March 17, 2014 by The Varsity

VOL. CXXXIV, NO. 21

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1880

17 MARCH, 2014

INSIDE COMMENT

GSU should still pursue defed On Sunday, the Graduate Students’ Union received word that its petition for a referendum to decide its continued membership in the Canadian Federation of Students had been rejected. Still, I believe that the gsu’s affiliation with the federation should be questioned.

PG 10 ARTS & CULTURE

Two and a half million cities

Exploring the patchwork identity of Toronto and its neighbourhoods

Feature, pg 12

UTSU election result delayed, set to be released today

HONEST ED’S SIGNS FOR SALE

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Unofficial results for the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) spring elections have not yet been published. The results were to be announced this weekend, but are now set to be announced at some point on Monday, March 17. In a statement posted on the utsu website, Chief Returning Officer (cro) Alex Flor wrote: “The delay is in respect to awaiting further information from the online voting company used for these elections.” Flor did not reply to further requests for comment. The end of the election was marked by a spate of rulings from the cro, which assigned several candidates demerit points for alleged violations of the Elections Procedure Code (epc). In a ruling dated March 14, Anna Yin, vice-president, internal and services candidate for Team Unite, was assigned 58 demerit points, bringing her total points to 63. Executive candidates are disqualified if they receive more than 35 points.

Yin received these demerits for allegedly claiming “that the utsu membership fee was $345,” “that the utsu has no report indicating where funds are spent,” “that utsu’s largest expense is executive salaries,” “that the utsu allowed the University of Toronto Mississauga to leave the organization in the past and divert fees to utm,” “that the utsu is preventing autonomous organizations from ‘leaving’ the utsu by citing utsu bylaws,” and “that a Student Society [sic] Summit was created to investigate undemocratic utsu bylaws.” Flor ruled that these statements constituted “misrepresentations of facts,” “intentional misrepresentation of facts,” and “gross misrepresentation of facts,” each of which is a separate infraction under the epc. Flor also ruled that Yin’s alleged violations constituted “failure to comply with the spirit and purpose of the election” and “malicious or intentional violation of the epc,” for each of which she received additional demerits.

CONTINUED ON PG 5

It can be hard to convince your meat-eating friends that vegetarian food is more than than just bags of iceberg lettuce and bland tofu. This is a guide for those who are willing to leave their judgements about eating vegetarian at the door.

PG 17 SCIENCE

U of T to host second Women in Science conference Walking into any mathematics, physics, or computer science class at U of T and looking around converts the often-cited statistics into a visible, concrete reality: there is still a major gender gap in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Close of voting marked by spate of demerit point rulings Theodore Yan

Toronto’s best veggie eats

PG 20 SPORTS

LGBTQ athletes share their stories It is uplifting to know that a great number of U of T’s varsity teams have provided lgbtq athletes opportunities over the years to showcase their talents, while also serving as a safe and welcoming community. That being said, this sentiment is more than likely not shared by all.

Arts, pg 14

PG 21

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 21

THE VARSITY VOL. CXXXIV No. 21

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— Wednesday, March 12

MERCEDES SCAIFE @BEETLEBUGGY14 U of T turned 187 today so we all got “free” cupcakes #birthday #UofT — Thursday, March 13

MATTHEW JOHNSON @MATT_AJOHNSON 187 years of making students cry and still going strong #HappyBirthdayUofT

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I honestly think if there was a second Ice Age Uoft still wouldn’t cancel classes. #uoftprobs

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Advertising Manager Victoria Marshall advertising@thevarsity.ca Advertising Executives Stephanie Lau stephanie@thevarsity.ca terence@thevarsity.ca Terence Leung vanessa@thevarsity.ca Vanessa Wen The Varsity is the University of Toronto's largest student newspaper, publishing since 1880. The Varsity has a circulation of 20,000, and is published by Varsity Publications Inc. It is printed by Master Web Inc. on recycled newsprint stock. Content © 2014 by The Varsity. All rights reserved. Any editorial inquiries and/or letters should be directed to the sections associated with them; emails listed above. The Varsity reserves the right to edit all submissions. Inquiries regarding ad sales can be made to ads@thevarsity.ca. ISSN: 0042-2789

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PUBLIC PLANETARIUM SHOW: A VOYAGE THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM Explore the night sky as seen from above Toronto. Thursday, March 20, 7:00pm – 7:45 pm, second show 8:00pm – 8:45pm Astronomy Building, AB79 (basement), 50 St. George Street Admission: $5 VOCAL JAZZ ENSEMBLE CONCERT The Faculty of Music’s jazz concert, directed by Christine Duncan. Wednesday, March 19, 7:30pm – 9:30 pm Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. Admission: Free DIG IN! CAMPUS AGRICULTURE’S 4TH ANNUAL SPRING SHINDIG! A screening of the film “Growing Cities” art print sale and vegetarian refreshments Wednesday, March 20, 2014, 12:00pm – 3:00pm Debates Room, Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle Admission: Free

DRAW BY NIGHT Open drawing event, art supplies provided. Wednesday, March 19, 7:00pm – 10:00pm The Handlebar Pub, 159 Augusta Admission: Free TORONTO POETRY SLAM Second semi-final with guest poet Aaron Simm. Friday, March 21, doors at 7:00pm, begins at 8:00pm Drake Underground, 1150 Queen W Admission: $5

3. The Student Commons. The managing agreement for this proposed student-run

Met a hero, and on top of it all, I won a free coffee too. #chrishadfield #toronto #UofT #vsco #vscocam http://instagram.com/p/lirwHflAI5/ — Friday, March 14

BRAD EVOY @BRAD_EVOY My Friday Nights consist of sitting in basement offices, being increasingly stressed, and working. 6 & 1/2 weeks, 6 & 1/2 weeks... :P #UofT — Friday, March 14

SAFIA KAY KAY @_SAFIAKKHAN Writing my last Philosophy essay! Never thought this day would come #almostdone #philosophy #uoft

HALA TAMIM @HALATAMIM

5 THINGS BOTH SIDES SAY WILL ADDRESS IF THEY WIN THE UTSU ELECTIONS ADDRESS:

2. Defederation. Trinity, Engineering, and Victoria College voted to divert fees from the UTSU in 2013. Team Unite says that it wants to address issues at the root of defederation efforts, but that it would ultimately leave this decision up to individual colleges. Team Voice does not recognize defederation efforts as legitimate.

TYLER WEIL @TYLERWHEEL

— Friday, March 15

THE EXPLAINER

1. Tuition fees. Both sides say they want to work to reduce tuition, but U of T typically raises tuition by the maximum permitted amount every year. It is unclear how this year’s candidates will obtain a different result.

— Thursday, March 13

building requires that the UTSU represent all full-time undergraduates. It has been put on hold indefinitely until the UTSU resolves its issues with colleges. 4. Housing. U of T suffers from a student housing shortage, and is currently involved in a battle between the city and a private building company hired to build a controversial student residence at College and Spadina. The UTSU currently opposes the proposed residence. 5. Clubs Funding. Team Voice want to raise clubs funding, while Team Unite wants to focus on increasing funding and reducing duplicate services.

Got accepted to Uoft Exactly one year ago on the 15th of march! #Uoft Time flies! — Friday, March 15

IRENE HU @IRENEEEHUU omg… omgg… did i just get accepted to UofT?!?! — Friday, March 15

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MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014

Summit continues without UTSU Professors now drafting submission for Governing Council despite UTSU, UTMSU withdrawal Alex Verman

VARSITY STAFF

The summit that was called to resolve disputes between the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) and other student societies can proceed despite the union’s withdrawal, according to university administration. The union has faced widespread criticism from its own board of directors — and from nearly every other divisional student leader — for its surprise withdrawal. Yolen Bollo-Kamara, Presidential candidate and current vice-president, equity, who was one of two union representitives at the summit, has repeatedly declined to answer questions concerning the withdrawal. The summit was organized in June 2013 as a way to head off a potential legal battle between the union and divisions that had voted to leave the union, citing a decade of undemocratic and unrepresentative practices. Last week, the union joined the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) in leaving the summit. The two unions were effectively the only summit members still opposed to allowing division to leave. Despite the withdrawal of the two union’s from the summit, the

administration intends to complete the summit process as planned. Following the final meeting of the summit this past Friday, the professor facilitators will draft a report for the provost, who is scheduled to present the report to Governing Council in May. Professor Joe Desloges, one of the faculty chairs of the summit, assured The Varsity on Thursday that, though the UTSU’s withdrawal is potentially problematic, he is sure about the stability of the process and its results, which he says are in their final stages. Though the absence of the UTSU is expected to have an adverse effect on the overall representativeness of the discussions, Desloges is optimistic, adding that even the reasons submitted by the UTSU for its withdrawal will contribute to the development of a more constructive final report. “In essence, the submissions themselves contain very useful information about what is agreed and what is disagreed in terms of the discussion. So the decision not to continue to participate actually adds more information to the process,” said Desloges, adding that, in the eyes of the administration, the summit writ large continues to gain information about the needs and ideas of different student organizations.

Professor Joe Desloges, one of the faculty chairs of the summit. sHijie zHou/THe varsiTy

Desloges expects the report to be based on what the administration refers to as principles of governance, which — despite willingness to debate and wide participation — various student societies differ on. He hopes that though disagree-

ments are common, a resolution of key issues is possible if students continue to engage creatively with the structure of their societies. Although he agrees that the absence of the UTSU from these final stages of the discussion is problematic,

Desloges says that the university administration will proceed on track, and that the union’s voice, as well as those of other organizations, will be incorporated in the final report and recommendations to be submitted to the vice-provost.

Deloitte stalls GSU referendum Surprise news comes as Alastair Woods, Ashleigh Ingle debate benefits of CFS membership Theodore Yan & Aidan Slind VARSITY STAFF

“Be it resolved that the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) should be a member of the Canadian Federation of Students,” was the topic of a debate held at McLennan Physical Laboratories on Monday. The GSU continues its campaign, initiated in September, to decertify from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and Canadian Federation of Students -Ontario (CFS-O). Alastair Woods, chairperson of the CFS-O, spoke in favour of the proposition. Woods began by stating that Deloitte, the Manhattan-based professional services firm arbitrating the issue, determined that the GSU’s petition had not met the requisite number of signatures to trigger a membership referendum. The firm had been agreed upon by both the GSU and CFS as an impartial oversight body. This decision coloured the tone and subject matter of Monday’s debate. During the evening’s debate, Woods argued that the CFS is an “effective and united” organization, citing its successes in government lobbying and promotion of “social justice” causes. Claiming that the GSU would be “isolated,” should it defederates, he admitted that the federation’s “relations with some student unions in Quebec is rocky,” though denied that any student

bodies besides the GSU wanted to leave. This denial came in spite of the fact that student societies at McGill University and Concordia University are currently engaged in litigation, arguing the validity of their referenda to decertify from the CFS. Asleigh Ingle, a U of T graduate student and former member of the GSU executive committee, debated for the opposition. Recounting her experiences at CFS conferences, Ingle criticized what she saw as the ineffective and undemocratic nature of the federation, claiming that many proposed reforms were either voted down or modified beyond recognition. Ingle went on to criticize the annual lobbying campaign Woods praised in his arguments, and claimed that he and others at the federation hid behind the CFS’s promotion of “social justice” causes to defend the GSU’s continued membership. “By leaving the CFS, it does not mean that we won’t organize against racism, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, sexual assaults on our campus, tuition, and the decreasing quality of life of students,” said Ingle. While both debaters were unhappy with the low turnout of the event, Woods and Ingle said they were both glad to have participated. Woods stated: “I see graduate students interested in the work of the federation and excited to be a part of it, and I certainly look forward to continuing this work with our members in the future.”

The debate on CFS membership drew a small crowd despite the contentious nature of the content. vivian xie/THe varsiTy

Alastair Woods(left) argued for continued CFS membership, while Ashleigh Ingle urged students to defederate. vivian xie/THe varsiTy

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 21

VARSITY NEWS

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College elections round-up A look at the ongoing and recently completed elections of each college’s student associations Taylor Stinson & Sarah Harrison Illustrations by Nancy Ji & Mubashir Baweja TRINITY COLLEGE MEETING (TCM) The campaigning period for the tcm began on March 5, with elections held for three weeks throughout March, and into the beginning of April. Patrick Andison, Sebastian Dutz, and Connor Anear are the candidates for male head of college. Stephanie Lim-Reinders and Tina Saban are the candidates for female head of college. “I love our unique traditions, democratic student government, and the close-knit community. I would like to see greater interaction between Trinity students and Trinity fellows and alumni—they are an undervalued resource,” said Connor Anear, candidate for male head of college. Voting in each week of elections is scheduled for March 19, March 26, and April 2, respectively.

WOODSWORTH COLLEGE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION (WCSA) Campaigning for the wcsa elections began on February 25 and ended with the wcsa Annual General Meeting on March 3. Mohammed Younus was elected as president. Younus ran on the same slate as Lucinda Ro, who was acclaimed as vice-president, external. All candidates agreed that approachability was a major goal for the coming year. “I intend to improve the way in which wcsa communicates; I will implement clear policies that apply to other clubs, consulting them first so they are well represented during the board meetings,” said Ro. Chantal Issa was acclaimed as vice-president, internal affairs. “I want to make sure the board is accessible for all Woodsworth students.” “Students should get to know their execs, and approachability is important,” Defne Arslan, new vice-president, finance, agreed.

