The Eyeopener: Volume 54, Issue 2

Volume 54 - Issue 2 September 23, 2020 theeyeopener.com @theeyeopener Since 1967

PHOTO: JES MASON

2

NEWS

Ryerson announces mostly online winter 2021 semester After a new statement from university president Mohamed Lachemi\students currently living in residence will not be required to move out

By Libaan Osman All courses at Ryerson for the 202021 academic year will be largely facilitated online, according to a statement from university president Mohamed Lachemi on Sept. 17.

“While an eventual return to campus is something the university continues to actively plan for, our upcoming winter 2021 semester will largely remain unchanged,” wrote Lachemi.

“The majority of course offerings will be offered virtually, with in-person, on campus activities as permitted by government guidelines.”

“Our upcoming winter 2021 semester will largely remain unchanged...”

The decision came after the provincial government announced

new gathering limits in the city of Toronto with the reduction to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors.

In the announcement, Lachemi said certain programs will allow for in-person activities in small groups with the expectations that they will follow safety guidelines.

The university will also pay particular attention to provide safe access to labs and physical resources for students who need them to fulfil their graduation requirements, he said.

Back in May, Lachemi announced that the fall 2020 semester would be offered online with the potential of a mix of online and in-person courses.

In-person classes at Ryerson have been suspended since March 13.

Classes have been conducted online as students are advised to avoid coming to campus in the fall semester unless they need to for necessary activities such as in-person class assignments.

The Sheldon and Tracy Levy

PHOTO: JIMMY KWAN

Student Learning Centre and study spaces in the library will remain open, operating at a limited capacity with safety guidelines for students who need a quiet place to work. The the Mattamy Athletic Centre is also open on a reservation basis.

Lachemi told The Eyeopener that the government won’t be imposing any additional restrictions that would force students living in residence to have to move out.

“Students who are in residence, they selected to be in residence

knowing that most of the activities are going to be...virtual.”

Since the start of the fall semester, both Wilfrid Laurier University and McMaster University announced they will be delivering their winter 2021 semester primarily online.

To stay or not to stay: Students leave Toronto as university goes online

By Mariam Nouser When Ryerson announced in May that classes would be held online for the fall 2020 semester, some international and out-of-province students had to leave Toronto due to financial risk, health security and the lack of family support.

First-year professional communications student Sam Sakaluk decided to start her Ryerson journey while remaining at home in Edmonton.

Although moving to Toronto would not be hard for Sakaluk, she said her pre-existing medical conditions posed a risk she was not willing to take.

According to Health Canada, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, an underlying medical condition or who are taking

medications that lower the immune system are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

“As someone who has a pre-existing condition, I don’t know what would happen to me if I did end up being diagnosed with COVID-19, or what my recovery would look like,” she said. “I’m not sure if I want to take that risk [and fall behind].”

some of her courses are being taught asynchronously while tuition rates have not been reduced.

“I’m paying money to teach myself content and not have access to a professor during lecture times to immediately answer questions or explain concepts,” said Sakaluk.

“Further, being online and [away from] campus has taken away my ability to use some resources that my tuition still goes towards.”

“As someone who has a For second-year global managepre-existing condition... ment student Laiba Farrukh, the lack of family and social interaction I’m not sure if I want drove her to return to Pakistan beto take that risk” fore school started.

“The lack of social interaction Despite moving online, Ryerson’s during the pandemic has intensified tuition for the fall 2020 semester feelings of loneliness for me,” said remains the same.

Farrukh. “In addition to not having Sakaluk said she is frustrated that family around, it didn’t make sense

to pay rent and stay in Canada while being unemployed when I could attend my classes from anywhere in the world.”

Fourth-year global management student Annabelle Carreiro decided to return to Seattle in March. With the pandemic still fresh in Toronto but growing rapidly in her hometown, she believed it was the right decision to go back.

“Seattle was one of the first cities to be hit by the pandemic and hearing what happened there gave me a good sense of what could happen in Toronto,” said Carreiro.

On Sept. 17, Ryerson announced that the majority of courses in the upcoming winter semester will be offered virtually, according to a statement by university president Mohamed Lachemi.

Carreiro said that while she is a dual Canadian-American citizen, it would still be difficult for her to return to Toronto.

“I have to stay up all night for the entire semester...”

PHOTO: AANKSHIKA BHEEM

“I gave up my apartment lease and finding housing before arriving would be extremely difficult.”

Students who have returned home are dealing with another challenge—time differences.

For Carreiro, the majority of her first lectures are at 9 a.m. EST which is 6 a.m. PST. She said she had to change her routine and get up with her dog in the morning rather than sleep in like if she were on campus.

Farrukh said she has a synchronous lecture that starts at 3:30 a.m. her time, which makes it impossible to tune in live. There is a nine-hour time difference between Multan and Toronto.

Luckily, these class lectures are recorded and she is able to catch up at a reasonable time.

However, the early morning course for Farrukh is a finance class where she said it is “extremely difficult to ask questions [later on] via email if necessary.”

Since most of her classes are late for her, Farrukh said she has to “stay up all night for the entire semester,” which she worries will affect her health.

“Sleeping during the day doesn’t really make up for a good night’s sleep,” said Farrukh. “It is going to have a negative impact on my health because I am sleeping throughout the day.”

Ryerson’s Health Promotion Unit suggests students get an average of eight hours of quality sleep every night, as it’s necessary for students’ mental wellbeing and academic success. Poor sleeping habits will cause mood swings, a lack of focus and the inability to process information effectively.

Farrukh believes that in-person learning cannot be effectively replaced by online learning while having peer-to-peer interactions.

“In our Zoom lectures, students like myself are nervous to connect with classmates via chat because other students can see,” she said. “Since we have a group chat with students from around the world, everyone cannot contribute all the time.”

3

NEWS

Rye profs adapt to online classes through unique learning styles

By Racy Rafique

ILLUSTRATION: JES MASON

Classes are online this fall, but several programs at Ryerson are adjusting to provide students with the same type of hands-on experience they’d receive in-person.

Back in July, the university released an announcement via Ryerson Today stating that almost all faculties will offer remote-only learning for the fall semester.

For many of Ryerson’s programs, this was a drastic change from the hands-on curriculum professors previously provided.

To adapt, programs such as the RTA School of Media, fashion and architecture have been using a variety of tools to keep their students engaged virtually. This includes everything from lecturing entirely over a Minecraft server to mailing out 300-piece robot kits to students around the world.

“When you look through the learning outcomes and you think about how people are learning, a significant amount of it can take place online,” said Kathleen Pirrie Adams, the chair of RTA media. “It’s not

what we want all the time, but there’s lots of opportunity for learning in different ways that have emerged over the last couple of months.”

RTA instructors have been given the freedom to decide how to structure their courses, with most choosing a mix between live and pre-recorded classes, said Adams.

For some, this means going beyond conventional video conferencing methods.

Minecraft as a teaching tool creates a social and collaborative environment in the students’ comfort zones.

“Many of our students have grown up in gaming, social media and other forms of digital media,” she said in the interview. “Letting them increasingly include these communication tools and culture in their education is preparing them for the new working environments they will build.”

Kristopher Alexander, also known as the professor of video games at Ryerson, uses gamerfriendly tools such as Discord and Twitch as well.

Alexander engages his students through a free software called Open Broadcasting Software. Through this software, he is able to automatically generate live subtitles to improve accessibility for students.

The three-hour class involves a lecture diving into video game theory and the industry, followed by discussions about assignments, to be topped off with a live game play-through—in which somebody in class is randomly selected to take control of Alexander’s computer and play a video game live in front of their peers.

“The more we work with this platform, the more people will experiment with other options for sharing their work” Alexandra Bal, a professor of new media, is teaching her first-year introductory course, Creative Processes, completely over Minecraft this semester. With the help of Discord, a popular gaming chat, it encourages student socialization and engagement, said Bal. In an interview posted on the Faculty of Communications and Design (FCAD) website, Bal said using

The students then deconstruct that game, discussing theory and applying readings from the week.

“I was told that we weren’t supposed to teach for maybe longer than half an hour, but I planned for three hours and the students, they didn’t even want a long break,” Alexander said. “They said, ‘We don’t want 20 minutes, we want 10, let’s get back to it!’”

For fashion professor Danielle Martin, engagement in her class means creating as much of an inclass atmosphere as she can.

Although she’s able to have students turn their cameras on and show the class their artwork over Zoom to cultivate a similar experience, she has had to make some changes.

In order to keep the class as realistic as possible, Martin still employs live models over Zoom, so students can speak to the models and ask them to move into certain positions as they sketch them.

Previously, these models posed nude in person.

“We don’t sketch the models nude because it’s online…even if we asked [students] to not take screenshots, you never know,” she said. “It’s their image and their privacy, so we ask them to model clothed.”

Students also now have the option to sketch family members or friends, fully clothed, if they miss an online sketching session with the model.

Architecture professor Cheryl Atkinson’s goal is to simulate a studioworkshop environment for her students online by experimenting with the collaboration platform, Miro.

Through the software, students are able to remotely create projects and designs together, interacting with and editing each others’ work in real time, as if they were sitting together in an actual studio.

