February 1st, 2021

February 1, 2021

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

Vol. CXLI, No. 16

The parties rage on.

So how are U of T residences enforcing COVID-19 protocols?

U of T community expresses support for Professor David Fisman as Ford government accuses conflict of interest Fisman’s roles as COVID-19 advisor to Ontario, consultant for ETFO already public

Lauren Alexander Deputy News Editor

U of T community members and the scientific and medical communities have expressed support for David Fisman, a prominent professor of epidemiology at U of T’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH), after he was criticized by the Toronto Sun and the Ford government for not disclosing a potential conflict of interest that was already public information.

The criticism revolves around the fact that Fisman has worked as a consultant for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) while serving on the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, which advises the provincial government.

Fisman has been an influential voice in the U of T community during the pandemic, criticizing certain aspects of the government’s COVID-19 plan and supporting safe reopenings of schools under certain conditions. He has been critical of U of T’s reopening plans, drawing attention to potentially unsafe conditions.

Timelines An article from the Toronto Sun on Wednesday pointed out a potential conflict of interest with his position on the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, which is housed at the DLSPH and includes a number of U of T-affiliated professors, with the goal of providing scientific insights and advice to the provincial government to guide its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The article claims that Fisman did not originally disclose a relationship with the ETFO, a teachers’ union in Ontario.

The ETFO hired David Fisman is a professor of epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at U of T. NICK IWANYSHYN

Fisman as a paid consultant on an advisory panel to give expert testimony in a dispute between the four major education unions in Ontario, including the ETFO, and the Ontario Labour Relations board, who were challenging the province’s plan to reopen in the fall. In this role, he submitted an affidavit to the union that criticized the province’s plan to reopen schools as unsafe and not sufficient to curb the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

In a statement released on Twitter on January 26, ETFO President Sam Hammond wrote that the provincial government was “certainly aware of the experts with whom [it was] working,” and questioned why Fisman’s involvement was now seen as a conflict of interest when it was not previously.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford then echoed the Toronto Sun’s criticism of Fisman in a press release, calling the potential conflict of interest “deeply concerning” and asserting that Fisman should have disclosed his work with the ETFO when he was appointed.

However, his involvement with the ETFO has always been public information. Fisman also claimed that the work was originally done with no intention of payment but that representatives for the union insisted. Some have also suggested that the criticisms may be part of a larger effort by the Ontario government to silence infectious disease experts who are critical of its pandemic response.

In a series of tweets from January 29, Fisman responded to the allegations, writing that Ford “insinuated” that he had a conflict of interest, “which I don’t.”

He expressed thanks for the outpouring of support but called the allegations a “distraction” from the increasingly dire pandemic situation, adding, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Following criticisms from the provincial government, Fisman’s declaration of interest form, avail-

able publicly on the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table’s website, has been updated as of January 26 to include his involvement with the ETFO. Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table Rob Steiner, an assistant professor at DLSPH, responded to questions as a representative for the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table in an email to The Varsity. According to Steiner, Fisman offered his resignation to the table, though the table did not accept it.

“Because Science Table members serve as a [sic] volunteers, and because they are independent, we understand that they will also continue to engage in the range of work… Professor Fisman and other academics on the Science table are free to speak on the disciplines they research,” wrote Steiner.

Steiner continued, “Community work is a critical part of public health practice and enriches academic knowledge. So, many scientists have potential conflicts of interest that do not disqualify them from participating at the table.

We do, however, expect everyone to declare those interests transparently in a way that is standard for science.”

When the table was established at the start of the pandemic, universities in Ontario were asked to nominate potential candidates, who were then selected based on their experience and area of expertise. The table has continued to appoint additional members based on its need for guidance in specific areas.

Steiner explained the process of appointing table members, which is carried out by the cochairs Professor Adalsteinn Brown and Professor Brian Schwartz, who consult with the scientific director and the assistant scientific director. This group invites and appoints table members.

According to Steiner, the group does not look into potential conflicts of interest beyond the declaration of interest form that applicants are asked to fill out, which they were going to be asked to update every six months. The group is in the process of asking members to update these forms and will now ask them for updates every three months.

His relationship with the ETFO is now listed as a conflict of interest disclosure in his declaration of interest statement, where it was not previously.

Cont'd, p. 4

Read on p. 10.

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Majority of summer 2021 courses will likely be held in an online format

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Original timetable planned for significant in-person courses Jessica Han Varsity Staff

The University of Toronto is expected to deliver courses mostly online this summer, which is the same format as the fall 2020 and winter 2021 semesters.

These expectations stem from the current public health guidelines in Toronto. In an email to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson wrote that “based on current public health restrictions, we expect summer 2021 to look much like winter 2021. Toronto continues to experience public health restrictions that limit non-essential travel outside the home.”

However, in a preliminary timetable released in mid-January that has now been removed from its website, the Faculty of Arts & Science (FAS) planned to have many in-person options for courses, with some courses listed as having an “in-person requirement.” Some departments seem to have planned for a complete return to in-person learning, as every physics course was listed as having an in-person requirement in the preliminary timetable. Of all the classes that had a course delivery method specified, 129 had an in-person option or requirement.

Despite the fact that the faculty appears to have originally planned to have in-person options, according to a U of T spokesperson, the finalized summer timetable released by the FAS will indicate that most of the undergraduate courses will continue to be offered only online.

FAS preliminary summer timetable still under construction According to a spokesperson from the FAS, the dean’s office has been working on completing the

preliminary summer timetable and course information with the faculties and departments, which will be available to students as soon as possible.

According to the spokesperson, the purpose of the preliminary timetable is to function as a tool to assist academic instructors and faculties in making decisions on courses and their formats based on previous years. The timetable also aids students in their course planning.

In an email to The Varsity, the FAS spokesperson explained the ongoing development of the 2021 summer timetable. “As we did in the fall, the Dean’s Office is reviewing courses with departments, including method of delivery. A small number of departments have identified some courses for in-person delivery.”

They elaborated that the courses delivered in person would be those where virtual learning could not achieve the desired learning objectives that attending in person could, such as courses with a laboratory component. The spokesperson described that “these courses will be carefully managed according to public health guidelines for essential instruction to prioritize and maximize student and faculty safety.”

As the start of the summer session is months away, the modes of delivery of courses are subject to change, the FAS noted.

Responses from U of T unions Regarding course delivery in summer 2021, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3902, a labour union representing contract academic workers, and the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA), an advocacy group for faculty and librarians at U of T, wrote in an email to The Varsity that to move courses back in

U of T’s summer semester will likely look similar to the fall and winter ones.

STEVEN LEE/THEVARSITY

person, it must be safe for students, instructors, and the whole university community.

“We do not advocate for the large-scale resumption of in-person teaching and learning until we can be sure it is safe enough to do so,” wrote Terezia Zorić, President of the UTFA. Zorić wrote that the decision to resume in-person education must be based on the best scientific evidence to ensure the complete safety of everyone.

In particular, CUPE 3902 and its coalition partners were against in-person teaching for the fall semester last summer, with an exception for those unable to carry out their work remotely. For the union to make its decision about in-person instruction for future semesters, Amy Conwell, Chair of CUPE 3902, wrote, “We would want to be sure that the Union(s) had all of the information required to support or not support a move back to in-class teaching.”

Nevertheless, U of T remains “hopeful” to have more activities in person for the coming fall semester, depending on the rollout of vaccines and whether the number of COVID-19 cases decreases.

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Tuition town halls highlight high fees for students in formerly deregulated programs

Maya Morriswala deputysce@thevarsity.ca Deputy Senior Copy Editor Lauren Alexander deputynews@thevarsity.ca Deputy News Editor Hafsa Ahmed utm@thevarsity.ca UTM Bureau Chief Alexa DiFrancesco utsc@thevarsity.ca UTSC Bureau Chief Isabel Armiento grad@thevarsity.ca Graduate Bureau Chief Padmaja Rengamannar Public Editor Talha Anwar Chaudhry, Sarah Kronenfeld, Nawa Tahir Associate Senior Copy Editors Marta Anielska, Khatchig Anteblian Associate News Editors Mélyna Lévesque Shernise Mohammed-Ali, Associate Comment Editors Joshua Chong, Jadine Ngan Associate Features Editors Elena Fouldis Mikaela Toone Associate A&C Editors Aanya Bahl, Valeria Khudiakova Associate Science Editors

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Students in CS, bioinformatics pay PhotoCap. 87 per cent more for the same FAS degree

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Joy Chan Varsity Contributor

Four student unions — the Arts and Science Students’ Union, the University of Toronto Students’ Union, the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Student Union, and the Computer Science Student Union — came together this week to host three virtual U of T tuition consultation town halls on January 25–27.

creased revenue by $239 million.

In emails to The Varsity, spokespersons for the university have noted that a tuition reduction would require a change to government funding, which has made up a smaller share of U of T’s funding in recent years due to provincial budget cuts. They also noted that many factors are taken into account when tuition levels are set, and much of the program tuition goes directly to funding program staff and student services.

Purpose of the town halls The town halls functioned as a way to collect student feedback on rising tuition, especially for formerly deregulated programs such as computer science, bioinformatics and computational biology, and data science, which pay 87 per cent more in tuition than other programs within the Faculty of Arts & Science (FAS). The four unions sought input having already met with the university and launched a petition and survey on the matter.

Organizers of the event argue that the proposal to either significantly reduce program fees paired with a tuition freeze or to consolidate program fees across all FAS programs is financially feasible for the university. The university currently functions with a $2.9 billion budget, spends approximately $300 million on financial aid, and just last year in-

The impact on students Recent reporting by The Varsity has also shown that many find the financial aid available for students through U of T to be insufficient for their financial needs.

Unequal program fees can function as an additional barrier of entry for students who are in positions of financial need. As a result, students from lower-income backgrounds will be more inclined to pursue less expensive programs while students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds will be more free to prioritize factors other than money when deciding on their programs.

One student at the town hall shared that as the sole financier of their education and someone who depends on the Ontario Student Assistance Program, the burden of paying program fees is twofold.

This student shared that they are having to maximize their course load during the school year to graduate as quickly as possible, as well as the summer to keep up with fees and also having to work several jobs — which are often unrelated to their program — fulltime in the summer and part-time during the school year in order to pay for their program.

Some said that the financial concerns brought on by their programs fees, as well as taking on extra work, have exacerbated mental health problems.

One student shared that the pressure to perform well in class and graduate quickly to minimize the financial burden added to their anxiety and poses a large burden to their personal mental health. This student explained that they didn’t pass an important prerequisite course, which led them to experience anxiety and depression over the concern that they were taking longer than they should have to complete their program.

One first-year student also shared that as an international student who already pays higher tuition, they were unaware that the CS program was more expensive until after choosing their courses, and thus does not know whether or not to continue in CS. Students who shared their experiences have remained unnamed due to the private nature of the event.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021

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Social work graduate students finding difficulty with online placements

Unique experience of in-person situations preferred Isabel Armiento Graduate Bureau Chief

Over 120 graduate students at U of T’s FactorInwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) are completing their practicums remotely during the winter semester this year due to COVID-19. According to Eileen McKee, Assistant Dean Field Education, of the 405 social work students completing practicums this semester, over 30 per cent chose doing remote practicums and another nearly 40 per cent are doing a mixture of remote and inperson work. Students were able to choose between in-person and remote placements.

Because the nature of social work normally involves interacting with people in person, it has been more difficult for students to have the same experiences they would have had in person while operating remotely. Social workers normally interact with people in a variety of environments, often working with families or people in precarious situations.

McKee wrote in an email to The Varsity that many students’ practicums are remote “out of necessity,” as “many social workers have shifted to remote care delivery where possible to ensure [their] safety and the safety of their clients.”

“Our students are understandably disappointed that the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced opportunities for in-person practicums,” McKee added.

The in-person experience of social work Nalian Youmer and Susanna Damiani di Vergada, the co-presidents of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work Graduate Student Association (FIFSW GSA), wrote in an email to The Varsity that most students chose to have in-person practicums.

The FIFSW GSA conducted a survey in April to assess students’ plans for the upcoming year.

“Students expressed that they really wanted an inperson practicum or at the very least, the option for students to do in-person,” wrote Youmer and Damiani di Vergada.

“As the cases increased dramatically in November, some supervisors asked students to do work remotely,” they added, stressing that for social work students, this may feel like a missed opportunity.

“What we have heard from students is there is a sense that… we’re missing out on the in-person experience,” wrote Youmer and Damiani di Vergada.

“There is a different bond that can be made when the person is in the room with you and more able to build rapport.” They add that another drawback is “not having the opportunity to engage or meet with other professionals in the placement.”

“It’s important not to trivialize the importance of in-person education and [practicums] in social work, as there are different nuances at play that are missed virtually,” Youmer and Damiani di Vergada wrote.

A student’s perspective on in-person versus virtual care Emily Chan, who is in her second year of the Master of Social Work program, is completing her practicum in person at the Hospital for Sick Children, where she provides support and counselling to youth who have hearing impairments. Though Chan goes into work, about half her clients opt for online appointments, so she gets to practise both in-person and virtual care.

Chan noted that virtual care can be challenging, especially for many of her clients with hearing impairments. “It can be difficult for them to communicate over a virtual platform, given sound difficulties [or] a lag in video,” she said in an interview with The Varsity. Chan added that the ability to read facial expressions more easily in person greatly aids communication with her clients.

Chan, who is disabled, said that the decision to take on an in-person placement has been difficult.

“I feel kind of hesitant… to go into work… given the number of [COVID-19] cases and everything,” she said. “But I struggle a lot because I want to get the most out of my learning.”

“Do I go into work and potentially risk my health for the sake of my learning?” she said. “Or do I scale back and advocate to do more work from home, but at the risk of not learning as much through direct client interactions?” Chan added that when she briefly worked remotely, her tasks were mainly administrative, and she wasn’t able to conduct counselling sessions with clients.

Chan said that since many of her peers were

Social work students could do remote placements to fulfill requirements this year.

CARINA CONCEICAO/THEVARSITY

placed in remote practicums, she feels like she should take advantage of the opportunity to work in person. “I’m really blessed and lucky to be able to have an in-person practicum.”

The future of social work Though many students are disappointed with remote practicums, McKee believes students will benefit from receiving this training in virtual care.

“This will prepare them well for the future because even after the restrictions made necessary by the pandemic cease, remote social work will remain part of social work practice in some form,” she wrote.

McKee went on to list some of the advantages of remote care. “Parents don’t have to find childcare to speak to a counsellor. Young adults don’t have to find someone to drive them to their appointment.

The cost and time commitment of commuting is no longer there. It also allows for more flexibility to meet during the day,” she wrote. “These are some of the advantages that people aren’t likely to want to totally give up in the future.”

