Scholars at Risk

Afghanistan

Faculty of Law

Taliban militants looking for Ghizaal Haress showed up at her apartment building three times in the days following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul.

A legal practitioner and scholar who served as Afghanistan’s first presidential ombudsperson, Haress was home with her family. But the building’s security guard convinced the Taliban that they had already fled.

“Somehow, the Taliban believed it,” says Haress, who was previously chair of the department of law at the American University of Afghanistan. “We were so thankful to that security guard because if that didn’t happen, we didn’t know what would happen to us.”

That was a little over a year ago. Haress and her family later fled Afghanistan on military planes, arriving in Toronto earlier this year. She is now a visiting scholar at the �ؿ�ζSM’s Faculty of Law and Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, and is supported by the Institute of International Education (IIE) Scholar Rescue Fund and U of T’s Scholars-at-Risk funds for displaced academics and students.

“The people I’ve met at U of T have been extremely kind and supportive – the kind of people who not only encourage you to pursue your goals but actually try to facilitate, help and guide you,” she says, adding that her home country is never far from her thoughts.

“I want to make sure that I don’t just benefit from the great academic and intellectual environment at U of T, but that I also contribute my experiences in a country that struggled with rule of law and constitutionalism.”

Haress’s life has been intertwined with Afghanistan’s tumultuous history. Born in Kabul, Haress and her family fled to Peshawar, Pakistan in 1992 to avoid a civil war. There, she attended a school for refugees and later Afghan University – until the government shuttered the institution at the Taliban’s request. Haress later landed a job at a legal non-profit, returning to Kabul as the country began rebuilding in the wake of the U.S.-led invasion.

“There was a lot of hope, especially from people of my age and my generation, because we could see that there was a lot of potential for change,” says Haress, who went on to earn a law degree from Kabul University, complete graduate studies at SOAS University of London and become a professor at the American University of Afghanistan.

After serving as a commissioner at the independent commission for overseeing the implementation of Afghanistan’s constitution, where she was the only woman among 7 members, Haress was appointed the country’s first ombudsperson in 2019 – a role that entrusted her with setting up a new institution devoted to tackling corruption in the halls of power.

She says it was the most difficult job of her legal career.

“Most of the institutions within the legal and judicial system – which were supposed to curb corruption – were deeply corrupt themselves. So, we didn’t make any friends during the process of setting up the institution.”

There were obstacles everywhere and pushback at every turn. Struggling to acquire chairs, computers and an office space, Haress spent her first few months working out of Kabul’s coffee shops. Her insistence on monthly progress reports on cases referred to ministers, the attorney general and the courts met stiff resistance. “Those were the places where corruption was rampant,” Haress says. “All we wanted was to have an idea of where cases stood.”

But there were significant victories, too. When media accused provincial authorities of mis-using COVID-19 response funds, the Office of the Ombudsperson investigated cases and helped direct more than 200 officials to the attorney general for criminal investigations.

Haress’s openness with the media – she gave monthly press conferences and took questions from reporters – also marked a sea change in the relationship between press and government. “This was a big success for us because the independent media outlets had gained trust in our institution, to the point that they didn’t dispute the findings of our research,” she says.

Unfortunately, none of it would last. The government soon moved to reign in her office’s powers, prompting her to step down in May of 2021.

Haress vividly recalls the feeling of dread on the streets of Kabul as the Taliban entered the city as U.S. troops withdrew from the country. They seized control of Kabul on Aug. 15, 2021 as police abandoned their posts and women began to cover up their appearances.

“I didn’t know whether they would come and kill me, kill my family members or take us into custody,” Haress says. “We didn’t know what awaited us.”

Haress had just enough time to grab essential documents and belongings before she went into hiding for a week at a relative’s house. She eventually boarded a military plane to Abu Dhabi, along with her parents, brother and her brother’s family. “We left our lives behind,” she says. “We left our houses, our assets, our money in the bank.”

While Haress is grateful to now be safe in Canada – and at U of T – she says she misses Afghanistan and is pained by her country’s plight.

“The fact that we lost the achievements of 20 years and it got replaced by the Taliban is a big loss, a shocking loss,” she says. “The way the country fell into the hands of Taliban, the way we were abandoned – whether by the international community or our own political leaders – has really traumatized each and every one of us.