Although the in-person atmosphere and collaboration is something that cannot quite be replicated, working online definitely has some unforeseen benefits, said Atkinson.

“You can get a close detailed view at student work, versus sitting in a large room and having it projected on the wall...and they’re getting creative,” she said. “The more we work on this platform, the more people will experiment with other options

RU Therapy Dogs goes online

By Akanksha Dhringa Ryerson students can now meet their favourite therapy dogs through Zoom calls every Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Adriana Sternfels, leadership development facilitator at Ryerson, said with this semester being remote, RU Therapy Dogs has to adapt and offer events in a virtual setting whenever possible.

She said that while there’s no technology that allows students to pet the dogs through the screens, there are breakout rooms for students to talk to one or two dogs with their handlers.

Third-year fashion design student Angel Arora said she has been dealing with a lot of stress due to the heavy workload since the university

has moved its courses online.

“With 2020 being the most uncertain year, I think I really need something to release my stress,” she said.

According to a report by Statistics Canada, the mental health of Canadians has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to fear of the virus, concerns for family members, lack of social interactions and economic instability. the most likely to report a negative impact on their mental health since physical distancing began in “If our dog can bring a smile, March. 64 per cent of those aged comfort, or diversion for a between 15 and 24 reported a negastudent, then our goal has tive impact on their mental health, been achieved” while 35 per cent of those aged 65 and older reported a negative imStatistics Canada surveyed about pact on their mental health.

46,000 Canadians from April 24 to Christine Paradis, a coordinator May 11 and found that youth were with St. John’s Ambulance Ther-

ILLUSTRATION: JES MASON

apy Dog Program, said dog handlers wants to stay connected with the Ryerson community despite the pandemic.

“If our dog can bring a smile, comfort, or diversion from an otherwise monotonous day for a student, then our goal has been achieved,” Paradi said.

“My favourite quote is that a dog is a bond between two strang-

for sharing their work.”

Steve Daniels, program director and professor of Ryerson’s new media program, teaches a course called Tangible Media.

The course is an introduction to physical computing and electronics for artists and creatives. It gives students with no previous experience with these subjects an opportunity to create real-world interactive systems and simple robots.

“There’s lots of opportunity for learning in different ways” A key part of this course is an electronics kit that Daniels and his team have been developing and providing to students in-person for years.

Included in the kits are robot bodies designed and laser cut in the FCAD FabLab that students assemble and personalize themselves, as well as a set of sensors and custom circuit boards that the team has developed, among other starter components.

Although students from handson programs have voiced concerns about online learning, some believe that this new normal is providing many benefits as well.

“I think having everything online does cut down on all travel times.

There’s no set place I need to be. So that gives me a lot more empty time in my day that I can spend doing the readings and making accurate notes,” said first-year acting student Sebastian Reimer.

Reimer said that connecting with peers and professors online instead of in-person seems difficult to imagine currently, but he has high hopes that teachers will provide creative solutions to the online barrier. ers,” she said.

Paradis said that many dogs are not engaged in a virtual setting as they are not being pet.

However, Sternfels said “it’s worth a shot” doing the program through Zoom.

“When we ask people how they are feeling before the event versus after the event, I think everyone’s happiness level and mood gets better,” said Sternfels.

In the past years, the program has been popular among students.

Third-year computer science student Hitarth Chudgar loved the concept of therapy dogs at school.

“It was really fun going in last semester because looking at those dogs and petting them helps with the stress and lets you unwind,” said Chudgar.

Chudgar added that since school still tends to be stressful online, he’ll be making a “mandatory visit.”

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EDITORIAL

OP-ED: No cops on campus—we keep each other safe

By Alannah Fricker

PHOTO: RAJEAN HOILETT

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of The Eyeopener.

Content warning: This article contains mentions of police violence, racism, sexual violence and death.

On June 4, Ryerson University announced that it would not proceed with its plan to hire special constables as security staff in response to pressure from community members and the wake of global police violence. While they do not carry guns, special constables work closely with armed police officers and are often equipped with handcuffs, pepper spray and batons. They are also granted the power to detain, search, ticket, arrest and use force with minimal legal sanctions.

While the announcement to cancel the program was a win for many of those who sounded the alarm and a testament to years of sustained pressure from Black and Indigenous people at Ryerson, it remains a symptom of a more complex fight for justice and safety on campus—one that problematizes less obvious forms of surveillance and punishment and calls attention to the university’s ongoing relationships with police and security.

On Aug. 20, the university announced the creation of a presidential external expert panel (EEP) on campus safety and security, to develop a different approach to campus safety.

The EEP is composed of mostly lawyers and includes DiversiPro’s Hamlin Grange, the former Toronto Police Services (TPS) board member who led the consultation process to

bring special constables to Ryerson in 2020.

We should be outraged that anyone involved in shaping alternatives to police on campus is pro-police. It is troubling that the group positioned as experts do not learn, work, teach or live in this community. Therefore, I am steadfast in my call for abolition.

After the brutal murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25, the movement to defund and abolish the police—an idea previously positioned on the margins—quickly became mainstream and realizable. In socalled Canada, police murders and widespread community outrage forced the hands of politicians, media, institutions and schools to reposition themselves at a distance from police.

While some of the killings were high profile, many were not. As of September police murders of Black and Indigenous people in Canada included D’Andre Campbell, Jamal Francique, Eishia Hudson, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Chantel Moore, Ejaz Choudry, Rodney Levi and Jason Collins.

More hidden were the deaths of those caged in jails and prisons due to neglect and murder, including Jordan Sheard, Michael Croft, Shawn Spaulding and countless others killed by capitalism under the guise of COVID-19, drug overdoses, poverty and suicide.

“Police and prisons do not keep us safe from violence.

They are violent and they should be abolished from our campuses entirely” I mention these deaths as a reminder that police and prisons do not keep us safe. They are especially dangerous to those whose bodies are marked as disposable by the state and its dominant classes. Police, like their counterparts—prisons, detention centres, child welfare systems, courts and laws—cannot be reformed to achieve justice because they exist to maintain order through subjugation within enduring systems of white supremacy, hetero-patriarchy, ableism and capitalism.

Police are antithetical to the goals of our institution which should include supporting the learning and wellbeing of students, staff, faculty and the community. Research has repeatedly and overwhelmingly concluded

that police erode trust with, alienate and criminalize Black, Brown, Indigenous, dis/ abled and undocumented learners and teachers.

Black and Indigenous people in Canada are targeted and severely overrepresented in all areas of the injustice system when compared to the overall population. Police regularly enforce unjust laws that exacerbate issues related to poverty, homelessness, substance use, drug dealing, sex work and mental health.

We know that creative, community-led alternatives to police exist, which are rooted in transformative justice, free housing, education, food, water and status for all. Yet police and prisons remain, justified by their control over racialized and Mad bodies, and the disappearance of so-called “dangerous” people from our communities.

But who are the dangerous people? Most crimes are low-level, rooted in poverty and desperation and involve property, drugs and personal relationships. Police and prisons do little to prevent violence and rarely “resolve” cases of serious harm.

Rather, they regularly uproot people from their communities and enact against them insitutionally-sanctioned acts of assault, rape, neglect, deprivation, torture and murder.

Police and prisons do not keep us safe from violence. They are violent and they should be abolished from our campuses entirely.

In our search for alternative community safety models, we must be cautious of stigmatizing discourses and attempts to reform rather than transform the ways we keep each other safe. We must be clear, solution-focused and uncompromising in our demands and continue to take action when the university acts in bad faith.

While it is not exhaustive, I offer a shortened version of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) Ryerson’s list of demands that we urge the university to adopt to support community safety: • • •

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Arts and Culture Rhea “Joseph W. Freshington” Singh

Advertising Manager Chris “Takin’ Care Of Business” Roberts

News Alexandra “Should I Pull Over?” Holyk Heidi “Desperate In The DMs” Lee Libaan “The Radio In My Room” Osman

Sports Will “Ball To Win” Baldwin

Design Director J.D. “The Final Fontier” Mowat

Biz and Tech Aaliyah “At The Apple Farm” Dasoo

Contributors Akanksha “Love Therapy Dogs” Dhringa Racy “Prof Plug” Rafique Mariam “Pop Off Out Of Province” Nouser Hazel-Rose “First Pitch Star” Mendham Rochelle “Task Force Legend” Raveendran Reedah “This Department is Weird” Hayder Edward “Another Task Force” Djan Minh “Grandma with a Watergun” Troung Natalie “Hey Queen” Michie Manuela “I Have Tea” Vega Akanksha “Considered Domestic” Dhingra Anna “Earlier Than On Time” Wdowczyk Sidra “Superstar” Jafri Kinza “Lend a Friend” Yaqoob Sarah “Surgeon Whisperer” Tomlinson

Online Tyler “Chad Freelancer” Griffin Madi “Crushing Beers At The Cotty” Wong Web Developer Farhan “You Dropped This King” Sami Features Dhriti “Has The Receipts” Gupta

Communities Kiernan “Class Clown” Green Fun and Satire Zach “Vert Wheeler” Roman Media Connor “Fur Crocs Legend” Thomas Parnika “Grilled Cheese Aficionado” Raj General Manager Liane “Makes Our World Go Round” McLarty

•

• •

• • •

In closing, I would like to urge you to take action and exercise your power as a stakeholder.

