Issue 15, January 23 2022 (Volume 143)

THE VARSITY

East Asian media goes beyond the screen

T HE VAR SI T Y

T HE VAR SI T Y

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Jadine Ngan editor@thevarsity.ca

Editor-in-Chief

Makena Mwenda creative@thevarsity.ca Creative Director

Nawa Tahir managingexternal@thevarsity.ca

Managing Editor, External

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Managing Editor, Internal

Angad Deol online@thevarsity.ca

Managing Online Editor

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Shernise Mohammed-Ali comment@thevarsity.ca

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Business & Labour Editor

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Features Editor

Marta Anielska arts@thevarsity.ca Arts & Culture Editor

Sahir Dhalla science@thevarsity.ca Science Editor

Mekhi Quarshie sports@thevarsity.ca Sports Editor

Caroline Bellamy design@thevarsity.ca Design Editor

Andrea Zhao design@thevarsity.ca Design Editor

Vurjeet Madan photos@thevarsity.ca Photo Editor

Jessica Lam illustration@thevarsity.ca Illustration Editor

Maya Morriswala video@thevarsity.ca Video Editor

Aaron Hong aaronh@thevarsity.ca Front End Web Developer

Andrew

andrewh@thevarsity.ca

Safiya Patel deputysce@thevarsity.ca

Lexey

Jessie Schwalb assistantnews@thevarsity.ca

Winter is lonely. It’s silver and aloof. Strangled in the absence of the sun’s boisterous glory, it knows not how to serve the citizens.

The buzz that perfused my ears even before I stepped foot into Canada was the threat of its ruthless winters. I come from the rampant, scorching heat blisters of India — a total stranger to any sign, nay, shred of a vitalising cold.

It’s frightening to imagine your life amid academic chaos, especially in a land that will envelop you in bewildering blizzards and catastrophes, gently decorated with snow like misleading confetti under gray skies. It was obviously, I realize, another exaggerated tale of horror, for I’ve grown to befriend the cold.

It’s not all comfortable, and previously narrated stories definitely ebbed my fear of succumbing to the cold. If the stories hold truth, I would be shivering alone while life around me resumed for all. Do my observations narrate a strange story too? Seeing the winter around?

Winter is lonely

Snow would often lie crumbled across the charcoal runaways as I commuted to class, and my boots would dodge diluted, leaking effervescence, muddled with the stains from four wheelers.

The voyage itself was so achingly aloof too. I’ve been used to my sneakers gracing the burning camel sand, with the occasional patches of grass, and the blistering roads on other days. Never have they felt the experience of these pathways being condensed into something more comfortable, something that does not swallow and digest the leather you don the moment it hits the ground.

Waking up recovering from my sickness in mid November, I was mesmerized. Aghast. From the slightly visible gap in my curtains, a piercing silver stroke tore my eyes open. And oh, how I simply stood there. Was it obliterating? I was numb.

Robert Bridges’ London Snow only taunted me with its romanticization of these delicate pearls. Toronto, oh Toronto. You showed me why we could romanticize the loneliness we fear in December. The foggy, disdainful nights

that elapsed in my residence finally translated into a moment of sheer glory, one I could spend millennia adoring and admiring.

Winter still reminded me of the tremors and trouble it perfused. The snow was a temporary remedy, leading us astray from the misery of shivers, laziness, and a prominent loneliness. All my walks to campus saw men shivering outside neighbouring the bike lanes. Solitary, while the cappuccino in my hands comforted the flustered awakenings within. Such a terrible envy for me to have caused. Gazing with sheer resentment, they eyed the comforting cup in my hands, sighing as they were distant from it. They were yearning.

Winter was manipulative; it might still be. It forced me into glee one moment and simmered down to strangle me with a vague loneliness. While it still may beat and bruise me with blizzards, I’ve learnt of the secret pathway to remedy — it hides behind the snow. In the few moments in which I’m not futile, this winter might just see a tale of unheard love and warm embraces.

BUSINESS OFFICE

I looked forward to the snow’s company, yet winter’s loneliness prevailed

Devarya Singhania Varsity Contributor

Solemn decor. DEVARYA SINGHANIA/THEVARSITY

Tainted tower. DEVARYA SINGHANIA/THEVARSITY

Fluttering haze. DEVARYA SINGHANIA/THEVARSITY

Desolate commute. DEVARYA SINGHANIA/THEVARSITY

Lawsuit alleges Toronto Police tasered, racially profiled Black U of T student

Hasani O’Gilvie and family sue Toronto police officers and Services Board for $2.7 million

Jessie Schwalb Assistant News Editor

On June 13, 2022, a lawyer representing U of T student Hasani O’Gilvie and his mother, Christine O’Gilvie, filed a case against three Toronto police officers and the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB). Hasani and his family are suing the Toronto police officers for racial profiling under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The O’Gilvies allege that, despite Hasani identifying himself to confirm he was not the person that the officers were looking for, the officers pinned him down, pressed a knee into his neck, and repeatedly tasered him. The suit claims that the officers racially profiled Hasani, who is Black, and demands that the officers and the TPSB as a whole pay $2.7 million related to 10 different claims, to compensate the O’Gilvies for physical, emotional, and economic damages.

According to the statement of claim, a legal document laying out the O’Gilvies’ case, Hasani was at a plaza in North York on August 12, 2021, with the intention of taking a bus to the St. George campus. He noticed a Toronto police services car tailing him. After the officer, Sergeant Rachel Saliba, got out of the car and began to question him, O’Gilvie told the sergeant his name. However, Saliba indicated that she didn’t believe him and drew her taser.

The statement of claim further alleges that, a few seconds later, Constable Jilliane Baquiran arrived, and the two officers tried to arrest Hasani and bring him to the ground. Although Hasani kept his hands up and told the officers he hadn’t done anything, “the takedown became more violent.” A third officer, Constable Seth Rietkoetter, arrived and immediately tackled Hasani, pressing his knee and leg into Hasani’s neck. In a 2020 statement, former Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders stated that TPS members do not use or train in using kneeto-neck restraints.

Police tribunal documents reveal that Rietkoetter tasered Hasani five times as he lay on the ground, while the other officers applied restraints. After they had restrained Hasani, the officers “unlawfully searched” Hasani’s bag and found his ID, which verified that the officers had detained the wrong person. They released Hasani, and he fled. Hasani is a 27-year-old student who works at

his family’s restaurant. In a press conference, his mother described him as an “introvert” and highlighted his love for nature and artistic endeavours.

Hasani is not the first to sue Toronto police officers for racial profiling under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In 2017, a court ruled in favour of Mutaz Elmardy, a Black man who sued the TPSB and a Toronto Police Services officer for racial profiling. The justices awarded Elmardy $80,000, which is believed to be the highest amount in civil damages ever awarded in an Ontario racial profiling case at the time.

The O’Gilvies’ suit implicates the TPSB, stating that the board is “vicariously liable” for the officer’s actions. The O’Gilvies believe that the TPSB failed to adequately train the officers, knew or ought to have known that the officers suffered from “psychological and/or psychiatric problems rendering them unfit to carry out their duties,” and did not take immediate action to investigate the officers’ actions.

Ongoing impacts

According to the statement of claim, Hasani experiences chronic pain, weakness, and a reduced range of motion as a result of the attack. These physical effects interfere with his daily activities and will continue to compromise his abilities “for the remainder of his life.”

In a news conference, Christine O’Gilvie, who

is also a public school teacher in the Toronto area, stressed the emotional damage sustained by her son. “He still hasn’t recovered,” she said. The statement of claim states that the officers inflicted “severe emotional, psychological and/or mental trauma,” causing anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, and flashbacks. Hasani has recently returned to online learning after being forced to stop school for a year and a half. He continues to require medical treatment.

The statement of claim seeks compensation for these ongoing costs, as well as additional compensation for violations of Hasani’s rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. According to the statement, the officers racially profiled Hasani and didn’t tell Hasani why they had tried to arrest him.

All three officers remain employed by the TPSB.

Responses from the TPSB and the community

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the TPSB indicated that they could not comment on the case because the allegations remain unproven in court. The Toronto Police Association (TPA) told reporters that it will ensure that the officers charged in the case receive fair treatment, and claimed that “[its] members are subject to more levels of oversight than any other profession.” The TPA is a non-profit organization that

advocates for Toronto police officers in a number of capacities, including in negotiations with the TPSB.

Currently, the officers are under investigation by the TPSB Disciplinary Tribunal, which passes judgment on “allegations of serious breaches of the Code of Conduct.” According to CBC News, tribunal documents identified the three officers’ conduct as “unreasonable” and “unlawful” and stated that pressing a knee into Hasani’s neck was “excessive and unnecessary.”

On January 16, Hasani’s parents and lawyer hosted a press conference discussing the case. “I am trying to ensure that the experiences endured by my son spares one other young man of colour from being treated as such,” said Christine O’Gilvie. “All of this would have been worthwhile if I can prevent one mother from feeling that absolute sense of horror, loss, disbelief, and dismay that I felt when I received that call from my son on August 12.” Hasani did not appear at the conference — according to his lawyer, he decided to remain out of the public eye and focus on healing.

During the conference, the O’Gilvies’ lawyer said that they’d requested access to body camera footage capturing the incident, and they alleged that the evidence is “being buried by the Toronto Police Service.” A spokesperson for the TPSB told CBC News that it won’t release the video because it is relevant to an ongoing proceeding before the tribunal.

At the conference, Christine told reporters that Mayor Tory’s January 3 announcement proposing a $48.3 million increase to the TPS’s budget came as a “slap in the face.” The budget increase was announced after the Toronto Police service released data in June 2022 demonstrating that Toronto police disproportionately use force against Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour.

The budget increase also received blowback from activists. In a statement to CTV News, UTM Professor Beverly Bain said, “We already know that police don’t protect racialized people. “So why is the narrative that more police would mean safer communities? The question becomes: safer for whom?” Bain is also a member of the No Pride in Policing Coalition.

Meanwhile, the organization Another Toronto is hosting actions throughout the month of January to protest the proposed budget increase.

The O’Gilvies’ hearing is scheduled for February 2024.

In

The faculty announced the increased amounts on December 20, 2022. According to the announcement, these increases will make these stipends the largest in Canada for students pursuing comparable degrees in medical science research. For students enrolled in a master’s program, the new stipend amount will be $37,000 per year, and for students pursuing a PhD, the new stipend amount will be $40,000 per year.

The increased stipends apply to students in the faculties covered by the Harmonized Base Funding Agreement, which includes the departments of biochemistry, immunology, nutrition, medical biophysics, molecular genetics, pharmacology and toxicology, physiology, laboratory medicine and pathobiology, as well as the Institute for Medical Sciences.

$28,000 in 2019.

Over the past three years, the faculty has included a stipend increase of 10 per cent per year. The 2022–23 academic year also saw a 10 per cent increase in the cost of living portion of the stipend. The increased funding does not apply to students pursuing a professional graduate degree at Temerty, such as through the MD program.

“The increased stipends ensure Temerty Medicine remains competitive with other medical faculties, including U.S.-based schools, in attracting and retaining top graduate student researchers,” Nodwell wrote.

Nodwell also noted that it is typical for graduate student stipend funding to be provided

through supervising faculty members. These supervisors are often funded by federal government agencies, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. A 2017 review of the federal funding available for external scientific research found that government funding for research and development had declined in recent years.

Danielle Karakas — vice-president academics and funding for divisions 3 and 4 at the Univer-

sity of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) — wrote in an email to The Varsity that the UTGSU “commends the Faculty of Medicine’s commitment to annual stipend increases.” However, she also mentioned that further stipend increases should occur in Temerty and in graduate departments across the university.

“We hope that other graduate faculties will consider the significant cost of living increases caused by the pandemic and re-evaluate graduate student funding,” wrote Karakas.

Content warning: This article discusses police violence and anti-Black racism.

By the 2023–2024 academic year, graduate students at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine can expect to see an increase in their baseannual stipend funding.

an email to The Varsity, Professor Justin Nodwell — vice-dean, research & health science education at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and a member of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network Research Committee — explained that the stipend increases were part of a threeyear plan for annual increases affecting graduate students pursuing research degrees through the faculty. Stipends for Temerty graduate students were

Emma Livingstone Graduate Bureau Chief

All three officers involved in the incident remain employed by the TPS. NICHOLAS TAM/THEVARSITY

Temerty Faculty of Medicine is located at King’s College Circle. VURJEET MADAN/THEVARSITY

U of T Food Services raises prices midyear

Higher prices affect New College, Chestnut, and Campus One dining halls

he uses.

Tony Xun Associate News Editor

On January 8, Food Services at U of T raised food prices across the board, affecting retail locations at Sid’s Cafe, Robarts, and the Medical Science Building, as well as the dining halls at New College, Chestnut Residence, and Campus One. The price hike drew mixed reactions from students who live in residence, many of whom are required to purchase prepaid meal plans.

History of food service issues

In fall 2020, residents at New College and Chestnut participated in a boycott of their dining halls in a bid to call attention to food unaffordability. Additionally, residence dons and students created a petition that received over 900 signatures after U of T switched their meal plan methods from an “all-you-care-to-eat” model to a declining balance model.

This new declining balance model raised concerns of encouraging disordered eating by students skipping meals to sustain their account balances for the whole school year, as well as

sustainability issues as this change encouraged the use of single-use plastics for take-out meals.

In 2016, U of T ended its contract with Aramark, a hospitality company known for catering to universities, retirement homes, and prisons. The university has since become UTSG’s own food service provider and no longer hires an outside company to cater for student food services.

Food services at UTM and UTSC operate under both independent and institutional providers, one of which is Aramark.

Increasing costs

According to Food Services at U of T, the changes were enacted to “maintain financial stability,” and that price increases were kept as “minimal as possible.” The rise may be related to rising business costs — December’s Consumer Price Index, released by Statistics Canada, billed the annual inflation rate at 6.3 per cent. Inflation has severely impacted the food services industry, with today’s average grocery prices having increased by 11 per cent compared to last year.

Despite the creation of student food committees, food insecurity has remained an issue for

many students and their residence dons. Last year, dons at Chestnut and Chelsea residences organized a makeshift student food bank to redistribute funds to students who were suffering from acute food insecurity. The Daily Bread Food Bank, which runs a location at U of T, reportedly saw 1,000 to 1,300 monthly student visits between April 2021 and March 2022.

The Daily Bread Food Bank also highlighted that studies have shown that food insecurity rates are particularly high for international students and racialized student populations.

Student reactions

Samm Du, a third-year student studying computer science, considers his selected meal plan at the New College dining hall sufficient enough to meet his food needs for the school year. “I just don’t eat enough to keep up,” Du said in an interview with The Varsity, adding that his meal plan has too much money on it to fully spend for the rest of the semester. “And it’s not like I eat off campus frequently.” Even the cheapest meal plan offered at New College is still more than Du is able to spend in terms of the food credits that

U of T remembers former lieutenant governor and UTSC alum David Onley

Disability rights advocate passed away at age 72

Alyanna Denise Chua UTSC Bureau Chief

Former Ontario lieutenant governor and distinguished broadcast journalist David Onley passed away on January 14 at age 72. A UTSC alumnus and former senior lecturer at UTSC’s Department of Political Science, Onley fiercely advocated for disability rights and accessibility throughout his career.

The same day, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the current Ontario lieutenant governor, formally announced Onley’s passing. Flags at Queen’s Park and Toronto City Hall, among other places, were lowered to half-mast to commemorate Onley.

