Issue 10, (Volume 144) (November 20, 2023)

November 20, 2023

THE VARSITY The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880

Vol. CXLIV, No. 10

Liftoff: HERON Mk. II reaches orbit U of T Aerospace Team describes their path to launching the first fully student-funded Canadian satellite Rosalind Liang & Benjamin Nero Varsity Contributors

On November 11 at 1:49 pm EST, we watched with bated breath as the University of Toronto Aerospace Team (UTAT) Space Systems’ HERON Mk. II satellite lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket of the SpaceX Transporter-9 mission.

As a rideshare mission to space, the Transporter-9 delivered HERON Mk. II — alongside 89 other small satellites — to an orbit approximately 540 kilometres above Earth’s surface. Marking the culmination of nearly a decade of work by our fellow student Space Systems engineers, the HERON Mk. II’s path to the launch pad was one of dedication and perseverance.

Letter from the Editors: How we’re covering violence in Gaza and Israel

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News: UTM and UTSC students hold walkouts for Palestine

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About the team In brief, we at the UTAT are a team composed primarily of engineering students that designs and builds small satellites known as CubeSats. By small, we mean that they are no larger than a loaf of bread and only weigh a few kilograms!

Formed in 2014 by a group of undergraduate students, our team is open to satellite enthusiasts of all backgrounds, from precocious high schoolers to graduate students eager to share expertise.

For many of us, UTAT Space Systems has become an integral part of university life, seeding many fruitful careers and friendships. Having been active on the team for several years, the two of us can certainly attest to the value it has added to our undergraduate studies. We are both members of the team: Benjamin Nero, the current Mission Manager of HERON Mk. II, and Rosalind Liang, 2022–2023 Director of UTAT Space Systems.

But enough about us. We’re here to tell you about the story of HERON Mk. II.

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Comment: International crises shouldn’t have to compete for our attention

Where it all began In the early days, long before we came around, the Space Systems team was small but motivated by a common vision of sending a satellite into space one day. Our team’s first satellite, HERON Mk. I — short for Human Experiment Relay On Nanosatellite — was a CubeSat developed from 2014–2016. The team designed it for the third edition of the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge (CDSC), a competition in which university students across Canada are invited to design, build, and test their own CubeSats.

The main scientific or technological unit on board a satellite is known as its payload. HERON Mk. I housed a payload platform that measures how low Earth orbit (LEO) would affect gene expression and drug resistance of Candida albicans — a potentially harmful yeast strain commonly found in the human gut microbiome. Results of previous studies suggested that C. albicans might display increased resistance to drugs in response to such an environment, which might potentially have negative implications for long-term spaceflight.

For various reasons, the third CDSC did not end in a launch opportunity for the team, and so HERON Mk. I was retired. Armed with valuable lessons, the UTAT soon began work on the second iteration of our spacecraft, HERON Mk. II, for the fourth CSDC running from 2016–2018.

At its inception, HERON Mk. II housed the same C. albicans payload as its predecessor.

Continued on page 15

HERON Mk. II Flight Model (2021)

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THE VARSITY

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LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

The Varsity would like to acknowledge that our office is built on the traditional territory of several First Nations, including the Huron-Wendat, the Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit. Journalists have historically harmed Indigenous communities by overlooking their stories, contributing to stereotypes, and telling their stories without their input. Therefore, we make this acknowledgement as a starting point for our responsibility to tell those stories more accurately, critically, and in accordance with the wishes of Indigenous Peoples.

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Letter from the Editors: How we’re covering violence in Gaza and Israel A breakdown of what we’re platforming and the language we use to cover it

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The current destruction in Gaza and the violence against Palestinian and Israeli civilians are happening on a horrific scale. On October 7, Hamas’ attacks in Israel killed approximately 1,200 people. Since then, the Israeli Defense Forces’ strikes in Gaza have killed over 13,000 Palestinians, including over 5,500 children. In the West Bank, Israeli security forces have killed dozens of Palestinians. Many of the people killed in both Palestine and Israel were civilians.

These casualties don’t even account for the over 29,000 injured in Palestine and at least 5,600 injured in Israel. The violence has displaced over two-thirds of Gazans in the last month, and the Israeli government’s blockade of Gaza has caused a humanitarian crisis with catastrophic shortages of food, water, and power. The last month has also been the deadliest first month of conflict for journalists on record, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): so far, Israeli air strikes, as-yet-unidentified air strikes, Hamas attacks, and on-the-ground confrontations have killed over 48 journalists and media workers, including 43 Palestinians and four Israelis. The CPJ estimated on October 25 that at least 48 media facilities in Gaza “have been hit or destroyed.”

The Varsity is a student newspaper, written by students and for students, which means that we don’t have reporters on the ground in Gaza, Israel, or the West Bank. Although we try to provide some context in our articles about what’s happening, our news isn’t a substitute for reporting from the area, and shouldn’t be treated as one.

Still, we’re trying to report responsibly how the attacks affect the U of T community. Violence has ripple effects, and we cover that: students, staff, and faculty here at U of T are all affected by the ongoing violence, and some members of our community have direct ties to the region. We’re seeing these ripple effects locally as Toronto police report increases in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. We’re seeing these ripple effects directly on our campuses as students protest, mourn, raise funds for humanitarian aid, express fears about coming to campus, and clash with university administration about how to speak publicly on Israel and Palestine.

This won’t be the last time we talk at The Varsity about how we cover Israel and Palestine.

We on management have participated in many conversations about this in our newsroom in the past few years. But over the past month and a half, as we’ve watched violence in the region grow in scale and immediacy, we’ve been talking about how to adapt our practices. We decided it was about time we started explaining the decisions we’re making on how we cover stories about Palestine and Israel: how we choose stories, how we contextualize them, what language we’re using in our coverage, and what speech we platform.

Mekhi Quarshie Managing Online Editor

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Vacant Public Editor Ozair Anwar Chaudhry, Lina Tupak-Karim Associate Senior Copy Editors Devin Botar, Muzna Erum Associate News Editors Divine Angubua, Isabella Liu Associate Comment Editors Caitlin Adams Associate Features Editor Alyssa Ukani Associate A&C Editor

publiceditor@thevarsity.ca Ahmad Khan, Caroline Ho, Jake Takeuchi Associate Sports Editors Nina Uzunović Associate B&L Editor Kevin Li Associate Design Editor Biew Biew Sakulwannadee, Zoe Peddle-Stevenson Associate Illo Editors Albert Xie, Valerie Yao Associate Photo Editor

Medha Surajpal, Jeanine Varney Julie Han, Genevieve Sugrue Associate Video Editors Associate Science Editors Vacant Salina Khan Associate Web Developer Social Media Manager Lead Copy Editors: Anuraag Kumar Nair, Cindy Liang, Despina Zakynthinou, Elizabeth Li, Ikjot Grewal, Madison Truong, Nandini Shrotriya Copy Editors: Carter Vis, Charlotte Kellagher, Emily Chan, Isabella Reny, Jake Takeuchi, Jeanine Varney, Manreet Brar, Margad Sukhbaatar, Olivia Cerello, Robyn Lam, Sunny Wan Designers: Nicolas Albornoz, Catherine Doan, Rebecca Hudescu Cover: Courtesy of Space X & UTAT

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Our own news & reporting conventions We’re covering the effects of the violence in Israel and Gaza just like how we cover the effects of ongoing violence all over the world: we’re focusing on how it’s affecting students and community members at U of T. In line with that, we’ve made some specific choices on how we describe the violence in Israel and Gaza. As always, we’re trying to make our language as direct as it can be, and to identify, where possible, who did what. Much of the violence in the last month and a half has consisted of distinct attacks that often end up targeting civilians, and much of our coverage focuses specifically on how students are responding to the human cost of these attacks.

Terms like ‘war’ and ‘conflict’ focus on the actions of large political entities, and they presuppose those entities are adhering to internationally agreed upon laws of war; because of this, we prefer using wording like ‘violence’ and ‘attacks’ in our news coverage instead.

In line with outlets like CBC, we avoid using the word ‘terrorism’ because of the extremely varied and weighty connotations it can hold. If you see it in our coverage, we’ll be clear about who it’s coming from. Similarly, legal terms like ‘apartheid’ and ‘genocide’ have clear definitions under international law, and where we use them in our news coverage, we’ll be clear about who they’re coming from. Writers are free to use any of these words in our Comment section, but we’ll ask them to explain in their articles why they’re using those terms.

We also want to emphasize that every article we publish — news or opinion — goes through several rounds of editing and a rigorous copy editing and fact-checking process. All writers submit a list of sources along with their articles, which our copy editors independently fact-check to ensure that our articles are clear and accurate.

When it comes to more personal or opinionated pieces — and especially for trauma-informed articles — we strive for collaboration with the writer as we edit.

Comment & comments at The Varsity U of T has a long history of controversy over speech on Israel and Palestine. In previous years, students have criticized the university for failing to protect free speech and academic freedom on Palestine and have gone back and forth about how U of T should characterize antisemitism in discussions about Israel.

In a 2021 editorial, The Varsity committed to publishing speech about Palestine and from Palestinian community members, who’ve often felt silenced at U of T. In the same year, we signed an open letter committing to more nuanced and better coverage of Israel and Palestine. As editors, we’ve been trying to maintain the commitments we made in 2021: now more than ever, in the face of unimaginable violence and destruction, it’s important that students at our university can sit down and talk about what’s going on.

That requires a space where all students can write safely and speak freely; we will do our best to provide one.

Our Comment section will remain open for U of T students who want to make their voices heard to their peers, on this topic as much as any other. Our criteria remain the same as ever: any comment article has to make a specific, clear argument; writers have to back up everything they say with verifiable facts; and we won’t publish hate speech, speech that incites violence, or discrimination or generalizations based on religion, place of birth, or nationality, among other things. We’ve required that standard for everything we’ve published on the violence so far, and we’ll continue to require it going forward with our rigorous fact-checking process.

We recently introduced an option for readers to leave comments under articles on our site. With that change, we released a set of community guidelines we’ll enforce for commenters.

However, we don’t fact-check comments independently like we do for our articles, and so we ask people to keep that in mind when they read and write comments.

Comments are also not The Varsity’s primary mechanism for readers to respond to our coverage. We mention in our community guidelines that we may close the comment section on specific articles if we believe they could potentially harm stakeholders in the story. That includes writers — and if they request we close comments on their articles, we will do so.

Still, we want you, as readers, to continue to engage with what we publish — we’re a community paper, and we’re directly accountable to you. Students and community members are always welcome to submit Letters to the Editor in response to any articles we publish, to criticize or raise further thoughts about our editorial decisions.

This isn’t our last word on how we’re doing coverage related to Israel and Palestine.

We’re going to keep talking about this in our newsroom, and we’re going to keep evaluating and revisiting our editorial decisions about it.

But we’re committed to making a forum where students can safely and productively discuss what’s happening in the world. We’ll need your continued engagement and feedback to do it.

If you or someone you know is in distress, you can call: • Canada Suicide Prevention Service phone available 24/7 at 1-833-456-4566 • Good 2 Talk Student Helpline at 1-866925-5454 • Connex Ontario Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600 • Gerstein Centre Crisis Line at 416-9295200 • U of T Health & Wellness Centre at 416978-8030 For more specific resources, visit our articles online at www.thevarsity.ca.

CORRECTIONS: A News article published in Issue 6 entitled “The UTGSU’s September: What happened after the union suspended President Alexandrova?” stated that the UTGSU voted to de-affiliate with the OISE GSA in 2019, and that the Social Justice Education Departmental Student Association broke off from the OISE GSA to create its own course union in the same year. The article was amended to include that the Social Justice Education Departmental Student Association has since rejoined the OISE GSA. A News article published in Issue 9 entitled “SCSU highlights collaborative vigil for Palestine at October Board of Directors meeting” mistakenly stated that the Policy and By-law Committee (PBC) proposed a number of motions to change the referendum process, including a recommendation that students at the upcoming annual general meeting (AGM) should vote on lowering quorum. In fact, the PBC did not recommend lowering the quorum but did state that it is a relevant topic of discussion for the AGM. The PBC does not make policy recommendations.

A News article published in Issue 9 entitled “A guide to flu season at U of T” mistakenly stated that students experiencing short-term illnesses like the flu can request academic accommodations with Accessibility Services. In fact, such accommodations are for students who have a documented need due to disability.

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NOVEMBER 20, 2023

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BirdSafe U of T documents over 80 bird collisions with windows across UTSG The group’s founders advocate for U of T to retrofit buildings to prevent collisions Muzna Erum Associate News Editor

Over the course of 21 days in fall 2016, 19 birds from non-native migratory species collided with the windows of U of T Scarborough campus buildings, according to a study conducted by U of T student Omar Yossofzai. The organizers for BirdSafe U of T, an initiative based on the St. George campus, say that bird collisions remain a large issue, and the group has documented over 80 fatal collisions at UTSG since its founding in 2022.

BirdSafe U of T aims to combat this issue. The group has worked with administrators to retrofit some of U of T’s windows to prevent collisions and has recently worked to raise awareness about the issue through a film screening and by posting pictures of birds found on campus. The group also started a petition calling on the university to adopt new bird-safe standards for windows and retrofit old buildings, which has received more than 1,000 signatures as of November 19.

Issue of bird collisions The Government of Canada has estimated that, in Canada, window collisions cause 16 to 42 million bird deaths, making it a top human-related cause of bird mortality. Birds aid in pest control, pollination, and dispersing seeds, and the Government of Canada’s website notes the importance of protecting birds to maintain healthy ecosystems.

In an interview with Beyond, an online magazine published by the University of British Columbia (UBC) brand and marketing department, Penny Martyn — an architect at UBC who developed birdfriendly guidelines for the campus’ buildings — explained that birds’ eyes focus on moving objects and objects perpendicular to their body instead of straight ahead. Often, birds collide with windows because they see reflections of the landscape, and due to their limited range of speed, they can’t stop in time to avoid crashing once they notice the window.

Birds have a higher chance of colliding with glass near vegetation spaces where they tend to forage.

Martyn said that migratory species are most at risk for collisions.

in 2022, after they met while training and volunteering for the Canadian charity Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP).

They decided to start an initiative at U of T because they both live near the St. George campus and saw bodies of birds on the ledge of the Edward Johnson Building that they believe died from colliding with the building’s windows.

“I can’t believe, as a graduate of music, that people are practicing music in these [Edward Johnson Building] practice rooms, [while] songbirds are dying here,” said Germscheid.

Addressing the issue BirdSafe U of T has tried to retrofit windows on buildings at U of T to make them bird-friendly.

In 2022, after graduate student Vanya Georgieva raised her concerns about bird collisions to Chair of Graduate Studies Ettore Damiano and Associate Chair of Graduate Studies Robert MacMillan of the Department of Economics at Max Gluskin House, the team worked with FLAP to use $16,000 from the departmental budgets to retrofit the courtyard of the building with small white markers that follow a grid formation.

Marker patterns that contrast with the window help birds by breaking up the reflection and

The group’s founding Carly Davenport — a graduate student studying neurodegenerative diseases at the Institute of Medical Sciences — and Laurna Germscheid, a non-student and artist, created and founded BirdSafe U of T

showing them that a barrier is present. For these dense marking patterns to be effective, they need to leave no gaps more than five centimetres by five centimetres between markers and be outside the surface of the glass according to FLAP. EJ Pratt Library, located in Victoria College, also treated its windows with high contrast and dense patterns of trees with students’ help. Davenport and Germscheid explain their collaboration with the library began after they cold-emailed the campus about the problem. They said that campus staff such as Kam Jahromi, the interim senior manager of campus operations, seemed very receptive to treating windows. However, they explained that the university’s tree pattern treatments were only temporary due to budget constraints.

Davenport claims they are planning to treat windows for three other buildings and currently working to help the university incorporate these treatments into its budget.

According to U of T News, the Department of Cell and Systems Biology and BirdSafe U of T also worked to retrofit the entrance of the Ramsay Wright Laboratories.

Both founders of BirdSafe U of T told The Varsity that window collisions remain an issue at U of T and need more documentation. Germsheid, Davenport,

and other students have documented over 80 birds who fatally collided with buildings like Isabel Bader Theatre, Sidney Smith Hall, the DL Pratt building, the Medical Sciences building, and the Goldring Student Centre. However, Davenport suggested that BirdSafe U of T’s documentation only captures a small part of a more significant issue.

The group currently has a small team of U of T students who inspect windows and report if they see any signs of bird collision. Davenport explains that a patrol of all UTSG buildings can take her two hours, and noted a need for other volunteers.

Due to the organization’s lack of student volunteers available to patrol areas, Davenport suspects that groundskeepers, or predators like squirrels or hawks, sometimes remove birds before the group can document them.

BirdSafe U of T also aims to raise awareness of the issue. The group hosted a movie screening and panel on October 24 for The Messenger, a documentary that investigated how human actions have depleted songbird species’ populations and how this issue can impact the planet.

The group encourages students to connect with them through Instagram to report discoveries of dead birds so it can get data to prioritize which buildings to retrofit.