I encourage you to follow and support the work of the Black Liberation Collective-Ryerson and CSSDP Ryerson; Latinx, Afro-Latin-America, Abya Yala Education Network Toronto; Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project; Black Lives Matter-Toronto and others demanding supportive, police-free campuses. I encourage you to send a message to decision-makers at Ryerson to demand an end to relationships with police; attend workshops to build your capacity to respond to emergency situations; and read, write, speak and act in support of police and prison abolition.

Abolition is inevitable and I know that we will win, but it is up to us to care for each Officially withdraw the special other and take the necessary steps to realize it constables proposal; in our lifetime.

Permanently end relationships with TPS; Take a public stance in support of Alannah Fricker is a Ryerson bachelors of social police and prison abolition and develop work graduate, an Ontario Institute of Studies a transformative, justice-informed in Education masters in social justice education transition strategy for alternatives to student, lead organizer with the Toronto Prisoners uniformed security on campus; Rights Project and Abolition Coalition and Provide ongoing open forums founder of CSSDP Ryerson.

Editor-in-Chief Catherine “Extremely Bublé” Abes

Photo Laila “UnHhhhhHh” Amer Jimmy “Jimothy Goes To School” Kwan Jes “Bronze Overwatch, Gold Heart” Mason

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where community members can be meaningfully involved in decisionmaking and implementation; Mandate thorough crisis intervention, deescalation, mental health first-aid, harm reduction, anti-oppression and anti-racism training for existing Ryerson security; Deprioritize police involvement at Ryerson so it becomes an instrument of last resort and provide rights advocates and alternative external supports; Implement independent oversight and transparency regarding security data and complaints; Hire non-security personnel including community peers, social workers, nurses, and mental health workers trained in anti-oppression; Provide funding for student-led community care initiatives; Remove the Egerton Ryerson statue; Implement the recommendations of the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review Report, integrate community feedback and concerns and take meaningful direction from Black and Indigenous students, staff and faculty

Elizabeth “Catch You in Class” Sargeant Samreen “I Take Photos, Too” Maqsood Margaux “Q’s for my Q’s” Perrin Abeer “Angye West” Khan Jemma “Donkey Ringtone” Dooreleyers Marin “OUA All-Star” Scotten Justin “Coming in Clutch” Walters Aisha “Rubik’s Cube Master” Jaffar Merida “Beans” Moffat Sydney “ACAB” Brasil Rochelle “Task Force Legend” Raveendran Saif “You’re Doing Great” Amer Aankshika “Slightly More Playful” Bheem Peyton “Perfect Eyeliner” Mott Nick “Best Dad Ever” Mason Eli “Tube Socks” Savage Julia “Tetris Helps Me Focus” Mlodzik Michaela “Contributed” Bell Serina “Eggylicious” Choi Lorenza “Lo-Fi Study Girl 2.0” De Benidictis Jaime “No Dogs Allowed” Strand Lester “Cute Pikachu Stuffie” Pinlac

5

ARTS & CULTURE

From on-campus to online, RU Pow Wow adapts to virtual world While the COVID-19 pandemic has created limitations for RU Pow Wow, the sense of community has not faded away

By Rhea Singh With the COVID-19 pandemic creating restrictions for on-campus events, Ryerson Pow Wow and Education Week 2020 has transitioned to a virtual setting this year. Concluding a week of videos, workshops and panels streaming online from Sept. 20-25, the Virtual Pow Wow will stream on Sept. 25 at noon, featuring dancers, drum circles and vendors in a digital space.

Jessica Sherk, chair and education week lead of RU Pow Wow and Anishinaabe woman from Tkaronto, talked about how it has been a learning curve when planning the event and its transition to virtual during the pandemic.

“In the early stage of our planning, we were monitoring the daily and weekly updates from the government, public health authorities and the university’s response to try to plan accordingly,”said Sherk.

According to Sherk, possibilities for what the event would be like was brainstormed for a considerable amount of time, from an in-person Pow Wow to digital to a hybrid event. The event is prerecorded by Indigenous filmmakers, Moontime Productions, also featuring RU Pow Wows head dancer, drummers, both masters of ceromony and videos submitted by the community.

“As safe as possible, we wanted to recreate the sense of community and interaction experienced at Ryerson’s previous in-person Pow Wows,” said Sherk.

The online experience is inspired by digital events such as Cyber Pow Wow, an online Pow Wow that took place between 1997 and 2004 online, and social distancing Pow Wows that have taken place on Facebook.

Sherk said that RU Pow Wow has reimagined its programming as well and they spoke with lead organizers of the Stanford Pow Wow to learn more about their transition from real world to the digital one.

“Indigenous peoples have been gathering in different ways since time immemorial, but Pow Wows are more contemporary events inspired by Western rodeos and the traditions of Indigenous Plains groups,” said Sherk. “Pushing the boundaries of colonial institutions with Indigenous-led events like Pow Wows is very important.”

While the virtual setting can feel like a way to expand the event to people outside the Ryerson community, it also comes with a loss of community connection.

Denise Mcleod, one of the MCs for this year’s event, spoke about the importance of community, coming

PHOTO: NENDUJAN RATNARAJAH

together and how ingrained it is within Pow Wows.

“For me, it’s been something I didn’t realize I loved so much,” said Mcleod. “I knew they were important to my community and I knew that they were important to my family, but I didn’t realize how integral a part of my knowing, being and living they were.”

Both MC’s this year are breaking the conventional stereotype of the role that is traditionally maledominated.

“Historically, MC’s have been a male job [there’s been a growing community of women MCs,” said Mcleod. “I love to challenge historical roles and guidelines.”

Mcleod, who is also the Indigenous student coordinator for the midwife education program at Ryerson, said while the virtual setting is great, it won’t be the same as going to the Pow Wow grounds.

“I’m still here, my family is still, we are still authentically Indigenous” “I miss the sense of community and [feeling of] ‘this is where I belong’, because this is what my ancestors have done for a very long time,” said Mcleod. “For many of us, because of displacement, because of residential schools, we didn’t grow up experiencing culture from a small age.”

For Mcleod, it’s the sensory experience, from the food wafting, to the medicines burning. She said that you can’t have the full experience of all your senses being heightened virtually.

“Walking around, talking to the vendors, getting your scon dog or

tacos and lemonade, and wandering around with your friends and running into people you know,” said Mcleod “It’s not going to be that community sense that we had but its still community-built in that we are still trying to maintain cultural practices.”

However, even with the limitation of the virtual setting, continuing to have Pow Wows is incredibly important. Mcleod said that community members will be able to deal with the distance due to the constant change that Indigenous communities have been subjected to historically.

“Virtual Pow Wows are going to look a lot different than regular Pow Wows,” said Mcleod. “What the beauty is about this is that Indigenous folks are evolving and for a longer time than not, since colonization, we’ve had to hide our ceremonies and celebrations. We’ve adapted to the fact that we can’t be together anymore and very quickly.”

While the community has changed over time, so has the format of the Pow Wow. “The format evolved and grew widespread across Turtle Island and Pow Wows became occasions for nations, families, and friends to gather, dance, share news, food, celebrate and trade,” said Sherk. “You can expect different types of drumming and dancing, including Jingle Dress, Fancy Shawl, Traditional and Grass. The drums are unique to each drummer and drum group.”

Even with the loss of in-person Pow Wows, Mcleod remains hopeful about the virtual setting.

“Virtual Pow Wows are creating an accessible space for folks,” said Mcleod. “People still are dancing to the drum, people still are wearing their regalia, people still are using the language and singing the song.”

Mcleod also mentioned the Pow Wow’s healing significance, saying that many people could benefit from the dances that are specifically about healing.

For Randi Lynn Candline, a Jingle

Dress dancer, healing comes from not just the community but the noises her Jingle Dress makes when she dances.

“The reason why our dresses make noise is because the noise they produce has the ability to cleanse the air of negative energy and sickness and from that aspect people also refer to the Jingle Dress as a healing dress,” said Candline.

In the video which she submitted for the virtual Pow Wow, Candline wears a pink dress adorned with jingle cones. Jingle dress cones are often mistaken for bells, Candline said, but are actually metal rolled up into cone shapes. The sound they make from hitting each other also mimics the sound of falling rain.

“There are many different styles of Jingle Dresses. My dress in particular is an apron dress; there are two layers with a skirt underneath,” said Candline. “It’s an older style dress that is starting to come back in fashion.”

Candline’s own mother, grandmother, uncles and aunts are all survivors of residential schools, with a long history of residential schools in her family.

“We’ve had to fight to maintain and relearn our culture and our languages so the Pow Wows have been a really amazing bridge. The outfits we wear, the colours we wear; there’s so much history behind it and so many teachings, it’s a lot more than what you see on the surface,” said Candline.

But for Candline, it’s more than just a sense of community or teaching others about the importance of Pow Wows. It’s also about her nieces and nephews and embracing the stage without insecurities and fears when it comes to dancing. Growing up, Candline was shy, but her dancing made her feel confident and connected to something bigger than herself, something she hopes for her nieces and nephews.

