Vol 41 issue 8

THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

November 3, 2014 Volume 41, Issue 8 themedium.ca

New board structure rejected Bylaw amendment fails to achieve two-thirds majority at UTSU annual general meeting MARIA IQBAL NEWS EDITOR UTSU’s controversial board structure proposal, which would have seen college directors replaced by constituency directors, was defeated at the AGM on Wednesday when it failed to achieve a two-thirds majority in favour.

The motion was 6% shy of a twothirds majority.

The remaining bylaw changes were split by a new motion introduced early in the AGM and were adopted by a majority vote, except for the motion to establish commissions and committees for colleges and faculties.

Held in the OISE auditorium, the meeting was called to order at 6:55 p.m. by Chair Ashkon Hashemi.

DEBATE OVER PROPOSED BOARD STRUCTURE The board structure proposal was brought up at beginning of the meeting in UTSU President Yolen BolloKamara’s address. Bollo-Kamara spoke to the background of the proposal and

so early, we [weren’t] able to reflect, to change it, to add edits, to ask questions,” he said.

Tina Saban, co-head of Trinity College, accused UTSU of violating its own bylaws by trying to pass the new board structure without conducting a plebiscite—a non-binding referendum. The board passed a resolution in January to hold a plebiscite to approve any changes to Bylaw V prior to the AGM but did not, Saban said.

“We had every intention of it; there was one that was drafted and put forward and unfortunately was ruled out of order at the board meeting,” responded Bollo-Kamara.

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Wednesday’s annual general meeting included votes on proposed changes to UTSU bylaws. the union’s efforts to collect input from colleges and student societies at U of T, including by holding presentations and meeting with multiple downtown colleges and professional faculties.

“Some student societies never responded to my emails,” she said.

Bollo-Kamara defended the pro-

posal, saying, “This proposal doesn’t exclude anyone, but what it does is focuses on the different ways in which students access postsecondary education and are able to participate in all aspects of this campus.”

A question-and-answer period followed the presidential address. UTSU

VP university affairs Pierre Harfouche spoke against the proposed board structure, saying that it had been passed by the board of directors prior to beginning consultations.

“We should have done the consultation before we presented this to the AGM, before we passed it. We did it

BOLLO-KAMARA CONDEMNS “MISINFORMATION” Kaleem Hawa, chair of Trinity College Meeting, spoke about false information circulated by students claiming to be UTSU volunteers to the effect that if the board proposal failed, club funding could be in jeopardy.

AGM continued on page 2

U of T alumna elected mayor Bonnie Crombie wins Mississauga election, succeeding Hazel McCallion as mayor Circus of horrors

NICOLE DANESI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Following nearly four decades under Hazel McCallion’s leadership, Mississauga has elected a new mayor.

Winning with 63% support, mayorelect Bonnie Crombie defeated frontrunner Steve Mahoney and 13 other candidates vying for the city’s top job.

“Thank you, Mississauga,” said Crombie, shouting over the crowd at the Crombie victory party held on election night. “I am truly honoured and overwhelmed.”

A current city councillor representing Mississauga’s Ward 5, Crombie is a U of T alumna, former businesswoman, and former Member of Parliament representing Mississauga Streetsville.

“You made a choice to vote for the future and a bold new vision for our city,” said Crombie. “You voted

The Haunted Carnival passed by our quiet little campus looking for the souls of students to consume.

Medium News, page 3

A different kind of circus The AGM downtown is always a good show. Now let’s get our heads screwed on again.

Medium Opinion, page 4

This isle is full of noises The Tempest comes to Hart House and we sit down with its veteran director, Jeremy Hutton.

Medium Arts, page 5 BONNIECROMBIE.CA/PHOTO

Four of UTM’s 126 residents eligible to vote took to the polls on Monday. to move Mississauga forward, and as your mayor, I will do just that.”

Although polls reported a neckand-neck race between Crombie and Mahoney for much of the campaign, Crombie came out on top with 56,122

votes ahead of Mahoney on election night. According to a Forum Research poll published on September 27—exactly one month before election day— Mahoney led the pack of 15 mayoral contenders with 40% support, while

Crombie trailed closely behind at 36%. The polls drastically changed following McCallion’s endorsement of Crombie’s platform.

Mayor continued on page 3

Not hiding anything Talking to a UTM author about her latest book, exploring controversial views on the Islamic headscarf.

Medium Features, page 8

Cross country takes off The first and only meet of the year for the Eagles took place at Seneca.

Not a win, but not bad, either.

Medium Sports, page 11

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«NEWS

THE MEDIUM 11.03.2014

“Think Pink” for breast cancer

October 23, 8:50 a.m.

Motor Vehicle Accident Campus Police attended upper deck of Lot 8 to investigate a single vehicle collision. Damage to the vehicle was extensive. The driver was not injured.

juana at the Student Centre.

October 23, 1:14 p.m.

Motor Vehicle Accident Campus Police attended parking lot 4 to investigate a motor vehicle accident. No injuries were reported.

October 25, 3:40 a.m.

Noise Complaint Campus Police attended a unit in Leacock Lane to investigate a noise complaint. The tenant was asked to keep the noise level down.

October 23, 3:20 p.m.

Medical Call Campus Police assisted an injured female. The female was transported to hospital.

October 24, 9:55 a.m.

Motor Vehicle Accident Peel Regional Police and Campus Police investigated a cyclist struck by a vehicle. The vehicle did not remain on the scene of the accident. The cyclist did not suffer any injuries. Peel Regional Police are investigating.

October 24, 11:45 a.m.

Controlled Drugs & Substances Act Campus Police investigated a group of 5 students for possession of mari-

October 25, 12:12 a.m.

Medical Call Campus Police responded to a call about an intoxicated person. EMS transported the person to hospital.

October 27, 4:13 a.m.

Mischief Campus Police investigated mischief in IB 120. A fire extinguisher was discharged inside the classroom.

October 27, 7:45 p.m.

Theft Under $5000 A student reported the theft of her wallet from the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre.

October 29, 6:09 p.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police cautioned and trespassed a male, non-community member for trying to gain unauthorized entry into the Athletic Centre.

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

Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905 453 3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477.

New emergency phones are located near the Innovation Complex.

CHRISTY TAM/THE MEDIUM

The UTM Muslim Students’ Association’s “Think Pink” event raised $339 for breast cancer.

FARAH QAISER The UTM Muslim Students’ Association held their annual “Think Pink” event last week to raise funds for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This year, the event included a large bake sale with homemade cupcakes, macaroons, biryani, and cotton candy.

There was also a spin-the-wheel game in which students were asked to distinguish between popular breast cancer myths and facts.

In addition to collecting donations, the MSA also organised a lecture by associate professor Patrick Gunning of the Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences. In his lecture, Gunning explained his cancer research and, in particular, the implications of

his research for the future of breast cancer treatment.

Gunning and his team have been designing a drug molecule that deactivates the STAT3 protein in cells. The STAT3 protein is hyperactive in many cancerous cells, Gunning explained, and many diseases are STAT3-driven, such as psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Gunning’s drug has been approved for clinical trials for psoriasis, and he said trials for breast cancer are likely to follow.

In previous years, the MSA’s event was called “Pink Hijab Day”, said president Maha Khan. This year, in order to make the event more inclusive for the whole community, the event was renamed “Think Pink” and students were encouraged to dress in pink to

show support for breast cancer sufferers and further raise awareness amongst the community. Last year, the event raised about $170.

“Two years ago, we raised about $500, but sadly last year our event was cut short by a bad storm,” said Khan.

According to final calculations, the MSA raised $339 this year. All the funds will go to the Canadian Breast Cancer Association.

“What I’m hoping is that this week not only raises awareness for breast cancer, but also shows that Muslims are not only involved in their own issues, but are also involved with community initiatives,” says Khan. “Breast cancer affects both men and women, and we’d like to do our part in helping to raise awareness.”

Final motions left undebated

DIVISION OF BYLAW AMENDMENTS Before the vote on the bylaw changes, Bollo-Kamara moved to separate bylaw sections V and XI—concerning the controversial new board structure and committees—from the remainder of the amendments so they could be voted on separately.

All of the remaining amendments were passed by a simple majority.

sultation for the proposed structure, a failure to sufficiently investigate alternative structures, and using “scare tactics” such as condemning the proposal for a class structure under the name of “corporate paralysis”.

Other students said that the current model did not provide sufficient representation to minority communities. Students who spoke in favour of the new structure also supported its focus on “issues” related to specific groups.

UTSU VP internal and services Cameron Wathey also mentioned the defeat of alternative solutions—including the possibility of reincorporating UTSU in Ontario in order to avoid the jurisdiction of the federal act—as a reason to support the proposed structure.

After a heated debate, a motion was put forward to call the question to vote. With a tally of 1,556 votes in favour and 1,167 against, the motion was defeated.

The next item was bylaw 11, which concerned the establishment of commissions and committees for college and faculty representation. This motion was defeated by a majority.

