September 20th, 2021

THE VARSITY September 20, 2021 Vol. CXLII, No. 3

TIFF 2021

2

THE VARSITY THE VARSITY NEWS THE VARSITY Vol. CXLII, No. 3 21 Sussex Avenue, Suite 306 Toronto, ON M5S 1J6 (416) 946-7600 the.varsity

thevarsity.ca

the.varsity

thevarsitynewspaper

The Varsity

@TheVarsity

MASTHEAD Hannah Carty editor@thevarsity.ca Editor-in-Chief Aditi Putcha creative@thevarsity.ca Creative Director Tahmeed Shafiq managing@thevarsity.ca Managing Editor Stephanie Bai online@thevarsity.ca Managing Online Editor Sarah Kronenfeld copy@thevarsity.ca Senior Copy Editor Lauren Alexander news@thevarsity.ca News Editor Maya Morriswala comment@thevarsity.ca Comment Editor Sarah Folk biz@thevarsity.ca Business & Labour Editor Jadine Ngan features@thevarsity.ca Features Editor Alexa DiFrancesco arts@thevarsity.ca Arts & Culture Editor Khatchig Anteblian science@thevarsity.ca Science Editor Angad Deol sports@thevarsity.ca Sports Editor William Xiao Design Editor

williamx@thevarsity.ca

Makena Mwenda makenam@thevarsity.ca Design Editor Caroline Bellamy photos@thevarsity.ca Photo Editor Andrea Zhao illustration@thevarsity.ca Illustration Editor Abigail Dollries video@thevarsity.ca Video Editor Aaron Hong aaronh@thevarsity.ca Front End Web Developer Andrew Hong andrewh@thevarsity.ca Back End Web Developer

news@thevarsity.ca

U of T works to implement recommendations of Anti-Black Racism Task Force Recommendations focus on hiring practices, anti-Black racism training, creating spaces for Black students Marta Anielska Deputy News Editor

Content warning: This article mentions police violence against Black people.

Nearly a year after the Black Lives Matter movement sparked by George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police and fuelled by the police-related death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, U of T’s internally commissioned Anti-Black Racism Task Force released its report in March 2021. The report included a history of anti-Black racism in Canada, insights from several working groups, and 56 recommendations for tackling systemic anti-Black racism at U of T. U of T responded to the report by accepting all 56 recommendations and creating a website which tracks its progress on the commitments it made.

In an email to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson wrote that, “This institutional hub has been developed to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of the recommendations.”

Report findings The report, which begins by giving an overview of the history of anti-Black racism in Canada, goes on to provide systemic recommendations divided into seven categories, including leadership and accountability, collection and use of data, complaints and investigations processes, and anti-Black racism training.

Furthermore, it provides more specific recommendations from staff; students and curricula; and faculty, librarians, and instructors.

The recommendations were formed through consultations, current university policies, and other documents like petitions.

All systemic recommendations — such as hiring from a more diverse pool of candidates, including race data in key reports, and increasing the number

ROSALIND LIANG/THEVARSITY

of spaces for Black students — were also assigned a timeline for completion, mostly one to two years.

While recommendations from staff, faculty, instructors, and librarians mostly focused on hiring and training, student recommendations highlighted prioritizing the creation of access programs, student experience, and alumni engagement.

Student recommendations included increasing funding for Black student representation, increasing the number of Black mental health professionals, and building relationships with Black student associations and clubs.

U of T action and commitments After accepting all the recommendations of the report, U of T outlined 48 commitments based on the 56 recommendations from the report on its tracking website which it has continued to update.

Of those 48 commitments, U of T has completed

three: allocated funds to access programs for Black students, provided support to the Black Research Network, and launched an unconscious bias module.

The website also notes that U of T will use the site to track its progress with regards to recommendations from other reports, such as those made by the Anti-Islamophobia Working Group.

While many of the commitments are expected to be completed by 2022, several have longer timelines. Currently, the university is planning the implementation of 21 recommendations and is in the process of implementing another 22.

“We continue to engage the members of the Task Force as we work to implement the recommendations,” the U of T spokesperson added. “The successful implementation of the Task Force’s recommendations across the University is reliant on the collaborative efforts of all members of our community.”

Nawa Tahir deputysce@thevarsity.ca Deputy Senior Copy Editor Marta Anielska deputynews@thevarsity.ca Deputy News Editor Lexey Burns utm@thevarsity.ca UTM Bureau Chief Maheen Zulfiqar utsc@thevarsity.ca UTSC Bureau Chief Padraic Berting grad@thevarsity.ca Graduate Bureau Chief Vacant Public Editor

Over 65,000 U of T community members have uploaded vaccination status on UCheck

publiceditor@thevarsity.ca

Vacant Associate Senior Copy Editor Cedric Jiang Associate News Edtior Shernise Mohammed-Ali Associate Comment Editor Alyanna Denise Chua Associate Features Editor Sky Kapoor Associate A&C Editor Angel Hsieh Associate Science Editor

Community members continue to criticize admin over lack of physical distancing, capacity limits

Mekhi Quarshie Associate Sports Editor Vacant Associate B&L Editor Vacant Associate Design Editor

Students physically distancing in U of T lecture hall.

CORINNE LANGMUIR/THEVARSITY

Vacant Associate Illo Editor Vacant Associate Photo Editor

Copy Editors Jonathan Blumenthal, Emily Burns, Linda Chen, Elise Cressatti, Melissa Cusack Striepe, Robert Guglielmin, Zarmina Jabarkhil, Selena Zihan Ling, Mona Liu, Angie Lo, Jennifer Lou, Oeishi Mukherjee, Safiya Patel, Rebecca Skoll, Sanjaya Sritharan, Grace Xu, Em Yu, Christian Zdravko

BUSINESS OFFICE Parmis Mehdiyar Business Manager

business@thevarsity.ca

Angelina Ouyang Business Associate

angelinao@thevarsity.ca

Ishir Wadwha ishirw@thevarsity.ca Advertising Executive

Mansi Premkumar mansip@thevarsity.ca Advertising Executive The Varsity is the University of Toronto’s largest student newspaper, publishing since 1880. It is printed by Master Web Inc. on recycled newsprint stock. Content © 2020 by The Varsity.

All rights reserved. Any editorial inquiries and/or letters should be directed to the sections associated with them; emails listed above. The Varsity reserves the right to edit all submissions.

Inquiries regarding ad sales can be made to ads@thevarsity. ca. ISSN: 0042-2789

PhotoCap.

PHOTOCRED

According to U of T, more than 65,000 community members have uploaded their vaccination status on UCheck as of September 15, with 94 per cent of them being fully vaccinated.

Despite U of T’s fall precautions, including a requirement to show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing, along with a mask mandate, U of T community members have continued to voice concerns about the university’s policies on other measures like capacity limits and physical distancing.

Many are dissatisfied with U of T’s decision to follow the province, which has stated that educational institutions don’t need to establish formal policies around capacity limits or physical distancing as long as they have vaccine and mask mandates.

that 55 per cent of courses offered this semester will include in-person components. It is largely up to individual faculties and instructors to consider public health guidelines while deciding what parts of the course should be in person.

On the topic of physical distancing and capacity limits, U of T reiterated that it follows the Ontario government’s policy, which allows for “flexible capacity limits” and no physical distancing as long as other safety measures are in place.

According to the Ontario government, its policy was established in consultation with its chief medical officer of health and local public health units. However, in a report released at the beginning of September, the COVID-19 Science Advisory Table — a group affiliated with U of T that provides guidance to the government — wrote that measures such as capacity limits and physical distancing would still be necessary to curb the fourth wave.

Official policies and public statements Besides noting the number of vaccinated community members, a U of T spokesperson added

Community criticisms U of T’s reasoning has not convinced everyone, including students who claim that the physical

Marta Anielska Deputy News Editor

distancing initiatives the university showcases do not reflect reality.

In an interview with BlogTO, Sally Race, a fourth-year mathematics undergraduate student, responded to a photo of a physically distanced classroom that U of T posted on Twitter. She explained that in her class, four students were sitting at each table rather than one, as opposed to what can be seen in U of T’s tweet.

Other members of the U of T community have shared similar concerns on social media, noting that none of their classes were physically distanced. People also criticized U of T for filling some classes to pre-pandemic capacity, which would not allow for physical distancing.

Other campus groups, such as the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) have been noting these gaps in the university’s policy since the summer. In an open letter published on August 31, UTFA President Terezia Zorić noted that “Our members are worried, upset, and angered about being required to teach in crowded classrooms,” before calling on the university to implement more stringent measures to keep faculty safe.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

thevarsity.ca/section/news

3

CAUT pauses censure imposed against U of T over IHRP scandal Decision comes after law school offers Dr. Valentina Azarova position as IHRP director Marta Anielska Deputy News Editor

In a press release, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) announced that it will pause the censure it imposed against U of T in April this year. The CAUT wrote that it made the decision because U of T re-offered the position of director of the Faculty of Law’s International Human Rights Program (IHRP) to Dr. Valentina Azarova, though she declined the offer.

Last September, her candidacy for the position was allegedly terminated after a sitting judge and donor to the university expressed concerns about her work criticizing Israel for its policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Concerns surrounding a potential breach of academic freedom led to the CAUT’s censure.

The censure demanded that the CAUT’s 72,000 members — which include teachers, librarians, and academic professionals across Canada — boycott speaking engagements and appointments from U of T, and it led to a slew of cancelled events and ended partnerships.

In an email to The Varsity, U of T confirmed that it re-offered the position to Azarova after it renewed the search for a director of the IHRP. Azarova’s statement added that though U of T extended academic protections to the position, she ultimately rejected the offer because “there were important uncertainties that could not be resolved in the course of negotiations.”

The CAUT wrote that Azarova’s decision was “understandable given the University’s initial reaction to the unfounded and scurrilous attacks on her reputation and her research.”

Though currently paused, the censure will not be formally lifted until the CAUT council’s next meeting on November 25 and 26. In its press release, the CAUT added that while reoffering the position to Azarova was the most urgent requirement for the censure to be lifted, there are still other concerns that need to be addressed.

The CAUT expects the university to develop an explicit policy that will protect the academic freedom of managerial staff as well as academic staff. Moreover, it will require the university to outline procedures that will prevent any future donor interference.

The CAUT has remained in contact with the university’s administration and is willing to discuss how these conditions might be satisfied so that the censure is officially terminated.

A U of T spokesperson added that U of T’s Provostial Guidelines on Donations have recently been modified to emphasize “institutional autonomy and confidentiality in all hiring decisions.”

Moreover, according to the spokesperson, the university has clarified appropriate terms for interactions with alumni and donors, and all hiring staff have attended training sessions over the past few weeks to go over guidelines for donor relations.

U of T re-offered the position of IHRP director to Azarova.

MICHAEL PHOON/THEVARSITY

The spokesperson added that an advisory group is also working on instituting academic freedom protections for managerial staff who may need to handle controversial topics. It is seeking consultations with key stakeholders and will report back in October.

In an email to The Varsity, Samer Muscati, the former director of the IHRP, wrote that the victory was bittersweet. “The university has still not officially acknowledged any wrongdoing

and has not held anyone accountable but at least they made a genuine offer to Dr. Azarova,” wrote Muscati.

Muscati believes the university’s offer to Azarova was an acknowledgment of its mistake and he hopes this will encourage community members to engage in collective action. However, he added that the university must own up to its mistake explicitly to rebuild its reputation.

UTSC campus closes due to potential gas leak Emergency protocol calls for evacuation Marta Anielska and Lauren Alexander News Editors

On September 16, UTSC announced on Twitter that it was closing campus because of a reported gas smell, which could indicate a possible gas leak. In a message to students, UTSC asked that they not go to campus for any reason.

In an email to The Varsity, Andrew Arifuzzaman, UTSC’s chief administrative officer, confirmed that, as of approximately 1:15 pm, the smell was only coming from one building on campus and

that an investigation with the help of Toronto Fire was ongoing.

Arifuzzaman wrote that the university expected to reopen campus fully the next day, but it would confirm on multiple platforms with community members when Toronto Fire deemed it safe to return.

In a case like this, the university’s emergency protocol states that community members should cease all activities, evacuate the area, and inform Campus Safety. It also warns that, if there is a gas leak causing the smell, cell phones, lights, and other electricity sources could all set it off.

Brennan Halsall, a fifth-year history student at UTSC, wrote in an email to The Varsity that they had just gotten to campus when they were turned around by security personnel at Highland Hall due to the gas smell.

“There were a few other students just outside [Highland] but not that many, so I had thought they were just hanging out outside,” wrote Halsall. They wrote that their class was cancelled for the day and would be available for video viewing later.

UTSC announced later that day that it had “isolated the problem” that caused the smell.

While campus remained closed that day, it reopened as usual on Friday, September 17.

UTSC forced to close for one day.

SHANNA HUNTER/THEVARSITY

Proposed Student Services Hub at UTM to open in 2023 UTM Campus Affairs Committee discusses “squeeze” on faculty space Lexey Burns UTM Bureau Chief

On September 13, the UTM Campus Affairs Committee met to discuss priorities and proposals for the campus.

Committee members approved a proposal for a new Student Services Hub, which would house student support services and other programs, opening in 2023.

Committee members also heard a proposal to begin the search for 34 new faculty hires, which brought up concerns from committee members about an already crowded campus.

Members also voted on a motion for a number of program changes in the humanities and science departments.

Proposed Student Services Hub Mark Overton, dean of student affairs and assistant principal, brought forward a proposal to open a Student Services Hub in 2023 as an addition to the Davis Building.

The goal of the hub is to “bring together departments that are currently scattered throughout the Davis Building” and put services for students seeking personal support and

developmental opportunities into one location.

“We just kind of have to make things work until we get big chunks of new space opening,” Overton said.

The meeting ended with an in-camera session that consulted the financial aspect of the Student Services Hub. The report estimates that construction of the hub would take around 15 months, and would begin in December 2021, to be completed in February 2023, with a projected move-in date of March 2023.

New hires and lack of space Professor Rhonda McEwen, vice-principal academic and dean, proposed in her presentation of the Report of the Campus Affairs Committee, that not only is UTM looking to promote equity, but it is looking to oversee faculty growth and renewal with 34 searches planned.

With plans to welcome 34 new faculty members to UTM, some are concerned about the lack of space already creating “pressures on campus.” “[UTM] already have faculty this year that don't have offices who were hired last year,” one concerned attendee said.

McEwen said she is well aware of the

“squeeze” this will have on campus. She assured attendees that this issue is one of the ideas outlined in the overall planning. Some of

these new hires will also be replacing faculty who are retiring, and will be filling space that will soon be empty.

Proposed Student Services Hub. COURTESY OF UTM

4

THE VARSITY

news@thevarsity.ca

NEWS

Meric Gertler on the hiring scandal, climate crisis, reopening plans U of T president entering eighth year on the job

U of T President Meric Gertler.

CAROLINE BELLAMY/THEVARSITY

Hannah Carty Editor-in-Chief

Over the past year, the University of Toronto has been met with a hiring scandal in the Faculty of Law, continued attempts to move the university toward fossil fuel divestment, and a hasty transition to online learning last fall.

The Varsity once again sat down with Gertler — in person — to discuss these topics and more.

The Varsity: The past year was maybe the most unprecedented in higher education ever. I was wondering if there’s one thing you’ve personally learned about the university or education over the past year?

Meric Gertler: First of all, it has been a very challenging year, if not 18 months. The most important thing to say is that I really appreciate the incredible fortitude, flexibility, creativity, patience, of everybody: all of our students, our faculty and staff, and librarians. People have been remarkable in their ability to accommodate these truly unusual circumstances. The second thing I would say is that we’ve learned that we are a more resilient community than we ever suspected. Looking at the amount of change that we have been able to sustain — for the most part, successfully — is remarkable.

TV: One major scandal that the university has been involved in has been the Canadian Association of University Teachers censure following the hiring controversy at the Faculty of Law. Many have claimed that the university’s response to the scandal, including the Cromwell report, has been lacking. In retrospect, would you have done anything differently?

MG: This has been an area of real concern for many. I’ve certainly heard from many members of our community about this. We have tried to learn as much as we can from this experience. One of the things that we learned is that we want to make sure that our advancement professionals understand that hiring processes, whether they be for academics or for staff, are confidential and must indeed always remain confidential. So, we have spent a lot of time in the spring and summer, working with all of our advancement professionals — every one of them — to make sure that they appreciate their responsibility and the principles that they have to uphold.

We’ve also recently revised the provostial guidelines on fundraising and interaction with

donors to make it crystal clear that academic priorities drive fundraising, that we go out and raise money to fulfill academic priorities that are generated by our academic community in a very bottom-up way. Of course, we welcome the opportunity to work together with donors who align well with those priorities, but the priorities have to come from us. That is a bedrock principle that has always been true, but we’ve been able to use this opportunity in revising the guidelines to accentuate that, as well as the appropriate behavior of advancement professionals.

TV: In light of other major universities, such as Harvard University, recently announcing their intention to divest from fossil fuels, and increasingly dire reports on the realities of climate change, will you be reconsidering the decision to not divest from fossil fuels?

MG: I’ve been watching recent announcements by other universities with great interest. We’ve also been watching the horror of the climate crisis unfolding around us. This past summer, it’s been one reminder after another of the very, very significant challenges that we as a planet are facing.

And I want to reassure you that the university has taken this challenge extremely seriously, and we have focused, in our investment policy, on steps that, in our view, would have the biggest impact as quickly as possible. By focusing on reducing climate-related risk in the portfolio, we believed that we would see a reduction in the carbon footprint of that portfolio over time.

And indeed, the [University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (UTAM)] subsequently adopted clear formal goals for carbon footprint reduction — 40 per cent reduction by the year 2030. It has already achieved 37 per cent of that 40 per cent. We’ve also been tracking the absolute carbon footprint reduction, and that’s about a 20 per cent reduction since the target was introduced. To put that into context, if back in 2016, UTAM had instead said, “We’re going to divest from fossil fuels, full stop,” that would have, by our estimation, reduced the carbon footprint of the portfolio only by 13 per cent.

This fall, we will be unveiling an even more ambitious plan to reduce carbon emissions from our operations, to at least achieve net zero, and possibly go beyond that. So more details will be coming soon. It’s going to be an eventful year in that area, but it has to be because we face this existential crisis as a planet.

TV: Last year, U of T’s reopening plans were criticized by campus unions, and criticism has been levelled at the reopening plans again this year, such as the delayed decision to require proof of vaccination following backlash. How are you confident that the university’s reopening plans are safe?

MG: We have put a huge amount of effort into preparing for a safe return this fall. We have redoubled cleaning in all of our buildings, we have spent a lot of time upgrading our air handling and air filtration systems, [and] we’ve upgraded all the filters to MERV 13.

We have also, of course, maintained the requirement to use face masks, and recently revised our face mask policy to upgrade the minimum quality expected in terms of the face masks that people use. In terms of the measures for this fall, we got the word quite late in the summer from the provincial government, indeed on the last day of August, that according to the provincial chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, if universities had these kinds of measures in place to ensure safety of their communities, and if they embraced a vaccination mandate — which [the provincial government] is now requiring us to have in place — then, in Dr. Moore’s considered opinion, it would be safe to lift the room capacity limits and the physical distancing requirements for instructional spaces only.

TV: Does U of T have a plan to transition online again, if necessary, and will that plan be made available to the public?

MG: You’re right that last year, we had to pivot online; we started in person and then went back online as conditions changed. But again, if conditions change, we may have to translate [from] in-person teaching to online teaching. If that happens, it will be on the basis of very clear guidance that we received from public health, and we will do everything we can to make sure that students are aware of these changes in as timely a manner as possible.

Having said that, let me just emphasize that it would have been easy to just do everything online this semester. But we know that would disappoint many members of our community, and particularly our students. We know that such a big part of the educational experience for students goes beyond what happens in the classroom, and that learning experience is deeply enriched by being there in person. So we’re doing everything we can to make that as available as

possible for as long as possible.

I am really heartened by the most recent statistics about vaccination in our community. As of [September 10], we had 54,000 people register on UCheck declaring their vaccination status, and 94 per cent of them were already fully vaccinated. We believe that all of the remaining six per cent are on the way to becoming fully vaccinated or have acceptable exemptions largely for medical reasons.

