The Dialog Oct. 19-Nov.2, 2012 by The Dialog

Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, 2012

Missing and murdered: Aboriginal women in Canada ‘a crisis’ Bullying GBC atheltes doesn’t end in celebrate high school homecoming

International students pay ‘absurd’ tuition

2 Opinion

The Dialog Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, 2012

There are countless stories like Amanda Todd’s

Managing Editor

Amanda Todd is now a household name, her story has been written about in media outlets large and small across the country, her name has been invoked in the House of Commons around a proposed anti-bullying bill, and been widely shared on social media with over 4 million views of the emotional video she posted on youtube before she ended her life. Everyone is talking about Amanda Todd and the horrific bullying and harassment that she went through. As I watched her video I had an emotional reaction to it, much as many people no doubt did, watching a young teen flip through dozens of cue-cards telling how she was subjected to years of harassment, both online and in person, that left her with severe anxiety and depression and feeling like she didn’t want to live anymore. It was hard to watch. When it ended, I saw a similar video by Olivia Liv Penpraze, an Australian teen who struggled with psychosis and depression for years before committing suicide in April. In her video she details how she tried to kill herself multiple time holding up a fistful of hospital bracelets. She writes, “BULLYING! All my pain is caused by heaps of tiny comments built up over the years. ‘you’re so ugly, stupid, lame, pathetic, useless, idiotic, just go away, no one

even likes you, you’re a waste of space, just go kill yourself already, you’re better off dead’ ” Penpraze later writes “Bullying needs to stop. No one deserves to be bullied ever! Please just put a stop to bullying.” Then there was another similar video, then another, then another and another. There are hundreds, if not thousands of videos like Amanda Todd’s online telling the world their secrets. How many people are dealing with similar issues that aren’t making videos or posting to blogs? How many of them have to die before we can convert our moral outrage and platitudes into action? And what action should we be taking? With this on my mind, I sat down with Kate Klein, the coordinator for the Constituency Community Centres at the Student Association of George Brown College. Klein spoke to me about how students seek out the LGBTQ community centre after many of them had experience with Gay-Straight Alliances in high schools and want to find a similar space at college where they can go to feel safe and accepted. Klein was critical of framing things as “just bullying” also thinking it was important to link the act of bullying to the systemic oppression that often motivates it. For example, instead of just using the term ‘bullying’, an umbrella term that covers a wide range of abusive power relationships, Klein suggests pairing the specific oppressions with the bullying behaviour. In Todd’s case we

Dialog Reporters: Preeteesh Peetabh Singh

www.dialog.studentassociation.ca Tel: 416-415-5000 ext. 2764 Fax: 416-415-2491 sapccoord@georgebrown.ca

other issues that students are experiencing.” said Malowany. “A lot of the issues with bullying we end up talking about and dealing with in a reactivity, which fine there’s a need for that, but I really believe there’s a need to deal with bullying in a proactive way so people realize that words do hurt. That words do contribute to people doing things they shouldn’t, like self harm, and that kind of awareness is going to make people think twice before they say things.” Bullying doesn’t stop when you leave high school, it continues in too many post-secondary institutions, at work, in social settings, even in volunteer and activist groups. It’s time to stop treating it as something kids will get through and grow out of. It is damaging people and far from making us stronger, it is killing some of us.

Managing Editor: Mick Sweetman SA Publications and Communications Coordinator: Mick Sweetman Dialog Published by: Student Association of George Brown College

George Brown College student newspaper

Contact in person or mail: Room E122 - Casa Loma 142 Kendal Avenue Toronto, ON M5R 1M3

could then speak of ‘sexist bullying’. Other cases could be called ‘homophobic bullying’, ‘racist bullying’, ‘disablist bullying’ and so on. However, more important than the language we use to describe bullying is working to provide supportive communities and spaces that people can access, both on and off campus. One of the consistent messages in the dozens of videos that I watched was that the people in them, mostly young teenage girls, felt that they had nobody that cared about them and that they were utterly alone. Roger Malowany, one of a dozen counsellors at George Brown, has seen a dramatic increase in students coming to him with issues like anxiety. “When I first started here 10 years ago the biggest part of our job was doing career work. Now the majority of our work is dealing with

Poll from http://dialog.studentassociation.ca

By Mick Sweetman

Dialog Contributors: Karen Nickel Jason Miller Michael Stefancic Cover photo by Karen Nickel of the “All my relations” mural in Allan Gardens.

