Vol 41 issue 3

THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

Food Bank calls for changes Food bank suffering from limited space and resources, says coordinator MARIA IQBAL NEWS EDITOR UTMSU’s Food Bank is calling for more space and resources to help meet growing student needs.

At a meeting of the Food Service Advisory Committee last June, food bank coordinator Nourhan Afify spoke about the issues the food bank is facing.

Perception was among the most urgent problems Afify identified.

“Many students who could benefit from this service feel uncomfortable using it because of the social stigma associated with poverty and food insecurity,” said Afify in an interview.

She added that some students simply do not know that the campus food bank exists.

To help increase awareness of the food bank, Afify is planning to launch a marketing campaign so that more students will know of its existence.

According to the minutes of the FSAC, only 13 students were using the campus food bank two years ago. Last year, that number increased to 48 stu-

September 22, 2014 Volume 41, Issue 3 mediumutm.ca

12-month MMPA is approved MENNA ELNAKA

our office,” said Afify. “We could barely fit food inside the office, let alone people. The Director of Hospitality and Retail Services has spoken to me about the possibility of accessing a bigger space.”

At its meeting last Thursday, UTM’s Academic Affairs Committee approved proposals that will see the masters of management and professional accounting advanced standing option shortened to 12 months, as well as the introduction of a new minor program for forensic science.

The first proposal presented to the committee was to reduce the MMPA advanced standing option from 16 months to 12. This proposal came as a result of new guidelines for education in accounting released by the CPA Professional Education Program in 2013. UTM’s Institute for Management and Innovation responded by revising the program to help students better meet its learning expectations.

Food continued on page 3

Programs continued on page 2

ZARA RIZWAN/THE MEDIUM

The UTMSU Food Bank currently operates in a small room in the Student Centre. dents. And from last June to August, Afify said that the food bank was accessed 86 times. That number includes students who used it multiple times and also factors in their dependents.

“Another issue is the quality of our food,” said Afify, noting that the food bank mostly has canned food, al-

though a new fridge means this may not be required.

Space is another problem. Currently, the food bank operates in a cramped storage room in the Student Centre.

“Our office is the size of a closet.

Actually, some closets are bigger than

Student groups: open up OHIP again MARIA IQBAL NEWS EDITOR Like many incoming first-year students, Jessie Li planned to begin her career at UTM by attending the firstyear orientation in September. What she went through that day, however, was not what most students do.

The international student from China set off from her Mississauga townhouse that morning. When she reached an intersection and the light turned green, she began to cross the street. A car that was turning right failed to stop for her, and, while slowing down, rolled over her foot.

Upon reaching campus after the apologetic driver offered her a ride, Li went to the UTM Health Centre to have her foot examined. Her English was minimal, so it was hard to understand what the doctor was saying. The doctor determined that Li’s bone was

Deerfield, retro version New building officially opens with dignitaries and a throwback to the opening of the original North.

Medium News, page 3

Sticking to it It might be time for this newspaper to return to the investigative style it has had in some previous years.

Medium Opinion, page 4

...of Being Cory Doran The staging of The Importance of Being Earnest at Hart House proves that the 19th century is not dead.

Medium Arts, page 5

Salad, salmon, salivating MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Mississauga’s Credit Valley Hospital is one of UHIP’s “preferred providers”. likely not injured, but still sent her to the hospital for an X-ray.

When Li arrived at the hospital, she went to one of the counters and presented a document from the Health

Centre that confirmed that she was a UTM student and that the doctor had sent her for an X-ray. To Li’s surprise, the receptionist did not accept the document, saying that she had never

dealt with such a document before, nor was Li allowed to take the X-ray.

UHIP continued on page 2

Maybe I can’t detect the difference between the three different types of beets, but North Side is good.

Medium Features, page 8

Paladins not good fighters The RMC women’s soccer team is shut down by the Varsity Blues in an impressive display of skill.

Medium Sports, page 11

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THE MEDIUM 09.22.2014

New forensics minor to be offered next academic year September 11, 11:48 a.m.

Medical Call Campus Police responded to a medical call. The person was referred to the UTM Health and Counseling Centre.

September 13, 5:20 p.m.

Medical Call Campus Police responded to a medical call at the RAWC. The person was transported to hospital.

September 11, 7:43 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police responded to a theft call regarding an iPhone that had been left in the women’s washroom on the first floor of the Instructional Centre. Peel Regional Police was advised.

September 13, 8:56 p.m.

Medical Call Campus Police responded to a medical call. No medical attention was required.

September 12, 1:18 p.m.

Disruptive Behaviour Campus Police investigated a complaint in regards to a disruptive person. The person was cautioned in regards to his behaviour.

September 12, 1:56 p.m.

Parking Related Campus Police investigated a report of a fraudulent permit. The person was identified and investigation continues.

September 12, 4:15 p.m.

Medical Call Campus Police responded to a medical call in regards to a person having an allergic reaction. EMS transported the person to hospital.

September 13, 2:29 a.m.

Medical Call Campus Police responded to a call in regards to an intoxicated person.

EMS transported the person to hospital.

September 14. 8:30p.m.

Personal Safety Concern Campus Police investigated a call in regards to a suspicious person on campus.

September 15, 4:22 p.m.

Medical Call Campus Police responded to a medical call at the RAWC. The person was transported to hospital.

September 16, 4 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police responded to a theft call from the Innovation Complex.

Peel Regional Police was advised.

September 17, 11:45 a.m.

Harassment Campus Police responded to a harassment complaint in the RAWC. All persons involved have been identified and investigation continues.

September 17, 10:50 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police responded to a theft call from the CCT Garage. Peel Regional Police was advised.

These reports are those that have been released to The Medium and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list.

Annual fair features student job openings ANDREEA MIHAI Last Wednesday, the UTM Career Centre hosted its annual Get Experience Fair and showcased volunteer, employment, and internship opportunities on campus and in the community.

New to the fair this year was the First Year Experience table to help first-year students begin thinking about their future careers and what skills they would need to pursue those careers, before walking around the fair and seeing how to connect those skills to opportunities.

1,061 students participated in this year’s Get Experience Fair, about 70 fewer than last year.

Michelle Atkinson, the Career Centre’s coordinator of events and employment services, emphasized that it is important for all students to make connections between their skills and the experience they need

for their future career.

“Everyone needs to start somewhere, and this is a good place to start,” she said about the fair.

Held in the RAWC gym, the fair featured 56 organizations, arranged by categories such as arts and culture, finance, government services, marketing communications, and teaching and education.

A total of 1,061 students participated in this year’s fair, about 70 fewer than last year.

Still, the response was positive. “All of these different opportunities are available all in one place,” commented Mehran Sabbaghi, a first-year life science student. “It would take forever if I wanted to go see what each one was about on my own.”

On-campus employers included the Blackwood Gallery, UTMSU the AccessAbility Resource Centre, and the departments of student life and experiential learning. Other organizations included Habitat for Humanity, the Mississauga Youth Advisory Council, the City of Mississauga, Big Brothers and Sisters, and the Odyssey and Explore programs.

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

The members of the Academic Affairs Committee approved the two proposals last Thursday.

Programs continued from Cover The full MMPA program lasts 27 months and is offered to students who do not necessarily have a business background. Students who do have a previous background in commerce and accounting, in addition to an excellent academic record, will now have the option of enrolling in the 12-month program, effective September 1, 2015.

The 12-month program is expected to accept about 45 students who would be drawn from UTM’s BCom (accounting specialist), the Rotman Commerce BCom (accounting specialist), and UTSC’s BBA (specialist in management and accounting).

This would mean a total of 130 students in the MMPA, with 45 students in the advanced 12-month program.

Additionally, despite having a separate section in the MMPA program, the students enrolled in the 12-month program are expected to join students from the 27-month and 24-month programs to attend

workshops and non-course learning experiences.

The 12-month MMPA advanced standing option will include case competitions, workshops, and a coop work term. Students will cover the required material over the course of an academic fall session, followed by a winter co-op term, and then a summer academic session.

According to MMPA director Len Brooks, consultations on the proposals revealed strong support for the changes. Consultations were held with faculty and administrators from IMI, the MMPA program, and Rotman, in addition to other academic departments and administrative offices. Consultation also took place with students currently enrolled in the MMPA program along with undergraduate commerce students.

The second proposal approved by the AAC was a new minor in forensic science, also to become effective next September.

The new minor will allow students who do not have the scientific foun-

dation required for major and specialist programs to be introduced to forensic science and receive training in the field.

The existing major can only be taken in conjunction with a major program in anthropology, biology, chemistry, or psychology. The new minor is expected to open the field to students studying in other areas.

The program will be proposed as a Type 2 Subject POSt, which typically requires specific prerequisites to be taken prior to enrolling as well as the maintenance of a certain GPA. In addition to the two proposals, it was announced that the UTM and UTSC Campus Councils’ past operations are under review. A committee will evaluate the efficacy of the model under which the two councils operate and recommend refinements to help the Campus Councils and their committees accomplish their respective mandates.

The next Academic Affairs Committee meeting is scheduled to take place on November 12.

