The Mike, Issue 6 (2017-18)

The official student newspaper of the University of St. Michael’s College since 1947.

Volume LXX, Issue 6 January 15, 2018 readthemike.com

NEWS

FEATURE

OPINIONS

FEATURES

USMC releases annual audited financial report (page 3) U of T’s proposed Mandatory Leave of Absence policy (page 10)

The mechanics of info-sharing through the ages (pages 8–9) A U of T student to-do list before graduating (page 15)

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NEWS

News Editor Aaron Panciera news@readthemike.com

Volume LXX By students, for students.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Josh Scott editorinchief@readthemike.com MANAGING EDITOR Liam McConnell managingeditor@readthemike.com BUSINESS MANAGER Rhonda Rathburn business@readthemike.com

WEBSITE EDITOR Angela Feng SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Emily So OUTREACH DIRECTOR Josh Simpson DESIGN MANAGERS Varisha Naeem, Garnet Ryu

MANAGING ONLINE EDITOR Prijanga Ahilan

STAFF Pran Sathiy, Braedon Balko

SENIOR COPY EDITOR Jamie Stalcup

CONTRIBUTORS Yoav Shimoni, Vittoria Tesoro, Fernanda Lara Peralta, Laina Southgate, Nazanin Zarepour, Jeremy Hernandez-Lum Tong, Julia Dragos, Leighton Costanzo, Nicholas Pagano, Lindsey Peng, Aaron Au, Jonfranco Monaco, Jessica Frascà, Ana Karen Garza, Nour Ramzi

NEWS EDITOR Aaron Panciera news@readthemike.com ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITORS Bardia Besharat, Emily Barber OPINIONS EDITOR Julia Orsini opinions@readthemike.com ASSOCIATE OPINIONS EDITORS Bryan Liceralde, Leanne Grosbeck FEATURES EDITOR Téana Graziani features@readthemike.com ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR Sara Alonzi ARTS EDITOR Miranda Mirabelli arts@readthemike.com ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITOR Ascenza Paolella LOGOS EDITOR Francesco Rampino logos@readthemike.com SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Jiaxing Huang science@readthemike.com SPORTS EDITOR Ben Denomme sports@readthemike.com PHOTO EDITOR Layla Pereira-DaSilva ILLUSTRATION EDITOR Jennifer Boothby COPY EDITORS M. Kalaczynski, Rebeca Ancer, Mara Ng, Kristine Sahagun

FACULTY ADVISOR Randy Boyagoda COVER IMAGE Pran Sathiy LOGO DESIGN Le nonpareil Chris Quental VACANCIES Design Manager (1) If you’re interested in the above position, please email Liam at managingeditor@readthemike.com.

The Mike has been the official student newspaper of the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) since 1947. It is published bi-weekly, 10–12 times a year, with a circulation of 2,000, delivered to over 40 newsstands across U of T’s St. George campus.

The Mike is a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP). The Mike is published by The Mike Publications Inc. and printed by MasterWeb Inc. on recycled newsprint stock.

The Mike has complete editorial autonomy from USMC. All editorial inquiries should be directed to editorinchief@ readthemike.com.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @readthemike.

You can also find us on the web at readthemike.com.

Peers with Ears in Search of Students

Mental health mentorship program seeks to break down isolation at U of T Emily Barber ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR One of the University of Toronto Students’ Union’s (UTSU) latest endeavours to address the often isolating nature of the University of Toronto (U of T) is through Peers with Ears — a mental health mentorship program that focuses on student-to-student interaction to foster connections and create solidarity regarding issues concerning mental health.

The program proposes a one-on-one conversation between students, with one offering their advice and experience in order to help the other work through issues they are currently struggling with. Peers with Ears is by no means meant to replace or undermine professional mental health services, but rather it aims to supplement them and encourage student involvement in the conversation about mental health.

The goal is for students to discuss something that is deeply personal and sensitive in a meaningful way; it is not to cause pain, but to help one another feel less lonely and less vulnerable.

This program was initially proposed last winter by the now Vice-President External of UTSU, Anne Boucher, as part of her election platform. It is currently running a pilot program to get a sense of its student appeal and is looking to further expand into an official UTSU service. Thus far, the pilot is on track to reach its goal of a minimum of 10 pairs — 20 students in total — with 14 students registered as of January 4. The current registration deadline is January 19, giving students plenty of time to apply. The cap of 20 students is not an absolute one, meaning Peers with Ears is willing to accommodate more students into the pilot program should the need arise.

USMC Hires New Student Life Coordinator John Taylor joined USMC in early December On December 4, 2017, John Taylor joined the Office of Student Life as the University of St. Michael’s College’s (USMC) new Student Life Coordinator. According to the USMC website, Taylor will work to “support leadership programs, community outreach, student organizations and commuter life on campus.” Taylor will report to Oriana Bertucci, Director of Student Life at USMC. Previous to his employment at USMC, Taylor worked as the Program Administrator of Music & Arts and Day Respite Programs at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, which is Canada’s largest children’s rehabilitation hospital and is a teaching institution partnered with the University of Toronto (U of T).

“My role was focused on supporting clients, their families, staff, and university students who engaged with our program in therapeutic, professional, and learning capacities,” Taylor told The Mike.

In many ways, it was his role with the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital that gave him the desire to work with students at USMC. When asked what motivated him to take the Student Life Coordinator job, Taylor had much to say.

“First of all, I love working with young adults. I’ve had many opportunities to work, volunteer, and participate in various communities with high school and university students,” Taylor said. “The energy, creativity, and good humour I’ve found in young adult groups is consistently refreshing.”

Moreover, Taylor was excited to work at USMC specifically, as he told The Mike, “I’ve gotten to know many students, alumni, and staff of the university, and they all seem to share a specific affection for the campus, community, and life experience offered [at USMC]!”

On what he hopes to accomplish as Student Life Coordinator, Taylor has a very optimistic yet pragmatic

When asked about what the motivation was behind providing a supplementary program when U of T already has many professional mental health programs and affiliations — the Health and Wellness Centre at Koffler and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) being two immediate examples — Boucher replies that while mental health professionals are 100 percent helpful, “often we just need to talk to someone who gets us, who gets what we’re going through from experience”. And at a school like U of T, that can be difficult due to its sheer size, so “finding friends who connect with us on these things is not easy,” she explains. She goes on to say that she hopes the program can “be valuable for both the mentee and the mentor” in terms of sharing an experience and gaining a connection with each other.

Boucher had been in consultation over the summer with a team from Health and Wellness and with the Lead Coordinator for Mentorship and Peer Programs at Student Life in order to ensure this program would be as effective as possible. She wanted to make sure that, in her words, “this program would truly help students, and make university just a little easier for some of us.”

Outreach for Peers with Ears has included canvassing on various social media platforms, including a Facebook post on the UTSU Facebook page. The post contains clear instructions outlining the objective of Peers with Ears as well as registration forms available to students so they can sign up straight away. The post also provides direct helplines available for students in immediate need of help, so that if necessary, students can access professional services as quickly as possible.

Aaron Panciera NEWS EDITOR view of what he can achieve.

“As USMC Student Life Coordinator, my job is primarily to help the student community engage with a diverse range of non-academic programs and opportunities offered to provide a rich and balanced life experience while at university,” Taylor said. “To this end, my hope is that students will leave USMC at the end of their studies having been part of a welcoming student life community with a better sense of who they are as people, what they want to do with their lives, and some good ideas about which path(s) to take.”

Taylor acknowledges that this is a very broad vision, and like any new employee, is trying to figure out what this vision will look like. However, Taylor sees this ambiguity as an opportunity to grow.

“Being as new as I am, I am still understanding exactly what this will look like,” Taylor said. “Feel free to ask me again in a year!”

NEWS

Website: readthemike.com Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @readthemike

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USMC Releases Annual Audited Financial Report Report covers finances from May 1, 2016 to April 30, 2017 Aaron Panciera NEWS EDITOR The University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) released its Audited Financial Report in the fall of 2017.

The report details assets, expenditures, and other financial dealings of the college as at April 30, 2017.

The report is one detailing sound and transparent monetary dealings from the period of May 1, 2016 to April 30, 2017.

“In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of The University of St. Michael’s College as at April 30, 2017 and the results of its operation and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations,” the auditor’s report reads.

Balance Sheet In any balance sheet for a non-profit (such as USMC), there are three major components: assets, liabilities, and net assets. In this situation, the monetary value of assets must equal that of liabilities plus net assets, as net assets denote only the difference between assets and liabilities. Assets are defined as items owned by the college that have monetary value such as cash and investments. Liabilities are defined as essentially what the colleges owes. This can include bank indebtedness, deferred revenue, etc.

For the 2017 fiscal year, USMC’s total assets added up to $147,483,000, an almost 10% increase from the $134,386,000 in assets for the year of 2016. Liabilities were relatively flat from the prior year with total liabilities at $55,243,000 (as compared to $55,712,000 in 2016). Net assets, a combination of internally restricted net assets (defined as the amount of capital assets internally funded) plus endowments less accumulated deficits, totaled $92,240,000, which, when added to the total liabilities, is balanced with total assets.

Ultimately, this is a sign of sound financial standing as, compared to 2016, the monetary value of the college’s

Yoav Shimoni / THE MIKE.

assets has risen as the value of its liabilities have fallen. This has not always been the case, as from 2015 to 2016 the value of assets decreased while the value of liabilities increased. However, the positive change from 2016 to 2017 implies progress.

Revenue and Expenses The total revenue for the year came to a sum of ($27,216,000), with the bulk of USMC’s total revenue for the year coming from student fees ($8,511,000), a block grant from the University of Toronto (U of T) ($5,972,000), grants and donations ($4,531,000), investment income ($3,813,000), and sales and services ($2,616,000).

While some of these revenue streams seem ambiguous by their descriptions, the report contains a section of notes on the finances for the sake of clarification.

The block grant from U of T, for example, is an agreement between the university and the college in which USMC gives U of T each year’s tuition payments in exchange for reimbursement in the form of a grant.

This compares favourably to the total expenses of the year, which sum to $24,698,000. These costs are highlighted by: salaries and benefits ($10,478,000), materials and supplies ($4,142,000), cost of sales ($2,932,000), and amortization of capital assets ($2,488,000). The “amortization of capital assets” simply refers to the paying off of debt over a long period of time on major expenses such as properties, stocks, bonds, etc.

The difference between these two numbers (after taking into account the change in fair value of interest rate swap) comes out to $2,647,000, which is USMC’s net revenue for the year. This essentially means that, after subtracting total expenses from total revenue, USMC was left with $2,647,000 in extra revenue.

This number is over double the net revenue figure of -$1,180,000 from the period May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016. This improvement can be attributed to increas-

ing investment income while holding expenses relatively flat to 2016 levels.

