Vol 36 issue 10

PAGE 7

Monday, November 23, 2009

Volume 36, Issue 10

AGM proxy forms mishandled at UTM SAALIHA MALIK NEWS EDITOR

An investigation conducted by The Medium has exposed a mishandling of the collection and distribution of proxy forms at UTM for the 2009 Annual General Meeting of the University of Toronto Student’s Union, which took place last Thursday at the St. George campus.

Proxy forms allow one student to hold up to as many as eleven votes, provided the voter gets ten other fulltime students to sign the proxy form and include their student numbers.

Proxy forms can thus sway important votes in an Annual General Meeting.

In last week’s UTSU AGM, where roughly 22 out of the 26 UTM students in attendance held proxy forms, their presence amounted to over 200 votes.

In both the UTSU and the UTMSU’s constitutions, Annual General Meetings are to be held in the fall session of each year so that fulltime students can review their union’s financial statements and vote on any amendments of the constitution or proposed bylaw changes.

As indicated in the UTSU website, U of T students could collect proxy forms in only two locations: Room 115 in UTM’s Student Centre, which is manned by UTMSU office manager

Matthew Filipowich/Medium File Photo

Students vote at last year’s UTMSU AGM, which was tainted with fraud allegations.

Linda Feener, and the UTSU St. George office. No other location was authorized. Yet in an email sent to The Medium, Feener stated that not a single UTM student had picked up proxy forms at her office. “I had some here in my office in case anyone wanted one. [UTSU] sent out an email that indicated [students] could pick up one from me too, but I did not give any out.”

Yet around 22 UTM students showed up at the AGM with proxy forms. It isn’t clear whether the students obtained the proxy forms at the St. George office, but their student

numbers would have been recorded.

In their conversations with The Medium, no UTSU or UTMSU representative offered this explanation, and no student has come forth stating that they collected their forms at the St. George location.

UTSU VP internal Adnan Najmi said that signed proxy forms were faxed to him by UTSMU staff member Dhananjai Kohli “once they were collected from UTMSU.” Najmi added that Kohli was “the staff member at UTMSU we were coordinating with about logistics for the AGM. It is common practice at a

students' union, and most organizations, for staff to support logistics.”

The UTMSU website, however, does not list Kohli as an employee, even though every other full-time and part-time employee is listed “My comment is ‘no comment,’” said Kohli.

UTMSU VP equity Vickita Bhatt admitted to urging students to collect proxy forms and to “get them in on time,” but when asked where she had directed students and to whom, Bhatt said, “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask [UTMSU President] Joey Santiago.”

In a phone call with The Medium,

President Santiago’s confirmed that Kohli supervised the proxy distribution and collection at UTM from November 16 to November 17.

Thomas Kristan, a division 3 director who sits on both the UTMSU and the UTSU Boards of Directors, said he was not given clear directions on how to collect a proxy form for the AGM, and therefore did not have any other votes besides his own. “The proxy forms have been destroyed,” said Najmi, arguing that they contained “[students’] personal information.”

Najmi extended the deadline for proxy forms to students at only UTM without consultation with the UTSU Board of Directors. And although the forms were due last Monday at 5 p.m., proxy forms were only delivered to the UTM campus by a board member 30 minutes past the deadline.

According to Santiago, executive director Mohammed Hashim made copies of proxy forms sent to him and distributed some to Feener’s office, and the rest to Kohli the morning of November 16. The unnumbered forms were faxed back to Najmi at UTSU by 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Henry Ssali, UTMSU VP external and, according to the Union’s constitution, the liaison between UTSU and UTMS, said that he was never contacted by the UTSU to organize logistics for the AGM. “I was never communicated with on issues pertaining to the UTSU AGM. The town hall for UTMSU was on the same day and my priority is to UTM students,” said Ssali.

Tensions run high at the UTSU AGM SAALIHA MALIK NEWS EDITOR

Last Thursday, the St. George campus student union, UTSU, held their Annual General Meeting (AGM), which saw approximately 75 students in attendance. The union represents approximately 41,000 full-time undergraduate students at both UTM and St. George.

The meeting, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., was delayed for approximately 45 minutes. Students in attendance became impatient and questioned the delay. The meeting was called to order at 6:47 p.m.

by the chair Ashkon Hashemi, who followed Robert’s Rules of Order for the proceedings.

The meeting began with student Alex Heuton, who sits on the UTSU board of directors as the Innis College representative. Heuton questioned why the meeting began almost an hour after the provided notice time. The chair explained that UTM students were on their way and traffic delayed their arrival.

Students questioned why the agenda for the meeting did not have an “other business” item, which would allow students to introduce new items for discussion. The chair allowed a vote to introduce the “other business” item which

passed unanimously.

Several students lined up to speak at the microphone on issues the AGM attendees approved for the meeting.

Heuton took to the microphone again to address his concerns that amendments to bylaws and policies could not be made at the AGM without first being approved at a policy and procedures committee meeting. Heuton argued that an exception should have been made to introduce new policy amendments, because no policy and procedure committee meeting was called prior to the AGM. Heuton held an e-mail from UTSU President Sandy Hudson, dated July 25, 2009, and stated that a request

for a policy meeting was denied by Hudson because there was no chair of the committee. He argued that a policy and procedures meeting has been called for this week, to which Heuton said “[It] doesn't make sense to have a policy meeting after the AGM.” Hudson responded by stating that any board member can call a meeting, and she had made attempts to call meetings but could not confirm attendance from members.

“I take offence that you believe you completed your task as [UTSU] president,” said Heuton.

see UTSU on page 3

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2 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

23, 2009

NEWS STUDENTS SPEAK UP

UTMSU hosts town hall to seek student direction

John Esposito speaks up for pluralism at U of T

STEFANIE MAROTTA

OVAIS SHAH

Last Thursday, the UTMSU held an open-panel town hall in the Presentation Room of the Student Centre. Rather than being a formal meeting, the town hall aimed to facilitate communication between the UTMSU and the students, said UTMSU President Joey Santiago.

The audience, composed of around 30 students, also had the opportunity to learn of upcoming UTMSU projects.

President Santiago, who chaired the event, began with a presentation outlining the various services that UTMSU provides. These include the UPass, Orientation Week, the Blind Duck Pub, the Print Shop, bursaries, and funding for campus clubs and academic societies.

Organizers presented video footage from Orientation Week 2009 to highlight UTMSU’s efforts in assisting first-year students in their transition into university. Students in the audience belted out Orientation Week cheers as they watched the video, including the wellknown, “This is madness! This is Erindale!”

Outlining their goals for this year, President Santiago listed campaign goals that included increasing student participation, strengthening the campus’ presence in the city of Mississauga and establishing unity amongst students. “It’s important for everyone to know what their union offers and that they need not sequester themselves. We take direction from our members and our members are you,” said the UTMSU President.

The new discounted student rate for the TTC Metropass was introduced as recent achievement of the student union.

Next year, university students can buy a Metropass for $89—a $22 discount off of the regular price.

Many students in attendance stated

they had been greatly affected by the loss of 400 parking spaces, due to the construction of the new Health Sciences complex and the Instructional Centre.

According to President Santiago, more than 100 students are on the waitlist for parking passes. The University administration has proposed a multilevel parking structure to accommodate the parking demand, and the UTMSU is currently working to ensure the project is not funded from students’ pockets, said Santiago.

During the one-hour question and answer period, a student asked, “What actions will the student union take to provide greater study space?”

“The library does not have the capacity to hold 11,000 students,” said the President. “The Student Centre, however, will be open for those studying late into the night. The Presentation Room, Green Room, Board Room and Blind Duck Pub are all options for students to utilize.” Another student suggested that UTSMU book classrooms as study space.

Many in the audience complained about what they called “the unsatisfactory food options on campus.” According to President Santiago, the University shares a contract with Chartwells, the food company who primarily supplies the University.

“While previous student unions managed to ensure that the Blind Duck Pub remained separate, the contract includes restrictions on its development. The Blind Duck Pub cannot expand or price items in such a way that they will become a competitor of Chartwells.”

Residence Council President Marc Bressler told students that the University administration are held accountable for food prices, as any increase must be approved by the administration. Santiago encouraged students to email Bill McFadden, director of hospitality and

Laura Chiovitti/The Medium

UTMSU President Joey Santiago addresses the crowd. retail services at UTM. “Perhaps this will result in an outcome similar to that of the library’s restoring its service,” said President Santiago.

Stressing that the union’s door is always open to students, Santiago said there would be regular town halls to ensure “we’re on track with students” and called the town hall “very productive.”

“I wish the turn out was a little bit better; it’s important for students to get involved. But the topics that were brought up were good,” said second-year political science student and UTMSU board member Thomas Kristan.

Upcoming union-organized events include the Exam Destressor and the February Reading Week trip. The Exam Destressor, according to the UTMSU, is one of its most popular events. Free food and drinks will be provided for students that optimize the library’s 24-hour service. The first Exam Destressor will take place on December 1 in the CCT atrium.

Last Friday, Professor John Esposito, the founding director at the Centre for Muslim-Christian Relations at Georgetown University in the United States, addressed an audience of 500 professors, students, community members, leaders and academics at St. Michael’s College at the St. George campus.