UHIP sometimes refused UHIP continued from Cover

“I [didn’t] know where should I go and I [didn’t] know what should I bring to take [an] X-ray in the hospital,” said Li of the incident. She never ended up getting that X-ray.

Now in her fourth year, Li wishes that UTM offered information sessions to help teach students how to use the University Health Insurance Plan, a compulsory private health insurance plan for international students.

“Maybe they have [such sessions], but many of us don’t really know about it,” said Li. “Many of us are alone here in another country.”

Beyond the lack of information on how to use the health plan, some groups are criticizing UHIP for its costs and limited coverage.

Alastair Woods, chair of the Canadian Federation of Students in Ontario (which UTM students are members of and pay fees to), claimed that programs such as UHIP are not accepted at all hospitals, “forcing some international students to avoid seeing a doctor even when they should”.

Although U of T’s health services website claims that UHIP offers “com-

parable” but “not identical” coverage as the Ontario Health Insurance Plan that Canadian residents enjoy, UHIP’s website confirms that UHIP is not accepted everywhere in Ontario. The website states that when a healthcare provider does not accept UHIP coverage, an international student “may have to pay out of pocket for [his or her] medical expenses, even if those expenses are covered under UHIP”.

Those expenses can later be reimbursed with proof of payment. The Credit Valley Hospital is among the “preferred providers” who accept UHIP coverage in Mississauga.

“Many provinces, including British Columbia, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia, cover international students under their public healthcare programs,” said Woods, noting that international students were covered by OHIP until 1994.

As part of the CFS-O’s Fairness for International Students campaign, which is also concerned with international student tuition fees and immigration policies, the group met with the Ministry of Health and LongTerm Care last Friday to advocate for a return to OHIP coverage for international students.

The CFS-O’s submission to the Ministry states that while international students in British Columbia and Manitoba do not have to pay any premiums in order to be covered by their provincial health plans, they have to wait for six months before receiving coverage. The waiting period is 12 months in Nova Scotia, except for research assistants or graduate assistants, who receive immediate coverage.

The CFS-O proposed that OHIP be extended to international students without a premium and a maximum waiting period of three months.

Following the meeting, Woods said that the Ministry would investigate the group’s proposal and meet with the CFS-O to determine further action.

There is also a discrepancy between the costs of the two plans. Ontario residents pay OHIP premiums in tax depending on their income, beginning at $20,000, which means there is no cost for the average student. A year of UHIP coverage for one person is listed on uhip.ca as costing $648. Both are significantly more affordable than commercial healthcare plans.

09.22.2014 THE MEDIUM NEWS

Deerfield officially opens

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»WHO SHOULD RUN

FOR MAYOR OF MISSISSAUGA?

LUKE SAWCZAK/THE MEDIUM

Students, faculty, and guests were among those in attendance at Monday’s reception.

NICOLE DANESI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Deerfield Hall is officially open following a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Monday.

“Deerfield Hall will [...] serve as an ideal foundation for new experiences, and of course new memories,” said Principal Deep Saini, who acted as the Master of Ceremonies.

Deerfield Hall is now home of the English and drama department and will provide new theatre space for students. The new four-storey facility is also the new home of the psychology department and the mathematical and computational sciences department.

The new facility is intended to ad-

dress the growing student population, which is currently approaching 14,000.

The provincial minister of training, colleges, and universities, Reza Moridi, and U of T president Meric Gertler also addressed the crowd.

“It is an important moment in […]

UTM’s development as a major comprehensive campus in its own right,” said Gertler.

The facility has several sustainable features and is expected to attain silver LEED credentials.

“Deerfield Hall’s name is in keeping with UTM’s natural settings, its commitment to sustainability, and especially the herd of deer that wander this campus,” said Saini. The name was picked through a naming contest.

The construction began in June 2012, and combined with the renovations to the Davis Building it cost $75 million, of which 70% was funded by the province and the rest by UTM. Monday’s celebration had a 1960s and 1970s theme, recalling the era when the North Building was built.

The North Building was originally expected to be a temporary facility, but was kept after government funding was slashed for a Davis Building that was planned to be much larger. The North Building is expected to undergo further renovations.

The newly opened Innovation Complex is scheduled to host an invitation-only opening ceremony on November 5.

Dukinna Pratt 2nd year, environment

Noor Abdel-Raziq 4th year, DEM

My dad. Whatever he does, he leaves behind imprints that impact people’s lives.

My mom, because she’s been through a lot, so she’s very considerate.

Junaid Habibi 3rd year, GIS & env mgmt

Uzair Ali Khan 3rd year, life sciences

My friend Aiman Mohammad. If he can lead a study group, he can lead a city.

Rob Ford.

More of us using food bank

Afify explained that the food bank is also in the process of transitioning into a “Food Centre” to

place a greater focus on community relations and healthy food as a human right, and attempts to address deeper causes of food insecurity.

The UTMSU Food Bank receives funding through an annual student levy, which was passed through a referendum in 2009 after the food bank stopped receiving donations from an organization called FoodPath. Afify mentioned at the FSAC meeting that UTMSU directors decide how to spend the funds from the levy.

The UTMSU preliminary operating budget for 2013/14 lists the food bank’s annual budget as $12,315.

After subtracting the expected expenditure for the year—including the cost of staff and food—$2,790 was expected to be left over.

The Food Garden Project provides fresh produce to the food bank.

Instagram accounts being used for drug trafficking

Pope Francis speaks out against religious extremism

BC tourism operator under fire for revealing aboriginal remains

Armed man gets inside White House, security now under review

Protestors call for action on climate change in New York

Thousands of people are reportedly selling drugs through Instagram. Users of the site are able to participate in drug trafficking under a high level of security. The posts remain uncensored, and Facebook, which owns Instagram, has never openly acknowledged the issue.

During his current visit to Albania, Pope Francis made a statement against the use of religion to carry out violence against others. During his speech on Sunday, the pope spoke positively about the peaceful co-existence of religions in Albania. This is the pope’s first visit to a Muslim country after the Islamic State seized large territories in Syria and Iraq.

A British Columbia aboriginal tourism operator is being condemned by fellow aboriginals for allowing tourists to view ancient skeletal remains contained in burial boxes. The condemnations come after photos appeared online of the operator looking inside one of the boxes, with the remains clearly visible.

White House security was put under review on Saturday after a man armed with a knife managed to get inside its front door. The man reportedly jumped over a fence and ran more than 70 yards across the lawn on Friday night before reaching the unlocked door. This is reportedly the first time such an incident has occurred.

Thousands of people joined in a protest in Manhattan on Sunday demanding urgent action on climate change. Called the “People’s Climate March”, the protest took place two days before the United Nations’ Climate Summit is scheduled to convene. Celebrities Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Rock also joined in the march.

Source: VentureBeat

Source: USA Today

Source: Metro News

Source: Washington Post

Source: CNN

Food continued from Cover Afify noted that the space would not be permanent and that the new space has yet to be confirmed by the administration.

The bank also requires a freezer to store the donations it receives from the Mississauga Food Bank, says Afify, with whom the food bank is registered.

“There are talks of receiving a freezer if we are able to move locations,” she said.

New initiatives being organized to support the food bank include a volunteer-run Food Garden Project to grow UTM’s own produce.

Policy changes are also on the table.

“We are in the process of policy-

building to increase accountability and transparency for our members.

Currently one-on-one meetings are being set up with volunteers and members in order to discuss the transformation and policy,” said Afify.

Only 13 students were using the campus food bank two years ago.

In the previous school year, that number increased to 48.

ZARA RIZWAN/THE MEDIUM

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09.22.2014

MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Luke Sawczak editor@mediumutm.ca News Maria Iqbal news@mediumutm.ca A&E Maria Cruz arts@mediumutm.ca Features Madeleine Brown features@mediumutm.ca Sports Jason Coelho sports@mediumutm.ca — Photo Mahmoud Sarouji photos@mediumutm.ca Design Mubashir Baweja design@mediumutm.ca Copy Akshaya Sharma copy@medumutm.ca Online & Blog Michelle Bonsu Safia Amin blog@mediumutm.ca online@mediumutm.ca ASSOCIATES News Nicole Danesi A&E Kathelene Cattell-Daniels Features TBA Sports TBA

Taking on stories piece by piece Sticking to a topic week after week, as a former editor said, is a virtue While our team was editing the “City draws international students” story last week, one of us added a half-serious remark at the end on the subject of international students having to pay much higher tuition fees than domestic students and having less access to healthcare. The admittedly snide idea was that of course the city and UTM are holding a welcome party—they improve our cashflow.

Another person in the editing chain pointed out that the university isn’t totally at fault. She and an international student friend had asked Principal Saini about the discrepancy at a meetand-greet last year, and he had replied that it wasn’t something the university wanted, but the provincial government heavily subsidizes domestic student education and actually taxes the university for each international student it admits.

Not knowing whether this was the full story, we went to Google. The first

thing we learned was that the wealth of information and argumentation, mostly by student groups, on the subject is hard to slog through. The second thing was that the issue is far from black and white.

