Vol 35 issue 21

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Monday, March 2, 2009

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UCS under fire for “Biz Frosh” chants ALI KASIM EDITOR IN CHIEF The Undergraduate Commerce Society (UCS) is currently under investigation from UTM administration for promoting discriminating and lewd behaviour during their orientation week, titled “Biz Frosh” in September last year.

Last October, two students sent separate emails to UTM Student Union vp equity Saaliha Malik raising their concerns over some of the cheers chanted during the Biz Frosh event. According to Malik, complaints over the Biz Frosh cheers have been coming in for years, but no one has taken any action until this year when the two students, both of whom remain anonymous, filed a formal complaint and a statement citing that they hoped UTMSU would take some form of action on the matter.

Some of the chants that have stirred up the controversy contain several explicit references of a sexual nature, such as one entitled “What do you we do.” The words to this cheer include, “UTM Boys what do we do?/ (boys make stroking motion) Cum, Cum, Cum, Cum, Cum on you/UTM Girls what do we do?/ (girls) spit, spit, spit, spit, spit on you.”

Another one titled “Young,”

Photo source/facebook.com

Biz Frosh 2008: UCS have always claimed their right to party at their events in whatever manner they wish. One won ders however, after investigations by Student Affairs conclude, if such wild parties will start to tame in the future. includes a verse that is perceived to be highly derogatory towards women and highly suggestive towards underage sex: “Y is for your sister/O is oh so tight/U is for underage/N is for no consent/G is for Go to jail/Y-o-u-n-g UT boys we like em young!”

According to sources within UCS, most of the chants were written by past Biz Frosh leaders, while some are universally known and practiced during orientation weeks throughout several universities in North America.

At first, Malik tried to meet with

some of the UCS council members sometime in late November to get the council to act on the complaints by adapting the policy that UTMSU adapted on sexual harassment and discrimination across campus and campus events.

“I met with Jyotin [Handa], president of UCS in November, and he seemed to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation, and I was under the impression that he and UCS council members were willing to adopt the policy and cooperate in the matter so as to

not have this sort of incident repeat itself in the future,” explains Malik.

“However, after meeting with the incoming council on February 26, it was evident that the UCS council was unwilling to recognize their responsibility to adhere to any of the policies on sexual harassment and discrimination.”

The UTMSU policy was developed and implemented by Malik at the beginning of the academic year with the intention to eliminate any form of discrimination and sexual harassment

during all campus related events.

Another primary reason why the policy was put in place was because of a similar incident involving the student union itself during UTM’s Orientation (Frosh) Week. UTMSU are due to submit a report to the Principal’s Advisory Committee on March 6 detailing the incidents during Frosh Week which also brought about a complaint from one student regarding certain homophobic cheers.

The UTMSU Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Discrimination outlines the definitions of sexual harassment and discrimination along with the scope, objectives and complaint procedure of such incidents. It also stipulates that examples of harassment, sexual harassment and discrimination “can include sexually oriented remarks, gestures, materials, cheers, announcements including internet, telephone, fax and E-mail messages or other behaviour which may reasonably be perceived to create a negative psychological or emotional environment at an event, work, and/or campaign.”

While the policy applies to all UTMSU staff, board of directors, executive committee members, orientation leaders, ministers, work-study personnel, UTMSU cannot sanction any campus club or academic society to strictly adhere to and adopt the policy. They can only mediate and advise an organization to do so, something which Malik had attempted this past week.

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Reading week theft at Sheridan ANDREW HAMILTON SMITH NEWS EDITOR

Over the recent reading week break, over $3,500 worth of computer equipment was stolen from the Art and Art History department’s office on Sheridan College campus. Located in the Annie Smith Centre, home to the joint degree programme between UTM and Sheridan, six computers and a recently purchased LCD projector were lost in the theft, which apparently left no signs of forced entry.

According to Professor John Armstrong, coordinator of the Art and

Art History programme, the department is looking into an insurance claim, as well as college policy on the question of how to proceed. The police didn’t dust for fingerprints because they said too many people had used the area, Armstrong added.

Halton Region Police Sergeant Brian Carr confirms that certain situations might not be fingerprinted for that reason, because “even though we live in a CSI-world, things are not CSI ninety-nine per cent of the time.”

He stated that he was not aware of any details related to the incident, and could not offer any information on it.

When asked to comment on the availability of surveillance footage or the state of security at Sheridan College, director of marketing and communication Janine Gliener declined and offered to contact The Medium at a more convenient oppor-

tunity. As of press time, Sheridan College has not responded to these questions.

The entire incident appears to be a mystery, with almost no one aware of its occurrence, and no one able to explain how it happened. “We are bewildered by the disappearance of the equipment from two secure areas,” remarked Professor Armstrong. “The loss is a great inconvenience to students and faculty using the studio facilities in the Annie Smith Centre.”

Since so many students depend upon the centre for project- and school-related work, the department has arranged for it to continue, Armstrong noted. “Faculty have donated used computers as a stop-gap measure, and these computers are now properly imaged and up and running.”

Photo/Matthew Filipowich

Professor John Armstrong points towards the crime scene at Sheridan College where $3,500 worth of computers were stolen. The Art and Art History degree is a joint UTM Sheridan programme.

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NEWS

MONDAY,MARCH

2, 2009

POWER FOR THE PEOPLE

N A T O c a n 't d e fe a t A f gh a n i n s u rg e n c y , PM s a y s OTTAWA (TORSTAR)–The United States has to come up with a viable Afghan exit strate gy before Canada would consid er staying on in the country past 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said. Seeking to lower expectations about prospects for the insurgency riddled coun try, Harper said Canada has had modest success over the course of its eight year effort, but that any gains were vulnerable if the security situation were to wors en.

T or i e s d r op t he g l o v e s o n Ig n a t i ef f , pr ep a r e a t t a c k a d s OTTAWA (CP)—The Conservatives are scouring hun dreds of hours of videotape as they prepare to pummel their key rival Michael Ignatieff with attack ads leading up to the next election. The Harper gov ernment had been uncharacter istically tame toward the Liberal leader until last week, when MPs began taking shots at Ignatieff in the House of Commons. There are also anti Ignatieff ads ready to air at a moment's notice.

Citizens contesting planned power plant in Clarkson ANDREW HAMILTON SMITH NEWS EDITOR

In the latest turn in a long-running saga, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) along with Minister of Energy George Smitherman are meeting with local citizens in Mississauga, in the hopes of garnering public acceptance of an 850MW natural-gas plant which may be up and running at Royal Windsor Road and Winston Churchill Boulevard by 2013.

Local politicians from Mayor Hazel McCallion to Mississauga South MPP Charles Sousa are on record as opposing to the project, citing the results of the Clarkson Airshed Study (CAS) which found pollution in excess of federal standards within the south-western part of Mississauga.

On Tuesday March 3, the Ontario Racquet Club will see these two sides face off once again, as the government insists that the power plant is necessary in order to close “dirty” coal plants elsewhere in the province, while local groups and politicians remain steadfastly determined to axe the project because of the health threat that it represents to the community.

Respected resident Doctor Boyd

Upper has compiled air quality data and health statistics that demonstrate the measurable harm a natural-gas plant would cause to people living in the Clarkson area.

There have also been numerous resolutions calling for a review of the site as a candidate for the project based upon the CAS, notably from the ad hoc Clarkson Airshed Study Advisory Committee (CASAC), which included Dr. Upper, MPP Sousa and local city councillor Pat Mullin, and also from the Mississauga Ratepayers Network (MIRANET). With health emerging as the primary concern in the community’s opposition, the Liberal government and the OPA are attempting to show how pollution in Clarkson will decline despite the addition of a major industrial polluter.

JoAnne Butler, vice-president of electricity resources at the OPA, pointed out that “this new facility will not be a burden to the air shed [because] it will not operate constantly but only for short periods of time, and will provide residents with clean, reliable power during peak periods of demand.” She again cited the closure of coal plants such as Nanticoke as improving air quality “downwind” in the Greater Toronto

Area (GTA), but did not address Dr. Upper’s concerns about added pollutants and carcinogens being released into the local area.

The situation is made more difficult by the fact that the plant is being conducted as a private-public partnership with Sithe Global Power, a New York based firm, which means that the Ontario government is charged with attracting corporate investors while simultaneously balancing the public interest.

For example, the OPA is responsible for selecting a winning bidder to build an 850MW natural-gas plant somewhere in the southwest GTA. Once that bidder is selected however, the OPA is then legally responsible to that winner as a business partner, meaning that it must defend that company’s interest in the project.

The meeting on March 3 is one of the last opportunities that the public will have to face the government before a final bidder is selected by the OPA. The Sithe proposal also has a number of points in its favour, such as having already obtained regulatory approval from the province.

To further complicate this process, the Ontario government, through the OPA, has recently made major revisions to its

electricity demand projections for the next twenty years. Following the lead of US states such as Texas and New York, which are both working to reduce peak demand by 20 to 25 per cent by 2015, the government is adopting strong conservation and demand management measures in its energy strategy.

In 2006, the government committed to reducing peak electricity demand by 6300MW (or 23 per cent) by 2025, down from a predicted one per cent annual increase prior to 2006. This appears to significantly alter the amount of generating capacity needed in the future. In fact, in 2007 and 2008, energy demand fell two per cent on average.

Despite this new projected reduction in demand, the government has not reviewed or altered its plan for supply since 2006, and still intends to build several natural-gas generating stations in and around Toronto in the coming years.

For all these reasons and more, building a natural-gas plant in Clarkson does not make sense to many people, and yet the project continues to move forward.

