The Dialog, April 2 to 15, 2018 - Readers' Choice Awards

ISSUE 13 / APRIL 2–15, 2018 GBC Student Newspaper • Founded 1982

NEWS / P. 3

SWAD slate takes executive in SA elections

SPORTS / P. 5

Men's indoor soccer takes silver at OCAA

ARTS & LIFE / P. 9

It's hard work telling jokes for a living

NEWS

THE DIALOG • dialognews.ca // April 2–15

TTC approves U-Pass framework

STREETER In the wake of Cambridge Analytica, we asked GBC students if they would consider leaving Facebook

GBC students may have to wait until September 2019 for U-Pass

PHOTOS BY ASHRAF DABIE

AMINA MOHAMED Business Administration Finance

"Considering that they are giving out user information, it's kind of a breach of what you're signing up for and I guess people aren’t really aware of that.

So I guess I would leave Facebook."

SHREYASH SAKARIYA Media Foundation

"Yes, I'll continue to be on Facebook because it helps me to be in constant contact with my friends and family back in my country. However, this is an alarming situation where people should become more aware before making certain decisions."

TASNIM RAHMAN Human Resources Management

"I don’t know if I would leave it because eventually that’s going to happen with all social media (platforms). Everyone's information is going to be stored on some sort of database anyways and information is always going to be gathered. We can’t do anything to stop it unless we get rid of technology."

ALI AUBI Media Foundation

"This is nothing new, every company does this. Data is important and people's data is money. I no longer use (Facebook), more for peace of mind."

CHAU NGUYEN REPORTER-EDITOR

The TTC board approved the framework for a U-Pass, which will allow students at participating post-secondary schools unlimited travel on the TTC. The U-Pass could become a mandatory part of full-time students fees, added on a per-semester basis for all three semesters. That would mean $280 is added to students’ tuition fees for each semester, for a U-Pass costing $70 per month.

“A $70 TTC pass for all students is an amazing benefit,” said Faris Lehn, operations manager for the Student Association of George Brown College (SA), at an SA board meeting on March 19.

The SA funds The Dialog.

In order for the U-Pass to be implemented at GBC, there will need to be a student referendum according to the ancillary fees agreement between the SA and the college.

Lehn said that a referendum at GBC isn’t likely to happen until September, and if passed, students might not be able to get the U-Pass until September 2019.

According to Lehn, this is because the college often plans student fees a year in advance.

Tiffany White, the SA's director of education who campaigned for the U-Pass, said the referendum isn't likely to happen until after the summer. She is currently working with staff and plans to sit down with members of the new board to make sure the referendum process keeps moving forward over the summer.

Last month, a poll by The Dialog found that 82 per cent of respon@DialogGBC

CHAU NGUYEN/THE DIALOG

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The TTC board approved a plan that could see all full-time students at George Brown College paying $70 for a monthly pass.

dents would support a mandatory U-Pass at $70 a month.

White said that she's pretty happy with the framework, and student pushback is inevitable when there's an increase in ancillary fees.

"There's always going to be somebody who will say 'no, I don't want to pay for this, I'm not going to use it'," she said.

But if the U-Pass is put to students in a referendum, White is confident that a "vast majority" would support it.

Each candidate in the SA election was asked by The Dialog whether they would support a referendum on U-Pass. The majority that responded said they would support a referendum.

Incoming director of communications and internal, Jasmyn St. Hilaire said she is undecided on whether she would support a referendum and wanted to compare the numbers of students who currently buy metro passes versus those who don't.

Incoming SA executives Kushagra Manchanda and Alex Stewart both said that would support a referendum on U-Pass, while Arnel Fleurant and Kizzie St. Clair did not respond to request for comment on U-Pass.

Students wouldn’t be able to opt /dialognews

EDITORIAL

CONTACT US dialog@sagbc.ca Tel: 416-415-5000 ext. 4274 Room E122 - Casa Loma 142 Kendal Avenue Toronto, ON M5R 1M3

www.dialognews.ca Read this issue and back issues online at https://issuu.com/dialog

Editor-in-Chief Steve Cornwell . . . . . . . . . . . .

Managing Editor Mick Sweetman. . . . . . . . . . . .

Art Director/Designer Manar Hossain . . . . .

Podcast Host/Producer Manseeb Khan. . . .

VIDEOGRAPHERS Devante Thomas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gurdas Singh Panesar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

REPORTER-EDITORS Anna Gomes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chau Nguyen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Megan Kinch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Matthew Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ashraf Dabie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Carolina Toca Perea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ad Sales Phillip Chung. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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"THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE SOMEBODY WHO WILL SAY 'NO, I DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR THIS, I'M NOT GOING TO USE IT'" out unless their “personal circumstances or needs related to a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code restrict their ability to utilize transit,” according to the U-Pass framework.

A request for opting out will be assessed by the post-secondary institutions on a case-by-case basis.

