October 30, 2017

Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 8 October 30, 2017 thevarsity.ca —— University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880

“BE A LITTLE BIT LOUDER” FORMER DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE AND INDEPENDENT SENATOR FROM VERMONT BERNIE SANDERS TOOK THE STAGE AT CONVOCATION HALL ON SUNDAY MORNING TO A STANDING OVATION. THE POPULAR POLITICIAN WAS IN TOWN TO TALK AMERICAN HEALTH CARE REFORM, SOCIAL INEQUALITY, AND FIGHTING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

LGBTOUT to intervene in Supreme Court case Campus group heads to Ottawa for case concerning discrimination, religious freedom Jillian Schuler Associate News Editor

Campus group Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Trans People of the University of Toronto (LGBTOUT) is headed to the Supreme Court of Canada on November 30 to act as an intervenor on a court case involving Trinity Western University.

The university’s law school was denied accreditation from the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Law Society in British Columbia, which cited discrimination due to the school’s policy requiring students to sign a covenant forbidding “homosexual acts.” Trinity Western subsequently appealed the decisions; the BC law society’s decision to refuse accreditation was overruled by the BC court of appeals, but the Ontario Court of Appeals upheld the Law Society of Upper Canada’s decision. As a result, the case will now go before the Supreme Court of Canada.

LGBTOUT was approached by lawyers involved in the case to ask them to act as inter-

venors. An intervenor on a Supreme Court case is meant to provide perspective that the two parties involved do not bring to the case. In this instance, LGBTOUT was deemed to help bring the perspective of LGBTQ+ students.

LGBTOUT is the longest-standing student LGBTQ+ group in Canada. “We are an LGBT student group, so we’re hoping that our arguments that we make show that LGBT students’ voices are being represented,” said Gaby GarciaCasanova, the group’s Public Relations Director.

Richard Moon, a law professor at the University of Windsor who specializes in religious law, argues that, if there are a limited number of potential law school positions in Canada and a whole law school’s worth of positions are available under the condition where they would be required to sign the covenant, then there may be a basis for discrimination.

The most relevant precedent to this case was Trinity Western’s teaching school. The British Columbia College of Teachers refused to accredit the teacher training programs on the

same basis as the Law Society of Upper Canada — that the covenant was discriminatory. In this earlier case, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the university.

Moon believes that Trinity Western will base a large portion of their argument on this earlier ruling.

For its application, LGBTOUT was required to compile all of its arguments into a factum that they submitted to the Supreme Court in the form of an application.

Initially, its request to leave to intervene was denied. Chief Justice Wagner overturned the decision and released a statement explaining that it had come to the decision that its perspective should be included in the hearing.

The hearing, scheduled to be held from November 30 to December 1, will determine whether Trinity Western has the freedom to receive accreditation with the covenant in place or if the Law Society of Upper Canada is correct in its claim that the policy is discriminatory.

One small step for students...

U of T’s aerospace team prepares to lauch a satellite into space

Feature

page 12

End of an era The Green Room is moving and we’re sad about it

A&C

page 16

Science of the spooky How horror movies satisfy our desire for ‘safe fear’

Science

page 19

2 • THE VARSITY

news@thevarsity.ca

Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 8 21 Sussex Avenue, Suite 306 Toronto, ON, M5S 1J6 (416) 946-7600 thevarsity.ca

UTSU AGM BINGO

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“Spaghetti day”

Gutty freshman gets involved

Chair calls for decorum

Vita & Maria are mentioned

Trinity students wear gowns

“Folks”

YouDecide collects signatures

Peterson is mentioned

UTM students arrive late

Aidan Fishman makes an amendment

free (samosas)

Munib Sajjad shows up

Someone challenges the chair

Protest erupts

Mathias Memmel rubs his temples

Procedural confusion

Someone demands details of the Hudson settlement

Twitter wars

Dumpster fire analogy is made

Halloween costumes

“Call the question!”

Demand Better pun

CFS is mentioned

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Meeting starts late

No samosas left :(

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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 © 2017 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.

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Retraction: On October 16, 2017, The Varsity reported allegations made by Vancouver Island University Students’ Union that the Canadian Federation of Students (“CFS”) and Toby Whitfield manipulated elections by means of a “slush fund”. No evidence was provided to The Varsity in support of those allegations.

The slush fund was subject to a forensic audit made by independent investigator Grant Thornton LLP. The audit found that the CFS management and CFS treasurers who took office after May 26, 2010, which include Mr. Whitfield, were not informed that the slush fund existed and did not authorize any transactions on that account. The audit found no direct or indirect implication of Mr. Whitfield in the creation or operation of the fund. The Varsity regrets the error.

OCTOBER 30, 2017 • 3

var.st/news Bernie, from cover Jack O. Denton News Editor

Convocation Hall buzzed with energy the morning of October 29. Senator from Vermont and former Democratic presidential nominee Bernie Sanders was in town to give a talk titled “What the U.S. Can Learn from Canadian Health Care” to a packed house at the University of Toronto. The talk came a day after he toured Toronto hospitals as part of his broader efforts for American health care reform.

“We had a wonderful trip,” said Sanders. “We learned a lot about your system and the extraordinary things your system is doing.”

rip off the people of the United States, Canada, or anywhere else while they are making unbelievably excessive profits,” he said. “Dental care is a part of health care and cannot be ignored.”

Dr. Danielle Martin of Women’s College Hospital and the University of Toronto joined Sanders on stage for a discussion after his remarks. Speaking to the media after the event, she addressed salient issues in Canadian health care head on. “We’ve been doing an excellent job in many Canadian jurisdictions in addressing wait times, but there’s a lot more work that has to be done,” she said. “There’s also a lot more work that we need to do in ensuring access to prescription medicines.”

Canadian and American health care Sanders’ talk centred on the successes of the Canadian health care system in comparison with its American counterpart, and it reflected Sanders’ prescription of struggle, grassroots action, and human rights in light of an unequal society.

“We in the United States have got to ask a simple question,” posited Sanders. “How is it that here in Canada, you provide healthcare to man, woman, and child, and you do it for 50 per cent of the cost that we spend on health care in the United States?”

In her introduction of Sanders, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said she hoped Canada’s system would serve “as a beacon for Americans as they consider health care options.”

Sanders is pushing a new bill in the US called Medicare for All. The bill would, in essence, bring a form of universal health care to the US, but it would go further than the Canadian system to cover dental care and prescription drugs.

Sanders identified prescription drugs and dental care as a shared gap in Canadian and American health care. “Our job is to tell the pharma industry that they cannot continue to

Health care and “struggle” Much of Sanders’ rise to mainstream fame came with his popularization of a new social democratic wave in the United States, and he played to the key themes of that in his talk.

He mentioned the work of Tommy Douglas, leader of the first social democratic government in North America, and its role in bringing public health care to Saskatchewan.

Douglas’ political party was able to win 47 of the 52 seats in Saskatchewan’s legislature; Sanders praised this example of voter mobilization.

“It never happens from the top down. Real change happens from the bottom on up. All of you know that change never takes place easily,” he said.

Recalling the philosophy of Frederick Douglass, a prominent figure of the American abolitionist movement, Sanders said, “Freedom is never given to you — if it’s given to you, it’s not real freedom. You’ve got to struggle for it, you’ve got to fight for it, you’ve got to take it. And that is the history of all real change in this world.”

Sanders stressed the importance of asking questions in

the face of injustice. “Our mission is to have the courage to ask the questions that may not be appearing on television tonight, or on the front pages of the paper,” he said, noting that many are “uncomfortable about asking those questions” because it involves taking on “very powerful special interests” like campaign donors and large conglomerates like the fossil fuel industry.

“I will tell you with 100 per cent certainty: there are people who are enormously powerful, who have more wealth than you can dream of, who couldn’t care less about your lives, about your children, about your parents,” he continued.

“They want it all economically, they want it all politically…

We’ve got to stand together and tell these oligarchs that this planet belongs to all of us.”

Ed Broadbent, former leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and founder of the Broadbent Institute — one of the event partners — said that when social democrats brought universal healthcare to Saskatchewan in 1962, it was widely expected to fail. “Instead, it spread across the country.”

Broadbent said that the struggle for progressive health care will continue with “the man who will lead that battle, Jagmeet Singh,” the newly elected leader of the federal NDP. When Broadbent motioned to Singh, who was in attendance, there was a round of applause from the audience.

In an interview with The Varsity after the event, Singh said that his campaign was “inspired” by Sanders’ ability to mobilize at a grassroots level, and he complimented Sanders’ Medicare for All plan. “I want to push our public health care to the next step and include pharmacare and dental care,” he said. “I feel the Bern!”

Read the rest of this article online at var.st/bernie

CUPE Ontario posts open letter template in support of laid-off UTSU staff CUPE 1281 still trying to get positions restored Sophia Savva Varsity Staff

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario has posted an open letter template on their website calling on the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) to reverse its decision to eliminate two full-time staff positions. The letter, released October 20, is addressed to UTSU President Mathias Memmel and UTSU Vice-President Internal Daman Singh and is intended for members of the U of T community to send to the UTSU. The UTSU’s decision to lay off Clubs and Service Groups Coordinator Vita Carlino and Health and Dental Plan Coordinator Maria Galvez last spring was met with protests and criticism. Critics have argued that the decision was unfair and would negatively impact student services. The UTSU also eliminated the position of Financial Coordinator, which has been unoccupied since August 2016.

“The labour movement will unite to hold the UTSU accountable for these unnecessary and unfair cuts,” reads the letter. “We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision, and call on you to do the right thing and bring back Vita and Maria.”

Orion Keresztesi, President of CUPE Local 1281, the union representing Carlino and Galvez, called the UTSU’s decision to cut the positions “illegal” and in defiance of the collective agreement CUPE 1281 has with the UTSU. CUPE 1281 is still working to get the positions restored.

Keresztesi said that CUPE 1281 will file grievances against the UTSU, which will be heard by a third-party arbitrator, if Carlino and Galvez are not given back their positions before the arbitration dates. CUPE 1281 and the UTSU are currently in the process of setting the first arbitration date. Keresztesi is “pretty confident that all the positions will be reinstated.”

“Unfortunately, that process is long, and it will be expensive for us and the UTSU,” said Keresztesi, who asked CUPE Ontario to release the open letter in support of Carlino and Galvez.

“I think [the open letter template] is getting the message out that the UTSU has clearly become anti-worker, and from what I’m hearing and seeing, I would even say a right-wing employer,”

said Keresztesi. “So I think it’s very important that students and unions and other progressive organizations become aware of the direction that Mathias and Daman are taking the UTSU in.”

The UTSU has defended its decision, arguing that the staff cuts were made because of future financial concerns related, in part, to the development of the Student Commons. A UTSU statement released on May 30, 2017 addressing the elimination of the positions stated that the UTSU would have a “carriedforward deficit of $2 million by 2022” if the three positions were not eliminated, compared to a “carried-forward deficit of $250,000 in 2022” if the positions were eliminated.

The letter template also questions the reputability of Kokobi, the non-profit consulting firm hired by the UTSU to provide a report on the Student Commons project, and it states that “their conclusions are based on many deeply pessimistic assumptions.” The letter also says that “the UTSU’s financial documents indicate the UTSU is not in any immediate financial trouble.”

“We strongly believe, that one worst-case-scenario report cannot justify these drastic staff cuts that have such a negative impact on student services,” reads the letter.

Memmel said the letter’s claim that the UTSU “is not in any immediate financial trouble” is a “lie” and that bankruptcy was and is a “very real possibility.”

“Kokobi had nothing to do with the decision to reduce services,” said Memmel. “CUPE should stop indulging in childish conspiracy theories and start engaging in the grievance process.”

Adrian Kaats, Kokobi’s founder and Operations Director, told The Varsity that the firm “isn’t and has never been involved in UTSU’s HR decisions,” and that their work was limited to the Student Commons.

Memmel and Singh each reported receiving three copies of the letter, which is still available to send, but the changes are not being reconsidered.

“The UTSU exists to serve students; CUPE exists to serve its members,” said Memmel. “We’re not going to accept the subordination of students’ interests to the needs of full-time employees.”

COURTESY OF SCREENSHOT VIA CUPE SCFP ONTARIO

4 • THE VARSITY • NEWS

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No end in sight for Centennial, Sheridan faculty strike Students in joint programs at UTM, UTSC still affected Aidan Currie Deputy News Editor

According to a bulletin posted on the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) website, Ontario college students, including those in joint programs with Centennial College at UTSC and with Sheridan College at UTM, are “in real danger of losing their semester” due to the ongoing faculty strike. The bulletin further alleges that although colleges are trying to reassure students they have a plan, faculty have not seen it.

The OPSEU strike, which began on October 16, has seen fulltime and partial load staff on protest indefinitely as bargaining teams from 24 colleges across Ontario work to renegotiate a collective agreement with the union.

The strike at Sheridan affects about 1,000 students out of approximately 14,000 at UTM, while less than half of the 170 students enrolled in joint programs at UTSC and Centennial are affected.

The bulletin says that some colleges have “casually mentioned” that students may only have to complete 80 per cent of their course requirements.

“Students do not pay 100 per cent tuition to receive 80 per cent of the learning,” continues the bulletin. “Faculty are passionate about what we teach, and passionate about

making sure students succeed.”

According to Amrita Daniere, the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean at UTM, the administration cannot provide support to students beyond communication, updates, and refer them to support systems.

“We’re not playing any active role in dealing with any of the Sheridan courses, in any of the Sheridan issues. We’re not allowed to, and we would never dream of it,” said Daniere. “The process has to play out and that’s basically our approach [...] in terms of the messaging we’re giving our students and the support we are providing our students.”

“Can you imagine if you’re a first year student and it’s your first semester and half of your program is taught at a campus where the professors aren’t teaching? It could be very stressful,” continued Daniere. “So we refer them to counselling, we refer them to the registrar’s office, the chairs are doing everything they can to be a presence and to reassure them.”

Daniere added that UTM does not receive any additional information about the progress of negotiations between OPSEU and the colleges. “No more than what you could pick up on the web or in the newspaper,” she said.

Representatives from UTSC did not respond to The Varsity’s request for comment as of press time.

Students are “in real danger of losing their semester.”

Whpq/CC WIKIMEDIA

Who got to feel the Protesters crash U of T forum on Bern?