Statement of Cash Flow The final major component to the financial statements is the Statement of Cash Flow, which details how the college generated and consumed its cash resources during the year.

For USMC, 2017 saw a large increase in net cash. This is evident in that the college started the fiscal year with $12,000 in net cash, and ended it with $1,835,000.

This was a much bigger change in net cash than seen in previous years, as from 2015–16 USMC only upped its net cash from $6,000 to $12,000, and 2014–15 saw no increase in net cash.

This change came from increases in revenue from two key financial aspects: operating activities and financial activities. “Operating activities” refers to the core activities of the college, and “financial activities” refers to anything that provides funds to the college.

These categories provide the bulk of the increased net cash in 2017. The increase from operating activities was primarily driven by the net revenue improvements (+$3,854,000 ahead of the prior year), while increases in endowment contributions (+$1,983,000) drove the financial activity increase. These gains were offset by higher cash usage in investing activities resulting in the net cash increase.

Conclusion The audited financial statements as at April 30, 2017 suggest an organization on financial upswing, with gains in net revenue, net assets, and net cash. Not only does the college have positive figures in the finances for all major categories, but it is evident that the college has experienced monetary gain over the past few years.

Quercus to Replace Blackboard in Fall 2018

New system may improve use for both students and instructors Bardia Besharat ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR In 2015, the University of Toronto (U of T) Administration began working on a new digital learning environment. The environment is named Quercus, a name created by three U of T students, Saski Gjelsvik, Kenneth Holyoke, and Syed Rafi Tanzim. This new environment is set to replace the current online learning platform, Blackboard, in Fall 2018.

The Mike interviewed Tanzim, a University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) student, who explained the meaning behind the name “Quercus.” “The steering committee in charge of Academic Toolbox Renewal at U of T wanted a name that reflects U of T’s historical culture and traditions. So, the most obvious place to look for inspiration was the University crest and motto — ‘Quercus’ being the Latin name for the oak tree genus, connected the University’s cultural symbol, the oak tree that forms the main part of the University’s crest, to the University’s historic Latin motto, ‘ve-

lut arbor aevo – as a tree through the ages,’” Tanzim stated. The three students succeeded in winning the naming contest for the new learning environment by simply submitting a name through the current Blackboard portal.

The new Quercus system emulates app-based operating systems, allowing for a much more customizable and optimized learning environment. Instructors will be able to integrate apps for specific purposes for their classes as well as add flexibility to teaching methods. The new system is a much-needed upgrade from the current portal system. However, one obstacle stands in the way of the new learning environment, and that is instructor use.

Many professors do not utilize Blackboard, which poses issues for the integration and usefulness of the new learning environment. This issue raises the ques-

tion of whether instructors will use the new system when they do not use the current online learning environment. Professors would have to learn how to use the new environment, which discourages use. Additionally, regardless of how much better the new environment is, many professors will continue to avoid using an online learning service.

The under-utilization of online services poses massive issues for students, especially when students require additional aids to their specific classes available online by their other professors. While many professors will continue to use online services provided to them, many others will continue to do the opposite and disregard the services almost entirely. This poses the following question to the administration: How effective will the new Quercus system be in instructor ease and use?

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EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief Josh Scott editorinchief@readthemike.com

Editorial:

Coming Up We’re halfway there. We’ve crested the hill. Fall term exams are over; we’ve had a well-deserved holiday break; we’ve said goodbye to the rollercoaster that was 2017.

If you’re anything like me, you’re still trying to get back into the academic mindset post-holiday. If you’re really like me, you’re already behind after only a few classes. But such is the reality of life at the University of Toronto (U of T): we’re inundated with work just to see if we can handle it, to be stressed out is to feel normal, and semesters inexplicably begin on Thursdays.

While each of us may be climbing hills of our own, it’s important to keep an eye on where we came from. What’s at the bottom of your hill? A town, like contributor Laina Southgate’s Port Hardy? An activity, like contributor Fernanda Lara Peralta’s childhood dance? (Check the Arts section for these articles.) A close friend of mine constantly asks herself, before trying something new, if someone from origins like hers would do that thing. If the answer is no, she does that

thing as soon as possible.

Where we were informs and shapes where we are and where we’ll be, even inadvertently. The person you’ll be when you get to the peak of your hill doesn’t have to be — and probably won’t be — the same person that began the journey. If nothing else, you’ll have more essays to write. (We are U of T students, after all.)

In fact, origins are a point of focus in this week’s issue. Our Science and Tech section editor Jiaxing Huang has written a fascinating main feature that details the origin of books, going back to the days when the written word amounted to little more than what the Greeks used to call a grammateion: words on a tablet.

Speaking of words on a tablet, I’m very excited to announce that The Grammateion, the official Arts and Literature journal of St. Michael’s College, is officially resurrected!

Whether you’re a writer, poet, painter, pho-

Issue 6 At A Glance...

As detailed above, our main feature, from Science and Tech Editor Jiaxing Huang, is about the origin and evolution of an object we use every day: the book. Check it out on pages 8 and 9.

tographer, or whatever else, it’s a great way to get your work noticed. All U of T students are welcome to submit and submissions will be open soon. (If an Arts journal isn’t your thing, there are still ways to get involved with writing on the USMC campus! We here at The Mike are always on the hunt for contributors.)

Like so many racehorses, the semester is off with a bang. April 4th, the last day of classes, draws ever nearer. If you’ll be graduating this year, congratulations! If not, the fall semester will be like those racehorses: coming back around again before you know it. But that’s Future You’s problem.

We have come up the first side of this year’s academic mountain. Let’s hope it’s not all downhill from here.

Your 2017–18 Managing Editor, Liam McConnell

The Grammateion is the offical arts journal of the University of St. Michael’s College in U of T.

Also in the Features section is the fourth volume of our ongoing series: Students of St. Mike’s. On page 16, you’ll find an interview with student leader Sophia Lahey, as well as a piece from a first-year international student’s perspective on what it was like spending the holidays here.

In News, you’ll find details on several issues that affect all USMC students. Information about Quercus — the new Blackboard replacement — is on page 3; an article on the recently-announced U-Pass, which may reduce transit costs, is on page 5; and the hiring of John Taylor, our new USMC Student Life Coordinator, is on page 2.

But it’s not all bureaucracy and business in this week’s issue: in Arts, on pages 6 and 7, we also cover the beauty of wildlife photography and the magic of a Toronto Christmas.

More information about USMC’s unique Gilson Seminar is in the Logos Section on page 12, we discuss the Toronto’s Raptors’ excellent season in Sports on page 14, and a piece on the proliferation of “smart” devices is in Science in Tech on page 13.

Find all this and more, inside!

To learn more or get involved, like us on Facebook @thegrammateion, or contact us at thegrammateion@gmail.com!

NEWS

News Editor Aaron Panciera news@readthemike.com

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U-Pass Talks Progressing Quickly

A cheaper TTC option for U of T students may be on the horizon Emily Barber ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR December 11, 2017 witnessed the vote in favour of a Universal Transit Pass, colloquially known as a U-Pass, by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) board. Their objective: to create a fare policy that reduces transit costs for post-secondary students, ensuring that for a fee, students that attend schools affiliated with U-Pass can ride unlimited during the semesters they are in school.

While no changes have occurred yet, discussions have been initiated between TTC and Presto to consider incorporating the U-Pass as an add-on feature, allowing students to continue to tap on with ease. If instated, U-Pass would cost less than the adult rate of $3.25 per ride, and indeed lower than the currently available Metropass of $116.75 a month, so as to make it worthwhile for students. No concrete estimates regarding price have been released to the public as of yet.

“The way the TTC has agreed to price the pass is in a revenue-neutral way, which means they’re looking to keep their profits the exact same,” Anne Boucher, Vice-President External of the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) told The Mike. “This means that, with a higher number of students with U-Passes (than of students with Metropasses), the price of the U-Pass would be lower than a post-secondary Metro-

pass.”

However, the installment of the U-Pass comes with some stipulations. For one, in order for the TTC to implement the U-Pass, it would have to be formulated so that it is in a net neutral financial position, meaning that it requires 100 percent co-operation from schools.

Cost of the pass would be incorporated into tuition, regardless of need. The TTC has also mandated that it requires at least one of the following schools’ participation in order to go through with it: University of Toronto St. George (U of T), Ryerson University, or York University. There would be one blended rate for all participating institutions, and any increase in TTC fare would mean a subsequent increase in the cost of a U-Pass.

And while U of T and other post-secondary institutions in the GTA are primarily made up of commuter students, there are other factors to consider. Namely, those roughly 15 percent of students that require more than one public transit system to get to school and thus have to deal with differing rates. To accommodate this need, the U-Pass plan as it currently stands proposes fare integration between several public transit systems in the GTA, including York Region Transit (YRT) and Brampton Transit.

Consensus from student unions has been generally positive. Boucher has been working with her counterparts at Ryerson, OCAD, and George Brown since May to get the U-Pass plan instated. As per the data in a recently released staff report by the TTC, fare reduction would be extremely beneficial to students. They found that in Ontario, the average post-secondary student income is less than half the province wide average, whereas undergraduate tuition fees in Ontario have increased by 60 percent in the last decade, leaving an increasingly wide discrepancy between what students make and what students owe. Keep in mind that data concerns tuition alone, whereas in reality students incur far more expenses. TTC estimates that transportation alone is approximately 10 percent of a student’s total budget at a cost of roughly $930 for 8 months using a Metropass, a cost substantial enough to make any reductions extremely welcome.

TTC is expected to make a decision regarding U-Pass

by March 2018 at the latest, and even with that, it must pass a student vote in a referendum. If it does go through, it is estimated to go into effect September 2018.

OHIP+ in Effect as of January 1, 2018 Over 4,400 prescriptions to be covered for all under 25 Gazelle Dehzad CONTRIBUTOR On January 1, 2018, all drugs available through the Ontario Drug Benefit program became free to children and youth in Ontario under the age of 24, courtesy of OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare.

More than 4,400 prescription drug products are currently covered by OHIP+, including: antibiotics, inhalers, diabetic medications such as various insulins, oral diabetic medications, and diabetes test strips, medication to treat chronic conditions like arthritis and epilepsy, drugs to treat cancers and rare conditions, medications to treat mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, and epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPens).

Not all medications are covered by OHIP+, but those that are not may be available through the Exceptional Access Program (EAP). If qualified for the EAP, they may be able to get coverage for the required drug.

“OHIP+ is a reputable program which allows coverage for post-secondary students attending university or

Calling all writers and reporters!

Would you like to cover what’s happening around USMC and U of T? Do you have a desire to try

college in another province,” Chantal Brobby, a firstyear student at the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC), told The Mike.

Ontario residents who attend post-secondary school outside the province are still eligible for OHIP+ as long as they remain insured by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) for the duration of their studies, and bring a valid prescription to any pharmacy in Ontario.

