PAGE 8 Monday, January 25, 2010
Volume 36, Issue 15
Vigil held on campus for Haiti OVAIS SHAH
Last Thursday, UTMSU and the UTM Red Cross held a vigil to raise awaren e s s a nd s u p p o r t f o r t h e earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12. At the start of the vigil ceremony, UTM Red Cross president Zafir Yousef p l a y e d a sli d e s h o w t h at demonstrated the devastation of the quake. After the slide-show, UTMSU VP-External Henry Ssali said th a t he h ad “ n o w or d s to describe what happened in Haiti.” Ssali th a n k ed t h e U T M s t u d e nt groups and the Red Cross chairman Zafir Yousef for his continued support in the fundraising effort. After Ssali, Red Cross chairman Zafir Yousef addressed the student body and said that he is “grateful to the UTM student body who provided a big response in putting together and helping raise funds for those in need . ” H e t h a n k e d t h e U T M MSA, Christian Students Union , African Students Association and the UTM Women’s Centre for their continued support throughout the Compassion for Haiti relief effort. UTMSU president Joey Santiago also addressed the attendees.“It has been a tragic week, and the story of Haiti is a story of survival, hope and
Edward Cai/The Medium
UTMSU VP external Henry Ssali addresses students and faculty at the Haiti Vigil last week. despair,” said Santiago. “It is a realization that we are privileged at UTM.” The Haiti Coalition, formed by th e R ed C r o s s and UTMSU, received $16,000 in donations from the UTM community, a sum that UTMSU will match. Aside from student representa-
tives, U of T Academic Dean Gage Averill also addressed those i n attendance. Averill began his address by blowing a conch shell, a traditional symbol of Haiti. As an ethnomusicologist whose expertise is on the musical traditions of Haiti, Averill sang various Creole songs of healing, spiritual deities and elders
that represented the Haitian people. According to Averill, the Haitian’s rich culture will give them power in this disaster, as per the Haitian proverb, “with many hands no burden is never too great.” From his previous experience with travelling and living in Haiti, Averill said that the reconstruction
efforts in Haiti are not only on the physical scale, but that the nation needed to the years of political instability, poverty, disease and social injustices that existed even before the earthquake. In the light of the circumstances, reconstruction efforts will take decades. After the Dean’s speech, the charitable representative from the Red Cross Organization Toronto Head Office claimed a cheque of $15,000 from the UTM Red Cross society and other clubs who participated in the fundraising. The funds collected from the UTM community will be use for medicine supplies, sanitation and to help provide nutritional assistance for the people of Haiti. The Red Cross also awarded certificates of recognition and appreciation to certain highly devoted members of participating clubs. Towards the end of the ceremony, UTM students lit candles and held a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives in Haiti. After the moment of silence, various photographs of all the attendees was taken and the ceremony was declared over with the UTM Dean Averill stating that aside from the Red-Cross fundraising effort, a long-term fund for Haiti would be set up to help Haitians in the recovery years following the disaster.
Students show their pride all week KATHERINE LUCYNZKI ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Last week, OUT@UTM hosted UTM’s first Pride Week, with the goal of educating and informing students of the struggles and successes of the LGBTQ community at U of T and the world. Display boards were set up in the CCT and South Buildings, showcasing 40 years of LGBTQ activity at all three U of T campuses. Along with information, OUT@UTM also provided passersby with free Positive Space buttons and stickers, condoms, dental dams as well as lollipops with “Happy Pride” tags. Some of the many Pride events
that took place during the week included the raising of the Pride flag at the Student Centre, screenings of X-Men 3 and Brown Like Me, and BOGL (Big ‘Ol Gay Lunch) held in the green room of the Student Centre. Students of all orientations, whether LGBTQ identified or allies, were welcomed to join in any and all events hosted by OUT@UTM. “OUT@UTM remains [...] the largest gathering of Queer Youth. Luckily, this year queer issues have been acknowledged and with the addition of a new position, LGBTQ Coordinator at UTMSU, these issues now have the support to be addressed,” said Kumari Giles, an OUT@UTM executive. “This is a huge step in bringing LGBTQ inclusivity onto the UTM
campus and making LGBTQ individuals feel safe and welcome.” Raffle tickets were sold at two for $1 all week. Prizes included a basket of Body Shop goodies worth over $100, a $50 gift card to Square One and a $25 gift card to The Stag Shop. Stag Shop goodie bags were also awarded to those individuals who participated in a game to guess the right amount of condoms in a container. All prizes and events were sponsored by Tart, The Glad Bookstore, The Stag Shop and UTMSU. Along with raffle tickets, OUT@UTM also took donations for the Haiti Coalition. A discussion about religion and homosexuality was held on January 20. Guest speakers El
Farouk and Darren Edgar addressed the how and where in the intersection of religion and homosexuality. The following day, a demonstration for gay rights took place on the five-minute walk between North Building and the Student Centre. Members of OUT@UTM and their allies bound and gagged themselves, and held signs with the words, “I am silenced due to Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.” Next, they handed out flyers indicating the countries in which the death sentence is the response for homosexuality. Later that day, students from OUT@UTM and their allies joined together in a candlelight vigil in remembrance of LGBTQ-identified persons
who have faced and violence.
See P r i d e on page 2
UTM’s new principal PAGE 2 Music you need to hear PAGE 6 No Olympic snow PAGE 8 Eagles win big PAGE 10
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