BYLAW SECTION V DEFEATED When the discussion turned to Bylaw V, a motion proposed by Bollo-Kamara was passed to amend the proposed structure so that the names of the constituency directors would be changed from “international students’ director” to “international students’ issues director”, and the others on the same pattern.

The floor was then opened to students to speak in favour of or against the motion. Students against the motion condemned what they alleged to be an inadequate amount of con-

THRESHOLD REQUIRED TO “PASS” RESOLUTION Prior to the votes on the bylaw amendments, Hashemi explained that the motion concerning the board structure required a two-thirds majority vote in order to pass. He said that according to the Canada Not-forprofit Corporations Act, the amendment required a “special resolution” since it involved a change in the number of directors.

All the other amendments required a simple majority in order to pass under the CNCA, which Hashemi said

AGM continued from Cover Bollo-Kamara responded that UTSU has been “very clear” about the consequences of not passing the board proposal.

“Waiting 12 months [to pass a new structure before the deadline imposed by the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act] puts us in jeopardy, and no one is sure exactly what happens if we don’t pass a structure in a year,” she said. “But I’ve always been very clear that we do have that time”.

“I can’t speak to misinformation [from UTSU], but I will condemn that there has been a lot of misinformation about the board structure,” she added.

overrides UTSU bylaws stipulating a two-thirds majority vote for all bylaw amendments.

Ryan Gomes, UTSU board member for the Faculty of Engineering, raised the point that although UTSU has applied for continuance under the CNCA, the two-thirds’ threshold will only apply if the application is accepted.

Hashemi responded that the numbers have been recorded and will be available if the threshold changes.

OTHER MOTIONS NOT CARRIED After the motions concerning bylaw amendments, the discussion turned to the remaining motions that had been submitted for the AGM, including resolutions to hold a “Drop Fees Day of Action”, to investigate courses purportedly designed to “weed out” students, and to campaign in support of international student needs.

Before a vote could be called on these motions, a motion to adjourn the meeting was introduced and carried. The meeting was adjourned at 11 p.m.

UTMSU CONDEMNS “ATTACKS DIRECTED TO UTM STUDENTS” UTMSU president Hassan Havili commented on the AGM in an interview later in the week.

According to Havili, approximately 90 UTM students attended the AGM, including UTMSU board members and executives.

“We played a constructive role at the meeting to make sure there is adequate discussion and debate before the motions were considered,” he said.

AGM continued on page 3

11.03.2014 THE MEDIUM NEWS

Carnival returns to haunt UTM

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»SHOULD WE GET PAID FOR USING FACEBOOK?

CHRISTY TAM/THE MEDIUM

UTMSU hosted the Halloween Haunted Carnival in the Student Centre last Thursday and Friday.

MENNA ELNAKA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The Student Centre was transformed into a haunted centre filled with skulls, zombies, rat sculptures, a robotic zombie, and deathly sounds for the Halloween Haunted Carnival hosted by UTMSU in collaboration with clubs and student associations last week.

On Thursday, booths were set up inside the Student Centre, with a witch hat ring toss, archery, and a pie-eating contest. A fortune teller and tea leaf reader were also featured.

There were a few different activities on Friday, including apple-bobbing barrels, face-painting tables offered by Rhythm, potions by the psychology association, and donations in exchange for a pumpkin spice cupcake or a face painted by the World Wildlife Fund.

The other student groups that con-

tributed to the carnival include the Vietnamese Student Association, which sold desserts; the Erindale Campus African Students’ Association, which held a bake sale; and the Muslim Students’ Association, which offered biryani and samosas. There was also a stand with free popcorn and cotton candy.

Amandip Dhindsa, a second-year political science and history student, said, “I liked the popcorn stand and shooting arrows. But the free popcorn was the best!”

The carnival also featured several photo booths offered by the Egyptian Students’ Association featuring Cleopatra and pharaoh costumes, as well as by Medlife UTM, giving students the chance to have their photo taken with Spiderman.

Medlife UTM also organized a Zombie Run, which ran a course

around campus.

The South Asian Alliance conducted a “Thriller” dance workshop in the Presentation Room.

On both days, an inflatable haunted maze was set up on the second floor of the Student Centre.

“It was 10 times more terrifying than I thought it would be! I screamed so hard my throat hurt. But it was worth it. At least I got candy afterwards,” said second-year student Sandra Elbaradie about the haunted maze. “I love how such carnivals bring all people together to have their own kind of fun.”

Amir Mozzami, UTMSU’s VP parttime affairs and one of the main organizers of the Halloween Carnival, was pleased with the turnout.

“I really loved the support that I got from the clubs, societies, volunteers, and the haunted carnival committee,” he said. “I think it worked out great.”

Alina Patel 2nd year, psych

Sameer Kotwal 2nd year, life sci

No, because everyone would spend more time on FB than they already do.

It’s a good idea; it’d be a form of income and make social media more popular.

Nilo Bastan 1st year, humanities

Jeffrey Dalek 2nd year, commerce

Yes, because we promote lots of companies that profit off of us.

I’d like to, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Crombie’s term starts December 1 UTMSU condemns “I have every confidence [...] that you will vote for Bonnie Crombie,” said the 93-year-old McCallion in a video published by Crombie’s campaign.

“She’s ambitious, she works hard, she’s got some new ideas.”

Following McCallion’s endorsement, Crombie’s support increased by 20%, garnering 56% support in the polls, leading far ahead of Mahoney’s 31%.

On election night, Mahoney, a previous Mississauga city councillor, Member of Parliament, Member of Provincial Parliament, and chair of the Workplace Safety Insurance Board, took in 28.68% of votes, according to the official election results.

“This is democracy, and as painful as it can be, the reality is that there’s

always got to be a winner and a loser,” said Mahoney on election night. “This was a clear decisive decision and the fact is we have a new mayor for the first time in 36 years, and regardless of who that is, I think that’s a good thing.”

On campus, the City of Mississauga, UTMSU, and UTM administration collaborated to encourage students and Mississauga youth to engage with the political process and cast their ballot in a variety of media. Among other activities, students were encouraged to participate in a citywide contest using the hashtag #IVoteBecause on social media to explain why they take part in the elections. The city also placed an ad in The Medium.

“The City of Mississauga placed particular emphasis on targeting the youth demographic in this year’s elec-

tion,” said Ashley Travassos, the city’s communications advisor. According to Travassos, the city wanted young voters to exercise their democratic rights due to low youth voter turnout in he previous federal and provincial elections.

On election day, students residing on campus were able to vote at a campus polling station intended for 126 registered voters. Of these 126, four votes were cast.

The citywide voter turnout gradually improved over the 2010 municipal election, which saw 34.34% voter turnout among all eligible voters. This year’s figure was 36.57%.

Crombie and the rest of the Mississauga City Council will be sworn into office on December 1. Mayor McCallion’s 36-year service will end on November 30.

Students warned to be cautious after sexual assault at Sheridan

Mississauga high school team co-wins national competition

Students at Sheridan College’s Trafalgar Campus and in joint programs at UTM have been warned to take cautionary measures as a result of a report of sexual assault occurring near Sheridan’s Oakville campus last Thursday. Three white males who looked to be in their 20s have been identified as suspects. The victim reportedly fled from the assault.

Source: Sheridan Sun, UTM Student Affairs

Mayor continued from Cover

anti-UTM tweets “We are, however, disappointed by the attacks over social media, especially over Twitter, directed to UTM students by students affiliated with college societies,” Havili added. “The remarks are deplorable and unbecoming of students that hold elected office.

We are grateful that the anti-harassment officer addressed the matter.”

During the meeting, UTMSU VP equity Melissa Theodore spoke about alleged comments on Twitter about “filibustering” the AGM—that is, deliberately causing delays—so that UTM students would be forced to leave early. In the 2012/13 special gen-

eral meeting, the departure of UTM students caused a loss of quorum that forced the meeting to be adjourned.

UTSU must now find another way to comply with the Canada Not-forprofit Corporations Act. Havili said he was “optimistic” that a solution to the board structure would be found.

“UTMSU representatives will be consulting with UTSU representatives and, most importantly, UTM students on the next steps,” he said. “We are cautiously optimistic about finding solutions through a revised board structure.”

UTMSU will hold its own AGM on November 13 in Council Chambers.

Teenage army cadet suffers minor burns after attack at bus stop

Scientists say parallel universes are real and affect each other

Magnotta trial enters fifth week after 43 witnesses testify

A team of three students from Glenforest Secondary School tied for first place in a Canada-wide science competition. The team, called Capacity, produced a shelving system for greenhouses in commercial and urban farms. The winners were awarded the Shad Entrepreneurship Cup at a ceremony held on Oct. 23 in Waterloo.

A 15-year-old army cadet in Manchester was attacked while at a bus stop after selling Remembrance Day poppies. The victim suffered minor burns after the assailant with a lighter sprayed him with fumes from an aerosol can. The suspect walked away from the scene following the attack.

Police are investigating.

