Vol 36 issue 16

Monday, February 1, 2010

Volume 36, Issue 16

ECC votes to increase fees SAALIHA MALIK WITH NOTES FROM STEFANIE MAROTTA

On January 29, voting members of t h e E r i n d a l e C o l l eg e C o u n c i l approved increases in parking fees, residence fees and meal plan rates.

The Council, UTM’s highest decision-making body, met to approve the 2010-2011 ancillary budgets.

Parking fees were discussed first, with a proposed 3% fee increase on all parking passes and a dollar increase on the $12 maximum daily pay-and-display charge. Alex Maclsaac, manager of Parking and Transportation, reported that a parking deck, estimated to cost $6.5 million, will be built in lot 8 and will provide about 290 more spaces.

Construction is expected to be completed by September.

The profit projected for the coming year from the sale of parking p a s s e s i s r e p or t ed l y $ 9 3 , 0 0 0 , $80,000 of which will be a result of the fee increase. Maclsaac said that the profit will go toward the $6.5 million debt the parking deck will incur.

Instead of resorting to the 2530% increase that was implemented to build the CCT parking garage a few years ago, the 3% increase should be sufficient to pay off the debt in time, said MacIssac.

UTMSU president Joey Santiago, who was present during the meeting, pointed out that a large profit

Edward Cai/The Medium

ECC members vote in favour of fee increases to take effect next year. has been made in the last few years specifically from parking revenue.

He asked where these profits are being allocated if not for the construction of a parking structure.

Malsaac told attendees that the

funds have been put toward improving other facilities on campus.

Defending the construction plan, Malsaac expressed his confusion with the concerns being raised.

Students are unhappy about a parking space shortage but complain about the cost of expanding, which needs to be covered by an increase in fees, said Malsaac.

Santiago responded by saying

students can’t afford to pay greater costs to replenish services that were taken away.

Next, Director of Hospitality and Food Services Bill McFadden discussed the direction of food services on campus and why a meal plan rate needed to be increased. Citing various reasons such as natural disasters overseas that affect food production and an upcoming increase in minimum wage, McFadden said Chartwells will have to increase f o o d p r ic e s . A s a r e s u l t , t h e University will raise the cost of residence meal plans by 4.1%.

To improve the food services as the campus grows, the new instructional centre will include a cafeteria, and Administration is in the process of approving a self-serve Tim Horton’s.

The discussion period on this particular motion caused a heated debate. Santiago inquired about the left-over funds on student meal plans that cannot be rolled over to the next year. McFadden responded that the value students get comp ar ed to wha t t hey don’t use is monitored closely and the department finds it to be a suitable balance.

Following McFadden’s statement, UTMSU VP equity Vickita Bhatt spoke against the motion but was ruled out of order twice by the chair as she questioned the purpose and fairness of mandatory meal plans.

see Fees on page 3

Students camp in for literacy fundraiser CAROLINA SALCEDO

Many students at UTM can boast of— or confess to—having spent all night at the Library. But not many can say they’ve done it for six nights in a row.

Last week, three UTM students, Masoud-Al-Rawahi, Sofia Marques De Sa and Crystie Doell, spent seven straight days living in a blue nylon tent, underneath large cardboard signs and glowing Christmas lights, at the entrance of the Library. They collected donations and spread awareness as part Live-In-For-Literacy, a crosscountry initiative.

Masoud, a fourth-year CCIT student and vice president of the UTM

Me to We club, organized the Live-In campaign as their latest fundraiser.

“We were approached by an organization from Queen’s University called Dream,” said Masoud. “They told us about this joint project between eight Canadian Universities, to bring awareness and raise funds for libraries and books in India.” Teams from all eight universities would camp out in their respective libraries for eight days, from January 22 to January 30.

After asking the HMLAC for permission and support, buying a tent, and figuring out a shift system so they could each shower and go to class, Masoud and Me to We president Crystie Doell organized the Live-In campaign at UTM. Masoud, along

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with friend Sofia Marques De Sa, who joined in to help, found himself settling in for seven nights sleeping on an air mattress inside the tent.

“Many people ask us if we actually stay overnight, and yes, we do. The first night was a bit weird. The cleaning staff warned us that we might hear some odd noises and that definitely did happen,” said Masoud.

Throughout the seven days, many students inched by, eyeballing the large tent, blankets, donation boxes and scattered belongings. A few lingered, and Masoud perked up to tell them about the cause and the goal as they slipped a few coins in the donation boxes. Between the eight participating universities, including

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Concordia, McMaster, Queens, University of British Columbia, U of T St. George campus and York, the goal is to raise $20,000 to build a library and publish 10,000 children’s’ books by local authors for local communities in India. The UTM team’s goal was to raise $1000.

Although most students who walked by were puzzled, many showed different reactions to Masoud.

“Lots of weird looks and stares. I’ve even had people ask if we’re campaigning to keep the library open 24/7!”