Onley’s career

Onley contracted polio as a child, which left him partially paralyzed and reliant on devices such as a motorized scooter to move around. In 1975, he graduated from UTSC with an honours bachelor of arts degree. As a student, he served as president of the Scarborough College Student Council — the student union that represented UTSC students at the time — and created a radio station on campus.

Onley then worked for 22 years as a television broadcast journalist for CityTV and then CP24. He

notably insisted that cameras show him with his mobility device, making him the first newscaster in Canada with a visible disability.

From 2007 to 2014, he served as the 28th lieutenant governor of Ontario — the first person with a physical disability to hold the position. Onley made inclusion and accessibility his priority during his tenure.

In 2018, he wrote a highly critical report on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, a law enacted in 2005 that sought to remove barriers for people with disability. He concluded that Ontario was far from meeting its goal of achieving complete accessibility by 2025. Some of the barriers it hoped to target persist, including ableism, high unemployment rates among people with disabilities, and inadequate physical infrastructures.

After his stint as lieutenant governor, Onley returned to UTSC as a political science lecturer, where he taught courses such as “Politics of Disability” and “Sources of Power: The Crown, Parliament and the People.” In 2015, he served as U of T’s ambassador to the Pan American and Parapan American Games, the latter of which is an international multi-sport competition for athletes with disabilities that takes place every four years.

Onley was appointed to the Order of Canada and Order of Ontario, and inducted into the Cana-

dian Disability Hall of Fame and the Scarborough Walk of Fame, among other honours.

Remembering Onley

“The legacy of David Onley’s advocacy for people with disabilities is so immense, it’s difficult to quantify,” wrote Bianca Dahl — an assistant professor at UTSC’s Department of Anthropology — in an email to The Varsity Dahl met Onley at UTSC in January 2016, when she had just returned to teaching after having lost

However, other residents, including Ege Sayin, a first-year New College resident, have expressed dissatisfaction. “I’m disappointed,” he told The Varsity in an interview. Sayin had been eating within his budget before the January 8 price increases, but is now no longer on track. Now, Sayin “will probably have to start skipping meals” to stretch his meal plan dollars to last the rest of the school year.

Rachel Pittman, a first-year engineering student living at Wycliffe College, told The Varsity in an interview that the food at New College dining hall is “slightly overpriced.”

“If I run out of [meal plan] money, I’m going to end up buying T Bucks.”

Pittman’s concerns, however, are compounded by a lack of healthy food options. Pittman describes only being able to find genuinely healthy food “at the salad bar or the yogurt bar,” and struggling to find healthy food at the New College dining hall.

U of T Food Services did not respond to interview requests in time for publication.

the ability to walk unassisted. At the time, she was using a four-wheeled motorized scooter to move around campus, and when Onley saw her, he complimented her on her “wheels.”

Dahl recalled that Onley was using the threewheeled model of her scooter and discussed with her the advantages of his three-wheeled model.

“Within three minutes of meeting David, he had shuffled off his scooter so I could test its turning radius, and I found myself spinning high-speed donuts on his mobility device in the corridors of the [humanities] wing,” she wrote.

“[The encounter] brought a surge of much-needed joy to my experiences of pain and disability, at the moment when I most needed it,” Dahl added.

From there, they met numerous times to chat, which helped Dahl process “the complex emotions and challenges of navigating life with mobility limitations.”

“This was the kind of person he was: generous, caring, and sensitive to the social and emotional challenges that people with disabilities face, even beyond the structural barriers to access,” she wrote.

Others who paid tribute to Onley include UTSC Vice-President and Principal Wisdom Tettey, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Toronto Mayor John Tory.

“He made a difference in the lives of so many Ontarians,” U of T President Meric Gertler said. “We send our deepest condolences to the Onley family at this sad time. We will miss this true gentleman.”

Onley is survived by his wife Ruth Onley and three children: Jonathan, Robert, and Michael. He will be commemorated at a state funeral on January 30.

Recent data shows spread of COVID-19’s new Kraken variant

Eshnika Singh Varsity Contributor

The XBB.1.5 strain of COVID-19’s Omicron variant — also known as Kraken — has recently been spreading, according to data by Public Health Ontario. The agency estimates that Kraken will be responsible for 22 per cent of COVID-19 cases by this week, whereas this number was 2 per cent at the end of this January.

The new Kraken variant is genetically similar to other versions of the virus. According to the World Health Organization, the Kraken variant is more transmissible than other forms. However, there is no evidence so far that it is more severe than its predecessors.

Currently, U of T does not have mask or vaccine requirements, but community members are encouraged to wear masks and practice social distancing. In an October 2022 interview with The Varsity, U of T President Meric Gertler said that the university will reevaluate mask or vaccine mandates “if, or when, conditions change.”

U of T’s COVID-19 policies

The University of Toronto has revised its vaccination policy and mask requirements multiple times over the last two years.

In the early months of 2021, U of T did not mandate the vaccine for students attending inperson classes, with the exception of students living in residence. Those moving in required at least one dose of the vaccine.

In July 2021, the university altered its policy, making it compulsory for students involved in sports, music instruction, and educational placements to provide documentation of double vaccination.

In the following month, on August 11, the university announced that it would require selfdeclaration of vaccination status for anyone entering any of the three U of T campuses but also provided the alternative of regular testing.

However, effective May 1, 2022, the university halted its mask, vaccination, and UCheck requirements, though community members were encouraged to continue wearing masks

and practicing social distancing. Students moving into residence were still required to have at least one dose of the vaccine.

As of January 2023, the university continues to follow this policy.

According to the CBC, “Federal data showed an uptick in SARS-CoV-2 tests coming back positive across multiple regions by the end of 2022” due to the new Kraken subvariant.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, “Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations continues to be one of the most effective ways to protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.” Additionally, the agency recommends that people continue to practice the same safety measures as before, which include wearing a mask and adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Where to get vaccinated

The University of Toronto community can receive vaccines against COVID-19 at several clinics and vaccine centres, both on and off campus.

UTSGU is offering appointments for the Pfizer COVID-19 bivalent vaccine and the original Pfizer vaccine at the Discovery Pharmacy, which is located in room 332 of the Leslie L. Dan Faculty of Pharmacy building. Students and staff can also receive the vaccine from nearby City of Toronto immunization clinics, hospital immunization clinics, or pop-up immunization clinics, which are offering bivalent booster vaccines: Moderna Spikevax — for those above 18 years of age — and Pfizer-BioNTech — for those above 5 or above 12 years of age, depending on the location.

While UTSC currently does not have any vaccine clinics on campus, the Scarborough Health Network offers a number of vaccination sites for the city’s residents.

Starting January 25, UTM community members can receive the COVID-19 vaccine on campus from the GO-VAXX bus. Additionally, they can visit their local COVID-19 vaccine clinics, which can be found through Peel Public Health’s website, for a free dose of the vaccine.

U of T community may receive vaccines on and off campus

Onley suffered from polio as a child. COURTESY OF KEN JONES/THEVARSITY

University Affairs Board recommends approval of UMLAP revisions

Changes include removing risk of self-harm as reason to invoke the policy

Al Aref Helal UTM Bureau Chief

During the January 18 University Affairs Board (UAB) meeting, Sandy Welsh — vice-provost, students — presented proposed revisions to the university-mandated leave of absence policy (UMLAP). The proposed revisions include preventing use of the policy when a student is at risk of selfharm and protecting visa status for international students placed on leave.

At the meeting, student leaders responded to the UMLAP updates, questioning how the Policy would accommodate Indigenous students and international students.

If passed at the next Governing Council meeting on February 15, these new revisions will come into effect on March 1.

The university first recommended the implementation of UMLAP in May 2018 and implemented the policy a month after. The policy currently gives the university administration the power to forcibly remove a student from their academic studies if they exhibit extreme behaviour that has repercussions on their own or others’ health, safety, and education.

Policy revisions

Revisions that Welsh presented include renaming UMLAP to the Supportive Leaves Policy. Welsh said that “the overall goal of these proposed changes is to reinforce the compassionate intent of the Policy… [and] reduce or eliminate concerns that it may inadvertently pose a barrier to any student accessing mental health services.”

The revisions presented by Welsh include proposed changes clarifying that “mere discomfort about a student’s behavior resulting from mental illness does not qualify as a psychological harm under the Policy,” and mandating “tracking and

reporting on additional data related to the Policy.”

In response to recommendations from external experts, Welsh said that a companion guide will be made available to students in fall 2023, which will explain the policy and options available to students.

If the provost invokes UMLAP, the student in question cannot live in residence. Welsh said that the student support team will ensure that students who may not be safe in their homes receive alter-

native housing and support students throughout their leave.

Student responses

At the meeting, student leaders — including the presidents of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) and the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union — responded to Welsh’s presentation.

UMLAP

“does not always account for the systemic inequities that disproportionately affect marginalized students,” such as international students that may encounter immigration and visa issues if placed on leave. She also expressed concerns for “students who don’t have a safe environment at home.”

“Will those students really get the support that they need to improve their mental health and actually finish their degrees?” Barre asked.

In response, Welsh said that the new revision of UMLAP protects the visa status of international students, ensuring that they can stay in Canada where they may have access to better health care.

“A leave of any kind is considered… as still having a relationship with the university,” Welsh assured.

Jaime Kearns, president of the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students and a member of the Anishinaabek Chippewas of the Thames community, noted that Elders are an important resource for Indigenous students. She added that the administration should work with First Nations House “to see that our healing processes are recognized and accepted not only within this policy but within the university.” Kearns emphasized that “validating our ways of healing would be a meaningful step towards reconciliation.”

In response to Kearns’ comments, Welsh said, “we do work with First Nations House, and we’ll continue to do so in the context of this policy, where it is appropriate.” Welsh also mentioned that her office is committed to expanding the mental health supports available for Indigenous students. The revisions also mention that, when relevant, the university would consult with Indigenous Elders and Knowledge-keepers to account for students’ individual circumstances.

The UTM Campus Council, UTSC Campus Council, and Academic Board will discuss the revisions before the Governing Council votes on whether to pass these revisions on February 15.

Associate News Editor

On January 16, the University of Toronto and the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) held their latest facilitation session in an ongoing 45-year-long negotiation of the university’s Policies for Librarians

In 1978, the University of Toronto established its Policies for Librarians, providing librarians with information regarding their conditions of employment, opportunities for advancement, and the specific details of their positions. According to the UTFA, prior to finalizing the policies, the administration made a last-minute addition stating that the university can fire librarians with permanent status “for reasons of fiscal stringency or financial exigency,” which can include a lack of money, attempts to spend less, or substantial and recurring financial deficits.

This adjustment resulted in the UTFA never signing the policies. To this day, the UTFA continues to negotiate the policies through ongoing consultations, bilateral meetings, and multiple mediations.

From 2012 to 2016, the UTFA led a campaign aimed at modernizing its role in representing faculty and librarians at U of T. Specifically, it hoped to reform the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), which restricted the UTFA’s role and the agreement’s scope of collective bargaining. At the time, the MoA excluded significant academic policies from the negotiation process — including the Policies for Librarians

Through the efforts of the Special Joint Advisory Committee — a group composed of the administration and UTFA representatives to shape academics’ working conditions — previously fro-

zen policies, including the Policies for Librarians, became eligible for negotiation in 2018. Given the importance of modernizing the 1978 Policies for Librarians, the UTFA and university administration agreed that the policies would be one of the first frozen policies addressed and negotiated.

On January 31, 2018, the first bilateral meeting took place in an effort to update the 45-year-old policies.

In an email to The Varsity, Kathleen Scheaffer — the UTFA’s chief negotiator for the Policies for Librarians — discussed the association’s journey in securing parity and equal terms of employment for University of Toronto academic librarians, compared to their colleagues at other Canadian universities.

Scheaffer explained that through the dedication of both the UTFA and administration, the parties were able to reach three agreements: The Agreement on Principles for Consultation, The Librarian Vacation Policy, and The Librarian Research and Professional Development Days Agreement.

In addition to these agreements, Salary, Benefits, Pensions and Workload Committee negotiations have resulted in the updating of other policies. In conjunction with the UTFA agreements, these negotiations resulted in an increase in librarians’ available Research and Professional Development Days to a total of 14 per year, as well as increases in librarian salary floors and the number of benefits and caps.

The UTFA and U of T administration have also settled on removing mandatory librarian participation in the UniForum program, which is a provincial government performance-based funding model that ties a university’s funding to its institutional performance. This model intends to increase performance-based funding from $50 million in 2018–2019 to nearly $2.2 billion in 2024–2025, and the UTFA’s negotiations stemmed from safeguarding its members “from assessment based on quantitative metrics.” Through collaborative efforts, they were also able to identify a 3.9 per cent gender salary gap and address the discrepancy by establishing a 3.9 per cent base salary increase for non-men librarians in 2019.

Throughout the negotiation process, the UTFA has established job security, equity, clarity, transparency, consistency, and collegial process as its guiding principles. Additionally, the UTFA refers to language, amplification, and reverberation as “keys to ensuring success” at supporting the voices of academic librarians, as well as the UTFA’s efforts at the Policies for Librarians table. For example, changing the university community’s language by separating the terms “faculty” and “librarians” amplifies the role of librarians within the U of T community.

Currently, the UTFA is engaged in “the confidential facilitation phase” of negotiations, Scheaffer said. She added, “We are confident that due to the commitment of both sides of the table and the assistance of our esteemed facilitator, William Kaplan, that these negotiations will conclude this year.”

Hoping to “end this long journey,” the UTFA has four more facilitation sessions for the Policies for Librarians scheduled for the first half of 2023.

UTMSU President Maëlis Barre said that

Selia Sanchez

JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

The UAB met on January 18, 2023. ZEYNEP POYANLI/THEVARSITY

Rotman reflections: Lessons from my first year in the Rotman Commerce program

Tips on staying organized and getting through the much-feared ECO101 and ECO102

Stephanie Staibano Varsity Contributor

Are you a first-year student tackling ECO101 and ECO102? Are you worried about meeting the cutoff for the Rotman Commerce program next year?

I was in your position a year ago. While I faced several challenges along the way, I found them to be a rewarding experience. Here are some things that I have learnt along my journey.

How to take on RSM and ECO courses

The study strategies you used in high school may not work for RSM and ECO courses. For technical classes, like ECO102, I would recommend focusing heavily on problem sets and practice exams. You can also form a study group to work through challenging problems with classmates. Forming a Registered Study Group (RSG) can even earn you co-curricular credit.

I also found attending office hours to be helpful. Office hours get hectic before the midterm and final seasons, so be sure to stay on top of your work and ask your professor for clarification as confusion arises.

Ruihong Ni is a second-year student in the Rotman Commerce program. “Don’t slack off at the beginning of the semester,” said Ni in an interview with The Varsity. “It’s important to have a good foundation for more challenging material in later weeks.”

For non-technical courses such as RSM100, I relied on summarizing key points from each lecture. I would then review these key concepts often and practice explaining them to someone else. I

found it especially useful to explain concepts to people outside of the course because I would need to explain content without using business terminology.

My biggest challenge, however, was learning that simply reading slides was not going to cut it due to the practical nature of both courses. Instead, I experimented with several study techniques, and by the time ECO102 came around, I had my studying strategy down to a science.

Start exploring potential career options early

Contrary to the popular belief held by Rotman Commerce (RC) students, there are more career opportunities available than working at a ‘Big Four Firm’ — Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers — the four largest accounting firms by revenue. It is important to start exploring different industries early, so that when recruitment season comes around, you know which jobs you want to apply for.

