Vol 43 issue 23

MPs talk Syrian refugees

Rape culture at U of T

Wilde wraps up the season

Pitching her way to the finals

A year in UTM sports

News, page 2

Opinion, page 4

Arts, page 5

Features, page 8

Sports, page 11

Demand Better slate wins most seats Demand Better, We the Students, and independent candidates elected in UTSU election

MENNA ELNAKA NEWS EDITOR KASSANDRA HANGDAAN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto Students’ Union released its primary spring election results on its online voting website on Thursday evening, with five candidates getting elected from team Demand Better, one independent executive, and one from We the Students slate.

Demand Better’s presidential candidate Mathias Memmel, current UTSU internal, won the position with 2,202 votes, while We the Students’ presidential candidate, Andre Fast, attained 2,027 votes.

“I’m indescribably grateful to have been given the chance to do some good. Faith in the possibility of something better was a big part of our campaign. Students put their faith in us, but also in people who didn’t run with us, so I need to have faith that those people also want something better,”

OLIVIA ADAMCZYK/THE MEDIUM

Unofficial results revealed that Memmel of Demand Better won the position of president. stated Memmel in an email to The Medium.

Daman Singh, also from Demand Better, won the VP internal position with 2,122 votes, whereas Jackie Zhao, current UTMSU VP internal

and We the Students’ candidate received 1,952.91 votes.

Carina Zhang was the only one from We the Students to win, taking the VP university affairs position with 2,119 votes.

The only independent candidate, Anne Boucher, was running for VP external and obtained 1,933 votes.

“Yes, I’m sad that we lost Josie and Fasiha, but I also want to make things work with Carina and Anne,” added

Memmel to The Medium. “It won’t be business as usual at the UTSU, and we can’t afford another year of infighting. Things are going to happen very quickly, and I don’t intend to let anyone down.”

The other three positions: VP equity, VP campus life, and VP professional faculties were all elected from Demand Better. Chimwemwe Alao received 1,818 votes, Stuart Norton received 1,822, and Shivani Nathoo was elected with 505 votes.

According to the online results, a total number of 5,867 of 49,729 electors voted in the ballot.

Reboot U of T withdrew from the elections, fearing a disqualification after accumulating almost 38 demerit points, with the maximum points allowed being 35.

Some of the demerit points for Reboot were a result of transphobic comments made on their Facebook page.

UTSU continued on page 3

Results, demerits and disqualification UTMSU election results are expected to be officially ratified this week at the union’s board meeting ALICIA BOATTO ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Fresh UTM claimed a landslide victory in the Spring UTMSU elections. The unofficial results were released on Sunday night on UTMSU’s Facebook page, announcing the full slate’s victory for all five executive positions.

“Our team was surprised by the results. I think when you’re running in an election, you think of the worst case scenario, like all of your hard work amounting to nothing.

We were very thorough, we had a number of people part of the campaign, which allowed us to reach out to as many students as possible, and I think everyone’s hard work paid off,” wrote the new presidentelect from the Fresh UTM slate, Salma Fakhry, in an email to The Medium.

“I’m very thankful to my team of

OLIVIA ADAMCZYK/THE MEDIUM

UTMSU’s upcoming board meeting will ratify the election results that announced Fresh UTM’s win. volunteers and my executives. We had a great time talking to students, and we’re so grateful for the opportunity to work on these issues.”

Some of Fresh UTM’s campaign promises include securing a GTAwide U-Pass for UTM students, working towards reinstating OHIP

coverage for international students, and creating a midterm deferral policy for students who are unable to take their midterms at the des-

ignated time or have multiple midterms on the same day.

“We’re most excited to work on the GTA U-Pass and the midterm deferral policy. I believe the GTA U-Pass will take more time, simply because of the work we need to do with other student unions in the GTA and with Metrolinx. Hopefully, the midterm deferral policy will be easier, because variations of the policy exist at other universities,” stated Fakhry.

Fakhry also wrote that after the results of the election are ratified, their team will be preparing to transition into their new roles.

Their transition includes learning administrative responsibilities from the current union. The team will also be meeting to discuss how to achieve their campaign promises.

Elections continued on page 2

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«NEWS

THE MEDIUM 03.20.2017

MPs address Syrian refugee issues in Q&A March 9th, 2017.

Mischief.

A student reported both his driver’s side tires were flat.

reported to Campus Police that a student’s laptop was stolen from her residence.

March 10th, 2017.

Police Assistance.

While on patrol, Campus Police came across a female requiring medical assistance. ECSpeRT assisted and the student was then transported to hospital.

March 13th, 2017.

Police Assistance.

Campus Police were called to attend a student experiencing medical distress. ECSpeRT assisted and the student was then transported to hospital.

March 10th, 2017.

Unwanted Person.

Campus Police were advised of an unwanted person in the CCT building.

March 14th, 2017.

Traffic Complaint.

Campus Police received a report of a vehicle driving recklessly. The driver was identified and cautioned by Campus Police.

March 10th, 2017.

Mischief.

Campus Police received a report of property damage to parking signs in the CCT garage.

March 10th, 2017.

Theft.

A student reported to Campus Police that his parking pass was stolen from his car.

March 10th, 2017.

Mischief.

Campus Police received a report of vandalism to elevator #2 in the Davis building.

March 14th, 2017.

Trespass to Property Act. A non-community member attempted to gain access to the gym by using someone else’s T-card. .

March 15th, 2017.

Police Assistance.

Campus Police were called to attend a student experiencing medical distress. ECSpeRT also attended. Student refused transport to hospital.

March 15th, 2017.

Trespass to Property Act. A student swiped his T-card to allow two non-members into the gym.

March 12th, 2017.

Theft.

Residence coordinator on duty

These reports are those that have been released to The Medium from Campus Police and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list.

Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905 453 3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477.

UTM First VP equity candidate disqualified Elections continued from cover When asked when the official election results will be released, UTMSU VP external Marise Hopkins stated that they have been ratified by the ERC and will be carried on to the UTMSU board to be officially ratified.

As previously reported by The Me-

Mduduzi Mhlanga had a total of 54 demerit points, which exceeds the maximum 35 demerits points allowed. dium, Fakhry had stated that her team is now at 13 demerit points. The UTM First team had 39 demerits, except for their VP equity candidate, Mduduzi Mhlanga, who had 64 points, as of

March 12.

“The only demerit points appealed that changed were [Mhlanga’s], who now has 54 demerit points,” this year’s chair of the Elections and Referenda Committee, Hopkins, wrote to The Medium in an email on March 17.

The winners for the Board of Directors in Division II and Division III were also announced. For Division II, Melinda Callahan, Nour Shell, Neisha Ghani, and Zakk Dodge were elected.

As for Division III, winners are as follows: Mohammad Ali Al-Hassan, Shirley Cui, Amy Jin, Jessica Duggan, Zahira Tsabehji, Kelly Liu, and Rasha Al-Rammahi.

The UTMSU elections concluded on March 9 and the unofficial results were released on the evening of March 11. The next UTMSU board meeting is expected to take place this Tuesday to officially ratify the election results.

DANIELLE ROLFE/THE MEDIUM

Several MPs answered student questions on Syrian refugees and Indigenous people.

KAYVAN AFLAKI

Last Thursday, the Young Liberals Club at UTM hosted several members of parliament representing the Liberal Party of Canada in a roundtable Q&A session on the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. MP Omar Alghabra of Mississauga Centre, MP Raj Grewal of Brampton East, and MP Gagan Sikand of MississaugaStreetsville took part in the hourlong discussion.

REFUGEES “The refugee crisis is an important issue of discussion because it directly affects Canadian citizens and our economy. Thus, it’s important to be aware of and understand how these changes affect us as citizens,” said the Young Liberals Club president, Lilian Atari, to The Medium.

“So our club felt the need to have this event, because the Liberal Party made a commitment to Canadians and refugees, and we saw MPs as primary sources of information.”

Varun Gupta, a third-year political science student, was among the group of students attending the Q&A session in Spigel Hall. His question to the panel inquired as to whether or not the Canadian government’s threshold for refugees was reduced as a result of the Syrian initiative of accepting refugees into the country.

Alghabra explained that Canada’s immigration system did not discriminate on any basis, but rather made accommodations for the Syrian crisis on the basis of its magnitude.

“Regardless of what country, religion, sex, the immigration process is uniform. The Syrian initiative is unique, given that it is the worst modern refugee crisis in the world.