The U-Pass will require the participation of all full-time students from at least one of the following post-secondary institutions: GBC, University of Toronto (St. George), Ryerson and OCAD. A vote for the U-Pass failed in a referendum at University of Toronto's (U of T) St. George campus

@thedialog

in mid-March. According to a report in The Varsity, 65.6 per cent of voters rejected the U-Pass.

"The outcome of the referendum is a strong indication that a U-PASS without opt-out provisions for those students living near campus is not sellable," said Mathias Memmel, University of Toronto Student Union president, in an emailed statement.

"We look forward to working constructively with both provincial parties and City Council in advance of the upcoming election. We also hope to continue our productive conversations with the TTC Board," he added.

Jason Zhou, who helped organize a "No" campaign in the referendum said the vote shows that U-Pass in its current form is unacceptable to students.

"The general consensus we heard is that students not using the TTC shouldn’t be forced to subsidize those who do," he wrote in an email. "Helping someone save $46 a month shouldn’t come at the expense of increasing another student’s fee by $70 a month."

With files from Steve Cornwell

/TheDialog

OPERATION

CONTRIBUTING

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Dialog newspaper is published by The Dialog with the support of the Student Association of George Brown College.

The Dialog is responsible for the overall vision and direction of The Dialog newspaper, as it coincides with the larger vision and mission of the Student Association.

The cost of producing a monthly newspaper is in part defrayed by advertising revenue and largely subsidized by student fees.

Occasionally, some advertisers, products and services do not reflect the policies of the Student Association.

Opinions expressed in The Dialog are not necessarily those of The Dialog, the Student Association of George Brown College, or its editorial staff.

Contributions to The Dialog are always welcome. 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 e-mail message to: dialog@sagbc.ca.

Images should be in EPS format for vector files or in TIFF format at 300 dpi for raster files.

We acknowledge that the work we do happens on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and most recently, the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, and is also covered by the Upper Canada Treaties. The meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island.

The Dialog is a member of CUP, the Canadian University Press

NEWS

THE DIALOG • dialognews.ca // April 2–15

Students With a Dream take majority of executive positions St. James campus director and international student representative races separated by 18 votes STEVE CORNWELL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

According to unofficial results, the Students With a Dream (SWAD) slate have won the lion's share of executive positions in the Student Association's (SA) elections, including a contested race for the director of education position.

The SA funds The Dialog.

Arnel Fleurant (SWAD) edged Students First candidate Kavi Ramgoolam by 112 votes to become the SA's new director of education.

Fleurant, who is currently sitting on the board as the Black students' representative, said he doubted himself during the campaign but the outcome shows that he did enough to win.

"Going in, I already had a mindset of how I was going to approach the position and what I was going to do," Fleurant said. "I had already set some goals for myself."

The incoming director of education said his first priority when he takes office in May is to make the process of setting the SA's agenda for the year more organized.

Four out of the five SA executive positions were uncontested, and candidates needed a majority of "Yes" votes on ballots in order to

Events Calendar APR TUE

03

win. Including Fleurant's election, SWAD candidates took every executive position except for director of equity, which was won by Kizzie St. Clair, an independent.

The director of equity position was originally contested between St. Clair and Mercedes Burrowes, who was the director of campus life.

Burrowes dropped out of the race on March 5.

Many of the SWAD candidates who won were on the board last year.

Kushagra Manchanda was re-elected as the director of operations, a position he was first elected to in a byelection in December. He was previously the international students constituency representative.

Jasmyn St. Hiliare won the director communications and internal. She was previously the Casa Loma campus director. Alex Stewart, who was the director of equity, is now the director of campus life.

Two races in the elections, the St. James campus director and international student representative, came down to just an 18 vote difference, according to unofficial results.

Shelly Garcia, who ran as an independent, edged incumbent Calvin Bartholomew-Soto (SWAD) to claim the St. James campus director position.

"I feel like people wanted something new, they wanted to see an

improvement," Garcia said. "And they saw that in me as an individual."

Asif Farabi placed third in the race.

Chief returning officer Charles Wilson has ordered a recount of the votes for St. James campus director, which had a difference of 7.3 per cent between the top two candidates.

In the contest between Erick Almeide Japor (SWAD) and Aman Kapshyap (Students First) for international students representative, Almeide Japor won with 561 votes to Kapshyap's 543.

The votes for international student representative will be automatically recounted as the margin of victory was less than five per cent.

Both Kapshyap and Almeide Japor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Votes for the elections were counted on March 28 but the elections team delayed the publication of the results for a day as they were waiting for the registrar's office to authenticate 18 outstanding ballots, which had not happened as of press time.

According to Wilson, the recounts will happen on April 4 and 5, with official results to follow.

SPOTLIGHT MOVIE SCREENINGS PRESENTED BY THE DIALOG All screenings noon to 2 p.m.

Tuesday, April 3 Waterfront concourse stairs 51 Dockside Dr. Thursday, April 5 Casa Loma Student Centre E Building, first floor, Games Room 142 Kendal Ave. Monday, April 9 Kings Lounge St. James A Building, Room 150 200 King St. East Spotlight is an Oscar Award winning movie about journalists at the Boston Globe whose investigative work broke the story of child sexual abuse being covered-up by the Catholic Church. The spotlight team's journalism won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2003. Presented by The Dialog.