Chan agreed with McKee’s assessment of the fu-

ture of social work. “I think a lot of clients are seeing the benefits of virtual care,” she said. “It makes things a lot more accessible for a lot more clients, especially those who live far away.” She added that for many clients, conducting a therapy session at home helps them feel relaxed, “as opposed to coming into an office which can be triggering or anxiety provoking.”

Youmer and Damiani di Vergada have also noticed some benefits of virtual care. “It is easier to provide interprofessional care, by having conference calls or video calls where multiple professionals can talk with the client,” they wrote.

They continued, “We’re understanding that virtual care may be a reality for a while longer, so we hope that having had these experiences will be an asset when students will begin searching for jobs in the field.”

McKee rejects the notion that social work is necessarily best done in person. “The pandemic has revealed a number of benefits to remote care that we will want to continue to focus on in the future,” she wrote. “Social work is inherently social, but it still occurs with the help of technology.”

Frozen student fees, AGM quorum motions carried at SCSU’s January BOD meeting Discussion included anti-Semitism training, income statements

Alexa DiFrancesco UTSC Bureau Chief

During the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting on January 23, members voted on motions involving student fees, and Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Winter General Meeting (WGM) quorum. The board also talked about providing anti-Semitism training to executives following suggestions from members of Jewish Student Life.

The board also discussed finances. The SCSU’s December 2020 income statement reported that the SCSU made $192,902.63 in revenue and spent $234,757.45, making the group’s net loss $41,854.82.

The SCSU’s largest expense was $127,500 for subsidiaries, which are companies held under the SCSU, including Rex’s Den. Student society fee adjustments and quorum One of the first motions that the board passed at the meeting was ensuring that all SCSU society and Student Centre fees remain unaltered for the 2021–2022 academic year to ease the financial burden for students. UTSC could have increased its fees, which have been approved to increase every year in accordance with the cost of living, but it voted not to. The cost of living is defined by the Consumer Price Index.

The current student society fees are $27.98 per session for full-time students and $1.73 per session for part-time students. Student Centre fees are $41.68 per session for full-time students and $12.48 for parttime students.

The SCSU held its January board meeting on January 23.

MICHAEL PHOON/THEVARSITY

In the January BOD meeting package, the SCSU cited COVID-19 as being an influencing factor in the decision to leave fees unchanged, writing that the pandemic “has exacerbated the financial burden UTSC students face.”

By passing the motion, board members also voted to continue the World University Students of Canada program fee. “We use that fee to support refugee students with any financial [insecurity] that they have,” SCSU President Sarah Mohamed explained when motivating the motion.

Finally, board members approved the AGM and

WGM Quorum Act, which proposed that every director of the SCSU collect 25 proxies for the AGM and WGM. The BOD package described that, “[in] the past, the Union has dealt with situations were [sic] general meetings could not be conducted due to the lack of quorum.”

Anti-Semitism training During the meeting, Kanitha Uthayakumar, SCSU Vice-President Equity, proposed providing antiSemitism training to all SCSU board members.

Uthayakumar said that the idea was originally brought to her attention by members of Jewish Student Life at UTSC. “[The SCSU is] going to be in contact with folks from Jewish Student Life and provide possibly a motion for the February board meeting,” Uthayakumar said.

The SCSU voted to reaffirm its commitment to the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) movement at its AGM in November. The BDS movement aims to pressure Israel into changing its policies toward Palestine through boycott, divestment, and sanctions.

Critics of the movement characterize BDS as antiSemitic, while proponents distinguish their criticism of the Israeli government from discrimination against Jewish people.

The motion was met with resistance from the copresidents of Jewish Student Life at UTSC, who claimed at the meeting that the motion to reaffirm commitment to BDS was “silencing the voices of another group and blatantly ignoring critical facts and context.”

In a statement to The Varsity, Jewish Student Life at UTSC Co-President Yardena Rosenblum wrote: “It is evident to those who have experienced antisemitism on campus that the SCSU is not adequately meeting our concerns. In order for [the] SCSU to work towards improving this atmosphere, Jewish students at UTSC urge SCSU to take further equity training in order to represent the entire student body.”

The SCSU did not respond to The Varsity’s request for comment.

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Trinity College group finds SVPSC’s communication lacking, aims to provide students with resources Peer support attemps to fill in percieved gaps

Marta Anielska Associate News Editor

Content warning: this article discusses sexual violence.

The university’s Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre (SVPSC), which is meant to centralize the university’s response to sexual violence, continues to be met with criticism from student groups that it is inaccessible, confusing, and lacks transparency.

A few student groups have formed to address the gaps in the centre’s response, focusing on sharing resources and funding for fellow students. One of the only active groups on campus, Trinity College Against Sexual Assault (TASAH), feels that the centre’s communication is subpar.

In an email to The Varsity, Angela Treglia, Director of the SVPSC, wrote that the centre’s approach is “trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and client-centered.” She wrote that the centre aims to provide students with information about their options and believes that “it is important that individuals who have experienced sexual violence feel empowered.”

She added that much of the SVPSC’s work relies on collaboration with the colleges and faculties “to build and reinforce a culture of consent.”

Treglia wrote that the centre’s engagement with students is also vital and has continued during the pandemic.

UTSU resignations/abandonments of office

Peer support groups form TASAH President Micah Kalisch explained that communication between the club and the SVPSC has been far from ideal, noting that the university’s sexual violence response can be discouraging to survivors.

Kalisch first became interested in sexual misconduct prevention advocacy after she approached the Trinity College administration about upskirting incidents during orientation in 2019. She characterized the administration’s response as “confusing” and said she was only able to arrange a formal meeting after her and a group of students sent a mass email to the Trinity College administration.

Eventually, Kalisch asked the Trinity College administration to connect her to the SVPSC, since she had called the centre several times without success. When she finally met with somebody from the SVPSC, she claimed that she was told that there was no one to answer the phone.

Kristen Moore, Dean of Students at Trinity College, wrote in a statement that while the college cannot receive reports of sexual misconduct, they work very closely with the SVPSC to connect students seeking support with professionals at the centre.

Current advocacy In recent months, TASAH has maintained communication with the centre to access resources on training and funding. Kalisch said that the SVPSC

still takes a long time to respond, describing it as “radio silence.”

Sidrah Rana, another member of TASAH, added that the club has many questions about how counsellors are hired and trained. She added that information on how counsellors should interact with students is hard to find, making it difficult for survivors to inform themselves before they approach the centre.

Concerns have been raised about the SVPSC’s accessibility. This semester, students who called the SVPSC as late as January 25 would have heard an outgoing message claiming that the centre was on holiday, even though the winter semester had already been in session for two weeks.

After being contacted by The Varsity, the SVPSC resolved the “technical hitch” responsible for its outgoing message. It now tells callers to leave a voicemail and that the centre will get back to them as soon as possible. A spokesperson also clarified that, despite the voicemail, the SVPSC has been open to students since the end of the holiday break, and that they have been receiving inquiries throughout January.

“I think that the university at large acts in its best interest, and it acts very defensive and very cold and very invalidating,” Kalisch said of her own experiences at the university and as a survivor of sexual assault. “I think that a lot of the things that they say and do are intended to make survivors feel like their voices shouldn’t be heard and

Three UTSU directors deemed to have abandoned office under bylaws Attendance improved since last year by six percentage points

Carmina Cornacchia Lead Copy Editor

In the annual analysis of attendance at University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) meetings, The Varsity found that three out of the total 33 members of the UTSU Board of Directors met the terms outlined for “Abandonment of Office” under the UTSU’s bylaw 10.

The data used in the analysis came from a total of 55 meetings, comprising eight monthly board meetings from April to December 2020, the Annual General Meeting (AGM), and a seContinued from cover Widespread support A number of high ranking government officials have publicly sided with Fisman, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who thanked Fisman for the guidance he has provided during the pandemic.

Many members of the U of T community have also taken to Twitter to speak out in support of Fisman using the hashtag #thankyoudavidfisman. They described him as a valuable member of the scientific community.

Some of the people who expressed their support were U of T Vice-Dean Clinical and Faculty Affairs Lynn Wilson, alum Sabina Vohra-Miller,

2020–2021 attendance The Varsity received attendance lists for monthly board meetings, the AGM, and committee meetings. According to these records, three out of 33

total board members have accumulated sufficient absences at board meetings to be considered to have abandoned office. The total average attendance of directors across board meetings and the AGM was 84.85 per cent, indicating that, on average, board members attend 84.85 per cent of board meetings, including the AGM. Directors who meet the bylaw’s conditions for abandonment of office include St. Michael’s College Director Zoe Chen, who has accumulated five absences during their term, and Professional Faculties-at-Large Director Rose Mohammad, who has accumulated 3.5 absences.

There were also two board members who have each accumulated two “Unreasonable Absences” at committee meetings: Victoria College Director Ava Harrington and New College Director Karel Peters. However, it is unclear if both of Peters’ absences were for meetings scheduled ahead of time. All of these instances occurred at Governance Committee meetings.

The Varsity heard from Harrington. Of the two meetings that she missed, she said that they were both scheduled in advance. Of her reasons for missing meetings, she said, “My two instances of absences were: one was because of a flight, and I forgot to email them, and the other was

and Assistant Professor Angela Mashford-Pringle.

Vohra-Miller, who graduated in 2009 with a graduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences and now sits on the DLSPH’s Dean’s Advisory Committee, weighed in as well.

“Experts are often called on for their objective opinions in legal proceedings, they should absolutely be paid for their time and labour. That Dr Fisman was involved with these legal proceedings by ETFO is, in fact, public knowledge,” she wrote in an email to The Varsity. She added that she believes Fisman’s guidance to be “consistent, unbiased and objective across the board.”

Additionally, Vohra-Miller brought up an instance in which Fisman recused himself from a

brief on schools at the table’s August meeting due to the potential conflict with the ETFO. “I fully support Dr David Fisman and thank him for his continued work and expertise in his various roles within DLSPH, Institute for Pandemics and the Ontario Science table,” wrote Vohra-Miller, who is also a co-director of the Vohra-Miller Foundation, which donated $1 million to the DLSPH to launch a new Institute for Pandemics.

In an email to The Varsity, Angela MashfordPringle, an assistant professor and associate director at the Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health at DLSPH, explained why she voiced her support for Fisman. “I don’t believe he should be removed from the Ontario Science

HANNAH CARTY/THEVARSITY

ries of committee meetings.

This year’s analysis shows an improvement in attendance from last year, when 15 per cent of directors resigned or had been deemed resigned in February 2020. This year, that number was lower, at nine per cent.

that the issues they’re having are not big enough issues for them to really care about.”

Providing peer support All the members of TASAH ultimately stressed the importance of students providing other students with support. Kalisch emphasized that since revamping TASAH, all members have been trained in taking disclosures of sexual assault and that the club has been doing so since the beginning of this academic year.

She added that the club is collaborating with the campus-wide sexual violence prevention organization Silence is Violence to restart its activities and extend them to other colleges.

Arwyn Workman-Youmans, a former member of the club, also noted that she had compiled a detailed information packet on disclosing or reporting sexual violence at the university that can be accessed on the TASAH website.

In collaboration with Trinity College, Workman-Youmans and Phoebe Rogers, a former TASAH president, also established a $30,000 fund for students affected by sexual violence who wish to gain access to a counsellor but don’t have insurance.

As an advocate for peer support, Rana explained that if clubs like TASAH get the funding they need, they can create a network of support on campus. She added that then “there won’t be an information gap between students [and the university].” because of work, and I also forgot to email.”

Reflecting on her absences at committee meetings, Harrington said, “I’m disappointed in myself that I missed enough to have… deemed my resignation, and I do hope the UTSU holds me accountable for that.”

Continuing, she reflected on her role in the UTSU. “I feel like I’ve done enough good work that I won’t be removed from the board… but I do hope it’s something that we acknowledge, and that’s something I’ll push for.”

Grounds for removal According to bylaw 10, one of the ways in which a board member can be removed from office is if they violate the guidelines for attendance. This means that if a member of the Board of Directors misses enough meetings without a reasonable excuse, they may be removed from office or determined to have abandoned their position.

Board members can be classified as abandoning office in three circumstances. This includes when a member has two unreasonable absences; 2.5 reasonable or unreasonable absences plus absence for three meetings in a row; or 3.5 units worth of any kind of absence.

Board members can also fall under “Abandonment of Office” if they miss two properly scheduled committee meetings that they are meant to attend and do not take appropriate measures such as “proxying their vote” or “sending regrets.”

UTSU President Muntaka Ahmed, Chen, Mohammad, and Peters did not respond to requests for comment.

Table as the work for ETFO was advising about publicly available protocols and the impact that has for educators in elementary schools in Ontario.”

Mashford-Pringle also cited Fisman’s work at U of T, where she said he has put effort into learning about how COVID-19 has affected different communities. She wrote that she has “heard from the MPH-Indigenous Health students that he has answered their questions and invited them into his courses which are more focussed on epidemiology than the Indigenous Health courses.”

The Varsity has reached out to Fisman for comment.

Vice-Dean Clinical and Faculty Affairs Lynn Wilson declined to comment.

Photo

February 1, 2021 var.st/photo photo@thevarsity.ca

Pets of U of T: Papaya Dealing with separation anxiety from COVID-19

Rachel Hughes and Samantha Yao Varsity Contributor and Photo Editor

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than just humans — it has also impacted those animals we care for as pets. With the added pressure of the pandemic and all the extra time spent at home, many have turned to adopting pets.

Reasons for adopting a pet during the pandemic range from “seeking companionship” to feeling that one has extra time to devote to a pet.

Papaya hopes her humans will never leave her.

Are you going to do the dishes? Take me with you!

I — a fourth-year student studying English at UTSG — adopted a kitten named Papaya during the pandemic. Papaya is only six months old and is certainly what people would call a ‘COVID kitty’ — Papaya can never be left alone, even when sleeping.

Papaya versus pumpkin, who will win?

Keeping Papaya company even while she sleeps.

"These are difficult times for everyone, including

our pets, but step-by-step, Feeling sick of COVID-19? Papaya is too.

If you have a pet — adopted during the pandemic or not — it is important to ensure that you slowly ease them into new routines in order to cope with separation anxiety. Depending

on the situation and restrictions at home, start with leaving for small moments at a time, gradually progressing into your full routine.

we’ll make it through!"

Business & Labour

February 1, 2021 var.st/business biz@thevarsity.ca

Pandemic layoffs: Canadian Union of Public Employees 3261 Union president on financial support, prioritizing workers’ health

Sarah Folk Associate Business & Labour Editor

Last June, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in 185 layoffs of union workers at the University of Toronto as stay-at-home orders came into effect. Among the affected were scores of workers belonging to United Steelworkers 1998 — representing U of T’s administrative and technical workers — and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3261, which represents service workers from U of T’s three campuses.