For most students living in another province, travelling to Ontario for a prescription is an inconvenience. Instead they can apply for a travel supply by bringing a letter that confirms they are leaving the province for more than 100 days to the pharmacy.

Before OHIP+ was implemented, the Trillium Drug Program (TDP) was available to any households in Ontario. Coverage for the TDP is not automatic, as anyone who wants to enroll in the TDP has to apply, and are only accepted if they meet the requirements.

your hand at journalism? If so, you’re in luck!

Here at The Mike, we’re looking to grow. We’re currently seeking reporters in order to expand our News team. ALL ARE WELCOME AND NO APPLICATION OR PRIOR EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED. All we ask for is enthusiasm and a willingness to learn!

We offer Staff Reporter tags to any USMC students who contribute to 25% of our regular issues, which means a minimum of 3 separate issues (given that we produce 12 on the year, bi-weekly). Staff mem-

Eligibility for the TDP is based on a household, which is defined by the TDP as “a single person or two or more people who are dependent on each other financially.

A household does not include adult family members who are financially independent.” The TDP is currently still available to anyone over the age of 24 who does meet the enrolment requirements.

OHIP+ is now the first payer of eligible drug products, and therefore, anyone under the age of 25 no longer needs private insurance unless they require a drug that OHIP+ does not cover and are denied by the EAP. In this case, private insurance plans may still cover the required medication.

There is no enrollment or registration process required in order to access OHIP+. Coverage is automatic beginning January 1, 2018, for any infants, children, and youth who are already covered by OHIP. A health card or health card number is the only thing that is required by the pharmacies to fill out a prescription.

bership entails voting rights in next year’s masthead elections, as well as in any other elections or voting situations before then and, since we are also anticipating becoming CCR-approved, would also be an exciting, low-commitment way for you to add to your respective CCRs! Just email Aaron, our News Editor, at news@ readthemike.com. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. If this opportunity sounds in any way like it might be up your alley, don’t self-reject! Just shoot him an email! He’d be happy to hear from you, and gladly tell you more.

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ARTS

Arts Editor Miranda Mirabelli arts@readthemike.com

Capturing Nature in its Sublimity

Wildlife photography at the ROM Vittoria Tesoro CONTRIBUTOR The Royal Ontario Museum’s Wildlife Photography exhibit is an experience that would be beneficial for a variety of accomplished and amateur photographers.

The exhibit allows photographers to capture nature in both a skillful and holistic manner. Contents include photographs of striking animals, amusing insects, and serene landscapes. The competition, run by the Natural History Museum in London since 1984, continues to provide a platform for photographers to establish their images in an effort to raise awareness to preserve the natural world. One hundred works have been selected from 92 countries, where a series of six jurors have chosen two grand title winners. This year’s winners are Brent Stirton, Wildlife Photographer of 2017, and Daniel Nelson, Young Wildlife Photographer of 2017. Lewis Blackwell, Chair of the jury, explained, “What these images achieve is up to you. You may pick up a camera. You may travel.

You may have a mission.” With this advice, I wandered through the exhibit and admired each image as a way to provide clarity in a world of obscurity.

the animals and insects photographed throughout the exhibit. As I hung my butterfly on the string, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of tranquil inclusivity as I pondered on the thought, “We are all little parts of this big world.”

When I first entered the exhibit, I was immediately captured by hundreds of paper monarchs dangling from ceiling strings. This interactive piece welcomes patrons to hang paper butterflies on a string as a contribution to the exhibit. The purpose is to raise awareness and learn more about the extinction and survival of monarchs. The orange and black paper kaleidoscope was a clever opening feature that engages visitors to further inquire and learn about

The photographs depict the diversity of the natural world in an effort to further expand our understanding of the behaviours and stability of these wildlife and botanical elements. The coloured photographs create a vivacious and thrilling component to the exhibit, whereas the black and white photographs provide a more dramatic and sublime element. I was fascinated by the intensity of the animals’ gazes, as they stared right into the camera. It was as if they knew they

Paper monarch butterflies at the entrance of the exhibit (Vittoria Tesoro / THE MIKE).

were going to be observed by a viewer. There was a communal and even familial tone to certain images that captured groups of gorillas, birds, and wolves.

As a counter point to the serene images, there were also photographs that captured the ferocity and primitiveness of the natural world. The mountainous landscapes provided a picturesque backdrop to an already captivating wildlife image. Altogether, the images were remarkably visceral.

Amongst the talent and excellence captured in each image, I most enjoyed the young wildlife photographers’ contributions to the exhibit. There are three age groups in this category: 10 years and under, 11 to 14 years old, and 15 to 17 years old. These images were not only evocative, but captured nature with a hint of humour and playfulness. Bears, bats, wolves, and birds stand still in moments of candid fierceness and affection from all over the world.

Similar to the adult category, mountainous and aquatic backgrounds stand behind the featured animals.

I was amazed by the skill and diligence used to capture such striking natural images. The meticulous camera shots in each candid state is another reason for the exhibit’s exquisite dedication to the natural world. The combination of coloured and black-andwhite photography truly captured the diversity and excellence of such minute details, as no detail was spared. These photographs conclude the exhibit in a brilliant manner that truly demonstrate the clarity and sublime aesthetic of nature.

Hard Work and Dedication Shown in a Traditional Ballet

The National Ballet of Canada hosts The Nutcracker Fernanda Lara Peralta CONTRIBUTOR I grew up a dancer. Since I was 13 years old, I dedicated over 20 hours a week to training in ballet, jazz, contemporary, musical theatre, and tap in Vancouver, British Columbia. I will never forget the tutus, the red lipstick at competitions, the smell of hair spray in the dressing rooms, and the moment when you go onstage and you feel as though your only mission in life is to make people smile through art. For me, dance was a space where someone always believed in my ability to succeed. My favourite type of dance was ballet. I had the most caring instructors who I still consider family. Leaving dance after a back and hip injury was one of the greatest losses that I have experienced in my lifetime. Despite no longer being a dancer myself, I love watching ballet on stage. Thus, I am always keen to attend a show by The National Ballet of Canada in Toronto.

This winter, my dad, who is always my partner in crime when it comes to attending performances, took me to see The Nutcracker. We had seen The Nutcracker last year during one of our annual father-daughter trips and loved it. This year, the show came at the perfect time in the middle of December during exam season, showcasing between December 9–30. It was a long-

The Nutcracker at the National Ballet of Canada (Fernanda Lara Peralta / THE MIKE).

term run, so I was looking forward to spending a relaxing Sunday watching The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is a Christmas tradition at The National Ballet of Canada. It is set in 19th century Russia, where two children, Marie and Misha are helping their parents prepare for their annual Christmas Eve party. Once the children fall asleep, their dream begins when the Christmas tree and toys come to life, and a magical journey commences when they encounter the Snow Queen and the Sugar Plum Fairy, amongst other characters. Upon seeing The Nutcracker a second time, I was just as impressed. The opening scene is reminiscent of the family reunions that take place every holiday season. The set and the costumes are amazing, with a costume worn by two dancers that looks like a life-sized horse. I marvelled as snow fell on the stage, capturing the delight of the holiday season. I would highly recommend going to see The Nutcracker next December.

Despite the beauty of The Nutcracker, I am reminded of how ballet is an institution that perpetuates the myth that only thin bodies are beautiful, and that only thin women can be elegant, delicate, and graceful. I was lucky to have gone to a dance school that did not discriminate based on body image. Unfortunately, this is not a reality for the majority of competitive ballet schools in the country. There is pressure to stay thin even after a girl’s body has begun to change during puberty. This pressure creates a negative body image in girls who do not fit the thin ballet mold, causing a tremendous amount of emotional pain. I remember training alongside girls who thought a size two was large, and other girls who told me they got kicked out of their dance school due to not being small enough.

Negative body image has become a dark foil behind

ballet’s beauty that must be addressed. It begins with seeing a full diversity of bodies on stage, celebrating every body type as beautiful.

Overall, The Nutcracker is symbolic of the various rites of passage that a dancer at The National Ballet of Canada experiences throughout their career. In Act II, the little lambs are children from The National Ballet School under the age of seven. The children in the opening act are grade six to eight students at The National Ballet School that participate in The Nutcracker every year. It is an honor to get chosen by the artistic director to play Marie and Misha, mere children that dedicate their lives to becoming professionals. The children and adolescents that dance at The National Ballet School are amongst the best in the world, having to undergo a very selective audition to get one of the few spots offered per academic grade. Every year, these children must re-audition to maintain their spot at the school. Many of the students who are as young as 11 years old spend months away from their families to pursue a career as a professional dancer. Thus, The Nutcracker is a celebration of the hard work and dedication of the school’s students and the company members that have spent a lifetime training.

Fernanda and her father awaiting The Nutcracker (Fernanda Lara Peralta / THE MIKE).

ARTS

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Celebrating the Holidays in Downtown TO

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Christmas spectaculars along Queen Street Miranda Mirabelli ARTS EDITOR It’s known that in the winter season you are limited to certain activities. Everyone would rather be bundled up at home watching Netflix and eating whatever they can get their hands on. One of the only things you could think of doing is to visit the annual Toronto Christmas Market held in the Distillery District, but the long line-ups are unbearable in the winter conditions and can be out of the way for those who are commuting. Why not consider visiting downtown Toronto for some Christmas festivities instead?

of the reveal, which was presented on November 2. The windows featured scenes from many holiday classics such as Charles Dickens and Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as well as presented many characters and magical effects. The Hudson Bay Company included five windows with the theme of “Shake Up Your Holidays” that presented snow globes of many beautiful electronic holiday scenes, even two polar bears meeting for a high five and a starry holiday scene set against Toronto’s landmarks.

One of the places I went to this Christmas season was the Eaton Centre Mall. The main attraction there was the giant Christmas tree in the middle of the mall.

The holiday spectacular is Canada’s largest Christmas tree, measuring 100 feet tall, and is covered in lights and sparkling red and gold decorations. The Christmas tree brings huge crowds of all ages to the Eaton Centre every year, and never fails to disappoint. The largest Christmas tree in Canada unifies the community with its grand reveal. The Eaton Centre also has giant decorative reindeer on the mall floors for display. The mall is surrounded with Christmas cheer, especially when the mall shoppers begin to sing “Feliz Navidad” under the newly revealed Christmas tree.

After you have finished all your shopping and have seen the massive, shimmering Christmas tree, you could exit the Eaton Centre onto Queen Street and see the beautiful display of the iconic holiday windows presented by The Hudson Bay Company and Saks Fifth Avenue. This year was the second year

Canada’s largest Christmas tree (100 feet) at the Eaton Centre (Miranda Mirabelli / THE MIKE).

