First Year Package

Aug. 22 - Oct. 5 / V. 36, i. 01
THE
UNDERGROUND
T H E
UTSC’S OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION SINCE 1982
P A C K A G E
E S T . 1 9 8 2
T H E
T H E
P A C K A G E
E S T . 1 9 8 2
E S T . 1 9 8 2

We’re
Hiring
Distribution Team
We are looking for five (5) students for our distribution team. You will
work alongside our distribution manager to ensure that copies of the
magazine are being distributed to racks around campus. As a member
of the team, you are eligible to receive rewards through the Volunteer
Network Program dependent on the number of hours you collect and
an entry on your Co-Curricular Record (CCR). Volunteers are overseen
by the Distribution Manager and Operations Officer to allocate a
certain number of issues to delegated locations on campus.
Contributors
Anyone can contribute to The Underground. The process of writing for
us is simple; send a short message to editor@the-underground.ca with
the intent to join our writers list. Thereafter, evert month out content
and online editors will send out a list, or a sked, of article topics for you
to pick from. You don’t have to write for every issue - when you want
to write is completely up to you. You can reply back to those emails
and let the editor(s) know which topic you want to write about. If you
have an idea that you would like to pitch to a section, just email the
editor in question or cath them at our writers’ meeting. Our writers’
meeting are held 24 hours before skeds are sent out, so join us if you
would like the first pick at articles. All of the writers meeting dates are
listed under the Publication section on our website.
Responsibilities:
• Report number of magazines issues that are currently on stands
at the time of appointment and how many you placed on the
racks to the Distribution Manager
• Monitor the trend of magazine pick-ups for each cycle
• Follow up with additional allocation instructions
• Hand-distribute copies at scheduled times
Qualifications and Required Skills:
• Dedication is the biggest requirements we will not accept any
tardiness or false reports
• Must be cordial with other volunteers and staff
• Must be flexible at least one day a week
To apply please email a list of previous volunteering activities (with
dates) to distribution@the-undeground.ca
Contributor Policies
We are a student publication and so, like you, we too have other
deadlines and commitments to attend to. Please stick to the dates
prescribed by your editors. Regular delays in your submission will be
noted and in the case of frequent delays you will be placed under
review and your opportunity to contribute to the publication in the
future will be compromised. Additionally, if you fail to submit an
article, you will be placed under review.
Pick a topic you are interested in; don’t write for the sake of writing.
We provide plenty of opportunities for you to have a word with our
editors regarding your writing style, topic or any other grievances.
Our newly implemented draft check-in sessions should be utilized
to ensure your article is what we are looking for, prior to the final
submission date. If you do not use the services we offer yet still send in
weak articles, we reserve the right to not publish your work.
Please allow at least two business days for our editors to get back to
your inquiries, suggestions and comments.
Video Editor
Description:
• You will work alongside the section editors, the creative team,
online team and the editor-in-chief to create relevant videos
for campaigns, social media consumption or capture campus
events.
Requirements:
• Extensive knowledge of video editing software
• Extensive experience using a DSLR camera (Owning a DSLR
camera is an asset)
• Ability to create graphics if given a theme or idea
Application: Resume, cover letter and links/file submission/portfolio
of captured video footage.
To apply please email a list of previous volunteering activities (with
dates) to editor@the-undeground.ca
You may direct any outstanding questions to
editor@the-underground.ca.

ill
e
er
er
nd
n
CONTENTS
ds
NEWS
6 UTSC ON THE CHANGE
7 FOOD STRIKE STRIKE-OUT
8 INTRODUCING THE 2016-2017 SCSU
10 LOWERED FEES AND OTHER TUITION PLEAS
12 FINDING THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY AT UTSC
FEATURE
14 FINDING MOMENTS OF BALANCE
ARTS & LIFE
18 LOOKING BACK: ADVICE FROM FOURTH YEAR STUDENTS
20 WHY AM I TAKING THIS?
21 INSIDE THE IC BUILDING
22 THE UNROMANTICIZED REALITY OF SELF-CARE
,
SCIENCE & TECH
24 THE NEW ELEMENTS ON THE BLOCK
25 PHONES AS WINGMEN
26 THE GAME YOU’RE SICK OF HEARING ABOUT
28 SUSTAINABILITY CORNER
29 SCIENCE OF STRESS
30 EXPLORING THE ROUGE
SPORTS & HEALTH
32 #COMETOGETHER
io
OPINION
34 HEALTH AND WELLBEING

“THOSE WHO COULD
RELATE KNOW THE WORLD
AIN’T CAKE”
CONTACT
THE UNDERGROUND
1265 MILITARY TRAIL, ROOM SL-234
SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO M1C 1A4
(416) 287-7054
EDITOR@THE-UNDERGROUND.CA
ISSUE/
01
SEPT-
EMBER
Finding your space is important. While some of us have found a
space where we can be at peace with who and what we are, whether that
be in regards to our identities or even our program, there may be a longer
journey ahead for those who have not, and that’s ok. The beauty in finding
your space, especially how it relates to being a student at UTSC, is that
there are endless opportunities to find one to call your own.
If you’re understanding ‘space’ in its most literal terms, I get that.
Those of us who have attended UTSC know how difficult manifesting that
into a reality can be. Although there is no limit to how important a physical
space can be, here I am talking about space metaphorically. It took me a
while to find a space where I could really come into who I am at UTSC. For
me it was meeting regularly with a group of folks who reminded me that
you have to be mindful of how consuming the university experience could
be and to always be kind to yourself. This kind of connection has been
crucial to my success here, and I want to be sure that if you know anything,
it’s how important it is to find your connections too.
Community is crucial and it can be easy to think about university
as an overwhelmingly individualized space. Regardless if it’s the
institution’s intentions or not, the only way to truly get through your journey
unscathed is to build a system that will bring you up. That could be joining
a team, a club, going to campus events, visiting decompressing locations,
learning about new cultures, engaging with ones you are familiar with or
surrounding yourself with folk who understand you.
Without running the risk of sounding too cliché, this is a new leg
of your journey. I’ve never really been a fan of how blockbuster movies
present the university experience, because they never actually pan out
that way. You may switch majors multiple times, you may discover new
parts of yourself, and you may take longer than four years to graduate, and
that’s okay.
Be open to the possibilities that may await you, and that space
may be closer than you think.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SHARINE TAYLOR
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
ZARIN TASNIM
PHOTO EDITOR
NOOR AQIL
ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
NOUR AHMED
FINANCE OFFICER
TINA CHAN
OPERATIONS OFFICER
LINA SHIM
MAST--
HEAD
NEWS EDITOR
MARJAN ASADULLAH
GRAPHICS EDITOR
ELIZABETH LIU
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
MATTHEW “MIKO” DIAZ
SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR
KRISTINA DUKOSKI
PRODUCTION EDITOR
RACHEL CHIN
ADVERTISING MANAGER
AGRIN PARTOVYAN
MANAGING EDITOR
NANA FRIMPONG
COPY EDITORS
ASHLEEN GRANGE
ARANI MURUGESAPILLAI
STAFF WRITER
SAM NATALE
CONTRIBUTORS
MEGHAN BORGES, DEEPANA
DEVADAS, HALIMA FARAH,
DIANE HILL, SAMANTHA
MOORE, TAYLOR PAULITE,
SARAH SIDDIQI, SUMAIYA
ZAHOOR
ONLINE CONTENT EDITOR
REBECCA KOTOSIC
ONLINE PHOTO EDITOR
SADIAH RAHMAN
ONLINE GRAPHICS EDITOR
CHRISTINE LUM
WEB EDITOR
AKBER WAHID
DIGITAL CONTENT
STRATEGIST
ALLYSHA YUNG
COVER BY:
NOOR AQIL
RACHEL CHIN
BACK COVER BY:
NOOR AQIL
RACHEL CHIN
AUG. 22 2016
OCT. 6 2016
NOV. 3 2016
DEC. 1 2016
JAN. 5 2017
FEB. 2 2017
MAR. 2 2017
APR. 6 2017
FACEBOOK
THE UNDERGROUND AT UTSC
TWITTER
@UTSCUNDERGROUND
INSTAGRAM
@UTSCUNDERGROUND
LINKEDIN
THE UNDERGROUND AT UTSC
SNAPCHAT
@UTSCUNDERGROUND
FACEBOOK
HUMANSOFUTSC

6
NEWS
NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND
UtSC
on the Change
Marjan Asadullah,
News Editor
Currently, UTSC is under a $10
million renovation, turning the section of its
south campus, where the old gym and a few
classrooms were located, into the new social
science department.
Since the inception of the Pan Am
Athletic Center, just northwest of the main
campus, students have been afforded a
larger gym space with better equipment and
more leisure room. The new social science
department, said to be completed by the
spring of 2018, will also ensure that more students
have places to study and spend time
with their peers.
Other changes one can expect to
see at UTSC are expanded transit routes.
In a vlog post to the student body, Vice
President External Sitharsana Srithas, told
students that the new LRT extension will
provide students with a better quality TTC
experience. The LRT extension will begin at
Kennedy Station and then to UTSC, where
another subway extension from Kennedy
Station to Scarborough Town Centre will be
made available.
This new subway system is a victory
for students on this campus, particularly
for those that commute to and from school.
Look forward to some great improvements
to our campus, UTSC!
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

