THE VARSITY March 25, 2019
The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
Vol. CXXXIX, No. 22
Students protest for action on mental health following death on campus Page 3 SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
U of T students create online campaign calling for action on mental health How Many Lives? preparing report for university on campus culture, resources Ann Marie Elpa Associate News Editor
Content warning: mentions of suicide. In response to growing concerns of a mental health crisis at U of T, a group of students has created an online campaign to draw attention to the administration’s resistance of acknowledging systemic issues surrounding mental health on campus. The brainchild of Will Zich, Katie Kwang, Ece Yücer, and Ev Giles, How Many Lives? aims to pressure the university to better handle instances of suicide and be transparent about improvements to mental health services on campus. The group is currently preparing a report, to be submitted to the university administration, on how mental health culture and resources can be improved. Since its inception on March 18, the How Many Lives? Facebook page has garnered more than 900 likes. The group has also created a viral profile picture frame to shine light on the movement and allow users to show their support for the cause. According to the movement’s website, the student organizers intend to post personal student narratives regarding experiences using mental health resources
on campus to draw attention to student struggles. Personal experiences with suicide and mental health motivated Zich to create the page. “When I heard about this most recent suicide, I felt an uncontrollable urge to do something. All the emotions that had built up in the course of my grief became actualized at that moment. I was speechless. For all I know, I have absolutely no relation to the student that died most recently, but I relived the pain of my girlfriend’s death in hearing about it,” wrote Zich in an email to The Varsity. Zich was referring to an event that occurred little more than a week ago when a U of T student died by suicide in the Bahen Centre for Information Technology. It was the second suicide to occur in Bahen in the last year and immediately resulted in student mobilization against the university’s perceived inaction on mental health. Students participated in a silent demonstration in front of Simcoe Hall on Monday in response to the death and in outrage at the university’s delayed and muted response to the situation. “We decided to take it upon ourselves to create a unified movement with a single and consistent objective,” wrote
Zich. “We wanted the university to have a name to associate with the movement, and we wanted them to recognize the power of all of its students with the question ‘How Many Lives?’ How many lives does it take before changes are made?” The Varsity also asked Yücer about the movement’s goals. “Our objective is to give all students a platform to share their experiences with mental health services at UofT and derive a proposal, considering the submissions to our website howmanylives.org, current actions by the administration, and possible recommendations,” wrote Yücer. As is also explained on the website, “we acknowledge that no one is happy with the situation of mental health at this school, not us, not the administration.” Yücer also wrote that, while the administration needs to acknowledge students’ demands, students and university officials must also work together in order to devise a plan that works for all parties involved. “As we move forward, it is essential to keep our expectations in check with the services provided by the University, but enabling more people to talk about mental health is a big step in the right direction,” wrote Yücer.
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Students protested for better mental health services outside the president’s office on Monday. SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
Students stormed Simcoe Hall to talk to senior administration officials prior to the Business Board meeting. SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
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After the Business Board meeting moved to the Medical Sciences Building, students spoke with U of T President Meric Gertler about mental health on campus. SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
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“This happened so close to home”: students call on administration to take action on mental health
Protest outside Simcoe Hall comes day after public death by suicide at Bahen Jack O. Denton Editor-in-Chief
Content warning: this article contains mentions of suicide. In the wake of a public death by suicide on campus on March 17, students are demanding urgent attention to mental health at the University of Toronto. Approximately 100 students gathered outside Simcoe Hall on March 18, meeting what they perceive as silence from the university administration on mental health with their own solemn silence. Toronto emergency services were called to the Bahen Centre for Information Technology that night in response to a medical emergency, after a student fell from high in the building’s atrium. Toronto Police have ruled the death to be non-suspicious and non-criminal. This marks the second death by suicide in the past year at the Bahen Centre, a hub for students studying computer science and engineering at U of T. Congregating outside Simcoe Hall at 2:00 pm, the protest grew in numbers until shortly after 3:00 pm, when students moved inside to sit on the second floor of the administration building. Students were seen holding signs with slogans including “the university is complicit” and “you can’t ignore us forever.” A number of media outlets, including CBC and CTV, were also present. By 5:00 pm, students had moved across King’s College Circle to the Med-
ical Sciences Building, where a Governing Council Business Board meeting was taking place. The Business Board meeting was originally scheduled to take place at Simcoe Hall, but the location was changed on short notice. Padraic Berting, a third-year student, was one of the organizers of the protest. “This is an issue that’s very personal to me,” Berting said, noting that this was the third death by suicide on campus in the past year that he was aware of. Berting is disappointed that the university administration seems unwilling to recognize what he and many others are calling a “mental health crisis” on campus. “I felt that the only way to actually do something was to try and make it more of a public statement,” he said. “So that they will be publicly compelled to do something.” Second-year student Sabrina Brathwaite came out to the protest “because there have been a number of deaths on campus” and that “there must be an emphasis on action and policy change.” “I’m somewhat cynical in terms of student protests and admin changing things, but I think it’s better than nothing, and I think that at the very least it shows that there are people who care,” Brathwaite said. “A protest like this will show admin that people are watching.” Sana Mohtadi, a second-year student, went to the protest “to see the sheer magnitude of the mental health crisis at U of T.” “It’s incredible to see such solidarity on
a campus that often feels really isolated,” Mohtadi said. “I thought it was a great starting point for renewing a conversation about mental health on campus.” The two deaths at Bahen are inseparable from the computer science student community. The intense pressure that computer science students are put under, both to be accepted to the subject program of study and succeed in the competitive program, have a number of people questioning how it may contribute to poor mental health. “I think that there’s ways that the program is more stressful than it has to be,” said Maxwell Garrett, a second-year Computer Science student who was at the protest. Garrett is saddened by the deaths in Bahen, a space in which he and many others in the computer science program spend much of their time. “It’s a little stressful, just knowing that two students have ended their life there,” Garrett said. Anam Alvi, a fourth-year Computer Science student present at the protest, was studying in Bahen during the night when the death occurred. Alvi came out to the protest because she wants to put pressure on the university to recognize that “people aren’t okay with this lack of acknowledgement and lack of action,” even if it means hurting the reputation of the university. “It’s incredibly hard to realize that this happened so close to home, that this is someone in our community,” Alvi said. “This is a building that so many people in
our program commune around, it’s such a safe space for all of us.” Alvi can’t see herself going back to Bahen anytime soon. “It changes what it means to be there, at least for the time being.” Janine Robb, Executive Director of the Health & Wellness Centre at U of T, said that the centre had been working hard to provide support to students impacted by the recent death, including accepting short-notice appointments and bringing in an outside provider to be on campus today for extra support. Robb acknowledged the “tragic accident” that occurred at Bahen and reiterated that the university is unable to share any more details at this time because the victim’s family has not provided permission for the university to do so. “We’re really focused more on students who witnessed or who are affected by what happened,” Robb said. Speaking about the availability of mental health resources on campus, a subject of scrutiny from many of the students at the protest, Robb said that Health & Wellness “provides and allocates counsellors as soon as we are aware of the situation.” “We take mental health very seriously, and we’re certainly aware of it being a tragic and common problem in our society and in our community,” Robb said. “I would tell you that it’s a public health issue. I think my staff are doing a very good job of responding to the need.” “To me it seems we’re never seen as
supportive enough, despite our best efforts, and I’m just not sure how to change the dialogue on that,” Robb said. Joshua Grondin, Vice-President University Affairs of the University of Toronto Students’ Union, said that he raised the issue of emergency mental health supports on campus in a January meeting with the Office of the Vice-Provost Students. Grondin specifically suggested that a safety net or barrier be installed at Bahen and proposed that the university investigate implementing 24-hour counselling services at Robarts Library during the months of March and April. “I mentioned specifically that I was worried someone would duplicate what was done by a student earlier this year,” Grondin said, and that he told the administration he “thought these barriers could prevent another person from doing the same thing.” While the protest today was characterized by silence, some students believe that frank words are the way to bring about change. “I think people who were there need to talk about what they heard, what they saw,” Alvi said. “I think it will bring gravity to the situation.” If you or someone you know is in distress, you can call: Canada Suicide Prevention Service phone available 24/7 at 1-833-4564566 Good 2 Talk Student Helpline at 1-866-925-5454 Ontario Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600 Gerstein Centre Crisis Line at 416929-5200 U of T Health & Wellness Centre at 416-978-8030. — With files from Josie Kao
Memory of late U of T student to live on with The Carey Projects
Carey Davis was known, loved for intellectual curiosity, human compassion
Carey Davis passed away in January. Courtesy of CHERYL DAVIS
Jack O. Denton Editor-in-Chief
Content warning: mentions of suicide. Carey Davis was a force to be reckoned with. A daughter, sister, friend, co-worker, and peer to many, Davis is remembered for her vibrant intellectual curiosity and deeply-rooted compassion for other people and their experiences. These traits were an intrinsic part of Davis’ character, which becomes all the more apparent when you speak to the loved ones she left behind. When Davis, a second-year student, passed away by suicide in January, the impact of her death was felt deeply by her friends, peers, and family, from the University of Toronto to her hometown
in Massachusetts. When Davis died, there was a real sense that a curious and compassionate intellectual who was poised to make this world a better place had been lost. Davis was focused on solving global problems with solutions that placed the wellbeing of the people involved at the fore, and she had the ability to empower others to feel the same way she did: that we all could, and should, effect positive change. In her first year, she took part in the globally-focused Munk One program, alongside which she became a Varsity staff writer. Davis was always eager to engage with others in what she called “Thought Experiments,” wherein people would get together to discuss problems of global importance and scale. She was
focused on solving problems in unique ways that at once challenged underlying assumptions while remaining sensitive to the human and environmental impacts of policy decisions. The spirit of these Thought Experiments is taking shape in The Carey Projects, an effort by Davis’ family, friends, and loved ones in the university community to foster debate about, and look toward implementing solutions for, issues that mattered to Davis. Though the plan for the projects is in its early stages, there is an understanding that the projects will come to include mental health awareness and suicide prevention. “Depression isn't really talked about openly in a lot of places,” said Cheryl Davis, Carey’s mother. “We really want to do more education and awareness that it’s a medical disorder, it’s not something that you hide or are ashamed of. People need to be talking about it and be looking for it.” Shortly after Carey’s death, her family came to Toronto and met with members of Carey’s circle, including her best friend, Marium Nur Vahed, and Professor Teresa Kramarz, the Director of the Munk One program. One thing they discussed was what Carey’s legacy would look like, and there started the discussion of The Carey Projects, which would ask students to work together as a team to solve a global issue and potentially apply for funds to implement the solution. Audacious Futures, a social innovation-minded consultancy firm that Carey worked for, has also committed resources to implement
some of the projects. Carey was a student of Kramarz’s in the Munk One program and was later her research assistant, though this doesn’t do justice to how close the two were. “She embodied the kind of curiosity and engagement that makes academia exciting,” Kramarz said. “She was… so curious, but also so engaged — she wanted to be doing.” “The Carey Projects will be many things,” Kramarz explained. “One of the things that we’re thinking is, in broad terms, how to create opportunities for the discussion of big ideas and counterfactual thinking that she was very committed to, and marry that with action, which she was also very committed to.” As it finds its grounding, The Carey Projects will be run in part through the Munk One program and the community at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. “Our longer-term goal, in addition to the global affairs side, is to work with colleges and universities and educating people [about mental health in young people],” Cheryl said. “And more systematically looking and working with colleges and universities on how they can reduce the stress and anxiety that these young adults are experiencing.” Nur Vahed met her best friend through the Munk One program and has recently become involved in the How Many Lives? campaign, which calls for mental health reform from the University of Toronto administration. “She was always looking for ways to change the world,” Nur Vahed said.
“She had a huge heart, she was very empathetic — she was always very kind and very willing to converse with people and be there for people.” “My hope is that these projects reflect that, because when you lose a person like that, you also lose everything that they would be able to do for this world,” said Nur Vahed. She hopes that the projects will “have the impact that Carey could have had, knowing that she was such a bright, intelligent, kind, empathetic, and creative young woman.” At press time, the projects’ GoFundMe campaign hovered at around $17,000 of a $25,000 goal. Those who were close to Carey are committed to seeing these projects through. “We want people to know that we’re committed to doing this for our lifespan, and that this is something that Carey’s name will live on through in the people that we can affect through these projects,” Cheryl said. The Carey Projects are not just about finding solutions to the global problems that captured Carey’s mind. Her devotion to discussing and debating issues was rooted in the act of conversation, and, as Kramarz said, these projects also “continue the conversation with Carey, and continue Carey in the conversation.” “Because she’s the one who started it.” Carey’s legacy is ever-present in these conversations and will be in the projects to come. Donations to The Carey Projects can be made at gofundme.com/the-carey-projects.
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UTSU executive candidates face off at The Varsity’s debate Candidates for President, University Affairs acknowledge “mental health crisis on campus” Ilya Bañares Deputy News Editor
As part of the 2019 University of Toronto Students’ (UTSU) elections season, The Varsity held a debate on March 21 that featured candidates for the three contested executive positions of President, Vice-President External Affairs, and Vice-President University Affairs. The debate was moderated by Editor-in-Chief Jack O. Denton and Associate News Editor Andy Takagi. Questions touched on topics ranging from the lack of candidates for three executive positions, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), and the Student Choice Initiative (SCI), a policy announced by the Ford government that will give students an option to opt-out of certain incidental fees.
Presidential candidates
When asked to clarify why he wanted to run for president, Bryan Liceralde said that he had a “visionary platform” to maximize the happiness of the student body, referencing the ethical theory of utilitarianism. He had said in an earlier interview with The Varsity that he was running in order to win the Rhodes Scholarship. Joshua Bowman, presidential candidate and current Academic Director for Social Sciences on the UTSU’s board of directors, said that if elected he would focus on creating a firstyear council in order to improve engagement with first-year students, restructure the organization’s student aid program, and start a mental health audit. On the vacancies of the incoming positions of Vice-President Operations, Vice-President Student Life, and Vice-President Professional Faculties, both presidential candidates said they would create a hiring committee early in their terms. Bowman said the committee would be composed of both past and present executives, and that having an election
The Vice-President University Affairs candidates at the debate: Christopher Chiasson, Avani Singh, and Sharon Ma (seated, from left). SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
during midterms or exams would be inaccessible for many students. Bowman and Liceralde also acknowledged that there is a mental health crisis on campus, both criticizing the administration for the university-mandated leave of absence policy, which was passed in June and allows U of T to place students on a non-punitive leave due to mental health. Liceralde pledged to lobby Governing Council to invest more in students and have a more subsidized education, while Bowman said that he would work with the university and other student societies to be more “proactive” rather than reactive to mental health.