Months later, physical distancing and lockdown measures are still in place in Ontario, and thousands of Canadians are still unable to return to work. The Varsity interviewed CUPE 3261 President Allan James regarding the fulltime and casual workers represented by the union.

Worsening conditions With the worsening of the pandemic, more workers have been laid off since June. According to James, around 118 full-time and 42 parttime CUPE 3261 workers have been temporarily laid off due to the pandemic, and he reported that only 12 of the workers who were laid off have been able to return to work.

The union’s casual workers have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. There are 25 casual workers that have no work available to them according to James. “ ‘Casual’ workers do not have guaranteed hours or job security even under normal circumstances,” wrote James, “and some of our ‘casual’ members are also students who are struggling with debt, housing insecurity, and mental health crises — all intensified during

COVID-19.”

The union and the university have not yet discussed what should transpire if there is a shortage of work that results in termination pay. James wrote that if the issue of termination arises in the fall, the union and U of T will act according to the union’s collective agreement.

Extended financial support During the initial COVID-19-related layoffs, U of T provided workers with an income top-up scheme that gave laid-off workers up to $1,000 or 80 per cent of their income per month. This complemented the federal Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) payments — which provided eligible Canadians $2,000 per month — allowing workers to earn up to $3,000 a month.

James wrote that U of T and CUPE 3261 have extended the temporary layoffs until fall 2021 and, consequently, will also be continuing the top-up income payments. Workers will also be able to retain their seniority rights and benefits coverage during this period.

The federal government ended the CERB program on December 2 and laid-off workers were transitioned to an enhanced version of Employment Insurance (EI). James wrote that the union has been supporting workers in accessing government support during this time. However, he believes that “workers need fair EI reforms.”

Canadians who were eligible for CERB may not be eligible for EI or may receive less than $2,000 a month using this government benefit.

The union has urged the Canadian government in the past to raise the minimum benefit level for EI, particularly to support Canadians who are seasonal, casual, and precarious workers.

Systemic challenges In an email to The Varsity, the university administration defended the layoffs as extraordinary measures in the face of an unprecedented situation. “The University continues to explore all operationally feasible means of reducing adverse impact on employees,” wrote a U of T spokesperson.

“Layoffs continue to be a measure of last resort and, in particular, best efforts are being made to avoid any permanent job losses due to the pandemic.”

Still, the layoffs experienced by union workers and thousands of other Canadians have exposed systemic issues within Canadian labour laws. CUPE 3261, along with other organizations such as the Workers’ Action Centre, has called for an increased number of paid sick leave days for essential workers. CUPE 3261 also advocates for equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine regardless of immigration status.

James emphasized the union’s stance on prioritizing the health of its workers: “the sooner we can reduce transmission, and ensure equal vaccine access for all, including health care workers and migrant workers facing outbreaks in sectors like agriculture, the sooner U of T can resume operations and our members can return to work safely.”

Key negotiations Workers issues will be taking centre stage at the university in 2021, as multiple unions’ collective agreements expired in 2020. While CUPE 3261 is one of many unions that has signed a memorandum of settlement with the university — maintaining their expired agreement until the end of June — CUPE Local 3902 Unit 1 is currently bargaining with U of T’s Division of Human Resources

and Equity.

Unit 1 of CUPE 3902 represents contract academic workers — such as teaching assistants and course instructors — and could grant negotiators the power to call a strike if a strike mandate vote is passed. A motion to put a strike mandate to the vote is scheduled for CUPE 3902 Unit 1’s annual general meeting on February 10, where the motion itself will go to a vote.

As the first U of T union negotiation of 2021, CUPE 3902 Unit 1’s resultant collective agreement will inform the bargaining process that other unions go through later in the year as memorandums of settlement expire.

CUPE 3261 represents service workers across U of T’s three campuses.

STEVEN LEE/THEVARSITY

Planning and Budget Committee proposes eco-friendly heating and cooling on portion of UTSG Spencer Y. Ki Business & Labour Editor

Assessor reports on COVID-19 consequences also on agenda

During its January 13 meeting, the university’s Planning and Budget Committee (PBC) evaluated a proposal to enhance utility services in the section of UTSG near the Devonshire Place and Bloor Street West intersection. The PBC is an organ of U of T’s Governing Council that reports to the Academic Board with recommendations on usage of university resources.

The meeting was the PBC’s third this academic year, and it also featured reports on the effects of the current lockdown on U of T, as well as an overview of faculty endowments awarded during the 2019–2020 academic year.

Carbon-friendly heating and cooling Professor Scott Mabury, U of T Vice-President Operations and Real Estate Partnerships, and Ron Saporta, U of T Chief Operations Officer, gave a presentation during the meeting, proposing an extension of the university energy system in the Devonshire-Bloor area. Adopting the proposal would complement existing plans for new buildings in the area and would support any future growth that section of the campus might see.

As it exists now, the utilities service in U of T’s portion of the Devonshire-Bloor area is insufficient to properly heat and cool the existing buildings, let alone any planned expansion. This is problematic, given that an academic wood tower, a new Rotman Commerce academic building, and a new Woodsworth academic

building to replace Kruger Hall are slated for construction in the location.

To properly modulate temperature in the planned buildings, Mabury and Saporta’s proposal would see each structure connected to U of T’s existing central utility plant and have steam and cold water piped to them. This centralized system was selected over a decentralized system, which involved the allocation of large mechanical spaces in each building to accommodate individual boiler plants.

The proposed expansion was designed to adhere to U of T’s Low-Carbon Action Plan, which aims to reduce the university’s greenhouse gas emissions by 37 per cent before 2030.

UTSG currently contributes 80 per cent of U of T’s carbon emissions, and the administration plans for the campus to become carbon neutral by 2050 through infrastructure refurbishments.

While the proposal itself was discussed on an open livestream, cost and funding discussions were held by the PBC in camera. The proposal was presented to the PBC purely for informative reasons, with the responsibility of ultimate approval for the project lying with other bodies.

Having passed through the PBC for recommendation, the proposal was also approved by the Academic Board on January 28. Execution of the project will now be tabled for approval by the Business Board on February 3, before final confirmation is considered by the Executive Committee on February 9. If no objections are made, construction will then begin in March.

Vice-president and provost’s report Professor Cheryl Regehr, U of T Vice-President & Provost, delivered the report from the PBC’s assessors, which evaluated the ways in which COVID-19 has affected the committee’s mandate.

Against expectations, undergraduate enrolment increased 3.4 per cent in the fall semester compared to previous years, and enrolment in doctoral programs increased 6.7 per cent year-over-year.

However, enrolment in master’s programs declined by 0.7 per cent.

U of T-funded quarantines accommodated more than 1,300 students returning to Toronto,

and more than $7.4 million in emergency bursaries were dispersed over 2020. The university focused on direct support to U of T students, with an emphasis on supporting education in the health care sector and other areas critical to Ontario’s post-pandemic recovery.

Regehr also noted that U of T had been evaluated by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities and was found to have met all of the 2020–2021 targets set by the provincial Strategic Mandate Agreement.

The next meeting of the PBC will be held on February 22.

A carbon-friendly plan to expand U of T’s energy system at Devonshire Place and Bloor Street West aims to support future development.

SAMANTHA YAO/THEVARSITY

FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | 7

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UTSC, UTM campus councils oversee large construction projects in 2021 Governing board meetings also address student mental health

Anastasiya Gordiychuk Associate Business & Labour Editor

The UTM and UTSC campus councils convened on January 26 and January 27, respectively, for their third meetings of the 2020– 2021 academic year. While the UTM Campus Council provided updates on capital projects that are already under construction, the UTSC Campus Council entertained a proposal from the Project Planning Committee for a new classroom, academic, and administrative building.

Both meetings also touched on supporting student mental health in the wake of pandemic-induced distancing.

Both campus councils oversee the general operation of their respective U of T satellite campuses, governing academic, student, and business affairs on behalf of the university’s overarching Governing Council.

Instructional Centre 2 to be built at UTSC The Instructional Centre project started in 2008 as a plan to expand classroom space at UTSC. Since then, only half of the construction has been successfully completed, and Instructional Centre 1 currently houses UTSC’s

departments of management, computer and mathematical sciences, and cooperative learning.

Construction is finally slated to begin on the second half of the project — Instructional Centre 2 (IC-2) — in 2021. The new building will be located between the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre and the Environmental Science and Chemistry Building, and is scheduled to move to occupancy in August 2023.

“The intent of this project is to really create a hub on the north campus that addresses some of our classroom shortfalls,” said Andrew Arifuzzaman, Chief Administrative Officer of UTSC, during the UTSC Campus Council meeting. “That creates a place for students [to] come together… We really want to create a centre that provides a bit of a front door, [a] welcoming environment for the campus.”

IC-2 will house 24 new classrooms, the Department of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, the Academic Advising & Career Centre, AccessAbility Services, the Health & Wellness Centre, and the Office of Student Experience & Wellbeing.

“One of the continuing issues on the campus… [is] trying to find where our various services are located because they’re all in dif-

ferent places,” said Desmond Pouyat, Dean of Student Experience & Wellbeing at UTSC, during the meeting. “So the IC-2 building, with all the classrooms there, is going to really allow us then to establish a student services hub that has all of our core services.”

Pouyat also added that the construction of IC-2 would resolve a problem with space shortage for staff.

The IC-2 plan was approved unanimously by the UTSC Campus Council and will now be tabled by the Academic Board for approval.

Renovations, ongoing capital projects at UTM While construction moves ahead at UTSC, COVID-19 and last minute residency cancellations have had a huge impact on renovation plans at the UTM. “We shifted our capital plan and had very little [spending],” said Saher Fazilat, Chief Administrative Officer of UTM, during the UTM Campus Council meeting. “We had some big plans to renovate residences; we have plans to change our kitchen equipment, but we’ve kind of ‘lived and survived’ that and [deferred] it to the next year.”

Fazilat elaborated that only preventive maintenance will take place during the 2020–2021 academic year, but that next year, UTM plans to renovate one of the residences that was built in the 1970s.

While renovations are on hold, planning goes ahead for UTM’s proposed Arts, Culture, and Technology (ACT) Building, which will eventually house UTM’s departments of Indigenous studies, computer science, visual art, and robotics.

Announced in December, UTM is currently consulting with the City of Mississauga on the early stages of ACT’s construction, and a conceptual architectural design is currently in the works. Consultations with Indigenous leaders are also ongoing, as ACT is planned to have a dedicated Indigenous space.

A computer assisted design render of the completed Instructional Centre 2.

Mental health on agenda at both meetings During the UTM Campus Council meeting, Professor Alexandra Gillespie, Vice-President and Principal of UTM, declared one of her top priorities to be student mental health.

She plans to host a mental health retreat with a selection of students, faculty, staff, and librarians to promote dialogue about U of T’s Mental Health Framework and “consider an action plan that enables our diverse communities to thrive.”

“This retreat will not be designed to solve all of our problems at once, but rather designed to begin a necessary conversation,” Gillespie said.

UTSC’s Pouyat also highlighted some additional challenges that the pandemic has brought upon students, including the absence of normal social engagement. “We are aware of this, and we are doubling down on the mental health front in all ways that we know how,” he said.

Pouyat mentioned that he recently had a meeting with staff and the Mental Health Advisory Committee — which is composed of students — who he credited with having “wonderful ideas.”

“We’re trying to do all we can to be attentive to the needs of our student community,” he said.

The UTM Campus Council and UTSC Campus Council will next meet on March 9 and March 10, respectively.

The UTM and UTSC campus councils convened on January 26 and January 27, respectively, for their third meetings of the 2020–2021 academic year. While the UTM Campus Council provided updates on capital projects that are already under construction, the UTSC Campus Council entertained a proposal from the Project Planning Committee for a new classroom, academic, and administrative building.

Both meetings also touched on supporting student mental health in the wake of pandemicinduced distancing.

Both campus councils oversee the general operation of their respective U of T satellite campuses, governing academic, student, and business affairs on behalf of the university’s overarching Governing Council.

COURTESY OF CEBRA ARCHITECTURE AND ZAS ARCHITECTS

A survival guide to finding work in a pandemic Tips from a graduating student on how to land a job

Atbin Jahandideh Varsity Contributor

Well, it happened — I’m graduating into a pandemic. April 2020 was a tough time for me: my summer internship was cancelled, and there was little hope of finding a new internship in time. My summer and fall were spent constantly applying to jobs and getting daily rejections. Recently, I found a job, and all of my stress has been relieved.

The point I want to share in this article is that there is hope! The pandemic has affected the job-finding process, and it is important for you to adapt. Based on my experience, I came up with a few tips that can help you in your job search.

Be creative in where you look Don’t be one dimensional in your approach.

Many students limit their opportunities by only applying for job postings on sites like Indeed and Monster. Your probability of finding work this way is low. There’s nothing wrong with this method of job searching, but problems occur when you don’t supplement it with something else.

You need to be creative in your method. Do your research, find the companies that interest you, and reach out to recruiters. Use hunter.io and LinkedIn to find the contact information

of recruiters.

Don’t be afraid to cold message the people responsible for hiring. It will allow you to stand out and create an impression of confidence. It also shows that you have done your research and are not blindly applying to positions.

Be direct and to the point Don’t make recruiters read an essay as your introduction. Keep your emails brief and to the point, especially if you’re reaching out cold.

The key information to provide are your full name and the position in their organization for which you’d be a potential candidate.

To demonstrate your qualifications, attach your résumé or refer to your LinkedIn account. For certain positions looking for specific skill sets, stand out by directing them to evidence of your experience, such as a GitHub account. Don’t forget to provide your email address and phone number for them to respond to you with!

Be open minded Be open minded about companies and locations. How many business students are applying to JP Morgan Chase or Goldman Sachs?

A lot. Consider non-target sectors and locations for your academic background. See if you can apply your skills to companies and positions that aren’t as heavily competitive.

COVID-19 has taken away many opportuni-

ties, but it has given us new ones as well. It’s no longer important to be in a specific location or to relocate for a position. This means your job search doesn’t need to be limited to your home country or city. Look into international companies hiring remote workers.

This is a great opportunity to work with an international team and build an international network.

Be true blue You have learned and developed valuable skills at the University of Toronto — now you have to market yourself. This is an evolving process and will require a lot of work on your end. There are companies actively searching for your skills and all you have to do is find them and effectively demonstrate these skills.

Marketing yourself is key. Develop a professional online presence and not just on LinkedIn — try Angellist, Twitter, and, perhaps even your own website.

Use the resources U of T provides.