Scientists are theorizing that parallel universes not only exist, but they also influence each other. Scientists from the University of California and Australia’s Centre for Quantum Dynamics at Griffith University say that parallel universes interact with one another through a repulsive force.

The researchers published their study in Physical Review X.

The trial of Luka Rocco Magnotta is beginning its fifth week, with the final Crown witness to provide in-person testimony to testify on Monday. Testimony from about 43 other witnesses has already been heard as of last Monday. Magnotta is on trial for five charges, including first-degree murder. The defence is expected to begin making its case on Friday.

Source: Mississauaga News

Source: Daily Mail

Source: Business Standard

Source: National Post

AGM continued from page 2

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11.03.2014

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Dissent can do without disorder In the wake of UTSU’s unruly AGM, cooler heads are needed The circus is over. Every year there seems to be more tension and toxicity at the U of T student union’s general meeting, but this was at fever pitch: it went on for four hours and only the first few motions were reached, amid applause and jeers, executives arguing against their own motions, public salad-eating, pamphlets being distributed, bingo, live Twitter feeds, barefaced proxy blocs, surprise hot pizza orders, and even a vuvuzela (because this is a brawl?). That’s not to say it isn’t a serious meeting of young adults trying to make real decisions; that fact—that this is the best we can manage as university students—is the contrast that makes it commentable.

But I’ve rehashed this point often enough. More useful question: What was the outcome?

Well, most interestingly, the bylaw changes that have been a news topic both here and in The Varsity for the past weeks were rejected. The president of UTSU, Yolen Bollo-Kamara, moved to split the two most controversial changes from the others (To enact her wording change? To protect the other amendments in anticipation of the defeat of these two? Because of the higher threshold required to pass these two?) and hence isolated them and made them vulnerable. Which is not to say they were torn to shreds; the majority still voted in favour. But not a strong enough majority to pass.

Without the defeated amendments the union has to find a new way to stay in line with the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. As far as I can tell— and I’m no lawyer, so bear with me— the easiest way is to delete this clause and a couple of others like it: “Division I and II Directors must be elected by the constituency they are running in and/or belong to.”

As we pointed out in earlier issues, this is the part that had to be removed anyway, and the replacement of college and faculty directors with “constituency” directors is irrelevant to the actual problem. Whichever actual directors change, the act—maybe not sensibly—just says that now anyone can vote for any board member.

The part yet to be determined is the likely forthcoming attempt to remove some directors and add others.

(Now that the question is on the table, I mean, necessary or no.) And when that comes up, a strong candidate is some form of minority representation.

And that’s one thing that definitely shouldn’t be overlooked in this debacle. In Facebook comments about it, it has been suggested that voting down the motion was an anti-equity move.

As if! The one respectable part of the proposed board structure was the new inclusion of minority representatives.

If UTSU takes the opportunity to resurrect them, it’ll have been worth the hassle.

But some adjustments would be required. The most obvious is that the imaginary need for a tradeoff, i.e. losing other representatives in the deal, can be dropped. Enough said.

Other points would need to be addressed as well. One of them is proportional representation. In the current model, the number of seats given to each group depends on how many people belong to it. Makes sense in any democratic system, and probably in this one, but absent from the model that was proposed and defeated.

There’s also the problem—which I noted a second ago—of open voting.

There’s no way to avoid letting, for example, non-racialized students decide who to represent racialized students, and the same for the other positions.

(That is, barring a many-class model that has a long way to go before it appears to justify itself to many who follow and vote on these things.)

Not to mention the shifting terms of which groups are minorities (or at least systemically disadvantaged—the women’s issues director, for example, would be the latter type). The particular selection of constituencies would have to be revisited as demographics and social norms shift, as they do.

And this involves walking on broken glass, as we found two years ago when much of U of T loudly condemned and protested a movement to define men as a group needing a voice.

Those are a few considerations required for a change like this, and there are certainly others. That’s probably the reason UTSU’s board moved to solicit student opinion via a plebiscite­— an organization-wide question—even though, for whatever reason, nobody ended up doing so. It’s not as simple as changing the names of the positions.

And there are other questions still dangerously current that need to be taken into account if the board is to change. The outcry to remove UTM students from UTSU (since we have UTMSU and our fees largely wind up with them) is getting louder. Where, if anywhere, will we fit in? Or consider the colleges that are still trying to disavow any connection to UTSU and are blocked from doing so—one reason why retaining a vote was a live question for them. Should they be given power in the understanding that it could allow them to evacuate?

Long story short: this is the end of another year’s news window, at least for the time being, on UTSU’s doings.

But don’t bet that the year ahead, during which they’ll have to make some changes that are not likely to be pretty in order to comply with the act, will be any quieter. Let’s hope it can at least be done with dignity.

YOURS, LUKE SAWCZAK

Mayoral dialogue with youth lacking Dear editor, The City of Mississauga took to casting their ballots on October 27, as did many other municipalities across Ontario. As Hazel McCallion decided not to run for another term as mayor, this historic election was the first time her name would not be on the ballot in 36 years and gave way to Mississauga residents to make a new choice for their city.

In Canada’s sixth largest municipality, one would think that mass participation in the election would be a given. A measly 36% came out to make their statement on the direction of this city and what is worse is that this is the highest it has ever been.

Mississauga has seen low voter turnout for the past five elections and has only recently taken a two percent jump since 2010. Two major candidates in the Mississauga mayoral race, Bonnie Crombie, Ward 5 city councilor and former Member of Parliament, and Steven Mahoney, also a former Member of Parliament with experience from sitting as a Minister

under Jean Chrétien, competed for support from the various communities across our city.

Then finally came the #SaugaSpeaks: Mayoral Forum on Youth held at the University of Toronto Mississauga hosted by the UTM Debating Club on October 1. The two major candidates took most of the attention of the over 300 students, faculty, and community members that sat in the audience. While both Mahoney and Crombie had assured the audience of their experience and qualifications, they did not put forward any progressive solutions to problems that the city faces. The candidates merely glossed over the issues of youth unemployment and transit. Glossed. Nothing substantive was stated and no one outlined any solutions that would cure the growing youth employment rate. Whatever solutions were proposed contained several holes that could leave youths and students vulnerable to corporations for use as workhorses and cash cows without the affirmation of providing adequate or fair compensation.

I, among many others, wondered when the candidates would talk about affordable childcare access, affordable yet safe student housing, and affordable public transit. None of this was brought up. The forum itself was a façade of youth engagement that gave stage to the frontrunners of the elections but never to the students and youth themselves.

I wondered when the candidates would talk about affordable childcare, affordable yet safe student housing, and affordable public transit.

As the campaigns continued, I still could not understand how a student can say that they had chosen a candidate based on a youth issue. Mississauga politics itself seems to inhibit general participation by youth and several other community groups and

the continuance of this trend will only push for further alienation of them by the city.

Hearing from the UTM Students‘ Union, VP external Ebi Agbeyegbe saw the city’s work to encourage youth participation as meagre. He placed this responsibility not just on the city, but on the UTM administration as well. He said, “The university administration must work side by side with student groups and the city to reach out to students and the greater community alike.”

While I wait to see how the next four years will unfold, I am hopeful that students will take charge and put their matters as priorities for our new mayor. I call on the administration, faculty, and staff to join students in taking advantage of these next four years to build a meaningful dialogue with city hall in order to encourage youth participation, and not turn them away as they have so far.

Munib Sajjad Former president of UTSU UTM alumnus, political science

11.03.2014

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Hutton comes back to Hart House Director Jeremy Hutton returns to old stomping grounds to direct Shakespeare classic MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR Next week, Shakespeare’s The Tempest will be playing at Hart House as the theatre’s second play of the season.

The play tells the story of Prospero, an exiled lord on the hunt for revenge and willing to sacrifice the happiness of his daughter, Miranda, to take down his enemies.

I sat down with director and Hart House Theatre veteran Jeremy Hutton to discuss what he wanted to bring to the play and how he feels Hart House has evolved since he was first introduced to it 13 years ago.

The Medium: What was your main vision when you first started as artistic director for Hart House?

Jeremy Hutton: Oh, wow, that’s going back a few years. There’s a bunch of things combined: there was making the artistic project more consistent during the season, trying to make things a little more interesting artistically, trying to do at least one Canadian work a year, and trying to get more students involved in the operations.

TM: Do you think that the visions you brought to the theatre are still present today?

JH: Well, I’m not around as much anymore, so it’s hard to say. But it seems like it. Certainly, the student involvement in the theatre has gotten better since I was the artistic director. They have a lot of time to focus on that, so that’s exciting. But yeah, I would say so.

TM: What encouraged you to take

HARTHOUSE.CA/PHOTO

Hart House’s latest production is even more exciting than The Old Man and the Sea. on so many different roles as director of this production?

JH: Oh, it’s my personality. I like to do all sorts of things. There’s a lot of reasons for that: I work in the arts, and if I was just an actor there likely wouldn’t be enough work, and probably the same if I was just a director. I think I would get bored if I were to sit around—I want to get ideas out of my head, so I like to do different things all in the same field.

