The Eyeopener: Vol 57, Issue 4

Volume 57 - Issue 4 October 18, 2023 theeyeopener.com @theeyeopener Since 1967

Cover By Brithi Sehra & Jerry Zhang

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NEWS

TMU students say recent privacy breach causes distrust in the TMSU The students’ union alerted members that their data may have been exposed through the health and dental benefit provider

By Anastasia Blosser, Dexter LeRuez and Gabriela Silva Ponte The Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union’s (TMSU) health and dental benefit provider, Gallivan, experienced a data breach that could have exposed Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students’ private information.

In an email sent to some students in early October, the TMSU said this privacy incident involved one of Gallivan’s third-party service providers. Student numbers, names and dates of birth could have been disclosed. The email also said Gallivan was informed of the breach on March 10.

According to a TMSU statement emailed to The Eyeopener, the students’ union was notified back in June that student data may have been exposed.

However, most students did not receive an email alerting them of the breach until Oct. 4, three months after the TMSU was made aware, while others were never told at all. Any students registered for the Fall 2022 session could have been affected, the TMSU said in the emailed statement.

Students at the University of Guelph and Western University were also affected by the breach but were informed in July. In the emailed statement to The Eye, the

TMSU said it took longer to notify students at TMU because the school “has a robust security process in place” and therefore, it took time for them to receive student email addresses.

“This level of information sharing from TMU to TMSU is not a common occurrence and a great testament to the priority and level importance with which the matter has been dealt,” the TMSU said in the statement.

Data exposures are not uncommon for universities because they are common targets, the TMSU said in the email to The Eye. They said the incident has also affected over 100 organizations worldwide.

The TMSU also said that Gallivan is no longer using the third-party service provider and reported the incident to the office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as well as the relevant provincial authorities.

“At the moment, there is no evidence that students’ personal information has been misused or further exposed,” the TMSU’s statement read.

The Eye reached out to Gallivan for their comment, but did not receive it in time for print publication.

Sam Andrey, the managing director of The Dais—”an action-oriented public policy and leadership think tank at TMU”—said that a date of birth could be used as an identifier by

some websites. With a combination of other leaked information, identity theft could occur.

“I think the likelihood that this could be used by itself to do any kind of identity theft or that sort of thing [is] pretty low,” Andrey said.

Despite the TMSU’s reassurance and experts’ beliefs that the leak’s impact is minimal, many students are still concerned about the safety of their private information.

“I definitely would not want the university to hold specific [private] information [after the incident],” Third-year sociology and history student Zoë Mitchell said the news was disappointing.

“I don’t think I’ve given any [critical] data to our health care [provider], but in terms of it coming within TMU’s jurisdiction, that’s really upsetting,” she said.

Second-year math and its applications student, Kerry Tan, agreed.

“I definitely would not want the university to hold specific [private] information [after the incident],” said Tan. John Marquez, a first-year psychology student, said online security is important to him and was concerned when he heard about the breach.

“That’s pretty sensitive information that I wouldn’t want other people to know about,” he said.

Marquez said the situation is concerning and has lowered his trust in the health insurance’s security.

“People put their trust in public institutions to safeguard their information,” said Andrey. “When that trust is broken, it can undermine a whole variety of things.”

TMU president Mohamed Lachemi distanced the school from the data breach.

“As an entity that is separate from TMU, the TMSU has its own governance structure, bylaws and agreements with third parties,” he said.

Lachemi said TMU has a strong cybersecurity program in place.

“The fact that [students] have to use two-factor authentication when [they] log in to TMU services is one

“There is no evidence that students’ personal information has been misused or further exposed” example of that,” he said.

Lachemi said it is prudent for TMU students to protect themselves, including the use of credit monitoring services.

Following the incident, Gallivan and the TMSU are working to pro-

vide affected students with resources to protect themselves against identity theft and fraud.

Those affected will be receiving an email containing an activation code for an online identity protection service provided by Gallivan, according to the TMSU’s email to students. But, students with minimal or no credit

“Regularly change your passwords, don’t use the same password for multiple [sites], use two-factor authentication” history will not be eligible.

Additionally, identity theft prevention resources will be provided to students through CyberScout—a cyber protection service provider— for one year with call centre agents available to provide answers to questions about cybersecurity.

“It’s a good way for students to check if people are using their personal information in a potentially nefarious way,” said Andrey.

“That’s something to follow up on if students are worried about [identity theft].”

Andrey mentioned the security incident is a reminder for students to practice good “cyber hygiene.”

“Regularly change your passwords, don’t use the same password for multiple [sites], use two-factor authentication where you can, things like that,” he said.

SAMMY KOGAN/THE EYEOPENER

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NEWS

TMU students not satisfied with Ontario’s new minimum wage The province is seeing an increase of 6.8 per cent to $16.55 per hour

By Anastasia Blosser and Gabriela Silva Ponte Even though the Government of Ontario recently increased the minimum wage to $16.55 per hour, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students say they feel like it isn’t enough.

According to an Ontario press release, the province’s minimum wage rose 6.8 per cent from $15.50 as of Oct. 1. This percentage increase matches the annual change in the prices Canadians paid for goods and services, according to Statistics Canada.

Following the increase, the province now holds the second highest minimum wage in Canada.

Yukon’s wage is the highest, sitting at $16.77 per hour. “[This increase will help] more than 900,000 hard-working [people] across our province earn more take-home pay for themselves and their families,” the minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development David Piccini, said in the press release.

But first-year computer science student Hibba Syed, who works in retail at her local mall, said this increase will not make affording living any easier.

“I don’t think that makes much of a difference because I feel like that’s still not a livable wage for [someone] that actually works full time,” she said.

“I’m only paying for school and transportation, which is what I have my job for, but I don’t think I’m making enough for that even,” Syed added.

Third-year computer engineering student Vincent Tat also doesn’t think minimum wage is enough to support a student living in Toronto. He said most of the money he makes as a cashier goes towards tuition, transit fees and other costs incurred as a student.

“With the raise, I think it should help a [small amount] in the long run,” he said.

First-year graphic communications management student Ciel Ben-Adi, who is originally from upstate New York, said she’s looking for a job in Toronto.

“I’ll be able to pay for more of my groceries with less assistance from my parents [with the increase],” they said.

“I think Toronto is much more expensive than where I came from and it’s definitely been a shift, especially with the difference in currency,” Ben-Adi added.

Maurice Mazerolle, the former director of the centre for labour management relations at the Ted Rogers School of Management, said the increase in minimum wage will affect students positively and negatively.

Full-time minimum-wage employees could earn an extra $168 every month but smaller businesses sometimes try to pass their increased costs onto consumers, he explained.

“Some things may end up costing a bit more because of having to pay more for wages,” he said.

Mazerolle also said that minimum wage doesn’t reflect the true cost of living in most communities.

According to the Ontario Living Wage Network, the living wage in

SAMMY KOGAN/THE EYEOPENER

the Greater Toronto Area is $23.15 per hour. When analysts Anne Coleman and Robin Shaban calculated this number, their budgets went beyond physical necessities to include activities that increased the quality of life, such as adult education courses, modest vacations, extracurriculars and cultural outings.

Mazerolle said new studies are disproving long-standing ideas of minimum wage increases.

“The argument has always been

that if you increase wages, you decrease jobs…[but] research has shown that is not accurate,” he said.

Mazerolle explained that there are documented examples of minimum wage increases resulting in more jobs and more money in the local economy. He also said if employers paid higher wages, it would reduce the labour shortage in service and hospitality industries.

“It’s not a job destroyer, despite what all the employers will tell you.”

TTC subway was one of the few places left without connection

By Karina Leung Rogers Communications Inc. and Bell Canada cell phone providers have partnered with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to give customers 5G network access on the subway at select stations.

This will allow people to make calls, texts and cellular data while in the stations and in some tunnels.

According to the TTC’s website, stations on Line 1 in downtown Toronto and 13 stations between Keele and Castle Frank stations on Line 2 will now have service.

Freedom Mobile has already been giving their customers access to the internet. The service provider gives access to service on all TTC subway stations and in the tunnels between Wilson station and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, Bloor-Yonge, St. George and Bay stations, according to its website.

The TTC’s subway system was one of the few places left in Toronto without this service. With many Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students commuting to campus everyday, this change could be seen either as a benefit or a drawback.

For a years, TTC subway riders were forced to put down their phones, read the advertisements, listen to downloaded music or talk to friends.

For first-year creative industries student Meryling Martinez, this change is great news, provid-

ing a sense of safety and ability to share her location while riding the subway.