The Dialog newspaper is published by the Dialog Collective under the auspices of the Student Association of George Brown College. The collective is comprised of student editors and reporters and is responsible for the overall vision and direction of the Dialog newspaper, as it coincides with the larger vision of mission of the Student Association. The cost of producing a monthly newspaper is in part defrayed by advertising revenue and largely subsidized by the Student Association. Occasionally, some advertisers, products and services do not reflect the policies of the SA.

Opinions expressed in the Dialog are not necessarily those of the Dialog Collective, the Student Association of George Brown College, or its editorial staff. The Dialog will not publish any material that attempts to incite violence or hatred against individuals or groups, particularly based on race, national origin, ethnicity, colour, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability. Contributions to the Dialog are always gratefully accepted. We request that articles be submitted as digital copies in plain-text (TXT) or rich-text (RTF) format. Letters to the editor can be sent in an email message to sapccoord@georgebrown.ca. Images should be in EPS format as vector images or TIF format (Mac or PC). We request that you submit a hard copy of your work. Originals only please.

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The Dialog Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, 2012

M O N DAY

T U E S DAY

W E D N E S DAY

T H U R S DAY

F R I DAY Oct. 19

Oct. 22

Oct. 23

Oct. 24

Oct. 25

Oct. 26

Intersession week

Kaleidoscope, The George Brown College Foundation Gala Waterfront campus 7 p.m. www. georgebrown.ca/ kaleidoscope

Health Sciences Alumni Waterfront Welcome. Waterfront campus 1 p.m.- 4 p.m.

2012 Ontario College Information Fair Direct Energy Centre 100 Pinces’ Blvd. Exhibition Place. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Oct. 29

Oct. 30

Oct. 31

Nov. 1

Student Association Elections Meet & Greet Waterfront campus Room 033 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Student Association Elections Meet & Greet Casa Loma campus Room E144 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Student health benefits go live.

Halloween social Night Jack Astor’s St. Lawrence Market. 7 p.m.

Student Association Elections Meet & Greet St. James campus Room B175 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Members of Parliament visit GBC

Student Association by-elections

Break zone day posponed

The Federal Conservative Postsecondary Education Caucus met at George Brown College on Oct. 12 to review how colleges are preparing their students for employment in the ever changing economy and workforce. Visiting MPs met students from the Food Innovation and Research Studio (FIRSt) and heard about several projects they have been working on. FIRSt is a research facility that supports the food industry by helping industry partners develop and commercialize new food products and recipes in a timely, cost effective and customer-focused manner. - George Brown College

Voting for the fall 2012 by-elections of the Student Association will commence on Nov. 8. It will look to fill the positions of campus director at Waterfront, community services & ECE representative, health sciences representative, construction & engineering technologies representative and board of governors representative. The nomination process for the elections is over. See the back of this issue of The Dialog for a complete calendar of byelection events. - Preeteesh Peetabh Singh

The break zone day scheduled on Oct. 9 at George Brown College’s St. James Campus, was postponed due to unavailability of facilitators. Nevertheless, break zone week will be conducted as schedule at the Casa Loma Campus from Nov. 19 to 23. It will include sessions on laughter yoga, meditation, yoga, anger release and groove journey. - Preeteesh Peetabh Singh

DAILY

UP Halloween haunt at Canada’s Wonderland

Tickets for the Halloween haunt at Canada’s Wonderland are now available at the Student Association offices at all George Brown campuses. Priced at $25 for students and $34 for guests. The Halloween celebrations will feature live shows and bloodcurdling mazes. - Preeteesh Peetabh Singh

