The Mike, Issue 8 (2017-18)

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

Volume LXX, Issue 8 February 15, 2018 readthemike.com

NEWS

FEATURES

OPINIONS

SCIENCE & TECH

Two tentative, strike-averting collective agreements (page 3) The Coop = Brennan 2.0? (page 10)

Room to improve: U of T’s approach to student mental health (pages 8–9) The need to minimize human error in healthcare (page 13)

2

NEWS

News Editor Aaron Panciera news@readthemike.com

U of T’s Mandatory Leave of Absence Policy: On Hold, For Now Announcement comes on the heels of OHRC letter, backlash Aaron Panciera NEWS EDITOR Bardia Besharat ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR On January 30, 2018, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) and the Students for Barrier-free Access (SBA) held a panel discussion about the recent reintroduction of the proposed Mandatory Leave of Absence Policy. This policy introduces a codeof-conduct–esque approach toward students with mental illness who exhibit behaviour that reaches the “threshold for intervention,” and was pulled from voting for the current semester due to student backlash and the request of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC).

The idea for this policy was first proposed in the Annual Report of the Office of the Ombudsperson for 2014–15. This policy is intended to target only students who exhibit these behaviours because of mental health issues. Similar behaviour with no evidence of poor mental health could fall under other university policies unrelated to the one being proposed.

Policy Overview “The policy is designed to be used in exceptional circumstances, and even then, only with very significant procedural safeguards for students and a rigorous approach to exploring accommodations and supportive resources,” Vice-Provost, Students, Sandy Welsh explained on the University of Toronto (U of T) website.

“We need a policy that allows us to provide support for a student going through a serious episode involving a mental health or other similar issue.”

This policy is proposed with the overarching guiding principles that all students have the right to pursue their academic aspirations and that all students have the right to institutional support. The primary aspect of this policy, the actual leave of absence, is meant to be a last resort.

While this policy is not meant to be punitive in nature, if a student is subject to this mandatory leave they will not have the right to reject the decision. Instead, the student in question would have to appeal the decision to implement this policy with the University Tribunal’s Discipline Appeals Board.

However, many steps would have to be taken to

reach the decision to invoke the Mandatory Leave of Absence Policy. This process would start with the student’s dean, who would request that the policy be invoked based on the student’s behaviour and concern for their well-being. From there, the student’s “case” would go to the Vice-Provost’s office, in which the student’s case manager and support team would make a decision with the Office of the Vice-Provost. At this point, a medical professional may be contacted, but this is not a requirement of the policy.

However, after a decision has been reached regarding a leave of absence, there is little in the way of guidelines for a student’s return.

“Each student would have a return-to-studies plan stating the expectations that would need to be in place to return to their program,” Welsh said. “Usually this would involve providing documentation from a health-care professional demonstrating they are well and able to engage in the essential academic activities of their particular program.”

Student Backlash Student backlash to the policy was strong and swift. It was a major factor affecting voting on the Mandatory Leave of Absence Policy. This caused the policy to be pulled from voting during the fall 2017 voting period and again during the winter 2018 period. Even though these were massive victories for the student body, Welsh does not seem to want to scrap the policy entirely. This attitude toward the policy has sparked students to voice their opinions on not only the policy itself but on the University of Toronto’s Accessibility Services as a whole.

A major concern with the Accessibility Services at U of T is the student’s burden of proof. Students are required to provide proof for their mental illness and during the panel, students expressed their opinions and feelings on the issue. The panelists discussed the arduous and difficult process of obtaining Accessibility Services and the ridiculous amounts of money and time involved with providing proof of an illness many students have had all their lives. Additionally, another

Volume LXX By students, for students.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Josh Scott

OPINIONS EDITOR Julia Orsini

MANAGING EDITOR Liam McConnell

ASSOCIATE OPINIONS EDITOR Bryan Liceralde, Leanne Grosbeck

editorinchief@readthemike.com

managingeditor@readthemike.com

BUSINESS MANAGER Rhonda Rathburn

business@readthemike.com

MANAGING ONLINE EDITOR Prijanga Ahilan SENIOR COPY EDITOR Jamie Stalcup NEWS EDITOR Aaron Panciera

news@readthemike.com

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITORS Bardia Besharat, Emily Barber

opinions@readthemike.com

FEATURES EDITOR Téana Graziani

features@readthemike.com

ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR Sara Alonzi ARTS EDITOR Miranda Mirabelli

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 WEBSITE EDITOR Angela Feng

arts@readthemike.com

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Emily So

ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITOR Ascenza Paolella

OUTREACH DIRECTOR Josh Simpson

LOGOS EDITOR Francesco Rampino

DESIGN MANAGERS Varisha Naeem, Garnet Ryu, Nicole Vucemilo

logos@readthemike.com

major concern students voiced during the panel was the absurd wait times at the Health and Wellness Centre due to the lack of staff.

Student resentment toward the university’s Accessibility Services was only part of the SBA’s general concerns surrounding the new policy. Students on the panel, as well as within the student body, voiced concerns surrounding the nature of the policy, claiming it was more of a punishment for students rather than a solution to help those who truly need it. The panel discussed the university’s tendency to not want to help students who do not fit into the norm and require additional help, saying, “It will be affecting marginalized students disproportionately more.” They discussed the general inefficiency of the appeal process and the detrimental effects it can have on a student’s education as it may take months to have a suspension rescinded.

Withdrawal from Consideration The proposed Mandatory Leave of Absence Policy will not be voted on this semester, per the request of OHRC Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane, as detailed in a letter obtained by The Varsity.

“The OHRC is concerned that the treatment of students contemplated in the policy may result in discrimination on the basis of mental health disability contrary to the Human Rights Code,” Mandhane wrote in a letter to the university. “Given our ongoing concerns, we recommend that the policy not be approved in its current form.”

The absence of a medical professional during the process, the unclear nature of the timeline of the absence, and the lack of responsibility the policy gives U of T toward students who pose a risk to themselves were all issues raised in the OHRC’s letter.

While the policy will not be voted on this semester, that does not mean the university is abandoning the policy entirely. The policy can still be amended and put to a vote at a later date.

STAFF Braedon Balko, Chan Lee, Korto Zambeli-Tardif, Laina Southgate, Lindsey Peng, Rory McCreight, Pran Sathiy, Yoav Shimoni, Jonfranco Monaco, Aaron Au CONTRIBUTORS Isabela Villanoy, Damian Di Biase, Victoria Lunetta, John D’Addario, Charlie Mitchell, Samantha Ramphal, David Carcasole, Joy Fan, Veronika Potylitsina FACULTY ADVISOR Randy Boyagoda COVER IMAGE Shujaat Syed Instagram: @shoejaat LOGO DESIGN Le nonpareil Chris Quental 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, as well as online.

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.

The Mike welcomes submissions. All submissions may be edited for taste, brevity, and legality.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @readthemike. You can also find us on the web at readthemike.com.

NEWS

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

3

USMC Faculty, Librarians Reach New Tentative Collective Agreement with Administration Prior to Strike Deadline Agreement must still be ratified before going into effect Josh Scott EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Early Saturday morning, February 10, the 24 unionized University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) faculty and professional librarians (UTFA-USMC) reached a new tentative collective agreement with the USMC administration. It comes following eight months of negotiations, and just before February 11’s 12:01 a.m. noboard deadline, averting a USMC faculty and librarian strike for the time being.

Both sides worked for 17 hours to reach the tentative agreement, which must still proceed through a threestep ratification process: it needs to be approved by the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) Executive before it proceeds to vote by union membership, and only then will it be sent to the USMC Collegium for ratification. UTFA represents unionized USMC faculty and professional librarians.

“The timing for these steps is yet to be determined,” UTFA-USMC Chief Negotiator and Assistant Professor in the Christianity & Culture program, Michael O’Connor, told The Mike. If ratified, the new collective agreement will last until June 30, 2020.

“UTFA is pleased with the outcome and that the bargaining team will be recommending the agreement unanimously to our membership,” O’Connor said.

In a post to the USMC website on the morning of February 10, USMC President and Vice-Chancellor David Mulroney wrote the following statement: “I am delighted to report that we reached an agreement (subject to ratification) with UTFA-USMC on Friday, February 9. As a result, there will be no disruption to classes or services on campus.”

Both sides had been in negotiations since August 8, 2017. UTFA-USMC filed a no-board report with the Ontario Ministry of Labour on Thursday, January 25.

It resulted in a 17-day timer, which was set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning, February 11, and would have permitted either side to legally take job action — be it with a strike or a lockout. Prior to the tentative agreement, UTFA-USMC planned to begin picketing Monday, February 12.

Their previous collective agreement expired June 30, 2017. Since then, the two sides have met seven times.

They began to bargain on August 8 and 9, and on August 9, the USMC administration filed for concilia-

tion (a motion that brings a third-party individual into negotiations to act as intermediary). Following this, the two sides have bargained in September, October, December, and most recently, on January 19.

USMC faculty and professional librarians are the only unionized faculty and librarians on the University of Toronto (U of T) campus. UTFA, which represents 3,000 members, is the faculty association that represents them as a union.

Should a strike have occurred, undergraduate students in courses in the following USMC-sponsored programs would have been directly affected: Book & Media Studies, Medieval Studies, Christianity & Culture, and Celtic Studies. Graduate students in the Faculty of Theology and the Toronto School of Theology would also have been directly affected, as would certain services provided by the John M. Kelly Library.

USMC faculty and professional librarians first certified (unionized) in 2011. Back then, “the main challenge was a lack of clarity and transparency around terms and conditions of employment… and equity as well as consistency,” current bargaining team member and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Theology at USMC, Michael Attridge, told The Mike. “Certifying produced a Collective Agreement that lays out very clearly now for both parties, [USMC] and [UTFA], what the terms of our employment are.”

“I think I can speak for faculty and librarians when I say that we’ve been more productive because of it,” Attridge said. “The [recent] Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant is a great example of that. Once you begin to understand more clearly your workload expectations, you can also then begin to plan for research projects that you can be working on, publications that you can be working on.”

According to Attridge, the first collective agreement between USMC and the USMC faculty and professional librarians was signed, following nine months of negotiations, in October 2012. It was made effective for a three-year period, retroactively, and expired on June 30, 2014. Following 10 months of negotiations, the most recent collective agreement between the two parties was signed, following 10 months of negotiations, in February 2015. It, too, was made effective for a three-year period, retroactively, and expired on

June 30, 2017. Since then, the two sides have been in negotiations. During negotiations, a freeze provision has guaranteed the preservation of the terms under the previous agreement up to the point of work stoppage.

