Volume 46, Issue 10

THE MEDIUM

November 16, 2019

Read our breakdown on how the HCC deals with mental health

News

3

Editorial: A call for more empathy

Comment

5

Portia’s Julius Caesar’s Kaitlyn Riordan talks shop

Arts

9

Dr. Florian Shkurti discusses his research on robotics

Features

12

Read about water basketball’s debut at UTM

Sports

15

The Voice of The University of Toronto Mississauga | themedium.ca

Vol 46, No. 10

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11.18.2019

Editor | Melissa Barrientos

“It happened to me too,” UTM student steps forward A UTM student seeking mental health support got handcuffed and sent to the hospital back in 2017 MELISSA BARRIENTOS NEWS EDITOR A third-year student studying psychology and criminology at UTM was handcuffed and escorted to the hospital when they went to the Health and Counselling Centre (HCC) for mental health concerns.

The incident occurred back in 2017 at the beginning of October, during the student’s first year at UTM. She had recently moved to Canada with her family and had decided to stay in residence for her first year.

“It was hard to adapt,” said the student. “I had some issues stemming from high school, but when I came here, it was really hard to adapt. Everything got to me and I wasn’t feeling great.”

The student decided to seek help at the HCC. When meeting with a counsellor, the student expressed that she was experiencing suicidal ideation. The counsellor directed her to a mental health nurse.

A couple days later, the student met with the mental health nurse.

The student filled out a checklist and was ranked high for depression. The nurse said she needed to see a physician.

When the student finally met with the physician, she was asked about her whole history again.

“This was basically the third time that I had to repeat everything to someone, and it wasn’t easy because there was a lot of things to talk about and it’s just not easy trying to talk about issues,” said the student.

The physician asked if she had a plan for committing suicide, to which the student said possibly by overdosing.

The physician said she had to admit the student to the hospital. The student agreed with the physician’s order but asked to go after her exam the next day. The physician said she had to go immediately and called campus police.

When the student asked why the campus police were being involved the physician said, “that’s how we usually do it.”

When the student asked if it was common for campus police to be involved the physician said, “it’s procedure but I would say it’s pretty rare for us to call campus police.”

The student said that it wasn’t necessary; she could go on her own or with a friend to the hospital.

She had previously told the physician that a police confrontation in her youth had traumatized her and was one of the reasons she was depressed.

“I’m telling them ‘I will go right now, I just don’t want the police involved. You can check up on me.

LECHENIE NARKOMANII/PIXABAY.COM

A UTM student has decided to speak out about her troubles with the HCC and campus police.

You can call the hospital,’” said the student. “Involving the cops is going to affect me even more. I don’t want them involved.”

When a campus police officer arrived, he said they were understaffed and had to call Peel police for backup.

Two Peel police officers arrived and started escorting the student out of the HCC. She asked to walk in front of the officers so as to seem unassociated with them.

“It was in Davis and it was so crowded. It was around 1:00 p.m.

And I said I don’t want anyone seeing this,” said the student.

The officers said “no, you have to come with us. What if you try to run?

And [the student] said I’m so small you can easily catch me. I’m not going to run. They said, ‘no we have to do this.’”

They exited the Davis building where two cop cars were parked before the bus stop. One was the campus police car and the other a Peel police car.

“They start handcuffing me at that point, in front of the bus stop where all the students are,” said the student.

“I told them ‘you don’t have to handcuff me, I’m right here. I can just go in the car.’”

Two male students had walked by the student being handcuffed and started to make fun of her.

“They go, ‘oh thank god campus police are here. They need to catch criminals like you.’ And I’m standing there thinking, ‘I’m not a criminal.

I’m here for a mental health reason and you’re calling me a criminal,’” continued the student.

“And the cops didn’t say anything.

[The two male students] just laughed and were told to keep walking. They didn’t even defend me. They didn’t say ‘oh, she’s not a criminal. She’s here

for other reasons.’”

The student rode in the back of the cop car to the Credit Valley Hospital and continued to be in handcuffs in the emergency room until an attending nurse told the officers to uncuff her.

She stayed in the hospital for seven hours. The doctor gave her a medical certificate, to exempt her from the exam she had the following day, and told her to “just keep seeing [her] counsellor at school.”

Looking back at her treatment by the HCC and campus police, the student said that after the incident she refused to seek help.

“I’m standing there thinking, ‘I’m not a criminal. I’m here for a mental health reason and you’re calling me a criminal.’”

“I didn’t want to go back. What I learned from that whole experience was to not be honest anymore, because of how I was treated. I was more cautious of what I was saying. I didn’t want to go through that again.

I kind of downplayed everything and instead kept saying ‘oh yeah, I’m better now’ when I clearly wasn’t.”

Two months later, the student attempted suicide. Then once more in February, two months after the first attempt.

She was admitted to the hospital after the attempts, and on the third visit to the hospital she was accompanied by her parents, who forced her to go to therapy.

The student was given a Form 1, also referred to as an Application by Physician for Psychiatric Assessment under the Ontario Mental Health

Act. The Form 1 allows a doctor to hold a patient in a hospital for up to 72 hours for a psychiatric assessment.

The order also allows another person, usually someone close to you or a police officer, to involuntarily admit you to the hospital up to seven days after the Form 1 is signed. Form 1, however, does not allow the patient to be detained in jail or any other institution besides a hospital.

The student also expressed concern about having the “arrest” be shown in her record.

“I don’t even know if it’s going to be on my record, because Peel police were involved,” she said. “And I’m getting worried about that. What if it affects my future? All because I tried to go and get some help for my mental health.”

The student, wishing to be a psychiatrist when she graduates to help students like herself, has been repeatedly questioning her future.

“The experience left me wondering, ‘is this how students are getting help? Is this what I really want to do after seeing how the mental health system actually works?’”

In regards to the article published

by The Medium last week about a similar incident, the student said she was relieved to see she was not the only one with the same experience.

“I thought it was just me. It was good to know that it wasn’t just me and I would encourage [other students with the same experience] to speak up against this. The more they speak up, the more we can prevent this from happening to others. We can push for a better policy.”

“It’s still happening after three years. It’s happening, and it was good to know that I wasn’t the only one,” the student continued.

The Medium reached out to campus police for comment. Mark Overton, dean of Student Affairs, provided a statement for the university instead.

“As is the practice with our local police protocols, when individuals express specific intentions to harm themselves or others, we want to ensure that they get to the hospital safely,” said Overton.

“We’re really focused on their safety when they’re at their most vulnerable. And so, we’re reviewing the police practices in respect to the whole picture. We do believe our existing practices are consistent with those of local municipal police forces and with most Ontario university health clinics.”

On the manner that students are being escorted from the HCC to the hospital by Campus Police, Overton stateed that involuntary apprehension is done in rare cases.

“We certainly hope that students recognize a great amount of thought and care [is considered], and that we would only engage in an involuntary apprehension and a secure transportation to hospital in the most concerning cases.”

Regarding the campus police officer’s discretion and an “involuntary apprehension,” the student who was handcuffed and forcibly escorted to the hospital expressed her disagreement with Overton’s statement.

“It is not true because I volunteered so many times to go to the hospital and they still call[ed] the police on me […] So, that statement is not true because that’s not what happened to me,” said the student.

Overton states the U of T is looking at reviewing the practices of Campus Police on all three campuses related to the treatment of students with mental health concerns.

“It’s a broad look at the practices that campus police works with whenever a student has a serious mental health condition,” said Overton.

“That could include safe transportation to the hospital for example.”

Overton also stressed that the risk factors of suicide, assessed by the HCC staff and campus police, determine whether involuntary hospitalization is necessary. Under the HCC’s Privacy Statement & Collection of Personal Information, it states that “the HCC is ethically and/or legally required to disclose confidential information to the appropriate authorities […] if you indicate that you or another person may be a danger to themselves or others.”

The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) released a statement on November 12, shortly after The Medium’s article was released last week, condemning the police involvement at the HCC.

11.18.2019 THE MEDIUM NEWS

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The HCC mental health process: A breakdown How the student mental health process works at the HCC and how to get help with community services MELISSA BARRIENTOS NEWS EDITOR The Medium spoke to the Health and Counselling Centre (HCC) about the process students can go through to access mental health services on campus, as well as how the HCC responds to “at risk” students. Here is the breakdown: Students looking to get a psychiatrist appointment first need to have an appointment with a physician to be referred to the psychiatrist. This referral process is outlined by the Ministry of Health and is a standard referral process in the Ontario medical system.

However, before meeting with a physician at the HCC, a student will generally meet with a mental health nurse who will gather information “to assist in the process of diagnosis and to offer support to a student during the time they are waiting to meet with a physician.”

According to Erin Kraftcheck, the HCC’s medical director, the waittime to see a psychiatrist at the HCC is typically between one to three weeks after a referral is made by a physician at the clinic.

According to Kraftcheck, the waittime to see a psychiatrist in the Peel region is approximately six months.

“Due to space limitations, we are only able to have two physicians in the clinic per day, and now that we have hit the peak time for appointments, it can take a couple of weeks to meet with a physician,” said Kraftcheck.

When a student appears to be in distress or in a crisis situation, HCC staff first work to identify appropriate and available supports at the time.

“In most cases we work with stu-

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

The breakdown of how the HCC provides services and mental health connections to all students. dents to develop safety plans, and identify support people in their lives, and ensure close follow-up with the various clinicians in the HCC,” said Kraftcheck.

When a student is deemed to be a risk to themselves or to others, Kraftcheck said there is a “responsibility of health care providers to ensure that patients are assisted to remain safe.”

This includes transporting a student to the hospital for crisis support through the emergency department.

“Their situation at that time is best supported through a crisis service, which the HCC is not,” said Kraftcheck.

On the question of whether Cam-

pus Police is contacted by the HCC when a student is experiencing mental health concerns or is seen to be “at risk,” Kraftcheck said it occurs on rare occasions.

“Police are not called in all situations where a student indicates they have suicidal ideation. This, in fact, is relatively rare.”

“If a student has been assessed by a physician, it may be determined they need further assessment at the hospital, and in this case the patient is required to be transported to the hospital by police,” continued Kraftcheck.

Kraftcheck affirmed this is a process seen throughout the Ontario

medical system based on the Ontario Government’s Mental Health Act to ensure that those who have indicated a significant risk of harm to themselves or to others remain safe until they can receive further assessment and treatment.

Kraftcheck added that if a physician is not available but another staff member believes a student to pose a significant risk to themselves or others, they will also call Campus Police for assistance.

“The HCC offers short-term, solution-focused counselling,” stressed Kraftcheck.

When a student’s mental health concerns require longer-term coun-

selling, the HCC will also help students select personal counselling in the community through websites like Psychology Today, where they can select a variety of traits or specializations they would like their counsellor to have.

The HCC also has partnerships with outside organizations that can better assist students in specialized support options.

“We have a partnership with Interim Place, which supports survivors of violence or abuse. This [partnership] also allows female-identified students to meet with a counsellor from Interim Place on campus,” said Kraftcheck.

Referrals to the Peel Addiction, Assessment and Referral Centre (PAARC), Hope 24/7, Distress Centers of Greater Toronto, and Peel Mobile Crisis are also made by HCC staff when appropriate.

As suggested by the Presidential and Provostial Student Mental Health Task Force in their latest Draft Summary of Themes, the HCC is looking into making appointment requests more accessible.

At the moment, students can schedule an appointment at the HCC in person or over the phone.

“We are not currently able to take appointment requests over email or the internet, but the internet is an option being explored as a possibility for the future,” said Kraftcheck.

The HCC offers a monthly resiliency workshop run by a mental health nurse and organizes group counselling sessions every semester with a concentration on mental health concerns like social anxiety, depression, and managing negative thoughts, among others.

QSS appoints new chair QSS appoints a former UTMSU president as the new chairperson ISIK VERA SENEL ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The Quality Service to Students (QSS) committee met last Wednesday to elect a new QSS chairperson, review the Student Services fees budget, and provide updates on the Student Services advisory groups.

The only nomination for the QSS Chairperson was put forward by UTMSU president Atif Abdullah, who nominated Salma Fakhry, a former UTMSU president and Campus Council committee member.

“I think she’d be a great fit,” said Abdullah. “She obviously has a huge passion in making sure the quality of student services are as good as they can be. She’s done a lot of that work in the three years she’s spent at UTMSU and I know she’ll continue to do that.”

