Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 2 September 11, 2017 thevarsity.ca —— University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
And so it begins... Orientation week breakdown, page 5
CFS audit reveals details of hidden bank account
One dead, one injured after construction accident
Over $200,000 in unauthorized deposits and disbursements made, full report witheld
University to work with Ministry of Labour in investigation of incident at UTSG
Josie Kao Varsity Contributor
Aidan Currie Deputy News Editor
In advance of the Canadian Federation of Students’ (CFS) semi-annual General Meeting this June, the organization released a forensic review summary consisting of a summary report and summary audit of the hidden bank account it operated, which was exposed in 2014. The CFS has declined to release the full forensic review. The summary, conducted and published by accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP, revealed that an unauthorized total of $263,052.80 in deposits and $262,776.13 in withdrawals were made between July 2010 and December 2014. According to the forensic review
summary, the deposits consisted of “funds intended for different parts of the organization.” These included payments for “services and advertising, refunds, return of retainers from law firms and payments relating to the national health plan as well as small payments for International Student ID Cards.” There were five recipients of the unauthorized disbursements, “two of whom, are former employees of the Federation, a further individual, one law firm and a consulting company,” as the summary states.
Tim DesGrosseilliers, 52, was pronounced dead at the scene of an industrial accident that took place at the new Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship before 10:00 am on the morning of September 8, while another was taken to the hospital after sustaining nonfatal injuries. Toronto Police say DesGrosseilliers died after being pinned by a falling piece of equipment while working in an elevator shaft. Emergency crews discovered the two men in an elevator shaft suffering from their injuries. Constable Craig Bister told AM 640 that the accident “involved the collapse of
some scaffolding” in the elevator shaft. The Ministry of Labour is conducting an investigation into the accident, and will be working with the general contractor of the site, Bird Construction. “This is something we never want to see happen on our campuses, and our deepest sympathies go out to those affected,” said Scott Mabury, Vice-President of University Operations at U of T. Mabury confirmed that the university would be working with the Ministry of Labour and the general contractor to investigate the series of events that led to the accident. Various campus groups have issued
CFS, page 5
Comment
Arts & Culture
Science
Sports
Is justice through the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women possible?
The most likely places to spot celebrities at TIFF
Professor Harvey weighs in on Hurricane Harvey and climate change
Klasios and Lioutas shine for women’s and men’s soccer squads
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2 • THE VARSITY
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UTSU Clubs Carnival
var.st/news • NEWS
SEPTEMBER 11,, 2017 • 3
City to address overdue zoning of fraternities, sororities Redefining buildings as multi-tenant houses may cause grief for the Greeks operate as such. If they are denied this licence, Greek life around U of T may find itself forced out of traditional real estate.
The city will finish its broader review of multi-tenant houses this month. SILA NAZ ELGIN/THE VARSITY
Jillian Schuler Varsity Contributor
On June 5, City Councillor Joe Cressy published a letter addressed to the City of Toronto’s Executive Committee calling for fraternity and sorority houses to be properly regulated as multi-tenant houses. Cressy is the councillor for Ward 20, which includes the majority of the UTSG campus, where Greek life is most salient in Toronto. The committee made the decision to review the feasibility of the status change back in June — from there, city staff will publish a report on Toronto’s multi-tenant houses and recommendations for potential changes, which will be voted on by City Council in late September. Regulating the houses being used by fraternities and sororities as multi-tenant houses may come with strict regulations related to property maintenance, waste management, parking, and written confirmation of the maximum number of tenants. This comes on the back of support for Cressy’s letter from housing associations in the Annex, Bay Cloverhill, Grange, Harbord Village, and Huron Sussex neighborhoods. All have had issues with the behaviour of tenants and visitors to these houses, as well as the amount of garbage that they produce. The vote to reclassify Greek houses as multi-tenant houses will come as the city is completing its review of these types of dwellings and strengthening requirements to ensure the health and safety of tenants and mitigate neighbourhood impacts. If the city successfully re-zones fraternities and sororities as multitenant houses, they will likely have to apply for a license to
A matter of safety and civility “Frankly this is just a straightforward move to ensure that all multi-tenant houses including fraternities and sororities are safe,” Cressy said in an interview with The Varsity. “I don’t see why anybody should see this as something objectionable.” Several housing associations submitted statements of support for Cressy’s efforts, citing complaints they’ve received from members in their community about the actions of fraternity houses. “Every few years the concerns about the offending Frats boils over and municipal attention increases and the offending Frats promise to do better,” David Harrison, Chair of the Annex Residents’ Association, wrote in an email to The Varsity. “The promises always fade. And, every year brings a new crop of students who need to be taught manners and civilized behaviour.” The Annex is home to many of the fraternity and sorority houses in Toronto. Harrison adds that parents of students who live in fraternity and sorority housing usually assume that the houses are overseen by the University of Toronto, but this is not the case. “Actually, the UofT wants no role in the supervision of these establishments,” wrote Harrison. University distances itself from Greek life Sandy Welsh, Vice-Provost of Students at U of T, also submitted a letter to the Executive Committee, clarifying the university’s relationship with surrounding fraternities and sororities. According to the letter, the university does not recognize fraternities or sororities as campus groups. This is “consistent now with our policy on recognized campus groups — that primarily the reason they’re not recognized is because they’re not open to everybody who wishes to join,” said Althea Blackburn-Evans, Director of Media Relations at U of T, in an interview with The Varsity. U of T hasn’t had any affiliation with fraternities and sororities since the 1960s. Blackburn-Evans explained that in the late 1800s and early 1900s, fraternities and sororities were acknowledged as part of university life. “[But] for quite a few decades now, they haven’t been recognized by the university. So we don’t have any relationship with them,” she said. Greek houses are legally exempt from Toronto housing regulations that would otherwise govern the buildings as multi-tenant houses. These regulations include the requirement of holding a housing licence. A housing licence ensures that the building is up to fire code standards and fulfills
the requirements of the Health Protection and Promotion Act. Due to the nature of Greek housing’s exemption, there is no guarantee that these general requirements are being met. “Licensing these houses not only provides the City with a mechanism to effectively respond to these concerns, but also entitles those who live in the houses a guarantee that their living environments meet building code and safety standard requirements,” wrote Cressy in his letter to the Executive Committee. “It can also provide the city with a mechanism to deal with houses that are chronically unsafe, for both residents and visitors, and those with demonstrated issues related to problematic behaviour.” Cressy highlights some aspects of what he calls “problematic behaviour” as being mostly tied to fraternities. Alongside “garbage, extreme noise, and property standards violations,” he identifies the increase of sexual assaults at fraternities, “incidents that often, due to the stigma faced by survivors, can go unreported and unsolved,” as being a key problem with the current system. Student groups respond The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) and the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union have voiced their support of Cressy’s efforts, expressing concern for the students’ safety. Anne Boucher, Vice-President External of the UTSU, explained that while fraternities and sororities are not affiliated with the university, “[because] many of them are mostly made up of U of T students, and many of our students frequent them, we need to ensure that action is taken to ensure these places are safe.” Boucher did note that aspects of Greek life “can be valuable spaces for our students’ personal development,” but she said the union “cannot ignore the sexual violence and problematic behaviors that have repeatedly manifested in these spaces.” An advisor to the Panhellenic Sororities Society explained that there are self-enforced regulations in its sororities, telling The Varsity that “each house is individually operated by their International headquarters, and follow guidelines, rules and standards specific to their organizations.” They went on to explain that, to their knowledge, no one from the city has reached out to the society on this issue, but that they would welcome a collaborative opportunity. Sam Jenison, President of the Inter-Fraternity Council, said that the council acknowledges the changes but cannot provide further comment at this time. A review of fraternity and sorority housing status is underway, and an official vote on the matter is scheduled to follow in September.
Unlimited transit may come out of Toronto campus cooperation UTSU partners with Ryerson, OCAD, and George Brown on U-Commute project Mari Ramsawakh Varsity Contributor
On August 28, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) shared a survey across their social media pages to gain data for a new initiative called U-Commute. Partnering with students’ unions from Ryerson University, George Brown College, and OCAD University, the UTSU is hoping to bring Toronto students the U-Pass, an affordable transit pass. This is not the first time that the UTSU has attempted to get a transit pass for all students at U of T. According to Anne Boucher, Vice-President External of the UTSU, the last push for a transit pass was in 2008. “I feel like ever since [2008], many of our students had given up on the idea that they could ever have a U-Pass too,” she told The Varsity. “It’s just been assumed for so long that a U-Pass is not viable, when really, it’s just that no one had been trying.” Transit passes and U-Commute initiatives are not new to Ontario universities. Other schools like McMaster University,
Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and UTM have transit passes included in their tuition costs. The University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Durham College also have transit passes included in their tuition that give students unlimited use of the Durham Region Transit and GO Transit bus routes within the Durham Region. It’s these programs that could possibly pave the way for U-Commute Toronto. Ottawa’s transit system, Ottawa City Transpo, saw an “unprecedented” record for ridership after the implementation of the U-Pass. “Increasing ridership (and therefore fare revenue) is one of the TTC’s goals,” wrote Arthur Borkwood, Head of Customer Development at the TTC, to The Varsity. “Based on experience elsewhere … a U-Pass can increase ridership by 20%.” When asked how a U-Pass could be detrimental to the TTC, Borkwood wrote that “the only real downside would be potential for lost revenue but that would be balanced by an increase in ridership.” For students, the cost will be part of their tuition fees. If U-Commute were to pass the referendum, Boucher said that
an ancillary fee would be added to everyone’s tuition. “The idea is that with everyone pooling in, it ends up being cheaper for everyone,” Boucher wrote. “The hope then is for a price that’s as affordable as possible. Of course, we recognize that transit in Toronto is quite unique, and that the negotiations will be tough.” However, Boucher also believes that the pass will be beneficial for the students. “The U-Pass is the key to the city – sure, it could get you to class, but it would allow you to explore every corner of the city,” she stated. “Fun restaurants, cool spots, beautiful trails, your friend’s house on the opposite end of the city – getting to these once inaccessible places suddenly becomes a lot easier.” An unlimited transit initiative could also change the way students with mobility issues navigate campus. Currently, those students use taxis subsidized by Accessibility Services to get around campus. It remains to be seen how transit and transit initiatives will be made more accessible. The UTSU is urging students to participate in their U-Commute survey.
4 • THE VARSITY • NEWS
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The Breakdown: orientation week How the university community welcomed new students this year
OPIRG-Toronto: 2017-2018 OPT- OUT Notice University of Toronto full-time and part-time graduate students*, as well as full-time and part-Time undergraduate students who have paid the Ontario Public Interest Research Group – Toronto fees and wish to opt-out of OPIRG-Toronto are able to claim their fees refund with proof of enrollment for the 2017-2018 academic year. Please bring your UofT student ID and proof of enrolment to in the North Borden Building at 563 Spadina the Crescent, Room 101 during the following period: Thursday September 7 to Wednesday September 27, 2017 inclusive.
during the opt-out period. *During the opt-out period, graduate students at UTM, UTSC and alternate arrangements to obtain their refund. Our phone number is (416)978-7770 and our email address is opirg.toronto@utoronto.ca. This year’s orientation week lasted just three days. WENDY WEI/THE VARSITY
Aidan Currie Deputy News Editor
Last week, the University of Toronto welcomed thousands of new students across its three campuses, seven colleges, and multiple professional faculties. The Varsity talked to those responsible for organizing orientation events about their respective frosh weeks. Unlike in years past, 2017’s orientation week consisted of just three days, thanks to the implementation of Fall Reading Week for Arts & Science Students at UTSG, set to take place November 6–10. The reading week was passed in November 2015 after a joint referendum held by the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) and Arts & Science Student Union (ASSU). A year later, the new reading week was announced. “I think it’s a pretty significant disruption, I think it’s disappointing,” said UTSU VicePresident Campus Life Stuart Norton of the shortened orientation week. “I know when the referendum was initially posed, the question wasn’t exactly clear. It sort of implied that orientation week would be pushed earlier, but it didn’t imply that the week would be shortened three days, so I know... there’s been concerns... it’s a huge disadvantage... I know it can be a bit of an aggressive transition to be here on Wednesday, cheering and screaming and having a good time, and then showing up for your 9:00 am Con Hall lecture on Thursday morning.” Norton said that the UTSU has engaged the university in discussions regarding scheduling move-in and orientation a week earlier. Some divisions around campus, including the Faculty of Music Undergraduate Association (FMUA) and Victoria College, continued running orientation activities after Wednesday’s UTSU parade — the event that would usually signify the end of orientation week across all divisions. For example, first-year music students enjoyed a trip to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament on Saturday. “We pack our week full with excursions,” said FMUA Orientation organizer Katelyn Katic. “Turnout for these events can vary so much from what you expect and hope for; that being said, we are pleased with the amount of students who had a great time at our events.” Trinity College Orientation Co-Chair Jing Wang told The Varsity that though she thought the week was a success, “with classes cutting into orientation, it affected turnout and made it harder to monitor first years.”
Victoria College Orientation organizer Helen Hayes wrote in an email to The Varsity that, “As a group, our first major projects were brainstorming a theme... and re-working our schedule from five days of programming to three. With the shortened week, we tried our best to include as much programming as possible, and I think we did a really effective job of that! By removing ‘free time’ blocks in the schedule, we were able to include almost all the events that have been staples of orientation in the past.” Norton noted that everyone on the St. George campus, save a few of the professional faculty students, was dealing with a condensed week, which made fitting the UTSU’s programming into one of the three days a significant undertaking. “It’s sort of a balancing act between not taking up too much time, respecting the different divisions that do their own great programming, but also... not sacrificing the programming that we do,” he said. Norton and the UTSU Orientation team, led by Alyy Patel and Yolanda Alfaro, decided to condense the UTSU’s clubs fair and carnival into one event, the Clubs Carnival, which took place after the parade on Wednesday. The UTSU held the carnival in place of a concert. According to UTSU President Mathias Memmel, “we can’t afford anyone worth having, so we decided to focus our resources on other events.” “The UTSU’s Orientation is funded almost entirely through sponsorship, and as such, resources are limited,” he explained. “I should also note that, at most other universities, the administration helps with the cost of orientation programming. The U of T administration helps with health and safety costs, but we don’t get funding for Orientation as a whole. RSU receives hundreds of thousands of dollars from the university in support of their orientation programming.” The Varsity reached out to the orientation coordinators from Woodsworth College, New College, Innis College, St. Michael’s College, and the Faculty of Kinesiology, but did not receive comment from them by the time of publication. The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering told The Varsity that their orientation activities were wrapping up at Hart House Farm in Caledon, and that they would not return in time to give comment. University College Orientation Coordinator Lindsay Kruitwagen rejected The Varsity’s request for comment.
