Vol. 56, Issue 11

Better late than never? TMU signs onto national agreement to combat anti-Black racism

By Edward Djan

Content Warning: This story includes mentions of lynching and references to sexual assault

As Toronto Metropolitan Univer sity (TMU) signs onto a national agreement aimed at reducing antiBlack racism and improving di versity in post-secondary schools across Canada, Black students say the school needed to make those commitments sooner.

TMU announced earlier this month that President Mohamed Lachemi signed onto the Scarbor ough Charter in October. The Scar borough Charter is a document that outlines a national standard for addressing anti-Black racism and Black inclusion on the university campuses that sign onto it.

Over 20 post-secondary institu tions across Canada first signed the charter back in 2021. TMU was not part of the inaugural group.

Nicole Agyenim Boateng, the codirector of outreach at the Black Collective at TMU, said she believes if the university wanted to at least agree on the actions in the charter sooner, they could have—seeing as they fought for other endeavours.

“I think that’s an excuse. The school has been fighting for a law school, they fought for a medi cal school—and they got a medical school—even though it is hard to do those things,” Boateng said.

The school said in an email to The Eyeopener that it did not sign on to the agreement back in 2021 under the leadership of the former vice-president equity, diversity and community inclusion, Denise O’Neil Green. Instead, TMU decided to hold consultations before signing on.

According to the university, the consultation found that the school should sign onto the charter along side their Presidential Implementa tion Committee to Confront AntiBlack Racism (PICCABR) Action Plan 2022-2023. The PICCABR was formed to address the recom mendations made in the univer sity’s Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review Report, released in 2020. The report is meant to show the experience of the Black commu nity on campus.

The school said waiting to sign the Charter until the Action Plan was completed would ensure it would be “demonstrating a tangible commitment to the principles of the Charter and providing an account ability framework to track, monitor and report on progress.”

The school has yet to release the Action Plan but added in their email that it “will be released soon along with a community update highlight

ing the implementation progress of the recommendations and achieve ments to date.”

Chair of the inter-institutional advisory committee for the Scar borough Charter, Wisdom Tettey, who is also the principal at the Uni versity of Toronto Scarborough, said he’d rather TMU take its time to sign onto the charter than rush through the process and not make meaningful change.

“We don’t want institutions that are not ready and committed to just sign up for the sake of that. We want them to do the heavy lifting of dem onstrating that this is something that they are committed to.”

The Charter was created after several post-secondary schools took part in a cross-country forum called National Dialogues and Action in October 2020.

The goal of the forum was to implement concrete ways for antiBlack racism and Black inclusion to be addressed at post-secondary schools across Canada. The Scar borough Charter was a result of the forum.

It requires actions by post-second ary schools in areas of governance, research, teaching and learning and community engagement. One of the actions of the Scarborough Charter is that post-secondary schools would provide anti-Black racism training to everyone on campus.

don’t have to include the photos.”

In response to The Eye’s request for comment regarding this alleged incident, the school said they were not aware of it. They pointed to their Discrimination and Harassment Pre vention Policy and added that stu dents who have concerns can reach out to the Office of Student Care and Human Rights Services.

Other actions in the Scarborough Charter include closing the wage dis crimination gap and rethinking the role of campus security that takes into account the safety of Black people.

These two points are especially important to Boateng. While she empathizes with concerns students— especially those who are not Black— have about recent safety incidents on campus, she said if TMU genuinely wants to take steps toward making campus more inclusive for Black stu dents, enforcement forces such as se curity should not exist.

bers] being hired as support staff or are we being hired as assistant professors or associate professors?”

Gateri said. “How many racialized people in academia do we have in management positions? Because that doesn’t get reported.”

According to a data visualization on TMU’s website, Black people in 2020 only represented seven per cent of the student population and only made up six per cent of the em ployee population.

Joshua Sealy-Harrington, an as sistant professor at the Lincoln Al exander School of Law, said postsecondary schools shouldn’t only be hiring more Black faculty but also ensuring a diversity of thought.

of orientation that you bring to these issues.”

Another one of the actions in the Scarborough Charter is for post-secondary schools to create pathways for Black students that provide better access to post-sec ondary education.

Abdul Farah, a third-year nursing student, said he has felt welcomed studying at TMU as a Black student. Farah immigrated from Somalia and said a barrier he faced was the lack of support whenever he needed help with his school work.

Boateng believes if faculty had antiBlack racism training, it would make classrooms more inclusive learning environments for Black students. One experience she recalled was be ing in an American history class when her professor included graphic images of lynchings without includ ing a trigger warning.

“I found that to be very traumatic being a Black student and I have to read that material in order to prog ress in the class,” said Boateng. She said she reached out to her profes sor and told them the content was not okay to add. “We can’t be seeing these graphic images of ancestors and Black people dying.”

Boateng said the professor did say they were working on adding trig ger warnings but she’s still surprised that she had to explain to a faculty member how to make their class more sensitive to Black students.

“It’s shocking that you’d have to tell someone in the first place that you shouldn’t include lynchings in your lesson plan. We know what they are, you can describe them, you

“I recognize what recently hap pened in Kerr Hall, that people were signing that petition and they want ed campus safety, they wanted more police officers, they wanted the spe cial constables back. I understand that is the reality,” said Boateng.

“As a woman, I get that. But as a Black woman, I understand that I’m doubly oppressed by those sys tems that are sought out to protect other women.”

The Scarborough Charter also em phasizes the collection of race-based data that tracks Black representation in post-secondary schools for stu dents, faculty, staff and researchers.

According to the Canadian Arab Institute, out of the 76 universities in their 2019 policy brief, 63 universities could not provide race-based data.

Hellen Waigumo Gateri, an assis tant professor at MacEwan University in Edmonton and a 1999 alumna from TMU’s social work program, said it’s important to have race-based data not just for representation purposes on campus but to ensure Black people are in positions of power in academia.

“Are [Black community mem

“If you have an increase in Black or Indigenous faculty at a particular institution but with [a] very similar kind of pedagogy, politics or schol arship to faculty who are already there, I’d say one of the key objec tives tethered to representation is not actually being fulfilled,” said Sealy-Harrington.

“I think both greater representa tion—different groups—but also the politics that emerge from the strug gle participated in by those groups are very important.”

“My parents did not speak English. I did not have anybody to help me out with homework. That was a very big barrier that I faced.” Farah said his friends who grew up here and had parents who spoke the language did not face the same struggles.

Farah believes if TMU did out reach programs as early as in middle school that target Black students from a young age to offer support with their school work, it could po tentially increase the number of stu dents from the community attending not only TMU but post-secondary schools across the country as well.

“When I help my nephew with homework, for example, it reminds me that I did not have anybody to help me. It’s so much easier when there’s somebody guiding you and being a mentor. It’s so much bet ter,” said Farah.

Tettey also said while he believes the motives of his colleagues are well-intentioned, it’s important to have Black leaders like himself at decision tables because their lived experiences can help shape more equitable policies.

“It’s important that we have di versity around senior tables. I don’t think a lot of higher-ed leaders are necessarily antithetical to what we’re pushing here [with the Scar borough Charter]. But when you don’t live it, when you haven’t had that experience, it’s a different kind

“By the time you get to high school, it’s already kind’ve too late,” he said. Farah said outreach programs that begin at a much earlier age can help support Black students in staying upto-date on school and progressing with a curriculum.