“It does make me feel a lot safer, especially on the TTC. Lately, there’s always different kinds of people there that might make it not the safest place,” she said.

Martinez commutes to her 8 a.m. classes three times a week. She added that going on the TTC at night as a woman makes it much harder to feel safe.

James L. Turk, director at TMU’s Centre for Free Expression, understands this.

“If there’s a breakdown on the train and you can’t get a meeting [or you have an appointment], you can phone and explain what’s happened,” he said.

Turk said there safety factors that come with being connected. If commuters face any kind of security issue or policing related problem they can call 911. “So it has a lot of those kinds of immediate advantages,” he explained.

Alexander Ferworn, a professor in the department of computer science at TMU and an expert on safety, said the TTC should have been providing a basic service of communication.

“There’s public transit systems all over the world that have this facility and it seems like everything is delayed when you’re talking about Toronto,” he said.

“How are you supposed to actually tell anybody that something is happening if there’s no means of com-

munication,” Ferworn added.

He said he knows the province has been pushing the TTC to do this for some time now.

“They had a semi-solution for it where they provided free Wi-Fi at certain terminals. or certain stations, but not actual full 5G service,” he said.

Salma Koubaa, a first-year undeclared arts student at TMU, spends two hours of each day commuting.

She said she was actually fine with not having service on the subway.

“I would just waste my time…going on social media instead of using that time to study and work on my readings,” she said.

“Knowing myself, I wouldn’t use that time effectively if I had access to internet,” Koubaa added.

Turk said just because everyone has access to this now doesn’t mean they have to use it.

“Being addicted to our phones is not a problem with it being on the TTC. It’s a problem of us not having developed the discipline to be able to turn it off,” he said. “That is a huge social problem that we have to deal with as a society, but I don’t think the solution is to deny people the ability to be connected when they need to on transit.”

“The real solution is to develop the discipline to turn it off so you can be disconnected,” Turk added.

Karina Lotay is a first-year business management student at TMU who said she prefers the new connection to the internet for safety reasons.

“I’m actually surprised that we

SAMMY KOGAN/THE EYEOPENER

didn’t have this before, but especially because of all the recent recordings of violence on the TTC, it makes me feel a lot safer to be able to have access to data and internet on the subway,” she said.

Turk agrees. “There’s subway systems elsewhere in the world that have done this long since. And given the number of hours that many people ride the TTC every day, it’s long overdue,” he said.

Turk doesn’t see any cons to this implementation. “[Students] can remain connected in whatever way whether it’s reading things or talking with friends or

whatever. It’s a service that had been really denied to people who are transit users,” Ferworn said although he is glad the TTC has finally invested in the safety of subway riders, it will only be effective in certain circumstances.

“Most of the problems are caused by the humans, not by their equipment,” he said.

But Ferworn believes the TTC is heading in the right direction when it comes to increasing safety.

“Certainly this is a great step forward,” he said.

With files from Gabriela Silva Ponte.

EDITORIAL & CONTRIBS

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Editor-in-Chief Negin “Master” Khodayari News Gabriela “Hey Folks” Silva Ponte Dexter “Sports Comback” LeRuez Anastasia “Coraline” Blosser Photo Brithi “9 + 10” Sehra Sammy “Lost His Voice” Kogan Jerry “Got It Covered” Zhang Online Madeline “Next Question?” Liao Shaki “Come Home” Sutharsan Features Kinza “MTL” Zafar

Journalists are protected civilians and their murder is a war crime Providing accurate and independent accounts of what’s happening during political crises should not warrant your death

By The Eyeopener Journalists are civil servants and we rely on them to provide factual information and accurate perspectives at times of crises. Misinformation can spread like wildfire online, fueling conflicts and inciting unsolicited debates grounded in little-tono facts. We rely on them during times of unrest so that we know the motivation and intentions of all the conflicting parties. We rely on them to expose potential human rights violations or war crimes committed against civilians by opposing governments.

According to Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, “Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities,” is considered a “war crime.” The statute defines ‘war crime’ as “serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflict within the established framework of international law.”

Moreover, Article 79 of the 1977 Additional Protocol I added to the initial 1949 Geneva Convention— which, according to the International Committee of Red Cross, is an international treaty and the core of international humanitarian law. This treaty formally states that “journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in zones of armed conflict are civilians.” By this

definition, they have the right to the full scope of protection granted to civilians under international law.

“They shall be protected as such under the Conventions and this Protocol, provided that they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians,” the protocol reads.

As of Oct. 17, at least 17 journalists, 13 Palestinians, 3 Isrealis and 1 Lebanese, have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). “This is the deadliest time for journalists in Gaza,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, in an interview with Democracy Now! on Monday. “We’ve seen and reported a lot of journalists being threatened live,” he said.

The Health Ministry in Gaza announced that about 3,000 innocent civilians have been killed and more than 12,500 wounded as of Oct.17, in addition to the over 1,300 Israeli citizens who have been killed since Oct. 7.

Journalists and civilians in Gaza are at high risk as the Israeli government has recently laid the “heaviest airstrikes on Gaza ever,” according to a Reuters article published on Oct. 13.

Civilians play a crucial role in the spread of timely and accurate news in affected regions during times of unrest. Citizen journalists, which refers to independent and unaffiliated news gatherers on the ground who share information online, offer

unfiltered and raw content in an effort to reach the public both in their communities and around the globe.

Citizen journalism, which can be the most direct and trustworthy means of gaining information and is used by media companies to gain sources during crises, is at risk in Gaza right now.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate said in a press release on Oct. 16 that a number of houses owned by journalists in addition to about 50 media centres have been bombed since Oct. 7.

This is not the first time Palestinian journalists have been subjected to attacks. In May 2022, PalestinianAmerican journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, recognized by many as the voice of Palestinian suffering, was killed in targeted attacks by Israeli forces. Abu Akleh’s killing came just one year after Israeli forces demolished the Al-Jalaa Tower in Gaza which housed residential apartments and news organisations offices.

Killing journalists is the most extreme form of censorship. It disrupts the communication between international and local civilians and severs their access to factual and crucial information during times of crises. This, in addition to widespread internet outages caused by the bombing of Gaza’s telecommunication infrastructure, has left innocent Palestinians and citizen journalists in complete isolation.

We at The Eyeopener urge our

readers to seek out fact-based information and not take all content shared on social media platforms at face value. The most effective way to avoid being misinformed is to educate yourself on the historical context and implications of topics being discussed online. If you’re looking to gain more knowledge on the current war in the Middle East, The Eye has collected a series of novels which offer insight into the region’s complex history: “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine,’ by Rashid Khalidi; “Nakba,’ by Ahmad H. Sa’di and Lila Abu-Lughod and “Return,”

by Ghada Karimi.

Now more than ever, it is important to think for yourself, be compassionate and amplify the voices of innocent civilians who have been on the receiving end of decades worth of oppression and an ongoing genocide fuelled by in political gains with the disregard for human life.

Resources If you’re looking to help those affected, The Eye has compiled a list of resources to aid civilians in need in Gaza right now: Medical Aid For Palestinians Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund The World Food Programme Doctors Without Borders

Stay connected with The Eyeopener, read online at theeyeopener.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

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Unions collab to create fashion x IMA directory SAMMY KOGAN/THE EYEOPENER

By Danielle Reid and Jerry Zhang The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Fashion Union and Image Arts Course Union (IMACU) united to establish the first collaborative directory created by students, for students. This directory is designed to help image arts (IMA) and fashion students easily connect, network and team up with each other for school-related and personal projects. Still in its infancy, the Google Sheets directory is a compilation of student profiles—including their names, academic year, portfolio, preferred industry roles, skills and contact information—to allow students to explore collaboration opportunities.

Spearheaded by the executive team of each union, the directory was announced in winter 2023. Created by former IMACU president, Lauren Eden, the directory was initially intended for students within IMA. It helped film students find photographers to shoot behind-the-scenes footage and to help photography students find film students to help with set design, according to IMACU vice president of equity and thirdyear photography student, Joon-Young Lee. Lee, who was already acquainted with Fashion Union co-president and third-year fashion studies student Kyle Shepherd, said they began inquiring about the interest in a potential collaboration to expand the directory to fashion students.

Seeing this as a huge opportunity for fashion students to share their diverse skill-set, the Fashion Union agreed. “[Fashion students] create clothing, we do photography as well. We do graphic design, we do all these things,” said Shepherd. “I feel like it was a great opportunity for people within my program to showcase their passion and what they spend the majority of their time working on.”