The “Future of Islam and Muslim-West Relations” lecture was a part of a special-lecture series organized by St. Michael’s College. The Pluralism-Series lecture was open to any member of the community including UTM students and was advertised to the UTM student body through the faculty in the Department of Historical Studies.

“Most of you would know that some of his prominent works have been featured by Oxford University Press and are standard texts for religious-studies courses on Islam such as the Oxford History of Islam, the Oxford Islamic Dictionary, and the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World,” said Professor Mark McGowan, St. Michael’s College’s principal, as he introduced Professor Esposito, who has published over forty books and numerous journal articles on the issue of topic of Muslim Christian relations.

In his address to the staff and students, Professor Esposito explored the political issues of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and the fragile structure of NorthAmerican society in the aftermath

of the 9/11. He advocated a “robust religious pluralism between the Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Christianity and Judaism that challenges the older notion of co-existence that is merely tolerance or People of the Book.”

“I think one of the most crucial points in his lecture was that the traditional understanding of coexistence must change in the West.

Instead of ignoring the other's beliefs, people have to start exploring what their fellow students, professors, co-workers, or neighbors' beliefs are and what influences their worldview,” said Rumman Khalid, a student who attended the lecture. Jeremy Malinowski, another attendee, said that U of T should be at “the fore-front of leading the discourse of religious pluralism, multiculturalism and equality” due to its vast faculty and student body.

Over the course of the next couple of days, His Grace Thomas Collins, Arch-Bishop of Toronto and Chancellor of St. Michaels College will confer the U of T Doctorate of Sacred Letters to distinguished academics for their continued work in religious and pluralism studies at the Theology graduate convocation.

Professor Esposito is one of the two individuals receiving the honorary degree from the Centre for Jewish Christian Relations for his work on triggering an academic dialogue on understanding between Islam and Christianity. Professor Susannah Herschel will also receive a similar honorary doctorate for her work on the field of Jewish Studies and the Christian-Jewish engagement in Germany during the 19 th and 20 th centuries.

Campus police weekly summaries November 12, 2009 to November 18, 2009 November 12 Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of a cell phone from the gym area. Estimated value of stolen property is $500.

November 12 Controlled Drugs and Substances Act Campus Police investigated a report of three males smoking marijuana outside of a residence.

November 12 Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of a cell phone from the Library. Estimated value of stolen property is $300.

November 13 Information - Soliciting A female was cautioned for selling products on campus. The female was escorted off UTM Campus.

November 14 Motor Vehicle Accident Campus Police investigated a motor vehicle accident. A witness reported seeing a vehicle hit a parked vehicle. The vehicle left the scene without reporting the incident.

November 14 Safety Concern Campus Police investigated two males that were suspected of breaking into a vehicle. Further investigation found the males had

locked their keys in the vehicle and smashed a window to gain entry to retrieve their keys.

November 15 Noise Complaint Campus Police investigated a report of loud music and talking in a residence. Campus Police advised the occupants to lower their music and keep the noise level down. They complied.

November 15 Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of textbooks near OPH. Estimated value of stolen property is $300.

November 16 Noise Compliant Campus Police investigated a report of loud music coming from a townhouse residence. Campus Police advised the occupants to turn down their music and the occupants complied.

November 16 Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of a wallet from a residence.

The owner of the wallet also said that her credit cards were used fraudulently.

November 17 Library Code of Conduct Campus Police investigated a male who had contravened library

rules. The male was banned from the Library until further notice.

November 18 Medical Call Emergency Medical Services assisted a female that was feeling unwell in the Kaneff Centre. The student was transported to hospital by ambulance.

November 18 Recovered Property A bicycle belonging to the University BikeShare program was recovered by the City of Mississauga. The property was picked up by Campus Police and returned to the owner.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER

23, 2009 THE MEDIUM 3

STUDENTS GET A DEAL NEWS

Students question priorities at AGM UTSU continued from cover “You ran on a ticket called ‘demand access’ when you have done so much to prevent it. Where is the access when no policy meeting occurred before the AGM? This meeting is outrageous.”

The next issue raised was a discrepancy on the notice given for the meeting. According to the UTSU bylaws, Bylaw 3- Meeting s 1.3Notice, “Notice shall be provided to members fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting in the campus paper and website.” VP internal Adnan Najmi clarified that The Varsity printed their notice on their website 14 days prior to the meeting because there was no issue printed that week.

Hudson introduced executive members of UTSU during the President's address, including VP internal and services Adnan Najmi, VP university affairs Adam Awad, VP external Hadia Akhtar, VP equity Daniella Kyei and VP campus life Danielle Sandhu. Hudson spoke about the accomplishments of the UTSU this ye ar, including the recent Drop Fees for a Poverty-Free Ontario campaign, Orientation Week and homecoming. Hudson thanked students who signed petitions to lobby the TTC to lower fares for Metropasses, which she

said resulted in a discount for postsecondary students starting next fall.

UTM student Walied Khogali was first to address the tension at the AGM. “I want to bring the Mississauga love because there's a lot of tension in the room.” Khogali highlighted the successes of the UTSU and suggested that UTSU hold regular town halls for students to address their concerns. “Let's celebrate, not criticize. Let's face it, students are busy studying. Not too many students show up to AGMs but if you criticize, we're not going to win those battles.”

The president of St. Michaels student union, James Finlay, gave an explanation on why tension existed in the room. “This campus wanted another vision. Members on the St. George campus are not happy. The majority of students do not agree with people here.” Finlay questioned what initiative Hudson has taken to “bridge the gap and discontent on campus.” Hudson maintained that the UTSU works with both colleges and clubs on campus, and wants to work with colleges to mend relationships.

Hudson received many difficult questions and comments during the meeting, especially when a student came to the microphone and asked Hudson to define solidarity, a common backbone to campaigns led by the UTSU. “If someone disagrees,

are they still represented by UTSU?” Hudson immediately said, “Of course they are members. Solidarity means we are working to alleviate our issues.”

Not all students in attendance were disappointed by the student union’s actions. A student came to the microphone and gave a heartfelt speech on her experien ce with UTSU. “I want to use this opportunity to show how thankful I am. I was totally lost, I could not participate in my college orientation and it’s good that you can go other places,” said Masima G., referring to alternative orientation week activities organized by the UTSU. Gabe de Roche, a fourth-year Trinity College student, was one who opposed UTM students having votes at the UTSU AGM. “If it's true that all fees paid by UTM students are repaid and they choose how to spend their money, is it fair that, with no financial stake, they can vote in our elections and stack this AGM?” Hudson responded that students at UTM are members, and explained that UTSU and UTMSU work closely to collaborate on campaigns and services for students.

The meeting, which lasted over four hours, heard statements from students who have had unsuccessful attempts at accessing financial documents, as well as students who did not feel UTM students should have been allowed to vote.

Metropass fees dropped for students Post secondary students will be offered discounted metropasses starting next fall WALIED KHOGALI

Last week, the UTMSU joined student unions from across the GTA to call on the Toronto Transit Commission to stop fare increases. Student unions came together to support an affordable transit pass. They pushed to maintain the current V.I.P. Metropass rates available for students and suggested that the TTC extend high school student rates for fares, tickets and metropasses to college and university students.

The student unions also insisted that students, regardless of age or full or part-time student status, should be eligible for a discount on the Metropasses.

The campaign, called Fair Student Fares, was launched by the Canadian Federation of Students soon after the TTC announced that it will be raising fares. Student unions across the GTA collected thousands of petitions in days to demonstrate the opposition for the fare increase and to demand concessions in the form of discounted student fares for post-secondary education students.

The concessions in student fares came after an afternoon of deputations from student leaders and representatives of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, pleading that with high levels of youth unemployment and rising tuition, student have no ability to pay more.

“Students have had enough and can’t stomach another fare increase,” said Hamid Osman of the Canadian Federation of Students at the monthly TTC meeting at City Hall.

UTMSU President Joey Santiago echoed Osman’s comment. He emphasized that UTM students must be eligible for the discount as well, although some of them are not Toronto residents. Due to the growth of the UTM

campus in the next 30 years, more students living in the downtown core will be commuting to UTM and will need to use the Metropass, said Santiago.

After the depositions, city councilors on the commission voted on a slightly lower Metropass levy instead of the 15 percent increase TTC staff had initially proposed.

The price of a regular Metropass will go up 11 percent to $121, rather than the $126 that was originally suggested. Post-secondary students will pay the same price high school stu-

dents are charged, which is currently $99 a month. The change won’t take effect until September 2010.

Post-secondary students will also be eligible for a discounted $89 a month pass under the TTC Metropass Discount Program.

“This is a victory we should all be proud of. For the first time in the history of Toronto, college and university students are going to be able to pay a student rate for a Metropass,” said Maria Galvez , UTMSU VP university affairs.

Drug awareness week hits UTM YANIQUE BIRD

At 11 a.m. last Thursday, a drawnlooking young man sat in the Blink Duck. A tubular mesh sling immobilized his left arm against his chest. White gauze circled his forehead. Blood seeped through the bandages. His bandaged right hand was missing a thumb. He fumbled with his fork This boy was one of 14 UTM s t u d e n t p a r t i c i p a n t s i n It Could Have Been You, the Peer Heath Educators’ Drug Awareness Week program. It Could Have Been You was a collaboration between the Peer Health Educators of the Health and Counseling Center and the Erindale College Special Response Team, ECSpeRT. In addition to the bandaging and make-up skillfully executed by the ECSpeRT crew, PHEs and ECSpeRT members manned two tables in the Meeting Place to answer questions and provide curious students with information and resources. The “injured” participants were asked to go about their daily business as though nothing was wrong. When concerned peers asked what had happened, the tight-lipped participants handed them a card that directed them to the Meeting Place.