That’s why this editorial isn’t part of that argument (it’d be too short, anyway). Yes, it was interesting to read on a student union site that although the average Canadian university does indeed receive less assistance for an international student than for a domestic student, it more than recoups the difference in higher tuition fees. Yes, it does seem strange that the government does not cap the amount by which universities can increase international student tuition, as they do for domestic students, and that U of T plans to increase international tuition at twice the rate of domestic over the next four years. Yes, we were concerned about the fact that official responses tend more towards the “We made it clear

this was what they were in for” (as in a Varsity article in March) than “sorry”.

All of these seem like good starting points for an editorial.

But they also raise more questions.

The stories being told by both sides are slanted; almost everyone involved in this conversation has a stake in it. For example, what if the point about recouping only takes the assistance into consideration and neglects to factor in the tax Saini mentioned? It’s very hard to find the answer to that on Google.

What we realized was that the topic was too big to answer easily, especially in a footnote at the end of an article.

And, to be honest, that we simply don’t know enough about it yet. In that sense, we share your position as readers more than you might think: we have to start somewhere as well when we want to figure something out, and although having an archive helps, our team still turns over each year and has to catch up on a lot of knowledge.

So we decided not to address the issue in its entirety. We left a footnote in the article, and then we picked one part to investigate: the coverage that UHIP offers vs. the OHIP coverage domestic students enjoy. That’s this week’s second cover story, and I hope it clarifies one aspect of a difficult issue.

The Medium has been more investigative some years than others, and my hope is that we can continue to explore and not be daunted by depth.

YOURS, LUKE SAWCZAK

CORRECTION NOTICE The Sept. 15 titled “Maninder Chana’s take on real Islam” contained several transcription errors. Chana is not a Muslim and Daniel Pearl was a character in The Mighty Heart, not Little Terrors.

Copy TBA

Letters: positive Bistro experience and ALS insensitivity

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Dear Editor,

To become an associate, begin writing and speak with your section editor!

GENERAL STAFF Distribution Manager David Sanchez distribution@mediumutm.ca BOARD OF DIRECTORS Luke Sawczak, Christine Capewell 5 student position TBA. A board election is being held now!

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I know this isn’t exactly “newsworthy”, but I wanted to write to someone about a compliment. Today I went to eat at the new building, Deerfield Hall. I bought a gluten-free brownie (in a package) and found mold inside. I went back to tell the staff—I wanted to make sure that someone else didn’t eat the moldy product.

I went back to my seat and a few moments later, the Chef, Sandeep (I hope I get his name right), came up to me and asked to speak with me. He

said that he was tremendously sorry and would call the manufacturer, and then offered to buy me lunch because he didn’t want me to start off the year on a bad foot.

A lot of times, people complain about the smallest issues. I wanted to share a compliment about the generosity of Sandeep and how thoughtful I felt his gesture was. I’m sure you have written and will write about the new building and its services. As for me, I am quite happy with his service.

I have been a student for five years.

(Yes, I will graduate this year—fi-

nally!). And I have never felt such appreciation.

He definitely deserves recognition.

Even if it seems small—he clearly cares about the food and the students.

Thank you, Bianca Nagy

Dear Editor, I was pretty surprised to read the comment in the “Thoughts on the ALS ice bucket challenge” feature, said by another UTM student: “You

temporarily feel what ALS is like.”

I don’t have the disease myself, but I doubt that the feeling of pouring cold water on one’s head on a hot summer’s day is similar to the devastating paralysis that some people with ALS experience. I don’t believe that students’ opinions should be censored in that section, but I hope that people will think twice before making comments that might undermine another person’s suffering, whether intentionally or not.

Danielle Radu

09.22.2014

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Wilde first night at Hart House Voice actor–directed The Importance of Being Earnest demonstrates why it’s still a favourite MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR Tackling a play by one of the bestknown writers of all time, director Cory Doran offered audiences his rendition of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest last Friday to a nearly sold out first show at the Hart House.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a satirical play that follows the lives of John (Jack) Worthing (Michael Adam Hogan) and Algernon Moncrieff (Victor Pokinko), two aristocrats who try to escape their social burdens. Moncrieff and Worthing also try to win the affections of their lovers, Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax (Hannah Drew) and Cecily Cardew (Eliza Martin).

The audience is first introduced to Algernon and his hilarious drunk butler, Lane (Daniel Staseff). Immediately, Pokinko captivates the audience with his portrayal of a vain, self-centred aristocrat. Algernon has a very Reaver (from the Fable franchise) vibe and Pokinko was flawless in his role. Enter Algernon’s best friend John, who wants to propose to Gwendolen, Algernon’s cousin. Hogan was great at capturing Worthing’s character as the moralistic aristocrat with a slightly vain air.

SCOTT GORMAN/PHOTO

Left to right: Hannah Drew, Victor Pokinko, Eliza Martin, Michael Hogan, and Nicole Wilson.

Gwendolen doesn’t get much attention until the second act, but Drew succeeded in bringing life to her character. Worthing’s ward, Cecily, was the adorable airhead who falls prey to Algernon’s affections. Martin gave a nice performance as Cecily and reminded me of Carey Mulligan’s portrayal of Daisy in The Great Gatsby, a character with little depth handled by a great actress. Another standout per-

formance was Nicole Wilson as Lady Bracknell, Algernon’s aunt. Wilson was splendid and she brought some great humour to an evil character.

I could think of no one better to direct a play like this. A well-known voice actor, Cory Doran (Jimmy TwoShoes, Total Drama) is down to earth, charming, and funny.

The Medium had the chance to speak with Doran and Hogan a week

before the show to talk about the play and what they felt they could bring to it.

“I’ve been in love with Oscar Wilde’s work as long as I’ve been doing theatre, way back in high school,” Doran said. “I’ve loved this play for well over a decade and I wanted to get a crack at it. And especially not having to do rogue theatre, something where someone’s like ‘Okay, maybe

we can rehearse in my mom’s basement this time.’ ” Doran admitted that he wasn’t afraid to handle this play because it’s been done many times before. “I’m very confident in my vision of the final product, where I wanted to go, what story I wanted to tell,” he said.

“Once I formulate my vision on it, I’m always very confident on where it’s going to be.”

The play was first been performed in the 1890s, and Doran did feel that he needed to bring a little something extra to excite a 2014 audience. “Oscar Wilde was a very sarcastic man; he did everything on purpose. He wanted to get people out of their seats to think differently, but he wanted to do it with deep sarcastic reach,” he said. “And we’ve approached it that way. We’ve added levels of cynical comedy into it as well and put it into a world where it’s 1890s England but it’s a hyper-real world.”

That said, keeping the historical context while not losing the freedom to play was a challenge. “There are people who are very big sticklers,” he said. “[But] theatre isn’t made just for people who understand theatre; it should be for everyone.”

Earnest continued on page 7

Shadowing the life of a TIFF volunteer Medium sports editor Jason Coelho shares his experiences on what it’s like to be a part of the festival JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR For the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of volunteering at the Toronto International Film Festival.

While the role of a volunteer isn’t as glamorous as that of the stars who fill the festival, it’s opportunity for any regular Joe Blow to be swept up in the world of Hollywood, if only for 11 days.

In 2012, I chose to send in my volunteer application, my reasons for doing so predictably being my love of movies. Lacking the confidence that my application would be accepted, I waited for a while before hearing back. TIFF requires its volunteer applicants to shed light on their reasons for volunteering, their interest in cinema, and finally their favourite movie—the toughest part of the application, in my opinion.

Less than two weeks after I sent in my application, I got an email saying that I would be a volunteer.

My first festival was slightly less exciting than my next two, but the experience of being part of this event was something special. The experience allowed me to interact

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/PHOTO

TIFF is the place to go for movie-loving volunteers. with fellow volunteers and the public, spending time gushing about our love of film and how it had brought us to the festival. What surprised me most was the number of people working in the film industry in Canada and the U.S. who chose to experience the festival through the eyes of a volunteer. From the conversations I had with directors and screenwriters, it became apparent that they found that being part of the festival in any way possible was

a source of fulfillment that helped them rekindle the passion for their craft all over again. The first year also helped me gain some insight into the role of the volunteer. As I discovered, my role fluctuated depending on the venue I was placed in. Smaller venues like the TIFF Bell Lightbox had me inside the theatre as the usher, which provided me with the added bonus of watching a film for free. In larger venues like Princess of Wales or Roy Thomson

Hall, I stood on the street helping people with questions, ticket-tearing, or holding ballot boxes outside theatre doors and encouraging moviegoers to vote for the TIFF People’s Choice Award.

In my second year, I planned for the festival ahead of time. I awaited its arrival and picked my volunteer shifts around the big premieres to give me a chance to watch the movies that critics and fans were buzzing about. Thankfully, my scheduling

allowed me to watch a number of wonderful—and some not-so-wonderful—films by spending hours holding a position in the rush line for a premiere. The reaction from most members of the public is that the rush-liners are lunatics who have far too much time on their hands.