“If times change and I have the opportunity to go back to work for Afghanistan, I will. That’s my country. It has given us a lot and it doesn’t deserve to be abandoned.”

Exchange students from Ukraine share their U of T experience with CityNews

mattimar — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 16:21:53 +0000

Exchange students from Ukraine share their U of T experience with CityNews

mattimar Mon, 09/19/2022 - 12:21

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(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Topic

Centre for International Experience

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Ukraine

Two Ukrainian exchange students at the �ؿ�ζSM say they are thankful to escape the war with Russia and continue their studies in Canada, CityNews reports.

Danylo Bohdanets, a political science student, and Mariia Cherednychenko, a biology student, are among the nearly 200 students from Ukraine who were welcomed by U of T because their studies were disrupted by the ongoing war. Both are in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“My father is [in Ukraine] and I am scared for his life, and I don’t want him to be scared for my life,” said Bohdanets. “He is doing everything possible – he is fighting in Ukraine, he is defending my country.”

“The only feeling I remember straight away is constant fear,” said Cherednychenko of the war. She came to U of T through a special exchange program between the Faculty of Arts & Science and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy that was made possible by a $3.2 million donation by the Temerty Foundation. U of T is also accepting displaced students from Ukraine through its Scholars at Risk program.

“We are happy to assist our Ukrainian students in continuing their studies during this difficult time,” Hyojin Cho, learning abroad adviser and manager at U of T’s Centre for International Experience, told CityNews. “Many people within the U of T community, including professors, staff members and students have been pitching in to help. We hope the students feel supported within our U of T community.”

Watch the full report on CityNews

U of T's Innis College raises $30,000 to support students from Ukraine: Globe and Mail

geoff.vendeville — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 18:07:07 +0000

U of T's Innis College raises $30,000 to support students from Ukraine: Globe and Mail

geoff.vendeville Wed, 06/22/2022 - 14:07

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(photo by Diana Tyszko)

Topic

A film screening at the �ؿ�ζSM raised $30,000 for Innis College's Ukrainian Community Scholars at Risk Award, the Globe and Mail reported.

The fund supports refugees whose education was disrupted by conflict or war, and who wish to continue their studies at U of T – with priority given to scholars from Ukraine.

In April, Innis College screened the Oscar-nominated documentary, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, and welcomed its director Evgeny Afineevsky for a question-and-answer session.

“I was filled with gratitude and pride at seeing so many people gathered, in-person and virtually, in recognition and support of the Ukrainian student community,” student Yaryna Datsyuk told the Globe.

Read the story in the Globe and Mail

From Syria to U of T Engineering: How one student fled civil war to complete his degree

geoff.vendeville — Mon, 30 May 2022 19:48:38 +0000

From Syria to U of T Engineering: How one student fled civil war to complete his degree

geoff.vendeville Mon, 05/30/2022 - 15:48

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Edmund Shalhoub, a student in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, will be graduating this June after coming to Canada in 2017 as a Syrian refugee (photo by Safa Jinje)

Safa Jinje

Topic

Our Community

This June, Edmund Shalhoub will finally achieve his long-held ambition of graduating with a bachelor’s degree in engineering – a journey he started 12 years ago in Syria.

“In 2010, my life was quite normal: I went to school, I spent time with friends and I wanted to specialize in automobile and heavy machinery engineering, as part of a mechanical engineering degree,” says Shalhoub, who studied materials science and engineering at the �ؿ�ζSM.

“I always believed that having an engineering background – with all the technical and theoretical knowledge – would be my vehicle to make positive change in this world, to discover new things and to solve current problems.”

But achieving this goal was far from straightforward. In 2013, three years into his mechanical engineering education, Shalhoub was forced to flee his home country of Syria, where a civil war was raging. When an explosion occurred near Damascus University, close to Shalhoub's home, he realized it was no longer safe for him in Syria.

He arrived in Turkey in September 2013, determined to continue his studies. But since he only spoke Arabic and English, he spent his first year in Istanbul learning Turkish before starting over at Yildiz Technical University – where he earned a spot in the materials science engineering program.