The Peer Heath Educators showed students how to detect an impaired driver, what to do in such a case, and what are the alternatives to getting behind the

wheel after consuming alcohol. At the ECSpeRT table, students could experience being put into a spinal column or wearing a neck brace, another gentle deterrent.

“The idea is to put the experience where people can’t ignore it.

Right in their faces,” said Amy Jin of ECSpeRT. “It’s not only the drunk drivers that get hurt. A lot of the time, the drunk drivers are far less injured than the poor motorists and pedestrians that come into contact with them.”

Every day, 206 people are injured in alcohol-related car crashes in Canada. An additional four are killed.

Stephanie Falcone, the leader of the PHE’s drug and alcohol team, said, “We want to counter the ‘that won’t or can’t happen to me’ mentality that many students hold. By having a seriously injured person sit next to you in lecture struggling to function with a busted arm and head wounds― or even just standing behind you at Timmy’s―the PHE is hoping to burst that illusory safety bubble.”

According to Falcone, the It Could Have Been You event will be a yearly occurrence. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate.

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4 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

23, 2009

OPINION STUDENTS DESERVE BETTER

www.mediumonline.ca

Transparency: A forgotten ideal?

ALAIN LATOUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

hen the UTMSU Annual General Meeting took place last November, I thought future AGMs could hardly get more controversial. Yet last week’s events proved me wrong.

A t t he U n i v e r si t y o f T o r o n t o Student’s Union AGM, which took place last Thursday, over 20 UTM students, including a few UTMSU executives, brandished proxy forms that enabled them to vote for up to eleven students each. They did not obtain these forms at UTM, since Linda Feener, the person supposed to hand them out, told The Medium that not a single student had approached her about the forms.

This begs the question: How were these forms handed out, filled and collected?

UTMSU defenders will point out that students might have obtained the forms in UTSU’s downtown office, which was the second authorized pickup location. But this possibility seems unlikely. The reasons are threefold: Firstly, no UTMSU or UTSU suggested that this had been the case—surely they would have d o n e s o , b u t o n ly i f t h e y c o u l d prove it. Secondly, both the UTSU a n d t h e U TS M U p r o m p t l y destroyed the proxy forms, so even if an inquiry were launched, we would likely never find which students picked up these forms and where they did it. Thirdly, most U T M s t u d e n t s w o u l d p r o b a bl y choose to pick up the forms in their own campus.

The Medium, by the way, encourages students with any information about this episode to knock on our door, drop us a line, call us—we will listen to you, and if the facts bear out, we will help you make your voice heard.

This AGM issue raises many serious questions. Why were UTMSU executives, who according to their own Constitution must be part-time students, voting in an AGM that is clearly intended for full-time students? And if these executives are full-time students, then how can they work as UTMSU executives?

One way or the other, a violation seems to be taking place.

F u r t h e r m or e , w h y d i d t h e UTMSU create its own alternative method for picking up and distributing proxy forms? We have confirmed that former UTMSU VP external “DJ” Kohli handed out proxy forms—forms, which, by the way, were unnumbered and thus untraceable. Anyone could have copied them and handed them out with, shall we say, undue generosity. According to the UTMSU Constitution and By-Laws, under the heading By Law 3 – Meetings, 1 . 5 P ro x y : “ n o m em b e r [ o f t h e Union] shall carry more than 10 proxies,” and no member should have more than one proxy form.

This entitles each member to carry a maximum of 11 votes—ten prox-

W

ies plus their own. Mr. Kohli held more than one form in his possession.

Lastly, why did the UTMSU destroy all proxy forms so promptly? Adnan Najmi, VP internal serv i c e s a t U T S U , a r gu e d t h a t t h e Unions destroyed the forms because they contained students’ personal i n f o r m a t io n . I f t h a t ’ s t h e c a s e , another question arises: Why did the Unions not find an alternative method to collect proxy votes, such as T-card validation at the time of collection or proxy form pickup?

This information should have been archived for future reference and, if need be, for future investigation. Their destruction suggests many ugly scenarios, especia lly given last year’s scandal in which, for those who are unfamiliar with the issue, “UTMSU executives handed out nameless and signed proxy forms—with eight to ten student signatures filled out at the bottom—to certain students, so that they could vote to support the UTMSU in whatever motion the union wished to pass.” I’m quoting from “UTMSU Proxy gate scandal,” an article that The Medium published last year after we learned of this regrettable incident. ThenUTMSU President Wasah Malik said the matter would be investigate d . W e a r e s t i ll w a i t i n g f o r t h e r e s u l t s o f l a s t y e a r ` s p r o m i se d investigation.

One thing is clear: Both the UTMSU and UTSU are benefiting from too much control over the process of the proxy forms distribution and collection. Even if none of these events had taken place, the fact that the UTMSU and UTSU have such control raises concerns of accountability and democracy, two missions that UTSMU claims to strive for.

T h e b o t to m l i n e i s t h a t t h e UTMSU picks up proxy forms in ways that clash with its own guidelines. The UTMSU has total control over this process, so that no one can demand to see these proxy forms.

The UTMSU destroys these forms not one day after the AGM, well before the dust settles and curious eyes can pry into their business, which is the business of all U of T students. Indeed, we fund everything that the UTMSU does, whether we want to or not, since opting out of UTMSU fees is not an option.

Linda Feener has said that in this year’s UTMSU AGM, she will keep the proxy forms in her office, room 115 in the Student Centre. “To ensure that there will be no problems,” as Mrs. Feener put it, she numbered all proxy forms and will initial them when she hands them out. Moreover, students who pick up a proxy form must return it to Mrs. Feener only.

We should all take cue. Like any government or powerful body, the UTMSU will only act with transparency and respect for its own regulations, as well as respect for the very students it purports to represent, when we question it, when we probe it, when we demand of it that it gives us what it should be giving us already: The truth.

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 EDITOR IN CHIEF Alain Latour editor@mediumonline.ca

Letters to the Editor Speaking out against oppression Dear Editor, The Speak Out against Oppression poetry event, held last Friday, was organized in conjunction with UTMSU. They recently rejected the poems I sent them, without justification, after having charged me the $10 application fee.

The event, dealing with spoken word poetry, is explicitly about oppression, yet the submission guidelines clearly state no “vulgar language, profanity or sexual references.” This prohibition is senseless because it withholds curse words, which illuminate and highlight specific points if used correctly in a poetic forum. Colloquial speech, sexual or not, is universal, and the organizers’ desire to be politically correct ends up ironically oppressing the participants.

The guidelines also state an acceptance of “all political, individual & religious viewpoints,” yet one’s poetry must “value people of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.” There is a contradiction in these two ideas of acceptance and value, because they exclude cultural criticism, meaning there is a supposition that all “cultural backgrounds” and “ethnicities” are flawless, which is far from the case. If all cultures were flawless, oppression wouldn’t exist.

The point of speaking against oppression is to offer constructive criticism to enable ethical, social and political progress. This is the opposite of what the event can achieve due to the limiting of the freedom of speech.

My verses, needless to say, poke fun rather than harm. If they offend anyone, it is only by way of the questioning of oppressive practices. There is no use for poetry if I cannot find the small grain of hope that lies hidden in gang violence, or the comedy that surrounds a single mother abandoned by her partner late one evening.

And when it is discovered that those at UTMSU didn't even read the poetry, it'll be all the worse, since MY union, the one I help pay for, isn't representing me or giving me a voice, the way it should.

Trevor Abes UTM English and Philosophy student

EDITOR’S NOTE: As per Mr. Abes’ request, one of the two poems in question was printed in our last issue. We felt it was worthy of publication. Mr. Abes submitted the remaining poem to our own poetry contest.

On silence and respect Dear fellow students, With this letter I want to express my deep dissatisfaction with the behavior of many students in the Library.

On several occasions throughout the term, I needed a quiet place to study on campus, so the Library seemed to be the logical choice.

However, every single time I was forced to leave within minutes because of the noise levels generated by the rest of the students there.

Always the loudest spots are the tables on the fourth floor, including the new ones next to the rooftop garden, which is a designated Silent Zone.

Since I can easily hear what those people are talking about, I have noticed that the topic is almost never school projects and classes, but gossiping, sport, make-up—you name it.

I am tired of telling people to keep it quiet every five minutes. It is impossible to concentrate and study in such environment, so that is why I am forced to leave and look for other locations on campus, which turn out to be just as loud.

I don't know if the library staff has the responsibility to control the noise levels in the Library. Even if they do, they have to have at least five people whose sole job responsibility will to

be to just walk around and warn students to restrain from loud talking. Of course, there is one, much easier solution to the problem—people should not make so much noise.

By that, I mean (and I have experienced all of these in the Library): • no music from your phone, which includes listening it on mega-loud headphones; • no chatting over current celebrity issues; • no presentation rehearsals in the middle of the fourth floor Quiet Zone (yes, I have seen even that); Even though our campus is small, there are many wonderful places where people can go to chat. If someone needs a list of them, I will be happy to provide one. The Library is a place to study, to concentrate and think. To do research for projects. To read a book (some people have forgotten that main Library function).