For USMC faculty and professional librarians, there were four main issues on the table. They concerned hiring equity and diversity, compensation, job security and terms of employment, and terms of agreement.

First, in terms of equity and diversity, they wanted, according to Attridge, “the same language that’s at the bottom of the academic job postings at [U of T] to be used at [USMC].” This language “speaks about equity and diversity in detail, about [USMC] recognizing the importance of first nations, indigenous, racial diversity, gender, and LGBTQ diversity, these sorts of things.”

They also want there to be training in order to facilitate equitable hiring practices.

Second, they asked for salary and compensation increases identical to those given to other faculty and librarians at U of T. Last year, UTFA negotiated a 1% salary increase and $1,150, lump sum, for each of their members. Instead, the USMC administration has offered “almost half of U of T’s increase,” according to Attridge.

Third, they wanted greater job security for current and future faculty and professional librarians, along with identical benefits for part-time and/or limited-term contract faculty and librarians already employed by USMC as those received by their UTFA colleagues at U of T. USMC has proposed a new hiring category of limited-term contract faculty. However, USMC faculty and professional librarians believe this to be “precarious employment,” and that it does not sufficiently motivate participation in student and college life.

Fourth, they wanted a longer-term deal. “It’s strange to us that [USMC] wants a one-year deal without any sort of explanation,” Attridge said. “A one-year deal would put us back in bargaining in April. We’d like multi-year stability. We want to get back to focusing, I would say, exclusively on our teaching, our research, our professional practice or service, what it is that we do primarily, and for the students. One-year deals are almost unheard of in the university sector,” he added.

CUPE 3902 Unit 1 and U of T come to tentative agreement Attendees vote yes in ascension meeting, agreement heads to unit-wide vote Josh Scott EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3902 Unit 1 and the University of Toronto (U of T) have reached a tentative agreement following five months of negotiations, appearing to avert a teaching assistant (TA) strike for the time being.

The tentative agreement was announced late Thursday, February 8, via CUPE 3902’s social media accounts. It was reached with the help of a provin-

cially appointed conciliator, and comes in advance of the Monday, February 26, strike deadline that was set at a union membership meeting in late January.

CUPE 3902 Unit 1 represents over 7,000 employees at U of T. Its members are primarily graduate students working as teaching assistants (TAs), teaching laboratory assistants, markers, graders, and instructors.

The announcement comes on the heels of a Thursday, February 7, CUPE 3902 Unit 1 rally held in front of Simcoe Hall that, according to The Varsity, had over 250 attendees. The rally was set to coincide with the final day of conciliation.

At an ascension meeting on Monday, February 12, at 6:30 p.m. in Convocation Hall, union members in attendance voted to send the tentative agreement to a unit-wide vote for ratification. Polls are now open, and will remain open un-

til Friday, February 16.

Should the ratification vote in favour of the tentative agreement fail, and no alternate agreement be reached prior to the February 26 deadline, the union will automatically vote to go to a strike.

The previous collective agreement between U of T and CUPE 3902 Unit 1 expired December 31, 2017. Both parties jointly filed for conciliation.

4

EDITORIAL

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

Editorial:

Channels of Expression February 18 marks the halfway point between the beginning and the end of classes in the 2018 winter semester. In three short days, it will be reading week and we will be three quarters of the way through our respective school years.

For those of you who, like us, are in your final months, we’re something like fifteen-sixteenths of the way toward our undergraduate degrees.

Hard to believe, we know. For many of us, there’s but a sliver of time left before we leave this institution.

It’s a simple reality that you and everyone you know only make up a small fraction of the University of Toronto’s total enrolment of 88,766 students across three campuses. And despite this, we each try our best to transcend our statistical insignificance and grow and positively impact the communities in which we spend so much of our time. Some volunteer, some participate in student governance, some engage in academic research, some peacefully protest, some organize events for their peers. Others contribute to campus newspapers or artistic communities: that’s where we come in.

Here at The Mike, we believe that you, St. Mike’s

students, deserve, on top of a newspaper that informs you, represents you, and amplifies your views and concerns, a St. Mike’s-based print medium that enables and empowers you to express yourselves creatively.

We know there are more than enough creators currently walking the halls of Brennan, Carr, Kelly, and the far reaches of St. George campus to sustain a journal. We know there are more than enough St. Mike’s students with vast and exciting artistic worlds to offer, worlds that live inside of them, or exist hidden in notebooks or buried on hard drives somewhere, just waiting to be shared.

If you’re looking for a way to get involved, noticed, recognized, or appreciated artistically, look no further. We have founded a brand new journal of arts and literature titled The Lyre. You might have already seen some of our ads. Like The Mike, The Lyre is here to serve you.

Lyre is a homophone of “liar”: a nice irony given that we consider art one of the most effective ways of truth-telling. A lyre is a stringed instrument, similar to and a predecessor of the harp.

Issue 8 At A Glance...

In our main feature this week, News Editor Aaron Panciera and Associate News Editor Bardia Besharat take a look at U of T’s approach to student mental health services and how it compares to another similar North American university on pages 8 and 9.

In News, we cover U of T’s proposed Mandatory Leave of Absence Policy on page 2, and two tentative strike-averting collective agreements on page 3.

In Arts, you’ll find an article on U of T’s recent Drama Fest, and an interview with The Mike’s own Managing Editor Liam McConnell about his play, The Green, The Gold, The Grey that the SMC Troubadours put on at it.

In Opinions, Prijanga Ahilan, our Managing Online Editor explains why Tarte Cosmetics is ignoring people of colour with their new Shape Tape Foundation on page 10, and an international student from the U.S. offers his opinion on some of the problems that plague the Canadian healthcare system on page 11.

In Logos, you’ll find an essay on the complementary nature of science and religion on page 12. Science & Tech features an article on the need to eliminate human error with technology in the medical field, as well as an investigation into the future of lab-grown meat, both on page 13.

In Sports, you’ll find an article on the language we use surrounding concussions on page 14. In Features, you’ll find some advice on how to spend Valentine’s Day the right way next time around.

Find all this and more, inside!

It was used by the Ancient Greeks: those who lent so much influence to the foundation of our College. Much later, Percy Bysshe Shelley used it as a metaphor for the work of a poet. “Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is,” he asks of the wind, a force of inspiration and creativity. Above all however, a lyre is an implement of artistry: a way for one to express their creative side, to make it tangible, to make it heard.

Submissions are currently open, and they close February 15 at midnight! Visit us on Facebook @thelyrejournal or on the web at thelyre.ca, or check out page 16 of this issue for more information. They’re open to all U of T students.

We accept prose fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, drama, visual art, and more. Don’t self reject! If you’ve got something creative, we want to see it. Send us your work, and we’ll share the best we get as far and as wide as we can.

Yours truly, Josh Scott EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Liam McConnell MANAGING EDITOR

Another successful social media challenge for The Mike.

Congratulations to Raphael Padolina and Sophia Lahey, who each won the perfect care package to help them destress this reading week!

Thank you to everyone who entered, and be sure to keep your eye out for more social media challenges coming to a St. Mike’s near you soon!

NEWS

News Editor Aaron Panciera news@readthemike.com

5

UTSU ‘Know Your Rights’ Workshop Outlines Housing Law Concerns

What to know when dealing with landlords Emily Barber ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

On January 29, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) invited representatives from the Downtown Legal Services (DLS) to present on Housing Law as part of the “Know Your Rights” Workshop Series at the Multi-Faith Centre Main Activity Hall. The workshop walked listeners through the life cycle of a tenancy — from when you first sign a lease to when the tenancy ends.

By educating students and faculty on Housing Law, the DLS hopes to save tenants from common pitfalls they may encounter while negotiating details of housing agreements. Topics discussed included tenant rights, the basis of tenancy, rental control, lease renewal, and ending your tenancy.

The DLS focuses on working with tenants to help them deal with the power or structural imbalance that often arises from landlord–tenant interactions. In its capacity of representing tenants of Ontario, the DLS deals with both the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) and, if necessary, the Human Rights Tribunal. Its objective is to defend tenants when contention between a tenant and their landlord arises. The Landlord and Tenant Board deals with issues like contentious eviction situations, unpaid debt, or applications for needed repairs. Serious matters are brought to the attention of the Human Rights Tribunal, a common example being

discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other grounds covered under the Human Rights Code. There is a zero-tolerance policy for any discrimination or any form of harassment toward any tenant, and the Human Rights Tribunal is obliged to follow up on any complaints of that nature.

sations of discrimination. Landlords also cannot refuse first-time renters or newcomers to Canada on the basis of lack of rental history, or demand that the tenant pay the entire rent in full before starting a tenancy. Even asking for more than four months of pay in advance is considered illegal.

The Human Rights Code and the Residential Tenancies Act are the two pieces of legislation that can aid tenants when dealing with landlord disputes. Basic rules, rights, and obligations of both tenants and landlords, as well as repair and maintenance concerns, all fall under the umbrella of the Residential Tenancies Act and can warrant compensation of up to $25,000 from the Landlord and Tenant Board if the tenant’s appeal is successful.

Tenants can also appeal landlord demands if they fall under the Residential Tenancies Act. This means that individual clauses might be void, such as a no pets rule or a restriction on guests. Increases in rent can only occur once over a 12-month period, and only by a rate of up to 1.8% in Ontario as of 2018. Rent increases must be provided with a 90-day written notice to give tenant time to decide whether or not to stay. If not, then the rent increase cannot be enforced.

The basis of tenancy was another area the workshop shed light on, making important distinctions in what landlords have a right to ask for under the Human Rights Code. For instance, a landlord can request information like a tenant’s full legal name, address, job history, rental history, or even guarantors who can back up the tenant’s information. However, they cannot demand information like a social insurance number, visa or immigration information, or proof of citizenship. To demand any of these things is to violate the Human Rights Code and if tenants are refused, can draw accu-

Maintenance and repairs are an obligation of the landlord — issues like plumbing, pests, hot water, and heat all apply, even if the tenant was already aware of the maintenance problems before signing the lease.

For additional questions or more specific inquiries, check out the live stream of the entire Housing Law workshop on the UTSU’s Facebook page, or call the Downtown Legal Services intake line at 416-978-6447.

A Lower Fee for a Ph.D. U of T to lower tuition costs for most international doctoral students Braedon Balko STAFF REPORTER Starting in the fall semester of 2018, the University of Toronto (U of T) will be slashing international fees for a vast majority of doctoral programs offered at the university. Formerly, international students were charged $21,560 per session, which is a steeper levy than what most Canadian universities charge international doctoral students. However, from September onward, international doctoral students can breathe a sigh of relief because U of T is officially matching its international tuition with its current domestic tuition of $6,960 per session, a third of the previous price.