TV: International tuition has risen by 41.2 per cent in the last decade and international students are a growing source of revenue for the university. How do you balance the revenue international students bring with ensuring that a U of T education actually remains accessible?

MG: We are indeed mindful of the impact of tuition fees on access. So I’m happy to say the average increase in international tuition fees for this year is just over 2 per cent. But I recognize that the sticker price is still high, and we have been doing everything we can to increase the amount of financial aid for international students. It is increasing quite steeply, both in terms of the funding that U of T is providing, and the funds we’ve been able to secure from charitable foundations.

TV: This past summer brought renewed discussions of Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples as burial sites were discovered at multiple former residential schools across the country. In light of these discoveries, what additional action has U of T taken in the past few months to further reconciliation and justice for Indigenous communities and peoples?

MG: The first thing that we have done has been to provide support for members of our community, particularly Indigenous faculty, staff, and students. We have enlisted Elders and knowledge keepers who have facilitated gatherings amongst our community members to provide that support. I think it’s really important that we do that.

In terms of the larger agenda, our own task force examining the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report from 2015 generated 34 calls to action at U of T to advance the Indigenization of the university, and we are proceeding to address all 34 of those recommendations.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

thevarsity.ca/section/news

5

Hindutva conference organizers say protesters are misinformed Conference focuses on Hindu-nationalist ideology, protestors call it “anti-Hindu”

Protesters gather outside of Simcoe Hall.

SAMANTHA YAO/THEVARSITY

Lexey Burns UTM Bureau Chief

UTM Centre for South Asian Civilizations, along with over 45 universities, cosponsored the “Dismantling Global Hindutva” conference that was held online from September 10-12. Following its announcement, the conference organizers and speakers, who are not directly affiliated with U of T, became the subject of harassment and criticisms, with protests outside of U of T accusing the conference of being anti-Hindu.

In response to the criticisms, the media team for the conference disputed this characterization in an

email to The Varsity, writing that the conference does not aim to criticise Hinduism, but rather, the separate ideology of Hindutva.

The conference, consisting of nine seminars across three days, focused on the rise of militant Hindu groups in India and the corresponding escalation of violence, specifically against Muslim people and other religious minorities.

The target is to critique the 100-year old ideology of Hindutva inspired by European fascism.

Other major academic co-sponsors of the conference included Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University, University

of California Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, and New York University.

Background of Hindutva According to the conference media team, Hindutva is a political ideology that is “actively eroding India’s democracy and harming the most vulnerable communities in India,” unlike Hinduism, which is a religion with “a wide range of religious practices and beliefs.”

The term ‘Hindutva,’ was first articulated by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in a publication in 1923 as an “ethno-nationalist majoritarian

ideological project.” The Hindutva ideology is a Hindu nationalist ideology, which posits that India is fundamentally a Hindu country, as it is defined by a Hindu cultural ethos.

Hindutva claims that Hindus are the “true and authentic inhabitants” of India, and Muslims and Christians along with other religious minorities are “outsiders” who are only allowed to live in the country by the grace and willingness of the greater Hindu population.

It is important to note that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) provides Indian citizenship to people who identify with persecuted religions such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, or Christians from countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who have resided in India before 2015.

However, the bill has been widely criticised as being discriminatory, since it does not include religious refugees who are Muslim. It was also protested by groups in the northeast, who did not want the government to grant citizenship to refugees and migrants.

Some believe the exclusion of Muslims from the bill was deliberate, in line with the Hindutva ideology followed by the ruling party.

Conference’s media team battles miscommunication, criticisms Hindutva is a political ideology that the organizers of the conference believe needed to be studied and put under scrutiny.

Protestors outside U of T asked the

university to revoke its endorsement of the conference, criticizing it as antiHindu. However, the conference’s media team wrote that criticisms were caused by misinformation, as the conference opposes the ideology of Hindutva, rather than Hinduism.

“We categorically reject any insinuations that to critique Hindutva is to attack Hindus,” wrote the media team.

The media team has made multiple efforts to display their viewpoint on the differences between Hinduism and Hindutva. “The two are completely different things, as our website has made clear from day one.”

The conference was organized by professors and graduate students, who are scholars of India, including those from India and of Indian origin.

Multiple speakers identified as practising Hindus, while others constructed themselves “as philosophically or sociologically Hindu.”

None of the speakers were monetarily rewarded for their presence at the conference. They participated “out of integrity, and out of a commitment to academic freedom and the right to critique Hindutva ideology.”

The media team confirmed that the conference organizers and speakers have received death threats. No conference speakers accepted The Varsity’s request for an interview.

The conference’s organizers have created a Press page on their website to stop the flow of miscommunication around the conference.

How engineering orientation kept up traditions through a hybrid week In-person activities help introduce students to the FASE Lauren Alexander News Editor

For orientation week from September 6–10, the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (FASE) held a set of partially online, partially in-person events to introduce first-year students to U of T. Moving many of the faculty’s events online presented a unique challenge for orientation executives, who had to figure out how to introduce students to campus, the faculty, and each other through online activities.

The Varsity interviewed students participating in engineering orientation and the orientation executives about how the faculty’s famously raucous orientation week moved its many traditions to a partially online model.

Keeping up traditions While the nature of this year’s orientation week was vastly different from what first-year engineers have seen in the past, executives still found ways of passing on engineering orientation traditions.

Perhaps one of the best known traditions is the “purple dye” — an event where first-year students at orientation dye themselves purple.

According to orientation chair Aidan Grenville, the tradition is a nod to engineers during the world wars, when Royal Navy engineers wore purple armbands that signified their

jobs. In the hot engine rooms, the purple dye would sometimes bleed onto their skin, dying them purple.

“So we continue to dye ourselves purple, sort of to honour these engineers and also to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice and went down with these ships to… keep the ships afloat and the engines running to allow people to be evacuated,” said Grenville.

Repeating the tradition as usual was not feasible, not just because of COVID-19 safety concerns related to people jumping in the same pool of dye, but due to a Health Canada report from 2019 that linked the dye used in this orientation ritual to an increased risk of cancer. The practice was discontinued after the report.

This year, executives opted to use purple body paint rather than the traditional dye, which is generally considered safe. They also noted that the process went much faster since the paint could be sprayed on.

Students at orientation also generally participate in the “Havenger Scunt,” a scavenger hunt with different activities that take place across the city. Generally, the event ends in “The Pit,” the location of many engineering events. This year, the event was moved online.

Executives also noted that the events gave some second-year orientation volunteers the opportunity to participate in events they missed

during last year’s orientation, which was moved entirely online.

Other traditions also had to be reconsidered not only due to COVID-19, but due to changing attitudes. In the past, engineering chants and some other orientation week traditions have been the subject of criticism due to misogynistic lyrics and other culturally insensitive practices.

One tradition includes the statue in Queen’s Park, where engineers will line up to kiss the horse’s testicles, which Grenville said was modified this year. “[It’s] a long tradition that we've had and it's obviously something that we put a lot of critical thought into, just like is this what we want to be promoting,” said Grenville. “So this year instead we chose to sort of take a walk through Queen's Park [and] stop by the horse [to] explain [that] it's a good luck charm for first-years and to offer some alternative things like… you could touch the hoof.”

He added that orientation leaders try to explain where traditions come from, as well as explaining if and why they choose to alter them.

Student reflections Dana Nepton, a first-year engineering student at orientation, said that participating in the events made her feel a sense of belonging to U of T, adding that many of the traditions added to this.

“It makes me feel like it’s not just…

Engineering orientation.

LAUREN ALEXANDER/THEVARSITY

hard work,” she said. “It’s very relaxed.”

Orientation leader Parsa Bondar Sahebi, a civil engineering student entering his third year, said that the in-person events were important to transition students into the university, especially for their mental health.

“It just means a lot to most of us that we got the chance to plan this, at least this one day in person, because some days were online,” he said, later adding, “Speaking for myself, coming back to university and being on campus again, it just feels very good to me.”

In an interview with The Varsity, firstyear engineering student Nifemi said that the orientation was a good way to meet older students and get oriented with U of T. She also said that the orientation lived up to her expectations.

Innovations While this year’s engineering orientation was certainly unorthodox, many of the executives felt that it improved on past years.

“There [were] a lot of things that we missed because we've done them for

so long and we have fond memories doing those things, but I don't think that we weren't able to replicate that experience in a meaningful way,” said Vice Chair Marketing Kerryn van Rooyen, adding that she believes the restrictions actually contributed to “much better programming.”

One area where the executives noted a marked improvement was registration. Vice Chair Internal Amanda Plotnik, who is in charge of the technical side of orientation, worked with the tech team to create a registration app specifically for the orientation.

“We’ve had problems in the past and registration gets just really drawn out, it goes way over time, people get really frustrated, and there’s people clustering and waiting for hours,” said Plotnik. “We just didn't have that this year.”

Plotnik said the registration process was done by 9:00 am before orientation began and added that the online registration allowed for much more social distancing, since no one had to line up to register.

6

THE VARSITY

news@thevarsity.ca

NEWS

UTGSU restructuring proposal includes introduction of president, vice president roles Massive restructuring would reduce board to 35 members, overhaul bylaws Padraic Berting Graduate Bureau Chief

At the July Board of Directors meeting of the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU), members of the executive committee, with the support of the UTGSU’s legal counsel, proposed a dramatic draft restructuring of its board, its executives, and amendments to its bylaws.

External Commissioner Justin Patrick described the primary motivations for these changes as a move from the Ontario Corporations Act to the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (CNCA) in an interview with The Varsity. He added that the change

would make the organization more closely resemble other student unions in other parts of Canada.

Currently, the UTGSU has eight executives: Internal, External, Civics and Environment, Academics and Fundings (Divisions 1 and 2), Academics and Fundings (Divisions 3 and 4), Finance, University Governance, and the Executive Member-atLarge, an appointee chosen by the general council.

The proposed changes, however, would reshape and overhaul these positions, creating a new executive structure with a president, vicepresident internal, vice-president external, vicepresident academic, and vice-president finance.

The model also resembles that of all other major

student unions at U of T, including the University of Toronto Students’ Union, the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, and the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union. These student unions also have a hierarchy topped off by a president with vice-presidents below who have specified areas of focus. This is a significant departure from the UTGSU’s current structure, which does not have a president that leads its operations.

The other major proposed change involves restructuring its board, and implementing a new Board of Directors model that would include 20 division-based seats, 10 additional seats, and five seats allocated for the executives.

Additionally, candidates for the board would run for their positions during the same period as the executive committee positions’ elections.

Currently, there are over 100 representatives in the General Council/Board of Directors that are elected through their course unions, and so these changes could reduce the time needed for the election process. After these changes, course unions would still be able to observe board meetings and put forward motions.

Lastly, the other major changes include using provisions from the CNCA to update UTGSU bylaws regarding formal and informal conflict resolution, allow for online meetings to comply with the CNCA, as well as changing the position of CRO to an external hire.

When these changes were proposed at the July Board of Directors Meeting, there was a mixture of support and apprehension from members of the board; while some were in favour, others had concerns about the plan and felt it required more consultations with members. A full report of these proposed changes is not publicly available.

Indigenous art showcased in Tree Protection Zone amid Landmark Project construction From 2,000 compostable stickers to basket-making, street art as a method of intervention Joy Chan Varsity Staff

As construction on the Landmark Project continues and the trees surrounding King’s College Circle and Hart House have been boarded up for protection, Hart House has taken advantage of the protection zone to showcase Indigenous artists.

A medley of street art and preservation of earth-centred art, the Tree Protection Zone (TPZ) is presented by eight Indigenous artists and supporting assistants.

The TPZ went on display on September 7 and will remain in place until spring or summer of 2022 when the Indigenous Landscape Project begins. The Indigenous Landscape Project is planned for the Hart House Green and will more permanently pay tribute to Taddle Creek, on top of which Hart House is built.

This project was made in collaboration with the Office of the Vice-President, Operations and Real Estate Partnerships, University of Toronto; the Art Museum at the University of Toronto (AMUT); Hart House; the Indigenous Student Services; and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at U of T. Additional project support is provided by the City of Toronto’s Arts and Culture grant, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and U of T’s Postsecondary Education Fund for Aboriginal Learners.

Mikinaak (Mik) Migwans, co-curator of the TPZ, and Susan Blight, an artist of Anishinaabe, Couchiching First Nation, shared their process and involvement in this project in an interview with The Varsity.

Creative ways of making Indigenous presence possible Migwans sought creative ways to make Indigenous presence known in spaces that it was previously excluded from. They see the Indigenous artist-led interventions in public spaces as an important acknowledgement of the struggles of Indigenous peoples.

The chosen theme for the project was street art, which Blight shared was chosen because interventions are “a really important aspect to our resistance movements right now” and that “it’s important for Indigenous artists to get familiar with those techniques.”

Migwans and co-curator Maria Hupfield selected artists from varied art backgrounds for the project. While some were already familiar with street art techniques, such as weed pasting and aerosol, others sought to become more familiar with the techniques for the project.

Migwans shared that one artist they were particularly proud of was the basket-maker Carrie Hill who shifted to working in a different style for the project. By selecting artists from varied backgrounds of artistry, Migwans said,

Indigenous art installation outside of Hart House..

VICTORIA MACCUTCHEN/THEVARSITY

“it was a learning experience and experimental experience.”

6 kilometres and 8000 years long Hart House is built on top of Taddle Creek, a buried stream that runs steadily through the city of Toronto, including the St. George campus, flowing under Hart House and Trinity College.

In an interview, Blight said that her artwork titled “6 kilometres and 8000 years long” honours this hidden waterway that up until recently, in light of its 8,000 year history, has “been paved over [and] covered up,” now existing as a “subterranean sewer for the city.”

Blight took the instance of Taddle Creek to shed light on the histories that have been erased or

obscured on a social and systemic level related to Taddle Creek. “As an Indigenous person… we have responsibilities and accountabilities to the land and to the waterways,” Blight shared, explaining her desire to provoke dialogue and questions about this city’s waterways and our treatment of them.

The artwork itself is composed of over 2,000 compostable stickers, a nod to the methods of stickering linked to political activism and movements, as well as the personal aesthetic in which we adorn personal items like skateboards.

With each sticker that Migwan and her friends put up, they treated that action as accountability, which was reinforced by the use of compostable stickers as a gentle addition to the earth and waterways.

UTSC report reveals decrease in academic positions Academic, Campus Affairs Committees discuss residence capacity limits, Bicentennial Campaign Syeda Maheen Zulfiqar UTSC Bureau Chief

The UTSC Academic Affairs Committee and the UTSC Campus Affairs Committee held their first meetings of the 2021–2022 academic year on September 13 and September 14, respectively.

A report presented to the Academic Affairs Committee revealed that academic petitions — formal requests to the university for an exception to academic rules and restrictions — decreased significantly in 2020, which the subcommittee attributed to more relaxed policies due to COVID-19.

Other reports from the Academic Affairs Committee showed that UTSC residences are operating at an 85 per cent capacity. The committees also heard information on new programs for international students at UTSC. The Campus Affairs Committee heard presentations on the Bicentennial Campaign priorities.

Shifting student experience An Academic Appeals subcommittee report, presented to the Academic Affairs Committee, displayed a dramatic decrease in the number of petitions filed by students in 2020 as compared to previous years.

From 2015 to 2019, the university saw a consistent increase in the number of petitions that were filed, with 3,474 petitions filed in 2019. Only 1,895 were filed in 2020, which the subcommittee attributed to students’ ability to use the credit/no credit and late withdrawal options liberally without having to petition. These options were made more widely available due to the pandemic.

In its presentation to the Campus Affairs Committee, the office of Student Experience and Wellbeing noted that a number of new initiatives had been established for incoming international students, including early virtual orientation programs, immigration advising, and check-ins with advisors, where students were automatically enrolled for appointments.

The presentation also included an overview of the level of occupation in residences at UTSC. According to the report given, UTSC residences are operating at 85 per cent capacity, with a reduction in the number of shared bedrooms on campus, as well as a number of emergency isolation units in the case of a COVID-19 outbreak.

Campaign priorities Trevor Young, U of T’s acting vice-president and provost, and David Palmer, vice-president advancement, shared the information on the Bicentennial Campaign, which has succeeded the Boundless Campaign as an avenue for fundraising for the university. The campaign’s financial goal of $4 billion is expected to be achieved in two phases of donations.

The first phase of the campaign, characterized as the “quiet phase,” is anticipated to raise $1 billion. Palmer explained that, “Through the late fall of 2021, during which all of our approved

academic funding priorities are identified, we build a case for both the university as a whole and the divisions, we identify volunteer leadership and we solicit key gifts.”

The second phase will be public and will begin in late 2021. It will reach out to “alumni and friends broadly with strong communication support.”

Aside from the fundraising goal, the campaign priority also sets out an alumni engagement goal of “1 million instances of engagement from 225,000 unique alumni.”

The campaign priorities will go to the Governing Council for approval on October 28, after which the campaign will be officially launched with a virtual event in late fall.

Both meetings touched upon the method of course delivery for the upcoming winter semester. “We want to wait to see how the in-person experience this fall informs how we feel about moving forward,” said William Gough, Vice Principal Academic & Dean at the Academic Affairs Committee meeting.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

thevarsity.ca/section/news

Two Faculty of Music instructors publish open letter on culture of racism, discrimination Letter says faculty lacks accountability, processes to address issues Khatchig Anteblian Science Editor

On June 11, Tara Kannangara and Jacqueline Teh, sessional instructors at U of T’s Faculty of Music, published an open letter on Instagram addressed to the U of T Jazz program at the faculty, as well as a 98-page report on a survey of students and faculty. The letter highlights the struggles they have gone through over the past year as the only faculty members who identify as women of colour.

The instructors decided to publish the letter after they said they were antagonized and excluded by the faculty due to their advocacy actions, such as creating a survey and presentation meant to express the instances of discrimination that racialized community members faced within the faculty and U of T Jazz.

The letter also mentions other incidents, such as the exclusion of Kannangara from an anti-racism committee meeting despite being one of the two racialized women in the faculty, that highlight the issues within U of T Jazz.

The Faculty of Music acknowledged the letters in a statement over the summer, committing to a third-party review of the faculty and updates on the faculty’s Anti-Racism Anti-Oppression Committee (ARAO).

Surveys met with silence Kannangara and Teh’s advocacy began when they, along with a growing number of members from the artists’ coalition #thisisartschool, began sharing and collecting hundreds of stories about experiences of racism and discrimination in programs

across Canada, the United States, and more.

Many stories were about U of T Jazz, which both Teh and Kannangara also attended. “We felt, ethically, [that] we should listen to these stories, because these are our students and our friends,” Kannangara said. They decided to examine the flaws within the program and to push for change. “This all started very compassionately,” Kannangara added.

In an interview, Teh told The Varsity that they and others in the #thisisartschool coalition had put together a survey for students and faculty at U of T Jazz. The results were then summarized in a 98-page report to be presented to the jazz faculty at the Faculty of Music.

Teh said that they faced many barriers leading up to the presentation. For example, requests were made to redact certain parts, such as a statement from the founder of the #thisisartschool movement, Modibo Keita, which emphasized the divide between U of T and the Faculty of Music as an institution and its students.

The statement reads: “#thisisartschool was a way for me to show the institution that I carry power that can be damaging to them. #thisisartschool was my warning. #thisisartschool was my way of saying I don’t need you. #thisisartschool was my way of saying WE don’t need you. It was my way of saying YOU need us. YOU need me.”

After presenting the report, Teh and Kannangara said they were met with silence from the faculty and their colleagues. “There are faculty members who didn’t want to meet with us, didn’t want to talk to us,” Teh said.

The survey was meant to start conversations

and collaboration that would help the faculty tackle issues of racism and discrimination. However, it quickly became clear that this work entailed acknowledging many ugly and uncomfortable truths. Teh and Kannangara said that U of T Jazz’s response was not to examine the issues, but rather shift the blame on those bringing them up.

Stepping out of the comfort zone After they discovered that addressing these problems through traditional channels would not work, Teh and Kannangara decided to bring the issue to the public by publishing the open letter and survey report on Instagram.