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL (VUSAC) With the voting period fast approaching, candidates for vusac released their platforms last week. Rowan DeBues, Sebastien Hart, Nanfa Nandap, and Alice Zhu are all running for president. Nandap plans to create a mobile application to keep students informed. “The flow of information is stagnant. Posters are inadequate, especially for commuters,” said Nandap. DeBues said his platform is effective and efficient, without making unrealistic promises. “For many students, funding their university experience is often a challenge … I want to start working on cutting the fees that are unnecessary,” he said. Increasing student involvement is the theme of Hart’s campaign. “I would like to introduce a system of commuter ‘houses’ based on where students are living off-campus,” his platform states. Zhu’s campaign focuses on three areas: increasing communication between the vusac executive and students, reducing residence fees, and spreading mental health awareness. Voting for vusac is scheduled from March 18 to March 20.

ST MICHAEL’S COLLEGE STUDENT UNION (SMCSU) Campaigning for the smcsu president and vice-president pairing began on March 10. There are two pairs of candidates: Stephen Furgiuele and Juliano Sinopoli, and Victor Valentine and Theri Kay. Furgiuele and Sinopoli are eager to apply skills learned from past involvement in student governance to improve the community atmosphere at St Mike’s. “Our biggest goal is to optimize student involvement and to expand the energy level we had during frosh week throughout the entire year,” Furgiuele said. The pair plans to increase support for student clubs and publish a manual of policies and procedures for new executive members. Community-building is also the focus of Valentine and Kay’s platform. The pair plans to implement a house system similar to that of University College, communicate with students through weekly articles in the The Mike, and increase finance for clubs. Voting for smcsu is scheduled on March 19 and March 20. THE INNIS COLLEGE STUDENT SOCIETY (ICSS) The Innis College Student Society elections features only one contested vice-president election. Alex Huntress-Reeve, Donna Pan and Yuto Takaoka are all vying for the position of vp finance. The rest of the executive is running unopposed. Ryan Lamers, current executive vice-president is running for president. Nicole Thompson is running for vp internal and Khrystyna Zhuk is running for executive vice-president. To win the unopposed candidates need to receive 50 + 1% of the vote. Voting runs from Monday March 17 to Friday March 21.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LITERARY AND ATHLETIC SOCIETY (UCLIT) Elections results for the UCLit were announced on March 5. Former Athletics Commissioner Leo Chen was elected president, beating the second-place candidate by nine per cent. Newly elected vice-president Eric Schwenger said he can apply years of student governance experience to train new members and increase accountability. “Hopefully with a fresh council next year, fresh leadership, we’ll be able to bring more students in to what we do,” Schwenger said. Newly elected athletics commissioner Matthew Thomas wants to expand the athletics committee to focus on wellness. Possible programs include morning yoga, free smoothies, and workout boot camps. Crystal Shu was also elected finance commissioner.

NEW COLLEGE STUDENT COUNCIL (NCSC) New College Student Council (ncsc) candidates were announced March 13, with two candidates contesting each council position. Bob Parry and Thomas Fung are the presidential candidates. Michael Wu and Sam Killackey are the candidates for vice-president, student services. Adriana Baiz and Laurel Chester are the candidates for vice-president, administration. Alicia Lazaro and Nick Grant are the candidates for vice-president, finance. Most candidates placed emphasis on cooperation and coordination between all positions to run an effective student council to help all New College students. “Student services is a relatively new position: it approves all events, oversees apparel and locker sales, and acts as a liaison between other clubs. I will push for more big budget events and student feedback,” said Michael Wu, candidate for vice-president, student services. “vp, administration maintains an organized and connected environment at the ncsc office; I will maintain an effective dialogue between council and the rest of the New College community — from the college’s principle, to the registrar,” said Adriana Baiz, candidate for vice-president, administration. Nick Grant, candidate for vice-president, finance, agreed that communication is key. “The vp, finance has to be able to communicate clearly and make good judgement calls to make sure council functions well. My academic career also revolves around finances.” A Candidates Forum is scheduled for Monday, March 17 at 6:10 pm in Wilson Lounge. Voting for the ncsc is scheduled for March 18 and March 19.

VARSITY NEWS

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MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014

First Turban Day draws large crowd Sikh Student Association seeks to promote cultural and religious awareness Pia Morar

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

On Friday March 14, the Sikh Student Association (ssa) hosted a Turban Day to spread awareness about the Sikh faith. Turban Day was one of three events hosted as part of Sikh Awareness Week at U of T, with the goal of spreading awareness about Sikh religion and culture. At Turban Day, U of T students and staff were invited to wear a turban for one day and participate in free discussion about the Sikh faith, as well as ask any questions they had about Sikhism. Following 9/11, Sikhs were increasingly targeted with hate crimes, such as the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin where a Neo-Nazi shot six Sikhs. In Canada, discrimination usually takes more subtle forms, such as bullying or verbal abuse, says Anamjit Singh Sivia, a second-year engineering student and director of global affairs for the association. He explains that “at the same time, it’s very important not to distance ourselves from Muslims because it’s not their fault

“UTSU ELECTIONS” CONTINUED FROM COVER The ruling stated that the cro possessed “audio evidence of the alleged violation.” The ruling did not offer any quotations of Yin or details as to when or where these violations occurred. Yin can appeal the ruling to the Elections and Referenda Committee (erc). Yin declined to comment on the ruling or whether she would be seeking an appeal. On March 3, Flor ruled that speaking to The Varsity regarding unresolved conflicts with her decisions constitutes “Failure to follow the grievance procedures outlined in the Elections Procedure Code or Policy,” an offence for which up to 15 demerit points can be assigned. The election was complicated by severe winter weather, which forced utm to close early on March 12. To compensate for this, the cro reopened physical polls at utm for five hours on Friday, while online voting and polls at utsg, which did not close because of the weather, did not have extended hours. Team Unite has issued a series of complaints in regards to this decision, and has claimed that they were not informed of an extra polling station opened on Friday at utm. The team alleges that Grayce Slobodian, a current utmsu executive as well as a candidate for Voice, was informed of the new poll (she posted on Facebook about it) prior to the start of voting, whereas they say that their team was not informed that there was another station for voting — and they consequently were unable to campaign there. Seven other candidates received points in rulings issued Friday night. Yolen Bollo-Kamara and Cameron Wathey each received two points for misrepresentation of facts. The cro alleges that one of U of T Voice’s volunteers “misrepresented their

that they’re being targeted. Don’t attack anyone, because you generalize an entire group of people.” According to Sivia, discrimination against Sikhs is often a result of fear and ignorance. To help combat this, the ssa organized Sikh Awareness Week, and specifically Turban Day, to demystify the turban and explain the philosophy behind it. “Living in the Greater Toronto Area, we are fortunate to be part of an exceptionally diverse community and this three-part event will provide for an opportunity to experience this diversity in a more engaging manner, thus encouraging self-awareness,” said Jasleen Arneja, a second-year global health and physiology student and the founding director of ssa. Arneja wanted students to take part in Turban Day “so that they know what it feels like to wear a turban and know that there are no bombs in there.” The objective is to familiarize students and staff alike with the Sikh way of life and motivate them to ask questions about the faith. Students participating in Turban Day were allowed to choose a tur-

ban from a multitude of colours and engage in fruitful discussion regarding Sikhism. They received pamphlets explaining the message of Sikhi and its ten Gurus, and learned interesting facts about the religion, while listening to lively Sikh music. Members of the ssa explained that the turban has a practical and symbolic function. Traditionally, Sikhs never cut their hair and the turban keeps it neat and clean. Symbolically, the turban stands for equality. Sikhism emerged in northern India in the fifteenth century, where turbans were worn by the royalty only. By sharing their culture, religion and tradition, the ssa hopes to spread tolerance and awareness among the U of T community and lift the confusion regarding Sikh identity. This was the first time the SSA hosted Sikh Awareness Week, and so far the response has been significant. More than one hundred students tried on turbans and explore the Sikh faith. Arneja said that the ssa will definitely hold another Turban Day next year.

Anamjit Singh Sivia, director of global affairs for SSA. photo courtesy of Jemel ganal

status as a University of Toronto student,” and found that, under the epc, the candidates are responsible for the action of “non-arms-lengths parties.” It is unclear whether this ruling refers to Ryerson Students’ Union vice-president, equity Raejan Hoillett, who identified himself as a U of T student when approached by a reporter from The Varsity. In a separate ruling, Yin received two points for campaigning in an unauthorized area, as did directorial candidates Ryan Gomes, Kevin Lunianga, and Silviu Kondan. Unite’s vp equity candidate, Balquis Hashiru and directorial candidate Abhi Amalsadia received points for using unapproved campaign material. Finally, Ryan Schwenger received points for unintentional misrepresentation of facts. The erc met on Sunday afternoon and into the evening, but had not released any rulings as of press time. Check thevarsity.ca for updates as this story develops.

Chief Returning Officer Alex Flor at the all candidates debate. shiJie zhou/the Varsity

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Vol. CXXXIV, No. 21

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Former TDSB director’s U of T thesis still under plagiarism investigation Case has now been under investigation for over a year Anthony Marchese VARSITY STAFF

The University of Toronto is continuing its investigation to determine if Chris Spence, former director of education of the Toronto District School Board (tdsb), plagiarized in his 1996 phd dissertation. The university began its investigation last January, and formally laid charges of plagiarism against Spence under U of T’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters on March 12, 2013. The whirlwind began last January, after the Toronto Star reported that Spence, then the director of education for over 250,000 students, plagiarized parts of editorials published in the paper. After Spence apologized for copying passages and failing to follow tdsb policy, the National Post quickly found more plagiarism in some of his other editorials, including one written about the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Other instances were found in blog posts, books, and speeches. Spence subsequently resigned from the tdsb. Focus then turned to Spence’s phd in education, which he received from the Ontario Institute

for Studies in Education (oise) at U of T in 1996. The Toronto Star found multiple passages similar or identical to other unattributed sources, prompting the university to launch its investigation. That investigation has now gone on for over a year. When additional evidence was found, a hearing scheduled for October of last year was postponed so all evidence could be presented. No new hearing date has since been set. Jelena Damjanovic, media assistant for the university, responded to The Varsity’s request for an update. “We have no further information on Mr. Spence’s case at this time,” she said, adding, “However, in general, the time it takes to investigate and proceed through the Tribunal hearing process varies significantly based on the circumstances and complexities of each case.” Spence, whose status with the Ontario College of Teachers could also be threatened, has not responded to any media requests on the status of his dissertation. His last public comment was in an interview to the Star in July 2013. In that interview, Spence apologized repeatedly for his actions, but also blamed his frantic workload for his plagiarism. “You don’t sit down and say, ‘I’m going to start plagiarizing now.’

Chris Spence’s PhD from the University of Toronto has been under investigation for more than a year. media photo

You are just going through different ideas and you read a lot and you take notes, you’re working on something, you go away, you read something, you write it down…I’m a fairly prolific reader, so sometimes I just read ideas that meshed with my own.” In recent years, U of T has stepped up its efforts to be tough on issues

of academic integrity, which it says are on the rise. The academic code explains an arduous process for students and faculty on allegations of plagiarism. Punishments for guilty students can range from receiving a grade of zero to suspension or expulsion. Grades and degrees are withheld until a decision has been reached, leaving many students in limbo un-

til their cases are determined. Any student can also lose their degree if any future investigation discovers instances of academic dishonesty. Spence could lose his doctoral degree if found guilty by the university. With files from the Toronto Star and the National Post.

