October 24, 2016

Vol. CXXXVII, No. 7 October 24, 2016 thevarsity.ca —— The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880

{frēz pēCH}

Comment

Arts & Culture

Science

Pressed for change Why the PRESTO card campaign could cause problems

The Gutenberg gallery Exploring the McLuhan on Campus exhibit

She’s a star A rocket scientist is a role model for women in STEM

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Page 11

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2 • THE VARSITY • NEWS

news@thevarsity.ca

Photo of the week Vol. CXXXVII, No. 7 21 Sussex Avenue, Suite 306 Toronto, ON, M5S 1J6 416-946-7600 thevarsity.ca thevarsitynewspaper @TheVarsity the.varsity the.varsity The Varsity

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As midterms season dawns, it helps to have a study buddy by your side. MUBASHIR BAWEJA/THE VARSITY

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UTSU AGM

Follow @VarsityNewsUofT as we bring you live updates from the 2016 UTSU AGM. Bring a winning bingo card to our office in order to receive your prize!

CFS is mentioned

Campus police inquiry is mentioned

Meeting is inquorate

You Decide collects signatures

“Point of order!”

Someone asks about the lawsuit

Meeting starts late

Someone challenges the chair

Someone accuses the UTSU of destroying free speech

Meeting ends early

Peterson is mentioned

Subway can be heard

FREE (-ze peach)

Someone demands the impeachment of an executive

Someone tries amending an amendment

“White noise”

Samosas run out

BLC is mentioned

Someone complains about the spiciness of the samosas

Lady Godiva Marching Bnad

Someone complains about the referendum results

Student commons

“Orders of the day”

Twitter wars

Vacant Associate Video Editor

Copy Editors Madison Bruno, Michael Teoh, Julie Shi, Natalie Marshall, Julianna He, Gabriel Wee, Rishika Wadehra, Christina Bondi, Sam Caldarone, Christy Ahn, Ziyan Chen Designers Jillian Schuler, Alexander Hurka, Piyumi Konara, Christy Ahn, Mahdi Chowdhury, Ariel Gomes Special thanks Nora Lorinc, the yellow lab.

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Someone tries moving a motion from the floor

OCTOBER 24, 2016 • 3

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U of T letter asks Jordan Peterson to respect pronouns, stop making statements Psychology prof says: “there’s absolutely no excuse for the letter” Tom Yun News Editor

Members of the U of T administration sent a letter to Professor of Psychology Jordan Peterson on October 18, which expressed issue with the embattled professor’s stance on pronouns.

Peterson became the subject of international media attention after The Varsity reported on his YouTube lecture series, in which he criticizes “political correctness” and states that if a student requests to be referred to by pronouns other than ‘he’ or ‘she’, he would refuse the request.

The letter was provided to The Varsity by Peterson. Signed by Faculty of Arts and Science Dean David Cameron and Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life Sioban Nelson, it warns that Peterson’s refusal is “contrary to the rights of those persons to equal treatment without discrimination based on their ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression.’”

“Depending on the context, if per-

sonal pronouns are being used, the refusal by a teacher or colleague to use the personal pronoun that is an expression of the person’s gender identity can constitute discrimination,” reads a portion of the letter. “In many situations it is not necessary to use personal pronouns at all, but where it is, the personal pronoun that is chosen as the person’s gender identity-related and gender expressionrelated identifier should be used.”

In addition, Cameron and Nelson’s letter discusses complaints from students, employees, and other individuals calling Peterson’s comments “unacceptable, emotionally disturbing and painful.” The letter further states that some members of the U of T community have expressed fears for their safety in wake of the uproar on campus that followed the release of Peterson’s YouTube videos. Toronto Police Services is also investigating threats made on social media against members of the trans community on campus.

“We trust that these impacts on

students and others were not your intention in making these remarks,” the letter states. “However, in view of these impacts, as well as the requirements of the Ontario Human Rights Code, we urge you to stop repeating these statements” Peterson told The Varsity that the letter “contains a number of lies” and “willful blindness” for not mentioning the positive feedback he has received.

He suspects that the university only issued the letter to protect themselves legally.

“I think there’s absolutely no excuse for the letter. Except this, there is one excuse: see the university may have been talking to its lawyers… I think the university got legal advice and the lawyers said, ‘Hey, it may be that what he’s doing is illegal, just like he said, and also the policy statements on the Ontario Human Rights Commission website says that if you have an employee that makes, let’s say, illegally discriminatory or hateful statements, then you’re also liable for his or her actions.’ That’s part of

STEVEN LEE/THE VARSITY

Peterson’s comments and the response from members of the U of T community has brought international media attention to campus. the whole package of legislation. So, that’s really cute. So, I think the university figured out that if they didn’t silence me or attempt to, then they’re also liable for discriminatory practices or potentially hate speech,” he explained.

U of T Media Relations Director Althea Blackburn-Evans told The Varsity, “Essentially, what we’re saying is, first of all, his views are his own.

He’s entitled to those views. He, like all members of our community, like all faculty members, he has a right to academic freedom too. He has a right to express his views on the law, on U of T policies, but he also has a responsibility to follow the law and follow U of T policies.”

Blackburn-Evans was unable to

speculate on what the consequences for Peterson may be if he does not heed the advice of the letter: “It would depend on what might occur, what complaint might arise as a result of that. We can’t speculate on consequences on something that hasn’t occurred.”

This is not the first time Peterson has received a letter of concern from the university. On October 3, Department of Psychology Chair Susanne Ferber sent him a similar letter, stressing commitment to free speech in accordance with legislation protecting against discrimination and legislation on the basis of gender identity and expression.

— With files from Jack O. Denton.

UTSU AGMs: a history Looking back on the past four years in preparation of this week’s meeting Jenna Moon Varsity Contributor

Tension has surrounded the University of Toronto Students’ Union’s (UTSU) Annual General Meetings (AGM) for the past several years.

With the 2016 AGM approaching on October 27, The Varsity reflects on previous meetings and their past proceedings.

2012: Total shut down The 2012 AGM can be said to be the beginning of tumult and controversy.

Turnout was a record high, with over 300 students — nearly 2,000 proxy votes between them— ready to vote on the UTSU’s agenda.

Members waited in line for over two hours to enter the meeting, with delays stemming from restricted access to the union’s member list.

Scheduled for 6:00 pm November 22, 2012, the meeting didn’t get underway until 8:19 pm.

Tension and division throughout the UTSU was evident. Opposition to the UTSU was strong, with student head of Trinity College Samuel Greene urging members not to vote to approve the agenda. Additionally, the UTSU voiced concerns over what they felt were personal attacks against the UTSU executive team.

Half an hour after the meeting

was called to order, a routine vote on the agenda was held. Members voted against the approval the agenda, forcing an abrupt end to the meeting. The meeting was rescheduled for after the winter break.

2013: The cliff-hanger year Reconvening on February 5, 2013, the AGM was especially long; four and a half hours were spent combing through the UTSU agenda.

Members voted on a variety of concerns, from establishing an anti-war coalition to removing polystyrene foam food containers on campus.

The meeting lost quorum — the minimum number of members needed to continue — after UTM students left to catch a final bus back to their campus. With the meeting again forced to a halt, a controversial and highly anticipated vote on electoral reform and online voting was left unheard.

The meeting was set to reconvene a week later.

The electoral reform motion was approved at the next meeting, but the delay in hearing the motion meant that it could not be ratified due to time constraints stemming from an upcoming election. Trinity College, the Engineering Society, and St. Michael’s College subsequently announced plans to secede

Students hold up voting cards at the second AGM of 2015. MALLIKA MAKKAR/THE VARSITY from the UTSU due to its failure to ratify the changes before the election, a point that had been originally promised by UTSU President Shaun Shepherd.

the remainder of the items could be addressed. The early adjournment led to feelings of disappointment from those that could not have their projects heard.

2014: The road to Board of Directors reform With a controversial proposal to drastically reform the Board of Directors on the table, a narrow vote at the AGM struck down the motion, which would have replaced college and faculty-specific directors with directors representing various marginalized groups.

The vote ultimately allowed for further discussion by the UTSU, though members had mixed reactions about the process to achieve a formal reform of the board, which was required under federal law.

The final orders of business, which addressed UTSU activism and advocacy work, were left unheard by the meeting.

A vote of 1,400 in favour to adjourn the meeting was heard before

2015: The AGM trilogy After a year of investigating how to reform the Board of Directors in order to comply with federal law, two proposals were presented at the AGM, which were meant to allow restructuring that was both legal and representative of UTSU membership.

Khrystyna Zhuk, the Arts & Sciences Director At-Large at the time presented one such proposal.

Zhuk’s motion was voted for by over half of those in attendance, but failed to meet the two-thirds majority vote that was required for full ratification.

The failure to ratify the vote led to another meeting dubbed the ‘AGM Part 2’, where a majority number of members voted in favour of Zhuk’s proposal.

Students from UTM were not in attendance at AGM Part 2, due to scheduling issues that prevented the students from being involved in a Skype session, which would have allowed them to participate in the meeting.

Despite a call from a group of students for the meeting to be moved to allow for accessibility, the meeting continued as scheduled.

In addition to AGMs Part 1 and 2, a Special General Meeting (SGM) was called in January 2016 to discuss member-submitted motions.

The agenda included motions on the UTSU’s relationship with the Canadian Federation of Students and ethical divestment. The meeting failed to reach quorum and instead carried on as an informal town hall meeting.

The 2016 AGM is set to take place on October 27 at 6:00 pm in the OISE Auditorium.

4 • THE VARSITY • NEWS

news@thevarsity.ca

UTSU calls for inquiry into Campus Police Union criticizes alleged police inaction at rally Aidan Currie Associate Features Editor

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) has issued a statement demanding a public inquiry into the University of Toronto Campus Police, in wake of recent events, particularly the “U of T Rally for Free Speech” held at Sidney Smith Hall on October 11.

The rally contained instances of violence and tension between some rally attendees and individuals who came to protest, the latter comprised of many members of the trans and non-binary community.

The UTSU statement focuses on what the union describes as inadequate response from campus police to alleged assaults against members of the trans community.

“An investigation by the administration— to which students have no access—will not be sufficient, an investigation must be public and done by an unbiased party,” reads part of the statement.

UTSU President Jasmine Wong Denike explained to The Varsity that the union is seeking “an investigation into how Campus Police responds to situations in which students — especially marginalized students — need protection. We’re especially concerned by how Campus Police interacted with trans students.

Just standing there isn’t helpful and frankly, it is unacceptable. The university has a responsibility to ensure that students are free to express themselves and their identities. They can’t do that when violence is tolerated. There’s an issue of Campus Police taking less of an interest in the safety of marginalized students.”

STEPHANIE XU/THE VARSITY

The U of T Campus Police station, located at 21 Sussex Avenue.

The UTSU claims that the Campus Police “refused to intervene when they knew of and saw trans folks being assaulted.” On the role of campus police, U of T Media Relations Director Althea Blackburn-Evans stated, “Their role is to keep the peace... If something might get physical in any circumstance, they would be able to step in and address that as appropriate.”

She continued, “The university is now looking very closely at the events that unfolded and is committed to doing its work to investigate that and to look at all the various pieces and what occurred and what we might do about that.”

Toronto Police Services are also investigating online threats issued against transgender and non-binary students, prompting a response from Vice-President & Provost Cheryl Regehr and Vice-President, Human Resources & Equity Kelly Hannah-Moffat.

“In the face of violence, hate speech, and threats, trans students are not safe on campus and similarly, in the face of hateful and racist remarks, black students are not safe on campus either,” the UTSU’s statement continues. “It is unacceptable for the Campus Police to fail in their responsibility to keep students safe from violence on campus, and specifically against trans students.”

Blackburn-Evans emphasized that the university wants to “absolutely condemn any acts of violence or threats against our community but also to ensure that anybody who’s feeling unsafe knows the resources that are available on our campuses, the safety resources that are available, so we really want to encourage students... who are feeling unsafe to contact the community safety office, as one of those key resources.”

“The University has a responsibility to act proactively, before this violence occurs, as per their mandate to provide a campus environment that is free from discrimination and harassment,” continued Denike in her statement. “As for the administration, we’d like to see everyone who works at U of T, including tenured professors, receiving training in gender identity and the barriers facing trans and non-binary students and they must consult trans students in doing this. We’ll be lobbying the administration to implement that.”

“Trans people are now protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code, so the university has legal obligations as well as moral ones.

