Vol 39 issue 2

September 17, 2012 Volume 39, Issue 2 www.mediumutm.ca

Temporary food court opens in Davis Building The new TFC provides food services until reconstruction of Davis Building is complete Jai Sangha UTM opened the Temporary Food Court in the old library area next to the Meeting Place in the Davis Building last week.

The TFC compensates for space lost due to the closing of the North Building cafeteria and the coming closing of Spigel Hall in the winter of 2013. The TFC houses the relocated Pizza Pizza, Booster Juice, and On the Go, as well as the new Tandori Indian Cuisine, Elements, and International Kitchen.

“We definitely recognize the need for diversity in foods. This university is very diverse, and you have so many international students. So we definitely want to make sure that we offer something that any student can come and eat,” said Vicky Jezierski, district manager of Chartwells Dining Services. “It may not be exactly ‘what mum made’, but we try to come close to it. Our staff is very diverse and we have different chefs from different countries.”

The TFC has an approximate serving space of 4,000 square feet and seating space of 6,000 square feet. It

Junaid Imran/The Medium

The TFC brings UTM some food diversity and provides space for students to dine and mingle. is intended to provide food services until the construction of a permanent food service facility as part of the redevelopment of the Davis Building.

“When we did this temporarily, we didn’t want this to feel second-rate.

We want this to feel right,” said Bill

McFadden, UTM’s director of hospitality and retail services.

“And that’s the distinction between eating and dining. Eating is purposeful—‘I need to refuel the body so that I can keep going.’ But when you can get to dining, where you can sit down,

have the experience around it, that’s when it’s special. You can make a connection with your friends over a meal.

Trying to create that environment where you can do that, we have done what we need to do.”

Hospitality and Retail Services con-

ducted a student survey that received more than 8,000 comments. The comments called for changes to the Meeting Place’s Tim Hortons, the replacement of Mr. Sub by Subway, and the addition of international menus.

“I was surprised that this actually exists. The variety of food and everything is really great. There is a lot of space,” said Mahan Esmaeilzadeh, a third-year philosophy student.

There were some challenges in getting the TFC up and running.

“A project like this would typically take 18 months or two years to do, and we were able to do it in seven months. We didn’t get occupancy until two days before we opened,” McFadden said. “[The] lights are still fluorescent; it’s not a restaurant environment. And as much as we could [do] in an old library without a proper kitchen and a dining room, we took it as far as I think we could,” he said. “We’re not the judges. It’s the community that’s the judge. So if there are things that we learn through this process that help us with the permanent food court, then that’s just a great benefit—that we’d have had a trial run at it.”

Ignatieff joins the Munk School Former leader of Canada’s Liberal Party secures a professorship teaching human rights Matthew Butler Michael Ignatieff, the former leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, has secured a new half-time appointment at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs. He will also assume a new faculty position at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

As a native of Toronto and graduate of U of T (he majored in history), Ignatieff is pleased to secure the U of T placement. At the same time, he is also accustomed to life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he completed his PhD at Harvard.

“I’m honored to be back at the Kennedy School, and I’m delighted to continue to teach young Canadians at the Munk School of Global Affairs,” Ignatieff said. “It’s

Work-study reconfigured Student jobs on campus decreased after the provincial government made severe cutbacks.

Medium News, page 2

Ask the right questions Every year, UTM grows more lively.

Commit to getting involved and investigating a good story.

Medium Opinion, page 4

Walk the red carpet The Medium hits up TIFF and reviews the best films. And creeps Ryan Gosling...

Medium A&E, page 6

Will you be unemployed? wikimedia.org/photos

Michael Ignatieff takes up a half-time appointment at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs. a privilege to teach at these great schools of global affairs and public policy.”

He will focus on courses in hu-

man rights and international politics.

Janice Stein, the director of the Munk School, praised Ignatieff ’s

credentials as a celebrated political and global thinker.

Ignatieff continued on page 3

Investigating the value of a degree in humanities.

Medium Features, page 8

Blues fall a second time U of T Varsity Blues football team lose to Windsor 55-4.

Medium Sports, page 11

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«NEWS THE MEDIUM 09.17.2012

The reconfiguration of Work Study U of T implements changes to the Work Study program this year after the Ontario government axed funding Larissa Ho News editor Many students returning to UTM this fall will have noticed that the Ontario Work-Study program positions that they’ve depended on in the past are no longer available.

The reason for this is that in its 2012 Ontario budget, released on March 27, the Ontario Liberal government axed the Ontario WorkStudy program, worth $9 million.

The funding for the program was allocated towards the “30% Off Ontario Tuition” grant.

This $450-million annual grant was introduced in January, launched by the government of Ontario with the aim of reducing postsecondary students’ tuition by 30%. It is available to most postsecondary students coming directly from high school in the last four years, and whose parents earn under $160,000 per year. About a third of Ontario postsecondary students match the criteria for the grant, which was worth $800 for university students and $365 for college students this past winter term.

The Work-Study program will continue, though institutions now have to cover the expenses centrally. This year’s provincial funding to U of T was $2.5 million, offsetting over 50% of the total cost of the revised WorkStudy program.

On April 12, Cheryl Misak, vicepresident and provost of U of T, said in a memo: “We regret the government’s decision to discontinue financial support for this program and are now working through the implications for the future of the program at the university.” She advised employers that the program would continue through the summer of 2012, though employers were asked to fund 40% of student wages.

On May 22, Misak sent out another memo introducing the restructured Work-Study program model, saying that the model was “more in line with our objectives for experiential learning opportunities for more of our students”.

Among the changes to the WorkStudy model is the requirement that an employer contribute 20% of student wages, while the remaining 80% is to be funded centrally. Another notable alteration is that eligibility for the program is no longer limited to full-time OSAP-eligible students, but is also now available to international students, out-of-province students, and part-time students taking at least 2.0 credits over the fall and winter terms. Faculty members will also be

Junaid Imran/The Medium

UTMSU depends on Work-Study funding for 12 coordinator positions each year. able to use their Professional Expense Reimbursement Allowance funds as part of their employer contribution.

This new model is now in place for the 2012/13 fall and winter terms.

On May 30, Jill Matus, U of T’s vice-provost, students, called the government of Ontario’s decision to eliminate the Work-Study funding “regrettable, in that the program provided valuable work opportunities”.

She went on to acknowledge that for many UTM students, the Work-Study program offered them their only job during the academic term and was a source of experiential learning.

But she called attention to the newly reconfigured program, saying, “Now that U of T is funding the program, we can expand the criteria for eligibility.”

Grace Guo, VP external of UTMSU, agreed that the old Work-Study model was “very restrictive”, and said that it’s better that part-time students, international students, and graduate students will now be included.

“This new model is great. However, what is very problematic is the fact that they are not funding any student levy-collecting organizations,” said Guo. “So student organizations are left to take care of themselves. A lot of student organizations are looking at downsizing or cutting student functions, and even some of them are risking shutting down, like the BikeChain downtown. That leaves the student

experience very much diminished.”

Guo mentioned the possibility of having groups function solely on volunteers, which would be challenging—especially for food banks, she said, where confidentiality issues are involved.

However, Guo’s main concern is the issue of timing. In the emails sent out between April 12 and May 30 from the provost’s office, there was no mention of the fact that student levycollecting organizations were being left out of funding.

Guo’s concern is that the reveal only came after many of these organizations had finished their budgeting and preparations for the year ahead, including hiring coordinators and other essential staff.

The email to announce the fact was sent on June 22 from Jim Delaney, the director of the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students.

“The timing was really off,” said Guo. “I do know that the government did not give the university enough notice; however, it’s like a year’s prior notice at least. And with us, it’s like less than two to three days. That’s why this new model is very concerning, because the university basically did not consider student experience at all. And I understand the necessity of academic units and the university departments to continue funding, a hundred percent—by the university, however. But like I said, the Women’s

Centre, the food banks, all those great student organizations, they contribute to such a huge part of the student experience at university. To have them reduce their services or even shut down... We are diminishing the student experience dramatically.”

Student-run organizations at UTM include The Medium, the Sexual Education Centre, the Women’s Centre, BikeShare, the Erindale College Special Response Team, and UTMSU. Our student union depends on WorkStudy funding for 12 coordinator positions.