Keep my advice in mind next time when you meet with your friends to discuss the latest episode of your favorite show or yesterday's Leafs game. The person next to you is having a test, presentation and a midterm tomorrow.

Zdravko Dimitrov UTM Student, BBA program

NEWS EDITOR Saaliha Malik news@mediumonline.ca A&E EDITOR Michael Di Leo arts@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT A&E Nives Hajdin FEATURES EDITOR Amir Ahmed features@mediumonline.ca SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Tysiak sports@mediumonline.ca COPY EDITOR Su Lyn Liew PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Matthew Filipowich photos@mediumonline.ca COMPOSITE EDITOR Matthew Filipowich WEBMASTER Matthew Filipowich DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Heather Friesen BUSINESS MANAGER Romano Bergic BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chris Cauchi, Paul Donaghue, Ali Kasim, Kristian Jurlewicz, Aly Khan Madhavji, Paola Savasta, Phoebe Leung.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER

23, 2009 THE MEDIUM 5

6 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

23, 2009

Michael Di Leo, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

Love, sex, and magic A Midsummer Night’s Dream debuts at Hart House NIVES HAJDIN ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

How do you spruce up one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays and manage to send the audience through tears of laughter in the process? Hart House Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream makes that possible. Directed

by Jeremy Hutton, whose past directions include Arcadia, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet, the classic tale of love, sex and magic departs from structured Athenian society, and takes shape in mischievous Victorian England, fully equipped with gloomy lampposts, black umbrellas and suitclad suitors. This “spin,” or any modernization of A Midsummer Night’s Dream,“is almost always expected, as if a wildly original setting was the only prerequisite for a successful production,” Hutton explains. As a result, the director doesn’t veer too far from the original and ensures that key elements, such as the forest, remain intact.

Very much a sum of the play’s parts, the forest is more than just a setting. All magical instances take place in the fairies’ domain, but more prominently, the forest sparks the licentious behaviour, inherent to the fairies, in all those who pass through.

Hutton therefore has fun with this essential component and implements another “spin,” in which the traditional fairy community is substituted by a group of dark-magic gypsies.

Daniel Dimarco/photo

L to R: Emily Bridle as Mustardseed, Carolyn Hall as Titania, Neil Silcox as Bottom and Sarah Parkin as Peaseblossom.

“You can have fairies without wings, but never fairies without magic. No matter what ‘spin’ you take.”

Composed of many plays-within-aplay, A Midsummer Night’s Dream initially focuses on the relationships that form and fall apart between Hermia (Adrianna Prosser), Lysander (Andy Cockburn), Demetrius (Andrew Knowlton) and Helena (Carly Chamberlain). Hermia desires Lysander as her husband but is forced by her father, Egeus (Rob Candy), to marry Demetrius.

Demetrius in turn is fuelled by a lust for Hermia and spends his time in futile pursuit of her, while Helena’s unrequited love for Demetrius grows

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stronger as he pushes her away. This jumbled mess of love and hate is of its own nature, but when the fairies intervene and sprinkle magical juice into their eyes, true love is squandered and false love is stirred.

Oberon (Kevin McGarry), the King of Fairies, orders Robin the Puck (Borcé Petrovski) to fix his foolish misdoings with the Athenians, but Oberon himself teaches his fairy Queen, Titania (Carolyn Hall), a lesson in love. The juice makes her fall madly in love with a man who’s head has been turned into an ass’s. The unfortunate soul is Bottom (Neil Silcox), a member of the ridiculous theatre troupe, the Rude Mechanicals, who occupy a large portion of the play as they practice their own play they will performed at Duke Theseus (Andrew Dundass) and Duchess Hippolyta’s (Margaret Thompson) wedding. The intertwining of all three plots occurs, and the resulting situations create an upheaval of the most hilarious kind.

The dynamic between the actors and actresses in Hutton’s adaptation of “Shakespeare’s sexiest comedy” is easily the reason for the play’s huge success. The relationships between the Athenian lovers are conventional at the start, but transform into hysterical obsessions when Cockburn and Knowlton run around the stage in their skivvies. Their slapstick antics and lovesick demeanour are so in sync that the interchangeability of Demetrius and Lysander ultimately come through with ease.

Prosser is particularly apt at conveying Hermia’s self-admiration and eventual breakdown after both suitors kick her to the curb and fall in love with Helena. Prosser’s theatricality, bursting with pouty tantrums and tearful outbursts, closely rivals Chamberlain’s melancholic disposition as Helena; she establishes her initial frustration at Hermia’s more desirable eyes and Demetrius’ unreciprocated feelings, but nonetheless is able to transform herself into a crazed stalker-like figure whenever Demetrius draws near.

Chamberlain flawlessly turns hos-

tile when Helena believes she is being mocked after the suitors’ declaration of their newfound love for her. The catfight that ensues between the two women is quite amusing, and draws heavily on modern situations involving home wreckers and jealous exlovers.

The band of gypsy fairies is one of the play’s most alluring features.

Their time on stage is accompanied by exotic, Eastern-type music to which they partake in wonderfully traditional Gypsy-style dances that were choreographed by Ashleigh Powell. Brandon Kleiman’s set design is also stunning, as colourful lanterns are lowered from the ceiling during the dances and hang like stars over an elaborately created Gypsy caravan.

Borcé Petrovski’s portrayal of the maniacal and mischievous Puck is exceptionally dark and mysterious; he jumps and rolls in and out of scenes, and is skillfully imperceptible to other characters as well as the audience at times. Kevin McGarry’s performance as Oberon is sultry and commanding despite Oberon’s general inability to control Titania, and his level of confidence is spot-on, as

he flaunts Oberon’s ability to command mortals at the snap of his fingers. Puck and Oberon are further mystified by the snaking, black tattoos emblazoned across their heads and arms, much to the skill of makeup designer Larissa Palaszczuk.

Titania’s impish behaviour is effortlessly conveyed by Carolyn Hall, who manipulates and seduces the men in the play with ease. Yet by far the most side-splitting performances belongs to the actors that comprise the Rude Mechanicals. Their wellexecuted portrayals of over-the-top players preparing for their production of Pyramus and Thisbe leaves the crowd guffawing and tearing up whenever they took the stage.

Thomas Gough plays Peter Quince, the troupe’s exasperated manager who must keep the other dim-witted players in line, lest they completely run amuck with their bountiful imaginations. Jim Armstrong’s rendering of a wall and Max Shkvorets’ role as moonshine are hysterical as both roles are pointless in the Rude Mechanicals’ play, but their actual roles as Snout and Starveling nicely capture the naivety of both characters. While the players’ clownish personas are enough to make the audience keel over in laughter, Neil Silcox’ interpretation as Bottom truly sends the play into a stratosphere of hilarity. Silcox manages to make both Bottom and his character as Pyramus so ridiculously hysterical that I was personally in tears, and he received audience applause throughout many of his monologues.

Performances such as this just go to show that Shakespearean comedies remain highly entertaining, no matter how boring high school students believe them to be. While already humorous in text, the performances literally come to life on stage. A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs until December 5 at Hart House Theatre on the St. George campus. Call the U of T Box Office at (416) 978-8849 or visit www.harthousetheatre.ca for showtimes and ticket prices.

Daniel Dimarco/photo

L to R: Neil Silcox as Bottom, Jim Armstrong as Snout, William Jennings as Flute and Thomas Gough as Qunice.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

OLD FANGS ARTS

23, 2009 THE MEDIUM 7

& ENTERTAINMENT

Film review: New Moon The second installment of the Twilight saga hit theatres last week to record attendence numbers. But is it worth the hype?

SU LYN LIEW COPY EDITOR

Forbidden love is in the air, and fans bitten by the vampire bug are back for more. New Moon, the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga, continues the story of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and her ever-seventeen vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).

Directed by Chris Weitz, New Moon explores some of the dangers vampires, even the human-friendly Cullen family, pose towards humans, the hidden vampire world and its laws, and the introduction of new supernatural beings—the werewolf pack.

New Moon opens with Bella and Edward in a meadow. Bella sees her grandmother across the field. While introducing Edward, Bella realizes that the white-haired figure opposite her is herself many decades later, while Edward remains seventeen.

This dream represents a recurring theme in the movie: Bella’s fear of aging, and her wish for Edward to turn her into a vampire.

The scene continues with Bella’s eighteenth birthday. At a party held at the Cullen’s lavish home, Bella accidentally nicks herself on some wrapping paper. The tiny paper cut looks innocuous enough, but the single drop of blood dripping onto the carpet sparks off a deadly chain reaction among the Cullen vampires, who still hunger for human blood despite making the conscious decision to only consume animal blood.

The very next day, Edward leaves Bella, the Cullen family disappears, and Bella falls into a spiraling depression.

Pattinson and Stewart have great physical chemistry, but Edward

outnow.ch/photo

Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) saves a drowning Bella (Kriten Stewart). seems a little too monotone and lifeless in his interactions with Bella at the beginning of the movie.