I also write and do sound design. I do the sound design because there’s a lot of music in the show, and for me to communicate with a composer to get the sound that I want, and then get it

all together in many ways, is easier and more effective. The marriage between those elements can be a little more precise because now it’s maybe two or three people trying to marry their elements rather than five or six.

TM: How do you balance all these different responsibilities?

JH: Less sleep. I’m not very good at dividing my brain in any given moment—I have to do one thing or another thing. So I kind of have to separate the tasks and find the time to do them. It’s just time management, really. It gets intense at points, but it’s well worth it.

TM: What was the main thing that

you wanted to bring to The Tempest?

JH: It’s really interesting. I mean, I’ve done a lot of Shakespeare in my life, but The Tempest is one that I was not really familiar with before this process started. I’d never seen it, I’d never starred in it, and I’d never directed it. It was kind of like a fresh Shakespeare for me. The first step for me was just going through it and trying to figure out how to get all the magical elements to work in a unified world. ’Cause, you know, goddesses come down and all these crazy things.

Trying to find some sort of overarching vision to be able to contain all that in a way that made it really cool, and

not just trying and failing to do this gag or that gag. The overarching show design that came out of all these different elements really had to be there and try to find a solution that worked for all those things.

There’s a lot of colonial stuff in there: coming to this strange island and taking natives home with you and selling them or putting them on show.

There’s a real underlying evil colonial feel with Prospero enslaving the spirits, and so with that in mind, I sort of wanted to put everything into a really colonial period and pick it up where Shakespeare wrote it, which is really early colonial—early 17th century.

The Tempest starts with a shipwreck, so the set itself is an island of shipwrecks. Ideally, if I had all the money in the world, my set of broken ships all over the place would move and combine to create one perfectly constructed ship at the end of the play.

TM: Was it very daunting to take on a play that, up until this point, you had only read but were never too familiar with?

JH: That’s what drew me to it. I did find it exceptionally daunting—especially this one, because there’s a lot of logic problems in The Tempest. Like, things that don’t actually make any sense. They don’t really have to make sense. But when you’re directing it, you have to make it make sense for yourself.

Hutton continued on page 7

Put down the pen, pick up a broken pencil Magazine editor Alison Lang says writers shouldn’t be afraid to get weird for new contest MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR With NanoWrimo beginning once again this November, writers everywhere will be immersed in cranking out as much as they can before the end of the month to accomplish the goal of completing a 50,000-word novel.

But there are plenty of other writing contests available for students who aren’t ready to take on the much-hyped November behemoth.

Broken Pencil, one of Canada’s leading indie art and zine culture magazines, is hosting their own contest: “Unearth Your Underworld”. Applicants are to submit up to 2,500 words before November 20, and the top prize is $600.

I had the chance to speak with

Alison Lang, the editor of Broken Pencil, a little bit about the magazine and the upcoming contest, which she says was founded by Hal Niedzviecki and Hilary Clark in 1995.

“Zine culture was booming at this time, but aside from a couple of smaller publications, there wasn’t a Canadian-based publication covering zine culture and independent arts,” she adds. “BP started with a primary focus on zines and zine reviews, and this is still the case, although our coverage has expanded to look at other mediums.”

This includes everything from indie puppet makers to craftivism to yarn bombing, therapy through noise music, weird films, and internet poetry, Lang says.

The staff of Broken Pencil used to use the equipment at The Varsity at

U of T to lay out the magazine, Lang admits. Niedzviecki wrote a timeline for the magazine’s 50th issue and noted that in 1996, “We continue to use the equipment at the Univer-

“We like originality in all of its forms, and we really reject the idea that good fiction needs to be a certain way.” sity of Toronto’s student newspaper, The Varsity, to lay out the magazine.

(Without ever asking, of course.)

Layout usually starts at around 2 a.m. on a Monday and continues until late afternoon the next day when

the student journalists start wandering in.”

Lang says that what makes their contest stand out from the rest is that it’s one of the only ones tied to an app. “In order to enter, you have to download and start interacting with our app, and along with the $600 prize, our winner will get the opportunity to see what their finished piece looks like on an app,” Lang says. “Also, our theme is pretty twisted—an underworld that includes sewers, catacombs, basements, under the bed, Hell, and whatever other dank, dark places you can imagine.”

Of all the entries she’s seen, one story that stuck with Lang was submitted two years ago in August for their 56th issue. “The first issue I worked on with Broken Pencil featured a story called ‘Dealbreaker’,

about a man who grew and gave birth to a tiny version of himself, along with an accompanying tiny couch he could lounge on,” she says.

“Then the tiny version of himself seduced the man’s wife. It stuck with me because it was uncompromisingly weird and totally unique, and it quietly challenged a lot of things we think about notions of family in the 21st century.”

Lang encourages writers to get really weird and not be afraid to do so. “Applicants should feel absolutely free with regards to their style and the content of their story. We like originality in all of its forms, and we really reject the idea that good fiction needs to be a certain way,” she says. “We like stories that experiment and challenge established ideas and realities.”

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THE MEDIUM 11.03.2014

REWIND

MARK SETHI

Last summer I was going through a sleepless night, so I decided to surf the TV guide. I stopped when I saw that the Space network was showing the 1974 version of Black Christmas.

After watching the remake and being a fan of cult classic horror movies, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to watch one of the original slasher films.

Black Christmas is an independent movie filmed in Toronto. The movie is based on the urban legend The Baby Sitter and the Man Upstairs. It follows a group of sorority girls who receive multiple threatening calls from an unknown man whom they dubbed “the moaner”. Mysterious murders start to occur around the sorority house and girls from the house start to go missing.

Black Christmas is an old movie but it still has plenty of frightening jump scares. The killer is usually shot from a first-person point of view while murdering his victims. The movie’s death scenes remain realistic to this day. Instead of using the cheap effects of the 1970s, the camera cuts away before each kill is finished and shows the lifeless body of the victim after. In the first kill, you see the murderer’s hands using a plastic bag to suffocate Claire Harrison (Lynne Griffin)—it cuts away before she dies, and then her dead body is shown with the plastic bag still over her head.

It takes place in a dark and snowy setting and the lighting is for the

most part dark and grey. This is how the limitations of the time add more effect to the overall creepiness because of the dark and grainy quality.

In addition to the mostly dark colours, they use Christmas lights and Christmas-themed colours to give it a familiar but scary holiday feel.

The music is a mixture of dark instrumentals and Christmas carols. I always thought there was something creepy about Christmas carols, and Black Christmas confirms it. After watching this movie, you will never think of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” the same way again.

The age and budget of Black Christmas does show, especially with some of the dialogue and side characters.

Chris (Art Hindle) is supposed to be the upset boyfriend who is desperately looking for Claire, but everything he says comes off as hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

Black Christmas leaves some questions unanswered, though. If you go into the movie expecting a big revelation scene, you will be disappointed.

This actually works in the favour of the movie, though, because it opens up a lot of things for debate among its fans.

If you can look past some of the cheesy ’70s dialogue, Black Christmas is definitely a classic film that deserves a watch. So for all of you looking for a dark, bloody, and gory alternative for the happy family-friendly movies, I recommend Black Christmas. I give it three dead sorority girls out of five.

Constantine keeping pace

POPSUGAR.COM/PHOTO

Matt Ryan is John Constantine in this new series.

MAYANK SHARMA From screenwriter David S. Goyer (Blade series, Dark Knight trilogy, Man of Steel) comes a TV series for comic book lovers. Based on the Hellblazer comic series, Constantine expands on and explores the DC universe. Taking elements from shows such as Grimm and Supernatural, the series premiere suggests a different take on the horror genre, and paves a well-organized plot and story to build upon.

John Constantine is an ex-con, an exorcist, and a detective who sets out to protect Earth from evil and other supernatural events while dealing with his complicated past and seeking redemption. The series kicks off with Constantine (Matt Ryan) in an asylum trying to solve a case, and will

MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Based on the life of Stephen Hawking, The Theory of Everything follows the physicist’s (Eddie Redmayne) life as a young student falling in love to the heartbreaking diagnosis given to him, and how he went on to become a tycoon in the world of physics.

I won’t lie, I’ve never been too much of a science kid (no duh, I’m in English), so watching a movie on the life of Stephen Hawking never interested me too much. But it does seem incredible that he was told he wouldn’t live more than a few years after being diagnosed with ALS and went on to prove everyone wrong. Plus, Redmayne looks like he will be a delight onscreen as Hawking (and they look eerily similar).

The Theory of Everything is set to be released on November 7.

LOW DOWN Inspired by the memoirs of Amy Albany’s (Elle Fanning) memoirs about her father’s drug addiction, this movie follows the life of famed jazz musician Joe Albany (John

involve Constantine dealing with elements from his past. One such element, Liv Aberdine (Lucy Griffiths), is the daughter of Constantine’s old friend and has a peculiar power to see paranormal activities vividly.

Constantine is watched over by an authoritative angel, Manny (Harrold Perrineau), and given a heads-up when things are about to get rough.