FRI

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fessional establishments as well as educational institutions downtown.

Surveillance cameras at several of these sites have captured the burglar in the act.

These images have been made public.

Anyone with information which can lead to the arrest of this serial thief is asked to contact police at 416-808-5100, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

Thefts of opportunity, where a

For full election results, please see dialognews.ca

student or staff member leaves a valuable unsecured at the college, has been one of the leading crimes at GBC. Between September 2014 and April 2015, there were 126 reports of theft and two reports of “break and enter” according to documents obtained by The Dialog through a Freedom of Information request.

Requests for comment to the college’s public safety and security were not returned.

With files from Mick Sweetman

CLOTHING SWAP N' SALE 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

St. James A Building main floor in front of the cafeteria $2 participation fee; $1 or 1 ticket per item Exchange any gently used wearable clothing & accessories for tickets which can be redeemed for "new" items at the swap. All proceeds go towards the Social Innovation Hub at GBC. Drop off any gently-used wearable clothing and accessories at St. James campus in room 409B on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

CANDY LAND KIKI VOGUE BALL 8 p.m. to midnight Kings Lounge St. James A Building, Room 150 200 King St. East

Police after thief who targeted GBC Toronto police are on the search for a male suspect who was been tied to a string of thefts in the downtown Toronto area.

Police have confirmed that George Brown College has been one location in this series of crimes.

Police said that from August of 2017 to March 2018, the criminal has been on a raid, stealing bags, credit cards, electronic devices and other items, from a number of pro-

CENTRE FOR BUSINESS CAREER FAIR APRIL 3 TO 5 11 a.m to 2 p.m.

Career Centre St. James A Building, Room B155 200 King Street East About 20 employers from various industries, such as finance/ banking, marketing, HR management and retail/supply chain logistics will attend to conduct their recruitment activities.

To attend the Career Fair, please go to https://gbcareers. georgebrown.ca/home.htm to register online.

CRIME

ASHRAF DABIE REPORTER-EDITOR

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Food and Drinks will be provided. Free all night. For more information about the categories and how you can participate contact Garth Vernon lgbtqrep@sagbc.ca.

WED

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RADGRAD: QUEER & TRANS PORTRAITS & ALTERNATIVE GRAD PHOTOS 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Quiet Lounge St. James A Building, Room, 150F, inside Kings Lounge 200 King St. East Need a new headshot, profile picture, or a grad photo that shows off your personality beyond a cap and gown? Drop by and get your portrait taken by a photographer, or bring your phone and take your own. Backdrops & props available. FREE *limited spots. Hosted by the Community Action Centre.

Questions/Accommodations: womentrans@sagbc.ca

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NEWS

THE DIALOG • dialognews.ca // April 2–15

Tackling sexual violence on GBC campuses

CAROLINA TOCA REPORTER-EDITOR

Sexual assault, harassment, inappropriate behaviour and sexual misconduct are realities in college, and more students are doing something about it.

Along with others, social service worker student Stephanie Cole partnered with the national student movement, Our Turn, to address sexual violence at George Brown College (GBC).

After doing research, Cole noticed that several universities and colleges across the country have been opening the discussion and she wanted to bring it to GBC. Ontario legislation requires colleges and universities, "to work with students to adopt campus-wide sexual violence and harassment policies that include training, prevention, complaint procedures and response protocols."

Cole believes that the current GBC policy and protocol on sexual assault and sexual violence is not inclusive of survivors, nor is it extensive enough to be able to meet all GBC students' needs.

"Our current policy is not very survivor focused. We want to make sure that the survivors are getting all the aid and accommodations that they need," Cole said.

To change GBC, Cole looked for help from Our Turn, which is now devoted to preventing sexual

violence at colleges and universities across Canada. The national student group was formed due to what they saw as a lack of consultation on their sexual violence policies at Carleton University.

"Our Turn is a national student union to end campus sexual violence. It was an initiated when we published the national action plan, working with the students' society at McGill University in October," said Caitlin Salvino, Our Turn national committee chair.

According to Salvino, the main focus of the campaign with GBC students is to support and help to consolidate the student group, to work on prevention, creating sexual violence directions, provide training and help to develop better policies on the topic.

"We now work with 26 student unions from eight provinces across the country, representing over 600,000 students. We work with them to give them the tools to respond to these issues on campuses," said Salvino.

"We are going to work with (GBC students) to go through their policy.

Depending on what GBC students would like, what they ask for, we will work with them," Salvino added.

For Cole, the main purpose of partnering with Our Turn is to raise awareness among the student community about sexual violence, ways to prevent it, and structural policy reforms.

Several activities, YouTube vid-

CAITLIN SALVINO

Students partnered up with national student movement Our Turn to address sexual violence

Caitlin Salvino, Our Turn national committee chair, said that she will work with GBC students to get the sexual violence policy they want.

eos and posts on social media are part of the actions that are being carried out to encourage the participation of the student community. The group is also planning events that will encourage survivors to meet and share their stories with one another.

