upcoming sioner Sarah Alam who said that last election saw meeting. more than 10 candidates for many of the vacant positions. According to Alam, the ranked voting sysJanuary 19 council meeting tem proved difficult when so many candidates were The January 19 council meeting began with executive involved. reports, which were received by the General Council.

Rizzuto spoke against this proposal, arguing that Several council members expressed discontent that ranked voting is more equitable and that plurality executive reports did not include information about voting disadvantages minority voices and encourages the executive’s decision to retroactively pay Musisi harmful practices such as vote splitting. The General the full finance commissioner honorarium.

Council deferred a vote on the proposed amendment Other reports were given, including a report from to a later meeting. a representative from the Canadian Union of Public Lastly, June Li, Academics and Funding ComEmployees 3902 with updates on bargaining with missioner: Divisions 3 and 4, updated council on an the university and a Graduate Education Council initiative to increase campus-wide funding in accorreport regarding the development of an online plat- dance with cost of living increases. The initiative is form through Quercus aimed at enhancing graduate modelled after harmonized funding packages across student professional development. All reports were the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and focuses on crereceived by the General Council. ating a fair basic funding package that applies across The CRO nominating committee recommended departments.

Business & Labour

January 25, 2021 var.st/business biz@thevarsity.ca

Third annual Black Career Conference empowers and connects Black students Conference featured remote lectures, workshops, all-new pitch competition Anastasiya Gordiychuk Associate Business & Labour Editor

Despite COVID-19 making it impossible to host the Black Career Conference (BCC) in person this year, the event’s organizing team successfully held a two-day virtual conference from January 15–16 on Hopin, a virtual event platform, providing Black U of T students a space to gain exposure, connections, and a sense of community.

Since 2019, the annual conference has been organized by Black Rotman Commerce (BRC) students in partnership with the Black Students’ Association. Last year’s conference drew in more than 250 attendees. This year, the BCC saw 577 participants, including speakers and the organizing team.

portunities within these organizations.

Throughout the whole process, the organizing team emphasized that teamwork was extremely important. “It was a daunting task… transitioning [to] a conference that had hundreds of attendees online,” Co-President of BRC Jasmine Ali said. “It was a lot of preparation, a lot of late-night meetings, and also just a lot of planning for worst-case scenarios.”

Creativity, competition, and community Over 30 startups applied to the pitch competition, and the organizers had a difficult time choosing the finalists. They initially aimed to have five or six finalists, but as they went over the applications, they extended this number to eight due to the high quality of pitches.

come participants in other competitions just because we’re minorities,” Linda Boachie, one of Clutch’s co-founders, said.

“A lot of times, it does feel like we’re just checking off a box when we apply to other pitch competitions,” Dymika Harte, another co-founder of Clutch, added.

This idea also resonated with Yamilla Franco, a co-founder of Nyoka Design Labs. She said that she often felt unmotivated when participating in other places due to the lack of equity.

“I don’t come from a place of privilege, and I’m building everything from scratch,” she said. “So I personally feel like I get more opportunities to… pass on to the finals or to benefit from the competition when there’s a level playing field like [at the BCC].”

occur didn’t ruin the experience for the participants. “We’ve been to other conferences, and this one was definitely well organized, even though there were some tech issues,” Harte said. “I think the team handled it really well, and it was still a really great turnout and the event overall.”

Of course, the BCC is not just a normal career fair. According to a 2016 Statistics Canada report, the unemployment rate for people aged 25–59 years who have postsecondary education and are not Black was 5.3 per cent. In contrast, the unemployment rate for Black people of the same age and education was 9.2 per cent. This dichotomy is particularly glaring in the aftermath of 2020, a year of economic turmoil and equity-focused societal upheaval. Disparities between racialized people and the rest of the

Aysha Mohammed, Jamar Norick, Jasmine Ali, and Kwaze Gayle were the principal organizers of the Black Career Conference.

COURTESY OF BLACK ROTMAN COMMERCE

Although it’s organized by BRC, the conference is oriented toward Black students in all fields of study. In 2020, only 37 per cent of attendants were business students, while 26 per cent hailed from STEM fields and another 18 per cent attended from the social sciences. Undergraduates comprised 65 per cent of participants, and many universities besides U of T were represented.

Connecting apart In an interview with The Varsity, the BCC organizing team described the new and returning events they tailored to fit the needs of Black students in 2021.

In particular, the BCC team highlighted how COVID-19 has impacted small businesses and Black entrepreneurs — who were already encountering systemic barriers before the pandemic — more than their peers. To address this, they expanded the conference to include a new pitch competition for Black businesspeople and Blackled startups.

“We know that Black entrepreneurs do not have access to as much capital as our counterparts,” Aysha Mohammed, Co-President of BRC, said. “So we hope that through this competition we provide these opportunities for Black entrepreneurs.”

Beyond the pitch competition, the conference offered participants networking opportunities with professionals on 15 industry panels, including representatives from fields such as law, journalism, politics, engineering, medicine, entrepreneurship, and many more. During workshops, panellists shared their stories and answered questions from the audience.

The workshops were followed by the networking session with conference sponsors — including the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Oliver Wyman, the Royal Bank of Canada, Deloitte Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, and SSENSE — where attendees could learn about career op-

The finalists competed for a total prize pool of $20,000 and a single placement with the League of Innovators’ LABS accelerator program.

First place — winning $10,000 and the accelerator placement — was won by Nyoka Design Labs for its efforts to reduce plastic waste. Its work focuses on creating a bioluminescent, non-toxic, and plastic-free light source.

Second place and $6,000 went to Clutch, a startup that pitched an online driver’s education and scheduling app. Third place and $4,000 went to Therapy Innovation Inc. for its portable vest that monitors musculoskeletal conditions with sensors and an accompanying app. Finally, Envly won audience pick and received $1,000 for its ecofriendly shopping app.

While the first day was dominated by the pitch competition, both days of the conference featured keynote speeches by filmmaker Julien Christian Lutz, Mercer Canada executive Angelita Graham, and Bank of Montreal executive Deland Kamanga. All three shared their experiences of becoming professionals in their fields and highlighted opportunities for the next generation of Black people.

“Juxtaposing today with 1990, and guys — it is a different world,” Kamanga told the audience.

“You really do have tremendous opportunities.”

He emphasized that this generation of Black businesspeople has greater access to capital and encouraged them to use it.

“I would like to see your generation make the lead where you are building businesses, and you are not employees,” Kamanga continued.

Empowering Black people While formal feedback is still being collected for this year's conference, the pitch competition winners spoke with The Varsity about what attracted them to the BCC conference.

“A lot of times, it is really hard for us to be-

In addition to the monetary prizes, many of the teams underscored how helpful the judges’ feedback was. “Linda and I have pitched in a bunch of different competitions this year, and a lot of times, the feedback was really cut off,” Harte said. “But [at the BCC], we got a lot of insight from actual industry leaders that understood the space that we are in.”

Filling a pressing need Career fairs in general have been scarce this past year, with physical distancing measures making many impossible. Adapting to an online platform allowed the BCC to attract many attendees, some of whom have been starved for this sort of experience.

Despite initial concerns by the executive team around technical difficulties, any problems that did

population have become even worse in recent months, with racialized people disproportionately at risk from COVID-19. With this context, events like the BCC are more important than ever.

“Our goal is really to help Black students regardless of their program… to help students academically, professionally, and socially,” Mohammed said. “[With] recruitment opportunities… interview prep, résumé building, and also for academics on the academic side. Our goal is to increase Black representation, and we’re open to any students regardless of their [academic] background.”

“We really aim to be a cornerstone in the Black community in Canada by providing a forum that supports the representation of Black excellence and Black professionals, thriving across industries,” Ali said.

Yamila Franco is co-founder of Nyoka Design Labs, which won first place in the Black Career Conference pitch competition.

COURTESY OF YAMILA FRANCO

Comment

January 25, 2021 var.st/comment comment@thevarsity.ca

Op-ed: Canada — and U of T — must advocate for Karima Mehrab In remembrance of a Baloch human rights activist and U of T student

Lateef Johar Baloch Varsity Contributor

The Government of Canada must investigate the mysterious death of Karima Mehrab. Also known as Karima Baloch, Mehrab was a human rights and political activist from Balochistan, a region under Pakistan’s control. Mehrab advocated for Balochistan’s independence from Pakistan.

While in asylum in Canada, where she has been a graduate of the University of Toronto’s academic bridging program and was taking first year courses, Mehrab went missing on December 20 and her dead body was found in the water in Toronto Island the next day.

In understanding Mehrab’s life in advocacy, it is important that the U of T administration and community members come together to advocate for her and her family.

Mehrab’s life She started her activism at the Baloch Students Organization (BSO) in 2006.

She defied patriarchal norms and became the first woman activist in Balochistan.

Soon, through her courage and hard work, she gained a prominent position in BSO leadership, influencing women and girls in political activities in Balochistan.

During the period of 2008–2009, when the Pakistani army started abducting and killing political human rights and social activists and leaders, Mehrab took the reins of the party and became an even louder voice in politics and social and community activism in Balochistan.

In order to silence her growing voice, the Pakistani government booked her with false charges, attacked her house multiple times, and abducted and killed many teachers, including her uncle, Noor Ahmed, a teacher in the Tump area. Pakistan used its proxies and apparatus to disgrace women and discourage them from going to school and participating in social and political activities.

These tactics are well documented.

However, Mehrab never stopped challenging inequities and violence by putting her life at risk and encouraging and inspiring women and girls to get education

and to be empowered.

In November 2015, she was forced to leave Balochistan in order to escape death threats and prosecution, and she sought asylum in Canada, continuing her activism after her arrival. She spoke at and attended multiple peaceful demonstrations and events explaining the situation in Balochistan, and she created awareness in the international community about Pakistan’s brutalities in Balochistan.

In recognition of her extraordinary work and courage, she was listed in the 100 influential and inspirational women of 2006 by the BBC. She endured many hurdles in her asylum application process, and unfortunately, the Canada Border Services Agency filed an inadmissibility order against her and suspended her application for asylum claim.

The Canadian government and the Canada Border Services Agency couldn’t prove any of

the allegations, but I personally witnessed her go through a lengthy and tiring process of reviews and interrogations.

Finally, her application was accepted in January 2018 after two years. However, she then went through another lengthy process of obtaining her permanent resident status. It took her around three years to get permanent resident status. She struggled against all these hurdles and barricades until her mysterious death, but never compromised on her principles and struggle for humanity and women’s empowerment.