I suggest challenging yourself to go to at least one recruitment event a month and ensure that you explore several types of industries. Be sure to read up on the company representatives and skim through key industry trends before attending each event.

In addition, try to set aside a regular time to update your resume. I suggest spending 20 minutes every week reviewing anything new you’ve accomplished, and adding that to your resume. This will allow you to be efficient when applying for jobs because you can focus on any other application materials. You can check out

the Career Centre to assist you in developing your resume.

Pursue your interests, not just what everyone else is doing

Many Rotman students pursue careers in investment banking and consulting, but if these careers don’t seem as exciting to you, don’t force yourself into them. In RC, you’ll take many courses that could provide a window into future careers, so take this as an opportunity to try out various industries before signing a job offer.

Joining an RC student club can help you explore an industry and positively impact the Rotman community. Having experience as a club executive in an industry in which you are trying to land a job is especially helpful because it shows the firm your passion for the industry and helps your application stand out.

Finally, be sure to take advantage of case competitions open to university students. RC has a

Why is there a culture of silence surrounding sexual misconduct?

Hannah Guo Varsity Contributor

Content warning: This article discusses sexual violence and patterns of sexual misconduct on university campuses.

The social movement #MeToo, which began in 2017, prompted women around the world to share their experiences of sexual assault or harassment. Many of these incidents occurred on university or college campuses. After the initiators of this movement began to voice their experiences with sexual assault, even more survivors stepped forward to share their own accounts of harassment.

Countless up-to-date studies show sexual assaults are common on campus. The American Association of University Women’s 2016 analysis reveals that despite the commonness of sexual assaults on campus, 77 per cent of United States campuses report zero incidents of sexual assault and 89 per cent of colleges and universities failed to disclose any reported incident of rape. This phenomenon — present before and still remaining after the dawn of #MeToo — demonstrates the culture of silence that survivors face.

Applying the ideas of game theory, a study by professors at the Rotman School of Management dove into the strategic complications faced by survivors of sexual misconduct as they decide what and when to report. This effect, as studies demonstrate, can be modeled by the economic concept of game theory.

New ground with game theory

In their November 2022 paper in the American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, Ing-Haw

Cheng, an associate professor of finance at U of T’s Rotman School of Management, and Alice Hsiaw, an associate professor of economics at Brandeis University, used game theory to model the decision-making of survivors who report sexual misconduct.

Game theory is a theoretical framework of strategy, originally created to explain and solve economics problems using logic games but now used to model much more complicated problems. It’s a framework designed to optimize the outcomes of decisions in different scenarios. The main focus of the study is how individuals make decisions about reporting sexual misconduct given the responses of other participants in the situation.

The paper claimed individuals tend to underreport sexual misconduct if and only if the case af-

survivors face a coordination problem and strategic uncertainty about whether others will also report the misconduct. Coordination problems and strategic uncertainty are hallmarks of game theory scenarios. Survivors must take others’ decisions into account as they attempt to mitigate the possibility of retaliation from their harassers.

In a Rotman press release, Cheng said, “Uncertainty over whether others will come forward can be so strong enough that no one will report even when misconduct is widespread.” Cheng’s comments provide insight into one of the reasons behind such drastic underreporting of sexual misconduct.

In a case where every survivor is aware of others’ bad experiences, fear of retaliation may still motivate them to not report unless others report as well. The paper’s model suggests that the rate of reporting improves when individuals are

conferences and competitions subsidy that students can use to support their participation in competitions in Toronto and internationally. Case competitions occur throughout the year, so make sure to check out the RC portal as well as do your own research to find one that matches your interests.

Take breaks

Commerce is a challenging program, so it is important to ensure you maintain your work-life balance. Participating in activities on-campus or joining interest groups can help you broaden your horizons while in university.

Designating times where you will give yourself breaks from school work will help you keep perspective while pursuing your degree and leave you less likely to feel burnt out by the end of the semester. Overall, it is important that you take time to decide on the things you will participate in each semester to ensure you are not putting too much on your plate.

aware of others reporting problematic behavior or if the behavior is already penalized.

The matter with men mentors

From anecdotal and survey evidence in the paper, men in senior positions are more reluctant to mentor or meet women in junior positions alone concerning the possibility of subsequent accusations — especially in business leadership.

This reluctance can significantly impact a woman’s career development, as mentorship and networking opportunities can be crucial for career advancement. Without access to these opportunities, women may find it more difficult to develop the skills and connections needed to advance in their careers.

The paper suggests that when mentors who are more likely to commit sexual misconduct opt to take on fewer new mentorship roles, survivors are less likely to report cases of sexual misconduct because they’re unaware of other misconduct cases and unlikely to find corroboration of their experiences. This dilemma is reinforced by other situational coordination problems among individuals reporting misconduct, which the paper explores in more depth.

The importance of speaking out

Cheng and Hsiaw’s model can have far-reaching effects for the #MeToo movement. Their paper demonstrated that publicizing broader awareness coordinated the beliefs of the victims. By spreading information and encouraging everyone to speak up, more individual victims believe others will report as well, therefore resulting in a higher rate of reporting.

“We can use this as a basis for a sensible conversation in an emotionally charged topic,” said Cheng in the press release. The fact that economic models can be applied to social problems opens up new perspectives for researchers to investigate, and modeling cases of sexual misconduct using game theory suggests many future topics for exploring solutions to dilemmas that survivors are currently facing.

researchers suggest game theory is behind the phenomenon

Staying on top of coursework, exploring career options early, and pursuing interests outside of class can help you be sucessful in Rotman Commerce. ZEYNEP POYANL/THEVARSITY

DALAINEY

Arts & Culture

Denyse

Gladys Lou, Madeline Szabo Varsity Contributor, Associate Arts & Culture Editor

Denyse Thomasos: Just Beyond is on view at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) from now until February 20. The exhibition asserts the relevance and beauty of the work by Trinidadian-Canadian artist Denyse Thomasos, who was an alum of the University of Toronto and died in 2012.

Her large body of work, which uses traditional architectural lines over colourful expressionist bursts, focuses on the prison-industrial complex, the transatlantic slave trade, and the importance of activism. To learn more about the development of Thomasos’s work over the years and her experience during her study at U of T, The Varsity visited the exhibition and interviewed Thomasos’ painting professor at UTM, John Armstrong, who is currently teaching in the art and art history programs.

Thomasos as student

In an interview with The Varsity, Armstrong said that he first met Thomasos when she was a firstyear student in 1983. He taught her in the Painting I and II courses and worked with her over the summer of 1986 to create “Till the River,” a largescale mural in the entrance lobby of the North Building at Erindale College, now called UTM.

Armstrong described Thomasos as an outgoing person with a great sense of humour who was ambitious and focused on being an artist. “[She would] joke with people and tease them,” Armstrong said with a smile on his face. “She was a lot of fun to have around.”

Thomasos was supportive of other students in her cohort, some of whom remained her lifelong

friends, including Michelle Gay, now a practicing artist in Toronto. Armstrong noted that Thomasos was outspoken and at times contestatory during critiques. “She was dogged in her pursuit of her point of view,” said Armstrong. “If she was getting frustrated, [or] she wasn’t making enough progress, sometimes she would stand on a stool to make her argument during critiques.”

According to Armstrong, Thomasos was interested in figurative painting and the art history of the nineteenth century French Romanticism period when she was a student. She was inspired by the work of Théodore Géricault, which she saw during a study abroad trip to New York with other students and faculty in the program. She was also inspired by the large scale of work by and painterly approach of the artist Eric Fischl, whose work she came across during a field trip to the AGO with Armstrong’s class in the fall of 1985.

“The most pressing issue for Thomasos as a student, which continued throughout her life, was grappling with racism and anti-racism, especially the transportation of slaves across the Atlantic,” said Armstrong.

During her student life at UTM, Thomasos was part of the African and Caribbean Student Association, where she took part in the campus anti-apartheid movement. She participated in a demonstration at UTSG, entering the council chamber in Simcoe Hall and standing on the tables, pressing the Senate to divest from South Africa. This experience became the subject of her future works, which centred on her personal and political conflicts surrounding the transatlantic slave trade.

Thomasos was in the second class that Armstrong ever taught in 41 years of teaching at

Just

UTM. He remained close friends with Thomasos throughout her life, eventually giving a eulogy at her funeral in 2012 at the request of her family.

The process

The work displayed in the exhibition moves through the timeline of Thomasos’ life’s work to emphasize that each painting is a part of a larger artistic process, a process through which Thomasos finds political interest and falls deeply in love with painting.

Walking into the exhibition, you come face-toface with her piece “Babylon” (2005). Its sheer size and wealth of colours is overwhelming. It includes many little buildings, which look like classic architectural sketches, with graffiti-like paint tracing their outlines. It is a culmination of all Thomasos worked toward in her artistic career, but, upon entering the exhibition, you don’t know it yet.

From there, curators Renèe van der Avoird, Sally Frater, Michelle Jacques, and Remai Modern never let the viewer forget Thomasos’ lifetime of artistic development and work by weaving you through the various stages of her career.

Thomasos’ passion for architecture grew from her childhood in Trinidad and her travels to her ancestral homes of West Africa and East Asia, where she saw many different styles of homes and domestic structures. She began to focus on what the many lines of architectural drawings symbolized — the metaphorical barriers they created.

In her work, Thomasos creates prisons and cityscapes, all of which emerge through precise, methodical lines throughout the exhibition. Guest Curator Sally Freighter points out that, to Thomasos, the line was a way to ex-

press different styles of architecture. The line seems innocuous, but it is the building block used to create the spaces that oppress people — it is a path to controlling people, and therefore, she could manipulate it to create oppressive worlds.

As a child, Thomasos was shy and reserved until she discovered painting. Then she began demanding paints and art lessons. Her work is not just about activism, but a meaningful connection to art itself. The exhibition displays her early sketches, which are bursting with excitement about the pieces they could become.

By the time you get to her work from the 1990s, Thomasos has combined her artistic interest with a deep political consciousness that leads to a more abstract style. The structures of slave ships informed her work, and she aimed to capture their shape with haunting accuracy for works like “Dos Amigos” (1993).

Leaving this particular exhibition, the complicated lines and dimensions of “Babylon” (2005) finally make sense. Though at one point you might have been confused, now you see a city, a place of refuge for those turned away. Her love of painting and political fire is built up throughout the exhibition to create a complete image of what it means to be a true artist.

As fellow students at U of T, we are deeply inspired by Thomasos’ achievements. Her work at the AGO has encouraged us to strive for excellence as we continue to develop our artistic careers. Denyse Thomasos: Just Beyond is on view until February 20, which students under 25 are able to attend for free through the AGO. We encourage you to visit the exhibition to learn more about the life and work of our alumni artist.

Thomasos:

Beyond U of T alum’s AGO exhibit tells the story of a talented artist finding her voice

Denyse Thomasos honed her art skills as a student at U of T. COURTESY OF KARINE AIGNER VIA THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

Reimagining animals as subjects

Wildlife photography exhibition blurs the boundaries between wildlife and humanity

Marta Anielska Arts & Culture Editor

What is the purpose of a portrait? They’re usually not particularly complex. Many of them, especially when made in a certain style, are rather similar. And yet portraiture is a popular genre, as evidenced by classical paintings, magazine covers, and, as it turns out, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

I’ve made it a point to attend the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)’s exhibition of the contest since I was a teenager. I love walking through the dim rooms, observing in silenced awe as the beauty of nature and human creation collide to create something that is, undeniably, real.

But, admittedly, I’ve always found the animal portraits category a little odd. Most of the exhibition’s photos are more documentary; they bear witness to the beauty of nature and its destruction. According to the ROM, part of the exhibition’s purpose is to advocate for environmental protection.

Besides the photojournalism category of the contest, the animal portrait category feels most pointedly like a call to action. Do you understand that every living being has its own will to not only survive but also exist with some level of agency? Do you see the potential these lives hold, the ways in which they make our world better, stronger? Now, can you finally conceptualize the full scale of loss that environmental destruction has caused? The portrait, as a form, turns its focal point into a subject. It’s difficult to look at any living being dead on and not try to imagine what lies behind its eyes.

If being forced to confront the subjectivity of

animals simultaneously feels foreign and makes me uncomfortable, it’s only because our culture — or, to be more exact, capitalist culture — has imposed a very specific view of the relationship between humans and the natural world upon me. There is an element of a god complex present in that view — we are entitled to animal bodies. We can consume them, use them, and move them however we want. The truth is that we will exert force upon animal bodies if it suits our needs, and then we’ll create the criteria for a hierarchy that justifies that violence.

This reduction of bodies to exploitable entities is part of a worldview that permits the pillaging

of the earth and everything it has to offer — whether it be plants, animals, or human beings — to their very core. And it is a worldview that ignores how its pillaging destroys and displaces the bodies that it has used and discarded. For an exhibition that claims to confront the realities of environmental destruction, something is markedly absent from the photos it contains: people. You might think there’s an obvious reason for this — it is a wildlife photography competition, after all. And yet the animal portrait section asks us to question the separation of human and animal. If the portrait asks me to consider the subjective experiences of animals and treat them as

Trendy faces

Madeline Szabo Associate Arts & Culture Editor

On Instagram, one look reigns supreme. High cheekbones, big lips, perfect skin, and a small nose dominate the internet with a stare that is both intimidating and alluring. Celebrity makeup artist Colby Smith calls this look “Instagram Face” for its popularity on the platform. Smith describes this fashionable face as looking “like it’s made out of clay.” In fact, the faces of the Instagram elite are in many cases molded out of the world’s sexiest clay — fillers.

Plastic surgery’s rise

The Instagram Face is achieved through the skilled precision of a plastic sur geon, and as our technology develops, the required procedures become easier to perform, meaning that the barriers that kept young people from surgery are becoming less and less prevalent.

In 2004, the Food and Drug Admin istration approved hyaluronic-acid fillers to restructure jawlines, noses, and cheeks. Fillers do not require sur gery and are, therefore, much cheaper than surgical enhancements. A popular filler known as Juvederm is a mere $499 per syringe in Canada, a small price to pay for beauty.

Prior to 2004, plastic surgery would require going under the knife, a lengthy recovery period, and thousands of dollars. Today, the same satisfying effects can be achieved in a 15-minute procedure with an expected one-day recovery time. This ease of access is reflected in the amount of people getting cosmetic procedures; according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons,

Americans received more than 2.5 million filler injections in 2018.

Your body is a trend

The ability this surgical technology gives us is amazing in many ways. Feeling at home in your body is important, but the smooth and seamless face influencers create for themselves is not about feeling good — it’s about following a trend. Its incredible proportions are the fashion right now, but in twenty years, that trend may

The Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) — a cosmetic procedure in which surgeons remove fat from other areas of a woman’s body and transfer it to their butt — became very fashionable in the 2010s with celebrities like Kim Kardashian celebrating the procedure. A report from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported that since 2015, BBLs have increased by 77.6 per cent. In the early 2000s, movies tore apart women with “fat asses” and now, as 2000s trends like low rise jeans come

I would human experiences, then I shouldn’t be uncomfortable putting those animals in the same contexts as human beings.

But, in reality, we think about animals very differently, even when staring one dead in the eyes. If you don’t think about it too hard, your subjectivity is just detached enough from an animal’s that seeing such a photo might arouse pity, but not empathy. We can turn an animal into a martyr — an innocent victim whose life is just different enough from ours that we can feel bad without truly feeling guilty.

