February 1, 2016

The UniversiTy

of

ToronTo’s sTUdenT newspaper since 1880

vol. cXXXvi, no. 15 1 febrUary 2016

WOMEN’S HOCKEY RISES THROUGH THE RANKS, BEATING WESTERN THEN WINDSOR LAST WEEKEND. THE NEXT FOR CHALLENGE THE BLUES? DEFEATING THIRD SEED WATERLOO PG 22

INSIDE Piazza and privacy

Despite concerns over the security of its users’ information, the Q&A service is still in use in many U of T courses News PG 7

Hold your fire

Should we be looking deeper into the ways in which Toronto police are being armed?

Comment PG 9

The F-Word

Part two of The Varsity’s feature series on feminism at U of T Features PG 12

#Oscarssowhite?

The Arts section sits down with a member of the Academy to discuss equality in Hollywood Arts PG 14

2 NEWS

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Issue 15 Vol. CXXXVI

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Salvatore Basilone Associate Video Editor Sonali Gill and Ariel Gomes Associate Senior Copy Editors Devika Desai, Emily Johnpulle and Tom Yun Associate News Editors

A student performs “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra at the UC Coffeehouse January 28. MALLIKA MAKKAR/THE VARSITY

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THE EXPLAINER TIPS FOR R ÉSU MÉ SUCCESS

Shahin Imtiaz and Shaan Bhambra Associate Science Editors Vacant Associate Sports Editor

1.

Lead Fact Checkers Ujwal Ganguly and Evan Maude

5.

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compliant with the format specified in the

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application guidelines. If there are no speci-

Copy Editors Lucas Bennett, Isabela Borges, Kieran Buckingham, Reut Cohen, Alexandra Grieve, Nyima Gyalmo, Arin Klein, Diana Lee, Evan Maude, Lauren Park, Ashley Wang, and Gabriel Wee Designers Nadine Guo, Kitty Liu, Komal Somjee, Amy Wang and Laura Wang

fications, look to industry standards. Failing 2.

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Cherlene Tay Business Associate Michelle Monteiro Advertising Executive The Varsity is the University of Toronto's largest student newspaper, publishing since 1880. The Varsity has a circulation of 20,000, and is published by Varsity Publications Inc. It is printed by Master Web Inc. on recycled newsprint stock.

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4.

7.

If you don’t have a lot of experience, don’t lie.

that, a PDF is your best bet.

Your potential employer will find out about any

Don’t include an objective — it’s outdated. Include

inconsistencies.

a summary of your qualifications instead.

BUSINESS OFFICE Parsa Jebely Business Manager

Format check — make sure your résumé is

8.

Have it proofread by a friend, or family member,

Keep it to one page. Focus on the quality of the

or someone from the industry, if possible. The

information, not the quantity.

more eyes on it, the better.

Include relevant experience — tailor your résumé to show how the skills you’ve acquired relate to the position you want.

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T H E VA R S I T Y

NEWS 3

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ADMINISTRATIVE AFFAIRS

U of T to take over St. George Campus food services University ends contract with Aramark EMMA KIKULIS SPORTS EDITOR

On January 27, Aramark employees working at the UTSG campus received a letter from their employer informing them that the university had decided not to extend its contract with the company. The letter arrived on the same day that the university announced it would be taking over all campus food and beverage services for the entire campus. The contract was due to expire in 2016.

According to the letter, the university has scheduled three information sessions for employees to learn more about the transition. Aramark representatives will also be in attendance.

“This move will allow us to take a more active role in creating comfortable and welcoming dining areas,” said Anne Macdonald, director of ancillary services at U of T. “We’ll also be able to enhance the food offerings available to students on the St. George campus, particularly those who don’t live in residence.”

In early October, the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education sent out a survey to many varsity athletes about the Starbucks in the Athletic Centre, citing that in the coming months the faculty will have the opportunity to suggest changes to the food services offered at that location. Questions and comment ranged from how often student-athletes used the Starbucks, to possible improvements or changes that need to be made to the location, The change will affect employees working in locations such as Robarts Library and Sid’s Café, as well as those at New College

U of T is taking charge of all campus food services after ending its contract with Aramark. FILE PHOTO

and Chestnut residence dining halls, both of which were contracted out to Aramark. According to U of T News, the university is intending to offer around 250 UTSG Aramark employees opportunities to work under the new management.

The prospect of employment has current Aramark employee Robin* cautiously optimistic.

“I would hope that a renowned institution like U of T wouldn’t put people out of a job,” they said. When asked about any concerns they had about changes in job description and hourly wage, Robin expressed concern. “Now am I concerned that my pay and hours will change?

I am a bit. We haven’t been briefed on the situation yet, so that alone is a bit concerning.”

Aramark has held UTSG’s food service contract since 2006 when the company replaced Sodexho, a French company who were employed by the university for 16 years. During the transition, many concerns were raised by employees about the future of their collective agreement under UNITE HERE Local 75. Currently, the university has several union groups, many of which are under the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

During the transition from Sodexho to Aramark at the Athletic Centre Starbucks, several employees, many of whom were students, were not re-hired.

In July, 2013 Ryerson University decid-

ed against tendering its contract with their Aramark in favour of food service operator Chartwells. Ryerson had been covering over $5.6 million in losses which former operator Aramark had agreed to undertake upon signing a contract with the university.

Owned by British company Compass Group, Chartwells contracts out to Ryerson, UTM, George Brown, and Humber College.

Food services at UTSC operate under both independent and institutional providers; one of which is Aramark.

The university’s announcement not to renew its contract comes some months after the Starbucks in Robarts Library, one of Aramark’s contracts, was shut down temporarily

by DineSafe, following a failed inspection.

Robin hopes that under U of T, working and managerial conditions will improve. “I am hoping that there will be better organization. Aramark doesn’t seem to have the right handle on scheduling,” said Robin, adding, “Although the problem may come from workers not showing up at times, I’d say this is a direct effect of how things are managed. I want to be able to come into my job every day and know that I have people to work with. Not to mention that I want my work environment to be good, without unnecessary tension.”

U of T and Aramark are still discussing the terms of the transition, including the date of effective termination.

Disclosure: Emma Kikulis was previously employed by Aramark; she no longer works for the company.

INDIGENOUS STUDIES

Carolyn Bennett joins call for mandatory Aboriginal studies course Indigenous and northern affairs minister signs U of T NSA petition AIDAN CURRIE

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Carolyn Bennett, Canada’s minister of Indigenous and northern affairs, voiced her support for mandatory Indigenous studies classes for every university student. At a talk on January 25 entitled Understanding Sovereignty and Security in the Circumpolar Arctic at the University of Toronto, she highlighted the importance of educating all Canadians about Indigenous knowledge systems, traditions, and cultural practices.

Bennett, the self-described “minister of reconciliation,” said that “we have to begin work in our understanding with the reconciliation with the people of the north, but also of course a reconciliation with the land, which is in some ways what climate change and all of this is about.”

“It is important that northern voices be fully heard in the formulation of the Canadian approach with recognition of the place of Indigenous knowledge,” Bennett added.

When asked about what the Canadian government plans to achieve in terms of implementing the recommendations put forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) with regards to education, Bennett remarked that she has been pleased to see many universities taking up the Calls to Action of the TRC. She praised the University of Winnipeg in particular for implementing a mandatory Indigenous studies course for all students.

“If people don’t understand the Indian Act, Residential Schools, the effects of colonization, if even the clinicians don’t understand PTSD in that lens, we aren’t gonna win,” Bennett said.

Members of the Native Students’ Association (NSA) caught up with the minister to ask for her signature on their petition for a mandatory Indigenous Studies course for U of T undergraduate students, which she did.

“I feel overwhelmed and a sense of great pride to be a part of the wonderful community. So many kind and generous people are supporting our cause. The response has created a new community, one that is dedicated to diversify our education and hear the voices of my ancestors,” said Audrey Rochette, crane and governance leader of the NSA. “The next phase in our petition will be to draft a proposal which will be reviewed by our council and select faculty members to ensure it meets the criteria of such a strong call to action that it simply can not be dismissed with a no,” Rochette said.

Minister Bennett also suggested that book clubs across Canada begin adding works by Indigenous authors or allies to their reading lists. “Ninety-six per cent of Canadians who are not from an Indigenous background have to actually get with the program and realize what they don’t know.

That’s what Justice [Murray] Sinclair has

been saying about ‘the secret of shame,’ the fact that it was still a secret, and that what we’re hearing from so many Canadians now is ‘How come I didn’t know that?’ and ‘How come I never learned that?’”

Bennett is a University of Toronto alum.

She said that when she graduated from U of T,

swimming the length of a pool was a requirement. “So I’ve now changed my view; I think you shouldn’t be able to graduate unless you’ve done at least one course in Indigenous studies,” a statement that was met with applause.

Several high-profile figures have supported the NSA’s bid for a mandatory Indigenous studies credit. FILE PHOTO: JENNIFER SU/THE VARSITY

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STUDENT POLITICS

UTSU SGM fails to meet quorum Meeting proceeds in a ‘town hall’ style

Students in attendance at the SGM-turned townhall. MALLIKA MAKKAR/THE VARSITY

RACHEL CHEN & AIDAN CURRIE

Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and ethical divestment.

The University of Toronto Students’ Union’s (UTSU) Special General Meeting (SGM) became an informal town hall-style gathering on January 28 after the meeting failed to reach its required quorum attendance. In order to be quorate, the January 28 meeting needed at least 150 members in the room carrying a minimum of 350 votes via proxy.

With a total of 178 votes at the meeting, the SGM did not proceed. The motions that were on the agenda will be forwarded to the UTSU’s Board of Directors and will be voted on by the board at a later date.

UTSU president Ben Coleman blamed the low attendance on poor weather and the fact that “there is no existential crisis,” referring to the efforts to pass a legally compliant board structure at the two previous general meetings.

Motions set for the agenda included items on computerized voting, paper ballots, an accessible computer lab, an endorsement and donation to the Black Lives Matter movement, and an expression of solidarity with the Cape Breton University Students’ Union.

Some notable discussions surrounded examination of the UTSU’s relationship with the

BDS AND ETHICAL DIVESTMENT The ethical divestment motion moved by second-year University College student Aidan Swirsky calls for opposition to investment of U of T funds in any company profiting from unethical practices regardless of where the company is, or where violations take place.

Supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement attended the meeting in support of the motion. Unlike BDS, however, Swirsky’s motion does not specify a specific regional conflict or particular population, electing to target the university’s investments in corporations complicate in human rights violations more broadly.

BDS is a movement to end human rights violations in Palestine, targeting companies and governments that contribute to such abuse.

Swirsky, who is a vocal opponent of BDS, drew distinctions between his motion and the BDS movement. He told The Varsity in January that “BDS promotes the academic and cultural blanket boycott of a singular country, Israel, while simultaneously espousing a demand that would lead to the destruction of said country.”

VARSITY STAFF AND VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

In a joint statement to The Varsity, Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) and the Graduate Students’ Union BDS Committee (U of T Divest) said they have long called on U of T to divest from such companies.

They claim the motion supports their campaign calling on the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation to divest its holdings in Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman for the businesses contributions to Israel’s national defense infrastructure. According to these two groups, these companies profit from violations of Palestinian rights through Israel’s occupation and apartheid.

SAIA and U of T Divest still expressed concerns with the motion, however, saying that the scope of the motion may be too narrow to be effective.

“We are concerned that the motion’s vague and ambiguous language undermines its utility since it is not possible to effectively conduct human rights advocacy without naming those who are committing the rights violations and explicitly affirming solidarity with those whose rights are being violated,” the statement said. “Also of concern is the erroneous reference to the ‘University Investment Funds Policy’, which only considers investment risk.”

THE CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS First-year Victoria College students Stephanie Spagnuolo and Carleigh Campbell moved a motion to continue the committee struck earlier this year to investigate the relationship between the UTSU and the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). Their motion would strike the committee each year with the mandate of considering ending the UTSU’s membership with the organization.

The CFS is a national student advocacy group comprised of member student unions.

It also has various provincial branches. The UTSU has been a member of the CFS since 2002. In 2013, several divisions at U of T held referenda to divert fees from the UTSU to their respective student councils, citing the union’s membership of the CFS among the main reasons for their desire to leave the UTSU.

Spagnuolo and Campbell argued in the text of their motion that the CFS “is inefficient and borderline undemocratic,” and “does not adequately represent the students of the University of Toronto.” “[We] believe there are merits to a broad national student union, principles of good and responsible government dictates that we should continue to critically examine our relationships with this broader movement,” Spagnuolo and Campbell said. “The first responsibility of this union must be to its membership.”

“The University of Toronto [Students’ Union] pays over $700,000 into this bureaucratic, staff-focused union structured from the top-down rather than from the bottom. We created this motion because we believe that there should be a committee to examine the relationship between the UTSU and the CFS. We have found many documented instances of the undemocratic behaviour of the CFS and student politicians over the CFS slate.”

Members were divided on the topic and heated debate followed. Abdulla Omari, a UTSU director representing UTM, commented on the UTSU’s relationship with the CFS. “We look at it as a body that’s being overbearing, controlling, but again how does one make a national union with, I believe, over 100 members, and so many thousands of [individual] members — how does one keep all that working?” said Omari. “You can’t keep that working with a low pressure of control.

I think it comes down to the fact that, when you’re looking at this, it’s your decision to leave if you want.”

Elaborating on their earlier statements, Spagnuolo and Campbell remarked that the CFS’ governance structure and policies restrict access to democracy.

“Students wishing to leave the CFS would need to collect 10,000 signatures on top of our stressful academics and student life, just to express what should be a basic democratic right,” they said.

They concluded by suggesting U of T students to try to get involved in their elected student body to hold them accountable where they see fit, and investigate where their fees go.

STUDENT POLITICS

New vice president, campus life ready to work Alessia Rodriguez looks to improve communication, approve club funding SALVATORE BASILONE ASSOCIATE VIDEO EDITOR

“My plans right now are to get everything back on track,” said Alessia Rodriguez, the newly appointed vice president, campus life for the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU).

Elected at a UTSU Board of Directors meeting on January 23, Rodriguez replaces Akshan Bansal, who was impeached in December following a string of complaints and an allegation of sexual assault.

Before her appointment, Rodriguez was working as Bansal’s associate, a position she had held since June of 2015. “Being part of the process since the beginning has provided me

with the knowledge and practice to make this transition as smooth as possible and continue working on everything that was set,” she said.

Rodriguez helped 300 clubs obtain UTSU recognition and she is preparing to take the next step. “My goal now is to approve funding, so clubs can make their events happen,” she stated.

Rodriguez said that she also hopes to improve communication between the union and campus clubs and faculties. She plans to make herself readily available to different clubs in the U of T community, stating, “I am committed to meet with as many clubs as I can, if possible one each day. I want people to know that I am here to listen.”

Alessia Rodriguez is the UTSU’s new vice president, campus life. MALLIKA MAKKAR/PHOTO EDITOR

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ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Debunking U of T’s dropout myth

UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS

From the seams of student activism Students Against Sweatshops’ legacy continues

Students in need of support when leaving university JACK OSSELTON DENTON VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

“I’d heard that the dropout rate was nearly half and was told that the first year of U of T was designed to weed people out,” says first-year student Tessa Mahrt-Smith. This is not an uncommon opinion among incoming U of T students. Chatter among high school students, first-year students, and Internet forums such as College Confidential and The Student Room perpetuate the myth.

