Vol. 56, Issue 5

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Editor-in-Chief

Abeer “Group Soup” Khan

News

Edward “Week Starts Sunday ” Djan

Thea “Personally Fight” Gribilas Prapti “Begone Fever!” Bamaniya

Photo

Jes “3 Michelin Stars” Mason Vanessa “Construction H8er” Kauk Peyton “Thesis Legend” Keeler-Cox

Online

Alexandra “Oddly Specific Request” Holyk Abby “Grrr Bike Chain” Hughes

Features Mariyah “Brownies!” Salhia

Arts and Culture Madeline “Seulgi Supremacy” Liao

Business and Technology Christina “Bestest!!” Flores-Chan Communities

Asha “Story Chaser” Swann

Sports

Gavin “It Has An Anus!” Axelrod Jack “Best Loiter-er” MacCool

Fun and Satire Zarmminaa “Fudge Plug” Rehman

Media

Sonia “RUSL’s Star” Khurana Youdon “Cutest Mask” Tenzin

General Manager Liane “Indoor Socks” McLarty

Advertising Manager Chris “12 Files” Roberts

Design Director J.D. “VR Veteran” Mowat

Contributors

Sania “New Year, New Chair” Ali Max “I’m So Shocked” Loslo Nalyn “Do-Re-Mi” Tindall Victoria Sofia “XOXO” Vesovski Dexter “Scrum Slides” LeRuez

Mario “Plays Baseball” Russo Matthew “Access Denied” Davison Crina “Shootah” Mustafa Todd “fllwrs.com” Ash-Duah Mikayla “Cooper Rush” Guarasci Konnor ‘“ <3 Hot Moms” Killoran

Sam “Speak Up” Beaudoin Matthew “Camera Wrap” Lin Nashra “Downsview” Syed Raphael “Notes” Chahinian Bana “Flu Game” Yirgalem

Armen “Walker Stan” Zargarian Mitchell “Wrap It Up” Fox Keirsten “Dominant Possession” Spade

Shawn “Defiant Cap” Heerema Keiran “Incognito” Gorski

Bashair “Pumpkin Spice Hater” Ali Fredrick “Gourmet Buff” Reyes

Max “Lunch Time” Berardi

Here’s what you missed at the September Board of Governors meeting

By Prapti Bamaniya

A motion was passed to hold a stu dent referendum to raise the com pulsory health and wellness fee at the Toronto Metropolitan Univer sity (TMU) Board of Governors’ (BoG) meeting on Sept. 28.

The vote will be to increase the current health and wellness fee, ac cording to board materials, for all full-time and part-time undergradu ate and graduate students from $3.93 to $34.90 per term.

According to Jen McMillen, viceprovost, students, the referendum

will take place in late October or early November. If the referendum is passed by students, the univer sity will implement the increased fee starting September 2023.

According to McMillen, The funds will go toward increased ac cess to mental health services and integrated care and navigation. “The institution has been investing in stu dent wellbeing increasingly over the years,” she said. “But we’ve gotten to a point where there’s only so much we can do without this partnership.”

A minimum of 25 per cent of the increased fee revenue will be spent

to support and better front-line wellbeing operations.

This includes hiring additional clinical and support staff, process improvements and wait time reduc tion, which will benefit students in the fall 2023 semester, McMillen said.

She added that the remainder of the funds would be put toward a new 18,000 square-foot student well being centre located near O’Keefe House, a project that is still pending approval of the BoG. The centre will open in fall 2025 if approved.

McMillen said the university needs to enhance student wellbe ing efforts because of the negative mental health impacts after the CO VID-19 pandemic.

“Surveys have found declining mental health among Canadians during the pandemic due to high levels of anxiety and loneliness, as well as changes to the care they were able to access,” said McMillen in the meeting.

For the last six months, McMillen said the office of the vice-provost, students spoke to student focus groups to make this decision. “We have been engaging with student

leaders around campus to really talk to them about what might be a… good value for [students’] money.”

Here’s what else you missed at the September BoG meeting:

Updating new signage

While many signs on campus have been changed to reflect the universi ty’s new name, Saeed Zolfaghari, the vice-president, administration and operations said there are more than 10,000 signs that need to be updated. He added that de-branding and up dating efforts are underway.

For TMU’s digital environment, Zolfaghari said computing and com munications services are transition ing systems to the new name to minimize disruptions for the com munity.

This means making changes that are visible to users on the web site first before handling back-end changes on the site, which must be scheduled as they cause disruptions to the whole site, explained Zol faghari.

Orientation Recap

Over 2,500 students attended orien

tation week, which ran from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5, said TMU president Mo hamed Lachemi at the meeting.

More than 1,000 students moved into residences, he added. Among them were 316 international stu dents arriving from a total of 51 countries, as well as 773 domestic students—78 per cent of whom are from Ontario.

The “Made of Grit” campaign

The school’s new “Made of Grit” campaign is a “big part of the renam ing process and defines who we are,” said Lachemi.

He added that the campaign’s pro motional video had reached 5.7 mil lion exposures and has been watched at least 1.6 million times since its release.

Appointing an actuary for the school’s retirement pension plan

The BoG passed a motion to appoint Willis Towers Watson as the actu ary for the university’s retirement and pension plan for the Dec. 31 valuation.

The next meeting is set to take place on Nov. 20.

Q&A with new journalism chair Ravindra Mohabeer

By Sania Ali

Ravindra Mohabeer joined Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) School of Journalism this summer as the new chair after his appoint ment in July.

His hiring came after former chair of the School of Journalism, Janice Neil and undergraduate program director Lisa Taylor both resigned from their positions in March of last year, as reported by The Eyeopener. Their resignation came after a pub lic letter accused the school of ineq uitable treatment of Black, Indig enous, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ students in the program and called on its leadership to better support marginalized students.

