vol. cXXXvi, no. 11
T he UniversiTy
of
ToronTo’s sTUdenT newspaper since 1880
FEATURE
UNIVERSITY POLICY
Alcohol on campus: the sobering truth
TEST TRAUMA
U of T lacks comprehensive
Some creative writing on the eve of exam season from The Varsity staff on the topics of stress, fear, and redemption PG 12
policy on alcohol in residences JACK O. DENTON
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
pricing for insurance remains competitive,” Coleman told The Varsity, adding, “one of the best things they offer is their open and accountable culture of reporting, meaning that the UTSU board would always be more aware of how the health and dental plans were performing, instead of being in the dark.” The UTSU’s board was hitherto uninformed about the deficits. Previously, the UTSU relied on Morneau Shepell for brokerage; their agreement with Morneau Shepell was terminated last year and the union began to deal directly with the insurance provider, Green Shield. Green Shield is a not-for-profit company that provides health and dental coverage to the UTSU members. The company works with the National Student Health Network, one of the services offered by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). $100,000, or one per cent of the premiers paid by stu-
dents, goes to CFS-Services. This is in addition to the membership fees that the CFS already collects from the UTSU. Coleman also told The Varsity that StudentCare also offers other services to students, such as “[allowing] students to get pharmacy discounts at Shopper’s Drug Mart (as opposed to the CFS service of discounts at independent pharmacies, which are harder for students to find).” Coleman also pointed to the fact that StudentCare’s communication team “would allow us to provide flyers on health plan coverage in multiple languages, a huge improvement for international students who may have to explain coverage to their parents,” while the CFS only provides material in French and English. As of press time, the CFS did not respond to a request for comment.
For many students, the consumption of alcohol is a central component of recreation and relaxation. There is a distinct culture tied to university drinking — the red solo cup and drinking games like beer pong are intimately linked to generic images of college life. Alcohol culture, however, manifests at different college residences in a variety of ways. Despite having an extensive alcohol policy related to the promotion and sale of alcohol at university sanctioned events, the University of Toronto has no overarching policy on the possession and consumption of alcohol in residence buildings. New College, the second-largest college on the St. George Campus, and home to approximately 880 resident undergraduates, has strict policies on alcohol. The college lists misuse of alcohol as a major offence, alongside acts such as “inappropriate disposal of human bodily waste” and “causing damage to or stealing residence property.” The residence agreement to which all New College residents must consent, lists underage drinking, serving alcohol to underage students possession of funnels or other drinking paraphernalia, and drinking games, as behaviours that are prohibited. New College also cracks down on party culture, which is not exclusive to alcohol. It is considered a minor offence to have a party, defined as: “any combination of two of the following three criteria: i) five or more individuals in one room ii) the presence of alcohol iii) significant noise.” New College takes the strictest stance on alcohol of all the colleges, stifling not only recreational alcohol consumption, but also that of socialization in residence as a whole. The Residence Life Office at New College did not respond to The Varsity’s request for comment. Trinity College’s drinking culture stands in stark contrast to that of New College. The college can apply for a permit that allows them to hold events serving alcohol in a cordoned-off area. Upon acceptance to Trinity, all first-year students wishing to go to events at which alcohol is served are required to attend an alcohol education seminar, held during Orientation Week.
Continued on PG 3
Continued on PG 7
Now and then
Cancer genes identified
CORALS ZHENG/THE VARSITY
CAMPUS POLITICS
UTSU loses $1.6 million on health and dental plan Board uninformed about deficit for years TOM YUN
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) has lost more than $1.6 million on its health and dental plan over the course of six years, according to an investigation by StudentCare. StudentCare is an insurance broker that focuses exclusively on student health plans. “They’ve been engaged by the executive to essentially get a handle on what’s going on with our student plan,” said UTSU president Ben Coleman during a November 28 UTSU Board of Directors’ meeting. Lev Bukhman, CEO of StudentCare, and Sophia Haque, director of partnerships & development, were also present for the meeting, at which they delivered a presentation on their findings. “StudentCare will be working with the UTSU as a broker, helping to ensure that
7 december 2015
INSIDE Minding what matters: PART III In the final instalment of our series on mental health on campus, we look at the importance of self-care Editorial PG 11
Two writers recall the story of Rochdale College, one of the St. George campus’ darker histories Arts & Culture PG 14
Moffat Lab uses CRISPR tech to “turn off” cancer genes Science PG 18
Treading water
Top Blues Women’s water polo waits for recognition Sports PG 21