January 24, 2022
THE VARSITY The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
Jordan Jordan Peterson Peterson retires retires from from U U of of TT U of T and professors respond to Peterson’s claim that equity initiatives hurt meritocracy Lauren Alexander and Tahmeed Shafiq News Editor and Managing Editor
in the fall and now holds the rank of Professor, Emeritus.”
Content warning: This article discusses transphobia and misogyny.
Timeline of events Peterson has long been a controversial figure. In 2016, he posted a series of YouTube videos where he spoke against political correctness and Bill C-16, an amendment to both the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) and the Criminal Code, which introduced gender expression and gender identity as protected under the CHRA. The videos were initially reported on by The Varsity in 2016 and drew attention from the media and the world at large, with many students and academics at U of T speaking against Peterson. Peterson alleged that the bill curbed free speech because it forced people to use certain pronouns for others against their will — for example, using the gender-neutral pronoun ‘they’ for transgender and non-binary people who prefer it over gendered pronouns like ‘he’ and ‘she.’ He continued to publicly denounce the bill for months in television appearances and YouTube videos, which gained significant media attention. A number of faculty and student groups spoke against Peterson, with hundreds signing an open letter calling on U of T to fire him. Members of the university
Controversial U of T psychology professor Jordan Peterson has announced that he is no longer a tenured professor at U of T. By 2017, he had stopped teaching courses at U of T, but retained a tenured position. In an article in the National Post, Peterson explained the reasons for his retirement. He claimed that equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives at the university created career barriers for “supremely trained heterosexual white male graduate students” and made faculty positions less of a meritocracy. Since 2016, Peterson has become a major media figure famous for his conservative political views. He has made a number of high-profile appearances on television and podcasts. He has also published a number of books, a podcast, and some online courses. He has often said that contemporary university departments and society at large are overly influenced by identity politics. This stance has attracted a large number of both supporters and critics. In a statement to The Varsity, U of T confirmed that “Professor Jordan Peterson retired
administration sent a letter to Peterson asking that he respect students’ pronouns and urged him to stop speaking on the topic, on the grounds that using someone’s incorrect pronouns is a form of discrimination. At the time, Peterson was critical of the letter, describing it as an attempt to silence him. Protests were held at the university both in support of and against Peterson, including an event called “UofT Rally for Free Speech” at which Peterson spoke. Reports of multiple threats against trans and nonbinary students on campus followed the protests. Cassandra Williams — vice-president, university affairs of the University Toronto Students’ Union at the time, and a vocal critic of Peterson — said the anti-Peterson protests aimed to “call out the university for supporting and enabling people who are causing harm to trans people.” Debates were also held on campus discussing the subject of free speech and trans rights. Critics have described his various beliefs as transphobic, misogynistic, conspiracy theories, and a dangerous influence on others. Retirement In his National Post article, Peterson explained the reason for his retirement. He wrote that he had hoped to be an academic forever but, among other reasons, he was unable to reconcile his beliefs with the “appalling ideology of diversity, inclusion and equity” at U of T. “These facts rendered my job morally untenable,” wrote Peterson. Peterson further claimed that heterosexual, white graduate students who are men “face a negligible chance” of getting research positions due to the existence of EDI initiatives, and that there aren’t a sufficient number of qualified candidates that belong to minoritized groups for universities to be able to fill diversity targets. He also railed against other equity initiatives in higher education, such as mandatory equity training for teaching faculty, which he claimed is ineffective. In response to Peterson’s article, a spokesperson for the university pointed to
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the university’s employment equity reports, which found that between 2019 and 2020, the proportion of appointed faculty who identified as men remained constant. The spokesperson also highlighted the university’s Statement on Equity, Diversity and Excellence, which asserts that “An equitable and inclusive working and learning environment creates the conditions for our diverse staff and student body to maximize their creativity and their contributions, thereby supporting excellence in all dimensions of the institution.” Criticisms of Peterson’s claims In an email to The Varsity, U of T Professor A.W. Peet, who has frequently criticized Peterson and has debated him in a widely seen television appearance in 2016, responded to his claims. They wrote that Peterson was a “poisonous presence on campus,” pointing to research that has identified Peterson’s rhetoric as a “radicalization pathway” for social media users, which has harmed U of T’s reputation. “I am tremendously relieved that he is no longer a professor at UofT. He harmed a lot of members of our community in recent years, including me,” wrote Peet. In an email to The Varsity, U of T Professor Emeritus Ronald de Sousa, who criticized Peterson’s original comments about Bill C-16 in 2017, also criticized Peterson’s article, writing that he wrongly portrayed people who are women, racialized, or LGBTQ+ as “utterly unqualified.” “Over half a century ago, when I was myself appointed to the University of Toronto, ‘heterosexual, white male graduate students’ such as myself faced virtually no competition,” wrote de Sousa. Pointing out that historically, academia has largely been dominated by white, heterosexual men, he mentioned that his graduate university’s policies dictated that no women were to be enrolled. “If ‘there simply is not enough qualified BIPOC people in the pipeline’, shouldn’t we support efforts to change that?” wrote de Sousa. “I think [Peterson] should have had the decency to resign sooner,” Peet added.
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U of T announces in-person teaching, activities will increase starting February 7 Faculty of Arts & Science to offer online options until February 18 Marta Anielska Deputy News Editor
U of T has announced that it will “increase” the amount of in-person teaching and activities across all campuses and faculties starting Monday, February 7. The transition will vary based on different programs and courses. Campuses, divisions, and departments will update students with more specific instructions regarding the return to in-person learning. The Faculty of Arts & Science also released a statement shortly after U of T, stating that those courses initially designated as in-person would offer an online option until February 18 — last day of classes before reading week. These courses would then switch over to a fully in-person delivery mode on February 28, first day of classes after
reading week. The announcement added that instructors will reach out to students on whether they choose to offer a hybrid model or teach online until February 28. Although the Ontario government does not require certain restrictions, such as physical distancing, to be in place, the university has still increased its security measures for the return. This includes providing masks for those who cannot get them due to cost or supply chain issues. U of T will also be updating UCheck so that students can upload their proof of a booster vaccination to UCheck, starting the week of January 31. The university will also continue to offer nonclassroom spaces for students to study and eat, as well as rapid screening tests. However, it acknowledges that tests are available in limited quantities and recommends those who are
registered in the program to continue uploading their results to UCheck. U of T’s announcement also recognized staff that continued to work on campus during the online period and reminded employees working remotely that they would be expected to return on February 7. Employees will be contacted by their managers with further details. The university added that it will remain flexible for employees with childcare duties, which fluctuate due to school closures. U of T is one of several universities to extend its online learning period in the last few weeks, with Queen’s University, which will remain online until February 28. Moreover, Ryerson University also announced a plan similar to U of T’s today, with a full return to in-person learning scheduled for January 28.
COVID-19 tracking dashboard suspended Province no longer notifying U of T of positive COVID-19 cases Lauren Alexander News Editor
As of January 10, U of T’s COVID-19 tracking website has been suspended and will no longer report the number of cases in the U of T community or on campus. According to an update on the website, the reason for the suspension is recent changes to the provinces’ “case and contact management,” which has been adjusted to prioritize case control and contact tracing in high-risk settings. For this reason, U of T is no longer being informed of positive cases in the community. The update comes at a time when cases of COVID-19 are soaring in the province and, in recent weeks, across U of T. Previously, the dashboard was used to document the number of positive cases in the U of T community — including community members who hadn’t been on campus — and on-campus outbreaks. In total, the dashboard reported 16 outbreaks of COVID-19 across U of T’s three campuses and 556 positive cases in the broader community
between March 2020 and December 24, 2021. In a previous statement given to The Varsity on January 7, a spokesperson for the university indicated that the dashboard was one of the university’s main methods for informing the larger community about cases on campus. Three days later, the dashboard was suspended. In a recent statement to The Varsity, a U of T
spokesperson wrote, “[The university’s] occupational health team will continue to track any cases reported to them, and to provide communication to those identified through the contract tracing process.” Students who have COVID-19 symptoms and have been on a U of T campus are being asked to contact an occupational health nurse.
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U of T Exam Centre vaccine clinic reopens following Omicron wave Clinic can now provide up to 2,500 vaccine doses per day Latisha Lau Varsity Contributor
The vaccine clinic located at the U of T Exam Centre on McCaul Street has reopened in response to the latest wave of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant. The clinic is operated by the University Health Network and is aided by Sinai Health, as well as U of T clinicians, administrators, and faculty. As of this week, over 31,700 people have gotten their vaccines at the clinic since its reopening. The reopening process According to Erin Bearss, chief of family medicine and an emergency room doctor for Mount Sinai Hospital, the clinic adjusts its capacity on a weekly basis according to demand. When demand is at its highest, the clinic can vaccinate up to 2,500 people per day. In the past, the clinic has vaccinated up to 2,000 people in a day. Bearss noted that reopening the clinic has proven to be a relatively smooth process, since the team is experienced, and many relevant processes and policies were already in place from the first time the clinic was opened. “It was like bringing the band back together,” she said.
Bearss said that the team plans to keep the clinic open until at least mid-February in anticipation of the university’s plans to return to in-person learning, and encourages people to visit the clinic to get their boosters and vaccines. University involvement The clinic also employs the skills of professionals from the Faculty of Pharmacy. Since it has been facing a high demand for vaccines, the faculty has increased staffing capacity in the pharmacy department by hiring more students, as well as some retired pharmacists. Linda Dresser, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, wrote in an email to The Varsity that the faculty’s role is to receive and maintain the efficacy of the vaccines, which need to be temperature-controlled, as well as to prepare individual doses of the vaccines. Additionally, departmental staff work closely with the clinic’s medical lead to ensure that the fewest number of vaccines are wasted. The biggest change is the challenge of offering multiple vaccine regimens simultaneously. Previously, only two vaccine types were offered, under the standard two-dose vaccination system, but now the clinic also offers pediatric vaccines
and Moderna booster shots that are different from the primary series doses, as a result of changes in vaccine eligibility. Nonetheless, the staff’s previous experience offered insight into the operation, enabling more cohesive and fluid operation of the clinic. Dresser added that reopening the clinic has gone smoothly for the Faculty of Pharmacy as well, since all the necessary resources were stored in highly accessible areas. “This has been a unique opportunity for the faculties of medicine, nursing and pharmacy to come together to work in a clinical setting outside of the usual structure of the health care system,” Dresser wrote. Moreover, Dresser believes that participating in running a mass vaccine clinic offers unique experiences to students, seeing as they gain the opportunity to work closely with a number of professors from different faculties. Furthermore, she wrote that students working at pop-up clinics over the summer gained important insights into the social barriers to health care access faced by diverse groups. Appointments can now be made online through the provincial booking system and are open to all members of the U of T community.
thevarsity.ca/section/news
JANUARY 24, 2022
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Panel of students, lawyers, academics discusses risks of UMLAP Eleven students have been placed on mandatory leave since the policy’s inception Padraic Berting Graduate Bureau Chief
On January 20, a group of student organizations — including the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union, the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, and the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union — held a panel discussion on the risks of the University-Mandated Leave of Absence Policy (UMLAP). The policy, which has been controversial since its inception and is currently under review, allows the university to place on leave students that it has deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. The panel featured four speakers: Lawyer Karen Bower; Courtney Joly-Lowdermilk, associate director of strategic initiatives at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University; Lawyer Dianne Wintermute from the ARCH Disability Law Centre; and Nkem Ogbonna, a U of T alum and researcher for Students for Barrier-Free Access. The event focused on the speakers’ experiences related to involuntary leave policies in the United States. Background Since the implementation of the UMLAP in 2018, members of the U of T community, as well as the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), have criticized it repeatedly for giving the university too much power in making decisions about students’ mental health. The university has repeatedly defended itself against the OHRC’s criticisms, arguing that the policy does adhere to the Ontario Human Rights Code. Vice-Provost, Students Sandy Welsh has also described the policy as “compassionate” since
it factors in mental health considerations outside of the Academic Code of Conduct. As of the 2021–2022 academic year, 11 students have been placed on university-mandated leave since the policy’s inception, and the university is continuing to review the UMLAP with input from students, staff, and community members. Panel discussions In an interview with The Varsity, Alisha Krishna, a student in the Faculty of Law who is affiliated with the U of T Law Union, emphasized that the panel came together out of a desire to continue exploring alternatives to the UMLAP while the university is still reviewing it. Krishna noted that although organizing during the pandemic has been somewhat challenging, it has made it possible to hold this panel, which features guests living in the United States. The panel was conducted over Zoom and hosted by Krishna. Karen Bower, one of the speakers at the panel, discussed the ways in which the law presents challenges to students seeking accommodations. Bower, an American attorney who represents students with mental illness in higher education, spoke about some of the laws in the United States that grant powers to universities to place students on a leave of absence. She mentioned that there is a concern that if the university is “assessing [a] direct threat, [it] might respond based on fear, prejudice, or stereotypes about individuals with mental illness, and not look at [a] really individualized assessment based on a reasonable objective medical criteria.” Joly-Lowdermilk discussed the effects of leave policies on students and alternatives available to the university. She is known for co-authoring a
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guide meant to support students taking healthpromoted leaves. During the panel discussion, she said that it is really important to “[engage] students… in that collective, collaborative decisionmaking process.” She acknowledged that, “for some students, it’s alarming to hear the idea of a leave… [but it] gives us hope and agency if it’s a health-promoting option for students to consider.” Joly-Lowdermilk also helped create NITEO at Boston University, a semester-long program that supports students in developing tools to cope. She described the program as a “healing space to practice and maintain skills that [the students] find important.” She said that it takes 20 hours a week, and allows students placed on leave to
return to studies prepared. The program is focused around the student’s choices. Going forward In an interview with The Varsity, Krishna noted that conversations on university-mandated leave policies are now occurring at universities in the United States, as mentioned by the international speakers present at the event. Krishna said that some of the ideas presented at the panel would require an “ideological shift” to be implemented, but that they are feasible. Krishna concluded by bringing up a speaker’s comment that involuntary leave policies are a “public health issue” and added that “when people are in trouble, you stop the trouble.”
Are air quality measures on campus sufficient for a safe return? U of T expert discusses university’s ventilation systems and curbing COVID-19 Cedric Jiang Associate News Editor
expert in ventilation and indoor air quality, about the effectiveness of U of T’s air quality management.
Some community members have expressed concerns about improper ventilation in campus buildings, especially given U of T’s recent announcement of a planned increase in in-person activities from February 7 onward. In the email announcing its back-to-campus plan, U of T shared that, among other updated measures to make the campus more safe, the university will be “assessing building ventilation and air filtration.” Despite this announcement, some students remain concerned about ventilation and air quality inside the classrooms. The Varsity spoke to Professor Jeffrey Siegel, an
Student questions on air quality management Some students have raised questions about the effectiveness of the air quality measures in some classrooms. Bo Zhao, a third-year undergraduate student discussed his experience going to courses in person in the fall in an interview with The Varsity. “My experience was overall positive. I think, at the beginning, it was a bit scary when you had everybody packed so closely to each other,” said Zhao, noting that social distancing was not implemented in classrooms in the fall. Bright Lin, a third-year undergraduate student,
described the air in some of his classrooms as being very “stuffy” as there were no windows, despite the fact that fans had been installed. Explanation by ventilation and indoor air quality expert In an interview with The Varsity, Siegel assured that U of T’s current measures are effective at removing respiratory particles, which are able to transmit SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 infections. However, Siegel did note that there could be some bias in the way that air quality is assessed at the university. He wrote that the current technology in U of T’s classrooms consists of three major components: ventilation, central filtration, and room filtration. CHERYL NONG/THEVARSITY
Classroom air quality is a measure of how well respiratory particles are removed through ventilation and filtration. Siegel is concerned that this measure, known as the “effective air exchange rate,” is commonly seen as only a measure of ventilation and not filtration. This could affect the accuracy of air quality measures. “Many people refer to the entire system as ‘ventilation’ and make no distinction between filtration (of any kind) and ventilation,” wrote Siegel in an email to The Varsity. U of T’s website indicates that six units of air change per hour is the ideal benchmark for classrooms, according to public health guidance from Harvard University. U of T asserts that 98 per cent of its classrooms “exceed” this rate, and rooms that have air change rates of at least six do not need air purifiers. Siegel wrote that the air exchange rates stated by U of T could be “biased high” and suggested that the university include additional parameters when assessing air quality — such as the decay rate of fine particulate matter and carbon dioxide — which are more reflective of the actual air exchange rate. “Such measurements would give confidence in the calculations and also allow UofT to track down any deficiencies,” wrote Siegel. Despite the associated concerns and risks, some students are excited to return to campus. Zhao said that last semester, when most of his classes were in person, his overall experience was positive. The vaccine and mask mandate also provides him with some assurance about his safety, despite not being able to socially distance in classrooms. Although he does not feel very reassured, Lin said he would like to be back to in-person learning regardless. “I don’t think they’ll be able to prevent outbreaks, but also I’m happy to go back in person because it is a more complete student experience,” said Lin. “I wouldn’t say I feel safe, but I’m willing to take risks.”