Gateri warned that in schools and programs where Black students do not see themselves represented, it’s harder for them to continue their education.

“When you don’t see people who look like you, it’s very, very, very, very hard for Black students to approach other students and to start forming those study groups,” she said.

“We can’t be seeing these graphic images of ancestors and Black people dying”

Courtesy University of Toronto Scarborough

“It’s so much easier when there’s somebody guiding you and being a mentor. It’s so much better”

Will future nurses go rural?

By Prapti Bamaniya

While some Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) nursing students are considering relocating to rural parts of Ontario because of a new provincial tuition reimbursement program, others expressed that it has little impact on their future em ployment decisions.

Nursing graduates can receive up to full tuition reimbursement for a two-year commitment to work in an underserved community, as part of a recent expansion of the Community Commitment Program for Nurses (CCPN), according to its website.

The expansion, announced in March 2022, will run from 2022 to 2024, with up to 1,500 graduates eligible each year, the website states.

Funding for the expansion is pro vided by the Ontario government’s “Plan to Stay Open,” a set of initiatives which intends to expand healthcare policies and measures to better equip the province’s response to crisis.

The plan also includes the On tario Learn and Stay grant—a tuition reimbursement program for up to 2,500 eligible students each year who enroll in a high-priority program in a high-priority community and com mit to working in an underserved community for up to two years after graduation, according to the pro gram’s website and press release.

Applications for the grant will be gin in spring 2023 and the consulta tion process for the eligibility guide lines for programs and communities started this summer.

Tahera Sudha, an international TMU student in her first year of nursing, said she doesn’t mind trav elling and would consider the pro gram because of the heavy cost of her tuition.

“As an international student, I am open to travelling because I have al ready travelled miles to come here, so moving to the rural side is not a big deal,” she said. “We have to pay so much in fees, so if the government is paying the tuition, why not?”

International student tuition at TMU can range from $31,749 to $38,472, according to TMU’s web site. Domestic tuition fees for stu dents range from $7,050 to $11,986.

Fourth-year nursing student, Millisent Olanrewaju said she is willing to take a job anywhere post-graduation.

“My ideal situation after gradu ation would be finding a job; it doesn’t have to be in Toronto.”

However, the tuition program and the potential impact of working in a rural community gives her ad ditional reasons to relocate.

“The money would help me,” she said. “I think [the program] will help the individuals who live in those communities, making healthcare more accessible. That’s also very ap pealing.”

Based on Ontario’s Rural, Remote and Northern Nursing Report in 2015, rural communities are those with smaller population sizes. The report defines a rural community as one that has “a population of less than 30,000 that [is] greater than 30 minutes away in travel time from a community with a population of more than 30,000.”

“My life is here. I can’t imagine myself living in a smaller [city] no matter the incentive,” said Cheryl Kahandavitagamage, a third-year nursing student.

Nenna Abdella, another thirdyear nursing student, agreed. “I’m so used to my social network in the city that it would be hard to communi cate [with] them if I were to move to a rural area for work.”

she said.

There are also disadvantages to the program, she added. “In rural areas, the work is often much more complex and challenging. It may force people who could not other wise afford [tuition] into working environments where they might not have otherwise chosen to go.”

Matthew Shepherd, a fourthyear nursing student at TMU, said he would not apply to the program because he hopes to become a travel nurse post-graduation.

of Ontario,” he said. “They should probably reimburse if not all, [then] half of the nursing tuition for all the students that have been going to nursing school,” said Shepherd.

Shepherd also hopes to see the elimination of Bill 124, which im poses a hard cap of one per cent per year to wages and benefits for nurses and other health care pro fessionals, according to the Ontario Nurses Association.

Jasmine Zhang, a 2021 TMU nursing graduate, said she would not consider working in a rural community despite the incentive.

“It’s not worth it, even if I get reim bursed,” she said. “Of course, tuition is on my mind but it’s a high cost to put your whole life on pause just to go up there, even for two years.”

Samin Barakati, a fourth-year nursing student at TMU, said work ing in a rural community for two years would have a big impact on her life. She also said she has signif icant help with paying tuition from the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

“Personally, it’s still a big deci sion to live in a rural area for that amount of time, so I would not ap ply,” she said.

Other nursing students said they aren’t willing to give up their attach ments and relationships in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.

The recruitment and retention of nurses in rural, remote and north ern areas of Ontario is difficult and if left unresolved, these areas could face a human resource crisis, ac cording to a 2015 workplace report from the Registered Nurses’ Asso ciation of Ontario.

“Access to quality health care [is] a long-standing issue in these ar eas,” read the report. It added that mortality rates increase with the re moteness of a community.

Corinne Hart, an associate pro fessor of nursing at TMU, said healthcare quality in rural commu nities needs help. “There is such an underservice of nurses in rural ar eas. There’s a real lack,” Hart added.

“I think probably in some of the rural areas, nurses take on more and more responsibility.”

Hart said the tuition reimburse ment program offers a chance to benefit rural areas and makes nurs ing school more accessible to those with financial constraints.

“It may open nursing school and the profession to people who might not otherwise be able to afford it,”

“Why stay here, where we’re not getting paid enough, where we’re starting to get treated like shit, and the government isn’t helping us in any way, shape or form when we can actually just leave and get paid 10 times more.”

If housing was reimbursed as part of the government’s new pro gram, Abdella said she would con sider the move.

“It would be a lot better if they were covering it; maybe I would go.”

Barakati said she thinks rural work experience should be a man datory component of Canadian nursing education to help under served communities.

Travel nurses are registered nurs es contracted through a healthcare staffing agency who work in shortterm roles at hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities worldwide to fill critical staffing needs, accord ing to an article from The Journal of Nursing Administration

Travel nursing compensation is higher than a permanent staff posi tion. Its higher salary is commonly assumed to be the main attractor for the profession, according to a Febru ary 2022 article in Nurse Leader, the official journal of the American Or ganization for Nursing Leadership.

Shepherd said the government should do more to encourage nurses to work throughout the province, not just rural communities.

“We’re desperate for nurses in all

“Especially since it’s getting worse and worse, it might be worth it to make it compulsory.”

She added, however, that a short work term in an underserved com munity doesn’t solve issues with medical care in those areas.

“Solving the problem is not neces sarily just having someone there on a monthly basis,” she said.

“It’s a matter of continuity of care. For example, you need a family doc tor to take care of you for a number of years, not just months.”

Although some students don’t wish to work in rural communities long-term, they said they might still want a temporary experience.

“It would be great as a shortterm experience.” Zhang said. “What attracts me is basically just the idea of increasing your scope of practice, as well as gaining a lot of experience working with differ ent populations and just taking on more autonomy and responsibility on your own.”

Barakati said she would consider working in a rural community in On tario for her 12 week winter place ment, even without an incentive.

“I just want to experience differ ent environments, improve working conditions and my own understand ing of working in these situations,” she said.

At the end of the day, Barakati just hopes rural communities get the support they need.

“At the back of everyone’s mind we know about the health disparity in remote communities and rural com munities

Here’s what TMU nursing students have to say about the new provincial tuition reimbursement program for rural relocation

and they just need help.”

“Why stay here..where we’re starting to get treated like shit?”