Candidates for Vice-President External Affairs
Innis College Director Lucas Granger and U of T Tabletop Gaming Club President Spencer Robertson are both running for Vice-President Ex-
ternal Affairs. At the debate, both spoke of the need for cooperation among student societies at the university in order to oppose the SCI, which could mandate an opt-out option for the UTSU. Granger in particular said that he would create a campus cooperation committee among student society presidents, similar to the St. George Round Table, which is a body composed of student council presidents and university administrators. On the CFS, a national organization composed of student unions across the country that many member unions have attempted to leave in recent years, both Granger and Robertson agreed that the UTSU should leave as well. Granger said that he would support a non-binding referendum in the fall to ask students if they want to stay or leave the organization, while Robertson said that he would fund a YouDecide campaign to collect signatures for decertifi-
cation if it was financially viable. The moderators then asked the candidates how they would negotiate with the provincial government, especially given that Ford recently wrote in a Progressive Conservative campaign email that student unions were getting up to “crazy Marxist nonsense.” Granger said that he would focus on the two other levels of government — municipal and federal — and that he would still negotiate in good faith. Robertson, like Granger, referenced that there were other governments and that he would be realistic in talks with the province.
Candidates for Vice-President University Affairs
Debate moved on to the candidates for Vice-President University Affairs, which included Christopher Chiasson, Avani Singh, and New College Director Sharon Ma. Candidate Ramtin Taramsari was unable to attend.
UTSU to hold April by-election for executive, board positions unfilled this month No candidates for three executive, most board positions in regular election period
Jack O. Denton Editor-in-Chief
This cycle of University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) elections has seen the lowest engagement and fewest candidates in recent history: no one is running for three of the seven executive positions and only 10 people are running for the 28 board of directors seats that are centrally elected. In order to fill the positions that will remain vacant after this election period, the union has approved a spring by-election, with nominations opening April 1, campaigning from April 8–12, and voting from April 13–15. Crucially, there are no candidates for Vice-President Operations and VicePresident Student Life. Both of these portfolios oversee important work during the summer — the VP Operations
drafts the union’s operating budget and the VP Student Life runs orientation. In addition, as per the union’s own bylaws, a board of directors lacking most of its representatives would be inquorate and unable to function. Not only are few people running in these elections, but the races themselves are overwhelmingly uncontested. While three of the four executive positions are being contested, none of the board seats are. Victoria College, Woodsworth College and the Faculties of Architecture and Visual Studies, Pharmacy, and Law are all holding their own internal elections for board representatives. The Elections and Referenda Committee voted on the dates of an April by-election on March 22, and the union’s board of directors approved the committee’s recommendation in
an emergency online board meeting on March 24. Anne Boucher, the current UTSU President, said that despite the low turnout for elected positions, “it is encouraging to see that most students running have no prior experience with the UTSU, bringing with them a diversity of perspectives and ideas.” “Much of the UTSU’s motivation behind our slate ban was to make our election process more accessible by allowing all students the opportunity to run on an equal platform, whereas slates were ostracizing and often limited to those already involved,” Boucher said. “Candidate turnout was low this year, but I’m confident that we’ll see more participation once the UTSU commits itself to both organizational and student-facing strategies.” As Boucher noted, this is the first
year that slates — groups of students running together, with shared campaign strategies, platforms, and materials — are banned from the union’s elections. Boucher added that while the absence of slates “may be a contributing
All three candidates acknowledged that there is a mental health crisis at U of T and that the community bears collective responsibility. Singh called for the administration to implement concrete changes, whereas Chiasson said society atlarge needs a fundamental “cultural shift” on mental health and that he would march on Queen’s Park in order to incite change. Ma said that she would focus on the upcoming report on the universitymandated leave of absence policy, which is scheduled to be released in the summer. The policy was criticized by all three candidates. The moderators also asked the candidates whether they consider the role as one of activism or advocacy. Singh said it was about both, adding that the VP University Affairs is in a privileged position to meet with administration and do more than just protest. Ma echoed this sentiment but said that it was important to let students know that union members were working for them. Chiasson, on the other hand, criticized the UTSU for allegedly not advocating for large-scale activism, while instead doing work behind the scenes. Another issue that the debate touched on was U of T’s extreme weather policy. Many students have criticized the university this past winter for not closing campus despite adverse conditions. Singh called for clearer guidelines on snow day policies and the existence of more contingency plans, while Chiasson pledged to advocate for more online lectures, which he said could lead to a more “realistic” campus closure policy. Voting takes place exclusively online at utsu.simplyvoting.com, and will run until Monday, March 25 at 5:00 pm. Disclosure: Avani Singh served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Varsity Publications Inc. — the not-for-profit corporation that publishes The Varsity — from May 2018 to March 17, 2019. Singh has recused herself from the role of Chair and is taking a leave of absence from the board for the duration of the UTSU election period.
factor” to the lack of involvement in these elections, she does not think it is to blame. “I believe the reasons go beyond our election structure, into the way the UTSU governs itself. The current UTSU board structure does not promote engagement due to its size,” Boucher said. “If the UTSU wants to see active participation in elections moving forward, we’ll need to make the positions both attractive and engaging to start.” — With files from Adam A. Lam
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UTM Principal signs on to UTMSU demands to speak against postsecondary changes UTM students join province-wide walkout against Ford government
Students marched from the Student Centre toward Deerfield Hall. ZEAHAA REHMAN/THE VARSITY
Zeahaa Rehman UTM Bureau Chief
During a campus walkout at UTM on March 20, UTM Principal Ulrich Krull agreed to a demand by the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) for the university to take action against changes to postsecondary funding announced by the provincial government earlier this year. Students marched from the Student Centre toward Deerfield Hall, clutching signs and chanting: “Who are we? We are the students.” These students gathered at the Student Centre earlier that morning to participate in the province-wide walkout organized by the Canadian Federation of Students, of which the UTMSU is a member. The protest is part of a We the Students campaign against the Ford government’s changes to postsecondary funding, which includes cuts to the Ontario Students Assistance Program (OSAP) and an opt-out option on certain “non-essential” incidental fees, known as the Student Choice Initiative (SCI). After a free brunch offered by the UTMSU, students were addressed by UTMSU President Felipe Nagata and sessional lecturer in political science Kristin Cavoukian. Cavoukian is also the Vice-Chair of Unit 3 of CUPE 3902, which represents U of T’s contract workers. Executive members of the Muslim Students’ Association also spoke to students, as did Middle Eastern Students’ Association President Reem ElAjou. All emphasized the importance of campus life in shaping students’ lives, and how the SCI could endanger it. Students also chanted, “Students, united, will never be defeated” and “Education is under attack, what do we do? Unite! Fight back!” as they walked through the new North Building to the Instructional Centre atrium. They continued to the Communication, Culture, and Technology building before settling in the recently renovated Meeting Place of the William G. Davis building. “All I want to say is that Ford don’t really care about us” reverberated
through the area, before Nagata called for Krull to come to the Meeting Place to listen to the UTMSU’s demands. “[Number one, sign a joint letter with the UTMSU] address[ing] the cuts to OSAP, grants, and the SCI,” said Nagata to Krull. Nagata also called on the UTM administration to speak to Governing Council to discuss how the SCI would affect UTM students and the UTMSU, and called on Krull to attend a town hall hosted by the UTMSU. The final demand called on Krull to sign a petition to be sent to the Ford government. Krull signed the document containing these demands, to the chants of “Ulli.” “Thank you, first, of all for taking the time to protest,” said Krull to the crowd. “This is important: if you don’t speak up, in what we have as a democratic society, your messages are not going to be heard.” “Recognize that the entire university is, in a sense, impacted by what the government is doing, whether it’s OSAP, whether it is the Student Choice Initiative. These are things that are impacting all of us,” said Krull. Krull explained that though he had “no problem” signing a joint letter with the UTMSU, he could not sign on behalf of U of T. He did however emphasize that the “entire university” would be impacted by the changes and signed the letter “on the basis of supporting you and the initiative to get this heard by the President and by Governing Council.” On discussing the impacts of the SCI with Governing Council, Krull added that UTM “already had presentations here locally in governance.” “If this is a general statement, that there is a concern about the Student Choice Initiative, OSAP, no problem at all,” said Krull about signing the UTMSU’s petition to the government. “If this is the type of language, the type of text, that usually is more expansive, that starts demanding, for example, free tuition, that is beyond what we are talking about here, so that’s a petition I could not sign.” “We’re all in it together,” remarked Krull, “This is something we need to work on together.”
UTSG students join province-wide walkout in protest of Ford tuition cuts
Canadian Federation of Students pushes for repeal of changes to postsecondary funding Alex Byrne-Krzycki Varsity Contributor
On March 20, around 150 UTSG students took part in a provincewide walkout to protest the Ford government’s announced unfunded tuition cut and changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). The students began by rallying at Sidney Smith Hall before marching on Simcoe Hall. The walkout was organized by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) as part of a provincewide campaign to bring awareness to the postsecondary funding changes. The protesters were joined by representatives from the Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students, the Arts and Science Students’ Union, and the Graduate Students’ Union. The Student Choice Initiative (SCI) is one of the other changes announced by the provincial government that would mandate an opt-out option for certain incidental fees. It threatens the funding of many organizations that rely on
mandatory student levies for funding, including the student unions in attendance at the protest. In its January announcement, the Ford government characterized the mandate as giving students the freedom to choose what they would be funding. For organizations like the CFS, this could mean a severe funding cut. However, the CFS has a plan to keep organizing even with potential losses of revenue. CFS–Ontario Chairperson Nour Alideeb said in an interview with The Varsity that while she can’t speak to the specifics of how the CFS will operate on a reduced budget, it does have a plan for continued advocacy. “We have strength in numbers, and the reality is that this government’s going to be removed in the next four years, and there will be governments that will be around after that… Because of our strength in numbers, we are actually able to create change,” said Alideeb, also expressing a hope to unite campuses across the province to repeal the SCI.
While protests continue across the province, the fight to reverse the Ford government’s changes continues at Queen’s Park. Ontario New Democratic Party MPP for Spadina—Fort York and Critic for Training, Colleges and Universities Chris Glover has announced that he will be introducing a private members’ bill next week. The bill is set to ask the Ford government to relieve student debt by converting all future OSAP loans into grants, and ending interest on student loan debt by the provincial government. In a statement released to The Varsity, Glover wrote, “Cutting and ultimately eliminating student debt will also be good for our economy. Currently students and graduates are saddled with debts that can take decades to pay off.” Glover sees student debt as restricting participation in the economy and hopes that the government will see education as an “investment in our future, both economically and socially.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to come to school next year”: UTSC students walk out in response to Ford’s education reform UTSC participates in province-wide walkout Layla Anciano Varsity Contributor
The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) organized a UTSC Solidarity Action event with a walkout on March 20 as a part of a province-wide walkout to protest the Ontario government’s changes to postsecondary education funding. The event took place across three locations at UTSC: the Bladen Wing, the Instructional Centre, and the Student Centre. At all locations, SCSU representatives and volunteers collected signatures for its petition against the provincial government’s reforms, as well as letters to be sent to various MPPs. The SCSU warns that the planned tuition reduction will result in a loss of “approximately $360 million from university operating budgets,” and will increase the already “skyrocketing tuition fees for international students.” The province announced the changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) on January 17, saying that the previous model, which granted tuition funding to families earning up to $175,000, was fiscally unsustainable. The government eliminated the six-month interest-free grace period on OSAP loans, while also lowering the income threshold at which students can qualify for grants. This may force students to take on more loans and accumulate more debt. In an interview with The Varsity,
SCSU Vice-President External Hana Syed, who helped to organize the event, emphasized the importance of participating in solidarity action. “The services that our student union offers, like operating a food bank, and the Women’s and Trans Centre, or Racialized Student Collective, and [Free Book Network] that support marginalized communities especially, are now going to be cut.” Speaking on the changes to OSAP, Syed said, “The way that I’m even able to access education and be here is because I am on OSAP… I have three siblings; it would be impossible for my parents… to send all of us to school, and education is that important to my family.” Chemi Lhamo, current SCSU
Vice-President Equity and President-elect, believes the government's changes affect all students. “It’s an attack on us,” Lhamo told The Varsity. “When you don’t invest in our future generations, it’s a testament to where your morals lie.” “I am a part-time student because education is already highly inaccessible to someone like me who comes from different intersectional identities, and I think this can be relatable to a lot of other students, especially in the Scarborough campus because about 80 per cent of our students are racialized folks,” Lhamo said. “A racialized woman came into my office in tears, and said, ‘Chemi, I don’t know how I’m going to come to school next year.’ And that shakes me to the core.”
The event took place across three locations at UTSC. LAYLA ANCIANO/THE VARSITY
Business
March 25, 2019 var.st/business biz@thevarsity.ca
Entrepreneurship Week U of T’s entrepreneurial scene is thriving. The university is ranked number one for research-based startups in Canada and number four among best universitymanaged incubators in the world. Through its 10 incubators, U of T has produced over 500 startups in the last 10 years. Entrepreneurship Week is an annual celebration spanning 30 events that showcases the U of T community’s entrepreneurship and the next generation of innovators. The week’s capstone event, the True Blue Expo, featured over 60 U of T-launched startups and culminated in a pitch competition with $50,000-worth in awards.
Nanology Labs won the $25,000 Later Stage first prize; Cohesys won the $10,000 Early Stage first prize. Courtesy of U OF T ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Nanology Labs, Cohesys claim top honours at RBC pitch competition Ten U of T startups compete for $50,000 in prize funding to wrap up True Blue Expo Michael Teoh Business Editor
Empower Health founder Ryan Doherty and Weav founder Peter Meng were among the 60 startups represented. AYTHA MAQSOOD/THE VARSITY
Five standout U of T startups to watch Annual True Blue Expo showcase features travel, health and wellness startups Aytha Maqsood Varsity Contributor
mentorship advice as well as office space to help iterate and test out the business model.”