Food Strike Strike-Out:
Following Up on Food Issues at UTSC
Sam Natale,
Staff Writer
Picture this: You’ve just gotten out of
class and as you head down to the MarketPlace
to grab some food, you find that it’s closed. On
other occasions, you have forgone visiting the
MarketPlace because the price makes a larger
dent in your wallet than the food does in your
stomach. Either that, or you did not have a good
experience with the vendors on your previous
visit.
These experiences are familiar to
many UTSC students who are frustrated by the
price, portion size, hours, quality, and customer
service at food vendors in the MarketPlace, Student
Centre, and other locations around campus.
Third-year health studies and psychology
student Linh Tang expresses displeasure
with campus food saying, “Certain outlets on
campus are pretty pricey...Occasionally, I see
other employees who don’t work the usual station,
at which point my food is subpar or not as
good as usual, which is kind of upsetting when
I’m paying $6 - $12.”
Tang also says that she “really
dislike[s] hours on campus. [The] student centre
is pretty convenient but it’s pretty awful having
Subway as the only option on campus past 7
p.m.”
Jackie Wang, a third-year computer
science student, echoes the same sentiment
with vendor hours, but commends the food quality
saying, “If you’re hungry at night you’re going
to need to look elsewhere as the hours of operation
for these food plazas are terrible. The food
NEWS 7
NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND
quality here at UTSC is decent, nothing amazingly
special about it, but it will keep you full and
going throughout the day. Besides the food from
the MarketPlace, the portions and quality of food
are good for the price you pay.”
In March 2016, a few students created
a Facebook group called UTSC Food Strike to
address these issues and propose a boycott of
food options on campus. The strike never happened,
with students deciding to voice their concerns
through other means like UTSC’s Food
User Committee.
The current Vice President Operations
of SCSU Yasmin Rajabi explains that, “The Food
User Committee is composed of individuals who
manage and own the food options on campus as
well as administrative UTSC staff. The students
were able to share the results of their feedback
survey on food options on campus and express
their opinion on food options.”
“At this meeting,” Rajabi says, “we
struck a subcommittee called the Food User
Feedback Committee. We met at this body to
discuss the best way possible to receive feedback
on food options on campus and holding
vendors accountable.”
Now, several months after the initial
proposed boycott and the implementation of
the Food User Feedback Committee, what has
changed? As of yet, not much. Tang says that
during summers at UTSC, “if you want food
from the MarketPlace, you can only get it until 3
p.m...I’m on campus for way longer than 3 p.m.”
Both Tang and Wang say that they
would like to see longer hours for campus vendors,
with Tang also saying “more variety on
campus” would be ideal.
In response, Rajabi says that, “During
the summer, myself, as the VP Operations,
alongside the rest of the SCSU team have been
working hard to revamp Rex’s Den to meet student
needs. One of the biggest changes that
students wanted was cheaper food options. As
we are developing the completely new Rex’s
Den menu, we are striving to ensure everything
is as cheap as possible. We did have a small appetizer
menu out in the summer, but we will be
rolling out the whole new menu in September.”
She also mentions that, “Currently
the university, in conjunction with the SCSU and
students involved, are developing a Feedback
Campaign that will allow students to voice their
opinions on food options and ensure that vendors
are being held accountable to addressing
concerns.”
UTSC launched a feedback form online
a few months ago in which students could
provide feedback on the various vendors around
campus. As it stands now, however, students
can only provide feedback for Asian Gourmet.
As for a potential strike, Rajabi
“recommend[s] students explore all avenues,
and follow the campaign mobilization cycle before
jumping into a boycott, to ensure that an action
like it is successful.”
If students want to voice their opinions
on the food on campus or propose new services
that the SCSU can implement, you can request
to join the Food User Committee by emailing
Yasmin Rajabi at operations@scsu.ca.
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

8
NEWS
Introducing
the 2016-2017
Scarborough Campus
Student Union
Marjan Asadullah,
News Editor
The new school year comes with
lots of changes, including a new SCSU executive
team. If we think of the university as a human
body, the SCSU is the heart of the UTSC
campus. It is where you go with your questions,
comments, or concerns. The SCSU is the only
representative of the student body at UTSC, advocating
on behalf of almost 11,000 undergraduate
students on campus.
The SCSU not only represents the student
body, they also manage many of the events
and services students can enjoy throughout the
year. Some of these events include, but are not
limited to, Orientation (also known as Frosh), the
annual boat cruise, movie and karaoke nights,
and talent shows. The executives are also responsible
for managing the health and dental
plan, distributing TTC discount passes, and offering
food services in the Student Centre.
The executives work with a total of
17 board of directors, six other executives, and
many more full and part-time student employees
and volunteers.
jessica kirk,
President
Jessica Kirk, a fifth-year student
at UTSC majoring in psychology
with a double minor in political science
and French, is serving as the president of
the SCSU this year. “Our goal is to increase
the level of engagement SCSU has with all our
members: 12,000 undergraduate students at
UTSC, the countless DSA’s, and the amazing
student groups. Creating our new app is one way
that we hope to provide our members with an
av-
enue to stay connected
and engaged with
campus life. We
hope we are
able to reach
out to more
students
in creative
ways and
connect
them to
their student
movement!”
During the year,
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

NEWS 9
NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND
Kirk is also looking forward to working with students
to lower student debt and to make education
accessible to all students. Kirk believes
that the Fight the Fees Task Force, a campaign
recently launched at UTSC to lower school tuition,
will do just that. “67 per cent of students,”
Kirk says, “at UTSC are in need of financial assistance
and collect OSAP. Students across the
province have taken on a total of $9 billion in
student debt...Education is a right, so I am really
looking forward to students and community
members coming together on the National Day
of Action to work towards a more accessible
post-secondary education.”
trina james,
VP campus life
Vice President Campus Life Trina
James, is a fifth-year student completing her
degree in political science and women and
gender studies. When
asked what she is
excited about
this year she
says, “I am
extremely
excited
for boat
cruise
this year.
We have
a new boat,
great theme,
and a few additions
to ensure everyone
has a great time out on the
water. We are going to turn the 6 upside down
on this boat.” When asked what the UTSC students
should be looking forward to this year, she
responded, “The UTSC community should be
excited for the various campaigns, services, and
events...There will be something for everyone!”
thomas wood,
VP academics
& University
affairs
Thomas Wood, a
fourth-year
political
science
student
w i l l
take
on the
role
of vice
president academics and university affairs this
year. When asked what he is looking forward to,
Wood says, “The Academic Forums that SCSU
is going to be putting on...Most students would
agree that [the current course evaluation format
doesn’t] really provide an effective way for students
to address the problems that they face as
students. That’s what I envision the academic
forums becoming -- the place that students can
go to and know they’re being heard.”
nafisa mohamed,
vp equity
Nafisa Mohamed is a
fourth year student,
completing
a double
major in international
development
studies
and
women
and gender
studies. She
is this year’s
vice president equity.
Mohamed says
she’s excited about “work- ing with
different individuals and student clubs to create
more safe and inclusive spaces on campus.
UTSC should look forward to the launch of the
Racialized Student Collective Center! A space
for real talks, lounging, and organizing for racialized
folks and allies.”
yasmin rajabi,
vp operations
Yasmin Rajabi, a
fourth year student
completing
a
double
m a -
jor in
public
policy
a n d
city
studies,
is our
vice president
operations
this
year. When asked
what she is looking forward to this year, Rajabi
spoke of the re-opening of Rex’s Den. “We have
really taken the time this summer to completely
overhaul the menu and change the way Rex’s
Den operates to better serve our students.
We’ve taken to heart student concerns over the
lack of affordable food on campus and reflected
it in our new menu. I definitely encourage everyone
to come visit Rex’s Den and try out the new
menu for themselves and [see] how the space
has changed.”
sitharsana
srithas,
vp external
Vice President External Sitharsana Srithas, is
in her final year, completing a double major in
psychology and political science. In her work,
Srithas has advocated for a National Day of
Action which she says is necessary because
it “Addresses the ongoing fight for
affordable and accessible education.
Students who I have talked to thus far
are super excited to get involved with this
National Day of Action and come together,
alongside other students across the country
to talk about post-secondary education.”
Srithas also encourages the UTSC community
to “look forward to a lot of student-led events,
services and campaigns. The executives at
SCSU are working really hard to make sure that
we are being representative of the students that
go here by continuing to have face-to-face
conversations and
consultations.”
To meet with or speak to the SCSU team
member(s), you can visit the their office, located
on the first level of the Student Centre.
Their office hours are from Monday to Friday
from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also visit
the website at www.scsu.ca for updates on
events or job opportunities.
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

10
NEWS
ELIZABETH LIU / THE UNDERGROUND
LOWERED FEES AND
OTHER TUITION PLEAS
Sharine Taylor,
Editor-in-Chief
The fight for lowered tuition is an
ongoing battle that secondary students get
begrudgingly dragged into upon deciding to
pursue higher education. The Canadian Federation
of Students reports that Ontario undergraduate
students pay 29 per cent more
than the average Canadian student, and that
doesn’t factor in fees international students
pay, which are disproportionately larger than
Ontario students.
This also doesn’t include the various
costs for students in specialized programs
either. UTSC’s Admissions and Recruitment
office report that the 2015-16 tuition costs
for domestic (Ontario) students are similar in
costs with $6,220 amounting to their tuition
fees. Student fees drastically increase once
they are in their upper years to $11,520 for
computer science students and $16,030 for
management students.
International students are ultimately
hit with the highest fees. The office’s report
states that the first year international students
in the computer science and management
programs pay $38,460. In their upper years
the costs increase to $42,560 for computer
science students, $46,780 for management
students, and for students outside of the two
programs, $40,380. These costs cover course
fees alone and do not account for the addition-
al fees for co-op and joint programs, as well
as incidental/ancillary fees, living or residence
fees, books, and insurance.
Despite the misery that accompanies
discussions about the money we
don’t have, a silver lining exists that hopefully
makes the burden of student fees a bit
lighter to bear. The Canadian government
has recently dedicated attention to reforming
how the current Repayment Assistance Plan
is structured, including a new change that
mentions as of Nov. 1, repayments begin only
when recent graduates start making $25,000
a year. They have also announced changes in
grant distribution, made official on Aug.1, that
state Canada Student Grants have increased
TUITION
$6400 $1595.70
(COURSE FEES) (CAMPUS AND STUDENT SOCIETY FEES)
FEES
$793.04 $802.88
(CAMPUS) (STUDENT SOCIETY)
TOTAL TUITION
BREAKDOWN OF CAMPUS AND STUDENT
SOCIETY FEES
www. the-underground.ca JANUARY AUGUST 22 7 -- FEBRUARY OCTOBER 5, 3, 2016
VOLUME 35, 36, ISSUE 05 01

NEWS 11
CAMPUS FEES
$268.42
ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
$346.16
STUDENT SERVICES
$130.70
HEALTH & WELLNESS
$42.58
CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAM,
SERVICES AND FACILITIES
$5.18
HART HOUSE (BASED ON
THE DOWNTOWN CAMPUS)
STUDENT SOCIETY FEES
$79.62
SCARBOROUGH CAMPUS STUDENT
UNION
$9.70
SCARBOUGH COMMUNITY RADIO
(FUSION RADIO)
$142.54
SCSU-ACCIDENT/PRESCRIPTION DRUG
INSURANCE PLAN
* If you have your own health/dental provider,
you are eligible to opt-out of this service and
receive a refund. Deadline is September 30th.
$171.94
SCSU-DENTAL PLAN
* If you have your own health/dental provider,
you are eligible to opt-out of this service and
receive a refund. Deadline is September 30th.
$7.00
SCARBOROUGH CAMPUS STUDENTS’
PRESS (THE UNDERGROUND)
$7.00
SCARBOUGH CAMPUS ATHLETIC
ASSOCIATION
$3.94
THE VARSITY PUBLICATIONS (DOWNTOWN
CAMPUS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER)
$38.54
UTSC Student Centre (An increased levy
imposed in 2001 by then SCSU president Adam
Watson to cover the cost of the $14-million
project that will remain on student tuition
invoices for 15 more years) - FT
$151.42
Incid. Stud.Soc.:UTSC Athletic Facility Levy (A
levy that covers 17 per cent of the total
$205-million cost of the Toronto Pan Am
Sporting Centre
$0.50
UofT Community Radio-Scarborough
$50
Student System Access Fee to use
ACORN/ROSI
funding upwards of 50 per cent. This increase
ensures that students who have applied and
are approved for funding from low and middleincome
households will receive a substantially
larger amount of money that doesn’t require
repayment upon the completion of their studies.
Additionally, a new UTSC-based
initiative took off this summer: the Fight the
Fees Task Force. Headed by the Scarborough
Campus Student Union (SCSU), the group’s
demands include reducing and eliminating tuition
fees, converting the provincial portion of
student loans into grants, and removing interest
from existing student loans. Students can
get involved with the Task Force by attending
meetings, which are regularly announced
on the SCSU’s social media channels and
website. Students can also reach out to the
SCSU’s Vice President External Sitharsana
Srithas for more information.
Students can also take advantage
of the bursaries, grants, scholarships and
awards programs offered by UTSC and the
SCSU. By logging in with your UTORid, students
have until the end of May to complete
and customize their Awards Profile which
will filter the awards they are eligible for. The
SCSU offers the Textbook Grant and Dollar
for Daycare Bursary, with forms available for
downloading on their website
The proposed solutions for tuition
repayment and lowered fees, now more than
ever, look promising and achievable; however,
one question still remains: what do our current
tuition fees really pay for? The Underground
breaks down how and where your tuition fees
are allocated to give you some insight.
*Please note that the breakdown listed are the
tuition costs for a non-specialized program,
full-time, full course load student.
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