“We have to pay so much in fees, so if the government is paying the tuition, why not?”

“My life is here. I can’t imagine myself living in a smaller [city] no matter the incentive”

“It’s a high cost to put your whole life on pause just to go up there”

“It may open nursing school...to people who might not otherwise be able to afford it”

VANESSA KAUK/ THE EYEOPENER

“There is such an underservice of nurses in rural areas”

Editor-in-Chief Abeer “Swim Coach” Khan

News

Edward “Nemo” Djan

Thea “Marlin” Gribilas

Prapti “Dory” Bamaniya

Photo

Jes “COVID Balloon” Mason

Vanessa “Crochet Beast” Kauk

Peyton “Barrie Girl” Keeler-Cox

Online

Alexandra “Quick Hit Whore” Holyk

Abby “Pita Land Lobbyist” Hughes

Features

Stephanie “Board Finder” Davoli

Arts and Culture

Madeline “EIC-To-Be” Liao

Business and Technology

Christina “TikTok Dance!” FloresChan

Communities

Asha “No Garlic” Swann

Sports

Gavin “Twitter Famous” Axelrod

Jack “Fisherman” MacCool

Fun and Satire

Zarmminaa “Sweet Girl <3” Rehman

Media

Sonia “Circ Slay” Khurana

Youdon “National Geo” Tenzin

Web

Nishil “Welcome” Kapadia

Sam “Back!” Chowdhury

General Manager

Liane “Accounting Sux” McLarty

Advertising Manager

Chris “Good Morning!” Roberts

Opportunity to host nationals

‘Once in a lifetime’ for Bold

By Gavin Axelrod

Canada’s best in university men’s hockey will take centre stage at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) in 2024.

The Toronto Metropolitan Uni versity (TMU) Bold are set to host the U Sports men’s hockey national championship tournament next season, the university announced on Monday afternoon.

It’ll be the first time in program history that TMU will host the men’s hockey national champion ship tournament, also known as the U Cup. The university has

previously hosted three national events, the last one being the 2019 U Sports women’s basketball Final 8 Tournament.

“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to represent our institution on our home ice and work toward trying to win a national championship on home ice,” head coach Johnny Duco told The Eyeopener

“That’s what drives us and we’re super excited about that opportu nity in front of us.”

The Bold had their best season in program history last year finish ing the campaign with an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) bronze

medal, punching their ticket to the national tournament for the first time ever and defeating a national powerhouse, the University of New Brunswick at the event, before fin ishing fourth in the country.

And while the team automatically receives an entry into the 2024 tour nament as hosts, Duco said it’s not a reason to take their foot off the gas. He said the team doesn’t want to rely on the fact that they’re the hosts.

“We want to earn our way into the tournament and put our best foot forward,” he said.

Duco also said the program had “brief discussions,” that turned out

to be “nothing more than just talk” about hosting the 2022 tournament if Acadia University couldn’t but ultimately they didn’t put a formal bid forward.

“At the end of the day this was the first time in my time that we’ve put forward a formal bid and really put our best foot forward to nail down the tournament,” said Duco.

Duco said it’s a rewarding feeling to host the tournament—but not just for him. He ran down a laundry list of coaches, players, scouts, vid eo analysts and analytics staff who have contributed to the program’s overall success.

“The head coach usually gets some of the praise for it but these people are putting in tremendous hours and hard work and sacrifice,” he said.

There’s still lots of hockey left to be played before TMU can look toward nationals in 2024. The Bold currently sit at 8-3-1 on the year and are in the midst of a threegame losing streak.

TMU returns to action this Thurs day at the MAC against the Brock Badgers, their second last game on home ice before the new year. The Bold will look to string together wins in their final four games be fore the winter break in their pur suit of an OUA championship and a national tournament appearance in Charlottetown this coming March.

But the opportunity to have na tionals at the MAC isn’t lost on him amidst the ongoing campaign.

“The opportunity to host the na tional championship on home ice is once in a lifetime and a pretty spe cial opportunity,” said Duco.

Eyelections are back!

Design

Director J.D.

“Rosa

Supremacy” Mowat

Contributors

Jake “Green Thumb” MacAndrew

Saif “Lifesaver” Khan

Sam ‘Kelce Is HIM’ Beaudoin

Matthew ‘Hype Man’ Lin

Rob ‘Bold Live Tweeter’ Vona

Todd ‘RT If…’ Ash-Duah

Raphael ‘Office Tour’ Chahinian

Julian ‘Spoken Rizz’ Bettencourt

Konnor ‘Pitman Hall’ Killoran

Haley “Fashion Icon” Sengsavanh

Omar “EARTH DAY!” Taleb

It’s that time of year again! Eyelec tions are back once again. Join us for our first in-person elections since 2020!

It will be an exciting night of speeches as we welcome new edi tors onto our masthead for the winter semester.

Elections will occur on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Ram in the Rye located inside the Student Campus Centre.

Who can run?

All full-time, undergraduate stu dents enrolled at Toronto Metro politan University are eligible to run for a masthead position.

What positions are available?

volunteer who has contributed at least three times this semester can vote. Articles and videos count as one contribution. Writing a fea ture counts as two contributions. Copy editing two articles counts as one contribution.

Election night: We will be holding elections in-per son at Ram in the Rye. Nominees must be present to give their speeches. Speeches are two minutes maximum. Current editors and audience mem bers will be able to ask questions to candidates following the speeches.

Volunteer with us!

It’s never too late to write for your student newspaper! The Eye has numerous talented and hard-working volunteers that contribute to our paper weekly. And you can be one of them!

Email editor@theeyeopener. com for more information!

• Online editor (2)

• News editor (3)

• Arts and culture editor

• Features editor

• Business and technology editor

• Photo editor

• Communities editor

Who can vote: All masthead members and any

If you are running: You must be nominated by three people. Self-nominating counts as one. The other two nominations must be from current Eye editors. The nomination form is available on The Eye’s Facebook page. Nomina tions are due by Dec. 6 at 11:59 p.m. You must also put a poster up in The Eye’s office by Dec. 6, at 11:59 p.m. You can also add the poster to our Facebook page. The poster must include your full name, your face (any sort of selfie!) and the position you are running for.

You must email a transcript of your speech to editor@theeyeopen er.com by Dec. 7 at 12 p.m.

If you are running for a photo edi tor position, you must email your portfolio to editor@theeyeopener. com by Dec. 7 at 12 p.m.

For voters, if you are not available to attend the elections on the night of, all of the speeches will be available in written form on Google Drive.

For any accessibility needs for the election night, please email editor@theeyeopener.com.

Eligible voter list:

Samira Balsara

Julia Lawrence

Rochelle Raveendran

Jack Wannan

Samreen Maqsood

Bashair Ali

Fatima Raza

Andrew Yang

Nashra Syed

Jaden Ho

Keiran Gorsky Matthew Lin Konnor Killoran

Almost eligible voter list: John Vo (2)

Nalyn Tindall (2)

Negin Khodayari (2) Shaki Sutharsan (2) Julian Bettencourt (2)

Todd Ash-Duah (2) Fatima Raza (2) Ben Okazawa (2) Olivia Wiens (2) Joseph Casciaro (2) Matthew Davison (2) Jordan Jacklin (1) Shawn Heerema (1) Crina Mustafa (1)

If you do not see your name here but you are eligible to vote, please email editor@theeyeopener.com

Mikayla Guarasci Armen Zargarian Jacob Stoller

Sam Beaudoin Dexter LeRuez Matthew Davison Mitchell Fox Nathan Gerson Rapahel Chahinian Anastasia Blosser

NATHAN GERSON/THE EYEOPENER

Skating to be seen: Figure skaters ready to rock at Brock

By Jordan Jacklin

On a chilly Thursday in downtown Toronto, the Toronto Metropoli tan University (TMU) Bold figure skating team sets up shop at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) to practice their individual and group programs.