“We’ve invested hundreds of unpaid hours into this work, and usually what we’ve been met with is: ‘It’s not good enough,’ ‘You're not qualified,’” Kannangara said.

The key points of action include hiring more racialized faculty and establishing support systems for those who are hired, incentivizing people to go to diversity and consent training sessions, and ensuring students are given information on where to find accessibility and support services.

These demands echo the points in another open letter sent to the faculty last year, calling for anti-racist action.

Nikitha James, vice-president external of the Faculty of Music Anti Racism Alliance (FOMARA), said in an interview with The Varsity that there have been some encouraging changes within the faculty.

“It isn’t necessarily the majority of professors, but in some classrooms, we’ve been seeing some really major changes,” James said. “More professors are also listening to students and getting their input on all of this stuff.”

James did note, however, that the majority of change is coming from the bottom up, with students and activist groups advocating for policy changes and creating support spaces for students of colour.

“It’s about finding a way for people to survive, first and foremost, and also thrive at the university, and that’s not going to be because of the university,” she added. For her, while systemic changes are a long term goal, the immediate objective is to ensure the safety of students and create support networks.

7

Response from the faculty Recently appointed dean of the Faculty of Music, Ellie Hisama, released a letter on July 15 stating that equity will be a key component of her leadership at the faculty.

“I am acutely aware that I am arriving at a challenging time. I have heard first-hand from some of you about concerns regarding our teaching, learning, and working environments,” wrote Hisama. The Faculty of Music was also criticized over the summer for allegations of a culture that perpetuated sexual harassment and violence.

The letter includes a timeline of calls to action from the community and updates on the creation of the ARAO, created in October of 2020.

According to an email from a U of T spokesperson, the ARAO is “undergoing a careful reconstitution by the Dean of the Faculty of Music, Professor Ellie Hisama, in consultation with faculty.”

The dean will also ensure that a third-party “Climate and Culture Review” of the faculty is conducted, with a summary report published at the end. Hisama noted that the review will “[allow her] to learn about the experiences and observations of all members of [the faculty of music community].”

In an update on September 15, Hisama wrote that the faculty held a number of “listening sessions” throughout the summer, speaking to over 70 students in the faculty. She also provided an update on the Climate and Culture Review, writing that it will be undertaken by Rubin Thomlinson, a representative from a third-party law firm, and will start on September 23.

The review will consist of an online survey, interviews, and an open email address for members of the faculty to share their experiences.

Once completed, a summary of the review will be made available. According to the spokesperson, it is too early to know when the review will be completed.

Hisama also shared that the faculty is searching for a director of equity, diversity, and inclusion who will be dedicated to the music faculty.

— With files from Lauren Alexander

Scarborough food bank 5n2 faces lease termination Founder discusses the struggles of operating without sufficient funds Syeda Maheen Zulfiqar UTSC Bureau Chief

5n2, a food-based charity operating in Scarborough, is confronting an imminent lease termination. The charity serves, on average, 3,500 meals every week to people experiencing food insecurity in Scarborough. They claim to have served a total of 489,459 meals since their founding in 2013.

Seema David, 5n2’s founder, was presented with the Community Action and Service Hero Award — an award co-created by UTSC and a number of other colleges and organizations in the area — at the Scarborough Hero Awards in 2021 for her efforts toward combating growing food insecurity in Scarborough. She is now looking to the Scarborough community for support in securing a new location for 5n2 through the Community Space Tenancy (CST) program, which helps find space for interested charities and nonprofits.

What 5n2 does According to David, 5n2 opened in 2013 primarily as a food kitchen, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, the charity saw a greater need for a wider variety of services. It introduced four new programs, including a food pantry, a garden, a food delivery service, and an education service for seniors looking to gain more technological skills.

She also emphasized the importance of collaboration. “We have partnerships with other people growing fresh produce and bringing us

the fresh produce, straight from the harvest to our clients to say that ‘we value you,’ ” she said.

She added that she learned that “without collaboration, you can do nothing. You have to have partnerships, you have to build community relations even to [be able to] give free food.”

Lease termination In an interview with The Varsity, David shared the new challenges 5n2 faces because of their lease termination.

David explained that in the current market, rent is too high for 5n2. As a charity, they do not possess the funds to keep up with the market rates. Scarborough housing prices have increased significantly, even in comparison to other fast-growing markets around Toronto. A report from Properly, a real estate technology company, found that housing prices in Scarborough increased by 25 per cent in May compared to their pre-pandemic levels.

“People who own these spaces are not willing to give it below market rent. Everyone's out for the profit,” said David.

David added that even the current space on Ellesmere Road no longer fulfills the growing needs of 5n2’s patrons. David explained that the current location has insufficient storage space, which heightens the chance of food waste.

The CST program — a program through which the city of Toronto leases city-owned properties to eligible nonprofits below market rate — offered a potential location to 5n2.

According to David, they must now wait four to

Seema David.

COURTESY OF 5N2

six weeks for their application to be reviewed before they find out whether they have acquired the lease for the location.

However, the potential new location does not only require the charity to sign a lease. The move would mean extensive work rezoning the building with kitchens that would meet the standards and regulations of a food bank.

“It's going to cost in the region of $800,000 to $1,000,000,” said David. She consulted a builder to construct the estimate.

David hopes to continue operation at the current location while work progresses at the new location if they acquire the lease. She added that they did not have any other potential locations within an affordable price range that meet the

criteria necessary for 5n2 to operate within.

Raising funds The team at 5n2 has set up a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of raising funds for the renovations needed at the new location. Currently, the campaign has a goal of $20,000, and it has raised over $8,500.

David also shared that one way for individuals to help 5n2 is by becoming monthly donors — a donation of $50 a month translates to ten meals for food insecure people in Scarborough. Additionally, David encourages students to volunteer at 5n2 and to advocate for small charities.

— With files from Lauren Alexander

Business & Labour

September 20, 2021 thevarsity.ca/section/business biz@thevarsity.ca

businesses are still being impacted by the pandemic and have had to make major changes in how they operate.

Markus explained that the pandemic presented barriers and challenges that the restaurant had never faced before, and they had to adapt accordingly. For example, the manufacturer that Daddyo’s used stopped selling green lasagna noodles, which were a big part of the restaurant’s menu.

Markus was also concerned because of his underlying health issues and the struggle of ensuring that a consistent cash flow was available to support his staff, even if it meant lower profit levels than before. “I had to figure out a format that we could operate at to break even until things are better,” Markus explained.

Overall, Markus expressed pride in how Daddyo’s persevered and explained that financial issues were not the main driver behind the restaurant’s closing. “I’m very proud of the way I navigated my business through the pandemic,” he said.

After 14 years of feeding U of T, iconic restaurant Daddyo’s closes its doors for good Owner and students reflect on the restaurant’s impact Daddyo’s Pasta & Salads is known for its delicious pasta dishes.

CAROLINE BELLAMY/THEVARSITY

Sarah Folk Business & Labour Editor

Identifiable by its bright red doors on Spadina Avenue, Daddyo’s Pastas & Salads is a small restaurant that has fed the U of T community since 2007. After Daddyo’s was closed for two weeks, its co-owner and operator, Jeffrey Markus, took to social media to announce the news that the restaurant would be closing its doors permanently after his partner and chef decided to step down. The comments on his post were filled with U of T students and alumni thanking Markus and his business for years of memories and quality food.

Markus sat down with The Varsity to discuss Daddyo’s impactful history in Toronto and how the popular restaurant earned its reputation.

Humble beginnings Markus has a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry and worked in other establishments in Toronto and Ajax before deciding to open Daddyo’s, his third pasta restaurant. After selling the previous establishment, he was approached by a dishwasher from another restaurant with whom he cofounded Daddyo’s.

The pair relied on little marketing and focused on targeting a niche market by serving pasta that could be served and eaten like fast food without sacrificing quality taste. The restaurant was also set up with an open kitchen layout that created an inviting atmosphere for customers.

Daddyo’s competitive advantage Markus credited the long-running success of

Daddyo’s to the taste of the food they served.

He explained that when he first entered the hospitality industry he didn’t fully appreciate the importance of high quality and delicious food.

He credited his change of heart to his original partner who taught him the value of food.

“The thing that set us apart was the flavors and the uniqueness of our freshly cooked food,” Markus said. The location of the restaurant ­— near U of T, in the heart of downtown Toronto — coupled with its delicious menu contributed to Daddyo’s success.

Navigating unprecedented times The pandemic presented challenges to small businesses across the globe. Even as the province relaxes COVID-19 restrictions, many

Good food and good times The Varsity spoke to two members of the U of T women’s track team, Anesi Anyia and Brittany Walsh, who enjoyed dining at Daddyo’s during track meets, for special events, and when bringing in new recruits. They shed light into what the restaurant has meant to the U of T community.

They described the restaurant as “homey” and “comforting” while recalling the tasty pasta and breads. “I felt like I could sit there for hours upon hours,” said Anyia.

Walsh and Anyia also commented on how Markus made the atmosphere of the restaurant feel welcoming and was always very sociable.

Daddyo’s brought members of the U of T community together. Walsh thinks that the restaurant’s absence will leave a “hole” in that community.

Markus said that he will always look back fondly on the memories he made and the people he met while working at Daddyo’s. “I never really expected to develop the kind of personal relationships that I did with so many people, from students to coaches to professors and secretaries,” he said.

Toronto rent reports predict increase in rent prices across the GTA for this year How rising rent prices might affect students Adam Chabchoub Varsity Contributor

The University of Toronto has announced its plans to return to in person classes, and students must now seek to manage their work-life balance, maintain their grades and relationships, and find jobs in a changing environment.

The worry about whether they will be able to pay rent can be a major stressor for students in a time of uncertainty.

The pandemic caused a decline in rent prices as many schools and jobs switched to an online format. With lower demand for housing, landlords were forced to lower prices, and even provide incentives for some renters, in order to find eligible tenants in the past year.

Reports show rent decreased during pandemic The Toronto GTA April Rent Report 2021 showed that the average annual cost of rent was down 19 per cent in 2021, and noted that condo apartments were affected the most. Condo prices fell by 17 per cent, from an average monthly price of $2,480 per unit in the first quarter of 2020 to $2,047 in the first quarter of 2021. Other types of housing structures such as townhomes saw similar declines during this period.

According to the report, the market is considered to have hit its bottom in February, as a gradual increase in prices started in

March. As schools and workplaces begin to reopen and the demand for rental properties rise, the rent prices have been rising too.

The average rent price per square foot has increased by 2.2 per cent since January and the average rent prices for different property types have shown a general increase since the start of the second quarter of 2021.

U of T’s response to rising rent prices In an email to The Varsity, Arlene Clement, the director of housing and TCard services for U of T, reported that prices for off-campus housing are rising. Despite the fact that some students were able to receive lower prices and even additional incentives by landlords during last year, there remains a lack of affordable housing. Furthermore, with the number of vacancies across the city, it is likely that when the market becomes more competitive, prices will continue to climb.

There is good news for students looking to find housing. “Rates, at this point, are not rising above what they were in 2020, pre-pandemic,” Arlene wrote to The Varsity. Additionally, with more available units and similar rent prices, students may find it easier to find housing.

The university also offers assistance for students looking for housing options. Arlene described campus residences as “a wonderful way for students to integrate into on-campus life.”

The university also has services for students looking for off-campus housing. The off-

ROSALIND LIANG/THEVARSITY

campus housing website offers a variety of resources for students, including a registry of rental ads for housing located near all three U of T campuses and an off-campus roommate finder program. Arlene explained in an email to The Varsity that the off-campus housing team also provides other services, such as a virtual housing fair, workshops, and one-onone appointments to provide students with support.

Arlene’s main piece of advice for students looking for a place to rent was to be prepared and knowledgeable about their rights as a tenant and to have all required documentation before starting their housing search.

How rent prices are affecting students In an interview with The Varsity, Dario Tao, a third-year finance and economics specialist in Rotman Commerce, said that since students tend to only need smaller apartments or houses, he was still able to find options that were “quite affordable.” He also mentioned that prices were rising back to what they were in previous years.

Tao talked about using resources from U of T’s off-campus housing website to help him find housing. He said that the website was easily accessible and helpful. He suggested one minor improvement to the website — it would be useful, he said, if it also spread some of its resources through social media so even more people could access them.

Comment

September 20, 2021 thevarsity.ca/section/comment comment@thevarsity.ca

Forum: Should Canadians maintain national pride while acknowledging our country’s colonial history?

While we may want to celebrate our country, there are also many reasons to reflect and make amends Jasmin Akbari, Logan Liut, David Okojie, and Nina Uzunović Varsity Contributors

Content warning: This article discusses the abuses perpetrated against Indigenous peoples.

Since May, the number of Indigenous children’s unmarked graves found at residential schools has jumped from the initial 215 found in Kamloops to more than 1,300 unmarked graves in total. The official number of deaths which we know happened at residential schools is over 4,000, but this is likely an underestimate. These discoveries were happening at the same time that Canadians were celebrating Canada Day and cheering on their nation in the Summer Olympics. Given the horror of these recent discoveries — evidence of something Indigenous peoples have known all along — Canadians may wonder how they can feel proud of their country.

Four contributors discuss the tension between national pride and righting Canada’s wrongs.

Holding Canada accountable for Indigenous genocide Today, national pride seems almost tone-deaf. How can we be proud of a country that has committed genocide? For a country that takes pride in advocating for children’s rights in the United Nations, it is disappointing to see that these same values have not been applied to the Indigenous children who were forcefully taken from their homes at a young age to live in neglectful and abusive environments.

Indigenous communities and allies who boycotted Canada Day did so to acknowledge the tragedy of these children who survived and died in residential schools, and who were purposefully forced into adopting European culture through churches.

Canadians should recognize the role of churches in these atrocities, as well as the Canadian governmentʼs large role in the system.

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Council (TRC) released its Calls to Action for the Canadian government, with Article 73 addressing missing children and burial information. The report demonstrated what was already well known in Indigenous communities: there were still many graves of children yet to be found. However, despite the TRCʼs calls to action, major breakthroughs in the discussion of unmarked graves at residential schools have only started in the summer of 2021.

Graves were not properly managed while the residential schools were operating. In one particular case, at the Red Deer Industrial School, principal J. F. Woodsworth assured his superiors that in order to cut costs, students were buried as pairs in a single grave. This case alone demonstrates the disrespect students

were given even in death and the neglect they faced by their supposed ‘caretakers’.

As Canadians mourn the Indigenous children who never survived the residential school system, we must push our government to make meaningful changes to the system that has facilitated the suffering of Indigenous peoples. On top of educating Canadians about the residential school system, political leaders should consider meaningful actions they can take to make positive changes for Indigenous communities, such as providing access to clean water or investing in public transportation for Indigenous communities in rural, secluded areas to help prevent kidnapping, murder, and assault.

Canada’s past is shrouded in colonial rule and genocide, so Canadians must work with Indigenous communities if they want to build a legacy worth being proud of. Until then, it would be neglectful and ignorant to take pride in a genocidal nation.

Jasmin Akbari is a second-year industrial relations and human resources, digital humanities, and writing & rhetoric student at Woodsworth College.

Focusing on constitutional patriotism What does it mean to be Canadian?

There doesn’t seem to be one universal cultural experience, one cultural costume, or any intense shared longstanding history between all provinces and territories. Canada cannot be considered one nation in the traditional ethnic or cultural sense.

Canadians are united around a set of national values they themselves hold in high esteem. This constitutional patriotism means that the Canadian identity is more of a shared national philosophy of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism. This shared nationalism is something we can use in our journey through reconciliation, and to promote unity and human rights around the world.

There is no reason for Canadians to be completely ashamed of being Canadian. If singular events in a nation’s history — even if they are as heinous as the harms that Canada has committed — could doom a nation and its people to an eternal and irredeemable status of total utter shame, no nation would be able to survive.

Almost every nation has these moments of failure, because nations are much like regular people — we fail horrendously from time to time. The past actions or beliefs of a nation do not define it entirely, and we must take into account the progress it has made. If we declare that these horrible events in the Canadian experiment reduces it

to total ruination, what does that say about the things we have achieved?

Are they suddenly meaningless?

The only way Canadians can deal honestly and effectively with their national guilt is action. This means compensating residential school survivors fairly and having the federal government strengthen funding to revive and support Indigenous communities and their traditions. Acting also means seeking reconciliation and forgiveness from Indigenous communities, and recognizing our status as settlers.

All of these actions and more are the only way to recover Canada and the Canadian identity. Canadaʼs past crimes will never be erased, but they can be somewhat remedied. Taking action and adopting the shared values of a modern Canada — constitutional patriotism — will only help Canadians with reconciliation.

Logan Liut is a first-year social sciences student at University College.

Reconciling our national failures and our achievements The pursuit of peace is not a goal held exclusively by Canada, but Canada has made numerous global contributions to the preservation and promotion of peace. The Suez Crisis of 1956 saw Lester B. Pearson — who later became prime minister — devise the first ever large-scale United Nations peacekeeping force, which stopped a potential war. Since then, more than 125,000 Canadians have served as peacekeepers, and 130 have lost their lives.

Canada’s devotion to world peace has not just been something performative to get votes to win an election; rather, it has been — and remains — a core national belief that we actively pursue and make sacrifices to achieve.

Canada should also be celebrated

for its multiculturalism at a time when countries are focused on assimilation and being a melting pot. This commitment is seen in the Multiculturalism Act of 1988, which charges the government to ensure all levels of Canadian society remain diverse. This act was the first of its kind in the world. Our country has also continued to welcome over 200,000 immigrants annually, with around 184,000 arriving in 2020. These actions have allowed Toronto to become the cultural icon it is today, sporting a population that is nearly 50 per cent foreign born.

With all that being said, we must also spend a significant amount of time tackling Canada’s dark past. Our nation’s dirty laundry must be aired out so there are no misconceptions when we celebrate the good Canada has done — our country is not perfect.

We must remove statues or monuments that venerate the perpetrators of our country’s atrocities. Ryerson University is renaming itself, and protestors toppled a statue of Egerton Ryerson, who was a prominent contributor to the residential school system. The Toronto City Council decided to rename Dundas Street, which was originally named after Scottish politician Henry Dundas, who delayed the abolition of slavery.

These monuments have displayed these individuals’ names to be honoured for generations. By removing these memorials, we show our determination to recognize our nation’s missteps and our refusal to celebrate wrongdoers.

David Okojie is a secondyear political science student at University College.

Taking ownership of our inaction While the international community often labels us human rights champions, our domestic failures make it difficult to feel any sincere national pride.

Many are quick to say that residential schools and their appalling narratives are irrelevant events of the past.

However, we cannot simply move on from these tragic discoveries. Rather, we must reflect on how we’re acknowledging this horrific history, and what we’re doing to rectify the consequent wealth, educational, and health gaps currently facing Indigenous individuals.

In 2015, the TRC released a report detailing 94 Calls to Action, each addressing the ongoing issues facing the Indigenous community, such as reconciliation, education, health, and justice. Regrettably, as of this article’s publication, only 13 of the 94 have been completed, with 61 still in progress and 20 yet to be broached.

The results of failing to

ANDREA ZHAO/THEVARSITY

implement each Call to Action have been seen in the continuously increasing gaps in the quality of life between Indigenous peoples and settlers: premature death rates have rapidly increased for First Nations peoples in Manitoba, and COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting the mental health of Indigenous peoples. It’s evident that we have made little to no progress toward addressing the consequences of colonialism and erasing the effects of systemic racism toward Indigenous peoples. Unfortunately, the same follows for acknowledgement and cultural recognition.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, September 30, is officially a federal statutory holiday, but the Ontario government recently decided to not provide an equivalent provincial status for it. This decision is especially troubling since the purpose of the holiday is for Canadians to reflect on the cruel legacy of the residential school system. One of the largest provinces in Canada ignoring the calls of Indigenous leaders and activist groups only perpetuates Canada’s unwillingness to achieve reconciliation.

