The Strand | Vol. 64, Issue 6

the

STRAND

FEATURES | PAGE 8

The legacy of discrimination in David Gilmour’s classroom

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER VOLUME 64, ISSUE 6 | 23 NOVEMBER 2021

EDITORS | DREW-ANNE GLENNIE AND SARAH ABERNETHY NEWS@THESTRAND.CA

02 NEWS

What's going Victoria College's on around review for the selection campus? of the president SARAH ABERNETHY, DREW-ANNE GLENNIE, & EMMA MACKENZIE NEWS TEAM

What: The Distillery Winter Village (in person!)

Where: The Distillery District When: Starting November 18, 2021 Formerly known as the Toronto Christmas Market, the Distillery Winter Village is returning for 2021. If you’re new to the city, this is a Toronto staple for the holiday season!

Victoria University has officially begun the process of selecting a new president of the University, to be announced in 2022

What: UofT Student Life: Exam Ready UofT Where: Booths all across campus!

When: Monday, November 22, 9:00am to Friday, November 26, 5:00pm University of Toronto Student Life is hosting their Exam Ready event ahead of the end of the semester. They will be providing students of all years with advice and resources for preparing for the upcoming finals season. You can even get a free study-kit!

What: Holiday Hills When: Tuesday, November 23 to Friday, December 31 Where: Stackt Market, 28 Bathurst Street Come down to Front & Bathurst for a holiday celebration!

It will feature interchanging vendors, live music, dining, workshops/DIYs, their signature ‘Crokicurl’ and more.

Check the schedule on their website for more info.

What: Victoria Off-Campus Association’s (VOCA) Home for the Holidays!

Where: Margaret Addison Field When: November 25 2021, 4-7pm (drop in) Next week, VOCA is holding their own version of the Toronto Christmas Market on the Margaret Addison Field! They will be hosting games and activities with prizes, alongside a photobooth, hot chocolate, and more!

Please note: VOCA is requesting that you please preregister for the event, though it is not technically mandatory.

What: Northrop Frye Centre Doctoral Fellow Lecture presents Transatlantic Exposures: German Photographers in Buenos Aires and the Female Lens by Marina Dumont-Gauthier When: Tuesday, November 30 2021 This lecture is a part of a larger series at Victoria College.

More information about the talk and how to register can be found here. (https://www.vic.utoronto.ca/whatshappening/nfc-doctoral-fellow-lecture/) What: 2021 Directors’ Showcase Where: Streamed online When: Friday, December 3 (7:30pm), Saturday, December 4th (2pm, 7:30pm), Sunday December 5th (2PM) Come out and support UofT student directors and their casts/crews in their fringe-style plays. Five plays will be streamed and developed as part of their DRM402 class.

What: Kensington Holiday Market Where: 365 King St W Main Floor When: Saturdays and Sundays, November 20 to December 19, 11am–7pm This will be the first holiday indoor market located outside of Kensington where there will be a wide selection of local artisan products! This seasonal pop-up is the perfect place to browse for some Christmas goodies for yourself or to find a gift for someone special.

What: High Park Zoo Snowflake Walk When: Sunday, December 12 (5–6pm) & Sunday December 19 (5–6pm) Where: High Park Zoo, 77 Deer Pen Road in High Park Take a wintery night walk through High Park’s Zoo and enjoy the beautiful holiday trees all lit up, and maybe say hello to some cute animals too! Tickets available online PWYC $10 suggested per family.

PHOTO | KIM NGAN PHUNG ROY SHI STAFF WRITER

On October 25, John Field, Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Appointment of the President at Victoria University, issued a memorandum notifying the University community that the Board of Regents had initiated a review to appoint a new President of Victoria University. The current president of Victoria University, Dr. William Robins, took office in 2015. In an interview with The Strand, Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (VUSAC) President Jerico Raguindin said that “President Robins [decided] to step down for personal reasons that I am unaware of,” adding that Victoria University would “have a new president by next year.”

Under Victoria University’s by-laws, the selection process for a new President requires a review of the University. Dr. Hugh Arnold, an Adjunct Professor of Management, has been appointed by Victoria University’s Board of Regents to conduct the review. The University’s memorandum stated that the review of the University “is intended to advise on the overall health of Victoria University, its mission, vision, current strategic priorities, and to identify the major opportunities and challenges facing the University.” When asked about the goals of the review, Arnold told The Strand that “the Review of Victoria University is being conducted in

accordance with the University’s governance procedures.”

According to the University’s memorandum, Arnold will be “consulting widely with the Victoria University community” in his review of the school. When asked whether or not VUSAC was part of the review process, Raguindin told The Strand that “VUSAC is involved insofar as the VUSAC President is involved on the Board of Regents … otherwise, VUSAC is not directly involved.” However, Victoria University students are able to reach out and contribute to the review process by emailing the appointed reviewer at vicu.regents@utoronto.ca. The six student representatives on the Board of Regents are also involved in the selection process, as is the firm Laverne Smith & Associates, which was announced in a letter to the Vic community on November 15. Students have been asked to fill out a questionnaire before November 29 regarding potential nominations.

Victoria University’s Board of Regents will be choosing the new president from a pool of candidates consisting of “fellows of Victoria University,” according to Raguindin. When asked about the search for the new president, bursar and chief administrative officer at Victoria University Ray deSouza said that “the Board of Regents will be proceeding with its Presidential Search under the University’s governance procedures.”

NEWS 03

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 23 NOVEMBER 2021

UofT to fully divest from fossil fuels by 2030 President Gertler expects representatives on pension fund to support divestment LAUREN ALEXANDER AND MARTA ANIELSKA NEWS EDITORS, THE VARSITY

In a letter to the community on October 27, President Meric Gertler announced that UofT will divest from all direct investments in fossil fuel companies through UofT’s endowment fund over the next 12 months, and will fully divest from all fossil fuel investments by 2030 at the latest.

Divestment is part of a larger three-part plan Gertler laid out for addressing climate change at the university.

“The growing severity of the climate crisis now demands bold actions that have both substantive and symbolic impact,” Gertler wrote in the letter.

Climate advocacy groups on campus such as Leap UofT celebrated the announcement, but pointed out that, while the endowment fund makes up a large portion of the university’s investment portfolio, the University Pension Plan (UPP) is not directly controlled by the university, and has not yet divested from fossil fuel investments.

History of divestment at UofT Previously, in 2016, Gertler had rejected a recommendation to divest from fossil fuels by the President’s Advisory Committee on Divestment from Fossil Fuels, a move which has since been widely criticized by environmental advocacy groups on campus.

Instead, UofT chose to follow an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework which assesses the climate-related risks of long-term investments instead of fully divesting from fossil fuel investments. Gertler noted that the university’s change of course is due to the growing urgency of the climate crisis, the evolving landscape of the investment industry, and the work of student and university-affiliated activists.

In his statement, Gertler also acknowledged the importance of the President’s Advisory Committee on Divestment from Fossil Fuels, noting that its work “marked a key milestone in the journey towards today’s announcement.”

Campus groups have been advocating for UofT to divest for the larger part of the last decade. Groups such as Divestment and Beyond and Leap UofT signed onto a nationwide demand that universities divest from fossil fuels in 2020.

Universities across North America have shifted toward divestment in the past five years, with Harvard University announcing in September that it was starting to divest from all investment in fossil fuel companies. That same month, Gertler said in an interview with The Varsity that UofT would also be unveiling an “even more ambitious plan to reduce carbon emissions from our operations” during the fall semester.

Details of the plan Gertler laid out a three-part plan for addressing climate change at the university level, with divesting from fossil fuel investments as the first part. Divestment will happen over

the course of the next decade — although the university is planning to cut out all direct investments in fossil fuels from its portfolio over the next 12 months, funds invested in fossil fuels through pooled funds handled by third-party investment managers will be phased out by 2030 because of the more complicated nature of these arrangements. UofT will also divest from all subsidiaries of fossil fuel companies.

Gertler announced that the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (UTAM) — the organization that manages the university’s investments — will commit, by 2050, to an endowment portfolio that will have zero net carbon emissions associated with it. Gertler further highlighted the fact that the UTAM recently joined the United Nations’ (UN) Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, a global group of investors all aiming for zero net carbon emissions by 2050.

By 2025, the UTAM will also ensure that 10 per cent of UofT’s endowment portfolio is invested in “sustainable and low-carbon investments,” significantly higher than the 2 per cent currently invested in these types of investments.

According to the current portfolio, that means the university will make a $400 million investment in these areas.

Gertler added in an interview with The Varsity that the university’s renewed position reflected the increasingly risky nature of investing in the fossil fuel industry. The university will continue to assess all investments through its ESG framework, which aims to produce responsible investments by considering factors that impact the physical environment, the well-being of people and communities, and the governance of a company.

According to Gertler, there are several ways the university will hold itself accountable to its commitment to divestment. The UTAM releases annual reports on its responsible investments, and its inclusion in the UN NetZero Asset Owner Alliance means that it will have to hit certain targets regarding climate action, of which the first one is set for 2025. The UTAM also receives annual report cards on its investing from the UN, based on UN principles for responsible investing.

“When a large institution like the University of Toronto decides to take such steps, it is our belief that this will both accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and inspire other investors to do the same,” wrote Gertler.