Hundreds of concerned citizens are expected to show up on March 3 to oppose the Sithe Project, but it remains to be seen whether or not the government will actually listen.

Risqué chants taint “Biz Frosh” Continued from front page “UCS have since ignored the complaints and refused to take ‘reasonable measures’ to address the situation or assume responsibility for the incidents occurring at Biz Frosh,” says Malik, who after meeting with the UCS council, passed along the complaints to the University administration and Student Affairs in order for them to take over all dealings on the matter.

Along with Student Affairs, the Department of Management has been notified and is currently looking into the issue. When contacted, Dr. Hugh Gunz, Chair of the Department of Management at UTM, expressed that he was appalled by the content of the chants, which he felt were “deeply offensive to many groups and in incred-

ibly poor taste.”

“I’ve heard that it's being said that the chants are ‘important’ because they’re part of UCS's ‘culture.’ Well, if that's true, then the culture is going to have to change, because it's totally inappropriate for any organization in a modern multicultural society,” commented Gunz.

“The kind of culture that behaviour like this builds is one that creates an ingroup by excluding and marginalizing others. I’m quite sure that this wasn't the intention of UCS’s leaders, but that’s what happens, and it’s not how we do things at universities,” added Gunz, who also announced plans to work with UCS’s leaders to make sure that they understand and deal with the situation.

According to Gunz, UCS is an independent student organization which

runs its own events. But because some of its funding flows through the department (these funds come from the extra tuition that Commerce students pay) the department holds regular meetings with the UCS president to monitor their activities.

“The chant behaviour is all the more unacceptable because we have had complaints in the past few years about it. We have met with previous UCS leaders to explain to them that it shouldn't happen again. And even after we had their assurance that it wouldn't, we now find that it has,” explains Gunz.

“I want to apologize on behalf of the department to anyone who felt themselves excluded from UCS events because, very understandably, they didn't feel comfortable being surrounded by such behaviour. I also want to thank Saaliha Malik and her colleagues at

UTMSU for their efforts in trying to deal with this problem. I share their disappointment that they weren't able to achieve a resolution.”

Gunz went on to stress on how disappointing the whole affair is to the department. “In many other respects UCS makes a great contribution to UTM student life. Over the years UCS has run many successful events and has added value to student experience on campus, and I hope that we can move on from this sorry affair so that they can continue to do so.”

The department of Management is still in the midst of gathering information on what happened, and will be working closely with the office of the Dean of Student Affairs to ensure that appropriate action is taken. Hence, they are currently not confirmed on how they plan to resolve the issue, although

a report from the UCS council, that will determine the department’s specific actions on the matter, is due this Monday. If found to be liable, UCS could lose a large percentage of funding from the Department of Management for future year events, such as Biz Frosh, the UCS annual Ski Trip, and the various other academic seminars organized annually by the society.

As well, the Principles Advisory Committee on Diversity and Equity, which is formed of members of the positive space committee at UTM and Principal Ian Orchard, is expected to discuss the matter at their March 6 meeting.

When contacted by The Medium, UCS council member and Biz Frosh coordinator Rick Rizvi and UCS president Jyotin Handa both declined to comment on the issue.

CHOOSING YOUR PROGRAM Workshops Wednesday, March 4, 11 am - 12 pm Tuesday, March 10, 3 pm - 4 pm Wednesday, March 18, 12 pm - 1 pm Need to declare your academic program but not sure what to choose? Learn strategies to choose a program that will reflect your career interests and goals. Register online!

UTM CAREER CENTRE

learn more & register for these sessions @ www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers Are you graduating this year? Are you concerned about finding work?

The Career Centre is here to help you! Get started NOW by attending these workshops: “Now That I’m Graduating, What’s Next?”

Offered weekly through the end of March Jump Start Your Job Search in tough economic times Science: Thursday, March 19, 10 am -12 pm Business: Wednesday, March 25, 11 am - 1 pm Arts: Thursday, March 26, 10 am - 12 pm

GET STARTED NOW! Learn more via our online Events Calendar

The Career Centre is hiring!

Student Staff Positions for 2009/10 include: Marketing & Events Assistants, Research Assistant and Career Assistants.

Sign up for an info session on Tuesday, March 3 from 12 pm - 1 pm AND/OR check out the online job postings to learn more!

DEADLINE to apply: Friday, March 13 @ 4 pm

MONDAY, MARCH

2, 2009 THE MEDIUM 3

COMING TOGETHER FOR WORK AND PLAY

How do you feel about the residence fee increases at UTM? “Why does the school need more of my money? I am trying to get an education in order to live a debt free life and this makes it so much harder.”

Mackenzie Ellis, second year environmental management student “The increase in fees only deepens the debt that so many students face after university.

It seems necessary to get a $100K [per year] job just to pay for residence.”

Nicholas Magill, first year his tory student “Students living in residence are already under stress from tuition and room fees. The increase in food prices is just another burden, especially for the quality we receive.”

Jenna Menzies, first year psy chology student “My roommates and I strongly considered off campus housing because of the fees associated with residence life, such as food and housing.”

Christina Faiers, first year art and art history student

UTM campus crime report February 22, 6:15 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated a theft that occurred in the Recreational Athletic and Wellness Centre. The lock er used did not have a lock.

February 23, 12:19 p.m.

Fire Call Campus Police attended and investigated a small fire in the South Building kitchen. The fire was caused by a buildup of grease.

February 23, 2:43 p.m.

Personal Safety Concern Campus Police investigated a personal safety com plaint. Investigation is con tinuing.

February 23, 9:25 p.m.

Motor Vehicle Accident Campus Police investigated

a motor vehicle accident in parking lot 1. The damage was estimated at approxi mately $700.

February 24, 3:17 p.m.

Per sonal Safety Concern Campus Police investigated a personal safety com plaint. Investigation is con tinuing.

February 25, 3:20 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police attended the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre to investigate a theft of a cell phone.

February 26, 1:00 a.m.

L ib r a r y C o d e o f C o n d u c t Campus Police responded to a report of a disruptive person in the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre.

NEWS

CCIT job fair and alumni reunion ALAIN LATOUR FEATURES EDITOR

Last Wednesday, fifty-three CCIT students gathered in the South Building to discuss career strategies with six panelists, most of whom are CCIT graduates themselves. The UTM Career Centre and the CCIT Council worked together to sponsor the event, which they dubbed CCIT Career Night.

“It’s a networking event merged with a CCIT alumni event,” said Gary Li, event academic director of the CCIT Council. “We want CCIT students to learn what the guest speakers’ experiences are in terms of finding a job in the field and what skills are required.”

The guest speakers were Mike Faye, associate producer at Breakthrough Films & Television; Igor Mazic, marketing coordinator at Product Development & Innovation, Give and Go Prepared Foods Corp.; Eilbra Younen, flyer distribution & print coordinator at Hudson's Bay Company; Ivana Di Millo, director of communications at City of Mississauga; and Natalie Cunningham, director of marketing, at TELETOON Canada.

Also in attendance were Professor Anthony Wensley, director of the CCIT program; Professor Tracey Bowen, lecturer and internship coordinator; and Kristen Stolze, coordinator, employer events & services at UTM’s Career

Photo/Mark Shannon

A speaker shares job tips with UTM students at the CCIT alumni and networking event last week, which brought together graduates who have found success in the bindustry with aspiring career applicants.

Centre.

Students had the opportunity to ask questions and talk with each panelist. All of the speakers stressed how important it is to persevere and not to limit oneself to simply sending resumes. “I knocked on many doors, most of which were closed on my face,” recounted Mike Faye, “Until I found the one that wasn’t.”

Mazic emphasized that employment opportunities at UTM have much to offer. “I worked at the UTMSU and at The Medium,” he says. “Both looked good on my resume and helped me be where I am today.”

Professor Wensley closed the evening

with a short speech. “I am proud of CCIT students and proud of the CCIT Program,” he said. His statement met with applause.

CCIT students interested in joining the CCIT council can do so through its Facebook group. They can also drop by the office, which is located in room 2170 in the CCIT Building, open Mondays through Fridays from 12 to 2 p.m.

The CCIT Council, formerly known as the CCIT Club, just gained Academic Society status. Its goal is to represent CCIT students, organize events such as the CCIT Career Night, and help prepare the transition from student to worker.

Diversity celebrated at Drag Pub night FIONA BUCHANAN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Last Thursday, OUT@UTM hosted the fifth annual Drag Pub night at the Blind Duck Pub. Approximately 125 students turned up – well above the attendance numbers from previous years. Though the theme of the pub night, “Come as you are, come as you aren’t,” implied that guests should dress up as the opposite sex, an inclusive environment for all was encouraged, drag attire or not.

Annie Pham, a third-year English and classics student, suggested that the theme is a means of challenging gender stereotypes. “It’s about making [gender] a personal choice, not a social one,” said Pham.

Events like Drag Pub help to build the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and queer network at the UTM, explained Pham. “As a first-year student, I was scared to go to a meeting, but I don’t regret it. I’ve met many of my best friends in this group,” she added.

Pham also noted that the event is not exclusive to just the members of OUT@UTM. “We must be doing something right. The crowd is getting bigger every year,” she noted.

The hostess of the evening was Miss Anita Rodinmee, otherwise known as Ryan Singh. Singh, a UTM history graduate and founding member of OUT@UTM, has been participating in Drag Pub since it first began.