Empower Health
Weav
Ever gotten sick and found yourself in need of a walk-in appointment? Empower Health, formerly known as iamsick.ca, aims to reduce the hassle of phoning numerous clinics with inquiries for walkin hours by aggregating a database. The app hosting the database will help patients see wait times for clinics, as waiting for an available slot at some clinics can take hours. Founder Ryan Doherty said, “We now have enterprise clients, national coverage, government relationships, and a significant number of users and connects using [the app].” The idea blossomed with the help of U of T’s Impact Centre, which “provided
Weav takes a new approach to ride-sharing applications by allowing users to open their car doors for carpooling with strangers. Founder Peter Meng said that since drivers are already travelling with “three empty seats” and spending money on gas, why not “open up your receipt and charge each passenger $10–20 to cover up the cost of the ride? This way, the driver can cover the costs, and the rider can travel affordably.” Weav uses automated logistic payments and other systems to facilitate the carpooling process. Read the rest of the story at var.st/trueblue19
The silence that hung over the MaRS Auditorium after Mohammad Ali Amini had finished his fiveminute Nanology Labs pitch spoke volumes. It was not, by any means, an apprehensive or awkward silence — instead it was one of appreciation for his startup’s ambitions that demarcated his pitch from the rest. This time, the seven-minute Q&A period dedicated for the panel of six expert judges to scrutinize market feasibility spawned a solitary question and lasted for just 26 seconds. Amini had presented his cancer-treating nanotechnology startup with an air of confidence and insightful clarity that made Nanology Labs’ eventual $25,000 Later Stage first prize victory no surprise. Five finalists competed in the Early Stage competition, designed for startups with less than $20,000 in cumulative funding and cumulative revenue; the other five competed in the Later Stage competition, for startups that have had between $20,000 and $100,000 in cumulative funding and less than $100,000 in cumulative revenue. Michael Floros’ Cohesys and Alan Li’s Sirona Onsite claimed the $10,000 and $5,000 first and second prize victories in the Early Stage competition respectively, while Noah Yang’s PureMark won the $10,000 Later Stage second prize.
Nanology Labs
SHANA KELLEY on founding, developing life science startups
U of T professor discusses life cycle of startups ADAM A. LAM/THE VARSITY
Adam A. Lam Associate News Editor
U of T professor, scientist, and entrepreneur Shana Kelley shared her experiences in launching three medical diagnostics startups during her Entrepreneurship Week talk “From concept to acquisition and back again.” Kelley, who is cross-appointed to several departments including Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, presented two guiding principles for starting a successful life science startup. The first is to let your initial ideas in research and business interact to form new ideas for opportunities. She quoted John Steinbeck, who wrote, “ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” The second guiding principle is to accept that you don’t need to figure out all aspects of running
a startup company before its launch. “You’ve got to jump off the cliff, and then you’ve got to work like heck to build your wings before you get to the ground,” Kelley said, quoting Ray Bradbury. She noted that even if you think you have your startup figured out, conditions and assumptions often change over the course of its development.
Preparation, perseverance, and patience
Kelley advised perseverance and patience during the initial stages of launch, reflecting on how she received 83 rejections by investors for her startup Xagenic. “You have to go through that process,” she said. “You have to get the answer that’s no, and reflect a little bit on why they said no; maybe adjust your strategy going forward and then just keep going and keep going and keep going.” Read the rest of the story at var.st/shanakelley
Amini’s startup produces a “non-toxic MRI contrast agent” called Manganescane that is more effective in detecting early-stage brain tumours. According to Amini, 65 per cent of brain cancer
patients are diagnosed when they are already in the advanced stage. Nanology has developed a prototype of the solution that has been pre-clinically validated. This year, it will scale up production and begin to have its safety validated in dogs. By 2021, it hopes to have the formula manufactured and used in clinical trials before a product launch by 2024. Amini provided a “conservative” estimate that Nanology Labs will make between $120 million and $150 million annually by 2029. The $25,000 prize will be used in part to support the salary for a PhD candidate whom they will hire.
Cohesys
Cohesys founder Floros presented the first pitch of the event. Cohesys oversees the production of BoneTape, a flexible bone stabilization device that improves current treatment of craniomaxillofacial fractures, which are fractures in the head and face area. Floros noted that currently, hospitals use titanium plates to treat these fractures, which stay in a patient’s face for their entire life, leading to the potential complications. By contrast, BoneTape dissolves in about 18 months. Floros said BoneTape has “a lot of advantages over the competition [because] it takes less time and it will likely have less complications.” As for the revenue potential of the market Cohesys hopes to break into, Floros observed that $2 billion USD of devices such as plates and screws are sold per year in five European countries and the United States. Eventually, the startup hopes to partner with distributors and medical schools. Read the rest of the story at var.st/rbcpitch
CAMERON SCHULER on luck, success, generating interest Being an entrepreneur is harder than you think Eran Vijayakumar Varsity Contributor
Life as an entrepreneur is often a far cry from the rocket-like spring to success that Steve Jobs and various other lucrative garage-based startups have experienced. The reality is evident in that very few new startups succeed beyond initiation — far from the Hollywood fantasy many of us think of. During U of T’s Entrepreneurship Week, the Vector Institute’s Chief Commercialization Officer and Vice-President Industry Innovation Cameron Schuler gave a talk on the reality of being an entrepreneur, which was called “When things don’t go as planned…Murphy’s Law in Action.” Schuler shared the highs and lows of his many past entrepreneurial ventures to show that success is anything but easy.
Courtesy of U OF T ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Trials, tribulations, and technology
Schuler said that less than 25 per cent of entrepreneurs who launch a startup are likely to succeed, and the same is true for their second time around. He said that luck is a big factor — most startups don’t follow a straight path to success. Many times, entrepreneurs face the harsh challenges of running a startup: it consumes time one would otherwise have for their personal life, family, and hobbies. He was clear that these facts weren’t meant to deter entrepreneurs — this is just the reality. Many times we assume that coming up with technical aspects of products is the hardest part. Wrong. According to Schuler, it’s turning a profit and convincing others to invest in you. “The hardest thing you will ever do is generate revenue; I don’t care how hard the technical problems are,” he said. Read the rest of the story at var.st/cameronschuler
Comment
March 25, 2019 var.st/comment comment@thevarsity.ca
Reviewing the 2019 UTSU election debates Reviewing the 2019 UTMSU elections New executive must embrace a cooperative, not adversarial, form of advocacy
Sam Routley UTSG Campus Politics Columnist
The University of Toronto’s Students’ Union (UTSU) elections always pass quickly — sometimes too subtly. Most students, who are already bogged-down in an endless stream of deadlines, encounter little more than a few posters and Varsity articles. Last week, we experienced what the common orthodoxy holds to be the most important part of a good election campaign: the debates. They were held by the UTSU itself and The Varsity on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
From cautious incumbents to activist successors
The fact that both debates were sparsely attended and garnered little sustained attention is not surprising. It is true that, as an organization, the union has drastically improved under the last few administrations. Today, the executive has a respectable record of administrative and financial transparency. But, as highlighted in my previous columns, the ongoing lack of student participation and engagement with the UTSU remains a challenge. This year, we have observed a more cautious and soft-spoken executive that is reluctant to make sweeping and potentially divisive statements. While these are not necessarily pejorative labels, critics argue that this has made the organization unresponsive and feeble towards the most pressing student problems. Particular incidents include their alleged ‘silence’ concerning the university-mandated leave of absence policy and inconsistent class cancellation policy, as well as a lack of mobilization against the existential threat posed by the Student Choice Initiative. Another criticism has been an alleged lack of accessibility, first brought to attention by Vice-President Operations Tyler Biswurm’s comment that the UTSU is comprised exclusively of “insiders” who “don’t speak for the normal person.” This idea is multifaceted. First, there is the claim that UTSU activists maintain a closed, insider culture, making it hard to get involved unless you are a part of the ‘club.’ Second, there are institutional barriers that fail to take into consideration the needs of students, particularly those from marginalized communities. The executive wanted business as usual, and considering the union’s state when they got elected, this was an admirable goal. This, however, is not the case today among this year’s candidates. The most consistent theme of the debates and the election more generally is the apparent consensus on the need for a more activist union. The main disagreements came from how aggressive and adversarial this activism ought to be.
President
The two presidential candidates, Joshua Bowman and Bryan Liceralde, come from different backgrounds. Bowman,
who has been involved in student politics for several years, encapsulates the image of the “insider.” Nevertheless, he maintains that his experiences as a low-income student, who has both worked part-time and commuted, keep him in touch with accessibility issues. These words have been met by action as, for instance, he proposed the correct decision to extend the nomination period for elections. Meanwhile, Liceralde is a newcomer to student politics. I confess that prior to the beginning of the election, I did not know who he was. He claims that this outsider status, including the relative inexperience that it brings, benefits him. In The Varsity’s debate, he said that he comes from the “front lines” of the student body and therefore understands its problems. He calls his platform “visionary.” On this initial front, Bowman holds the advantage. The election of an outsider like Liceralde strikes me as somewhat radical. Liceralde has failed to demonstrate how, from a purely pragmatic and experiential perspective, he will be better at performing the day-to-day aspects of the role. Bowman has the experience and understands how the union works, especially as a UTSU Director this year. While Bowman can be considered an “insider,” this is offset by his actions to increase accountability. Bowman emphasized three policies and priorities “more so than anything”: the creation of a first-year council, restructuring the student aid program, and an audit of mental health services on campus. Liceralde, on the other hand, proposed a removal of breadth requirements, a review of the university’s mental health policies, and changes to the student aid program — which would impact his salary as president. What can be observed here is that both have relatively similar goals, and I cannot determine any areas of substantive difference. It is clear that both individuals, if elected, would pursue the same abstract objectives. However, I maintain that Bowman has a much more practical hold on these issues.
Vice-President External Affairs
VP External Affairs candidates Lucas Granger and Spencer Robertson both indicated their strong disapproval of the provincial government’s changes to student aid, and have indicated that mental health would be their top priority. They disagreed on which tactics ought to be used to accomplish their goals. Robertson takes a more provocative approach, arguing that progress can be achieved by lobbying the provincial government. While his language is not aggressive, this does suggest a more adversarial approach. In contrast, Granger emphasized a cooperative relationship with the municipal level of government. This demonstrates the main issue of this campaign, and I believe that Granger proposes the better option. The provincial government has already shown innate hostility to student unions like the UTSU, and it seems unlikely that it will change its mind as a result of a more vocal organization. In contrast, a cooperative strategy with the municipal level, an organization more willing to strengthen the UTSU, will ultimately be more productive.
Vice-President University Affairs
With four candidates — Christopher Chiasson, Avani Singh, Sharon Ma, and Ramtin Taramsari — the University Affairs portfolio is the most contested race and may be more important than the presidential race. All of the candidates attacked and proposed changes in the same areas: the administration’s response to mental health and the class cancelation policy. They all proposed an undoubtedly activist approach with the main differences coming from the degree of aggression and adversarialness. The Varsity’s moderator recognized this, indicating their “disagreement in method” on whether or not they should focus on “mobilizing students or communicating with the U of T administration.” Chiasson was the most extreme, going so far as to claim that the university does not care about students on multiple occasions. He argues that protests are the best option, forcing action by university administration through “[making] their lives as inconvenient and shitty [as possible], until change happens.” By contrast, Singh appeared to be the strongest advocate for a more balanced, cooperative approach, indicating her understanding of a “link” between demonstrations and working with the administration. She made an effort to emphasize the administration’s “humanity” and good intentions. I believe that Chiasson’s approach would be unhelpful. It is difficult to make strong, productive changes without building relationships and a sense of common purpose. Chiasson’s idea leaves no room for this. There is a place in holding respectful demonstrations to draw attention to your cause, but you cannot question their intentions and humanity and hope to get things done.
We need cooperative, not adversarial, advocacy
These are, in my view, the most salient issues in this election. They demonstrate where student concerns are and what the state of the UTSU is. Consequently, they substantially impact how one votes. These grievances and efforts to create change are legitimate, well-intentioned, and well-needed. However, I believe that the elected candidates should not get too carried away. Activism and advocacy ought not to turn into adversariness toward the university administration and the provincial government. We should keep in mind the importance of administrative competence and building relationships with these organizations. This means a slow and frustrating process, but one that is more likely to yield results.
Students United’s pledge to resist Ford cuts is laudable, but a one-sided race is concerning
Sharmeen Abedi UTM Affairs Columnist
In this year’s University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) elections, Students United was the only full slate to run, while independent candidates ran for the positions of Vice-President Internal and Vice-President Equity. Led by uncontested presidential candidate and current Vice-President External Atif Abdullah, under Students United, emphasized working with other student unions and challenging the provincial government’s recent changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program and mandatory incidental fees. For Abdullah and his team, advocating for free education and protecting the existence of student clubs, especially in light of the Student Choice Initiative, is key. Students United’s platform also included goals to develop fair academic policies such as limits on late assignments and a permanent self-assigned sick note policy. They are also dedicated to fighting racism, homophobia, anti-Indigenous racism, and other forms of oppression on campus. These are all laudable, progressive goals. As I described in a previous column, it is imperative that UTM students stand up to the provincial government’s detrimental cuts to our educational and campus experience. We need a UTMSU that prioritizes this fight — and we may just get that with Students United. But before we look to the future, students should be concerned about the nature of the election itself. Similar to last year, this year’s elections consisted of a single slate, with at least half of the positions being uncontested. Uncontested races mean that the sole candidate will almost certainly win by default — this is problematic, especially for big roles like the presidency. In the last two years,
participation in elections has dropped significantly. The last year that UTMSU elections consisted of two or more slates competing against each other was 2017. A single slate race weakens choice for students, and is not acceptable at a campus with a variety of students from different backgrounds and perspectives. Student democracy cannot function if it does not mobilize and channel these differences through competitive elections. Without the willingness of students to run for office and offer choice to voters, it is no surprise that voters show little interest and engagement. Last year’s elections had a very low turnout at 13 per cent. This means the voice of the vast majority of students are not heard. This year, student organizations like The Medium and the UTM Campus Conservatives have actively spoken out against the UTMSU's undemocratic behaviour. While such criticism is itself necessary for a healthy democracy, it also calls into question the degree to which the student population shares this sentiment. I have heard complaints from peers who claim that the UTMSU does not represent them, or does not focus on the problems they feel need to be addressed. These students are also likely to ignore the elections when they do come around. With little student engagement and participation, it is clear that the student union will not be an accurate representation and reflection of the student body. At a time when the provincial government seeks to weaken student democracy, voice, and campus life, it is imperative that students are more involved and engaged than ever. We need more students to run for office, not only to advocate for student democracy if elected, but offer voters choice through the very decision to run. In turn, voters can be more motivated and engaged and turn out in higher numbers, and therefore ensure that the union is more representative and has a strong, legitimate mandate to govern. Sharmeen Abedi is a fourth-year Criminology, Sociology, and English student at UTM. She is The Varsity’s UTM Affairs Columnist.