That’s a fair assumption, since these patrons aren’t guaranteed a spot in the theatre for movies that have been sold out days in advance. But since hundreds of tickets are given out to employees of production companies, these eager rush-line moviegoers have a glimmer of hope. This hope is what got me into the premieres of 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, August: Osage County, and Labor Day. The chance to see the director and actors, watch the film, and then stick around after the credits for a question-and-answer period is, in my opinion, the ideal theatre experience. This experience in my second year was what made me feel more a part of the festival than anything before and left me with fond memories I continue to look back on.

TIFF continued on page 7

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THE MEDIUM 09.22.2014

Age is just a number Octogenarian Leonard Cohen returns with Popular Problems

L-shaped fashion IZ Adaptive offers a different view on clothes KATE CATTELL-DANIELS ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/PHOTO

Cohen proves that he’s still got it.

MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR I won’t lie—when I read that Leonard Cohen was coming out with a new album, I was pretty sure everyone was wrong. I thought it was all hearsay and believed the golden rule: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Despite Old Ideas having come out in 2012, I didn’t think that Cohen would return with his 13th studio album at the age of 80. I hate myself for saying it, but I thought that he would quit while he was ahead.

The last time I thought I would hear Cohen was back in 2004 when he released Dear Heather, and to be honest, it sounded like a constant reminder that the then-70-year-old Cohen was reaching the end of his career. The only thing that remained on the album was the ghost of a great musician giving fans a final—and seemingly halfhearted—goodbye.

It was the same year that his exmanager, Kelley Lynch, was fired after working with Cohen for about 17 years. She was also sued by the singer in 2005 after having embezzled $5

million from him and in 2012 was arrested after constantly breaking the rules of the restraining order he filed against her.

In all fairness, Cohen and his reps have never explicitly said that his latest work was driven by a need for money (although Cohen hinted about it in a 2009 interview with Jian Ghomeshi on Q). Old Ideas wound up on charts all over the world and was listed as one of the best albums of the year and one of Cohen’s best to date. The album did incredibly well and after Dear Heather, Cohen needed a good comeback (if he was ever planning on having one).

But after it came out, it seemed like nothing more than another great album released by one of music’s greats.

Whatever the reason for Popular Problems, being brought back to the studio sparked some of Cohen’s best work.

Popular Problems is loaded with songs about dealing with struggles, even if they are not his own, such as “Samson in New Orleans”, a depiction of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the concept of death. The first song, “Slow”, discusses Cohen’s own mortality but also his desire to keep

the fire inside him burning. “Slow” is one of my favourites of Popular Problems, and I can’t get over how well the lyrics show the fight still left in Cohen.

“Samson in New Orleans” is also one of my favourites. Cohen’s raspy voice coupled with female vocals and violin solos makes for a great song that completely floored me. The lyrics of this song are enough to move anyone and the story behind the song is just beautiful: “There’s no way to answer.

That is certainly true. Me, I’m blind with death and anger and that’s no place for you.”

Popular Problems is a great mix of genres, too, with country, soul, and funk making appearances in various songs. The accompaniment of female vocals in some of his songs helps to drive the point of his lyrics home with listeners.

This album wasn’t exactly expected, and if anything it could have been a total catastrophe—another album by a musician at this age could have gone either way. But Cohen proved that he’s still got it and I would have overpaid to listen to this album.

MMMMM

These days, we strive for or already see accessibility in just about every office building and school. Buildings have ramps and elevator access, and people seem pretty aware that not everyone looks or moves the same way. But while this mentality might be prevalent in architecture, it is less evident in fashion.

Fashion Follows Form: Designs for Sitting, a show currently on at the ROM, begins with a history lesson on fashion in the 18th and 19th centuries, when both men’s and women’s clothing easily adapted to either sitting or standing postures. For instance, a three-piece suit from the 18th century had baggy-seated pants specifically designed for sitting and riding, but the “unsightly” seat would be covered by the tails of the coat.

Later came women’s riding habits, designed so that a woman could ride side-saddle but also look stylish walking on foot.

IZ Adaptive, designed by Izzy Camilleri, is featured in the show. The line is an attempt to create fashionable clothes for people in wheelchairs. What Camilleri noticed was that clothing for “I-shaped” bodies didn’t work for the “L-shaped” body of someone in a wheelchair. Fabric bunches up at the back and shortens at the front, hemlines are uneven, and pants’ waistbands gape at the back.

So, with journalist Barbara Turnbull as her first client, Camilleri set out to

change the fashion industry.

Camilleri took the concept of fashion designed for sitting and modernized it, building everything from dress shirts to trench coats to leather jackets. The clothing has been created for style and ease of use: many items are made in two sections, one for each side of the body, and button or zip both front and back.

Similarly, the leather jackets have a horseshoe cut out of the back to eliminate bulk against the back of the chair. There is a small strip of leather across the shoulder blades, which can be detached by a small zipper. The jackets also zip up on the front, splitting into two pieces, one for each side of the body.

My personal favourite was a trench coat that Camilleri has designed such that the hem lies flat against the legs.

In a regular coat, the hem is straight when the wearer is standing, a feature that is essentially useless for someone in a wheelchair. What I found intriguing, however, was that the coat is displayed on both a standing model and on a seated one. On the standing model, the coat does not look awkward but is actually rather stylish.

Fashion Follows Form is an innovative show that takes accessibility to a whole new level. IZ Adaptive’s designs seek to make more aspects of the world available to more people, and can also have a huge impact on emotional stability and self-esteem.

Fashion Follows Form runs at the ROM until January 25, 2015.

Public space, public eye

Changing their sound The Kooks’ latest album delivers exactly what Pritchard promised MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR It’s hard to say for sure if The Kooks fans will recognize the band’s new sound on Listen, but frontman Luke Pritchard did warn that “reinvention” was in the works. And he stayed true to his word, because The Kooks’ latest work took a pretty drastic turn away from their original albums.

Having always maintained their stereotype as the Arctic Monkeys’ little brother, The Kooks have relied on an anarchistic sound pretty much since they started. With their 2006 debut release, Inside In/Inside Out, songs like “Eddie’s Gun” and “See the World” offered glimpses into the band’s angst-ridden ballads, while

others, like “Sofa Song” and “Jackie Big Tits”, showed listeners that they were capable of a softer and more charming sound. Konk (2008) and Junk of the Heart (2011) remained the same, but there was something about their albums that always left me pondering what their sound truly was. Their mishmash of genres, all balled into one album time and time again, had me convinced that this group was just trying to prove they could reach a range of sounds in the span of a few songs. While some argue that the band focussed on mixed genre, The Kooks never had me convinced that they weren’t just confused about what their sound should be. And since I’ve been a fan of the Arctic Monkeys’ music since high school, the fact that The Kooks had

wedged themselves into the same genre made me demand that much more from them just to keep up.

With Listen, though, The Kooks have returned with fresh yet familiar tones. Some of their new stuff reminds me of Phoenix and a little of early Vampire Weekend’s stuff, like “Mansard Roof ” and “Oxford Comma”. With such an alternative pop sound, The Kooks have completely turned their sound around, earning themselves a spot on my iPod. For the most part, the reviews pouring in from fans and critics have voiced disappointment with the band’s new turn, but I don’t share their opinion. The Kooks’ new album is full of fresh tunes and Pritchard has delivered on his promise. MMMM

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Blackwood Gallery has a ton of great exhibits lined up.

ANDREEA MIHAI Need a good place to sit and chat with friends? Adrian Blackwell’s sculpture Furnishing Positions at the Blackwood Gallery is a good place to start. Designed as a conversation space, the area can be booked by student groups and organizations for informal and formal gatherings.

The 40-piece modular sculpture forms an amphitheatre in the centre of the Blackwood Gallery. Each piece is a curved one-sixth of a circle, with four different heights that can be assembled in many different configurations. Over the course of the

exhibition, the sculpture will be reconfigured six times.

In addition to the sculpture, Blackwell’s Furnishing Positions includes a series of 18” by 18” broadsheets that focus on the paradoxical nature of public space. Each issue to be published once every two weeks over the next three months will feature an artist’s project on one side and text on the other. The contributors will explore questions like what draws people to public spaces and whether public spaces are physical or virtual.

Gallery continued on page 7

09.22.2014 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 7

Destined to survive its flaws

Theatre should be for everyone Earnest continued from page 5

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Despite all its shortcomings, I just couldn’t pull myself away from this game.

MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR After having departed from Halo, Bungie has introduced a new game, Destiny, which has broken records by bringing in over $50 million since its release earlier this month. But despite the hype surrounding the game before its release and the ridiculous amounts of revenue it’s generated, Destiny lacks an imaginative story and it was only worsened by Peter Dinklage’s lacklustre voice acting.

When I first tried Destiny, I was completely floored by the graphics and gorgeous scenery. Obviously quite an upgrade from Halo’s 2001 graphics, Destiny offers a better world to explore, both in its larger size and in its scenery. That being said, it sucks having to travel to all these new worlds and wait through the relatively long loading screens (but at least there’s always something nice to look at).

The shiny new world did not, however, alleviate the letdown in regards to storyline. “Traveler” the alien discovered our solar system and helped humans inhabit other planets. But

Traveler also brought with it something dubbed “Darkness”, which laid waste to everything Traveler had achieved. Your character, the guardian, is supposed to defend the last city on Earth before it too is destroyed.