Our prime ministerial candidates reflect similar attitudes, diminishing Indigenous identity during the September 9 English language debate. The term ‘First Nations’ isn’t all-encompassing; not all Indigenous peoples are First Nations. However, during the debate, the terms “Indigenous” and “First Nations” were frequently used interchangeably — a clear indicator of Canada’s failure to recognize and respect Indigenous culture. The candidates also neglected to discuss land and fishery treaty rights — two exceptionally important issues for Indigenous communities.

To be able to truly possess national pride, we need to remedy the deep inflictions of Canada’s colonial past on Indigenous peoples: addressing the disparities between Indigenous peoples and settlers in present-day Canada, acknowledging Indigenous history, and respecting Indigenous culture. Most importantly, we need to listen to Indigenous leaders and communities and fulfill each of the TRC’s Calls to Action until reconciliation becomes a reality.

Only then can we genuinely say that we’re proud to be Canadian.

Nina Uzunović is a first-year social sciences student at Trinity College.

If you or someone you know is in distress because of the recent news about residential schools or hearing about abuses against Indigenous peoples, you can call: Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 (available 24 hours a day), Hope for Wellness Helpline at 1-855242-3310, KUU-US Crisis Line at 1-800-5888717, Talk4Healing Help Line at 1-855-5544325.

10

THE VARSITY

comment@thevarsity.ca

COMMENT

Appointed student and youth councils do not represent us These councils need to include representatives from our democratic student governments

Justin Patrick Varsity Contributor

Each year, millions of postsecondary and secondary students in Canada are represented in student government elections. At the postsecondary level, students pay fees to student unions, which are a form of student government. These democratic, student-run institutions are intended to represent us at local, provincial, national, and international levels of government so any policies that affect us can be informed by our collective voice.

So why do our politicians repeatedly rely on small appointed student or youth councils for policy input instead of consulting with our elected student representatives?

The Prime Minister’s Youth Council (PMYC) consists of a handful of appointed youth who “provide advice to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and government officials.” This direct line of communication likely gives the PMYC representatives a lot of influence.

In the late 2010s, the PMYC engaged in discussions and workshops with the prime

minister on creating a national youth policy. Were our student governments consulted or included at any point in that process? Information obtained from a 2020 Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) request did not mention any formal PMYC interactions with University of Toronto student unions or the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).

There were records of an attempt to schedule a call between the PMYC members and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), the CFS’ rival student union, in 2018. However, the ATIP documents do not confirm if the meeting took place, and they contained no mention of the CASA being invited to any of the formal PMYC meetings that take place multiple times a year. Instead, the PMYC liaised with other appointed youth at their official meetings, such as those from the Premier’s Youth Council of Newfoundland.

Just how many of these appointed councils are there? The answer lies in an interconnected web of federal, provincial, and municipal government appendages.

Federally, some notable examples include the Library and Archives Canada Youth Advisory Council; the Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health youth advisory council; the Office of the Chief Science Advisor’s youth council; and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police National Youth Advisory Committee.

In the past, Ontario had the Premier’s Council on Youth Opportunities and the Minister of Education’s Minister’s Student Advisory Council. Currently, youth are appointed to the Premier’s Council on Equality of Opportunity.

Municipally, there is the Toronto Youth Cabinet (TYC) and a string of other municipal appointed councils united by the Youth Council Coalition of Canada. A question future research should ask is how much of our tax dollars are being spent on these appointed bodies.

The danger of politicians relying on appointed student and youth councils is that it allows them to circumvent the student governments that students in Canada have been electing and

paying money into each year for the past century. Appointees could be loyal to those who appointed them. Hypothetically, what is preventing these advisory councils from being stacked with individuals who support certain policy agendas and other political goals — even if not expressed in formal partisan capacities — that contradict what students and youth actually need? It is also more difficult for us to hold appointees accountable than our elected student representatives because there is no formal mechanism to directly vote appointees out of power.

The solution is simple: replace appointed positions on the advisory councils with elected representatives from major student governments in Canada.

Some examples of student governments that should be included at federal and provincial levels are the CFS, which represents over 500,000 students; the CASA, which represents about 264,000 students; the British Columbia Federation of Students, which represents over 170,000 students; the College Student Alliance, which represents over 100,000 students; the Quebec Student Union, which represents about 91,000 students; and the Ontario Student Trustees Association, which is the largest student government in Canada and represents over 2,000,000 students, including many who are also represented by the CFS and the CASA. Some seats can be reserved for youth who are not students, but the number of these seats should represent the proportion of non-student youth within the youth population in the council’s jurisdiction. They should ideally come from organizations representing unemployed youth who are not students, youth components of labour unions, and young professionals’ organizations that elect their leadership. Furthermore, the TYC should include representation from every relevant postsecondary student union and school board level student government in the city.

Students and youth need a voice on policies that affect them now more than ever. While these appointed councils may provide the illusion of

representation, in reality, they are merely tokenism.

This article is not a critique of the student and youth representatives on these councils who do all they can to make a difference, but rather a critique of the ways in which policymakers have structured the councils’ processes. Listening to our collective voices communicated through our own democratic processes will help make future policies more informed and more inclusive of the diverse groups that comprise Canada’s student and youth population.

Justin Patrick is a PhD student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, the external commissioner of the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union, and the president of the International Association for Political Science Students. He served as the internal commissioner of the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union from January to April 2019. He was also a governance and policy analyst for the University of Toronto Students’ Union from June to September 2019.

Our own democratically elected student unions can help make future policies more informed and inclusive.

PHOTOS BY STEVEN LEE, SHANNA HUNTER, NATHAN CHAN, AND MARGAUX PARKER /THEVARSITY

Vaccine passports are key to combating the fourth wave While losses in privacy are inevitable, the vaccine certificate can help protect Ontario residents

The implementation of a vaccine passport is ultimately a bold and proactive step to avoid further reactive closures.

CAROLINE BELLAMY/THEVARSITY

Vincent Zhang Varsity Contributor

Starting September 22, proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required to access certain businesses and settings in Ontario. Led by Premier Doug Ford and his government, the “enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate” system will seek to protect Ontario residents from the fourth wave.

For the first month, fully vaccinated citizens must use their vaccine receipt and valid photo identification to enter the areas listed in the new passport mandate, including restaurants, nightclubs, gyms, concerts, and sporting events. After a month, the province will make a shift to QR codes containing similar information already included on vaccination receipts. These QR codes will be accompanied by the release of a verification app that will be able to verify an individual’s vaccination status.

This enhanced vaccine certificate is meant to be a temporary solution; hence, the duration of

its use will heavily depend on the outcome of the fourth wave.

The implementation of a vaccine passport is ultimately a bold and proactive step to avoid further reactive closures. Not only will a vaccine passport prevent the spread of COVID-19 in highly contagious areas, but it will also be an incentive to get the vaccine. By limiting the use of high-contraction areas to fully vaccinated citizens, the spread of COVID-19 could be dramatically reduced.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mRNA vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of people spreading the virus. Thus, limiting areas of high contagion to those protected under the vaccine can reduce transmissions.

The vaccine passport may also incentivize people who didn’t want to take the vaccine to get the shots. Those who doubt the vaccine’s safety and efficacy may finally take it to gain access to certain places and activities. More

vaccinated citizens equals a safer community for everyone.

Although this enhanced vaccine certificate will undoubtedly slow the spread of COVID-19, many experts share concerns over the infringement of individuals’ movement. In the 19th century, British philosopher John Stuart Mill argued that individuals should be free to live their lives as they see fit, without interference. Hence, unvaccinated people claim that it is an overstep for the government to limit where they can travel.

However, if one’s autonomous choice poses a health hazard to their neighbors, limiting their movement may be a legitimate strategy for the well-being of those around them. The public health of an entire community is a more important value than the liberty of the unvaccinated. In this sense, vaccine passports are ethical.

Others have shared privacy concerns regarding the release of a verification app. Kerry Bowman, a U of T bioethicist, fears that the vaccine passport would create breaches of privacy for Canadian citizens. Bowman also shared concerns over the storing of sensitive location data. However, these concerns can be dismissed as long as the government takes proper measures to ensure that the vaccine passport is immune to tracking and forgery.

Vaccine passports would also share one’s vaccination status, information that counts as personal health information, which should be private and confidential. However, the information given in a QR code seems inconsequential, as it would contain only your name and vaccina-

tion status. Furthermore, some loss of privacy can be justified for the sake of public safety when millions of lives are at stake.

The final concern cited by opposers of the vaccine passport is the worry of discrimination.

This concern, backed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, builds on fears that the vaccine passport would create a “two-tier” society, creating tension between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. According to a CBC article, many people even believe that the discrimination faced by the unvaccinated would be comparable to discrimination based on race, religion, or ethnicity.

However, this is hardly a concrete argument.

‘Discrimination’ refers to the unfair treatment towards someone based on uncontrollable characteristics of race, sex, belief, identity, religion, or disability. These protected characteristics cannot be equated with a choice about a vaccine. Further, Vardit Ravitsky, a bioethicist at the University of Montréal, pointed out that the restrictions are temporary and specific to a place or activity. Meticulously planned restrictions do not seek to discriminate — ­ rather, they simply seek to control a global pandemic.

A vaccine passport may introduce risks to freedoms of movement and privacy. However, patient and careful implementation of a vaccine certificate can help reduce these risks while also limiting the spread of COVID-19.

Vincent Zhang is a second-year financial economics student at Innis College.

thevarsity.ca/section/comment

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

11

Op-ed: UTSC must do better in the upcoming hybrid term We have tangible recommendations for the administration based on real students’ concerns Anika Munir, Aarushi Taneja, and Rajpreet Sidhu Varsity Contributors

The UTSC student body represents a diverse demographic, with nearly 2,000 international students spanning from 81 different countries. With a diverse population comes a wide range of learning experiences, all uniquely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We decided to conduct a research project this past summer to examine the educational experiences of marginalized students and explore how UTSC’s domestic and international students have viewed their education during the pandemic. Specifically, the research focused on how pandemic policies and educational practices have impacted the learning experience and, by extension, the well-being of students.

We organized a feedback event with 20 participants and we ensured the space was reflective and safe for folks to share. During the feedback event, students spoke in breakout rooms about the key issues that they faced with virtual learning. The goal was to involve both domestic and international students, and this was possible through multiple student groups promoting the feedback event on various social media platforms.

Students spoke about how the credit/no credit (CR/NCR) UTSC policy, which can currently be applied only to elective courses and courses that are breadth requirements, would be useful if it allowed individuals to apply it to any course that they were

taking without limiting the number of courses that it could be used for.

Students also expressed how the CR/NCR option would be helpful in situations when it is hard to know if a program requirement course would be something they are interested in based on a short description on the UTSC calendar.

Many students spoke about issues with virtual exams, including distractions, students asking questions on Bb Collaborate during exam time, and the timing of their exams. We found that international students in particular would have preferred that the university — for the sake of their sleep schedule and health — accommodated them so that they could write their exams during the day instead of at night.

Students also expressed during the breakout sessions that assignment submissions were tough, as they felt they were not receiving responses from professors and teaching assistants about the questions they had on assignments. Furthermore, one student shared how during the pandemic, their professor implemented a 12.5 per cent late penalty for one day. These types of penalties are counterproductive and can add more stress to students.

It is also important to consider the impact online education has had on student mental health. Many students we had discussions with said that their mental health suffered due to the pandemic, which in turn impacted their academic performance and student life.

We found that this was partly due to the inability to separate home and work life,

FIONA TUNG/THEVARSITY

and some students felt as though the replacement of multiple-choice exams with essay questions or assignments added to their workload and created additional academic pressure.

After taking notes in each of the breakout rooms, we compiled a list of reforms that were reviewed.

These reforms include: 1. Ensuring access to mental health services beyond online apps and resources 2. Ensuring professors respond to students in a timely manner and have clear guidelines on deadlines, late penalties, et cetera 3. Revising the CR/NCR policy 4. Ensuring international students have access to health services

previously provided by UTSC, which is especially pertinent for essential mental health services that are unavailable in other countries 5. Ensuring accessibility and flexibility with deadlines 6. Removing synchronous exams for international students 7. Offering online resources and activities during hours that international students can access The next step we took was to communicate these findings and recommended reforms to larger University of Toronto networks.

We wrote letters and shared with relevant stakeholders what should be changed this fall term, as many students at UTSC are still taking

courses virtually. Some of the stakeholders we contacted included Scarborough Campus Students’ Union Vice-President Academics & University Affairs Rimsha Rahman, UTSC Vice-Principal Academic & Dean William Gough, and the department of human geography’s Department Chair Thembela Kepe on behalf of the Geography and City Studies Student Association.

Building a healthy community at UTSC is a priority, especially to current students who have developed an affinity for online learning. Understanding the perspectives of various students from diverse community backgrounds gives us a critical and intersectional lens we can use to look at online learning, including its merits in expanding accessibility.

Students’ shared experiences can help create equitable policies to implement into learning post-COVID-19 in a university setting.

Anika Munir is a third-year public policy, city studies, and public law student at UTSC. She is the Director of Human Geography on the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union and the co-president of the Geography and City Studies Student Association (GCSA). Rajpreet Sidhu is a recent graduate of the international development studies co-op and human geography program at UTSC and is currently working at the national office of Parks Canada in the visitor use management team. Aarushi Taneja is a fourth-year health sciences and human geography student at U of T and the vice-president of communications of the GCSA.

Student groups aren’t businesses The Student Choice Initiative was never a solution for high tuition or a lack of innovation Tyler Riches Varsity Contributor

A recent piece in The Varsity titled “Striking down the Student Choice Initiative was a mistake” posits that the Student Choice Initiative (SCI) benefitted students by showing them why their tuition fees are so high and pressuring student groups to find efficiencies and increase accountability.

However, I would argue that neither of these are the case; the solutions to these problems don’t lie in the SCI but rather in pushing for changes on our campus and in the postsecondary sector as a whole.

The article argues that, by breaking down what each incidental fee goes to and allowing students to choose whether to opt out of these fees, the SCI provided “a clear-cut solution to long-existing problems, like confusingly high tuition.”

Except it didn’t. The article itself admits that “at U of T in particular during the fall 2019 semester, students were able to opt out of an average of $60 of their $850 [of] incidental fees.”

In terms of the thousands of dollars that students pay each semester, $60 barely makes a dent. So why is our tuition so high?

In the 2020–2021 academic year, our tuition fees constituted 65 per

cent of U of T’s revenue. This follows a trend of declining government funding for publicly funded universities, and universities have grown increasingly reliant on tuition fees to make up the difference. To put it bluntly, our tuition is high because successive governments have decided that the financial cost of higher education shouldn’t burden society at large and have instead shifted this cost onto students to face on their own. If education is as essential as the author claims, we should start treating it like the public good that it is and reverse this trend.

But returning to incidental fees: the fees that students weren’t able to opt out of under the SCI included funding for athletic facilities, health & counselling, and academic support, among other things.

The article argues that these guidelines are fair “because they prioritize items related to the welfare of all students.”

Does orientation programming not contribute to student welfare?

What about programming from the hundreds of clubs at U of T? During the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Toronto Students’ Union’s (UTSU) Student Aid Program helped students pay for rent, groceries, and other essential costs. Does financial aid not contribute to student welfare? One could argue that not every student uses the Student Aid Program, but

I could say the same for campus athletic facilities. Only one of these things was deemed “non-essential,” and it wasn’t the gyms.

The article also suggests that budget cuts would pressure clubs to find more “innovative solutions” to make up for these cuts, and if they’re unable to do so or fail to garner enough student support, “their dissolution is justified.” But clubs can’t easily “innovate” their way out of a slashed budget. Cuts would lead to reduced programming, which would reduce their appeal to students, which would hurt the club. This would have a negative impact on campus life, as clubs would struggle to attract members and have to try torun engaging programming with fewer resources.

Next, the article suggests that student newspapers like The Varsity could move to a subscription-based model in lieu of a levy. I hadn’t really thought about it until I read this suggestion, but we are lucky to have access to a robust newspaper without a paywall. The Varsity has consistently held the university, student unions, and even governments accountable. It’s hypocritical to criticize the high cost of university and then suggest erecting a paywall in front of coverage that often sheds light on that very subject.

Lastly, the article touches upon

ANDREA ZHAO/THEVARSITY

student unions. It cites examples of financial mismanagement by student leaders and asks if “U of T students [should] be expected to blindly fund and trust their student unions?”

The answer is no. Students should demand accountability and transparency from their unions at every turn and push for changes when those demands aren’t being met. Beginning on page 44 of the UTSU’s Report on the Canadian Federation of Students is a summary of the decades-long fight to fix the UTSU’s power imbalances, toxic elections, and democratic deficit. Cohorts of students pushed for something better without knowing if it would ever be achieved. Today, there’s still valid criticism of the UTSU, but having a well-funded student union that provides high-quality services and

advocates for the student body is significantly better than the alternative: the absence of one.

The article rightly points out that many students aren’t aware of what their fees go to. Student groups must do a better job of engaging with students to address this problem. But should we treat our clubs and unions like businesses and apply a ‘use it or lose it’ mentality toward their programming and services? I certainly don’t think so.

Tyler Riches is a fourth-year human geography, urban studies, and women and gender studies student at University College. They were the 2020–2021 vice-president, public & university affairs of the University of Toronto Students’ Union.

12

THE VARSITY

FEATURES

Our workplaces don't work

Finding a job is difficult — especially with Catherine Dumé Varsity Contributor

Summertime has finally come to an end and a new school term has begun. But before we fully submerge ourselves in piles upon piles of stress, I want to remark upon a frustrating discovery I made over the course of the summer: job hunting as a student with no experience is never easy, but as a person with disabilities, it is far more difficult.

I am hearing-impaired, epileptic, and have poor motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Any job that carries the expectation of quick service, like a customer service job with long lines, will be overwhelming for me and might cause me to have a seizure. While I eventually found a job at the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association during the last half of the summer, I can’t help but be frustrated at how much my options were limited based on my disabilities.

I’m not the only one experiencing this difficulty. Unemployment is common in the disabled community. According to Statistics Canada, only 49 per cent of disabled people aged 25 and above are employed. In contrast, the employment rate is 60.6 per cent among the general population 16 and older. On top of that, graduate students with a disability are less likely to obtain management positions.

Of course, unemployment may be the result of hiring discrimination, but it can also result from a lack of proper accommodations and accessibility in the workplace.

Fortunately, the pandemic forced workplaces to introduce remote work. While that didn’t solve everything, it allowed those who have physical disabilities to work from home with ease. No longer did they have to stress over how to get to the location of their workplace and move around its space; instead, they could navigate the familiar environment of their homes.

Yet, the more that people are getting vaccinated, the more it looks like we will start to return to “normalcy” in the workplace.

While that is exciting, it is important that workplaces maintain their accommodations for employees, especially those with disabilities, so that they are not left behind in the transition to normalcy.

If those with disabilities are to feel welcome at work, workplaces which are inherently ableist in nature need to change.

Myths about accessibility in the workplace When we think of accommodations and accessibility, we usually think of wheelchair accessibility: ramps, wide hallways, elevators, higher desks — the whole nine yards. But although “accommodations” and “accessibility” seem similar, the two terms have different meanings.

Accessibility refers to systems that are designed to be used by everyone, while accommodations are systems designed

to be used by a few specific people.

Different disabilities and chronic illnesses require different types of accommodations.

Unfortunately, employers do not make all of those accommodations available.

According to Melanie Scott, Rick Hansen Foundation’s marketing communications writer, there are three main myths that make work difficult to secure for people with disabilities.

The first of those myths is that people with disabilities are lazy and can’t work efficiently.

If you enter the phrase “laziness in the workplace” into your search bar, you will likely find a whole slew of articles and blog posts with titles like “5 Kinds of Lazy Employees and How to Handle Them” and “I’ve Got a Lazy Employee, What Do I Do?” The people who post these entries define a lazy employee as someone who arrives late, pretends to be a victim to get out of a situation, procrastinates, or is overall a troublemaker.

Through my own research, I have discovered a binary distinction between people’s views of laziness and productivity. In my view, every business owner wants their employees to be productive because they believe that when everyone is putting in the work, they get to maximize profits. According to a study about productivity in the workplace, “An important indicator of workplace performance is productivity defined as the amount of output produced for inputs used.”