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Art installation chronicling vaccination effort underway Artist Greg Ellwand on art during a pandemic Jessie Schwalb Varsity Staff
The installation of an art exhibition commemorating U of T’s vaccination effort is in the works for the vaccine clinic at the Exam Centre at 255 McCaul Street. The installation will feature nine paintings by clinic staff member and artist Greg Ellwand, whose work blends depictions of staff and mundane objects from the clinic with fantastical elements. However, installation of the art has stalled as clinics open again to meet the Omicron wave. Origins of the project Ellwand became an artist in residence at the U of T vaccination clinic at 255 McCaul Street through what he described as the courage to say yes. The first was accepting an invitation to work at the clinic in March 2021. Between checking in patients, Ellwand sketched on his iPad — until Susan Camm, clinical team lead at U of T’s Health and Wellness Centre, took notice. “She emailed me later and said, ‘Come to my office tomorrow. There’s something I want to talk to you about.’ And I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, you’re going to say we don’t pay you to draw,’ ” said Ellwand in an interview with The Varsity. To Ellwand’s surprise, Camm responded positively to his work and enlisted him to archive the clinic and U of T’s vaccination effort through his art. “The magic of art” For the next few weeks, Ellwand sat in the clinic, drawing the scenes around him. He honed in on
the fervour at the beginning and the end of the day, when clinic staff attempted to use up any remaining doses. “They would be flying, trying to phone people and trying to find a way of using the dose usefully instead of just disposing of it,” said Ellwand. “It was really like they were flying a spaceship.” Space began to crop up in other parts of his work. “[The clinic staff] were flying so fast and so hard into the blackness of space, not knowing where they were going,” he said. “[They were] trying to find their way back home, lost in space with the meteorites of COVID-19 streaking across the blankness of space outside the windows behind them.” After Ellwand had completed around 25 paintings, Professor Jean-Paul Kelly enlisted Sherry Chunqing Liu, a masters student in visual studies, to curate an exhibition displaying Ellwand’s work. In an interview with U of T News, Liu described working closely with Ellwand and Anna Kulikov, the project manager, to arrange the exhibition in the McCaul Street space and create a cohesive narrative. “The overarching narrative of the exhibition is twofold. One is about Greg’s creative process… from at first sketching what he was experiencing and observing to later incorporating more futuristic, vibrant, and imaginative elements,” said Liu. By crafting these narratives, Liu hopes to “evoke contemplation” among viewers about their own experiences, the vaccination effort, and the broader experience of the past few years. “I hope that visitors can walk away knowing that the
Installation combines depictions of staff and objects from U of T vaccination clinic. COURTESY OF SHERRY CHUNGQUING LIU
battle against the COVID-19 pandemic has been a collective effort by our community,” said Liu. The push to vaccinate Although Ellwand’s work pays tribute specifically to the McCaul Street clinic, it also captures the university’s broader mobilization to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. As of December 2021, U of T vaccination clinics had delivered roughly 420,000 doses to the community. The university hosts semi-permanent clinics, such as the one on McCaul at which Ellwand works, as well as pop-up clinics across the three campuses. Many outside groups, including the Scarborough Health Network, the Ontario Ministry of Health, and Peel Public Health, also contributed to the effort. Ellwand views his work as honouring the vaccination effort, and, in particular, the clinic staff who put themselves on the front lines to
deliver vaccines. “I’m so privileged to be able to express that and remember the people who worked there,” he said. As with many efforts to put the pandemic behind us, the exhibition has been stalled due to the Omicron variant. Amid the rising rates of infection in Canada and the renewed urgency to deliver booster shots, vaccination clinics have reopened, including the one on McCaul Street. This has pushed back the timeline for the installation, which will hopefully take up residence at the site of the McCaul Street clinic. In one of his pieces, Ellwand depicts a coworker tasked with checking people out after they received their shot. “He is waiting for something to happen, as we all are,” Ellwand said of the character he depicts. “We are all waiting for the vaccines to take hold. We are waiting for normalcy to come back into our lives.”
Trinity College Meeting approves new equity policy Elections for new graduating members to the Electoral Commission postponed On January 17, the Trinity College Meeting (TCM) held its fifth meeting of the year, in which members shared their reports, discussed the new equity policy, and elected a new Non-Resident Affairs Committee (NRAC) treasurer.
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Equity policy ratified Attendees ratified a new equity policy, which was previously presented at the December meeting. The document was motioned by Head of College Alex McLean and seconded by the TCM Equity Committee. The new policy provides guidelines for the TCM, as well as for student leaders and clubs. The equity policy states that closed captions will be provided at every meeting to improve accessibility. All meetings will also be live-streamed,and elections will be held online. Discriminatory or hateful behaviour will not be tolerated, and students who engage in this kind of behaviour will be prohibited from attending meetings.
Moreover, the policy requires elected representatives to receive equity training. McLean clarified that representatives are required to show certificates of training completion and those who fail to attend the synchronous or asynchronous version of the training will be brought forward for impeachment. The policy also states that student clubs must provide accessibility accommodations, and it encourages students to bring their accessibility needs forward. McLean said that the equity policy needs to be constantly updated according to changes in the student body. The policy document also states that it serves as an expression of the TCM’s “ongoing commitment to equity.” Elections and online learning At the meeting, the TCM also held elections for a new NRAC treasurer. From the two nominees, Eliza Thom was elected with 61 per cent of the vote. Meanwhile, elections to the Electoral
Commission were postponed until the next TCM. The executives explained that this wasn’t an urgent matter, and, due to the short student attendance, they decided to move it to the next meeting. The TCM also reserved some time at the meeting for students to discuss the switch to online learning. During the conversation, students pointed out the need for at least one open space on campus for students in residence to study outside of their rooms. Attendees said this would benefit student mental health while classes are being held online and provincial COVID-19 restrictions are still in place. As at every TCM, the heads gave quick reports on their departments, in which they reminded students of many upcoming events at Trinity College. Meanwhile, some in-person events, like the biweekly community breakfast, were cancelled this month due to current COVID-19 restrictions. The TCM will update students soon about the status of February events.
SCSU, UTMSU launch email campaign calling for safer return Petitions created by students express concerns about return to campus Syeda Maheen Zulfiqar UTSC Bureau Chief
Following U of T’s announcement regarding its intention to increase in-person learning from February 7 on, the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) and the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) have launched an email campaign advocating for a safe return to campus. Emails will be sent to U of T administration and members of provincial parliament in an effort to bring attention to the concerns that students have raised about returning to in-person learning. The campaign has set a goal of sending 700 emails from students and has reached over 550 emails so far.
The draft email provided by the unions lists various requests meant for both university administrators and government officials. The demands directed toward government officials include implementing a two-metre distancing order and capacity limits across campuses, providing free N95 masks to community members, and creating a more robust contact tracing system. Requests for university administrators include “committing to stable learning conditions through option of online learning and other academic supports like expanded [credit/no credit] policies” and the implementation of an ancillary fee rebate to students who “continue to be impacted by the inconsistency of learning modality.” In an email to The Varsity, UTMSU President
Mitra Yakubi shared the union’s efforts to “ensure that no student was left behind.” She wrote, “With each semester and wave of the pandemic, we brought forward the need for technological support so that faculty can record lectures [and] advocated for online classes and in-person classes with social distancing and capacity limits.” With respect to the email campaign launched in conjunction with the SCSU, Yakubi explained that the campaign will target the university administration and provincial government as “they all play different roles in ensuring a safe transition to in-person learning.” In addition to the concerns raised by student unions, there have been a number of petitions
created by students echoing similar concerns. These petitions request that the university either provide the option for students to continue their studies online for the rest of the semester or forgo the shift to in-person classes altogether. One petition created by a UTSC student, titled “Give UTSC (UofT Scarborough) Students the Option to Continue Online,” has reached over 1,300 signatures. “The number of cases are still piling up and being that active at campus puts us all at risk,” the petition reads. Another petition, titled “To Shift UofT Second Semester Online or Hybrid,” has reached over 2,700 signatures. This petition calls for UTSG to offer options for students to attend classes online.
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Anti-Semitism Working Group provides recommendations to U of T Mixed reactions from university’s Jewish community Jessie Schwalb Varsity Staff
Content warning: This article discusses specific antisemitic stereotypes and incidents of harassment. U of T’s Anti-Semitism Working Group (ASWG) has released a report describing a pattern of antisemitism at the university and laying out guidelines to curtailing discrimination. In an official statement, the U of T administration accepted all of the report’s recommendations, praising the ASWG for having made a valuable contribution on behalf of the Jewish community. However, some Jewish community members assert that the report doesn’t go far enough, especially considering the increase in international antisemitism exemplified by the recent hostage situation in a Texas synagogue, which is being treated as a terrorist attack and hate crime by the FBI. Report findings The ASWG is one of a number of task forces established at U of T to direct the university’s approach to racism and discrimination. To draft its report, the group coordinated a consultation process that included hosting focus groups; surveying students, faculty, and community members; conducting interviews; and reading hundreds of emails. “We were… surprised by the extent to which [antisemitic incidents] continue to take place,” wrote ASWG Chair Arthur Ripstein, in an email to The Varsity. The report classified antisemitism at U of T into two categories. The first is racial antisemitism and occurs when people assume that Jewish people share certain characteristics, such as wealth and dual loyalty — the idea that Jewish people have more loyalty to Israel than their own country. “Many survey respondents and focus group participants reported harassment based on such representations, ranging from having coins thrown at them to being physically assaulted,” stated the report. “It also occasionally manifests crude biological images: several focus group participants reported being asked whether Jews had horns.” The report noted that racial antisemitism also
crops up in debates about Israel and Palestine. “In the context of those debates, troubling stereotypes about Jews frequently appear, including conspiracy theories about how Jews control the world, claims that Jews are corrupt or devious, as well as versions of blood libels that originated in Europe in the Middle Ages,” wrote Ripstein. Ripstein added that Jewish people are sometimes excluded from spaces and activities, and are told that their participation is conditional on their political position regarding Israel. The report notes that holding a community collectively responsible for alleged acts of certain individuals is unacceptable at the university. The second form of antisemitism manifests itself as infringements on the right of Jewish people to practice their religion. The report states that survey respondents and focus group participants were refused accommodations, told that they were only entitled to accommodations if they had been previously granted them, told that they needed to establish a level of religious observance, or “even chastised for being backwards for being religiously observant.” Finally, the report found a lack of action on the part of the university. “We… heard more often than we had expected that the University’s equity processes and offices had not been sufficiently responsive to complaints,” Ripstein wrote. Report recommendations In an effort to address both forms of antisemitism, the ASWG called on the university to take a number of steps, such as better equipping the equity office, training its staff, offering kosher food options across all three campuses, and ensuring that “individual members of the University not be required to take on particular political positions.” The report elaborates that the university should affirm its commitment to academic freedom and that students should not be barred from participating in campus life due to their political opinions. Moreover, it states that students should be able to hold controversial events without fear of harassment. Other recommendations included that the university approach antisemitism under the broader framework of its antiracism and equity efforts, that it avoid scheduling mandatory events on significant Jewish holidays, and that it find a better way of addressing forms of
harassment such as bullying and microagressions. Community reaction Jewish community members had mixed reactions toward the report. When asked in an interview with The Varsity about what parts of the report disappointed her, Julia Gauze, co-president of the Jewish Law Students Association, replied that most of it did. “The report spent a ton of time talking about what it wouldn’t do, almost as much as it did talking about what it would do,” said Gauze. “Who are they trying to appease there?” One of the most controversial portions of the report is the ASWG’s recommendation that the university not adopt any specific definition of antisemitism. This decision was made over the objection of some community members. While explaining its decision, the ASWG noted that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition, which was repeatedly mentioned in consultations, was created to track antisemitism, not to restrict speech. The report also mentions that other diversity task forces have not created or implemented such definitions. The IHRA definition of antisemitism is controversial among Jewish academics. Some see it as necessary, but others view the definition as hindering debates about Israel and Palestine, failing to acknowledge the diversity of Jewish thought, and perpetuating stereotypes about Jewish people. Gauze argued that, by failing to include a definition, the ASWG is “basically shooting themselves in [the foot].” Rabbi Ariella Rosen, the senior director for Hillel UofT, echoed this concern. “The majority of mainstream Jewish community institutions recognize the IHRA definition of antisemitism as being the most comprehensive and appropriate, and Hillel was disappointed to see that the working group did not take up that recommendation,” she wrote in an email to The Varsity. Rosen wrote, “The lack of a definition of antisemitism makes it very easy to explain away or not take seriously reports of antisemitism, which is unfortunately a familiar experience for many Jews.” Another complaint against the report was its use of statements that Gauze described as “vague.” “I would say that the report is imprecise
ELHAM NUMAN/THEVARSITY
and I think a lot of that is fueled by the reports’ absolute hesitancy to identify any specific forms [of antisemitism].” Gauze added that when the report did mention specific examples, they weren’t pertinent, such as its definition of the Rothschild trope — the trope that Jewish people use money to assert control over world affairs. She found that the university’s definition didn’t address the forms of antisemitism that actually take place on campus. “I can tell you that no one on campus has really called me a Rothschild, but they played on some of the same tropes,” she said. Gauze also voiced concerns about the report “closing the door on an issue” and being interpreted as the answer to antisemitism. However, Gauze and Rosen remain hopeful. Despite many misgivings, Gauze believes that the report contains some good points. “They talked about how people can’t be banned from participating in things or holding events based on viewpoints,” she said. “So I thought that that was a very good point.” Rosen also identified some good points made by the ASWG, saying, “The recognition that antisemitism functions as a form of racism is deeply meaningful.” Moreover, she said that the recommendation that student organizations should be able to hold events and access resources regardless of political position is “essential to not further alienating many Jewish students.” She also praised the commitment to making kosher food available on all campuses and wrote that it was a crucial way to make Jewish students “feel welcome and supported.” “Like any form of racism or discrimination, many antisemitic attitudes and assumptions are deeply intrenched in our society, and undoing that learning takes a lot of work,” Rosen wrote. “I am hopeful, even as I know that change takes time.”