After loading up their playlist into the arena’s sound system, the skat ers either practice on their own or in pairs. From completing basic turns to executing axel jumps, a great amount of work goes into creating these pro grams—work that goes far beyond their time on the ice.

There is a lot of time spent on de tails that go into a performance, in cluding the music they skate to, their outfits and staging the choreography.

in nature.

Adele’s “Skyfall” can be heard through the MAC speakers as sec ond-year graphic communication management student Marion Pol lard begins a singles routine. But not every song is lyrical; as the duet routines are practiced using instru mentals and songs more emotional

“Being fully immersed and pro viding our interpretation of our selected music is essential in our sport,” said Pollard. “It factors into our competition scores, so making sure that we enjoy the song selec tions is our first step.”

Many of the skaters wore blue dresses with rhinestones glazed over them, which will be used for their up coming meet. The reasoning behind

this is to feel as comfortable in their uniforms as possible for when hun dreds of eyes will be laid upon them in the coming days.

The group is preparing to com pete in the Fall Invitational on Nov. 22, where they will travel to the Me ridian Credit Union Arena at Brock University to compete against other Ontario universities. There hasn’t been a competition held at the MAC since February 2020 and the figure skating team won’t have an event at home this season either.

io University Athletics (OUA) Championship in Aylmer, Ont., where some skaters participated in the final events of their careers. It was also the squad’s only OUA competition last season.

With skaters—including former captain Julia Iaboni not returning this year—the team’s environment has shifted as the younger athletes are taking on more leadership roles. Pollard is one of those people that is leading in all aspects, from encour aging her teammates, to assisting in the production aspects off the ice.

“We have a lot of rookies, so it’s been fun getting to know everybody,” said Pollard. “There is a big differ ence in varsity skating compared to traditional competitive skating and we have a lot going on as a group.”

KONNOR KILLORAN/THE EYEOPENER

“It’s been great having people that are creative on our team,” Carter said. Their creativity also bleeds into other aspects of the team. “They help out with our social media plat forms and the editing process for our music selections.”

When it comes to role models in figure skating, especially in the U Sports realm, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir stand out for the majority of the skaters. The duo is known for their dynamic performances in the Olympics from 2010 to 2018, win ning five medals in that span.

Virtue, an alumna of the Univer sity of Windsor, studied psychology while also competing in high-level ice dance events.

However, Pollard is excited about what this season has to offer and the increase in events the team will be participating in.

“Due to the pandemic, we didn’t have a lot going on over the last year,” said Pollard. “This year, we have a lot more competitions that are away from home and we’re ex cited to travel together as a group.”

But this season is different com pared to others. Last season, the team competed in the Ontar

In addition to preparing for two invitational meets and the OUA championships in February, the squad is looking to bring extra awareness for themselves and gain some exposure in the local market.

The group is expected to par ticipate in the Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square where mem bers of the team will perform their programs for visitors downtown.

Tiffany Huang, an early childhood studies student, is excited about what participating in this festival has to offer. With most events typically done solo or in pairs, this is an excit ing prospect for the group.

“Events like this are important for team-building and it offers a unique scenario for us,” said Huang. “This is an opportunity to perform as an entire group.”

When compared to other sports, creativity is heavily relied upon in figure skating—from the planning stages to executing a program.

It helps that some of the skaters are in creative-based programs, in cluding the sport media program or creative industries.

Anna Carter, a second-year fash ion student, is one of those skaters.

In a sport that is niche compared to its counterparts, figure skating offers a variety of aspects that set it apart.

Carter noted how sports such as hockey, soccer, volleyball and bas ketball are team-based. But figure skating offers a mix of both indi vidual and pairs events. Plus, the figure skating program as a whole at TMU, is team-based.

“At the varsity level, it’s both individually-oriented and teamoriented,” said Carter. “That allows for a different viewing experience for the audience.”

Although the team won’t be per forming at the MAC in the near fu ture, an exciting season lies ahead for the Bold figure skating team. With three invitationals and performances in local events coming up, the sport has officially made a full-force return at the university.

bet ter with the Bold name and earn higher competition scores than ever before.”

KONNOR KILLORAN/THE EYEOPENER

KONNOR KILLORAN/THE EYEOPENER

“We want to perform

“We have a lot of rookies, so it’s been fun getting to know everybody”

“Due to the pandemic, we didn’t have a lot going on over the last year”

“It’s been great having people that are creative on our team”

The Eye Turns 55!

Words by Stephanie Davoli Visuals by Vanessa Kauk

Founded in 1967, The Eyeopener has officially reached its 55th anniversary! As Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) independent student newspaper, we’ve seen a lot of changes over the years—from the introduction of countless new campus buildings to the university’s recent name change and everything in-between. In honour of the milestone, we spoke to five former editors about their time at The Eye, their advice for future students, what they believe the newspaper’s legacy is and much more.

Here are their best excerpts from our interviews with each of them!

Erin Valois

Before graduating from TMU’s School of Journalism in 2010, Erin was The Eye’s sports editor in the fall of 2008, winter of 2009 and winter of 2010. Erin is currently working as the vicepresident of digital strategy at Postmedia, a national media company that owns over 100 news outlets across the country. One of Erin’s most memorable moments at The Eye involved her coverage of the winter 2009 referendum to increase student’s sports fees—which eventually led to the university’s investment in Maple Leaf Gardens. “It was one of those stories where you didn’t know what it was going to become and then what it became was so monumental for the university.”

Rob Granatstein

Rob started at The Eye as a news writer in 1995. He then became a news editor in 1996 and after graduating from TMU’s journalism program in 1997, became editor-in-chief from 1997 to 1998. Since his time at TMU, Rob has worked at the Toronto Sun and as the director of corporate communications for Metrolinx. Rob remembers a particularly memorable day involved Jared Leto visiting The Eye’s office, which was then located in the basement of Jorgenson Hall, in preparation for a role in which he was portraying a student journalist. “We walked him through the life. I’m pretty sure the movie, show or whatever he was in, bombed, but it was kind of nice.”

Sierra Bein

Currently working as a content writer, editor and the writer of the Globe Climate Newsletter for The Globe and Mail, Sierra was at The Eye from 2013 to 2018, serving as the editor-in-chief in her final year. The TMU journalism grad remembers her Eye days fondly, but one story that sticks out in particular was the infamous breaking news piece on bed bugs in the Victoria Building. As the editorin-chief at the time, Sierra remembers that the story was so big that it’s reach extended far beyond the TMU community. “The next day we were on all sorts of radio channels, our office was full of outside reporters who were trying to see what happened,” says Sierra. “The school was very upset with me and they called me in for a meeting with PR people. I felt like I was in trouble but I wasn’t scared.”