2012

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WED NOV ST 21

News 5

The Dialog Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, 2012

Hundreds of Aboriginal women murdered By Karen Nickel

Special to the Dialog

We have a Canadian crisis. This crisis has been occurring for at least 30 years according to the data collected. It has claimed over 580 women and girls’ lives. This crisis isn’t cancer, or HIV, or AIDS, though those are also unacceptable deaths. This crisis involves the disappearance or murder of someone’s, mother, daughter or sister. Never heard of this? You are not alone and that’s part of the tragedy of this crisis. There are 582 Aboriginal women’s names entered into the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) missing and murdered database. According to their report entitled “What Their Stories Tell Us: Research findings from the Sisters in Spirit campaign”, 115 women and girls are still missing. That means 80 per cent were murdered. Aboriginal women experience vi-

olence at rates above that of other women. Violence against Aboriginal women has at its roots the combined historical, systemic violence of colonialism, sexism, racism, poverty and exclusion. It is because of these entrenched pillars of oppression that you have not heard of this constant crisis of abuse, violence and murder experienced by our sisters in indigenous communities. That is why the Sisters in Spirit initiative was start by NWAC in 2005, to track the missing and murdered and to educate the public, police and policy makers on the seriousness of this issue. George Brown College has over 300 Aboriginal students a year. There is an Aboriginal collection in St. James learning resource centre; Aboriginal courses that meet general elective requirements and Aboriginal students’ resources and support. The Sahkitcheway Aboriginal students’ meeting room is located at 562D, St.

James campus. Vigils are held across Canada every year on Oct. 4 to honour, commemorate and to demand action in the name of the women, girls and their families. This year the Native Women’s Resource Centre hosted this event in Allan Gardens. In late June the centre enlisted 21 members of their community to paint a mural with five vignettes that was eight feet high and 700 feet long, titled, ”All My Relations”; it was a stunning addition to the atmosphere of the vigil. The vigil speakers told us their experiences of loss, frustration and anger. We heard about Caroline Sinclair, who was found murdered in Winnipeg earlier this year. Alex spoke of his sister, Sonya, also murdered. Mike spoke about the need for men to be involved and to “walk in balance”. West Wind spoke about violence in language. How the word ‘squaw’ is

synonymous with hate and violence and how it is a bastardization of the word Anishinaabekwe, or Ojibwe woman and how we must resist racist language and reclaim the word kwe, or woman. This year, the Sisters in Spirit vigil had political support from Caroline Bennett, Liberal Aboriginal affairs critic, who “wants justice and prevention”. She called for “some kind of search, as if a white woman was missing” when Aboriginal women and girls go missing and “resources for healing” for the families. Another voice at the vigil was city counsellor, Kristyn Wong-Tam, who said to “fight for the truth. We can never stop fighting.” It was WongTam who during her speech said that this was a “Canadian crisis” and urged us to keep being angry and keep loving because “anger and love equals action that can’t be stopped.” Now that you know about the crisis what will you do about it?

A section of the “All my relations” mural in Allan Gardens where the Sisters in Spirit rally was held. Photo: Karen Nickel / The Dialog

News 7

The Dialog Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, 2012

International students pay ‘absurd’ tuition By Preeteesh Peetabh Singh Dialog Reporter

“Tuition costs too high? Pay your fee with our line of credit at easy interest rates”. This is how a major bank in Canada lures international students into its credit scheme. Almost everyone is aware of the hefty fees that students have to pay for their education, they try to empathize with them, but to no avail. The country does not complain, and why should they? A major chunk of its economy comes from international students who enrol for undergraduate, graduate or professional course in Canada. According to a report from the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, carried out by Roslyn Kunin & Associates in May