12
NEWS
NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND
www. the-underground.ca JANUARY AUGUST 22 7 -- FEBRUARY OCTOBER 5, 3, 2016
VOLUME 35, 36, ISSUE 05 01

NEWS 13
A Beginner’s Guide to
Finding the LGBTQIA+ Community at UTSC
Leslie Quinn**,
Contributor
Between new classes, a much bigger
workload, and making new friends, it takes a lot
before you finally find your groove at UTSC. If
you’re an incoming student, and also a member
of the LGBTQIA+ community*, finding the
support system and resources you need might
prove to be a little difficult. This article will
hopefully point you in the right direction when
it comes to meeting new people, creating lasting
relationships in the community, and making
the most of the resources and events here at
UTSC!
In the past few years, UTSC has
made several steps to make the campus a
more inclusive space for everyone. The following
organizations and groups are committed to
creating safer space on campus and cultivating
communities of support for LGBTQIA+ folks:
Located in room 336 of the Bladen
Wing, Scarborough Campus: Out (SC:OUT)
was created with the intention of being a physical
space for students of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The SC:OUT lounge is an open space
for students to decompress, relax, study, and is
open to all students of the LGBTQIA+ community
and their allies.
The Positive Space Committee is
a collection of students, faculty, and staff, that
are dedicated “to increas[ing] visibility and talk
about sexual diversity.” The committee meets
monthly to discuss which resources are needed
on campus, organize events, and work with other
campus groups to create a braver and more
inclusive space for folks.
The Sexual and Gender Diversity Office
(SGDO), located in suites 416 and 417 at
21 Sussex Avenue near the downtown campus,
works with all three University of Toronto campuses
to facilitate a more inclusive campuswide
community. The office handles concerns
or complaints regarding harassment and/or discrimination
based on one’s sexual orientation,
gender, etc. SGDO also creates events dedicated
to various different sexual and gender identities
such as a bi-weekly lunch and conversation
series held at UTSC called “Outside the Box.”
The UTSC Equity and Diversity Office
(EDO) is a Scarborough campus-based office
that works with several other campus partners
to create a more inclusive campus. Located on
the Bladen Wing’s fifth floor, the EDO creates
programming centered around inclusivity and
assists with educating people about equity on
campus. The EDO also handles harassment
and/or discrimination complaints on campus
and responds to concerns.
Don’t miss out on opportunities to join
the UTSC community! Here are some events
that you can attend that are centered around
making sure everyone feels welcome:
Queer Orientation is an annual week
of events that occur across all three University
of Toronto campuses. The week is dedicated
to introducing incoming students to the LG-
BTQIA+ community as well as other available
resources on campus. The events invite students
to educate themselves about sexual and
gender diversity, as well as find queer-positive
groups to join. This year’s Queer Orientation
will occur from Sept. 22 to Sept. 30, with each
campus offering several different events run by
various campus groups.
In January, look out for the Positive
Space Committee’s annual Rainbow Tie Gala.
It’s a night of food, music, and mingling. Not
only is the Rainbow Tie Gala free to all students,
staff, and faculty, but there is also a mix-andmingle
session followed by a number of stellar
performances from UTSC students and the LG-
BTQIA+ community.
Social Spectrum is a brand-new
group on campus which, according to their
official description, “will provide LGBTQIA+
students with safer social spaces to network
and meet other students while engaging with
media, games, and other recreation…” Social
Spectrum will also “host movies, games, exam
study sessions, campus walks, and other social
events for LGBTQIA+ students and allies on the
UTSC campus.”
Events that are meant for the LG-
BTQIA+ community and allies are a place to
form networks of solidarity, connect with cool
people, and embrace our differences.
Regardless of where you are on your
journey to self-love and self-acceptance, it is
always worthwhile to get out there and meet
the LGBTQIA+ community. These groups and
events are meant to create friendships, connections,
memories, and support systems that
can help you during your time here at UTSC, so
approach them in whatever way works best for
you. Everyone is on their own path to accepting
themselves as themselves. Take the time,
resources, and support that you need when you
need it.
*For the purpose of this article we have chosen
to use the acronym LGBTQIA+. We at the publication
are sensitive to the fact that this is by no
means an all encompassing acronym for queer
identified folks. There are various intersections
to one’s identity, many of which cannot be defined
by a single word. Our sincerest apologies
if we have, with just the use of LGBTQIA+ acronym,
offended individuals or made them feel as
if their identity does not matter to us. That is not
true and it is certainly not our intention to hurt
anyone. It has always been, and continues to
be our team’s intention to create safer spaces
for our school community and beyond.
**Contributor’s identity withheld upon request
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VOLUME 36, 35, ISSUE 01 05

14
FEATURE
NOUR AHMED / THE UNDERGROUND
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

finding moments of
BAL
V
FEATURE 15
NCE
Sharine Taylor,
Editor-in-Chief
As I sat in my very first lecture of university,
I recall being in complete
disbelief that I was actually a University
of Toronto student. Truth be told, I didn’t
know what lay ahead. There have been
some incredible moments and some less
than triumphant moments during my time
here. Through both times, there has been
one thing that has saved me multiple times
over: finding moments of balance.
There’s no singular university experience.
In fact, if you ask some students
or recent graduate students what they think
of their time in post-secondary, there will
probably be pretty polarizing opinions. Most
students become relatively disappointed
after their post-Orientation high wears off.
Though I’m not sure what each of you has
in mind for what your first-year experience
may shape up to be, I can assure you that
each narrative will be different. The eagerness
that comes with being in a new space
will compel some of you to sign up for multiple
campus clubs and groups and some of
you may be so overwhelmed that you may
just find yourself shying away from getting
involved. Regardless of what path you
choose, remember to look for moments of
balance.
This doesn’t mean getting superinvolved
-- though involvement is not discouraged
-- it just means that you should
give yourself the opportunity to not be
strictly tied down to academic obligations or
ensuring that your extracurricular resume is
packed with various activities. Finding balance
also means knowing when you should
reach out for help or assistance where you
may need it. Giving yourself these small
pockets of time will allow you to re-center
yourself and regain the momentum you will
need in the years to come.
One of UTSC’s best features is the
plethora of opportunities available to finding
balance. At times you will find that coupling
academic, social, and personal obligations
will prove to be too much to handle. Luckily,
there are resources that will lead you to
a place of equilibrium if you find that you’re
deviating away from whatever centers you.
This guide will act as a primer to show you
what lies ahead of your upcoming year on
the Scarborough campus and where you
could receive help should you need it.
FOR MOMENTS OF CELEBRATION
Lively events dot the calendar
year in the form of parties that will keep
your Snapchat filled with highly comedic or
highly embarrassing moments. Either way,
UTSC promises a good time with memorable
events that happen almost monthly.
First semester celebrations include September’s
boat cruise, October’s Halloween Pub
Night, and December’s UTSC on Ice skating
party. Second semester includes the January
Rainbow Tie Gala, the Montreal Reading
Trip and, March’s Spring Formal. Many of
the aforementioned celebrations are backed
by the SCSU but campus groups also host
parties throughout the school year too. If
you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see the Student
Centre transform into a stage welcoming
students to dance and engage with performers
as well!
FOR MOMENTS DEDICATED TO ART
Our campus is lucky to have two
galleries on location: The Doris McCarthy
Gallery (DMG) as well as Gallery 1265. The
Doris McCarthy Gallery is a contemporary
art gallery committed to showcasing the
works of Canadian and international artists.
The DMG generally curates three to four
exhibitions throughout the school year and
admission is totally free. Should you want
to be more involved, the gallery also offers
work-study placement and internship opportunities
for students year-round.
In 2004, three frustrated students
petitioned and gathered their resources together
to create what is now Gallery 1265.
Gallery 1265 was birthed from the lack of
opportunities students had showcase their
own artwork outside of the classroom. The
space, tucked within a small corner inside
the Meeting Place, is entirely student-run.
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VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