It must fulfill these obligations by taking action to ensure the safety of trans students,” she continued On the subject of discussion on campus and protection of students, Blackburn-Evans stated on behalf of the administration that while everybody has the right to express their views, “they also have a responsibility to follow the law, to follow the Ontario Human Rights code for example, and to follow UofT policies which are in line with the Code.”

Security beefed up at St. Mike’s residences New policy requires residents to hold T-Card in front of video intercom to enter after 11:00 pm Emaan Thaver Associate News Editor

St. Michael’s College recently introduced tighter security measures at two of its residence halls, which include video intercom terminals at the main entrances.

The newly-installed system requires residents to verify their identities after visiting hours by first pressing a button on the video intercom terminal to call the Porter and then holding their student card to the camera for verification before they are buzzed in.

In an email to students on October 4, the college announced that the new security tool had been installed for the College’s two largest residences — Elmsley Hall and Sorbara Hall — with plans to introduce them in other buildings once the transition process has been fine-tuned.

The video intercoms have been fitted at four different entryways, including the southeast entrance of Elmsley, the northwest entrance of Sorbara, the southwest entrance of Sorbara, and the barrier-free southeast entrance of Sorbara.

Previously, residents could access the building and their respective floors by simply swiping a key card. This system will continue to function during regular hours; enhanced security will be enforced from Sunday through Thursday after 11:00 pm and Friday through Saturday after 12:30 am.

NATHAN CHAN/THE VARSITY

The new security measures at Sorbara and Elmsley Hall are unique to the U of T campus.

According to the college, the upgraded security is “intended to help the College better monitor who is entering our dormitories in the late evening and overnight periods,” with particular emphasis on non-residents.

The email sent out to residents also claimed that “non-residents/guests were involved in many of the negative incidents that occurred within our dorms – especially incidents of damage, theft and vandalism.”

A recent incident that occurred in Sorbara Hall on September 29 was mentioned.

Elmsley and Sorbara remain amongst the few on-campus residence halls to implement such vigilant security measures. Trinity College, for example, requires residents to use their access keys to unlock the entrance doors to their buildings and floors after-hours. No such after-hours security measures exist for University College residences.

This is not the first time that St. Michael’s College has introduced stricter security for its residence buildings. In early 2015, the college put in place an access control system with security guards stationed at main entrances to filter people coming in. The system was taken down soon after following negative feedback from students and staff.

Duane Rendle, the Dean of Students at St. Michael’s College defended the newly implemented system in a statement to The Varsity, saying: “The new measures are intended to enhance building security and in turn, keep our residents safer.”

“Some students have raised concerns that the new system is not as convenient as the old one and I will concede that ‘security’ and ‘convenience’ are concepts that rarely compliment one another,” he commented.

“That being said, we simply don’t feel it is an unreasonable request to ask students show their ID in order to gain access to our residences,” Rendle continued, “in fact, this same requirement already exists at many other dorms and residential buildings in downtown Toronto.”

Rendle also said that hearing of incidents such as the Laval University residence break-ins made him “confident that we are moving in the right direction and that sacrificing a little convenience for improved security is a worthwhile tradeoff.”

OCTOBER 24, 2016 • 5

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Trinity College students approve funding for accessibility lift to JCR Clubs meet elsewhere for the semester

The Lit debates have traditionally taken place at Trinity’s JCR. NATHAN CHAN/THE VARSITY Rachel Chen Features Editor

Following years of inaccessibility issues, Trinity College’s Junior Common Room (JCR) is receiving a jointly-funded student and administration XPRESS II Stair Lift.

The Trinity College Meeting (TCM), Trinity’s direct democracy governance body, passed the proposal at its second meeting on October 17.

The Trinity College Literary Institute, or the Lit, is a levied club that holds weekly satirical debates in the JCR. The issue of accessibility was brought up to the Prime Minister of the Lit, Rhiannon Langford, during Trinity’s Clubs Fair. A student in a mobility device asked about getting involved when Langford realized they could not access the JCR. That day, Langford emailed her concerns about accessibility and some possible solutions to Dean of Students Kristen Moore.

Moore has held the position for just over a year now. She agreed to meet with Langford and Pierre Kochel, the Speaker of the Lit, a couple days before the first debate was scheduled.

“We go there and the entire dean’s office staff is there and they’ve totally ambushed us,” Langford said. “They’re like, ‘You have to leave the JCR or else there is going to be an [Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)] lawsuit against the Lit.’ And I’m like, ‘Wait, we’re a student group, how is there going to be a lawsuit?’ It was just in a super threatening way of asking us to move so it was not the best way of this happening, obviously.”

Administration asked the Lit to move to the Divinity Common Room (DCR) for the time being after speaking with the heads of divinity. Moore said they were happy to support the Lit’s activity, due to its importance in undergraduate life at the college.

“What we’ve made an arrangement with them is for them to be able to continue to hold their events as they would in the JCR,” Moore said. “The only modification that we’ve asked them to make is to space, it’s not to any of the content or activity.”

Langford asked Moore for more time to relocate the debates, which would have meant keeping the first debate in the JCR. “She was like, ‘Absolutely not. This is a human rights issue,’ and all these things,” Langford said. “Which is fair, the reason I asked about the ramp is because I care about accessibility, but framing it like I’m going to get sued because I tried to get the ramp installed in the first place just seemed a bit ridiculous to me. I leave that thinking, ‘Okay, how is this going to get done?’”

Langford also said, “It’s not the end of the world that we are being kicked out of the room, it’s just the way that it is done and Trin is so special because we do have these student-led movements and students have led so much change and not giving students the dignity and respect to make those changes from our governance perspectives is kind of annoying.”

The day after the Lit was asked to move to the DCR, Rainbow Trin, the college’s LGBTQ club, was allowed to hold its semiformal in the JCR. This prompted concerns from the Lit leaders that accessibility is not administration’s true concern.

“In my mind, I feel like it’s about liability and they’re just worried about that AODA lawsuit because if they truly cared about making accessible space, they would be doing some action on it already,” Langford said.

“They’d be encouraging other student groups to not use it in the meantime.”

Regarding liability threats, Moore said, “I don’t think there have been any threats to [the college], but I think that sometimes in conversations to people we try to discuss the whole spectrum of the range of things.”

Moore also said that the Lit’s concern initiated conversation about accessibility. The JCR and administration has since asked the student heads to advise club presidents to look for accessible spaces for their events.

“It wasn’t necessarily that we were kind of seeking out the Lit… the reason why we talked about them specifically moving their space is because they came to us and highlighted the concern with not being acces-

sible and that would mean being exclusive to someone who had indicated they wanted to participate,” Moore said.

Both Moore and Langford stressed the importance of the JCR to undergraduate life and expressed surprise that the room’s lack of accessibility has not been questioned before.

The Lit’s constitution mandates that meetings “shall be held in the Junior Common Room except with the concurrence of the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader.”

“It’s one of the only spaces because it’s a private space within a public building… It’s kind of just students casually get together once a week and relax and laugh at each other,” Langford said. “For all those reasons, plus, we’re just really attached to this room.

It’s student run. The admin has nothing to do with this room. We love the JCR.” In order to fund the stair lift, administration pushed for student assistance from the Student Capital Campaigns Committee (SCCC), which usually convenes at the end of each semester.

The SCCC’s strategic plan says its mandate is to “Initiate and financially support key capital initiatives for the betterment of the student experience at Trinity College” and “Support proposals and continue to explore initiatives that highlight the long term goals for the improvement of the student experience.”

In order to pass the lift proposal before the semester ends, TCM Chair Jaclyn Flom agreed to alter the schedule and call an SCCC meeting as soon as a proposal was ready. “[Having meetings at the end of each semester] runs into issues with timing of the year, and it makes it very difficult for our building services team to be able to implement them over the summer, because they are looking at the project timeline for summer and the coming year — already by the fall and the winter, they are already planning.

So, to sort of jam different things in that they weren’t anticipating makes it very difficult for things to happen in a timely fashion,” Moore said.

According to the second TCM’s minutes, the SCCC will fund $24,999 of the project, and the college will provide $25,000.

“At the end of the day, it is a project [that] we recognize is particularly important regardless of the amount of student contribution, so I think it’s one of those things [we’re] interested to see because honestly, it makes a really nice story when you have students who step up and say, ‘We’d like to put, however much money, however much it is that we’d like to put forward, because we consider this to be a really important issue for us, and we have changed our structure of how we normally do things because we want to see this happen sooner.’” Moore said.

In her proposal to the SCCC, Langford brought up student usage of the JCR: “Student groups are being denied access to the room due to Trinity’s failure to comply by accessibility laws,” the proposal reads. “In an effort to make student events inclusive to all, it is essential that this room be equipped with an accessible entrance as soon as possible.”

At the TCM, students passed the motion with 43 votes in favour and two abstentions.

SCCC proposals for projects under $25,000 need to pass a two-thirds majority, but at only one TCM rather than two.

In her presentation to the TCM, Langford said, “The administration has been super awesome about making this one of their top construction priorities.”

Langford was interviewed before she could meet with Moore about making the official SCCC proposal, and both Langford and Moore were interviewed before the proposal passed.

Since it is a heritage building, Trinity College’s buildings have not been subject to strict laws regarding accessibility, but administration has been working on improvements over the past few years, including most recently, the near completion of an elevator from the basement of the Trinity College building to Seeley Hall.

The Lit will continue meeting in the DCR until the lift’s proposed completion in January.

6 • THE VARSITY • NEWS

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UTSU referendum for student clubs fee fails Over 74 per cent of ballots cast voted ‘no’ to new fee Lesley Flores Varsity Contributor

The University of Toronto Students’ Union’s (UTSU) proposal for a new levy to fund student clubs has failed, with 74.5 per cent of referendum voters casting their ballots against the fee.

The referendum was held from October 18–20. Of the 2,026 students that voted, 23.1 per cent voted in favour of the proposed levy and 2.4 per cent abstained.

The proposed levy would have been $3.75 per session for the next five years. The funds collected would have been restricted towards clubs, events, and student service funding only, with no amount going towards salaries.

By-elections for vacant director positions also occurred in conjunction with the referendum. Amal Ismail-Ladak ran unopposed and was elected as the Innis College Director, while Osman Osman won against Justine Huyer to become the Transitional Year Programme Director. No candidates ran for OISE Director and Mathematical & Physical Sciences Director.

In an email to The Varsity, Mathias Memmel Vice-President Internal & Services of the UTSU addressed the results of the levy referendum. “I’m obviously disappointed,” he said, “but I understand why students aren’t yet ready to trust the UTSU with money — there’s been gross mismanagement for years.”

Some students launched a Facebook page and put up posters encouraging UTSU members to vote against the levy increase. The Chief Returning Officer ruled that this campaign was against the rules; the UTSU Charter for Referenda require such campaigns register with the Chair of

Clubs Levy Referendum Abstain 2.4%

Yes

23.1%

No 74.5%

the Elections & Referenda Committee and the CRO as an official advocating committee.

When asked how he would respond to students who did not trust the union, Memmel responded, “We’re going to keep reforming the organization, and that will include taking action to ensure that we’re spending students’ money properly.”

Despite the clubs fee’s failure to pass, Memmel was optimistic about UTSU’s ability to regain students’ trust. “The silver lining is that I and the UTSU can learn a lot from what happened here.”

“I also want to express my sincere gratitude to the clubs — they’ve been great, and I share their disappointment,” Memmel said.

In a previous interview with The Varsity, Memmel stated that funding for clubs in the union’s budget for 2016–2017 increased by $15,000, but most of the new funds would go towards supporting newer clubs. The proposed levy that failed in the referendum was intended to support all clubs, while also funding a potential increase in the funding cap for level three clubs from $15,000 to $20,000.

The referendum is also noteworthy for being the first UTSU referendum to be held entirely electronically. The Varsity spoke with Ryan Gomes, UTSU’s Elections and Referenda Committee Chair about the move to entirely online voting. “I do feel that this transition was a success,” Gomes said.

When asked about the polling stations at Kelly Library and the Athletic Centre, which were respectively cancelled and given reduced hours, Gomes replied that UTSU faced difficulties in finding students to operate these stations.

He went on to say, “Student workers, as well as associates, were utilized to keep these polling stations running for as long as possible,” while other stations were open for the duration of the referendum.

On the referendum results, Gomes said, “I think the students have spoken clearly, and the UTSU must respect their members when they vote against new proposed fees.”