Our government made a political decision to allocate an additional number on top of the average refugee allocations we have, but it did not take away our ability to resettle other types of protected individuals.”

He went on to clarify the role of the Canadian government in supporting and accommodating large influxes of newcomers during their transition to North American life.

“There are really two types of newcomers in the Syrian initiative— there are government-sponsored and private-sponsored refugees.

Providing housing was an important element for our government-funded refugees,” said Alghabra.

“At the beginning, many were actually staying in hotels while we arranged individual housing accommodations. The private-sponsored refugees have families, churches, mosques, and other charitable organizations, which are responsible for providing accommodations for up to one year.”

Sikand quickly added, however,

“One hiccup in our accomodation was that we didn’t take into account the sizes of some families arriving to Canada.” that the government’s foresight in regards to resettlement fell short on several occasions. “One hiccup in our accommodation was that we didn’t take into account the sizes of some families arriving to Canada.

What we originally allotted in many cases had to be expanded very quickly.”

INDIGENOUS Following a lengthy discussion, Atari directed the forum to the subject matter of Aboriginal rights.

“With the welcoming of refugees last year, there were concerns that Indigenous people, who already feel like refugees in their homeland, would be neglected,” she said. “The government has spent millions of dollars on refugees who will get firstclass citizenship, while there are First Nations living in third-world conditions. What is the government intending to do to resolve this?”

Alghabra and Grewal took the floor to respond.

“Our government is focused on reconciling with our Indigenous people,” responded Alghabra. “Last year’s budget had the largest number of dollars—eight billion—dedicated

to dealing with the challenges facing Indigenous communities. Money alone is certainly not the answer […], and the problem will not be resolved in one year. Our government is committed and is applying a whole-of-government approach. It starts with housing, access to clean water, and accessibility to mental health resources.”

“It’s a big problem and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to repairing this relationship,” continued Grewal.

“Eight billion is a historic investment […]. I don’t think it’s ever been that high. I think one of the first priorities is to end the boil water advisories in Indigenous communities around the country. If you’re living in the GTA, you can’t imagine that some Canadians don’t have access to clean water.

“The missing and murdered Indigenous women inquiry has also been launched, and there’s a round of consultations with First Nations around the country to identify other problems. There’s certainly a growing mental health aspect to all these issues as well, particularly teen suicides. Education is a huge answer to some of these problems, and this is a federal responsibility for our First Nations.”

The Liberal government has recently been chided by Indigenous leaders and political opposition for “racial discrimination” that forces First Nations children on reserves to be taken from their families and be placed into foster care. When the issue was brought up at the roundtable on two separate occasions, the MPs addressed the claims.

“I think it’s a little unfair to associate Aboriginals with refugees,” suggested Sikand, who’s a former member of the Council of Aboriginal Affairs. “The situation is really like comparing apples and oranges.”

In regards to providing support to the Canadian government’s ongoing refugee efforts, the MPs recommended that brief research in one’s local resettlement initiatives was the most effective method to make a difference.

MPs continued on page 3

03.20.2017 THE MEDIUM NEWS

Reboot slate’s withdrawal UTSU continued from cover “On Saturday March 11, the CRO received a complaint against the Reboot Team for deliberate lackadaisical approach to the moderating of their Facebook page, particularly in regards to recent trans-phobic posts and comments from followers on the Reboot Facebook page,” reads the rulings, which was issued on March 13.

According to UTSU’s Elections Procedures Code, “A Candidate using a website or online network as a campaign tool is responsible for the moderation of all materials so that they are in accordance with the rules of Fair Play. Violations of Campaigning rules on websites or online networks

by Candidates or Arm’s-Length Parties are also subject to the penalties detailed in Article VI.3.”

When asked about the demerit points and withdrawal, Reboot life science director candidate Avinash Mukkala and VP internal candidate Jessica Leung told The Medium that, “Reboot did not withdraw; members of the slate withdrew from the slate, but not the election to avoid accruing further demerit points for the entire slate.”

They also explained that someone outside the team was the one who made the transphobic comment against one of Reboot’s executive candidates on Facebook.

“This comment was not policed quick enough, and hence the whole slate was penalized, and five members were disqualified. This comment was not made by any member of Reboot nor was it made by anyone affiliated with the slate,” said the candidates, further stressing that the issue was over not “censoring” the comment in a timely fashion.

An article written by The Varsity on March 13, “Five Reboot candidates, including Micah Ryu, obtain enough demerit points to be disqualified,” reports that Reboot received eight demerit points following a comment “left by an unaffiliated party on a Reboot Facebook page post.” It also explains that the CRO/ERC ruled that the comment “intentionally misgendered a member of the Executive.”

In response to the article, Mukkala and Leung alleged that Reboot requested The Varsity to clarify the article’s wording “on who exactly made the comment.” Mukkala added that the request was met, as The Varsity’s

editor in chief, Alex McKeen, “corrected some of the implied meaning errors in that poorly-written Varsity article, and added an editor’s note at the bottom, clarifying the real happening of the incidents in question.”

An official explanation for the resignation of Reboot’s candidates from the slate was issued on Reboot’s Facebook page. The statement read that while many Reboot members were placed “on the edge of disqualification,” five had already been formally disqualified.

“This move [of withdrawal] is meant to ensure the best chances for election for the remaining candidates, based on their personal risk/benefit analysis of staying with the slate,” read the statement.

This year’s UTSU spring elections were considered historic, since it was the first time in years that four teams and two independent candidates raced for the seven executive positions in the union.

The elections ran from Tuesday to Thursday last week, and the results were released shortly after the ballots closed on Thursday evening. They are expected to be officially ratified.

»

3

»IS VOTING EFFECTIVE?

Gloria Laus 1st year, Anthropology

Bob Barua 1st year, Life sciences

If we’re counting every vote, that makes a potential change.

It does make a change, but it depends on the candidates. It’s subjective.

David Scott 1st year, CPS

Hillary Torres 1st year, Social sciences

You like most of the campaign ideas, but in reality, 20 percent gets done.

It’s important to vote, but I don’t necessarily think platforms are different.

MSA’s Islam Awareness Week

Reconciling with Indigenous people

DANIELLE ROLFE/THE MEDIUM

The Continuing the Legacy conference included a public speaking workshop.

FARHAT AMINI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The UTM Muslim Students’ Association, in conjunction with UTM’s Islamic Relief, brought their first-ever Continuing the Legacy conference last Friday as part of Islam Awareness Week.

MSA’s treasurer Ali Kala stated to The Medium prior to the conference that they anticipated 100 people to attend the event. The conference offered case competitions and workshops for students from different programs.

“When we came up with the idea for a case competition, we wanted the case studies to revolve around topics that are pertinent, especially in the Muslim community, and obstacles no one really discusses, just so it would force the competitors to really think critically about their solutions,” wrote MSA’s secretary, Maryam Faisal in an email to The Medium.

“The conference is designed as platforms for the creative minds in our community to showcase their ideas in front a crowd and organizations, and get the chance to help others by helping the organization with their issue,” added Kala. “Our Islamic approach is

to strive for excellence and help the society we live in. The main goal of the conference is to inspire students to showcase their ideas and plant the seed for others to participate in such events and help the community in the future.”

Ten teams of four people took place in the case competitions. Each was given two hours before holding a presentation in front of a judges committee, who then decided on the top two groups who got to present in a final show.

The audience were given the chance to vote for the final winner based on their presentation and most creativity. The top teams would get to volunteer at one of the organizations who presented the case studies for them to get real experience of putting their vision into action. The ultimate winner would also receive $500, second and third place would receive gift bags, and the others would be given a certificate of participation.

Aside from the case competition, one of the two workshops held at the conference was “Pursuing Excellence,” which had the goal to teach students different methods and skills to reach their goals.

“I believe the diverse abilities of humans can affect our society to a great deal. However, students might lack the experience to reach their full potential,” explained Kala. “Thus, our goal is to provide methods for students to be the best they can be and support the community.”

“The workshops are designed to help students learn various skills that will help them participate in the case competition and will help them in future projects,” he also added.

The second workshop at the conference was “Public Speaking.” According to MSA’s representatives, it aims to tackle the worries students might have about public speaking, and is designed to help motivate and encourage by giving them methods to be a good public speaker.

“I believe the great ideas of students get lost behind the fear of presenting, and if we provide training these ideas, it might be heard in the future,” said Kala. “The aim of the workshop is to teach students different skills that are needed to reach their potential and explore different opportunities.”

