Keep cool
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THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA
December 1, 201 4
Student reps grill admin on fees
Part-time
Parking, tuition among topics discussed with administration at town hall
directors elected
MARIA IQBAL NEWS EDITOR WITH NOTES FROM ATIKA AZHAR Money was a major theme of UTM’s town hall on Wednesday, which saw mainly student representatives raise concerns to UTM administration. The town hall, held in Spigel Hall, was the first this year. The format of the event was originally expected to be similar to previous town halls, in which students were given a chance to submit questions in advance so that the administration could prepare responses to present at the event, followed by a question period for additional inquiries. Early into the Wednesday’s town hall, however, UTMSU executive director Walied Khogali proposed a change to the structure to allow attendees to ask their questions first, while responses to the questions submitted earlier could be posted online. Finding no objection among the audience, UTM Principal Deep Saini agreed to the suggested change.
Volume 41, Issue 12 themedium.ca
MENNA ELNAKA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
the lots, without a subsidy from the university’s operating budget. The rates are determined through the governance process and are designed to cover costs. Donoghue said there is a surplus at the end of every year that is set aside for future parking construction.
UTMSU’s eighth board meeting last Monday saw appointments to two vacant positions in Division IV, directors for part-time students. From the four candidates, the board appointed Salem Aboghodieh and Atika Azhar. Salem Aboghodieh was the only one who ran for the Division 4 position in the fall by-elections, but the election results were never validated. According to executive director Walied Khogali, this was due to “human error”. “I was [...] given notice that I could go through an interim election by the Board of Directors,” said Aboghodieh. Aboghodieh did not elaborate about the details of the error, but said that he is “very serious about proposing changes to UTMSU’s board of directors so that errors like this will not happen again”.
Fees continued on page 2
Directors continued on page 2
CHRISTY TAM/THE MEDIUM
Students were invited to the town hall last Wednesday to raise their concerns with UTM admin. Students, mostly UTMSU representatives, then proceeded to raise questions at the mic. PARKING FEES One of the main topics discussed at the town hall were parking fees at UTM. One student who identified as a UTMSU director called it “unfair” for students and faculty to pay the same fee
for parking, since students do not earn as much as faculty. The student called on the administration to establish a deferential parking fee for students. UTM chief administrative officer Paul Donoghue explained that parking is an “ancillary operation”, meaning that it must cover the entire cost of parking operations, including construction and the costs for maintaining
UTMSU calls for all-gender washrooms “Pee in Peace” campaign seeks to convert male and female washrooms in Davis NICOLE DANESI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR UTMSU has launched a campaign advocating for more gender-neutral washrooms on campus. “Pee in Peace” launched during DisOrientation Week on November 3 and is looking specifically to convert the current male- and femaledesignated washrooms in the Meeting Place into multi-stall all-gender washrooms. “Early in the year at our Queer Town Hall, students spoke about their desire for all-gender washrooms,” says UTMSU LGBTQ coordinator Miranda Jurilj, who cited requests for safer and more accessible washrooms from the UTM LGBTQ community as the reason behind the campaign. The UTMSU Pee in Peace cam-
We’re accounting on you New centre opens in the Innovation Complex to train UTM-born-andbred professional accountants. Medium News, page 3
Does not compute UTMSU asks the same questions every year, but we can at least press for more complete responses. Medium Opinion, page 4
Dry on a Sunday EDSS TV debuts a student film with surprisingly high production values. We review it, we laugh. Medium Arts, page 5
Bring on the snow ZARA RIZWAN/THE MEDIUM
Currently, there are about 11 single-stall washrooms on campus open for use by people of all genders. paign mission declares, in part, “We believe that all people, regardless of their gender identification or presentation, have the right to access safe and dignified washroom fa-
cilities without fear of harassment, judgment, or violence.” On campus, there are about 11 single-stall washrooms that are open for use by people of any gender.
These washrooms are located in the Student Centre, Davis, the RAWC, and the library. Campaign continued on page 3
For us international students, it still feels like a winter wonderland. Let’s enjoy it while we can, folks. Medium Features, page 8
17-0 and a silver medal The Blues field hockey team gets an almost-perfect record, and a young UTM student gets to tag along. Medium Sports, page 11
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THE MEDIUM 12.01.2014
Even format changed to allow for more questions Fees continued from Cover November 21, 5:55 p.m. Mischief under $5,000 Two tires on a parked vehicle in Lot 4 were punctured. Investigation is continuing. November 21, 7:45 p.m. Dispute over property Campus Police intervened to help resolve a property dispute between two students in Leacock Lane. The matter was then referred to Housing Services. November 21, 9:35 p.m. Harassment A student in residence reported being verbally harassed by a contract employee. Campus Police spoke to the contract employee. November 22, 4:30 p.m. Theft under $5,000 A student reported the theft of her laptop from a lecture hall in the CCT. The laptop was found and returned. November 22, 9:30 p.m. Domestic dispute Campus Police investigated a domestic argument between two stu-
dents on Residence Road. Peel Police attended and cautioned the parties. November 23, 12:24 a.m. Bylaw offences Campus Police investigated a noise complaint in Putnam Place. The social gathering was shut down. November 25, 1:48 p.m. Unauthorized activities Campus Police contacted an outside agency and advised them to stop advertising services to students at the library. November 26, 8:02 a.m. Threatening A university employee doing his assigned duties was threatened by a contractor outside the Academic Annex. Campus Police are still investigating. November 26, 9:08 a.m. Suspicious person Campus Police attended the library after a complaint was received about a person acting suspiciously. The person was questioned and all was determined to be in order.
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.
UTM team tops in
Donoghue also mentioned an ongoing plan of annual 3% increases for parking fees every year. He also said that the Campus Affairs Committee would meet in January to seek approval for a proposal to build a new parking deck next to the current one, adding about 300 spaces, and noted that the project would have a “significant” financial impact—millions of dollars—which would have to be paid for. UTMSU VP part-time Amir Moazzami added that students pay less than faculty for other services such as childcare and called for the university to look into a two-tier system for parking fees for students and faculty. Donoghue said the university could look into the possibility but said that if the revenue from parking permits purchased by students were reduced, the cost would have to be covered by the remaining members of the UTM population who purchase parking permits. TUITION FEES Several students also brought up tuition fees and called on the administration to address the rising costs of attending university. UTMSU’s associate to VP equity requested a tuition freeze. Saini said the university administration is on “the same page” as the students on the issue of tuition fees, but said that the amount of tuition fees students have to pay is dependent on how much per-student funding the university
receives from the provincial government, and said that Ontario has the lowest level of government funding per student in Canada. UTMSU VP external Ebi Agbeyegbe asked if the administration could work together with the students’ union to lobby the government to provide more funding and subsidize tuition. In response, Saini said that the administration lobbies the government in ways that are different from organizations such as UTMSU and the Canadian Federation of Students do, saying they speak the government in individual meetings and through members of the Governing Council. “It’s a good thing that messages are conveyed in complementary ways […] because it comes from different sides,” said Saini. “The most important thing is that the message is sent to the government.” INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS UTSU VP internal Cameron Wathey also took the mic to ask UTM administration to address concerns related to international students. He noted that international students lack access to OHIP, are not able to run for Governing Council, and must pay high tuition fees, and asked the administration to take a stance on the issues. Saini noted that the government does not provide funding for international students the same way it does for domestic students, and neither do the governments of the students’ home countries.
He said that OHIP is also a government issue, saying, “If I had my way, yes, of course everybody would get that service.” Saini also noted that the Governing Council issue is currently “under study”. Saini declined to take a stance on the issue at the town hall, saying he would do so after an informed discussion when the issue comes in front of Governing Council. DEFERRED EXAMS FEES One student brought up the registrar’s policies for deferred exams, specifically asking why students are required to pay $70 per deferred exam even if the deferral is due to serious reasons such as illness or death in the family. UTM registrar Diane Crocker explained that the fees are set by Governing Council and are associated with the costs for arranging deferred exams. She also noted that students can go through an appeal process for financial concerns. Saini added that the fee goes toward running the deferred exams and said the deferral fee is not an administrative issue but is related to Governing Council. At the conclusion of the event, Saini thanked attendees for their participation and Crocker announced that the answers to questions submitted in advance would be posted online on the Office of the Vice-President and Principal’s website. At the time of this writing, they are not yet posted. Town halls are typically held once per semester.
stock competition Details about error unclear Directors continued from Cover MARIA IQBAL NEWS EDITOR A group of UTM delegates placed in the top five against teams from universities across the province in the University of Waterloo’s third Stock Pitch Competition last month. Alice Li, Ryan Mok, and Samuel Tay represented UTM at the case competition. The two-part competition involved choosing a North American stock and pitching it to a panel of judges as a stock worth purchasing. In the first round, teams were assessed based on the quality of their PowerPoint presentations. The second part of the competition took place at Waterloo, where each team was required to deliver its presentation separately to the judges. Once the top five teams were chosen, they were required to pitch their stock in a presentation to all the participants at the competition. “We were surprised to be called into the top five and we were beyond excited to have made it. We were not called into the top three, so that means we placed fourth or fifth,” said Li, adding that the judges only made distinctions among the top three teams.