Funds controlled by UTAM According to the 2020 report from the UTAM, the endowment fund made up $3.7 billion in investments in 2020, while the UPP made up $6.3 billion. The short term working capital fund made up $3.1 billion.

Though UofT’s endowment portfolio will divest, its pension plan is managed by the University Pension Plan (UPP), which is the pension plan jointly sponsored by UofT, Queen’s University, and the University of Guelph.

The UofT pension plan was joined with the UPP in July of 2021.

The UPP has its own board of trustees separate from

UofT that will decide whether or not to divest. In an interview with The Varsity, Gertler added that he would be surprised if UofT representatives on the board “did not reflect the general direction and the philosophy that the university itself has embraced quite publicly in the last couple of days.”

UofT also has a short-term working capital fund which is composed of funds that the university must have access to on short notice. Consequently, the investments the fund makes are much more modest and for which “fossil fuel investment isn’t really a factor at all,” according to Gertler.

Community reaction Community members reacted positively to the announcement, with activists celebrating the victory, which comes after years of campaigning for divestment. However, many are also cautious about celebrating, knowing that there is still work to be done.

In an email to The Varsity, Leap UofT noted that the divestment commitment does not apply to UofT’s pension plan and that it does not mention the social and political implications of divestment connected to land disputes or colonial violence.

“This only further contributes to the evidence that UofT was in little to no way morally incentivized to divest, but rather that divestment was a financially motivated decision that was also convenient for restoring the University’s reputation, having been mired in a variety of scandals over the past year,” Leap UofT claimed.

Leap UofT also told The Varsity that the university lacks financial transparency regarding its direct and indirect investments, adding that given the information it had, most of UofT’s investments in fossil fuels appear to be indirect.

Consequently, Leap UofT sees the timeline for divesting from indirect investments as lacklustre, especially given that some universities have committed to doing so within the next five years.

In an interview with The Varsity, Allie Rougeot, a climate activist and UofT alum, expressed a similar cautiousness because of the length of the timeline. She also noted that the federated colleges have separate investment portfolios, which are not included in the larger divestment.

She pointed out that UofT is “late in the game” with regards to divestment.

Moreover, Rougeot said that UofT still has ways to go to become a leader in climate justice. For her, the next step would be changing UofT’s curriculum to provide students with a really solid foundation on the climate crisis.

As for Leap UofT, it will continue to put pressure on the university, and on the federated colleges in particular, to divest from fossil fuels.

“We are thrilled that UofT has finally taken this step, but there is much more to be done to ensure the future of our planet and to continue our commitments to the liberation of life and land,” Leap UofT concluded.

This article was shared via the CUP Wire, maintained by the Canadian University Press.

PHOTO | MILAN ILNYCKYJ, THE VARSITY

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | KHADIJA ALAM EDITOR@THESTRAND.CA

04 EDITORIAL

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The Strand has been the newspaper of record for Victoria University since 1953. It is published 12 times a year with a circulation of 1200 and is distributed in Victoria University buildings and across the University of Toronto’s St. George campus.

The Strand flagrantly enjoys its editorial autonomy and is committed to acting as an agent of constructive social change. As such, we will not publish material deemed to exhibit racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or other oppressive language.

@STRANDPAPER WWW.THESTRAND.CA

SEAVEY VAN WALSUM ART EDITOR

EDITOR | EMMA PAIDRA OPINIONS@THESTRAND.CA

OPINIONS 05

How Rock Band revolutionized my reading week experience SIDNEY OFIARA CONTRIBUTOR

I fundamentally believe that Rock Band is the single greatest bonding experience. Not convinced? I have a case study. My friend invited me up to her farm with a bunch of her friends for reading week. I was elated and prepared to have a fire week. However, I didn't know everyone who would be in attendance. I knew some people pretty well, but others were basically strangers. So, naturally, I thought it would be an awkward get-to-know-you kind of week. Immediate dread: I’ll be stuck in a remote house with a bunch of randos— that’s like a horror movie. Perhaps this was an overreaction, but I’m nothing if not prone to the dramatic. But all the awkwardness and weirdness of getting to know other people was upstaged by the true star of the week: Rock Band.

Let me set the scene: my friend’s farm is outside of Cobourg, Ontario, and it’s more of a second property with farm vibes, since no actual harvesting goes down. It was the perfect spot to spend time with friends and relax for a week. We spent our days doing schoolwork, cooking, going on walks, and, perhaps most importantly, playing Rock Band.

The most beautiful thing about Rock Band is the way that it brings people together. We

played it when we first arrived on Monday, and it set an immaculate tone for the rest of the week. I had not played the game since I was a child, and truly, I had forgotten how fun it is.

There are some really fun bangers, and there are also classics like "Rehab" or "Imagine."

Everyone gets to try different instruments, and ultimately, you find the one that you’re best at.

We did not compete against each other; rather, we wanted each individual to go on their own journey and do their best. As the Charlie Swan Band—an homage to the Twilight character— we worked towards gaining fans and notoriety all within the virtual world of Rock Band. We laughed, sang, rocked, and before we knew it, friendships were formed. When we wanted a break from school, Rock Band was there to consistently get us in a good mood and continue on with our days. Angry? Hit the drums and pound that angst out. Feeling too confident? A singing performance will always humble you.

Rock Band was able to solve all problems. At night, we would break out the wine, play more Rock Band, and watch a movie. Rock Band was the essential landing pad that helped us bond throughout the week.

Now I know that my conclusion may seem somewhat flawed. I hear you thinking that while Rock Band was probably an essential part of the week, it could not have been the sole

experience that bonded us together. Perhaps you’re right. I understand that stunning scenery, good food, and spending time with like-minded people also helps friendships form. However, this discounts the key role that Rock Band fulfills: breaking the tension. Once you’ve laughed with someone over completely butchering a drum solo, the ice has been broken and you can get to really know each other. Plus, it’s just a fun thing to do with your friends.

The week would have been wonderful regardless of whether we played a silly game.

However, I argue that because of this game, it was so much easier to bond with the others at the farm. Returning to a classic childhood game that made us laugh and relax was exactly what we all needed. I challenge readers to take a turn on the guitar, do some singing, and propel your band into fictional stardom. I am so incredibly grateful I got to experience this with my friends, and had the opportunity to connect with some really smart, interesting, and funny people. Reading week is about recharging, relaxing, and getting into the right frame of mind to finish off the term on your best foot, which I definitely did this week. It’s also about getting work done, but we won’t talk about that… I spent too much time playing Rock Band to fully catch up on school.

ILLUSTRATION | KALLIOP É ANVAR MCCALL

EDITOR | EMMA PAIDRA OPINIONS@THESTRAND.CA

06 OPINIONS

Unpacking the Astroworld tragedy

ILLUSTRATION | SEAVEY VAN WALSUM RACHEL E. CHEN CONTRIBUTOR

Content warning: mention of injury and death.

I’d like to bring us back to the fall of 2019.

During this time, I was experiencing a classic case of midterm procrastination. My forays into online dating meant that the perfect way to spend my Thursday night was to go for drinks with an algorithmically compatible stranger.

After my date and I went through the motions of first-date small talk—what we studied, what year we were in, where we grew up—we finally discovered a shared passion for music.

Was Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange or Blonde the better album? Was Drake really worth the hype? How did Kanye’s public struggles with his mental health impact his music? (My date’s answer to this last question was a bit of a red flag, but that’s a story for another time).

When it came to discussing Travis Scott’s music, I quickly learned that, in my date’s words, Scott’s music had “saved his life.” Travis Scott is a talented producer and musician, but a lifesaver? I wasn’t easily convinced.

Now, Scott is not the only artist whose lifesaving abilities I have doubts about, and I do respect and appreciate that music taste is subjective. Exploring his struggles with fame,

young adulthood, alcohol, and drug use, Scott reminds his fans to live boldly. His distinct sadboy, psychedelic albums are well-produced and meticulously curated. While the topics Scott explores in his music aren’t particularly inventive, the impact of his music on his fans is undeniable.

In the days since the November 5 Astroworld tragedy unfolded—leaving ten dead, hundreds injured, and a flurry of lawsuits—a public hot potato-ing of responsibility for the disaster has left us with more questions than answers.

Beyond the flooding of social media timelines with terrifying videos of swirling crowd surges and near-death experiences of attendees, an equally strong sentiment that has been circulating the internet is how unsurprising Astroworld’s outcome was for those familiar with Scott’s public persona and history.

In 2015, the singer was charged with reckless conduct after encouraging fans to jump the Lollapalooza stage he was performing on. Two years later, Scott was sued by a fan for being pushed off a balcony at one of his concerts in New York City. Another video making the rounds shows Scott encouraging a fan to jump from a balcony into the crowd at another concert.

With over 45 million followers on Spotify and over 500,000 people reportedly attending Astroworld, a platform of that magnitude is

not something any artist should take lightly.

As the old adage goes: “If Travis Scott told you to jump off a bridge, would you?” For a lot of people, the answer to this question is a resounding “yes.”

As an artist, if you can’t ensure safe conditions for the people who are willing to support you unconditionally—by buying your albums, merchandise, and supporting various brand deals and collaborations—hasn’t some kind of implicit social contract been breached?