Sam Routley is a fourth-year Political Science, Philosophy, and History student. He is The Varsity’s UTSG Campus Politics Columnist. Disclosure: Avani Singh served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Varsity Publications Inc. — the not-for-profit corporation that publishes The Varsity — from May 2018 to March 17, 2019. Singh has recused herself from the role of Chair and is taking a leave of absence from the board for the duration of the UTSU election period.
UTMSU executive candidates. (From left-right: top: Atif Abdullah, Luke Victor Warren, Kai Ng, and Sara Malhotra. Bottom: Miguel Cabral, Habon Ali, and Saarang Ahuja.) Photo Courtesy of the STUDENTS UNITED SLATE, SAARANG AHUJA, ANDY TAKAGI/THE VARSITY
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Calling U of T out for another death at Bahen Centre
Contributors demand stronger response and more mental health resources Rose Gulati, Arjun Kaul & Gina Nicoll Varsity Staff
Content warning: discussion of suicide. On Sunday, March 17, a student died by suicide at the Bahen Centre for Information Technology. The death was followed by student protests that criticized the U of T administration for its inadequate response and lack of mental health resources. Below, three students provide brief responses to The Varsity’s news coverage of the death and the protests that followed.
A lifeless response from the administration
Following what the University of Toronto has placidly deemed the “incident,” which occurred in the Bahen Centre on Sunday, and its lukewarm acknowledgement of the peaceful protests that followed, the administration’s true colours are showing. In follow-up tweets, U of T has offered nothing but empty platitudes, student services with fatally long wait times, and various unaffiliated hotlines. In short, it is directing students outward — to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Good2Talk, and the Distress Centre — and washing its own hands of any institutional accountability. In remaining silent on the crisis of student suicide, U of T simultaneously silences students who suffer. Their continual inaction proves that U of T is more concerned with preserving its “boundless” reputation than addressing a crisis that continues to take lives. After three reported deaths on campus in less than a year, I ask the administration: how many more will it take? Students have spoken out after watching their peers needlessly suffer, demanding change. Yet U of T changes nothing, instead redirecting students to external partners or to a severely under-resourced Health & Wellness Centre. These practices have proven ineffective; serving only to normalize the issue and incorporate suicide into our university experience, the administration suggests that this is something we should anticipate. Suicide is totally preventable, and preventative measures are not drastic or expensive. Life-saving changes include increasing the abundance and availability of trained professionals on campus, removing caps on counselling sessions, and dissolving the mandatory-leave policy. Ensuring the safety of its students should be U of T’s first priority. This begins with acknowledging the ongoing crisis and changing mental health policies to reflect reality. The University of Toronto must understand that its prized reputation cannot exist if students are not around to maintain it.
press, or contagion — but I would rather talk about why it needs to be present. Suicide is not a dirty word. It is, however, the second-leading cause of death among Canadians aged 10–29. As students, we have been talking about its frequency on campus. But as long as the administration remains afraid to say ‘suicide,’ we are missing out on the many proven opportunities to prevent it. We do not need to look far for evidence to support this fact. In Toronto, deaths decreased after a barrier was erected on the Bloor Viaduct. There are also plenty of researchers affiliated with the university who study suicide. I work with one of them. At St. Michael’s Hospital, I am a peer facilitator and co-educator of suicide intervention groups and trainings. In these programs, we have seen how, when we acknowledge suicide, we decrease its association with secrecy and shame and open up opportunities to increase awareness and skills pertaining to coping with emotions and distress, problem-solving, and naming and identifying feelings and needs. Safety planning, for example, is an evidence-based intervention and relatively simple to implement. It helps people recognize warning signs, coping strategies, and support systems. I would like to see U of T offer safety planning workshops and develop a suicide prevention strategy so that we do not only talk about suicide after the fact. If we can’t name the problem, then we can’t talk about solutions. There are strategies and supports that help; suicide should not have to be the end of anyone’s story. Gina Nicoll is a third-year Psychology student at Woodsworth College.
We need fundamental change
What is most shocking about the recent deaths on the U of T campus is how few people knew that they had actually occurred. Talking to people at the protests, it became obvious that this was no accident. The culture of academic competition that U of T creates also extends to the way in which the university treats such tragedies. The fact that we had to congregate simply to find out if someone we knew had died by suicide is ridiculous. I believe that the protests on Monday emphasized, more than anything, how many of us have been made to feel lost and alone because of the environment that U
of T fosters. Of course, I don’t doubt that the administration mean well on some level. But the fact that the ‘academic rigour’ on which U of T prides itself has created a situation where we are made to put our own health at risk for the illusion of success can’t be ignored. The protests, I believe, provided a necessary shock to U of T’s system. Of course, the aim is to work with the administration, not counter to it. But it first needs to acknowledge that this isn’t a funding issue — for all the sanctioned notices and abstracted notions of mental wellness, we need fundamental change from the administration. We need a detoxification that requires much more trust in the student body than the university currently vests. As I put in my section of the speech that resulted from a collaborative effort between protesters and that was read to the Business Board on Monday, we need change on three fundamental levels. Firstly, we need an acknowledgement; we don’t need to publicize their names or situations but to deny the plight of these victims is to deny their existence. Secondly, we need a more accessible variety of mental health care, one that contains at least steps toward services like 24-hour counselling and guidelines for unaccommodating and harsh professors. Thirdly, and most importantly, we need a large-scale reframing of the way that U of T treats its students. As we showed on Monday, we won’t stand to be pitted against each other anymore. Arjun Kaul is a fifth-year Neuroscience, Cell & Molecular Biology, and English student at St. Michael’s College. Disclosure: Kaul coorganized Monday’s protests. If you or someone you know is in distress, you can call: Canada Suicide Prevention Service phone available 24/7 at 1-833-456-4566 Good 2 Talk Student Helpline at 1-866925-5454 Ontario Mental Health Helpline at 1-866531-2600 Gerstein Centre Crisis Line at 416-929-5200 U of T Health & Wellness Centre at 416978-8030.
What happened in New Zealand has no borders
A Muslim Students’ Association Executive reflects on the recent mosque massacre Shahd Fulath Khan Varsity Contributor
“Hello brother.” That was the greeting of a Muslim man who was the first to be met with bullets. On March 15, a white supremacist perpetrated a massacre in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. 51 innocent souls lost their lives due to a vicious and gruesome hate crime. But while this terrorist attack took place thousands of miles from Toronto, its origin and impact has no borders for Muslims around the world. The attack was fuelled by extremist antiMuslim ideologies that have been tolerated, and even actively encouraged, by politicians and leaders around the world. It is not disconnected from the ongoing Muslim ban in the US or the rising anti-hijab contempt in Europe. Furthermore, the denial of the problem of white supremacy and the lack of its reporting by the media contribute to massacres like the one that took place in New Zealand. Canada too knows the violent ideology of white supremacy very well.Two years ago, the Québec City mosque shooting took the lives of six Muslims and devastated the lives of many Canadians. In fact, the white supremacist New Zealand shooter wrote the name of the Québec mosque shooter on his weapon. This should be a wake-up call to Canadians: we need to acknowledge and address the existence of Islamophobia in our country. Earlier this year, students found white nationalist posters around U of T that decried multiculturalism. In 2018, the municipal elections gave a platform to white nationalist individuals like Faith Goldy. At York University, just a few miles from our campus, a student showed up in a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat to a vigil for the victims of the New Zealand mosque massacre. All of these examples have been largely tolerated and not condemned by our community. The perpetrators of white supremacy are hiding behind the banner of ‘freedom of speech’ as an excuse for their Islamophobia. But the tolerance of this anti-Muslim rhetoric has resulted in the loss of 51 lives. We need to draw the line between intellectual freedom and the spewing of hate. We cannot accept a version of freedom of speech that results in the deaths of innocent people. The massacre has impacted the lives of many Muslims, including U of T students — especially those who made their way to Friday prayers the next day. Within hours of receiving the news, we at the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) organized healing circles at the two Friday prayer locations to provide students with the space to grieve.
We extended our support to the Toronto vigil by assisting in the marketing and promotion of the event. We referred students to wellness resources in the GTA to assist them in coping with the tragedy through an Islamically-principled approach. In turn, the campus community has been quite supportive through this process. As we arrived at Hart House to perform the congregational prayers that the New Zealand victims had just engaged in a few hours previously, we were welcomed by handwritten messages from the staff and students offering their support to the Muslim community. Our Christian and Jewish friends stood by us as we made our way to prayers. The kindness we received from our faculty and fellow students on campus was incredibly supportive during what was a dark day for Muslims. President Meric Gertler released a heartfelt statement in which he sent his condolences to the MSA and all Muslims on campus. His kind words helped us feel heard and acknowledged. Others, however, have made a meaningful effort to address the issue at its core. Professor Anver Emon, director of the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) has recognized the attack for what it is: a white supremacist attack. He highlights that the discussion on Islamophobia is long-term, and we must recognize its existence within our own lands. Emon has announced that the IIS will be hosting bimonthly discussions on difficult topics in order to advance our understanding of Islamophobia. This explicit recognition has a far greater impact on combating white supremacy. We hope that the U of T administration and the IIS can work together to address Islamophobia and eradicate ignorance both within our campus and in Canada at large. The Christchurch massacre can serve as an entryway into an important discussion on Islamophobia. However, we must remember that the attack is not an isolated incident. Anti-Muslim violence has existed as a global reality for years.Therefore, the efforts and discourse from our allies at U of T in alleviating the pain of the New Zealand massacre must address those continued realities as well. There is much work to be done at the university to support Muslims in their efforts to confront white supremacist ideologies and the violence they face around the world. And these changes begin when we make a sincere effort to recognize the problem of white supremacy. Shahd Fulath Khan is a second-year Psychology, Neuroscience, and Political Science student at Victoria College. She is the Secretary of the MSA at UTSG.
Rose Gulati is a second-year English, Political Science, and Women and Gender Studies student at Trinity College.
Say the s-word
It is time for U of T to say the s-word: ‘suicide.’ In the official response to the recent death at Bahen Centre, that word was strikingly absent. Instead, it was euphemistically referred to as “the recent incident.” We could debate the reasons why ‘suicide’ was absent — fear of liability, bad
U of T students protest for better mental health resources. SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
The New Zealand attack has affected many Muslims, including U of T students. SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY
MARCH 25, 2019 | 9
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Letters to the Editor Re: “This happened so close to home”: students call on administration to take action on mental health “The attention to mental health isn’t the problem, the problem is the intentional reduction in grades to increase the university’s reputation as rigorous. Students are caught between a rock and a hard place.” — John Hinton (from web) Would be a PR nightmare if high school parents knew what a misery machine this university really is. The only help I ever got was from outside the school. I’ve been on the Koffler waitlist for five years. FIVE YEARS. Ffs. — Sofia Dorrell (from web) Re: U of T acknowledges death at Bahen Centre, police deem incident non-suspicious “You’re supposed to “respect the individual’s privacy” while also ignore the systemic issue of the nature of the institution who creates these situations in the first place. That’s irrelevant and doesn’t contribute to anything (except our pockets) so you should forget about it.” — James Zanchet Sroczynski (from web) “Students of my university, why are we so quiet about it??? Suicide happens at UofT pretty often and have we as students all collaboratively even tried
to have our voice?? Everyone here is afraid of saying something. The course loads are immense, and the stress that is being created is not for everyone. It can be one of us as the next one and you never know. Petition should be written regarding this.” — Elvin Jafarli (from web) “@Elvin Jafarli I wrote a letter to Cheryl Regehr (the Provost) when a student jumped in Bahen last summer asking her to at least set up some sort of an internal inquiry as to what caused it. She never replied or even acknowledged the letter.” — Safwan Hossein (from web)
Also the fact that they couldn’t refer me to the different programs and resources I later had to find on my own is very disheartening. The least they can do is do a thorough research of all the resources there are in the community. I made it out but it was hell. My heart goes out to this person and his/her/their family.” — Pierina Alessandra Camarena Pukuwanka (from web)
“Listen to students- the predominant approach of referring to a patchwork of off campus services isn’t good enough. U of T needs to take more responsibility for how their culture contributes to this.” — @goldterp (from web)
TROY LAWRENCE/THE VARSITY
“I struggled with mental health so much at U of T. From my first call to CAPS (now health and wellness at u of t) in February 2014 it took them until may to get me an appointment only because I kept pressing and pressing. Once I actually started tackling issues that were the cause of my mental health problems my therapist had to go on leave and I was told they didn’t have the resources to deal with someone like me. So I was left without any resources and incredibly debilitating mental health conditions. I went through hell to find adequate resources outside of U of T. It is not always as easy as saying if you need help ask for it, because sometimes you ask and you get silence back.