Saks Fifth Avenue decided to honour the 80th anniversary of the timeless Disney classic Snow White

and the Seven Dwarfs. The five windows incorporated Snow White in her wardrobe in multiple forest backdrops. These window displays are not just for Christmas shoppers but for all pedestrians to view on their way along Queen Street.

You can’t travel down Queen Street and not visit the giant Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square — it’s almost impossible. The staple in Toronto was not the only tourist attraction this holiday season, and I’m not just talking about the annual skating rink. This year was the second year Nathan Phillips Square hosted the Holiday Fair in Nathan Phillips Square for everyone who did not want to trek to the Distillery District.

The fair included various vendors that sold treats and trinkets as well as sold clothing and Christmas ornaments and decorations. There were carnival games and rides for children such as a carousal, and a section for adults to keep warm by outdoor heaters while they waited for their children. The Holiday Fair in Nathan Phillips Square is a great addition to the traditional festivities along Queen Street.

Toronto is a city filled with many tourist attractions and activities for various occasions, and the winter season is no exception. If you are ever looking for something to do, make sure to check out the activities going on in your local neighbourhood or downtown before deciding to stay indoors. The Christmas season could be a cold couple of months, but don’t summon yourself to the indoors without discovering what’s going on in Toronto, especially on Queen Street.

Where the Highway Ends, Adventure Begins

A small town in B.C. known for more than just its scenery Laina Southgate CONTRIBUTOR

Port Hardy, British Columbia (Laina Southgate / THE MIKE).

I grew up in a little coastal town called Port Hardy, British Columbia. It is a sleepy fishing village and resource town that primarily depends on fishing and logging, and it is isolated and far away from anything else on the north end of Vancouver Island. In order to get to Port Hardy from Vancouver, one must take the ferry to Victoria or Nanaimo and then drive four hours up the island on a road that shrinks to two lanes with lots of curves after Campbell River. Don’t worry, there is no risk that you will miss it: Port Hardy is the end of the road. In fact, our slogan celebrates this by stating: “Where the Highway Ends and Adventure Begins.”

The only way north from here is by ferry.

The town is on Hardy Bay which makes a safe harbour for commercial fishing boats. The commercial docks are busy all year and there are several fishpacking plants on pilings, receiving their fish from the big trawlers and smaller trawlers. A path runs along the shore of the bay on the west side and people walk, jog, and ride the path every day. The beach has sand in places with cobbles and blocky sandstone

outcrops everywhere else. Eagles sit in many trees and whistle at passersby. The town is sleepy with a clutch of businesses on Market Street and a loop of municipal road with clusters of small residential neighbourhoods. There is no stoplight in Port Hardy and the population is stable at around four thousand people. The east side of the bay is a rugged peninsula covered in trees and framed by the massive coastal mountains far in the distance on the other side of Queen Charlotte Sound. It is a beautiful place haunted by the shrouds of mist that are omnipresent on the west coast in winter.

ally does get the worm. Regardless of whether I am fishing in a lake, river, or the ocean, a successful day hinges on getting up before daybreak, rain or shine.

Fishing depends on the season, and considering that I am usually home during the summer I usually fish on the ocean for spring salmon, sockeye salmon, and pink salmon if they are running that year. It is a rare treat if I can go fishing for steelhead, which is what I (luckily) got to do this holiday break. Fishing for steelhead can be an ordeal if I am fishing in a river such as this Christmas in the Nahwitti River. It is gorgeous but cold, and during winter, fast and deep at times. I wear waders to fish the Nahwitti, and I enjoy crossing the river to get to the best fishing holes. It is always a long day, but the strike on the line after a solid cast is very exciting, particularly if I land the fish. Then, if I am lucky, we rewind the tape and play it again tomorrow.

I love fishing. Hopefully I can do it again soon and visit the little town I love so dearly.

Port Hardy, B.C. (Laina Southgate / THE MIKE).

Growing up in a place such as Port Hardy has its perks, mostly in that we have access to some of the best fishing, hiking, wildlife, and scenery around. As a university student in a big city, I have become a visitor here, so I hike and fish as much as I can when I am home for winter and summer holidays. Fishing is my favourite activity, and for good reason: Port Hardy has spectacular fishing. If there is one cliché that is painfully true for fishing, it is that the early bird re-

Laina Southgate with a ling cod she caught in Port Hardy, B.C. (Laina Southgate / THE MIKE).

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FEATURE

Science & Tech Editor Jiaxing Huang science@readthemike.com

Books and Where They Came From The mechanics of information-sharing through the ages Jiaxing Huang SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Of the seven colleges at the University of Toronto (U of T), the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) is blessed to have the largest library. That’s right, I’m talking about the Kelly Library. Although, at first glance, many complain about the dull and boring neo-brutalist style in which it, like Robarts, was built (Kelly in 1969; Robarts in 1973), there lies a completely different place inside, a world much more colourful and exciting: the world of books.

some students would rather spend most hides of animals) for writing. of their time in Kelly Café than in the main library itself. Though you or they might not necessarily think so, this wasn’t always the case.

The history of books is long. It spans thousands of years. In fact, books, in various forms, have been in production since mankind first invented writing. The first books were most likely clay tablets produced by the Sumerians, who wrote with styluses. Styluses were made from various kinds of materials, but their uniting feature was that they each had a sharp point at the end, which would later evolve into something like the ball-point pen we use today. This is strange to consider given that, 3,000 years ago, it appears the Sumerians simply used styluses to write on soft clay before they baked it into clay tablets.

Sometime afterward, the Egyptians invented papyrus, a thick paper-like material made from the papyrus plant that could be rolled up into scrolls and stored for long periods of time. From Egypt, papyrus spread to the A 13th-century Codex (WIKI). rest of the Mediterranean region to places In this fast-paced, digital information era, my like Greece and Italy, where it was picked passion for books has puzzled my friends, up by the Greeks and Romans for their own many of whom view reading as a hobby use. Between styluses and papyrus, it seems that’s a little last century (after all, this is the safe to say that back then, books and the internet age). And yet, I love my books more instruments used to write them were quite than anything else. For people like my friends, different from the kinds we know today. books seem like pretty common things. Not only do we buy textbooks (which grow more As a writing material, papyrus also has its and more expensive with each passing year) disadvantages: one can only write on a single for each new semester — there are also side of it, it does not allow for corrections, and many public libraries and bookstores around it is made from the plant Cyperus papyrus Toronto where we can just grab a copy and that is native to Africa and cannot be found start reading. Why should we spend any in other places. This is why, besides papyrus, time thinking about such common, readily the Romans also used wax tablets (known available things as books? In part, this is why as Cerae in Latin) and parchment (from the

John M. Kelly Library on the USMC campus (Layla Pereira-DaSilva / THE MIKE).

John M. Kelly Library on the USMC Campus (Layla Pereira-DaSilva / THE MIKE)

The main advantage of wax tablets is that if you recorded anything incorrectly the first time, the wax could be melted and reused again. Another advantage of wax tablets is that a bunch of them can be connected by strings to form a Codex — which eventually replaced scrolls and gave rise to modern books, in their more familiar form. The advantage of a Codex is that one can write on both sides of it, and it can be produced in most places as long as there are cattle and sheep. That is why, with the collapse of the Roman Empire, most regions in Europe gradually replaced papyrus with parchment, and before the process of papermaking was transmitted to Europe, most books there were being created on parchment. In fact, U of T keeps many books written on parchment in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library inside Robarts, as does USMC’s own Kelly Library.

Still, even parchment and wax tablets had their disadvantages. Parchment was very expensive to make, which is why, for a large part of history, only the rich and noble could afford to have books. Wax tablets, although somewhat cheaper, were very heavy to carry around, and thus not suitable for long distance transportation. Only when the Chinese invented paper from plants were the two above problems finally resolved. In truth, the Chinese were the first civilization to pioneer printing. Only when printing was invented and popularized did books finally become a commodity accessible to most.

Together, paper and printing caused great changes everywhere, especially in Europe.

The technology of papermaking reached Europe as early as 1085 in Toledo, and was firmly established in Xàtiva, Spain by 1150.

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France had a paper mill by 1190. Papermaking then spread further north with Germany in 1320, and in Nuremberg by 1390 in a mill set up by Ulman Stromer.

steel production. However, before his death in 1919, he donated much of his wealth to people can just access any books anywhere, charity work, especially toward establishing anytime, using only their computer, or even many public libraries (known as Carnegie smartphone. libraries) across North America and the United Kingdom. In fact, there are a few Carnegie libraries here at Toronto, including the Koffler Student Centre — where the U of T bookstore is located — which previously served as the Central Public Library in Toronto. Establishing public libraries means that from that time onwards, books could be organized on an even higher level so that people could have a specific place to go for reading. This increased the speed by which knowledge could be dispersed significantly.

The oldest known printed book, The Diamond Sutra (WIKI).

The first printed book in Europe, known as “The Gutenberg Bible” (WIKI).

Then, around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg from Germany independently invented the printing press and printed the first book in Europe: “The Gutenberg Bible.” Gutenberg was the first to create his type pieces from an alloy of lead, tin, antimony, copper, and bismuth — the same components used today.

From that point onward, printing spread across Europe, making books much cheaper, thus facilitating the widespread transmittance of knowledge across the populace. This also led to many key events in European history, not least of which were the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Among other reasons, this is why the Gutenberg Press has been called by many the most important invention of the second millennium.

Scrolls kept at the Palace of Westminster (WIKI).

How books are organized and dispensed also contributed to the rise in literacy around the world. What I’m talking about more specifically was the establishment of an institution best known as the public library.

Although the precursor to public libraries already existed in the classical period (see the Royal Library of Alexandria), they only became prominent in Europe following the Renaissance and in North America during the Industrial Revolution. One person was especially important in the development of public libraries in North America. That person was Andrew Carnegie. One of the richest people from the 19th to early 20th centuries, Carnegie made his fortune from

A wax tablet and stylus used for writing (WIKI).

Nowadays, with the internet, internet technology (IT) giants such as Google are digitalizing books and are pushing for a worldwide open-source network so that people from across the globe can get copies of any books online. If this pursuit comes to fruition, which it appears likely to do, it will definitely cause another evolution in books because, although in the past, paper and printing have done a great job in the spreading of books, there are still disadvantages to paper books, mainly because the raw material for papermaking is plant fibre: this makes the mass production of paper damaging to our environment. Furthermore, while public libraries also contribute in spreading knowledge to the masses, building them requires money and not every place, especially developing countries, can afford the cost. This is where online open source comes in. Unlike traditional paper books, online books do not require the use of paper, and thus are more environmentally friendly.

Also, online books do not require budgets to be allocated to build public libraries —

With the above in mind, it becomes easy to see that the history of even such a common thing as a book is not as simple as it seems.