Nicole Schmidt

This 2016 j-school graduate worked as a communities editor, news editor and online editor at The Eye before she became the paper’s editor-in-chief from 2016 to 2017. Nicole is currently living in Germany where she works as a fact-checker, freelance writer and associate editor for The Walrus . Throughout her many years at The Eye, Nicole recalls several memorable moments, such as participating in a ‘Coffee Olympics’ with her team. She also recalls the one night during her final Eye year where TMU security found her sleeping on the office floor. “I guess [TMU security] were doing their night checks and they first saw just my feet laid on the floor from the doorway,” remembers Nicole. “So they woke me up. It was very startling but it was all okay!”

Jacob is also a former president of the Canadian University Press. With his immense dedication to and extensive experience in student journalism, it’s no surprise that he has countless memories from his Eye days. However, Jacob’s most memorable moment involved accompanying Sierra and other news editors into the Victoria Building for the bed bugs story of 2018. “I think it was the most exciting news experience of my life,” says Jacob. “It was such a cool chance to be like, ‘Why don’t we just check for ourselves?’”

Erin: “Working at The Eye provided me with such great real-life experience for working in journalism. You learn a lot in your classes and the professors are experts in teaching the tactics but The Eye gives you the hands-on opportunity to report on a community in a way that you probably would if you worked for a major newspaper or digital enterprise. There’s no safety net at The Eye—you had to conduct yourself in the same way as if you worked at the Toronto Star—and I think that was a really valuable experience.

Rob: “The Eye had a huge influence on everything I did. It allowed me to be a reporter on big stories and an editor while I was still figuring my way out in the real world. Later in my career, I became an editor at the Toronto Sun and I felt like I had some grounding in it because I had already done it somewhere else. Being at The Eye also allowed me to make a whole bunch of mistakes at the student level, before I got into a major media publication, so I made a lot fewer mistakes in the real world. It really did just help me learn and build my confidence that I could do the job.”

Sierra: “It’s so funny because a big part of what I do every week now with my job at The Globe is basically what we did at The Eye once a week but I do it all in just one day. I basically see where the ads are and place stories for the Saturday paper. So I think having that bit of print experience from The Eye is something that I didn’t think would come back but I definitely use now quite frequently. Even for editing, I didn’t have classes per se on how to edit but it was using what I had learned from other people at The Eye and what little I learned from class. So there’s definitely a lot that has translated directly into every role I’ve had ever since.”

Nicole: “I learned more about journalism in The Eye newsroom than I did in the classroom. Part of that was because I tried so many different roles during my time at The Eye that I just wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do elsewhere. It also helped me learn to be deadline-oriented because we had an issue that went to the printer every Tuesday at 5 p.m. To learn how to get things done properly and on-time was so important.”

Jacob: “It almost felt like a second degree. You started at TMU and you’re learning a bunch in your classes but then once you started going to The Eye, it was almost as though every day was a new class…learning something new and working with your peers. After having all of that [experience], when I finally broke into the industry after a couple internships I felt so prepared. They’d be like, ‘Get these interviews, do this really tight deadline’ and I just felt like ‘Oh I know how to do this, I learned this all at The Eye.’”

was really—you’re out there, you’re on your own and there’s no professor holding your hand.”

Sierra: “I definitely learned more at The Eye than any class at jschool could’ve taught me. Aside from the hard skills of writing and working on a team, it taught me how much people skills and being an enjoyable person plays into every assignment and task. There’s very little that can be done at a newspaper and any organization alone so if you’re smart and a good person to work with, then you’re a great teammate. I feel like my ability to talk and connect with people has helped me as much as my hard skills in editing.”

Nicole: “To just stay curious and always ask questions I think. Oh, and to get more sleep. I don’t think I’ve ever been more sleep-deprived in my life than I was during my time at The Eye. But at the same time, I don’t know how but we didn’t really feel it? Maybe it was because of the gallons of coffee we were chugging but yeah, I think if I could go back I’d maybe prioritize sleep more.”

Jacob: “I think the main one is that you should really invest your time in getting to know, help and work with everyone around you, no matter what their skill levels are. I know that when you first start at TMU and you’re thinking about networking you might think, ‘Oh I’m going to go and meet the editor-in-chief of CBC News and I’m going to be their best friend.’ But what networking actually is, is finding a bunch of people on your level and maybe some that are just starting out and you can teach them some stuff and you all elevate each other together.”

you want to be a better writer, editor, reporter, whatever, the best thing you can do is read. Take in all the material you can because it will help improve your work as well. You’re really like a sponge when you’re in school so just try to soak it all in as best as you can.”

Jacob: “My main piece of advice, especially for Eye editors is please, please don’t sleep in the office. When I was there it seemed like such a rite of passage to sleep there, eat there, skip meals, but making sure that your mental health is at a good level and that you don’t get burnt out is so important. Go home at a reasonable hour, I promise you the work will be done. Another thing is that you’ll never know where a cool opportunity will take you. Really don’t let yourself be siloed, let the opportunities come and whatever happens, happens.”

Any lessons that stick with you to this day?

Erin: “The biggest lesson I learned was probably that, in hindsight, I don’t think in the mid-2000s we were as cognizant about what it meant to report on students and the power of Google. I don’t think we understood the thought that needs to go into what counts as a story and the impact of it being readily available online 10 or 15 years later. So I think with the benefit of hindsight that I would have been a lot more thoughtful [of is] realizing how people would come across permanently.”

Rob: “I think a lot of it was the ability to try things and make mistakes. A huge piece of being at The Eye involved having the chance to try all sorts of things, from sports writing and news to editing and taking pictures. We did some of that in class but this

Any advice for current and future students?

Erin: “It’s really important for people who are working at The Eye who want to get into media to recognize that what they’ve done at the student newspaper is really important work for community strategy. You really develop important skills that are useful in newsrooms because you are doing the same work as major outlets, just on a different scale. I would also tell people to think about what their niche is and what they can offer an organization.”

Rob: “My biggest piece of advice is to get out of your comfort zone. Try stories that you’re not sure that you’d be interested in, go write a feature, do some video, do some photography, do all these things. It’s such a great place to try and you might be surprised at what you like. I always thought that I’d be a sports reporter, turns out after trying it for a while, I actually liked being a fan more. But I found out I really liked news. So just try stuff, I think that’s the biggest thing and don’t be afraid to fail.

Sierra: “Your colleagues in school are not your competition. Every single person can find their way and do something awesome. I think that there’s healthy competition but I think that, very often, when you’re all trying to get jobs and internships, it can become kind of unhealthy competition. This industry is very small but I think that’s more reason to foster connections with others and get to know your colleagues as teammates because you will certainly run into a lot of them later down the road.”

Nicole: “One of the best pieces of advice that I ever got was, if

What does TheEye’s legacy and importance at TMU represent to you?

Erin: “I think that The Eye has a really important role at the university to hold the administration accountable and to be the voice for students. From a journalism perspective, it’s always been such a great opportunity for development and people who aren’t in journalism can always take part and end up with a career in media without going to journalism school. In the past few years, it’s been really impressive to see how thoughtful and inclusive The Eye’s newsroom has become too. It’s really nice to see so many different communities at the university being reflected in the publication and I think that the past few years of leadership at The Eye has really thrown it into a new era.”