Kirstine Fernandez, Fashion Union copresident and third-year fashion design student said she has felt a personal need for the directory and views it as a way to help forge relationships between IMA and fashion students. “[As fashion design students] you want to show your work and share it in a way that aligns with how you want to share it,” she said. “We’re in constant need of photogra phers and people to help out [to] bring our visions of how we want our garments to look and present it in a way that speaks to what our design identity is.”

Mamoundu Mardis-Chatwin, IMACU president and fourth-year photography student said she has also seen a need in her program for a way to better connect with fashion students. “[In photography] there’s a lot of people who are interested in the editorial fashion world but there’s a major disconnect [be-

tween] the two programs,” said Mardis-Chatwin. “I took an advanced lighting class [that focused on] editorial portraits and it was really hard to find clothes that worked for it.”

Coming out of online school during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mardis-Chatwin spoke about building professional and social networks and the struggle for students who also lived out of province during their first year.

“We were stuck in our bedrooms. We were cut off from our own classmates, so when I came for second-year, I was like, ‘I feel like a first-year because I literally don’t know anything,’” she said. “I wish I had the directory when I first started. I would be all over it for sure.”

Thomas Blanchard, studio lighting sessional lecturer said he encourages the fashion and IMA departments to do more collaborative work and use the directory as a way to make networking less intimidating for students.

“It’s a safe place for students to start reaching out, working with other people rather than going out into the real world right now.

Especially if you’re a younger student in first or second year.”

He said for photography students who are trying to focus on learning the technical aspects of the program such as lighting, it’s better to start off small by networking among students.

Blanchard added that the directory seems to be very successful with students taking the initiative to create it themselves on a grassroots level.

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This week’s theme: Autumn Jams

However, members of both unions said they have encountered their share of challenges. Each agreed the biggest hurdle, despite efforts to promote it on social media , has been advertising and getting students to use the resource.

Shepherd said they believe this is because some students tend to stay with the same collaborative partners throughout their entire undergrad.

“If a fashion student has a friend in the photography program, it’s known that they might just work together exclusively,” they said. “To branch out and have people open to the opportunity of working with other people is sometimes difficult.”

Lee said at the beginning they relied heavily on word-of-mouth to spread information about the directory. “I went up to individual students who I knew worked on a lot of bigger projects, mainly fourth-years and thirdyears [and said] ‘I know you’re involved in a lot of production work, would a directory be of interest to you?’”

They then went on to pitch the idea to Blanchard who could then provide the resource to students in his class.

Joy Xing, a third-year film student, shared her experience after joining the directory.

She said she has been contacted by students outside of the film program to help out on projects and she and other classmates plan to use the directory in their third year to recruit film crew members.

“People are starting to consider, ‘Maybe we should look at the directory, see who’s

on there.’ [or] ‘We need a producer, let’s go and check who’s put their [info],’” she said. “I think it’s starting to become really useful and it’s gonna only become used more often.”

However, Xing said she hopes for an improved directory format, noting that listing entries in chronological order of when users signed up makes it challenging for late-comers to get noticed.

She also said it would be beneficial if professors from across the faculties mentioned the directory to their first and second-year students. “[In] first-year...you only really know what your profs tell you in class. We didn’t know much until a bunch of fourth-years came over and talked to us about it,” said Xing.

Going forward, as the directory matures, Fernandez said she hopes it can be extended to more programs within The Creative School.

“There are so many needs from so many different places.”

Lee said they would like to see the directory expand to include creative industries students, as well as the professional music and theatre program.

For these students, the more people who are able to connect creatively through the directory, the better.

“It really does take a village, especially with the creative projects some of us have in mind,” said Shepherd. “The sky’s the limit when it comes to your ideas and what you want to accomplish. So if there’s this vast network to [help you] accomplish it, then that’s amazing.”

Substance use happens

and TMU is part of the story Drug use is all around campus and there are ways to encourage a safer world for the people around us Words by Rowan Flood Visuals by Sammy Kogan & Kinza Zafar

Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of overdose, drug poisonings, sexual violence and death Drug Checking Service takes drug samples every other week to compile data and provide relevant information. From Sept. 23 to I have a personal story,” says Brais Baliñas abruptly.

Oct. 6, they tested 123 drug samples, 39 per cent of which was the Around 13 people are gathered at a friend’s party. He’s been expected drug of fentanyl. According to the service, the “expected watching a friend who has been drinking but, at the mo- drug” is what you believe the drug is when acquired but unexment, seems “perfectly fine.” Suddenly, he’s asleep on a chair with pected drugs can be found. his head slumped onto his chest. And then he pukes. Baliñas fears Safer opioid supply programs have emerged across Canada his friend might choke and adjusts his position. He cleans him up. and in Toronto in response. The programs have various goals, But what now—call his parents? No, says the friend. Put him in an including lessening the dependency on an unregulated drug Uber? No, he might puke again. The subway then. Baliñas drags market and reducing the risks of overdose and the harms of him to the subway. He stands with his wobbling friend at Spadina substance use, outlines the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation.

Station with a metal bowl and trash bag in hand.

This is harm reduction.

Baliñas, a fourth-year nursing student, and the friend got home Schapel explains harm reduction is partly a philosophy that acsafely. But what if they hadn’t? What if his friend had taken an- cepts that substance use occurs whether legalized or not. Harm other substance and was overdosing? You’ve probably witnessed reduction is treating substance use as part of holistic healthcare friends being very drunk to the point where they throw up or lose and it means working with people based on their own goals, the ability to speak—this is a form of overdosing. In an emailed whether it be abstinence from drugs or reducing drug-associated statement to The Eyeopener, Toronto Public Health (TPH) said risks, he says. A ‘drug-associated risk’ can be anything from risks that an overdose or poisoning can occur when someone con- to people’s health to the negative impacts that come with drug sumes “a toxic, excessive or lethal amount of a drug or medicine criminalization. Decriminalizing drugs can help reduce barriers into their body that can result in adverse and potentially life- and stigma that prevent people from receiving help, according to threatening effects.” Throwing up and being unable to speak are a Government of British Columbia’s webpage. adverse effects.

Simply put, Felicia Langdon, the 2SLGBTQ+ provincial youth In B.C., a 10 to 18-year-old is more likely to die from a toxic outreach worker at the mental health agency Lumenus, believes drug overdose than anything else. The Government of Alberta’s that harm reduction “is anything that you can do to reduce harm.” substance use surveillance system report states they lost 100 peoThe nationwide problem doesn’t end at a university in the ple aged 20 to 24 to drug poisoning deaths in 2022. In Ont., from middle of Canada’s largest city surrounded by some of the coun2014 to 2019, rates of opioid-related deaths tripled for people ages try’s best hospitals—Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is 15 to 24, according to a report from the Ontario Drug Policy Re- part of the story. search Network at Unity Health Toronto. The immense loss is Students must be educated to make safe choices and understand nationwide and it’s not stopping. the world surrounding them. Some students may not know what In 2021, the Toronto Paramedic Services received over 6,000 the life-saving medicine naloxone—a medication that reverses non-fatal suspected overdose calls and 357 fatal ones. An over- the symptoms of an opioid overdose by blocking the effects of dose can also be referred to as drug poisoning, which, more ac- opioids in the brain—is, explains TPH. Or what the building on curately, reflects what is biochemically happening in the body. It’s campus they may feel unsafe around—The Works, just across the when someone’s central nervous system is overwhelmed by con- Victoria Street Tim Hortons—even does. suming too much of a substance or combination of substances, explains Casey Schapel, harm reduction lead at Casey House, a specialty Toronto hospital.

When considering the amount of overdoses, understanding t’s around 6:30 p.m. Reza Zareian’s physics lab just ended. what drugs are out there is part of understanding the entire picSnow is falling around the ivy-covered bricks of Kerr Hall. ture. For example, if you purchase a bag of cocaine off a street corThe mound of grass surrounded by sparse trees in the centre ner, you may not be completely sure what it contains. Toronto’s

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of the square-shaped buildings holds a girl struggling to walk.

“I can’t breathe properly,” she says through loud laughter. She adds that she can’t find her way home, so Zareian calls campus security, believing she’s taken substances. He had to leave, but his friends later told him that after campus security came, an ambulance followed.

Zareian is a second-year biology student who rarely drinks except during the occasional party. He has never been in such a situation but dealt with it as best he knew how.