According to the UW Stock Pitch Competition website, the event was “oversubscribed”, with 90 delegates representing 37 teams from postsecondary schools across the province. The three winning teams split a cash prize of $1,800. The UTM team was sponsored by the Institute for Management and Innovation, which covers the registration fees for student teams participating at business competitions off campus. This was the first year that UTM has participated in the Waterloo competition. “It was a great experience and definitely exciting when competing against other schools,” said Mok. Li mentioned that the team benefited from the mentorship of management professor Tanya Kirsch. “[Kirsch] Skyped us the day before the competition to help us make sure our quantitative financial analysis was as strong as possible,” she said. Li said the team would look into participating in additional case competitions next semester. “Since we tried out finance this time, we are thinking of doing something different next time such as marketing or accounting,” she said.
When asked for clarification, UTMSU president Hassan Havili said, “The results of the Division IV constituency was [a]ffected by human error made by election staff,” and that members of the Elections and Referenda Committee had met with the candidate to apologize for the error. Aboghodieh also said that in October the board had approved a motion to develop a procedural guide for electoral staff, called the “CRO and DRO Procedural Guide”, that would serve as a guideline for future electoral staff to prevent similar errors from happening again. A draft for the guide was presented on Monday. In order to fill the two vacancies in Division IV, UTMSU conducted an interim election at Monday’s board meeting, in accordance with bylaws that state that vacancies left after November 1 shall be filled by an interim election at the board. Earlier this month, UTMSU sent out emails to all students requesting applications for their two vacant positions in Division IV. After the executive committee reviewed the resumes, they recommended four people to the board of directors. One of those four candidates apol-
ogized and did not come to the meeting, leaving Aboghodieh, Azhar, and one other candidate. Khogali said that the process of appointing the directors would have been passed to the board whether or not there had been an error in the original by-elections, since there would still have been a vacancy with only one candidate running. When presenting herself to the board, Azhar said she would advocate for more communication with people on an individual level. She mentioned that there isn’t much involvement from part-time students. Her concerns also involved food issues—she pointed out that most places are not open late, and suggested having a snack bar available during the late hours for students. Aboghodieh’s goals included being transparent and improving the communication with the students. He said he would also talk to the university administration to address the concerns that part-time students have. He also raised the problem that the library closes at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, leaving students with limited areas for studying late at night. Other motions that took place at the meeting involved increases to student levies based on the yearly
Consumer Price Index rates. The fee for UTMSU student societies will increase from $13.85 per session per full-time member and from $1.02 per session per part-time member. Additionally, a motion was passed to increase the U-Pass service fee by 9%. The move will increase the fee from $170.30 to $185.63 for the fall and winter sessions for both fulltime and part-time members. As for the summer U-Pass, the fee will be increased from $112.02 to $122.10. There will also be an increase for the Erindale College Special Response Team, the UTMSU food bank, and the student refugee program, known as World University Service of Canada. Khogali noted that these CPI adjustments take place every year. Other business brought up at the meeting included upcoming events, including a Cultural Week scheduled for January, the UTM Film Festival held annually by the Department of Visual Studies Student Society, and UTM’s Got Talent next semester. VP equity Melissa Theodore also said she will be pushing for a sexual assault policy at the university and called for support from the board. The next board meeting date is yet to be announced.
12.01.2014 THE MEDIUM NEWS
New accounting centre opens
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DURING THE SNOW STORM?
CHRISTY TAM/THE MEDIUM
UTM’s new Professional Accounting Centre had its official launch in the Innovation Complex rotunda. MALEEHA IQBAL Last Wednesday afternoon, UTM officially launched a new Professional Accounting Centre for research into problems related to the field of accounting. Students, faculty, alumni, and supporters from the profession gathered in the rotunda of the Innovation Centre for the launch. The event discussed the pressures experienced by the profession for harmonization in globalization, developing global standards, and for greater integrity, accuracy, clarity, and judgement in accounting data. The PAC was launched to conduct research on current issues facing the
accounting field in order to improve overall financial operations. “PAC will bring together professional accountants, researchers, regulators, and others to consider the problems facing the accounting profession in the future,” said Professor Len Brooks, the newly appointed director of the centre. “We would then be able to stimulate research on these problems and disseminate the findings that we come up with.” Brooks recognized UTM Principal Deep Saini, and professors Amy Mullin, Bernard Katz, and Gordon Richardson for their contributions to the centre. “This program trains a pool of professionals who are setting world-
wide standards for others to only aspire to match. The expertise of research that is emerging from PAC will inform both the profession and its pedagogy, and it will certainly positively impact our students,” said Saini. He added that he has no doubt that this initiative would leave its mark on the accounting profession, both locally and on a global scale. Professor Hugh Gunz, director of the Institute of Management and Innovation, also made remarks along with guest speaker Tricia O’Malley, who is chair of the International Forum of Accounting Standard Setters and a part of the centre’s advisory board.
Osama Alam 2nd year, comp sci
Mohammad Chowdhry 2nd year, comp sci
I walked home 6 km past all the car accidents. It took me two hours.
I hitchhiked home.
Reem Baruni 4th year, psych
Manar Abbas 4th year, crim & soc
It took me five hours to get to UTM—where my car was—before I drove home.
It took me three hours to get home by bus and GO train.
Proposed washrooms mean renovations
its run at St. George earlier in 2014. The project maps out the location of, and identifies accessible features in, each washroom. Other universities have already in-
troduced gender-neutral washrooms on campuses across the country. According to Tynan Jarrett, McGill’s equity educational advisor, the campus has had more than 75 gender-neutral, single-stall washrooms since 2007, and intends to add 200 more. Dalhousie has an estimated 64 genderneutral washrooms, while the University of Alberta has about 52 and is intending to construct a new all-gender washroom with multiple stalls. “There are people who may not feel comfortable or safe physically, mentally, or emotionally using gendersegregated washrooms,” says Vincentia Kumala, executive director of OUT@UTM. “It is just inconvenient and ineffective for students to walk from one building to another just to use the washroom, especially when
they have to rush to class in a different building or during particularly bad weather.” According to Jurilj, student feedback on the proposal has largely been encouraging so far, although Jurilj recognized budding misconceptions. “Some students mistakenly believed that we would be getting rid of male and female washrooms all together,” says Jurilj. “When they understood that that is not our intention they seemed to be much more on board for the project.” The union intends to present the initiative to university administration after collecting student signatures backing the proposal. The petition is anticipated to be distributed in the second semester following additional campaigning.
Former candidate for Mississauga mayor charged for threats
Polar bears may not survive long on Arctic islands, says study
Researchers warned against relying on data from social media sites
Scientist auctions Nobel Prize after race-based comments
Officer Darren Wilson, who was recently acquitted by a court in the fatal shooting of black teenager Michael Brown, has resigned for safety concerns. According to his lawyer, Wilson was told by Ferguson’s police chief of concerns that other officers could be harmed if Wilson remained on the force. His resignation was announced on Saturday.
Police have charged a former candidate for Mississauga mayor for dangerous operation and death threats made against a journalist. The journalist had written an article ridiculing Canadian political candidates from Pakistan. The writer reported receiving threats by e-mail and phone a few days after publishing the article. He is expected to appear in court on Jan. 5.
A new study has found that if the Earth’s temperature continues to rise at its current rate, polar bears may not be able to continue living in the High Arctic. Published in the journal Plos One, the study says that among the problems polar bears are expected to face are starvation and failure to reproduce.
A recent study published in the journal Science cautions that research data obtained from social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter is not always reliable. The study notes that information from “spammers and bots” is mistakenly incorporated into such data as human users. The authors claim that the design of the sites can also influence user behaviour.
A Nobel Prize is up for auction after a scientist who received the award was shunned for comments that people with African heritage have inherently less intelligence than people who are white. The scientist, James Watson, said he is selling the prize so he can “re-enter public life” after the outrage caused by his comments in a 2007 interview with The Sunday Times.
Source: Reuters
Source: CP24
Source: The Weather Network
Source: Techienews
Source: DailyMail
If approved by UTM administration, UTMSU aims to designate at least one all-gender washroom in each building, though it is unclear whether those washrooms would all have multiple stalls. “The first step would be to convert the male and female washrooms in the Meeting Place of the William G. Davis Building to multi-stall allgender washrooms,” says Jurilj. “We would like the stalls to be updated so they do not have a gap between them, less of a gap at the bottom, and betterfunctioning locks.” Renovations will also include mirrors available in each stall to accommodate the adjustment of a hijab or other private activities, and a sign
outside each washroom designating it as open to all genders. According to Jurilj, UTMSU has not yet estimated the cost for renovations and hopes the university will fund construction. “We believe it is the university’s responsibility to ensure the safety of its students,” says Jurilj. “Therefore, their responsibility is to take on the cost of this project.” According to Nythalah Baker, UTM’s equity and diversity officer, UTM does not currently intend to construct more all-gender washrooms on campus. “At this time, the administration does not anticipate proposing new washrooms be built,” says Baker. “There are single-user, gender-neutral washrooms on campus, but ad-
ministration is open to feedback on this.” According to Baker, the U of T Washroom Inclusivity Project will be launched at UTM next year following
Ferguson officer who shot Michael Brown announces resignation
Campaign continued from Cover
UTMSU plans to collect student signatures next semester to support the proposed washrooms and present a petition to administration.