OPIRG Toronto 101–563 Spadina Cres. Toronto, Ontario M5S 2J7 Phone: 416 978 7770 Fax: 416 971 2292
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 • 5
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Ontario Government to create first French-language university in province New institution to be governed by and for Francophones, legislation to be introduced in coming months
CORALS ZHENG/THE VARSITY
Ryan Atkinson Varsity Contributor
The Liberal government of Ontario is moving forward with the creation of a Frenchlanguage university in the province. The new institution, whose plans were announced by Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development Deb Matthews on August 28, will be the first of its kind in Ontario. The province has 611,500 Francophones, and it is home to the largest French-speaking population in Canada outside Québec. “Francophone culture and the French language have always been essential to Ontario’s identity and prosperity,” said Minister of Francophone Affairs Marie-France LaLonde, adding that the new institution is a “critical milestone for Franco-Ontarians and future generations.” Collaboration between the Francophone community and the French-Language University Planning Board resulted in a June 30, 2017 report recommending the creation of the new institution in Central and South-
CFS, page 1
CFS not to release audit amid bylaw questions According to documents obtained by The Varsity, CFS National Treasurer Peyton Veitch wrote to law firm DLA Piper LLP requesting advice on whether or not to release the full review. The firm recommended that the CFS “decline to disclose the Forensic Review” for a number of reasons, the foremost of which had to do with a federation bylaw concerning access to information. The bylaw in question states, “Each member of the Federation is entitled to have access to all information and official documents concerning the operations and activities of the Federation and of the National Executive.” DLA Piper concluded that “the Bylaw is not sufficient to compel disclosure of the Forensic Review.” The firm argued that the audit does not clearly constitute a document that concerns the operations and activities of the CFS. “It is not a customary or routine document prepared in the course of the operations… but rather is an exceptional document prepared for a very specific purpose. As a result it is not the type of information or document reason-
western Ontario, specifically in downtown Toronto. Former Official Languages Commissioner Dyane Adam led the planning board. “After careful review, Ontario will be accepting key recommendations of the report and intends to introduce legislation for the creation of the proposed university in the coming months. Creating more postsecondary education options for students is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy, and help people in their everyday lives,” a media release from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development stated. In an interview with The Varsity, Dr. Anne-Marie Visoi, Associate Professor of French Cultural Studies in the Department of French at UTSG, discussed how this endeavour will further develop provincial academic excellence while also attaining the report’s stated goal of job creation. “I believe that if we give students an opportunity to attend a Franco-Ontarian University we would be able to promote Franco-Ontarian culture and values in an unprecedented way,” Visoi said.
Visoi thinks that the recommended location in downtown Toronto is “ideal” and will be “wonderful for internships, summer jobs, mentorships, but also for the creation of jobs.” Visoi noted the need for bilingual workers in the public sector. “I think with the public servants who are retiring, we need bilingual graduates to fill the positions,” Visoi said. “[For] employers in all sorts of sectors who are looking for bilingual employees, there are careers in education, law, social services, and health.” The planning board concluded in their report that “affiliation with a bilingual or English-language university did not satisfy the principle of governance ‘by and for’ francophones, since in this model, the ultimate academic power rests with senates or their equivalents, which are not under the exclusive control of francophones.” The board recommended a bill be passed “that establishes an autonomous French-language University in enabling legislation that would confer... structures of governance and management that are autonomous and that
ably contemplated for disclosure under the Bylaw,” reads the firm’s response to Veitch. DLA Piper also advised against releasing the full report because it could possibly violate “applicable privacy legislation.”
fiduciary duty to the CFS and to the members generally,” Powers told The Varsity via email. “In this case, ‘if’ some of the secret fund came from annual fees from member schools, then the members would certainly have a right to see details of how the funds were spent.”
U of T community responds UTSU Vice President External and U of T’s CFS-Ontario representative Anne Boucher called the federation’s reasons for witholding the document “completely invalid.” “Staff members from the Federation had a secret bank account containing students’ money, and the account stayed active for quite some time. They can try to redirect blame to a few individuals, but they need to hold themselves accountable,” Boucher told The Varsity via email. “Even if the report somehow wasn’t of concern, they have political and moral obligations to release it. Students’ money was unfairly used--we deserve to know what happened to it at the very least.” U of T associate professor Richard Powers, whose areas of expertise include business and corporate law, believes that the CFS may have an obligation to release the audit. “In terms of the privacy argument, it sounds like they already have a legal opinion—I would challenge that through stating that they (or their Board of Directors) have a
Follow the money The exact origin of the money in the account is unknown. However, the bulk of the CFS’ revenue comes from student fees. In the latest CFS audit from July 2016 to June 2017, $4,032,363.00 of their $4,053,874.45 revenue was credited to “membership dues.” While it does not go into specifics of the finances and those involved, the Grant Thornton summary does explain that the original purpose of the bank account was to place a “security deposit for a CFS-S subsidiary, Travel CUTS,” which is a travel agency that the CFS used to co-own. The transactions relating to the security deposit concluded on May 6, 2010. The unauthorized transactions began on July 14, 2010. As described in the summary, former CFS executives interviewed were unaware of the account before receiving a letter from CIBC in 2014, which alerted them to its existence. All known CFS bank accounts have been Scotiabank accounts. A source close to the matter says that,
operate in French... designed to province the greatest amount of administrative flexibility and openness to receiving input from communities, the job market, and partners.” Matthews stated that the new institution will be “a tremendous step forward in the creation of the first standalone French-language university in Ontario, governed by and for Francophones.” Student interest and market demand influenced the planning board to conclude that there is a “sufficiently large pool of students to support an institution of modest size driven by academic excellence,” adding that this results from the fact that “employers in the region are already facing significant challenges in recruiting employees who are competent in French and the needs are expected to continue to grow.” Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the French Language Services Act, passed in 1986, which protects the rights of Francophones in Ontario. There are over 20 universities in Ontario, yet none operate entirely in French with autonomous governance by Francophones. The
though some of those involved were fired, it seems that not all of the people responsible have faced repercussions. Veitch was not available for a full interview on the subject but released a short statement to The Varsity, which said that the CFS “set aside a great deal of time for questions and answers” at the general meeting. “We’re interested in moving on from this issue and focusing on the campaigns and services that make life better for students,” Veitch said. When asked about the situation, UTSU President Mathias Memmel told The Varsity that “the CFS is an organization in decline. It has no credibility, and the leadership needs to accept that we can’t just take them at their word.” “As for the UTSU,” he continued, “we have every intention of leaving the CFS this year.” When asked about the situation, UTSU President Mathias Memmel told The Varsity that “the CFS is an organization in decline. It has no credibility, and the leadership needs to accept that we can’t just take them at their word.” “As for the UTSU,” he continued, “we have every intention of leaving the CFS this year.”
6 • THE VARSITY • NEWS
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York University loses licensing case against Access Copyright, plans to appeal Order to pay tariff may set precedent for U of T Josie Kao Varsity Contributor
This July, the Federal Court of Canada ruled in favour of The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency, also known as Access Copyright, in its case against York University. The case was centred around whether York, like U of T, could avoid paying for copyrighted academic material on the basis that the material would be used for research and education. The ruling means that York will have to resume paying for copyrighted materials from Access Copyright, a non-profit collective that secures licensing fees from users on behalf of Canadian creators and publishers. The case was built on two parts: whether the fee, known as the Interim Tariff, was mandatory and whether York’s actions constituted fair dealing. The court’s verdict, given by the Honourable Michel L. Phelan, ruled against the school on both matters. In his decision, Phelan wrote that “the Interim Tariff is mandatory and enforceable against York… York’s own Fair Dealing Guidelines are not fair in either their terms or their application.” In particular, he cited the guideline that states that faculty and staff may copy up to 10 per cent of a work. Phelan wrote that this rule would make sense when copying from a standalone work, but would be completely ineffective if applied upon an anthology, for example. In that case the entire work could be copied but could still make up less than 10 per cent of the book. As such, he found York’s guidelines to be unfair and delivered the verdict that the school must resume paying Access Copyright. Background on the case In 2011, York chose to opt out of paying the
Interim Tariff. Instead, the school elected to deal with copyright issues itself by relying on its Fair Dealings Guidelines, which were created to help the university avoid copyright infringement. Fair dealing is a legal exception to copyright law, which allows users to work with copyrighted material for certain purposes, including research and education, as long as it is “fair.” York’s decision to opt out prompted Access Copyright to go to court over whether or not the fee was mandatory. In response, York filed a counterclaim seeking to prove that the university’s actions constituted “fair dealing” under its Fair Dealings Guidelines, and thus the university should not have to pay fees. According to their website, Access Copyright licences the copying of works they represent to “educational institutions, businesses, governments and others. The proceeds gathered when content is copied, remixed, and shared are passed along to the copyright-holders.” Creators can choose to affiliate with the organization so that they do not have to deal with collecting royalties themselves. In return, “Access Copyright retains a percentage of royalties [they] collect to cover administrative costs,” according to their website.
sity spending millions of dollars per year on licenses and acquisitions.” Ariel Katz, a law professor at U of T, believes that there is a good chance that York’s appeal will be successful but sees the defeat as a “predictable yet totally avoidable loss.” According to Katz, York’s biggest error was in focusing on whether the university had to pay the Interim Tariff, as opposed to whether tariffs are mandatory in general. “York has also been eager, it seems, to turn this case into a case about fair dealing, which needs not have happened,” he writes in a blog post on the subject. This was due to the fact that Access Copyright does not itself own any copyrights, which meant that it could not sue York for copyright infringement under Canadian law. “And since Access Copyright could not sue for copyright infringement, there was no need for York to defend itself against such allegations, and no need to file a counterclaim,” wrote Katz. Effects on U of T While York has chosen to appeal the ruling, if it fails, the case could set a precedent for all Canadian universities, including U of T. Up until December 11, 2013, U of T also had an agreement with Access Copyright, which the school terminated after the organization raised its fees from $3.38 per student to $27.50. Since the end of the deal, the university has also chosen to operate under its own Fair Dealing Guidelines. However, if the Federal Court ruling holds, U of T may be obligated to begin paying the tariff again. “U of T’s future options involve…whether tariffs are mandatory, and whether, assuming they are, U of T has made infringing reproductions that trigger the obligation to comply with the tariff,” Katz told The Varsity.
Moving forward On July 31, York announced that “while the Court found in favour of Access Copyright and against York University on both these issues, York University has decided to appeal the decision.” “We take matters of copyright law very seriously,” York’s statement read. “Our Fair Dealing Guidelines are intended to reflect a balance between the interests of creators, publishers and of users and function within a system that continues to include the Univer-
Even if the tariffs are found to be mandatory, there is still a chance that U of T can argue that it has not infringed on copyright laws. Katz said that U of T has different guidelines, which he says are “better, more nuanced, and don’t have many of the weaknesses of York’s.” This means that even if the court’s decision on York is upheld, it’s still open for U of T to convince the court that its own guidelines are exempt from the tariff. Cheryl Regehr, the Vice-President and Provost for U of T, said that it was too early to say whether U of T would have to resume paying Access Copyright, but that the school was watching the situation closely. “We have robust fair dealing guidelines that we established a few years ago and we require all faculty and course instructors to follow those fair dealing guidelines,” Regehr told The Varsity. “But at this particular point we’re in a good place, we’re compliant with copyright law, and we’ll continue to do so.” While Access Copyright is celebrating the decision as “a win for intellectual property owners,” as stated on their website, they are also concerned about how other universities will move forward. “Although still early, it is disappointing to see some universities inform their faculty and staff that they intend to continue to operate under the same copying practices and policies,” Roanie Levy, the CEO and President of Access Copyright, told The Varsity. “The Court was unequivocal. These policies lead to illegal behavior,” she said. Levy added that Access Copyright is nonetheless “open to working collaboratively with educational institutions to resolve the situation in an amicable fashion in time for the new school year.”
Tenants, know your rights Understanding Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act Joshua Grondin Varsity Contributor
With rental prices in the housing market averaging an all-time high of $2,000 per month, and with virtually zero vacancies, affordable units for students involve strict competition in Toronto. The university’s Housing Services is a resource that helps students navigate the housing market, encouraging students to read and understand their rights as tenants. For many students, the start of the new school term means trying to negotiate their way through the Toronto housing market for the first time. Without prior experience or knowledge of the rights codified in the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act (RTA), student renters may fall into a trap of signing leases that violate their rights. Places4Students, a partner of the University of Toronto Students’ Union, is an online classified website that allows landlords to advertise their units to student renters. As a partner with various schools across North America, the organization also works to educate students on their rights as renters to ensure they stay protected. As part
of this mission, Places4Students has outlined key aspects of Ontario’s RTA, particularly regarding the concerns most prevalent to students. The major findings include: 1. Your landlord cannot include a “no pets” clause as part of your tenancy agreement. Exceptions to this include pets that cause significant damage to the unit, pets that disrupt the reasonable enjoyment of other tenants, and in units where another tenant has an allergy. 2. Your landlord cannot prohibit you from having guests visit or spend the night in your dwelling, as long as it does not pose a significant disturbance to others in the unit. 3. A landlord must give 24 hours notice before entering your unit. Exceptions to this include emergency situations, if you consent to entry when they arrive, if your lease includes cleaning services at regular intervals, or if a landlord is showing the unit to prospective tenants between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm and with reasonable notice upon agreement of your lease termination. 4. You are not responsible for damages unless they are directly caused by you or your guests. This includes repairing faulty appliances and general maintenance issues.
5. Your landlord cannot require postdated cheques, nor can they automatically withdraw rent payments from your account. Additionally, you are entitled to rent receipts upon request at no additional cost. The RTA also prohibits landlords from accepting security deposits, with the exception of payment for the last month of rent, as well as a refundable key deposit. Clauses that violate the rights outlined in the RTA can be reported to the Landlord and Tenant Board, which works to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants while educating all parties on their rights and responsibilities in lease agreements. Additionally, the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit is a separate provincial body working solely with the enforcement of offences. Convictions can carry a maximum fine of $25,000 for individual landlords and $100,000 for corporate housing providers. In a statement to The Varsity, a representative from Housing Services reminded students that they should “be sure to inspect the unit in-person before signing any agreements or giving any money.” Housing Services provides various workshops and programs aimed at
MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY
familiarizing students with the Toronto housing market. The service hosts regular “Rent Smart” workshops, designed to introduce students to the RTA, their rights as tenants, and their responsibilities for inspections, repairs, deposits, leases, and evictions. For cases of disputes, Housing Services also recommends students be in contact with Downtown Legal Services, U of T’s Faculty of Law community legal clinic, which provides free legal counselling to students.