Sarah Hick, on the other hand, has been in many situations with people who use drugs. Hick, an outgoing fourth-year nursing student who works in healthcare, always has a naloxone kit in her backpack. She finds her words quickly as she speaks about her passion for nursing.

She has witnessed substance use and its impact “right out of the gate.” She’s learned the importance of not viewing substance use as something connected to someone’s moral character and remembers that someone “can be an asshole and have literally never touched drugs.” Her hands move rapidly to reinforce her opinions, yet she continues to laugh and smile every other sentence.

At Casey House, where Hick completed a placement in her third year, everyone is familiar with harm reduction. Still, she understands that someone from a different background may have no idea what naloxone is or the reasoning behind providing clean needles.

Picture a child growing up in a suburban neighbourhood in North York, Toronto, with parents who are bankers. Maybe they don’t discuss mental health, sex or drugs much at home and have no visible unhoused people in their area or any nearby drug consumption sites. Soon, the child is commuting to TMU in downtown. Immediately, they are exposed to people and places that might be uncomfortable to them. Hick recognizes that people who use drugs can sometimes appear agitated, which can be intimidating, but she clarifies that it does not make them undeserving of respect and care. Nevertheless, people have to be educated about it.

Many people hang out outside The Works on Victoria Street, a supervised consumption site on campus. Occasionally, someone may yell or appear unwell, but folks just exist in the space.

Zareian commutes to school from North York, and when he gets off the subway, he feels unsafe passing by The Works. He describes noticing “aggressive” stares but does not know what happens inside the building.

STAY SAFE TPH explains through an email to The Eyeopener that The Works services “include providing harm reduction supplies and counselling, supervised consumption services, injectable opioid antagonist therapy (iOAT), naloxone training and mobile and community outreach.”

The Works is not that disconnected from the university. They say they’ve engaged with the school several times through overdose response training, student tours and outreach projects. They believe through this engagement, there has been an increased understanding of drug use and less stigma.

TPH explains in the email that by “speaking openly about the impacts of substance use, we can better address the stigma and discrimination that present a major barrier for people who use drugs to access the services they [need].”

If TMU says ‘this is The Works, this is what they do and you may walk past people using substances. If you want to talk to somebody there or if you’re curious, we can provide education and resources,’ then it would be beneficial for the students, says Hick through a rising voice.

Hick acknowledges that Toronto is a city where many people struggle with housing insecurity, mental health and substance use. Therefore, naturally, people visibly facing such challenges will be seen in public.

“It’s not your space, it’s Toronto,” says Hick.

Connecting, supporting and educating youth on substance use is possible. Schapel approached his work with youth in two ways: first, with preventative education through information sessions.

Youth were taught about the different kinds of substances, what they do and their risks so they could make informed decisions on how to engage with substance use if they choose to. They were educated on the various resources available for accessing support if it became an issue for them. Second, there was a youth needle exchange program, drop-in counselling and health consults with nurses. Schapel emphasizes that making services to youth “lowbarrier” is at the core of their success.

“For a lot of young people, engaging in health care for the first time can be quite stigmatizing,” says Schapel.

Langdon describes how the stigma that youth can experience comes from people thinking that young people don’t know what’s best for them or what they need, leading them to feel like they lack autonomy.

Many youths may recieve health care in university for the first time as independent people. Schapel says there can be an assumption that young people don’t engage in substance use or experience social challenges.

“It’s really about finding out what young people feel they need,” he says. Being able to tailor services and education to specific people based on their needs is necessary. Students may have trauma histories, be from marginalized populations or experienced hate crimes and systemic oppression.

Many students no longer have access to a familiar family doctor or local walk-in clinic. Schapel explains that hosting groups to provide information, overdose education and naloxone kits that incorporate food, hygiene supplies and access to transport or clothes is a low-barrier way to engage in a safe environment.

Schapel attests that actions like these open up conversations about substance use when the person feels ready. Youth will realize the faces that become familiar as they engage through lowbarrier services also become safe people to talk to when things get unmanageable. All in all, the more informed a choice a young person can make about their substance use, the better for them.

“It’s about empowering young people,” declares Schapel.

The organization Langdon works with, Lumenus, provides a wide range of mental health and developmental services, including a youth harm reduction program. She agrees that tailoring a low-barrier harm reduction approach to the individual is critical.

She explains that youth can discover their version of harm reduction through a “less clinical” method of art and music.

Another less clinical method of engaging students in harm reduction is a dildo ring toss or a lube taste test, says Sam DeFranco, the support coordinator for The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support at TMU. Despite the seriousness of her role, her eyes brighten as she speaks of her work. She agrees that educating students through “cool” games and community activities is instrumental—students get enough “boring” lectures in class. The goal is to get students more comfortable talking about the uncomfortable. “Have a sex toy!” She exclaims mid-sentence.

Fun is part of it but she also recognizes that to help students trust the support TMU offers, removing the stigma and creating safety is essential. If a student approaches her saying they’ve been using drugs and it’s starting to impact their school, she’s empathetic.

Some faculty who have grown up with the stigma may talk about drugs and sex in “hushed voices.” DeFranco tells them, “That’s really hard; it must be really difficult to be having those issues with drugs.”

DeFranco again emphasizes that in some situations where students are using substances, abstinence isn’t always the best solution. She will help students decide what they want and then determine the tools to get them there.

DeFranco believes the university has a responsibility to students regarding substance use. She explains that students feel many pressures because of university-life and that “theoretically,” the university should be on the students’ side. However, she thinks TMU often sees itself as a business. Perhaps when the school offers workshops on increasing job skills, they could provide naloxone training, which, as DeFranco points out, is a good job skill.

The university must also realize who its student body is: one that, during the pandemic, faced educational disruption and “learning losses,” says the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table in a 2021 report.

Academic education is one thing, but what about sex and drug education? The Grade 9 to 12 curriculum in Ontario does mention education about safe sex practices such as condoms, but DeFranco has found that since the pandemic, students are less knowledgeable about sex. A new curriculum in 2015 was reverted by Doug Ford in 2018 to the 1998 version, which limits topics on social media and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. People have approached her booth and asked, “What’s this?” to a condom…If students find a condom unfamiliar, what would they think of a naloxone kit or a needle drop box?

H

ick urges students to learn to use and carry naloxone kits. She describes how simple it is to use and to access—you could walk into a Shoppers Drug Mart and pick one up for free. Part of her insistence on naloxone comes from the fact that she’s aware that students party and do drugs. She’s also aware that many probably aren’t thinking about testing their drugs or having a plan in case someone overdoses.

Hick brings up another belief that many young people may have: their use of drugs and alcohol completely contrasts with how others use drugs. Sure, Hick says a student might be at a $20-cover club, wearing a clean dress and getting bottle service—but they’re still consuming substances, just as someone on the street may be. If a friend says, ‘I was blackout drunk last night and it was crazy,’ you might respond with, ‘haha, tell me what happened.’ But if they say, ‘I overdosed last night,’ there would be a different response. To be clear, blacking out from drinking or greening out from cannabis use means you have taken too much of a substance—thus going ‘over’ your intended ‘dose.’

Hick recognizes that the work the university does for men-

7 tal health, such as therapy dog sessions and workshops, is not the end of supporting students.

Students put their trust in the institution they attend. They hope their money goes towards a good education, resources, equipment and facilities. A university is a place for learning and many students look up to their educators, who could provide tools and education about harm reduction if prioritized.

TMU has offered opportunities for students to engage in harm reduction and substance education, but how many students can use a naloxone kit or explain what harm reduction means? Having naloxone kits available to students at TMU is something that many harm reduction and student support workers believe is essential.

Langdon states, “Naloxone is something that can save a life, can change a life…You could be at a party, you could be hanging out with friends, you literally could be doing anything,” and carrying naloxone could prevent another loss.

TMU uniform security guards are trained to use naloxone and started carrying it in May 2018, says the school’s Community Safety and Security department through an emailed statement to The Eye. When asked about naloxone availability on campus, TMU Student Wellbeing’s answers only mentioning its accessible use for campus security staff.

Having people on campus who know how to administer naloxone is crucial if there is an incident, but students have lives outside of university, too, expresses Langdon. Student Wellbeing says they “strive” to create an environment where students are informed and feel safe around substances.

Along with several university associations, Student Wellbeing launched Substances and TM(U). The campaign aimed to open conversation for students on substance use and their relationship to substances.

The Works believes their location on campus has allowed students to learn about the struggles that come with drug use, but in the next twenty-four months, they will be relocated.