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Push the question back a stage To avoid policy lock-in, we should not be satisfied without asking why UTMSU’s approach to the town hall last week was unusual. They strategized the questions they would ask the administrative staff beforehand and expressed concern about our reporting on the meeting, lest the element of surprise be lost. In my experience, if you want good answers to questions, the element of surprise is not a benefit; to see the question period as a duel is a little wrongheaded. At the town hall when answers to questions submitted in advance were being read out, UTMSU asked for the prepared answers to be posted online instead, a suggestion that was accepted. This part does actually make some sense to me: reading out answers isn’t an instantaneous thing, and to have a meeting consist of public readings rather than active discussion is indeed a waste of time. But if they wanted to use the direct question period to catch the admin off-guard, they could have done better than to ask about high parking and tuition fees for the billionth time... That said, the questions did provide some points of interest. One thing I’ve noticed in my years at The Medium is that experienced adults are far better than students at giving half-answers and doing things by the book; administrators are harder to catch making bad decisions, not because they don’t make them but because you have to push the questions back and ask “Why?” more often.
For example, take the parking fee question. Chief administrative officer Paul Donoghue pointed out that they have to charge what they do because parking is an “ancillary operation”, meaning its budget is self-contained rather than subsidized by the university itself. We have to pay $5 an hour to make sure they break even (or rather, break even and save up for a new parking deck). UTMSU raises a new point: students pay lower rates than staff for other services. Donoghue: if we did that with parking, the staff would have to make up the balance. The answer I didn’t see in the notes I received from our reporter, though, is why? Why should be parking be an ancillary operation? And even if it has to be, consider the pub, which is audited separately from the union but is still essentially run by them and often receives a subsidy to cover shortfalls. Is this not possible with parking? There may be a good answer to this line of thinking or there may not, but the question should have been asked. After all, things do change over time on university campuses. What is now isn’t how it always was and isn’t how it always has to be, so it’s not enough to say this is how it is. Similarly, when student reps inevitably brought up tuition, Principal Deep Saini (that’s Saini Claus to you) responded that it’s the provincial government who’s not doing their duty subsidizing costs for universities, and
that the admin are “on the same page” as UTMSU but convey the message to the government in “complementary ways”—hilarious code for “We don’t march around Queen’s Park chanting ‘fuck fees’ like you do.” But what doesn’t come up is what the university is (or should be) doing to avoid throwing us under the bus by offloading those costs on us. There’s the UTAPS grant—however reliable it proves to be—and constructive ways of paying students, like Work-Study, but I don’t hear the overall strategy discussed a lot. One suspects that the bigger cash inflows, like commerce, management, and the new accounting centre that just opened, are being counted on to carry the weight of less profitable programs, but the implications rarely come to a public forum. When I was at a friend’s grad reception last month, the promo video I saw almost exclusively featured local entrepreneurs commenting on UTM’s economical contributions. (I concede that it had some words from cancer researcher Patrick Gunning & co. at the end.) Is our identity in flux because of money issues? Are these ideas way off? In any case, can we talk about it? The list goes on. UTSU VP internal Cameron Wathey—for some reason paying UTM’s town hall a visit; maybe he stopped by after coming to see the deer—raised the question of how to deal with international student fees.
This is a tough topic. As Saini pointed out, the government doesn’t sponsor them, and it’s unclear who should bear the cost. For now, the students do. But he also said something interesting about OHIP: “If I had my way, everybody would get that service.” Well, the university provides its own health insurance policy, UHIP, whose website describes it as “comparable to OHIP”. The argument is that international students have to give the university what they would otherwise pay the government (in taxes), and which would be forwarded to U of T (as subsidies). Hence, U of T offers UHIP as a comparable service to OHIP. So do the numbers not line up? How is it that Saini can’t “have his way”, as vice-president of U of T, and try to put the cost/coverage ratio of UHIP on the level of OHIP? As long as we’re using our audience with the admin to ask tired old questions, let’s at least go somewhere new. And now, on one last note... Merry Christmas and happy holidays! YOURS, LUKE SAWCZAK
CORRECTION NOTICE The November 24 article “Local bands climb to the summit together” said that all attendees received T-shirts and Play-Doh, but the number who did was under a dozen.
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EDSS TV premieres stoner comedy Dry on a Sunday is a hilarious student film loaded with crass jokes and a quest for weed MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR Last Monday, EDSS offered students Pepsi and popcorn in the Student Centre as well as a free seat at the premiere of their first film, Dry on a Sunday. The film follows the lives of three young men on the hunt for marijuana during their city’s dry spell. Of course, they stumble into trouble on their noble quest. They must deal with a murder, two dangerous drug dealers, and an empty lotion bottle when it comes to… alone time. Now, when I hear the words “student film” I tend to stay away. After having seen so many mediocre (or shall we say “just plain awful”) ones, I cringe at the thought of another student film. But I was surprised by how professional EDSS TV’s was. The acting in this film knocked me back the most; they all nailed their characters. Adeel Shamsi was great as Mooch, one of the comic relief characters. Considering he also wrote the film, I didn’t know how I’d feel about him performing in it—usually guys behind the camera
MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM
The three young men behind the creation and production of Dry on a Sunday. are there for a reason—but he was a great addition to the movie. Frankie (Patrick Ryder) was the good-guy type who tries to rationalize with his idiot friends, and Jasper (Adrian Beattie) was my favourite as the goofy
but somewhat loveable stoner. The camera work also wasn’t shaky or shoddy like it is in some student films—it was well done and you could tell that they had taken their time to make sure everything
looked proper. One of my favourite shots was when Jasper was first introduced, making a sandwich. The camera is inside the bag as he grabs a slice of bread, and we’re introduced to him from inside the bag. It was
just an interesting little shot. Some of the jokes were inappropriate. For example, when Mooch discovers that Frankie hasn’t slept with his girlfriend of three months yet, he jokes, “She’s like an umbrella, makin’ sure you don’t get wet.” Another one that really got to me was when the trio was debating the proper way to hold a gun. When one of them pipes up that two hands is the way to go, Mooch makes another joke about them being a faux gangster and calls him “do-rag man”. Despite their crassness, I will admit that the jokes, particularly the umbrella one, made me laugh harder than I should have. They weren’t that awkward, but I was unsure at first whether I could laugh. The movie was very well done and gives me hope for student films again. EDSS TV is an initiative introduced by the society’s current president and the film’s producer, Siddharth Singh. Everything in front of the camera and behind the scenes is done by UTM students, and that made everything so much more impressive. I’m looking forward to seeing more of their work.
UTM student talent wraps up fall term UMC’s second annual open mic night gave one last burst of entertainment before exams KAITLYN FERNANDES UTM’s Music Club held their second open mic night of the year last Tuesday. The event may have drawn more performers than audience members, but the result was a supportive and encouraging atmosphere for both new and experienced talent. This time, the show was held in CCT 1080, which was less formal. The show, which was hosted by UMC president Jason Selvanayagam and UMC talent manager Katherine Nader, got off to a late start, but the show’s first performer, Ben Algérie, was well worth the wait. Algérie gave a soulful performance of Whitney Houston’s “All the Man that I Need”. His performance was followed by Alice Li’s gentle rendition of “If You Love Me for Me” by Barbie. Her higher-pitched voice reminded me of a Disney princess’s voice. You know, the one they use while they’re making their own clothes or singing with their animal friends. Following Li was an acoustic performance by Rahul Varghese on guitar and Cyra Asli on vocals. The duo performed “White Balloons” by Sick Puppies, followed by “Kings
AYMAN KHAN/THE MEDIUM
Student musicians rocked CCT 1080 last Tuesday. and Queens” by 30 Seconds to Mars. Varghese was clearly a skilled guitarist, alternating between plucking and riffs during their first performance and then switching to a softer sound for their second one. Asli’s clear and distinct voice worked really well with the alternative rock songs they
picked. Next up were two more duos. Vinh Nguyen and Amina Abdel Wahab, also known as Lazor Sharp, performed an original composition with both the lyrics and music written by Nguyen. The second duo was Nader and guitarist Archie, who played
their rendition of Jesse J’s “Price Tag”. Stripped down to an acoustic cover, the song seemed even more authentic. After another ballad by Algérie, “Adagio” by Lara Fabian, the audience welcomed first-years Andrew Lie and Rode for their acoustic ren-
dition of “Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé. While Rode took the lead on vocals, guitarist Lie joined in to create beautiful harmonies throughout the song. I really enjoyed listening to the two sing such an emotionally driven cover of this song. Soloist Sean was next up for his performance of Michael Bublé’s “I’m Feeling Good”, which he played on the electric guitar. Sean’s deep voice and edgy guitar gave the song a new twist from the traditional big band sound of the original. After a 10-minute intermission for cookies and coffee, first-year student Arlind Kadiri made hearts swoon with his rendition of “I’m Not the Only One” by Sam Smith. Kadiri took second place during the Frosh Week talent show and is definitely a seasoned vocalist. I was in awe that Kadiri picked such a challenging song with so many high notes, yet pulled it off with ease. Nguyen was up again next, delighting the audience with a huge-sounding rendition of the holiday favourite “Christmas Canon” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on piano. UMC continued on page 7
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THE MEDIUM 12.01.2014
Exams are over and it’s the best time of the year When exams are done, it’s hard to know what to do with your month off. The Medium’s got your back with a list of fun events around the GTA. So, head to a party—or the ballet—and celebrate making it out your finals alive. WORDS BY MARIA CRUZ, ARTS EDITOR EDGEFEST JINGLE BELL CONCERT SERIES
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Edgefest is back to grace music lovers with a slew of concerts spread out over December 4–20 at a variety of venues incuding Danforth Music Hall, Sound Academy, and Phoenix. Some of the bands performing are Mother Mother, Death from Above 1979, and Tokyo Police Club. The prices vary depending on the show.