For more information on the The Live-In-For-Literacy initiative, Dream, and the participating universities, visit www.liveinforliteracy.com.

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Obama ‘s student debt plan PAGE 2 Moving a house PAGE 5 Studying Alghabra PAGE 7 Majors face a tough loss PAGE 10 www.mediumonline.ca

2 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY

NEWS FIRST TV SHOW

1, 2010

UTM TV goes on air YANIQUE BIRD

UTM liberals host first AGM OVAIS SHAH

Last Thursday, UTM students were invited to the Student Centre presentation room for the launch of UTM TV. The project, which has been in the works since mid-October, was started by Andrew Hamilton-Smith, a third-year English and History major and former New Editor at The Medium. HamiltonSmith said he came up with the idea for a campus-based television program from observing the underused television screens scattered around campus buildings.

The half-hour video premiere featured news, sports, arts and entertainment and creative sections, interspersed with promotional videos for on-campus groups like the UTM Hip-Hop Union, the UTM Debate Society and Bike Share.

The 30-minute presentation was designed to be a sample of a regular UTM TV broadcast.

What started out as a project with only Hamilton-Smith as production director and Joel Fernandes as creative producer snowballed into a team of six production heads, with the additions of Jonathan Childs-Adams as post-production manager, Peter Buczkowski as news producer, Claire Morcos as arts & entertainment producer and Olivia D’Orazio as the sports producer. From there, UTM TV blossomed, amassing technical staff, associate producers, art and tech supervisors, volunteers, a heavy helping of lucky breaks and overwhelming support from the campus-based Media Generator. The project now includes over 90 people contributing 150 manhours towards the first of many productions.

“UTM TV is one way for UTM to add its voice to the growing trend of independent productions around the world, At times I feel as if some sort of higher power is at work behind this project. The way everything came together is something that I cannot take complete credit for,” said Hamilton-Smith. “This experience has been almost spiritual at times with all the positive energy that’s surrounded this concept from the begin-

Photo/Melanie Geroche

ning. This has come from volunteers, the school, our production heads, Media Generator. UTM TV has truly taken on a life of its own.”

Joel Fernandes, UTM TV’s secondin-command, described the idea of a campus TV show in his opening speech as “a shot in the dark”.

“I’m absolutely blown away by the progress we’ve been able to make in only three months,” Fernandes said. “We’ve had an avalanche of support from nearly everyone we’ve approached. This journey has been a humbling experience and I would love to see Andrew’s legacy become as big as it can be. There’s a lot of potential in UTM TV to be tapped by various departments across the campus.”

Maciej Derulski, UTM TV’s web manager, said that UTM TV aims to have weekly updates via the website and also a longer monthly release. He has plans to turn the site into a social media site, not unlike YouTube, with member accounts and the option of uploading your own videos, which may end up on UTM TV broadcasts.

When asked about his experience in the process leading up to the launch, Derulski shared that he originally refused Fernandes’s offer to run the site.

“I’m a full time student,” said Derulski. “I couldn’t afford to take on such a massive project. After sleeping on it briefly, I went back to Joel and said yes.

Oddly enough, my grades are better than

ever.”

Excitement rolled in waves as every member of the UTM TV production team sat in the back of the Blind Duck enjoying drinks after the official launch.

Hamilton-Smith spoke of the changing face of media across the globe, and how that affects people’s expectations about the type, quality and mode of transmission of the information they want and need.

Despite all the excitement and positivity, the project has not been without setbacks. A major issue for the team has been a lack of space. UTM TV is still without an office and operates by commandeering the CCT3148 editing suite whenever they can. Another drawback has been the lack of experience of the team in general. However, HamiltonSmith noted this was less of a drawback in the end, since creativity filled in the blanks for experience and afforded the team greater freedom in their creative process.

Students can expect to see UTM TV productions up on blank screens around campus soon. Some of the projects in the works include Zombie on Campus, a CSI style look into the Forensic Department at UTM, the UTM Comedy Show and many more. Hamilton-Smith even hinted at getting UTM TV on Rogers Cable 10.

For updates and for details of the official launch, visit www.utmtv.ca.

Last Thursday night, approximately 30 students attended the first UTM Liberals Annual General Meeting. The purpose of the AGM was to officially recognize the UTM Liberals under the Liberal Party of Canada.

Liberal candidate for MississaugaErindale Omar Alghabra acted as chair for the meeting. He started off by congratulating the members of UTM Liberals for their accomplishments in the last few months, and encouraged those in attendance to provide feedback and ideas on issues in order to ensure that student voices are heard.

One of the concerns involved the UTM Liberals and their ability to relate with students and get volunteers.

Member Saad Tauseef explained that campus apathy gets in the way of successful outreach initiatives. UTM Liberals president Deep Paul said that outreach requires funding to provide fliers and other resources for information.

“I feel that we could be doing a better job at representing the demographics of the university,” said student Munib Sajjad.