All U of T students have access to the Career Learning Network and Student Life career advising. For Rotman Commerce students, there is an online portal with selected job postings. Also, follow U of T news and see what oppor-

tunities there are for online networking events. It may feel strange, but it is becoming the new norm.

Be tenacious!

Finally — don’t give up! Rejection is everywhere and you shouldn’t be discouraged by it. In the words of the great Kanye West: “to whom much is given, much is tested.” It took me eight months of constant searching to land my job, and you should be prepared to persevere.

I wish you good luck in your search!

REBECCA MOYA/THEVARSITY

Comment

February 1, 2021 var.st/comment comment@thevarsity.ca

U of T must do better to protect casual, contract workers during the pandemic Lack of paid sick leave for certain employees puts all of us at risk

Janine Alhadidi Varsity Staff

The University of Toronto needs to protect its casual workers if it is committed to keeping everyone safe and healthy during the pandemic. A recent video prepared by the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1998 Union described its members’ experiences working at the university, providing testimonials of the experience as “a pool of cheap labour,” “an abusive relationship,” and “hard on your mental health.” This is indicative of an ongoing problem that needs to be resolved at the university: the precarity of workers’ rights protections.

USW 1998 represents administrative and technical workers; its Casual Unit is one of two bargaining groups in the union. The unit consists of technical staff such as research assistants, lab assistants, and staff in offices, residences, and gyms, as well as other jobs. The video, titled “Precarity U,” was part of the union’s campaign to advocate for the rights of contract and casual workers on campus, according to Nick Marchese, the president of the USW Local 1998 Casual Unit.

Members of the union spoke out about their experiences at the university, debunking common myths about casual workers that include the assumption that they do not really need the money, that there is a set pay scale for USW 1998 members at U of T, and most distressingly, that casual workers are guaranteed paid sick leave.

During a pandemic, the spectre of job insecurity haunts casual workers as they ANANYA ANANTH/THEVARSITY fear contracting

the virus while being deprived of paid sick leave. Additionally, many worry that they will continue to exist in the purgatory of being allocated insufficient hours and shifts, unsure if they will be asked to resign their contracts for the next year. These are unconscionable working conditions during a pandemic.

As reported in a previous article by The Varsity, one of the union’s demands is guaranteed paid sick days for casual workers. “The current situation at U of T where we have continuous employees… who have medical benefits, including up to 15 weeks of paid sick days, sometimes working side by side with casual employees who earn not a single paid sick day is not only regressive and unfair, but also, especially during a pandemic, dangerous and irresponsible,” Marchese wrote to The Varsity.

Just like the rest of us, these workers are all trying to make it through this difficult time as best as they can. As part of the U of T community, we are beneficiaries of the hard work of U of T casual workers. We carry the responsibility of supporting the union’s mission in fighting for the rights of casual and contract workers as they experience precarity at a dangerously high level.

This starts by listening to the demands of USW 1998 members and placing pressure on the university to mandate paid sick leave for all casual and contract workers, with a guarantee that their jobs will not be at risk when they choose to claim sick days.

Without any robust policies in place that protect casual workers’ rights, university staff will continue to suffer in both the short term and long term. With job

precarity, staff are more likely to experience emotional and physical distress, not knowing when they will be able to pay bills or if they could afford to miss a shift if they contract the virus. Members of university staff should not have to choose between their own personal health and their livelihood.

These concerns hitting casual and contract workers have not been addressed with the magnitude of attention that is necessary. Although issues surrounding precarious employment existed before COVID-19, they have only been exacerbated. The right to decent wages, paid sick leave, and job security plays a major role in the physical and mental health of all employees, as well as the success of the university.

Employment security is not a commodity; it is a means of survival. No time has been more crucial for this university to show initiative and start making structural changes to the ways that U of T workers are treated — not as easily replaceable workers, but as crucial and non-negotiable tenants of this postsecondary institution and its respective branches.

My overwhelmingly positive experiences working with custodial, tech, and culinary staff on campus were some of my favourite parts of being on campus.

By neglecting their needs, U of T is also neglecting the needs of the U of T community at large.

Janine Alhadidi is a fourth-year political science and diaspora and transnational studies student at St. Michael’s College.

We need to institutionalize self-care in medical education Professionals need proper support in the face of moral distress

Shernise Mohammed-Ali Associate Comment Editor

Since the pandemic was declared almost a year ago, frontline medical workers have felt the brunt of the losses, unprecedented challenges, and profound uncertainties due to COVID-19. In the early days of the outbreak, doctors in Wuhan, China were being overworked and overstressed as they attempted to cope with the unknown, yet deadly, enemy. There were reports of the mental health of doctors and nurses seriously deteriorating as they worked on the front lines of the pandemic.

It is vital that an institution such as the University of Toronto take some initiative when it comes to supporting the students who will soon become our medical professionals. It starts with improving mental health care, particularly for students in medical fields. This could create a culture of self-care and support that these students would be able to carry into their careers.

Although the effects of COVID-19 have been brutal to say the least, we must also recognize yet another crisis that has been brewing beneath the surface of this pandemic — the “moral distress” that medical staff are currently dealing with.

The medical field has always been a challenging profession, and the lengthy and strenuous path to becoming a physician is often accompanied with little advice on how to cope with the stress that comes with the job.

During this pandemic, the stress that doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals have faced is a more prevalent threat than ever before, and we must consider the substantial moral strength and determination required for them to bear the burden of being responsible for the lives of others.

A short, opinionated documentary pub-

lished by The New York Times last August took an intimate look into the devastation that three health care workers in New York City have felt since the pandemic began. Dr. Sahan Hapangama, a hospitalist in the Bronx, recounts his experiences during the pandemic, saying, “As doctors, we try to put on a strong front and put on a strong face. But the anxiety, the fear, the exhaustion, and the absolute frustration. Even now, months later, I’m still trying to battle those emotions.” It is apparent that these health care workers are under immense pressure and are continuously worried if they’ve done enough for their patients.

A study led by Elizabeth Peter, a professor at U of T’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, has recently established numerous factors amongst nurses that can be a source of moral distress during the pandemic. These included having to watch patients die without family, having to worry about infecting others with COVID-19, and having to treat COVID-19 patients without adequate preparation and knowledge of the virus.

In an interview with U of T News, Peter remarked, “Moral distress has always been around, but it is currently affecting our healthcare workers with a constancy and magnitude we have not seen before.” Peter also makes the point that “moral distress can be really damaging and has the potential to have a real impact on quality care. We have to be thinking about what we are exposing nurses to repetitively in terms of their psychological health.”

Previous studies have examined several possible sources of distress for health care workers. However, there has not been any research done on the best methods to mitigate these factors. There also haven’t been enough studies to indicate the necessity of self-care being implemented into medical education.

A research study published in 2014 in the Canadian Medical Educational Research

Journal indicated that while greater emphasis on self-care among medical trainees is recommended, the topic needs to be studied further.

Without the necessary research and understanding, we lack the tools to prepare medical students and support our future medical professionals.

This is why, when finding the best methods to alleviate the pressure that health care workers are facing, we must first begin with medical education. Medical school is inherently a demanding, competitive environment that doesn’t allow for weakness — let alone struggles with mental health.

This lack of mental support ultimately carries over once students begin practising medicine. It is critical that not only medical schools, but any school that prepares its students for a profession in health care, allocate resources toward mental health aid and preparing students for the stress that comes with their jobs.

Furthermore, it is integral that students learn how to develop effective and functional coping strategies to manage distressing situations while still in school. This will improve not only their mental health, but also their ability to help their patients further down the line.

The University of Toronto already has a promising start.

The Temerty Faculty of Medicine recently received a $250 million donation from the Temerty Foundation. According to The Varsity’s recent breakdown of the donation, “the faculty will also be investing in learner wellness by developing a series of carefully considered initiatives and curriculum developments that will position Temerty

Faculty of Medicine graduates to excel, such as personal counselling, wellness, and career planning programs.”

The next step is to ensure that these initiatives are designed in such a manner that they are effectively preparing students for the stress that comes with working in health care fields. We have yet to see the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and can only hope that we have prepared ourselves enough for the lasting scars it will inevitably leave on the face of medicine. But we can learn from these lessons to ensure that our doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals are prepared for the next battle they encounter.

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

JOSEPH DONATO/THEVARSITY

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Letter to the Editor: Freedom of expression does not mean freedom from consequence Re: "White supremacy must be fought, not free speech" Ari Finnsson Varsity Contributor

As a recent piece in The Varsity titled “Opinion: White supremacy must be fought, not free speech” explains, free expression is a fundamental freedom and one of the most salient issues of our historical moment. While admirable in sentiment, the reality is that while free speech is a necessary part of a healthy democracy, we need to be careful about inappropriate conflations in debates around white supremacy and speech.

This begins with understanding the spaces within which free speech must take place, especially within campus communities.

The first of these concerns pertains to the nature of speech itself. It is curious that the article begins by outlining the dangers of the white nationalist ideologies — specifically referring to the raid on the US Capitol — but ends by defending the free speech of “mostly conservative voices.”

The argument being that “deplatforming” conservative voices will lead to radicalization into the alt-right.

It’s important to mention that we need to be careful about identifying white supremacist ideas as somehow within the mainstream of political debate because they are not; they are bastions of hate and oppressive violence. Radicalization in these spaces is done by those who already united with those beliefs.

Similarly, the article claims that “social media sites have begun suppressing conservative discourse they feel violates their policies against hate speech and the incitement of violence.” However, this is, at best, a misleading statement of affairs.

We should acknowledge that these are not mainstream conservative voices being ‘suppressed,’ but rather these are exactly the radical discourses that the article raises as a problem.

Wide-ranging and healthy political debates are needed for democracy, but there are some ideas that are no longer worth addressing — asserting the supremacy of one race over another is one of these. This

coincides with an important point: speech is not an immaterial thing. When we engage in debate, we are performing an act onto the world.

Calls for eliminating censorship and engaging in a free exchange of beliefs are, without a doubt, vital for democratic life. Freedom from censorship, however, is a vastly different thing than freedom from consequences. The article calls for establishing an “equilibrium between free speech and combatting white supremacy.”

This sounds all well and good, but it is never clear exactly what this equilibrium looks like. The frequent use of phrases like “judiciously,” “extreme caution,” and “carefully balance” provide little concrete clues.

On the one hand, the article criticizes the protests against Jordan Peterson while, in the same breath, argues that “students should protest real hate speech and racism.

School administrators should denounce this speech when it appears, and if it truly meets the school’s standards of discrimination or harassment, they should then intervene.” However, as Bill C-16 outlines, Peterson’s refusal to acknowledge his students’ pronouns is an example of such harassment.

Peterson’s exercise of free speech is not a neutral exchange of opinions. When we begin to engage in questioning other humans’ right to existence on parity with others, we have crossed into the zone of harmful action.

Finally, the article outlines that if free speech is taken away, “conflicts and disagreements may no longer be resolved verbally.”

This is another fine sentiment, but it is not backed up by a cursory glance at history. Let’s take a quick look at the article’s own example: the 1960s student

movement.

The article writes that student activists campaigned to remove barriers to free speech. However, at the University of California, Berkeley, police used arrests to break up peaceful demonstrations, arresting around 800 students in 1964. At Kent State University, police response to an anti-war protest resulted in four deaths in 1970.

These were protests aimed at eliminating war and protecting people’s rights, yet they were met with violence. Today, people like Peterson advocate not to recognize rights and trigger unsubstantiated claims of being “deplatformed.” We should not conflate two vastly different situations here.

Further, the article describes universities as “bastions of liberal activism.” However, universities are hardly as innocent as this.

We lack the space here to engage in a full discussion of how academia has always and continues to be intertwined with the colonial project. To take only one example of engaging with this past, St John’s College at Oxford University has recently engaged in some preliminary efforts to study its own imperial past.

Universities like Oxford not only benefitted from the economic boons of colonialism, but were deeply implicated in the production of knowledge and training to those expanding the colonial project. In Canada, similarly, we cannot ignore the crucial role that the edu-

cational system played in the oppression of Indigenous peoples — for instance in the residential school system.

In short, what is key here is that universities have never been a neutral bastion of the free exchange of ideas; they have always and continue to be embroiled in the maintenance of white supremacy. When we engage in this conversation, then, we need to begin by understanding the space within which we speak.

Free speech is indeed a cornerstone of democracy, but the solution to white supremacy is not to continue allowing hateful ideas to be spread without consequence.

We need to realize first of all that we are not on a neutral playing ground. We are already all engaged in various structures of oppression, whether you believe in them or not.

The first step to combatting white supremacy is not sheltering its destructive words from within a “safe haven for controversial debates and ideas.” Instead, we need to start addressing these issues on the ground, with concrete material change.

This means engaging with the calls for social reform demanded of us all.

This is what free speech is for: encouraging the debate of ideas that will make us better. It is not permitting harmful and violent speech without consequence. This distinction is vital if we wish to move forward and be better.

Ari Finnsson is a PhD candidate in the Department of History.

MAKENA MWENDA/THEVARSITY

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THE VARSITY

FEATURES

Parties rage on amid inconsistent COVID-19 protocols, enforcement among U of T residences U of T spokesperson: “onus” on students to follow safety measures Joshua Chong Associate Features Editor

At Trinity College, security guards patrol the hallways during the evenings and snuff out any large gatherings in dorm rooms. A few hundred metres across campus at University College (UC), some students gather in groups as large as 10 unmasked within the privacy of their own rooms, according to Pranay Prem, a second-year UC student and residence porter.

Residence dons and porters like Prem go on rounds of the hallways and public areas to enforce the COVID-19 protocols. There are, however, some difficulties. “Whatever happens in your own room is understandably not under the same jurisdiction ie. not wearing masks in your room.”

The Varsity found that U of T’s COVID-19 residence policies are largely decentralized, with colleges mostly deciding which measures to implement and how they will be enforced. This has left the seven individual protocols at U of T a patchwork of different measures.

Though all U of T students living in residences have to sign a document that outlines basic COVID-19 rules — such as regulations pertaining to face coverings, outside guests, and physical distancing — before moving in, several policies are determined at the college level.

Specific rules around common rooms, study halls, dining halls, music practice rooms, and shared washroom use are set by the college, based on information from public health officials and the government.

A spokesperson for U of T wrote in a statement to The Varsity, “The Colleges are guided by U of T COVID-19 guidelines and work closely with Environmental Health and Safety with respect to planning and implementation of COVID-19 related protocols. Administrators at all Colleges are in constant communication with one another to share best practices and the latest information on public health requirements.”

The results tell a different story though: one about contradictory policies based on different interpretations of general government orders.