Twenty-four U of T faculty members, alumni, supporters appointed to the Order of Canada Professor Sharon Straus receives award for contributions to public health Latisha Lau Varsity Contributor
On December 29, Governor General Mary Simon announced the news that 24 members of the U of T community were named to or promoted within the Order of Canada. A total of 135 members were appointed to the Order or given an Order promotion in Simon’s announcement. The Order of Canada was established in 1967 and is considered to be one of Canada’s highest civilian honours, aiming to recognize people who have made exceptional contributions to shaping Canadian society. Over 24 U of T community members were appointed in 2019, and 39 received the award in 2021. The Varsity broke down the work of a few of this year’s recipients. Public health Professor Sharon Straus, the first woman physician-in-chief at St. Michael’s Hospital, was honoured for her contributions to the fields of
mentorship in epidemiology and knowledge translation — the process of disseminating scientific knowledge to improve the health of Canadians. She is also in the top one per cent of cited clinical researchers recognized by the Web of Science, a subscription-based database service. Straus’ recent work has focused on the impact of COVID-19 on long-term care. Straus is also a long-time advocate for health equity and has co-authored over 500 articles that address a wide variety of issues in health care. From the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Professor Gregory Marchildon was also appointed to the Order for his contributions to and research in health care policy in Canada. From 1994–2000, Marchildon served as a senior public servant in Saskatchewan. In 2001, he became the executive director of the Royal Commission on the Future of Healthcare in Canada. In 2017, he also established and founded the North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Professor Eleanor N. Fish, from the Department
of Immunology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, was appointed for her research on the use of interferon-alpha in treating diseases. Fish, a U of T alumna, is also a senior scientist at the University Health Network’s Toronto General Research Institute. An internationally recognised scholar in the field of occupational therapy, Professor Helene Polatajko of the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine was recognised for her contribution to broadening the understanding of developmental coordination disorders in children. Other faculty and alumni Other faculty members to receive the award include Professor Michael Patrick Collins from the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, who was appointed for his research on reinforced concrete. This research explores novel approaches in designing structures in ways that prevent their collapse. Liona Boyd, a graduate from the Faculty of
The Order of Canada is an award bestowed for contributions across a variety of disciplines. COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
Music, was honored for her contributions to music. She is a classical guitarist, has won five Juno Awards, and has released 28 albums of classical, folk, and world music. A graduate of U of T’s Faculty of Information, Patricia Feheley was appointed for her promotion of Inuit art and culture and her contributions to the art scene in Canada. She is currently the director of Feheley Fine Arts and a board member of the Cultural Human Resources Council and Canadian Eskimo Arts Council. Other alumni members appointed include Sandra Chapnik and Barbara Landau from the legal sector; Pradeep Merchant, Evelyn Forget, and Carol Tator in philanthropy and social justice; and Gerald Freisen and Murray Sinclair for their contributions to the Indigenous community.
Business & Labour
January 24, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/business biz@thevarsity.ca
Tracks From Abroad: Tuning into the diverse U of T community Student radio show explores the world during the pandemic through music Jesse McDougall Varsity Contributor
My most recent guest, Mathis Roy Vigne, told me that his dad is a professional Haitian skier even though the island doesn’t have a flake of snow! And another guest, Kiyan Matisse, took me on a field trip to Little Tehran on Yonge Street where I tried kebab over rice with sumach. Everybody is welcome on Tracks From Abroad, and my goal is to hear music from every part of the world.
How loud can you shout? If you screamed your lungs out in downtown Toronto, a hundred people might hear you. But even when I whisper, I’m heard all across the GTA and beyond, thanks to CIUT 89.5 FM (CIUT), the University of Toronto’s campus radio station since 1987. Tracks From Abroad I started a radio show called Tracks From Abroad in my third year at U of T, and I interview U of T students from all around the globe every week. From my bedroom in Toronto, I get to visit countries like Brazil, Russia, and Nigeria. Working on the show has been one of my most rewarding experiences at university. According to the description of the show on the CIUT website, Tracks From Abroad is “an ongoing series featuring international students from the University of Toronto who share music from their corner of the world while discussing whatever else comes to mind.” So, stay tuned, because today I’m going to tell you about Tracks From Abroad, Canada’s radio history, and about CIUT, which is celebrating 35 years on the FM dial. From sidewalk interviews to a radio show Over the summer, even though I had no prior experience in radio, I threw some microphones in a bag and biked to campus looking for a story. When a candidate for parliament stopped me on the street to ask for my vote, I asked him for an interview, and we made a show called Speaking to Political Underdogs, which pitted the People’s Party of Canada against the Ontario Communists in a battle of wits. It was a gonzo style of radio — my on-the-street interviews were literally recorded on the sidewalk — but it sure was fun. With a few episodes under my belt, I pitched Tracks From Abroad to CIUT and my show was put on the air in October 2021.
Jessie McDougall is the host of CIUT 89.5 FM’s radio show, Tracks From Abroad. COURTESY OF JESSE MCDOUGALL
I soon reached out to bigger acts, and in December, the Afro-fusion artist Shopé called in. His family immigrated from Nigeria to Toronto. He studied human biology at U of T, and it was during a lecture in Convocation Hall when he fully committed himself to pursuing music as a career. After finishing his degree, Shopé went on to win CBC’s Searchlight in 2019, and on Tracks From Abroad, he shared his vision of
becoming a cultural ambassador between Nigeria and Canada. Learning more about the U of T community My favorite parts of Tracks From Abroad are the U of T student interviews. Together, we talk about everything from politics to foreign movie stars, and I’m happy to be able to amplify the voices of U of T’s diverse community.
The significance of radio Radio has played an important role throughout Canadian history. In the early twentieth century, Canada’s rough geography made communication difficult for isolated communities. As broadcast ranges increased, radio played a major role in unifying Canadians across the country. CBC was responsible for relaying World War II correspondences through its Overseas Service program, and once the war ended, they collaborated with the Canadian government to create a multilingual international service that would go on to become Radio-Canada International. Today CBC operates radio stations nationally, even providing programs in native languages to those living in the far North. Many people thought that television would kill radio — however, radio continues to offer opportunities for students seeking work in the media industry. Rogers Media Inc, Bell Media Radio, and CBC have operations in downtown Toronto, and these media giants each have their own programs being broadcasted on radio and online. If you are interested in radio, CIUT can give you the skills to help you pursue a job in media. We’re always looking for volunteers to join, and during the pandemic, my show has helped to keep me creative. In school we often work on projects with instructions, oversight, and grades. But when I got the chance to make something of my own — something where I could learn about the outside world and my fellow students — I could express myself, and the potential seemed endless.
Rotman partners with the Toronto Raptors to create scholarship Fred VanVleet scholarship will be awarded to an incoming domestic first-year student Janhavi Agarwal Associate Business & Labour Editor
Fred VanVleet — the Toronto Raptors’ point guard — has partnered with Rotman Commerce to introduce the Fred VanVleet Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded to a Black or Indigenous incoming domestic first-year Rotman Commerce student on the basis of financial need. “This scholarship is important because it shines light on some of those who may be underserved or underprivileged in certain communities and aspects,” VanVleet said in a YouTube video posted by Rotman Commerce. Empowering Black and Indigenous students In an email to The Varsity, Alexander Edwards — the acting director of Rotman Commerce and an associate professor of accounting — wrote that the Toronto Raptors reached out to Rotman Commerce for this partnership. “[The Raptors] wanted to make an impact in the space that was important to them and Fred VanVleet, and inquired about scholarship opportunities. The conversation progressed from there,” wrote Professor Edwards. “The scholarship creates an opportunity for an incoming student that they will benefit from throughout their degree.” In the YouTube video, VanVleet acknowledges that there is a selection process for the scholarships that academic institutions offer and that sometimes those processes count people out. “We’re just trying to make a concerted effort to
shine light on those who may have not gotten a proper opportunity,” he said. VanVleet has also committed to acting as a mentor to the recipient of the scholarship. “Time goes on, and you realize how important it is just having somebody in your corner who can guide you, give you that reassurance or direction in certain areas that you may need to improve,” he said.
Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet has teamed up with Rotman Commerce to offer a new scholarship. SARAH FOLK/THEVARSITY
Logistics of the scholarship The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of financial need, and preference will be given to students who express interest in the management specialist program. Prospective domestic students who want to be considered must first apply to Rotman Commerce, and the recipient of the scholarship will continue to reap its benefits as long as they stay in the Rotman Commerce program in good academic standing. Applicants who have
leadership experience, are involved in their school and community, and are good team players are strong candidates for the scholarship. The scholarship is valued at $57,800, and includes an annual stipend of $1,000 for textbooks. The amount allocated to the student will increase after the first year to cover the higher tuition fees charged to upper-year Rotman Commerce students. The recipient will also have the opportunity to receive one-on-one mentoring with VanVleet himself. Creating life-changing opportunities Edwards acknowledged the impacts that financial support can make on a student’s future. “Access to education has the ability to change someone’s life. This generous investment provides an opportunity for an incoming Black or Indigenous student to take hold of their future through the power of education and mentorship,” he wrote. He also acknowledged the importance of fostering an inclusive and diverse space at Rotman Commerce. “Providing the opportunity for future Black and Indigenous leaders to learn, grow and become involved in community enriches the Rotman Commerce community by helping to establish an inclusive and representative space,” wrote Edwardsß, expressing his gratitude to both VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors. “I would love for this scholarship to be the catalyst to start a young person’s career — [to provide the] platform that they need to get access to the resources, information and education. Hopefully they go on to do many bright and important things,” said VanVleet.
Comment
January 24, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/comment comment@thevarsity.ca
U of T must proactively promote mental health Mental health should be given as much importance as physical health Shreya Vanwari Comment Columnist
With the falling temperatures and rise in COVID-19 cases, it is a precarious time for the mental health of many students at U of T. And yet our mental health is being neglected. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that is triggered by the change to colder, darker weather. With the temperature dropping to as low as -21 degrees Celsius in Toronto, many students are very likely struggling with SAD. Passing this disorder off as the ‘winter blues’ and neglecting the resulting mental health spirals can be dangerous, because SAD has a tremendous impact on students’ daily lives. As Ontario has once again entered a stage 2 lockdown, we have been deprived of many simple pleasures, such as daily coffee shop chats with friends or the chance to unwind at a bar on the weekends. No indoor dining options, in addition to the frigid gloomy atmosphere outside, has compelled many to stay in. This kind of social isolation comes with a number of consequences. As the Greek philosopher Aristotle famously
said, “man is a social animal.” Social isolation can invoke feelings of loneliness and harm relationships — which can have adverse effects on our mental health. For U of T students especially, January is already a stressful month because of the release of fall semester grades and the workload of a new semester. This, combined with students’ lack of support due to social isolation and seasonal depression, is enough of a reason why mental health should be a priority right now. Hence, mental health needs to be given the same level of importance as physical health. ‘MoveU’ is a tricampus initiative at U of T that encourages physical activity and promotes a healthy lifestyle. One of its initiatives is virtual movement breaks, which are five to 15-minute breaks during lectures that are intended to re-energize us. With many of us watching our lectures in our beds, this is a great strategy to improve the amount of physical activity that students are getting. However, I believe the mental health of students is equally important and, as a result, mental health breaks should also be incorporated into lectures.
The mental health breaks could be in the form of short five-minute videos. U of T could create an initiative in which students and professors can volunteer to collaborate and create these videos. These videos could provide information on how to access mental health resources at U of T and in Ontario, highlight the importance of mental health, and include some mental health tips that students may not already know. In addition to common calls to prioritize sleep, journalling, and allocating some electronics-free time every day, the videos could include tips more relevant to students. For instance, they could promote the use of sunlamps to reduce SAD. The videos could even include unusual useful tips that have been backed by research, like taking cold showers or showering in the dark. We most often hear about hot showers, but cold showers actually improve emotional wellness, and showers in the dark are extremely helpful when you’re feeling overwhelmed. U of T could ask professors to play any one mental health video during each lecture. The videos could also be created in collaboration with the Department of Psychology at U of T,
Residence reimbursements don’t impact all students equally The policy may fail to benefit as many SMC and Vic students the way it should Nina Uzunović Associate Comment Editor
Some U of T residences, including St. Michael’s College and Victoria College, are offering financial rebate packages to students who choose to delay their return to student residences until January 30. The package is in response to the sharp increase in COVID-19 infection cases in Toronto, with the university aiming to reduce the risk of potential outbreaks on campus. For each full week that students
postpone their return to St. Mike’s and Vic — up to January 30 — they will receive a $350 rebate. The reimbursement would be issued sometime in February — when the university currently plans on reopening in person — in order for the student’s on-campus status to be verified and confirmed. There is no doubt that the introduction of the rebate will be at least somewhat effective in its goal, as there will most certainly be students who will take the rebate and avoid returning to campus. Thus, there would be fewer
students on campus, which would, in turn, imply a smaller risk of a campus outbreak. However, the exact degree of the rebate’s efficacy is something that can still be debated. The effectiveness of the rebate strategy largely depends on the demographic of students living in residence. Specifically, if the majority of students live in a time zone similar to Toronto’s, they will be more likely to delay their return, as they can easily take classes online regardless of where they are residing. In addition,
The rebate program has created confusion for some students and benefited others. NATHAN CHAN/THEVARSITY
It is essential for U of T to incorporate mental health into lectures. SHANNA HUNTER/THEVARSITY
which does some of the best research in the country, and which we should definitely be harnessing to students’ benefit. Furthermore, as an institution excelling in psychology research, U of T should recognize how vital mental health is. Another way to emphasize the importance of mental health at U of T would be by introducing the concept of a ‘mental health let off.’ This could be applied to any one specific graded assignment during the semester. For example, the professor could allocate it as an opportunity to take a late extension or skip a weekly quiz with no consequences, depending on the structure of their course. This policy could reduce stress among students and allow them to take a tiny load off without having to explain themselves. Of course, educational videos and
flexibility on assignments are far from comprehensive in solving the problem of student mental health. Nevertheless, it is essential for U of T to incorporate mental health into lectures. This would stimulate conversation around mental health in general and allow students to prioritize their own health. In addition, it would implicitly spread the message that struggling with your mental health is normal. This reassurance would help reduce the stigma around mental health and encourage students to seek help if they need it. Considering the number of stressors and mental health triggers at this time of the year, it becomes even more important that U of T take action.
local students unaffected by Canada’s new travel restrictions need not worry about potentially returning to campus late for the start of in-person classes in February. Hence, these students would also be able to delay their return to campus residence with greater peace of mind than international students who face more uncertainty. On the other hand, students who reside in different time zones may have difficulty taking quizzes, attending classes, and participating in tutorials or labs — each of which would undoubtedly negatively impact their marks. Thus, they may be less likely to delay their return, regardless of the prospect of a rebate. Similarly, international students who fear being stuck in their home countries due to the everchanging COVID-19 restrictions may not want to take the risk of booking a later flight to Toronto only to run into issues. Furthermore, although offering the rebate during the winter break allowed many students to extend their stay at home, announcing it somewhat late into the break acted as a double-edged sword. Some students had already bought their plane tickets to return and thus may have had to forfeit the rebate. It can also be argued that the prospect of a rebate is unfair, as it is not a full reimbursement of each week’s calculated cost. Taking the example of St. Mike’s; for a single room with a seven-day meal plan at Sorbara Hall, students would be paying $16,762 for the full academic year. As the academic year is roughly 33 weeks long, this would come out to an estimated cost of about $507.94 per week. This demonstrates that the rebate — $350 per week — would not cover the true cost of a week in residence. This disparity itself could also
hinder the effectiveness of the policy, as many students and parents would not want to feel as though they are not receiving their money’s worth, invoking the phenomenon known as the ‘sunk cost fallacy.’ This phenomenon details how individuals may continue on their planned path even if it isn’t working out, as they believe they have already invested too heavily in it. In addition, the payment structure fails to be uniform across both federated colleges, further raising the question of equity. If a student at Vic does not return to residence for the entire month of January, they would be receiving a total of $1,150. In contrast, St. Mike’s is capping the total amount that students can receive at $700, regardless of whether they forgo the entire month. To make the policy more effective and fair, St. Mike’s and Vic could have considered refunding the true cost per week to students, rather than a portion of it. Similarly, they could have provided week-by-week reimbursements rather than waiting until February to give students their rebates. From December 22 on, students had to leave residences, and unless they were returning home, would have had to find alternative housing until the university opened up again. By providing weekly reimbursements — if not advancements — these students would have been able to continue getting by until they can safely return to campus. This strategy would have ultimately reinforced the university’s goal of mitigating the risk of COVID-19-related outbreaks.