Edward’s brooding good looks might stun movie viewers, but Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) steals a good portion of the spotlight and the movie. Jacob pulls Bella out of her depression, and a hint of romance builds between them, spoken through Jacob’s lingering hands on Bella’s while teaching her to ride a dirt bike and the many times he tries to hold Bella’s hand or kiss her, only to be foiled by other people or the ringing of the phone. Stewart, like the character she plays, comes alive when she is on screen with Lautner.

Lautner plays Jacob, a gangly and long-haired teenager who likes tinkering with mechanics, as well as Jacob after his werewolf transformation. Jacob, after he has “turned

wolf,” looks mature, extremely fit and very different from the teenage mechanic, and Lautner captures the transformation well.

Readers of the novel will be pleased with the movie’s pacing.

New Moon jumps straight into the action with little unnecessary scenes, and sets up foreshadowing early on in the movie. Reminiscent of the novel, the beginning of New Moon shows a flash of a scene that occurs later on in the movie—Bella running through a crowd of crimson-cloaked figures. The movie is set up well for the revelation of the Volturi, Jacob’s revelation of his werewolf heritage, and for Victoria, the vampire who continually hunts Bella as revenge for her dead lover’s death. New Moon, in comparison to its movie predecessor, contains much more action, but does not leave out the

crucial interactions between the characters.

New Moon excels in its cinematography. There are beautiful vistas of Italy, dark silhouettes of autumn trees against a night sky, meadow scenes and rolling grasslands. The only problem with the stunning backgrounds is the lighting: Forks, where New Moon is primarily set, is renowned for its foggy, misty days, allowing the vampires to move without revealing their inhuman, glittering skin, whereas the movie contains far too many bright, sunshiny scenes.

There are often close-ups, both of the actors and of important details, such as the burning of Bella’s bloody bandages in a silver bowl to eliminate the potent smell of blood in the Cullen’s home. New Moon speeds through Bella’s long months of

depression with the camera turning in circles, alternately showing an expressionless, almost catatonic Bella and the view outside her window, which changes from summer, to autumn and winter with each revolution. This calls into mind the act of turning the pages of a book; like the New Moon novel, the movie simply states the month (October, November, and December) with background music and no dialogue to show the passing of time.

The special effects in New Moon are spectacular. The werewolves, in particular, appear extremely lifelike and realistic, while subtle changes in the eyes and body language clearly convey the wolf’s thoughts and emotions. The use of alternating slow motion and the speeding up of scenes to illustrate the vampires and werewolves’ inhuman strength, speed and agility is a definite improvement from the comic treeleaping feats Edward pulled off in Twilight. One of the most exciting scenes in the movie (other than the entire Italy arc with the Volturi, where Pattinson finally wrenches back the spotlight) is the Quileute werewolves’ hunt and chase after Victoria.

New Moon, with its larger budget, has better cinematography, special effects and sets than Twilight, but viewers can thank screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg for the movie’s solid storyline and steady pacing.

New Moon’s makers know their audiences well—they included plenty of shirtless shots of Jacob and Edward. Other than a few eyebrowraising comical moments, such as Bella’s hallucinations of Edward (who appears as a ghostly apparition whenever she puts herself in danger), New Moon is a solid movie that will appeal to both fans and new viewers alike.

November 22, 1979 - MEDIUM II

Blondie finds its own niche HUGH SECORD Blondie produces a brand of New Wave sound touched by the subtle presence of disco chic that has firmly implanted the group into the mainstream. Certainly the group has evolved, and refined its style since its inception. Several years ago they played at Seneca College as the back-up for Iggy Pop, who at the time was touring with David Bowie as his keyboard player. Blondie put on a performance that nearly stole the show.

With Deborah Harry dressed sixties-ish complete with knee high white vinyl boots singing such golden tunes as MacArthur Park and Red Rubber Ball, the performance was devastatingly pure power-pop. This style has practically been abandoned by the group to the extent that they have lost their cult following in favour of a wider audience.

UNIQUE SOUND

However in this instance the resulting package is a far superior product. The early Blondie was crude—relying on volume and inertia for their initial success. Realizing they were riding on the crest of a wave of success, Blondie dropped some of its weaker members and opted for a more distinct and unique sound.

The most consistent member of Blondie is Deborah Harry. Rather than being strikingly beautiful, she is sensual.

Her turned down lips and impish qualities along with her penetrating eyes have immediate appeal. Rather than being blatant and overt, her sexuality is enigmatic. At age 32, going on 16, she epitomizes the older woman fantasy to many younger men. Her singing is driving and concise. To many people, she is Blondie.

To Deborah Harry, as many a floundering interviewer has found, to call her Blondie is a profound insult. Yet the

group remains shrouded within her mystique and privacy that excuses such faux pas. After appearing on the famed cover of the Rolling Stone, the group were so enraged by the article written about them that they completely denounced the magazine for an autocratic, self-motivated attitude. Not an unreasonable judgement.

LIMELIGHT With the immense success of Parallel Lines, the group has been thrust into the limelight. Although there has been an obviously premeditated attempt to popularize their music, Blondie cannot be accused of the same calculating homogenized product as the Knack. In fact, the success of Parallel Lines commercially was a surprise to the group. But with such singles as Heart of Glass and One Way or Another, Blondie uniquely captures the applause of an extremely wide audience.

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INTERESTED? email Michael at arts@mediumonline.ca

8 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

23, 2009

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

A talk with Christof Migone Artist, professor and curator Christof Migone speaks about his life and his approach to art

Matthew Filipowich/The Medium

MICHAEL DI LEO A&E EDITOR Christof Migone is a multidiscipli nary artist, curator and writer. His work and research delves into lan guage, voice, bodies, perfor mance, intimacy, complicity and endurance. He has released six solo audio CDs on various labels.

His installations have been exhibit ed around the world. He is current ly a lecturer at the University of Toronto Mississauga and serves as Director/Curator of the Blackwood Gallery. View his works at blackwoodgallery.ca, and christofmigone.com. ● I was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and grew up there until I moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina when I was 11. My mum is Austrian and my dad is Argentinian and he worked for the United Nations as an interpreter. Two years later, in 1977, we moved to Montreal because my dad got a job there. I’ve since lived in Ottawa, Halifax, Quebec City, New York City and now Toronto. ● Art was never really encouraged or discouraged in my family.

My brother and I were really independent. We were supported by our parents, but thankfully not pushed in a particular direction in terms of a career. I moved out right at the end of high school. ● I started doing art by doing radio in college. Being relatively shy, I somehow found it easier to speak to a microphone than a per-

son. The fact that the number of audiences listening through the radio was potentially quite large was okay, because they were invisible and thereby anonymous. ● My entry to the world of art was through music. Very quickly, one finds that all art forms are intertwined, and influences rarely stick to defined fields. In terms of what I was listening to at the time: Throbbing Gristle, Crass, Cabaret Voltaire, Sun Ra, Erik Satie, The Fall, Gang of Four, Prince Far I, Merzbow, They all overlapped with other art forms in some way. ● I curated my first exhibition in 1990 in Ottawa at the Saw Gallery. It was titled Touch That Dial and featured works that had radiophonic properties. ● When you do radio, you’re curating in a sense. You’re curating time. You’re selecting a sequence of s o n g s, y o u ’r e c o n s t r u c t in g a playlist. These decisions determine what the audience will hear—DJ as curator. That’s very much akin to what a curator does. ● The main job of the curator, simply stated, is to select works and place them in the gallery. Often the s e l e c t i o n i s b a s e d o n r e s e a rc h around a theme and finding works that generate a conversation on said theme. In order to find the works, I conduct studio visits, regularly visit g a l l e ri e s a n d m u s e um s , a n d d o extensive research in the relevant literature. ● In the case of a gallery, the curator has a spatial element to configure. The arrangement will

determine what kind of experience the visitor will have. The exhibition constitut es a k ind of na rra tive, albeit usually a non-linear one. ● Curatorial Studies is quite a new field, especially compared to Art History, the discipline it has emerged from. In a sense, it is both a specialization from within Art History, and a hybrid, post-disciplinary field, which also has strong affinities with a host of other areas such as Cultural Studies, Architecture, Design, Communication, amongst others. ● I often encourage my students to combat paralysis and get together, rent a space, and organize their own exhibition. Opportunities to exhibit are rare. You often have to make it happen yourself, and that’s especially true for those who are just starting. Plus the experience of t h e d o - i t -y o ur s e l f a p p r o a c h i s invaluable. ● I started off dabbling in art around the same time I got involved in radio. I wrote some poetry (pretty bad poetry in retrospect), did s o m e g r a ff i ti i n t h e s t r e e t , g o t involved politically, was in the punk scene. Despite my strong background in sound, I’ve never stuck to one single medium. My interest lies more in the idea behind a piece, and the idea will often determine what form the piece will take. ● I b e g a n m y u n d e rg r a d u a t e studies wanting to become a biochemist. I took courses in all the sciences, but also one elective in philosophy that blew my mind. At the time, I felt a strong need to

comprehend the world around me and the structures of society. That course didn’t offer the answers to those questions as much as a language to discuss them. This opened a door, and combined with my in terest in music, I qui ck ly g ot interested in Dada, Surrealism and all the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century. The agenda of those movements were all encompassing. In other words, a lot of them focused on all facets of life, not just on formal aesthetic questions. ● In my own work, I’ve often used the sounds the body produces as my palette. Music largely pays attention solely to the voice, but the body contains a virtual orchestra of sounds at its disposal. For instance, I’ve done a piece called Crackers, where I asked different people to crack different parts of their bodies.