Future conferences are expected to follow this year’s path and be held annually.

DANIELLE ROLFE/THE MEDIUM

MPs addressed the effect of refugees on Indigenous people.

MPs continued from page 2 “The government itself doesn’t handle resettlement; we subcontract that work to organizations. So the best way to help is to find out which organizations are involved in your area and get in touch with them. You can find out who they are through your local MP’s office,” said Alghabra. In concluding the round-table discussions, Sikand touched on the importance of Canadians continuing to lead by example.

He cited “openness” as one of many “Canadian values.”

“Our country has an amazing record of opening its doors to people who are displaced. The Irish famine, the Tamils from Sri Lanka, the 70,000 Vietnamese boat people—the UN is

looking at our country as a model.”

“The goal of the event was to ensure that this significant topic was being addressed. There are more people displaced in the world today than ever before,” said Atari to The Medium. “By discussing the global refugee crisis, we hope to inspire in the students a sense of responsibility, to bridge the gap between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ and to empower them to take action.”

As of January 29, the incumbent Canadian government has resettled some 40,081 displaced individuals from Syria since conflict began six years ago. Over half of those resettled have been government-assisted, with the remainder receiving sponsorship from private entities.

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03.20.2017

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Students are speaking. Listen.

Ignorance towards sexual assault cases is closer to home than we think A few weeks ago I was scrolling through Facebook and came across something rather disturbing. The Globe and Mail had posted a video regarding a young woman named Ava who tried to disclose her sexual assault to an investigator, Mr. Paul Gambriel. After walking in with every intention of reporting her attacker, she left without pressing any charges. Why? The investigator clearly didn’t believe her story.

The Globe and Mail has a piece on their site titled, “Why police dismiss 1 in 5 sexual assault claims as baseless,” which discusses Ava’s story in detail. The article states, “Ava remembers being outside with her friends, then leaving to find the washroom inside. […] Somewhere along the line, she isn’t sure when, she found herself talking to a guy from the party. He looked to be a few years older than her, with dark, messy hair and a slim build. She remembers they were outside and kissing. And then she blacked out.”

The article went on to say that “when things came back into focus,” Ava was on the ground naked. The man was inside of her. She told him repeatedly to get off only for him to persist. The article continues, “Suddenly, there was a flash. Ava looked over and saw four or five men pointing cellphone cameras in her direction. She became frantic. The man on top of her ran away. He left his wallet behind, police later told Ava. […]

Two women who heard her sobbing found Ava shortly after.”

In the article, The Globe and Mail included a video of Ava’s interview with the investigator, as well as her interview with them. Before delving into her story, she admitted that she had no reason not to trust the process and the men she was speaking with. Though, as she went on to recount her experience, Gambriel became more curious about her story.

Ava admitted that she was “pretty drunk” before she made it outside with “some guy” and engaged in a consensual make-out session. She then recollected how she blacked out. “I don’t remember much, but I remember being on the ground. He was over top of me. My clothes were off. I kept saying, ‘You’re hurting me.’

The next thing I know, there’s a bunch of people with camera phones taking pictures. I don’t know what they’re doing and they’re saying things. He leaves. I’m in the fetal position.” She then told The Globe and Mail how she told the girls who found her that she needed to leave.

“So, you black out and you don’t remember anything. But then you suddenly come to and you’re able to tell him to stop?” Gambriel asked. He then went on to say, “I’ve been doing

this, Ava, for 22 years. Sometimes in sexual assaults things happen, they need to get reported. They need to be investigated. But sometimes what actually occurs and what gets reported sometimes gets blurred a little bit.

And even when you’re telling me this, you’re able to tell me despite going through quite a night keeping your composure. But it’s at the point where you realize everybody’s taking the pictures and standing around that you become very, very upset.

Which leads me to wonder, was it consensual up until that point?”

The Globe revealed that the interview with Gambriel took place 12 hours after the incident. Ava was hungover, hadn’t eaten or slept. The Globe then turned to a trauma expert, Dr. Lori Haskell, to comment on the interview.

Haskell said, “People should not be interviewed in any kind of depth to give a statement following a traumatic event. Before asking someone detailed questions, they really need to sleep.” She suggested at least two nights’ sleep.

Gambriel was quoted in the interview as saying that if a person is intoxicated, “it’s not a sudden loss of memory and then a sudden regaining of the memory.” Haskell retaliated with, “But, he’s wrong. That’s exactly what happens. Once they recognize through one of their senses that they’re in danger or under threat then the brain releases a cascade of all these neurochemicals into the brain or the body to help them with that fight or flight response. But those neurochemicals change the brain. So, parts of the brain are deactivated and part of the deactivation means the brain focusses on very central details, the details that were most important for survival. And so those memories become encoded as intense fragments.”

Yesterday evening one of my best friends shared a link on Facebook from a group at U of T called Silence is Violence. There were over 30 photos of posters plastered on poles near the St. George campus, telling the chilling stories of how survivors of sexual assault are treated at this university.

The posters showed anonymous messages stating various experiences of survivors at U of T. A few of the posters read, “My rapist was fired from his Student Life position following the attack. He was rehired to a different division of Student Life shortly after,” “U of T paid my rapist to live at a hotel across from my residence throughout the investigation,” “The sexual harassment office said they couldn’t take my report seriously because I’m a sex worker,” “Sexual assault is common in the

union office and at strike parties, but my executive says talking about sexual assault ‘ruins our solidarity,’” and “When I asked the university why they rehired my rapist to work with undergraduate students after finding him responsible they said, ‘As far as we’re concerned the case is closed.’”

These are just a few examples out of the dozens that were displayed.

For those of you who haven’t heard of Silence is Violence, the group describes themselves as “An experientially led collective addressing sexual assault on college and university campuses through peer support, social and political advocacy and direct action at the University of Toronto.”

Now, if you hop over to the Silence is Violence Twitter page, you’ll see a tweet that reads: “Using boxcutters & screwdrivers UofT paid to scrape the words of survivors of #sexualviolence from the campus. Telling.” The photo accompanying the tweet is of two workers using said tools to scrape away the posters.

Though I didn’t doubt it for a second, I wanted to get in touch with SIV to ask how they obtained the information that U of T did indeed hire people to remove their posters. I spoke with Ellie, one of the co-founders of SIV, who told me, “I happened to run into the crew you see in the photos there. They were incredibly forthcoming with who they were. Myself and another student stopped them and asked very pointed questions about why they were only removing the posters about sexual assault and not other posters on the same poles (I was taking pictures of the signs, but did not disclose my role in disseminating them). When I said, “You’re only going for these ones—the posters about sexual assault? They said, ‘U of T hired us to remove only these ones.’”

Like I said, I don’t deny for a second that this is true. As I wrote in my editorial about mental health, professors have dismissed my mental health struggles. Let’s also not forget the story about student Josh Grondin being told that he “doesn’t look sick” during exam time. He disclosed a mental health issue to his professor, Sean Uppal, who forced him to write the exam anyway. Grondin stated, “[Uppal] told me, since it wasn’t a physical illness, I could physically be present in the room.” A 2016 article from City News stated, “[Grondin] said he was told he could either take a zero in the exam, or write it.

Grondin chose to write it, scored 23 percent, and ultimately, withdrew from the course.” When questioned about it, U of T spokesperson Althea Blackburn-Evans stated, “I can confirm that there has been no case in this course where a student pre-

sented a note prior to an exam and was made to write it.” Additionally, the article stated that “When asked if the student would have been given the option of taking a zero or writing the exam, Blackburn-Evans said the school could not discuss details about specific students or cases.” She also stated that Uppal wouldn’t be available for an interview. Convenient.

So, here we are. Presented with another case of the university trying to disguise the fact that there are plenty of people in this institution who either don’t care or aren’t trained enough on how to deal with very real problems that students face.

My big question now is, are we actually going to hear what these specific colleges have to say? Are we actually going to get a quote from one of the counsellors being accused? How about any counsellor? Or are we just going to get another university representative to provide another blanket statement?

I understand that I shouldn’t say anything definitively before I hear from the university. But, here’s the thing. We have heard from them in situations like this. And, if we are to believe what the contractors who were removing the posters said, U of T doesn’t want to be asked any questions. U of T doesn’t want to be held responsible. U of T doesn’t want people to hear about a discrepancy on their end unless they have first dibs on telling the story. Students deserve an answer. They deserve respect.