Perhaps the exhibition doesn’t showcase the effects of environmental destruction on humans because that’s a little too close. Portraits that represent humans harmed by environmental destruction are harder to separate from ourselves — we understand that their lives might be or could be like our own. The subject becomes more ‘political.’ No longer is the exhibition an ode to the beauty of nature — now, it’s tainted by global politics, economics, and inequalities.

But if an animal deserves to be treated as our equal, surely human beings do as well. The answer, in my opinion, is not to denounce art projects such as these animal portraits for taking focus away from human suffering. Instead, it’s for these projects to take this kind of proposition to its natural conclusion — if wildlife is less separate from us than we think, then we are also part of wildlife, and an ethical representation of environmental destruction would include its effects on human beings. And as audience members, we need to approach this kind of art ready to engage with its focal points as subjective actors, and shift away from a view that exploits them by default.

culture. Even celebrities like Kim K are getting them removed!

Trends are volatile and ever changing, so when you mold your face to follow what is currently in, it’s inevitable that your expensive and painful look will soon be out.

Youth and beauty

The combination of easy access to plastic surgery and the normalcy with which these trends are treated is a dangerous cocktail for the young social media user. Young women, ages 16–24 years old, spend an average of three hours and 11 minutes a day online. When you spend hours every day seeing the same body trends, it feels like there is only one way to be desirable. As humans, we have a need to fit in, and this need is especially prevalent among young adults, who are desperate to find their place in the world.

Surgery offers a tantalizing solution. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 200,000 people, 19 years old and younger, had plastic surgery in 2013. The results may satisfy your want to fit in but only for as long as that surgery is in style.

Cosmetic surgery, when carefully researched and thought about, can help people feel more secure in their bodies, which should be celebrated. What is dangerous is the idea that to feel secure we all have to follow the same beauty trends. True beauty comes from within, and in ten years, your biggest insecurity may just be the next big trend.

Karine Aigner’s photo of swarming cactus bees won the Grand Title award. COURTESY OF KARINE AIGNER VIA THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

Into the fabulous and whimsical world of Vivienne Westwood

A rebel with a cause

Vicky Huang Varsity Contributor

Queen of punk, fashion maverick, British legend, outspoken activist, and my personal hero, Dame Vivienne Westwood, passed away on December 29, 2022. She was 81 years old.

Chances are that even if you haven’t heard of her, you’ve seen her designs before. Her eponymous brand has recently been all the rage. Its darling tartan clutches and kaleidoscopic cherubim prints have adorned the likes of FKA Twigs, Bella Hadid, and Dua Lipa.

As goes the fashion cycle, the attention of Gen-Z it girls have transformed the brand into a viral, inescapable sensation; with nearly every for-you page and explore feed flooded by unboxings of the brand’s iconic choker — three strands of chunky pearls with a singular, bejewelled Saturn orb in the centre. Vivienne Westwood is now embedded in the mainstream. But to reduce Westwood to ‘that trendy necklace designer’ or ‘NANA-core’ would be a great disservice, ignoring the rich history and subculture entanglements that underscore her legacy.

The Vivienne Westwood story begins in 1974. In the cozy hubs of West London, next to heirloom coffee shops and quaint bookstores, Westwood opened her first boutique: SEX. Explicit and uncouth, the fetish-dash-clothing shop was impossible to miss. Outside hung a tasteful four-foot-tall, neon-pink sign that screamed “SEX,” while its interior walls were covered in scribbles of Valerie Solanas’ SCUM Manifesto and delicately draped in chickenwire. Paddles and handcuffs lined the shelves and distressed t-shirts with anti-facist slogans populated the racks.

Its clientele was just as eclectic, ranging from street prostitutes to Chelsea’s closeted, kinky elite; but, above all, SEX was most frequented by London’s nascent punk scene. Originally from the United States, punk was a subculture movement that rejected the idealism of the 1960s, instead embracing Nietzsche, anti-establishmentism, DIY ethics, nonconformity, and anticapitalism. Typically covered in angry polemics and shredded with razor blades, Westwood’s clothes eloquently articulated the abrasive punk spirit. Her work gave the ineffable zeitgeist a ma-

terial look.

During the height of punk’s popularity, Westwood became the personal stylist for a budding, underground band called the Sex Pistols. Rowdy and iconoclastic, the Sex Pistols were the perfect fit for Westwood’s rebellious aesthetic.

As they lit spoons, provoked mosh pits, and posed for tabloids, the band was guaranteed to be wearing one of Westwood’s loosely woven ‘unravelling’ mohair jumpers or snarky, dadaist prints. Thus, as the Sex Pis tols rose to notoriety, eventu ally becoming one of U.K’s biggest sensations, so did Westwood’s work.

It was a match made in anarchy heaven; Westwood’s ‘gue rilla’ clothing completed the band’s destructive image, and their modeling brought her vision to life.

But by 1980, punk had lost its zeal. Mainstream ‘posers’ had commercialized the aesthetic, effectively uproot ing everything the movement stood for.

The Sex Pistols also fell apart, losing their messi anic image when bassist Sid Vicious allegedly killed his girl friend Nancy Spugen while high on heroin. The gig was up. Punk had come to a dark, anti-climatic end.

Westwood soon changed directions, abandoning her grassroots boutique for a new venture into the world of commercial, haute fashion. But even in these snobby echelons, Westwood found a way to imbue her rebellious, counter-culture ethos.

While her contemporaries obsessed over the cosmopolitan, Westwood was busy digging

through the archives. Her collections borrowed silhouettes from the annals of history, featuring pirates, fairies, dandies, and, most notably, Regency and Victorian attire. But instead of mere pastiche, Westwood added a cheeky, subversive twist to traditional couture.

The results were absolutely iconic: the SpringSummer 1990 collection Pagan V showcased Hellenistic underwear — nude velour leggings with strategically placed fig leaves to mimic a post-coital man. Autumn-Winter 1994–95’s On Liberty, an obvious nod to John Stuart Mill, featured Carla Bruni wearing a jaw dropping flapper-esque coat with a matching fur G-string. The following summer, Erotic Zones shocked audiences with its vibrator-tipped poulaines and overtly angular bustiers, intended as a parody of traditional modest wear.

History also made its way into Westwood’s style. Westwood had a fabulous affair with the Old Masters, especially Watteau and Boucher. Rococo paintings, decadent and sweet as can be, adorned her structured corsets, which her models wore ever so tightly, their cleavage shyly peeking out. It made for an unconventional eroticism that paired surprisingly well with scenes of pastoral purity.

There was a sublime silliness to Westwood’s oeuvre. Her designs prove that she never took fashion too seriously, but, despite the satirical wit, Westwood’s bricolage always remained technically excellent, provoking in theme, and

thoughtful in design. It is precisely this ability to synthesize — tradition and nouveau, regal and kitsch, innocence and sex, skill and vision — that cemented Westwood as fashion’s OG maverick.

Perhaps the most punk thing about Westwood was her political consciousness. As she put it: “I just use fashion as an excuse to talk about politics. Because I’m a fashion designer, it gives me a voice, which is really good.”

Like her designs, Westwood was daring and outspoken. Among some of her many, many political commitments, her resume includes: collaborating with numerous organizations — including Amnesty International, War Child and Liberty, as well as her own movement, Climate Revolution — and donating to thousands more; championing issues such as nuclear disarmament, anti-terrorism laws, and increased public spending; writing Active Resistance to Propaganda, an Adorno-esque meditation on art’s relationship to capitalism; locking herself in a giant birdcage to show her support for Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks; and, as recently as two years ago, publishing ardent letters about politics and activism in the New York Times. Up until her last breath, Westwood was fighting for the causes she cherished.

Westwood was my biggest fashion inspiration. Growing up in an immigrant household, I was always told to keep my head down. Don’t make a scene. Be like other people. Only then, by shrinking and conforming, could my yellow skin be tolerated.

In middle school, a cool older cousin gifted me a copy of FRUITS — a magazine that photographed Harajuku’s eclectic, colourful streetwear. What I saw absolutely delighted me: Asian women, who looked just like me, draped in Westwood’s studded belts and steampunkesque crinolines. They looked loud, dramatic, and unapologetic, like a bold expletive to the pressures of society. I was floored. Since then, I’ve been an avid collector of the whimsical and rebellious fashion of Vivienne Westwood. Her example showed me that it was okay to stand out; being a misfit didn’t mean you were relegated to the fringe, but an enigmatic thinker who dared to leave the cave.

A spirit like hers comes once in a century. Rest in peace, Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Adult Adoption : a portrait of Toronto loneliness

The Canadian coming-of-age film had its Toronto premiere at the Revue Cinema last week

Liam Donovan Varsity Contributor

The bottom floor office of a Wellington Street bank throws a retirement party for office mom Susan. Like most retirements, it’s a happy affair, with cake and cards abound.

But Susan’s departure sends 25-year-old employee Rosy, played by Ellie Moon, into a tailspin. Rosy, who ‘aged out’ of foster care before being adopted, relied on Susan to mother her. Now that Susan is gone, Rosy has trouble managing her anxiety at the office and struggles socially.

Which is why her chipper coworker Helen, Leah Doz, suggests she look into Adult Adoption’s title conceit: a website where those who have recently aged out of adoption can meet new parent figures. Rosy meets two prospective parents on the site, and the rest of the 90-minute comedy tracks how these meetings — which are like parent-child Tinder dates — both help and hinder Rosy’s battle against loneliness.

Director Karen Knox exaggerates Rosy’s immaturity with hyperbolically quirky design: her room is entirely pastel toned, she has a whole cupboard of Kraft Dinner, her pyjamas have strawberries on them, and her pink headphones spray forth a torrent of bubblegum pop. Rosy’s apartment seems frozen in time: a parallel to Rosy herself.

But it’s not just her apartment. Every space that Rosy inhabits heightens our sense of her

stuckness. She remains in the same room at work while Helen gets a big time promotion and moves to a higher floor. She gets coffee at a Greek bakery with a morosely blue interior every morning — the establishing shot places it as Akropolis Pastries & Pies on Danforth. Although on her first adult adoption date she ventures out of her comfort zone and goes to a fancy restaurant, this uncharacteristic adventurousness is undercut by her choice to return there on all her following dates.

Even the outdoor scenes feel claustrophobic. Cinematographer J Stevens shoots many of them in shallow focus, which leaves the foregrounded Rosy sharply in focus against an out of focus background. This turns the Toronto cityscape into a collage of blurred light. Though buildings and bustle surround Rosy, we don’t see them — an apt visual metaphor for Rosy’s extreme self consciousness.

The film’s climax shakes up this gauzy aesthetic. After reuniting with a friend from foster

care, Rosy ventures to a space totally foreign to her: a dance club. As Rosy sweats, spins, and smiles, the camera montages kinetically and party lights flash between bright reds, blues, and greens. Gone are the pastels of Rosy’s bedroom — as she grows up, her environment’s colours saturate with her.

After Rosy exits the club, Toronto takes on new life for her. In an exhilarating sequence, Rosy walks through a park and takes in the natural beauty around her. No more blurs of light; the trees, the earth, the sky — everything is visible here. And as the camera’s focus deepens, the score too opens up. Composer Torquil Campbell, who supplied the rest of the film with quietly swelling instrumentals, makes his voice heard on “The Very Thing” by his band Stars.

The song asks: “Who’s going to love you when you reach the end?” So it’s appropriate that as the film reaches its own end, Rosy begins to rethink her practices of self-love. The film initially uses trendy mindfulness techniques like crystals, affirmation meditations, and yoga as punchlines, but as Rosy matures, the film begins to treat them with more complexity.

Adult Adoption owes some stylistic debts to mumblecore, but thanks to its cast of Canadian acting vets and its nuanced attention to non-verbal characterization — Rosy’s character development can be tracked by how she opens coffee sugar packets — it rises above that genre’s trappings and coalesces into a bighearted snapshot of a millennial finding her way in contemporary Toronto.

Vivenne Westwood, the punk fashion legend Gen Z loved. COURTESY OF MANFRED WERNER/ CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Adult Adoption highlights a need for connection in our lonely city. COURTESY OF IMDB

East Asian media goes beyond the screen

Miran Tsay Varsity Staff

I spent a good portion of my childhood squeezing myself into socially acceptable pockets. Growing up in Canada, I’ve prayed for my parents to pack me a sandwich instead of egg rice for lunch, I’ve been shocked by the casual address between my friends and adults, and I’ve refrained from discussing the television shows I watched because no one I knew ever recognized them.

There have been two separate versions of me ever since I started school: Miran and Mimi, one for home and one for school, where Miran was too hard to pronounce.

I colonized my name and my identity to make them more palatable for people who would never even know that I’d done so. In time, as pretending to be something during your formative years does, that was who I became.

Now, all the interests that I used to strategically hide have become main stream. Trendy. Accept ed. East Asian media has infiltrated pop culture and has gained social acceptance. K pop has taken the world by storm, Genshin Impact has amassed nearly 65 million players by December 2022, and anyone who hasn’t watched Attack on Titan has missed out on one of the greatest modern-day storylines.

I used to ration how often I talked about my favourite shows with my very close friends. My whiplash when coming to university — where other Innis students often referenced Neon Evangelion and wore SpyXFamily merch — both delighted and confused

me. People were comfortable with chopsticks. Kenshi Yonezu and Goose House were known beyond their TikTok sounds.

I felt that I lacked this cultural knowledge in both big and small ways. I do not understand Hangul or know how to read the Chinese names of my classmates. When my friends discussed the myth of Tanabata, a popular Asian story I wasn’t aware of, I felt out of the loop.

The decade-long stifling of my culture had caught up to me. There was a jealous twist in my stomach whenever people publically and shamelessly boasted about the life that I squashed. When I dove headfirst into East Asian media trying to chase down lost time, I came up with the bleak reminder that 11-year-old me was still right: cultural coloni zation is rampant. I was witnessing el ements of culture becoming popular, then being thrown back in my face.

I breathe, and someone tells me two Sailor Moon characters are in cestual. I’m gross for thinking the show is cute.

I breathe some more, and a man tells me ‘Asian’ women are the hottest, so I should date him. We could recreate a hentai scene.

I breathe again, and people love Parasite — but they mock my take on the material because they supposedly understand these media better than I do.

Of course, culture extends beyond the media we consume. It’s rich, touching every thing in our lives from food to relationships, and it cannot be encapsulated well enough in one article. However, in this instance, the popularization of media opens the door to certain aspects of East Asian life that go be yond a screen, a book, or a song.

As larger audiences consume media, it’s only natural for a multitude of opin ions and interpretations to come to light.

As such, it can be

History is watching

This is not the first time that Western audi-

lion paid subscribers at the end of 2022, the already reputable Netflix holds significant sway with the production and distribution of anime to Western audiences.

Netflix’s history with anime viewership started with a mecha-dystopian original titled Knights of Sidonia in 2014; since then, the company has started supporting WIT STUDIO — one of the biggest animation studios in Japan — through an animator training program. In 2020, Netflix brought anime to about 120 million households. In 2020, Taiki Sakurai — the chief producer of anime at Netflix — recognized anime’s niche-to-mainstream pipeline in a 2020 press release. “In just four short years… Netflix has expanded the reach and overall audience of anime — a category conventionally seen as niche,” Sakurai said. Netflix has acquired the licensing rights to popular anime such as Attack and Demon

, along with various Studio Ghibli films. This move attracted both veteran watchers and new fans of East Asian shows. On top of appealing to its audience with es-

“chopsocky” are still sometimes derogatory. The current rise in anime echoes the mar tial arts wave, only 50 years later. Just as Warner Bros’ choice to administer King Boxer and the following martial arts films played a massive part in North America’s access to and consumption of East Asian media, Netflix and modern-day streaming services dictate how we receive anime.

