vol. cXXXvi, no. 5
T he UniversiTy
of
ToronTo’s sTUdenT newspaper since 1880
5 ocTober 2015
University College’s Whitney Hall was the site of two reported incidents of voyeurism. SCOTT SHINGLER/THE VARSITY
VOYEURISM THREATENS WHITNEY HALL, STIRS GENDER DEBATE Residence floors at UC temporarily gender segregated
Two UTSU proposals vie for student vote at AGM Winning board structure needs two-thirds majority TOM YUN
JACK O. DENTON AND DAMIAN LANGTON VARSITY CONTRIBUTORS
On two separate occasions — September 15 and 19 — two female residents at the university’s Whitney Hall residence building were the victims of voyeurism, having been filmed while they were showering. As a result, Whitney Hall and its four University College (UC) housing affiliates have revoked their gender neutral policy on many of the residence’s washrooms. It fell to Melinda Scott, dean of students at UC, to break the news. “Given the serious nature of these incidents and the impact on directly affected students, we made the decision to specifically designate some washrooms throughout the building for those who iden-
tify as men and those who identify as women. At the same time, there remains at least one gender-neutral washroom per floor and per house,” Scott said in a statement to The Varsity. Many students are in shock. “It’s scary to think that there’s someone nearby that’s doing that kind of thing,” said Tessa Mahrt-Smith, a first-year Whitney resident. Melissa Birch, also a first-year resident of Whitney and shares Mahrt-Smith’s sentiments. “I think it sucks that there are going to be people that don’t feel safe in Whitney now, and that we can’t have an inclusive environment.” Whitney Hall has never had a reported controversy regarding its gender-neutral washrooms. The Metro Toronto Police have yet to find any information as to the physi-
cal appearance of the voyeur, though the investigation is ongoing. “Both victims (women) claimed seeing a cellphone reach over while they were in the shower,” said Constable Victor Kwong. Scott admits that the turn away from gender-neutral washrooms does not directly approach the problem of the voyeurism in Whitney Hall. “The purpose of this temporary measure is to provide a safe space for the women who have been directly impacted by these events and other students who may feel more comfortable in a single gender washroom in the wake of these incidents. We do not expect the designation of these washrooms alone to resolve this matter; it is a complex situation that requires a multi-layered approach,” she said.
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
The proxy war is on: student societies scrambled for votes ahead of this Wednesday’s University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) Annual General Meeting (AGM), in an attempt to rally students to support one of two proposed restructuring plans for the UTSU’s Board of Directors. Under the proxy system, students who are unable to attend the AGM can ask another student to vote on their behalf by signing a proxy form and returning it to the UTSU or the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) offices. A student attending the AGM may be a proxy holder for up to 10 other students. Continued on PG 3
Continued on PG 5
OBEY
INSIDE
Malone Mullin advocates for “subvertising” as a form of activism Comment PG 11
Funny people
Samuel Feldman breaks down the hits and misses of JFL42 Arts and Culture PG 17 Students gather on campus to hear from representatives from major parties. KASSANDRA NERANJAN/THE VARSITY
DEMOCRACY WEEK ENGAGES U OF T PG 6
Tour de force
U of T engineers break bicycle land speed record Science PG 21