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10 | THE VARSITY | FEATURES
You like my hair? FML, thought I waxed it
Navigating 10 years of wearing your biggest insecurit Writer: Kashi Syal Illustrator: Troy Lawrence
M
y mother glances at me from the bench in our garden. She pauses, takes a sip of her cuppa, and lifts her face toward the sun. I think she’s being a little bit dramatic. I am about 14 years old and I’ve just told her that I’ll be cutting off all my hair for charity. “Good idea, darlin’,” she says. “It’s just hair, it will grow.” For the next four months, we fundraise, we send emails. Then we book a haircut and snip, snip. In the end, it wasn’t that short — the hairdresser decided that the Annie Lennox hairstyle I had desperately wanted was a bit too bold, so we settled for a graduating bob. I hated it. Two years later, my mother and I sit on a different bench; this time we’re outside of Twickenham train station. I’m 16 and have just written my last General Certificate of Secondary Education exam. My mother is reading a novel. She looks so happy and peaceful, and I am determined to ruin that peace. I wait in front of her until she looks up. She searches my face and plasters on a dubious smile: “It’s very short,” she says, and then after a pause, “Kashi! I can see your scalp!” This marked the buzz-cut era, as I like to call it: pre-bowl cut, post-1990s R&B pixie cut. Decked out in a thick silver chain, full Nike trackies, Kickers, and a whole five foot nothing — I was having my Britney moment. From 14–18, my hairstyles varied. That awful graduating bob turned into a sweeping fringe with short back and sides. Then I toyed with the Miley Cyrus Bangerz tour space buns, and then there was the buzz cut — which was followed by anoth-
er mini-meltdown where I gave myself a bowl cut that bore a striking resemblance to Aretha Franklin’s. In between the standout haircuts, there was the tram line — my mum really didn’t like that one, she said it was “aggressive” — and the helmet — I tried growing out my hair and quickly shaved it all off again. When I eventually committed to long hair, I got an undercut to avoid the good little Indian boy vibe I had going on the first time. My hair is now the longest it’s been since the ‘big chop,’ and I’m learning to embrace my curls. But after years of associating my personality and individuality with my hair, I sometimes find it difficult to look in the mirror and see someone who doesn’t really look like me anymore. Suddenly, a quick trip to the bathroom to check my makeup becomes a quarter-life crisis. I spend hours grappling with my need to stand out while also wanting to be conventionally ‘attractive.’ The quick glance in the mirror then turns into me tackling my issues surrounding my self-worth, confidence, and need for control. I like to think that, when I got my buzz cut for the first time, I was the most confident I had ever been. I mean, I was 16 and had, like, no hair. I look at old photos and it’s easy for me to forget that at the time, I was also struggling with academics. I was highly strung. I didn’t eat properly, and for whatever reason, I was just so angry. Obviously. Hardly anyone is happy at 16. It’s universally bad. So, maybe I cut my hair just because I wanted one less thing to worry about. Or maybe I wanted to be the centre of attention. Or maybe I actually just liked having short hair. It was never just about the hair on my head either. It was also about the hair everywhere else. Even when I thought I was rejecting convention, I wasn’t. I was fixated with my eyebrows, the hair on my
face, the hair on my body — I wanted it gone. I grew up with a big extended family and was enamoured by my four wonderful older cousins. They were gorgeous, intelligent, and obsessed with hair removal. And why wouldn’t they be? Being South Asian and hairy does not make the playground a very fun place. By the age of eight, I was very conscious of my hair — as one boy pointed out, I had more hair on my arms than he did on his legs. I stopped wearing skirts, wore leggings during physical education, and going to swimming parties became a massive source of anxiety. I remember going to the bathroom in my last year of primary school and rubbing the middle of my eyebrows with my finger in the hopes that the hair would just fall off. I waited patiently for my mum to give me the okay, and at 12 years old, she finally took me to thread my brows. Since then, I’ve made sure to always have perfect eyebrows. Side note: this was all before Cara Delevingne, before eyebrows became ‘fashionable’ — try going to an all-white primary school with a unibrow and moustache. Kids are mean, that’s all I’m saying. And so began the years of dodgy haircuts and hair removal. First came the hair removal cream. I have never, to this day, smelt something so ghastly or used a product so useless at doing its job. Do you want to hear a joke? What do you get when you give a self-conscious tween a massive tube of Veet and a rough sponge? You’re left with a hysterical girl crying in the shower. This is because she accidentally rubbed off the top layer of skin on her legs. So now, not only does she have angry, raw, bloody skin, and phys ed in the gym — which means that shorts are mandatory — but she also has not succeeded in getting rid of that blasted hair. I guess it’s not that funny. But in my day, they didn’t
features@thevarsity.ca
ty all over your body
have the pink plastic spatula, which meant that I wasn’t able to scrape off the cream. Instead, I was left to my own devices and a massive amount of self-loathing. I figured that if I rubbed hard enough, not only would I be left with hairless, soft legs, but that I’d also rub away the ugly. Veet didn’t work. That’s okay, I thought. I’ll just try a different hair removal cream. Nair. It smelt the same, it looked the same, and unsurprisingly, it was just as mediocre. Now, this isn’t to say that I hadn’t learnt from my first disaster; I didn’t leave the cream on for longer than the prescribed five minutes, nor did I aggressively scrub it off. I ever so gently wiped off the cream. Was I left with “silky-smooth skin?” Nope. I was left with patchy, hairy legs and a very fragrant bathroom. Hair removal cream — thank you, next. Now, my mum was hesitant to give me a basic razor, which is why she bought me the Philips Razor and Epilator. A delightful contraption, it worked very well until I broke the shaver head and was left with just the epilator. If T. S. Eliot thinks that April is the cruellest of the months, I know that epilating is the cruellest form of hair removal. You are literally tweezing out every single hair at the exact same time. It’s lots of mini-tweezers attached to a motor! That’s sadistic! If you use an epilator, I salute you. That is true dedication to the cause. By this time, I was 12 and a half. Because she didn’t want me to shave, my mum drove me to my first waxing appointment. This was no downtown beauty salon, with minimalistic décor, tubs of aloe vera, and ladies with smooth voices. It was a small shop at the corner of a street in Hounslow. Excluding Southall, Hounslow can easily be described as the ‘India’ of West London. The salon was loud, the beauticians were screaming at each other in Punjabi, and there was the expectation that you would exit beautiful. And therein lies the crux of my obsession with hair and hair removal. I didn’t like being brown and my hair was a constant reminder of my otherness. I wanted to reject every part of my culture; I cringed at Indian clothes, I hated the food, and I desperately wanted to fit in with the other little white girls. My mum didn’t care about my discomfort. She hosted Diwali parties, fed me daal, and once, on a mufti day in Year 4, stuck me in a full-blown sequined Indian outfit, kissed me on the cheek, and sent me to school. I was mortified. That all changed when I went to an all-girls secondary school and I was surrounded by phenomenal wom-
en — white, brown, Black — who cared. They were all brilliant. Suddenly, I wasn’t the only one who was insecure about her hair or one of only two brown girls in a class full of blondes. I learnt how to love being Indian. Now, lenghas make me feel like a real life Indian princess, my Nani’s food is, without a doubt, the best thing I’ve ever eaten, and sometimes, I even stick random Punjabi words into sentences. I still despise having hair on my body though. Some things run deep, and we live in a society where it’s desirable for women to be hairless regardless of their race. From the Kardashians to the porn industry, we’re taught that hair isn’t supposed to be visible on women. Personally, I like being hairless — it makes me feel good — but I don’t think it’s healthy for an eight-year-old to notice that she has hair on her face. Back at the salon, I had been led into another tiny room, where a woman with eyebrows so full, so thick, and so perfect, kissed her teeth, looked me up and down and said, “Beti, you’re much too hairy.” I decided that waxing hurt too much. The ladies were mean, the room was dark, and everything was sticky. I demanded that my mum buy me a razor and I do it myself. Shaving lasted a couple of months, but it gave me ingrown hairs, my skin started to pigment, and my mum wasn’t happy — so that put a stop to that. We — it truly had become a mother-daughter journey at this point — then decided to revisit my good friend Veet. Only this time, it was Veet wax strips. I would stand half-naked in our kitchen, sweating profusely as my mum, who had become a part-time beautician, waxed my legs for me. It was laborious, it took too long, and as the pretty lady with the pretty eyebrows had kindly informed me, I had so much hair. While waxing sorted out my arms, legs, and everything else, it didn’t do a lot for my face. If I waxed anything other than my upper lip, I would break out in acne — and then I would have to weigh which was worse: spots or hair. Neither were ideal. Last year, I started laser hair removal on my face and, not to be overly dramatic, I think it’s transformed my life. My skin is clearer than it’s ever been, but more importantly, it’s finally on its way to being hairless. As of 2019, I have gone to that salon for nearly a decade. This means that now, when I go to get my full body wax, I’m able to skip the queue and have two beauticians waxing me at once. I feel like royalty —
even if they do still tell me that I have very, very thick hair growth. Alright, thank you Simran, I’m very aware that I take after my dad. I’ve also become fairly good at waxing myself; excluding a couple minor burns, I can get the job done. Self-acceptance is hard, and I don’t think I’ll ever reach a point where I’m comfortable with my body hair. Hair removal will always be my favourite topic of conversation. It’s the first thing I’ll bring up if you’re a brown woman — “Oh! My! God! Your brows are amazing, do you do them yourself?” I’ll then strategically push the conversation to shaving, waxing, and laser, so we can lament about the days when we used to be hairy and more insecure than we are now. So if we’re ever chatting and there’s a lull in the conversation, tell me that my eyebrows look good. Seriously, I spent the last 10 years on them.
Arts & Culture
March 25, 2019 var.st/arts arts@thevarsity.ca
Asexuality: “Identity over society’s fixation with sex”
FIONA TUNG/THE VARSITY
Sexuality is a spectrum and it doesn’t matter where you fall Julianna He Varsity Contributor
Unhealthy fixations and sleep deprivation Why do we procrastinate, why do we cram? Megan Ebreo Varsity Contributor
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. *Name changed at individual’s request.
students struggle to complete all tasks consistently and in a timely manner — and the distractions everywhere don’t help. Social media usage can prevent students from focusing on assignments, in favour of homepages and timelines; unhealthy snacking and binge-eating might encourage students to choose food over the task at hand; and partying and drinking significantly disrupts sleeping patterns and reduces the time that could be spent studying. While these distractions are important to understand, we must also remember that balance and prioritization are key to ending those study sessions before the sun arrives. Exam season is s tar
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da be nd operly. DI e a t pr NA D O NG /T H E VA
the exhaustion from churning through assignments even as the sun comes up, students often resort to eating while studying, which leads to unhealthy snacking, binge-eating, and eating at unhealthy hours. These tend to exacerbate the problem, the second bag of chips and caffeinated beverage distracting from work. But it doesn’t stop there. On top of social media usage and unhealthy eating habits, another significant part of university life that contributes to poor sleep and wasted study time is partying. In her article, “The Effects of Drinking on University Grades: Does Academic Motivation Play a Role?,” Jennifer Gilbert from the University of Waterloo explains that “researchers have found an association between heavy episodic student drinking and decreased academic achievement,” noting negative consequences such as interrupted study and the inability to perform daily tasks. Where partying is one of the most dynamic aspects of university life, it is also a huge distraction for many students. Beyond partying in itself, a multitude of behaviours and consequences, including heavy and frequent drinking followed by agonizing, stomach-wrenching hangovers, significantly affect students’ abilities to prioritize time for studies, maintain adequate sleep, and sustain overall academic achievement. When immersed in an endless stream of papers, quizzes, and tests, it is not surprising that
TV: Do you feel pressured to be sexually active? T: Not enough to make me actually have sex with anyone just for the sake of relieving the pressure, but I definitely feel a bit pressured… Sometimes wondering if I should just have sex with someone just to say I’ve had the experience and can surely say it’s not something I like. Most of the time, I think that’s pretty ridiculous though, because I don’t think it’ll change my attraction. Part of me feels that I should have sex just to experience some sort of intimacy… or that I should at least say yes to sex if my partner asks for it. I think some part of me still considers my lack of sexual attraction abnormal in a sense, such that I should be the one accommodating others’ sexual desire instead of the other way around. Thankfully, I’ve been lucky to have understanding and accepting people around me.
o
University can be a challenging feat. As one becomes bombarded with tests, quizzes, and exams, it is necessary to leave sufficient time to accomplish tasks and study in order to succeed. That, however, is almost always easier said than done. In such a busy and evermoving society, distractions for university students seem more apparent than ever. Such distractions can lead to unhealthy fixations and sleep deprivation; a project that was assigned three weeks ago is now being desperately completed at 4:00 am due to Netflix’s highly-anticipated new episode of Black Mirror. A typical scenario for many university students. Such unhealthy fixations lead students to frantically work at the last minute and cram. Why do students put themselves through this torture? The
answer lies in the multitude of distractions that students face. Social media, food, and parties are just a handful of distractions apparent across Canadian universities. By far, social media are some of the most significant distractions that today’s students face and are responsible for many of the assignments completed at ungodly hours. The various applications and social media platforms available are hugely tempting opportunities to put down the pencil, pick up the phone, and browse through one’s timelines. Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Reddit, Pinterest, and YouTube are behind many students’ unhealthy fixations. The amount of time spent on social media is astonishing: studies from Eye-In Media have found that Canadian millennials spend approximately 3.2 hours per day on their mobile devices — that’s equivalent to dedicating almost one day each week to scrolling through social media. The plague of social media use is likely detrimental to university students’ abilities to focus and probably responsible for much of the work that has been crammed at the last minute. Social media does not only take time away from schoolwork. The platforms are also deeply linked to disrupted sleeping patterns. In a study published in Acta Paediatrica, Canadian students aged 11–20 revealed that increased social media use correlated with a greater likelihood of insufficient sleep. Between the high stress of being a student and
TV: There’s this idea that to be intimate means to have sex — what do you think about this idea of intimacy? And what does intimacy mean to you instead? T: When I wrote cringy poetry as an edgelord high schooler, I actually wrote about this. My idea of intimacy hasn’t actually changed much since then, although it’s defined itself a bit more. There’s definitely intimacy to be had in sex… baring yourself to another person and trusting that they want you and will accept you as you are. So there’s nothing wrong with saying having sex is intimate. I think the mistake is when people say that sex is the ‘ultimate’ form of intimacy, or even the only form. I think that as a baseline, intimacy
is being able to be vulnerable around another person, not just by being able to share problems and stuff with your partner, but to be able to really experience and share the simple intimacies in life, like waking up and going to sleep in the same bed as the person you love, being able to spend time doing nothing but enjoying each other’s presence, being secure and content. It’s almost hard to describe, but like, if you’ve ever seen a couple that are just so in love… that are just so happy to be with their partner, that it’s almost embarrassing to be witnessing it? That’s the kind of intimacy I’d love to have.