Since then, associate professors As maa Malik and Gavin Adamson have been serving as interim co-chairs of the program as of March 2021.

Over a year later, the School of Journalism welcomed Mohabeer, whose term began on July 1.

Will this addition spark the change J-school students have been asking for?

The Eye spoke to the new chair to hear his plans and perspectives as he begins the new role:

What are your specific plans for incorporating mental health, eq uity and inclusion initiatives in the program?

There was a recognition after CO VID-19 that the focus on mental health has become far more acute as

people struggled more both publicly and privately. Up until now, a lot of people, particularly students, have tried to cope quietly in a way that is not always helpful to them. The focus on balance, equity and inclu sion are necessary foundations and pillars for my approach to how I’m going to orient myself in the be ginning to make sense of how the school functions now and to figure out the next steps going forward from there.

What are the main issues you would like to address as chair?

Having the program re-centre on the understanding of it being a peo ple-based interaction around educa tion, rather than necessarily being a program to which people just hap pen to be a part of.

What drove you to apply for the position?

I’m not going to lie—it’s a shiny job. It’s a wonderful thing to be in such an incredible environment.

From an outside perspective, the other thing is the challenges that have occurred within the School of Journalism in terms of equity and inclusion and the overall shift in the balance of how the program has run. It’s an interesting place to step back into and it’s a challenge that I think I’m up to. Here is a possibility to engage in meaningful change in a very important place that can have a ripple effect across the entire industry.

What experiences do you have in journalism specifically that you feel will prepare you for this position?

My background comes in various ways, from different practices and formations of fact-based storytell ing. Fact-based storytelling to me has been the core and the nexus of a lot of my work. The academic and curricular approach is a foundation al difference between this being a journalism training ground and this being a journalism school. Because the training ground is something that feels like it comes just exclu sively from a workplace and a school that teaches journalism has a combi nation of both of those things. My balance of understanding the nature of how the inside and the outside of the institution function together.

In the past, many students ex pressed not feeling safe enough to convey their concerns about the program—some issues pertained to the administration’s issues with students—prompting an open letter that was written last year. What are your thoughts on this letter?

I read it with great interest and I was very pleased to see students are that passionately engaged. It was useful for me to read that, read over the curriculum, read over whatever I could find as an external person to see what I would do and how I would respond. I also know that the letter was a big risk. It’s hard to tell

safe in journalism classrooms?

My experience in the 70s, 80s, 90s and so on is completely not the ex perience of a lot of students we have today at all. It’s so foundationally different that sometimes it’s hard for people to recognize that it is a combination of equity, but also try ing to learn that the way the world works is not your world. I’ve had

separately. But then, there’s also value in having that being part of a central focus across the entire curriculum because it shouldn’t be, ‘OK, I checked that box, that course that I took and therefore I’m an expert now.’

Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

JES MASON/THE EYEOPENER

JES MASON/ THE EYEOPENER

By Max Loslo

Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students are struggling to find available and affordable living spaces near campus, despite the frequent stream of condominiums being added to the Toronto skyline.

Elm on Yonge, a new condominium being built at Yonge and Dundas streets, is the most recent example of a condominium building being developed close to campus that may be financially unfeasible for many students.

With average rent prices recently hitting a record high—according to a report released by the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board this summer—students say out-of-reach options are the norm.

Rhaia Egleston, a first-year RTA student who recently moved into an apartment with her sister, said finding a place to live was more challenging given their statuses as current full-time students.

“There were multiple places that denied us because we were students,” said Egleston.

“I’m so shocked we even got the place that we did,” she added. “Our landlord had over a hundred offers on it.”

Cherise Burda, a professor in the urban planning department at TMU

and expert in Toronto real estate, urban planning and housing affordability said the current housing situation in Toronto for renters, including students, is dire.

tors including a market built for home ownership, a dramatic rise in the renter population and a lack of units built specifically to rent has resulted in a housing crisis.

rentals right now,” said Burda.

nomic classes, including students, are being particularly affected by the crisis. “Students are a casualty of this.”

like Elm on Yonge are not solutions to the crisis students are facing.

“These condos aren’t cheap, they’re very expensive and we don’t have rent control on anything that was built after 2018.”

It was announced in June that rent in Ontario will be capped at 2.5 per cent, which is over two times the 2022 increase.

“We haven’t been building an affordable rental supply,” said Berda.

ing built for students. However, TMU’s resident options are lacking when compared to other universities. McMaster University, which has a similar number of students as TMU, has over four times the space for students who wish to live

“It’s not enough,” said Chrys Dimitrakopoulos, a first-year RTA sport media student. “This school is so big.”

Dimitrakopoulos transferred from York University in 2021, where she said the housing options were far more accessible.

She added that demand exists at TMU for on-campus housing. “A lot of people would move here if they had space for students.”

Dimitrakopoulos is still looking for housing and is hoping to find an apartment for next September, however, she has found it difficult so far.

“It’s quite pricey,” said Dimitrakopoulos, referring to the current market. “Especially if you’re a girl trying to find a place with security that’s not just an apartment on the street.”

Dimitrakopoulos has seen the condo developments near campus, including Elm on Yonge, but she said they are going to take too long or may be financially out of reach.

“It’s going to be beautiful but I know it’s also gonna be pricey.”

Elm on Yonge plans to be completed in spring 2027, long after many current first-year students will have graduated.

For students who have managed to get a spot in one of the school’s residence buildings, facing the current renting market when their time in residence ends can be daunting.

“It’s a little scary to be honest,” said Owen Hill, a first-year RTA student. “I’m an 18-year-old kid who’s never lived on his own and now I’m looking at places to live in downtown Toronto that cost way too much money.”