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A new SMCSU? Formation of new student government at St. Michael’s closely supervised by Mulroney Nouran Sakr Varsity Staff
Nine months after the dissolution of the St. Michael’s College Student Union (SMCSU), the St. Michael’s College (SMC) administration is moving to create a new union with seemingly less autonomy than its predecessor. Earlier this year, the SMC administration chose six of the college’s highly-involved students to form a “re-imagining committee,” the goal of which was to build a new framework and guidelines for future councils following the dissolution of the student union in December 2016. In 2016, the union was mired in controversy after a Snapchat video that was criticized as Islamaphobic and that implicated current and former members of SMCSU went viral. The video led to the resignations of President Zachary Nixon and Vice-President Kevin Vando. In addition, a financial audit of the union started in July 2016 and released in summary in March 2017 detailed kickbacks, falsified invoices, and inappropriate expenditures on behalf of members of the union. Structure of the new union A report, released by the re-imagining committee in April, outlines the changes made to the structure of the new student union. The new SMCSU will comprise of nine voting members: President, Vice-President, VP Finance, VP Communications, VP Community Life, VP Academic Affairs, VP Arts, VP Athletics, and VP Religious and Community Affairs. This structure differs slightly from how the union was structured in the past: the executive consisted of just a President and Vice President, supported by eight commissions, which were led by a Commissioner and, in some cases, also an Officer. The commissions of the old SMCSU were the Double Blue Commission, which ran
events, Finance Commission, Religious & Community Affairs Commission, Education & Government Commission, Community Life Commission, Arts Commission, Communications Commission, and Athletics Commission. UTSU Representatives as well as Senior Residence and Commuter Dons, among others, will be invited to attend one of the two monthly meetings but will not have voting rights. The University of St. Michael’s College Administrative Advisor, a non-voting member, will attend all scheduled meetings as an ex-officio. SMC President David Mulroney requested the delay of the elections from April to the fall of 2017 in order to draft a student code of conduct. “It is now clear to me that, in addition to having a money problem, SMCSU also had a people problem,” he wrote in a blog post. Mulroney said that interviewing the members of SMCSU revealed their engagement in hazing and other “disrespectful and harmful behaviour” during last year’s fall and spring retreats. Criticism from the re-imagining committee According to the re-imagining committee’s report, students planning to run and hold office are now required to maintain a CGPA of at least 2.5, model good citizenship, and demonstrate responsibility and respectful behaviour. Georgina Merhom, former UTSU SMC Director, and Jeremy Hernandez-Lum Tong, SMCSU’s Religious and Community Affairs Commissioner in 2016, are two of the prospective candidates running for President this fall. The committee also decided that, in addition to their statement at the Annual General Meeting in March, future SMCSU councils will be required to present a budget report publicly at the beginning of the fall semester. Expenses that exceed $500 will need to be co-signed by the USMC Administrative Advisor.
“There’s no way anyone could embezzle money this year just because of how much control SMC admin is going to have over them,” Haseeb Hasaan, a member of the re-imagining committee, said in an interview with The Varsity. Hasaan stated that most of the student members’ suggestions were not taken into account. This led him to assume that the formation of the committee was merely an attempt to get the students’ “stamp of approval” on decisions the administration had already made. “I do feel like I was used by admin [as] more of a showpiece than anything,” Hasaan said. He believes that, as the only Muslim and non-Catholic member on the committee, he was chosen because of the controversy regarding Islamophobic actions by the two SMCSU members. Hasaan proposed adding a VP Equity position to the prospective council to protect and represent minority students, but his suggestion was not approved. Hasaan claimed that the new student union will likely have less autonomy in relation to SMC. As an example, he added that this year’s frosh lip-sync contest was overseen by the college to ensure the songs were appropriate. “If they’re that involved in something like a lip sync contest at orientation week, I can only imagine how they’re going to be with SMCSU this year.” He stated that SMC’s frosh was organized by Oriana Bertucci, Director of Student Life at the college, and not a student. SMC is expected to announce more information about the election of its reformed student union in the coming days. Stefan Slovak, a spokesperson for the SMC Administration, did not respond to The Varsity’s repeated requests for comment. Georgina Merhom and Jeremy Hernandez Lum-Tong did not respond to The Varsity’s requests for comment either.
Yonge Street tax revolt Small businesses speak out against 500-per-cent tax hike Amira Higazy Varsity Contributor
The city recently announced its plans to increase property taxes on Yonge Street south of Bloor Street by 500 per cent over the next four years. The hardest hit by the tax increase are the small businesses on Yonge that are revolting against the drastic and sudden increase in property taxes in what they are calling the Yonge Street Tax Revolt. Many businesses that are taking part in the tax revolt have signs in their windows. They contain some of the following messages: “CALL MAYOR TORY TELL HIM HE IS PUTTING US OUT OF BUSINESS” “STOP MAYOR TORY’S SUDDEN 100% TAX INCREASE!” “TAX LAND SPECULATORS NOT SMALL BUSINESS” “SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS” “YONGE STREET TAX REVOLT” “Everybody’s taxes are going up, but it is only the small businesses that are getting hit — it is unfair. They don’t get hit a little, they get hit a lot,” John Anderson, owner of furniture shop MorningStar Trading and President of the Yonge Street Small Business Association, told The Varsity. “A lot of these small business owners are working six days a week, 10 hours a day, a lot of them have no staff,” Anderson continued, “They are making enough to pay for their rent, pay for their food. It is really borderline because this is just tough.” According to Anderson, most small business owners on Yonge have to pay taxes, maintenance, and insurance, and the tax increase will cause many of them to go out of business because they cannot pay. Anderson said that for many businesses on Yonge, “sales
Around 80 commercial properties on Yonge Street will be reassessed. JESS STEWART-LEE/THE VARSITY
are not going up and no one is doing that well in this economy,” and that doesn’t bode well for their ability to cope with such a drastic tax hike. Mark Citron, one of the business partners of Cat’s Cradle, a clothing boutique, told The Varsity that the city doesn’t “care about small businesses — if we didn’t say anything and we didn’t argue and we didn’t put up the signs, then 75–80 per cent of the shops on Yonge Street all the way down would have to close.” “Small businesses have been struggling for like 10 years — very few of them are making money — they are paying their bills and they are paying salaries and that’s all they are doing,” Citron added. Citron is not the only one who feels unsure about the future of his business. Vicky Lin, who rents space for a convenience store, also expressed that, along with already high rent, the tax increase may lead to the closure of her business. Her convenience store was expensive to launch, and has only been open for three years. Closing it, said Lin, would mean losing about $500,000. The unprecedented property tax increase has already led to some business closures. House of Lords hair salon announced it is closing after 51 years on Yonge due to the tax increase.
Eliot’s Bookshop, which has been on Yonge since 1995, now has a for-lease sign in the window, and the owner, Paul Panayiotidis, blames this on the tax hike. “I became mad when they doubled up my property taxes from $2,000 a month to $4,000 a month, so I enlisted a real estate agent and he is going to find me a tenant or tenants,” Panayiotidis told The Varsity. He hopes to deal with the tax increases by renting out the three floors that previously held his retail space. It will put an end to his 40 year career as a bookseller. Mayor John Tory has sent a letter to small business owners reassuring them that the increases are the result of assessments by the Municipal Property Assessment Corp (MPAC), an independent corporation accountable to the province. MPAC has since announced that they will reassess around 80 commercial properties on Yonge to offer some tax relief, but it remains to be seen to what extent the tax rates will be reduced or what it means for the scores of businesses that will be affected.
Comment
September 11, 2017 var.st/comment comment@thevarsity.ca
Decolonize the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Changes to the inquiry’s methods are sorely needed in order to obtain justice for victims, families, and communities
KATHLEEN DOYLE/THE VARSITY
Ramsha Naveed and Mara Raposo Varsity Contributors
Note on terminology: Though the official name of the inquiry includes only Indigenous “Women and Girls,” the authors’ arguments are intended to include all Indigenous persons who identify as female, including members of the two-spirited community. When the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls began, it brought hope that the Indigenous families and communities devastated by violence in Canada might finally receive justice. However, at present, it appears unlikely that such an outcome will be achieved unless significant measures are undertaken to address its shortcomings. Launched on September 1, 2016, the inquiry’s mandate was to address the high rates of physical and sexual violence experienced by Indigenous women in Canada, which was at a rate 3.5 times higher than the rate for nonIndigenous women aged 15 years and older, as of 2015. It was recently reported that the inquiry will seek an extension from the federal government. Hundreds of unsolved cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women have piled up over the years, and most families are still no closer to knowing what happened to their loved ones. The two-year, $53.86 million inquiry was meant to funnel its resources into uncovering the systemic causes of the victimization of Indigenous women while making concrete recommendations for improvements to antiviolence laws and increased protection for Indigenous women in Canadian society. Moreover, the five Commissioners steering the inquiry were mandated to consult with Indigenous witnesses every step of the way. Today, very few of the 70 recommendations from the Pre-Inquiry Design Process have been put into practice, resulting in public outcry from Indigenous communities and the withdrawals of support from some of its notable advocates.
For one, the commission has failed to collaborate with and support survivors, families, and organizations. At the inquiry’s sole public meeting thus far, which took place in Whitehorse this May, just 40 people were brought in front of the commissioners to make statements — a number hardly representative of the highly diverse Indigenous population across Canada. The Native Women’s Association of Canada has also revealed that the inquiry’s legal team was given the ability to decide whether or not potential participants had “enough information” regarding their loved ones' case to speak in front of the commissioners. This selection process is antithetical to the very premise of the inquiry, which was intended to respectfully engage with all individuals and families affected, regardless of whether their trauma is legitimized by the inquiry’s team. From a communications standpoint, the inquiry has been relatively inaccessible for those most in danger. Those looking to get in touch or participate in forthcoming public hearings have been required to ‘register’ with the inquiry via email or telephone. The inquiry thus remains virtually inaccessible to women who are homeless or incarcerated and those who live in more remote areas — the exact women designated to be at high risk of suffering the racialized and sexual violence at the centre of the inquiry. The numerous resignations the inquiry has encountered over the past months have cast the future of its leadership into significant doubt. Most recently, on August 8, 2017, the inquiry’s Director of Community Engagement, Waneek Horn-Miller, resigned. On July 11, 2017, the Ontario Native Women’s Association officially withdrew their support for the inquiry, despite having previously advocated in its favour over the course of 12 years. On the same day, commissioner Marilyn Poitras also resigned. There is also a strong case for challenging the concept of an inquiry in the first place. When speaking to the main reasons for her resignation, Poitras referenced the “status quo colonial model” that she argued was at
the centre of the inquiry. Her claim echoes arguments made by notable academics who have argued that contemporary governmentlaunched national inquiries are problematic and inappropriate methods of pursuing redress for Indigenous peoples. For example, Sherene Razack argues that by focusing on statistics about death and suicide — rather than narratives of survival that are person- or community-focused — such inquiries perpetuate the trope of a damaged and dying ‘Indian’ race. As Poitras points out in her resignation letter, this narrative neglects to consider how critical a role poverty, racism, and marginalization play in the systemic issues that often cause Indigenous deaths. In general, contemporary inquiries leave little room for gathering perspectives and knowledge outside Western colonial frameworks. Public meetings like Indigenous community feasts may be excluded from the scope of the research, and ‘atypical’ research subjects, such as sex workers, may be left out of the process altogether. As such, inquiries can be highly problematic, damaging, and antithetical to how and what Indigenous peoples need in order to heal. Understandably, the failures of the inquiry have therefore sparked substantial criticism from Indigenous communities. Many Indigenous families are calling for a complete overhaul of the process — including replacing the entire inquiry staff — while others have completely lost faith in the initiative’s ability to accomplish its goals. It is not impossible for the inquiry to succeed in its mandate, but a number of changes are necessary in order for this to happen. The commissioners must take steps to decolonize the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and accordingly, address the fact that its research and intake process has had an increasingly troubled relationship with the people that have tried to come to the table. Firstly, the commission should issue an official apology to the people who have suffered from the inadequate job it has done in carrying out their mandate. The inquiry should
then produce and release a new detailed action plan — one that ensures all actions, progress reports, and expenditures remain public to secure greater transparency. The plan should also include how the communications team will prioritize maintaining a line of communication for the inquiry, particularly between its team and the affected women and families. Given that it has failed to properly connect with Indigenous communities, the inquiry should also engage further with relevant organizations and grassroots groups. Organizations doing front-line work for missing and murdered Indigenous women are already accessible to the families of those affected and know how to work with them in a way that centres their trauma but does not force them to relive it. Active collaboration also opens the possibility for organizations to create on-the-ground solutions and policy recommendations as official partners in the inquiry process, rather than as mere consultants or witnesses. The federal and provincial governments have overlooked the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women for decades. The inquiry has therefore been a long time coming — and it is crucial to set a positive example that can be replicated across the country. Recently, the Ontario government pledged $100 million to combat violence against Indigenous women and girls, and the Québec government launched an inquiry into the treatment of Indigenous people within the province. It is crucial that the commissioners recognize their uniquely precarious position, because the inquiry’s eventual results will set the tone for the next generation of reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Ramsha Naveed is a third-year student at Trinity College studying Political Science. Mara Raposo is a fifth-year student at Victoria College studying Women and Gender Studies.