Shreya Vanwari is a second-year psychology student at Woodsworth College.
Nina Uzunović is a first-year social sciences student at Trinity College. She is an associate comment editor at The Varsity.
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COMMENT
Construction brings noise and mess, yet innovative spaces The current eyesore may benefit UTSG students and staff in the future
Construction has made Front Campus louder and more unattractive than usual. EHSAN ETESAMI/THEVARSITY
Thérèse Perucho Varsity Contributor
The unsightly view of dump trucks and the sounds of aggressive drilling are not what most people associate with UTSG, yet they seem to have become prominent features on campus. Out of the many construction projects at U of T, the most noticeable one can be found on King’s College Circle. The well-known and beloved Front Campus usually boasts incredible views of Convocation Hall and the CN Tower. Unfortunately, construction has made Front Campus and other spots on campus unattractive and louder than usual. Despite the benefits these construction projects promise, many students are still confused about why places — in particular, their favourite graduation photo-op locations — are under construction. However, if you subtract the current inconveniences and noise from U of T’s construction projects, you are left with promising spaces for students to enjoy in the future.
A construction boom For a majority of the COVID-19 pandemic, students have not been on campus. This has allowed construction crews to work freely on campus without having to interfere with students making their way to classes. One of the main projects to commence while students were away was U of T’s Landmark Project. The project has many aims, including making campus more pedestrianfriendly and installing one of the largest geothermal fields in any Canadian city. Other large construction projects at UTSG include the building of the 750,000-square-foot Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre and the Fitzgerald Revitalization project, both found on College Street. Although construction is most visible at UTSG, it has also been taking place at other U of T campuses. Construction is underway to build a new science building at UTM, while an instructional centre and nine-storey residence building are being constructed at UTSC. A focus on accessibility Construction has made it trickier for students to maneuver around and conveniently access parts of UTSG. However, once many of the construction projects are completed, there will be more accessible buildings and features available for students and staff. For example, the Spadina-Sussex residence, which is currently under construction, will have more accessible rooms than any other residence building at UTSG. The Landmark Project will also bring many accessibility-friendly features once completed, such as textured paving around King’s College Circle for people with visual impairments, a new entry ramp to the Medical Science Building, and minimized curbs. It may be difficult to picture these completed projects amid the current mess of construction.
But a completed example of accessibility improvements can be found inside the newly renovated University College. More ramps and other accessibility-friendly features have been incorporated into the building. These help ensure that all students can easily access UC’s new and beautiful amenities such as the renovated library and reading room. Through the example of UC, students can get a glimpse of the amazing accessible spaces that these construction projects will bring to U of T. Benefits for the environment Some of the construction projects on campus will also help reduce the university’s carbon footprint when completed. The most notable component of making U of T more environmentally sustainable is the geo-exchange system being installed as a part of the Landmark Project. The system will be able to store excess heat and use it when the temperature drops. Once the geo-exchange system is installed, U of T is expected to save 15,000 metric tonnes of carbon per year. The Fitzgerald Revitalization project also intends to make the building meet U of T’s Design Standards for Energy Efficiency for New Construction, thereby minimizing energy usage. It should be noted that some of the construction projects on campus have disrupted the environment rather than helping it. For example, the deep digging at Front Campus has disturbed a mini ecosystem. However, the pros outweigh the cons. The geo-exchange system is not only reducing carbon emissions, but is a component of a plan that will hopefully make U of T carbonneutral by 2050. Additionally, a parking garage that will be located under Front Campus will have more than 300 bike parking spaces and 60 electric vehicle parking spaces, thus reducing car congestion around King’s College Circle. In addition, it is hoped that the mini-ecosystem
that once existed at Front Campus will thrive again once the Landmark Project is completed, especially with the reduction of automobile impacts on the environment in that area. Therefore, although the construction projects at UTSG may disrupt the environment temporarily, they will have an overall positive impact once construction is completed, both for the environment and for students and staff. New amenities for current and future students Completed construction will bring revolutionary spaces and amenities for students. The Fitzgerald building will have new spaces for video production on campus, while the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus will provide a plethora of spaces devoted to AI innovations and medicine. Not only will these refurbished spaces be useful for students and staff, but they will also help further enhance the aesthetic appeal of campus. Front Campus will become a flourishing outdoor space for students to walk and rest, and the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus will feature vertical gardens and large, open entrance halls. These construction projects on campus clearly possess the potential to create a better and more accessible university. Yet, it is understandable for students to be frustrated because of the construction, especially when many are confused about what exactly is being built or renovated. All students can do for now is hope for the projects to be completed soon so that they can reap the benefits that are being sown within these new spaces. Thérèse Perucho is a third-year human geography, political science, and practical French student at University College. She serves as the Literary & Creative Arts Commissioner of the University College Literary and Athletic Society.
U of T must decolonize its curricula Insensitivity and bigotry in course readings characterize our education on important topics Giselle Dalili Varsity Contributor
Content warning: This article discusses racism.
BRITTANY GEROW/THEVARSITY
While reading U of T President Meric Gertler’s 2015 statement on diversity and inclusion, which stated that “diversity, inclusion, respect, and civility are among the University of Toronto’s fundamental values,” I was left with one question: where is the diversity, inclusion, respect, and civility that the president claims is so significant to U of T? While living in bomb shelters for weeks on end, starting at seven years old, my mother knew that she could no longer live in her own country. Both of my parents watched as the prospering, modern country they once called home perished along with thousands of its innocent citizens. After enduring decades of political and economic instability, they fought through the struggles of immigration in hopes of ensuring a better life for their children. Once my parents reached the United States, they were met with hate crimes and countless social, economic, educational, and occupational glass ceilings. Twenty years later, their motivation to provide a safe environment for their children to prosper through thick and thin is the reason that I am majoring in political science and sociology. The generational trauma passed down to me and my parents’ perseverance taught me that the voices of people of colour are necessary and untapped gold mines of wisdom that will undoubtedly further social and political justice. Last week, I sat at my desk, excited to continue my POL208 — Introduction to International Relations weekly reading. As the PDF loaded, I
gasped, stunned at the image on my screen. There, on the first page of that nuclear proliferation article, stood a caricature of a calm, sophisticated US President George W. Bush and an angry, grotesque Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. I showed it to my classmates, who were equally stunned. Although the artistic style of caricatures is used to exaggerate features and elicit an emotional response from its audience, arguing that this cartoon has no racist implications is ignorant, to say the least. This cartoon was neither appropriate nor necessary. This was further proven by the fact that when I looked up the article in question online, none of the online sources included this cartoon with the article, meaning that this was a very avertible situation that only occurred due to a lack of awareness and allyship on the part of the professor. This was only one example of the many moments in my postsecondary career when I have felt alienated and villainized. There are also classes that include little, if any, racial, religious, sexual, and gender diversity in terms of the authors of assigned readings, even if the topics discussed in the course are directly related to those communities. It is backward to only use white authors when discussing topics such as racism, new challenges in global politics, and capitalism — topics that could benefit from the perspective of minoritized communities. As stated by Gertler himself, “Outstanding scholarship, teaching, and learning can thrive only in an environment that embraces the broadest range of people and encourages the free expression of their diverse perspectives. Indeed, these values speak to the very mission of the University. They spark education, discovery, and
understanding and so take their place among humanity’s greatest forces for good.” Yet I and thousands of other U of T students are paying for an education that is lacking diversity in course curricula. Thus, not only are many of the current curricula at U of T bigoted, but they also lead students to garner an insufficient education due to ignorance by the university and some professors, despite the university’s boasts of inclusivity and diversity. “Decolonize the curriculum” has become a well-known slogan for a growing movement in regions including the United Kingdom and North America over the last few years, due to a growing understanding of the skewed education in Western societies. This slogan encompasses foundational alterations to education, such as the diversification of content to address social justice and the reimagination of assessments to allow diverse students to exemplify proficiency through diverse methods. As an institution that has been affiliated with racist social media attacks against
Black students, U of T should not be exempt from this. A study by the Angus Reid Institute found that 50 per cent of Canadian students between the ages of 12–17 who responded to the survey witness racial bullying at school. With such evidence of rampant racism at institutions, U of T must take action and resolve the apathy and widespread hate crimes toward racialized students and community members. Although U of T has offices and services to promote inclusivity such as the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office, this change must be top-down and include checks and balances. Without top-down solutions that establish checks and balances, professors — even those from programs solely focused on law, power dynamics, and the functioning of society, like political science and sociology — may be promoting a colonized education. Giselle Dalili is a second-year political science and sociology student at New College.
thevarsity.ca/section/comment
JANUARY 24, 2022
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Anti-abortion imagery on campus is an accessibility issue Paid staff of anti-abortion groups are displaying graphic fetal images on campus Al Draghici Varsity Contributor
Content warning: This article discusses experiences surrounding abortion. Maybe you’ve seen it — groups of people with huge, graphic signs standing on all four corners of an intersection, asking innocuous questions to passersby as though they are holding nothing more than an infographic. In reality, they are holding macabre, bloody pictures of non-viable fetuses as they block the sidewalk, making the images unavoidable as they feign innocence, saying, “How do you feel about abortion?” When I lived in London, Ontario, I decided to join the Viewer Discretion Legislation Coalition (VDLC) after I found a graphic anti-abortion flyer with visible gruesome images on my living room floor. The distributors of these pamphlets had
shoved it through my mail slot, into my house. This graphic, unsolicited pamphlet was pushed into my home and forced upon me. Since the widespread distribution of these pamphlets in London, the VDLC’s mission has been to get Bill 41 — the Viewer Discretion Act (Images of Fetuses) — passed, which would require graphic anti-abortion mail to be in opaque envelopes with a viewer discretion warning. Every time someone spots graphic anti-abortion signs in London, the rest of the VDLC and I go out with our own signs, blocking the images so that no one has to look at them if they don’t want to. For us, viewer consent matters. After moving to Toronto, I hoped to leave the anti-abortion fliers, images, and protests behind me. As a full-time university student, I wanted to focus on my studies. Imagine my horror in discovering that the very same group — the one we have been fighting so hard against in
FIONA TUNG/THEVARSITY
London — regularly parades their signs in the middle of campus. The group responsible is the Canadian Centre for Bio-ethical Reform (CCBR). I have seen paid members of their staff holding these signs up on campus and handing out CCBR-branded fliers to pedestrians that contain still more graphic imagery. The CCBR justifies these graphic images by claiming, “If the images were ineffective, one would expect abortion advocates to be indifferent to them.” In other words, if these images upset some people, it is not an unfortunate side effect — it is their purpose. To them, that is a sign that these images are working, creating the intended effect. When someone lets me know that graphic signs are on campus, I drop what I’m doing and pick up my pro-choice signs, run out, and try my best to block the graphic imagery. Sometimes I get help — some people pick up one of the extra signs I have and help me block it. Friends join me. But we’re all students. There are classes to get to and papers to write. So sometimes I am out there alone in the cold, holding my one prochoice sign, surrounded by five or six CCBR employees and volunteers holding their own graphic signs. But why is it on me to block these signs? I am only one sleep-deprived undergrad. This should not be my job. Where is the university? Graphic pictures are placed on campus for the expressed purpose of upsetting people. For many, it is more than upsetting — it is triggering. Miscarriage affects up to 20 per cent of pregnancies. One in four uterus owners are expected to have an abortion within their childbearing years. The VDLC’s own cofounder, Katie Dean, chose to terminate her pregnancy due to a medical anomaly. This was a wanted baby, a loved baby. Her name was Kylie, and she would have lived a very painful life of only a few minutes had she
been born. Katie’s eyes still well up every time she talks about it, 18 years later. When I first met her, I listened as she fought the lump in her throat, describing how she had forced herself to look up anti-abortion imagery as exposure therapy, so she could cope with seeing it on the streets. Is this what students have to do now, in order to cope with walking to class? These images are regularly on campus. The location and time are variable; there is no way to plan around it. Is the goal for students to be having panic attacks in washroom stalls, reliving and being shamed for the hardest decision they’ve ever had to make, the most traumatic moments of their lives — instead of going to class? This is not a freedom of speech issue. If antiabortion groups want to stand on street corners holding non-graphic signs, they are welcome to do so, as far as I’m concerned. But they aren’t. They are holding gory displays of fetal remains, not only without regard for the harm it causes, but with the explicit purpose of causing that harm. Would this harassment and shaming be allowed if it was around any other issue? Would images of any other medical procedure be allowed to be displayed and distributed on school property, for vulnerable people to see? The university campus is not only currently inaccessible to a significant number of students; it is actively hostile. I am calling on U of T to step up and make campus accessible. It is the right of every student to feel safe and welcome on campus. Al Draghici is a second-year history student at St. Michael’s College. They are a board member and the Toronto organizer for the VDLC. If you are interested in the VDLC and what it does, you can go to www.vdlclondon.ca to learn more and sign the petition in support of Bill 41. If you want to volunteer and help Al block graphic anti-abortion signs, or if you see graphic signs anywhere, direct message them on Instagram @vdlc_ontario.
Diversity in newsrooms is long overdue Misrepresentation in the news
can be attributed to homogeneity in journalism
A high saturation of white reporters in newsrooms could lead to skewed coverage. JOHANNA FORTES/THEVARSITY
Urooba Shaikh Varsity Contributor
In January 2020, the BBC’s coverage of the death of retired NBA player Kobe Bryant included footage of Lebron James. In 2018, the BBC broadcasted the wrong Pakistani cricket player, showing bowler Wasim Akram instead of his former teammate Imran Khan. It seems that one of the most globally known broadcasters made the same error twice — perhaps due to the lack of diversity in its newsroom. In the age of globalization, information travels faster than ever and is just as important to deliver. Journalism has long been imperative for making sure people’s voices are heard equally. But what happens when the people telling the stories only do so from a limited perspective? According to the American Press Institute, “journalism, in its truest form, should be produced for the benefit of all, not only those who wield a particular power, class or authority.” But
it seems that straying away from this “truest form” may be inevitable. In 2021, The Canadian Association of Journalists released its newsroom diversity survey, which collected data from 209 newsrooms across the country. Results showed that 75 per cent of journalists in these newsrooms are white, and 80 per cent of newsrooms have no members of a visible minority or Indigenous persons in a top leadership role. The fact that newsrooms are highly saturated with white reporters means that most content is being viewed through a particular lens, even though it may not be the right one for the story. This reduces both sensitivity and accuracy in reporting — two extremely important factors that must be taken into account. The result is that minoritized and marginalized populations are not able to tell their own stories, leading to cycles of false narratives. A prime example of this is racial profiling. With news outlets constantly portraying racialized minorities, particularly Black people, as living
in poverty and being involved in crime, it’s no wonder these biases have become rooted in institutions like law enforcement. According to Travis L. Dixon, a communications professor at the University of Illinois, “This leaves people with the opinion that Black people are plagued with self-imposed dysfunction that creates family instability and therefore, all their problems.” Not only does this form of reporting create stigma surrounding minoritized and marginalized populations, but it also does not bring to light the issues these communities face and prevents them from getting the resources they need. According to Lonnae O’Neal, a senior writer for The Undefeated, “A typical white, malecentric newsroom means critical stories will continue to go unreported and news analysis will remain unbalanced” — so diversifying newsrooms is critical to the future of journalism as a whole. This diversification can result in coverage that represents the population it seeks to serve and journalism that brings true change by speaking for those whose voices have not been heard. For instance, when NFL player Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem, initial news reports framed it as a politically divisive move, whereas it was actually a call for justice over police violence against Black people. What was supposed to be an outcry for justice and an act of solidarity from an important figure was painted as a surface-level political display, drawing attention away from a serious issue that affects an entire population. Furthermore, it was Steve Wyche, an African
American reporter, who examined the situation from an appropriate lens and was able to determine the context of it. Hence, journalism at its best — with reporters from different backgrounds — can provide a platform for new and more accurate perspectives. However, this does not only mean ‘diversity hiring.’ Systemic approaches need to be taken in order to uproot the structure of white, male-dominated spaces. This includes providing mentorship and creating spaces for aspiring minoritized journalists, from education to full-fledged careers. These initiatives should also provide opportunities for minoritized journalists to move up the ladder. One such initiative is the Black Journalism Fellowship created by U of T’s Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF), which will give Black journalists the opportunity to work for six months on investigative journalism projects with mentorship from senior staff. According to Natalie Turvey, the president and executive director of the CJF, this initiative seeks to “develop emerging investigative talent and make space for a range of voices and experiences from Canada’s diverse communities.” With initiatives like this and commitments from organizations to represent who they serve, journalism as a whole can move toward working for a better world. In order to unearth the layers that cover people’s stories, we need reporters who have the perspectives to uncover them. Urooba Shaikh is a first-year psychological and health sciences student at UTSC.