While in Turkey, Shalhoub applied for refugee status through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and his application was approved and referred to the Canadian Embassy.

“When I got accepted to come to Canada, I was told I would have to leave Turkey soon,” he says. “I had to quit my studies again, and that was hard, but I was motivated by the great opportunity.”

Still, arriving alone in a new country was a terrifying experience, Shalhoub says. The experience was made easier by the support of the Canadian government through a resettlement and assistance program, which provided income for his first year in the country.

But Shalhoub was eager to pick up his studies where he left off.

“I started researching U of T while I was in Turkey and I learned it was one of the best universities in the world,” he says. “I felt like it was going to be my school – I actually felt it.”

Soon after arriving in Canada in 2017, Shalhoub visited the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering admissions office and spoke with a representative, who listened to his story and advised him to take an English language assessment test as part of his application.

“I passed and received an offer for the 2017-18 academic year,” Shalhoub says. “I was able to transfer 10 courses from my previous universities, so I was a part-time student for my first two years.”

While his time at U of T Engineering proved to be challenging and full of emotional highs and lows, Shalhoub found a supportive community through his part-time work as a communications assistant in the office of the chief librarian at Robarts Library.

“Last November, I became a Canadian citizen, and my colleagues at the library threw me a surprise party to celebrate,” he says. “Everyone there has always made me feel so welcome.”

To overcome personal struggles during his second and third years of study, Shalhoub was able to rely on on-campus resources such as mindfulness and meditation sessions, as well as support from the Health and Wellness Centre. As for tuition, he received support from the university through the Scholars and Students at Risk Award Program, for asylum-seekers or refugees whose education was impacted by a changing political climate in their country of current or future study.

Living outside his country of origin has helped Shalhoub learn things about himself, he says. “I’ve discovered my strength and my ability to accomplish things I didn’t know I was even capable of when I lived in Syria. And I now know I want to help develop solutions for protecting our environment,” he says.

Shalhoub’s passion for environmentalism ultimately led him to pursue a minor in environmental engineering through U of T Engineering's cross-disciplinary programs office. He is still weighing his next move after graduation but says that his time at U of T will always stay with him.

“I am still not sure how exactly I am going to contribute to solving these problems,” he says, “but I know that I want to use my materials science and environmental engineering education, along with all the technical skills I learned during the last 12 years, to make a difference in the world.”

Listen to Edmund Shalhoub on CBC’s Metro Morning

Censored in Iran, Scholar-at-Risk Negar Banisafar is eager to create a new future at U of T

mattimar — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 18:03:33 +0000

Censored in Iran, Scholar-at-Risk Negar Banisafar is eager to create a new future at U of T

mattimar Wed, 12/08/2021 - 13:03

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Negar Banisafar says a love of culture and critical thinking drew her to U of T, where she is studying Near and Middle Eastern civilizations (photo courtesy of Negar Banisafar)

Mariam Matti

Topic

Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations

Massey College

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Negar Banisafar found it frustrating to be a humanities student in Iran – she couldn’t express her opinions freely and witnessed first-hand the brutality of the government during political protests.

Now a graduate student at the �ؿ�ζSM, Banisafar began studying English literature at Allameh Tabataba'i University in Tehran in 2008 and later continued her master’s studies at Soore University, which is considered one of the top art institutions in Tehran.

She hoped the opportunity would open doors. Instead, while working on her thesis, Banisafar received a crash course in the school’s heavy-handed ways.

“They told me I couldn’t use the word ‘desire’ because it has sexual connotations. I had to go through a lot of arguments and debates,” she says.

“I had to change the word ‘desire’ to ‘request.’”

She adds that studying English literature is generally frowned upon in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a theocracy that has a reputation for not allowing its citizens freedom of speech. “They had proposed the idea of eliminating this major in Iran because they believe it advertises Western ideas and opinions.”

At Allameh Tabataba'I University, Banisafar recalls searching for student groups on campus. When she couldn’t find any, Banisafar joined the women’s basketball team in the hopes of finding community.

“This is where I got to know other students and traveled to different cities in Iran,” she says. “It helped me learn more about the humanities, philosophy, economics and sociology. Later, I understood through these experiences that I learn from a certain approach called interdisciplinary approach to research.”