This charge will only affect students in their fifth year or beyond, because the first four years of U of T’s doctoral programs cover tuition. Unfortunately, many Ph.D. students take longer than a

decidedly brief four-year block to complete their degree, which incurs them annual tuition fees for every year that they exceed their funding period.

U of T is one of the leading North American universities in both graduate research and international outreach. Of the 6,145 Ph.D. students at U of T for the 2017–18 academic year, 1,179 are international students.

“Our international doctoral students have a tremendously positive impact at U of T,” Joshua Barker, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, told U of T News. “They bring new perspectives to research and are instrumental in building an international network that benefits our graduates beyond their time at the university. Our Ph.D. graduates are

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

employed in 97 countries around the world.”

The decision, according to Barker, is a part of a strategy being employed by U of T to “attract the top research talent” worldwide, since many talented international students have been intimidated by the potentially exorbitant sum of money that a doctorate at U of T would ultimately cost them. Barker notes that the School of Graduate Studies aims “to remove any barriers, financial or otherwise, that graduate students might face as they look to attend [U of T].”

Opponents of the decision point out the fact that, as international fees are not regulated by the government, many Canadian universities have seen a major boost in funding from an influx of international students paying interna-

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-

tional fees. Government funding, it’s argued, is intended to help domestic students.

However, the university sees this policy as benefiting the institution as well as its international Ph.D. students.

“The new fee structure will benefit current and prospective international Ph.D. students and help U of T compete on the global stage for leading scholars,” U of T’s website reads.

Alas, not every program will benefit from the new tuition fees. Some professional Ph.D. programs will be exempt from the price cut, including doctorates in the fields of Juridical Science and Education.

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.

6

ARTS

Arts Editor Miranda Mirabelli arts@readthemike.com

A Night at the U of T Drama Festival

The UC Follies, the SMC Troubadours, and the VCDS take Hart House Korto Zambeli-Tardif STAFF WRITER The University of Toronto (U of T) is the nexus of some of the country’s most exciting young talent in the dramatic arts. The U of T Drama Festival took place February 8 to February 10. Each night, three short plays were presented, all created entirely by students belonging to one of the university’s drama organizations. As suggested by the second night of the festival on February 9, it is with live theatre that the voices of the younger generation emerge the clearest and the most authentically.

The first show of the night was I Can’t Trust Anyone, Everyone Hurts Me: A Comedy, written by Aba Amuquandoh and Celeste Yim, and directed by Abigail Whitney, Khadijah Salawu, and Ahlam Hassan.

The University College (UC) Follies introduced us to three young women of colour attempting to order food at 2:00 a.m. in Toronto. One of their phones blows up with notifications concerning the sexual assault allegations against the trio’s favourite recording artist. As a result, passive-aggressive comments about one friend’s unimpressive boyfriend escalate into an argument about the individual’s culpability in a relationship. This play derives much of its power from the comedic talents of its cast. As indicated by the declaration of the play’s title, these women are angry at how men continually let them down. The en-

semble cast members amble around the restaurant set behind the three leads, ready to emerge as hilarious caricatures of annoying masculine archetypes.

The characters are highly individualistic, rejecting the mainstream language of social justice in favour of profanity and the authentic, spontaneous words of young women who derive strength from each other. If the conclusion is somewhat sappy, it reflects the reiterated love between these friends, no matter how cutting their commentary seems.

The St. Michael’s College (SMC) Troubadours presented a tighter, swifter, and more unsettling piece with The Green, The Gold, The Grey, written by The Mike’s own Managing Editor Liam McConnell, and directed by Shay Santaiti. Its subject matter is the Northern Ireland Troubles, presenting a nighttime bombing in 1990s Belfast. Two militant participants in the violence surrounding the Catholic-Protestant sectarian strife are dragged into a warehouse, where three mysterious and impatient figures seek to determine which of their two captives set off the bomb. Actors Rachel Bannerman and Matt Lalonde form the center of the drama as the two captives. Left to their own devices, they erupt in righteous anger regarding their opposing perspectives on the place of Ireland relative to the United Kingdom. This argument at first seems

like artificial soapboxing, but this quality comes to appear intentional. Bannerman and Lalonde are repeating the meaningless bigotry inherited from their parents. But even as they bond over a cup of tea, an unexpected noose tightens around their necks. In a stunning reverse, it becomes clear that this is a story about how the agents of an unstable state choose to continue the cycle of victimization rather than seeking the more difficult path of reformative justice. The smooth fight choreography of Emma Keil-Vine and Nicole Bell’s stark midnight lighting are also worthy of mention.

Something entirely different was in store for the third play of the night, with the Victoria College Drama Society (VCDS) presenting Tinsel Town Bartleby, which was written and directed by Emily Powers. A Hollywood intern (Katarina Hatzinakos) affectionately preserves various pieces of discarded fan mail addressed to a number of Tinsel Town’s celebrities. After some archival footage depicting the given celebrity is played on a projector screen, the letter-writer occupies center stage to act out a message that will never be read. Some messages are funny, others sad; some shouted, others understated. I personally feel that the final letter, presented by Catholic schoolgirl Jenny (Justin Park) to Otis Redding, is the most original and layered. What emerges from this series of confessionals is that our relationships with celebrities are largely illusory, based on a need to project our desires and emotional journeys onto a distant, monolithic figure.

The night’s spectacle concluded with a public adjudication by Professor Jill Carter. She made a number of incisive comments which inspired this reporter’s phrasing and encouraged the university’s dramatists to bring their stories out into the world. As Carter stated, “Our artists are our healers.” In these short plays about betrayal and celebrity, a lot of pressing issues for young adults can be processed. I encourage everyone to seek out further performances by the university’s drama organizations as the semester proceeds.

USMC Hits the Big Stage Liam McConnell on seeing his play performed at Hart House Hart House Theatre had the pleasure of hosting the University of Toronto (U of T) Drama Festival, featuring several colleges and their respective drama clubs, between February 8 and 10. On the second night of the three-day spectacular, the St. Michael’s College (SMC) Troubadours presented a play entitled The Green, The Gold, The Grey, written by University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) student and The Mike’s own Managing Editor Liam McConnell, a fourth-year English-Specialist.

The opportunity to see and view a play written by a USMC student is pretty cool in itself, but to have it also be performed and directed by USMC students is an honour, to say the least. When his play was chosen from among many, McConnell was “flabbergasted and humbled” that something he had written was selected to be performed, not to mention “thrilled that the SMC Troubadours were interested in something

[he] never anticipated would see the light of day.”

The story revolves around the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict that transpired in Ireland between 1968 and 1998, and it deals with the fact that many Irish citizens have grown up during the impact of the violence and have grown to prefer harmony and peace over war and chaos. This historical play “centres around two members of opposing paramilitaries embroiled in the conflict, who become trapped together and are forced to work through their differences, only to find they may have more in common than they thought.”

The Green, The Gold, The Grey took McConnell “about four months, with a furiously productive final week” to write. Some segments took longer to develop than others, like character names: specifically the two main characters, Enda Rowland and Ronald De-

wan. I was personally intrigued by the title of the play. When asked where the title originated from, McConnell stated, “The national flag of Ireland is a tricolour with green on the left and orange on the right, which is what green and gold in the title refer to (gold is poetic license). Green represents Irish Catholics, and orange for Protestants. The white in the middle represents the desire for peace between them, which hasn’t been fully realized even to this day. Grey, an obscured shade of white, represents that lingering spectre of violence. As the action transpires in ’98, at the very tail-end of the Troubles, they exist in a grey area between war and peace. Also, the characters have different interpretations of the same things: what it means to be Irish, for example.

Their answers to these questions are not dichotomous: they’re in a grey area of their own.”

McConnell said that he and fellow

Miranda Mirabelli ARTS EDITOR USMC student and the play’s director Shay Santaiti “agreed to keep our realms quite separate” in terms of craft. Having an idea in your head is one thing, but actually seeing it come together is another. Everyone dreams of writing something and having it performed on stage for an actual audience to see. McConnell has described the experience as fascinating: “Hearing conversations that were happening in my head for months being spoken aloud — by excellent actors, no less — has been strange and addictive.”

The play was presented this past weekend and has had nothing but amazing reviews. The SMC Troubadours put on a fantastic performance and have made McConnell’s vision come to life. The SMC Troubadours’s next performance is Hairspray! The Broadway Musical presented at the Hart House between February 15 and 17.

ARTS

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

7

Vessels, Vases, and the Essence of Beauty Japan Now: Form + Function at Gardiner Museum

Isabela Villanoy CONTRIBUTOR Vessels and vases are known to be timeless pieces of art. Since antiquity, they have served as classic functional and decorative items in any room or space.

A wide array of glass, earthenware, and porcelain vases has adorned the castles of Roman and Chinese emperors, and the studios of hardworking potters of the ancient civilizations. Their beauty resonates through time and in various places of the world. The Gardiner Museum showcases these timeless beauties as you are immediately welcomed by the lobby’s captivating clay art display entitled Japan Now: Form + Function.

Curated by Joan B. Mirviss, the display showcases 10 unique vessels created by “leading and emerging artists” who are making an impact with their innovative, fresh, and brilliant artistry in the ceramic world. The vessels, inspired by Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and western designs, feature the marriage of traditional and avant-garde ceramic art while underscoring their form and function in a highly sophisticated manner.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the rich history

Ogata Kamio’s marbleized work, Neriage Vessel (Isabella Villanoy / THE MIKE).

of Japanese pottery can be traced back to the Jōmon period (10,500–c. 300 BCE). Since its early history, Japanese vessels are created for daily use while emphasizing their “sophistication of form” and ingenious design.

Each vessel of this display expresses the beauty of the natural world in creative ways. The Neriage Bottle by Itō Hidehito mirrors the elegance of nature as seen through the whiteness of the marbleized porcelain. The vessel’s grandeur and simplicity pays homage to Chinese aesthetic. Inspired by the Greek amphora, the vessel’s elongated and narrow neck resembles a flower’s stem while the vessel’s mouth spreads open like a flower in its bloom. On the other hand, Nakamura Takuo’s stoneware called Vessel that is not a Vessel exhibits a contemporary blend of kutani polychrome porcelain and 17th-century rinpa decorative painting. Inspired by Japanese literature, the vessel is beautifully designed with irises accentuated by a gold detail and a metallic glaze. It defies the common appearance of a vessel because of its distinct rectangular and curved shape, and its horizontal position on the surface. Takuo brings much life to his artwork by balancing the exterior and interior spaces, while incorporating earthy colors to his design. According to Mirviss’s website, Takuo says, “It is my hope that my work successfully initiates a dialogue between the artist and the eventual owner that continues with every use. I believe that the true completion of my work can only be accomplished through the creative implementation on the part of the user.”