TPH explains via email that, “CreateTO, in partnership with TPH leadership and their partners, will continue to support the relocation of these critical services over the next two years to ensure continuity of care and minimize the impact on residents and TPH clients.”

As previously reported by The Eye, TMU recently acquired the Victoria Street building and it may soon be converted to offer additional office or research space.

You go to the right of a community centre in Toronto and open a door. When you enter, a big table and a bunch of old brown leather couches surround the room. There is a rug.

Yet there are also gloves and sharp disposable bins. There are nurses and cubicles. Free clean needles and alcohol swabs are handy. There is another room with a vital machine, oxygen and a defibrillator.

“You could chill there,” says Baliñas, “Just go through your high in that safe space.”

You’ve entered the safe consumption site that Baliñas, who once guided his drunk friend home, visited last year. The site is designed to prevent the risks of infection, overdose and police.

Places like this exist, where every safety net is ready, and Baliñas is in awe as he walks through.

8

COMMUNITIES

The stories of diversity and inclusion during Latin Heritage Month Celebrating the diverse stories of the Latin community at TMU while highlighting the challenges of identity, language and community

BRITHI SEHRA, SAMMY KOGAN/THE EYEOPENER

By Daniel Carrero Ramírez Every year, communities in Canada recognize October as Latin American Heritage Month. It is a time dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the different contributions Latin Americans have made to the country and sharing their culture with the world.

At Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), different people, stories and struggles can be found that all represent the Latin community.

Javier Requejo Barria, a firstyear business student at TMU, remembers his experience learning English with one of his friends at the boarding school he attended in St. Catharines, Ont. Barria came to Canada when he was 16 with a desire to learn more about the country. He hoped to strengthen his English but didn’t have the best instructors to help him learn the language in high school.

Despite the natural struggles that come with moving to a new country, Barria said his life in Canada was “like a movie” compared to his life back in Mexico.

“[Compared] with any [other] Mexican[s], I felt like I was falling behind” “I had to learn English the rough way,” said Barria in an interview he did with The Eyeopener in Spanish.

He said he found a safe, shame-free environment for him to practice his English with his Russian roommate who was also looking to improve his language skills.

“I didn’t get along with any Latinos at first,” he said. He shared how he avoided speaking Spanish

for his first two months in Canada so he could immerse himself in the English language. Still, whenever he spoke to others learning English, he felt he wasn’t progressing as fast as his peers. “[Compared]with any [other] Mexican[s], I felt like I was falling behind,” said Barria.

Eventually, he realized how important it was to speak Spanish every once in a while, especially being far from his home country.

All of his friends started asking if he knew the other Latinos in the different dorms in his high school. After some time, he decided to give it a try.

“I felt relief. I spent time with the Latinos [at my high school] to feel like I was at home. It was necessary,” said Barria.

“I called my mom and explained the story of how I accidentally stepped on brown snow” For some, the language barrier is a normal part of dealing with moving to a new country. For others, learning English and being bilingual feels normal. Still, the obstacle of cementing their identity in a new country is a common thread.

Fernanda Oneil Montes de Oca, a third-year psychology student at TMU, emigrated from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

When coming to Canada, she only packed two pairs of shoes, a black pair of boots—to survive the cold winters—and a pair of old sneakers. Her new journey introduced her to the winter season, which wasn’t a normal experience. “I called my mom and explained the story of how I accidentally stepped on brown snow,”

she said.

It was a new experience for her as she moved to Toronto to prepare for her post-secondary education at the Toronto Metropolitan University International College. “I am an only child and I was afraid of being alone for the first time in 18 years,” said Montes de Oca in an interview she did with The Eye in Spanish.

In her first year in, Montes de Oca not only missed home, she also missed her sense of community. There wasn’t a large Latin community around her until her second year, when she discovered the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS) at TMU. “OLAS is a part of me and I never thought it was going to mean so much for me. It’s not [just] a student club,” said Montes de Oca. She is now the events director and outreach coordinator for the group.

“It was like going back home.

What was that thing that would make me feel closer to Santo Domingo? At the end of the day, talking in English the whole day does saturate me,” she said.

“OLAS is a part of me and I never thought it was going to mean so much” to me’” One of the events OLAS hosts is a meetup where Latin Americans are free to rant in Spanish for hours, giving them a sense of home and relief. However, for some Latin Americans, speaking Spanish is not something they were raised with. Instead, they almost feel foreign in their own skin.

This feeling is familiar to Alyssa Mackenzie, a recent graduate from

the photography program at TMU. Hailing from Belize City, Belize, Mackenzie is ethically mixed. Her mother is Latina, from the Cayo District of Belize. While, her father is white. As a result, she said she possesses recognizable Hispanic features. “The assumption would always be that people would speak Spanish to me, especially moving here [to Canada],” said Mackenzie.

“Latin America is so mixed, with so many different types of people, it’s hard to define who is Latin and who’s not” Mackenzie was raised by her grandmother, who spoke Spanish fluently, but she never picked it up.

She said this eventually led to some discomfort with her identity. She wondered if she properly represented the Latin American community.

“It was a hard thing, where I had a bit of identity issues [in that aspect,]” said Mackenzie. “I only really embraced it when I joined TMU.” Whether Mackenzie speaks Spanish or not doesn’t determine her identity. Regardless, Mackenzie and anyone else with Latin American roots who do not speak the language, are Latin American.

“Latin America is so mixed, with so many different types of people, it’s hard to define who is Latin and who’s not,” said Mackenzie.

It can be hard to categorize a Latin American but it is also very complex to explain all the different tangents of culture, language or traditions. To some, the most effective way to portray an idea like this is through visual arts.

Rodrigo Barriuso, an instructor for Cinema and Visual Arts in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean course at TMU, is a Cuban-Cana-

dian filmmaker. He explained the importance of cinema as a storytelling device.

“I am interested in cinema as an artistic manifestation capable of spreading a message to as many people as possible,” said Barriuso in an interview he did with The Eye in Spanish.

This month of celebration opens the door for Latin Americans to show the different branches of Latin American culture. To Barriuso, it carries great meaning.

“It is important to bring visibility.

Obviously, there are many concepts and Latin American realities that deserve to be told,” said Barriuso.

His first short film that takes place in Cuba is an example of this.

He had included the sound of a rooster in the film because in some places, it is common to find roosters even in big cities, Barriuso said.

“Obviously, there are many concepts and Latin American realities that deserve to be told” “I knew [which] music and sounds I wanted the film to have,” said Barriuso. “Talking to the sound editor in Canada, I had to explain why I wanted the sound of a rooster crowing even though we were in the middle of the city,” said Barriuso.

As Latin Americans celebrate their stories, challenges between languages, identities and the different ways they express themselves are what shape them today.

This month of celebration is not just about acknowledging their heritage; it’s about shedding light on the diverse and compelling narratives that define Latin American contributions to Canadian society.

9

COMMUNITIES

Islamic Heritage Month: The unity of Muslim students on campus Some Muslim students at TMU are building a community for themselves at school

By Zoha Naghar Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is known for its mandate to “maintain a visible presence for equity, diversity and inclusion” and holds a large student body that comes from different walks of life.

A large portion of TMU’s population are a part of the Muslim community, one that is often unrepresented in many aspects of society.

The month of October marks Islamic Heritage Month in Canada.

The Muslim community at TMU is a strong, united and prideful group of students. But like any mass group of connected individuals, it takes person by person to come together as one.

This was the case for Rahaf AlAshqar and Maisam El-Wazani, two TMU students who have been friends since they were in elementary school. They came to university as a small group of two and now have a large caring group of fellow Muslim students, who all come from different backgrounds.

“It’s just encouraging,” said El-Wazani, a second-year nursing student.

She shares how her friend group can count on each other and how they all encourage each other to become better people—and better Muslims.

“Sometimes we’ll be sitting on the eighth floor at the [Student Learning Centre (SLC)] and we’ll remind each other to get up and pray and we’ll go to Khutbah [sermons] together. It’s good motivation.”

Al-Ashqar, a third-year architectural science student, followed up on what her friend said. She said that, during Ramadan, a lot of their classes would end too late to break their fast at home. This would cause most of them to stay on campus until Maghrib prayer.

“We got food and put the tables together at the SLC to have one big Iftar together” The month of Ramadan is observed by those who are Muslim.

Maghrib is traditionally the fourth prayer out of the five that occurs just after sunset.

“One day, there were like 40 students and we got food and put the tables together at the SLC to have one big Iftar together,” said AlAshqar. Breaking fast, also called Iftar, together in unity is a special value in Islam and that memory was a sense of unity with the students who were there.