The classic Christmas tale comes to the Meadowvale Theatre stage on December 14. The show includes local talent from Mississauga’s Recital Dance Program, the Culture Division Dance Pak, and other groups. The tickets are $21—not a bad price to support local talent and watch the classic in time for Christmas.
DJ SKATE NIGHTS
THE BECK FESTIVAL
Every Saturday from December 13 to January 17, DJs will turn the Natrel Rink into a dance floor for Torontonians to enjoy for free. Talent like Mel Boogie, DJ L’Oqenz, and Bangs & Blush will be performing for the masses. Looks like your party nights have been taken care of for the next few Saturdays.
UTM’s Theatre Erindale returns with an annual celebration of oneact student plays independently produced by the theatre. From December 11 to 13 in the MiST Theatre, students will have the chance to watch UTM talent. The tickets are pay what you want, with a suggested price of $5.
FAIR DECEMBER GIFT AND CRAFT SHOW
TORONTO CHRISTMAS MARKET
On December 6 and 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fair December is starting up its ninth year and will bring together more than 50 artisans. You can shop for ceramics, scarves, soaps, perfumes, and other handcrafted gifts. The fair also has a silent auction with projects donated by the artists; all the proceeds go to the Weekend to End Cancer and Queen Elizabeth Public School. Tickets are $4.
The annual market takes over the Distillery District from November 28 to December 21 with local vendors, entertainment, shopping, and crafts. While there are tons of things for students to indulge in (Belgian waffles, poutine, and a beer garden), it’s also familyfriendly with sing-alongs, a life-size gingerbread house, and an appearance by Santa. And hey, it’s free.
MISSISSAUGA FESTIVAL CHOIR This jazz festival takes place on December 6 at the RBC Theatre for $30. Featuring favourites from A Charlie Brown Christmas and White Christmas, Mississauga’s own, and one of Canada’s top jazz vocalists, Shannon Butcher will perform with her trio. Warming up with a great night of jazz isn’t a bad way to relax with family and friends this month.
THE NUTCRACKER
HOLIDAZED AND CONFUSED
The National Ballet of Canada’s annual Christmas show runs from December 13 until January at the Four Seasons Centre. This classic show tells the story of a nutcracker that comes to life a n d battles the rat king to f i n d h i s l ove, t h e Sugar Plum Fairy. The show’s not to be missed this holiday season, especially since the cheapest tickets are $25.
If you’re in the mood for some improv, set a date and head over to Second City before January to catch their show, Holidazed and Confused. The show is a collection of sketches that poke fun at the stresses and rituals that come with the holiday season. Tickets start at $22 and the show runs for about 95 minutes with an intermission.
POTTED POTTER Written and performed by BBC stars Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, this show condenses the entire Harry Potter series into a mere 70 minutes. The show features songs and even audience participation in games of Quidditch. This treat for any Potter fan plays until December 21 at the Panasonic Theatre, with tickets going for as little as about $30.
MUBASHIR BAWEJA DESIGN EDITOR
Shady’s back. Back again Wild ride in a van Wolf in White Van keeps readers guessing KATE CATTELL-DANIELS ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR
RAPDOSE.COM/PHOTO
Shady Record’s newest album was released in honour of the label’s 15th anniversary. CHRIS ANTILOPE STAFF WRITER It would be pretty unconventional to compare Shady XV to the Bible, but since I’m an unconventional writer, I take pride in saying that Shady XV has a parallel with the Bible. Now, I don’t mean to say that Shady Records’ 15th album prophesies the Messiah or the end of days, but the form of both works is similar. Composed by multiple authors/ rappers over a lengthy period of time, Shady XV has two CDs: the first is a group of original songs made specifically for the album, and the second features the greatest hits of the artists on the album. Fans of Eminem will listen to the officially released “Lose Yourself ”, made popular by his film 8 Mile, while fans of 50 Cent can enjoy the infamous “In
Da Club”. The album features appearances by Kid Rock, Obie Trice, and the other half of Bad Meets Evil, Royce da 5’9”. It’s nearly impossible to pick out one song that stands superior to the others. You’ve got “Psychopath Killer”, “Bane”, “Detroit vs. Everybody”, and “Cry Now”, not to mention the demo version of “Lose Yourself ”, which has very different lyrics from the legendary song fans have come to love today. Eminem shines in his second appearance in an album this year, following The Marshall Mathers LP2, which became known one of his best albums to date. The rest of the artists bring their A-game to the original songs featured on the first disc and the second disc gives listeners a nostalgic look back into the past decade and a half of popular rap.
This is essentially a perfect album for the 21st century, featuring the best artists and great songs that range from classic rap to R&B. Although this is not an “Eminem album”, we see Slim Shady appearing in a majority of the songs. Songs featuring the founder of the label echo his most recent album, which echoes Eminem’s earlier albums. Essentially, this album pays homage to nearly two decades of American hip-hop. In all truthfulness, there’s no way to do this album justice in the space of a review, but my conclusion boils down to: “This is an incredible album.” You have heard it said that you become speechless when something amazes you; I tell you, I was speechless after listening to this album. Any fan of rap and poetry will have their new favourite album of the year. MMMMM
Though not explicitly billed as a mystery or a thriller, Wolf in White Van moves at an impressive pace with a large helping of suspense. This is author/songwriter John Darnielle’s first novel, which follows the fairly pedestrian life of narrator Sean as he slowly unveils the twists and edges of his childhood leading up to the mysterious incident that changed his life, as well as his physical appearance, forever. Intertwined with this series of disorganized flashbacks is a second plotline, this time focused on Sean’s long-distance relationship with a teenaged couple who play the game Sean designed while recovering from the incident. The game—Trace Italian—is played through the mail in the same way as a choose-your-own-adventure novel, and the reader is periodically given a scenario from the game. I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that anyone who reads Wolf in White Van will immediately be captured by the structure and plotline of Trace Italian and, as I did, wish furtively that they could immediately subscribe. The brilliance of Wolf in White Van lies in its structure and narrative style. The language is usually quite casual, sounding as if Sean were in the room telling his life sto-
ry, but is occasionally contrasted by beautifully poetic and abstract lines. Structurally, the novel kept me thinking. Nothing happens in logical order, and important details are delivered without any particular warning. I felt responsible for piecing together the fragments of Sean’s life, and I was proud of myself when I guessed correctly. Having said that, Wolf in White Van still has reread value: I’d like to start back at the beginning to pick up on any clues I might have missed. Sean as a character is not unlike Holden Caulfield in that he spends much of the novel telling the story of his young adulthood and admitting to all the confusion and unanswered questions. But Sean is edgier than Holden; something in him strikes a slightly darker note, seducing as well as repelling, drawing in while simultaneously pushing away. I want to be Sean’s best friend as much as I want to run in the opposite direction. I admire his genius, but I’m afraid of it, too. Being allowed inside Sean’s head for the course of the novel, both in terms of his thoughts and ethics as well as his creativity, was a privilege. So what about the title, you ask. How do you come up with a novel entitled Wolf in White Van? This is my favourite mystery the novel proposes. And you’ll have to read it to figure it out.
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REWIND KATE CATTELL-DANIELS ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR Christmas was, at one time, more of a religious holiday than a commercial one. This is something that has been forgotten, for the most part. It is partly due to this mentality that I was surprised by the topic The Bishop’s Wife focuses on: not the holidays per se, but rather the internal conflict of bishop Henry (David Niven) as he tries to reconcile his burning desire to build a new cathedral with his increasingly slippery marriage. The bishop won’t have nearly enough money to build the cathedral unless he gets the support of Mrs. Hamilton (Gladys Cooper), the wealthy, widowed parishioner. Enter Dudley. Or rather, descend Dudley from the heavens. You see, Dudley is an angel. A very handsome, wingless, sickly-sweet angel who appears to Henry as he prays for guidance in order to help him straighten out his life. Everyone in Henry’s house is positively enamoured with Dudley, though only Henry knows his true identity. There is a lovely Mary Poppins whimsy about The Bishop’s Wife, found in all of Dudley’s little tricks. He has the ability to refill brandy glasses by twitching his fingers and organize index cards by shuffling them around with majestic 1940s special effects, and he goes to town decorating the Christmas tree. Things get complicated when Dudley develops a very close friendship with Henry’s wife, Julia, to the point where he infringes on what Henry considers his.