If an artwork had the ability to move on its own, then Ogata Kamio achieved such stunning artistic motion in his marbleized work entitled Neriage Vessel.

Kamio’s choice of neriage (marbleized clay) reflects his meticulous technique in putting together paper-

Nakamura Takuo’s stoneware, Vessel that is not a Vessel (Isabella Villanoy / THE MIKE).

thin layers of graduated coloured clay. The result is a diagonal and pleated surface that resembles the calming movement of ocean waves endlessly flowing toward the vase’s opening. One would have thought the visual effect of Kamio’s work was a trick done by light or an optical illusion of one’s mind. Viewing the Neriage Vessel is definitely a playful and interactive experience between the artist and observer.

Every vessel left me awestruck with its impeccable craftsmanship. To be able to translate the beauty of the natural world is one thing, but to be able to trigger emotions is beauty in itself. That is exactly how I saw it. I saw it as beauty unfolding before my eyes. The truth is that I would not be able to describe this timeless beauty without seeing and feeling the experience. Beauty captivates your senses. It is through experience, not words, that beauty comes to life.

The Japan Now: Form + Function lobby display at the Gardiner Museum will run until April 22, 2018.

The Louvre Comes to Toronto

Édouard Baldus: The Louvre Folios, 1855–1857 at the AGO Laina Southgate STAFF WRITER Until April 8, 2018, at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), you can visit Édouard Baldus: The Louvre Folios, 1855–1857, an exhibit curated to showcase the renovation of the Louvre in Paris, France, in 1855. The exhibit is a flashback to the past with photographs documenting the changes in Louvre architecture and design. The exhibit itself is easy to find as it is on the main level, and features many different photographs and details of the new and refreshed Louvre architecture.

Laina Southgate / THE MIKE.

The commission that Baldus received from the French government ensured the documentation of the renovation process and also provided images to assist the builders. This proved to be significant because it was one of the first times photography was used in tandem and partnership with architecture. Using a

camera as a tool for guiding construction had never been done before, and it ushered a new era in which cameras became tools for the trades. While there are in actuality hundreds of photos, only a select few are featured at the AGO, and these focus on various sculptural details and small images that lavishly decorate the buildings.

The photographs of the various details served two very important purposes: as aids for the builders and “as propaganda sent to foreign heads of state, demonstrating the ability of the Second Empire to carry off this vast and complex project and the talent of its artists and builders” (AGO). The photographs featured at the AGO are from six folios from around 1860. The collection in its entirety consists of 546 salted paper prints. In each photo, Baldus “filled each frame with his subject and suppressed the background as much as possible” (AGO). He also took his photographs from high vantage points, which resulted in more dramatic images. The results were spectacular and Baldus became a favorite photographer of the French government.

The exhibit features a large photograph of a building called the Pavillon Sully, which highlights certain elements of the building and makes them appear larger.

These photographs give the viewer a chance to observe details about the building that they would likely

not otherwise notice. For example, a legend next to the larger photo is one that explains architectural elements such as “cresting,” which are decorative ornaments placed on top of a building, and “caryatids,” which are architectural columns. Another feature of the exhibit is a section about an element called “putti” or “artistic representations of nude children, usually male” (AGO). These putti reflect different seasons and activities, such as wine-making, French colonialism in Africa, and astronomy. The putti look like small sculptures of plump children.

This exhibit is rich in history and innovation, and any viewer will learn much about the history of architecture, art, and the ways in which history is preserved.

Laina Southgate / THE MIKE.

8

FEATURES

News Editor Aaron Panciera news@readthemike.com

Room to Improve: U of T Student Mental Health Services U of T, the OHRC, and UC Berkeley Aaron Panciera NEWS EDITOR Bardia Besharat ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto (U of T) has a horrendous reputation for its undergraduate mental health services. With the recent withdrawal from consideration of the proposed Mandatory Leave of Absence Policy due to backlash from students and concerns outlined by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) in a letter obtained by The Varsity, U of T’s approach to student mental health has come under an incredible amount of criticism.

approach takes all aspects of one’s life, from individual characteristics to societal and political issues, and creates possible outcomes based on these aspects. This includes outcomes such as one’s education, social inclusion or marginalization, risk of facing legal or criminal consequences, etc.

The concept behind this is that, especially in the lives of young people, one factor in isolation will not be the sole contributor, or even primary contributor, to one’s depreciating mental health. In the university However, these complaints are not unique to context, the systems approach is meant to U of T, as they plague many of North America’s highlight the reciprocal relationship between most “elite” colleges and universities. This mental well-being and academic success. begs the question: is U of T atypical in its lack of exceptional mental health treatment, However, this report only contains or are comparable universities just as bad? recommendations, with no substantive policy changes or recommendations. The proposed Mandatory Leave of Absence The U of T Approach Policy, U of T’s most notable policy proposal on the issue this year, has been condemned In 2014, U of T released its student mental by the OHRC because the policy “may result health strategy and framework entitled in discrimination on the basis of mental “Report of the Provostial Advisory Committee health disability contrary to the Human on Student Mental Health.” This report Rights Code.” Any policy found contrary essentially laid out the blueprint for how to the Human Rights Code should not be the university handles the mental health of considered an appropriate policy to enact its students, recommending “the adoption on its students, especially those already of a systems approach as the overarching struggling with poor mental health. institutional strategy.”

“A systems approach focuses not just on health and wellness services and programs, but regards the entire University environment as necessarily involved in creating the conditions that allow its students to flourish,” the report read.

The UC Berkeley Approach

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) remains to be one of the world’s leading universities. It has Division I sports, world class education, and surprisingly one of the best mental health services offered to A systems approach to mental health is students. Although the University of Toronto common in treating young people. The parallels Berkeley’s academic prestige, it

does not offer nearly the same resources for student mental health.

A major dividing factor between the two universities can simply be found in the websites for mental health services. U of T’s website is difficult to navigate, and it is often unclear as to what services the university offers to students with mental illness. On the other hand, UC Berkeley maintains an easyto-navigate and clear website offering a wide range of mental health services, including an online hub for mental illness screenings as well as tips for a healthier lifestyle.

In addition to a better website and online resources, UC Berkeley’s Tang Center consistently ranks in the top five for best university health centers. Rated as the third best wellness center for universities by topcounselingschools.org, the Tang Center is a model wellness center that all universities should strive to achieve. This is due to the wide range of services offered, from a general urgent care clinic to counseling for drug and alcohol abuse. The Tang Center offers dedicated women’s and LGBTQ+ services as well, creating a more accepting environment for students. Not only does the Tang Center have excellent mental health services, as they have mental health programs for eating disorders, abuse, domestic violence, as well as many other issues, but they also provide a Career Counseling Library.

Another reason UC Berkeley has great mental health services is due to the administration of the university putting in a considerable amount of effort into these services. In fact, the Division of Student Affairs offers a page on its website in which the Dean

University of Toronto’s Governing Council Boardroom in Simcoe Hall (U of T).

FEATURES of Students expresses his views on mental illness and shares his experiences with them as well, stating, “Whether you are faced with adjustment issues, depression, or anxiety, or are dealing with stress or time management problems that are affecting your academic performance, we want you to know that we are here to help — that you matter and that you are not alone.”

How U of T Can Improve

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

9

Leave of Absence Policy. The concept of the intent of preventing harm.” policy is neither unique to U of T nor harmful.

In many cases, taking a break from school is what is best for the student, similar to a mental health gap year. However, it is within the details of this policy that the university makes it clear that students suffering from mental health are a burden in its eyes. During the process, not only is a medical professional not required at any point, but there is little plan for the student’s life post-leave of absence. The university is not responsible for making alternative arrangements for the student in terms of treatment, living arrangements (if the student lived on U of T residence), and at no point is the university obliged to keep students safe when showing evidence of self harm. Even before a student begins to show behaviour that might legitimately call for this policy, the university has no obligation, and makes no effort to create obligation in the policy, to accommodate the student when they are showing signs of deteriorating mental health prior to behaviour that may harm themselves or others.

The first step to fixing the horrendous reputation that the university has toward providing mental health services is in listening to its students, as well as medical professionals. According to data published by the University of Toronto, as of June 30, 2016, U of T and Berkeley have almost identical endowments, with U of T at $2.13 billion and UC Berkeley at $2.06 billion.

Furthermore, both schools have similar undergraduate student populations with Berkeley having around 30,000 students and the St. George campus having about 40,000 students. This eliminates the excuse of not having the resources to give the appropriate care necessary to students’ mental health.

“The Policy appears to allow the University to immediately put the student on leave and While curing student mental health issues withdraw essential services (housing, health, is a daunting task, giving the appearance and counselling services) at a time when of better resources is the first step toward a the student is in crisis and most in need of healthier U of T community. The university’s support,” read an OHRC letter to the Chair of poor approach to mental health policy can the Governing Council Claire Kennedy. “This be summed up in the proposed Mandatory approach is not consistent with the Policy’s

UC Berkeley’s Tang Centre (Michael Drummond).

This issue is less about the current mental health services provided, but instead the approach the university takes to students suffering from mental health disorders. The university offers many services dedicated to helping students suffering from poor mental health such as the Koffler Health and Wellness Centre, the Gerstein Crisis Centre, and the University of Toronto Students’ Union’s new initiative, Peers with Ears. However, with the proposal of the Mandatory Leave of Absence Policy, the administration has shown that it views students suffering from serious mental health problems as liabilities that need to be removed from the care of the university. The first step toward fixing its reputation, and the only way to begin meaningful mental health initiatives, is to see these students as they are: human beings that need help.

The Future of Brennan Hall: In Pictures Renderings provided courtesy of Gow Hastings Architects *EDITOR’S NOTE: these designs may be subject to change.

The projected view from just inside the south entrance lobby of Brennan Hall, facing north, with a welcome desk and a new donor wall.

The projected view from the south, facing northeast, and what is to be the new Office of Registrarial Services and USMC History Wall.

The projected view from the south lobby, facing the former lounge area (which is to become, predominantly, the Office of Registrarial Services).

The projected view, facing northeast, from the Dodig Family Coop, which is to become a dedicated student study/lounge/event space.

10

OPINIONS

Opinions Editor Julia Orsini opinions@readthemike.com

Everyone’s Talking About It...

For the Wrong Reason

Tarte’s new foundation isn’t for everyone Prijanga Ahilan MANAGING ONLINE EDITOR anticipated was the limited shade range.

Shade swatches from Tarte’s Shape Tape Foundation launch (Aimee Simeon / POPSUGAR).