Rob: “What makes it stand the test of time is that it’s the student paper, it’s got a bit of an edge to it, it tells stories that other places may not tell usually and it’s also a place that’s so fun. For me, it’s a place that is so welcoming to people in journalism but also outside of journalism. That’s just such a huge part of what The Eye brings to the journalism department and the school.”

Sierra: “Definitely being the independent voice on campus is super valuable—even if not all students completely understand it—I think that holds a great deal of importance. It covers so many communities, from the university to the downtown core and it’s such a weird microcosm of the world. I think that it’s so important to have something so hyper-local that connects with communities…and having someone there listening, watching and sharing plays such a huge role in the growth of the university.”

Nicole: “I think the community that it built, for me and from my time there, just holds so many memories. It was almost like a little clubhouse on campus and I’ve met some of my closest friends at The Eye. There were so many late nights and I just remember it being one of the most fun times of my life and that’s ‘cause I was surrounded by people who shared my passion for journalism while we were all working together on creating this newspaper. It was just very special.”

Jacob: “What The Eye has carved itself out to be is a place for young journalists to experiment and try out new things that really innovate the journalism industry. It’s really one of the only places that you have the full freedom to do whatever you want and see what works. So, it really feels like The Eye is a place for young journalists to take the cool stuff that they’ve learned and strategized and later spread it out and change newsrooms in that way.”

How has your time at TheEye influenced your career?

TMU Upcycled Gear Fashion Show gives new life to old merch

By Haley Sengsavanh

In late September, boxes packed full of old athletic gear arrived on the doorsteps of 19 Toronto Metropoli tan University (TMU) fashion de sign alumni. Inside were clusters of blue and yellow fabric, from hockey socks, cheerleading gloves to basket ball jerseys. All these items had one thing in common: they were old Ry erson and Rams-branded products now considered waste. But through the TMU Upcycled Gear Fashion Show, these clothing items and gear will receive a new life in the form of 25 runway-ready outfits.

This event, which will be held at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Nov. 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., is part of the univer sity’s Branded Materials Transition Project (BMTP), led by members of the TMU Athletics and Recreation department. Its goal is to reuse or upcycle all of the university’s out dated branded materials including merchandise, uniforms, apparel, let terheads and more.

The fashion show is also part of the MAC’s 10th anniversary cel ebrations, the university said in a written statement to The Eyeopener

They said the fashion show aims to “honour and celebrate the legacy of the Rams and the future success of TMU Bold while shining the light on environmental sustainability.”

The university reported that to date, they have prevented over 7,000 kilos of branded materials from entering landfills, with a goal to exceed 10,000 kilos by the end of 2022.

Dr. Anika Kozlowski, an assis tant professor of fashion design, ethics & sustainability, was ap proached by TMU’s athletics de partment to assist with the textiles side of the BMTP initiatives. This project was a “perfect fit” for Ko zlowski, she said. Not only does she have an academic background in fashion sustainability, she is also a sports enthusiast and has been up cycling since university.

The fashion show is part of Ko zlowski’s environmental sciences research project into upcycling. She conducted interviews with all the designers and instructed them to ship back all their leftover fabric scraps to document how much of the material was actually used.

“We’re doing research to under stand upcycling more because it’s very different from a traditional fashion design process. Generally you upcycle something that has no value and the whole point is to give it value,” she said. “You’re work ing with materials that have stains, could be ripped or have lots of abra sion and wear.”

Alongside fashion professor Shel ley Haines, Kozlowski also created an outfit to be showcased on the runway. “It’s been a long time since

ate those five looks, she utilized a Japanese mending style called Boro, which patches textile scraps togeth er using a single stitch. The result was a patchwork-looking effect.

She created a similar patchwork look for the fashion show by mak ing her own fabric from old basket ball and hockey jerseys. Out of this unique textile, Frankel created a cropped tank top and low-waisted joggers set, with zippers curving around the body that allow it to be adjusted to the wearer’s personal liking. She said the outfit was in spired by sports uniforms and Y2K fashion. “You look at this and you think TMU,” Frankel said.

Frankel hopes that the fashion show will inspire people to con sider how much work went into saving the once abandoned pieces of clothing.

“Anything you can think of that can be branded is sitting in a box, in a bunker in school,” she said. “We’re doing our part as designers to give these products new life so that they can be worn again and not in a land fill somewhere.”

Tickets for the show are available for purchase on the MAC website. Floor tickets for TMU alumni and community members cost $20 and balcony tickets for TMU students with a valid OneCard are $10. There is limited capacity on the balcony, with standing room only.

letes modelling their look and collab orate to create something authentic to them.

Frankel worked with studentathlete Alyona Ivanova, who gradu ated from TMU’s biomedical sci ences program in 2022. She was part of the TMU figure skating team and continues to be a part of the school’s equestrian team.

Ivanova is a lifelong athlete—she grew up figure skating and com peted for the Russian national team before moving to Canada. She cur rently works for SickKids in the neurosurgery research department.

Ivanova is also signed to Icon Models and says the show is a great opportunity for her to learn more about the fashion industry and con nect with people in it. “As a figure skater, I really like performing and being on stage,” she said. “Fashion shows are also a performance in a way and you get to show off the work of great designers.”

This unique mix between sports and fashion was one of the things that initially intrigued TMU fash ion design 2021 graduate Roy Luo about this event. His design process involved a lot of feedback from his models . He chose a sporty direction when creating the two outfits and matching accessories.

“I really wanted to get the per spective of the student athletes and ended up getting really inspired by

the sports they played. One of them is a baseball player so I made pants that have a running baseball stitch

Luo’s goal when creating these garments was to incorporate as many ways of upcycling as possible. One method was de-constructing knitted items like toques into balls of yarn, which he then wove into a scarf using a loom. “A lot of knit wear is constructed in a circular and almost zero-waste way, so a piece can be made out of a single strand of

Throughout this project, Luo was

also able to experiment with zero waste techniques like subtraction cutting. This method of garmentmaking can be applied to any tu bular shape and starts with the designer drawing out the basics for the garment in a mismatched way.

Then, rather than cutting out the pattern piece itself, they cut out the negatives to create a new drape.

He incorporated part of this tech nique when creating a patchwork skirt from cut up hockey socks.

“In subtraction cutting, you’re able to cut out circles or squares from it. Then you can put them together. It creates an interesting shape that you couldn’t convention ally get if you were trying to draft from the ground up.”

Luo believes the fashion show is making a positive impact and hopes it demonstrates the poten tial that upcycling has.

“There’s a lot of ideas in this proj ect,” he said.

“The different techniques that me and my fellow designers are in corporating really shows you that there’s more than one way to create sustainable fashion.”

@ narishdath.maraj via Instagram

Courtesy TMU Athletics

“Generally you upcycle something that has no value, and the whole point is to give it value”

“A lot of knitwear is constructed in a circular and zero-waste way”

On climate change, Gen Z grapples with a broken system

By Omar Taleb and Asha Swann

Mary-Elizabeth Chin doesn’t think sustainability is enough anymore. Natural disasters are more frequent and she doesn’t believe the “status quo” is on track to stop this pattern. And with world leaders meeting to gether for the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) earlier this month, climate change is currently top of mind for many.

“Working to sustain us for the fu ture is setting ourselves up for fail ure,” said Chin, a fourth-year envi ronmental and urban sustainability student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). “It’s about miti gation and combating the effects of climate change—not sustaining it.”

