Canada’s political scene didn’t just get a shake-up—it got the inevitable. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stepped down as the nation’s Prime Minister and as the Leader of the Liberal Party. Let’s be real: this wasn’t a shock...
>> read more on page 02
WE ARE NOT IN A HOUSING CRISIS
Between 2023 and 2024, my rent increased by 17 per cent, from $765 to $900 per month. This seems absurd. During the same period, the inflation rate never exceeded 5.9 per cent, and no improvements were made to the property...
>> read more on page 04
AN OVERVIEW OF THE GAME AWARDS
For as long as movies and TV shows have been around, award shows have existed as a way to recognize those exceptional in these fields. While shows like the Oscar’s and the Emmy’s are historical staples of pop culture...
>> read more on page 09
As a student at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), I often brag to family and friends about the incredible professors who go out of their way to support their students’ success. As a person who struggled through school with a learning disability, I never imagined I’d become a straight-A student at a revered university...
>> continues on page 05
Gisele Tang
Associate Features Editor
Inspired by the shared needs of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology (CCIT) students, The Design Hub is a new club dedicated to helping students interested in digital design. From building a supportive community to encouraging students to step out of their comfort zone, the club is here to support students through it all.
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Evan Mowder & Chloe Cathcart
Contributors
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams were in action on Friday, January 17, playing host to rival colleges in the annual Ontario Collegiate Recreation (OCR) Tournament. In their first games since the winter break, both teams were looking to start the semester strong.
>> continues on page 11
Illustration credit: Ramiya Sureshkumar
02 NEWS
Editor | Samuel Kamalendran news@themedium.ca
The End of the Trudeau Era
After a decade of leadership, Justin Trudeau has resigned as Prime Minister – setting the stage for a political cascade in Ottawa.
Roy Su Contrbutor
Canada’s political scene didn’t just get a shake-up—it got the inevitable. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stepped down as the nation’s Prime Minister and as the Leader of the Liberal Party. Let’s be real: this wasn’t a shock. His resignation wasn’t a question of “if” but “when.”
Internal tensions, sagging public support, and mounting pressures finally caught up. The tipping point?
Chrystia Freeland’s unexpected resignation and the looming threat of a non-confidence vote, as MPs from Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic caucus reportedly pushed for Trudeau to step down over the holidays. The writing was on the wall. Trudeau’s tenure began with promises of a brighter future but ended as the party fractured under mounting challenges.
The Liberals now face an almost inevitable defeat against a surging Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre’s leadership. It’s the end of an era. After almost a decade under his leadership, Canadians have lost their trust in Trudeau.
The Cracks Within the Liberal Party
Behind the scenes, the Liberal Party has been wrestling with internal discontent. Key resignations over the past year have highlighted rifts within the party’s ranks. The last straw was Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Deputy
Prime Minister and Finance Minister, who resigned just hours before she was scheduled to present the fall economic statement, citing deep disagreements with Trudeau over fiscal policy and the lax handling of U.S. trade threats.
In a public statement, Freeland said, “We need to take that threat extremely seriously. That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war. That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.” The political gimmick referred to here is the controversial tax holiday, a temporary break on sales taxes that was meant to help Canadians but ended up being more of a flashy political move than a practical solution. It came with a hefty price tag that only added to last year’s $60 billion deficit.
As Freeland stepped away, MPs from Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic caucuses publicly urged Trudeau to resign. On January 6th, in a last-ditch effort to reset the party’s trajectory, Trudeau announced his resignation as Prime Minister and the prorogation of Parliament until March 24.
This strategic pause aims to avoid a confidence vote and buy time for the Liberals to reorganize as the reality of a non-confidence vote by the New Democratic Party (NDP), their only remaining key ally, has now sealed Trudeau’s fate. Over the holidays, all federal opposition parties stated that the Prime Minister’s office had lost their confidence.
What prorogation means
Prorogation effectively allows the prime minister to hit pause on Parliament. All parliamentary activity—including existing bills, committee work, and investigations—comes to a halt. While the government remains in power, it is politically weakened, lacking support from Parliament. It seems likely that
The COVID-19 pandemic led to labour shortages in various sectors of the Canadian economy, prompting Trudeau’s federal government to increase the number of temporary foreign workers allowed into the country.
when Parliament reconvenes, a round of nonconfidence votes will pressure the Liberals to hold an early election.
This isn’t the first time prorogation has been used during a political crisis. Trudeau previously employed it in 2020 during the WE Charity scandal. Similarly, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper used prorogation to avoid a no-confidence vote in 2008 and again in 2010 to end a committee inquiry into the treatment of Afghan detainees.
Pierre Poilievre has strongly criticized the Liberals’ use of prorogation, calling it a tactic to avoid accountability and emphasizing that prorogation during a time of economic and political instability further alienates Canadians. In a public statement, he also suggested that the Liberals are attempting to delay the inevitable loss of confidence in their governance, remarking that “the government seems more focused on its survival than on addressing the hardships Canadians are facing every day.”
This steep decline in Trudeau’s popularity is a reflection of shifting political opinions in recent years.
Recent polling from The Angus Reid Institute underscores growing frustration among Canadians, with the cost of living and inflation, healthcare, housing affordability, and immigration being some of the primary concerns of 2024.
Immigration Policy Under Fire
Canada’s welcoming immigration policies have been a point of pride, but they’ve also become a source of contention in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic led to labour shortages in various sectors of the Canadian economy, prompting Trudeau’s federal government to increase the number of temporary foreign workers allowed into the country. Yet, as public opinion turned against the policy, with 58% of Canadians believing the country was accepting too many immigrants, Trudeau Uturned on his policy, stating, “Looking back, when the post-pandemic boom cooled and businesses no longer needed the additional labour help, as a federal team we could have acted quicker and turned off the taps faster.”
The Housing Crisis
Ask any Canadian about housing, and you’ll likely hear frustration. Soaring real estate prices and skyrocketing rents have left many—especially young families—feeling locked out of the market. Trudeau’s government faced backlash for not doing enough to tackle this crisis.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre didn’t mince words in his interview with Jordan Peterson, stating that Canadians are falling further behind as inflation elevates housing costs, whilst national productivity trails behind that of the U.S.
The Cost-of-Living Debate
Inflation is hitting Canadians where it hurts— their wallets. Rising costs for essentials like groceries and gas have left many families struggling to make ends meet. In fact, nearly three in four Canadians reported that rising prices are affecting their ability to meet dayto-day expenses such as transportation, housing, food, and clothing. To cope, many are making tough choices. Some are eating less to save money, while others are sharing expenses through cohabiting or carpooling. Grant Bazian, president of MNP LTD, the country’s largest insolvency firm, says, “We’re witnessing a bill-splitting boom as Canadians adapt to the high cost of living.”
What’s Next for the Liberals?
Trudeau’s resignation leaves a leadership vacuum. Potential successors, like Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, and Karina Gould have already launched campaigns for the Liberals’ top position. However, it won’t be easy to regain the public trust lost by the previous government and whoever steps up will face an uphill battle against the Conservatives. The party’s future depends on its ability to connect with voters and offer real solutions—something it has repeatedly failed to do, as NDP leader Jagmeet Singh pointed out in his remarks regarding Trudeau’s resignation.
The timing couldn’t be worse, as with federal elections looming around the corner, the Liberals don’t have much time to patch their seemingly sinking ship.