Hill added that in a perfect world, he would stay on campus after his first year. “Living on [residence] is the easiest thing, if I could live on

The Eyeopener to a previous statement given as part of an entirely separate Eye story about people who are unhoused.

“We will continue to explore more affordable methods to expand residence space near campus and support students in their search for off-campus housing to help them feel less stressed when navigating the housing and renting market in Toronto,” the forwarded email reads.

But these efforts have not stopped many students from having to commute long distances.

Dimitrakopoulos commutes an hour each way to campus. She said this is a burden on her daily schedule.

“Commuting takes up an hour of my time,” she said. “If I lived down here I could spend more of my time working.”

Burda echoed Dimitrakopoulos’ sentiments, adding that the conditions of the market need to change.

“We’re at a critical point where we need to build homes for renters,” said Burda.

“We have had more cranes in the sky for the past four or five years than any city in North America,” said Burda, who adds that she believes the direction of the current market is failing many, including students.

“We’re building [after] building [after] building,” she said. “We have turned out hundreds of thousands of condo units over the past 10 years. How much of that is affordable housing?”

PEYTON KEELER-COX/THE EYEOPENER

“All the cards are stacked against rentals right now”

“There were multiple places that denied us because we were students”

By Nalyn Tindall

The Toronto Concert Choir (TCC) hopes to bring classical choral sing ing back to campus. The choir, which started in 2020, follows in the footsteps of the former Oakham House Choir, who were a part of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) for over 35 years.

The choir previously received financial support from the Palin Foundation, a not-for-profit corpo ration that operates the TMU Stu dent Campus Centre. After a severe funding cut as a result of the 2019 Student Choice Initiative, the choir had to stop rehearsing at the historic Oakham House. This also led to the choir’s name change, but despite this, their history remains.

The group is currently seeking a new rehearsal space on campus but have yet to find success.

Previously composed of up to 100 members including students, fac ulty and community members, the group is now struggling to regain its strength. The group rehearsed online throughout the COVID-19 pandemic but recently got together to rehearse in-person for the first time under their new name on Sept. 12. Approximately 50 members returned, with very few TMU stu dents and staff involved.

“It’s been challenging because the university does not have a lot of space,” said Donna Koller, an early childhood studies professor at TMU and member of the choir. “So class

rooms and students take precedence.”

Koller noted that the makeup of the group has added to this chal lenge. As the choir is a diverse group of community members, students, faculty and alumni, it’s hard to ar range a time and place to practice around their many schedules and different lifestyles. The pandemic made this even more challenging as students and staff were the only people allowed on campus last year.

“We hope that we will be under the protection of the university,” said Matthew Jaskiewicz, the con ductor and musical director of the TCC. The choir is currently re hearsing at the St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church but they hope to find a more suitable space covered by the university.

known we had a choir I would’ve gone to one of their performances or even tried out myself,” said Ryen.

Jaskiewicz has directed the choir since it was established in 1984. “I still believe that we serve some kind of purpose here,” he said. “There’s lots of young people who graduate from high school and they used to sing or play in bands and they are coming here and they miss it. They want to continue with the music.”

He hopes that interested stu dents will find the group and be able to come sing, as this is the reason the group was created. The choir is the only group practicing classical music at the school, ac cording to Jaskiewicz.

TMU communication and cul ture graduate Emma Whyte joined the choir in 2017 and has been with the group since.

students to know the choir isn’t as serious as they may think.

been going well as they prepare for their first of two concerts this year.

Despite being affiliated with TMU from its beginnings, the choir feels far from a student group. The group was founded with students in mind but has struggled to attract young members. “The presence of all these outsiders, they are here be cause without them, there wouldn’t be a choir,” said Jaskiewicz.

Second-year professional music student Zoey Ryen said she had no idea TMU had a choir. “I did choir for most of my life and if I had

“I’m just excited that the choir is back,” she said in an email to The Eyeopener. “I just enjoy getting to sing and read music in a group set ting like this…I’ve really enjoyed it because the music is both challeng ing [and] fun.”

Fifth-year aerospace engineer ing student Lester Pinlac has been a member of the choir since 2019. He said the choir has been a meaning ful part of his university experience, allowing him to meet new people and take part in something he feels is worthwhile.

“It definitely helps in alleviating a lot of the stress that comes with school and academic life. It’s an outlet for me

“It’s a lot more relaxed and it’s definitely more enjoyable when you sing with people,” said Pinlac.

Many members of the choir said they hope to see a return to its for mer size. The choir is seeking ways to further advertise the group, though finding the funds to do so is complicated as the group is cur rently funded by choir members.

“I hope to see a real cross section of faculty and students and staff who work on campus come togeth er in joyous music,” said Koller. “I just think that would really be rep resentative of a really socially in clusive campus.”

The choir rehearses every Mon

The choir has played an impor tant role in developing the univer sity’s musical community over the last 38 years. As the Oakham House Choir, the group sang at various events and competitions, including Nuit Blanche, the Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival and the Karl Jenkins concert at Carnegie Hall.

“It’s great to get to share our music with friends and family and getting to sing our music with an orchestra is a really unique experi ence,” said Whyte.

The Toronto Concert Choir will perform their first concert of the year in early December. A venue has not yet been booked for the concert.

Binge-watching is more than a mindless act of consuming multiple episodes in one sitting. It’s become a way of life, something some people plan into their calendars.

That being said, binge-watching a show is sometimes easier said than done. In fact, some people might spend more time looking for a show to watch than studying for their midterm exams.

Instead of aimlessly scrolling through the recommended sections of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, here is a list of carefully curated, binge-worthy TV shows and where to watch them from writer Victoria Sofia Vesovski.