They deserve to be heard.

I hope that Silence is Violence continues to call out U of T for their blatant unwillingness to handle these issues with respect and understanding.

I hope that the university addresses these concerns with something more than a statement from someone who has been preparing blanket statements for years. I hope they comment on having the posters torn down and would love to know why they thought that was appropriate.

Maybe they didn’t want any students to see just how ill-equipped the staff of one of the “most prestigious” universities actually is. As long as they keep pushing students to the brink and ignoring the consequences, all is good to the outside world, right?

I’m about to leave this place. But, it would be nice to know that all the bright-eyed students who were here today touring our campus can have some kind of comfort in knowing that U of T actually wants to protect its students, as opposed to protecting its interests.

YOURS, MARIA CRUZ

03.20.2017

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5

An earnest end to Erindale’s season Graduating class wraps up Theatre Erindale’s season with The Importance of Being Earnest ADELAIDE ATTARD ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR

Last Friday, the graduating class of the Theatre and Drama Studies program premiered Oscar Wilde’s most popular comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest. Patrick Young directed the production, marking his last show as a Theatre Erindale faculty member.

The play’s protagonist, John Worthing (Thinh Nguyen), wants nothing more than to pursue the young Gwendolyn Fairfax (Emily Thorne).

Gwendolyn is the cousin of Algernon Moncrieff (John Wamsley), who is like a brother to John. John’s feelings of earnestness grow throughout each act, and he never hides his feelings for the lady he loves. But, of course, like any good romance story, there are obstacles in the way. The Importance of Being Earnest traditionally fell into the category of “Victorian Nonsense,” as it challenges the standard, and often linear, Victorian plotline.

The play features the idea of double lives. John is unaware of his real parents, as he was “found in a handbag in a cloakroom in a railway station” as a baby. He doesn’t even know his real name. So, he went by “John.” This is

JIM SMAGATA/PHOTO

Theatre and Drama Studies grads bring Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy to life on the Erindale stage. where Wilde introduces the dangers of leading a double life. It’s hinted to the audience that John has a dark secret, but the audience is left wondering what that secret is as the play progresses.

As I uncovered the plot of The Importance of Being Earnest, I could not

help but notice that, although witty, Wilde’s play reflects the problems of the Victorian era: it refrains from covering up the realism of aristocracy, class differences, and familial ties. But these serious issues did not deflect from the hilarity of the play. The overdone “marriage plot” found in many

Victorian novels takes a turn with Wilde’s eclectic group of characters.

John and Algernon “Algae” are in love with each other’s relatives: John is in love with Algae’s cousin, and Algae in love with John’s niece, Cecily Cardew (Katie McDonald). The plot gets messy, and quite confusing,

when John lies about having a brother named Earnest, and pretends at times that he is Earnest. Algae also lies about having the name Earnest. The plot becomes more confusing when mentions of “Bunburying” emerge.

Bunburying is the term Algae uses when he lies about having to tend to his friend Bunbury. He uses this lie when he wants to avoid an event or social gathering. Algae eventually gets caught in his lies. Although the idea of Bunburying was rather confusing, it sparked a lot of humour in the play, as Algae was always running off and telling lies, living a “double life.”

John also lives a double life when he lies about his identity. This difficult plot is revealed when he tries to reclaim his lost cigarette box from Algae. Yet, Algae claims the cigarette box does not belong to John because there’s a note inside from Cecily to Uncle Earnest. Although these ideas were hard to wrap my head around, the cast never broke character and were hilarious the whole way through.

The play was extremely entertaining and obviously well-rehearsed.

Aside from John and Algae, the funniest character had to be Lady Bracknell (Shaquille Pottinger).

Earnest continued on page 6

Celebrating UTM’s Francophone talent The Department of Language Studies showcases student talent at “Soirée des Talents” NOUR ELABD

Last Thursday, the French section of the Department of Language Studies, Association of Francophone Students at UTM, and Language Studies Academic Society hosted “La Soirée des Talents.” The talent show occurred during National Francophone Week, which is an annual celebration of Canada’s French heritage. 2017 marks the 25th year of National Francophone Week.

La Soirée des Talents is performed completely in French. Performances included music, sketches, poetry readings, and lectures about current world issues. Professional touring musicians, Amèlie et Les Singes Bleus, started the night with a soulful performance of several songs. UTM students then proceeded to showcase their own talents. The hosts also provided a selection of cheeses, fruits, and bread, which were available to the audience throughout the night.

Maria Dumdumaya, participating for her second time in the show, impressed the audience by performing

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“La Soirée des Talents” featured an evening of Francophone performances by UTM students. a song she translated from Korean to French. I was particularly impressed by her success in rhyming and harmonizing the lyrics with the original music, a difficult feat when translating compositions.

Victoria Flores and Madina Kari-

mova, who each sang an acapella cover of “La vie en rose” by Edith Piaf and “Dernière Danse” by Indila, respectively also gave great performances.

The audience was delighted by Hartaj Brar and Joshua Hinds’ sketch.

Tapping into popular concerns, the

pair presented a comedic sketch where Hartaj acted as Donald Trump and annoyed Hinds, who played an interviewer. The piece showcased the pair’s French writing skills and comedic talent, which earned the audience’s laughter.

Bertha Hawill and Joseph Villegas gave a presentation that centered around the French perspective on GMOs. Their piece was well-written, informative, and smoothly presented, offering alternative opinions to those prevailing in North America.

The evening ended with the students of FSL106, who entertained the audience with readings of their original haikus. The group’s inspirational performance won the audience’s pick for the night.

La Soirée des Talents concluded with a brief awards show. Apart from the audience’s favourite, the jury picked two entries for Best Performance and Most Creative. The awards for Best Performance went to Rachel Navarro, Gabriela Rocha Nozaki, Melissa Siqueira, and Hannah Park.

Navarro, Rocha Nozaki, and Siqueira performed a cover of “Comme des enfants” by Coeur de Pirate, while Park played the violin in a beautiful accompaniment to “Le Fantome de l’Opéra.” The award for Most Creative Performance was given to Brar and Hinds for their comedy sketch.

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THE MEDIUM 03.20.2017

Making sense of Beckett

REWIND AISHA MALIK

MARIE TROTTER/PHOTO

The U of T Drama Centre performed five of Samuel Beckett’s short plays in The Beckett Shorts.

REEM TAHA ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR As I was exiting the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse after watching The Beckett Shorts, I heard someone say, “What was that supposed to mean?”

This comment probably sums up every Samuel Beckett experience— whether you’re reading his works or watching his plays. But seeing Beckett performed is a very different experience than just reading his plays, which often don’t make sense on paper alone. Directed by Adam Paolozza, the U of T Drama Centre performed five of Beckett’s short plays: Not I, Act Without Words II, A Piece of Monologue, Come and Go, and That Time.

When the audience first entered the theatre, we were directed to stand in a dark room with one dim light in the middle. We stood for a few minutes before Not I began. I got the impression that this was less like a play and more like an art installation. Suddenly, the lights went out completely and 10 illuminated mouths appeared on two opposite sides of the room.

We continued to stand in the middle.

The mouths all spoke at the same time. They chanted phrases such as, “Tiny little thing…tiny little girl… into this…out into this…before her

time…”

The whole performance was a profoundly disturbing experience, but it deliberately created this effect. The multiple mouths all tell one story, which appears to be a recollection of one woman’s past. The story is repeated several times, starting with a girl born prematurely to unknown parents. The girl had been mute her whole life, but the play leads her to have a voice. The original Beckett script only had one mouth, but the choice to have 10 mouths in this production created a sense of collective experience, despite the loneliness and isolation portrayed in the story.

After Not I, we were seated. A plastic curtain was used on stage, which was an effective way to highlight the emptiness and meaningless in each play. The curtains opened, and Act Without Words II began. This play, as the title suggests, is a mime performance. Two characters, Caleb Shoihet and Ross Slaughter, sit in two separate sacks. The stage was empty; no props were used, but everything was covered with dust. A goad suddenly enters the stage on wheeled support and pokes the first sack. The first character wakes up, gets dressed, eats a carrot, spits it out, prays, and then goes back to his sack. The same thing happens with the other sack.

The character wakes up, takes a shower, brushes his teeth, and gets dressed ­—but this character does it with more energy and enthusiasm than the other one. Act Without Words II represents the monotony of routine. Every day, we wake up to do the same things, and then we go back to sleep. The different speeds and different levels of excitement also make us aware of the passage of time.