The creators and founders of BirdSafe U of T engage in advocacy to prevent bird collisions.

MUZNA ERUM/THE VARSITY

UTSU organizes Native Canadian Centre of Toronto visit for eXpression Against Oppression week XAO week events included NCCT tour, documentary screening, BLM forum

Sarah Artemia Kronenfeld Editor-in-Chief

Content warning: This article mentions residential schools.

During the week of October 30, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) hosted its annual eXpression Against Oppression (XAO) week — a week of events to educate students and invite them into discussions about resisting oppression at U of T and beyond.

One of the events featured a screening of Stateless, a documentary from a Black Canadian filmmaker about systemic anti-Black racism and violence against people of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic. The UTSU also hosted a Black Lives Matter forum on how to create informed social change for racialized communities.

On October 31, the union also collaborated with the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT) to organize a guided tour of the NCCT, which is located north of the university on Spadina Road. Students learned about the NCCT’s community events, community and youth programming, Indigenous art, and gift shop for Indigenous-made goods.

Art and healing The tour began on the front steps of the building, where tour guide Charlie Chaboyer met a small group of participants who had commuted from the Student Commons earlier that day. Chaboyer, who additionally identified himself as Fire Turtle Man, is a member of Rainy River First Nations in Manitoba.

Chaboyer gathered the group around a firepit whose cover showed a medicine wheel — a circular symbol and conceptual framework used by many Indigenous groups across North America that emphasizes interconnectedness and the need for balance between all aspects of life. Chaboyer talked about different interpretations of the medicine wheel, and how they could be employed to talk about individual healing journeys. He also explained how the Centre uses the fire as a space to mourn community members.

Chaboyer talked about his own experience as a third-generation residential school survivor. “We were taught not to unite. Don’t feel, don’t trust, don’t talk. And I think it’s about time we feel that conversation, we love that conversation, and we accept that conversation… all that is healing,” he said in an interview with The Varsity.

Chaboyer emphasized the importance of events like this one, where participants could talk about their own perspectives. He discussed the

importance of exploring the effects of residential schools in depth and how spaces like the Centre can contribute. “What are we doing about it today?

Talking about it. We go from early on. The other day I talked to grade six, I talked to six-year-olds, I talked to nine-year-olds, I talked to our age. It’s been passed on,” he said.

The Centre’s programming The group toured the NCCT and learned about all the services it offers.

The Centre’s main hall hosts many community events, such as cultural nights every Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:00–8:00 pm and Okichitaw combat arts classes. It’s also where the Centre will host its Indigenous Artisan Market on the weekends of November 24, December 1, and December 8.

Chaboyer encourages people to attend NCCT events: “People come to this lovely place, and they say, ‘Am I welcome? Can I buy a dreamcatcher? Am I doing it right?’” That hesitance to engage with Indigenous spaces, he explains, is often fed by the “outside ripple” effects of large traumas like those that come from residential schools. Still, he hopes people visit the Centre: “Why is our doormat there?” he quipped.

The Centre also boasts a large art collection. Since its founding in 1962, Indigenous artists, friends, and collectors have donated art to the Centre. The group viewed and discussed a painting by Maxine Noel — an internationally acclaimed Santee Oglala Sioux artist with expertise in many media.

The Centre runs programming for young kids, including programming to teach children Indigenous languages, and programs for new parents in Toronto to find community in the city.

According to NCCT’s councillor-in-residence, its youth drop-in centre, designed for Indigenous youth 12–24, usually boasts an attendance of up to over a dozen people a day. Indigenous youth can access cultural programming, sharing circles, one-on-one counselling, medicines, recreational outings, and land-based outings such as ice fishing, medicine walks, and tending to Indigenous gardens in the city.

Case managers are also available at the Centre to give Indigenous adults emotional or social support, or support in navigating bureaucratic or health systems.

Chaboyer believes spaces like the Centre are important for healing and community-building: “It’s a safe space here. An honest space here. A respectful space here. This building has trust — you can’t have a relationship without trust.”

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UTM and UTSC students participate in “Shut it Down for Palestine” day of action Hundreds of students participate in walkouts calling for ceasefire, end to dehumanization Emma Livingstone & Kamilla Bekbossynova Graduate Bureau Chief & UTM Bureau Chief

On November 9, hundreds of U of T students participated in walkouts at UTM and UTSC, calling for an immediate ceasefire, free passage of humanitarian aid, and an end to the dehumanization of Palestinians.

The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) organized the UTM walkout in collaboration with the Association of Palestinian Students (APS) as part of an international “Shut It Down for Palestine” day of action started by a coalition of pro-Palestine groups. The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) organized the UTSC walkout together with Palestinian students.

Hundreds of people across Canadian universities took part in the day of protest, including students at McGill University and Carleton University.

UTM walkout On the day of the protest, over 100 students gathered inside the UTM Student Centre to prepare for the protest. The protesters then walked along the campus from Deerfield Hall to UTM Vice-President and Principal Alexandra Gillespie’s office, where some protesters delivered speeches.

Speakers emphasized the need for international attention to the humanitarian crisis, condemning the Israeli military’s destruction of places of worship and healthcare facilities, and how the Israeli government’s siege of Palestine denies Palestinians’ human rights. The speeches also included personal stories and testimonials about the impact of the conflict. The speakers requested that attendees not film the personal stories speakers shared.

UTSC walkout The SCSU estimates that more than 400 students attended its protest — which it organized jointly with Palestinian students — from 12:00–2:00 pm.

The protest included a walkout from classrooms, marching, speakers, and writing letters to members of parliament and members of provincial parliament, calling on them to demand a ceasefire.

Omar Mousa, a fourth-year UTSC student studying psycholinguistics, helped organize the protest. He told The Varsity that, as a Palestinian with family in the Palestinian territories, he feels a responsibility to stand for his family and many others struggling. “It’s a humanitarian crisis, it’s apartheid, it’s colonialism,” he said. “We’re not in a post-colonial era, no matter who tells you.”

Students created a collaborative mural at the UTSC Student Centre where they stuck red, black, and white sticky notes on windows with slogans such as “free Palestine” and “stop the genocide.”

SCSU Vice-President, Academics and University Affairs Afshana Miah told The Varsity that she understands why students with connections to Israel might feel upset about the walkout if they view it as an attack on their homeland and identity.

However, she specified that the walkout aimed to support Palestine and the Palestinians’ suffering and not to attack or promote violence against other groups.

Demands In a speech, UTMSU Vice President External Kiki Ayoola demanded that the campus administration offer diverse mental health resources for students affected by the violence and provide additional academic accommodations for affected students.

In the Vice-President, International Joseph Wong’s October 9 statement on the conflict, he

SCSU members review referendum bylaws, wage increases during Annual General Meeting SCSU members table annual audit review until winter, but say U-Pass in the works James Bullanoff UTSC Bureau Chief

The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 14. The SCSU membership passed motions about the unions’ bylaws on student referenda and a motion to wage increases for SCSU executives. SCSU executive members also mentioned initial plans to hopefully implement a U-Pass in the near future.

JESSICA LAM AND MICHAEL PHOON/THE VARSITY

The SCSU tabled motions to review the union’s financial statement and appoint next year’s auditors to the union’s winter general meeting (WGM) because this year’s audit is incomplete. The union has not yet announced the date of its WGM. The SCSU originally scheduled the meeting for 4:00 pm, but the 40 people required to officially start the meeting did not materialize at that time.

After failing to make quorum last year, this year’s AGM met quorum and proceeded as scheduled at 5:00 pm.

Students called on the university to provide more resources and academic accommodations.

KAMILLA BEKBOSSYNOVA/THE VARSITY

encouraged students needing support to contact U of T Telus Health Student Support — a 24-hour support line available immediately over the phone in 35 languages. He also noted that undergraduate students seeking academic accommodations can contact their faculty of college registrar.

In an email to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson also highlighted UTM’s Health and Counselling Centre — which offers short-term counselling and therapy over the phone and can refer students to other resources — and the extended health insurance offered by the UTMSU, which covers up to $125 of the cost of counselling visits for 20 visits.

Miah said that the SCSU hopes the university will specifically acknowledge the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “I know on other university campuses, students’ academic freedoms and rights to speak out in a pro-Palestinian way [is] being censured,” they said. “We’re hoping that the university speaks out and makes students feel reassured that that's not going to happen here.”

On October 10, the UTMSU issued a statement on Instagram expressing support for Palestinians and innocent civilians affected by the violence in Israel and Gaza. The statement emphasizes it is meant to “[shed] light on the dehumanization of the Palestinian people.” It clarifies that it doesn’t endorse the killing of any innocent people, and it notes Palestinians’ “right to resist an apartheid

regime and the forced dispossession of their territory.”

On October 13, Gillespie released a statement criticizing the UTMSU for expressing a position that she claimed did not accurately represent the diverse views of its entire membership. At the protest, Ayoola demanded that the administration reaffirm its commitment to freedom of speech and expression, issue a public apology for “poorly depicting” the UTMSU’s statement, and commit to creating safer spaces for open dialogue and peaceful protesting.

In response, the university spokesperson wrote to The Varsity that “U of T leadership continues to have dialogue with the students’ union.”

“We demand that the UTM administration commit to creating safer spaces for dialogue and discussion, peaceful protesting, and freedom of expression and speech,” Ayoola said in the closing speech at the UTM walkout. “We hope that the UTM administration joins students in the advocacy for peace — peace in the Middle East, peace in our community, and peace everywhere.”

How many votes for a referendum to succeed?

During the meeting, Harry Xu — president of the environmental activism club Regenesis UTSC, whose sister branch Regenesis UTM passed a referendum this past year through the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) — spoke on a change to the referendum process proposed by the club.

A referendum is a vote on a proposed change that the union conducts among all SCSU members. Currently, 10 per cent of the UTSC student body must turn out to vote on a referendum, with the majority voting in favour, for it to pass. Regenesis UTSC submitted a motion to lower this required quorum to three per cent of the student body.

The UTMSU and the University of Toronto Students’ Union currently require referenda to meet a five per cent turnout before succeeding. One student argued in favour of lowering the SCSU’s quorum amount because it would be closer to other university groups’ standards.

Khadidja Roble, SCSU vice-president external, argued in favour of maintaining the 10 per cent vote requirement, noting that the SCSU had managed to reach that turnout in previous referenda.

Kathy Nguyen, the board director representing anthropology, agreed. “I don’t really think it’s fair to use voter apathy to describe the overall demographic of our students and how they truly feel,” she said. Nguyen added that a lack of education, awareness, and understanding of the voting practices and procedures at UTSC impact voter turnout — all factors she believes this year’s SCSU executives have the power to change.

After consideration, students voted to maintain the turnout requirement to 10 per cent.

meeting in the middle. “I think $1,000 per team is quite a bit. I remember when I ran for office, we got, I think, $100 a person,” she said.

Students agreed, increasing the amount of money advocates can spend during a referendum campaign from $250 to $500.

Referendum finances Originally, Regenesis UTSC proposed a motion to increase the amount of money advocates can spend during a referendum campaign from $250 to $1,000. However, Afshana Miah — vice-president, academics and university affairs — proposed

With files from Muzna Erum.

If you or someone you know has experienced harassment or discrimination or is in distress, see resources online or on page 2.

SCSU raises In October, the SCSU raised minimum wages for SCSU part-time staff and 1265 Bistro employees to one dollar above the minimum wage.

During the AGM, executive committee members proposed increasing executive members’ wages from $19.00 to $23.50 per hour. VicePresident Operations Akaash Palaparthy claimed that the executives’ timesheets reflected “more than 80 hours of unpaid work” per week during busy periods such as the Week of Welcome. Amrith David, president of SCSU, added that executives’ hours go unpaid after 6:00 pm. They moved this motion specifically to help executives meet basic needs.

Students passed the motion. David told The Varsity, “I’m really grateful that students actually voted in favour of this because, again, it reflects the work that we do as a union.”

Looking forward The SCSU also gave a presentation on their achievements over the past few months and future plans. Executive members went over their National Day of Action campaign calling for free education and the SCSU’s statement on the violence in Israel and Gaza.

Roble mentioned that the union hopes to implement a U-Pass, which would grant students free access to public transportation after paying a levy similar to UTM students. The SCSU plans to make the U-Pass apply to all transit systems connecting to the UTSC campus including the TTC, GO Transit, Durham Region, and Brampton Transit. Roble did not specify when SCSU plans to implement its U-Pass or in what format.

thevarsity.ca/category/news

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

5

Four panelists at the debate discussed liberalism and democracy.

COURTESY OF MUNK DEBATES

Is liberalism “like sex” or an “orgy of consumerism”?

The autumn 2023 Munk Debate British MP Jacob Rees-Mogg among political thinkers debating the value of liberalism Devin Botar Associate News Editor

On November 3, the semi-annual Munk Debates hosted its autumn debate at Roy Thomson Hall, arguing whether “Liberalism gets the big questions right.” George F. Will and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg argued in favour of the motion, while Ash Sarkar and Sohrab Ahmari argued against.

Both proponents of liberalism in this debate identify as conservatives. They define ‘liberalism’ in the classical sense as representing democracy, as well as individual rights and free market capitalism, and their view may diverge from that of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Before the debate, the audience voted 75 per cent in favour of the motion, and of liberalism. By the end of the debate, audience support for the motion had lowered to 61 per cent — which gave victory to Sarkar and Ahmari for persuading most people with their arguments.

Major themes of the debate included the role of liberalism in producing economic development, inequality, climate change, and democratic freedoms. The Varsity broke down debaters’ main points.

George F. Will The Washington Post’s 50-year-long columnist George F. Will argued that liberalism preserves social peace by taking divisive questions — of religion, thought, and virtue — and leaving them up to individuals to decide for themselves.

He said liberalism leaves the allocation of wealth up to impersonal market forces rather than political power, which, he claimed, avoids creating bitterness and maximizes efficiency.

This produces inequality, which Will embraced as a feature of liberty. People can freely choose

to teach kindergarten or to manage hedge funds, but the rewards will not be the same.

Liberal meritocracy, he argued, allows accomplished people to rise to the top.

Will claimed that the illiberal tendency to limit speech, on the pretense that it could cause harm, is a path that ends “either with the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia or on a typical American campus today.”

Discussions over the limitation of speech have come up at past Munk Debates. In 2018, student protestors — who objected to the Munk Debates’ inclusion of far-right Trump strategist Steve Bannon as a speaker — tried to physically prevent the public from entering Roy Thomson Hall. Police used pepper spray and batons against protestors and made 12 arrests.

Will concluded by quoting a British Member of Parliament (MP) who had compared democracy to sex, quoting Woody Allen, saying, “If it’s not messy, you are not doing it right.” As his final words, Will added, “So I leave you, as you prepare to vote on this: classical liberalism is like sex.”

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg Sir Jacob, described by Macleans as the most posh man in the British parliament, is a conservative British MP, former cabinet minister, and was a leading voice in the Brexit campaign.

He argued in favour of liberalism, saying that rather than having the state tell people how to behave, it trusts individuals to make good choices for themselves.

Sir Jacob has often clashed with the leader of his party, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who recently announced his intention to permanently ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2009. In the past, Sir Jacob criticized the idea of a cigarette ban and received pushback for

failing to disclose significant financial links to the tobacco industry.

He said that the “totalitarian” regime in China has been the world’s biggest polluter, whereas the liberal economies of the UK and US have been able to transition towards sustainability.

Sir Jacob praised the stability and freedom brought by liberal constitutional principles like democracy and equality under the law. He argued that liberal economic values like free trade have uplifted millions of people out of poverty, that property rights have given people security and allowed them to reap all the fruits of their own labour, and that capitalism may have produced some inequalities but has given everyone a higher standard of living and more leisure time.

Ash Sarkar Ash Sarkar is a British journalist and communist political activist. She said that liberalism runs contrary to efforts to overcome bigotry, inequality, and the climate crisis. She said that while it may alleviate poverty, liberalism creates unequal and, therefore, unfree societies.

Sarkar argued that the liberal economy is inherently coercive because when people are faced with unfair prices for necessities like food or shelter, often their only recourse is the freedom to starve or become homeless.

“When you need and the others have, there is no real competition… in the marketplace,” she said.

She challenged the argument that liberalism has guaranteed the freedom of the press, saying that conservative oligarchs dominate media in the UK and that expressions like the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement have faced censorship. She described instances where liberal states violated freedom of religion during the “war on terror” when

individuals were subject to harassment and illegal treatment by the government because of their Muslim background. “There’s only one freedom that’s truly sacrosanct [to] liberals… It’s the freedom to hoard wealth,” she concluded.

She claimed an “orgy of consumerism” has fueled the climate crisis, wrought by the liberal system’s exploitation of the global south.

Sohrab Ahmari Sohrab Ahmari is an Iranian-American author and a devout Catholic. He began by arguing that many of the innovations that we attribute to liberalism actually predate it. For example, he argued that fair trials were as old as the Bible, self-government as old as Greece, and impartial administration as old as Rome.