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DECEMBER 2015 Pre-inquiry design process and consultation to determine structure and goals FEBURARY 2016
DECEMBER 8, 2015 Canadian government announces planned launch of the inquiry
MAY 2016 Summary of recommendations from pre-inquiry design process released to public, along with scope and mandate of inquiry
SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 Official launch of inquiry
AUGUST 3, 2016 Commissioners announced by Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett
FEBURARY 2017
Many key staff members leave Inquiry, including Executive Director Michèle Moreau
JULY 2017
MAY 19, 2017 Chief Commissioner seeks extension on interim report, advocates begin to call for an extension on the entire project AUGUST 8, 2017 First Nations leaders call for the resignation of all remaining commisioners in open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau; Director of Community Engagement Waneek Horn-Miller steps down
JULY 11, 2017 Commissioner Marilyn Poitras announces resignation, Ontario Native Women's Association publically withdraws support from inquiry; both criticize of colonialism and lack of inclusion
NOVEMBER 1, 2017 First interim report due
KATHLEEN DOYLE/THE VARSITY
10 • THE VARSITY • COMMENT
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A world of difference Support for cultural clubs will help the campus community thrive Mir Aftabuddin Ahmed Varsity Contributor
The Indian subcontinent remains a divided region due to deep-seated historical conflicts in the realms of politics and regional governance. So it comes as a pleasant surprise to witness the camaraderie between students from this part of the world at U of T. In an attempt to highlight the uniqueness and diversity of different cultures and cultural spaces, the Bangladeshi Students’ Association (BSA), the Indian Students’ Society (ISS), the Pakistan Development Fund (PDF), and the Tamil Students’ Association (TSA) came together in 2015 to organize an inaugural large-scale cultural festival. Since then, the event — entitled Taal — has showcased the diverse foods, dances, attire, games, and songs of the subcontinent. Initiatives like Taal highlight the critical role that campus cultural clubs play for U of T students. With their core aims being to promote, protect, and preserve certain cultures, these groups make a positive contribution to student life by endorsing multiculturalism, thereby embodying the very spirit of the highly diverse U of T student body. Senior executives of the BSA and the ISS — clubs with over 1,000 members and alumni — stress the idea of promoting the uniqueness of national cultures, with the aim of informing the wider student body about the diversity of the subcontinent. Fazal Mahmood, Co-President of the ISS, stated, “Many students, with immigrant parents or grandparents, perceive clubs [like] ours as a way to get acquainted with their ethnic side while international students use our services to regain a sense of home.” It is also important that cultural clubs promote narratives about countries that are often missing from mainstream media and pop culture. According to Alvira Matin, CoDirector of Events of the BSA, cultural clubs also “represent the political, economic, and social aspects” of a nation. In fact, cultural clubs are arguably more important now than ever: given the rise of right-wing populism across the world, ignorance remains a key deterrent standing in the way of intellectual progress. These organizations bridge the gap between what people ordinarily perceive and what cultural practices actually consist of, thereby providing valuable learning opportunities for students. Bangladesh, for example, is not simply a
Certain groups at U of T provide excellent opportunities for students to connect or reconnect with their cultures. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY
country that has wide-scale relative poverty and high levels of corruption — it also gave momentum to the concept of microcredit, and it remains a leader in women’s empowerment on an international scale. By promoting Bangladeshi theatre, music, dance, and literature, clubs such as the BSA promote a more well-rounded picture of the country to the student body. Similarly, the Muslim Students’ Association strives to showcase the true nature of Islamic culture through integrative panels, debates, and events; it is no surprise that their message of peace, charitability, and inclusivity has resonated with the student community. Finally, cultural clubs provide critical spaces of familiarity for students who are not originally from Toronto. It is especially difficult for international students to adjust to what could potentially be a wildly different lifestyle from what they are used to at home — and mere homesickness can potentially
escalate into more serious mental health concerns. In this vein, Mahmood states that clubs like the ISS “encourage the students to celebrate the diversity within the student community by acting as a means to connect [or] reconnect with their ethnic side.” For many students, engaging with the events provided by cultural clubs may be the only tangible connection to their families and to the places they consider home. At the same time, given the important role being undertaken by cultural clubs at U of T, it is surprising to witness the lack of coordinated networks such organizations have to relevant administrative departments. Accordingly, the Centre for International Experience and the university administration need to do more to integrate these clubs in their annual initiatives, so as to ensure that the services available for international or racialized students on campus are as engaging and comprehensive as possible. This
support might take the form of providing additional funding to these groups through grants, or promoting their events and initiatives through campus-wide communications networks. The positive changes being spearheaded by cultural clubs should be supported by students and administration and cemented into the university community. Doing so will ensure that we achieve the aim of unity through diversity. Mir Aftabuddin Ahmed is a fourth-year student at University College studying Economics and International Relations. He was the Vice-President of the BSA from 2016–2017 and is currently a General Member of the organization.
WORK WITH COMMENT Interested in getting more involved with The Varsity? The Comment section is hiring one volunteer Associate Comment Editor and three volunteer Columnists for the 2017–2018 year. The associate will assist the Comment Editor with pitching, editing, and print production. Columnists will write bi-weekly or tri-weekly pieces on assigned topics and have their work prioritized in our print issues. Enthusiasm for journalism is a must; prior experience with The Varsity is an asset but not required. Apply to be an associate: var.st/associatecomment Apply to be a Columnist: var.st/columnist Applications are due September 25, and associate applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis. If you have any questions, please email Comment Editor Teodora Pasca at comment@thevarsity.ca.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 • 11
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Notice to Members: Fall 2017 Elections and Referendum UTSU is your Students’ Union. The UTSU is governed by a Board of Directors elected by YOU. Our campaigns and services are also shaped by you. Our aim is to provide services and events that save you money and enrich your university experience. The University of Toronto Students’ Union is holding its Fall 2017 by-elections for the following positions:
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
SEATS
Division I Directors: New College –
1
Transitional Year Program –
1
Woodsworth College –
1
Division II Directors: Faculty of Theology –
1
Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education –
1
To run for a position, please pick up a nomination package during the nomination period at the UTSU office – 12 Hart House Circle. Please keep in mind the dates and deadlines listed below.
ELECTION DATES: Nomination Period: Monday, October 2, 09:00 am to Friday, October 6, 05:00 pm Silent Period: Friday, October 6, 05:00 pm to Monday, October 9, 09:00 am All-Candidates Meeting: TBD
CAMPAIGN PERIOD: In-person campaigning: Monday, October 9, 09:00 am to Monday, October 16, 11:59 pm Online campaigning: Monday, October 9, 09:00 am to Thursday, October 19, 05:00 pm Voting Period: Tuesday, October 17, 12:01 am to Thursday, October 19, 06:30 pm* *Note: Members vote online at utsu.simplyvoting.com. Voting is open for 24 hours during the voting period. For more information, contact the Chief Returning Officer at cro@utsu.ca
Editorial
September 11, 2017 var.st/comment editorial@thevarsity.ca
Protecting fair dealing in education Access Copyright’s lawsuit against York University will have far-reaching effects for students across Canada The Varsity Editorial Board
It has been over three years since U of T ended its agreement with Access Copyright, a non-profit organization tasked with collecting licensing fees for copyrighted material and distributing the proceeds to publishers. At present, the issue of academic fair dealing remains a primary concern for students in light of a recent Federal Court decision. This July, the Federal Court sided with Access Copyright in its lawsuit against York University, which began after York ended its own agreement with the organization. York plans to appeal the decision. We ought to pay attention to the eventual result of this legal battle: its outcome will have significant ramifications for student life and for academia. Many students currently enrolled at Canadian universities may be unfamiliar with the ongoing controversies surrounding Access Copyright. Over the years, the organization has held agreements with many universities across the country, which stipulated charging each student a tariff for the use of copyrighted material in course packs. At U of T, prior to the termination of the agreement in December 2013, each student was charged $27.50 per year, totaling approximately $1.5 million annually. Even without legal knowledge of the situation, it is easy to see the downside of the prior arrangement with Access Copyright. Students are already being nickel-anddimed by the costs of tuition, books, and living in Toronto. An annual overall loss of $1.5 million is a lot of money in the first place — especially for knowledge that should arguably be accessible to the student body.
As defined in the Copyright Act, fair dealing laws in Canada allow for copyrighted material to be used for free without the permission of the copyright holder, so long as it is for one of the delineated purposes. These purposes include activities central to the university’s mandate: research, private study, and education. Accordingly, in a 2012 Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruling, it was decided that educators could photocopy excerpts of copyrighted material to use in classroom settings without the copyright owner’s permission. It was due to this decision that York and U of T decided to terminate their agreements with Access Copyright and stop charging students the annual fee. Despite the 2012 SCC ruling and the Federal Government’s subsequent reforms to the Copyright Act, the concept of fair dealing in Canadian copyright law remains a murky one. There is no one definition provided in the legislation or in the case law. Instead, judges are to make context-specific decisions based on the general guidelines in the Act and the facts of individual cases. The guidelines that York University followed permitted the use of a “short excerpt” of a work to be republished in course materials. A “short excerpt” was defined as up to 10 per cent or less of a work, one chapter from a book, one article from a periodical, one artistic work from a collection containing multiple artistic works, one poem or musical work from a collection of other works, or one entry from a reference publication. The court ruled that the 10 per cent rule was ar-
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bitrary, given that it was possible for 100 per cent of a work to be copied if the work was spread across multiple courses. There is a case to be made that the Federal Court provided an unduly narrow interpretation of fair dealing in this case. Under Access Copyright’s own agreement, the definition of a “short excerpt” is 20 per cent, which is just as arbitrary and subject to the same issues as a 10 per cent limit. Nevertheless, if the ruling survives the appeals process, York will be required to reinstitute the deal for good — and given U of T’s own history with Access Copyright, it may be forced to do the same. U of T’s 2012 deal with Access Copyright was understandably unpopular with the student body. Following the 2012 SCC ruling, substantial time, effort, and collective action, including on the part of the University of Toronto Students’ Union, went into lobbying the administration to scrap
the deal. Given the relative arbitrariness of the Federal Court’s ruling, it would be a shame if those efforts went to waste. And though some students may be able to accommodate forking over an extra $27.50 per year, the question of whether they should be required to do so is one that should be taken seriously. Due to its prestige as well as its price tag, the university remains a profoundly inaccessible institution for many. Restricting knowledge to those who have the ability to pay for it thus seems like a step in the wrong direction. We should keep a close eye on the results of the York case. If it reaches the Supreme Court, let’s hope it raises its authoritative voice in favour of students, or else our ability to access educational materials may be compromised. The Varsity's editorial board is elected by the masthead at the beginning of each semester. For more information about the editorial policy, email editorial@thevarsity.ca.
Letters to the Editor Letters to the editor should be directed to editorial@thevarsity.ca. Please keep submissions to 250 words; letters may be edited for length and clarity. Re: ‘Nationalist rally’ scheduled for September 14 on St. George campus “Wait so just a month ago, SSFS hosted famous neo-Nazi Paul Fromm... and now they think it’s a good idea to associate further with neo-Nazis? SSFS first denied that Paul Fromm spoke (which was proven to be false), then claimed that he tricked them with fake business cards (which was proven to be false), and Fromm has claimed that he was personally invited by email to attend their event. Now this budding neo-Nazi group is also claiming that they have been in direct contact with SSFS. Their public denial of this reads a lot like them claiming that Paul Fromm gave them fake business card. Maybe if you didn’t keep the company of neo-Nazis, you wouldn’t have to keep releasing statements distancing yourselves
from neo-Nazis. Just a suggestion.” — Cassandra Williams (from web) Re: An international student’s perspective on the Canadian healthcare system “The reason you waited so long, and the reason many Canadians wait so long, is that your scratched eye was not an emergency. The ER operates on a triage system, which means that the most serious cases are seen first. When my father partially severed his finger, he was seen in 5 or 6 minutes. Many people will rush to the ER as if it was a walk in clinic, it’s not. A GP is more than well equipped to treat a corneal abrasion. I would probably be disaffected too if I had to listen to somebody complain about a scratch, when there are likely car crash victims or other more seriously injured people that are coming through the
entrance on the other side. If you want a more personal and comforting experience, once again, go to a GP.” — Alexander Chandler (from web) Re: Why do we still divide sports by gender? “While male and female athletes show similar performance in swimming and running competitions, men are MUCH stronger than women because of the higher testosterone, lower estrogen, better upper body strong, different pelvis, lower body fat, and more type 2 muscle fibres, all of which you ignored or glossed over. These things really affect performance… Don’t get me wrong. I support female athleticism and also support them, say, being in the military. I agree that women were pressured to avoid sports and female athletes are treated differently than male
athletes, which affects performance. But ignoring real, significant biological differences is not doing women any favours. If you want more women to go into athletics and love athletics, making it so that men will outperform them a lot of the time is SO counter intuitive. I’d rather sports not go back to being just a man’s thing, thanks.” — Roxy Rusnyak (from web) Re: The Breakdown: The UTSU’s lawsuit against former Executive Director Sandy Hudson “Why did the lawyer have to identify as black? Would a, white, Asian, Hispanic, gay, trans, lawyer with the same background in equity not be able to do the same job when giving legal advice?” — Carlos Rlh (from web)
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SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 • 13
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It’s not what you think.
What I saw along the way Stepping back from the hustle of day-to-day life, a student learns from the city Words and Photos by Elizabeth Dix “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” These simple words, spoken by Ferris Bueller in the classic 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, have always lingered with me.
The trajectory of a Torontonian’s life is driven by a constant objective. We spend most of our time rushing from place to place, blind to what surrounds us in our immediate environment. In the midst of the chaos of our lives as students, we often forget about the intricate architecture that fills our streets and the enchanting beauty of our city.
So I took it upon myself to simply enjoy the things around me. I stepped back and explored. I quickly discovered that marvelling at sights and sounds outside of us can help us see within ourselves.
Balance Maintaining balance in life is a seemingly simple task, yet it can be daunting when we try to put into practice. Prioritizing self-care allows us to be our best selves and enjoy all aspects of our lives — from school to extracurricular activities.
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Allocating time for different areas of life and sticking to a routine can do wonders to ensure balance is maintained in everyday life.
Additionally, putting our phones away during these times can maximize focus and minimize any unnecessary distractions, so we are able to accomplish everything necessary in a given period.
Cultivation Cultivation is a pivotal aspect of life. We can cultivate anything — from relationships with others to opportunities for ourselves. To cultivate, we must empower ourselves in order to become aware of our talents and what we would like to accomplish in life. We can also help others cultivate within their own lives by inspiring them to continuously seek fresh insights and motivate them to discover what they want out of life. Green spaces need an abundance of resources to grow; we must make sure we equip ourselves with the necessary resources to grow and thrive in our day-to-day lives. Cultivating resources, which can range from meaningful friendships to passionate hobbies, can help us create opportunities and extract the benefits from these experiences. It is essential that we embrace the hidden wonders around us — the things that would otherwise go unnoticed. They can inscribe new beliefs and values within our hearts and challenge us to be better versions of ourselves. Sometimes, when we’re hustling to complete a given task, we neglect the things along the way, the things in the present and in the now. So, as you go about your days, I challenge you to stop, indulge, and appreciate the things along the way.