The remaining plays followed a similar pattern of absurdity. They all featured a post-apocalyptic world, in which language is meaningless and isolation prevails as the dominant emotion. I felt as if the characters were constantly trying to tell each other things, to speak, and to communicate, but they always failed to get their message across. Theatre of the Absurd pushes the limits of absurdity in reality so that we’re faced with whatever makes us uncomfortable.

Specifically, Beckett’s plays convey a dark image of the world.

Despite the minimal dialogue, the cast of The Beckett Shorts conveyed these ideas with their powerful use of body language. Overall, the evening offered an astute portrayal of Beckett’s absurdist themes.

The Beckett Shorts ran from March 8 to March 18 at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse.

A comedic closure Earnest continued from page 5 This character was the typical overthe-top protective Victorian mother, spending her days doing nothing but finding her daughter a suitable husband. What was especially funny about Lady Bracknell was her hyperbolized expressions, lines, pauses, and costume. Pottinger wore large gowns and always had a cane. He slowly glided across the floor, as if he was in no rush to get anywhere.

But the best part of the costume was the extravagant Victorian-style hat, topped with flowers, feathers, tulle, and bows. Pottinger always knew the right moments to pause for audience laughter.

Another funny character was Lane, the “manservant” (Caleb Harwood), who always had the sassiest comebacks and remarks. But like any good Victorian servant, he was patient and said “yes” to every un-

grateful remark. Nonetheless, he had sassy one-liners and was always putting someone in their place.

The costumes, designed by Michelle Vanderheyden, were true to the play’s time period and suited each character’s personality quite well. Since Gwendolyn and Lady Bracknell were related, they both had similar costumes. However, Gwendolyn’s outfits were much more understated than Lady Bracknell’s outfits. Miss Prism (Sarah Hime), Cecily’s extremely old governess, showed her age with hair and makeup. She had lines contoured on her face and grey hairspray to make her look elderly. One of the best costumes was for Reverend Canon Chasuble (Spencer Bennet), who had his beard painted grey. At one point, he was clad in a full-on priest’s robe.

The set of The Importance of Being Earnest was beautiful. There were three acts, with each taking place

in a different setting. In addition, every prop was well-considered and assembled immaculately. As Cecily and Gwendolyn were arguing, there was an actual loaf of banana bread in the tea set, real tea in the teapot, and real sugar cubes. In another scene, John and Algae argued about their name situation while chewing actual English muffins. They talked through the food in their mouths, never breaking character. This added to the genuine comedic element of the play.

Although the plot was hard to follow at times, the performance was highly entertaining. The most important takeaway from the ending was John’s self-discovery, when he finally uncovers his deepest, darkest secret.

The Importance of Being Earnest runs until March 26 at Erindale Studio Theatre.

The Academy Award-winning film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), is James Dean’s most memorable film.

It was released about a month after Dean’s death. Directed by Nicholas Ray, the film depicts the difference between generations and tackles teenage angst in its purest form. The film elevated James Dean to his iconic celebrity status.

The story of Rebel Without a Cause has been replicated many times. It essentially provides a formula for the typical teen flick: A rebellious teen moves to a new town, has trouble at home, befriends a couple of misfits, and undergoes issues with bullies and growing up. To modern viewers, the film might seem cliché and predictable. But in the 50s, it was entirely new territory.

At the time of its release, Rebel Without a Cause was relatable to its teenage audience for many reasons, specifically for the problems teens faced in their home lives. Jim Stark (Dean) has to deal with his parents’ constant fighting. Whereas John “Plato” Crawford (Sal Mineo) deals with not having his parents around.

Ultimately, their home lives fuel their

DELANEY ROMBOUGH

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tale of power, loyalty, and ambition. Set in Scotland in the Middle Ages, Macbeth demonstrates what people will do when tempted by fame and fortune. Acting out of self-interest seems to be human nature, which is exactly what Macbeth does throughout the play.

The story begins with King Duncan of Scotland and Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, returning from a battle.

Duncan praises Macbeth for his bravery and names him Thane of Cawdor.

Shortly after the meeting between Duncan and Macbeth, three witches appear and hail Macbeth as “Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King hereafter.” At first, Macbeth dismisses the witches. However, he realizes they’ve established a timeline of his titles, ending with king. He then sets his sights on becoming king.

Lady Macbeth, who is even more ambitious than Macbeth, learns about the prophecy and encourages her husband to take the throne by force, even though Macbeth has pledged his loyalty to Duncan. It’s interesting to see Macbeth’s inner battle when he’s forced to choose between

angst.

Rebel Without a Cause confronts the unfortunate outcomes of peer pressure. After Jim moves to a new town, he’s pressured into drag racing

by Buzz Gunderson (Corey Allen) to prove that he isn’t “chicken.” Judy (Natalie Wood) says she was pressured into ignoring Jim. Although the film was released in 1955, its portrayal of peer pressure is still relevant to modern society. Despite Jim’s unruly attitude, we can see how teens will do almost anything to be accepted.

Since Jim, Judy, and Plato all have problems at home, they form their own makeshift family. In a memorable scene, the three teens rest in an abandoned mansion after they escape their troubles at home. To Jim, the three of them have found a sanctuary in their friendship.

Through its emotional scenes, the film evokes sympathy towards Jim, Judy, and Plato. Another notable scene occurs when Jim pleads to his father, Frank Stark (Jim Backus), and cries, “Stand up for me, dad.”

Although Rebel Without a Cause is predictable to the modern viewer, it deals with important issues that remain prevalent in the present. The film is a timeless classic that shouldn’t be missed.

loyalty and his own self-interest. One of the most memorable soliloquies in the play occurs when Macbeth is deciding whether or not to kill Duncan.

He says, “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself, / And falls on the other.” In the end, Macbeth’s ambition and self-interest get the best of him. Together, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plot Duncan’s murder. What ensues is a tumultuous story of greed, power, and guilt. Ultimately, Macbeth’s hunger for power leads to his inevitable downfall.

As with any Shakespearean tragedy, there are many deaths. In this case, Macbeth is personally responsible for many of these deaths, including some of his friends. He wants to become king so badly that he won’t let anyone stand in his way. Macbeth fights to the end for a title that was never supposed to be his in the first place, demonstrating the powerful effects of self-interest and power hunger.

Macbeth has everything you could possibly want—betrayals, war, witches, murder, and drama. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of Shakespeare, there’s definitely something about this classic tale that you’ll enjoy.

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03.20.2017

90 seconds: ready, get set...pitch!

Sarazana Hasin Zafar was one of the 22 finalists at The Great Canadian Sales Competition MAHNOOR AYUB ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR Thursday, March 9 marked the end of the 2016-2017 cycle of Canada’s largest student competition: the Great Canadian Sales Competition. Beginning with almost 3,000 contestants on October 3, 2016, the final was down to 22 participants facing it off at the Google office in Toronto. One of the 22 finalists included UTM’s very own Sarazana Hasin Zafar.

Zafar, who is a fifth-year student pursuing a double major in biology and chemistry, and a minor in history of religions, says she never considered sales as an experience she would stumble upon.

“I was just sitting in the Innovation Complex one day, finishing a chemistry lab report, and I saw the GCSC ambassadors tabling; but I didn’t pay much attention to it, because just the word ‘sales’ made me think it was just for people in courses like business, marketing, and sales, etc.,” says Zafar.

“But one of the campus ambassadors came up to me and said that in Round One, you just have to make a 30 to 90-second pitch about any-

OLIVIA ADAMCZYK/THE MEDIUM

Sarazana Hasin Zafar is a fifth-year student pursuing a double major in biology and chemistry. thing you’re passionate about, and for me personally, I love any opportunity that involves public speaking.

Although first I couldn’t think of what to pitch on, I decided to speak about talkdepression.ca, because I’m

very passionate [about it], and have been a low-profile advocate for mental health. So I did all my research and I submitted my pitch to raise awareness about mental health.”

Zafar mentions how she never ex-

pected to go forward in the competition. “I just though I’ll try out something new, that is going to push me out of my comfort zone.” She also adds how the process of preparing for the pitch helped her refine the

public speaking skills she wanted to develop further.

“I submitted the pitch and literally forgot about it.”

She continues, “I went to Ottawa for a few days in January, and then I came back, and while I was away, I had no internet, and I couldn’t check my emails. So the day after I came back, I saw an email form Katherine Perrin, [the GCSC] coordinator, congratulating me that I had made it to the top 25 percent and that I had qualified for the semi-final round.”