16
FEATURE
The exhibitions turnover pretty often in case
you’re in dire need of an art fix. If you want
to exhibit your artwork in the space, even if
you are not in any Studio courses, you can
gain access to the space simply by contacting
the staff and submitting an exhibition
proposal.
FOR MOMENTS OF HELP
Our paths while at UTSC will differ:
some of us live alone, some of us live with
parents; some of us are a bus ride away from
campus and some of us are a little bit further.
In any case, there are various barriers
that may stand in the way of our individual
success. If you’re looking for academic help,
the Academic Advising and Career Centre
provides year-round workshops centered
around post-graduate career assistance, resume
and cover letter creation, and improving
studying habits. If you’re worried about
the direction of your program, or would like
to transition into another one, this is also the
office that you should be visiting.
Other amazing academic resources
on campus include the Writing Centre,
where students can receive help with formatting
and citing their papers, as well as
the Math and Statistics Learning Centre,
a space committed to helping students in
math and statistic-related courses improve
their proficiency, not only through individual
appointments, but through workshops,
seminars, and group consultations. During
exam season, some departmental student
associations will run student-led exam study
groups where upper-year members lend
their knowledge and insight to other students
for multiple courses within the department.
These peer organized initiatives are
a good way to meet other students in your
program and definitely helps in organizing
study groups for acing those finals.
While eliminating academic barriers
are important, there are other ways that
UTSC extends assistance to its students to
help eliminate personal barriers. The Health
and Wellness office is our campus’ medical
and nursing hub that also provides counseling
for students. In addition, there are
many resources available onsite regarding
sexual, medical, and mental health. The
Women’s and Trans* Centre is another valuable
resource on campus for all identities.
As an anti-oppressive space on campus, the
space is a great space to learn more about
feminism, health, and equity. In addition, the
SCSU has also lobbied to facilitate a saferspace
through the Racialized Student Collective,
which now has its own location on
campus where students can engage in antiracist
work and decompress when necessary.
FOR MOMENTS OF PARTICIPATION
UTSC is home to over 100 clubs
that are divided into sub-categories: academics,
athletics and recreation, community
service, culture and identity, global interests,
spirituality and faith community, and
work and career development.
The academic clubs, also referred
to as the departmental student associations,
act as the liaison between the department,
the university, and students; the athletic and
recreation clubs range from ones that are
dance-based to more fantasy-based ones
like our Quidditch team; culture and identity
clubs allow you to connect with different
parts of your identity and even provide
amazing opportunities to introduce yourself
to new cultures; global interest clubs, much
like community service clubs, are great opportunities
to show humanitarianism by positioning
students to help underprivileged
communities both in Canada and abroad,
while the spirituality and faith-based campus
groups allow spaces for spiritual growth.
Engaging in various clubs can
mean more opportunities to fill out your Co-
Curricular Record and, where available,
earn you volunteer hours.
FOR MOMENTS OF RELIEF
Exam season can be very stressful
time. Overnight on-campus study sessions
become routine and purchasing the
Tim Horton’s Take Ten box for you and your
study group becomes another survival tactic
to make it through the night. It’s easy to feel
defeated or at the very least overwhelmed
at how much of the course’s content has to
be remembered, especially if you’re taking a
full course load.
Be on the lookout for exam
destressors: SCSU has held the tradition
of distributing healthy snacks and coffee
to students who brave the late night study
sessions. In the past they have also teamed
up with the Co-op Students Association and
Management and Economic Students Association
to bring therapy dogs on campus as
another means to help students de-stress.
For those who find relief through physical
activity, The Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre
(TPASC) also provides free group fitness
classes for students, staff, and faculty.
Hopefully your first-year will be a
much more balanced experience, and certainly
more informed now that there’s been
some passing on of knowledge. If you’re
feeling slightly more prepared, or at the very
least ready to take on the trials and tribulations
that your university experience has
to offer, don’t forget to keep centered. And
if you find that you’re teetering off into one
direction, know that there’s always ways to
bring yourself right back to center.
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FEATURE 17
NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND
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18
ARTS & LIFE
Looking Back:
Advice from Fourth Year Students
Halima Farah,
Contributor
As a first-year student, you embark on
a journey that at first has no clear path. When
you begin this journey, you are unaware of the
people that will influence your life the most, the
classes that will inspire you, and the professors
that will help you cultivate boundless knowledge
in your selected field. You will learn, as one
does, that all of these experiences contribute to
a well-rounded undergraduate education. The
lessons that you will learn, the experiences that
you will have, and the relationships that you will
form, will all test the ways in which you view life.
Often times, the life of a student is
quite challenging, as there are many facets that
require your time and attention. Personal relationships
are put to the test, as are romantic relationships
and friendships. The status of one’s
occupation also changes, as some students
work two or three jobs to pay for the rising cost
of tuition and everyday necessities. Many times,
this pressure is also coupled with trying to maintain
and preserve one’s physical, emotional,
and mental health.
Recently, The Underground had the
opportunity to speak to two recent UTSC graduates,
Nikita Singh and Ché Jeffery Jr. Gibson,
both of whom were health studies majors. Our
intention was to try and gain some perspective
on the first-year experience through the eyes
of students that had just completed their full
undergraduate journey. We figured that asking
students who were at one time in your position,
would give you better insight into the years to
come at UTSC.
The Underground (UG): What’s it like to have
graduated? Is it what you envisioned it to
be?
Ché Jeffery Jr. Gibson (CJG): Graduating is
honestly an amazing, fulfilling, yet nerve racking
feeling. It’s great to look back on all your difficulties
that you managed to get through, but
you’re also on-edge because you keep thinking,
“What’s next?” The bad news is that life is extremely
unpredictable, and no matter how much
you plan, things don’t always go the way you
envisioned. The great news is that university
teaches you a lot about dealing with unpredictability;
as long as you stay focused and remind
yourself that with hard work, determination, and
persistence anything is possible, then you’ll be
alright.
(UG): What advice do you have for incoming
first-year students as well as second and
third year students?
Nikita Singh (NS): I would say definitely use
the campus resources: the writing center, BV,
and study groups. Capitalize on the fact that we
are paying for these things; so use it and it will
show in your quality of work. Schedule [and] organize
your time. There is always a way to balance
social and school life; even if it is hanging
[out] with your friends for a couple of hours, it’s
something. Sticking to your schedule is also really
important. Putting things off is tempting, but
getting your work done is so much more rewarding.
Then you can have all of the fun you want!
(CJG): Something that helped me a lot was
scheduling everything. As soon as school
starts, mark down all of your due dates for assignments
and tests, that are already available,
as well as when you plan on beginning those
assignments. You can mark these dates down
on your phone [or] computer, but it really helps
having a calendar somewhere in your home or
room where you will see it all the time. Physically
seeing your due dates on a calendar helps
keep you aware of assignments or exams that
you should be preparing for.
(UG): Have you always been at UTSC? What
were your initial thoughts and what will you
miss the most?
(NS): I have always been at UTSC, but I have
been to other campuses. I really did like the
small campus, as it was easy to navigate. I personally
really liked the aesthetic and concrete
buildings, but I also really like the new buildings
as well. I think I will miss [using the tunnels underneath]
the buildings to get to class. It was
pretty convenient; now, leaving my house for a
cup of coffee is a challenge. I will definitely miss
the new changes. I think they will be great, and
it sucks that, [since] I graduated, I won’t be able
to use them.
(UG): If you could give your first-year self
any advice, what would it be and why?
(CJG): Prioritize! The first year of university can
be extremely overwhelming, and as time goes
on you realize you don’t have nearly the same
amount of time as you did in high school to get
things done, especially if you began working [a
job] in university as well. Time management is
really the most important key; projects, exams,
and responsibilities all catch up quickly.
(NS): If I was to give myself any advice, I would
say to not be afraid to put yourself out there. My
first year, I was very timid -- the complete opposite
of high school. I became too shy to participate
in my classes. I was hesitant to join groups
or even seek out things that interested me, and
I was also very shy to meet my professors and
ask questions. As the years went on, I definitely
eliminated the intimidation and got involved,
then I had no problem speaking up. If I had gotten
over it earlier, I feel like it would have greatly
benefited my university career.
(UG): What are your plans for the future? Do
you think your first-year self would be proud
of you right now?
(CJG): I plan on pursuing a career as a Client
Care Coordinator; however, I am also developing
a Basketball Training Program for youths
as well. Since graduating, I’ve really just been
trying to get myself out there and make as
many connections possible that will lead me to
accomplish[ing] my goals. I’ve been fortunate to
land internship/volunteering position at Toronto
General Hospital, so I hope to make the most of
this opportunity and learn as much as possible
about what goes on in the health facilities and
the health community.
No matter how many people you talk
to and family members and friends you consult,
you will never truly be prepared for the whirlwind
experiences that university provides. The key
to success (shout out DJ Khaled!) is knowing
that whatever you experience in life has value.
If you have a dream that you are putting off until
you graduate, start right now! The steps to getting
that internship, creating that Youtube page,
blog, novel, and dreaming that “impossible”
dream can begin right now in your first year. Before
you know it, graduation will be just around
the corner and those feelings of regret -- the
could’ves, should’ves and would’ves -- will be
at the back of your mind. If you are reading this
and you are in the middle or nearing the end
of your degree, know that it is never too late to
start working towards your goals. Both Ché and
Nikita’s advice are merely stepping stones and
pockets of wisdom for you to take on the journey
to seizing every opportunity in your next few
years at UTSC.
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VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