Venezuelan crisis Bernie Sanders tickets claimed in seconds, raising concern among general public

General public concerned over ticket allocation after event sold out in seconds. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Natalie Clark Varsity Contributor

On October 29, US senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont visited U of T to speak about health care. Tickets were made available to the public online on October 20 at 10:00 am, and they were claimed within a minute.

According to U of T Director of Media Relations Althea Blackburn-Evans, there were 1,600 seats available for the event, though some were removed due to obstructed view. Thirty seats were allocated for U of T governors and 20 for “administrative staff,” including health science deans, vice-presidents, and staff working the event. Blackburn-Evans said roughly 50 media members would be present at the event.

“Our hope has always been to have many U of T students at the event,” said Blackburn-Evans. “Through the Vice-Provost, Students’ Office, we reached out directly to the 44 student societies across the three campuses. Those interested in attending were given two tickets per society, although UTMSU, SCSU, GSU, UTSU, APUS were given tickets for all members of their executive if requested.”

Seats for students were also offered to certain U of T faculties, such as the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, the faculties of Nursing, Dentistry, Social Work, and Pharmacy, as well as the Centre for Study of the US at the Munk School of Global Affairs.

“We have confirmed that just over 50 per cent of Eventbrite registrants have identified as U of T students,” said BlackburnEvans. The event was livestreamed by one of the partners of the event, the Broadbent Institute, for those who did not get tickets.

On the day of the event, over 30 spots remained empty among the floor seats, with dozens empty amidst the crowds in Con Hall.

Canadian intervention in crisis criticized by protesters Alex Tough Varsity Staff

A handful of protesters walked on stage at the Isabel Bader Theatre during a panel on the crisis in Venezuela titled “Resolving the Venezuelan Crisis: Following the Meeting of the Lima Group of Foreign Ministers in Toronto” on October 26.

The protesters, who were demonstrating against “Canadian interventionism” in the country, held signs that read, “Hands Off Venezuela” and “Canada + OAS, Stop the Plunder! Out of Venezuela,” blocking audience members from viewing the panel. In response to the protest, dozens of audience members stood up and sang the Venezuelan national anthem. The protesters were later escorted out of the theatre

by U of T Campus Police.

The panel was organized to mark the meeting of the Lima Group, an organization of 12 countries across the Americas who have come together to address the current political and economic crisis in Venezuela. The crisis has recently intensified with protests that have been violently shut down by the government throughout this year, bearing witness to a major swing towards authoritarianism. In response, the Canadian government imposed targeted sanctions on key figures in the Venezuelan government to “send a clear message that their anti-democratic behaviour has consequences,” it said.

Just minutes before the protest, a preliminary panel featuring Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General Irwin Cotler, and

U of T Professor of Political Science Lucan Ahmad Way took place. Freeland emphasized the importance of Canada acting for the Venezuelan people, but she also said the crisis in the country must be dealt with using “a solution that Venezuelans find for themselves.”

The main panel included Way, former Venezuelan Attorney General Luisa Ortega, Chair of the Board of the Canadian Council of the Americas Jonathan Hausmann, Georgia State University Professor of Political Science Jennifer McCoy, and Senior Fellow of the Institute for International Economics Gary Clyde Hufbauer.

Before the forum began, a group of approximately 20 people — including those who walked on stage later — staged a similar protest in front of the Goldring Student Centre, across the street from the Isabel Bader Theatre. One of the protesters, Manuel Luna, opined that Canada and the US are seeking to intervene in Venezuela “despite the fact that [Venezuelan] government forces won 75 per cent of the governorships” in a recent regional election.

Rebecca Sarfatti, Project Director of the Canada Venezuela Democracy Forum, who was in the audience at the time of the protest, said that the protesters are the same group of people that always appear at Venezuela-related events.

“Usually they bring young students who might join the organization, not necessarily young people from Venezuela, but they come and show up and show their ‘support’ to the Venezuelan regime, in a very abrupt way.”

Activists against Canadian intervention protest on stage at the “Resolving the Venezuelan Crisis” event. ALEX TOUGH/THE VARSITY

OCTOBER 30, 2017 • 5

var.st/news

Academic Board issues new report on mandatory leave of absence policy Last board meeting before policy to go to recommendation stage

U of T considering new policies regarding student mental health. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Ilya Bañares Varsity Staff

The University of Toronto is currently considering a university-mandated leave of absence policy that would affect students with mental issues that impact their academic engagements or pose a serious threat to themselves or people surrounding them. The university has been considering the policy since 2015, when it was part of the Ombudsperson’s 2014–2015 report.

Among the items discussed at the October 5 Academic Board meeting was the discussion on the leave of absence

Jordan Peterson doxxes two student activists Psychology prof tweets Facebook profiles of students protesting event Jillian Schuler Associate News Editor

U of T psychology professor Jordan Peterson took to Twitter on October 26 to broadcast the Facebook profiles of two students who helped organize a protest of a Ryerson free speech event where Peterson was scheduled to speak; it was cancelled in August.

The event, “The Stifling of Free Speech on University Campuses,” would have featured prominent conservative speakers. The planned protest rally posed a potential threat if the two groups were to clash, and Ryerson University felt that it did not have proper security for the event. In one of his tweets, Peterson called the protest’s student organizers “communists (really).”

One of the students’ profiles is no longer publicly available on Facebook. The other student, Christeen Elizabeth, has chosen to keep hers available. She feels Peterson’s action should not be taken as a threat, but rather as validation.

“When he doxxed me, he validated me,” she said. “He validated everything that I was saying.”

Elizabeth has received extensive hate mail and harassment via Facebook, some of which have bordered on death threats.

“These are his fans,” said Elizabeth. “These are the people he’s pandering to. This is why I take issue.”

The free speech event has been rescheduled for November 11, now at Canada Christian College, which Elizabeth said her group still plans on protesting.

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

policy. Vice-Provost Students Sandy Welsh presented the policy.

According to the meeting report, “the proposed Policy was a result of a great deal of consultation and related to the Ombudsperson’s report over the past several years, which had identified the need for a policy like this. The proposed Policy had a built-in mechanism to ensure fair process and provides for a review and appeal.”

The document has circulated through several governance structures for information and discussion, first through the University Affairs Board, then the UTSC and UTM campus councils, and finally the Academic Board. The document will

then go through the same cycle for approval before going to the Executive Committee for an endorsement and then the Governing Council.

In an interview with The Varsity, Welsh said that if the Academic Board does not recommend the motion, then it would not go to Governing Council.

Welsh justified the proposed guidelines of the policy, citing precedent in Canada and in the United States. “There are many Canadian and US universities that have this as a standalone policy or it’s part of a broader policy around students’ conduct or student issues,” she said.

If the policy were implemented, the financial aid status of students, including whether they receive OSAP, would be taken into consideration when imposing the mandated leave.

Consultations between the student, their case manager, and the university’s financial aid office would occur. Similar talks would take place for international students being considered for mandated leave — with their student case manager, they would work with an international student advisor on their case. Students are expected to be actively enrolled in their program of study during the validity of their Study Permit, and they could face consequences during extended mandatory leave of absences.

“What we do know is that a leave may provide more options than a student simply withdrawing from their studies,” said Welsh. “A leave is a way that we’re able to look at what our options to support the international students are while they’re getting the care that they need.”

The university currently uses the Code of Student Conduct for potential leaves of absence. “In urgent situations involving serious threats or violent behaviour, the code allows for a student to be suspended under the interim measures of the clause of the code,” she said. The code is designed to be punitive; the proposed policy is not.

The university currently has no institution-wide leave of absence policy. According to Welsh, the School of Graduate Studies allows students to go on a voluntary leave of absence for reasons of serious health or personal programs. Members of the Faculty of Law and students in the MD program of the Faculty of Medicine wishing to take a leave can request one voluntarily, but requests will only be evaluated on a case-bycase basis and are not guaranteed.

Notice of Referendum CAMPAIGN PERIOD: November 13, 0:00 - November 19, 23:59 VOTING PERIOD: November 20, 0:00 - November 22, 23:59 Voting is online at www.utsu.simplyvoting.com The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) is seeking the consent of its members at the St. George Campus to eliminate the portion of the UTSU fee designated for the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG). The fee is $0.50 per session, and is collected in the Fall, Winter, and Summer sessions.

Collection of the fee would cease as of the Summer 2018 session; Are you in favour of eliminating the portion of the UTSU fee designated for OPIRG, as described above? [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Abstain

6 • THE VARSITY • NEWS

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U of T library system turns 125 Librarians celebrate with cake, ‘bookies,’ stories from the past Jillian Schuler Associate News Editor

The U of T library system is celebrating its 125th birthday this year. Two of the university’s past Chief Librarians and the current Chief Librarian joined Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr for a celebration at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library on October 12. U of T has also put together an exhibit on the first floor of John P. Robarts Research Library running from October 6 to January 8, 2018 that tells the stories of how U of T developed the expansive library system it has today.

Dr. Robert Blackburn, the Chief Librarian from 1953– 1981 who oversaw the building of Robarts, attended the commemorative event held by the university and spoke about the emergence of Robarts.

Carole Moore, another former Chief Librarian, spoke about the transformation and revitalization of Robarts; current Chief Librarian Larry Alford talked about the future of the library system in light of the current expansion that Robarts is undergoing.

The event also featured cake and little book-shaped cookies, or ‘bookies,’ as Jesse Carliner, Communications Librarian in the Office of the Chief Librarian, called them.

Other sections of the Robarts exhibit feature information on the libraries’ public services offered by the libraries over the years, as well as how the libraries have changed students’ access to information. The exhibit sheds light on key moments in the system’s history.

While libraries have actually been a part of the university for more than 125 years, the anniversary is commemorative of when the first library building, University Library, was opened in 1892. The building was a product of donations following the fire at University College that destroyed the

An exhibit on the first floor of Robarts Library runs from October 6 to January 8, 2018. JESS STEWART LEE/THE VARSITY

college’s entire collection on Valentine’s Day in 1890.

University Library featured men’s and women’s reading rooms, as well as a fireproof stack room to keep a disaster like the UC fire from happening again. Since then, the library system has expanded and grown to include libraries such as EJ Pratt Library, Robarts, and the former University Library that reopened as the Gerstein Science Information Centre.

When Robarts was scheduled to open back in the 1970s, it was initially intended to be accessible only to graduate students, faculty, and fourth-year undergraduate students.

The Students Administrative Council (SAC), the precursor of the University of Toronto Students’ Union, considered this to be unacceptable and staged a sit-in on the second floor of Simcoe Hall, posting a massive sign in the window that

read, “Open the stacks.” The administration listened to the SAC, and when the library opened in 1973, it was available to all students. This is why Robarts has elevators that only go up to certain levels, because the library was architecturally designed for exclusive use.

While Robarts was initially intended for graduate students, the library’s current renovations, the Robarts Common, intends to create 1,200 new study spaces for all U of T students and is scheduled to open in 2019.

Blackburn has chronicled the history of U of T libraries.

A report in his book describes libraries as the heart of U of T, where “the lifeblood of scholarship flows to all parts of the university.”

Portal to be replaced by Canvas in 2018

New online learning hub expected to be implemented by September Keith Cheng Varsity Contributor

Following a comprehensive consultation, U of T has selected Canvas as its next online learning management system (LMS), replacing Portal. Canvas will undergo quality testing in the coming months and is expected to be completely implemented by September 2018.

The project was undertaken by the Academic Toolbox Renewal Initiative that, as its website states, sought to find a LMS that was less “clunky and out of date,” a critique people often have of U of T’s current system, Portal, which has remained mostly stagnant in the past decade.

Canvas is developed by Instructure, an educational technology company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The program is promoted as “the 21st century LMS,” emphasizing its extensive customizability, which allows for it to be adapted uniquely based on the needs of individual institutions and classes.

Susan McCahan, U of T’s Vice-Provost for Innovations in Undergraduate Education, compares Canvas to the functionality of a smartphone. “It has an underlying base platform of functionality but then you can plug in almost seamlessly other types of functionality,” she said.

Professors will be able to choose from a variety of applications that help them “tailor [the LMS] to the type of pedagogy that they think is a good fit for their particular course,” said McCahan.

The Academic Toolbox Renewal Project was launched under the executive sponsorship of McCahan and Scott Mabury, U of T’s Vice-President University Operations.

The consultation process began in 2015 and took into

to be “well-received, particularly around user interface,” according to the Academic Toolbox Renewal Project.

McCahan hopes that the move to Canvas will encourage faculty to “think about the ways in which they’re designing learning experiences and the ways in which they’re using online systems to facilitate all of those things that are important in learning.”

The flexible nature of Canvas also helps U of T keep up to date with new technologies.

Its adaptability allows for the new technologies to be easily adopted as soon as they become available and approved.

In an email to The Varsity, Mathias Memmel, President of the University of Toronto Students’ Union, said, “Students have been complaining about Blackboard for years, so hopefully [the implementation of Canvas] will be a positive change.”

A set of common criteria were established as part of the consultation process to ensure that the new system chosen will be an acceptable option for U of T. The standards take into consideration important factors such as accessibility, data security, and privacy.

JING TEY/THE VARSITY When asked about data security, McCahan explained that Canvas is run through a privacy risk assessment process prior to being acquired. Strict consideration feedback from the university community. obligations around ownership and information resources The project aimed to find a replacement for the current were negotiated in U of T’s contract with Instructure; learning portal that would better fit the needs of U of T student data will not be open or accessible and will only students and faculty. be accessible using a UTORid. Canvas, alongside two other systems that were “The university maintains ownership of all student considered, was evaluated by a variety of members from information and the vendor cannot repurpose it, reuse U of T’s faculty and student population. Canvas was found it, disseminate it, or anything else,” said McCahan.

OCTOBER 30, 2017 • 7

var.st/news

UTM releases five-year Academic Plan Blueprint calls for development in innovation, research

A Strategic Planning Task Force was assembled in January to develop the plan’s goals. JEANLOUIS REBELLO/THE VARSITY

Ilya Bañares Varsity Staff

UTM’s Academic Plan 2017, outlining objectives for the next five years, was submitted to the Academic Affairs Committee of the UTM Campus Council on October 23 by UTM’s Vice-Principal Academic and Dean Amrita Daniere. It concentrates specifically on improving academic environment, research, student community involvement, global citizenship, as well as innovation and sustainability.