A more recent piece, I, features sounds of someone who had an enlarged tear-duct and could hold his nose and whistle out of his eye. ● There is often a mischievous element to my work. ● When I teach the audio art c l a s s , I u s u a ll y s t a r t b y t a l k i n g about John Cage’s so-called silent composition, 4’33”, which consists of four minutes and thirty-three seconds where not a single note is played. The piece is meant to bring to attention to the existing environmental sound, and that is achieved through a subtle yet radical mischievousness. ● The purpose of art is to push beyond art, beyond itself.

● People often dismiss art because they feel that they are confronted by anything and everything in galleries. They are given few bearings, especially with works that do not fit into the accepted convent i o n s o f k n ow n f o r m s , s u c h a s painting, photography and sculpture. I take a positive outlook on that situation by saying that that complete openness means that both the artist and the viewer are in a position of shared vulnerability.

They both face the limitlessness of the imagination. The challenge is enormous. ● The galleries have become these unique spaces where there are no holds barred. They are spaces of intensely rigorous exploration and experimentation. The gallery is a context where new ways of thinking take form. ● Ultimately we want to communicate, we want to foster conversation. I hope students put the Blackwood Gallery in their regular weekly routine. What is presented in both gallery spaces regularly changes (the Blackwood proper in the Kaneff, and the e|gallery in the CCT building). ● A visit to the gallery can strike you negatively or positively. I actually don’t mind either; they both signify an active engagement. The o n l y t r o u bl i ng a n d u n d e s i r a b l e reaction is indifference. A visit doesn’t necessarily have to result in full comprehension. I believe that the best exhibitions are more prone to generate questions than answer them.

MONDAY,NOVEMBER

23, 2009 THE MEDIUM 9

AROUND CAMPUS FEATURES

Discovering UTM: The secret garden SU LYN LIEW COPY EDITOR

Few students notice the glass-covered construction atop the South Building’s roof as they make their way to class. While wandering the maze-like corridors on the fifth floor, they may stare out the windows and glimpse leafy ferns and towering cacti behind the structure’s glass walls.

This is the Erindale greenhouse (room 5036), run by Marianne Kalich, the greenhouse horticulturist.

Accessible from the South Building’s fifth floor or by the service elevators, visitors make their way from the elevator and simply follow the pasted arrow signs around the corner to the greenhouse entrance.

The Biology Department runs the greenhouse facility for teaching and research purposes. According to Kalich, the Biology Department conducts research with various insect

Jason Hu/The Medium

types, and the greenhouse’s main purpose is to “churn out food for insects that eat plant material.” What grows in the greenhouse depends on what research biology professors conduct. The greenhouse currently grows ferns and flowering plants, and more exotic types such as banana trees and giant cacti.

“We grow many of the plants we have because they are big plants that require years to reach maturity. We plant them so that when a scientist needs them for research in the future, they don’t need to wait years,” Kalich says. The greenhouse also serves as an onsite field study location for first-year biology students. The greenhouse maintains a wide variety of plants that showcase the diversity in plant life, while allowing students in molecular biology to study the chloroplasts in tobacco, corn and Swiss chard.

The Erindale greenhouse was built in 1977, and hasn’t changed in its

forty-two year history. Greenhouses are built to last ten years, and the Erindale greenhouse is long overdue for repairs. The Biology department has drawn plans for renovation: they hope to expand the greenhouse by fifty percent, and to build three houses as oppose to the current single house. This will allow Kalich and her team to set three different temperatures to simulate different climates.

The greenhouse also uses basement rooms in the South Building to grown wheat and the common fig, and owns a outdoor plot of land beside Principal’s Road.

The greenhouse is also making the transition from using chemical fertilizers to more natural alternatives.

“The greenhouse is currently pesticide-free, but not chemical-free,” Kalich says. The greenhouse contains a compost facility, and Kalich encourages students to bring in their compost, both to aid the environment and to provide the greenhouse

with a natural fertilizer.

Kalich also highlights a common problem that the greenhouse encounters: disposing of surplus plants when winter sets in. “Sometimes we’re called curators, and as curators, you take things and file them away.

Unfortunately, you can’t do that with living things. They grow, and they die if you don’t take care of them.” This year, the greenhouse will hold a plant sale on November 25 and 26 in the Link between the CCT Building and the Library. Prices range from $2 to $10, with all proceeds going to the UTM United Way Campaign.

Kalich welcomes any student who wishes to visit the greenhouse. “You don’t have to be a biologist,” she says.

“The greenhouse is open for anyone who wants to come in and wander through the plants, especially during the winter. The greenhouse is warm and humid, and many plants remain in bloom throughout the cold season.

Just come on in and take a look.”

Matthew Filipowich/The Medium

DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND THE MEDIUM WRITING CONTEST DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JANUARY 8, 2010

10 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009

FEATURES POETRY AND PROSE

Creative Corner

Love and lasers GORDON FREEMAN

You sat discontented—well I know, As I killed that grunt with an SMG. And there’s no surpassing your eye’s glow So despite the coolness of Halo 3 I wrote this little verse to show Just how much you mean to me The way your hair waves in the breeze, Like a HORNET lowering for a kill Or bringing a SCARAB to its knees, Defies all of my poetic skill.

You’re cooler than Miranda Keyes, And your laugh is far more a thrill Than a headshot swift and clean, And a fair few I have seen.

Speaking of headshots, how cool would it be To hang out with Master Chief one day?

Or the guys from ODST? Anyway, I’ll end this poem and say I love Halo, but I love you too, And I’d give it all up if you asked me to.

Really Want to write for Features? Have an idea for an article? Contact Amir at Features@mediumonline.ca

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The riots NICOLE ABBA

Even the birds sometimes sweat in the heat of northern Nigeria. The soft hum of the air conditioner blends with the sounds of early morning classes. I sit in the third row to the left in classroom JS3A. I am thirteen and in the highest junior high grade. The black cardboard covered bulletin boards have red squiggly boarders and cartoon character faces beside every subject. Papers with A+ grades hang stapled to the bulletin boards and high glass windows on both sides of the classroom brighten our choice of red and black colours.

I sit at my desk, twirling a pen during a History period. My friend Zinaria sits behind me, writing out Backstreet Boys lyrics and occasionally poking me with her pen to confirm a lyric. Mr. Ike, a young balding man on his tippy toes, writes away on the board under an underlined “Historical Studies.” He writes with his left arm outstretched as far as he can. I stare out the high glass windows, and watch teachers conversing and small birds fluttering.

A woman dressed in a long flowing gown runs into the school barefoot, with tears streaming down her face. She runs past the window and I lose sight of her. Her voice trails down the hallway and we hear her next door.

“I just want my daughter! I just want my daughter!” the woman screams.

“Madam, please!” Mr. Jeffery, the Physical Education teacher, begins to plead.

“I just want my daughter. I want to leave this place,” the woman screams louder.

“Madam, whatever it is, you have to calm down!” Mr. Jeffery screams over the woman’s wails.

Teachers from other JS classes walk towards JS3B and plead with Mr. Jeffery to the woman. Muffled voices trail to my class as tables screech and feet shuffle. Mr. Ike closes his notebook and peeks out into the open hallway.

“I’ll be right back,” he mutters while wiping his chalky hands on a handkerchief. I glance back at Zinaria as her pen rolls back and forth on the sheet of messy lyrics.

“What is that all about?” she asks.

“Didn’t you see the barefoot lady?” I ask her.

“No,” she responds, shaking her head. “Wait—what barefoot lady?”

“Maybe she’s gone mental,” Ify jokes from the second row “Could it be the rally?”

Josephine asks with her eyes wide open. “It couldn’t be right?”

I shake my head. “Maybe something is wrong at her home.”

Several students walk towards JS3B after being left unattended for several minutes. The mother and daughter walk away hand in hand.

The girl follows her mother with her head down. Teachers start to gather in the open hallway, muttering in low voices, and the Vice Principal Mr. Seth arrives to join them.

“They’re killing people in town!”

A i s h a f r om J S 3 B y e l l s f r om t h e classroom doorway. She runs down the hallway with her backpack bouncing on her back.

My stomach drops. The classroom drowns in silence as heads turn to look at others to confirm if

we had all heard the same. Some students walk out to get the gist of what is really happening.

Mr. Ike walks in and opens his briefcase. Several books fall from the teacher’s desk as he gathers them. His dark brown dress pants and cream coloured dress shirt crease as he stoops to pick them up. “It seems classes are over today. You may leave if you wish.”

“An hour later, only a handful of students remain along with Shade and me. A cream coloured Mercedes races down the street and turns into the unpaved parking lot.”

I touch the empty pocket of my blue skirt and sigh. Cell phones are prohibited in school and today I obeyed the rule, as usual. Turning to Josephine, I consider borrowing hers just to call my mom.

“Do you have your cell phone?”

Josephine asks me as if she is a mind reader.

“No” I respond.

“Do you have your cell phone?” she asks Zinaria, who tosses things into her backpack.

Zinaria shakes her head. “No.” “Well who has their cell phone?!” Josephine yells over the noise and half empty classroom.