What we now take for granted has evolved over thousands of years, alongside the materials used to create them. In fact, the history of books is closely tied with the history of writing material. Only when there are advancements in writing materials can new types of books be invented. One cannot imagine the existence of modern books without paper. Moreover, just like material, books have different levels of scales and organizations — from the simplest scroll, to a Codex made of many pages, to a library that contains thousands of books, to open-source networks that may soon contain millions of online books.

However, since we now have access to online books so easily, does that render paper books and libraries (in their present form) obsolete? While our understanding and the main purpose of the latter may shift, the answer is: far from it. While online books do indeed have many advantages over paper books, it is difficult to foresee them ever replacing paper books altogether. I, for one, still love the unmediated comfort of spending afternoons sitting in a quiet space at Kelly with a paper book. For myself and many others, the latest technologies will do little to replace that feeling.

John M. Kelly Library on the USMC Campus (Layla Pereira-DaSilva / THE MIKE).

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OPINIONS

Opinions Editor Julia Orsini opinions@readthemike.com

Stripping Student Autonomy

U of T’s proposed mandatory Leave of Absence policy: a shameful price to pay for its reputation Nazanin Zarepour CONTRIBUTOR The University of Toronto (U of T) took a step backwards in October regarding student mental health by proposing a new mandatory leave policy for students with mental illnesses. Students can be made to leave against their will if they either pose a threat toward themselves or others, or if they are “unable to engage in activities required to pursue an education at the University notwithstanding accommodations or supportive resources that may be available.” It can be argued that a student posing a threat in the university is a justifiable condition for enforcing mandatory leave. A student’s inability to “engage,” however, is a malleable justification that can give university administrators an opportunity to exercise huge ableist policy abuses. Many manifestations of mental illness can fall into such justifications.

Rather than giving students with mental illnesses the right to make their own decisions regarding their health and academic future, they gave these rights to university administrators. What makes such stripping of autonomy all the more disgraceful is that these university administrators are not medical professionals nor are they required to consult medical

professionals. The future of these students remains in the hands of people who may be under qualified to make such decisions.

A vote on the policy was originally set to take place on November 20. The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) offered feedback and criticism regarding the policy, resulting in the vote being postponed until January 25 and 30. The UTSU addressed multiple concerns regarding the proposal, including requests for further clarification on some of the vague language in the proposal and the need for medical professionals in the decision-making process. The objective is for further reviewing on the policy proposal until the end of January.

The proposal is a shameful move from the institution — a poor attempt at preserving an academic reputation by stripping students of their autonomy.

It is an easy way for the university to dodge mental health concerns: rather than creating better services and accommodations, the institution is selecting a dehumanizing route. Struggling students should be met with warmth and further aid, not a cold rejection

from their school that has seemingly given up on them. Students with mental illnesses are already met with enough challenges as is — it is not a simple task for some of our fellow classmates to be in good enough shape every day to make it to class or reach deadlines.

A university should not only value its academic reputation, but also its reputation regarding the treatment of its students. The University of Toronto is known for a cold and harsh environment that does not foster much positivity amongst its students, and it would benefit from creating a more accomodating space instead of dehumanizing those with mental illness.

I urge fellow students to voice their concerns and criticisms. A petition against the mandatory Leave of Absence Policy can be found at: https://goo.gl/ AwfWJ7.

Nazanin Zarepour is a third-year University College student double majoring in Political Science and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations.

Logan Paul’s Daily Vlogs Take a Deadly Turn How a 16-minute video rocked the internet Emily So SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER 2017 was an interesting year for YouTube. Billions of users log in each month to explore the world of internet drama, diss tracks, and live pranks. However, on December 31, 2017, well-known YouTube superstar Logan Paul released one of the most controversial videos of the year. Logan uploaded a video of himself at Aokigahara, or the “Suicide Forest,” a forest in Japan where many people have decided to end their lives. Logan found a man who had hung himself in this forest, and proceeded to approach the dead man and investigate. This video was immediately met with a tsunami-size wave of backlash, causing Logan to delete the video just almost 24 hours later.

Logan Paul (Richard Shotwell / ASSOCIATED PRESS).

The Suicide Forest has been known around the internet for a few years now, having been featured on major sites such as CNN, Vice, and BuzzFeed. Due to the fact that it concerns very sensitive subjects, the mentioned articles are done in consideration of those who have ended their lives in Aokigahara, as well as the subjects of suicide and mental health. These reports are seen as informative rather than controversial. Even those on the same platform as Logan Paul, such as popular YouTuber Shane Dawson, were able

to maintain the same tone of seriousness as the news networks, providing no excuse for the lighthearted and comedic tone of Logan’s video.

The first red flag of Logan’s video is the title itself: “We found a body in the Suicide Forest??”. Seeing this clickbait from an activity standpoint, the message is clear: Logan Paul was well aware that he was using the man’s suicide as a way to get a huge number of views, comments, and reactions. It shows the absolute lack of consideration that Logan has for what he saw in Aokigahara, let alone what he did.

Aside from the title, the next major red flag of the video is when the dead man is physically on camera.

While Logan may have thought he was covering his legal standpoint by blurring out the man’s face, that had practically no effect in this video. Logan could blur everything out from the man, but once again it does not justify his actions. Of the many responses to the video that I saw, one that stood out to me was the video of YouTuber Kendall Rae. She said, “Imagine if you were that man’s family, and you ended up finding out your loved one committed suicide through Logan Paul’s vlog.” While no information was provided on this man, the culmination of this person’s emotional struggles and mental health led to his incredibly sad death portrayed to over 10 million viewers. Not to mention that Logan Paul’s demographic is generally young teenagers between the ages of 10 and 15. Just think that an incredibly large number of impressionable youth were exposed to the heavy topic of suicide through a 16-minute insensitive daily vlog.

Now that we have talked about the immediate shock value of the video itself, I would like to mention what happened after. While they had no involvement in the actual production of the video, I do believe You-

Tube as a corporation made some mistakes. YouTube claims to possess an algorithm that “scans” videos in order to determine if the videos contain inappropriate content, and if that is the case, the videos are demonetized or removed completely. I guess this algorithm isn’t foolproof, as Logan’s video was able to skyrocket to the top of the Trending charts in a matter of minutes with no action. Now what did Logan have to say about the situation? A 10-minute apology video and a letter on Twitter, which I think has more the tone of “I hope this doesn’t affect my social media image,” than, “Exploitation of someone’s suicide is not something that belongs in vlogs and I’m sorry.” Being realistic, this video will probably have no effect on Logan’s career. He will continue to drastically gain followers and hold some power over the land of social media. But right now, the important question for the consumer is: Is this the man you want to be one the faces of YouTube?

Paul (Logan Paul / YOUTUBE).

Emily So is a first-year USMC student studying Life Sciences. She is The Mike’s Social Media Manager.

She hopes to become more involved at St. Mike’s, and in her downtime she usually stresses at the Starbucks in the Medical Sciences Building, or plays the piano in Brennan Hall.

OPINIONS

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Hark! A New Year’s Bell is Ringing A Christmas and New Year’s message Jeremy Hernandez-Lum Tong CONTRIBUTOR Every time we come to the end of something, especially something that goes over a long period of time, we can’t help but look back at how that something went. At the end of an academic year, a theatrical rehearsal schedule for a completed show, birthdays, etc., we always look back to see what has been accomplished in its own relevant way.

But there’s something different on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I certainly don’t feel the same way on those days as I would on say the end of my academic year, or on my birthday. I think what is special about the end of the calendar year is that the entire world shares in that moment of looking back. It’s not just a few people who are involved. It’s all of us. The questions we ask ourselves are basically: “What have I accomplished, and where do I go from here?” Now, one can benefit from this fun fact in two ways: On an individual level, it is a good thing that we have that regular and annual moment that provokes us to stop and reflect. The questions, “What have I accomplished?,” and, “Where do I go from here?,” give us a pattern where we can take something small and work on it for a period of time. “This year I will work on my career.

This year I will work on my relationship with a relative,” etc. The challenge, however, is that we do not always take this end-of-year moment to develop that willpower to remain FAITHFUL to these resolutions.

We always make some resolution to become a better person, and we have a multiplicity of ways on how to do so. But the one ingredient we always neglect is the decision on faithfulness. Are these resolutions I make going to be done with faithfulness? Or will I slide away when the going gets tough? Faithfulness does not necessarily mean success. We can be faithful and still fail due to life’s circumstances. However, success cannot exist without faithfulness. Faithfulness does not even mean religious fervour. Rather, it means I meant everything I said, and I said everything I meant, and these words I said will be honoured 100 percent.

In our Christmas message, we reflect on a child from God, who sought to keep His promise to His creation, and was therefore faithful. We reflect on a mother who, during late pregnancy, endured numerous challenges (being made to travel faraway, denial of housing accommodations upon going into labour, then having to flee days later because the king sought to kill her son). But she remained ever faithful. No matter what challenges came, they were faithful. So you must ask yourself, “Will I be faithful to whatever New Year’s resolutions I make for myself?”

And so, on a global level, this end-of-year moment of looking back should encourage us to ponder on our world. The famous phrase: “Peace on Earth, goodwill to men,” is not simply something we feel or do, but

the fruit of something deeper. It is the fruit that blooms only from an intrinsic and genuine recognition of each individual with his or her own interests, talents, and values, and a wish for their well-being. The Son of God came to dwell among humanity in the lowest of forms. That says to us: “You have value.” Upon being asked what the world can do to promote world peace, Mother Teresa responded, “Go home and love your family.” In looking back at 2017 and asking the first question: “What have we accomplished?,” we find that, as a world, the answer is: “not enough.” Consequently, upon asking the second question: “Where do we go from here?,” our answer should be, “Let me go and love my family, and truly develop a respect for another person from deep within.”

To add that indispensable ingredient: Let me be faithful to it right through. No matter how last year has been, our future still depends on our decisions going forward. I wish everyone the very best in their goals, individually and globally, for 2018. May we all be faithful to those goals.

Jeremy Hernandez-Lum Tong is a third-year USMC student pursuing majors in Ethics, Society and Law, and Philosophy. He is an active member of the St. Mike’s community and his past and present involvements include SMCSU, USMC Campus Ministry, SMC Troubadours and more.

Buckingham Palace: Under (Re)construction How Harry and Meghan are bringing the British Royal Family down to earth Julia Dragos CONTRIBUTOR The 21st century has already seen one royal wedding, and it is about to see its second with the announcement of Prince Harry and actress/philanthropist Meghan Markle’s engagement in November of 2017.

The two royal couples who kicked off the weddings of the 21st century brought along fresh perspectives on contemporary issues such as mental health and climate change, and are thereby revolutionizing the face of the Royal Family. However, it is the engagement of Meghan and Prince Harry that takes that shift in the public persona of the Royal Family to a further, and perhaps a more relatable and humbling, degree.

Chris Jackson / GETTY IMAGES.