“Right after we hired, we got the email from Mr. Delaney saying [we]’re not going to get funded,” said Guo. “Imagine UTMSU without any coordinators. What can we really provide the students? I mean, we can work as hard as we are, but we can never serve the 12,000 students on campus fully without the support of the coordinators. That’s a lot of job opportunities for students and we’re providing this valuable experience for students who are interested in this field, for students to gain experience and for students to contribute back to the community.”

In a written statement to The Medium on September 4, Misak said, “As you know, the government of Ontario cancelled its Work-Study program. The university was extremely concerned by this move, as we know how important it is for our students to have meaningful paid work during

the course of their studies. We are unwilling to have our students lose these opportunities, so we have developed a new version of a Work-Study program, funding more or less the same number of positions entirely from the university’s own sources. As a result, we have had to ensure that the WorkStudy positions we offer meet both the criteria of being great work experiences for our students and being essential to the academic mission of the university. If the student governments want to hire coordinators and other employees, they of course still can, although they cannot be funded by the university under its Work-Study program. We encourage the student governments to use their considerable advocacy powers to try to get the government’s program reinstated, with the result being even more excellent work experiences for our students.”

UTMSU, UTGSU, UTSU, and SCSU have met with the administration twice to discuss the importance of the Work-Study program.

They requested a meeting with Misak and the vice-provost, but it was Richard Levin, the registrar and executive director of enrollment management, and Lucy Fromowitz, the assistant VP of student life, who wanted to meet with the students.

“The university, ever since the beginning, agreed to work collectively with all the student unions to lobby the Ontario government to restore funding, because 2.5 million is a lot of money,” said Guo. “We met with the administration and all they’re committed to do is to work collectively with all the five student unions and to lobby the Ontario government to reset their priorities and to re-provide the Work-Study funding. I think the budget is a political agenda. Everything is not about the finance, about if they will be able to pay it or not; it’s about are they putting this as a priority or not.”

Guo points out that the government is cutting funding even though Glen Murray, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, released the report “Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation, and Knowledge”, which mentions how experiential learning and Work-Study positions are important to student life.

Other cuts to student aid in the form of scholarships and grants have also been made, including cuts to the Ontario Special Bursary Program and the Dr. Albert Rose Bursary, in the government’s effort to balance the 30% Off Ontario Tuition grant.

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09.17.2012 THE MEDIUM NEWS

Need a second pass/fail credit?

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»What are you most looking forward to this year?

Students can now use Credit/No Credit for 2.0 full credits Larissa HO news editor The Credit/No Credit policy was amended over the summer to allow students to apply the option to 2.0 credits instead of the original 1.0.

At the Academic Affairs Committee meeting of February 28, the registrar, Diane Crocker, presented two modifications concerning the CR/ NCR policy for approval.

The first modification was the increase to two FCEs, which was approved. The second was to extend the deadline to mark a course as CR/NCR. Previously, students had to choose no later than the last day to enroll in the course in question.

After some debate, the deadline was moved to the last day to drop a course without academic penalty.

Once the option has been chosen, a student cannot under any circumstances reverse the decision.

In order for a student to achieve a “credit” status, they must achieve a final mark of at least 50%. Courses that have achieved the “credit” status will be counted as degree credits, but

will not appear on students’ academic records or affect GPA. Courses with a final status of “no credit” will not count as degree credits, and will not count as failures or affect GPA. When a student chooses to enroll using this option, it will not be disclosed to the instructor of the course.

While it is available for elective courses and distribution requirements, the CR/NCR option cannot be used to fulfill program requirements. Moreover, the university has restricted the option to UTM students taking UTM courses, making it unavailable to UTM non-degree students, visiting students on a letter of permission, and students from other faculties and divisions of the university.

The CR/NCR policy has been successfully in effect on the St. George campus in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences since 2008. The Scarborough campus followed suit in the summer of 2010. This influenced the committee’s decision to implement the practice at the UTM campus, since there was positive feedback on

the policy at the other two campuses.

The St. George and Scarborough campuses, where the CR/NCR break was 60%, have since changed their break to 50%, mirroring UTM’s policy.

The Academic Affairs Committee of the Erindale College Council, the highest decision-making body at UTM, approved the Credit/No Credit policy, first effective during the 2011/12 fall semester.

The CR/NCR policy makes it possible for students to explore courses outside of their comfort zones without risking damage to their GPA. For example, if a student in management tried a linguistics course but found himself out of his depth and failing, he would have the option to let the course be assessed simply as “credit” or “no credit”.

In the 2011/12 year, 479 UTM students took advantage of the CR/ NCR policy. In the fall term, 107 students used it in 68 different halfcredit courses, with 101 receiving credit. In the winter term, 350 students exercised the option over 119 courses.

Erin Foley 1st-year, CCIT

Haseeb Iqbal 4th-year, Economics & HR

Meeting new people. Having new experiences.

Trying to cover my major courses for my majors.

Hayley Gooding 2nd-year, CCIT

Alexandra Johansen 3rd-year, Forensic Sciences

My classes. I have a linguistics class that I’m really looking forward to.

This year, I’m mostly looking forward to smaller class sizes.

UTM to host national conference Ignatieff to teach about Sustainability conference will take place at UTM

human rights and politics

The Sierra Youth Coalition, the youth arm of Sierra Club Canada, a national environmental non-profit organization, selected UTM to host this year’s annual National Sustainable Campuses conference. UTM was chosen over Halifax’s Dalhousie University. The conference will run from October 11 to 14.

“We’re starting to have more and more [environmental] projects on campus, so this would be a good time to not

only show what our university has but also promote more discussion from other universities to come to our campus and have discussions about these projects,” says Muhammad Qureshi, the conference coordinator and a second-year UTM student.

Maude Barlow will be the keynote speaker at the conference.

Barlow is an environmental activist, the national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, the recipient of the 2005 Right Livelihood Award, and the author the international bestseller

Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water. “[For] the conference this year, the theme is ‘ The Healthy Campus’,” says Qureshi. “We are partnering with the Credit Valley Conser vation forum. Their forum is about health and the environment.”

The theme is as an exposition of how a campus environment affects students’ physical and mental health. The major sponsors of the conference include UTM, VIA Rail, and SYC.

Janice Stein, the director of the Munk School, praised Ignatieff ’s credentials as a celebrated political and global thinker.

“He brings a deeply global perspective to our biggest policy challenges and will work with our students to give them the analytic skills they need in today’s connected world,” Stein said.

Ignatieff has taught a few courses since the election in 2011, when he retired from his political career. At the age of 65, Ignatieff has enjoyed many prestigious professorships,

honorary degrees, and accolades.

Ignatieff has had an enduring and celebrated career in both academics and politics. He has also authored 17 books on a wide range of political and historical topics. Ignatieff is a member of the Queens Privy Council for Canada and he served as the leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons from 2009 to 2011.

The level of enrolment in his earlier courses and the excellent feedback that followed are a testament to the many students thrilled at the opportunity to learn from a contemporary political figure.

Twelve years after breakup, woman finds ex living in her attic

Danish daycares offer free childcare so parents can procreate

Estonian newspaper ad makes light of victims of concentration camps

Man arrested for allegedly pointing gun at a pregnant smoker

Royal couple to launch criminal complaint over topless photos of Kate

Tracy, a mother of five living in Charlotte, heard banging in her attic and discovered a man she had broken up with 12 years earlier sleeping in the heating unit of the attic. The man had just been released from prison and had apparently been spying on her through the vent. He managed to get away before police arrived. Police found cups full of urine and feces in the attic. Police are still uncertain how he got into the house in the first place. The only entrance to the attic is inside the house.

To help with Denmark’s declining birth rates, several Danish kindergartens held a free two-hour party for children so their parents can go home and make more babies. The evening was set up like a tea party, complete with music and food. Some parents took advantage of the evening even though they did not intend to make more babies. The fertility rate in Denmark is declining, which means that the future funding of nurseries and daycares is uncertain.

An Estonian newspaper has caused worldwide outrage by printing an advertisement for diet pills featuring the victims of the Nazi regime in Buchenwald. The advert carries the line: “One, two, three… Dr. Mengele slimming pills work wonders for you! There were no thickset people in Buchenwald!”