With approximately 223 mil -

hard to draw the line between appreciation and appropriation, and to respectfully understand the nuances of mainstream East Asian media.

tablished titles, Netflix has taken strides in playing a part in the creation process of new shows. In 2021, Sakurai announced that Netflix would be opening an Anime Creators Base in their Tokyo Headquarters to focus on preproduction creation and conceptual art of new anime. During the announcement, Sakurai explained that Netflix’s goal for the base would be “to promote best practices and high production standards, to empower creators with the necessary tools and resources of anime production over time.”

However, on top of investing in next-generation animators and technology, the content Netflix has produced sometimes incorporates Western cultural elements in a traditional East Asian art form.

For example, Cyber -

punk: Edgerunners features a Western storyline and characters in a Japanese animation style; Great Pretender showcases international characters travelling around the world to commit crimes; and Violet Evergarden, an adaptation of Kana Akatsuki’s novel series, tells the story of a girl who becomes a letter writer after a war in Leidenschaftlich — a fictional country with heavy European influences.

In an email to The Varsity, Rafal Jaki, an executive producer Cyberpunk: Edgerunners explained that in the series, “There were 3 pillars of inspiration: the [Western] books and film like Blade Runner or [Neuromancer], the video games like Deus Ex and anime like Akira and Ghost in the Shell.” From the underdog plotline stemming from shonen anime, Cyberpunk aesthetics being a mix of both Japanese and Western culture, multiple cultural influences often reveal themselves in the show.

Jaki elaborated: “Anime is mainstream now — I think this is not an exaggeration. So as there are more and more creators outside of Japan and Japa-

nese artists live in a shared global world this will happen more and more.”

Dub versus sub

It’s the age-old question. East Asian media companies have relied on translation services to communicate their shows’ dialogues to Western fans. Since we lack English equivalents to many words, after adapting the content of East Asian films and shows for Western understanding, the media’s content knocked down a peg.

In 4Kids Entertainment’s English dub of the first season of the 1997 Pokémon, there’s a scene in which Satoshi eats onigiri — Japanese rice balls filled with various fill ings like pickled plum and salmon — as a snack. In the original Japanese-language version, when the main character is offered onigiri, the English subtitles read: “Well, you'll cheer up after eating a rice ball.” However, the dubbed version — in which the show’s original audio was replaced with audio from English voice actors — reads: “Have a doughnut, that always cheers me up.”

Another character then pitches in, holding the onigiri and saying, “These doughnuts are great! Jelly-filled ones are my favourite! Nothing beats a jelly-filled doughnut!”

As the onigiri are depicted onscreen, any viewer can tell that they are not dough nuts. When confronted about the script change at the 2019 Sacanime convention, Eric Stuart — the English voice actor for Brock, the character who says the iconic line — explained that the show “wanted to make Pokémon a universal show” and that “more people could relate to dough nuts than ‘sushi.’ ” There are two problems with this phrase: that onigiri is not sushi; and, when making shows more palatable for Western audiences, common East Asian food, names, and themes are lost. This extends to the names of the main characters of the 1997 Pokémon as well: Satoshi was turned to Ash, Kasumi to Misty, and Takeshi to Brock.

Translating media is not as simple as making a script into English. The writer’s original voice, colloquial sayings, and cultural references must all be taken into account. Given this, some cultural barriers are a little bit more tricky to tackle. For example, idioms and dual meanings present a new challenge when translating.

On August 1, 2022, the K-pop girl group NewJeans — managed by ADOR — released the third single of their first EP, titled “Cookie.” The song received controversy, as the lyrics could be interpreted to have sexual innuendos and the group’s members were all under the age of 19. Some lyrics included: “Made a little cookie / baked it just for you, this treat / But you know that it ain’t for free.”

ADOR explained the lyrics in an official English statement on August 27: “The song revolves around the paired idea of burning CDs and baking cookies, which share the same conceptual verb in Korean… The music video opens with a cookie rolling in and ends with a CD rolling out.” When translated, the Korean saying CD literally means “to bake CD.” As ADOR explained, “Words take on entirely different informal meanings in the context of different cultures, places, and at different times in history… as always, context is key.”

Regardless of how individuals interpret the single, it’s not easy to make informed conclu sions about cultural metaphors without the whole picture. It’s a Korean song; listen ers should take into account the Korean interpre tations before passing judge ment.

Lovers by choice, cousins by Western cen sorship

Clearly, there is a cultural barrier that oc curs when adopting East Asian media in the Western world. So how can we as viewers work to understand meanings that we might be missing out on?

lovers. Critical thinking skills can catch mis translations or readaptations.

“If something feels off,” Chu continued, “That’s because it probably is.”

When all is said and done

With the fourth season of Bungou Stray released on January 4, and Alice ’s second season racking 61.2 million viewership during its premiere weekend, it’s clear that East Asian media isn’t leaving the Western world anytime soon.

As the Western world welcomes East Asian media, I ask for everyone to be an active consumer. The hour or so that viewers spend watching anime and K drama goes beyond the screen — the cultural elements that are often omitted or augmented are connected with a way of life in East Asian countries and deserve to be treated with more importance than just trendy entertainment.

series Sailor Moon, characters Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were open about their queer relationship, with multiple references being made to the romantic nature of their relationship, including Neptune’s first kiss. A silhouette of the two about to kiss is shown. However, when the silhouette is shown in the censored dubbed version, Neptune is heard saying: “I remember [my first kiss] vividly. It was with Brad, the cutest guy in the school.” To any viewer, this would be confusing.

Since the studio, Cloverway Inc., didn’t remove the visual representatives of intimacy or flirtatious conversations, the characters — whose relationship was altered to “cousins” only in the Western version of the show — come off as incestual. This, of course, also paints one of the most iconic queer couples as taboo to Western audiences, assigning them the same connotations that surround incest.

Jessica Chu, a first-year commerce student, discussed how, as viewers, we can work on identifying these issues. “When it comes to the localized versions… context is important,” Chu explained. “There is only so [much] that can be edited before it becomes janky in the content that it's in.” She added, “Being conscious of that while [I’m] watching has made me a better consumer of media in general.” In the same way that onigiri does not look like

Consumption of specific formats comes with the responsibility to respect the cultural roots and rich history. Work to familiarize yourself with the nuances you’re uncertain about, keep the conversation going, and above all, listen to the people that you can learn from.

11-year-old me will thank you for it.

U of T’s rejection of IHRA’s definition of antisemitism is a step forward

Jewish and Palestinian students alike deserve

a better approach to growing intolerance

Noshin Talukdar Comment Columnist

This December, a new paper published by physician Dr. Ayelet Kuper detailing her observations of antisemitism at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine sparked headlines across major news publications.

From the antiquated stereotyping of Jews as a special interest group to the implicit biases of nonJewish Temerty community members who remain silent in the face of antisemitic microaggressions, Kuper’s report criticized the administration’s ongoing failure to respond to hateful rhetoric surrounding Jewish people.

Among several commentators were U of T President Meric Gertler, whose op-ed for The Globe and Mail underscored the responsibility universities possess in maintaining a safe space for all. Accordingly, Gertler’s article spotlighted U of T’s establishment of a specialized working group to recommend appropriate interventions for anti-Jewish sentiments on campus.

The working group’s resolutions notably choose not to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has repeatedly come under fire by scholars for insulating the Israeli government against international criticism. In his op-ed, Gertler claimed the definition to be “both insufficiently responsive to many of the most troubling instances of antisemi-

tism in the university context and in tension with the [university’s mandate to protect] freedom of expression and academic freedom [as] individual rights.”

This might appear as a controversial decision to many, particularly given that the IHRA’s definition has been adopted at multiple federal and provincial levels alike — including by the government of Ontario. But U of T’s strong stance may very well be a step in the right direction for the well-being and equitable treatment of its Jewish students, who have been reported to often be unjustly expected to answer for the actions of the Israeli state in university settings.

Indeed, it is high time that universities recognize that conflating antisemitism with any meaningful critique of the Israeli government only serves to erode concrete efforts to address the roots of racist incidents experienced by Jewish students and their communities. The solution to preventing the growth of antisemitism at U of T does not lie in censoring Israel’s critics but in pushing back against the neo-Nazi ideologies that have over time come to dominate our understandings and stereotypes of Jewish culture.

Comments referring to “powerful Jews” or the supposed lack of credibility of Jewish claims to victimhood, which Kuper reports are widely prevalent at U of T, perhaps speak more to the institutional embeddedness of the historical stereotypical idea of the conniving, power-hungry Jew who is perpetually plotting a takeover of the world order. Yet,

privileged white men continue to sit atop this order, and it is they who stand to gain the most by detracting from the conversation about antisemitism to make it about Israel and Israel alone.

The truth is that antisemitism is, and always has been, an outcome and indication of the broader unchecked power of white supremacy and white nationalist racial discourse. That Toronto has seen a slew of hate-motivated incidents perpetrated by white men this year, in addition to an uptick in the use of white supremacist Nazi symbols in schools, attests to this.

U of T’s decision not to use the IHRA’s working definition signals a recognition of the growing infiltration of radical white nationalist ideology into the sphere of everyday life, and the effects it has in terms of creating deep intercommunity divisions.

For universities and governments to move away from distilling the issue, or pinning it broadly on anti-Israel movements, would mean that they would have to acknowledge the extent to which hegemonic whiteness controls our institutions. It further means that said institutions would have to pledge to eradicate the antisemitism its Jewish members face in more complex, multi-level, and targeted manners.

In this regard, I am hopeful that U of T’s deviation is the first step of many in its imagining of creative and constructive solutions to anti-Jewish hatred on campus while still encouraging international political literacy among its community members.

It is important to note that we cannot in turn

deny the feelings of Jewish students who have witnessed the pro-Palestinian cause be weaponized on campus to espouse antisemitic rhetoric. It is just as much U of T’s duty to swiftly denounce any statement that seeks to unfairly generalize and incriminate the wider Jewish community.

However, to mute political analyses and condemnation of a state whose actions have irreversibly altered the lives, histories, and freedoms of Arab communities would only contribute to what Palestinian students are calling a growing culture of silence at U of T that is failing to take a stand against the repression they face at home.

To engage in these discourses that hold the Israeli government accountable for its racial regime is not so dissimilar from criticizing Canada’s genocidal and anti-Indigenous foundational structure — a practice that universities are increasingly integrating into their curricula. Hence, there is just as much of a conversation to be had about settler colonialism as there is about antisemitism, but to make the former an issue that strictly concerns Jewish people would only serve to exacerbate the latter.

U of T must be fiercely committed to expunging all hints of antisemitic discrimination from its classrooms, hallways, and offices. But it must also make space for its Palestinian students to publicly narrate their lived experiences and traumas. To deny either of these groups of their dignity would be deleterious for both and a disservice to the democratic principles upon which our universities should operate. In the fight against antisemitism, U of T ultimately owes it to its community to not have the entirety of Jewish identity be reduced to a monolith, nor have Jewish culture and heritage rendered synonymous with state violence.

Noshin Talukdar is a fourth-year student at Victoria College. She is the equity columnist for The Varsity’s Comment section.

TTC’s 2023 budget plan isn’t helping commuter students

Urooba Shaikh Comment Columnist

In its 2023 budget, the TTC outlined plans to increase fares while reducing service, increasing wait times, and going back to pre-pandemic crowding standards. Unsurprisingly, these changes have led to outcry among commuters across the city.

However, complaints about Toronto’s transit system are nothing new; commuter students are all too familiar with crowded buses during rush hours, waiting several minutes in the cold, and unexpected delays. Fare increases are also not rare occurrences — the TTC implemented a ten-cent increase in 2020.

With inflation causing the prices of most services to go up and with emphasis being placed on the use of public transport to achieve climate goals, it makes sense to increase fares to increase capacity and improve services. However, from the TTC’s 2023 plans, it seems that increasing capacity and improving services is not what the TTC has planned for its fare increase.

How is the TTC’s budget report problematic? According to the budget report released on January 4, maximum wait times for rapid service such as subways may increase from six to ten minutes. Crowding standards would increase to prepandemic levels with 50 people per bus, 130 per streetcar, and 1,000 to 1,100 people per subway train during peak hours. Service hours would also

decrease from the current 96 per cent of pre-COVID hours to 91 per cent. These service adjustments would accompany a ten-cent increase in fares for adults and youth, which will take effect on April 3.

It seems that, in return for paying a higher fare, making it to campus on time for class will become more challenging for commuter students than it already is due to the unpredictability of the TTC.

This is the first completely in-person academic year for many students, and the new TTC guidelines put commuter students at a disadvantage from a pandemic perspective. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, using public transport carries a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 due to extended exposure to other people, use of shared surfaces, and poor ventilation. As of 2018, over 75 per cent of U of T students identify as commuters. With such a large portion of students exposed to a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 through the transit system, the entire U of T community may be put at risk if crowding standards worsen on the TTC.

Another major concern is the recent increase in violent incidents on the TTC, including attacks and assaults, riders pushed off platforms, and even a fatal shooting incident involving an international student.

To combat this, the new budget has proposed to hire fifty new special constables for patrol. However, the union that represents TTC constables and fare inspectors, CUPE Local 5089, says that creating safer transit requires more than this and that its workers feel a level of uncertainty in their expectations as enforcement officers.

President of CUPE Local 5089 Dariusz Nowotny said, “Fear of termination for doing what you’re trained to do doesn’t make for a place many people want to dedicate their career to, and it’s something we’ve suffered with for years.”

To increase safety, people in Toronto have suggested physical measures, such as the installation of safety barriers along platforms. There have been talks of installing these barriers since 2018,

and a fare increase occurred shortly after, in 2019. However, no such measure has been installed. If the TTC is to raise fares once again, it’s only fair that rider concerns about safety are addressed.

Why should the TTC alter its 2023 plan?

Financial burdens are also at the forefront of the complaints regarding the new changes. TTCriders, a transit advocacy group in the city, has expressed concern that the fare increase will be most harmful to low income people, who tend to use public transit more often than wealthier people in the city. TTCriders spokesperson Shelagh Pizey-Allen said, “The fare increase is cruel. They are really going after the wrong people, the lowest income people in our city.”

With the rising cost of living in Toronto, students are also seeking more affordable housing options that may be further away from campus, furthering the need for efficient public transit. Yet, commuter students are hardly ever included in conversations about what the TTC should do to improve going forward.

One alternative to raising fares that TTCriders has suggested is for the City to find money from elsewhere. “The mayor could raise hundreds of millions to rebuild TTC ridership with more service and lower fares, with a parking levy on big malls and commercial landlords,” they said in a statement. This would ensure that the burden of financing TTC services isn’t placed on an already financially vulnerable population.

It’s time for the TTC to take action toward meeting the needs of commuters. With students from all across the city, who are already paying for their education and rent, relying on the TTC to get to campus, it is unreasonable for the transit commission to raise prices without improving its services.

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

With plans to increase fare, the TTC should at least address rider concerns

According to its 2023 budget, the TTC plans to increase fares while reducing service.

ZEYNEP POYANLI/THEVARSITY

Op-ed: To increase student engagement, the UTSU needs to be more transparent

The UTSU needs to start posting meeting minutes and financial statements

Emma Dobrovnik Comment Columnist

In its 2019–2024 ‘Strategic Plan,’ the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) outlines initiatives it is planning to improve its ability to directly influence student life on campus, its position as a service provider, and its engagement channels with students.

