Volume 46, Issue 4

THE MEDIUM

September 30, 2019

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

Vol 46, No. 4

Climate crisis moves students to strike for change Climate justice organizations like Fridays for Future led the Global Climate Strike downtown last Friday

KAYVAN AFLAKI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Thousands of people took over the area in and around Queen’s Park, U of T’s downtown core, last Friday to take part in the climate strike rally for climate justice.

The rally began at 11:00 a.m. where demonstrators protested, hoisted up signs, drew murals on the pavement, and camped out on the south lawn at Queen’s Park. Music, professional stilt walkers, and public speakers were some of the entertainers that took the main stage set up in front of the Ontario legislative building.

Demonstrators were equipped with handmade signs that read: “When leaders act like kids, kids act like leaders,” “Listen to our Warning,” and “There aren’t many Jobs on a Dead Planet.”

“If the world ends in 2050, there won’t be a 4/20/69,” read another poster held up by a group of students from Ryerson University.

“We’ve got to vibe-check leaders on the planet,” said one student in the group. “It’s part of our responsibility. We’re out here showing support for climate action.”

Kosalan, a fifth-year journalism student in the cohort, validated the significance of the global climate strike. He explained to The Medium that the strike was not just reserved for young people but was an open call for everyone to fight the climate crisis.

“It’s important for all types of people—people from schools and workers from businesses, the

UTMSU president caught taking selfies with Andrew Scheer

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young and the old—to be out here because now is the time,” said Kosalan. “Every major scientific study is showing that our planet is facing a very serious threat, with massive economic and health consequences.”

“This is a nonpartisan issue,” he continued.

“It’s a global issue.”

The Global Climate Strike was organized by multiple youth-led climate action groups, including Fridays for Future, Climate Justice Toronto, and ClimateFast.

“We can no longer continue with business as usual. This is a crisis. Our governments need to treat the climate crisis like the emergency it is,” said the event’s Facebook page. Over 14,000 Facebook users indicated that they were in interested in attending. GreenPeace Canada approximated that between 15,000 to 50,000 demonstrators were in attendance. The Toronto Police pegged the number as between 15,000 and 20,000.

After the march, speakers and live music performances concluded the day’s festivities.

Ontario’s former Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe was among the speakers. Performers included Canadian groups such as Moscow Apartment and Jim Creegan from Bare Naked Ladies.

“I’m here today because I realize that mine and my sister’s futures are at risk,” said Anahita, a grade nine student from Oakville attending the strike with her mother and younger sister.

“This is something everyone, from all backgrounds, can get behind. This isn’t an issue that

Toronto’s Biennial Art is culturally visual

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affects only Liberals or Conservatives. This is our future and we need to take control of it.”

The march was scheduled to head east on Wellesley Street to Bay Street, then south on Bay Street to Queen Street, then west on Queen Street to University Avenue before the crowd returned to Queen’s Park at 2:30 p.m.

Toronto Police officers on bicycles and in cruisers cordoned the demonstrators and redirected traffic.

“We’re not concerned about the demonstrators; we’re concerned about someone seizing this opportunity to draw attention to their cause,” said Toronto Police Staff Superintendent Randy Carter to The Medium. “The police are here to ensure that people can demonstrate safely. We want to ensure that there’s no interference from others who may cause harm.”

“No one is arguing that this cause isn’t valid.

We all know we need to take action to improve the state of our planet, and that’s why the police are here—to ensure that citizens can have their voices safely heard,” Carter continued.

Kevin Imrie, a marshal for Global Climate Strike Toronto, shared with The Medium his thoughts on Friday’s demonstration.

“It’s Toronto’s portion of what’s happening globally. There were four and a half million people marching last week. We’re letting young people take the lead on this issue and it’s everyone’s responsibility to support them.”

Climate demonstrations took place across the country on Friday, including a rally in Montreal that saw Greta Thunberg, the teenage climate

An evening with Beverly McLachlin

FEATURES

activist from Sweden who spurred Friday’s global action, take part. Over half a million demonstrators were in attendance.

Similar demonstrations took place in major cities across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States.

Thunberg said the protests have been successful, calling Friday “a very good day” during a press conference in Montreal.

In a tweet, Mayor John Tory said the Toronto Sign was turned off Friday “in solidarity with all those taking part” in the Global Climate Strikes.

Students meet following another death at the Bahen Centre

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The Mental Health Crisis: An Existential Response

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West Nile Virus not just west of the Nile

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SPORTS

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09.30.2019

Editor | Melissa Barrientos

Students meet following another student death at Bahen The Mental Health Policy Counsel held an emergency meeting following the death of a U of T student MELISSA BARRIENTOS NEWS EDITOR The quotes in this article were taken from a transcript of the Emergency Community Meeting on Mental Health and were not attributed to any specific person.

Students spoke out at the U of T Mental Health Policy Council’s emergency meeting last Friday following the death of a U of T student at the Bahen Centre for Information Technology on the St. George campus.

Students who participated in the meeting voiced their concerns over the university’s lack of accountability with student mental health issues and the inaccessible nature of current mental health services.

“Mental health is so complicated,” said one student. “People need services so much and yet all of the

HAYDEN MAK/THE MEDIUM

Students call for change after the third death of an individual in the same area in the last two years. reports coming out keep saying ‘it’s not that we don’t have enough services but that students can’t find

them.’ But if students can’t find the services then there is a problem.”

Another student talked about the

long wait-lines at the Health & Wellness Centre downtown and the inefficient way it caters to students deal-

ing with mental health problems.

“In the beginning of January, when I came back here to Toronto from home, I told Health and Wellness that I was having suicidal thoughts. After my referral it took me three months to see a psychiatrist here. Now, I luckily have a nice support system […] but it’s not the same. It’s not a substitute. It’s a problem because I’m one of the lucky ones.”

Students also discussed how U of T administration has failed to cover an open area in the Bahen Centre, especially considering three individuals have died in the same place over the last two years.

“This is the third person to die in the same way within less than one year, on the same balcony, in the same atrium, where students have been asking for a net,” said one of the students in the meeting.

Bahen continued on page 3

The Be Well Fair: A space for mental wellness The second annual Be Well fair advocates mental health with Silken Laumann, Canadian champion rower

HAYDEN MAK/THE MEDIUM

Second Be Well Fair featured an Olympian keynote speaker.

XENAB RIZWAN CONTRIBUTOR Students flocked to the Be Well Fair last Thursday to participate in wellness activities, eat free snacks, and hear Silken Laumann, the Olympian keynote speaker, give an inspirational talk about mental health.

UTM’s Health and Counselling Centre held the second annual well-

ness fair inviting motivational speakers, mental health experts, and a variety of wellness programs to the A/B gym.

With over twenty booths, ranging from The Indigenous Network to the Canadian Mental Health Association, students had the opportunity to get information on a variety of mental health and wellness resources.

The event featured many keynote

speakers, including U of T medical student Rihanna Zamani, and Sociology professors Melissa Milkie and Scott Schieman.

Silken Laumann gave a motivational speech about overcoming personal struggles and persevering.

Laumann is a retired rowing champion with three Olympic medals and the author of Unsinkable, a memoir about the physical and personal struggles she faced after a brutal rowing accident left her right leg seriously injured. Laumann inspired many Canadians during the 1992 Olympics Games when, a month after her accident, she got back on the racing shell and won the bronze medal.

At the Be Well Fair, Laumann shared personal stories and talked about when to ask for help, persevering through difficult times, and the idea of “being enough.”

“A fair like this is the first step in getting an individual to reflect on where they are health-wise,” Laumann told The Medium. “There is a mental health crisis that’s been brewing, and acknowledging their success as a student is profoundly impacted by supporting their mental health.”

The booths, overflowing with pamphlets, healthy treats, and helpful guidebooks, invited students to learn more about their mental health and participate in the wellness activities.

“It’s great to know about all of the resources that are available on cam-

pus, and also just to relax between classes,” Kaitlyn Harris, a first-year humanities student, said to The Medium. “There are a lot of diverse activities [here]—there are speakers you can hear, and more interactive things, like the manicures and henna.”

Student feedback on the event was overwhelmingly positive, as were the responses from volunteers, exhibitors, and speakers. Staff members volunteering at the event were constantly on the move, rushing about and taking every opportunity to speak to students.

“Today, a lot of us are looking for self-care strategies,” Anna Piszckiewicz, a representative from self-care app BounceBack said to The Medium.

“It’s a difficult time [...] So, I think it’s important to really pick up healthy coping strategies and life skills to be able to deal with the challenges we have.”

The event ran for almost five hours and attracted a large crowd.

“It took several months of quite a bit of planning,” Ravinder Gabble, the lead coordinator for the wellness fair, said to The Medium. But when asked if it was worth the effort, Gabble answered with “a resounding yes.”

“With events like this it’s easier to kind of look at it and be like, it’s a oneoff thing,” said Gabble. “But you also have to look at it from the perspective of how many students today learned something new?”

Gabble set out to continue the Health and Counselling Centre’s (HCC) annual wellness event that showcases all the resources that UTM students have. He not only found programs that focus on mental health and awareness but took it a step further by including an aspect of multiculturalism into the event.

At the event informational booths like the Indigenous Network and the Hong Fook Mental Health Association discussed mental health situations in relation to specific cultural backgrounds. The organizations provide programs ranging from family support to counselling.

“One of the other cool things we had were the cultural services provided,” Gabble said on the topic. “There are services for people from different backgrounds and who speak different languages. It’s to show that there is help out there for everyone.”

The Be Well Fair provides UTM students a space to reach out, get help, and acquire knowledge about mental health.

“It takes years—this is only the second year [of the Be Well fair]—to build the hype and the momentum where you can have an event that everyone really gets and understands,” said Laumann. “I can see it growing in popularity in the coming years.”

MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Ali Taha editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Paula Cho managing@themedium.ca News Melissa Barrientos news@themedium.ca A&E Vinney Wong arts@themedium.ca Features Fatima Adil features@themedium.ca Sports Sarah-May Edwardo-Oldfield sports@themedium.ca Photo Julia Healy photos@themedium.ca Design Tegwen McKenzie design@themedium.ca Illustrations Tala Alkhaldi illustrations@themedium.ca Copy Jessica Cabral copy@themedium.ca Online Yasmeen Alkoka online@themedium.ca ASSOCIATES News Harris Watkins Saleha Faruque Kayvan Aflaki A&E Shalomi Ranasinghe Features Latisha Lobban Bismah Rizvi Sports Noor Bhatia Photo TBA Copy TBA GENERAL STAFF Webmaster William Pau web@themedium.ca Distribution Manager Mduduzi Mhlanga distribution@themedium.ca Ads Manager Amina Safdar ads@themedium.ca COPYRIGHTS All content printed in The Medium is the sole property of its creators, and cannot be used without written consent.

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Swim to Survive: A new RAWC program The new RAWC program teaches students how to swim in peril circumstances SALEHA FARUQUE ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

The Recreation, Athletics and Wellness Centre (RAWC) is implementing a new program aimed at teaching students the essential skills required to survive an unexpected fall into deep water.

Appropriately called “Swim to Survive,” the free program will offer students the opportunity to learn three lifesaving swimming techniques with an aquatic professional.

The Swim to Survive program teaches the most basic and fundamental skills needed to save yourself if you were to fall into deep water,” the RAWC’s Aquatics Programming Coordinator Marcin Kilmowicz told The Medium.

The new program leads students through a series of simulations that mimic common ways someone can unexpectedly fall into the water.

In the first program component called Roll, participants are taught to understand feelings of disorientation associated with falling into water. “Someone may experience falling out of a boat, slipping into a river, or breaking through an icy pond,” said Kilmowicz.

In the second Tread component, participants will learn to keep their mouth and nose above the water’s surface to call for help and continue breathing.

“Once a destination is determined, participants will swim 50 metres to safety,” Kilmowicz explained.

During the final Sequence component, students are expected to build endurance in the water. Completed without interruption, this component reinforces the reality presented by an unexpected fall into deep water.

Andrea Carter, Assistant Dean of Student Wellness, Support and Success, says U of T Mississauga Athletics is committed to student safety by providing necessary skill sets that al-

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Learning to swim with your clothes on in this program could save your life or the lives of others. low students to engage in a variety of activities.

“Canadian summers often include cottages by the lake, swimming pools, and water sports,” says Carter. “Academic opportunities include fieldwork near rivers and streams or larger bodies of water. We want to ensure our students feel confident and have the necessary skills to be safe while having fun.”