I can’t speak to whether Travis Scott was able to see what was going on in the crowd throughout his performance, but running an event with such poorly organized security, medical personnel, and safety procedures has its own implications for how you consider the people who support your career.

The ability to make music that resonates deeply for so many is a privilege that few can claim. Travis Scott’s fans’ feverish admiration for him is evidence of the pitfalls of not taking this responsibility seriously. Scott has historically done very little to discourage unsafe conditions for his fans. With the artist currently being sued by injured concert goers, alongside a resounding lack of ownership for the event’s (dis)organization, we must re-examine what it means to hold public figures accountable for their actions.

OPINIONS 07

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 23 NOVEMBER 2021

TikTok versus Vine It’s time to settle the debate, and the results are in: TikTok is a better platform than Vine. Hear me out.

ADRIANA GORAIEB STAFF WRITER

In June 2012, an internet sensation and core component of Gen Z’s childhood was born: Vine. The bite-sized, six-second loop videos that its users created were an instant hit and gave rise to what can arguably be considered staples in our generation’s discography of internet memes—“Look at all those chickens,” “why you always lyin’,” “I’m in me mums car,” “what are THOSE!” and so many more have quickly become integrated into my social circle’s vocabulary and inside jokes. To this day, I still find myself browsing through old content compiled in YouTube videos titled, “vines that cure my depression,” “vines that keep me alive,” etc. in order to distract myself from the ever-growing pile of work I need to complete.

However, like any major social media platform, Vine had its own set of flaws. It was known for its “Explore” page, where users could discover new videos via either a “Popular Now” tab or an “On the Rise” category. Unfortunately, Vine’s algorithm made this page a huge service flaw—it was infamous for promoting old content made by creators with already large followings, making it extremely difficult for small creators to expand their platforms. In other words, Vine supported users who didn’t need the added support, and by continually recycling content, it completely diluted videos created by small or new users.

In comes TikTok. With its 15-60 second videos (the limit recently being pushed up to three minutes), users can create content more freely and benefit from immensely more creative freedom with the app’s plethora of tools, filters, effects, and sounds to generate videos. Additionally, TikTok’s algorithm is not creator-specific; rather, its algorithm allows content from new creators to be presented continually. While TikTok users can still follow creators and exclusively see their content, this feature is available on a separate tab. The “For You” page, which conveniently is the first thing users see when they open the app, allows users to discover new content without needing to follow the creator. Here, the marketing gap created by Vine has been fulfilled by its

more recent counterpart. “For You” doesn’t necessarily display popular videos—rather, it shows you what you would be interested in. In other words, as a content creator, you could have the smallest following in the app, but a single video can reach tens of thousands of screens with the right content and target audience. It has allowed small businesses to take off and completely new content creators to gain large followings.

This adapted feature only scratches the surface of why TikTok is better than Vine. While Vine was used for purely comedic purposes, TikTok has grown into a multi-faceted source of entertainment, news, education, and art that brings users together in communities in which they interact with areas of common ground.

From fandom skits to mini theater productions, science videos to activist discussions, digital artwork to travel blogs, TikTok has gained immense power as a platform. The app has become a space for people to share their ideas, engage in active global discussions on societal matters, promote their art, and interact with others who have the same interests in entertainment.

TikTok’s algorithm enables a huge number of views for political hashtags through its organic content promotion, so even the newest political movement can gain sufficient traction to trigger societal change. From the Black Lives Matter movement to climate strikes, the “Me Too” movement, the LGBTQ+ rights movement, the #StopAsianHate movement, and more, the app has become an efficient way to call out inequalities, amplify movements, organize protests, and spread awareness about global issues. Vine was far from able to fulfil such a purpose.

Another one of my favorite aspects of TikTok is its ability to promote theatrical and audiovisual art— it allows artists of all genres and backgrounds to share their work and even potentially make a living out of it. I strongly believe that TikTok creators, unlike those on Vine, are actual artists. It takes an immense amount of creativity to create effective content on the app—be it through transitions, filters, makeup, effects, screenwriting, audiovisuals, and more. A great example is @meglevv, a BFA student in acting who shares her short films on the app. A personal favorite video series of mine is her film series for Fine Line,

Harry Styles album. In the video series, she developed mini music videos based on each song (here’s an example). Several dancers, including @thexhan and @ mitchdunkillmyvibe, have also taken to TikTok to share content and spread positive energy through dance and music. Furthermore, TikTok is arguably best known for its audio remixes. Be it insanely beautiful mashups (e.g.

Happier than ever, the R&B version; Midnight City x Say So; driver’s license x ocean eyes) or hilarious audio remixes (e.g. Mickey Mouse x Send My Love, “oh no our table is broken” x toxic), the app is home to a range of auditory entertainment that, in my opinion, forms a core component of its appeal to such a wide audience.

Lastly, TikTok’s ability to adapt and morph in response to pop culture and mass interest greatly outshines Vine’s lack of progress and development over the duration of its existence. Aside from regularly fixing bugs and improving general app performance, TikTok flexibly responds to public demands for certain effects, filters, and app functions. A great example of this adaptability is its recent update, which allows users to individually respond to videos sent to them. Needless to say, I’m beyond grateful that I no longer need to number my reaction responses to the 46 TikToks my best friend sends me daily. Another notable example is its inclusion of a “cinematic transition” effect in response to thirst trap creators sparking online discussions on its usefulness, considering the level of technique it takes to develop a thirst trap on the app (another reason for its mass appeal, if I may say so myself ).

It is undeniable that Vine triggers a sense of nostalgia in me that no other social media app can.

However, it is equally clear that TikTok’s appeal to such a wide community, via its flexibility, versatility, user-friendliness, and discography of video tools, is an indication of its persistence over the long run.

TikTok transformed internet culture—through the way it triggers meaningful global discussions, creates networks of individuals of similar interest, and provides a platform to share art, entertainment, and information of all kinds—and is far from being Vine’s “knock-off” replacement.

ILLUSTRATION | AIDA JAVAN

EDITOR | ANNA SOKOLOVA FEATURES@THESTRAND.CA

08 FEATURES ILLUSTRATION | SHELLEY YAO

The Legacy of Discrimination in David Gilmour’s Classroom Victoria College allowed David Gilmour’s bigoted practices to continue for over a decade, before his recent departure ZOE LAZARIS AND SAM ROSATI MARTIN CONTRIBUTORS

It was a weekday afternoon in late September 2013, and a tall man with round glasses, wearing all black, stood facing the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in his office.

David Gilmour spoke about the authors on the wall: Proust, Chekhov, and himself.

He was responding to Emily Keeler, a reporter for the literary magazine Hazlitt. Gilmour had offered that he mostly taught the books on this bookshelf, and Keeler noted the lack of women writers in the room. Gilmour replied with an incendiary comment that would make national and international headlines: “When I was given this job, I said that I would only teach the people that I truly, truly love. And, unfortunately, none of those happen to be Chinese, or women … I say I don’t love women writers enough to teach them, if you want women writers, go down the hall. What I’m good at is guys… Very serious heterosexual guys. Elmore Leonard, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Chekhov, Tolstoy. Real guy-guys. Henry Miller. Philip Roth.”

In response, protests were held at Victoria College, where he taught from 2007 to 2021, calling for Gilmour’s removal. Professors across various departments quickly condemned and distanced themselves from Gilmour’s statement. However, the Principal of Victoria college defended his right to comment, and Margaret Atwood cited his right to “free exprssion.”

In response to the backlash, Gilmour stated that he was “sorry for the mess this has caused,” This apology came shortly before the awarding of the 2013 Giller prize, for which he was nominated. In his apology, Gilmour mentioned that the protagonist in his upcoming book was a woman, and that he wanted to placate potential readers of his novel with his apology. Shortly after making them, he stood by his previous statements, insisting that he was simply careless with his language.

In recent years, Gilmour taught the courses “Love, Sex and Death in Short Fiction,” “Creative Writing,” and the “The Novel: A Masterclass,” until he stopped teaching at Victoria University altogether after the Winter 2021 semester.

In the spring of 2021, The Strand reached out to the Dean of Students, Kelley Castle, about Gilmour’s thenongoing employment. Castle was unwilling to comment on Gilmour or on his status at the university.

After the Hazlitt interview in 2013, the University of Toronto released a statement noting the “offensive implications” of Gilmour’s remarks. UofT administration promised that they would “ensure that students in his class are under no misapprehensions that Mr. Gilmour’s literary preferences may be translated into assumptions

about their innate abilities.”

And yet, the testimonies of his former students tell a different story. The Strand conducted three separate interviews with three of Gilmour’s former students in his class “Creative Writing” in the 2020–2021 school year. The students, emerging writers themselves, spoke to The Strand on condition of anonymity citing Gilmour’s considerable influence as a literary figure and professor.

One of the students (“Student One”) expressed to The Strand that “Even as we’re conducting this interview, I’m afraid he’ll find out somehow that I spoke to you… I have this crippling sense of fear and anxiety just thinking about it.”

Another student (“Student Two”) detailed the comments that she says Gilmour made towards her in class, saying that he implied multiple times that she was dating or sleeping with another student, and compared her often to his ex-wife. The student also reported that Gilmour made sexist comments about women in general, such as referring to them as “beautiful” or “adorable” while introducing men as “distinguished” or “talented.”