Fakhry became the new chairper-

son of the QSS with a unanimous vote.

Dean of Student Affairs Mark Overton went over the student services fees budget from the previous academic year and its budget structures in order to prepare the committee to vote on the updated budgets in January.

The departments provided updates on their meetings with their advisory groups and the feedback they received.

Jessica Silver, director of the Centre for Student Engagement (CSE), said the Career Centre had met with their advisory groups twice in the past month in collaboration with the International Education Centre (IEC) and the CSE. “We started by presenting on sort of the overall supports that the IEC and CSE provide, but with an empha-

sis on academic categories,” said Silver. “And then [we] asked the group of students what academic barriers they see students facing.”

Before adjournment, the departments discussed important announcements and events that will be coming up in the following weeks.

“We are desperately trying to get the flu vaccine,” said Erin Kraftcheck, director of the Health and Counselling Centre (HCC). “We’ve had a number of students asking us about it.”

“Unfortunately, Peel Public Health is the slowdown on this, it’s not us,” continued Kraftcheck. “We’re trying really hard to get it, but at this point they said that it’s possible we won’t get it until the first week of December.”

The next QSS committee meeting will be on December 11.

OLIVIA ADAMCZYK/THE MEDIUM

Former UTMSU President Salma Fahkry has become the chair of QSS.

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THE MEDIUM 11.18.2019

First Faith Fair at UTM The Faith Fair, as part of Faith Week, allowed students to explore different faiths November 8, 2019.

Police Assistance.

Campus Police attended the Student Centre for a student feeling unwell.

November 11, 2019.

Police Assistance.

Campus Police and ECSpeRT attended the MN building for a student experiencing medical distress. The student was then transported to hospital via ambulance.

November 12, 2019.

Police Assistance.

Campus Police attended the HSC building for a staff member experiencing medical distress.

November 12, 2019.

Police Assistance.

Campus Police escorted MFD and EMS to the Health and Counselling Centre for a student experiencing an allergic reaction.

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-TIPS (8477).

ELISA NGUYEN/THE MEDIUM

Different faiths were brought together in unity and discussion for the first Faith Fair.

ELISA NGUYEN CONTRIBUTOR The Centre for Student Engagement (CSE) hosted UTM’s first ever Faith Fair last Tuesday in the Communication, Culture, Information & Technology (CCT) atrium.

This was the first of the three-day Faith Week initiative. The CSE highlights itself as being “committed to holistic learning and development” and introduced Faith Week as a new initiative in collaboration with the Equity & Diversity Office, Hart House, and the University of Toronto Multi-Faith Centre.

Information booths led by faith leaders and student volunteers lined the glass hallway in front of the MiST Theatre where students and staff engaged in conversation about faith, spirituality, and religion.

The International Education Centre (IEC) displayed religions from across the world on a poster board, and the Equity & Diversity Office advertised the Anti-”O” Convos: Hot Topics event, a talk on faith, spirituality, and mental health, that took place last Thursday.

A large banner asked the question, “What Does Faith Mean to You?” Students’ answers were written on colored sticky notes and posted under the question.

The Faith Cafe offered cookies, tea, and coffee along with menus listing starter questions such as “what are some values that your religion/faith emphasizes” and “how do you maintain your faith here at UTM?” Preksha Mehta, a fourth-year French and sociology student at UTM, works as a Student Organizations Assistant with CSE in a workstudy program. She explained how this new initiative came from UTM’s acknowledgement of faith but lack of active support.

“The main motto was to create discussion […] debate, and to have dif-

ferent faith groups interact with each other. That’s why the week we’re having is titled ‘interfaith.’ We can collaborate and have a discussion-based setting, instead of just acknowledging the tolerance that is on campus,” said Mehta.

“The Centre of Student Engagement realized that faith-based groups haven’t been promoted as much, for whatever reason,” continued Mehta.

“We’re just giving opportunities for them to interact with people in a very respectful setting, so people have the opportunity to get to know more about them, and get more information off them.”

Sako Khederlarian, Student Engagement Coordinator and supervisor for the Faith Week initiative, told The Medium, “There are many students who choose the post-secondary institution to study at based on what faith and spirit-based support exists.”

“Our role is to look at ways the different faith-based groups can collaborate and contribute to a positive and supportive environment for the entire UTM community,” said Khederlarian.

As the first ever faith-based initiative, Faith Week also acts as a test project to gain insight for future faithfocused activities.

“It was a very successful week,” said Khederlarian. “I am looking forward to learning more about the successes of the week and see how we can continue to grow and adapt the program for the future.”

Regarding students’ reactions to the Faith Fair, Mehta said she was “pleasantly surprised.”

“I was really surprised, pleasantly surprised, about all the positivity and nice things that people had to say about their faith. It wasn’t anything necessarily religious—very respectful, nothing disrespectful,” said Mehta.

“We had people there to monitor if there was anything requiring censorship, but there was nothing there necessary for us to take down, no po-

litical propaganda.”

The faith-based groups who attended the Faith Fair were Baptist Student Ministries, the UTM Catholic Students Club, the Chinese Christian Fellowship (UTMCCF), and Christian Students at UTM. “We weren’t able to get all the faithbased clubs on campus. We did try our best to get as many as we could in that available time slot,” added Mehta.

Scott Plavnick, one of the Faith Leaders tabling during the Faith Fair, serves as Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Mississauga and has been involved with Baptist Student Ministries (BSM), a Christian club at UTM, for over 20 years.

“University is a crucial time in many people’s lives, where they’re sorting out what they believe out of all the competing voices, their parents, academia, society, their friends— sorting out what they believe and how they’re going to live their lives,” said Plavnick.

When asked about the Faith Fair, Plavnick shared that it was a good start.

“There were students that thanked us for being there. One student told us we were brave to be offering Bibles on a secular campus,” said Plavnick.

“I find it unfortunate that people have the idea that to be able to be a part of the secular society, academia, medicine, government, whatever it is, that you can’t let your faith have an influence on your life,” continued Plavnick.

On the Faith Fair banner that asked, “what does faith mean to you,” many sticky-notes read “love,” “hope,” and “belief,” while others read “connection,” “lifestyle,” “civil society,” or “religion.”

To Ahmad Fakhry, a fourth-year CCIT student and member of MSA, “Faith isn’t just a label we put on ourselves. It kind of represents who we are. I am molded by faith; I don’t mold the faith.”

U of T student leaves degree on GO train The degree was later returned by a fellow passenger

MILIDAE CLAIRE UY/THE MEDIUM

U of T degree was lost and then found, faith in humanity restored.

FARISHTEH KHAN CONTRIBUTOR A freshly minted U of T graduate who forgot her degree certificate on a GO train after the November 4 ceremony had it returned to her by a fellow passenger.

Daniel Listi found the certificate on board the train, wedged between the seat and window, and sent out a tweet calling for the owner of the certificate to pick it up at Union Station’s lost & found. His tweet has since been retweeted 154 times.

Listi even went the extra mile to search for her directly, finding a possible lead on LinkedIn. “This is random, but I think I have the right person,” Lista said to Samantha, the newly graduated student, on LinkedIn in an effort to find her.

“Your profile seems to match up with the degree! Didn’t want all those years and money to go to waste, that piece of paper is important. Congratulations on your convocation.”

Samantha promptly confirmed that it was her, tying the knot on a very

lucky happy ending.

Listi took to Twitter with the good news.

“I found THE Samantha on LinkedIn […] she had already called the Union Station lost & found just after I dropped it off and she’ll be collecting her lost degree soon! Happy ending.”

When asked about her reaction to hearing about this admittedly traumatizing incident, Manal Makhdum, a Life Science student at the St. George campus said, “My heart felt heavy just reading about it.”

Sheldon D’Leema, a third-year psychology student at UTM, said “to have worked for many years on my degree through overnights at Robarts library […] just to have lost the certificate […] I would have been inconsolable.”

On Listi’s goodwill D’Leema said, “I would owe them a life debt or at least a coffee!”

“These acts of kindness only restore faith in humanity,” Manal added. “There is still good in this world, and you should always strive to be a part of it.”

11.18.2019 THE MEDIUM NEWS

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MiWay negotiates with the city for new contract With a 99 per cent strike mandate, MiWay is negotiating with the city for a new collective agreement ISIK VERA SENEL WITH NOTES FROM MELISSA BARRIENTOS NEWS EDITOR

The contract negotiations between the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), which represents 86 per cent of the MiWay workforce, and the City of Mississauga are currently underway following the contract expiration that happened September 30.

On August 6, the transit workers secured a 99 per cent strike mandate.

Since that mandate, the ATU and the city have had several rounds of negotiations where they have exchanged proposals for a new contract.

“I can say that I believe both sides are committed, and we just hope that the city will continue to be committed to work on a resolve,” said the President of the ATU Local 1572, Jack Jackson, in an interview with The Medium.

The City of Mississauga is working towards becoming a transit-oriented city and getting more people to choose public transportation through expanded services and opportunities.

In a recent statement, the ATU discussed the Hurontario LRT project, developed by Metrolinx, and the possibility of the LRT being operated

by MiWay drivers, instead of private companies.

“The problem we have with the private sector operating the [Hurontario] LRT is you’re watching $1.4 billion be pumped into the LRT transit system but the city is still on the books,”

BELICIA CHEVOLLEAU/THE MEDIUM

The union representing the MiWay workforce is still working with the city to prevent a strike. said Jackson. “So, you’re looking at a model where the city has responsibility, yet the city has no control of the operation.”

“We’d actually like to see that system operated by us so that we can help control the reliability of it and the fiscal responsibility,” continued Jackson.

Jackson stated that the ATU would like to see the city show more commitment to the existing transit system rather than the Hurontario LRT project.

“You take $1.4 billion and influx that into the current transit system, you have a whole lot more buses and

people and more connections and you have a much more reliable service,” said Jackson.

On the relationship between MiWay and the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), Jackson said he values having UTM students as a large part of MiWay’s ridership.

“We want to ensure that we provide UTM the best service we can,” Jackson said, emphasizing the importance of reliability in transit geared towards students. “There has to be some type of streamline service and to make sure that it continues to be there.”

Jackson also discussed MiWay’s relationship with UTM students and

believed them to be the driving force behind union members.

“We’ve always liked that we kind of watched the kids grow,” said Jackson.

“I know a lot of transit systems have problems with students in general and that’s not our issue for sure. So, we’re very thankful.”

“Power comes in many voices and we’d love to be an advocate for the students. We just need to know what it is the students want,” said Jackson, encouraging the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) to keep in contact with MiWay for future projects.

“What you would really want to do

is sort of pull internally to see what it is you guys are looking for, what it is you need, and then we can go to the city—we can go to MiWay and I’d be more than happy to help [UTM] with that.”

The Medium spoke with UTMSU president Atif Abdullah about his opinions on the 99 per cent strike mandate and the ongoing discussions between ATU and the city.

“As a student union ourselves, we do recognize that it is very important to sort of fight for what is right for your members and what is good for your members,” said Abdullah.

“We are now landlocked, which means that the university can only build underground garages, and if you’ve seen the price of CCT [parking spots], they’re not accessible by any means,” said Abdullah. “Our accessible parking will not increase, which means that there has to be a dependency on increased usage of public transit, which has to rely on a good partnership with MiWay to improve services.”

“It’s not an easy job, but at the same time, they’re doing it with a smile.

They’re doing it making sure that people are happy on their bus,” continued Abdullah, in reference to the MiWay bus drivers. “I wish them all the best with their negotiations and hopefully they get what they’re looking for.”

The discussions between the ATU and the city are ongoing.

Lakeview Village: A new community for the city Lakeview Village, an urban sustainability-conscious project, will redevelop the Lakeview waterfront area SALEHA FARUQUE DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR Mississauga will soon become home to an exciting urban waterfront community called Lakeview Village.

The 177-acre community development plan was approved by City Council on November 6, after receiving high-praise from Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

The first phase of construction will start in the spring of 2020.

Simply put, Lakeview Village envisions an “urban waterfront transformation” of Mississauga and offers innovative community functioning by the lakeshore. The sustainabilityconscious project promotes greater access to Lake Ontario by reconnecting residents to the water’s edge.

Located 3.8 kilometres east of Port Credit on Lake Ontario, Lakeview Village will present “a diverse mix of residential offerings, as well as institutional, cultural, office and retail spaces.” The community plans to deliver these amenities through a “mix of uses, public spaces, and diverse programming.”