Candline talked about how she makes outfits for her nieces and nephews, and she doesn’t want them

to feel the loneliness she felt being the only dancer in her family.

“I remember it’s okay that I didn’t come from a Pow Wow family because I’m starting my own,” said Candline. “When I see my nieces and nephews dance I think of how hard I worked to be a dancer and how hard I had to work on my own personal identity and confidence, and to see them go out their and have fun with none of the insecurities that I had is good, because they didn’t have to fight the way I had to fight.”

The connection of culture with Candline is something she says she can feel when dancing at Pow Wows, but she mentions that for outsiders who aren’t familiar with First Nations culture or practices or are new to Canada, Pow Wows can create “a bridge of learning.”

“We’ve had to fight to maintain and relearn our culture and our languages”

“It helps to portray a very positive light of Indigenous people, while in mainstream media it’s very negative and focuses on trauma, criminal offences, drug use and poverty,” said Candline. “Pow Wows are a great opportunity to see us thriving in a healthy setting and enjoying community and welcoming people.”

Mcleod also feels that Pow Wows can help create a different narrative of Indigenous peoples in North America and challenge the existing stereotypes and misconceptions.

“I think it’s important to know that we are still here. When people talk about Indigenous peoples in North America it’s done in this historic way, that all these traumatic things that have happened to us are historical,” said Mcleod. “Often the narrative of Indigenous peoples is that we are of something a long time ago, and we aren’t modern, or that we don’t even exist anymore.”

As someone who has relations with Ryerson, Mcleod said walking on campus and seeing the statue makes her realize one thing.

“I’m still here, my family is still, we are still authentically Indigenous.”

The virtual RU Pow Wow will be streamed live on Sept. 25, at 12 p.m. at rupowwow.com

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SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT Racialized students at Ryerson are tired of their complaints being met with lip service WORDS BY ABEER KHAN ILLUST RAT IONS BY LAILA AMER CONTENT WARNING: This article contains mentions of sexual “This is my community. If I want to make a change, it needs navigate through institutional racism from both the univerviolence, abuse and trauma. to be a local change,” says Sankreacha. sity they pay thousands of dollars to attend, sometimes in addition to microaggressions and harassment from their peers n June, during a surge in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) who may face minimal, if any, repercussions. movement, Nikita Sankreacha fell into a right-wing rabFor racialized Ryerson students like Sankreacha, a lack of bit hole. Minutes turned into hours as she scrolled through meaningful institutional support and well-defined regulations post after post of racist and anti-immigrant content uploaded by can leave them feeling isolated, hurt and less motivated to students who attended her own university and beyond. A few continue with their education and careers. days prior, Sankreacha was shocked when she found out about a According to Luis Martinez-Fernandez, a professor from the student at Ryerson named Tyler Russell via social media.

University of Central Florida, up until the 1960s or 70s, instituOn Twitter, Russell identifies as a nationalist and a paleotions of higher education were essentially for white men. While conservative. According to an article in Vox, paleoconservahe recognizes that’s been changing over time, he feels that there’s tism is a political ideology that stresses Christian ethics, isolaaspects of growth that haven’t developed in a parallel way. tionism and traditional conservatism. In tweets and through He says there’s sometimes a lot of lip service at institutions his live show, The Russell Report, he has expressed nationallike universities, even if they’ve done a lot of good in the area ist, anti-immigrant and anti-Black rhetoric. Russell respondAs the petition gained attention, she received a Facebook of improving opportunities for marginalized students and ed to request for comment with a video of three men dancing message, seen by The Eyeopener, from a member of Ryerson their academic success. to a song that looped “Shut up, bitch” with text that read “Das Campus Conservatives. The message warned her that what He adds that BIPOC don’t have proportionate power in rite I’m a nationalist. What you gonna do about it?” she was doing would have “consequences,” and “to never for- higher education. In his 35 years of teaching at the university Sankreacha started digging deeper into Russell’s online get that.” While she didn’t think much of it at first, Sankreacha level, he says it’s rare to see an actual commitment to do presence: his Discord chats, the people who engaged with his soon began to feel paranoid turning on her camera during her something long-term and transformational in terms of racism tweets; she even watched his livestream under fake names. summer classes because she didn’t want Russell or someone and accountability.

As an Indian woman who immigrated to Canada about 20 associated with Russell to find out where she lived.

When it comes to students who feel a lack of support from years ago, the fifth-year language and intercultural relations Ryerson Campus Conservatives did not respond to request equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) offices, Martinez-Ferstudent felt angered and frustrated by these posts—she couldn’t for comment. nandez feels that they exist primarily to protect students and grasp how someone would be comfortable saying what she Once the petition reached 500 signatures, Sankreacha de- people in those offices should always aim to put their students found to be such hateful statements in a public setting. It in- cided she had enough support from students to send the peti- first. He says that protecting the university’s reputation is a furiated her that Russell was making these claims,and she was tion and the threat she received to Ryerson’s administration, responsibility of the public relations office. even saddened by how there were people who agreed and en- in hopes that they would take action—since they continued to According to the Ryerson Human Rights Services annual regaged with his platform positively. post on social media about how they stood behind Black, In- ports from 2016 to 2018, there were more than 300 complaints Seeing several students circulating Russell’s posts, urging one digenous and people of colour (BIPOC) staff and faculty. made to the Office of Vice President Equity and Community another to email the university, Sankreacha decided to start a According to a statement from Ryerson, the Student Care Inclusion (OVPECI). Of the over 300 cases, they say 50 per cent petition titled, “Expel Tyler Russell Immediately” on Change. office works with Ryerson to identify students in distress, were solved at the inquiry stage. Of the remaining, 25 per cent org, an online petition platform. The petition garnered wide- address disruptive behavior and help students in challenging reached consultation, eight per cent reached an alternative soluspread attention online as it finally gave Ryerson community situations. Student Care is specifically responsible for admin- tion and 17 per cent reached the investigation stage. members a place to centrally voice their concerns about Russell. istering Ryerson’s Student Code of Non-Academic Conduct Sankreacha says that focusing on numerical efficiency when (Policy 61), which Sankreacha felt Russell violated. trying to address the concerns of students with serious comAccording to the university’s website, Policy 61, “reflects the plaints is a redundant approach, it doesn’t let students who expectation that students will conduct themselves in a manner have been helped tell their own stories. consistent with generally accepted standards of behaviour...”

“These numbers focus on the administration’s performance The policy states that students must comply with university as opposed to how their actual performance impacted sturegulations and policies, follow federal, provincial and munici- dents,” says Sankreacha. She says she’d be more interested in pal laws, as well as professional standards and codes of ethics. how the students actually feel about the OVPECI and the comSankreacha spent weeks exchanging emails back and forth plaint process, rather than just case statistics. with Ryerson’s administration. She emailed leaders like the While Ryerson prides itself on maintaining “a visible presassociate dean of Arts, the interim chair of the politics and ence for equity, diversity and inclusion and Indigenous values,” public Administration program and countless others. Every it remains just that—a visible presence. As inclusive as their acreply redirected her to a different person or department to tions and practices may look on paper, when it comes to actionhandle her case. ing these values, BIPOC students at Ryerson can feel a disconAll the replies started to sound the same—“I’m sorry for nect with the image of support that the university puts forth. not replying sooner,” and “I’m so sorry to hear that this is happening,” and none offered tangible steps the university would take to reprimand Russell for his actions. She says each response shut her down with nice words and left her emotionally exhausted.

“There was really nothing from the emails that brought me comfort because there’s nothing I could expect [from ast year, as Hira Moran* was sitting and eating lunch them],” she says. with their friends, they were approached by their abusIn an official statement to The Eyeopener via email, the unier. Moran only remembers dropping their food and versity said, “While we cannot comment on specific inves- running away as their friends frantically went after them contigations or complaints, we can confirm that the university fused and unaware of what was happening. thoroughly examines all complaints regarding violations of Shaking and crying, Moran went into a dissociative state— university policies and the university adjudicates them when- they couldn’t make out where they were or what was going ever it is appropriate to do so. The university takes informa- on. Eventually, their friends took them to the Consent Comes tion like this very seriously.”

First office at Ryerson where Moran was able to get some help.

“I felt like there was a lot of work put on the victim,” SankConsent Comes First provides support to Ryerson comreacha says. She felt that she was being asked to make adjust- munity members affected by sexual violence. They made sure ments to her academic experience instead of hearing about Moran was okay and helped them come up with a safety plan what was being done to address Russell and the person who by opening up their space for Moran when they felt unsafe. sent her the message. She wondered if Ryerson was contact- They also connected them with on-campus resources like ing them as much as they contacted her. counselling. But since they were abused off-campus and beBIPOC students attaining a post-secondary education often fore they enrolled at Ryerson, when it came to taking action

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FEAT URES against their abuser—a current Ryerson student—there was little that they could do without filing a police report; something that Moran felt unsafe doing.

“The intersections of my identity do not allow for me to be safe everywhere, especially with police,” says Moran. “[With] the history of violence that they’ve perpetuated to every single one of my communities, I just don’t have the option of feeling safe.”

Moran, a fourth-year sociology student, is queer, transgender, disabled, Indigneous-Latinx and a survivor of sexual assault.