According to the 2019 Lifesaving Society report, about one third or 30 per cent of people who drowned between 2012 and 2016 engaged in an aquatic recreational activity at the time of their death.

The majority of aquatic recreational deaths happened by swimming (41 per cent), followed by walking, running, or playing near water (15 per cent).

Major risk factors consistent with drownings that Lifesaving Society’s 2017 report has identified include being unable to swim (40 per cent), swimming alone (34 per cent), and alcohol consumption (29 per cent).

Due to the pervasiveness of drowning-related deaths and injuries in Canada, Kilmowicz and Carter

strongly encourage students to partake in UTM’s Swim to Survive program.

Natural bodies of water account for the largest proportion of drowning deaths in the province. Lakes and ponds were shown to be the most common site for drowning fatalities (43 per cent), followed by rivers and streams (22 per cent).

The vast majority of Ontario victims also continue to be men, at least eight out of ten when compared to women.

A 2010 study commissioned by Lifesaving Society shows that “New Canadians” are four times more likely to not know how to swim (when compared to people born in Canada).

“UTM is home to so many international students from all over the world,” Carter highlighted. “We have a responsibility to make sure all of our students, and not just the ones born in Canada, have an equal opportunity to be safe around water.”

The Department of Recreation, Athletics, and Wellness seeks to set the stand ard for how post-secondary institutions can eliminate drowning accidents in communities, including

the vital roles they play off-campus, such as in public health.

UTM’s Swim to Survive is a free program offered monthly on Saturday and Sunday evenings. The program is not meant to teach swimming; however, it aims to motivate participants to pursue swimming education by signing-up for formal lessons.

Starting in October, new sessions will begin on the first weekend of every month. The program is not meant to teach swimming; however, it motivates participants to pursue formal swimming lessons.

Swim to Survive is a survival training program designed by Lifesaving Society, a registered charity and fullservice provider of programs, products, and services to prevent drowning and water-related injury.

Students can register for the Swim to Survive program now or view the program schedule through UTM’s recreation webpage.

For more information or for any questions, students can also visit campus aquatics through the UTM Athletics webpage.

U of T acknowledges Bahen is unsafe U of T announced a temporary barrier will go up in the open area in Bahen Centre Bahen continued from page 2

“A physical barrier,” continued another student on the topic. “A physical barrier wouldn’t have been that expensive or arduous to put up. [The administration] has consistently said ‘we’re working on it, there are complexities involved,’ but it can’t be that complex because there is only one place where you can jump and kill yourself in Bahen. Some of this is very simple yet the low hanging fruit isn’t even happening.”

Another student commented on U of T’s new Mental Health Task Force that began its four-part plan last week, concentrating on data gathering and inspecting the mental health service spaces on campuses before implanting new or improved mental health systems.

“We can’t have another round of consultations. We can’t have another

task force. The one we have now isn’t doing anything. It’s so heartbreaking to be so involved in this and we can’t make changes for the people who need it right now.”

On Saturday, U of T released a statement acknowledging the student’s death at Bahen.

“We mourn the loss of our student, and we are here to support our community,” said Sandy Welsh, the ViceProvost, Students and one of the Senior Assessors of the Mental Health Task Force, to U of T News.

“We recognize that many people in our community would like to pay tribute and mourn the loss of one of our students,” Welsh continued.

“When the Bahen Centre reopens, members of our community who wish to pay respects will have the opportunity to do so.”

Welsh added that cards will be provided “to share messages of sympathy and concern.”

A student participating in the meeting spoke out on how affirming your mental health situation and its relation to the stress from U of T’s high academic standards is a way to make a change in the mental health crisis.

“I want change to come out and I want us to take charge and say ‘yes, I’m unwell because this university makes me feel unwell because of the standards it pushes on us,’ and stand firm and strong on that because maybe that’s a way that works.”

On Sunday, U of T News released a follow up article on the recent student death and announced the university will finally close up the open balcony in Bahen.

“We are taking immediate steps to improve safety at the Bahen Centre and we will continue to work on permanent changes,” said Welsh.

“The safety and well-being of our students is our top priorities. We’ve

listened to concerns about the building and are putting in place measures that will improve safety.”

The open area on the Bahen Centre’s upper floor that has students concerned will have temporary barriers put in place as U of T moves forward with “long-term changes expected to get underway later this fall.”

U of T News reports that “the university has been working with the building’s architects since last spring to design permanent changes that will enhance safety in Bahen.”

The Mental Health Policy Council will hold a second emergency meeting on Monday at the Junior Common room, University College from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. to finalize their plans of action in combating mental health issues on campus.

As of press time, the identity of the individual has not been released.

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THE MEDIUM 09.30.2019

Mass Climate teach-ins for Global Climate Strike

HUMANS OF UTM

An informative rally was held downtown for climate awareness

DANIEL DUFFIN/THE MEDIUM

Many took to the streets of downtown Toronto to protest indifference to climate change.

HAFSA AHMED CONTRIBUTOR The Global Climate Strike rally and teach-in at the St. George campus on Friday 20 kicked-off the Global Climate Strike Week.

Fridays for Future, the global climate movement inspired by youth activist Greta Thunberg, organized strikes downtown for September 20 and September 27 to align with the UN emergency Global Climate Summit held on September 23. People of all ages and backgrounds gathered at Hart House circle to advocate for climate action, demand an end to fossil fuels, raise awareness, and become informed about ways to tackle the climate crisis.

The event began with live music and performances by co-host Sharrae Lyon, guitarist Shane Free, and beatboxer and poet The Realije.

Ally, one of the coordinators of Fridays for Future Toronto, read a list of demands for action from the Ontario government put together by Climate Justice Toronto, No One is Illegal, Fight for Fifteen and Fairness, Greenpeace, and many other climate action organizations.

The list includes: the demand for Indigenous rights and sovereignty; for governments to act on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s report; and for the legal protection of land, water, and life.

The last demand asks for a 65 per cent reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2040 in Canada. It demands a low carbon economy and an end to subsidizing fossil fuels, as well as divestment from pipelines. The demand also calls for a price on pollution, for communityowned and governed resources, and infrastructure that is affordable and accessible so that everyone in Canada can lead a sustainable life.

The list of demands also includes a demand for labour rights, migrant rights, and the implementation of universal healthcare and education.

The main portion of the climate

rally was the teach-in, developed by co-host Roxy Cohen, where attendees broke into groups run by organizers who each led a discussion on how to talk about the climate crisis with others.

These discussions fell into three categories: talking about the climate crisis with parents, with teachers, and with politicians.

There were also groups that led discussions on how to communicate climate science, mainly to climate deniers, as well as a listening circle where people could let out their feelings and vent about the climate crisis in a positive and safe space.

Many attendees felt that they were “scared” and “beginning to panic,” but that fear did not turn into hopelessness. Many strike-goers, though anxious about the climate crisis, were hopeful.

Valerie, a student attending the rally, said that she felt “optimistic seeing people [and] about seeing this movement.”

Linden, a student volunteer, said “The science is here, the facts are real, [we’re] trying to make it so that everyone knows about it and knows about this movement. There is hope and there are people who care and are trying to make a difference.”

Feeling empowered by the informative teach-in on how to take action and talk about the climate crisis, Hannah, a York University student, said “being here, and attending these certain events, it does give me hope.”

Attendees of the climate rally were of all ages. Polly O’Keefe Priebe held a sign reading “Grandmas for climate action.” Priebe gave praise to youth climate activist Greta Thunberg, and said she attended the rally to fight for the future of children.

“I have a grandchild, and I care about the children of the future. This is the issue of our time. We must act now. Greta’s right,” said Priebe.

After a performance by the children of Oak class from the da Vinci Alternative School, who sang, “young people marching, they’re marching

for our lives,” co-host Lyon called for people to come up onto the stage and share anything they’d like with the crowd.

What followed was a collection of some of the youngest attendees at the rally, who took turns talking about climate change to the rest of the crowd.

Children as young as five years old urged rally-goers to “take charge,” “make a difference,” and “write a letter to your MP.” Some people held up their climate action signs or showed off their various funky animal costumes. A pair of kids led the crowd in a sixty second countdown before proceeding to say, “forty football fields of rainforest disappeared in that minute.”

As the event came to an end, a formal die-in was enacted where all attendees and organizers lay down on the ground to let “Mother Earth hold us,” as co-host Lyon said.

After a short silence, a traditional Jewish Ram Horn was blown.

The horn, says Lyon, was “a call to action, a sound to break into our hearts, to stir our emotions, to blow through the fog, to allow us to see reality, and to recognize that our house is burning and that we are all on the same boat, and that there are no limitations to global warming. Global warming is, in fact, global.”

A final performance to end the event was given by Shessi Sandu, who sang a song of hope in the face of this crisis, singing to the crowd, “we gotta hold it together.”

As the event finished, people left feeling more informed about the climate crisis. They felt better empowered on how to talk about it, found a strong sense of hope in the light of this crisis, and had their courage revived, so that they can take on all the politicians and corporations standing in the way of climate solutions, and fight for their futures and the rights for all people on this Earth to live an accessible, affordable, and sustainable life.

“Several hasty life-changing decisions, a lot of different experiences and a panic attack have gotten me to UTM. In the last four years, I’ve lived through three floods that have taken many lives back home in India. When you’re lying in bed alone and seeing the water rise up beside you, you tend to contemplate what’s important in your life. You end up changing as a person when you realize that you could wake up drowning.

It’s through this that I’ve realized that it’s my privilege that has saved me every time. After these traumatic events, I’ve done many things in search of purpose, including joining the Master of Science in Sustainability Management at UTM. In the past, I’ve always doubted whether the place I’m in is right for me to make the biggest impact. But, being here at UTM today with the smartest group of people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I know this is right for me. I know this is is just one giant step in a life with a lot yet to do but it makes me happy that my classmates are right where I am and willing to take the leap with me”.

Septmeber 20, 2019.

Animal Complaint.

Campus Police attended a parking lot for a dog locked inside a vehicle. The owner of the vehicle was cautioned..

September 24, 2019.

Fraud.

A student contacted UPS to check the status of a parcel they had sent to China. They were transferred to someone claiming to be a chief of police who advised the student they were involved in a money laundering case.

They asked the student to transfer money in order to clear their name.

September 23, 2019.

Police Assistance.

Campus Police noticed smoke in the pub located in the UTMSU. The caused was traced to an issue with the ventilation fans in the kitchen and was rectified.

September 24, 2019.

Theft.

A student’s belongings were stolen from a locker in the RAWC. The student used a combination lock, when they returned, the lock was no longer there. Their phone, wallet and a small amount of cash were missing..

Telephone Scam The RCMP is warning of fraudulent telephone calls in which the caller identifies themselves as an RCMP officer calling to collect fines or income taxes or a variety of other scam tactics. The caller tells the victim they must pay immediately or will be arrested within 24 hours. In some cases, “RCMP” appears on the victim’s call display.

Recently, a UTM international student received a telephone call from someone misrepresenting themselves as police from her home country, in an attempt to defraud the student in the manner described by the RCMP. Campus Police are advising our students to never send money under these circumstances.

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).

09.30.2019

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Ali Taha

The mental health crisis: An existential response It is detrimental to encourage a rhetoric which distills a systemic issue into an act of laziness MUHADDISAH BATOOL CONTRIBUTOR During my first week at UTM, I was diagnosed with severe chronic depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. I sought out the infamous HCC and received an appointment with an on-campus social worker for three months later. In the meantime, the receptionist directed me to a pile of Good2Talk and Kids Help Phone pamphlets. The following month I was assaulted twice: once physically (off campus) and once sexually (on campus). That summer, I was hospitalized at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). I was released after two days only to be rehospitalized at Credit Valley Hospital in the winter.

I am now in my third year. A couple of months ago I underwent a psychiatric evaluation where I was officially cleared of both generalized anxiety and depression. This was the result of escaping two situations of severe dysfunction and a year of intensive, private therapy. Where once I was dropping or CR/NCRing classes at least once per term, I am now properly attending two institutions as a full-time student in my joint program. In addition, I am balancing a twenty-four-hour/week rehearsal schedule for the production component of my Theatre and Drama Studies program. In the interim

I’ve artistic directed a theatrical season, written two plays, directed two plays, and made my Toronto theatre debut in a professionally produced workshop of a solo-piece I wrote and performed.

It’s a nice story, isn’t it?