Notably, democracies in ancient Greece would not meet most liberal standards of selfgovernment today because they generally excluded women, slaves, and non-citizens — a vast majority of the population — from voting.

In addition, contrary to Ahmari’s claim, administrators in ancient Rome also notoriously used their authority for personal enrichment or political advancement, often staging coups or initiating civil wars.

Ahmari decried liberalism for seeing people as inherently selfish. He contrasted this with “the human civilizational heritage” — a worldwide tradition of classical philosophy which he believes includes the Catholic Church, Aristotle, and Confucius and which sees people as better, social creatures yearning towards a common good above individual advancement.

He articulated a system where the government and labour unions should work together to tame the worst excesses of the free market, pointing towards Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in the US as a model.

6

THE VARSITY

news@thevarsity.ca

NEWS

Gertler calls for increased government funding during Governing Council meeting Governors hear about university’s rankings strategy, cafeteria staff concerns Margaret de Leon Varsity Contributor

The University of Toronto’s Governing Council convened for its second meeting of the fall semester on October 26. At the meeting, U of T President Meric Gertler discussed how the university has advocated federal and provincial governments to increase their funding for postsecondary education and how international tensions have impacted the university.

Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 3261 — which represents more than 1,000 service employees, including maintenance workers, cafeteria staff, and technicians across U of T’s three campuses — raised concerns about low wages and understaffing. Governors also heard about the university’s strategy to maximize its placement in global university rankings.

Anna Kennedy, chair of the Governing Council, also announced that students had elected two new student representatives to the council: PartTime Student Representative Joseph Nkeng and Graduate Student Representative Annabelle Dravid.

CUPE 3261’s concerns Executive members of CUPE 3261 spoke at the meeting. The union began bargaining for a new contract with the university on November 14 and will hold bargaining sessions throughout November.

CUPE 3261 President Luke Daccord told the governors that, despite CUPE 3261 members’ critical role in the university, about 70 per cent of them earn less than the Toronto living wage rate identified by the Ontario Living Wage Network — an advocacy organization that works on and highlights living wage initiatives in the province. Other CUPE 3261 executive team members raised concerns about the university outsourcing work to private companies and about how understaffing has left employees to effectively perform multiple jobs.

“Low wages create understaffing and overwork,” said Soosainathan Rajendiram, a representative for cafeteria employees at Chestnut Dining Hall. “It leads to [an] incredibl[y] high amount of stress and burnout amongst our members and the quality suffers, preventing us from delivering the experience students will deserve.”

Kennedy said that the council would not comment on concerns representatives raised at the meeting out of respect for the collective bargaining process.

President’s report During his report, Gertler told the governors that the ongoing violence in Gaza and Israel remains “top of mind for everyone these days.” He offered condolences to those affected in Israel and Gaza. He also reaffirmed U of T’s commitment to academic freedom and free expression, noting the need to “engage in such debates with civility and mutual respect.”

Gertler also discussed the university’s advocacy targeting the federal government. In March, a panel of experts appointed by federal ministers released the Report of the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System to the public. The report notes that Canada’s research funding has not kept pace with funding in other research-focused countries, and it describes that a lack of coordination between federal funding entities has left gaps in research funding. The report recommends that the federal government create a new mechanism to govern funding councils, simplify funding processes, and implement an equity plan to improve the underrepresentation in research of some marginalized groups, such as Black researchers.

Gertler told governors that U of T has lobbied the federal government to fully implement the report’s

recommendations, including by increasing graduate student and postdoctoral scholarships.

Many graduate student stipends the federal government offers have not increased for the past 20 years.

Gertler brought up a Blue-Ribbon Panel the Ontario government convened last year to investigate the postsecondary sector’s stability after high-profile bankruptcies and closures. He told the governors that the university administration anticipates that it will base its advocacy on the results of the panel’s report. He said that the university’s top priority is increasing its operating grant from the Ontario government, which currently covers around 20 per cent of the university’s operating costs — far less than in past years.

Gertler also expressed concerns about how deteriorating Canada-India relations might impact student recruitment and research partnerships. In September, Prime Minister Trudeau accused the Indian government of assassinating a Canadian citizen, sparking restrictions on visa services. However, Gertler noted that the Indian Government had resumed processing Canadians’ visa applications, which he characterized as “good news.”

University rankings Simon Pratt, director of research strategy and excellence, gave a presentation about university rankings. He noted that although there is controversy over the accuracy of university rankings, many potential students, staff, and donors view them as important.

The university mainly tracks five large-scale rankings, each of which uses different methodologies. For all of the rankings the university highlighted, U of T came in as the most highly ranked university in Canada and among the top 25 in the world for 2023. Pratt said the university’s reputation has grown in the past few years.

Pratt told governors that the university takes steps to ensure it understands ranking methodologies and performs strongly, such as strategically targeting newspapers like The Guardian to report on its research and focusing on faculty retention. Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, explained that the university also coordinates with its divisions so that they understand the university’s methodologies and can align their divisional strategies to help improve rankings.

RILLA WANG/THEVARSITY

U of T commemorates Remembrance Day at annual ceremony Government officials, student union executives leave wreaths at Soldiers’ Tower Je Ho Cho Varsity Contributor

Observed in Commonwealth countries on November 11 as the anniversary of the end of World War I, Remembrance Day recognizes veterans and those who died during the World Wars. This year’s ceremony continued a long tradition of Remembrance Day services at U of T and took place at Soldiers’ Tower.

Major the Reverend Richard Ruggle provided opening remarks on the “ultimate sacrifice” that some U of T community members made when they went to war. “We commit ourselves to work for reconciliation between the nations so that people may live together in peace,” he said.

Interspersed between hymns and a reading of the iconic Canadian poem “In Flanders Fields,” individuals from the Campus Chaplains Association offered prayers and reflections.

Imam Omar Patel honoured the sacrifices of those in uniform and prayed for the safety of those in contemporary conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Rabbi Jonathan Jaffit spoke about the need for lasting peace, quoting a passage from

the book of Isaiah: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

U of T community members including U of T President Meric Gertler and Professor Susan Wagner of the U of T Faculty Association, government officials such as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, and those with personal connections to soldiers affiliated with U of T who have passed away presented wreaths in honour of the service members. University of Toronto Students’ Union President Elizabeth Shechtman and Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students Vice-President Jennifer Coggon represented students in the ceremonies and left wreaths under Soldiers’ Tower. Various student groups, fraternities, and sororities left wreaths as well.

A lone trumpet call by a member of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, followed by a moment of silence and singing of “God Save the King” and “O Canada,” marked the climax of the ceremony, which came to an end at noon.

Mid-day on the windy November 10, the university held its annual Remembrance Day Service.

SHANNA HUNTER/THEVARSITY

Business & Labour

November 20, 2023 varsity.ca/category/business biz@thevarsity.ca

Turning daily life into a career in digital content creation How these U of T students gained followings by sharing their lifestyle and personal advice Aunkita Roy Varsity Contributor

As more people turn to social media for entertainment and community, more and more people have garnered impressive followings as social media and online content creators. Among them are U of T graduate students Guneet Sandhu and Arasteh Gatchpazian, along with recent alumni Vanessa Tiiu, who have all found success on multiple online platforms — while pursuing full-time studies.

All three shared their experiences and reflections on being content creators in interviews with The Varsity.

Sharing lifestyle, advice, experience Sandhu has three pillars of personal branding that go into her content: lifestyle, fashion, and wellness.

She shares her content on TikTok and Instagram, and has a podcast called One Thing About Me. On all three platforms, Sandhu shares her day-to-day life as a medical student, advice about personal health and relationships, style inspiration, and lifestyle content. Sandhu’s TikTok account has over 50,000 followers and has amassed over 1.2 million likes.

In an interview with The Varsity, Sandhu noted that her content has “definitely gotten a lot more polished and refined” since she began but it still remains rooted in these three elements.

Meanwhile, Tiiu’s career as a YouTube video creator started when she was just a high school student. She told The Varsity that her videos initially centred around student and school-related content, but she has since shifted away to more general wellness and lifestyle content. “I think I slowly

learned over the years that I’m not just a student, and I didn’t want my content to revolve around that… I am so much more and have so much more to offer,” she said.

Tiiu has grown her following to include over 600,000 subscribers on YouTube alone, and she is now pursuing content creation as a full-time career.

Gatchpazian also shares snippets of her lifestyle, in posts that often encourage her audience to slow down, practice self-love, and accept imperfection.

Gatchpazian has a podcast called Her Healthful, which is also her handle on TikTok and Instagram.

In an interview with The Varsity, Gatchpazian said that she aims for her content “to be a moment of stillness and calmness in people’s day-to-day lives, that can be so busy, so chaotic.”

She added that she hopes to leverage her PhD studies in psychology to encourage safe conversations about mental health and wellness once she completes her degree.

Gatchpazian recalled her experience connecting with members of her online following. She met a follower from Germany at a recent retreat, who told her they had heard about the retreat through her.

“You live in Germany, and you follow me — like, how is that computing in my head? I don’t even know,” she said.

Though it can be intimidating to be vulnerable online, Gatchpazian said that being open and honest with her followers about herself has allowed her to build authentic friendships with other content creators and a global audience.

Sandhu also highlighted the value of networking with other creators in the same niche, both for creative inspiration and to gain knowledge about current brand compensation practices and popular

Why do some undergraduate degrees cost so much more than others?

Students in historically deregulated programs continue to face high tuition Medha Barath Business Correspondent

Is your undergraduate degree program highly competitive? Are you connecting with good job prospects as you near graduation? If so, chances are you probably contribute more to U of T's revenue than the average student.

U of T students in degree programs like Engineering and Rotman Commerce have to pay a higher rate of tuition than the average student in the Faculty of Arts and Science. While the Ontario government generally limits how much universities can charge in tuition, its tuition fees policy classifies programs like engineering and commerce as “highdemand.” U of T operates per these guidelines, which result in significant disparities in student fees — a Rotman Commerce domestic student pays $9,800 more in program fees than a general student in the Faculty of Arts and Science.

The history of “high demand” tuition Ontario’s regulatory scheme for tuition fees changed dramatically between 1997 and 1998.

Before that, the government regulated all degree programs’ tuition the same, regardless of demand. Within this framework, universities had the discretion to set tuition between a minimum and maximum amount.

However, in 1998, the government decided to deregulate the tuition of some programs altogether.

Specific criteria dictated which programs could sidestep typical tuition regulation: there had to be an especially high demand to study the

subjects taught in the program, particularly strong employment prospects for current students, and high potential income for graduates.

Ontario called the marginal increase in tuition paid by students in deregulated programs “additional cost recovery fees” — presumably, to account for the higher financial burden of operating such programs, such as professors’ salaries.

The only constraints the province put on deregulated programs were that tuition could increase by no more than 20 per cent each year. Furthermore, enrolment in all deregulated programs could only amount to a maximum of 15 per cent altogether of the university’s total undergraduate enrolment.

Then in 2004, Ontario started regulating tuition for all undergraduate programs again at the same rates and instituted a two-year tuition freeze. Now, the administrations of these previously deregulated programs no longer have the same freedom they did before.

However, those frozen rates still reflected years of deregulated tuition in certain programs. Moreover, student fees increase proportionately to the tuition rate that a student pays, further widening the disparity in how much these students pay in comparison to those in regulated programs.

The Ontario government also continues to make special exceptions for regulating highdemand programs; in the 2018–2019 academic year, universities could only increase tuition by three per cent for full-time students in regular degree programs, whereas they could raise tuition for students in high-demand programs by five per cent.

From left to right: Arsteh Gatchpazian, Guneet Sandhu, and Vanessa Tiiu.

COURTESIES OF ARASTEH GATCHPAZIAN, GUNEET SANDHU, AND VANESSA TIIU

trends. But Sandhu and Gatchpazian emphasized that this intention goes hand-in-hand with building your own individual brand and digital content.

her full-time career as a content creator took discipline and organization. “You are the only one that’s going to get you to get stuff done,” she explained.

Work-life balance At the same time, Gatchpazian and Sandhu noted the importance of maintaining some separation between their personal life and their online presence.

Gatchpazian explained that she will block out time in her calendar for intentional time for herself, which is neither for school nor content creation.

Similarly, Sandhu discussed the challenges of managing her schedule as a medical student, making sure to take care of herself between all of her studies and creating her content. “[I] always make sure to have time to work out, destress, see my friends and family,” she said. She also pointed out that “every life experience [does not need] to be an opportunity for content.”

Tiiu noted that everyone’s personal preference is different when it comes to how much of their personal life they share online. “I try and be very vulnerable and very honest. But that is also I feel like a part of just who I am, and what I needed on social media,” she said.

Tiiu shared that she focused more on her academics while she was a student, but that she found herself naturally driven to create online content. “It was my outlet and something that I love to do,” she explained. But she also emphasized that building

Advice for budding content creators Gatchpazian and Sandhu both hope to continue in social media in the long term, hoping to integrate more of their own knowledge and experiences in their professional backgrounds into the content they share online. Sandhu also said she aspires to pursue entrepreneurial ventures and start her own brand.

For anyone hoping to build a similar career, Tiiu said to “find something that you do like that’s unique about you” — something that you are also excited about documenting and sharing with other people.

Gatchpazian also emphasized this point. “Reflect on what content you’re making, and what value you want to bring,” she said. However, she also explained that your content does not have to reinvent the wheel: “You can share parts of your life that you might think are not interesting, but other people may want to know way more [about].”

Sandhu’s advice is this: “Don’t go into it with the intention of growing a page or creating a business…that really kills your creativity and your ability to connect with your audience.” Instead, she says, “[You have to] know why you’re doing it, what your unique message is.”

Student efforts to combat rising fees Concerned about the barriers higher tuition might pose to disadvantaged students seeking to study programs like Computer Science or Rotman Commerce, student unions on campus have initiated campaigns to address this issue in the past.

The ‘Same Degree, Same Fee’ campaign was an initiative led by the Computer Science Students’ Union in 2021 that brought in support from the Arts and Science Students’ Union (ASSU) and the University of Toronto Students’ Union. Spurred by the fact that domestic students in Computer Science or Data Science had to pay 87 per cent more in tuition than other science students in the Faculty of Arts and Science, these groups called for the university to set these programs’ tuition at the same level as other science programs.

Over 600 students signed the campaign’s petition, which cited students’ mental health and the inaccessibility of the above programs to marginalized students. When The Varsity first reported on the campaign in 2021, a U of T spokesperson wrote in a statement that they were open to hearing comments from student union leaders within university governance processes. However, the CSSU asserted at the time that these invitations were essentially meaningless because the kind of changes they were advocating for did not take place in these stages of the university’s decision making.

The campaign did not succeed, and computer science students continue to pay 87 per cent more

tuition than other Arts and Science students. “The University administration refused to participate with the campaign,” wrote current ASSU President Anusha Madhusudanan in a statement to The Varsity.

A U of T spokesperson wrote to The Varsity that decisions to reduce or freeze these program fees “currently rest with the government.”

Alleviating the financial burden of studying a ‘high-demand’ program While U of T does not have the same freedom to raise tuition for high-demand programs as it did before, students studying these degrees continue to face skyrocketing fees.

Student groups continue to advocate for greater financial assistance for students in these programs. For example, the ASSU has increased funding for its various awards and bursaries to better support students facing high tuition. It also hopes to offer a “Deferred Exam Fee Grant” starting this December to subsidize the costs of deferred exams.

These may not be direct solutions that address the disparity in tuition between various programs, but they can still indirectly aid students by offsetting academic costs like textbooks and public transit fare. Nevertheless, the ASSU has not given up yet. Madhusudanan stated that the union plans to reconfigure its campaign in the future and present it to U of T’s administration again.

Some undergraduate degrees are up to 87 per cent higher than the provincially regulated rate.

CAROLINE BELLAMY/THEVARSITY

Comment

November 20, 2023 thevarsity.ca/category/comment comment@thevarsity.ca

World religions should be a part of basic education Religion has had a profound effect on the development of human society and still matters today Sulaiman Hashim Khan Comment Columnist

In those far-off days, as the story goes, the King of Aratta once sent back a messenger to King Enmerkar of Uruk — whose kingdoms existed around modern-day Iraq — to tell him that the Mesopotamian goddess of love, Inanna, had decided to favour Aratta over Uruk. Enmerkar, appalled, began a trade war and a vitriolic back and forth with the foreign king.

The messenger, tired of running between the two kingdoms for years, exclaimed to his lord that he could no longer remember the long speeches that the kings had dictated for each other. The King of Uruk could not afford to lose his trade war nor the affection of the goddess. So, he ordered for a slab of wet clay and a short length of sharp reed to be brought before him. Then, the mighty king took his stylus and, for the first time in recorded history, wrote. The messenger brought the tablet to the ruler of Aratta, who — ashamed of his defeats in the contests and astonished by the novelty of Enmerkar’s invention of writing — swore submission to Uruk and no longer vied for Inanna.

But you’ve never heard that story.