The Toronto Police Services don’t have a positive relatiobship with Black and Indigenous communities. In August, a report from the Ontario Human Rights Commission found that Black people are more likely to be charged or have force used against them during interactions with Toronto police. The study found that although Black people only make up 8.8 per cent of Toronto’s population, they represent almost 32 per cent of people charged. Across Canada, while Indigenous people only make up five per cent of the Canadian population, they account for 30 per cent of the federally incarcerated population, according to a January report from the Canadian government.

This June, the Toronto Police were in the family apartment of Afro-Indigenous woman Regis Korchinski-Paquet, when she fell to her death from her balcony. According to CBC, while Ontario’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) has cleared the police officers involved of any wrongdoing in her death, her family still feels that the investigation lacked transparency.

According to a report on sexual assault reporting in Canada by the West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund, only five per cent of sexual assault survivors in Canada reported their experiences to the police in 2014. In a General Social Survey on

Victimization cited in the report, 26 per cent of survivors who participated believed police would’ve been ineffective, 13 per cent said their past experiences with police had been unsatisfactory and 13 per cent believed the police would have been biased.

When Moran was told they would have to file a police report in order for Ryerson to take action, they felt a sense of disappointment and frustration. While trying to calm their body down after a traumatic experience, they were told that their only option before Ryerson could do anything was to go to the police—something that wasn’t feasible for them. they felt a sense of disappointment and frustration.

Moran says that asking people like themselves to go to the police is an outdated solution and that the university should have more of its own policies in place independent from police. They say that they feel there are many ways to deescalate situations and keep students and survivors safe on campus without involving the police, and that starts with asking those students what they need to feel safe.

Risa L. Lieberwitz, a professor of labour and employment law at Cornell University, says that while institutions have multiple offices set up to help victims of sexual assault, racism and discrimination, they should be composed of the various community members that make up the university—from faculty members to student staff and student groups.

She believes that offices for diversity and inclusion shouldn’t just consist of professionals who are trained for those purposes, but should also operate with guidance and input from the people they serve, along with experts like professors and educators who have different backgrounds and perspectives.

“If those offices start to feel like they’re managing problems, as opposed to really going to the root and the foundations of the problem, then it can start to feel alienating to the people that are supposed to be served by the offices,” Lieberwitz says.

She explains that universities have started to take a corporate-like approach to governance when they should be taking a democratic approach instead.

“If structures are set up so that they are more managerial

and top down rather than truly inclusive with how offices are created and policies are written, then it’s very difficult for them to function in a way that integrates the voices of the students and the faculty.”

Ryerson has three main entities to deal with racism and discrimination. Student Care works to identify and help students in distress and address disruptive behaviour. They are also responsible for administering Policy 61.

The OVPECI offers leadership and oversight into equity and community inclusion initiatives and practices across campus. They oversee the third entity, Ryerson Human Rights Services, who promote a work and study environment at the university that is free from discrimination. Claims of discrimination and harassment are addressed by them through an investigation process.

Moran is also no stranger to racism on campus; it’s something they have been subject to throughout their academic career by the university and their peers.

Sitting at the very front of the Podium arts lab, Moran was working with their friends on a statistics project when a one of their classmates, a white woman, confidently approached them. The woman asked Moran about a text she’d sent them, which they had not yet replied to.

During the exchange, the woman said, “Oh, you’re Latina.

You guys all have attitudes,”’ in front of the whole classroom.

No one said anything. The woman was able to misgender and perpetuate a harmful stereotype against Moran without any repercussions. At that moment, Moran didn’t feel like it was their job to educate their classmate on her harmful words and attitude, but was not surprised that the room stayed silent.

Moran says these are not isolated incidents and that they have been a victim of this woman’s racist microaggressions throughout their time at Ryerson.

These incidents on campus coupled with their own personal issues have drastically impacted Moran’s mental health. They say there were times during the years where they wouldn’t get out of bed or go to school.

Moran feels that racism on campus can be attributed to the lack of accountability that students—especially white students—face from the institution. They say that compared to the widespread enforceability of the Academic Code of Conduct, they believe Policy 61 is not as advertised or enforced to the same extent.

“I can’t be,” says Moran. “Ryerson enforces that I can’t exist by having these people around me that are constantly saying racist stuff to me. ” Moran urges the university to not only update Policy 61 to better protect BIPOC students, but to also advertise and enforce it so that students know about it and take it as seriously as they do the Academic Code of Conduct.

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On July 17, the OVPECI released the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review Report, which was originally expected to be published by the end of 2019. The Black Liberation Collective (BLC) at Ryerson criticized the reports’ failure to hold Ryerson responsible for their anti-Black racism. The university said that all academic institutions deal with racism—something that the BLC felt lacked accountability.

Even on a faculty level, BIPOC professors feel a lack of meaningful support from the university.

Ryerson is facing two Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario complaints on the basis of racial discrimination: one from Pria Nippak, who faced six years of harassment as a Ted Rogers School of Management professor, and Carol Sutherland, a former OVPECI staff member who was fired while on medical leave. Sutherland’s union has filed three grievances against the university.

In light of her realizations about academia, Sankreacha plans to translate what she loves about academia—experiential learning, theory and research—into other goals that lie beyond the limits of systemic racism and discrimination.

“These things are not just owned by academia...you can learn outside of school all the time.”

As for her goals with the petition, Sankreacha hoped that Ryerson would be a leader and work towards making a difference and creating a safer environment for BIPOC students; an environment free from hate. However, as emails dragged on for months and Sankreacha saw no action being taken, she gave up.

Her final email statement to Ryerson read, “I have noticed this issue change from being about expelling one boy, to urging Ryerson to be better, to sadly accepting that academia, as an institution, is flawed.”

Creating the petition was a step towards creating change for Sankreacha within her community for other BIPOC students and faculty at the university. She had hoped that Ryerson would be leaders in addressing racism from students online and take action to make their community safer, especially given the political climate.

She says that Ryerson and other universities jumping on what has become an EDI bandwagon don’t seem to want to cause any trouble, without actually realizing that the entire point of anti-racism work is to cause ripples in the water.

“When the entire world decided to try and get behind the movement, Ryerson said they were doing that, but in the actual moment, they were not doing it at all.”

ver the course of the summer, Sankreacha’s anger and frustration has simmered down to sadness and a reevaluation of her future as she started questioning whether she had the strength, energy, money and connections that she’d need to reach her goals of one day being a professor.

Throughout her undergrad, Sankreacha was constantly thinking about how she could carry concepts she learned into her own future pedagogical approach. She collected readings that she hoped to assign one day, thought about how research could carry her on to her PhD and dreamed about classes she could teach in the future. She was interested in moving forward and doing her masters and PhD in anthropology or linguistics.

However, this experience with Ryerson and the lack of care for her case has made her reevaluate her life trajectory. She feels that the systemic problems within academia are “haunting.”

“What I want to do and what I want to be and what I’m good at can only go so far in a system that is set up for me to not do well,” she says.

According to a 2018 report from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), racialized women are the most under-represented among full-year, full-time professors and instructors, with 45 per cent working in universities and only 32 per cent in colleges. The wage gap is the deepest for racialized women college instructors, who earn 63 cents on the dollar. Unemployment rates are also the highest for racialized women university faculty at about nine per cent. *Name has been changed to protect source’s safety and privacy

BIZ AND TECH

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New Ryerson Venture Zone launched in Brampton The Ryerson Venture Zone is working on gathering its first cohort for an upcoming industry challenge—in the midst of a pandemic

By Anna Wdowczyk On Sept. 9, Ryerson partnered with the city of Brampton to launch its new startup incubator, The Ryerson Venture Zone (RVZ).

Based in Brampton’s Innovation District, an entrepreneurial hub in the city’s downtown core, this new zone will support Brampton-based startups by providing hopeful entrepreneurs with connections, mentoring and hands-on experiences.

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm in the city about this. We’re excited that you’re joining us as we build our innovation district,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown told the Ryerson community during the zone’s virtual launch.

“A game changer” According to Brown, the city struggled with providing enough resources for their entrepreneurs and businesses a few years ago.

Last October, the Premier Doug Ford’s government announced the cancellation of funding for Ryerson’s campus to expand to Brampton, a move that was previously approved by the Liberal government.

This is an area Brown said he hopes to see improvement in. He added, “We want to create support for Brampton’s entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey.”

“I truly think that this is going to be a game changer for our city,”

ILLUSTRATION: SIMAY ALKAN

said Prabmeet Sarkaria, the MPP of Brampton South.

Bailey Parnell, the founder and CEO of SkillsCamp, championed the RVZ for aspiring entrepreneurs who don’t come from business backgrounds and have a hard time with introducing themselves.

“If it’s not natural for you to reach out and say hi, this is the absolute perfect opportunity because Ryerson’s coming together with the city of Brampton to say we’re going to facilitate this for you,” said Parnell.

With 10 campus-based incubators launched in only a few years, Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi said he believes Ryerson has what it takes “to push boundaries.”

In September 2018, Ryerson announced another project in Brampton: the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst (RCC), a centre that uses entrepre-

neurship and Ryerson’s resources to explore challenges in cybersecurity.