“A couple of years into the club, the

Photo/Lara Matiisen

A student performs a puppet show during last week’s Drag Pub, which saw 125 people turn out in support of transgender issues. executives decided to start a drag pub and asked me to host it. I was thrilled to,” said Singh who opened the night with a dynamic lip sync performance of “Popular” alongside Kumari Giles, OUT@UTM’s social coordinator, who organized this year’s pub night.

“I love performing. I love the idea of doing it as a woman – I find that I change my voice and exaggerate my mannerisms and [the experience] makes me feel good,” declared Singh.

The show included a wide range of acts with puppets, live music, juggling, lip sync and dance routines performed by drag queens and kings. Ramada Ricecake (more formally known as Ramon Vitug) performed two solo dance routines and also danced as a member of the group “Trannylicious.”

When not on stage, Vitug is a thirdyear theatre student who was enthusiastic about the opportunity offered by this

event. “Naturally, I’m a creative person.

When I feel like the audience enjoys my performance, I want to give back to them.” Vitug added that because Drag Pub only happens once a year, the participants strive to make the event as memorable as possible. “[Students] who want to express themselves, who are proud, who want to bring this culture to UTM have this Drag Show,” he explained.

The visibility factor of Drag Pub is imperative because it allows the rest of the school to know that there is diversity on campus. Giles, who was delighted with the event exclaimed, “The show was a huge success. It was a fabulous night full of gender bending performances and dancing.”

Drag pub wrapped up the performances with a prize draw for guests and concluded the evening on the dance floor.

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OPINION

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor,

ALI KASIM EDITOR IN CHIEF editor@mediumonline.ca

EDITORIAL As I went around gathering information and facts on the Undergraduate Commerce Society (UCS) and their Biz Frosh fiasco (re: “UCS under fire for Biz Frosh chants” on the front page), it surprised me to find so much animosity and ill-feelings between The Medium and various student organizations on campus.

A couple of months ago, I learned that our campus radio station, CFRE, never “got along” with us editors at The Medium. Apparently, past articles written by editors some five or six years ago which were “slanted against CFRE” did the damage. I’ve since attempted to repair bridges with our media counterparts, citing that whatever happened in the past didn’t involve anyone currently at the paper and vice-versa.

Thankfully, CFRE reciprocated with a mature stance, and all is now well between us, on the surface at least – we publish CD reviews for them, and they liaise regularly with our A&E section regarding any notable music events on campus.

A few days ago, I realized UCS shared a similar sense of bitterness towards us student journalists. The reason? I honestly don’t know.

Whatever it is, I can’t begin to think it’s in any way justifiable. I’ve been an editor at The Medium over three years now, and I can’t recall any dealings – good or bad – with the UCS community.

When I approached both the UCS president and Biz Frosh coordinator for comments, I was responded to with a rather hostile “no.” To elaborate in further detail, they felt we had no business printing their affairs in the campus newspaper. “Well, this is campus news,” I replied. “We have to cover it.” “Why?” was the repeated question thrown back at me.

Well UCS, I’ll tell you why.

When something occurs during a campus event that stirs controversy and is dealt with on an administrative level, then that is news. When a student files a complaint because he or she has felt discriminated against or even uncomfortable with the goings-on of a campus event, that is news. When the Student Union is involved, simply, that is news.

There is no inconsistency here. A few months ago when The Medium printed the word “fag” in the now defunct blurb section of the newspaper, that became news – sensational news that circulated all around campus I might add. Remember when everyone –students and faculty who had never read the newspaper prior to the incident – began picking up the issue from the stands that week? I remember that whole incident well. I also remember the barrage of letters I received following the debacle, and of course having to apologize the following week.

So why should UCS be any different? Why should they feel themselves exempt from not only apologizing and recanting their actions, but also from adopting a policy implemented to eradicate such lewd and suggestive behaviour? According to Dr. Hugh Gunz, Chair of the Department of Management at UTM, it’s been said that the chants are considered “important because it’s always been part of the UCS culture.” Aside from wondering why UCS execs would regard such – and I’m just going to be blunt here – lame cheers to be a proud part of their culture, I’m also wondering about the notion of that particular “culture” itself.

As mentioned earlier, the blurb section of the newspaper – the random ramblings in tiny font under the editorial – has since been done away with. For as long as I can remember, “the blurb” has always been a tradition of The Medium. And I say “tradition” here in the same sense that UCS refers to their “culture.”

Many have lamented over my decision to remove the blurb, past editors have even berated me for being so arrogant: “How could you cease tradition?” While it’s sometimes difficult to answer that question directly, my stance on the matter is clear. If The Medium is moving towards as high a level of professionalism as possible, then there is simply no place for such a thing. “Besides, this way, there’s less chance of getting into trouble,” I usually add.

If year after year, complaints are filed against the chants and cheers occurring at Biz Frosh, why won’t the UCS council do away with them? It’s not as if they’d have to revamp the entire cheer repertoire, it’s only two or three chants that are considered offensive. Why is tradition and culture so important that we often feel so disinclined to change it? Especially when that tradition simply doesn’t fit in with the sign of the times. Seriously, quo bono? Past editors and Frosh leaders who no longer have a stake in anything?

After only a month in charge at this newspaper, I learned the hard way about risqué traditions and how there’s no place for it in today’s “positive space” society. Perhaps it’s time UCS learned the same thing.

Yours,

Ali Kasim

I read last week’s article on the residence fee hikes half-hoping that the writer would mention the food at OPH. He didn’t, which was to be expected given that on-campus food wasn’t the article’s topic, so I decided to bring it up.

Food at UTM sucks. It sucks today and it sucked in the past and unless we do something about it, it will continue to suck tomorrow. I had hoped when OPH opened that the situation would improve. But it didn’t, unless of course you think a plate of salad and plastic chicken and pop for $10 is a good deal.

I eat on campus three, maybe four times a week, a habit that began making such a dent on my savings account that I had to turn to Mike the hotdog guy. He’s the sole provider of cheap, filling, okay-tasting food on campus.

But one can only have so many hotdogs. I’ve had to return to OPH, at least once a week, and I’m bothered not just by the prices but also by the

food. It’s about the same quality as the food at Spigel Hall, which says enough I think.

I’ve given up on the pub, where the (also expensive) food takes 20 minutes to get to your table. Sometimes I have the chilli at Tim Horton’s, and sometimes I have a Mr. Sub or a pizza.

Which brings me to my next point: food on campus is really not that healthy. This is the one thing I envy about St. George students. It’s a campus where I’ve had plenty of healthy, reasonably- priced dishes, and where I know I can stroll for less than five minutes before finding a cheap restaurant or cafeteria.

Granted, UTM is not located in downtown Toronto. It’s not logical to expect the same variety around here.

But that’s precisely why UTM should ensure we have more than just a few over-priced in-house options. Of course, a cynic might argue that the lack of options is precisely why food at OPH and elsewhere on campus is so pricey and lacking in variety. I would

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NEWS EDITOR Andrew Hamilton Smith news@mediumonline.ca

FEATURES EDITOR Alain Latour features@mediumonline.ca SPORTS EDITOR Christopher Sa’d sports@mediumonline.ca COPY EDITOR Shelley Bahorie PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Matthew Filipowich photos@mediumonline.ca COMPOSITE EDITOR Matthew Filipowich WEBMASTER Verisha Khanam

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BUSINESS MANAGER Romano Bergic ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Fiona Buchanan

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EDITOR IN CHIEF Ali Kasim editor@mediumonline.ca

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Ali Kasim

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Joseph Indiakez (Just another UTM student)

A&E EDITOR Michael Di Leo arts@mediumonline.ca

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Yours,

EDITORIAL

SUDOKU

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never set foot again in any of these places if I had the option. But I don’t, which probably makes many a businessmen on campus rub their hands.

I guess I could just try to pack my lunch at home. Many others, however, don’t have that option. UTM students must buy a meal plan. I don’t know how much that costs, but I’m guessing it’s not cheap. I’ve never understood why people on residence are forbidden form cooking their own meals. Could it be out of safety? Fear of fire hazards?

Those might be good reasons.

I wish The Medium would address these issues. Why are prices so high?

Why aren’t there more options? Why do so many places close so early?

I could keep on writing, but I have to go pack my lunch. I guess I’m lucky that I have that option.

ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR Ayman Saab ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Karen Akhtar

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EDITORIAL Please write to:editor@mediumonline.ca Letters to the editor will be edited for spelling, grammar, style, and coherence.

Letters will not exceed 650 words in print. Letters that incite hatred, violence or letters that are racist, homophobic, sexist, or libelous will not be published.

Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters and and other editorial materials reflect opinions of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the opini ons of the editors, staff, volunteers, or Board of Directors of The Medium. In other words, just because we print it doesn’t necessarily mean we agree with it.

Submission does not guarantee publication. Submission of materials to The Medium presumes the writer has read, and agrees with, this policy.

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Lara Matiisen BOARD OF DIRECTORS Christine Capewell, Isa Cunanan, Raji Aujla, Laura Gaspini, Umeimah Bastaki, Bhagyashri Bhandakkar, Julie Tyios MEDIUM II PUBLICATIONS 3359 Mississauga Road, Room 200, Student Centre, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6 Phone: 905.828.5260 Fax: 905.828.5402 Advertising: 905.828.5379 www.mediumonline.ca

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MONDAY, MARCH

2, 2009

Far from tame Theatre Erindale delivers an entertaining take on Shakespeare’s classic, The Taming of the Shrew NIVES HAJDIN

Willia m S h a k e s p e a re h a s , an d always will be, the ultimate playwright. His stirring tragedies and uproarious comedies continually merit praise for their strokes of genius, and even now, over 400

y e a r s l a te r , th e theatre of Shakespeare is still applicable to our lives. Throw in a surprising twist, and our appreciation of such timeless performances can be elevated. Like Theatre Erindale’s production of the classic comedy, The Taming of the Shrew (1589-1594), portrays a masterful and hilarious

photos/Jim Smagata

At the final double wedding celebration, Kate teaches the Widow a les son. Right to Left: Lisa Justine Hood, Ryan Fisher, Paolo Santalucia and company.