TY
TV: I’m sure there is a stigma around being asexual, especially in a heterosexual and sexdriven society where every form of media is filled with innuendos and sexual references. How do you reconcile your own identity with society’s idea of what a person should be? T: I think that being asexual doesn’t necessarily mean being sex-repulsed or ‘prudish.’ Nor does it necessarily mean having a low sex drive… or not
TV: There’s a lot of emphasis on hookup culture especially with dating apps like Tinder. What does a relationship mean to you? How do you navigate dating and meeting people, especially in university? T: I’ve been pretty removed from the whole hookup culture. I mean, I have Tinder, but it’s definitely more of a time-waster. To be honest, I’m absolutely trash at navigating the dating scene. I have a lot of my own personal issues to deal with, not to mention I’m the kind of person
who mostly keeps to myself. Hookup culture is still definitely something I keep in mind though, and it often intrudes with whenever I get a message or match on Tinder, or some person talks to me for longer than I deem strictly necessary in a social exchange. So, even taking sexual orientation out of the equation, the dating scene is already hard to navigate. That being said, I have an all-together probably too romantic idea of a relationship. I don’t think I’m quite made for casual dating — if I find interest in someone deeply enough to pursue some sort of deeper relationship, I definitely am in it for the long term. I’d love for someone to be comfortable with, who inspires me to be a better person, who I change and grow with, who I trust. A person who is worth going the distance for, and who’s as committed to me as I am to them. That sounds awfully idealistic, but that’s probably my best idea of a relationship.
SI
The Varsity: According to Wikipedia, asexuality is “the lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or desire for sexual activity.” Do you agree with this definition and can you elaborate on what asexuality means to you? T: I definitely agree with the first half, but I also make the distinction between sexual attraction and interest or desire. A friend of mine once used the analogy of looking at a beautiful painting in a museum: you think the painting is beautiful, but you don’t want to take it home and have sex with it. That is not to say that people are ‘just objects’ to asexuals, but rather that no matter how aesthetically pleasing they are to me, I just don’t want to have sex with them. They are about as sexually attractive as a painting.
having any romantic feelings at all. Society, or at least North American society, definitely puts a lot of emphasis on sexual attractiveness as a measure of value, or as something to strive for. I think it took me a long time to kind of condition myself, or kind of learn to first accept that I won’t be like any of the hypersexual or super beautiful, stereotypical models, celebrities, and characters I often see in [media], but that was okay, and I still had value to other people. I think that finding out that there was a sort of label for the way I felt about others, sexually, helped me out a lot in accepting that I wasn’t just strange or destined to have no meaningful romantic relationships in my life, which is something that weighs on my mind. I have other things to offer other than just being a sexual partner. Is it actually that important to me to be attractive or valued by people who only consider my sexual value? I figured the answer was no, and that it was kind of BS that I’d be considered less of a person just because I didn’t find people sexually attractive. I never really reconciled my identity with society’s idea of a person more than I just prioritized my identity over society’s fixation with sex.
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Today, we recognize that sexuality and gender fall on a spectrum. Sexual orientations such as homosexuality, bisexuality, and pansexuality are well-known, but I’d like to talk about a lesser known one: asexuality. Not everyone is — or wants to be — sexually active. I wrote to my friend, Tab*, who is asexual, asking her some questions to hopefully shed some light on the nuanced meanings of asexuality and how she navigates relationships.
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Concert Review: MadeinTYO’s Sincerely, Tokyo tour Small venue, big voice MadeinTYO is an American rapper and songwriter. REDWAN MAJUMDER/THE VARSITY
Redwan Majumder Varsity Contributor
Sincerely, Tokyo is his first studio album. REDWAN MAJUMDER/THE VARSITY
After the release of the critically acclaimed album Sincerely, Tokyo, MadeinTYO hosted his tour of the same name and made a stop at Toronto’s very own Mod Club on February 25. The intimate venue in Little Italy proved to be an excellent choice, with the crowd in an utter trance for the entire show. The stage put the artist within arm’s reach of many fans as he jumped, screamed, and spoke in a mesmerizing melodic cadence. MadeinTYO matched the crowd’s high energy, perfectly fulfilling what a musician should set out to accomplish at a show. MadeinTYO’s set began roughly 30 minutes late according to his set times, but this is a forgivable deed considering the numerous openers — Pilla B, Bankrol Hayden, and most impressively, Thutmose — who captivated the crowd’s attention. It was interesting to see the styles of the different openers in conjunction and the synergy within these acts. MadeinTYO made a good choice picking these artists to support his tour. The show carried a good mix of both smash hits for casual fans and fan favourites for his core following, adequately addressing the entire crowd at his show. For instance, MadeinTYO went from “I Want,” one of his biggest smash hits, to “Outstanding,” a distorted trap and bass-heavy record meant to cultivate mosh pits, to “Ned Flanders,” another smash hit with a notable feature from A$AP Ferg. After teasing a surprise Toronto guest for several days, fans were anxious to see who the young rapper would bring out. The chatter among fans camping in the line for several hours prior to the show — despite the recent wind storm — was largely
centred around this topic. When the time finally came, and the lights dimmed halfway through MadeinTYO’s set, the crowd trembled in excitement. When OVO Sound’s Brampton-born R&B singer Roy Woods came out, it would be an understatement to say that fans were pleased. The crowd went wild, not giving security a chance to rest as numerous fans jumped on each others’ shoulders and rushed to the front of the stage to see the OVO crooner. Roy Woods, beginning his set with debut single “Get You Good” and following with his and MadeinTYO’s “Instinct,” exemplified the recurring theme of synergy that was present at this show. Something about the integration of Roy Woods into MadeinTYO’s set — the way their voices bounced off of each other in their joint ballad and the genuine friendship between them — made his appearance such an integral part of the show. MadeinTYO took the time to pause the show and speak about the bond that he and Roy Woods share. While Roy Woods did not steal the spotlight in any way, his presence brought something that definitely could not have been achieved otherwise. MadeinTYO’s fans don’t come to the selfproclaimed mumble rapper expecting dense and introspective lyricism — they come to have fun. MadeinTYO’s appearance at the Mod Club provided fans with this and more. This performance was intimate, had several great openers, appealed to both his casual and core fanbase, and brought out a special guest who completely changed the atmosphere of the night. Growing as a musician, it is inevitable that MadeinTYO’s next Toronto show will be at a larger venue. The intimate experience at this small venue was one to truly cherish.
14 | THE VARSITY | ARTS & CULTURE
Let’s say bonjour to a new year and a new language
Jayra Almanzor UTSC Bureau Chief
Duolingo, Babbel, Memrise. It seems that language learning is becoming more and more accessible, but why is it that whenever you try learning Beginner Korean, you end up giving up after just one week? The material is there, but the power to trudge through the actual learning process is suddenly missing in action. Annyeonghaseyo, motivation? Oh, it flew away along with that $80 you impulsively spent on Korean textbooks. But this is a new year, and you are once again being bombarded by advertisements from language apps and schools. Maybe you can give language learning another shot. The Varsity reached out to UTSC Associate Professor of Linguistics Rena Helms-Park, whose research includes second-language acquisition, to discuss how students can tackle their goal of learning a new language in the new year.
Avoiding the language slump
When you see famous polyglots like Tim Doner, who speaks over 20 languages, you may wonder how they manage to do that, when you, on the other hand, cannot even grasp the numerical system in French. Was it ‘huit-dix,’ or — what was ‘80’ in French again? After a bit of head scratching, you remember that ‘80’ in French is ‘quatre-vingts’ — which means four 20s, or four times 20. More importantly, you remember that you are also bad at multiplication. And so you cry in a corner. En français, of course. With a stick of baguette and some “Comptine d’un autre été” to match the mood. And then you tell yourself that you
Learning a new language can be both challenging and rewarding but it is one of the most useful things to add to your skillset. AVILA SANCHEZ/THE VARSITY
arts@thevarsity.ca
Book Club: Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem
The wisdom and ethics of doomsday
Tips from UTSC Professor Rena Helms-Park on how to best learn a language — and stick with it
simply do not have the talent to learn a new language — Java and C++ may or may not apply here — and that you are too old to absorb a language like threeyear-old Patricia Cruz can. However, according to Helms-Park, adults have some advantages over children in that adults “are often better than children at analyzing linguistic structures and learning [grammar] rules.” Nevertheless, many people give up learning a language for various reasons, including being too worried about pronunciation. Here, Helms-Park mentioned that environment plays a role in language learning. For example, when one’s goal is to interact with native speakers naturally, strictly learning grammar in a school setting can hamper that goal. Talk to any Canadian who stopped taking French in high school and they will give you the spiel. Another hindrance, said HelmsPark, is when people are “too worried about not seeming intelligent… when speaking a non-primary language.” You simply cannot expect to have a full-on French conversation about Voltaire after three weeks on Rosetta Stone. While Voltaire is talking about éclaircissement, you are there talking about how there is a pomme on the table. Easy, grasshopper. Take it slowly.
Language learning tips
Helms-Park is convinced that success in language learning is tied to the target language’s relevance to a person’s life and career. For example, if you suddenly find yourself living in Japan where most people do not speak English, you will eventually realize that unlike in anime, there are no subtitles there. And you cannot exactly get by with just ‘nani’ and ‘omae wa mou shindeiru.’
Thus, the necessity to communicate with locals and land a job will make you more likely to learn Japanese. So think about why you want to learn this language and how relevant it is to you. Could it be that you have roots in a country that speaks that language? Or that you want help in boosting your salary? For people who want to learn a language “from scratch,” Helms-Park recommends first learning the target language’s 2,000 most frequently used words. There are many websites online that list these words, such as Wiktionary. After learning these initial words, Helms-Park suggests learning the rest in social contexts. “With vocabulary, growth is slow initially and then generally becomes… faster,” said Helms-Park. An advantage to learning a language that is related to a previously-known language is that the two languages may have words that are similar to one another. “It’s a good idea to look out for cognates such as… chaise in French and [chair in] English,” said Helms-Park. To remember vocabulary, HelmsPark likes to rehearse words and phrases silently in her head. Immersion can also be beneficial in language learning. “[Talk] to people at the bus stop… [watch] TV, engage in social media in the target language, [make] lots of friends who don’t speak your own language.” Whatever path you choose, just remember that just like any other path, there will be hurdles — and that is normal. At the end of the day, if you end up sticking with your language, then you can finally — and honestly — say ‘sí’ when the hiring manager asks if you are bilingual.
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Helen Jingshu Yao Varsity Contributor
The science-fiction genre is predominantly filled with Western writers. Therefore, when Chinese writer Liu Cixin’s trilogy opener The Three-Body Problem won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel, it was incredibly exciting for Chinese sci-fi fans. The books have since been translated into over 17 languages and become available worldwide. The story begins around 1966– 1976, the era of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Ye Wenjie, a young astrophysicist, witnesses the tragic death of her father and his friends, causing her to lose faith in humanity. Several years later, Ye is forced to serve the Red Coast in a secret base, searching for lifeforms outside of Earth. Eventually, she receives a message from the Trisolarans, an alien species that has just escaped a natural disaster on its planet in the Three-Body system. Ye secretly invites the Trisolarans to invade Earth, but it is not until 50 years later that humans become aware of the immense peril coming to their planet. The trilogy’s main characters, Wang Miao, Luo Ji, and Cheng Xin, then play different roles in determining the future of humanity. One of the key elements of the novel is the Dark Forest theory, which suggests that the universe is just like a dark forest. A civilization that exposes itself is similar, for instance, to a person who lights a fire in a dark forest. Seeing a suspicious light, other civilizations will view its creator as a possible threat and therefore try to eliminate the exposed civilization. The best way for a civilization to protect itself is to not declare that it
exists at all. Survival is always the priority. Suspicion and fear of the unknown is a part of human nature. The dark forest not only exists in the novel, but also in human history with different iterations of war, conflict, discrimination, and violence. Most of the emotions fuelling such actions originate from fear, and fear is usually generated by perceived differences. Liu has no qualms about showing this ugly side of humanity. Questions of the greater good, the necessity of individual sacrifice for achieving such a goal, and whether cannibalism can be justified in extreme circumstances are discussed throughout the books. Liu strives to present a neutral point of view, inspiring readers to think of and come to their own conclusions. The book is also a hit for its merging of ancient Chinese culture with state-of-the-art technology. For instance, to explain the Trisolarans’ origin story, Liu creates a fictional virtual reality game that features historical figures from China, such as Emperor Wen of Zhou, Confucius, and Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Liu not only makes use of these famous names, but also their historical identities, giving readers a good peek into Chinese history and culture. The tension between Daoism and Confucianism, one of the biggest conflicts among Chinese philosophers, is also discussed throughout. Liu gives his readers all the freedom to think and allows them to follow their own will, because there is no good choice or bad choice. People try to justify a choice with its consequence, yet the consequences of other choices have never been lived; they are unknown, and therefore one can never judge a decision as good or bad, right or wrong.
Science
March 25, 2019 var.st/science science@thevarsity.ca
In conversation with Ayan Gedleh Industrial engineering student and NSBEHacks organizer talks academics, research, and advocacy Javiera Gutierrez Duran Varsity Staff
Finding a balance between school, work, and extracurriculars is an eternal problem for the university student. According to fourth-year industrial engineering student Ayan Gedleh, one solution to this problem is prioritizing passion. “I think when you’re passionate about something and you truly feel connected with the people that you’re working with you find a way to make things work.” Gedleh herself is a student of many passions, including her area of study in information engineering and her work with the U of T chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Information engineering centres on the optimization and efficiency of systems and information management. Gedleh’s first experiences in the program were with human factors engineering, having worked at a lab that investigated driver distraction in rural and urban areas. Last year, she completed her Professional Experience Year as a data quality intern and business analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada. She is currently working there part-time. Through these roles, she managed “the quality assessment for data being disseminated to government clients for weather” and developed policies that were then implemented in business processes. Gedleh is also involved in community outreach and advocacy through the NSBE. Having heard about the organization in her
third year, Gedleh attended their annual conference in Pittsburgh. She noted that it was empowering “to see all these successful Black people in engineering and in STEM just doing amazing things.” After the conference, she joined the executive team as their programs director. In this role, Gedleh planned the program for the club’s upcoming year working closely with the President and Vice-President of the club. On January 26, the club hosted NSBEHacks which Gedleh described as “one of our biggest achievements this year.” The team identified a gap and gauged the interest of Black students in computer science to create a hackathon specifically for Black students. The response to the hackathon was positive, and a high demand from students at both local institutions like U of T and Ryerson and more distant schools in Ottawa and Vancouver prompted the need for a waitlist. Gedleh said that as an organizer, it was rewarding to see “how everybody was just happy even if they didn’t win an award, they left there with something that they learned.” Through her involvement in NSBE, she helped run their mentorship series. In this program, NSBE alumni are matched to undergraduate and graduate students to foster a mentorship which enables students to see where their career could take them. “There’s that feeling of family and validation, that they feel like they actually belong in the space and they can actually [say] ‘Okay, this is where I will be when I’m in fourth year,’” said
How are scientific artifacts preserved?