Gomes highlighted the high voter turnout as a positive sign, regardless of the outcome of the referendum, as “the referendum received a lot of student engagement, which is always good.”

“I hope that those who wish to run future fee campaigns keep this year’s vote in mind moving forward,” said Gomes.

Innis College Director Abstain

31.2%

Yes

47.8%

No 21.0%

Transitional Year Programme Abstain

4.3%

Justine Huyer

4.3%

Osman Osman 91.3%

OISE scholarship praised by Scientology-affiliated group Bonnie Burstow Scholarship in Anti-Psychiatry named after mental illness denier Kiana Shahbazi Varsity Contributor

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) is offering a scholarship in antipsychiatry, a controversial discipline notably pushed by the Church of Scientology that denies the existence of mental illnesses and sees psychiatry as dangerous and ineffective.

The scholarship, known as the Bonnie Burstow Scholarship in Anti-Psychiatry, will be offered through the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) for a thesis student studying antipsychiatry.

The scholarship’s namesake is matching each donation up to $50,000. Burstow, an Associate Professor at OISE in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education has been studying antipsychiatry for four decades.

“It has been proven conclusively that there are no biological indicators for what’s called mental illness,” Burstow claimed, in an interview with The Varsity. Burstow blames what she characterizes as capitalist intentions behind the pharmaceutical psychiatric approach and stated, “We are looking

at massive human rights violations. People who have in fact committed no crime are being hauled off to psychiatric institutions and forced onto brain-damaging drugs.”

The Canadian branch of Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit anti-psychiatry organization founded by the Church of Scientology in 1969, praised the scholarship on its Facebook page, calling it “very, very good news” and Burstow “a rock star.”

When asked about its endorsement of the scholarship, the CCHR echoed many of Burstow’s sentiments on a supposed lack of medical validity for psychiatry.

Burstow emphasized that she has no affiliation with the CCHR: “I’m an activist and there are no Scientology organizations that I belong to.” Dr. Burstow advocates for a future in the psychiatric industry that provides “non-medical, non-coercive help for people who want it.”

When asked to comment on the scholarship, U of T Media Relations Director Althea Blackboard-Evans told The Varsity, “The whole reason for being a university is to create a forum where issues can be openly

STEPHANIE XU/THE VARSITY

Denial of the existence of mental illnesses is one of the key assertions among proponents of anti-psychiatry. discussed and debated. Sometimes that debate can be uncomfortable and challenging.

People will absolutely disagree with one another and sometimes people will disagree with the validity of that area of study as well; ultimately, it is not up to the university to cut down on one side or the other, but to support that academic freedom.”

Dr. Benoit H. Mulsant, who is the Department Chair for the Department of Psychiatry, made similar remarks: “Universities are places where free inquiry is supported. The Department of Psychiatry will continue to prepare the next generation of psychiatrists. Doing so, we strive to

uphold the highest standards of the profession, consistent with the latest research that ensures the well-being of individuals with mental disorders.”

Dr. Charles Pascal, a Professor of Applied Pyschology and Human Development added, “When people are upset about these kind of things, it’s usually because they’re insecure about what they’re doing. And the best instrument for them to pick up is a mirror.”

He continued, “This discourse is what the University of Toronto is all about. It gets us to live in the grey area and avoid the black and white.”

OCTOBER 24, 2016 • 7

var.st/news

Anti-abortion group loses litigation against Ryerson Students’ Union Case precedes similar lawsuit at UTM Helena Najm Varsity Staff

A legal challenge of the Ryerson Students’ Union launched by an anti-abortion group at the university has failed.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice heard Grant v. Ryerson Student Union on December 18, 2015 and reached a decision on October 3, 2016. Ryerson students Carter Grant and Teresa Mervar from the group Students for Life at Ryerson (SFLR) were the plaintiffs in the case.

SFLR claimed that they suffered from discriminatory treatment based on their ideological beliefs and that the RSU’s denial of club status went against their freedom of expression under the Canadian Charter for Rights and Freedoms.

The RSU argued that SFLR’s anti-abortion activism stood in contrast with RSU’s Policy on Women’s Issues, which stipulates: “The Ryerson Students’ Union op-

poses... groups, meetings, or events that promote misogynist views towards women and ideologies that promote gender inequality, challenges women’s right to bodily autonomy, or justifies sexual assault.”

Justice Elizabeth M. Stewart dismissed the case and ruled that as a private non-profit corporation, the RSU has the ability to approve or deny clubs for funding based on whether their mandates and ideologies comply with RSU’s policies, considerations of the Ontario Human Rights Code, and Ryerson’s policies.

A portion of Stewart’s decision statement reads: “The Applicants are free to continue to associate and express themselves on the Ryerson campus. They are free to hold SFLR meetings, host events and raise funds for their cause. They are also free to seek office on the RSU executive and to attempt to implement policies that they prefer.”

RSU President Obaid Ullah and SLFR did not respond to The Varsity’s requests for comment.

MAISHA ISLAM/THE VARSITY

The Ryerson Student Centre, which houses the RSU offices.

The case’s outcome will resonate at UTM, where a similar case is underway. University of Toronto Mississauga Students for Life (UTMSFL) is currently suing the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), alleging that the union violated their own policies by not recognizing UTMSFL because of their stance on abortion.

The group accuses the UTMSU of silencing them by denying their requests for funding based on differing opinions, and tampering with their election of a fourth representative by allowing five non-

members to vote, which resulted in a vote against the candidate.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom, a non-profit legal organization, is representing UTMSFL in the upcoming hearing, for which the date has not yet been set. UTMSFL previously told The Medium that the case has been pending the decision of the Grant v. RSU case to set a hearing date.

UTMSU President Nour Alideeb and UTMSFL declined The Varsity’s requests for comment.

Student groups issue statements about Jordan Peterson’s lectures Groups from all three campuses condemn statements made by psychology prof

NATHAN CHAN/THE VARSITY

Peterson, seen at a Campaign 4 Community event in September 2016.

Aidan Currie Associate Features Editor

Student unions and groups across all three campuses issued statements responding to tenured professor Jordan Peterson’s YouTube lecture series called Professor against political correctness, which included negative comments about the use of gender neutral pronouns.

These include written statements from the Scarborough Campus Students Union (SCSU), the Arts and Science Students’ Union (ASSU), the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU), as well as an open letter signed by University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), the Association of Part-time Undergraduate

Students (APUS), and the Black Liberation Collective (BLC) among others.

The SCSU statement contains a condemnation of what they call “the transphobic, homophobic, and anti-black comments made by Jordan Peterson” and praised the work of groups such as the BLC and trans and non-binary students who are “actively organizing against the lectures posted online.”

“Discrimination like this is hurtful, unprofessional, and needlessly provocative.

Non-binary individuals shouldn’t feel devalued by the very people they rely on to provide them with education,” reads part of a statement in the SCSU letter by SC:OUT External and Health Executive Alex Legault.

Peterson has repeatedly stated in public that he does not believe the contents of any of his videos constitute hateful remarks. He maintains that the purpose of his videos is to defend free speech — a principle that he considers in danger.

ASSU’s statement refers to Peterson as an “alleged UofT professor,” despite Peterson’s status as a tenured professor, and reiterates ASSU’s support of students “in retaliation against Peterson’s blatant display of disrespect to UofT’s students and community.”

The open letter from UTMSU, APUS, BLC, and others demands a public apology from Peterson, a removal of his lectures from YouTube, “a town hall with President Meric Gertler, Provost Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President Angela Hildyard, and Professor Jordan Peterson, where community members can explain the issues he clearly does not comprehend,” mandatory anti-oppression training at all levels of U of T, and a commitment from the University that it will “take action to defend students and University community members in future instances where tenured professors have made prejudiced comments against an individual or group on the basis of race, sexual orientation, ability, sex, religion, gender expression, or gender identity.”

“Hateful comments should never be tolerated, especially not from someone who is considered to be an educator. No student should have to endure a two-hour lecture where their gender identity, existence, and realities are being debated and refused. Ultimately, Peterson’s comments erode the safe campus learning environment to which the University states a commitment,” reads part of the concluding statement of the letter.

Peterson uploaded a response to the UTMSU letter on YouTube, in which he characterizes the letter as a “[call] for my discipline and silencing.” He denies saying that he does not believe in the existence of non-binary gender identities and encourages his supporters to write emails to the student leaders involved in the letter.

“You better pay attention to that because what that essentially means is that speech is now an act of violence and more importantly, refusal to use the words that someone else demands that you use is an act of violence,” he says. “That’s what I’m being accused of.”

The UTSU statement includes similar condemnations and says that “anti-trans discrimination is responsible for the routine assault and murder of trans people — especially people of colour — in addition to poverty and homelessness. The UTSU stands with oppressed members of the U of T community, and those who are further marginalized by this Professor’s actions.”

The statement came after an executive report from Cassandra Williams, Vice-President University Affairs, was published. In her report, Williams calls out the rest of the UTSU leadership: “Since [Peterson’s] video was uploaded, almost no member of the UTSU executive or board of directors has voiced any sort of public disagreement with Peterson’s transphobia, or voiced any sentiments at all to indicate that the University of Toronto ought to be a safe environment for trans individuals,” after which she implored the UTSU to engage more actively in solidarity with the transgender community.

Williams, UTSU President Jasmine Wong Denike, and Peterson did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.

Comment

October 24, 2016 var.st/comment comment@thevarsity.ca

The Hillary Clinton effect Examining the repercussions of misogyny in politics and the media

ELHAM NUMAN/THE VARSITY

Saambavi Mano Varsity Columnist

The current US presidential race has been one of consecutive disappointments in many ways. The general sentiment surrounding the election suggests that regardless of the outcome, Americans will be unhappy come November 9.

One effect of the highly negative media coverage of and social media reactions to the campaigns is ample misogyny directed toward Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Given how widely the election has been covered, this can harm women entering politics in the future.

Media reports on Clinton tend to focus on scandals rather than positive campaign achievements, and as former New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson recently conceded, Clinton has been burdened with an “unfair level of scrutiny” by the media, especially in comparison to male candidates.

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has arguably been advantaged by the media coverage of his campaign. After the second debate, media reports suggested that Trump “exceeded expectations,” despite the fact that he brought up his own tax scandal, threatened to jail his opponent, and proved how little he really knew about foreign policy — all in less than two hours. This calls into question what exactly these ‘expectations’ were and how low they had to be in order for him to be able to exceed them.

Even coverage of Trump’s threats to bring Bill Clinton’s cheating scandal into

the debate focused more on the initial cheating scandal than on the fact that Trump was attempting to attack Clinton based on her husband’s decisions.

The appearance that Clinton must face the media’s scrutiny even about her husband, while Trump may exceed expectations seemingly by just showing up to a debate shows how unequal the treatment of the candidates can be.

Predictably, this negative media coverage has both translated into and spawned from misogynistic perceptions of Clinton in social media. Media executives pay close attention to which stories get the most retweets and reposts — when references to ‘Crooked Hillary’ get the most online attention, it reinforces the idea that negative stories about Clinton are the ones that will sell.

However, the fact remains that both the media and social media users have a part to play in the perpetuation of misogynistic narratives about Clinton. The unfair treatment of politicians based on gender is jarringly evident when one considers the way people perceive Clinton as opposed to some male politicians.

From serial tweeters to seemingly harmless meme-makers, social media users go to great lengths to show that Clinton’s personality is what makes her unfit for the presidency. Criticism of Trump, on the other hand, tends to focus largely on his lack of experience and his bigoted views.

Even when looking at social media users that publish more ‘serious’ content, the double standards are still painfully evident. The very same self-proclaimed progressives who unabashedly cheered on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau despite his shortfalls — his continued sup-

port for Bill C-51, harebrained plan to legalize marijuana before decriminalizing it, and approval of Stephen Harper’s Saudi arms deal, to name a few — are now slamming Clinton for the email scandal, her support for the Iraq Resolution, and having super PACs fund her campaign.

This of course does not excuse Clinton for any of the controversies she has been caught up in, but it does call into question the motives of her critics.

There also exist more insidious forms of criticism that seem valid on the surface but are unfair in their application. In the hours after the second debate, Twitter exploded with users bashing Clinton for avoiding direct answers to questions about controversies in her candidacy.

Yet, beating around the bush is a tactic male politicians use — and get away with — regularly. This reinforces the Crooked Hillary narrative that not only Trump but also many media outlets gleefully push, which further discredits Clinton in the eyes of the American public.