Julia is certainly interested in Dudley’s company, and enjoys having someone take time to be with her since her husband is so busy attending meetings and discussing funds. And not only is Dudley attentive to her, but he also loves her young daughter. Henry, on the other hand, becomes increasingly jealous of Dudley’s relationship with his family. While the love triangle is resolved at the end, the cathedral plot is not. Under Dudley’s charming influence, Mrs. Hamilton is persuaded to donate her money to charity instead of to Henry’s cause, and the cathedral is never built. This plotline is left hanging at the end of the film, which I found rather irritating. It would only have taken another scene or two to tidy this up, but it seems instead that the relationships were always the film’s priority. The Bishop’s Wife was well-cast with a group of very attractive actors. Loretta Young, who plays Julia, is almost too beautiful to be real, but her relationships with both Henry and Dudley (Cary Grant) are both believable and blissfully naïve. In general, films in the 1940s are very different from today. To a modern audience, the acting looks comedic, the special effects clumsy, and the pacing painfully slow. Even so, The Bishop’s Wife turns out to be a warm and humorous movie, perfect for cuddling up on the couch with a cup of candy cane hot chocolate, not doing schoolwork, and with nothing to think about but the holidays.
MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR SERENA Based on the novel by Ron Rash, Serena tells the story of newlywed couple George (Bradley Cooper) and Serena Pemberton (Jennifer Lawrence). Together, they build a successful empire and become business partners. But when Serena discovers that she can’t have children, she becomes destructive. She plans to murder George’s illegitimate son and their marriage unravels as they try to prevent their land from being taken by the government. The movie looks mediocre and I probably wouldn’t go see it unless a few people told me it was good. The plot seems interesting enough despite taking place in the ’20s. There aren’t many big names other than Cooper and Lawrence, so they’d really have to carry the film on their own. Lawrence is an immediate turnoff for me, but Cooper looks like he’ll deliver. Serena is set to open on December 5. TOP FIVE This film follows the life of comedian Andre Allen (Chris Rock) as he tries to reinvent himself as a serious actor. His upcoming wedding to reality TV star Erica Long (Gabrielle Union) is set to be broadcast and is being called “the biggest event of the year”. In the midst of the media frenzy, he agrees to be interviewed for The New Yorker by Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson). Their relationship blossoms into something much more than a professional relationship.
Loaded with great star power (Whoopi Goldberg, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, and Kevin Hart), the film looks like it’ll be a pretty good story about making tough choices in life. I also think it’ll be cool to see the other side of fame, and how celebrities struggle with their image. Top Five is set to open on December 12.
I can’t wait to see it. I think it’ll be wonderful to see a woman overcome career and marriage struggles as she tries to find the voice her husband took from her. Adams and Waltz have never disappointed me, and to see them in a movie together will make the whole thing so much better. Big Eyes is set to come out on Christmas Day.
ANNIE A remake of the ’80s classic, Annie follows the life of a little orphan girl, Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) who is sent to live with a rich politician, Will Stacks (Jaime Foxx), for a week to improve his image. Watching this get remade into a film starring black actors is amazing. I think it’s a wonderful way to break free from the original, adorable freckled redhead and move into newer things that spark a conversation. I won’t lie, I’m probably not going to see it because it’s your typical feelgood movie that I have no time for. But if you’re into that kind of thing, this movie is perfect for the holidays. Annie is set to open on December 19.
UNBROKEN Directed by Angelina Jolie, Unbroken tells the story of Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), a young Olympic runner who went on to join the U.S. Army Air Forces. His plane crashed and after spending 47 days on the water, Zamperini was captured by the Japanese and became a prisoner of war. This movie looks incredible in just about every way. It looks like a heartbreaking story about a young man who refused to surrender. Unbroken is set to open on Christmas Day.
BIG EYES From director Tim Burton comes the story of painter Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), whose work was fraudulently claimed by her thenhusband Walter Keane (Christopher Waltz). The film follows their marriage and their eventual divorce after Margaret tried to prove the paintings were indeed hers. This movie looks fascinating and
A MOST VIOLENT YEAR Set in New York, 1981, an immigrant, Abel Morales (Oscar Issac) and his wife, Anna Morales (Jessica Chastain) try to build a life for themselves and their family in the midst of the city’s most dangerous year. This looks like something much greater than a mere crime drama. It’s about family, immigration, and the trauma associated with a violent city. It looks much more interesting than it may sound. A Most Violent Year is set to open on December 31.
CCT erupts in song REVIEW OF THE OFFICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OMBUDSPERSON The Office of the Ombudsperson provides an impartial and confidential service to assist members of the University who have been unable to resolve their concerns about their treatment by University authorities. The Office is devoted to ensuring procedural fairness and just and reasonable outcomes.
Are you aware of the Office of the Ombudsperson and its services? AYMAN KHAN/THE MEDIUM
Alice Li’s solo performance captivated the audience. UMC continued from page 5 My favourite performance of the night came from Natasha Anwar and Selvanayagam, who sang a jazzy acoustic version of Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie”. In my opinion, Anwar is an unmistakable star. Her versatile vocals paired with the guitar were romantic and show-stopping. The most unique performance of the night was Erin Wang’s piece on the guitar. Wang’s piece combined soft string plucking with flicks or taps
on the guitar’s body, which created an interesting beat, like a drum. As the show wound down, Victor took to the stage to perform Ariana Grande’s “Right There” in a surprisingly high voice—high, but still in key. I was truly impressed with his range and so were his friends in the audience, who stood up to dance along. Victoria Trotman closed the show with a grand performance of Adele’s “Don’t You Remember”, which gave me goosebumps. Sitting in the audience, you could’ve heard a pin drop.
How effective do you believe the operations of the Office of the Ombudsperson to be? What are your thoughts on how to improve the services of the Office of the Ombudsperson? The Committee would like to hear from you. The Governing Council is conducting its regular review of the Office. The Review Committee is also welcoming nominations for the University Ombudsperson. Visit www.uoft.me/ombudsperson to comment or submit a nomination by Friday, December 19, 2014.
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12.01.2014
Loving my first Canadian winter The snow may seem passé to many, but others welcome it with open arms FARAH QAISER STAFF WRITER I’ve never actually seen snow before. I’ve lived my entire life in the Middle East, so the seasons I’ve experienced range from summer, summer, and summer to—yes, you guessed it— summer again. Before moving here, I didn’t even own a single sweater. Gloves and boots always just seemed like a fantasy under the unforgiving boiling sun. Layers? Who does that? When UTM students around me learn about my little secret, it becomes everyone’s personal mission to scare me away from my desire to run about like a crazy child in the snow. “Last year was the worst winter ever!”, “You’ll get so tired of the snow—it looks so icky after a while!”, “You’re so lucky you’ve never experienced Canadian winters—you should run away while you can!”, and so on. Come on, guys, stop trying to pop my bubble. How bad can snow really be? It finally snowed about two weeks back. To all you cynical winter vet-
MAHMOUD SAROUJI/ THE MEDIUM
Environment Canada predicts that this winter will be warmer than the last. erans out there, it probably marked the beginning of your most hated season. Me? I just stood speechless and stared out my window. It wasn’t just snow—it was a beautiful, fluffy blanket of crystal white snow all
over my backyard, covering every bit of the grass, and it was absolutely stunning. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it: somehow, I went to bed and then woke up in a completely
different world. In the space of a night, the entire city had been transformed into a winter fairy tale. It may be cliché, but I’ve never seen anything that can be considered as beautiful as snow in my entire life.
And yes, I’ll admit it—I took a ton of pictures. I’m one of those annoying international students who felt the need to flood your Facebook news feed with my wintry photos. This first snowfall was a glimpse into Canada’s infamous wintry weather for many new first-year students. Asma Fadhl, a life sciences student, has been enjoying every minute of winter so far and was even found outside making snowmen while most people huddled indoors. “I’m from a country where the closest thing we get to snow is ice from the freezer, so obviously I was really excited to see snow for the first time,” she told me. “Winter so far has been lovely—minus the wind. I’ll love it as long as the wind doesn’t blow me away on my way to class.” First-year comp sci international student Maram El-Salamouny is amazed by the snow. “It’s just so pretty and it even glitters,” she said. “Snowflakes are literally the definition of beautiful and they actually look like how they’re drawn in pictures—I never expected that!” Winter continued on page 9
The woman behind the curtain Gerry Karlovic explains the semester-long process required to schedule UTM’s finals SAMINA SULTANA Next Monday marks the start of exams for UTM students. The exam period can get overwhelming, but Gerry Karlovic is here to help (at least slightly) ease our stress by minimizing exam conflicts. Karlovic, assistant registrar at the Office of the Registrar, has been scheduling exams for almost four years. She begins the scheduling process during the first two weeks of class. “When professors create their course syllabi, they submit an application regarding exam information,” she says. “This includes the length of the exam, and are there any constraints: for instance, is the professor available for the entire exam session? Exceptions are only made for medical reasons or for a conference.” Once this is done, Karlovic extracts this information using her software, Encampus, before reviewing the data. Next, she investigates room availability using a second program called Continuous Surface. Then it’s time to schedule the exams.
