Issue 1 - September 5 2011

the newspaper University of Toronto’s Independent Weekly

WELCOME FRESHMAN 2011

Vol. XXXIV N0. 1

September 5, 2011

the editorial

2 34 years ago this time, while most students sported three piece suits and popped their first Reeses Pieces, a few printed the first issue of what would become the nation’s largest independent, studentrun newspaper. While most have traded flared for fitted pants and the newspaper no longer refers to the Athletic

Centre as “Fort Jock,” first-year orientation remains the subject of interest today.

Each archived issue of the newspaper is a chapter of a generation; each read provides a glimpse of the issues and the interests that shaped and defined a university population.

Exotic, a term used no less than five times in opening articles

of the 1979 orientation issue, is still a propos when describing these first few days on campus.

Regardless of whether the activity is unfamiliar or ordinary, participation in these orienting events starts a different phase in a student’s life, within and beyond curricular terms. A new face becomes a friend; a new activity becomes a passion. Ex-

September 5, 2011 ploring the exotic, the not yet discovered, is what these first few days—and next few years— are about. the newspaper asks each student to discover the university, the city and the people that shape an institution and its individuals. As an independent publication, we have the

freedom to discover and the responsibility to report the truth. Come by our office and you may even find a passion for creating the newspaper. Or you may just discover that foosball is as great of a sport as Genesis guitarist Anthony Phillips found it in 1979. Either way, it’s worth a shot.

Cara Sabatini

the newspaper creating special moments since 1978.

the newspaper Editor-in-Chief Cara Sabatini

Arts Desk

News Desk

Suzie Balabuch Vanessa Purdy

Geoff Vendeville

Bodi Bold

Web Editor Andrew Walt

Contributors

Suzie Balabuch, Bodi Bold, Vanessa Purdy, Harlan Tufford, Andrew Walt, Mike Winters

Business Manager Taylor Ramsay ads@thenewspaper.ca

the newspaper 1 Spadina Crescent, Suite 245 Toronto, ON M5S 1A1 Editorial: 416-593-1552 thenewspaper@gmail.com www.thenewspaper.ca the newspaper is U of T’s independent weekly paper, published by Planet Publications Inc., a non-profit corporation.

All U of T community members, including students, staff and faculty, are encouraged to contribute to the newspaper.

BODI BOLD

Photo Editor

the advice

September 5, 2011

3

WHAT TO DO, SUZIE Q? Dear Suzie Q, I’m writing this to you surrounded by other first year students who are overjoyed/excited/nervous to be starting school at U of T. I am not experiencing any of those feelings, because I actually don’t want to be here. I spent most of the summer waiting to be taken off the wait-list and accepted to my dream school, only to have to fall back on my safety school when that didn’t happen.

I know U of T is a great school, and I don’t want to sound like a spoiled brat, but I find myself wishing I were somewhere else most of the time. Even the frosh stuff that’s supposed to be fun annoys me, and I just want to crawl into my bed and sleep through the year until I can re-apply to my first choice. Obviously, that is not an option.

Please help me with some words of wisdom to get through this year!

Sincerely, Anywhere but here Dear Anywhere, Being rejected is very tough, and the sting of it can last for a long time. Judging by your letter, you are not just feeling annoyance at being somewhere you don’t want to be, but you are also still hurt by the rejection of your “dream school.”

Give yourself some time to lick your wounds, but try your best not to transfer your feelings of anger on to a school com-

G RADUATE E DUCATION C OUNCIL Fall 2011 By-­‐Election Call for Nominations

Vacant Seats (6):

2 Faculty Members of a graduate unit: 1 in Humanities GEC considers and approves the following where appropriate: 1 in Life Sciences

• SGS academic policies and regulations; 4 Graduate Students: • policies regarding graduate awards, subject to final approvals as required; 1 in Humanities • reports of its standing committees; and other related 1 in Physical Sciences matters as they arise.

2 in Life Sciences

Nomination forms are available from the School of Graduate Terms of Office: Studies and the SGS Website (address below).

Terms begin July 1, 2011. The first meeting

of the academic year is usually held in Eligibility: Nominees must be full members (non-­‐Emeritus) of the graduate October. Faculty members normally serve faculty or registered graduate students in the SGS division in which for three years. Student members may opt they have been nominated. for a one-­‐ or two-­‐year term of office, to a

maximum of three consecutive years. .

September 16, 2011 NOMINATIONS CLOSE AT 5:00 PM FRIDAY, Effective July 1, 2011, there are six vacant seats on the Graduate Education Council; two Faculty and four Students. GEC is an academic advisory and approval body responsible for developing and implementing regulations and operating procedures for graduate studies at the University of Toronto.