Our Turn also put up posters saying that the college's sexual violence response team is "non-existent" and that the college's office that handles complaints has been

"sitting empty."

The GBC staff member who was the sexual response advisor, switched jobs on March 2 and is now working with the counselling department. In the interim, students were directed to the intake and operations co-ordinator who would pass along cases to case workers at the diversity, equity and human rights office (DEHR).

"It is very concerning to me to

have students say we don't know where to go," said Olga Dosis, human rights advisor to the president.

"While we're always trying to figure out better ways to reach our constituents, we're always open to feedback."

The DEHR office has seen a number of staff turn over in the last school year, with the recent transfer to the counselling department, one staff member retiring, and another moving on to teach at a university.

Dosis said that the college is in the process of hiring staff to fill the vacant positions.

While the work around sexual violence has not stopped, with other staff picking up the caseload, Dosis said that sometimes they are working out of the office. She said the offices are there to provide a safe space for students to talk with an advisor on their campus.

"We don't ask our students to travel if they want to lodge a complaint," Dosis said. "We go to them."

Dosis said that the best way for students to contact the college about sexual violence is to go to any of the DEHR offices or to call 416-4155000 Ext. 3450.

GBC recently ran a sexual violence survey, seeking students' opinion, in order to improve safety and support on campus.

"The best way to create awareness among the student community for this kind of topic is to make sure that it is always being talked about," said Cole. "It's a sensitive topic but needs to be out there, people need to see it, and by doing that, we can help."

According to the Canadian Federation of Students, one in every five women will experience sexual violence while studying at a college or university.

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SPORTS

THE DIALOG • dialognews.ca // April 2–15

Men’s indoor soccer wins OCAA silver

MATTHEW GREEN REPORTER-EDITOR

If the men’s indoor soccer team was going to relinquish their title, they weren't going to go down without a fight.

That was exactly how it all unfolded in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) championship match at Redeemer University College on March 24.

The men's squad, who came into the tournament as the defending champions, found themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 decision to Humber College. The winning goal came midway through the second half on a free kick from tournament MVP Bradley Fenton. George Brown College (GBC) pressed in the final 10 minutes but couldn't find the equalizer.

“I'd say we had the better of the chances,” said Huskies head coach

"THIS YEAR I FELT LIKE WE WENT IN WITH MORE CONFIDENCE AND WE GOT A LITTLE COMPLACENT AT TIMES BECAUSE WE KNEW HOW GOOD WE WERE"

GBC ATHLETICS & RECREATION

Women's team fall short of medal round despite solid showing

The men's indoor soccer team were close to taking their second gold medal in row at the provincials but settled for a silver.

John Williams. “We fell asleep for one set play with a free kick—and you should never get scored on in indoor on a free kick—so somebody lost their concentration, (didn't) step up on time and the ball ended up in the back of the net."

The Huskies went 3-1 in the round-robin, outscoring their opponents 10-5 before pulling out a victory over Seneca College in the semi-finals thanks to a late goal by Omar Hussein. Captain Jesse Oliver and striker Shaquille Agard were named to the tournament all-star team.

Agard felt that the success last year might have had the team too comfortable in the provincial tournament.

“This year I felt like we went in with more confidence and we got a little complacent at times because we knew how good we were whereas last year we didn't know that we could do it and we did it,” Agard said. “For next year, I can't really say because there's a few players leaving, but it's going to be the same structure. I feel like it will be successful the same way."

On the women’s side, the Hus-

kies opened strong with a 2-0 win over Durham College. However, a tie and two losses, both of which came against the two eventual finalists (Humber and Seneca College) were not enough to prevent GBC from advancing to the medal round.

A lack of offence proved to be the club’s downfall as the Huskies only managed three goals in four matches. Despite not getting a medal, their coach was pleased with the effort.

“We outplayed every team there,” Williams said. “There's not a team that we played against that can tell us that they were really better than us. I think those games came down to just missed opportunity.”

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HUSKIES SCORES WOMEN'S INDOOR SOCCER OCAA Championships March 22-23 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Durham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Seneca. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 0 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 1 St. Clair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Humber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 0 MEN'S INDOOR SOCCER OCAA Championships March 22-24 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Redeemer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 UTM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 2 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Durham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Conestoga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Seneca. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Humber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 George Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 0 GBC wins silver

GBC baseball head coach heads to Hong Kong

MATTHEW GREEN REPORTER-EDITOR

For George Brown College’s (GBC) baseball program, the climb up the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) ranks appears to have become even more challenging.

After only one season on the job with the Huskies, head coach Tom Valcke has left for a coaching position with Hong Kong’s national baseball team. The move could be more of a sabbatical as, following his seven-month commitment overseas, Valcke said he’s been “given the first right of refusal” to return to the Huskies dugout for 2019.