ARTS & LIFE 19
ELIZABETH LIU / THE UNDERGROUND
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20
ARTS & LIFE
ELIZABETH LIU / THE UNDERGROUND
Why Am I Taking This?
The Break Down on Breadth Requirements
Sarah Siddiqi,
Contributor
At the University of Toronto, everyone
has the opportunity to become a well-rounded
student by getting involved in a variety of special
interest clubs on campus. Although extracurricular
activities are important and encouraged,
it is also crucial to be knowledgeable in
various subject areas. At UTSC, it is compulsory
to complete at least four credits in courses that
have been designated to fulfill the ‘breadth requirements’
across five subject areas. As stated
in the Academic Advising online guide, “The aim
of breadth requirements is to help students gain
knowledge and understanding across a broader
range of disciplines; it enables them to develop
insight, experience, and new ways of thinking in
areas distinct from their main fields of study.” The
five breadth requirement categories are Arts, Literature
and Language, History, Philosophy and
Cultural Studies, Social and Behavioural Sciences,
Natural Sciences, and Quantitative Reasoning.
Although some students think that
completing breadth requirements provides a
unique opportunity to gain exposure to other
fields of study, others find it frustrating and unfair.
When asked if she thought it was fair that
students be required to take courses in categories
other than their major, Shagun Kanwar, a
second year student studying neuroscience and
psychology replied, “I think it is fair because it
adds a nice variety to my schedule. You’re not
only doing science courses; you get exposure to
other things as well.”
Kieshan Amarakaran, a third year student
pursuing a double major in human biology
and psychology says, “I don’t feel it should be
mandatory, but the intro-level courses should be
available to all students. For some students, it
takes up time that can be used towards their degree
courses, and it is also financially stressful to
be taking more courses than necessary.” However,
when asked the same question, John Xiao,
a third year computer science student says, “Of
course it’s not fair. I got a low GPA in a breadth
requirement course, and it ruined my CGPA.”
There are pros and cons to breadth requirements
that were identified by all three students,
and they offered suggestions on how the policy
could be modified to benefit more students.
As Amarakaran suggests, “I think a
good change would be that students could take
the same number of credits that are required,
but in a category that they genuinely enjoy. Al-
ternatively, we could take two or three breadth
requirement courses in three of the categories,
rather than completing all five.” Kanwar offers a
similar solution: “You can do more credits in the
three [categories] that you really like.”
As many students are not strong in all
subject areas, Xiao suggests, “[Students] should
be able to exclude one category that they are not
good in, or they find hard.” These changes could
help to improve GPAs, and also save students
some money that goes towards their tuition.
There are a variety of exciting courses
that are offered in all five breadth requirement
categories. Some of these courses include
LINA01H3, Introduction to Linguistics, which
Kanwar took to fulfill her Arts, Literature and
Language requirement. Another popular course
is CLAA06H3, Ancient Mythology II: Greece
and Rome, which Amarakaran took to fulfill his
History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies requirement.
A course which many students, including
Xiao, took to fulfill the Natural Sciences
breadth requirement is ASTA01H3, Introduction
to Astronomy and Astrophysics I: The Sun and
Planets. An interesting course which fulfills the
Social and Behavioural Sciences requirement,
is PSYA02H3, Introduction to Psychology. A
course that will fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning
requirement is STAB22H3, Statistics I. For
students who want more information about the
content of the course, a thorough description
can be found within the course calendar.
Because students are able to pick
courses that are of personal interest to fulfill the
breadth requirements, they typically enjoy these
courses. Kanwar enjoyed linguistics and says, “I
think the breadth requirement courses give you
an opportunity to take courses that you wouldn’t
be able to take otherwise. I wouldn’t be taking
them if I didn’t have to, but they interest me.” Of
his mythology course, Amarakaran says, “It was
a nice change from the science-based courses
that I was taking for my majors. Since it was a
personal interest course, I did well and enjoyed
the material more.” When students take courses
that interest them, they may find them to be easier,
which facilitates a higher grade.
It is very important that all students
are aware of their specific degree requirements,
and any other course requirements they need to
complete in order to graduate. It is also vital to
check the courses that are offered in the various
breadth requirement categories, and plan which
courses to take and when to take them. For further
questions about breadth requirements, you
can check the Academic Advising site or visit
Academic Advising and speak to an advisor.
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ARTS & LIFE 21
RACHEL CHIN / THE UNDERGROUND
INSIDE
THE IC
BUILDING
Deepana Devadas,
Contributor
Heading into first year, I found myself
searching for something: a new start and a door
to a new journey. I was excited and nervous at
the same time. I had made what might’ve been
the hardest decision of my life: to come to the
University of Toronto Scarborough’s management
co-op program. I was hoping with all my
might that I would not regret this choice. I must
say that so far, I have not been disappointed.
The management program is relatively
small, which allows the students to be a closeknit
family where everyone knows everyone.
Students help each other out, study together,
network together, and last but not least, party together.
One of the many benefits of being in such
a small program is that there’s a sense of community
because most students are in a similar
position academically. Having people to relate to,
especially during the transition from high school
to university, is key. The program’s business associations
are top notch as well. They are both
organized and well prepared and constantly rolling
out new events for students to participate in.
I can attest to the fact that the management
program gives students experiences
and skills they cannot gain elsewhere. Secondyear
co-op management student Dulangi Kapugama
says that “The fact that we have co-op and
we earn money from it is amazing. All the staff
and professors really optimize our potential to
achieve good jobs with all the services they provide,
[and] to ensure we perform
well on our work terms.” UTSC’s
management program has relationships
with many employers,
which connects students
to their desired jobs.
There are also many networking events and
conferences where students are able to meet
with business professionals, gain insight into the
business world, and build lasting relationships.
A notable issue that management students
have to face are the ridiculously high
tuition fees. We pay more than twice the tuition
costs than students in different departments,
and it only increases every year. Priyanka Krishnathasan,
a second-year management student
says, “There are many unnecessary things we
need to pay for, and some courses we have to
take even if we don’t specifically need it for our
specialist.”
There are different types of management
streams: co-op management, management,
and pre-management. Students in
the management program can be further categorized
by specialist options like accounting,
finance, marketing, strategic management,
human resources, economics, information technology,
and international business.
Abdi Ali, a second-year pre-management
student who recently got accepted to the
co-op management program says, “My experience
was [more] unusual than a lot of the premanagement
students because I did not complete
all my prerequisite course[s] in my first year
so I could not apply to the co-op program. Being
in the pre-management program actually helped
improve my work ethic. The pre-management
program has also opened me to different opportunities
outside of management.”
When I came to UTSC, I was afraid I
wouldn’t be able to find a niche again, but it is
truly heartwarming to have found such great
friends in the program and to have strengthened
existing relationships. First year of management
was definitely tough, but I wouldn’t have had it
any other way.
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22
ARTS & LIFE
NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

ARTS & LIFE 23
The Unromanticized
Reality of Self-Care
Zarin Tasnim,
Arts & Life Editor
Stress can be defined in many different
ways. For the purpose of this article, I will
define stress as the body’s response to a real or
imagined situation. For our ancestors, a defence
mechanism used for survival; for university students,
a never ending battle; for those starting
yet another year at UTSC, stress is welcomed
as an old friend; for others that are just starting
university, it’s a whole new ball game. The truth
is, stress lurks in every corner of our lives; from
relationships to academics, it consumes us all.
Sometimes, stress can be a good thing: it can
help motivate us to finish studying for that upcoming
exam, or finally gather up the courage to
ask that cute person sitting next to you in lecture
to lunch; however, other times, one’s stress can
get out of control, which can be an overall negative
and overwhelming experience.
It’s important to remember that stress
results from a reaction to a scenario and that,
most times, it has more to do with us and the
stories we make up about a situation than anything
else. Stress can result from virtually every
aspect of life, and how we perceive and handle
it varies from one person to another. For most,
there are biological mechanisms that we can
rely on to mediate high levels of stress; however,
those suffering from mental health issues
like depression or anxiety lack these processes
in their bodies to help them control stress. In that
situation, it’s best to seek out help from a counsellor
or a health professional. Although external
help is an option, many have successfully taken
it upon themselves to add in certain activities in
their daily schedule to keep stress levels at bay.
It all starts with self-care. As I define it,
self-care is whatever it is that allows your temporary
disengagement from the worries you may
be facing in life. For university students, juggling
coursework, extracurriculars, and a social life
leaves little room to relax. It’s difficult to set aside
personal time to wind down. Once stress builds
up, some experience burnouts -- instances in
which they are unable to get back to work for a
long time.
“For me, self-care is a way to refresh
myself and relieve general anxieties. Stresses
add up, and it’s a basic reaction, whether real
or imagined. Making time for myself is first and
foremost for self-care,” says fifth-year neuroscience
and studio student Chantal Nabert.
Unfortunately, the positive effects of
self-care can be overshadowed by the problems
students face when catering to what they need
both physically and mentally. One of the issues
is the stigma behind the idea of self-care itself.
For university students, there is an expectation
to always work towards a bigger and better goal.
For some, success may come at the price of stable
mental health. Many times, it seems that the
notion of setting aside time to wind down gets in
the way of accomplishment.
Even though self-care is meant to be
designed differently for everyone, just like any
good thing out there, it has turned into a franchise.
There’s pressure to partake in expensive
getaways, manicures, or spa care. Additionally,
booking sessions with a therapist or seeking out
other health professionals to gain access to that
care can be difficult for university students.
“I always strive to do things I love.
Whether it’s reading a good book or taking photos.
These are a few things I love doing, and
taking proper care of myself means doing things
that interest me in a whole new level. That is
self-care, because I am physically, emotionally
and mentally doing things I love,” says third-year
health science student Piyal Sarkar.
It’s important to understand that selfcare
can be as simple as a quick jog around the
neighbourhood or even catching up on your favourite
shows. Remember, this is time for yourself,
so you define how you’d like to spend it.
UTSC has several departments that
can provide free services that you can check out
the next time you need access to resources for
stress-management. The Health and Wellness
Centre, located in the Student Centre, offer
counselling sessions as well as other medical
services. Accessibility and Academic Advising
provide information about courses and resources
available for those struggling with school
work. Finally, the Womyn and Trans* Centre has
a decompression space and provides sanitary
pads, condoms, and other information surrounding
your spiritual, physical, and mental health.
With the school year starting, the
anticipation of coursework and grades can
be overwhelming. Taking time for yourself to
breath and relax before pushing yourself to
meet deadlines is more than okay. The idea
of self-care should be designed based on
what gives you that temporary relief. So, when
you’re listing materials to get come fall semester,
make sure you pencil in a little time to sit
back, relax, and practice self-care. Your body
will thank you for it.
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

24
SCIENCE & TECH
ELIZABETH LIU / THE UNDERGROUND
H
Li
Na
K
Rb
Cs
Fr
The New Elements on the Block
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Be
B C N O F Ne
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Mg
Al Si P S Cl Ar
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
55 56 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
Ba Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
87 88 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 114 116
Ra Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Fl
Lv
He
57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Hy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
Ac
89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
Kristina Dukoski,
Science & Tech Editor
Periodic table enthusiasts are anxiously
awaiting the official induction of the four new
elements that were introduced last year. The journey
began in December, when the International
Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
announced the discoveries of the new elements,
set to complete the seventh row of the periodic table.
After their initial discovery, these super-heavy
elements underwent a formal naming process.
According to the pre-established guidelines of the
IUPAC in naming elements, the newcomers must
be named after one of the following: a mythological
concept or character (including an astronomical
object), a mineral or similar substance,
a place, a geographical region, a property of the
element, or a scientist.
After careful consideration, the elements
were given pending names. These new
additions include Nihonium, previously called
‘Ununtrium,’ for element 113; Moscovium, previously
‘Ununpentium,’ for element 115; Tennessine,
previously ‘Ununseptium,’ for element 117,
and lastly Oganesson, previously ‘Ununoctium,’
for element 118.
The names are currently undergoing a
five month public review process, which will then
be followed by formal approval by the IUPAC
Council. Despite their relatively short time on the
scene, scientists have managed to gather ample
information about the elements.
The lightest of the four elements, Nihonium
(Nh), was discovered by scientists at the
RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science
in Japan. The element is a highly-radioactive
synthetic metal. The name of the element is
inspired by the location of discovery, as ‘Nihon’ is
one of the ways to say ‘Japan’ in Japanese.
Element 115, Moscovium (Mc), was
discovered at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
in Dubna, a facility near Moscow. This element’s
name is also derived primarily from its location
of inception, like Nihonium. After extensive
testing, scientists determined that Moscovium is
an extremely radioactive metal. It falls under the
Nitrogen group of elements -- column 15 of the
table -- which makes it a pnictogen. The other
pnictogens are Phosphorous, Bismuth, Arsenic,
and Antimony. The elements in this group tend to
form strong and stable compounds, which is due
to their structural ability to easily form double and
triple covalent bonds.
Tennessine (Uus), element 117, is
named as a reference to contributions from the
Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee,
Vanderbilt University, and the University of Tennessee
at Knoxville. This element is classified as
a halogen. Members of this group, which can be
found in column 17 of the periodic table, include
Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, and Astatine.
The term ‘halogen,’ translated from Greek to English,
roughly means ‘salt-former.’ When combined
with metals, the halogens form compounds called
salt-compounds, or simply, salts. Halogens are
also the sole group on the periodic table that contain
elements of all three states at room-temperature.
The final, and heaviest, of the new elements
is Oganesson (Uuo), element 118. The element
was discovered by Russian teams in the city
of Dubna, and Americans at Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory in California. Additionally, the
name is meant to give a nod to the Russian physicist
Yuri Oganessian, a hard-hitter in the discovery
of superheavy elements. Because of the incredibly
large mass of each atom, the element is extremely
unstable. The superheavy element is a non-metal
member of the noble gases group, found in column
18. Members of this group include Helium,
Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, and Radon. These
elements have complete outer-shells, meaning
they carry the maximum capacity of electrons, and
due to this characteristic, tend to be stable. Oganesson
has full-capacity of electrons, but its sheer
size and weight prompt the element to contradict
the characteristic stability of the other members of
this group.
As experimentation continues, scientists
are looking to obtain more information about
the new elements; however, it is important to remain
grounded amongst all of the excitement revolving
around the naming process. How little the
world knows of the new elements is a strong indicator
of how much we have yet to learn.
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