For more information contact: Governance & Policy Coordinator, School of Graduate Studies, 65 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2Z9 • www.sgs.utoronto.ca/governance/gec/elections.htm anil.purandare@sgs.utoronto.ca • Tel: 416 946-­‐3427 • Fax: 416 978-­‐1649

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September 15, 2011: Last day to create an account for the online application October 3, 2011: Application deadline

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November 1, 2011: Application deadline for first-year English programs February 1, 2011: Application deadline for first-year French programs May 1, 2012: Application deadline for upper-year programs

TEAS

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Teacher Education Application Service

December 1, 2011: Application deadline for English programs March 1, 2012: Application deadline for French programs

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January 6, 2012: Application deadline

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munity that actually saw your potential and welcomed you into the fold. Take this year a year of learning: not just about the War of 1812 or the Pythagorean theorem, but about you and what you want from life.

Resist the temptation of crawling into your bed, and throw yourself into not only classes, but clubs and societies that reflect your passions, and that might help you finally get into that top choice of yours. But dear Anywhere, don’t be too surprised if, at the end of your first year, your dream school will be but a distant memory, and U of T a place that you will want to return to in the fall.

Sincerely, Suzie Q Dear Suzie Q, I am a new student at U of T, and am apart from my high-school boyfriend for the first time in 3 ½ years.

He got a scholarship to a university out of province, and although we are both devastated to be apart, we promised each other we would stay together and make it work. Everyone who knows about our situation (and that includes people I’ve just met here at U of T) seem to think that

our long-distance relationship is never going to last.

How do I shush the naysayers while maintaining a relationship that is very important to me?

Please help, Far Away and Blue Dear Far Away, No matter what you do in your life, there will always be naysayers. This fact unfortunately applies to your love life as well, because we, as humans, love to give unsolicited opinions. That being said, you should take this very difficult time of adjustment in your life as an opportunity to grow as a person and as a girlfriend. From the practical side of things, set up a concrete time during the week when both you and your significant other can have a lengthy Skype conversation (do this preferably when your room-mate isn’t around.) Send each other letters and care packages, and cute little texts. All that mushy stuff is actually very important, as you will soon find out. As for the negative Nellies, be brave and ignore them. In the grand scheme of things, distance means nothing when someone means so much.

Sincerely, Suzie Q

4

the inside

September 5, 2011

the inside

September 5, 2011

5

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the arts

6

September 5, 2011

Staying green on campus DOs and DON’Ts

VANESSA PURDY

If you’re environmentally conscious and just coming in to residence, you’re probably interested in your college’s environmental practices and how you can keep yourself in the green lifestyle to which you’ve become accustomed.

You’ll be happy to learn U of T is among the nation’s leaders in sustainable practices. As you’ll be soon to realize, however, it’s not perfect— and some residences are greener than others.

Let’s talk about the perks first.

The campus is peppered with roof-based projects. The Athletic Centre has state-of-the-art solar panels, a New College roof is home to a bee colony, and Trinity hosts both of those, plus a lovely green roof. Victoria College is home to a bike co-op, and last year they won a student-led water conservation contest between colleges. These are just a sampling of the campus’ accomplishments.

The Centre for Environment is a real force amid the greater U of T community, as is the Sustainability Office. The SO’s goal is to collaborate with students and staff to develop projects that reduce energy consumption on campus, as well as provide funding. The Centre for Environment also hosts Ecolink, a site that acts as a sort of repository for information on their environmental goings-on and contests. As

well, both groups offer Work-Study positions.

If you’re used to a more handson, student approach and want to explore outside of your college, there’s the University of Toronto Environmental Resource Network.

UTERN unites students from all campuses, and provides funding for green initiatives. Another intercollege resource is ReWire, present in most residences. It provides a great way to get involved right off the bat: by acting as your floor’s representative and encouraging your floormates to make simple consumption reduction activities a habit.

If you bike, the folks at BikeChain (on 33 St. George St.) are here for you. They offer inexpensive bike repair for U of T students.

And if you’re unhappy with the options (and the origins) of your college’s meal plan, you can always check out the U of T Farmer’s Market, held Thursdays 2-5pm outside Sid Smith on Willcocks Ave. One thing’s for sure, there is no shortage of resources. It’s just a matter of putting them to use where they’re most needed. But promoting large-scale change is quite different from incorporating sustainability into daily life on campus, and enabling your peers to do the same with minimal inconvenience. Aside from getting involved in what already exists, scope out the situation in your immediate vicinity.