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reversal of gender roles and con- play” could have implemented a their advantage. veys the general message that any more distinct shift into the main While The Taming of the Shrew is kind of social behaviour is not story line, as Fisher and Owen go already one of Shakespeare’s great always gender-specific. from playing Sly and one of the comedic plays, many outrageous The play begins with a tinker lord’s pages, to Katherine and subtleties in the text are further named Christopher Sly ( Ryan Bianca with only a playbook to sig- boosted through character intonaFisher) that passes out in his drunk- nify their sudden change of roles. tion and gesture. The clever use of en state, and is found by a lord Not until a f ew scenes later do props are played to humourous (Paolo Santalucia) who wishes to F isher and Owen return with a effect; most notable being a plastic convince the beggar that he is actu- change of costume to cancel out any tree from which a character picks an ally a lord. Sly falls for the jest and confusion regarding their roles. For apple that, upon biting, turns out to the lord orders a performance to be someone who isn’t familiar with the be real. put on for him, which makes up the storyline, the swift exchanges of The cast delivers a very convincremainder of The Taming of the speech and context can be difficult ing performance, and the actors Shrew. to keep up with. immerse themselves into their charMeanwhile, a young suitor named acters. Ryan Fisher gives an amusLucentio (Sydney Dunitz) falls in ing performance as the tinker, but There is great fluidity love with the fair Bianca (Kevin becomes truly remarkable in his throughout the perfor Owen ), but her father Baptista depiction of Katherine, combining mance; the characters Minola (Jessica Séguin) will not just the right amount of hilarity and allow the courting of his beautiful, alter the rapidly changing reserve to deliver a captivating poryoung daughter until his older, illtrayal of a wife’s impressionability. backdrop as the scenes tempered daughter, Katherine Credit also goes to the other leadprogress, yet these tech ing lady, or gentleman, Kevin (Ryan Fisher) has first been wed.

A man named Petruchio (Lisa Owen. His natural ability is shownical necessities do not Justine Hood) arrives from Verona cased in his clear speech and quaint distract from the central in search of a bride with a fortune to mannerisms, and despite the fact acting. her name, and without even hearing that Owen’s time on stage is not as a description of the stubborn and long as others, he manages to stand loud-mouthed Katherine, declares Nevertheless, there is great fluidi- out rather endearingly as Bianca. that he will marry her. Over time, ty throughout the performance; the Lisa Justine successfully portrays P etruchio grounds down characters alter the rapidly-chang- the pompous nature of Petruchio Katherine’s irritable tendencies so ing backdrop as the scenes progress, through her meticulous body lanthat she obeys his every beck and yet these technical necessities do guage, and Melanie Hrymak gives a call, and is thus finally able to not distract from the central acting. superb performance as the jester“tame the shrew.”

Also, the sound effects and lighting like character of Gremio, with her Lucentio then devises a plan to are especially on point, greatly hunched-over waddle and scratchy court Bianca in spite of her two enhancing the changes in mood inflection. other suitors, Gremio (Melanie alongside the help of the music However, it is the male portrayals Hrymak) and Hortensio (Samara score. of female characters that really Stern). He disguises himself as a The performers make good use of stand out, conveying the delicacy Latin tutor, so that he can confess the stage, and their constant motion and emotional depth that are innate his love to her while Lucentio’s ser- keeps the audience on their toes and to women. The production goes for vant, Tranio (Megan Poole) pre- prevents the plot from becoming its second round on March 3-7, so tends to be Lucentio in order to static. The costumes also add a daz- venture over to Theatre Erindale for prove to Baptista that he is deserv- zling touch, and many of the actors a performance that will surely ing of his daughter. Hortensio also skilfully utilize their garments to entertame you. disguises himself as a music tutor for Bianca, but hi s attempts are not enough to woo her as she has already fallen in love with Lucentio.

Mimi Mekler’s direction paves the way for the unconventional portrayal of roles, and the decision to s w itch the characters from male to female and vice versa, proved to have no hindering effects on the authenticity of the plot.

H owever, in the midst of many dual roles, there is some confusion during the transition from the opening plot to the remainder of the play. The concept of Hortensio explains to Tranio and Baptista how he came to be wearing a smashed lute. the “play w ithin a Right to Left: Samara Stern, Megan Poole, Jessica Séguin.

MONDAY, MARCH

ART AND METAL

The Way I Are AYMAN SAAB ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

Confusion and attraction are, for some, factors leading to a tawdry one-nig h t s t a nd , b u t f o r K a ti e Bethune-Leamen they form the basis of her latest exhibition at UTM’s Blackwood Gallery. The Way I Are is an amalgamation of a number of works that, though possessing individual visual aesthetic in many different mediums, are able to explore and investigate existing artistic vernacular.

The Way I Are arose out a of a sort-of serendipitous moment for Bethune-Leamen, who drew inspiration for her project upon listening to a Timbaland song, also entitled “They Way I Are.” She enjoyed the song but also found that it was nearly impossible to explain her appreciation of it to others. This difficulty arose mainly from the language, or manipulation of language, that the song employed. The “slang” in the song was as unfamiliar as it was appeal in g , a nd t h i s c o n f u s i o n became a pleasurable, albeit frustrating e xp e r i e n c e f o r h e r .

Fittingly, all the works in the exhibition presented this same moment of pleasant perplexity for BethuneLeamen.

The exhibition is comprised of the work of ten artists including Robert Fones, John Massey, and Tony Romano. Despite the lack of obvious cohesion between the works, it is easy to see how Bethune-Leamen could be captivated by each one.

They all seem to posses endearing qualities that stimulate the eye in a way that is, at first unexplainable but soon becomes, enamoring.

Fones’ Leviathan #5 (2008) is one of the exhibition’s more grand (in terms of sheer size) works. The colour photograph, laminated on aluminum, displays one seventh of the complete work, Leviathan, when seen in completeness spells out the beginn i n g l i n e s o f T h o m a s Hobbes’ text of the same title.

What may be most intriguing about Fones’ Leviathan #5 is the typography in which the lines are written. Designed and hand-painted

by Fones, the letterforms are highly stylized and organic, but visually condensed with no spaces between the wo r d s – o n l y b e t ween e ac h character.

Seeing only one of the seven panels that make up Fones’ Leviathan may make it difficult to grasp the overall concept of the work, but there is indeed an immediate, albeit abstract attraction. Is it the skewed play between both form and representation? Or is it because the letterforms have some resemblance to the bo d y o f t h e m e t ap h o r i c al Leviath a n t ha t T h o m a s H o b b e s claimed would protect the social compact? It’s not easy to answer.

Although, what we can see is that the manipulation of language, similar to Timbaland’s song, is attractive, but hard to delineate.

Tony Romano’s video installation, T h e L a s t A c t , p u s h e s t h e boundaries of the artistic vernacular as well. The film’s script is taken from a pornographic film, but the accompanying sex scenes from the original film have been removed, leaving only the usually, for lack of

CD REVIEW

a better word, shitty written dialogue that, let’s be serious, no one e v er r e a l l y p a ys attention to.

Romano’s film recontextualizes the words of the original script and makes them seem ever more awkward. Once again, the observer is faced with a reworking of language that draws us in.

The Way I Are is an extremely personal exhibition. Although the pieces may, at first, seem scattered and void of a common thread, it is the emotional response to the exhibition as a whole that connects everything together. Inspired by Katie Bethune-Leamen’s personal reactions to the works, the exhibition allows for one’s own personal reactions to infiltrate the walls of the gallery, and allows its viewers to attempt to find their own explanation for their own attraction.

Memoira Memoira LUCAS DI MASCIO

As the dark haired beauty’s mysterious eyes s tare out at you from Memoira’s self-titled debut album cover, the thought that she might be a front woman of a goth metal band may never cross your mind. The genre of women-fronted metal/rock bands is often divided by and classified according to operatic symphony metal ( ightwish, Sirenia) and goth/alternative rock (Evanesence).

2, 2009 THE MEDIUM 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Not surprisingly, Memoira does follow the stereotypical trend, but they do so by combining elements of both symphony and goth/alternative music.

It’s clear that the band is influenced by the female-fronted bands mentioned above, but thankfully, unlike the bands above, the guitar riffs are much more fleshed out and have more of a progressive feel – it isn’t just overused heavy chugging or an overabundance of synth parts.

The keyboards on Memoira’s album are also very fitting to the music, ranging from ethereal synth effects to classical piano.

There are some issues however with a few of the tracks. At times the vocals seem too soft and have so much reverb on them that it’s hard to hear the singer’s voice clearly.

And it doesn’t help that the male backup vocals aren’t mixed loud enough to be heard. Another bizarre issue is that the order of the tracks and some of the lyrics in the booklet do not match what is on the CD. Has this ever happened before?

Of course, as the genre is known for, some of the tracks start to sound alike due to the vocals. They are done well and the male backing vocals are skilfully sparse and thus

not overused, but the songs start to get dull vocal-wise. Again, that is the case with the genre – these issues seem to always come with the territory.