It was ultimately this love of culture and critical thinking that drew her to U of T, where she is studying Near and Middle Eastern civilizations in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Banisafar is one of four scholars this year supported by the Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship. Awarded by the School of Graduate Studies in a partnership with Massey College, the fellowships provide $10,000 to outstanding graduate students who are seeking asylum or refugee status in Canada, or whose study has been affected by political upheaval in their country of study. It also grants recipients the status of Scholar-at-Risk at Massey College.

She says receiving the scholarship felt like a “miracle” that has motivated her studies and future goals.

“I want to be a helpful member of society, as a researcher, teacher or writer,” she says.

Although enrolled at U of T, Banisafar is living in Istanbul, Turkey, for the time being. Last month she received approval for her visa and hopes to travel to Toronto in late December.

Getting to North America has been a difficult process. Banisafar first attempted to study in Chicago, but was thwarted by Donald Trump’s presidency, which made it all but impossible for her to get a travel visa to the U.S. because of the administration’s order banning travel from some Muslim-majority countries.

Her first Canadian visa application, with her husband, was rejected, too. So, her second application did not include her husband.

“It’s extremely difficult for Iranian students to get a visa because of the bad reputation of Iran’s government,” she says. “I can say we are victims of our government without having committed a crime.”

Growing up in Iran, she was acutely aware of the limitations of living in a theocracy.

“The first thing you see is that women cannot choose what to wear in Iran. It’s a basic right that is being taken away from us,” she says. “And, academically, I understood that I couldn’t violate the regulations that the government decided for us – wrongly, in my opinion.”

The anti-government protests in 2009 had a profound effect on Banisafar’s studies. She joined the thousands on the streets who protested against the presidential election results. She did not participate in her exams that semester because she felt there was something more important happening in her country.

“It was a wave of mixed emotions,” she describes. “I had read history books about the cruelty of the Islamic regime, but I had not experienced it with my own eyes until the days of the protests. I saw how ruthless and inhumane they are and how relentlessly they kill people on the streets.”

That’s when she understood that she would never be protected by the government.

“It is there only to harm us,” she says.

It soon dawned on her that if she continued to live in Iran, she would have to suppress her beliefs and passions – so she left in 2017 and moved to Istanbul. Alongside her studies, she also teaches English to Turkish and international students at Istanbul Okan University.

She’s currently attending her U of T courses online – and says the experience is an about-face from her previous studies.

“I’m really enjoying my classes,” Banisafar says. “My professors are very patient and respect a wide range of opinions. Students are free to express whatever they’re feeling – even if the opinion is not completely formed in their mind. I know students at U of T are free to protest and they’re still protected. In Iran, it’s all about suppression and keeping silent.

“I look forward to being an active member of the university community where moral courage, lifelong learning, and collaboration are welcomed.”

As for the future, Banisafar hopes to give back to the Iranian and Turkish communities.

“My biggest wish is that one day scholars and academics don’t run away from these lands,” she says.

Kameka Morrison, a Scholar-at-Risk, has bold plans for the future of Black education

mattimar — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 15:52:41 +0000

Kameka Morrison, a Scholar-at-Risk, has bold plans for the future of Black education

mattimar Wed, 12/01/2021 - 10:52

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Originally from Jamaica, Kameka Morrison is developing an educational program as part of her coursework at OISE that aims to teach Black history through an emotional intelligence lens (photo courtesy of Kameka Morrison)

Topic

School of Graduate Studies

Kameka Morrison was sitting in a classroom watching a teacher explain segregation to elementary school students when she noticed something was wrong.

A Black student – the only one in the room – was clearly struggling to process the information, which was being delivered with little explanation about what led to those events in U.S. history, who was responsible and the sacrifices that Black people made at that time.

“I asked for permission to pull her outside,” says Morrison, who was a teaching assistant at the time. “I gave her a hug and told her: ‘You matter. That’s not all there is about you. There is so much more to your story.’

“I cried and so did she. She was holding all that shame.”

From that day forward, Morrison vowed to redefine how Black history is taught in Canadian classrooms. Now, she’s studying adult education and community development at the �ؿ�ζSM’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), where she’s working on developing an educational program, as part of her coursework, that aims to teach Black history through an emotional intelligence lens.