AJ Wideman, an assistant coach for the team last season, takes over as head coach. Valcke will stay on with the team as a consultant, focusing solely on recruiting, should he return to Toronto in October.

The new 32-year-old head coach, who received a strong endorsement from Valcke, believes the familiarity between him and the team will serve the club well.

“I think there's a bit of an advantage coming back to familiar core players and to be honest, a lot of returning guys, that'll make the job a little bit easier,” Wideman said.

Wideman hails from Mississauga and is no stranger to high-level baseball. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals (then the Montreal Expos) in 2003 as a left-handed pitcher. He also played in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

Recruiting efforts for the team are well underway with the catching position being a high priority. After having a lineup containing a number of rookies in a somewhat youth movement season, Wideman is expecting to build on the positive steps taken.

GBC ATHLETICS & RECREATION

AJ Wideman takes over for Tom Valcke, who will coach the Hong Kong’s men’s national team

Tom Valcke left the Huskies men's baseball program to become the head coach of Hong Kong's men's national baseball team.

GBC athletics and recreation staff were not taken off guard by Valcke's departure and the athletic department sees the move as a positive for the image of GBC's baseball program.

“It just shows I have the right person in the job,” said Melanie Gerin-Lajoie, GBC manager of athletics and recreation. “I hired the right person because he does have that credibility that's going to go a long

way in terms of building a profile for the program and that's what we need at this point.”

Valcke, who has served as Baseball Canada’s executive director and has taught coaches and players in places such as China, Japan, and Thailand over the past 30 years, sees this venture as another chance to grow the game.

Baseball is scheduled to come

back as an Olympic sport in 2020 after it was dropped following the 2008 Beijing Games. With it's return, Valcke said that a renewed interest in baseball in Hong Kong is a major reason for his move.

Wideman will be in charge of a club that went 3-17 last year. GBC will have the option of lot of returning players for 2018. There is another bonus, too. Much of the roster is made up of players who are older, age-wise, but young academically with a lot of eligibility remaining.

For the new man in charge, the goal for 2018 is clear.

“We want to make the playoffs, bottom line,” Wideman said. “I don’t think any of the players or staff will even care what the (team's) record is as long as you’re in the playoffs.”

To make a playoff berth a reality, the Huskies will likely have to play .500 ball or better. Last season, Fanshawe grabbed the final post-season spot with an 11-9 record.

Tryouts for the 2018 George Brown baseball team get underway in August.

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BEST WOMEN'S STUDENT ATHLETE

PROFILE

Farrah Sheikh

Dragon Boat Club CLUB

Black Panther private screening (SA Events Squad)

GBC SOCCER STAR WANTS TO BE A ROLE MODEL FOR FEMALE MUSLIM ATHLETES

EVENT

Community Action Centre

ACTIVIST GROUP ON CAMPUS

Library Learning Commons ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Community Action Centre

S

occer veteran Farrah Sheikh has been voted in as the Best Female Athlete in The Dialog's Readers' Choice Awards.

Even though the win took her by surprise, it is no shocker, given her outstanding track record both on and off the field.

Sheikh is also an academic tutor for GBC athletes, and the marketing director of an organization that focuses on providing access to Deaf Muslims.

She started at George Brown College back in 2013, which coincided with the revival of the women’s soccer program,

NON-ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Community Action Centre CAMPUS SAFETY

Tools for Change & Stress Management (Peerconnect) WORKSHOPS

Basketball & Soccer MEN’S VARSITY TEAM

allowing her to kick-start a college athletics career.

“It was a very different experience because even though I was playing back in Dubai, it was a different atmosphere," said Sheikh, who played for the Dubai Women’s Football Association. "Women weren’t allowed to play everywhere.”

Sheikh has been consistently held back by an injuries she sustained while playing in Dubai. This takes her off the field for weeks at a time but her passion for the sport keeps her going.

After five years of playing for the Huskies, she said that this award is a fitting way to finish her college soccer career.

“It is very nice to win and be a role model for other Muslim, female athletes.”

Volleyball

WOMEN’S VARSITY TEAM

Badminton

MIXED VARSITY TEAM

Dodgeball

EXTRAMURAL SPORT

Dodgeball

INTRAMURAL SPORT WHY DOES GBC LOVE DODGEBALL? SEE PAGE 8

BEST BATHROOM

Library Learning Commons

The lauded loo of St. James campus

St. James A Building 5th floor

WHILE NOT COMPLETELY ACCESSIBLE, THIS POWDER ROOM PALACE PACKS A PUNCH

Cafeterias

PLACE TO HANG OUT

PLACE TO STUDY

BATHROOM

A

Tim Hortons

ST.JAMES CAMPUS WATERFRONT CAMPUS CASA LOMA CAMPUS

BOKU Sushi

YOUNG CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Starbucks (Church and Gerrard) RYERSON

Farrah Sheikh

WOMEN'S STUDENT ATHLETE

REVIEW

EQUITY AND ACCESS SERVICES

SafeWalk

Ace Zeng

MEN'S STUDENT ATHLETE

PHOTO BY EMEKA IBEH/THE DIALOG

BY STEVE CORNWELL

fter all the votes have been counted, only one washroom can win the game of thrones as the greatest at George Brown College (GBC).