Another one of their friends, Nadine Musa, is a second-year nursing student. Musa and El-Wazani both talked about how they feel seen on campus due to designated

BRITHI SEHRA, SAMMY KOGAN/ THE EYEOPENER

prayer rooms and culture clubs on ple and checks in on them often, campus. saying that the two main factors that influence why he behaves this way are his faith and his father.

“I didn’t expect the huge “My dad is a guy who loves to Muslim population to be greet people walking down the the way it is and to be how road [saying], ‘As-salamu Alaikum’. connected it is” I love that so much. That’s how I’m trying to be like. And why [is my] The one critique Musa would dad like that? Because of Islam. The have is that there aren’t enough same way my grandfather grew up, prayer rooms on campus. She with Islam,” says Shaarawy. hopes for there to be one in the As-salamu Alaikum means ‘peace SLC so students don’t have to rush be upon you’ in Arabic. He shares to the Student Campus Centre, the that he will always do his best to only interfaith room on campus. treat people with kindness and reThe Eyeopener reached out to the spect because that is how you build university for a comment regard- a community and a relationship ing the amount of prayer rooms on with others. campus, but did not receive an answer in time for print.

“My dad is a great guy Besides the critique, Musa shares who loves to greet people how nice it is to have found a comwalking down the road saying munity on campus. A big part of ‘Assalamu Alaikum’” building a community on campus is through clubs like the Palestinian Culture Club (PCC), that all three Soha Saeed, a fourth-year early friends are a part of. childhood studies student has had Ziad Shaarawy, a third-year a similar experience as Shaarawy. electrical engineering student, She says as someone who is a vismoved from Egypt at 10-years- ible minority—wearing a hijab on old. “I was shocked at how acces- campus—she feels represented and sible [the Muslim community] seen. She says that when she passes was. I thought it was going to be a other hijab-wearing women on lot harder. I didn’t expect the huge campus, they’ll greet each other Muslim population to be the way it with a smile and a simple hello is and to be how connected it is, but rather than just walking by. it’s there and it’s strong,” he said.

Fifth-year public health student He listed some of the student Marwah Azizi’s story is a bit differgroups at TMU that build connec- ent. Azizi moved to Canada from tions among Muslim students—the Afghanistan at 14-years-old and Egyptian Student Association, the says she had to feel secure with herPakistani Student Association, the self and her faith before she could Middle Eastern Student Association venture onto campus to find her and the Muslim Student Association community. She shares how she (MSA) to name a few. “The MSA has had to learn to not let people who a lot of really great events and a lot don’t like the way she practices her of really good posts [on Instagram]. beliefs influence who she was.

Whatever you’re looking for, you Now, in her final year at TMU, will definitely find it.” he said.

Azizi says she’s seen a ton of Shaarawy shares a personal growth in Islamic awareness and story of how he treats people and the Muslim student body over the creates a bond with the commu- years. “Muslim representation is nity he has on campus through the increasing and I’m really glad to see teachings of Islam. He greets peo- that. I feel like extensive thoughts

and experiences have been put into putting these events together and the focus now is on real issues like tackling Islamophobia and educating both Muslim and non-Muslim communities about real life events.”

Azizi talks about the importance of Islamic awareness, fighting against Islamophobia and how that played a partial role in her decision to choose to study public health.

Azizi has had first-hand experiences witnessing her own loved ones face racial injustices within the healthcare system.

According to the Ontario Human Right Commission, “The lack of services in minority languages has been repeatedly found to be an access barrier in various social services, including health services.”

Those who immigrate to Canada may not be able to explain how they feel due to the language barrier which may cause them to leave their appointments misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. She says she wishes the courses she’s taking at TMU would focus a bit more on the current state of Canada’s health system and its flaws, especially on racialized individuals.

“Muslim representation is increasing [on campus] and I’m really glad to see that” Student groups at TMU play a huge role in building a community for both Muslims and non-Muslims students. With a rise in predominantly Muslim student groups on campus, the TMU student body is continuing to build their knowledge surrounding Islam and the community only continues to get stronger and larger.

The president of the MSA, Abdullah Patel, says he’s proud of the work that he and the MSA committee have accomplished and continue to accomplish on campus.

He shares that not every event is

exclusive to Muslim students either and that anyone on campus is more than welcome to join.

“Breaking stigma, giving people information, answering questions people have about Islam or what we do. That’s what we’re there for. To provide Islamic awareness and build a community,” he said. Patel shares that the MSA has more upcoming events planned this year that will continue to help shine a light on and bring together the Muslim community at the university.

Jana Alnajjar, president and founder of the PCC, says the group is meant to create a safe space for Palestinian students, especially Muslim Palestinians like herself.

She shared that the connection between their cultural and religious customs are intertwined given Palestine’s rich Islamic history.

“Breaking stigma, giving people information, answering questions people have about Islam or what we do” Palestine is home to one of the holiest mosques in Islam, Masjid Al Aqsa, which is historically known as the first Qiblah—first direction of prayer—in which Muslims used to pray towards.

That was until the direction of prayer changed to face the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam.

“PCC’s mission extends beyond cultural celebration. It involves educating and advocating on behalf of Muslims. In this way, PCC’s role at TMU is crucial in enhancing the Muslim community’s presence at the university, not just by celebrating our heritage but by also engaging in charitable initiatives to support Muslim countries and causes.” said Alnajjar.

This Islamic Heritage Month, TMU community members can take some time to learn about and celebrate their Muslim friends and their culture—and student groups at the university can be a good place to start.

10

ESPORTS

Esports return to the MAC as uncertainty looms for future

By Dexter LeRuez It seemed like another usual day at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) as people went up the stairs, escalators and elevators. Yet, that all changed when they got to the fourth floor.

What was once a hockey arena had been transformed into a state-ofthe-art esports stadium with bright lights and high-end gaming computers alongside the booming sounds of video games blaring over the speakers.

The MAC was overtaken by the Overwatch League (OWL) for a second year in a row as the league prepared to crown its champion in their Grand Finals tournament.

“Meeting people, getting to know the community, getting to know everything about Overwatch and seeing the pros play [excites me],” said Matis Smolla, a fan of the Overwatch League.

Enthusiasm filled the air, but was undercut by a pungent smell of uneasiness. Fans of the League knew the Grand Finals may be the last time they would watch professional Overwatch—a first-person shooter video game created by Activision-Blizzard Inc. (Blizzard). As a result, the university’s sports complex was filled to the brim.

This off-season, Overwatch ownership groups will vote on a new operating agreement. Those who opt out of the contract and exit the League will be compensated with a $6-million termination fee.

Given the poor financial state of the OWL, many teams are likely to take the payment and disband, making fans fearful that this year’s Grand Finals may be the final professional OWL tournament.

In November 2016, Blizzard presented their new gaming franchise Overwatch as a potential premier esport. They announced a league featuring traditional sports hallmarks such as geographically located teams and permanent franchising slots, removing the risk of relegation from

the league due to poor performance— both of which were relatively new in the esports space.

Two years later, OWL commenced their schedule from a TV studio in Burbank, Calif., to teams from three continents competing against one another for the title of the best Overwatch team in the world.

The first two seasons of OWL saw spectacular heights. The League hosted its first two Grand Finals events in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. and the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.—two major sporting arenas in the United States—to crowds of over 10 thousand per event.

In 2020, with momentum on their side, the League sought to go on the road full-time.

However, the League’s road trip would hit a roadblock as the CO-

“[Meeting up with them] is probably more special than the event itself” VID-19 pandemic shut down live events and forced a transition to online play.

Additionally, fewer people were watching OWL. According to data firm Esports Charts, average viewership during the playoffs decreased by 150 per cent between the 2018 and 2021 seasons.

To add insult to injury, sponsors vanished after a lawsuit against Activision-Blizzard alleged a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination within the company.

As revenue dwindled, teams either cut back on operating costs or disbanded entirely, as the Chengdu Hunters—a team owned by Chinese live streaming website Huya and based out of Chengdu, China—did earlier this year.

OWL regularly highlights its community through running community tournaments, showcasing fan art during matches and joining in on community memes.

STEPHEN KAZUMI/THE EYEOPENER The unique fan environment has resulted in a tight-knit community where friendships such as Alasdair Feindel and Smolla’s formed.

Despite residing in Nova Scotia and Quebec respectively, Feindel and Smolla have become close friends through Overwatch and coach an amateur team together.