Today, the RCC is offering an accelerated cybersecurity training program, support for Canadian scaleups and support for applied research and development.

They also launched a Catalyst Cyber Camp this summer to introduce 500 Brampton youth to the careerpath of cybersecurity through games, puzzles and other sorts of activity programming.

Zone learning incubators and spaces like the RCC or RVZ provide a working space for start-ups to access resources and equipment.

Sobi Walia, the co-founder and operations director of Cluep, said initiatives like this are important because “being able to tap into the networks can help you get your first paying customer.”

“We recognize that universities like ours have a role enforcing economic growth and prosperity for all Canadians. Our incubators and accelerators are making a difference,” said Lachemi.

What’s next for the RVZ? The RVZ is currently accepting applications for the Zone Industry Challenge, a four-week program that will pair individuals with local co-founders for mentorship to create solutions for community health and wellness.

Applicants who enroll in the program can expect to explore industry problems related to their startup, attend workshops and access various business resources.

100 Steps 2 Startup, an online platform focused on venture creation is one of the highlighted resources offered to challenge participants, according to the Zone website.

Additionally, participants will be able to tap into BoxOut Performance training, a Brampton-based startup that uses performance pyschology to help early founders incorporate health and wellness into company culture.

The challenge is set to take place this year, from Oct. 30 to Dec. 4. The website states this year’s sector focus is Community Health and Wellness.

Individuals with an interest in the focus can apply if they’re capable of participating in all four weeks of

programming, prepared to work as a full-time founder and at least 21-years-old.

Existing startups may also apply if they’re interested in health and wellness, so long as they’re pre-revenue and have been operating for less than a year.

“I truly think that this is going to be a game changer for our city,” The RVZ has partnered with four organizations “with a global reach” to make this experience possible. These organizations include Dynacare, Age-Well, SE Health and Golden Age Village for the Elderly. The Zone website states these partnerships will “create meaningful relationships and bridge the gap between startups and corporate enterprises.”

However, operating during a pandemic will udndoubtedly affect the delivery of future programs, like this upcoming challenge.

RVZ Director Usha Srinivasan told The Eyeopener that all programming will occur virtually “until it is safe for our staff and entrepreneurs to connect in person. We will use as many digital tools as possible to keep our entrepreneurs engaged and connected during the program.

Ryerson partners with Navitas to launch transition program for international students

By Akanksha Dhingra Ryerson has partnered with global educational firm Navitas to launch a program that aims to broaden Ryerson’s supports and services for international students.

The program, titled Ryerson University International College (RUIC), aims to help international students transition to university life in Canada, while also growing Ryerson’s international student population. Navitas is an Australian company that partners with universities worldwide to “accelerate the internationalisation” of campuses and “drive higher-quality learning and student experiences” for international students.

Suhaib Momin, a third-year mechanical engineering international student, recalls feeling anxious in his first year, given Ryersons size and external environment.

“I know how overwhelming it can be to hit the ground running in a new country, where you don’t know anyone, and it can be extra difficult to find others that are in the same boat,” he said.

Momin says that he believes

RUIC can be international students a common space, where students can make friends, share their experiences, and then transition to university smoothly.

RUIC’s plan is to provide course content, skill development, social and academic support to the international student community.

Incoming international Ryerson students will now complete their first-year at RUIC as they settle into Toronto. Once they complete the program successfully, students will be eligible to continue their major studies in their second-year.

Ahmed Osman, an international third-year marketing student at Ryerson University, said that he thinks RUIC will help ensure students won’t have to go through the cultural shock international students experience.

“I believe that [RUIC] would positively help Ryerson by making sure that international students first smoothly transition to an entirely different setting and different country,” said Osman.

“A lot of incoming first-year students have a hard time adjusting to their university curriculum and new

ILLUSTRATION: JULIA MLODZIK

methods of learning,” said Naeem Ladak, an international third-year business management student.

Ladak says he thinks RUIC may just be the perfect solution to some of the issues international students face, by giving them a transition window to comfortably settle into their new university careers.

“I personally think [the] RUIC project will be a major success since the international student community is growing each year,” said Ladak.

Over the 10-year partnership period, RUIC will be extending the Ryerson brand into new countries

through Navitas.

Both Navitas and Ryerson plan to work on RUIC as a part of Ryerson’s new Internationalisation Strategy and new 2020-25 Academic Plan. Outside of generating another stream of revenue for the univesrsity, the plan seeks to “prioritize student engagement” by providing them with easier access and more opportunities for global learning and collaborative scholarly research.

Previously, international students have voiced their concerns over international tuiton prices being almost more than double the cost of

domestic tuition—a concern that has been amplified given remote learning this year.

“This partnership with Navitas marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Ryerson that will better position the university to broaden its global perspectives, and enrich the learning experiences for international and domestic students alike,” said Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi.

Though partnered with Navitas for the initial launch of the project, Ryerson will continue to retain control over all the aspects of the RUIC academic program.

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COMMUNITIES

Rye students on front line concerned about COVID-19 conduct

By Sarah Tomlinson Essential student workers are seeing attitudes towards COVID-19 relax, despite the ongoing work and extra diligence required to meet health and safety guidelines.

Jamie* is a fourth-year nursing student at Ryerson who has worked in a retirement home since August 2018. Although originally a personal support worker, she switched to working as the home’s receptionist at the start of the pandemic in an effort to keep a safe distance from residents.

Her workplace prohibited residents from socializing with each other or visiting with their families at the start of May and consequently had no outbreaks.

On May 25, 840 outbreaks had been reported in long-term care homes across Canada, accounting for over 80 per cent of the country’s COVID-19 cases.

Many of the implemented safety measures added extra work for the employees, such as separating residents who broke social distancing rules, she said.

“It’s challenging to explain to residents who have cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia, why they can’t be near other people,” she said. “It’s almost like adding another job to our job.”

Tiesa Gutauskas, a fifth-year creative industries student, has been working at Sobeys for almost

ILLUSTRATION: JES MASON

six years.

“We have people who walk around with their mask in their hands, or wear it below their nose or on their chin,” she said. “We can’t really yell at them, because they’re our customers. As a cashier, it’s not my job to prove the pandemic is happening to people.”

The burnout doesn’t go away after clocking out, said Gutauskas.

Managing school on top of work is another challenge. “Even without the pandemic, the retail environment is physically exhausting,” she said. “If I work a morning, the last thing I want to do is school work, especially when it feels so daunting now that it’s all online.

“When you’re a remote student, there’s a high level of isolation. You just have to figure it out on your own terms.”

Nistha Fernando-Majewski, a

second-year biomedical science student and pharmacy assistant, said she feels her coursework has gotten heavier this term, because professors “are thinking, ‘oh, they’re all at home they have all the time in the world to just do work,’” she said. “It’s definitely stressful.”

Work has only become more stressful desire to get back to the status quo has let some folks get too comfortable.

“The only difference is they wear a mask and they sanitize their hands, and they’re a bit more careful in terms of how close they are to other customers within the store,” said Fernando-Majewski. “But I can tell that that fear is not there anymore… people are just acting how they were before the pandemic began.”

Employers as guilty as customers Jamie said even some of her bosses don’t always follow protocol.

Families would bring gifts for relatives in lieu of being able to visit and insist that they be delivered immediately.

“Some family members would say ‘Take them up now!’ but we can’t because of infection protocol,” said Jamie. Nonetheless, her boss would urge her to take the packages to the residents without disinfecting them.

“I see a lot more pleasing clients than following actual protocols,” she said.

Her boss would also prevent her from disinfecting expensive marble tables for fear of corroding the surface and restrict the amount of personal protective equipment used by employees each shift.

“Our boss said that we get two masks per shift, but for me, it’s a struggle even getting one mask.

They tell us ‘Why are you wasting the sanitizer?’” said Jamie. “They say they care but their actions sometimes do show differently.”

well as an additional $2 per hour after 20 hours worked in a week.

However, as of June 12, the Globe and Mail found that several chains ended the program.

Possibility of a second wave Despite she and her colleagues having to be tested every two weeks, Jamie said visitors are free to enter untested. There’s still a lot to worry about with the possibility of a second wave, she added.

On Sept. 3, Toronto reported 68 active cases according to their COVID-19 case tracking website. Two weeks later on Sept. 17, 879 cases were active.

“A lot of managers already have a heightened anxiety level because we’re trying to order things for the second wave, like hand sanitizer, but it’s already backlogged. So my boss is panicking because those things are necessities,” said Jamie.

Likewise, Gutauskas said some customers are already preparing for “People are just acting the second wave.

“I have one customer who comes how they were before in and buys a package of paper towel the pandemic began” every week and she says ‘I’m just getting it just in case,’” she said. “So Overtime pay promised by the it’s kind of that predictive, prevenOntario government for support tative approach where they’re trying workers also came late. to stock up before everything goes In March, The Eyeopener reported crazy again.” that grocers like Sobeys and Loblaws were providing employees *Last name has been omitted to protect Hero Pay: an extra $50 per week as source’s security and employment.

Responding to Hate Toolkit created to address anti-Asian racism

By Kiernan Green In the face of escalating anti-Asian racism throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, legacy members of Toronto’s Asian-Canadian community have created an online toolkit to define acts of hate and what Asian-Canadians can do if faced with them.