As with many of her peers in uni versity, Chin belongs to Generation Z, the cohort born between 1997 and 2012. Data shows that Gen Z is the most eco-conscious genera tion yet, willing to spend more on products they deem sustainable and turn down roles at companies that aren’t doing enough for the environment. Climate change has become a generational flashpoint, as Gen Z is demanding action with more urgency than their millennial and Generation X counterparts. What sets them apart is where their activism takes place—not at forums with world leaders like COP27, but online.

ence, put on annually by the United Nations (UN), was no different. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said this year that green house gas emissions must reduce by at least 43 per cent by 2030.

“Looking at environmental is sues as an intersectional problem would really benefit inclusivity amongst different generations,” she said. “When there [are] goals set by one generation, such as boomers, it doesn’t cover a lot of concerns for all.”

“We are about to witness one of the biggest demographic shifts,” said Sara Edge, an associate pro fessor in the department of geog raphy and environmental studies. “Climate change has become a real affordability challenge.”

While Gen Z grapples with the idea that they may never be able to afford to own a home in the current housing crisis, giant condos are be ing built in Vancouver as some of the “greenest skyscrapers on the planet,” according to The Tyee. The expenses that come along with sustainability have some Gen Z-ers questioning the capitalist structure.

“As the boomers age and retire, it will open the door for a new set of ideas at the top,” said Edge.

Chin takes issue with conferences like COP27, which she says don’t do enough to appeal to the younger gen eration. In previous years, the con ference has come under criticism for failing to address the fossil fuel in dustry. This 27th year of the confer

“They’re goals,” Chin said, explain ing that events like COP27, while well-meaning, can focus too much on policies and governments rather than action. “It is a political agree ment,” she explained. “That really excludes a lot of people. And who’s to say that these certain parties are the ones that will cover all the con cerns of everyone?”

Chin believes there are other is

For example, climate scientists at the Worldwide Weather Attri bution initiative determined that the record-breaking flooding in Pakistan in August 2022—which displace over 30 million people and killed an estimated 1,500—was caused by climate change. The same experts also said that while global warming increases the Earth’s tem perature, the usually-expected mon soon rains may become less reliable. This means Pakistan could see al ternating periods of heavy drought and intense flooding in the future. Countless other countries could also follow the same pattern if climate change isn’t reversed.

One of the policies promised by COP7 was to create a “loss and dam age” fund for countries damaged by extreme natural disasters fuelled by climate change. While the UN came to a consensus that some countries are “particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change,” there has yet to be an agreement as to which country should pay how much to whom. The fund was re sisted by the United States and the European Union.

tivities and try and be mindful of my environmental footprint.”

Chin said while folks in her gen eration are less likely to pay atten tion to conferences like COP27 than their millenial or boomer counterparts, Gen Z is most likely to use the internet as a tool for ac tion and organizing.

“Millennials might not have no

It’s especially pervasive among Gen Z, who Malena-Chan said also feel similarly about politics.

“Gen Z has been disenfranchised from public policy. They are more aware that climate change is a po litical problem and that demand for a different system is clear,” said Malena-Chan.

Anika Kozlowski, an associ ate professor of fashion design, ethics and sustainability, hopes social media conversation around sustainability will focus more on root causes rather than surface-level solutions like sustainable shopping.

ticed these dramatic changes—we’re seeing it unfold on social media,” she said.

Edge pointed to the “visual evi dence” afforded by social media and how the climate situation is getting increasingly dire. These factors cre ate Gen Z’s sense of urgency around climate change. “Social media is a big tool for Gen Z; it’s made it more difficult for people to keep their heads in the sand.”

“Ask yourself what political activities and grassroots initiatives you can support,” said Kozlowski.

“Everything in sustainability is a greyscale because we are in a system that is not sustainable. Are you bet ter off putting your money toward a sustainable brand or political action?”

sues that accompany climate change, like environmental racism and capi talism, which are often unaddressed at climate conferences.

“A lot of communities that face the brunt force or the negative outcomes of climate change are marginalized communities and those concerns need to be addressed,” Chin said. “It feels like capitalism is often priori tized over actually making tangible change for the environment.”

Matisse Buteau is also a fourthyear student in the environmental and urban sustainability program. While she doesn’t believe that all of Gen Z care more about the environ ment than previous generations, she said the overwhelming pressure she feels to make sustainability changes is what separates her age group from millennials.

“Sustainability is a mindset in which I push myself to in every as pect of my life,” she said. “I weigh the environmental costs of my ac

But while social media has em boldened Gen Z to get louder on cli mate action, some experts say it’s led to information overload and the phe nomenon of eco-anxiety, a chronic fear of environmental destruction.

Rachel Malena-Chan, the found er of Eco Anxious Stories, a digital storytelling platform discussing climate change based in British Co lumbia, explained that eco-anxiety is not an overreaction or a tempo rary feeling but an all-encompass ing sense of doom related to com munities and individuals.

Chin and Buteau are hopeful their generation will take the climate action needed for change but that doesn’t mean they aren’t wary of the obstacles in their way, especially if those obstacles are perpetrated by capitalistic greed.

“Older generations need to start being open to bringing in new voices,” explained Chin. “There will always be capital greed but it will need a revolution.”

JES MASON/THE EYEOPENER

Systemic shortcomings have pushed Gen Z to get louder with demands for climate action as the COP27 conference comes to a close

“There will always be capitalistic greed, but it will need a revolution”

“As the Boomers age and retire, it will open the door for a new set of ideas at the top”

“Gen Z has been disenfranchised from public policy”

“We are in a system that is not sustainable”

TMU creative industries student hosts concert photography exhibit

By Saif Khan

Music and photography enthusiasts enter a bright office turned into a makeshift exhibit space—each win dow covered with photo prints from concerts, raves and music festivals in Toronto. Chatter, excitement and music fills the space as visitors view the vibrant artwork.

On Nov. 12, Media Pass was pre sented in the office of Manifesto Community Projects, a local nonprofit arts organization. Curated and produced by Imani Dominique Busby, a fourth-year creative indus tries student at Toronto Metropoli tan University (TMU), the charitable art exhibit brought together various emerging photographers to high light concert and festival photogra phy in the city.

“Concert photographers don’t get as much props as they should. You don’t really think about the photog rapher and their perspective,” Busby said. She said sometimes, people see a photo of the artist and don’t think about the photographer behind it. “I wanted to create a space for that be cause the music industry in Toronto is so beautiful and vibrant.”

The exhibit showcased a lively va riety of photographs accompanied by a video installation edited by art ist Grace Munene. Media Pass high

lighted the powerful sense of com munity that exists for artists working in Toronto’s creative scene. Artists and visitors both expressed apprecia tion for the intimacy that is present within concerts—something that the team behind Media Pass believed de served to be highlighted.

“There are thousands of people there and we’re seeing the same thing. But we’re having vastly different ex periences all together,” said featured photographer Taija Grey. “Concert photography is a beautiful way to amplify how we’re all connected yet living in vastly different realities.”

Alicia Reid, another featured photographer who graduated from TMU’s journalism program in 2022, shared a similar sentiment.

“You’re in a room full of a bunch of people that you can relate to,” she said. “It’s just a beautiful feeling. To be able to document it all together, to docu ment the feeling [and] to document history being made is so important.”