It’s unfortunate that, rather than recognizing her work or honouring Mehrab for her resilience and continuous struggle as a renowned political and human right activist, the Canadian government chose to refuse comment on the nature of her mysterious death in Toronto and treated the incident as an isolated event involving no foul play.

Calls for justice Her death caused worldwide demonstrations and media campaigns asking the Canadian government to conduct a thorough investigation into the issue that considers all facts and case realities in the past and present, including anonymous threats that she received leading up to her death.

Currently, as Mehrab’s family and I wait for answers, the government has given us no response to these demands. It is extremely hurtful to see a democratic country like Canada, a leader in promoting human rights, ignoring a high profile and internationally well-known and celebrated human rights activist’s death on Canadian soil.

Therefore, speaking on behalf of the Human Rights Council of Balochistan and as a close friend and colleague of Mehrab, I am humbly requesting all respected human rights organizations and social activists to be part of our campaign asking the Canadian government to start a thorough investigation into Mehrab’s mysterious death, which would be the best tribute and posthumous recognition for an activist of her stature.

The University of Toronto administration and community members must also recognize its celebrated human rights activist student’s work for humanity and women’s empowerment. Steps you can take to pay tribute to Mehrab and her sacrifices for humanity and women’s empowerment include signing the coming petition, writing to your MP and asking them to take the issue to parliament, speaking and writing about her using social media platforms, and working to support and preserve her great legacy.

U of T Karima Mehrab.

COURTESY OF SAMEER MEHRAB

Lateef Johar Baloch is a secondyear political science and equity studies student at Woodsworth College. He is also the deputy coordinator of the Human Rights Council of Balochistan.

U of T must play a larger role in reducing the spread of COVID-19 The university should house general public testing centres, provide vaccines Evangeline Yeung Varsity Contributor

U of T could do more to help Ontario fight the pandemic.

EHSAN ETESAMI/THEVARSITY

The university has taken great steps to protect students from the spread of COVID-19, such as moving most classes online in the fall and providing software for students to report their symptoms. However, as cases rise in Ontario, the university must consider taking a proactive approach in the fight against the pandemic.

Currently, other than at UTSC, the university does not house general public testing centres, nor has it announced any prospects to personally distribute vaccines to its students.

As noted by Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Mike Ryans during a virtual press conference, deriving the results from one positive case among 10 negative cases would be a benchmark for testing centres.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove noted in the same conference that the reality is that in order for countries to achieve that benchmark, the amount of testing needs to be increased.

There needs to be an increase of availability and accessibility to these tests as well. The university, by using its empty lecture halls as testing centres for example, could solve this problem.

A study by Western University, when universities were still considering reopening campuses in the fall, suggested that a path back to normalcy could only occur with “mass and highfrequency testing.” This same aggressive style of testing was recommended by the WHO during the early stages of the pandemic. As Ontario grapples with its second wave, providing extra spaces for general population testing could be vital to fighting the virus’ spread.

According to Professor Colin Furness from the University of Toronto, “There is a good reason why we have flu season and cold season in the winter… In cold, dry weather when you exhale and you can see your breath you are seeing those droplets and the droplets disappear in an instance, meaning the water evaporates so those very live virus particles are floating in the air.”

Considering the rise of cases around Ontario, we can recognize a consistent trend that aligns with Furness’ assessment. Therefore, it is

imperative that, now more than ever, the university takes a more proactive approach in the pandemic.

As the prospect of vaccine distribution to the general public is in discussion, U of T should consider being a space to administer vaccines to students. Postsecondary vaccination distribution is not unprecedented — some institutions, such as Princeton University, have taken a phased approach to vaccinating their students.

This not only is a great way to streamline vaccinations, but the U of T name may also help build trust in the general public of the vaccinations’ safety and effectiveness.

Between housing testing centres and becoming a hub for vaccination, U of T could play yet another role in the fight against the pandemic, in addition to the medical contributions students have made. Ontario is facing mistrust in its ability to handle the pandemic but also public mistrust in the vaccine itself — it’s time U of T stepped up and extended a helping hand.

Evangeline Yeung is a third-year English student at UTM.

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PhD holders deserve to be called ‘doctor,’ even if they’re not physicians Abolish the bias, keep the prestige Padideh Hassanpour Varsity Contributor

In 2013, the summer after my first year at U of T, I had the pleasure of taking a surprisingly exciting course in the English department: ENG215 — The Canadian Short Story.

Coincidentally, this was also the year Alice Munro was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

It was a big year for feminism too: Malala Yousafzai, precocious and poignant with only 16 years behind her at the time, gave a speech at the United Nations; Wendy Davis performed a 13-hour-long filibuster for abortion rights; and Laverne Cox became the first openly racialized transgender woman to have a leading role on a major television show.

Less notably — though by no means unimportant — is Dr. Sarah Caskey, the instructor I had for the course. Caskey, I noticed, signed her emails with “Dr.” and made a point of emphasizing in the classroom that we were to refer to her as such. I found it curious to call an English academic a ‘doctor,’ thinking in all of my first-year naïveté that the term was mostly — if not always — reserved for physicians, with the rare physics graduate being an exception. I had wondered then: why did PhD holders insist on being called “doctor” when that could very well be misleading?

And now, I seek to answer whether people who hold PhDs should be called doctors. It’s 2021, and I’ve reckoned with these questions plenty. In short, yes, they should. And, more importantly, this is arguably a feminist issue. But first, some context.

In early December, American writer Joseph Epstein came out with an opinion piece that could comfortably be labelled as facetious, belched out for the world to read in The Wall Street Journal. The title of his article was “Is There a Doctor in the White House? Not if You Need an M.D.” Epstein’s point was simple, if not tiresome: Dr. Jill Biden should consider dropping the honorific since anyone but a medical doctor is a fraudulent one. Back in his day, earning a doctorate was a hard-won feat.

And now? He claims they’re handed out too easily — so easily that even he has one, and it wasn’t even earned the traditional way via the classroom and library. It’s easy to interpret Epstein’s exasperation at today’s lax standards

— a crisis in prestige, if you will.

If doctorates are easy to come by, and honorary ones are handed out all willy-nilly, exactly how prestigious are they? Never mind, of course, the fact that, on average, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, only roughly one per cent of adults aged 25–64 in its 37 member countries have a PhD, with this number rising to two per cent in the

Of course, whether the standards have become slipshod is secondary to whether someone like Biden, who earned her Doctorate in Education in 2007 at the age of 55, ought to be called and take pride in being a doctor. I certainly think so.

The term ‘doctor’ comes from the Latin term ‘docere,’ meaning to teach and instruct.

With medieval origins from the Renaissance period, a doctor referred to a learned person concerned with

JAQUELINE RENEE/THEVARSITY

United States, making it an exceptionally rare accomplishment.

I interpret Epstein to mean that the only individuals worthy of being called doctors are those whose grit and stamina for the profession can be measured in 12-hour work days with no bathroom or food breaks, and hundreds, if not thousands, of hours spent laboriously training for an intellectual marathon.

For him, this cohort only includes medical professionals. Philosophy students, on the contrary, may heartily disagree.

matters of spirituality and the soul. While theologians who preached doctrines from the Roman Catholic Church were the first to adopt the term, it was more broadly used by the end of the fourteenth century to refer to academics and medical professionals. The first doctorate in philosophy with a dissertation was awarded in Germany during the seventeenth century.

With such etymological evidence in hand, calling Biden — or, indeed, anyone who participates in academia in a teaching and instructional manner — a ‘doctor’ is an entirely per-

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fect descriptor.

I suspect that accuracy isn’t what’s at stake, but rather whose expertise and knowledge is worthy of acknowledgement. According to Epstein, Biden’s accomplishments are a comical matter. He refers to her as “kiddo,” suggesting that she drop her vocation, title, and life’s work as an educator, and instead, “Forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill, and settle for the larger thrill of living for the next four years in the best public housing in the world as First Lady.”

Whether tongue-in-cheek or not, the patronization isn’t a novelty. Perhaps Epstein is unaware of the fact that women are no strangers to gender bias in academia. Despite making substantial contributions to research across all fields, women’s research is often overlooked in comparison to men’s; they are less likely to gain tenured positions, remain underrepresented in senior positions, and do not win prestigious awards at the same rate as men, as most award panels are chaired by men who may be more likely to select other men as winners — a possible example of implicit bias.

Academics who are also racialized women often have their authority and teaching competency challenged and remain vastly underrepresented in full-time teaching positions. Each of these examples warrants a separate discussion, to be sure, and while I remain wary of singling out sexism and racism as the only threats to women’s experiences in higher education, they are important markers to consider.

Asking whether PhD holders should be called doctors is answered by acknowledging that scores of women have struggled to climb the ladder and be recognized for their original contributions. Denying women the title of doctor only creates an additional barrier to recognition and inclusion.

Sure, let us come together and admonish the sheer stupidity of honorary degrees and their symbolism; here, Epstein and I agree. Yet for those who’ve struggled for years to flesh out their chapters and add new insight to their field? The least we can do is call them ‘doctor’; denying PhD holders and the thousands of women who are granted such a degree each year their title doesn’t make their accomplishment any less real or earned.

Padideh Hassanpour graduated as a women and gender studies and equity studies student from University College in 2016. She is currently taking courses in psychology and buddhism.

var.st/comment

JANUARY 25, 2021

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Sugar dating shows that we need a gendered strategy to tuition affordability SeekingArrangement reports that U of T is top ranked for students using the website Saman Saeed Varsity Contributor

Tuition affordability is a focal point of student advocacy, especially during the pandemic. Students across the nation are frustrated to find themselves paying exorbitant fees for

classes that are mostly online. In the case of students who are women, the solution to this problem may be sex work, such as sugar baby relationships. This is why we must take a gendered approach to tuition affordability.

The average amount, before tax, that a person needs to live in Toronto ranges from

$55,500 to $61,000. These numbers released

by Lowest Rates, a Canadian financial aid comparison company, don’t take into account shared expenses that could reduce the amount one needs to live in Toronto. However, it also doesn’t consider student expenses, such as university fees, school supplies, and so on.

The tuition fee for domestic students at the University of Toronto starts at $6,100 per year while it is between $21,650 to $64,810 for international students. With the high cost of tuition, it comes as no surprise that U of T was ranked first in the country for the number of students that use SeekingArrangement, a sugar baby dating website.