GossipGirl (Crave)

The classic Gossip Girl Thanksgiving episodes capture the essence of the fall season. However, it seems like Thanksgiving brings much more than turkey and pie on the Upper East Side. Throughout the six seasons of Gossip Girl, lies, arguments and be trayals take no holiday breaks.

If you are binging Gossip Girl this

BigLittleLies (Hulu)

Big Little Lies is a dark comedy fol lowing the lives of five of the wealthiest women in Monterey, California. These women appear to have perfect lives, until the façades come crashing down when they find

are constantly searching for answers to two prominent questions: who has been murdered and who com mitted the crime, which will boost the urge to binge this series.

How to Get Away with Murder (Netflix)

As spooky season approaches, it is the prime time to binge a lengthy thriller

like How to Get Away with Murder

The mystery of who killed so rority girl Lila Stangard leaves the boundless lead, Annalise Keating, to fill in the blanks of that night. While doing so, she discovers the skeletons in her own closet, as well as those of five of her law school students. Annalise will do anything to protect the ones she loves, the same way she will do anything to win a case. And when she’s caught between the two, anything is possible.

GilmoreGirls (Netflix)

There is something so warm and cozy about watching Gilmore Girls this time of year. Fall is a season of transition, whether it’s starting at a new school or simply feeling the changing weather. Viewers get to ac company Lorelai and Rory as they navigate life in the small town of Stars Hollow.

Whatever stage you’re at in life, Gilmore Girls has something for you. Moving through the sea sons and life events with the lively characters in this show will really make you feel like you’re part of the Gilmore family.

StrangerThings (Netflix)

This sci-fi drama, set in the 80s, fol lows the disappearance of Will Byers, who was taken by a monstrous crea ture into an alternative dimension called the “Upside Down.” This rift between worlds leaves Will’s friends to solve the mystery with the help of Eleven, a girl who was raised in a lab to have telekinetic abilities.

If you want to get a head start on spooky season, tune in to the Stranger Things Halloween episode, “Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak” in season two.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (HBO Max)

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin puts an even darker spin on the haunting drama that seeps into every corner of the town of Millwood, Pennsylvania. A reboot of the 2010 hit, Pretty Little Liars, this show follows a new group of liars as a mysterious and venge ful figure, “A,” begins to haunt them over a tragedy that involved their mothers in 1999.

If you were a fan of the OG drama, Original Sin is sure to be a nostalgicyet-fresh watch.

“I still believe that we serve some kind of purpose here”

Van Der Woodsen brings home a married politician to stir the pot.

PEYTON KEELER COX/THE EYEOPENER

JES MASON/THE EYEOPENER

On Sept. 13, Michelin released its renowned guide for Toronto—a first for a Canadian city.

Michelin awarded stars to 13 restaurants in the city. Five of them were in and around Yorkville and many of them boasted several-hundred-dollar tasting menus featuring Japanese, Italian and contemporary cuisine.

As a student who’s into food, I’ve never eaten at any of these restaurants and I know I won’t be able to afford to any time soon.

But students are in luck!

Alongside the guide, Michelin

also released its lesser-known but “just-as-esteemed” Bib Gourmand recommendations, recognizing 17 affordable spots in the city. On behalf of The Eyeopener , I set out to find the best Michelin-reviewed restaurants for students. From Nashville-style fried chicken to sweetand-sour eggplant, one of these restaurants is sure to hit the spot. The reviews are based on a few things: affordability, ambience and of course, the food. We adhered to a Michelin-esque rating system of one to three ‘eyes’: one is good and three is goddamn amazing.

THE BEST MICHELIN-REVIEWED RESTAURANTS FOR TMU STUDENTS

Words and Photos by Jes Mason

On the outer edge of a run-of-themill suburban plaza in Scarborough lies a smoked meat restaurant that is anything but ordinary. SumiLicious takes after its owner and namesake, Sumith Fernando—unassuming, welcoming and captivating. The counter-service deli seats about 20 people, but the line to order was nearly out the door when I got there on a Saturday afternoon.

I ordered a smoked meat sandwich combo ($17.50) and Fernando kindly threw in a black cherry soda, a staple drink for smoked meat delis. Despite the growing crowd, I only waited about ten minutes to eat. Two cooks behind the counter were taking orders and slinging sandwiches like a well-oiled machine. They were quick and calm—hallmarks of a good kitchen.

The combo comes with a sizeable side of fries, a small coleslaw, a dill pickle and the iconic smoked meat sandwich. The soft sliced rye bread is drizzled with Heinz yellow mustard and absolutely stacked with brisket that falls apart in your mouth—tender, rich and salty

thanks to a ten-day brine and several hours of smoking. It’s surprisingly not messy to eat. The fries are perfectly crisp, seasoned with a bit of paprika, and the coleslaw is tangy and refreshing. The serving sizes were on par with most fast food combos. I showed up on an empty stomach and left feeling full, but not stuffed. Granted, I brought half the sandwich home, which was still delicious after a couple hours in my fridge. If sandwiches aren’t your thing, the smoked meat poutine is also worth trying.

For east-end students in the area, this sandwich is a great take-out option for dinner, located about 20 minutes from Scarborough Town Centre by bus.

If you have the time, the hour and a half commute from campus is absolutely worth it. It’s a daunting trek for a sandwich, but I’ve already done it twice this week.

Chica’s Chicken is an inconspicuous fried chicken joint located on the south-east corner of Keele and Dundas Streets. I walked in around 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, just before closing time. It was still bustling with cooks packaging take-out and calling out orders to a soundtrack of Wu-Tang and the unmistakable sound of a sizzling fryer. The vibes are cool and ca-

sual, courtesy of a hip-hop playlist and lowkey decor that borders on dingy.