Perspective Gaining perspective in life can help us view situations with greater clarity. This allows us to come to terms with challenges and barriers, and it leads us to a greater sense of peace within ourselves. Looking around and enjoying the beauty that we come across in our increasingly chaotic world can be the door that leads to self-reflection. This provides us with the opportunity to create positive appraisals of situations we tend to only see as negative. In my experience, asking what advice you would give to a friend if they came to you with your exact situation, seeking viewpoints from trusted friends, and allowing emotions to subside before making any decisions have all been effective ways to truly gain perspective and create an accurate and rational narrative for a given situation.
Compassion Having compassion for ourselves is not the easiest task, but harvesting a sense of self-worth and confidence can do wonders for our minds and bodies. Life can be tumultuous, and rocky patches are inevitable, but through it all, it’s important to remember that we are worthy: worthy of love from others and compassion from ourselves. The resilience that clouds embody is something we should strive for in our own lives, knowing that we will get through whatever adverse conditions are thrown our way and that we will develop into stronger people because of it.
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Arts&Culture
September 11, 2017 var.st/arts arts@thevarsity.ca
Do we want the old Taylor back on the phone? Two writers on the dawn of the Reputation era Avneet Sharma & Tom Yun Varsity Staff
IRIS DENG/THE VARSITY
T
aylor Swift’s entire brand can be boiled down to victimhood and her relationships with men. Her first four albums, which focused heavily on those relationships, prompted a trend of hot takes speculating about which ex-boyfriend was the subject of which single. As a longtime Swift fan, I hated the media coverage that surrounded her relationships. Yes, she often wrote about her exes, but this theme was not necessarily exclusive to her. Many pop stars, including men, wrote songs about their past relationships and didn't receive the same amount of ridicule as Swift. To me, this was infuriating — and it seems that Swift found it infuriating as well. Enter 1989, one of my favourite pop albums of all time. Its second single, “Blank Space,” showcased a degree of humour and self-awareness that had been missing from Swift’s prior albums. Its accompanying music video, symbolic of Swift’s relationship with the media, was brilliant. If you didn't see it, you missed out on one of the best pop culture moments of 2014. For me, it was both endearing and enjoyable to watch Swift’s character development: embracing feminism and creating an album that prioritized her over her relationships with
men. She had finally risen from the pit of victimhood. Now comes the era of Reputation, which has shattered all of that progress. On a surface level, the first two songs released from the album, “Look What You Made Me Do” and “…Ready for It?” are badly produced and don’t live up to the catchiness of Swift’s previous singles. If you could have captured a video of me listening to “Look What You Made Me Do” for the first time, you could have pinpointed the exact moment I lost hope in Swift — within the first five seconds. Reputation feels like a step back for Swift, back into the victimhood that resulted from her relationships with men. I understand that she might be attempting to capitalize on her controversial feud with Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West over West’s song “Famous” from The Life of Pablo, but it completely undermines the brilliant brand that Swift built for herself with 1989. The most memorable line from “Look What You Made Me Do” is, without a doubt, “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, 'cause she’s dead!” But personally, I'm mourning the old Taylor Swift. — Avneet Sharma
A
fter disappearing from the public eye for over six months, the biggest name in pop music is back with two new singles and the announcement of the Reputation album — though it’s hardly a new direction for her. Many aspects of Taylor Swift’s new single, “Look What You Made Me Do” — from the haunting orchestral opening to the synth-dominated and simple but unmistakably catchy chorus — sound like they could have come off Lorde’s latest album, the critically acclaimed Melodrama. This is to be expected, as both were produced by Jack Antonoff of fun., Bleachers, and Steel Train. Similar to what we’ve seen in “Blank Space” and “Shake It Off,” both the single’s video and lyrics are packed with clever self-deprecating references, including media depictions of Swift as someone who sleeps in a giant birdcage and as the ringleader of a manufactured 'squad' of models. The song also takes direct aim at Kanye West, with whom Swift has been engaged in a feud after the rapper released “Famous,” most likely due to the lyrical content: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/I made that bitch famous.” Call it petty if you like, but Swift has been taking aim at her opponents from her country music days to her pops ones, with tracks such as “Mean,” “Bad Blood,” and the countless songs targeted at her exes.
Swift has also received criticism for a scene in the video allegedly making light of Kim Kardashian West’s robbery in Paris, as well as for the announced release date of Reputation, which falls on the same date as the anniversary of West’s mother’s death. These criticisms are misguided. In the scene that some say references the Paris robbery, Swift is in a bathtub filled with diamonds, firing a finger gun. The scene appears to in fact be a reference to another media depiction of her “crying in her marble bath tub surrounded by pearls.” In addition, album release dates are commonly set on Fridays and are often decided by the label, not the artist. The second single for the album, “…Ready For It?,” begins with deep synth basses — ironically similar to West’s Yeezus album — and features Swift rapping. Despite starting her career as a country artist, Swift has never been afraid to experiment with different genres. She has dabbled in punk (“Better than Revenge”), synthpop (1989), and even dubstep (“I Knew You Were Trouble”). It’s inaccurate to say that anything we’ve seen has been a radical departure from Swift’s earlier work — aspects of ‘the old Taylor’ are still very much alive. With two strong singles released so far, I’m excited to see what Swift has in store for the rest of Reputation. — Tom Yun
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 • 17
var.st/arts
A guide to stargazing at TIFF The hotels, restaurants, and boutiques where you're likely to spot celebrities Reut Cohen Arts & Culture Editor
TIFF 2017 is in full swing. The festival, having opened last Thursday, includes a number of red carpet premieres, including directorial debuts by Brie Larson, Andy Serkis, Aaron Sorkin, and more, not to mention Oscar bait in the form of films such as the dreamy Call Me By Your Name and the Boston Marathon biopic Stronger. For the diehards In the past, some fans have gathered for stakeouts at Toronto’s airports, waiting for particular stars. A frazzled — but still handsome — Armie Hammer was spotted at Pearson on Friday, along with Charlie Hunnam. However, some celebs will go out of their way to avoid airport crowds, arriving on chartered planes and having border agents process them privately. Most celebs will be staying in swanky hotels in the downtown core that will likely be on high alert for unwanted guests. However, some have bars and restaurants that are open to the public, like the ShangriLa’s BOSK, the Ritz-Carlton’s DEQ Terrace Lounge, or dbar at the Four Seasons. Stars like Jennifer Lawrence have previously been spotted at Soho House Toronto, which is members-only and has rules against cellphones and photography. The festival’s red carpet premieres will also likely make use of the holding pens that have been set up on King Street West and throughout the city’s Entertainment District. Don’t expect to show up right before
KATHLEEN DOYLE/THE VARSITY
a premiere and be able to catch a glimpse of the limo exits, though — many fans will have been lining up since the crack of dawn. For the foodies Think of celebrities as tourists, albeit tourists with expensive tastes and the money to match. If you were visiting the city and had money to burn, you would likely want to visit the most upscale and exciting places Toronto has to offer. Several cast parties are expected to take
place at David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar, namely those for Downsizing, which stars Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Alec Baldwin, and Neil Patrick Harris; Battle of the Sexes, which stars Steve Carell and Emma Stone; and Disobedience, which stars Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz. Fring’s, the King Street West eatery associated with Drake, is likely to be a hot destination for the duration of the festival, along with Cibo Wine Bar and Brassaii, where Jessica Chastain celebrated her birthday last year
during the festival. Located right behind the TIFF Bell Lightbox, director Ivan Reitman’s restaurant Montecito is also a prime destination for celebrities. For the fashion plates Holt Renfrew’s Yorkville location is known for hosting VIP TIFF events and for being one of the go-to locations for red carpet fashion. Keep in mind that a stakeout here is risky, as it’s more likely you’ll see a designated personal shopper than an actual celebrity.
A patriotic adventure in virtual reality SESQUI's VR film Horizon toured the country this summer for Canada 150
SESQUI provides a personal experience of Canada. CHRISTINA BONDI/THE VARSITY
Christina Bondi Varsity Contributor
At exhibits across the country over the summer, strangers became family, individuals became a community, and the Canadian ordinary became breathtakingly extraordinary. At one of this tour’s stops at Richmond Green, I had the opportunity to experience the Canada 150 SESQUI film, Horizon: a film about Canada, for Canadians, captured
in 360 degrees. What made the film such a technological treat is the viewing dome’s hemispherical design, which allowed the audience to be truly immersed in the atmosphere. Viewers sat closely packed together and felt the screen become an extension of the environments depicted, with even the audience becoming an essential part of the film’s vision of Canada. The experience blurred the lines between past and present experiences of time and space.
SESQUI described Horizon as “a soaring visual symphony,” but it was not simply a feast for the eyes — it was a feast for the senses. Featuring all 10 provinces and three territories of Canada, the footage felt so authentic you almost believed that you were indeed swimming with Belugas in the Hudson Bay, dancing in Foley’s Shed on Newfoundland’s Fogo Island, or running in fields of Prince Edward Island’s tulips. Throughout the film and its magical transitions from one location to another, I felt myself shifting away from and back toward my own reality. Horizon showcases the diverse beauty of the everyday. Canadian sights that one may or may not have encountered became an artistic spectacle in the film’s hands: parkour in Montréal, BMX biking in Saskatoon, a hockey game in Yellowknife, and Torontonians rushing down Bay Street took on new meaning. Although I grew up in the York Region, I have yet to visit the Richmond Hill Trillium Trail — Horizon showed me a nearby wonder to explore. Canadians often take for granted the scenic charms of our country, but Horizon has embraced and encouraged paying attention to our surroundings. I left the film beaming with a particular Canadian pride. Through such an engaging, artistic, and technologically innovated medium, I was able to join complete strangers and share a timeless experience with them. This truly allowed for a sense of interconnectedness. I then recalled the origin of the name Canada, ‘kanata’ — a Huron-Iro-
quois word for ‘village.’ One might say that Horizon’s viewers had come together in a ‘temporary home’ and had been reminded of the importance of community. SESQUI has also attempted to offer audiences a more individualized experience. This year’s Canadian National Exhibition featured the Celebrate Canada exhibit, where, along with detailed origami archival pieces, SESQUI included a small booth featuring their virtual reality app, MERIDIAN. Visitors to this particular booth entered into a more personal and private Canadianthemed experience — virtual reality goggles and smartphones offered a chance for internal reflection and exploration. SESQUI states that its MERIDIAN VR technology “pushes the boundaries of participatory storytelling through immersive media.” The experience offered opportunities for interactive selection and technological play, closing the user off from their surroundings and temporarily suspending them in a new digital, yet intimate, world. A user might choose to experience something familiar, for a feeling of connection, or something obscure, for a sense of adventure and exploration. Just as the reality of being Canadian differs for all of us, so too does its virtual counterpart. Those curious about Horizon can watch the film online at sesqui.ca, albeit without the 360-degree experience. And don't be surprised if you find yourself asking, “why am I crying?”
18 • THE VARSITY • ARTS & CULTURE
arts@thevarsity.ca
Separating the art from the artist On R. Kelly's disturbing alleged cult and celebrity exploits that we cannot ignore
MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY
John Shutt Varsity Contributor
Sometimes the material for which an artist is known is also reflected in their personal life. If recent allegations prove true, this could be the case with R. Kelly. Born Robert Kelly, the Chicagobased R&B superstar gained a great deal of respect and success in the music industry over the past 25 years as a singer, songwriter, and producer. With music ranging from the sexually charged “Bump and Grind” and “Sex Me” to emotional ballads like “I Believe I Can Fly” and “I Wish,” Kelly amassed a vast following of fans, sold over 60 million albums, and won numerous awards for his work. However, a recent allegation has threatened to derail the performer’s reputation and career. In July, a bombshell investigation by Buzzfeed News revealed
that three different families have come out against Kelly, with parents claiming that he has kept their daughters in an abusive cult where he controls what they eat, how they dress, when they can sleep, and most disturbingly, their sexual encounters. The women are allegedly forbidden from communicating with their families. "Breaking any of Kelly’s rules," the article says, "results in physical and verbal abuse at the singer’s hands." On August 21 of this year, the accusations gained even more traction when one of his accusers went public with her story, breaking a non-disclosure agreement. Jerhonda Pace, a 24-year-old former defender of the singer during his child pornography trial, confessed that Kelly had bribed his female followers with money settlements to ensure their silence regarding his actions. Pace delved
into detail about how Kelly forced her to engage in threesomes and how he had physically abused her. “I was slapped and I was choked and I was spit on,” she stated, noting that she decided to break the agreement because of her fear for women who remain in the “cult.” These allegations are indeed disturbing, but upon examination of Kelly’s history with young women, perhaps not altogether surprising. In 1994, he secretly married the late singer Aaliyah when she was only 15 years old; at the time, he was helping to develop her thenbudding music career. The marriage was annulled less than a year later by Aaliyah’s parents, but it did not hurt Kelly’s career. In 2002, Kelly was arrested after a video circulated that reportedly depicted him in a sexual encounter with an underage girl. He was charged and tried on charges of child pornography but was acquitted in 2008. Due to the disturbing information revealed by these investigations, as well as his history of inappropriate behaviour with minors, Kelly is in an even more precarious position now. We must ask ourselves how much deviant behaviour celebrities can engage in before the public puts its foot down. Kelly is certainly not the first celebrity to deal with potentially career-derailing controversies. Woody Allen, Mel Gibson, Bill Cosby, Johnny Depp, and many others have engaged in acts that might result in jail time for ordinary people, yet they have managed to maintain their careers nonetheless. Allen, in particular,
has been the subject of media scrutiny since his relationship with his adopted step-daughter, Soon Yi Previn, was revealed in 1992. His adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, has also repeatedly accused him of sexual abuse. Yet Allen has managed to continue making films that are both critically and commercially acclaimed. Recently, it was announced that he would be casting young actresses Selena Gomez and Elle Fanning in his next film. Cases like Allen’s require us to question why we are more forgiving of such allegations when the accused is a respected individual in the media. By contrast, figures like Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks and Sinéad O’Connor have found their careers damaged, if not destroyed, by speaking their minds or making light of serious topics. O’Connor’s 1992 performance on Saturday Night Live, during which she tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II, did serious harm to her career. One decade later, Maines, a vocal opponent of the Iraq War, openly stated that she was ashamed that President George W. Bush was from Texas. Both singers found themselves in hot water, even receiving death threats. Why is it that when religion or patriotism is involved, a career might be ended, yet instances of more sinister behaviour are overlooked? Perhaps some of this can be attributed to sexism, but it is also possible that we are blinded by the prestige of certain celebrities to the point where any wrongdoing on their parts can be forgiven.