The term ‘sugar baby’ is often used to describe a younger woman who maintains a relationship with an older and wealthier man, a ‘sugar daddy,’ in exchange for gifts. SeekingArrangement revealed that the average sugar daddy is 38 years old and makes around $250,000 annually. Meanwhile, the average sugar baby is 25 years old and makes $2,800 monthly through this arrangement. However, each relationship differs not only in compensation but also in the amount of intimacy required.

That being said, there are many factors that might drive women at U of T to become sugar babies: tuition, rent, living expenses, and for some, the desire to find a serious relationship. With this in mind, the recent SeekingArrangement report is understandable.

The site even advertises itself as a way for students to “avoid student debt and secure a better future.”

The reality is that attending U of T is not cheap, and SeekingArrangement JOSEPH DONATO/THEVARSITY provides an alternative for women that

find themselves with financial struggles. However, given the dangers associated with sex work, it is the responsibility of U of T to find other financial opportunities for students, specifically their students who are women, that are pushed toward sex work.

Considering the gendered make up of sex work, the patriarchal influences cannot be ignored within this line of work. Men often treat women with gifts, thus making them financially dependent and subservient. Coupled with the objectification women face under the patriarchy, it must be recognized that women who need to utilize this objectification for currency — or, in this case, to afford tuition — must be supported by institutions like U of T that exacerbate their need to turn to these relationships.

To begin to tackle this issue, it is necessary for campus advocacy groups to fight for gendered solutions to the cost of tuition. Scholarships that target low-income women are a great place to start. Providing access to free textbooks and school supplies is another way to help these women save money.

Petitioning the Ontario government for a better funding system for students is another way through which various advocacy groups and student unions can help. There are a limited number of options for financial aid and scholarships provided by U of T itself, and that is something various organizations around campus need to look into.

The high cost of tuition is a problem that affects students across the country. However, it’s reports such as the one from SeekingArrangement that highlight the different ways high tuition affects different groups of students, specifically women. U of T must address the affordability of tuition through a gendered lens in order to fully understand and solve this problem.

Saman Saeed is a second-year human biology and psychology student at UTSC.

Letters to the Editor Re: Opinion: White Supremacy must be fought, not free speech “Hi, I’m one of the co-founders of Students in Support of Free Speech in 2016.

Fuck ‘Free Speech.’ its a sham to spew vitriol. Especially in these contexts.

Jordan Peterson was and continues to be wrong about almost everything he says. Also he was never ‘deplatformed’ as claimed, but instead was extra-platformed with the University hosting events with him speaking.

There’s a fundamental difference between McCarthyism in the second half of the 20th century and not letting violent racists say whatever they want in 2021.

This writer knows nothing beyond the superficial, and barely grasps the image of the superficial, leading to glaring blemishes and blind spots in their understanding and subsequent explanation.”

— Tyler Locey (from web) “Is there a more effective means of stopping early fascism? Because when it becomes full fascism, extreme military violence is the only course of action to end it.

Is it not more humanitarian and econom-

ical to unplug the microphone of someone that thinks ‘x’ group of people aren’t full human beings rather than wait for it to escalate until fire bombs and nukes are the only recourse?”

— Sky Day (from web) “The problem with countering white supremacist speech with ‘better’ speech is that we trick ourselves into thinking white supremacists are playing the same game. Satre had it right.”

— Géo McLarney (from web) “@Sky Day It gets worse when you censor them because then they dont get exposed as easily, and they fester in cubby holes.

When you censor the far right, you effectively redefine what the far right is and people who were ‘less radical’ than the last group become the new target to be censored. You can apply the same principle to the left. Im not a fan of the hateful radical marxist groups we see more often now, but I’d never promote their censorship. To do so is hypocritical and authori-

tarian no matter your stripes.”

— Jacob Skilich (from web) “Fascism gains power when it’s socially acceptable. I’ve met people in UofT who are entirely comfortable spouting Nazi conspiracy theories such as the Jewish Question just by joining free speech groups in 1st year. We’ve allowed them to get to comfortable.”

— Sky Day (from web) “Interrupting their speeches will not refute their ideas properly, and their messages and social castration will turn them into martyrs. Or do we need to point out how well Alex Jones is still doing despite getting removed off every social media platform. Fascisms rise also was not just from being good orators. There are long historical contexts that compounded and narrowed onto what happened in Germany and the rest of Europe. This is historical consensus.”

— Jacob Skilich (from web) “@Jacob Skilich If you prefer the Chris-

tie Pits method that’s fine with me. The Christie Pits riot, where Jewish and Italian baseball teams joined forces to beat up nazis with bats and tire irons. Following the riot, public sentiment for fascism soured and their stronghold in The Beaches was gone for good. No one dared to praise fascism and they lost all political power in the city.”

— Sky Day (from web) “@Sky Day Listen, I despise those ideas, but unless they take the form of a call to action, at which point its no longer speech, its incitement, then taking the mic away isnt going to solve anything. Its going to create resentment. My point in bringing up Alex Jones was not regards to who he is but rather that he is still mainstream despite the censorship. His following has only increased despite having no access to any major platforms. Its a prime example how in todays world censorship as a tool is failing and only radicalizing people.”

— Jacob Skilich (from web)

10

THE VARSITY

FEATURES

High work loads, unclear accommodations: COVID-19 leaves U of T instructors isolated and exhausted How the crisis exacerbates gender, racial inequities in academia

Jadine Ngan Associate Features Edtior

On the first day of June 2020, Romila Verma’s daughter was very sick. Verma, a sessional lecturer in the Department of Geography, sat on her daughter’s bed with her computer — she had a remote quiz to administer.

In the pit of her stomach, she had an unsettling sense that something was going to go wrong.

At 1:00 pm, the quiz went live to 200 students. For the first five minutes, everything looked normal. Then, all at once, Verma’s email inbox was flooded with notifications. She had accidentally given her students the correct answers.

“My daughter was throwing up, so I had a bucket for her throw-up, and I was looking at the computer. I had no idea what I did.” As she was trying to fix the quiz, her students lost access and began panicking, worried that they might get a zero. Verma’s older daughter, a second-year student at McMaster University, helped her troubleshoot. Ultimately, she had to postpone the quiz.

In the months since the COVID-19 pandemic forced U of T to move nearly all of its classes online, instructors of all kinds — including tenured and tenure-track professors, sessional lecturers, and teaching assistants — have needed to adjust to the demands of a new mode of work.

As Verma’s experience illustrates, that adjustment has not been easy.

While learning the ins and outs of online teaching, service work, and research, some instructors have been juggling child care and elder care, attending to health concerns, or worried about their job security. Many are shouldering more work than ever before. As one headline from Inside Higher Ed reads, “Faculty Pandemic Stress is Now Chronic.”

As these challenges have arisen, many U of T instructors have been delivering classes in innovative ways while striving to make their virtual classrooms equitable. They’ve supported students through mounting difficulties.

All the while, the pandemic has been making chasms out of the existing cracks in an academic system characterized by inequality. So, of course, the heaviest consequences of the last 10 months have been borne by those already among the most vulnerable: women, racialized, and precariously employed instructors.

A ballooning workload for instructors According to Terezia Zoric, President of the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) — which represents teaching stream professors and instructors and librarians at U of T — a majority of faculty found their workloads “excessive” as early as 2006.

Now, as Zoric told The Varsity, up to a third of faculty call their workloads “crushing.” Some, she said, are “trying to square the circle by doing a lot of the work in the middle of the night because it’s impossible to do it during the day.”

That experience isn’t unique to U of T. Lynne Marks, President of the University of Victoria Faculty Association, told CBC that instructors “are doing at least one-and-a-half times as much work, if not two times as much.” In July, Juliet O’Brien, a lecturer at the University of British Columbia, tweeted that between adjusting to online teaching and coordinating large multi-section courses for the following year, she was engaging in a “gargantuan quantity of learning.”

“I’m probably surviving on adrenaline,” she wrote, noting that she worked as late as 2:00 am in the morning and woke up around 4:00 am.

Similarly, Verma estimates that in the switch from regular to remote work, her workload rose by around 40–50 per cent. Recalling the initial adjustment, she said, “Most [professors] that I know felt overwhelmed.”

Franco Taverna, a seasoned online instructor at the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Online Learning Academy for Instructors, told The Varsity that many of his colleagues struggled with the technology of online instruction, especially at first. “What you might think is just the little trivial entryinto-the-field stuff was the biggest problem,” he said.

But instructors have strived to adjust. Now, instructors who taught in the winter 2020 semester have been teaching online for nearly a year, and others familiarize themselves with digital classroom tools over the summer or fall. Recently, Taverna has observed that instructors are grappling less with basic technology and more with the logistics of remote teaching.

For example, testing and assignments needed to be “revised and adapted” to minimize issues of academic integrity. That includes “creating more collaborative versions of assessments,” he said, as well as redesigning tests to target research and analytical skills rather than memorization.

Furthermore, instructors like Amny Athamny, a PhD student in the Department of Sociology, have needed to navigate the new expressions of inequality springing up in students’ lives. For example, Athamny noted that not everyone can afford high-speed internet. Similarly, other students may have relocated to cramped or populated living conditions that they might want to keep private.

It’s important to her that “all students have equal opportunity” in her classes, so she asks that students keep

cameras off — a decision with a tradeoff, since it means that she teaches to a sea of anonymous Blackboard Collaborate icons.

Navigating emotional support for students In the months since classes moved

online, Verma said that she has also “noticed an uptick” in students seeking emotional support.

Verma has always kept her doors open — now, metaphorically — to students seeking non-academic advice. She’s no stranger to students in distress, since she teaches about the

features@thevarsity.ca

environment, and eco-anxiety is a significant component of that.

But she said, during the pandemic, “I’ve had students completely stressed out” — not just because of their workloads, but because the future feels so uncertain. It’s heartbreaking, she said, to watch them struggle. She can only offer comfort and a listening ear.

Athamny told The Varsity that sometimes she gets a sense that “something is going on” with a student. She tends to look into and resolve what she can on her own, but she’s had to consult her supervisor, Professor Christian Caron, about at least four students’ cases so far. “It’s draining,” Athamny said. “I kept thinking about these students… you want to do the best for them.”

But it’s not always easy to identify

when a student needs support. In the fall, Megan Frederickson co-taught BIO120 — Adaptation and Biodiversity to a group of 1,900 students, which was her first foray into remote teaching. Due to the size of the class, instruction was delivered asynchronously.

“Since I never saw or heard any of the students, I really would have no way of knowing… who could really use additional supports,” Frederickson said, though she remains concerned about their stress levels.