Contrary to the opinions of many, U of T has one of the highest firstyear retention rates in the country, a rate that stood at 91 per cent between 2002 and 2012. From 2012-2013, it rose to 92 per cent, compared to an average of 88.5 per cent among other “Highly Selective Public” universities and 82.6 per cent among all other public universities.

“I’d heard going into U of T that a lot of people dropped out, but then I came to realize in second semester that I didn’t really know anyone who had left or noticed any significant number of people at all missing from my classes,” says firstyear student John-Alan Slachta.

Perhaps the reputation itself is self-defeating. “I feel like a lot of people hear that 50 per cent dropout rate statistic and decide that they wouldn’t be able to cut it here. And suddenly those potential dropouts don’t even come to the school,” firstyear student Kamal Jha speculates.

U of T’s entrance averages that fall in the 85–100 per cent range are significantly higher than those of other Ontario universities, as of 2013; dovetailing that statistic is the lower number of students in the less than 80 per cent and the 81–84 per cent ranges compared to other Ontario universities.

The Varsity spoke to former students who left U of T before graduating, and their comments painted a different picture than the stereotypical dropout story would suggest. They are individuals who dropped out due to personal reasons but have concrete plans for their futures.

Marie*, a former student who dropped out at the start of this semester, said she left because she was not enjoying the courses in which she was enrolled. “Architectural Studies at U of T was my backup

program and I have not been able to find enough, if any, enjoyment in it in order to want to continue on,” she explained. Marie’s plans for the future “include obtaining a Bachelor of Design degree in Fashion Communications from Ryerson and possibly Mastering in Fashion so I can pursue a career in a field I’m excited about.”

Sarah*, also a former student, dropped out for mental healthrelated reasons. “I had to drop out because I was having panic attacks very frequently and it just escalated really fast so I needed to take a break and figure out what I want to do and get help.” She said that she plans to return to U of T “ideally for a couple of summer courses but, if not, September for sure.”

Both former students had different experiences interacting with the university when they dropped out. “Honestly, University of Toronto didn’t support me at all through the process of dropping out. I emailed my registrar and they just told me they were sorry that I was not longer interested in my program and sent me links on how to possibly apply to a separate program within the university and how to drop out. It was very much a do-it-yourself process,” said Marie.

This is in contrast with Sarah’s experience, which she says was positive. Sarah says that her registrar “fully supported my decision and made the process so much easier and more comfortable for me.

She told me about all the different things I could do when I return, like contacting accessibility services if I need help and places for counselling on campus. She was also the reason I got some of my tuition back, and I’m forever grateful for her.”

The widespread myth of first-year failure may be unfounded, but the varying processes of dropping out are very real. This university, which does not have a systemic issue with dropouts, has no unified process that all students can consult. *Name changed at student’s request.

U of T has guidelines that shape the ethics of its suppliers. FILE PHOTO

RACHEL CHEN VARSITY STAFF

Students gathered at the University of Toronto Students’ Union’s (UTSU) recent Special General Meeting-turned townhall to discuss a motion for ethical divestment. Over 15 years ago, students fought to end the sale of unethical products at U of T. ESTABLISHING ETHICAL GUIDELINES In 2000, U of T’s Students Against Sweatshops (SAS) successfully lobbied the university’s Governing Council to pass a code of conduct for U of T’s clothing suppliers. To this day, Trademark Licensing, a program at U of T, aims to ensure the university’s marks are ethical and high quality.

U of T has an intensive vetting process that companies, called “licensees,” must go through before they can produce goods and apparel with U of T’s logo or marks on them.

In an open letter to then president of the university Robert Prichard, published by The Varsity in 2000, SAS admonished the university for its indecisiveness.

“We were surprised to learn of your recent hesitation in adopting a code of conduct with provisions for a living wage. After the forum hosted by the University on 31 January 2000, we thought it would be clear that a new code without such language is ‘behind the times’”, the letter stated.

In another article published by The Varsity, SAS organizer Ian Thomson emphasized what students were hoping for in the code of conduct.

“We demand that they tell us in which factories U of T clothes are being made,” said Thomson. “No more secrets! The code demands that the factory location must be made public.”

SAS bargained with the university for over a year, and after a decision was pushed back one too many times, 17 students held a 10 day sit-in at Prichard’s office. Since the code of conduct was passed, U

of T has been a leader in ethical sourcing among Canadian universities.

Anne Macdonald, director of ancillary services at U of T, pointed out that post-secondary institutions in the United States began similar programs before U of T, but that U of T was the first to do so in Canada.

“It’s not just that we started doing it first, it’s also that other schools have contacted us and asked about having programs similar to this across Canada,” Macdonald said. “That’s a positive thing, if other schools see that we’re doing something good and they want information about how to implement something similar, that just helps to raise awareness about apparel manufacturing.”

CURRENT POLICIES & REMAINING PROBLEMS Today, U of T works with Learfield Licensing, a licensing agent that checks U of T’s licensing companies, as well as two NGOs to ensure the ethical production of its branded clothing.

The Workers’ Rights Consortium (WRC) works with businesses and corporations, while the Fair Labour Association (FLA) has on-theground employees that take in direct reports from factory workers. “[Licensees] sign an agreement with our licensing agent, but effectively they sign an agreement with the university that they will abide by our code of conduct and that they share information with us at that time about where they manufacture, factory names and so on,” Macdonald said. “They sign off on that and they renew that agreement every year. Then they are permitted to produce U of T merchandise.”

The current agreement licences require companies to disclose to U of T where their products are manufactured. Loopholes, however, can still be found due to the complicated nature of supply chains. U of T has agreements with their licensees, but the licensees have their own suppliers.

For example, an unethical source could sell blank products

to a licensee, which could then responsibly use those products at their own businesses.

“What we can do in that instance is we can urge the company that we have a written agreement with to procure responsibly,” Macdonald said. “If we have reason to be concerned about the activities of a supplier of our supplier, if you will, we still do have recourse... We could raise concerns and we could apply pressure to the company that we have an existing written agreement with, to investigate the concern with that and the manufacturer.”

For products without the U of T logo, the bookstore has more leeway, and suppliers do not necessarily have to follow the same code of conduct. In an emailed statement to The Varsity, however, they said, “The bookstore [uses] the same sources for those items for the ease of purchase.”

For the most part, U of T receives reports from the WRC and FLA about areas of concern and then Trademark Licensing will investigate further to see if any of the licensees are involved.

“Typically what we would do is if we heard there was a factory of concern or a region of concern is talk to our licensees and work with our licensees and engage them,” Macdonald said. “If they are actively involved in doing something wrong, obviously the very end part of the process would be that we would stop doing business with them, but the real goal for them is to change what they do to ensure that if they are in fact engaged in these countries and there are conditions in the workplace which are substandard and not according to our code of conduct, our goal would be to try to get them to change that. Not to just cease doing business with them, our goal would be to try and influence how they operate.”

The current policies allow for dialogue, but some students do not think this is enough. As various groups call for divestment from other investments at the university, students remain critical about where their fees are going.

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TORONTO

“The civil war is over” New Toronto transit proposal includes station at UTSC AHMED ZAKI-HAGAR VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Finch

Commuter students at UTSC may soon have their transit woes alleviated, after Toronto mayor John Tory released a new transit proposal for Scarborough, which includes a subway station at Scarborough Town Centre and a 17-stop extension of the planned Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) connecting to UTSC. “The civil war is over,” Tory announced during a press conference on January 21. “We are going to build transit.”

The new proposal will be built along with SmartTrack, a surface commuter rail for the city that was featured as part of Tory’s 2014 municipal election campaign.

In an interview with Metro Morning host Matt Galloway on CBC Radio 1, Tory said the proposal has a “political consensus” among city councilors.

“This is a better plan, more transit for Scarborough for the same money,” the Mayor said. “If I can find a better way to do things that goes along with expert advice, that gets more value for the money, I’m going to go with that.”

STUDENTS “VERY EXCITED” In 2009, the Scarborough Campus Student Union (SCSU) voted to provide $30 million in student levies for funding of the Toronto Pan-Am Sports Centre. Although not an official agreement, the students believed that their contribution would result in a direct LRT line for commuting to their campus. The intermediate plans did not include a direct link to UTSC, which led to student protests.

The SCSU released a public statement on January 20, 2016 expressing their support of Tory’s transit proposal.

“The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union is in support of Mayor Tory’s proposal, and the students are very excited,” SCSU vice president, external Yasmin Rajabi said in the statement.

“UTSC students have been fighting for more accessible transit options for a long time.”

The SCSU stated that transit has been an issue among students for years, especially for commuter students. Currently, students travelling on the TTC between the two campuses have to take the 198 Rocket, an express bus that connects the Scarborough Campus with Kennedy Station.

Earlier this month, SCSU collaborated with the Association of Part-time Undergraduate

Agincourt

Ellesmere UTSC Lawrence

Scarborough Centre

Kennedy Birchmount

Guildwood GO Ionview

Golden Mile

Eglinton GO

Warden Victoria Park

Scarborough GO

Interchange Station SmartTrack Crosstown LRT

Main Street

Bloor Danforth Subway GO RER KOMAL SOMJEE/THE VARSITY

Students to operate a shuttle bus between the Scarborough and St. George campuses for one day on January 13. Both unions pooled their resources as part of their campaign to lobby the administration for a direct method of transportation between the campuses.

Though they are optimistic, the SCSU still wants to see a shuttle bus for the duration of the project as a short-term solution.

“The gap in service provision is an issue that students have been facing for years, and waiting for construction to be completed only prolongs limited access to the downtown campus for an indefinite amount of time. While we support the new proposal, we continue to advocate for a relief line from UTSC to UTSG for the duration of this project,” Rajabi said.

A DEAL IN THE MAKING In 2006, former mayor David Miller and the TTC announced Transit City, an expansion

project that would have provided LRT routes throughout the city, including UTSC. The Transit City project was scrapped by former mayor Rob Ford, because he claimed that subways were the best option for Scarborough on his first day in office. In 2012, the City Council voted to reject Ford’s subway plan and opted for a seven-stop LRT line from Kennedy Station to replace the existing Scarborough RT (SRT) and be fully funded by the provincial government.

Ford, however, continued to advocate for subways and pressed for a more expensive three-stop subway line, which would have required additional funding from the federal government and an increase in municipal property taxes.

There was much debate among councillors over whether to implement the subway plans or keep the existing LRT plans. In 2013, the City Council ultimately voted to reverse its decision and Ford’s plan was approved.

Former UTSC professor Zack Taylor, who is now teaching political science at Western University, believes the new proposal is a good plan from a “bang-for-buck perspective.”

“Subways are very expensive and require a lot of ridership to justify their construction,” Taylor said, regarding the previous proposal for a three-stop subway. “Repeated analysis of corridors in Scarborough has demonstrated that the ridership, even in the future, is unlikely to be sufficient to justify a subway.”

Taylor also lauded the plan as a replacement for the old SRT, which he calls a “costly technological orphan.”

“In the future, the TTC will only have to maintain three kinds of vehicles instead of four: buses, subway cars, and LRTs. This will save money and make for a more efficient system.”

The other three victims remain in hospital.

The identities of the victims will remain confidential until their families have been notified.

Spadina Avenue was closed off between College and Dundas for the police investigation.

Carbone said that there are not enough details to release a suspect description and that police are canvassing the area for video footage of the incident.

“As you probably already know, it’s very, very early in the investigation,” said Carbone. “My message here today is to report or to encourage anyone who was in the area of Spadina and Nassau at around 3:15 in the morning to give the Toronto Police a call, or Crime Stoppers.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Chinatown shooting Incident leaves two dead and three injured TOM YUN

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Toronto Police were called to the scene of a shooting that occurred just south of College Street on Spadina Avenue at 3:18 AM on January 30. Two people were killed and three were injured.

A yet to be identified assailant fired at a group of five men in front of the New Ho King restaurant, a Chinese restaurant popular among U of T students .

Detective Sergeant Mike Carbone told media at a press conference that “some type of altercation” prompted the shooting. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene; another succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

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T H E VA R S I T Y

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ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

What are they doing with your data?

Behind the university’s statement on Piazza

ADMINISTRATIVE AFFAIRS

Centre of Civilizations and Cultures to replace McLaughlin Planetarium New building to be built at 90 Queen’s Park Crescent SHERIDAN CUNNINGHAM VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

U of T released a statement on Piazza after fears that the third-party could legally sell user information. KASSANDRA NERANJAN/THE VARSITY

SALVATORE BASILONE ASSOCIATE VIDEO EDITOR

There are some at U of T who worry that Piazza may be permitted to sell the information of its student users, an accusation that the company f latly denies.

Piazza is a free online Q&A platform commonly used by — but not limited to — instructors teaching computer science, statistics, and mathematics. Students can post questions to which instructors and other students can provide answers, and instructors can also post announcements on the website.

This past December, U of T released a statement to instructors and students that outlined its concerns: “The Piazza Privacy Policy and Terms of Use provide for substantial sharing and use, including commercial use, of personal information of students. The university, however, has placed no formal restrictions on the use of Piazza.

Professor Susan McCahan serves as vice provost, innovations in undergraduate education. Part of McCahan’s role at U of T is to evaluate new educational technologies.

“The company has publicly said that they do not sell student data without the student’s permission,” McCahan said. “But their documents, their agreements, the clickthrough that you do when you create a Piazza account, does not make that clear at all. It’s not clear that there is an opt in.”

Rather, McCahan interprets those documents as allowing the company to “do what they want” with student data. “Anyone they sell it to can do what they want with your data as well,” says McCahan.

“It frees up a whole chain of data transfer from any kind of oversight.”

The Varsity contacted Piazza Technologies, the parent company that developed the platform and who denied any wrongdoing. “We don’t sell student data,” said John Knight of the Piazza User Operations Team.

“We were built on trust and take that trust seriously.”

WHY USE PIAZZA AT ALL? Paul Chow is a professor of computer engineering and electronics at U of T. One course he teaches,

ECE532 Digital Systems and Design, uses Piazza extensively; in addition to the discussion board, nearly all course information is placed exclusively on Piazza with the exception of student grades, which appear on Blackboard, U of T’s main online learning platform.

Chow explains that Piazza’s ease of use makes it a better system for communicating with students. “The approved university platform does not allow me, and my other colleagues using Piazza, to provide the interaction we want to provide to the students,” he says. “We use Piazza because the students will get more out of the course.”

“Piazza is significantly better than the Blackboard discussion platform,” said Theo Poenaru, a second-year computer science student who has roughly half of his courses tied to a Piazza component.

In addition to the “very natural organization” of the Q&A platform that makes it easy to use, Poenaru also likes the ability for questions in a discussion to be posted without revealing the poster’s name to other students. He says this feature “removes the fear of questions being labelled stupid and pushes students to ask more questions than they would otherwise.”

As far as privacy is concerned, Poenaru doesn’t have any. “I see they have my name, university, courses taken, and email address.

That isn’t information for which there is generally a high expectation of privacy. I would definitely not stop using Piazza because of this.”

Chow said that no students have come to him with privacy concerns thus far, that if needed, he could help a student register on Piazza under a pseudonym using a non-U of T email address.

Piazza allows students to use alternate names. Chow is critical of the fact that U of T did not make instructors and students aware of this feature, which he learned of from colleagues at other universities.

“I think the university could have spent more time investigating how to help the instructors use their choice of platforms within the “rules” rather than just posting a warning about it,” said Chow.

A BETTER BLACKBOARD? Given the caution in U of T’s December statement, it may come as a surprise to students and instructors to learn that the university had been looking into the possibility of integrating Piazza directly into Blackboard as early as 2014, when they first reached out to the company.