We enjoy stories of triumph over adversity. We want the narrative of distress to be linear, and we want it to exist solely in the past tense. More profoundly, we need the story of distress to be a story. But it often isn’t.

In most instances it’s a random series of uncontrollable events. This is an Uncomfortable Truth, one which we try to soften by inventing facile cause and effect theories, i.e., people get diabetes because they don’t eat properly, or heart failure because they don’t go to the gym, or depression because they’re weak. Each of those claims is either blatantly misinformed or plainly reductive, but they also make catchy loglines. This is the naissance of the stigmatization of illness: it blames the victim for circumstances beyond their control.

In her essay Illness as a Metaphor, Susan Sontag writes, “Theories that diseases are caused by mental states and can only be cured by will power are always an index of how much is not understood about a disease.”

She also explores how our inability to see, hear, or feel another person’s psychic pain hinders our ability to describe it without simile or metaphor. One may say it feels like

they’re spiralling, or like their heart is on fire, or like there’s a void within them, but they can never really say what it is.

This is why no single experience of mental illness is authoritative. All opinions of those experiences are weak reflections of reality because mental illness is not a monolith. It manifests on a spectrum. It can by dysthymic or debilitating or neither or both—it is as diverse as humankind. When someone on the outside offers simple solutions to diseases as complicated as depression or anxiety or borderline—when they say to exercise, or to download some app, or to eat kale—they patronizingly insinuate that the illness is the fault of the one who suffers it. Because it needs to be something’s fault, right? If not, then it’s weird, random chance. But that’s what chronic illness is: it can happen to anyone.

The Canadian Mental Health Association says that one-in-five people will experience mental illness at least once throughout their life. The Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) which is calculated by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) measures the expected years of health lost to a disease, and according to IHME, 32 per cent of Canadians aged 15-49 suffer from various mental illnesses and addiction.

That’s a massive number.

Health continued on page 7

JEREMY LISHNER/UNSPLASH.COM

Stories of triumph are not always the whole truth.

Global Climate Strike Toronto: Hope for a better future As young people, we need to show people that we are united, determined, and unstoppable ISIK VERA SENEL CONTRIBUTOR In the August of last year, a 15-yearold Greta Thunberg skipped school and decided to protest in front of the Swedish Parliament with her nowfamous sign, “Skolstrejk för Klimatet” (School Strike for Climate). After her efforts went viral, groups all around the world started striking every Friday, with numbers increasing as the weeks passed. Last week, September 20 to 27 was declared the “Global Week for Future” and held the largest strikes for climate justice in history.

September 27, however, was the biggest day for Canada. Not only was Greta Thunberg taking part in the marches in Montreal but the number of people taking part in the strikes

was astonishing. With numbers over 500,000 in Montreal, 80,000 in Vancouver, and 50,000 in Toronto it is impossible not to feel hopeful about the future.

In Toronto, different social and climate justice groups (i.e. Extinction Rebellion, Indigenous Climate Action, and Greenpeace) came together under the organization of Fridays for Future and marched to make their voices heard. From infants in strollers to the elderly, the diversity of the rally was like no other and offered a promising image of the next generation. Most of the signs made by the protesters had humorous slogans such as “Nooo don’t kill the earth it’s so sexy aha,” “Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriends deserve a future,” and “How will we throw shade if there are

no trees.” However, one of the most common signs included the slogan, “Make Earth GRETA Again” and Greta Thunberg was also a common topic of discussion, having a sort of celebrity status amongst the young participants.

The rally was directed by volunteer Peacekeepers/Marshals who enlisted a few weeks before the rally to help organize and ensure the safety of the participants. From 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., marshals were present allaround Queen’s Park, easily identifiable due to their bright orange bike vests. With ages ranging from 19 to 63, these people worked for 13 hours with the hope that their time and labour would help make a change.

However, before the rally and the chants began, an elderly man saun-

tered by the marshal stands holding up a sign that read, “climate change is not real, made up by communists.”

He was met with laughs and a short applause for his effort. Unlike this lone warrior, everyone seemed to be passionate about the cause and even the occasional pedestrian walking by joined the chants—at least the ones they were able to make out.

With the increase in greenhouse gases, world population, and deforestation, our world is facing more and more drastic environmental changes every day. From extinction to extreme weather conditions, the consequences of climate change are disastrous.

It is crucial that people take part in rallies, marches, town hall meetings, and, most importantly, vote in favour of parties that have strong policies

concerning climate justice. This is important for Canadians especially, not only because of the upcoming federal election but also because, according to Canada’s Changing Climate Report (CCCR), Canada is experiencing the effects of climate change at a rate two times the global average. Although we can’t escape climate change, we can alleviate its effects through legislative action, international agreements, and lifestyle changes.

That being said, to force the hands of legislators to make some changes towards climate justice, we need to make our voices heard through activities like rallies and protests. In the words of Greta Thunberg, we need to show them that “we are united and that we, young people, are unstoppable.”

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THE MEDIUM 09.30.2019

Alma mater: Owning our education Protecting the university experience matters because we don’t know what we have until it’s gone CESAR LOZANO CONTRIBUTOR We don’t know what we have until we lose it.

In Chile during the 1970s, political prisoners were kidnapped, tortured, and assassinated by the secret police.

The bloody Pinochet regime was a machine that tore apart the lives of its captives. Many of these prisoners were university students that became known as los desaparecidos—the disappeared.

Forty-six years later, the disappeared still appear in our headlines.

A violation of human rights from the hands of another delusional dictator, this time in Venezuela, has university students running from their lecture halls to protest. These students, with their determination, passionate voice, and perhaps a sense of desperation, were the first to respond to the call for action. They were the first ones to join the front lines. And, as you might expect, they were the first ones to disappear.

Maybe Chile’s human rights abuses ended in 1990, and Venezuela is just another case of autocratic leadership gone awry. Yet still, I can’t help but think from the comfort of the developed world: what if it were to happen to us? I mean, how silly of me to think that. This is Canada! Nothing like that could ever happen here.

But, what if?

Thousands of miles away from the

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Get involved in what our campus has to offer and subvert the commuter campus stereotype. streets of Caracas, sitting in the MN building, I entertain the thought of UTM students facing a similar situation. A tyrannical regime that, much like Pinochet’s, expels students and faculty with opposing views from the university, cuts back on “anti-government” social studies, and sends the army to Queen’s Park rallies to “maintain the peace.” What would we do?

Unlike our midterm exams, there can be multiple correct answers to this question. But there’s only one

wrong answer: to do nothing.

“Nothing” is what gets us annihilated. “Nothing” is apathy, and apathy is our greatest enemy. Apathy enables the creation of that tyrannical regime.

It shows not ignorance, but foolishness on our part: we saw it happen and yet did nothing about it.

In this way it’s up to us, the students, to take responsibility for our education.

My proposition to you is simple.

Let’s not take our education for grant-

ed, and let’s start treating it like something we’re responsible for.

Accessible post-secondary education should not equal passiveness.

Embracing an active role that keeps us critical and participatory in campus affairs is the only thing that will bring about desired change. Let the spirit of the disappeared, who fought for what we have, inspire us to create a better campus for all the students that come after us.

A picture may be worth a thousand

words, but action speaks even louder.

This is why I invite all students to challenge the “no community in a commuter campus” stereotype that UTM seems to be known for. I invite you to consider that this mindset might be a product of our constant complaints and lack of action. Invite those you know to a UTM Town Hall meeting, or a Campus Council meeting (they are open to the public!) and bring up your concerns to the university administration. Share your thoughts and potential solutions about food on campus in The Medium. Encourage someone to run for the UTMSU executive team next year, start a club, or challenge the campus status quo by voting in student elections. You have a voice, and now is your chance to use it.

Alma mater is an allegorical phrase referring to the university that one attended, and it means “nourishing mother” in Latin. Perhaps in the future, as fellow alumni, we can rejoice at the sight of our nourishing mother: the University of Toronto Mississauga. Let us proudly remember, as children that were once hers, that we safeguarded her, celebrated her, and did not let her fall.

We don’t know what we have until we lose it, but we don’t know what we’ve been missing until it arrives.

Let’s take responsibility.

If you aren’t voting in this election, shut up Voting shows you are not apathetic to the political process and you recognize its importance TOMASZ GLOD STAFF WRITER In the upcoming Federal election, individuals between the ages of 1838 will make up the largest group of eligible voters. If you’re reading this, you’re probably part of that

statistic. This means that you have an incredibly important choice to make—whether you will make the conscious effort to go out and vote.

As a fellow citizen, let me help you make that decision. For this and every other election, federal, provincial, municipal and/or territorial,

you are going to vote.

As an adult within our society, you must recognize that you have an obligation to improve the space that you occupy. This begins with making sure you take every opportunity that you have to vote. Voting is so much more than expressing

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To be able to vote for your leader in a democratic society is a privilege that is underappreciated.

who you’d like to see serve as your Member of Parliament. It sends a clear message to all political parties.

It says “I am here and I want to be heard.”

Rallying, protesting, and petitioning are excellent outlets to further certain causes, but there’s something critical to note. If you’ve ever heard a politician speak you may have heard them say something along the lines of “I represent the people of …” or “the people of … elected me to be their voice in the House.” This phrase is typically one that is said when politicians want to remind people that they are listening to their constituents, but for a great many of these politicians you are only a voice if you’re a voter.

Political parties and politicians will only be your voice (implement policies you want) if they represent you.

This is because, as I have previously alluded, politicians are rarely accountable to anyone. An electorate works towards ensuring that they are held accountable—but an electorate without youth is like a university without students.

Your individual ballot probably means nothing, but you have to realize that you are not voting alone.

Within this university, (irrespective of your political affiliations), there are tens of thousands of people who want to be heard and they won’t be unless we all take the initiative upon ourselves to vote. It is our individual actions that affect the group.

Further, casting your ballot is more than expressing that you have done your due diligence in looking into a party’s platform. It shows that you are not apathetic to political discourse and that you recognize that this right that you have is one that is denied to some people. And just for the record, we don’t have to go very far to see people being denied the right to vote. According to a the CBC, in the 2015 Federal election, more than ten voters from a First Nations community were prevented from casting a vote because the polling station ran out of ballots.

Besides some minor exceptions, if you are an eligible voter you must vote. If you don’t vote, you cannot complain about the nature of the situation you find yourself in. Vocalizing your distaste with a specific policy or perspective begins at the ballot box. This year, be heard, be seen, and be counted.

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Treating mental health Music and how it defines us

Health continued from page 5

By contrast, 1.8 per cent of people from the same demographic suffer from diabetes, and 1.05 per cent suffer from strokes. Mental illness is a global disease burden which requires immediate attention on every institutional level, and it is presently grossly underserved by the health sector and beyond. It is detrimental, then, to encourage a rhetoric which distills a systemic issue into an act of laziness or weakness or incompetence and place the onus on the individual to work against a structure larger than themselves.

Look: I don’t know if hope is the

proper response to the human condition. The more I grow the more I find the notion superficial. But I do know that mental illness is almost always treatable, and that how one feels at their worst is, by definition, transitory. This is fact. It’s not a vague, distant rumour of a better future. I survived myriad essays and feigned high-functioning adulthood in the midst of incessant emotional crises.

But when one believes fortunate things happen to them because they deserve it, or earn it, or work harder, they see the world with a distorted myopia. They don’t commit to uplifting the systemically disenfranchised

because they don’t see a problem.

This is a pernicious, Ayn Randian view which is obviously destructive for the world at large. But it’s also destructive for the individual perpetuating it.

To each who breathes: there will come a time when arbitrary and awful things happen. No one deserves chronic pain or bipolar disorder or cancer. Deserving isn’t a constructive way to imagine it, because you are not your luck. Regardless of which set of random events are inflicted upon you, you are an indispensable member of the human race.

UTM’s identity crisis The university must choose between growth and aesthetics KELLSY ANN MENESES/THE MEDIUM

The art of music is a comfort or even a form of therapy for some.

ELIZABETH PROVOST CONTRIBUTOR

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Is the administration willing to sacrifice our tranquil green spaces for the sake of growth?

HARRIS WATKINS CONTRIBUTOR UTM as a campus has distinguished itself from its St. George counterpart by identifying as a ‘green and tranquil’ campus. A quick Google search for UTM brings up numerous images of the greenery on campus; a look at the pictures posted on UTM’s social media accounts shows a fondness for the campus deer that live here; prospective students receiving UTM application materials will undoubtedly notice the role that our campus’ green space plays in marketing ourselves internationally.