I ordered the OG Sando ($12.50) over the phone about a half hour prior. The restaurant is counterservice but they recommend calling ahead to order—20 minutes before on weekdays and as early as possible on weekends, when they often sell out of all menu items.

Thankfully, my food was waiting for me by the time I got there.

The fried chicken is the star of the show. The halal chicken thigh is dry brined and breaded beautifully, giving it a perfectly consistent crunch that complements the tender meat and pickle slices. The country-style white bread is lightly toasted, smeared with buttermilk ranch and slaw. I opted for the me-

dium spice level and it was, well, medium spicy. Exactly as expected.

The ranch and creamy slaw balanced out the spice nicely and the pickles added a bit of acidity. The serving size was generous—more than enough for a one-person lunch.

Chica’s would be the perfect evening spot to hit after a closing shift or a night of bar-hopping through the Junction.

Unfortunately, it’s only open until 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sundays. Regardless, if you’re in the mood for some deepfried goodness, it’s worth making the 40-minute trip from campus before starting a nighttime study session or heading home for the night.

At the entrance of Indian Street Food Company, the rules of the restaurant are painted on the wall in bold letters. They include: no topless sunbathing, no running away, no flirting, no outside food and no feet on table. The quirky wall art is prescient. Mostly lighthearted with a few actual rules thrown in, it was the perfect primer for the ambiance of the rest of the night.

This quaint spot near Bayview and Eglinton Avenues toes the line between casual and fine dining. You wouldn’t feel out of place in business formal attire but you could also get away with jeans and a hoodie. Its outof-pocket decor is juxtaposed by highly professional wait staff and candlelit, cloth-clad tables. The dining area can seat about 50 people. I booked a reservation for two but it’s likely not necessary on weekdays—the place was only half-full when former Eye editor Laila Amer and I got there on a Sunday evening. The kitchen offers two rotating tasting menus—a threecourse meal for $62 and a “street vendor’s” menu for $72 (without wine pairings)—and the menu boasts an excellent selection of chaats, Indian snacks commonly served as street food. At the server’s recommendation, we opted for two vegetarian mains: their sweet-and-sour eggplant

dish ($17.75) and Maa Ki Dal, a black lentil dish ($15.25).

Both dishes were packed with flavour. The first dish had a generous portion of eggplant with hints of coriander and cayenne in the sauce. The eggplant size did, unfortunately, matter, as we both lamented it hadn’t been cut up into smaller pieces. The black lentil dish was definitely our favourite. It was rich, creamy and salted to perfection without being too heavy. We devoured it. We also ordered garlic naan ($4.90) and aged basmati rice ($5.95) on the side— they don’t come with the mains. The naan was the highlight of the evening. It was warm, fresh and light with the right level of stretch and crispy-ness. Amer said she would be back if she was “nearby and hungry.” Personally, I’ll be returning in order to try the chaat dishes. For students, Indian Street Food Company is an excellent option for a semi-fancy date night that won’t break the bank. The lowlit dining area and soft music lends itself well to romance. Be warned, though, it can get a little messy, so maybe save it for the second date. Hopefully they’ll make an exception to their no flirting policy.

Super spectacular September full of slammin’ sports

team’s 15-0 win over the Royal Mil itary College Paladins this weekend, but this is a September sports recap.

The Bold men’s soccer team also went 2-2 last month, dropping matches to nationally ranked op ponents in Carleton University and Ontario Tech University.

Baseball’s postseason push

place at the Mattamy Athletic Cen tre (MAC) on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

ALEK ZIVKOVIC/THE EYEOPENER

By Jack MacCool & Gavin Axelrod

Summer’s over, school’s back in ses sion and everyone is wearing their sweaters. But while the air gets chillier and the school assignments are piling up, sports are finally back in full-force at Toronto Metropoli tan University (TMU).

All the university’s clubs and var sity teams have returned to action and September had lots to highlight. From homecoming to stellar mo ments in soccer and a perfect game from a baseball pitcher, The Eyeopen er is breaking down everything you might’ve missed during a busy Sep tember full of sports.

Homecoming a hit at TMU TMU’s women’s hockey homecoming was a party many are still talking about.

Students packed Lake Devo for a pre-game tailgate where there was a DJ, food and free T-Shirts. Walking down Gould Street, students were seen decked out in blue and gold gear, with many painting their faces with the school’s colours.

The women’s hockey team went toe-to-toe with the reigning U Sports champions, the Concordia Stingers. TMU dropped the con test 3-2, but rookie Britni Yammine shined, scoring a goal in the contest and goaltender Jayden Lawson made 33 saves.

Men’s Rugby not rucking around TMU’s men’s Rugby team made headlines in the U Sports sphere when they knocked off the York University Lions 81-0 on Sept. 4. No you didn’t read that wrong, that re ally was the margin of victory.

The university’s rugby team is a competitive club and doesn’t cur rently have Ontario University Ath letics (OUA) status. However, they earned victories last month over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and Waterloo Warriors.

Golf gets goin’

The TMU golf team had a busy Sep tember, competing in two invita tional events. The first of the meets

took place on Sept. 19 at the King’s Forest Golf Club in Hamilton, Ont. for the McMaster Invitational, where they placed 10th.

Third-year business management student Matthew McRae shot the best for the Bold, coming away with a score of 74, good for two over par. The Bold also participated in the Brock Invitational on Sept. 25, at SawMill Golf Club in Fenwick, Ont.

The team’s season only gets busi er as they head into October. With meets taking place on the first, sec ond and third of the month, the team will look to make the best of the opportunity before heading into the OUA championship in Ottawa from Oct. 14 to 16.

Perez surges in September

Third-year women’s soccer midfield er Ivymae Perez is off to a scorching start this season and scored five goals in four matches last month.