Perhaps we, as a society, are to blame for letting Kelly and people like him get away with their exploits and continue to further their careers. We have become so enraptured by their talents that we often refuse to let their personal scandals get in the way of their successes. However, in other instances, we judge those with beliefs different from ours more harshly. It is unclear why one is deemed more offensive than the other. The warning signs were certainly there. In the Buzzfeed article, a parent of one of the girls, referred to as “J.,” claims she was happy with Kelly’s interest in her daughter’s musical career and willingness to help, despite knowing the singer’s history of sexual misconduct. J. explains that she was a fan of Kelly. Perhaps she should have properly investigated and considered the singer’s past instead of just seeing him as a pop culture icon. What will become of Kelly’s career? Will he finally be brought to what some would consider long overdue justice? Or will he continue to have a successful career? It is difficult to predict precisely because Kelly has previously managed to escape similar public relations predicaments without much harm done. It is possible that this will be the time when society finally deems Kelly guilty, and he will pay the price for his sins regardless of his talent and prior success. The sooner we can separate celebrities’ careers from their personal lives, the better off we will be.
Four campus locations that deserve their own music videos Why Drake should start cruising the Trinity quad Keena Al-Wahaidi Varsity Contributor
The first 20 seconds alone of The Weeknd’s music video for “Secrets” are sure to strike a chord with U of T students, who will recognize the interiors of the Toronto Reference Library and the university’s Scarborough campus. “Secrets” reveals that no woman has the ability to keep anything from Abel Tesfaye, even in the midst of the city itself. It’s no surprise that Toronto has lent itself to yet another blockbuster music video. In the past, Drake somehow convinced Rihanna to shoot the music video for “Work” at The Real Jerk. Finally, there seems to be a trend pushing artists toward using Toronto as Toronto, not as a stand-in for New York City or another American metropolis. Due to its location in the heart of the city, U of T is full of potential
filming locations. The campus’ mix of architectural styles and its beautiful landscapes would make for electrifying frames, perfect for busting some moves. Here are four locations on campus that would be perfect for the next music video featuring the city. Trinity College Quad The quad at Trinity College — isolated, nostalgia-inducing, and full of people who sit nearby yet seem so far out of reach. It’s the perfect setting for a new Drake video. Drizzy has represented Toronto in a couple of videos, including while jetting over the city in “Started From The Bottom.” If he were pursuing his latest fling, or any of the other women he frequently sings about, the peaceful quad would be the perfect location for seduction. Bonus points if he made it in time for winter, when the sad, bare trees
lining the quad droop lower than his expectations of other people. Hart House Theatre This one is a given, both because of the stage lighting and the echoes of former great artists. What music video concepts could arise from the depths of one of Toronto’s oldest theatre houses, you ask? Six words: Ed Sheeran, middle row, centre seat. Sheeran could play the director falling for the young ingenue who shows up late but still catches the attention of everyone’s favourite redhead. Drama is risky business, but the walls of Hart House have seen love and tragedy at their finest. Bora Laskin The new renovations to the Faculty of Law's library are dope — the ceilings are high, the natural lighting is blindingly bright, and the clean white walls make for a perfect
HASAN GALIB/THE VARSITY
minimalist aesthetic. The idea of shooting a music video in Bora Laskin is straight up rebellious, and it’s actually kind of revolutionary: the librarians are sticklers for quiet time, and you’ll usually find only the most stressed students here, cracking open the heaviest of textbooks. Kanye West would revel in creating over-the-top, obnoxiously chaotic madness in the secluded space of the library. On an everyday basis, the library isn’t a place for high-pitched or low-pitched anything, but Kanye could change that.
Convocation Hall The concept of juxtaposing music video prospects with this serious, columned building could lead to some great ideas. The extended hallways of Con Hall might offer refuge to long-skirted women in flower crowns, warm contrasts to the building’s ghostly interior. Perhaps Taylor Swift’s next squadonly video could find a home here. There’s no need to worry about keeping the Con Hall song options limited to tearjerking love ballads, though — the natural rise of panic upon entering the building seems to turn on the waterworks just fine.
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Science
September 11, 2017 var.st/science science@thevarsity.ca
For the love of science and literature Fourth annual Science Literacy Week returning with 700 events Devanshi Adhvaryu Varsity Contributor
Science Literacy Week, a nationwide celebration of science-based literature, is set to take place September 18–24 for its fourth consecutive year. Its founder, Jesse Hildebrand, is a U of T alumnus whose dual passion for science and literature inspired the event’s creation. The event began as an attempt to get libraries to showcase their science book collections, said Hildebrand. When he graduated from U of T with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, he noticed a certain lack of science books on display in libraries. He voiced his concern, encouraging libraries to make their collections more prominent. Three years later, in 2014, he created Science Literacy Week. “I just wanted to reach as many people as possible... Science is increasingly in the news — if you look at the eclipse, millions of people have looked up all across Canada and the United States — everywhere! If you look at climate change, if you look at genetically modified food, whatever you are looking into, science plays some role,” continued Hildebrand. Gaining repute as a celebration of science open to everyone, Science Literacy Week will host approximately 700 events reaching coast-
to-coast. The event is partnered with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Indigo Books & Music Inc. Through Science Literacy Week, Hildebrand has been able to reach out to children and adults across Canada to celebrate science-based activities, scientists, and science communications. Notable events: Fossil work with Professor Marc Laflamme In this interactive lab session with an Assistant Professor in U of T’s Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, you will learn to identify fossils and recreate a 450-year-old sea floor. Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2017 Time: 12:00–1:00 pm Location: Davis Building, room 1087, 3359 Mississauga Road Admission: Free Intro to 3D design Learn to use Fusion 360 and Sculptris applications to create simple 3D designs at this hands-on workshop. Date: Tuesday, September 19 Time: 6:30–8:00 pm Location: Toronto Public Library, College/Shaw Branch, 766 College Street Admission: Free with registration Not your Granddad’s Weed Forensic toxicologist Jim Wig-
MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY
more will be discussing the history of cannabis, the various forms it can take, the difference between smokable and edible cannabis, as well as the potential of cannabinoids in the field of medicine. Date: Thursday, September 21 Time: 6:00–7:00 pm Location: Toronto Public Library, St. James Town Branch, 495 Sherbourne Street Admission: Free Open Data Book Club As part of a monthly book club, this event gathers data miners, analysts, and engaged Torontonians to sit down with staff responsible for government open data sets to
investigate its trends. Date: Thursday, September 21 Time: 6:00–8:00 pm Location:Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street Admission: Free The Story Collider This event is happening for the first time in Canada. It features various U of T professors who will host live storytelling sessions to share their personal trials, tribulations, and triumphs as they relate to their scientific ventures. Date: Thursday, September 21 Time: 6:30–9:00 pm Location: Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Avenue
Admission: $10 with registration Meet Zuul, a New Armored Dinosaur at the ROM! Zuul crurivastator was an armoured dinosaur with a tail club, and its skeleton is supposed to be the best-preserved one of all time. Join paleontologist Dr. Victoria Arbour to learn more about Zuul. Date: Friday, September 22 Time: 7:00–8:00 pm Location: Toronto Public Library, S. Walter Stewart Branch, 170 Memorial Park Avenue Admission: Free
Kymriah offers hope to leukemia patients FDA issues “historic action” by approving first gene therapy in the US
MIA CARNEVALE/THE VARSITY
Srivindhya Kolluru Varsity Contributor
On August 30, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Kymriah, a gene therapy that targets a type of leukemia known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In a clinical trial involving 63 patients, 83 per cent of them went into remission within the first three months of treatment. Specifically, this therapy is tailored to the form of ALL that starts in the B cells of the immune system, called B-cell ALL. The disease affects blood and bone marrow and causes a patient’s immune system to
produce abnormal white blood cells. In a healthy individual, two types of white blood cells, T cells and B cells, work together to fight infections. In patients with ALL, however, either T cells or B cells are produced at abnormally high levels, and the disease is classified as T-cell or B-cell ALL. Kymriah is unique in that it is the first FDA-approved gene therapy. It offers hope for patients with relapsed or refractory ALL, forms of leukemia with limited treatment options. In the clinical trial, Kymriah demonstrated promise in providing effective treatment within a year for B-cell ALL patients under 25 years old.
Kymriah is a specialized, cellbased gene therapy that works by modifying a patient’s own T cells into ones that contain a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) protein. These ‘CAR-infused’ T cells can then be redirected to attack cancer cells that have a specific immune trigger, or antigen, on their surfaces. In this case, the antigen is known as CD19. Because the treatment is different for every patient, a patient’s T cells are genetically manufactured at a certified hospital to contain CAR, and then the modified cells are incorporated into a transfusion specific to the patient. This novel treatment was first developed by Dr. Carl June and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in a collaboration with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation in 2012. The current go-to treatment options for ALL are chemotherapy and radiation therapy, which are long-term treatments that result in numerous complications and side effects. In addition, these treatments have a poor prognosis, or outcome, and less than 10 per cent
of treated patients survive longer than five years. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can also attack a patient’s healthy cells. Kymriah also differs from traditional treatments because it is only administered once, via intravenous transfusion. Although this new therapy still comes with severe side effects, it opens the door to an alternative treatment route for ALL patients. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada, 55,900 Canadians were diagnosed with ALL in 2016. Research and advancements in gene therapy in Canada are also in the works. Dr. Mark Minden, a Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, noted that researchers are working on chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) treatments that could combat a broader range of cancers. A downfall of using CAR-T therapy is that, according to Minden, “it hits one protein on the leukemic cell and it can escape by modifying the cell.” Because CART treatments are designed to target a single protein, their specificity
makes it hard to modify treatment for patients with other variations of leukemia. Several researchers in Toronto are working in this field, including Dr. Naoto Hirano, also a Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. His team is working on a CAR-T therapy targeting different antigens, such as CD33, and modifying its signal to make it more efficient. With regard to the future of gene therapy in Canada, Minden cited the need for more funding. Kymriah is a unique therapy, providing hope to leukemia patients who have exhausted all other treatment routes. However, being the first of its kind in the US also means that there is an air of uncertainty around its long-term effects. Novartis expects to certify Kymriah in 32 hospitals across the US by the end of the year and monitor eligible patients over a 15-year period for potential side effects and complications.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 • 21
var.st/science
Which came first: the science or the sci-fi? In the world of science, fiction often lends a hand to fact Nicole Sciulli Varsity Contributor
Technology is at the forefront of our lives, from the smartphones in our hands to the technological innovations sprouting from industries like healthcare and computer programming. A lot of these advancements began with an abstract idea, and sometimes these ideas can be found in the pages of your favourite sci-fi novels. Great classic novels have demonstrated how a once absurd fantasy can become reality. Take Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published in 1818, for example: though the novel is read as a gothic horror story about reanimating a monster built from multiple corpses, Frankenstein the scientist is a literary representation of a changing scientific landscape that dates to the early nineteenth century. The importance of chemists who “penetrate into the recesses of nature and show how she works in her hiding-places,” as said by one of Shelley’s characters, is clear. Her fascination with bodies pieced from
multiple donor parts foreshadows organ donation and transplantation today, which would have been considered horrifying and unnatural during the 1800s. Fantasy has been woven with reality throughout the history of science fiction. In 1920, for example, a Czech author named Karel Capek published a play called Rossum’s Universal Robots, where artificial people are created to work for humans but ultimately rebel, causing the human race to go extinct. This was the first time English speakers were exposed to the word ‘robot’ — translated from the Czech word ‘robota’ — and it sparked an interest in sentient machines, which scientists continue to develop today. A modern representation of this can be seen in Japan, where lifelike humanoid robots are becoming caregivers for the elderly. One robot called Palro works with elders to stimulate brain function and act as a companion for them. Even familiar, everyday machines are becoming self-sufficient. Artificial intelligence, for instance, has made great strides, including recently de-
veloped self-driving cars at U of T. Artificial intelligence is not a recent idea, either. In 1964, science fiction author Isaac Asimov published an essay titled “Visit to the World’s Fair of 2014,” speculating upon the possible new inventions that might be at the World’s Fair 50 years in the future, including a car with “Robot-brains” that could operate on its own. The time it takes to develop new technology can often be much longer than what our predecessors eagerly foresaw. In the 1989 film Back to the Future II, Marty McFly mounts a levitating hoverboard, depicted as a common mode of transportation in the year 2015. Evidently, this has yet to become a reality. However, some companies have begun hoverboard construction. In 2015, Lexus designed a hoverboard that uses an electromagnetic field to levitate the platform in a skateboard style. Using superconducting materials, permanent magnets, and liquid nitrogen to cool down the superconductor and emit a mystical smoke, the board is kept afloat. Science fiction is not only a ve-
Your favourite sci-fi franchise today may hold the innovations of tomorrow.
TUNECHIK83 /CC FLICKR
hicle for technological innovation, but it is often used as a critique of societal changes that come with advancing technology. Notably, Feed by M.T. Anderson, a contemporary sci-fi novel, portrays a dystopian America where people have computer networks called ‘feeds’ embedded in their brains. They are overwhelmed with advertisements and become easily manipulated by corporations looking to make a profit. Remarkably, Anderson wrote this book in 2002, and its plot has become eerily accurate
over time, down to the information, or ‘feed,’ we receive on our social media accounts. It is undeniable that developments in science and technology have played a crucial role in influencing how their counterparts are portrayed in books and media. In turn, fantastical ideas from authors and other creatives have also shaped the innovations we have today. Science does not occur in an isolated realm and will continue to interact with the stories and ideas around it, so long as sci-fi exists.
Hurricane Harvey: a not-so-natural disaster? Prof Danny Harvey on the hurricane’s connection to climate change
A hurricane as seen from outer space. NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTRE/ CC FLICKR
Nadin Ramadan Varsity Contributor
On August 30, Hurricane Harvey, the first major hurricane to make landfall in the US in over a decade, finally receded from the coast of Texas after days of catastrophic flooding and the reported loss of at least 70 lives so far. The eye of Hurricane Harvey hit land near the city of Rockport, Texas as a Category 4 hurricane on August 25. In its wake, Hurricane Harvey left at least 33,000 people in shelters, and the cost of repairs are estimated at $180 billion. The hurricane has
also sparked a heated debate: was this a result of climate change? It’s not difficult to see why many would attribute Hurricane Harvey to climate change — it intensified at an unprecedented rate, and its severity was unparalleled in the US. Hurricane Harvey broke the previous 1956 record for most rainfall from a hurricane in the continental US, with parts of Cedar Bayou, Texas getting 51.9 inches. Brock Long, the Director of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, described Hurricane Harvey as “probably the worst disaster the state’s ever seen.”