There are n ine tracks on the album, the first one instrumental.

Tracks that stand out from the rest include “Haunted,” a great heavy track with wraith-like keyboard pieces and catchy vocal melodies from both female and male singers.

“Incurable” has great guitar riffs during the chorus to pump you up and dreamlike lead parts during the verses which serve as a calm before the storm. “Liberation” is an interesting track – some of the verses are completely bass with very quiet vocals and some symphonic keyboards are used during the bridges.

The album is definitely a good start for the band and really appeases those interested in the genre.

Memoira is similar to other femalefronted bands, but much heavier than most will ever let themselves become. This album is highly recommended for fans of Lacuna Coil, Evanesence, and Sirenia.

MMM

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SATAN HAS ARRIVED

2, 2009 THE MEDIUM 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Devil may care Garage rock ain’t for the faint. The Demon’s Claws give a lesson in style MICHAEL DI LEO A&E EDITOR

“FEEL MY MOUSTACHE,” my friend Aaron yells at me as he points to the piece of brown felt Scotch-taped to his upper lip. “No wait, YOU get the moustache.”

Aaron fumbles onto the stage and, with a last, desperate reach, slaps the fuzz onto the lead guitar. “Suck it man,” roars front man Lester Del Ray, towering over Aaron who collapses into a drunken heap on the stage. The audience laughs. With a final breath, Aaron howls “BURT REYNOLDS GUITAR,” and passes out, strewn across a sound monitor.

Earlier that evening I received a text message from Aaron claiming that the best garage band in Canada was playing at Sneaky Dee’s. “The Black Lips?” I replied. “Yeah man, the fukin lips.”

Turns out The Black Lips weren’t playing, nor were they even in the same city – something I’d learned from the bemused entry-man at the venue. Instead I was met by another garage-rock/country-punk outfit from Montreal, The Demon’s Claws.

Sporting headbands, various vintage T’s, and other various items including long-johns, the group looked like they cleaned out the local Goodwill. “That’s how you know they’re good,” explained the whiskey-soaked gentleman sitting next to me at the bar. “Watch, it’s like opera.”

Needless to say, I was sceptical of the tippler’s taste in song. Before able to call him out on it (he also had a Hedley pin on his lapel; haw haw) a visibly inebriated Aaron pulled me of my stool, shouting something about his missing girlfriend. “The big guy took her, he just plucked her out of here man!”

“What big guy? What are you talking about?”

“That bouncer dude caught her drinking my bottle of brandy, now she’s on the street,” he explained.

“You should go help her then; take her home or something.” “Nah man, this band is going to be awesome – best show of the year,” and with that, trailed off into the crowd in front of the stage.

Lester Del Ray leans into his microphone and whispers “ready?”

The Demon’s Claws take off.

“And now we’re fucked on ketamine,” growls Del Ray, accompanied by Mr. o Breakfast’s rolling bass line and the snare-heavy country drumming of Skip Jensen, “...dying like a dream.” Pat Meteor, the rhythm guitarist, contributes the occasional harmony and guitar accent, but remains low-key with his toque pulled over his eyes.

I catch a glimpse of Aaron who is busily making no friends at all, yelling wildly and moshing by himself. “Is that your friend?” a girl asks me pointing to Aaron as he climbs onto a stack of speakers.

“Sure, why not,” I reply. She is not impressed.

The Devil’s Claws start playing a dirty western riff, “Trip to a Clinic.” Del Ray has a sort of squeaky voice which goes rather well with his monotonous punk tendencies. A bit of snarl as well, to match his trebled-out crunchy Gibson. Meteor adds little notes of effected sound through his Jazzmaster, calling to mind You Made Me Realise-era Kevin Shields. Most notable however is Mr. No Breakfast’s bass, which switches between following the vocal melody and bopping along a more traditional line. His sound is thick but gentle, mixed way high through the speakers giving the song its strong rhythmic quality.

I see Aaron’s bulky body making its way across the crowd towards me. “FEEL MY MOUSTACHE.” Ten seconds later, he is wasted on a speaker on the stage. The band continues to play.

“I’m out behind the barn,” shrieks Del Ray while performing one of the band’s faster numbers, “Behind the Barn.” A few guys in the crowd have picked up on Aaron’s antics and have begun to run into each other at full speed, leaving paths of spilled beer and broken bottles in their wake. The guitars start to get bigger; Del Ray and Meteor are strumming furiously. Jensen is slamming on his cymbals as fast and as hard as he can, which causes some feedback in the microphones.

The room reaches a state of rapture, carried on the backs of the four Montrealers, to be brought back

photos/deadcanaryrecords.com

Devil’s Claws in the morning light.

into the real world with a quick but dancing nonetheless. song or performance, seem natural switch back to the original riff. The That is the way I imagine The a n d f l u i d . J o h n n y C a s h d i d i t . crowd cheers, elevated by what just Demon’s Claws. Full of swagger Fuck, Roy Orbison did it better and transpired. Aaron gets up off the and substance, they dish out the with style. The Demon’s Claws are floor and begins to dance on stage, music the way most bands should – all about melding things together but is quickly thrown off into the with attitude and intensity. At the and keeping it strong and true to the arms of four drunk girls. same time, they carry themselves bone, just like the Orbs. Operatic?

The band swiftly goes into their with such self-awareness that their Probably not. Exceptional? Without next song, “Shadow of a more off-beat moments, whether in question.

Castle,” an immediately catchy, hard-hitting tune replete with Del Ray shrieks and yells. Mr. No Breakfast goes at his bass with the utmost intensity, carrying the rest of his bandmates along. The band (save Jensen) lines up along the front of the stage, axes pointing outwards, and delivers the end of their song in true hair-metal fashion – a successful attempt at cheekyness, no doubt.

Aaron makes his way back to me, slowly, bleeding from his head.

“Are you OK?” I shout, trying to be heard over the loud music. “Of course, this song is fucking great,” he says as he makes his way back into Their concoction of country, punk, and old time rock has solidified The Demon’s the fold, dancing slowly, Claws as one of the best Canadian garage rock bands.

THE MEDIUM HAS A NEW WEBSITE

10 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2009

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT STUCK ON THE ISLE

The Thieves get thicker Oshawa born rock ers Isle of Thieves are mature for a young band, and have the music to back them up. The Medium got the chance to meet up with them at their recent XM Satellite Radio Session KJARTAN HEWITT

Anachronisms in music are often treated as strokes of genius, but it’s a slippery slope. When Beirut came out with Gulag Orkestar in '06, no one could figure out how some 20year-old kid from New Mexico could write pop songs that sounded like an eastern European accordion bandleader from the 60s. And, it was brilliant. As I watched The Isle of Thieves through a soundproof glass at the XFM offices, I was wondering why a bunch of 20-yearold kids from Oshawa sounded so much like Jimmy Eat World circa 2001.

We sat around for a bit talking

singer/song writer Japeth explained his sonic choices to me using a food analogy. While more progressive rock groups might make a bold new lasagna with chocolate sauce on top, The Isle of Thieves would never serve such an abomination to a group of people.

The Thieves are about making music that pleases the masses. The thing is, the sound they’ve found is part of a musical movement that's on the way out.

People are through with the Treble Charger/Sum 41-every-level-cranked-toshit sound. The mainstream began to stray away from alternative distorted guitar driven rock, photos/myspace.com towards something more The Isle of Thieves perform at the Tatoo eclectic about the time the Rock Parlour in Toronto early this year.

Arcade Fire found their way onto a “Big Shiny about music. They cracked wise Tunes” album. The times they are and poked fun at each other’s uni- a-changin’. formly gray-scale emo gear. I spent The boys sound tight for a “young a good portion of the time biting band,” a term they dodge at every m y t o n g u e , t r y i n g n o t t o a r g u e corner. When I asked their age iniabout why Pinkerton is better than tially, I was refused on the grounds T h e G r e e n A l b u m . T h e I s l e o f that they wanted to avoid ageism. I Thieves is a group of guys who was forced to use my keen powers refined a sound that is absolutely of deduction, dividing the amount catchy, commercially viable and of times the word “pubes” was used teen girl friendly. That’s an alright by the time elapsed in the actual place to be. I'll say this as well; the interview. I decided they are in boys are not without insight. Lead between the ages of 19-21 a piece.

I feel that their youth is not a hindrance so much as it is wholly redeeming. Again, I stress that their music is good, just a tad dated. In a couple of years they’ve come to a point where they can play on the same stage as pro musicians.

Promoters are no longer on their ass about how many kids they can bring out to crappy community club shows with six other bands on the bill. They play at the Hard Rock Café in Toronto this Friday night. I just hope the parameters of their creativity don’t crystallize at the first sight of some success. They’re too young and talented to go down on that ship.

My faith in the group was bolstered when Japeth made a very astute comment about young peo-

ple, and their desire to attach themselves to a certain kind of music.

His reasoning was that during our formative teenage years we have a real desire to define ourselves, and t h a t a l t e r na t i v e r o c k m u s i c h a s always been an outlet for that. This is why teenage girls fall in love with young men they don’t know, who play music that is not necessarily always that good. It helps them to know who they are. I can’t imagine that a musician with Japeth’s awareness and the capacity for that sort of objectivity would ever allow himself to be pigeonholed. The game is changing for this Toronto-based five piece. I'm interested to see how they cope.

Check them out at: myspace.com /isleofthieves

The Thieves keep it thick with a trifecta of guitars and a synth to boot.