A spokeswoman for Estonia’s Jewish community wrote to the newspaper that it showed “major problems with moral and ethical values”. Dr. Mengele carried out gruesome human experiments in the camps.

A Washington state man has been arrested after being accused of pointing a gun at a woman because she was smoking a cigarette. He apparently shouted at the woman: “Who the heck smokes when they’re pregnant?” to which she prelied, “I do!” Justin Dain Palmer, 24, reportedly admitted confronting the woman but denied pulling a gun on her. Police found two semiautomatic .45-caliber handguns in his pickup truck.

Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, are to file a complaint in France over the publication of photos in a French magazine, in a bid to stop further publication of the photos in France.

Closer magazine published paparazzi photos of Kate sunbathing topless at a relative’s home. British tabloids have spoken out against the photos as an invasion of the duchess’s privacy. The reception of these photos is contrasted with the response to the recent naked photos of Prince Harry.

Source: Daily Mail

Source: The Telegraph

Source: Daily Mail

Source: Huffington Post

Source: The Globe and Mail

Ignatieff continued from Cover Jai Sangha

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« 09.17.2012

Editor-in-Chief » Stefanie Marotta

Pulling the wool over your eyes Students are some of the most naive people I know—in a good way. It’s in these lecture halls that we interact with the university’s brightest minds and analyze scholarly material. Everyone is still fresh, still moldable.

Professors will tell you they don’t want you to regurgitate facts, but instead engage with the material, question the legitimacy of the information you’re being fed, and investigate to uncover the issues that lie at the heart of the matter.

I’m thrilled to see that so many new students want to practice the skills they learn in university, not just solving problems in the classroom but applying it to real-world scenarios.

Students interested in writing for The Medium scurried up to our office in hoards last week. I was reminded of my first trip up the main stairs in the Student Centre to meet the News Editor. With a lump in my throat and

a huge burst of courage, I knocked on the door and set out on an experience that would last throughout my whole university career. In fact, I’d say The Medium defines my time on this campus.

My first article was bad, and that’s being nice. But I worked at it. Every week, I took on a different topic and travelled outside of my comfort zone. I listened to people twist stories, recount emotional experiences, and mischievously plug their own agendas into the discussion. I honed my instincts and learned to identify opportunities to ask the right questions. I gained these skills because I got involved.

When I first stepped onto this campus over four years ago, there wasn’t much to be said for student participation. But last year, there was a change. The new first-year students were active, inquisitive, and social.

They searched for venues to gain ex-

perience and interact with other students. This year didn’t disappoint, either. I witnessed the best Frosh Week I’ve seen in five years at UTM, and a large part of that is due to the exuberant spirits of the froshies.

Large companies and large media are striking up discussions on youth volunteering. They refer to plummeting participation rates. I’d argue it’s the exact opposite—at least at UTM. Many of the froshies I met already volunteer in non-profit organizations, school clubs, and community initiatives. Whether the motive is to gain work experience and boost a résumé or a genuine desire to help others, youth engagement is on the rise and these kids coming out of high school are the ones leading the charge.

Taking on new and intimidating experiences defines who we are and what we become in the same way my time at The Medium has shaped my

own path. But the single most important realization that I’ve come to after hundreds of articles written and thousands of free hours of labour is to investigate everything.

In his letter to the editor, Mr. Sajjad implores students to educate themselves about the Access Copyright agreement. The contract that was signed by the university requires students to pay $26 to enforce regulations other universities deem redundant, as Mr. Sajjad points out. Rather than passively accepting the new fee, he analyzed the agreement and took a stance. Mr. Sajjad, along with the rest of the student union at St. George, opposes the agreement on the basis that the decision was made without consultation and provides redundant protections.

Whereas Mr. Sajjad asks you to challenge the university’s decision, I hope that all students will set out on their own processes of investigation.

Whether students agree or disagree with the contract, they should come to the realization that indifference creates a dull learning environment.

After all, it’s not just a question of money, as Mr. Sajjad says. The heart of the issue lies in the fact that a decision was made by an organization in which students, as stakeholders, have invested. This generation of UTM students shows great potential to invigorate their campus, scrutinized by other universities for its tame and apathetic behaviour. Whether your path is with The Medium, the student union, the Women’s Centre, or any other organization on campus, find your niche and stick to it. Ask questions and initiate the improvement you hope to see.

YOURS, STEFANIE MAROTTA

Students incur costs for Access Copyright UTSU’s VP University Affairs speaks out against the copyright agreement recently signed by the university Dear Editor, Beginning this school year, University of Toronto students are being forced to pay $26 in copyright fees, regardless of whether or not they use course packages or digital copyrighted materials for their studies. What’s worse is that this move pre-emptively penalizes students who already have access to these materials for free.

In January, the University of Toronto signed an agreement with an organization called Access Copyright, without consulting faculty, students or librarians. Access Copyright is an agent for owners of copyright, and is supposed to act on behalf of copyright holders if their rights are being infringed upon. Access Copyright

claims that signing this agreement and paying this fee will protect the University from being liable to infringement of the Copyright Act. However, no university in Canada has ever been sued by Access Copyright for infringement of the Copyright Act. This is because of an exemption in the Act called “fair dealing”. Fair dealing allows for the use and reproduction of copyrighted work for educational or journalistic purposes, such as research and study. By charging students a blanket copyright fee, Access Copyright is taking millions of dollars from students on the premise that we are committing copyright infringement, when in fact the law protects us from doing so!

The Province of Alberta recently

challenged the Access Copyright agreement’s legality in court. The outcome makes it obvious that the use of copyrighted materials for research and learning falls under the scope of fair dealing. The case found that copyrighted materials distributed in classrooms fall under s.29 of the Copyright Act of Canada, which allows for the fair dealing exemption on the grounds of research or private study.

Because of the provisions in Access Copyright’s agreement with the University of Toronto, each of us will be charged $26 for “protection” we already have. To make matters worse, just last year, students were paying $3.38 for the same unnecessary protection! Access Copyright is charging

some institutions upwards of $41 per student, but whether we’re paying $26 or $41 is irrelevant. We should not be paying these fees at all! If the university is concerned with copyright infringement, they should pay for this ridiculous insurance policy through government grants or through the tuition fees we already pay. They should not be levying students an additional ancillary fee to cover the cost.

Study and research are what comprise most of our degrees, and to argue that post-secondary student study doesn’t fall under fair dealing is just another way of kicking us while we’re down. On top of paying the highest tuition fees in the country and astronomical ancillary fees, we are now required to pay insurance

for the University in case somewhere along the line a non-University student reads a photocopied chapter of a book? That sounds pretty ridiculous to me, and I’m not the only one. The University of British Columbia, York, Waterloo and Queen’s are just a few of the institutions that have decided not to sign this agreement. I can only hope that the University of Toronto reconsiders its decision and does not renew the agreement in 2016 when it expires. Until then, students should challenge the university’s decision in any way they can.

Munib Sajjad Vice President University Affairs, University of Toronto Students’ Union

09.17.2012

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Editor » Colleen Munro

The Blackwood looks at its roots UTM’s Blackwood Gallery launches new Wood Two art anthology COLLEEN MUNRO A&E EDITOR Students, faculty, friends, and members of the public gathered at Toronto’s Art Metropole on Saturday afternoon to launch the Blackwood Gallery’s new book project, Wood Two. The book is a follow-up to 2010’s Wood, and it features work that was on display in the Blackwood Gallery in 2010 and early 2011.

The launch made use of Art Metropole’s intimate and unique urban location, offering multilevel storefront space for people to gather, chat with those who worked on the book, and, of course, buy a copy.

The preface to Wood Two describes the project: “Second-part catalog. Second-part magazine.

Second-part annual report.” After flipping through the sleek green paperback, that seems like a pretty accurate description. Wood Two features plenty of art, but it also compiles commentary on the exhibitions and interviews with the some of the artists to provide a comprehensive background to the work.

Blackwood Gallery director and curator Christof Migone served as editor for the book, and he did a stellar job of representing the diverse works of the Blackwood Gallery in a modest-sized book.

It highlights works as disparate as the photography lightbox on the outside of the Davis Building, which every UTM student has seen on the Five-Minute Walk, and a Blackwood exhibition that actually took place off campus.

Wood Two feels like a thorough and revealing guide to the artwork that the Blackwood champions.