Student Two, along with two of her classmates, reported that Gilmour said “I have to keep a tissue box in my office for my female students.” The students said that, in the same incident, he made a personal remark about another student’s (“Student Three”) reaction to his critique of her work. She, as well as Student Two, recalled him saying “You took that like a man, thank you for taking that like a man” when Student Three’s work was criticized.

The three students The Strand spoke to remarked that before class started, Gilmour often went on offensive and bizarre tangents about world events. The Strand has obtained an audio recording in which Gilmour makes comments about not wanting to sit next to Meghan Markle on an airplane, unless he could “go home” with her. Student Two reported that he asked his students to “bet on how many people would die” as a result of the US Capitol riots, an incident that Student Three also recalled. Student Three told The Strand that Gilmour once said, “Bad writing makes me want to put the author in a concentration camp.”

Student One recalled that Gilmour directly confronted her regarding her identity during class, asking her “What do [Student One’s Ethnicity] ladies like?” He told her that he “had been lucky enough to have dated a couple of [Student One’s Ethnicity] girls” and that they

“like to be treated especially well.” Gilmour also told Student One, “my son adores [Student One’s Ethnicity] women. He has a real thing for [Student One’s Ethnicity] women,” and asked her how to get women of her ethnicity to like his son. The Strand has obtained an audio recording of this conversation. Student One explained, “He looked at me as if I could answer on their behalf, speak for [Student One’s Ethnicity] women everywhere and explain what was wrong with us that we apparently did not like his son.”

Student One elaborated on the impact that this incident had on her. “Was he asking the male students about their dating habits? Why was he asking [me] a question like that in the first place? It’s not only unprofessional, but coming from an old man in a position of authority and power… the question came off as creepy and on the cusp of predatory. Even if he was ‘just curious,’ how is that a proper question to ask in the middle of class? … It’s so normal for him to make a comment like that. And I’ve excused him so many times that I didn’t get angry about it until I told my parents and my family ... They told me they sent me to school to learn, not be fetishized for my ethnicity.”

Student One expressed that she felt the need to alter the form and content of her writing in Gilmour’s class. She chronicled her experience as a writer during Gilmour’s class by noting the ways in which his style effaced other cultures and perspectives. “I changed [my writing] to accommodate him because I want a good grade in that class… I started off writing more lyrical, more flowery… I was writing about my family and my culture. I would include names and words [from my culture]. But he did not like that stuff… he wanted us to sound like him, in an experience that he could understand. He really liked the students who tried to emulate him.”

Gilmour’s stated literary preferences left little opportunity for students to express themselves in writing styles dissimilar to his own. There are few creative writing classes offered at UofT’s St. George campus, leaving students who write in fantasy or sci-fi genres with very limited options. Student One explained that “he says from the beginning, no fantasy, no science fiction … but if you look at the history of those two genres, they’re minority genres… With magical realism and high fantasy, half of the [Student One’s ethnicity] literature I’ve read is all about dragons and prophecies and kings and fairies. So how am I supposed to write within my

FEATURES 09

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 23 NOVEMBER 2021

own culture and background and literary tradition? If I can’t write with at least a few fantasy elements, how am I supposed to even see myself in my own writing?”

This environment served to hinder the students’ growth as writers. “Did he make my writing better or tighter? Or did he make me sound like a white person?” asked Student One. “I started off writing about my own culture and I ended the year writing about Natalies and Carolines and Andrews because that’s what I knew he could relate to. And guess what? I ended the year with much higher grades and verbal praise from him about how much I’d grown as a writer. Bullshit. The only thing that had changed was the names, and the point of view…

I had to distance myself from my own identity.”

Despite UofT’s 2013 statement, Student One’s story contradicts the assumption that minority students were not harmed by Gilmour’s restricted literary preferences.

Student One said that “He explicitly said he considers only the classics in literature worth teaching—the old white guys that I’ve been forced to read as an English major anyway … I started writing as a way to write myself into the Western narrative, the English literary tradition, and he made me feel like that kind of work just wasn’t worth reading.”

Student Three explained her views on the pressure that Gilmour’s preference for white, male authors had on her: “You have to work extra hard as a woman to earn his respect. He expects women to come into the class and write fluff and just romance … I had to work extra hard to prove to him that I can write in a fashion that he would consider as manly.”

Student Three continued with a story about her apprehensions in class: “I wanted to write a story that had a queer relationship … He brought it up in class …

As soon as he was like, ‘Oh, so was it a girl and a girl?’ I was like, ‘No, it’s a girl and guy’, because I felt like he was going to fetishize it or make it weird in a way that I really didn’t want for the story.”

Students felt they could not speak up against him.

Student One explained that “In an environment like that… you can’t speak up and tell him that he’s making you uncomfortable. You can’t refuse to answer. He’s created an environment where not only do you have to answer, you have to smile and thank him for the question.”

Students One and Two expressed fear about their grades and their careers if they were to challenge Gilmour. Student Two told The Strand that “he said that I lost a mark just based on the fact that he didn’t like my nonchalant attitude.” Student Two also told The Strand that Gilmour said her grade was based on “how much I like you.” The students expressed how the class had a sparse, bare-boned syllabus and that they were unsure about how they were to be marked because they rarely received grades throughout the year. The Strand reviewed Gilmour’s syllabus and found the topic for each lecture was simply labelled “short story,” and the marking scheme consisted only of “40% Christmas appraisal,” “40% May appraisal,” and “20% attendance and participation.”

These students felt that Gilmour’s status as a published author emphasized the imbalanced relationships between him and them, as young writers.

Student One opined that “He builds himself up to a point that his opinion on our writing becomes sacred.

[His approach to teaching] makes us feel like he’s our one real ticket ... If we want to write professionally, we have to do everything he says ... because if you’re not on his good side, you won’t succeed in this business. It’s this pressure ... hanging over our heads every second we spend in his class.”

Student concerns about Gilmour’s philosophy and practices as a professor were not limited to the 2020–2021 academic year. In 2013, Miriam Novick, who is now a professor of English at Humber College, co-organized a demonstration to protest the comments Gilmour made during his Hazlitt interview. Many people attended the demonstration on September 27, 2013, and many more voiced their support through social media channels such as the protest’s associated Facebook page.

Novick allowed The Strand access to the since privated page to review the comments from 2013.

The day before the demonstration, a CityNews

reporter requested to speak with students who had taken Gilmour’s courses. Catriona Spaven-Donn, a former student of Gilmour’s, replied and wrote, “He used the shock factor as a teaching technique and was constantly offensive and upsetting in his assertions on women and sex in the texts he made us read (we had no choice to opt out of these or influence what he put on the syllabus).”

Spaven-Donn wrote that one of the texts read in class was Tell The Women We’re Going by Raymond Carver, which includes a “female character who appears to be raped and stoned to death,” and that Gilmour asked the class if the character “deserved what she got.”

Spaven-Donn took Gilmour’s class as part of the Vic One program in the 2010-2011 academic year, and expressed to The Strand that it was “disappointing” that Gilmour could “continue to get away with making racist, misogynistic comments a whole decade after similar concerns were raised.”

Victoria University spokesperson, Liz Taylor Surani, and Victoria College Principal Angela Esterhammer told The Strand that if students have concerns about their experiences in the classroom, they may reach out to the following faculty and staff on campus: the Office of the Principal, the Office of the Registrar and Academic Advising, Program Coordinators, and faculty or peer mentors. Additionally, students may access UofT-wide resources, such as the Office of the Provost, Students, and UofT’s Equity Offices.

The Strand reached out to the president of the Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (VUSAC), Jerico Raguindin, about the implications of Gilmour’s time at Victoria, and how the College handles instances of discrimination. About Gilmour’s employment, he said “[Victoria College needs] to say that they had employed a professor… who is racist, insensitive, bigoted, and sexist… Following this, they must identify why this happened, harshly criticizing the systems, structures, practices, policies, and people that allowed this to occur.”

Raguindin posed the following questions to Victoria College: Why has no action been taken and what is their justification for their tolerance of Gilmour? Why is the onus always on students to combat the worst aspects of our institution? What progress is being made and how is the College involving marginalized communities and students?

Raguindin added that “[VUSAC] would also call for Victoria College faculty and staff to be trained in deep and diverse equity training and even more urgently for those who are supporting students … This progress can only be made with marginalized folks in leadership positions and students as equal partners.”

On why students are uncomfortable with raising these concerns to the College, Raguindin explained that “this could be indicative of multiple failures: the lack of communication and transparency regarding accountability measures, the lack of follow through and belief of students against professors, a competitive environment where students feel their only option is to stick with the class, and an institution fundamentally unaware of the effects and experience of oppression and discrimination.” He urged Victoria College: “student support must be democratic, intersectional, and traumainformed. Students are experts of their own experiences and their own needs. A university must engage in equal decision-making and good faith dialogue with students in order to create true systems of accountability and more importantly, a culture of proactiveness.” Raguindin also stressed the need for equity issues to be resolved within a reasonable timeline, rather than years after the events took place.