“This semester I am teaching live over Zoom,” she said. “I’m hoping I’m going to be able to foster more of a personal connection with my students, but it’s only the first week, so it’s hard to say how it’s going to go.”

Verma, Athamny, and Frederickson demonstrate an attentiveness toward student needs that, as a work responsibility, can’t easily be measured in hours or impact. There are growing indicators that this kind of care work — work that remains largely invisible — is shouldered mostly by women instructors. This disparity is not because women care

more about their students; sociologist Maike Philipsen told The New York Times that students “disproportionately come to women faculty for advice.”

Zoric pointed out that some instructors are also experiencing added stress: “If you are a racialized woman

or a racialized faculty member… there’s often the added stress of when students come looking to you for additional supports.”

“In particular, Black women faculty are often expected to be nurturing and giving,” wrote Frances B. Henderson, an associate professor at the University of Kentucky. “During the pandemic, I have found that this expectation has increased exponentially as senior administrators ask faculty and staff members to exercise compassion and grace for students due to our collective circumstances.”

These inequities, as with many of the inequities in academia, predate the pandemic and have their own consequences. In 2015, in an article about the gendered burden of care work in academia, a professor using the pseudonym Myra Green emphasized that “listening, empathizing, problem solving, and resource finding take an enormous amount of time and energy. And there’s no place for any of that on a CV or in an endof-the-year report.”

That becomes problematic because, according to a 2018 study, women and racialized contract instructors reported working more hours than their white men colleagues. These positions have less job security than tenured faculty. Those instructors represent a large proportion of the academic community: in Ontario, approximately 60 per cent of faculty are part time or on contract.

Of course, all this is combined with the issue of untenable workloads. “We can’t take good care of our students if we’re overloaded,” Zoric said. “Students need support from their teachers and instructors, and teachers and instructors need support from the central administration.”

Instructors need more consistent support from administration As Zoric put it, “There’s a heavy strain associated with working and learning at the University of Toronto.” Structural adjustments — like reducing class sizes, providing better technological support, and carving out clearer paths to accommodation — could help offset that strain.

Athamny and Verma both expressed gratitude to their respective departments for providing sufficient online teaching support and said that they were now well-adjusted to the new nature of their jobs. Still, that may not be a universal experience across divisions.

Zoric noted that faculties with bigger budgets, like the Rotman School of Management, have provided enhanced technical aid, but overall, the distribution of support is inconsistent across the university.

According to Zoric, a common com-

plaint among her members has been that “they don’t want a list of hyperlinks of more videos they can watch or more websites they can visit.” Human-to-human support, like “somebody to be monitoring their chat,” would make a greater difference.

As faculty have struggled in the absence of these supports, Zoric said that she has “heard some very generous responses from students.”

Still, as she emphasized, “Our students shouldn’t have to let us off the hook. We should have really great tech support available, not just in the wealthier faculties but University of Toronto-wide.”

Wider provision of support staff could also help lighten instructors’ loads. Frederickson explained that teaching online increased her workload in part because students could no longer ask each other questions or stay after class to chat with her. “The course generated a huge amount of [emails]… much more than in previous years,” she said. However, the size of the class meant a large staff was allocated to help administer the course, for which she considered herself fortunate.

Streamlined accommodations, too, could make a difference. Frederickson has a seven-year-old child staying at home due to school closure, and she is now juggling working full time with taking care of her son. “I think the university could do more to recognize and address the really extraordinary caregiving demands that many faculty have faced both for child care and elder care,” she said.

Zoric echoed that sentiment and told The Varsity that the UTFA is currently trying to negotiate a memo that would clarify accommodation guidelines, grouping people into particular categories so that instructors have a better sense of their rights.

“A streamlined accommodation process means those people who need accommodation get it sooner, and the standards are fair,” said Zoric.

She noted that many faculty are struggling to navigate accommodations. “What’s ended up happening is that those who are most vulnerable” — again, part-time and contract faculty — “asked for exactly nothing,” she explained. “They want to make sure that when it comes time to [renew] their jobs, no one’s saying… ‘she wasn’t pulling her weight.’ ” In addition, as the pandemic continues, planning accommodations for COVID-19 long-haulers, or those who experience long-term health consequences after contracting the virus, could be valuable.

When The Varsity reached out to U of T for comment about these accommodations, a U of T spokesperson wrote that currently, “If an employee is ill due to COVID-19, regardless of the length of illness,

the University’s usual processes for sick leave apply. This includes an accommodation process where the individual is able to work but requires accommodation in the workplace.”

Before the pandemic, academia was already a deeply difficult and stressful field to work in, particularly for minoritized and racialized people. Now, a Course Hero study on faculty mental health has found that over 40 per cent of respondents had thought about leaving academia due to pandemic-related changes.

The study indicated that help from the administration — in the form of technology support, staff support, increased compensation, and changes to teaching workload — could make faculty jobs more satisfying.

“Only 15 percent of faculty agreed that administrators understand the difficulty that faculty face in managing their workloads,” the study’s authors wrote.

What happens next?

“In many cases, professors and scientists are what they are because they’re good at taking on challenges,” Taverna observed. Even as they continue to weather new difficulties, U of T’s instructors are looking to the future, aware that the nature of their jobs may be shifting. In some ways, our new normal could be here to stay.

To begin with, some modes of assessment could remain changed. In some cases, Taverna is not sure he’ll return to traditional examination methods. “I kind of like the takehome exam,” he said. Methods of course delivery may not fully return to what they were, either. “I think there’s going to be more courses offered online in the future, now that we’re comfortable with it — or at least more sections of courses.”

An evening section of BIO120 is usually offered so that students with other commitments, like a day job, can still fulfill the program requirement. Frederickson has wondered whether an online-delivery course might be preferable to that two-hour evening lecture. But so far, she hasn’t made any long-term plans. “I think we’ve been just too busy… trying to get through the present semesters.”

Now that vaccines have been developed and approved, we can look forward to a world in which the pandemic and its disruptions have ebbed away. But it’s clear that, much like an outgoing tide leaves ripples in the sand, the COVID-19 pandemic will leave its traces on postsecondary education — and, of course, the world at large — when it retreats.

When it does, Verma has a question: “Are we going to address inequity in education?”

“We have to look ahead,” she said.

Illustrator: Grace Xu

Arts & Culture

January 25, 2021 var.st/arts arts@thevarsity.ca

“You’re gonna make it after all”: reflecting on graduation as a mature student Virtual convocation blues and hope for the future

Nancy Dutra Varsity Staff

Graduation. The desire to graduate has haunted me for much of my life, and now, it is within my grasp.

At age 42, I will finally graduate from university. What began as an exploration into formal education after becoming a mother became a passion, an opportunity to see what my brain was capable of, and I have enjoyed the experience immensely.

I will miss the young students who always made me feel welcome and who, in

many ways, mentored me — the older student with ‘good mom energy’ throughout university.

I will not, however, miss needing to work late into the evenings after my children are in bed and I am bone tired. Nor will I miss backaches, neck strain, and feeling self-conscious for smelling like RUB-A535 while sitting in class — a student once exclaimed, “It smells like my grandma in here!”

I will not miss studying before a deadline.

However, give me a cup of piping hot coffee and time to learn rather than memorize and I am geekily content and often joyful. Going back to school at my age and stage in life was a privilege I do not take for granted.

The pandemic has changed the way my life as an undergraduate will end, and I regret not being able to have my

In an unorthodox November graduation, graduates did not walk through the doors of Convocation Hall.

SAMANTHA YAO/THEVARSITY

daughters, ages seven and four, see me turn my tassel on commencement day with a charming mix of spunk and glee à la Mary Tyler Moore.

That is how I always imagined that ceremonious day, anyway. My daydream always involves me pulling my girls aside to share that learning is a lifelong experience, and imploring them to never let anything get in the way of acquiring an education. I always tear up when I think of this, even now as I contemplate my formal end as a student and the beginning of my life as a graduate.

Now, I look forward to the exciting and humbling opportunities that await me as a middle-aged person starting a new career, and I cannot help but become nostalgic on the meaning of my time at university. I was fortunate to have excellent professors who inspired me — except for that one blowhard.

Unfortunately, there is always one.

However, there is a particular professor whose professionalism, congeniality, and humour made a profound change in the way I regarded myself as a student and world citizen. I took three courses with Alan Stanbridge that helped me look critically at my understanding of and relationship with society and culture. My passion for music and the ways in which I value culture were stoked rather than stifled, which is not always the case in a formal learning

environment.

One day, as I fumbled unsuccessfully through an argument, I found myself frustrated by my inability to articulate my thoughts persuasively.

Later, when we had moved on to another topic, I interrupted class to ask if I could have another chance at making my point. I was given the green light and through the process of stumbling over my argument, I found my voice as a student and learned to take my time as I thought out loud. Stanbridge smiled and, to paraphrase him, said, “You are right, and I wish I had thought of your example because it is an excellent one.”

I only vaguely remember the actual argument I made that day. However, what I do clearly remember is being given time and space to formulate my thinking and being rewarded with encouragement. I no longer viewed myself as a passive student, but rather as someone who could actively contribute. It is moments like these that I went to university for.

Now, stuck inside thanks to the curse of COVID-19, I find myself wondering how the meaning of my time at university might change over the years. Will I still hate and miss the same things? Will I have regrets that I cannot currently contemplate? Hindsight is 20/20, so what might I think of the year 2020, which saw me complete my last courses while trying to keep my family safe and sane during tumultuous yet tedious times?

To my fellow graduates, although we will not have an in-person convocation ceremony in which we can revel in our accomplishments and the pride of our loved ones, take a moment to celebrate. If you have no hat to toss, then do like Mary and toss a cap of another sort. Like her, “You’re gonna make it after all.” In fact, you already have.

How do successful U of T alumni feel about their university experience?

Perspectives from Mayor John Tory, Heather Mallick, and Dr. Kenneth Montague Nancy Dutra Varsity Staff

Having recently graduated, I find myself reflecting on my university experience and looking forward to the future. To help in my quest, I reached out to others in the way I know best: writing. I wanted to know how successful U of T alumni feel now, decades after their university days.

Though I lead a very different life from Toronto Mayor John Tory; Toronto Star columnist and author Heather Mallick; and dentist and art collector and curator Dr. Kenneth Montague, I cannot help but relate to their experiences. Perhaps you can too.

The Varsity: Who was your favourite professor and why?

John Tory: Kenneth McNaught and Paul Fox are tied. Both were political science professors at U of T who were great storytellers and who engaged me and the other students.