This is not to say that dishonesty should be excused in politics. Trump’s entire campaign has been built on falsities and bigoted generalizations that have real repercussions for those he accuses of causing all of the United States’ problems. These aspects of the race, however, were all but buried under mass tweets about Clinton’s dishonesty and lack of commitment to transparency. Lying, or even omitting the truth, has been treated like something novel in relation to Clinton throughout this race, and when accused of misogyny, people naively assert their right to critique presidential candidates rather than assess their own biases.

This toxic combination of misogynis-

tic media coverage on both ends has a very real potential to discourage women from pursuing politics. Even the most subtle signs of disrespect, such as focusing more on Clinton’s appearance than Trump’s or calling her ‘Hillary’ rather than ‘Clinton’, can have a major impact on young women who aspire to obtain positions of political power.

In that sense, the message being sent is painfully clear: there is no room for a woman to make mistakes in the patriarchal world of politics. The most personal aspects of a woman’s life will become equivalent to public property the moment she dares to run for office; they will be twisted to paint her as either cold and heartless or irrational and emotional. Essentially, people will take aim at her for the characteristics they ignore in men.

This sets a dangerous precedent for gender dynamics in politics: one that holds comparatively higher expectations for women in anticipation of their failure. The fact remains that while Trump is doing what all politicians do by attempting to ruin Clinton’s character, the same should not be expected of the media or its consumers.

It is important to criticize candidates, especially if said criticisms are in relation to a lack of transparency or waging unnecessary wars, but it is also important to identify when and where criticism becomes misogynistic, if we hope to achieve gender parity in governments around the world.

Saambavi Mano is a third-year student at Victoria College studying Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies. Her column appears tri-weekly.

OCTOBER 24, 2016 • 9

var.st/comment

An easier commute or a more difficult ride?

Phasing out metropasses in favour of the PRESTO system disadvantages the marginalized in Toronto James Chapman Varsity Contributor

On the far-east end of the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) BloorDanforth line lies Warden Station, a typical Toronto transit terminal complete with retro 1960s tiles, turnstiles, and collector booths. Recently, however, the station’s turnstiles have been levelled to make way for new PRESTO-fare terminals, a feature now present in over half of the city’s subway stops.

Following an announcement last year from the TTC that indicated the corporation was looking to phase out tokens, tickets, and metropasses by mid-2017, the city began an aggressive and costly campaign to prepare Toronto’s aging transit network for the electronic payment system.

Yet, while Metrolinx — a government agency overseeing transportation in the Greater Toronto Area — may insist that PRESTO

allows transit users to “tap into an easier commute,” the realities of the new fare system continue to reflect a civic philosophy focused on megacity-building, as opposed to the needs of students and the city’s most vulnerable.

With the implementation of a city-wide electronic fare system, the TTC will be joining the ranks of the New York City Transit Authority and the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency, both of which use similar payment systems. The decision to join these world-class cities is a costly one. According to a 2012 Auditor General report, the price of expanding the electronic fare system on the city’s public transit fleet will cost over $700 million.

If these funds had been allocated differently, they would have covered almost half of the $1.48 billion originally estimated for a sevenstop Light Rail Transit expansion in Scarborough. Urban scholars agree that increased access to tran-

sit would greatly alleviate poverty in the city’s east end, while easing the commute of students to the downtown core.

The funds could also be used toward operating the fleet; 75 per cent of these costs are currently covered by user fares — the highest proportion, on average, in North America.

While the costly expansion of PRESTO throughout the TTC fits with the commission’s pattern of skewed priorities, the effects of the end of monthly metropasses, tickets, and tokens will perhaps be felt greatest by students and Toronto’s most marginalized residents. The monthly postsecondary metropasses that are a staple in so many students’ wallets will soon be replaced with green PRESTO cards.

It is not yet clear if the transit commission will continue to offer a reduced monthly rate to students, as they previously did for monthly passes.

Finally, it is clear that the needs of residents living closest to the poverty line are not being prioritized.

PRESTO passes require a $6.00 issuing fee to acquire the pass and a minimum balance of $10.00 to load it — this makes it more difficult for those attempting to navigate the city on slim budgets and more expensive for community service centres who grant users transit allowances.

The TTC does have plans to implement limited-use paper PRESTO cards once tokens and tickets are no longer available, which could mitigate some of the negative effects of taking away those payment types.

In order for this to be a benefit, the paper cards will need to be widely available and offered at the same rates as tokens were.

Although PRESTO cards can be reloaded with cash, they are primarily designed to be reloaded online using a credit or debit card, which is problematic given that access to the Internet and paying via plastic are

two luxuries that numerous Torontonians do not have.

As Toronto continues to make commutes easier for the city’s middle class with new transit lines like the Union-Pearson Express, PRESTO will also continue to serve this same demographic, while disregarding the needs of Toronto’s population of urban poor residents.

Although changes to the system are already well underway, a potential solution to these concerns lies in continuing grassroots activism.

Groups like the TTCriders, for instance, aim to advocate on behalf of transit-takers in the city and ensure that their voices are represented.

Using similar methods, Torontonians can ensure our public transit commission’s priorities align with a new urban agenda — this time focused on social justice and equality.

James Chapman is a second-year student at Innis College studying Political Science and Urban Studies.

How to protest whilst being famous Shailene Woodley is taking attention away from Indigenous activists Adina Heisler Varsity Contributor

On October 10, actress Shailene Woodley was arrested for criminal trespassing while protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The DAPL has been publicly condemned by many, particularly by Indigenous activists who oppose the construction of the pipeline on or around their land.

Woodley was later released from jail on bail and ordered to appear in court on October 24.

Much of the general public has applauded Woodley for protesting the pipeline, and it is true that her arrest brought a large amount of attention to the issue. Indian Country Today Media Network reported that 4.4 million people watched Woodley’s livestream of her protest and arrest on Facebook, and that many celebrities spoke out in support of Woodley and against the pipeline.

Certainly, the case can be made that celebrities like Woodley can draw a great deal of attention to important issues. Protests against the DAPL have been ongoing for some time, and it would be absurd to call Indigenous sovereignty a newly hot topic considering North American history.

Yet, unfortunately, plenty of people might have only heard about the DAPL after Woodley’s arrest. Even beyond drawing attention to the issue, Woodley’s presence on the ground for the summer surely was of some help to the cause.

ELHAM NUMAN/THE VARSITY

One possible reason to criticize Woodley for her efforts may be that she drew plenty of attention toward herself. One might wonder why Woodley chose to livestream herself instead of the other protestors — namely the Indigenous activists who are defending their sovereignty. She may not have intended to draw attention solely to herself, but surely she may also have anticipated that she would receive attention for these actions.

Woodley also made some questionable comments during her livestream. She said, “We’ve got to recognize that regardless of our background, regardless of our ancestry, we’re all indigenous to this earth… It’s our responsibility to honour our mother, that which has

given us the oxygen, the sunlight, the moonlight — the fuel that feeds us every single day. We have to honour that, and we have to make sure that we treasure it and also protect it.”

By making those statements, Woodley failed to recognize that the problem with the DAPL is not merely its harmful environmental effects. As stated by the Standing Rock Sioux in their lawsuit against the US Army Corps of Engineers, the pipeline “threatens the Tribe’s environmental and economic wellbeing, and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance to the Tribe.”

Woodley’s incomplete understanding of the cost of the pipeline

would be less problematic if she did not speak to a large audience and assert herself as spokesperson of the cause. By framing the pipeline as solely an environmental issue — rather than one central to Indigenous rights — Woodley effectively erased the struggle of the Standing Rock Sioux. She positioned herself not as an ally to the cause, but as a person who is just as affected by the cause as the Indigenous activists on the ground.

Additionally, the risks Woodley carries by being arrested are far less than the risks carried by other activists. Woodley is a white, wealthy, and well-known celebrity.

She does not have to worry about the same level of police brutality that would be levelled against In-

digenous or Black protesters, or the same treatment from the pipeline’s private security, who attacked activists with tear gas and dogs.

Her position also means that Woodley can hire attorneys to work on her case — although, considering the barriers to being released from custody that many low-income people face, it’s also important to note that Woodley posted bail not only for herself but also for other protestors who were arrested.

Perhaps most importantly, Woodley is now being applauded for her courage and drive. Indigenous activists have certainly not received the same level of public attention, let alone had the same praise placed on them.

It is not that celebrities should refrain from getting involved in social causes, or even that Woodley should be condemned for her actions — what she did was commendable. However, anyone who falls under such a large public spotlight ought to understand how to most effectively and appropriately wield that power.

If she wants to draw attention to the issues at hand, Woodley ought to delve deeper into the causes she supports. This will mean deflecting the cameras away from herself and focusing on the activists fighting for their sovereignty, environment, and lives.

Adina Heisler is a second-year student at University College studying Women and Gender Studies and English.

10 • THE VARSITY • COMMENT

comment@thevarsity.ca

Actually useful LSAT questions, part III Teodora Pasca Comment Editor

1.

If I don’t study for the midterm, I’ll probably fail.

But in any case I shouldn’t study, because the midterm will be so difficult that I’ll probably fail anyway.

The point at issue between Jaren and Tom is whether

The argument relies on which one of the following assumptions?

b) c)

a)

d)

b) c) d) e)

e)

3.

people who drink too much should be held accountable for their actions Tom drank too much at the office party Tom should be fired for drunkenly letting a squirrel into the office Tom is a valuable member of the organization individuals’ qualifications within their professional roles can make up for their mistakes in social settings

Which of the following would most seriously weaken the argument? a) b)

If my TA really hated me, she would have given me an F on my paper. I got an F on my paper, so my TA hates me.

c)

The argument is flawed in that it

Jaren: People who drink too much should be held accountable for their actions while they are inebriated. You drank too much at the office party and decided it was a good idea to let a squirrel into the office; therefore, I think you should be fired.

a) b)

Tom: But that would be unjust! I am a valuable member of the organization, and sometimes individuals’ qualifications within their professional roles can make up for their mistakes in social settings.

e)

c) d)

The Varsity recently reported on a particularly salacious aspect of campus news. But The Varsity clearly benefits from breaking this story, so the statements made in the story are probably untrue.

d)

conflates correlation with causation confuses a necessary condition with a sufficient condition assumes the conclusion it seeks to establish relies on two premises that are inherently contradictory fails to provide sufficient evidence for one of the given premises

e)

The organization scrutinized by the news story refused The Varsity’s requests for comment.

A different campus newspaper reported on the story a week later, and the facts in this second report were entirely different from those presented in The Varsity.

The Varsity receives much more negative than positive feedback when breaking stories of this nature.

The story broke during a particularly sluggish news week.

Most of the things The Varsity says are untrue anyway.

Want more practice with logical reasoning?

Give writing for Comment a try. Email comment@thevarsity.ca to get started.

Answer key: 1.d, 2.c, 3.b, 4.c

2.

Most students who write the midterm will find it difficult.

If I fail the midterm, it’s probably because I didn’t study.

Studying a little bit for the midterm is better than not studying at all.

Studying for the midterm and not studying for the midterm will have equivalent effects on my ability to do well on the midterm.

The professor made the midterm difficult to send a message to students.

a)

4.

GAIRDNER 2016 SYMPOSIA 2016 Canada Gairdner Awardees' Lectures Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 9:00 am – 3:00 pm University of Toronto, Macleod Auditorium

This year’s Canada Gairdner Award winners join together after touring the country to explain and explore their discoveries in science. Our International Award winners will discuss the expanding potential of the CRISPR technique for gene editing, and our Wightman and Global Health awardees will share their experiences confronting HIV/ AIDS and broader global health challenges.

Watch the webcast LIVE at:

bit.ly/Gairdnerwebcast

Rodolphe Barrangou International

Philippe Horvath

Gene Editing: Bacterial Immunity To Global Impact Sylvain Moineau Université Laval

Jonathan Weissman

International

University of California San Francisco

International

Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, University of Toronto

Jennifer Doudna Emmanuelle Charpentier International

Feng Zhang International

Frank Plummer Wightman

Anthony Fauci Global Health

Gairdner Symposia are FREE events open to all interested members of the public

Daniel Durocher

Anthony James

University of California Irvine

Paula Cannon

Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Françoise Baylis

Dalhousie University

Friday, October 28, 2016 9:00 am – 2:30 pm University of Toronto, Macleod Auditorium

Inspired by the gene-editing pioneers of the 2016 Canada Gairdner International Awards, this one-day symposium will step beyond the discovery of the CRISPR-Cas system to explore gene editing’s potential across the biological spectrum, and how advances in human health, disease control & environmental engineering could change our perspective & place in the natural world.