According to the plan, increasing voter turnout in student government elections is a target engagement goal for the UTSU. Despite this, student government participation has steadily decreased at U of T, where it is now among the lowest in Canada.

There’s a glaring disconnect in terms of the UTSU’s involvement on campus, and the student body’s failure to get to the polls to vote indicates as much. Students are disincentivized from engaging with the UTSU because they’re largely unaware

of how the student union impacts their university experience. The UTSU’s lack of transparency fuels this, as its failure to consistently publish meeting minutes and update financial statements shows.

Meeting minutes provide a public record of major UTSU rulings, such as those relating to bylaw amendments, financial statements, and the appointment of auditors. More broadly, public meeting minutes ensure that the student union and other university officials remain accountable for the decisions they make and the rationale backing those decisions.

There’s no doubt that the UTSU is publicly committed to transparency; its open board meetings and previously published minutes, reports, and agendas serve as a testament to this commitment.

However, the UTSU website offers little to no information regarding meetings held in 2021 and 2022. In fact, none of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) minutes from either year have been posted

under the site’s ‘Meeting and Minutes’ section. You can find the agenda from the 2022 AGM by sifting through the Governance Affairs calendar or under ‘General Meetings,’ while the 2021 AGM minutes are nowhere to be found.

For an institution that supposedly values transparency and accountability, why aren’t these relevant documents front and center? It’s crucial that the union keeps its meeting minutes updated and accessible to students.

For those seeking information about the student union, it’s important that they know of the ongoing decisions behind the scenes that impact the student body. Disorganized meeting minutes from the union site — its primary point of contact for students and faculty alike — sends the wrong message.

In light of its lack of transparency, it’s unsurprising that the UTSU has seen declining voter turnout since 2018. Meeting minutes are one of the most direct ways by which students can stay informed on matters concerning their university experience, but the minutes are not being regularly updated. As a result, it’s difficult to bridge the gap between the UTSU and the students it claims to represent. Why engage with the student union if you’re not even sure of how it’s advocating for you at the most basic level?

Similarly, certain types of financial records are unavailable on the UTSU site. For instance, neither the audited financial statements or the profits and losses statements have been updated since the fiscal year of 2019–2020. As students’ incidental fees primarily fund the UTSU, it seems only appropriate that they be aware of its financial position.

It’s for this exact reason that the UTSU publishes its budget quarterly; students have the right to know what is being done with their money. Finan-

The rise of Andrew Tate makes me question our progress with #MeToo

cial reporting guarantees that accurate data about the union’s finances is available to the public, and the UTSU aligns itself with this principle.

While the UTSU’s consistent budget publishing is a good start, it’s just that — a start. Financial transparency doesn’t begin and end with budgetary planning: it implies a variety of factors ranging from income to expected revenues and expenses.

In the 2018–2019 ‘Statement of Activities,’ the UTSU confirms its dedication to financial transparency, claiming that such responsibility includes “measures that go the extra mile in showing students that their money is in good hands.” The aforementioned Strategic Plan reiterates this, as it states that financial reports “beyond the budgeting process” will be published regularly throughout the year. Why then does the site’s ‘Fees, Budget & Finances’ page display extensive funds allocation but virtually no up-to-date information on financial statements?

As it stands, students don’t get a complete picture of the union’s financial position based on the information seen on the UTSU site. According to the 2021–2022 operating budget, the UTSU received approximately $1,640,000 in student membership fees. When paying that price, it’s not much to ask that the available financial data be more comprehensive. As is the case with the meeting minutes, it’s hard to drum up student interaction with the UTSU when its public financial record is obviously incomplete.

Needless to say, there is much room for improvement when it comes to the UTSU’s transparency and public record. The union might have better luck generating engagement if it commits to updating and maintaining their online presence.

This way, students can easily navigate the UTSU’s responsibilities and goals as they relate to the actual university experience. Otherwise, low democratic participation may persist.

Emma Dobrovnik is a second-year student at St. Michael’s College studying political science and criminology. She is an executive-at-large for the Association of Political Science Students.

Fabienne de Cartier Varsity Contributor

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of misogynistic language and mentions of sexual violence and suicide.

As 2022 came to a close, social media platforms flooded with both celebration and lament over the arrest of famed internet personality and former kickboxer-turned-reality-TV-star Andrew Tate. Andrew and his brother Tristan were arrested on December 29, 2022 in Bucharest, Romania on charges of rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group.

The arrest of the Tate brothers came after Romanian police raided their mansion in April 2022 once the US embassy alerted them that a 21-year-old woman may have been held there against her will.

Andrew Tate, who has gained popularity for his ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ self-help content and unbridled misogyny, denied allegations in April and continues to do so following his recent arrest.

How have people responded to Andrew Tate’s arrest?

Many rejoiced at Tate’s arrest because he has become a well known proponent of a violent brand of masculinity that relies on the subjugation of women — a message that has appealed to young men in particular. Whether it be Tate’s claim that women are men’s property or his assertion that women should “bear some responsibility” for falling victim to sexual assault, the internet is filled with countless examples of Tate’s hateful behaviour and ideology.

Before being banned from major social media platforms in August 2022, however, Tate had gained approximately 4.6 million followers on Instagram, 740, 000 subscribers on YouTube, and millions of views on TikTok. Since being reinstated on Twitter, he’s amassed over four million followers and continues to tweet from prison.

Nevertheless, Tate’s arrest serves as a symbolic condemnation of violence against women and affirms that there are tangible consequences to cruel actions. Many, myself included, hope that this represents an end to Tate’s influence and will serve as a deterrent to men already following in his footsteps.

However, Tate’s followers seem to be evidence of the opposite. A mess of misinformation surrounding Tate’s arrest has permeated the internet. There are those that not only defend him, but falsely claim that he has been released and the charges against him have been dropped.

Andrew Tate, mental health, and the #MeToo movement

People may question how Tate was able to gain so much support and why we’ve seen a recent rise in misogynistic attitudes among young men. I believe an explanation may lie in the mental health crisis that the pandemic has exacerbated in recent years. According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 has caused a “25 per cent increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide” and has been particularly damaging to youth, who are “disproportionately at risk of suicide and self-harming behaviours.”

While many exclusively associate Tate with his controversial, hateful comments, young men in need of mental health support may see his selfhelp philosophy as a path toward happiness and success. Tate’s ideology advertises complete control over men’s own lives and unnecessarily subjugates women in the process. Despite their initial attraction to Tate’s mental health and financial advice, young men may also become increasingly receptive to misogynistic messaging as Tate’s content continually exposes them to it.

Furthermore, self-reliance and the repression of negative feelings he prescribes under his brand of masculinity prevent those in need of mental health support from reaching out. The misogyny intertwined in his message promotes hate among men who are in need of a philosophy of self-love and kindness towards others.

In the same vein, Tate’s increasing misogyny also

comes as a reaction to the perceived threat of the #MeToo movement. Some men seem to feel shifting tides and likely fear losing their position of power and privilege that has for so long gone unchallenged. While the #MeToo movement normalized conversations around sexual assault, fear around cancel culture seems overblown given that the movement failed to catalyze the structural changes necessary to actually threaten male privilege.

Still, perceived threats produce just as strong reactions as tangible ones. It’s disheartening to see that so many are afraid of the pendulum swinging too far that they’ve tried to stop it from moving at all.

Why was Andrew Tate’s arrest significant?

Regardless of whether Tate’s supporters believe agents of the matrix are coming to silence them or simply believe in the vague, looming threat of feminism, there seems to be a growing number of men who frame themselves as the victims of a society that continues to afford them a tremendous amount of power and privilege. This is unfortunately why it is so hard to dethrone the ‘king of toxic masculinity.’ Tate’s recent arrest and ban on social media risk further entrenching his supporters in their misogynistic beliefs, as they were already under the impression that people were trying to silence them and Tate.

But while dismantling today’s misogyny may seem like a hopeless undertaking, banning Tate from social media was an important step in ensuring fewer people are exposed to the hate he promotes. And while Tate’s self-victimization means that he will probably never take responsibility for his actions, his arrest was an important step in getting justice for the women he’s been charged with raping and trafficking.

It seems to me that the best way forward is striving to ensure better access to mental health resources that allow individuals to reflect on and process negative feelings instead of repressing them, while also promoting compassion instead of violence and hate.

Fabienne de Cartier is a second-year English and political science student at Victoria College.

Andrew Tate’s arrest is a step forward in addressing mainstream misogyny

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MAKENA MWENDA/THEVARSITY

January 23, 2023 thevarsity.ca/section/science science@thevarsity.ca

Why you won’t stick to your New Year’s resolutions

A guide to setting New Year’s resolutions that stick

Ajeetha Vithiyananthan Associate Senior Copy Editor

“New year, new me.”

Despite the phrase’s ludicrousness, all of us get a little hopeful at that stroke of midnight, conjuring up images of what could be, and start to stake out our next course of action.

You may write your New Year’s resolutions down in hopes of manifestation, or keep a mental note; yet, about 80 per cent of us will fail to stick to these goals past a month or two. Only eight per cent of people will have stuck it through as the year fin ishes.

I’ve been a part of the 80 per cent. Despite the numerous planners and calendars — and I’ve even tried gamification — my New Year’s goals would always inevitably fall through. You’d think as a thirdyear psychology student I should already have it all figured out. But this year, you might be able to figure it out before you become part of the 80 per cent.

Why do we set goals?

Before learning how to achieve our goals, let’s think about why we even set goals. What motivates mo tivation?

Our goals are a reflection of our needs. In his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation,” American psychologist Abraham Maslow pro posed that humans are motivated to fulfill their basic needs before those for one’s higher self. De spite a lack of conclusive evidence for its validity, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs highlights the diverse needs humans have: physiological, safety, belonging and love, esteem, and self-actualization. Our goals — working out, making time for loved ones, travelling, and more — are ideas of how to fulfill our needs.

Consequently, our brains regard setting goals as similar to achieving our needs. A 2019 study published in Nature found that the neurotransmitter dopamine — often regarded as the “feel-good” hormone — spikes not only when we’re close to achieving a goal but also when we set a goal, motivating us to take action.

When we set a goal, we tend to imagine ourselves achieving it, and visualizing this scenario can

activate the same regions in your brain as physically experiencing it. Visualization can promote neuroplasticity — the formation and strengthening of pathways in your brain — which in turn can lead to reduced stress, improved performance, and thereby more motivation.

Consistency, I’d believe, just wasn’t my strong suit.

So, do we, the 80 per cent, fail to achieve our goals simply because we’re undisciplined? James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, says otherwise. In his book, he explains that disciplined people don’t necessarily have more willpower, they just

you want in plain sight and what you need to avoid somewhere inconvenient. Furthermore, by joining groups with similar goals or having people who can keep you accountable, you increase your likelihood of success. A 2022 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that between two groups of students — one whose professor instructed them to create personal plans to not use technology in class and the other whose professor established a social norm — the latter reduced their technology by far more. Our primal desire to fit in and belong means we’ll often adopt the habits praised and approved by others, so choose your circles wisely.

Lastly, habit formation takes a long time.

For my fellow perfectionists, Clear writes, “Instead of trying to engineer a perfect habit from the start, do the easy thing on a more consistent basis. You have to standardize before you can optimize.”

The easier an activity, the more you’ll repeat it. And the more you repeat it, the stronger the connections between neurons for the particular activity become — neuroscientists call this long-term potentiation. These small changes in the brain will compound, making the activity more automatic, and eventually, you’ll find yourself consistently enduring the more difficult activity.

New year, new habits, new me

what we’d like to be for the next revolution around the sun. In a 2014 study published in the journal Management Science, the “fresh starter effect” was proposed as an explanation for why events like New Year’s or birthdays are associated with increased motivation. As a “temporal landmark,” New Year’s allows people to believe their past self to be responsible for previous failures and to start anew.

What can we do to succeed?

While setting goals can increase our motivation, that alone cannot work; sooner or later, our motivation declines and we revert to our old selves. Every time I’d stop working on my goals, I’d come to see myself as characteristically undisciplined.

a good first step to enact actual chang es, we need strategic plans. Taking from the operant conditioning model, a psychological paradigm for learning using rewards or punishments to modify behaviour. Clear outlines a fourstep model to improve our habits. By making good habits obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying — and conversely, by making bad habits the opposite — Clear posits that we’d be well on our way to achieving our goals.

While his habit cheat sheet describes plenty of practical strategies, there are two main things to keep in mind: situation change and slow-but-longlasting progress.

To keep temptations at bay, we can design our environment to be free of distractions. Keep what

sodes I have listened to.

Everything comes down to identity. When we set goals, we’re testing our self-efficacy — a psychological concept coined by psychologist Albert Bandura, referring to an “individual’s belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviours necessary to produce specific performance attainments.” Our goals are integrated into our self-image and must be met to keep our self-image intact.

At some point, we no longer think of ourselves as ‘writing’ or ‘procrastinating,’ but as a ‘writer’ or a ‘procrastinator.’ A 2019 study found that our habits serve to define us and that when habits are in line with our feeling of identity, this comes with stronger cognitive self-integration, higher self-esteem, and a striving toward an ideal self. After setting goals and making incentives, identity is what sustains a habit.

So next time you or a friend says “new year, new me” ironically, add in “new habits” there and see if it makes a difference.

Heyyy, it’s your dad’s weird friend from college. Not actually, but that’s one of the lines that American writer Alie Ward uses to introduce her self to the listeners of her weekly podcast gies

I first started listening to ning of the 2021–2022 school year, when I was a commuter student. When I got bored of listening to the music that had kept me hyped all summer, I wanted something that would be engaging, in stead of wondering whether I would survive if I crashed into the ditch at 80 kilometres per hour.

I’m kidding. Kind of.

What’s Ologies?

‘Ologists’ are the different gueststhat Ward in terviews each episode who are experts from any number of fields. These specialists answer a flurry of questions about their research, how popular they are at cocktail parties, and what’s the worst thing about their job — for a lot of them, it’s the paperwork, surprisingly. Ward also gets the ologists to debunk any “flimflam” — common and often incorrect assumptions about their fields.

Despite it being a science pod

cast, one of my favourite things about Ologies is that it doesn’t feel like science. Ward records “asides”

The best part about Ward’s commentary is that she’s incredibly quirky, but also relatable. She doesn’t hide the fact that she’s in awe of every ologist she interviews, or the weird — almost stalker-ish, but in a flattering way — things she goes through to track down and chat with different ologists in cities across the US. She also swears a lot, but Ward’s lack of clean language is somewhat engaging and refreshing compared to most podcasts for non-expert audiences.

are not, including waterfights, barbecues, and fireflies.

The podcast also has a great community surrounding it. Do you know how some podcast hosts are so in their own world that they never acknowledge their listeners? They just continue with their programming like they don’t know people wear t-shirts and tote bags with their logo on them. Ward isn’t like that. She has a Patreon page, where for a whopping 25 cents an episode, you can become a Patreon and ask future ologists questions! Have a question about sewer rats? Ward is your gateway to directly asking Bobby Corrigan, an urban rodentologist, all of your deepest, darkest concerns regarding Remy from Ratatouille

Ologies, through Patreon and merchandise sales, remains ad-free — which, since almost everyone else has some sort of brand deal, is kind of a miracle. This means you don’t have to worry about listening to the promo code for 20 per cent off some nutrient

was named one of Time Magazine’s top 50 podcasts in 2019. Later, in 2022, the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards named Ologies the “Best Science Podcast” and the Webby Awards named Ward the “Best Podcast Host.”