Concurrently, UTM is undergoing a period of rapid growth and construction. Building projects such as the recently-completed, 210,000 square foot Maanjiwe Nendamowinan building, as well as the recentlyannounced “science building” and the “arts and culture building,” are steps taken by the university to expand in the face of the ever-increasing number of students coming to UTM for a post-secondary education.

Expanded parking options are continued efforts by the university to

meet the demand for students who commute to campus by car. New residence buildings are hastily coming through the pipeline in order to accommodate the growing intake of first year students on campus.

The two interests demonstrated thus far—UTM’s ‘natural appeal’ versus UTM’s obsession with growth and construction—seem to be inherently at odds with one another. While the student body has a generally favourable view of new buildings and new services offered to them on campus, the price of such development is, of course, continually building on our finite natural endowment.

Taking note of the aforementioned construction initiatives, one must wonder where the administration plans on building the new science building, the new arts and culture building, new residency buildings and, assumedly, more parking proportionate to the growing student body.

It is fair to assume that at least part of this construction will develop natural habitats on campus, thus bringing with it a host of unforeseen dilemmas.

What defines the identity of the University of Toronto Mississauga campus? While we undoubtedly love our green space and all that which it entails, we also seem to have a newfound affinity for the growth and increasing international relevance of our school, and the new buildings and construction projects which accompany it.

The very nature of the university ethos is also brought into question.

Are we a school that prioritizes our tradition and the characteristics which have come to define our campus, or are we a school that continues to progress, continues to construct, and continues to increase growth in the name of raising revenues and climbing the global university rankings list?

I beg caution in the administration’s plans moving forward, because while I value a campus which is constantly improving itself in the name of student experience, I also value the green characteristics of our campus which led me to choose it for my post-secondary education in the first place.

When someone asks me what defines me as a person, I always say music. Music and art are ingrained in my roots. My grandfather is a distinguished artist in Russia. He just retired at age 80 from teaching and performing accordion. My mother is a painter. I’m surrounded by her art in my home. My father is a movie producer, developing political documentaries about Québec—a bit of a dry topic, but he’s a creative soul. As for me, well I’m a combination of all these—I spend most of my time singing, but I’ve tackled much more.

In the last year, I’ve started writing songs. In doing so, for the first time in my life, I’ve felt connected with my emotions, and I am in love with what I write.

Although not everyone has this kind of relationship with music, it still plays a very important and powerful role in each of our lives. As I’m writing this, I’m listening to my “Morning Commute” playlist on Spotify—even though it’s ten o’clock at night. Whenever I get a chance, I listen to music. It keeps me going every day.

However, as they say, to each their own. To another person, music might mean something different. Music genres alone demonstrate the great diversity we have in our specific tastes and cultures. Classical music, if I’m being honest, isn’t my first choice.

However, I know many people that can’t listen to anything but Bach, Chopin, and Shubert. No matter what genre, style, or song you’re listening to, music will undoubtedly provide you refuge and solace.

So, why is it that music has such a profound effect on us?

Music ascribes the emotions we feel to a certain string of words and melodies. It reminds us that we are not alone. It brightens our mood, clears our mind, and allows us to appreciate different aspects of life. Music is a recognition and celebration of artists who have given their heart and

soul to the artform; connecting people, solidifying friendships, building communities, and defining cultures.

Music is powerful because it allows us to escape the difficult and unpleasant parts of our life from time to time.

It’s one thing to listen to “Itsy Bitsy Spider” as a three-year-old child, but it’s another to be a young adult, going through what seems like a mid-life crisis, with so many decisions in front of you and changes on the horizon, and hearing your struggles coming from someone else’s lips, articulated in a moving song.

Although listening to music passively is great, it’s important to take the time to sit with your favourite songs one-on-one.

What have you missed? What is the artist trying to say? What are the colours of notes and chords trying to tell you? But also, it is important to step outside your comfort zone and listen to a new genre, artist, or a specific decade of music.

I recently got into country music. It’s probably just a phase, but this genre has really changed my outlook on many things in my life. It’s helped me lead a simpler life (listen to Chris Stapleton, and you will understand).

Also, keep in mind that listening to a song once isn’t enough to know if it speaks to you. I’ve often made the mistake of hearing a song and right away saying “this isn’t for me.” However, upon hearing it another time I would realize that I’d missed a really important message This happened to me with the artist XXXTentation. When I first heard his music, I wasn’t hooked. After his assassination in 2018, I gave it another listen and I cried. His songs speak to themes that hit so close to home for me.

It’s important to ask ourselves why we listen to the music we do. These questions allow for greater self-realization and awareness of the human condition, and lend to our understanding of the other.

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Productivity: A long-term solution When you work, discipline is a significantly better long-term solution than motivation, here’s why MEHRSHAD BABAEI STAFF WRITER You wake up. It’s eight o’clock...at night.

“How did this happen?” You wonder. You must’ve crashed when you got home after another long day fueled by another sleepless night (and some coffee, of course). Now you’ve got work to do—a lot of it. Are you motivated? Probably not. Are you disciplined? Definitely not.

Perhaps this isn’t exactly what’s going on with you, but it certainly was the case for me.

Before I went on to tackle stress and time-management, I struggled to get work done. In fact, I was stuck in an endless cycle of sleeping late, waking up early, trying to get through the day, crashing when I got home, and seldom getting any work done in time. I knew something had to change.

I researched stress and how to combat it, discovering that I didn’t have to resist it at all. I then implemented a brilliant time-management tool to help me maximize my productivity and minimize my time-related anxiety. Yet, I still overlooked one simple concept: Discipline.

So why is discipline a significantly better long-term solution than motivation?

Fundamentally, motivation only

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Discipline is a significantly better long-term solution than motivation. works based on one’s mental state, where such a state needs to be obtained in order to work on a task. In contrast, discipline completely separates function from feeling, allowing for the completion of tasks without desperately waiting for a morale boost, which is the very problem with chronic procrastination. If one has to wait until they feel like it to do something, then they’ve already spawned a never-ending loop of needing to get something done, not feeling like getting it done, putting it off for later, and

feeling bad about it. And what happens afterward is what bugs me the most: blaming stress and complaining about a lack of time.

Motivation comes and goes, and chasing it is actually quite futile.

Furthermore, successfully completing one’s tasks is what allows for that boost of energy—the very stimulus the vast majority of procrastinators think they need to begin working in the first place. We shouldn’t be asking ourselves “how do I get myself to feel good about doing this?” and instead

think “how can I get this done regardless of how I feel?”

The reality is, more often than not, there are things we need to do that we couldn’t possibly be enthusiastic about. And that is where this idea of motivation fails the most. In fact, I would argue we are effectively worsening our mental state every time we try to drive ourselves to feel good about doing things we don’t want to do.

The main card pits motivation against discipline and most bets are

on motivation. If one desires consistent results, where the main focus is day-to-day functioning and accomplishing goals, discipline is the way to go.

Funny enough, the concept of adopting discipline is in itself a disciplinary action. It is just so much easier for us to turn to motivation, because we always expect it to be there and because we know that we don’t have to spend the least bit of energy to get it; and sadly, this mindset prevents us from doing anything at all. However, it must be said that there are indeed times where motivation is exactly what we need, like with competitions, or even exams.

You see, in my efforts to tackle time-management and productivity, I had actually been implementing discipline the entire time. In order for me to use the Pomodoro Technique, which I’ve discussed in a previous article, I had to be disciplined. What I realized is that this in turn elicited short bursts of motivation when I worked. So, instead of chasing something that wasn’t there to begin with, I allowed it to come to me, which also inspired me to stay true to my habitual nature and have no expectations of motivation sticking around.

Discipline wins by technical knockout (TKO).

Getting around: A first-year’s guide to UTM From how to navigate the campus, to where to study, here is your guide to the UTM campus to go if you want to eat something a bit healthier. Unless you’re living on campus, I would recommend against eating at the cafeteria in OPH— the quality of the food isn’t exactly worth the price.

ANASTASIA WU CONTRIBUTOR Hey first years, have any of you gotten lost since arriving to campus on that very first day? I, for one, have gotten lost so many times that I’ve lost count. Despite those unnerving experiences, I’ve wandered enough around campus to know where I’m going and where I need to be with the help of some friends and upperyear students.

If you’re still trying to find your way around campus, let me help you.

Getting Around The overall layout of the campus is mostly circular, revolving around the Students’ Centre located in the middle of the campus. Here you can find Chatime and our very own oncampus pub: the Blind Duck.

I have yet to try the food from here, but I’ve heard many good things and look forward to trying it in the near future. The Duck Stop (which is a convenience store oncampus) and the Multi-faith Prayer room can be found directly in front of the Students’ Centre’s front door.

If you’re rushing to get to class and need a quick snack, I would recommend checking out the Duck Stop.

There is rarely a line, which makes it a great place for a grab-and-go snack, especially if you’re tight on time.

KELLSY ANN MENESES/THE MEDIUM

Here is your quick guide to all the best spots on campus for whatever you are into.

The Kaneff Centre, Communications, Culture, and Technology (CCT) building, and the Davis building (DV) are all located about one minute away from the Students’ Centre. If you’re heading to the gym or the RAWC, the quickest way is to get there is through Davis. While there, you can enjoy many of the drop-in sports the RAWC has to offer like basketball, soccer, or dodgeball. If you’re not into organized sports, then the gym is the place to go. Feel free to drop by anytime during the week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., or 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on

weekends.

Just outside of the RAWC, you can find the South Field which is where most of our varsity teams compete against other universities. Don’t be afraid to come out and cheer them on! The women’s team take to the pitch this Saturday at 1:00 p.m., and the men’s team plays afterwards at 3:00 p.m.

Food Hungry or low on energy after your workout? You can find Booster Juice near the south entrance of the RAWC. It’s always a great pick-me-

up after an intense workout.

As for solid food, UTM has a new food court that boasts dishes from Thai Express, Harveys, Pizza Pizza, and Mongolian Grill, among others.

Be warned: you could be in line waiting for your food for 40 minutes to an hour. Across from the food court is Tim Hortons, a Canadian classic.

Personally, the food courts in the DV building and the IB building are the two places I would recommend going to on campus.

Bentosushi, Subway, and Quesada can be found in the IB building, which makes it one of the best places

Study Spaces If you just want to do some light reading, I recommend the upperlevels of Deerfield. It has comfy sofas, relaxing armchairs, and a quiet atmosphere.

If you want to study, you can either try to find a seat in the library basement or go to the study carrels on the third and fourth floors. There are also some carrels on the second floor of the CCT building, but with the number of students waiting for their classes to start, that area gets crowded and loud fast.

But if the library is full (like it usually is), the best place to go and study is the OPH cafeteria. It’s quite empty throughout the day, has some comfy chairs, and you’re only a few feet away from solid snacks and food.

UTM is a small, close-knit campus, which makes it easy to get from building to building and class to class. Not only is this campus closeknit, but it also incorporates a lot of its environment and nature into its design and layout. And keep your eyes peeled—you might just see a deer roaming around campus.

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SATIRE Elizabeth May UTMSU President caught taking selfies spotted in P4 with Andrew Scheer selling drugs ERIN DELANEY STAFF WRITER

PHOTO/MTLBLOG.COM

UTMSU President Atif Abdullah discovered to be Andrew Scheer’s side piece and/or biggest fan.

GORDON CORK CONTRIBUTOR At a recent Conservative meet-up, anonymous sources have revealed that UTMSU President Atif Abdullah attended and took an intimate selfie with the Conservative leader, Andrew Scheer.

In the photo above, Abdullah is clearly seen wearing a shirt with “Pepe, the frog” (a racist alt-right symbol). He also holds a large sign clearly visible in the photo above that

reads: “It’s okay to be white.”

Further analysis of the photo has proven that Andrew Scheer is taking the photo with Abdullah’s phone. Inside the phone case, Abdullah’s government issued ID is visible through the transparent card holder lining.

Upon examining the photo with a microscope, experts were able to reveal that Abdullah is standing beside a man who is standing beside a woman who knows the cousin of Faith Goldy, an alt-right, neo-Nazi sympathizer.

Now when googling ‘Atif Abdullah,’ a swastika appears as the first result.

“I am so disappointed in the UTMSU President,” said third-year student Trisha Constance. “Andrew Scheer obviously does not support the interests of students. For Atif to openly support the Conservative party is deplorable and he should be impeached right away.”