Tarte’s Shape Tape Foundation consisted of two lines: the hydrating formula and the matte formula. The lines consisted of 15 shades, most of which were suitable for lighter complexions. Of the original 15 shades, the line included four deeper ones. The lack of diversity in its launch spoke volumes about the company’s prioritization, or lack thereof, for people of colour.

Tarte did issue an apology for its blunder, but that only seemed to make matters worse. In an interview with POPSUGAR, Tarte representatives apologized for the exclusion of deeper shades and spoke about how there were already more shades in the works during the time of their launch. They explained that since the foundation was so highly anticipated, they decided to drop the first 15 shades with a plan to launch deeper shades in the coming summer months.

Companies such as Fenty Beauty have taken the industry by storm. Being a new company, it excited us all immediately as it hit the ground running with the launch of its new foundation, consisting of an impressive 40 shades. Other companies, high-end and drugstore alike, have upped their game as well by launching more shades to their existing lines to create a more inclusive brand. However, Tarte Cosmetics has made its way into the spotlight, but not in a good way.

You might be able to see why this angered the people of the internet even more so than the actual foundation launch did. This apology is nothing more than a backhand to a community of people of colour to whom Tarte has basically admitted they acknowledged as an afterthought. The company’s decision to prioritize the launch of fairer shades is not only sending a message regarding the type of brand it is, but also the type of people it prioritizes catering to. This industry has a history of excluding deeper shades, which is a problem that companies largely tried to address in recent years. For a big player such as Tarte Cosmetics to be neglecting such progress and instead digressing from such a path is something that people, including myself, did not see coming.

Tarte has been a trusted veteran in the makeup world for its high-quality products. One of its most popular products has been the Shape Tape Contour Concealer, a product highly spoken about by all our favourite makeup artists and YouTubers. So when Tarte teased the release of a Shape Tape Foundation set for the beginning of 2018, people were ecstatic.

The launch was highly anticipated; but what wasn’t

This issue is not something as superficial as makeup.

It is about representation. It is about diversity and inclusivity, something that is still not valued in this industry as it should be. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of walking into a store and not seeing a shade that matches my skin tone, and of having to instead buy more than one foundation in an attempt to mix myself a shade that could work. I also realize

The makeup industry has seen a lot of groundbreaking change throughout 2017 with one word in mind: inclusivity.

that I am not the only person who is not represented in the industry.

You might be wondering what it is that we could possibly do about such a longstanding problem.

There are a few things, starting with this: demand better. If a company does not want to support you or represent you in its products, take your money elsewhere. If a company does support your colour but is largely neglectful of others, then take your business somewhere more inclusive.

This industry is bound to be around for a long time, seeing as the demand never ceases. Let’s use that to our advantage and shape it to foster a more inclusive community. Let us all be represented in this industry that finds its power in its ability to help us feel more beautiful.

I implore you, ask better of these companies. We all deserve to be represented, so let’s work until we can make that happen.

Prijanga Ahilan is a fourth-year St. Mike’s student pursuing a double major in English and History.

She has been involved with many USMC clubs and programs during her time here and will be graduating in June with her fellow St. Mike’s students. She is The Mike’s Managing Online Editor.

Tarte’s Shape Tape Foundation: Hydrating Formula (Tarte Cosmetics).

The Coop: Brennan 2.0?

The reshaping of student life at USMC Damian Di Biase CONTRIBUTOR If you were to ask any student, “What makes a university?” they would likely say: “The life outside of the classroom.” The University of Toronto (U of T), having the large campus that it does, is home to various places where students can retreat from the stress of academia and enjoy the other aspects of being a student.

In the case of the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC), most students would state that their haven away from class is none other than Brennan Lounge.

The Infamous Brennan Lounge Brennan Lounge was a place for students to hang out with friends and de-stress from the two-hour lectures they just came from or were going to. Located in the middle of USMC, Brennan Lounge has literally been at the center of student life at the college. Its vast space allowed for various events to be hosted there: ranging from Frosh, to Kelly’s Korner, to Wellness Day. Both first-year students and alumni will attest to the fact that Brennan was an integral part to their student experience at U of T. However, with the recent reorganization of Brennan Lounge, the Coop has had to

take its place as the new student commons at USMC.

for hosting events.

The Reorganization

The Spirit of Brennan Lives On

Prior notions of the reorganization had many in disbelief that the Coop would suffice or match up to the atmosphere Brennan Lounge fostered. However, in the weeks since the start of the reorganization, the Coop has transformed into Brennan 2.0. Much of Brennan’s furniture has been relocated to the Coop, including the highly esteemed and relaxing Brennan sofas.

New implements include the St. Michael’s Student Union’s (SMCSU) tables, which allow for students to be productive in a social environment. Therefore, the Coop has allowed for many students to feel like they haven’t left Brennan Lounge at all. Sophia Lahey, a fourth-year student at USMC, likes how “the Coop is both bright and open.” Some have differed in opinion, stating that the size of the Coop is quite small compared to Brennan, and this can lead to it being overcrowded at busy times of the day. However, the recent success of Bell Let’s Talk Day illustrates how the Coop could be just as good as Brennan Lounge

Regardless of the furniture, vastness, or brightness of the Coop, it all comes down to the people. Brennan was as successful as it was because of its ability to allow all students to come together to converse, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. As Pran Sathiy, a fifth-year student at USMC, has stated, “Most students are indifferent to the change. As long as there is a room that provides a social atmosphere, then students will be content.” Therefore, even though the Coop will never be Brennan Lounge, as long as the students retain that social aspect the spirit of Brennan will live on.

Damian Di Biase is a third-year St. Mike’s student pursuing a double major in Political Science and Sociology. He is currently a USMC Mentor, research assistant, and President and Founder of the new environmental club “Clean SMC.”

OPINIONS

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

Combatting Social Injustice in Pop Culture

11

The White Rose movement at the 60th annual Grammy Awards Victoria Lunetta CONTRIBUTOR John D’Addario CONTRIBUTOR On January 28, 2018, the 60th annual Grammy Awards took place in New York City, with host James Corden. Like every year, the award show proceeded to provide recognition for outstanding artists and their efforts in the past year. This year did just that and more. Celebrities attending the 2018 Grammys used their platform for peaceful resistance by recognizing the rising issue of sexual assault and harassment in the entertainment industry.

On music’s biggest night, celebrities were encouraged to accessorize with a white rose, symbolizing their support and commitment to the Time’s Up campaign. Created by over 300 female Hollywood actresses, the Time’s Up campaign recognizes the rising issue of sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. Industry marketer Meg Harkins and promoter Karen Rait attended dinner during the week leading up to the Grammys with other music industry insiders.

The goal of this gathering was to generate ways to guarantee that the movement was recognized at the Grammys just as it was at the Golden Globes earlier in January. White has long been a symbol of the fight for women’s equality, hence the reason why the rose accessory was introduced: it represents solidarity, resistance, hope, and unity. After the white rose was chosen, Chair of Atlantic Records Julie Greenwald spread the word by a mass email. The number of celebrities that confirmed they would be wearing the rose was reportedly in the hundreds. Some notable figures who sported the rose included Nick Jonas, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, Meryl Streep, Rihanna, and host James Corden. Artist Rita Ora commented on the white rose movement in TIME stating, “To be

able to pivot attention to something that’s so helpful is super clarifying for any female that does any sort of job, to feel like they’re not alone.”

The stage at Madison Square Garden was covered in white during pop star Kesha’s emotional performance of her song “Praying,” from her third studio album Rainbow. The 30-year-old artist was accompanied by the Resistance Revival Chorus, along with an allfemale artist line up of Cyndi Lauper, Bebe Rexha, Camila Cabello, Julia Michaels, and Andra Day. In 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against her long-time producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald for reasons of sexual, physical, and emotional assault. The singer also requested for the termination of her recording contract with Kemosabe Records, operated by Dr. Luke’s label.

Gottwald denied all allegations and fired back with a lawsuit detailing a breach of contract and defamation.

After close to three years of legal battles, Kesha was denied extraction from her contract with Kemosabe Records in February 2016. In response, Kemosabe Records felt “ready, willing, and able” to provide Kesha with a new producer under her remaining contract.

The result of Kesha’s legal battle caused an uproar of disappointment and confusion worldwide. It is only sensible to think of her impassioned performance of “Praying” as a result of the recent spotlight on the Time’s Up movement in the media. Kesha’s horrifying story holds a single positive element in its core; namely, her ability as a popstar to have her story of the intolerable actions perpetrated against her broadcasted in the media. Her message of multiple oppressions tells other victims whose stories have not been told or heard that they are not alone. Her song vocal-

izes a message of hope and speaks to the healing and empowerment of abuse victims and survivors.

The White Rose resistance movement mirrors the black dress initiative displayed at the 2018 Golden Globes in January. As another award show has come and passed, questions arise for this year’s upcoming 90th Academy Awards as initiatives toward the Time’s Up campaign have yet to be announced. In the midst of February’s Black History month, it is essential to maintain an intersectional perspective of past oppressions and current injustices. That being said, the White Rose movement seems to be merely the beginning of initiatives part of the Time’s Up campaign. The movement will hopefully continue to spark activism and create awareness.

Victoria Lunetta is a first-year St. Mike’s student majoring in Political Science with a double minor in Music Culture and Women’s Studies. Victoria is a part of the Gilson Seminar at USMC and will be traveling to Rome this May along with her classmates. She enjoys volunteering at St. Mike’s events, participating as a student college guide, and playing the guitar.

John D’Addario is a first-year St. Mike’s student studying Social Sciences. John is a part of the Gilson Seminar at USMC and will be traveling to Rome this May along with his classmates. He also enjoys playing for the St. Mike’s intramural soccer team and participating as a student college guide.

The Reality of Free Health Care An outsider’s perspective on the system Charlie Mitchell CONTRIBUTOR Being an international student has many unique challenges. A new culture and new people can make being in a new country feel daunting and overwhelming.

For example, something as fundamentally necessary as health care can create a steep learning curve and adjustment period.

Fortunately, for my first two years in Canada I didn’t need to receive health care. However, starting this year, I have had my first experiences with globalized medicine. On paper, free health care for everyone seems like a good idea. However, upon closer inspection, the implications of this kind of society leads to mediocre care for the entire society rather than adequate care for most of society.

MENTE ARGENTINA (iStock).

In my first experience with the Canadian healthcare system, my immediate observation was how long it

takes to receive care. When I first went to the clinic I did not have an appointment, so I anticipated a long wait. Typically, in the United States, wait times are about half an hour. Little did I know that I would be in the waiting room for over three hours. Additionally, the doctor seemed very disinterested and unwilling to run any tests despite my symptoms. He didn’t check ENT basics and, if I hadn’t contacted my family doctor from back home prior to the examination to get a blood test request, they wouldn’t even have done that. If someone is ill for over three weeks, any doctor in America would immediately order further testing.