U of T Voice’s use of RSU, YFS campaigners draws criticism Practice not against the rules, but other candidates call it inequitable Emma Compeau & Iris Robin VARSITY STAFF

Student union executives from York and Ryerson were spotted campaigning for U of T Voice during last week’s University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) elections. Melissa Palermo, president of the Ryerson Students’ Union (rsu), Julian Jasniewski, vice-president campus life of the York Federation of Students (yfs), and Rajean Hoilett, vice-president, equity of the rsu, were all seen campaigning at polling locations across U of T. Jasniewski was spotted campaigning at Sidney Smith Hall for some of the voting period. The Varsity approached him in person. He acknowledges that he is a York graduate, and said he was taking the day off work to support Cameron Wathey, Team Voice candidate for vice–president, internal and services. When asked why he wanted Wathey to be re-elected, Jasniewski said: “Cameron is trying to do good things on campus, and is working very hard. I believe in what he is doing, and, as his friend, support him.” Jasniewski does not believe he is doing anything wrong by campaigning for Team Voice. “Working for the utsu is a full–time job. I don’t think that people appreciate

Rajean Hoilett(left) and Julian Jasniewski. emma compeau & iris robin/the Varsity

the hard work that these people do,” Jasniewski added. Palermo campaigned for U of T Voice at Sidney Smith Hall and the Bahen Centre. After Yolen BolloKamara, presidential candidate for U of T Voice, asked for Palermo’s help, Palermo used personal vacation time to support the campaign. “We have worked together on campaigns to stop homophobia and transphobia on campus, and on affordable transit in the city, and I

support Yolen’s vision and the vision of her team,” said Palermo. When approached by reporters, Hoilett initially claimed he went to U of T. On a separate occasion, he introduced himself to The Varsity as a friend of Bollo-Kamara. He then stated: “I don’t go to U of T, but I go to school in the city. I’m not doing anything wrong.” Hoilett did not respond to requests for further comment. When asked whether it was acceptable for teams to have people who are

not full-time U of T undergraduate students campaigning, Bollo-Kamara responded: “It is allowed and there is definitely nothing wrong with it. It is not against any rules.” Ye Huang, presidential candidate for Team Unite, acknowledged that bringing in people from other campuses was within the rules, but does not believe in the practice. “Talking about fairness, according to the rules, it’s fine, but I feel like it’s a U of T election, so whoever is on this campus campaigning should be a U of T student,” Huang said, adding: “They are not U of T students and do not know what U of T students need. They are students who do not know the issues and in that sense, they are lying to students. Fairness is fine, but people should not lie to students,” said Huang. Maha Naqi, an independent directorial candidate for Arts & Science, and current co-head of Trinity College, does not have connections to external assistance. “I think it’s been difficult for me to campaign and I think now I just fall into a long line of independent candidates who have faced that same struggle,” she said, adding: “There are so many barriers to entry and the odds are so stacked against independent candidates in particular... I was very cognizant from the beginning that not running as part of a slate

would disadvantage me because there were other resources that other candidates had, in particular utsu-backed candidates, that just wouldn’t be at my disposal.” Naqi does not think it is fair for slates to bring in external campaigners to help them win elections, despite there being no rule prohibiting it in the Elections Procedure Code. “The principle of fairness shouldn’t be just conforming to the rules; the principle should be a level playing field,” she added. The issue of external campaign involvement at U of T has been a longstanding. Sana Ali, who withdrew from Team Renew last year, revealed that Alastair Woods, current chair of the cfs-o and yfs alumnus, oversaw Team Renew’s campaign with Brodie Metcalfe, a veteran of the Ryerson Students’ Union (rsu). The Varsity has received reports for multiple years alleging that slates including incumbent utsu executives use external campaigners. CFS-affiliated groups often work together. In 2008, former utsu president and current executive director Sandy Hudson and other executive members flew to Victoria, British Columbia to campaign at Simon Fraser University when it held a referendum to withdraw from the CFS.

VARSITY NEWS

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MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014

Questions remain on LRT lines through Scarborough UTSC administration hopeful that issue will be resolved after municipal elections Alessandra Harkness, Gabriela Ansari-Correa & Marcus Tutert VARSITY STAFF

On September 27, 2013, utsc students protested against the city’s cancellation of two Light Rail Transit (lrt) lines proposed to run through the Scarborough campus. Transit has long been an issue at utsc, with some students facing up to two-hour long commute times. According to Guled Arale, the vice-president, external of the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (scsu), travel times for students have only increased in recent years due to numerous ttc service cuts. Discussion of the proposed lrt lines began in 2007. The lines were originally intended to improve transit for the Pan Am games in 2015 and significantly reduce commute times for utsc students. The lines would have encircled the campus and provided easier access to the university. utsc students held a campus-wide vote on whether to contribute a portion of the cost of the Olympic-sized pool for the Pan Am Games. Although not a direct lrt vote, students thought that building for Pan Am would allow for the construction of the lrt. This resulted in a commitment from students to contribute $30 million towards the building of the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games facility, which are being built on utsc property. According to Arale, the main reason for the contribution was to get the two lrt lines to run through campus. Students have held to their commitment and blame Toronto city councillors and administration for not holding up their end of the deal. The plans for the Scarborough-Malvern LRT line came to an abrupt halt in December 2010 when, on Mayor Rob Ford’s first day in office, he met with the Toronto Transit Commission (ttc) and cancelled all light rail projects in favour of underground subways. During these meetings, Ford said: “the war on the car stops today.” The administration at utsc has advocated for the lrt lines since 2007, when the plan was first announced as a part of Toronto’s Transit City plan. However, UTSC’s chief administrative officer, Andrew Arifuzzaman, said: “Unfortunately, it became a political issue, and it has sort of been running back and forth now on what the strategy is for higher order transit.” Arifuzzaman was in support of the lrt line because it was more cost effective and easier to build than a subway line, which can take more than 20 years to complete. When asked about what utsc’s administration is currently doing to help students with their commutes, Arifuzzaman said the school was working to increase the number of express buses from campus to subway stations, in order to alleviate students’ travel time. To this end, Durham Regional Transit now

Scarborough students face long commute times despite years of promises by municipal politicians to improve the LRT infrastructure. robert taylor/flickr

has a direct bus from the campus to connect students to other transit lines, and the administration is hoping this will be the first of many. Some city councillors have also recognized the need to improve transit systems for students in Scarborough. Councillor Chin Lee expressed confidence in the Big Move Transportation Line, which includes a series of improvements, extensions, and renovations to the existing subways and transit lines throughout Scarborough and the gta. Other facets of the Big Move Transportation Line included plans in the near future for additional Scarborough-Malvern lrts, which would run from Kennedy Station north on Morningside Avenue, connecting with utsc. However, these proposals have not yet been approved. Lee says that “the goal of The Big Move is to create a regional transit network. The idea is that it doesn’t matter where you live in the city or where your destination is, you should be able to get from point A to point B using public transit. With no plan yet approved, there is concern for transportation in 2015, when thousands of people are expected to attend Pan Am/Parapan Am events at the aquatics centre and the field house are located on the utsc campus. Recent service cuts to the ttc and the lack of an lrt line would

mean very limited accessibility to this part of the city. City Council’s response is to place temporary express buses that will run from Scarborough Town Centre to campus, although there is concern that this may not be adequate for the expected number of people who will be travelling to and from these arenas. Additionally, the Sheppard East lrt line, which will run from Don Mills Station to Morningside Avenue, is scheduled to be ready for the 2015 Pan Am games. This line was partially built with funds from utsc students. Arale further criticized Ford and his administration, saying that “[They] don’t seem to know there is another half of Scarborough past stc [Scarborough Town Centre].” He went on to say, “We need strong leadership from the next mayor and city council to address the issues facing utsc, but also Scarborough in general when it comes to transit.” Neither Arale nor the utsc administration expects certainty or resolutions any time soon, but both will be decided after the municipal elections later this year. Both the utsc administration and students remain in talks with the city. In the meantime, the utsc administration is working to decrease commute times for students by increasing express buses, but recognize that it will not be enough to handle the magnitude of volume that will come in for the Pan Am Games.

Meric Gertler will appoint committee to consider fossil fuel divestment Decision follows weeks of high-profile pressure from student group Toronto350 Liza Agrba

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

U of T president Meric Gertler will soon appoint a Presidential Advisory Committee to determine whether the university should divest its direct stock holdings from fossil fuel companies. This decision follows a campaign by an environmentalist student group called Toronto350. Toronto350 formally presented its extensive divestment brief to university administration on March 6. This is the first time the university’s Policy on Social and Political Issues with respect to University Divestment, adopted in 2008, will be put into action. The policy states that, once presented with a convincing brief, the president can appoint an ad hoc committee to examine a social or

political divestment issue. After the committee completes its investigation, it will submit a written recommendation to the president, who will then make the final decision. In its 190-page brief, Toronto350 asks the university to pull all of its direct stock holdings from Royal Dutch Shell within one year, and all of its direct stock holdings from 200 other fossil fuel companies within five years. It also asks the university to stop making new investments in the industry, and immediately declare its intention to divest. The divestment brief details the evidence for Toronto350’s main claim, which is that the university has an ethical obligation to divest because fossil fuel companies engage in socially injurious business practices. Since its establishment in 2012, Toronto350’s campaign has

rallied the support of many prominent student groups, including the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) and Graduate Students’ Union (gsu). Though the details of the committee’s membership have yet to be decided, it will be chaired by a senior university officer appointed by the president. The president will recommend the appointment of individuals with relevant expertise for approval by the executive committee of the Governing Council. These individuals may include student representatives, faculty and teaching staff, alumni, and administrative staff. Gertler said that he expects the committee will seek submissions and feedback from the wider U of T community. The committee will be responsible for setting its own rules and timelines.

Toronto350 has been calling on U of T to divest from fossil fuels. shijie zhou/the Varsity

VARSITY NEWS

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 21

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Professors pied for charity Over $13,000 raised for Syrian refugees Devika Desai

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

It has become pretty standard to hold charitable fundraisers in the form of auctions in order to effectively attract donors and raise money for various causes. However, Semra Sevi, ma candidate in the Department of Political Science, added a funky and competitive twist to her event “Pie A Prof,” a fundraiser organized with the help of Paul Kingston, director of U of T’s Centre for Critical Development Studies and others. Sevi auctioned off the rare opportunity to publicly pie wellknown U of T professors, to support War Child Canada’s education project for Syrian child refugees in Jordan. “Last semester, I had to write a policy paper on Syria for a class, and I was absolutely touched by the stories of the conditions that the Syrian refugees had to bear, especially the children. I wanted to do more than write a paper, I wanted to walk the talk,” said Sevi in her opening speech at the event. “The idea first

struck me during Halloween, a holiday known for its excess of pies. I just wondered how fun would it be organize an event like this, and use it to support a great cause such as educating the Syrian children. Ever since then, I’ve been working on the event, collaborating with War Child, contacting professors and figuring out what date to set.” The event, which was held on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 in Hart House’s Great Hall, featured prominent professors of different disciplines, such as Janice Stein, Clifford Orwin, Nelson Wiseman, Jeffrey Kopstein, Robert Austin, and Paul Gooch. Each professor solicited donations over the course of several weeks — the professor whose name raised the most money was protected, while the others were pied. The goal set for each professor was $2,000, amounting to an anticipated total of $12,000. According to Sevi, Clifford Orwin, who teaches political science, raised the most, exceeding his goal by more than $1000. Paul Gooch, the president of Victoria College was a close second, followed by Stein,

Austin, Kopstein, then Wiseman. In total, the event raised $13, 307.24. At Orwin’s suggestion that the condemned should be allowed some control over their fates, the to-be-pied professors got to pick the person to pie them. Most professors picked their head TAs, joking that they deserved the opportunity the most. Austin picked a student in his class, David Kitai, to do the honors and Kitai took his moment to ask if it was a bad time to request that extension for his paper. Unfortunately, president Gooch was not given the oppourtunity of picking his executioner; as he came in second, he was pied by Orwin, the fundraiser winner. Overall, the event was successful in both turnout and outcome. “My hope in creating this event was that others would duplicate our efforts for the welfare of these children,”said Sevi. “So far there have been more professors volunteering to get pied for such a cause and in fact, an economic professor in the Rotman program, Michael Khan, even used the same idea with his two classes.”

Over $13,000 was raised by pieing professors. photo courtesy of semra sevi

Female student Night time assaults near union leaders St. George station of T students attacked in separate incidents by large write open letter Ugroups of teenagers condemning rape culture James Flynn

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Former UTSU presidents join more than 100 signatories Sarah Niedoba & Marcus Tutert VARSITY STAFF

“We stand with Anne-Marie Roy. We’ve been there too,” begins an open letter in support of Anne Marie-Roy signed by 129 women who have held positions in student unions across Canada. Roy, the president of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (sfuo), was recently the subject of a sexually aggressive Facebook chat. Roy was sent an anonymous copy of a Facebook chat conversation in which five of her male peers, each holding different leadership positions on campus, discussed her campaign for president of the sfuo and described sexual acts they would like to commit against her. Despite receiving letters from the men in question telling her not to make the chat public, or to face legal repercussions, Roy went ahead and contacted the press and the University of Ottawa administration. The open letter was released on March 8, 2014, eight days af-

ter the story ran in Fulcrum, the university’s English-language student newspaper. It details the rape culture the women student leaders feel is still prevalent on university campuses across Canada, and that is something that is not addressed often enough in a public setting. It emphasizes that rape culture can be reinforced through various subtle actions, whether it be through Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” or blaming women for rape, and not understanding how pervasive this issue is for women in our society. Notable leaders from the University of Toronto to sign the letter include Camille CendanoPatricio, utsu vice-president, campus life 2006–2008; Danielle Sandhu, utsu president 2011–2012; Sandy Hudson, utsu president 2008–2010; and current utsu executive director and Kelly Holloway, vice president, external, from 2002–2003 of the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union. No action has currently been taken against the five students who wrote the chat.

Students are advised to exercise caution at night in the area around St. George station and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (oise). Over the past week, at least two U of T students were mugged in separate incidents by a group of young people, one of whom appears to be around 10 years old, and wears glasses. Last Thursday around 1:00 am, Nick* was walking by oise when he was approached by two people, one in his late teens and the other around 10 years old. The pair stopped Nick and asked him for the time and for directions. During the conversation, a third person came out from behind Nick and hit him in the side of the head. The assailants then stole his phone. “At first, they tried to get more from me but I was able to push them off. There was a bit of a physical altercation where the same guy who hit me kept [swinging] at me. I was able to keep him away,” Nick said. He was able to escape, although he did not retrieve his phone. Nick contacted U of T Campus Police, who told him the incident — in front of oise — took place off campus and he should therefore contact Toronto Police. As of press time, Special Constable Sam D’Angelo of the U of T Campus Police had not replied to requests for comment. James* describes a similar experience during a separate incident. Last Friday around 11:00 pm, James*

fiLe photo: caroLyn Levett/the varsity

was walking near St. George station when three men approached him and started reaching for his pockets. They then summoned others who were hiding. “I pushed one of the guys off, and another one took my arm, and he was essentially trying to knock me into the ground. I put my weight into him and got away,” James says. He was punched, but managed to get away. Members of the group were described as between five feet five inches and six feet, wearing flat bill hats and hoodies. All were between 16 and 18 years of age.