The winning water closet was the men's washroom on the fifth floor of St. James A Building, just across from those lucky ducks at the school of work and college preparation office (524 A). After renovations were completed in 2016, you can see why.

The lionized lavatory features a doorless, accessible entry, and is equipped with modern sensor-activated Sloan auto flush technology for its urinals and toilets.

Speaking of which, the toilets are made by the Levi's jeans of bathroom fixtures, American Standard. American Standard?

More like American Excellence.

Visiting in the winter? Rest easy. The stylish and spacious silver chrome bathroom stalls each feature coat and backpack hangers.

Most of the powder room is powered by hands-free tech, including Dyson hand-dryers so effective, you'll need moisturizer after using them. But the seven hand-washing stations in the lauded loo oddly feature manual handles. The faucets and handles are an elegant silver, but combined with the wall-mounted hand press soap dispensers, they could present a challenge for folks with accessibility needs.

While the lovely latrine could use an accessibility boost, it is top of the GBC heap.

WE ASKED OUR READERS TO VOTE FOR THE VERY BEST OF GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE. FROM BEST PROFESSORS, ATHLETES, BATHROOMS, ACTIVIST GROUPS AND MORE, HERE'S WHAT YOU TOLD US.

PROFILE

PROFILE

BEST CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES PROFESSOR

BEST MEN'S STUDENT ATHLETE

Claire Kerr

CONTINUOUS LEARNING

JP Hornick

PREPARATORY & LIBERAL STUDIES

Neil van der King

ARTS, DESIGN & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Reshma Budhu

Yuge (Ace) Zeng HUSKIES ROOKIE CAPPED SEASON WITH A SILVER IN NATIONALS

BY MATTHEW GREEN

M

ake room for one more.

The trophy case at Yuge (Ace) Zeng’s place is getting quite crowded these days. The George Brown College (GBC) badminton standout has been named best men’s student athlete in The Dialog's Readers Choice Awards.

The rookie made an immediate impact in men’s singles play, earning Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) male badminton player of the year honours on the way to capturing a provincial gold medal. A key piece of the Huskies historic season on the courts, the 18-yearold topped it off by winning a silver medal at the national championship.

For someone with many accolades this year, Zeng was surprised and quite appreciative of the readers' choice acknowledgement.

“I feel so glad that I have been voted for this and thanks for all the support,” said Zeng. “They saw my effort so I say thank you to them."

With the Huskies capturing both the OCAA men’s and women’s team titles for the first time, there is plenty of recognition to go around. For Zeng, who had not lost a match all season until the national championship tournament, the silver medal leaves him wanting a little more.

"This year was pretty good, not bad, but I can't say perfect,” Zeng said. “I'm pretty happy that I got the silver in nationals for our school and I'm going to put even more effort into our badminton program and do my best to win the gold next year, no matter what.”

COMMUNITY SERVICES & EARLY CHILDHOOD

Elizabeth Akerman HEALTH SCIENCES

Bryan Bessner

HOSPITALITY & CULINARY ARTS

Jimmy Ngo

CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES

PROFILE ATHLETE

I

24-YEAR-OLD LAB TECHNICIAN TOOK OVER AS A MILLWRIGHT PROFESSOR AFTER THE STRIKE

t was just two years ago that Jimmy Ngo was a student. But the lab technician, and former millwright professor has made a strong impression for his teaching chops.

While the George Brown College (GBC) mechanical engineering technology program graduate might be a novice in the teaching profession, Ngo believes that being new to the game gave him a boost in the classroom.

"It was my first time teaching, and you know when it's your first time doing something, you put your heart into it," he said.

The 24-year-old took on a role as a millwright professor after the fall strike for around seven weeks, something he said was a bit of a "weird subject" due to post-strike tensions. He said he was surprised he was offered the position and finished out the semester before returning as a lab technician in the winter term.

Ngo has found that being so young in his role generates different responses depending on the age of the student. The

Reshma Budhu STUDENTS ARE OUR "COMRADES IN THE STRUGGLE TOWARDS SOCIAL JUSTICE"

T

hat Reshma (Resh) Budhu was recently voted in as the Readers' Choice best community worker and early childhood professor was no shock to some of her students.

"It doesn't surprise me," said Kim Michaud, a second-year student in the community worker program. "She has a lot of experience, she's so articulate in class and she really grasps everybody's attention. She's one of my top professors, a hundred per cent.”

But Budhu didn't become one of the best for being an easy teacher. According to Michaud, Budhu's class will challenge you.

"The way she selected the activities that were brought in and incorporated into the materials in class made me really think and question my own belief system and made me want to discover

Jimmy Ngo

more," said Michaud.

Budhu said that her mother was an activist, and social justice was the way she was she raised. With her activist background and her desire to explore ideas, Budhu said that teaching in the community worker program is the best of both worlds.

