THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA
September 8, 2015 Volume 42, Issue 1 themedium.ca
Controversy over “reverse racism” UTMSU Facebook and Instagram post sparks online debate over racism NICOLE DANESI NEWS EDITOR A social media post published by UTMSU has sparked intense debate over racism and what it means for both white and racialized groups. The Facebook and Instagram post was published on July 28 as part of a wider UTMSU campaign defining social equity concepts. The post in question defined the term “reverse racism”. According to the post, “There is no definition for this term because reverse racism does not exist. An oppressed group cannot be racist towards those in the dominant group (white people) because though they may be prejudiced, they are not in a position of power to actually be racist towards them.” Other terms included in what is described by UTMSU as an “educational campaign” include racism, intersectionality, xenophobia, respectability politics, and cultural appropriation, all of which were posted online throughout the summer. Since being published, the reverse
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Nearly 100 comments have debated the post on Facebook. racism post has received nearly 100 Facebook comments debating the definition. The other terms received zero to two comments. According to UTMSU VP equity Zehra Ramsha, UTMSU did not expect the post to receive the reaction
it did. “Nobody was expecting this kind of backlash,” said Ramsha, who explained that the campaign was intended to serve as an educational tool for students learning about equity. Ramsha, however, told The Medium
the term “reverse racism” should never have been included in the campaign and she did not approve the post prior to publishing. “The term ‘reverse racism’ should not have even been put up,” she said, explaining that the term was too sub-
stantial to be posted and the definition should have been written differently. “It seems more a personal definition rather than a generalized definition,” she added. “It’s really sad but not surprising that many white people took this post offensively because it isn’t meant to attack whites at all,” said Sherry Ghaly, UTMSU’s anti-racism coordinator. “It’s simply stating that white people are given privileges in society not afforded to people of colour.” Ghaly, who wrote the definitions, said that racism must be understood in terms of the broader social factors. “When [people of colour] are discriminatory in North America, it’s meaningless; we do not have nearly the same political, social, or economic clout to influence policies or curriculums, or make changes wherever we see fit. White people do possess such clout though, [and] their prejudices have the ability to alter the lives of POC on a very grand scale, as it has for centuries,” she said. Racism continued on page 2
Orientation Weeks abound at UTM UTMSU complains of competition as Office of Transition hosts new frosh week NICOLE DANESI WITH NOTES FROM FARHAT AMINI First-year students had several options when choosing where to celebrate their first week at UTM this year. Aside from UTMSU’s annual frosh week, campus groups welcomed firstyear students with festivities hosted by the Muslim Students’ Association and the Office of Student Transition, a new department at UTM, which organized a free Eagles Take Off frosh week. The orientation week included campus tours, sessions on time management and critical reading, a yoga class, and a tour of the nature paths on campus. “I think the students really enjoyed it,” said Chrissy Sharma, a Campus Experience LAUNCH Leader who
Prof is gone? UTM is keeping mum on why a prof is no longer here, and what happened to his classes. Medium News, page 3
The value of an education People say that university teaches us to think critically. But does it really? Medium Opinion, page 4
Beauty and bodies Our arts editor writes about having her body painted so she could become walking artwork. Medium Arts, page 6
Max’s big ride to UTM
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UTMSU, the Muslim Students’ Association, and the Office of Student Transition host frosh events helped organized Eagles Take Off. Sharma also said in a telephone interview with The Medium that the Eagles Take Off orientation was in
response to feedback administration collected about first-year students in previous years and that the orientation was intended to provide students
with a way to learn about the campus and discover resources available to them. Frosh continued on page 3
Andrew Sedmihradsky and his son biked 600 km to raise money for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Medium Features, page 8
Battle fought and lost U of T Varsity Blues suffers loss during their first game against the McMaster Marauders. Medium Sports, page 11