Illustration credit: Buket S.Baykal
The struggle: The unemployment plight for new graduates
Amidst high youth unemployment rates, increased competition, and industry changes, new graduates continue to face an intimidating job market.
Yovarshee Ramchurn Contrbutor
Even just a few months after completing her Master of Arts in Economics from York University, Grace Oduro struggles to secure a job.
Oduro, a resident of North York, has applied for positions ranging from customer service to data analysis, but the outcomes remain disappointing. Despite her efforts, including submitting numerous applications and doing phone interviews, she continues to face rejection and hasn’t found a full-time role.
Statistics Canada’s June 2024 Labour Force Survey revealed that youth unemployment in Canada, specifically among those aged 15 to 24, reached some of its highest levels since September 2014 at 13.5 per cent in June 2024, excluding the pandemic period. December 2024’s report showed that the youth unemployment rate had climbed to 14.4 per cent, offsetting the cumulative decline seen in September and October. This spike reflects the ongoing difficulties faced by young job seekers like Oduro in securing full-time employment amidst a competitive market and shifting economic conditions.
Oduro anticipated that crafting numerous resumes, refreshing her wardrobe, and enhancing her social media presence would provide her with an edge in the job market. However, as an international student from Ghana restricted to working just 20 hours per week, she encounters significant challenges, including limited opportunities and resources.
“Unfortunately, about 85 to 90 per cent of my applications have been rejected and the common reasons
include a lack of experience, other candidates being chosen, or simply not meeting what they’re looking for in terms of salary,” she said.
However, Oduro emphasized that she is passionate about education and remains motivated by her strong desire to share her knowledge with others.
According to a January 2024 RBC report, “Longer job searches for students and new graduates have been a larger factor behind a higher unemployment rate.” As job openings decrease, this trend will likely continue to challenge newcomers and recent graduates soon.
Oduro said she might explore free courses to strengthen her resume. While she hopes to remain in Canada, she is also considering opportunities in other provinces or abroad if she can’t find a job locally.
Unlocking opportunities: How Bilingual Source supports entry-level graduates
In today’s challenging job market, recent graduates encounter numerous obstacles, such as industry shifts and networking barriers. Via a video interview, Greg Benadiba, President and CEO at Bilingual Source, who has spent over 20 years helping thousands of new graduates launch their careers, shared insights on how graduates can improve their chances of landing a job.
Benadiba recognizes that the number of graduates has outpaced available job opportunities. However, he encourages graduates not to lose hope and instead advises them to work smarter and actively engage with local networks.
Benadiba also highlights the importance of networking. “An internal referral is much better than going at it cold on a job board,” he says. Platforms like LinkedIn are essential tools to enhance job prospects. The recruitment expert emphasizes the need for personalized applications, stating, “Quality will
Thinking Out Loud Together: Judge Marion Buller delivers special lecture at UTM
The lecture discussed the importance of having meaningful conversations on difficult subjects and the existing impacts of colonialism.
always trump quantity.” Instead of mass-applying on apps like LazyApply, he recommends tailoring resumes and cover letters to specific job opportunities to stand out from the crowd.
Moreover, Bilingual Source collaborates with institutions like Glendon University to create more openings for French-speaking graduates. Benadiba notes that his firm has a strong track record of success, helping thousands of raw graduates secure full-time jobs after months of searching.
The industry leader also guides newcomers to pursue Canadian accreditation that aligns with their previous studies, such as the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) or Certified General Accountant (CGA) accreditations for accounting graduates. While obtaining these credentials, he encourages immigrants to accept any job, even entry-level positions, highlighting how customer service or sales experience can be invaluable. He even mentions Jeff Bezos as a prime example of how prioritizing customer service can lead to success.
Benadiba confirms that graduates tend to shy away from sales roles, believing they lack the skills. However, he emphasizes that even minimal sales experience can be advantageous across various fields, as it helps acclimatize individuals to Canadian culture, builds essential soft skills, and expands professional networks.
The President of Bilingual Source added that “64,000 new positions were created in Canada in September [and] 66,000 of those jobs were in the educational sector.” He also suggests looking for community events that celebrate specific cultures, as by connecting with local networks, graduates can uncover career paths.
Benadiba believes that graduates can find success in today’s tough economic challenges by staying proactive, building effective networks, and applying to opportunities strategically.
News Editor
Last week, on Monday, January 20, retired Judge Marion Buller delivered a special lecture at UTM. The lecture, titled, “Thinking Out Loud Together,” focused on her findings and experience as Chief Commissioner of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and the importance of having difficult conversations.
The lecture was opened by U of T Vice-President and UTM Principal Alexandra Gillespie, while the Honourable Judge Buller was introduced by Randy Boyagoda, U of T’s first Provostial Adviser on Civil Discourse.
During her lecture, Buller reflected on the discussions she had as Commissioner of the Inquiry, and how hearing the stories of Indigenous people who have experienced loss within their families and communities was very difficult for her. She also highlighted the power that meaningful discourse can have in overcoming difficult situations and revealing truths.
The National Inquiry into MMIWG was a government-funded investigation into the systemic causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls, who are more likely to go missing or be murdered than nonIndigenous women and girls. More than 2,380 people, including victims of violence and their family members, participated in the inquiry, sharing their stories with Buller and her team.
Buller was appointed as the Inquiry’s chief commissioner in 2016, and before that, worked as a civil and criminal lawyer, in addition to being the first woman First Nations judge in British Columbia in 1994. Since 2022, she has served as the chancellor of the University of Victoria.
“The worst thing you could do is stop talking”, Buller said during the lecture. She encouraged the audience to bring discussions of truth and reconciliation, or as Buller likes to call it, “reconstruction,” into our communities, households, and workplaces. Such an approach, involving speaking to one another and asking questions, is especially important for disseminating truth during discussions regarding topics that many may be misinformed about, such as MMIWG.
As chief commissioner, Buller experienced first-hand the power that discussion has in revealing truth. She reflected on her own education as a Canadian and all the history and colonial violations of Indigenous peoples which she was unaware of. “I ended up angry”, she revealed. “this was not the Canada that I was taught.”
Buller discussed the impact that colonialism still has on Canadian Indigenous communities. She mentioned that the closing of residential schools did not end the abuse of Indigenous children and that the conditions in residential schools still exist in 21st-century forms. “Forced relocation is not in the past…the conditions of settlements and reserves are so dire.”
Buller also touched upon how colonialism displaced traditional roles of power within First Nations communities, especially concerning Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people.
“Colonialism brought the idea of Indigenous people as [being] immoral and inhuman,” Buller remarked. “These beliefs are at the root of Canadian institutions.” To reconstruct our communities, Buller encourages open discussions of colonialism and its effects on Indigenous communities.
By educating ourselves, questioning our sources of information, respecting other’s voices, and allowing room for difficult discussions, we too can be agents of change within our communities.
Celesta Maniatogianni Associate
Photo credit: Kirsty Carnan, Grace Oduro, and Yovarshee Ramchurn
Illustration credit: Sara Li
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Editor | Mashiyat Ahmed opinion@themedium.ca
We are not in a housing crisis
Canada’s “housing crisis” is not a crisis at all. In fact, the housing system is running how it was built to run, and serving who it was built to serve: the ruling class.
Erin Sauvé Associate Opinion Editor
Between 2023 and 2024, my rent increased by 17 per cent, from $765 to $900 per month. This seems absurd. During the same period, the inflation rate never exceeded 5.9 per cent, and no improvements were made to the property. Why did my rent get hiked so aggressively?