Most members of the group were male, although a few were female. According to James, at least one of the members of the group was about 10 years old and wearing glasses. Another member of the group was wearing a Los Angeles Kings hockey hat. “Don’t go around oise or St. George station at night,” James said, adding: “They’re not just looking to pick a fight. They’re definitely looking to mug people.” *First name used only. With files from Theodore Yan.

COMMENT VAR.ST!COMMENT

MARCH

2014

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THE QUESTION

Do standardized tests work?

simone santerre/tHe Varsity

Tests offer some insight on aptitude, but should not be used as a blanket measure of intelligence Victoria Wicks VARSITY STAFF

The College Board recently made significant changes to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (sat), the pre-eminent university entrance exam for schools in the United States, in order to more accurately assess students’ understanding of course material. This modification is largely in response to criticisms that the sat — and other standardized tests — merely valorize test-taking skills, rather than provide a full picture of an applicant’s aptitude. This adaptation reignites questions about the role of standardized testing in education today. Certainly such tests serve essential functions, such as keeping teachers and students accountable to school curriculums. However, overvaluing standardized testing encourages narrow perspectives, mechanical learning, and excessive anxiety in students around test performance — conditions which are antithetical to the purpose of education. For example, both the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario have criticized standardized testing administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (eqao). These census tests annually evaluate the reading, writing, and math skills of students in grades three and six, as well as math skills in grade nine and literacy in grade ten. Literacy and numeracy are crucial to succeeding in life, so it does not come as a surprise that standardized tests emphasize the mastery of these skills. However, standardized testing’s sole focus on these skills may force some teachers to sideline holistic teaching of other subjects such as history, science, social studies, and arts to focus on the tests' core content. This is because schools are ranked according to eqao test scores, under the questionable assumption that better test performances indicate better learning environments. Teachers are then pressured to “teach to the test,” instead of pro-

viding a well rounded education. When such pressure manifests in tangible forms such as merit-based pay or grounds for re-employment, teachers may even falsify test results — indeed, 35 educators in Atlanta were recently indicted for such behaviour. Ontario schools have also come under fire as a result of teachers helping students to cheat on eqao tests. The necessary but antiquated teaching approaches used in preparing students for standardized testing also fail to promote the creativity that education is so often valued for. The multiple choice, true or false, and fill-inthe-blank type questions featured in scholastic apptitude tests encourage mere memorization over critical thinking. This was the reason that Alberta decided last year to phase out their standardized Provincial Achievement Tests in favour of the more individualized Student Learning Assessments, which focus on inquiry and innovative problem solving. The eqao reportedly spent about $33 million in operating costs in 2009–2010, while the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat spent $77 million to design and mandate programs to improve eqao test scores. Given the apparent negative consequences of eqao’s standardized tests, it is perhaps worthwhile to consider redirecting these funds towards improving the education system as a whole, rather than judging student performance based one narrow definition of success. Standardized testing indicates important aspects of a student’s performance, but cannot be used as a blanket measure of intelligence, growth, or academic potential. Too often we forget that such tests evaluate our performance at one specific instance, regardless of any detrimental external factors of the day. The test day is fleeting, but the results can have a lasting impact — it is important to recognize standardized testing’s limitations before using the results to determine the paths of our respective educations. Victoria Wicks is a first-year student at Trinity College studying political science and philosophy.

Standardized tests are the fairest way to compare applicants from multiple backgrounds Li Pan

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Last week, the US College Board announced important changes to the sat, including the replacement of esoteric vocabularies and the elimination of the dreaded essay section. However, these changes do not remedy the complaints of individuals who have been petitioning universities for years to make the sat optional. To them, standardized testing does not provide a level playing field, allow applicants to showcase their other skills, and can incentivize teachers to "teach to the test," rather than approach education broadly. Despite this conflict, it is important to recognize that the sat is perhaps the sole objective component of post-secondary applications — one that is both fair and useful. The university application process is intrinsically unfair. Children from affluent families will arguably receive better application support from their teachers and schools; they can also afford lessons for extracurricular activities, international volunteer opportunities, or private tutoring. These factors have two things in common; they have the potential to strengthen an application and are not universally accessible. Obviously, unfairness in other components of the application does not justify any unfairness in the sat; that being said, it seems premature for critics to make the mental jump from “the sat is unfair” to “let’s get rid of it." If this logic holds, admissions officers should ignore any aspects of students’ applications that are not accessible to all applicants. Indeed, compared to some expensive extracurricular activities that can pose insurmountable financial obstacles, sat preparation is not necessarily expensive; “Cracking SAT” by Princeton Review only costs $15 and “The Official SAT Study Guide” by College Review costs $16.

The sat is probably the fairest factor in this biased game. Everyone does the same test, and while some students can afford more test-preparation classes, these do not automatically translate into better grades. Months of hard work are still required. Compared to some extracurricular activities that showcase applicants’ broad interests or ability to overcome adversity — but that sometimes amount to little more than exaggerated hobbies — standardized testing has real substance. The time spent preparing for the sat is not wasted. Studying for standardized tests fills potential gaps in a high school education. High school graduates should know words like “arcane” and “esoteric”; they should be able to read under pressure and extract tones and undertones; they should master basic grammar. These exercises will be time-consuming. This doesn’t mean that the material being practiced is useless — although admittedly, some vocabulary words are. Time spent preparing is a worthwhile growing experience as it builds perseverance and patience — discipline needed to dedicate over half a year preparing for a one-shot test. Many of the sat's obvious flaws have been addressed in recent revisions. Students are allowed to take the test multiple times. The essay portion, which is highly subjective, is now optional. A new collaboration between College Board and Khan Academy that will benefit less privileged students is now underway. Standardized testing is not without room for improvement, but it is still the fairest way to compare across applicants from different backgrounds. Progress should continue to work towards levelling the playing field, rather than eliminating the game. Li Pan is a second-year student at Trinity College studying mathematics and economics.

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 21

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GSU petition on continued CFS membership rejected An argument in favour of defederation Hilary Barlow

VARSITY CONTRINUTOR

In the late hours of Sunday, March 9, U of T’s Graduate Students’ Union (gsu) received word that its petition for a referendum to decide its continued membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (cfs) had been rejected. Monday would have been the first day of the campaign period for the referendum and gsu members in favour of defederation were working until the last minute preparing materials arguing their case. Though gsu members will not be able to vote on whether or not to continue the relationship with the cfs this year, I still believe that gsu's affiliation with the Federation should be questioned and that our members deserve to know as much about this organization as possible. On Tuesday, gsu members received a report from a third-party firm that assessed the petition. The report indicated that the petition had failed to meet the threshold of legitimate signatures to be considered valid. Around 500 signatures were excluded for subjective standards such as legibility and if the signature was considered “unique,” in addition to more objective standards such as if the signer was an enrolled graduate student. The third-party firm was picked by the cfs, and the standards used to judge the petition were provided by cfs. The Federation’s bylaws state that no less than 20 per cent of a union’s membership must sign the petition for it to be valid. In GSU’s case, 20 per cent is more than 3,000 individuals;

16 Bancroft Avenue, home of the Graduate Students' Union. carolyn levett/tHe varsity

the petition missed by less than two percentage points at most — one interpretation by the firm stated that it was less than one per cent. The Federation is a very easy organization to join but a very difficult one to leave; bylaws stipulate very strict benchmarks for when a referendum is allowed to take place. In fact, after several defederation petitions were submitted in 2008 and 2009, instead of reflecting on why so many student unions wanted to leave, the cfs responded by doubling the number of signatures required to initiate a referendum and limiting the number of defederation votes for any union nationwide to two per term.

The cfs has also been engaged in litigation with an array of student unions that have submitted defederation petitions from British Columbia to Quebec. How much of the cfs's budget goes towards these lawsuits is sought-after piece of information for student delegates that the cfs executive consistently declines to disclose. This refusal to disclose basic information and dismissal of legitimate concerns from membership is a pattern of behaviour exhibited by the cfs and belies their claims of fostering a democratic space for students. Solid information about the Federation's budget is hard to

come by, particularly the portion of the organization known as cfsServices. Even though fees paid by the student unions are the primary source of funding for cfs, students have long criticized the cfs for vague, unclear budget lines and a refusal to provide more information at cfs Annual General Meetings (agm's). Students have attempted to pass motions at cfs agms to open up the budget to membership, but these motions have never succeeded. A student delegate made one such attempt in June 2013, and was able to discover the salary of the elected chairperson but no other employee, nor

were they able to get consistent metrics on how many people are employed by cfs-Services. Though the effort to defederate from the cfs may seem like an uphill battle, if our union can succeed it would be a great victory for them and also for the students that come after. gsu members pay $200,000 in student fees per year to the cfs that could be saved or potentially reallocated to programs benefiting graduate students at U of T. Defederating would give gsu members the opportunity to operate more independently or to align with other students around the country in a more democratic and transparent system than what the gsu currently experiences under the cfs. gsu only received the report rejecting the petition on Tuesday, and union members, who represent a diverse range of opinions, are still interpreting the information. As such, the union has not yet voted on their next steps. Though graduate students at U of T will not be able to vote on our affiliation this year, I encourage gsu members and all students at U of T to familiarize themselves with how the Federation operates and develop an informed opinion. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to discuss and even vote on affiliation again in the future. Regardless, this debate is far from over. Hilary Barlow is a representative on the University of Toronto's Graduate Students' Union. She graduated from U of T in 2011 as a history major. With files from Ashleigh Ingle

Responsibility for U of T’s means divestment Divestment from the fossil fuel industry isn’t just prudent, it’s necessary Victoria Wicks VARSITY STAFF

U of T has a responsibility to divest from the oil industry. While Li Pan argued the opposite in The Varsity on March 3, he fails to recognize a crucial fact: the overwhelming consensus on the existence of climate change. Listing all of the evidence for climate change is impossible given the sheer quantity of it. However, we can note that a 2010 meta-analysis discovered that 97 to 98 per cent of climate researchers agree with the occurrence of anthropogenic climate change. A 2013 study found that 97.2 per cent of climate abstracts expressing a position on global warming endorsed the consensus that humans are causing climate change. Even fossil fuel companies acknowledge their role in perpetuating the damage of climate change. Pan’s argument that fossil fuel companies are not socially injurious does not hold up in the face of this consensus. As defined in U of T’s

divestment policy — social injury is any harmful impact a company inflicts upon people, especially when it violates laws intended to protect people’s health or safety. Pan asserts that climate change’s harm has not been proven in court and therefore they cannot be considered socially injurious. However, during Tsilhqot’in Nation versus British Columbia, the Supreme Court of British Columbia linked climate change to British Columbia’s pine beetle epidemic. Halalt First Nation versus British Columbia recognized climate change as having a deleterious effect on water resources. Evidently, the courts have established climate change’s dangers — and even if they had not; courts are not the sole measure of socially injurious activity. There is an abundance of academic literature that substantiates the negative effects of fossil fuel company activities. Consequences include — but are not limited to — threats to First Nations groups, extreme weather, ecosystem collapse, and rising coastal water levels. Further, activities of the fossil fuel in-

Toronto350 activists in front of Sidney Smith. milan ilnyckyj/flickr

dustry infringe upon various laws. The development of the oil sands violates First Nations’ right to consultation as established in Treaty 8 and the Canadian Constitution. This is not to mention how oil companies’ practices frustrate the enforcement of international agree-

ments, such as the 1989 International Labour Organization’s Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Given the socially injurious activities of fossil fuel companies, divestment

is not simply a political stance, but a necessary action in accordance with the university’s divestment policy. Toronto350’s divestment brief aptly presents this argument with extensive evidence, while also providing detailed and feasible strategies for divestment. It is thus difficult to understand why Pan, or anyone else for that matter, could be anti-divestment. While our society was founded upon fossil fuels, our divestment from specific fossil fuel companies begins to create a safer and more efficient global energy system. Indeed, U of T has already initiated this transition towards sustainability by adopting an Environmental Protection Policy and setting up environmental offices on all three campuses. It is our responsibility to ensure future generations inherit a world that has not been impoverished by preventable climate change — divestment from fossil fuel industries is the first step to ensuring such a future. Victoria Wicks is a first-year student at Trinity College studying political science and philosophy.

var.st/comment

VARSITY COMMENT

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014

OP-ED

University needs to lay stronger foundations for graduating students U of T needs to increase innovative programming to support student success Ben Crase

TRINTIY'S HEAD OF COLLEGE

Most of my graduating friends seem to fall into one of three schools of thought about their future plans after undergrad: professional school, graduate school, or “taking a year to figure things out.” The apparent growing trend of fifth-year undergraduates at U of T highlights the indecision many seniors feel on campus. Future prospects seem only to point to further schooling for many. What schooling this will entail seems to be the question many graduates are left ill-equipped to answer. Currently, the academic trajectory for students studying in the Faculty of Arts & Science — similar to that of other institutions — is the pyramid. The logic is that after three years of marginally smaller lecture classes, it pays off in fourth-year intensive seminar courses typically related to your professor’s narrow research expertise. Unfortunately, the expectation that fourth-year students should bury themselves in further academia and longer reading lists is not helpful or reflective of the reality that exists for the majority of graduating students. Whether one is looking to further their studies or find gainful employment, the current model seems to be doing a disservice.