A Strategic Planning Task Force was assembled in January to develop the plan’s goals. The task force took into account consultations with numerous stakeholders, including the departments, staff, librarians, and faculty. The task force itself was composed of a student, a librarian, and a community member, as well as staff and faculty.

In the foreword of the document containing the plan, Daniere says, “The next five years will see the campus embrace and expand the outstanding opportunities we offer all our students along with increased support for path-breaking research and initiatives. This Academic Plan sets the broad framework for achieving this compelling trajectory.”

The first goal detail looks toward “supporting a rigorous and innovative academic environment” for students. The plan proposes

that UTM work on improving student-faculty ratios, hiring more instructors, enhancing retention and graduation rates of undergraduates, and expanding experiential learning opportunities.

The plan also includes the goal of presenting UTM as “a home for world-class research” and strengthening UTM’s research culture. This is to be done in part through investment in more infrastructure “while targeting a few areas for sustained support” and installing new programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The plan’s third goal is to further develop the student body’s community involvement by increasing the number of experiential and work-integrated learning opportunities and by collaborating with local and global communities, including Indigenous peoples.

Another objective is to graduate future leaders who are globally aware and able to understand different viewpoints. This is to be done by expanding international opportunities and experiences for students to study and conduct research, as well as incorporating “global and Indigenous content” directly into curriculums when suitable. An emphasis is placed on boosting diversity at UTM by “attracting diverse perspectives.”

The final objective of the plan is to create a sustainable community via innovation. To achieve this, the plan states, a culture of staff and faculty recognition must be fostered and generations of “outstanding” students must be recruited. “Strategic and mind-

ful allocation of resources that effectively supports our academic goals will allow us to make significant progress toward creating a UTM that is even more dynamic, creative and attractive in terms of both its physical layout and intellectual infrastructure,” reads the document.

The plan would add at least 50 new faculty posts and additional staff positions over the next five years. UTM has apparently included the resources required to achieve the departmental growth, new programs, and curriculum mapping to come with the plan’s implementation in budget projections.

The Dean’s office has also drafted an Implementation Plan, detailing the 15 “specific objectives designed to attain the goals of the Academic Plan along with the strategies that will be used to achieve the objectives.” These objectives include optimizing high quality space and its allocation, implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and increasing financial resources.

The Academic Plan is currently going through the governance approval process before being finalized. Following submission to the Academic Affairs Committee, it will go before the UTM Campus Council for endorsement in principle on November 21, and it will end at Governing Council’s Academic Board for information and feedback two days later.

Where does it all go? A look at composting on campus While college approaches differ, efforts are strong across U of T Josie Kao Associate News Editor

The majority of colleges at U of T, as well as the university as a whole, operate successful composting programs.

However, the extent of their operations differ and there is no unified approach. But as Ron Swail, Chief Operations Officer, Property Services & Sustainability — a role specific to UTSG — said, “We’re always looking to improve our program, we’re always looking to improve and expand composting.”

Innis College, New College, St. Michael’s College (SMC), Trinity College, and University College (UC) compost all organic waste from their dining establishments, and all colleges except for UC compost in some, if not all, residences.

Woodsworth College and Victoria College did not respond to The Varsity’s request for comment.

University policy Swail said that the university has been composting for a “very long time.”

“Our recycling program in general is one of the most successful and comprehensive in North America for universities.” The university has a diversion rate — the amount of waste that does not go to landfill — of approximately 70 per cent.

The university began composting food around a decade ago.

Swail said that the effort started from nothing and has led to

hundreds of green bins across campus.

Most of the waste that the university composts actually comes from vegetation, with over 100 tonnes per year composted. Over 200 tonnes of grass alone were mulched back into the ground last year. “Last year was a particularly good year for grass,” said Swail.

The success of the composting effort at U of T can be attributed in part to “many individuals every day making the right choices as far as where to put materials into recycling,” according to Swail.

College approaches Leah McCormack-Smith, Director of Residence and Student Life at New College, said that New College is “currently running an incentive program in residence that provides house funds each month to the residence house that does the best at properly sorting their garbage, recycling, and organics.”

New College also recycles all food waste in the areas run by Food Services. “The oil/grease is handled as a separate stream and picked up by an outside contractor,” said New College Chief Administrative Officer Ron Vander Kraats. “All organic waste from the kitchen and the dining halls is handled separately.”

Innis College utilizes a green technology called The Greenlid — bins that contain odours and are themselves compostable. The Greenlid was developed by Innis alumni, and bins are put in every suite in residence. Students empty the bins in a central compost area when needed.

Innis used plastic green bins provided by the city before Dean

Tim Worgan reached out to the inventors of The Greenlid two years ago. Worgan offered to make the college “the pilot program as the first residence in the first university in Canada to use [it].”

“We went from two compost bins that were half full, getting picked up every two weeks. I have six bins out there now, full with a pick up every week,” said Worgan. “So we’ve tripled our compost and tripled our recycling efforts since the arrival of these.”

Trinity College Assistant Provost Jonathan Steels said that the college is working toward becoming zero-waste.

“All organic food waste basically is removed,” said Steels. “I believe it goes to farms for livestock feed and composting.”

Trinity is looking toward implementing compost bins in their residence common areas as well.

SMC started its compost program three years ago, according to Director of Communications Stefan Slovak.

“We have a number of bins located around campus, including in our dining establishments and all but two of our residences,” said Slovak.

UC composts organic waste from Howard Ferguson Dining Hall, the Commuter Student Centre, and the Junior Common Room.

“In previous years we have attempted pilot projects to introduce composting in the Residences, but we encountered challenges with odours, pests, and cross contamination that constrained our ability to expand composting across the three buildings,” said University College Dean of Sudents Melinda Scott.

8 • THE VARSITY • NEWS

U of T releases advocacy toolkit to support Naylor Report

news@thevarsity.ca

Tory tackles transit, housing at UTSC town hall Mixed housing, Scarborough subway extension main talking points

Toolkit provides resources for those who wish to lobby Canadian government Silas Le Blanc Varsity Staff

The U of T administration has released an advocacy toolkit for students, faculty, and staff to persuade the federal government to implement the recommendations from Canada’s Fundamental Science Review Panel, also known as the Naylor Report. The report was commissioned by Science Minister Kirsty Duncan and released in April.

From the findings of an independent panel of experts, the Naylor Report reviews the state of fundamental sciences in Canada. It concludes that federal support in fundamental science has been lacking in recent years, a decline that reduces Canada’s international competitiveness and Canadian innovation.

The report provides recommendations on how the government can improve Canadian research.

“This report sets out a multi-year agenda that, if implemented, could transform Canadian research capacity and have enormous long-term impacts across the nation,” said panel chair and former U of T President David Naylor in the report.

“The Fundamental Science Review presents a thoughtful, coherent plan that addresses all dimensions of Canada’s research system through a set of tightly linked recommendations,” Vivek Goel, U of T Vice-President of Research and Innoation told U of T News. “We will continue to work with our university colleagues across Canada to encourage the government to act on all 35 recommendations made by the panel.”

The Canadian government has not promised to act on all 35 recommendations made in the report, which include a $1.3 billion increase in research funding over four years. In June, nearly 200 researchers gathered in Toronto to discuss making the implementation of the Naylor Report’s provisions a reality. It is unclear if the toolkit is an outcome of this talk.

The advocacy toolkit, announced in a press release

by U of T Chief of Government Relations Andrew Thomson, provides “quick facts about the Report, why it matters, and why the University of Toronto strongly endorses its recommendations.” It states that the Naylor Report is “sensible, affordable,” and that the implementation of its recommendations would benefit all Canadians. It further posits that investing in fundamental science is important for innovation, economic growth, and promoting curiosity among young Canadians.

Additionally, the toolkit encourages all members of the U of T community to support the panel through whatever means they have available, including using the hashtag #supportthereport on social media.

“The toolkit asks members of the U of T community to take action and participate in the campaign to convince the federal government of the critical importance of supporting fundamental science,” Thomson wrote.

Mayor John Tory speaks at the “Vision for Scarborough” event at UTSC. ALEX TOUGH/THE VARSITY

Alex Tough Varsity Staff

Transit and housing were the main topics of discussion at a student town hall held at UTSC’s Meeting Place, which featured Mayor John Tory. The forum was organized to discuss a collective vision for Scarborough and to discuss the major issues that affect the UTSC community, including transit, housing, and policing.

The event, titled “Vision for Scarborough,” was organized by the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) in collaboration with the Centennial College Student Association, Inc (CCSAI) and the Scarborough Community Renewal Organization.

During the town hall, Tory campaigned for the Scarborough Bloor-Danforth subway extension, explaining his belief that it will stimulate investments and create jobs in Scarborough.

“If you said if I thought it was kind of any strange notion that we would have a subway that has been extended to the east before,” Tory said, “No I don’t.”

Tory has faced widespread criticism over the choice to build a one-stop subway that is estimated to cost north of $3.35 billion. Critics have argued that the same amount of money could go toward a series of LRT lines that would serve

more residents in Scarborough and beyond.

Tory believes that transit is the key to converting Scarborough into a job hub. He stated that the main reason investors may not find Scarborough attractive for establishing their business is its poor accessibility via transportation.

He said the solution is the construction of “higher-order transportation.”

The mayor also said that safety barriers for subways are not part of any immediate transit plans in the city, as the billion dollars needed to install these barriers is currently being put “into building new transit and improving transit.”

When asked about affordable housing for students, Tory emphasized finding a way to step “up the pace” on mixed developments, including monetary subsidies to incentivize developers to build and operate affordable housing. He also spoke of shelter subsidies, where students would be able to find an apartment of their choosing and receive monetary support from the city.

Ravneet Kaur, President of the CCSAI, also expressed satisfaction with Tory’s proposals but “wanted to know more about the subway system.” Sitharsana Srithas, President of the SCSU, told The Varsity that she was satisfied with Tory’s answers in the town hall but felt that “there was still a lot of work to be done in terms of investing in Scarborough.”

Over 16,000 students complete U-Commute survey Next steps are meetings with TTC and Metrolinx Alex Tough Varsity Staff

A total of 16,597 students filled out an online survey for U-Commute, a joint campaign of Toronto student unions that seeks to make the U-Pass — an affordable transit pass for Toronto students — a reality.

The survey, which ran from August 28 to September 28, was shared on the UTSU’s social media pages. It sought to determine if the U-Pass was popular among students and to detect student transit trends essential for future negotiations. Preliminary results of the survey are to be released in the near future.

After the results are in, the next steps for the U-Commute initiative will be meetings with TTC chair Josh Colle and Metrolinx. “Realistically, we need to get the TTC on board first for this pass to work for the majority of our students.

We’re working on including GO (Metrolinx) as part of the U-Pass too,” Boucher wrote to The Varsity.

U of T, Ryerson University, OCAD University, and George Brown College — the schools that make up U-Commute — are among the few Ontario post-secondary institutions without transit passes included in their tuition costs.

McMaster University, Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, Durham College, and UTM all have transit passes included in their ancillary fees.

The last attempt at securing a U-Pass was in 2008, when a

$60 per month, $480 per year, no opt-out plan proposed by the TTC was rejected by the UTSU, after which talks stalled.

Since then, there has been willingness on both sides to negotiate. The UTSU has been actively pursuing the U-Pass option, and TTC Head of Customer Development Arthur Borkwood stated that a U-Pass could increase ridership by 20 percent.

As part of this latest push, U-Commute recently held a transit panel discussion that aimed to offer different perspectives on current transit issues that may affect the U-Pass.

Boucher expressed confidence that the current push for a U-Pass will be more successful than the last. “At the end of the day, all [that the TTC] is interested in is ‘will a U-Pass cost us money or will it be profitable,’” she said. “So we’re set to show them how a U-Pass benefits them, not how it benefits us.”

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

Comment

October 30, 2017 var.st/comment comment@thevarsity.ca

Twisting the narrative on mass violence How Stephen Paddock, who killed 59 and injured over 500, managed to avoid being labelled a terrorist Abdul Ali Varsity Contributor

A few weeks ago, one of the deadliest shootings in US history occurred in Las Vegas. Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old white male from Mesquite, Nevada, opened fire on a group of concert-goers, killing 59 and injuring 546.

Despite the act of terror, there is a reluctance to label this massacre a terrorist attack. This emphasizes a double standard in our society: white killers are labelled as mentally unstable, while Muslim perpetrators are labelled terrorists influenced by radical religious ideology.

In Canada, terrorist acts are legally defined as acts of violence committed for political or ideological reasons. In the US, international terrorism is committed by individuals or groups motivated by “designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations,” while domestic terrorism is committed by individuals or groups inspired by “primarily U.S.-based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”

However, whether or not perpetrators are legally classified as terrorists rests with prosecuting authorities.

In spite of the massive scale of the attack, Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo labelled Stephen Paddock as a “lone wolf” and “local individual” before conducting any extensive background investigation. Such statements seem common when perpetrators are white men. Similar language was used to describe James Holmes, perpetrator of the 2012 Colorado movie theatre shooting, and Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who killed nine Black churchgoers in Charleston in 2015.

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The motivations behind mass shootings like the one in Las Vegas thereby often remain restricted to mental well-being and do not scrutinize white American men as a collective people.

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The Las Vegas shooting has also revived concerns about bias against Muslim perpetrators perpetuated by politicians and media outlets, who appear to leave white perpetrators like Paddock comparatively unscathed.

There are stark differences between how US politicians treat Muslim shooters and white shooters. After the Las Vegas shooting, President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences to the victims and told reporters he thought Paddock was a “sick” and “demented” man. Before autopsies were performed or Paddock’s motives were determined, US House speaker Paul Ryan made a statement calling for mental illness reform — which he said “is often a diagnosis” with shootings like these.

In contrast, after the September 15 London bombing this year — also before any investigation was conducted — Trump tweeted that the attack was carried out by “a

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

loser terrorist.” This was followed by another tweet exploiting the bombing to legitimize Trump’s infamous travel ban against citizens of six majority-Muslim countries.

Labelling Paddock a lone wolf or as mentally unstable individualizes and isolates his actions, hence segregating his behaviour from an ideology or a certain group of people.

The motivations behind mass shootings like the one in Las Vegas thereby often remain restricted to mental well-being and do not scrutinize white American men as a collective people.