The reason is that I ended my lease and moved home for a few months. Ontario has been under vacancy decontrol since 1996, meaning that once a unit is vacated, there is no limit to the amount that the landlord can charge the next tenant. Landlords often take advantage of vacancy decontrol and increase rents between tenants, in a practice called “rent gouging.”
Vacancy decontrol is one of the measures brought in by the Ontario government to address the housing crisis by incentivizing the construction of rental units. To the same end, in 2018, Doug Ford ended rent control for units first occupied after November 2018. This allows landlords to increase the rent by any amount, as opposed to an amount capped by the inflation rate, every 12 months.
Policies like the rollback of rent control serve to encourage the construction of new purpose-built rentals. Although increasing the number of available rental units addresses the housing shortage that is seen across Canada, it does not address the affordability of these units. Despite (or perhaps because of) the introduction of these measures to tackle the housing crisis, rent prices have skyrocketed across Ontario in the past decade, and rent increases are greatly outpacing wage increases. One in three renting households spend more than 30 per cent of their income on rent, a somewhat arbitrary threshold beyond which housing is considered unaffordable. Clearly, housing is only becoming less affordable in Canada.
Housing is fundamentally different from other commodities where a simple supply and demand relationship may loosely hold. First, housing is a basic human need, and so there will always be a demand for housing. People have no choice but to sign on to an unaffordable lease if every other option is also unaffordable—even if that means having to cut back on food. Second, as housing and social policy researcher Ricardo Tranjan illustrates in his book “The Tenant Class,” in contrast to most consumer goods, not leasing a unit does not mean that the landlord is not turning a profit.
Property prices in Canada appreciate enormously; homes are expected to appreciate by an average of 6 per cent this year. Hence, there is less incentive for landlords to get a new tenant immediately by lowering the rent. Waiting for a tenant who will pay the asking price still allows them to generate capital. Therefore, those who control housing—the landlords—have a huge amount of power in determining the ‘market price’ of a rental. The market is not deciding the rent, landlords are.
Furthermore, landlordism is exploitative, and is it not true that landlords provide housing. Landlords simply restrict access to and squeeze profits out of existing housing.
The idea behind paying rent is that the rent money will go towards the maintenance, administrative, and included utilities of the rental unit.
However, most rents far exceed this, meaning that the landlord is pocketing whatever is not spent on the rental unit. There is no justification for this. Yet, renters are left with no choice but to fork over hundreds of dollars more than what the services of the landlord are worth per month, just to have a place to live. It is a shame that governments allow landlords to control and exploit a basic human need.
If this is the case, why are policies focused on increasing the supply of rentals, rather than controlling the outsize role landlords play in determining rent prices?
Policies like vacancy decontrol and ending rent control are what Tranjan calls ‘supply-side’ solutions to the housing crisis. He argues that such ‘supply-side’ arguments exist to fill the pockets of landlords and developers. They incentivize construction by increasing the amount of potential profit that landlords can extract from these units, which directly benefit landlords and developers. Allowing ‘supply-side’ arguments to dominate the narrative around housing not only means that the ‘solution’ is a profitable one but also means that there can be continuous development. As Tranjan captures: “If we build more but rents continue to go up, we must not be building enough. Build more, faster!”
When 40 per cent of the Members of Parliament have interests in real estate, and powerful lobby groups representing real estate interests exist, it is wholly unsurprising that the role of landlords remains unchecked, while profit and shareholder value is prioritized. We cannot expect those who stand to profit from housing to act against their own class interests.
Evidently, what the housing system in Canada is doing is funnelling money from the tenant class to the landlords and developers, and it is doing so remarkably well. What it is not doing is providing stable, affordable, safe housing for all. Initiatives such as vacancy decontrol and ending rent control, brought in to supposedly address the housing crisis, green lights landlords to hike rents to exorbitant levels and only accelerates this concentration and transfer of wealth.
Stafford Beer, a British theorist and professor, claims that “the purpose of a system is what it does.” Although the housing system operates under the pretence of providing housing, it is, by function, a system that organizes mass wealth transfer to the landlord and ruling class.
The term “housing crisis” obscures this reality. It implies that the current situation is an extraordinary, acute, short-term event within a system that otherwise provides housing. This is not true. What we call the housing crisis—the lack of access to affordable housing—has been ongoing for decades in Canada and has been hugely profitable. The housing crisis is not a crisis at all. It is a sign that the housing system is running like a well-oiled machine.
Illustration credit: Ramiya Sureshkumar
U of T’s Accessibility Services fails to support mental health
As a disabled student, U of T academics are not designed to support specific needs that can help students flourish, no matter how much our institution boasts its supports and services.
As a student at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), I often brag to family and friends about the incredible professors who go out of their way to support their students’ success. As a person who struggled through school with a learning disability, I never imagined I’d become a straight-A student at a revered university. Yet, despite access to excellent academic opportunities, I realized that despite the advertised Accessibility Services, supports, and inclusion for disabled students such as myself, the university has significant barriers that prevent vulnerable students from accessing any of the so-called supports their brochures boast about.
Mental health, student petitions, and course registration
From my experience over the last three and a half years at UTM, I’ve come to believe that the Office of the Registrar treats Accessibility Student requests and petitions like they are attempting to cheat the system and bend it to their advantage. Instead, we students struggle with disadvantages that make it near impossible to participate in a one-size-fits-all system.
While the Office of the Registrar is the very gateway for students to be granted access to an education at U of T, they are also the gatekeepers who wield the authority to penalize and permanently prevent dedicated students from succeeding in their academic journey. I do not make these claims lightly.
They are based on my personal track record, where every petition I’ve made requesting Accessibility consideration has been denied, resulting in the permanent damage of my hard-earned transcript by penalizing and inadequate penalties.
When a petition provides proof (such as doctor’s notes or letters from professors) detailing why an Accessibility student was unable to complete a course due to factors like mental illness, there is no reason to blatantly deny them the ability to withdraw or retake the course.
One aspect of physical disability that limits my access to education at U of T is directly related to the medications I take for my mental disability, Bipolar 2 disorder. My evening dosage of antipsychotic tranquilizers could arguably put a small rhino to sleep. So, when my medications are “doing their job,” that means waking up in the morning is nearly impossible.
Along with a lineup of negatives to battling mental illness, I’ve had to come to terms that the tradeoff for honoring my treatment plan means I can no longer experience an entire section of a day. Sunrises are traded for sanity. The earliest my day starts is at noon. This dictates what courses I can and can’t register for, almost doubling how many years it will take me to graduate.
Program registration and timetables aren’t built with accessibility in mind at U of T. The courses I need to complete my degree are consistently scheduled in the morning, and I’ve been waiting over 3 years for mandatory courses to eventually be offered in a later time slot. Subsequently, I’ve had no choice but to start earning my degree at UTM backwards.
This limitation has robbed me of having equal access to 100 courses, which are essential to building foundational knowledge.
In truth, it isn’t my disability that limits my access to classes. It’s a blind spot where U of T fails to recognize that course schedules need to provide options that are accessible to disabled students. Making this change can be as simple as offering both AM and PM courses, providing disabled students equal access to the inclusive education that U of T claims they support.
Disability students penalized for realizing their limitations too late
Out of unbearable frustration, I have attempted forcing my square-pegged mental disability into U of T’s round hole of a system. Needing an English course for my creative writing aspirations, I finally caved and registered for the 11:00am course. I convinced myself that I could make it work; sleep in my clothes and roll out of bed ready, stagger onto the bus, make it to class with a coffee, and let my tranquilizer wear off during lecture.