After receiving multiple warnings about the danger yet to come, Constantine ventures though the city with his close friend Chas Chandler (Charles Halford) and Aberdine to track down the demon that has been chasing her. Constantine must draw the line between right and wrong, and ultimately ends up having to choose between protecting Aberdine and putting innocent lives in jeopardy while the demon tracks her down.

This series premiere stays true to the source material, unlike the 2005 live action film starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz, which Desson Thomson of The Washington Post described as having an “at best superfluous” connection to Hellblazer. (“The disparity starts with the original John Constantine (Reeves’s character) being from Liverpool, England,” he writes. “Reeves from the city of John and Paul? As if.”) The new TV series, however, does omit one primary characteristic of Constantine—his smoking. He’s a little bit healthier than his comic book counterpart.

The pilot is action-packed and has commendable special effects and an eerie setting. The episodes to follow are likely to be even more exciting.

Not to be missed. MMMM

Hawkes) as he falls further into the world of heroin as his daughter, then 11, witnesses his addiction.

We’ve seen plenty of films on the lives of jazz musicians—and other musicians, for that matter—getting lost in the world of drugs. But there is something about it being told from the perspective of a child that makes it so much more eyeopening and real. I’m pretty stoked to see how this goes.

Low Down is set to be released on November 7.

and is bound to shed some light on the life of a journalist who goes too far in the eyes of some countries.

Rosewater is set to be released on November 14.

ROSEWATER Written and directed by Jon Stewart, Rosewater tells the story of real-life journalist Maziar Bahari (Gael García Bernal), who was captured, tortured, and interrogated for 118 days in an Iranian prison. In 2009, after an interview he conducted for The Daily Show, Bahari was detained in Evin Prison and subjected to brutal interrogation. The title of the film came from how Bahari, who spent most of his time blindfolded in the prison, noticed that the interrogator smelled like rosewater.

The film looks like it’ll be an interesting story on the interrogation methods of Iranian prisons

FOXCATCHER This one is my most anticipated film of the month. Steve Carrell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum star in a film that depicts the real-life events of Olympic champions Mark and Dave Schultz, and the paranoid schizophrenic John du Pont, who murdered Dave.

Now, what excites me so much about this horrific event coming to life in film is that Steve Carrell is playing du Pont. I know many people associate him with Michael Scott (The Office) or Evan from Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty, but Carrell has proved before that he’s worth his salt as a dramatic actor. Even in the two short minutes of the trailer he completely spooked me and didn’t seem like anyone I had seen before.

I cannot wait until this film comes out and I think that, despite its tragic content, the story and the powerful cast (minus Tatum, in my opinion) will be mesmerizing.

Foxcatcher is set to be release dNovember 28.

11.03.2014 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 7

Part of the theatre’s evolution

MUBASHIR BAWEJA DESIGN EDITOR

HARTHOUSE.CA/PHOTO

Director Jeremy Hutton is no stranger to Hart House Theatre.

Hutton continued from page 5 (JH:) A lot of the times when I’m directing, I come in with preconceived notions of how it’s going to go, but when it came to this one there’s a more open process with the actors and with the designers because we weren’t sure yet how we were going to do some of the major magic elements.

We knew we created a world where it was all possible, but it was daunting and time restrictions were piling up.

On the other hand, it’s very artistically satisfying to be able to explore that with a group of artists that you’re working with, and I think we’ve had a big success.

TM: You’ve directed quite a few plays at Hart House. How do you feel

the Hart House Theatre has evolved since you first started working for it?

JH: Oh, goodness. Well it was, when I started here, a rental house that didn’t produce its own seasons at all. And then when I was a student in 2001 they started producing their own seasons and I was a part of that.

I would say the major thing that has developed is a more interesting vision of what the theatre ought to be doing and more interest in executing that and making it happen. On top of that, the audience size has grown exponentially in those years. It starts to make you feel like maybe the theatre is relevant to the people who might be coming to see it.

TM: Do you feel like you played a big role in its evolution?

JH: I think I get more credit than I deserve. Obviously, I was a big part of it in many ways and a lot of the productions that started to be at the level the theatre wanted to be at were ones that I had worked on. But often in the theatre, we put a lot of focus on the individual production and forget the people who are making that happen.

I think those people—Paul Templin, Doug Floyd—are the ones who are really responsible for the growth of the theatre over that time.

TM: What’s next for you?

JH: I’m doing some acting—I go back to rehearsals at the Winter Garden for Shakespeare the day after The Tempest opens at Hart House. That goes until Christmas, and then after that I don’t know.

Brasstronaut Mount Chimaera Earlier this week, I asked our A&E editor if I could review a CD for the column later in the year and she agreed. On Wednesday, I approached the green bin of (rightly) rejected CDs in The Medium’s office and picked up Vancouver band Brasstronaut’s 2010 album Mount Chimaera, expecting a horribly done pop album. But it wasn’t.

Out of the eight tracks on this short album, seven were dynamic enough to keep me interested. The use of classical brass and string instruments on top of the drums and guitar gives the band a sound that’s kind of hard to describe. Though, admittedly, I had trouble sitting through the fifth track, “Hearts Trompet”. Perhaps it was because this one had a more bluesy vibe to it, which I do appreciate, but some-

how Brasstronaut fails to execute this properly. About halfway into the song, it picks up the pace and turns into a full-on rock song, and then abruptly ends with 15 seconds of watery drone noise.

On the other hand, my favourite track is “Insects”. It jumps back and forth between soft vocals and highenergy drums and trumpet. The intense brass captures the essence of the hook (to the lyrics “Sick of it / Sick of your shit”) completely.

I’ll take a chance and even say that it’s almost as epic as Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up”. It’s an eight-minute roller coaster ride and probably the perfect way to end the album.

This band really knows what it’s doing, and the album isn’t the train wreck I initially thought it would be. I am now one of their 7,500+ followers on Facebook, but in the end their music is not something I’d carry with me everywhere on my iPod. Pitchfork would give this a 3.0, but I’ll leave it with a solid 7 out of 10.

THURSDAY,

November 13th, 2014

Registration Begins at 5pm • Meeting Begins at 6PM • bring your t-card for identification This meeting is open to all undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

AGENDA

1.

CALL TO ORDER 2.

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA 3.

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS 4.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES – AGM 2013 MOTION Moved: H. Havili Seconded: Be it resolved that the minutes for the 2013 Annual General Meeting be approved as presented.

5.

RECEIPT OF THE 2013-2014 AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – UTMSU & BLIND DUCK MOTION Moved: H. Havili Seconded: Be it resolved that the audited financial statements of the Erindale College Students Union (operating as UTMSU) and the Blind Duck for the fiscal year ending April 30th 2014 be received as presented.

6.

APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS FOR 2014-2015 MOTION Moved: B. Chelvanaigum Seconded: Be it resolved that Charles Havill Chartered Accountants be appointed as the external auditors for the Erindale College Students Union for fiscal year ending April 30, 2015.

7.

OTHER BUSINESS 8.

ADJOURNMENT MOTION Moved: H. Havili Seconded: Be it resolved that the meeting be adjourned.

SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL POSITION

The preliminary, unaudited financial information indicates that the Union realised a small surplus for the 2013-2014 fiscal year and continues to show a positive working capital position and positive liquidity.

The audited financial statements will be presented to the members at the Meeting, pursuant to the requirement of the Ontario Corporations Act. For information on the Annual General Meeting agenda and the financial summary of the Union, please visit our website at www.utmsu.ca/agm.

Proxy forms are now available for pick-up at the U.T.M.S.U. Office in Rm. 115 of the UTM Student Centre (UTMSU office, 3359 Mississauga Rd. N).

The deadline for submissions of all Proxy Forms is Monday, 10th November 2014 at 5 p.m.

Visit us at

utmsu.ca

@myUTMSU

FB.com/UTMSU

myUTMSU

QUESTIONS CAN BE DIRECTED TO: MR. BRYAN CHELVANAIGUM Vice-President Internal and Services (vpinternal@utmsu.ca)

MR. HASSAN HAVILI President (president@utmsu.ca )

* Please note that “University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union” and/ or “U.T.M.S.U.” refers to the Erindale College Student Union, Inc. (“ECSU”).

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11.03.2014

Unravelling the headscarf debate UTM sociology professor Anna Korteweg is the coauthor of a new book on the subject OBAID SAID I’m fumbling to find a quiet spot in the Instructional Building, but the noise seems to echo in every corner.

As soon as I manage to get settled, I receive a call from Anna Korteweg, an associate professor at UTM specializing in political sociology, gender, and immigration.

She and Gökçe Yurdakul have coauthored a new book, The Headscarf Debates: Conflict of National Identity, on how headscarves factor into immigration, national identity, religion, feminism, xenophobia, universal rights, and more. During our phone interview between California and Mississauga, we discuss not only the book but also her opinions on the multitude of subjects. It’s conversation a world away (more precisely a country away), but one that touches us very much here at home.