Here, input refers to the resources needed to accomplish a task — such as building a car, for example — and includes time, money, and effort. On the other hand, output refers to accomplished tasks — the car or product itself. The fewer resources you use to achieve a greater output, the higher your profit.

People with disabilities may take more time to complete tasks, may need more breaks than other employees, and might potentially need to leave work early due to chronic issues. However, while I understand that business owners value productivity, considering those with disabilities ‘lazy’ for requiring more resources to complete tasks discounts the fact that they must work twice as hard in order to put out the same output. It also overlooks their need for accommodations or accessibility services.

Overall, this myth is harmful and overall disrespectful to the disabled community.

Despite their disabilities, these persons are talented, skilled, and are willing to do the work. Not hiring a person because they are disabled is an unfair assumption of their capabilities.

Secondly, people may believe that providing accommodations is expensive — but that’s not the case. According to a 1,029 participant survey conducted by the Job Accommodation Network, 56 per cent of employers said they were able to

provide accommodations at no cost, 39 per cent experienced a one-time cost of $500 on average, and only 4 per cent reported that providing accommodations required annual costs. Thus, it is blatant ableism and discrimination to turn a person with disability away because of the potential expenses their accommodations might incur.

Third, people may assume that having a disability means receiving special treatment.

The term ‘special treatment’ implies that, without accommodations, everyone has equal opportunities to succeed, and that allowing accommodations for disabled workers separates a few workers from the rest and gives them unnecessary benefits. It’s like getting a VIP ticket to a movie or concert.

However, a person’s disability poses barriers that shape every aspect of their lives, and receiving accommodations and having systems of accessibility in place are necessary for them to experience life to the

“If those with disabilities are to feel welcome at work, workplaces which are inherently ableist in nature need to change.”

GLADYS LOU/THEVARSITY

fullest. For instance, I am hard of hearing; thus, if I am meeting someone or attending class, I require the main speaker to wear an FM microphone. When that’s not possible, the person speaking can also face me and remove their mask at a safe distance, so I can lip read to understand them. When these accommodations are granted, I am given the chance to understand the professor just as well as the rest of the class, essentially leveling the playing field. This is not granting me special treatment.

These three myths are harmful because they may reduce the confidence of any potential employee with a disability when they’re applying for a job.

Physical barriers Even if these myths were somehow eliminated from society's psyche, the physical and sensory barriers in workplaces also require accommodations and accessibility services.

features@thevarsity.ca

for people with disabilities

hout accommodations and accessibility People with disabilities may also experience many physical barriers when navigating their workplaces.

One type of physical barrier deals with entering and exiting buildings. Those who are unable to walk distances require parking space close to the main entrance of the building, and its absence can be problematic for them.

In that same vein, people who use wheelchairs have to take the elevator to get around a building. However, when there is an emergency, such as a fire, elevators cannot be used. Therefore, the problem for them becomes how to get out safely and quickly.

Fortunately, Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) has provided a detailed document that provides useful suggestions to get wheelchair users out safely and quickly in the event of an emergency. For instance, it is important that businesses practice moving special needs equipment while practicing their emergency plan. Also, if businesses have employees who

use wheelchairs, EMO suggests that they have an emergency evacuation chair near the stairwell for quick evacuation.

Legally, employers should make these considerations for disabled employees. The Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations indicate that emergency plans should be developed with everyone in mind, including workers with disabilities.

Despite the fact that this legislation exists, it is important to recognize that, while the Ontarians with Disabilities Act sought to improve opportunities for people with disabilities in 2001, mandatory accessibility standards weren’t established until 2005.

These legal protections are fairly recent, and Ontario also passed the Multi-Year Accessibility Plan in 2018, but we still have a long way to go before workplaces in the province are fully accessible.

The second major type of physical barriers is related to the size of the business’ location.

“While I eventually found a job at the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association during the last half of the summer, I can’t help but be frustrated at how much my options were limited based on my disabilities.”

That can include the size of the entrances, hallways, and personal work spaces.

For instance, when working at a mall food court, the cooking and counter space is far too narrow for people who need to use a wheelchair or a walker to get around the counter and serve others. This small space forces employees to stand for hours at a time, which is not good for those who experience exhaustion and pain when they stand for long periods of time.

In workplace bathrooms, some of the most ordinary objects that we use every day are not accessible for everyone. For instance, some people, like those with dwarfism or wheelchairs, may struggle to reach sinks that are too tall.

Sensory barriers Due to the ongoing pandemic, it has become the standard in any workplace that everyone wears masks and observes social distance protocols for safety measures.

However, this policy creates barriers for those who are deaf and hard of hearing, as masks can muffle voices, as well as hide lip movements and facial expressions.

In my experience, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disapproves of the use of face shields for everyday use, the use of face shields in place of masks can drastically improve these issues. Clear masks are even better.

Speech-language and Audiology Canada released a statement encouraging the use of clear masks to promote COVID-19 protection and accommodations alike.

People who are blind or visually impaired struggle to see and require accommodations that can help them navigate the building and read important signs. In those cases, sensory barriers may include a lack of Braille on signs, big fonts, or easily visible ‘wet floor’ signs.

I mention wet floor signs in particular because some people who have poor vision struggle to see them. In a video from Accessible Media, Alex Smyth, who is visually impaired, points out that these signs are “too short to spot easily.” As a result, he often knocks them over.

He also remarks on the colour of wet floor signs — he claims that neon yellow tends to blend into the background, and he suggests that brighter colors, like red, would be easier to spot.

While knocking these signs down may be an annoyance for Alex, his difficulty seeing

the signs also means that he would not be able to notice that he is about to walk on a wet floor and may slip and harm himself.

Despite the fact that they are supposed to be a symbol of safety, the poor design of wet floor signs means that they become a hazard for those who are visually impaired or blind.

Potential systems of accessibility There are so many ways employers can make their businesses more accessible for potential employees. I’m hard of hearing, and some of the systems of accessibility I’m familiar with include purchasing clear masks or face visors, ensuring videos have closed-captioning, and hiring sign language interpreters or training employees in sign language.

Employers can also write memos about announcement contents for the deaf and hearing-impaired, provide visual emergency notifications, supply headsets with built-in microphone for quality sound, and arrange for audio description or screen readers.

In order to accommodate those with physical disabilities, workplaces should create accessible emergency evacuation plans, floor plans and interior design for all.

They should allow for remote work where possible, and grant extended time for the completion of tasks.

I believe that the more we accept people with disabilities into the workplace, the more society will realize that people with disabilities are productive, efficient, and loyal employees who are creative in coming up with solutions in the face of a crisis.

In my personal experience, most college students who have disabilities are able to successfully navigate their academics.

Whatever challenges they have faced have shaped them into overcomers, making them the examples of true grit that are needed in the workforce. Who wouldn’t want an employee who exhibits these traits?

So, accessible and accommodating work environments will motivate employees with disabilities and ultimately affect businesses’ bottom line for the better. In addition, proper accommodations can restore a lost sense of dignity and independence to individuals with disabilities, especially those who have spent the majority of their lives dependent on loved ones or hired helpers to function.

People with disabilities still need to pay their bills and tuition, as well as afford the basic services they need to live. We can’t do that if workplaces remain inaccessible to us.

TIFF 2021 Belfast Sir Kenneth Branagh’s film is reminiscent of his childhood

September 20, 2021 thevarsity.ca/section/arts-and-culture arts@thevarsity.ca

Will Gotlib Varsity Contributor

Belfast is the most recently premiered film from Sir Kenneth Branagh, a British writer, director, and actor whose career spans for decades. In a hit-or-miss filmography, the semiautobiographical film stands out by marrying Branagh’s signature sentimentality and charm to an uncharacteristically personal story.

Branagh is a classically trained actor, best known for his English-class staple Shakespeare adaptations, spins on classics such as Frankenstein, and oddly dispassionate studio tentpoles. His films usually carry a sense of grandiose theatricality and melodrama, where human emotion is magnified and visualized into an electric and abrasive style via crashing lightning, eccentric angles, or exaggerated acting.

Leaning away from these impulses, Belfast is surprisingly subtle and tender. The film reflects on Branagh’s childhood growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the late 1960s. We see it through the eyes of nine-year-old Buddy — portrayed by Jude Hill — who’s the centre of an impressive ensemble cast. Buddy traverses the tumult of religion, romance, and family drama as anti-Catholic riots escalate in his beloved, tightknit community. With the situation becoming increasingly perilous, his parents — moving performances from Caitríona Balfe and Jamie Dornan — are forced to decide whether or not to leave what has been their generational home.

The film is clearly an exercise in nostalgia and acts as a sort of dramatized memoir. Its reality remains somewhat heightened and fantastical, though mostly through tone and atmosphere.

Everything is defined by Buddy’s perspective, and further what Branagh’s consciously rosetinted memories refine the child’s view to.

Belfast is shot in deep black and white and largely confined to a single block. Belfast is his world. Most of his life takes place on one street, where everyone is friendly and knows each other — trouble and disharmony only ever come from the outside. His family consists of simply “Ma” and “Pa” and “Granny” and “Pop.” Belfast, both the film and the city, is emblematic of a time in Branagh’s life that felt happy and simple, despite the chaos and violence embedded throughout.

Any main plot feels secondary to bearing witness to life, like a bittersweet reminiscence.

The lack of direct narrative thrust does sometimes leave the movie in awkward places. The script is

excellent on a moment-to-moment scale, which is how most of Belfast operates. Its charm and heart are strong, but it doesn’t feel like a single piece. The transitions between what feels like disconnected vignettes interrupt the film’s sensitive pace and flow. After a great visual tour of Belfast, its connective tissue feels like objects of necessity rather than of specific purpose.

The most traditional arcs — mainly concerning Buddy’s semi-absent father’s struggle with the Protestant radicals fracturing the neighbourhood — don’t feel innovative. Buddy’s family conversations are heartwarming and melancholic, due to terrific performances across the board, but there’s not a whole lot more to the story outside what you might take from its face value.

However, given the backdrop of Buddy’s passion for film and theatre, words and deeds assume more meaning. The movie is entirely cast in his dramatizing instincts; equating his father with a heroic Western sheriff, for example.

We see and feel the world of the film through Buddy: his fear through the booming voice of a pastor, and his joy as he watches films with his family, whose vibrant colours invoke wonder and inspiration against the generally monochromatic scenes. It’s an unexpected and smart touch.

Visually, Belfast feels scaled back from Branagh’s other works that are more stylistically intense — like in Thor, where basically every other shot is on a 45 degree angle. Instead, it relies on simple camera movements and steady, stark compositions. The characters take centre stage rather than occupying the space within a slick maneuver of the camera.

The black and white cinematography by one of Branagh’s regular collaborators, Haris Zambarloukos, creates a mixed effect. On a thematic and atmospheric level, the look contains tactful touches of colour, solidifying its intentions.

Many modern implementations of black and white, especially amateur ones, fall into a muddy digital look that bury important details in dull shades of grey. Belfast occasionally stuns with harsh contrast and striking framing, but it just as often ends up looking disappointingly flat.

Still, Branagh’s film is a delight to watch. Even his most serious and action-packed projects have a soft, sentimental edge to them, and Belfast uses it in a new way. The joy, love, and goodness that binds Buddy’s life together brings out a longing for times past, regardless of one’s specific origins. By placing us so tenderly in his own shoes, Branagh makes his individual story universal.

Titane

The visceral film is Julia Ducournau’s literal take on ‘car sex’

Corinne Langmuir Varsity Contributor

Content warning: The plot of Titane contains mentions of murder.

Director Julia Ducournau returns to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with her highly anticipated film, Titane, and it’s making audiences queasier than ever. Following the wild success of her debut feature Raw, this long-awaited followup has garnered critical acclaim early into film festival season.

Titane opens with a seductive close-up of the mechanical interiors of a car. As the scene continues,

a young Alexia, the film’s protagonist, is seen creating a fit in the backseat. She mimics the hum of the engine at an unpleasant volume and kicks the back of her father’s chair until he grows impatient.

As his anger intensifies, Alexia’s pestering continues, and an altercation between the pair ensues. Their bickering grows worse, and Alexia’s father loses control, crashing the car into a road barrier.

Alexia sustains a serious head injury, which requires a titanium — or ‘titane’ — plate to be surgically placed around the curve of her ear.

Viewers get a taste of the grotesque scenes to come with a nauseatingly detailed showing of the piece being drilled to Alexia’s skull. The repercussions of the surgery mimic a parent’s worst nightmare; it leaves Alexia with an odd, sexual attraction to cars.

Fast-forward to present day, Alexia, easily identified by the same horseshoe-shaped scar, is now in her 30s and working as a go-go dancer for a motor show. Her innate attraction to the vehicles she works with makes her a star and in turn, attracts attention — mostly unwanted — from men.

After a long night of work, Alexia refuses an autograph from a male fan. Rather than taking no for an answer, he chases her to her car where he then professes his undying love. Alexia, visibly annoyed, signs his paper only for the man to force her into a kiss. Initially shocked, Alexia quickly turns the kiss sensual. This buys her time to grab

her sharp hairpin from the back of her head and swiftly stab the man’s brain through his ear.

Following her first on-screen killing, Alexia cleans off the evidence of the murder in the motor show’s shower. Her frantic scrub is interrupted by a metallic drum sound, luring her out to the showroom. A glistening customized show-car stands erect and continues its rhythmic mating call. Alexia gets in and the car begins to bounce vigorously — the director’s literal take on car sex.

Alexia’s thirst for blood is far from over. During her next human hook-up, she discovers that her most recent one-night stand had resulted in an unexpected pregnancy. Half-car, half-human, the unborn child only complicates Alexia’s status as a serial killer on the run.

Ducournau masterfully sandwiches beats of comedy between the unconventional sex and gruesome violence. At all times, the director has viewers either cringing, laughing, or clawing on the arms of their chairs in anticipation.

However, the emotional turbulence provoked

by Ducournau’s films prove to be too much for some. At TIFF’s Midnight Madness screening of Titane, an audience member fainted and was promptly assisted by paramedics. This is a recurring reaction to Ducournau’s work; her 2016 Midnight Madness screening of Raw had the same effect on a few unsuspecting viewers.

The semi-autobiographical film blends charm to a personal story.

COURTESY OF TIFF

Despite the graphic nature of the film, the brutal sex and violence seemed to bode well with those at Cannes Film Festival, receiving a nine minute standing ovation following its world premiere.

The film went on to win this year’s Palme d’Or, the most prestigious prize at Cannes. Ducournau made history as the second woman to win this internationally recognized award.

Beyond the initial layers of this intense film, Titane is tender and heartwarming at its core. It is a film with much to offer: a love story, a family reunion, serial killers and their love for cars. So grab a ticket, get some popcorn, and prepare a barf bag — or two. Titane is a truly visceral experience.

Brain surgery leaves Alexia with an odd sexual attraction to cars.

COURTESY OF TIFF

thevarsity.ca/section/arts-and-culture

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

All My Puny Sorrows Michael McGowan’s film uses colour, light and music to examine life’s fragility Andrea Zhao Illustration Editor

Content warning: The plot of All My Puny Sorrows contains discussions of suicide.

Music, mental illness, and family dynamics are explored in this novel adaptation.

COURTESY OF TIFF

All My Puny Sorrows — a daunting adaptation of Miriam Toews’ 2014 award-winning novel with the same name, directed by Toronto International Film Festival regular Michael McGowan — premiered at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre on September 11.

At first glance, the film is a cleaner, more surgical adaptation of the free-flowing verse and slow desperation of the original novel for the big screen.

For just over 100 minutes, audiences are immersed in the lives of the Von Riesen family, made up of sisters Yoli, a struggling writer going through a difficult divorce, and Elf, an acclaimed concert pianist who suffers from severe depression. Like her father, who died by suicide, Elf struggles with suicidal ideation.

The rest of the family is made up of a steadfast mother, Lottie; a clever, no-nonsense aunt Tina; and Yoli’s teenage daughter Nora, who is predictably sardonic yet surprisingly wise. After Elf’s most recent suicide attempt, her family rallies around her in a last-ditch attempt to motivate her to continue living.

The film’s story is driven by long stretches of emotionally charged dialogue and slow, contemplative scenes in relative silence.

However, there are also snippets of ironic humour interspersed throughout conversations

about intergenerational trauma and the meaning of life in the face of death. Although the film’s plot feels rushed at times and lethargic at others, it’s a worthy watch because of the main cast’s stunning performances and the careful craftsmanship of its scenery and sound.

The visuals in the film are of particular interest. Most scenes are sapped of colour, relying almost entirely on a sterilized wintry palette of whites, greys, browns, and blues. Brief exceptions are occasionally made — the interior of Yoli’s Toronto house is relatively colourful, as is Lottie’s home in Winnipeg — but most scenes are intentionally restricted to a harsh and desaturated range of colours meant to evoke a sense of detachment, discomfort, and dread.

The use of light is equally important; the film is not only bleak but also painfully bright, further reinforcing established feelings of despair and turmoil. When viewers first meet Elf, she is playing at a sold-out concert under blinding floodlights, clearly caught in anxiety and distress, despite all of the success and love she has found in life.

White lights are used throughout the film — long fluorescent bulbs overhead at the hospital, cold burning sunlight piercing through windows at cafes — never allowing us to believe that anything in this world could be gentle or warm.

Symbolism also plays a role in communicating intrinsic parts of the plot; hints are subtly interwoven into a number of important scenes.

One instance occurs during Yoli’s cab ride from the airport to the hospital, where the film cuts to a prolonged shot of a cross on the side of a community church. The cross is a reminder of the women’s upbringing in a tiny Menonnite community whose religious elders likely played a role in their father’s untimely death. When Elf speaks to Yoli after she’s transferred to the psychiatric ward, we catch a glimpse through her window of a train speeding on the tracks — another reminder of their father’s suicide and a

15

clue to Elf’s eventual demise.

Just as prominent is the film’s soundtrack, which is a collection of original pieces deftly composed by Jonathan Goldsmith. The music is modern and melancholic, designed to evoke deep and reflective emotions of sadness and hope in the audience. Considering one of the film’s main actors is a famous concert pianist, it is interesting that only one well known classical piece is used during the film’s entirety.

In the sequence, Elf and Yoli’s father argue with church elders visiting their home. He defends his daughter’s wishes to study music in university, while a 15-year-old Elf perfects Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Minor to drown out the conversation. The adult version of Elf practices and performs more abstract pieces similar to the film’s soundtrack itself, pieces which are significantly easier to play.

This shift may be an intentional one. Elf tackled the musical world’s most challenging pieces with vigour in her youth, but as an adult burdened with mental illness, a simple practice session becomes overwhelming. When Rachmaninoff’s Prelude stops, Elf is flooded with emotions and shuts down. In the silence that follows, we are also forced to contemplate the sorrows in our lives, as we bear witness to her incredible pain.

Although certainly imperfect, All My Puny Sorrows is still a worthy watch. It features lifelike characters and a storyline that tackles personal and societal tragedies, filled with sharp dialogue, much-needed humour, and clever cultural references. The film is also perfectly completed by its pinpoint visual and audio design, as well as the execution of both elements in conjunction and in relation to the story itself.

Fans of the novel will enjoy a faithful adaptation of one of the best Canadian books of the last decade. As audience members watching the film, we can expect a new clarity regarding the futility of our tiny little lives.

The Starling I wish that Theodore Melfi’s film had leaned further into the intimacy of its narrative Stephanie Bai Managing Online Editor

Not all stories have to be big ones, though this may seem an unlikely lens through which to view the Toronto International Film Festival’s star-studded premiere of The Starling. B when this movie shines brightest, it’s by the incandescent glow of ordinary intimacy.

Directed by Theodore Melfi with a screenplay

by Matt Harris, The Starling follows the parallel narratives of grief felt by Lilly Maynard, played by Melissa McCarthy, and Jack Maynard, played by Chris O’Dowd. After the death of their daughter, Katie, from sudden infant death syndrome, Lily and Jack find themselves on diverging paths.

Lily works in a supermarket, listlessly stacking food under the supervision of Timothy Olyphant, who plays her manager. Jack is staying in a mental health facility after a breakdown. Both seek guidance after the random cruelty of their daughter’s death; Jack searches for inner strength, and Lily looks to Dr. Larry, played by Kevin Kline, who is a former psychologist turned veterinarian.