SCIENCE & TECH
25
Phones as Wingmen:
Technology Changing the Rules of Romance
Taylor Paulite,
Contributor
Your phone is your best friend. It is
there for you to play games with, take pictures
with, make restaurant reservations, and navigate
you in the right direction. In addition to the aforementioned
duties, your phone has also become
your wingman. In the modern age, cell phones
too are the main medium in our social lives.
Whether through text messaging a
potential suitor, “researching” a partner on Facebook,
or meeting a new bae through an online
dating app, technology has transformed the way
we start relationships. The casual bar meet-up,
along with several other traditional ways of meeting
partners face-to-face, are beginning to fade
away.
Online dating apps made their debut
into the romantic scene in the early 2000s, including
apps like Grindr, OkCupid, Match, and
eHarmony. In September 2012, Tinder was introduced,
and what was first thought of as just another
app, became a phenomenon in the dating
world.
Tinder is an application that is mainly
functional on a smartphone, and allows users
to view a number of potential suitors within the
vicinity of their location. Sexual preferences and
age limits can be conveniently controlled.
The server displays the name, picture,
and age of one’s ‘potentials.’ The app then allows
the person to swipe left, which indicates no
interest, or swipe right, which indicates interest.
Mutual interest between individuals, a “match,”
leads to opportunities to chat, which can potentially
turn into a date.
The application spread like wildfire,
logging in around a billion swipes daily by 2014.
Tinder hit the young adult community like a
wrecking ball, mostly due to its efficiency. This
app became a frequently used outlet, especially
by busy students.
Whether by facilitating one night
stands, matching future life partners, or creating
a list of hookups, this dating app brought upon
a change in the realm of romance, in regards to
how we meet new potential partners within university
and throughout our daily biddings.
Many students have met their current
partner through Tinder, and have maintained
successful and loving relationships. A UTSC student
who has been in the dating pool long before
Tinder appeared, met her boyfriend through the
app: “Tinder was something I did for fun with a
close female friend; it was nothing more than just
a hilarious time,” she says.
She met her boyfriend of 13 months
after exchanging messages for a few weeks on
the app. “He was funny and actually asked me
questions about myself. I surprised myself by
agreeing to go out with him. We just had our one
year anniversary the first week of July, and our
relationship is great; definitely the healthiest and
happiest I’ve had thus far,” she says.
Tinder sparks relationships that otherwise
may not have had the chance of forming in
such a big city like Toronto. Due to its efficiency,
and ability to network with people from all across
the city, Tinder allows the opportunity of unlikely
connections to form. With the use of radius control,
people can meet partners from a maximum
of 160 kilometres away.
“I would never have crossed paths with
him in real life without it, that’s the weird thing,”
says a another student from the University of Toronto,
while commenting on her one-and-a-half
year long relationship with her boyfriend, who is
from Niagara Falls.
NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND
Although dating apps like Tinder have
helped the dating world by connecting people
long distances apart, it has spurred some backlash.
American actor and comedian Aziz
Ansari discusses how technology can negatively
change our mindset towards other potential partners
in his novel, Modern Romance.
“When you look at your phone and see
a text from a potential partner, you don’t always
see another person; you often see a little bubble
with text in it, and it’s easy to forget that this bubble
is actually a person,” he states.
This is a common issue with technology.
Although it is convenient for those in the
dating pool, it can give people an overwhelming
amount of power that can be difficult to handle.
A second-year student, who was not
quite skilled with interpersonal interaction, has
found Tinder to be liberating when it comes to
talking to and meeting new people.
Technology gave this student the temporary
skill of talking to others while avoiding all
the awkward pauses and eye contact that come
along with it in person; however, when things became
more serious, her sense of liberty was taken
away from her. After wanting to meet a guy following
weeks of online interaction, she nervously
left upon seeing him face-to-face for the first time.
“Right when I knew he was there, I just
didn’t have it in me to see him. I messaged him
after to apologize, but we never spoke again,” she
says. The hours she invested into her online interactions
did not affect her offline behaviour, which
made the whole experience feel like a waste of
time.
Along with all of the benefits that are
associated with technology, one can also see that
there are downsides to it as well.
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

26
SCIENCE & TECH
THE GAME YOU’RE SICK OF HEARING ABOUT
(But You Might Want the Facts First)
Meghan Borges,
Contributor
Anyone with a plug into social media
has no choice but to be well aware of
Nintendo’s newly developed undertaking: a
phone game app, which has already gained
itself a cult-like following. Since its official
release in Australia, New Zealand, and the
United States on July 6th, Pokémon GO
is the most downloaded app in the Apple
store.
The Internet exploded with news
stories initiated by the mass-audience the
game already had. Regardless of whether
or not you had followed the announcements
within the gaming world, Pokémon GO arrived
with such a bang that it was only a matter
of moments before the media viciously
latched on in an obvious effort to be current.
But in this attempt, how many of the news
stories that you’d scrolled past bore falsified
headlines? After all, in the world wide web
of clickbait sites and countless blogs desperately
trying to be trendy and stand out,
you can never believe everything you read
on the web.
Let’s start with some basic facts.
The concept for Pokémon GO was developed
two years ago by Nintendo and The
Pokémon Company as an April Fool’s joke,
meant to see how a game of this nature
would fare. To many fans’ dismay, the announcement
was in fact fake, and the pleas
to create an augmented reality type game
for Pokémon ran rampant. Nintendo and
The Pokémon Company reached out to
Niantic, who provided the developing aspect
of the game from their previous augmented
reality success, Ingress. Fun fact:
Nintendo’s stock market value increased by
almost double after the release of Pokémon
GO, only to crash down once investors realized
the game’s developers were the primary
shareholders.
Now, we all know the stories: the
car that stopped in the middle of the highway
and caused a major collision trying to
catch a Pikachu; the man who jumped into
the tracks on the TTC; the pregnant woman
who walked into traffic and needed an emergency
C-section; kids getting lured to Poké-
Stops only to be mugged; people illegally
trespassing on private property, and the girl
who found a dead body. There has been
news almost every day since the game’s
release, but before you bring any of these
tales of caution up the next time you’re with
a group of friends trying to convince you to
play, consider how plausible the source of
the information is.
To start, the picture that has been
plastered everywhere of the young man
waltzing through the subway tracks staring
at his phone was a shot from a satirical viral
video he was making. The video was made
in response to how ridiculous some people
are behaving as a result of the game. The
shot of him walking straight off of the harbour
and into the lake is my personal favourite.
In Vancouver, police believe two
young men were playing Pokémon GO
when one jumped into the subway tracks,
stayed there for about twenty seconds and
then climbed back out. He wasn’t injured,
but he set off an alarm for the oncoming
train to perform an emergency hard-stop.
By now, you are probably wondering,
what about the incident where the
pregnant woman wandered into traffic? Not
quite a fake story, but certainly not a real
one either. 18-year-old Kaitlyn Shelton was
out playing Pokémon GO with a group of
friends when they claim they were intentionally
struck by a car. The group was allegedly
startled by a speeding car and yelled
out against the driver’s near miss when the
speedster slammed into reverse over the
pregnant woman and then quickly drove off.
Luckily, both mother and baby are fine.
Another story is about the two
young teens who, while playing Pokémon
GO, wandered too close to the border and
illegally crossed into Montana from southern
Alberta. It was surprising that the two made
it that far, considering that they were detained
near Sweetgrass of the Sweetgrass
Coutts border -- the heavily-trafficked and
only 24-hour border crossing. They claim to
have “lost track of where they were,” and
received no punishment.
Last but not least, the story about
the girl who found a dead body is also true!
19-year-old Shayla Wiggins from Wyoming
says she was walking along the shore when
she saw the body floating face down beside
her. Police expect death of natural causes,
due to drowning and no foul play.
Ultimately, what’s not to love about
Pokémon GO? Players no longer have to
choose between playing video games and
going outside anymore. For me, the game’s
major selling-point is the player-to-player interaction.
In the past, I have often gone on
walks and explored my city, but never really
connected with the people around me. This
is why, I have to say that there is something
incredibly pleasant about being in front of
the CN Tower at 9:30 p.m. and just instinctively
knowing that almost everyone else
around you is on the same page. You instantly
feel an indescribable connection to a
throng of strangers. In that moment, you feel
as if they are your people, your team, your
allies, your neighbours, and your peers.
If for whatever reason you find yourself
on the outside of the Pokémon GO trend, be
forewarned -- it may not last. Although plans
to add every generation of Pokémon to the
game have been announced, as well as additional
features mirroring the original game
style, Pokémon GO may not be popular for
much longer. “The game is rather fresh and
managed to go viral quite quickly, but after
two weeks of playing it, it became very
repetitive and monotonous,” says George
Prozorov, a third-year business student.
“With [the] addition of constant crashes and
annoying bugs that are still not fixed, Pokémon
GO became a thing of the past for me.”
Whether you like it or not, Pokémon
GO will soon be out of everyone’s way:
those who enjoy it thoroughly will continue
to do so, and those who’d rather not hear
about it ever again may get their wish.
Lastly…don’t tap on a Pokéball to pick it
up if you miss. IT DOESN’T WORK!
The unfortunate thing is that people
never expect horrible things to happen
to them while playing the game. I have a
friend who ran a red light trying to catch
Pokémon. Every time you open the game,
you are greeted with a scene of a Pokémon
trainer crossing a bridge toward a Gyarados,
a giant red exclamation point, and the
words, “Remember to be alert at all times.
Stay aware of your surroundings.” It really
all boils down to common sense: if you
wouldn’t walk down the street with your
nose pressed up against candy crush, why
throw all sense out the window now? Especially
considering the game vibrates when a
Pokémon appears, you have almost no reason
to continuously stare at your screen.
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