For students planning to attend graduate schools in their chosen field, the earliness of many applications means fourth-year seminars come too late. After three years of large lecture classes, many students are left unable to build the relationships needed for strong references. Their lateness also means they can only reinforce the decision students have already made, or turn students off furthering their studies at the graduate level. More critically, requiring fourth-year students to further commit to their studies is ignorant of the reality facing soon-to-be graduates. Profiling the typical fourth-year class, many students have largely disengaged from their field of study. Having realized that their knowledge of post-colonial literature will soon be of little use, many students prioritize part-time jobs, internships or leadership positions with organizations that help lead to gainful employment. Unfortunately, these commitments place unrealistic and contradictory expectations on a student who is being instructed by the university to intensify their efforts in a narrower, soon to be irrelevant, field of study. U of T has already begun addressing the changing demands of students. During his tenure as dean, president Meric Gertler expanded the number and variety of innovative courses available. The most notable recent success

julien balbontin/tHe Varsity

was the expansion of the Foundational Year Programs across our campus. Additionally, many of the 199, 299, and 399 courses aim to incorporate professional skill development as a pillar of the requisite coursework. However, these successes remain piecemeal across departments and new programming seems to be frontloaded, hoping to attract top high school students to the university through exciting firstyear opportunities. U of T needs to begin considering not only what innovative program-

ming will best prepare incoming students for success, but also how to facilitate the success of graduates — who are increasingly dissatisfied with the outcomes of their undergraduate education. Currently, many students are forced to choose between menial work to pay off osap debt, and volunteering with some ngo as a means of honing real-world job skills. University programming must begin to formally incorporate opportunities for students to build the skills employers are demanding.

Faculty and administrators must begin exploring the grey area that exists between the ‘traditional’ classroom and a professional (intern) work environment. The newly installed Munk One Program successfully includes lab work designed to synergize professional and academic skills. Does it make sense that these opportunities are available to firstyears, but not fourth-year students? Given the talent and expertise found in most fourth-year classrooms, many engaging initiatives could be undertaken through collaboration in the classroom. One fourth-year seminar course that has recently gained attention is eng434, entitled "Cook the Books," where students work together in culinary experiences and publish a cook book at the end of the term. Classes such as eng434 should not be the exception for senior-level students at the university. In this day and age, creative and tangible research projects should be the expectation for all seniorlevel students. Since many of my friends already prioritize their projects outside the classroom, the university should promote its students’ ambitions by creating academic programming across departments that exploit the originality needed to be competitive. Ben Crase is a fourth-year history student and Male Head of College at Trinity College.

Mindful misconceptions A core tenet of Eastern philosophy is being co-opted for Western youth Lee Eames

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The emergence of mindfulness, a core concept of Buddhist philosophy, in the mainstream Western world is probably not news. Living in Toronto, you don’t have to look very hard to find advertisements preaching the gospel of this ancient technique for reducing chronic pain, increasing productivity, and managing mental health issues. U of T has stayed ahead of the curve in terms of this spiritual vogue, offering a variety of meditation classes each week as well as boasting a unique minor program called Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health (bpmh). U of T students are increasingly encouraged to prioritize their psycho-spiritual wellbeing by taking time to observe their mind and body. This is a welcome trend in a Western culture that tends to eschew introspection in favour of material progress. Nevertheless, Western interpretations of mindfulness are problematically unauthentic. In the process of transplanting mindfulness from the East, it has become divorced from the holistic spiritual path within which it historically existed. Whereas mindfulness was originally an integral part of the Buddhist Eightfold Path, it is being used for Western interests as its own concept. Westerners have stripped the technique of its philosophical and ethical foundations. Instead of a mechanism for profound self-transformation it has become a technique for feeling good.

simone santerre/tHe Varsity

Western society has commoditized a tradition that for centuries was practiced almost exclusively by self-imposed social outcasts. The modern spiritual community of Lulu Lemon and payper-class meditation stands in stark contrast to the ascetic and monastic environments of traditional meditators. This trend is, of course, inevitable. It is only natural that a modernized, capitalist, urban society would comprehend

and practice meditation in unique ways. What’s significant is whether we lose the power and essence of the tradition in the process of altering it. Part of the problem is our convoluted understanding of the terminology we employ. Despite “mindfulness” becoming one of the hottest trends in psychology and mental health, it is not exactly clear what we mean by the word. We must distinguish clearly between "be-

ing mindful" and mindfulness meditation; the former is a dispositional approach to life, while the latter is a specific type of meditation. Furthermore, the stock definition of mindfulness — attending to the psychological stimuli of the present moment — is arguably more similar to another Buddhist concept, right concentration. Part of the reason for this conceptual cloudiness is the removal of mindfulness from its place in the holistic philosophy of mind. While many mindfulness teachers and commentators have a subtle grasp of this difficult subject, the general population’s understanding of the concept is undoubtedly hazy. Mindfulness’ first prominent introduction to the West was through Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (mbsr) program for clinical patients. Interest has exploded in recent years and hundreds of academic studies concerning the effects of mindfulness on various disorders are published annually. Time’s recent cover-page story, "The Mindful Revolution," indicates the movement’s evergrowing popularity. Unfortunately, the Western scientific community tends to overestimate the transformative powers of mindfulness meditation alone. Tony Toneatto, professor of psychology at U of T and director of the brmh minor, suggests that while evidence is “somewhat positive and suggestive, it is still far from establishing mindfulness as an empirically validated practice.” mbsr is constantly

being expanded to new populations and environments. Mindfulness’ clinical trendiness seems to outweigh its underwhelming evidence for its benefits. In addition to clinical interventions, websites, apps, and teachers are also available to help people integrate mindfulness into their life. Along with the Multi-Faith Centre’s outstanding and affordable options, opportunities abound at yoga studios and meditation centres. Generations of Buddhist and secular practitioners serve as inspirational examples of meditation's potential to facilitate insight and contentment. Meditation seems a prime antidote for the busyness and anxiety that characterizes modern life. We should, however, be careful about how we conceptualize the practice. Meditating to relax and de-stress, while hugely beneficial, is a different process than the path of holistic spiritual transcendence recommended by Buddha. If one’s ambitions and practice are not symmetrical, disillusionment is likely. Unskillful teachers are another hazard to be aware of when approaching mindfulness practice. Anyone with a superficial understanding of the subject can self-identify as a teacher. Rather symbiotically, awareness regarding the basis of the practice and potential misinformation is essential to a satisfying pursuit and experience of mindfulness. Lee Eames is a second-year student at Woodsworth studying contemporary Asian studies and Buddhism and psychology.

Two and a hal

Exploring the patchwork identity o

By Adam

oronto recently celebrated its one hundred and eightieth birthday. I have lived here all my life, but I’m always surprised when reminded of the city’s age; looking around, there is little to suggest that it predates confederation. It grew in shaky steps as more and more plots of fertile lakebed farmland were paved, built on, and tunnelled under. Over the decades, we’ve razed entire slums and industrial districts and, more recently, we’ve reinvented blocks with new roles and relevance. Toronto has grown as a collection of neighbourhoods, or villages, that are exquisitely distinct yet governed by a central power. As such, ours has become a city with no one, coherent, internal identity. There is little beyond proximity that links Forest Hill to Kensington, or the downtown maze of towers to the placid Beaches. Our experience of the city is totally informed by which subway stop we come home to at night, which corner store we buy our cigarettes at, whether we wake up in a glassed-in highrise or a bay-and-gable basement. In adult life, others’ opinions of us will be founded upon the answer to that question; we, too, may in part define ourselves by it. We perceive neighbourhoods based on their outstanding traits such as their ethnic communities, architectural styles, and unique landmarks. These are the traits that both make up and display their character. How the rest of the world sees Toronto is equally informed by this patchwork identity. CULTURAL LINES Last month, The New York Times’ travel section characterized Toronto as an “ethnic buffet” — a city of overlapping neighbourhoods, full of immensely different populations that live calmly side by side. The article made me wonder if tourists visit Toronto not to see Toronto, but to, for example, go dancing on Church Street or shop in Yorkville. We, as residents, have this psychology; the high school experience in this town is coloured by day trips to Kensington and nights spent sneaking into Annex bars. How Toronto came to be this way is not easily understood, but one important element is the different immigrant populations that settled in different areas of the city through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A common trend in the movements of these populations was to start in a place once known as The Ward. This was bound by Queen Street West, University Avenue, Dundas Street West, and Yonge Street — we know this as a built-up northern stretch of downtown, but it once housed the city’s largest and most notorious slum. Irish, Jewish, Polish, Italian, and Chinese communities, in that order, congregated in The Ward upon arriving, as it was where the cheapest housing could be found. As such, conditions were hardly livable. As each community gained a stronger foothold in the city, it developed the means to move out of The Ward, leaving it for the next wave of huddled masses until it was mostly demolished in the 1950s to make way for Viljo Revell’s soaring new City Hall, Nathan Philips Square, and the new courthouse. Toronto went on to attract communities of Portuguese, Korean, Indian, Hungarian, Somali, Vietnamese, and other immigrants who established support networks to welcome others. A friend from Greece, Angelos, told me how he was drawn to the Danforth when he moved to Toronto decades ago; the street signs were in Greek, he said, and the restaurants cooked real Greek food. He could go to work and speak English, but when he went to the local bars, he would speak Greek with new friends so he wouldn’t forget the language. These stories are common in this city, where forced cultural assimilation of immigrants is not so prevalent as elsewhere in the world. One of my favourite things about living here is the ability to drift between different nations by walking a few blocks along a thoroughfare. In places like Kensington and The Annex, these cultures come together; it is in these instances where we might find the one, uniquely “Toronto” feeling.

This contemporary infill on Dundas Street West stands out as

Bikers between Spadina, the city’s oldest Chinatown, and Kensington. carolyn leVeTT/The VarsiTy

CREATIVE CLASS COMMUNITIES In keeping with global trends in postmodern urbanism, a more recent phenomenon in the evolution of Toronto’s neighborhood character is the advent of “creative class” communities in former industrial spaces. Liberty Village and the Distillery District are examples of postmodern, master-planned neighbourhoods whose “artistic” reputations were made up by the developers. On the other hand, places like The Junction and Lansdowne grew organically around communities of artists who were exiled by gentrification to the city fringes. Toronto used to be a far more industrial city, earning the nickname “The Big Smoke.” Today, there is no more soot caked into stones, nor smells of slaughterhouses. The repurposing of obsolete industrial spaces fits into Toronto’s timeworn love affair with the phenomenon of spatial “creative destruction,” a concept identified with economist Joseph Schumpeter. At its most basic definition, creative destruction is the process by which new opportunity is created and capitalized upon in space left vacant by the fall of a former economic order. Gentrification is similar, but the key difference is that, in gentrification, a more powerful economic order imposes itself upon a space that is not vacant. Many neighbourhoods we know as constant are products of gentrification; who, today, would guess that Yorkville was once a vibrant village of young creatives? Gentrification is discussed to death in this city, but for good reason. Toronto is becoming more and more prosperous, and more of a global city, at a time in urban demographic history called the “great inversion.” For the first time since the postwar dawn of auto-loving, modernist urban structure, upper- and

middle-class households are finding urban neighbourhoods more desirable than the suburbs, and the return of their daily economic interests to the city centre is a mixed blessing. It begets the pricing-out of local businesses and lifelong area residents. Both ethnic and long-established working class communities are at risk. An older woman, Anne, bought her Yorkville house in the 1970s when the street was mostly home to academics and musicians. She described how she not only feels like more of an outlier with every passing year, but even feels unwelcome among the new neighbours. She claims they resent her family for not having “made over” their unique old home to match the others on the street. This was once a neighbourhood where people trusted and loved each other, she said. Kids played on the road, men sat on their porches. Now it feels like New York, she said, like another boring block. VILLAGE LIFE My own nearby house is similar to Anne’s. Last year, two new neighbours showed up in my yard and made a grandiose offer to buy it, to replace it with something “respectable” so the lot could live up to its “potential.” I don’t speak to many of my neighbours. In my lifetime, I’ve watched the high buildings and prices of Yorkville encroach west upon the Annex, watched Parkdale shed its stigma and start to attract young families, and watched faux-lofts rise on every corner, ground floors full of the same franchises. The trend has sparked the creation of several industries dedicated to easing the process: house “flippers,” prefab skyscraper builders, exclusionary but “independent” shops. This is the greatest threat of gentrification — its potential to ho-

The Ward was replaced in the 1950s and 60s by many high-rise b

mogenize much of the city (ironic, as the appeal of at-risk neighbourhoods is often their unique, “authentic” characters). The diversity and eccentricity of our city must be preserved. We are drawn to these neighbourhoods that feel like villages — independent, but thriving within a greater fabric. One falls into village life; you create a village around yourself, fall into a routine pieced

lf million cities

of Toronto and its neighbourhoods

m Zachary

an early warning of gentrification. adam zachary/The VarsiTy

Street art on Augusta Avenue welcomes the eye to Kensington. ViVek srikanThan/The VarsiTy

Looking up from the corner of Bay and Wellington. adam zachary/The VarsiTy

The Junction is swiftly undergoing gentrification. nicole regina wong/The VarsiTy

ONLINE: Writers interpret Toronto’s neighbourhoods in poetry and creative nonfiction at var.st/villages

blocks like this, on McCaul Street. adam zachary/The VarsiTy

together from the first reliable things you find — grocery store here, a shortcut there. Slowly, it expands; your walks get longer, and the nights seem brighter. Maybe all city dwellers live in their own villages. All live in others, too — those of strangers we see on the subway, neighbours we love or hate. There is not one Toronto; there are many, all with different names.