Describing the project as having

“enormous potential,” Mayor Crombie explained that transforming the current waterfront would “drive tourism, foster innovation, spur economic growth and attract a new generation to Mississauga.”

Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner of Planning and Building, said the Lakeview Waterfront Development Master Plan “outlines an ideal 21st-century community for our waterfront.”

U of T Mississauga is portrayed as a “major anchor” in the area, alongside popular retail destinations like Square One and CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto.

Lakeview Village was inspired by six “Big Move” principles that guide the development and structure of its streets, districts, and neighbourhoods. For instance, at the vision’s core is the “Continuous Waterfront” principle. This principle ensures an “uninterrupted water’s edge connection from east to west.”

The proposed continuous waterfront would result in almost 67.1 acres of remediated land comprising of the Waterfront Trail, a new waterfront park, and active waterfront

spaces. Another principle, the “Blue and Green Network,” will establish mixed “public and open spaces” to improve neighbourhood connectivity and stormwater management functions.

A unique cultural hub plans to bring together “arts, culture, retail and public space.” This will encourage visitors to spend more time at Lakeview Village through “cultural venues and programming, indoor and outdoor, with retail opportunities, residential density, unique open space, and streetscape elements.” Lakeview Village will also offer 8,026 units of residential space, and approximately 216,378 square metres of non-residential space.

Those who frequent the City of Mississauga will benefit from the allaround access to Lakeview Village, especially as it lies between south-east Mississauga and Toronto west. The multipurpose hub is seven kilometres from the City Centre with connections to both Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and Highway 427.

GO transit routes on the Lakeview Village provide access to Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton and Toronto.

PHOTO/LAKEVIEWCOMMUNITYPARTNERS.COM

A new neighbourhood is being built right next to Lake Ontario.

Local transit, such as MiWay and TTC, will also include bus services along Lakeshore road.

The community site is being established on the former decommissioned Lakeview Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant. Now, the new space will be dedicated to “green and sustainable urban living.” 4,500 long-term jobs are expected to be created through the 825,000 square feet of employment space.

City Council’s approval of the mas-

ter plan marks the latest update in a multi-year project that started with the 2010 public consultations for “Inspiration Lakeview.” The Lakeview Village project is one of three key Mississauga waterside redevelopment plans, next to Port Credit West Village and 1 Port Street.

“As we continue to work together, our vision to create a world-class waterfront will become a reality,” Mayor Crombie pledged in her statement.

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11.18.2019

Ali Taha

Editorial

UTM needs Letters more empathy The Bland Duck (Pub) Last week, we broke a story on campus police handcuffing third-year UTM student Natalia Espinosa at the Health and Counseling Centre (HCC) after she expressed suicidal ideation. Espinosa took the initiative to seek professional help from counselors at the HCC but instead, she was confronted by two police officers who handcuffed her, lead her through campus, and escorted her to Credit Valley Hospital. In her interview with us, she described hyperventilating over the entire encounter to which the police officers were unresponsive. She insisted that she would “fully cooperate and that an arrest was not necessary,” but was told there was no alternative option and that handcuffing her was part of U of T protocol.

The protocol is based on the Ontario Mental Health Act, Section 17, which states that a “police officer may take the person in custody to an appropriate place for examination by a physician” if the person: a. Has threatened or attempted to cause bodily harm to herself b. Has behaved violently towards another person, or is causing another person to fear bodily harm c. Has shown a lack of competence to care for herself Nowhere in the legislation does it authorize handcuffing the subject, especially if they are not causing harm to themselves or others, and if they are demonstrating a clear state of mind.

This is a matter of interpretation, and the campus police interpreting the law poorly.

On the one hand, the university staff were just doing their jobs and following protocol. On the other hand, the campus police should have exercised discretion when deciding to handcuff Espinosa. She told them it was unnecessary.

They did it anyway.

When we questioned the director of campus police about the issue, he told us that campus police are “required to take mandated training every five years.”

Let’s hope the next training session is soon, and that it is updated. Campus police should be able to de-escalate situations and calm distressed students.

Espinosa is not the only student this has happened to. After she came forth, other students came to us saying they had experienced the same thing.

According to Youth Mental Health Canada, in Canada, suicide accounts for 24 per cent of all deaths among 15-24-year-olds, and Canada’s youth suicide rate is the third highest in the industrialized world. This is a serious problem that needs to be dealt with carefully.

Although the stigma attached to mental illnesses has lessened in recent years, incidents like this do not help. Students struggling with suicidal ideation should not be afraid to ask for help.

If the university would like to put this issue behind them, they should focus on reforming protocol and police training. They must be mindful of the severity of mental health disorders and act with empathy.

Re: “The Bland Duck Pub,” November 11, 2019.

Dear Editor, I read your editorial last week regarding the Blind Duck Pub’s need to modernize, and for the most part I agreed with the premises of the piece.

The interior of the building is disheartening and “drab,” the furniture ugly and uncomfortable, and the food is lacking. The expectation you lay out for the Blind Duck to be a lively, fun place for students to relax and hang out with friends is warranted—and one that is woefully ignored by the by the Blind Duck management.

However, while the piece does hit many solid points as to why the pub sucks and how it should reform, the piece also touches on the belief that the pub should be a place where students can get drunk with their friends. This raises one particular issue, which is the fact that not all students should be trusted with alcohol.

Sexual assault is a major issue on university campuses, and alcohol has a notorious role to play in the number of assaults that occur and the severity of such cases. Drunk driving is another serious problem that comes with drunkenness and poor decision making, especially since there is

rarely much oversight in the parking lots on campus or the roadways that surround the area.

The central issue then, regarding the Blind Duck Pub, is how it goes about reforming itself to be the hub for student life. Especially, when it comes to how it would handle alcohol consumption on campus. If that is to become a central feature of the pub, it cannot be without proper oversight and attention to all the complications that accompany drunkenness.

Aya Yafaoui, Political Science

The U.S. is moral grandstanding Re: “ISIS in a turbulent world,” November 11, 2019.

Dear Editor, I think that it’s incredibly important to be able to stand up against tyranny and all forms of senseless violence. Therefore, I would understand why the American government felt it important to execute the leader of ISIS. However, I’d like to make it known that I believe that America does not care about the well-being of people in the Middle East. To be under the impression even for an instant that the American state, or any other one for that matter, genuinely cares about the state of the people that are affected by conflicts would be to believe in

fiction.

States are unable to affect real and tangible change because the people who are financing these wars don’t actually care about achieving peace.

People want to see grandiose accomplishments manifested in single events in order to easily use them as testaments to their own greatness. These (sometimes) insignificant events are ones that diverge the conversation away from those that are actually suffering the atrocities and places the focus on those who are ‘affecting’ change. This paints them as the champions of democracy, freedom and liberty—qualities that are rarely ever implemented permanently.

The threat of ISIS and other is-

sues will forever exist so long as people and states are fixated on these accomplishments as testaments to their own greatness.

In other words, the U.S. doesn’t care about civilian causalities, or actually supporting their allies—they will continue with whatever actions will garner support within their nation.

Until people start caring about tangible change, large shows of force seem to be the only way to make Uncle Sam seem like the cool uncle… sorry.

Tomasz Glod, third-year Political Science and History

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I was handcuffed in the HCC: This is my story NATALIA ESPINOSA

It was the morning of October 3 when I was gently awoken from my hospital bed by a doctor. She introduced herself to me as Dr. Waissman. She then led me and my friend Anita from the in-patient room we had been in since the night before to a more private room. As I sat on the bed, we went over my life, and I described to her my mental state: the stress, the toohigh ups and the too-low downs—my life. Some of the things I disclosed to her were things I had been too afraid to tell anyone—even myself, at times.

They were things that felt too big and too scary, like my eating disorder. But I felt safe, and to be honest, I felt a bit more hope than I had the day before.

Once I was discharged, I was given medication and a later appointment with Dr. Waissman, which made the future look a bit brighter in my eyes.

As the days passed I wondered silently alone, and then outl oud to those close to me, why was it that when I went to my university’s health centre for suicidal ideation, the route to getting help had been so traumatizing and terrifying? It felt wrong.

It began on Wednesday October 2. Wednesdays are my longest days, where I finish at 8:00 p.m. at night.

After three years of attending classes at U of T, I had become accustomed to the routine. However, this day for me felt different. I spent the day feeling deeply suicidal. Sadness gripped me every hour and through each class, because this has been one of the hardest—if not the hardest—years of my life. I have had to come to terms with the different childhood traumas, many punishing teenage years, and the complicated tangle of my twenties. It was overwhelming to say the least.

I decided to confide in my close friend, Anita Mozaffari. Once I did, she advised that we go and speak to the Health and Counseling Centre (HCC) to seek help. After all, everywhere you look on campus, the HCC is advertised as the place we students are told to go for help with mental health matters.

We made our way to the grim Davis building and entered the HCC, tucked away in the basement. We first spoke to the receptionist and let her know I needed to see a psychiatrist as soon as possible. However, she let me know that it would be a three-step process which consisted of seeing the mental health nurse, the doctor, and then the psychiatrist. The process could take months, she said, and then added that anywhere I’d go, I would find that is the way things are. Although I knew it was not her intention, her words made me feel helpless.

In that moment, I broke. I couldn’t hold back my tears, and I started crying. I had already had a taste of this hopelessness, because at the time, I was also a few weeks into a monthslong waiting list for a non-university psychiatrist that my family doctor had referred me to. But in that mo-

ment, I needed help. I was afraid.

Once I started crying, the receptionist told me that in the meantime, she would let me in to see a nurse. I talked to the nurse by myself first and Iet her know my situation. I was experiencing suicidal ideation, and I had a plan: I wanted to jump off a bridge near my house. But, I told her, I would be staying at my friend’s house in a completely different city in order to keep safe. Together, the nurse and I drafted a safety plan, and she seemed to approve of my plan to stay with my friend. She told us we would have to speak with campus police for maybe 10-15 minutes before we could leave.

In my mind, I figured it was a formality—often in counselling sessions they acknowledge the fact that police have to be involved upon the mention of someone wanting to hurt themselves.

My friend and I sat together for a brief time in the waiting room awaiting the officers. Nervous, I tried to reassure myself with the thought that things were going to be alright.

The campus police arrived: two large men, fully uniformed and in neon vests, unmistakably stating their authority. They guided both of us into a small room at the end of a small hallway in the HCC. I felt strange.

There was no nurse or mental health worker with us, and that made me uneasy. I tried to reassure myself that this would just be a brief talk.

The police officers dived immediately into questioning me: why was I at the HCC? I let them know the exact situation I’d described to the nurse beforehand. Once I mentioned the bridge, the officers stopped everything. They let me know that they would have to take me “under arrest,” as was protocol. I was confused, as I was not aware of this protocol before, despite having been to the emergency room of a hospital for the same case of suicidal ideation this past summer.

Looking back, I would have preferred if they had not used the word “arrest,” and instead had said something along the lines of my being taken into custody specifically for my safety. Maybe then I would have been able to understand where the protocol was coming from.

Before they “arrested” me, I implored them not to do so. I told them I would be willing to go to the hospital with them. I wanted help, but I wanted help without humiliation and with autonomy. Dizzily, I followed their instructions to stand up, turn around, and place my hands behind my back. As I did, I started to panic because I did not understand what was happening to me. They locked metal handcuffs around each of my wrists—which, if you have never, like me, been arrested, was a terrifying feeling. I remember that at the moment I felt as though I had done something wrong, and began looking back at all the decisions I’d made in my life and thought of whether I had done something to bring this iniquity upon myself.

I distantly understood that my

friend asked the police if she too could be handcuffed in solidarity, but was rejected. I began hyperventilating, and my friend tried to intervene by alerting the officers to my panic attack and asking if they knew how to help. Both of them failed to offer much comfort, and so with what she had read previously on panic attacks, my friend walked me through the panic attack, advising me to breathe slowly, and succeeded in calming me down.

Now, I often look back and wonder what might have occurred if my friend had not been there to reduce my panic. I wish, in that moment, and if this were to ever happen again, that the campus police (or better yet, a mental health professional) had been active and able in de-escalating the situation and reducing my panic. This should not have been the responsibility of my friend—a fellow student— but the responsibility of the professionals at the scene.