Both David Gilmour and Victoria College declined to comment on what the three students from Gilmour’s 2020–2021 class told The Strand. Victoria University spokesperson Liz Taylor Surani stated that “the University cannot discuss or investigate anonymous allegations that were not sent directly to the University.” The Strand did receive an unsolicited email from someone, describing themself as a colleague of Gilmour's, who praised his

teaching style and emphasized his professional accolades.

However, this communication did not specifically address any of the incidents reported here. When The Strand followed up with Gilmour about the incident in his 2010–2011 Vic One class, Gilmour replied, “Here’s a quote. ‘Fuck you’ en plus ‘I have been alive too long, endured too many assholes, to be intimidated by a fuckwit like you guys.’ Am I making myself clear?’”

Victoria College declined to comment on a number of other questions raised by The Strand. These included: whether the College took any internal action against Gilmour in light of his 2013 comments and why Gilmour remained employed at the College after making his 2013 comments. Victoria University’s spokesperson and Principal Esterhammer also declined to comment on Gilmour’s status as an employee. In an email to The Strand, Surani stated that “Victoria University cannot discuss HR-related matters as these are strictly confidential.”

Gilmour, however, did provide his perspective on his departure from the Creative Expression and Society program. “I got the boot, that’s how I left Vic,” wrote Gilmour in an email to The Strand. “That skinny, humourless little bitch, [Vic Administrator], never much liked me—and vice versa—and got rid of me as soon as she could decently do so unlike the great guys who hired me, Prof. Paul Gooch and Prof. Cook, who gave me a life-changing experience. Lord, I loved teaching there under their guidance.”

The stories of Gilmour’s students are as impactful as they are harrowing, and they represent the perspectives of just three students from one of Gilmour’s classes. It is painful to realize how many stories may be left untold and how many complaints may remain unaired. As their testimonies suggest, Gilmour’s power over them as their professor had the effect of silencing and scaring many of his students.

“Faculty members, students, alumni, and the administration of Victoria College have made clear that they in no way share Mr. Gilmour’s views about novels by women or about other groups of literary works,” stated Surani in an email to The Strand. Despite this assertion, and despite his departure, Victoria University remains responsible for allowing Gilmour to occupy a position at the College while being aware of his discriminatory literary preferences. Gilmour’s 2013 interview should have been the canary in the coalmine; the College should have investigated the impact of his comments on his students. Gilmour is but one professor, and this power imbalance can still rear its head in any classroom.

Victoria College must find a more effective way to allow students facing discrimination to get the support that they need.

Victoria College has a responsibility towards past and present students of UofT who studied under David Gilmour even though he has left his post.

Still, the Creative Expression and Society program is predominantly taught by white professors. A wider breadth of voices in the Creative Expression and Society program and the wider College is non-negotiable.

For the first September since 2007, Creative Expression and Society students have not learned from Gilmour’s bookshelf, containing Proust, Chekhov, and himself. But Victoria College’s bookshelves must continually be re-examined and reimagined, so that the voices of young writers are no longer moulded and stifled to reflect the taste of professors who cannot find beauty in voices that are not their own.

With files from Khadija Alam.

EDITOR | JESS NASH SCIENCE@THESTRAND.CA

10 SCIENCE

Life on the move in a warming world The impact of mitigating climate change on the behaviours and movements of vulnerable ectotherms MATHULA MUHUNDAN STAFF WRITER

In light of the recent COP26 climate change conference and increasing worry over the impact of anthropogenic global warming on our planet, researchers are working tirelessly to examine the various effects of this worldwide phenomenon on organisms of all biomes. This includes the work being done by undergraduate ecology researchers at UofT in collaboration with researchers at Ohio Wesleyan University on how the movements of lizards could potentially be an adaptive behaviour in the face of climate change.

The research involves investigating lizard movements along a modelled thermal gradient, which is established using heat lamps. Lizards are then observed in a metre-long sand-filled area with differences in temperature between the two ends.

By collecting movement data from footage of the lizards’ behaviour, the team hopes to extract a set of data that they can statistically analyse to trends connecting the lizards’ movement patterns to differences in temperature. They also hope to find evidence regarding how lizards may be able to adapt behaviourally to ongoing climate change.

Lizards are of particular interest in this investigation because they are ectothermic. This means that they regulate their body temperature externally, using the temperature of their environment.

Therefore, unlike endothermic animals, lizards do not maintain a constant body temperature. Body temperature is important for various metabolic processes, including biomass synthesis in growth and development. The temperature of the surrounding environment is correlated with the growth rate of ectotherms, where colder climates cause slowed growth and development, and vice versa. However, high temperatures beyond the maximum range of tolerance for ectotherms can lead to enzyme denaturation and inactivation. Since enzymes regulate many metabolic processes such as biomass synthesis, this can result in reduced growth and development at extremely high temperatures.

Furthermore, in many ectotherms, temperature can regulate the sex determination of offspring. For example, at warmer temperatures, crocodiles generally produce more male offspring, while turtles produce mainly female offspring. Given the impact that temperature has on the lives of ectotherms, as well as the role that ectotherms play in maintaining the biodiversity of global ecosystems, research on how ectotherms are adapting to climate change and how our mitigation of climate change can positively impact such organisms is paramount.

Previous studies done on ectotherms and their ability to adapt to various temperatures—as well as subsequent impacts on ecosystems—have produced some intriguing results. A 2018 study at the University of Connecticut by Garcia-Robledo et al. concluded that nocturnal ants in four Mexican ecosystems had lower heat tolerance than diurnal counterparts in the same ecosystems. A separate study by O’Donnell et al. in 2020 showed that the temporal partitioning of army ant species into diurnal (active in the daytime) and nocturnal (active in the nighttime) species allowed them to co-exist and reduced competition between species for common prey items, thus increasing ant biodiversity in tropical ecosystems where season-based specialisations may not be as prominent.

As ant species temporally separate, this also increases their network specialisations with plants.

While we still have limited knowledge of the pollination behaviours of ants, other nocturnal species such as moths are highly important pollinators that have co-evolved and developed specialised pollination relationships with species of flowering plants in the genus Orchidaceae (orchids). Even in the presence of diurnal pollinators such as butterflies, generalist flowering plants that are pollinated by many different species still benefit greatly from the additional nocturnal pollination services provided by moths.

Protecting nocturnal ectotherms that may be more adversely impacted by warming temperatures is therefore important to preserve ecological integrity in addition to their interactions with other organisms.

It is known that fossil fuels are the major source

of global carbon dioxide emissions. As a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide traps infrared radiation in the atmosphere, resulting in the warming of the planet and increasing Earth’s average temperature.

Divestment from fossil fuels could be a powerful solution to the woes faced by ectotherms that are particularly sensitive to climate change. While ectotherms may show adaptive behaviour along relatively shallow temperature gradients, the escalating rate of global warming may outpace their adaptive abilities.

Divestment is the opposite of investment: it is halting any further investment and parting with stocks, bonds, or investment funds in causes that are unethical or morally unjust. Given the harm done by anthropogenic climate change on people, ecosystems, and biodiversity, fossil fuel divestment campaigns are demanding that institutions halt further investment in fossil fuel companies. They are also asking for institutions to end their sponsorship of fossil fuel corporations and divest from direct ownership, public equities, and corporate bonds tied to fossil fuel companies.

To this end, the University of Toronto announced its commitment to fossil fuel divestment in late October of this year, and promises to divest from all direct investments in fossil fuel companies within the next twelve months. The University is also committing to achieve net-zero carbon emissions associated with its endowment fund by 2050. The action was accelerated in large part due to mounting calls to action from student groups.

Climate change policymakers are attempting to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5˚C, but this is becoming an increasingly difficult task without unified mitigation efforts. Climate models that predict higher average temperature change conclude that organisms will not be able to adapt sufficiently to avoid adverse impacts. By divesting from fossil fuels, we are taking steps to reduce global average temperature increase, and protecting biodiversity and the fate of ectotherms in the process.

VISUAL | DANIEL TOROBEKOV, TIMA MIROSHNICHENKO, MULEMWA LUBINDA, SUNSETONED, KIM NGAN PHUN

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@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 23 NOVEMBER 2021

Unpacking the crypto craze in university students Crypto’s growing appeal to university students has numerous stakeholders weighing in on the legitimacy and future prospects of the digital currency

ILLUSTRATION | AIDA JAVAN

JASMINE RYU WON KANG ASSOCIATE SCIENCE EDITOR

Cryptocurrency has been all the rage lately, as interest in this form of decentralized cash flow has surged across the world. Though cryptocurrency dates back to 2009, it only recently began to gain real traction. The jargon-filled conversation surrounding cryptocurrency and blockchain, in addition to the notoriously unpredictable spikes and crashes of the crypto market, deem it an almost impossibly indecipherable phenomenon.

Among the most interesting pieces to this puzzle is the spike in the number of crypto investments made by the university-age demographic.

Investments in cryptocurrency are made in anticipation of an increase in value of an asset. This may stem from an increase in the usefulness of that asset in the blockchain or from heightened demand by other investors.

Unlike traditional stocks, however, the valuation is not tied up with expected changes in the value of an underlying company. According to Nasdaq (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations), cryptocurrency/ blockchain is essentially a “system of value” in which transactions, acting as “blocks,” are added to a “chain,” which is made publicly available.