Using third party technologies is a standard part of U of T’s approach to improving Blackboard. “We regularly review all kinds of technologies that can bolt into Blackboard,” explains McCahan. “We have some of them that are available, sort of seamlessly integrated… In fact, you might not know that it’s a different vendor, right, because it just sort of appears inside the course shell as if its part of Blackboard.”

Relating the story of the initial contact between Piazza and U of T, McCahan said that Piazza expressed hesitation in engaging in the discussion and that the university understood they were hesitant because they were still a relatively small start-up company.

Correspondence between Piazza and the university picked up again in March of 2015 and continued through October, until, in McCahan’s description, the company stopped responding. “They haven’t been returning our phone calls, essentially,” she said.

“We went forward with doing a little bit of digging,” McCahan continued. “We didn’t go through a formal review, which we would do to accept a technology. But we did enough digging to determine that there were some issues with the technology.” It was these issues that led to the December statement.

Knight said that the reason for Piazza’s lack of communication with U of T was simply the small size of the company; the employee who handles partnerships with universities was assigned to a different project. “We’d very much like to build a relationship with UT [sic] but we’re a small team (34 people) serving over 1M students for free,” the employee explained. “We’re certainly not abandoning a partnership, just putting it off until we have the bandwidth to make it happen.”

The University of Toronto recently announced plans to construct a new Centre of Civilizations and Cultures. The building will be built at 90 Queen’s Park Crescent, which would replace the location’s current resident, the decommissioned McLaughlin Planetarium.

Scott Mabury, U of T vice president, university operations, emphasized the value of the project to both the university and the global community. “This is a great combination of academic faculties [and] academic superstars… Bringing them together will advance the conversation,” he said.

The centre will house the departments of history and near and Middle Eastern civilizations, along with the Institute of Islamic Studies and the research arm of the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. It will also boast an open plaza on the ground floors, an auditorium for the Faculty of Music, and more open access to the Philosopher’s Walk pathway.

Toronto’s Architects Alliance will collaborate on the design with Diller Scofidio + Renfro, a high-profile architectural studio. The Architects Alliance has worked with U of T before, assisting with both the Woodsworth Residence and the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.

When asked why the university was building a new centre, as opposed to addressing existing buildings in need of maintenance, Mabury stressed that updates would remain a priority as “we’re doing both.” He pointed to many current efforts to rehabilitate structures, including about 70 different projects across the St. George campus. Mabury also cited more major undertakings to rebuild and repurpose buildings, such as the Faculty of Law. “We needed additional space, and

the question was how best to capture the academic needs,” Mabury said. “How do we create something truly marvelous and exceptional?”

A report presented to the Business Board of the U of T Governing Council in the spring of 2014 estimated the total cost of deferred maintenance on the St. George campus at $443 million, well above that of the satellite campuses. The report also argued that the university’s policies have had some success in tackling high priority issues.

It is not just U of T academics who stand to gain from the new Centre.

The surrounding community has been anticipating its creation since the university bought the space at 90 Queen’s Park in 2009. The Royal Ontario Museum, the location’s previous owner and current next-doorneighbour, expressed enthusiasm at the announcement.

“This development will enhance the area’s overall cultural experience by increasing the number of visitors, programs, and events offered in the Bloor Street Cultural Corridor. The ROM looks forward to collaborating with U of T to present joint programming, exhibitions, lectures and more at both the Museum and the new Centre,” said Marnie Peters, ROM spokesperson.

Some may be sad to see the McLaughlin Planetarium removed entirely, even though it has been closed since 1995. It has been a part of Toronto’s history since its opening in 1968 and has its own place in the culture of the area. Its prominent location, however, meant that the space was unlikely to go unused.

The proposal for the Centre was first released in September 2014.

The complex was originally intended to include the Jewish Museum of Canada, which has since been removed from the plans due to changing funding priorities at United Jewish Appeal.

There is no definite timeline for the construction, as the project is still in the design phase.

The site at 90 Queen’s Part Crescent is currently occupied by the McLaughlin Planetarium.

SYEDA RIZVI/THE VARSITY

8 NEWS

T H E VA R S I T Y

M O N DAY 1 F E B R U A R Y 2 016 news@thevarsity.ca

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Reaching for the stars U of T Aerospace Team seeks student levy HARLEEN SANDHU VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The University of Toronto’s Aerospace Team (UTAT) is looking to take its funding to the next level. The group will be proposing a divisional referendum concurrent with the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) spring elections. The levy, if passed, will charge students in the Faculty of Arts & Science and Professional Faculties 85¢ per session. The levy would be collected through the UTSU, an avenue that UTAT has never used before.

One of the university’s largest student design teams, UTAT is composed of students from both the Arts & Science and Engineering faculties. Over the past five years, UTAT has been pursuing increasingly high-flying and complex projects in space and aviation, hoping to add a student-led satellite project to their repertoire.

The team hopes to expand all five of its divisions (aerial robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, rocketry, space systems, and outreach) over the next two years.

In pursuing a levy, the team hopes not only

to realize larger projects, but also to gain support for more student-powered research and development at U of T as a whole.

Jeremy Chan-Hao Wang, executive director & senior engineering designer of UTAT, explained the need for additional funding: “Our growth will soon outpace that of traditional funding avenues from the university — e.g. grants from offices/departments — and though we make a concerted effort to secure in-kind industry donations wherever possible, — more than 90 per cent of all software and hardware we receive is donated — no one is willing to donate a satellite launch!”

The majority of money from the levy would be put toward a project to launch a satellite into space sometime in late 2018 or early 2019.

The UTAT aims for this satellite to be the first satellite in Canada, completely designed and built by students.

“As part of the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge, UTAT is bringing together students from engineering, physics, and life sciences to conduct microbiology experiments in support of astronaut health,” Wang said. “We

OBITUARY

In loving memory

Members of UTAT hope to launch new projects with a student levy. PHOTO COURTESY OF UTAT

aim to develop a low-cost, open platform for students around the world to carry out space medicine experiments, using standardized and miniaturized satellite design combined with our microbiology research setup.” Of course, launching a satellite into outer space is costly, and requires greater funding than the team is currently receiving.

The rest of the money would go toward UTAT’s current projects and equipment, including “multi-purpose quadcopters, fixedwing drones for environmental monitoring

and emergency medical services, sounding rockets for atmospheric research, and the satellite development prior to launch.”

Highlighting the many awards UTAT has received from organizations such as NASA, the UN, U of T, and Ryerson in addition to six annual competitions attended by the team, Wang describes the team as “one of many student groups at U of T creating a tangible impact in key technical areas and educational outreach, and redefining what it means to ‘just be a student’.”

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

The Portal to the future Faculty gathering student input for new learning interface

The Faculty of Arts & Science is seeking student feedback for a new online learning structure. MALLIKA MAKKAR/THE VARSITY

ANDREEA MUSULAN VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Ravindu “Ravi” Loku Withana passed away in an accident over the holiday break.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER NGIGI

FRIENDS OF RAVINDU LOKU WITHANA

Our dear friend and colleague Ravindu “Ravi” Loku Withana passed away in an accident on December 19, 2015. He was a pursuing a MASc in aerospace engineering at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS).

Prior to this, he was a student in the engineering science program at U of T. Quick to make friends, Ravi was a fair, kind-hearted, and pleasant person. Always

calm and composed, Ravi handled difficult situations with ease and was always ready to assist anyone who requested help.

Not only was he a brilliant academic, Ravi was also a true mechanic. He was the greatest BMW car buff we had ever known, often restoring his cars on his own. He was also a marine life enthusiast and had set up an elaborate aquarium in his family’s living room.

A memorial for Ravi was held at UTIAS on Wednesday January 27.

The Faculty of Arts & Science is reviewing U of T’s learning management engine (LME), which is currently provided by Blackboard. There are plans to develop a new LME: the Academic Toolbox Renewal Initiative. In anticipation of this new system, the faculty hosted a townhall on Portal, where students came to air their grievances and give feedback about the interface.

A little over a year ago, The Varsity reported on the persistent outages and maintenance hours that Blackboard faced, and many students believe that they feel a disconnect with their instructors.

Professors and students have expressed frustrations with the current LME. One student who attended the town hall criticized its user unfriendliness, mentioning that one of her peers pasted her assignment in a comment box rather than the assignment submission box, which could have affected her grade. In addition, professors are not required to use Blackboard to submit grades, which leaves some students frustrated with the inaccessibility.

Learning tools such as gamification modules, marking interfaces, publishing capabilities, and many more are on the long list of suggestions for the new framework. The faculty discussed features such as a calendar for assignments and exams, and many of the technologies were scheduled for renewal last year. Out of the three stages of the LME development, the initiative is in its second phase.

Abdullah Shihipar, president of the Arts & Science Students’ Union, also criticized the lack of “user-friendliness” of the current Portal system.

“No one knows how it works,” Shihipar said. The lack of a search option, the inability to edit the types of tools needed for each course, and nothing “more than just a text option” for the current organization function, were a few of the grievances he aired on behalf of himself and other students who reached out to him over social media.

The university is currently accepting comments for the new LME online. Shihipar encouraged students to have their voice heard saying, “before this process is over, get [your feedback] in.”

COMMENT var.st/comment

1 F ebruary 2016

comment@thevarsity.ca

o d our re Lets think twice about police armament TEODORA PASCA

ASSOCIATE COMMENT EDITOR

ELHAM NUMAN/THE VARSITY

A

recent article in The Varsity argued that Toronto police officers require the ability to use lethal force in order to protect the public.

In fact, it was suggested that officers ought to "be more heavily armed." This is in direct opposition to calls for disarmament advocated by the Black Lives Matter movement, a cause that has generated support at universities across North America.

Considering the possibility that police will be unprepared for emergencies, perhaps complete disarmament is impractical. We must also consider, however, the repercussions of readily granting police the ability to use lethal violence. This is particularly salient in light of the recent announcement that the Toronto Police Service will obtain military-grade C8 carbine assault rifles, which are so easy to use that an untrained CBC reporter used one of them to hit a bulls-eye.

To begin, the desire to arm police officers is often fueled by misconceptions about crime itself. A heavily armed police force is often framed as a reasonable response to an increasingly dangerous climate.

On the surface, this seems accurate, given that the Toronto Police Service cited a 29.6 per cent increase in shootings from 2014 to 2015. Yet, simultaneously, deaths by shooting decreased by 20 per cent in the city. The largest spike in shooting incidents occurred in those where shots were fired, but no one was injured.

Official crime statistics only reflect crimes that are reported to police, which is why they depend heavily on how offences are reported and categorized. An apparent statistical in-

crease in crime can be attributed to a targeted There is also a tendency to conflate skyrockeffort on the part of police departments to eting crime rates in the United States with record more incidents or to upticks in civilian the situation in Canada. While previously cooperation with police. expressed opinions in The Varsity cited that Drawing conclusions merely from scratch- between 2000-2010, 40 per cent of incidents ing the surface of police statistics can be mis- in the United States were resolved only when leading. In contrast, homicide rates in Canada police shot the suspect, this data was lim— favoured by criminologists as far more re- ited to active shooter incidents, which are liable indicators of violent crime rates than extremely uncommon north of the border. shootings — are steadily declining.

It is questionable that the use of lethal When considering these figures, the picture violence by police officers is so readily becomes less bleak. Firearm-related homicides justified. Although police are legally audecreased by almost 50 per cent between 2008 thorized to use this power, they are also and 2013, and 2014 saw the second-lowest fire- supposed to be trained to use it only when arm-related necessary homicide to stop seDESPITE AN APPARENT INCREASE IN rate recorded rious injury

by Statistics or death — GUN VIOLENCE IN 2015, TORONTO IS NOT Canada since scenarios NECESSARILY BECOMING MORE DANGEROUS. that are the government started becoming collecting data in 1974. statistical rarities in Toronto.

These trends conflict with the rhetoric The potential for lethal force to be misused and logic of those advocating for expanded must be taken seriously. Recently, Constable police powers. The media, for instance, James Forcillo was convicted of the attempted is saturated with stories of violent crime murder of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim. Though beause 'if it bleeds, it leads.' One glance Yatim was "mentally troubled" and wielding at the evening news may compel even the a switchblade on an empty streetcar — sugleast lily-livered Toronto residents to lobby gesting that the officer ought to have priorifor armament. tized non-lethal measures — the jury was When pushing for increased crime control, convinced that the first three shots Forcillo police and politicians often recall extreme cas- fired were legitimate, in response to an alleges of gun violence, such as the 1991 Rainbow edly “imminent threat.”

Motel shootout or the more recent shooting In this vein, the police have also been critiin Moncton, New Brunswick, which took the cized for excessive violence at public demlives of three RCMP officers. They neglect to onstrations, including a heavily militarized mention that despite being tragic, these cases response to demonstrations occurring during are actually few and far between. the 2010 G20 summit in Toronto.

Fortunately, there are a number of options to reduce police violence, including improved training within police sectors and closely monitored reporting requirements in the event that force is used. Increased accountability measures are also necessary. For example, if the shooting of Sammy Yatim had not been caught on video, there may not have been a case against Forcillo at all. Implementing measures like these may encourage officers to prioritize other strategies before pulling the trigger.

In several cases, non-violent policing measures have in fact prevailed over traditional methods. Following the implementation of police training, community partnerships, and the frequent use of non-violent weapons like Tasers, the municipality of Richmond, California experienced not only a drop in police violence but also a significant drop in crime between 2003 and 2010. Operating on the principle of “policing by consent,” most British police officers do not carry firearms at all. Clearly, strapping military-grade weapons to the belts of Toronto officers is not the only option.

In most cases, police officers only intend to protect the public from harm, and it is not that we ought to tie their hands. As students, however, we ought to advocate for critical discourse and transparency within law enforcement, as well as push for alternatives to violence. It is crucial to dig deeper before signing away the ability to shoot and kill.

Teodora Pasca is a second-year student at Innis College studying criminology and ethics, society & law. She is The Varsity’s associate comment editor. Her column appears every three weeks.

10 COMMENT

Why UTM Students for Life may deserve recognition Funding decisions cannot be made merely on the basis of political views NISH CHANKAR

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Last week, The Varsity reported that Students for Life, an anti-abortion organization present on many North American University campuses, is suing the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus Students’ Union (UTMSU) for being denied club status. UTM Students for Life president Diane Zettle alleges that the group’s anti-abortion stance is the reason for the UTMSU’s actions.

I am, and have always been, vehemently pro-choice when it comes to abortion. What a person with female reproductive organs does with their body should not be left up to decisions of the state given that bodily autonomy is enshrined in many social and legal norms of our society.

Taking a step back from my personal views on the matter, however, I realize the importance of having contrasting dialogue on campus. As such, we should be cautious about voices that are being excluded from conversations — specifically in danger of UTMSU setting a precedent of censorship on campus.

Legitimate questions surround the tactics of U of T Students for Life, who preside on the downtown campus. If you’re a St. George student, then you’ve likely walked past their members holding up signs with shocking graphic images of aborted fetuses. The necessity of these images is questionable, especially if their goal is simply to “affect change and raise awareness" about the pro-life cause, according to their website.

Alternatively, this goal can be achieved through presentations, handing out pamphlets, setting up a table in Sidney Smith, or creating a listserv.

That said, contrary to their St. George counterparts, members of the UTM Students for Life branch claim not to use these posters as part of their demonstrations. Even if they were to though, it is not clear whether such imagery would necessarily be sufficient grounds to constitute public harm and result in the withholding of funding.