That may seem easy enough to understand, but before playing it I had to read into the story. Destiny is very vague in its description—or lack thereof—of what exactly happened to our planet or why we’re supposed to kill everything in our path.

The missions are pretty boring, too.

Your objective remains the same in just about everything that you do: kill everything. While that mindless fun might be good for a few hours, Destiny merely provides day-in-day-out missions to complete over and over again.

And evidently I wasn’t the only one who got a little bored. Peter Dinklage, best known for his role as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, is the voice of “Ghost”, your robot friend who travels around with you while giving advice on current missions, providing history on your surroundings, and sometimes commenting on what’s go-

ing on. The problem is that Dinklage’s voice work is pretty dull and only serves as another reminder that Destiny is not all it could have been.

But it’s not a bad game overall. It does have a pretty hefty list of pros, such as fantastic gameplay and a great selection of primary and secondary weapons. The combat is also pretty great, and with each new place you visit, there’s just something there that makes you want to keep playing.

Playing multiplayer is probably better than playing by yourself for a few reasons. When you play alone, it’s not the worst thing in the world because the missions share the same excitement as the majority of modern shooters, but when you have someone by your side to tackle waves of enemies with, it gets way better.

In the end, there is something about Destiny that pulls me back to it. I’m very aware of its shortcomings, but there’s something to be said for a game that draws you back even when you know it’s not the best thing in the world. All in all, not as bad as critics (myself included) make it sound.

MMM ½

Doran went on to say that before he and the actors started, he told them that every single character in the play was insane. “[The characters] are all megalomaniac narcissists,” Doran said. “There is no one there who’s a normal person that people can sit and relate to.” It was because of this that the actors were given the freedom to play the characters how they saw fit. “You go big and I’ll tell you when it’s too big and I’ll rein you in,” Doran laughed. “None of it’s farcical, but it has elements of it.”

When it comes to the cast, Doran said that he looks for “boldness, spontaneity, [and] the ability to find places that other people can’t”.

He added that everyone in this play makes “big, bold choices”.

Doran is more known for his voice acting than anything else, so when asked about the transition to directing, he said, “When you’re an actor, you’re a piece, and when you’re a director, you’re the puppet master.”

As an actor, he said, you may not know what the final vision looks like, but as a director you get to angle it your way. “I’m a weird, quirky, funny person with a million voices in his head who has very distinct thoughts and I wanna go, ‘Let’s go very distinct’,” he said.

The first performance of the play was Doran’s Hart House debut.

Hogan, who played John, said that he was initially drawn to the play by the character of Algernon. “I never really considered myself John,” he said. “But after reading and working on it, I think I’m much more suitable for John than Algernon. His story is a lot like mine.” He said that playing a different character than he had originally been eyeing was not as difficult as it seemed—“[John] is more down to earth than Algernon is, and

I’m down to earth as well,” he said.

Nevertheless, he prepared differently for this role because of the historical context, and understanding the characters was a process in itself.

“We had a dialect coach come in and help us. They’re still human beings at the end of the day, but understanding what they could and could not do at the time is really important,” he said.

“Cory gave us a bit of homework to start off, which was really helpful.

Doing a bit of research into the period helped with our character.”

That said, Hogan is no stranger to playing characters from older plays, having also been in Emma and Waiting for Godot, and he said that there are a few things that draw him to these roles. “I like the text and the language. I’m a big fan of language, particularly the English language,” he said. “I think it can be really beautiful and really poignant when used correctly. And of course the costumes are always fun to wear.”

Hogan is on the fence about Doran’s stance on the characters not being relatable. His habit is to research difficult characters and try out different things. “These characters are taken way to the extreme,” he said. “You have your aristocratic playboy and your entrepreneurial types and your romantic young women, and I see these characters a lot—they’re just presented in different ways.”

He added that it was important for an actor to bring himself to the role. “[You have to] try and find whatever it is that you can relate to the character, and you do that to the best of your ability,” he said. “As far as unrelatable characters go, I think there’s always something in characters that everyone can relate to.”

The Importance of Being Earnest runs at the Hart House until October 4.

Immersed in the film festival A peek into Blackwood TIFF continued from page 5 This year’s festival was another unique experience. I was out of the country for the first weekend, when all the major movie premieres were held, and was forced to schedule my shifts back to back, leaving me without the time to see everything on my list. Despite my poor planning, I was fortunate enough to catch a few movies I wanted to see. Pawn Sacrifice was the first screening I attended this year, which focuses on the true story of the greatest chess match of all time between Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) and Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber). I was delighted at how entertaining it was and how brilliantly the acting ensemble, including the supporting cast, delved into these characters. Director Edward Zwick was able to focus on each player’s environment during the matches and the toll that a game of such mental acuity takes on world-renowned chess players like Fischer and Spassky. Pawn Sacrifice is currently without a release date.

The Imitation Game was another film I sat in on during my shorter festival this year. As a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch, I was excited to see him take on such a titanic role as that of Alan Turing, the man who broke the Nazi code and helped end the Second World War. In all honesty, I en-

The first screening I attended focuses on the true story of the greatest chess match of all time between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. joyed the film, but I didn’t think it deserved to win TIFF’s People’s Choice this year. The film wasn’t as engaging and the performances weren’t as inspired as I had expected them to be.

Nonetheless, Cumberbatch was able to carry the movie from its mediocre state to something slightly more appealling. The Imitation Game will be

in theatres on November 21.

Finally, my favourite movie of the 2014 fest, anchored by a haunting performance by its lead that was as chilling as it was hilarious: Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal. For starters, this movie is not about the famous X-Men superhero; it’s a gritty film noir with a generous sprinkling of comedy, and it takes place on the streets of Los Angeles at night. The movie fan inside me does not want to divulge any more than that. The film is set to hit theatres October 31.

The festival had its fair share of critical hits and complete busts this year, but with the majority of the films being released over the next three months, movie-lovers should be excited for what they have to look forward to. I plan on returning next year as a volunteer to be swept up in the world of film once again. My expectations for my fourth year as a TIFF volunteer are similar to the expectations I have when I watch a film: I hope it’s like nothing I’ve experienced before.

Gallery continued from page 6 On November 22 and 23, the Blackwood will host the third part of Blackwell’s Furnishing Positions, which will be open to the public. The artists and writers who contributed to the Furnishing Positions broadsheet will participate in six conversations, each about a different paradox of public space.

Mary Mattingly’s series of photographs, House and Universe, include images of self-sustaining floating islands and depict her predictions of a collective dystopia due to unabated global warming and corporate privatization.

Adjacent to the e|gallery in the CCT café hangs Mattingly’s Sphere, a 140-pound bundle of the artist’s personal objects. Over several months, Mattingly archived every object she owns and traced its history from how it came into her life to where the raw materials came from.

Pull is a participator performance that will take place this Tuesday

and Thursday. On Tuesday, Mattingly, with the help of participants, will pull, roll and drag the bundle from UTM to Sheridan College in Oakville. The performance offers participants a chance to experience the environmental and societal impact of personal consumption. On Thursday, the artist and participants will drag the bundle from Sheridan back to UTM. The Bernie Miller Lightbox outside the Davis Building displays Laurel Ptak’s Wages for Facebook. The poster discusses the exploitation of Facebook users who do not receive the advertising and metrics profit they generate for companies when they like, chat, or share. Facebook’s alleged persona of an entertainment platform rather than an income source is explored as an element of virtual public space.

Falsework, curated by Christine Shaw, runs till December 7. Look for later Medium articles exploring the individual exhibits in depth.

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09.22.2014

UTM learns the art of eating lunch The star of the new Deerfield Hall, North Side Bistro, puts an emphasis on fresh, healthy food MADELEINE BROWN FEATURES EDITOR Remember the old North Building cafeteria? If you don’t, it’s likely because either you became a UTM student sometime after September 2012 or it’s so painful a memory with its tired Coyote Jack’s and the barely-extant Tim Hortons that you made an effort to forget it. Well, I remember it. And let me warn you: the North Side Bistro is nothing like it (maybe with the exception of its large glass windows). Although I had already sampled some free wood oven pizza (a cheap yet fresh meal option) and a cinnamon roll (satisfying, although a smear of icing sugar wouldn’t hurt) the week before classes started, I had my first official meal at the Bistro this past week.

The Bistro is buzzing as I enter wide-eyed and ready to eat. It’s not the students, excited though they are, but the staff and faculty who seem to be the most eager to place their orders. I spot Patrick Gunning of the chemistry department, one of the many faces of the Boundless campaign. I overhear dean of

ZARA RIZWAN/THE MEDIUM

The new North Side Bistro offers students, staff, and faculty pizza, salads, soups, and sweet treats. student affairs Mark Overton sharing his opinion on the soups while one professor at the cash register jokingly (but also with a little disappointment) says, “It looks like students discovered this place.”

Another professor nods a head in agreement.

I order the “Trio of ‘Beats’ ” salad,

consisting of brown rice, kale, spinach, salad greens, red onions, roasted beets (although I can’t identify the three different types of beets), salmon, and roasted pumpkin seeds. I grab a small serving of their parsnip, leek, and apple soup with a roll and, because I haven’t already ordered enough, a banana loaf and

a chocolate truffle tea. Yes. Chocolate. Truffle. It’s Sloane brand tea, too—I ogle the looseleaf samples at the counter for at least two minutes.