Regarding that illness, I was required to contact the clinic periodically to find out when my results were ready. This is impractical, and it seems as if the clinic could not be bothered to follow up with the patient.

Additionally, I had an appointment scheduled to pick up the results. However, I still had to wait two hours for a single sheet of paper. This is absolutely absurd and a complete disrespect for my time.

After this experience, I thought maybe this was an unusual, single negative encounter. A few months later, I had to go to the emergency room for a sports-related injury to my back. I was seen much quicker at the packed emergency room than the walk-in clinic, but the assessment process was the same. A lack of competence to perform basic medical procedures such as an X-ray on a back injury was evident. Both my family doctor and the doctor who saw me at my follow-up at the walk-in clinic seemed shocked that an X-ray was

not performed.

The bad experience was not limited to just medical assessment and expertise. My initial X-ray referral came from my family doctor in the U.S., so I went to the University of Toronto clinic to ask them about where to go to have the X-ray done and if they would accept the American referral. They told me they would accept it, so I walked to the place they recommended. Upon arriving there, I found that they would not accept the American referral after all, which forced me to go to another clinic to get the proper referral. This infuriated me since it was another instance where the right hand didn’t seem to know what the left hand was doing in the Canadian healthcare system. To make matters worse, I had to wait nearly a week to get the X-ray results back. I again had to call them to ask for the results since they would not call me when they were available.

I hear the argument all the time that Canadian health care is better because it is free. Let me tell you, I would gladly pay my $20 co-pay and get prompt, proper service any day.

Charlie Mitchell is an international student at St. Mike’s from the United States. He is double majoring in Computer Science and Statistics with a minor in Math. He is involved in many things, including being a Residence Don, the Intramural Representative for St. Mike’s, and he is participating in the Count Me In program.

12

LOGOS

Logos Editor Francesco Rampino logos@readthemike.com

The Relationship Between the Imagination, Science, and Faith Colloquium Essays: Part I Samantha Ramphal CONTRIBUTOR Human beings long for a cognitive narrative to make sense of the world around them. Two of the major premises used by man to account for his observations and experiences include faith and science. While these two are often viewed as separate entities, in reality they complement each other. The integration of science and faith can lead to a more holistic understanding of both.

One link between faith and scientific reasoning is the use of imagination. We use our imagination in science to construct possible relationships between observations, their functions in nature and the mechanisms which are responsible for these functions. In faith, we use our imagination to fill in gaps between the mysteries of the church and our limited field of vision and understanding. As Pope Benedict states in An Introduction to Christianity, “God is and always will be the essentially invisible, something lying outside [our] field of vision.” However, if faith is defined as belief in something for which there is no empirical proof or explicit evidence, then it can be said that everyone has some degree of faith, as we all adhere to a belief system; be it scientific theories or our religion or any other cosmology which provides us with an insight to the origin of and explanations for our observations in the universe. Science takes things apart to examine the mechanisms behind how they work while faith brings them together to answer the ultimate questions of what they mean. This article aims to explore the relationship between science and faith, the limits and benefits of each one, and role of the imagination in both by engaging with the texts An Introduction to Christianity by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Enriching Our Vision of Reality by Alister McGrath.

As a way into examining Ratzinger and McGrath, I would like to consider a case that David Foster-Wallace makes to us: “In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.” In the book Enriching Our Vision of Reality, McGrath infers that everyone believes in something; whether it may be scientific theories or religious convictions. He examines the advantages of each as well as the disadvantages of theories in general; such as becoming fixated on intellectual patterns and consequently losing our holistic view of the universe, along with falling victim to conformation bias. Furthermore, he addresses the limitations of science and proposes how the assimilation of science and faith can lead to a more coherent view of the cosmos, while recognizing that even this combined view has its restrictions and that we will always struggle in our pursuit to piece together the narrative.

There has always been “the great mass of nominal believers and a relatively small number of people who had really entered into the inner movement of belief.” In An Introduction to Christianity, Pope Benedict questions what it really means to believe. He states that, “For many, belief was only a ready-made mode of life.” This can account for the cognitive dissonance between our proclaimed cosmologies and our realities addressed by Scharper in his work For Earth’s Sake. In the chapter “Green Dreams,” Scharper examines the relationship various religions have had with the environment and environmental crises, as well as the ways in which religions are dealing with climate change. He highlights how cosmologies (perspectives) are all around us and thus affect our mentalities and the ways in which we interact with

the environment. The text encourages readers to become more aware of the discrepancies between their professed beliefs and their actions and brings light to how our religious convictions have been eclipsed by consumerism. This raises the question that if through a religious lens we view the natural world as a sacred space then why do we continue to pollute and destroy our environment? The answer can be found in nominal belief. If we do not truly believe in the sanctity of creation, then what condemns us to respect it at times when it is not convenient to us? Also, how is it that one can move from nominal belief to “the inner movement of belief?”

A monochrome image of a planetary nebula through an H-alpha filter (The Vatican Observatory).

The function of the imagination is to interpolate our intellect and capacity to understand as humans to encompass mysteries and observations in the world around us for which there is no existing explanation. Pope Benedict reminds us that “there is an infinite gulf between God and man” and that “man is fashioned in such a way that his eyes are only capable of seeing what is not God, and thus for man God is and always will be the essentially invisible something lying outside his field of vision.” The imagination is needed in faith to understand things for which there is no empirical evidence, and allows us to form a more profound and intelligible perceptive of abstract aspects of our faith. This is seen in Dante’s Divine Comedy as he uses his imagination to create a cohesive description of the various circles of hell, the Mount of Purgatory and the heavenly spheres. While not necessarily literally accurate, Dante’s depictions are true metaphysically. Similarly, in the scientific method, the imagination is used to create links between observations and their possible functions in nature. However, scientific truth is only accepted once there is a sufficient accumulation of suggestive evidence to confirm that “a theory is accepted as ‘true’ only when its assertions and predictions are tested over and over again, and confirmed repeatedly” while faith is belief in something for which there is no evidence. Therefore, it can be said that faith transcends our ability to reason and begins at the limits of science.

Reality is a multidimensional concept. Of the various approaches to understanding this enigma, each has its own unique significance to comprehending the phenomenon. McGrath appreciates the value of science while recognizing its limits, and states: “Science is really good at taking things apart so that we can see how they work. Faith puts them back together again so that we can see what they mean.” Pope Francis promotes McGrath’s argument by acknowledging the importance of a theological approach stating: “The

creation accounts in the book of Genesis contain, in their own symbolic and narrative language, profound teachings about human existence and its historical reality.” McGrath draws on Mary Midgley’s theory which states: “If we are to appreciate the complex texture of our world of observation and experience, we need to make use of ‘many maps, many windows,’ in the sense that there are ‘many independent forms and sources of knowledge.” While theology and science each have their own individual strengths in discerning the ‘big picture,’ it is only through the integration of the two that we can form a more holistic analysis of the world around us. McGrath states: “The Christian faith has the potential to enrich a scientific narrative.”

Pope Francis reiterates this, stating: “Nature is usually seen as a system which can be studied, understood and controlled, whereas creation can only be understood as a gift from the outstretched hand of the Father of all (...).” He continues on to say “Faith allows us to interpret the meaning and the mysterious beauty of what is unfolding (…). We understand better the importance and meaning of each creature if we contemplate it within the entirety of God’s plan.” Remembering the strengths of each approach, we can understand how the scientific method can facilitate a greater appreciation for and understanding of religious principles and theological concepts. Science accounts for the mechanisms, reactions, and processes which are responsible for our observations in nature. This helps us to more deeply appreciate the complexity of God’s creations. “[For some], faith is present against doubt; for [others], through doubt and in the form of doubt.” Pope Benedict reminds us that there will always be the question of ‘what if’ which creates a window of opportunity for communication between the believer and the doubter. If we consider the scientist a doubter, trusting in only concrete facts which can be supported by empirical evidence, when he comes into contact with a believer, the line of communication can be beneficial to both. The scientist is exposed to a new realm of possibilities while the believer may be challenged by question about his beliefs, providing him with an opportunity to deepen his faith. The doubter’s experience is illustrated in Ratzinger’s citation of Martin Buber’s tale of the scholar and the Rabbi: “A very learned man, who had heard of the Rabbi of Berditchev [and] paid a visit to him in order to argue, as was his custom, with him, too, and to shatter his old-fashioned proofs of the truth of his faith. When he entered the Rabbi’s room, he found him walking up and down with a book in his hand, rapt in thought. The Rabbi paid no attention to the new arrival. Suddenly [the Rabbi] stopped, looked at [the scholar] fleetingly, and said, ‘But perhaps it is true after all.’ The scholar tried in vain to collect himself. His knees trembled, so terrible was the Rabbi to behold and so terrible his simple utterance to hear.”

If our goal is to discover truth about the world, our purpose, and our identities, then the unification of faith and science opens the door to an entire new domain of possible questions, expanding the limits of science and providing questions to which the answers may reinforce and intensify our beliefs. Furthermore, it is only through the use of our imagination that we can construct new hypotheses, conceptualize new possible interpretations of doctrine, and assimilate the two to formulate a more multifarious and detailed outlook on the universe.

SCIENCE & TECH

Science & Tech Editor Jiaxing Huang science@readthemike.com

Conspicuous Care

13

Improving Canadian health care by minimizing human error with technology Lindsey Peng STAFF WRITER Medical spending is 12% of Canadian GDP. That’s more than $242 billion or $6,600 per Canadian. In comparison, Spain and Italy both have lowered levels of spending (about $3,300/person) than Canada, yet their population’s life expectancy is the same or higher. There is no question that medicine is critical to our health, but do increased levels of spending lead to improved survival outcomes?

To start the investigation, many researchers started to look into the effects of regionally marginal medicine.

Since 1969, studies have consistently shown that patients in higher spending regions were no healthier than other patients. In comparison, it was found that there is more statistical relevance in predicting death rates to other factors such as income and education, but not by medical spending. Another study examined 5 million Medicare patients across 3,400 U.S. hospital regions and found that for each extra day in the intensive care unit (ICU), patients were estimated to live roughly 40 fewer days. The study also shows that spending an additional $1,000 on a patient resulted in somewhere between a gain of five days and a loss of 20 days of life.