Well, did I convince you? If so, you can find on Spotify or on the Ologies website.

— segments of the show normally re

Lexey Burns Deputy News Editor

BIEW BIEW SAKULWANNADEE/THEVARSITY

The physics behind spoken language

Our vocal cords take advantage of fluid dynamics principles to articulate speech

volumetric flow rate to be restricted at some point in your vocal tract, or if you decrease the size of your vocal tract at some point, such as by pulling your lips into a small “o” shape.

This means that to have a sound intensity above a certain level, the volumetric flow rate of the air has to be great enough to cause voicing, which is why voiced sounds are always louder than unvoiced sounds.

If you vibrate the vocal folds faster, the vibration is heard as a higher pitch, and a slower vibration as a lower pitch. Similar effects occur when we roll our “r”s for certain language varieties: at the tip of the tongue for the “rr” in Spanish or Scottish English, or at the uvula for the “r” in French.

Other physics properties are at play, as well. Contesting the glottis and vocal cords in their importance to spoken language is the tongue, the unsung hero of speech. The tongue plays a huge acoustic role in creating sounds, acting as the main restrictor of airflow for most consonants and vowels.

Almost every consonant is produced by your tongue — “s” as in “sip” is pronounced by the tip; “ng” as in “thing” is pronounced by the middle of your tongue, and so on.

by only allowing a very small opening between the tongue and the passive articulator, creating a turbulent stream of air using quite high frequencies that our ears most readily perceive. This is why these sounds stand out, especially when whispering, when we don’t voice any of our speech sounds.

Conversely, the “d” in “dock” or the “k” in “king” close the gap between the tongue and the stationary passive articulator entirely before suddenly opening it, resulting in a short and loud burst of air.

The tongue affects our vowels too. By moving the tongue up and down or forward and backward in the mouth, we can affect the shape of the oral cavity and create different acoustic properties that we hear as different vowels. The “ea” in “beat” has your tongue to the front whereas the “oo” in “boot” has it to the back, and the “a” in “cat” has it to the front but lower than either of these.

The physics of speech, especially fluid dynamics, are crucial to how language is articulated and are much more complicated than explained here. For further reading, explore topics such as phones and phonemes, phonology, speech articulators, and the International Phonetic Alphabet, or consider taking an introductory course to

Hassan Khan Varsity Contributor

Place your hand on your neck and say “zzz.” Feel the vibration? Now say “sss,” and you’ll notice none. Do note: this won’t work if you’re whispering. If you speak Standard Canadian English, which we will use for the duration of this article, these two sounds differ primarily by whether or not your vocal folds vibrate. The sounds accompanied by vibration are called “voiced.”

This isn’t the only pair of sounds that differ like this, either. The voiced “d” in “dock” and the voiceless “t” in “talk,” or the voiced “v” in “vowel” and the voiceless “f” in “foul” work similarly. Try it out!

In spoken languages, which are more common than signed languages, we send linguistic signals to each other through the air as sound waves. There are many minute acoustic and physical phenomena that we perceive as categorically different sounds.

Our vocal folds, or vocal cords, are found in our throats — specifically, in the larynx, or “voice box.” These are two flaps of skin with a vertical opening called the glottis. You can feel the glottis in action when you say “uh-oh”; most speakers will pronounce the break between “uh” and “oh” using the glottis.

In “uh-oh,” we only close and open the glottis once. When we vibrate our vocal folds while articulating a sound — like the vast majority of vowels or the “n” or the “s” in “nose” — the glottis opens and closes extremely quickly, producing between 85 and 255 vibrations per second during regular speech. This is called “voicing.”

Of course, it’s rather difficult to deliberately vibrate our vocal folds that quickly. Our fastest muscle twitches still take as long as approximately 50 milliseconds on average. Instead, voicing relies on a fundamental rule of fluid dynamics that you may be familiar with: Bernoulli’s principle.

Bernoulli’s principle states that faster moving fluids — like air — exert lower pressures than slower moving fluids. The airflow at the narrowest point of the vocal tract, the glottis, will be faster than at the rest of the vocal tract. If you push air through the glottis at a fast enough speed, the air pressure at the glottis becomes much lower than the surrounding air pressure.

This pressure differential — that is, the difference between these pressures — leads to a pressure-gradient force — where a force acts from a

higher-pressure area to a lower-pressure area, similarly to when you feel “sucked in” when a large truck passes you by. This pressuregradient force draws the vocal folds closed. When this happens, the air above the vocal folds comes into equilibrium with the surround ing air and pressure builds up behind the vocal folds until they are pushed open again, repeating the process. As you might imagine, this process oc curs over a miniscule timeframe, allowing for the rapid vibration characteristic of voicing.

cess is that voiced sounds are, as a rule, louder than unvoiced sounds. Above a certain volumetric flow rate — or speed at which air flows through the glottis — the effects of Bernoulli’s principle and the resultant pressure-gra dient forces are unavoid able, and the vol ume of a sound is dependent on a property called sound intensity.

rapid variations of air pressure between high and low pressure. The magnitude of the pressure dif ferential is called the pressure amplitude, and sound intensity, which we hear as loudness, is proportional to the square of the pressure amplitude. All that is to say, as the pressure differential increases, a sound sounds louder.

dent on two things: the volumetric flow rate of the air, because as the lungs push out more air, the air immediately above them is pushed to a greater pressure; and the point at which the airflow is restricted, causing points of lesser pressure in the stream of air.

The pressure differential is the difference between the greatest pressure and the least pressure in the stream of air. Unrestricted airflow doesn’t have a pressure differential within its current, which is why we don’t hear most breathing sounds. We only hear breathing if it’s either at a high enough

‘Bottling the Sun’: Nuclear fusion as the newest breakthrough in clean energy

Nuclear fusion promises a future of virtually limitless, clean, and carbon-free energy

Julia Kim Varsity Contributor

On December 5th, 2022, for the first time in nearly a century of controlled fusion research, scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory successfully generated a fusion reaction that produced more energy than that required to start the reaction. This process is called fusion ignition.

The net gain of more than 1.3 megajoules (MJ) of energy produced in the NIF reaction has excited physicists and fusion researchers worldwide, sparking debate to the prospects of virtually limitless and carbon-free power. If further developments are made, and various challenges overcome, it is thought that nuclear fusion technology could potentially diminish, if not end, human dependence on fossil fuels and other nonrenewable energy sources.

Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which the nuclei of two atoms are joined together under extraordinary temperatures and pressures. Such conditions, which are intense enough to simulate those of stars, are necessary for nuclei to overcome the electrostatic force repelling them, thus binding the two nuclei with strong nuclear force. The result is the formation of a single heavier nucleus and the release of energy.

In the NIF experiment, 192 energetic laser beams were fired at a capsule containing a mixture of two heavy isotopes of hydrogen: deuterium and tritium. As the beams heated the capsule to a few million degrees Celsius, the mixture became momentarily hotter and denser than the

Sun. Under such phenomenal conditions, the hydrogen nuclei were prompted to fuse together, thereby ejecting alpha particles and generating 3.15 MJ of energy.

Scientists regard the observed net gain in energy as a sustainable source insofar as the reagents used to generate it are found in the chemical structure of water and are thus virtually limitless and carbon-free. Additionally, the reaction produces no greenhouse gases or long-lived nuclear waste; in fact, its resulting alpha particles simply constitute an inert, non-toxic gas, with no known negative effects on the environment.

Nuclear fusion is not to be confused with its similar-sounding counterpart, nuclear fission. The latter is essentially the opposite, as it requires the splitting of a heavier atomic nucleus into two smaller fragments of roughly equal mass, resulting in the release of energy. All modern nuclear power plants generate heat and electricity by means of fission, often irradiating Uranium-235 (U-235) with neutrons, whereupon U-235 subdivides into more neutrons and into nuclei of smaller atomic numbers — such as barium and krypton.

Yet, unlike the reagents for fusion, U-235 is non-renewable and toxic, and its extraction from metal ores has deleterious effects on human health and the environment, albeit not as many as the effects from the consumption of fossil fuels for energy. Such a process also generates unstable radioactive nuclei, some of which persist for millions of years.

Notwithstanding its disadvantages, fission energy remains in widespread use in the modern world, as it is relatively easy to generate in sub-

stantial quantities, requiring only the absorption of neutrons in the atomic structure of unstable U-235 nuclei. Unlike fusion, no extraordinary highenergy conditions that simulate the Sun must be present in order to generate a net amount of usable power.

On the whole, nuclear fusion can be a cleaner and more sustainable energy source than the conventional sources that currently power our electric grid. However, various developmental, scientific and regulatory issues mean that years, if not decades, are likely necessary before nuclear

fusion energy can be brought to scale commercially.

As humanity is on a race against the clock to fight climate change, some scientists argue that more investment should be directed instead towards solar, wind, and hydropower, where significant research and advancements have already been made. Although wide-scale fusion energy still remains elusive, the science community has at least witnessed — for the first time in history — that the dream of a clean energy future is indeed possible for humanity.

JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

Everything Neuroscience Conference explores the future of neuropharmacology

How new technology

Ashiana Sunderji Varsity Contributor

The Neuroscience Association of Undergraduate Students (NAUS) hosted their 10th Annual Everything Neuroscience Conference on January 14. This year’s theme was neuropharmacology.

Almira Siddiqui, NAUS’ vice president of academic affairs, wrote in an email to The Varsity, “This event was NAUS’s first in-person conference since the COVID-19 pandemic, and I think its success just got the team more excited for future in-person events.”

The event started off with a talk from Patricia Diciano, an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and an Independent Scientist at The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). She spoke on cannabis and its tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, and how the potency relates to impairment during driving. It was shocking to learn that 23 per cent of people who used cannabis in 2022 admit to driving within two hours of use. She also expressed the need for more studies that examine cannabis with THC potencies currently available on the market.

Alzheimer’s disease and research surrounding it was the focus of the talk by Krista Lanctot, Sunnybrook’s director of neuropsychopharmacology and a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at U of T. Despite the fact that many participants receive placebos during clinical trials, Lanctot said that patients generally still show improvements due to the support and other care they receive besides drug administration.

John Oldenhof is executive vice president of scientific affairs at BioPharma Services. He talked about the shift from treating patients with developmental epileptic encephalopathy — epilepsies that are characterized by seizures and significant developmental delay — based on their genetics and not solely based on symp-

enabling innovation in medicine for the brain

toms. Through this shift, there have been developments of new animal and cellular models of the disease on which we can test new therapeutic approaches and identify the genetic and basic molecular causes. They have also seen a quicker time between a patient undergoing their first seizure and their diagnoses.

As a parent advocate for drug development

as well as their caregiver’s — lifestyle.

Following that, Ali Salahpour, the interim chair in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, spoke about the dopaminergic system and misfolded proteins. During the question and answer period, he shared his insights on the limitations surrounding preclinical animal models. When a large percentage of dopamine

the director of the Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder at CAMH, as well as a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology. Exploring the area of major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, Goldstein spoke on how individuals experiencing these issues are at an increased risk for heart disorders. He explained that individuals with bipolar disorder in particular have a particular phenotype that affects the function of arteries that increases their risk.

The next talk covered the comorbidity between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders. It was led by Dr. Ahmed Hassan, an addiction psychiatrist and clinician scientist at CAMH and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Hassan explained that this comorbidity can occur due to a number of reasons — including that individuals with PTSD could turn to substance use for self-medication or that individuals with substance use disorder may develop PTSD as a result. He emphasized the importance of biopsychosocial approaches when it comes to developing treatments as well as prevention plans.

Dr. Martin Beaulieu holds the Canada Research Chair in Molecular Psychiatry at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at U of T. He spoke about the connection between cellular mechanisms in drug response and genetics, and about the notion of allostatic load. He explained how there is an optimum level of stress that is most helpful for performance; however, being under or over this level of stress can either lead to low morale or burnout.

for his son’s monogenetic developmental epileptic encephalopathy, Oldenhof stressed the importance of an “inchstone” versus a milestone — celebrating small accomplishments on the patient’s journey. He used the example of someone who is non-verbal acquiring the capability to speak ten words, and the positive impact that this development could have on the patient’s —

transporters are knocked out in mice, those mice tend to continue normally with no major deficiencies. Humans, on the other hand, will undergo deficiencies in their motor skills if dopamine transporters are knocked out. This is an important consideration to make when applying research done on mouse models to humans.

Benjamin Goldstein is a clinical scientist and

It was incredible to learn about all of the emerging discoveries in the field of neuropharmacology, as well as gain insights from the researchers that can be applicable to a variety of fields. It is highly recommended that you attend conferences at The University of Toronto, especially since they are now in-person, for a great opportunity to further your learning, network with professionals, and meet your peers!

is

The NAUS conference explores research on neuropharamcological disorders. COURTESY OF NEUROSCIENCE ASSOCIATION FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

January 23, 2023

thevarsity.ca/section/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

Anthony White just got his shot

Mekhi Quarshie Sports Editor

Anthony White burst through the turnstiles at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport sporting a blue tank top with the word “SOCCER” embroidered at the front, matching shorts, adidas cleats, a soccer ball in hand, and a smile that seemed to warm up the -4 degrees Celsius Friday afternoon. He was dressed for his photoshoot and interview with The Varsity

“I guess we can’t take photos outside,” he shrugged. The winter weather and snow made the six-feet-two-inches tall dude in full soccer gear stand out like a sore thumb as we walked from Goldring over to the Varsity Bubble. Before he was modelling the blue tank top, White made headlines last December, when he was drafted by Vancouver FC (VFC) as the first overall selection of the 2023 CPL-U SPORTS draft. He’s the first player in Varsity Blues history to be picked first overall in the CPL-U SPORTS draft, and the second Blue to ever be drafted to the Canadian Premiere League (CPL). White had a Zoom meeting with VFC before the draft. He learned after the draft that, as soon as the Zoom meeting ended, one of VFC’s scouts said to the team, “We’re going to take him.”

While the draft is monumental both for White and the Blues community, it’s the culmination of 19 years of hard work for White. Through out the years of 2016–2019, the defender was invited to two training sessions with GNK Dinamo Zagreb, a training session with FC

and Russell Stewart — a defender for the Blues soccer team; before they tangoed together on the Varsity Stadium pitch, the two met by sheer coincidence in Madrid, Spain in 2019, as they were two of the 16 Canadians selected for Generation Adidas — a professional overseas soccer development program, and yet another one of White’s impressive resume accolades.

The event featured high-level coaches, players, and scouts. The kids were treated to the things of any young soccer player’s wildest fantasy — free meals, nutritionists, psychologists, and pristine grass fields. “Just walking through the facilities we saw famous players like Roberto Carlos… It was a great experience,” White said.

After taking the photos, we walked back to The Varsity’s office, White said he got a text from one of the coaches at VFC, with great excitement. It’s kind of crazy to see how much the defender’s life has changed in the past month, which is even more dramatic when you think about where he came from.

While watching White’s YouTube highlight tape

pressuring him.” The chemistry between the two is palpable, and it’s not hard to see the impact that White has had on this Varsity Blues soccer team. The head coach of the team, Ilya Orlov, had similar praises for White.

“Very rarely, if ever, have I seen him get exposed from behind,” Orlov said, lauding the defender’s positioning on and off the ball. “There’s no real secret of being a great football player; you just have to understand how the team plays, make good decisions, and then try to execute the decisions. He does those [things] above the U SPORTS standard, that’s why he got the chance.”