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THE VARSITY
FEATURES
Tales from
The pandemic’s impacts o Rhea Jerath Associate Features Editor
I knew that walking back home in the middle of a snowy winter night would leave my fingers and toes completely numb. I knew that I’d come back home a shivering mess and would barely have the energy to crawl under my sheets and call it a day. I also knew that, just for a little while, the cold would sink into my bones completely and I would forget how to think. And maybe that’s exactly what I needed. I just didn’t want to think about anything anymore. I didn’t want to think about the months I’d spent trying to justify my sexual identity to my family. I didn’t want to think of how much longer I would have to stay at home, or how much more money I’d need to save to move out. I most definitely didn’t want to think of my upcoming assignments or the fact that I hadn’t done my laundry yet. I feared the overwhelming shame and guilt I felt every time I had these discussions with my family. I just wanted to protect myself. So I guess that’s why I walked through the cold winter. I didn’t take the bus or the car. I simply wanted the cold to freeze my thoughts, to suspend me in the present moment for just a little while, so I could breathe. Alone in the cold The pandemic has been riddled with obstacles for most of us since it began in March 2020. Many people’s lives have been upended by increasing unemployment, unreliable housing,
work interruptions, and worsening isolation. That isolation has swept over us — a wave of loneliness making life unbearable. For members of the LGBTQ+ community, isolation has been a barrier to finding community time and time again, and the pandemic has been no exception. While the pandemic has had widespread detrimental impacts on mental health, according to a research study in the SSRN Electronic Journal, LGBTQ+ individuals have likely faced increased economic difficulties compared to their peers. We are also more vulnerable to the emotional and mental repercussions of isolation. As the 2020 fall semester progressed, the relentless cold of the Canadian winter stretched on. People’s sense of isolation only grew. For Gilliane Arfaoui, a second-year student at the University of Calgary, the cold compounded the loneliness she felt having travelled approximately 7,000 miles away from her family back in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Travelling to Canada brought with it a new set of stresses, including setting up health insurance, opening a bank account, and handling financial responsibilities. Perhaps these new responsibilities would have been easier to manage with in-person classes and a structured routine. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Arfaoui found herself shut in her room attending online lectures. Often, she skipped meals. Eventually, like many other students during the pandemic, she turned to social media as a means of finding support and friendship. “During [the pandemic], I downloaded Twitter. And so it was through that, basically, that I got to
meet more queer people. And then I read through the whole LGBTQ+ stuff, and I was reading the description for bisexual. I was like, ‘Hey, that’s me,’ ” said Arfaoui. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she found a sense of companionship in online friendships that allowed her to explore and understand her sexual identity better. Arfaoui proudly embraced her identity and used social media platforms to foster these new connections. However, she no longer publicly mentions her orientation on social media for fear of backlash from family members back in Dubai. The UAE operates under Sharia law, meaning same-sex relationships are punishable by death. In Arfaoui’s case, openly identifying as bisexual could lead to further conflicts with her family, as well as the possibility of dangerous consequences if she were to return to Dubai. “Now, I have to hide [my sexuality], because my family’s digging in my business, which can affect our relationship — because on my dad’s side, they hold grudges. They can give you the silent treatment for a very long time.” “They’re very proud people. And it’s kind of frustrating in that way, but I also want to connect with people like me, because it’s hard to find other queer people,” said Arfaoui. Many members of the LGBTQ+ community face this dilemma: we seek connections to combat isolation while being forced to remain closeted around family and friends. Our identity quickly becomes the concern of everyone but ourselves, and breaking from that cage often involves having to break ties with close family members. Sometimes, we need to take even more drastic measures.
According to an article in the Journal of Research in Gender Studies, LGBTQ+ spaces and social support services have been increasingly difficult to access due to physical distancing and lockdown measures being in place. Additionally, this lack of social support is often paired with LGBTQ+ people being socially isolated in places that are not accepting of different sexual orientations or gender identities. Going against the order of nature While Canada decriminalized homosexuality in 1969, the constitution only recognized marriage between same-sex couples in 2005. In many countries, members of the LGBTQ+ community still struggle to obtain the same civil rights as other citizens and will often choose to immigrate to countries like Canada in order to establish a legally recognized partnership with their significant others. When it comes to international students from countries with anti-LGBTQ+ laws, studying in Canada can provide an opportunity to finally come out of the closet and feel safe in their identity. The delays associated with the pandemic, and the increasing number of LGBTQ+ students who are finding it difficult to continue their university education due to financial stress, are therefore concerning. For second-year student Rahul Selvakumar, the first year of university involved adapting to a 12-hour time difference between his classes and normal life. Living in Malaysia while being a full-time student at a Canadian university meant that he had to sacrifice his days for long nights of isolated studying, often staying up until 4:00
features@thevarsity.ca
m the closet
on the LGBTQ+ community GEORGIA KELLY/THEVARSITY
am to finish work. This seclusion between him and the rest of his community only further exacerbated his loneliness. He was barely interacting with those around him, including his family and his neighbours. That made university even more difficult for him. Having moved to Malaysia only a year before starting university, Selvakumar was dealing with the stresses of being in a new country, as well as losing his LGBTQ+ support system back in India. According to the Malaysian legislature, samesex relations are “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and are punishable by canings, fines, and up to 20 years’ imprisonment. For Selvakumar, the lack of state support and media representation of LGBTQ+ individuals only further pushed him to remain closeted. “I felt okay with my identity, but suddenly, [I moved] to Malaysia where everything is suddenly so illegal and so heavily stigmatized. It became quite difficult for me, especially as I’m not out to my family. So it felt like there was nowhere in the entire country where I could be myself,” added Selvakumar. Having to remain closeted while at home with unaccepting family members can be detrimental to students’ mental health. According to a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, LGBTQ+ youth who report a lack of family and peer support experience greater psychological distress than youth who at least have support from peers. The isolation perpetuated by the pandemic only further exacerbates the general isolation experienced by LGBTQ+ youth in everyday life. Many individuals may be left living in fear as they struggle to come to terms with
their identity while weighing the vast disapproval and judgement that accompanies simply identifying with a label. It’s hard to feel whole The identity conflict that many LGBTQ+ folks experience is often politically weaponized to segregate and divide people even further. History provides evidence of this segregation: during the AIDS epidemic, members of the LGBTQ+ community were demonized. During the 1992 US presidential election, heated debates ensued surrounding the passing of Amendment 2 within the state of Colorado, which prevented the enforcement of any anti-discriminatory laws protecting the LGBTQ+ community. The central basis of the campaign for this amendment was “no discrimination and no special rights,” which characterized anti-discriminatory laws as special advantages for LGBTQ+ communities instead of basic steps toward equality. While laws surrounding LGBTQ+ rights have greatly improved, discussions surrounding gender identity and transgender rights remain rife with polarized debates. That polarization has intimate effects on individual people. When the pandemic hit, Sakshi, another second-year U of T student whose real name is not revealed for fear of retribution, was forced to study from home. She found herself struggling to align her gender expression with her biological sex and the expectations that came with it, but her home culture does not embrace differences in gender expression. As a result, she lacked the support system she needed to feel secure in her identity, and was forced to conform to the
pressures of traditional femininity associated with her culture. “I was feeling way more masculine, and I couldn’t express it. And there was a lot of pressure for me to be more feminine than I feel because of my culture and just how feminine all women are expected to be in my culture. So being back home and living with my parents, it really made me feel like I was being somebody else and I wasn’t being myself,” said Sakshi. During this time, the gap that existed between her identity at home and her true self only widened, leaving her questioning her own queerness and sense of belonging within the LGBTQ+ community. Since her family was unaccepting and her friends chose not to believe her when she came out, she no longer felt that she could trust the people closest to her. “I was just really frustrated with, you know, not feeling enough — not feeling whole,” added Sakshi. On a broader scale, it isn’t difficult to find public figures with large followings scrutinizing and invalidating the experiences and gender identities of individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. Transgender and non-binary individuals reportedly face increased rates of harrassment and violence, according to a study by TransPulse Canada. Be a friend There is still a lot of work that needs to be done within Canada in order to address the discrimination that LGBTQ+ individuals face, because instututionalized discrimination is still present within Canada. For example, Bill 2,
proposed in Québec by Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, would allow only transgender individuals who have undergone gender-affirming surgery to legally alter the gender on their birth certificates. The LGBTQ+ community within Canada provides a support system that people desperately need. The culture of open acceptance in the community gives many LGBTQ+ youth an opportunity to envision a future where their identity and expression are not up for debate. Many of those youth lost this support during the pandemic, and currently, there are still individuals who simply do not live in environments where they can access support. With that in mind, coming together and validating the experiences and struggles of other individuals is crucial for healing. People need to feel safe in expressing their identities and being their authentic selves. When Pride month rolled around this past summer, I didn’t feel pride in my identity. The shame I felt seemed out of place among the LGBTQ+ community’s rainbow flags. Having come out to my family last year, I didn’t have the energy to defend my identity any longer and simply wanted to forget that part of myself. But not being able to fully come out of the closet and having to ignore a critical part of my identity left me feeling like an empty shell. So, if you know someone within the LGBTQ+ community currently struggling to find support, be an ally, be a friend, and just hear their story. Doing so could mean isolation no longer has the power to silence the stories of LGBTQ+ students, especially during the pandemic.
Arts & Culture
January 24, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/arts-and-culture arts@thevarsity.ca
Stitching my stress away by learning to knit From breaking bad habits to easing anxiety, my yarn and I are inseparable Sarah Folk Business & Labour Editor
For the longest time, I dreaded the question ‘What are your hobbies?’ I never felt like I had a good answer. Usually, I would awkwardly mumble that I liked to read and write, knowing very well that the last time I read for fun was in high school. During the first lockdown in March 2020, I set out to change my ways by learning how to knit. The person who first taught me how to knit was my grandmother, whom I call Baba. A Croatian immigrant who came to Canada at the age of 17, she is a master in home economics. She’s a brilliant cook, baker, sewer, and knitter, and almost everyone in my family has some of her creations in their closet. She has created more socks than I can count and has knit me multiple hats and scarves for the long Canadian winters. My first knitting needles are from her. Knit, purl, repeat The learning curve with knitting was steep. At first, I couldn’t figure out how to hold the needles correctly. The yarn would slip off and get tangled, my hands would get sweaty, and I found myself getting frustrated as I tried repeatedly. Even with Baba holding my hands and executing the movements for me, I still found myself confused. One day, it just clicked. Now slightly more confident in my ability to create stitches, I turned to YouTube to learn more interesting patterns and techniques. To say that I became a little bit obsessed would be an understatement. After creating my
first headband, I immediately went to Walmart to purchase more skeins of yarn, several of which I still have not finished today. My yarn and needle stash began to grow, and I started leaving half finished projects all around my house, much to my family’s dismay. I practiced on Zoom calls, during lectures, while revising notes, and when watching television. My yarn and I were inseparable and unstoppable. The benefits of a creative outlet A big part of why I wanted to learn how to knit was to break my habit of biting my nails. I’ve had this habit since I was a small child, and I do it without even realizing. My nail-biting antics get particularly bad when I am anxious, which, during the school year, is quite often. I was tired of walking around with bleeding thumbs and brittle nails. Knitting gave me something to do with my fingers when I felt the urge to bite my nails. It was an opportunity to channel those feelings of anxiety and worry into something that was rewarding and far more productive. Knitting is often seen as a domestic activity for elderly women. But as I have done research to figure out new techniques and find new patterns, it has become abundantly clear to me that knitting is for everyone, regardless of age and gender. For me, knitting is an art form and a type of self-expression. Growing up as someone who constantly felt like they were not artistic, creating clothing items that me and my loved ones could wear and enjoy created a feeling of satisfaction I have never felt before. Not only is knitting a way for me to break nail-
The legacy of architect Eberherd Zeidler Remembering the figure known for Ontario Place, the Eaton Centre Jarvis Clarke Varsity Contributor
“The city isn’t just an artistic element but… it is full of life,” Eberhard Zeidler expressed in a 1998 interview with the Canadian Urban Institute. The architect — who also designed Canadian landmarks such as Vancouver’s Canada Place and Toronto’s Eaton Centre — was sharing his thoughts about Ontario Place, a tourist attraction on Toronto’s waterfront which he helped create. The architect died on January 7, 2022, after a nearly 70-year-long career. When describing his design process, Zeidler said, “You have to understand [it] before you can work within it.” His approach of trying to fully understand his subject is also one that this article will follow in his honour. As beneficiaries of his work, we carry on Zeidler’s values and create spaces for diverse groups of people to live and work together in peace. We can wander Ontario Place, the 90acre tourist attraction found on Toronto’s Lake Ontario shoreline. We can explore the Union Pearson Express Station, which seamlessly links downtown Toronto and Pearson International Airport. We can pass by Ryerson University’s Student Learning Centre, a vibrant hub filled with student activity throughout the day. As U of T students, we hold a special responsibility to honour Zeidler’s legacy. In the 1960s, Zeidler was appointed as a visiting lecturer at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design before becoming an adjunct professor from 1983 to 1995. Zeidler later helped fund
and establish the Eberhard Zeidler Library in the Daniels Building. In 1999, he also invested in the Eberhard Zeidler Scholarship, which is awarded to a student finishing their first year of U of T’s Master of Architecture program. However, Zeidler’s contributions extend further than just our university. In 1951, he joined the architectural firm William and Craig, which would later be renamed to Zeidler Architecture Inc. Under Zeidler’s direction, the firm grew immensely — today, it has offices located in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Beijing, and Berlin. The firm has been awarded over 200 national and international design awards, including eight Governor General’s Medals for Architecture and five Landmark Awards from the Ontario Association of Architects. In the era of COVID-19, Zeidler’s efforts have come to life through his progressive, patientcentred approach to hospital design. An example of this work is Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, the largest
Knitting was an opportunity to channel my feelings into a productive hobby. COURTESY OF EEF INK/CC FLICKR
biting habits, ease anxiety, and express myself, it is also a sustainable way to create clothing. Well made knitted garments that are washed correctly can last for years. I see it as a great way to design fashionable clothing that does not contribute to the fast fashion industry. The monetization of hobbies We live in the age of side hustles. All over social media, you can find accounts and posts that encourage you to monetize your hobbies, or to find an activity you can do on the side to earn extra cash. I have thought about creating a knitting blog and selling my work, or creating and selling patterns. I enjoy posting about my creations on social media, but I do not foresee myself turning knitting into a full-fledged business. I believe that when a hobby becomes your source of income, there is an element of it that starts to feel like a chore and centre dedicated to improving children’s health in Canada. “In healthcare, [Zeidler] transformed the notion of the machine hospital into a healing environment,” Zeidler Architecture wrote about the project. “He took labyrinth corridors and transformed them into an open system with natural light, green spaces, and settings for communal gathering.” Another prominent monument of Zeidler’s is the glass roof of Toronto’s Eaton Centre, which will soon be rebuilt with modern materials and technologies to improve energy efficiency. The $60 million renovation, announced days after Zeidler’s passing, will largely incorporate input from Zeidler Architecture so that his legacy will live under the new look. It’s evident that Zeidler’s career has made a lasting
an obligation, rather than something you can do to relax. To anyone who has monetized a hobby or side hustle, more power to you, but I feel the urge to grind and work hard in every aspect of my life already. Knitting is my safe space to relax and let my creative side flow, and I feel like that needs to be protected. By looking at my past projects, I have learned a lot about the craft and improved my technique. I have even taken apart some of my older projects, and I am working on turning them into something new and improved. I have some goals for myself in 2022, such as learning the continental style of knitting and how to write my own knitting patterns. To anyone who has a hobby that they have always wanted to try or started years ago and abandoned, I encourage you to give it another go. Be patient with yourself and find fulfillment in the learning process. Who knows, you might just discover your passion along the way. impact on Canadian soil through each of his innovative projects. The architect has demonstrated a resounding service to the public while lending a tasteful sense of high-tech optimism that is still relevant today.