The media is also guilty of discrepancies when reporting mass shootings by white males as opposed to Muslims. Many media outlets have released articles questioning the mental stability of white shooters, or alternatively, hesitating to speculate on their motives at all. After the Paddock shooting, for instance, The Globe and Mail published an article entitled “Las Vegas Shooter’s motive still elusive after deadly attack.” This willingness to hesitate before jumping to conclusions should also be afforded to cases involving Muslim perpetrators.

Other articles also work to humanize the perpetrator. A Washington Post article described Paddock as someone who liked to gamble and listen to country music, adding that he “was a quiet man.”

Some newspapers deviate from this pattern when reporting Muslim shooters; in these instances, the perpetrator’s religious life is centralized. The two shootings that happened in Fort Hood in 2009 and 2014 are great examples: one shooter was Nidal Hasan, a Muslim man, and the other was

Ivan Lopez, a non-Muslim man. Hasan and Lopez had similar histories: both were mentally unstable and held grievances against their fellow soldiers. Still, though the two atrocities were characterized as terrorism by law enforcement, headlines from CNN, NBC, and CBS were keen to hail mental illness and depression as the root cause of Lopez’s actions.

In covering the Hasan shooting, however, the media labelled him a terrorist and reiterated his religiosity. Hasan made the cover of Time magazine, in which the cover story was called “The Fort Hood Killer: Terrified … Or Terrorist?” The story opened with, “What a surprise it must have been when Major Nidal Malik Hasan woke up from his coma to find himself not in paradise but in Brooke Army Medical Center,” pinpointing the presumed ‘Islamic logic’ behind the shooting. Articles published by CNN and the Los Angeles Times also emphasized that religion was very important to Hasan.

Evidence exists of systemic bias in news coverage as well. One study of 170 news articles found that the word ‘terrorist’ was used for Muslim perpetrators more than twice as many times as for white perpetrators, while ‘mentally ill’ was ascribed to white male shooters 80 per cent of the time, an astounding 20 times more often than Muslim perpetrators.

The ultimate question that surfaces from irregularities in representation of shooters is why those irregularities exist in the first place.

At the outset, it could be blatant Islamophobia. From having to watch a copy

of the Quran being burned and left outside a Sacramento Mosque to an innocent woman having her hijab pulled off in a London, Ontario supermarket, antagonism against Muslims has developed in both Canada and the US. Post-9/11, the world at large saw the whole of Islam as a religious ideology entrenched in violence and destruction. This fear contributes to our lack of hesitance when labelling Muslim perpetrators as terrorists.

In the same way, the War on Terror — which has hitherto been against a foreign radical Islamist enemy — invigorates the notion that terrorism is a foreign threat.

Ergo, the terrorist label is reserved for Muslims because it serves as an ascription to foreigners who do not represent ‘American values’ — whereas Americans, particularly white Americans, are immune to such labels.

The fact of the matter is that Muslims are not responsible for more mass shootings than white men in America. A great deal of violence can be attributed to white supremacy and racism, especially following Trump’s election. As Las Vegas leaves millions reeling, it is important for us as students to educate ourselves on these issues and to seek the truth behind what we hear and see.

As the audiences of politicians and media outlets learn to dismantle and challenge the assumptions underlying these messages, we can work toward annihilating the prejudices that infect our society.

Abdul Ali is a first-year student at St. Michael’s College studying International Relations.

10 • THE VARSITY • COMMENT

comment@thevarsity.ca

Addressing campus sexual violence requires more than just a policy #MeToo, Our Turn, and community members shed light on the need for consultation, awareness, and education about sexual violence Adina Heisler Student Life Columnist

If you’ve been on social media over the past few weeks, you will likely have noticed the hashtag #MeToo. It was initially coined around 2007 by activist Tarana Burke as a uniting cry for survivors of sexual assault. It was resurfaced by actress Alyssa Milano in the wake of the sexual harassment allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Hundreds of thousands of people have come forward to share their #MeToo stories on Twitter and Facebook. It is not difficult to imagine that many more had stories they did not feel comfortable disclosing on social media.

In light of this campaign, it is fitting that Our Turn, an advocacy group comprised of 20 student unions across Canada, released scores evaluating the sexual violence policies at 14 universities. U of T’s sexual violence policy received a C. The policy scored points for aspects like defining consent effectively and having “faculty and staff… processed under the same [sexual violence policy] as students,” but its education and prevention programs were scored much lower.

The policy also lost many points for its formal and informal complaint process. While we have certainly made progress since the policy was put into effect in January, the university still has a long way to go.

U of T’s sexual violence policy has its strong suits. For instance, it includes a clear definition of consent: it must be ongoing, can be revoked, and cannot be obtained in situations where the person is incapable of consenting, such as due to intoxication or in situations of abuse of power or authority.

The policy also preserves the autonomy of complainants: they can choose to whom they want to disclose their assault, whether to report it, and whether they wish to pursue civil or criminal justice action against the accused. Finally, the policy applies to all members of the university community, regardless of their role at the university or relationship to the complainant.

While the policy seems promising on paper for these reasons, there is still much to be improved upon. For instance, education and prevention programs are mentioned, but much of the focus placed is on dealing with the issue after it has already happened. The goal should be to ensure that nobody is hurt in the first place by proactively addressing rape culture on campus and finding meaningful ways to educate students and staff about consent.

Trinity College student Tamsyn Riddle, who filed a human rights complaint against the college for its alleged mishandling of her sexual assault case, said it best. In a

The university's sexual violence policy led to the establishment of the Tri-Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre.

STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

feature for The Varsity, she wrote, “Sexual violence can only end through the dismantling of the power structures that feed into it.”

While the Governing Council repeatedly claims that students were involved in the policy’s creation and consultation process, many student groups and activists disagree. Ellie Ade Kur, founder of the U of T branch of advocacy group Silence is Violence (SIV), said that the consultations were inaccessible, and that the Governing Council did not effectively address most of the concerns that were raised. In fact, when SIV put up posters detailing the stories of survivors of sexual violence at U of T and the horrific responses of various U of T officials, the university promptly hired people to tear them down, “in accordance with the university’s Procedure on Distribution of Publications, Posters and Banners,” according to spokesperson Elizabeth Church.

I hope that U of T recognizes that policy creation is only the first step in adequately addressing sexual violence. The next steps are clear: we need a much better prevention and education program, as well as a better complaints process.

Most importantly, we need to listen to survivors and activists. It is unfortunate that with campaigns like #MeToo and SIV’s posters, the onus was on survivors of sexual violence to come forward and speak — community services should be proactive enough such that survivors are not single-handedly forced to sound the alarm on their own trauma. But, now that they have, it is time for us to listen.

Adina Heisler is a third-year student at University College studying English and Women and Gender Studies. She is The Varsity’s Student Life Columnist.

Some comments on Comment The Associate Comment Editors discuss the nature of the section Ibnul Chowdhury & Jenisse Minott Associate Comment Editors

Journalism is often associated with an impartial, neutral, and objective attitude toward information; reporting the news is about the facts, not the journalist. On the other hand, everyone is entitled to an opinion formed from their judgment and feelings — which may or may not be informed by fact.

The Comment section is the best of both worlds. Indeed, commentaries require both evidence and opinion. The point is not simply to give your two cents, but to present your viewpoint in a cohesive and reasoned way, explain why your position matters, and thereby earn the respect of your readers — albeit not always their agreement.

It is key to recognize that facts are not always merely facts: their meanings are always subject to interpretation, which largely depends on worldview, experience, and identity. The Comment section allows us to break the golden rule of objectivity and recognize multiple subjectivities. It also assigns an

implicit responsibility to commentators to break down and analyze a never-ending stream of information into intelligible arguments, which is conducive to constructive engagement and public dialogue.

While the News section prioritizes the impartial reporting of facts, Comment — while upholding a standard of accuracy and fairness — recognizes that the facts we choose, and how we understand and articulate them, is what ultimately gives life and meaning to fact as a whole. In the end, fact is the picture frame: your truth, and how you understand the world of facts around you, is your canvas to fill.

The nature of the game is that the actual opinions are not always appetizing or even relevant to the lives and experiences of everyone. The framing and rhetoric that go into forming opinions are as crucial to shaping the final product as the opinions and facts themselves. The art of persuasion — the skill of using language and structure — is fundamental to articulate a clear line of thinking, even if some might disagree. In this game of framing, multiple voices can approach

an issue from different angles, each with solid evidence, but persuasion is essential to turn good commentaries into great commentaries.

Whether you have something to say about student life, campus politics, or critical issues in Toronto, The Varsity’s Comment section enables you to share your voice and engage in conversation with the U of T community. Just make sure to have a fine balance of opinion, evidence, and persuasion, and you will surely find yourself at home.

Ibnul Chowdhury is a third-year student at Trinity College studying Economics and Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies.

Jenisse Minott is a third-year student at UTM studying Communications, Culture, Information, and Technology and Professional Writing.

OCTOBER 30, 2017 • 11

var.st/comment

One college, two systems Low turnout and lack of competition for SMCSU elections reveal lack of trust in student government

After months of absence, the St. Michael’s College Student Union (SMCSU) is back. The controversy-ridden student government’s recent elections marked a crucial step for the St. Michael’s College (SMC) administration, whose plan to restructure the union has been in the works for some time.

On paper, the newly elected SMCSU executive shows promise. None of the elected members were affiliated with the old SMCSU, meaning they are free of its past scandals.

At the candidates’ forum, many stressed the importance of rebuilding trust between students and the administration, creating a safe and inclusive environment for students to thrive in, and improving communication with the student community.

In reality, however, the elections reflected several fundamental issues that could pose problems for the new executive in the coming months.

With 410 online votes and two paper ballots cast out of approximately 4,800 SMC students, President Samantha Douek and her cohort of five Vice-Presidents (VP) will be representing the interests of only a small number of students for the 2017–2018 academic year. The low turnout rate of approximately 8.5 per cent is unsurprising: U of T’s electorate is well known for its apathy toward student elections.

What is more curious, though, is the absolute lack of competition for the SMCSU seats. Of the nine positions open for candidacy, only six were filled, given that no candidates ran for VP Finance, VP Religious and Community Affairs, or VP Athletics. Only three of the six positions filled — President, Vice-President, and VP Academic Affairs — were contested.

A lack of competition, combined with a low voter turnout rate, reflects how disillusioned the student community

at SMC is with their student government. This could be attributed to years of neglect, mismanagement, and cliquey tendencies of past SMCSU executives, although it should be said that interventions from the SMC administration have also fermented great distrust on the legitimacy of student government at the college. The now-elected SMCSU might be a de jure student government but its actual legitimacy is weak.

Another troubling feature of the new SMCSU is its limited autonomy, particularly in terms of financial management.

Whereas previous SMCSU governments could access their funds directly, the new rule, as decided by the college administration through its “Re-imaging Student Government at St Mike’s Report,” dictates that all payments over $500 must be co-signed by an Administrative Advisor. This rule could prevent the misuse of student funds, a well-intentioned move in light of the embezzlement and corruption that has taken place at the hands of past SMCSU executives, however it could also allow SMC to have indirect influence over the new executive.

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A lack of competition, combined with a low voter turnout rate, reflects how disillusioned the student community at SMC is with their student government.

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Arnold Yung Varsity Contributor

Regulations like these are especially concerning given what has happened at the college over the past years. Furthermore, the SMC administration’s questionable stance on equity and the role that religion should play in college affairs — exemplified by events such as the ‘Golden Rule’ poster

incident and the college’s subsidization of a pro-life rally in June — have raised eyebrows among SMC’s diverse student community.

The college administration’s heavy-handed involvement in restructuring SMCSU might have deterred most students to run for office, explaining how a college of almost 5,000 students was unable to fill nine executive roles. This failure would also support dissenting students in accusing the new SMCSU of being a puppet regime, incapable of representing student voices.

All of these factors threaten to transform SMC into one college with two systems: one of governance through the administration, and the other by influence through SMCSU. Autonomy is important for student governments. With space to breathe, student unions can be run effectively, and their actions and policies can help shape and uphold students’ rights. In the case of SMC, the right amount of constraints and balances could foster a positive student community that all sides could work on. Yet the restraints imposed upon the new executive and the lacklustre nature of the elections have shown this to be unlikely.

SMCSU might have been cleansed of its tainted legacy, but its reformed structure is a hollow shell of its former self. Devoid of full autonomy and proper legitimacy, the new executive will face a steep learning curve in the months to come. It is important that executives keep themselves accountable to students and at the same time find ways to regain their autonomy.

Arnold Yung is a fourth-year student at St. Michael’s College studying History. Previously, he served as a Communications Councillor on the SMC Residence Council and as a Leader and Marshal for SMC Orientation Week.

IN WITH THE NEW SMCSU

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

Student-funded, space-bound The University of Toronto Aerospace Team prepares to launch a satellite into space Article by Mari Ramsawakh Photos by Steven Lee

The University of Toronto may make its claim to space following the U of T Aerospace Team’s (UTAT) successful levy referendum last spring. The money from the levy goes toward its Innovation Fund, which was established to create a new project for UTAT: a student-built and student-funded satellite to launch into space. Members of the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) from UTSG will pay the $2.77 per term levy over the next two years.

UTAT is a student-run research and design group that aims to incite curiosity and spark interest in aerospace engineering. While the satellite is UTAT’s latest project, the Space Systems Division is only one of several branches of the group. The group also has a Rocketry Division currently working on a hybrid rocket that could break Canada’s high altitude record and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Division that is currently the defending champion of the Unmanned Systems Canada competition.

So, how has UTAT been using the Innovation Fund since its inception? How is the satellite coming? I met with UTAT at their office in McLennan Physical Laboratories to find out.

The team The office, located in the basement of the building, snugly fits five of the Space Systems team members. Every workspace is covered in small plastic and metal components, which were later identified to me as 3D-printed prototypes of components of the satellite.

Although the whole Space Systems Division couldn’t meet with me, several of the Division’s team leads met to tell me more about the satellite project. Before delving into

12

UTAT’s specific plans, I spent some time getting to know a little bit about how these undergraduates got involved with aerospace design.

Ridwan Howlader is a prime example of the sort of trajectory that UTAT can inspire; he’s the Executive Director of UTAT and the Senior Engineering Designer for the Space Systems Division. Howlader first joined UTAT during one of its outreach programs run through high schools — this means he’s been with UTAT longer than he’s been at U of T. As Executive Director, Howlader is part of the strategic and technical planning of all the projects that UTAT is involved in.