Today, it is easy to forget the importance that religion has had in the development of human society. When we trace back to our earliest stories, laws, and methods of organizing people, we can see how they have stemmed from our earliest beliefs about the universe. From the mundane mechanisms of our calendar to the aspirational names we give to space missions, our inspiration comes from institutions and stories whose first role was to operate in the domain of theology and cosmology.

68 per cent of Canadians identify as belonging to a religion, and the list of religions that percentage accounts for is varied. As citizens of Canada, we live in a land of diversity united under our ethos of the ‘cultural mosaic.’

Given this, I believe that instituting a mandatory introduction to world religions at the high school level can mould a populace that is more aware

JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

of the role of religion in modern society and what certain faiths practice and preach, and show the diversity within religions and religious practices.

When we teach our children how to read and write, as King Enmerkar first did all those millennia ago, we must also teach them why we read and write. The story of the two kings is likely fiction, but the power of education and the pen holds true.

I remember a conversation with a fellow student about Québec’s 2019 Bill 21: An Act Respecting the Laicity of the State, which banned employees in the public sector from wearing religious garments and symbols with the purpose of upholding the doctrine of secularism. The student argued that it would be obviously wrong for a police officer to wear a pin denoting a political affiliation when on duty — why then should religious symbols be any different?

In my view, this argument comes from a misunderstanding that religion can be likened to any other ideology a person may hold. However, religion is not an opinion to be swayed, as it is an

innately personal system of belief. Religion tends to inform people’s political ideologies and worldviews but is itself not informed by them. This is paramount to understand. The potency of religious belief means that it is not something we can ignore but something we should always be aware of when we interact with people and ideas in our daily affairs, as well as on grander executive levels in terms of legislation and policy.

In the elementary school curriculum in Ontario, we learned about ancient Egypt and Greece and their respective myths, and we learned about the Middle Ages. But from the ages of about 12 to 17, the only history we were mandated to explore was relegated to roughly the last 200 years.

Naturally, events that transpired and philosophies that were inspired closer to our time have a greater impact on our current world. It is probably more important for the average citizen to know how the World Wars erupted than it is for them to know about the factual details of the Babylonian invasions. But I still hold that to truly, deeply

understand how human society has progressed, we must understand how the world was viewed for the majority of the 100,000 years humanity has existed. Not only must we know what was believed but also how it was believed and that it was profoundly believed. We must also know that these profound beliefs cause actions and events we may find difficult to understand and justify.

There are historical-religious reasons why our work week runs from Monday to Friday and why those days are even called Monday or Friday.

There are historical-religious reasons why members of government swear oaths. There are historical-religious reasons that contribute to why there is no peace in the Middle East. These religioushistorical artifacts cannot be effaced from our society despite our insistence on a secular society.

Therefore, to better make peace with this truth, we should make the influence of religion naked rather than hidden behind a gossamer of idealistic rhetoric about a completely secular society.

I recognize that religion is personal, but so are finance and health — and yet we are still taught how to parse through those parts of life in the classroom. The history of religion is an important facet that is essential for understanding how those around us conduct themselves. I believe that world religion should be a mandatory course in the high school curriculum, rather than being an optional one. Why do we teach cultural and media literacy, history, and geography, without discussing the origins of the ideas behind the systems that have led to the very development of culture and history?

We are often exposed to hateful rhetoric and misinformation about others’ beliefs, and it can be easy to generalize or decontextualize ideas found in other belief systems. Thus, I see world religious education serving as a means to prevent blind hate and facilitate cross-cultural understanding.

Sulaiman Hashim Khan is a third-year student at St. Michael’s College studying English and ethics, society, and law. He is the Religion columnist for The Varsity’s Comment section.

People in crises shouldn’t have to compete for our attention We must look at world issues with a humanitarian lens and continuously support those in need Nidhil Vohra Comment Columnist

Gaza has been under siege for around a month and a half. But in reality, it has been occupied for well over 50 years.

So, when Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that “the war in Israel and Gaza is taking away the focus” from Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine, some questions come to mind.

Firstly, I wonder why he does not condemn Israel’s occupation of Palestine in a similar vein to the Russian invasion. My fellow writers have written quite sensitively and courageously about this very cowardice coming from other powers and institutions.

Secondly, I wonder why the world is only able to focus on one singular issue at a time. To address this, it is important to first acknowledge that Zelenskyy’s fears are legitimate. The situation in Ukraine hasn’t changed significantly since Russia’s invasion began in 2022. Ukrainians continue to suffer, perpetually trapped in an active state of war, yet attention to their situation has diminished.

Reactionary aid to crises Zelenskyy’s statement also indicates the world’s skewed perception toward humanitarian aid. We exist in a reactionary world that offers help to the most recent crises. With an increase in attention toward a specific issue, the onus on world leaders to address these issues grows as well — which shows why help to the Middle East has increased and to Ukraine has waned.

Furthermore, I believe state governments find it easier to divert their resources to more ‘urgent’ conflicts as it helps them fulfill their commitment to the international order while relieving them of the onus to respond adequately to every single crisis.

Therefore, as popular support for the Ukrainian war wanes in countries like the US, those countries’ administrations begin to redistribute their resources towards more ‘pressing’ conflicts like that in the Middle East.

In a reactionary world, we also offer aid to those with internationally recognized legitimacy and power. In the Middle East, there is a discrepancy in support toward Israel and toward Palestine.

I see multiple reasons for this difference in treatment. The first one is that the legitimacy Israel holds as a recognized sovereign country makes it easier for countries to support it without upsetting the current international order. To stand with Israel is to stand with democracy, or so the dominant narrative goes.

The internalized Islamophobia within the domestic discourse of several countries further aggravates the situation. An example is the support for Israel from some Indian users on X with little to no knowledge of the situation in Palestine — their antagonization of Palestine seems to merely stem from them equating Palestinians to Muslims.

News fatigue and news cycles The diminishing public interest is also due to what researchers call “news fatigue.” The sheer abundance of news that we have access to leads us to

consume more than we can handle and the more news that we consume, the less we want to see moving forward. Essentially, we tire out.

This oversaturation of news stories and our exposure to them then leads to desensitization.

News items that have existed for longer periods of time become the ‘normal’ while fresh items in the news cycle take up more of our attention as ‘pressing news stories.’ This cycle forms the basis of why news items have to compete for our attention.

I consider this to be a vicious and largely reinforcing cycle which breeds callousness instead of urgency. The cycle creates a grim situation which I see in Zelenskyy’s statement: a country’s leader, whose people are under attack from a ruthless autocracy, seems to be worried that a conflict elsewhere will negatively affect the security of his people.

However, I believe it is wrong to ask why our attention is perpetually focused on the most recent issue. I would go a step further and ask how we can be attentive, without necessarily taking away our attention from somewhere else, and I believe that we can do that by making a conscious effort to understand the issue at hand. If illegal occupation is what we are against, then Palestine and Ukraine are both battling the same enemy.

In my view, Zelenskyy’s concerns would disappear in a world where the focus was on understanding why occupying someone else’s land was wrong. In that world, Ukraine and Palestine would find allies in a unified bloc of countries that

are all committed to the fight against oppressive regimes.

Unfortunately, the reality is different. Allyship in this world is based on diplomatic relationships, religious affinity, and opportunities for economic development.

To change that is to change the international order. To change the international order is to systematically and aggressively gnaw at the bulky rope that binds it together. And we must continue to gnaw at it, until it gives way to a world where our aid isn’t the result of a contest of attention.

Nidhil Vohra is a fourth-year student at St. Michael’s College studying peace, conflict and justice and political science. He is an International Affairs columnist for The Varsity’s Comment section.

I argue that we must ask how we can be attentive to the Middle East without taking away our attention from Ukraine.

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We must pay attention to environmental racism for unified solutions to the climate crisis Unveiling the eco injustice carried out against BIPOC communities Dileesha Fernando Varsity Contributor

A constant pressure looms over all of our society, including our activists and government leaders, to figure out what the best approach to solving the increasingly prevalent problems of the climate crisis is. The discourse surrounding the climate crisis has always argued that everyone must come together to tackle this growing issue, as it impacts all people globally.

However, this kind of rhetoric makes it seem as if everyone has been equally impacted by the climate crisis. Although we need unity to address the climate crisis, we should recognize that the impacts of the climate crisis are unequal. The climate crisis has disproportionately impacted Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) communities worldwide.

To create and implement unified solutions for the climate crisis, we must acknowledge the disproportionate impacts BIPOC communities have faced from the climate crisis. Specifically, we must address environmental racism and how it has exacerbated these issues.

BIPOC communities face evident climate disparities at the hands of powerful governmental institutions and corporations as a result of environmental racism. Environmental racism describes how BIPOC communities have been disproportionately affected by health and financial burdens in the climate crisis era due to government institutions and various oil and gas industries enforcing discriminatory policies and practices that increase their exposure to high pollution levels and toxic waste. Importantly, environmental racism is part of

the colonial legacies that still prevail in Canada and across the globe.

Thus, I believe exploring some examples of environmental racism is critical in prompting timely policy reform and taking action to help those who are impacted by the perils of environmental racism.

North America’s track record One part of Canada’s racist legislature with colonial roots is the Indian Act, which serves as the basis of environmental racism that impacts Indigenous communities. For instance, the maximum garbage dumping penalty on Indigenous land is $100 according to the Indian Reserve Waste Disposal Regulations, which were adopted under the Indian Act. Meanwhile, the maximum penalty for dumping waste on land that is property of the federal and provincial governments ranges from $2,000 to one million dollars. Dumping waste haphazardly causes landfills that directly emit greenhouse gases, which in turn contributes to the climate crisis such as increased temperatures. The disparity between penalties gives greater leniency to dumping waste on Indigenous land and therefore reinforces environmental racism while causing environmental degradation, neglecting the lives of Indigenous peoples and only working to benefit the privileged.

Similarly, the ‘Chemical Valley’ in Sarnia, Ontario is an example of environmental racism. In the Chemical Valley, the Aamjiwnaang First Nation resides near more than 60 industrial plants, including petrochemical and coal-fired plants, which contribute to more than one-fifth of Ontario’s total greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, Aamjiwnaang people on the land are exposed to high levels of sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, benzene, and

Hasan Minhaj, lie in comedy for laughs, not for pity The problem with Hasan Minhaj’s article’s accusations of his lying, Minhaj released a video with ‘emotional truths’ an apology and explanation to Christian Zdravko Varsity Contributor

On September 15, The New Yorker reported on how Indian-American comedian and political commentator Hasan Minhaj faked stories of racism and lied about his daughter being hospitalized. The article criticized Minhaj and exposed the embellishments he included in his Netflix specials, which caused disappointment among many of his fans and followers.

While fictionalizing is regular in comedy, I believe that Minhaj’s lies warp public perspectives of and show a lack of respect toward his relationship with the public.

Allegations and response In Minhaj’s most recent Netflix special, The King’s Jester, he tells a story from less than a year after the September 11 attacks, when Muslim and brown Americans became the targets of extreme racism. He met a white man named Brother Eric, who claimed to be a personal trainer and wanted to convert to Islam at Minhaj’s mosque. Eventually, Minhaj learned that the man was an undercover FBI agent looking for opportunities to entrap Muslims.

Later, Minhaj tells a story from what happened after he criticized the Saudi Arabian government in his Netflix series Patriot Act. He received a letter containing mysterious white powder, which fell on his baby daughter. He and his wife had to rush her to the hospital, in fear of the powder being anthrax.

In Minhaj’s 2017 comedy special Homecoming King, he recalls when he asked out a white girl, whom he identified with the pseudonym Bethany Reed, to prom. On the day of prom, Minhaj saw Reed with a white guy at her doorstep because her parents did not want relatives to see pictures of her at prom with a brown guy.

The New Yorker argued that none of these events really happened. As a challenge to the

the allegations. He claimed he dramatized the rejection to “drop the audience into the feeling of that moment.” The Brother Eric story was made up, but apparently a representation of real police altercations he and other Muslim Americans have experienced. The anthrax story was embellished, but a representation of the real fear that Minhaj and his family faced at the time because of his tensions with the Saudi Arabian population.

Great expectations and misinformation Comedians have no obligation to tell the truth — but Minhaj is also a prominent political commentator. With Patriot Act, people come to Minhaj for news and facts on societal issues, world leaders, and other important information. Given this, I believe he has a responsibility as a truth teller. If Minhaj waltzes between fact and fiction, I question how anyone can trust anything he says on camera. Will his next stand-up special begin with a fictitious disclaimer?

In his video response, Minhaj stated that he saw a distinction between the expectations built on his work as a storytelling comedian and his work as a political comedian. For the former, he said he assumed that the “lines between truth and fiction were allowed to be a bit more blurry.” While I agree with him, I believe he must exercise caution because the personal is also political and he can easily cross the line that he set by taking his fictional anecdotes too far from the truth.

A few months prior to the accusations, The Daily Show was considering Minhaj to become the new host. After The New Yorker article was released, they had second thoughts — and I believe this was to be expected. Although it’s satirical, The Daily Show is a news show that discusses real events, and putting Minhaj at the forefront of the show would risk its credibility.

It is especially risky that Minhaj has fabricated stories of racism, because I believe this threatens

other harmful chemicals. These chemicals cause high levels of air pollution like smog, rapid temperature increases, and acid rain.

Due to their high exposure to toxic chemicals emitted from surrounding factories, Aamjiwnaang people on the land also face higher levels of chronic headaches, asthma, cancer, and miscarriages. The government’s failure to enforce sanctions on the factories testifies to its lack of effective ways to halt pollution and its consistent disrespect for the lives of Indigenous peoples.

Furthermore, BIPOC communities are more likely to live in areas highly susceptible to natural disasters, which further attests to the prevalence of environmental racism across North America. This is due to legacies of colonialism and current discriminatory practices that have pushed BIPOC communities to live in poor-quality conditions. For instance, a study showed that in New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina hit particularly hard, Black people comprised more than 80 per cent of the people who had lost their homes. Hence, with climate events rising, BIPOC communities will be the ones to take the brunt of these environmental forces.

Possible solutions to environmental racism With the climate crisis becoming an imminent threat to humanity, solutions to it must acknowledge environmental racism. Policymakers and government officials must take a socioecological perspective that takes into account social factors such as ethnicity and socioeconomic status when integrating policies that work effectively against racism and environmental regulatory policies.

We must use this intersectional approach to create climate policies that acknowledge BIPOC comthe trust between him and his audience and undermines his other stories. For example, in Homecoming King, Minhaj recalls a time as a teenager after 9/11. Random people called his house, uttering racist slurs and death threats. Later, he and his dad went outside to see their Toyota Camry’s windows smashed in. When reaching for his bag in the car, Minhaj allegedly cut his arm on the broken glass.

But here’s the thing: we may never learn about the validity of this story. If we know he made up stories like the ones The New Yorker mentioned, I feel like I have no basis to believe this one, or any of his stories at all. To me, Minhaj is the boy who cried wolf.

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munities while making meaningful changes regarding the climate crisis. I believe that more inclusive policies may even lead to better public acceptance of novel climate policies. Thus, it is the responsibility of government institutions to engage directly with marginalized communities, to listen to their experiences with environmental racism, and to address their concerns through implementing inclusive policies.

As students, we must help bring environmental racism to public discourse. This could involve lobbying the government and advocating for policy reform surrounding environmental racism. It could also take form in student-led organizations that specifically address environmental racism and can advocate for change by fostering safe spaces for community engagement.

Additionally, we can incorporate environmental justice issues into our academic careers, whether it’s through graduate school research or in the next paper you write for your coursework. Writing about environmental racism acknowledges its existence and places it on the table for discussion. Finally, our social media platforms can amplify diverse voices that come from marginalized communities and aid in disseminating knowledge to educate others about environmental racism.

I believe that unified solutions for the climate crisis can only be possible if everyone is accounted for — that begins by acknowledging the racial inequities that are exacerbated by environmental racism.

Dileesha Fernando is a fourth-year student at Woodsworth College studying human biology. She is the co-founder of Wellus U of T. from Patriot Act. In fact, comedy is a great way to dissect important topics, as it helps promote the discussion of world issues and encourages social change. In my opinion, Minhaj is a great example of a man who capitalized on the American Dream, and made it to the top — with the help of deception.

I say it is okay to embellish in comedy — comedians regularly exaggerate and fictionalize. It is often part of the joke, and we love jokes. When it is used to manipulate us, however, it is wrong.

Minhaj brought clarity to the situation by making the response video, and the world now better understands his intentions. From now on, however, I think it’s crucial that he and other celebrity comedians are cautious about what they perform, and how it affects our world.

Minhaj isn’t the only one The New York Times held comedian Steve Rannazzisi to the same standard in an article back in 2009. In an interview, Rannazzisi told his story Christian Zdravko is a third-year student at UTSC about how he used to work at the World Trade studying journalism, anthropology, and creative Centrer before entering the world of comedy. After writing.

9/11, he had an epiphany and decided to pursue his dreams as an entertainer. He also talked about experiencing flashbacks after the traumatic experience.