“The teaching of Black history must be done in such a way that it mitigates harm to Black bodies and Black students’ emotions,” she says.

Morrison is one of four scholars this year being supported by the Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship. Awarded by the School of Graduate Studies in a partnership with Massey College, the fellowship provides $10,000 to outstanding graduate students who are seeking asylum or refugee status in Canada, or whose study has been affected by political upheaval in their country of study. It also grants recipients the status of Scholar-at-Risk at Massey College.

Morrison, who came to Canada four years ago seeking asylum, has long advocated for Black voices. She has also helped women raising children without support from family or partners, newcomers adjusting to a different culture or women living in poverty.

“I want to gain relevant skills to challenge the experience of adult learners – mostly women – who come from all over the world and had led full lives in their own countries, but who are now learning English to meet language requirements for a fulfilling life in Canada,” she says.

Morrison also works as a resilience and mindset coach with Black and refugee women. “Starting over is hard, it’s very difficult and I can relate to it very much,” she says.

“My passion is to help women, especially those who are raising children by themselves.”

Morrison took a circuitous route to Canada.

In her home country of Jamaica, Morrison was the lead teacher in an English department, as well as a communication instructor with Heart Trust, the country’s technical vocational education and training institute. But she left in 2014 in search of a better life for her family.

She worked as an English, history and literature teacher in the Bahamas. However, Morrison struggled to make ends meet on a single income. She earned enough for rent, but not enough for other expenses.

Morrison eventually settled in southern Ontario, but soon realized her life wasn’t playing out the way she envisioned. A single mom of two at the age of 37, she was finding it difficult to start over in Canada.

Then came a chance encounter at Toronto’s Union Station that changed the trajectory of her life: a stranger – an alumna at OISE, as I turned out – handed her a mug and tote bag that were emblazoned with the U of T’s crest.

“She said to me, ‘I felt led to walk over to you and give you these,’” Morrison recalls. “I thought it was the most strange and amazing thing. I had never heard of OISE before. I said, ‘Wow, this is where I need to go.’”

“I went home and immediately looked it up. It felt like serendipity,” she said. “It felt like something was giving me direction.”

Morrison applied to several programs at OISE and was accepted into all three. She chose to study adult education and community development because it related to her work as an ESL instructor with the Durham District School Board.

Morrison hopes the educational program she’s developing at OISE will help guide teachers and raise awareness of the emotional impact Black history has in the classroom.

“A key consideration is for non-Black educators to demonstrate an appreciation of the responsibility that is inherently attached to the teaching of Black History with disclosure and congruence, and with a consciousness that does not diminish the realities of Black experiences within the community,” she says.

She hopes this approach opens doors for policy-makers and administrators to make space for more Black educators to share their own history.

She plans to continue the development of the program after the course ends. Her work with Black and immigrant women will also continue.

“If I could share anything with another woman who is facing challenges, I would say that no part of our life or our experiences is ever wasted. Experiences come to provoke us to move forward and if we examine each encounter, we will find that it came to teach us and once we learn and implement then we are prepared for the next lesson and with it, the next victory.

“Identify your core beliefs. Those are your non-negotiables. Hold those close and keep moving forward.”

Nuclear physicist from Venezuela lands at U of T with help of Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 16:49:34 +0000

Nuclear physicist from Venezuela lands at U of T with help of Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 10/27/2020 - 12:49

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Diego Jesus Rada Rojas fled intimidation and harassment in Venezuela, where he worked in a national radiation safety lab, and is now conducting PhD research on air quality at U of T's Dalla Lana School of Public Health (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Massey College

Diego Jesus Rada Rojas, a nuclear physicist from Venezuela, arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport in the summer of 2017 on a flight from Santiago, Chile. He had travelled on a tourist visa – but this was no vacation.

“I told the immigration officer, ‘I have to be honest with you – I’m not here as a visitor. I’m here because I’m terrified to return to my country, I’m desperate and I’d like to see if it’s possible to get political asylum,’” Rojas says.

For years, Rojas had been the head of a national radiation safety laboratory in Venezuela’s Ministry of Health. But his unwillingness to toe the line of the country’s authoritarian government, as well as his democratic thinking, led to intimidation and harassment – harassment that followed him even as he tried to build a future for himself elsewhere in South America.