Once I was calmer, tears still racing down my face, the officers put Anita’s jacket over my handcuffed hands to cover the metal. I tried to think of my mother, as she has come to be a safe place for me, but I still felt trapped and alone. The officers escorted me through the elevator, down into the

I was sure that a girl in tears, with neon-uniformed officers at either side of her, was something that would invite unwanted attention. long stretches of the RAWC building, which buzzed with people everywhere. I tried not to look around me. I was sure that a girl in tears, with neon-uniformed officers at either side of her, was something that would invite unwanted attention.

I could feel my friend behind me, but there was not much she could do.

I wish there had been the choice for me to hide my identity, either by being taken through a different route, or being offered some way to cover my face.

As we got to the doors, it became clear that the police car was not yet ready for us, so we stood inside waiting. I voiced my humiliation to my friend and the officer. I told him that despite knowing that he was just doing his job, this process felt wrong.

The car should have been ready. It would have been better to have waited in the secluded room until it was.

Once the car was ready, my friend asked different officers if she could ride with me. At this point, one of the officers was replaced with a policewoman. The officers rejected Anita’s request. This frightened me further.

These officers, who were unfamiliar to me, had proven that they would not offer me meaningful comfort during my panic attack in the secluded room.

But I stayed silent, and went cooperatively into the car while Anita took an Uber to meet me at the hospital.

The ride to Credit Valley Hospital was awful. I wish I could have had an ally beside me to talk through it with me. After all, I had never been to this hospital. I would have liked to have, if not a friend, a mental health professional to sit with me and talk to me.

But between my day, my year, and the barrier between me and the officers, I felt alone once again—and again, I panicked. I threw up in the car, and I cried.

Once we arrived to the hospital, the policeman opened my door, and among his first words to me were simply and inconsiderately, “it doesn’t matter anymore,” as he removed the jacket obscuring my cuffed hands.

It stung bitterly, to hear such words uttered, as I would be the only one walking in handcuffs through an unknown place, and it ought to have been my choice whether to walk unobscured. But it felt like I couldn’t say anything because it felt as if I, and what I wanted, did not matter. It had not mattered to the officers how greatly I’d been willing to cooperate before, and it did not matter now how I felt about protecting my dignity.

This time, as I was escorted through the halls, I decided to look. I saw fear in the eyes of the patients around me—they were vulnerable, and to them, I understood that I looked like a criminal. I felt like a criminal, too.

As we proceeded through the hospital, Anita found us. She asked if I was alright, and I let her know what had happened on the way. She cleaned my face and asked if I had been offered a drink or some food.

The officers had done no such thing.

I spent the next hour or so waiting in line on a chair in the halls of the emergency room, with my hands still twisted behind my back, and the metal of the handcuffs cutting into my wrists. I think it unnecessary to use such restraints on individuals asking for help. If the situation deems the use of restraints absolutely necessary, then the restraints used should be made of softer material. Handcuffs are stigmatizing.

Anita spent the whole time waiting with me, and I remember her asking many times if there was something on my mind. I did not want her to worry, but I also didn’t know how to explain to her the complete desolation I was feeling at that moment. I did not know how to explain to her the ways in which I had now changed because of this traumatizing experience. How there were few times in my life, such as this, where I had felt so helpless. How I felt like this had happened despite my best actions to be a person my loved ones could be proud of. I didn’t feel like anyone could be proud of me then. I didn’t feel much like anything. At one point, I admitted to Anita that I felt numb, and so we spent the night taking our minds elsewhere, onto our readings and the subject of our pets.

Eventually, I was able to speak to a hospital nurse. I repeated to her the same narrative I had to the HCC nurse and officers, and within min-

utes, she had deemed from the same information the officers had that I was not a threat, and declared that my handcuffs be removed. I stayed overnight at the hospital and received truly helpful treatment at the hands of the Credit Valley Hospital staff.

The days following this incident, however, I felt numb, and at many points scared, because I did not know how to follow up with how the campus police and the HCC had treated me.

Following the incident, I was not immediately contacted by the university explaining the reasoning behind my particular case and the handcuffing. It was after the article in The Medium was published, and after we reached out to a mental health ambassador, that I was able to receive some sort of response from U of T representatives.

Every student should receive a formal, personalized explanation from professionals about what happened to them, why, and what will happen next—including explicit steps on how to provide feedback on how they were treated if the student so wishes.

I thought my handcuffing was an isolated incident, but it is not. Many other students across U of T, and in different universities, have been treated this way after asking for help.

I believe that the protocol of handcuffing students and having them escorted by police is unnecessary and inappropriate. Individuals struggling with mental illness should be offered services that are compassionate, respectful, and dignified. It is important to note that individuals like myself, who struggle with mental illness, are more likely to be criminalized and stigmatized due to our intersectional identities.

Furthermore, mental health professionals should be involved at every single step of the process, if and when hospitalization is required. Restraintment should not consist of metal handcuffs. Softer material is a realistic reform.

If better protocols cannot be installed to provide better services to students, then in my opinion, it is irresponsible to let students believe that the university is capable of appropriately and safely caring for their mental health.

I hope that in the future, the university will involve students more in the creation and amendment of mental health protocols, to ensure informed respect for the students’ boundaries, autonomy, and wishes.

I hope that those who have been through this process before feel that they are not alone and have a voice.

And that those who are currently struggling are able to seek help. Despite my experience, I still met mental health professionals who were kind, and who respected my voice. Help is out there for you too. I am grateful to Anita for having been there for me, for having made me laugh, and for being my advocate and friend through a difficult ordeal.

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11.18.2019

SATIRE

Editor | Gordon Cork

Beavertail truck able to prevent suicide

Why do you love UTM? Why I love UTM? The HCC, hands down (and cuffed). They treat every student with respect, kindness, and compassion. They even gave me a sweater to keep my wrists warm from the cold, hard metal cuffs!

Also, the waitlist times: iconic. There’s no better way to treat mental illness than waiting for months and doing nothing. I think it is called mindfulness meditation?

I also love how fast our campus police can respond to a mentally ill student seeking help. They had me on the ground FAST!

BEAVERTAILS OTTAWA/FACEBOOK

Beavertails are keeping the student body sane while mental funding and counsellors are scarce.

ERIN DELANEY ASSOCIATE SATIRE EDITOR The mental stability of University of Toronto Mississauga students hinges on the presence of one shining beacon: the Beavertail truck.

“I’ll be walking to my sociology lecture, stressed about my assignments and presentations, trying to think of one reason to not jump off the library roof, and then I see it, the truck, and I feel calm for one sole moment in my life.” A thirdyear sociology major told The Medium. “I see the beautiful red truck and I know I can drown my sorrows in a maple beaver tail and hot choc-

olate.”

The Beavertail truck, usually found between the ICCIT building and the Student Centre on select Thursdays and Fridays, has been a UTM staple for years, and generally the only source of stability in students’ lives.

The Medium caught up with one of the workers of the Beavertail truck. “Sometimes a student will start crying as I hand them their poutine. This one girl touched my hand for a solid ten seconds and whispered ‘thank you’ to me. It’s usually tears of joy I think, but I do worry. If they order a cinnamon and sugar, they’re usually doing alright,

but if they get a cheesecake beavertail, or even a beaverdog, then I know they are in crisis. No one orders a beaverdog and hopes to wake up tomorrow.”

With decreasing support and faith in the HCC, students have been flocking to the food truck for assistance and their sugar fix.

Due to the mental health crisis at U of T, the university is promising to pledge an additional three million dollars to mental health funding, with $2.5 million going to securing more frequent beavertail trucks, and the rest being spent on another pile of rocks.

Profs issue really honest letters of recommendation HAMZAH MOHAMMED CONTRIBUTOR

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Professors are brutally honest about the folks paying their salary.

Reality checks have spread across campus as professors have taken to writing completely honest letters of recommendation for their students.

“The fact that I have bad body odour shouldn’t count against me,” said Stephanie Mason, who claims her letter of recommendation from a fourth-year biology professor ruined her self-esteem.

“What does he mean I’m ‘too dependent on coffee?’ I basically sleep through all my professor’s lectures!”

said Mo Khan, a sixth-year computer science student.

“It’s about reintroducing honest dialogue to the conversation,” sociology professor Barbara Greene told The Medium. “We’re giving students a chance to allow what makes them unique become the thing that they get recognition for. It’s just a shame UTM students don’t have any redeeming qualities to begin with.”

The Medium found more letters of recommendations in the garbage along with past issues of the newspaper: Although student’s philosophical

account of the dangers of skeptics was rather intriguing, I had to politely request they continue the discussion after I finished at the urinal.

Student asked questions they already knew the answers to. Again, you know I’m twice divorced. You don’t have to ask me more than once.

It’s on the slides…

Students plan on pushing back against the overly honest letters by submitting honest reviews on ratemyprof.com.

11.18.2019

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Editor | Vinney Wong

Kaitlyn Riordan on Portia’s Julius Caesar The playwright and director takes Shakespeare’s famous works and gives them a feminist perspective VINNEY WONG A&E EDITOR Last Friday, Hart House Theatre marked its 100th anniversary by presenting one of Shakespeare’s most memorable dramas with a reimagined twist. Portia’s Julius Caesar is a feminist take on Shakespeare’s poetic works about the political upheaval in early Rome. Created and written

by Kaitlyn Riordan, the new-old play takes Shakespeare’s poetry from over twenty works and centres them around the perspectives of women and female actors who were silenced by political traditions.

To celebrate the opening of Portia’s Julius Caesar, The Medium caught up with Riordan, who is also a four-time Dora Award-nominated actress, to talk about misogyny, female empowerment, and the diversity in the play.

The Medium: Congrats on the opening of Portia’s Julius Caesar. Can you tell me why it was the right time to bring it to Hart House Theatre?

Kaitlyn Riordan: When I first met with Andrea [Wasserman] and Doug [Floyd] at Hart House, they told me that when it opened, 100 years ago this year, the only place women were allowed in the building was in the theatre. Thankfully a lot has changed since then, but being allowed into a place, like a government for example, is one thing, equality is another.

Currently, of Canada’s 13 provincial and territorial leaders, only one is a woman.

By expanding who represents

us, both in government and on our stages, we are able to envision equality at every level of our lives and the 100th anniversary of Hart House is the perfect time to embody that in that building, creating a new legacy for the future.

TM: Shakespeare’s plays had limited gender representation; what is the significance of bringing in female perspectives?

KR: I am constantly fighting for Shakespeare because I love so much of his writing. Why would I need to fight for the most produced playwright in the Western world you ask?

Because as a female actor, my place in his works is limited. For my colleagues who are not white, it’s even more limited.

The significance of broadening the lens of his plays (and beyond just what I am accomplishing here) and fighting for more perspectives is about making a place for myself and the people in our community who don’t see themselves in his plays.

They continue to get produced. Everywhere. And theatre is political and of its time, so if we’re producing Shakespeare’s works, they need to exist in the here and now to some degree. There is no cookie cutter version of how to accomplish that, but Portia’s Julius Caesar is one offering.

TM: What character traits do Portia and Calpurnia embody and how do they differ from each other?

KR: As the main characters, the have many classic traits of Shakespeare’s heroines: complex, brave,

strong, flawed, vengeful, funny, determined and so on. They are very different women, with different struggles and desires, but they are best friends. And then one of their husbands kills the other’s husband.

What then? I was curious about that moment.

TM: Were there any worries about whether the audience would accept two powerful female leads in a play that deviates from what Shakespeare has been known for?

KR: The evolution of [Portia and Calpurnia] was inspired by Rosalind and Celia, Lady Macbeth, Margaret, Goneril, Lady Percy, Kate, Cordelia, Paulina and many other non-submissive Shakespearean women and women in my life. The nine other new female characters in the play were similarly inspired.

TM: Brutus and Caesar are not as dominant in the play. How does that dynamic play out with their wives?

KR: Portia and Calpurnia are vying for empowerment; their husbands are not diminished by that. They want to be a part of the conversation around the things that affect their lives as all wives and husbands do.

TM: The Roman political landscape was tense and somewhat mirrors what is happening in today’s society. What socio-political issues are swayed by alternative factors?

KR: You’re absolutely right in saying that our society mirrors this one from Roman times. In the United States, we see our Western version of democracy being threatened by au-

PHOTO COURTESY OF HART HOUSE THEATRE

This rewrite is for those who don’t feel seen in Shakespeare. tocracy more and more every day. In Hong Kong, we see a citizenry who is fighting for their democratic rights against a superpower that wants ultimate control. Shakespeare shows us a citizenry which is swayed by charisma and not fact. Whoever puts on a better show gets their allegiance. The outcome, in Rome, was an Empire.