Contrasting the position and status of her future sisterin-law, Meghan has to work harder to learn the duties and responsibilities that come with being a member of the Royal Family. Kate Middleton, despite not being of royal blood, did have an advantage when it came to learning the responsibilities of the Royal Family due

to her traditional British upbringing as well as aristocratic ties through her paternal lineage.

This ‘trial-and-error’ process of learning how to be a part of the Royal Family was recently seen when Meghan was asked to take a selfie, an act that is prohibited in the custom of the Royal Family, and reports say she responded, “We’re not allowed to take selfies.” Although it is not the most diplomatic answer, one can see how Meghan’s non-royal background can also be refreshing to the outside world. In a way, her minor mistakes on grounds of decorum and gentility have a humanizing effect on the Royal Family.

The attempt to create an image of the Royal Family as relatable to the public is one that has evolved throughout time. For example, the televised Christmas broadcast in 1957 delivered by Queen Elizabeth deliberately accomplishes this by setting up the room in which she gives the Christmas speech from her private residence of Sandringham in her living room.

This relates the message of connectedness and familiarity to viewers all over the world also watching from the comfort of their living rooms. This effect momentarily closes the social gap between viewers and the Royal Family, and brings people together to listen to a message of hope because it appeals to them, and not because a superior is addressing or ordaining them.

Meghan joining the Royal Family has the same effect on people as Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas broadcast since she is an outsider to the traditional Royal Family through her status of being African-American, divorced, and following an unconventional line of work.

Through this, she wears shoes that people with more diverse life experiences can fit themselves into.

Through their relationship, what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bring to the attitudes and values of the Royal Family is ultimately characterized through diminishing the presence of rigidity in royal conventions and norms.

Alexi Lubomirski / GETTY IMAGES.

As every younger generation learns from the mistakes of the previous one, Prince Harry and Prince William both have seen how rigid conventions and norms in the realms of marriage can put stress on a relationship through the example of their parents. The pressure this put on the Royal Family acted as a ‘point of no return’ for everyone, which incited the evolution of the family into what we know it to be today.

Julia Dragos is a third-year USMC student majoring in Sociology and double minoring in Classics and English. Whenever she’s not buried in books, you can catch her at a shoreline clean-up.

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LOGOS

Logos Editor Francesco Rampino logos@readthemike.com

Bona Fides

Living in good faith Leighton Costanzo CONTRIBUTOR When I first applied to the University of Toronto (U of T), I was confronted with a life-changing dilemma: how would I rank each of the seven colleges in order of preference? At the time, I had never visited any of the college campuses; therefore, I had to perform a little bit of preliminary research before I could make an educated decision. The truth is, for me, the research process lasted all of five minutes. In what might seem like a rash decision, I contently declared the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) as my top selection, with Trinity College serving as a distant second (a matter of formality).

Martin Luther King Jr. (Julian Wasser / TIME LIFE).

I chose USMC upon realizing that it had Roman Catholic origins brought by the Basilian Fathers. Having spent my entire life in a Catholic education system, I concluded that St. Mike’s would be an ideal setting for my postsecondary studies. As a result, my faith guided me to the University of St. Michael’s College where I have had the privilege of meeting some of the greatest people and friendliest staff. I was honoured to partake

in the Gilson Seminar: In Faith and Ideas, in which I was a member of the inaugural class of the new SMC One program. Under the tutelage of my esteemed professor, Randy Boyagoda (Principal and Vice-President of USMC), I learned how faith and ideas are inextricably linked. I learned that faith cannot exist in the absence of reason, and that reason cannot exist in the absence of faith. Most importantly, I came to the realization that every person, religious or non-religious, is embarked on a unique spiritual journey that is shaped by their own life experiences.

The term “faith” perfectly encapsulates what it means to lead a life of integrity and good will. Nevertheless, I have noticed that “faith” has become a concept almost exclusively ascribed to religious establishments and seldom used in the secular world of unaccompanied reason. In recognition of the diverse ontological views across campus, I am going to offer a brief explanation of faith from the perspective of a Christian in addition to how faith should be interpreted from the perspective of a non-believer. From a religious standpoint, faith is a transcendent virtue that enables us to live in communion with God, the Father Almighty. It is an intangible conviction that is based on the precept that “believing isn’t seeing.” Faith is a rationalistic expression of our inner selves — it is an amalgamation of various aspects of the human condition. The secular understanding of faith is diametrically opposed to the Christian understanding of faith. From a non-religious standpoint, faith has become known as an irrational acceptance of the unknown. I submit to you that this understanding of faith is severely limited and outrageously cynical. Faith does not immediately necessitate oneself to have

pure and unadulterated faith in God; rather, it simply calls for us to have faith in one another; to have faith in the goodness of humanity. In the words of St. Mother Teresa, “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

When I look around, I see the intrinsic beauty in everything that surrounds me — the earth, the sky, the water, the birds, the buildings, and the people. Whenever I see beauty in creation, I see God as the architect and the inspiration behind it all. On any occasion that I am stressed, faith sets my mind at ease and gives me a peaceful feeling that soothes my soul. I can tell you with absolute certainty that faith is the antidote to doubt, fear, anger, and insecurity. Of course, I do not intend to suggest that faith and doubt cannot coexist; on the contrary, doubt is a natural response to uncertainty. It is your responsibility, however, to ensure that your faith overpowers any doubt you might have.

As Martin Luther King Jr. eloquently expressed: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Faith is such a broad concept that it can be applied to virtually any topic of discussion: law, ethics, metaphysics, theology, ontology, etc. I might add that such a term exists as bona fides, or “good faith,” which can be characterized by upheld standards of honesty, sincerity, and trust. The antithesis of bona fides is mala fides, or “bad faith,” which can be used to describe a lack of honesty, sincerity, and trust.

At the start of this new year, I challenge you all to live your lives in “bona fides” — in good faith.

A Look Back at The Gilson Seminar Using faith as a tool to understand the world

Nicholas Pagano CONTRIBUTOR As the first semester of this academic year ended and a new one began, I took some time to reflect on the courses I completed and how they impacted my knowledge. For the most part, I found myself feeling unimpressed or bored with some of the content of the generic 100-level classes. It seemed that there was no substance to the information, or that if there was, it did not seem to matter. I am sure that I am not the only one who has felt like this.

However, I was a part of the first Gilson Seminar class, a 40-student One course offered by the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC). This course, led by USMC Principal and Vice-President Randy Boyagoda, focused on faith and ideas; more clearly, it investigated different understandings of faith (in both the religious and non-religious sense) and how it affects our lives and interpretation of the world. The course addressed the struggles of faith, doubt, and how the tension between the two impacts one’s daily life. Of course, this seems to be a very personal journey one must take in order to answer, and I initially questioned the ability of a course to address such topics. It appeared ambitious, to say the least, to propose to “engage with timeless ideas” that are “related to faith and ecology, science, literature, and politics.” It turns out that the course was more than successful in doing so.

Orchestrated by Boyagoda, the curriculum and core readings included works that revolutionized faith in society, such as Saint Augustine’s Confessions, Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change, Laudato si’, and

Dante Alighieri’s Inferno.

selections of Dante’s Inferno. These readings implanted a recognition of faith as a driving force in society, holding a position of influence in decision-making.

Whether written in 397 C.E. or in 2015, the readings proved to be both relatable and relevant to students today. It taught that faith is not a given quality in even the most religious of figures, and that doubt is always present. We learned that religion plays a role in global action, as the Pope calls for movement toward a cleaner Earth in an appeal to both believers and critics. Faith and religion unites us all, through tensions between faith and doubt, and are proven to be relevant in each individual’s perspective of the world around them and the ideas they have.

Of course, there is the viewpoint of non-religious individuals that must be investigated as well, which the course also examined. By looking through the opposing lens, we learned that faith can be had in more than deities and religions, and this alternate perspective of faith provides a similar relationship to understanding the surrounding world.

The Gilson Seminar’s curriculum has provided insight into the relationship between faith of all kinds and society, but it is truly the learning environment and community of the seminar that has developed true meaning and created a space of encouragement and excitement. The small class brought together students of varying cultures, beliefs, and academic disciplines.

This allowed for truly diverse discourse on the relationship between faith and ideas, and different opinions

and interactions brought a deeper understanding of the topics discussed. It is clear, though, that the intentions of the class reached beyond the lectures and the content; a community was built between the students and with the instructors. It introduced students of radically different perspectives, talents, and skills, and presented them with the challenges of understanding society and the growing world. For first-year students, it made it very easy to build connections and create friendships, and aid in the transition into university.

Spanning nearly all academic disciplines, each student provides a fresh perspective to the problems examined in class, but also introduces to others insight into the varying experiences around the university. The Gilson community has grown closer over the past semester, which makes our summer trip to Rome all the more exciting. Part two of the Gilson Seminar is prospected to be just as insightful as first semester, only surrounded by the beauty of the Italian capital.

St. Peter’s Basilica.

SCIENCE & TECH

Science & Tech Editor Jiaxing Huang science@readthemike.com

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How Tech Innovation is Redefining Transportation By 2030, most people will be travelling in self-driving vehicles Lindsey Peng CONTRIBUTOR More than one half of the world population now lives in urban areas and by 2030 this number will swell to about 5 billion people. As the pace of urbanization continues to accelerate, existing infrastructure and services in place become limiting in the needs of today and tomorrow. One of the major problems arises from the transportation system, which presents itself as a barrier to ensuring a good quality of life for people crowded in megacity centers.

Some disadvantages of traditional transportation become more serious sources for the cultural and environmental degradations as waves of people continuously aggregate. For example, additional individual vehicle ownership decreases convenience as it increases congestion. It only adds more traffic and CO2 emission, and it is a major waste of materials and space as cars are left in parking lots throughout most of the day. On the other hand, public transportation such as buses also has key flaws. Unable to customize the solution for individual needs, it aggregates the needs of a large crowd of people and hence wastes everyone’s time as well as acts as an infectious flu hub.

From the current changes we are seeing, it is inevitable that transportation will shift from an asset we own to a service industry offering end-to-end autonomous mobility solutions. It is predicted by 2030 that 95% of U.S. passenger miles travelled will be served by on-demand autonomous vehicles owned by fleets, not individuals (RethinkX report). Already, we are seeing transportation as service platform pro-

viders, such as Uber, Lyft, and Didi. However, this is only the start of the revolution. For example, a company in San Francisco called Chariot was launched to reduce long transportation hours and traffic frustrations for 9–5ers. Chariot’s business model is based on crowdfunding: new customized routes of commute will open up if enough people are on that route. As opposed to a top-down design of public transportation from the government, this solution allows people to pay for only the route that they need to be on without owning a personal vehicle. On top of that, such a company collects new data and allows users to have live information about conditions of their transportation services via their phone. For example, you can see how many seats are available in the next ride as opposed to waiting for buses in rush hour, only for it to show up to be packed with people.

changes to further resolve traffic congestion. To bypass the limitation of available space on the ground, we are seeing daring entrepreneurs try out new underground and aeration solutions.