Ryerson secretary of the board of governors Julia Shin Doi, chancellor Janice Fukakusa, Judge Maryka Omatsu and Faculty of Arts dean Pamela Sugiman make up the project team behind the Responding to Hate Toolkit, along with several others in and outside of the Ryerson community.

“It’s not like [Asian-Canadians] never experienced [discrimination] in the past,” said Sugiman. “That’s far from the case. But they have experienced heightened xenophobia and racist behavior…since the outbreak of COVID.” Fifty per cent of Chinese-Canadians have reported being verbally harassed as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a poll from the Angus Reid Institute.

Throughout March and April, Judge Omatsu became aware of increasingly common racist incidents against East-Asian Canadians in

Vancouver, where she lives. “I discovered that the targeted persons and the witnesses were uncertain what to do when confronted with racist abuse,” said Omatsu.

At the scene of a hate incident, what’s paramount “is to ensure the safety of the targeted person and the witness,” said Omatsu, before recording the incident and providing emotional support.

Norah Kim, a third-year journalism student of Vietnamese and Cambodian descent, was recently made to feel like she was a threat to public health at a Tim Hortons. A white man in front of her coughed to no reaction. When Kim felt safe to sneeze, “everyone, like everybody, looked at me,” she said.

“Then my cashier was like, ‘is this for to-go? Because I don’t think you should stay here.’”

Kim is no stranger to microaggressions, having grown up in one of the only Asian families in a predominantly white Mississauga neighbourhood. But it wasn’t until the recent rise of COVID-19 that Kim realized how prevalent antiAsian racism is.

Drawing from her research and lived experience of discrimination, Sugiman said she’s concerned that

the overt racism permitted by previous generations could make a return.

Fight COVID Racism, a website suggested in the toolkit, records overt anti-Asian racism across the country. Stories include a nurse who was spat on while working in a Toronto emergency room and a 15-year-old who was attacked while riding his bike in Saskatoon, and several others.

“Personally speaking, I do think that a wider umbrella is necessary [for what constitutes a chargeable hate crime]”, said Sugiman. Hate acts are only chargeable if attached to a crime in the Canadian Criminal Code, according to the toolkit.

“Non-criminal acts” of “bigoted, biased or prejudiced language” yield no legal consequence.

“Anti-Asian racism is as Canadian as maple syrup” The problem becomes heavier when considering Canadian laws and practices which has historically discriminated against Asians.

Between 1875 and 1950, there were over 170 anti-Asian laws in British Columbia that “denied

citizenship rights and severely restricted the lives of Asian-Canadians,” said Omatsu.

“Anti-Asian racism is as Canadian as maple syrup,” she said.

In 1988, redress for Japanese internment during the Second World War was made with $21,000 paid to each survivor by the federal government. Redress for Japanese Canadians was only granted 43 years after the fact, following a campaign which included Omatsu, who would later become Canada’s first EastAsian judge.

“When they got the redress settlement, lots of [Japanese Canadians] began to talk about all of their experiences of racism (and) the discrimination they faced in the past,” ILLUSTRATION: JES MASON

said Sugiman.

“Fast forward to 2020, where COVID allowed this nascent racism to rise to the surface, yet again,” said Omatsu.

“My cashier was like, ‘is this for to-go?

Because I don’t think you should stay here’” Sugiman said that research of anti-Asian racism should be a lot more extensive. “There aren’t that many people doing work on the experiences of Asians in Canada,” said Sugiman. “It’s not a large group … but it’s a strong group of excellent researchers.”

10

SPORTS

Finding identity outside of sport

By Marin Scotten For many post-secondary athletes, there is no greater feeling than playing the sport they love.

But what happens when the final buzzer goes? What happens when athletes have to say goodbye to a sport they’ve invested the majority of their life into?

Unfortunately, for a vast majority of U Sports athletes, when their five years of eligibility comes to an end, so does playing their sport competitively.

Many student-athletes spend almost all their time either training, competing or studying. In this sense, being an athlete can become a primary source of personal identity and many struggle to find interests outside of their sport. Once their athletic career is over, athletes can be left feeling like a fundamental piece of who they are is gone.

Sydney Authier, a former goaltender for the Ryerson women’s hockey team, said hockey was the most important thing in her life from the first time she laced up her skates.

“I fell in love with being on the ice from the moment I stepped on [it],” said Authier. “When I was on the ice and playing well, I just felt joy. It really gave me confidence in myself.”

Authier began playing hockey in Chatham-Kent, Ont. at just three years old. Almost all of her friends played hockey as well and she prided herself on being an athlete.

“I was always known as the hockey player,” Authier said. “Especially growing up in a small town, athletic achievements are a big deal.”

In her senior year of high school, Authier committed to Ryerson University to play hockey. However, due to a dangerously high number of concussions, Authier’s university career

was cut short. In her third year, she made the difficult decision to step away from the sport in order to prevent another head injury.

“It was a really hard decision,” said Authier. “My first two weeks off the team I think I cried like every day. It was such a big part of my life, and just like that it was over.”

“It’s pretty sad knowing that it’s all going to come to an end” She struggled to find something that gave her as much joy and passion as hockey once did. But in her fourth year, Authier became the equipment manager for her former team.

“Equipment management is pretty much the only thing that makes me as excited as playing did,” Authier explained. “It’s allowed me to appreciate the sport in a whole new way.”

Now, after being away from the game for almost three years, Authier feels she has finally come to terms with her identity outside of hockey.

“I’m finally separating myself from being a hockey player, but it has been a tough few years,” Authier said. “Without my teammates and my newfound love for equipment managing, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

For Joel Hannan, a former member of the varsity men’s volleyball team, finding interests outside of volleyball helped him balance his love for sport.

Hannan played multiple competitive sports growing up but it wasn’t until his first year of university that he tried beach volleyball. After just three years of playing, he was invited to try out for the Canadian men’s national beach volleyball team.

Although he didn’t make the team, Hannan began to focus all of his energy into becoming a better

From Ryerson to France

PHOTO: ASH’ER X

By Justin Walters After five seasons with the Ryerson Rams men’s hockey team, goaltender Taylor Dupuis has signed a professional contract with the Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne in France.

Dupuis joined the Rams in the 2015-16 season after playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the previous three seasons.

He made an immediate impact at Ryerson, playing 15 games in his

rookie season and posting a .903 save percentage.

After graduating last year with a degree in sport media, Dupuis was unsure what the future would look like for his hockey career. His final season with the Rams was a tough one as he battled a groin strain all season, limiting him to just two games.

“With the injury and everything last year, there were a lot of questions and doubts [about] if I was even going to be able to play this

volleyball player. He went on to play indoor volleyball at Ryerson while completing his Masters of Business Administration.

Upon graduating, Hannan felt he was ready to move on from athletics, although it was difficult.

“Being an athlete is a huge part of my identity,” Hannan said. “Since my varsity career has come to an end, I’ve had to really find joy in other aspects of my life like building a career, building relationships, travelling and learning new things.”

For student-athletes who have not yet graduated, the idea of moving on can be daunting.

“So much of my time is spent either training, studying or hanging with other athletes,” said Olivia Yang, a fourth-year player on the Ryerson women’s volleyball team. “It’s pretty sad knowing that it’s all going to come to an end.”

Yang, who’s also a creative industries student, said she has just recently been questioning who she is outside of being an athlete. She began playing volleyball at age 11 in Vancouver. Yang said she has always been known as a volleyball player and it was her favourite thing to do while growing up. Recently though, she has been trying to find other hobbies that will help her transition when her volleyball career does eventually come to an end.

“My first two weeks off the team I think I cried like every day. It was such a big part of my life, and just like that it was over” “I’m pretty lucky that I’ve found a program that I really like,” Yang said.

“I didn’t switch into creative industries until my second year and I’m so happy I did. It’s given me something

PHOTO: SYLVIA LORICO

Former Rams goalie Sydney Authier struggled when her hockey career ended but found a new passion in equipment management that helped change her life.

to focus on other than volleyball.”

Many athletes struggle not only with their athletic careers coming to an end but with the realization that many of the dreams they once had are no longer realistic.

Hayley Robertson, a former member of Ryerson’s women’s basketball team, had dreams of playing at a top NCAA Division One school, going to the Olympics and playing in the WNBA. “I definitely was singularly focused on basketball up until the end of my freshman year of college. And then in my sophomore year we had a coaching change and I was kind of hit by reality,” Robertson said. “It was really hard coming to terms with the fact that I probably wasn’t going to achieve all of my goals.”

Robertson played three years at the University of Vermont before transferring to Ryerson due to a second coaching change. Growing up, achieving her basketball goals was how she measured her self-worth.

“Nothing was ever enough,” Robertson explained. “I always thought I could be working harder, or practicing more. Even now, it’s hard knowing that I’ve let my 13-year-old self down. I gave my heart and soul to the game, but for what?”

While letting go of her dreams of playing in the WNBA was difficult, Robertson said she is grateful that she has gained a broader perspective.

Finding other passions such as learning more about climate change and social justice issues have helped Robertson find purpose outside of being an athlete.