While being pro-choice myself, I can still say that I’ve come across a very select few Students for Life members who truly just want to provide a set of diverse resources for women.

For women who are ideologically opposed to abortion, the existence of alternative choices — like adoption or raising the baby alongside help from subsidized childcare initiatives and part-time schooling programs — is important to add to discussions of reproductive rights and health on campus. I believe that UTM Students for Life has the potential to be one of those opposing, yet constructive groups that disseminate information about alternative choices in a respectful manner.

There is no question that student unions have the right to be political and take stances on controversial issues. In fact, people in visible positions of power often have the responsibility to initiate and mobilize social change and protect the marginalized. Condemning and denying funding to certain groups that have clearly discriminatory agendas — for example, the White Students’ Union who plastered our campus with flyers last year — would be in line with the values of most inclusionary unions.

Regardless of how political a student union is, they should still be careful about limiting resources based on only ideological views. When student unions start making value judgements on issues that reveal a spectrum of gray area — such as the morality of abortion — they are also denying intellectual resources to a large portion of the student population that they have pledged to serve.

University campuses are supposed to be places for constructive discourse and critical thinking. Blocking out certain voices from the conversation — no matter how many of us fundamentally disagree with them — collectively limits the dialogue. If UTM Students for Life can pledge to spread their mission in a respectful, tasteful manner, similar to that of the other controversial groups on campus, then there is no reason the UTMSU should deny them recognition.

Nish Chankar is a second-year student at Trinity College studying economics and international relations. She is also the associate vice president, equity of the University of Toronto Students' Union (UTSU); the views expressed here are entirely her own.

T H E VA R S I T Y

M O N DAY 1 F E B R U A R Y 2 016 comment@thevarsity.ca

Evaluating the right to speak freely The Jewish Defense League’s actions towards U of T Divest should be condemned ADINA HEISLER VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

DIANA PHAM/THE VARSITY

Recently, members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) — a group that claims to restore "pride and integrity" to the Jewish people — came under scrutiny for disrupting a U of T Divest event. U of T Divest was hosting an event addressing Palestinian resistance to what they described as an Israeli occupation.

More broadly, U of T Divest promotes the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign to politically and economically pressure the Israeli government until it "complies with international law" and respects Palestinians' "fundamental rights of freedom, equality, and self-determination."

The JDL claimed the U of T Divest event was a “call to murder Jews” and heckled a speech given by Noura Erakat, a human rights lawyer speaking at the event.

As a Jewish student, I question the idea that events like the one held by U of T Divest are, in fact, a “call to murder Jews” or even inherently anti-Semitic. The JDL’s notorious reputation of fear-mongering and of spreading hatred also calls into question the integrity of their disruption, and their views should certainly not represent the Jewish faith as a whole. Most importantly, we need to discuss the rights of campus organizations to free speech and freedom from disruption.

The BDS movement is a protest against Israeli treatment of Palestinians, not an instance of anti-Semitism. The BDS movement provides many criticisms of the Israeli government, addressing actions such as the occupation of Palestinian lands — which has been condemned in international law — and infringing upon the rights of Arab citizens from Israel. It is unfair to make sweeping conflations of those who criticize Israeli government policy and of those who espouse prejudice against Jews. These two groups may certainly overlap at points but are not necessarily the same.

This fact is perhaps no better demonstrated by how many Jews and Jewish organizations — such as the Jewish Voice for Peace — support the BDS movement.

It is also possible to disagree with critiques of government policy without being anti-Semitic. For instance, in 2013 the American-Jewish newspaper The Forward published an op-

ed that disagreed with the BDS movement’s platform but also urged Jews and Jewish organizations not to consider it an anti-Semitic movement.

I refuse to let a group like JDL speak for me. My religion is one that promotes the pursuit of justice and peace; Verse 18, chapter 1 of Pirkei Avot — “Ethics of the Fathers," a compilation of teachings and wisdoms of ancient Jewish rabbis and scholars — states that, “On three things does the world endure: truth, justice, and peace."

Propagating violence or hatred is no way to abide by these maxims, yet it appears that the JDL is built more on a foundation of prejudice than of Judaism. The US wing of JDL has been called a "violent extremist Jewish organization" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Most notably, JDL's leader was arrested and charged in 2001 for planning to bomb a mosque and an Arab-American congressman's office.

While I do not personally support the BDS movement, I do support the right of all groups on campus to hold events and speak at their causes freely without disturbance. It is only natural to have strong disagreements with other people, but it is wrong to try and censor them. If JDL disagreed with U of T Divest’s platform, then they could have decided to hold their own event explaining the case against BDS or simply voice their opposition during the question period of the event itself.

Instead, they decided to disrupt the event and show blatant disrespect and disregard for both U of T Divest and their speakers.

This was not an exercise in free speech but a misguided attempt at trying to prevent another group from exercising their rights.

Freedom of speech is a crucial part of our society, both for principled and practical reasons. Not only is it enshrined in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but diversity in thought is essential for innovation and encouraging critical thinking.

As a Jewish student in a multicultural university, I feel I must not only represent my people but also reach out to students who I may not entirely agree with, because they have just as much a right to speak their minds as I do.

Adina Heisler is a first-year student at University College studying English and women & gender studies.

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T H E VA R S I T Y

COMMENT 11

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Pockets half-empty Could a Stanford style financial aid model work at U of T? NAOMI STULEANU VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

In April of last year, Stanford University expanded its financial aid program to waive tuition for students whose annual family income falls below $125,000. Further aid is available to those whose annual family income falls below $65,000, which would cover tuition, room, and board.

A previous policy set the benchmark at $100,000 and allowed 77 per cent of undergraduates to finish their education without going into student debt. Students are expected to contribute at least $5000 a year through part-time work or savings. Still, the program is immensely beneficial for many students.

On the surface, it seems that U of T could implement a similar policy. Doing so would be beneficial, considering the additional costs that come with getting an education in a city like Toronto. The average Canadian student graduates with $28,000 of debt. Meanwhile, tuition has increased by 9.2 per cent for domestic arts and science students between 2012 and 2016, with fees expected to exceed $9,000 by 2018.

There are greater underlying problems in Ontario, however, that prevent such measures from being implemented.

U of T's current model admits far more students than Stanford, and our tuition is, on average, significantly less than that of American universities. For 2014-2015, U of T saw a total

JULIEN BALBONTIN/THE VARSITY

of 14,382 students entering their first year, with 7,979 of them at UTSG. Considering that, in 2015, Stanford's first-year undergraduate admit population was just over 2100, making UTSG's entry rate alone almost four times as high.

For a similar policy to be implemented at U of T, the size of the undergraduate population would have to decrease, meaning family income thresholds would have to be significantly lower, and undergraduate admission would have to be made more stringent.

U of T’s undergraduate to faculty ratio in 2013-2014 was 32:1, one of the highest in Canada. This situation would hardly improve if the university had to redirect funds away from hiring staff in order to provide more financial aid to its student population.

Stanford has more resources to work with and offers financial aid through its $21 billion endowment fund. In contrast, excluding separate endowments of colleges, U of T’s endowment fund only just exceeds $2 billion.

Finally, due to a lack of provincial funding, U of T relies heavily on tuition revenues to pay its employees and service its own debts.

Wanting to maximize revenue, U of T raises tuition as much as possible every year.

Some more practical changes, however, can improve the situation. First, expanded financial aid at U of T cannot be considered until problems present at the provincial level are addressed. For example, Ontario could increase the provincial funding it provides for students pursuing post-secondary education.

U of T could also charge less interest on unpaid tuition fees. This would be useful for students receiving OSAP who are unable to pay their tuition up front and only receive their second instalment of financial aid significantly later than the university’s November deadline for tuition.

Finally, U of T could increase their tuition by less than the maximum amount per year, decreasing its revenue but potentially improving the financial climate for its students.

Solving the student debt crisis at U of T will require more than what a Stanford-inspired model can provide. We should continue to push for alternative financial reform measures, in order to ensure that students with financial barriers to education are still able to recieve it.

Naomi Stuleanu is a second-year student at Victoria College studying criminology and psychology.

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STEP INTO ANOTHER WORLD

Forging fem Resilient revolutionaries This is the second installment of a two week feature on the history of feminism at the University of Toronto.

Although feminism has succeeded in recognizing students’ rights, the movement continues to be mired in stigma. Among many other labels, it has faced accusations of irrelevancy, misandry, and exclusivity. For these reasons, and for others, for better or for worse, many students remain hesitant to claim the title of ‘feminist.’

Delving into the history of feminism can not only help us understand how we reached this point, but it can also give us a clearer sense of the movements future prospects. We spoke to students and staff to explore the multiplicity of feminism within our diverse student body, the potential it holds to improve our lives, and the internal obstacles it must overcome in the years ahead.

Defining feminism Feminism, in basic terms, is best described as a movement for equality between men and women. This idea is easily traced throughout the movement’s historical development.

“Research shows there have been waves of feminist activism,” explains Sylvia Bashevkin, a professor of political science at U of T. “The issues emphasized in each successive wave may change, but there remains an underlying commitment to drawing out the dynamics of gender inequality and pressing for fairer opportunity across time.”

Specifically, the women’s movement in Canada is often divided into three ‘waves.’ In the early 1900s, women rallied for various civil rights, such as suffrage and the right to hold political office. This activism relied heavily on notions at the time of women as natural caregivers, who could offer a distinct and beneficial nurturing perspective in public life.

After World War II and the consequent erosion of strictly gendered workforces, feminism saw its second wave emerge in the 1960s and ‘70s. With broadened notions of equality, activists scrutinized how oppression manifested subtly in socio-cultural planes — such as the media and school curricula — while continuing to challenge legal discrimination concerning areas such as pay equity, sexual assault, and abortion.

Today, activists often speak of working with the third wave of feminism, which describes a more concerted focus on breaking down the gender binary and increasing consideration of how multiple identities of race, age, class, and sexuality affect women’s experiences.

While the waves framework holds a lot of currency in mainstream Canadian media, many have critiqued it for being rooted solely in Anglo-European history and thus failing to recognize the myriad other stages upon which women have fought against gender inequality.

“I think the ‘waves’ are good intros, but ultimately take away from some of the variations and nuances of feminist organizing,” says Ellie Ade Kur, a PhD student in human geography and a feminist organizer. “They find ways to boil decade-long struggles down to one or two issues, which can be helpful for people new to feminism and the history of feminist thought.

But not really helpful in understanding how complicated these kinds of movements are.”

Investigating the dynamics of colonialism in Canada can help to highlight where the waves framework falls short. For instance, Indigenous women’s resistance to the 1867 Indian Act, which has long been associated with the imposition of patriarchal oppression upon relatively egalitarian Indigenous communities, cannot be easily slotted into any of the three waves indicated above.

The inherent duality presented by classic conceptions of feminism can also be problematic.

Stating that women are ‘just as good’ as men shifts the focus away from creating an inclusive and representative space for women based on their individual identities. An emphasis on equality between men and women also excludes the experiences and perspectives of those who do not identify within the gender binary.

“There’s always just the general question of inclusion: where are queer, black and Indigenous voices? Where are the voices/ideas of women facing multiple forms of marginalization?” asks Adekur.

What seems to be constant within feminist movements, however, is the fact that they embody a challenge to the status quo. “Ideally, feminism is a resistance and a criticism of hegemonic social structures,” explains Jades Swadron, a third-year student, who notes how her activism works towards dismantling not only the patriarchy but also systems of oppression based on class, race, and sexuality.

“Feminism isn’t just about women, it’s about transformation of world order,” states Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, a U of T alumna and a founder of the women and gender studies program. “Not just for women but for everybody.”

The strategies employed by feminists in order to achieve their goals vary just as widely as conceptions of feminism itself. Feminists have a long track record of mobilizing for social change, and earlier methods to create this change were particularly daring.

In 1957, for instance, a group of female students disguised themselves as men in order to enter Hart House and watch John F. Kennedy participate in a debate. While a glimpse of one student’s nail polish ultimately led a security guard to realize they were women (and subsequently kick them out), the act helped to highlight Hart House’s archaic rules.

“It was definitely a political statement,” says Judy Sarick, one of the participating students and former reporter for The Varsity. “This was before the feminist revolution when there was little institutional support for women. It was up to the individual to be as brave as she needed to be.”

Abortion was also a key issue for feminists on campus. During the ‘70s, distribution of information about abortion was prohibited; yet the Student Administrative Council (SAC) — predecessor to the UTSU — circulated hundreds of abortion information pamphlets on campus anyway.

What’s more, the SAC rented buses to enable students to join the infamous Abortion Caravan, which drove to Ottawa to demand the legalization of unrestricted abortion services access. This constituted Canada’s first national feminist protest and gained widespread media attention when protesters chained themselves to their seats in the Parliamentary gallery.

In a similar vein, former editor-in-chief of The Varsity, Linda McQuaig, went undercover posing as a pregnant woman to “expose the coercive tactics used by a campus Catholic organization that was purporting to offer students abortion counselling.”

“Although things started off calmly,” recounts McQuaig. “I was soon told that if I decided to have an abortion, I would have to live with terrible guilt all my life because I would always know that I had killed!”

Perhaps most notably, however, is the cheek within which Ramkhalawansingh and Armatage advocated for the establishment of an official women and gender studies program. They pored through the Arts & Science calendar, cutting and pasting existing courses that might have anything to do with women and gender studies into an unofficial brochure. After sticking a U of T crest on it, they distributed the brochure all over campus.

“We got called into the dean’s office,” recalls Kay Armatage, a professor emeritus and pioneer of the women and gender studies program. “The dean was very, very forceful about it. He said ‘This is not the way we do things at the University of Toronto… if we are going to start a program in Arts and Science, we first form a committee to look into the matter.’” And so they did; in a year after that event, the women and gender studies minor had been established.

“It was totally guerrilla tactics,” remembers Armatage. “It worked out very well, even though I was shaking in my boots... being reprimanded by this very tough person.”

By the early 2000s, the heyday of radical student activism had seemingly passed, yet the question of whether feminism is still present on university campuses remains up in the air. Ramkhalawansingh, for one, thinks it has simply changed forms.

“When you become institutionalized and become part of the structure, the way in which you mobilize is very different,” Ramskalawansingh explains. “ ...[Y]ou become part of the bureaucratic process…

[T]here are offices to deal with these issues now.”

Even the quickest survey of the university’s diversity & equity page confirms this, with offices for sexual & gender diversity, sexual harassment, and family care figuring prominently. This is not to mention the advisory committee to the provost, which was struck last year, that was aimed at preventing and responding to sexual violence.

This is not to say that grassroots activism has completely faded away.

In response to the death threats made against U of T feminists and the equity and women and gender studies departments last fall, hundreds rallied to protest misogyny in its modern manifestations. Moreover, there has been growing student pressure on the administration to pay more attention to sexual violence on campus.