Your residence room almost

certainly has a recycling bin, but if it doesn’t, talk to your administration. If your residence kitchens don’t have green bins, that’s another good place to start. Even if those containers are in place, what matters is where the waste ends up. Find out if custodial staff are trained in how to correctly dispose of the recycling you caringly separated. You don’t want to see it getting dumped into an all-purpose bin with the trash at the end of the day.

Check out your windows and make sure they seal well, so in the winter you won’t be wasting heat.

If they’re not functional, you can put in a work order. Your college administration is also a good resource, at the very least from a research perspective. Chances are, they have records of their energy consumption, and if you can access it, you can see the areas that need the most improvement and measure success as your group implements initiatives.

If you have a meal plan, it’s worth investigating the practices of the providers your college employs. The companies have to be open about their practices, and they also have representatives within your college’s community that you can contact with questions or suggestions.

Most importantly, take advantage of your college’s most powerful resource—your peers. You’ll be surprised by how many people really do care, they just don’t always know how to start living green.

only give your pass to someone else upon exiting the system, or else you will get yelled at.

3. If you’ve been out late and miss the last train (subway service ends around 1:30 most nights) do not fear. The Spadina 510 streetcar is 24 hours, and a bus replaces the Bloor-Danforth subway line after it closes. Bus routes in general are also good because, after 9pm, if you ask the driver to let you off between stops, they will.

4. Sometimes there are sketch people on the TTC. Sometimes they will aim their sketchiness towards you and there seems to be no escape.

This is where the emergency stop cord comes in handy. It’s a yellow strip close to the ceiling. Press it if you feel threatened, harassed etc; by another passenger. Do not press it if you miss your stop. Everyone will hate because you really need to redefine emergency. You could also get in serious trouble.

5. Perhaps you’re from a small town and are fascinated by subway travel. “It’s like a rollercoaster, but underground!” I exclaimed with loathsome sincerity upon my first rocket ride, much to the chagrin of the weathered travelers around me.

If you find your fellow passengers unduly hostile, it is possible you are unwittingly breaking transit eti-

quette. These rules include but are not limited to: not moving towards the back when a car is filling up, standing in front of an empty seat in a busy car so as to block it from others, acting like your bag is a person and neglecting to move it when a car is full, and not being aware that your body is preventing people around you from exiting.

6. Little known fact: only 2 out of every 5 TTC drivers have souls.

The ones that do are lovely people.

The ones that don’t were probably made that way by shitty passengers. So if you fuck up in your transit experience, don’t try to bat your eyelashes, cry, or whatever.

It almost certainly won’t work. Be honest, explain what went wrong in your transit confusion, and sometimes the driver will understand.

7. Get the Next Vehicle Information system on your phone by visiting ttc.ca. It will alert you via text when to expect the next bus or streetcar.

Sometimes there are unpredictable delays, so you can figure out if it’s faster to walk.

8. And finally, to exercise the small bit of power you have over your transit experience, check out torontourbanfilmfestival.com, where you can vote on 1 minute silent films to be played on the subway platform screens from September 9-19.

TTC Tips and Etiquette VANESSA PURDY

Public transit in Toronto can be intimidating and confusing, but don’t let that stop you from making it your bitch. We at The Newspaper have compiled some tips for your assistance.

1. Transfers are tricky bastards.

They’re only valid for one continuous trip, one way. Don’t think to yourself, I can get off the Spadina streetcar at Queen, walk around for a bit, and hop on the Queen Streetcar at, say, Ossington with the transfer I got on the Spadina streetcar. You can’t. You have to get on the next closest stop to the one where you exited the vehicle.

You can wander around all you like for an hour or so (they expire), but you’d damn well better go back to the stop closest to where you got off, unless you want to pay again.

2. If you invest in a metropass, you’ll find your life much easier.

Postsecondary students can purchase them at a discount from UTSU, as well as the kiosks or surly booth attendants at St. George and a handful of other stations. While metropasses are transferable between you and your pals, be wary of pass back rules. Don’t try to give your pass to a friend behind you after you’ve swiped it, even if they aren’t trying to use it there. You can

of FROSHWEEK

VANESSA PURDY

DO 1. Wear the T-Shirt. In real life, you are probably too cool for polycotton blends. But this is Frosh week. Embrace it. “It was frosh week!” is pretty much an all-encompassing excuse you will be thankful for later, and wearing the t-shirt is its price. Besides, if you signed up for frosh week, you’re not too cool for frosh week and all the mindless chanting that comes with it.