Greek street signs on the corner of Danforth and Carlaw. adam zachary/The VarsiTy

ARTS & CULTURE

VAR.ST"ARTS

MARCH

2014

arts@thevarsity.ca

Signs of the times

Honest Ed's sells its iconic hand-painted signs ahead of its 2016 closure

Honest Ed's massive sign sale on March 10 draws crowds of buyers eager to buy a piece of iconic history at discounted prices. CArolyn levett/tHe vArsity

Danielle Klein VARSITY STAFF

Standing in line on a Monday morning outside Honest Ed’s, I noticed two construction workers smoking from the balcony of the B.streets condos, currently under construction at Bloor and Bathurst. They were laughing, looking incredulously upon the massive line — stretching from the Bloor Street entrance to Honest Ed's. To the disgruntled fist-shaking of hipsters and old people alike, Honest Ed’s is closing its doors on December 31, 2016, and the block that was once home to the Toronto landmark will be developed, likely into more condos. Ahead of its closure, Honest Ed’s will be holding “special ‘looking back’ and nostalgic events,” according to a press release announcing the show card sign sale that took place on March 10. Over 1,000 of the landmark's hand-painted signs were sold to the public on a first-come, firstserve basis. The signs began at only 50 cents — a modest price for what many consider a piece of Toronto’s history, but fitting given Honest Ed’s promise of unbeatable prices, which are prominently displayed on much of its signage. Honest Ed’s signs are handpainted by Wayne Reuben and Douglas Kerr, who work full-time for the store creating the signs. The show-card signs are written in almost entirely capital letters, and are usually painted in bright, primary colours. The most coveted signs contain Ed’s renowned puns (“Honest Ed’s a nut, look at the cashew save!”). Honest Ed’s has employed fulltime sign painters since the store was founded in 1948. Each sign sold on Monday was given a stamp of authenticity, and many were signed by the artists. Proceeds for the event went towards Victims Sources Toronto. The event was advertised for children; taking place during the beginning of March Break and included an opportunity for kids

to make their own signs with the show card artists. The line, however, consisted mostly of older people and young adults who grew up shopping at Honest Ed’s. Many have expressed frustration with the sale of Honest Ed’s, which is perceived as a sign of the impending gentrification of the area. Like Honest Ed’s, the signs are divisive — while some find them nostalgic, others consider them an eyesore. The mass turnout to the sign sale testifies to the former sentiment, as Torontonians flocked to Mirvish Village to get a small, charmingly obnoxious artifact of Honest Ed’s to hang on their own condo walls — from “Ed’s Bargain! Tampax Multipax Tampons $9.99,” to “Rugs — Ed’s price will ‘floor you’ $14.99.” My father used to talk about how he would watch a line wrap around the block with my grandfather as Torontonians gathered at Honest Ed’s to collect their free turkeys for Christmas. Watching the line curve around the corner at Bathurst and Bloor, I wondered if it looked anything like this back then — perhaps with fewer coffee cups and camera-equipped bloggers: chilly Torontonians waiting patiently in the queue to enter the crazy, circus-like depths of the department store and abide by the slogan below the dancing lights of the marquee: “come in and get lost!”

STREETERS Why do you want a sign from Honest Ed’s?

Christine

Calvin

Coco

“I grew up with Honest Ed’s. It’s part of Canadian history.”

"I don't know, I'm just here."

“I like the puns, and it’s like a piece of history.”

Aida

Zach

Arrived at 7:45 am, eighth in line

Patrick

Arrived at 10:30 am “I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. It’s a good piece of nostalgia.”

Arrived at 4:00 pm

Arrived at 10:00 am “I want a piece of Honest Ed’s before it closes.”

Arrived at 10:15 am

Arrived at 2:30 pm "It's a cool place...something to remember it by."

var.st/arts

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

Programmers and painters Exploring computer coding as an art form James Flynn

VARSITY STAFF

Most people view coding as a scientific pursuit. After all, students in the University of Toronto’s computer science program graduate with a Bachelor of Science, however there is a growing trend in the field of computer programming to view code as art. Computer code is an art form in itself, in that code text can be arranged to form a specific object. Computer code is also a tool for creating other forms of expression, such as websites, video games, and music. Live coding, otherwise known as on-the-fly programming, is a good example of how computer code can be perceived as an art form. It is a programming style in which the programmer improvises and modifies a program’s code in real-time. It is most often used to create auditory and visual media. To this end, some musical groups use live coding to create music and images for live performances. Paul Graham, a computer programmer who went on to study painting, is one such prominent proponent of code as art. In his seminal essay, Hackers and Painters, Graham outlined the many similarities between painters and programmers: both create something from nothing, both improve their art through gradual refinements, and both create works intended for a human audience. “What hackers and painters have in common is that they're both makers,” Graham explained in Hackers and Painters. “Along with composers, architects, and writers,

what hackers and painters are trying to do is make good things,” he added. In this same vein, Dr. Donald Knuth, a renowned computer scientist who has been called the “father” of the analysis of algorithms, titled one of his pieces, The Art of Computer Programming. Like painters, computer programmers take a blank space and fill it with something new and creative. For painters, that blank space is a canvas on an easel, which is then filled with paint; for programmers, it is an empty page on a computer screen, which is then filled with code. They both also develop an end idea of what they would like to create — whether that is an adventure game, a social networking site, or an expense tracker. They then set to work build-

ing their idea, with an endless number of ways to get there. If one idea doesn’t work out, the programmer moves on to the next. “I think that the best programs, like music and mathematics, can give aesthetic pleasure … Great programs, like great mathematical proofs, can be both elegant and beautiful,” says Alasdair Urquhart, a professor at the University of Toronto who is crossappointed in the Departments of Computer Science and Philosophy. “[Computer programming] has some of the aspects of a craft discipline … but at its best it is an art and partakes of science,” he adds. The International Obfuscated C Code Contest (ioccc) is another example of the growing trend in viewing computer code as art. The ioccc

is a programming contest for the most creatively obfuscated C code. Obfuscated code is formally defined as machine code that is difficult for humans to understand, while C is a programming language. One common strategy for obfuscated code is formatting the code to ressemble images or text. For example, the code for one winning entry from the ioccc was shaped like Tetris pieces. Another winning entry contained self-modifying code, which is formally defined as code that continually alters its own purpose while it is being executed. Also like painting, computer programming is a form of self-expression that is accessible to virtually anyone. A background in math is not necessary for programming, nor are college courses — all that is required is a computer and an idea. For me, when I first dived into the world of programming, I had no idea where to start. I asked a friend, who studies software engineering, for advice. “[The] best way to learn code is with a project in mind,” he explained. Find something in your life that you would like to improve, and devise a program to solve it. With computer programming, the possibilities are virtually limitless. The only constraint is your imagination. As my friend pointed out, the best way to start programming is to actually do it. Build something. Make mistakes. Ask questions. It doesn't matter what project you choose to pursue. Put fingers to keys (the digital version of pen to paper), and the rest will follow. Soon enough — just like a painter, performer, or composer — you will be able to develop a beautiful piece of artwork.

One man's trash is another man's meal Food Not Bombs serves free food and question the meaning of waste Alexandre Darveau-Morin VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

It is a busy Sunday afternoon on Bloor Street with people and cars everywhere. Above the noise, one can hear the shouts, “Free food! Free food!” coming from a small table set up in front of the cibc at the corner of Bloor Street West and Bathurst Street. This table belongs to Food Not Bombs, an anti-capitalist, anti-waste, and anti-war collective run entirely by volunteers. Today, they have set up a table with flyers and food that’s ready to be served. It’s vegan and it’s free to whoever wants it. Today’s offerings include roasted vegetables, grated carrots, and cabbage sandwiches with a three bean spread accompanied by vegan pastries. The Food Not Bombs movement was established in the 1980s in the United States. Now, its network includes about a thousand independent chapters worldwide. The Varsity talked to Tasha Stansbury, one of the main organizers of the Toronto chapter in order to learn more about the movement. Stansbury is a second-year student at the University of Toronto majoring in equity

Volunteers serve free meals at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst. CArolyn levett/tHe vArsity

studies with a double minor in anthropology and French. She revived the Toronto chapter last September and already has plans for the future of the organization. “I am aiming to have at least four or five chapters in the city in a couple of years,” she says. The food is acquired either by donations or dumpster diving. Every Friday, the group gets together and embarks on a scheduled route in order to dive in the dumpsters of multiple grocery stores, markets, or pastry stores, col-

lecting food that has been thrown out. A lot of the food acquired through dumpster diving has been found in its original package and has not expired. Rotten food is never picked up and the group thoroughly sanitizes the food before it is cooked and served. There is obviously a lot of stigma associated to dumpster diving and yet, Stansbury assured me that most ''clients'' are fine with it. The reaction is often more along the lines of curiosity than disgust: “The whole point is

that so much food goes to waste and when we cook it and serve it for free, we prove that this food is not actually waste. People rethink 'what does waste actually mean?’” Food Not Bombs' political actions do not limit themselves to opening people's eyes to waste and serving free food. For example, they strategically serve their meals outside of fast food joints such as McDonald's. When Stansbury talks about Food Not Bombs, her excitement illuminates her from within. Not only does “her baby," the U of T chapter, reflect her passion for justice, but it also shows how much she loves to engage with the broader community. When asked about the individuals who are involved with Food Not Bombs, Stansbury explains: “It's like solidarity, not charity, meaning that we are different from a soup kitchen in that anyone can participate in the collection of food and that anyone can participate in the cooking of food." Members come from a wide area of backgrounds, social classes and age group including middle class students, teachers, and homeless people. What unites them is the “desire to share and build communities, and do something that's good and fun.”

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014

REVIEWS FILM: Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014) Dreamworks Animation, the studio that brought us How to Train Your Dragon, finally released a film featuring talking dog Mr. Peabody and his sevenyear-old son Sherman. I say finally because these characters first appeared in the 1950s Rocky and Friends. But does that make this Rob Minkoff-directed animation any less relevant or funny? Certainly not. When Sherman gets into an altercation with the bully Penny, Mr. Peabody invites Penny's parents over to discuss the matter, where Sherman shows her the wabac, a time machine that allows them to visit historical figures such as George Washington and Leonardo da Vinci. This film is highly recommended for fans of history on account of its humorous portrayals. A comic journey brings with it many laughs, and it is a strong competitor to the other recently released animated film, The Lego Movie. —Shaq Hosein

ALBUM: Lost Forever // Lost Together by Architects Metalcore band Architects have released their sixth album, Lost Forever // Lost Together. Since 2009's Hollow Crow, Architects have endured a journey of self-discovery. Altering musical styles and band members, Architects have developed a distinctive musical progression. Through exceedingly heavy compositions, Lost Forever // Lost Together is a culmination of their career. The opening track “Gravedigger” immediately conveys the attitude of the album. Vocalist Sam Carter instantly proclaims: “You are the reason we are bitter and then some.” Aggression and frustration are drive the album. Architects have been groundbreakers for the metalcore scene since 2006's Nightmares. With no surprise, they have arrived victorious eight years later. Lost Forever // Lost Together is a phenomenal album that demonstrates talent and originality. —Travis Boyco

ALBUM: Sun Structures by Temples Before Temples had even pressed an album, Noel Gallagher of Oasis was already touting them as the “best new band in Britain.” Having released their highly anticipated debut Sun Structures last month, this Midlands-based quartet has surely been eager to live up to the hype. The album draws its influences from decades of psychedelic music; its style occupies a space somewhere between the Yardbirds and Tame Impala. Haunting vocals and piercing guitars provide a kaleidoscopic ambience from start to end, and while rarely wandering into unchartered musical territory, the results are undeniably satisfying. Track after track of well-orchestrated rock and roll showcases the band’s impressive songwriting ability, from the booming riffs of the titular “Sun Structures” to the catchy melodies in “Test of Time.” Declarations of ex-Oasis personnel aside, lovers of psychedelic music certainly have been given a reason to await what the future holds for Temples. —Evan Ottoni

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VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014

Veg-friendly food haunts A guide to Toronto's finest meatless fare GRASSHOPPER Here at Grasshopper, the speciality is “crosscultural comfort food.” Their vegan take on pulled pork and grilled chicken banh mi sandwiches are top notch, although the crust of the French baguette that they make their sandwiches with have a tendency to be more on the softer side than I would personally like it. The beauty of banh mi is how easy it is to walk in and eat, and there are no exceptions made here at Grasshopper. It’s open till 9:00 on weekdays and till 10:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, making it a pretty good alternative for post-evening class eats. Address: 310 College St. (College and Spadina)

Sofia Luu

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Although vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more commonplace in today’s society, it still surprises me to see shocked reactions from people when I hear others announce their dedication to a plant-based diet. Statements such as, “aren’t you, like, always hungry?” and of course, the winner of them all: “But bacooooooooon.” Ultimately, the reasons behind one’s decision to abstain from eating animal-based food products are entirely personal. Even so, it’s hard to convince your meat-eating friends that vegetarian food is more than than just bags of iceberg lettuce and bland tofu. This is a guide for those who are willing to leave their judgements about eating vegetarian at the door. This is a guide for adventurous eaters, for those who want to try something that’s a little bit different, a little bit unconventional, and perhaps even a little bit daunting. This is for those who just want to have a really delicious meal before they spend two hours in lecture, getting drunk off knowledge. I can’t promise you anything, but one thing I can do is guarantee you won’t be hungry in the next hour and your tummies will be very satisfied. Here are several restaurants that are not only veg-friendly, but also delicious.