Perez joined TMU during the pandemic after spending the 2019 campaign at the University of South Florida, a National Collegiate Ath letic Association (NCAA) Division One school. While Perez only played 171 minutes of action in 2021, she’s already shown one month in why she once played at the highest level of collegiate sports.

The third-year’s big boot came in clutch in the squad’s 4-0 win over Trent University on Sept. 18, where she potted two goals.

Curling for bid on world stage

The winter edition of the Federa tion Du International Sport (FISU) World University Games rolls around every two years, pitting top collegiate athletes from across the world against each other. But this year’s 31st Winter Universiade needed a different qualifying format to find a Canadian representative, as U Sports didn’t have a curling cham pionship last season.

So, as the reigning 2022 OUA silver medalists, TMU’s men’s curl ing squad was invited to the nation’s capital for a shot to qualify for the Games. The Bold opened the qualify

ing tournament on Sept. 22, besting the Queen’s University Gaels 9-5. The men’s squad also beat the Gaels 8-3 in the OUA Championship back in last March.

However, the Bold dropped their next two matchups and needed an 8-5 win over the University of Alberta on Sept. 23 for a shot at a playoff spot. The Bold lost their fi nal match of the tournament 6-9 against the Regina Cougars and fin ished fifth at the event.

A win is a win

The TMU women’s softball team’s record isn’t where they’d like it to be, but the team has a lot to build on just under halfway through their season. Having played six games last month, the team was awarded two victories over Carleton University due to forfeitre. However, they have had success with their bats early on.

The team put up nine runs against the University of Windsor in their second game of the season and 13 against York in an extra-inning showdown which saw them lose 1413 on Sept. 23. The team plays four games per weekend throughout Sep tember and October. They saw four games get postponed, two of which became the Carleton forfeit wins and the hope is that the other two games are rescheduled later in the season.

Men’s soccer finishes square

Everyone on campus this week will be talking about the men’s soccer

The TMU baseball team had a strong end to the semester’s first month, ac cumulating a 4-5 record, winning their last three games of the month. The streak included wins over Mc Master University and York Universi ty. In the midst of the streak, fourthyear pitcher Matt Tohana secured the baseball team’s first perfect game in program history in a 6-0 win over York. Tohana pitched seven hitless innings and struck out ten batters while only throwing 78 pitches dur ing the history-making performance.

The Bold jumped out to a fourgame win streak in October, including a pair of victories over a very strong University of Toronto program.

Heated nationals rematch

The Bold men’s hockey team’s preseason campaign came to a close this past weekend when it faced off against a familiar foe. After defeat ing the University of New Bruns wick Reds at last year’s national championship tournament, the re

Both games were heated affairs, with the Reds picking up two wins. The first game ended with a score of 1-0, with the second ending 3-1 in favour of the Reds. The second contest also saw a total of 68 minutes in penalties handed out to both teams as they battled tooth and nail in every skirmish for the puck.

Head coach Johnny Duco told The Eye the two programs are ri vals, even though they play in dif ferent provinces.

We’re still not used to the nation al champs losing The TMU women’s basketball team had something happen to them for the first time in a very long time—they lost. Coming off an undefeated national champi onship season, it was a strange sight at the MAC when the team dropped its first pre-season game 72-67 to the University of Regina on Sept. 30.

After losing a number of key players from last year, the Bold are experiencing growing pains as they attempt to put together an other national championship run. The team’s pre-season slate will help them build for the regular season, as they still have six games left before the real thing tips off at

MATTHEW LIN/THE EYEOPENER

ANDREW

Students are excited and hopeful for what the metaverse may bring

By Christina Flores-Chan and Matthew Davison VANESSA KAUK/THE EYEOPENER

Long before the metaverse became a common term, Michael Bergmann, an assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) School of Performance and direc tor of research at the Technologi cal Research in Performance Lab, had been incorporating it into not only his own storytelling, but also in his teaching.

Throughout the university’s time online during the pandemic, Berg mann said he took the opportunity to explore other mediums of per formance besides the program’s usual in-person theatrical shows. He began using virtual reality (VR), a computer-generated experience that immerses users into a simulat ed environment with a headset, as a virtual stage for his students.

“Taking aspects of scenic design, lighting design and sound design, we’re basically creating that envi ronment originally in VR, then we’re having the actors come into it,” Bergmann said.

For certain projects, actors would perform live using their own head sets and the audience would join in through VR. “The fun aspect of it is you can do things in VR and in the metaverse that you can’t do in real life. So all of a sudden, we can jump between floors, you know?” said Bergmann.

“The actors can change the entire scene and now we’re in a completely different environment. It takes a lot of the magical aspects of theatre and performance and gives us another tool to really make that immersive.”

To some students, the term metaverse may be a foreign con cept—a word associated with the neon green coding language from The Matrix or reminiscent of a dys topian future where society exists only online. For others, the word might just have as much signifi cance as the newest name of the technology company Meta, for merly known as Facebook. And as it happens, none of those guesses would be very far off.

maximize their education in the physical world throughout online learning, other spaces aim to simply provide users with a digital alterna tive to the analog one.

These digital spaces are made possible through blockchain tech nology, which is defined by the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) as a decentral ized database that collects, records and tracks all digital assets and transactions, like the trading of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), that exist across a network.

with other users in ways that mimic real-life interaction.

For Bergmann, one of the only setbacks of using advanced technol ogy for performance, was the chal lenge of making VR headsets acces sible to members of the audience. He thinks, however, that in a few years time, metaverse technology will become more common.

“It’s still kind of a niche market because of the hardware require ments. As soon as the hardware becomes ubiquitous, that’s going to open the floodgates for people creating for this space and for the people engaging with that,” Berg mann said.

ucts would look like in their own homes by using their phone’s back camera to place furniture virtually in a space.