The outcome for us, two centuries later, is unknown.

TM: There are many social and political issues pertaining to women in Portia’s Julius Caesar, particularly topics of choice. What impact do you think the show will have on audiences?

KR: Our hope is that the show makes us question who we put at the centre of our narratives and wonder

about who is being excluded. I also hope that it proves that there’s room for so many more voices to take centre stage than we’ve come to expect; that we must demand a broader lens.

We can do that by supporting the work that does that with our hardearned dollars and time.

TM: Women are able to speak their minds and voice their opinions in Portia’s Julius Caesar which seemed impossible during Shakespeare’s time. What do you hope audiences will take from the show?

KR: I want audiences to wonder; what would I have done in Portia’s place?

Portia’s Julius Caesar runs until November 30.

Exploring the future with Hito Steyerl The exhibit at the AGO opened conversations about technology, politics, and pop-culture in society NATALIE LYCZEK CONTRIBUTOR

“Are we allowed to be here?” I asked my friend when we emerged onto the fifth floor of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). But, after being there for a few short moments, I was able to spot the exhibit I came there for: Hito Steyerl: This is the future.

Taking up the entire fifth level of the David & Vivian Campbell Centre for Contemporary Art, there were not many people at the exhibit with us, which made the experience more enjoyable. No overcrowding and intriguing pieces of work? It was truly an introvert’s dream.

Born in 1966, Hito Steyerl is a German artist, filmmaker, and writer. Additionally, she is a professor of Art and Multimedia at the University of the Arts in Berlin, Germany.

She also has solo exhibitions all around the world, including in Italy and Brazil.

Hito Steyerl: This is the future features some of Steyerl’s works from the last 15 years, including Liquidity Inc. (2014) and Hell Yeah We Fuck Die (2016).

Liquidity Inc. is a 30-minute documentary that tells the story of Jacob Wood, a Korean financial advisor, who gets fired from work and later takes up martial arts and professional fighting. “That’s what makes it exciting, that’s what keeps things liquid, and fluid,” says Wood.

The documentary explores the idea of the digital world and its relationship to climate change. The film connects all of these concepts through one single answer: water.

Yes, water. I was a bit confused at first, but that’s because I was only taking it at its surface level. Water is connected to technologies (Google Glass), the internet, and immigration.

Steyerl’s film discusses the notion that we are all water: “I run through

your veins. Your eyes. Your touchscreens and portfolios. I am gushing through your heart, plumbing and wires. I am liquidity incorporated… torrent, cloud, capital, numbers.”

Hell Yeah We Fuck Die, as Steyerl explains it, are the five most-used English words in song titles. There are a few videos displayed in this part of the exhibit. The videos showcase things technology related, such as robots and Siri.

The words Hell Yeah We Fuck Die are used to predict the future of humans if we continue down the route of robots and artificial intelligence.

She displays an image of flawed robots who do not live up to their expectations. Hell Yeah We Fuck Die is an exciting exhibit that explores our technological world and how it will degenerate if we rely on robots.

These pieces are only a small fraction of Steyerl’s work that is available to see at the AGO. Steyerl explores technology and political issues in

CHARLENE BEA/THE MEDIUM

Technology and the many forms of water are on display.

her work that is relevant in today’s society. She tells stories in her pieces through her signature essayistic documentary style.

AGO describes her documentary as: “poetic narration supported by a unique blend of pop cultural images, documentary footage, and

computer-animated sequences.” So, if exploring the frightening future of humans and society is something that piques your interest, this exhibit is just the thing for you.

Hito Steyerl: This is the future runs until February 23, 2020.

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THE MEDIUM 11.18.2019

Portia’s Julius Caesar is untraditional The play celebrates Hart House Theatre’s 100th Anniversary and the women from the Roman age SHALOMI RANASINGHE ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Julius Caesar, was reworked into a women-centered lens by Kaitlyn Riordan, which she titled Portia’s Julius Caesar. The play follows Shakespeare’s traditional story but alters the original for a feminist audience.

Hart House Theatre’s production of Portia’s Julius Caesar is directed by Eva Barrie and features an 18-person cast. The play tells the story of Julius Caesar’s (Yusuf Zine) tragedy as a Roman dictator, through the perspective of his wife Calpurnia (Whitney K. Ampadu), her friend Portia (Athena Kaitlin Trinh), and her husband Marcus Brutus (Felix Beauchamp).

Riordan’s adaptation of Julius Caesar showcased a feminist perspective on secondary female characters.

These characters are typically viewed as insignificant to the male-dominated plot. As a result, she introduces a new character, Servilia (Alexandra Milne). She is Brutus’s mother and does not have a healthy relationship with her daughter-in-law.

The play immediately opened with the Soothsayer (JD Leslie) breaking the fourth wall. She wore a dark green cloak that covered the sides of her face and she entered from the back of the theatre, declaring a monologue as she sauntered toward the stage.

Later in the play, Brutus and Mark Antony (Hardi Zala) plan to murder Caesar, in the name of Rome, to end his democratic rule. After Caesar dies, Brutus makes a speech to the

SCOTT GORMAN/HART HOUSE

This rewrite of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is emphasizing the lives of once secondary females.

Romans, defending his actions. The common people were easy to manipulate, first angry at Caesar’s murderers, but later understanding, then again angry at Brutus. Ultimately, they wreaked havoc against Brutus, his family, and Rome.

Servilia exiled Brutus and his child for safety, however, she does not disclose their whereabouts to Portia.

On their trip to safety, a mob riots into the carriage, killing all passengers, including the infant. Portia is so heartbroken over the loss of her child and husband she later commits suicide. The play closes with Calpur-

nia paying tribute to Portia’s life. This moment contrasts with Shakespeare’s ending in which Antony pays tribute to Brutus as his death was brought upon suicide too.

Trinh’s performance as Portia was dynamic. She portrayed Portia in a new light, fighting gender stereotypes and advocating for feminism through her actions and words. Trinh held a strong connection with Portia’s emotions, showcasing the character brilliantly.

Zine’s performance as Caesar was powerful. His voice roared throughout the theatre, which demonstrated

Caesar’s authority and confidence. He brought his character to life with his stage presence and talent.

An interesting concept which was embedded into Portia’s Julius Caesar was the normalization of breast-feeding. Throughout the play, Portia is carrying her newborn infant against her chest, using a cloth sling. One scene, she talks with Brutus and casually cups her hand into her dress to feed her child, while continuing her conversation. This action is nonchalant; Brutus makes no comment about sexualizing her maneuver or body. I was amazed with the ability

to normalize a human bodily function, which receives criticism in the twenty-first century, into a historic play. Also, during one of Portia’s soliloquys, she is breastfeeding as she speaks. This further normalizes breastfeeding, which is interesting to note.

Personally, I found Portia’s Julius Caesar a little hard to follow. I am not fluent in Shakespearean language, so the dialogue was difficult to understand immediately. Although I did understand the general plot, I was confused during other scenes.

The unique aspect about this production was their ability to break the fourth wall. The play makes use of the entire theatre space for the set. There were moments when characters interacted with the audience. For instance, when Caesar was making his entrance into town, he walked on the ground below the stage, waving, and shaking hands of audience members in the front row. By breaking the fourth wall, the production establishes engagement and interaction with the audience.

The chorus played a big part in this production. During some scenes, they would spread themselves across the theatre grounds, standing around the chairs of audience members, shouting their lines. The placement of the cast circling around the theatre made the production more engaging.

If you’re a Shakespeare enthusiast and interested in watching a feminist take of Julius Caesar, check out Portia’s Julius Caesar, running until November 30.

Queer Eye Japan is culturally appropriate The miniseries follow the Fab Five in Japan where they makeover the lives of five Japanese heroes ADA WAGU CONTRIBUTOR “The Fab Five bring their message of self-care and compassion to four Japanese men and women while exploring the country’s rich culture and cuisine.” This blurb is the caption for the mini-series special of the hit show Queer Eye on Netflix, in which the Fab Five (Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, and Jonathan Van Ness) take a new foray into a foreign culture, bringing their magic and cleaning products with them to Japan.

Queer Eye: We’re in Japan! is a mini-series that takes the now familiar formula of five men coming into your home to makeover your whole life and adds the aspect of travel to it. Throwing the Fab Five into Japan seems at first to be a random choice by the producers but breathes a new excitement into a show that was feeling a bit predictable.

When this series popped up in my Netflix feed, I was apprehensive as the original has been criticized for its promotion of materialism, its failure to be more politically engaging and sensitive toward some of the

PHOTO/NETFLIX

The Fab Five of Queer Eye ventured to Japan to inspire some select heroes with the help of locals. cast members’ situations, and much more. However, We’re in Japan! pleasantly surprised me when it introduced the audience to its four heroes: 57-year-old hospice nurse Yoko who gives everything to her patients

and leaves barely enough for herself, radio director Makoto who finds himself lost in his marriage, manga artist Kae who at 23 is still affected by the bullies of her past, and Kan, who struggles to live as a proud gay

man in a culture that emphasizes discretion.

The producers were deft in making the Japan mini-series more of a collaboration with Japanese citizens.

They shifted the narrative from five

foreigners brazing into foreign territory into a more nuanced and culturally balanced show by helping the Japanese heroes get their groove back with the help of locals—including American-Japanese model Kiko Mizhuhara and Japanese comedian Naomi Watanabe.

The show was not without its faults. I raised my eyebrows when Bobby, the interior designer, decided to give Yoko a bed when many older Japanese people typically sleep on futons. The Fab Five also revealed their individualistic Americanisms with statements like “you have to live for yourself,” which was met with a blank stare from Yoko who has lived in a collectivist society all her life.

While We’re in Japan! managed to avoid major controversy, I wonder about the possibilities future shows going internationally with local Fab Five members. Local versions of Queer Eye can seamlessly connect more with audiences on a cultural level with their heroes.

As we wait for the producers to take us on another adventure, you can stream We’re in Japan! on Netflix. Just remember to keep the tissues nearby.

Film diversity is needed Hollywood should embrace diversity to grow their audience DANICA TENG ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR Cinema has lived through time in constant evolution. Films open paths to different worlds and incite excitement with the stories they tell. Since cinema is an important part of today’s culture and a source of inspiration for many, the inclusion of diversity is more crucial now than ever.

In recent years, Hollywood released more films featuring casts with minority groups and females. A study

by Movio, “The Diversity Demand: Securing the Future of Moviegoing” showed that inclusive films drive more success and bring in an audience that is largely comprised of the represented minority on screen. The movie examples they gave included Us, Crazy Rich Asians, and Black Panther. The first two made over $200 million each worldwide in box office and the third made over $1 billion.

Not only does diversity on the big screen generate money and success for Hollywood, but it also illustrates the importance of representation.

What some people may not realize is that growing up without your respective representation on screen

often has negative impacts. While everyone cheers for the hero on the big screen, minorities are left wondering why the heroes never look like them. Are we not good enough? This thought is further embedded as Hollywood takes away those job opportunities from minorities that want to pursue an acting career. When these roles are taken from them, especially if the original characters in the story produced are of a minority, that stings. This is why it’s important for Hollywood cinema to evolve. Diversity promotes inclusion, appeals to a larger audience, and gives people a chance to learn about different cultures.

But, even with all the success and benefits of films with diversity, Hollywood is scared. It’s impossible to please everyone, but they often receive more backlash for their bolder choices. Controversy surrounded the new Ghostbusters (2016) that changed its original male cast for a female team. People spread hate with the #NotMyAriel hashtag when Disney announced that Halle Bailey, who didn’t have white skin or red hair, would star as Ariel in The Little Mermaid (1989) remake. There will

always be complaints, especially in something as big as the film industry.

Although the risks are high, so are the rewards for change.

Hollywood is still in the early stages of change. They’ve realized the importance of diversity. They’ve realized that casting Scarlett Johansson for the role of Asian women wasn’t the greatest choice. However, if Hollywood becomes more diverse, they need to do it right. No adding diversity for the sake of being diverse. No forcing it. The representative content within should be normalized.

Whether it’s ethnicity, gender, or sexuality, these identities don’t always need to be the focus of the characters’ stories, but it would be nice to have some depiction for them as it’s a part of who they are.

People are starting to fight for their representation, and if Hollywood doesn’t listen, it’s bound to burn out quickly. The film industry won’t survive if it doesn’t follow a world that is constantly changing, and there will always be people that make this change difficult. But, diversity is what we need. No one said the road to progression would be easy.