SCIENCE & TECH
27
NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

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SCIENCE & TECH
PHOTO COURTESY OF KEN JONES
SUSTAINABILITY CORNER:
DID YOU KNOW UTSC HAS A ROOFTOP GARDEN?
Samantha Moore,
Contributor
UTSC’s Sustainability Office is teaming
up with the Department of Physical and Environmental
Sciences (DPES) to grow a rooftop
vegetable garden on the fourth floor of the Instructional
Center (IC).
The garden was originally built during
the construction of the IC, and the original native
shrubs and grasses were added just before
the building opened; however, weeds took over
the garden because access was limited and the
original plants were not properly maintained.
Many people around campus did not
know that the garden on the fourth floor of the
IC even existed.
The process of transforming the
rooftop garden from a patch of weeds to a
vegetable garden began this year. The process
started with the project being approved,
determining the amount of space available for
planting in the garden, and removing all of the
weeds from the space.
By mid-June, all of the new plants for
the vegetable garden were sown. In the second
week of July, all of the plants were growing
well with few challenges. Four or five weeks
after everything was planted, people could see
some of the plants in the IC garden at street
level.
The people that were involved with
preparing and planting the garden, along with
those that know about the project, are excited
to see how the plants are flourishing.
There are several benefits and a few
challenges associated with growing a vegetable
garden on the roof of a building. One
challenge is that weather disruptions such as
strong winds on the fourth floor of the IC can affect
tall plants. Another challenge is that the dry
weather, plus the dysfunctional irrigation system,
create a condition that requires the plants
in the garden be watered daily.
With the location of the garden being
elevated, there are fewer pests and weeds that
can disrupt the plants. Animals like raccoons,
deer, and rabbits that would eat the plants in a
garden at street level are avoided access to the
garden.
There are currently over 30 different
crops growing in the rooftop garden. The majority
of the plants are annuals and a few of the
plants are perennials. In addition to cardamom
and hops, which will require a few years before
they mature, the rooftop garden has corn,
squash, beans, basil, thyme, mint, sage, dill,
tomatoes, peas, cucumber, lavender, and tomatillos.
The Master of Environmental Science
student responsible for maintaining the
rooftop garden is currently working on a blog
to inform the community about the greenery
including the plants growing in the garden,
events, updates on the progress of the garden,
and some of the challenges associated with the
project.
The produce from the sustainability
gardens in the valley and the IC rooftop will
be used in cooking demonstrations and workshops
at the Farmer’s Market and as featured
ingredients in food discussion cafés.
The food discussion cafés are creating
workshops where the participants get the
opportunity to learn about the food that they are
preparing. For example, participants are getting
information on where the ingredients are from
and learning the benefits of eating foods that
are produced locally. It also encourages discussions
on issues related to food while building
the community in an open environment.
The food discussion cafés are held
once a month, usually on Thursdays. To learn
more about the food discussion cafés, visit the
Sustainability Office website. More information
about these events can be found on the
Sustainability Office website and on Twitter: @
utsc_sustain, Instagram: utsc_sustainability_
office, and Facebook: UTSC Sustainability.
There are weekly gardening events
on Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the garden
down in the valley. Everyone is welcome to
join.
To learn more about sustainability and
programs and events offered by the Sustainability
Office, visit the office or talk with the Eco
Team during booth hours around campus.
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

SCIENCE & TECH
29
NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND
science of stress
Sumaiya Zahoor,
Contributor
The only thing to frequent our thoughts
more than the Raptors and Jays is a vortex of
stress.
Studies have shown that stress can
lead to elevated blood pressure, heart disease,
depression, lethargy, and insomnia, to name a
few. According to Statistics Canada, in 2013
alone, 23 per cent (6.6 million) of Canadians
aged 15 and older reported that most days were
“quite a bit” or “extremely stressful.” Yet, how do
you combat your source of stress when it’s become
difficult to pin down the origin?
The first step to taking control of your
stress is to understand where it comes from. For
the majority of students, stress is usually synonymous
with school. As Mersa Ghobadi puts it,
“with school, there is always the pressure to do
good. Get that 4.0 [GPA] and make sure to have
enough time to network with the prof[essor] to
get recommendation letters for graduate school
which also requires time, investment, and management.”
“It’s a never ending cycle,” Josephine
Mathias adds. “I think school gives me so much
stress because in today’s society it is difficult to
live a regular life without a college degree. The
idea of never finding a good job when I get older
scares me the most. On top of that, without a
good job, I won’t be able to pay the student debt
I’ll have by the end of [my] four years.”
In order to prevent stress from deterring
the ideal university experience, we should
try to manage it effectively. While we can’t get rid
of midterms, assignments, and finals, what we
can do is revitalise ourselves through other outlets,
such as meditation.
Yoga is an effective form of meditation,
which improves overall well-being. “It helps clear
my mind and let go,” says Anastasia Volkov.
Meditation could also look like something as
simple as taking a few deep breaths and having
glass of water. Other alternative ways to destress
can include doing something you enjoy
like going to the movies. “Watching some TV
shows, going to a movie a week, writing, reading...that’s
how I cope,” says Malaika Hammadi.
Nevertheless, for some, the best way
to alleviate stress is to tackle the situation full-on.
“Whenever I encounter a stressful situation, I try
to first plan my moves for dealing with the situation,”
Ghobadi says. “You can never do anything
when you’re stressed, so the first step is to calm
down and trust yourself. The second thing I usually
do is make a schedule of how I will handle
this situation and what steps I will take to do that.
Being organized and calm will help [me] deal
with the most stressful situations.”
Mathias reminds us of how stress can
show up on our physical bodies when she shares
that she “get[s] panic attacks after a stressful situation.
I crash and basically give up. I tend to put
my brain on major overload and just give up. My
shoulders and neck start to ache.”
Procrastination seems funny on an Instagram
post or a tweet; however, as these students
demonstrate, it’s far from helpful in real life.
It’s hard to always be diligent about academic
deadlines when there is so much on a person’s
plate. Instead of letting the stress exhaust you,
build a strong network of people you can talk to
about it. “The best way, other than to ease my
mind, is to talk to my mom or husband. A good
support system is extremely important. Spending
time with family allows me to remember to be in
the present and stay grounded,” says Volkov.
Finally, incorporating regular exercise
into your lifestyle is also an effective way
to deal with stress in the long-term. The Anxiety
and Depression Association of America website
states that exercise “is very effective at reducing
fatigue, improving alertness and concentration,
and at enhancing overall cognitive function.”
Even a few minutes of exercise a day will help
stimulate anti-anxiety effects.
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SCIENCE & TECH
NOOR AHMED / THE UNDERGROUND
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
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31
EXPLORING THE ROUGE
Kristina Dukoski,
Science & Tech Editor
Canada is home to many amazing
natural sites, but not all of them are accessible.
In fact, if you live in an urban area, chances
are you have to designate time to unwind
and immerse yourself in the scenery. Well, we
city-slickers need not worry, because there’s
a beautiful landmark right in our backyard:
Rouge Valley.
According to Parks Canada, “Once
fully established, Rouge National Urban Park
will be one of the largest and best protected
urban parks of its kind in the world, spanning
79.1 square kilometres in the heart of Canada’s
largest and most diverse metropolitan
area.” Perhaps a map could come in handy
when you choose to explore the largest park
in the world, but it does not end there: “Rouge
National Urban Park is comprised of a rich
assembly of natural, cultural and agricultural
landscapes with many remarkable features,
including: amazing biodiversity with over
1,700 species of plants and animals.” The
best part is that there will soon be an app for
that.
Alex Cavanagh, Derek Etherton,
Kaitlyn Chow, and Winston Lee, four UTSC
students, are working to give life to an app
that will allow Rouge Valley visitors to inform
themselves of the flourishing vegetation and
wildlife the park has to offer. Many may wonder
why an app is necessary for a day outdoors,
but upon being given some information
about Canada’s largest urban park, it all
begins to make sense.
Derek Etherton is in his fourth year
of study, in a computer science program. The
project fulfills his third research work-term, as
an eight-month contract software developer.
Etherton explains how he happened upon the
path that led him to his program. “It started
pretty early for me. I got into video games,
which somehow led me to video game development.
I took computer science in high
school, and here I am,” he says. He then
talked about his experience with the co-op
aspect of the program. “Co-op for computer
science is super streamlined, I think for management
as well. Maybe all undergrad programs.
You’re in the program, so they send
you an email saying, ‘Hey, it’s time to start applying
for jobs!’ Then, a bunch of job postings
go exclusively to your U of T inbox. You tailor
your resume and cover letter, hit the ‘apply’
button, then you’re set.”
Like Etherton, Alex Cavanagh is
also in his fourth year of study in a co-op
computer-science program, fulfilling his third
research work-term as a software developer
of the app. “I love technology and video
games. I loved interacting with technology as
a kid, so I took it in high school; I loved it. The
one thing that drew me here was the co-op
program. So, I looked at that, and thought,
‘Hey, if I could work while I go to school, and
take summers doing what I love to do, then
why not?” Cavanagh shares. Regarding the
specifics of the Rouge project, Cavanagh details
how the team works. “Derek and I are
the software developers, whereas Winston
and Kaitlyn are the content half. We’re building
this mobile application for the Rouge. It’s
basically an info-guide. So, if it’s your first
time there, you can open it up, and see geographically
on a map what’s around you,” he
says. “You can see some awesome pictures
and ‘favourite’ some spots so you can plan
your next trip.”
Winston Lee is currently enrolled
in the one year-long Master of Environmental
Science program, and The Rouge project
will fulfill a research internship. “I like environmental
science a lot, especially in terms of
the college-y aspect. I like looking at a largescale
natural system in terms of how different
species are important components to the system…This
one-year program offered a co-op
internship opportunity, so that really caught
my interest,” says Lee on how he got involved
in the project. Lee believes that the co-op program
could help students who are looking to
prepare for the future. “Once you get out of
undergrad, you think, ‘Oh, what do I do now?’
This seemed like a good way to get my foot in
the door in terms of finding a full-time job.”
The fourth member of the team, Kaitlyn
Chow, is enrolled in the same program as
Lee. She is also fulfilling a research internship
with the app development. “I’ve always been
interested in environmental issues on a personal
level, but I never thought that it would
be my career path,” Chow explains. “I actually
did my undergrad in microbiology…Eventually,
I figured out that wasn’t what I really wanted
to do, so after undergrad, I took a year off
to figure out where I wanted to go from there.
I discovered the program here at UTSC, and I
found out that they offered internship components;
so, it seemed like a really good way to
get some practical experience.” Taking on the
content aspect, she and Lee play an important
role in the app’s development. “Winston
and I are both content curators of the project.
So, we put together all of the writing and the
images for the app,” she explains. “We want
the app to be something that a first-time visitor
can take to the park and learn about what
Rouge [Valley] has to offer, but we also want
it to be detailed enough that someone who
has been to the park many times can still find
interesting and useful information in there.”
So, how did this project come to be?
Parks Canada has had a long-standing partnership
with UTSC, and specifically The Hub,
which is under the Office of Research. Maintained
by VP Bernie Kraatz and Director Gray
Graffam -- also the Senior Fellow & Faculty of
Arts, Culture & Media -- The Hub is the center
where innovation and business interplay.
Through the partnership with Parks, Graffam
got in contact with Omar Mcdadi, External
Relations Manager III for Parks Canada,
and began discussing the possibilities, and
an idea was born. Through the Arts and Sciences
Co-op under Dean/ VP Academic Bill
Gough, Cavanagh, Etherton, Chow, and Lee
were selected through a standard application
and interview process to begin development
on the app. With the help of IITS (Information
and Instructional Technology Services) and
BOSA (Business, Operations and Strategic
Affairs), the idea is becoming a reality.
www. the-underground.ca JANUARY AUGUST 22 7 -- FEBRUARY OCTOBER 5, 3, 2016
VOLUME 35, 36, ISSUE 05 01