Heather Mallick: My favourite professor, long retired, was Professor Jeffrey Heath at Victoria College. I was an arrogant kid and thought I was smart. Just by his lectures and assigned readings, I began to realize that I was not smart — in fact I was a young idiot — and that I needed to read and understand.

He introduced me to the works of Virginia Woolf, which has remained a great love for me for the rest of my life. I really think the kind of reading I learned to do was the basis of a happy life, no matter what happened to me. Books are the eternal

friend. Woolf wrote, “It was very, very dangerous to live even one day.” And does that not describe us now?

Kenneth Montague: My favourite was Dr. John Mayhall, who was professor of oral anatomy in my first year at the Faculty of Dentistry at U of T. TV: Please describe one of your most memorable moments with this, or another, professor.

JT: One of them, who shall remain nameless, was always going to get some “cold tea.” A break in the action gave us the chance to confirm that it wasn’t tea! But it made for great lectures.

HM: Heath taught one of my favourite novels, Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad, which had this indelible quote. “A man that is born falls into a dream like a man who falls into the sea… The way is to the destructive element submit yourself, and with the exertions of your hands and feet in the water make the deep, deep sea keep you up.” Isn’t that a great description of work?

KM: As the then head of admissions, Mayhall was part of the team that interviewed me, so he represented my first contact with the institution. As someone who was applying without the typical ‘all sciences’ background, I was very nervous when arriving at my interview, but Mayhall had done his research: his first question was, “So, what is the leader of a reggae band expecting to do when he graduates as a dentist?”

We laughed — and ended up spending more time talking about music than dentistry. When I started dental school a few weeks later, he took me

under his wing and made me feel like I belonged.

We remained friends long after graduation.

TV: What do you miss least about your university experience?

JT: The library, where I would study for exams, which out of deference to overcrowding, I would do in a concentrated manner after November 15 and April 1 in each semester.

HM: University can be lonely, especially in the winter heading toward Fort Book. That said, I wish I had stayed in Sir Daniel Wilson Residence longer and made more friends. I wish I had joined in.

KM: With the Faculty of Dentistry being some distance away from the main downtown campus, I felt a bit disconnected from the traditional U of T student experience. That combined with four years of 8:00 am classes meant there wasn’t much of a social life.

But my wife recently returned to U of T as a mature student, completing her Master of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and our two sons now attend the Jackman Institute of Child Study, a U of T-affiliated laboratory school. So I’m finally getting to fully appreciate the St. George campus!

TV: What do you miss most about your university experience?

JT: Being able to decide what I wanted to do and when I wanted to do it, followed closely by the library — not.

HM: I miss the constant reading and the company

of people who did not think it was strange to read everything. I felt I was immersed with my kind of people.

KM: The camaraderie that I experienced with my tight group of off-campus roommates — also part of my dental school cohort — established lifetime friendships. Enduring such a rigorous professional program forged deep bonds.

It is all too easy to compare yourself to others, especially when there will always be someone out there who is further along than you. Tory is our city’s mayor, yet his humour and story about cold tea brought me back to my formative years — though, in my case, it was fellow musicians who taught me about this beverage rather than a professor.

Mallick’s self-identification as a “young idiot” hit home as I, a mature student, often felt like the old idiot in the classroom. Also, her view that “books are the eternal friend” resonates strongly with me, as well as her admiration for Virginia Woolf.

Montague is a multi-passionate professional who makes seemingly impossible things happen, so it was reassuring to learn that he initially felt out of place when starting university.

Regardless of our backgrounds or our specific challenges going to university both before and during a pandemic, as students we share common experiences, such as inspiring professors and the ups and downs of academic life. These alumni all paved their own paths — and so shall we.

The interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

var.st/arts

JANUARY 25, 2021

Finding unexpected love during a pandemic

Isolation, with all its faults, gave me an unabashed appreciation for myself

I/ ID ZA TY A RSI M TI VA FA HE T

Sky Kapoor Arts & Culture Columnist

When I first began driving on my own, nothing but the radio and a miscellany of thoughts would keep me company. Truthfully, as an introvert, alone time has always been a solace, a time where I can play with tangled mental messes or complex scenarios that seem intangible.

I’d often pontificate my musings out loud as I drove, giving a sermon to the audience of dust bunnies on the dashboard. Those drives were truly some of the most formative times of my life this past year.

During the whirlwind that was 2020, the rage of COVID-19 persisted outside of my little world, but I was safe within the four doors of my mom’s old Chevy Cobalt with nothing but the smell of the rain wafting inside.

Eventually, enough time alone forces introspec-

tion. Despite the negatives that came with the onset of COVID-19, the lockdown period granted me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with myself.

Of course, lockdown experiences varied vastly, but continuous months of solitude were a welcome opportunity to slow down — something I’d been craving since I’d started university.

Of the many circulating philosophies that permeated my way of thinking during these drives, touching on the concept of self-love inarguably contributed to the upsurge of my happiness.

I can’t remember exactly when I fell in love with myself. I can’t remember the first time I stopped for a couple extra seconds to check myself out in the mirror, or the first time I genuinely thought “I’m well-read on this topic” without being prompted.

Early on, I remember equating self-love to a mundanity, something cliché that people often preached with naïvety. As a teenager, I hadn’t dis-

covered the natural high that came with having genuine confidence. I hadn’t understood that loving yourself doesn’t have to be treacherous, fake, or destructive.

It is through isolation that I’ve learned to have an unabashed appreciation for myself, the person I’ve always detested. Between my third full rewatch of How I Met Your Mother and the aforementioned long drives through the sleepy suburban streets of my hometown, I went from struggling to understand the mere concepts of self-love to a selfish lover.

Though I don’t remember the impetus to begin, I remember falling deeper down the rabbit hole of self-appreciation that I spent so long trying to find the entrance to.

I’m conscious of the fact that I’ve had a very fortunate lockdown experience, but I’ve found that I’m not the only one feeling more reflective. After

Music where you’d least expect it: a concert fanatic’s impression of U of T Percussion’s Shifting Spaces Toothbrushes, plants, and wine glasses like you’ve never seen them before Momina Ahmed Varsity Contributor

In early 2019, fed up with my daily routines and looking for something new and exciting to fill my time, I attended my first concert at the Danforth Music Hall. The adrenaline rush was exhilarating, and immediately, I was hooked. Maybe it was the blaring music that left my ears ringing by the end of the night. Or perhaps the hoards of sweaty, screaming fans all chanting in unison.

The grandeur of it all left me hungry for more, and I ended up attending 15 more concerts over the next 12 months, even managing to squeeze one in late February 2020, just before COVID-19 hit and rocked the world — no pun intended.

Although my love of concerts is founded strictly in the genres of alternative rock and indie pop, I’d like to think I have the capacity to appreciate music in all of its forms. Even if it doesn’t necessarily fit my taste, I can respect the efforts and inspirations behind diverse musical works. And with that in mind, I packed up my preconceived notions of what a concert ‘should’ look, sound, and feel like, and I hit up the U of T Percussion: Shifting Spaces virtual concert on January 18.

But no amount of open-mindedness could have prepared me for what came next.

The first piece, titled “Every Day,” was composed by Jodie Rottle and explored creative uses of everyday, mundane objects to make sound. It featured a video starring four U of T music students crowded into a tiny bathroom, using singing bowls and toothbrushes — yes, toothbrushes — to create music.

At first viewing, I was a bit disgruntled. “What am I watching right now? Is this even music?” I

thought to myself. But I came to appreciate that the real genius of the piece stemmed from just how wildly different it was from other, perhaps more obvious, forms of music.

“Sequoia,” a piece composed by Yaz Lancaster, satisfied my eardrums a bit more since it sounded more like traditional, classical music. The work was inspired by the composer’s fondness of Californian Redwood trees, and it shed light on the

use of live plants and percussive instruments to create nature-inspired soundscapes. It was a truly beautiful and meditative piece.

My favourite work in the show was “Water, Wine, Brandy, Brine,” composed by Viet Cuong.

It featured a group of students sitting at a dinner table, clinking together crystal glasses to produce an eerie, yet somehow peaceful, soundscape. I was captivated by these foreign sounds and the use

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catching up with many friends over the winter break, it became clear that this period of time has changed us all. Somewhere in the midst of lockdown activities, the time we spend with ourselves helps us fall in love.

What I do remember is a particular turning point from one of my frequent lockdown drives. I’d been on the road for an hour or so, having fallen into a comfortable silence as the radio hummed, ornamenting my thoughts. I was relaxed, enjoying the soft chill of the air through a window just barely cracked open, just enough to feel something.

The cornucopia of thoughts dangling in my mind began to take form like constellations, and I came to the realization that I’d often accuse my romantic partners of seeing me through a rose-coloured lens.

Granted, that was part of their job description, but it was a claim that was undoubtedly rooted in my selfperception.

I was never particularly good at receiving praise about myself, nor could I fathom the idea that others appreciated me simply for who I was: a Wikipediaarticle-perusing, straightforward, nerdy STEM major with a racing mind to match.

I began to think about what it was that made these people love me, and I very quickly concluded that once you start making an active effort to see yourself through the lens of a lover, your whole world changes. Meditative moments akin to those found in lockdown frequent your mind more often, and your little world, though vaster than you may think, finally feels peaceful.

What exactly was my process throughout all of this, then? For one thing, I’ve used those long drives to quell my anxiety and process my thoughts. Taking a moment to step back from the world allows you to view yourself as an outsider looking in, a lens that undoubtedly aids in growth. In a situation where social interaction is limited, you realize that the only consistency in your life is you.

Why wouldn’t you appreciate yourself ? You see, the more you let go, the more you realize that the joy never stops. The freedom never stops. And when you relish in those moments, that newborn feeling can happen more than once in a lifetime.

A love like this isn’t treacherous. It’s warm, and it heals. After all, isn’t that something we all need in a time like this? of lighting changes to elevate the dark, mystical ambiance the piece resonated.

Early in the concert, I was a bit apprehensive about what was in store for me. But as the show went on, I started to admire the creative ingenuity that went into the different pieces. Was this concert like any other I’ve attended before? No. Does it rank up there with seeing Tame Impala or The 1975 live? Absolutely not.

But for better or worse, it was an experience like no other. It was a refreshing look at experimental methods of creating sound in unexpected, and sometimes strange, ways. I certainly have a new appreciation of where music can come from and how objects can be manipulated to create sound.

An unusual format led to an unusual, but refreshing, concert experience.