However, there was no evidence of him working in the World Trade Center. Buffalo Wild Wings, an American casual dining restaurant and sports bar franchise who had aired a commercial of him, cut ties with him and stopped airing the advertisement when word of his lie got out.

Rannazzisi’s 9/11 tale was a sob story to rally the public by his side, and I believe Minhaj did the same thing. Both tried to claim narratives they thought would suit them. These actions are dishonest and exploitative. In my view, fictionalized comedy is only acceptable when done for the right reason: for laughs.

Exercise caution I believe that Hasan Minhaj is a great comedian and political commentator. I enjoy his I say it is okay to embellish in comedy for the joke, but not to garner pity. work. His stand-up makes NILIMA PAUL/THEVARSITY me laugh, and I learn a lot

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I am seen, therefore I am

Why getting catcalled made me feel like a woman — and what that says about womanhood Artemis Riedmueller Varsity Contributor

Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual harassment.

I was catcalled for the first time a few weeks ago. It was a Friday, and I was biking back from my friend’s birthday party at around 1:00 am. It was warm out, especially for October.

I was wearing a pair of low-waisted jeans, a tank top that I cropped myself, and a bulky helmet covering my bleach-blonde hair. I had turned onto Harbord Street and was biking through St. George campus when I passed by a couple of men. They whistled as I passed by. “Wow!” one yelled out.

I told my friend a few days later, and she looked at me sadly and said, “I’m sorry.” There was no shock in her voice, only a melancholy acceptance. I recognize that response — I’ve given it to my own friends countless times.

Sure, the first time I heard about one of them being harassed, I was horrified, but after you hear enough stories, nothing surprises you anymore. By the time I was in high school, all I could do was listen, shake my head, and let out that same defeated “I’m sorry” that my friend gave me.

You get used to hearing about all the disgusting and awful garbage that your friends go through on a daily basis: being catcalled, dress-coded, and harrassed by older men.

That’s just part of girlhood.

It was a part of girlhood that I was exempt from. Growing up, I always had a pixie cut, which, combined with my androgynous name and late puberty, made most people assume I was a boy. I was constantly misgendered and was subject to invasive questions and comments from children and adults alike.

This frustrated me, but it wasn’t until middle school that I started to notice how my gender expression made my experience of girlhood different from that of my female friends. My fellow girls were going through these awful, traumatic experiences and would often share them with each other. They were dress-coded, catcalled, harassed, and even assaulted.

Sharing these stories was a ritual of sorts — a way for them to reclaim the power these men had taken from them and forge a deep, emotional bond

based on their mutually traumatic girlhoods. I would listen to them tell these horrifying stories, and I felt bad for them. But at the same time, I was so jealous — all I wanted to be was normal, and unfortunately, being normal meant being harassed.

This ‘rite of passage’ to being a woman, as I perceived it, illustrates how normalized catcalling has become. My reaction doesn’t excuse men’s disgusting behaviour, nor does it mean I blame any of their actions on what a woman chooses to wear. It is truly horrifying that girls continue to grow up in a world where they are subject to this kind of disgusting behaviour by men.

But I’ve still often felt like the existence of my gender depends on how men perceive me. At times, it’s made me question my presentation, my identity — and my very ability to claim womanhood.

Womanhood: A product of perception I was lucky to avoid harassment because men didn’t see me as a girl — but neither did anyone else. I grew up having to constantly justify my existence wherever I went. When I had a substitute teacher, I would have to correct them multiple times; when I was wearing a dress, I would answer questions all day about what I was; when I used the girl’s washroom, I was stared at and often laughed at as well.

Once, a girl standing right behind me asked loudly, “Why is there a boy in the girl’s washroom?” I knew it was targeted at me, so I looked her in the eye and said, “Where?” That was when I still had the confidence to stand up for myself, but after many more years of similar experiences, I gave up on responding at all. I felt that there was a great separation between me and other girls my age. While they seemed like they were living life and growing up, I was always just a little boy.

When I was catcalled, I knew I was supposed to feel grossed out and uncomfortable and afraid. But, to tell the truth, all I could feel was pride. In a world that places so much value on patriarchal ideas of femininity and beauty, being catcalled felt like a rite of passage. It is impossible to separate my own feelings from the internalized misogyny built up over a lifetime of being judged based on patriarchal expectations of gender expression. Being

harassed, disrespected, and sexualized felt like proof that I am a woman.

And I hate myself for having this thought.

No one should ever have to go through the awful experiences that I was so envious of while growing up, especially not a child. A 12-year-old is not a woman just because a man decides to harass her, and a grown adult is no less a woman if she is not harassed by men. Womanhood is not defined by whether or not a man is attracted to you.

To be a woman is to be performing at all times — to be conscious of everything you do and everything you wear and everything you say.

I know these things to be true, and if I could, I would go back and tell them to my childhood self. Yet, I know I never would have internalized any of it. I would have kept on wishing to go through the same trauma that other girls went through. I know this because even now, after getting that wish fulfilled, I can’t help but feel vindicated — as if I am finally part of that archetypal girlhood that I felt distanced from for so long.

The inescapable male gaze Of course, I don’t think I would have felt this vindication had I felt threatened while being catcalled. I was riding my bike down a busy street, and the men who catcalled me were on foot and did not try to follow me or interact with me. At no point did I feel as if I was in any danger, but this is not the case for many people who are catcalled.

If you are a child, or even an adult on foot, being approached by strange men can be terrifying — and rightfully so, as there are many cases of men escalating to violence. It makes

sense why anyone would feel uncomfortable, or even afraid, when they are catcalled, as there could be a genuine risk to their lives.

Kai Cheng, a writer, poet, activist, and trans woman, wrote an article on Medium titled “What I Wanted to Wear: Getting Real, Getting Free” that reflected some of the same sentiments I had felt. In it, Cheng writes, “The day I decided that I had the right to use the word ‘woman’ in reference to myself was the day I wore a dress and was harassed in public for the first time.” Cheng discusses how she considered herself “an extremely feminine gay man” before this incident and only felt comfortable accepting the label of trans woman, something she privately longed for but felt unworthy of using, after being harassed.

To be observed and desired by a man feels like a necessary part of being a woman, so much so that Cheng viewed this incident as a “rite of passage,” just as I had. She goes on to discuss how the vocabulary of a lot of common social justice discourse makes her feel defined by the ways in which she is oppressed: “If I suffer misogyny, then I am a woman. If I suffer transphobia, then I am transgender.” I can’t speak to her experience as a trans woman, but I can speak to her experience as a woman, defining womanhood through suffering.

To be a woman is to be performing at all times — to be conscious of everything you do and everything you wear and everything you say. Even when a woman is not thinking about the ‘male gaze,’ others will still find a way to project the male gaze onto her, viewing her actions through the lens of how she may be trying to attract or avoid male attention.

In her 1949 book The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir writes about how a part of becoming a woman is realizing that women are expected to perform femininity and be desirable to men. De Beauvoir writes, “In a more or less disguised way, [a girl’s] youth is consumed by waiting. She is waiting for Man… From childhood, the little girl, whether wishing to realize herself as a woman or overcome the limits of her femininity, has awaited the male for accomplishment and escape.”

In The Robber Bride, Margaret Atwood wrote: “Even pretending you aren’t catering to male

features@thevarsity.ca fantasies is a male fantasy: pretending you’re unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.”

It is as if a girl cannot become a woman until she begins to view herself through a male gaze and applies this knowledge to her life. I have internalized this attitude to the point that I often find myself overanalyzing every action I take about how I could accidentally be playing into the male gaze.

Being yourself When I got to university, I cut my bangs, bleached my hair, and started dressing more feminine and wearing makeup. I like dressing feminine, and I like my frizzy, blonde hair. I like wearing skirts and cropped tops that I’ve thrifted. I believe that I dress for myself — yet, I am also hyper-aware of how all the changes I’ve made to my appearance play into the stereotypical, eurocentric beauty standard that is expected of women.

I know my appearance

since starting university has played a part in the way I am treated by men. I am a blonde, blue-eyed white girl who, to feel comfortable in my own appearance, has become very feminine-presenting, catering to the expectations of my gender identity. I can’t help but think that the only reason I feel comfortable with my appearance and gender expression is because I no longer make others uncomfortable.

“Be yourself” is a phrase that we’ve all heard whenever we express concerns or confusion about how we present ourselves, and it seems like the perfect solution to all my problems. But I don’t know who “myself” is anymore — in fact, I don’t think I ever knew.

I used to define myself by my short hair. As much as I hated the negative attention I got, I thought that being myself meant sticking to the pixie cut, especially because it made people uncomfortable. I even took a sort of pride in the confusion I caused, even though it hurt me.

When I was 12, I grew out my hair for the first time in six years, and I was finally free from having to constantly justify my gender identity to each new person I met. But six months later, I was back to the pixie cut. I felt that I was betraying myself by having longer hair.

During the

first wave of the pandemic, I grew it out again and this time, I haven’t gone back. I don’t know why I decided to change my appearance, but sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder if I am being true to myself, whatever

To be honest, I don’t know what it means for me personally to be a woman —, but I do know that I don’t want being catcalled to be the thing that defines me. that means. Was I being true to myself by allowing myself to change? Or am I simply playing into expectations of femininity set up by the patriarchy? And even if I did grow my hair out to fit in, is it still betraying myself if I changed to avoid being hurt?

If this whole article has been contradictory, it’s because my feelings are contradictory.

I don’t know how to be myself, and I don’t know how to exist beyond the male gaze. All I know is that no one should ever be catcalled or harassed.

Ultimately, my point here is this: sexual harassment should not be so common that it feels like a necessary initiation into womanhood, because it is not. No one should be made to feel that their self-worth and gender identity have anything to do with anyone else but themselves. Being a woman should not be something that is defined by external pressures. As Cheng writes in her article, “Maybe my womanhood shouldn’t be something I have to prove, or to earn, or to buy and sell.”

To be honest, I don’t know what it means for me personally to be a woman — but I do know that I don’t want being catcalled to be the thing that defines me.

ZEYNEP POYANLI & JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

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November 20, 2023 thevarsity.ca/category/photo photos@thevarsity.ca

grentperez and his fans are all about love At the indie-pop rising star’s concert, there’s a sense of familial connection

Averyn Ngan Varsity Contributor

On the evening of October 30, grentperez performed at The Danforth Music Hall. The 21-year-old musician was headlining as part of his North American “growing up?” tour, having released his most recent EP When We Were Younger this June.

Fans lined up in the cold all along Danforth Avenue, and at 7:00 pm sharp, they filtered in through the venue’s doors. Almost all were young high school and university-aged teenagers, and animated conversations filled the place. As groups of friends holding signs hurried down the slanted floor of the concert hall, security guards repeatedly told them not to run. A few ran anyway, giggling with adrenaline and excitement. Many people can be heard speaking in Filipino. Though raised in Sydney, Australia, grentperez — or Grant Perez — is of Filipino descent, and the demographic of his

fans reflects his roots: the place is filled with young Filipino-Canadians.

When grentperez took the stage, he burst on with electrifying energy, starting off his set with the upbeat song “When The Day Is Done.”

The indie-pop rising star made his way across the stage with a grin, as his magnetic stage presence and strong vocals captured the entire room. In between songs, he interacted with the crowd, making jokes and filling the air with warm laughter. It felt like a small hangout with good friends.

Can I get a ‘mahal kita’ on the count of three?

One! Two! Three!” grentperez gestured with both hands as if he’s the one listening to music, while the crowd answered with a shout: “Mahal kita!”

“Wow,” he laughed. “So fluent. Now you guys can, like, immigrate to the Philippines.”

“Mahal kita” means “I love you” in Filipino, and several young fans held up hand-drawn signs that said “Mahal kita, kuya” — “I love you, older brother.”

grentperez performs his song "(Only) About Love - Demo," in which he plays a dreamy, lilting guitar solo.

In a playful moment, guitarist Timi Temple strums grentperez’s guitar from behind.

Midway through the show, grentperez is alone on stage, slowing down the set with wistful love songs.

grentperez’s drummer, Ichi Tanabe, beams on stage, bathed in magenta lighting.

grentperez makes a heart with his hands in response to fans in the crowd.

During opener nep’s set, the crowd holds up phone flashlights, arms swaying.

grentperez holds up a lucky fan’s phone to record, having earlier taken a picture using another fan’s digital camera.

Arts & Culture

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Celebrating creativity with the Indigenous Regalia and Fashion Show

Hart House hosted Indigenous creatives to showcase their designs on the runway Natalie Lau Varsity Contributor

It begins, soft at first: the sound of drums echoes from a distant part of the hall. People’s chatter dies down as the beat of the drum picks up, slowly but surely, until the “thump, thump, thump” of the drum becomes the only sound to fill the room, resoundingly ricocheting off the walls. Among many Indigenous peoples, drums symbolize the heartbeat of Mother Earth.

When infants are inside the womb, the mother’s heartbeat is also the first sound they hear — it is through hearing the beat of the drum that we reconnect with our origins.

Hart House hosted the Indigenous Regalia and Fashion Show in their Great Hall on November 3, which celebrated returning to one’s origins, showcasing a selection of works by Indigenous designers. The drums are a fitting start to a night abuzz with excitement and novelty but also with reflection.

The first few models emerged donning regalia: intricate garments worn for major ceremonies and community events that come in an eclectic mix of colours, styles, and materials. The women danced down the runway to the enduring beat of the drums.

As the runway progressed, the pieces began to reflect more of the zeitgeist of the modern era: from sweat sets, denim pairings, and printed jackets to European-style evening gowns and corsets.

However, they remained inspired by the upbringing of each designer. For instance, beadwork was a medium that made many appearances in new and inventive ways.

This juxtaposition forces the audience to behold the evolving meaning of indigeneity and to see that

Indigenous cultures are not stagnant. Rather, they are fluid, influencing and being influenced by mainstream culture.

The event was star-studded, to say the least.

The headline designer, Lesley Hampton, is an Anishinaabe artist and fashion designer who showcased her work at Milan Fashion Week earlier this year. She is the creative director of her own brand, Lesley Hampton; a curve model with BNM Model Management; and a speaker on Indigenous entrepreneurship.

Justin Jacob Louis, a member of the Samson Cree Nation and another big name on the show’s roster, has been featured in Vogue and showcased in In America: A Lexicon of Fashion at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City last year. He is also the creative director and founder of SECTION 35, an Indigenous-owned, streetwear fashion brand.

Alongside Hampton and Louis, an equally talented cohort of brands featured their designs, including IX BALAM, a Maya K’iché interdisciplinary artist, and Neechi by Nature, an athleisure brand that features Indigenous syllabics and motifs on their clothing, through creating spaces, services, and a platform for all emerging artists. Alongside them was Aaniin — Canada’s first department store that is 100 per cent Indigenous-owned, which partners with aforementioned brands such as Lesley Hampton and SECTION 35 as well as Ocean Kiana, a Nishinaabe woodland-style artist that specializes in digital art, painting, drawing, beading, and sewing.

Another big name that made the night was its MC, the charismatic Chelazon Leroux — a contestant on the third season of Canada's

Sometimes staying in bed isn’t self-care The side effects of turning ‘bed rotting’ into a trend

Alia Ginevra Varsity Contributor

When I asked my friends if they recognized the term ‘bed rotting,’ some of them looked at me with confusion, having not been privy to the latest vapid TikTok term. According to an article from health.com, ‘bed rotting’ can be defined as “staying in bed for extended periods — not to sleep, but to do passive activities like eating snacks, watching TV, and scrolling through devices.”

We’ve all been there for a myriad of reasons.

But bed rotting goes beyond those days when it’s rainy and you just want to watch TV and snuggle up with some popcorn — it’s the act of neglecting yourself and conducting your life from your bed.

Although we all may be guilty of bed rotting, we should be wary of normalizing it in high doses.

In reality, chronic bed rotting has some serious mental health side effects. It takes away time that could be spent meaningfully connecting with loved ones, according to Courtney DeAngelis, a psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She explains in the health.com article that bed rotting “takes away the opportunity to engage in physical exercise, which can also help to improve sleep quality and sleep onset.” Additionally, endless scrolling through social media may cause self-image problems, never seeing the sun can result in a lack of vitamin D. In some ways, bed rotting seems like a rebellion against the constant push of hyper-productiv-

ity. ‘Hustle culture’ has guilted many people into equating constant stress and overstimulation with happiness and fulfillment. DeAngelis concedes that, in small doses, resting in bed can calm the body and help ease stress and exhaustion, especially for people working long hours in a physically or mentally demanding role. Taking time for yourself is necessary to recharge your batteries once in a while.

Nevertheless, I reckon that there is a delineation between intentionally relaxing for a set period of time and endlessly crying or doom-scrolling on social media in bed. When the clothes start piling up like pancakes, when you begin to feel like a vampire who hasn’t seen natural light for a few days, and when your room smells like a coffin — that’s when you know you’ve entered bed rotting territory.

Especially at a school like U of T, whose reputation when it comes to student mental health is abysmal, finding a balance between relaxation and depressing behaviour is important. On one hand, in a competitive academic environment defined by cramming and stressing, finding moments of rest and peace of mind is crucial.