Exploring new and traditional conservation methods
The extent of conservation effort required varies from object to object. BRIAN BOYLE/Courtesy of the ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM
Javiera Gutierrez Duran Varsity Staff
In September, a fire engulfed the 200-year-old National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. Estimates on how much of the collection was lost are as high as 90 per cent. In the face of such a tragedy, it's hard not to wonder what the costs associated with the conservation of physical artifacts are and whether alternative methods for preservation exist.
What do conservation and preservation entail?
Helen Coxon, Senior Conservator of Preventative Conservation at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), said that conservation is “about preserving cultural heritage of any size and the best condition possible in the best way possible so that future generations will be able to look at it just as we can.”
Preserving artifacts includes anything from active hands-on conservation to managing proper display and environmental conditions. It is typically done on artifacts that will be on display. Coxon’s role in conservation involves managing the environment in which artifacts are held. This includes controlling humidity and temperature, storage, handling of artifacts, and monitoring which materials are being used with and in the vicinity of artifacts. In the acquisition process, the condition of each artifact is used to determine whether to purchase it or to accept it as a donation. Artifacts in good condition require less conservation efforts in the future. Likewise, when an artifact is being prepared for loan, its condition has to be maintained. The artifact’s condition, packing, transportation, and the journey back must all be considered. According to Coxon, the time spent on active conservation is a "question of degree." If a piece needs
Ayan Gedleh is passionate about her studies and outreach activities. Courtesy of AYAN GEDLEH
Gedleh. “It’s a great space to mentor other students and to bring them in.” She described her experience in industrial engineering as a learning process, to “make sure that I always put my best foot forward and I always show my best side of myself so I can make sure that I’m making the most out of my education and extra curricular activities.” In order to foster equity, Gedleh stressed the
importance of acknowledging the different barriers faced by Black women and providing support and encouragement as you would to anyone else. She encourages high school students or students interested in pursuing higher education in STEM fields to keep at it. “At the end of the day, society and external pressures, they always change and you will still be there regretting not doing something.”
a light dusting, it can be in the gallery faster than a chair with a wobbly leg or an artifact with a piece of veneer lifting up.
to view, and uploading 3D models may even change how we view and study historical artifacts. “There are aspects of science that can only be measured once, scientific work that results in single measurements,” said Dr. Seamus Ross, Professor at U of T’s Faculty of Information. “Digital records are a relationship between the data, the software in which that data is stored or referenced, and the computer environment or the information system in which that software and data is stored.” Matthew Brower, Assistant Professor in the Museum Studies program, explained that digital conservation involves making “images of things to document them, we make images of things to publicize them, and we make images of things as a substitute for them.” However, digital archives inevitably only represent a fraction of what the museum has physically displayed or stored in its collections. Another issue that arises with digitization is the degradation of data quality over time. For example, an object may need to be photographed multiple times with the advent of better image quality. But the time and funds required could instead be used to conserve the object itself. Ross explained that since “data doesn’t do so well with benign neglect,” it is necessary that “the efforts of preservation are consistent, they are well-funded, and they are not intermittent.” As well, a digital model cannot replace the authenticity that comes with viewing an object in person. “There’s an intangible something [in] my mind about the real artifact, about looking at it and thinking, ‘Goodness, this is 3,000 years old and here it is and I’m standing here looking at it,’” said Coxon. The loss of cultural and historical capital in the fire that engulfed the National Museum of Brazil could have been prevented. But according to Ross, preventing such a tragedy requires societies to respect and value cultural heritage. “We consistently support activities where we see that we can create economic growth,” said Ross. “Protecting our heritage is not just about memory, it’s about these other benefits that we can actually create and improve.”
The costs of conservation
Since the ROM is an agency of the Ontario government, the government provides funding for the museum. In 2016–2017, the museum received 36 per cent of its revenue from the province. Ticket sales also make up part of the museum’s funding. In 2016–2017, it was reported that the ROM had 1.35 million visitors and received 17 per cent of its revenue from admission fees. A portion of funding also comes from donations. The same report stated that one per cent of the museum’s revenue came from donations. Other areas of revenue include events and concession, which made up 11 per cent of the total, and memberships, which accounted for four per cent. While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact amount of funds needed for conservation, the salaries of the seven conservators, the costs of materials, and the expenses of controlling the building’s environment to suit the needs of the artifacts are all factored in.
The evolution of conservation practices
Conservation science is a field that involves researching and developing innovative preservation methods like gels for localized cleaning. Past conservation methods could be problematic because they often resulted in further damage to artifacts. Such counterproductive methods include drilling holes and using a rivet to keep to pieces of a ceramic together. Today, adhesives are used to seamlessly put pieces together.
Digital avenues
Before the fire, Google had been collaborating with the National Museum to digitize their collections. Currently, a virtual representation of the museum is available online. Digital curation is, essentially, the preservation of digital data. Museums can use digital methods to put more of their collections online for the general public
16 | THE VARSITY | SCIENCE
science@thevarsity.ca
Bringing Indigenous Knowledges in astronomy to the forefront The scientific community should respect and learn about Indigenous Knowledges Indigenous Knowledges can offer unique insights to scientific questions, but Western scientists must be respectful and keep and open mind. CHANNONE ARIF/ CC WIKIMEDIA
Srivindhya Kolluru & Clara Thaysen Varsity Staff
Betelgeuse, glowing a fiery red, is one of the brightest stars in the sky, and one of the largest visible to the naked eye. Betelgeuse’s brightness varies periodically, a phenomenon first recorded in scientific literature in 1836 by Sir John Herschel, an English astronomer. In his article, Herschel also observed that the brightness of Eta Carinae, a star system, had increased. Eta Carinae is unstable and erupts from time to time, causing it to shed its outer layers, grow, and outshine some of its neighbours. The event that Herschel observed would come to be known as The Great Eruption. Herschel, however, was not the only person to observe and record the event. In southeast Australia, the Boorong clan of the Wergaia language also passed down reports of this astronomical event through oral communication. Yet Herschel’s report is the most well-known. “So much Indigenous Knowledge has been lost due to colonization,” said Hilding Neilson, an assistant professor in the Department of Astronomy at U of T. UNESCO defines ‘Indigenous Knowledge’ as the “understandings, skills and philosophies developed by societies with long histories of interaction with their natural surroundings” — for example, the Boorong clan’s description of the Great Eruption.
Indigenous Knowledges offer different perspectives on scientific phenomena
The availability of Indigenous Knowledges in our current education system is scant. According to Neilson, any given science textbook will have a couple of pages dedicated to Indigenous Knowledges — but much of the content on these pages is written by Western scientists from an anthropological perspective. A 2010 study examining the presence of Indigenous Knowledges in a Canadian high school science textbook found that only 20 per cent of the chapters mentioned Indigenous Knowledges. Neilson, who is Mi’kmaq and a member of the Qalipu First Nation Band, divides his research program into two realms. One side of his research involves the life, death, and evolution of stars, and the physics that govern these processes. The other side centres on the devel-
opment of curriculum modules that integrate Indigenous Knowledges into the astronomy classroom. “These modules would take stories that are shared by Indigenous leaders or communities and integrate them into astronomy courses so that students can see Indigenous Knowledge in action and learn about the universe through these stories,” said Neilson. He points out that U of T is an ideal place to begin this integration because it is a public university on Indigenous territory. Neilson said that we tend to stand on the shoulders of giants like Galileo and Einstein, while ignoring other peoples and other methods of crafting knowledge. “In some respect, that’s kind of a form of colonization.” Dismissing the importance of other knowledge systems can limit our understanding of science and could even halt scientific progress. The author of the 2010 study also found problematic language, including the use of words like “traditional” to describe Indigenous lifestyles in textbooks, which implies a lack of authenticity and equivalence to Western science methodologies. In a 2018 Nature article, two researchers made a case for triangulation in scientific research to produce robust insights into a research question. Triangulation involves the use of “multiple approaches to address one question” where “each approach has its own unrelated assumptions, strengths, and weaknesses.” One of the ways in which Indigenous Knowledges and Western science differ is the way in which phenomena are analyzed. At the core of Western science is the belief that everything in nature can be understood and explained if you break it down enough. According to Neilson, Indigenous Knowledges do not follow this axiom: they accept that there is some mystery to the world. As such, implementing different knowledge systems, like Indigenous Knowledges, in astronomy and other fields of scientific research can probe questions from different angles. Furthermore, these two knowledge systems differ in what kinds of observations are accepted as truths. For example, the only observations accepted in Western science are the objective ones. “If I see a phenomenon in nature, and it’s happening independent of my observations… I should be able to go across the hall to my col-
league and he should be able to see the exact same thing… In that respect, knowledge is independent of the person,” said Neilson. Observations using Indigenous Knowledges methodology, on the other hand, can differ based on context. “Indigenous Knowledges tend to be more relational, like… how looking at the universe relates to me or my community… My knowledge, my truth, can be different from your truth, and be just as equivalent,” said Neilson. Indigenous Knowledges are much more holistic and draw on truths and values from outside the sciences. An Indigenous story about a constellation can tell us not just about the stars, but also about the seasons, how they connect to the behaviour of animals, and the ethics and morality that are embedded in these topics.
Incorporating Indigenous Knowledges into the classroom
While the development and implementation of Indigenous teachings into current curricula has been slow, Neilson already weaves Indigenous astronomy into his lectures and says that the students are receptive. “I’ve found that students do very well with it and leave with a different appreciation of how astronomy and science work.” Students have a role in the integration of Indigenous Knowledges into curricula too because “departments will react to what students want,” said Neilson. “If students ask for Indigenous Knowledges and Indigenous Learning in their courses, I think faculty will shift a lot faster.” Neilson explained that a crucial step in asserting the equivalence of Indigenous Knowledges with Western science is to step back and let Elders and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers tell us what we can do. “That’s kind of hard because scientists tend to feel like we’re the authorities [on] things — we have to let some of that go,” said Neilson. Ultimately, Indigenous Knowledges allow us to see a different worldview than what is accessible through Western science — and acknowledging this alternative worldview is important. As Neilson noted, “Western people looked at the night sky, Indigenous people looked at the night sky, everyone views the night sky. So everyone has a perspective [that] we should be seeing in our classrooms.”