LAURA MCCALLUM/PHOTO
The scheduling process starts at the beginning of the term—if only I’d begun studying that early. The first thing she looks for are students who are taking similar courses; for example, first-year physical science students taking chemistry, biology, and math are put in a group and the exams for those courses are set to be a few days apart. “Sometimes it isn’t possible because there are too many
combinations, but I target the core courses,” says Karlovic. Technology plays an important role in the scheduling process. In 2012, UTM bought software that effectively removes conflicts, whether it’s a direct conflict or three consecutive exams in a single day or over two days. “We’ve been able to ad-
here to that since the software was purchased,” Karlovic says. “There could be a case when a course had to be rescheduled due to a medical conflict, and this has happened affecting six students, but it was unavoidable.” It’s still difficult to ensure that students aren’t writing back-to-back
exams, particularly when students are taking courses outside of their stream. But unless the schedule affects more than 10 students or a fourth-year student taking a firstyear course, nothing changes. The scheduling process is narrowed during the add/drop period. “I’m basically playing with the data. Scheduling, looking at the results, changing this around, looking at the results, changing around the data and looking at the results. When add/drop is over, students can no longer add courses, so that’s when I make the final cut and actually create what I would classify as a really good draft, but I would still consider this play time as we don’t consider the final draft until the 75% drop date,” Karlovic says. “The reason we wait so long is because every student has the potential to drive the exam schedule and there are students who take courses and they’re basically still shopping. […] So what I do is try and eliminate as many of those students as possible because I don’t want them to drive the timetable.” Exams continued on page 10
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Come in from the cold and chill out Dogs, lip balm, and exercise balls make an appearance at the “Paws and De-stress” event We also made our own lip balm by mixing oil, beeswax, and essential oils in a double boiler. Not only was the experience stress-relieving, it also was kind of exciting. And despite the fact that the activities sound slightly girl-oriented, there were surprisingly many male students in attendance— who, might I add, thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
ANDREEA MIHAI ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR KAITLYN FERNANDAS Barking rings through the library. The therapy dogs are in. For the past two and a half years, Donna Liu, library community development leader, has held the “Paws and De-stress” event at the library to help students deal with anxiety. Liu says about 200 students come to see the therapy dogs each day they visit. Starting with therapy dogs, the library’s de-stress week has grown to include massage therapists, craft workshops, meditation workshops, and gaming activities. Here we’ve reviewed three of the week’s events (and relaxed just a little bit too as a result). And while the dogs may be at the centre of the week, the other activities provided innovative ideas to chill out and take a break. As U of T students, we’ve got the billion-word essay, late-night term test studying, and never-ending lab report thing down pat. But what is this “relaxing” business, we say? Was that listed on the syllabus somewhere? MEDITATION WITH DR. GRAHAM “Allow your thoughts to go still,” Dr. Jeff Graham told participants at the meditation workshop as about 58 students crowded around him in the T-room at the library. I’ll be honest; deadlines and percentages buzzed in my mind. Graham told us that exhaling tells the muscles in the body to relax. Herbert Benson at Harvard Univer-
MAHMOUD SAROUJI/ THE MEDIUM
How could you be stressed out after petting one of these cuties? sity studied “the relaxation response”. Researchers found that participants who meditated “gained the benefits of a night’s rest in 20 minutes”. Students passed out handouts with a bibliography (ew, bibliography… not another, please!) of research and the meditation technique steps. MEDITATION TECHNIQUE 1. Shake down and relax. 2. Do five or 10 deep breaths. 3. Recall the last time you were really relaxed. 4. Progressively relax your muscles from feet to head (imagine a white light body scan). 5. Allow your thoughts to go still.
Please let it snow Winter continued from page 8 Some are gearing up for the upcoming potential snowball fights. “I’m just waiting for the snowball fights and building snowmen—that’s what I’m going to love doing this winter,” said Reem Matar, another first-year life sciences student. Obviously, snow isn’t all fun and games. I’m just a summer child and I have absolutely no idea of what kind of a winter I’m about to go through. I approached other first-year students who had moved to Canada a few years back to see how they’d adapted to this country’s harsh winters and what tips they could offer.
I too might become a winter cynic. But at this point, I’m proudly enjoying every minute of it. Myra Farooq, a first-year student enrolled in English, hasn’t lost her enthusiasm for winters at all. It remains her favourite season because of the snow. “Be well prepared. Don’t worry about looking weird in big jackets and
hats and scarfs—make sure you dress warmly,” she recommended. “I was so excited for my first winter—even though it was really cold, the snow was absolutely magical.” Shamama Zehra, a first-year computer science student, enjoys winter because of all the merriment. “Even the season’s typical dark colours that everyone wears cheer me up. The sales are pretty great, too,” she said. “Despite having gone through four winters here, I’m not very adept at building snowmen yet—mine look more like snowhills with carrot faces, and no necks at all.” But Zaryaab Rauf, a first-year social sciences student, has been through several winters and isn’t as enthusiastic as everyone else. “I wouldn’t say that I like winter as much as summer,” he said. “Yes, winter makes the city look like a winter wonderland, but summer is definitely the best season.” It’s obvious that Canadian winters are harsh, and perhaps after surviving a few of them, I too might become a winter cynic. But at this point, I’m proudly enjoying every minute of it. Although the sun has managed to melt away the remnants of our first snowfall, it’ll be back. And when it snows again, I’ll be outside building a snowman.
Graham explained the steps before walking us through the first four twice. He then guided us through step five. “Clear your mind of all thoughts, place your attention everywhere in your body all at once, or watch your body breathe,” he said. I heard typing, voices and people walking past the T-room when I closed my eyes. I focused on breathing deeply and not reciting my to-do list. After 15 or 20 minutes, Graham told us to open our eyes. I felt like I had emerged from a nap. GET CRAFTY With the holiday season upon us, the “Get Crafty” de-stressor event of-
fered students ideas for low-cost yet thoughtful Christmas gifts that you can make yourself in no time at all. For your friend who spends her entire paycheque on those rainbowcoloured bath bombs from LUSH, the UTM Library Ambassadors showed us how to make our own low-cost alternative. Our DIY bath bombs were made by combining some Epsom salt, a few drops of essential oils, and a little bit of water in rubber trays with moulded star shapes. After about an hour, we popped out our aromatic flower- and star-shaped bath bombs. The joy of seeing my creation made me almost completely forget that exams start in a week.
SIT AND BE FIT Friday’s surprise de-stressor activity turned out to be what they called “Sit and Be Fit”, an event designed to encourage UTM students not to neglect their physical well-being during the exam season, and specifically not allowing them to become chained to their desk chairs while studying away all December. As a break from their usual hardbacked chairs, UTM students were encouraged to spend a few minutes sitting on an exercise balance ball instead and trying out a few simple exercises such as raising one leg off the ground and trying to maintain their balance. When I first sat on the balance ball, it was mostly for fun. I just bounced around for a while. But after about five minutes of sitting up straight on the ball, I actually started to feel the muscles in my back working, especially after doing a few simple exercises. The effect of my five minutes of exercise stayed with me the entire afternoon. I felt myself standing a little taller. I normally blame hours of sitting in back-to-back lectures for my back pains, but who knew sitting could also be the cure?
So long, Mr. Turkey Why waste your time? Eat out for Christmas dinner this year MADELEINE BROWN FEATURES EDITOR Urgh, Christmas dinner. Does anyone actually enjoy it? Seriously. For the majority, is it not the same every year: dried (previously frozen) and perfectly overcooked turkey, canned cranberry sauce, plasterlike mashed potatoes, powdered gravy, and some centuries-old Christmas pudding? Why do we bother? I suppose somehow we think that maybe, just maybe, this year we’ll finally crack the code and execute it perfectly. What an absurd assumption. I mean, we only make it once a year—how do we honestly expect to perfect it? I say throw tradition out the window, or if you didn’t ever embrace it in the first place, make one up by heading to a restaurant or ordering in for Christmas dinner. Let’s do what we all know is best and leave it up to the professionals. I’ve rounded up a list of the best (and only) places in Mississauga—and some in Toronto, if you’re prepared to make the trip—that are ready to save you the trouble and feed you on Christmas Day.
A CANADIAN TRADITION Who hasn’t heard of the Festive Special? Apparently many (or at least three out of the three people I polled). It was my family’s tradition to order it at least once during the holiday season. Also, this year marks 25 years since it was first added to the menu. Basically, it’s their typical quarterchicken dinner with four very important additions: stuffing, cranberry sauce, five Lindor chocolate truffles, and a Festive Contest scratch-and-win card. Okay. Fair. The standard is probably not that far from what I described above as the typical Christmas dinner (i.e., very low). However, does your home Christmas dinner include a scratch-and-win card? I doubt it. And where else can you get this for $13? I’ll wholeheartedly concede that Swiss Chalet (the nearest location to UTM being the one at 1170 Burnhamthorpe) isn’t open on Christmas Day—the one day a year that they are closed—but the lovely man who answered my phone call confirmed that that they are open on Christmas Eve until 4 p.m. So why not have a nice lunch out that day? Or a post-Boxing Day dinner? Or, even better… both.
FANCY-SHMANCY CHRISTMAS BUFFET If your standards are slightly higher than a chicken dinner, then your nextbest option is not that far off. Actually, it’s across the street from UTM at the Glen Erin Inn (1695 The Collegeway). The gorgeous hotel and spa is situated on two acres of estate grounds with a Tudor-style mansion and carriage house at the core. On Christmas Day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., they’re taking reservations for their Christmas buffet, which has been held every year since the early ’90s. That said, their food and beverage manager informed me that at this point only 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. time slots are still available, so get on it if you’re interested! Their buffet is thankfully all you can eat and features a selection of breads, soup, salads, breakfast items (until 3 p.m.), fish dishes, hot entrees, turkey, roasted rib eye, baked ham, desserts and cheeses. It does come at a cost, though: $57.95 per person plus tax and gratuities.