One of the main discrepancies between residence protocols pertains to common room use. At Victoria College, for example, common rooms are open, but advanced booking is needed for contact-tracing purposes.

However, at Innis College, most common rooms are closed, though study halls remain open. At UC, common rooms in the college’s 15 residence houses are open and no advanced booking is needed.

It is important to note, however, that U of T’s residences differ greatly in terms of accommodation types and building features. The university has suite-style residences, dorm-style accommodations, and rooms with private or shared washroom facilities. These variations may affect the types of residence protocols in place.

A U of T spokesperson provided The Varsity with the following statement: “The University of Toronto has put in place a number of safety measures to help students stay safe and healthy in residence during the pandemic. These measures meet and, in some cases, exceed public health guidelines.”

The information collected for this article was sourced from online updates posted by college residences. In addition, The Varsity interviewed 14 U of T students from the university’s seven college residences to learn about the extent of protocol enforcement and to ask: do they feel safe at U of T amid the stay-at-home order?

Parties on campus are more common than you’d think.

Compliance with COVID-19 measures According to those interviewed, students at some colleges are following restrictions more closely than those at others.

At Victoria College, there hasn’t been significant rulebreaking since a series of incidents involving students during orientation week, according to second-year student Atharv Agrawal, who lives in Lower Burwash.

He also noted how empty the college is. Usually, each floor in his residence building would house six to eight students. This year, there are only two per floor.

Fourth-year Victoria College student Jai Kakkar, who lives in Rowell Jackman Hall, also emphasized how quiet his residence floor is. “I’ve stayed in this building for 3 years now and this is the only year I can hear the elevators moving because that’s how quiet the building

is,” he wrote in an email to The Varsity. “It is dead quiet.”

Across Queen’s Park at UC, the situation is much different. Friends from different residence houses intermingle and gather inside each others’ dorm rooms in the evening — often without masks — to drink and party. According to Prem and another student who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of retribution having attended a party, groups can be as large as 10.

According to Prem, who lives in Morrison Hall at UC, “There aren’t a lot of parties, but it still does happen… for the most part, everyone has been following the COVID-19 protocols.” However, he notes that parties and large gatherings have also been “consistent throughout the year.”

“It can be quite anxiety-inducing,” wrote Prem. He explained that there has been some friction between

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first-year students, “who didn’t expect their first year at university to be like this,” and those who are trying to enforce the policies.

Prem later wrote to The Varsity that policies in residence have been updated to limit gatherings in rooms to three people.

But parties and large gatherings are not unique to UC. Mihika Vyas, a first-year student at St. Michael’s College who lives in Fisher Residence, said that there have also been gatherings in her residence. “I personally haven’t been to a party yet, but I know of ones that have taken place,” she wrote in an email to The Varsity. “There haven’t been large gatherings but definitely more than 3 people in a room.”

Vyas indicated that the rules are not often enforced by the administration or the dons. “You could also easily sneak other students in.”

The Varsity also obtained two videos posted on Instagram showing a New Year’s dorm room party with at least 10 students at Campus One, which was open to university students over the break. None of the students were wearing masks.

In the fall semester, U of T students would also gather at night in large groups at Queen’s Park to party. “Every week, about 8-20 people congregate around one or two tables,” wrote Raina Uppal, a first-year Trinity College student who witnessed the gatherings, in an email to The Varsity.

“Masks are worn 5% of the time at most, only when people are absolutely freezing or approaching people from other colleges. Last year, it was common for people to drink from the same bottles and smoke from the same cigarettes/ joints.”

When The Varsity reached out to U of T for comment

on these stories, a U of T spokesperson wrote, “The health and safety of residences is a shared responsibility with students, and the onus is on them to follow guidelines when it comes to social distancing, the wearing of masks and limits on the numbers of people who can gather in public spaces. Residence staff and U of T take an initial educational approach to those who don’t comply with COVID guidelines and measures.”

The spokesperson continued, “The University also has a specific process in place that can invoke appropriate codes of conduct if students continue to fail to comply with these safety protocols.”

Lack of a specific plan for all Ontario university residences The discrepancies between U of T college residences in terms of COVID-19 protocols and enforcement mirror the varied approaches universities across Ontario have taken with regard to residence and campus COVID-19 policies following the winter break.

U of T reopened residences on schedule on January 3. Shortly thereafter, some study spaces on campus — such as Robarts Library, Gerstein Library, and Hart House — partially reopened to students. According to a January 14 update on the U of T Library website, these study spaces were deemed “essential resources within the regulations set out by the Government of Ontario,” and they are intended for students who “cannot continue their academic programs without access to computer hardware and stable wifi.”

Yet, other universities in the province, such as Queen’s University and McMaster University, have not deemed library study spaces an essential resource, despite also reopening residences in early January. At Western University, residences will remain closed until early to mid-February. The university had recorded a major COVID-19 outbreak near the start of the fall semester.

But Western’s decision to leave residences closed is largely the exception. As the majority of Ontario university residences reopened following the winter break, experts have sounded the alarm.

“Universities and college campuses are the one component where most students can do the majority of learning virtually,” said epidemiologist and U of T assistant professor Ashleigh Tuite in a mid-January interview with the Toronto Star. “We need to make trade-offs here.”

The wide discrepancies between universities’ approaches to residence operations may partly be attributed to the lack of specific guidance from the province.

Public Health Ontario routinely publishes COVID-19 resources for congregate living spaces. However, of the 26 documents published since the start of the pandemic, none are directly targeted for university residences or specifically mention recommended protocols for spaces commonly found in university residences, such as study halls or common rooms.

In July 2020, the Government of Canada released guidelines for postsecondary institutions, but it has not updated this since September 2020. In a statement to The Varsity, spokesperson Scott Clark from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities did not indicate if there are specific provincial regulations in place to guide the operations of university residences, writing, “Ontario’s publicly-assisted universities are separate legal entities with responsibility for both academic and administrative matters.”

The Varsity also contacted the Council of Ontario Universities for comment on the protocol discrepancies between its members, which includes U of T. A spokesperson wrote in a statement, “Our institutions continue to work collaboratively with local public health units and the Ministry of Health in order to implement the necessary protocols to prevent, monitor and respond to

cases of COVID-19 on local university campuses, should they occur.”

COVID-19 on campus According to a spokesperson for the City of Toronto, there have been four reports of COVID-19 non-compliance at UTSG since September 2020. All four were “parkrelated complaints” for illegal gatherings, lack of physical distancing, and use of park amenities.

U of T has confirmed three COVID-19 outbreaks on campus since March 2020: one during the week of November 7–13, another during the week of December 19–25, and the third confirmed on January 27. None of the outbreaks involved students in residence. There have been a total of 183 cases of COVID-19 reported by members of the U of T community — but this figure may include individuals who were not on campus.

Dr. Anna Banerji, an infectious disease specialist at U of T’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, said that COVID-19 can easily spread in congregate living spaces such as college residences due to the virus’ high transmissibility.

“It’s probably the most infectious virus we’ve had, at least in 100 years,” she said. “It can burn through institutions very quickly once it’s there.”

A spokesperson from U of T wrote, “Residences also implement changes as needed, and communicate with their students based on local considerations, such as the type of residence.”

For some students at U of T, however, the messaging from college administrators has not been clear enough.

“Unfortunately, our administration has not been the most effective at communicating its protocols,” Miha Sanjida, a first-year student who lives in residence at Innis College, wrote in an email to The Varsity. “Oftentimes, there are breaks in communication between administration and students, or their goals and new policies are unclear. For example, I did not receive an email about contact-tracing in study rooms until long after the measure had been put in place, and even then there was miscommunication as to how to book time slots.”

Despite the pandemic and the restrictions in place, some students do not regret moving into residence this year. “Despite COVID, I have met some truly high-quality people who I might never have known had I stayed home,” wrote Amalie Wilkinson, a first-year student at UC who lives in Sir Daniel Wilson Hall, in an email to The Varsity.

“Even in dire times, my friends in residence provide an invaluable mental health support, which is increasingly important with prolonged isolation.”

But for others such as Kakkar, the lack of socialization and the change in atmosphere compared to previous years has taken a toll on their mental health. “I feel safe from COVID-19 given all the procedures and policies in place,” he wrote. “But I don’t feel safe for my mental health, given that it’s so isolated and I don’t want to partake in any building zoom events, because I just can’t stand my laptop these days.”

Banerji acknowledged that COVID-19 protocols at university residences should strike a balance between public health and some levels of socialization. “Having someone only eat in a room and only stay in a room — that’s also very hard on mental health as well,” she said. “I can see how it’d be very isolating.”

“I’m hoping that people use judgment,” Banerji continued.

Although the province of Ontario has paused social circles, or ‘bubbles,’ as of October 2020 due to climbing case counts, Banerji suggested that establishing a small social bubble among individuals living in the same space and who already share common areas, such as a common washroom, may be safe.

Banerji noted, however, that social circles must remain tightly sealed in order to prevent it from becoming an “open circuit,” which occurs when individuals within a bubble interact with individuals outside the bubble and therefore risk bringing the virus into the group. Large gatherings and parties are also a cause for concern for Banerji.

She wrote, “You’re hoping that there’s a certain level of maturity [and] understanding that this is a pandemic and people are dying.”

Photographer: ASIF AISHA IBRAHIM

Arts & Culture

February 1, 2021 var.st/arts arts@thevarsity.ca

How art meets activism in Toronto’s alternative theatre scene The Varsity explores two participatory productions, medium’s future

Niki Wickramasinghe Varsity Contributor

Participatory theatre invites the audience to partake in a play — either physically or intellectually. This form of ‘applied theatre’ asks audiences to ponder important questions.

In a 1929 interview for the Berliner BörsenCourier, playwright Bertolt Brecht chastised theatre that simply “entranced” audiences instead of making them think. His thoughts on how to create plays for a “scientific age” have contributed extensively to studies in Western academia on the importance of participatory art. In Toronto, participatory theatre plays an important role in putting activist issues in the spotlight.

“Art Meets Environmentalism”: a look into Chemical Valley Project Toronto as an urban centre has for many years supported a rich and diverse participatory — or ‘alternative’ — theatre scene, with some of the most well-known theatres being Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM), and Why Not Theatre.

I was introduced to Toronto’s alternative theatre community in 2019 through U of T alum Kevin Matthew Wong’s play, Chemical Valley Project. The documentary-style play delves into the struggles of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia, Ontario.

Surrounded by petrochemical factories in what’s sometimes called “the Chemical Valley,” the Aamjiwnaang First Nation has seen higher rates of asthma, chronic headaches, stillbirths, and infant mortality than Canada’s average.

The play also incorporates the work of Aamjiwnaang activists Vanessa and Beze Gray in combatting the petrochemical giants. With a simple set consisting of only a projector, a sheet, and a single actor — Wong himself — Chemical Valley Project is an understated play offering a powerful education on the petrochemical issue in Sarnia.

Wong co-founded his own theatre in 2014, known as Broadleaf Theatre, which brings various environmental issues to light through a number of pertinent plays. The theatre’s philosophy is “art meets environmentalism,” with a number of plays by Wong and his team highlighting various environmental issues.

In conversing with Wong, he explained that the origins of Chemical Valley Project can be

traced back to a set of short plays about Canadian environmental issues called the Broadleaf Plays.

While doing research for the project, Wong stumbled upon a VICE documentary about Canada’s toxic valley in Sarnia. Intrigued, he soon found himself on the Toxic Tour of Sarnia where participants get to experience the pollution the Aamjiwnaang First Nation faces firsthand.

It was on this tour that he met Vanessa and Beze. Vanessa is perhaps best known for her role in the shutdown of the Enbridge Line 9 Pipeline in 2015.

After hearing the stories on the tour bus, Wong began to contemplate his own duty. He then met up with Vanessa at a Second Cup near campus, and the idea for Chemical Valley Project was conceived. The first interview with both Vanessa and Beze for the documentary was filmed at the Larkin Building at U of T. The 10-minute documentary about Vanessa’s shutting down of Pipeline 9 soon turned into a 20-minute version, and finally, the current 70-minute rendition.

When discussing his journey as a creative artist, Wong shed light on the fact that the theatre industry is not especially kind or progressive. He was in his second year of taking acting classes at U of T when he and his friends found themselves asking, “What do these plays have to do with the climate crisis?”

While he acknowledges that those plays positively contributed to his acting skills, he feels they had little to do with learning how to be an artist within a world facing its largest existential crisis. Wong feels lucky that he and his peers were able to explore newer and more relevant forms of theatre in a very traditional institution, which he credits to the ambition and support of Baņuta Nora Rubess, a sessional lecturer at U of T’s Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies.

Wong has a high reverence for the title of both artist and activist as separate entities. While he hopes for these two roles to be mutually supportive, he cautions against conflating them.

While the artist can bring the resources, such as “money, time, [and] energy,” to activist spaces as a sign of solidarity, they should be careful not to appropriate the work being done by the activist.

The artist’s role can play into creating the cultural shift that ultimately leads to shifts in policy.

Participatory theatre in the time of COVID-19 at TPM Despite the impacts of COVID-19, not all participatory theatre productions are on pause.

Several are meeting the challenge by adapting their productions to digital platforms.

One theatre that has been doing so is TPM, or Theatre Beyond Walls, which is one of the oldest alternative theatres in Toronto, dating back to 1968. TPM aims to support the local theatre community and create a safe and accessible environment for its diverse audiences.

Its initiatives include accessible productions and relaxed performances for audiences who need a calmer environment, including those on the autism spectrum.

This year, the theatre is further challenging norms in traditional art spaces by committing to the anti-racism movement. They have introduced “Black Out” nights where tickets are reserved for Black theatre-goers to experience “a show for them, by them.”

One notable production is 11:11, a digital show made by, and starring, Samson Bonkeabantu Brown. 11:11 explores the journey of a young, Black trans man — which Brown himself identifies as — as he attempts to understand ancestral messages embedded within his dreams.

Brown has been nurturing his love of theatre for almost his entire life, having begun as a child at Young People’s Theatre drama camp in Toronto.

He feels that art, in addition to his work as a sangoma — a traditional healer — has been crucial to his navigation of the world. As a sangoma, he relies on ancestral knowledge and holds gratitude for his ancestors for guiding him in many respects,

including in the creation of 11:11.

Brown believes that there is an intersection between his work as a sangoma and his work as an actor. As a sangoma, he hopes to heal by giving people their own unique sense of truth.

He thinks that theatre is an effective space for inspiring these truths, whether they are of clarity or solutions, within people and, hopefully, causing the shifts that people need for spiritual healing. Brown’s work in theatre has provided insight on what it means to be a part of the trans community.