Inters

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minism at the universit y and beyond ARTICLE BY VICTORIA WICKS AND TEODORA PASCA

The road ahead

secting narratives

e these changes, a significant problem within the movement continues to demand attention — namely, how to ensure that women who are marginalized on planes other than gender have their voices heard. It is this distinction that some believe has buted to the weakened feminist presence on campus. ou try and see what progress is like for people of colour, queer and trans people, especially trans women, and in more particular Swadron explains, “ ...you will start to question if the changes since then have been all that pronounced.” ur has also had many personal experiences with this lack of inclusivity. As the former internal liaison officer for CUPE 3902, she receiving targeted messages harassing her after speaking out about equity issues in the union, only to be told that “being so vocal mbative’ about ‘contentious issues’ has its consequences.” Yet, when white female members received impersonal harassment ng a union policy, the organization immediately went to work on an online harassment policy. about whose voice is taken seriously, whose pain we choose to believe and how our sympathy is so unevenly spread,” she explains. to ask white men in my union to literally repeat the words I said so that the same audience, hearing the same point, would take my ts and ideas seriously.” other instance of racialized sexism, a professor at a sociology conference approached Adekur and insinuated she “probably how to work a pole” since she studied sex work. He then offered to be her mentor — citing his expectation that black women d support and guidance in academia. “ ...[T]hat story is a very real example of how young, black women and our bodies are zed and the kind of liberties people feel they can take,” Adekur says. rtunately, the feminist movement often mirrors society at large by dismissing and even perpetuating these manifestations of mination. Swadron cites being made to “testify” about her experiences to cis women, who often do not see that she, as a trans n, is just as much a part of the feminist movement as they are. Not only does this attitude simply add to the discrimination and y trans students often face on campus, it also negates the equity-orientated basis that feminism claims to rest upon. en of colour also face distinct marginalization in feminist discourse. Women’s right to vote in Canada, for instance, is often dated early 1900s. Yet, this erases the fact that Indigenous women’s unconditional right to vote was only recognized in 1960, only slightly han 50 years ago. The overwhelming emphasis on women’s right to abortions also tends to obscure the other side of reproduchts — that is, the right to bear children — which, historically, has been denied to Indigenous women via government-mandated ation initiatives. sidelining of racialized women manifests frequently in feminist organizing on campus as well. Nish Chankar, associate vice president, of the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) and co-president of Trinity’s Students for Gender Equity, notes that the speakhe feminist rally last fall were “disproportionately white.” In particular, the “white saviour comments” about women in Afghanistan e by keynote speaker and New Democratic Party candidate Jennifer Hollet — were, she felt, framed in such a way to distract from ent gender equality at home. disheartening to go to events like this, as a racialized woman, that aren’t necessarily for us,” Chankar says. “It’s not about there ng enough racialized feminist speakers on campus, because there are — it’s that not enough action was taken to make the rally as ve as every feminist rally should be.” arly, Bosibori Moragia, a second-year English literature and African studies student has “been in situations where mine and other women’s complaints have been silenced because they’re seen as derailing tactics.” She explains that the distinct problems that women try to bring up are often pushed to the bottom, or even off, the feminist agenda. “It feels like what we’re really being fed is e old adage that our ‘negro’ issues will be attended to as soon as white women have their emancipation,” she explains. result, some have made calls for a more intersectional approach to feminism. mankind has a plethora of members who fall into different categories and identities. These criss-crossing identities ultimately mine how they move through the world as a woman,” Moragia explains. “Intersectionality is about meeting people where they’re at sting away the idea that there are ‘one size fits all’ approaches to fighting the patriarchy.” rsectional feminism is all about acknowledging what it means to occupy a number of marginalized identities — what it means queer, trans, racialized woman, or a woman living with a disability, for example,” says Adekur. “Intersectional feminism should be the movement we default to when we think about feminist thought and action.”

Moving forward, there is plenty of opportunity at U of T to bolster this feminist change. As an educational hub, the institution has the capability, and likely, the resources, to unpack and combat inequality through research.

Ramkhalawansingh notes how, when she and Armatage first attempted to create a curriculum for the women and gender studies program, women were invisible from public records. This gender bias can have disturbing consequences for academia — for instance, the failure to acknowledge women’s participation on the farm in the 1911 census meant that female agricultural labour was exempted from history.

The creation of the women and gender studies program has helped to remedy some of these gaps in academia, while feminist scholarship within other programs have challenged mainstream narratives. “Early in my career, it was clear that the category of gender was not accorded academic importance,” recalls Bashevkin. “This pecking order has shifted over the years.” Recently, editors of a leading international reader on US foreign policy invited Bashevkin to contribute the first ever chapter on gender to their book, which will appear in 2017 — an invitation that, Bashevkin says, “constitutes one small but telling signal that older patterns may be changing.”

The development of more wholesome analyses of society are doubly important, given that university research often influences public policy. “I think we [as a university] have an obligation to say ‘Let’s share our great knowledge, let’s make sure that opinion leaders and decision makers know,’” says Mayo Moran, provost of Trinity College and first female dean of the law faculty. “ ...I believe knowledge is the fundamental springboard of change and values.”

Students themselves have a plethora of suggestions for what directions campus feminism can take going forward, ranging from developing a sexual violence policy to implementing quotes for women in leadership positions, or even the creation of a feminist UTSU slate. While the details may differ, the general consensus seems to indicate that feminism still has a significant role to play on campus, and the aversion towards the movement is no reason to stop organizing.

“There has not been a single meaningful social justice movement that was initially received by open arms,” explains Chankar.

“Society isn’t as malleable as we think, and change needs to be gradually accepted… So we’re not stopping anytime soon.”

Feminism at U of T has long been making Varsity headlines; progress has been slow and punctuated by obstacles. FILE PHOTOS

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Why are the #OscarsSoWhite?

A member of the Academy weighs in on the controversy surrounding the 88th Academy Awards ARTICLE BY COREY VAN DEN HOOGENBAND AND ILLUSTRATION BY DIANA PHAM

"The Academy has not been deaf to the controversy this year," a seasoned member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who asked to remain anonymous, disclosed over email. A relief to hear considering the backlash surrounding the noticeable lack of diversity in this year's Oscar nominees, summated by the #OscarsSoWhite campaign.

Upon releasing their nominations for the 88th Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has become the subject of criticism after its list of nominees contained only white actors for the second year in a row. Last year, a meaty catalogue of films — such as Creed, Straight Outta Compton, and The Force Awakens — featured black actors in prominent roles, yet none of them received nominations. Now, movie lovers within and without of the industry are questioning whether quality of performance is in fact the only thing the Academy is evaluating.

"All of a sudden, you feel like we're moving in the wrong direction," actor George Clooney recently told Variety. President Barack Obama asked, "Are we making sure that everybody is getting a fair shot?"

The Oscars assume the unique role of praising a group of films that supposedly reflect or embody the zeitgeist of our time. Surely, one would expect a wider diversity of talent, stories, and performances to be awarded by a ceremony meant to represent a world as diverse as ours.

The Varsity recently spoke to a veteran of the industry with a career spanning three decades. They discussed topics such as the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, how the Academy will be reshaping moving forward, and how the film industry has changed in the last 30 years.

The Varsity: What would you say of 2016's TV: If you consider the controversy to be film lineup? In your opinion, are the right a problem, is this a problem within the pictures being recognized?

Academy, or do you think this controversy Academy Member: The ‘right’ pictures? [It’s] is related to a bigger diversity issue within hard to qualify that, really. Every year there the whole industry? are fantastic films that never have a prayer AM: I think diversity is a problem in the world, of making it into the sights of the Academy not just in the film industry. The film industry members, simply because their advertising is in the unique position of being able to bring and promo campaigns aren’t as visible. That the issue to a higher level of visibility, and does not is able to mean that keep the the films "THE FILM INDUSTRY IS IN THE UNIQUE POSITION OF BEING convernominated ABLE TO BRING THE ISSUE TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF VISIBILITY, sations don’t degoing. serve to be AND IS ABLE TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING." there; they TV: In do. These what films are top quality on all levels. It is also way(s) have you seen the film industry shift important to know that all members from from an insider's perspective since your time all branches nominate for Best Picture, and in it? then each branch nominates in their area: AM: Television and online media are now as actors nominate actors, directors nominate valid a creative medium as film is. Film used directors, make-up artists nominate make- to be the only star. No longer. The quality and up artists, etc. caliber of the content streaming to a laptop or tablet near you is often on par with the best TV: What do you make of the controversy films released today. Theatrical film producers surrounding the lack of diversity at this year's take fewer risks (and there’s a lack of diversity Academy Awards? as a result) because of the difficulty in getting AM: Diversity is an issue. It starts with what people into theaters. Sequels reign supreme gets written – and more importantly, what because they are pretty safe bets. Most of the gets greenlit – and ends often with very ‘white’ interesting, daring, risky projects are happennominations, in part due to the lack of diversity ing on the smaller screens. And yet, I still in what films get made. That said, the Academy believe in the magic of sharing a great movie has not been deaf to the controversy this year. experience with an audience in a theater: imThe president of the Academy (an African- ages thrown onto a gigantic screen, a killer American woman) has made some changes immersive sound system, and of course, all to the membership moving forwards. Active cell phones off. voting eligibility for each member will be reassessed every 10 years instead of the lifetime TV: In your opinion, is the Academy's reprivilege it has been given up until this year. sponse to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy enough? How helpful do you think this will

be for diversity in the film industry?

AM: I think it is absolutely a step in the right direction. Is it enough? Probably not. However, the issue is deeper than ‘Oscars So White.'

What is needed just as much as a more diverse Academy membership is more diverse, theatrical content, and opportunities for talented people of all descriptions.

TV: Why are academy members' voting eligibility now being reassessed every 10 years?

Do you think this policy will be beneficial?

AM: I don't think it will hurt. If the active voting members can accurately represent the array of talent that is currently working [in the film industry], I can't see how that would hurt. Hollywood is very good at spreading different points of view, and waking people up to these issues. It is high time for diversity in its own ranks to be scrutinized. That said, when being judged, or comparing creative talent, I only want to be nominated based on my talent. I do not want to be nominated because I am a person of color, a woman, plus-sized, gay, or any other minority.

TV: Do you think there's more that the Academy should be doing to increase diversity in Hollywood?

AM: The Academy honors theatrically released films. Its members can do more by hiring people in all cinematic art forms that do not look like they do. They can green-light stories with roles written for people that are of all sizes, genders, and colors. And the movie going public can support all these efforts by going to see the films embrace these people.

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A field guide to U of T's New Music Festival U of T's music faculty is hosting a week's worth of contemporary classical music

A performance from last year s New usic estival. COURTESY JESSICA LEWIS/U OF T FACULTY OF MUSIC

KASSANDRA HANGDAAN VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Who said that classical music is dead? The works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Haydn may no longer be popular, but the genre is far from declining.

Instead, classical music is getting a ‘musical renovation’ if you will, thanks to the increasing popularity of contemporary classical music. This week, U of T’s Music Faculty will be hosting the New Music Festival in order to showcase contemporary classical music.

Featuring works by Allan Gordon Bell, the festival includes performances by U of T major ensembles: Land’s End Ensemble, Gryphon Trio, and the Cecilia String Quartet. The festival, which runs until February 7, boasts over 13 events to be held at various locations in the city. Here are a few to check out:

students have interpreted the works of their teacher.

Other works on the set list for the evening include "Candle Ice" by Carmen Braden, "Lunar Reflections" by Heather Schmidt, and "In a World of Distance and Motion"

by Kelly Marie Murphy.

Monday February 1 Gryphon Trio ($40, $25 senior, $10 student) Who better to perform composer Bell’s music than Bell’s students themselves?

It will be interesting to hear how these

Tuesday February 2 Land’s End Ensemble (free) Students have the chance to meet Allan Gordon Bell in a composers’ forum held at Walter Hall. Later that day, Land’s End

Ensemble will perform Bell’s Juno winning work "Field Notes."

Thursday February 4 Thursdays at Noon (free) Looking to hear our on-campus talent? The Music Faculty’s Thursdays at Noon event is one in which music written by U of T composition students will be featured. Domenic Jarlkaganova’s collaborative piece with Angela Blumberg and works by alumnus Paul Levasseur will both be featured at the event.

Brothers of the arts Some of Canada’s most critically acclaimed artists have emerged from U of T’s fraternities

LISA POWER

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

These days, ‘frat boy’ is a term often associated with Sperry’s, Polo, or Ray-Bans, and they’re often characterized as being rowdy or obnoxious. For nearly two centuries, however, many of U of T’s fraternity men have made meaningful contributions to nearly every area of social development.

The Varsity looked at some of the artists to emerge from U of T’s fraternities, whose works are noted for their enduring influence and the forming of a uniquely Canadian artistic output.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN MCCRAE (ZETA PSI, THETA XI CHAPTER 1894): Founded in 1879, Zeta Psi is the original fraternity at U of T. Located at the northwest corner of St. George and Prince Albert, male students of distinguished talents were drawn to this community due in part to its reputation for cultivating leadership. One of those men was John McCrae, a student at University College who had won a scholarship to attend U of T. McCrae excelled in biology, received his bachelor of medicine in 1898, and finally became a doctor of medicine in 1910. It is not his aptitude for medicine that McCrae is remembered for but rather his poetic and literary expertise. “His poems, all admirable in their workmanship and concentration, dis-

creative direction of the genius of our people and their higher aspirations are to be detected within it.”

U of T s fraternities have hosted some of anada s finest talent. TOSIN MAIYEGUN/THE VARSITY

tinctively original in structure and in form, educational in their rigid economy of words and finely displayed appreciation of word values, strong, true-ringing and purposeful,” describes a 1918 article published in The Toronto News. McCrae would become a casualty of war. He died on January 28, 1918, but his legacy lives on through his poem “In Flanders Fields.”

LAWREN HARRIS (DELTA KAPPA EPSILON, ALPHA PHI CHAPTER 1904): Lawren Harris attended U of T between 1903 and 1904. During his time here, he became a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, a fraternity founded in 1898.

His artistic talents were quickly recognized by a professor who suggested he may do well to study art in Europe. After travelling until

1910, he returned to Toronto and spent much of his time studying and sketching various neighbourhoods in the city.

The Ontario Heritage Trust notes that he had a particular fascination with landscapes and was influenced by “urban realism, landscape regionalism, and theosophy, a transcendental, mystical school of thought” as well as a desire for “developing a distinctly Canadian art.” In the years following, he continued to innovate and experiment, eventually founding the Group of Seven.

The artist collective travelled all over the country, depicting Canadian landscapes through a modernist lens. On his artistic philosophy, Harris stated, “With us in Canada, painting is the only art that so far has achieved a clear native expression and so the forming of distinctive attitude, the

STEPHEN LEACOCK (ZETA PSI, THETA XI CHAPTER 1891): Another brother of Zeta Psi, Stephen Leacock was integral to the early development of a Canadian literary voice. He studied modern languages, and received his BA in 1891.

He had published several scholarly works and was well known in academic circles.

It wasn’t until Leacock began to write fiction that he would compose his most famous work. Likely set in the town of Orillia, just north of Toronto, Leacock wrote Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town in 1912. The collection of short stories features reoccurring characters living in the fictional Canadian town of Mariposa. Leacock chronicles the humorous and sometimes outrageous exploits of its citizens.

The work masterfully captures the essence of the archetypal Canadian town and the colourful characters that reside within it. It became one of the first works to satirize the subject and has since become a celebrated work of Canadian fiction. Even after his success, and having spent 36 years teaching at McGill, Leacock’s fondness for his alma mater never diminished.

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CHEW ON THIS: Cheap and easy-to-make recipes Laura Yiu shares five of her favourite recipes ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY LAURA YIU

HK-STYLE STIR-FRIED EGG AND TOMATO This mushy, homey delight is cooked up quickly and great for all ages. Ketchup is more of a Hong Kong dinner staple, so to get a more authentic Cantonese feel, dice the tomatoes, add in a bit more sugar, and omit the ketchup. efinitely serve with a bowl of rice.

GENERAL TANG’S CUPBOARD CHICKEN This chicken recipe is one of the easiest marinades to make. The chili oil akes are worth the trip to your closest Chinese supermarket; they are absolutely essential in giving your chicken the fragrant spicy kick it deserves.