I successfully made it to 2 lectures.
It was an unrealistic plan from the start. I knew deep down that my body and mind wasn’t capable of what I was trying to force it to do. But the barriers of my disability were starting to pale in comparison to the accessibility barriers at U of T.
The reckless disregard of my disability (and compromising my health) in attempts to access equal opportunities at UTM was my only viable option in an environment that was built to accommodate the cookie-cutter 9-5.
Despite my Accessibility advisor knowing my inability to attend this morning course, I wasn’t advised on alternate next steps that were still available to me mid-term. I didn’t know that I could simply drop the course, because I hadn’t yet experienced being incapable of completing a course. Because of a disconnected relationship controlled by my Accessibility advisor, I wasn’t notified of the many options that were available for me to withdraw from the course.
I was penalized with my first F on my transcript for a course I didn’t take.
Accessibility services admits my file “ fell through the cracks”
These issues only multiplied. During the winter break 2023-2024, I stopped receiving emails from my case advisor. My advisor was no longer employed with Accessibility Services, and nobody had assigned me to a new caseworker.
Struggling with an additional learning disability, dyslexia, I needed help petitioning for
When nobody from the Accessibility Department was actually accessible to me, I decided to submit final assignments and portfolios to my professors, who were all aware of the situation and fully supportive of accepting my term work.
It was months later when I received a response from the Office of the Registrar, stating their decision to deny my petition for 1 of the 4 courses. Luckily all 4 of my professors decided not to wait for formal approval and submitted my grades. All hard-earned A’s.
I would have failed those courses without extra time to work through blood, sweat, and tears to complete the assignments. It was in spite of the Office of the Registrar that I succeeded. Despite providing proof of my circumstances as an Accessibility student, they denied my petition.
For students with learning disabilities, filling out paperwork properly is a common issue. Despite this knowledge, Accessibility caseworkers retain a physical disconnection in their assistance with students, limiting their assistance to phone or video calls. By not offering in-person assistance with important applications, subsequent mistakes are made on paperwork that end up penalizing the student and delaying assistance.
Every subsequent issue I faced after this could have been prevented, had I received help from an Accessibility advisor to ensure the proper paperwork was submitted on my behalf. The neglect of Accessibility assistance directly impacted the denial of my accessibility-related petitions to the Office of the Registrar.
Mistakes made in understaffed, overwhelmed Office of the Registrar
Despite the Office of the Registrar eventually admitting that my Winter 2024 petitions were somehow “accidentally put on hold” for over 2 months, ironically, they denied my petitions because of the technical errors I made attempting to fill out the proper paperwork, and because the deadlines to qualify were now distantly past.
In the Zoom meeting where I addressed the lack of Accessibility support in submitting the correct paperwork, I addressed the central mistake made by the Office of the Registrar: holding my file stagnant and unaddressed for months. Despite admitting their mistake, the representative failed to connect how detrimental this collective negligence would be to my academic standing at U of T: with a transcript reporting four F’s, for courses I couldn’t complete due to mental illness, and needed assistance withdrawing from.
Frustrated by the consequences of their own internal struggles, the Office of the Registrar representative slipped out of professional candor into a rant about budget cuts that left their department sorely understaffed. Apparently, every caseworker was overwhelmed with thousands of backed up appointments.
While alleviating that burden may be a legitimate staffing issue for U of T to consider, a heavy workload should not hinder the professional judgement in the Office of the Registrar when deciding on student petitions.
But this is exactly what happened to me.
If caseworkers were compromising their decision-making process by quickly granting petitions to alleviate their workload, then the core of the issue would be that employee cutbacks at University of Toronto resulted in their decision-makers compromising the institution’s integrity.
And so the fundamental issue remains: no matter how much legitimate documentation and proof you have as an Accessibility student to support petitions pertaining to mental health and disabilities, these issues are consistently disregarded and formally denied as legitimate reasons for disabled students to withdraw from a course, and retake it under conditions that are inclusive to students with special needs.
Challenging U of T DecisionMakers
U of T outwardly displays their support for inclusion against discrimination, advertising resources in place to support vulnerable, disabled, racialized, and displaced people. Yet these supposed supports are surface deep. Those in leadership and decision-making positions are the very people who need to be challenged, to expose cracks in the educational system and prevent the vulnerable from falling through.
Leah MacKay Contrbutor
extra “time beyond end of term” to complete and submit schoolwork that was affected by my mental health issues.
Illustration credit: Ramiya Sureshkumar
Re-defining a ceasefire
The west’s saviour complex and double standards for Palestine are clearer than ever.
Aceasefire supposedly insinuates the halting of violence in the context of war. But, throughout this week, people have taken the liberty to redefine that term in accordance with their moral standards.
The ceasefire, which took effect on January 19, aims to establish an immediate six-week stop to any military violence and mandates the exchange of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners—disproportionate in number compared to the hostages—held by the Israeli government. This ceasefire proposal, drafted by authorities from the US, Egypt, and Qatar, also includes a significant increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, rebuilding the decimated strip of land, and allowing the displaced— which is 90 per cent of the population—to return to their homes. What homes can they return to when over 60 per cent of homes have been destroyed?
To some, the ceasefire has been a point of celebration. To others, it has become grounds of disappointment and discontent. But, as usual, Israel has taken the greatest liberty with that redefinition. Following the ceasefire deal, Israel launched a military operation in Jenin—a city in the West Bank—named “Iron Wall,” which takes its name from Russian Zionist thinker Vladimir Jabotinsky’s essay of the same name. Within 36 hours following the ceasefire, the terrorist state has murdered at least two Palestinians in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, and assumed an attack on the West Bank, murdering at least nine Palestinians and abducting ninety.
Amid all this, the ink on the ceasefire agreement has yet to dry.
And this redefinition by Israel has, conveniently, coincided with notable US-related events; namely the TikTok Ban and Trump’s presidential inauguration. Just like the attack on Rafah that aligned with the Met Gala in 2024, or the siege on al-Shifa Hospital that coincided with the Super Bowl Final, or the escalated attacks on Gaza corresponding with the Oscars, or the 4th of July, or the Golden Globes.
“ “
The humanity of the West has a benchmark for sympathy, one that Palestinians could not meet. They are cursed for not conforming to the whiteness of power and privilege. Humanity is so malleable in the hands of the Western leaders and governments, that moulding Palestine into a scheme of reimagination has come with ease.
The point stands: Israel does not care about the ceasefire. It simply never cared about any ceasefire, whether that was in regards to Palestine, or Lebanon, or Syria.
For when a fascist, colonial state continues to be excused for testing the limits of dehumanisation, the value of accountability dissipates. Especially when such decisions are backed by a power, the United States of America, claimed to be saviours for declaring a ceasefire deal—the very same saviours that have funded the genocidal state of Israel since before 1948.
Yet, the concept of a ceasefire has also been redefined by the very followers of the Palestinian-liberation movement, where some have responded to the news as a moment of celebration and festivities. There is an inherent insensitivity in celebrating an executive deal that was reluctantly agreed upon; a decision taken 470+ days too late.
Celebrating a breath of mercy assumes that the ceasefire was the ultimate goal. But it never was, not as long as Palestine in its entirety is illegally occupied by Israel. Such celebrations merely mock the sacrifice endured by Gazans and glorify the efforts of global activists.