Brown told The Varsity that 11:11 holds a unique “bio-mythical” nature; it powerfully communicates his experiences as a Black trans man from South Africa while simultaneously being a story informed and woven by his ancestors. While Brown feels a certain pressure to not let his ancestors down when he is performing, he also knows that his ancestors are with him and that they will not let him down — thus creating a sacred symbiosis.

Grappling with the future of participatory theatre Both Wong and Brown grapple with the question of what the future of participatory theatre will look like. Wong explains that as time goes by, the “pie” set aside for live theatre continues to shrink.

This leads us to contemplate whether we support traditional or innovative forms of theatre. This choice will ultimately determine what kind of live theatre future audiences will be exposed to.

While it isn’t the most optimistic conundrum, Wong hopes that people will find it in themselves to support the precarious labour of acting and participatory art that amplifies the work of frontline activists.

While Chemical Valley Project may not see the stage in upcoming months, Wong encourages audiences to show solidarity by doing their research, buying tickets for similar online shows, and donating to actors’ funds or theatre programs.

Similarly, Brown acknowledges that participatory theatre is a newer and uncertain form of art. He hopes that the future of participatory theatre will be a collaborative space for artists from across the globe. He believes that as we navigate our way through the digital age, increasing opportunities to work with talented people from around the world will lead to neverbefore-seen creative pieces.

Brown also hopes for a generation of sustainable income in these newer spaces that don’t currently have a strong theatre industry.

His show, 11:11, runs from February 10–13, and tickets can be purchased on a paywhat-you-can-afford basis on the TPM website.

FIONA TUNG/THE VARSITY

var.st/arts

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

How counter-mapping helps reclaim Indigenous knowledges, land UTM Blackwood Gallery panellists reflect on cartographic practices aimed at Indigenous sovereignty and reconciliation.

The program was moderated by Heather Dorries, an assistant professor at the Department of Geography & Planning and the Centre for Indigenous Studies.

Shankeri Vijayakumar Varsity Contributor

Mapping and counter-mapping — the process of recreating maps through a non-colonial lens — can create multiple ways of knowing places and lands through diverse cartographic practices.

To discuss the different ways of thinking about maps and mapping, from January 22–27, the Blackwood Gallery at UTM streamed a multimedia presentation and discussion titled “(Counter-)Mapping” as part of its virtual public program Running with Concepts: The Mediatic Edition.

Panellists included Susan Blight and Hayden King from the Ogimaa Mikana Project, an artist collective which seeks “to restore Anishinaabemowin place-names… of Gichi Kiiwenging (Toronto).” Also in attendance was Nicky Recollet, a geographic information system (GIS) analyst with the Robsinson Huron Waawiindaamaagewin, a treaty-level initiative

What is counter-mapping?

Counter-mapping is a process of cartography that challenges the dominant views of the world and methods in cartography. Countermapping can allow for marginalized voices to communicate the stories and reveal the histories of their land.

Maps are something that people interact with on an almost daily basis, from using Google Maps or referring to COVID-19 dashboards, said Dorries, but she noted, “They’re also of course, tools of colonialism. They’ve been used as ways of representing Western and colonial knowledges, and implementing regimes of private property.”

Recollet, who uses GIS with the Robinsons Huron Treaty-Waawiindaamaagewin, maps land use to support land management, treaty claims, and environmental protection. She explained that, when looking at old Western maps, “you [can] see that a lot of these political boundaries in lines that they have given weren’t even probably registered or represented even at that time.” Western mapmaking has produced maps that created land boundaries and territories on Indigenous lands that did not align with how the people native to the land viewed it.

Rethinking cartographic practices can allow for diverse practices to be utilized to display different ways of knowing a land to undo colonial maps. For Blight and King, this is done by reclaiming and renaming urbanized settler spaces through billboards and street signs.

Through their artist collective, the Ogimaa Mikana Project, art and activism is brought together to contribute to Anishinaabe cultural resurgence, decolonization, and social justice. Their past projects include putting up a “Leader’s Path” sign over the Queen’s Street street sign and putting up a billboard in Thunder Bay that reads “Animikii-waajiw,” the Anishinaabe name for the area.

The power within mapping There is “power that’s contained in representing particular knowledges about places and understandings of territory,” said Dorries. Countermapping can be a useful tool for decolonization, but it does not only function as an anti-colonial tool.

King noted that the “traditional understanding of mapping… can be useful for things like [getting] land back.” As part of their work at the Yellowhead Institute, they created an interactive map of mining claims in Ontario. According to King, these maps can be a great tool for learning about mining claims in your area and using that information to organize and mobilize advocacy for the land in your community.

King cautioned that while mapping can be useful for helping to protect lands and using revitalized place-names, maps may allow people to see land as a commodity.

Recollet shares how in their own work when creating traditional ecological mappings, they are cautious of drawing lines to represent boundaries on lands to mark off territories. It can be “really hard to give lines and really hard to put points on the map.”

“If you just put a little point on a map and say that this is a sacred place — whether it’s for medicine or hunting or fishing — then

Going with the wind: rediscovering the outdoors As the city’s interiors close, the exquisite exterior beckons

The outdoors provide a fresh space and perspective, especially when we are cooped up inside.

MUKTI PATEL/THEVARSITY

Sky Kapoor Arts & Culture Columnist

Toronto as we know it thrives on interiors. From vast museums or art galleries, to restaurants recommended in passing, to hormone-clouded university bars, this city is built from the inside out.

The social reign of these exciting interiors, however, has drawn to a close for the time being with no foreseeable end in sight. Some familyowned restaurants have unfortunately gone out of business and boarded up their doors, bars are dry, and concert halls are more bare than they’ve ever been.

This is all in good conscience, of course, as COVID-19 case numbers are rising steadily in

our once-bustling city. For the safety of all, we’ve been urged to remain inside, so we retreat to our homes — interiors which pale in comparison to those we’ve left behind.

Enter: the outdoors. Amidst the restrictions the pandemic brought with it, exteriors are still an appealing option, providing a fresh outlook and alternative to our lithe, anemic social lives. With the free time that has seemingly fallen in our laps, going outdoors to curb the fidgety cabin fever that overtakes us is — quite literally — a breath of fresh air.

Surely enough, even in the strictest of lockdowns, you can find frazzled parents trailing giddy, exuberant children, older adults — who admittedly go outside far more frequently than I

do — enjoying calm, leisurely strolls on park trails, and even university students taking outdoor breaks away from marathon study sessions and computer screens.

During a time when socializing is nearly illegal, spending time in parks seems strangely seditious, liberating those who feel shackled in the confines of their homes. Being outside is almost a statement, and as we’ve learned in the past year, even social statements can be made from two metres apart.

As the new school year began and the weather worsened, I resisted going outside, convincing myself that I was ‘too busy’ for a quick walk with my mom and sister. Trying to get my sister downstairs and into weather-appropriate clothing was an event in and of itself. The three of us were

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you’re kind of giving them the clear way to say, well then, just this little spot is the only spot that matters, and everything around it is fine.”

Mapping as an anti-colonial tool is limited in the same way knowledge is in the public sphere, said Blight. Mapping, like knowledge, “can be appropriated or misappropriated and used to dispossess us even further.”

Language use in cartography Part of the influence that one can impose when creating maps comes from the use of language in maps, which can shape how people think about the lands and the kinds of knowledge being represented in maps.

By using Anishinaabemowin language on maps, it requires non-Indigenous people “to do the work to understand our point of view,” said King.

Highlighting the campaign that occurred to rename Anishinaabemowin place-names in Toronto, their work in language revitalization of place names is a resistance to colonial naming and erasure, said King.

Words in a language can contain rich meaning rooted in a specific culture and translating it could diminish the cultural significance it already embodies. In Recollet’s words, “Why translate it for others… The meaning is really there and strong in the word itself.”

Counter-mapping against colonial cartography can highlight marginalized voices.

HALLOWEEN HJB/CC FLICKR

rarely on the same page when searching the house for masks and hand sanitizer to accompany us.

Still, we’d make the trek around our neighbourhood, sometimes skipping down the sidewalk or stopping to try and catch snowflakes on our tongues. Though it was only for an hour at most, it was in those moments that the world felt eerily calm despite the chaos that encompasses this little patch of history. This calm was found through something as simple as taking a walk outside. In this strange, inconsistent time, the outdoors provide a little solace, its constance never faltering.

Although our lives are experiencing abrupt disruption, it seems as though nobody has told the animals. Whether it’s due to the fact that people are outdoors less or the fact that I’m more observant now, I’ve noticed a plethora of animals in neighbourhoods and on trails. Rabbits poke their noses out of their hidden spots. Songbirds whistle a little louder.

Squirrels steal our decomposing Halloween jack-o’lanterns, and skunks prompt us to run to the other side of the street in fear of an unfortunately smelly fate.

These common woodland creatures have always been long-term residents of the city, but it’s only now that I’ve noticed them with the frequency that I have this year. All the parts of nature we once passed by without a second thought seem bolded now, as interactions with the outdoor world are almost replacing social ones. In the spring, dandelions suddenly begged to be blown out, and as the winter seasons crept up, you simply couldn’t ignore the screaming winds.

After long days where back-to-back Zoom calls make you feel like a Black Mirror character, the mental refreshment garnered by a walk in the sunshine is unmatched. Watching nature carry on while the world around it billows in chaos is almost a prompt — a reminder to try and do the same, and to make the most of the exteriors.

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ARTS & CULTURE

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nocturnal way of living to be a burdensome challenge. Ha Giang Nguyen, a first-year student at UTSC studying from Vietnam, wrote that “it is exhausting to stay awake and function at midnight.”

While I had time zone challenges in the fall, this semester, I avoided the difficulties that Nguyen experienced. With only one compulsory synchronous class at 9:00 pm local time and the availability of recordings for other lectures, I am glad to have a regular sleep schedule once again. Chokpisit Kasemphaibulsuk, who is a teaching assistant working on his master’s of engineering from Thailand, is likewise able to watch recordings of his synchronous classes and skip the lectures.

Productivity during the pandemic When asked how the time zone differences have affected them, Manuchekhr Nabiev, a first-year student at UTM from Tajikistan, wrote, “I have noticed that even though I have changed my sleep schedule, I am still a lot more productive during daytime. 3 out of 5 courses that I am taking right now, have participation marks in the final grade and so I have to stay up till 8 a.m. to get those marks.”

However, being more productive during the day does not mean that the time zone difference has boosted Nabiev’s academic performance.

Nabiev had to deal with a slow internet connection at 2:00 am while attempting to complete a calculus test.

Students have mixed reviews on the efficacy of synchronous classes. According to Fan, “synchronous classes do bring many benefits to a student’s learning.” In addition, Nguyen feels that synchronous classes and post-lecture assessments help her avoid procrastination.

However, Nabiev wrote, “I don’t think the benefits of having synchronous classes outweigh [their] disadvantages… Most of the time, even during the break-out rooms, most students are silent and so you can’t even make friends or find study partners.”

Considering the need to optimize learning for everyone, Kasemphaibulsuk wrote, “It’s true that it’s beneficial to be in class so you can ask question [sic] right away, but with online learning we have to be more flexible and try to accommodate people from all around the world.” Being a teaching assistant, though, means that Kasemphaibulsuk has to sleep at 4:00 am on certain days.

All in all, we must try to adapt and make the best out of the current situation. Sleeping during the day to compensate for a lack of sleep during the night, doing physical activities, and maintaining our mental health during these stressful times are a few things that we can do to cope with the pandemic and time zone issues.

tion of its viewing, it is a well-known truth of the universe that there is something distinctly precious about that movie theatre experience. The magic lies in the irreplaceable feeling of sitting in a dimly lit, overcrowded room with a group of strangers who have seemingly nothing in common while slowly realizing, as the film progresses, that you all share a common humanity in your love of the art.

Some moviegoers may be avid cinephiles who live for analyzing production quality, lighting, and cinematography, while others may just be there for a good laugh and a memory to take home with them. Neither one of these pursuits are any less valuable than the other, which is what makes experiencing a movie as part of a diverse audience that much more fulfilling.

I will never forget the collective bliss and booming cheers of satisfaction that could be heard from miles away when Captain America wielded Thor’s prized hammer in Avengers: Endgame or the tears

streaming down the faces of everyone, both young and old, at the end of Pixar’s 2017 animated feature Coco.

These are the rare moments in which the rest of the world goes quiet while you become immersed in the unspoken bond made with those around you, if only for a brief running time. I know I am not alone in the sentiment that I would surely give anything to experience that enchanting atmosphere one more time, even if it means sitting in the front row and having to endure the pain of a strained neck.

As time progresses, so too will our country’s efforts to tame this ailment and prioritize the health and safety of the public above all else. In the meantime, we can still find ways to support filmmakers and artists in the hopes of once again getting to leave the theatre after a gratifying watch — confused as to where the exit door is — with buttercovered fingers and a heart forever changed.

How COVID-19 affects sleep, scheduling for students on the other side of the world The challenges of studying in a different time zone

Taking classes in different time zones can be a challenge for students’ sleep schedules.

JUDY YUE/THEVARSITY

Sapolnach Prompiengchai Varsity Contributor

Getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night is paramount to maintaining your well-being. However, many students are currently studying from a different time zone, which can make maintaining a healthy sleep schedule difficult.

That includes me — I am a first-year student at UTSC studying from my home in Thailand, which is 12 hours ahead of Toronto time. My abnormal routine during the fall semester became more hectic and exhausting because of the need to concentrate during the wee hours of the night.

I heard from three undergraduate students

and a graduate student who are all living in different time zones and studying at U of T’s three campuses to find out whether their daily schedules have changed, how they feel about synchronous classes, and how the pandemic has affected them more generally.

Irregular schedules Kate Fan, a second-year Rotman Commerce student currently living in New Zealand, wrote, “I needed to change many areas of my life to work around my class schedule.” When asked about her sleep schedule, Fan described how a “regular sleep routine is difficult to establish” because she is 18 hours ahead of Toronto time.

Fan is not the only one who finds this

One large popcorn, a soda, and a whole lot of hand sanitizer Reflecting on the loss of the cinematic experience during lockdown Evelia Raphael Varsity Contributor

It comes as no surprise to see how much COVID-19 has altered our cultural landscape over the past year. Looking back, it seems almost absurd to think that we ever willingly congregated in dozens to hundreds for two hours simply to watch a movie, but that was our norm for the past century and a treasured pastime for many.

The cinema industry, among others, has understandably taken a great hit in its efforts to maintain community safety. Multiple chains and local theatres have completely ceased operations, and numerous release dates for highly anticipated features have been pushed back, including Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and the latest installment in the James Bond saga, No Time to Die. The last film I had the chance of watching in theatres right before COVID-19 began to spike

was the 2019 adaptation of Little Women directed

by Greta Gerwig. It never would have dawned on me while watching Jo March bickering with her sisters and trying to make her way in the world that I would not be able to enter that sacred building again for quite a while.