Thrust into heated controversy, cryptocurrency is deemed by champions of the blockchain as a more transparent approach to sending and receiving money, and it renders obsolete the need for intermediary forces like banks and PayPal. On the other hand, many express deep concerns about the significant potential for cybercriminal activity and the gross amounts of energy needed to run the system over a vast network.

The increasing appeal of cryptocurrency investments to young people becomes blatantly clear from a cursory glance at the demographics comprising users in major crypto exchanges. 15 to 20 percent of all users from the top exchanges are students aged 18 to 20. 30 percent of all student investors in cryptocurrency come from an engineering or technology background, according to The Economic Times. The BBC reports that although investing in cryptocurrency is still a niche activity—with only six percent of those surveyed having reported trying it—the figure still represents a threefold increase from the previous year.

With the rising costs of living as a university student, these individuals are increasingly turning to alternative modes of revenue. Indeed, threequarters of students surveyed by BBC claim to have considered dropping out of school, with almost half of them citing financial difficulty as the primary reason. But others suggest that financial reasons are not the sole factor influencing university students’ decisions to invest. The Financial Conduct Authority points out that the “challenge, competition and novelty” inherent in crypto investments add to the “thrill” of the game. Additionally, major companies such as Tesla play no small part in encouraging young people to consider investing in cryptocurrency, as the company recently announced that it purchased $1.5 billion USD worth of Bitcoin and would begin accepting crypto as payments.

Stakeholders are itching to receive solid predictions on the long-term fate of cryptocurrency, but the waters are evidently muddy, especially in regards to legal and regulatory matters. Different nations have instigated starkly contrasting conversations on

how best to regulate cryptocurrency: on one hand, China recently deemed all cryptocurrency exchanges illegal, while in the United States, the messaging has been far from clear as to governmental agencies’ role in regulating the crypto industry.

From a corporate point of view, there is at least some evidence to suggest that an increasing number of companies will begin to accept cryptocurrency as valid forms of payment. AMC, for instance, announced that it will accept Bitcoin by the end of 2021, while Amazon recently published a job post for a “Digital Currency and Blockchain Product Lead.” Kiana Danial, author of Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies, curtly predicts that the future of cryptocurrency will be characterized by “volatility [in the] shortterm and growth [in the] long-term.” Without historical data upon which robust predictions can be based, most efforts to pinpoint how the cryptocurrency industry will pan out are speculative at best.

To this end, many financial agencies have issued recommendations and best practices for individuals interested in investing in cryptocurrency, especially for young people and university students. In her NextAdvisor article, personal finance reporter Ryan Haar advises to “never put crypto investments above other financial goals like saving for retirement and paying off high interest debt.” The Financial Conduct Authority encourages young people to ask themselves if they are comfortable with the level of risk associated with crypto investments and to ensure that they have secured protective mechanisms in case their investments fall through.

EDITOR | JANNA ABBAS ARTSANDCULTURE@THESTRAND.CA

12 ARTS AND CULTURE

Interview with Eric Walters Canadian author discusses challenges, perseverance, and hope PHOTO |ERICWALTERS.NET

ROY SHI STAFF WRITER

Eric Walters is a Canadian author and philanthropist.

Since his first novel in 1993, Eric has written over 104 books and has received numerous awards. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Strand: Before you wrote your first book, you were a teacher. You’ve said that you started writing to help your students learn to read. Why is reading important for young people?

Eric Walters: Literacy is the foundation for every other subject. By teaching students to read, you’re exposing them to situations they don’t see in their lives, both positive and negative. People become smarter by reading, but they also become more emotionally intelligent.

Do you think you would have become an author if you hadn’t been a teacher?

I’m not sure. I always liked writing growing up. When I was in fifth grade, my teacher told me she thought I could be a writer, which I thought was ridiculous, since obviously, I was going to be in the NBA. Was that teacher an inspiration for your own approach as a teacher?

Definitely. I grew up in a poor neighbourhood. My mother died when I was four and my father had mental health issues. School was a sanctuary for me: a place I could go where my teachers could see something in me. They inspired me. People respond well to positive reinforcement. Teachers change lives, simple as that.

Was it difficult to go from your childhood to the person you are today?

I was blessed with great teachers who saw my potential, but I’m also self-motivated. If you say something positive about me, it’s going to be fuel for me. If you say something negative, it’s also going to be fuel. Either way, I will use that energy.

You’ve written more than a hundred books. What’s your secret for writing quickly?

I write in a focused way. I’ve also been doing this for 25 years. People talk about being “plotters” or “pantsers.” No one’s truly a plotter and no one’s truly a pantser. I plan my stories, but the stories evolve in ways I can’t see. That being said, I do tend to plan. I’m focused, both in writing and in life. I set goals, and I meet them.

Have you always lived in an organized way?

I didn’t have a choice. Because of my upbringing,

I basically raised myself. My choice was either to become organized and focused, or not survive.

The King of Jam Sandwiches, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award recently, was autobiographical. The character believes that if he gets up earlier than everyone else and works longer and harder, eventually he’ll get somewhere. That’s always been my philosophy.

Does that make it hard to spend time with friends and family?

When my kids were young, I only wrote after they went to bed. I have a list of things to do each day. I make sure that the important things in life are taken care of and family and friends are the most important by far. You also have to take care of yourself. If you’re not happy, writing a book isn’t going to change that.

How do you take care of yourself?

I do things that I like with my family and friends.

After this interview, my wife and I are gonna go and walk the dogs. I've got time scheduled today to be with three grandsons. I’ve also got 10,000 steps and the Peloton Bike on my list. I eat the right stuff. I’ve got my one cup of tea for the day sitting in this mug.

After that, it’s water.

Are the characters in your books ever inspired by people you care about?

Yeah. When I started, the characters in my books were often kids in my class. You also always invest a little bit of yourself in every character. In Stars, my character rubs his toes on the inside of the zipper of the sleeping bag when he’s trying to sleep. When I grew up, I didn’t have sheets. I had a sleeping bag, and I used to go to sleep rubbing my toes on the zipper.

Do you get attached to your characters?

I always get attached to them. Sometimes I don’t want bad things to happen to them, or I’ll try to resolve their problems sooner than the story allows because I feel bad for them.

Do you have a favourite book you’ve written?

The one I’m working on. It’s the fifth of the Rule of Three trilogy, because every trilogy needs at least five books.

You’re known for researching your books by experiencing what you write about. What do you get from that and what’s the most exciting moment you’ve had?

You get a whole different perspective. You can learn about things in your head and in your heart, but sometimes you need to know things in your knees.

Sometimes it gets me in trouble. There were four terrifying hours when I was lost in the desert. I was bitten by a tiger. The matriarch of an elephant herd looked me in the eye and stepped on my foot.

Are there any themes that come up frequently in your books?

I write about belonging, becoming part of something, overcoming obstacles, and resilience. I also tend to leave the reader with a sense of hope.

Does that reflect your own philosophy?

I think that things are going to work out. I’ve always believed that. I grew up counting the cans of food in my house to see how many days I could live. But I’ve found that your biggest disadvantages can become your advantages. I have a sense of resilience and determination. So now I make sure I count the right things—my friends, my moments of joy, my ability to laugh.

Is there a moment that stands out from your work with children?

I don’t think there’s one moment that stands out. I get emails from former students of mine, and every letter starts with the line, “You probably don’t remember me.” I remember teaching every student I ever taught.

I’d like to think that my books are an extension of who I am as a person. I just want to make the world a little bit better, I hope.

ILLUSTRATION | SEAVEY VAN WALSUM

CRYING IN ROBARTS @ MIDNIGHT

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@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 23 NOVEMBER 2021

On making moodboards and dreamscapes Pinterest as the anti-social media SARAH ABERNETHY NEWS CO-EDITOR

If you had told me in 2018 that Pinterest had run its course, I would have believed you.

When I was in high school and happily pinning away, everyone told me that Pinterest was “for moms.” My guess is that if you spoke to a large handful of those same people today, they’d tell you that Pinterest is their favourite place on the internet. So, what’s changed? Why is Pinterest as glorified in 2021 by Gen Z as Tumblr was in 2014 by Zillenials? What made Pinterest cool again?

I’m not sure that there’s a perfect answer, but it kind of makes perfect sense.

There seems to be an increasing desire for an “anti-social social media.” Pinterest, filled with its moodboards, recipes, and DIY-craft inspiration, harbours none of the preoccupation over followers and likes that TikTok and Instagram do.

It seems, at least on a surface level, that Pinterest can be a corner for yourself on the internet: a place for digital collaging.

Evidently, the desire for this anti-social media has also risen in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, Pinterest’s stock price alone has jumped over 200 percent.

However, with this sudden shift towards Pinterest being cool again (or maybe cool for the first time ever), a whole new internet culture has grown. Pinterest is now a place to curate your own personal “aesthetic”—one which has been romanticized in bits and pieces by some magical force across the internet.

If you pin photos of little wooden houses and

girls in white dresses frolicking in fields, you’re “cottagecore.” Old stone buildings and leatherbound books? “Dark academia.” The colour pink?

You’re some variation of a Y2K Bratz Barbie Bimbo.

As fun as it all sounds in an abstract sense, I wonder whether these pre-described boxes are limiting creativity. Why can’t we be both? Or a whole host of things? Pinterest aesthetics are all about being an individual—so long as you’re easily and recognizably categorizable.