When it comes to weather-related disasters like Hurricane Harvey, “any particular event is due to a lot of individual circumstances exacerbated by the overall warmer conditions created by the overall warming of the climate,” said Dr. Danny Harvey, a Professor of Geography at the University of Toronto. Hurricanes are fuelled by moist air, so they need warm waters in order to develop. Hurricane Harvey began as a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa and gradually moved westward through the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic undergoes a natural cycle of warm and
cool phases known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). Currently, the Atlantic is in a warm phase that has been ongoing since 1995. The warm phase of the AMO creates ideal conditions for hurricane formation, and twice as many major hurricanes — those in Category 3 and above — form in the Atlantic during warm phases than the cool phases. The AMO phases are regulated by natural circulation of warm water to the north of the Atlantic and cool water to the south. However, some researchers believe human activity may be prolonging the warm phase of the AMO, thereby paving the way for continuous hurricanes. Harvey said the severity of Hurricane Harvey was likely due to its passing through the Gulf of Mexico, which has also heated up due to human activity. “The Gulf of Mexico is warmer, like one and a half to four degrees in different places than… average, so that certainly would’ve provided more moisture,” he said. “Warming increases the conditions, it increases the odds of getting extreme events like this.” The hurricane also happened to stall near the Texan coast when it hit. Climatologists attribute the stalling to weak winds around the hurricane’s path. Harvey believes it was unlikely that climate change had much to do with Hurricane Harvey’s severity, and that more scientific analysis would be required before researchers can determine whether or not climate
change influenced the surrounding wind patterns. “But having stalled... because it came from a warmer than average Gulf of Mexico, it dumped more water than it would have otherwise,” he said. Although global warming “undoubtedly” played some role in this calamity, Harvey said that it’s hard for meteorologists to make definitive statements about the effects of climate change on severe weather. Most of the information on how climate change affects hurricane strength comes from computer simulations measuring the statistical distribution of storms. “Typically what scientists, meteorologists do is they will compare their computer models with the warmer Gulf of Mexico and see how [much] more frequently something like Hurricane Harvey occurs in the warmer conditions, and then on the basis of that very painstaking work, they can say, ‘Okay, the warming of the climate increased the odds by X per cent.’” Only after lengthy analysis of these models can meteorologists begin to make statements on the likelihood of climate change affecting hurricanes. According to Harvey, we can expect more extreme weather like this in the future as Earth’s climate warms. “Whether you’re talking hurricanes or just afternoon thunderstorms, or summer rainfall extremes, it’s a very… reliable prediction of climate models that rainfall[s]... are going to become extreme.”
22 • THE VARSITY • SCIENCE
science@thevarsity.ca
What a 9 billion-year-old galaxy taught us about magnetism Magnetic field measured around most distant galaxy yet
ZEANA SAMI/THE VARSITY
Pascale Tsai Varsity Contributor
The magnetic field of a galaxy similar in structure and size to the Milky Way, located 4.6 billion light years away from Earth, has been identified. The discovery of this approximately 9 billion-year-old galaxy’s stable, fully formed magnetic field revealed that magnetic fields are established early on in the development of a galaxy, and that most galaxies within our universe may be magnetic. U of T researcher Bryan Gaensler — the Director of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics — along with a team of astronomers involved in the study, consider this discovery a crucial step forward in
Science Around Town Charmaine Nyakonda Varsity Contributor
the understanding of the universe. “We have previously measured magnetism in many galaxies the same age as ours. This is the first time we have measured magnetism in a galaxy this much younger. This allows us to see how magnetism has evolved in galaxies over the last five billion years,” wrote Gaensler in an email to The Varsity. Understanding magnetism is key to understanding the structure of the universe. Without magnetism, gravity would cause the collapse of all entities into each other. “The fact that we see spectacular jets, outflows and ejections of material throughout the Universe (which ultimately leads to the recycling of material into new stars and new planets) dramatically illustrates the role of magnetism in
Global Coalition on Youth Mental Health Launch The new Global Coalition on Youth Mental Health is inviting everyone with an interest in mental health to its launch event. Young leaders and mental health advocates from across the globe will meet to announce the group’s formation and discuss and share resources to advance the conversation around mental health. Date: Tuesday, September 12 Time: 8:00–10:00 am
keeping the Cosmos turning over,” wrote Gaensler. The results of the study were difficult to attain, as the limited sensitivity and angular resolution of current radio telescopes make it impossible to detect a magnetic field directly. Twenty-seven electronically connected radio telescopes, located in the state of New Mexico and known as the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, were used to obtain the results. “We studied the radio signals emitted by a very bright galaxy far behind the galaxy we were studying. The radio waves travelled through our target galaxy, and were distorted by the target galaxy’s magnetism via an effect called ‘Faraday rotation,’” explained Gaensler.
Location: Munk School of Global Affairs Munk Centre, Boardroom/ Library, 315 Bloor Street West Admission: Free The 3 R’s of Research: Review. Report. Reproduce Come and join the Research & Innovation Unit as they host a panel of speakers from the health and pure sciences. The event is exclusive to currently registered U of T students, faculty, researchers, and staff. Three speakers will discuss the necessity of reproducibility
“The target galaxy also distorted the background signals in a different way through an effect called ‘gravitational lensing,’” Gaensler continued. “The lensing allows us to be sure that the Faraday rotation effect is happening in the target galaxy, rather than some random magnetic cloud along the line of sight that might have been much much closer to us.” The measurement of the galaxy’s five billion-year-old magnetism gives astronomers a sense of how to track the rate at which magnetic fields form as well as the development of the galaxies they surround. “The implication is that we need to understand magnetism to understand the universe,” said Gaensler in an interview with U
in research and the role that uncertainty plays. Date: Thursday, September 14 Time: 5:00–7:00 pm Location: Gerstein Science Information Centre, Alice Moulton Room, 9 King’s College Circle Admission: Free with registration Sleep functions in synapse remodeling during development and learning Come and join Professor Peever for a seminar in which he hosts Professor Yang from the New York
of T News. “Nobody knows where cosmic magnetism comes from or how it was generated... But now, we have obtained a major clue needed for solving this mystery, by extracting the fossil record of magnetism in a galaxy billions of years before the present day.” “We want to repeat this study to other galaxies (to make sure the same findings are repeated), and we want to do this again to even younger galaxies, so that we can hopefully see back in time to a stage when magnetic fields were still growing and being set up,” said Gaensler. Using cues about the sources and development of these magnetic fields, the astronomers hope to learn more about the evolution of galaxies in the universe.
University School of Medicine. The guest speaker will delve into the current landscape of research and progress in establishing the role of sleep in development, learning, and memory consolidation. Date: Friday, September 15 Time: 2:00 pm Location: Ramsay Wright Building, Room 432, 25 Harbord Street Admission: Free
Sports
September 11, 2017 var.st/sports sports@thevarsity.ca
Daniella Cipriano talks teamwork, tackles, taking chances Varsity Blues soccer player embodies U of T’s hardworking spirit Michael Teoh Deputy Senior Copy Editor
As a civil engineering student, Daniella Cipriano spends her days mastering the study of design, construction, and maintenance of structures and infrastructure. Outside of the classroom, Cipriano also works hard as a marauding Varsity Blues starting right back, designing chances for her teammates, constructing assists, and maintaining a solid backline. Cipriano enjoys the defensive and attacking duality her position brings. “I love defending, I love sticking tackles, and then I also love getting forward… Full back was just the perfect position because it combines both.” The third-year student, who played 15 regular season games in her first year and all 16 in her second, takes to the field donning the number seven on her jersey. She positions herself less like her favourite player, Real Madrid right back Dani Carvajal, and more like his attacking teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, her numeric counterpart in Zinedine Zidane’s squad. Speaking to the benefits of her attacking nature, Cipriano highlights opposing teams’ difficulties defending against wing backs like herself. “They don’t know if their full back should step or if their winger should come back, so it just confuses the other team as well. Which is kind of nice because you have free range because no one’s coming at you,” she explains. Cipriano can find this free range so far up the flank that it’s sometimes easy to forget she’s a defender. It’s why her relationship with fifth-year right midfielder Alyssa Golin is so valuable. “[Golin] played as a full back in her first two years I believe, so she knows what it’s like to have to cover and come back and help out… Having someone who knows your position playing alongside you really helps out in the fact that… someone has your back.” Cipriano also has praise for first-year right back Mikayla Ford, saying, “She’ll definitely be able to fill my shoes at least!” In between praise for her teammates, Cipriano describes being temporarily deployed as a right winger as “fun,” which gives her “a little bit of freedom to not [have to] run back every two seconds.” With her trajectory, she could soon emulate Real Madrid star Gareth Bale’s transformation from a full back into a star attacking winger. Running up and down the flank for 90 minutes every game is a gruelling task for anyone, but Cipriano laughs when recounting her experience. “When you’re working hard for it and then you get that cross and then they score off your cross, it’s just really rewarding. So you just keep wanting to do it over, and over, and over again no matter how tired you are.” It’s this excellent mentality that has seen Cipriano register two assists in six regular season games, double what she managed last season.
Cipriano in action against the Laurentian Voyageurs. SEYRAN MAMMADOV/ COURTESY OF VARSITY BLUES
She attributes this more to the team dynamic improving than her individual development. “The core group of us have been playing together for at least three years now… Being able to have that strong core allows me to get forward as a full back, [which] allows you to assist those kinds of goals.” Despite it being the afternoon of her first day of classes, Cipriano’s enthusiastic character never relents as she speaks. When asked about how she balances her roles as a civil engineering student and a star on the Varsity Blues, the five-foot-four defender laughs. “That’s a good question — I don’t really know myself! But somehow you just figure it out, you have your schedule.” She further cites the positive work ethic of her fellow Blues, noting that “they push me to do homework as well… Being with those type of people really help me figure out what I needed to do.” Beyond this, with some of her school days running from 9 am to 9 pm, Cipriano has learned the importance of time management. “[You] utilize the time you have in between classes — when you have that hour when you can finish an assignment and not have to worry about it on the weekend.” It’s the same pragmatism that’s necessary for soccer players — in the moments
throughout the game where opportunities present themselves, Cipriano needs to take her chances to produce good balls for her teammates. She did exactly that in the regular season home opener against the Nipissing Lakers. Awarded a free kick 40 yards from goal on her right side of the pitch in the 56th minute, Cipriano launched an inch-perfect ball onto the glancing head of striker Chelsea Cheung for the game’s second goal. The day after, against the Laurentian Voyageurs, Cipriano advanced down the right-hand side and released another perfect delivery, this time for centre back Christine Mulligan to nod in on the far side of the post. As Cipriano becomes more attuned to her role and her surroundings, she’s hoping to further improve the attacking dimension of her game. “I definitely want to at least get a goal this season — I haven’t scored at all! Hit the crossbar a couple times but definitely a goal this season would be a good goal to reach,” she adds. “Getting more assists and helping the team out in that kind of sense would help me gain confidence, as well as the team. I feel like in the air we could definitely punish teams with our aerial balls.” Cipriano and Golin are both on the right flank. “Working in that kind of position, we
definitely work on [crosses] every practice,” Cipriano says. “If you keep getting the reps and keep working on it, it’s just eventually gonna get better and better, and then it’ll get more and more precise, and then hopefully one person will get on the end of it.” Last season’s top goal scorer, Natasha Klasios, who missed the first four games of the season due to involvement with Canada at the 2017 FISU Summer Universiade, returned to action against Trent and UOIT over the weekend. Klasios’ return is a boost both to the team and to Cipriano, who sees her right back role as “a bigger part to our U of T team, especially… with Natasha coming back because we’ll have that confidence going forward.” Still, Cipriano knows it’s ultimately a team game and that her individual talents need to supplement her teammates’ own. She references a quote the team says before every match: “22 as one.” “I feel like that really brings us together as a team. Because if you can’t play with 22, you’re not a team… You’re out there not just to play for yourself but to play for everyone else around you, which is amazing, which is really nice. I like that too.”
24 • THE VARSITY • SPORTS
sports@thevarsity.ca
Blues beat clock, weather, Windsor Lancers on Labour Day Men’s football team defeats Lancers 19–12 Daniel Samuel Sports Editor
Blues receiver Jaykwon Thompson hauls in touchdown catch against Windsor.
Despite a 90-minute lightning delay and inclement weather throughout the match, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team defeated the Windsor Lancers 19–12 in a shortened game on Labour Day at Varsity Stadium. “I think when we first came out… we were firing on all cylinders, we ran the ball [and] we were driving a little bit,” said Blues quarterback Connor Ennis. “I think we went out there and dominated the first half; it got a little sloppy but the defense came out pretty well and a win is a win.” After an agreement was made between both head coaches, the game was called at 11:30 pm with 6:21 remaining in the fourth quarter. Jordan Gillespie proved to be the hero of the night: the third-year Blues defensive back returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown to put Toronto ahead 19–6.
“Jordan’s interception was huge,” said Ennis. “He jumped in and took it to the crib. The defence, especially the last two weeks, have played really well. They equalize our mistakes offensively and they are dominating out there.” Ennis completed nine of 15 pass attempts, throwing for 138 yards, and scoring one touchdown. Toronto executed a run-heavy offense throughout the game, and Kaleb Leach ran for 65 yards on 15 carries. Windsor closed out the match with a late touchdown. Lancers quarterback Colton Allen found Daynar Facey in the end zone for the score. Allen failed to follow the play with a twopoint conversion before the game was called. “We appreciate all the fans who stayed and weathered the storm,” Ennis added. “You always want to win at home and put on a good show for the fans.”
MARTIN BAZYL/ COURTESY OF VARSITY BLUES
Pickup sports app provides community for users OpenSports allows players to organize pickup sports games Daniel Samuel Sports Editor
Alicia Luciani receives a pass on the left wing and runs toward me. As I try to steal the ball from her, she switches to her left foot. I can hear the collective sound of exasperated voices behind me. Luciani is gone, forcing me to chase after her in an attempt to stop her from scoring. It’s a Friday morning, just past 9:00 am at U of T’s front campus, and a group of relative strangers are playing a 90-minute game of pickup soccer. This is all thanks to OpenSports, an app that allows users to organize and play pickup sports. Co-founder and CEO James Gibbons believes OpenSports, launched in June 2016, can best serve people transitioning into unfamiliar territories. It was created after Gibbons graduated from the University of Waterloo, when he and a friend realized they weren’t as physically active as they had been in the past. “So we started to look around and there was Meetup which was more structured events and there was Facebook which was predominately your friends, and the idea that if you can get an Uber… basically anywhere in the world on-demand, you should be able to get a soccer game or someone to play tennis with on the go,” said Gibbons to The Varsity. The app can provide users with the sense of a structured community. The Back Campus Fields serve as one of the main locations to host soccer matches, the primary sport utilized by its base of 5,000 users. “Alicia has led the focus in the soccer demographic. We saw that soccer is this up and coming sport, we saw people coming to Toronto but they don’t know that many other people and soccer is this universal language for people to come together,” Gibbons added.