In all honesty, had I known that anything to the extent of the pandemic would have taken over the world as we know it, I would have ordered a popcorn bag large enough to last me the season.

In the age of booming digitalization, we have undoubtedly witnessed a monumental transformation in the way we consume media. Online streaming services have proved to be increasingly convenient during this time of lockdowns and distancing, allowing us to safely travel to fictional worlds and navigate alternate realities from the comfort of our living rooms.

However, while the content of a movie itself does not typically differ depending on the loca-

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Science

February 1, 2021 var.st/science science@thevarsity.ca

The possibility — and importance — of finding water on other planets Virtual ASX “Star Talk” features York University astronomer Paul Delaney Mohammad Haddadnia Science Correspondent

People with a passion for science, whether they are in grade four or teaching at university, wonder whether there is life on other planets. Are we alone in the solar system, or even in the entire galaxy?

On January 20, the Astronomy & Space Exploration Society (ASX) hosted an online “Star Talk,” where Paul Delaney, a professor from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at York University and Carswell Chair for the Public Understanding of Astronomy, talked about the possibility of finding water — and perhaps life — on other planets.

“Star Talk” is a regular feature of the ASX’s programming, often accompanied by a guided telescope observation of the night sky. This year, with the telescopes closed, the ASX has had to adapt to online programming. One of the ways the ASX is maintaining audience participation is with “livestream watch parties and StarTalk-themed trivia nights,” according to a statement to The Varsity from ASX president Julie Midroni.

“The major challenges we faced in adapting to COVID-19 have been with our symposium — by far our biggest event of the year,” Midroni added.

To compensate for the lack of in-person interaction, this year, the ASX is extending its symposium from a single-day event to a three-day event, scheduled for February 15–17.

Why does water matter?

“Life on this planet simply could not exist in the absence of water,” said Delaney at the beginning of his talk. He added that, while we cannot totally rule out the possibility of life existing without water, all of our current biological understanding suggests that water is a key ingredient to the presence of life. Thus, by searching for water, we can maximize our chances of finding life.

Water is a chemical compound that is relatively common in the universe because it is made up of two of the most common elements in the universe: hydrogen and oxygen. Relative to the total mass of our planet, the amount of water on Earth is actually pretty small — but its presence has

allowed life to flourish.

There are several existing and extinct sources of water in our astronomical neighbourhood, including Venus and the Moon.

For a long time, the prevailing belief was that the Moon did not have water. Even to this day, many people, including

myself, have been unaware of the Moon’s surprising amount of water, much of which is frozen at the poles. There are also some indications that Venus used to have an Earth-like atmosphere with a watery surface. Right now, however, it is too hot for liquid water to exist.

Mars and its ancient past But by far the most exciting source of water is Mars. It is, as Delaney said, “the planet we just love to talk about.”

“Mars today is a very arid environment,” he said. However, there are ice deposits all over its surface, which raises the question of whether ice on this planet was once water. More recently, radar instruments have detected the presence of liquid water on Mars’ surface, albeit in a highly saline form too salty to support life. But the existence of liquid water is still a promising sign that Mars may have been habitable in the ancient past.

“In fact, Mars may have been more hospitable than Earth back four billion years ago,” said Delaney. When asked by an attendee why the ice on Mars has not been sampled yet to search for signs of life, Delaney said that sending a spacecraft to Mars is very expensive, which makes this mission hard to achieve.

FIONA TUNG/THEVARSITY Presently, Mars lacks a substantial atmosphere, making life impossible on its dusty surface. The loss of its water is thought to be tied to the loss of its atmosphere.

As a small planet, Mars may have cooled quickly in the billions of years following its formation, which may have caused its liquid metal core to partially solidify. Without a rotating liquid metal core to produce a protective magnetic field around the planet, harsh solar winds may have stripped the planet of its atmosphere and, eventually, its water.

In his talk, Delaney discussed the evidence for Mars having liquid water billions of years ago.

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Is the pandemic equalizing housework? It’s complicated

New UTM study sheds light on domestic labour and the “needs exposure hypothesis”

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Fathers became more involved in household chores, but tended to stick to tasks associated with masculinity.

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Tahmeed Shafiq Science Editor

As difficult as it may be to believe, we are only six short weeks away from the anniversary of the first Ontario lockdown back in March 2020. At the time, staying indoors for an extended period of time was a difficult adjustment for many people — though it did have some benefits, such as the explosion of interest in baking.

Now, a new study from sociologists at UTM and Brigham Young University in the United States proposes that another benefit of the lockdowns might have been a more equal division of labour for couples with children.

The study examined the shift in division of housework between different-sex Canadian couples during the first wave of the pandemic. The researchers asked 1,234 parents with at least one child whether the distribution of child care and domestic tasks within the home, like laundry and grocery shopping, changed during stay-at-home orders.

The results paint a complicated picture of gendered labour. While fathers did become more involved in household affairs, the greatest increases came within tasks already associated with being a father. Moreover, they were more likely to take on responsibilities if they worked from home throughout the first wave, were part of a dual-earner household, or were part of a woman single-earner household.

Despite these caveats, the researchers believe their results illustrate a way to improve gender equity in household labour. When fathers were more regularly exposed to the needs of the home and their children, they were more likely to become involved in parental and household responsibilities — a hypothesized psychological process the researchers call “needs exposure.” If fathers could spend more time at home in the future, they might voluntarily take on more responsibilities.

Thus, they argued that structural changes that allow fathers to spend more time at home may be successful in reducing gendered labour.

What fathers did and didn’t do Despite the increasing presence of women in the labour force, parenting and domestic chores — activities like laundry, shopping, cleaning, and doing the dishes — are still largely done by women. According to research published by Statistics Canada in 2015, women spend an average 6.3 more hours per week on household tasks than men.

This disparity still holds when women enter the labour force. The same report also showed that women who are employed full time spend about three and a half more hours per week doing domestic chores than men who were also employed full time.

But by querying parents with children during the first wave of the pandemic, the research-

ers found that fathers did become more involved while at home.

Each participant was asked a series of questions about whether they or their partner did more of a given task before and after the start of the pandemic. Participants were also asked whether they believed fathers were becoming more involved in these tasks as a way to differentiate between how mothers and fathers perceived changing behaviour.

Notably, fathers became slightly more involved with domestic tasks, including meal preparation, post-meal clean up and house cleaning. For example, 45.8 per cent of couples said that fathers did half or more of all the meal preparation pre-pandemic, but 50 per cent of couples said that fathers were taking their fair share after the pandemic started. The most significant increase was for grocery shopping, with 6.8 per cent more couples saying fathers were doing at least half of the work.

Fathers also became more involved in child care, including monitoring, talking to, and physically caring for children.

A complicated picture There were several other results from this study that complicate this picture of a more genderequal home. Firstly, while fathers were more involved while at home, they appeared to stick to tasks that were traditionally associated with being a father in the first place, such as enforcing rules for children.

This preserves an element of gender in the household duties being performed. It is also consistent with UK studies about the pandemic’s effects, which suggested that gender is a powerful determinant in the kind of work parents do more of while at home.

Furthermore, when work status was included, the researchers found that fathers were more likely to be involved when they worked from home or if their partners worked. For example, men singleearners were 35.5 to 38.2 per cent less likely to become more involved in housework than men whose partners also worked, depending on the type of chore.

The researchers proposed that this pattern could be explained by the needs exposure hypothesis. A more equal division of labour would then require structural changes that allow fathers to spend more time at home. These changes could include parental leave and more flexible workfrom-home arrangements.

Speaking to UTM News, co-author of the study and UTM sociology professor Melissa Milke noted that these changes should also include incentives for women to stay in the workforce.

“We need to address the structural inequalities that relegate more women than men to low-status, low-paying jobs,” she said. “We also need policies that allow fathers to be more active participants in their families.”

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021

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U of T AI Conference highlights use of machine learning to address the climate crisis ProjectX winners forecast infection risk of fungal disease Black Sigatoka

Jennifer Zhong Varsity Contributor

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the biggest fields of computer science research at the University of Toronto. One opportunity for students from various disciplines to get involved and showcase their own work is at the U of T AI Conference, which took place remotely on January 15 and 16. The conference aims to inspire students and researchers to use machine learning and AI to tackle the most urgent global issues — namely, the climate crisis.

Organized by the U of T Artificial Intelligence student group (U of T AI), the conference featured renowned speakers from all over the world. Notable speakers included U of T Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton, who is a pioneer in the field of machine learning, as well as other speakers from both large institutions and smaller entrepreneurial labs.

Winners of the ProjectX competition, a remote machine learning competition organized by U of T AI, were also announced during the conference.

AI for empowering the individual Physicist Max Tegmark from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology spoke about using AI for sustainable science, development, and democracy.

Using the United Nations’ sustainable development goals for reference, Tegmark remarked that most AI research is concentrated in areas with a lot of funds, such as health care and education in wealthy countries. In contrast, issues such as hunger and justice are largely ignored.

In addition, Tegmark highlighted AI’s potential for both good and harm by discussing the inequities that it can help bridge or widen. For example, Tegmark referred to the influence of the media in creating what he calls “filter bubbles” in the increasingly polarized United States. Government or big tech fact-checking can easily lend itself to abuse, compromise freedom of speech, and be interpreted as censorship. However, machine learning can be inexpensively employed to reduce bias in news consumption by suggesting sources from both ends of the political spectrum.

Tegmark concluded that we need to think about “how [to] make an AI [so] that it doesn’t overpower us, but empower us, the individuals.”

AI and civil rights Neuroscientist Vivienne Ming from Socos Labs, an entrepreneurial incubator based out of California, spoke about the importance of ethics in AI. According to her, while AI is often seen as a magical solu-

According to the co-presidents of U of T AI, going virtual allowed for a bigger conference with more high-profile speakers.

COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

tion to our problems, we need to be able to understand and solve it first. Machine learning is based on history, which may not always be what we want to program. Ming used the failed Amazon hiring algorithm — which, until it was abandoned in 2018, only selected men as promising candidates — to highlight the importance of human intervention.

Ming also pointed out the increasingly invasive use of AI — such as in face recognition, job applications, and bank loan applications — and how easily it could be abused. She believes that we need “AI acting in our individual self-interest,” rather than in the interests of corporations.

United States but also Germany, Poland, Chile, and Brazil. Project X is supported by a range of partners, including Google, Accuweather, IBM, and U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society.

Over the course of three months, from September to November, 21 teams of undergraduate students competed in one of three focus areas to share in a $70,000 prize pool: infectious disease, weather and natural disaster prediction, or emissions and energy efficiency. This year, the winning teams were from U of T, University of Michigan: Ann Arbor, and Cornell University.

Behind the scenes For the first time, the U of T AI Conference was held entirely online. In an interview with The Varsity, organizers and co-presidents of U of T AI Shardul Bansal and Elias Williams discussed the theme of the conference and the advantages and disadvantages of the remote setting.

“We think [the climate crisis] is the most important [and] urgent problem that we have right now as a generation and… as a species,” said Williams. He further explained that “[the climate crisis] works well with machine learning… as [the field] is not as saturated as a lot of other machine learning disciplines are… and a lot of the data… is really readily available for free.”

Although there are new challenges associated with holding the conference online — especially with marketing and motivation — Bansal and Williams are certain that there are benefits as well. The online platform allowed them to reach a greater audience, broaden speaker options, and lower the cost for attendees. “We were able to have… all these people from really interesting places to talk because we didn’t have to fly them out,” Bansal concluded.

U of T winning team The U of T winning team was a diverse group of undergraduates from across the Faculty of Arts & Science, spanning several time zones: Yuchen Wang, Matthieu Chan Chee, Ziyad Edher, Minh Duc Hoang, Shion Fujimori, Sornujah Kathirgamanathan, and mentor and co-author Jesse Bettencourt.

Their project focused on infectious disease and used machine learning to develop a neural network to forecast the infection risk of Black Sigatoka, a fungal disease primarily attacking banana crops around the world. Unlike conventional models, the team’s neural network, Multiple predictoR Neural ODE, encodes external predictor factors such as weather conditions to improve the accuracy of the predictions.

“We first thought about modelling human diseases… [but] there are so many factors,” Chee explained in an interview with The Varsity. The group also had difficulties with finding data for the project as much of the data was privately owned. However, they succeeded with Black Sigatoka, and Kathirgamanathan felt that “[their project] has an even stronger connection between [the climate crisis and COVID-19].”

Their advice for aspiring students? Chee said, “There were many… big names [in this competition], and it’s easy for students to feel intimidated by this.

But… don’t be afraid to try new things and go for it.”

Team lead Yuchen Wang encouraged women to join and get involved. “Don’t be afraid to take the leadership role, and don’t be afraid to get involved in technology [or] academic research.”

Project X Project X is a remote machine learning competition organized by U of T AI that challenges undergraduate students all over the world to apply machine learning solutions to the impacts of the climate crisis.

This year, teams came from not only Canada and the

How access to public spaces changes the diversity of a neighbourhood

UTSC-affiliated study sheds light on residential segregation Ashiana Sunderji Varsity Staff

Cities are not seamless, discrete entities; they are made of separate, interacting neighbourhoods. So how do neighbourhoods form over time? That is the question explored by a trio of researchers from the University of Toronto and Columbia University. The researchers, led by UTSC sociology professor Daniel Silver, tried to uncover the mechanics of how neighborhoods evolve with a computer model.

By paying attention to urban spaces — public spaces like parks and malls — where citizens interact with each other, the researchers discovered how distinct groups of people can come to live in areas with members of their same social group, a process sociologists call residential segregation.

Residential segregation can occur on the basis of any number of identifying characteristics, including race, nationality, and socioeconomic status. It has a lasting impact on social equity, as neighbourhood resources can often influence health and social mobility.

The mathematics of diversity The researchers built their simulation using a model proposed in the 1970s by economist and Nobel Laureate Thomas Schelling. The Schelling model is used to study the segregation of diverse communities in certain neighbourhoods.

In an email interview with The Varsity, co-author and research associate at the Rotman School of Management Patrick Adler shared a simple example of how the Schelling model works. The parable of the polygons, an interactive web app developed by

Vi Hart and Nicky Case, illustrates how bias and prejudice play a role in people we choose to surround ourselves with.

The app focuses on two shapes: triangles and squares. Each shape wants to “move if less than 1/3 of [their] neighbours are like [them].” This bias leads to spatial segregation based on differences. When the simulation is run, these individual preferences cause shapes to recognize themselves, and over time, they form distinct clusters of triangles and squares — neighbourhoods of similar shapes.