Ontario Place is one of the famous Canadian structures that Zeidler designed.
COURTESY OF MAKSIM SOKOLOV/CC WIKIMEDIA PRINT
thevarsity.ca/section/arts-and-culture Madeline Szabo Arts & Culture Correspondent
SITY VAR
The ties between history and music After the end of The Great Depression and World War II, Western society experienced great change. Along with newfound freedoms — of speech, expression, want, and fear — being outlined in the US by then-President Roosevelt, people shared an abundance of creativity and a desire to forget the war-torn past. Similarly, music shifted to disregard previously established norms: the complex chords, chorus of instruments, and improvisation that dominated jazz, the genre popular before the war. In other words, people said goodbye to the dulcet tones of Vera Lynn and the Andrews Sisters. As the world emerged from this darkness, so did rock and roll. Though it’s never been clear who invented the genre, it was inspired by Black culture and music. In fact, the term itself was popularized by DJ Alan Freed; its original meaning came from Black communities, and was used as slang for having sex. However, the genre took off when it gained exposure to a white audience, who liked it very much. As Bill Wyman writes for Vulture, “Consumers… [were] in the grip of an inchoate desire for something new.” After the rock era came the 1960s’ ‘Motown decade,’ which ran alongside the Civil Rights movement — a political movement and campaign to abolish institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in US. The great increase in the representation of Black artists is important to note — the word ‘motown’ itself refers to music released on or reminiscent of the Detroit record label, officially named Tamla Records, which was the first Black-owned record company in the US. The artists that helped shape this era would also impact the genre that was to come: disco. In the 1970s, vibrant tunes and dance music contrasted serious social movements such as
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I have a theory: the popularity of music is influenced by the prominent historical events during the time period of its conception. By following this pattern, I can predict what genres will be popular next — and so can you.
The catharsis, community, and emotional validation of the literary genre
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Gabriela Martins Varsity Contributor
Step into the racy, geeky world of fanfiction
A SIC JES
No other pastime makes me happier than reading the greatest literary works of our time. My favourite is a violent erotica about the actor David Tennant travelling through space. Considering this example of my refined taste, it’s no surprise that I’ve spent most of my teenage years unable to answer questions about which book I was currently reading. To be frank, I was reading fanfiction. The literary genre is defined just as it seems: its writers expand upon worlds and characters to explore issues — such as characters’ identity, gender, or sexuality — that were not present in an original work. I love this niche because it expands upon small details of a canonical fictional universe. Maybe it’s a romance that the original writers didn’t choose to include in their book series or a plotline too controversial for even Netflix to green light. Unfortunately, my fantasies of beloved characters are often misjudged as an unproductive occupation for horny teenagers. In reality, fanfiction consists of a community of talented writers kind enough to bring my favourite characters to life — it’s a happy coincidence that much of the time, they’re at least a little horny. Whether you’re a nervous onlooker, a passionate writer, or a teenager with a knack for Wattpad, fanfiction is a creative adventure for everyone. Archive of Our Own (AO3) is a noncommercial and nonprofit hosting site for fanfiction. The website also gives users the opportunity to leave feedback or questions for writers. Users have an unspoken rule to comment on the text when finishing a work or a chapter to show their support to its author. Under one of AO3 writer jetpacks’ stories, a comment by user mariafearofdrowning reads, “SO GOOD I AM IN TEARS.” When I spoke to jetpacks, the writer of the Succession fanfiction “nothing i
JANUARY 24, 2022
do is gonna save you,” they told me that “positive feedback has solidified [their] self-esteem,” and that it inspired them to pursue creative writing as a major in postsecondary education. Likewise, user terling2021 told me that the writing on Wattpad showed them that they “no longer need to pursue traditional publishing to validate [themselves].” Without the pressure to appeal to a market, writers can feel safe sharing
their work and gain more confidence as they improve their writing skills. Another sense of solace that readers can obtain from fanfiction is a sense of control over their desires and fears. “Hurt/comfort” is a subgenre of fanfiction that focuses on the interaction between characters where one of them is hurt and another provides them comfort. It can be soothing when a character is struggling with similar worries to
New year, same beats To find out what song will be popular next, pay attention to history feminism, which made significant advancements over the course of the decade. One such advancement was the verdict of the Roe v. Wade case, which legalized first-trimester abortion and reversed many American states’ restrictions on
abortions. Acts like the Bee Gees; ABBA; and Earth, Wind and Fire — my personal favourite — created music that encouraged the public to dance away their troubles. With the introduction of the 1980s came the
Popular songs on streaming services can be traced back to historical events. RIDA KHAN/THEVARSITY
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yours. This sentiment is often shared by the writers themselves; jetpacks wrote that fanfiction is a “catharsis of various negative emotions.” Personally, I find it comforting to witness these negative emotions being played out without having to make a $29.30 Indigo purchase. Unfortunately, popular content in mainstream media often leaves out a key demographic: the LGBTQ+ community. This oversight, however, further shapes fanfiction as an opportunity for marginalized voices to reach an audience. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the lesbian couple Willow and Tara don’t kiss until the fifth season — in the episode “The Body,” in case you’re wondering, so you don’t have to torture yourself searching for it. While their kiss was an iconic moment in early 2000s television, it lasted mere seconds. Constrastingly, AO3 offers over 1,400 stories about the great romantic moments that Willow and Tara deserved to experience sooner than season five. Sadly, it’s not just members of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom who feel like they’re missing out. I asked AO3 writer Imaolini — author of the fanfiction “Red White and Royal Blue- but it’s Henry’s POV,” which is based on the novel Red, White & Royal Blue — about the importance of their work. They responded that, as a sapphic writer, they “[wanted] to write more queer stories, for kids, teenagers, adults, just everyone. We all deserve it.” They’re right; fanfiction gives all demographics the stories that they deserve to read, accessed through a simple Google search. Through that Google search, you can be offered catharsis, a newfound community, and an outlet that validates your interpretation of a work. Just remember: fanfiction is not the equivalent of pulling bed sheets over your head and inviting delusion — it’s entering a literary universe in which every gender, sexuality, and self-expression is represented. reappearance of rock and roll; presumably, this time in response to the New Right conservative movement and the worst US recession since the Great Depression. Either way, the decade produced unforgettable acts such as Queen, AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses and The Rolling Stones. During the 1990s, the music world shifted to all things digital. For consumers, cassettes became CDs and MP3 files. However, it wasn’t just consumers who were affected; digital power gave producers and musicians more opportunities to experiment during their production, with tools such as Antares Auto-Tune. Though designed to correct pitch imperfections, the device soon became known for its vocal manipulation — for example, listen to Cher’s “Believe.” Where are we now? Although the shift in popular music is just starting, I believe that the gloom of the pandemic will continue to emerge into lyrical, sadly beautiful songs from artists such as Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzie McAlpine. The primary example of this phenomenon is the popularity of artist Olivia Rodrigo, whose song “drivers license” became the global most-streamed song of 2021. “drivers license” is a song about a heartbroken teenager watching their ex-partner form a relationship with someone else. It was released on January 7, 2021 — during the height of the pandemic’s third wave and two weeks after Ontario re-entered lockdown. It’s safe to say many fans empathized with Rodrigo’s feelings of despair during the period following the song’s release. Likewise, Rodrigo’s SOUR — the album that was streamed the most globally in 2021 — consisted of heartbreak ballads, lyrics about the angst of being a teenager, and songs about mental health. In many ways, the project is reminiscent of the popular rock music that followed World War II. Our attention spans are shortening due to living during a pandemic; because of this, I predict any popular musical genre will only reign dominant for a few years. Needless to say, I sympathize with any new artists trying to find their place in our culture — and I hope they enjoy their 15 minutes of fame.
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arts@thevarsity.ca
ARTS & CULTURE
Subjectivity in creativity: How should we grade UTSC creative writing courses? Students and professors discuss effective rubrics, non-graded alternatives
Professors and students debate whether or not creative writing classes should be graded. CAROLINE BELLAMY/THEVARSITY
Alexa DiFrancesco and Joseph Donato Arts & Culture Editor and Varsity Contributor
In 2013, the Department of English at UTSC launched a minor in creative writing. The program — the first creative writing program at U of T — enrolled 67 students in the 2017–2018 academic year. However, the department was met with outstanding interest for creative writing courses, all of which require students to be admitted by creative portfolio. ENGB61 —Fiction I, a prerequisite for the majority of other UTSC creative writing courses, was receiving an approximate 70 portfolios each year — more than three times the capacity of the course. In response to this growing momentum, Associate Professors Daniel Tydsal and Andrew Westoll spearheaded the design for a creative writing major on campus. The major, which was launched in 2020, was created with the focus of “fostering students’ creative and critical expression; their confidence and autonomy… their ability to help foster the development of a diverse group of individuals; and their leadership.” The New Undergraduate Program Proposal for the major outlined a “workshop-based model” for all courses in the program to ensure “[the] development of student confidence and autonomy as practitioners and as reviewers.” In the outline, the major’s methods of assessment included writing assignments, critiques, and peer feedback — which have all faced controversy among students and professors alike because of the discourse on whether or not creative work should be formally evaluated. The controversy surrounding grades Cassäundra Sloan, a UTSC alum and the founder and director of production company Girl North Studios, firmly disagrees that any form of artistic expression should be graded within university settings. “I’ve written essays that have been granted As and essays that have received low, low Cs,” Sloan wrote to The Varsity. “Not because my knowledge on the subject was any lesser, but because my writing style was deemed
appropriate by one professor and inappropriate by another.” Rather than evaluating feedback given to her in a creative writing course, Sloan explained that her reaction to receiving a bad grade was to “shrug and laugh.” “I work in the industry already and I know I’m doing good work,” Sloan explained. “I just hope bad grades do not deter others from pursuing writing as a career.” However, some creative writing students use the grades assigned to them to assess how much their work has improved during the semester. “[I’m] ok with a percentage grade because it’s a [very] precise post-mark for where my progress is, which is helpful for me,” fourth-year creative writing major Catherina Tseng shared with The Varsity. “In an ideal world, I’d prefer to give no grades, ever,” Assistant Professor SJ Sindu wrote to The Varsity. “But we’ve built our entire schooling system around them, so I don’t know how open administrations would be to a gradeless classroom.” “A [pass or fail] model could work well,” Sindu explained. “But then everyone would also have to make peace with the fact that a student who writes publishable material, [reads] everything that’s assigned and participates in discussion… would get the same grade as a student who writes their story in one go… hands it in half-finished with a ton of mistakes… and only sometimes does the reading. And is that fair?” Ryan Fitzpatrick, instructor of the course Creative Writing Poetry II, wrote to The Varsity that the key to successful creative writing instruction — graded or ungraded — is an emphasis on feedback. “Despite that looming grade, don’t writers really want that narrative feedback and critical edits so that they can reflect on how to work better, [whatever] that means to [them]?” Fitzpatrick asked. “My hunch is that anyone who is writing purely for a grade likely won’t continue to write after they leave the university.”
A model rubric? Though students’ opinions about whether or not creative writing classes should be graded are inconclusive, most agree that a crucial factor of student success is a course’s rubric, which is oftentimes designed by its instructor. “Maybe the [creative writing] faculty can get together and discuss a joint grading scale so there’s more cohesion within the major?” suggested Tseng. “[That] way students won’t [have to] gauge and structure their work around a particular [professor’s] values and priorities [within] each class they take, but rather the goal of the program as a whole.” “A fair grade should depend on a quality rubric. A student should be able to get a mark, look at the rubric, and immediately understand which area they need to improve,” wrote creative writing student Ried Eastwood. When asked what factors are necessary for an effective grading system, Eastwood replied, “I think Sindu has a great rubric.” Sindu sent a rubric for one of her story assignments to The Varsity. Its criteria were divided into six categories; including polish, style and voice, characters, pacing, beginning and ending, and publishability. The rubric offered 16 points in total, and outlined two to three levels of quality work per category. “My grading scheme usually results in a slew of higher grades than usual U of T classes,” Sindu wrote. “The highest grade earners are almost always the best writers and the hard-working writers. I’ve also seen grades motivate students to do better and work harder on revisions.” A non-graded alternative Though U of T is one of many Canadian universities that evaluate students using a grading system, there have been some institutions in the country that have run programs that didn’t offer grades to students. “Back in my [undergraduate] days, I did a whole university degree that was [pass or fail] in the education program at the University of Calgary,” Fitzpatrick wrote to The Varsity. “A lot of my peers were demotivated by the lack of
grade-based stress, [but] I found myself freed by the lack of specific expectation.” In lieu of being assigned a grade, Fitzpatrick was given “extensive and thoughtful narrative feedback that [he] would then have to reflect on as [he] developed [his] teaching practice.” Like Fitzpatrick, Sindu agrees that graded teaching can increase student stress. “U of T [is] dedicated to an idea of rigor that doesn’t mesh with creative classes,” she wrote to The Varsity. “I also taught at an art school with the same ideas of rigor. Art was graded on quality, often mercilessly. Students were nervous and on edge at times about having their creative work graded. They worked hard, often too hard, and sometimes broke down from the pressure.” However, Sindu is cognizant that shifting the creative writing grading model could lead students to bring less effort into the classroom. “My friend taught creative writing at a university that had no grades at all,” Sindu explained. “In a class of 20 students, maybe 5 would show up on any one day… students often didn’t do the reading. About half the students [didn’t even turn] in their assignments, ever. There were no repercussions.” A key factor, Sindu rationalizes, is the student’s motivation for learning. “In many creative writing graduate classes… almost everyone gets an A unless they seriously screw up, which is almost the same as not having grades at all, ” Sindu wrote. “I’ve never been in a graduate class where any students phoned in their work or didn’t do the reading or turned in a half-finished story for [a] workshop. Students who get into graduate school tend to be extremely dedicated and so [a no-grades system] actually works.” “I don’t know how to adapt that model for undergraduate students,” she admitted. Though students and professors agree that it’s worth experimenting with the way grades are assigned in creative writing classes, the conversation might be more effective on a larger scale, such as at the department or university level. Perhaps, as Fitzpatrick suggests, we must look even wider to address this question of grading in creative writing classes — “[beginning] at the very idea of how we value student work itself.”