Zafar describes how each semifinalist is given a sponsoring company, a case, and a client. Participants must then prepare a two-minute pitch, pretending to be a sales representative from the company, and attempt to convince the client to do business with them.

“My sponsoring company was Waste Management. It’s a brilliant company that provides environmental management solutions, and although the process is random, I actually feel very grateful that I got them as my sponsoring company,” says Zafar.

GCSC continued on page 10

Grad launches “Help The Homeless” A missed bus and an unexpected meeting inspired Rebecca Kaushal to develop this initiative JESSICA CABRAL ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

All it took was one encounter with a homeless individual on the streets of downtown Toronto for Rebecca Kaushal, a recent UTM graduate, to start a project targeted towards aiding the homeless population and raising awareness about their struggle with mental health. With United Way of Peel as her official sponsor, Kaushal founded her initiative, Help the Homeless, and now aims to educate the community on poverty and mental health through workshops held at UTM. Most of Kaushal’s volunteer experience has been in the public health and mental health sectors through work with non-profit organizations and hospitals. She is also currently doing research on mental health with the University of Toronto, but she wanted to create her own initiative that focused on the mental health of a population that is typically overlooked—the homeless.

Early last November, after miss-

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Rebecca Kaushal’s initiative, Help the Homeless, is sponsored by the United Way of Peel. ing her shuttle home from a research meeting in downtown Toronto, Kaushal decided to grab herself lunch. As she was walking

around the city streets, she passed a homeless individual. Instead of dismissing the man, she approached him, and they began discussing the

struggles and the realities of living on the streets of downtown Toronto.

Kaushal bought the man a bowl

of warm soup and a bagel, and sat beside him on his sleeping bag. Although the individual hadn’t eaten for two days, when he noticed an elderly homeless woman with a three-year old child across the street, he requested Kaushal bring the meal to them.

Later on in the day, Kaushal discovered the man suffered from acute schizophrenia and witnessed one of his schizophrenic episodes.

She realized that these episodes hindered his ability to talk to people and to obtain the food and resources he needed each day. As people walked by, Kaushal revealed that they called the man “crazy” and “apathetic,” and they said that his schizophrenic episodes were only an “act” to get free food. Some pedestrians even stopped to ensure that Kaushal was safe.

That night, Kaushal went back to her dorm in Erindale Hall and decided that she needed to do something to help this population in any way that she could.

Poverty continued on page 9

03.20.2017 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

Khatib: “Expression beats repression” Khatib’s talk was titled “My Journey from Syria to UTM, to Writing, and to Syrian Community Activism” ZAYNAB ALKARI

On Friday March 10, UTM alumnus Bayan Khatib gave a talk titled “My Journey from Syria to UTM, to Writing, and to Syrian Community Activism.” The event began with opening remarks from professor Guy Allen, who is a course instructor in UTM’s professional writing and communication program.

Khatib was accompanied by her mother, younger sister, and daughter for support.

Almost 30 years ago, Khatib’s parents sought political asylum in Canada in hope for a safer life for their family. Her father faced political imprisonment by the Assad regime for the crime of speaking out against the government. He was arrested in the early days of Khatib’s parents’ marriage, when her mother was only five months pregnant with Khatib.

Soon, Khatib’s mother was forced to leave the country. Khatib was left in the care of her grandparents in the Syrian city of Aleppo. With only luck, Khatib’s father was able to escape prison, cross the border to Jordan (despite the danger of land mines), and reunite with his wife.

Once both her parents safely landed in America, they were able to contact a friend who worked in a church in Canada to sponsor their

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Bayan Khatib’s passion for writing emerged through WRI203: Expressive Writing. family as refugees. By 1986, the Khatib family had landed in Calgary, and at the age of seven, Khatib finally met her siblings and parents for the first time.

Khatib had actually been a student in Allen’s Expressive Writing course, and her first assignment was to write about her own childhood. Her story was inspired by the events that took place upon her arrival in Canada and meeting her family for the first time. She wrote a story titled “Elevator,” at the age of

eighteen, as part of her class.

“That was not a topic I wanted to get into, but it was a school assignment, and I had no choice,” Khatib said.

Khatib believed this “homework,” as she put it, was an opportunity that gave her the chance to discuss her parents’ past and have them open up to her about the trauma they faced.

What truly inspired Khatib to pursue writing was a moment during Allen’s office hours. After read-

ing one of her stories, Allen looked at her and said: “You’re a writer.”

“It’s amazing how we can impact people’s lives with kindness,” said Khatib as she recalled the memory.

“Elevator” later inspired Khatib to focus on the mental health of Syrian refugees in her work at the non-profit organization, Al Qazzaz Foundation. “I really think that mental wellness is a very important topic for Syrian newcomers,” Khatib said when she was asked by her boss where the organization would

be needed most.

Khatib uses her knowledge in writing and the techniques she learned from Allen and other professional writing instructors to teach refugees how to write about their experiences.

“Expression beats repression,” Khatib said as she discussed how important it was to have the refugees be open about their pain.

Khatib also emphasized the importance of humane treatment towards others. Khatib explained that the resulting humanitarian crisis not only brought out the absolute worst in humanity, it also brought out the best in others. She passionately advocates others to raise their voice through various mediums, particularly in story-writing.

Khatib also advocates for expression, truth, and openness when writing stories. “Expression instead of repression,” she repeated, and then stated that the crisis in Syria is a humanitarian one, and everyone needs to be involved.

She ended the talk with the three dreams she hopes to see come true in the real world. She hopes to teach creative writing, to follow in the footsteps of Allen, and to impact the lives of her students the way he impacted hers. She also hopes to write a collection of stories of what has happened in Syria, and wishes to walk the streets of Aleppo again.

Initiative is sponsored by United Way Of Peel Poverty continued from page 11

She started a funding initiative online where she raised $2,000 in two weeks.

This money allowed her to construct care packages full of clothing and food cards. The Center for Addiction and Mental Health helped her create pamphlets on crisis intervention and soup kitchen locations to add to the packages. Volunteers from Kitchener, Hamilton, and across the GTA joined Kaushal on the streets of Toronto to distribute the packages to homeless shelters and individuals on the streets.

“That was something that stuck with me for a very long time. The fact that it took one idea and one person to have so many people wanting to help,” she explains. “If that’s what it takes, one person to make this happen, then I’m going to push forward with this initiative and see where it can go.”

Through this experience with her volunteers, Kaushal noticed that they knew housing and food was an issue for the homeless population, but they weren’t aware of the issue with mental health. The funding from the United Way of Peel allows Kaushal to organize an educational component into her project through the workshops.

Kaushal created two stages for this project: stage one is to “educate and mobilize” and stage two is “leadership and implementation.” Stage one includes four workshops that aim to

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Kaushal hopes to educate the public on “poverty, fighting hunger, and mental health.” educate her volunteers on “poverty, fighting hunger, and mental health within the homeless population.”

Kaushal will lead all four workshops with occasional guest speakers. The four workshops take place on March 8, March 22, March 29, and April 5, from 6-7 p.m. in the Student Centre board room.

The first workshop is an introduction to the project and to the concept of mental health and the stigma

within the homeless population. The Canadian Mental Health Association will attend the second workshop to discuss “Mental Health 101” with the volunteers. The association will dive into various aspects of mental health and how it can affect different parts of people’s lives.

In the third workshop, Kaushal will address more issues on poverty and mental health, and a guest speaker, a Ph.D. candidate from YorkU, will

speak about their investigation into youth homelessness. The fourth and final workshop is a mandatory training session that sets volunteers up for stage two.

Stage two is the fundraising aspect of the project. From April 6 to June 15, volunteers will organize their own fundraising events within the community, like car washes or door-todoor fundraising, and Kaushal’s team will provide them with the resources

to make their ideas happen.

From June 16 to July 8, the team will purchase products for the care packages, and from July 8 to July 20, the team will head out with the volunteers to assemble and distribute the packages to the homeless population in the streets of Toronto.

“I’ve been doing a lot of research with talking to homeless individuals on the streets and in homeless shelters, and to homeless shelters themselves to figure out what their needs are and what we can provide them with,” Kaushal explains. “We found out that vitamins, hygienic products, shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, toothbrushes, tampons for the women, the basic daily needs that we need as people, they have those exact same needs.”