On the other hand, staying in bed late into the night or well into the morning, surrounded by crumbs, eyes strained from watching movies and scrolling simultaneously is perhaps not a version of relaxation we should romanticize.

I recently saw a viral TikTok by a 23-year-old woman lamenting that her bed-rotting ways have resulted in a lack of interesting stories to

On November 3, Hart House hosted the Indigenous Regalia and Fashion Show.

COURTESY OF AMY SARGENT CC DESERT LILY PHOTOGRAPHY

The show opened with models wearing colourful regalia. Credits: Amy Sargent, Desert Lily Photography.

COURTESY OF AMY SARGENT CC DESERT LILY PHOTOGRAPHY

Drag Race, stand-up comedian, and social media content creator. Leroux peppered in cheeky comments and witty jokes between every collection that made its way down the runway.

Leroux is a status member of the Buffalo River Dene Nation and has family ties to the Fond Du Lac First Nation. Their identity as a Dene, twospirit drag queen is in many ways emblematic of the theme of the fashion show: to demonstrate the evolving nature of Indigenous identity and culture. Their work in drag — a profession that took off in North America as a subculture within queer Black and Latino communities — is evidence of how Leroux’s identity as an Indigenous person interacts with non-Indigenous, North

American queer culture, but still anchored by their own roots as a two-spirit individual. They are a product of both their Indigenous heritage and influences of other cultures, making them the perfect person to guide the audience through a show with just as many complexities.

Together, these designers and brands put together an unforgettable showcase. Leroux ended the night by congratulating the designers on their hard work and creative spirit. The fashion show was emblematic of both the metamorphosis of Indigenous history and culture and the trajectory of fashion going forward as an industry with a growing appreciation for Indigenous artists and art forms.

tell her future grandchildren. Wasting your youth is already a common fear among many young people, and now this fear is exacerbated by the frequency with which they spend exorbitant amounts of time in bed. It is particularly unfortunate to see a young woman like myself expressing this sentiment, knowing that the shortterm comfort she received from bed rotting has caused her long-term dissatisfaction.

Occasionally — maybe while bed rotting — you can find me listening to well-known bro podcaster and TV personality Chris Williamson.

In an interview with Eric Weinstein, Williamson pitches the concept of “2D lessons and 3D lessons.” According to Williamson, a 2D lesson involves second-hand learning, like reading a book, while 3D learning would be active, experiential learning.

I suspect that Gen Z’s chronic bed rotting is in part due to our fear of facing 3D lessons. We can read a romance novel from our bed, but asking out our crush? Too intimidating. We can watch our favourite vlogger pursue their aspirations, but for us to risk the pain of rejection?

Never. In summary, it’s much easier to live vicariously through the characters of a Netflix show

or vloggers on the internet from your bedroom than face the cruel dark world that lies beyond.

When all is said and done, there is only so much information one can take in from a sedentary state before you start to wonder if you’re missing out on 3D lessons.

Here is my final bit of subjective advice to myself and everyone who has ever ‘bed rotted’: if you need to rot once in a while, fine — take a day to decompress. However, don’t forget that you have agency in regard to how long you stay in bed. If you find yourself bed rotting more than usual, this may be a sign to reach out to family and friends or even a mental health professional. Do not let the fear of wasting your 20s paralyze you from living them. Real-world interactions will bring you heartbreak and rejection, but they will prove to be worth it when you find meaningful and fulfilling relationships.

For students struggling with their mental health and in need of support: • Visit U of T Mental Health Services to find a variety of support options • Visit CAMH for a list of helplines you can contact in a mental health crisis

To rot or not to rot? That is the question.

MEDHA SURAJPAL/THEVARSITY

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ARTS & CULTURE

Where students go to party There’s more to Toronto nightlife than frat houses and tacky clubs Milena Pappalardo Arts and Culture Editor

In a metropolis like Toronto, a fun night out should be easier to come by.

If you’re a first-year, you’ve likely tried out a couple of different frat houses by now. Each of them offers a slight variation on the same classic formula: sticky floors, generic hip hop, sweaty bodies, and, of course, a higher cover charge for men than for women.

If you’re an upper-year student, you’ve probably had the chance to explore the city’s venues a little more. However, many clubs advertised online and in major districts like King Street West feel like a cringey nightmare: bottle service girls stand in awkward circles around sleazy older men while a poorly mixed Drake soundtrack plays in the background.

Why is good music and a good crowd so hard to find in a city of almost three million people? I’m here to assure you that a fun night out isn’t impossible. Below are some amazing dance party options where you’ll be sure to find other young, likeminded people.

Kuruza Kuruza is not a club but a collective of DJs. It hosts frequent dance parties that range in style, particularly featuring Black talent and genres such as

Next time you’re looking for a night out, try this list.

Afrobeats, UK garage, jungle, R&B, and dancehall.

Unlike at your usual nightclub, its DJ lineups are true pros who are in touch with the cultural current. The crowd is typically young, diverse, fashionable, and most importantly, ready to dance!

ESMA TUZUNATAC/THEVARSITY

El Convento Rico El Convento Rico is an actual brick-and-mortar club located on College Street in Little Italy. If you’re into Latin music, this is the place for you. The usual vibe is reggaeton and classic club hits. Its cocktails are affordable, and every Friday and Saturday night at midnight, it clears out the dance floor for a drag show — what more could you ask for?

Yes Yes Y’all Like Kuruza, Yes Yes Y’all is another collective that organizes bumping parties. It typically only hosts one party every few months, but it’s worth the wait! Between all the midterms and weekly reading discussion posts, who’s going clubbing more than once a month anyway? Its events are always advertised on Instagram.

Lee’s Palace A little grungy and a little indie, Lee’s Palace is a classic Toronto concert venue with frequent events.

Located at Bloor Street West and Bathurst Street,

in addition to concerts, it hosts Dance Cave on Fridays and Saturdays, a more casual clubbing experience free for students before 11:00 pm. Fun fact: The movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World famously featured Lee’s Palace.

Pep Rally Pep Rally is a DJ community that hosts warehouse raves throughout the city. Pep Rally offers a bumping

dance haven for the city’s 2SLGBTQ+ community and raver youth. Every dance party has a creative dress code or theme, and seeing as they happen only once or twice a month, they’re an occasion to step outside the box with your look — if you plan on showing up in a t-shirt and jeans, stay home!

They frequently host internationally renowned DJs, playing a mix of electronic music, party anthems, and everything in between.

Between bottles: What wine to bring to a party Whether it’s bring your own bottle or a gift for the host, here’s how to buy wine for every occasion Harry Khachatrian Varsity Contributor

There is a classic Seinfeld scene in which Elaine, en route to a dinner party, enlightens an incredulous George Costanza: “You can’t bring Pepsi… because we’re adults.” This is the situation many of us face as we — eventually — age into adulthood’s customs, recognizing that most social invitations entail picking out and bringing a bottle of wine, either to open and share that evening or to give to your host as a gift.

Walking up and down the aisles of the LCBO, the sheer variety of choices can be overwhelming. Red or white? Sparkling or still? Old World or New World? And then there’s the price — how much do you really need to spend to impress your hosts without breaking the bank?

Although it may be initially overwhelming, the art of picking the perfect wine can be mastered with a little insider knowledge. Whether it’s for a multi-course dinner party or a laid-back charcuterie night, the following tips will guide you to a bottle that perfectly complements the occasion.

The pre-drink Heading to a concert or gearing up for a big party tonight with pre-drinks at a friend’s place?

If you’re going to pre-game, it’s never a bad idea to ‘bring your own bottle.’ While some might reach for hard seltzers or line-up shots, if you’re interested in a bottle of wine, this kind of occasion calls for something simple and light. Though a bottle of your favourite bold and fruit-forward Cabernet may be tempting, red grape skins, which give red wines their colour, also contain melatonin — which runs the risk of rendering you asleep on the couch before you’ve even gone out. Opt for delicious non-red wines that will keep you in the party spirit.

There’s no better starting point than the Vinho Verde of northern Portugal. Renowned for delivering some of the best value wines you can find — the LCBO stocks great options like Aveleda Loureiro for $15 — the region specializes in blending a variety of indigenous grapes, including Alvarinho. The result is a captivating white wine, often effervescent and always vibrant, with hints of citrus and green apple.

If instead you’re looking to kick off the evening with something celebratory, bubbly is the perennial favourite. Though options are plentiful, Prosecco Superiore offers the best balance of

budget-consciousness and quality. Perched atop the picturesque hills of Valdobbiadene, the heartland of Prosecco, the vines benefit from a perfect combination of sunny days, cool nights, and misty mornings — a trifecta that imbues the grapes with elegant floral and fruit aromas, which can include apple, pear, citrus, and white peach.

The LCBO’s sparkling section teems with other great options, like this Val d’Oca Prosecco DOCG for $19.

Home of the Gamay grape, Beaujolais sits at the southern tip of the Burgundy region in France. The resulting medium-bodied wines are effusive with aromas of pomegranate, violet, and fresh berries. Their vibrant profile is matched by a delicate acidity, ideal for slicing through the richness of fatty meats and cheeses, making these wines excellent for pairing with a wide array of foods. The Beaujolais-Villages from Louis Jadot, at $25,

Choosing the right wine shouldn’t be daunting.

COURTESY OF MATEJ NOVAK CC FLICKR

The charcuterie night A charcuterie night is essentially Frasier Crane’s idea of a frat party: an evening gathering among friends to socialize and drink. In place of a beer pong table is a walnut board, generously adorned with an assortment of cheeses, gherkins, crackers, salamis, and a medley of other delectable finger foods.

Meanwhile, the beer keg is jettisoned in favour of wine. As a guest, you’re often expected to contribute a bottle, which will likely be opened during the evening to complement the host’s spread of flavours. The wine pairing possibilities are nearly endless, given the wide range on a typical charcuterie board.

A cardinal rule when pairing wine with food — especially sweeter foods — is that the wine should match or exceed the sweetness of the food. If not, the wine risks tasting tart and leaving a bitter aftertaste. Here are a few reliable picks at various price points.

is a readily available LCBO essential that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Beloved by sommeliers for its versatility and food-friendly nature, Riesling is a fragrant and expressive white wine that artfully balances sugar, acidity, and minerality. Its affinity for cooler climates makes Ontario a natural home for the grape and a source of great value. The region’s Rieslings, with their bright acidity and fruitforward notes, rival their German counterparts at a fraction of the cost. The Cave Spring Estate Riesling punches high above its price tag at just around twenty dollars, easily contending with offerings costing nearly twice as much.

The dinner party Heading to a dinner party? Unless you’re having a potluck or your host has requested a specific wine for the meal, it’s usually safe to assume they have meticulously curated wines to pair with each course. In this context, the wine you

bring is a gift to the host rather than a contribution to the evening’s menu. It’s at the host’s discretion whether to cellar the wine for a future occasion or to uncork it in the coming days.

The amount you decide to spend can vary, depending on your relationship with the host and your budget. To get you started, here are a few age-worthy options spanning a range of price points, which hopefully won’t become relegated to paltry cooking wines or sauces.

In the $20–$30 range, you may not come across prestigious Châteaus, but you can discover hidden gems that deliver exceptional value.

Despite its growing popularity, Spain’s Rioja region still offers some of the best values in the wine world. Famous for its Tempranillo grape, Rioja reds captivate with aromas of red cherries, plums, leather, and a touch of vanilla. It’s the combination of age-old vines and the grape’s thick skin that provides Rioja with the structure and tannins needed for further aging in the bottle. A prime example is the Montecillo Gran Reserva, priced at $30 at the LCBO. Complex but balanced, it’s imbued with a litany of flavours that linger on your palate.

Stepping up in price to the $30–$50 range opens doors to an array of venerable wine regions and styles, including the Napa Valley in California and Chablis or Sancerre in France.

However, the Southern Rhône’s Châteauneufdu-Pape is unrivalled as a universally recognized and esteemed choice by wine lovers.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is synonymous with quality and history. These wines are known for their complex layers of red and dark fruit, spices, and herbs, with a balance and structure that can age beautifully. A bottle like Châteauneufdu-Pape Les Sinards Famille Perrin, for $42, not only presents an exceptional wine experience but also embodies the region’s rich history.

This history dates back to the fourteenth century when the Papal residence temporarily relocated to the Southern Rhône — giving rise to the name, which translates to “The Pope’s New Castle.”

As you’re first venturing into the vast world of wine, choosing a bottle for yourself can seem daunting, let alone choosing one to bring to a party to be judged for your taste and discretion.

While this list is not exhaustive, I’ve chosen the wines recommended in this article for their wide appeal, and they are among my favourites.

Science

November 20, 2023 thevarsity.ca/category/science science@thevarsity.ca

Continued from cover Getting off the ground While HERON Mk. I was not destined for launch, we were determined to see a future version of HERON fly in space. However, even though the passion and drive were there, the funding was not. Space missions, even low-cost CubeSats, are prohibitively expensive, and the estimated cost of sending the HERON Mk. II satellite into LEO, accounting for material, testing, and launch costs, would be approximately $400,000.

Eventually, our forerunners at UTAT Space Systems sought to raise funds through a student levy that would charge students $2.77 per semester, which we would have to renew every two years. The levy renewal process was composed of two major stages: a petition and a levy campaign. Ultimately, we passed the levy in the 2017 University of Toronto Students’ Union elections, and UTAT Space Systems succeeded in securing their funding.

While we were one step closer to reaching space, this was only the first of many hurdles we would face in the following years. In the years following the levy campaign and the conclusion of the fourth CSDC, our team was focused on improving the design of HERON Mk. II and getting it ready for space.

In 2018, UTAT Space Systems signed a contract with Spaceflight, a Seattle-based launch services provider that specializes in securing launches for small satellites. In January 2020, our team completed the ‘softstack’ of the spacecraft, which meant doing a dry-run of the final satellite assembly procedure without gluing any of the bolts in place.

Following softstack, our team completed thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) testing in February 2020 at MDA, a Brampton-based aerospace company, which involved exposing the satellite to vacuum and temperature cycling that mimic space conditions to see if HERON Mk. II could survive the thermal environment of space.

After TVAC testing, our team was preparing for the final “hardstack” assembly of HERON Mk. II, during which the flight model of the spacecraft would be assembled. Then the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

Challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic Since our team was performing work that required members to be on campus, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our original spacecraft assembly plans and forced us to look elsewhere for places to assemble HERON Mk. II. After months of searching, our team was able to find an alternate location to set up the lab, and HERON was assembled from March to April 2021. Following final assembly, the satellite underwent flight model vibration testing in June 2021 at National Technical Systems in Kitchener, which involved subjecting HERON to similar

The Space Systems team poses for a photo next to a shaker table at the David Florida Laboratory during the fourth CSDC in June 2018.

COURTESY OF UTAT

vibrations to those it could experience during launch in order to validate its mechanical design.

With the major assembly and testing milestones completed, it seemed as though HERON Mk. II’s launch was all but assured. However, one key challenge to the launch still remained.

Radio frequency licensing Any organization wishing to send a satellite into space and communicate with it via radio waves first needs to obtain the appropriate radio frequency (RF) licenses from Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada.

Unfortunately, the process of obtaining these licenses for the HERON Mk. II satellite took significantly longer than expected and delayed the launch. Because of reasons related to the limited shelf life of C. albicans, we were forced to abandon the original biological mission.

We decided as a team to shift the primary focus of the HERON Mk. II mission toward validating UTAT Space Systems’ RF communications capabilities and providing amateur radio and satellite operations experience to our members.

While waiting for the frequency licenses to be issued, a group of our teammates began designing an amateur ultra-high frequency (UHF) ground station. This is the apparatus that allows us to communicate with HERON Mk. II from the ground, via radio waves at a frequency of 437.12 megahertz. Now fully operational, the ground station currently resides on the sixth-floor roof of the Bahen Centre for Information Technology.

By March of this year, all of our frequency licenses had been issued. In September, a few of our teammates travelled to Spaceflight’s facilities in Bellevue, Washington, where they placed HERON Mk. II inside its deployer that would later be mounted inside the Falcon 9 rocket for the SpaceX Transporter-9 mission.

Liftoff!

Once the Falcon 9 rocket reached its intended orbit in space, HERON Mk. II was ejected from the rocket at 3:04 pm EST, and soon deployed its UHF antenna. The UHF antenna plays a crucial role in preventing any electromagnetic interference with the other satellites, which might otherwise distort the signals sent between HERON Mk. II and the ground station.

During the initial commissioning period, we will be actively trying to establish the first communications via the ground station. Afterward, HERON Mk. II will begin a year of regular operations during which the team will regularly monitor the satellite’s health.

The lessons we learn from mission operations and monitoring the satellite’s health will inform the development of future satellite missions undertaken by UTAT Space Systems.

Breaking new ground Historically, space missions have only been accessible to well-funded, commercial and government organizations. However, in recent years, developments such as the CubeSat Design Specification and the reusable Falcon 9 rockets developed by SpaceX have greatly reduced the cost barrier of satellite development and launch.