The simulation also explains the instability of equality by showing how a small bias can have a great impact on the composition of an entire urban setting.

It also explains how removing the bias won’t remove segregation in a society where the bias has once existed — there needs to be active change in place that helps to shift the overall perception of citizens.

Venues and residential segregation According to the researchers, common causes of residential segregation include employment, housing discrimination, and the physical layout of the society.

The researchers’ particular interests were in the impacts that the abundance and placement of specific venues have on the segregation present in society.

The researchers ran three studies. In the first two, they classified venues as “historical artifacts that belong to one group or another.” They found that when a society was more open minded, or had higher levels of tolerance, the addition of public venues caused more integration. However, when a society had a lower tolerance, the addition of venues caused more segregation.

The Danforth is one Toronto neighbourhood the researchers mention in their study as a potential example of how a diverse neighbourhood evolves.

JASON BAKER/ CC FLICKR

“Essentially, the parishioner is happier to live in a mixed neighborhood when they are close to a church, and the young single doesn’t mind having older neighbors as long as there are bars full of other young people close by,” the researchers wrote.

In their third study, the researchers added another layer to their experiment and considered what would happen if they placed restrictions on the inclusivity of certain venues. The segregation that resulted was not proportional to the restrictions on venues, and while some segregation did occur, residential diversity was also created.

Silver wrote to The Varsity that he “was surprised to find that more exclusive venues can be the basis for more diverse neighbourhoods, while more inclusive venues can spark greater segregation.” Overall, however, he is satisfied with the results.

“We expected to find that venues can help us to understand the basis of distinctively urban forms of social order, and that turned out to be the case,” he wrote.

How can this model be applied to Toronto?

When asked about applying this particular model to Toronto, Adler explained that there are examples of his

and the team’s research in the city. He referenced work done by geographers Jason Hackworth and Josephine Rekers examining the neighbourhoods of Greektown and Little India, arguing that communities there have been influenced by ‘bootstrapping,’ which Adler described as a “tendency for residents to accept more diversity than they would otherwise because they still have access to in-group life.”

Evidently, the society that we are currently living in does not resemble one in which public spaces are even open for interactions. Adler pointed out that this makes their model difficult to apply to a pandemic setting, as “it assumes physical interaction at venues.”

He added that he and his colleagues might work on extending their model for the future by incorporating a new relationship between people and venues, but exactly what that relationship will be is currently unknown.

“If there is a weaker attachment, then you would probably expect fewer venue effects, but I don’t think we know enough to say that there would be a weaker attachment,” he wrote. “If people are spending the pandemic realizing how important venues are, then we would see the opposite effects.”

Sports

February 1, 2021 var.st/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

In conversation with Tamara Tatham, women’s basketball head coach On her career, leadership, and mental health

Avishai Sol Varsity Staff

Tamara Tatham is a firsthand witness to the rise of Canadian basketball. A two-time Olympian and Pan Am gold medalist, Tatham has seen every level of women’s basketball.

Now the interim head coach of the U of T Varsity Blues women’s basketball team, Tatham spoke with The Varsity about her own personal journey and her plans for the future of the team.

Tatham’s ascent to Canadian women’s basketball stardom didn’t happen overnight.

Tatham recalls her first Olympic experience.

“In starting with the national team, I started really going to an open tryout, and at that time, we weren’t very good. This was… in 2007,” Tatham said.

“I remember going to games and we’d literally get blown out. But we really worked hard after that first year because we realized we actually had a really good chance at making it to the Olympics.” The team went on to qualify and play in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games.

Standing at 6’1, Tatham was always a gifted athlete, but her greatest contribution to her teams was her leadership. These are the qualities that would benefit a player-to-coach career, like Tatham’s.

I was curious to know when she first

considered being a coach.“When I was playing basketball overseas… I was a leader on the team. It was me and another athlete… We made sure that whatever needed to happen, we were always there to help out,” said Tatham.

“I would have a lot of conversations with her and help her see things that she may not be seeing. I remember we were at lunch one day, and she was like, ‘Gee, you would be such a good coach.’ And I was like, ‘Huh, I would be.’ ” Though still just 35 years old, Tatham has had an extremely successful coaching career.

On top of her time with the U of T women’s team, she coaches with the Toronto Raptors G-League affiliate, the Raptors 905.

Tatham’s leadership has been shown recently while captaining the ship for the Blues. While her time is usually spent training her players for the court, Tatham spoke about supporting her players off the court, specifically through the lens of mental health.

When asked to expand on what she believes her responsibilities as a coach are when pertaining to her players’ mental health, Tatham said, “I think the biggest piece is to provide resources for them if there is something that they might be struggling with… Another big piece is just to have an open-door policy, have your athletes want to come to you, make it okay for them to come to you with anything that they’re struggling

Tatham supports her players both on and off the court.

COURTESY OF VARSITY BLUES ATHLETICS

with.”

“My players can text me or call me whenever they feel [like it]… Just making yourself available for anything they need is, I think, very important.”

“I think there’s a lot of pressure when it comes to playing the sport, and it comes at different levels,” said Tatham. “When you’re in school, you’re pressured to feel like you have to do really well in school.”

Sports are at their best when they bring people together A love letter to my fellow stadium-fillers

Guiller Lorenzo Cenizal Varsity Contributor

Pre-recorded fan noise just isn’t the same.

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I recall a conversation with a friend a little while back. She, as so many of us have during this pandemic, was looking for a new hobby. Basketball had always piqued her interest, so she had decided to put on a game that night.

Naturally, as a Toronto native, she had chosen the Toronto Raptors game against the Miami Heat — which resulted in a Raptors loss and an unusual feeling of disappointment for her. Yet, it struck me that her initial message as she put the broadcast on was that she didn’t think the game was going to be exciting because there was no audience.

She was right. Even as someone who seldom spectated or partook in sport, she understood the significance of an arena packed to the rafters with fans.

Since the advent of COVID-19, sports arenas and stadiums have been operating at a fraction of normal capacity — if accommodating audiences at all. To the credit of the various leagues and associations, most did try to substitute the lack of fans with some pre-recorded cheering audio — which I found to be adequate at best and incredibly fake and distracting at worst.

Truly, no pre-recorded fan noise could replace the “oohs” and “ahs” that would have erupted when Ryan Garcia landed a flurry of punches on Luke Campbell on January 2 or when Dustin Poirier knocked out Conor McGregor on January 23. Pandemonium would have ensued at the Scotiabank Saddledome when Jake Muzzin flicked that puck at Matthew Tkachuk’s chest on January 26. And the Philadelphia faithful would have made enough noise to shake the stadium when Tobias Harris sank

that game-winning shot over the good defense from Alex Caruso on January 27.

These are just a few great recent moments I watched where a fan presence would be like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.

On February 7, we’ll see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. One of the biggest television events of the year and its much-awaited half-time show will be performed in a stadium at only around a third of its capacity for the first time in its history — though 7,500 of the seats will be free for vaccinated health care workers, which is a nice gesture in these trying times.

Arguably, the biggest televised sporting event in North America should prove a great barometer for just how different the fan experience has been and will be for the foreseeable future.

To be fair, as with everything, one eventually gets used to the synthetic fan noises for better or worse.

One may even say that it is a privilege to be able to watch the sports we love despite the circumstances, which is true.

Still, I can’t help but feel that the empty stadiums have left a void bigger than the empty bleacher seats. During the Raptors’ championship run in 2019, I remember my first instinct as a person who loved the game was to be defensive when people who hadn’t been fans before the win came out of the woodwork for a winning team. I am happy to admit that feeling passed when I saw the parades and celebrations all over the country, which made me realize that sports are at their best when they’re bringing people together.

We must patiently wait for when sports and its fans are reunited — when it is at its very finest once again.

Just the fact that Tatham is aware of these struggles speaks both to her sensitivity as a leader and the kind of player-friendly environment she has created at U of T. She was a great athlete and is a great coach, but her greatest skill throughout has been her mind, her strength of character, and her ability to connect with others. This will serve the Blues well as they train in lockdown and when they can get back on the court.

var.st/sports

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

The smart fitness revolution The future of fitness is so close yet so far

Angad Deol Associate Sports Editor

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been blasted with commercials for brands like Peloton and Tonal. The simple advertisements all convey a similar message — the local gym of the past is making way for a future where fitness can be achieved without leaving home. Smart mirrors — offered by Tonal and the aptly named Mirror — provide curated home workouts shared from the screen of the mirror that hangs on your wall, even telling you if your posture is up to par.

Peloton’s flagship smart bike works much like a common stationary bike, but the revolutionary twist is an added tablet that can stream live and pre-recorded workout classes that even include non-bike workouts such as yoga.

As lockdown restrictions have essentially decimated the fitness centre industry — with gyms, spin classes, and dance studios all being closed in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — people have been left scrambling to find ways to burn off the colloquial ‘quarantine 15.’ Smart fitness brands saw this once-in-a-generation opportunity and never looked back. Peloton’s sales skyrocketed in the fourth quarter of 2020, up by 172 per cent from the same quarter in 2019.

It’s clear that there is a demand for smart

technology — even US President Joe Biden rides a Peloton — but who’s being left behind?

Smart fitness technology doesn’t come cheap.

The Peloton bike starts from $1,895 USD. Mirror, one of the smart fitness mirror brands, has its flagship product starting at a similarly high rate of $1,495 USD. Of course, once you buy the products, some brands also have a voluntary subscription fee to access other features, such as the aforementioned live and curated workouts.

Many people — especially during a pandemic when they may have lost work and may be struggling with bills — will not be able to afford these smart fitness devices. While these brands do offer great services within their subscriptions, it’s

clear that the average fitness enthusiast will either have to wait for a huge sale or stick to traditional workouts. While it would be cool to do guided workouts and get ready for work in the same mirror, it seems just a little out of reach for most.

Smart fitness has a bright future. The days of driving back and forth to your local gym only to deal with sweaty seats, misplaced dumbbells, and the long wait times at peak hours, could soon be a distant memory.

But until brand name prices drop or until budget brand products — such as the Echelon Connect bikes, which offer more of the same that Peloton does, minus the tablet — become more popular, it seems that we’ll have to wait until everyone can enjoy a good spin class or yoga session from the comfort of their homes in a way we could not have imagined years ago.

Alex Waddell Varsity Staff

JULIEN BALBONTIN/THEVARSITY

MIA CARNEVALE/THEVARSITY

Lower body exercises For squats, start with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees to a 90-degree angle.

Then, come back up. Change it up by trying a plié, side, or pistol squat.

To do lunges, start from a standing position,

Do the workouts really work?

MAHIKA JAIN/THEVARSITY

Routines to follow when you have that break between classes

With all the stress of balancing schoolwork, cocurriculars, jobs, and social events, it can be difficult for university students to find time to exercise.

Right now, it’s harder than ever to get moving as most athletic facilities are still closed, and outdoor workouts aren’t always an option due to the weather. However, that doesn’t mean we should be neglecting our health. Regular exercise is extremely important for mental and physical well-being — even a few minutes a day can make a difference.

Here are some quick, simple, and quiet exercises you can do right now in your room — all you need is yourself and a bit of space!

Do each exercise for a minute for a 10-minute workout, or mix and match to your heart’s desire.

Testing UTrain: Cardio Core

This intensive workout was a nice relief from my busy class schedule — even if my thighs were burning.

Easy 10-minute workouts

Andrea Zhao Varsity Staff

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take a step forward with one foot, and bend the front knee to a 90-degree angle. Repeat with both legs. Keep it interesting with hip twists, stretches, and side lunges.

Core exercises Crunches begin with you lying down with your hands behind your head, knees bent, and feet flat.

Engaging your core, lift your shoulders off the floor, and lower back down slowly. Spice things up with bicycle or V crunches.

A plank is achieved by balancing on your forearms and toes, keeping your legs straight and back flat. Make it interesting with hip rotations and arm or leg lifts, or try a side plank if you’re so inclined.

Arm exercises To do arm circles, simply stretch your arms out on either side and circle them forward or backward while engaging your shoulders. Switch up the size of the circles and rotation speed as you like.

Pushups begin from a high plank position on your hands and toes — or start in a kneeling position for modified pushups. Bend your elbows to lower your body toward the ground,

then come back up. Try different variations like the triangle or one-handed pushup if you’re feeling up to it.

Total body exercises For wood chops, start with your feet shoulderwidth apart, clasp your hands together, and turn and reach up to one side. Then, turn and squat as you rotate down to the other side.

To perform a single leg Romanian deadlift, begin from a standing position and reach down while lifting one leg in line with your body behind you, making sure to engage your whole body. Repeat while alternating sides.

Skater jumps involve starting from a standing position before swinging one leg behind you to the opposite side and reaching down with the same arm while bending both knees. Alternate and repeat.

Burpees are a gym class classic. Start from a standing position and reach upward. Then, place your hands on the ground and stretch out into a high plank. Modify in whatever way strikes your fancy.

And that’s all — happy working out, everybody!

Cardio Core is one of the new classes UTM is offering this semester. Open to all fitness levels, UTM invites students to “Join us for a heart pumping and ab shredding workout! This powerful fusion class will help you get in shape with minimal equipment and space.” It is offered at 12:00 pm on Thursdays, which was a nice break from my busy class schedule.

This week was taught by Hiro, a student from UTM. If you took a Plyo-HIIT workout last semester like I did, you may recognize him. Hiro has a signature style, so the cardio core class had a very similar format to his previous classes.

In the spirit of the name of the class, we ran through two circuits with three rounds each and two cardio and two core exercises per round. Hiro let us know that this class would be a bit harder than usual since he was adding an extra cardio burst to each round, and I can testify that it certainly was difficult.

The first circuit was 40 seconds of jump squats, 20 seconds of lying leg raises, 40 seconds of more jump squats, and 20 seconds of V-sit in and outs. In each round of these moves, we modified the jump squats to keep things spicy and engaging, but my thighs were burning from the copious amount of jump squats. In the second round, we switched to side-toside jump squats and in the third round, forward jump squats.

The second circuit was 40 seconds of burpees, 20 seconds of planks with knee to opposite elbow, 40 seconds of burpees, and 20 seconds of Russian twists. I am not a fan of burpees, but to Hiro’s credit, they definitely got my heart rate up. The planks were especially hard following burpees, which were also hard on the arms.

We started with modified burpees, moved to jumping burpees in the second round and full burpees with push-ups in the third round.

Hiro ended the class with a plank challenge similar to the one we did in Bootcamp, but this time, we did two minutes of elbow planking. The music throughout the class was electronic dance music, which isn’t exactly my style, and since I was really needing the motivation, I decided to play my own music. Luckily, I was still able to hear Hiro’s descriptions of the circuits and follow along well.

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THE VARSITY

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021