No one responds.

Shade from JS3B comes over to our class. We are in different classes but we always hang out, eat lunch and leave together. “So where do we go now?” Shade asks, pushing her bangs to cover her face as she walks into the classroom.

“What happened in there?” Ify and several classmates ask Shade.

“Well, Henrietta’s mother came in yelling and Mr. Jeffery was trying to calm her down, but she kept saying people at the rally were being slaughtered and that on her way here fights had broken out and people are being stabbed and killed right on the side of the road.”

I feel a pain in my chest.

Something is terribly wrong.

“What do you mean people are being killed?” Josephine asks.

“People are being killed?” A wide-eyed Collins asks.

Shade lifts a brow and nods.

“That’s what I’ve been saying or are you deaf?”

Collins swings his backpack over his right shoulder and runs out into the crowded hallway.

“I think it’s a Muslim and Christian thing.” Shade tells us once we are alone in the classroom.

“So Christians are killing Muslims and Muslim killing Christians? That’s so stupid,” Josephine yells.

“I know.” Shade folds her arms.

“So what do we do now?”

“We should head to the parking lot.” I suggest, heading out into the open hallway with friends. “I bet they will come for us soon.”

At the parking lot, the entire student population yet to go home all gather in groups. The military graveyard is blocked off by low old brick fences and the red sand of the unpaved parking lot heats up the soles of our shoes. Josephine tosses her backpack on the stone carved bench shielded by the monument.

“Even I think Sharia law is stupid. And I’m Muslim!” Josephine

exclaims. She goes on to argue about how even Muslims don’t want the Sharia law and how impractical it is to have one where the religious population is almost equal.

Josephine talks a lot.

I choose to keep silent. My father left for Abuja, the Nigerian capital, after I was dropped off at school hours ago. Chances were that he had arrived at the capital and it would take him two hours to return. I worry about getting home and if my mom will turn on the TV. Eventually I start to hope an aunt will call and inform her of the chaos so she can rush over to get me.

“I’m going to ask the guys if they have a cell phone,” Josephine decides.

I watch Josephine as she laughs with the boys and punches them on the arm. I bet asking for a cell phone is far from the conversation she is having with them.

“I’m sure my mom will come get me,” Shade whispers. “I just hope she doesn’t have any trouble getting here.”

Shade lives two streets away from my house but, like my mother, I dislike asking for favours.

“I’m not sure who will get me.” I sigh. “Maybe I should ask Hadiza.”

“I wouldn’t suggest getting a ride from a Muslim. I mean what if you get a lift and on the way something goes wrong and you’re the only Christian in the car?”

“Hadiza is my best friend,” I smile. “I’ve known her since kindergarten. I doubt anything will go wrong.”

“Just don’t,” Zinaria chips in.

I don’t argue and continue to worry.

Minutes later, a convoy of black cars with sirens speed down and Zinaria gets up to leave. She asks us to keep in touch and to stay safe as security guards jump out and help Zinaria into a black car.

“Least she doesn’t have to worry,” Shade sighs. “Being the Deputy Governor’s daughter and all.”

An hour later, only a handful of students remain along with Shade and me. A cream coloured Mercedes races down the street and turns into the unpaved parking lot. Mrs. Balogun pulls up in front of Shade and I, with a trail of dust starting from the turn into the lot to the bench Shade and I are seated. Shade’s younger brother peeks up from the back seat, clutching his seat belt tightly.

“Nicole, what are you still doing here? Haven’t they come for you yet?” Mrs. Balogun asks, rolling down a window and breathing heavily.

“No. My dad left for Abuja this morning. I’m still waiting for my mom to come get me.”

“You know your mother never w a tc hes T V unt il it s time for 9 o’clock news,” Mrs. Balogun sighs.

“Get in the car. I’ll take you home.”

Shade jumps in the front seat and I get in the back. The cool l eather seats soothe our heated skin.

“Put on your seat belt.” Mrs. Balogun demands. She watches from the rear view mirror as I drag the seat belt. Once she hears the click the Mercedes takes off leaving dust behind.

Three months later, I saw my friends at school again. We never spoke about the riot. Not once.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

23, 2009 THE MEDIUM 11

Andrew Tysiak , Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

A day to remember for UTM soccer On November 15, both men’s tri campus and women’s division 1 soccer teams won their respective championship matches Mens Tri Campus Soccer: UTM 2 UTSC 1

Women’s Division 1 Soccer: UTM 2 UTSC 0

OMAR JBAIHI

RETA MARIE VAILLANT

The UTM Eagles men’s soccer team finished the season undefeated with a record of 4 – 0 – 2, as it beat UTSC 2 to 1 in a thrilling championship match.

Last year, the UTM Eagles men’s s occer t e a m f a i l e d t o r e a c h t h e championship game for the first time in three years, so this season many spectators thought that the Eagles had something to prove.

Ha vi n g l o s t a n u m b e r o f k e y players last year due to graduation and academic ineligibility, Coach Omar saw this as a rebuilding year.

He found room for optimism during the pre-season try-outs with a number of standout freshman and players.

A s t h e de f e n d i n g c h a m p i o n s , UTSC displayed their composure and experience by crea tin g two chances within the first ten minutes. Both strikes, however, were blocked by the Eagles defense.

The first clear opportunity of the game fell to UTM in the 14th minute from a UTM corner kick. The ball s wun g i n t o t h e n e a r p o s t a n d seemed to go through everyone before eventually finding its way to UTM’s Anthony Said. The UTSC goalkeeper managed to recover in time to block the shot as Said fired the ball towards the net.

Des p i t e b u i l d i n g u p t h e ir momentum from the close opportunity, the Eagles found themselves struggling to clear their lines from a long ball forward by UTSC. The Eagles played the ball inside to John Figol, who found two UTSC players right on his back. UTM lost possession, and the UTSC players broke across the width of the Eagles box.

As the defense scrambled, play opened up for the UTSC’s midfielder Steve Martino to have a strike at the ball, and eventually hit a crisp strike low and hard into the bottom left corner of the UTM net.

As the first half progressed, the game became scrappy, with not many more chances for either team really materializing apart from one a t t h e 3 5 th m i n u t e f o r U T S C .

Fortunately for the Eagles, Paolo Zaffino made a great challenge on the back post to disrupt the advancing UTSC forward.

Towards the end of the first half, UTM players John Figol and Bryan Bourguignon both came out of the game with injuries. The first half ended with 0 – 1 to UTSC’s advantage.

As the second half started, Coach Omar made some roster changes, moving Bourguignon to the left wing and pushing Ernesto Raurell up to play on the right side of midfield.

The change paid off five minutes l a ter a s U T M ’ s S h i ng o N o z a k a

made a defensive play and passed the ball wide across the defensive l i n e t o W a l eed Ma l ik, w h o advanced about 20 yards with the ball. The UTSC fullback pushed up to pressure the ball. Raurell broke in behind the defensive line and was played a beautiful ball by Malik.

Raurell put his head down and drove to the byline, before trying to drive in a cross to Rocha, who had pulled away at the back post. The U T S C f u l l b a c k re covered a nd blocked the cross. Raurell flicked the ball, hit the UTSC player in the hand and gained a penalty shot for the Eagles.

Eagles’ Neil D’Silva walked up to take the penalty shot. Despite the enormous pressure, D’Silva dispatched the spot kick in the bottom l e f t c o r n e r o f t h e net , s ending UTSC’s goalie in the wrong direction and putting the game even at 1 – 1.

R i v a l r y w a s ra mp a nt a nd t h e Referee warranted a red card to UTSC’s Nav Chahal after an overly a g g r e s s i v e p l ay , a ca l l t h a t t h e UTSC coaching staff and bench argued against.

As the game progressed, UTM played their own style of play and imposed their will on the game. The fans started to see the kind of free flowing attacking soccer that had carried the Eagles to an undefeated season, and UTSC couldn’t cope.

A man up as a result of the red card, UTM started to become a little undisciplined defensively as Malik and Zaffino, the full backs, started to play higher and leave gaps in behind. This lead to a few moments of uncertainty as UTSC started to target these areas and create legitimate scoring chances.

Around 15 minutes from the end, U T M h i t U T S C o n t h e co unt er attack. UTSC were caught being too overly aggressive with their offensive schemes and turned the ball over again. Nozaka recovered and played the ball directly down the line to Raurell, who powered forward before turning the ball inside t o J a i m e G o n z a l e z . G onz a l ez c l i p p e d t h e b a l l t o Roch a , wh o placed a left-foot volley into the far corner of the net. With 12 minutes left on the clock, the game stood at UTM – 2 UTSC – 1.

A flash point occurred, however, as the game crept into injury time.

During the play, Bourguignon crept out to the right wing and received the ball, only to get tackled

by UTSC’s Anthony Barriffe. The officials did their best to keep the game under control as both team’s p l a ye r s a n d co a ch ing s t a ff exchanged heated words.

The final whistle blew for full time, and the crowd rose to salute the UTM Eagles as they became the 2009 men’s tri-campus soccer champions.

UTM women’s division 1 soccer won 2-0 over UTSC after a blowout performance. The victory, UTM’s second over UTSC in a year, meant that the team finished the 20092010 season as undefeated returning champions, with 25 goals for and four goals against.

“We’re putting the team back on a winning streak,” said midfielder Rashmi Benawra.