Dinner continued on page 10
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THE MEDIUM 112.01.2014
Meet the new bloggers First-year students blog about their transition to university This week we’re not featuring a UTM
student cook—I mean, this is the lady
professor or staff member; instead,
who rose to fame after blogging about
it’s just me, your dear features edi-
cooking for her and her son on only
tor. We’ll cut them some slack on the
£10 a week, or about $17 Canadian.
recipe front. I mean, it is the last week of the term.
The beauty of this simple recipe is that it can take the brunt of most
I had hoped to share with you a
holiday leftovers from dad’s Thanks-
treasured family holiday recipe, but
giving cranberry sauce to Mini Eggs
to be honest, despite the amount of
and the other remnants of last year’s
cooking I do, I’ve never prepared a full-
Easter candy. Free feel to add whatev-
out turkey dinner all by myself. And my
er dregs of your holiday meal remain.
father, who takes on that responsibil-
(My next venture includes pumpkin
ity in our family, is a no-recipe kind of
puree.) And who says your additions
guy. However, I’ve selected what I be-
have to be sweet? Be adventurous and
lieve to be a fairly holiday-appropriate
try a savoury version with chunks of
recipe for that timeless baked good,
turkey, perhaps, or roast beef and
the “scuffin”.
gravy, along with some complemen-
Yes, I’ve admittedly jumped right on
tary cheese. Likewise, I’m sure any
the crossbreeding baking trend, which
vegetable side dish would sit nicely in
includes such classics as the cronut,
the shelter of the doughy scuffin.
and brought together scones and muf-
May these fine scuffins nourish you
fins into one single bundle of good-
during many a late night study session
ness. I’ve rebaptized Jack Munroe’s
this exam season and renew tired holi-
soda bread recipe from my current
day leftovers. And with that, class is
favourite cookbook, A Girl Called Jack,
dismissed—we’ll reconvene with more
which I consider a must-read for any
recipes in January.
Leftover-Eating Scuffins (adapted from Jack Monroe’s A Girl Called Jack) MAHMOUD SAROUJI/ THE MEDIUM
MAKES 12 SCUFFINS INGREDIENTS
3.Mix the flour, baking powder, and bi-
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
carbonate of soda and make a well
• 1½ cups (300 ml) milk
in the centre.
• 2½ cups (625 ml) flour
4.Pour the lemon juice and milk mix-
• 2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder
ture in the flour and fold together
• 1½ tsp (7.5 ml) bicarbonate of soda
with a spatula. Be careful to combine
• 3 cups (750 ml) holiday leftovers—
the ingredients in as few movements
meat, fruit or vegetable puree, chocolate, etc. METHOD 1.Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). 2.Add the lemon juice to the milk and put to one side.
as possible. 5.Scoop 12 portions of the dough into lightly oiled muffin tins. 6.Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are slightly browned.
Chinese, please Dinner continued from page 9 But, hey, eat your money’s worth and don’t be afraid to ask for a doggy bag and you’ll probably be full enough to tide your stomach over for a few days. If the price is still off-putting, they do offer a holiday lunch buffet from December 8 to 19 on Mondays to Fridays for $29.95 per person plus tax and gratuities with a condensed version of the selection available on the big day. DINER GRUB If you feel like making your way into Toronto on Christmas Day (buses and subways will be running on Sunday schedules) I recommend going dinerstyle. Yes, 24-hour diner style. Why not be really anti-tradition and grab some greasy grub at 3 a.m. before you open presents? Or a stack of pancakes and an unhealthy pile of bacon in the middle of the afternoon? (You know you’ve always wanted to.) If you want to go old-school, head to Fran’s in Toronto (you should be ashamed if you haven’t been since starting at U of T). They have three locations downtown, as well as one randomly in Barrie, but my favourite is the one at College and Yonge. Without a doubt, my go-to menu picks are their meatloaf with the garlic mashed potatoes and rice pudding (warmed, though!) for dessert. Like Swiss Chalet, don’t go expecting high-quality cooking—go for the atmosphere. If you’re pretentious and would prefer a slightly more hipster-take and
just generally more respectable diner option, then try the Lakeview Restaurant at 1131/1134 Dundas Street West. During last year’s infamous ice storm, I took shelter in one of their wooden booths and ordered their Benny of the Day, which that particular day included some fine Montreal smoked meat and the pie of the day (à la mode, of course). The restaurant first entered my life through an appearance on Food Network’s Diner, Drive-in, and Dives (one of the few Canadian restaurants to be featured). I’m waiting for the day I return and do as Guy did and order their apple pie milkshake. Other ungodly milkshake additions include deep-fried Mars bars, peanut butter cups, and Nanaimo bars. “PEKING” AT THE PRESENTS Taking a note from the famous holiday movie The Christmas Story, if all else fails, just order a trusty Chinese takeaway to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. In this case, after making a few phone calls, I found out that our beloved Mandarin (3105 Dundas Street West) is one of surprisingly few Chinese restaurants open on Christmas Day in Mississauga. Nonetheless, they do the job, with all the fixings you’d expect from a reliable Chinese restaurant, from lemon chicken to beef fried rice. Their takeout prices are reasonable, whereas the buffet itself is $19.99 per person for lunch or $28.99 for dinner on holidays. No matter what, though, don’t forget the fortune cookies.
One of the bloggers for utmONE, a first-year academic transition program. ANDREEA MIHAI ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR Midterm stress, wearing sweats, wanting to take naps... How do you remember your transition from high school to university? First-year students Anxhela Adhamidis, Karissa Singh and Parnika Celly are sharing their own experiences in weekly blogs for the utmONE program, which seeks to ease first-years’ transition to university. “[It’s a] platform that allows students to realize that their experiences are valid and to normalize some of that anxiety of the struggle to come to university. It helps students see they are not alone in those struggles,” says Jackie Goodman, first-year transition and academic support coordinator. Over the summer, utmONE sent out emails to all first-year students enrolled in the programs looking for bloggers. “I was going to Mexico, and the deadline was when I was in Mexico, and I was like, ‘I’m not going to do it.’ Then, when I came back, I saw that the deadline was extended. I thought, ‘This is probably a sign I
should apply for it,’ ” says Singh. Celly says she didn’t expect to be chosen because she didn’t have blogging experience. “The great thing about blogging is I never would have thought to put so much of my writing out there for the public,” she says. “It’s a way to document my transition for myself, getting over that fear of putting yourself out there.” Singh said writing the blog helped her transition to university. “During midterms, it was a lot to handle— the stress was a lot different. Writing about ways to de-stress actually helped me de-stress,” she says. For Celly, the quest for something to write about led her to try new things she wouldn’t have considered otherwise. Adhamidis says writing the blog makes her more aware of things. “Constantly trying to find something to write about, I’m thinking about things more often,” she says. “Trying to figure out what to do, how to try new things out. New things other people can also try. Also thinking about how other people feel makes me feel more connected to them.”
Adhamidis says her favourite place on campus is IB. “All my classes are there, the view’s beautiful, and Starbucks is nearby. Love coffee,” she says. Singh prefers Deerfield because it’s quiet enough to study in, and Celly is happy just to watch the deer outside. What do the bloggers like to do when they’re not studying or blogging? “Skyping with friends who are at other universities,” says Singh. “I like art of all forms, so drawing and singing to myself,” adds Celly. “Sleep,” Adhamidis says. “Kidding. I’m a huge soccer fan, so I watch that. Also, Sons of Anarchy has completely dominated my life right now.” All three bloggers said they hoped to connect with their audience and get more followers. “It’s not just for first-year students,” says Goodman. Students can sign up to receive the posts every week by writing to utmone@utoronto.ca, or visit the blogs at parnikac.wordpress.com, anxhelaa.wordpress.com, and karissas2014.wordpress.com. The blog feature was added to the utmONE program in the 2013/14 academic year.
No ifs, ands, or buts Exams continued from page 8 The department chairs get to look over the preliminary schedule, but they can’t make any changes. Even if one of their professors faces a medical emergency or is scheduled to speak at a conference during their course’s scheduled exam, the conflict is only addressed if there will be no negative effect on students and another person is able to monitor the exam. There are three to four days for input before the final version is posted. No changes can be made once the final is published, with the exception of the location, which professors can
send through the dean’s office and the registrar, Diane Cocker. Small classes can petition to change the time and date of their exam, but it requires the support of all of the students in the class. Karlovic decides the room for each exam based on how many students are writing it. “Psychology, for instance, has 900 students, so we encourage multiple exams and put the students in IB 110 and IB 120 so students can sit next to each other and not cheat. Also, it’s easy for the professor to travel to answer questions or provide assistance [in those rooms],” she says. Given the current enrolment num-
bers, there’s currently no need to extend the two-week exam period, says Karlovic. The schedule is also not influenced by the St. George or Scarborough exam schedule. Ultimately, Karlovic aims to make the process as calming and as relaxing as possible. “There is always room for improvement and digging through the data to see what students have done, what are students taking that aren’t in common, and how can they be accommodated,” she says. “The goal is to see how the schedule best serves the students.” The Medium also invites comment from students on the topic.