White didn’t become the great football player that Orlov describes all by himself; he also had a great environment for his development, and it all tracks back to when he started playing soccer at four years old in Port Moody, BC.

As we sat in the news room at The Varsity’s office, White — now properly dressed for the day in pants, a long sleeve ‘iron paradise’ shirt, and a jacket — told me about his childhood. His parents, Chris White and Sandra Brunac-White,

site has a section where their players answer a bunch of quirky questions so fans can get to know them. Anthony’s answer to the question “Most influential person to you” was “Brother.” It’s obvious he holds his brother in very high regard, and judging from their Instagram posts, the brotherly love is mutual.

The second-year kinesiology major will be heading back to Vancouver soon, and he hopes to take his studies with him. He’s currently petitioning the university to get online approval to write his midterms and finals in Vancouver while he trains with the club.

White is going on trial with VFC in February, with hopes to sign a developmental contract — which would allow him to play with VFC from February 10 to August 15 — and then return to the Blues for the U SPORTS season. His performance in the first few practices in Vancouver will determine whether he gets the developmental contract or not.

With a sudden realisation I asked White, “A lot of people think that once you get drafted, to any league, that’s it, you’re set… but it’s not like that. You have to keep fighting don’t you?”

White looked out the window of The Varsity’s office, took a deep breath, and said, “It truly is just the beginning, and I know that, and that’s why I’m working hard still.”

While getting drafted is first and foremost a celebration, it also marks the beginning of a continuous journey of having to prove yourself, day in and day out. What’s impressive, however, is White’s steely resolve in spite of the challenges ahead of him. This “composure” that White has — which his teammate Stewart commended and his coach Orlov praised — doesn’t leave him when he steps off of the pitch. It clings on to him, it’s a part of him. Whether there’s a striker running towards him at the speed of light, or his lofty career goals towering over him, White doesn’t freeze; he assesses the situation and he delivers.

While the trajectory of White’s soccer career is up in the air for now, his composure will keep him grounded. When this composure is coupled with the support of his wonderful family, the Varsity Blues community, and his friends, it’s hard to imagine a future for White that isn’t incredibly bright.

The second-year KPE student was drafted first overall in the CPL U-Sports draft by Vancouver FC

The future of hockey starts with Connor Bedard

At just 17 years old, the North Vancouver native is a once-in-a-generation talent

Lucas Carpignano Varsity Contributor

If you follow hockey, chances are you’re familiar with Connor Bedard, the 17-year-old Canadian hockey phenom who plays as a forward for the Regina Pats. Bedard is coming off a dominant performance at this year’s World Juniors leading Canada to their second consecutive gold medal. Fans were not surprised when he was named tournament MVP after scoring a whopping 23 points in seven games, shattering multiple Canadian World Junior records.

Bedard currently plays for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League and is improving every single day. In his first full season with the Pats, Bedard recorded exactly 100 points in just 62 games. This season with the Pats he currently has 81 points in half the games and is on pace to finish with over 140 points. It seems that in every other game, he is recording a hat trick with jaw-dropping goals. His performance this season is making it obvious that he will likely go first overall in the NHL draft. The hype around Bedard is the highest we have seen since Connor McDavid a few years back, but how do Bedard’s junior stats compare to other Canadian greats?

Is there a better player to compare Bedard to than The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky?

Gretzky only played one full season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), which was then known as the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, back in

the 1977–1978 season. In that season though, Gretzky recorded 182 points in only 64 games. So, Bedard has a lot of catching up to do if he wants to come close to Gretzky’s numbers. One thing that Bedard can say he has that Gretzky doesn’t is two World Junior gold medals. Gretzky only played in one World Junior tournament back in 1978, at the age of 16, but Canada failed to capture the gold, settling for a bronze medal.

A closer comparison to Bedard would be Connor McDavid. In McDavid’s first year, he recorded 66 points in 63 games. In his second season, he recorded 99 points in 56 games, and in his final season, he recorded 120 points in 47 games. All of these numbers are pretty similar to Bedard’s. Both have participated in two world junior championships, but McDavid only has one gold medal compared to Bedard’s two.

The big question that all hockey fans are asking is where Bedard will end up playing next season. While teams like the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights are racing to the top of the standings, teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, and Columbus Blue Jackets are racing toward the bottom. All these teams hope to come last to win the best odds at landing a generational player that would immediately help the team. In my opinion, there are only two teams I would like to see Bedard on: the Montreal Canadiens or Anaheim Ducks.

Although I am a Leafs fan, I’m not going to lie and say Montreal won’t be a scary team in the next few years. With an already insane young core consisting of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, and Juraj Slafkovský just to name a few, Bedard would be the cherry on top. The Canadians currently hold their own first-round pick plus the Florida Panthers’, who is also out of a playoff spot, giving them even higher odds of winning the draft lottery.

The Anaheim Ducks are the team I need Bedard to go to. This is mainly because I would love to see a line consisting of Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras, and Bedard. This line may become the most entertaining and explosive line to watch in hockey history if all three of these players live up to their hype.

Although we are only a couple of months away from the NHL draft, for Bedard and all hockey fans, it can not come sooner. Bedard and his fans both know he is ready to start dominating the NHL.

The magic of quidditch at the University of Toronto

In conversation with U of T’s quidditch team co-captain

Hargun Kaur Rekhi Associate Sports Editor

The publication of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997 introduced the world to the sport of quidditch. A captivating narrative about flying wizards, magical brooms, and intense athletic strategies roped in readers for generations. The sport-inspired fantasies of flying and friendships strengthened through heated training sessions. But what if I told you that a club at the University of Toronto is bringing this imaginary sport to life?

Quidditch, no longer confined to the pages

of a book, is a competitive sport across Canadian universities organized by Quidditch Canada. The Varsity interviewed Gabriel Kwok, the co-captain of U of T’s quidditch team, the Centaurs, to discuss how us ‘muggles’ play quidditch.

Quidditch can be complicated, but it becomes easier over time. The sport is a combination of rugby, handball, dodgeball, and basketball. To be in play, players are required to carry a PVC pipe, which is considered the broom, between their legs. Each team has three hoops designated for scoring. Players have specific positions, which include the chaser, keeper, beater, and seeker.

Chasers and keepers work together to score by throwing a volleyball into the opposing team’s hoops. Keepers receive a privileged row in the keeper zone. The beaters are tasked with using a dodgeball to knock out players on the other team. These dodgeballs are called bludgers. The last position of seeker comes into play 20 minutes after the game begins. Their task is to catch the snitch, which is a small ball carried by a designated referee wearing snitch shorts.

Running around on the pitch while dodging, catching, and throwing balls seems exhilarating. Flying may not be possible in our world, but compensating with energy, strategy, and

a welcoming community sounds just about perfect.

However, due to recent controversies concerning JK Rowling, the North-America-based Major League Quidditch (MLQ) decided to rebrand the sport. According to an MLQ report published in July 2022 in collaboration with US Quidditch, the sport will now be called “quadball.” The International Quidditch Association also accepted this decision.

Gabriel explained that the name change provides an “opportunity to open up to sponsorships.” Over time, he expects the team to transition “out of the Harry Potter” and become a more “sports-oriented club.”

So how do you join the team? First off, there aren’t any requirements for players to have prior experience, due to the fact that quidditch isn’t a common sport. The team encourages inclusivity in opportunities, as Gabriel explained: “If you come to practice, we will let you into the roster” — a policy that exists to reward players who invest time into the team. The quidditch season primarily takes place over the fall semester. This year, the players participated in three tournaments at Western University — Quidditch eastern divisionals and central divisionals. Over time, the performance of the athletes has improved, with the Centaurs winning more and more matches.

Although participating in nationals will not be possible this year, since the date coincides with exam season during the winter term at U of T, Gabriel hopes for a brighter prospect for next year: “Next year, nationals will be in March so there’s… a higher chance for us to attend the tournament.”

Even though the U of T quidditch team might not attend nationals, individual players still have the opportunity to compete.

For any new players looking to join, Gabriel tells them, “Just do it… Do not be afraid of people thinking you are bad because you are learning.” He emphasized that “as long as you are good at receiving feedback” and “willing to learn,” it is likely you will get better.

Regardless of whether the sport is called quidditch or quadball, it’s an interesting new game with lots of exciting developments on the horizon.

A keeper eyes down the opposing hoop with hopes to score. COURTESY OF JOSEPH VERSCHUUREN

COURTESY OF KAISER MATIAS/CC WIKIMEDIA; JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

Blues pick up an important two points with overtime win against Waterloo

Yan’s two goals, including overtime winner, propelled Blues to a win over Warriors

Cole Hayes Varsity Contributor

The U of T Varsity Blues men’s hockey team defeated the Waterloo Warriors 3–2 in overtime at Varsity Arena on January 21. The Blues picked up a crucial two points and are now in fifth place in the Ontario University Athletics West.

What happened

It was a disastrous start for the Blues. They took a hooking penalty 28 seconds into the game and the first shot of the game went past goalie Jett Alexander to give Waterloo an early 1–0 lead. The Blues had trouble gaining momentum in the first period; they took four penalties and had to kill off two five-on-three penalties.

Defenceman Ryan Barbosa was the hero for U of T in the first period. He put his body on the line and blocked four Waterloo shots on the five on three. Barbosa said that his mindset

here was knowing his role on the penalty kill.

“Five on three, the first thing you’re thinking about is just trying to get in front of a puck so Jett can do his job,” Barbosa told The Varsity

While the penalty kill got the Blues some momentum, acting Head Coach Andrew Dovery said that the message at first intermission was to stay out of the penalty box.

The Blues were a different team in the second period. They came out flying, generating tons of chances early and tied the game at one when Cole Purboo danced around Waterloo goaltender Dan Murphy. The Blues weren’t done, however, because Eddie Yan scored late in the second period to give the Blues a 2–1 lead. The Warriors scored a late goal in the second on the powerplay and the score was knotted at two after two.

Despite the Blues generating a few scoring chances in the third period — including one where Connor Matton was robbed by Murphy on a two on one — the score remained 2–2 and the game went to overtime.

In overtime, Yan picked up a loose puck in front of the net, beating Murphy for his second goal of the afternoon, and more importantly securing a big two points for the Blues.

“He was excellent. Truthfully, he’s been a little quieter than what we’d have liked, but he rose to the occasion tonight,” Dovery said about Yan’s performance. “I thought he was moving his feet all night and on top of that he came up with a big goal at the end. We challenged him this week to elevate [his game] and he certainly did that tonight.”

What’s next

Varsity Blues outworked by Gee-Gees, fall 87–68

Despite strong start, the Blues allowed Gee-Gees to run away in second half

Mac Bell Varsity Contributor

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s basketball team came into their game Saturday night sitting in first place in the Central Division, looking for a statement win against the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who were second in the East.

What happened

The Blues got off to a hot start, led by guard Iñaki Alvarez and forward Lennart Weber. They led 12–5 halfway through the opening quarter, but the Gee-Gees shaved that lead down to two by the end of the quarter. Both teams started the second quarter slow as the early hot shooting for the Blues began to cool down.

Gee-Gees took control in the second quarter when Cole Newton’s three pointer sparked an 8–0 run. As missed three pointers started to stack up for the Blues, their offense grinded

to a halt and the team, looking for a spark, called timeout with two minutes left in the half. That spark came via a steal and big dunk from Lennart Weber, which brought the Blues’ fans back into the game. The Gee-Gees held the halftime lead 35–32, but only three points separated the teams.

The Gee-Gees came out of the gates hot in the second half, with Kevin Otoo leading the team to a 10-point lead halfway through the third. The Blues’ defense, which had been solid in the first half, showed cracks in the third quarter, allowing the Gee-Gees to get to the rim with ease. By the end of the third quarter, the GeeGees led by 12.

The Blues continued to struggle from the field in the fourth, especially from the three-point line, ending the game four out of 24 from long range. The Gee-Gees continued to build their lead, and when the Blues called timeout with four minutes remaining, they were down by 14, and the game was all but over. The final score saw the GeeGees win 87–68 in what was a tale of two halves.

Blues star forward, Callum Baker, felt that the Blues didn’t play with enough grit on Saturday night. Postgame, in an interview with The Varsity , he said, “We got out toughed, and we weren’t as physical.” That lack of physicality allowed the Gee-Gees to get to the rim with ease throughout the second half. Baker mentioned moments of good execution of offense and defense, but said, “We just have to keep that up for 40 minutes, to be the number one team in the country and achieve the goals we want.”

Weber led the team with 16 points and had a good defensive performance with three steals and one block.

What’s next

The Blues will look to turn things around on January 27 against Western University at home in the Kimel Family Field House.

Blues’ forward Lennart Weber gets ready to knock down a three-point shot.

Women’s Basketball team trounced by the Gee-Gees

In a blowout game against the Gee-Gees, the Blues forged on despite challenges

Hargun Kaur Rekhi Associate Sports Editor

On Saturday, January 21, the Varsity Blues women’s basketball team lost to the Ottawa Gee-Gees. This was the team’s first match against the University of Ottawa this year. Although it was a decisive win in favour of the opposing team, with a final score of 89–35, the Blues displayed resilience in a game predicted to be challenging.

The women’s basketball team has not won a match against the Gee-Gees since 2018, with seven consecutive losses.

What happened

In the first quarter, the Gee-Gees’ Brigitte Lefebvre scored a swift layup while Melina De Iulio continued the team’s streak with a three pointer. They quickly established the lead that would soon become the norm for the entirety of the game. As the gap in the first quarter increased, the Blues called for a time out. Unfortunately, the final score was 7–28 when the quarter concluded.

The second quarter started strong with the

Blues’ number 11, Thuraya Abdul Hamid scoring for the team. However, the momentum fell through as the Gee-Gees’ players continued to score in a relentless barrage, while the Blues barely hung on. In a game littered with close calls and near misses, Varsity Blues players Sa-

brina Nero, Jada Poon Tip, and Hamid were the only ones on the scoreboard with three minutes left in the second quarter. There was a quick reversal in the tide, as a three pointer by Lauren Boers was accompanied by a steal and a layup by Nero. This raised the Blues’ score to 17–51.

After an excruciating beginning, U of T started to pick up the pace in the third quarter, making quick headway using a combination of layups and free throws in the first three minutes. Regardless of the team’s rising strength, all of their points were matched by the GeeGees players’ dominance in the paint offensively, and the Blues struggled to catch up.

The fourth quarter brought more trials and tribulations for the Blues athletes. U of T was given seven fouls, more than in any previous quarter, with the Blues’ Kaylee Williams suffering an injury toward the end. The team tried to make up for the large gap through strong defensive playing. Although largely unsuccessful, it was a commendable effort in a difficult game. The match ended with a score of 35 for the Blues and 89 for the Gee-Gees.

What’s next

The women’s basketball team returns to action against Western Mustangs on January 27 at the Varsity Arena. At their last matchup in 2020, the Mustangs took the win, but perhaps the coming game will offer the Varsity Blues a chance at redemption.

After Saturday’s big win, the Blues will look to build off the momentum they got from the win next weekend with games against Brock and Toronto Metropolitan University. With playoffs quickly approaching, each performance is key.

The Blues skate off the ice after a grueling overtime grind.

COLE HAYES/THEVARSITY

MEKHI QUARSHIE/THEVARSITY

Blues guard Soraya Jovin wrestles her way to the basket. MAC BELL/THEVARSITY

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