Many existing transportation businesses are developing new technological ideas so they won’t be left behind in the new era. The new era of transportation will be competing fiercely and, as a result, their fleets will quickly transition from human-driven internal combustion engines to autonomous electric vehicles.

Most major car manufacturers, including app-based companies such as Uber, have invested in building their own autonomous vehicles. Companies such as BMW and Volkswagen are also developing their own car-sharing and servicing models such as Ride Cell and MOIA.

We are on the cusp of one of the most consequential disruptions of transportation in history. If autonomous vehicles pass various political barriers, it is expected to see more technological innovations, which will shift trillions of dollars from old investor value to new business opportunities. As a result, as transporting experiences elevate other revenue sources from advertising, data monetization, entertainment, and product sales will open a road to free transportation infrastructures. Like in many other fields and infrastructures, the transportation revolution has only just begun, and there are ample opportunities for students to explore how to address current problems we face locally in Toronto.

Innovation is not only manifested in the software side, but also new hardware models are also undergoing

For example, Terrafugia’s vehicle Transition is designed to fly like a typical light-sport aircraft in the air and drive like a typical car on the ground. Other competition in the field has already followed, such as road-able aircraft by AeroMobil, electrical vertical take-off and landing jet by Lilium Aviation, a threepiece pod, car, and drone vehicle by Airbus, and Uber Elevate by Uber. On the other hand, Elon Musk is revolutionizing the new underground transportation with the Boring Company developing Hyperloop, which will supposedly reach 1,200 km/h (700 mph) providing a new high-speed transportation technology.

Robots... In Our Houses?!

Personal assistant devices bring the future home Aaron Au CONTRIBUTOR While there were many deals advertised during Boxing Week, one item of particular interest was the Google Home Mini. Google Home Mini is sold as a smart speaker; one that acts as a personal assistant that can react to voice commands. It is connected over Wi-Fi so it can stream your favourite playlists and bring you real-time updates on your favourite sports teams. Additionally, like its competitor the Amazon Echo Dot, it can interface with other smart devices. These robots have been welcomed in many tech enthusiasts’ homes.

For the average consumer, the personal assistant is the answer to the universal remote. Be it another human or the Home Mini, give a personal assistant a command and it will do the work. If you’re using the Google device, there may be compatibility issues between the Home Mini and other devices. Currently, it supports over 1,000 smart home devices. The Echo supports many smart devices as well, but also lets you order your favourite gadgets on Amazon.

Although they may be the most advanced robots that have entered our homes thus far, they are not the first that we have welcomed. Thermostats ensure that our houses cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Similarly, our ovens are robots that bake food at preset temperatures. Some homes are equipped with blinds that open and close at the flick of a switch.

All old-school robots are good at the jobs they’ve been programmed for and are controlled by separate systems; like a TV set, you have a remote for the TV, one for the audio system, and one for the DVD player. To simplify the TV experience, it would be best to unify the controls to a single controller or better yet, no controller at all.

access the API, or application programming interface, of different smart devices (some programming knowledge needed). Most manufacturers will describe how you can programmatically talk to their devices and direct them to function.

In some cases no information is provided and you may need to “hack” the devices. One way to go about this is to treat it like one of the dumber devices. If there is a wireless remote, you can clone the signal using a microcontroller which can then react to commands from your personal assistant. With a DIY mentality you can go into the electronics and bypass restrictions placed by the manufacturer.

A plethora of smart devices like smoke alarms, speakers, thermostats, door locks, door bells, wall outlets and lights, have already become commercially available. And very soon many other electronics like kitchenware will become “smart.”

A Japanese household robot (HR in Asia).

And if you want to add a more personal taste to these home automation devices, you can turn to the opensource market for a DIY personal assistant. It will take longer to set up the assistant, but it will allow you to

It would be easiest to converge all the controls into a single hub. Regardless if it is a Google Home, Amazon Echo, or a homebrew Jarvis, it would be better to start earlier than later.

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SPORTS

Sports Editor Ben Denomme sports@readthemike.com

Northern Uprising

Right now, the Toronto Raptors look better than ever Jonfranco Monaco CONTRIBUTOR For our Toronto Raptors, the 2017–18 NBA season has been remarkable. Currently holding the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Raps are playing at a .722%win percentage, indicative of not only their dominance in the East but also across the entire league. Currently nursing a three-game win streak on top of their already impressive 26–10 record, there is not a single individual, but rather the undeniable chemistry between players and coaching staff responsible for these results.

The team’s dominance stems from its stellar backcourt pairing of shooting guard DeMar DeRozan and point guard Kyle Lowry. Having played in tandem for years, the two share a bond on the court that allows for seamless play between them. In basketball, the two guards are the primary playmakers on the court, be it in setting up an opportunity or scoring themselves.

With this being said, DeRozan and Lowry’s intertwined style of play allows for the team to operate as a welloiled machine.

Notably, DeRozan is currently amidst a highlight stretch of play this season. This past week, DeRozan was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. DeRozan was honoured for his astounding play

in the past few Raptors games, averaging 34 points per game (3rd in the NBA), and shooting .571% from the field and .650% from three-point range. Although basketball is a team sport, DeRozan’s all-star caliber of play has certainly aided in advancing the Raptors’ standing to a top spot in the league.

Commanding the team, head coach Dwane Casey leads the Raptors with a sense of urgency as well as with uncanny leadership and playmaking abilities. For the fifth time in five seasons, Casey was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month. This honour comes as a result of Toronto’s past month of play, in which it finished with an 11–3 record, third-best in the league. The Raps averaged 111 points per game, with a near 7-point scoring differential. Their .786%-win percentage broke a franchise record for wins in the month of December, and finally, they went undefeated at home, concluding the month with a six-game winning streak in the Air Canada Centre, averaging a 12-point scoring differential. Being the longest serving and winningest coach in Raptors history, Casey is clearly doing something right, and it is safe to say that without him, the team would not be performing as strongly as it is with him around.

As we are nearly a third of the way through this NBA season, the topic of playoffs is starting to become increasingly popular around the league. Based on their performance thus far, the Raptors playoff projections break down as follows. Without a doubt in the minds of basketball analysts, the Raptors will make playoffs this season. With that being said, the majority of analysts have selected the Raptors to win their division, advancing to the conference final.

Although their chances of winning the championship this season are not incredibly likely, it would be a blatant miscalculation to rule out the possibility of the Raps having a strong playoff run. Even if the Raptors were to have a meltdown at this point and lose more games than they win, they will still be seeded to make playoffs.

There is clearly an uprising in the North, and as far as fans are concerned, the Raps are only getting started this season.

2018 NFL Mock Draft With a strong class, the NFL will be looking for big playmakers in 2018 Ben Denomme SPORTS EDITOR

Sam Darnold (Kelvin Kuo / ASSOCIATED PRESS).

The 2017 NFL season has been one which exposed problems at every position for several teams.

Fortunately, the 2018 draft class is one which should be able to address these problems, given that the right players end up on the right teams.

Offensive players (and more specifically quarterbacks) seem to rule the 2018 class, with big names like Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield being projected to go very early in the draft. The following draft will by no means be extensive and is just meant as an indication of where the top 10 college players will end up.

1) Cleveland Browns — Sam Darnold, QB, USC He is a tough pick for #1, considering his poor performance in the Cotton Bowl. However, he is the obvious choice for the struggling Cleveland Browns.

Darnold has ability as a smart quarterback, and with the targets he has in the Browns receiving corps, he poses a real threat to defences across the NFL. 2) New York Giants — Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA Eli Manning will continue to be QB1 for the Giants for a few years, but the fact remains that the organization is losing faith in him after this season. They will be looking for a new franchise QB, one that is able to make effective use of targets like Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall.

3) Indianapolis Colts — Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State Barkley’s 2017 season started with him being projected as the top player, leading Penn State to numerous victories. He highlighted himself as an athletic and strong player, one who could make a difference on several teams. His stock dropped as the season continued, but for the Colts, Barkley could be a star,

eventually replacing the aging Frank Gore.

4) Cleveland Browns (from Texans) — Minkah Fitzpatrick, S/CB, Alabama Many would pick Bradley Chubb from NC State for this position, but with Myles Garrett showing promise at defensive end, Fitzpatrick could add some muchneeded depth to the defensive backs.

5) Denver Broncos — Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming This is a controversial pick as Allen’s 2017 season was not one for the history books. Barely completing half his passes, many project his draft position as out of the top 10. However, with Trevor Siemian not giving the Broncos everything they want in a QB, drafting Allen first may do two things. First, it gives a fresh pair of eyes to the Denver offence. Second, it may make Siemian more competitive for that starting position.

6) New York Jets – Baker Mayfield, QB, OU The Heisman winner will be one of the strongest picks in the draft if the Jets can get him. Mayfield doesn’t have the size that QBs of this era do, but he has the speed, athleticism, and competitiveness that will get him ahead. Josh McCown is also not the player he once was, and so a new franchise QB is in order for the Jets.

Mitchell Trubisky is showing himself to be a great addition to the Bears’ offence, but his lack of big targets is holding him back. By adding Ridley, who played in the National Championship Game, Trubisky will be adding some depth in terms of fast and available receivers.

9) San Francisco 49ers — Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame With Jimmy Garoppolo’s huge start for the 49ers midway through the season, some offensive tools are needed to allow the 49ers offence to continue to thrive.

This may come in the way of Quenton Nelson, a strong guard from Notre Dame who can give Garoppolo all the time in the world.

10) Oakland Raiders — Arden Key, DE/OLB, LSU The Raiders will be looking to build on a defence that failed them late in the season. Adding Arden Key to Khalil Mack’s already vicious athleticism will make for a defence that will allow fewer than the 5,601 yards the Raiders allowed in 2017.

7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State The Buccaneers are looking for somewhat more help with their defence, and Chubb is the person to do it. Although Arden Key of LSU may be suited to this position as well, Chubb is projected to go higher in the draft because of his performance in the 2017 season.

8) Chicago Bears — Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

Josh Rosen (Eric Chan).

FEATURES

Features Editor Téana Graziani features@readthemike.com

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A Local Spin on New Year’s Resolutions A U of T student to-do list before graduating Jessica Frascà CONTRIBUTOR It’s not very often that one is able to follow through on the resolutions that they proposed for themselves at the beginning of a new year. Creating bucket lists enable us to be more organized and, consequently, more likely to be successful with achieving those resolutions over a longer period of time. Therefore, to make it easier, here’s a to-do list of things you should do before you graduate. It suggests a bunch of fun and exciting activities to fulfill in your short time at the University of Toronto (U of T). Check how many you’ve done already, and how many you haven’t!

Check out the greenery around U of T. Did you know there’s a green roof on the Rotman MBA Building? If you want to see more greenery, study in the indoor Bamboo Garden in Donnelly Centre. You can even do something as simple as stroll through Queens Park.