TMU students, photographers, artists and their friends and family filled the space from noon to 10:30 p.m. Each attendee was also provid

ed a ‘media pass’ lanyard to emulate the experience of being a concert photographer. Viewers admired the displayed photos and video instal lation paired with music from DJs Sekii and Child Noir.

“Having all these photographers capture moments that are snapshots in time and what the artist is feeling is something super special,” said Ki anna Sumitani, another artist whose work was featured at the exhibit.

Sumitani, who is a third-year cre ative industries student, said to her, creating impactful photography means to make her work “as time

less as possible.”

This sentiment was echoed by other artists in the exhibit, such as Jet Bailey. “What I aim to do is just preserve cultural history,” said Bai ley. “My overall goal isn’t to be rich or famous. I would rather, a hundred years down the line, just be in muse ums or history books.”

for emerging artists to network and connect with other creatives.

Throughout the course of the day, different creatives visited the Manifesto office, connecting with the volunteers, featured artists and collaborators behind the event. A strong sense of community was present in the space, allowing for a welcoming experience for viewers.

Media Pass featured Toronto-based artists Alicia Reid, Anushay Sheikh, Connor Tadao, Evie Maynes, Jet Bai ley, Taija Grey, Jershotyou, Kianna Sumitani and woes.jpg*.

For photographer Jershotyou* on Instagram, preserving history through photography is important because his old work still gets circu lated to this day.

He said some of his photographs from three years ago are still being reposted today on artist fanpages. “I preserved that part of the culture, where I’m still getting posted and people still care enough to look at it. It’s really remarkable.”

Media Pass presented an inclusive and accessible space for viewers to reflect on the importance of docu menting concert culture. The ex hibit also provided an opportunity

The exhibit was sponsored by Manifesto Community Projects, Posterjack and the TMU Student Initiatives Fund and Black Initia tives Fund. It was developed with production support from Sarah Ita mah, Nkwachukwu Nwalozie and Malaika Lorde.

Proceeds from artwork that was sold at the exhibit will go toward the UNITY Charity, a Canadian charity focused on improving the wellbeing of underserved youth through hiphop art forms.

only use their photogra phy names online and did not provide The Eyeopener with their legal name.

“Concert photographers don’t get as much props as they should”

*These artists

The

charitable

art

exhibit

highlights the important role photographers play in documenting ‘cultural history’

“I would rather, a hundred years down the line, just be in museums or history books”

SAIF KHAN/THE EYEOPENER

NKWACHUKWU

SAIF KHAN/THE EYEOPENER

Professors are also tired of in-person classes

look at me now. I am a professor at a renowned university in Toronto.

I wish I could say I have that same passion to talk and teach now—it is all I ever wanted to do but I cannot continue under these conditions.

my own university.

By Zarmminaa Rehman

As we come to the end of our first proper semester of in-person classes since winter 2020, it’s safe to say that professors are at their wit’s end. How could you not be when you’re subjected to seeing the drooping pubescent faces of over a hundredsomething young adults day-afterday? It seems valid.

The Eyeopener wanted to give a voice to our “beloved” profes sors and so we set out to hear what they had to say. To the surprise of no one, they had a lot to say, as in a whole page worth, with many fol

low up voice notes and emails of things they had forgotten.

Sikand Tyred, an entrepreneur ship professor at the Ted Rogers School of Management, said he can’t bear to spend any more time teach ing, even though it had been his life long passion since he himself was a doe-eyed and ambitious undergrad uate student. Here is what he told The Eye in a very real emailed state ment when asked how his semester back in-person has been:

“Ever since I was a youngling, talk ing has been my armour. Talking my way out of everything. My mother said I would never get anywhere but

These students make it impossi ble to stare at them and find the in spiration to continue lecturing. Life was more fulfilling for my teaching agenda when all I saw were rows of black painted boxes decorated only with the emails of my students. Sure, there would be the odd fellows who decided that they wanted to partici pate and turn on their cameras but I could easily combat that ordeal by pinning the screen to my own box. Being online made my life a whole lot easier and I was content.

Now though, when I wake up in the morning, my day is ruined when I remember that I have to teach inperson. Knowing I have to stare out at a dingy yellow-lit lecture hall and explain the joy of becoming an en trepreneur to expressionless faces is as appealing as [watching paint dry].

All I can think as I look at the half-filled seats is how ungrateful all of them are. If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone yawn or crunch on the loudest vegetables known to man—carrots and cel ery—I would have enough to start

Do these kids not understand that they are learning valuable informa tion and keys to success? The same students, everyday who without fail ask me the same questions. Was my email not clear? Did you skip over the entire syllabus where I bolded the assignment instructions? Why must you come to me in-person and ask me something I answered yesterday?

And don’t even get me started on office hours. No! I do not want to hold office hours anymore and if I do hold them, it’s against my will. Nobody wants to come on-time and when I decide it’s time to head out and enjoy a nice warm beverage, someone waywardly knocks on my door to force me into a dull conver sation where once again, I contem plate if maybe I should have just forgoed getting a PhD and worked at one of the banks on King street.

Now that we’re back in-person, it also feels like I’ve been in a line-up all semester. Whenever I want to eat: line. Coffee break: line. Getting to my own class: line! I’m stuck in so many lines that I am unable to leave or speed through.

Oh look! As I’m writing this an other student just asked me about office hours that I know they won’t come to! And why do their ques

tions never end but start with ‘Oh also?’ I already discussed this in my lecture 15 times already.

Well, I suppose I should wrap this email up now as I have just received another “important” faculty meeting invitation that I must urgently at tend. There truly is no spare minute for me to rest and rant anymore. For two years, emails and Zoom meetings were perfectly fine but now they’re asking me to trek all the way to the third floor of a building located above a Canadian Tire and cut my break time short?

I didn’t realize that my life must now adapt to these new occurrences.

Must I be subjected to watching students fail to quietly leave in the middle of my high-priority lectures? How long should I have to stand the hoard of students running around in every direction I turn? How often can I ignore the buzzing of the daily BeReal notifications against the un stable lecture tables?

There has to be another way. I might just quit teaching and start pursuing a career as a business influ encer. At the very least, the people who will consume my content will actually somewhat care for it.”

Comments have been edited for length and clarity.

Tries: Swimming to survive

The Eyeopener’s news team has ac complished several feats so far this year. They unveiled that the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union released confidential infor mation to student group executives and continued to hold those in po sitions of power to account. How ever, on Monday, The Eye’s news editors achieved their most great est accomplishment of all: learning how to swim.

Prapti Bamaniya and Edward Djan made a splash at the Recre ation and Athletic Centre pool, dip ping their toes into the possibility of answering “swim” in the infamous question: Sink or swim?

According to Bamaniya, the 45-minute session flew by. When rating their capability to swim to survive following the lesson on a scale of 1 to 5, both editors gave 10 raisin-esque toes up while pad dling in the pool. In fact, Bamaniya and Djan said they look forward to the next time they will get to “Seas the day.”

Djan said his next challenge is to swim in Lake Ontario—not across, just in the lake.

“If I don’t make it, tell the To ronto Metropolitan University communications team I love them,” he said solemnly.

PEYTON KEELER-COX/THE EYEOPENER

Photos by Thea Gribilas