While these studies are just correlation effects and the relationship might very well have been superficial, RAND Corporation went beyond the correlation studies and investigated if medical care actually causes better outcomes. Between 1974 and 1982, the RAND Corporation performed a randomized controlled study on 5,800 non-elderly adults from six U.S. cities. Each individual was given the same access to the same set of doctors and hospitals if they were in the same

city, but were randomly assigned different levels of medical subsidies. Patients whose medicine was fully subsidized consumed 45% more than patients in the unsubsidized group but with no detectable health differences.

In fact, some have shown that health care sometimes has opposite effects than we anticipated. According to a study done at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in America, medical errors are the third leading cause of death, more than the total amount of deaths from firearms, suicide, and vehicle accidents. What is more shocking is that even though the final autopsy results show that 40% of the initial diagnoses are wrong, autopsy rates actually decreased from a high of 50% in the 1950s to a current rate of about 5%.

Despite all of the inefficiencies, medical reform does not happen, and the general public ignores the waste and errors and shows very little interest in actual medical quality. For example, patients who would soon undergo a dangerous surgery (with a few percent chance of death) were offered private information on the risk of dying corresponding to individual doctors and hospitals at a price of $50. These rates were large and varied by a factor of three. However, only 8% of patients were willing to spend even $50 to learn these death rates.

training required are given. One of the studies, published on Chex Net, has shown that algorithms can spot pneumonia better than a radiologist, and identify heart arrhythmias better than a human expert, or even identify domestic abuse from a coagulated type of data that’s not available to any single medical doctor.

As medical care becomes more efficient when we replace human biases and errors with algorithms, we must not forget about the social comfort required by patients. As the book The Elephant in the Brain points out, the reason we have refused any medical reform largely lies in that a huge portion of medical costs is generated due to the need for social signaling. It is an evolutionary desire for a conspicuous care act in order to send a social signal to people that we have support physically and politically. Therefore, the need and job market for social interactions and personal care should not be ignored while we make the medical institution more efficient.

Fortunately, there has been an exciting push for medical reforms due to breakthroughs in new technologies. We have consistently seen that deep neural network algorithms are now better at diagnosing specialist cases than doctors, whenever the data and

Government of Canada.

Test-Tube Baby Back Ribs The future of lab-grown meat Jiaxing Huang SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Does meat taste good? Many people say it does. Yet, most people are unaware that meat production is very environmentally unfriendly. Many of the animals that we get meat from, such as cattle and sheep, belong to the animal family of Bovidae. They are herbivores and are characterized by their ability to ruminate. Rumination is a process in which the animals chew their food (mainly plants) coarsely at first, then ferment the food in their stomachs before regurgitating the fermented ingesta (known as cud) to be chewed again. That is why ruminant animals normally have four components in their stomachs: the first two are the fermentation chambers and the last two are the digestion chambers. Fermentation of plants in the first two chambers is done by bacteria, and this produces methane: a greenhouse gas that traps heat even more than carbon dioxide. That is why scientists now propose that, besides the emission of carbon dioxide by industries, the emission of methane by intensive animal farming also contributes to global warming. Furthermore, farming animals is a very energy intensive process.

This is because animals require far more crops (as feed) to produce limited amounts of meat. Scientists calculate that if a field is used for growing crops, it can feed 10 people. But, when it is used to grow animal feed, the meat which the animal produces can only feed one person. As the world population has explod-

ed in the last century, the demand for meat also has increased, leading to the clearing of natural habitats to make way for meat production, thus causing significant ecological damage. Some scientists believe that in order to save the environment, alternative meat-producing methods have to be found to replace the traditional methods.

Some people believe that this alternative method is man-made meat (also known as cultured meat). Unlike traditional methods where animals have to be fed, grown, and then slaughtered, cultured meat is produced by growing stem cells of an animal in a Petri dish containing nutrients and growth hormones.

Cultured meat is produced using many of the same tissue engineering techniques traditionally used in regenerative medicine. The first cultured beef burger patty was created by Dr. Mark Post at Maastricht University and was eaten at a demonstration for the press in London in August 2013.

Cultured meat has many advantages over traditional meat. First, it solves the ethical concern of many vegetarians and vegans, which is the slaughtering of animals. Many of them choose not to eat meat because of animal cruelty; but if it is cultured meat, they may be more willing to accept it. Second, cultured meat

is more environmentally friendly because it does not need natural habitats such as forests and prairies to be cleared in order to produce animal feed. It also solves the problem of methane gas production by ruminant animals such as cattle and sheep, and thus alleviates the problem of global warming. Finally, with the advent of technology in the future, cultured meat can be mass produced so that even those people from developing countries can enjoy food they otherwise may have limited access to.

Of course, there are indeed many obstacles along the way for cultured meat. The first problem is that currently, the taste of cultured meat still cannot match up to the taste of the real thing. The people who have tasted it reported that it was blander and less appealing. Second, the cost of cultured meat is still quite high, even with the advancement in technology.

A cultured patty still costs $11 US. Finally, and most importantly, can society really accept something that is somewhat “unnatural”? After all, when cultured meat first appeared in 2013, some immediately labelled it as “Frankenmeat.” However, with the progress in science and technology, these problems will eventually be overcome and the future will brighten for cultured meat.

14

SPORTS

Sports Editor Ben Denomme sports@readthemike.com

Concussions: A Linguistic Approach Mild traumatic brain injuries and the myth of the ‘mild’ concussion Josh Scott EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Have you ever heard of a “mild” concussion? If so, you’ve probably heard someone misspeak. The medical community makes no formal distinction between mild and severe concussions.

Despite this, in casual usage, the phrase “mild concussion” has become unnervingly common. When someone says, “Oh, it’s just a mild concussion,” not only are they being imprecise: they are also effectively downplaying the severity of what is, to put it plainly, a mild traumatic brain injury.

Perhaps the connection between the term “concussion” and the term “mild traumatic brain injury” explains some of the confusion. Concussions are typically defined as head injuries involving the temporary loss of brain function. The United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC) defines a concussion as the following: “a type of traumatic brain injury — or mTBI — caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, stretching and damaging the brain cells and creating chemical changes in the brain.”

All concussions are, by nature, mild traumatic brain injuries, as concussions are a particular subset of mTBI. However, not all mTBIs are concussions, at least, not according to the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. (In short, it would be inaccurate to refer to all concussions as mTBIs.) Concussions are on the less-severe end of the

brain injury spectrum. Of course, this is speaking comparatively, as all injuries that involve the brain are serious. However, from a medical standpoint, all mTBIs are only mild insofar as they are usually non life-threatening — which, mind you, isn’t to deny the power of a series of concussions to irreparably damage and destroy lives in a multitude of other ways that don’t happen to include death.

Recent research suggests that repeated sportsrelated concussions can lead to severe long-term brain damage. 4,500 former National Football League (NFL) players filed a lawsuit alleging that the NFL failed to protect them from the disastrous long-term health consequences of concussions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or severe cognitive impairment. (The players won.)

All of this is particularly relevant given the prevalence of existing misconceptions surrounding the meaning of the term “concussion.” It seems that the language we use to characterize concussions matters. Case in point: a 2010 study done by researchers at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario studied 268 children admitted with head injuries who had had computed-tomography (CT) scan results. One of the more surprising things it found was that many parents and clinicians used the term “concussion” to imply the exclusion of a brain injury in the following sense: “He doesn’t have a head injury, he has a concussion.”

For some of the reasons outlined above, this finding is alarming.

The same study also found that “concussion” diagnoses were strongly predictive of whether a child would be discharged from the hospital early and allowed to return to school significantly sooner than children who were not diagnosed with concussions.

Of course, with teenagers and adults, there’s also another force at work that is more difficult to account for: some athletes conceal the extent of their injuries out of a misguided but understandable desire to return to play as soon as possible. While they endanger themselves by doing so, in the case of professional athletes, it is important to note that they are grown adults capable of making their own educated decisions — though that isn’t to say they shouldn’t be more openly dissuaded.

In my lifetime, I’ve suffered three concussions. I was told at various points that all three were “mild.”

While I’ve been lucky enough to have had parents and coaches that put my personal safety above the interests of the team, others haven’t been. I’ve known plenty of people to shrug off far more concussions and continue to play and compete.

If you ask me, calling certain concussions mild and therefore implying that they ought not to be taken as seriously as others is simply irresponsible. The dangers associated with concussions should not, in any context (save for medical, clarificatory reasons) be undersold. Any brain injury is a big deal. I much prefer the brazen specificity of “mild traumatic brain injury,” because despite its medical inaccuracy, it seems to get this point across much more effectively.

Breaking In Some Tie-Breaks Shootouts and other game-ending gimmicks in major league sports Rory McCreight STAFF WRITER I have no strong feelings about National Hockey League (NHL) shootouts. On one hand, they remove the intricacies of the sport and leave the outcome in the hands of gimmicks and raw skill, but on the other hand, they let a game end definitively. On another hand, they give a last minute excitement to the game, but on a final hand, 3-on-3 sudden death is more fun.

One thing you can say about shootouts is that they are unique. Only soccer, with its penalty kicks, has anything like shootouts.

So, what I want to know is, what would shootouts look like in other sports?

First, I want to look at basketball because I think it’s where I have the most exciting idea. It’s not the obvious one, sure, the first thing that springs to mind is a free-throw contest of some kind. Structurally, it looks a lot like the shootout. Both are based on penalty shots, but the free-throws aren’t as exciting as hockey penalty shot. You would leave your last five players out and they each shoot one or two shots, and the group with the most points wins. This would come down to your worst free throw shooter hitting a shot,

and you lose the fundamental excitement of top-tier skill that fuels the shootout. So, what I’m thinking is some 1-on-1, 2-on-2, Uncle Drew style, first to 7 points event. You leave your best handles, surest shots or biggest bigs out there, and let it get settled old-school style. I know a good idea when I hear one, and that is a good idea.

Other sports, less good ideas, but are still fun to think about. Football, like basketball, has an obvious analogy. A high jump style, field goal competition.

Gradually increase the distance away from the uprights until one kicker can no longer make the shot.

Another idea comes from my favourite video game, Overwatch, and its version of sudden death. Who can make it the furthest? The first team sets the mark, maybe you have only 4 downs and no firsts, or you have only three downs, Canadian Football League (CFL) rules in the National Football League (NFL), and then the second team either passes the mark or fails. If you get a touchdown, you just keep going until the defence gets a stop. It would make a violent and grueling sport that much more grueling.

The sport that is the most difficult to pull apart into raw skills has to be baseball — it might be too perfect.

Sure, you could have a home run derby where every batter faces their own pitcher for one swing and tries to hit 9 of 9 homers, but that completely eliminates the defence from the game. Baseball is a densely intricate game, no person (defensively) stands on their own, each is dependent on another’s ability to field, throw, and catch a ball. The only two who stand alone are the batter and, to a lesser extent, the pitcher. Just the pitcher and a batter don’t leave much for a showdown. Hit or lose? Home run derby? Pitch until you throw a ball? The options aren’t thrilling.