One must remember that there must be a humility in the capacity of activism, that activism does not suffice but rather contributes to the collective movement. By writing articles, I know that I am a mere contributor to reworking a flawed and harmful narrative. It is just a humble contribution to the grander scheme of global activism.
So, it simply is not our moment to celebrate the ceasefire and certainly not ours to redefine it.
However, the ceasefire and genocide on Gaza has also redefined and proved multiple things in return.
For one, it established that Israel and its allies, the US and Canada included, cannot be trusted, and that their global power in the name of humanitarianism is futile. Their efforts at degrading Palestinian liberation have gone unseen—just like the attempted mockery of Yahya al-Sinwar’s murder, only to be acclaimed as an act of heroic martyrdom by the movement.
The ordeal has also established that antisemitism is open to reinterpretation if it conforms to the criteria of white Zionists; that antisemitism is excusable if committed in the name of Zionism. For when Elon Musk reenacted the fascist Nazi salute, many excused it as the “Roman salute”.
The response of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the largest organization combating antisemitism, further consolidated this redefinition. For when the ADL claimed that student-led encampments were a form of extremism and a threat to Jewish students on university campuses, Musk’s salute was deemed “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm.”
The glaring double standard doesn’t end here. On social media, the watermelon emoji has come to symbolize Palestinian liberation, and those who use it to bypass the censorious algorithm and express pro-Palestinian takes are routinely accused of antisemitism. Yet, Musk’s Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration—in a room full of right-wingers—was downplayed as simply “extending his heart” to a crowd of elitists sympathies. Why is a watermelon emoji enough to garner accusations of antisemitism but Musk’s salute isn’t enough to garner condemnation for his fascist rhetoric?
Time has proven a final take: that the support for human life is conditional. It encompasses favouring the lives of white communities, of the rich, and the colonial.
The humanity of the West has a benchmark for sympathy, one that Palestinians could not meet. They are cursed for not conforming to the whiteness of power and privilege. Humanity is so malleable in the hands of the Western leaders and governments, that moulding Palestine into a scheme of reimagination has come with ease.
It is no surprise, then, that the ceasefire agreement, amongst many other decision made for Palestinians, was posed with freedom of redefinition. The western hegemonic powers can and will continue to frame their actions—such as this fragile ceasefire deal—through a saviourist, belittling, and ultimately dehumanizing lens. But the movement for Palestinian liberation, and the liberation for all oppressed people, will also continue stretching their hearts and voices for humanity.
Yasmine Benabderrahmane Contrbutor
Illustration credit: Sehajleen Wander
07 features
The Design Hub: A community for digital design students to thrive and flourish
Dedicated to helping aspiring designers at UTM, The Design Hub is a club focused on providing resources, networks and opportunities for digital design students.
Gisele Tang Associate Features Editor
Inspired by the shared needs of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology (CCIT) students, The Design Hub is a new club dedicated to helping students interested in digital design. From building a supportive community to encouraging students to step out of their comfort zone, the club is here to support students through it all.
In an interview with The Medium, Jia Chun Li and Tu (Minh) Van, founders and co-presidents of The Design Hub, discuss the mission, values and activities of the club. In addition, Li and Van share their personal advice for aspiring digital designers.
All-rounded activities
To ensure that the club can effectively enrich students’ experience and create a tight-knit community, The Design Hub has curated a variety of activities to maximize the value they bring.
One such activity is The Design Hub’s case competitions. “Ins thee competitions, students get to compete in design cases and be judged in front of a panel of professionals to receive feedback and prizes,” Van explained. “We think it’s a really great opportunity for students to gain experience.”
The competition starts with a given prompt to design a product for a real-world company. A past prompt given to students came from a real startup, which wanted students to design a home screen and two additional screens for their application.
The website designs had to highlight the application’s key features, like AI customization, map integration and saved locations. Then, students would work in teams and prepare a presentation to explain their designs. As if that wasn’t appealing enough, on the day of the competition, students also got to enjoy food while getting inspired!
Another activity The Design Hub offers is interactive workshops, where students get to learn from professionals. “We had a workshop on how to build a good design case by a User Experience (UX) designer named Eleen Gong,” Van shared. “She was great and we’re hoping to do more of that.”
In workshops, guests would share insider information such as how to build a design case from scratch, common design mistakes to avoid, and ways to present with confidence.
“There’s also the community part in networking events,” says Van. “These casual meetups are a great way for students to connect under a fun and relatively relaxing environment.” Not to mention these events are a great way for students to network with professionals!
No opportunities? Time to create some!
When I asked about why they started the design club, Li shared the story of how they realized there were no resources for design students: “[Li and Van] were both in the same design-related class, and as design students, we think of things like building portfolios...but when we looked around and did some research, [we realized] there wasn’t really a club or any resources for digital design students.”
Having experienced the struggles of finding opportunities for aspiring digital designers at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), Li and Van decided to take matters into their own hands and created a space for students to develop with guidance.
“For design students, our main goal is to build our portfolios. That’s the main task in job finding. But it can be hard to start on your own,” Li explained. “So, if you participate in our competitions, for example, we have a clear product [to create] and there is a panel of judges. It gives you a sense of structure, and you can get started with help.”
Most importantly, Li and Van decided to make The Design Hub to create a collaborative community that can help members feel more confident in proceeding towards internships or starting their own projects.
Advice for aspiring digital designers
When asked about their advice for fellow aspiring designers, Li and Van offered some strategies and heartwarming encouragement for their peers.
“I think a lot of times you are too afraid to do something, because it won’t be perfect,” Van expressed. “My best tip is to just go into it, despite the risk of failure. Just know that whatever happens, you’ll learn something in the meantime. And that is a really valuable experience.”
Li shared that “networking always seems scarier in your mind than when you actually do it. If really seasoned professionals scares you, you can start with, for example, alumni.” She suggested that communicating with recent graduates is a great way to start since they feel less intimidating.
“But ultimately,” Li continued, “in those events where they [professionals] literally come out of their way to speak to you, they’re definitely willing to share their experiences. It’s always very insightful to talk to them.”
Fresh community with endless potential
As a new club, The Design Hub is currently focused on expansion and building an effective system for smooth operations. Nevertheless, there are many exciting plans to look forward to.
“We are looking to collaborate more with startups, so students can have real-life cases to work on in their competitions,” Li disclosed. She explained that real-life cases are very helpful for portfolio building.
In fact, in their latest competition, The Design Hub has collaborated with WealthSeed, an online startup that aims to boost youngsters’ financial literacy with gamified learning. The submission deadline for this project is February 11, so run for the opportunity!
I’m interested! What’s next?
To participate in competitions, students must first sign up as members through The Design Hub’s membership form linked on their Instagram @thed3signhub. Membership is free of charge, open to all students and available year-round.
Whether you are trying to gain digital design experience, join a community, or simply have an interest in design, The Design Hub is waiting for you with a warm welcome. Make sure to keep an eye out for their upcoming Instagram announcements and don’t miss out on the variety of fun activities and resources!
Photo credit: The Design Hub
Victoria Gracie: a scholar, model and inspiring speaker!
How one UTM student uses her journey to inspire others.
Avneet Kaur, Contributor
Victoria Gracie is someone characterized with many roles: body dysmorphia disorder (BDD) advocate, threetime TEDx speaker, Miss Canada finalist and a fourth-year UTM student pursuing a double specialist in psychology and exceptionality in human learning. In an interview with the Medium, Victoria explains her journey so far.