Now, Rojas is putting down roots in Toronto and at the �ؿ�ζSM, where he is embarking on a PhD at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, focused on air quality. He is one of six scholars this year who are supported by the Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship awarded by U of T’s School of Graduate Studies in partnership with Massey College.

“It’s difficult to explain with words the gratitude I feel for the Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship and the �ؿ�ζSM,” said Rojas. “This fellowship helps me be protected and focus on my studies at U of T without worrying about persecution by the regime in Venezuela.”

The fellowship provides a $10,000 grant to outstanding graduate students who are seeking asylum or refugee status in Canada, or whose studies have been affected by the political situation in their country. It also grants recipients the status of Scholar-at-Risk at Massey College.

During his time working at Venezuela’s Ministry of Health, Rojas specialized in occupational and environmental health. He was tasked with improving radiation safety practices in medical facilities in poor and remote regions of the country, where it was not uncommon for defective and outdated equipment – such as X-ray machines and dental scanners – to be used, and where staff were often not adequately trained in radiation safety.

Rojas took it upon himself to create a comprehensive training program for best practices in radiation hygiene. The program was credited with reducing exposure to radiation among both patients and health-care workers.

He says he found the job fulfilling.

“Physicists often have the reputation of being robotic or not sensitive because we’re from exact sciences and usually very into calculation, and it’s not seen as a very human or social profession,” says Rojas. “So, I was so happy that I was able to apply my degree in physics to a very social and public service. It was a great job to be able to work with communities who, because of geographic and economic factors, didn’t have access to basic radiation hygiene education.”

Yet, while Rojas enjoyed his work, his government bosses didn’t always appreciate his democratic views and vocal opposition to the growing authoritarianism of the country’s leadership.

“I was always open with my ideas and convictions, and they made it clear to me that I should be thankful to the government and show my gratitude. They said I had to be loyal to the revolution,” said Rojas. “I said, ‘What revolution? We’re in a free country. What revolution are you talking about? If I’m in this job, it’s because I succeeded in an interview and I have the skills. I don’t have to pay loyalties.’”

Rojas says his bosses began pressuring him to attend meetings to study doctrine and tried to force him to attend parades to prove his loyalty to the government. He refused.

“I was excited to help people, like people in the Indigenous communities who were exposed to high doses of radiation and long-term health problems – and here they wanted me to attend courses to train my brain to communism,” said Rojas. “I didn’t attend them because I wasn’t hired to take courses in communism. It had nothing to do with my work.”

That’s when the overt harassment and bullying took off. Rojas’ benefits, including his health insurance and ration card, were cut and his salary reduced. People began to openly refer to him as “bourgeois” and a “traitor.” One day, he turned up at work to find his desk, computer and work documents destroyed.

Outside on the streets, he noticed he was being followed by men on motorbikes.

“At this point, I realized I was not safe anymore in Venezuela,” says Rojas.

He decided to move to Brazil, where he completed a master’s degree in biomedicine and was beginning to transition to a PhD program. However, the Venezuelan consulate refused to renew his passport, preventing him from continuing his studies in Brazil.

He was accepted into a PhD program in Puerto Rico, complete with a full scholarship and a salary. This time, the Venezuelan government refused to renew his passport. The university in Puerto Rico waited two years for Rojas to resolve his situation, but he was unsuccessful.

Next, Rojas was accepted into a PhD program in Chile, which didn’t require a visa. But Venezuelan authorities refused to certify his degree, so he couldn’t complete his studies there either.

“It was so catastrophic for me,” Rojas says. “I was losing my time, my life. All those international opportunities, PhDs, scholarships ... but the government of Venezuela – or the regime, because it’s not a government anymore – took that away from me.”

In 2017, Rojas was still in Chile as his passport neared its expiry date. He risked being deported to Venezuela, where he was concerned he would be imprisoned.

He had one last trump card: a visitor visa for Canada.

“I didn’t know anything about immigration regulations, refugee applications or political asylum,” Rojas says. “I decided to go to Canada because I had no other choice.”

After explaining his situation to officials at Pearson airport, Rojas was allowed to enter the country and apply for refugee status.