For the pair, the Grand Finals meant meeting up with friends and community members for the first time. “[A reason for] coming here is to meet people like [Smolla who] I’ve worked with for so long,” said Feindel. “[Meeting up with them is] probably more special than the event itself.”

In the online space of Overwatch, it is rare for fans with similar interests to be able to get together in the real world.

“We all got interested in this game.

We all get very passionate about this,” said Smolla. “So yes, the event is really cool, but meeting people with the same interest that have put in the same work…is just really amazing.”

As fans met and mingled, the tournament reached its Grand Finals, STEPHEN KAZUMI/THE EYEOPENER

where the Houston Outlaws would face the Florida Mayhem for the 2023 Overwatch League championship.

Fans gathered in the MAC, prepared to watch what might be the last match in the history of professional Overwatch. All hoping to see one more legendary finals, perhaps going the full distance.

However, after just the minimum

“I thought I was having a heart attack. My eyes started blurring out of focus and I started feeling dizzy” of four maps, the Florida Mayhem rose out of their seats and embraced one another, sweeping the Outlaws to win the Overwatch League.

“I feel like the fans are probably disappointed that it was a sweep,” said Ham ‘SOMEONE’ Jeong-wan, who plays characters focused on soaking up damage and creating space for his team—otherwise known as a tank player—for the Mayhem through a translator. “I was relieved that it was so fast. But at the same time, it felt like it finished too soon.”

However, other players on the Mayhem felt differently about their championship victory.

“I thought I was having a heart attack,” said Baek ‘Checkmate’ Seunghun, who plays offensive output characters—otherwise known as a damage-per-second (DPS) player— for the Mayhem, through a translator.

“My eyes started blurring out of focus and I started feeling dizzy. I started [thinking], ‘Is this even real?

Am I even in reality right now?’”

Whether the team’s victory brought ecstasy or melancholy, the win served as the pinnacle of the Mayhem’s seven rostered players’ careers. All of them have spent thousands of hours playing the game and working on their craft.

For Lee ‘WhoRU’ Seung-jun, who is a DPS player for the Mayhem, it’s been a rocky road. He has spent time bouncing between the higher and lower tier of competitive Overwatch, making paychecks hard to come by.

WhoRU played his first competitive matches at 16 years old. Now at 22, WhoRU has joined the League, retired, came back, was released from his team and then returned again—as he walked through the revolving door of professional gaming.

Throughout the turmoil, WhoRU’s love for Overwatch continued to grow.

“I’ve gained a deeper and deeper understanding of the game,” said WhoRU. “I think that’s what’s [made] me never want to let go.”

WhoRU’s time with the Mayhem has been short, joining the squad in September 2023 following a year in Contenders—the minor league of Overwatch.

Less than a month later, he held the Overwatch League trophy for the second time in his career. He first won the prize back in 2021 with the Shanghai Dragons, where he also joined the team late and did not play in the post-season.

But now, WhoRU’s career enters

“Through Overwatch, I got to meet a lot of people...I owe a lot to the game” another period of uncertainty with the state of the League up in the air.

Nevertheless, for WhoRU, his teammates, their competitors and fans of the League, Overwatch will remain a part of their lives long after this year’s Grand Finals.

“Overwatch is part of me; it’s like one of my personas,” said WhoRU. “I started [knowing] nothing in life. Through Overwatch, I got to meet a lot of people. I got to go through so many experiences.

I owe a lot to the game.”

11

RIZZ & TECH

The origins of RU Mine

How did TMU’s famed dating app come to be and what’s in its future?

BRITHI SEHRA/THE EYEOPENER

By Jake MacAndrew Throughout the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, many Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students were left at home, studying away from campus. But one dating application made connecting with other students easier. Those were the years of RU Mine, TMU’s exclusive dating app.

James Heaney and Reza Khonsari are the creators of the app. They sat down with The Eyeopener for the origin story of their friendship that led to the app’s creation, which had five per cent of TMU’s population registered at its peak.

Heaney and Khonsari—both TMU engineering alumni—met during the frosh of Heaney’s first year in 2017.

Khonsari was a third-year student in a group chat for upper-years to guide new engineering students in their transition to university.

“I was involved in the engineering society, so I was trying to help students that are coming in [and] introduce them to everything,” said Khonsari. “That’s how we all met.

It was just random.”

A few years after meeting, Heaney and Khonsari’s ideas for a dating app emerged.

“We would hang out and we would talk a lot online. At the beginning of 2020, in January, for some reason, dating apps were kind of on my mind. Both of us had done a lot of software work. So we were kind of joking about it in that group chat with a bunch of us. Reza was like, ‘That’s not that bad of an idea,’” said Heaney.

Khonsari said at the time, his friends were struggling to meet new people and go on dates with people close by.

“[My friends] were all having the same problem. They were all trying to meet dating partners... but most of them had to travel to York [University] or [University of Toronto] for that. So we were like, if you put something for [TMU] where people can meet each other, it would make [dating] a lot easier for everyone involved.”

Two hours after this conversation, the pair began developing a plan for a TMU-based dating application. According to Khonsari, the first step was gauging interest—starting with a sign-up web page and developing the app if they obtained enough registrations.

“We worked on a couple of administration pages and an Instagram. We got a lot of feedback that was very good. So we’re like, we should actually start building this and see how it goes,” said Khonsari.

“I was in the gym at the time, and it kind of just hit me.

RU Mine [as in] Ryerson University!”

Before the duo created RU Mine, they developed an online questionnaire for Valentine’s Day 2020. They called the service Cupid’s Arrow. Heaney and Khonsari would aggregate student responses to 15 questions and create a list of 10 TMU students who matched similar answers.

“Development for the App Store came basically after that,” said Heaney. “That was the beginning of March [2020]...I used the opportunity of those two weeks inside the house, and I basically just put my head down and coded

[the app].”

While Heaney worked on the application’s backend, like the program code and software updates, Khonsari worked on marketing their product.

The famed name RU Mine was an idea that came to life on the first day of planning the app in January 2020. While sending ideas back and forth in an online chat for fun, Heaney had a striking realization.

“We were goofing around in this group chat…I was in the gym at the time, and it kind of just hit me. RU Mine [as in] Ryerson University!

I sent it to Reza, and he was like, ‘That’s it,’” said Heaney.

terial,” added Heaney.

“When you see all these people trying to log in and then aren’t able to sign in, they know that other people are on it. So they think maybe there’s a lot of people trying to do this at the same time,” said Khonsari.

The app peaked in users when version two launched in December of that year. Khonsari approximates the number at 2000.

“You could say that we want it to be turned into something bigger in the future, but we were just having fun with it”

Version two came with the addition of RU Friends—a friend finder application—Spotify integration, a new user interface and an improved algorithm.

RU Mine’s algorithm was pretty simple without “secret sauce,” according to Heaney. It prioritized shared interests among users over physical attractiveness.

“We wanted to give everyone the same chance to meet everyone. We didn’t want the people who look the best to get the best matches because that’s not really how it should work,” said Khonsari. “It should be based on interests, personality and everything else.”

Despite the ongoing success of the app, it was only a passion project for the two engineers. Heaney was in mechanical engineering, and Khonsari was in civil engineering.

“You could say that we want it to be turned into something bigger in the future, but we were just having fun with it,” said Khonsari.

“We didn’t really have any business [education] or anything like

Heaney and Khonsari said no other names came close to the frontrunner, RU Mine.

“Usually when you come up with an idea for a name of a product, [it’s] the hardest bit,” said Heaney. “That was kind of the first idea, and it stuck. It worked well.”

At the launch of the app in March 2020, although their biggest concern was a need for more people to match within the initial days of the program, 700 TMU students signed up for RU Mine within the first hour.

“We expected 200 to 300 [users], but when it came to 700, our server wasn’t able to handle that load,” said Khonsari.

Heaney said they purposefully crashed the server to implement fixes before the user traffic load crashed by itself.

“We used that as marketing ma-

“I uploaded all the code for free online. So if anybody wants to [relaunch], all the code is there”

that. The app had no ads, it was free, and we were not making much money from it.”

As the pandemic waned, Heaney and Khonsari put their efforts into other projects like FindMyVax—an aggregator software that helped Canadians find vaccine clinics.

Additionally, app usage declined as the pair winded down development. There has been no updates to RU Mine since February 2021.

Both engineers were reaching the end of their schooling by 2021.

Khonsari was completing his master’s degree and Heaney was about to start his capstone project during the final semester of his undergraduate degree.

As for Heaney and Khonsari’s future with RU Mine, that era of their lives has probably passed.