I select a table beside the windows in remembrance of the old North Building caf, and also so I can gorge on my trayful of goodies in as much privacy as possible.

From my side view of the space, I’m thrilled to see how engaged staff, students, and faculty alike are with their lunches. I’ve never seen such a spread of the university population gathered in a single space all equally thrilled about their midday meal. I feel proud. There are other people at this university excited about eating and it’s all because of the new Bistro.

Once I’ve wiped a single tear of joy from my cheek (I didn’t cry whatsoever, but it adds to the image I’m creating, so go with it) I lay my napkin over my lap and eat.

The salmon has a light spice and is beautifully seasoned, even if it was awkwardly stored in a little plastic bag added to my salad.

Every other item in the salad stands out too—the roasted pumpkin seeds with their crunch, the kale with its crispness, and the red onions with their zing. It’s such a product of our time, though I have to ask: when did brown rice, kale, and even the biodegradable fork I’m eating with become “cool”?

Bistro continued on page 9

Farmers’ market makes its UTM debut Despite a few hiccups, UTM joins other campuses by holding its first-ever farmers’ market SHALINI NANAYAKKARA f you passed by the Student Centre last Wednesday, you may have noticed a few different things: namely, a sizzling corn grill, upbeat music, and several tables of colourful fresh and pickled produce. In a perhaps more constructive mood than last year’s #WTFUTMFOOD hashtag, UTMSU organized the first ever farmers’ market on campus this past week.

“The response has been outstanding,” says Genny Lawen, UTMSU’s VP university affairs & academics and the organizer of the market. “Students, faculty, and administration were very excited for the farmers’ market and they were all looking forward to attending.”

And it wasn’t just fruits and veggies taking a stand. Representatives from Know Your Rights and the Food Centre, as well as the on-campus dietician, Kimberly Green, took the opportunity to discuss student well-being.

Despite a few complications natural to new events, a steady stream of interested students milled among

CHRISTY TAM/THE MEDIUM

Despite a late arrival of the market, students revel in a selection of the last of Ontario’s summer harvest. the rows of jams and buckets of apples and stood in lines as long as those for new Apple products for the free grilled calico corn.

Despite the corn being all the rage, Harvest Goodies vendor Peter was surprised at the number of customers at his station. “I’m im-

pressed [by the turnout],” he said as he handed out freshly picked baskets of apples, cider, and jam samples to the crowd. “This is actually better than our previous farmers’ market.”

Due to transportation difficulties, the fresh fruit vendors didn’t

arrive until three o’clock. When they did, the students stumbling out of their classes took in the sweet sight of peaches, blue grapes, red apples, and nectarines, all reasonably priced and invitingly luscious.

The vendors stayed past the end of the event to engage with the crowd.

“The market should have lasted longer and been more spread out,” remarked first-year student Maryam Mhammed, a comment that several other students agreed with. Indeed, with the advent of day classes, few vendors, and other complications, the farmers’ market enjoyed a solid but relatively mild success.

With the trend of buying fresh and local already roaring along, other universities have had multiple regular farmers market events.

At Brock, the farmers’ market every Friday not only sells cured meats and maple syrup, but has live entertainment and a barbecue as well.

And not to be outdone in any environmental undertaking, the University of British Columbia has been running its own farmers’ market twice a week for the last 10 years with the produce of its own farm.

Student-run and greatly successful, the market’s revenue goes towards the teaching and research programs fostered by the farm.

Market continued on page 9

09.22.2014 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

After graduation: service trip to Pakistan The Medium unearths what it means to go on an international service trip for the first or 30th time VALERIA RYRAK It’s the start of the year, but soon it’ll be that time again, people, when the question of what to do with your future becomes increasingly pressing.

You may be within a few months of graduation, or maybe you still have a year or two left in your degree, but whatever the case, believe me when I say that you should be thinking about it. At some point, you’ll have your $25,000 degree in hand and weeks and weeks of free time laid out before you like empty rooms in a new house.

The question is: how to go about filling them?

I’m going to tell you a story about one option. It involves a superwoman (who is also the grandmother of the editor-in-chief, Luke). She’s a woman of indomitable spirit whom I’ve had the fortuitous pleasure of getting to know myself.

Saloma Smith has been going to Pakistan for 30 years, doing nonprofit work educating the poor and underprivileged of Pakistan’s Sindh province. A teacher by training, Saloma made the decision to run a school for children of the country’s Christian minority, who are often discriminated against and, in the words of someone who’s been there, are “the poorest of the poor”, after a trip she took as a single mother with her then-teenaged children. After running schools in rural areas for

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Two young women agree that no matter the commitment, volunteering abroad is meaningful. years, Saloma set up a school in the city of Kunri, and she operated it uninterrupted for almost two decades until just two years ago, when she had to close it due to staff shortages and bureaucratic roadblocks. An unofficial “tuition centre” was undertaken instead.

“For some years I couldn’t get anybody going. And so I couldn’t do this by myself,” says Saloma. Running a Christian school in Pakistan isn’t easy: government inspectors are often rude and demanding, funding is scarce, parents in rural areas often

recall their children to work in the fields, and the only available teachers to be found are frequently poorly qualified and require on-the-job training, which Saloma sees as part of her mission. Finding Westerners to come and volunteer their time is harder than it sounds. Two years ago, she was accepting volunteers for six-month trips. For this article, Luke and I interviewed two young women: Ruth, who had volunteered at Saloma’s school before it closed, and Rachel, who was about to depart on her first service trip with Saloma

in Pakistan.

How does one find people willing to spare six months of their lives, give up on the creature comforts of the West for third-world poverty, and live in a rural area where few foreigners ever set foot? Rachel sees many of her life’s events as “God preparing the way” for her meeting with Saloma.

Rachel was going to a Bible college in the States and working as a certified nursing assistant when, one day, she noticed two elderly women looking lost in the school’s hallway. She approached them and offered to help.

Saloma, as it turns out, was visiting the college (her alma mater) with a friend and giving a talk about her work in Pakistan, and after hearing her speak, Rachel said, “We need to talk after class.” Rachel is half-Jewish and half-Saudi Arabian, but feels “a little bit more called to the Saudi Arabian side”, so doing a service trip in a Muslim country intrigued her.

I asked Rachel whether she’d done anything like this before and was quite astounded by her response. “I did a very short-term missions trip to Algeria—two weeks,” she told me. Rachel described living among the Sahrawi refugees and “basically house-hopping through the desert”. I concluded that she was ready for this.

Ruth, on the other hand, was a member of the mission committee at Saloma’s church, and after hearing Saloma talk, she expressed an interest. What surprised Ruth, though, was the commitment of six months; she had been expecting to be away for only two. But after considering it, Ruth concluded that this was what she was meant to do.

As for the role of service, says Rachel, “I knew at the age of five that I wanted to go be a missionary.” But the women added that they believe Christian work doesn’t mean educating just children of a specific religion, but anyone who needs help.

Service continued on page 10

Market may or may Bistro prices are competitive not enjoy a round 2 Market continued from page 8 Meanwhile, Mississauga itself is home to the largest open-air farmer’s market in the GTA, the Square One Farmers’ Market, which has been in operation for four decades.

It features upwards of 40 vendors from across the province, and operates Wednesdays at Celebration Square and Saturdays at 3 Robert Speck Parkway.

“We did not think we could successfully host such a market--to get a variety of real farmers’ market-type vendors or ensure sufficent sales.”

Considering that Vicky Jezierski, UTM’s new director of hospitality and retail services, attended Scarborough’s farmer’s market in a previous year and reported that it appeared to be more of a “flea market” than a farmer’s market, UTMSU seems to have done a fairly good job on its first try at the initiative.

“When I talked to students and even specifically campaigned during the March elections last year,

there was a demand for [a farmers’ market],” says Lawen. “I received nothing but support from the different departments at the university, including the Health and Counselling Centre and the Office of the Dean, which was also a motivating factor. UTMSU was extremely excited to bring it to our UTM community.”

The idea didn’t seem feasible at first, however. “We did not think we could successfully host such a market—to get a variety of real farmers’ market-type vendors or ensure sufficient sales to the vendors so that it would be worth their time to participate,” wrote chief administrative officer Paul Donoghue, who was among the administrators present at a Food Service Advisory Meeting last year, in an email. “So we were glad to see UTMSU take on the market as their initiative.”

Donoghue said that it would be nice to have ongoing farmer’s markets, but that it has yet to be seen whether logistics and demand will allow UTMSU to organize a second market before the season ends.

Regardless of whether or not a second market will be done, UTMSU has sown the seeds for future farmers’ market endeavours.

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

The large glass windows and sleek furniture make the North Side Bistro a welcoming lunch spot.

Bistro continued from page 8 EI enjoy the sweet parsnip taste of the soup with the bites of leek.