2. Go To Parties. This is a nobrainer, but if you’re shy, it’s tempting to just stay in your dorm room or head back home well before the last subway. U of T is a huge place, but it becomes very lonely if you don’t make connections from the start. Another common reason students avoid parties is that they don’t drink, and they fear peer pressure, or joyless evenings wasted (pun intended). To this I say, I didn’t drink at all in my first year, and frosh week parties were still super fun. Trust me, most people won’t notice you’re not drinking, and if they do, chances are they’ll have been too drunk to care the next day.

3. Explore Campus and the City. Get familiar with where you live! St. George has one of the best campuses in the country, so don’t just stick to your college. I know a lot of people who can count on one hand the times they’ve left the area between Yonge and Bathurst. Don’t let this be you! But start small.

Some cool places to check out near campus are Moonbean Café and Free Times Café (live music!) in Kensington Market; Future’s Bakery on Bloor, and Seven West on Charles St W (bonus: the latter two are also 24 hours).

4. Sign Up for Clubs. Even if you don’t know how committed you can be, it’s always good to get on the mailing list. Plus, it really is a great way to meet people from different colleges. Also, there’s nothing more embarrassing than being in your fourth year putting together grad school applications and having nothing under extra-curriculars except a joke club you started in your first year.

5. Be Friendly. The first step is just to smile. Try your best to be diplomatic to everyone, at least in the first few weeks. Don’t make

catty comments about the people you meet; it could turn out they’re the Dean’s kid or an upper year.

Besides, there will be plenty of time for petty rivalries later. If you’re a natural misanthrope, consider frosh week your opportunity to conduct field research on your future enemies.

DON’T 1. Wear the T-Shirt. All. The. Time. Enough said.

2. Party Too Hard. Have as much fun as you can, but keep in mind your reputation and personal health. There’s a party every night during frosh—but there’s also pretty much a party every night most of September. It can be easy to get into bad habits. It sounds cheesy, but know your limits and take precautions, especially at non-U of T sponsored events where there aren’t people hired to protect you.

3. Wander Aimlessly and Alone. The St. George campus is one of the safest in Canada. But what’s not super safe is wandering purposelessly through a new city by oneself. If you’re going somewhere new, research the area, and tell someone where you’re going and when to expect you back. It sounds overcautious, but sketchy situations can happen to the most street-smart of us, so take a few simple steps to minimize their potential.

4. Over-commit. Everyone says university is harder than high school, but it’s not just the courses, it’s the lack of structure. If you’re an arts student; your schedule probably has a lot of empty spaces. If you’re a science student; see you at graduation. Resist the temptation to fill every space with shiny new things to commit to. If you take on too much, you’ll be stressed out and sucking at everything (except beer) within two months.

5. Befriend everyone. Don’t share your deep, dark secrets and give away hugs like ice cream at an ice cream party. Sometimes, people on your floor are really just people on your floor. Sometimes they are also kelptos, sex addicts, gossipy bitches, and burgeoning arsonists—and there’s no way of discovering this until it’s too late.

So save yourself some trouble and accept that usually all you have in common is sharing a poorly maintained bathroom, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

the arts

September 5, 2011

JIM GEDDES

7

SYMPATHY FOR THE FRATBOY

I went to a frat party during my frosh week.

I hated the omnipresent blare of top forty mashups, burrowing through booze-soaked walls to hammer at my ear drums. I hated the predatory alphas; vultures hovering over seventeen year old first years who’ve had anyone’s definition of too much to drink. I hated every sight, sound and smell I stumbled across, and oh yes, you’d better believe the beer was shit. I never wanted to set foot in another frat house.

Four years later, and I am a proud member of a University of Toronto fraternal organization.

I joined the frat for a variety of reasons, but I still hated the parties, or at least, attending the parties. As it turned out, so did much of the fraternity’s membership.

What I came to realize was that, for the Frat Boy, parties aren’t about fun; they’re about revenue.

True, some of my less discerning colleagues do enjoy the parties. And yes, they effectively guarantee we won’t be sleeping alone that night. And sure, even shitty beer is beer– no one is denying the pros, but take a look at the cons.

We intentionally allow you and hun-

dreds of complete strangers just like you to repeatedly ransack and ruin our homes through these morally bankrupt and decadent rituals of self-debasement.

You think we’d do this if there wasn’t a good buck in store?

The endless beer and loose women, those are just perks. What we want is your money, and we’re willing to work for it.