In response to the controversy, Atif Abdullah tweeted in all-caps, “PRESIDENTIAL. HARRASSMENT!”

UTM introduces new vaping initiative to help campus geese ERIN DELANEY STAFF WRITER Since the University of Toronto Mississauga declared itself a smoke-free campus back in January 2019, the policy has taken a toll on the inhabitants of the university, especially its permanent residents.

Withdrawal from nicotine addiction is currently plaguing geese on campus, due to the decrease in cigarette buds being littered around campus.

When asked for comment, the leader of the UTM geese had this to say: “Honk Honk Honk Honk Honk.”

“It’s inhumane for the administration to just take away their source of nicotine,” an S.U.G.M.A. (Students United for Geese, Moose, and Animals) representative had to say. “At the very least the university should

provide chewed wads of nicotine gum for them to peck at with their beaks. It’s basic human decency.”

Before the recent shift to a smokefree campus, UTM geese had been able to graze freely across campus and find cigarettes virtually anywhere, but with the decrease in areas that are permissible to smoke in, the waterfowl have been struggling to adapt.

Geese on student attacks have risen 20 per cent since the campus went smoke-free, and student reports of vapes being snatched out of their hands have increased ten-fold.

Wild-life conservationists report that the geese are far more irritable than they’ve ever seen, despite smelling better than before.

The geese recently staged a sit-in at Outer Circle Road and the Collegeway that left thirteen students

injured. The University administration, seeking to diffuse tension, had no choice but to cave in to their demands.

Local geese are now being provided vapes after talks between the university and the geese came to the conclusion that the number of cigarette butts wouldn’t be the same due to the rising popularity of e-cigarettes.

Students can donate lightly used vapes and left over vape juice to S.U.G.M.A., who have been tasked with giving each and every goose a vape of their own.

“This is truly a victory for the geese,” a S.U.G.M.A. member commented. “Cigarette butts take around seven months to fully digest in the waterfowl’s intestinal tract, but with these vapes, the nicotine goes straight to their lungs. Much healthier.”

Elizabeth May, federal leader of the Green Party, has become the talk of UTM. Promising to puff, puff, pass legislation to decriminalize drugs, the Green Party was seen going door to door recently, promoting their platform as well as their current deals of the week.

“I got mushrooms 2 for 1, an ounce of coke 25% off, and if you’re lucky I might let you reopen the abortion debate,” May told a student outside of their townhouse on Leacock Lane.

Hoping to address the growing opioid crisis, the Green Party’s promise to decriminalize drugs is popular among those currently dealing with a drug addiction and those hoping to develop one. A Green Party rally held in the back corner of the P4 parking lot at 1:00 a.m. drew in a few students, most of them hoping that May would fix society, as well as help them get their fix.

A recent mass text sent by the Green Party advising on how to register for the upcoming election was followed by a more threaten-

ing message, calling for recipients to “delete this number.” The same day, Elizabeth May and her party were seen outside of Deerfield giving students metal straws as well as fresh syringes. She was later thrown out of Davis after attempting to use chemistry lab equipment to create methamphetamines, but her supply of Xanax and Adderall had already spread through the lecture of MAT302.

When The Medium asked May as to whether she was still selling, she responded, “They don’t call us the Green party for nothing, you feel me?”

When pressed on her thoughts of her political peers approach to the drug crisis across Canada, Elizabeth May announced “I don’t trust Andrew Scheer,” as she paused to cut lines. “He’s a total narc.”

Elizabeth May was recently seen at a residence Halloween party, selling 1/8 of non-legal weed to first-year students. She managed to evade police, as her presence was hardly noticeable once Trudeau, Ford, and Singh crashed the party.

Campus security is on alert for May’s presence on campus and are advising students to steer clear of the “weed leader.”

Weapon threat at the RAWC ERIN DELANEY STAFF WRITER Panic swept through the RAWC Tuesday evening as reports of a gun threat spread after the sound of a gun being fired went off.

Students, desperate to evade the threat, stampeded out of the athletic centre, resulting in 30 injuries and five broken nails. The student who caused the disturbance was apprehended by Campus Police, before being released shortly after.

“I didn’t actually see a weapon, but I saw a young white male, so I knew it was about to get ugly,” a student caught in the stampede said.

Reports of loud bangs in the RAWC, thought to be gunshots, were later revealed to be the sounds of a swole student dropping weights on the ground.

After a week-long investigation, the RAWC announced that the swole

student would be allowed back in the athletic area on the condition that he leave his guns at home.

In order to preserve campus safety, UTM does not permit weapons on campus. In this case, the university is claiming that the swole student’s guns threaten students who lack muscular definition.

“It’s ridiculous,” the student commented between bicep curls. “I have a God-given right to bear arms. Do you know how hard it is to re-attach sleeves when you’ve already cut them off all of your shirts?”

When pressed as to whether he thought he was a sustainable threat to campus safety, the buff student declared, “The only thing I shotgun is my protein shakes and an ice cold Bud-Light. I don’t reload, I carb-load.

And the only shots I shoot are with the ladies.”

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Editor | Srijan Sahu

Toronto’s Biennial of Art is culturally visual The exhibition transformed the Small Arms Inspection Building in Mississauga into a history lesson HEMA RAMNARINE CONTRIBUTOR In a city with an already impressive art scene, Toronto’s Biennial of Art till stands out.

Advertised as “a new international contemporary visual arts event as culturally connected and diverse as the city itself,” it’s the first event of its kind in Toronto. The Biennial aims to represent the diversity and history of the city and its surrounding areas through the use of free exhibitions, workshops, and tours. This goal is reflected by the curation of the art and exhibitions, over half of which come from artists who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour).

One of the two main exhibition sites is the Small Arms Inspection Building in Mississauga, which I had the opportunity to visit.

Looking like an empty warehouse on the outside, upon entering you’ll find an open space dominated by windows, high ceilings, and brick walls. The only sound comes from part of the exhibit, a short film featuring a conversation between an Indigenous man and a white man, with the help of a translator.

The building, recently reopened as an arts center, was originally a plant used to manufacture weapons for the Allied forces during World War

HAYDEN MAK/THE MEDIUM

Toronto’s Biennial of Art featured exhibitions across the GTA including inside the AGO. II. Later, it was part of the industrialization that dominated Toronto’s waterfront, until 1990 when an environmental audit revealed deep contamination from the manufacturing.

After a halting of the factories and restoration of the land, the area is now home to the arts center.

The history of the building is fitting for the theme of the exhibition, which focuses on how the price of “progress” is exacted on the earth. Much of the artwork featured are by Indigenous artists of Canada and South America and depict their relationship to the land around them. The exhibit also

examines the history of the area, including the long-lasting dispute over the Toronto Purchase, during which most of Toronto was “sold” to the British.

Quite a few pieces stand out in this exhibit, my favourite of which was Chair by Naufus Ramirez-Figueroa.

The piece consists of aluminum casts of brittle-looking chairs held together by rope. The chair represents the silleros used in colonial-era Guatemala, to carry settlers, artists, and explorers up the mountains, literally on the backs of the Indigenous population.

The piece was inspired by a revealing

self-portrait painted in 1830, showing the bleak contrast of class. The casts aim to subvert what the silleros originally stood for, by depicting them as empty and reducing them to their basic elements.

A series of paintings by Abel Rodriguez, a Nonuya Elder, also stood out. Simple but detailed, the paintings display his vast knowledge of the Igara Panará River region in Columbia, accumulated over his lifetime.

The paintings are colourful and pure.

After armed conflict in the 1990’s forced him to leave his native land, Rodriguez started painting as a way to

preserve his memories. “I had never drawn before, I barely knew how to write, but I had a whole world in my mind asking me to picture the plants.”

Rodriguez is now considered one of the most important living artists in Columbia and was given the Toronto Biennial of Art inaugural Art Prize for his contribution.

Caroline Monnet’s The Flow Between Hard Places stands alone in the middle of the exhibit. The tall, rolling sculpture represents the sound waves when saying pasapkedjinawong in Anishinaabemowin (“the river that passes between the rocks”), said by Anishnaabe Elder Rose Wawatie-Beaudoin. The piece fits with Monnet’s ongoing attempt to communicate thoughts around Indigenous and bicultural identity.

There is something striking about walking through this exhibit. These pieces are statements from people who know what it is to lose or be forced to leave their land, or who are watching their land be unrecognizably changed. The art was created in an effort of remembrance, and their display in an exhibit that is ultimately temporary is somewhat sad. Many of these pieces were commissioned for the Biennial, and I hope they find a permanent home in Toronto once these 72 days of free art are over.

UTM students participate in banner workshop The Blackwood Gallery, in collaboration with Justseeds, aims to raise awareness for climate change RACHAEL MASIH CONTRIBUTOR

The Blackwood Gallery in conjunction with Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative held a banner-making workshop outside the CCT building in preparation for the upcoming global climate strikes.

The Blackwood Gallery invited Mary Tremonte and Jesse Purcell, two artists from the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative, to work with students from September 16-20 outside the CCT main entrance to create banners, t-shirts, flags, and signs to be used for the global climate strikes on September 20 and 27.

In discussions with both Mary Tremonte (Artist at Justseeds) and Alison Cooley (Assistant Curator at the Blackwood Gallery), they emphasized the importance of art-making workshops in making every student feel as though they have the power to contribute to a social movement regardless of where they fall on the spectrum of artistic ability.

“A lot of people don’t identify as an artist. They don’t think they can do something creative, but anyone can join in and participate,” said Tremonte.

DANICA TENG/THE MEDIUM

An intersection of art and eco-anxiety was expressed during this collaborative banner-making.

The workshop had all the materials students needed to create their own art, including markers to colour in pre-sketched designs and create original signs. Students were also provided with paint for painting banners, and large pieces of felt to cut and add different shapes to their work.

The star of the show, however, was the accessible screen-printing station.

“Essentially, screen printing is a fancy stenciling technique. Jesse Purcell prepared silk screens, and all that’s required from students is pulling ink through the screens, and they end up with beautiful designs from a bank of images that Justseeds has

been stewarding,” said Cooley.

Any student, of any skill level could work with an artist to create something that they could be proud of and excited about.

“We’re encouraging all students to participate in the fight for our future because this is it,” said Anila Wahid, a fourth-year VCC student and New Media Assistant at The Blackwood Gallery.

“When it comes to climate change, we often understand it as a scientific issue, one that needs to be dealt with by policy makers, but this is the future of our world, and everyone should care about it,” said Cooley.

The Blackwood Gallery aims to “show students that it’s possible to participate in movements. Students are learning a ton in class, but there’s a disconnect between what we’re learning and how we can live it,” added Cooley.

By opening up an artistic workshop The Blackwood Gallery opens the doors for students to drop by, ask questions about climate change, and learn how they can play an active role in social movements, whether it be by doing research, being active on social media, physically showing up to global climate strikes, or by creating art with other students.

“The act of making art together is part of movement building, it is part of forming relationships and creating the collective identity of having made this art together,” said Tremonte.

According to Cooley and Tremonte, art has a huge role to play in the advancement of social movements.

Not just because it fosters a sense of community among activists, but because it spreads awareness of the core issues.

Large signs from an advertising/ marketing standpoint help people understand what the core beliefs and action points of a group are.

Tremonte added that art helps us to “visualize not just what we’re against, but what we’re for. Being visionary thinkers about the world we want to see.”

The Blackwood Gallery in collaboration with Tremonte and Purcell successfully created a space at the UTM campus where all students could come together to create art with a shared purpose—to draw attention to the growing issue of climate change, rally support for the global climate strikes, and to envision the future we see for ourselves and the generations after us.

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Avan Jogia’s book tour hits Toronto The actor’s first book features poems and short stories about his biracial identity within society SHALOMI RANASINGHE ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR Avan Jogia is an artist who has ventured his way into writing. His first published book Mixed Feelings, features poems and short stories regarding those with a mixed identity. The book features abstract illustrations, a unique typography, and vivid colours to bring attention to the significance of being a mixed individual within society. The book represents different identities within society by using imagery, poetry, and short prose.

Jogia used his book as a platform to voice the perspectives of those who are mixed. He does not focus solely on himself, but rather in a communal matter to demonstrate the importance and universality of this discussion. Before the writing process began, Jogia reached out to fans, asking them to message him their experiences of growing up with more than one cultural identity. He was open to embracing all perspectives on this topic, as he grew up with an Indian-British father and English-Irish mother.

Mixed Feelings explores racial profiling, police brutality, religion, and other meaningful topics that should be openly learnt and understood.