Kaushal explains that the purpose of the project is to educate the community on the topics of mental health and poverty within the homeless population through leadership from the youth.

“It’s making people more aware that this problem is extremely prevalent.

It’s just having a space to talk, creating a space for conversation and giving that alternative perspective that I got from that one interaction and pushing that forward to other people and making them realize that no, they don’t do this to themselves—many times it’s not a choice,” Kaushal says.

“No one wants to be on the streets.”

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THE MEDIUM 03.20.2017

Your digital footprint Protecting yourself online is important in today’s digital age

Before GCSC, Zafar had no sales experience GCSC continued from page 11

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U of T’s Information Security and Awareness Education Team hosted a seminar at UTM. HALEY WEST

On Monday, March 6, Tamara Adizes Jacobs, and her colleagues at the University of Toronto’s Information Security and Awareness Education Team, hosted a seminar with the aim of spreading information about electronic information security and how to protect yourself online.

While conducting public service announcements across all three U of T campuses, the Information Security and Awareness Education Team conducted a survey, resulting in consistent numbers across all three campuses. They found that 65 percent of individuals have never been hacked, 25 percent of individuals have been hacked, and 10 percent of individuals are not sure if they have been hacked.

From “my ex broke into my social media,” to “I have been watched through my webcam,” to “university systems are being hacked and held ransom to get their data back,” it appears anyone is vulnerable in the current digital world. The hope of the Information Security and Awareness Education Team is that everyone will learn how to protect themselves and manage their digital footprint.

A digital footprint is every contact made through the internet. It’s everywhere and larger than you think.

Fitness bands track everywhere you go. Social media accounts, streaming music, using online banking sites, and so on record your information and activities.

“Everything connected to the internet leaves a footprint behind. This is your digital footprint,” says Adizes Jacobs.

It is important to learn how to manage your digital footprint. Information is being collected through various accounts, websites, and apps.

This can be a serious problem if your information is leaked maliciously.

Companies may not protect your passwords. If you use the same password for multiple sites, this can have serious consequences. If someone gains control of your Instagram account, they are not likely to stop

there, but to also try your password on all other accounts, including your banking account. It can affect your life in unexpected ways.

“Your Fitbit data can tell someone when you run and what route you take […]. This can let them know when your house is empty,” comments Adizes Jacobs.

An important aspect of managing your digital footprint and protecting yourself is being aware of what’s out there. When was the last time you searched yourself? You want to make sure that you own all links which are using your picture and information.

Companies with unethical practices can take your picture and use it to advertise on dating sites. Subscribing to Google alerts for your name can also help you be aware of what is out there with your name on it, and allow you to manage it. People can make assumptions about you, and that last thing you want is to be blindsided by an unknown malicious posting, especially in a professional situation, such as a job interview.

The seminar further suggested attendees to compartmentalize online personas, in order to keep personal, professional, and fantasy personas separate. Your personal persona is the online “you,” from your banking accounts to your Facebook likes. Your professional persona is your online career, mainly sites such as LinkedIn. Your fantasy persona includes any online gaming, posts, or other activities done under a pseudonym. Despite this pseudonym, be aware that these accounts can be linked to you.

One of the most common methods of linking an account to an individual is by resetting the password. When resetting a password, it is common for an alternate email to be displayed, claiming that the reset practice was sent to the email. This email may not be as anonymous as your pseudonym.

“Security is only as strong as our weakest link,” says Adizes Jacobs.

“The most common password for the last three or four years […] has been ‘password.’”

There are two pillars of pass-

words. Your passwords need to be either short and complex, or long and strong, all while making sure not to use common patterns. The most commonly used word in a password is “love,” the second is the name of a pet. Using a sentence, typically referred to as a pass phrase, is one method of ensuring a strong password that is easy to remember.

“Never use the same password for everything. Try to at least switch it up a little bit,” advises Adizes Jacobs.

“You will be compromised where security is most lax, but the password will then be tried everywhere.”

Adizes Jacobs also recommends everyone secure their brand. If your personal name or an online name that you’ve chosen for yourself is important for you, it is a good idea to secure the name space on other services. You don’t necessarily have to use it, but you can, for example, secure your twitter handle and make it private. This prevents people from impersonating you.

Another way to restrict access to your digital information is to modify your privacy and permission settings.

When setting up accounts on social media sites, most services default to open or very public settings, but modifying these settings, based on your typical usage and comfort level, is an easy way to protect yourself.

When downloading an app, they typically request permission from your phone to gain access to things they do not need to run the app.

These permission settings may be giving the app access to more information than you want.

These settings are incorporated into the deleting vs deactivating dilemma. When you delete an app or an account, your information is not always gone. You have to examine the terms of service on how to properly delete your profile form a service.

Not doing so can cause a problem for some people.

“If some malicious app wants to, they can actually listen to your conversations,” says Adizes Jacobs. “Beware of these permissions, especially location.”

She elaborates, “I had attended a green chemistry conference last year and had been very interested in sustainability. For a while, I was even considering to do a Masters of sustainability management program here at UTM.” “Preparing for the semifinal round was intense, and from the moment I got the email, I started taking it very seriously,” she adds.

She also mentions how she was very grateful, because she did not have any background knowledge on sales and never participated in any case competitions before. Zafar also mentions that when the competition started, she didn’t know what a sales pitch was.

“The GCSC actually organized a pre-game session with Sheilla Cassidy, the regional manager for Western Canada, and she went through exactly what was expected, what they were looking for, and how they were going to score you.”

Zafar mentions how out of the six pre-game sessions, you are only required to attend one, because the sessions are all the same.

Zafar attended three sessions.

“I made time for it, because just once wasn’t enough for me. I had to listen to it again and again, because I really wanted to grasp what they wanted. There were lots of opportunities to ask any questions you want, and then I took an entire day to prepare my script,” says Zafar.

After the 400 participants were given a sponsoring company from 22 sponsors, they were asked to pitch on behalf of the company, and then the sponsors chose their finalist from that pool. The chosen finalists then represented the company in the final.

Zafar received a call to be the finalist representing Waste Management, where the participants would compete through a roleplay of a live sales meeting.

“I live in Mississauga and had to leave at 7 a.m. to meet my coaches at 8:30 a.m.,” says Zafar. Her coaches from Waste Management were Casey Glover (area sales director), Justin Kosenski (area sales director), and Tanya StewardHiggs (sales manager).

“We went through a coaching session [which was] very intense, but [also was a] fun training session. It was amazing watching these experts share their knowledge and their skills with you, which was really one of the biggest opportunities that I’ve ever got,” says Zafar.

After the training session, Zafar and her coaching team headed to the Toronto Google Office to meet the other finalists.

The finalists were then divided into five rooms, where they were required to compete with each other. “The final was very challenging; we had to do a roleplay for a first sales meeting,” says Zafar.

“I do believe that I would’ve done much better if I had more experience and practice—but my coaches were happy with me, and I guess that kind of feedback means a lot to me.”

Zafar was the only finalist from The University of Toronto, which she describes as “very humbling to meet so many talented people from other schools and all over Canada. It was a very busy day, and I had an excellent time networking in the winner’s gala evening at Corus entertainment. It was so motivating to talk to people like Jamie Scarborough and Sonya Meloff, who are the co-founders of the sales talent agency.”

Zafar describes how the experience “gave me a solid idea about how I could use my degree.”

“One of the biggest things I learned was that whatever happens to you, good or bad, is your resource.”

“My first pitch was regarding mental health, and in the past, I suffered from depression. I was even on treatment, but now I’m doing amazing, and through that phase of my life, I learned that it is possible to make that experience something that is positive, and I think the fact that I was personally involved did show up in my pitch,” she continues.

“One of the biggest things I learned was that whatever happens to you, good or bad, is your resource.”

—Sarzana Hasin Zafar Zafar also adds, “I know people tell me believe in yourself, but I’m going to be honest: I struggle to believe in myself all the time.”

Zafar advises students who are also discovering their career paths to “learn about your own strengths and weaknesses and look for opportunities and have the courage to grab them.” She also mentions that for students in biology and chemistry, in particular, to not “put yourself in a box.”

“I love taking risks and trying new things, it is uncomfortable, but is important to see that when you get out of your comfort zone, you grow. And making a pitch for Round One is not a risk—it’s scary, but there is no hazard, and if anything, there are rewards.”

Zafar talked about a conversation she had with one of the judges at the Networking Gala.