COURTESY OF UOFT PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE

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ARTS & CULTURE

arts@thevarsity.ca

Overlooked: Antisocialites, by Alvvays

Why the Canadian band’s 2017 release matters now more than ever Angad Deol Associate Sports Editor

I can still remember the first time I listened to “Not My Baby,” the fifth track on Antisocialites. It was late 2018 and the middle of a snowstorm as I was coming back home from my friend’s place after an afternoon of studying for a presentation — which, despite how much we stressed over it, ended up being quite meaningless in the long run of life.

As the snow covered my windshield, I decided to tune into 99.1 FM, CBC Radio One — if I was going to be stuck in traffic, I might as well have fun. Instantly, the record resonated with me.

As a long-time fan of the indie genre, discovering a new band often brings the same joy as finding a rare Pokémon card in my youth — it’s a feeling that can’t be beaten. I raised the volume in my SUV as loud as I could, immediately Shazam’d the record, and decided to listen to the rest of the album that night. The rest was history.

Antisocialites is by far one of the best albums I’ve ever listened to. Molly Rankin’s raw vocals accompanied by the pounding synth and ethereal guitar and drums produced by the likes of Kerri MacLellan and Alec O’Hanley — among other incredibly talented artists — created an

Alvvays presents a fresh, Canadian take on the indie genre.

DAVID LEE/CC FLICKR

experience that radiated such great vibes.

Very few albums I’ve listened to since have matched the emotions expressed in Antisocialites.

Stand-out tracks, such as “Dreams Tonite,” “Your Type,” and “In Undertow,” have dominated my playlists ever since that fateful snowy night.

Bonus points for the band’s Canadian

heritage; however, I hold no other biases that lead to my praise. The critical reception tends to agree with me as well, with The Ringer naming the album in its 2017 year-end top 10 list and the album finishing in the shortlist for 2018’s Polaris Music Prize, awarded to the best Canadian album of a given year.

However, outside of critical acclaim — and the die-hard support of some 4,300-plus Redditors, among other social media, following — it would appear Alvvays are often overlooked in the face of a fairly saturated indie pop scene.

Antisocialites peaked on the Billboard 200 at the 14th spot — which is solid for the band’s second album — but they haven’t seen the same commercial success since.

Why should you listen to this album right now? The question you should really be asking yourself is, why haven’t you listened to this album yet? What Antisocialites lacks in album sales and iTunes chart positions it makes up for infinitely with its refreshing take on a genre that more or less has attempted to redo Mac DeMarco and The Smiths for the last decade.

While Alvvays wear their musical influences on their sleeves, the group does so in a manner that sounds more like an homage to their predecessors, as well as a fresh take on the classics you know and love.

While you could go back to your Spotify or Apple Music account and play the same album you’ve had on repeat for the last six months, why not try something new? The question Rankin so soothingly posed on the album’s tender outro track, “Did you want to forget about life with me tonight?” rings true in the middle of a seemingly never-ending pandemic. So, get comfortable, put on a pair of headphones, and listen to Antisocialites as you try and enter your dreams tonight.

On astrology in an internet age

Ease of access has made it ubiquitous, but might also detract from self-reflection Jasmin Akbari Varsity Contributor

Astrology seems to have overtaken social media: a 2019 survey, for example, found that 49 per cent of Canadians aged 18–34 believe in astrology, and that has certainly crept to online spaces.

With just a quick search using your birth date and time, you can easily find your entire astrology chart. This ease to access information has left millennials and Gen Zers sharing, talking, and comparing charts on all sorts of platforms. With this surge of threads, posts, and videos, the debate over the credibility and usefulness of astrology has surfaced.

To many, astrology is a pile of lies strung together to entertain people. Astrologists and the weekly horoscope readings in the newspaper are traditionally perceived to be cheap parlor tricks used to attract the bored and naïve. However, astrology is certainly not a new creation used to sell readings. Rather, it has a rich history across the globe.

Various astrological traditions have been practiced for centuries, with some dating back to the third millennium BCE. It is essentially a spiritual tradition that aims to explain how the positioning of the planets and stars influences our lives.

Astrology in the digital age, however, has taken on a lighter tone. When scrolling through posts on Instagram or TikTok, avid astrology followers post topics, such as what kind of pasta, dog, or book the different zodiac signs are. Comment sections are filled with people ecstatic over the accuracy or disbelief when they do not get what they expected. And many people scroll through these posts very often.

The personalized predictions are major aspects of why people love these astrology readings. The information is digestible and

fun, and some students turn to it as entertainment.

Lillian Chao, a first-year student at the University of Toronto, has looked at astrology posts since elementary school: “The posts are entertaining for me and sometimes there are funny comments or descriptions.”

Neruka Joseph, another first-year student, wrote that astrology “works well in a sense that it’s… rather general descriptions that can fit everyone despite it implying a sign is better or worse to different people.”

However, this ease of access can oversimplify astrology. “Some times [sic] there are too many random posts, it doesn’t mean it’s bad but for me people are treating it like a game,” Chao wrote.

Joseph added, “People seem to be making it sound less and less legit social media posts seem completely random, I don’t think astrology can tell you what your favourite food is.”

For many people, however, this is the astrology they have become familiar with.

The rich history of astrology and the complex systems behind it may have become obscured. Astrology on the internet is 60-second TikToks or an Instagram post you quickly scroll past.

But astrology can be more than simple entertainment: it can be a tool for selfreflection. It gives us a moment to take a look at ourselves and better understand our relationship with the world. It is an empowering tool that teaches us the importance of taking a step back to reflect on ourselves, and what we can do to have more fulfilling lives.

While I do not think daily horoscopes will change your life or define who you are, I do think they can lead to personal reflection and healthy change.

To explore astrology at an in-depth level is to explore yourself and your relations in the world.

MILIDAE CLAIRE UY/THEVARSITY

Science

January 25, 2021 var.st/science science@thevarsity.ca

The harms of denialism — from the climate crisis to COVID-19 Reviewing the global ramifications of misinformation and delayed action

Adrian Constantin Tanjala Varsity Contributor

Becoming a scientist is a gruelling journey.

After high school, it can take four years to get a bachelor’s degree and at least five more years to obtain a PhD. On the flipside, it can take mere seconds for a net surfer to insult the hard work of experts with those credentials.

Sound familiar?

It should. The dismissal of evidence is at odds with the scientific community and its call to fight the climate crisis.

Unsurprisingly, such opposition has also arisen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I see many similarities between the reactions and responses to COVID-19 and the climate crisis. They paint a pretty grim picture of our future, but there are lessons to be learned in the hopes of a better future.

Individuals and the scientific institution First, why are both the climate crisis and COVID-19 characterized by denial in the first place?

Science as an institution isn’t perfect, and COVID-19 has allowed us to see that.

On March 8, while leading the American federal pandemic response, Dr. Anthony Fauci argued that the possible drawbacks of mask-wearing were greater than the preventative benefits.

Weeks later, he reversed his statement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen misinformed ‘alternative’ facts gain traction. Some of these ‘alternative’ facts suggest that COVID-19 is a mere flu while others undermine the pandemic’s health risks. Plenty of research exists to falsify these ‘facts,’ but I am appalled by how easily it was all dismissed. Why? What climate and COVID-19 denialists ignore is that corrective turnarounds like Fauci’s are not discrediting the science, but are rather expected and necessary. Although the scientific community strives to ensure accuracy and promote accessibility of information, it is clear that more can be done to strengthen the public’s trust in science.

Climate science faces similar mistrust.

While powerful interests lead this opposi-

tion, climate denial may also make sense to those who don’t believe in climate science.

That said, COVID-19 has provided an opportunity to shed light on these attitudes and where they come from. I personally hope that the pandemic has provided sufficient experience to set new objectives for augmenting scientific literacy, emphasizing the rigour of

scientific methods and why they work, at all levels of education. I’ve seen this in my own educational experiences, but the actions of many show that we have a long way to go.

Governments and globalization By nature of democracy, even a group of misinformed individuals can drive misinformed decision-making. An understanding of globalization — the increasing economic connectedness of the world’s nations — is necessary when addressing both the climate crisis and the pandemic.

When COVID-19 first emerged, govern-

evidence that should motivate action.

However, the worldwide transmission of COVID-19 was not the only way globalization has amplified the pandemic’s effects.

Very few items are currently produced solely in Canada; therefore, as the pandemic struck down the economies of other countries, we suffered too. We saw shortages in food, medical equipment, and personal protective equipment, among other items.

It is clear how dependent Canada is on the international economy. This is a warning of what economic consequences the climate crisis could have for us as well.

There is one fundamental difference between the pandemic and the climate crisis. Canada, logically, could’ve done little to prevent COVID-19 from having economic effects in other countries, and thus spilling over into our own.

However, having one of the lowest scores in the “Climate Change Performance Index,” Canada has a great degree of power to mitigate the climate crisis in collaboration with other countries. I have reason to believe that hope still remains for the climate.

Average global temperatures remain on track to increase by around three degrees Celsius, suggesting that the world’s climate-polluting nations are still not doing enough to combat the climate crisis. We might not see that easily from our Canadian vantage point because the low-income regions of the world disproportionately bear the greatest costs of ANDREA ZHAO/THEVARSITY. BACKGROUND TEXTURE BY KUES1/FREEPIK the climate crisis.

However, just as COVID-19 didn’t confirmed cases and more than 5,700 deaths remain localized to China for long, I don’t to date — is the fact that there was ample expect the social and economic ramifications warning, with the World Health Organiza- of the climate crisis to remain localized in tion declaring COVID-19 a “public health the world’s most marginalized regions either. emergency of international concern” on Janu- There’s bound to be some spillover.

Now, we have COVID-19 as a textbook exary 30, 2020. Ontario’s response followed alample of the consequences of ignoring globalmost two months later.

Many elements are shared between gov- ization, and how doing so can bring the conernments’ responses to COVID-19 and the sequences of seemingly-distant catastrophes climate crisis, so this disappointing response to our doorstep. We can also see the consecame as no surprise to me. Characteristic to quences of misunderstanding and ignoring both is a lack of urgency in responding to scientific information. The lessons are on the global crises with long-term consequences, table, but whether or not we learn from them even when there is overwhelming scientific is in everybody’s hands. ments — and even myself, regretfully — viewed it chiefly as a Chinese concern, localized to one part of the world. But viruses can travel whether or not we view them as a threat, and travel they did, into our homes, schools, and workplaces.

More upsetting to me than the Ontario case numbers themselves — over 255,000

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SCIENCE

science@thevarsity.ca

Designing greener buildings, starting from the top

New multi-department initiative aims to create sustainable, living architecture

One of the GRIT lab’s focuses is making green roofs more sustainable.