“We spent the rest of [2011] and

LAURA KRICK/THE MEDIUM

Wood Two launches at Art Metropole. the better part of this [year] assembling and editing this retro-, intro-, and prospective book,” Migone writes in the introduction.

It’s safe to say that the hard work paid off. The book itself is beautiful. The modern design complements the art perfectly without being distracting. The stark, vibrant green cover catches the eye, and the similarly minimalist pages inside are simple but effective.

One of the most expansive (and locally grown) exhibitions featured in Wood Two is a collaborative project called “The Projects: Port Credit”. Originally displayed

in June and July 2010, the exhibition, curated by Migone, was an off-site project set up on Lakeshore Road in Port Credit. An earlier edition of “The Projects: Port Credit” from the year before was the Blackwood’s first off-site project.

Switching from an unused architect’s office to a condo showroom, the second edition of “The Projects: Port Credit” featured 10 artists whose diverse work is covered extensively in Wood Two. From Gwen MacGregor’s proposal for a Port Credit water park to Jessica Valentin’s intricate plans of commuter train performance art, the pieces in “The Projects:

Big-screen renegades TIFF review of Indian crime epic Gangs of Wasseypur RAJ-KABIR BIRK Dance numbers and melodrama have come to typify the image of Indian cinema. With mainstream Bollywood producing a multitude of films every year, Indian art house is being pushed further and further away from the public eye.

Gangs of Wasseypur - Part One is one such film. Spanning 50 years in only 158 minutes, the film chronicles the gangs in and around Dhanbad and Was-

seypur, and their control of the region’s coal mining after India’s independence in 1947. Following the stories of three families throughout five decades, we are given an intimate look at the formation of the Indian mafia, inspired by real events and real people.

Originally shot as a 318-minute epic by director Anurag Kashyap (Black Friday) and screened at the 2012 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Wasseypur was eventually cut into two

parts for Indian theatres.

Despite being heavily influenced by the mafia films of Coppola and Scorsese, as well as the westerns of Sergio Leone, Kashyap manages a distinctly Indian feel thanks in part to its Indian folk-inspired soundtrack and careful use of authentic dialogue. The film succeeds as a stylized chronicle of the violent power struggles of the late 20th century in India.

MMM ½

Port Credit” seem to envision a more culturally vibrant Mississauga.

Perhaps one of the Blackwood’s most ambitious recent exhibitions—at least, in terms of manpower—was “Location, Location, Location!” Upper-year students may remember the full-size cottage that was housed in the Blackwood Gallery from January to March 2010 as part of the exhibition. Curated by Migone (with collaborative work by Christine Swintak and Don Miller), the project celebrated destruction and rebirth.

When the historical Thomas Cottage, formerly situated in

the middle of the UTM campus, was set for demolition to make space for construction, Swintak and Miller worked with a team to carefully deconstruct it and then rebuild it inside the Blackwood Gallery. The section of Wood Two dedicated to “Location, Location, Location!” provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the hard work that went into deconstructing and subsequently reconstructing the Thomas Cottage for the exhibition. From the cottage’s original, natural setting to the various stages of its recreation inside the gallery to its eventual dismantling, Migone meticulously traces every step in the Thomas Cottage’s journey.

Wood Two is not only aesthetically pleasing and full of interesting artwork and essays, it is also an important record of the work the Blackwood Gallery does. It may even serve as a time capsule of sorts. Perhaps there will be new editions of Wood years from now that will look very different. New artistic ideas will have emerged, and the Blackwood Gallery will have displayed dozens of new exhibitions in the meantime. But for the time being, it’s nice to have a volume that delves into such a small slice of time. The campus will continue to change and expand—and who knows? Maybe we’ll even get some more Blackwood exhibitions because of it— but Wood Two serves as a valuable ode to a specific moment in the art gallery’s history.

At the book’s launch, Migone also released his own project, entitled Sonic Somatic. His project explores “sound art and the body”.

Both Sonic Somatic and Wood Two are now available for purchase. Visit blackwoodgallery.ca for more information.

6

ÂŤARTS THE MEDIUM

09.17.2012

TIFF’s starpower shines on in second week The Medium wraps up TIFF with more reviews from the festival COLLEEN MUNRO A&E EDITOR At Any Price Director Ramin Bahrani made waves in the indie film world with his first three projects: Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, and Goodbye Solo.

Now, he takes a significant step towards the mainstream with his latest drama, At Any Price. Starring Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid, the film revolves around a family with a long past in the farming industry and the strains they face when their youngest son, Dean (Efron), rejects the life set out for him to pursue racecar driving.

However, rather than offering a nuanced vision or true insight into the “American Dream�, the film instead settles for hammy, contrived plot twists and a weak script. A lot of the dialogue lands with a resounding thud, and it seems to impede the actors’ performances. To be fair, Efron shows a new maturity here and actually turns in his best performance to date. Newcomer Maika Monroe is also charming as Dean’s girlfriend.

Even in the bogged-down melodrama that surrounds her character, Monroe is refreshing and vibrant.

However, the usually reliable Quaid struggles to find a suitable tone for the brash father character, and ends up delivering a distractingly stilted performance for most of the film.

Visually, At Any Price is appealling.

Bahrani captures a languid tone that

TIFF.NET/PHOTO

Saorise Ronan gives us her contribution to the vampire craze with her latest film, Byzantium. suits the Midwestern setting well.

And he effectively conveys the sense of quiet urgency and heartbreak that several characters experience. But he also seems to be reaching for a profundity that the film’s script prevents him from even approaching. At Any Price has its moments, but ultimately, it’s too cheesy and forgettable to make much of an impact. MM½ Smashed Smashed tells the low-key but compelling story of a elementary school teacher named Kate (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who realizes she has a drinking problem and begins to take steps towards finding help. It may sound like a hackneyed storyline, but Smashed succeeds by

rejecting the histrionics that often come along with films of that type.

Kate is a well-rounded character, and writer/director James Pondsoldt never allows her to be defined by her addiction. While the film doesn’t extensively delve into her past or how she became an alcoholic, you feel like you understand Kate perfectly. Pondsoldt does a fantastic job of highlighting her considerable flaws (sometimes in cringe-inducing, embarrassing ways) while still making her a character that’s easy to empathize with.

Winstead also contributes greatly to the film’s success by delivering a touching, funny, and achingly natural performance as a woman whose stability has slipped away from her.

It’s a star-making turn from Winstead, who was previously best known for roles in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and a slew of horror movies. And though he takes a backseat to Winstead in terms of screen time, Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) is very vulnerable here as Kate’s husband, and he especially shines in some of the film’s later scenes.

It should also be said that Smashed has a lot more humour than its premise would suggest.

Pondsoldt and the actors never trivialize addiction, but they do offer some much-needed levity. Just as in real life, there is humour in some of the film’s darkest moments, and Smashed feels all the more rewarding because of it. MMMM

Byzantium In a lot of aspects, Byzantium is the fun vampire movie audiences have come to expect. But it also offers innovative visuals, an artful tone, and some surprisingly effective social commentary. The modern-day story revolves around a mother-daughter duo of vampires, Clara (Gemma Arterton, Prince of Persia) and Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan, Atonement). In order to keep their identities hidden, they live a nomadic life. But when they meet some people who jeopardize their safety, the two women are forced to fight back.

The film’s “camp meets art house� vibe goes down surprisingly smoothly. And while there may be a few too many flashbacks of Clara and Eleanor’s past, the two-hour running time generally flies by. Partly, this is thanks to Arterton’s and Ronan’s performances. Their characters may be polar opposites, but the actresses have great chemistry, and they play off their differences perfectly.

Neil Jordan presents a stylized, gleefully gory vampire flick, which shouldn’t be too surprising, considering he also directed Interview with the Vampire. What is a bit more surprising, though, is the film’s focus on females. Sexual politics and predation play an important role in the story, and the film takes on a somewhat feminist tone. Unlike Twilight, the protagonists don’t wait around to be saved. They’re just as deadly as anyone. MMM ½

TIFF Review: To the Wonder’s title is only somewhat apt MADIHA AZIZ To the Wonder is Terrence Malick’s sixth directorial venture, starring Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Olga Kurylenko, and Javier Bardem. It is an impressionistic story about the highs and lows of two intense but ultimately unharmonious relationships in the life of a man who has been given a backseat in his own drama.