The most interesting thing to me is how, in this realm of various romanticized lifestyles, Pinterest also has its very own aesthetic. The “Pinterest Girl” (or simply “that girl”) is the ultimate It Girl. She gets up at six in the morning to work out and drink lemon water. She probably has a “perfect body” and the trendiest clothes.

She’s productive all day, achieving every goal she sets her mind to, without any signs of stress.

The “Pinterest Girl” is an anonymous influencer. Nobody specific, but equally every one of them at once. She is a collage of “perfect” girls from across the internet. Her existence spoils the otherwise blissful ignorance of Pinterest.

And so, what I think it all comes down to is this: reveling in the romanticization. Pinterest is a perfect blank canvas for painting the picture of the life you wish you had, and I think it’s important to remember that while this can be fun, freeing, and creative, it can also be damaging.

The magic of escapism is far better enjoyed in moderation. Real people aren’t walking aesthetics, and that’s A-okay—it’s far more exciting to break away and build your own, anyway.

A Piece of Vic: I’m a Caf-fiend Behind the scenes of being a Caffiends volunteer MAYA JAMES CONTRIBUTOR

Tucked into the corner of Old Vic, Caffiends has cozily nestled itself into the Vic community. A bright space filled with hues of brown, yellow, and pink, Caffiends exudes warmth. While the room is easy to miss if you’re unfamiliar with the space, once you’ve found it, you’ll never want to leave.

Caffiends offers more than just coffee—it's a place of connection and community. As an introverted person, I was nervous to start my shifts at Caffiends; there are so many experienced people who volunteer at the café, people who have been at the University for years and have such a clear understanding of themselves and their community. I had no idea how I would function in this space, and talking to strangers for an hour every week felt daunting. But what I found in my first shift—and every shift since—is that the people of Caffiends are amazing. Sometimes, covering a shift feels like speed dating: you have one hour to become acquainted with the other two volunteers, to learn their interests, strengths, and music tastes, and then you go your separate ways.

It’s exciting to meet all these different people and know that you have a connection, or at the very least, some common ground. I haven’t found that same connection anywhere else in the University.

But meeting other volunteers isn’t the only way in which Caffiends has helped me find community.

I love seeing every person who comes into the café: I love seeing my old professors, or the friend of a friend of a friend. I love seeing the regulars and memorizing their orders (but never their names). There’s a certain interconnectedness to it all. At the end of the day, everyone who steps into our tiny room is a caffiend.

I’m in my fourth year now, and I’ve yet to figure out what makes Caffiends so special. After all, ILLUSTRATION | SHELLEY YAOCaffiends is a job you don’t get paid for—so why do people keep coming back? Why do people cover multiple shifts per week, or spend so much time in the café? Maybe it’s because of the communal feeling.

Maybe it’s because of our awesome mugs (Nicholas Cage mug, I’m looking at you). Whatever it is, I appreciate it. I’m grateful for all my experiences at Caffiends and all of the interesting, intelligent people I have met as a result Caffiends recently opened its doors for the first time since March 2020, and things look a lot different. We’re not able to use our favourite quirky mugs, we’re separated by face shields and plexiglass, and we’re missing many of our long-time volunteers. I was worried that things may have changed too much, and that the café had lost its spark. But in the first hour of my first day on shift, my old professor—who used to be a regular on my shifts back in 2019—came in for a cup of coffee. I have no idea what this year will hold, but I'm so excited to spend it at Caffiends, and I hope you will join me.

PHOTO | KIM NGAN PHUNG

EDITOR | JANNA ABBAS ARTSANDCULTURE@THESTRAND.CA

14 ARTS AND CULTURE

Pulse Topology: A collective artwork of light & sound Installation with over 3,000 lights invites viewers to contribute their heartbeats GLADYS LOU CONTRIBUTOR

Pulse Topology, an interactive light and sound art installation, was open to the public at the Bentway in Toronto from October 2 to October 31, 2021. The exhibition, by Mexican-Canadian media artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, just premiered in Canada for the first time.

The artwork was displayed in an enclosed storage chamber under the Gardiner Expressway, offering an intimate sensory experience for visitors. Over 3,000 lightbulbs were suspended from the ceiling, filling up the dark interior. They oscillated in the shape of natural sine waves that resembled an electrocardiogram.

“When I listened to the sound of the heartbeats mixing with the noises from the road above, I felt like I was a foetus in a womb,” said Yasin Tuna Kursunlu, a pianist studying at UofT. “The lightbulbs flashed on and off, and I felt like I was witnessing the birth and death of my ancestors, my relatives, and the extended members of the human family. I felt present and alive.”

Visitors’ heartbeats were recorded and played back in real-time. A sensor detected their pulses using touchless biometric technology. When hands were placed under a lightbulb, the lightbulb would react by changing its rhythm of blinking according to the pulse. The immersive artwork gathered new and familiar people, turning their heartbeats into a collective harmony.

On the other side of the chamber was a timeline of artworks related to heartbeats, illuminating the dark. Lozano-Hemmer curated the list to show the

development and innovation in the ways artists use technology to represent and interact with the human pulse. His work has been featured in exhibitions across the globe, including the Venice Biennale.

“It was like musical instruments far from each other all playing at the same time,” Kursunlu said. “The viewers stand at different spots, so they would hear something distinct from the same body of sounds, like billions of foetuses in a womb hearing their mother’s heartbeats.” Kursunlu told me this experience has inspired him to incorporate the concept of heartbeats in a new song he is composing.

“It’s a merge of art and technology,” said Tiffany Cheung, an art enthusiast. “I’m immersed in the lights, which surround me in a galaxy of stars. Since COVID,

I feel like everyone’s so distanced, and this art piece pulls us closer. The people at the exhibit are within each other’s heartbeats. It’s such a beautiful sensation to hear and to see the lights dancing to heartbeats.”

The Bentway and Exhibition Place collaborated with CAMH to honour health care workers from across the city. The frontliners were invited to the exhibition, and their heartbeats were added to the database, celebrating the positive effects of public art on community health and wellbeing.

The rhythm of heartbeats and light evolved over time, inviting viewers to come back and experience it again, and again.

PHOTO | GLADYS LOU

Take the Voyage with me An honest review of ABBA’s new album RION LEVY ASSOCIATE ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

It’s been four decades since ABBA last released music. 40 long years, but 40 years during which fans suspected that ABBA had finished the book of their discography and shut its back cover. Now, in times as weird as only 2021 can be, the group is back with their new album Voyage, and it offers some mixed feelings for its listeners.

I grew up in the 2000s with parents who had grown up with ABBA when the band was fresh and active. Like Queen and Elton John, ABBA holds a very special spot in my heart; I own most of their albums and no week is complete without at least one post-lecture cooking session with “Ring Ring” on in the background. So, you can imagine my excitement

and later disappointment with Voyage.

The album starts off promising with “I Still Have Faith In You,” a song that maintains a characteristic ABBA sound mixed with a more modern electronic backtrack. It almost reminds me of “Chiquitita” without the piano and acoustic guitar. So, although I would have preferred a song like this to go toward the end of the album, as a triumphant, underdog finale, I respect its position on the album.

The third song on the album is what really disappoints me. “Little Things” is a Christmas song, and although capitalism suggests that the Christmas season lies just beyond Halloween, I genuinely do not see how it belongs on the album. “Oh what joy Santa brings, thanks old friend for packing Christmas stockings full of nice little things” sets a different tone, one you might expect from a full-length ABBA

holiday album. On this non-Christmas disk, however, it is completely out of place.

Later, in a startling shift at the 40-second mark of “Don’t Shut Me Down,” ABBA’s signature upbeat sound enters the album. If you haven’t already started moving to the beat, the first chorus sends you into a nice little head-bop. This song seems to demonstrate ABBA’s awareness about the new sound they’ve taken up for Voyage. The group sings: And now you see another me, I've been reloaded, yeah I'm fired up, don't shut me down …

I'm not the one you knew, I'm now, and then combined And I'm asking you to have an open mind (and I won't be the same).

It seems that they are actively asking their fan base to accept this new sound for its merits and try to put their expectations aside. But, since this plea comes in the middle of the album, I fear it doesn’t achieve its full potential.

The rest of the album feels just okay. The songs sound like those you would hear on a traditional album, but not ones that would reside on a Greatest Hits one. Even the final song, “Ode To Freedom,” is odd and underwhelming. There are very few lines in the song, and it is mainly an instrumental track featuring slightly electronic string instruments.

Therefore, I’m very sad to say it, but Voyage isn’t great.

PHOTO | ABBA FANCLUB

STRANDED 15

@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 23 NOVEMBER 2021

Ask Saucy Suzy How do you get past farting during sex?

SAUCY SUZY COLUMNIST

Dear Saucy Suzy, This feels really embarrassing, but I’m just gonna come out and say it. How do you get past farting during sex? My boyfriend was on top of me when I accidentally let one rip. I didn’t even think my anal flower could relax enough in front of him for that to happen, but I guess the sex was just that good. Anyway.

What should I do? I didn’t know how to handle it in the moment, so I spit in his eye to distract him, punched him out, and bashed his head in with a vase. Next thing I know, there’s a dead body in the back of my dad’s pickup truck and I’m feeling even more embarrassed.