2012, the amount that international students spend on tuition, accommodation and discretionary items is $7.7 billion. This amount is higher than the country’s exports of coniferous lumber ($5.1 billion), coal ($ 6.1 billion), unwrought aluminum ($6 billion) and even greater than the exports of helicopters, airplanes and spacecraft ($6.9 billion). Additionally, international students in Canada created over 81,000 jobs and generated more than $445 million in government revenue for 2011. Considering these huge expenses, what makes the students still come? “I believe that students not only come here to study, but also to work. There is no doubt that the

education in Canada is world class, but landing up with good jobs after completing the course is a motivating factor.” said Olena Kachor, an international student from Ukraine studying business administration at George Brown College (GBC). “The tuition fee they charge us is absurd, it’s almost four times higher than the local students. If the effort that we put in is equal, why does the fee vary?” asks Ankit Sharma, an international student from India and a GBC alumnus. “People come in to Canada from developing countries like China, South Korea, India or the Middle East hoping for better income, a better standard of living, and eventually a better future, but as it turns out, even the job prospects look gloomy for us.”

To make international students welcome, the city of Toronto organized an ‘International students festival’ on Oct. 6 at Nathan Phillips Square. The festival included a wide range of cultural performances. Chinese dance, Scottish highland dance, Indian electro-fusion, Flamenco Spanish dance, Pop rock band and musical performances provided entertainment to the crowd. The festival also included remarks from Glen Murray, minister of Training Colleges and Universities. Excellence awards were provided to Dr. Shashi Kant (high achiever), Alexander (entrepreneurship), Wangui Kimari and Sanjay Surendran (community services), Alyssa (academic excellence), and Rodrigo Herrera (arts and culture).

Flamenco Spanish dance performed by Arte Flamenco Spanish Dance Company, at the International Students Festival in Toronto. Photo: Preeteesh Peetabh Singh / The Dialog

8 News

The Dialog Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, 2012

Ontario activst assembly held in Toronto

By Preeteesh Peetabh Singh Dialog Reporter

“Whatever I see, I see from my heart. Whatever I say, I say from my heart. Whatever I do, do from my heart. And this for me is activism, may it be social, political, economic or environmental” said Cat Criger, an Elder from the First Nations People, at the opening of Ontario student activist assembly organized by Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). The assembly was held over the weekend on Oct. 12 and 13 at the University of Toronto. Student unions, volunteers, campus activists, club and department representatives and community allies gathered from across Ontario to participate in variety of issues-based sessions and skills training workshops which were aimed at developing local and inter-campus organizing capacities. Food, accommodation, a children’s activity room, a prayer room, ASL interpreters, translation devices were available for all participants who required it. Participants also got a chance to bond with each other at

the socials conducted at social work building and Tranzac community club. According to Sarah Jayne King, the chairperson of the CFS-Ontario, This is a critical year for students and activists. The Ontario government wants to drastically change the education system. King says the government is looking to privatize it, develop a new tuition fee framework that will likely mandate more tuition fee increases and allow institutions to move into a two-tiered system much like in the United States. The recent success of the massive student movement in Quebec made the government scrap the tuition fee hike and cancel Bill 78. This is seen as a major victory for all activists across Canada. Antoni Shelton, director of government relations for the Ontario Federation of Labour, expressed his concerns over Bill 115 which will impose a wage freeze for two years, cut benefits and restrict collective bargaining rights for the teachers. He warned that the McGuinty government is targeting not only on teach-

ers but also the broader public sector. Skills workshops included how to develop campaigns, public speaking, crafting media message, organizing for graduate students, and launching social media campaigns. “The breakout groups and workshops held on Saturday included sessions that were meant for not only university students but also colleges.” said Chris Bourque, the liberal arts and preparatory studies education centre representative for the Student Association (SA) of George Brown College “It was a good sign and showed that they are making space for colleges in the Canadian Federation of Students.” International student struggles, food security on campus, disability movement, critical analysis of feminism, rise of corporate interest on campus, and government austerity agenda were also discussed in the issues workshops. The keynote speaker, Clayton Thomas Muller, spoke on the environmental issues in Canada focusing on shutting down the tar sands. While the keynote panel inclusive of

Ana Garcia Rubio, Panagiotis Louvros, Rodrigo Echecopar and Marianne Breton Fontaine discussed student struggles around the world. “The experience was phenomenal. It was great to see hundreds of students from across Ontario and especially great to see George Brown students get involved in such a large movement.” said Mohammad Ali Aumeer, the director of education and equity for the SA. “The energy that I got from the room was very exciting and really instilled a confidence in the students and activists. The vibe was inspiring. To hear stories on how the students in Chile shut down the country and won their demands, on how students in Greece and Spain stood up, how students in Quebec brought down the government based on student issues and fighting for student rights and winning. It inspired us in many ways moving forward towards the goal of providing more accessible and more affordable post secondary education in Ontario.”