MONDAY, MARCH

2, 2009 THE MEDIUM 11

KNEE DEEP IN GARBAGE

FEATURES

UTM students: “F� for recycling KAREN SUE

UTM has a dirty, stinking, rotten problem. And a team of UTM students were wrist-deep in it as they sorted through garbage from the bins in the South Building meeting place.

Known collectively as the Green Team, these students are employed by UTM’s Environmental Affairs Office to conduct eco-projects around campus. Today’s trash audit leads to a simple finding: UTM students don’t know how to recycle.

Situated next door to this damning

trees. One 24 oz. Booster Juice cup uses just three of these little baggies,� he says, holding up a small baggie with about a dozen tiny plastic pellets in it.

Bill promises that UTM is doing its best to resolve the polystyrene problem. It has been working with a Mississauga agency, the Canadian Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (CPRA) to have them recycle all their collected polystyrene waste. In fact, he assures that UTM will be touring the CPRA facility soon (no exact time frame has been set) to discuss how to streamline the process.

Sustainability coordinator of UTM’s

photo credit/www.recycle.co.uk

UTM could use someone like her. pile of trash is Bill McFadden’s office, located within the newly renovated space in the former library. As director of UTM’s Campus Hospitality and Retail Services, Bill is in charge of all the food services provided on campus, including the newly inducted Booster Juice.

Booster Juice, a smoothie and juice franchise that recently opened a branch in the South Building, uses polystyrene cups, commonly referred to by the brand name Styrofoam. Booster Juice has compiled a list of facts about their polystyrene cups that they post at each of their locations, in an attempt to expel the myths of Styrofoam.

According to Booster Juice, Styrofoam is better “for the planet than paper cups� because it’s recyclable, does not contribute to ozone depletion, and uses less energy to make than its paper counterpart.

Sitting behind his desk, Bill defends Booster Juice in the classic debate of paper versus plastic. “Booster Juice is a cold product which requires insulation.

The heat transferred from your hand to the cup changes the consistency of the product. Booster Juice has compared Styrofoam to different types of plastics, and this one worked best.� “I would argue from the research I’ve done, that paper cups are just as bad or worse than Styrofoam,� Bill adds. “Everyone thinks paper is biodegradable, but when you put a wax coating on it, it’s not. And paper needs

Environmental Affairs Office Aubrey Iwaniw however, is skeptical about Bill’s reassurances. “He says “soon�, but soon never happens.� Aubrey has an office just around the corner from Bill’s. Despite their physical proximity, they couldn’t be any further apart in their environmental ideologies.

Aubrey agrees that paper cups are not an environmentally friendly option, but she doesn’t think that polystyrene is the best option either, because in the end it’s still disposable. “Yes, Styrofoam is recyclable. Once. Then it sits in the landfill forever. But that’s a mute point, because we’re not recycling it anyways.� “Before Booster Juice even opened, Bill came to me and asked for my advice. I gave him three points if he wanted to bring Booster Juice onto campus. First, get them to agree to a discount for customers who bring their own reusable mugs. Second, don’t offer any lids. And third, recycle the Styrofoam. He agreed to all three points and none of it is happening,� claims Aubrey.

On the issue of the reusable mug, Bill is strongly against students bringing in their own containers. “Booster Juice comes in a 24 oz product. We don’t want students to bring their own reusable container because if we give students less than 24 oz of what they paid for, they will see it as a reduction in value.� Booster Juice has sold reusable mugs in the past, and Bill

insists that they are working on bringing it back. “Booster Juice is working on a reusable mug that’s currently on backorder. But it’s coming soon.�

Guelph Students for Environmental Change (GSEC), the University’s leading student-led environmental organization, is currently lobbying Booster Juice to change their Styrofoam packaging. Their Styrofoam Awareness Group (SAG) lobbied Hospitality Services to rid the campus of Styrofoam. They report that all other Hospitality Services have complied, except for Booster Juice (although it did allow Guelph students to use their own reusable containers).

Both Aubrey and Bill’s perspectives, however divergent, acknowledge that the most powerful agencies for change are in the hands of two campus groups: the students and waste management services.

Last year Pizza Pizza switched from using trays to personal boxes. This resulted in seven times more waste.

The problem was addressed quickly because of protests from students and waste management services. “The garbage cans were filling up faster, so caretakers had to work more. It became a justice issue,� Aubrey explains. “It’s the trickle-down effect.�

The student group Roots and Shoots, which headed the Pizza Pizza campaign last year, hasn’t expressed any interest in Booster Juice. “There are assumptions made about waste,� she adds. “Because Styrofoam weighs very little, people think it doesn’t contribute that much to the waste problem. And because it’s not adding extra work, the caretakers don’t care.�

According to Bill, it’s all about what’s convenient for the students – whether or not they’ll carry around reusable mugs, or sort their garbage responsibly. “Of the ten things Canadians are most proud of, Tim Horton’s is number one or two. Does this reflect the sad state of Canadian culture?� Bill asks. “I don’t know. The point is, disposable cups are not going away.�

What are the alternatives? Bill doesn’t believe the answer is in biodegradable plastics made from plants such as corn, because it diverts food resources. “How sustainable is this to humans?�

Bill asks.

Aubrey concedes. She adds that biodegradable plastics still need oxygen and specific conditions to biodegrade. “It’s basically plastic with starch,� she says, “the plastic is still there on a cellular level and it’s not going to biodegrade in a landfill.�

Both Bill and Aubrey can agree on one more thing at least. UTM needs to change their waste streaming approach, because right now there’s no effective way to separate polystyrene from other trash. It will require the cooperation of everyone on campus to create a holistic solution.

Aubrey offers one last piece of cautionary advice: “The answer is not recycling. It’s energy and water intensive. You need a buyer for the recyclable material, so it’s market driven.

The answer is reducing and reusing.

We learned this in kindergarten,�

Aubrey says emphatically. “Recycling is the endpoint.�

On Wednesday November 26, Students from the UTM Green Team and volunteers sorted through recycling and garbage collected in the South Building, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

The objective of the audit was to identify what items are being thrown away most, and what students are recycling correctly and incorrectly.

Of the waste that was collected, sorted, and measured by weight from the SB meeting place: • 24 per cent of all material from recycling bins consist ed of actually real garbage – and should not have been placed in recycling bins at all • 9 per cent of all material from recycling bins consisted of Tim Horton’s cups – which are not recyclable and should not have been placed in recycling bins • 30 per cent of all material from garbage bins consist ed of compostable food waste and biodegradable waste • 20 per cent of all material from garbage bins consist ed of paper bags, and boxboard – mostly included Pizza Pizza boxboard, and recyclable Tim Horton’s paper bags • 12 per cent of all material from garbage bins consist ed of paper towels and tissues, many of which were unused The next steps for the Green Team is the implementa tion of a campaign intended to target the outcomes of the audit. This campaign will end with a year end waste audit similar to the one conducted on Wednesday.

Whether the campaign has any effect on students’ waste disposal habits will be seen next spring.

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12 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2009

FEATURES

MAKING ART HAPPEN ON CAMPUS

D-Day: A new artistic outlet AMIR AHMED

Last October, The Medium published a profile on UTM student and artist Dmitri Tcherbadji (aka “D”, and his plan to encourage art for and by UTM students. This year, his plan is nearing completion, and will start on Wednesday March 4 with a contest.

The culmination of Dmitri’s project is a web site (www. dmitrisanimation.com) intended to, in the words of its creator, “get students’ artistic take on the campus.”

Although the site is still in its beta stage, according to Dmitri, “it’s pretty close to what it’s going to look like.” And just to make sure everything works smoothly, Dmitri plans to have a professional programmer fix bugs and streamline the code prior to the site’s official debut.

The site’s main feature is a topographic map of the campus, drawn in the style of a pencil sketch and host to a perpetually wandering alligator doodle. On this map, students will be able to place digital artworks related to UTM – videos, drawings, photos, prose and poetry.

For example, if you kissed your sweetheart outside the Kaneff Building, you would place the poem

Dmitri’s pet. A screen capture from his website. you wrote about it on that part of the map. If, however, you wanted to place post-breakup hate mail, well, that may be a problem – moderators of the web site will check all post-

ings for quality and intention, as well as to prevent spam accumulation.

The contest’s winner will be recognized by having his or her piece

published on the site. They will also get a certificate of participation and possibly a gift certificate (Dmitri is still arranging for that.)

The contest hasn’t officially

A year ago my friend told me that he thinks he’s transgendered. Ever since, I’ve felt kind of uncomfortable around him because I don’t really understand what that means. I want to feel comfortable around him but I feel weird whenever I need to use pronouns. And I don’t really get the whole transgendered thing anyway. If he wants to be a girl why doesn’t he dress like one?

Well first off, I would probably stop calling it a “thing.” That kind of trivializes the experience and this is probably a big deal for your friend.

Also, because “transgendered” is an umbrella term that includes all the different kinds of gender-identities that aren’t normative, it’s hard to know what being “transgendered” means to your friend without knowing him. What’s important here is that you recognize that your friend is going through a confusing stage in his life and while it’s understandable that you have pre-existing ideas about what being “transgendered” means, those ideals aren’t necessarily going to apply to your friend.

When it comes to pronouns, I would ask your friend which pronouns he’d like you to use. If you don’t feel comfortable asking, I would say that the rule of thumb is to use the pronoun that fits the gender that they are presenting themselves as (i.e. if they’re dressed like a man: use “he,” “him,” etc). His personal preference might depend on how much he disassociates with the gender assigned to him at birth (and there is a spectrum) but it could also depend on whether he wants to “out” himself as someone who is transgendered. Unless he tells you otherwise, I wouldn’t start referring to him as a

begun yet, but Dmitri encourages students to send in their work even after the contest ends so that they may be able to view it years later.