Science
Janaury 24, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/science science@thevarsity.ca
Can we evolve on our own terms? The viability and ethics of transhumanism Whitney Buluma Varsity Contributor
Content warning: This article discusses ableism. What if we could cure or eliminate all diseases? What if we could live forever? For transhumanists, these philosophical questions are simply matters of engineering and scientific innovation. Put simply, transhumanism is a belief that human beings will evolve beyond species-typical levels of physical performance, cognitive ability, and sensory perception. According to transhumanists, we have the potential to evolve so radically that we can become ‘posthuman,’ altering ourselves so successfully using technology and pharmacology that we would no longer be recognizably human. Transhumanism is a philosophy, and its adherents carry out a variety of practices to achieve their goal, including cryonics, lifestyle changes, cybernetic augmentation, neurofeedback, gene editing, and even cognitive enhancements with smart drugs. Real research and development into transhumanism exists. The Alcor Life Extension Foundation produces leading research in cryonics. The Carboncopies Foundation accelerates neuroscience research in the hope of cracking Whole Brain Emulation — simulating the human brain and its functions — in order to reverse-engineer our biological brains to create artificial brains. The SENS Research Foundation is working on developing anti-aging therapies and educating people about them. Elon Musk’s Neuralink aims to create a way for human brains to interface with computers. However, as fantastical and promising their pursuits may seem, transhumanist practices and innovations could lead to negative consequences to people with disabilities, going as far as suggesting that disabilities are flaws that need to be eliminated. This attitude is reminiscent of eugenics and suggests that the problem lies with people who have disabilities instead of the systemic inequities and inaccessibility that they have to deal with. What is transhumanism? Although it’s largely still a fringe belief, the internet has increased the dissemination of transhumanist thought. The World Transhumanist Association — now called Humanity+ — was established in 1998. Part of its stated mission is to enable humans to be “better than well”: that is, to be pinnacles of health. Humans have strived to perfect ourselves for as long as we have existed. After Darwin introduced the theory of evolution, we began to imagine evolving beyond our current state. People adopt transhumanist beliefs for many different reasons; therefore, transhumanism is difficult to define because it often means something different for everyone. Some people join the movement because they are sick and desperately want a cure. Some want to live forever. Others are frustrated
by the limitations of the human body and want to use technology to ‘fix’ humanity so that we can exert more control over ourselves. For some people, called biohackers, experimenting on themselves and encouraging public participation in scientific exploration is fulfilling. It’s not all fun though. Due to the cost of getting involved, most transhumanist practices are currently a largely individual pursuit, even though transhumanism was initially conceived as a way of uplifting the human species as a whole. Science fiction or future science? Transhumanism relies on the radical enhancement of human faculties, with the primary aim of extending human life. In the cognitive domain, people’s expectations that cognitive enhancement drugs would work have exceeded the effects such drugs actually have. Moreover, there is little scientific evidence that smart drugs are effective or safe for long-term use by healthy people. An alternate approach, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), involves stimulating the brain by passing magnetic pulses through it. TMS is used as a treatment for depression and has been proven to have cognitive benefits, including improvements in working memory, motor tasks, and some linguistic tasks. However, its long-term effects on cognition are unknown, and side effects include a minimal risk of seizures. Meanwhile, in 2015, Chinese scientist He Jiankui edited the genes of three babies using CRISPR to make them resistant to HIV. CRISPR is a gene editing tool that can alter human DNA with a relatively high level of precision. Evaluating whether Jiankui succeeded — and whether his actions could cause mutations that affect the babies’ biological functioning — will be challenging. The long-term effects of embryonic gene-editing in humans are unknown, and it could turn out to be highly beneficial or harmful. Some proposed transhumanist innovations, however, seem to be clearly harmful. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against the use of fecal transplants, which involve transferring fecal matter from the gut of a healthy person to that of an unhealthy person, to help replenish their gut bacteria after a recurrent infection. FDA guidelines state that individuals should consult a health professional before undergoing a fecal transplant. The FDA has also condemned the idea of transfusing a young person’s plasma into an older person’s body to prevent aging. Although a rejuvenating effect was found when scientists stitched younger and older mice together so they shared the same circulatory system, there is no evidence that plasma transfusions are a legitimate anti-aging strategy for humans. Side effects of plasma transfusions include allergic reactions and circulatory overload.
Ethical consequences of transhumanism There are plenty of ethical conundrums raised by transhumanism. Depending on the availability and cost of enhancement procedures across the world, a posthuman society could be even more unequal than our current one. Currently, many transhumanists are white men based in Western countries, and some of the procedures they undergo are prohibitively expensive. For instance, Silicon Valley millionaire Serge Faguet spent 250,000 USD on biohacking, including hearing implants he doesn’t need, frequent biomarker tests, oestrogen blockers to boost his testosterone, and frequent consultations with Ivy League health professionals. Although the community is large and varied, to some extent being able to pursue transhumanism — to move beyond mere survival to self-driven evolution — reflects a level of privilege many can only dream of. Even if large-scale augmentation was widely available at a lower cost, there is no guarantee that most people would submit to transhumanist procedures. Some of the procedures are highly invasive, and there are well-documented security risks associated when medical data is collected by electronic devices like implants. Furthermore, in a world with rising distrust in science and governments, society could perhaps be stratified into humans and posthumans, with both sides adamant that they made the right decision. Many science fiction novels have explored the perils of similar scenarios. A slippery slope toward eugenics A variety of devices and therapies that make the world easier to navigate for people with disabilities already exist. Some are implanted in the body, like cochlear implants, which improve hearing for those who are hard of hearing or are deaf, and have several settings for different environments. Some, like exoskeletons, are wearable devices that assist in limb movement, either for physical rehabilitation or restoring mobility. French medical device company Wandercraft recently unveiled its latest Atalante exoskeleton, which allows people with paraplegia to walk with a “more natural gait.” The exoskeleton is self-balancing and remotecontrolled, but due to safety regulations, it must be suspended from the ceiling during use. It can be argued that transhumanism is simply arguing for a more extensive use of such assistive devices. However, the rhetoric of transhumanists is implicitly an ableist one. It assumes that people with disabilities are in need of ‘fixing,’ and that their lives would be improved by giving them the same abilities as abled people. Take the example of Zoltan Istvan, the leader of the Transhumanist Party in the US, who caused an uproar in 2015 when he wrote an article
that many considered horrifically ableist. In sum, he argued that the government does not need to spend money on making places more accessible; this money should instead go into scientific research to ‘enhance’ people with disabilities. Transhumanism also advocates for genetic or embryonic screening, so that parents can choose whether to have children with disabilities. This view is informed by a reductive focus on competition between individuals — survival of the fittest — as the fundamental organizing principle of society. This focus, based on how some people interpreted ‘fitness,’ was the argument that was used to justify the emergence of eugenics in the nineteenth century. However, it has been argued that a crucial component of survival is social cooperation and support, which such rhetorics ignore. Because transhumanism focuses on ‘correcting’ human flaws, the movement evokes comparisons to eugenics — the pseudoscientific and racist movement to ‘improve’ humans through selective breeding and other physical enhancements. Some transhumanists claim that everyone has a disability, because human beings are flawed and unsuited to our environment. Others claim that no one would ever rationally choose disability, since it hampers a person’s ability to live a good life. This argument has been frequently disputed by disability activists: it is clearly possible to both have a disability and live a good life. Some people who have disabilities do experience a lower standard of living, but that is due to systemic inequities that reduce their access to things abled people take for granted. Instead of physical or mental conditions, it is societal attitudes and the resulting barriers that are disabling, because they make the world less accessible for people with certain characteristics. The medicalization of disability turns a structural problem — the problem of an inaccessible society — into an individual one. Therefore, it is more prudent to remove barriers to accessibility than to try to eliminate disability itself. For instance, one of the guiding principles for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is “respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity.” The ethical considerations of widespread human enhancement, particularly regarding disability and unequal access, are complex. For now, transhumanism is largely not viable. However, if the scientific evidence changes, we will need to have difficult conversations to move the philosophy beyond the realm of science fiction to something that will legitimately transform human existence for the better.
ARTHUR HAMDANI/THEVARSITY
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SCIENCE
It’s not a hybrid of a zebra and a fish; instead, Danio rerio, commonly known as the zebrafish, is a small freshwater fish found in tropical climates. The zebrafish is characterized by its slim body and bright stripes, and is well known for its unique biological properties — properties that have made it a favoured organism for modelling research in genetics, embryological development, and medicine. ‘Model organisms’ like zebrafish are particularly significant for scientists and researchers to learn and discover mechanisms of biological processes. The history of zebrafish as model organisms In the 1960s, zebrafish began to be used as model organisms in various biological studies. Their small size, low-maintenance care requirements, short prenatal period, and other unique features make them ideal candidates for research. Zebrafish eggs develop outside the mother’s body. Given that the embryos are transparent, it’s possible to easily observe early embryological developments in zebrafish and the sequential growth of their internal structures. Zebrafish are highly similar to mammals in terms of their important anatomical and physiological features. Classified as vertebrates, they also share a remarkable number of similarities with humans specifically — they have the same major tissue systems and organs as we do, and share many common features with humans’ muscles, blood, kidneys, and eyes, in particular. These commonalities are also present at the genetic level: zebrafish and humans share around 70 per cent of their genes. Eighty-four per cent of genes linked to human diseases are shown to have a close correspondence to their zebrafish counterparts. Research performed with zebrafish as a model organism, therefore, holds great potential to unlock new pathways for medicine and resolutions to human diseases, allowing us to better understand the molecular mechanisms behind how and why we get sick. The genetics of zebrafish Advancements in genetic engineering technology and new zebrafish facilities at many institutions around the world have allowed zebrafish to become a widely used model in genetic studies. Zebrafish are the favoured organism for this area of research due to their easily accessible genes, the low cost of providing for them, and the less numerous ethical restrictions on zebrafish research compared to mammalian organisms. In the past few decades, zebrafish have been used both in forward and reverse genetic screens, with highly impactful results. ‘Forward genetics’ involves examining the genetic cause of a mutation, which helps scientists identify a number of different variations of the same gene. In the 1990s, a group of scientists attempted to identify many genes essential to organ system development by conducting a massive screening of zebrafish. This was the first time that scientists conducted this type of screening on a vertebrate species, and it resulted in a lot more information about the genetic causes of different diseases. The screening identified 1,500 mutations in 400 different genes responsible for developmental defects through observation, which was made possible by the fact that zebrafish embryos are nearly transparent and grow very quickly. ‘Reverse genetics’ involves altering a particular gene of interest and observing the consequences. Although rodents are the usual go-to model organism for reverse genetics studies, they require scientists to inject target genes into unfertilized egg cells, which can be difficult. It is much easier, therefore, to conduct reverse genetics analyses in embryonic and larval zebrafish. Early zebrafish embryos can be injected with genetic materials so scientists can observe whether there is a temporary change in how the target gene is expressed, or if there’s an absence of genetic response. This method allows researchers to study early zebrafish development in a manner that permits close scrutiny of how genes affect an organism at a place and time in the development process that researchers choose. This disease modelling is how scientists search for effective therapies for certain genetic conditions. Researchers usually have an easier time
Biology’s next top model The developmental and empirical potential of zebrafish in drug testing Angel Hsieh and Andrea Zhao Associate Science Editor and Illustration Editor
conducting these forward and reverse genetic analyses on zebrafish larvae than on some other animals, which gives zebrafish a clear advantage. The genetic research we have been able to conduct using zebrafish has allowed us to model and gain insight into some of the most prevalent and dangerous illnesses of our time, such as cancer. The regenerative abilities of zebrafish In order to learn more about how zebrafish are used as model organisms, The Varsity interviewed Ian Scott, a professor of molecular genetics at U of T and senior scientist at the SickKids Foundation. Scott has been conducting research using zebrafish as model organisms for years. Scott talked about the incredible regenerative abilities of the species, explaining that zebrafish are able to repair or regrow many parts of their body if injured, including severed spinal cords and damaged hearts. While the driving mechanisms behind these regenerative processes are not yet fully understood, we know that they involve cells entering a different state where they are able to undergo the necessary transformations. Scott believes that in the distant future, it may be possible to activate these same kinds of regenerative processes in people who have experienced severe injuries. Professor Ashley Bruce from U of T’s Department of Cell and Systems Biology, who is also an expert in embryonic development, wrote to The Varsity in an email that this line of research has long-term potential for health care. Bruce added that, in situations such as the aftermath of a heart attack, it could be used to develop “approaches in humans to stimulate heart regeneration.” How zebrafish aid in drug discovery Ultimately, the objective of disease modelling is to improve existing diagnostic methods and therapies by developing new drugs to treat different conditions. To this end, zebrafish also serve as an ideal model for testing libraries of chemical molecules in search of new drugs designated to treat genetic diseases. In the context of pharmacology, it’s necessary to observe physiological changes in live organisms — instead of stem cells — to accurately evaluate how much of the administered chemicals are able to take effect, and whether they have any potential adverse effects. Intact animal models are particularly important in neuroscience drug discovery. Due to the complexity in the functioning of the nervous system, even undifferentiated stem cells obtained from patients are not as well-suited for drug discovery as fully intact organisms like zebrafish. Most zebrafish organs have similar physiological functions to corresponding human organs. There are even some characteristics where zebrafish
ma The ke m CO the any si UR m TE an mil SY i ar OF dea itie OR l or s o EG ga f z ON nis ebr ST m f afis AT o hw EU rd NI isea ith VE m physiology resembles RS se m am ITY o m humans more than rodent /C del als C FL ling models — namely, the electrical IC . K
properties of cardiac cells. According to a Nature article, Zebrafish larvae are known to have “[a] functional liver, kidneys and blood-brain barriers,” which enable insight into how zebrafish respond, early in their development, to chemicals administered by scientists. Promising chemical compounds tested on zebrafish are also directly transferable to other mammalian model organisms without extensive pharmacological modifications. Although, when tested on zebrafish, some chemical compounds may not display all of the pharmacological properties we need to observe, the dose-response relationships obtained from observing zebrafish still serve as valuable references that point out a direction to future drug development. Foreseeable challenges and opportunities for zebrafish Despite promising prospects for drug discovery and disease modelling using zebrafish, there are many challenges in the field for scientists to overcome. Researchers are yet to determine the details of how different ‘behavioural phenotypes’ correspond to potential therapeutics. In order to standardize behavioural responses to chemical compounds in humans, it’s necessary to thoroughly screen the behaviours induced by novel chemical compounds. This massive undertaking requires not only scientific expertise, but also a substantial increase in financial investment.
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Rapid advances in genome engineering and genome editing technology will most likely make it easier to reconstruct numerous human genetic mutations in zebrafish models. At the moment, chemical screenings have demonstrated the usefulness of zebrafish in identifying compounds that can counteract diseasecausing genetic mutations. Regardless of all the challenges that genetic research may face in the future, there is no doubt that the zebrafish is one of the emerging biological supermodels of our time.
thevarsity.ca/section/science
JANUARY 24, 2022
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The first ever pig-to-human heart transplant This genetically modified pig heart has made medical history Pamela Alamilla Varsity Contributor
On January 7, a team of surgeons from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) transplanted a genetically modified pig heart into 57-year-old David Bennett, a man with terminal heart disease and arrhythmia. Bennett was terminally ill and had been hospitalized for over six weeks, relying on a heart-lung bypass machine to keep him alive. The groundbreaking surgery was Bennett’s only chance at extending his life, as multiple transplantation centres in the United States had deemed him ineligible for a human heart transplant due to a history of ignoring doctors’
attempts to manage his high blood pressure and other comorbidities. With transplantable organs in such short supply and over 100,000 people on the national transplant waiting list, these institutions only give organs to people who they believe will care for them. Medical professionals at UMSOM filed a petition to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to transplant a genetically modified pig heart into their patient, on the grounds that this experimental procedure was the only option to extend his life. They received emergency authorization on December 31, and began preparations to perform the surgery in a week from then. Animal-human fusion Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of animal cells, tissues, and organs into human recipients, and it may help solve the organ shortage crisis. Pig heart valves have been used to replace human heart valves for many years, but, if we measure success by whether the patient survived and their body did not immediately reject the organ, there have been no other successful animal-to-human organ transplants to date. In 1984, a baboon heart was transplanted into a newborn human with fatal heart defects. The baby died within a month because her body mounted a strong immune response against the foreign heart and, since then, xenotransplants have been largely abandoned. The heart used for Bennett’s revolutionary transplant, however, was no ordinary pig heart. The heart was developed by the biotechnology company Revivicor, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corporation. The company disabled the effect of three genes in the donor pig so that its cells could not produce certain
membrane-bound sugars that human antibodies would recognize as foreign, and which could therefore trigger an immune reaction. They also inserted six human genes into the pig genome to reduce inflammation, protect blood vessels, maintain regular blood coagulation, and suppress antibody responses in Bennett’s body. Lastly, they deleted a gene in the pig genome that governs growth hormones so that the heart would not grow in size, once transplanted into its human host. On the day of the surgery, the surgical team excised the heart from the pig, placed it into a perfusion machine, and bathed it in a solution containing dissolved cocaine and other chemicals. Previous studies have found that cocaine helps to maintain heart function in the time between excision and transplantation, although the underlying reason for this is unknown. The transplantation was performed by Dr. Bartley P. Griffith, a distinguished surgeon and the director of the Cardiac Transplant Program at the University of Maryland Medical Centre. Bennett has been recovering well, according to a statement published three days after the surgery. His body’s response to the heart will provide scientists with invaluable data about what still needs to be done before xenotransplantation can become a standard option for patients. Looking forward What could this surgery mean for the future of animal-to-human organ transplantation? Well, it might mean that more government-approved xenotransplants will be performed on terminally ill patients. While the one-time authorization applied only to Bennett’s case, it is likely that surgeons at UMSOM or other medical centres
GEORGIA KELLY/THEVARSITY
will apply for similar authorization in the future. Nonetheless, there is still much research to conduct before xenotransplantation becomes more widely used. The xenoheart used in this surgery is still in the preclinical development stage, and Revivicor is also developing a xenokidney, xenolobe, and xenolung. Other biotechnology companies are also working on producing animal organs suitable for human transplantation, although none have currently reached human trials. These kinds of organs are often first tailored for use in baboons or other test animals. Moreover, these genetically modified organs are very expensive to produce. While the successful transplant at UMSOM has saved a man’s life, and is bound to result in a lot of new information for scientists, xenotransplantation still has a long way to go before reaching clinical and public acceptance.