“When you get the app, you can see the products and visualize it as if it was right in front of you. It creates a more dynamic environment for people,” Padilla said.

Once developed, digitally-focused companies hope the metaverse will become a resource for shopping for both digital and physical products, plus being used for services like ed ucation and doctor’s appointments, according to Reader’s Digest

metaverse is similar to existing in a virtual meeting room, like Zoom, rather than the immersive expe rience that video games provide.

The “metaverse,” according to Forbes, is an umbrella term for the virtual, online worlds that are ac cessible through three-dimensional, immersive technologies such as arti ficial intelligence, VR and augment ed reality. Different applications of the metaverse work to simulate and enhance the physical reality in which society currently exists.

For instance, while Bergmann’s virtual stage helped students to

Through the trading of NFTs, virtual real estate and cryptocur rency, metaverse users can spend and earn capital in the digital space. Brands like Gucci and Nike have already released fashion designs made specifically for digital ava tars, while the National Football League partnered with Ticketmas ter earlier this year to offer NFT tickets in celebration of the 2022 Super Bowl.

And these spaces are projected to keep growing. A September report by GlobalData valued the metaverse market size at $22.79 billion USD (or $31.1 billion CAD) in 2021 and it is estimated to balloon to $996.42 billion by 2030.

According to another article in Forbes, the metaverse’s eventual goal is to create “an individualized expe rience for the user,” allowing partic ipants to travel and experience des tinations around the world through VR and a headset or communicate

He said so far, his students have been excited about the possibilities of performance in the metaverse, especially within education. “If we’re not engaging with the metaverse at this point, then we’re behind.”

Fourth-year marketing manage ment student Sabrina Padilla has noticed her Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) classmates taking an interest in the metaverse as well.

“[The metaverse] is a big area of interest for student innovators, es pecially within the business, finance and tech realms,” Padilla said. “Al though I can’t guarantee that it will be successful, it has a lot of potential for growth.”

At the moment though, the vir tual space is mostly used for gaming, an activity in which students partic ipate at their leisure. Ben Chandler, a fourth-year sport media student and the captain of TMU’s National Hockey League esports team, be lieves that gaming in the metaverse still has room for improvement.

“There are definitely some cool parts, but as far as the practicality of competitive gaming goes, being in VR [and] being in the metaverse doesn’t add much to the experience” Chandler said.

“Right now, it feels like a sprucedup Poptropica or Club Penguin.”

One of the main ways gaming is changing is through the continued development of NFTs. Accord ing to digital business consulting firm EY, items within games that are purchased or earned, such as weapons or skins, are turning into NFTs. This allows gamers to ac quire, create, develop and sell vir tual properties.

Chandler said that while he would not invest in NFTs at pres ent, he believes this aspect of the virtual world could explode as gaming within the metaverse con tinues to grow.

Padilla shared the same opinion as her fellow student on the potential of the metaverse, in all its industries and purposes.

Padilla recalls analyzing furni ture brand Ikea’s AI interactive design experience, IKEA Kreativ, in class. The program allows users to visualize what specific prod

A poll conducted by Globant, a tech company that helps business es move into the digital sphere, found that 52 per cent of gamers in the United States believe that the metaverse will change the landscape of the industry and 41 per cent believe that it will have a positive impact.

Chandler added that because it’s still so new, most gaming in the

She compared the ever-growing digital sphere to the internet in the 90s:, a new technology that had not yet been explored but would soon be transformational to hu man life and interaction around the world.

“The one constant about our world is that it’s changing,” she said. “And people should be open to learning more about the metaverse,” Padilla said.

“You never know how integral it could be [to] the way we live 15 years from now.”

“You never know how integral it could be [to] the way we live 15 years from now”

“You can see the products and visualize it”

“Right now, it feels like a spruced-up Poptropica or Club Penguin”

“If we’re not engaging with the metaverse at this point, then we’re behind”

“You can do things in VR and in the metaverse that you can’t do in real life”

Which of these is your annual go-to seasonal obsession?

By Bashair Ali

Happy pumpkin spice season! Or otherwise known as autumn.

When the leaves start to change, so do the people. One semblance of a chilly breeze and suddenly it’s time to drop $7 on a latte or bust out the puffer jackets. The Eyeopen er formulated a rundown of some popular autumn rituals students may be likely to partake in when the sun starts setting at 6 p.m. Do you relate to these five annual fes tive traditions?

Revamp your bedroom

After a sudden dip below 20C, it is now the perfect time to pull out chunky knit blankets and redesign your room. Brown, red and orange are making a steady comeback and soon everyone’s room will look like Winners’ fall section threw up all over it. Who doesn’t love a bed room makeover? It’ll make the time spent inside it a cozy and comforting experience and also give you a false sense of power. As autumn is also back-to-school season, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a break from studying by redecorating your en

On Wednesdays we wear flannels

Flannel shirts are probably one of the most on brand Canadian state ment pieces for fall. Flannels in the springtime? Questionable. It just doesn’t feel right if they are worn outside of the fall season. The flan nel’s plaid fabric has a variety of co lours, a reflection of the changing tree leaves—no one can doubt what season it is. It is essential to create

the desired “fall look.” All that is left is a pair of Chelsea boots and an overly sized infinity scarf to really bring the look together.

Becoming a bookworm

When you type in fall trends on Pinterest, I guarantee you the ma jority of results will contain some variation of a hot beverage, a can dle and a book. When and how does everyone suddenly become a bookworm during the fall? What

makes reading a novel with wind blowing in your face an aesthetic experience? It’s nearly impossible not to see a copy of classics like the Twilight series or The Perks Of Being in everyone’s hands, which I’m guessing are indicators that scream we’re in autumn.