However, the apple has no presence whatsoever. Nonetheless, it’ll be a lovely dish once the winter months come—not so much in the glow of early fall sunlight. I remove a layer to compensate for the heat. The accompanying bread is fine, if slightly overpriced given its size. I’m absolutely full by the time I make it to my last spoonful.

I decide to take my tea and banana loaf home with me for an afternoon snack. They certainly do the job. While the tea doesn’t have as strong a chocolate flavour as similar teas that I’ve had, it’s such a refreshing choice compared to the other

teas available on campus. I tasted all of UTM’s banana-flavoured baked goods for The Medium last year, and I’m proud to welcome the Bistro’s loaf to the family. It’s got a lovely crisp exterior with a contrasting chewy centre and a thankfully natural banana flavour. After my last piece of loaf I’m so full I nearly keel over in my living room. (And of course I chose to go out for lunch the same day I have a potluck. Hello, indigestion!)

Despite it putting my digestive system to work, I will happily return to the Bistro. It has without question been my most positive food experience on campus to date. The staff are enthusiastic and welcoming.

The food is current and fresh. The setting is clean and light. Although

a salad can cost as much as $9.49, I’d argue that in general the menu is competitively priced. I certainly don’t think one should turn their nose up at a slice of wood fire oven pizza for $4.99 or a large homemade soup for $5.29. All of the teas and baked goods are equally fairly priced. I hope to try the calzone on my next lunch out. I intend to also sample each of the different teas available. I wasn’t joking when I said I was proud of the Bistro. I take no credit whatsoever for its design or implementation. I am proud, though, to know that university food is headed in this direction: thoughtful food that is thoughtfully enjoyed. Let’s hope UTM’s food future comes as successfully into fruition.

10

«FEATURES

THE MEDIUM 09.22.2014

Centre empowers kids Service continued from page 9 After hearing the women’s stories, I decided to focus on the specifics of this venture. The difficulties came out—the ones listed above, plus things you wouldn’t expect, like finding half the class gone for weeklong wedding trips in the spring, and not being able to go out on the street without a male escort—but so did the successes. Ruth told us about Hannah, a poor pastor’s daughter who had been a student in Saloma’s school and who upon graduation was accepted to study social work at university. Coming from a community where illiteracy is still rampant, this was an absolute milestone, not only for Hannah, but for her family and future offspring, who would be able to exit the vicious cycle of poverty.

Rachel also stressed the importance of the school’s English lessons in a country where English is “the actual national language”. All schooling after grade 10 is done in English in Pakistan, she explained, so if a student is not fluent, he or she is effectively unable to graduate from high school, let alone continue on to postsecondary studies. Smith is also a fluent speaker of Urdu and initially offered instruction in that language, but says that parents see English as a bigger benefit for their children.

The women noted that although

the tuition centre primarily serves Christian students, religious studies are only taught at an optional Saturday Bible school plus a half-hour lesson per day. Islamic education is compulsory in Pakistan, so the Muslim children would have their lessons separately, and Smith would educate the remaining students in their own religion during that time.

But the main emphasis is on academics, according to Saloma, formerly of the Toronto District School Board.

In a graduating class of six, two of the kids got into medical school and an other was accepted to study engineering.

“Our standards are very high,” she said. “Two of the kids got into medical school, and that’s a big percentage.” In a graduating class of six, it is indeed, and one other student from the class was accepted to study engineering. “And that also is a testimony, that we do our work well without anyone standing over us,” Saloma added, referring to the tuition centre being free of direct government involvement.

I wrapped up by asking Rachel what she feared most about going

abroad, and her response was very light-hearted. She told me about health issues she has that are difficult to manage even with modern conveniences, let alone abroad. But “Trials and tribulations increase your endurance and your patience,” she said. I found her optimism brave, almost recklessly so.

But this has also been the predominant attitude of Saloma Smith over her three decades of journeying back and forth between Canada and Pakistan. “During my training, I never felt like she’s eighty-five,” Rachel told me at one point. “More like a twenty-something. So I was wondering why she’s so passionate.”

Rachel concludes that it’s Saloma’s faith in God, which inspired her to found the school in the first place, that keeps her going at her pace.

And with these words the interview ended, and I was left to ponder the great life of a woman who was grandmother to many, and to consider my own in comparison. What can I do that would positively affect people, that would change their world in ways big or small? We will have to wait and see, but for now, I’m throwing out there the idea of exposing oneself to something new and doing a service trip, be it with Habitat for Humanity, Free the Children, UNICEF, or some other organization. The options are widely always available; all one really needs is the willpower.

Each week, The Medium chats with a

she went with Thai chicken thighs.

UTM professor (in this case profes-

“This recipe was given to me by a

sional staff!) about one of their favou-

former work colleague,” she says. “I

rite recipes.

think one of the nicest things to share

I admit that, as UTM students,

with someone is a favourite recipe;

we have access to an assortment of

every time I make this I think of my

worthwhile

department-

old colleagues in Thunder Bay!” She

specific librarians, exclusive job post-

adds that she likes to promote dark

ings, and the infamous dental insur-

meat at UTM because it’s cheaper

ance. However, I think one of the most

than chicken breast and much higher

intriguing is our ability to book free

in iron, which she says many students

appointments with our own dietitian,

don’t get enough of. (And she notes

Kimberly Green. While it’s a service

that the sauce would be equally good

I might never have considered in the

on shrimp or tofu.)

resources:

grand scheme of things beyond tests,

I certainly feel an overwhelming so-

assignments, and weekly readings,

cietal pressure to choose white meat

knowing that in the real world (which

over dark at holiday family meals,

does indeed exist) I’d normally have

trips to Swiss Chalet, and when wan-

to shell out oodles of cash in order to

dering down the meat aisle at the

receive a consultation from a health

grocery store. It’s comforting to hear

professional like Green, I say why not!

that there are health benefits to both.

When I requested a favourite recipe

It looks like I’m crossing over to the

from her, Green had to admit it was

dark side... Will you join me?

hard to choose just one. In the end,

Thai Chicken Thighs SERVES 4 INGREDIENTS • 2 lb (1 kg) chicken boneless, skinless thighs • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice • 1 tbsp (15 ml) sesame oil • 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce • 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh ginger root, minced • 3 tbsp (45 ml) hoisin sauce • 2 tbsp (30 ml) peanut butter* • 1 tsp (5 mL) hot pepper sauce* * (Green says, “I use Peanut Butter & Co’s ‘The Heat Is On’ peanut butter, which already has hot pepper spices in it, and then skip the hot pepper sauce.”)

METHOD 1.Remove any visible fat from the chicken, and set the chicken into a shallow baking dish.

2.In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Stir well. Pour the egg mixture over the sautéed potatoes and onions. Keep the burner on medium to high.

3.Spoon the sauce over the chicken and bake in the oven for 50 minutes at 375 F (190 C).

4.Serve with cooked rice and vegetables.

09.22.2014

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11

UTM’s Piazza crucial in Blues soccer win Women’s soccer team shuts out the Royal Military College Paladins in sixth game of the year FERGUS TALBOT ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR UTM’s Claudia Piazza grabbed her third goal of the season in as many games as the Varsity Blues women’s soccer team comfortably beat the RMC Paladins 3-0.

The Blues started off the game with a number of good touches and passes and left the Paladins unable to cope with their early possession—a rhythm that would eventually last for the remainder of the encounter.

The Blues consistently pressed their opponents in offence and were bold enough to play their back four high up the pitch. Their wingers overtook both of RMC’s right and left backs to cut inside the 18-yard box while their full backs quickly followed behind to deliver crosses. It only took the Blues 10 minutes to find the back of the net after Alexandra Rigby put the ball through to Claudia Piazza, who in turn coolly slotted it past the keeper.

Seven minutes later, the Blues’ Christine Mulligan shot from a distance to give opposing keeper Alexandria Hogg a scare as the ball sailed

U of T now sits fourth in the OUA East with a 4-2-1 record. inches wide of the post.

Piazza could have added a second goal to her tally 19 minutes in when she took a Blues free kick from just outside the penalty area, but Hogg got her fingertips on the ball and it hit the crossbar before heading out.

In attack after attack the Blues women found opportunities to increase their margin, but were thwarted

by Hogg’s efforts to keep the Paladins in the game. However, 10 minutes before the break, Zoe Carty doubled U of T’s lead in the face of some awful

MARTIN BAZYL/PHOTO

defending. Because of an apparent miscommunication between RMC’s goalkeeper and their left back on the question of who should have cleared, Carty was able to throw her foot between the two, grab the ball, get it around Hogg, and slide it home.

The Varsity Blues went into halftime with a 2-0 cushion.

The first couple of minutes of the second half saw both teams lose the ball to each other before Brenda Murillo, in a brilliant play, cut in from the left à la Eden Hazard before taking a chip shot from 18 yards out and putting the ball into Hogg’s top right corner. U of T fans rejoiced over the goal that had sealed RMC’s fate.

The Blues’ midfielders continued to dominate, using the width of the field to pass the ball cleanly among themselves and to create set pieces for their attacking teammates.

Sienna Nanji raced onto a loose ball 71 minutes in and reached it before Hogg could, only to see her chip shot whiz just over the crossbar—a missed opportunity to bring U of T’s marker to four.