COURTESY OF RYAN SOMMA/CC FLICKR

Ashiana Sunderji Varsity Staff

Toronto is one of many large cities currently experiencing high rates of urbanization as a result of its increasing population. Thus, the city needs to be working on projects that strive to reduce the detrimental impacts that the climate crisis will have on residents and their quality of life. There needs to be initiatives in place that anticipate increased catastrophic effects on the climate from overpopulation and urbanization, and this forward-thinking needs to be applied toward constructive research and work.

A recent initiative tackling these issues has been launched by the Green Roof Innovation Testing Laboratory (GRIT) Lab in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto. The lab’s mission is to test the efficiency and environmental benefits of green architectural features, such as solar cells or ‘green’ roofs covered in vegetation. Architectural features with vegetation are often called living architecture.

The GRIT lab’s new initiative, the Design of Living Infrastructure for Ecosystem Services Network (DLIFES), will engage over 50 undergraduate and graduate students to tackle challenges in the design, construction, and management of sustainable city architecture. By improving existing technologies, the initiative’s founders hope to address larger problems like air pollution and flood prevention in large cities.

DLIFES is supported by a coveted funding scheme called the Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. According to the grant’s website, it is awarded to initiatives that are investing in solutions for relevant scientific issues throughout the country and assisting the development of “highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows” into the workforce.

Bringing students together The DLIFES project established its reach through partnerships with other universities, both within Canada and abroad. The Canadian universities include Ryerson University, Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, and the University of Saskatchewan, while the network’s international partners are found in Australia, Japan,

Israel, France, and the United States.

“We realized… that living infrastructure requires an interdisciplinary team,” Jennifer Drake, one of the initiative’s founders and an associate professor in the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, said in an interview with The Varsity. “You need to understand soil science; you need to understand civil engineering design; you need to understand people and place in space.”

Participating students represent all these backgrounds and include all levels of education — from undergraduates to postdoctoral researchers — in hands-on, research-based learning experiences. Drake identifies this as a key highlight in a university system that separates students into specific departments and constrains their interactions with peers from the very disciplines they will interact with in a professional setting.

“What we’re hoping to achieve from this is a generation, if you will, of career-ready graduates who understand the assets that people with different training bring to a group, and [who] can work more effectively and more productively in interdisciplinary teams,” she added.

A larger vision COVID-19 has slowed down the pace of work, but Drake hopes that in-person activities will resume over the summer. And once international travel is easier, she also hopes that students will be able to travel to partner institutions. Travel, she said, is useful for a project like DLIFES because working in different environments will expose students to the conditions that hinder or help living architecture vary from location to location, and will thus give them the opportunity to create different designs.

The larger goal of the DLIFES initiative is to improve city-wide sustainability. For example, this summer, the researchers hope to test whether stormwater can be collected and used for irrigation. Another group of students are looking at urban agriculture, including how it can decrease food instability. In this way, the project also hopes to make architecture more productive and beneficial for the economy.

“Hopefully there’s going to be a lot of new things that come out of this… that, in a whole, help Canadian cities be more livable and more resilient,” Drake said.

var.st/science

JANUARY 25, 2021

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Recent updates on COVID-19 vaccines: what we know and don’t know Answering your questions about transmission, new strains

Valeria Khudiakova Associate Science Editor

What do the new mutations mean for public health?

Lately, public health officials have been concerned about the spread of new, more infectious strains of COVID-19, particularly the newly-identified B.1.1.7 strain, which originated from the UK. B.1.1.7 has been identified in people with no travel history, a fact that suggests that variants are already circulating in the community.

A higher daily infection rate means that health care systems will become even more overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, which will impact the quality of care that people with COVID-19 and other conditions receive. Existing tests may be less likely to pick up on the new strains, but from what we know so far, vaccines should work just as well against the new variants.

In a statement issued on January 20, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam once again urged Canadians to abide by existing public health guidelines, such as self-isolating

With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines underway in Canada, it’s easy to think that we’re nearing the end of the tunnel. However, there is still a long way to go before we can go back to normal, if ever. The Varsity has compiled a quick guide of what we know and don’t know about COVID-19 vaccines.

Do the vaccines prevent you from spreading COVID-19?

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines used in Canada are known to be at least 90 per cent effective at preventing you from catching the virus, but it is still unclear whether a vaccinated person can transmit COVID-19.

There are two main reasons for this: a lack of data and the way that vaccines work.

First, there is simply not enough public health data yet to make any definitive statements about whether the vaccines that are available curb transmission or not. From an immunological perspective, we know that vaccines trigger an immune response similar to the one that happens when you get sick.

Current evidence suggests that vaccines trick the body into producing IgG antibodies, which attack foreign organisms, including viruses. However, another type of antibodies, IgA, might be more important for stopping transmission, and we don’t know how effective vaccines are at producing IgA antibodies.

Yet there is a reason for cautious optimism. Dr. Paul Sax of Harvard Medical School contends that although some vaccines allow asymptomatic colonization, there are reasons to believe that the vaccine will have an effect on transmission, calling the odds “excellent.”

if you have any COVID-19-like symptoms, staying home as much as possible, avoiding social gatherings and essential travel, wearing a mask, and practising good hand hygiene, which is more important than ever in response to the new strains.

When will we go back to normal?

When we will return to in-person classes and social gatherings largely depends on the timeline of the rollout of the vaccines to the general population, which varies by province and region. In Ontario, people who are not at high risk of getting COVID-19 or becoming seriously sick are expected to get the vaccine starting around August or September.

However, returning to normal doesn’t necessarily have to be after everyone is vaccinated, as not everyone has to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. Some scientific modelling suggests that if a vaccine is 80 per cent effective and three quarters of the population gets it, an epidemic can end without additional public health measures. However, we will have to follow the measures that we are all too familiar with for the foreseeable future.

AMBIKA MAHARAJ/THEVARSITY

The research to data science pipeline: why you should pursue it and how to start From academia to the tech world

Tahmeed Shafiq Science Editor

Several years ago, I reconnected with an acquaintance who was working toward an academic career as an ornithologist, someone who studies birds.

Ever since they completed their doctorate, they’ve also started a parallel career as a programmer.

This got me thinking about a number of anecdotal stories I’ve heard about graduates of STEM programs who transitioned out of research and into the tech world. I was particularly interested in one career path: data science.

An analysis of thousands of résumés stored on the job search website Indeed shows that data scientists are more likely to hold advanced graduate degrees and come from academia than those in similar tech jobs, like data analysts and software engineers. This is good evidence that STEM graduates wind up doing big data work, which is why it’s worth exploring as a potential career option before you hit the job market.

What do data scientists do, exactly?

The terminology can be confusing. A data scientist is distinct from but similar to a data analyst, which can in turn be distinct from a data engineer. The difference lies in the level and purpose of the programming you do.

Some data scientists deal with very large datasets from which useful information can be extracted using automated statistical processes. This is sometimes called ‘data mining.’ However, data scientists may also work with predictive data, generating models and expectations for future out-

comes.

It’s a job that requires a rigorous knowledge of coding and statistical literacy. Data scientists also spend a lot of time collecting and cleaning data, as well as presenting their findings with visualizations.

Why are STEM graduates gravitating toward data science?

The Indeed study found that data scientists are more likely to transition directly from academia than some other tech workers. Moreover, data scientists come from more varied academic backgrounds. Only about 30 per cent of the résumés analyzed listed a degree in computer science or data science. The rest came from different fields, including about 60 per cent from business, economics, or other STEM programs.

Writing for Nature, Netflix Senior Data Scientist Grace Tang described her transition from having a neuroscience PhD to becoming a data scientist as a natural fit for someone with her statistical and communications skills.

Speaking to Symmetry Magazine, ex-physicist and data scientist Jamie Antonelli said, “The world and your career opportunities are so much broader than what they are inside academia. You have highly valued tech skills, and you can take your favorite part of your job and find someone that will pay you to do just that.”

How do I get started?

If you’re really set on data science, U of T does offer a data science specialist program. But even outside of that, there are a number of undergradu-

ate courses you can take to learn some of the basic programming and statistical skills of data science.

They include MAT245 — Mathematical Methods in Data Science, STA302 — Methods of Data Analysis I, STA303 — Methods of Data Analysis II, and CSC311 — Introduction to Machine Learning. At least one such course, CSC321 — Introduction to Neural Networks and Machine Learning, has an online course page still available from a previous session, but it is not being offered in the current course calendar.

There are lots of free resources online for learning how to code in popular languages like R and

Python, but there are also specific resources aimed at potential data scientists.

The blog Towards Data Science maintains a host of tutorials aimed at varying skill levels, including tips on how to nail a job interview. Mathematician Joseph Misiti lists dozens of free books and machine learning frameworks on his Github.

If you’re looking to find a community to learn from, PyData is an international network of data science enthusiasts with a Toronto chapter.

Wherever you choose to learn from, it’s clear that data science is going to be appealing to STEM graduates for quite some time.

Free resources to learn data science skills include blogs like Towards Data Science and online courses.

COURTESY OF BJ FARMER CITOC/CC FLICKR

Sports

January 25, 2021 var.st/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

The definitive workout mat ranking Which mats are worth your buck

Laura Ashwood Sports Editor

Your at-home workout equipment should include the ever-versatile exercise mat.

MATT MCDERMOTT/FLICKR

So, there’s still a pandemic, and it’s the middle of winter. Chances are, if you’re working out, you’re doing it indoors in a cramped dorm room or a puny student apartment. One of the most space-efficient and useful pieces of workout equipment for at-home exercise is the all-important mat: easy to put away, helpful for your joints and back, and usually under $100 — the mat is a purchase you won’t regret.

But not all mats are made for the same purpose: depending on what you’re planning on doing on it, you’ll be looking for different qualities. After searching far and wide in the large expanse of the internet, I’ve found the best mats for yoga, general fitness, and for pilates.

Fitness: ProsourceFit Muscle Exercise Mats Fitness mats are ideal if you are looking for a mat upon which to engage in more general, wide-ranging exercises. Essentially, this can include anything other than pilates and yoga, and usually exercises that are a little more high impact — think squat jumps and burpees — could benefit from cushy flooring.

The ones from ProsourceFit are great because they are interlocking squares: you can customize your mat to fit the size of the workout space available in your home. They are also resistant to water — and thus sweat — as well as noise-reducing, meaning that you won’t infuriate your neighbours if you live in an apartment building or above a basement apartment.