Anyways, this is a fun exercise don’t you think? You can do it with other sporting events too, just for kicks.

Boxing, schoolyard shot-for-shot to the sternum instead of a judges decisions. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), bloody knuckles. Wrestling, why not just have some fake, but intense, arm wrestles? Marathons, run until you can’t run anymore. Speed skating, why not have a shootout?

FEATURES

Features Editor Téana Graziani features@readthemike.com

15

Graduation 2018

Whatever comes next, we can handle it David Carcasole CONTRIBUTOR Looking to the future though, as we all must, is when things can become truly scary. Throughout the month of January, as with many other students applying to graduate programs, all I could think of was January 31: the final day to submit my application for the graduate school I am applying to. This is a common final day for graduate programs, and I know a lot of my friends spent the majority of their time working on applications for schools, some because they feel it really is the next best step for them, others because they just think it’s the thing that they need to do if they want to get a good job that pays well enough for them to survive. It all feels very adolescent.

Convocation Fall 2016 (University of Toronto Alumni).

Heading into 2018, every student is looking toward the future. Most students in their third year or lower are looking toward April — the end of their classes and exams so that the school year can finally end.

For anyone in fourth year or higher, thoughts are still toward the future, but in a very different way. We’re all looking toward graduation, and to what will come after that. If you have it figured out, then you probably sit in the minority, as it can be not only difficult for students to figure out their life after university, but downright terrifying.

This is my fourth and final year at the University of Toronto (U of T), and going into this semester I started to

feel, or at least wanted to start to feel, a little nostalgic for my time here. It was times like going to the Coop to hang out with friends from previous Orientations that made me realize that this is the last year that I can do this as a U of T student. Yes, I can always come back, but it just wouldn’t be the same. I’m happy to say that I’ve enjoyed my time at U of T and being a part of the St. Michael’s community, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it came with its ups and downs. Every university experience does, and not just academically.

All in all, it has been an incredible four years. But now that it’s coming to an end, while I’m ready to move on, a part of me wishes it didn’t have to be over just yet.

Even though we’re not 17 anymore, it is still very easy to feel too young to be making choices that will affect the rest of your life. Grad school means more student debt, at least another year of being in school before you can start working, and for a lot of people, it could mean having to move to a completely different city (again). Now, this isn’t to say that we are not capable of overcoming all of the challenges we are going to face in the coming years. As convocation inches closer each day, we can take heart in knowing that we made it through U of T, which is not something to be taken lightly. Whatever struggles we have in front of us, we can get through, and the degrees we receive will be a sign of that. They will be something we can show the world as a graduating class that we graduated from the University of Toronto.

So no matter what comes next, we can handle it.

Doing Valentine’s Day the Right Way

How to spend your way to a happy February 14th Joy Fan CONTRIBUTOR Ah, Valentine’s Day. Smell the roses, put on your rose-coloured glasses, and throw rose petals everywhere. Oh, your significant other is allergic to pollen, and would in fact much rather you drop the acts of romance and just take out the trash? Nonsense! February 14 is in fact the best holiday of the year; nay, the best day of the year all together. Now you might be thinking that the whole thing is just a capitalist scam, but Valentine’s Day is the only day you can trust to let you know if you are truly loved in the only way that matters — romantically. No chocolates? No love. No flowers? No love. No stuffed animals?

You guessed it — no love. It’s as simple as that.

Even children can participate in Valentine’s Day! Think about all the happy schoolchildren that go to class and hand each other those little Valentine’s Day cards! Isn’t it cute? How could any other day possibly be better than one in which children can give each other relatively meaningless cards? Sure, Christmas has the spirit of giving, but Valentine’s Day has the spirit of love.

Romantic, isn’t it?

The glorious day is often criticized by those that do not get to take part in it

— singles, and the boyfriends that find it difficult to buy chocolates (remember: no chocolates, no love). They argue that the day’s only significance is in the fact that cheap chocolates come the next day. But what good is chocolate if it is not bought at prices inflated to reflect your love? Regular priced or discounted chocolate is what you can buy for yourself. Expensive Valentine’s Day chocolates are bought in order to say “Hey, I love you enough to spend way more money on this thing than it’s actually worth.” If that doesn’t just scream “love,” what does?

have a date on Valentine’s Day. But really, if you can’t get a date on the one day that all the other singles are frantically scrambling for one, what does that say about you? Now you might be thinking, “Oh, but people can be happy being single!” Well I’m just here to tell you that you’re wrong. How can I say this? You’re talking about Valentine’s Day. I’m talking about Valentine’s Day. Everyone is talking about Valentine’s Day. Why do kids in kindergarten get “married?” People need companionship, and if you can’t have someone else validate your worth, then how

can you tell if you’re worth anything?

Valentine’s Day is not only a great day for love, it’s a great day to find love. If you’re hesitant about asking someone out, why not do it for the one day of the year that everyone else is thinking of doing the same thing? No other time would be better! Valentine’s Day is obviously the only day in which the time is right. So go forth, don your red, pink, and white, and if Cupid doesn’t help you this year, you can just wait for next year!

What would you spend your money on other than chocolates, anyway? Don’t lie to yourself, you’re just going to blow it on other food anyhow. Investing in stocks? You’re too young and too much in debt to do that. If you start saving, how shall the banks, credit card companies, and the capitalist system continue to prosper? Now is not the time to be selfish, folks. You can’t put a price on love. It’s priceless. But if you are considering proposing to someone on Valentine’s Day, remember that true love that lasts forever costs three months’ salary for a ring.

Some will say that it’s not necessary to

3TEN.

16

FEATURES

Features Editor Téana Graziani features@readthemike.com

The U of T Arts & Science Undergraduate Research Conference Experiencing the research process beyond undergraduate boundaries Layla Pereira-DaSilva PHOTO EDITOR

Photo courtesy of Veronika Potylitsina.

Planning for the Arts & Science Undergraduate Research Conference (ASURC) began last year when it was noticed that the Arts & Science Students’ Union (ASSU) attracts many humanities and social science students to its events, but not enough science students.

“As the largest academic students’ union in the country, we wanted to have an event that benefitted all of our constituents,” said conference Co-Director Priyanka Sharma. “What I found was that there was a lot of undergraduate research being conducted at the University of Toronto, and we know that there is a need for opportunities to showcase academic undergraduate student work.” It therefore came as no surprise that the conference directors and selections committees received over 120 research abstracts from the humanities, social sciences, and science disciplines.

One of those 120 candidates interested in presenting their research was Yalda Mehran, with her paper “Sex Trafficking and Development in West Bengal.” After interning with the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre —

a project fighting human traffickthree months during the summer of 2017, Yalda was inspired to pursue a research project that incorporated the life stories of women who stayed in Sonagachi (Kolkata’s red light district). “What surprised me most was that, despite the fact that owning or managing brothels [is] illegal in India, police do not have sufficient funds to crack down on the brothels and rescue women,” says Yalda. “Government representatives of the area had an office right next to the red light district.” When asked what attracted her to the ASURC, Yalda cited that it was because it “gave her a platform to share her research findings with other students who might be interested in researching in this area.”

The daylong conference was divided into three sessions. Session I included presentations under the categories of International & Domestic Policy and Technology. Bidisha Sen was one of the presenters in the Technology session, discussing her work entitled “Evolved Inference and Beyond: Comparing Human Inferential Reasoning to Solomonoff Induction.”

Bidisha’s project began when she took “Introduction to Cognitive Science” with John Vervaeke (the conference’s keynote speaker). “I took the course for its relevance to my research field: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) safety,” Bidisha says. “Professor Vervaeke allowed us to write one of the course papers on human rationality, so I immediately chose that topic as it would be good practice for independent research, and continued reading the human rationality and AGI safety literature with that in mind.” It was in such literature that Bidisha learned about Solomonoff Induction.

“I realized no one had done the comparison to human reasoning and I knew I had a result to write up!”

Session II included poster board displays, as well as ten-minute presentations under the categories

CALLING ALL ARTISTS & EDITORS! THE LYRE is a new St. Mike’s-based journal of the arts in the University of Toronto (U of T).

THE LYRE is now accepting creative submissions from all U of T students, and staff applications from all St. Mike’s students.

You can find our submission form and our application form on Facebook @thelyrejournal, or the web at thelyre.ca. The deadline to complete both is February 15 at 11:59 p.m. If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about us, please message us on Facebook or email us at thelyrejournal@gmail.com.

of Art & Literature and Language Learning. The final session, Session III, included a bulk of the presentations under the categories of Data Analysis and Mathematics, Women and Sexuality, Genetics & Personality, People and Systems in Power, and Animal Research. “I found the 10-minute time restriction challenging,” says Chris Kaumeyer who presented his paper “Quasi-Empiricism in the Early History of Group Theory” in the Data Analysis and Mathematics session. “Given that I am working at the intersection of three different fields, one of which (group theory) is quite technical and required explanation for what was a general audience. It was a lot to do in ten minutes!” That being said, one of the observations made was how well presenters communicated their ideas to attendees that were not in their program. “On conference day, I was pleasantly surprised and super proud that each presenter made the space their own to best communicate their ideas,” says Priyanka.

Photo courtesy of Veronika Potylitsina.

When asked what motivated him to participate in the conference, Chris responded that “like anyone, I was motivated by the chance to share my work and evaluate whether I could go further with this or similar work in an academic setting. I think for many people it was the first chance to try to put your own work forward in a way that, as students, we’ve seen many other professionals do.” Similarly for presenter Madelin Burt-D’Agnillo, the conference presented her with an opportunity to put her research forward. “I believe that my research points to a social justice issue that does not often get discussed at the university (or in general), and I think it’s valuable to have this conversation in an interdisciplinary space,” she says. Not only did the conference give Madelin the opportunity to present her passion project “Body Size Activism and Size Discrimination Policy” with fellow students, but it was open to the public (her mom and best friend were also in attendance). “The conference was an excellent experience overall,” she says. “It was a moment I could share my work with people who are really supportive and proud of me.”

The Arts & Science Undergraduate Research Conference took place on Friday January 19, and was the first conference at the faculty level to showcase the interdisciplinary work of undergraduate students from the humanities, social sciences, and science disciplines. “Being the first time this conference has happened, we have created a good working precedent for if the conference was to be continued next year,” says Priyanka, “Jina Aryaan and I, this year’s conference directors, hope that the executives next year will continue, and produce an even better conference after learning from our experience!”