Acquiring a taste for fruit Pingle’s Farm Market, Sweet Ridge Farms or Pine Farms Orchard are just a few examples of what some

one’s search results look like after typing ‘fall activities in Toronto.’ A big reason why farms become so popular during this time is for so cial media. It has become a trend to post an aesthetically pleasing pho to of a pumpkin patch or a corn maze. Before doing the same, ask yourself, “Do I really have a pas sion for apple picking?” In some cases, yes, but for the majority of the people reading this—we all know the answer.

Pumpkin spice-ing everything Does mentioning pumpkin spice make us basic? Potentially, but how could we leave out such a sacred tra dition? Honestly though, who de cided pumpkin spice would be fall’s chosen flavor, scent and aroma? Let’s not forget the biggest contrib utor to this, the infamous and no toriously basic Starbucks. It’s been 19 years since forcing their signa ture pumpkin spice lattes down our throats. Whether you like the taste of pumpkin spice or not, get used to seeing food brands combine this flavour with all your beloved prod ucts. Even pumpkin spice goldfish crackers are a thing.

Quiz: What campus food spot should you become obsessed with?

Would you rather…?

A. Have every single traffic light you approach be green.

B. Go back to kindergarten with everything you know now.

C. Be forced to live the same day repeatedly for a full year.

D. Spend a night in a real haunted house (we’re talking the Con juring level).

E. Have everyone else be able to read your thoughts.

E. wOrK? Where’s my order??

Which vegetable do you reso nate with the most?

A. A potato #SoVersatile.

B. People say I’m amusing, hence forth a mushroom.

C. Eggplant ;)

D. RAD-ish obviously.

E. I’ve been told I’m a nice person, so I guess a sweet potato.

Here are your results.

By Fredrick Reyes

When you’re feeling peckish in be tween classes at Toronto Metropoli tan University, deciding where to eat can be a hassle due to the abundance of options. But don’t worry, this quiz will tell you which food spot should be come your new obsession! That way, you can always go to the same place and never worry about what to get.

What type of meal do you fancy?

A. Breakfast! It’s the most impor tant meal of the day of course.

B. Lunch, yep.

C. Dinner. It’s just the most deli cious time of day.

D. All of the above and constant snacking.

E. Wait, you have time to eat?

Which cereal method is correct?

A. Milk first, then cereal!!!

B. Cereal, then milk…

C. Only cereal.

D. Just milk.

What is your choice of tooth paste flavour?

A. Chocolate.

B. Strawberry.

C. Mint.

D. Cherry.

E. Cotton candy.

Let’s get serious for a moment, M&Ms or Smarties?

F. M&Ms all the wayyy!

G. If you’re smart, you would pick Smarties!

H. I prefer Rockets.

I. If you were actually smart, you’d pick Reese’s Pieces.

J. Both are equally gross.

There is only ONE correct way to pronounce caramel. What is it?

A. CAH-RAH-MEL.

B. CURR-MEL.

C. COO-RAH-MEL.

D. CAR-MEL.

E. CAH-RAM-EL.

How many hours of sleep is ideal for you?

A. One hour.

B. Three to five hours.

C. Six to eight hours.

D. Hours?? 20-minute power naps are enough.

E. I’m a university student, sleep is nonexistent for me.

You have a million dollars and one week to spend it, what would you do?

A. Shopping spree, but only if it’s to Dollarama.

B. Luxury trip to Southeast Asia.

C. Buy a Dairy Queen franchise.

D. Move to a private island.

E. Create a steadier income and invest in Bitcoin.

Do you tend to complete work during meals?

A. Yes! The grind never stops.

B. Sometimes…

C. I prefer to indulge in my meals.

D. No <3.

Mostly As: Oakham Café

The Oakham Café is a gem on cam pus. It is the place to be if you want to grab something to-go before sprint ing out to catch the bus or when you need to study for an exam. They offer quick service, friendly servers and an overall great atmosphere for students. Most of the food here is inexpensive and delicious, but their fries and burgers are what the kids call fire or “where it’s at!”

Mostly Bs: Kelly’s Landing

Do you enjoy eating on the patio and watching a game while eating?

If so, stop by Kelly’s Landing! They have a large selection of delicacies on the menu, such as paper-thin crust pizza and a peanut crumble chocolate mousse that’ll have you licking your fingers. The staff are very attentive and friendly and if their food doesn’t unalive you with how delicious it is, surely the loud ness of their music will!

Mostly Cs: Gyubee Japanese Grill

If Cs can get you degrees, then it can also get you a fantastic spot to eat! Gyubee is a great place to go as it of fers you the experience of cooking your own food and has a wide selec tion of seafood, meat and vegetables. Did I mention it’s an all-you-can-eatplace? Although, I highly recom mend that you eat here around din ner time as you’ll have more options available from their menu!

Mostly Ds: La Génie Bakery & Espresso

Visit La Génie if you want to en joy exquisite modern French pas tries without taking a direct flight to Paris! A minor downside is that you may have to stand while eating as there aren’t many seats available, but you are welcome to bring your own chair—not really! When you visit, I strongly recommend trying their best-selling strawberry tart!

Mostly Es: Salad King

You appear to have a taste for ad venture! Salad King is the spot if you want to experience Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine while imag ining you’re sitting at the beach un der palm trees. It’s also an excellent place to test your spice tolerance, as Thai food is notoriously spicy or in other words, HAWTTT. If you’re in the mood for something sweet, their mango sticky rice has a sweet flavour with notes of the tropics from the creamy coconut milk!

E. Cereal is disgusting, I prefer oats.

tire living space.

PEYTON KEELER-COX/THE EYEOPENER

VANESSA KAUK/THE EYEOPENER