Four minutes later, a neat one-two between Zoe Carty and Christine Zwimpfer almost saw a goal only for Hogg to deny Zwimpfer a chance to appear on the score sheet.

Blues continued on page 12

Athletics council giddies up From Varsity player to new CFL prospect ERIC HEWITSON ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

UTMAC estimates that 350 people attended Thursday’s pub.

JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR On a chilly Thursday night, the Blind Duck pub transformed into a honky-tonk hotspot. Flocks of UTM students dressed from head to toe in cowboy-themed attire in order to be a part of the UTM Athletic Council’s “Giddy Up” pub night.

In past years, UTMAC has held fun-themed pub nights, like 2012’s “Toga Pub” and 2013’s Hawaiianthemed “Get Lei’d”. Paige Rasbach, UTMAC’s director of special projects, came up with the idea of the western theme, and the council agreed to make it happen. The decor of the pub was definitely photo-worthy, with

cow-patterned balloons, a “face in the hole” picture stand, and bushels of hay—procured from a garden centre—placed on the sides of the dance floor.

The doors opened at 10 p.m. on Thursday, with the first 30 people receiving Canada-themed cowboy hats and horseshoe-rimmed glasses. DJ Josh Ivezic kept the party going until 2 a.m., setting up a stage and flashing lights. The pub was well received with a strong turnout of about 350.

“People loved the theme, the music, and the whole vibe of the event,” said UTMAC president Andjela Ocicek.

Ocicek is beginning her second year as president of UTMAC, and has been involved with the council for the

past four years. Despite the success of Giddy Up, UTMAC is looking to stick to their traditional limit of one pub per year. Ocicek and her team worked throughout the summer to organize other events, however, starting in June with screenings of FIFA World Cup games and hosting a “Survivor Challenge” on day two of Frosh Week.

UTMAC’s plans for the rest of the semester begin with a Leafs game on October 8 at the Air Canada Centre.

Ocicek says UTMAC is collaborating with UTMSU and Residence Council on the game and will provide transportation. Other events include a Raptors game, an oatmeal breakfast, an athlete appreciation night, and a video game tournament.

Aaron Wheaton, a 6’6” 305-pound offensive lineman from Ajax, has been fighting in the trenches for the Varsity Blues football program for the past five years. This past May, his dream of joining a CFL roster came true when the new expansion team, the Ottawa REDBLACKS, selected him 28th overall in the 2014 CFL Draft.

Wheaton’s first experience with football didn’t come until grade 11, when he tried out for the senior boys’ football team at J. Clarke Richardson C.I. Being a bigger kid than most others his age, he quickly excelled in the sport. As his talent grew, so did his passion for the game. “It became important because it was something I felt I could thrive in. I always liked the idea of being the best I could be at something,” says Wheaton.

Wheaton was one of only a few freshmen to get an opportunity to start for the Varsity Blues. “I was able to come in and play right away. When I came in, the right tackle from the season before I was picked up by the [Winnipeg] Blue Bombers, so there was an opening for me to compete for a spot my rookie year,” he says. Since the beginning of his first year in 2010, Wheaton has been an excellent contributor to the team’s growing success, and credits his opportunity early in

that rookie campaign: “It helped me gain a lot of experience; I was getting live reps against other teams.”

Compared to all the CIS training camps he’s taken part in, Wheaton claims that his training camp with the REDBLACKS was something he had never experienced before. “Mentally gruelling. It’s different than a CIS camp where I would take the majority of the reps,” he says. “Though it wasn’t physically taxing, mentally it was a lot more than I had experienced before.”

“Though it wasn’t physically taxing, mentally it was a lot more than I had experienced before.”

Wheaton made it to the end of his first CFL training camp, but he didn’t end up making the final roster. He’s been using his last year of CIS eligibility this year with the Varsity Blues in preparation for next summer’s training camp with the REDBLACKS or whichever CFL team decides to take a look at him. “Right now, I’m property of the REDBLACKS and they can claim me after my CIS season. If they don’t, I’ll happily go somewhere else if that’s a possibility,” he says.

CFL continued on page 12

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«SPORTS

THE MEDIUM 09.22.2014

Wheaton’s road The science of a field goal Blues leading scorer Hewitson details how to prepare for a kick

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Aaron Wheaton (#51) is playing his fifth season as a Varsity Blue.

CFL continued from page 11 Wheaton’s experience at training camp has motivated him to return to that position in summer of 2015, and this time prepared him for what to expect. “My goals are pretty limited right now; I’d just like to make a CFL squad more than anything,” he says.

Thinking about what brought him to where he is now, Wheaton credits his father with having a big influence on his life. He has taken up his father’s outlook on work and transferred it over to how he treats the game of football. “My father worked very hard to get where he is today,” says Wheaton. “He’s someone who worked his way up through the years, always doing things the right way, never taking shortcuts.”

Wheaton is as focussed off the field as he is on it. His main goal right now

is to graduate with a degree in political science and city studies. “Graduating is my biggest goal. I’m three credits away,” he says. Wheaton says that other career paths that interest him are working with the CSIS or policing.

At the moment, Wheaton dons number 51 for the Varsity Blues as a bruiser whose role is to protect the quarterback at all costs. He brings experience and skill to the Blues, and they have more reason to hope for the playoffs for the first time in 20 years.

“This year we have a great shot at making the playoffs, and it would be awesome to be on the team the year that we accomplish that feat,” says Wheaton.

The Blues can be seen in action on Saturday, September 27 when they host the Ottawa Gee-Gees in Varsity Stadium at 1 p.m.

Blues take RMC 3-0 Blues continued from page 11

deserve a quiet evening.

In the final minute of the game, Piazza sent a well-taken cross to Zwimpfer, whose bouncing header went agonizingly wide of the post to make the final score Varsity Blues 3-0 RMC Paladins.

Coach Stuart Neely was happy with the way his girls choked the Paladins’ plays, but encourages them to “speed up in attack as well as be sharper in front of the goal in order to rise to Queen’s challenge”. But they certainly

PLAYER OF THE MATCH CLAUDIA PIAZZA (BLUES) A very convincing display by the sophomore centre midfielder, who played with ease and tirelessly slid her teammates behind the opposing team’s back four. A natural leader, she landed the first goal on her only shot of the game, giving her team momentum to build on. Unfortunately, Piazza and the team were held scoreless in Sunday’s game against Queens, losing 4-0.

Eric Hewitson (#15) is in his second year with the Varsity Blues.

JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR Eric Hewitson is a Varsity Blues football kicker. He is a second-year English major at UTM, balancing football and contributing to The Medium in his spare time as the associate sports editor. His job as a kicker is in no way as glamorous as that of the other players on the team. Often called in to convert on an extra point or score a field goal, a kicker’s role is highly specialized yet often criticized as a low-risk position that has minimal impact on the outcome on the game.

But this isn’t always so, and especially not in Hewitson’s case. He led the Varsity Blues in points in the 2013 season and is currently the team’s leading scorer. “If you were to ask a coach what the most important aspect of football is, they would say field position kickers, since we are responsible for giving the team the best field position possible,” he says.

Despite playing a less physical role, what Hewitson and kickers across OUA and CIS football are able to accomplish takes skill and practice. “To be a successful field goal kicker, you have to be calm and confident,” says Hewitson, who has played with the Blues in both of his two years as a student.

Hewitson believes that enter-

ing a calmer mental state aids in delivering a precise kick. Each kicker is unique in their approach, and Hewitson works on getting his heart rate low, like an Olympic sharpshooter’s. “You need to focus on the uprights and where you’re positioned on the field,” he says.

By taking three steps back and two steps across in a perfect right angle, the kicker is positioned at an appropriate distance from the ball that provides them with enough of a running start to kick the ball with enough force to send it soaring over the uprights. Positioning himself in this way also gives him enough distance to kick before the other team has a chance to block his attempt.

A kicker must drown out the distractions: the sound of the fans, the shouting of the coaches and players, and even the opposing players.

“Once the ball is snapped seven yards away from the kick spot, I only have 1.2 seconds to kick the ball perfectly,” he says. In the 1.2 seconds Hewitson has to score for his team, he must be precise in every movement. “I take a small jab

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

step, then a small second step where I essentially leap two yards until my plant foot is placed directly beside the ball about six inches away,” he says. The plant foot provides him with the stability he needs when kicking the ball, but also propels his body forward.

In this whirlwind moment, a kicker must drown out the distractions that surround him: the sound of the fans, the shouting of the coaches and players, and even the threat of the opposing players.

The kicker must focus on nothing but the ball, maintaining his position and being ready to leap, so that after the snap is made and the booming sound of a cleat hitting the pigskin echoes throughout the stadium, the kicker can look up to see the ball rotating through the air past the rusty metal uprights, and feel satisfaction knowing that he has done his job.

Hewitson has had the privilege of showcasing his skill in an instructional video on field goal kicking, which the OUA asked him to complete for their YouTube channel.

Only two of the four remaining games in the regular season will be played at U of T, but you can still catch Hewitson and the Blues on their road to the playoffs when they face the University of Ottawa on September 27 at 1 p.m.