Gracie’s path begins when she was 13 when the studio director of her ballet company said that she looked “huge on stage” and that she needed to “lose weight for her own benefit.”
From there, over the next three years, she was continually criticized for her weight, eventually developing BDD. BDD is a mental health condition that makes a person preoccupied with the perceived flaws in their experience. In the end, the company even rejected her from participating in the Youth America Grand Prix competition for not losing weight.
Despite these setbacks and the emotional toll, Gracie persisted. As she explained, “Once you know what you want to pursue, that takes you off to an altogether different edge.” She decided to participate in the Youth America Grand Prix competition as an independent soloist, becoming the first Canadian to ever do so.
Advocating for BDD Globally
“BDD is something I have gone through and even my mother has gone through,” Gracie explained. Her experiences, and of those around here, have become one of the driving factors for advocating for body positivity globally.
One way Gracie does this is by creating a global space for spreading awareness through public speaking platforms like Tedx. “I have always been an enthusiast for performing on-stage. In high school I was interested in Theatre, and in University I explored public speaking through TedxUofT,” Gracie explained.
credit: Olga Pavlova
Through her TED talks she depicts her story vividly, using personal examples and photos of her struggle to accept her body as it is. Gracie says, “Being a part of two different industries that are heavily body conscious, pageantry adds on a new perspective to her body-positive advocate aspect.”
Gracie shared an anecdote about her first TEDx experience that came with an interesting story. Gracie had everything planned out for her application beforehand and then second thoughts got the best of her. She decided to rewrite her application just before it was due. “Sometimes that’s how the best ideas come through,” she explained with a smile.
Gracie’s enthusiasm for being on stage also sparked her interest in pageantry during the pandemic. Gracie vividly recounts how she realized she wanted to be in a pageant after watching a state pageant show on TV during the pandemic.
“I saw these girls on stage, walking, public speaking, performing different talents and I realized this is something I want to do, this will help me rediscover myself,” Gracie explained.
Pageantry is a platform that brings passionate young women with beauty and brains together on a platform to compete, inspire and make friends and memories that last a long time. Although it comes with luxurious gowns and extravagant beauties, it is a stepping stone for young women to address the issues of society on a worldwide platform.
“ “
Being a part of two different industries that are heavily body conscious, pageantry adds on a new perspective to her body-positive advocate aspect.
Gracie explains that “pageantry is not just walking down a runway, it is a lot more and it pushes her out of her comfort zone.” It requires very specific skills like numerous costume changes and answering questions on the spot.
The most compelling part of pageantry for her was the advocacies that each contestant brought and hers was promoting body positive image on a global platform. “I get to talk about things like body image with predominantly young women, reach an audience and make an impact.”She said that pageantry has helped her to form a connection with an audience that has faced similar issues.
“My personal motivation comes from when I was a young girl and I never saw women in the media who were like me,” Gracie explained. By participating in pageants, Gracie is determined to advocate for body positivity and be an icon for people who aren’t confined in their bodies– just like she was.
Academic Accomplishments
Despite her extracurricular activities, Gracie says that academics remain her priority. When we asked why she wanted to explore Psychol-
ogy, Gracie explained that “My high school psychology teacher pushed me to pursue psychology, and I decided to consider it. I was always interested in knowing more about the clinical depth of disorders like BDD and PTSD.”
Additionally, Gracie has been working with the RGASC since her second year leading a facilitated study group. She also works as a senior program assistant and volunteers with the Health and Counseling Centre.
An enthusiast for clinical labs and psychological disorders, Gracie has had an amazing journey of four years. From learning to navigate university to having hands-on knowledge on how to manage co-curriculars with studies and getting no sleep, she blends in well as a university student.
Scholarships, public speaking and pageantry are like a triad Gracie beautifully balances. Having a globally impactful voice and an advocacy with a dire need of being addressed is her motto for life. Victoria Gracie, a student at UTM is achieving high feats and instilling inspiration in all of us to be the best version of ourselves.
Photo
09 Arts
Lumon propaganda got a lot more immersive:
Grand Central Station’s Severance Pop-Up
Apple TV’s latest innovative promotional stunt “severs” the connection between viewers and the narrative world, taking advantage of the liminal space that is NYC’s Grand Central Station to promote Severance Season 2.
On January 14, commuters passing through Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall were met with a striking sight: a glass cube, entrapping actors from Apple TV’s Severance, portraying their “severed” characters in an eerily lifelike office setup. This interactive pop-up installation, complete with Mark (Adam Scott) vacuuming an office rug in character, offered fans a taste of Lumon Industries’ sterile, disorienting world—an incredibly successful promotional event marking a significant shift in Apple TV’s approach to marketing.
For a streaming platform known for its high-quality original content, Apple TV has often faced criticism for its relatively muted promotional efforts. The streaming platform has churned out some rather incredible and pretty popular shows in the past few years, yet it seems as though most of the fanfare surrounding the shows arises from organic buzz rather than the company’s active advertising efforts.
Shows like Sunny and Schmigadoon!, despite being beloved by fans, ended prematurely due to low viewership numbers, which arguably may have been caused by the lack of robust marketing pushes
necessary to sustain long-term visibility. Apple TV’s social media brand drastically differs from the likes of other streaming giants like Netflix, who significantly engage with online communities, try more outlandish and innovative marketing strategies, and have a dedicated social media presence.
While a lot of Apple TV’s shows don’t translate that well to the likes of meme culture, the lack of a direct connection to a fanbase (whether through social media or in-person engagement) significantly hinders the show’s potential to gain traction. Discourse surrounding shows is inherently social, and when you neglect the social element, the show risks being excluded from the broader conversation.
This installation signals a step up for Apple TV as it competes in an increasingly saturated streaming landscape. Immersive experiences like this blur the lines between reality and fiction, delighting long-term fans and drawing in potential new viewers. By inviting fans to engage with the show’s themes and characters on a tangible level, Apple TV fosters a deeper emotional connection, which translates directly into audience loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion (as made evident by the immense amount of discourse surrounding this particular stunt on social media platforms). If the Severance pop-up is any indication, Apple TV might finally be recognizing the power of fan-focused advertising to not just cement their fanbase, but more importantly on-ramp new subscribers and get more eyes on their shows.
An overview of the Game Awards
Shining a light on the lesser-known video game award show.
Aqeel Shahid Ullah Contributor
For as long as movies and TV shows have been around, award shows have existed as a way to recognize those exceptional in these fields. While shows like the Oscar’s and the Emmy’s are historical staples of pop culture, there have been other shows that are not as well-known. One such show is the Game Awards, which, as the name suggests, focuses on video games.
The Game Awards began in 2014, hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley, who previously worked on the Spike Video Game Awards. After Spike discontinued the show in 2013 due to disappointing results, Keighley formed the Game Awards to replace them.
The format of the show is quite different from other award shows. Most award shows present the winners and are interspersed with musical or comedic performances. In contrast, the Game Awards is more like an ad fest, showcasing trailer after trailer for new games while presenting the winners of the awards in between the announcements. Another key difference in the presentation is the announcement for Game of the Year at the very end. While shows like the Oscar’s simply announce the nominees and the winner for Best Picture, the Game Awards contains an entire orchestra which performs music from each of the nominees that seamlessly flows into each other.