Yoga: Lululemon “The Reversible Mat 5mm” Lululemon’s five-millimetre yoga mat is the perfect all-round mat for any kind of yoga you desire. The reversible design has a gripped side for sweaty yoga sessions and a cushiony, rubber side for less sweaty practices. The thickness is also just cushy enough to support your body, but dense enough to provide a good amount of resistance. In addition, it can be stored easily.

The mat comes in lots of fun colours, and although it costs more than the other selections here, it feels very well-made.

Pilates: Aeromat Elite Workout Mat These mats tend to be longer and thicker than yoga mats, making them more suitable for the wider range of aerobic exercises that is included in pilates. They also don’t need to provide the grip that yoga mats do.

Aeromat’s version is particularly good because it is very affordable and has useful holes for hooks, which makes for easy storage. It is made of closed-cell foam to provide lightweight and durable cushioning, and is offered in four colours.

Opinion: Modern fanbases have forgotten the joy of the journey There’s more to sports than trophies and titles Angad Deol Associate Sports Editor

Three teams captured my heart in my youth: the Toronto Raptors, the Buffalo Bills, and Liverpool FC. One thing these franchises shared in common is that they’ve all had periods of time in my lifet when they absolutely sucked. Some of those mid2010s Liverpool teams should be erased from the record books, and some of the athletes I saw in the starting lineup for the Raptors would not even have a shot making it in the league today.

However, the funny thing is, I still enjoyed watching these clubs because fans should support their clubs through thick and thin. I’m not asking you to excuse awful management and mediocre play; I’m asking you to enjoy the good times when they do come because they’re gone before you know it.

Case in point: on January 24, the Buffalo Bills

competed in their first American Football Conference championship game since the 1993–1994 season. Up until now, I’ve seen how bad the Bills can be — constantly finishing in the bottom of the league, with horrible quarterback play among some of the lowlights.

But that made the few wins all the more enjoyable and what made their recent success so much more fulfilling. Win or lose on Sunday, I’ll always be a member of the Bills Mafia because I know how hard fielding a good team and making the playoffs can be.

Seeing the Toronto Raptors win the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2019 is one of the greatest memories I have. Marching in the parade and getting to see Marc Gasol chug a bottle of wine is a story I’ll share with future generations of the Deol family for many years to come, but I’m sure there will also be points in the future when the Raptors won’t even

come near the playoffs.

That’s fine because no matter how awesome winning the championship in 2019 was, those deep playoff runs with Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry make me just as emotional — it’s not an easy feat to take Lebron James to six games but our boys in red and white got it done in 2016.

In 2020, Liverpool won the Premier League title for the first time in club history, and they also took home the Champions League trophy in 2019.

I was a bit too young to fully remember the 2005 Champions League win, but I did get to catch the brilliance of Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, and Fernando Torres. And while those teams never won any meaningful silverware, getting to see these legends of the game take the field week in and week out filled my childhood with memories beyond imagination.

Winning a championship is not an easy job —

trust me I’ve seen my fair share of sports to tell you that — but the best part of the journey isn’t raising the trophy. It’s the small moments that keep you going along the way.

Kawhi Leonard’s series-winning shot was in the second round of the 2019 playoffs — not the finals — but I still think it’s the most memorable moment in Raptors history. Even if we’d gotten smoked by the Golden State Warriors in the finals that year, I still would’ve held on to the memory of watching that fateful lucky bounce to sink the Philadelphia 76ers.

I feel the same way about Liverpool’s miracle comeback against FC Barcelona on their way to the Champions League title in 2019, and I hope Josh Allen and the Bills give us something to remember on their way to a Super Bowl in the near future because no matter how much it hurts to be the fan of a team that sucks, the feeling of winning it all becomes much greater.

Sometimes losing teams hold the dearest places in our hearts.

DINA DONG/THEVARSITY

var.st/sports

JANUARY 25, 2021

Opinion: Leagues should keep their bubbles Safety from COVID-19 must remain a priority

Audrey Miatello Varsity Contributor

After an unusual spring, the return of professional sports this past summer was a relief to fans. While familiar in many ways, sports also looked very different upon their return, as many leagues were forced to play in ‘bubbles’ — without outside exposure — due to COVID-19. It was the safest way to continue, cutting down the need for travel and limiting contact.

The bubbles made it possible for fans to watch Tampa Bay Lightning raise the Stanley Cup, the Los Angeles Lakers win the NBA Finals, and the Columbus Crew win the Major League Soccer Cup — a welcome distraction from our new reality.

However, heading into the 2021 season, many leagues opted out of their bubbles and were criticized for it. The bubbles posed many new challenges, but they also solved many problems. So why did they do away with them?

While the bubbles undoubtedly protect physical health, several star players, such as Paul George and Jamal Murray, spoke out about their mental health challenges in the NBA’s bubble. Being separated from family and confined to one space for months at a time, of course, was difficult for many athletes.

Additionally, the bubbles definitely aren’t cheap — the NBA’s, for example, reportedly cost over $150 million. At the same time, however, the health of the players is priceless, and the safety of the bubbles can’t be denied. These players are athletes, but they are also parents, spouses, children, and friends.

So, perhaps a bubble should have been used again this season. They are effective — in an earlier season in late September, for example, the NHL reported

its ninth straight week without a single positive COVID-19 test. Similarly, inside the Modern Sports League’s bubble, the participating teams had no new cases between July 12 and August 11, when the tournament wrapped up.

In comparison, 20 NBA games and seven NHL

NBA’s schedule — for reference, there were 19 in total last season.

How can the leagues keep their players and staff safe in the meantime? The restrictions must continue to be enforced — the NBA, for example, recently fined Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving for attending an indoor gathering, requiring him to quarantine before returning

Do the workouts really work?

MAHIKA JAIN/THEVARSITY

to play. He faced not just the negative media attention, but also a fine of $50,000, and he was not paid for any games he missed during quarantine.

KRISTAL MENGUC/THEVARSITY But is this enough to deter games have been postponed so far this seasomeone making upward of $33 milson, without the bubble. And these numbers will sure- lion? ly continue to climb given their condensed schedules Only time will tell whether the leagues can play this season and, as a result, the more frequent contact safely without a bubble. But, hopefully, the number of between players. The NHL will play a 56-game sea- new COVID-19 cases and postponed games will go son in only 116 days, and “32 stretches of five games down, and the leagues won’t look back on this winter’s in seven nights” are predicted in the first half of the season and regret popping their bubbles.

The Varsity’s health and fitness hotline

protein, vitamins, and fibres. Smoothies are a great way to get nutritious ingredients in your system that you otherwise wouldn’t enjoy eating because less appealing flavours can be hidden when blended with yummier things!

Below is a smoothie recipe that includes a banana, which has potassium that is good for your muscles; an orange, which contains vitamin C that can reduce stress; and dark chocolate, which can improve brain functioning. Give this healthy and easy-to-make recipe a try!

Ingredients: For the smoothie: 1 medium banana 1 medium orange 1 Bartlett pear 1 handful of spinach 1 1/2 cups of milk or yogurt of your choice Get your vitamin kick with this homemade smoothie!.

YERIN LEE/THEVARSITY

What is a yummy and healthy smoothie recipe?

Food should nourish not only your physical health but also your mental health. Whether you are working through assignments or relaxing, a good smoothie could be an antidote to the dreary days or a sweetener that makes your great days even sweeter.

Your smoothie can achieve that effect by including ingredients that you like and, more importantly, that are beneficial to your physical well-being.

Smoothies should smell good as well as they

Testing UTrain: Big HIIT

This pre-recorded YouTube workout left me sore.

What the Health: The best smoothie recipe

Valerie Yao Varsity Contributor

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taste: they can contain agreeable scents that comfort and relax you. You can add aromatic ingredients to your smoothies to spice them up.

Healthy smoothies should be made from fresh ingredients — try avoiding canned ingredients. Moreover, the World Health Organization warns against consuming too much sugar so as not to increase the risk of diabetes and heart diseases. It is important to keep in mind that fruits used for smoothies usually already contain a lot of fructose. Thus, you should avoid further sugary additions like syrups or artificial sweeteners to help you stay healthy.

Besides, as EatingWell and Prevention suggest, ingredients in good smoothies should provide a wide range of balanced nutrients: antioxidants,

For the topping: 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts of your choice Some dark chocolate shards or chunks Directions: Peel the banana and orange.

Slice the banana and cut the orange and pear into small chunks.

Put the fruit into the blender and add a handful of spinach.

Pour in the milk or yogurt.

Blend!

Pour the smoothie into a cup and add your toppings.

Voilà! Enjoy your smoothie.

Do you have a health or fitness question? Email sports@thevarsity.ca with your question for a chance to get anonymously featured!

Alex Waddell Varsity Staff

I am finally feeling back in the swing of things with classes and assignments full speed ahead. This week, I wanted a workout that matched my level of energy. The U of T Virtual Fitness Studio YouTube page now has 76 workouts available on demand, so I had lots to choose from.

My roommate and I ended up choosing the January 7 “Big HIIT” recording, and we both recommend it to those looking to get back into training. I am writing this one day after the class, and wow, I am sore.

The class is offered by U of T Sport & Recreation and has the same video structure as many of its other classes.

There are two hosts: one who performs the movements and another who provides verbal instructions and guidance. The class is described as a “full-body boot camp-style circuit class [that] will have you feeling stronger, more confident, energized and happy.”

Having done other UTrain high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes, I have to say that I was expecting a bit more cardio from this class. It was definitely more along the lines of a strength workout, and it made me sore despite the lack of cardio.

The class began with a warmup, including jumping jacks and various stretches. Each round had four exercises, and there were four rounds with a one-minute break after the second round.

The first round was bottom-focused with squat walks, Romanian deadlifts on both legs, and squats. The second round focused on abs, containing bear crawls, a hollow-core hold, bear claw plank taps, and hollow-core rolls.

I really liked switching up the related moves to give my abs a break. The third round was the most cardio-intensive and focused on legs and lunges. We finished the workout with front lunges, back lunges, lunge jumps, and shifting side lunges.

This was the first UTrain workout I completed that did not have any background music, but my roommate and I just pulled out our own tunes, and it was nice to have control of the music. If you are looking for recommendations, we listened to “Tell Me You Love Me” by Galantis for some highintensity excitement.

Overall, while the live workouts are great for staying accountable, the UTrain YouTube playlists have so much to offer as well. Be sure to check them out!

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JANUARY 25, 2021

“The final boss” by Zach Koh

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