She said that her most satisfying experience in the job is when her students find their voice and understand what they're meant to be doing.

"They're not just students any more but they're also our colleagues," said Budhu. "And they are comrades in the struggle towards social justice."

Working in the community is challenging and can create doubts in those doing it. Budhu faces these challenges by keeping a very clear set of principles, which is also her advice to students in

fall semester students are generally younger and look up to him, he said. But students with more experience, who Ngo explained often start in the winter semester, are generally a tougher sell.

"For the winter guys, they're older.

They can smell it when you don't know what you're talking about," he said.

Ngo has been a lab technician at GBC since March 2017. Though in a teaching role now, he hasn't left the classroom as a student either, pursuing a passion for coding on his own and through a computer science certificate at Ryerson University.

His first time coding was in a class as part of the mechanical engineering technology program at GBC. Describing his first experience as "scary," the Readers' Choice winner now believes that coding is his calling and plans to pursue it after he's finished at Ryerson.

"It's very cerebral," he said. "I like working on my own, and a lot of coding is working by yourself in a room."

BEST COMMUNITY SERVICES AND EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSOR the program.

"Figuring what your bottom line is, what your principles are, and where they lie within your current context, because sometimes, it's easy to get confused," Budhu said. "To be a community worker is not just to say you're a community worker, but every moment of your life is to act like you're a community worker."

Besides being a professor, and the community worker program coordinator, Budhu coordinates the Tommy Douglas Institute. The institute was established out of the community worker program and brings the community and people from educational institutions together to discuss social justice.

This year, the Tommy Douglas Institute will feature a talk from Murray Sinclair, a Canadian senator and the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The upcoming event is the sixth annual and will take place May 28.

With so much going on in her life, the question what do you do in your free time? gets a response that is not really surprising.

“I don’t have free time,” she laughed.

“Between teaching, coordinating the program, preparing for the next year, teaching in the fast track, doing the Tommy Douglas Institute, it's a lot of work.”

The Readers’ Choice winner did note, though, that she's a fan of 1980s music, very big on Halloween, likes medium-double-doubles, and all in all enjoys being a mystery.

7

8

SPORT

KA EL AN ES B TA RO OK S

Look out!

Dodgeball on the rise at GBC

BEST INTRAMURAL & EXTRAMURAL SPORT

PLAYING ON EXTRAMURAL DODGEBALL TEAM LIKE "ONE BIG FAMILY"

BY MEGAN KINCH

bee is also having issues with its grassroots gender-mixed teams as the sport moves into the possibility of being in the Olympics. Like many other things with dodgeball as it formalizes, there some growing pains.

Another issue involves foam versus rubber balls. Foam balls seem to be be-

"It's a really important sport that involves teamwork, quick decision making, working under pressure"

RG OR EC

SE F R RE V E IC ES

RO

SARAH DECOSTE

DE

coming more popular, and are used by GBC in accordance with Dodgeball Canada's rules.

Quesnel points out that "rubber can bring back a lot of bad memories" of elementary school games, and foam seems to be an emerging standard.

"They don't hurt as much, so that

helps. You can get hit in the face square on with a foam ball and still play the next round," he said.

Both Quesnel and DeCoste point out that dodgeball is a serious sport that requires commitment. The extramural team had two practices a week.

"When I mention that I play extramural basketball, they take it more seriously," DeCoste said. "People need to be aware that it can be a sport and not just a game that they play in high school."

Quesnel points out that the skills learned in dodgeball can also have value off the court.

"It's a really important sport that involves teamwork, quick decision making, working under pressure," he said. "These are things that are related to school and everyday life."

JO

dodgeball.

"I knew nothing about dodgeball so I just went and I met a family," she said.

DeCoste said that dodgeball players have to keep on their toes to play by different rules and strategies depending on the tournament or who they are playing.

She said that people who think of dodgeball as a game might be surprised at how complex the strategies and tactics are.

"As a sport it's a lot more communication and a lot more coordination," said DeCoste. "When you're used to playing it as a game it's mostly freestyle but when you play it as sport there's a lot of communication as a team."

Dodgeball seems to be following a similar trajectory to ultimate frisbee in going from a game to a legitimate sport.

Like ultimate frisbee, many dodgeball tournaments require mixed gender teams. There are three women on the GBC extramural team including their captain, Claire Currie.

But the national dodgeb a l l teams have separate men's and women's games, and ultimate fris-

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY GBC ATHLETICS

D

odgeball is not a game anymore—it's a sport.

And an increasingly popular one at George Brown College (GBC.) In The Dialog's Readers' Choice Awards, it won not one but two categories: best intramural and best extramural sport.

To those who love the game, the double win isn't a surprise.

"It's actually pretty huge in this city," said Dennis Quesnel, the coach of GBC's extramural team, which plays teams from other colleges.

"It's really one big family. And that's required for this grassroots kind of thing; you need that passion, you need that support to get the structure of the sport going."

Sarah DeCoste, a fashion student, played on the GBC dodgeball extramural team this year.