ONE LOVE VEGETARIAN Surprisingly enough, One Love is the only vegetarian restaurant that actually boasts the word “vegetarian” in its name. If you don’t know what love is, I should let you know that it will probably manifest itself in a roti. Traditional Caribbean roti comes with a variety of different stuffings, with meat as the main component. However, One Love doesn't try to make mock meat versions of traditional favourites. Instead, they do their own special take on the roti. You can get your roti with the vegan protein staple — textured vegetable protein (tvp) or chickpeas, but the clear favourite has and probably will always be the seasoned Jamaican pumpkin roti. Address: 854 Bathurst Street (Bathurst and Bloor) HONORABLE MENTIONS: THE BURGER’S PRIEST The Burger's Priest is home to one of the best beef burgers in the city, however, the true star here is the "Option," one of the most killer veggie burgers anyone could ever feast on. It defies everything we know about vegetarian burgers. The "Option" is composed of two juicy portobello mushrooms stuffed with cheese. The Priest takes it a step further by coating the whole thing in panko-style bread crumbs, and then deep frying it until it is nice and crispy. It’s delicious enough to turn any veg-skeptic into a true believer. Address: 1636 Queen St. E. (The Beaches)

APIECALYPSE NOW! APieCalypse Now! is a bakery dedicated to delicious vegan desserts and other tasty little treats. The owner, Jennifer Bundock, has won numerous awards around Toronto for her meat and dairy-free creations. Those who are hesitant to believe that good vegan treats exists should try one of Bundock’s massive cookie sandwiches. Available in vanilla and chocolate, these treats can be a bit overpowering, but will surely to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. Plan your visit accordingly because APieCalypse is only open Thursday to Saturday. Address: 589 Markham St. (Mirvish Village)

HOT BEANS A good indicator of whether or not a restaurant is worth trying out is the presence of a not-so-secret, “secret” menu. The Burger’s Priest has it, and so does Hot Beans. Vegan burritos and tacos are the restaurant's featured fare. While Hot Beans does use mock meats as burrito filler, it does not try to replace your standard burrito. I would advise against ordering the Mac ‘n’ Cheese burrito — vegan mac and cheese is an ambitious endeavour, and the mac here in conjunction with the fried potatoes makes for a rather bland burrito experience. Personal recommendations would include the tvp burrito and the pizza tacos off of Hot Bean's secret menu. Address: 160 Baldwin St. #1 (Kensington Market) FINAL NOTE: Another place worth visiting is Harvest Noon, the student-run cafe located above the Grad Student Pub. Furthermore, Kensington Market is a goldmine for vegetarian options. In fact, the last time I went to Kensington Market with a friend who wasn’t so keen on eating tempeh for lunch, we went into a number of restaurants in search for “anything with meat.”

A few of the many places where diners can indulge in plant-based comfort foods. clare scott/tHe Varsity

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 21

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

arts@thevarsity.ca

Out with the cold, in with the bloom Canada Blooms flower festival in town for March Elyse Comeau VARSITY STAFF

Mother Nature has had a wicked sense of humor this winter, from the damaging ice storm and power outages on Christmas day, to a very lengthy mess of snow, ice, and the extreme cold that just won't go away. On Friday March 14, Canada Blooms welcomes its guests with warm fresh air and spring-time scenery without having to leave the city. In an interview with The Varsity, Bruce Sudds, Canada Blooms’ marketing, communications, and sponsorship manager explains: “Each year, Canada Blooms inspires thousands of people with the sights, sounds, and smells of gardens and flowers. We want people to be transported from the throes into feelings of joy and wonder.” Canada Blooms is the largest garden and floral festival in the country, and its theme this year is "Wild!" Bruce Sudds says that this year’s theme “inspires many ideas, from re-establishing our connection to the natural world, reconnecting with the wild side of ourselves, and to take great and varied changes in garden and floral design.” Aside from the native and wacky skeleton trees painted in bright colors, the garden landscapes are just as wild. The festival’s layout allows its visitors to travel through different areas of the world, such as the Arctic, the Canadian Shield, and even a wild dinosaur preserve. Actively contributing to sustainable urban planning, Canada Blooms

The Direct Energy Centre played home to Canada's biggest flower and garden show, Canada Blooms. Clare sCott/tHe Varsity

just re-developed its strategic plan, to “connect people to nature,” as an overachiving goal central to its mission. The gardens at Canada Blooms challenge our disconnect from nature by encouraging action in regards to the everyday natural world. Of all the landscapes and gardens I saw, my favourite was the Irish inspired garden entitled The Wild Atlantic Way. This 1,400 square foot garden encapsulated Ireland’s west coast perfectly, with its untamed and hauntingly beautiful green landscape. I also loved the idea of the large urban backyard garden full of vegetables from around the world such as eggplant, okra, and long-beans. Ontario’s farmers across the Greenbelt have been growing world crops and, in turn, creating new local markets, which are a growing and crucial movement related to the long-term sustainability of vulnerable food systems around the world. I was happy to see that Canada Blooms promotes this movement of environmental stewardship, offering its visitors free okra seed packages, encouraging them to get started with their own edible gardens this upcoming summer. Come experience the endless possibilities firsthand, where passions of architecture and nature perfectly combine to create inspiring landscapes and backyard gardens. Canada Blooms will be open at Toronto’s Direct Energy Center until Sunday, March 23.

SCIENCE VAR.ST!SCIENCE

MARCH

2014

science@thevarsity.ca

Boundless squirrels By Elena Gritzan and Jasleen Arneja

Squirrels are common to all three U of T campuses. The evil but deceptively cute creatures’ sole pleasure is derived from terrorizing the U of T student body. However, comparing the three campuses reveals unique landscapes, flora, and fauna.

UTSC

UTM Possibly the campus which is best integrated into its surroundings, utm is located in the Credit River valley, sandwiched between the Carolinian and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest regions in a protected Greenbelt area. It is not uncommon for students to catch a glimpse of deer from the neighbouring Erindale Park, and studious patrons of the Hazel McCallion Library overlooking this park can often watch the deer during moments of academic frustration. The 225-acre campus is also located along the Credit River, a major watershed that flows into Lake Ontario. Mississauga is home to a diverse set of flora and fauna, including mudpuppies, leopard frogs, snowy owls, musclewood, prickly gooseberry, ostrich fern, and witch-hazel. Many of those plants can be used for medicinal or cosmetic purposes: witch-hazel has traditionally been used to treat menstrual pain, and major cosmetic companies now use it as a base for toners.

utsc is surrounded by the world-famous Scaborough Bluffs. Its geology provides a great deal of historical information about the area. The Scarborough Bluffs are 14 kilometres long and 100 metres high. They were created by the breakdown of packed clay soil, and they record the final stages of the Great Ice Age. Alternating layers of soil represent the different stages of ice’s advance and retreat across the land from as recently as 12,000 years ago. The first 46 metres of the bluffs contain a multitude of fossilized plants and animals. The present-day animals are plentiful, too. Nearby Rouge Park is at the northern edge of the Carolinian life zone, which contains more species than any other Canadian life zone: 762 plants, 225 birds, 55 fish, 27 mammals, and 19 reptiles and amphibians. Set apart from the other two campuses, utsc exists in a residential neighbourhood, although, notably, the Highland Creek that runs through it is the most urbanized watershed in the Toronto area. utsc students also have incredible access to animals from all over the world, with the Toronto Zoo only a bus ride away.

UTSG Located in downtown Toronto, the St. George campus exists in the midst of the urban cityscape quite different from the Scarborough and Mississauga campuses. The broad landscape surrounding the downtown campus includes beautiful views of skyscrapers, giving the campus its exceptional individuality. This is not to say that the downtown campus is free of wildlife. Summertime brings about the best in terms of exploring the flora on campus, which is rich with the colours and scents of flowers. Though the city landscape does not provide a suitable habitat for deer, the fauna within the downtown campus, as any residence student will tell you, consist largely of squirrels. utsg’s “boundless” squirrels are a source of pleasure to some, but a nuisance to many students, as they gnaw their way in through the windows and relish every bite of food they come across in residence. The studious, who at work late at night, may glimpse a raccoon. More easily spotted are the starlings and pigeons.

The effects that urbanization has had on the natural environment around the three campuses may have caused irreversible changes to the environment as the campuses react to a drastically growing number of students, but students can still seek natural beauty just offsite. The areas that surround our campuses are much like the education and courses they offer to students — diverse, distinct, and attractive. With files from Ishita Petkar Left to right: CArolyn lEvEtt/tHE vArsity milAn ilnyCkyJ/fliCkr miCHAEl CHAHlEy/tHE vArsity AJ bAtAC/fliCkr

An astronaut’s guide to following dreams Chris Hadfield’s talk at Convocation Hall inspired and entertained Elena Gritzan

ASSOCIATE SCIENCE EDITOR

U of T was so excited to see former astronaut Chris Hadfield that they gave him a standing ovation, twice. On either side of his hour-long talk at Convocation Hall on Friday, the entire 1,600-person audience was on its feet to celebrate the first Canadian to command the International Space Station (iss). The talk was awarded as a prize for the recordbreaking $148,784 raised by 976 U of T students, staff and faculty — many of them in the first two rows of the audience — for Movember. The sum went towards programs that fight testicular cancer, prostate cancer, and men’s mental health problems. Hadfield, who sports a healthy ‘stache himself, expressed his admiration for the team and highlighted every moustache in his slides with coloured arrow graphics. While aboard the iss, Hadfield used his social media accounts to post pictures of space, record videos about daily space life, and famously cover David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” while in orbit. Space is a fascinating unknown for most of us, so seeing it through the eyes of such a humble and dedicated documenter has created some-

thing of an international storm of interest in all things extraterrestrial. As he said in his book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, people are fascinated by space because “it helps them see the world slightly differently, perhaps even with a sense of wonder … People like being reminded that the impossible really is possible.” When the free tickets for the event became available online the week before, they were claimed within a span of a few hours. While waiting in the line that snaked around King’s College Circle and back into the UC quad, third-year global health students Nura Mazloom and Alicia Lara Gonzalez recounted how they excitedly snatched up tickets while still sitting in class. “I think he’s really cool,” said Mazloom. “I like how he engages people with what he’s doing. I love astronomy, I love space, and it’s cool how he helps other people learn about it with his own experiences.” Gonzalez adds: “He uses his passion for science and for astronomy, but he uses the things that he’s good at, like music, to make other people more engaged.” The atmosphere in the room — full of fans including students, staff, and a young boy clutching Hadfield’s book to his chest — was far more attentive than in any 100-level course as Hadfield told stories and relayed lessons

learned through launching to, living in, and leaving space. One of Hadfield’s major lessons is that every person should have a goal to give themselves a sense of direction. “That type of motivation is the very key to helping you make decisions throughout your life,” he said, “to meet people you wouldn’t have met, and to achieve things you wouldn’t have otherwise.” And in order to be prepared to clear each hurdle, you have to be prepared for any possible failure. “You have to base everything on as deep a competence you can develop within yourself and your team,” he said. Hadfield also noted how seeing Earth from afar can broaden your perspective in terms of issues on it. The Great Lakes comprise almost one-fifth of the world’s fresh water, and they seem immense to us here on the ground, but a picture that he took of them from above emphasizes how small and precious a resource they really are. “It reminds you of the fragile and transient knowledge that we take for granted,” he said. Contributing to outreach and inspiring a new generation of young people to dream about space and follow their dreams is a particular passion of Hadfield’s. This talk was only the latest in a series of thousands he has conducted

in his 21 years as an astronaut. Asked why he continues to pass on his knowledge, he said that “one objective is just to share the interesting and fun parts of the experience, but really my objective is to show people the possibilities that lie just beyond the easy horizon to see.” A large number of people clearly see Hadfield as an inspiring figure. His social media outreach coincided with a marked increase of visits on the nasa science websites, and Ireland’s Director of Education is attributing the country’s 20 per cent increase in math and science university enrolment to the iss team. Hadfield is a shining example of someone who set a goal, worked hard to achieve it, and continues to excel at distilling what he has learned into practical advice for others. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that the inspiration comes with plentiful anecdotes about space: you have to move at eight kilometres per second to stay in orbit, and Hadfield quipped that the diapers astronauts wear are customized with little pink and blue space suits. And for Torontonians: while you can’t see the Great Wall of China from space, you can see the 407. With files from Emma Hansen.