12.01.2014
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Sabina Iqbal’s season to remember Blues’ rookie field hockey goalie and first-year student reflects on team’s near-perfect season JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR “The best team doesn’t win, the best team wins.” For Sabina Iqbal, the quote by nine-year head coach John DeSouza perfectly sums up the Varsity Blues field hockey team. After an outstanding season, going undefeated in 17 games all the way up to the CIS final against the UBC Thunderbirds at the beginning of November, the varsity women’s squad was part of a Cinderella story run that seemed unstoppable. The team had found success in the past with winning records, but never before had they boasted a perfect season record and seemed like a shoe-in for CIS gold. The expectations and support were all there on November 2 when the Thunderbirds and Blues faced off in the 40th annual CIS field hockey championship game; with home turf and fans on the sidelines, the finish the Blues were dreaming of was in reach. But they couldn’t finish what they started. Despite their perfect play all
MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM
The varsity field hockey team went 17-0 before losing to UBC in the CIS final. year, the Blues lost 2-0, which was still enough to earn CIS silver and plenty of strength to establish themselves as national frontrunners in field hockey. The year went extraordinarily well, and Sabina Iqbal likely did not
expect to go on the journey she did when she contacted DeSouza for a spot on his field hockey team. Iqbal is a first-year psych major whose love for the less popular hockey in Canada has grown since she picked it up just two years ago
in high school. “I played field hockey for one year in grade 11 because of a chance encounter,” Iqbal recalls. “The field hockey team was already set up, but there was no player willing to be a goalie.” Not expecting much success, Iqbal
took to field hockey more for the experience, dedicating the majority of her time to her flag football team. As she continued to get playtime in this new environment, she found herself falling in love with the sport. “I had always been good at sports requiring quick reflexes,” says Iqbal. “Since athletics has developed with me in my final years of high school, I decided to continue that lifestyle.” After coach DeSouza gave Iqbal a spot on the team as the backup goalkeeper to Madeleine Cho, it didn’t take long for her to feel comfortable in her new surroundings. “The first time I played in a Blues uniform, the entire team cheered me on and gave me solid encouragement,” she recalls. Iqbal did not see much time between the pipes in her first year on the Blues, as expected for a first-year goalie, but that didn’t change her outlook. “I felt immense pride at being able to represent the team and to apply what I’ve been training to do,” she says. Iqbal continued on page 12
Blues stun Hawks in OT An athlete in Markovic scores twice, gives Blues second win in a row
the offseason ERIC HEWITSON ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
MARTIN BAZYL/PHOTO
Veteran forward Markovic leads the team with eight goals in 15 games this season. FRANCIS LAM The crowd went deathly quiet at Varsity Arena on Saturday when the Laurier Golden Hawks tied it up in the final second of the third period. But all was glorious once fifth-year forward Michael Markovic and the U of T Varsity Blues men’s hockey team found some magic to seal a 4-3 win. Markovic was undoubtedly the first star of this game. He scored not only the pivotal third goal late in the final period, but also the clutch overtime winner. The fifth-year forward now leads the team with eight goals.
“Michael’s been our leading goal scorer for the last couple of years, and so that’s sort of an expectation on our part that he could put the puck in the net,” says head coach Darren Lowe. Fourth-year forward Jeff Brown opened the scoring for the Blues midway through the first period when a nice feed from Paul Van De Velde gave him a wide-open net to shoot at. However, the Hawks responded quickly and recorded two goals only a minute apart. Justin Rasmussen scored on the power play with a nice shot to the top corner of the net and Erik Pushka gave Laurier the lead,
pulling a nice deke in front of the net and backhanding it in. Strong goaltending performances from Laurier’s Christopher Festarini and Toronto’s Michael Nishi would leave the second period scoreless with Laurier holding onto a 2-1 advantage heading into the final frame. Second-year forward Russell Turner evened the score for Toronto with just over seven minutes to go as he tipped in a Lane Werbowski point shot, notching up his fourth point in the past three games. Hockey continued on page 12
Fans only see athletes perform on the field a handful of times during the school year, since the majority of sports don’t run year-round. When fans watch athletes play, they see only the execution of a strategy that has been practised tirelessly by these coachable young minds. We understand that athletes put in hours to perfect their sport, but we don’t necessarily understand that the work put in isn’t from time spent sitting in a film room or running on a field. There are obstacles that individual players have to overcome that contribute to the overall integrity of the team. Athletes who play in the CIS play far fewer games during an athletic season than those who play for an NCAA school, primarily due to higher academic standards at Canadian universities. For example, the Varsity Blues football team plays a total of eight regular season games compared to the NCAA’s 13-game schedules. Putting it into other numbers, a player on the men’s football team gets a total of eight hours of game time in which to showcase their abilities, and
they don’t even play a whole game. Simon Nassar, the fifth-year CIS record-breaking quarterback for the Varsity Blues football team this year, had a total of 281 plays to make the best of his talent and push the ball down the field. Nassar is only on the field for about 20 minutes a game, since football includes a defensive and special team’s side of the game. In total, Nassar gives everything he has—blood, sweat, and tears—for two hours and 20 minutes a year. That is, as far as what the fans see. In reality, for those two hours and 20 minutes of gameplay, the quarterback will put in about 1,000 hours of mental and physical preparation during the season and off-season. That’s a crazy stat. “There’s a lot of football in a year, lots of time to prepare, execute, and recover for the eight games that seem to pass by in the blink of an eye,” says Nassar. “Guys will go down with injuries that can affect their overall quality of life; guys will have issues outside of football they have to deal with, like finances and family matters, but still manage to put football first. Athlete continued on page 12
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Training never A winning mentality comes to a halt Iqbal continued from page 11
Iqbal realizes that her first year won’t guarantee her as a starter, but she’s looking forward to competing for the position next fall. “Being in my first year of eligibility, I am taking things slow. I want to become the best I can be,” she says. “At this point in time, I just want to make my team proud.” Regardless of her role, she was most proud to be part of the team in its outstanding run this season. “We work together fluidly and no part of the game is a selfish attempt— nobody tries to save the glory for themselves,” she says. “It’s all for the team.”
Iqbal specifically notes the performance of fourth-year midfielder Amanda Woodcroft, who capped off a stellar season by being named CIS championship tournament MVP and CIS player of the year.
“Nobody tries to save the glory for themselves. It’s all for the team.” – Sabina Iqbal “She is one of the most talented and dedicated athletes I’ve ever seen,” Iqbal says. “And having one of our own receive such a title is a reflection of our team as much as her.”
Iqbal’s first year has been a series of adjustments, not all of them easy. The jump from high school to university was felt in both academics and sports. “The adjustment has been a tough one for me,” she says. “One day I’m living at home, the next I’m moving out and commuting downtown every day for practice.” But the changes haven’t fazed her, and Iqbal is ready for university to help her grow as both a student and an athlete. Look out for Iqbal in the blue and white next fall when the field hockey team returns to continue dominating the CIS, eager to complete that fairy-tale ending.
Blues climb standings JASMEEN VIRK/THE MEDIUM
Time on the field is nowhere close to time spent training. Athlete continued from page 11 “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world other than spending time with these outstanding guys who strive for the same goal that I do, and that’s win games,” he continues. This off-season, the Blues football team will put in countless hours of workouts each week, still strap on the pads and practice in the dome at Varsity Stadium, sit in all their classes so they can pass
the minimum three credits to play the next year, and work part-time jobs to pay the fees that come with playing football and paying off their education. These guys can benefit a lot from the support and respect of the student body—that’s you, most likely—during the season. Come out and support a Varsity Blues team and cheer them on with a newfound knowledge and appreciation for what they do behind the scenes.
Watch for information regarding The Medium’s Annual General Meeting next semester. All UTM students are invited to attend.
Hockey continued from page 11 Under a minute later, Michael Markovic received a centring pass from Dean Klomp and made no mistake, giving Toronto a 3-2 lead. When it looked like a bagged win for Toronto in the final minutes of the game, Laurier managed to tie the game with less than a second remaining on the score clock with a mad scramble goal at the lip of the crease. Toronto defenders refuted the buzzer-beating goal to the officials to no avail and the game headed into overtime.
“It was a funny play,” said Markovic. “One of our players lost a visor and had to go to the bench, so it was essentially a 6-on-4. They scored that goal, but we had to forget about it because overtime was coming up.” Three minutes into extra hockey, Lane Werbowski beat the defender to the outside and drove hard to the net. His initial shot was stopped, but Markovic tucked home the rebound and gave Toronto a 4-3 victory. With two wins scored in a row this weekend, including a 4-3 win
against Guelph on Friday, the Blues have jumped to fifth in the OUA West division and improved their record to 6-8-1 heading into the winter break. “It’s just a huge momentumbuilder,” says Markovic. “We got off to a pretty slow start this season, so we’re going to train really hard through this Christmas break, and then will get right back at it after the break is done.” The Varsity Blues will return to action in the new year when they host the Brock Badgers on Sunday, January 4 at Varsity Arena.