Featuring a Roundtable Discussion with the 2016 Canada Gairdner Award Laureates.

For more information visit us at www.gairdner.org or follow us on Twitter and YouTube

The Gairdner Symposia • Gairdner National Program • Gairdner Student Outreach Program • Gairdner Awardee Lecture Series www.gairdner.org • @GairdnerAwards

Arts&Culture

October 24, 2016 var.st/arts arts@thevarsity.ca

McLuhan is the message McLuhan on Campus challenges students to think about their surroundings

Get to know the great thinker while you can. MAHDI CHOWDHURY/THE VARSITY

William Goldie

Varsity Contributor

In the midst of a seemingly endless series of exams, assignments, and other obligations, it’s understandable for students to start reducing the U of T experience to one based on survival. One can be focused on making it through the next week, the next month, and the next semester, without making strong connections to the things that make a major research university like U of T important.

Some experiences jolt us out of this reverie — they remind us of the importance of the work we’re involved in and that the research we’re surrounded by every day is actually significant.

From now until December 20, events like the Kelly Library’s current multimedia exhibition on the life of Marshall McLuhan have the potential to provide these experiences.

McLuhan on Campus: Local Inspirations, Global Visions displays items from the university’s collections on the professor and strives to document both McLuhan’s work as one of the university’s most prominent academics and his lasting effect on its programs.

McLuhan worked as a Professor of English from 1946 until just prior to his death in 1980. His writings, alongside those of Harold Innis who was also highlighted in the exhibition, were some of the most influential works in the development of media and communications theory. He also helped establish the university as a centre for media

and communications research, first through the unofficial School of Communication research group, and later through the Centre for Culture and Technology, which still operates today as part of the Faculty of Information (iSchool).

McLuhan’s growing recognition on the international stage in the second half of the twentieth century — and eventual status as a household name — is reflected in the objects on display. Correspondences with famous academics and early drafts of seminal books and papers are displayed, alongside McLuhan’s interviews in Playboy, Newsweek, and The New York Times Magazine.

Besides academic work and press clippings, the exhibition featured artifacts from McLuhan’s personal life and professional consulting career in advertising. Displays that depict the development of television and radio were also included, as were a series of zine-like, ad-hoc newsletters that he published.

Signs around the building commemorate McLuhan’s many enduring aphorisms and turns of phrase about art, media, and technology like the “global village” and “the medium is the message.” There are also quotes from his contemporaries. In a nod to the fact that his quotes were often misattributed or popularized by others, such as Andy Warhol’s “art is anything you can get away with” and Timothy Leary’s “turn on, tune in, drop out” mantra which reputedly originated with McLuhan, none of the signs display an au-

thor. A discreet bibliography on the ground floor notes the origin of each text.

Of course, a McLuhan exhibition would not be complete if it didn’t incorporate some kind of new medium, and multimedia terminals mounted in the middle of the library satisfied this need. The touchscreen devices serve as an index for parts of the university’s McLuhan collection; video and audio interviews were accessible through them. They proved to be the most thought-provoking elements of the entire exhibition.

While many of his ideas have always been controversial, it’s difficult to deny how prescient McLuhan’s work is, especially after seeing recordings of his lectures and speeches from the 1950–1960s about much of what has come to be today’s digital media landscape.

As an exhibition installed in a mixed-program public space, McLuhan on Campus is a little physically awkward. Parts of the collection can be difficult to view in detail without disturbing students studying at desks and tables nearby. Despite this, embedding the exhibition in a high-traffic space was appropriate and symbolic since media theory is still an esoteric subject, and McLuhan’s work is relevant to many students who otherwise might not go out of their way to see an exhibition on it. Showing it in the middle of a major library proves a deliberate and strategic method for exposing more people to work that can educate and inspire — many of us could probably use the jolt.

12 • THE VARSITY • ARTS & CULTURE

The Poop Café opens in Toronto The café boasts yummy treats with a do-do inspired aesthetic

LISA POWER/THE VARSITY

Marcel Duchamp would have loved this place.

Lisa Power Arts & Culture Editor

This past week has been stressful for nearly everyone I know, including myself. Midterms are heating up, my assignments are somehow late before they’re due, and even the last presidential debate has everyone’s cheeks puckering. For some, the resulting tension might throw their digestive systems out of whack.

For those that, like me, may find themselves in need of digestive aids, you could try various Yoga positions, drink copious

amounts of water, or go for a long walk. Alternatively, you could just check out the Poop Café, located at 706 Bloor Street West, for inspiration. Sure, I could have gone to any one of the new, ‘trendy’ cafes that have popped up along Bloor Street, like The Good Neighbour, Coffee Pocket, and The Common, but nothing would beat the theme of this spot.

The café was bustling on a Friday night, with wait times of over an hour to get a table.

The seats were toilets fitted with cushions, which allow you to enjoy sitting on the throne for an unhealthy period of time without feeling guilty for hogging the only Starbucks

bathroom or your boss wondering where the hell you are.

The décor paid loving homage to stool, as smiling poop emoji were posted all over the chalkboard walls. Drawings of fecal matter adorned the space, and a fake turd on the ground near the stairs drew attention from the patrons who summoned all of their courage to nudge it with their feet.

I was particularly moved by a large board near the back of the café. It was covered in fake, bright green grass with a huge pile of — also fake — shit located on the upper right corner. I was nearly reduced to tears. Everything I’d seen at the Louvre, the Tate, and the Met had suddenly been reduced to a kindergarten’s hand print turkey.

The menu features bingsu with your choice of Nutella, mango, matcha, Oreo, and more.

The Thai ice cream rolls are a popular item, as well as their signature Poop Waffles served with your choice of filling — they hit a bit too close to home for me. Their Crazy Milkshake, milk tea, HK-style egg waffles, and gelato looked great too.

When asking patrons Conrad Grimmer and Stuart Norton about their experience at the café, they both agreed that the food was good and the whole thing is a pretty funny concept.

On the aesthetic, arguably the most important part of any café, Norton commented: “It was a very, very big commitment to the theme, which was impressive. I admire them for it… It’s very different. It was a funny, novel experience and I’m glad I went.”

The Side Piece

arts@thevarsity.ca

Did you know?

The Health & Wellness Centre, located on the second floor of the Koffler Student Services Centre at 214 College Street, has a variety of programs to help students stay healthy and balanced during the school year. Better Breath, Better Sleep, and Better Coping Skills are just a few of the workshops that help students maintain their mental and physical well-being.

Protip: Apply for everything: awards, scholarships, internships, mentorship programs, research positions, or elected positions.

Many students feel intimidated or inadequate, thinking they aren’t qualified. But the more you apply for things, the more you improve your chances of getting something!

Events: Legends of Horror at Casa Loma September 30 to October 31 Casa Loma

A brief guide to Turrono slang

ROM Friday Night Live 2016 October 7 to November 25 The Royal Ontario Museum

From ‘marved’ to ‘mandem’

Victoria College Drama Society presents: The Goat, or Who is Sylvia October 26–28 The Cat’s Eye Student Pub & Lounge Populism, Closed Door Politics, the Roots and Legacy of 2016: U.S. Election Debate with the Hart House Debates Committee October 26 Hart House Music Room

Gabrielle Warren Associate Arts & Culture Editor

Every city has its own terms that give it flavour. Starting in the borough of Scarborough, this slang has infiltrated the lexicon of Toronto youth. If you want to understand a Drake song, sound ‘hip’ around your crush, or fit in at the coolest clubs in the city — this guide is for you. Leggo.

Marved: To be extremely hungry Example: “Yo man, I’m marved! Can we get something to eat?”

Styll: Commonly used at the end of a sentence in order to provide emphasis. Can also be used to replace ‘though’ at the end of a sentence.

Example: “Mans out here are fine, styll.”

Wasteman/Waste yute: A person who is acting poorly, usually used to describe a male who is doing nothing with his life or makeing bad decisions.

Example: “He tried to ask me out, but we all know that ain’t going to happen — he’s such a wasteman!”

Cheesed: To be extremely mad, agitated, annoyed, or all three at the same time.

Example: “Man, I’m CHEESED! All the Raptors tickets are sold out.”

Mac ‘n Cheese Smackdown October 27 Willcocks Common

TESS KING/THE VARSITY

True: Used when you have nothing else to say, but it would sound dumb if you didn’t say anything at all.

Example: “I’m so in love with you, you’re the sun to my earth!”

“True, true.”

Fam/Fom: Used to address friends, family, and any other person with whom you truly identify.

Example: *After meeting someone who genuinely gets you* “I love you, fam.”

Reach: A command to an individual or group conveying that you would like them to join you on an endeavour.

Example: “Yo, we’re going to the club tonight. Reach.”

Sweetermans: A man who has a face that sculptors dream of, a voice that makes

you melt, and a style that makes modelling agencies yearn.

Example: “He's a sweeterman. I want him to have my children.”

Ting: Word used to describe anything — boy, girl, cat, event, you name it. Never your parents though; that would be rude.

Example: “Yo, I have this ting tomorrow.

Wanna reach? There’ll be sweetermans.”

Bare: Used to explain when there is an excess of something.

Example: “There are bare wastemans at the party.”

Gyaldem/Mandem: Synonymous with fam/fom.

Example: “It's a blessed day hanging with the gyaldem.”

UC Lit and Follies present: The Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadowcast November 2 Hart House

The Varsity Views: A new film club starting Tuesday, October 25 at 8:00 pm, in our office at 21 Sussex Avenue, with a focus on films that push the limits of traditional fiction and non-fiction genres.

OCTOBER 24, 2016 • 13

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Ink through the mesh Toronto’s printmaking artists continue to carve, cut, and press in the digital age

Print will never die. STEPHANIE XU/THE VARSITY Eduardo Montero Varsity Contributor

The surge of the digital age has inspired new and exciting media in the visual arts.

They allow almost everyone with an iPad to become a painter. In some cases, this is not always a gain. Inventions like the inkjet printer strip away the act of printing from the artist and phase out individually printed images that have unique character.

One discipline in particular, however, continues to undermine modernization and accessibility: printmaking. In Toronto, local

artists and establishments are keeping the craft alive by embracing the old techniques and paying homage to its history in today’s lithium-powered world.

Printmaking encompasses various methods of transferring designs onto a surface.

Etching, woodblock, lithographs, and screen printing are some of the most common methods of traditional printmaking. In the mid 2000s, screen printing gained popularity in Toronto.

Michael Viglione, owner of Kid Icarus Print and Gift Shop in Kensington Market, commented on his own experience: “I have

a printmaking background and I actually switched from the digital world into screen printing because it’s a lot more visceral [and] tactile,” he said. “We are actually mixing colours by eye, and we’re relaying them on the screen, we’re forcing ink through a mesh, and there’s a lot of nice feelings with that.”

Kid Icarus started solely as a screen printing shop in 1999 and featured their retail space in 2007. They have become a popular attraction in the neighbourhood by selling work from their own studio and pieces from Canadian artists. They offer screen printing workshops and materials, and notably, they sell accessible, artisanal posters that can bring to life any bland dorm room wall.

Much of their merchandise focuses on the hands-on nature of the craft, with handmade banners celebrating Canadian culture, musicians, and events, such as the Polaris Music Festival.

“A lot of bands are back in picking [screen printing] up as a form of advertisement,” commented Viglione, “as a form of having merch.”

Another notable establishment is Open Studio. Located on Richmond Street, it has served as a contemporary printmaking hub for four decades. It hosts exhibitions, courses, events, workshops, and scholarships for aspiring printmaking artists.

Open Studio pioneered the discipline in the early 1970s and 1980s, when printmaking become popular in Toronto; it has since remained a firm supporter of the craft.

Chair of the Board of Directors Lee Petrie is a U of T alumni, having completed a Master’s degree in Museum Studies at U of T and one in Art History at Queen’s University. The gallery makes a point of frequently hosting Toronto-based printers, like Amy Uyeda and

Anne Abbas, who both have exhibitions being featured this October.

Other local printmakers focus on printing on cloth, showcasing their artworks on tshirts and wearable accessories. Sugarbomb, a studio in Wiltshire Avenue, uses screen printing and heat transfer vinyl to print custom designs. Hardboiled in Kensington Market has a similar business model, focusing on screen printing and embroidery in apparel.