Being a Malick project, it employs a voiceover technique for the entire duration of the film.

To the Wonder very closely mirrors the directorial style of his previous film, The Tree of Life, but deals with completely different themes: love, relationships, and spirituality. His signature style of storytelling is evident in every shot. The movie is visually and acoustically breathtaking.

The first half of the movie seduces with the sensuality and eroticism of the promise of love. It elates and

enthralls, and leaves you anxious to see where the characters are heading. However, in the laborious second half of the movie, the choppy scenes, voiceover narration, and deliberate insertions of random scenes, once a delightful novelty, become an annoyance. The ending might leave you disappointed and confused.

Towards the end of the movie, a general feeling of “What the ****?� seemed to form in the audience, causing only a wave of quizzical comments (and no sign of applause). I sensed that many in the theatre were on the edge of their seat, glancing at their watches, waiting for the moment when the characters would collide in a cathartic climax. Instead, Malick focussed on the human reactions and the inner turmoil of the characters.

Olga Kurlyenko, known for her role as a Bond girl in Quantum of Solace, is pleasantly surprising as she plays her character with the ease and

grace it calls for. On the other hand, Ben Affleck’s character, Neil, is truly frustrating, but unusually, the blame falls on the director. Affleck doesn’t get to do much of anything except look sullen and grim. His lack of dialogue and action makes his character an ineffectual bystander. Instead, Malick puts all the emphasis on the women.

But the movie unarguably features stunning cinematography, showcasing the raw emotions and human reactions in a way rarely seen in film.

Malick fills To the Wonder with one inconclusive scene after another, making it seem like it has no ultimate goal. But his unique visual poetry will always turn heads.

The film will be released worldwide in 2013. Not everyone will walk out of the theatre full of the film’s alleged “wonder�, but Malick lovers will likely enjoy this visual and acoustic delight.

MM½

TIFF.NET/PHOTO

Ben Affleck wants us to forget about Gigli once and for all.

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09.17.2012 THE MEDIUM A&E

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7

News highlights from TIFF xx marks the spot Disgruntled celebs, a controversial festival opener, and more

Dreamy rockers return with sophmore LP ARISTOTLE ELIOPOULOS ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR

VANCOUVEROBSERVER.COM/PHOTO

A selection of the Drake Hotel’s TIFF-inspired cocktails.

SONIA DHALIWAL Skeptics critique festival kick-off The Toronto International Film Festival, an 11-day screening and celebration of international films, began on September 6 this year in venues all over Toronto. The opening night premiered Looper, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt. However, the thriller quickly gained a controversial reputation from some critics for the violence it depicts, especially after the cinema shootings that terrorized Colorado this past summer.

Stars spotted all over Toronto Ewan McGregor, Winona Ryder, Rachel McAdams, James Franco, Kristen Wiig, Dennis Quaid, and

Bradley Cooper were among those spotted posing with ecstatic fans during the first days of TIFF. Tom Hanks made a brief appearance at the festival, but left Toronto early for actor Michael Clarke Duncan’s funeral, held on September 10 in Los Angeles. Joaquin Phoenix also chose to opt out of TIFF events.

Phoenix was a no-show at the press conference held for The Master, his highly anticipated latest film.

The Drake Hotel gets festive From September 6 onwards, the Drake Hotel sold special TIFF cocktails. Among the selection were the “Bridgette Bardot” (a mix of Hennessey, Drambuie, and gingery lemon mix) and the “James Dean” (tequila, mole biters, and enough

chili sauce to keep you warm all night). If you didn’t make it into the Drake for happy hour this year, don’t worry—the Drake’s Hollywood cocktails are an annual TIFF specialty.

Right around the corner TIFF was held at the same time as a less conspicuous gathering: Festival Music House. The smaller, more exclusive festival is dedicated to the Canadian music industry rather than to big-time international film, but the overlap of the two festivals nevertheless allowed players from both industries to meet on common ground. A mosaic of big names and lesser-known artists performed at FMH, from K’NAAN to Stars to City and Colour to the Sheepdogs.

With their 2009 debut, xx, Londonbased band the xx crafted a rich and memorable sound. With their minimal production and simple rhythms, the vocals of Romy Madley Croft and Jamie Smith stood out against the empty space in songs like “VCR” and “Crystalized”. With simple guitar riffs and looped GarageBand beats, the band filled in the architecture of the ballads they created. An album that could’ve sounded incomplete because of its minimalism met critical acclaim, and what the music lacked in complexity ended up filling a musical void we didn’t know existed.

On their sophomore album, Coexist, the xx continue in the sound they crafted for themselves. In the first track (and first single) on the album, “Angels”, a minimal guitar riff is the foundation. Croft’s voice coos, singing to an unknown lover or unattainable crush, and a light drum hovers in the background only when the guitars drop off. This simple three-minute track confirms the xx as the best at what they do: creating lo-fi music that plucks the heartstrings more than it plucks those of the guitar.

The album continues along a familiar path with the second song, “Chained”. Croft and Smith have a duet in the roles they’ve built for themselves in their debut: lovers caught in a quarrel, on the tail end of a relationship that feels like it’s on the brink. The two manipulate the silence

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in the song to lend tension to the lyrics.

Throughout Coexist, the band stays planted on their successful song formula: whispery vocals, basic drum beats, and looped guitars, with the occasional synth shaking beneath the quiet soundscape. But the most successful tracks are those in which the band experiments, even in tiny ways.

The album standout, “Try”, opens with a twisting synth riff that feels extraterrestrial. It only bubbles in the background, but it’s a detail that lingers in the listener’s head and leaves the track standing beyond the rest of the material on the album.

Much like the songs on xx, the songs on Coexist feel well-designed, enough to be the soundtrack to a low-key party or a late-night candlelit dinner. However, there are moments where the songs are unvaried and indistinguishable. Towards the end of the album, songs like “Tides”, “Untold”, and “Swept Away” recycle the xx’s formula without offering anything new. The last bit of Coexist feels more sleepy than stimulating, more flat and less electric, and doesn’t offer enough for the listener to stay engaged.

Despite its missteps, Coexist is an album you can get excited about.

Cold weather and autumn nights are approaching, and some of these songs feel right for brisk night walks—quiet in places so you can hear the crisp, coloured leaves beneath your feet, and satisfying enough to last you until the heart of winter. MMM ½

8

« 09.17.2012

Editor » Carine Abouseif

We should have warned them Should high schools warn their arts lovers that unemployment lies ahead?

CARINE ABOUSEIF FEATURES EDITOR Picture this: a dewy-eyed high school graduate flipping through a university program catalogue in the middle of an economic recession. She flips past accounting, biology, and chemical engineering. She skims through management and decides it’s not for her. Instead, she looks through the arts programs, picks one, and doesn’t give a second thought to what kind of job she’ll get when she graduates.

Sound familiar?

Recently, The Globe and Mail published an article titled “Why are we training our arts grads to be baristas?” The author interviewed several recent graduates from arts programs. Many of them seemed to be serving coffee instead of working at a “real job”. At the end of the article, the author came to the conclusion that high school students need to be better informed about the job prospects after completing a bachelor of arts. Many students, she says, choose their postsecondary degree “without realizing the magnitude of the decision they are making

until their mid-twenties”.

The article makes some excellent points. For example, the author points out that most job ads demand effective communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, and argues that these skills are best learned and practiced in arts programs. She explains that despite this, employers continue to higher business graduates over arts graduates because the arts graduates are less likely to fit into a “cookiecutter” position.

And yet, after an entire article explaining why employing arts graduates are important, the author finishes by speculating that high school students need to fully understand the path they’re choosing when they select an arts major—almost like they need to be warned of what’s coming.

But it can’t be that simple. It’s hard to imagine a student spending thousands of dollars and at least four years on a degree without any thought on what comes next. And if that’s hard to imagine, it’s even more difficult to believe that international students are paying more than double that and traveling miles away without having given serious thought to their job

prospects.