Sports
January 24, 2022 thevarsity.ca/section/sports sports@thevarsity.ca
Fighting racism with hockey tape The #TapeOutHate campaign and what it means for the future of hockey Julia Da Silva Lead Copy Editor
Content warning: This article contains discussions of racism in hockey. It’s clear that there is undeniably a problem within hockey. New stories of racism within leagues — including racist remarks made between players on the ice and left under team social media posts — are constantly emerging. The Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) strives to eradicate these forms of racism in hockey by promoting greater access to the sport and encouraging diversity within the game. Although the HDA is not officially affiliated with the NHL, its founders consist of both current and former NHL players, including the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds, along with fellow players Nazem Kadri, Matt Dumba, Anthony Duclair, Akim Aliu, and Chris Stewart, are vocal advocates for the HDA, whose approach emphasizes the need for accountability within the league in matters of racial injustice. A tape to change the game On January 8, the HDA partnered up with Budweiser to create an ad for #TapeOutHate hockey tape, which highlights the lack of inclusivity in hockey and the racism that takes place both on and off the ice. This ad, which is just over two minutes long, features a few NHL players sharing their experiences
with racism from various points in their career. The experiences that players talk about in this ad include vulgar messages sent to them by fans, inappropriate and racist conduct by fans during games, and racial slurs used by coaching staff. The full ad was posted on Twitter by the HDA and was reposted by a few of its founders — however, only a shortened and non-explicit version aired during Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. As a step toward preventing other racialized hockey players from having similar experiences, the HDA and Budweiser released a printed hockey tape where proceeds from each purchase directly support the HDA. The tape is sold in a pack of five on Shop Beer Gear’s website and retails for $29.99, with one dollar from each roll donated to the HDA to fund their anti-racism education programs and scholarships, as well as equipment and coaching programs. In addition to its monetary support of the HDA, the tape serves to bring awareness to the objectives and concerns of the HDA. Each roll of tape has the words “Racism has no place in hockey #TapeOutHate” printed on it, serving as a reminder of the active exclusion and discrimation that is present in the hockey world. On the day of the tape’s official release, members of the Toronto Maple Leafs publicly showed their support for the HDA and Simmonds, their fourth-line winger, as they sported the tape for their game against the Colorado Avalanche.
KALLIOPE ANVAR MCCALL/THEVARSITY
The future of the NHL Airing the ad on Hockey Night in Canada and supporting the HDA by purchasing hockey tape are two steps in the right direction to bring awareness to racism in hockey, but they are not enough to make substantial change. As the NHL holds the ultimate power to make meaningful structural changes and implement anti-racism policies within the league, its participation is crucial for eradicating racism in the sport as a whole. The NHL has refused to work with the HDA in the past, although it appears, from the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone initiative, that they should share a focus around inclusivity. The difference between the two, then, becomes a matter of accountability and productive action. Where the HDA emphasizes the need for both, the
Born to lead: A conversation with former Varsity Blues Quarterback Clay Sequeira Sequeira discusses his varsity football career, life after football
Mekhi Quarshie Associate Sports Editor
Clay Sequeira has always been a bold guy. He’s shown it when he’s on the pitch shouting out plays to his offense, or even in his senior year of high school, singing over the beat of Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home (feat. Majid Jordan)” to ask his crush to prom. Sequeira was just as straightforward in an interview with The Varsity about his eventful career, and how he’s currently feeling about it.
“I will always have that hunger for football,” a retired yet enthused Sequeira said — and that’s very believable, as his hunger was blatantly evident throughout his career. He first became a starter in 2017, and while it took him a few years to get comfortable, it was very noticeable when he did. In the 2019 season, the Blues went 2–6 for the first time since 2016. That record doesn’t even do Sequeira’s performances justice, considering he led U SPORTS in total passing yards, yards per game, pass attempts, and touchdowns. He simultaneously got called up to the Toronto Argonauts training program and represented U of T at the Ontario University Athletics East West Bowl that same year. Right when you think it couldn’t get better, last season, Sequeira led the Blues to their first playoff game since 1995. When asked which of the two marked the highlight of Sequeira’s entire career, he chose the 2021 season. This was surprising at first, considering his personal stats weren’t as recordbreaking as in the year prior, but Sequeira said, “When I look back at my career, the individual accolades are something I am never going to forget… but the first thing I’m going to think about is that home playoff game.” Sequeira has this sense of selflessness to him, the idea that he always puts his team’s success over his own. This demeanour is hard to achieve, especially, as he noted, since so many university athletes develop an inflated ego.
Reflecting on his career as a student athlete, his passion was evident not only on the field but in the classroom as well. Sequeira graduated from the Rotman School of Management with a Bachelor of Commerce in Management in April 2021. Rotman is known to be one of the most rigorous and intense business schools in Canada. It’s daunting to even think about how Sequeira had to balance his two roles, one leading the football team and the other putting up with school. A regular mid-season day for Sequeira would consist of waking up and attending classes until 4:00 pm, hitting the film room for two hours, practising with the team, getting home at 9:00 pm, eating dinner while rewatching his most recent practice session, and finally starting his homework at 10:30 pm. He followed this routine continuously for many months for five and a half years. He made a point to acknowledge that the people he surrounded himself with were a major factor in his success. Since moving on from U of T, Sequeira has begun working at Cidel, a local financial institution. It’s quite a different scene from his football career, but he said that he’s happy to have an opportunity to work somewhere. When asked whether he still longs to go pro, he excitedly said that he would pounce on any interest from a professional league, but, at the same time, it was never “NFL/CFL or bust” for him. Sequeira is the perfect blend of talent and humility. He knew to put his all into what he did and live with the result. He knew that he couldn’t control his future, only the day-to-day. What’s next for the
NHL’s statement on inclusivity fails to identify the preexisting factors supporting racism within the game that they continue to uphold. This concern was addressed in a 2020 press release by the HDA, where they called the NHL’s attempts at promoting diversity a display of “performative public relations efforts that seemed [to be] aimed at quickly moving past important conversations about race needed in the game.” No hockey player should have to worry about receiving threats on the ice and being verbally abused by coaches because of their skin colour. Until the NHL takes meaningful action to back up their written claims of equality and diversity, hockey will continue to be a sport that excludes minority groups and exposes them to unsafe environments. Hockey should be a game for everyone, but there is still a long way to go until it actually becomes one. former quarterback? Getting closer to finding a true sense of purpose. Sequeira told The Varsity that he really misses football: “It’s like a first love you can never really get over.” Although he is at peace with where he is in life, he wants to continue to make sure that the sport is a part of him — whether it’s through coaching quarterbacks, playing fantasy football, or watching the NFL. He’s a Cowboys fan, so send him your condolences. However, he does have the Chiefs down as his prediction for who will win it all —maybe that will cheer him up. One thing is for sure, the legacy that Sequeira left behind with the Blues will be just as hard to erase as his love of football. When life handed him a third and long, he always tried to make the best play. While he’s currently done running toward an end zone with a football in his hand, his goal is to keep on moving forward in life, even though he would never brag about it.
Clay Sequeira has a story to tell.
COURTESY OF MARTIN BAZYL/THEVARSITY
thevarsity.ca/section/sports
JANUARY 24, 2022
Mental Moment: Self-care Everyday self-care routines for your regimen
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Lilly Turmel Varsity Contributor
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We are taught that working long hours every day with no breaks or vacation is a bragging right. It feels like we must be productive every day. This mindset is incredibly damaging, not only to our bodies but to our mental health as well. It is important that we learn to value ourselves outside of this mentality. Self-care has been known to reduce levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, and overall be incredibly beneficial to your mental and physical health. However, the word ‘self-care’ is very general and can be overwhelming. Here are some
daily self-care routines that are easy to implement into your daily life. Long showers after long hours Sometimes taking a few extra minutes to relax in the shower can make your day so much better. Instead of hopping in for a speedy shower, take one that is a little longer and play some of your favourite music. If you want to do even more, try using a nice soap or putting on a hair or face mask before you shower. Hygiene is often something that people fail to manage while struggling with mental health. Turning showering into something that is less of a chore may be able to help you manage that. Stretches for the soul Sometimes you don’t have the time for a full workout, or you’re like me and find the gym really intimidating. One way you can get some activity in without putting in too much effort is by doing a quick 10-minute stretch every day.
A kind act a day keeps the blues away Stress and sadness are inevitable, but performing random acts of kindness can help
As kids, we’re all taught to be nice to our peers, to share and care for one another; but did you know that the practice of kindness has also been shown to benefit mental and physical wellness? Studies in support of the causal relationship between altruism and improved well-being have been so persuasive that many researchers have coined the term “helper’s high” for the great feeling you feel after doing something nice. Your body on kindness When you act kindly, your mood gets better. This is due to your body’s increased serotonin, dopamine, and endorphin production. Serotonin and dopamine are two neurotransmitters that cause satisfaction and provoke your brain’s pleasurereward system, and endorphins are peptides that reduce the amount of pain you feel, heightening feelings of positivity. Kindness also decreases stress because it lowers levels of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. Being altruistic has consistently been found to improve compassion, self-esteem, and empathy while simultaneously decreasing stress levels, symptoms of depression, and blood pressure.
Abdulmunem Tartir Varsity Contributor
In the weeks leading up to final exams in the last semester, I found it increasingly difficult to find the time to fit in activities I enjoyed. I’ve looked back and did some introspection to figure out why. Here’s what I did wrong — and what you can do right. Start early; it pays off By starting early and getting a head start on information throughout the semester, you’re making life far easier for the future you. As opposed to dumping all the information on yourself at the end and drowning in work, making no possible time for leisure — make a plan. While you might not stick to it entirely, having a plan does help. There will be days where you want to sit in bed and do nothing — trust me, we’ve all been there — but by making a plan, even if you accomplish just one of the many tasks you need to do, doing something will feel far better than doing nothing. And if doing nothing makes you happy, make sure that you plan to take a day off. As opposed to finding occasional time for leisure, carve the time out for leisure. Evidence shows that working longer hours is harmful. Therefore, it truly is important to work smarter, not harder.
MILENA-PAPPALARDO/THEVARSITY
Giselle Dalili Varsity Contributor
This is because altruism promotes connections to other people and prosocial behaviour, which builds a sense of self-confidence. Self-competence promotes motivation, a necessary pillar to academic and vocational success. According to David R. Hamilton, a former
pharmaceutical researcher who now writes books about the science of kindness, acts of kindness facilitate a sense of warmth through the release of oxytocin, a hormone affiliated with trust, empathy, and love. Oxytocin leads to the release of nitric oxide, a chemical that dilates blood vessels. Due
The art of mastering your time Finding a work-life balance isn’t onesize-fits-all
By getting a head start on the semester, you’re making life far easier for the future you. COURTESY OF DAVID R TRIBBLE/CC WIKIMEDIA PRINT
Working smart But keep it simple — it’s easy to fall into the habit of overscheduling yourself. By setting realistic goals and achieving them, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment and be able to make time for doing the things you enjoy. On the contrary, by overscheduling yourself, you’re inherently setting yourself up for failure. As a society, we’ve been indoctrinated to believe that more is better, but
that’s not necessarily the case. There are many different ways to study, too. It’s not a one-size-fits-all model: you have to find your groove. Some of us are visual learners, for example. Similarly, the silence of a library works for some, while others need a bustling coffee shop or the comfort of their room. Sometimes studying for each class will work differently. Find what works for you.
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I usually like to do this right before bed or when I wake up. It’s a way to get your body moving while being in the comfort of your own room. Put your feet up, turn on the TV, and relax! This one may sound a little obvious, but it helps! It does not just have to be watching TV, but you can make it sort of an event. Have a movie night alone, or with some friends; make some popcorn, get your comfiest blankets, and relax. It’s okay to take the time and allow yourself to relax. Doing an activity like this allows me to look at it as a planned part of my day to look forward to, instead of just being lazy. The point of all of these things is to make everyday activities a little more fun and exciting. Every day, we shower and watch TV, and by making these activities more fun, we allow ourselves to feel less like robots and more like we’re living our lives. We tend to lose ourselves in our productive value, and by doing small relaxing things that do not make us look at ourselves as lazy, we take the first step into doing good self-care. to the increased width of the blood vessels, blood pressure decreases. All of these benefits have been illustrated to increase the longevity and quality of life. Easy ways to spread kindness Longitudinal studies have discovered that performing acts of kindness toward strangers is far more effective in improving your own wellness than performing acts of kindness toward friends and family. This is due to the prosocial reward that comes from connecting with strangers. Some examples of these simple acts of kindness are slowing down so someone can merge in front of you in traffic, giving someone your seat on a crowded train, and complimenting a stranger. There are countless ways to put love into the world, so take the time to notice them in your daily routine. But first, remember to always be kind to yourself. There is a balance that must be met between giving to others and giving to yourself, which can only be uncovered through practice and introspection. Some ways to be kind to yourself include verbalizing how proud you are of at least one part of yourself, learning to forgive yourself and others, and rewarding yourself for your hard work. Research supports how performing acts of kindness beginning at a younger age provides the most payoff. This is because the mannerisms established at these ages build up the long-term behaviours humans carry into adulthood. Kindness is contagious, so join the community of kindness and see improved wellness today! Stop and smell the roses There are multiple study methods that incentivize breaks, such as the Pomodoro technique. But just as studying techniques are different for everyone, as are the breaks that come with them. For some of us, a long break is far more beneficial, be it for a one-hour gym session, baking a cake, or even just laughing with some friends. And for some, taking breaks for five to 10 minutes between 30-minute study sessions may yield better results. Taking breaks can help improve memory, serve as an energy booster, and reduce stress, among other benefits. But it’s important to know what breaks work for you. In the digital age, it’s easy to be sucked into your phone, and that so-called five-minute phone break often turns into spending 15 minutes scrolling through Instagram. To prevent this, set a timer for your break to keep yourself on track. The most important part of taking breaks is to feel rejuvenated once you’re done with them. It’s easy to forget to reach out, but remember you’re not alone: call a friend, or go for a walk. Sometimes sitting inside for too long can feel suffocating. Given the high stakes for some people — be it aspirations for medical school, law school, or graduate school — many people have this incessant need to be better and to constantly compare themselves with others. Sometimes it’s essential to take a step back and not go at 100 miles per hour all the time. Most importantly, remember you’re more than your GPA — so take care of yourself.
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THE VARSITY
JANUARY 24, 2022
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