I asked her what inspired her to write this book, and she pointed to the depth of meaning and value that the headscarf has come to hold in our dynamic societies.

“On the one hand, people strictly say it’s just a piece of cloth and on

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Korteweg and her coauthor speak about the debate at home in Canada and abroad in their book. the other hand the piece of cloth comes to mean so many things,” she said.

I asked her whether the book carried a specific message.

“Well, I am an educator, [and]

you always hope to educate,” she said. “Books like this have many messages, so the thing I want people to notice is that when we start having these intensely heated debates, we think they’re about the heads-

carf, but I think they’re really about how we deal with increasing diversity in our society.”

The book also deals with very different societies that have complementary and conflicting views.

Korteweg and Yurdakul look into the rejection of the headscarf in France and compare it to the reinvention of the headscarf in Turkey.

They illustrate tolerance in the Netherlands and pair it with debates in Germany. She described this process and structure of analysis as “paired comparisons”.

During our discussion, I pointed to Australia as another society chafing with the subject. A grassroots organization by the name of Faceless recently had three of its members walk into the Australian parliament dressed in KKK uniforms, biker helmets, and niqabs. It was a protest against the wearing of Islamic dress in public places.

Considering the global polarization on the topic, I asked her whether she foresaw any reconciliation in the future as global migration accelerates and unfamiliar ideas become the norm in every society.

“Well, yes and no,” she replied.

“This is not something that is only across the Atlantic. These kinds of sentiments are here as well.”

Scarf continued on page 10

When your backpack becomes the boss Stress and heavy loads make students victim to back pain—not just grandma and grandpa ARANIE VIJAYARATNAM Although back pain is typically associated with the elderly, many young adults share the same symptoms. Researchers hypothesize that a sedentary lifestyle combined with heavy backpacks causes back pain in younger adults. Is back pain something we should consider more seriously, or is it something that will “heal with time”?

TYPES OF BACK PAIN Since the back consists of many complex networks of interconnecting nerves, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause or source of pain. It’s even harder to diagnose when larger nerve systems in the spine begin to affect the legs or arms.

For these reasons, many doctors categorize back pain by anatomy (the location), duration, or cause.

For anatomy, your pain can be described as neck pain, middle back pain, lower back pain, or tailbone pain. If it’s being diagnosed by duration, then it can be classified as acute (up to 12 weeks) or chronic (lasts

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

So much for those dastardly textbooks; weighty laptops add unnecessary pounds to our backpacks. longer than 12 weeks).

Diagnosing back pain by cause is the trickiest. There are three types: Nonspecific back pain: The cause isn’t clearly known, but muscles or ligaments are involved.

Back pain with radiculopathy: The nerves are the source of the pain, where one or more nerves do not work properly.

Back pain with spinal stenosis: The spinal canal undergoes ab-

normal narrowing (stenosis) in any area of the spine.

TREATMENTS Not all treatments work for every single back pain, but many UTM

students are pressed for time. Some students found relief in alternative medicine or do-it-yourself remedies to alleviate back pain.

Khush Shah, a fifth-year molecular biology specialist, started experiencing back pain near the end of her second year. She believes that her excessive computer use, improper posture, and sleeping positions lead to her chronic pain. Shah avoids taking medications for her pain. Instead, she relies on hot showers and back rubs.

Stephanie Marquez, a fourth-year biology student, believes that her heavy backpack, along with a slip on the ice in 2013, are what led to her back pain. She also hasn’t had time to visit a doctor. When her back acts up, she uses Salonpas, a menthol pain relief patch, for a quick fix and massages Wood Lock (also known as “white flower oil”), a Chinese medical ointment, into her back. In addition to home remedies, Marquez also started doing yoga to address her pain.

Back continued on page 9

11.03.2014 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

Have you tried restarting your PC? Take advantage of the helpdesk when the Blue Screen of Death eats your homework JESSICA GELAR Your assignment is due in an hour.

You have one paragraph left. You try logging into Blackboard—except you can’t because of an account issue (again). What do you do? Freak out.

And, shortly thereafter… perhaps you pay a visit to UTM Computing Services.

The department, a unit under Information and Instructional Technology Services and an authorized service centre for Dell and Apple, is hidden in a corner on the third floor of CCT. They tackle technology problems from wireless issues to viruses.

Just last month, I travelled to a local computer store to get my laptop fixed and paid a hefty price for it. Had I known about UTM Computing Services, I would have gone there instead. Many of their services are free, like helping you connect to a wireless network or fixing UTORid issues when your account has been compromised. Andreea Mihai, a third-year professional writing and French major, remembers asking them for help with a password issue in her first year. “They were helpful and fixed my problem quickly,” she says. “I was able to access Portal and Wi-Fi right away.”

For other services, like computer software and hardware support, they charge relatively low fees ranging from $20 to $50.

LESLIE SETO/THE MEDIUM

From candle-burnt laptops to pesky residence Wi-Fi, the Computing Services gang have seen it all.

Although they usually solve problems quickly, more difficult issues are inevitable. Dan Rosenthal, a user support specialist and recent UTM graduate himself, recalls one challenging problem. “A student brought me a laptop they had opened up over a candle. There was a hole burnt through the screen and they wanted me to fix that,” he said. “I told them they needed to replace the display, which is like a $300 repair. I [fixed it]. It was under warranty, so we took it in and did the work.”

For manager Rishi Arora, who has been on staff for 16 years, the biggest challenge is keeping up with all the changes throughout the year.

“These days, the clients are knowledgeable and willing to try new technology. But the helpdesk might not be quite ready to support it,” he said. The various helpdesk positions involve constant research to keep up with updates.

Arora’s proudest achievements, he says, take place every day when they find a solution for a visitor. “It could be simple or a complex prob-

Hand over that Advil now Back continued from page 8 Betty Kim, a recent English program graduate, also avoids medication for her chronic back pain. She first noticed it at the beginning of high school. For her, exercising regularly helped relieve some of the pain. She adds stretches to her routine, but she found that stretching wasn’t as effective as exercising.

Tyler Quennell, an athletic therapist and registered massage therapist at UTM’s Sports Clinic, explains that poor ergonomics also causes back pain. He discussed how every seat at UTM is designed for the “average” human body. But there is a range of body types (after all, this is UTM, diverse in every way). The seats we sit in may look comfortable, but for someone who is 5’ or 6’1”, sitting becomes uncomfortable after a while.

Quennell says that most students who come into the sports clinic for back pain usually come in for lower back pain. If lower back pain isn’t resolved right away, it leads to future problems with the neck and knees. As Quennell explains, the body is interconnected, and if one body part suffers, a domino effect happens and other parts begin to suffer as well.

Quennell recommends that students who suffer from back pain not only visit the clinic, but also add more movement into their lifestyle.

Movement leads to more (and freer) movement, and if the body has an environment that allows it to heal itself, back pain is minimized and you’re less likely to suffer in the future. He also recommends that students reduce the weight of their backpacks if they can, since backpacks add unnecessary stress to the back and spine.

An iPad with a year’s worth of books on it is much lighter...but until a major industry change comes about...we have to adapt.

BACKPACKS & LAPTOPS: THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM An iPad with a year’s worth of books on it is much lighter than a backpack with five books in hard copy, but until a major industry change comes about for textbooks, we have to adapt.

Researchers from Indiana University recommend students carry bags that are 10% of their body weight, but most university students carry around 15–30% of their weight in their bags. This is 12–20 pounds being carried around every day.

A laptop is also a major source of weight. Want to reduce your backpack’s load even more? Here are the lightest laptops from last year: ACER ASPIRE S7-391 (2.87 LBS / 1.3 KG) APPLE’S MACBOOK AIR 13” (2.87 LBS /1.3 KG) ASUS ZENBOOK TOUCH UX31A (2.87 LBS / 1.3 KG) DELL LATITUDE 12 (E7240) ( 3 LBS / 1.36 KG) DELL XPS 11 (2.50 LBS / 1.13 KG) HP PAVILION TOUCHSMART 11 (3.30 LBS / 1.5 KG) LENOVO YOGA 11S (3.1 LBS / 1.4 KG) SAMSUNG ATIV BOOK 9 LITE (3.5 LBS / 1.6 KG) SONY VAIO PRO 13 (2.43 LBS / 1.1 KG) TOSHIBA PORTÉGÉ Z930-14D (2.47 LBS / 1.12 KG) If back pain affects your daily life, it’s important to seek medical help.

In the meantime, lighten your backpack load and try to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.

lem of data recovery for a crashing hard drive—just helping people out,” he says.

“Yeah, and you really see it make a difference to somebody when they get their file back—they’re happy,” Rosenthal adds.

Arora also highlights one of the department’s most recent changes to campus infrastructure: upgrading wireless services on residence, which reduced the number of issues and complaints drastically. Poor Wi-Fi signal is a traditional complaint among students.

Arora and Rosenthal offered some advice for keeping a computer in good shape. Although PCs still remain the number one target for malware, Macs are getting more frequent attacks than before. They advise Mac users to get an antivirus program like Sophos, which is free.