Similar sites may exist by then, as Dmitri is thinking of developing web sites for other campuses.

Less artsy or more bashful students can assist in the development of the project in ways other than artistic expression. Volunteer positions are available in advertising and PHP and action-script programming.

This project’s importance to UTM as a community is important enough.

It has been often argued that UTM does not have much of an identity beyond a greener, more serene colony of St. George’s empire. Of course, this is not the project’s only purpose. The way Dmitri sees it, at a time when the government limits creative funding, when our national ethic endorses making money instead of art, and when a troubled economy threatens independent theatre troupes, literary journals, and filmmakers, projects such as these enable creative expression in the otherwise unfriendly world of media.

With this in mind, are you ready for March 4, or as Dmitri would probably put it: Are you ready for D-day?

“her” without some kind of permission.

It’s possible that you are one of the few people he currently feels comfortable divulging personal details to, and using the opposite pronouns might force him to reveal his gender identity to people he isn’t comfortable doing so with. Being transgendered doesn’t automatically lead to a sex change. Sometimes people just want to explore their gender-identity while not deciding to pursue any changes.

I think it’s great that you are thinking about this stuff and that you’re being honest about the way that you feel, but it seems like you’re getting bogged down with the details. It’s important to recognize that this change in your relationship is hard for your friend as well, and your acceptance probably means a lot to him. Remember that, and just be open about your concerns and questions. Your friend will probably appreciate the thought behind it more than the embarrassment of having you ask. Also, try to put yourself in your friend's position. It is possible that even he won’t have all of the answers himself. Don't worry or over think this too much, or you might risk making it about you and not your friend, which really isn’t fair to either of you.

This column is intended for educational purposes. If you have any questions that you want answered in our sex column, please send them to sex.column@utmsec.ca

MONDAY, MARCH

2, 2009 THE MEDIUM 13

UNWANTED GUESTS

FEATURES

Creative Corner

Persona Non Grata ALI KASIM EDITOR IN CHIEF

If the hotelier's face got any redder, he would explode onto the street like a scene out of Scanners. Pausing shamefaced on the sidewalk outside our hotel, I stood, spellbound by the curses coming from the desk manager's mouth, as he gave us our marching orders. “You motherfucking Aussie scum!" he yelled as we shuffled off down the road. “Candy-assed sons ofbitches! Fucking fucks!” But it wasn't so much being unceremoniously evicted from our holiday hotel that stung.

More the fact that it was the third one we'd been chucked out of in as many nights. And we didn't have the foggiest why...

It was 2002 and I was one of three friends that saved up a bundle of cash for a holiday in Florida. At the last minute, the brother of one of the gang inexplicably came into some money and flew along with us. But it soon became apparent that this was an unrivalled error of judgment - Kenny was the kind of person who'd think nothing of scamming his own dear grandma even if it was her last dollar.

It soon emerged that Kenny managed to fund his sojourn in the sun by conning it out of the parents of his current girlfriend. Even though Kenny looked like a malnourished pencil and behaved like a slightly less-mannered caveman, he never had a problem attracting the type of girls that liked to pick up rabid dogs, in the hope that they'll eventually make nice house pets. His cunning cash-making scheme was to approach his girlfriend's folks, explaining that he needed help organizing her 21st birthday party. The unsuspecting parents coughed up $2000 cash to hire a venue, a DJ, a caterer and put what was left behind the bar.

Eventually, the hapless girlfriend only got wind that she had been dumped when her folks, friends, and relatives arrived at a venue that wasn't booked, with no DJ, no food and no money behind the bar. Kenny, of course, was sitting smugly on a plane bound for Miami.

My mate Dan drew the short straw and had to share a room with his reprobate brother when we arrived at our destination – Fort Lauderdale, party town, USA. On our first night we ventured forth to meet the local talent, hoping that life did indeed imitate art, and like Baywatch, the Florida resort would be dripping with quality skirt. It was a pity then that Kenny’s turquoise shell suit was doing the kind of job on the ladies that pesticide does on mosquitoes. And needless to say, he couldn’t take his drink, so after a couple of JD & cokes he was telling the biggest American guys in the bar that, in Australia, men who looked like them were considered poofs. There was something about Kenny’s face that simply invited a shoeing, so it was rather surprising that it took so long for the fight to begin, but eventually four huge bruisers were kicking seven shades out of the turquoise shell-suited gimp. Kenny got beaten into a bloody mess and the rest of us were left with bruises that put paid to our dreams of leaving Florida with a healthy, glowing tan. All that Kenny cared about was that one guy managed to knock his much-prized gold tooth down his throat.

We eventually limped back to the hotel with Ken moaning about the for-

tune his tooth had cost him, and got up late the next day to spend the afternoon at the beach. But when we returned, we were astounded to find all our cases packed and on the pavement. We went into the hotel and the manager came out of his office and showered us with a vitriolic tirade: “We don't want you disgusting people staying in our hotel.

You're filthy!” Stunned, we asked him what we'd done, except for Kenny who shouted that we wouldn't stay in his shitty hotel even if he paid us. A quick and unhelpful slanging match took place, and shortly afterwards we found ourselves walking down the street dragging our cases, with the manager screaming, “Come back here again and I'll kill you, you disgusting fuckers!”

We were shocked by the episode but presumed that he must have found out about our tussle the previous night.

There was something about Kenny’s face that simply invited a shoe ing, so it was rather sur prising that it took so long for the fight to begin.

The next day, after an afternoon at the beach, we returned to our second hotel to find a replay of the events of the day before. Our bags were in the lobby, so we asked the receptionist what had happened. "Get your shit away from here!" screamed the furious American. Once again, before we could get an explanation, Kenny was telling the woman that she wasn't fit to lick up his puke, and we were trawling the Florida streets in search of somewhere to crash, figuring that the whole town must have heard about our bar fight and we were now blacklisted.

This happened for a third night running, so we decided it was best just to leave town as soon as we could. We traveled down the coast to do a minicruise from the Florida Keys on a small ship. Having spent the last of our holiday money on the boat, we were happy to give Fort Lauderdale and all the bad feeling a wide berth. Our first day on the cruise was great. There were some up-for-it Asian girls on the boat and we got to do some snorkeling. It looked as if the holiday had been salvaged at last.

On the second day we were lying on the sun deck with the girls when we heard screaming from the cabin Kenny was sharing with his brother. It sounded serious, and thinking that Kenny had managed to get himself into yet another scrap, we all rushed below, and realized that the squealing was coming from the cabin's bathroom. Fearing the worst, Dan charged the flimsy boat's door down, to find Kenny hunched up on his knees, covered arm-deep in shit.

“I've found it!” he said, “I've found it!” We looked, and in his hand Kenny held up his knocked-out gold tooth. It took a second or two for our addled brains to put two and two together.

You see, rather than lose his precious tooth, Ken had been making a nest of hotel towels and then searching through his still-warm turds for the gold.

Unfortunately for us, the screams of a delighted Kenny had brought the ship's crew running into the cabin. Half an hour later the four of us were sitting in a dinghy, being rowed to the nearest landing.

No one spoke to Kenny for the

remaining miserable 48 hours that we stayed in Florida. Did he care? No – he’d found his tooth. None of us ever forgave that prick, including his broth-

er. And the tooth? Well, Kenny spent the flight back to Brisbane in floods of tears. He had popped into the loo on the plane to wash the remaining dregs

of shit off his golden prize, and as fate would have it, after he’d scrubbed the object clean, it turned out to be a broken peanut.

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14 THE MEDIUM MONDAY,MARCH 2, 2009

Canada’s next top team?

KYLE WHITNEY

With the 2010 Olympics a year away, the Canadian Men’s ice hockey team seems like the stronger competitor in Vancouver. And with the load of talent in hand, it doesn’t seem that they will suffer from injuries either.

Russian superstar, Evgeni Malkin is atop of the points standings in the NHL while Alexander Ovechkin leads in goals, making Russia a legitimate contender for the gold medal, but Canada can ice a team with four lines that can not only score goals, but play that physical, hard hitting Canadian style of hockey we know and have loved since the 1972 Russian-Canada Summit Series.

So what’s the plan for Canada and Steve Yzerman when deciding the cut for 2010?

Based on what has happened in the 2008/2009 NHL season so far, the following players would be a lock if the 2010 Olympics were to start today.

The first line would have to have a balance of leadership, goal scoring and heavy hitting – a perfect combination

for an all-star line. With the likes of Rick Nash playing the role as bruiser of the line and Sidney Crosby at centre as the symphonic conductor and Jarome Iginla as the sniper on the right, this top line will be a headache for any team in the world. Who can stop one of the top goal scorers, playmakers and power forwards in the world on one line?

As the old adage goes, the strength of the team is often measured by the wealth of talent on the bench, or in this case, the second line. And Canada’s second line would easily be a number one line on any other team.

Joe Thornton will centre with Vincent Lecavalier on the left and Jeff Carter on the right – all three a young and rambunctious group of goal scorers and natural hockey players.

This line will have a balance of playmaking ability and the ability to score from all three sides of the ice, and it doesn’t hurt that all three are feisty athletes over 6-foot-2.

Dany Heatley, Marc Savard, and Jonathan Toews will make a great addition as a solid third line that can score and take care of the defensive end with quick and precise fore-checking.

Furthermore, Heatley and Savard used

to play together on the Atlanta Thrashers, so chemistry isn’t really an issue. The addition of young Toews is simply great for added speed.