If there’s one thing we do know, though, it’s that our humanities jobs have changed. Take journalism for example. In an essay titled “How to Succeed in Journalism when You Can’t Afford and Internship”, writer Alexandra Kimball tells the story of how she tried and failed to become a journalist—until she inherited some cash. After comparing her own experience of trying to become a journalist to her grandmother’s, Kimball concludes that journalism has changed. It evolved from a “gettable, middle-class” field to an “elite pursuit”. Many newspaper interns are PhDs. Journalism, like many arts programs, has acquired a certain exclusivity. Nowadays, the journalism graduate’s primary reward is being published, not getting paid. Entire organizations have built their business models around this kind of prestigious perk. The Huffington Post, for example, has only a few full-time editors. The rest of the content is produced by volunteers—people who desperately want their name, their voice, and their expertise heard, in

print or elsewhere. Meanwhile, if you check out their job site you’ll find vacant full-time positions for a Linux systems administrator, a CMS developer, and a software engineer.

So what does this mean? Does it mean we’re too ambitious? Maybe.

Although that might be flattering ourselves too much. It might be more apt to say that we’ve transitioned from thinking about jobs to thinking about careers. Instead of graduating from university, landing a job, and working at it for 20 years, many of us are choosing to stay for only a few months with a new organization.

Why? Because we’re already thinking about what’s next. We’re partly building something, partly playing the field to find exactly what we want.

If you’re thinking that this sounds a little childish, you’re actually right.

Since the nineties, adults between the ages of 18 and 26 who live in developing countries are taking longer to make major life decisions—like who to marry, where to live, and what career to spend our lives working towards. In development psychology, it’s called “emerging adulthood”.

Actually, some scientists say this is a

good thing, even when it comes to career choices. They argue that taking longer to decide means our the decisions will stick once we make them.

But the most pertinent point here is that it seems like society has been working towards this for a long time socially and economically.

Yes, it’s important to educate high school students about the education choices they make before they make them. But who’s to say that’ll change anything? As for the graduates that never gave a thought to their employment after university, it seems doubtful that we’ll make a difference by reminding them that their employment prospects are bleak. These are the people who probably chose those fields simply for what they wanted to learn. For the rest who chose with an eye towards the future, they probably already had an answer, or part of one. Perhaps a small percentage will reroute their careers, but it’s too simplistic to say that the solution is to inform them. By all means educate them, but also tell them that circumstances have vastly changed and will continue to change—even in the four years it takes them to graduate.

Sexual abuse and heart attacks

The link between childhood abuse, stress, and risk of heart attack AYESHA MALIK

Many of us have a relative or a family friend who have had a myocardial infarction. A myocardial infarction, better known as a heart attack, happens when blood flow to a section of the heart stops for so long that becomes damaged or dead. You’ve probably already heard about the common risk-promoting factors of heart attack, including obesity, smoking, and high cholesterol. But recent research has zoned in on another one.

In a 2012 U of T study, researcher Esme Fuller-Thomson and her team found a correlation between physical and sexual abuse in childhood and risk of heart attack.

Fuller-Thomson and her team examined a community sample of 5,095 males and 7,768 females from the United States. The participants were asked to report their history of myocardial infarction and how often anyone at least five years older than them had forced them to have sex. Any response greater than zero was simply recorded as a history of child abuse.

The results of the study showed that males who were sexually abused as children were nearly three times more likely than non-abused males to experience heart attacks in adulthood. The results were still consistent after experimenters controlled for traditional risk factors, such as age, race, smoking status, physical activ-

ity, and diabetes.

Strangely, though, there was no correlation between having a history of child abuse and heart attack in women.

Intrigued by these results, FullerThomson and her team speculated that childhood sexual abuse may disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal axis in men.

Fuller-Thompson and her team speculated that different behaviours in women may “protect” them from heart attacks in adulthood.

The HPA axis is a set of interactions that take place between the hypothalamus, the pituitary glands, and the adrenal glands. The HPA axis directs a lot of everyday body functions, like digestion and the immune system. It is also involved in emotions, sexuality, and stress.

When the body is exposed to extreme stress, as it is during childhood abuse, the HPA axis increases production of the stress hormone, cortisol. In previous studies, high levels of cortisol were associated with heart attacks in men.

Still curious about why this con-

nection was not seen in women, Fuller-Thomson and her team speculated that different behaviours in women may “protect” them from heart attacks in adulthood. Women, they said, are more likely to seek support and counselling after childhood sexual abuse. The help they get may have relieved the stress that produces high levels of cortisol.

Fuller-Thomspon’s study, however, has its limitations. For example, the team did not verify all reports of heart attack with the subjects’ medical records. Participants who reported they had not experienced heart attacks may actually have, but may not have felt comfortable sharing this information.

Also, the study did not collect information about biological risk factors, such as level of serum cholesterol, that could have influenced the participants’ predisposition to heart attacks.

Nevertheless, the study was significant. Using a large sample size, the authors showed that childhood sexual abuse was associated with risk for myocardial infarctions in males. Previous research shows that childhood abuse affects adult mental health as well as physical health. One possible response from our healthcare system might be to acknowledge the findings and provide preventative counselling to those who have suffered abuse.

.

So you have an education under your belt, how about adding some practical experience to those credentials and really have what it takes to blow the lid off the career market when you graduate.

Talk to our recruitment specialists who can illustrate how a one-year graduate programs can get you real results.

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09.17.2012 THE MEDIUM FEATURES

9

#1: LINGUISTICS: EXPLORING THE MANSION OF YOUR OWN BRAIN Oh, hello there! You must be a noble reader of The Medium. Pleased to meet you! I’m Luke, a regular old linguistics student, and—in case you weren’t around to see it last year—in this column I try to share my enthusiasm for what I’m learning.

But before you can find anything interesting, you have to know what on earth it is. What is linguistics, anyway?

A fair question. Unlike most programs, you don’t hear anything about linguistics in high school… or, for that matter, in most of life. To start with, it’s not about learning any particular language, or old languages, or all the languages, or anything like that. So then what can it be?

Well, let me put it this way. This week there’s an article in the Sports section in which we find this quote: Having played two sports at a com-

petitive level, [coach Greg] Gary has the ability to see each game in a different light—or, as he says, to “see the game and break it down into small pieces”.

I jumped when I read that, because it’s exactly how I think of being familiar with two cultures, or being fluent in two languages. When you just know one “game”, you’re locked in the mindset of that game. But when you try a different one, suddenly you have something to compare your game to.

You get to look at the ground you were standing on, and as coach Gary put it, you get to see a language and break it down into small pieces.

Now, take that to the next level and get information from dozens or even hundreds of languages. You get to see “how they do things over there”. You get a feel for the many diverse ways people express themselves. You start

to see that every language has a rhyme and reason, a method to its madness.

And now you can take it apart and break into small pieces. In short, you make it a science.

What exactly are the data of this science? What are the “small pieces”?

You use them all at once every time you open your mouth.

They’re the movements of your tongue, the physical question of how we manipulate air to make it roll like an r or kick like a k. They’re why you can’t drink “six waters” even though you can drink “six beers” (or can you?). They’re how we know “I like what I get” and “I get what I like” really are two different things. They’re why, in some company, you’d get a funny look if you had to ask to make sure “smashed” means “drunk”. They’re why “gooey baloney sandwich” is not

an appropriate answer to the question “Will you marry me?”

They’re basically all the rules of how languages work. You probably didn’t notice it, but I picked each of those examples to illustrate a different part of serious linguistic study (if you’re burning with curiosity, they were phonology, morphology, syntax, sociolinguistics, and semantics, in that order). And that’s only some of the types of stuff you look at in linguistics. For example, an extremely rich field is just starting to open up between psychology and linguistics.

It’s got the awesome name “psycholinguistics”.

Yep. Science can be fun.

The last thing I want to say in this introduction is actually the best part.

Which is that in that list of things up there, I didn’t have to explain any of

those claims. I assume you just knew what I was talking about. You see, as a human being, you’ve already got a pretty awesome grip on how your own language works. Probably a better, more accurate system than decades of research could formulate.

But so much of it is subconscious— what you can actually say about what you know is just a glimpse through the window. Linguistics is where you go walk freely through the mansion of your own brain and take a good look at what you find in there.

And that’s why I love it.

So that’s the field I’ll be exploring in this column, taking some of the most interesting questions in the field and bringing them to your attention.

That’s all for this week; tune in next time to ask the question, “Do I want my language to change?”