The Christmas Market shines bright in Toronto

ANANYA ANANTH/THE MEDIUM

The annual Toronto Christmas Market has begun with its beautiful lights and festivities

MAY ALSAIGH CONTRIBUTOR Set in the Victorian-era, cobblestonelined Distillery Historic District, Toronto’s Christmas Market creates a remarkable experience for locals and tourists alike. The market is filled with romantic glowing lights and tons of craftspeople, musicians and artisanal food-makers bringing you a truly festive, romantic, and cozy atmosphere.

If you’re planning on bringing your family, a partner or some friends— here’s what you can expect.

Of course, the market wouldn’t be a market without the giant Christmas tree in the centre. The tree is decorated with beautiful blue and white glowing lights and matching Christmas balls as well as ribbons. In my opinion, the best view of the tree was at the top of the Ferris wheel— yes, Ferris wheel! If you’re at the top of the wheel, to your left you would have a clear view of the entire market and the hundreds of twinkling lights hanging overhead, and ahead of you would be the Toronto skyline along with the iconic CN Tower.

The market offers a large selection of hospitality for you to enjoy, consisting of foods such as Canadian poutine, turkey legs, potato tornadoes, grilled cheese and much more.

Not only are there vendors, but many restaurants fill the district as well. The one I dined in was named El Catrin, a trendy Mexican restaurant that contained indoor and outdoor seating.

And let’s not forget about our sweet tooth. Be sure to make room for desert afterwards as you can find maple fudge, Belgian-style waffles, pastries and lots of candy. At the market, you can also find a variety of drinks such as hot chocolate, specialty coffees, festive European-style Christmas cocktails, and of course—mulled wine.

Other than stuffing your face in delicious artisanal foods and holiday inspired drinks, there are several activities you can participate in at the market. The Distillery District is filled with shops and Europeanstyle wooden cabins housing vendors for you to browse and find beautiful Christmas gifts for family, friends and even yourself. You can shop for items such as clothing, handcrafted

ornaments, handcrafted pottery, paintings, vintage cutlery and plates, jewelry and much more. If you’re lucky like me, you’ll find adorable dogs roaming inside the shops. Expect to be entertained by carolers and Santa’s amusing elves as well, who do an excellent job of spreading that holiday cheer.

The annual Toronto Christmas market is a beautiful place to be in the wintertime. If you’re planning on attending, here are some tips to remember in order to enhance your experience. Be sure to dress warmly for the weather as the market, for the most part, takes place outdoors. Keep in mind many of the vendors this year only use debit and Interac and do not accept cash. Book a reservation in advance if you wish to dine in any restaurants as the wait can be very long and tedious. Try to travel using public transit as nearby parking spots are almost impossible to find, but don’t make the same mistake as I did and travel west rather than east. Lastly, be safe and have a lot of fun.

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Music review:

Jesus is King

Kanye West has a renewed awakening

PHOTO/YOUTUBE

Kanye West has made his comeback a very religious one.

NATALIE LYCZEK CONTRIBUTOR Kanye West shocked many with the release of his new album, Jesus is King.

Whether you’re a fan of his music or not, you were probably caught off guard with his sudden switch to “gospel trap,” as some have called it.

“Everything that hath breath praise the Lord, worship Christ with the best of your portions…” raps West in “God Is.” The album consisted of music that not only had religious lyrics but religious musical components, including gospel choirs and Bible readings.

“Selah” features pipe organs and a choir chanting “Hallelujah,” which creates an effect of being in a church.

If you’re someone who attended church every Sunday as a kid, these sounds might be all too familiar.

While West has received criticism for the album, the musical components are an area where many people agree his album succeeded. Many of the elements, such as the pipe organs and the chanting of “Hallelujah,” have a pleasing sound to it.

“For half an hour, I was a devout Christian,” one user commented under the “Selah” lyrics on Genius.com.

“When the Hallelujah chants came in, I had already converted to Christianity,” another wrote.

If you’re looking for that traditional Kanye West sound, “Follow God” and “On God” may be the songs for you.

The beat of these songs sound like his typical hip-hop songs. If the religious lyrics in the album bother you too much, these two songs feature the least number of spiritual lyrics and concepts, despite their titles.

One song on the album that I believe to be one of the least appealing is “Closed on Sunday.” While the beat was alright, the lyrics seemed to support Chick-fil-A’s religious practices.

The fast-food chain owners implemented the closure on Sundays because they are extremely religious and attend church every week.

The numerous references about this fast-food chain align with West’s spiritual awakening because he, like the owners, believes in obeying Jesus.

It’s interesting to note that there was no mention of the chain’s homophobic rhetoric in the song. Perhaps West wanted to focus literally on Chick-fil-

A’s worshipping practices. He even ended the song screaming the chain’s name.

While West might have accepted Jesus into his life, Christians haven’t accepted him.

“Wait, wasn’t he calling himself Jesus a few months ago?” one Facebook user wrote under a post about his album. “Proof he will do anything to make a dollar. What a sell-out” another wrote.

West has referred to himself as a god in the rap genre with his 2013 album Yeezus. The name derives from Kanye’s nickname, Ye, and Jesus. People accused West of blasphemy: “‘Jesus Is King’… They’re talking about the self-proclaimed god Kanye West, who is a mere man,” one Twitter critic wrote.

Additionally, people are bringing up West’s past song lyrics. Another Twitter critic wrote: “[West has] create[d] music objectifying women for years… Kanye is now telling Kim how to dress because it doesn’t align with HIS new views.”

Not only this, but his Sunday Services, which he began in January 2019, have been an area of criticism as well. The service consists of a performance by West and various other artists, such as a choir group The Samples, which includes pop songs rewritten to have religious themes.

People have accused West of hypocrisy with these services. The event is invite-only, which consists of the rich and famous. Church-goers claim that his services do not reflect church values, one of which is being open to everyone. While this argument may have a point, it is not all accurate.

If average people were able to attend this service, West and his family would surely be swarmed by fans who aren’t there to participate, but rather take pictures with famous people.

It would be challenging to manage out-of-hand fans and the safety of the well-known people attending the service.

Whether you buy into West’s spiritual awakening or not, the album is still something you can listen to and enjoy—if “gospel trap” is something you’re into. Jesus is King is available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. So, take a listen and see what you think.

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Editor | Fatima Adil

Self-driving cars and field robotics Dr. Florian Shkurti discusses his inspiration, his exciting research, and the future of robotics BISMAH RIZVI ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

Imagine a robot executing an order such as finding a coral head in an ocean. This is one of the projects Dr. Florian Shkurti, an assistant professor of computer science at UTM, is working on. Shkurti, who researches “mobile robotics, computer vision, [and] machine learning, planning and control,” also serves as a faculty member at the University of Toronto Robotics Institute and a faculty affiliate at the Vector Institute alongside teaching at UTM. In this issue, Shkurti discusses how he was inspired to pursue this field, his research on self-driving and field robotics, and the future of robotics.

Shkurti’s passion for computer science stems from an introductory high school programming class where he discovered his interest in logic. As an undergraduate computer science and mathematics student at the University of Toronto, Shkurti originally aspired to become a video game designer. However, his plans soon changed, when in his third year at U of T, he was introduced to Rafaello D’Andrea, a Canadian/Italian/Swiss engineer, artist, and entrepreneur.

D’Andrea’s unique integration of robotics and art was highly inspiring for Shkurti. “I wanted to become as technically proficient and as fearless in my choice of projects as [D’Andrea],”

Shkurti remarks. With this newfound passion, Shkurti aimed to “program machines that moved and reacted to what they saw.” Furthermore, despite the limited resources and opportunities available in the computer science field at the time, Shkurti continued to pursue the field, consistently excelling as demonstrated by his numerous awards and publications.

Equipped with skills gained by working in the Mobile Robotics Lab at McGill University, Shkurti is currently working on enabling “robots to learn from their own experience and from demonstrations.” His project examines reinforcement learning which is essentially “learning by trial and error.” It also delves into imitation learning in which one learns from another’s observations and experiences in learning.

“I think [imitation learning] is the key to making robots interact efficiently with humans who might not have the technical background to actually program machines,” explained Shkurti. “By guiding or affecting the behavior of their robots by a small number of demonstrations and maybe corrections, [people may] not have to write code. Robots should be able to understand the objectives of their users with as little interaction as possible.”

Another project of Shkurti’s involves self-driving car simulators.

Typically, simulations are run by

humans who test various scenarios.

However, Shkurti’s team is researching “ways to automatically search the space of possible adversarial behaviors of pedestrians, other cars, buildings, and scene appearances that will cause the software of a self-driving car to fail.”

Shkurti emphasizes the practicality and wide-spread application of robotics. His research includes field robotics, which entails operating robots in unstructured and natural environments such as forests, oceans, and rivers. This operation requires teaching robots how to incorporate human feedback to better visually explore their environment.

“I want to put robots in the service of biologists and environmental scientists who need to visually search expansive environments for particular features,” said Shkurti. Ideally, these robots would be able to take an order such as: “Find me a live coral head in the ocean” and search the region to identify live coral heads.

Shkurti compares it to how a Google image search could process that order to display an image of a live coral head.

Mitigating problems such as visual navigation and visual attention are factors being investigated currently.

Shkurti feels the urgency of research in this particular field of robotics, especially because biologists could significantly benefit with the support

ALISON DIAS/INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

Robots could be developed through imitation instead of coding. of robots. However, challenges, like knowing how to create systems biologists can easily and efficiently use, still exist.

Although the future and need for robotics is a contentious issue, Shkurti predicts that robot use will increase, especially in manufacturing. Moreover, he hopes there are increased avenues for medical robotics as the

potential benefits of such applications are numerous, particularly within large hospital settings. Conversely, fields such as self-driving cars likely need more time to reach the optimal level of reliability.

“There’s a lot of good that can come out of robotics and computer science if people focus on the right problems.”

Curbing food waste through technology Flashfood app offers discounts on healthy food items while mitigating food waste at the same time FATIMA ADIL FEATURES EDITOR

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption gets lost or wasted every year. That percentage amounts to approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food ending up in landfills. This insane amount of food wastage does not only enable contrasting levels of food security, it is significantly contributing to climate change. As explained by Flashfood Inc., the company behind the food waste diversion mobile platform Flashfood, food in the landfill is covered by other garbage resulting in it decomposing without access to oxygen. While the food rots, methane gas—a leading cause of greenhouse gases—is generated. National Geographic concluded in 2016 that if international food waste was to be a country, it would be the third leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions.

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

The app is a great way to get fresh groceries for a cheaper price, and helps you shop locally.

The Medium interviewed Jordan Amorim, manager of a Real Canadian Superstore which uses Flashfood, to discuss the utility of Flashfood.

To alleviate food wastage, individuals can use the app Flashfood.

Flashfood “allows shoppers to receive major discounts on food items nearing their best before date, resulting in money saved and food waste re-

duced.” Amorim says that Flashfood reached out to him, and after conducting some research, he was “very pumped to work” with the company.

He described Flashfood’s model as “a great opportunity to offer healthy food at a discount” while “mitigating food waste” at the same time.

According to Amorim, Flashfood has been highly successful at the

Real Canadian Superstore location Amorim manages. “To date, we have diverted 19,508 lbs of food from going to the garbage at this location alone.” Shoppers have saved about forty thousand dollars by buying products through the Flashfood app at Real Canadian Superstore locations in Mississauga. Shoppers in Ontario have saved a million dollars by using

Flashfood.

In terms of which types of food consumers can purchase through Flashfood, the products available include “fresh foods, produce, meats, bakery items, and dairy.” The app is available to everyone and is “super easy and convenient” to use. As Amorim details, “all you have to do is download the Flashfood app.” When you enable GPS, “you can see the stores near you and you can see which [food items] are available on the app.”

You can select the items you are interested in, “come in to the store, show the customer service representative your phone, and you’re good to go.”

Amorim describes the Flashfood app as a “great diversion program, both from the retailer’s standpoint and from an environmental standpoint. [The app] also [offers] savings for people and families.” Overall, the store has had “a pretty successful” experience with Flashfood and Amorim is looking forward to continue partnering with the company and their app.