With the launch of HERON Mk. II, UTAT Space Systems has lowered the barrier to entry for space programs even further by becoming the first organization in Canada to receive the entirety of its satellite development funding from a student levy. This marks yet another paradigm shift in the industry, demonstrating that students are capable of sourcing their own space mission funding, rather than solely relying on government grants or commercial sponsorships.

From an educational perspective, the HERON Mk. II mission will enable our members to learn more about satellite operations and amateur radio and to gain knowledge that will carry forward to UTAT Space Systems’ future missions.

What’s next for UTAT Space Systems?

UTAT Space Systems’ next mission, FINCH — short for Field Imaging Nanosatellite for Crop residue Hyperspectral mapping — seeks to image fields in Manitoba to allow our team to perform crop residue mapping of these fields.

Crop residue farming is the practice of leaving leftover crop matter from a harvest on the field. This residual layer acts as a barrier against soil erosion while redirecting greenhouse gases back into the soil. However, tracking the implementation of this practice from the ground has proved challenging. The data acquired by FINCH will provide valuable insight into the role of mapping crop residue via satellite imagery. UTAT Space Systems has been hard at work designing FINCH since 2019 and plans to launch by the end of 2024, barring any unforeseen delays.

After nearly a decade of design and development, a global pandemic, licensing delays, and the contributions of hundreds of students like us, UTAT Space Systems has succeeded in sending a satellite into space.

It is our hope that the HERON Mk. II mission will be the beginning of a long-lasting and successful space program that will inspire future generations of students to reach for the stars.

Rosalind Liang is a recent graduate with a double major in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Neuroscience. From 2018 to 2023, she has taken on several roles in UTAT Space Systems, including Thermal Systems Engineer, Science Lead and Director.

Benjamin Nero recently graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and is pursuing a Master’s degree at UTIAS. He joined UTAT Space Systems in 2019 and has had several roles including Structures Lead and HERON Mk. II Mission Manager.

(Left) The reusable first-stage (or booster) rocket detaches and falls back to Earth while the second stage (Right) carries the satellites into orbit.

COURTESY OF UTAT

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SCIENCE

Hypnotized by the ecosystem of Area X A review of Jeff VanderMeer’s 2014 novel Annihilation Malaika Mitra Varsity Contributor

The word “annihilation” rang fresh as pricked blood to me as I picked the book off my bookshelf. In approximately a quarter of a breath, Jeff VanderMeer had conjured in my mind a million racing images of existence and obliteration — of what, I didn’t know.

Maybe nature, maybe humanity, maybe the world.

The story begins with a biologist. You never learn her name, just that she is on an expedition to an uninhabited region in the United States called ‘Area X.’ Her journey is funded and commanded by a mysterious government organization: the ‘Southern Reach.’ This alone could have compelled me to read it, but when I learned that Area X was based on the author’s 14-mile hikes through St. Marks Wildlife Refuge in North Florida, I was sold. According to VanderMeer, “It’s a place where you need to live in the moment, and yet can also, by doing so, be transported deep into memory and catharsis.”

The origins of Area X The biologist is travelling with three other women — a psychologist, an anthropologist, and a surveyor — and old technology. They, too, are nameless, cautioned to leave behind even the most immaterial artifacts from their personal life. Their purpose in Area X is to explore, or so they think.

Make no mistake; this is not your average

‘human versus nature’ story. We follow the biologist as she uncovers the mysteries of the land she is on before it swallows her whole.

Her fear of the land is always mixed in with awe, scientific fervour, and VanderMeer’s vivid descriptions of nature. Area X is not normal, but it is not supernatural either. VanderMeer’s construction of it is imbued with a deep respect for even the most terrifying natural landscapes.

The biologist is interested in transitional ecosystems, and as the story develops, you understand why Area X consumes her mind. It is an ecosystem constantly in transition, with reedy marshes, rivers, forests, and coasts all within a few miles.

Early in the story, the expedition group discovers a tower with writing on its walls. It’s human writing, legible for the entire group to read. However, what piques the biologist’s interest isn’t the contents of the words themselves but the ecosystem they beget. The words are made of fungi-like creatures shaped like tiny hands — a miniature ecosystem within an ecosystem.

Each creepy turn of the novel signals to the reader that the ecosystem is alive, not just in individual organisms but as a whole. This novel is about the biologist’s survival but not always in the ways that one would expect.

The edge of life One of the things that entranced me the most

about Annihilation was the biologist’s obsession with finding beauty in the smallest, most neglected, and changeable ecosystems. As someone who pauses to identify tree saplings between the pavement cracks, I resonated with this. At one point, the biologist describes how she observed a tide pool at night, where she saw a rare starfish: “The longer I stared at it, the less comprehensible the creature became. The more it became something alien to me, and the more I had a sense that I knew nothing at all — about nature, about ecosystems.”

This incomprehensibility, however, only drives her to discover more. She constantly dissects the relationships between these foreign organisms that coexist together, understanding that elements of ecosystems are interactive rather than isolated pieces.

I couldn’t help but think about the study of

ecosystem processes through the frame of their biogeochemical cycles. In most ecosystems, these cycles are far less baffling than the ecology of Area X, and studying them allows you to see the ecosystem as a whole. In doing this, it’s much easier to solve real-life ecological puzzles about how the most intricate parts of a biome interact.

A British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests pamphlet says it best: “A degraded stream channel is not a problem in and of itself, but rather a symptom of a degraded water cycle.” In other words, smallscale changes in an ecosystem can be traced to its larger systems.

Annihilation is a tale about the way that ecosystems change, and the ways that humans have — or have not — been able to change nature. It’s about an ecosystem as one being, as a whole, split into infinite parts. It’s a love letter to North Florida landscapes, to ecology, and to nature. It’s a novel that changed my view of nature forever.

Annihilation takes the reader on a journey into the unknown horrors of nature.

MARGAD SUKHBAATAR/THE VARSITY

Are men more likely to experience severe cases of COVID-19?

A pre-clinical study conducted by U of T researchers explains how sex-based differences can affect the severity of the illness Anuraag Kumar Nair Varsity Staff

After almost three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, much has returned to normal. Infection rates have steadily fallen due to growing vaccination rates and greater public immunity against the virus. While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all individuals regardless of age, sex, and class, an interesting statistic to note is the increased severity of COVID-19 among male patients in comparison to female patients.

A recent pre-clinical research study at U of T’s Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium, published in the journal iScience, has identified the ACE2 protein as a cause for increased SARS-

Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2, or ACE2, contributes to blood pressure control and preventing excessive inflammation in the body.

SAIRA MEHNAJ/THE VARSITY

CoV-2 infection rates in men. The ACE2 protein, also known as angiotensin-converting enzyme-2, is an enzyme that aids in controlling blood pressure and preventing excessive inflammation.

ACE2 also acts as a receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, providing an entry point into a cell for infection.

According to the study, the gene encoding the ACE2 protein is located on the X chromosome, which means that people with XX chromosomes have two copies of the gene while people with XY chromosomes only have one. When infected with SARS-CoV-2, male patients with XY chromosomes exhibit lower ACE2 protein levels while female patients with XX chromosomes display consistent protein levels even after infection, thus

suggesting that the extra gene plays an important role in the severity of the virus.

Looking to test this, the researchers used a therapeutic approach to deliver ACE2 proteins into the lungs using an inhaler, which allowed them to observe the effect of having more of the protein without the extra copy of the gene that encodes it. They found that a daily puff of ACE2 was linked with lower amounts of virus in the lungs of male subjects.

As the virus seeks to enter the cells of female patients with XX chromosomes, the extra copy of the ACE2-encoding gene prevents it from entering the cells. For male patients with XY chromosomes, on the other hand, the limited ACE2 protein allows the virus to utilize it as an entrance

into the cell. This also means there are insufficient enzymes required to prevent excess inflammation and counter the virus, thereby increasing the severity of the virus’s effect.

The researchers surveyed their findings through a lab experiment analyzing the lung microenvironment of male and female mice at the Toronto High Containment Facility. It was observed that, similarly to female humans, female mice also exhibited less severe SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, suggesting the presence of an extra ACE2 gene copy that helped maintain protein and inflammation levels.

In male mice, the researchers observed that introducing lab-made ACE2 enzymes to the lungs helped not only boost ACE2 levels but also boost estrogen signalling and protein levels. Thus male mice who were provided a daily dose of the labmade ACE2 were more resistant to severe infection and had less chance of serious injury to their lungs. Moreover, while the decoy ACE2 acts as a receptor for the virus, the local ACE2 proteins remain free of the virus’ effects and continue to carry out their intended functions.

While the lab results have been quite promising, Haibo Zhang — a professor in the departments of anesthesiology and pain medicine, and physiology at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and one of the researchers on this study — is also optimistic about the human applications of his team’s findings. In an interview with U of T News, he said he envisions that this groundbreaking finding could be used to develop a safeguard against virus transmission, a way to administer non-native ACE2 proteins to people. In Zhang’s eyes, a commercial inhaler for ACE2 proteins could reduce the amount of high risk infections and aid individuals who are already severely infected.

This remarkable experiment also highlights how inhaling non-native ACE2 can be instrumental in helping prevent and treat SARSCoV-2 infections. Zhang said to U of T News, “We anticipate that our research will motivate individuals to contemplate this faster and more efficacious strategy for both prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in humans.”

thevarsity.ca/category/science

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

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Liberating generative art?

Understanding the potential of AI in creating anti-colonial futures Simran Dhindsa Varsity Contributor

Octavia Butler, born in Pasadena, California in 1947, was an African-American author who explored themes of climate change, Black injustice, and political imbalances through a feminist, dystopian lens. Butler’s celebrated trilogy Xenogenesis is set in a post-apocalyptic world, exploring identity, power, and race while navigating kinship within an alien race.

Beth Coleman is an artist and a professor at U of T who focuses on science, technology, aesthetics, machine learning, generative arts, and Black poesis. On November 2, Coleman held an event for the opening of her exhibition and the release of her book, “Reality was Whatever Happened:

Octavia Butler AI & Other Possible Worlds,” at the Centre for Culture and Technology.

The exhibition and book are parts of Coleman’s AI-generated project, Octavia Butler AI (OBAI), based on the themes in Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis. Two of the event’s conversations were titled “The Liberation Project” and “With and Against.”

The Liberation Project Concordia University Professor Alessandra Renzi, who studies the use of technology in research and activism, began “The Liberation Project” conversation with Coleman, who focuses on the intersection of politics and aesthetics. Renzi drew attention to conventional criticisms in artificial intelligence (AI), such as

Artist and professor Beth Coleman explores the potential of generative AI. COURTESY OF BETH COLEMAN

racial bias, questioning what can be done as a preventative measure against these biases.

The OBAI project aims to radically transform our visual understanding of images, bodies, and worlds, pushing the boundaries of artistic creations with a critical lens of race.

Contemporary use of generative AI aligns with capitalist business models. Large tech companies have released large data sets of art for public use in tools such as DALLE, which can create images from a series of text prompts. This can greatly exacerbate bias coming from the original art. This has been a topic of concern as Black artists have voiced that generative AI defaults to stereotypes and patterns that exist on the internet.

To better understand this, imagine if an AI tool is fed a data set containing 100 images of the Earth, 80 of which depict Earth as a square: the generative AI will predominantly create new images of the Earth as a square.

Some artists have begun to introduce anomalies, including deformities and irregularities into their artwork to prevent conventional categorization. As a result, generative AI that uses their art can curate distinct artwork that actually challenges traditional categories and aesthetics.

Generative AI has the potential to bring about exciting and liberating genres of art and contemporary ideas not tied to traditional elements and themes of art, but if misused, might instead deepen existing forms of oppression.

With and Against Professor Michelle Murphy — who is Red River Metis from Winnipeg and a technoscience scholar at UTSG, with a focus on data politics, Indigenous science and technology, colonialism, and race — joined the “With and Against” conversation with Romi Morrison, a professor at UCLA, whose work engages arts, community, aesthetics, and land use practice.

Murphy made use of Butler’s words from her book Xenogenesis, comparing AI to aliens

as “horror and beauty in rare combination.”

Murphy says that humans might possibly collaborate with and against AI toward liberated futures. This liberation is not an inherent goal of AI, so how can artists manifest in generative art?

OBAI makes use of a generative adversarial network (GAN). GANs, invented by American computer scientist Ian Goodfellow in 2014, are a form of machine learning that uses two networks — one generative, creating new images, and another discriminatory, categorizing the real and generated images. The strengths of both networks can be modified to generate new images that are virtually indistinguishable from real ones.

Coleman initially fed a dataset containing afro-futuristic images to GAN, gradually using the technology to challenge boundaries of race and gender and create variation in the resulting artwork. Two of OBAI’s art pieces — “Alice,” a series of generative portraits blending Black femininity with a non-human form, and “BPP,” images inspired by the Black Panther Party, including concepts of landscapes and crowds — are manifestations of anti-oppressive generative art challenging what we know about portraits and landscapes through an afro-futurist lens.

Morrison brought in the idea that computational technology is unstable, as every input results in unique outcomes, which creates a strained relationship between AI and humans as we feel unable to predict AI-generated outcomes. The risk of AI tools learning entrenched histories of white supremacy, together with the current blurry boundaries and protocols of AI use, further strain that relationship.

The future of liberated generative AI then becomes contingent on the extent to which we can challenge and guide AI tools to work with and against itself to combat deeply ingrained issues of racism and colonialism we encounter in several forms of media. OBAI aims to foster this progress, at least in the realm of art.

Applications of AI in obstetrics and gynecology Exploring the obstacles to adopting AI technologies for specialized healthcare Aimee Perry Varsity Contributor

Artificial intelligence (AI) in the medical field is gaining much traction in clinical practices. With recent advances through deep learning and machine learning, AI technology has been commercialized in a number of medical disciplines due to the development of studies in big data and artificial neural networks used to analyze medical images.

Obstetrics and gynecology are the medical fields concerning pregnancy, delivery care, and female reproductive health. This division has not integrated AI into many of its practices due to ethical concerns and a lack of research regarding its implications. But considering its potential benefits in creating treatment plans and interpreting fetal measurements, perhaps the field ought to adopt it.

Current and future AI applications of AI in obstetrics AI has become very prevalent in the field of diagnostic methods and could be used for such purposes in obstetrics and gynecology.

For example, in obstetrics, cardiotocography (CTG) — developed in the 1960s — is the chief means of assessing fetal health, through measurements of uterine contractions and the fetus’ heart rate in utero. When interpreting measurements, different clinicians can come to different conclusions about the same number. Therefore, implementing AI into CTG practices may prove highly effective because it could mean avoiding poor communication, fatigue and distraction, cognitive overload, or bias.

A second area in obstetrics where AI might be fruitfully applied is in the analysis of ultrasounds: non-invasive checkup routines for prenatal diagnosis. Screening ultrasounds manually, as is the common practice, is slow and susceptible to human error. Consequently, if we pair these screen-

and navigating treatment decisions and protocols.

For example, AI has recently been employed to analyze images of the pelvic region and recognize the presence of endometrial tissue, a potential signifier of endometriosis. Further, researchers use AI to evaluate imaging data and predict the growth ELANA OSIPYAN/THEVARSITY

ings with AI, the potential improvements in accuracy and standardization might be valuable in years to come.

In the field of gynecology, AI application has also been rather slow. However, in recent years, researchers have used AI and machine learning to develop new means of managing certain gynecological conditions, predicting disease progression,

and behaviour patterns of fibroids — benign tumours that typically grow in the uterus. It provides aid in developing personalized treatment plans.

Ethics of AI in healthcare Ethical concerns have, naturally, prevented doctors’ complete acceptance and integration of AI in obstetrics and gynecology.

As is the case for many areas of AI, many patients have concerns about replacing human expertise — particularly when babies are involved. Researchers should explore whether such technologies have true value in patients’ diagnoses and treatment plans.

In obstetrics, people hesitate to let computer systems make decisions for treatment plans because of how personal the care is. Some also fear that pregnancy, a generally natural process, may turn into a highly medicalized one, which in turn may have physical and psychological implications for pregnant individuals.

It is important to note that research about women’s health has historically lagged behind that about men, leading to the underrepresentation of female subjects in clinical trials; a lack of sex-specific data on certain medications and treatments; and limited attention to conditions that most often happen in women, such as endometriosis — a disease in which uterine tissues grow outside of the uterus — and postpartum depression. Recognizing this disparity may aid in understanding why obstetrics and gynecology have been much slower in adopting and integrating AI technology in medical procedures.

AI can help improve diagnosis, treatment strategy, and clinical outcomes in obstetrics and gynecology. It is not unfeasible to consider the vast improvements that can be made to medical procedures to facilitate pregnancy management and public health. Still, it is important to recognize that AI technology should not substitute medical staff but rather play the role of an assistant in clinical practices.