“I really appreciate the members and the energy and being curious and wanting to learn,” he told me. “It just aligns with our mission and vision.”

Katie Gwozdecky is the Director of Space Systems and a fifth-year engineering student.

She’s in charge of the administrative details of the Space Systems Division, although her focus has shifted away from her initial interest in the technical aspects of the work and toward the team’s culture and keeping them aligned with their passions and needs.

“I think that no team can operate at their best if people aren’t considered to be contributors in any way,” said Gwozdecky. “We also have to make sure that people are given the space they need to do what they want to do.”

Gwozdecky has been with UTAT for five years, initially discovering the group in her first year. She explained that from the moment she saw the rockets at a clubs fair, she knew this was a group she wanted to join.

Gwozdecky has been with the Space Systems Division since its creation.

Addy Bhatia, the System Design and

Attitude Control Lead, has been with UTAT since fall of last year.

The third-year engineering student was determined to join the team and jumped at an opportunity when he could. Now, his role involves figuring out how and where the satellite points as it separates from the rocket, as well as mechanical integrations of smaller projects into the satellite.

Victor Nechita is an aerospace engineering student who has also only been working with UTAT for the last year. Nechita is the Project Manager of the Space Systems Division, meaning that he is the one in charge of managing deadlines and scheduling as well as liaising with their launch providers.

“Your task is not just limited to a competition, we kind of extend beyond that in that we’re trying to have a real impact on the world by creating an open platform for these microbiology experiments,” said Nechita.

“Being able to conduct that as a student team has been fantastic, so I hands down love being a part of the team.”

Avinash Mukkala, the Payload Lead, is a member of the team who isn’t focusing so much on the satellite, but rather the experiment for which it’ll be collecting data.

Mukkala is a fourth-year molecular genetics student who joined during the first iteration of the satellite three years ago. As much as team culture has taken precedent in this group, Mukkala found that he was most proud of the scientific and technological progress UTAT has actually made on the satellite since its first iteration.

“It isn’t just a bunch of students that are just building something and putting it into space,” explained Mukkala. “There is a lot of advisors involved, there’s a lot of critical design reviews involved. The process is what I enjoy.”

Ridwan Howlader Senior Engineering Designer

They also get to learn from real experts in their fields. For example, shortly after meeting with me, several leads on the team travelled to Huntsville, Alabama to attend a NASA conference.

The mission The first iteration of the satellite was designed for the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge, in which universities across Canada were challenged to design a satellite in a two-year cycle that, once built, could survive the rigorous qualifying testing in order to win the competition. While the contest originally promised that the winning designs would be launched, there weren’t any formal offers to actually launch the satellites. UTAT decided to take the launch into their own hands.

But as Mukkala said, UTAT is more than just a couple of students sending something into space for bragging rights. There is a purpose to the satellite and its launch: a microbiology experiment.

The purpose of the satellite is to send up a payload of genetically modified cells and examine how they grow and react to an environment that is under the effect of microgravity. Mukkala was part of the team that genetically engineered the cells to send up into space. The cells they are using are a form of yeast that is found in the human gut, called candida albicans.

According to Mukkala and Bhatia, there have been several studies from NASA and other researchers that suggest that astronauts who experience long-duration space flight in microgravity can experience immunological changes because of the upregulation of the expression of certain genes in their T-cells and B-cells.

Mukkala said that space is very sterile, but our own bodies contain bacteria, and long space flights require more than one astronaut. If an astronaut is immunocom-

Addy Bhatia System Design and Attitude Control Lead

promised — meaning their immune system is impaired — they can become more susceptible to urinary tract infections or other kinds of infections. Bhatia added that this is a significant concern because, in these situations, necessary medical aid is not accessible in space.

The yeast cells will be loaded onto the UTAT satellite and examined to see how much the genes change over the course of two days in orbit. The sensors they’ll be using in the satellite have already demonstrated that they can be used in a space-like environment and can produce reproducible results.

If these studies go on to prove the theories put forth by NASA and other scientists, then similar studies can continue to explore how medications may behave differently in space.

“For that reason we’re putting together a very small-scale, cheap platform that students like us can build and keep on building in the future across the world, to do studies that are as significant as this to the scientific and space community, that would benefit future space exploration,” explained Bhatia.

“Something else to note is that the results that we get from an experiment are usually applicable to more than just one situation,” added Mukkala. “Science is very spontaneous. Things happen as they go. It’s a matter of developing technology that can pace with the spontaneity of science.”

The Innovation Fund was planned to serve only on the Space Systems project and the satellite launch. According to Howlader, a large portion of the levy will be used for the launch costs, which can be “hundreds of thousands of dollars” paid through several installments over the two-year period. All other funds go directly into designing and developing the satellite.

While the first iteration that was built for the design competition withstood the struc-

Avinash Mukkala Payload Lead

tural testing that it required, the designers of the Space Systems Division found that it was difficult to manufacture and develop. That’s why the satellite has now entered its second iteration; included in this iteration is a new outer design of the satellite. Additionally, each system is being designed to be prototyped and manufactured more quickly.

The future The true importance of a project like this is not in the immediate results of the launch but rather in the longevity of the project and the doors that it will open. The purpose of UTAT is to get students not only excited about aerospace engineering, but to make it more accessible. UTAT wants to create an environment where students can learn outside the classroom and put the theories they have learned into practice.

“The ability to show that students at the undergraduate level can get involved very deeply into something that only people like NASA have done before is very, very big,” said Howlader.

UTAT is more than just for students in STEM fields. Students involved in commerce, marketing, finance, and outreach can get involved to work on the business development aspect to the group.

“We have an entire system that can be for anyone who has any curiosity to come and learn this stuff,” Howlader told me. “I think a really big thing is how interdisciplinary the aerospace community really is.”

The Ontario Science Centre is already using old UTAT equipment for educational purposes. It’s only a matter of time before the first U of T student-launched satellite becomes the next attraction.

Katie Gwozdecky Director of Space Systems

13

14 • THE VARSITY

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October 30, 2017 var.st/arts arts@thevarsity.ca

How to create your own campus ghost tour Robarts at night isn't U of T's only haunted spot Hannah Lank Varsity Contributor

UTSG is not only steeped in history, but it is also home to some spooky inhabitants who are all at their most active on Halloween.

Okay, maybe that isn’t a completely true historical fact, but there have been plenty of spooky events on campus over the past 190 years, many of which were documented.

The University of Toronto History Society has dug up some haunted historical stories from places all over campus and will be hosting its second annual student-led Haunted Campus Ghost Tours on Monday, October 30 and Tuesday, October 31 at 7:00 pm.

Here, we’ve shared some insider tips to create your own DIY spooky tour. Be sure to start your self-guided tour after dark, when the ghouls are most active.

Stop one: Begin at University College, which the famous Reznikoff ghost is rumoured to haunt.

In the 1800s, two stonemasons worked on this building: one was named Reznikoff, the other, Diabolus. Reznikoff was a heavyset, unpleasant-looking man, while Diabolus was lithe and quite handsome. Conflict between them arose when Diabolus persuaded Reznikoff’s fiancée to leave Reznikoff and elope with him instead, taking the dowry with them.

Reznikoff discovered this treacherous plan, and confronted Diabolus on the work site, armed with an axe. After a gruelling duel, Diabolus fled up the scaffolding to hide. He thought he was no match for the axeman, with his small physique and armed with only a short dagger.

But as he heard Reznikoff’s heavy footfalls steadily approaching, he lunged out from his hiding place and fatally struck his opponent, who was caught off guard. Diabolus threw Reznikoff’s corpse into the stairwell below, interring it in cement. Diabolus and Reznikoff’s former fiancée were never heard from again.

Stop two: Make your way to the Laidlaw

Library, a quaint location just west of Soldier’s Tower. Legend has it that one evening, a student was studying here late at night with the only light in the entire room coming from his desk lamp. Exhausted, the student fell soundly asleep.

He was awoken by a chill in the room, and upon opening his eyes was shocked to see every single light in the entire library — desk lamps, ceiling lights — all turned on. The student alerted Campus Police, suspecting the worst, but the records showed that no one had entered the library after he’d fallen asleep.

Whatever made the lights come on — every single one — was not a person.

Stop three: As you walk north on campus, you’ll approach Trinity College, haunted by the ghost of its founder, Bishop John Strachan. Enter Trinity’s quad and find his bust on the west side. Strachan is said to return to the college to check in once a year, usually around the time of his death: November 1, 1867.

Stop four: If you venture into Trinity College proper, you’ll find the chapel, home to the Gray Lady, one of campus’ creepiest ghosts. She is said to inhabit the Lady Chapel and has been reported by many visitors as an apparition with a greyish complexion who sits in the pews or sometimes even waits outside the chapel doors as if preparing to attend service. She tends to vanish quickly, sometimes walking from the pews to the Lady Chapel and then disappearing.

Stop five: To continue your tour, walk across Queen’s Park to Victoria College’s Annesley Hall, the first female residence in Canada.

Years ago, the building was ravaged by a fire, which left three women dead. When firefighters searched the house, they found that the source of the fire had been a small tearoom in the basement, where residents would often practice instruments and socialize.

The room was locked, and when the firefighters broke down the door, they found the corpses of three women scratching at it, one of them still clutching the violin she had been

U of T's History Society is offering campus ghost tours this October. MIN HO LEE/THE VARSITY

playing when the fire began. No one could deduce how the fire originated, or why the door was locked from the inside of the room.

Ever since this fateful event, some have sworn that the hall is haunted — they see women in white just out of the corner of their vision, and there have been reports of the haunting sound of a violin, sometimes accompanied by piano, coming from empty rooms. It seems the three women have never left the site of their gruesome deaths.

Stop six: If your bones haven’t been rattled enough by this point, finish your tour at Christie House, the old residence of William Christie, the cookie man. His son, Robert Christie, moved in here with his father, bringing along his secret mistress and stowing her away in a windowless room in the middle of the house so he could see

The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector Bewitching and at times horrifying, this book feels like a fever dream. Dedicate yourself to this reading after you’ve swiped on scarlet lipstick and smudged your mascara. This book offers a strange rebirth to make you want to try again.

These powerful reads will inspire you to change

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

Halloween is a time of transformation, as our everyday surroundings become darker and more sinister. In this spirit, I offer you this reading list as a spell for resurrection, more powerful than simply washing your sheets or changing your hair colour. Good luck.

The Trouble With Being Born by Emil M. Cioran Validation for the unmotivated, this book offers an answer to the mysteries of life. Read it on the floor of your teenage bedroom, listening to Jimmy Eat World.

How To Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell Glittering and striking, with prose that feels like an Adderall high, this book offers comfort

The University of Toronto History Society is an undergraduate student group working on a student-curated, accessible, public history of the university.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler A dystopian novel that feels painfully real. Read this and understand the urgency of change.

Give a copy to everyone you’ve ever loved.

Seven books of transformation

Farida Abdelmeguied & Carol Eugene Park Varsity Contributors

her whenever was convenient for him.

As time wore on, Robert began to lose interest in his mistress, visiting her less and less. They say the loneliness and desperation drove her mad; she eventually hanged herself.

Since then, students living in the house have reported that when you go alone into Room 29, the door slams shut, the lock turns, and you can’t get out until someone hears your screams.

If you enter at night, no one will hear, and like Christie’s mistress, you’ll be forced to wait in the dark, praying that someone will come for you.

to everyone who knows that escape routes can sometimes become prisons. A manifesto for the lonely party girls, this book teaches you to look for the beauty in small moments.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid For anyone who has ever contemplated murdering an ex: read this under a blanket to protect your exposed nerves. This book will destroy you in a good way.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Required reading if you’re haunted by jealousy, and recommended for anyone looking to be seen. For the madwomen in the attic, those who’ve worked hard to be loved, and everyone who occupies the space between good and evil. Read this in a gothic mansion, with nails painted black.

My Ariel by Sina Queyras A prayer of resurgence for all the angry girls, reading this is a good thing to do if you feel stuck. This is the kind of book you steal from your best friend’s shelf and never give back.

16 • THE VARSITY • ARTS & CULTURE

arts@thevarsity.ca

Goodbye to the Green Room Who is the most extra The Annex's notorious and greasy speakeasy is character on Riverdale? moving down to College Street

The Varsity investigates

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

Varsity Contributors

Everyone’s favourite crime-solving, gangbusting, shower-sex-having teens returned to television on October 11. That’s right, Riverdale is back. We just can’t decide if this show is the best or the worst thing ever. We asked our contributors for their opinions on who the most ‘extra’ character on Riverdale is — a difficult task when many of them routinely accuse their parents of attempted murder.

The Green Room will be move to the Crown and Tiger's old location. DANIEL AYLKAR/THE VARSITY

Jack O. Denton News Editor

The Green Room, an Annex staple, shut its doors on Sunday, October 29 in anticipation of a move to a new location on College Street.

Located off a back alley behind Bloor Street, between Brunswick Avenue and Borden Street at the top of David French Lane, the Green Room has served students and other Annex residents for a generation. I first heard of the bar when I was in high school. Perhaps unbeknownst to many, there was also a pretty sturdy menu at the establishment and it was a good hangout spot and café during the day.

The Green Room holds a special, if sometimes hazy, place in many students’ hearts. Laith Goldie, a second-year student at UTSG, has been banned “multiple times.”

Some of this drunken revelry could be attributed to the Green Room’s cheap drinks and a last call that acts as a beacon to those at surrounding spots like Dance Cave. As 2:00 am rolled around, things could get exceedingly lubricated between the two floors — with two bars! — and the patio.

“I saw a lad in the stall passed out on the shitter with yack all over himself,” said Jaiden Hyland, a second-year UTSC student.

“Great times.”

While the Green Room won’t be going away permanently, the loss of its location seems to be a huge hit to many. “I love how secluded and hidden it is,” said Sarah Armoogam, a fourth-year UTSG student.

“I’m thinking the move will change that.”

Armoogam added that she knows she won’t go to the new location as much.

“The old location was such a selling point,” said Simona Newman, a third-year UTSG student, “and to an extent was the Green Room.”

The new location for the bar will be on the

north side of College, east of Bathurst Street, where the Crown and Tiger was previously.