Melfi’s greatest reward to the audience comes when he lets the actors explore the intimate nuances in their emotional journeys. In one of the most heart-wrenching scenes — after Lily impulsively moves her daughter’s furniture out of her house — she stares at the four indentations on the carpet where her child’s crib once stood. In a fervor, she gets down on her knees and brushes them until the carpet is smooth.

McCarthy may just be the brightest revelation of this movie. She never loses her signature comedic timing, sharpening her tongue before allowing her character to settle back in the grief and bewilderment of loss. Her relationship with Dr. Larry is refreshing, as they parry back and forth with wit and care.

But Lily and Dr. Larry’s friendship remained underdeveloped. With so much potential, it was disappointing to see it squandered by never fleshing out Dr. Larry’s character more.

Who could be more interesting than a highly successful psychologist who gives it all up one day to work as a veterinarian in the countryside?

Even the reason he eventually gave Lily for his departure from his field felt thin and rushed.

Instead, Dr. Larry seemed more like a motor to propel the movie forward. He offered enough insight to help rebuild Lily and Jack’s relationship, which made The Starling rely on the tired trope of a therapist providing emotional clarity. To the film’s credit, it makes sense that Lily would try to find guidance. But if a trope is to be used, it should be used well.

There were other parts that weighed down the movie. The symbolism behind the starling, for starters, played too strong a role. It felt like every 15 minutes, there was another perfectly framed scene that reminded me how important the bird was and how it signified another lesson for Lily.

The soundtrack also featured a confusing number of songs by The Lumineers, which cheapened its emotional scenes. I didn’t want a folksy, dramatic song perfectly encapsulating how a character felt in that moment — I wanted to see it in O’Dowd’s self-deprecating smile during his therapy appointments, or McCarthy’s gaze as she held the phone after her husband hung up on her wordlessly.

Those were the scenes that anchored the entire film: those that focused on the monotony of routine after loss, the conversations that turn on you before you realize it, the smallness of ordinary life, and the extraordinary pains we still suffer. But there is joy to be felt in such situations too, which Melfi reminds us.

Nothing in the film was sensational. I mean that as a compliment, really. It was the story of two people looking to heal and make sense of the randomness of tragedy. I only wish The Starling leaned further into the intimacy of its narrative.

It almost felt like a broken promise to its viewers. I thought I was going to see the pores of normalcy reflected back at me from the screen.

Instead I kept noticing the airbrushing, however light and unevenly applied.

When this movie shines brightest, it’s by the glow of ordinary intimacy.

COURTESY OF TIFF

16

THE VARSITY

arts@thevarsity.ca

ARTS & CULTURE

Last Night in Soho

Sky Kapoor Arts & Culture Associate Editor

Step into a whirlwind of nostalgic fantasy with Edgar Wright’s ’60s-inspired thriller

This year, I went to all of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) showings I had tickets to without prior knowledge about any of the films. Walking into Roy Thomson Hall to watch Last Night in Soho — a film whose tickets sold out within minutes on the TIFF website — was comparable to stepping inside a nostalgic whirlwind of retro mystery.

The film’s popularity is likely due to the notoriety of actors featured in this film — the beloved Anya TaylorJoy, most notably of The Queen’s Gambit, plays the intoxicating bar singer Sandie; alongside her is her manager, Jack, played by Matt Smith, former 11th Doctor from the television series Doctor Who. Directed by Edgar Wright, this anachronistic fantasy thriller follows the life of Eloise, played by Thomasin McKenzie. Eloise is an aspiring fashion designer and lover of all things retro. Residing in the English countryside, her move to London for school is a culture shock, perhaps in more ways than one.

Eloise quickly fails at fitting in with her peers. Because of this, she spends her time getting acquainted with the bedroom she’s chosen to

rent in Soho instead of her college dormitory. Flashes of red, white, and blue lights illuminate her face as she attempts to fall asleep; the subtle drone of the diner lights outside her window are enough to suggest a mysterious element of her flat that can’t be pinpointed.

Following this occurrence, the film’s scenes envelope viewers into a warm, comforting blanket. The space is filled with feel-good nostalgia, from Eloise’s familiar first-year university struggles by day to the kaleidoscopic ’60s dreamscape, where she mysteriously travels to at night.

Is this a dream, or is it something more? Either way, Eloise’s visions of the ’60s are enchanting — colourful, enthralling, and psychotronic scenes filled with mystique. Quickly, the aspiring designer starts to draw heavy inspiration from her nighttime adventures, revisiting the world as if it were her own.

In a layered conglomerate of blood and hopelessness, the cinematography lends itself to an incredible mesh between the characters of Eloise and Sandie. Eloise seems to change drastically throughout the film; she changes her hair and fashion to align concerningly closely with Sandie’s, but also faces similar traumas to those that haunt Sandie in her visions.

Taylor-Joy’s performance as Sandie is terrifyingly convincing, and Mackenzie’s innocent act discreetly fades as her character’s life melds into that of her friend.

The film has an aura unlike any other, with a style that makes it impossible for viewers to look away.

Despite its intoxicating charisma, the film’s ending falls short — it feels like a slightly desperate attempt at explaining the absurdity of the events that occurred prior. The beauty of this film is in its absurdity — thus, its every detail need not be explained.

This tradeoff for a more concrete ending that may satisfy the curiosity of the viewer, however, is not the downfall of this film. The realities of the decade bleed through the beautiful cinematography, making for a very honest film that touches on the dark, predatory atmosphere that shadowed 1960s glamour.

To give too much of this film’s plot away would be a disservice to those who wish to experience this stunning film for themselves. The juxtaposition it creates truly makes it worth watching — the melancholy poignancy of Eloise’s time in her dreamscape psychologically haunts us, while its dazzling aesthetic captures the bright and feel-good spirits of Soho.

This film’s dazzling aesthetic captures the bright and feel-good spirits of Soho.

COURTESY OF TIFF

Drunken Birds Ivan Grbovic’s film is enchanting and atmospheric, but unsatisfying in its social critique Tahmeed Shafiq Managing Editor

Content warning: The plot of Drunken Birds contains discussions of sexual assault.

Drunken Birds — or Les oiseaux ivres in French — is Canadian director Ivan Grbovic’s second full-length film, after his 2011 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) success, Romeo Eleven. In the decade since his last film, Grbovic has made short films and flashy, big-budget commercials for companies like Burger King and Bank of America.

Now, he has channelled his eye for visuals into the lush and symphonic Drunken Birds.

Drunken Birds is a story of migration. In Mexico, a young man named Willy gets involved with a drug lord’s wife, Marela. When they’re discovered, Marela flees the country; Willy

Drunken Birds attempts to tell the story of migrant workers.

COURTESY OF TIFF

doesn’t know where she went, his only clue to finding her being a locket her aunt made in Montréal. Willy spends four years working as a seasonal migrant worker in rural Québec.

Eventually, he winds up at a farm near Montréal, which is where the story begins.

Migrant workers’ rights are an important topic, now more than ever, because farms employing seasonal agricultural workers have suffered numerous COVID-19 outbreaks over the course of the pandemic due to crowded housing conditions. It often seems like the unprotected nature of migrant farm work in Canada gets overshadowed by similar temporary work schemes in the United States, despite the fact that some 60,000 migrant workers across the country contribute to our agriculture. Grbovic understands this: the film was inspired by his observations of migrant workers in rural Québec.

But Drunken Birds never quite manages to be the damning critique of globalised capitalism it sets out to be. Though the film imbues its cast of Mexican migrant workers with tremendous warmth and vitality, its rebuke of the system they work in doesn’t go much further. The film sweeps you along like an orchestra, but when the music dies down, you’re left wanting more.

A captivating visual experience Drunken Birds’ biggest strength is its cinematography. You want to pause and linger over each set piece from co-writer and cinematographer Sara Mishara. The afternoon light of the Québec countryside fills the screen, brushing across the sky in rich colours or lurking in the contours of characters’ faces. Drunken Birds loves dusk, its melancholy and its lighting, and that love comes out in the end result.

The score from Philippe Brault carries the same sense of grandeur. It’s pure emotion, full of harps, drums, and strings. It elevates each scene where it’s given space to be fully heard.

In fact, many aspects of Drunken Birds are a success. The film presents the underrepresented rural Québec setting with charm and great detail. The film’s main performances are gripping.

Jorge Antonio Gurrero, best known for his role in the 2018 hit Roma, brings Willy’s heartache to life with great depth. Hélène Florent consistently steals the limelight as Julie, the farmer’s wife whose loveless marriage drives her to pursue Willy. The tiniest touch of magical realism makes the whole shebang feel dreamlike and hypnotic.

However, the actual screentime for the farm’s migrant workers is a mixed bag. Sometimes, it works well, such as when we see the workers hanging out on their Sunday off. They play chess, they listen to music, and they almost get into drunk fights as their friends egg them on in peals of laughter. They are fully human, not just victims of a transnational system of labour exploitation.

But at other times, the lack of developed characters among the migrant workers is keenly felt.

Willy is the only fleshed-out character among them; everyone else fades into the background.

The film’s decision to make the farming family central to the story instead — prioritizing the experiences of the white and Canadian over the Hispanic and transnational — is a missed opportunity to share important moments like these.

There’s a scene that encapsulates this problem. Willy and the men return to their trailers

to find that the Mexican flag they affixed to the top has fallen. Willy reattaches it, and the camera pulls far back into a long shot of his silhouette watching the sunset, pining for Marela. Yes, the film is about men who’ve come to another country for better opportunities, but the camera also keeps them at a distance. Even Willy, who is supposed to be our guide into their lives, is seen only in outline.

Empathy without criticism Drunken Birds is so deeply invested in humanizing the lives of migrant workers that you can almost overlook its short-sightedness. In one scene, the men visit an internet café on their day off to call their families. We see one man sing a lullaby over the webcam to his child. Another excitedly promises his mother he will be home soon.

But the pain of their separation only shows up in brief moments like this. The poet Robert Hass writes, “Longing, we say, because desire is full of endless distances.” Drunken Birds leaves too much of that distance implicit. It’s in Willy’s nickname for Marela — Mar, Spanish for “sea” — but without more on-screen presence, the emotional turmoil of transnational migration is not explored well enough.

Crucially, we don’t see how race is interwoven within the film’s plot. In the film’s climax, the farm owner tries to have Willy killed because he thinks he has sexually assaulted his daughter. It’s impossible not to see the parallels to slavery plantations. But that’s as far as Grbovic goes in bringing race into the fold. It’s both impressive for its understatedness but still somehow unsatisfying.

Jenna Hennebry, a migration scholar at Wilfrid Laurier University, wrote that Canada’s agricultural program for Mexican migrant workers demonstrates how “the costs of cross-border movements… are absorbed by migrants alone, while many intermediaries profit from this movement.”

Grbovic sadly gives us neither these costs nor a sense of who the profiteers are. We see one farmer benefiting from cheap labour, but not the average person’s dependence on their harvest.

At a time when these migrant worker programs are being slammed for their precarity and poor working conditions, Drunken Birds feels underdeveloped. Don’t get me wrong — it’s enchanting, atmospheric and well worth watching. But while it will leave you with a sense of its protagonists’ humanity, it won’t leave you with an informed impression of their situation.

thevarsity.ca/section/arts-and-culture

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Kicking Blood Blaine Thurier’s fresh take on the vampire genre explores the struggles of addiction Khatchig Anteblian Science Editor

Content warning: The plot of Kicking Blood contains discussions of suicide, drug use, and addiction.

When I first saw that the film Kicking Blood, directed by Blaine Thurier, was advertised as a comedy horror vampire movie, I braced myself for mindless — dare I say, trashy — entertainment. What I got instead, however, was neither funny nor scary, but a strange mosaic of scenes, colours, themes, and ideas that left me scrambling to piece everything together.

The conceptual drama explores themes such

as addiction, loss, and identity — mixed into your typical vampire movie. Gone are the castles, black cloaks, and slicked-back hair of Count Dracula and the twinkly, muscular bodies of Edward Cullen and friends; instead, these tropes are replaced with down-on-their-luck blood addicts that evoke pity and sympathy rather than fear and terror.

Just to hammer the vampires-as-junkies metaphor home, the vampires in this film aren’t presented as wealthy aristocrats who hunt innocent victims — although they do like to think of themselves as being superior to humans — but as nighttime scavengers who can’t go out into the sun and struggle to find their next prey. Their victims are themselves lost souls: an adulterer constantly seeking a new thrill, an artist

desperately trying to validate themself through their sculptures, and a man who disassociates from the parts of himself that he prefers not to deal with by hiding behind cocaine and parties.

By explicitly portraying vampires as junkies who find pleasure in drinking human blood, the movie presents addiction as a living being that can be sustained only by sucking the life out of its victims. Addiction is framed not as an active choice, but as an insidious predator that hunts and slowly kills its victims.

The film’s two main characters are Robbie, a homeless alcoholic who is on the verge of committing suicide, and Anna, a vampire who is tired of immortality. The two meet in an unlikely encounter on the street. As Anna takes Robbie to her warehouse lair, she tells him that she will drink his blood and “get high as fuck.”

The consumption of blood is portrayed not as a substance necessary for vampires’ fulfillment, but simply as the result of an irresistible desire for euphoria.

As Robbie resigns himself to his fate of being killed by Anna, she is taken aback, noting that people usually scream and fight back. She spars with Robbie and the two become entangled in each other’s journey of kicking their addiction.

Although Kicking Blood is categorized as horror, the movie isn’t really scary as much as it is uncomfortable.

It inspires a quiet

17

unease that is undercut by very beautiful, but jarring, transitions: bright colours and trippy shots that sharply contrast the film’s dark and gritty tone draw viewers into the story, almost breaking the fourth wall. Throughout the screening, I had to remind myself that I was watching a film, not witnessing real-life events.

Near the climax of the film, Anna is faced with a choice: giving in to her cravings and turning Robbie into a vampire, or letting go of her addiction, likely dying in the process. As I watched a lingering shot of Anna lying unconscious on the ground — during which everyone in the theatre held their breath — I saw the character marvel at the beautiful sunrise cutting through the trees and wilderness surrounding her.

I wondered for a bit whether she died or survived, but realized that it didn’t really matter. In any case, she was able to free herself, and that’s a hopeful message I can get behind.

Classic vampire tropes are replaced with down-on-their-luck blood addicts in this horror film.

COURTESY OF TIFF

Silent Night The audience laughed in self-directed discomfort throughout Camille Griffin’s film Dhruv Jain Varsity Contributor

Keira Knightley is ready for the end of the world.

After fending off swashbuckling pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and embarking on a spur-of-the-moment road trip through a lawless America in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Knightley’s task in this movie seems deceptively simpler: enduring a family Christmas dinner that happens to coincide with, well, the end of the world.

Silent Night is also a family affair for debut director Camille Griffin, whose three children, including Jojo Rabbit star Roman Griffin Davis, feature in the film and whose husband assisted with cinematography.

Introducing the film at its world premiere, Griffin said, “I hope you enjoy the film. Actually, ‘enjoy’ might not be the right word.” And her commentn rings true.

The film starts out as regular holiday fare.

Knightley’s character, Nell, and her husband, Simon (Matthew Goode) prepare to host old friends for a Christmas party.

But as soon as they begin to tuck into the family feast, we quickly learn that all is not as it seems: a poisonous gas is spreading across the world and even the Queen has fled to a bunker that’s filled with baked beans and dog food — for her dog, of course. The kids all have their takes — “It’s the Russians!” says one; “Greta warned us,” says another — as the parents try to shush the world’s troubles away, insisting everyone focus on the merriment in front of them. The dark secret, we soon learn, is that the adults have decided that everyone will take ‘exit pills.’ The pills are the government’s recommended course of action; they will lead to an easy death instead of the painful one that the poisonous gas promises.

Being trapped in a house with a rich family has become a staple on-screen, whether in the Oscar-winning Parasite, the eclectic family reunion in Knives Out, or even the deadly hide and seek game, Get Out. In that regard, Silent Night treads on well-trodden ground — hitting its trope’s basic concepts, and adding a little new insight about posh British people.

But the film works better when Griffin combines that critique with commentary on inaction toward the climate crisis. Climate activist Greta Thunberg’s famous address, “Our house is on fire,” takes a literal meaning in the film, which tackles global issues in the framework of the family. The children think about their eventual demise in a serious manner as their parents deny reality. Nell and Simon insist to their family that their situation is perfectly normal. When they finally acknowledge the poisonous gas, they emphasize that they aren’t responsible for it as parents, in a weak attempt at dark humour.

The couple’s son, Art (Ronan Griffin Davis) is the only dissenting voice, relentlessly pushing back against the parents. Art demands answers for the ills of his world; for example, asking why ‘illegal immigrants’ weren’t given the exit pill his family got. His father attempts to comfort him by explaining that the family is powerless to help those in need. The contrast between these characters captures a pair divided by a generational gap; the elder, paralyzed by inaction, and the younger, who cannot understand complacency.

But here’s where the parallels with reality start to get more messy. Unlike in Silent Night, the problem we face in the real world is not a choice between different kinds of imminent death — such as a poisonous gas or an exit pill — but more one about deciding whether to protect others or participate in inaction.

Art’s inherent questioning of real-life authority figures would make Griffin’s stance appear similar to that of a climate change denier or an anti-vaxxer — a misconception that the director quickly clarified to my screening’s audience, saying this was not the film’s message.

While the film is timely — its plot involves families stuck in homes while an invisible threat lurks outside — the more interesting parallel is the value of dissent in times of disaster. How do we know when to keep asking questions and when to stop?

Silent Night ratchets up the absurdity of its characters’ choices amid looming disaster. The laughter in the theatre, however, was tinged with discomfort, since we were also laughing at ourselves.

This film explores the question: when do we push for answers and when should we know to stop?

COURTESY OF TIFF

Science

September 20, 2021 thevarsity.ca/section/science science@thevarsity.ca

“We’re headed for a grim fall”: A review of U of T's return to campus strategy Scientists call for multiple layers of protection against virus spread, including physical distancing

While the university is confident in its reopening plan, scientists warn that things may get worse.

ERICA LIU/THEVARSITY

Khatchig Anteblian Science Editor

U of T has reopened its doors for everyone to return to campus. While being back on campus after more than a year of online school is certainly a breath of fresh air for many students, many others still have concerns about the safety of going back in person and whether we should be returning at all. Although the prospect of another year online might seem grim, is it ultimately the safest option?

A few months ago, the university released its 12-point strategy for safely returning to campus, which includes health screenings through UCheck, physical distancing — with an exception for classroom activities — face masks, increasing sanitizing stations, upgrading building ventilation and air filtration, and student and staff vaccinations, among other things.

While the university is making strong claims that it’s prepared for a safe return, scientists and public health experts have been skeptical about the idea that we should be going back to campus at all, let alone whether U of T is well prepared for it. In an online webinar hosted on September 9 by the University of Toronto Faculty Association, a panel of experts, including David Fisman, Ashleigh Tuite, and Jeffrey Siegel, spoke about the danger of reopening university campuses and the flaws in some of the methods that U of T is using to prepare for in-person classes.

How U of T has prepared to return One of the ways that the university has prepared for its reopening is by mandating vaccines for all students, staff, and faculty who want to come to campus. Members of the U of T community have to upload their proof of vaccination, which can be downloaded from the Ontario government's COVID-19 website, onto UCheck — an online COVID-19 self-assessment tool — to be allowed on campus.

In an email to the community, the university administration wrote that it “[expects] all members of the community to have their first vaccine dose by

September 13, and to have received their second dose by October 15.” A person is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving their second dose, so the university expects everyone to be fully vaccinated by October 29.

According to an email from a U of T spokesperson, as of September 15, around 65,000 community members had uploaded their proof of vaccination to UCheck. This is roughly half of U of T’s population, which includes at least 110,000 students, faculty, and staff, according to U of T's 2020 Facts & Figures document.

According to the government of Ontario’s website on COVID-19 vaccination data, about 79 per cent of Ontario’s eligible population has received two doses.