Due to the format of the show, the Game Awards has received a lot of criticism over the years. Many people have pointed out how commercialized the show is due to the sheer number of advertisements. Other critics point out its bias towards certain celebrities, granting them large portions of time to speak while neglecting those who were supposed to be celebrated. During the 2023 show, many award winners did not have even a minute to celebrate their awards or make a speech. This culminated in the 2023 Game of the Year winners being rushed off the stage despite winning the most important award of the night.
While many of these factors worked to sour the view of the Game Awards, Keighley took notice of many of these criticisms and worked to improve the show. As such, the 2024 Game Awards were structured more cohesively and respectfully than previous shows, allowing winners to speak for as long as they wanted and cutting down on time spent by celebrity guests. Sven Vicke, the winner of last year’s Game of the Year award, was invited to announce the winner of this year and was even allowed to make a long speech about how the best games are made by those who are truly passionate about them. All of these improvements showed that Keighley listened to all the critiques and took great measures to fix all of the issues the show had in previous years.
While not having as much of a presence as the Oscars or the Emmys, the existence of the Game Awards is a welcomed one, as they shine a light on the most exceptional games of each year. Despite past issues with the format and presentation of the show, recent showings have instilled hope in the future of the Game Awards.
Ramiya Sureshkumar Theatre Erindale Correspondent
Illustration credit: Ramiya Sureshkumar
Why most “starving artists” are really starving
In an age of capitalism and over-consumerism-core, this article explores why artists struggle to make a living.
Emma Catarino Contributor
Have you ever been to a thrift store or shopping mall and seen a lovely crocheted blanket or sweater hanging on the racks for only $29.99? Well, fun fact, there is currently no way to machine-manufacture crochet. It must be handmade. That means the piece you saw was very underpriced and likely created by someone severely underpaid.
Our society is overrun by capitalism and over-consumerism, to the point where hand-crafted pieces made by artists go underappreciated. A common question that potential consumers ask artists is, “Why is this product so expensive? I can get it on TEMU for cheaper.”
When making a product by hand, artists typically charge a high price for their work because, quite frankly, their pieces are worth a lot of money. An artist needs to consider not only the cost of the materials used to make the product but also the time it took to create it, the shipping costs, marketing costs, costs for a table/booth if they are selling at a farmer’s market, etc. That’s why a single crocheted plush toy could cost $80, or a drawing commission could cost upwards of $100. Any artist selling their products in person also has to pay for the table/booth/store that
whether or not they’ll even get a return on their investment, let alone make a profit. Frankly, big companies using cheap, underpaid labour and machinery to mass produce their products helps keep their product costs low, making them more desirable to consumers than average hand-made goods.
Within the last few years, artists have also had to deal with a new challenge: AI. Especially concerning visual and written artworks, AI has hurt the creative industry, angering the community for numerous reasons. Firstly, AI-gen-
more accessible than art created by an artist. This steals business from artists, as consumers who’d typically opt for an art commission can now “create” the piece themselves with AI. Secondly, AI isn’t an original creator. It essentially takes artwork from various artists online and remixes them to produce a plagiarized product. This operation lacks consent as artists, writers, and singers never agreed to allow AI to use their art, writing, and vocals for their generative machine. Especially not when the artists aren’t receiving any financial compensation.
One thing that has helped artists sell their products is social media. While social media does have its downsides (like allowing AI access to art published on their site or using algorithms that prioritize certain types of media over others), it also has a lot of benefits for small businesses. Artists can use social media to reach a wider audience, especially with Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts having similar formatting, allowing artists to repost a video on multiple sites for more people to see. More importantly, social media fosters a community where many different kinds of artists from all over the world can work together to uplift, promote, and support each other.
The villainous tale of TikTok’s farewell and return
TikTok has been a globally beloved platform that has opened up conversations, incited change, and allowed personal expression, but recent changes for American users bring up questions about whether it can still be utilized as such.
Zainab Hassan Associate Arts & Entertainment Editor
On January 18, TikTok was suspended in the United States, accompanied by a message:
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
After about 12 hours, a second message appeared: “Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.”
Before the ban, TikTok CEO Shou Chew posted a video claiming that he had communicated with Trump, who was trying to save TikTok for America. How kind and convenient of him, considering he kickstarted the ban in the first place.
The obvious reaction is to cry propaganda, and you’re not wrong. Yes, in part, Trump’s “saving” of TikTok is a way to appeal to the public and make himself more palatable. But the situation is significantly more nefarious than that.
Since its reinstatement, American TikTok users have reported drastic changes: searches for “democrat” are blocked, videos are removed minutes after posting, and Trump critics’ accounts are banned. This goes beyond typical censorship. As more people scramble to find Trump’s speech where he supposedly claimed to have rigged elections, or debate whether Musk’s hand gesture was a Nazi salute, their attention is being pulled away from the slough of terrifying executive orders that Trump has been signing at much the same rate as a heavy smoker goes through cigarettes.
Within his first week in office, Trump has ordered a communication blackout for federal health agencies, revoked the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1965, instructed the Department of Labour to cease promoting diversity and enforcing affirmative action in federal hiring practices, and renewed the federal death penalty. However, these actions are overshadowed by the meme-ification of Trump not understanding how biology works, regardless of his discomfiting obsession over what’s in between people’s legs. So not only is Trump a truly terrible person, but he’s utilizing it to get away with what can only be called nefarious schemes.
Congratulations, America, you’ve voted in a comic supervillain. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
The socio-political playing field is seeing a rapid and radical shift, leaving everyone to deal with the fallout. But among the bom-
bardment of information and the many attempts to control the narratives, certain contemplations still shine through.
For years, America has pointed its fingers at the Global South and the Middle East as threats to liberal democracy, finding whatever means necessary to justify the social, economic, and physical violence inflicted on them. Yet, the real threat comes from within.
TikTok is just one example of how left-leaning social spaces are manipulated to control information and action. And what else do you call the obvious attempts at narrative control, the information bombardment as a means of distraction, and straight-up Nazi salutes other
than the clear symptoms of—as Joe Biden himself has phrased it—a clear threat to democracy.
We must all remember that America was born through the forced exertion of manifest destiny, white supremacy, and the oppression of all ideologies, cultures, and people that did not suit their aesthetics. And what is the Trump administration, if not those very philosophies in slightly different packaging? In the end, whatever is happening with TikTok is just another power play to assuage the egos and insecurities of the American government and suppress American citizens. Like all forms of censorship, it will fail.
Illustration credit: Adanna Scott
Photo credit: Milica Samardzic and Sara Li
11 sports & health
Eagles Defend the Nest, Taking Home Both Championships in OCR Tournament Action
UTM basketball brought home a pair of tournament trophies on home court and are hoping to carry momentum into the league.
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams were in action on Friday, January 17, playing host to rival colleges in the annual Ontario Collegiate Recreation (OCR) Tournament. In their first games since the winter break, both teams were looking to start the semester strong.
Men’s Show Dominance on Route to Championship
It was a full team effort for the men’s team on tournament day, opening the day with an 8:15am game vs Seneca College - York. After a slow start, they found their rhythm. Hitting open cutters, knocking down shots, and causing havoc on the defensive end, they cruised to a 46-28 victory to start the tournament.
Game 2 drew a tougher opponent in King’s University College from London. From early on, the game was fast-paced, with both teams trading buckets through the first half. The Eagles took momentum in the second half thanks to strong play inside from forward Elijah Steiner. Jumping out to a double-digit lead, the Eagles stayed strong despite a late push from King’s, winning the matchup and finishing first place in their pool.