“All university athletes struggle with their career ending...You’re now just an average person. But you’re not worth any less and that’s what we have to realize”

“I’m giving myself permission to stop trying to be the best basketball player I can be and focus on being the best human I can be,” Robertson said.

Finding an identity outside of sport can be very difficult for athletes, but it is seldom talked about.

Despite the growth in conversations about mental health, athletics still has a long way to go. No matter the sport or the level of athlete, eventually it’s going to come to an end.

Authier said normalizing this issue would help other athletes transition into life outside athletics and become more prepared for when that final buzzer sounds on their career.

“All university athletes struggle with their career ending,” Authier said. “You have to enter the real world and you’re no longer the best. People aren’t in awe of what you do or coming to see you perform. You’re now just an average person. But you’re not worth any less and that’s what we have to realize.”

Former Ram Taylor Dupuis is following his dream of playing pro-hockey in Europe year,” said Dupuis.

That uncertainty was put to rest in mid-August after Dupuis received a message from the head coach of the Bisons, Frank Spinozzi.

“Right away, I knew this was what I wanted to do,” said Dupuis. “It had always been kind of on the radar to come [to Europe] and play. It was a no brainer.”

Dupuis finished his career at Ryerson having played in 72 games, posting a .902 save percentage and a 3.11 goals against average. He gave the Rams a chance to win almost every time he stepped on the ice as a steady force in the net.

As excited as he is to be starting a new chapter in his life over in France, he said he won’t forget how valuable the past five years at Ryerson have been for him.

“I miss wearing the blue and gold. Without those five years I wouldn’t be where I am today,” said

Dupuis.“I wouldn’t trade the last five years for anything.”

Dupuis is currently in France and practicing with his new team in preparation for the upcoming season which starts in October. Of course under the circumstances of the pandemic, moving across the globe to play hockey isn’t the easiest thing to do.

“It had always been kind of on the radar to come [to Europe] and play. It was a no brainer” But that wasn’t going to stop Dupuis, as he considered it a positive to play so far away from Toronto.

Dupuis said he was “thrilled to get the chance to travel the world, to do what I love to do.”

While Ryerson provided Dupuis a space to grow as a goalie, it was also a place for him to gain a meaningful

education and grow as a person.

“I loved being at Ryerson and I’m extremely happy I was able to complete my sport media program and get my diploma,” said Dupuis. “The school taught me so many valuable lessons, especially time management. Balancing hockey and schoolwork, that’s something I got better at each and every year.”

Dupuis acknowledged that after his days of playing hockey are over, he might look to put that sport media degree to use. In the meantime though, he’s thrilled to be getting ready to start his professional career in Europe with the Bisons.

Whenever university hockey is back up and running, Dupuis said he’ll be cheering on the Rams from France nonetheless.

“I’ll be waiting for them to get back on the ice and hopefully win that OUA championship we sadly fell short of while I was there.”

FUN AND SATIRE TASK FORCE

Eleventy-one

Rye says no cops on campus, unless they’re guarding Egerton statue

By Sydney Brasil Despite cancelling its special constables initiative after students expressed concerns about police presence on campus, Ryerson has decided that having some cops on campus is fine, as long as they guard the statue of Egerton Ryerson. The Eyeopener’s news team confirmed this when they first saw cops standing in a pig pen set up beside the statue. By absolutely no coincidence at all, they seem to show up on days where demonstrations happen elsewhere in Toronto.

Following at least two incidents this summer where activists defaced the statue with paint, the school has decided it loves to waste taxpayer money, as the cops guarding the statue get paid more per day than it would cost to remove the racist relic.

On one occasion, Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi was seen shaking hands with one of the officers. An ambiguous wad of paper was seemingly transferred between their two palms.

“To be honest, we didn’t think anyone would realize we let cops on campus since we moved classes online,” said Lachemi. “It’s also part of the reason we didn’t lower tuition fees during the pandemic. If students can’t afford to commute to campus, they

PHOTO: CATHERINE ABES won’t notice a police presence.”

“Lachemi put his fingers in his ears and sang ‘LALALA I can’t hear you!’ to my face” In June, Lachemi announced that the university would not move forward with the special constables program, which would allow constables to beat up students they catch vaping in the quad. When asked if he considered how a police presence on campus may affect marginalized groups, he said “Look, if we didn’t

care about our BIPOC students, we wouldn’t post the pride flag with the black and brown stripes on social media every pride month.”

The last time officers were spotted guarding the Egerton statue, a member of The Eye’s news team approached them and asked why they were there. After an incredibly long pause, they responded. “There was an incident in the parkette, some loser was caught puffing on a dab pen,” said one officer through a mouthful of honey cruller. “It’s been taken care of now, though.” Later, they were seen going back to the

Tim Hortons on Victoria Street, ticketing street-involved people for sleeping under the awning nearby.

Ryerson community members have started to feel this aforementioned presence. Oakham Cafe responded by advertising an “ACAB breakfast special so cheap you’ll think it was defunded,” which comes with extra ham, sausage and of course, bacon. They say the special is available all day except the hour of noon, “because fuck 12.”

Ryerson’s mascot, formerly known as Eggy the Ram, has changed his name to “Keith” after being called out via Twitter thread last month, saying he

is “ashamed to have not done adequate research on his namesake.”

It’s a Ryerson tradition every year during frosh for drunk frat bros to dress up the statue with mardi gras beads and put a copy of Das Kapital in its hand. This has continued throughout the many controversies surrounding the statue in recent years. Though the school claimed the plaque erected beside the statue acknowledges its racist history, it has since been replaced by one that reads “Vandalism by white kids in the name of school spirit is permitted, POLITICAL DEMONSTRATIONS WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE ARREST.” Students on campus are feeling as though they aren’t being heard—literally. “You know, it didn’t really start to sting until Lachemi put his fingers in his ears and sang ‘LALALA I can’t hear you!’ to my face,” said fourthyear communications student and activist Allie Hawkins. Hawkins’ petition to replace the statue with one of Megan Thee Stallion has more than 1,200 signatures so far.

Though uncertainty looms over the presence of both the police and the statue, one thing remains certain: when the head of the statue inevitably falls to the ground, it’ll be able to finally lick the boots of the cops guarding it.

Lachemi appoints task force to examine all other task forces

By Rochelle Raveendran On Sept. 22, Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi announced he was appointing a task force to oversee all of Ryerson’s existing task forces.

The announcement came just weeks after Lachemi appointed yet another task force to examine Egerton Ryerson’s history and its relationship to the university.

Lachemi explained that all current Ryerson task forces—excluding the task force tasked with supervising all task forces—will undergo a year-long investigation after submitting their final reports and recommendations.

Task force appointees will be forcibly tasked with submitting all consulted sources to yet-to-be-appointed appointees, who themselves, he specu- described the new task force as a lated, may foreseeably be tasked with way to uphold Ryerson’s standards submitting individual reports on of ethics and diligence. their investigation methodology.

“It took us just three years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released their final report on the “We may not be able to history and legacy of the residential avoid the issue anymore, school system to install a plaque next but we can ensure no to the statue. Apparently, this was drastic steps are taken” not enough for our students,” read the statement. “We may not be able “We want to ensure this timely to avoid the issue anymore, but we discussion isn’t buried under layers can ensure that no drastic steps are of bureaucratic jargon and delays,” taken just because White Fragility is said Lachemi. now a Globe and Mail bestseller.”

A statement from the university Leaked notes from the first

ILLUSTRATION: JIMMY KWAN

if the wall was not actually a wall, and instead was the person who wrote the statement.

“Of course it isn’t a stall tactic. I might have to create a task force to look into nosy students if you keep this up”

“Egerton” task force meeting revealed plans for a Netflix Party viewing of Avatar to learn more about colonialism as well as a Zoom panel with other North American universities, entitled: “Discussion: Is My Campus Namesake Too Racist Or Just Racist Enough?”

First-year business student and heir to the Chipotle restaurant chain, Garrett O’Garrett, believes the task force for task forces will safeguard the university from taking unnecessary measures under pressure from “social justice warriors.” He added that he wanted The Eyeopener to note

he has a Do The Right Thing poster on his bedroom wall.

“I literally just bought a $55 hoodie from the campus store that says ‘Ryerson University’ on it. What am I gonna do if they change the name?

Get my tailor to remove the name, add a patch that says, I don’t know, ‘Louis Vuitton’ on it, and what, sell it to students for double the...I gotta call my dad’s lawyer,” said O’Garrett.

Not all students were as receptive to the announcement. Third-year politics student Lisa Patel said she wanted to punch a wall after reading the university’s statement, but only

Others are choosing to take matters into their own hands. The Ryerson Engineering Student Society made a bonus addition to their orientation activities for this Friday, called: “Frosh Continues: Let’s Topple Egerton!” According to the Facebook event page, the event is BYOB (Bring Your Own Backsaw) and will be “a fun opportunity for first-years to bond and work out together” under social distancing rules.

When asked whether the new task force is simply a stall tactic intended to further prolong an official university response to student activists’ demands, Lachemi rolled his eyes and took a defensive stance. “Of course it isn’t a stall tactic. I might have to create a task force to look into nosy students if you keep this up,” said Lachemi.

“And maybe a task force to oversee that one, just in case they don’t do their job properly.”

12

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