Expectations versus reality WITH NOTES FROM ANDREEA MIHAI

You expected to get lost?

You expected people to be meaner?

You expected less freedom?

You expected a heavier workload?

High school students get a warped image of what university is like from a bunch of sources: older friends and siblings, university catalogues, movies, and TV. After two weeks of classes we wanted to know what you were expecting… and what you weren’t. Here are the top four.

UTM isn’t a very big campus. Still, more than half the froshies we polled thought they’d get lost. Don’t let your guard down, though; the Davis Building still has a few labyrinthian

Even if you do get lost, you’re more than likely to find help. Many of you were surprised to find that your older peers were pretty friendly—at least, friendly enough to point you in the right direction.

In many high schools, you can’t roam the halls without a pass. You can’t skip class whenever you want. About a third of the first-years we polled were pleasantly surprised by the freedom that comes with university classes. In your words, “The profs aren’t after us!”

After the first week, many of you were happy to find that the workload wasn’t as heavy as you expected. All I can say is don’t be fooled. Just wait.

underground tunnels.

ERINDALE COLLEGE COUNCIL University of Toronto Mississauga

The Council of Erindale College, also known as the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), exercises its powers and duties under the University of Toronto Act, 1971, as amended .

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: • Full-time undergraduate students – 50 positions available • Part-time undergraduate students – 5 positions available • Administrative Staff (non-academic staff other than department heads) – 7 positions available

Nominations may be submitted through the Council website starting September 10 at 9 AM: www.utm.utoronto.ca/council/ Questions about the nominations? Contact: 905-828-5233 / council.utm@utoronto.ca

NOMINATION PERIOD for Erindale College Council Membership: September 10, 2012 - 9:00 AM to September 21, 2012 - 12:00 Noon Elections*: Friday, September 28, 2012 - 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM Nomination Period for Standing Committee membership for students*: October 2, 2012 - 9:00 AM - October 9, 2012 - 12 Noon Elections*: Friday, October 19, 2012 - 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM *If the number of nominations exceed the number of available positions

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE HERE AT

UTM ATHLETICS!

Lots of Campus Rec Leagues to choose from.

Including Ball Hockey, Basketball, Cricket, Flag Football, Indoor Soccer, Outdoor Soccer, and Volleyball.

NEW LEAGUES TO UTM - MEN’S OUTDOOR SOCCER AND COED ULTIMATE FRISBEE Officials needed for all sports! Get paid and have fun!

Campus Rec League Meetings Fall 2012 Ball Hockey (Men’s) Thursday, September 20th @ 11:00am Room 1118B Basketball (Men’s) Thursday, September 20th @ 12:00pm Room 1118B Indoor Soccer (Men’s) Thursday, September 20th @ 1:00pm Gym C

Dance Lessons here at UTM - Ballroom, Belly Dancing, Break Dancing, Hip Hop, and Latin all offered.

NEW LEAGUE TO UTM Outdoor Soccer (Men’s) Thursday, September 20th @ 1:30pm Gym C

Martial Arts your thing? Choose from Aikido, Judo, or Karate. All taught here at UTM!

Cricket (Men’s) Thursday, September 20th @ 2:00pm Room 1118B

Want to increase strength and flexibility? Register for our Hatha Yoga classes.

Flag Football (Men’s) Thursday, September 20th @ 3:00pm Room 1118B

Yoga for Athletes also offered.

Want to build your endurance? Register for our Learn to Run course. Mondays at 4pm.

Volleyball (Coed) Thursday, September 27th @ 12:00pm Room 1118B

Group Fitness Classes are free so why not take one?

Indoor Soccer (Coed) Thursday, September 27th @ 1:00pm Room 1118B

And yes, we have a pool!

Register for swimming lessons or enjoy a recreational dip today!

NEW LEAGUE TO UTM Ultimate (Coed) Thursday, September 27th @ 2:00pm Room 1118B

utm.utoronto.ca/athletics

facebook.com/utmathletics

@UTM_ATHLETICS

09.17.2012

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11

Editor » Isaac Owusu

Varsity Blues handed second straight blowout After falling 55–4 to Windsor on Saturday, the team is outscored an embarassing 117–11 in last two games

JUNAID IMRAN/THE MEDIUM

Quittenton takes a beating after a gang tackle from Lancers defenders.

ISAAC OWUSU SPORTS EDITOR For the second game in a row, the U of T Varsity Blues football team were beaten and outscored by over 50 points. The Windsor Lancers walloped the Blues 55–4 at Varsity Stadium on Saturday, in front of a crowd of just 1,512 spectators.

The game’s action started almost immediately. Windsor running back Mitch Dender opened the scoring on the team’s third drive by punching in a three-yard rushing touchdown. This set off his big half, in which he netted 93 of his 108 total yards on the ground. Shortly after Dender’s goal, the Blues found themselves on the board as Andrew Lomasney nailed a 26-yard field goal, bringing the game to 7–3.

Richard Quittenton made a one-yard rush to the sideline in a drive, and then lost his helmet when Jake Nicoletti tackled him out of bounds, leading to a 15yard major penalty for unnecessary roughness. Lomasney got in position to make his chip shot.

After the flag, Blues running back Ashton Nelson had two runs of seven and eight yards, but it was Quittenton’s pass to UTM’s Stephen Boroniec for 17 yards down that put the team in the red zone.

That was as close as it got for Toronto.

After each team dealt with two

pairs of two and out, Austin Kennedy—an early-season favourite for the Hec Credighton Award— completed a 57-yard touchdown pass to slotback Jordan Brescacin, ending the first quarter. The second quarter kicked off with Kennedy getting his second touchdown pass after an 18-yard dart to slotback Evan Pszczonak.

Toronto’s backup quarterback, Chris Jugovic, was under centre for the next drive, but was ineffective. He threw an incompletion and lost a fumble forced

by Windsor defensive tackle Tai Pham on the next play.

Windsor running back Gilbert Stewart forced the ball deeper into Blues territory after two rushes for 11 and three yards, allowing Lancers kicker Dan Cerino to extend the lead to 24–3 following his 19-yard field goal.

Four series later, Toronto’s Spenser Stewart managed a key interception off a tipped pass from Kennedy with a 32-yard return to get the ball to Windsor’s 40-yard line. Toronto was unable to capitalize on the field possession, as Lomasney missed his 30yard field goal attempt. The Blues were able to get a single point on a rouge when Windsor’s return man Shea Pierre was unable to return the missed kick out of the end zone.

Windsor’s Stewart punched in a rushing score from the one-yard line to push the halftime lead

to 31–4. Kennedy’s score stood out, going into halftime with 244 yards thrown on 11 of 16 passing.

The crowd was treated to a presentation by the Rameses Shriners fraternity, who presented their flag and gave a musical performance.

“I just told them that we have some decisions to make as a program.

Whether we’re going to be competitive or not, I said our preparation has to be better. Because clearly we’re not preparing well enough to win football games, or even to be competitive in football games.”

—Greg Gary Halftime changed nothing for the Blues. Windsor pushed the lead to 45–4 from another Stewart rush of nine yards for a major and a 20-yard interception off Quittenton for a touchdown by linebacker Marcus St. Aubin.

The last points of the day came from Dan Cerino with a 32-yard field goal and from Dender, who

put the final score on the board with a one-yard touchdown run.

Toronto was outgained 554 yards to 309 and also lost in possession time by 43:22 to 33:57.

Quittenton finished the day with seven of 23 passing for 115 yards, three interceptions, and four sacks, while Ashton Nelson gained 116 yards on the ground on 21 carries. Windsor’s Kennedy finished with 300 yards on 14 of 21 passing and two touchdowns.

Coming from his team’s second straight defeat in which over 50 points were scored, head coach Greg Gary immediately led the team to the end zone for a rare on-field post-game team meeting.

“I just told them that we have some decisions to make as a program. Whether we’re going to be competitive or not, I said our preparation has to be better. Because clearly we’re not preparing well enough to win football games, or even to be competitive in football games,” he said. “We have to do that. I told them we have to come back on Tuesday and get back to work. That’s all you can say after this, and after last week.”

Even in defeat, the UTM presence among the Blues was felt.