The book was officially published on September 17, and Jogia announced a Mixed Feelings tour will be

PHOTO/ANDREWSMCMEEL.COM

Avan Jogia, known for his acting, has entered the world of writing and is now on a book tour. reaching ten cities. During his tour, Jogia made only one Canadian stop at Indigo Bay and Bloor in Toronto on September 28.

Hours before the Toronto show, Jogia announced on his Instagram story that this show is special and will have “some real family in the audience.” At the event ten seats were on reserve, for what seemed to be, relatives of the author.

Every seat in the room was filled with an excited reader, eagerly awaiting Jogia’s entrance. He was greeted with an applauding audience as he stepped onto the stage, accompanied with an instrumental audio curated by his brother. He opened the show with spoken word from his book—all with an instrumental audio. Throughout the event, Jogia shared excerpts from Mixed Feelings, while providing

background information on the stories and the people they focus on. He also sang songs and personally interacted with the audience.

As Jogia read from his book, the melody of the music and his stage presence established a judgement free aura into the air. His soft voice and concerns about the topics he read, demonstrated his genuine nature.

As the reading portion of the event

came to an end, Jogia shared a spoken word regarding his book process.

One line in particular roused laughter from the audience. He stated, “to the people who supported me that wasn’t victorious...,” the term victorious is a pun to the television show, of the same name, he starred in. The subtle bad-mouth Jogia spurred was whimsical and witty.

Following the reading, Jogia had a book signing. This was a moment of personal connection with each reader. Fans lined up in groups, with sticky notes spelling out their names, eagerly awaiting their moment with Jogia. The Indigo workers were courteous and held the belongings of each fan as they spoke with the author, while taking photographs of their interaction, as he signed their copy of Mixed Feelings. During the signing, Jogia took it upon himself to have a short conversation with each person.

He was friendly, approachable and had an interest in their remarks and stories about his book—as well as personal commentary. Jogia took his time with each fan and appreciated their support.

If you are looking for an openminded read, pick up a copy of Avan Jogia’s Mixed Feelings. The poetry and stories will immerse you into the perspectives of others, living in this same world, with different journeys.

The line between comedy and outrage Most comedians aren’t afraid of controversy, but where’s the line between offensive and inoffensive?

VINNEY WONG A&E EDITOR For decades, comedy has been a vehicle for bonding communities through laughter. But when that laughter comes at others’ expense, it becomes a problem.

Take Shane Gillis for example. The stand-up comedian who has previously performed at Just For Laughs was hired by Saturday Night Live earlier this month along with Bowan Yang—the show’s first Asian-American series regular. Fans of the show were excited to see what the new cast members would bring to the show.

The celebrations were short lived when freelance writer, Seth Simmons, dug up year-old podcast videos of Gillis using slurs against Asians and the LGBTQ+ community on Twitter. In a video for one of his podcasts, Gillis can be seen adopting an accent while mocking Chinese people who are learning to speak English.

After the tweets went viral, Gillis was met with fierce backlash online.

Twitter users condemned his racist language and called for him to be cancelled while comedians like Rob Schneider called Gillis’ words as a “comedic misfire.”

As people waited for NBC’s statement on the tweets, Gillis himself tweeted out a defense, claiming he is simply a comedian who pushes

ANANYA ANANTH/THE MEDIUM

Comedians are under fire for their “mistakes,” also known as racism and homophobia. boundaries. In performing his art, he explained, sometimes he misses the mark. “I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said,” Gillis said.

Gillis’ apology did not go over well as SNL fired him a week later, stating that the language he “used is offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable.”

This controversy has reignited debates about what constitutes as offensive and inoffensive in comedy, a genre where artists and audiences agree that performers have a certain amount of liberty to transgress boundaries of expression. What happens when a comedian goes too far?

Who gets to decide the punishment, if any, the comedian should face? These questions are made more difficult in a digital age where everyone has an opinion.

Many comedians have bemoaned the rise of ‘cancel culture,’ where younger generations boycott celebrities who have shared questionable or offensive opinions. They say that ‘cancel culture’ is ruining comedy because it impedes their freedom of speech.

The problem with that argument is that freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Gillis openly mocked the race and culture of his future colleague. SNL was justi-

fied in firing him.

Gillis’ backlash was also rooted in pushing for a culture of respect; not cancellation. Asians are often seen as easy targets in the media, whether it be jokes about their intellectuality or the way they dress. Gillis used this rhetoric to his advantage and didn’t think about the consequences of his actions.

It must be noted that comedians are often burnt by their old material.

Trevor Noah was accused of being anti-Semitic, racist, and sexist when users on Twitter combed through tweets he made before joining The Daily Show in 2015. More recently,

Kevin Hart was accused of making homophobic tweets and was subsequently fired from hosting the Oscars.

Both of them have since apologized and vowed to learn from their mistakes and grow into better comedians.

There lies the difference between them and Gillis. Gillis’ apology seemed disingenuous and ignored the reason why people were upset with his words. The use of “actually” in his apology is condescending and minimizes the offense of Asians and their feelings about being reduced to a stereotype and mocked with language that has been understood as racist for decades.

Had Gillis sincerely apologized for his racism and acknowledged that his words were harmful, he might have salvaged his spot at SNL and a chance at forgiveness and redemption from audiences and tweeters alike.

It would be easy for Gillis supporters to blame ‘cancel culture’ for his firing, but what he said was inexcusable.

His actions shouldn’t be conflated with ‘cancel culture’ because it undermines the severity of racism in society. Gillis was sharing his thoughts rather than telling a bad and tasteless joke.

It’s 2019. Calling out racist language from racists shouldn’t be that hard.

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Euphoria is not your typical teen drama The HBO series has generated a massive following for showcasing authentic characters and plotlines ANDY TRAN CONTRIBUTOR With headliners such as Zendaya as the protagonist and Drake as the producer, HBO’s new television series Euphoria has generated a huge fan following. It is clear that creator and writer Sam Levinson puts a lot of energy into making this show a one-of-a-kind.

Deemed a “realistic representation of generation Z,” Euphoria aims to tackle authentic issues today that lack a form of dialogue. The show does not simply present a one-dimensional idea of adolescence but delves into the intricacies of diverse lives, making it different from other teen dramas.

From depicting drug addiction, the road to body positivity, and even transgenderism, Levinson sought to cast actors and actresses that essentially shared the same lives as his fictional characters. Levinson wrote parts of himself into each character.

However, to keep with the authenticity of the series, he worked with his cast to help build realistic characters that are reflected in the script.

For instance, Levinson worked closely with transgender actress,

model, and LGBT+ activist, Hunter Schafer in merging Schafer’s lived experiences as a trans person into her character Jules. In fact, Schafer’s acting debut was made on Euphoria.

Her contribution to the script allowed her to portray Jules as a young trans girl who has mostly found comfort in her gender identity.

Despite being resolved at such a young age, the audience is able to see Jules’ struggle with navigating in a cis-het world as a trans person.

Straying away from the typical trans narrative of ‘finding one’s self,’ Jules has already found herself for the most part, but struggles with how to be who she is in a world that has yet to understand her.

On the topic of characters, Levinson casted Zendaya to play the leading protagonist, Rue, who also happens to narrate each episode. Despite her narration, it is refreshing to see the inner lives and development of other characters. Jacob Elordi, famously known for his role in The Kissing Booth, plays the shows main antagonist, Nate, who is the spitting image of machismo.

While Nate struggles with his sexuality and an overbearing father, he also deals with a lot of mental health

PHOTO/IMDB.COM

Euphoria has blown up on social media for its strong themes and how it depicts teenagers. issues. Elordi puts complete dedication into his character that he reportedly gave himself a concussion while acting out a scene depicting Nate having a mental breakdown after a fight with his father.

As I mentally compare Euphoria to other teen dramas, I cannot help but feel that Euphoria is the show that this generation needed. Euphoria is one of the first, if not the only, teen drama show that does not immediately correlate today’s genera-

tion with heavy social media use or the typical teen angst. Rather, Euphoria depicts a myriad of characters that all lead completely different lives. Therefore, this is what makes the show and its characters relatable to young adults because there is always something to relate to whether it is a specific character or a recurring theme from the show.

However, my favourite part of the show has to be that each character is on a nonlinear journey of becoming

a better version of themselves. These characters might resonate with viewers from the beginning but could become the complete opposite of who they were by the fifth episode. This concept is so reassuring for me as a young adult as it demonstrates that the journey, whatever it may be, will always be nonlinear and that one step backwards does not indicate an end-all-be-all.

Review: Ad Astra Time to Rocky Horror Show MAYA SUPER CONTRIBUTOR Ad Astra is Brad Pitt’s second major performance of 2019 after starring in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood earlier this spring. Set in space, Pitt displays his acting chops in this science fiction drama as Roy McBride—the son of a famed astronaut. Other reviewers have compared this movie to Apocalypse Now, which features intricate themes that are more human than the sub-human setting. The story of an astronaut with mental health issues in a technological consumerist world, heading to find his father at the behest of the government is a surprisingly realistic commentary on society today. Pitt’s character suffers from the trauma of losing his wife and isolating everyone after he went into space.

However, the movie does not follow typical science fiction conventions as the focus is not on the corrupt government. Rather, it follows Pitt’s journey to find his father in space, who is looking to extend his life in the universe. Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland accompany Pitt on his journey into space, forming a family dynamic that is heartwarming and relatable for the audience. This movie is less about space and more about family.

The soundtrack is also absolutely brilliant, with nail-biting music that immerses one in the film. The soundscapes perfectly capture the essence and journey of Pitt’s character. While not all questions are answered in the film, issues about where human advancement is headed and the need to work do arise. Both Pitt’s character and his father suffer from a form of

anxiety, which consumes their life.

The pacing suffered in a few scenes, but the settings, music, and Pitt’s excellent performance make up for it. James Grey, the director, coveys the nihilism of today’s hardworking society, against space. However, unlike the trailers have promoted it, this movie is not about an alien space race. It does formulate the question of Trump’s space force, technology, and where one decides to let go in their journey of conquering. Do we want an outer solar system? To be prepared against an unseen force? Ad Astra has many messages and underlying themes for audiences to decode.

It is a brilliant two and a half hours.

However, if you do not like emotional dramas, this is not the movie for you.

Overall, Ad Astra is beautifully done, with themes about love and letting go. Raising questions such as are we alone in this world, a subtle nod to Trump’s space force and more importantly, focusing on Pitt’s journey to find his dad. Pitt shows his unique ability to transform into different characters with ease. This movie is worth seeing for Pitt’s performance alone. The arthouse style and incredible CGI make it an extremely memorable film. My only criticism would be the slow pacing of scenes and for that I took one star off the review.

This should not discourage anybody from seeing it. This movie is excellent and Pitt’s character is not the standard hero. Ad Astra breaks barriers and brings forth an interesting interpretation of modern society.

Overall, I give this movie a 4/5.

Ad Astra is currently showing at all Cineplex locations.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW/HART HOUSE

The cult classic has come to the Hart House stage for their 2019/2020 season.

LAUREN WEST CONTRIBUTOR The Rocky Horror Show is a classic that had chilled, thrilled, and fulfilled audiences since the 70s. I have seen Rocky Horror numerous times but considering that the show provides endless possibilities in interpretation, each one has been completely different. Despite the show being around for over four decades, it has proven that you don’t need to re-invent a show every few years to keep people interested and wanting more.

Last Friday, Hart House theatre had its opening night of The Rocky Horror Show and it was incredible.

The cast was lively with energy higher than their heels and what seemed like a close bond tighter than their corsets.

What I think is so appealing about this production is the amount of audience involvement. The audience was an essential part of the show as they are encouraged to shout and heckle the actors with the classic call backs most fans know. The actors responded brilliantly with quick witted improv and excellent comedic timing that is consistent throughout the show. The idea of audience participation demolishes the distancing device and shatters down the fourth

wall that is often set in place between the actors and the audience and you begin to feel a part of the cast. As the actors directly communicate with the audience by sometimes a few words or a glare, you suddenly become immersed in the action. However, there were times when the audience got a bit out of hand and some interesting things were shouted, but the actors played it off well and they found out how to shush the audience in the way their character would.