Being in Canada meant he was free from persecution, but Rojas still faced the challenge of re-igniting a career in a new and unfamiliar country. Despite being granted a work permit, he lacked Canadian work experience and struggled to make inroads in the job market.

He eventually enrolled at the City Adult Learning Centre, a secondary school for adults, which offered a co-op component. Through the program, he found a placement at Sporometrics Inc., an environmental microbiology testing lab founded and owned by James Scott, a professor at U of T’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and head of the school’s occupational and environmental health division.

During his placement, Rojas noticed flaws in existing standards to determine air quality as it pertains to fungal spores.

“This problem with sanitary standards in terms of spores was because there were certain variables that can’t be calculated using regular observation laboratory techniques,” Rojas says. “So, my approach was to introduce some analytics techniques that I extrapolated from my experience with radiation safety and environmental radiation.”

Rojas worked on a methodology to establish improved standards for measurement of fungal contaminants in the air and presented his proposals to Scott. Impressed, Scott encouraged Rojas to apply to do a PhD in his U of T lab.

Rojas was accepted into the program. Now, he’s in the process of securing refugee status and ensuring his own financial security – both goals he says will receive a boost from the Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship.

“A PhD at Dalla Lana is a full-time commitment, so the financial aid will help me to not worry about what I’m going to eat or how I’m going to survive. I can focus completely on my studies,” he says. “Also, receiving the fellowship will help me a lot in receiving my refugee status and permanent residency in Canada ... this support from U of T is strong proof of how I’m contributing to Canada, which is now home to me – the place that I love and the place where I want to contribute and help.”

Ultimately, Rojas says what the fellowship and U of T represent for him is the opportunity to once again have that feeling of fulfilment and meaning that he derived from his job in Venezuela.

“My passion in my profession is to solve problems and to help people,” said Rojas. “This is what the Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship and the �ؿ�ζSM are helping me to do – giving me the tools and resources to solve a public health issue and help the Canadian community, which to me is the biggest reward that I can receive.”

A former police officer, U of T's Serdar San now studies the Turkish regime that cost him his job

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 16:52:52 +0000

A former police officer, U of T's Serdar San now studies the Turkish regime that cost him his job

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 10/16/2020 - 12:52

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With the help of U of T's Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship, Serdar San is conducting PhD research on how political upheaval and regime changes have impacted Turkish policing and police – including himself (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Criminology

Graduate Students

Turkey

Serdar San was well into his PhD in criminology at the �ؿ�ζSM in late 2016 when his research and personal life were turned upside down.

A Turkish National Police lieutenant who originally came to Canada on a Turkish police scholarship, San was suddenly fired from the force as an increasingly authoritarian government in Turkey looked to crack down on its institutions of policing in the wake of a failed military coup.

Not only did the move wipe out San’s career and a decade’s worth of pension contributions, it meant he could no longer travel to Turkey to conduct interviews for his dissertation – a comparative study of counter-terrorism policies in Turkey and Canada with respect to home-grown terrorism – as he risked harassment and the seizure of his passport.

So, with the help of U of T’s Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship, San pivoted his research to a different topic, the importance of which he understands all too well: How political upheaval and regime changes have impacted Turkish policing in recent decades.

“This fellowship will be a great financial support for me in finishing my dissertation, which I strongly believe will both contribute to scholarly understanding of policing but will also help draw scholarly and public attention to the human rights abuses of the current regime in Turkey,” says San.

Awarded by the School of Graduate Studies in a partnership with Massey College, the fellowships award $10,000 to outstanding graduate students who are seeking asylum or refugee status in Canada, or whose study has been impacted by political upheaval in their country of study. It also grants recipients the status of Scholar-at-Risk at Massey College, and appoints them members of Massey College without having to pay a membership fee.

“Joining the Massey College community will help me meet new colleagues in different disciplines and with varying interests and life experiences, which will help me broaden my horizons as well,” San says.

San first came to Canada in August 2013 to pursue a master’s degree in criminology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, with the intention of returning to his policing duties in Turkey after graduation.