As Marketing Director and Co-Founder, Luciani has utilized a multi-channel, multiplatform marketing strategy, balancing the central aspects of interacting with users at games and posting games on various social media platforms. “We’ve really been running with that idea and building the soccer community. That’s been a huge part of the process, and then learning from the on-the-ground engagement with people who use the app and create and join games and play,” said Luciani, who holds a Master’s in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from U of T. “We can post links to those games on different channels like Facebook or Kijiji or Reddit or BlogTO, and so that brings in people who are searching for sports. So we’re sort of hitting them directly where they’re searching, so we’re always trying to increase our digital marketing efforts,” she added. While the next step will be an expansion into different regions, the co-founders are still adamant about addressing the issue of female participation in sports, a problem they’ve seen illuminated by OpenSports. “We’re trying to see how we can have more women-only events because there’s this huge drop-off in female participation from high school to uni,” Gibbons said. Luciana added, “In general, women are always less represented in the sporting context, and so you can see it at a co-ed soccer game that I’m hosting that I’ll be the only female or me and somebody else and people want to see more women out there.” Following the match, I’m too tired to address Luciani’s quick turn or even recount the two embarrassing occasions I was nutmegged. The conversations around me flow as new and old friends discuss previous and future games. “There was actually this funny story [about] these two guys going on a cycling journey from
Alicia Luciani playing soccer at front campus. STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY
Mexico City all the way through to Canada; Toronto was their very last stop,” Luciani recounts. “They covered 3,500 kilometers in one month and I’m on the field playing a pickup game that was organized through OpenSports at back campus one night... these two guys come on the pitch and they’re not even wearing proper soccer gear, but they’re
pretty good. And so afterwards, the lights go out and I’m hanging out with them a little bit and I’m hearing about their story and it’s unbelievable that they made it here, their whole journey is about sport and inclusion and diversity and they saw that perfectly manifested there on the field at U of T.”
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 • 25
var.st/sports
There’s no way to prove
WEEKLY BOX SCORES
eating before swimming
BASEBALL 11–0 September 9 Varsity Blues
September 10 Varsity Blues
13–4
5–11 8–9
Waterloo Warriors
may cause cramps Why stitches and not eating are at fault for swimming troubles
Brock Badgers
FOOTBALL
September 4
19–12 Varsity Blues
Windsor Lancers
23–28
September 9 Varsity Blues
Waterloo Warriors
LACROSSE 17–4
WOMENS September 9
Varsity Blues
UOIT Ridgebacks Swimmers at the 2016 OUA Swimming Championships. NATHAN CHAN/THE VARSITY
MENS September 9
Jordan LoMonaco Varsity Contributor
13–12 Varsity Blues
Laurentian Voyageurs
SOCCER WOMENS
2–1
September 9 Varsity Blues
September 10
Trent Excalibur
1–3 Varsity Blues
MENS
UOIT Ridgebacks
6–0
September 9 Varsity Blues
September 10
Trent Excalibur
2–1 Varsity Blues
UOIT Ridgebacks
RUGBY WOMENS September 9
41–0 Varsity Blues
MENS
Waterloo Warriors
0–78
September 9 Varsity Blues
Western Mustangs
From as early as I can remember, I was warned that I needed to wait at least 30 minutes after eating before I could get into the water, and that if I went in any earlier, I would feel the symptoms of a dreaded cramp. Because of these warnings, I’ve never gone swimming right after eating. Even as a competitive swimmer, I would wake up almost 30 minutes ahead of my 4:30 am practice — just so I could eat something to provide me with energy for my two-hour session. This notion that I used to believe, however, turned out to be completely false. It is a myth that eating before swimming will cause muscle cramps — but where does that myth come from? It comes from research about your blood flow after you eat. When you ingest food, it passes through your gastrointestinal tract, and blood gets diverted primarily from your skeletal muscle tissue to your stomach and intestines. Additionally, the blood that is being pumped more rapidly from your heart is sent to aid indigestion. What many don’t realize is that the amount of blood that does rush toward your stomach is not nearly as significant as many believe — it’s certainly not enough to lose all the energy in your muscles. Even if your muscles experience sufficient blood loss, it won’t guarantee you a cramp. If anything, muscle cramps have been shown to be caused by a lack of potassium, calcium, carbohydrates, and proteins. You’d need to have a serious medical condition that greatly impacted blood flow, like kidney or thyroid disease, to greatly reduce the blood in muscles. If cramps are not caused by eating before exercising, why does this myth continue to persist today? Probably because most people have a very limited understanding of the extensive actions of the human body and can’t detect the slight differences between a muscle cramp and a stitch.
A stitch, which is medically referred to as Exercise Related Transient Abdominal Pain, is a very common abdominal pain that can consist of sensations ranging from sharp stabbing to aching and pulling. It is the bane of many athletes’ lives. Similar to cramping, almost no one has any idea what brings about stitches or how to prevent them, but studies have been conducted to better understand them. Dr. Darren Morton, a scientist and lead lecturer at Australia’s Avondale College of Higher Education, has dedicated most of his career to stitches. His research has spawned numerous theories as to what causes a stitch and how it can be prevented. One common component typically mentioned is the aforementioned practice of eating before exercising. Unlike muscle cramps, stitches are usually localized in the stomach and diaphragm area. Theories of a cause include everything from an irritation of the parietal peritoneum — the two layers of membrane that line the inner wall of the abdominal cavity — to the pulling of ligaments that connect the gut to the diaphragm. Eating just before exercising, especially eating larger meals and having a fuller stomach, has been shown to exacerbate stitches or stitch-like abdominal pain. This could be due to the fact that the parietal peritoneum is attached to various nerves, and a full stomach can cause friction between the abdominal contents and peritoneum or it could even pull on the ligaments and create stress on the diaphragm. Eating before exercising may very well be a cause of many health issues, but cramps are not among them. Having a full stomach could make you sluggish, slow, and may make you prone to stitches, so it is better safe than sorry when it comes to partaking in sport shortly after eating. If anything, you might experience some pain and discomfort, but eating will not impede your muscles from fully functioning. If you experience pain, get out of the water and take a break.
26 • THE VARSITY • SPORTS
sports@thevarsity.ca
Plenty of promise for Blues soccer early in the season
Men maintain stellar record, women win one, lose one in weekend action at home
Anne Crone chases the ball against the UOIT Ridgebacks. SEYRAN MAMMADOV/ COURTESY OF VARSITY BLUES
Brock Edwards Varsity Contributor
The Varsity Blues soccer program put in a solid performance over the weekend as they faced off against the Trent Excalibur and the UOIT Ridgebacks. The men’s squad outscored their two opponents 8–1 over the two-day homestand to improve to a 5–0–1 record, while the women’s team won one and lost one, falling to the undefeated division-leading Ridgebacks on Sunday. The women’s Blues entered the weekend’s first match against Excalibur with a 2–2–0 season record after dropping two contests in Ottawa last weekend to the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens. After a slow start against the Excalibur, the Blues gave up an early lead in the sixth minute. A physical first few minutes between the teams culminated in a penalty kick for Excalibur after veteran midfielder Kaitlyn Steffler was roughly taken down in the box. She made no mistake on the spot kick, beating Blues goalkeeper Vanna Staggolis to put the visitors ahead 1–0. Steffler and veteran striker Haley Giles formed a dangerous tandem early on in the game, setting up a number of good chances and nearly putting Trent up 2–0 in the 11th minute after a searing shot by Giles sailed just over the crossbar. As halftime approached, the Blues pushed back and knotted the score at one apiece in the 39th minute. An arching shot by sophomore midfielder Maddie MacKay from just outside the box eluded Trent goalkeeper Mackaylen Bickle, glancing off the crossbar and into the net. The goal was initially credited to midfielder Nicki Parkes, who barreled in and tapped in the apparent rebound, but the initial ball by MacKay was later ruled to have passed the goal-line. Staggolis made a couple of huge stops for the Blues in the tight contest. She came out aggressively to neutralize a partial
breakaway in the 50th minute by Trent striker Kaitlin Logan. Staggolis also made a sensational foot save on a breakaway in the 76th minute, when the ever-dangerous Giles took a through pass and raced in alone. The game-winner came in the 59th minute from Toronto striker Natasha Klasios, who made her 2017 season debut after representing Canada at the FISU Summer Universiade in Taipei. The veteran forward took a perfectly placed ball by Parkes in the box and fired it past a diving Bickle to make it 2–1 for the Blues. A potential gametying scenario materialized in the final minute, when a free kick was awarded to Steffler at the penalty box arc. Staggolis made the save and controlled the rebound in the ensuing fracas, protecting the lead and allowing the Blues to claim a 2–1 victory at the closing whistle. The Blues men’s squad took to the pitch immediately afterward for a 3:15 pm kick-off against the men’s Trent Excalibur. The Blues entered the weekend matchup with a 3–0–1 record after posting a thrilling victory on Sunday, September 3, when two late goals by third-year striker Jack Wadden and fifth-year striker Antonio Ajhert propelled the Blues past the visiting UOIT Ridgebacks. The Blues dominated ball possession from the opening kickoff. Trent keeper Mitchell Leclair had to be sharp early on, making a number of great stops on the attacking Toronto team. After a series of quality chances — including a killer shot by Blues defender Kenny Lioutas that cannoned off the crossbar — the Blues finally got the opening goal in the 34th minute. Wadden corralled a bouncing ball in close and roofed it past Leclair to take the first lead of the game. Not long after, the Blues nearly made it 2–0 after forward Russell Rodrigues made a perfect aerial cross to lunging midfielder Yousef Helmy, whose volley sailed
just over the crossbar. The second goal came in the 45th minute on a Toronto free kick from outside the box, when a bouncing direct shot from midfielder Marko Mandekic found the far side of the Trent net to make it 2–0. In the 50th minute, the Blues continued to add to their lead. Lioutas showed great poise after taking a pass in the box, controlling and turning to fire the ball home. Not content to nurse their 3–0 lead for the rest of the match, the Blues kept up the attack. Wadden found midfielder Gabriel Milo in the box with a through pass, who made a few deft moves around the Trent defenders before placing a shot off the goalpost and in. Veteran Lukas MacNaughton made it 5–0, before Milo wrapped up the game at 6–0. The following Sunday, September 10, saw the women’s squad take on the undefeated UOIT Ridgebacks for the 1:00 pm game. Despite the Ridgebacks taking control in the early minutes and testing Toronto goalkeeper Staggolis repeatedly, the Blues struck first in the 11h minute. After a Toronto free kick, fifth-year defender
Christine Mulligan gathered the ball and fired a hard shot toward the net, which was blocked by a UOIT defender. Mulligan’s second shot hit the mark, arcing up over goalkeeper Victoria Savage and in. Unperturbed, the Ridgebacks tied it up in the 30th minute. Third-year midfielder Mikaela Tierney beat Staggolis to a loose ball in the box and scored to knot the score at 1–1. Klasios nearly restored the Toronto’s lead in the 39th minute after capitalizing on a missed clearance by a UOIT defender in the box. The star forward cut in toward the goal but fired the ball just over the net. UOIT came out firing in the second half, dominating possession and leaving the Toronto defenders scrambling in their defensive zone. Staggolis was forced to make a great diving save on a strike by UOIT forward Taijah Henderson. But Henderson would not be denied on the second opportunity a few minutes later: after a sequence of sustained attacks by UOIT, she took a high pass and scored in the 72nd minute to make it 2–1. With the minutes winding down, the Blues found themselves chasing play as the Ridgebacks continued to dictate the pace with expert ball movement. The home team’s hopes for a comeback goal were dashed when Ridgebacks striker Cassandra Sribny took a through ball on a rush, scoring on a breakaway in the 90th minute to make it a 3–1 final. With the loss, the women’s squad slid back into a middling 3–3–0 record, while the Ridgebacks added another win to their perfect record through five games. After their 6–0 blowout of Trent Excalibur on Saturday, the Blues men’s team took to the pitch for their second game of the weekend with a sterling 4–0–1 record to face the visiting Ridgebacks men’s squad. The game began as a lively back-and-forth affair with the home team maintaining a slight edge in scoring chances. Ridgebacks keeper Nicholas Miller made two outstanding stops close
to Blues strikers during a bombardment in the sixth minute to keep the match scoreless. The Blues kept up the pressure and had a few near misses as balls rolled just wide of the net during two goalmouth scrambles. At one point, a cannon of a shot from defender Koosha Nazemi sailed just over the crossbar. But it would be the Ridgebacks drawing first blood in a rare foray into the Blues’ defensive end. A hard bouncing strike by Erik Petrovic from the top of the box was deflected by a deft header from midfielder Noah Antenucci, putting the Ridgebacks ahead 1–0 in the 27th minute. Less than minutes later, the Blues evened the tally. Veteran striker Nirun Sivananthan took a superb through pass from Lioutas and calmly slid the ball past a diving Miller. The score was 1–1 at the halftime whistle. UOIT began the second half with a goalkeeper substitution. Second-year ’keeper Vithuran Karvannathasan came in to mind the UOIT net, and he was tested early on. After Toronto was awarded a penalty kick in the 45th minute, he turned aside MacNaughton’s hard shot and swallowed up the rebound amid a swarm of Toronto attackers. The score remained deadlocked at one apiece until the 77th minute, when Lioutas scored for Toronto to make it 2–1. After collecting the rebound from a fantastic pointblank save, Lioutas fired the ball into the corner of the net as Karvannathasan scrambled to recover. The strike would prove to be the game-winner as the tense and physical match drew to a close and Toronto exited the weekend series with a perfect record. The Blues soccer squads are in action again next Saturday, September 16, when both the women’s and men’s teams will take on Trent Excalibur for a rematch in Peterborough.
Nirun Sivananthan competing against the UOIT Ridgebacks. SEYRAN MAMMADOV/ COURTESY OF VARSITY BLUES
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 • 27
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