11.18.2019 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 13

Youth and Yoga in Lamu UTM’s popular Dr. Hillewaert plans to research the role of yoga in Kenyan town IRTAQA ARIF CONTRIBUTOR

“I like to see how languages work in the world. [I am] fascinated by the complexity of communication and the central role it plays in our everyday life—who we are, what we do, and the social relationships we build,” says Dr. Sarah Hillewaert, an associate professor of anthropology at UTM. Hillewaert never anticipated joining the world of academia, but soon discovered her true passion as a linguistic anthropologist during her university studies and numerous world travels. She sat down with The Medium to discuss her recent research projects and her new book.

Hillewaert’s interest in modern dance inspired her to study African language and culture as an undergraduate student in Belgium. While learning Swahili, Hillewaert and a friend decided to apply their knowledge by travelling to Kenya for three weeks. In Nairobi, she encountered youth living in slums and a new slang language they used. The development

wealthy Western expats who saw this idyllic place as an opportunity for further development. The expats bought land on which they constructed hotels, attracting more wealthy tourists that travelled to Shela to practice yoga and ‘mindfulness.’

Throughout her research in Lamu, Hillewaert has been interested in the trend of promoting Lamu as a wellness destination for international tourists, together with promoting yoga and meditation as a form of development to the local Muslim community, whereby tourists can help teach meditation, for example, in local schools.

The wellness tourism trend is also prevalent in Eastern Africa, and especially in Kenya. The Africa Yoga Project teaches yoga to children living in the slums of Nairobi. A similar project in Lamu involves yoga being taught as a tool to deal with everyday stresses. Hillewaert plans to research the new role of yoga in the lives of the locals that live in that community.

Another recent development is a yoga safari. “Masai, [the local population,] are incorporated in the yoga

portunities to grow. Hillewaert explores questions such as “What must it be like to be young in this place?

What must it be like to try and build a future here?” She explains that “on one hand [the youth deal] with the strong awareness of pride of [belonging to Lamu].” On the other hand, they are “confronted with [the reality] that there are not many opportunities, or sense of economic development [in this place].”

Hillewaert’s book explores the changing values in Lamu such as the transition from women staying inside the house to the current situation where women contribute to economic development. Female youth do still face challenges due to “lingering ideologies about what respectability and honour and honesty entails” which leads to them struggling with how to balance contributing to the community and upholding the notion of respect. The book essentially looks at “how do you represent yourself as respectable and be a conscious Muslim who contributes to the development of your community?”

Young men in Lamu are also faced

IRTAQA ARIF/THE MEDIUM

Dr. Hillewaert is interested in promoting Lamu as a wellness destination for tourists. of the slang intrigued Hillewaert and she returned to Kenya for further research and eventually wrote her thesis on the topic. The research further sparked a fascination of language and, as recommended by her professor, Hillewaert decided to pursue graduate studies in linguistic anthropology in the United States.

Hillewaert’s most recent research consists of examining the complex relationship between the Muslim community in Lamu, Kenya and the growing trend of wellness tourism. “[Lamu was a] thriving trade city and a center for Islamic scholarship [which] linked it to different parts of the world. It has a massive history,” describes Hillewaert.

However, Lamu’s Golden Age soon ended and the town became politically marginalized following independence from colonization. Since the 1960s, Lamu has relied on tourism as a source of revenue. Hillewaert describes tourists as being “enchanted with this remote island where time supposedly stood still.” The tourism declined in recent years due to terrorist attacks and many countries placed travelling warnings for tourists planning to travel to the island.

Recently, there has been an increase in the development of yoga studios in Lamu. Shela, a town nearby, used to be in ruins until it was discovered by

[and share] their authentic healing rituals” with the tourists during the safari. The Masai are also taught yoga as part of the project. Hillewaert says that “an exchange is being presented, an appeal of not [only being] a tourist [that] goes and sees [the place], but also [gives] something back.”

As part of her research, Hillewaert stays for long periods of time in the community of interest. The stay largely consists of building contacts, speaking with the local community, and asking if they are willing to participate in her research. In the future, Hillewaert is interested in attending yoga workshops and speaking with the participating tourists. She also hopes to participate in the Africa Yoga Project and experience a yoga safari. Hillewaert believes that it is essential to gain perspective from both communities—the one taking part in the tourism and the one that is part of the local community. Additionally, Hillewaert hopes to conduct her research over a few years in order to observe the impact of yoga and wellness tourism on the local public.

Hillewaert’s new book, Morality at the Margins: Youth, Language, and Islam in Coastal Kenya, was published earlier this year. In the book, Hillewaert aims to explore the experiences of youth growing up in Lamu—a place rich in history but lacking op-

with the changing job structures and the responsibility of providing for their family. Hillewaert’s book examines “the everyday negotiations of norms and questions of morality.”

A common theme that runs through the book is what it means to be a good Muslim.

Through her book, Hillewaert “wants to challenge stereotypes that people look to Africa with and at Islam, and talk about the challenges that young youth face in general.”

She adds that “you can talk about the broader social processes, but where it means something is precisely in the face-to-face interactions.”

Hillewaert is currently teaching ANT335: Anthropology of Gender and History of Anthropological Thought, which is a graduate course at the St. George Campus. She has also previously taught ANT433: Anthropology of Islam at UTM. She will be on leave for the 2020 winter term as she will be travelling to Lamu for research. In the 2020 fall term, she will be teaching ANT102: Introduction to Sociocultural and Linguistic Anthropology at UTM. Through her writing and teaching, Hillewaert wants to provide her students with “the tools to think critically about everyday negotiations,” and “show that [what they learn] are things that impact their life as well.”

vocal dataset ~87 per cent of UTM’s TSpace traffic is from TESS DANIEL REALE CONTRIBUTOR “Are you familiar with TSpace?” asks Dr. Kathy Pichora-Fuller, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. TSpace is the University of Toronto’s institutional academic repository. Blue map markers pop up on an automated world map representing individuals around the globe accessing TSpace—one in China, another one in Iraq, and about seven across North America. There are thirteen altogether. I know, because a widget on the University of Toronto’s website shows me live updates. “13 TSpace real time downloads since 11/14/2019, 3:02:54 p.m.,” the update reads. It is currently 3:05 p.m..

One of these location bubble markers reads Memphis, United States.

The individual living in Memphis is accessing research in the Toronto Emotional Speech Set (TESS), a dataset available on TSpace.

“There is a general finding in psychology [that] older adults are not as good at perceiving emotions. We know this to be true for visual stimuli,” says Pichora-Fuller. PichoraFuller conducts research on auditory aging, and along with Ph.D. student Kate Dupuis, she designed and conducted the research project that created TESS. “Kate Dupuis wanted to record some findings. The motivating question was [whether] older people [could] recognize auditory emotion as well as younger people.”

The dataset TESS is composed of 2,800 audio files. The audio files were produced by two Toronto female actors who were asked to recite two hundred words expressing the seven cardinal emotions. In 2010, the year the stimuli were recorded, the actors were 26 and 64 years old respectively.

The recordings were used to conduct Pichora-Fuller and Dupuis’ research on how emotion affects one’s understanding. “Through the research, we found that strong emotions such as fear and pleasant surprise make you remember better.

Memory is strongly linked to understanding,” Pichora-Fuller says.

The TESS has become the most popular dataset in UTM’s collection

on TSpace. “It was something that Mary Atkinson discovered. About 87 per cent of UTM’s TSpace traffic is people trying to access TESS,” says Pichora-Fuller.

Mary Atkinson-Lu, the UTM Library’s Digital Scholarship Technician, processes requests for access to the TESS dataset. “We receive requests from all over the world, sometimes three to four times a week,” she says. Requests have arrived from other notable universities such as Harvard University, large corporations such as Samsung, and global researchers.

The research is vital for global corporations, or “industrial researchers” as Pichora-Fuller calls them. For industrial researchers, one of the main attractions of the dataset is its application in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

“These are very well-documented emotions. They could help [industrial researchers] see if artificial intelligence and machines can recognize emotions. [They] could help teach emotional recognition in machine learning.”

Pichora-Fuller is currently in the midst of finishing her last teaching term at UTM. In her own career, her findings with TESS have assisted her research in her careers with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, and the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

“The way I think about it is [that] we need to take the research that we’ve been collecting for the past couple of decades and put it out there for use in research into things like dementia,” remarks Pichora-Fuller.

I watch the blue location markers continue popping up on the TSpace website. Budapest, Hungary; Accra, Ghana; Beijing, China—TESS has had 23,764 downloaders in November alone. India ranks as the country with the highest number of TESS viewers. Russia, South Korea, and the United Kingdom also make the list.

“Putting these stimuli on TSpace is one way we’re doing that: making research available out of the lab and allowing it to create change in the real world.”

COWOMEN/UNSPLASH.COM

This vocal database houses audio recordings of human emotion.

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Remembering the CP train derailment This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Mississauga derailment and the miraculous evacuation SHERYL GURAJADA CONTRIBUTOR

On the morning of November 11, 1979, 12-year-old Javed Khan and his cousin were out to deliver newspapers on their route.

Recounting his experience of the day in an interview for the Heritage Mississauga exhibition Khan states, “As we separated and started doing deliveries in our neighbourhood, my eyes started watering […] When I walked up to [my cousin], his eyes were also watering.” Unaware of what was happening, the two boys returned home from their route and told their parents, who turned on the news.

“I was in the Cawthra road area, and several hours later we were evacuated,” continued Khan.

Other stories like Khan’s were showcased at the exhibition event organized by Heritage Mississauga.

The exhibition observed the fortieth anniversary of the Canadian Pacific train derailment. Twenty-four cars on the train carrying hazardous chemicals were derailed on Mavis road, between Burnhamthorpe and Dundas, around midnight on November 10, 1979.

While there were many different hazardous materials being transported, the cars containing flammable liquid propane caused a dangerous explosion, resulting in a massive fire.

Evacuation efforts commenced shortly as follow-up explosions continued. Initially, evacuated residents were moved to the Square One shopping mall, which was being used as an emergency shelter.

In the video exhibit available on the City of Mississauga website, former mayor Hazel McCallion speaks

took office as mayor of the city, McCallion was about to face one of her most testing situations. In an interview with CBC, she stated that during the peak of the ordeal she ended up going three days without sleep.

While evacuations and fire control were taking place, there was another impeding threat to safety.

side the container was boiling, but it couldn’t get out, and it was expanding so much.”

Chlorine gas is much heavier than air and can burn the lining of the respiratory tract if inhaled.

“The tanker had 90 tonnes of liquid chlorine in it,” continued King.

“That’s why nobody called them

PHOTO/THESTAR.COM

The 40th anniversary of the 1979 train derailment that changed Mississauga forever is here. on the evacuation, “[people] weren’t even given time to get dressed. They got out of their beds and were told ‘out you go.’ They left their animals.

They left their prescriptions. They were told to leave right away, and it was very serious.”

Happening just a year after she

Chlorine tankers were also derailed and buried under rubble, and with the increasing pressure and heat there was a risk of explosion.

Peel Police staff inspector Barry King recounts in the video exhibit that “[the chlorine tanker] was like a boiling kettle […] the liquid in-

dangerous commodities at the time because it was just liquid […] the worst part is that the coefficient of expansion is 800. It expands 800 times when it comes out into the air.”

With this new threat, evacuation efforts were further expanded, with residents being moved from Square

One to high school gymnasiums all over Mississauga. Local hospital patients were moved and within 24 hours there was a city-wide evacuation of Mississauga residents between Oakville and Etobicoke.

CBC reporter Mike Wise states in an article that “at the time, [it was] the largest peacetime evacuation in North American history.”

First responders and other city staff worked tirelessly for days to ensure the safety of residents, diffusing the situation effectively. After six days all evacuation orders were lifted, and full access was gained back into in the city.

In the video exhibit McCallion states, “One of the successes of the Mississauga derailment is we kept the people fully informed. We didn’t hold back anything, we told them exactly how serious it was.”

“Secondly, we even monitored every newspaper, radio, and TV. We made sure that the information given out was not twisted, that it was the fact,” continued McCallion.

“We had an emergency plan and it worked. We have a much better one now. A lot of communities did not have an emergency plan, and after the derailment, the province made a legislation that every municipality had to have an emergency plan.”

There were no casualties in the derailment. The event is now known appropriately as “The Mississauga Miracle” for its unifying sense of community in the ordeal.