Students should also be aware of phishing attacks. Hackers may send a message pretending to be from any team, for example the Blackboard support, asking you to verify your username and password, which they will then seize and use to try and steal services or other information. “Be very careful of what you click on. If you’re unsure, contact the helpdesk. We will be more than happy to answer those types of questions,” says Arora.

File backups, they say, are also paramount because all technology can fail. The Microsoft OneDrive account included free with staff and students’ UTmail+ includes one terabyte (1,000 gigabytes) of storage, significantly more than typically comes with other free storage services and is plenty for the average student.

Contact and other information on the helpdesk can be found at utm.utoronto.ca/iits. They have a live chat tool where you can ask for help without making the trek to the third floor of CCT. They also use a Twitter account, @UTMHelpDesk, to announce system outages and other alerts.

Bueller?... Bueller?...

I get my best cooking tips from my fam-

ly make it during winter because it’s a

ily. (Although I’m not one to welcom-

comfort food we always go to during the

ingly heed my parents’ advice—I take

cold months. It’s simple to make and

it rather grudgingly.) Whom did I call

the kids have fun helping me make it.

when I hesitated to add leftover gravy

I usually serve this with toasted crusty

to my lentil soup? Dad. Whom do I ask

bread or French baguettes and spinach

to check the stiffness of my beaten egg

salad with strawberries and toasted

whites? Mom.

almonds, drizzled with raspberry vin-

Shabina Moheebulla, the historical

aigrette.”

studies department secretary, got her

The recipe is not only easy, but also

butternut squash soup recipe from

flexible. “You can eliminate the gar-

family, too. “This is a family favourite. I

lic and onions if you prefer not to use

got the recipe from my aunt, who is an

them,” she says. “I find the flavours in-

amazing cook,” she says. “I’m not sure

fuse into the squash during the roasting

where she got it from. My mother made

and baking process.”

the soup and it was a hit with me and

We

pass

photographs,

wedding

my brother. I tried the recipe on my hus-

rings, and old letters down through gen-

band and two girls and they loved it.”

erations. But what memory or heirloom

Like the sweet potato soup featured

can you literally recreate and have fresh

previously, Moheebulla says, “I normal-

any day or anytime other than a recipe?

Butternut Squash Soup SERVES 2 TO 4 INGREDIENTS

• 1 butternut squash • 3–4 garlic cloves, peeled • ½ large or medium onion, skin removed and quartered (optional)

hour to an hour.

5.Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape out the insides with a spoon. Discard the skin.

6.Put the garlic, onion, and squash in a

• 4–5 cups beef, chicken, or veg broth

blender or food processor and puree

• salt and pepper, to taste

until smooth. Add a little water if it is

• pinch of nutmeg • dash of cream METHOD 1.Slice the butternut squash length-

difficult to puree.

7.Add the pureed squash to a deep pot with the broth, salt, and black pepper.

8.Cook the mixture over high heat until

wise. Remove the seeds with a spoon.

it comes to a boil. Turn the tempera-

Generously rub the squash, garlic,

ture down and let it simmer until it

and onions with extra-virgin olive oil

thickens slightly. If it becomes too

or grape seed oil. Place the garlic and

thick, you can add some more broth

onions on the squash on a tray.

2.Put the tray in the middle of the oven preheated to 350 F (180 C).

3.Remove the garlic and onions once they turn golden brown.

4.Remove the squash once it has changed colour and is soft, half an

or water.

9.Add a pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated if you like, and cook 10–15 minutes.

10.Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve in a soup tureen or dish.

Drizzle some cream overtop.

Students don’t see the value of regular class participation KRISTEN LORITZ A student extends five fingers, adorned with two silver rings—five slender fingers that barely reach past her ear. In fact, her elbow remains firmly planted on the classroom desk. Up and down her hand moves through the air—up when the professor faces her way and down when he turns his back. She plays this subtle game until the professor nods. The girl exhales and speaks. The room grows quiet: dozens of students, one raised hand, and a girl who wonders why we’ve grown quiet—why don’t students participate in class?

CCIT professor Divya Maharajh suggests that students need to be proactive about their learning. It’s easy to be “a random body in my class warming a seat for two hours,” Maharajh notes, but students should think of themselves “as individuals with ideas worth sharing”. Consistently opting out of class discussions results in a series of missed opportunities to develop solid listening, speaking, and presentation skills that are assets to any successful career.

In a journal article by Kelly Rocca titled “Student participation in the college classroom”, researchers explain that lectures with more than 40 students have less class engagement than lectures with fewer than 40. Participation should not be considered synonymous with attendance, but for most large classes, attendance is the primary evaluation used to gauge participation. Many students do not have the opportunity to enroll in smaller courses until third or fourth year—a discouraging reality that may lead students to hesitate from speaking out.

Tutorials are one outlet for students to voice their thoughts in a smaller, more intimate setting. But are students actually using this opportunity, or do they remain disengaged or plugged into their devices?

In order to assess participation in small classrooms, Maharajh says she “notes when students browse on Facebook or other unrelated websites during class and generally keeps a record of students’ levels of engagement”. Hiding behind a screen or using insecurity as an excuse isn’t going to cut it outside of class, so what can be done to encourage students to use their voices?

Are students actually using the opportunity of tutorials, or do they remain disengaged or plugged into their devices?

There are no straightforward solutions, but those who squirm at the thought of raising their hand can take several small steps to build their confidence. “I often tell shy students to sit in the front of the room,” Maharajh says. “When you raise your hand to share ideas, you won’t see an entire classroom of heads turn.”

Like Maharajh, many professors at UTM are willing to work with students on their participation outside of class. “I will sometimes give students a list of questions I will ask in the following lecture,” Maharajh says. “We practice how they might respond to some of the questions ahead of time and then I call on them in class to share those same rehearsed responses.”

Third-year student Fatima Zahra Hamaimou, a double major in professional writing and communication and CCIT, provides another perspective on why students may not be speaking up. “I think my willingness to participate decreases when I’m not particularly interested in the material,” she says. Instructors should aim to balance creativity with content delivery when struc-

turing discussions and lectures, especially when it comes to unpacking difficult course concepts.

In “Revitalize classroom discussion”, another journal article, James Barton offers a few suggestions of his own. “Nothing kills a discussion faster than students’ perception that the teacher knows it all,” Barton says. Instead, professors should create a supportive environment by encouraging students to make personal connections with material, support reluctant speakers (particularly ESL students, who may have a language barrier), and lead engaging activities to test student comprehension. Barton also comments on the importance of visuals, which act as “a memory aid for students, helping them concentrate on the topic of discussion rather than struggling to remember what was said previously”.

When a student speaks, positive reinforcement from those listening promotes both current and future discussion. “My professors and classmates provide encouraging responses when I participate,” says fourth-year student Kaitlyn Saint, a double major in PWC and CCIT. “It can be as simple as agreeing with what I have to say or adding additional content that builds on my comment or question. I feel involved and it makes me want to engage with the class material more.”

“Don’t underestimate the value of solid speaking skills,” Maharajh says. Participation goes beyond the grade. Developing communication requires practice, and the university provides a relatively safe environment for that. Find an interesting article from the newspaper and bring it up in class—it can be that simple.

Be present physically, emotionally, and mentally. Discussion now will lead to success in other small interactions with peer groups, friends, and those you meet as you try to advance your career.

Government’s stance on the issue and citizenship counts Scarf continued from page 8 She cited the case of two Muslim women who wear headscarves and who ran for school board trustee in Toronto. Someone distributed flyers about one of the women, alleging that she was trying to impose sharia law and was connected to terrorist groups. The other candidate’s signs were defaced and she received messages telling her to “go back home”.

“So you mean around the corner?

Where I live in downtown Toronto?”

Korteweg rhetorically asked.

The Headscarf Debate also unpacks the idea that a government’s stance, whatever it may be, influences the actions and opinions of its citizens, especially on this subject. Though the Canadian government was not

mentioned in the book, Korteweg did cite it in our conversation as an example of the relationship between government and citizens, in particular the ban on wearing a niqab while giving a citizenship oath.

“‘Go home’? So you mean around the corner?

Where I ive in downtown Toronto?” Korteweg rhetorically asked.

“That then legitimates identifying Islamic garb as threatening to the Canadian society. […] When the government starts putting laws out like that, you create conditions

where people then take that possibly four steps further and start distributing flyers,” she said.

Though the book reveals a considerable amount of division and dispute, the people Korteweg interviewed for the book give her hope that the dust will settle in this ideological whirlwind.

“The women that we interviewed, who either wore a headscarf or were active in the politics, they are very much members of the society they live in […] They understand the cultural construct very well,” she said.

“I think that’s where the hope is for me.”

The Headscarf Debate: Conflicts of National Belonging can be found at the UTM library, Robarts, and the U of T Bookstore.

11.03.2014

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11

Varsity Eagles off on the right foot UTM’s cross country team ventures into OCAA territory and participates in first meet JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR UTM participated in its first OCAA competition as the Varsity Eagles last month at Seneca’s King City campus for the varsity cross country team’s first and only meet of the year.