While U of T has implemented a way for members of its community to upload proof of their vaccination, it is unclear how the university plans to enforce the vaccine mandate.

A U of T spokesperson wrote in an email to The Varsity, “Students, faculty, librarians, staff and other community members may be asked [about their vaccination status] in campus areas that are high-volume with a transient flow of people to show via UCheck they have been vaccinated.” However, it is not clear if this will be applied on a university-wide scale. The spokesperson added that the university will provide more information later on.

Several campus unions have asked the university to be open and transparent about all measures it is taking — and especially about the limitations of those measures — since the health and safety of all students, staff, and faculty depends on them. Even though case counts are relatively low at the moment, there is a real chance that things could get much worse.

“We are looking at potentially having a fourth wave of [COVID-19] that is as bad or potentially worse than the waves we've experienced [before] today,” said Ashleigh Tuite, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) at U of T and member of the Ontario Science Table during the panel discussion.

Masks and physical distancing have been a few of the main ways to try and slow down the spread of the virus; however, as more and more people gather into small classrooms, the practicality and effectiveness of masks and physical distancing start to decline. An Ontario government report from July said that universities should prepare for a normal return in the fall with no capacity limits.

The U of T spokesperson wrote that the university would await further guidance on physical distancing. A later email from U of T revealed that there would be no capacity limits in classrooms. “Ontario universities remain in step 3 of the provincial reopening framework with some allowed exemptions for essential activities such as teaching in indoor instructional spaces,” the email reads.

What the scientists are saying A significant part of the discussion during the panel centered on the idea of layering different measures of combating the virus — things like masks, distancing, vaccines, and ventilation.

Since each individual layer is imperfect and might have holes, the more layers that are implemented, the safer everyone is. The scientists called it a “swiss cheese model.”

Jeffrey Siegel, a professor of civil engineering at U of T and an expert on ventilation and indoor air quality, added that while it’s important to have many layers of protection, it’s also important to pay attention to the issue of ‘layer bypass.’ “We can, for example, just pay a lot of attention to classrooms. [But] there are, of course, many other spaces where transmission can occur,” he said. So even if classrooms are well covered, the effects might be negated by transmission occurring in between classes in crowded buildings.

David Fisman, professor of epidemiology at the DLSPH and former member of the Ontario Science Table, said that “we’re headed for a grim fall,” explaining that while Ontario is not in an extreme situation at the moment, there is some cause for concern. Data trends show

a slow exponential growth in the number of cases, likely spurred by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus.

There have been many studies and reports on the fact that the spread of SARS-CoV-2 is airborne, including a review article by Fisman and his colleagues. Similarly to Siegel, Fisman said that his main concern with safety on U of T’s campuses is about capacity limits and ventilation.

In an interview with The Varsity, Siegel said that the discussion on whether or not there should be capacity limits in classrooms is “ridiculous.” He said that “the whole idea of two metres is very bogus. I want everyone to understand that the further [people are from each other] the better.” He noted that by not enforcing capacity limits in classrooms, we’re essentially giving up on implementing distancing.

As Siegel pointed out, vaccines can’t be 100 per cent effective. Additionally, there is wide variation in the quality of masks and how effectively people wear them and even ventilators and air filters might not perform ideally in different classroom environments. Many participants in the panel discussion emphasized the importance of having many layers of safety measures.

So what lies ahead?

While the scientists criticized the university’s approach to reopening, they also provided an extensive health and safety checklist that they say the university must adhere to, at a minimum, to reopen safely. It covers some of the points of weakness in U of T’s current reopening plan that were discussed in the panel.

The points include preparing spaces to address the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, being proactive and transparent about sharing information with the community and student unions, and strongly encouraging everyone at the university to get vaccinated, while still recognizing that vaccines are only one small aspect of the larger effort to protect everyone from the virus.

“I think we need to look after one another [and] look after our community,” said Fisman.

thevarsity.ca/section/science

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

19

Decoding the quantum fingerprint A novel approach to efficiently encoding and transmitting information Angel Hsieh Associate Science Editor

Regardless of how sophisticated quantum mechanics may seem, its applications are found wherever computer chips are used — everywhere from the electronics of semiconductors to kids’ toys.

Quantum mechanics, in short, is the study of the behaviour of subatomic particles like electrons, protons, and even light particles, which are called photons. Besides its applications in performing specific and complex computations, quantum mechanics can be leveraged in communications to send information back and forth between different parties.

Professor Li Qian, a professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at U of T, proposed a new approach to increase the efficiency of quantum communication in a recent publication in Nature Communications.

In a conversation with The Varsity, Qian explained how this novel technique of quantum communication works.

What is quantum fingerprinting?

In Professor Qian’s recent study, she and her colleagues have been working on a specific communication complexity problem.

Communication complexity problems are a set of problems that ask what is the minimum amount of communication needed to achieve a certain task. In this case, the task is to find out

whether two parties have the exact same file or digital document.

The communications problem that quantum fingerprinting aims to deal with is simple: the first party, which we can dub Alice, and the second party, which we can dub Bob, want to determine whether their respective copies of a certain file or document are identical to the other’s copy. It’s possible for one of them to simply send their file to the other and check, but the advantage of the quantum fingerprinting method is that the same effect can be achieved by only sending a tiny bit of information — called the ‘fingerprint’ of the file.

The best part is that a third party with no direct access to the files can compare the fingerprints from Alice and Bob and determine whether their files are identical or not.

Fingerprinting a one megabyte file — a file about the size of a digital photo — would regularly require the transmission of about 300 bytes. In comparison, the new quantum fingerprinting method would only require around three bytes — three letters’ worth of data. This novel approach to encoding information dramatically reduces the time, energy, and amount of data required in comparison to that required by classic methods of telecommunication.

Implications and potential applications While comparing two files is not that exciting, the research is immensely important because of its potential applications both on macro and micro scales. Although the specific fingerprinting

A technique developed by U of T researchers could be used for large network communications and cryptography.

COURTESY OF PROFESSOR LI QUAN

problem studied in Qian’s paper demonstrates the dramatic reduction of information required by quantum fingerprinting particularly well, the method could be also extended to more complex situations involving multiple users on large networks. The concept of quantum fingerprinting could also facilitate communications between microscopic networks, such as between different locations on a computer chip.

In addition, quantum fingerprinting could have applications in cryptography and secure communication technologies, which are used millions of times a day whenever anyone logs into their social media accounts, logs into online banking, or makes an online purchase. “A lot of people have worked in this field and they have shown that quantum communication can achieve the type of [data] security that classical communication cannot,” noted Qian.

Qian also added that breakthroughs in problems like these can have ripple effects. By increasing

the efficiency of communication systems, we can reduce their energy consumption, which would also lead to a reduced carbon footprint.

Leveraging quantum mechanics in computing and communication is a relatively new practice, and making such applications more prevalent would require further research and the establishment of quantum communication infrastructure that is compatible with our current technology.

Another important step to promote the use of quantum communication — and quantum mechanical concepts in general — is public education. The concept of quantum mechanics is not intuitive to the general public because most people don’t encounter it on a daily basis. Qian believes that introducing concepts of quantum systems earlier on in public education will generate more interest and better intuition about this emerging field in communications research.

Bringing Indigenous sustainability practices to the modern city Learning from established practices can lead to a greener, cleaner future Ashiana Sunderji & Charmain Wong Varsity Contributors

In her recently published paper, Catherine Economopoulos, an architecture student at U of T’s School of Cities, writes about integrating Indigenous sustainability practices in modern approaches to green cities.

“For over 20,000 years, cultures thrived in tandem with the natural world that hosted and protected them,” she writes. “In just 400 more, settlers have desecrated those places, now unrecognizable, and brought countless communities to their knees.”

The paper questions why so much importance is placed on innovation in the search for sustainable practices, given the existence of Catherine Economopoulos’ research highlights the importance of education in improving sustainability.

COURTESY OF CATHERINE ECONOMOPOULOS

so many traditional strategies that have already proven to be successful. Economopoulos highlights the importance of education, particularly in regard to Indigenous sustainability practices, as well as the goal of reciprocity with our environment at large.

A perspective shift In an email to The Varsity, Economopoulos discussed the perspective shifts society needs in order to make education about Indigenous sustainability practices effective, including moving away from a capitalist mindset.

“To preach the capabilities of a new education, one must be open to being re-educated themselves,” Economopoulos wrote. “Unlearning subconscious bias is crucial in this process, which I discovered again and again [while interviewing members of Indigenous communities].”

Her paper expresses the ignorance deeply rooted in our education systems that instills closemindedness in students that must be removed before diverse ideas are able to resonate with them.

She went on to describe a personal revelation, when she realized that the word ‘traditional’ in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) — a term used for the Indigenous body of knowledge about the environment and the processes used to leverage it, passed down through generations — has been stereotypically associated with the word ‘primitive,’ alluding to the belief that these practices do not belong in modern life. She now defines ‘traditional’ to mean ‘well-trusted.’

A subsequent perspective shift is necessary if we hope to change the capitalist mindset stitched directly into the heart of global cities and societies. “If we begin to reframe the narrative of ‘bigger and better’ with ‘tried and true’, trends will shift towards revisiting past solutions,” wrote Economopoulos.

The key to progress lies in education Economopoulos is not the only one

who thinks that the key to sustainable cities lies in education and perspective change. The Varsity spoke to Ted Kesik — a professor of building science at U of T’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design — about modern technologies that are used today to construct more sustainable buildings, and how traditional practices can be integrated with our current methods.

There are many techniques in current use, such as the sourcing of renewable biological materials like cellulose, hemp, and straw bale that often have lower carbon footprints than their more common counterparts, as well as the use of recycled materials.

However, Kesik emphasizes that the sociocultural element, as opposed to the physical one, is actually the most important piece in the fight for sustainability. “Sustainability cannot be achieved exclusively by the application of technologies,” Kesik said in an interview with The Varsity. He concluded that sustainability is ultimately about the way that we choose to use our resources and space.

This requires big changes in how we approach sustainable building in cities, something that Kesik remarks is difficult when our cities are so removed from any connection to the land and the resources we are using. “Because we had machines make the buildings for us, we don’t feel the work that went into it,” Kesik said.

Much like Economopoulos, Kesik characterizes our society’s efforts toward sustainability as having a need for instantaneous solutions through new technology, while the Indigenous approach finds its solutions in trial and error — resulting in traditional practices that are tried, true, and, as Economopoulos puts it, well trusted.

Kesik remarked that in the field of architecture, originality has always been highly valued, which is why he thinks we continue to strive for innovation when there are traditional strategies that have worked in the past. He thinks that our priorities need to shift, asking the question, “Why be original when you can be good?”

What should our future cities look like?

In her vision of a sustainable future built upon traditional Indigenous methods and practices, Economopoulos hypothesized that the halt of “urban sprawl” — the uncontrolled growth of cities over large expanses of land — might be the most likely change within our landscape. The isolation between residential and commercial areas driven by an individualistic society is exactly what TEK does not promote.

Furthermore, she noted that there could be increased interest in “vertical cities,” where human habitats are constructed vertically in large skyscrapers instead of on large areas of land. A vertical city minimizes the amount of land used to accommodate a large number of people, while a biophilic design strives to place an emphasis on a connection to the natural environment within the architecture of a building.

Reciprocity with our environment In her paper, Economopoulos tells the story of buffaloes, who don’t consume any more than half of the grass available to them. In exchange, their saliva produces an enzyme that has evolved to catalyze the growth rate of the plants. This demonstrates the natural and scientific relationships that occur when we consume only what we need and respect our resources instead of taking advantage of their existence.

Economopoulos explained that reciprocity is a goal we must strive for in our relationships with the environment at large. She wrote that there needs to be “a reciprocal attitude when taking and giving resources, and, second, a reciprocal esteem towards all the people around us, from neighbours to leaders to strangers.”

Overall, her vision is driven by respect. “No matter what our cities become, the greatest change must be one of respect,” she wrote. She added that the core of her research is built on a dedication to change through intention and not only through infrastructure.

“We must respect the development of these practices and ensure their ethical application by putting Indigenous minorities first.”

20

THE VARSITY

science@thevarsity.ca

SCIENCE

The persistence of anti-Blackness in STEM U of T’s attempts to abolish discrimination from education

ANANYA ANANTH/THEVARSITY

Manya Lamba Varsity Contributor

In the past year, the chaos and uncertainty of the pandemic have forced us to think about humanity as a collective, and highlighted the inequalities in our society better than ever before. The Black Lives Matter protests that took place in the summer of 2020 were the biggest in US history.

Naturally, we have to think about all aspects of society, including education, and why it is still hard for Black students to break into fields where they are underrepresented.

The prevalence of anti-Blackness in education continues to persist, despite efforts made by institutions to help racialized people break into underrepresented fields through inclusivity initiatives. How can we respond and create truly progressive initiatives?

Lack of equity in education In a recent paper, U of T professors Fikile Nxumalo and Wanja Gitari explain how current equity initiatives are operating under a progressive pretense and why we need to alter our approach to equity and inclusivity. The paper discusses how schools remain a site of suffering for many Black students despite approaches taken by institutions to promote diversity. The authors go as far as to label STEM education as “white property.”

The preexisting curriculum for STEM education also needs to be repurposed to allow students of different backgrounds to accept and process information more effectively and thoroughly. As it is, the curriculum often makes students feel alienated for not reaching the standard of learning expected of them.

Since teachers are in charge of imparting information to future generations, they’re often at the forefront of change. They should apply strategies that disrupt anti-Blackness and focus on Black and Indigenous

realities, making explicit connections between STEM content and social injustice. The paper, which is targeted at teachers, suggests ways to respond to anti-Blackness in a pedagogical system.

Essentially, Black students need to feel like they belong in the environment where they are learning. Results show that when students have to work within a negative racial climate on their campus, academic persistence and retention rates fall.

U of T’s equity and diversity initiatives The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee at U of T’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering (FASE) recently released a statement declaring its plan to reaffirm and rebuild their community values to create an environment where members have equal opportunity. It has been creating more roles and resources dedicated to inclusivity, such as the Engineering Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group — a faculty-wide collaboration that conducts weekly meetings and workshops to propose actions for combatting racism in the FASE. Marisa Sterling, the assistant dean and director, diversity, inclusion and professionalism of the FASE, addressed questions and concerns about anti-Blackness on campus in an email interview with The Varsity. She highlighted the different ways that U of T is measuring the effects of racism and anti-Blackness in STEM programs, and mentioned how important it is to shift U of T’s culture in a way that would promote a more inclusive experience.

“One way U of T Engineering seeks to quantify the impact of racism and anti-Blackness is to see how measured outcomes differ through a racial and ethnic lens,” Sterling wrote. She added that the FASE is “formulating and standardizing student survey questions to ask for demographic

identifiers (including race) to be able to disaggregate the data and provide a perspective on outcome differences.”

Sterling argued that the FASE has shown progress in terms of creating a sense of belonging for students. After the establishment of support for the National Society of Black Engineers, the creation of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Professionalism, and a shift toward putting a greater focus on

Black History Month, race-based data in undergraduate applications to U of T have shown positive trends.

The results of U of T’s new outreach program Blueprint, which is an enrichment program for Black high school students, showed that participants came away with a stronger sense of belonging in STEM, she wrote. “In [Blueprint’s] inaugural year in the summer of 2020, 160 Black

students applied, 50 were accepted, 7 applied to U of T Engineering and 4 joined the first year engineering class this Fall 2021.”

As one of the most fundamental tools in education, the curriculum was also changed to incorporate equity and equality. According to Sterling, U of T provided a syllabus statement on inclusivity to all instructors for the 2021–22 academic year. Additionally, the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering has provided workshops to its instructors that focus on fostering inclusivity in the classroom. Undergraduate students will also see equity lessons embedded in their core classes and electives.

A hopeful future An important concern among students surrounding inclusivity initiatives is the feeling of alienation. U of T has been dedicated for many years to supporting affinity groups that can help create a climate where peers can find cultural connections and a sense of belonging on campus. These groups include the National Society of Black Engineers, the Black faculty peer group, QueerSphere, and Women in Science and Engineering.

There are plans underway to create a student chapter of the Canadian Indigenous Science and Engineering Society, according to Sterling. Moreover, the university is participating in the creation of the Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology graduate scholarships in partnership with other Canadian engineering schools, with a funding commitment of one million dollars.

Progress is a continuum, and with each cohort of students we admit, we need to work on dedicating ourselves and our student body to be accepting and accommodating toward all races and cultures. U of T has taken steps to apply the results of research to try to improve representation for Black students in STEM — but there’s plenty more to do.

Sports

September 20, 2021 thevarsity.ca/section/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

Varsity Blues come out on top in a nail-biter against the Ottawa Gee-Gees The Blues’ defense and special teams stun in season opener

The Varsity Blues won 11-10 in their season opener.

COURTESY OF SEYRAN MAMMADOV/VARSITY BLUES

Mekhi Quarshie Associate Sports Editor

The Blues managed an 11–10 season-opening win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Saturday, September 18, their first game in 700 days. The Blues have recorded a 1–11 game record against the Gee-Gees in the lead-up to this match.

From the start of the game, the Blues’ defense played with heightened intensity.

This was displayed when linebacker Dominic Ciraco tackled punt returner Nathan Walker, forcing the Gee-Gees’ offense to start their first drive at their 15-yard line. Shortly after this play, defensive end Lukash Cuningham sacked the Gee-Gees’ quarterback Ben Maracle, forcing the Gee-Gees to punt at the 50-yard line.

Angad Deol Sports Editor

As the semester begins, students at U of T can book time slots at the Athletic Centre and Goldring Centre for open gym hour. Many students who have missed going to U of T’s exceptional gyms due to extended closures during the ongoing pandemic are excited to return to campus and get those gains before they get crushed by the amount of assignments they have in the first week of class.

However, it is also important to be mindful of your fellow gym-goers — which is why The Varsity is here to provide you ways to be the nicest person at the gym. So, whether you’re a nervous student who wants to learn how to fit in at the gym, or you just haven’t been in one for a while and want to check your habits, this article has you covered.

Put things back where they belong Do you remember the times when you were younger and your teacher would play the “clean-up song” and tell you to return things you picked up back where they belong?

Shockingly, this memory hasn’t stayed with many people, and they leave their equipment all over the place.

If you would like to do the bare minimum and make True Blue proud, put your equipment away, for God’s sake. This includes reracking your weights, or returning your plates to where you got them from.

In a post-game interview, coach Greg Marshall said that he was happy with how the team performed. “Our defense really played well, special teams were very good, and offense did just enough to get the win.”

The Blues’ defense was able to keep the game scoreless until their offense kicked in.

Blues quarterback Clay Sequeira ran the ball in for a touchdown on a 3-yard drive after much deliberation. With the successful kick attempt, the Blues were up 7–0. However, it didn’t take long for the Gee-Gees to respond.

A few plays later running back Dawson Odei ran for 10 yards and squeezed his way in for a touchdown on the right side of the endzone, which tied the game at 7–7.

The momentum shifted once again in the late second quarter. In the 10th minute, Chris Maclean, kicker for the Blues, feinted a punt Wipe. After. You’re. Done.

I do not care if you are built like a Greek god, nobody wants to sit on your sweat. It is not rocket science to know you should wipe down any machines, mats, or barbells you use. Especially during a pandemic, hygiene is super important — so please bring a hand towel with you to mop up the sweat after you’re done. Trust me, you’re not the only person on Earth who swears they “don’t sweat that much.”

and instead ran for 18 yards for a third down conversion.

When The Varsity asked Coach Greg about his standout players during the game, he mentioned Chris Maclean, saying, “He struggled a little bit on the field goals but he did a great job punting the ball. That fake [play]… was key because we got points off of it.”

The Blues managed to cap the first half with an 11–7 lead.

The second half of the game was heavily dominated by the Gee-Gees. Their first drive saw them move 82 yards up the field for the field goal, while the Blues only went a total of 34. On the offensive side, Sequeira's light seemed to dim a bit as he ended the second half with five passes and nine incompletions.