Yield: - servings Prep: 5 mins Cook: 5 mins - 4 eggs, beaten - 4 tomatoes, roughly sliced into eighths - 2 tbsp ketchup - 2 tsp sugar - Salt to taste (optional) - 2 tbsp cooking oil

Yield: - servings Prep: mins - overnight Cook: 45 minutes - 2 lb chicken drumsticks - 1/2 cup soy sauce - tbsp S echuan chili oil with chili akes - 1/4 cup honey or sugar - 1 tsp ground black pepper - 1 tbsp Montreal steak seasoning - 1 tbsp oil

1. Heat one tbsp of oil in a pan at medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and saut on high for two minutes.

2. Add ketchup sugar salt and mi to coat evenly.

Saut for another minute then remove from heat and put the tomatoes aside in a bowl or plate.

3. In a clean pan, add the remaining oil at high heat.

4. Add the egg. uickly scramble the egg with your spatula in a folding motion.

5. Before the egg has completely set, add tomatoes and combine in the same folding motion, then turn the heat off. Serve while hot.

DAD’S TOFU SOUP This soup makes for a fragrant accompaniment to any dinner. It’s easy-to-make, healthy, and delicious. If you’re feeling fancy replace the chicken breast with thin slices of pork tenderloin. If my dad can make it, so can you.

Yield: servings Prep: 5 mins Cook: 8-10 mins - 2 bricks silken tofu, gently diced - 1 cup coriander, roughly chopped - 1 large sheet of dried, unsalted, unprocessed seaweed - 1 can of chicken broth - 1 cup of chicken breast, diced - 1 tsp sugar - 1 chicken broth mix - 1 tbsp cornstarch - 1 tsp oil 1. In a bowl mi sugar chicken broth mi cornstarch and oil.

2. In a pot dilute the chicken broth with an e uivalent amount of water. ring to a boil.

3. Keep the heat on and add chicken, boiling for about two minutes.

4. Add seaweed and cook for one more minute.

5. When it boils again, turn the heat off and stir in coriander. Serve hot.

1. In a large food-safe mi ing bowl combine soy sauce chili oil akes honey steak seasoning and black pepper.

2. Add drumsticks. Marinate in a container or large zip-lock bag for 30 minutes. For best results, marinate overnight.

3. reheat oven to .

4. Oil your baking sheet. Place drumsticks and half the marinade on the sheet. Cook the drumsticks for 35-40 minutes, until the centre is no longer pink. lip them halfway through. The soy sauce burns quickly, so if your sauce is drying up, add the remaining marinade and or a splash of water.

5. emove from oven and let it rest for five minutes.

Serve hot.

10-MINUTE LOADED RAMEN Just because you’re broke doesn’t mean you can’t eat like a king. ive r. Noodle a facelift with some essential kitchen staples. You can customize this recipe however you want but here’s my take

Yield: large bowl Prep: 5 mins Cook: 5-10 mins - pack aldo omtang eef lavour noodles or whatever instant noodles you have on hand - 2 hot dogs, cut octopus-style - 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels - clove garlic minced - 1 stalk of green onion, chopped or sliced - 3 button mushrooms, thinly sliced - 1 tbsp oil 1. In a pot preheat your water for the noodles.

2. hile the water is heating add a half tbsp of oil to your skillet on high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms to the pan and sauté for three minutes or until tender. Stir the mushrooms often to prevent burning. Set aside.

3. Ne t saut the corn kernels until they defrost for about one minute. Set aside.

4. Make one egg sunny-side up and slightly runny.

Add one tbsp of oil to the skillet at medium-high heat, and then crack the egg into the centre of the oil. Turn off the heat when the egg white has become opaque and the edges are beginning to colour. Carefully loosen the edges and shake the pan gently until the egg can move freely around in the pan.

5. hen the water is boiling and ready cook the noodles according to the package along with the hot dogs.

6. Just one minute before the noodles are done, remove the pot from heat. If you are serving in a separate bowl transfer the noodles from the pot into your bowl. arefully pour the soup into the bowl from the side. Top with the other ingredients and garnish with green onion. Serve hot.

TATER CAKES ou can never have too many potato recipes. hip these tater cakes up for a chewier take on hash browns. Serve it as a side with some veggies and rice or noodles.

Yield: 1-2 large cakes Prep: 5 mins Cook: 10 minutes - 2 medium-to-large potatoes, peeled - 1 tbsp cornstarch - 1 stalk green onion, diced - 1 tbsp oil - 1/8 tsp salt - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper - 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and minced (optional) - Sriracha sauce (optional) 1. rate the potatoes with a coarse grater.

2. In a mi ing bowl combine cornstarch salt pepper potatoes, shiitake, and green onion. Toss potatoes evenly with the mi ture.

3. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil and spread evenly.

4. Add all of the potato mixture (or half if you are making two and turn down to medium heat. Spread and atten the potatoes gently with a spatula until it is shaped into a pancake.

5. When the potatoes become slightly translucent which should take about three minutes loosen the edges with your spatula. hen you are ready slip the spatula underneath and ip.

6. Cook for another three minutes or until the potatoes are golden-brown.

7. Serve hot with a dri le of Sriracha sauce.

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Comedy On Campus U of T has a wide range of improv clubs on each campus REUT COHEN

ASSOCIATE ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR The U of T improv club during their first meet. REUT COHEN/THE VARSITY

“Improv is living on stage,” says Kyle Warne, the vice president of U of T Improv. Warne is speaking about his relationship with improvisational comedy, which began in his first year as an undergrad when he decided it was time to become involved in an art form that had captivated him for years. “Improv is much more than I thought it was.”

Improv is divided into two categories: shortform and long-form. Short-form usually revolves around a preset structure or game, sometimes driven by audience suggestions, whereas long-form is an extended, storydriven approach.

As a competitive improv team, U of T Improv participates in ‘summits’ that bring together teams from across Canada to showcase their comedic styles. The most recent of these took place over the weekend of January 22 and featured teams from eight different universities across Ontario and Quebec. The event, held at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse was filled to capacity.

Originally inspired by the engineering department, Skule Improv is another campus club dedicated to sharing the love of improv.

Believe it or not, engineering students do have

time to run a comedy club, despite "an extremely common misconception," states Candice Lam. She believes that "many engineers are driven to participate and get involved in socially and artistically oriented clubs" precisely because of their heavy workloads.

The Skule Improv club has since branched out of the engineering society and become a "very inclusive" environment for all kinds of students, regardless of their program; Lam herself is a health and disease major.

Marisa Di Leo is another member of U of T Improv’s performing team who sought out a way to connect with the improv community in Toronto, after transferring from Queen’s University earlier this year. “I found right away that [the club] was a really great community to be involved with on campus,” she says. Warne agrees that on such a large campus, it’s important to find a niche. “What does every student at U of T have in common, other than going to U of T?” he asks rhetorically. “I’m going with nothing.”

The idea of performing in front of crowds at all, let alone unrehearsed, is terrifying to many people. Fortunately, the improv community is an accepting one. “The environment

celebrates mistakes,” Lam says. Similarly, Di Leo says, “improvisers are naturally a very open-minded group of people... we’re taught right away... to listen to each other, and accept what one another is saying.”

So how can students get involved with improv? “It’s difficult to find many things in improv that broke through to mainstream,” Warne says. Unlike stand-up specials or comedy sketches that are easily accessible via Netflix or YouTube, there isn’t an established way of consuming improvisational comedy other than actually going to see improv performances.

Ironically, a great number of famous comics, such as Will Ferrell, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler started their careers in improv. As many of these household names progressed to other mediums like sketch comedy, late-night shows, or sitcoms, they left improv behind. Nonetheless, improv theatres continue to serve as recruiting grounds for institutions of comedy.

Students looking to become involved can attend workshops with professional improvisers offered both by Skule Improv and U of T Improv on a regular basis. UTSC and UTM

have their own improv clubs as well.

Beyond campus, Toronto has “one of the best improv scenes on the continent,” according to Warne. Students who are interested in learning from professionals can also check out the city’s Bad Dog and Second City theatres, both of which offer performances and classes.

When asked if there’s a moment of his improv career that stands out to him, Warne cites his final performance of his first year at university: a long-form performance known as an ‘improv party.’

In an improv party, all the members of the group are assigned various eccentric characters that happen to be at a house party together, and who wander in and out of scenes.

He describes it all in vivid detail, including a teammate who played a professional air guitarist while miming.

“That moment, the end of last year, just looking back, looking at the team… I just felt so much pride at what we’d managed to put together… I really knew on that stage that this was something I was going to want to do for as long as I can," Warne says.

STUDENT THEATRE:

Moby Dick! The Musical The Woodsworth Innis New Drama Society's production is a whale of a tale SHAFIKA RAHMAN VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

"Moby Dick is the whale's revenge on man," the St. Godley girls exclaimed in preparation of their school production.

Moby Dick! The Musical is a light-hearted, cheeky alternative to Herman Melville's classic tale of man's futile pursuit of vengeance upon mother nature. Originally a Cameron Mackintosh production, the Woodsworth Innis New Drama Society’s (WINDS) rendition, directed by Lanndis De Lallo, exudes joy, despite the occasional hardships depicted in the plot. The play acts as a heroic antithesis to the novel's theme of humanity's antagonism; the primary characters aim to save, rather than kill.

Ironically, both the novel and its musical production were initially commercial failures. The novel was only recognized as one of America's greatest after Melville's death.

Perhaps this is because both are difficult to categorize into a single genre. Like the novel, the musical is a story of both tragedy and comedy, of death and survival, and of choice and the inevitable.

The musical utilizes a frame narrative to create a story within a story that tells the binary subplots of the St. Godley girls and

Moby Dick! The Musical is a play within a play. MALLIKA MAKKAR/THE VARSITY

their performance of Moby Dick. The novel's anarchic adventure is effectively juxtaposed by the disorderly innocence of the St. Godley girls and their male counterparts.

The show begins with a buoyant choir performance brilliantly led by the school's animated headmistress (Michael Bazzocchi) dressed in fluorescent green and pink floral, who also plays Captain Ahab.

The score's performers are equally vibrant.

Ishmael (Renae Wolfesburger) sings longingly of the ocean's magic, accompanied by endearing sea creatures — puppets and stuffed animals — dancing along the water.

Esta (Jocelyn Kraynyk), anticipating her husband Captain Ahab's return from three long years of adventure, sings “A Man Happens to a Woman" upon receiving his letter. Pip's (Michael Henley) dreams of being in an illustrious boy band are fulfilled near the show's finale, as he sings a Jason Derulo song.

The great white whale itself, Moby Dick (Leah Ritcey-Thorpe), makes a few grand appearances throughout the performance — a clever addition by Lallo. The musical contains a multitude of double entendres, including the variety of sexual innuendos associated with the whale’s phallic title.

Contemporary anachronism is also abundant, as a passenger at sea alludes to James Cameron's Titanic, gushing, "Near, far, wherever you are," of which Celine Dion herself would be proud.

WINDS' Moby Dick! The Musical is a welcome dose of warmth on a snowy Toronto night.

The musical raised donations to support the Trek for Teens Foundation for homeless youth.

SCIENCE 1 F ebruary 2016

JAREN KERR

N OW S

ARO

Can you really be anonymous on the internet?

CIENC

E

Secret searches

science@thevarsity.ca

D UN T

var.st/science

GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH IN AN ERA OF PHARMACEUTICAL PROMOTION

ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

Hosted by the U of T pre-medical society, this discussion will focus on mental health and the accessibility of effective treatment Monday, February 1 6:00–8:00pm Bahen Center 40 St. George Street Rm1190 Admission: $11.20

BIOETHICS SEMINAR Trudo Lemmens, professor and School chair in Health Law and Policy at U of T will talk about the flaws of the open-ended criteria for physician assisted dying.

Wednesday, February 3 4:10–5:30pm Health Sciences Building, 155 College St. Rm106 Admission: Free

WORLD CANCER DAY 2016 — BREAKING THE MOLD: RETHINKING THE CANCER SYSTEM

W

ith internet anonymity becoming increasingly rare, many people find solace in private browsing, such as the experience provided by Google Chrome’s incognito mode.

Incognito mode has many uses: preventing nosy trackers from collecting your personal information, sneaking past paywalls, and accessing online porn without a trace. It’s widely known that incognito mode is used to keep users’ sexual search histories under wraps, but incognito may be less secure than many think.

Evan Andersen, a fourth-year engineering student, discovered this the hard way. Recently, Andersen opened his computer intending to play an online game, only to see the porn he viewed in incognito mode hours before pop up on the screen instead. He realized that there was a glitch in his graphic card. “[T]he operating system is supposed to isolate different programs on your computer, so they don’t affect each other,” Andersen explains. “[The] driver should erase memory when it is passed between applications, otherwise, different users on a computer could spy on each other. I complained about [Google Chrome] because I think they should try and fix the problem on their end.”

Andersen was surprised since he didn’t intend to find the glitch. “Normally, computer

Incognito mode is not as effective as many users think it is. MALLIKA MAKKAR/THE VARSITY

security is compromised by an actual attack, not just an accident.”

While Andersen’s experience was caused by a glitch, users of incognito mode should be aware that, even when fully functioning, the browser does not completely mask you. Your Internet provider is still able to see your search history, and the websites you visit can still track your habits.

Despite that, Andersen believes incognito browsing is enough for the average person. “I think it’s fine if you understand what it is used for, which is privacy from other users of the same computer,” he says.

Those who want more thorough privacy would have to dive into the deep web.

The deep web is a collection of networks which cannot be found using typical search engines and that encrypt the users’ identity. Users install a deep web browser — like the popular Tor — in order to access it. Of course, not everyone desires anonymity for innocent reasons, and the deep web has attracted a negative reputation. For this reason, security agencies monitor it for evidence of criminal behaviour like child pornography and black market transactions.

The deep web is not inherently malevolent , and it is a good option for anyone who values online privacy.

True anonymity however, doesn’t come simply by installing Tor, and can be a demanding task.

Michael Hampton, Internet security expert, suggests not running Tor on Windows, which he sees as a vulnerable operating system, and also advocates against using Google. Instead, he suggests using search engine Startpage.

Hampton encourages secrecy seekers to avoid using Tor at or near their homes, and using a laptop as a workstation because it is easier to hide evidence than a desktop, because laptops are more easily destroyed.

Less intense options include installing a virtual private network (VPN), which encrypts the data you send and receive, or installing add-ons like ‘HTTPS Everywhere,’ which makes websites default to using the more secure HTTPS protocol.

Achieving online anonymity is a rigorous process, which is difficult, and can require a serious investment of time and money. For those who choose to invest in online privacy, it is best to remember that nothing done on the Internet is truly private. Accordingly, Internet users should be mindful of what we share and the sites we visit.

Join the Ontario Institute for Cancer research and MaRs for a technology expo and a panel discussion about cancer systems. Kenneth Pritzker, professor at the department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at U of T will be among the speakers.

Thursday, February 4 4:00–8:00pm MaRS Discovery District, 101 College St. Room: MaRs centre auditorium Admission: Free with registration

UTISM 2016 – WORK IN PROGRESS: THE COGNITIVE SCIECE OF DEVELOMENT The ognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence Students’ Association hosts a symposium dedicated to the development and study of mind. The symposium features speakers and panelist from psychology, computer science, and philosophy departments.