Newman used to work at the Crown and Tiger, a bar where, she said, “the clientele was primarily drifters, convicted felons, under-age kids, and patrons who clearly had substance abuse and alcohol abuse issues.”

Newman described violent fights resulting in serious injuries as a regular occurrence.

This sort of activity is a far cry from the peaceful, if sedate, action of the Green Room, where the most violent occurrence was probably someone being escorted out by its affable doorman.

Concerns about the Crown’s clientele carrying over to the new Green Room seem justified. Drifters and felons were not a part of the back alley location’s aesthetic.

Newman says that she doesn’t think that the Crown’s regulars “can even be bothered to find out that there is a new bar and ownership so long as they can continue ordering cheap pitchers without getting cut off by bartenders.”

On Thursday, my last night in the back-alley bar, I asked one of the staff if he was concerned about the Crown’s patrons. “We’ll figure it out,” he said. Maybe it was the whisky, but his attitude and the comfort of those famous couches I was sitting on seemed to assure me.

It was the purchase of the building that housed the Green Room that forced its move.

According to the staff, it will be turned into a boutique hotel. The irony of luxury in a space so known for its comfortable grubbiness is not lost, and it seems a poignant addition to a list of now-defunct establishments like the Brunny — now a Rexall — and Honest Ed’s, soon to be turned to rentals and retail spaces. At the risk of NIMBYism, I’m a little pissed.

Dr. Masters Less than two minutes into the second season premiere and Riverdale is already up to its old tricks. As Archie rushes his dad to the hospital, the audience comes face to face with the most absurd looking doctor ever shown on screen. His name is Dr. Masters, and he looks like a Tic Tac. He looks like the kind of doctor that would tell Archie it’s okay to shower with a cast on. He looks like he primarily operates on teddy bears, and like he was genuinely excited when Crocs were invented. His look is extra AF, and I hope I never see him again.

— Elspeth Arbow Veronica Lodge “Daddy?!” This moniker is, impressively, made even more ridiculous than usual in Riverdale — thanks to none other than Miss Veronica ‘my parents may be attempted murderers’ Lodge. That alone should be enough to win the richer half of B&V the title of ‘most extra.’ Between using childish terms of endearment at her age and throwing wild accusations left and right, Veronica truly goes above and beyond to say absolutely nothing of value. Speaking of value, her steamy idea of comforting Archie as his dad lay comatose? Maybe not the most tactful. If hyperbole personified wore preppy skirts, it would almost be at Veronica Lodge’s level.

— Sarim Irfan Vegas For all the talk about dogs being selfless creatures, Vegas seems to have Archie on a tight leash. Fred Andrews is literally comatose in the hospital after a shooting, and the dog needs a walk? Considering the amount of emotional labour that apparently goes into caring for Vegas in the Andrews household, you’d think Vegas might have been a bit more concerned that one of his owners came home covered in his other owner’s blood.

— Teodora Pasca Archie Andrews Archie is definitely the most extra. I mean, come on, an emotionally sensitive football

quarterback? Please, Archie, you banged your music teacher and wanted to show your ‘undying’ love for her by playing crappy poems and guitar. How many love interests has Archie had again? And he won’t even give Betty, the sweetest character of all time, a chance. Has everyone forgotten that he’s only 16 and yet he’s out here trying to find a gun to somehow save his dad? Stay in your lane and stick to the football field, Archie.

—Yasaman Mohaddes Betty Cooper Some may argue that Betty Cooper is one of the only remotely sane characters in Riverdale, but the fact of the matter is that Betty is just as extra if not more extra than Veronica, Cheryl, and the others. At least they can remember their crazy antics. Since she seems so kind and innocent, Betty can get away with throwing on a black wig and almost boiling Chuck Clayton to death in a hot tub. Obviously, it’s Riverdale, so almost killing Chuck is hardly considered an extreme act, but it’s the fact that Betty usually pretends that she wants to drink milkshakes all day at Pop’s and have everyone get along that concerns me. Who knows what she’s truly capable of?

— Lauren Dubay Jughead Jones I think Jughead is the purest cinnamon roll and I love him dearly. Let’s face it though, he’s the show’s oddball. And he’s totally okay with that. I think I’d even go far enough to say that he perceives himself to be edgier — and weirder — than he actually is. Everything that comes out of his mouth is so, so extra. By now, we’ve gotten so used to it that if Jughead said something remotely normal, we wouldn’t be able to handle it.

— Rue Guha Cheryl Blossom Cheryl Blossom is undoubtedly the ruling queen of extra. One half of a set of creepy redheaded twins, her obsession with her brother Jason and her propensity for sleepwalking the halls of her ancestral mansion, bedecked in a floor-length gown make for delightfully hammy gothic vibes. Cheryl takes her complex even further when she arranges for the song that her parents listened to during her and “Jay-Jay’s” conception to play at semi-formal.

The cherry topping this sundae of crazy is when she burns down the Blossom McMansion with a freaking candelabrum. Cheryl Blossom: To know her is to be extremely, involuntarily, horrifically, entertained.

— Alice (KX) Zhang Read the rest online at var.st/riverdale

OCTOBER 30, 2017 • 17

var.st/arts

On Rupi Kaur's insta-poetry Two writers discuss accessibility, universality, and allegations of plagiarism in Kaur's work

FIONA TUNG/THE VARSITY

Farida Abdelmeguied & Carol Eugene Park Varsity Contributors

In October, Rupi Kaur’s The Sun and Her Flowers was ranked second on The New York Times Bestsellers List. Kaur’s first book, Milk and Honey, hit number one earlier this year, has sold two million copies, and has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Kaur’s work has not only achieved commercial success, but has been lauded in the media. In a Huffington Post article from 2015 titled “Rupi Kaur: The Poet Every Woman Needs to Read,” Erin Spencer wrote, “Milk and Honey is the poetry collection every woman needs on her nightstand or coffee table.” This kind of attention, combined with Kaur’s massive following on Instagram — about 1.7 million strong — has assured her rapid rise. Yet Kaur’s overly simplistic, accessible poetry has provoked a discussion in both the literary world and her more mainstream audience as to whether or not her work even qualifies as poetry or constitutes ‘real literature.’

Accessible ‘poetry’ In 2016, Kaur told The Guardian that she felt that the global market did not have room to include a Punjabi-Sikh-Canadian woman’s experience with love, healing, and trauma. After achieving little success in publishing her work in traditional literary mediums like anthologies and journals, Kaur took to self-publishing her manuscript, a growing alternative to traditional publishing though still somewhat stigmatized and dismissed in the literary world. Her work to self-publish Milk and Honey in this context is indeed admirable.

The themes which Kaur explores in her

work are both relatable and important. Her experiences are valid and worth sharing, and many women have been able to connect and heal from their own traumas through Kaur’s work.

Yet, despite her ability to connect with readers, I cannot shake the annoyance and frustration I have with her works being labelled ‘poetry.’ Perhaps my reaction to her notoriety is a result of my love of the poetic canon, but I also have a love for literature outside of that elite literary circle.

Literary forms and genres should be challenged. They should evolve and be made accessible to contemporary audiences — but in a way that follows at least some structural elements of its traditional form. Poetry should certainly be thought provoking, and should elicit feelings and connection. But accessibility does not mean eliminating poetic devices from the genre.

The beauty of poetry is that the poet can evoke a feeling without requiring the reader to understand the work’s message immediately. Petrarch’s sonnets may not be accessible to everyone, but they are written elegantly, filled with countless poetic devices.

His poetry shows, while Kaur’s tells.

— Carol Eugene Park

not escaped criticism. Allegations of plagiarism and lack of originality have arisen, particularly in relation to her work’s similarities to Salt, a book by the poet Nayyirah Waheed.

Having been familiar with Waheed’s work prior to reading either Milk and Honey or The Sun and Her Flowers, I do see the similarities and I don’t think the allegations of plagiarism are completely unfounded. Thematic similarities arise in both authors’ works, like the motif of honey used as a metaphor for kindness or cooperation. Both writers also frequently draw connections between womanhood and the sea.

However, I don’t think it’s fair to assert that this alone constitutes plagiarism.

These elements have a connotation that many are at least familiar with. Drawing on shared understanding is part and parcel of many genres of literature — authors use words or notions that they believe will draw on a common understanding in order to communicate their ideas.

It may not be fair to say that Kaur outright plagiarized, but there seems to be evidence of hyper similarity and even paraphrasing.

Perhaps most interesting is that although Waheed reached out to Kaur both privately and publicly for a comment on the allegations of plagiarism, Kaur did not respond.

One would think that when an author is accused of plagiarism, they would refute such allegations, justify the similarities, or at least engage in a conversation. While Kaur has cited Waheed as an inspiration several times, she has never responded to the allegations of plagiarism against her. One must wonder when inspiration ends and plagiarism begins.

Allegations of plagiarism Despite Kaur’s success, both in terms of book sales and social media following, her work has

Disingenuous attempts at universality Another often-criticized aspect of Kaur’s work is her attempt to be both personal and

Rupi Kaur’s works are sentences broken into fragments that lack basic poetic devices and this is where my frustration stems from.

universal by generalizing her own personal confessions. Her work involves issues of rape, abuse, misogyny, violence, femininity, and body shaming, much of it related to her background as a Punjabi and Sikh woman.

In her writing, Kaur claims to represent generations of trauma, generalizing her personal opinions on these issues on behalf of the greater Punjabi and Sikh communities.

This is particularly problematic because she doesn’t differentiate between herself, an educated, Indian-Canadian, Western woman, and her ancestors, or even the modern women who currently live in her ancestral hometown.

Kaur’s work suggests that all South Asian women have the same experience, and doesn’t acknowledge her own privileges or the simple fact that historical differences do exist. It’s disingenuous for her to claim that her experience is the same as that of a colonized woman, and for her to derive material benefit from claiming generations of trauma that she may or may not have personally experienced.

Discussing the accusations of plagiarism that have been levelled against Kaur raise interesting questions of originality and ownership in this digital age, where both information and art can be disseminated widely and rapidly. The criticism of her work as claiming a false universality also brings up issues of postcolonial writing and positionality. We must wonder how Western postcolonial writers can position themselves in a modern context while their writing is historically influenced, and how they can write about historical experience while ensuring they do not claim it as their own.

— Farida Abdelmeguied

Science

October 30, 2017 var.st/science science@thevarsity.ca

The aftermath of a neutron star collision Source of gravitational waves detected for first time Nouran Sakr Varsity Staff

The National Science Foundation announced on October 16 that, for the first time ever, scientists have detected gravitational waves resulting from the collision of two neutron stars 130 million light years away.

Astronomers detected a signal length of 100 seconds, which distinguished this event from the four other black hole collisions observed by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) since 2016 that generated a signal of less than one second. Since signal length correlates with the size of the bodies that collided, it was evident that a massive merger had been witnessed.

These waves reached Earth and were detected on August 17 by LIGO, an observatory created to detect cosmic gravitational waves in Louisiana and Washington State, and Virgo, an interferometer in Italy designed for the same purpose.

The collision also emitted light in the form of gamma rays that astronomers were able to see through telescopes. Because collisions between black holes do not normally emit light, this confirmed that the observed event was due to a clash of two neutron stars.

At a mass of 1.1–1.6 times larger than the sun and with a diameter of only about 20 kilometres, a neutron star is so dense that one teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh roughly one billion tons.

The two stars were in-spiralling at an increasing speed in a galaxy called NGC 4993.

After billions of years of this interplay, the two neutron stars met in a collision and created an explosion called a kilonova.

Such a collision produces gravitational waves — ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by violent processes that take place in the universe, such as the collision of neutron stars, or the leftovers of a star that burned all its fuel and imploded under its own weight.

Members of the LIGO collaboration at U of T’s Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) played a crucial role in leading and implementing the analysis of the event. They had two main tasks: to search for and identify potential signals as well as to analyze the data to obtain information about the origin of the signal after the detection had been made.

“The fact that we saw it in gravitational waves and gamma rays allows us to test what the relative speed of gravity and light is,” said CITA postdoctoral fellow Dr. Carl-Johan Haster. “The theory of general relativity says that they should be the same, and they are very much the same.”

Gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916. In his theory of general relativity, he sought to find out how gravity affects space and time. He expected that violent movements of giant objects would send ripples in the fabric of space-time that stretch and squeeze dimensions and travel at the speed of light.

Since collisions of black holes produce no gamma rays, it wasn’t possible until now to prove Einstein’s theory.

CARISSA CHEN/THE VARSITY

Haster added that using a regular telescope to view the emitted light allows astronomers to identify the source more accurately. In addition to gravitational waves and gamma rays, they observed x-ray and radio waves.

This coordinated observation is called a multi-messenger signal because information is obtained from many different sources.

“People have been hoping that detections like this would lead to ‘multi-messenger’ astronomy, and this event provided a perfect proof of concept: multi-messenger astronomy is going to be a new normal,” said Dr.

Aaron Zimmerman, a senior research associate at CITA. He believes that this new era of astronomy will be an influential way to learn about the universe.

Not only did the collision of neutron stars explain that the mysterious bursts of gamma rays often detected are actually a result of neutron stars colliding, it also shed light onto the origin of some rare elements. Astronomers now also understand that heavy elements like platinum and gold are products of the reactions between residue left behind from the merger of two neutron stars.

What Sidewalk Toronto means for students Waterfront revitalization project holds potential for academic collaboration

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

Spencer Y. Ki Varsity Contributor

Science fiction visionaries often paint the future of city life as a mesh of technology, constantly shifting to fit the needs of its denizens. Sidewalk Labs, a sister company of Google under the Alphabet Inc. conglomerate umbrella, is seeking to bring that dream to reality here in Toronto.

The project is dubbed Sidewalk Toronto and aims to transform the decrepit eastern waterfront district into a model city of the twenty-first century. Having reached an agreement with the federal, provincial, and municipal governments, the American corporation will be holding a year-long discus-

sion about its plans for development, which include a promise of opportunity for students.

In its almost 200-page project vision, originally written in response to Waterfront Toronto’s rigorous search for partners to aid in revitalization of the waterfront, Sidewalk Labs announced that Sidewalk Toronto will engender innovation by being a centre for co-working. This would appeal to students, entrepreneurs, and academics who want to work on the cutting-edge of urban technology.

More tangibly, the document also suggests academic partnerships with the creation of an “urban innovation institute” offering graduate-level degree programs, which

points to designs for an experience based on collaboration between faculty and students.