Science Around Town Emily Deibert Varsity Staff
Women & Brain Health Speaker Series In celebration of Women’s History Month and Brain Week, the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute will be hosting a range of talented scientists who will speak about their work on women’s health and the brain. Date: Monday, March 25 Time: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm Location: Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, 500 University Avenue, Room 132 Admission: Free with registration CSBSU Meet Your Prof Night Network with Cell & Systems Biology faculty and learn about their research in an evening hosted by the Cell & Systems Biology Student Union. Dinner and refreshments provided. Date: Monday, March 25 Time: 5:00–7:00 pm Location: Ramsay Wright Laboratories, 25 Harbord Street, Room 432 Admission: Free New Frontiers Seminar Series University of Guelph’s Dr. Kari Dunfield will present her research on environmental microbiology and discuss how sustainable agricultural practices influence plant microbiomes. Date: Tuesday, March 26 Time: 12:00–1:00 pm Location: Environmental Science & Chemistry Building, 1265 Military Trail, Room 151 Admission: Free Makerspace Club Visit the Makerspace to learn all about robotics, coding, and other tech projects. All levels of experience are welcome. Date: Thursday, March 28 Time: 2:00–3:00 pm Location: Meadowvale Library, 6655 Glen Erin Drive, Mississauga Admission: Free Imagining the Earth as an Exoplanet As part of AstroTours’ special Earth Hour event, listen to a panel of expert astronomers discuss whether or not we’d be able to discover life on Earth if we were observing it from far away, and what this means for the search for extraterrestrial life. This event will be followed by a free telescopic observation. Date: Saturday, March 30 Time: 7:00–10:00 pm Location: Earth Sciences Centre, 33 Willcocks Street, Room 1050 Admission: Free
Sports Why mental health should be discussed more often in locker rooms
A Blues rugby player shares his experience dealing with mental health Liam Sweeney Varsity Contributor
My name is Liam Sweeney and I play for the Varsity Blues men’s rugby team. In light of recent organizing around mental health issues at the university, I wanted to join the ongoing conversation and share my point of view on this sensitive topic. As a student athlete, you are portrayed as the very best — the cream of the crop — both academically and physically, especially at U of T. This school is known for its gruelling academics and ‘sink or swim’ attitude when it comes to surviving the gauntlet. The academics alone at this university could push someone to the brink of insanity, and if you add a rigorous and demanding sports team to it, it could very well break them. However, many student athletes choose to remain silent about their mental well-being, instead opting to either deal with it personally or not deal with it at all. To my detriment, I dealt with my mental health on my own. I know many other student athletes who also tried to overcome their struggles on their own, remaining silent to their coaches and teammates. Silence is one of the worst things for one’s mental well-being, but we didn’t want to acknowledge that. Unfortunately, silence on this topic happens too often. When I had trouble with my mental wellbeing, I put a brave face on. Around my teammates, I was always happy and I joked around with them, even though, in truth, I was in a very dark place. It was my first year at university, my first time away
March 25, 2019 var.st/sports sports@thevarsity.ca
from my home in New York City, and my first time being truly under a monumental amount of stress. My answer to this stress was to become a hermit. I locked myself in my dorm. Some days I wouldn’t leave, wouldn’t shower, wouldn’t eat. I wouldn’t even show up to my lectures or tutorials. Practices and lifts were missed for weeks on end and I did the bare minimum to not get cut from the team or get placed on academic probation. I didn’t let my coaches or my closest friends know about my situation because I didn’t want to be thought of as weak, and I was ashamed that I couldn’t deal with what U of T was throwing at me. As a rugby man, I’m supposed to be strong-willed, with a ‘put up or shut up’ mentality. I’m supposed to be rough and tough and not take crap from anyone. Admitting my mental health problems to my teammates would have destroyed the facade that I was trying so hard to maintain. But this image of always being strong and healthy plagues varsity teams. Student athletes won’t get help because they don’t want to be perceived as weak. This machismo culture surrounding most sports is the reason why you don’t hear many student athletes speaking up or seeking help for their mental health. In a society where being the best of the best physically and academically is heavily emphasized, more often than not mental health takes a back seat. This was the case with forward captain Riley Martin, who struggled with anxiety and depression. These afflictions are often not visible. Martin always looks happy; I look up to him as not only an exemplary rugby player but also a role model on how to treat people with kindness and respect. But under this image of excellence are illnesses waiting in silence. He too, remained quiet for a very long time about his mental health issues. When I asked him how he coped with his depression and anxiety, Martin explained that he “didn’t want to be perceived as weak.” “I believed that my issues with anxiety and depression [were things] that I shouldn’t feel and that I was causing myself to feel those ways and should have been able to just snap out of it,” Martin said. “This definitely wasn’t the best method as I turned to marijuana to be that support for me when I needed to go get my thoughts out of my own head, which would also cause me to miss team sessions and events regularly.” Another team leader, who chose to remain anony-
What sports journalism really means to athletes
Chronicling the often adversarial relationship between athletes and the media Vanda Mayer Associate Sports Editor
While the relationship between the media and athletes can be a mutually beneficial one, in which the media sells headlines and the players receive a platform and personal branding, it can also be incredibly strained and turbulent. For instance, the relationship between the media and the England national football team has been crumbling for years. After an early exit from the Euro 2016, England’s soccer culture appeared to be in crisis. Instead of celebrating the team as representative of English national identity, diversity, and values, the media singled out players and the manager as scapegoats for England’s lacklustre performance. Players like Adam Lallana, Dele Alli, Frank Lampard, and Kyle Walker have claimed that the media was partially at fault for the low morale in the squad and among the fans. According to the players, the overwhelming negativity from the media interferes with the team’s mindset and instills a fear of backlash from having a bad game. Fans voiced their agreement when they accused the media of continuously harming the team’s chances to perform at their highest level. Among the criticisms were claims that the media
tries to “get them when they're at their weakest… where the public can resonate with it and point fingers.” Many went on to say that the media hypes the team up just to knock them back down once results stop coming in. The overly critical nature of sports journalism is not the only issue: athletes often lose patience with what they perceive to be redundant or excessively pointed questions in post-match interviews and press conferences, leading to dramatic walkouts and frustrated outbursts. At the 2018 NBA Finals, LeBron James walked out of a post-game press conference after being asked about JR Smith’s notorious blunder running the clock of a tied Game 1, which the Cleveland Cavaliers would eventually lose to the Golden State Warriors in overtime. Current Juventus and then-Real Madrid soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo similarly walked out from a postgame conference in 2016 when he was asked about his away-goal drought despite his team’s winning streak. The pressure placed on athletes by the media can harm both their professional performances and their mental health. After victory, athletes are portrayed as heroes; losses are frequently accompanied by criticism and judgment. In response to fears that negative media backlash could distract
The Varsity Blues men's rugby team posted a 0-8 last season. SEAN SMITH/THE VARSITY
mous, had a similar story. Although he never considered himself depressed, he did admit that in his second year at university, various issues came up that seriously affected his mental health. He lost the team a game, having missed four crucial kicks to put them ahead, he went through a break up, and his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He told me, “I never felt bad for myself, but I lost interest in things, to the point that I lost motivation for everything. I gradually stopped going to lifts, practices and even classes. I didn’t feel like I had anyone to talk to on the team… who I can really open up to.” The idea of not having anyone to talk to isn’t specific to rugby players. However, when taking into consideration rugby’s unique attitude toward one’s duty, which pushes its players to keep on going, not show pain, just deal with it quietly, and not ‘whine’ or ‘complain’ to anyone, it can be easy to see why many athletes don’t open up to their fellow teammates. The first thing you should do if you’re going through a rough patch is allow your teammates to know how you’re doing and what you’re dealing with. It took Martin a year to reach out to the team for help, but it took a huge weight off his back. “After a year of recognizing what was going on with myself I began to open up to some of [my] teammates about what I was going through. I found this to be helpful, as on days where I was less inclined
athletes, official committees such as the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Japanese Skating Federation have organized media training sections and sent formal requests to newspapers respectively. After the 2004 Athens Olympics, Chinese diver Peng Bo reminded audiences, “We’re ordinary people. We feel pressure, and sometimes we can’t help having distracting thoughts. Please understand us.” Sports media coverage becomes even more troubling for athletes when it involves baseless claims and rumours about their private lives. Responding to newspapers’ suggestions of affairs with his teammates’ wives, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said, “When people delve into your personal life and make up rumours and things that are completely false and untrue, it takes a toll on you.” On the subject, Chicago SunTimes columnist Rick Morrissey explained, “Just because you can write something doesn’t mean you should.” Players have also been quick to call out biases in media coverage. For example, Manchester City striker Raheem Sterling has criticized the racist undertones of soccer coverage in a recent Instagram post. Sterling, who is a frequent victim of racial abuse from soccer fans, compared the media’s treatment of teammates 21-year-old Black Tosin Adarabioyo and 18-year-old white Phil Foden. Sterling juxtaposed two Daily Mail headlines, with one remarking on Adarabioyo “splash[ing] out” on a mansion for his mother “despite having never started a Premier League match” and the other reporting on “starlet” Foden “buy[ing] [a] new £2m home for his mum.” Through their tone and word choice regarding lifestyle choices and form, the media “helps fuel racism [and] aggressive behaviour,” Sterling claimed.
to be at a workout or practice, I was comforted to know that if I didn’t seem normal these boys would understand why and not treat me differently because of that.” Emphasizing his anxiety and mood would only make things worse. He added that “as I continue to be a part of the team and become more comfortable with opening up to others myself, I try and be as open and honest with all my teammates about my plights with these mental health issues.” Every student athlete needs to recognize that they are part of a team. It takes a lot of honesty and bravery to admit it when you are down. It is not in any athlete’s mindset to admit defeat, since they wouldn’t be able to perform at the level they are performing at if they just rolled over. But you must also realize that it is impossible to succeed with such a heavy burden weighing you down. Many changes still need to be made on both administrative and personal levels on the topic of mental health. Talking about it is a good first step. The stigma of being perceived as weak or broken can only be shattered if more people open up about their struggles with mental health. Talking about your mental health doesn’t have to be with your teammates or your coaches. It could be your friends or your family — as long as you talk to someone. What is most important is to remember that it’s okay to not be okay.
LeBron has expressed frustration about media scrutiny over in-game mistakes. ERIK DROST/CC FLICKR
Sports journalism has the power to connect athletes and fans, analyze games and plays, and celebrate the sport. This capacity, however, is only truly fulfilled when the media holds itself to a high standard with dignity and respect for both athletes and themselves.
18 | THE VARSITY | SPORTS
sports@thevarsity.ca
Costanzo served as captain for the Blues field hockey team. MARTIN BAZYL/Courtesy of the VARSITY BLUES
My career-ending injury How I — sort of — cope with being forced to quit the sport I love Julia Costanzo Varsity Contributor
Think of your favourite thing, the thing that you love most in the world, that you look forward to every day, and that makes you feel like the best version of yourself. Now, think of what would happen if you were told that you could never do that thing again. Ever. How would you feel? I used to be a varsity athlete — I’m still getting used to saying that. I was a fourth-year field hockey player and captain of the Varsity Blues field hockey team. I was also a member of the Canadian National Indoor Field Hockey Team. Everything I did in my life revolved around field hockey: when I slept, what I ate, when I studied, and who I spent my time with. All of that changed, though, following a 2018 preseason match, when an elbow smacked my skull and I suffered my fourth concussion. Nobody thought it was serious. My prognosis was that I’d be back on the field in a month or less. However, dark-room recovery days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Before I knew it, the 2018 field hockey season had ended without me ever stepping on the field and a month later, I had finished my fall semester the same way I had started it — with a headache. This concussion was serious. I had spent the fall contemplating my future with field hockey. I always figured that I’d recover, even if it wasn’t as quickly as I wanted, and
eventually return to play. My plan was shattered during a routine doctor’s appointment this January. I sat frozen as my doctor repeated, “You can’t play field hockey anymore.” I don’t remember much about that appointment or the days that followed. I was numb. Conflicting emotions of relief and misery clouded my consciousness. I felt free without the burden of field hockey but I was also gutted because my life as an athlete — the primary way in which I had defined myself since I started playing competitive ice hockey in third grade — was over. My life was irreversibly changed, but I wasn’t ready to accept it. At first, I didn’t tell anyone the doctor’s verdict — not even my parents. Whenever I ran into someone I knew, I would pretend that everything was fine and that I’d be back to field hockey soon. Then I got anxious. I had to tell my coaches, my teammates, then eventually, everyone who knew me as ‘Julia, the field hockey player’ that I couldn’t play anymore. Informing my team was the hardest. I knew the concussion wasn’t my fault and that I couldn’t do anything to change my situation, but something about writing my retirement email made me feel selfish. Was I letting my team down? After quitting the team, I completely removed myself from all things field hockey. My wound was too fresh and I knew that any reference to field hockey would send tears streaming down my cheeks. During
those weeks, I felt the void that field hockey left behind — I had free time and no way to fill it. Sometimes I’d break down. One night I dreamt that I was sprinting down the field, and when I startled awake in the middle of the night, I realized that my dream was as close as I’d get to the real thing ever again. Another night, I found myself deep down an internet rabbit hole of concussion horror stories and I panicked thinking that my symptoms might be permanent. I cried myself to sleep. It’s been three months since I was told that I’d never play field hockey again and I still struggle to navigate the awkward in-between condition of remaining an athlete on the inside while adopting the lifestyle of a non-athlete. Sometimes, talking about field hockey is too hard, but that doesn’t mean I never want to talk about it. As I write this, half my team crowds my living room. I chatted with them for a while, but they’re preparing for an upcoming tournament and since I’m not on the team anymore, I feel uncomfortable participating. There’s no handbook on how to do this. All I can do is what feels best each day. Sometimes that means being around field hockey, but sometimes it means pretending I never played at all. More than anything, this experience has been extremely isolating. My team, my community, and my home were ripped away from me in what felt like an instant. I was alone. I know that other athletes go through this, but I don’t know any personally. I couldn’t shake the feeling that nobody understood
Costanzo (second from left, sitting) getting her hair cut during the 2017 Blues Think Pink #BleedBlue campaign. MADISON KOEKOEK/Courtesy of the VARSITY BLUES
what I was going through. Everyone reassured me that I was doing the right thing — easy for them to say — but I struggled to believe them. How could quitting field hockey possibly be the best thing for me? I think it’s the “never” part of the doctor’s verdict that frustrates me most. I have more free time than I’ve ever had, but I’d give it all up to play in one more game, one more practice, or even one more drill. I spend a lot of time scrutinizing the decisions I made throughout my injury, torturing myself over the ‘what-ifs’ and trying to come up with a scenario where this all didn’t happen. I wonder about what the rest of my field
hockey career would have looked like, but since everything I had hoped to achieve is now certifiably impossible, I often feel like my inability to achieve my goals diminishes the success I did have throughout my athletic career. It makes no sense, but sometimes, that’s just how I feel. Having said all this, I still struggle with concussion symptoms every day. Even though it feels like the end of the world now, I know picking my stick back up would mean risking lifelong damage. That doesn’t make it any easier. I have no future plans to play and maybe that’s a good thing. Before my injury, I had planned to play my fifth season for the Varsity Blues and then continue to train with the Canadian Indoor National Team to qualify for the next FIH World Cup. All I know now is that I have to return to school to complete my undergrad next fall. Maybe by then, I’ll figure something out, or not. We’ll see. My field hockey career may be over, but the rest of my life is just getting started.
Varsity Blues defender Julia Costanzo played a key defensive and leadership role during her time with the team. MARTIN BAZYL/Courtesy of the VARSITY BLUES
MARCH 25, 2019 | 19
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Why we root for underdogs And why we love to hate the favourites Nicole Shi Varsity Staff
If I were to ask you to root for a team in an upcoming game, in which one team had won the past 10 games against the other, which team would you support? For some, it will always be the team that has lost the past 10 games. The underdog. This shared mentality that drives us to support teams or individuals thought to have little chance of winning is more widespread than you might think. In 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles regrouped to scrappily claw their way to Super Bowl LII after losing their starting quarterback to injury. Standing in their path to the title were the New England Patriots, the reigning champions and the closest thing to a dynasty the league has ever seen. At the time, the Eagles had never won a Super Bowl in franchise history, while the Patriots had won two of the last three. According to data collected by a sports gambling website, 45 of 50 states surveyed were cheering for the Eagles to beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. March Madness, the NCAA’s Division 1 men’s basketball tournament, which features 68 teams, is notorious for its exhilarating upsets. Longshots face off against powerhouse contenders, and more often
than expected, the underdogs win. For many fans, there’s just something so satisfying about watching the top team go down. But why is it so satisfying to see these major upsets? Why do we feel such a strong urge to support the underdog? Psychologists have pointed to the phenomenon known as schadenfreude, wherein we feel pleasure from the misfortune of others, especially those we secretly envy. It is no surprise that videos of Tom Brady, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lebron James, and Sidney Crosby, all million-dollar juggernauts in their respective sports, crying or failing have gained hundreds of thousands of views online. Another psychological explanation for the behaviour of sports fans includes the concept of ‘basking in reflected glory,’ or BIRGing, whereby the individual associates with the successful or celebrated such that the winner’s success is treated as the individual’s own achievement. In other words, we unconsciously transfer our own desire for victory onto our favourite sports teams. Fans treat the team’s losses as their own and celebrate on the streets when their team wins. Some fans even get tattoos, immortalizing important victories on their bodies. Ultimately, our love for underdogs reflects an intrinsic thirst for justice in our world. We root for the
The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t the favourites when they upset the New England Partiots 41–33 in Super Bowl LII. KEITH ALLISON/CC WIKIMEDIA
underdogs because, off the courts, we are all underdogs in life. We love the team that wins despite being stacked against the odds because we all face insurmountable challenges to achieve our life goals and dreams. We are all the little guy facing the
adversity and obstacles that life throws at us. We brand the wealthy and storied sports franchises, especially those that pour in exorbitant amounts of money and regularly rotate through acquired superstars, as not truly
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worthy of our support, because they appear to buy their way to victories. We must continue to root for the underdog and believe that everyone, even those thought to have little chances of succeeding, has an equal shot at their dreams.
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MARCH 25, 2019
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