THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA
March 11, 2019 Volume 45, Issue 2 1 themedium.ca
Sauga’s Peel seperation?
A letter on Norman
Expression through poetry
Do video games weaken morals?
UTM’s women’s soccer say ‘Bye’
News, page 2
Opinion, page 4
Arts, page 5
Features, page 8
Sports, page 11
Anti-Israel activist speaks at UTM Speaking to over 200 people, Norman Finkelstein gave a lecture on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR “Israel does not have a right to defend itself against protesters in Gaza who pose an imminent threat,” said anti-Israel activist Norman Finkelstein when he spoke at the University of Toronto Mississauga on March 6. The author and political scientist was invited to speak by the Association of Palestinian Students (APS) for their ‘Make Hummus not Walls’ week. On the event’s Facebook page, the APS described Finkelstein as an “acclaimed” political scientist who “specializes in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Holocaust.” Finkelstein focused most of his talk on Gaza, “International law prohibits the use of force by an occupying power to suppress wide-spread popular insurrection for self-determination.” “Israel is not allowed to use any [force] in Gaza,” he continued, “whether it be moderate or excessive, whether it be proportionate or disproportionate, whether protestors are unarmed or armed, whether protestors don’t or do pose an imminent threat to life.” Finkelstein went on to say that an occupying power has the obligation, under the fourth Geneva conven-
LYNN MEDI/THE MEDIUM
APS describes Norman Finkelstein as an “acclaimed” political scientist specialized in the conflict. tion, to ensure the welfare of the occupied people. “Does Israel have the right to maintain public order in the face of the Gaza blockade that has made it
un-livable? Do they have the right to suppress the resistance against their occupation? No, you only have the right to maintain public order if you are watching over the welfare of
the population. You can’t strangle a people and then claim you have a right to maintain the civility of that population.” Having authored books with titles
such as “Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History,” “The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering, and “A Farewell to Israel,” Finkelstein is not new to controversy. In 2008, he was deported and banned from Israel for 10 years after being interrogated about his contact with Hezbollah, an Iranian-funded Lebanese militia which is considered a terrorist group by Canada. According to an article in The National Post, during the 2006 war in Lebanon, Finkelstein compared Hezbollah to the Allied resistance against Nazis in the Second World War. Judy Zelikovitz of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said that Finkelstein’s invitation to speak was “shocking and deeply disturbing,” saying he “shamefully spent his academic career minimizing the impact of the Holocaust, calling those who have sought restitution ‘cheats’ and ‘greedy.’” Finklestein’s presence at UTM was met with some backlash from some social groups calling for the university to prevent the talk from taking place on university grounds.
Speaker continued on page 2
Plan to revitalize U of T building in motion Due to lack of infrastructure updates, the FitzGerald building has been vacant since the July of 2018 MELISSA BARRIENTOS ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR On February 28, the Governing Council submitted their final approval for the FitzGerald Building Revitalization project. Since March 2017, the university has explored the possible revitalization of the building and began the approval process in January 2019. The FitzGerald building, located on the St. George campus at 150 College Street, was built in 1927 and is listed under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry had previously been using the building for wet-laboratory research and faculty space, but due to the lack of infrastructure upgrades, the building has deteriorated. In July 2018, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry were both relocated to renovated buildings on campus, leaving the FitzGerald building vacant. According to the Project Planning Committee for the FitzGerald Building Revitalization, “The University
PHOTO FROM ACE.UTORONTO.CA
The FitzGerald building is located on the St. George campus at 150 College Street. envisions that the Fitzgerald Building will be exemplar in adaptive re-use and set a precedent for progressive campus work environments. The pri-
mary goal is the creation of a modern, flexible, collaborative office environment, where the quality of space results from the acknowledgement and
accommodation of an evolving ‘me’ to ‘we’ workplace culture.” The committee proposes a “neighborhood-type plan” that opts for
open workstations over offices to encourage a collaborative workplace. The building will host the following central administration groups: Division of Advancement, Advancement Communication Marketing, Governing Council - Internal Audit, Human Resources & Audit, Office of the President - Finance Division, University of Toronto Communications, Ancillary Services, Parking & Transportation, and Planning & Budget. “The housing of various central administration functions together under one roof will help create synergies and efficiencies to best serve the academic needs of the university,” said the Project Planning Committee in the Report of the Project Planning Committee for FitzGerald Revitalization, dated November 23, 2018. The Committee also proposed three main changes to promote collaboration, including an addition to the south roof to provide access to the fourth-floor’s east wing. Building continued on page 2