Artist duo Sustai Ulanbaagen and Tian Yu, owners of Horse Fiddle Press in the Distillery District, express themselves through woodblock printmaking and use shirts and tote bags as canvases for their East Asianinspired designs.

The computer age has not been all bad, however. Businesses and artisans have their own websites where they can market their products and studios. In the case of Horse Fiddle Press, they are completely web-based, using Etsy and Instagram for marketing.

In a way, new technologies help expose more people to the craft. YouTube is filled with endless tutorials on how to screen print, how to carve woodblocks and linoleum blocks, and other similar techniques.

Khan Academy, a producer of short online lectures, has introductory lessons on different styles of printmaking under their Art History section. Despite being the very thing that lead to its decline, the digital age is also working to keep old-school printmaking alive.

Viglione offered one last piece of advice for students looking to get into the printmaking world: “Just grab some materials, jump on YouTube, figure it out... It’s a matter of taking the initiative to go out and try it.”

Mystical Landscapes comes to the AGO The exhibit will feature Van Gogh, Carr, Jansson, and more Corals Zheng Varsity Staff

In partnership with the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) brings some truly iconic pieces by the likes of Vincent Van Gogh, Emily Carr, and Eugene Jansson with Mystical Landscapes: Masterpieces from Monet, Van Gogh and more. The exhibition explores the mystical experiences of 36 artists from 15 countries, and it runs from October 22, 2016 to January 29, 2017.

This is the first time that some of these beloved works have come to Toronto. Some are so rare that they have seldom been shown outside of their home country, while others are considered ‘precious’ and have intentionally been kept obscure. The collection draws on pieces across multiple aesthetics, times, and regions, incorporating notable Canadian works in a global context that spans from 1880–1930.

Mystical Landscapes explores a form of mysticism that was in opposition to the stagnancy of traditional religion. The collection captures the artists’ unmediated spiritual journey, expressed through physical landscapes, depictions of meditative silences, and the cosmos.

Thematically organized, one walks along-

side the artists — a stroll through the ‘sacred wood’ is designed to mirror the life journey of the individual. Beginning with works of Paul Gauguin, the triptych “Vision after the Sermon”, “Yellow Christ”, and “Christ in the Garden of Olives” — the first time the pieces are reunited — stands as an altar before the gate of the exhibition. The last piece before the bend is Van Gogh’s “The Olive Trees” — an alternative to Gauguin’s “Christ in the Garden of Olive”, as it depicts the solitude of an olive grove.

In the ‘contemplative’ section, one sits before Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies”, which alludes to the flower sermon of the Buddha and the Buddhist principles of enlightenment.

The individual is surrounded by pieces that capture the artists’ unity with nature.

In the ‘nocturne’ section, Jansson’s “Blue Views of Stockholm” is present. A national treasure produced during World War I that rarely leaves Sweden, it is a silence in contemplative dusk, eliciting divine visions that links the viewer from a liminal phase to the dark regions of the soul.

Drawn away from the bleakness, wilderness comes, as seen through the lens of Canadian painters like Tom Thompson. It ends with Edvard Munch’s “The Sun”, depicting an explosion over the sea.

The last room in the exhibit is shrouded in darkness with the cosmos contained; a hopeful note on the future of today’s expanding universe, highlighted appropriately by Van Gogh’s “Starry Night Over the Rhone at Arles.”

The exhibition is an argument against convention, offering instead an alternative interpretation of spiritual journey. It spans across cultural contexts to create a holistic narrative through conduits, begging the viewer to walk, sit, and think with this grander artist collective.

Vincent Van Gogh

Starry Night over the Rhone at Arles 1888 Oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm Collection of musée d’orsay Image courtesy the Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France/ Bridgeman Images

Science

October 24, 2016 var.st/science science@thevarsity.ca

Government must support both science and its innovations A student’s opinion on striking the right balance between fundamental science and technological applications

Are science and innovation separate pursuits?

Andrew Kidd Varsity Contributor

How can we support both fundamental scientific research and innovative technology applications in Canada? The federal government is launching a Fundamental Science Review to examine Canada’s research ecosystem in comparison to other countries and determine how the government should fund and support fundamental and applied scientific research. This has sparked a national discussion of scientific priorities.

University of Toronto Professor John Polanyi, a Nobel laureate in the Department of Chemistry, joined this debate with an article in The Globe and Mail, arguing that Canada should separate its mechanisms for funding fundamental science and its applications, which the government presents euphemistically as “innovation.” In his opinion, the current system denies the fundamental scientist “the freedom to make discoveries,” while preventing the innovator from “focus[ing] on the market place.”

Polanyi is correct: the federal government’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council has been pouring money into research performed with industrial partners. It has focused on immediate applications, more than doubling its expenditures on ‘Innovation and Research Partnerships’ from 2012 to 2016, while its expenditures on fundamental research have remained flat over the same time period.

Professor Jun Nogami, chair of the University of Toronto’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, agrees with Polanyi’s criticism of this system, describing the tension between industrial partners and fundamental researchers: “Industry is really only interested in things that are going to be on the street within two or three years,” while for fundamental research, “that timeline might be more like 10 to 20 years.”

This conflict is not new. When the British physicist Michael Faraday was questioned by a government official about the utility of his electricity research, he famously dismissed the question by retorting, “One day, Sir, you may tax it!” Faraday could not predict the im-

US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE/CC FLICKR

pact both his research and electricity would eventually have, other than a vague promise of future revenue for the government treasury, but an industrial partner would have required almost immediate returns. Luckily, Faraday’s research was not impeded by such requirements, and society relies on his results to a tremendous degree.

It may appear that the solution to this problem is trivial — fund science and innovation separately and all will be well. This approach, however, would ignore both scientific and political requirements, which require a unified approach to supporting science and innovation.

Fundamental science and its applications in technology drive each other forward. As an example, when Polanyi won his Nobel Prize in Chemistry, he met the physics laureates whose fundamental research led directly to the invention of scanning tunnelling microscopes, which are able to detect objects as small as individual atoms. Polanyi soon acquired several of these microscopes, which allowed him to directly observe reactions of particles. This technological development has enabled much of his research, showing that fundamental science both creates and relies on technological innovation.

Pierre Savard, a Professor in U of T’s Department of Physics and a veteran of the European Organization describes this relationship as a “feedback loop.” His work on particle accelerators has led to technology like televisions’ cathode ray tubes and, in turn, new pathways of exploration within

particle physics have been opened by technological developments that enable greater precision in measurements. The experience of both professors shows that in laboratories, it is impossible to isolate the fundamental science and its applications, and thus, the government cannot separate the two in its funding process.

In the political arena, purely fundamental research is often seen as unnecessary and a waste of public funds. Nogami describes funding for projects devoted solely to fundamental science as being viewed as a political “luxury” we can rarely afford in Canada. Few governments seem prepared to spend the political capital required to defend research into seemingly-esoteric disciplines, such as highenergy particle physics or string theory. For this research to be politically feasible, Professor Savard argues: “It makes sense to really encourage the people you fund to... think about ways [their] research could be useful.”

Scientists demanded the ability to share their research data, which led directly to the invention of the World Wide Web. String theory researchers developed mathematical insights that have applications in the science of data transmission, which is the foundation of modern communication systems.

Even in these rather abstract fields of study, researchers can gain understanding transferable to everyday problems. Government support of science must encourage these connections between fundamental research and technological applications to accommodate the political reality.

The reasons behind this political indefensibility of fundamental science research in Canada remain unclear. Amongst scientists, Savard believes that there exists a shared approach of “questioning things, rational thinking, and just curiosity.” Penney Gilbert of U of T’s Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering agrees, arguing that “as basic researchers, what we’re driven by and what wakes us up in the morning is asking questions, having hypotheses, and answering them.” The first director of the American Fermilab shared this view, explaining to Congress that while fundamental science rarely contributes to defense of a country, its intrinsic value “makes our country worth defending.”

However, Savard points out that public attitudes towards fundamental science vary greatly from country to country: “Some nations that are more left-leaning, they will tend to just view the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake as something you don’t even question… It’s much harder to get the same feeling in the US, for instance.”

Politics and science alike dictate an integrated approach to supporting science and innovation. Whether researchers should be encouraged to consider potential applications without tying them to the accelerated timelines of industry is the most interesting question facing the government’s review. Opposite to this idea is why the Canadian public is reluctant to accept scientists’ belief in the intrinsic value of scientific research.

OCTOBER 24, 2016 • 15

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Bigger is better

Science Around Town

U of T study reveals that worms with giant sperm do better

WISE x Intel/Altera: Interview & Resume Workshop U of T WISE chapter and Alterna are hosting a workshop for those interested in improving their interview skills, followed by a one-on-one training session with a software industry professional and a chance to get their resume revised.

Date: Monday, October 24 Time: 5:00–7:30 pm Location: Altera Office, 150 Bloor Street West Room: 600 Admission: Free with registration Please note that to register for any one-on-one session, you have to pay a refundable $15.00 deposit that will directly be returned through Eventbrite when you check in.

Dementia 101 Hosted by U of T’s Organizational Development and Learning Centre, the workshop aims to provide deeper understanding of current diagnosis and medications for Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition.

MIRKA LOISELLE/THE VARSITY

Hannah Fung Associate Science Editor

Reproduction is one of the most important processes in biology: it ensures the persistence of species and, on a smaller scale, the transmission of an individual’s genetic material to the next generation. It isn’t surprising then that populations have evolved various traits to improve their chances of reproducing.

Male peacocks maintain showy tails, while male scorpionflies present dead insects to their mates as gifts. For some roundworms in the genus Caenorhabditis, males with giant sperm do best in reproduction.

According to a study by University of Toronto researchers Asher Cutter and Jeremy Gray and their colleagues at the University of Nice, sperm gigantism has evolved independently in multiple roundworm lineages. This suggests that giant sperm are adaptive. Individuals with giant sperm produce more offspring than those with smaller sperm.

These sperm cells have pseudopods or ‘false feet’ that allow them to move along the female reproductive tract. The bigger the sperm, the faster they move, and the more likely they are to fertilize eggs in a competitive setting. In some species, a sperm cell can comprise up to a quarter of a worm’s body.

Cutter, an Associate Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, explained, “We think that the differences in sperm size among species is the outcome of a special type of natural selection in which competition between the sperm cells of different males has led to the evolution of cell size differently in different species. These species differences are likely to reflect [differences] in the details of the ‘rules of mating’ in the species.”

These ‘rules of mating’ have given rise to two distinct strategies: produce a few large sperm or many smaller sperm cells. The relative importance of sperm size and number might depend on whether male reproduction is constrained by mate availability or by fertilization success.

“The idea is that in large populations of millions of animals... males can maximize their reproductive success by mating with as many females as possible, which means making as many sperm as fast as possible, even if they are a bit small,” said Cutter. “In those tiny isolated populations, however, this strategy won’t work: there just aren’t enough females. So we think that in these small mating groups, what gives a male a reproductive advantage is maximizing the fertilization success in a given female, which would lead to especially strong sperm competition. Larger amoeboid sperm of these

species are more competitive and better able to fertilize an egg compared to smaller sperm.”

Remarkably, sperm size is highly variable within an individual. “We are less sure of what is the cause, but one hypothesis is that developmental control of size is noisy as the gonad tries to both make large sperm and to make them fast,” said Cutter.

Caenorhabditis worms in particular are great model organisms for sperm competition. Their skin is transparent, allowing researchers to fluorescently label sperm and egg cells and watch them interact in real time.

“As an evolutionary biologist, I am fascinated by how different organisms can accomplish that same goal to make babies in so many different ways with so many different kinds of flair,” said Cutter.

He added, “You can also make the practical argument that understanding how gamete cells interact is another way that cells communicate. Understanding cell communication is really a crucial and a fundamental part of the signalling between many kinds of cells, the breakdown of which is key in human problems like infertility and more generally in many cancers and autoimmune disorders.”

So is bigger always better? As in many problems in biology, it all depends on context.

Date: Tuesday, October 25 Time: 12:00–1:30 pm Location: Organizational Development and Learning Centre, 215 Huron Street Room: 626 Admission: Free with registration Medical Device Prototyping Strategy Sunnybrook Research Institute presents a lecture on all the how-tos for prototyping your next medical device — from case studies, rules, and regulations to testing and evaluations.