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 21

VARSITY SCIENCE

science@thevarsity.ca

U of T hosts annual Women in Science conference WISE conference will run March 22 and 23 Jennifer Hurd VARSITY STAFF

Walking into any mathematics, physics, or computer science class at U of T and looking around converts the often-cited statistics into a visible, concrete reality: there is still a major gender gap in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem). According to Statistics Canada, while women make up just over half of Canadians aged 25 to 64 with a university degree, they account for less than a third of Canadians aged 25 to 64 with a stem-related degree — and the difference becomes even more pronounced in fields like computer science and mathematics. Identifying this gap, however, is in itself hardly a solution. Enter the U of T chapter of Women in Science and Engineering (wise). The chapter is part of a nationwide, co-ed organization dedicated to celebrating and inspiring women in stem fields. Throughout the school year, the group sends ambassadors — all of whom are current undergraduate or graduate stem students — to high schools

across the gta. Through presentations, hands-on activities, and question-andanswer sessions, they aim to challenge conventional stereotypes about stem careers and raise awareness of the opportunities available for all students in science and engineering. The chapter also hosts regular networking events, social events, and workshops. Their largest event, however, has become the wise Annual National Conference. At the inaugural event last year, over 200 delegates from across the country converged on Toronto for a two-day event of networking and learning. Building on the success of that event, this year’s conference will feature a career fair, networking events, workshops, and two major competitions — a Technology Case Competition and a Social Impact Challenge — where teams of two to five delegates can present innovative proposals for a chance to win $1,000. The conference also boasts a wide variety of prestigious speakers — including Karen Yeates, the co-founder and co-director of the Queen’s University School of Medicine Office of Global Health; Ann Kaplan, the ceo and president of iFinance Canada Incorporated;

and Marilyn McHarg, ceo and president of Dignitas International. The purpose of the conference is three-fold: first of all, the organizers hope to bring together women of all backgrounds to allow for the sharing of experience and expertise. One of the most significant challenges that many women in stem fields face is the difficulty of finding experienced mentors, but the conference is an opportunity for younger scientists and engineers to learn from successful women in their fields. Secondly, the conference will highlight the continuing challenges faced by women in stem fields while in school, in work, in social relationships, and in their professional lives. Finally, the conference hopes to encourage and inspire attendees, fostering creativity and innovation in fields where it is certainly most needed. The wise National Conference will be held this coming weekend, March 22 and 23, at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 209 Victoria Street. Substantial subsidies towards the registration cost are available to U of T students in relevant departments.

ann sheng/The VarsiTy

Steve Easterbrook on climate science Former lead NASA scientist spoke to The Varsity on getting the money out of politics Stefan Jetvic & Emma Hansen VARSITY STAFF

Climate science deals with facts. As in any field of natural science, there are no ethical judgments cast, no economic projections, no statements on campaign tactics or corporate strategy. Yet climate science has become a remarkably politicized field. From the bitumen of climate data, it is not difficult to derive descriptive statements about the health of the environment that point very strongly to courses of action that humanity should take. Although the data itself is neutral, these proposed courses of action are vehemently rejected by the oil industry, and political rhetoric that denounces the reality of climate change is reflective of this. Dr. Steve Easterbrook, a former lead nasa scientist and current professor in the Department of Computer Science, spoke about climate modeling at the recent tedxUofT conference. Easterbrook described climate modeling as a method of gathering information about the past and wisdom for the future. Easterbrook is one of the many scientists whose mission is to increase awareness of environmental science among the public. Science communication is especially significant in such a politically charged field as climate science. It translates knowledge that is useful in the scientific community into knowledge that is useful for society as a whole. Climate science cannot provide normative statements about whether consumers should reduce their carbon emissions, but it does provide information that makes the right course of action clear.

The Varsity: You spoke about some of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s reports, but other than those high-level scientific documents, how are the outcomes of climate models generally communicated to the public? Steve Easterbrook: Actually, that’s probably the main way. What happens is the scientists publish their paper in the scientific literature, but almost nobody outside of the science community ever sees those. The only real way, then, that those results get out is over these larger assessment reports. So the panel produces them every six years. But national governments also do them more frequently. In the US there are more frequent assessment reports. And then generally what happens is the media pick up on those reports and attempt to summarize them, so whenever a report comes out, there’s usually a flurry of stories in the press that attempt to interpret what the reports say for different audiences. There’s a gap between the scientists — even just how scientists talk about this, the jargon they use — and other communities that want to know about this. Who fills that gap? Well, there are a very small number of science communicators. There are a few journalists who specialize in science, though the newspapers seem to be busy laying people off these days. They can’t afford this. There are a number of people who have trained as scientists and then moved into more communication roles, but very few of them. And then of course there are pressure groups of various kinds, so environmental organizations, and think tanks, political think tanks of various kinds.

And so all of them are stepping into that role, and they may or may not get the science right. They all have a particular message they want to push — whichever direction they want to push it. So then, what happens then? The public is just confused. They’re hearing all these different interpretations from people that have a particular message, and that makes it really hard for them to get. What does the science really say? And I don’t think there are many people at all that do a good job of — without worrying about an activist stance — what does the science actually say? That’s missing. TV: On a related note, the data is pretty clear: climate change is happening. Yet it’s still a viable opinion in some political circles to deny climate change. How can we combat that? SE: There are a couple of things that I’ve seen happening in the last couple of years that I think have a lot of potential. One is, people in the scientific community are getting more organized and saying, “Look, we need to get better at explaining what we do.” Not even so much what the results are, but what we do. That’s what I was trying to do in the talk today. Forget telling you what to do about climate change, just how do scientists actually work? There’s a team that was put together by some of my colleagues called the Climate Science Rapid Response Team, and they have a website that journalists around the world, if they have a question about science, can post it there. And they will then field it out to a number of experts, a number of working scientists, who will

then be willing to talk to the journalists and talk through the science question. They have something like 100 scientists as a part of this network, and they’re fielding questions every day from journalists. So that kind of thing helps: more scientists who are willing to go and talk about their work. And you know, it’s not what scientists are trained for, but it has to happen. TV: We focused a lot on trying to get the public to understand what’s going on, but there also seems to be a huge gap with getting the politicians to understand what’s going on. It’s a hard barrier to break, but how can we start? SE: It really is, and to my mind there’s another problem that we have to solve along the way, and maybe it’s even a more important problem, which is getting the money out of politics. If you ask me what’s the most important thing we can do about climate change, it’s electoral reform, it’s cutting down the amount that lobby organizations can pay politicians to buy their votes. If we can do that, then at least we’ve cleared the space to have honest conversations with politicians about the science and its implications. But while their election campaigns are funded by large corporations — particularly corporations with a stake in the use of fossil fuels — they’re not able to understand because they’re being paid not to understand. That’s my recommendation. We have to have electoral reform, and that’s an urgent priority. TV: In regards to computer modeling, we’re constantly making new

discoveries in terms of greenhouse gases. Recently U of T made a discovery about a more potent and longer-lasting greenhouse gas. How do these discoveries affect climate models, and how do you incorporate them into future models? SE: It takes time for new things to get into the models, and it can be years. In some sense the models lag a little bit behind these very latest discoveries. The basics have been known for over a century: the basic operations of greenhouse gases and the way they interfere with the radiative balance of the Earth. And there’s been nothing substantial in 100 years that’s dramatically changed the basic science. So the new discoveries are typically small changes, maybe in that envelope of what our highest upper bound and lowest bound are on our estimates of climate change. So they might change the uncertainty bounds a little bit. Scientists really don’t expect anything to come along to substantially change those projections. If you’re a scientist, this is how you get glory, right? You discover something that overturns what everybody else knew. Climate modeling has been going on for [over] 40 years. In that time, thousands of scientists all motivated to say, “I’m going to overturn everything you knew and come up with this amazing discovery and win a Nobel Prize” — well, nobody has. Nobody’s come up with anything that substantially undermines the basic operations of those models and the basic models. It can happen, sure. Is it likely? Probably not. With files from Augusta Jones

SPORTS VAR.ST!SPORTS

MARCH

2014

sports@thevarsity.ca

Rainbow Blues Varsity Blues athletes speak up about their experiences as LGBTQ athletes Reshara Alviarez

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

lgbtq athlete rights came under spotlight in preparation for the Sochi Olympics this past February. There were a total of six openly gay athletes competing in the games, and Russia’s restrictive policies toward the lgbtq community led to significant international outcry. For years before this outburst in Sochi, lgbtq athletes around the world have been inspiring change at the professional level as well as at the university level. Ken McNeilly was a student at U of T on the varsity rowing team in 2010 and 2011. As a doctoral candidate at the age of 41, McNeilly noted that, “I was nervous about joining because I was a novice to the sport, because I was 41 years old, and because I was gay.” To McNeilly’s relief, his teammates were eager to welcome him in spite of any differences existing between them. Until this day, McNeilly still considers many of these teammates as friends and allies. “In the boat, nobody cared about my sexual orientation; they only cared about whether I could lead them to victory,” he said. After a very successful and enjoyable sea-

Karen zhou/The VarsiTy

son, McNeilly was named Male Oarsman of the Year in 2010. McNeilly has completed his doctoral dissertation, and will be presenting his findings in the form of a 60-minute musical at the Toronto Fringe Festival

this summer. He hopes that his “musical dissertation” will be an accessible and enjoyable way for people to learn more about the ongoing challenges lgbtq teens encounter on a day-to-day basis. Jordan Prophet joined the var-

sity men’s swimming team in 2012. Prophet’s decision to try out for the team was not affected by any concerns about his acceptance as a member of the lgbtq community. “I have always found swimming to be a very open-minded sport towards the lgbtq community, which I am very thankful for. It isn’t like they have any more reason to be than a hockey or football organization, but they just appear to be from stories I have heard and what I’ve been told by friends,” said Prophet. Prophet appreciates the signage around campus provided by the Positive Space Campaign, and believes that this contributes to the overall progressive nature of the university’s attitude and policies toward students of the lgbtq community. He believes that the signs acknowledge discrimination as being unacceptable on campus, and lets victims know that there are organizations willing to offer help and support. Bailey Rudnick is now in her second year with the varsity women’s rugby team. Much like McNeilly and Prophet, Rudnick has yet to encounter any homophobic incident as an athlete at U of T. She is grateful for her supportive friends, family, and classmates, who make her experience all the more enjoyable. As a member of the varsity rugby team at

St. Francis Xavier University several years ago, Rudnick said that, “From my experience, all university rugby teams are accepting. St. FX, which is located in a tiny rural town, still had a very lgbt friendly environment. “The women’s rugby team is one of the few places where no one or at least few people assume that you are straight, which is refreshing. It is also a place that is more comfortable than the wider world with people remaining label-less, which again is refreshing,” said Rudnick. It is uplifting to know that a great number of U of T’s varsity teams have provided lgbtq athletes opportunities over the years to showcase their talents, while also serving as a safe and welcoming community. That being said, this sentiment is more than likely not one shared by all. Programs like the Positive Space Campaign and Athlete Ally are aimed at raising awareness and providing campus-wide security for the lgbtq community. These programs make it possible for athletes like Rudnick, McNeilly, and Prophet to serve as role models for others in similar positions. They have contributed to the commendable atmosphere of acceptance in university athletics over the past several years.

Work out like a pop star Madonna opens doors to her second North American fitness club in Toronto Nordene Stacey

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Officially opening its doors on February 11 with a personal visit from the material girl herself, Hard Candy Fitness Toronto is the second branch of Madonna’s international fitness studios in North America. The club is located at Yonge and Gerrard on the fourth floor of the Aura building. The club is accessible by ttc through the underground passageway from College subway station. Toronto was selected because “it’s one of Madonna’s favorite Canadian cities,” explained Justin Elie, operations manager for the club. Elie explains that the vibe of the club thrives on a sense of community among those who embody a healthy lifestyle, and it looks for inspiration from people who live healthy lifestyles, like Madonna. Memberships cost $99 per month with an enrollment fee of $69. There are no student memberships or student discounts. Included in the membership are some classes, access to the facility’s workout areas, and locker rooms. Personal training and speciality classes have extra fees. Classes are catered to all fitness levels, ranging from traditional fitness classes like cycling, to many classes with new twists. The 42,000 square foot facility has a high ceiling and enormous windows throughout, providing

MeDia PhoTo

members with a large amount of natural light while working out. Even before entering the club, you can see a picture of Madonna. Patrons enter the club through glass doors that extend from floor to ceiling. Beside the reception is a juice bar area featuring Madonna themed drinks and other healthy goodies to fuel the body. The setup of the personal training area is interesting. It’s open concept and located next to a turf area that has group trainingtype equipment. More pictures of Madonna in some of her famous and unforgettable looks are hung on the wall opposite to the turf area. Members access the locker rooms on that side as well. Inside,

there is an abundance of towels and toiletries for club members, as well as lockers for daytime use only, and showers and washroom facilities. A generous amount of space is dedicated to the workout and weight training areas with a shocking amount of training equipment — rows upon rows of stationary bikes, elliptical machines, stepping machines, hand weights, bar weights, and weight machines. Next are the three studios: one for spinning-type classes, one for cardio-type classes and one for yoga-type classes. Like the workout and weight training areas, each studio is spacious. While watching some of the famous “Addicted to Sweat” classes, one no-

Madonna has opened fitness centres across the globe. MeDia PhoTo

ticeable aspect was that the class had a mix of different ages and fitness levels. Everyone seemed to be having fun while working out to the music pumping from the speakers. The final stop was the mural of Madonna created by artist Mr. Brianwash, who created the artwork for one of Madonna’s album

covers. The mural takes up an entire wall, giving somewhat of an Andy Warhol feel. The company truly lives up to their motto: “No sweat, no candy.” The entire place is spacious, clean, and has a friendly atmosphere. With that being said, I must say Hard Candy Fitness Toronto is definitely in a class of its own.