Saturday & Sunday, February 6–7 Saturday at 9:00–4:00pm Sunday at 9:00–4:30pm Earth Sciences Center, 33 Willcocks St. Rm1050 Admission: $11.20 -21.80

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Women get WISE at annual conference U of T WISE 2016 National Conference proves to be a great opportunity for students to connect with professionals NYIMA GYALMO

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

U of T Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) hosted its annual national conference at the Toronto region board of trade last weekend. The conference brought together industry experts and approximately 250 student attendees for on opportunity to participate and connect with professionals.

Jaquelyn Monis, the conference chair of WISE 2016 explained that their objective was not only to provide professional development, but also to connect students with companies hiring for summer internships.

“This year we have 15 different companies, compare[d] to two or three in the past years,” said Monis in reference to industry attendance at the event.

The 2016 WISE Conference featured keynote speaker Jacqueline Shan, founder of Afinity Life Sciences, who spoke during the opening ceremony.

Shan opened by sharing her experience as an international student who struggled with English as a second language, and how she overcame barriers and prospered as an entrepreneur and scientist.

She delivered a powerful speech, promoting

The WISE conference hosted delegates from 15 different companies. NYIMA GYALMO/THE VARSITY

persistence and perseverance in her pursuit of success. “It’s simple, but often hard to do. It’s hard to believe in yourself, believe in your dream when you’re laying off your co-workers,” Shan added.

In addition to providing networking opportunities for students, the WISE conference also featured a group of panelists, including Cathy Tie, co-founder and CEO of Ranomics.

Cathy was a first-year life sciences student at U of T when she received venture capital funding in 2015 for her project. She spoke to

attendees about what she learned from the experience and why it’s so important to have self confidence in order to move forward.

“Even though it’s a chapter of women in science and engineering, one of our messages is to [be] inclusive of everybody and to showcase that it’s possible to get far regardless of gender,” said Monis.

As a fourth-year student, Monis expressed excitement to hear from the speakers on their diverse experiences.

On its second day, the WISE conference closed its doors following the announcement of the winners of their poster and case competitions.

The WISE 2016 National Conference Poster Competition, sponsored by General Electric, gave students an opportunity to present their research to judges for the chance to win a $1,000 cash prize. Sahil Gupta, graduate student at the U of T’s Institute of Medical Sciences, was announced as the winner for his research in Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90) in relation to sepsis and experimental inflammation.

Amada Persaud, Eashita Ratwani, Nadia Khan, and Shawna Wei were the winners of the case competition, earning the $1,000 prize and an interview opportunity for a position at Tata Consultancy Services, another of the competition’s corporate sponsors.

Throughout the school year, WISE at U of T is also involved in other initiatives such as providing opportunites for professional development, mentorships, as well as community outreach. With initiatives like its annual conference, WISE continues to try to improve the state of women in science and engineering.

Hatchery brings Y Combinator to campus and creates student entrepreneurs The annual Accelerator Weekend helps 23 teams create sustainable startups JOCELYNE COUTURE & SHAHIN IMTIAZ

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR AND ASSOCIATE SCIENCE EDITOR

The U of T Hatchery hosted its annual Accelerator Weekend on January 22 and 23. The event, which featured leaders in entrepreunership from the famed Y Combinator — a top Silicon Valley incubator responsible in part for launching successful ventures such as Dropbox — was geared towards providing students with advice and mentroship in their own start-up projects. Under the guidance of seasonsed veterans, 23 student teams developed their ideas into viable business models, with the top two taking home $2,000, and $1,000, respectively.

“The floor is completely open. If you... want to stay over night, we’re going to stay over night. If you get tired, we have fifteen gallons of coffee available. We’re going to use every single minute of your energy to create those startups,” said Hatchery founder and executive director Joseph Orozco in his opening remarks. “There is lots of food, and places to nap… just don’t go home,” he joked.

The following day was devoted to brainstorming and refining pitches and business models to impress the judges. “[Some of our succesful] startups include crowd funding startups, patents being filed, some startups [that] have received grants of over $200,000, we have companies... funded by investors [for] over $2 million,” says Ozorco “Our mission is to see how we can take startups to the next level. That is why we are hosting Y-Combinator here.“ After the preliminary judging on Saturday evening, by two panels of experts, six teams were chosen as finalists. Then, following another round of presentations, the

judges convened and declared Touch Down Parking as the winner, while Aurum finished second place.

Touch Down Parking’s winning idea was a parking management system that is peer-topeer and effortless to use.

“Initially, what you would see happening is people who have vacant parking spaces in Toronto renting those spaces out to other people who are commuting into Toronto for a given time period.” says Bryan de Bourbon, one of the members of touch down. “In general we would want the parking spaces to be able to be booked so that you can plan your route ahead of time, but in a way that you don’t have to deal with frustratingly trying to find parking spaces — and probably using your phone while you’re driving... what we’re trying to reach in the long run is more like an integrated parking system — like the Internet of parking.”

Bryan went on to say that his team’s business would evolve into an intuitive parking solution, seamlessly integrated with route navigation, to transform parking in the city into a completely stress-free experience.

“It should be as simple as ‘I’m already planning my route, it already knows where I’m going, it should find a spot for me and I will deal with payment and run from my car to where I’m going.’ ” Second place winner Aurum’s idea was to use noise cancelling technology — typically reserved for commercial aircraft — to create an at-home system for those living in noisy urban environments.

The system would be installed in the home to cancel noise from sources like busy streets and late night parties in neighbouring apartments.

23 tudent teams built entire business models over just two days. PHOTO COURTESY OF HAMAN

The activities hosted by The Hatchery allow Joseph to observe the learning process for young entrepreneurs on their journey towards making startup dreams a reality.

He believes that now, more than ever, students with an entrepreneurial spirit have the benefit of an inclusive, supportive environment that fosters creativity while encouraging financial success. “What we’re doing is... giving the students a real-life alternative of what an entrepreneur does in years... You come here to go through that process that takes five years — in 28 hours.

The final product of those 28 hours is a pitch that represents your startup and how you plan to sell it. And, of course, make money.” says Ozorco.

As an entrepreneur, Ozorco’s first startup was Telequote. For 14 years, it was a financial information network meant to be a smaller competitor to Reuters and Bloomberg.

“There’s no genius in entrepreneurship and I believe that everyone has the sense that they want something of their own and they want to work hard [to make it happen].”

“Sometimes they are afraid of taking risks and [of] not having all the resources. But when you acknowledge those [fears], you are ready to take the risk and there’s no better time... [and there is] so much support for young entrepreneurs to give it a try.”

20 SCIENCE

T H E VA R S I T Y

M O N DAY 1 F E B R U A R Y 2 016 science@thevarsity.ca

Fear gone viral The 2015 outbreak in Brazil has prompted global fears that Zika could be the next Ebola SHAAN BHAMBRA

ASSOCIATE SCIENCE EDITOR

About a year ago, the Zika virus broke out in Brazil. While your social media feed may have been inundated with posts on the Zika virus, the majority of people still aren’t quite sure what it is. Quickly after the May 2015 outbreak in Brazil, the virus was transferred to neighbouring countries, including Mexico and a number of others in South America.

After the media attention dedicated to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the resulting fear of it metastasizing into a global epidemic, the Zika virus is being treated with extreme caution. At the moment, many experts are unsure of the full extent of the danger.

WHAT IS THE ZIKA VIRUS? The Zika virus is part of the Falviviridae virus family and is transmitted to humans via misquitos. It is closely related to a number of other mosquito-transmitted diseases such as West Nile, dengue, and yellow fever. Zika causes a number of symptoms, collectively known as ‘Zika fever,’ which is not fatal. In adults, the virus causes headaches, rashes, fever, and joint pains.

WHERE DID THE ZIKA VIRUS COME FROM? Like Ebola, Zika was already known to scientists before its most recent outbreak. The virus causing the disease was first isolated from a monkey, the rhesus macaque, in the Zika Forest of Uganda in 1947. Not too long after, the virus was isolated from humans in Nigeria in 1954.

WHY ARE PEOPLE WORRIED? When dealing with diseases that have the potential to become pandemics, it is always best to tread with extreme caution. Although the symptoms of the disease in adults are mild in comparison to other viral diseases, recent evidence has demonstrated a significant link between mothers infected during the first trimester of pregnancy and microcephaly — the underdevelpment of the brain — in their newborn children.

For this reason, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued travel warnings for pregnant women from a large number of countries in the Caribbean and South America, two areas where Zika cases have been reported. As of Tuesday January 26, the CDC also added the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic to the list.

The near global nature of the disease is becoming particularly concerning. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised that the virus has the potential to spread to every country in the Americas.

SHOULD CANADIANS BE CONCERNED? On January 28, 2016, the WHO declared that they believe the virus has crossed over into common mosquitoes, including those that live in Canada. Whether or not this recent announcement is cause for concern still remains unclear.

SO IS THE MEDIA PANIC REALLY NECESSARY? For the most part, people are still concerned about the dangers of infectious disease after having seen the fear of Ebola spread faster globally than the disease itself.

At the same time, the link between the disease and microcephaly in children definitely makes it something to be worried about. We also lack drugs, significant research, and a vaccine for the Zika virus. If the disease really gets out of hand, then we — and most importantly, our infants — will be left vulnerable.

Realistically, an excessive response may be the best response at the moment. Many critics have pointed out that the 2014 Ebola outbreak was caused by the lack of a serious response to earlier Ebola outbreaks, like the one responsible for 254 deaths in Zaire in 1995. It was the lack of a swift response to finding a clinical vaccine that allowed it to redevelop into the 2014 outbreak. For that reason, global apprehension and awareness are vital.

At the end of the day, Zika virus has the potential to be very damaging to newborns and to infect many more in the Americas. For these reasons alone, the Zika virus — like any infectious disease should be treated with extreme caution.

RESEARCH IN BRIEF DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY

In a new study, Dr. Linda Mah of the University of Toronto and her colleagues examined recent studies of stress and anxiety in animal models and healthy individuals, finding that chronic stress and anxiety can cause long-lasting damage in the brain.

Stress is a normal part of life, but if anxiety becomes chronic, it can lead to the degeneration and impairment of the brain’s hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The former is known to play an important role in memory and the regulation of emotions, while the latter has been associated with personality distinction.

The stress-induced damage to these parts of the brain leads to increased risk for depression and even dementia.

The study concludes on a hopeful note by suggesting that stress-induced damage is “not completely irreversible.” Antidepressant treatment and physical activity may reverse brain damage, as these treatments have been found to increase the rate of hippocampal recovery. Either way, don’t worry about your worrying.

— Hariyanto Darmawan

STUDY SHOWS DEPRESSION AFFECTS ALERTNESS MORE THAN LACK OF SLEEP

A new study lead by Azmeh Shahid of the Sleep Research Laboratory in U of T’s Department of Psychiatry is the first of its kind to connect depressive symptoms with impaired alertness.

The researchers used the Toronto Hospital Alertness Tests (THAT), a scale asssessing alertness, to evaluate 60 healthy adults against 264 diagnosed patients. The participants’ average score (on a scale of zero to 50) was around 35 for the control group. A score below 20.5 is the cut-off point for THAT and it indicates “clinically significant” decreases in levels of alertness.

This cut-off was used to define the patients as either having “normal” or “impaired” alertness. The results showed that daytime sleepiness is not the same as poor alertness, and that depressive symptoms like fatigue had a stronger effect on alertness levels than tiredness.

Dr. Shahid said the results of the study “did not surprise” the research team, as other clinical patients have been observed to experience daytime sleepiness and alertness at the same time.

Dr. Shahid explained the results of the study are “very exciting” because THAT can be used to differentiate alertness from sleepiness, which can aid in future studies. The first quantitative definition of “normal levels of alertness” was proposed by the study, but more research is still needed to solidify this definition.

“I think this will have huge impact in clinical practice,” Dr. Shahid added.

— Sophia Savva

DANGEROUS DRIVING

What may seem obvious to any good driver can now be backed up by statistics: dangerous drivers are more likely to hit children on their way to school.

Researchers from York University, the University of Toronto, and The Hospital for Sick Children camped out in front of schools during their morning drop-off hours, measuring pedestrian traffic and scanning the road for hazardous driving habits. Their observations were compared with 12 years of police data on pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions (PMVCs) near Toronto elementary schools. The study revealed that collisions involving children happen more often near schools with dangerous driving trends.

The most common offense? Of the 118 schools studied, 88 per cent displayed instances of unsafe parking and improper drop-offs, such as children being released from the wrong side of the street. Trends were higher in schools near high-speed roadways. Researchers urge the city to employ new strategies to alleviate traffic around school zones.

— Alastair McNamara

SPORTS

var.st/sports

1 F ebruary 2016

sports@thevarsity.ca

Men’s and women’s swim teams look beyond OUAs Team captains Eli Wall and Paige Schultz on U of T’s chances in the pool SEAN XU

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Women’s captain Paige Shultz has big goals for CIS championships this season . PHOTO COURTESY OF MARTIN BAZYL

MEN’S CAPTAIN: ELI WALL Eli Wall has been swimming competitively for only 11 years, but can barely remember a time when he hasn’t been in the water.

The sport has taken him from his cottage, to the 2015 CIS Championships in Victoria, B.C. There, he was named the CIS Swimmer of the Year for his strong season which saw him take home two gold medals in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.

This year, Wall hopes to repeat his successes both for himself and his team. Having recently returned from training in Fort Lauderdale, the team’s focus has turned from getting as fit as possible to improving their speed and technique.

While the team is looking forward to defending their championship title at OUAs (Ontario University Athletics) even now, their sights are set on bigger goals: the CIS (Ca-

nadian Interuniversity Sport) championship.

In 2015, U of T came just shy of a three-year winning streak.

Wall thinks the team is stronger and more confident than ever. The first-year swimmers in particular, he notes, “are some of the hardest working swimmers I’ve ever had the opportunity to train with.” He knows that they will pull through in the upcoming competitions.

As captain, Wall looks to keeping everyone focused. “If everyone stays on track individually, the team will thrive.”

Wall cites his favourite swimmer as his third-year Blues teammate Cino Ling, and his favourite stroke as the 200m breast.

WOMEN’S CAPTAIN: PAIGE SCHULTZ As a captain, Paige has taken a slightly different approach from Wall during her first year in

the position. She acknowledges the difficulty of being a swimming captain — as the sport is both a team and individual sport — but she faces it all with excitement and positivity.

Having lost the fun of swimming for a while, she rediscovered it through coaching children. “[J]ust being easygoing with everything made my swimming so much better.”

Now she jokes behind the blocks and hopes that her swimmers don’t over think things before they compete. That isn’t to say Schultz doesn’t want to win, she does. She is confident about the OUAs, both for the team and for herself. She’s looking to add to her personal successes. In 2014 and 2015, Schultz won the 50m, 100m, and 200m freestyle events at the OUAs. Her fourth event, however, the 50m butterfly, has always been placed right before or after one of her other races. This year, she’s hoping to win it, as well.

The team’s real goals, however, lie at the CIS championship. Ranked second in the nation, Schultz feels that retaining their position would be a big deal. “But winning would be better.”

Paige was actually propelled into her swimming career by a knee injury. Originally a gymnast she, like Wall, also learned to swim at a cottage. When she hurt her knee, her options became surgery or swimming. Schultz won the Student-Athlete Community Service Award at the CIS in 2015. She is a lifelong fan of the Dallas Cowboys and cites Dez Bryant as her favorite athlete. “If I could have half his confidence, I would be super happy… that’s the best part about him.”

The Varsity Blues men’s and women’s swimming teams will head to London to compete in the 2016 OUA championships on February 11-13 where they hope to defend their 2014 and 2015 banners.