The grind line or the “energy line” for Canada will have a mixture of size and strength to uphold the dirty work in the corners – digging for loose pucks, setting a physical presence on the ice, and if need be, score a few goals too.

Ryan Getzlaf, Eric Staal, and Shane Doan have the complete combination of size, grit, intensity and skill that you want from a group of players that’s brought together for a short period of time. Don’t just think of these players as natural goal scorers; their size and speed hold an effective combination equipped to tear down any forward line.

In fact, if you think about it, this line is possibly better than many of the first lines in the competition.

Canada’s defense will have to work with a combination of players from Mike Green, Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, Chris Pronger, Brian Campbell, and Dan Boyle.

This list of players – all big, fast and agile – would make opposing players cringe at the thought of entering Canada’s defensive zone. Not to men-

tion, they’d have to worry about them pinching up for the creeping goal.

All that said, what makes or breaks teams is their goaltending and Canada undoubtedly has the strongest spine in

front of the net.

Martin Brodeur is a lock to compete for the starting job alongside Roberto Luongo. Goals from opposing teams may well be hard to come by.

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MONDAY, MARCH

2, 2009 THE MEDIUM 15

SOCCER MAKES THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND

UTM Indoor Soccer Intramurals

“Make it a priority�

Week 4 Scores

Nicole Lee, one of the speakers at the Sports Career Panel at UTM two weeks ago, speaks on how to get started on a career in pro sports

Division 1 Internazionale v Bundesliga F Win Bernardinho's 7 v Spartans 2 Eastern Block 7 v FC Ballkickers 2

Division 2 FC Legacy 2 v FC Ballkickers(2) 8 The UN F Win v PLC Fiji 3 v The Trojans 7 Saint K&N v Super Strikers F Win Young Stunna G 4 v Vikings 0 Bangladesh FK 11 v MASA 3

Standings Division 1 Team Eastern Block Bundesliga FC Ballkickers Bernardinho's FC Internazionale Spartans

W 4 2 1 1 1 1

D 0 1 2 1 0 0

L 0 1 1 2 3 3

TP 12 9 8 7 6 6

Division 2 Pool A Young Stunna Gun. BangladeshFK MASA Super Strikers Vikings Saint Kitts and Nev.

4 3 2 2 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 2 2 3 4

12 10 8 8 6 4

Pool B The U.N. FC Ballkickers The Trojans Figi FC Legacy PLC

4 3 3 1 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 1 3 3 4

12 10 10 6 6 4

Division 1 Team Eeastern Bern.

Bemar.

Bundes.

Ball.

GP 4 4 4 4 4

TP 12 10 9 8 6

3 4 4 4 4

14 9 9 9 8

Division 2 S. Abol Naja MASA O. Ulysse Fiji O. Kunchar YSG H. Aboghodieh YSG A. Jammeh U.N.

Many of us aspire to become prof e s s i o na l a t h l e tes when we are younger. As students those aspirations fade as we dream of careers more in line with our education. Yet imagine if you were able to use your education to secure a career in pro sports.

Nicole Lee has managed to forge a professional career working in sports ranging from basketball, baseball, golf, and hockey. Nicole was able to translate her competitive instinct and passion in sports into a career she describes as phenomenal, exciting, and fun.

A Career in sports has provided her with opportunities to meet and work alongside names like Annika SĂśrenstam, Natalie Gulbis, Lorena Ochoa, and hall of famer Mark Messier.

Players Stats Name B. Kramper P. Czupiel J. Smits M. Bialy F. Vaccaro

ALAIN DAVIDS

Like many students Nicole cherished campus life and was hesitant to abandon what she still considers the best years of her life. When she learned of the Masters in Sports Administration program at Ohio University she decided to seize the opportunity and continue her education. As a part of the program, she worked several internships where she was able to gain valuable working experience as a volunteer.

Upon completion of her graduate

studies she took on an internship with Disney’s Wide World of Sports in order attain a working visa. This would ultimately lead to a full-time job in sports as the experience gained working the FUNAI Classic enabled her to procure a position as a Sales and Marketing Manager for M ichelob ULTRA Open. Longing to come home she eyed an opportunity that would bring her back to Canada working with the NHL. Serving the NHL as an account executive, Nicole oversees and facilitates promotions and programs that capitalize on existing partnerships. A definitive perk and one of the many highlights of a job with the NHL was being able to work on and attend this year’s Winter Classic held at Wrigley Field.

A Career in sports has provided her with opportunities to meet and work alongside names like Annika SÜrenstam, Natalie Gulbis, Lorena Ochoa, and hall-of-famer Mark Messier. Given that she is still at the beginning of her career, it’s a safe bet that Nicole will only be presented with further opportunities to work alongside more of the sports heroes we admire.

Her advice to students looking to pursue a career within the sports industry is to “make it a priority.�

She emphasizes the importance of the volunteer work she engaged in during and after her graduate studies, as it allowed her to gain valuable experience while building a network of contacts within the industry. “It’s not easy, it is competitive� she stresses, before giving assurances that if you are persistent and work hard, you will be rewarded.

Man Utd win Carling Cup shoot-out

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Argentinian forward Carlos Tevez celebrates as Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspurs on penalties in the Carling Cup final on Sunday. United, with the Club World Cup already won, emerged victorious from the dreaded shoot out after an encounter low on quality finished 0 0 after extra time.

Goalkeeper Ben Foster, was United's hero with a stunning save from Jamie O'Hara's spot kick.

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16 THE MEDIUM MONDAY,MARCH 2, 2009

SPORTS

RAPTORS HOPE FOR BETTER SEASON AHEAD

Rough season, but successful trade deadline for Raptors ANDREW TYSIAK

Let’s face it; if you’re a Toronto Raptors fan this season, you’re also a disappointed fan.

Heading into Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns with a mere 23-36 record, playoff hopes looked doubtful. And if wasn’t already, it must’ve surely been after losing 133113 to the Steve Nash-less Suns.

There were high expectations for the team coming into the season, especially after acquiring Jermaine O’Neal from the Indiana Pacers in July in exchange for former Raptors TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and Maceo Baston. But at least the Raptors organization got rid of certain useless bodies that didn’t help the team move on at any point.

O’Neal was expected to add a much needed improvement to the Raptors front court both offensively and defensively. Mainly, his presence on the team was supposed to help out Chris Bosh’s game and relieve him of the intense defensive pressure his opponents were inflicting on him last season. But the Raptors had to give up a lot to acquire O’Neal, losing much of its overall team depth and bench presence it had heavily relied on the last couple of seasons.

As it turned out, O’Neal never

really meshed well with Bosh, and as a result of that, the team has not only performed inconsistently this season, but their offense has slowed and their defense has showed no improvement from last season. This is ultimately what led Raptors President and GM Bryan Colangelo to trade Jermaine O’Neal and forward Jamario Moon to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Was O’Neal given enough of a chance before getting shipped out?

Arguable; and his trade for an aging Marion appears as a questionable piece of business to many.

Indeed, the trade does not seem very compelling at first, as it is essentially two teams exchanging their underperformers. But if you read the fine print, the trade should help the Raptors, in the long run, if of course Marion stays on for next season.

First off, Marion is a very unique and versatile player – able to run the court like a point guard, score from any position on the court, and is an above average defender that can essentially defend all positions from guard to center. Not to mention he is a very aggressive rebounder, averaging 8.8 rebounds so far this season.

Compare that to Jermaine O’Neal’s 6.8 rebounds a game. Marion’s underperformance this season can be explained by the fact that the Miami Heat refused to play transition bas-

ketball, a style which helped him flourish as a player with the Phoenix Suns.

His presence on the Raptors lineup also opens up the centre spot and maximizes playing time for Andrea Bargnani, whose minutes were limited because of O’Neal’s presence.

Bargnani’s performance has tremendously improved this year (14.2 Points per Game, 5.4 Rebounds per Game), especially under coach Jay Triano, which made it that much easier to trade O’Neal and acquire a player that can cater more to the Raptors needs.

Also, at the starting small forward position, Shawn Marion is a huge upgrade for the Raptors in comparison to their previous small forward Jamario Moon. The Raptors will undoubtedly not miss Moon’s defensive inconsistency, ill advised shots, lack of aggressiveness, and inability to drive to the basket despite his supposed athleticism.

Only five games into Marion’s tenure with the Raptors and you can already notice the difference he’s making for the team, especially with his ability to cut to the basket, drive to the net, and knack for solid positioning both offensively and defensively. This was evident in their 111100 win against the New York Knicks on February 22.

The O’Neal-Marion trade also

photo/www.thehoopdoctors.com

The trade with an almost endless list of pros and cons. Who will benefit more Miami or Toronto? gives the Raptors some much needed salary cap flexibility. Instead of having to pay Jermaine O’Neal’s $23million demands next season (third highest in the NBA), they now have the expiring contract of Shawn Marion who is set to become a free agent this coming offseason. Worst case scenario, if Marion does not work out for the Raptors, they can just cut him loose and let him sign somewhere else, thus freeing up more salary cap space to sign other upcoming free agents such as Carlos Boozer

or even Hedo Turkoglu.

No matter how hard it may be, what with all the positive early expectations this season, Raptors fans simply have to look ahead to next season. The salary cap flexibility will allow GM Bryan Colangelo to make some significant changes to a roster that currently lacks much chemistry and depth. As long as the Raptors are able to re-sign Chris Bosh when he becomes a free agent in 2010, the future of the organization still remains promising.

Photo by Alain_Latour