The game came down to the wire when Gee-Gee quarterback Ben Maracle threw a

Gym etiquette: How to exercise respect Jogging your memory on how to be a considerate gym-goer

Save the selfies for your bathroom mirror Your crush in your math tutorial will not care if you post yourself hitting a deadlift personal best on your Snapchat story. Taking prolonged photoshoots at the gym wastes time for others who may be in a rush to finish their routine and run to class. Use your phone to quickly change what music you’re listening to, not for long text conversations or Instagram thirst-traps.

Mind the space It’s important to maintain social distancing at the gym, now more than ever. Avoid striking up conversations out of the blue with people, as they may not be comfortable hanging out with strangers. Especially in a gym where people are breathing heavily, even with masks on, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Maximize your gains in your own area, and make sure to leave adequate space for others.

beauty of a pass to receiver Rodney Estienne for a 30-yard gain. However, after that play, the Blues defense stepped up and the GeeGees were unable to score.

When asked if the results were convincing enough to satisfy the team moving forward, Coach Marshall said, “A win is a win. We’re very excited to get the win and I never look at whether [we’re winning by] one point or 30 points.”

After two weeks of rest, The Blues will host the Queen’s Gaels on October 2 for a game at the Varsity Stadium. The Gaels were ranked one place above the Blues last season, and the Blues did lose the last time the two teams faced off. However, if the Varsity Blues’ defense continues to show up game after game, it’s just a matter of time before their offense starts performing just as well.

YOON-JI KWEON/THEVARSITY

Sniff yourself before you embarrass yourself Nobody wants to smell your natural cologne, and by that I mean your perspiration. Be sure to shower properly and wear a good antiperspirant deodorant before you decide to go all-out on the squat racks. And no, this doesn’t mean to cover yourself in AXE body spray — you’re not in middle school anymore, and you need to grow up. If you recoil at the smell of your gym clothes, it’s time to give them a wash.

As you decide to book a time slot at the

gyms here on campus, or go to your own local gym, please be considerate of others around you. It’s the small things that can make someone’s day. Especially during a time when many students are seeing campus for the first time, make sure they make good memories — and that you don’t become a gym horror story for them.

For more gym-related content, keep your eyes on The Varsity’s Sports section!

22

THE VARSITY

sports@thevarsity.ca

SPORTS

A review of Canada's historic Olympic performance Canada shocked the globe at the 2020 Summer Games

JAYLIN KIM/THEVARSITY

Can Gultekin Varsity Contributor

Every four years — admittedly, five years in this iteration — the world comes to a halt, and politics turn into a friendly competition: a war with no losses. Every four years people escape and forget their problems for a short while in favour of cheering for Canadian icons such as Penny Oleksiak, the young prodigy who won four medals in Rio in 2016 at the young age of 16.

We forgot — or at least I did — that rent was due while we watched Damian Warner carry the Canadian flag into the closing ceremony after he made history by winning Canada's first decathlon gold medal, cracking the Olympic record, and surpassing the ‘9000-point plateau’ with a total score of 9018 points.

Warner and Oleksiak weren't the only Olympians to make Canada proud in Tokyo. The North earned

a whopping 24 medals, seven of them gold, and achieved an 11th place finish in the process. This performance comes second only to the boycotted 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games, where Canada earned 44 medals, 10 of which were gold.

Canada kicked off the 2020 games with a prestigious silver medal on the second day in the women’s 4x100 metres freestyle, in which Oleksiak, Kayla Sanchez, Maggie Mac Neil, and Rebecca Smith beat the United States team by a fraction of a second. This win contributed to Oleksiak becoming the most decorated Canadian Olympian — alongside a bronze medal win in the 4x100 metres medley relay and 200 metres freestyle events. Mac Neil certainly found success in swimming, winning gold in the 100 metres butterfly, and Kylie Masse, the 25-yearold U of T alum, added two more individual silver medals to her resumé in the 100 metres and 200 metres backstroke events.

In the 4x100 metres relay, sprinter Andre De Grasse helped Canada earn a bronze medal, adding to his bronze in the 100 metre dash and gold in the 200 metre. De Grasse made history by being the first Canadian to win gold in the 200 metre since 1928.

However, one of the most satisfying events to watch was the women's soccer final. After the Canadian team fell shy of winning gold in London 2012 and Rio 2016 but still made the podium with bronze medals, the Canadian soccer team edged out the Swedes in the penalties. The women’s soccer event added one of many significant firsts to Olympic history: Quinn became the first openly transgender, non-binary athlete to win a medal at an Olympic games.

Maude Charron made the Canadian anthem play for the first time in Olympic weightlifting after Christine Girard was robbed of her Olympic moment in London. Girard was

“The boys are back in town”: two Varsity Blues players on returning to football after a long hiatus Josh Nikolic and Mojtaba Mehry of Varsity Blues discuss teamwork, training Lexey Burns UTM Bureau Chief

With the return to campus back in full swing, many Varsity Blues athletes have also made their homecoming back to the University of Toronto.

Recently, Josh Nikolic, wide receiver, and Mojtaba (Junior) Mehry, offensive lineman for Varsity Blues football, sat down with The Varsity to talk about their return to Varsity football after an almost two year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Nikolic is majoring in political science and history, while Mehry graduated with a double major in environmental studies and forest conservation and a minor in environmental geography, but he has come back to the Varsity Blues to continue playing football.

Mehry was recently signed by the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts and attended an Argonauts training camp, but returned to the Blues for their training camp in early September. Both Nikolic and Mehry have been playing for the Blues since their first year at the University of Toronto.

A bounce back “I was excited,” Nikolic said in an interview with The Varsity. “After two years of not being able to see each other in practice, it was just like overwhelming joy… It’s good to be back.”

“It [wasn’t] an easy transition,” Mehry said, but he added that he enjoyed seeing all of his teammates again.

After the pandemic first hit, Mehry said he was “already starting to accept that [he] was out of football,” but being invited to the Argos’ training camp “brought [his] love back to the game.”

Both players have been playing football for approximately a decade.

Nikolic said that a lot of the team are from all over Canada, so it was hard to keep in touch with everyone over the course of the pandemic.

But once they all returned for training, he said, everything felt normal again. “[It’s] like we didn’t miss a beat [and] the last two years really didn’t happen… the boys are back in town.”

Despite having many returning players, the Varsity Blues are also handling two years’ worth of new recruits. Because of the pandemic, the Varsity Blues did not hold a training camp last year, and so many players who were in first year missed the opportunity to attend training camp.

“They’re making the best of it,” Nikolic said.

“They’re all right, taking their opportunities and doing the best they can.”

Nikolic added that he’s happy to see how passionate the new recruits are about the sport.

Changes due to COVID-19 Because of the ongoing pandemic, the Varsity Blues training camp, which used to begin on August 14 in a “normal” year, began instead on September 3.

Despite the fact that all players on the team are required to be fully vaccinated, the team has to do a COVID-19 screening test everyday before entering any facilities. The team still has to follow regular COVID-19 protocols as well, like physical distancing and wearing masks when indoors.

Because the team is so large, Nikolic said that “[players] have to take shifts when it comes to our locker and procedures, [and] when it comes

to meeting… in all common and open spaces.”

The football season has been shortened to include six games instead of the usual eight.

Nikolic and Mehry said that they aren’t upset about the shortened season, but are instead glad to have the chance to play at all.

In addition, Varsity football teams have been broken up into East and West divisions. The Varsity Blues will only play teams in the East division during the regular season, including Queens, Carleton, York, and Guelph.

Some of the pandemic changes include teams not staying overnight for away games, which was a common thing to do pre-pandemic. “We have one [away game] later in the season… We don’t do overnight anymore. It’s more of like you

awarded gold eight years later, but her win wasn’t recognized at the time, so “O Canada” was still played for the first time in Olympic weightlifting this year.

Jessica Klimkait won Canada's first women’s Olympic judo medal, earning a spot on the podium in the 57-kilo division. Track cycling superstar Kelsey Mitchell sent the Canadians home on the final day of the Olympics on a high note as well by defeating Ukraine's Olena Starikova and going for gold. Mitchell did not actually own a bike four years ago, so a gold medal finish is remarkable.

Thus, the Canadian Olympic story ended happily. After the closing ceremony, the Olympic flame was once again extinguished, and the Canadian Olympic committee welcomed their athletes home in a very heartwarming fashion — an outdoor drive-in celebration on August 12 in Toronto. show up day of, play the game, and then you go home,” said Mehry.

Mehry said that teams don’t normally play as well right after the long bus ride to an away game. As a solution, they’re looking at doing extra workouts and warmups to prepare for playing right before away games.

The upcoming season Mehry and Nikolic didn’t question the fact that they had to get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to continue to play, but, due to privacy reasons, are unsure if any other players questioned the requirement. “As long as we get to play, that’s all that matters to me,” Mehry said.

“It’s been 700 days since our last football game,” said Nikolic, referencing a recent Instagram post from @varsitybluesfootball welcoming back football fans to the stadium. The Blues kicked off their season on September 18 at home with a win against the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The final score was 11–10.

“We’re excited to play the sport we love [and] we’re excited to be representing U of T in the Varsity Blues community,” said Nikolic.

Josh Nikolic and Mojtaba Mehry are ready to return to the field.

COURTESY OF VARSITY BLUES ATHLETICS

thevarsity.ca/section/sports

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

A breakdown of Crossfit exercises What is Crossfit? How can you use it in your own routine?

Rushil Dave Varsity Staff

Between studying, extracurriculars, hanging out with friends, and other responsibilities, students struggle to find the time to sleep, let alone to work out. However, daily exercise is just as important as any of the activities mentioned in that list. It can be used as a much-deserved break from the endless coursework, while at the same time improving your well-being.

However, it is often difficult for students to establish a consistent and effective workout routine.

With so much contradictory information on the internet, where do they even start? Fortunately, you need not look further than this article, which will be providing you with an immensely popular workout routine that is guaranteed to help you.

It is known as Crossfit — a strength and conditioning program which is designed to improve

stamina, strength, and flexibility. To accomplish this, it uses multi-joint movements that can be modified for any fitness level and involve greater muscle recruitment than traditional exercise. This may sound extremely complex, but these movements are nothing more than variations of actions you perform on a daily basis.

While it has been controversial due to potential safety concerns, research suggests that, when done correctly, Crossfit provides a plethora of possible benefits, including increased strength and agility, due to the fact that Crossfit emphasizes load, distance, and speed. Without further ado, here are some ways you can incorporate Crossfit into your workout routine.

Crossfit routines are typically composed of weightlifting, calisthenics, and aerobic exercises.

Workouts are usually short in length because they are highly intense. It is very difficult to sustain the level of intensity required for a crossfit

FIONA TUNG/THEVARSITY

workout for a long period of time.

When starting out, I recommend that you prioritize performing each exercise correctly over how quickly you do it and how much weight you lift. This is because, like with other types of physical activity, you can injure yourself doing Crossfit. To further mitigate the risk, I recommend you stretch prior to working out. Doing Crossfit with friends can greatly enhance the experience as you are more likely to stick to your routine and stay motivated.

John Fitzpatrick Varsity Contributor

Mental Moment: Gratitude list

Whether it feels like it’s racing at a million miles per hour or halted to an uncomfortable snail pace, life has a proclivity for throwing us into tail spins of emotion. It is in times like these that it is important to ground ourselves before getting lost in negative emotions and thoughts.

Personally, I’ve always gravitated toward exercise, friends, or meditation to help myself reset, but this past year, my girlfriend showed me a wellness exercise that has become my new goto. She told me to write out what I was grateful for — in other words, write a gratitude list. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, down, or disconnected, I take a few minutes to sit down and make a list of whatever I am grateful for in my life.

At first it sounded far too simple to be effective, but once I tried it and put some thought into it, I realized how it helped shift my mindset. By the end of these little sessions, I would be feeling a bit more hopeful and thankful, and the lens I was looking at life through would become a little brighter.

A simple mental wellness exercise that’s rooted in the things you’re grateful for

Madhurie Dhanrajh Varsity Contributor

It’s the largest competitive stage in the world, where thousands compete for fame, pride, and glory. It’s where a fraction of a second can make all the difference between victory and defeat: where tears are shed, records are broken, and history is made. If you haven’t guessed it already, I’m talking about the Olympics.

The pride countries take in hosting the Olympic Games and having their homegrown athletes winning medals on their own soil is incomparable.

But at what cost? The estimated cost of Tokyo 2020 is a whopping $15.4 billion dollars, though officials argue that it’s well worth the economic legacy that the Olympics leave behind.

The investment is not just for the construction of sporting arenas and venues, but also for the business generated by the publicity of the Olympics, whether by tourism or foreign investment. It remains to be seen whether Tokyo’s investment will pay off, but based on data from previous Olympic hosts, the situation does not look promising.

Since Rio 2016, Brazil’s mountainous debt has only increased, with the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee accumulating a debt of over $40 million to creditors since 2017. Of the 27 stadiums that were constructed for the games, close to half are now decrepit and have been unused since 2016. The International Olympic Committee has refused to help with the Rio committee’s $40 million debt.

These debts, especially when they are faced by countries like Brazil where the poverty rate is already high, raise important questions on

The entries can range from something as basic as “having a roof over my head,” to something more particular, like “an old friend recently reached out and asked to catch up.” You find that the longer you spend, the easier and easier it gets to write out points. You can list out anything, from people to places to events to qualities about yourself that you are grateful for.

It may even get tough to narrow down one thing to write about, and by that point, I usually find that it’s hard to look at any glass as half empty. You can even write on a theme instead of a specific topic. If you’re a student, write about what it is in school that you’re grateful for. Maybe you have a course you really like, or you recently did better than expected on a midterm that you studied hard for, or you have a class with a good friend this semester.

If you are an athlete, you can write about what you’re grateful for in your sport — maybe you had a really good practice, or you’re excited for an upcoming game, or you’ve improved on a skill!

Some days I only spend five minutes on my gratitude list, and other days, I can spend a half hour elaborating on my points and taking time to reflect. This is also what makes gratitude lists so easy to implement. You can schedule a nice long session for the end of your night, or if you’re in a rush, you can use whatever few minutes you have, between classes or on the subway, to jot down whatever you’re thankful for.

Gratitude lists are associated with positive mental health results, such as decreased anxiety and improved mood.

These compounding effects may even improve your

Check out the blog Wodify for some daily workouts for beginners. The Running Sandwich is a good workout for beginners that can be scaled up or down. It consists of a 400 metre run, followed by 40 air squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 burpees, and 10 push-ups. It ends with another 400 metre run.

The Running Sandwich illustrates some of the advantages of Crossfit. For one, you do not require any equipment to create an effective workout. Even though some exercises may require weights, many can be done outdoors or even in your room.

Additionally, you can adjust the workout depending on your fitness ability. For instance, you can do five pull-ups instead of 10, and gradually increase the number of repetitions that you do. However, remember that the workout is designed to push yourself as much as you can.

If you do not like the Running Sandwich, there are plenty of other workouts to choose from. In fact, some fitness sites recommend varying your workouts every three to four weeks, because it keeps your fitness life entertaining and prevents plateauing.

All in all, Crossfit is not only an incredible tool that students can use to practice healthy living — it can ultimately be a step in our journeys to become the best versions of ourselves.

TROY LAWRENCE/THEVARSITY

immune system. Gratitude journalling is a great way to not only reflect on the positives in your life but also to improve your overall well-being.

It may not always be as potently effective as I described, but it is so easy that it is worth a shot. A few minutes of scribbling down words could really brighten your day.

Moreover, all of the national pride that comes from hosting would go to only one nation, forever. Never again would other countries get the chance to place an Olympic bid in the hopes that their athletes could win a medal on home soil.

However, let’s not pretend that the current Olympic hosting bid is by any means inclusive. For one, no country in Africa has ever hosted the Olympics. Plus, bidders most definitely have to be rich to afford the astronomical costs of the Olympics, which rules out everyone except for a handful of powerful countries.

Maybe I’m looking at it too simThe costs of the Olympics may outweigh the benefits. plistically, but to me the answer ANK KUMAR/CC WIKIMEDIA seems clear. It seems unethical to allow countries to host the Olympics Olympics. It would have to be in a city that could and then leave them to pick up the pieces when stomach the mammoth cost of such an endeavour. debt and poverty strike in the aftermath. Brazil, If the Olympics had a permanent host, the in- which faced an unfortunate combination of politivestment necessary to run them would not be cal circumstances following Rio 2016, now has as gargantuan for every event, as sporting in- higher poverty and crime rates than before. frastructure would already be present. AdditionIf having a permanent host could solve these ally, the International Olympic Committee could problems and remove the factors of debt and dismandate private funding so that taxpayer dollars placement altogether, then we would be wise to aren’t continuously used up by the games — a choose that option. Though we might have to sacplan already in place for Brisbane 2032. rifice some pride from no longer hosting the games, Finding a permanent host seems like the this appears to be a small price to pay when it perfect solution. However, its main pitfall seems means mitigating national debts, the displacement to be the lack of inclusivity that a rotating series of ordinary citizens, and other inequalities. of hosts provides. No other country would benefit The Olympic Games are one of the best execonomically from the legacy of hosting the amples of humanity’s eternal thirst for excellence.

Olympics. The business and fame that the games To continue to pursue that excellence, we must bring could easily make any permanent host improve the way we construct the Olympics so country a global hegemon, especially since the that they can bring joy to all and continue to unite games occur repeatedly. us from all corners of the world.

Opinion: The Olympics should consider a permanent host

Examining the pros and cons of hosting the Olympics

whether a country’s Olympics money would be better spent on hospitals, housing, and social programs, rather than stadiums that have a lifespan of a single month.

The financial costs of being an Olympic host are further compounded by human costs. Before Tokyo 2020, hundreds of local residents were relocated to “make way” for the Olympics and public housing estates were demolished. In Atlanta, USA, thousands of families were left on the street after housing projects were demolished for the 1996 games. These are two of many examples of the unseen toll of the Olympics on the helpless residents of its host cities.

The solution? A permanent host. This would have to be a place built for sporting events where stadiums would continue to be used long after the Olympics. It would mean citizens wouldn’t need to be forced out of their homes to make space for the

23

24

THE VARSITY

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

DIVERSIONS

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Heron, e.g.

6. Rather suggestive 10. Hors d’oeuvre selection 14. Wanted poster word 15. Resounding response 16. Alternative to air 17. Lexicography immortal 18. Grab with a toothpick 19. Kind of cavity 20. Glass-half-empty types 22. Perspiration passage 23. Dashed off 24. Cinematic barbarian 25. Underground, as treasure 29. Dish’s fellow elopee 32. Presses 33. Involving both sides 37. Carpenter’s woe 38. Jet-engine component 39. Like Miss Congeniality 40. Proposed a figure 42. Make retribution 43. Fluttery fliers 44. What nudniks do 45. Artist’s book 48. Always, in a sonnet 49. Was obligated 50. Long-eared hare 57. It’s near the radius 58. Citrus hybrid 59. Nail partner 60. Expected a return 61. Gramp’s mate 62. Longtime “All My Children” role 63. Ophthalmologist’s case 64. Did a number 65. India’s New ___

1. Twist 2. Mother Nature’s balm 3. Does the hole job?

4. Holiday lead-ins 5. Leaves the rat race 6. Amber, originally 7. Doesn’t just stand there 8. Converse idly 9. London louts 10. The ayes 11. Batting great Hank 12. Bit of pageant trappings 13. First name of two first ladies 21. Like Carroll’s Hatter 24. Army folder?

25. Tour de France need 26. Caterer’s containers 27. Say rah 28. Cow 29. Surfer’s destinations 30. Tread tediously 31. Dinghy adjunct 33. Opposite of neither 34. Comedian, hopefully 35. Bad marks for teens?

36. Look that might concern you 38. Chinese calendar icon 41. Bossy comment 42. Infused with oxygen 44. Unit pricing preposition 45. Besmirches 46. Mini-hooter 47. Rocker Kravitz 48. Making do, with “out” 50. Moonshiner’s supply 51. Taj Mahal site 52. Feudin’ side, maybe 53. Crashing sort 54. Cookbook direction 55. Bite result, say 56. Baht spender

THE VARSITY wants you!

Interested in jounalism? The Varsity is always looking for new contributors!

Fill out the form at volunteer.thevarsity.ca