Moving to the semifinals, the Eagles were up against an athletic Laurier Brantford squad. Strong defense out the gate helped the Eagles establish early dominance, looking to establish a paint presence with big man Andreas Jankovic. As the Eagles cleaned up the glass on both ends of the floor, Laurier had limited answers. In the end, the Eagles showed to be too much for the Golden Hawks as the Eagles moved on to the championship.
In the finals, the men’s team faced off against a scrappy Sheridan College team. The Bruins came out on fire, hitting a few early three’s and getting some easy baskets in transition. Despite early foul trouble, the Eagles stayed composed. Captains Evan Mowder and Amro Matti controlled the floor, getting to their spots and setting up their teammates. Eagles Guard Mene Eruotor was a leader on the defensive end, communicating and getting timely steals. Despite a strong effort from Sheridan, the Eagles defended home court capturing their fourth straight OCR Tournament Championship.
Mowder commented after the game that “[he was] proud of the team. It was a long day, but to come away with the championship…there’s no better feeling.”
Women’s Second Take on Victory
The second OCR tournament presented a golden opportunity for the UTM women’s basketball team, and they came out with energy and determination right from the start.
In their first game against the Seneca Sting, the women’s team worked together seamlessly, applying full-court pressure
throughout much of the game, generating multiple offensive chances. After securing the win, they were filled with confidence and a renewed belief that the championship was within reach.
In their second game, motivated by the prospect of making it to the championship, the team delivered another strong performance, defeating George Brown and positioning themselves favorably in the tournament. However, the first two games were just stepping stones—what lay ahead would be their real test.
In the previous OCR tournament, the UTM women fell short of the championship by a single point, losing to Humber in the final. This time, facing Humber in round-robin play gave the Eagles the chance to show how much they had improved.
Throughout the tournament, the team was led by captain Fathema Shaikh, whose leadership was instrumental. She motivated the players to maintain strong defensive play and was a consistent force on offense, scoring crucial points.
Despite their best efforts, the UTM women came up short again against Humber.
But the story wasn’t over yet.
With the team still ranked second in the tournament bracket, they earned another shot at Humber in the championship game. Thanks to the relentless efforts of Fathema Shaikh and Kaitlin Parsons, the offense was clicking, but it still wasn’t enough to secure the win. The game was an intense back-andforth battle, with Humber holding a narrow lead for much of the second half. As the fourth quarter came to a close, UTM found themselves ahead 29-25. However, Humber made a big three-pointer, making it 29-28 with less than two minutes to play. In the final seconds, UTM knocked down a crucial free throw, securing the 30-28 win and crowning the 2024-25 UTM women’s basketball team as OCR champions.
Evan Mowder Contributor
Chloe Cathcart Contributor
Photo credit: Yifei Pang (Kevin)
The RAWC is for everyone: Sports, Fun, and Connection Await UTM Students
UTM students explore diverse activities, from facilitated volleyball to competitive tri-campus leagues.
Dishika Vaswani Contributor
During the winter months, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) transforms into both a scenic snowy paradise and an energetic athletic hub for the students with the help of the Recreation, Athletics & Wellness Centre (RAWC). The RAWC’s winter offerings are rooted in promoting diversity, wellness, and connection, and cater to the multifaceted needs of the UTM community.
Mark Zaragoza, coordinator of the RAWC’s sports programs, and Dylan Walter, who oversees intramurals and internal programs, responded to a series of questions to illuminate the RAWC’s initiatives for the Winter 2025 semester. Their passion and tenacity to foster an enriched environment for the students at UTM was vividly evident as they elaborated RAWC’s plans for the winter semester, recent achievements, and future goals.
The RAWC’s intramural and tri-campus leagues aim to nurture health and strengthen the sense of community through sports and recreational programs. Dylan Walters shared the key aspects of the winter semester’s intramurals, including soccer, cricket, basketball, and badminton leagues. They’ve also implemented facilitated pickleball, sitting volley-
ball, and badminton programs to foster inclusive opportunities with accessible programs.
Mark Zaragoza highlighted this semester’s tri-campus sports line up that encompasses volleyball, indoor soccer, basketball, indoor cricket and ultimate frisbee. Zaragoza spotlighted the anticipated Women’s Cricket team and the exhilarating hockey double-header against UTSC in February. “We’re always looking to expand opportunities for students,” he mentioned.
Cultivating a spirit of unity is the key focus of both intramural and tri-campus leagues. Walters reiterated that intramurals nurture a community for students to create strong bonds, stay active, and enjoy themselves. “Our goal is to positively impact the student experience by offering recreational sports opportunities that are accessible and enjoyable,” he stated. Zaragoza concurred this sentiment, elab orating how tricampus sports programs en courages camara derie and spirited rivalry. “Students form strong connec tions with their peers through shared expe
riences and teamwork. These programs go beyond the physical benefits. They create lasting friendships and memories.”
Inclusivity is embedded into the RAWC’s mission. Walters highlighted the initiatives crafted to cater to a diverse student body: for example, BIPOC-centric sports sessions, women’s only drop-ins, and queer-focused events. He further elaborated on the Sport Inclusion Ambassadors, who advocate to ensure accessible initiatives. “We want every student to feel welcome, regardless of their background or fitness level.”
“It’s about making sports a space where everyone feels they belong,” said Zaragoza, affirming the RAWC’s commitment to inclusivity by integrating barrier-free infrastructure, accessibility-centric equipment’s and equitable regulations. RAWC staff undergo specialized cultural sensitivity training to enhance respectable and supportive atmosphere for all.
The RAWC integrates technology to enhance the engagement with the UTM student body. The use of social media platforms, like Instagram, provide students with real-time updates on events, game scores, schedules, and news, while the IMLeagues platform optimizes the process of registration and communication for league members. Zaragoza underlined how adopting Microsoft Teams, a digital platform, reinforces a sense of camaraderie between players and the coaches. “Technology allows us to share updates, analyze game footage, and build a sense of community, even online.”.
Zaragoza and Walters acknowledged how student feedback plays an influential role in shaping programs at the RAWC. Feedback forms, direct engagement, and surveys all aid in evaluating opportunities for growth. Walters credited student feedback for the incorporation of innovative programs and refined operational practices. He recounted an example wherein the RAWC modified the game schedules to circumvent the reading week, an update that honored students’ academic priorities and enhance overall engagement.
Reflecting on the accomplishments of the previous year, Walters emphasized the substantial benefits the RAWC’s programs has brought to the community. “Seeing students return each semester, eager to participate, is a testament to the value of what we offer.” Both the Men’s Outdoor Soccer and Women’s Flag Football teams achieved the championship titles last fall, a proud victory celebrated by Walters. “These victories are about more than trophies. They’re about teamwork, dedication, and school spirit,” he added.
The RAWC gears up for a brighter future, focusing on fostering new leadership opportunities and enriching mentorship programs for the students. Walters alluded at bold initiatives set to redefine the RAWC’s boundaries. Furthermore, he underscored the significance of cultivating transferable skills among the UTM student-body through participation, coaching, or event management. “We want students to leave RAWC not just with memories, but with skills that will serve them in their careers and lives.”
This winter, the RAWC invites UTM students to thrive through sports and recreation to embody the spirit of unity, fitness, and community. Whether playing on the court, participating in a program, or cheering from the bleachers, there’s space for everyone at RAWC. Keep up with the RAWC through their website or connect with them on Instagram at @utm_athletics.