I applaud the director, Jennifer Walls, with her fresh take on the show and her casting choices. Chris Tsujiuchi’s mindblowing vocals in his portrayal of the transexual Transalvanian Frank N Furter gave me goose bumps along with Ian Backstorm as the angsty and seemingly loyal handyman to Frank N Furter, Riff Raff. Despite Magenta and Columbia being a hit, one of the highlights for me in the show was the Narrator. In the movie and usually in stage productions, the Narrator is portrayed as an older slightly reserved man but that was not the case in this production, actually it was far from it. Heidi Michelle Thomas had me in stitches from her first line to her last, except it wasn’t entirely her words but her ever changing outfits, her fantastic beehive type wig, and her body presence on

stage. With each appearance back on stage, not only did her outfits switch and become comically smaller and smaller but she had a new drink dangling from her fingers each time as she became more and more drunk. A lot of the call backs from the audience were directed at her and she reacted to them hilariously. I also have a lot of respect for all the actors for dancing so intricate and well in their scantily clad outfits and the massive high heels they all had on, especially Rachel Hart as Usherette/Magenta who had a shoe break in the middle of a number but you could barely tell as it didn’t stop her from serenading us all with the opening song.

If you are looking for a show covered in sequins and fishnets that has unique characters that can make your stomach ache from laughing, then jump to the left, take a step to the riiii-i-ght and start doing the Time Warp at the Hart House’s production of The Rocky Horror Show. Just remember “you’re very lucky to be invited up to Frank’s laboratory. Some people would give their right arm for the privilege.” It’s a show that everyone should see at least once because it simply hard to describe, you have to see it yourself to understand it.

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Editor | Fatima Adil

An evening with Beverley McLachlin Former Supreme Court chief justice introduced her new memoir and talked about her illustrious career CHAKRIKA BURRA CONTRIBUTOR

Last Tuesday, staff and students welcomed Canadian jurist and author Beverley McLachlin to the University of Toronto Mississauga. The UTM Department of Philosophy had invited McLachlin, to celebrate her new memoir, Truth Be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law. Audience members were excited to hear McLachlin’s accounts of her career and private life along with her thoughts on Canadian democracy and the rule of law.

As described in her introduction given by the philosophy department, McLachlin was the first female Chief Justice of Canada, the highest-ranking judge in the Canadian court system. McLachlin was also the longest serving Chief Justice in Canadian history, having served in the position from January 2000 to December 2017. Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada, McLachlin practiced law and was an associate professor and professor with tenure at the University of British Columbia.

Following a warm welcome to the front, McLachlin recalled her court days and how she spent several late nights trying to make a decision or stand up to scrutiny. She highlighted

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Former Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin wowed her audience of students, academics, and fans. the essence of philosophy, saying that “we sense things, we experience things, and we feel things. Philosophy goes beyond sensing, experiencing and feeling as [it explores the] why [behind] what’s going on.” McLachlin emphasized the questioning nature of philosophy and related, among other anecdotes, how she as a child used to explore linguistic philosophy by wondering why the shapes on a paper form words.

McLachlin mentioned that growing up in a remote town in Alberta, the Bible was her first philosophy book even though she was unaware of it at the time. At her house, the Bible

was highly important and she used to read about people’s behavior and how God rewarded or punished those who misbehaved.

At a very early age, McLachlin found herself confronting the biggest question of all: “What is the nature of truth?” She related to the audience how her family would sit at the table after dinner, discuss the daily news, and frequently debate. McLachlin describes the debates not as arguments, but rather “a way of deepening our understanding and getting close to that slippery thing that has fascinated me since childhood: the truth.”

McLachlin furthermore recalled

how she struggled to put her thoughts on the paper without receiving comments such as “too many big words” and “what are you trying to say anyway?” She stated that philosophy saved her as it made her feel at home and enabled her to feel comfortable asking questions. She even mentioned how her parents disapproved of her choice of philosophy as a major and encouraged her to consider math or science. However, McLachlin was confident that she was in love with philosophy.

The former Chief Justice decided to give law a try following the completion of her Bachelor’s degree. For

her, the similarities between law and philosophy led to the discovery of the philosophy of law. McLachlin highlighted how interpreting the Canadian Charter for over four decades allowed her to be involved in the best philosophy she could have ever possibly imagined. As the Chief Justice, she faced some of the most profound questions in Canadian society.

“I continue to write and speak on social and moral issues,’’ she says.

Even in retirement, philosophy remains a large part of her life. McLachlin ended her speech by commenting on her new memoir: “Permit me to leave you with this wish [that] wherever your path may take you, my philosophy will be at your side and I, for one, believe it will lead you down wonderful paths.”

Following her speech, the audience received a chance to ask her questions. When asked about the role the Bible played in her journey, McLachlin said that the Bible taught her about morality and moral debates. She also responded to a question regarding freedom of speech by saying that expression should only be limited if it is harmful or it puts others at risk. Audience members also were able to get their memoirs signed by McLachlin herself and many members left inspired by the former Chief Justice and her illustrious career.

PM Trudeau in hot water over blackface Released images of Trudeau wearing blackface makeup at school event stuns many Canadians BISMAH RIZVI ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR On September 18, 2019, TIME magazine released an image of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau wearing blackface makeup at a school event. Two more images of Trudeau wearing blackface were released soon after shocking many Canadians.

Blackface involves darkening one’s skin to resemble dark-skinned people. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, blackface began in the

nineteenth century as a component of theatre, where white actors would darken their skin and comedically portray African-Americans as “lazy, ignorant, superstitious, hypersexual, and prone to thievery and cowardice”.

The blackface practice inspired the creation of Jim Crow, a racist theatre character, in 1830 and eventually the Jim Crow era of deeply racist laws.

According to the Ferris State University, Jim Crow’s character mocked African-American behaviour with exaggerated actions and his face and hands were blackened by burnt cork.

The term “Jim Crow” was also a designation for the United States’ segregation laws which both oppressed African-Americans and established white supremacy. Blackface can be credited for contributing to many of the stereotypes and systemic racism towards black people that exist to this day.

Trudeau’s term in office and his 2019 election campaign have largely attempted to counter racism and portray both Trudeau and Canada as allies of minority Canadians. Therefore, Trudeau wearing blackface makeup

PHOTO/THE SUN

Justin Trudeau’s blackface photos occurred during a time when no one else was doing blackface.

shocked Canadians even more so because of the anti-racism image Trudeau had projected throughout the previous four years he was in office.

“There are pictures and videos from at least three separate times.

And given the fact that [Trudeau’s] unwilling to say how many times, this suggests there’s probably more,” says Dr. Randy Besco, a political science professor at UTM. “It’s very strange.

People do wear blackface. It’s not totally unheard of, but it’s also not common. It’s just very strange that he did it a bunch of times when nobody else was doing it.”

With the Canadian federal election fast approaching, Trudeau’s blackface scandal has garnered a lot of attention. Besco remarks that it is “notable that [Trudeau] didn’t tell anybody” during the vetting process in past elections and that the images were not found earlier since some were in school yearbooks and others on the Internet already.

In terms of the possible effects on the election results, Besco says that “the polls have changed some but not

a lot which may be surprising given it’s a big scandal.”

Besco, whose current research examines the role of race in elections, explains why the polls have not changed drastically.

One reason may be that “there [are] a lot of white people who don’t really care because it’s not about them, or because they think it’s fine.”

The second reason involves Liberals who “are precisely the people who would normally get the most upset about this kind of [scandal].” However, since they are Liberals, “they do not want to believe bad things about their leader.”

Besco also adds that “historically, [minorities] are more likely to be Liberals anyways.” Compared to rightwing political parties such as the Conservative Party of Canada, “those are the people that are generally less likely to be upset.”

Although the polls may not have shifted immediately following the release of Trudeau’s blackface images, voters still have a month to reflect on how or whether this scandal changes their perception of Trudeau.

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THE MEDIUM 09.30.2019

Sarah Girgis: Class of 2019 valedictorian UTM’s 2019 valedictorian reflects on her undergraduate journey and discusses future plans ELIZABETH PROVOST CONTRIBUTOR When Sarah Girgis entered her first year at the University of Toronto Mississauga, her only goal was to make the most of her time. Last year, she was recognized as the UTM Class of 2019 valedictorian. In an interview with The Medium, she reflects on her undergraduate journey.

Girgis completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at UTM. However, her impact on the UTM community stretched further than her academic achievements. Looking at her resumé, the extent of her involvement in the university is apparent. What makes Girgis the perfect valedictorian is that her various roles in the community and diverse experiences speak to the cumulative efforts of her graduating class. Girgis’ strong sense of collaboration and her selfless manner allowed her to have a tremendous impact on the people around her.

As a recipient of UTM’s prestigious Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award, Girgis was to be considered as a valedictorian candidate. The Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award recognizes individuals that are well-rounded and passionate about the UTM community. “I couldn’t even believe I got an interview, let alone the honor to be valedictorian,” says Girgis.

Girgis’s journey to valedictorian was not a smooth one. She started her first year with the realization that she hadn’t been admitted into the university of her choice; however, she didn’t

let that deter her from her goals. Girgis immediately immersed herself in student life outside of her scheduled classes. In doing so, she lost touch with her GPA, and following her first year as an undergraduate, Girgis began to wonder if the program was for her.

She ultimately realized that she needed to find the right balance between her extracurriculars, which she loved, and her commitment to academic excellence. She allowed extracurriculars to keep her driven but focused on creating stability that allowed for academic success. Girgis persevered and entered her second year in the commerce program, specializing in accounting and majoring in economics.

Girgis found mentors and leaders that guided her through the rough patches and helped her get back on track. These individuals inspired her to give back to other students in the community. Girgis also created a bucket list in her last two years of her undergraduate degree. She was able to complete everything she had placed on her list: from participating in Zumba classes to becoming president of the Accounting Club and working as a teaching assistant for the Department of Management.

Aside from her extracurriculars, Girgis chose courses that were fun and tailored to her interests to motivate her. In her second year, she was part of a for-credit research program that allowed her to travel to the Bahamas. When she was struggling to understand her place at UTM, she

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UTM’s 2019 valedictorian Sarah Girgis tells her story of success and what she plans for the future. befriended students in different disciplines and learned that they too, were facing the same struggles.

When asked about what she considers her biggest accomplishment, Girgis selflessly responds, “I love seeing other people killing it.” Girgis feels a real sense of accomplishment seeing others, including her sister who is currently in her third year at UTM, grow in front of her eyes. As Girgis progressed from mentee to mentor, her mentees drew inspiration to do the same.

Girgis continues to give back to the UTM community. As valedictorian, she maintains a regular connection with the alumni. However, when asked about what she will do next,

Girgis says that some parts of her need to move on. Her roots will always remain at UTM but she is ready to venture forward and dive into the unknown.

Girgis’ ambition is to become a Chartered Professional Accountant.

Over the summer, she completed a twelve-week intensive course at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Commerce and received a graduate diploma in accounting. The course propelled her into a highly competitive and challenging environment in business. This week, she starts a paid, full-time position at KPMG Canada as a Staff Accountant in the audit service line. This opportunity will allow her to explore differ-

ent roles within the company such as in audit, tax, consulting, and talent acquisition.

There are a few pieces of advice that Sarah would give to any UTM student trying to excel in their field of study and make the most of their experience. The first is to not “be scared of failure [as] it is actually a validation of exactly what you should be working towards and just a stepping stone that will lead to something better.” Second, she highlights that one should find his or her place, and always “stay hungry [as] you can’t be too comfortable.” Lastly, Girgis advises students to “be flexible, weigh all options, do research, [and] talk to people.”

UTM home to thousands of honeybees Approximately 1,000 pounds of honey was harvested from the five beehives at UTM this year FATIMA ADIL FEATURES EDITOR One of UTM’s most unique aspects is its apiary program. This summer, there were about 250,000 bees living on the roof of the Instructional Centre building. Andrea De Vito, Assistant Director of Retail Services & Administration, describes the beehives and the purpose of the program to The Medium for this issue.

As De Vito states, “the apiary program started at UTM in mid-2017” with three beehives located on the green roof of the Instructional Centre building and 15,000 bees. The number increased to five beehives this year, with each hive housing around 50,000 bees in the summer.

The bee population decreases in the fall and winter seasons and there are around 5,000 bees per hive “in early spring, coming out of winter.”

For those scared of bees, the bees living on campus are Buckfast bees.

As the Hospitality & Retail Services website details, Buckfast bees “are an English-bred strain that is resistant to parasites and mites, and are known for being very calm and nonaggressive.” The five beehives themselves were painted by artist Vitalia Smirnova and are named “KoBee, Sting, Queen Latifah, Bee-Yonce, and Chubee.”