From Varsity Blue to philanthropist Stephanie Rudnick’s Swish for the Cure event has raised thousands for childhood cancer research VANESSA WALLACE VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Stephanie Rudnick is a former Varsity Blues basketball player who played for current U of T head coach Michele Belanger during the 1994-1999 seasons. In 1999, Rudnick was intent upon playing out her final year of eligibility wearing blue and white. She had goals to “win a national championship, become an OUA All Star, an All Canadian, and then play pro in Israel.” Following these achievements, Rudnick planned to return to Canada and start her own basketball camp.

Playing through several back injuries, Rudnick was named an OUA All Star in her fourth year. Before being able to check another goal off her list, Rudnick’s life took an unexpected turn. In May 1999, her father was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and passed away only two months after his diagnosis. Devastated, Rudnick did not return to the blues that fall and was forced to revise a plan that she had dedicated years of her life to fulfilling.

No pro contract, no business education, and in the midst of a devastating loss, Rud-

nick was left without direction. “Feeling self-defeated I cried to him about how my old plan was ruined,” Rudnick explained how she reacted when a friend asked about what she would do next.

It was only after this meeting and some serious thought that Rudnick conceptualized Elite Camps. Born out of pain, Elite Camps is one of the largest and longest running basketball organizations in Canada.

Based in the GTA, Elite Camps sees more then 3,000 kids every year and is in its seventeenth year of operation.

To avoid competition with rival clubs, Rudnick explains that her first camp was launched over the holidays: “I found out that Passover was a time with no programming.

I decided I would try to run my first camp at that time [to avoid competing with other camps in the GTA].”

Rudnick pursued mentorship from another camp director, joined the Ontario Camping Association, and reached out to her former Varsity Blues teammates to work at her camp.

What started as one camp in Toronto soon grew into two, and now Elite Camps runs over 37 sessions in multiple cities.

Next came Swish for the Cure. “A few years after I started my business I really wanted to do something to honour [my father’s] memory,” Rudnick explained.

Swish for the Cure, celebrating its tenth anniversary on February 6, has raised over $135,000 to date for the Childhood Cancer Foundation. Rudnick explained that the event has evolved in the past ten years from a way to raise money for cancer research, to an opportunity to provide families of children with fighting cancer “a free day of fun, food and time with their family in a safe environment... [including] basketball activities, arts and crafts, carnival activities and many popular local child entertainers.”

At the time of the first Swish for the Cure, Elite Camps was not the expansive chain of basketball camps that it is today. While Rudnick isn’t one to consider herself a philanthropist out of modesty, she would concede that philanthropy is a lot like playing basketball.

Effective philanthropy fills a void in society in the same way that an effective player meets the needs of their team. It can be something small, like rebounding, or something more pronounced like accepting a leadership role.

Swish for the Cure event has raised over $100,000 for the Childhood Cancer Foundation .

ROB BUENAVENTURA/CC FLICKR

22 SPORTS

T H E VA R S I T Y

M O N DAY 1 F E B R U A R Y 2 016 sports@thevarsity.ca

Younger players step-up, make it a 2-0 weekend for women’s hockey win o er

estern and T win o er ancers mo e lues to fift s ot in U

U of T’s women’s hockey team made it a 2-0 weekend, defeating Western and Windsor . BENJAMIN LAPPALAINEN/THE VARSITY

CODY MORRISON VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Coming off their first win of 2016 against the Brock Badgers last weekend in St. Catharines, the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team sought to keep the wins coming as they faced off against the Western Mustangs and Windsor Lancers at Varsity Arena on Friday and Saturday nights.

Despite having a shaky start to the second half of their season, the Blues are now ranked fifth in the OUA, and they look like they are finally finding their stride as they put away a 2-1 win over the number five Mustangs and 3-2 overtime win over the Lancers.

During Friday night’s game, the Blues wasted no time in opening scoring as second year forward Mea-

gan O’Brien found the back of the net only 2:52 into the first period, tipping in a point shot from rookie Cristine Chao. The Mustangs answered the call with a goal some five minutes later as Amanda Pereria was able to sneak one by rookie goaltender Valencia Yordanov. Even with two penalties, which sent Blues forwards Taylor Day and Jessica Robichand to the sin bin, Toronto was able to outshoot Western 13-7 in the first frame and limit the bleeding to a single goal.

The Mustangs had a strong start in the second, by keeping most of the pressure in the Blues end for the first half of the period, despite a Blues power play. Toronto was given an energy boost at the halfway mark of the period with two

back-to-back breakaway chances from veteran forwards captain Kristi Riseley and Taylor Day. Western’s domination in the second was taking its toll on the Blues until O’Brien proved she had more in the tank. With less than two minutes remaining in the period, O’Brien sank her second goal — which would turn out to be the game-winner — on a rebound from a solid shot from defenseman Cristine Chao.

Carrying the momentum from O’Brien’s goal into the third, the Blues fought hard to hold on to their narrow one-goal lead by controlling the puck for the majority of the period.

A late penalty call on Toronto with only four minutes left tested

the Blues’ penalty kill, but the women answered the call, running down the two minutes with ease, despite an extra Western attacker in the dying seconds of the game due to a pulled goalie.

The 2-1 victory marks an emergence of the younger Blues’ playing a larger role in the team’s success, with all points of the night coming from first-or-second-year players. When asked about her pair of goals, O’Brien was quick to pass credit along to her teammate, by saying, “Chao had two great shots, I was in a good spot to be able to put them away.”

Fresh off the narrow victory, the Blues had little time to rest as the next evening the women faced off against the Windsor Lancers in their ninth annual Think Pink #BLEEDBLUE game at Varsity Arena. As part of the campaign, the players have raised a whopping $1,600, the most in the CIS for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

The Blues’ brought it down to the wire in a close 3-2 win over the Lancers that had to be decided in overtime.

The Lancers came out flying in the first period with a quick goal

by Shawna Lesperance only 2:42 in, that came as result of a Blues’ turnover in the Toronto zone. Toronto was only able to put a handful of shots on goal as Windsor controlled the period. The Lancers were able to put one more away before the first frame ended with the help of April Loojie’s hooking penalty that gave them a twominute powerplay.

The flat-footed Blues were revived by a powerplay goal 3:47 into the second period, as Kristi Riseley was able to get her stick on a rocket shot from defenseman Rebecca Bourgeois and tip it over the shoulder of Lancers netminder Ingrid Sandven. The goal appeared to send the Blues into another gear, carrying momentum

through the period by dominating the frame.

The pressure paid off, as secondyear Meagan O’Brien, who had scored the Blues only two goals the night prior, was able to put one away with the help of a textbook pass from fellow second-year forward Lauren Straatman. The goal marked O’Brien’s fourth in the last four games.

Entering the third period tied at two, both teams appeared eager to win in regulation. Toronto’s penalty kill was tested with two separate penalties, that would send fifth-year’s Jacqueline Scheffel and April Loojie to the box. The Blues ran down both penalties but were unable to find the back of the net before the period came to a close.

The game would have to be decided in extra time.

The four-on-four overtime proved just what the Blues needed to finish off the Lancers. After controlling the puck for all of the 1:37 that elapsed in extra time, veteran forward Sonja Weidenfelder brought the win home for the Blues with a one-timer off a pass from fourth-year favourite Taylor Day. In tandem with the Blues victory over the Lancers on Friday, the win improves the women’s record to 8-3-4-3.

As the women’s team looks towards their final six games of the regular season, team captain Kristi Riseley believes the Blues are gaining the momentum they need to be successful in approaching the playoffs. “We just need to keep working hard and playing like we know we can but not underestimating any team, regardless of their standing,” says Riseley. “If we do that, we will have the positive mindset we need to be successful.”

The women return to the ice on February 4, when they take on GTA rivals Ryerson at Varsity Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 11:00 AM.

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M O N DAY 1 F E B R U A R Y 2 016

T H E VA R S I T Y

SPORTS 23

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The triumph of John Scott (and other uninspiring athletes) Tracing an athlete’s rise to popularity in the age of the meme JACOB LORINC

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

In the Arizona Coyotes’ most recent game against the Winnipeg Jets, Coyotes left-winger John Scott averaged roughly five minutes and 11 seconds on the ice.

He did not receive a single goal or assist, let alone a single shot on net, and he would have been entirely forgettable had it not been for the two-minute penalty he received during the second period of play.

Now, after 11 games and one recorded point this season, Scott is headed to the NHL’s All-Star Game with absolutely nothing to show for it. How did such a low-caliber athlete get into the all-star game, you might ask? It’s a long story.

His rise to fame began a few months back, when fans of the Arizona Coyotes were asked to vote on their preferred players for the NHL’s annual talent show. Arizona — a state that’s 90 per cent desert and 10 per cent cacti — isn’t exactly known for its love of the puck, so it’s no surprise that the fans elected one of the worst players on the team to perform.

After being voted in by fans, Scott was subsequently traded to the Montreal Canadiens who sent him down to their farm team, the St. John’s IceCaps upon arrival. It seemed, briefly, as though all hope was lost. Until an Internet movement — bound together by a mutual appreciation for this deficient competitor — resurrected Scott from the bowels of the minor leagues.

The group behind the movement demanded that the national league, as they put it, “#FreeJohnScott.”

The fans succeeded, and Scott will now captain the Pacific All-Stars in their match against the Central AllStars. In a nutshell, that’s how John Scott became a so-called All-Star (Captain All-Star, at that), but more importantly, it’s how John Scott became #JohnScott.

Scott is one of many mediocre athletes to reach surprising heights of popularity entirely by accident.

But skill level doesn’t necessarily equate popularity. Gone are the days when fans prescribed worth based solely on athletic expertise.

In the age of Internet memes, professional athletes can be any level of athletic proficiency — as inspiring

or uninspiring as they please — and still develop a cult following that could blow LeBron James’ fan-base out of the water. While recruiters look for specific skill-sets in professional athletes, online popularity strives on quirks, physical appeal, or one eyebrow where there should be two. The goal is not to find an inspirational figure for us to cling to; rather, it’s to find amusement that will appease our momentary attention spans.

It’s hard to say where all this started, but then again, it’s hard to say where anything ‘started’ on the Internet. At some point or another, somebody found an athlete’s face, actions, or performance laughable, packaged it into a meme, and catapulted their creation into cyberspace.

NFL quarterback Tim Tebow was one of the first athletes to fall prey to the Internet’s memedom, when the act of ‘Tebowing’ became a popular practice amongst football and non-football fans alike. His stats weren’t deplorable, but they were nothing to write home about either. People liked him because he’d drop to one knee when overcome.

Another popular athlete who found meme-fueled fame is Anthony Davis, whose name NBA fans wouldn’t recognize had it not been for his unibrow. The Internet quickly picked up on his captivating facial hair, meme’d it, and now — as a non-NBA fan — you’re more likely to recognize Davis than you are to recognize Steph Curry.

Needless to say, the mediocre yet popular athlete has long predated the Internet. The ‘entertainers’ — like Tie Domi, Dennis Rodman,

or Dock Ellis — have been around as long as fans have taken pleasure from the oddities of sport. But now, said entertainer is selected rather randomly and often without the athlete’s knowledge. Davis didn’t set out to have his face become a popular Internet meme, and Scott certainly didn’t plan to play in the all-star game. But in the world of sporadic and momentary online trends, anything is possible.

JULIEN BALBONTIN/THE VARSITY

Blues volleyball pummel Paladins omen win in strai t sets men finis EMMA KIKULIS SPORTS EDITOR

Coming off a win against the Queen’s Gaels the night before, the Varsity Blues women’s volleyball team showed no sign of fatigue on Saturday evening when they took on the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins. The top ranked team in the province, the Blues thrashed the number seven Paladins in straight sets, going 2513, 25-9, 25-15.

From the first set, it was clear that the relatively short RMC team was no match for the defending OUA champions, who have five players bridging 6’0” and haven’t dropped a set in the past 10 games. Despite some strong serves, the Paladins were no match for unreturnable spikes by left and right sides Caleigh Cruickshank and Alina Dormann.

The duo led the Blues in kills, racking up 12 and five respectively.

The second and third sets saw some young players make their mark on the court, including setter Erin Jacobs and outside hitter Olivia van Baaren, the latter of whom contributed four kills and five digs to the group. Although the Paladins opened the scoring in the second, the Blues were quick to recover, taking back the lead with a sharp serve from third year middle Tessa Davis. Cruickshank served for the second, and after a short rally, the

Blues came out with 16 points on the Paladins. The third set saw some hard hits from van Baaren and memorable blocks by the trio of Bojana Radan, Jacobs, and Cruickshank — the latter of whom was named player of the game.

The women have now completed a 14 game winning streak and have posed themselves as the third in the CIS for kills per set with an average of 12.86.

On the men’s side, the Blues came into Saturday night’s game with the previous evening’s loss against the Gaels in mind, which showed through tough opening sets against the RMC. The Paladins opened the scoring on a Blues serve, which was quickly matched by a kill from Blues right side William Colucci.

The teams went neck and neck throughout the set, never more than a kill or two behind the other, before left side Alex Ferris served for the win, putting the Blues at a close 25-22 to take the first set.

In the second, the Paladins were quick to take the lead and didn’t give it up, until an ace by setter Aleska Miladinovic and a kill from middle Nathaniel Virgo put the Blues ahead by two. Despite the surge, the Blues continued to be thwarted by strong serves and spikes from RMC’s outside hitter Adam Lupton, who contributed eight kills and two aces to the squad. The Blues wouldn’t lead for

The arsity lues men’s and women’s volleyball teams look confident going into the provincial championships. EMMA KIKULIS/THE VARSITY

long, eventually dropping the second 24-26 to the Paladins.

Both squads looked evenly matched going into the third, but an early tip by Colucci seemed to reinvigorate the Blues who soon led the Paladins by four kills — the biggest margin of the game thus far. After several kills by Colucci and blocks

by Virgo and middle Zia Karim, the Blues were ahead by 10 kills, eventually taking the set 25-10.

The Blues had found a new gear and, not long into the fourth, broke an early lead by the Paladins with a kill from standout Colucci. Keeping with the momentum, Colucci served five in a row before the Paladins could break him, but the deficit was too high to make up; the Blues took the fourth and the game, going 25-22, 24-26, 25-10, 25-18. Colucci, who won player of the match, contributed 25 kills and nine digs to the

victory. The men currently sit in the fourth spot on the OUA leaderboard.

The next home game for the women will be on February 7, when they take on Lakehead at 3:00 PM in Goldring. The men return home on February 14 to battle the Guelph Gryphons at 1:00 PM in Goldring.

M O N DAY 1 F E B R U A R Y 2 016

T H E VA R S I T Y

DIVERSIONS 24

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ACROSS

DOWN

1. Leisure (4,4) 5. Largest West Indies island 7. Geological eras 8. Soothed 9. Fuel oil 12. Ouija sessions 15. Reject (4,3) 19. Wildly impulsive 21. Sang alpine-style 22. Clay lump 23. Mediterranean volcano 24. Rubber overshoes

1. Paddocks 2. Lessens 3. Incite to action 4. Pass (of time) 5. Infant’s drawing implement . ertifies accounts 10. Rank of peer 11. Industry or trade exhibition 12. Pose (for picture) 13. China/Korea continent 14. Fashionable 15. Rewrite on keyboard 16. Allergy rash 17. Clear (drain) 18. Garden tools 19. Cover girl or mannequin 20. Arrives at wharf

The Varsity will post the answers to this puzzle in the next week’s issue. © Lovatts Puzzles

Answers from Issue 14