However, he later decided to stay in Canada to complete a PhD at U of T under the supervision of Matthew Light, an associate professor of criminology and sociolegal studies and European, Russian and Eurasian studies in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

San’s decision to extend his stay in Canada was also influenced by turmoil in his home country.

“Things were changing in Turkey during that time after widespread mass protests against the government and increasing authoritarian policies,” he says. “Critics began to be arrested and imprisoned, and they started a crackdown on the police force shortly thereafter, which intensified after the military coup attempt in July 2016.”

He says the government was keen to rid its police forces of democratic-thinking and progressive-minded police officers and replace them with regime loyalists.

“I personally see myself as one of the members of a cohort of younger officers dedicated to raising the professional level of Turkish policing by improving police-community relations and by addressing Turkey’s serious problem of terrorism in a more democratic and rights-respecting manner,” he says. “But after the government’s authoritarianism solidified, these open-minded and more democratic-thinking officers were labelled as traitors ... mostly because they’re critical thinkers.”

As many as 100,000 public servants, including police officers, were fired in the aftermath of the failed 2016 coup, according to the New York Times. San says that, to his knowledge, more than 33,000 police officers have been dismissed from their positions.

“After the purge of thousands of police officers, they immediately recruited new ones who they saw as more loyal in the increasing repression against dissidents, and who would be more helpful in the crackdown.”

It’s only the most recent example of political transitions influencing Turkish policing, according to San. His doctoral research will examine how the relationship between political regimes and police has played out in Turkey over the last 40 years, starting from the period immediately after the 1980 military coup.

“I will explore whether and how different political regime types and political transitions infuse the development of policing, and also how new authoritarian regimes construct or reconstruct their internal security or policing institutions,” says San. “I’m doing this study because I think Turkey is an important case because it has experienced repeated and very dramatic political transitions and changes in policing over the last 40 years.”

Changing his research focus has not been without its challenges. “As a result of my new project, I have had to re-tool as a scholar and familiarize myself with an entirely new scholarly literature, which extends the amount of time I’ll need to complete my doctoral studies,” San says.

“Professor Light has been really helpful and a very good guide and supervisor for me in this project.”

Despite his personal, professional and academic ordeals, San is now squarely focused on continuing his transition from police officer to U of T scholar.

“All the things I’ve lived in the last four or five years have helped me learn how to become a more thoughtful and informed citizen, especially in terms of knowing your rights and liberties and knowing how democracy works,” he says.

“I hope that all this experience – and further experiences that I’ll have with the help of the Scholars-at-Risk Fellowship – will make me a more informed citizen, both in Canada and maybe in a more democratic Turkey in the future.”

The New Normal with Maydianne Andrade (Ep. 7): A crossroad

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 14:40:49 +0000

The New Normal with Maydianne Andrade (Ep. 7): A crossroad Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 07/10/2020 - 10:40

Topic

Our Community

COVID-19 New Normal

After months of a global pandemic and weeks of protests against anti-Black racism and police brutality, are we at a crossroad?

“It feels like we are at a critical moment,” says Maydianne Andrade, a Canada Research Chair in Integrative Behavioural Ecology and the �ؿ�ζSM Scarborough’s vice-dean of faculty affairs and equity. “Will we choose the path that is more challenging but more just?”

In episode seven of her podcast, The New Normal, Andrade is joined by Joe Wong, the Ralph and Roz Halbert Professor of Innovation at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the founder and principal investigator for the REACH Alliance. She is also joined by alumna and activist Noura Al-Jizawi, who endured torture in Syria before finding a new home in Canada and was helped by the Munk School’s Citizen Lab and the Scholars at Risk program. Now a research assistant at Citizen Lab, Al-Jizawi is also an alumna of the Reach Alliance.

The New Normal is created in collaboration with a �ؿ�ζSM Communications team led by producer Lisa Lightbourn. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify or listen on SoundCloud. You can also find it on Apple or listen on Google.

From selfie smiles to doting dogs: Moments to remember from #UofTGrad19

davidlee1 — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 15:34:42 +0000

From selfie smiles to doting dogs: Moments to remember from #UofTGrad19

davidlee1 Fri, 06/21/2019 - 11:34

Cutline

A cluster of celebratory balloons floats above the crowd in front of U of T's Convocation Hall (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Medicine

Innis College

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education