“She said don’t let anybody make you doubt yourself. Don’t let the fact that you’re a woman stop you, or what other people think of you stop you. I [had been] concerned because I was the only hijabi there, [and so] I wouldn’t be accepted, but it was so great to see people in my team celebrate my ideas and encourage and support me along the way. It made me very hopeful.”

03.20.2017

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11

A year to remember for UTM athletes UTM teams and athletes dominated in 2016-17, putting UTM on the map as a fierce competitor

JESSICA CABRAL ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR As the end of another semester draws near, the UTM Eagles get ready to wrap up their athletic season. From hockey championships to badminton provincial qualifications, this year the Eagles have celebrated many great accomplishments across all levels of sport. In an interview with The Medium, Kenneth Duncliffe, athletic director; David Clancy, assistant athletic director; and Cameron Walker, program coordinator, sat down to recap the highlights of the 2016-17 athletic year.

The D-League level teams offer students who may not be able to fully commit to the OCAA Varsity teams an opportunity to participate in highlevel competition. After a successful year, some of the D-League teams brought home coveted championship titles. The men’s D-League hockey team, led by coach Michael Keaveney, won the championship for the second year straight.

Coached by Salee Johnson Edwards

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The 2016-17 athletic year included success from UTM’s D-league teams. and Shannon Bartley, the women’s DLeague basketball team dominated the court to win the championship against UTSG, notably their first time at that level since the 2002-3 inaugu-

ral year of the Tri-Campus program.

With coaches Patrick Persuad and Bryan Calucag, the men’s D-league volleyball team spiked and set their way to the league final, but unfortu-

nately couldn’t capture the championship title.

But the UTM victories don’t stop there. At the OCAA Varsity level, a program that started only three years

ago, Eagles athletes reached success at both provincial and national competitions. Holly Wong and Kate Huang, women’s badminton doubles, alongside Gary Tin and Thanh Lam, men’s badminton doubles, qualified for provincials, where both teams finished fourth, losing close matches in the medal rounds. Cross-country runners Haseeb Malik and Kale Heino qualified for nationals, where they placed 36th and 49th respectively.

The men’s Varsity indoor soccer team qualified for provincials, and will compete at Redeemer in Ancaster on March 23–25.

“We have had some really good success (even though we are in our infancy of joining this league), with some students getting to the national level, which is quite an accomplishment,” says Duncliffe of the Varsitylevel triumphs.

Reflecting on the year, Duncliffe says his favourite thing to see is the number of students who participate and get involved with athletics.

Review continued on page 12

Requirements for success in basketball Nkosi Adams, future head coach of UTM Varsity men’s basketball, breaks down basketball skills

ERIC HEWITSON SPORTS EDITOR Nkosi Adams, the head coach for the 2017-18 UTM Varsity Eagles basketball program, knows a little something about basketball and how to make the players he coaches into more physically and mentally fit athletes. In an interview with Adams, a man who prides himself on a calm demeanour, he answers questions students can take to develop themselves into better athletes—especially if they want to try out for the men’s team in September. Adams will be taking on a cast of athletes next season that are talented and determined, but Adams is always in the process of recruiting to look for that hidden gem who will help them succeed in the OCAA. From an outsider’s perspective, Adams’ looks at players like the popular Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors as players who don’t necessarily exude the physical stature needed to dominate—yet they’re known as a couple of the greatest players in the NBA.

DANIELLE ROLFE/THE MEDIUM

Coach Adams believes understanding and accountability are key to a united team.

“Typically, basketball players are a lot bigger than six feet, so with a guy like Chris Paul, you can tell that a lot of his game is thought out. He can’t always rely on his physical stature to

win games. He has to be a lot smarter than everyone else,” says Adams.

When playing for the UTM Varsity Eagles, you can expect to train with a coach who treats his athletes

equally, while understanding that particular players don’t deserve special treatment because they all have their individual needs. “One of the things I learned from my youth in

basketball is that as a coach, you have to understand your players have the same expectations; whether they’re the star or the guy sitting on the bench, they all want to win and have success for themselves,” Adams says. He believes that to have a united team, everyone has to understand their role and be accountable for their responsibilities.

“As a coach, you never stop learning. You can take pieces from all coaches and adopt that into your style of coaching. One of the coaches I admire is Jay Wright [Villanova University head basketball coach].

He’s very calm on the sidelines, so his players take on the same approach as well. Obviously the game can get passionate, but his calm demeanour is an asset his players feed off of in a positive way,” says Adams. Ultimately, to be at your best physically, your mind needs to be at its best as well. Having a coach sputter insults at a player isn’t constructive. Adams believes his calmness gets through to players, allowing them to transfer training to on-court success.

Adams continued on page 12

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THE MEDIUM 03.20.2017

Nkosi Adams talks success

Athletic programs look forward to the OCAA

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Adams will act as head coach for next year’s basketball program.

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Men’s and women’s basketball will become an OCAA Varsity League sport in the 2017-18 year.

Review continued from page 11 Adams continued from page 11 Adams knows a thing or two about how to develop an amateur basketball player into a dominant Varsity athlete. He believes that instead of focusing too much time fantasizing about your game day performance, think about your training routines and how to increase your off-court commitments to basketball. “You

“As a coach, you never stop learning. You can take pieces from all coaches and adopt that into your own style.”

— Nkosi Adams see a lot of parents who want the most success for their kids by exposing them to too many games.

Their travel schedule now limits their child’s opportunity to develop the fundamentals necessary to become a productive basketball player. You’re only as good as your

level of training and effort.”

If you’re serious about acquiring a spot on the men’s team next year, effort needs to be at the forefront of your priorities in getting better.

While some players who believe they already have a spot solidified on the team spend a week or two on vacation, an underdog student can improve upon their strengths day after day and eventually take over. “Basketball is a game where everybody has a role to play. You may be a good defender, so I’ll want you to defend, or you can be a good shooter, and I’ll want you to shoot. The success of a player depends on his strengths and building upon them,” says Adams.

Overall, students should focus on developing their strengths, use outside sources such as YouTube to gain knowledge and develop structural and fundamental aspects of their game, and work harder than the rest of the competition. As the Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher, Marcus Stroman says, “Height doesn’t measure heart.” ­

“It’s not only the athletes and students participating as athletes, but we have a lot of students involved in refereeing, scorekeeping, and organizing. There’s ways to get involved beyond being an actual athlete on the field,” he says. “There’s really something for everyone here at UTM. If you’ve never participated in sport, you can come out and learn. But if you have experience and you want to play at the highest level and you can commit, there’s those opportunities to do that here too.”

Clancy explains that some of the student associations on campus hold their own tournaments, like basketball and badminton events, independent from the department which help to increase student involvement. The residence community also uses the facilities on the weekends for the Colman Cup. “It’s something independent from us, and we encourage it,” Clancy says.

For Walker, his highlight of the year was witnessing the passion for sport at UTM. “You really see the passion of the UTM population as

they participate in all the levels. Even drop-in! People are intense and lots of fun,” Walker laughs.

Duncliffe believes the ultimate key to a successful sports season is commitment and passion. Duncliffe emphasizes the commitment demonstrated not only by the athletes, but by the coaches as well. Whether they’re coaching as a volunteer or as a varsity coach, they all share the common goal—helping the athletes develop and succeed.

“We’re doing it for those who want to participate but we’re also doing it to build a school spirit and have pride at UTM.” — Kenneth Duncliffe So where are the UTM Eagles teams headed moving forward? In the 2017-18 athletic year, men’s and women’s basketball will be offered as an OCAA Varsity League sport.

Walker explains that many UTM students express an interest in playing a

high-level sport, but are not able to make the three-hour trek downtown to practice every day. Introducing more OCAA Varsity league sports is one way that they can provide chances for UTM students to balance their academics and athletics.

“The commitment of offering tons of different levels of opportunities for various sports, I think that’s our main direction. To make sure we’re not only offering the high level of commitment and competitiveness, but maintaining what we have going on now, which is a very large breadth of opportunity,” Walker says.

With another successful year now behind the Eagles athletes, and an exciting year ahead of them, Duncliffe hopes that the efforts and passions of the staff and athletes will help to promote student engagement.

“I think when we have games in the gym, when we see the stands filled with students watching and the spirit that is developed around that, that would be a highlight. We’re doing it for those who want to participate, but we’re also doing it to hopefully build school spirit and have pride in UTM,” Duncliffe says.