32
SPORTS & HEALTH
#ComeTogether:
How We Are All Becoming
Blue Jays Fans
Taylor Paulite,
Contributor
Everywhere we look, from the walls of
the buildings that line the streets of Toronto, to
the parade of baseball hats and jerseys at sports
bars and outdoor patios, it’s fair to say that we are
a city obsessed with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Just like the massive love the Toronto
Raptors received in the past two seasons, Torontonians
are proving their admiration over the
Blue Jays as well. Many of those who haven’t
even heard of Toronto’s native baseball team are
starting to, but after years of silence in the Major
League Baseball world, how have the Blue Jays
come to make their mark in Toronto?
It all started on Oct. 4, 2015, when after
21 years, the Toronto Blue Jays finally clinched
a spot in the MLB playoffs. After playing against
and defeating strong teams like the New York
Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the Jays won
the top spot in their division. This success lead to
the now-famous series game against the Texas
City Rangers. At home, Torontonians became
infectiously supportive of their team. TTC buses
were splashed with the Jays’ emblem. Older
generations took advantage of the long-awaited
opportunity to bring out their vintage jerseys from
the 1992 and 1993 World Series.
Sadly, the craze dulled. After two
losses in the five-game series, the Rangers only
needed one more win to take it home. Toronto
thought it would be over, and Jays fans hoped
for a miracle. Luckily, we got one. The Blue Jays
would go on to win every game thereafter, and
clutch the title of the American League Division
Series. The win, however, did not come easily.
In Game 5 of the series, the epic 53 minute-long
seventh inning consisted of odd calls, resulting in
a run earned for Texas, as well as many delays
due to beer cans being chucked onto the field
from a rowdy audience. Despite these problems,
and after many defensive errors made by the
Rangers, José Bautista managed to belt a homerun,
leading to the team’s legendary comeback
win. The Jays came out on top, and the series
concluded with an iconic moment in baseball history
-- Bautista’s bat flip.
The win secured them a spot in the
series against the Kansas City Royals, which
unfortunately, fell short. After six games, the Blue
Jays were defeated by the Royals, leaving fans
silenced, but not without hope. Vintage jerseys
are put away for now, but are patiently waiting
with the belief that this year will be a fight back to
the top.
Luckily, the 2016 season has been
heading in a good direction for the Blue Jays.
From the #StroShow to last year’s
MVP pick, the continuing success can be attributed
to some of the team’s more famous players.
With stellar batting averages from players like
Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnación,
and excellent run averages from pitchers such as
Marco Estrada, J.A Happ, Aaron Sanchez, and
defenseman, Kevin Pillar, the team has remained
strong.
But what’s been helping make the team
stronger than ever before are the Jays’ commardie.
A nude Bautista in an ESPN feature, and the
love that Marcus Stroman receives on Instagram,
are just some examples of the fun-loving attitude
that have turned Blue Jays spectators into Blue
Jays fans.
Fans have also become crucial participants
in the team’s growing success. The Twitter
hashtag #VoteCaptainCanada lead to five of the
Toronto Blue Jays (Donaldson, Estrada, Encarnación,
Sanchez, and Michael Saunders) joining
the American League All-Star team.
In the second half of the season, after
the All-Star break in July, the Blue Jays have to
battle through approximately 60 games in order
to repeat last year’s success, or secure a spot in
the Wild Card position.
“Being a fan for a while, this is one of
the best offensive and defensive teams,” says
second year biochemistry major and long-time
Blue Jays fan, Steven Buenagua. When asked to
comment on the possibility of the Blue Jays making
it to the playoffs, Buenagua smiles and says,
“It’s exciting. We can do it.”
With strong competitors such as the
Baltimore Orioles, the fight will be hard. Next
month will be the determining factor of a possible
playoff position for the team. So call your friends,
dust off your jerseys, and watch the Toronto Blue
Jays race for the playoff finish line this September.
Let’s take October, because it’s “Toronto
vs. Everyone.”
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

UTSC
Fall 2016
Tryout
Schedule
WOMEN'S
MEN’S
BASKETBALL
FLAG
FOOTBALL
ICE
HOCKEY
OUTDOOR
SOCCER
VOLLEYBALL
TPASC GYM 2
Mon. Sept. 12 – 6pm-8pm
Wed. Sept. 14 – 8pm-10pm
Mon. Sept. 19- 6pm-8pm
Wed. Sept. 21 – 8pm-10pm
TPASC FIELD 2
Tues. Sept 13 – 6pm-7:30pm
Fri. Sept 16 – 5pm-7pm
Tues. Sept 20 – 6pm-7:30pm
CENTENNIAL ARENA
Wed. Sept. 14 – 10pm-11pm
Mon. Sept . 19 - 10pm-11pm
Wed. Sept . 21 - 10pm-11pm
VALLEY SOCCER FIELD
Wed. Sept 7 – 5:30pm-7:30pm
Mon. Sept 12 – 5:30pm-7:30pm
Thurs. Sept 15 – 5:30pm-7:30pm
TPASC GYM 3
Tues. Sept. 13 – 6pm-8pm
Thurs. Sept. 15 -8pm-10pm
Tues. Sept. 20 – 6pm-8pm
TPASC GYM 2
Mon. Sept. 12 – 8pm – 10pm
Wed. Sept. 14 – 6pm-8pm
Mon. Sept. 19- 8pm-10pm
Wed. Sept. 21 – 6pm-8pm
TPASC FIELD 1
Tues. Sept 13 – 6pm-7:30pm
Fri. Sept 16 – 5pm-7pm
Tues. Sept 20 – 6pm-7:30pm
CENTENNIAL ARENA
Mon. Sept 12 – 10pm-11pm
DON MONTGOMERY
Tues. Sept 13 – 10pm-11pm
Tues. Sept 20 – 10pm-11pm
TPASC FIELD 1 AND 2
Tues. Sept. 6– 5:30pm-7:30pm
VALLEY FIELDS
Thurs. Sept. 8 – 5:30pm-7:30pm
Tues. Sept. 13 – 5:30pm-7:30pm
VALLEY SOCCER FIELD
Thurs. Sept 15 – 5:30pm – 7:30pm
VALLEY RUGBY FIELD
Tues. Sept 6 – 5:30pm-7:30pm
Fri. Sept 9 – 5pm-7pm
VALLEY SOCCER FIELD
Wed. Sept 14– 5:30pm-7:30pm
RUGBY
ULTIMATE
FRISBEE
TPASC GYM 3
Tues. Sept 13 – 8pm-10pm
Thurs. Sept 15 – 6pm-8pm
Tues. Sept 20 – 8pm-10pm
COED
VALLEY SOCCER FIELD
Tues. Sept 6 – 5:30-7:30pm
TPASC FIELD 1 AND 2
Friday. Sept 9 – 5:30-7:30pm
Tues. Sept 13 – 4:30-6pm

34
OPINION
HEALTH AND WELLBEING:
Learning and Unlearning
Diane Hill,
Contributor
When I was approached to write a
piece for The Underground about Indigenous
health and healing, I was a little apprehensive.
I feared being tokenized and portrayed
as the knowledge bearer on the subject. This
is why, I am prefacing this piece with the
following: I am not an expert. I too am on
a journey to learning more about Indigenous
health and healing.
When thinking about the different
ways we may conceptualize health and
wellness, it is important to acknowledge the
Euro-Western pedagogy rooted in biomedical
approaches -- a pedagogy that is nearly
opposite to traditional Indigenous healing
methods. For many of us, being raised in
a Western society like Canada, means that
most of us can afford things like health care.
Hardly ever does one question the care we
receive from our healthcare system.
It wasn’t until I was a young adult
that I started to become aware of other
forms of health and wellness. Growing up,
my Indigenous community came with its set
of social barriers such as a lack of funding
for education which resulted in high unemployment
rates. Another barrier was a lack
of basic necessities like water. From a health
perspective, these inequities were and still
are more visible in the high rates of diabetes
and drug and alcohol abuse. It is important
to note, however, that these are only a few
of the health concerns that plague the community.
Many of these issues, if not all, stem
from more deeply rooted sources, most of
which cannot be cured by a simple visit to
the doctor’s office.
As a student in UTSC’s health policy
program, I am able to research and learn
more about health care systems. After being
in the program for a few years, it’s safe to
say that the Canadian government has failed
Indigenous peoples and communities on all
social, political, and economic fronts. Collected
data has shown that there is a distinct
disparity between non-Indigenous people
and Indigenous people in regards to unemployment
rates, living conditions, earned
income and unsolved cases involving missing
and/or murdered Aboriginal women and
girls.
As an Indigenous person, I have
seen firsthand the effects of colonialism on
our people. Alcohol and drug abuse in our
communities do not stem from a lack of willpower.
Rather, it is the result of a cycle of
abuse inflicted by the Canadian government
through Indian Residential Schools. To date,
boil water advisories tell residents to boil
their tap water for at least one minute prior
to drinking it. This act, of having to physically
boil one’s water just so they do not fall ill is
one of many ways that the legacy of a 500
year long history of land dispossession and
cultural genocide lives on.
In my time at UTSC, I have spent
time with UTSC’s Traditional Aboriginal
Leader Elder Cat Criger, who has helped me
understand more about the role that elders
have and the generational gifts they carry
with them from our communities. Simply put,
there is a much more holistic understanding
of how issues in our life affect the mind, body
and spirit. And when I learned more about
this, I began to understand post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) in a new way. It is
not uncommon for our people to have posttraumatic
stress disorder, anxiety, or depression
because of the systemic racism
we continue to face. A report done in 2000
by McGill showed that members of Canada’s
Indigenous community have a range of
health issues much higher than that of the
general Canadian population. There is a lot
of healing that our people need to do, and
this healing does not always involve going
to the doctor and getting a bandage or cast
put on. Our healing requires each other, the
land, elders, medicines, and healers.
In some nations, for example, a
sweat lodge ceremony is done to both release
toxins from your body and to maintain
a good heart and mind. Another method
is smudging, in which sweetgrass, cedar,
tobacco, or sage is burned for medicinal
purposes and the smoke acts as another
method to cleanse one’s mind and body. I’ve
been taught that Indigenous peoples typically
practiced these ceremonies, which occurred
daily, for purification because it is important
to have a clear mind, body and spirit.
Relative to my own nation, it is taught that
strawberries and tobacco are medicines,
which derive from the Haudenosaunee creation
story. In our culture, we give thanks to
the medicines that the earth provides for us
through longhouse ceremonies.
As I mentioned previously, I am
on a journey to learning more about my nation,
identity, and culture. When I think about
what moving forward looks like for our people,
I envision our youth and children picking
up the ways of their nations and reconnecting
to the land and culture. I’ve heard it
said that sometimes that even that is in fact
the best medicine.
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

OPINION 35
PHOTO COURTESY OF ZARIN TASNIM
www. the-underground.ca AUGUST 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2016
VOLUME 36, ISSUE 01

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