Guest speakers include Joel Ironstone, President of medical consulting firm IPD, and Veso Tijanic, COOO at Thornhill Research Inc. Date: Wednesday, October 26 Time: 5:00–6:00 pm Location: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Avenue Room: EG61, McLaughlin Lecture Theatre Admission: Free with registration Open Access Week Webinar During Open Access Week, OOO Canada Research Network presents a webinar on how to use open systems.

Learn how to join this growing research network and currently available open systems where you can share your research. You should RSVP online ASAP. Date: Thursday, October 27 Time: 12:30–1:30 pm Location: Online Admission: RSVP online

16 • THE VARSITY • SCIENCE

science@thevarsity.ca

No place like home U of T researchers investigate the Return Trip effect Farah Badr Varsity Contributor

Dr. Sam Maglio, Assistant Professor of Marketing at UTSC, and Cherrie Kwok, undergraduate student, have recently delved into the science behind the curious yet universally familiar sensation: the return trip effect.

The phenomenon dictates that outbound trips away from home or other strongly familiar places feel longer than inbound trips with home as the final destination, even if that is physically not the case.

Maglio hypothesized that the uncertainty and ambiguity associated with outbound trips is the culprit behind this effect and sought to investigate it. “The return trip phenomenon has a lot to it, a lot of moving parts that cause outbound trips to feel longer than inbound trips. Your trip home ends sooner because what counts as being home might include being on your street, or getting off of the highway at your exit,” Maglio explained.

Three studies were designed to look into this effect. The first involved asking online subjects sorted in two groups to envision a trip to a friend-hosted party at a favourite restaurant. The two groups were respectively informed that they either knew or did not know information about the event; for example, the food served or the people attending.

In the second study, subjects watched a seven-minute video made by the researchers depicting a car trip in first person. One group was told to imagine that the trip is from school to home, where an unknown lady was awaiting them. The second group was told to imagine that the lady was their aunt.

MARLON MORTILLA/THE VARSITY

The final study directed the recruited subjects to a room only to be then escorted by the researchers to a second room where they were expected to complete a mundane ‘pseudo-test.’ One group was aware of the task awaiting them, while the other group was oblivious.

In all three studies, the subjects were protected from ‘time telling’ cues, and were later asked to report the time their ‘envisioned’ or ‘actual’ trips took. The groups expecting undefined circumstances — a surprise party, a strange lady, and a mystery test — reported the journeys to be longer than the other groups.

During a pilot study, the researchers interestingly noted that subjects with predictable domestic lives experienced the return trip effect more strongly. Maglio thinks that this suggests that uncertainty doesn’t just impact time perception of single-shot trips, but it also seems to have an effect at a recurring, everyday level.

“I think that the most big-picture contribution here is showcasing that our perception of time is impacted by a wider array of factors than previously understood,” Maglio said. He also emphasized that his study’s methodology differed from commonly ad-

opted methods in the field of time perception: “In most of the research… you expose people to something in the present moment, like looking at a happy face or listening to an annoying sound, and then ask them how long that present moment felt. Here, we weren’t really doing anything to the present but, instead, were creating variation in the future.”

Maglio believes that any kind of time, not just travel time, should respond similarly to uncertainty. “Say your favorite season is fall, and you really want to savor every day of this perfectly pleasant fall week before the weather starts to get colder. Buy a lottery ticket for next week’s drawing. The $2 might be a small price to pay for building some uncertainty into your life in a way that should make time slow down, even if just a little bit.”

He also expressed that what we know about time perception should be actively incorporated into the marketing strategies of companies, namely surprise in-store promotions. “This uncertainty may drive more traffic to the store… But, based on our results, we’d predict a potentially negative side-effect: The trip to the store for the promotion would probably feel long. So the next time a customer is debating whether to go back, they might just go to a smaller shop around the corner because the last trip is remembered as being especially long.

In the future, the team hopes to explore the effect of uncertainty on risk-taking behaviour and recollection of past events.

They also aim to investigate whether these responses can be tracked by looking at heart rate changes, or even attributed to particular biological processes.

Inherently geeky?

U of T researchers disprove the ‘geek gene hypothesis’ Nicole Sciuli Varsity Contributor

For some students, there is pressure to be at the top of their classes. This stress can come from parents, peers, or personal expectations. Final grades seem to follow a certain pattern that measure various students’ performances. What if grade distributions are not a common trend though, but instead they are a common belief that has not been adequately tested?

U of T researchers Elizabeth Patitsas, Jesse Berlin, Michelle Craig, and Steve Easterbrook have disproved the ongoing myth that computer science grades are bimodal. They also found through a psychology test done on Computer Science (CS) instructors that the cause of this myth is the ongoing belief of the ‘geek gene hypothesis.’

In the computer science community, there is a belief that final CS grades have a bimodal distribution. A bimodal distribution means that more than one set of grades occur the most. Hence, a bimodal graph would show two ‘modes’ indicating the most common range of grades — for example, students who got an ‘A’ and those who got a ‘C.’ The geek gene hypothesis describes those students who have the ‘natural talent’ to program, explaining the mode centred around

higher grades. However, Elizabeth Patitsas notes that “[The study’s] findings support existing literature that CS students cannot be simply categorized into those who ‘get it’ and those who don’t. Instead, most students are somewhere in the middle: they get some things but not all things.”

Patitsas’ research on bimodality broke down into two studies: the first study tested for multimodality in University of British Columbia (UBC) CS grades. The second study was a psychology test done on CS instructors to see if the geek gene hypothesis influenced their ideas on bimodal grades.

In the first study, Patitsas and associates did a statistical analysis of 778 CS lecture’s final grades from UBC collected over 18 years.

They found that only 5.8 per cent of the distributions were multimodal. The rest of the distributions were normal with some skew.

Now that the researchers proved that bimodality was not a common distribution, they wanted to find the source of this belief.

Patitsas and associates did a psychology test on 60 CS instructors to observe if the geek gene hypothesis affected their ideas on bimodal grades.

They separated the instructors into two groups. Treatment 0 was not primed to think about bimodality in grades. They had to categorize 6 ambiguous distributions, in-

cluding normal, skewed, bimodal, etc. Treatment 1 was primed to think about the geek gene hypothesis. The researchers asked the instructors about the geek gene hypothesis before the experiment and then the instructors categorized the distributions.

The results showed that for Treatment 0, there was a significant relationship between instructors interpreting the ambiguous graphs as bimodal and the participant’s responses to geek gene hypothesis questions.

There was also a stronger relationship for Treatment 1 over Treatment 0 for academic success and bimodality.

According to Patitsas, it was “found that confirmation bias and the geek gene hypothesis” plays a role in the bimodality belief, because the instructors whose beliefs consisted with the geek gene hypothesis were more likely to label the ambiguous histograms as bimodal.

This research provides insight for what needs to change in the CS community. The article notes that the geek gene hypothesis is popular because it is used as a social defense. As an instructor lives out their career, their faith in their teaching abilities fluctuates. According to the article, a teacher with high self-efficacy who sees poor performance believes the problems lay within the students themselves, rather than their teaching abili-

ties. They may subconsciously use the geek gene theory to rationalize the performance and therefore use that as the reason for bimodal grade distribution.

The bimodal distribution has not only been disproved but is an ineffective belief if CS instructors wish to improve students’ marks. There should be an emphasis on improving curricula.

“Disproving the geek gene is important for CS education. It means that education can make a difference to our students. It means instructors can’t simply write off the students they think ‘don’t get it,’” states Patitsas.

“If CS educators think of their job to help the average student — rather than simply the students who magically ‘get it’ — they will have more motivation to switch to effective instructional methods like peer instruction,” notes Patitsas. This can be done through smaller tutorials and labs for students to get more one-on-one help.

Overall, Patitsas and associates have not only disproved the bimodality belief but have also proved that the geek gene hypothesis should not be a factor for how instructors judge their final grades. The CS program as a whole must take steps to suit the curriculum to the students needs so the ‘have it’ versus ‘don’t have it’ mentality can die out.

OCTOBER 24, 2016 • 17

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Their story

Getting the job can be as difficult as rocket science

Natalie Panek defied failure and persisted to become the rocket scientist she is today Ramana Trivedi Varsity Contributor

Their Story is a recurring column that highlights the stories of successful scientists and science graduates in the Toronto area, in the hopes of showing students the diverse paths that paragons of success may take.

“Dare to achieve the impossible. Just put yourself out there and see what happens,” said Natalie Panek, who lives by these words.

When Panek first applied to NASA for an internship at the Goddard Space Flight Center, she was rejected. So she applied again. She was rejected again. In total, Panek was rejected by NASA four times. However, true to her philosophy, Panek’s failure didn’t deter her.

“I am a big believer in that you only live once so you might as well do it right, and I don’t want any regrets. And, for me, not applying again would have been a big regret. I mean the worst that can happen is they say no and the best that can happen is I end up with the internship position of my dreams,” Panek explained.

After her fourth rejection, Panek called NASA to receive feedback on her application and over the course of her conversation, she was offered the internship she wanted.

As she shared this story, Panek emphasized the importance of talking about failure. “I think it is really important that we share these stories of failure and perseverance because life isn’t always easy, and people have many challenges and obstacles to overcome.”

Today, Panek is one of the most successful and powerful Canadian women in science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). She works at MDA Corporation as a rocket scientist, has driven a solar-powered car across North America and has contributed to the European Space Agency’s 2018 ExoMars Project. Her longterm aim is to become an astronaut. Despite her success, however, Panek relates strongly to students who are uncertain about the path that they should take.

“I didn’t know what to study in university and I didn’t really know what engineering was.” Speaking from her experience, Panek strongly advises students today to take advantage of the opportunities available to learn more about their chosen fields. “If there is someone that inspires you or that you find really interesting, don’t be afraid to email them or ask them if you could take them for a cup of coffee. The worst thing they can say is no and the best thing is you get to have a great conversation with someone for an hour who might give you a new perspective on your education or your career and what your passions are,” she stated.

In an effort to help young women like herself aspiring to pursue STEM fields, Panek maintains a website called The Panek Room, where she discusses her career path and fields questions from students. As she put it, “I kind of had this eureka moment that if [I created] a space where young women could reach out to me, [then] I could help answer some of their questions I found so difficult to find on my own 10 years ago.”

Panek’s journey to becoming a rocket scientist began early in her childhood. She recalls “growing up in Alberta, in the outdoors and spending so much time camping and star gazing. [I had a] love of watching

sci-fi with my mom and seeing these amazing characters exploring other worlds on a weekly basis through TV, and I think that was a perfect recipe for this longterm dream of space travel.”

Panek advised students to be comfortable with taking a unique path off the beaten track: “As you go through your studies… your goals might shift, your passions might shift... because you are learning about yourself and you are pushing your limits and your capabilities.

You can’t really pick a wrong path, just different paths that will give you different stories to tell along the way with different experiences and lessons learned.”

She continued, “I think people often don’t realize that I am still just trying to figure things out. Even though I have this long term goal to be an astronaut, I don’t know how I am going to get there. I have never known. It is kind of been an open ended book and you just go down a path and hope it works out.”

Panek firmly stated that she has absolutely no regrets: “I think, whatever you choose to do, it builds character, builds resilience, and teaches you something in some way, and that all adds up to make you who you are.”

As a mechanical engineering student, Panek had the opportunity to help build and drive a solar-powered car across North America.

The competition gave her useful experience in aerospace engineering and allowed her to “participate in [a] real world project working with a team, figuring out how to make a product and put it out in a real world.” Panek credits her most valuable experiences as being those that involve “hands-on learning, building, tinkering, getting your hands dirty, [and]

ALL OUT NOV 2 Demand a better future.

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(Free) Breakfast at Sidney Smith Rally at Sidney Smith March at Convocation Hall Queen’s Park

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PHOTO COURTESY OF NATALIE PANEK

Natalie Panek is a rocket scientist and an aspiring astronaut. figuring out how things break to understand how they work.”

Panek emphasized the importance of doing what you love and finding balance. For her, that means earning a pilot’s license, travelling the world, and playing competitive ultimate frisbee. “It is hard finding time to fit in your passions outside of work but I feel that is the number one way to avoid getting burnt out.

Make sure you make time for what makes you really happy,” said Panek.

The Canadian Space Agency recently announced a recruitment campaign for astronauts and Panek has entered the application pool — looks like Panek’s career is just getting ready for lift off.