She was playing ultimate frisbee, and then a friend suggested she try out for

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ARTS & LIFE

THE DIALOG • dialognews.ca // April 2–15

9

Comedian's workload is no laughing matter

CAROLINA TOCA REPORTER-EDITOR

Stand-up comedy, the business of making people laugh, is a form of entertainment that's also a form of entrepreneurship.

Will French, a graduate of the fitness and lifestyle management program at George Brown College (GBC), is working hard to turn comedy from an additional source of income into his full-time job.

The 28-year-old, while not completely paying his bills with comedy, is making headway. Along with Austen Alexander, French is in Dirtbag Cousin. The two met at Humber College where French won

the Mark Breslin Award for standup excellence in 2016.

The duo recently performed at the 2018 Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival.

"I started doing open mics five years ago, started getting paid work very recently," French said. "I still don't get a lot, I mean, here and there, but I am definitely not a fulltime professional yet."

After several years of working in the fitness industry, he decided to change the path of his life. He took a chance and went to study writing comedy and performance at Humber.

"I was 22, I worked in gyms for six years, and I decided I wanted to change," he said. "I wanted to try standup, so I sort of just stopped working in gyms and took a couple of years, and then I started to do comedy."

Ever since he was a kid, he liked seeing comedy on TV and was fascinated by the thought stand-up.

He writes his material using his own life experiences.

"For stand-up, I just talk about my own life. Everything is true, I don't make things up, so it has to be something that really happens to me," said French.

FOR FRENCH, THERE'S A SENSE THAT YOU'RE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST SHOW. LIDIANNY BOTTO/THE DIALOG

GBC graduate Will French works 16 hour days chasing stand-up comedy success

After several years working in gyms, Will French took a chance on studying writing comedy and performance at Humber College.

While more opportunities are coming for French, he said that most comics at his level have a day job. He himself has been working in kitchens for around 10 years.

As most comedy shows are after work and later at night, he estimated that a lot of comics are working around 16 hours days.

Besides the ability to go without much sleep or money in the early

stages, comedians usually need a unique and recognizable style. For French, he said he recently discovered that the comedy inspired by his life is actually quite dark.

"I'm not a fan of just angry dark comedy for the sake of being angry or dark," he said. "I like dark humor a lot, but I only like it when there's a light at the end of the tunnel, when there's some optimism there too."

Taking the stage, hitting the road and trying to make strangers laugh is every bit the roller coaster that it sounds. For French, there's a sense that you're only as good as your last show.

"There were times when it goes so well, you're like, I'm never going to have a bad day again, this is the best thing in the world, and I'm the king, I'm the best comic in the world," he said. "Then sometimes that same night you have another show where you're like wow, I'm not funny at all, I suck, and I should probably quit."

Will French will appear as part of Dirtbag Cousin at the Comedy Bar (945 Bloor Street W) on April 22.

With files from Lidianny Botto

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PUZZLES & FUN

THE DIALOG • dialognews.ca // April 2–15

11

ISSUE 12 SOLUTION

1 If today is your birthday: Lower your eyes, blinds and expectations. It'll be less disappointing that way.

ARIES (March 21-April 20) All signs say that you will read something vaguely threatening in a student publication. We know what you did and now you know we know that you know.

TAURUS (April 21-May 21) You're in the mood for love but you need more interests than "lying only half the time" and "not flossing enough" to reel in a good catch.

6 2 9 3 9 6 5

9

6 8 2 4 8 4 7 5 6 3 1 3 7 9 5 6

GEMINI (May 22-June 21) Dreams of teeth, forests or real estate agents speak to your secret fears. Or wanting to buy a creepy house in the woods and have excellent dental hygiene.

CANCER (June 22-July 23) There is a rad storm on the horizon but are you ready? Whether it's an awesome challenge or time for an apocalyptic bunker, you need to be prepared.

LEO (July 24-Aug. 23) Your Mars is encroaching and fast. We're not sure what that means but with your luck, can it really be anything other than more misfortune?

VIRGO (Aug. 24-Sept. 23) Money can't buy happiness. But can you burn happiness to keep warm in the cold winter of your mid-mid-life crisis? NOPE. LIBRA (Sept. 24-Oct. 23) Your tea leaves are either forecasting a bizarre gardening accident in your future, or that you will have a long life ahead of you. Either way, be kind online.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) The stars are too embarrassed to say anything so we'll say it for them: Stop trying to make your catchphrase happen.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) If you spent less time scrolling through Facebook and more time building relationships, eating well and or loving yourself.... Hey! I can tell you're not reading this any more.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) You can’t escape your mortality or taxes so it’s best you do them right the first time, and soon.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21-Feb. 19) When was the last time you really stared at yourself in a mirror for a really long time while in a public place? It's time to treat yourself at everyone else's expense.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) It may not seem like it, but maybe that decapitated deer head that you found in your bed means good luck. You should make lemonade with it, and also get a flea treatment.

2 5 6 1 4 3 7 9 8

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