MORE THAN JUST YOUR STUDENT UNION - WE ARE YOUR TEAM! THE STUDENT ASSOCIATION OF GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING QUALITY SERVICES AND SUPPORT TO GBC STUDENTS. THOUGH WE FREQUENTLY WORK WITH THE COLLEGE, THE SA IS A SEPARATELY INCORPORATED NOT-FOR-PROFIT — RUN BY STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS. APPROXIMATELY 22,000 FULL-TIME GBC STUDENTS ARE PART OF THE SA, AND WE ENCOURAGE ALL STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE. FROM PROVIDING HEALTH INSURANCE TO THROWING PARTIES, THE SA WANTS TO ENSURE EVERY STUDENT HAS AN ENRICHING AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AT COLLEGE. CLUBS LEGAL COUNSEL TTC SALES FACILITIES TAX CLINIC SAFEWALK LIFEWORKS CAMPAIGNS FOOD BANK JOBS EVENTS MEMBER SERVICES ACADEMIC ADVOCACY BURSARIES LGBTQ CENTRE ASL COMMUNITYCENTRE THE DIALOG THE SOURCE ABORIGINAL STUDENT COMMUNITY CENTRE CENTRE FOR WOMEN AND TRANS PEOPLE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT COMMUNITY CENTRE

Sports 9

The Dialog Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, 2012

GBC athletes celebrate homecoming By Preeteesh Peetabh Singh Dialog Reporter

While George Brown College (GBC) marked its 45th anniversary, the athletics department celebrated its sixth homecoming event on Oct. 5 and 6. The homecoming weekend started with a welcome social and charity casino night held at Casa Loma student lounge, followed by some alumni games such as ice hockey, cross country, basketball, soccer, badminton and baseball held at various locations. These friendly games gave the athletes a chance to rub shoulders with each other, catch up with some old pals and recall fond memories. The homecoming gala event was held on Saturday at the Lakeshore Boulevard Club. The night was dedicated to Alex Barbier (1947-2011), who was instrumental in shaping the athletic department of GBC. He was honoured with a video tribute, followed by a speech from his son Alex Barbier Jr. and wife Jennifer Barbier which received a standing ovation from the gathering. In his honour, GBC has introduced an ‘Alex Barbier tribute fund’,

which works to provide scholarships for student athletes and help them to be successful in sports and studies. Ed Mark, manager of athletics and recreation can be contacted for further queries regarding the fund or to make a donation. The night also saw GBC alumnus and sportspersons Kimchan Ramrattan, badminton and cross country, Kevin Taylor, basketball, and Marla Henderson, Alpine Skiing, Volleyball and indoor soccer, being inducted into in to the George Brown Hall of Fame for their exceptional achievements in sports. Kimchan Ramrattan, badminton (1988-89), who had already been inducted into the OCAA hall of fame, said, “being inducted in George Brown Hall of Fame was an emotional event for me, having played for the college and having worked for the college, I feel privileged.” after receiving the award at GBC. Ramrattan has organized and founded successful fundraising events such as Tour de Creemore, which annually raises about $50,000 for homeless shelters in Toronto. Inductee Marla Henderson, the

George Brown Hall of Fame inductees, Kevin Taylor, Marla Henderson and Kimchan Ramrattan with Ed Mark. Photo: Michael Stefancic

only skier to win four consecutive gold medals during her tenure (2004-2008) at Confederation and George Brown College said, “Being inducted with two other athletes of the school was an honour, it was a beautiful evening and the event was very well organized.” Kevin Taylor, fifth all time leading scorer in the OCAA basketball his-

tory with 1243 points, and GBC athlete of the year (1991-92) was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. The homecoming event was a huge success with great alumni participation. The closing remarks were given by host David Grossman, from Sportsnet 590, while the dance floor opened.