Ultimately, the goal is to allow for real-world experimentation of ideas in an urban environment.

It should also be noted that the academic experience wouldn’t be limited solely to those in STEM fields. Project Vision draws attention to the fact that the institute will host interdisciplinary research. Explicitly stated areas of interest include artificial intelligence, but also encompass topics such as policy, governance, and finance.

“One could imagine the potential for longitudinal research studying the redevelopment process over time,” said Dr. Shauna Brail, Presidential Advisor on Urban Engagement at U of T. Brail also raised the possibility of opportunities for students of design to contribute to the revitalisation.

Dr. Alberto Leon-Garcia, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering who holds the Distinguished Professor in Application Platforms and Smart Infrastructure award, stated that he fully expects university students to be able to participate in Sidewalk Toronto industries as interns and employees and to generate startups in this innovative environment.

Current plans released by Sidewalk Labs highlight ambitious goals. These include servicing the entire district with autonomous “taxibots,” restricting private vehicles from the area, and integrating a “digital layer” — a network of sensors that would be constantly

collecting data on dwellers and the environment to best adapt to changing needs.

However, while it may be easy to get swept up in a utopian vision, experts emphasize that there are still many hurdles on the road ahead and important questions to be asked.

“The greatest challenges probably lie in conducting a meaningful public consultation process, developing a workable financial plan, and demonstrating that data collected through sensors will be shared and not infringe on individual privacy,” said Brail. She also voiced concerns about the legality of banning private vehicles on city streets.

Dr. David Roberts, an assistant professor of the Innis College Urban Studies program, also raised the potential problem of vesting such extraordinary power in a private entity.

“My biggest concerns are centered on furthering the already uneven urban investment in this city and the exacerbating of inequality,” he said.

“We do not want technology for technology sake. We do not want technology that will hurt us, but we do want technology that makes Toronto the smartest city in the world, and I think we can do it,” wrote Dr. Baher Abdulhai, the Director of the Toronto Intelligent Transportation Systems Centre, in an email to The Varsity.

While media reception of Sidewalk Toronto has overall been optimistic, there is still a long way to go until the necessary issues surrounding the project have been smoothed out.

OCTOBER 30, 2017 • 19

var.st/science

Flirting with fear

Brain drain or brain gain?

Horror movies satisfy our desire for ‘safe fear’

An improvement in science policy, not political leadership, is necessary to reverse the brain drain

KORNELIA DRIANOVSKI/THE VARSITY SOPHIA PHAM/THE VARSITY

Clara Thaysen Varsity Contributor

With releases like It and Get Out topping the box office, 2017 is proving to be another successful year for horror movies. However, there is a strong divide as to whether or not horror movies are enjoyable to watch.

Some people like Dana Berg, a recent graduate from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at U of T, prefer horror to most other movie genres. “The afterlife was interesting to me as a kid, and horror movies allowed me to explore that interest,” she said.

Others like Shelby Stinnissen, a Masters student in U of T’s Faculty of Information, is not as enthusiastic as Berg. “When [movies are] too scary, I get a stomach ache... I don’t like when things that could actually happen in real life are represented in a realistic manner,” said Stinnissen.

Why is it that some can handle and even enjoy horror movies while others feel sick to their stomach after watching them? To answer that, we must understand what fear is and what role it plays in our survival.

What is fear?

Fear, both an innate and learned emotion, functions as a survival mechanism. From an evolutionary perspective, fear is a response used to anticipate a potential threat so that we can deal with it or avoid it. Physiologically, fear induces a switch from the parasympathetic to the sympathetic mode in our central nervous system.

“In the parasympathetic mode, the focus is on long term survival and it kicks in primarily while we are ‘at rest.’ So energy is devoted to processes such as digestion,” said Dr. Steve Joordens, a psychology professor at UTSC. “However, if we suddenly feel that our lives are in danger... then the sympathetic mode kicks in. Now the focus is on short term survival... digestive processes are shut down, [and] heart rate [and] breathing increase.” Overall, the goal of fear is to make your body ready to fight or flee.

‘Safe fear’ is exciting, real fear is not So, why would we want to purposely invoke fear by watching horror movies? The answer lies in the distinction between fictional horror and real threats.

“Nobody truly likes the feeling of real fear... what some people like is ‘safe fear’... they’re in a situation that is scary enough to produce the [fear response]... which does feel exciting in a truest sense of the word... but overall they know they are actually safe,” explained Joordens.

Dr. Adam Anderson, a former assistant professor in U of T’s Department of Psychology, now at Cornell University, agreed. “The excitement that people feel, with all the physiological arousal that entails, is present with the knowledge that things will end safely.

True fear is when the outcome is uncertain.”

This excitement that people enjoy is a product of the adrenaline, dopamine, and endorphins released during a fear response.

Nonetheless, ‘safe fear’ is not enjoyable for everyone, and in the end, this may come down to personality differences. “Some people are simply more adventurous and like flirting with ‘abnormal’ [excitement] states... [others] prefer to keep things comfortable,” said Joordens.

Scared? Just keep watching If you are looking to conquer your inability to watch horror movies, repeated exposure can help.

“Horror movies were part of my family tradition,” said Leah Ritcey-Thorpe, a fifth-year student studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at U of T, who attributes her love for horror movies to watching them at a young age.

Experiencing a threat more than once, whether fictional or real, can help you estimate its danger. “With repeated experience... [you] learn that you’ve been here before and been fine, and [you] react less,” explained Joordens.

While this fact may be discouraging to horror movie fanatics who may not want to be desensitized to fear, others can rest assured that one day, they may be able to watch Paranormal Activity without squinting through their fingertips.

Srivindhya Kolluru Varsity Contributor

‘Brain drain’ is a phenomenon that refers to the migration of skilled workers from one nation to another. In Canada, this trend was first noticed in the 1990s, when skilled workers, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields such as medicine and computer programming, left for the US. This brain drain has been attributed to various factors, such as Canada’s higher taxes, a stronger US economy, and a passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 that introduced new work permits to the US for Canadian and Mexican citizens.

More recently, it has been debated whether there is a reversal in brain drain because of President Donald Trump’s election and his strong stance on immigration.

Reports have shown that by the end of 2016, applications from US students to the University of Toronto increased by 70 per cent compared to the previous year. As well, the university has seen a 20 per cent increase in the number of international students who will be accepting seats at U of T in the upcoming year.

Furthermore, the current US administration’s proposed funding restrictions for 2018, which include cuts by 19 per cent to the National Institutes of Health, mirrors funding cuts during Canada’s conservative government led by Stephen Harper.

Under Harper from 2006–2015, funding for research was decreased so drastically that many have dubbed it Canada’s “dark age of science.” The government controlled Environment Canada’s release of climate information to the public, and in 2008, it eliminated the role of Chief Science Advisor. In 2012, the passage of Bill C-38, which was enacted to reduce budget deficit, also resulted in budget cuts to government-funded scientific programs: 5,332 federal employees were dismissed, including 139 from Environment Canada and 436 from Fisheries & Oceans, many of whom were scientists.

Because of federal budget reductions, especially during this period, support for basic science has dropped. Some have argued that this is what caused Canada to lag behind in

scientific research.

While many have attributed the growing foreign-born interest in Canada to the change in American presidency, university officials have also credited their own marketing efforts. Trump’s election may have helped direct the interest of foreign-born graduates toward Canadian universities, but the brain drain is unlikely to reverse unless Canada’s policy makers prioritize STEM education and funding to create more competitive jobs for graduates.

Canada’s ability to provide job security to STEM graduates and compete with the US relies on the federal government’s push to fund basic research, investigator-led research, or research that aims to generate new information or understanding of existing phenomena without immediate application or use.

Fortunately, Canada has already made improvements by appointing its first science advisor in 10 years, Dr. Mona Nemer. Although this is a step toward strengthening research and innovation, there is more to be done.

The Naylor Report, named after its lead author and former U of T President David Naylor, was released this April and outlined 35 recommendations the Canadian government should follow to increase research funding. The report stressed the importance of basic research and highlighted its role in driving scientific discoveries.

The significance of fundamental research has been recognized internationally. A notable example is the recent 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young, whose research involved the study of mechanisms that regulate the circadian rhythm using fruit flies.

In Canada, the impact of this research is also prominent. UTM professor Joel Levine, a mentee of Hall, was awarded a Canada Research Chair Award from 2015–2020 to support fundamental research on molecular mechanisms that dictate social behavior in fruit flies.

While these findings do not have immediate applications, funding basic research is an important investment. Doing so is likely to foster more STEM jobs in Canada, which in turn can contribute to a long-term reversal of brain drain.

20 • THE VARSITY • SCIENCE

science@thevarsity.ca

Intermittent fasting may be more than a fad Fasting is linked to fat loss and improved metabolism in mice

Science Around Town Charmaine Nyakonda Varsity Staff

Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating that cycles between set periods of feasting and fasting. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Pascale Tsai Varsity Contributor

Intermittent fasting (IF) practices have been linked to beneficial health effects, such as increased insulin sensitivity and reduced body weight.

A research team led by Dr. Kyoung-Han Kim at The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute demonstrated that the effects of IF without caloric restriction include fat shedding and protection against metabolic dysfunction. The team hopes that the mechanism by which IF works can be studied to treat metabolic conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The effects of IF were tested on mice, which were subjected to a two-day unrestricted feeding period followed by one day of fasting.

In the first six weeks, the IF mice demonstrated an improved metabolic state and a better ability to regulate blood sugar.

After 16 weeks of the regime, the IF mice weighed less than the control mice who ate the same total volume of food. The researchers noticed that this weight loss corresponded to a loss of white adipose tissue (WAT) and increased thermogenesis, or heat production.

WAT stores energy in the form of fat in your body. In the process of ‘browning,’ it can turn into brown adipose tissue, which is responsible for heat production from fat.

Positive effects were seen in the mice following IF, including WAT browning, which have been linked to a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). It turns out that an IF-induced increase in VEGF triggers the ‘alternative activation’ of a group of cells called macrophages. This increases the level of M2 macrophages in the body, which then are involved in the browning process.

According to the study, it is now accepted that thermogenesis by fat tissues improves metabolism and that VEGF plays a role in this process. Increased levels of VEGF in

the WAT of IF mice amplified M2 macrophage activation and thermogenesis.

Obese mice were then subjected to IF without caloric restriction and a high-fat diet, and they displayed similar results after six weeks. This included improved liver function and glucose homeostasis as well as WAT breakdown. These results suggest that IF can also be used to treat obesity, in addition to preventing it.

The researchers also found that IF-induced increases in VEGF were reversible. During fasting, VEGF levels peaked, and during feeding, they decreased to their original concentrations.

When they analyzed the activity of VEGF and M2 macrophages in human tissues, they found a similar correlation.

It must be noted that comparing the effects of IF on mice and on humans is difficult. Periods of fasting lead to both mental and physiological stress, and humans have fundamental differences in baseline metabolic rates and required food intake. However, IF appears to improve both eating behaviour and mood in humans.

The researchers have stated that further rigorous studies are required to examine whether the beneficial effects of IF last after the fasting has been discontinued, the

potential harms that may be associated with IF, and whether IF is ageor disease-state dependent. Future studies aim to determine the precise response of human adipose tissues to IF and its association with circadian rhythm, gut microbiome changes, and sleep regulation.

“We plan to investigate the effect of IF on human clinical setting.

Based on the results seen from human trials of IF, this could be an alternative treatment method for human obesity and diabetes. However, human study will take some time to initiate,” said co-author Hoon-Ki Sung.

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Limb Regeneration in Axolotls: the TGF-ß superfamily from beginning to end!

Sci-fi movies often explore the possibility of human limb regeneration. In reality, humans are deprived of this incredible feature, but some tetrapods are able to achieve this seamlessly.

This seminar will discuss the role of growth factors and proteins in different aspects of the limb regeneration process.

Date: Thursday, November 2 Time: 9:30 am Location: Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, 160 College Street, Red Room Admission: Free Targeting brain cancer with precision The number of cancer cases in Canada is expected to experience a 40 per cent rise by 2030 due to the growth in our senior population, according to a report by the Canadian Cancer Society. Dr. Q. Richard Lu will be speaking about methods that can be used to approach treating brain cancer with accuracy.

Date: Friday, November 3 Time: 1:30 pm Location: Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, 686 Bay Street, Room 1 Admission: Free Everything Neuroscience (∑N) Conference: Neuropsychiatry The Neuroscience Association for Undergraduate Students will be hosting the 6th Annual Everything Neuroscience Conference, which will showcase the work of lead researchers, with a focus this year on the field of psychiatry. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Students doing research related to neuropsychiatry are also welcome to enter in the poster competition.

Date: Saturday, November 4 Time: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Location: Bahen Centre for Information Technology, 40 St. George Street Admission: $7

Sports

October 30, 2017 var.st/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

The etiquette of trash talk Investigating the history of trash talk and whether Varsity Blues athletes believe it has a future on rice.”

On the other side, there are those who feel that the most effective way to get into someone’s head is through action, not mouth. Ultimately, they declare that winners should take their victories with humility and respect because trash talk gets in the way of good sportsmanship. In short, they claim that athletes should let their skills do the talking.

Varsity Blues athletes weigh in Although Varsity Blues men’s hockey player Evan MacEachern doesn’t consider himself a trash talker, he sees both sides of the argument. “In a game like hockey, where it’s physical contact, it can make tensions high... In contact sports I think that it can bring up the game to a different level,” said MacEachern.

Blues women’s basketball player Keyira Parkes does not identify as a trash talker either, but she says that if the perfect moment presents itself, she might drop a line. She agrees that sometimes trash talk is just a part of the game. She also feels that only some scenarios warrant trash talking.

“I think without it, the game could be just as good,” said Parkes. She does not think it should be banned from sports.

Conor McGregor speaks to the media ahead of UFC 189. ANDRIUS PETRUCENIA/CC WIKIMEDIA

Julia Gonsalves Varsity Contributor

“He is fucked! There’s no other way about it. His little legs, his little core, his little head. I’m gonna knock him out inside four rounds, mark my words.” Those are the words of Conor McGregor, the UFC Lightweight Champion, before his famed fight with professional boxer Floyd Mayweather.

If you had a chance to tune in to any of the press conferences leading up to this recent matchup, you would know that the two fighters are no strangers to a little verbal intimidation.