I know I blew it this time, but what should I do if I’m ever in this situation again?

With Love, Gassy Girl in Georgia

PHOTO | COTTONBRO

Dear Gassy Girl, OMG. When I say we’ve all totally been there, believe me—I mean it. It’s, like, totally shitty of him to have been there for that moment. He knew how it would make you feel and chose to be there anyways??

With a guy that cares that little about your feelings, chances are, he’s probably cheating too.

My suggestion to you is to ask yourself: is my little gas mishap going to be loud? Chances are, if you’re a girl, it’ll be pretty and silent. That’s just how it works.

But if it does make a sound, you only have one option: Scream. As. Loud. As. You. Can. The sound of your shrill screech should drown out any other noises. You should also come up with a totally convincing reason for all of that screaming. Here are a few of my personal go-tos: 1. Demon at the end of the bed 2. Demon on the ceiling 3. Demonic possession 4. Fear of intimacy I hope these tips help, and remember, above all else…

Stay Saucy, Suzy <3

Sarcasm: It Always Translates Super Well No surprises there!

EMMA BURNS ASSOCIATE STRANDED EDITOR

Sarcasm is great. You hear it all the time, probably because it is pretty hilarious and so easy to use. Best of all, everyone always gets sarcasm. Okay, about that last part—I was actually being sarcastic! Confusing, right?

Let me expand: sarcasm is great, but it can also be the actual worst. At best, you get a little laugh from your peers and a nice serotonin boost. At worst, you lose close friendships. Yeah, you heard me: friendships. ‘Cause here’s the thing about sarcasm: sometimes, if people don’t understand that you were being sarcastic, they will literally believe you said the EXACT OPPOSITE THING THAT YOU MEANT. Even more chilling is

that there is a group of people out there who do not actually understand sarcasm, like, at all—and when you say you hate pie to make fun of someone who just asked you if you liked pie while you were eating a slice of pie, they’ll turn to you and go, “What the heck!!??

But you are literally eating a piece of pie right now!!”

So, yeah, that’s sort of the insidious and darkly horrendous side of sarcasm. If this doesn’t sound that bad to you, you probably just use sarcasm in a healthy, moderate way and understand social cues. If this is true, you can stop reading because you probably can’t relate to literally anything I’ve gone through my entire life.

Because, let’s be real—most of the time, sarcasm is really not that hard to understand. Many people know

that when you say something like “thanks a lot,” you’re not actually thankful. Many people understand that when someone goes, “Surprise, surprise,” it is because something extremely unsurprising has happened.

Unfortunately, this is often not the way that I like to use sarcasm. The way I like to use sarcasm would be saying something like “I love capitalism!” while doing something that does not exactly signal that I do not, in fact, love capitalism, like ordering a dress off of Amazon. Not only that, but I will say this with such genuine enthusiasm that a man within earshot sporting a trucker hat will turn to me and add something about how capitalism breeds innovation.

Then, you say enough ambiguously sarcastic things and suddenly, it feels like no one understands you. Like PHOTO | MILADA VIGEROVA you don’t even understand yourself. You go to pick out an outfit in the morning, and ask, Who am I? You send a GIF to the group chat and think, Why did I send that?

Will they understand that the black turtleneck signifies a shift in the seasons of my life? Will my friends get that Hannah Montana giving a thumbs up is an earnest symbol of agreement, but also a sardonic nod to a long lost era of our childhood? You feel like an international student in a new country where you don’t speak the language, except English is literally your first language and you are in Ontario. You want to express yourself in a way that is original, but you are worried signals will get crossed. You worry to the point that, eventually, everything gets lost in translation. You begin changing your style every morning, dressing outrageously. You start quadruple texting.

This is called overthinking and, when it comes to sarcasm, I have found that overthinking is actually quite positive—useful, even. I only say this because most of the time, especially when it comes to sarcasm, I tend to underthink. And I’ve also learned that, as annoying as it is, saying “Just kidding!” every once in a while goes a long way. Take it from me—I’ve lost friendships because of this. FRIENDSHIPS.

EDITOR | VICTORIA MCINTYRE STRANDED@THESTRAND.CA

16 STRANDED

What your comfort hate-watch says about you Don’t worry, we’re only judging you because it’s our job MINDY AND JOSIE WARBUCKS CONTRIBUTORS

In a world full of personality identifiers (ex. astrology, enneagrams, MBTI tests) it can be hard to know who you actually, authentically are. That’s why we’ve come up with the most definitive way to know who someone is: analyzing what media they enjoy (or in this case, don’t enjoy). Search for your favourite hatewatches below, and find out what they say about you!

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.: This is the crème de la crème of hate-watches. Inside you there are two wolves: one that understands that F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is a universally beloved show, and the other that wants so desperately to set yourself apart. How are you going to feel ashamed of liking a show that everyone loves? You want to march to the beat of your own drum. You are unpredictable.

Unchallenged. You contain multitudes. You are a total Phoebe.

Rick & Morty: You are a liar. I bet you actually, genuinely enjoy this show. If you really love it, stop pretending you hate it; people are going to find out anyway. Just let it be your messed-up little comfort show. Live authentically.

Bojack Horseman: Hate-watching this means one of two things: 1) You went on one too many dates with someone who liked this show and had them try to explain the whole thing to you including the “greater and realistic” themes of mental illness, addiction, isolation, and morality; or 2) You would fuck a horse.

Don’t worry—we won’t tell anyone!

Any Bo Burnham Special: You don’t want therapy, you want to be told to go seek therapy by one of your friends—maybe the cool one who works in a pottery store and hasn’t seen Inside. She is the one who recommended half the things you like to you, like Phoebe Bridgers, and Mitski, and iced lattes with oat milk. She always seems ahead of the curve. If she told you to go to therapy it would be funny, unlike when your mom says it seriously.

Minecraft YouTubers: You’re a jealous person. I know that you don’t hate TommyInnit, but rather want to be him so badly. If you could, you would go back in time to slap your younger self in the face and tell them to start making YouTube videos, stat. You desire the same kind of attention and adoration that these barely adults get from their millions of fans. Who can blame you, though? Who wouldn’t want to earn money while playing games with their friends?

Sex and the City: It’s not a hate-watch if you enjoy it. Just move to New York.

Youtuber Drama: You are a total N to the O to the S Y W O R M! Nosy worm! You are too involved in other people’s personal lives. Instead of watching someone else’s insane drama online—just get embroiled

in your own! Start arguments with people today: all the same fun, with more consistent updates and a juicy Choose-Your-Own-Adventure type spin!

Squid Game: You’re trying your best. You can’t handle the look of despair and the berating comments you get when you tell your co-worker, “No, I haven’t seen it.” Maybe you don’t enjoy capitalist commentary, or prefer more l i g h t - h e a r t e d fare, but alas, your duties as a member of modern society call and you must watch Squid Game. Hang in there, it’s only nine episodes. And besides, after watching you can c o n f i d e n t l y tell your friends and foes that you genuinely did not enjoy it.

ILLUSTRATION | SEAVEY VAN WALSUM

Haunted by Libras If astrology is fake, then explain this!!

JANNA ABBAS ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

This goes out to all the Libras in my life, whom I love and cherish very much… SIKE! You thought you guys were slick, but I’m onto you!!

Before you think I’m insane, let me explain. I have conducted a thorough investigation, based on multiple all-too-similar occurrences in my life, and have come to the conclusion that I am being haunted by Libras.

That’s right. I firmly believe that all the Libras of the

world have a secret vendetta against me, and I am on a mission to find out what it is. Don’t believe me?

Here’s my evidence.

Exhibit A: Throughout my childhood, almost every close friend I had was a Libra. I’ve counted three, including the ones that didn’t work out, but I’m certain there are more.

Exhibit B: Then, high school came around and I switched schools. Guess what? The literal first friend I made at that school, as well as my closest friend, were

both Libras. You’d think that by this point, I would’ve learned to sniff out Libras from a mile away, but, in my defense, I did not think that these quirky coincidences w o u l d snowball into whatever evil master plan Libras seem to have for me.

Exhibit C: Okay, okay, high school is over now and I’ve moved to university. Again, the first friend I made at UofT is a Libra. Now, I was fine with this at first, but this past summer was the last straw. I met someone who, as “fate” would have it, I was going to be working with for the coming year. Naturally, I ask them what their sign is and Guess. What. They. Say!! Coincidence?

I think not!! There is no logical reason that one person should know this many Libras. It’s disturbing, it’s uncanny, and it’s unnatural!!

Based on this evidence, I’m also forced to conclude that in a parallel universe, Kim Kardashian (notorious Libra) and I are best friends and I don’t know how to feel about that…

I always hear people say that their personal hell consists of them being trapped in a small room or being forced to listen to “Dance Monkey” on repeat, and while those are both horrendous options, my answer is neither of those. No, my own personal hell consists of a Libra repeatedly replying with “idk, you pick” when I ask them where we should eat, causing me to start violently sobbing, as I slowly descend into madness.

So if you’re one of the Libras I know, you better sleep with one eye open because I’m watching you and I’m onto you.

ILLUSTRATION | SEAVEY VAN WALSUM