Sports

November 20, 2023 thevarsity.ca/category/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

Kamal Elboghdadi: A master of the oars The fourth-year rower discusses how his U of T experience has opened many doors Elissa Diya Varsity Contributor

Kamal Elboghdadi is a fourth-year student studying economics; the president of the fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha; and a new member of the Varsity Blues men’s rowing team. Elbogdhadi sat with The Varsity to discuss his path to becoming a Varsity Blue, how he balances his time as a student-athlete, and his future.

Elboghdadi’s interest in rowing did not begin at a young age — instead, it started when he joined U of T. As a kid, he did everything “from rock climbing to triathlons and wrestling,” he said. “[But] it was mainly soccer [growing up].”

So, how did he get introduced to rowing?

“It’s actually a funny story. I had no idea rowing was a thing,” Elboghdadi explained. He was first introduced to the sport in 2022 after one of his fraternity brothers pushed him to try out for the U of T novice program.

The novice program encourages previously athletic individuals to undertake fitness programs, ultimately aiming to improve their cardiovascular fitness and strength. With vigorous training, the program attempts to shape them into rowers in a year.

Becoming a Varsity Blue Elboghdadi’s first official season as a Blues rower began in early September; however, it required a great deal of self-discipline and time management skills. He credits his ability to manage all his extracurriculars to his meticulous time allocation, logging everything on a calendar. His motto is simple: “Time is finite, but you could include infinite things in it.”

When asked about his routine for training days, Elboghdadi said, “[I get up] at 4:30 am to brush my teeth, get down to the car, and drive to practice.” The team trains on Lake Ontario at 5:30 am and finishes their practice at 7:00 am. After that, he drives back to his place, with enough time to shower and eat before he goes to his classes. A second independent training session begins at approximately 5:30 pm. His

strict schedule ensures that he can balance his studies and athletics and that he gives the best performance in everything he does. “[The] offseason [was] where I became part of the rowing atmosphere,” Elboghdadi explained. He attributed this to the rigorous January 2023 training plan of the team’s head coach, Mark Williams. “He’s an incredible coach in the way [that] he pushes [the team] to their physiological max,” he explained.

During our interview, he highlighted how the Wednesday sessions were some of the hardest he’s faced throughout the January training plan, as they pushed the team to their mental and physical limit in hopes of seeing what they could exert. Nevertheless, according to Elboghdadi, it is an “incredible experience.”

He believes that his physical ability and the team’s success are a result of hard work and continued support from his coaches and team members.

What happened The Blues won the initial tip-off, yet the first two points of the game came from Bold forward Lincoln Rosebush. Still, the first triple and the Blues’ only lead of the quarter — and of the game — came from guard Callum Baker, assisted by forward Lennart Weber. Baker is currently the top scorer in the Ontario University Athletics,

emphasized their shared goal of claiming victory and matching the women’s team who have been “sweeping every regatta.” The drive and determination demonstrate the true spirit of this team as they aim for success in the upcoming season.

While he is currently in his fourth year, Elboghdadi will be taking the semester off to take on an internship at Scotiabank. As a result, he plans to return next fall for his last semester at U of T and row for the Blues once again.

Furthermore, Elboghdadi recently made it to the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Training Ground’s Top 100 athletes who are elected from all around Canada. RBC Training Ground is a program that seeks to identify exceptional athletes who have Olympic potential and offers athletes the resources and funding needed for an opportunity to compete for Team Canada.

While Elboghdadi has made it to the Top 100, he hopes to make it to the Top 30, where athletes are given sponsorships. It could open many doors for him, including the possibility of competing with the Canadian under-23 national rowing team, something he greatly aspires toward.

“It is very exciting but very nervewracking,” he said. “[But] it just goes to show the opportunities [I have] that I wouldn’t have even dreamed of if I wasn’t doing this sport.”

Kamal Elboghdadi has been named to RBC Training Ground’s Top 100 Athletes.

COURTESY OF BARRY MCCLUSKEY/VARSITY BLUES MEDIA

Baker’s strong performance wasn’t enough to seal a win against cross-town rivals

Nearly one year ago, at the Goldring Centre, the Varsity Blues men’s basketball team at the Goldring Centre tasted an incredible victory against the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold. On November 15, the Blues were unsuccessful in recreating that memory, losing 96–91.

Coming off the weekend when they lost by two points to the McMaster Marauders, the Blues tried their best to get the win against the Bold.

The lack of assertiveness from the three-point line and in transition made it hard for the Blues to close the nine-point gap that reigned the game right from the first quarter.

Chasing success When asked about his expectations for the season, Elboghdadi enthusiastically declared: “We’re going for the banner.” His excitement was evident as he spoke highly of the team’s strength and determination. He

Unlimited support Speaking of support, when asked about his journey, Elboghdadi expressed his gratitude toward his parents — his role models who are always in his corner supporting him. “They’re always there for me, whether it’s two in the morning, [or] when I need to call them not feeling well, or whether [I need] food.” He knows their support is unlimited.

The Blues men’s basketball team fall 96–91 in valiant battle against TMU Bold Bruno Macia Varsity Contributor

Additionally, he credits his coaches for not only shaping him into the athlete he is but also for standing by his side, “ensuring [his success] and [his] health.” Similarly, his teammates always checked in on him, and he described the team as “a tight-knit community that felt like working alongside best friends.”

Lastly, Elboghdadi is grateful for his fraternity brothers. Not long ago, they would have been strangers, yet now, Elboghdadi calls them his family. “A lot of things have been made possible because of them,” he said — like his rowing.

averaging 25.8 points per game.

Shortly after, the match went to 12–11 mainly due to a triple from Bold guard David Walker, and the Blues’ initial seven-point lead was nearly gone. The Bold took the lead in the following play, where Rosebush grabbed and scored off of his own rebounded shot. The Blues scored five more points in the rest of the quarter, ending it with the Bold up 26–17.

The second quarter started with Weber connecting a layup from under the net, making the eyes of the crowd shine with excitement, hoping to see the Blues make a comeback.

Moreover, Bold guard Gabriel Gutsmore missed a triple, which resulted in Weber stealing the rebound and swiftly passing to guard Dane Quest — but he also missed the shot.

Shortly after, Blues forward Anthony Daudu shortened the difference by scoring a threepointer. Overall, Daudu contributed 15 points that night, seconding Baker, who finished the game with 24 points.

The Bold’s man-to-man defense made things difficult for the Blues. Bold forward Simon Chamberlain grabbed a rebound and quickly passed to Bold guard Marsei Caston, who drilled

a three to increase the Bold’s lead, 38–26. By halftime, the Blues were down 51–40.

The third quarter kicked off with the same 11-point difference in the score. The missing shots and inaccuracies kept the breach. The Bold’s largest lead came this quarter with a difference of 15 points, while the Blues were below 74–59.

In the fourth quarter, the audience went wild celebrating an outstanding steal and layup from Baker, who put the game 79–70. Amazingly, Baker did this play again and put the score 79– 72. The crowd was on the edge of their seats as the Blues were progressively playing better, a potential comeback looming.

A particular standout was Blues guard Nathan Bureau, who scored three points from the freethrow line after Caston committed a personal foul. Overall, Bureau was perfect from the line, scoring all seven of his free throws, and ended

the game with 13 points. Bureau was a bright spot, lifting the crowd with only one minute left on the clock. His points helped the Blues to reduce the Bold’s lead to five, and the game was 94–89.

At this point, no one wanted to leave the Goldring Centre. With 20 seconds left on the clock, Walker’s foul put Blues forward Ryan Rudnick at the free-throw, and the Blues were four points away from completing a miraculous comeback. Yet, the seconds ran fast, the time was up, and the game ended, the Blues losing 96–91.

What’s next On November 18, the Blues and Bold played each other again, this time at TMU, but the Blues lost 100–93. Now on a three-game losing streak, the Blues will play back-to-back games against the York Lions on November 24 and November 25.

Callum Baker currently leads the league in points per game.

AVERYN NGAN/THEVARSITY

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Blues women’s hockey lose 4–3 to the Windsor Lancers after last-minute goal The Blues celebrated Pride Night with a special puck drop ceremony Alexis Siklis Varsity Contributor

the Lancers scored a goal in the last five seconds of the game.

On November 17, the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team took on the Windsor Lancers for the first time this Ontario University Athletics season.

To kick off the game, the Blues celebrated the team’s annual Pride Night at the Varsity Arena with Pride Tape on every player’s stick, and by having a puck drop ceremony by the Toronto Gay Hockey Association. Blues fans also showed their support for Pride Night by wearing U of T Pride merchandise to the game.

In a very close game, the Blues lost 4–3 after

What happened The Blues had a rough start to the game: Lancers forward Makayla Mailhot scored the first goal just under three minutes left in the first period, making it 1–0 for the Lancers. Nevertheless, Blues fans supported their team as much as possible throughout the first period, helping them gain some confidence for the upcoming period.

As the second period began, Lancers forward Jessica Gribbon unfortunately scored the team’s second goal, making the score 2–0. Shortly after, however, the Blues were able to gain a goal, as

Hockey’s plan to take player safety to the next level By adding more protective equipment in hockey, could we save a player’s life?

JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

Samantha Nelson Varsity Contributor

On October 28, Nottingham Panthers and former Pittsburgh Penguins player Adam Johnson died after being cut on the neck with an ice skate during a game. Fans are carefully watching the NHL and other hockey leagues, anticipating a possible mandate for the use of neck guards to prevent future tragedies.

The lack of a mandate in the NHL Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, seemed uncertain when answering questions on mandated neck guards in an interview with Pat McAfee on ESPN. Bettman claimed that the NHL has recommended that players wear neck protec-

tion; however, the league has not mandated the use of neck guards.

Johnson’s accident was not the first of its kind, as Clint Malarchuk and Richard Zednik both sustained injuries to their neck during their careers — though both lived through the injury. Bettman claimed that mandating neck guards is “an ongoing discussion,” but why did this discussion not happen after Malarchuck and Zednik’s injuries?

Without a mandate, many hockey players will continue to play without proper equipment, which may lead to further tragedies.

What are teams and players saying?

With Johnson’s death, some players and teams are beginning to take safety on the ice more seriously.

Washington Capitals winger T. J. Oshie has not only been wearing neck guards on the ice since the

rookie forward Abby Whitworth made the game winning goal in the dying seconds of the period, 2–1. Her first goal as a Varsity Blue was assisted by causing a 4–3 loss for the Blues. forwards Juliette Blais-Savoie and Emma Elders.

What’s next The Blues gained some motivation after their The Blues took on the Brock University Badgers on first goal, and forward Kaitlyn McKnight soon November 18. After losing to Badgers on October scored their second goal, making the score 2–2. 21, the Blues successfully won 4–0 against Brock Unexpectedly, Gribbon scored her second goal of in their recent game. the game, making it 3–2 for the Windsor Lancers The Blues will play against the Toronto by the end of the second period.

Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold at TMU on The third period was a nail-biter as the Blues Thursday, November 23, before returning to the tried to make a quick comeback. Shortly into the Varsity Arena to play against the Waterloo Warriors third period, after the power-play ended for the on Friday, November 24.

Lancers, Blues forward Nikki McDonald tied the game again, making it 3–3. The Blues were given many opportunities within the third period to score a goal, including two power-plays, but sadly couldn’t get one.

When Blues defender Francesca Monte got a penalty, the Lancers got a power-play in the third period. Quickly after their power-play ended, Lancers forward Leah Gervais unexpectedly The game was chaotic as the Blues and Lancers traded goals. got the gameKATE WANG/THEVARSITY

accident, but has also spoken to the media about the importance of wearing neck protection. “For youth, I’d hope [my wearing a guard] shows that it’s really not a distraction from my game. I thought I played pretty decent tonight. Honestly, it was actually really comfortable,” Oshie said in an interview with The Hockey News.

Oshie is the founder of Warroad, a hockey company that focuses on creating equipment built to protect players while ensuring a player’s performance will not be jeopardized. Oshie claimed he had received around “100 messages” from players trying to learn more about his neck guards.

Several other players, including Pittsburgh Penguins players Erik Karlsson, Lars Eller, Ryan Graves, and Marcus Pettersson, and Winnipeg Jets players Vladislav Namestnikov, Rasmus Kupari, Cole Perfetti, and Nikolaj Ehlers, have worn neck guards during practice. Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund believes that wearing them would be an adjustment but that players would also eventually adapt to the equipment.

While some players and teams may not actively be wearing neck guards at this point, many are willing and open to discussing and learning more about the topic. Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said in an interview: “That’s certainly probably an aspect that needs to continue to be looked at further, as one incident like that is too many.”

What have other hockey leagues done?

Countless hockey leagues have begun to mandate

Canadian gridiron stars: Tracking Maple Leaf talent in the 2023 NFL season

neck guards. The Professional Women’s Hockey League has been discussing the use of neck guards and whether to mandate them before games begin in January 2024. The English Ice Hockey Association has also announced that they will require neck guards starting at the beginning of 2024. Notably, Hockey Canada — the national governing body for ice hockey in Canada — had already required that players in its national women’s program wear neck guards; however, it does not require its senior national men’s team to wear the protection.

Finally, Ontario University Athletics (OUA) has now mandated throat protection in men’s ice hockey, and neck guards have been mandated in women’s ice hockey since the 2018–2019 season. The regulation states that if a player “enters the playing surface without wearing a neck guard [they] will be immediately ordered off the playing surface.” Sportscaster Darren Dreger explained that the OUA had planned on introducing neck guards into the league at some point, but with Johnson’s death, the process was sped up to ensure the safety of the players.

One thing for certain is that it is incredibly important to protect our hockey players, ensuring that the sport can be enjoyed by many players without fear that it is unsafe. As hockey leagues across the world continue to learn more about hockey safety, fans will continue watching the sport cautiously until a mandate is finally put into place.

JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

A list of Canadians making their mark on the football stage

Aleksa Cosovic Varsity Contributor

The 2023 NFL season is in full swing. Nine weeks of gridiron football have produced a surplus of intriguing storylines, the usual laundry list of player injuries, and frequent sightings of pop icon Taylor Swift at Arrowhead Stadium –– a weekly celebrity appearance that seems to be garnering more attention than the performances of reigning league MVP Patrick Mahomes and Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs.

As a Canadian, you may be wondering: are there any players from Canada suiting up for an NFL squad this year? Athletes representing the Great White North are hard to come by in pro football.

However, they are making strides. This past April, five Canadians were selected in the 2023 NFL draft, topping the previous record mark of four in 2021.

So, as the NFL season continues to unfold down south, here are a few Canadians to keep an eye on.

Chase Claypool: Catching waves with the Miami Dolphins It’s been a tough start to the year for wide receiver Chase Claypool, from Abbotsford, British Columbia.

After putting up more than 850 receiving yards in

back-to-back seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the second-round pick out of the University of Notre Dame struggled to retain his outstanding form with the Chicago Bears and has since been shipped to American Football Conference juggernauts, the Miami Dolphins.

Given that ‘The Phins’ already have two-star studded receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Claypool will likely sit on the lower end of the depth chart in Mike McDaniel’s high-powered offense.

Hopefully, in the future, he can find his footing in South Florida and become one more weapon in the Dolphin’s loaded receiving corps.

Jevon Holland: Safeguarding Miami’s defense with fins and finesse Another Canadian rocking the aqua, orange, and white in 2023 is safety Jevon Holland. The secondround pick out of Coquitlam, British Columbia and the University of Oregon recorded two interceptions each in 2021 and 2022 for Miami and has slowly emerged as one of the best players in his position.

Now that the Dolphins appear to be Super Bowl contenders for the first time in over 30 years, Holland will need to play an integral role on the defensive front for the remainder of the season if Miami hopes to secure their third-ever Lombardi Trophy.

Joshua Palmer: Electrifying the Los Angeles Chargers’ offense with precision and speed The 2021 third-round pick filled the shoes of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams last season when the pair missed significant time due to injury.

Brampton, Ontario native Joshua Palmer converted 107 targets into 72 catches, 769 receiving yards, and three touchdowns and is currently on track to surpass his personal best in the yards department this season.

However, despite having an MVP-calibre quarterback with Justin Herbert playing in the pocket, the Los Angeles Chargers have yet to establish themselves as legitimate Super Bowl hopefuls in 2023. Still, they remain an entertaining group to watch on the offensive side of the ball, with Palmer lining up in the slot position.

Chuba Hubbard: Roaring downfield for the woeful Carolina Panthers The former Oklahoma State University running

back, who rushed for over 2,000 yards in his sophomore year, spent his first two seasons in the league playing second fiddle to superstar running back and two-time NFL Pro Bowler Christian McCaffrey for the Carolina Panthers.

But ever since McCaffrey was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in October 2022, Chuba Hubbard, from Sherwood Park, Alberta, has stepped up for the Panthers and shown signs of potential as a rusher and pass-catcher.

The Panthers sit in the basement of the National Football Conference South division in 2023 and are currently undergoing an identity change with rookie quarterback Bryce Young and new head coach Frank Reich leading the way. They’re likely to miss out on a playoff spot for a sixth straight time. However, if Hubbard continues to impress with the struggling Panthers, we could see him operating in the backfield for a team that’s a significant contender sooner rather than later.

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NOVEMBER 20, 2023