The conferences were filled with the pair exchanging cheeky comments and throwing verbal jabs at one another.

With the exception of UFC and boxing, many sports have rules against trash talk that are enforced by officials and referees, but oftentimes player-to-player chatter goes unnoticed. The verdict is split on whether or not trash talk has a place in sport, and both sides make a compelling argument. Does trash talk have a place in sport or does it simply contradict the values of good sportsmanship and fair competition?

On one side of the argument, we have those who are in favour of using the power of words to gain an advantage.

Those who are pro-trash talk often make the argument that it is part of the game.

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry told ESPN’s The Undefeated, “Trash-talking is part of the game, you have to give it. You have to be able to take it.”

Curry argues that as long as trash talk doesn’t cross personal lines, everything is fair game. Trash talk can lead to frustration and aggression, but in some sports such as hockey and basketball, this type of retaliation is considered one of the most exciting parts of the game.

Not only do advocates argue that it’s just a part of the game, they say that it is simply entertaining. Perhaps the most famous trash talker of all time was late boxer Muhammad Ali, who was notorious for exciting whole crowds of people with poetic jabs like this one directed at George Foreman: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. George can’t hit what his eyes can’t see. Now you see me, now you don’t. He thinks he will, but I know he won’t. They tell me George is good, but I’m twice as nice. And I’m gonna stick to his butt like white

What professional athletes have said There seems to be a consensus that comments relevant to the flow of the game or about the opponent’s skill are harmless.

Judging by the Toronto Star’s interviews with NHL players on the subject of trash talk, professionals feel the same way as the Blues athletes. When asked to comment about what sorts of remarks are acceptable and which are not, most players said that family and race were out of bounds.

A prime example of trash talk gone awry occurred in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final between France and Italy. When Italian defender Marco Materazzi began grabbing at Zinedine Zidane’s jersey, Zidane told Materazzi he would have to wait until after the game if he wanted to have his jersey.

Materazzi responded he would rather have Zidane’s sister.

Zidane proceeded to head butt him in the chest, earning himself a red card and a one-way ticket out of the game. It is this kind of scenario that those against trash talk hope to avoid, however it is what pro-trash talkers might see as a strategic move for Materazzi, whose team went on to win the World Cup. Whatever your personal view on trash talk, it’s likely that the practice won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. And for those of you who embrace it, keep in mind that there is still an etiquette to be followed.

Blues field hockey team earn bronze at OUA Championships Anna Costanzo leads Blues to victory over Queen’s Gaels Daniel Samuel Sports Editor

A valiant team effort throughout the weekend led by midfielder Emily Ziraldo and forward Anna Costanzo wasn’t enough, as the Varsity Blues field hockey team was unable to win their fourth consecutive Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championship, falling in the semi-finals against the rival Guelph Gryphons.

The Blues didn’t go home empty-handed though, defeating the Queen’s Gaels 3–2 in an action-packed contest on Sunday afternoon to earn bronze at the OUA Championships at York University’s Alumni Field.

Costanzo provided the Blues with their first goal of the match with one of the best finishes of the season. She stick handled around her defender one-on-one and tucked a diving effort into the back of the net after being tripped by Gaels goaltender Amanda Thoo.

Gaels midfielder Ciara Morrison equalized less than 10 minutes later, but Ziraldo scored on a penalty stroke in the final minutes of the first half to provide Toronto with a 2–1 advantage.

Blues forward Nicole Spring added a third goal for Toronto to start the second half.

Spring dove toward the goal to tip defender Nicole Hicks’ shot from the edge of the circle into the back of the net.

After defender Nicole Gaul scored off a penalty stroke with 11 minutes remaining, the Gaels rallied to close out the match. Midfielders Rebecca Gray and Mairead Corrigan pressed Toronto’s defenders looking for a late equalizer. The Blues ultimately held on to their one-goal advantage to earn bronze.

Toronto battled through adversity, injuries, and a rough start to the season. The team sat in fifth place midway through the season and utilized a five-match unbeaten run to earn the third seed entering the tour-

nament.

The Blues avenged an early October loss against the McGill Martlets with a commanding 2–0 victory in the quarter-finals to open the tournament on Friday. Ziraldo, who, alongside Rachel Spouge, was named a 2017 OUA all-star a day prior, accounted for both of Toronto’s goals. Ziraldo entered the tournament hot off a first-half hat-trick performance against the Western Mustangs the previous weekend.

Toronto looked dominant against the Martlets, as defenders Julia Costanzo and Taylor Fleck shut down’s McGill’s attack led by offensive threats Tania Iskandar, Constanza Martinez-Ramirez, and Breeshey Roskams-Hieter. The Blues maintained possession and control of the tempo throughout the match. Ziraldo opened the scoring in the first minute, receiving a pass from Anna Costanzo, stick handled around a defender, and fired a shot past the Martlets goalkeeper.

Her second goal of the match came early in the second half off a corner. Ziraldo won the ball at the top of the circle, angled her body away from her defender, and fired a backhanded shot into the back of the net.

The Blues’ lone loss of the tournament came in semi-finals at the hands of Guelph in a rain-soaked match on Saturday morning. Guelph, the eventual OUA Championship runner-ups, outmanoeuvred Toronto despite the conditions. The Blues had trouble connecting passes and creating a calculated attack, even maintaining their balance in a few instances during the match.

Guelph forward Olivia Finch opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and 10 minutes later fellow attacker Alexa Corrado added a second goal for the Gryphons. Anna Costanzo provided the Blues with a few quality chances but was unable to beat Guelph goaltender Morgan Kelley, who made five saves in the game.

22 • THE VARSITY • SPORTS

sports@thevarsity.ca

Blues women’s volleyball dominate in home opener Alina Dormann’s strong performance leads Toronto to victory over Lakehead Jackie Emick Varsity Contributor

Blues middle Jenna Woock sets up a play against the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

On Friday, October 27, the Varsity Blues women’s volleyball team opened their 2017–2018 season against the Lakehead Thunderwolves. Coming out of an extremely successful 2016 season in which they became the first Ontario team to claim the national championship title since 1976, the Varsity women have very high stakes set for this season.

Blues left side hitter Emma Armstrong set the tone by opening the first set of the game with consistent and well-placed serves. The Blues called a timeout, ahead by a commanding 7–3 lead. The Thunderwolves started to gain after a serve from Toronto was lost, but the Blues kept their lead and closed the set with a 25–20 win.

Blues right side hitter Alina Dormann dominated the court in the second set, putting her strong and fierce kills on display.

Her hits continued to account for Toronto’s on the scoreboard, as the Blues went on a quick 9–5 lead early in the set. The set ended with another kill from Dormann, pushing the Blues to a set win of 25–15.

The third set was fast-paced right off that bat. While libero Sophia Currier showed her refined skills through her amazing digs the entire game, she excelled in the final set as she saved multiple plays with her graceful dives. The constant communication from the Blues women put them up with a 16–12 lead.

The final set ended in a 25–16 advantage for Toronto.

The game ended with a 3–0 set victory for Toronto to start the season with a solid win.

After the success of last season, the Blues are looking forward with hope toward the possibility of ending with a postseason run.

Toronto will continue their hunt for a consecutive national title on November 3 at 8:00 pm against Trent University at the Addring Centre Kimel Field House.

SHANNA HUNTER/THE VARSITY

Sweating out the fury Breaking down the importance of channelling anger into a positive workout Daniela Ruscica Varsity Contributor

What if I told you that you could run your way to happiness, or that exercise could naturally allow you to burn away stress and anger and not just calories? Running and exercise reduce levels of stress hormones and boost the production of endorphins, the feel-good chemicals that fight pain and boost positive mood.

The correlation between moods and working out is a prominent one. Moods, goals, and mindsets all have an influence on an individual’s motives and desires. Research conducted by Jennifer Lerner of the Harvard Decision Science Laboratory found that anger can make people overconfident and motivated to take dangerous risks.

Many individuals look to exercise as an outlet to channel anger. Studies have shown that engaging in physical activity allows for anger to be released through the body’s movements, keeping stress levels and anger under control.

Aerobic exercise, which relies on oxygen to produce energy, increases the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and reduces anxiety.

Walking, jogging, and cycling are all good examples of aerobic circuits. Taking part in team sports is another great way to get active, and cooperation with others can both reduce anger and stress.

Benefical stationary exercises include flexing and relaxing muscles and doing deep breathing exercises. These processes help relax your body, reducing your anger and anxiety.

Anger is more than just a mood that affects relationships or situations — it affects the body, heart, and mind. When anger is expressed as an action or emotion, many do not realize how detrimental it can be to an individual’s overall health and well-being. Many also don’t realize the importance of working out and how it reduces the buildup of anger, allowing you to feel recharged and positive.

Improving your physical condition is not

MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY

only beneficial for the body but can help you better manage your emotions. Unhealthy responses to anger weaken the immune system and puts the body at risk. In a 1995 study published in the Journal of Advancement in Medicine, scientists found that an angry experience could cause a dip in levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A, which provides the first line of defence against infection.

Feelings of anger, stress, and depression can also have an impact on one’s life expectancy. A University of Michigan study conducted over a 17-year period found that couples who hold in their anger and repress feelings have a shorter lifespan than those

who are vocal and express what’s on their mind when they’re angry.

Anger is especially damaging to cardiac health. When an individual is angry, their average heart rate of 80 beats per minute can drastically increase to 180 beats per minute.

“In the two hours after an angry outburst, the chance of having a heart attack doubles,” Chris Aiken, instructor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, told Everyday Health.

Repressing anger is when one holds back their feelings and allows anger to build up. It is when an individual expresses their anger indirectly, and it is closely tied to heart dis-

ease. To protect your heart, find an outlet to channel your anger and regulate stress levels; identifying and addressing feelings is important to controlling anger.

Constructive anger is being able to express your feelings directly and in a problem-solving manner. This is a healthy way of dealing with frustration and is not associated with heart disease.

The brain processes all emotional stress and is therefore the first to feel the effects of anger. This then causes the body to release stress hormones that impact brain productivity and overall performance of the mind, heart, and body.

OCTOBER 30, 2017 • 23

var.st/sports

Blues rowing achieve seven podium finishes at OUA Championships Andrei Vovk captures silver and bronze in St. Catharines

WEEKLY BOX SCORES BASKETBALL MEN’S

84–69

October 28

Algoma Thunderbirds

Varsity Blues

WOMEN’S

67–28

October 28

Algoma Thunderbirds

Varsity Blues

HOCKEY MEN’S

1–4

October 27 Varsity Blues

York Lions

1–3

October 28 Varsity Blues

Laurier Golden Hawks

WOMEN’S

3–2

October 27

Varsity Blues

Windsor Lancers

FIELD HOCKEY 2–0

October 27 Blues women’s heavyweight four Lauren Richardson, Megan Kamachi, Kendra Wells, Robyn Loves, and Jessie MacAlpine earned bronze. PHOTO COURTESY OF AUSTIN SHIH

Varsity Blues

McGill Martlets

0–2

October 28 Kate Reeve Varsity Contributor

On October 27 and 28, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues rowing team competed at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships held at Henley Island. Already familiar with the course, the group quickly settled into their usual pre-race routines. Athletes huddled together out of the wind beneath U of T’s tent, posted right along the rocky shoreline, and watched their peers glide by. Although the forecast was grim, the weather held up throughout the weekend, producing only some minor wind and a touch of rain on Saturday. The atmosphere on the island was upbeat and hectic, with boats hanging overhead while crews jogged, skipped, and jumped around, doing anything to keep warm.

The Blues novice teams raced on Friday, arriving early to rig their boats and prepare for their morning races. Both the men and women qualified for the finals, which took place shortly after the preliminary heats.

The women were very satisfied with their fourth-place finish, while the men were glad to take home a bronze medal. Later in the afternoon the heats for the varsity athletes began, and different crews came and went quickly. The lightweights were careful with their food, as they would be weighed in the next day, but the heavyweight rowers happily downed bagels and peanut butter as they watched their teammates race. The novice rowers bused back to Toronto late that afternoon, while the rest stayed overnight in St. Catharines for their finals the next morning.

Relieved to wake up to relatively calm water, the athletes cycled through their races — many were in multiple boats and had to race several times. Although the regatta was dom-

inated by rowing powerhouses Western University and Brock University, U of T ended the tournament with 141 points overall and several podium finishes. This is especially significant in light of the poor weather leading up to OUAs, which severely hampered the Blues’ ability to practice on the water.

Nevertheless, the team performed solidly, taking home six medals.

Andrei Vovk, a longtime fixture on the Blues team, had a strong showing in the men’s lightweight 1x, finishing in 7:07.8 to net a silver. Vovk also took home a bronze from the men’s lightweight 2x category, joined by his partner William Sati, in a solid time of 6:43.26. The men’s heavyweight eight, a spectator favourite, also finished on the podium. The boat, composed of Simon Plenderleith, Terek Been, Chris Hill, Esteban Poveda Torres, Samuel Muise, Alex King, William Sati, and Jacob Koudys, captured third place with a time of 6:02.88.

The women’s eight came in fifth, but they are slotted to race together one last time this season at the Canadian University Rowing Championships in Burnaby. Megan Lewicki and Rachel Dick achieved a silver medal in the women’s lightweight 2 for their time of 7:56.3. The women’s heavyweight four of Lauren Richardson, Megan Kamachi, Kendra Wells, Robyn Loves and Jessie MacAlpine finished in third place at 7:23.39.

For a majority of Blues rowers, this was the final race of the season — and for a few graduating students, the last of their career altogether as Varsity Blues athletes. The rowing season itself is very intense, but also incredibly brief. Finishing on a strong note, the Blues rowers will now begin their winter training to prepare for open water in the spring.

Guelph Gryphons

Varsity Blues

3–2

October 29

Queen’s Gaels

Varsity Blues

LACROSSE MEN’S

11–24

October 28

Guelph Gryphons

Varsity Blues

SOCCER MEN’S

October 29 Varsity Blues

WOMEN’S

0–1

(2–3 PK)

Ryerson Rams

0–1

October 25 Varsity Blues

Ottawa Gee-Gees

VOLLEYBALL WOMEN’S

3–0

October 27

(25–20, 25–15, 25–16)

Varsity Blues

Lakehead Thunderwolves

OCTOBER 30, 2017 • 24

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