The amount of effort that goes into one of these dirty little soirées would shock you. Ensuring the police can’t make a warrantless search; lugging twelve kegs into attack formation; patrolling the grounds to making sure you sickos don’t do anything you shouldn’t; and let’s not forget about cleaning up your every effulgence the morning after. Lord, the things I have seen the morning after…

Well, frosh week is here, and the UofT Greek Community is providing you with the opportunity to make some memories you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to forget. If you partake, try to have fun. Hell, I’ll be on the front lines, helping you along. But if, like me, you find yourself wondering what fresh and exotic hell you’ve found yourself a part of, don’t blame the frat boys.

For us, it’s just business.

THE FROSHWORD BY ANDREW WALT 20. Canadian dollar (abbr.)

22. Certain 24. Bottomless pit 27. Knight’s title 28. Greek character 31. Behold 32. Epic tale 36. Lured 38. Dog or cat 39. Idle chit chat 40. Food platforms 41. Theme of this week’s issue 45. AM, FM, or Satellite 48. Paddle 49. Wedding words 52. Brief break 54. Actor ___ Reynolds 56. Neither... ___ ...

57. Sphere 58. Preferred party of computer nerds 60. Shot glass amount 62. Way out 64. Dynamite 65. Begin 69. Common crustacean 71. Repulsive 75. Unit of gold purity 76. Musical foundations 77. Valentine’s Day flower 78. Virtue or courage 79. Creep in 80. Agrees to, silently

Across 1. Singer-songwriter ___ Anthony 5. Cuipd in Greece 9. 1,000 kilo weight

14. Above or beyond 15. Flightless bird, tropical fruit, or resident of New Zealand 16. Cineplex ___ (former Cana-

dian theatre franchise) 17. Brief note 18. Paradise 19. Projecting edge

Down 1. Dad’s mate 2. Word to greet a Roman 3. Michael Stipe’s band 4. Colourful plastic sandals 5. Scraped out a living 6. Throw away; be ___ of 7. Has a debt to pay 8. Area often affected by allergies

9. Endure 10. Ballad 11. Simpson’s neighbour ___ Flanders 12. Eggy Yuletide beverage 13. Chemical suffixe 21. Mule 23. 22 of it makes a cage 24. Cleopatra’s killer, allegedly 25. Spelling contest 26. Still (adv.)

28. Volunteer school council 29. Informal salutation 30. Driver’s licenses and Tcards 33. Toronto gallery 34. Petrol 35. Loathe 37. Annoy 41. Honda’s subcompact car 42. Casino specific table 43. Path 44. Age 45. Another Greek character 46. Oxygen 47. Gentle touch of colour 49. Motel 50. “What’s up, ___?”

51. Raw mineral 53. Alto, tenor, or baritone woodwind 55. Negating prefix 59. Steals 61. 180 degree maneuver 63. What a hippie might hug 64. Baking measurement (abbr.)

65. Jamaican music genre 66. Asphalt 67. “Who do you think you ___?”

68. Rodent 70. Opposite of nay 72. Slime 73. Psychedelic drug 74. What an 80 across means

the backpage

8

September 5, 2011

THE $99 PosT-sEcondary

sTudEnT MonTHly METroPass available at TTc collectors, participating TTc Fare Media sellers or at select Pass Vending machines in subway stations.

• Eligible: students enrolled full-time • non-Eligible: students in certificate programs or enrolled in a degree or diploma program in a recognized post-secondary institution on a part-time basis. located in Toronto.

SHOW YOUR POST-SECONDARY TTC STUDENT PHOTO ID

EVERY TIME YOU USE YOUR POST-SECONDARY STUDENT MONTHLY METROPASS.

MY CAMPUS

ANDREW WALT

A. STUDENT

For details on how to get your TTc student Photo Id, visit www.ttc.ca

“

the campus comment

1910 Yonge St., Toronto, ON T: 416 484-1959

CLIENT:

TTC

TRIM:

JOB #:

TS-2108-EN-03

LIVE:

DESCRIPTION: Post Secondary

10 in x 7.5 in

”

PUBLICATION + INSERTION DATE:

BLEED:

the newspaper asked: How do you see the next 4 years going for you?

WEN ZHAO

ALANNA

“I think it will be a pretty cool learning experience. I see myself getting involved despite being non-res.”

ARCHANNA

“I really want to do an international exchange, so hopefully somewhere in Africa.”

VANESSA PURDY

“I really don’t know, but I know I’m looking forward to it!”

UofT St. George – Sept 8 UofT Varsity - Sept 12 Ryerson Eyeopener - Aug 24 George Brown Dialog - Sept 8

MATHIEU

“Study and party. And maybe something in between.”

JANE

“It will be tough and there’ll be a lack of sleep. But hopefully dating cute boys.”

MICHELLE

“Hopefully I’ll already be in Med School.”