Nicole DiNardo, a third-year student in the Accounting Specialist program, scored in the first ten minutes of the final game from midfielder Rashmi Benwara’s airborne pass. The goal was called back because of a linesman who issued UTSC a goal kick.

The almost non-existent UTSC presence in the game was dulled further by UTM student Erin Doane’s goal in the second half.

“I thought we were dominating the entire game,” said Doane, a returning midfielder and secondyear student in the Art and Art History program. “[Having a 2-0 advantage] calmed down our team,” said Benwara.

The championship win marks the seven game winning streak for the undefeated women’s division 1 team this year.

“I never doubted that we would win,” said UTM goalie Karina N o w y s z , a t h ir d - y ea r P o l i t i c a l Science student. Karina joined the team this year along with rookie defender and first year management student Sarah Elkami.

“I enjoyed every minute of this season,” said graduate Samantha Ushedo. “The final game [was my

Sarah Malagerio Bruno/The Medium

The UTM Eagles and the mascot pose for a photo after shutting down UTSC for their second consecutive championship. favorite moment], when the mascot ran onto the field and hugged Nadia Piotto after she scored the first goal.”

Piotto scored the first goal of the championship game, from a leftfooted strike ten yards above centre, with only seconds to spare before the end of first half.

“We need to continue this intensity,” said coach Rob Brown, who led the UTM team last year to win

their first championship in over a decade.

UTM came out with a passion unmatched by their play in any of their previous games. They wanted to win, they came out with intensity and they finished what they started out to do.

The championship win marks the seven game winning streak for the u n d e f ea t e d w o m e n ’ s d i v i s io n 1 team this year.

Will Shanahan’s accomplishments propel him into the Hall of Fame?

WILLIAM ROBERTSON

This past week in the NHL, hopeful hall-of-famer Brendan Shanahan retired after an illustrious career.

The 1987 second overall pick played for the New Jersey Devils for four seasons, where he became one of the league’s top superstars. Shanahan signed with the St. Louis Blues and recorded two fifty goal seasons in the four seasons he played there. He was then traded to the Hartford Whalers for physical defenseman Chris Pronger. After one tumultuous season with the Whalers, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings.

This is where Shanahan made his mark on the league. He played an

enormous role on the team during their dynasty years, winning three Stanley Cups in only six seasons. He ends his career with the team that began it all, the New Jersey Devils.

Shanahan grew up in Mimico, Ontario, and played high school hockey for Michael Power. He was their main scoring prowess during their Gold Medal at the OFSAA finals in 1985. He then played for the London Knights of the OHL before being drafted in 1987. His number, 19, is retired by London for all of his accomplishments. During his 21year career, Shanahan scored 656 goals and 1354 points in 1524 career games. This puts him eleventh in all time goals and twenty-third in points. He is the only player in histo-

ry to record over 600 goals and 2000 penalty minutes, making him the ultimate power forward.

Shanahan wanted to spend time with family and friends in the Boston area, where he currently resides. It probably won’t take long before he is back in the game at a personnel level. Shanahan should be a top candidate to join the NHLPA, or even to become a GM of a team at some point. His hockey sense and leadership off the ice will add knowledge to any team who is willing to pay for it.

Expect Shanahan to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2013 for his efforts both on and off the ice.

Without a doubt, he deserves to be called a hall-of-famer.

12 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009

SPORTS HOOPS TALK

Eagles pick apart short-handed UC UTM men’s division 1 basketball team wins 78 50 against University College SARAH MALAGERIO BRUNO

The game saw the UTM Eagles quickly outplay their opponents.

Within five minutes of the first whistle, UTM’s points doubled that of University College. Early game action also included a UC turnover, followed by a missed three-point shot.

UC forwards responded quickly to their miss, securing two consecutive rebounds and a two-point jump shot. UTM came back with a turnover of their own by Joshua Sumi. Sumi and Julian Gentles, who displayed stellar passing ability, finished off their sequence with a dunk attempt for two points.

While UTM showed more core basketball competency than their opponents, UC players showed a commendable willingness to keep up with the UTM team despite a lackluster UC bench.

UTM player Elias Sbiet led UTM with strong defensive presence and continuously stopped UC advances in the key. The Eagles also got a lot of free-throw practice, as they felt a strong referee presence during the majority of the game.

With only three minutes remaining in the first half, Kent Bray showed a burst of energy as he dribbled past two UC defenders to sink an effortless layup. A foul on the following play allowed Faiz Ahmed to add one more point to the already significant UTM lead.

Play began to die down as time dwindled, until UTM’s Elias Sbiet lit a match under the Eagles in the last few minutes of first-half play. Sbiet showed aggressiveness on defense that led to a scoring opportunity shortly after.

The second half of play saw a handful of successful free throws and great passing sets by UTM. The cohesion of the UTM team shone through when the play was calm, such as the end of the second half. Andre Woodroffe benefitted from this reworked strategy when he rebounded a missed UC free throw. Woodroffe drove a straight pass to UTM’s Sbiet, resulting in a play that overtook the court and UC. Sbiet lifted the ball towards the net in a pass to Woodruffe, showed he wanted a basket, propelled himself into one of the highest jumps of the game and slammed in a twopointer. UTM ended the game with seventeen fouls; UC had nine.

Passing and unselfish play are the Eagles’ strengths. They seem to sense when a good passing opportunity is available. (Their dynamic, however, tends to fall apart when they try to make fancy passes instead of safe, sure passes). They also know when to be a bit selfish in the drive towards the basket. The key to the Eagles game is to calm down the play and make strong, crisp passes.

The next men’s division 1 home game takes place on January 20 at 8 p.m.

Edward Cai/The Medium

Eagles #5 goes for an acrobatic layup during a 78 50 onslaught against University College.

The Raptors’ ability to come back will define their season Despite a mediocre start to the season, the Raptors show flashes of brilliance during several comeback victories ANDREW TYSIAK SPORTS EDITOR

Currently holding a 6-7 record, and coming off a dismal 1-3 road trip which saw them lose three games in a row to Phoenix, Denver and Utah, it appears that the Raptors are doing their best impression of last year’s squad. Weak interior defense, inconsistent shooting and poor chemistry continue to plague the Raptors. Their fans, however, need not worry. The Raptors have developed one key trait that was absent from last year: the comeback ability. This is a trait necessary for any team in the NBA if they want to be considered legitimate championship contenders.

During their pitiful 33 win season last year, it seemed that whenever the Raptors fell behind in a game there was little hope of them coming back, no matter how small or large the deficit. They were 8-33 (5-19 on the road and 3-14 at home) while trailing at halftime. And when trailing after three quarters, they had an embarrassing 5-40 record. Whether it was because they had no clutch shooter to get them over the hump or any player with the ability to make that key momentum changing defensive stop, it

was clear that the team could not perform under pressure.

Just 12 games into this season, the Raptors have already made three impressive comebacks. The first one was on the road against the favored New Orleans Hornets on November 6.

Down 56-51 during the early stages of the third quarter, the Raptors woke up and went on a 27-4 run to end the quarter, largely because of Chris Bosh’s unstoppable shooting stroke.

He finished the game shooting a perfect 9-9 from the field and racked up 27 points. As for the team, they put the game out of reach by the fourth quarter, and won 107-90.

At the November 11 homegame against the Chicago Bulls, the Raptors put up weak efforts in the first two quarters, much to the dismay of the fans in attendance. They allowed Bulls centre Joakim Noah to establish his presence in the paint and receive easy offensive rebounds, while guard Derrick Rose ran circles around the entire Raptors squad. The Bulls ended the half with 60 points, even though they were in the midst of a scoring slump, and left the Raptors trailing them by seven points.

In the third quarter, the margin was as high as 11, but this time around, the Raptors used their impressive defensive play to change the momentum of the game. Both Amir Johnson and rookie DeMar DeRozan grabbed key

Reuters

After being acquired by the Raptors in the offseason, Marco Belinelli has played a pivotal role coming off the bench rebounds and made great hustle plays, while the rest of the team fed off their energy. They held the Bulls to just 29 second-half points and used a 14-1 run over the final 6:24 minutes to pull away for a 99-89 win.

The most impressive comeback victory this season was against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 13.

The team rallied from a 22-point deficit to win 104-89. The rally ties the biggest comeback of any game in the

Raptors’ fifteen-year history. They have only accomplished such a feat twice before, most recently against the Washington Wizards in February, 2005. After dismantling the Bulls just two days prior, the Raptors continued the pattern of starting out slow.

Even though the Raptors were the favorites to win, the Clippers came out strong and picked apart the lazy Raptor defenders. It almost seemed as if they were able to score whenever they wanted, including guard Baron Davis, who was able to make several eye popping jumpers during the first quarter. The Raptors, however, relied on their bench to supply them with some scoring and energy. Marco Belinelli had a breakout game and provided a spark with 15 points off the bench for the Raptors, including a clutch 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining that essentially sealed the deal. They outscored the Clippers 30-15 in the final quarter and earned themselves a hard fought victory.

The Raptors obtained all three of these comeback victories in different ways. However, these occurrences do not solidify the Raptors as legitimate Eastern Conference contenders. They have to prove that they can beat top echelon teams that are big and physically tough, such as the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, to even be considered in the discussion.