“The very hard thing about it is that we’re not really at TMU anymore,” said Khonsari. “We would have to take some time to start marketing…back then, you know, we were [on campus] basically like all day.”

As for the future of the app itself, resurrection is possible.

“I uploaded all the code for free online. So if anybody wants to do it, all the code is there,” said Heaney. “You can learn from our mistakes and take what worked and what didn’t.”

The code to recreate a new version of RU Mine for the TMU era is available on the software development website GitHub. All that’s needed is a new generation of TMU students who are willing to start the process.

As Heaney wrote in the description of the RU Mine code, “Nothing gold can stay,” but the question is, can it come back?

12

SATIRE & FUN

BeReal, BeShmeal: Is there anyone who’s actually being real?

By Adriana Fallico If you’re reading this, stop right now.

It’s time to BeReal.

That’s what it’ll sound like when it’s actually time to BeReal. Did you just jump to check your phone? If so, you’ve probably heard about this increasingly popular app that has changed the course of many students’ lives.

BeReal is a social media app that sends notifications to users once a day at a random time, giving everyone two minutes to snap and post a photo with both the front and back camera on your phone. After roughly 24 hours, the pictures will disappear from everyone’s feed once it’s time to “be real” again. In short, this is the app that sends everyone into short-term delirium.

That’s what it feels like when I’m hanging out with people who use this app. It’s as if the world is put on a timer and nothing else matters until everyone’s pictures are taken. Is your assignment is due in a minute and 50 seconds? Guess you’ll be handing it in late as you’re busy getting your friends in the picture. In the middle of a workout? Take a break to strike a pose. Running late to class because you spent the last two hours drowning in existential dread? Say cheese!

BeReal has turned into a daily ritual for a lot of Toronto Metro-

politan University students. When the highly-anticipated notification goes off on people’s phones, the room turns into a goddamn carnival.

There’s been so many times when I was chilling with a group of people, chatting about the meaning of life, when someone snaps up from their seat and screeches, “GUYS, IT’S TIME TO BEREAL!” That’s when everyone fixes their hair, jerks upright and smiles while I’m sitting here, slouched over and wondering what the point of any of this is.

“This is the app that sends everyone into short-term delirium” I think the funniest time I’ve witnessed this was while riding the subway with a friend. Suddenly, the BeReal notification went off and she went into a crazed panic—throwing the bag she was holding into a stranger’s face. If I looked hard enough, I bet I would have seen steam flying out of her ears.

“GERTRUDE, SIT DOWN!” I whisper-shouted, trying to sit her annoying ass back down.

“But it’s time to BeReal!” she whined, holding up a peace sign.

“Gertrude, your bag is IN SOMEONE’S FACE. SIT DOWN.” I could feel the entire train’s eyes

on us, but she was posing like no one was watching. She started freaking out that the app was not loading while forgetting that she was underground. I told her to wait until we got off the train, but no, the picture just had to be taken now or apparently humanity as we know it would end.

Honestly, I can see the overall appeal for BeReal’s purpose. According to Sprout Social, BeReal “focuses on authenticity and asks its users to be real.” Giving users such little time to snap a picture in the moment can be a fun way to show your followers what you are actually doing in real time. There are no filters or editing applications, which challenges users to show who they really are. For people who live far away from their friends and family, BeReal is honestly a cool way to stay connected.

What defeats the app’s entire purpose is that people will deliberately wait to send their BeReal until they are doing something fun or worth sharing with everyone and their mom. For example, I overheard a few students the other day saying that they were going to save their BeReal for the SZA concert. Karma’s a bitch! Besides, it’s not like there’s a grand punishment for taking your picture outside the two-minute time frame, so why abide by it?

Users can also take up to two “bo-

BRITHI SEHRA/THE EYEOPENER nus BeReals” as long as they take the first one within the original twominute period. This gives everyone the chance to take one photo in the moment and then snap up to two more when they’re doing something fun later. To me, this is a useless feature that BeReal could have easily gone without.

ture. The most you’ll get is a side-eye from your friends.

Personally, I could never see myself downloading BeReal. I already spend way too much time on Instagram and whatever Twitter is called now to focus on yet another other app. I’m more than happy to pose comfortably in the backs of all my friends’ pictures. I guess you could say that I’m not ready to be real.

“Take a break to strike Want one of your BeReals feaa pose” tured in an upcoming article by The Eye? Send in a BeReal by sccanThis begs the question—what’s ning this QR code and show us how real about BeReal? My answer: abso- you’re being real this semester! lutely fucking nothing.

To me, BeReal only proves that it’s basically impossible to be authentic on social media. It’s not like the almighty BeReal gods will damn you for life if you wait to take your pic-

The best ways to waste time on campus between classes

SAMMY KOGAN/THE EYEOPENER

By Michael Karant Many of us have had this problem before. It’s a lovely Tuesday morning at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and you’ve just finished your first class, fresh at 11 a.m.

However, you check your watch and realize the next one doesn’t start until 2 p.m. You don’t feel like going all the way home between classes but you need something to do. You are now presented with a golden opportunity—or dilemma depending on how you approach the next few hours. Here are six ways you can make time simply fly by as you wait for your next class to begin.

cal approach to kill time, would be to buckle down, actually do this week’s readings and get ahead of your schoolwork. If this ends up being your plan of action to kill time, it is important to grab your caffeine of choice, get a grasp on your assignments and pretend to get ahead of your schoolwork. Besides, it’s not like you didn’t feel that you were behind last week.

Sweat the time away If you choose not to be productive during your first class, why don’t you try being productive at the gym instead? Under a grassy knoll in the midst of Kerr Hall hides TMU’s Recreation and Atheltic Centre. It’s Take the academic approach time to stop putting off that weight A reasonable solution, and the logi- lifting session and get some exer-

cise. There is no better feeling than sweating away that “built up” anxiety and showing up to your afternoon class smelling like success.

If strenuous physical activity isn’t really your thing, but you still want to move a little, here’s a challenge.

Rumour has it that the TMU community has been dying to find out exactly how many lockers there are in Kerr Hall! Take a little walk and count some lockers to solve this ageold mystery.

Seriously study...your style While you may be falling behind on your school work and on exercise, you may also be falling behind in your wardrobe. Not feeling so fresh in your black puffer? Tired of your creased white Reeboks? It’s time for you to study your personal style and hit the stores to revamp your look.

Head across the street to the Eaton Centre and try to find something that really catches your eye. Find that jacket that won’t get stale after three wears and will go perfectly with anything. You’ll then study it, consider reality and take a moment to swallow your heart as you realize that this beautiful jacket costs more than half your rent. But don’t worry, this isn’t necessarily a waste of time!

Simply leafing through all of the

overpriced clothes and daydreaming about fits is half the fun. Besides, who says that school hours have to be spent studying school subjects?

Catch a lil’ movie break Three hours between classes is plenty of time for you to catch a movie. The Yonge-Dundas Cineplex on campus is the best spot to sneak into, I mean visit, to catch a little movie before class. This can be a fantastic way to alleviate stress as long as you’re ok with hiding under the seats for a few hours.

However, as this is strictly not allowed, the best way to enter a theatre would be to get creative. As cartoons have taught us time andtime again, dressing up as a janitor to sneak your way into the movies is simply the most effective way to do this. Let those due dates fall into the back of your mind as you lose yourself in a casual third rewatching of Bottoms while you lounge in your stylish coveralls.

Read a book, touch some grass Nothing kills time like reading a good novel, but the environment you choose to read in is important to set the atmosphere. A standard campus coffee shop like Balzac’s could be a sensible option if you want to cap-

ture your main character ambiance or do some people-watching. Page One’s decor of old typewriters is also bound to set you in a good reading mood.

Need a change of scenery? Fresh air is just as good of a choice of environment to be in, especially before the winter months hit. Besides, we both know you need a break from the inside of a classroom. Just take a seat in the centre of the Quad and settle into the dead yellow grass. Don’t forget to make sure your sweater is at least 51 per cent wool, ensuring you’re comfortable in your lovely reading spot.

Take a dance break, or let someone do it for you...

Let’s say you’ve potentially got some extra money laying around. Got a few too many five dollar bills or loonies from your server job? Well, it happens that the lovely gentlemen’s club Zanzibar is open late daily.

If your next class is in the evening when the club is open, this is a great way to make your wallet less bulky.

Just grab a drink, a snack and a seat and you’ll realize how much time can fly while you’re having fun. You may also be amazed at how much of that excess cash can disappear after a few drinks and an...interactive dance show.