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If you didn’t know what the buzz is about, UTM’s beehives produce honey available for purchase.

Don Forster, a registered beekeeper, “maintains and harvests the honey for UTM. Don is responsible for preparing bees and equipment for pollination activities, cleaning and constructing hives, raising and replacing queen bees, dividing colonies when necessary, and replacing combs. He also inspects the hives to see if they are healthy and absent from any diseases.” Since bees “may require pollen packs (bee food)” just

after the winter season, Forester is responsible for feeding the bees as well.

The Hospitality & Retail Services’ Sustainability and Social Responsibility Initiative inspired the creation of the apiary program at UTM. “Bee populations have declined due to pesticide use, loss of habitat, and Bee Colony Collapse Disorder,” explains De Vito. According to the National Pesticide Information Centre, Colony Collapse Disorder is when the

majority of adult honeybees all abandon the hives at the same time. Only the queen bee and the immature bees remain in the hive with “plenty of food stores.”

Fortunately, De Vito says that the “abundance of nature on [the UTM] campus allows for an ideal location for bees to thrive.” The UTM apiary helps “combat CCD and helps the local environment by introducing the bees to pollinate gardens in the area.”

The program also “helps decrease waste” as UTM no longer has to purchase pre-packaged honey.

This year, “approximately 460 kilograms (~1,000 pounds) of honey was harvested.” Some of the honey is sold to “Chartwells to be used in recipes for food products made available for sale at UTM. Hospitality & Retail Services does not make any profit from the sale of honey; proceeds from the sale of honey are used to maintain the apiary program.”

If students are interested in purchasing honey harvested at UTM, they can purchase it from the Hospitality & Retail Services Office (DV3127) while supplies last. A 250 grams container of honey costs $7; 500 grams costs $13; and one kilogram of honey $18. As stated on the Hospitality & Retail Services website, the honey “is truly a limited edition each time” as the flavor differs each season “based on which plants and flowers are in bloom.”

The beehives can be viewed from the windows on the third floor of the Instructional Centre building. Beekeeper Forester will also “be onsite at the Instructional Centre on October 10 at 4 p.m. (weather permitting) to check on the bees” which will be a great “opportunity to see bee-keeping at work” for those who are interested.

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Editor | Sarah-May Edwardo Oldfield

West Nile Virus not just west of the Nile A batch of mosquitos recently collected in Mississauga have tested positive for carrying the West Nile Virus ABDULLAH SHER CONTRIBUTOR On the tail end of summer, Peel Public Health reported that a batch of mosquitos collected on Dundas Street West and Old Carriage Road area in Mississauga tested positive for carrying the West Nile virus. This was the second WNV-positive batch found in 2019, with the first case found in Brampton during the week of July 22.

What is the West Nile virus?

The West Nile virus is a singlestranded RNA virus that is a part of a larger virus family that includes the Zika virus, and the yellow-fever virus. RNA viruses are tricky to deal with due to their RNA composition, as opposed to a DNA composition, which allows them to mutate easily.

No approved vaccine currently exists to combat WNV. What does the West Nile virus do?

In mild cases, the WNV induces fever, headaches, body aches, vomiting, and rashes. These symptoms are usually apparent around two to fifteen days after infection. In severe cases, the WNV can induce encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), meningitis (inflammation of the brain’s

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West Nile has spread to the mosquitoes of ‘Sauga but here is what to do and why not to panic. meninges), and complications with the central nervous system. WNV is also associated with neck stiffness, confusion, and seizures. Ten per cent of the cases dealing with the central nervous system are fatal. So the West Nile virus has no vaccine, is spread

by mosquitoes, can be fatal, and has been spotted in Mississauga.

Why isn’t this causing mass panic?

This is because WNV seems to be nowhere near the level of fatal other viruses such as the Swine Flu or the Ebola virus are. The West Nile virus is often kept in circulation between

birds and mosquitoes, unless mosquitoes transmit it to humans. While there are cases where symptoms can be fatal, according to Health Canada 70 to 80 per cent of infected individuals do not display symptoms. On top of this, about one per cent of infected individuals develop severe symptoms.

So, what should I do to limit the chance of getting infected?

The mosquito problem in Canada is nowhere near as problematic as in other countries like Pakistan or India.

In Canada, extra precautions should be made to guard against mosquitoes, just in case.

Mosquitoes gather near many isolated areas like camp grounds and standing water, which serve as optimal conditions for mosquito larvae to grow.

Bug spray can help defend against mosquitoes, and you can also reduce visits to optimal mosquito locations around the house and around urban areas. Getting rid of standing water helps prevent mosquitoes from congregating there and giving birth to more mosquitoes.

It helps that the frigid cold Canadian winter is coming (and sooner rather than later this year it seems), so hopefully we won’t have to deal with this problem for long. The West Nile virus currently doesn’t seem to have infected anyone in Mississauga according to Peel Public Health.

By taking the necessary precautions, we can make sure it stays that way as we move towards 2020.

Why elite athletes have poor oral hygiene Elite athletes tend to have poor oral hygiene despite brushing twice a day and flossing on a regular basis NOOR BHATIA ASSOCIATE S & H EDITOR A new study done by the UCL Eastman Dental Institute has revealed that many elite athletes have poor oral health, despite the fact that they brush their teeth twice daily and floss regularly. The report stated that that 94 per cent of the athletes have brushed their teeth two times a day and 44 per cent of them have been found to regularly floss. Now, as surprising as it may sound, these numbers are substantially higher when compared to the general population. 75 per cent of the general population brush their teeth twice daily and only 21 per cent floss.

The research team from the UCL Eastman Dental Institute conducted a dental check-up on 352 Olympic and professional athletes across 11 various sports. They found that about 49 per cent of the athletes had untreated tooth decay, and most of them also showed early signs of gum inflammation. About 32 per cent of the athletes claimed that their poor oral health hampered their training

and performance. Not surprisingly, most of the athletes claimed that they have been following all the necessary methods and steps required for good oral health and hygiene, and this correlated with what the researchers found and observed while conducting the dental check-ups.

The approaches that these athletes followed to maintain their oral health was not the cause of their poor oral hygiene, and neither were some other factors that cause poor oral health such as dry mouth and decreased salivary flow while exercising. The real culprit was found to be the snacks and beverages that athletes consume regularly while they train, before performing, or during a game. These included sports drinks, energy gels, and sports bars, which contain a considerable amount of sugar that can be concerning to both oral and general health if frequently consumed over long periods of time.

These types of athletic performance products led to the tooth decay half of the athletes in the study were experiencing. The acidity that these products cause leads to an increase in the risk of erosion. It was

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Keeping your teeth clean and healthy may not be enough when it comes to sports drinks. this tooth decay and acid erosion that the researchers found in their dental check-ups.

Dr. Gallagher, one of the researchers on the study, said that “athletes were willing to consider behaviour

changes such as additional fluoride use from mouthwash, more frequent dental visits, and reducing their intake of sports drinks, to improve oral health.” The study successfully revealed a problem faced by differ-

ent athletes, and how they can potentially solve the problem by reducing their consumption of sports drinks, energy bars and other such sugary products.

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THE MEDIUM 09.30.2019

Apple just made health tracking a lot better Apple’s health and fitness app updates revolutionizes what health data we can track and how track it SARAH-MAY OLDFIELD SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR Earlier this month, Apple unveiled their brand-new line up of devices and software. Alongside the coveted iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Max, Apple announced the release of iOS 13 and watchOS 6 software. Both software releases include updated health and fitness tracking that might revolutionize what kind of health data we track and how we track it.

Previous versions of Apple’s health and fitness apps boasted their software as a centralized hub for data collected from all connected third-party apps and devices, like sleep trackers, food logs, mental health logs, and much more. The previous version of Apple’s health and fitness app tracked four main categories of health and wellness: activity, mindfulness, sleep, and nutrition. And within those categories you could track weight loss, body composition, menstruation, and stress.

Apple’s new software improves on many of its previous capabilities while including insights into a few new aspects of health and wellness relevant to today’s society. The new health apps open to a new home screen, now with a more comprehensive summary screen of your health and wellness data. The app’s opening page now features a snapshot of your health data, called “highlights”, as well as a category called favourites, which is a list of your favourite metrics.

The new health app shifts away from a focus on numbers by providing insight into what those numbers

Score Check!

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If you’re into fitness and data tracking, it may be time for you to shell out on an Apple watch. actually mean. For example, if you record how many steps you take a day (if a daily step count is a fitness goal of yours), the app calculates how many you took for the week, compares it to your numbers from the previous week, and lets you know if you’re on track to meet your step goal for the current week, or even the current day.

Alongside insight into the numbers, Apple’s new apps now include “Trends,” a new section of the app that gives you an idea of your progress over time. These include things such as how often you move, exercise, stand, how far you move, walking pace, standing minutes, cardiovascular fitness, and running pace.

With this new way of seeing your health data, Apple gives you a visual image of your performance, making it easier for you to see your overall progress, specifically if you are improving or lagging. And for those who are motivated by milestones and awards, Apple has included more inapp awards.

If you also have an Apple watch, you can now achieve awards based on the number of move goals met. You can get an award for reaching a move goal of 1500, 1750, and 2000.

In addition to more insightful tracking, by making sense of the numbers, Apple’s new health and fitness app has added three new categories of health tracking: oral health,

hearing health, and female cycle tracking. Apple’s new health app allows for the collection and tracking of oral health by allowing you to track the amount of time you spend brushing your teeth.

With the new iOS update you can now track your hearing health, which is relevant for our current generation who always seems to ‘plugged in.’

This new category comes with two new data metrics: your headphone volume level and environmental volume level. The data is broken down by day, week, month and year, and it gives you guidelines as to how much is too loud.

Apple claims, both in their app and on their website, that you should lis-

Varsity Eagles Game Results

Tri-Campus Game Results

Sept. 28

Sept. 22

Women’s Soccer vs Conestoga @UTM 0-3

Men’s Soccer vs Conestoga @UTM 5-3

Women’s Soccer vs St. George Black @UTM 1-9

ten to music at a maximum volume of 80 decibels for a maximum of 40 hours per week. They state that music listened to at a volume of 90 decibels is only safe on your ears for a maximum of four hours a week. But if you want the most accurate measurements, it’s best to use Apple or Beats headphones.

Apple now also allows you to measure and track your environmental noise. If you have an Apple watch, Apple can help you understand how the environmental noise from concerts and sporting events can negatively impact your hearing. As the noise in your environment changes you can see the app’s decibel meter change in real-time as well and it sends you a notification when the noise reaches 90 decibels. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), noise levels above 85 decibels can damage your hearing over time.

Finally, Apple’s new health app now allows for in-app female cycle tracking. In the past, while the app allowed you to track your menstrual cycle data, data was collected through connected third-party apps. Now, Apple allows women to input their period data and characteristics including flow level and symptoms, and with that data the app can predict the days you might get your period.

Apple’s health and fitness iOS 13 and watchOS 6 app updates offer a more comprehensive way of visualizing and interpreting your data, as well as new health metrics that are relevant to today’s generation of technology users.

Men’s Soccer vs St. George Black @UTM 2-3

What’s going on at the RAWC? Varsity Eagle Games & Tournaments Oct. 1 Women’s Soccer vs Niagara Knights @Niagara 6 p.m. | Young’s Sportsplex Men’s Soccer vs Niagara Knights @Niagara 8 p.m. | Young’s Sportsplex Oct. 4-5

Men’s Basketball Wayne Allison Fall Showdown @Sheridan Oct. 4 | 10 a.m. | UTM vs Sheridan Oct. 4 | 6 p.m. | UTM vs Sault Oct. 5 | | UTM vs Niagara CCC Oct. 5 Women’s Soccer vs Fanshawe @UTM 1 p.m. | South Field

Men’s Soccer vs Fanshawe @UTM 3 p.m. | South Field Oct. 6 Cross Country CIBC Run for the Cure @UTM

Women’s Soccer vs St. George Black @Varsity Field 5 p.m.

Men’s Soccer vs St. George Black @Varsity Field 7:30 p.m.

UTM Tri-Campus Games

Women’s Basketball vs St. George Red @Goldring - North 5 p.m.

Oct. 6

Men’s Basketball vs St. George Red

@Goldring - South 5 p.m.

RAWC & Wellness Events Oct. 1 Wellness Route: Pumpkin Spice & More: Seasonal Eating & Nutrition 12-1 p.m. | Meet at RAWC Entrance