10 Sports

The Dialog Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, 2012

WOLFPACKTICKER Men’s Soccer: Huskies 2 – Centennial 6 (Walter Marcelo, Michael Ferracci) Final regular season standings: OCAA East GP Algonquin 8 Seneca 8 Centennial 8 Cambrian 8 Durham 8 Fleming 8 La Cite 8 St. Lawrence 8 George Brown 8

W 5 5 5 3 3 3 2 1 0

L 0 1 2 1 2 5 4 6 6

T PTS 3 18 2 17 1 16 4 13 3 12 0 9 2 8 1 4 2 2

Cross Country: Humber Invitational: Women’s 5 KM Liz Seguin, 1st 18:52, Sarah Fournier, 34th, 23:40 Men’s 8 KM Sean Sweeney, 2nd, 24:34 Adam Czuchnicki, 14th, 25:42, Theodore Tam, 26th, 27:16, Ahmad Sangua, 34th, 27:48 Edgar Malchic, 47th, 29:28 Oliver Kbladnik, 50th, 29:39, James Perico, 53rd, 30:31

Seneca Invitational:

(Shan Wilson 16, Melissa Vilar 12)

Women’s 5 KM Liz Seguin, 3rd 18:45, Sarah Fournier, 34th 23:28

Men’s Volleyball:

Men’s 8 KM Adam Czuchnicki, 6th, 25:56 Sean Sweeney, 17th, 27:10 Theodore Tam, 30th, 28:41 Edgar Malchic, 37th, 29:46 Oliver Kbladnik, 46th, 31:17 James Perico, 54th, 33:24

Huskies 3 – Fleming 2 (Stephen Duong 15 kills) Northern Cup – Sudbury Final - Huskies 2 – Canadore 1 Huskies 2 – Cambrian 0 Huskies 2 – Laurentian 0 Huskies 2 – Boreal 0 (Edwin Sheon 41 kills –throughout tournament)

Men’s Basketball:

Women’s Volleyball

Huskies 78 – Alumni 79

Huskies 0 – Fleming 3

David Stewart Tip Off Tournament at Durham College in Oshawa

Upcoming Home Games:

Huskies 72 - John Abbot 68 Huskies 80 - Durham College 60 Huskies 76 - Algoma University 87 (Final)

Men’s / Women’s Basketball: Nov. 2 Huskies vs. Centennial 6/8 PM Nov. 3 Huskies vs. Fleming 2/4 PM All Games held in Alex Barbier Gym

Huskies claim silver medal

Men’s / Women’s Volleyball: Oct. 26 Huskies vs. Conestoga 6 p.m. / 8 p.m. Oct. 31 Huskies vs. Loyalist 6 p.m. / 8 p.m. All Games held in Alex Barbier Gym

Sal Abdoulkader and Ted Johnson named tournament all-stars Women’s Basketball: Huskies 59 – Alumni 49 (OT) Georgian Grizzlies Tournament Huskies 39 – Algoma 64 Huskies 44 – Niagara 73 Huskies 64 – Georgian 60

Twitter: Tweeting about GBC Athletics? Use the hastag #huskynation and follow us @GBC_Huskies for all the latest news and scores.

BADMINTON . BASEBALL . BASKETBALL . CROSS COUNTRY OUTDOOR SOCCER . INDOOR SOCCER .VOLLEYBALL

www.athletics.georgebrown.ca

The Dialog Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, 2012

Sudoku

Join the Dialog team! Journalists play a key role in our student community. They gather information and prepare stories for our student publications and inform us about newsworthy events and happenings in our community. They present factual information on current issues and report on the actions of public officials, board members, corporations and others who exercise power. We are currently looking for motivated students with a passion for storytelling to join our team. Please send a cover letter, resume and a sample of your writing to us at: sapccoord@georgebrown.ca or call 416-415-5000 ext. 2764 for more information.

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