Sports

October 24, 2016 var.st/sports sports@thevarsity.ca

Toronto: not just a hockey town anymore

The recent success of the Blue Jays highlights growing sport diversity in the city

Daniel Samuel Varsity Columnist

Over the course of two successful seasons, and especially during the last three weeks, the Jays captivated the hearts of Torontonians and Canadians nationwide. Despite the best attempts by Toronto Maple Leafs rookies Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to draw the national spotlight to bear on the beginning of the Leafs’ centennial season, fans remained loyal to the Jays. They remained passionate until the end, even at the lowest of points, three games down and the odds stacked strongly in favour of the Cleveland Indians.

The Toronto Blue Jays almost accomplished the improbable: they were only three wins away from a World Series berth. The Jays’ playoff hopes were dashed in the five-game American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Indians.

After barely clinging to their Wild Card spot on the second to last day of the regular season, they weren’t expected to be anywhere near reaching the World Series.

Many experts predicted that the Jays would fall to the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Wild Card game. The experts were proven wrong when Edwin Encarnacion blasted a Ubaldo Jimenez fastball into the second deck of the Rogers Centre, with a Joe Carter-esque walkoff homer in the eleventh inning.

The Jays weren’t expected to beat the Texas Rangers either, who were far and away the best team in the

American League with a 95–67 record. But the Jays didn’t even blink against the Rangers, smashing a ridiculous nine homers, culminating in a series sweep and a classic Josh Donaldson moment, when he slid head-first across home to send the Jays to the ALCS. Along the way, millions of Canadians joined the Jays bandwagon, celebrating the nation’s team and even getting the chance to cheer on Canadians Russell Martin and Michael Saunders.

U of T Kinesiology Professor John Cairney, author of Immaculate: A History of Perfect Innings in Baseball, has several ideas behind what’s made the team so popular. He says, “The simple answer is they are winning. But I actually believe the popularity of the Blue Jays (and the Raptors for that matter) reflects the growing diversity of interest in sport in our society right now.”

The Jays now head into the offseason after having reached a record high in popularity, the likes of which have not been seen since their title years in the mid 1990s. The popularity is especially impressive considering that the average age of baseball viewers is 55. Cairney believes that Canada is defying baseball’s average age of viewership because of an increase in youth participation, adding that the Jays’ success also serves as a “contributing factor.”

The increase in youth participation has many factors independent of the Jays recent success. Cairney mentions a few: “I think parents are also

SEAN SMITH/THE VARSITY

Interest in professional sport in Toronto is rapidly becoming more diverse. concerned about injuries [in other sports]. And the cost of sports like hockey make it prohibitive for some families to participate. If you [have] a ball, a bat and glove, you can play ball. Playing the game helps build interest in it.”

The current popularity of the Jays may signify a cultural change for professional sports in Toronto. “I believe that as the demographics of our populations continue to change, coupled with so many more options

for sport participation and for spectatorship available, we may indeed see a time in the not distant future where the Maple Leafs and hockey in general, is not the only ‘national’ sport. One has only to look at the TV numbers to see this already beginning to happen,” says Cairney.

After a long winter frost, baseball will return again to Toronto in April.

While the team may look different — it is uncertain whether Jose Bautista or Encarnacion will return — the

Jays’ place as Canada’s team is likely to remain the same. The Jays will retain their starting pitching staff, and they are in a position to afford one of the highest payrolls in the league, so it is likely that they will compete again for a trip to the World Series and their third championship.

The immediate future of Toronto’s professional sports teams may be uncertain, but one thing seems for sure: Toronto is no longer just a hockey town.

Hockey returns and the Leafs may actually be good A snapshot of the 2016–2017 NHL season Raghad A.K. Varsity Contributor

The 2016–2017 NHL regular season started October 12 to the excitement of hockey fans across the nation. With all of the roster moves having taken place during the off-season, fans will be watching in anticipation to see how their new teams will fare this year.

Last year’s Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, have former Maple Leaf Phil Kessel and Canadian Sidney Crosby leading the charge. Despite the fact that Crosby has not played since the start of the regular season due to a concussion and even though its uncertain when he will return to the starting lineup, the Penguins are still an early favourite to contend for the cup this year.

Leafs fans are expecting to see a completely different performance from their team this season. The Leafs underwent significant changes during the off-season, including trading both of their goalies James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier. The Leafs played their first game of the regular season on October 12 against the Ottawa Senators. Despite losing the game in overtime 5–4, the game offered fans a hopeful look at what’s to come.

Auston Matthews, who was drafted first overall by the Leafs this year, scored four goals in his

NHL debut. His stellar performance set an example for his teammates and a high bar for the other rookies.

The Leafs hosted the Boston Bruins at the Air Canada Centre on October 15 for their home opener, this time finishing with a high-scoring 4–1 game in their favour. Mitch Marner, another of the bright Leafs prospects, scored his first NHL goal and new Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen picked up his first win.

The Leafs scored four goals again in their third game but came up empty, losing 5–4 to the Winnipeg Jets in overtime. Nazem Kadri scored two goals and William Nylander scored his first goal of the season. While the Leafs have performed well offensively, they need to tighten up their defense. Still, it is hard not to be optimistic when the team totalled 12 goals in their first three games.

On the other side of the country, the Vancouver Canucks have had a fantastic start to the season, winning their first four games in a row.

Even though it is only the start of the regular season, and it may be too early to predict which teams have a chance of making the playoffs, the Canucks have hit the ice with a bright start.

Regardless of whether the Canucks can keep winning or the Leafs can keep the puck out of their net, the season is shaping up to be exciting as the quest for the Stanley Cup begins.

Leafs are back on centre ice at the ACC. SUMAN CHAKRABARTI/CC FLICKR

OCTOBER 24, 2016 • 19

var.st/sports

An ugly impression of our city

Sport

A U of T student runs the length of Queen Street and back Sean Smith Sports Editor

The city is ugly. It is not without sporadic splashes of beauty, but for the most part and for those that run through it, the city is ugly.

Running long distances permits the runner an experience ‘with’ the city rather than an experience ‘of’ the city. Unlike travelling in vehicles, the runner is not contained away from their environment. Unlike a cyclist, the runner has time to form an impression of a neighbourhood before somehow seamlessly transitioning into the next. The sheer velocity of cycling inhibits this experience; in the time it takes to form an impression, the cyclist rapidly leaves behind the context within which an impression would have been relevant.

In preparation for a road race, the runner decided to traverse the entirety of Queen Street and back. Purposefully running the length of an entire street allows the mind to compartmentalize the task in a way that just randomly running 28 kilometres doesn’t. With state of the art tech that lets you know how far you’ve run, a vibrating watch replaces a concrete turnaround point, and without a fixed point to turn around, the 14-kilometre halfway mark seems ethereal, and running towards the ethereal saps your strength.

Beginning in the east and heading west, towards downtown, then through it, and then on to where the city nearly meets its westernmost border, the runner is infused with a profusion of sights and smells, unique shops, and in some special cases several iterations of the same shop.

The most obvious division between neighbourhoods is their relative wealth. The runner passes through government subsidized housing

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U of T Varsity Blues volleyball With home court advantage, the U of T men’s and women’s volleyball teams will kick off the first matches of their OUA seasons against the Ryerson Rams.

Women’s Date: October 28 Time: 6:00 pm Location: Goldring Centre Kimel Field House Cost: Free DUNCAN RAWLINSON/CC FLICKR

A look out over Toronto’s Union Station; it’s not actually the city’s architecture that is ugly. while coming ever closer to the vast pillars of rigidly defined, sharp angled buildings of gold tinted glass: a perpendicular effort to vertically distance the wealthy from those who are too poor — those that must live close to the ground.

Passing through and then beyond the core of the city, with the oversized rectangles temporarily out of sight, it takes longer for the money to run out in the west than it did in the east. It takes a few kilometres of road for the beautiful, aged buildings to lean towards dereliction, rather than standing stable and proud and gated away from the public.

The people on the streets often reflect the lack of stability that the surrounding buildings often exhibit. Beyond the confines of colossal

steel spires is a territory marked by a greater police presence; there is an increase in especially young mothers and unemployed people, or at the very least, there is an increase in workday afternoon drunkenness.

There is a massive social disparity between the opulent towers that the runner passed under not too long ago and the derelict buildings and dispossessed people who so badly need the funds that instead will be used for erecting the next monument to the prospect of the wealthy owning yet another home.

The city’s ugliness is not due to a lack of aesthetic value; it is due to its all-too-evident social discord. Just go for a run — you can’t help but to see it.

Toronto FC makes the playoffs second year in a row Despite poor form, TFC retains home field advantage

Men’s Date: October 28 Time: 8:00 pm Location: Goldring Centre Kimel Field House Cost: Free Drop-in indoor jogging If the recent dreary weather has been disruptive to your outdoor running routine, you can always pop by the Athletic Centre to take a crack at their indoor track.

Date: October 15 to November 11 Time: Weekdays, 7:00 am to 11:00 pm Weekends, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Location: Athletic Centre Cost: Free MoveU Scary Skate If you thought the Zombie Skate event delivered thrills and chills, wait until you see what this “SPOOKTACULAR” event has in store! Don your ‘best costume’ in order to win a prize, grab a bunch of your friends, and be sure to walk with a non-perishable food item to receive a special gift.

Date: October 31 Time: 7:00–8:30 pm Location: Varsity Centre Cost: Free Hockey Hall of Fame Toronto Maple Leafs Centennial Exhibit This special exhibit is a tribute that pays homage to 100 years of Toronto Maple Leafs by highlighting iconic moments, players, and artifacts.

Date: Until March 6, 2017 Time: Weekdays, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturdays, 9:30 am to 6:00 pm Sundays, 10:30 am to 5:00 pm Location: Hockey Hall of Fame Cost: $18.00

BMO Field will play host to TFC’s second ever playoff game. TORONTO FC/CC WIKIMEDIA Kieran McMurchy Varsity Contributor

Toronto FC’s (TFC) 2015 playoff appearance was a bright spot in the franchise’s largely disappointing history, and this year’s team is ready to take it to the next step.

During last year’s MLS playoffs, TFC lost to the Montreal Impact 3–0 in an anticlimactic ending to an otherwise exciting year — the first year in TFC history that they made the playoffs.

Fast forward nearly a year from that October 29 defeat and TFC finds themselves in a

very different situation. This season, TFC is an Eastern Conference powerhouse. They’ve scored 51 goals, while conceding only 39. The team’s improved defensive play this year has resulted in them finishing in the top three of their division for the first time.

TFC has been in poor form leading up to the playoffs; they have conceded 10 goals in their last six games. But as the saying goes: form is temporary, class is permanent. Hopefully for Toronto, that sentiment rings true and they can figure themselves out defensively to play the way they have for the majority of the year.

Going into the playoffs, the team will have home field advantage; with a 8–3–6 home record versus a 6–6–5 road record, some of that home cooking will do them well.

TFC also has two of the game’s best attacking talents: 2015 league MVP Sebastian Giovinco and USA International Jozy Altidore. Between the two of them, they have 26 goals and 19 assists this season. With this kind of talent and midfield lynchpin Michael Bradley, TFC’s captain, the team stands a good chance to do more than just improve upon last year’s performance.

Hart House Wizards’ Ball During this event, “every dim corner of Hart House will be illuminated with the sights and sounds of a wizard’s Halloween,” including other-worldly music by DJ Caff, duelling magicians, psychics, a Quidditch demonstration, and a photobooth. Tickets can be purchased online from UofTtix.

Date: October 28 Time: 8:30 pm to 1:00 am Location: Hart House Cost: $20.00

OCTOBER 24, 2016 • 20

DIVERSIONS

Varsity Publications

Board of Directors By-Election: Notice of Elections Varsity Publications is the not-for-profit corporation that publishes The Varsity newspaper. There are two (2) vacancies for general director seats and one (1) vacancy for the UTM director seat on the Corporation’s Board of Directors. A by-election to fill the vacant seats will be held online from October 31 to November 2, 2016.

Who can vote?

Any full-time U of T undergraduate who pays the Varsity Publications levy.

Elections information: Eligible students can vote for a candidate online at voting.utoronto.ca beginning on October 31 until November 2, 2016.

Candidates: UTM Director, one (1) seat — Christina Kefalas — Cassy Latchman General Director, two (2) seats — Mohamed Hammad — Aidan Harold

Voting period:

October 31 to November 2, 2016

MUBASHIR BAWEJA/THE VARSITY