The fight to save baby Eva Batista’s life Eva Batista was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and requires a $2.8 million drug JULIA VILLA CONTRIBUTOR At just seven weeks old, Eva Batista was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare disease which attacks the body’s muscles. Batista, who lives in North York, Toronto with her family, is among one of the youngest known cases to be diagnosed and live with SMA. She is currently fed through a tube because of her difficulty breathing and her arms lay by her side, unmoving because of her weakening muscles.

The deadly neuromuscular disease results in the progressive wasting of muscles and the loss of motor neurons. It currently affects as many as ten thousand to twenty-five thousand children and adults each year and is listed as one of the most common rare diseases. The disease has different forms of severity, and Batista has been diagnosed with Type 1, the most severe form.

There is currently no cure for SMA; however, there are two treatments available to help manage the symptoms. Zolgensma, labelled by some to be a “miracle drug,” is one of the treatments and consists of a onetime injection. However, it costs $2.8 million. Moreover, it has not been approved in Canada so patients are required to travel to the United States where it is available.

While the Batista family struggle

to raise the funds, they are also faced with waiting for Health Canada’s approval to travel to Boston to receive the treatment. “I’m [more] fearful the more we wait. We don’t know [what] the end outcome will be. Every day, there are big changes.” Batista’s moth-

A GoFundMe page was created to help fundraise and Sousa hopes that people will do whatever they can to help their little girl.

“Our baby girl Eva is an expressive, smiley, and happy baby who is loved so much by her family and

having her diaper changed, and of course conversations with Mommy and Daddy. As Eva’s parents, we want her to live a long, happy and healthy life and we are ready to do whatever it takes to ensure she receives the best medical care available,” reads the Go-

PHOTO COURTESY OF EVA BATISTA’S FAMILY

The drug that could help this baby girl manage her incurable symptoms is almost $3 million. er Jessica Sousa told CTV News Toronto.

As the fight to raise the required amount of money continues, the Batista family is racing against the clock.

SMA is the leading cause of death among infants, and if left untreated, can kill a baby before the age of two.

friends. She came into all our lives and brought a shining light with her that follows her everywhere she goes.

At two months of age, her life has already made ours so much more full and meaningful and we could not imagine a life without her. Some of her top favourite things are music,

FundMe page.

Batista recently received her second treatment of Spinraza, a drug that was approved in Ontario this past summer. Her father, Ricardo Batista, says that the drug will stabilize his daughter’s condition and extend her life, but it is unknown as to how long.

Therefore, they are highly hopeful for the chance to access the potentially life-saving Zolgensma. “[It] is especially heartbreaking when you think about $2.8 million.

What kind of family has that lying around?” Batista told CTV News Toronto.

Batista’s parents are doing all they can to raise the money to save their daughter’s life. They have currently raised $1 million and they highly appreciate those that have donated and organized fundraisers for baby Batista. However, they are still about $2 million short of their goal.

“I don’t want to see her struggle like this. I just want her to be a normal child and run around with other children,” says Sousa.

“When she was born and throughout the pregnancy, there was nothing detected. [After] she was born, the [doctors] did their physical exam [and] everything was fine. And then slowly we started to notice certain things. When we pick[ed] her up, her arms would fall down [and] she didn’t have strength to keep them up.

Even when she would drink milk, it would take her a lot longer,” Batista told Global News in an interview. “We didn’t know it was a sign of anything at that time.”

Batista now continues to struggle.

She will likely need a respirator soon in order to breath. “It’s torture to go through this,” says Sousa.

11.18.2019

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Editor | Sarah-May Edwardo Oldfield

Water basketball makes a wave at UTM Innertube water basketball is aimed to be inclusive of all genders and athletic experiences BELICIA CHEVOLLEAU CONTRIBUTOR Last Tuesday, UTM Intramurals and Aquatics teamed up to host UTM’s first Innertube Water Basketball Tournament. Set to run for three and a half hours, UTM Intramurals aimed to offer a sport different to the usual UTM sports scene.

Unfortunately, one team pulled out last minute, leaving the other team to play among themselves. Despite the disappointment, the participants all raved about how much fun they had.

During the event, with chlorine wafting up to the viewing gallery, four first-years in yellow or blue innertubes paddled in the cerulean water.

The swimming pool safety line divides the 25-meter pool in half, and they play on the right side with low white and blue basketball nets on the deck. Halfway through they switch to water volleyball.

The tournament convenor, Ashley Beckles, told The Medium that the purpose was to “engage the student population differently than [they] normally do.” While Intramural offers a variety of sports from badminton to basketball to cricket and volleyball, their aim was “to get [students] in the pool.”

Water basketball merges the rules

TANISHA BATRA/UTM ATHLETICS

A fresh kind of intramural sport was brought to UTM’s waters this past Tuesday: water basketball. of basketball and water polo. Due to basketball’s popularity and the size of the community on campus, in addition to Beckles’ familiarity with the sport, they decided to combine the sports. Ashley Beckles worked alongside the Tournament and Events Coordinator, Jacob Abrams, to form the rules. The rules reflect those of basketball with some small adjustments.

“We tried to keep the integrity of the sport of basketball,” Beckles says. “[We] remove[d] the travelling rule because people are in tubes—they aren’t dribbling the ball, but when it comes to fouls, it is the same: no roughhousing, no horseplay, no splashing.”

As the name suggests, water basketball is basketball played in a pool.

Borrowing some of the rules and conventions of water polo and basketball, water basketball offers a different way of playing the popular sport.

The sport aims to “even the playing ground” for athletes. “[I]t’s really just the experience for the participants,” Beckles admited. “I just want them to walk away with a positive experience.”

After a whistle, the ball is moved up the court through passes. Players cannot have possession of the ball if they are not in their innertube. If they get the ball in, they get a point.

Participants can sign up as a team or free agents. The tournament’s capacity is four teams with a maximum of fifteen players on each roster. The game is played using a five-on-five format with twelve-minute halves and a two minute half-time.

The co-ed sport is aimed to be inclusive of all genders and athletic experiences. “We’re just trying to get everyone included, everyone involved in playing,” Abrams said. “Even if you say you’re not the most athletic person, there is definitely a sport to get away from studying.”

Although, the turnout wasn’t what they hoped for, the participants were able to de-stress after class.

Louis Scheffer, one of the participants and an intramural staff member, decided to join because it “sounded fun.” He added that he was free to participate.

“Also, it was a new sport I’ve never tried before,” added Genavieve St. Denis, another participant.

All the participants agreed they would do it again provided there were more people.

Working out men’s health in Movember Community-based programs provide support for men, but have room for improvement ANDREW STONE CONTRIBUTOR The annual tradition of Movember has arrived again, where men’s health is the focal issue all throughout November. A report from Harvard Health Publishing lays out the main concerns for men’s health and the magnitude of the problems. They report that, on average, men die sooner than women, which can be mostly attributed to biological and social factors. Factors such as hormonal and metabolic functioning, a tendency to participate in more risky behaviours (i.e. drug and alcohol use, fighting), and the avoidance of seeking out help.

A major component that allows these factors to take a toll on men’s health is the lack of available support that focuses on men’s health specifically. A study conducted by Professor John Oliffe from the University of British Colombia assessing community-based programs for men found

HAYDEN MAK/THE MEDIUM

Men’s health is in the spotlight again for Movember 2019. that the design and execution of men’s programs can be improved through understanding the social reasons for their increased mortality rate, as well as by removing the stigma attached to seeking support.

To do this, Oliffe came up with eight tips that can improve men’s support systems: The first tip is to assess what so-

cial factors are degrading the state of men’s health in your target community. It could be socioeconomic, racial, or educational factors, or possibly a combination of them all.

Men respond well to physical activity, which can be used by community programs to benefit their members.

A group of men in this environment will bond and build relationships

with individuals going through the same issues.

Another key factor would be to ensure that the program provides a safe environment where the men involved can trust each other and the group leaders enough to feel comfortable opening up. They need to know that their problems are shared with everyone in the program and that they can share their thoughts without shame or risk.

Next, the programs need to be informative to the men they help. Another way to end stigma surrounding men’s health problems is through educating the community on what the health problems entail and how they can be managed, so that they no longer have to be afraid of the issues or feel hopeless in their problems.

The community programs should be focused on a specific interest or many similar interests that men would gravitate towards, such as sports, that would raise membership

and make them feel less like they are simply going to therapy.

Having attainable goals and standards for the men in the programs allows them to feel like they are achieving something, and they are able to clearly see their progress.

An important part of these programs is structure. Each member should be formally evaluated in a way that will give the program leaders data to base where they need to improve and what issues they need to assess more closely.

And finally, these programs do not need to have a long shelf-life. The goal should not be to have a large organization that is around for decades. The goal is to bring positive change and awareness of men’s health to the community. As long as the community has seen benefits and the men that were a part of the program affected positively, it does not matter how long the program lasts.

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THE MEDIUM 11.18.2019

Loss and the iceberg: How grit is key Being successful isn’t just about being successful, it’s about failing and learning how to carry on SARAH-MAY OLDFIELD SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR We tend to fall for the iceberg illusion—the illusion that the part we see above the surface is a true representation of its size. In reality the true size of an iceberg and its largest piece lies beneath the surface of the water.

We tend to see success and successful people much the same way. We see the talent, the accolades, and the success, but not the passion, the perseverance, or the grit that it took to get there.

On November 6, UTM’s Department of Recreation, Athletics and Wellness hosted one of its Athlete Development Workshops, a part of a series of workshops geared towards students who identify as athletes.

“Picking Yourself Up After a Loss,” presented by UTM athletics’ assessment and athlete academic support specialist, Dray Perenic, aimed to help students identify their true passions and learn how to build grit, enhancing their ability to bounce back from setbacks.

Perenic started the session off with a Ted Talk given by Angela Lee Duckworth, the author of Grit: The power of passion and perseverance.

Duckworth defines grit as how passionate you are and how willing you are to work towards those passions.

HAYDEN MAK/THE MEDIUM

Living life is like a marathon, so you need to learn to take things in stride and keep moving on.

The grittier you are the more likely you are to stay with your future goals.

“Living life is like a marathon, not a sprint,” Duckworth said. According to Duckworth, building grit begins with having a growth mindset. This idea of a growth mindset comes from believing that failure, setback, and adversity are not permanent.

We tend to attribute the success of successful people, like Kobe Bryant,

J.K. Rowling, and Michael Phelps, to their obvious talent. But, Duckworth asserts that talent can be a detriment.

In her research with children, Duckworth found that failure can be more important than talent. The children who didn’t know how to fail, never failed, or never had to put in much effort, didn’t learn how to deal with it later on in life. Duckworth found grittier children—children who knew

how to fail and bounce back from failure—did better long-term regardless of socio-economic status (SES), IQ, or talent.

Passion is just as important as grit to achieving success and reaching goals. Dray continued the workshop by having the participants break up into small groups to identify their passions. Participants were tasked with creating a list of 25 goals they

were passionate about achieving, and then they had to narrow the list down to five. Those top five, according to Perenic, are a person’s true passions.

Everything else are distractions.

Alongside grit and passion, Perenic reiterated the need to remain positive, realistic, and responsible for the role one plays in their own circumstances.

“It’s important to take [responsibility for yourself]. It’s not easy, especially as athletes who play as part of a team.

It’s easier to put the blame on to others” Perenic said.

Perenic is a mother and uses her own children as an example. She tries to foster positivity in her kids, by making it a habit to ask them to tell her one good thing that happened in their day. Her son doesn’t seem to have a problem sharing the positive, while her daughter struggles to keep from hanging on to the negative. Her story from her own family experience illustrates that it’s easier for some people to have a positive outlook.

Dray ended the session with a number of techniques we can use to help develop a mindset and foster positivity, which you can do in just 21 days: write in a gratitude journal, exercise, meditate, practice mindfulness, and participate in random acts of kindness.

11/30/19 Submit story idea.

12/20/19 Writer check-in.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for you to tell a story that is grounded in research and critical thinking.

Your piece should argue something and connect to our overarching theme of dreams and disillusionment. Drawing from personal experience can make a piece stronger too.

Creative writing?

We welcome it! Personal narratives and fictional stories will not be the focus of the magazine, but we are open to reading them.

How long should it be?

Non-fiction: 800-2000 words Fiction: 1200 words maximum Poetry: 5-20 lines

01/04/20 Deadline to submit story.

01/16/20 Accepted stories announced.

01/16/20 - 02/13/20 Editing, design, illustration & photography.

02/14/20 - 03/17/20 Printing.

03/26/20 Launch Party!

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