After a quick round of tryouts in the second week of September and only five weeks of training, the nine members that formed UTM’s first venture into varsity braved the fall temperatures to announce their arrival in the OCAA. “I think the team did extremely well,” says head coach Adam Hassen.

Hassen came to UTM over the summer after the varsity athletics program was announced. With five years of coaching experience as an assistant at George Brown, Hassen understood the level of competition at the OCAA level and brought his expertise to UTM. The main concern going into the meet was the lack of training compared to other colleges. Since UTM is a university in a league mainly consisting of colleges, which begin training in middle or late August, there was a slight disadvantage for the Eagles in

CALEB SIV/PHOTO

UTM’s Lauren Brewster qualified for nationals in Calgary with her finishing time. terms not only of assembling a squad but also of preparing them for this level of competition.

“I was very happy with their performances,” says Hassen, who admits that since this was UTM’s first foray into the OCAA he did not have high expectations. “I just wanted our name to be out there; I wanted everyone to

Brotherhood on the court ERIC HEWITSON ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR There are students here at UTM who take advantage of the two-hour recreational pickup basketball games every Thursday and Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the RAWC. These are the students you often see as you walk up or down the stairs to the Meeting Place on your way to class or the parking lot. These are the students who believe their student experience improves because of the opportunities at the athletic department. Although they aren’t drowning in their commitments to sports and school, they take the opportunity to play the game they love with joy.

A native of Ottawa, Chris McDonald believes the recreational pickup basketball hours have given him a means to maintain a healthy active lifestyle. “I take advantage of the hours because it gives me a good opportunity to be active and release the stress that is brought by my school work,” he says.

On Friday afternoons, McDonald and his friend Alessandro Tanzi play competitive rounds of basketball with friends. Tanzi is an international student from Milan, Italy who finds that basketball has given him a platform to meet new friends. “I have formed numerous friendships through pickup

basketball here at UTM,” he says.

The 6’1” Tanzi shoots jumpers over McDonald, demonstrating his skill.

Playing basketball here has given him the ability to maintain it. “I have played competitive basketball since the ninth grade,” he says. “I was a player for an Amateur Athletic Union team that selected European players to play in national championships in the States.”

Along with the strong camaraderie among the players on the court, there is friendly trash-talk that allows players to show confidence and invite stronger competition, ultimately leading to a more enjoyable skirmish.

“Another thing that I really enjoy from pickup basketball is the trash-talking,” says Tanzi. “It gives me that extra motivation to add more tricks to my game in any possession.”

McDonald claims that even though he’s an amateur, he’s confident he’ll improve his game and athleticism by playing against stronger competition such as Tanzi and friend Nick Hallet, a second-year biology student. “You see guys in here on a consistent basis getting better, guys come here so they’re ready for their intramural (or extramural) basketball program,” he says.

Come to the RAWC on Thursdays and Fridays and join in on the competitive fun.

finish and achieve personal bests, and most of them did.”

Despite this being UTM’s first race, there were performances worthy of mention.

First-year student Lauren Brewster placed 22nd overall and was the top female athlete for UTM with a time of 23:31, which was good enough to

qualify for nationals in Calgary. Although she has qualified, Brewster will not attend, based on recommendation from her coach, who believes there is still some preparation needed before participating at the national level.

“My focus right now is building up my mileage and focusing on getting my speed up,” says Brewster, who is

majoring in management. Brewster’s ultimate goal is to improve her speed for next season so she can qualify once again for nationals and represent UTM. Sam Dumcum finished 76th overall and second on UTM’s men’s team, less than 30 seconds behind UTM’s Yi Han. Dumcum was lucky enough to be invited by Seneca in early October to participate in a race, which allowed him to prepare for the obstacles he’d encounter during the run: hills.

He echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying he was proud of his teammates for finishing with such strong times in their first OCAA outing and is excited about the future of the program with so many first-year runners on the team.

The team will be participating in some indoor track meets during the winter and could participate in spring races. In the meantime, Hassen looks to focus on strength in order to have his team ready to compete against the elite in the OCAA. “It was a great start to our program,” he says. “With all of our runners returning next year, I guarantee better performances and results.”

Yoga, the best destresser

CHRISTY TAM/THE MEDIUM

There are ten yoga classes during the semester, priced at $25 total for members of the RAWC. ADAM PENKUL When you hear the word “athlete”, the first image that comes to mind is probably something along the lines of a buff person playing a high-intensity sport. What people seem to lose sight of is the fact that working out doesn’t have to be a purely physical experience. Exercising has many benefits for mind and spirit, and one activity that favours these facets of our health is yoga.

There are many yoga programs offered at UTM, and the trainers encourage everyone to participate and get as much as possible from the class.

Elizabeth Spence is a trainer with over 15 years of experience teaching yoga.

Her focus is on restorative and hatha yoga, which encourages awareness by

various means, including breathing patterns, all while holding many different poses (asanas).

Spence believes that there is a spiritual side to yoga as well. “The term hatha derives from Sanskrit ha meaning ‘sun’ and tha meaning ‘moon’, symbolizing life force and consciousness,” she says. “As we move through the physical practice and become aware of our breath, we connect to the divine, or our higher consciousness.”

Spence believes yoga is a great way to relieve stress and find balance.

“Most of us tend to hold patterns of tension arising from everyday demands, worries, stress, cares, emotions, and lack of exercise, causing bad posture and misalignment in the body,” states Spence. “Yoga improves flexibility, circulation, and breath-

ing, bringing a balance to the mental, physical, and energetic fields. Yoga is about balance: bringing the mind, body, and spirit together.”

The history of yoga has not always been a very inclusive one—surprisingly, given modern trends, women were originally not allowed to participate.

Spence observes that contemporary yoga is open to people of all shapes and sizes. “I am so glad to see men and women in our classes; it benefits everyone, of all body types,” she explains.

Even after 15 years of teaching, Spence continues to study with other teachers, because there’s always something new to learn.

The other yoga classes offered at UTM include flow, restorative, and power yoga. Registration is available at the RAWC control desk or online.

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THE MEDIUM 11.03.2014

Blues pitcher winds up great season Callaghan weighs in on outstanding campaign and her first year in varsity competition JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR Fastpitch, a high-speed variant of softball, is not a sport you may be familiar with—although it’s a staple at the Summer Olympics. In fastpitch, pitchers throw in a windmill motion in order to generate enough momentum to send the ball hurtling to the batter. The pitch speeds can exceed 130 km/h.

But, says Alicia Callaghan, “Pitching isn’t just about how fast you throw.”

Callaghan is in her first year at UTM studying sociology. She is a pitcher on the Varsity Blues fastpitch team and was one reason her team was able to finish fourth in the OIWFA standings.

A Mississaugan, Callaghan began her career in baseball after watching her older brother play the sport at an elite level. “After a year of baseball, I still didn’t feel like I had found the right sport for me,” she recalls. With the encouragement of her parents, she gave fastpitch a shot instead.

Callaghan played on the Mississauga North Tigers in house league and moved up to the Mississauga Southwest Baseball Association, where she played rep on the Hurricanes. Her

desire to become a pitcher was kindled after watching American softball pitcher Jennie Finch play.

“I love pitching because of all the control you have on the mound,” says Callaghan. “Pitching that third strike to end the inning or being able to watch your teammates make awesome plays in the field is exhilarating.”

But Callaghan is not concerned with speed as much as accuracy. “It’s about being able to hit your spots, trust your catcher, and always staying three steps ahead of the batter,” she says. She estimates that her fastest pitch so far was around 85 km/h.

In her first season with the Blues, Callaghan saw the team bounce back from a miserable 2013 season ending in a 4-18 campaign to finish with a 1412 record. For the Blues fastpitch team, who have not had a season this successful since 2011 when they reached the finals only to lose to Western, this was a return to glory. (Western proved to be U of T’s archrival yet again, beating the Blues 9-1 in the semi-final, and marching on to victory.)

Callaghan and her team are proud of their season, and with a core of firstand second-year players who know

what it takes to win, the program looks like it will only trend upward.

“This was a really great season for us,” Callaghan says. “We had an incredible amount of talent and a ton of drive on our team.” Callaghan specifically mentions the efforts of her coaches.

In the offseason, Callaghan is coaching a Mite girl’s softball team and has considered the idea of coaching in the future. But for now, her priority is navigating her first year of university.

“It is definitely a challenge, especially with the transition from high school into university—the workload is totally different. But I’ve made some really great fiends and I’m finding all of my classes super interesting,” she says, citing Dax Urbszat’s first-year psychology class as one of her favourites.

After just two months in university, Callaghan has adjusted to the world of a student athlete. The hectic sport and school schedule and the endless commutes for practices or games have become something she’s used to.

She’s grateful for the experience, and when asked if she’ll be returning to the mound next September, she answers “yes” without hesitation.

ALICIA CALLAGHAN/PHOTO

U of T’s fastpitch team finished fourth in the standings.