Boroniec finished the game with two catches for 22 yards and two tackles. Boroniec, a silent leader, is used to doing things beyond the requirements of his position. He

started as an offensive lineman in high school at St. Marcellinus Secondary School, and switched to running back when he joined the Blues. He is often seen catching the ball out of the backfield.

“I [have] been playing every position on the field now—get to get the ball in my hands, get to make some blocks, and sometimes win the game. Unfortunately, today wasn’t that result.”

Abiodun Olusoga, also from UTM, returned from a one-game suspension after being ejected for a kick in the team’s first game, which was against Wilfred Laurier. “Abi”, as his teammates call him, finished with a team leading eight tackles, two for a loss, and four quarterback hurries. “I was motivated,” he said. “I let my team down by not being there last week. I was just trying to get the boys up; unfortunately, it went for a loss.”

Olusoga, a standout with his distinct on-field fashion sense, embraces the heckling that comes with wearing only one long white sock. “I gotta do something different when I’m on the field. I gotta represent, do something a little different,” he says. “Keep one sock high and one sock low.”

The Blues return to national television next Saturday at 1 p.m., when their next game will be broadcasted on The Score’s University Rush series as they head to Guelph to take on the Gryphons.

12

«SPORTS THE MEDIUM

09.17.2012

A coaching lesson in football safety Toronto Argonauts host player safety seminar at UTM for Toronto high school football coaches ISAAC OWUSU SPORTS EDITOR Sporting a thick silver mane, an intense glare, and an imposing allblack wardrobe on his six-footthree, 250-pound frame, Toronto Argonauts general manager Jim Barker commands attention at the front of the room. “When I’m speaking, don’t be on your phones or texting. That’s going to piss me off,” he says. “Especially when the lives of our youth are in our hands.”

The atmosphere levels out, opening up to Barker’s fiery hands-on workshop for the approximately 40 football coaches representing high schools within the Toronto District School Board. The Toronto Argonauts, partnering with Tim Hortons, took to the Faculty Club on the Davis Building’s third floor last Wednesday to host the Coaches’ Seminar on Player Safety.

The seminar featured presentations by Danny Webb, the Argos’ equipment manager; Dave Wright, head athletics therapist; Jason Colero, director of education programs and of the Argos Foundation; and Barker. With the decline of extracurricular activities in elementary and postsecondary schools, having such a large turnout of coaches was significant.

Player safety is a hot topic in contact sports, especially in football, due to equipment issues and recent events in the news, such as the NFL’s New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal.

Webb and Colero demonstrate the proper use of the new helmet.

Having the high school coaches take lessons from members of the CFL franchise is meant to give early momentum to safe football practices.

Barker’s intense presentation began with a breakdown of the history of football equipment and the importance of proper terminology.

For instance, he urged coaches to use the word “rip” for a tackling motion rather than the commonly used “wrap”, as a safety precaution.

With the help of a padded bed, he had a coach in the crowd take part in some physical examples of how to properly “rip” and how to coach players to lunge for a tackle.

Webb discussed concussions, including signs, symptoms, management, rehabilitation, and parental guidelines for dealing with the in-

jury. His presentation included a display of some new variations on helmets and shoulder pads, intended to better protect the players. He also introduced a new helmet that features modified clips for buckling the helmets, a measure in avoiding intentional harm. “You’ve heard the horror stories where kids take their helmets home and take the clips and sharpen them out,” said Webb. “So they’re looking to switch to plastic clips.”

Having been involved with the team for 28 years from his start as the Argos’ ball boy to his current position as the director of education programs, Colero’s job is to speak to players, coaches, and parents daily on how to most efficiently play football. “It’s extremely important.

JUNAID IMRAN/THE MEDIUM

Any time you do this, you’re simply reducing the risk of injury. You’re preventing and reducing the risk.

You’re not actually saying you’re going to stop any injuries, but you’re reducing any risk,” he stresses. “And that’s done by preparing the coaches who prepare the kids.”

Colero’s community involvement involves dealing with kids of all ages and sizes, including the constant need to correct bad habits. “You don’t want to scare them into it and say, ‘If you don’t do it right, you’re going to get hurt!’ But you do have to tell them that you want them to play the game for as long as possible, and the way to do it is to do it properly. In my time watching kids, they buy into [it],” he says. “They know they want to do it right and know

they will excel by doing it right, and those are the kids that will stick around in this sport. The ones who give up on the instructions are the ones who don’t get far.”

The seminar comes just five days after the death of Gene Odulio, a grade 12 student who played football at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Brampton. Odulio collapsed on the afternoon of Friday, September 7, during the fourth quarter of a home game, and died in Sunnybrook hospital two days later.

Colero’s work with the schools and teens makes Odulio’s death hit close to home, but he calls for the public to focus on solutions in such delicate situations.

“My heart goes out to the family. It is a sad situation. Not to sell it short, but the biggest thing is, there’s risks in everything we do. There’s risks in waking up in the morning to getting in your car and driving down the highway,” he says. “When these things happen, we as a community and as a group have to move on and then make ourselves more aware to reduce these things from happening. It is tragic, and when I see these things happen—when a life is lost—it’s sad, because we’re playing a game here, and it’s a great game.”

Player safety in football still isn’t perfect, but by hosting seminars like this one, the Toronto Argonauts are doing their part for the future of the game and ensuring that players play right.

Coach Gary’s comeback season Varsity Blues football head coach’s story originates in Mississauga, by way of the Golden State ORVILLE MACIEL This year seems promising for U of T’s football team as Greg Gary rolls into his second season as head coach of the Blues. With his many years of experience as a player and coach, he has what it takes to coach his team on the fundamental skills needed to win championships.

Gary grew up in Claremont, California, where he later received a basketball scholarship to California State University as a point guard. It was not until his third year at CSU that Gary made the transition from basketball to football.

“I was a point guard—a scoring point guard, so just want to make that clear—but I started growing sideways rather than taller,” Gary chuckles.

His transition to football couldn’t

have been any smoother: he went on to become the captain of the football team and winner of the Ironman Award in 1981.

His success didn’t stop there. In 1982, Gary signed on as a free agent with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams until heading up north a year later, where he played for four years as a linebacker with the Hamilton Tiger Cats, winning the Grey Cup in 1986.

Gary’s coaching career didn’t start until 10 years after he moved to Canada, when an opportunity arose to coach his son’s football team in the Mississauga Football League. While his son progressed as a player, so did Gary as a coach. He went on to become the head coach of the Warriors Rep football team in 2005, leading them to an Ontario Varsity Football League Junior Varsity championship in 2008.

Now, with more than 20 years of coaching under his belt, Gary has the knowledge and expertise of the game needed for the Varsity Blues’ success this football season.

Gary places great emphasis on fundamental skills when coaching the Blues. He imparts these skills to the team through rigorous training sessions, which he takes very seriously.

“It is essential to understand the fundamentals and systems of the sport and transfer these skills and body movements on the field,” he explains.

Having played two sports at a competitive level, Gary has the ability to see each game in a different light—or, as he says, to “see the game and break it down into small pieces”. He sees players in the NFL who don’t understand the workings of the game, and who seem more engrossed in showmanship

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than in sportsmanship. Gary wants his players to stay away from this pitfall that is popularized by professional athletes, and instead to focus on sound playing.

“He likes to get his players to do the best they can and to work to their fullest potential, no matter what the outcome is. His methods work, and he pushes us even when we think we can’t go anymore,” says Larry Broni, a UTM student starting his first season with the Blues this year. “He’s a motivator and he’s real. He tells you how it is— no sugar-coating anything. And that’s what we need as players.”

Gary is a firm believer in the here and now, focussing on each individual game rather than on the overall history of the team. He’s not concerned about the success of the Blues in the past, or lack thereof, but about whether or not

their hard work and dedication in the present will challenge the opposing team.

There’s a new batch of players on the Blues team this year, new ingredients in what is already a stew of talent.

A handful of players hail from UTM, solidifying our campus’s place on the team and showcasing the talent we have to offer.

“UTM is a huge piece of what we’re doing with this program; it’s one of the pillars,” says Gary.

The greatest challenge for the Blues this season is the ability to regain confidence and overcome the devastating losing streak they suffered last season.

But a new season means a new beginning. With Greg Gary and his coaching staff, and if the Blues recapture the skill they showed last year against Laurier, they will be headed for great success.

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