You can even walk through Philosopher’s Walk, a secret path with less pedestrians to bump into on your way to class. And of course, don’t forget the beautiful quads (each college has one)!

Visit the Hart House Farm. Here you can stay overnight in the winter and sip hot apple cider by the fire.

When you wake up you can head to the sauna. Also in the summer, you can even swim in the ponds!

Attend a show at Hart House Theatre. Experience some of the best drama in all of Canada right here on campus. The plays are professional quality for a fraction of the cost. They’re great for an alternative Friday night out!

Try a free drop-in fitness class at the U of T gym, whether it is a Zumba class or boot camp. Or try something new like an aquatics class at the Athletic Centre or Hart House pool.

Participate in Orientation week, where you meet so many great people and get to lose your voice. It’s the only time where you won’t be judged for painting your full body!

Study in a different library. Don’t just sit in Kelly or Robarts. After all, U of T has 44 libraries across all three campuses. You can study in a Hogwarts-like setting such as Emmanuel College Library at Victoria College, or in Hart House.

Don’t just eat at Tim Hortons. Explore different restaurants such as the Gallery Grill. There are a variety of food trucks to eat from. If you’re on a budget, follow the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) Facebook page to find out about free food on campus, or join a multicultural club! They usually give out delicious free food at their events. Maybe even try the cafeteria food at all the colleges, just so you can say that you did.

Use the telescopes in McLennan Physical Laboratories and try seeing a lunar eclipse. And while you’re at it, wish upon a shooting star and who knows, you might see a 4.0 on your transcript.

Check out the bamboo garden inside Donnelly Centre (Jessica Frascà / THE MIKE).

Go to office hours. No one ever does, but believe it or not some professors are actually pretty cool and willing to help you succeed. Also, they could be your reference letter writers for grad school. Email your TA with questions throughout the semester. You’d be surprised how much help they are willing to give you in order to do well in the course.

Paint yourself blue. Go cheer on any Varsity sports team. Paint yourself blue and attend a football game.

If you are in luck you may spot True Blue! Every time you attend a Varsity game, you receive points on your TCard that you can use toward cool prizes.

As you can see, U of T has many activities to experience and you should definitely take advantage of them during your time here. Go explore U of T before you graduate, and don’t miss the opportunity to see how lucky you are to attend one of the best universities in Canada!

The 2018 Mindset

Every day can be your January 1st Ana Karen Garza CONTRIBUTOR Before anything else, you welcomed in this new year with a breath of air. Something so obvious as breathing may have not even crossed your mind the moment the minute hand of clocks everywhere returned back to their origin. The 2018 mindset is as obvious as breathing, but also as disregarded as that first breath you took the morning of January 1st.

Ana Karen Garza / THE MIKE.

The thing to understand is that the goals you set forward for this year have to be made by you, not by society. Goals set out by society are too generic and thus unachievable. They halt any possible guidance about where to begin. However, starting over can also feel demanding. You set yourself with unrealistic expectations and you beat yourself up for not con-

tinuing with them post-January. The key to New Year’s resolutions is to not follow a list but rather a mindset — your 2018 mindset.

Whereas a list may seem tedious, a mindset becomes a manifestation of established beliefs and affirmations.

Through converting your goals into affirmations, such as, “I am hardworking,” rather than, “I will be hardworking,” they will eventually transform into the mindset that you want to live by. Make the 2018 mindset a reminder of being fully active with your goals whether they range from adapting a proper sleep schedule to stepping foot outside of your comfort zone.

New Year’s resolutions are not solely assigned to January. Just like time is a constructed concept, your goals can be reconstructed independent of the date on your calendar. If you come across a roadblock, you do not need to wait until the following year or the following “blank slate” to restart. By isolating New Year’s resolutions to January, you actually end up isolating yourself from consistent growth. The goals you set out for yourself are meant to be consistent. The 2018 mindset also requires one to take a step back and question the purpose of New Year’s resolutions as a whole. And what is their purpose? New Year’s resolutions present us with opportunities to grow. Trust me when I say that it will be evident how passionate and serious you truly are about adapting your goals when a challenge disrupts your path; for it is the type of choices and attitudes you set forward that will de-

termine your mindset. And here is the thing, there will always be some sort of roadblock in your way, whether it is within or beyond your control. The simple solution is to befriend the challenges that come in the way of achieving your goals. Befriend the roadblock and learn from it because rock bottom too can act as a foundation for growth.

Ana Karen Garza / THE MIKE.

So, if you find yourself slowly giving up on your New Year’s resolutions, remember that you can start fresh over and over again; heck, we’ve been doing it for years.

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FEATURES

Features Editor Téana Graziani features@readthemike.com

Students of St. Mike’s: V4.0: Sophia Lahey Sophia Lahey is a fourth-year St. Mike’s student majoring in Political Science and double minoring in English and Cinema Studies.

What sorts of co-curricular roles have you undertaken while at St. Mike’s?

I have been a part of the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) Orientation since my second year as a leader and most recently a marshal. I was also a part of the St. Michael’s College Student Union (SMCSU) as Arts Officer.

Outside of St. Mike’s, I am part of the Victoria’s Secret PINK Campus team as the team leader for the Campus Outreach Coordinators. I am also part of the University of Toronto (U of T) Her Campus Chapter as a writer, editor, and co-host for their video portion (which I highly recommend you check out).

What inspired you to get involved as actively as you have been in the community, what lessons have you taken away from all of these experiences, and what lessons do you feel you have helped contribute into shaping the community?

What inspired me was really the people in the community. I’ve never experienced such a welcoming community before in my life. In high school I was

biggest personal accomplishment because that was the turning point for me; from being a shy follower into a confident leader. What I have learned and/ or taken away from these experiences is that you have to be vulnerable and take risks. I almost didn’t join anything because I didn’t want to step outside of my comfort zone in fear that I may be rejected. I have to thank my friends for pushing me to do so because I wouldn’t have half the friendships and experiences I do now. So, step outside your comfort zone and join that club or run for that position, especially at such an amazing community as USMC. Outside of school, what activities and hobbies do you take part in?

I’m not really part of any clubs or organizations outside of school. But I do enjoy writing and creating stories and songs, which not a lot of people know about me.

Sophia and Julia Pearce (Pran Sathiy / THE MIKE).

Sophia Lahey (Pran Sathiy / THE MIKE).

Pran Sathiy STAFF WRITER/PHOTOGRAPHER

a very shy person with low self-confidence so I didn’t put myself out as much in fear of being rejected. Seeing the people who were involved in this community made me want to be involved. I first joined Orientation, which made my passion to be more involved grow. I decided to run for SMCSU, which was my

What advice would you give to incoming students and first-year students on your undergraduate experience?

Don’t compare yourself to others.

Whether it be about grades, looks, or any sort of success. Each and every one of us has our own story to tell and nobody’s is like any other. And that’s amazing. Write your own story, don’t plagiarize.

A lot can be said about a person’s character based on their favourite food. What’s yours?

Good question. My favourite food is seafood. What does that say about me?

According to the Huffington Post, it suggests a willingness to try new things and go outside of your comfort zone.

“Flexible and rarely rattled.”

As a graduating student, what’s next for you?

This question used to give me anxiety. But I can now confidently answer it. I want to do a postgraduate program in Public Relations at Humber College and hopefully do PR for political parties (think Olivia Pope) or an entertainment company.

Pran Sathiy / THE MIKE.

My Winter Song

A step into the life of a first-year international student experiencing their first holiday away from home Nour Ramzi CONTRIBUTOR Fear, excitement, curiosity, sadness, happiness, homesickness, and more fear. That pretty much sums up what it felt like to be an international student embarking on winter break in Canada for the first time, alone, 7,000 miles away from home. A lot of people asked me why I chose not to go back over the break. Well, other than the fact that home is the city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, making it an 18-hour, $2,300 CAD flight, my last exam beautifully landed on the 20th of December, making a trip back home almost useless. So, I had to spend my break here. To say I was scared is an understatement at best. Not only was I alone, but I was also about to experience snow/winter for the first time in my life. Ever. Exciting, right?

Thankfully, I have a couple of distant relatives scattered around the GTA, so that made it a little easier.

But regardless, the feeling that all my friends got to go home to see their families and friends in the beautiful sun and lay at the beach in 20-degree weather (which, I must add, they find “freezing” according to my mom) was not easy to begin with and it did not get any easier as the break went by. Even when I was hanging out with family members who claim they remember me from when I was “this” little, I could not recognize them for the life of me.

But enough sob stories. Let me tell you about the good stuff because, as surprising as it was, there was a lot of it. Over the break, I took the opportunity to discover Toronto, as well as its neighbouring cities,

and the break also gave me the time to work on an exciting new project.

In terms of Toronto, one place I frequented was Kensington Market. The atmosphere was so welcoming and happy all the time, and the incredible food was a plus. Another thing I took the time to discover in Toronto was the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). I’m not joking. Back home, the only form of public transit was the bus or a taxi, and you only took the bus if you wanted to be smothered between a bunch of extremely sweaty guys (bearing in mind the temperature in the summer, on a good day, is between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius). So, I wasn’t used to subways or streetcars. And that’s why I had my friend force me to attempt riding a streetcar. I know what you’re thinking — my winter break sounds thrilling so far. On a more serious note though, these might sound like small accomplishments, but at least now I can take a streetcar instead of deciding not to go somewhere because the subway doesn’t get me there.

As for the neighbouring cities, I drove up to cities like London, Mississauga, Oakville, and North York. Although I didn’t get to do much in terms of discovering them, I had the privilege of meeting and hanging out with incredible people, who upon hearing that I was an international student, offered up so many things, from a place to stay to a list of places to go. I honestly found it so endearing and thoughtful. And this community that I found in all of those cities parallels the community I found at the University of Toronto (U of

T) and the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC).

So many people from USMC have been nothing but kind to me and have tried their best to make sure I didn’t feel like an alien in a foreign country, which means a lot. Although many plans ended up falling through or not working out for whatever reasons, just the thought that there are locals who want to help me made me feel comfortable, and I got closer to those people as a result.

Another thing that more or less occupied my break and helped me discover downtown Toronto a little more was my role in the upcoming Hairspray production (which you should all come and see, by the way).

A lot of people might say that it took days away from my break, but when working with the people involved, I got to be a part of something that not only distracted me from all the homesickness, but also made me excited for the future (as in February 15–17, when the show goes up at Hart House Theatre. Again, come watch!).

Overall, I can confidently say that my break turned out to be so much better and much less lonely than I thought it was going to be. I met Canadians from so many different places, got to know relatives that I didn’t know I had, learned that streetcars aren’t monsters, worked on a project that makes me happy, and I got to tighten bonds I’ve made with other students at U of T.