“Maybe the members of this club could do a little more outreach instead of just reaching out to their friends.”

One attendee expressed his exasperation about the brevity with which the AGM was announced. Paul responded by telling the crowd that he was made aware in the middle of January that the final day to hold an AGM would be during the last week of January, leaving him with little time to spread the word.

During the AGM, candidates were nominated for executive positions. For the majority of executive positions, one sole candidate was nominated. Nominees that acquired executive positions are Sumeer Sharma as VP federal, Hamza K as VP elections readiness, Asif Noorani as VP communications, Aamir Dada as VP treasurer, and Andalib Hossain as VP policy.

As for Paul, he will continue to serve as president.

The position for VP executive nearly came down to an election, as both Saad

Tauseef and Ashar Ali were nominated.

Danya Saiyid was nominated for VP membership. And Tauseef, the first to speak during what attendees thought would be a round of elections speeches, withdrew from the running, explaining that he would prefer to leave the position in the hands of Ali, who he believed was more experienced.

Ali praised Tauseef for his potential. “It’s never about the position; it’s never about anything but support. If you show your support, then you will achieve what you set out to achieve. I still believe that Saad and I will make the same change, whether as a volunteer or as a vice president,” said Ali, who was appointed VP executive after Tauseef’s withdrawal.

The AGM was also used to fill positions in on the Mississauga-Erindale Federal Young Liberals (MEFYL), a group specific to the Mississauga-Erindale riding. Paul attained the position as president for that particular group as well. As president of the MEFYL, Paul and the other elected members will have the opportunity to work outside of campus.

Alghabra closed the formal portion of the AGM by inviting others to become involved and take interest in running for executive positions. “I want to congratulate all of the office holders and I want to remind them of the awesome responsibility that they have. I also want to remind the rest of you that if any of you have aspirations in seeking positions, this is just the beginning,” said the former MP. Paul spoke of the future direction that the UTML will take.

“The UTM Liberals will focus on promoting the values of the party by organizing events on campus and trying to do outreach,” said Paul. “My idea is to give youth the platform to make a difference in the world they are living in. I want youth to have the opportunity to talk about the issues they are passionate about with politicians.”

As a fairly new edition to the UTM campus, the UTM Liberals has organized various events with guest speakers such as Chris Bentley, Justin Trudeau and Michael Ignatieff.

Campus police weekly summaries January 22, 2010 to January 28, 2010 January 22 - 03:15 a.m.

Smoking by law violation Campus Police investigated a complaint by a student at Oscar Peterson Hall regarding cigarette smoke in the building.

January 22 - 10:43 a.m.

Fraud Campus Police investigated a complaint by five students, who say they were defrauded of money. The incident occurred at the Student Centre.

January 22 - 8:20 p.m.

Towed vehicle A vehicle was towed from Lot 8. It

had excessive unpaid parking tickets.

Toronto Parking Enforcement. The vehicle was recovered.

January 22 - 7:02 p.m.

Harassment Campus Police investigated a complaint from a student. Someone he knew created a bogus Facebook account in his name. The offender was spoken to. The bogus account was removed.

January 26 - 2:28 a.m.

Noise complaint Campus Police investigated a noise complaint at the Oscar Peterson Hall. An occupant of the building was cautioned.

January 24 - 4:39 p.m.

Towed vehicle A UTM vehicle assigned to the Department of Athletics was towed at the St. George Campus by

Extern Job Shadowing Program Orientation Sessions Explore a career area by visiting with professionals in the workplace during the week following exams in April.

Register for a mandatory orientation on Feb 8th, 11-12:30

January 26 - 11:18 a.m.

Towed vehicle A vehicle was towed from Lot 8. It had excessive unpaid parking tickets.

January 26 - 2:20 p.m.

Driving Offences Campus Police investigated of an aggressive driver on Outer Circle Road. The vehicle did not stop at a crosswalk as a pedestrian was crossing.

January 27 - 7:04 p.m.

Towed vehicle A vehicle was towed from Lot 6. It had excessive unpaid parking tickets.

January 27 - 8:20 p.m.

Theft under $5,000 A men’s coat was stolen from a room in the South Building.

January 27 - 8:35 p.m.

Theft under $5,000 A men’s coat was stolen from a room in the South Building.

January 27 - 11:30 p.m.

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act Campus Police investigated a complaint about marijuana use at Erindale Hall. Nothing was found.

January 27 - 11:30 p.m.

Theft under $5,000 A cash box with approximately $700, proceeds of an event, was stolen from a room in the South Building.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY

1, 2010 THE MEDIUM 3

MORE AND MORE MONEY

Students shocked by increase in fees Fees continued from cover VP external Henry Ssali asked the reason that flex dollars are not accepted at different times at certain locations on campus. The chair said that none of these issues were relevant to the budget; however, a question on food diversity was accepted.

Despite the statements from UTMSU against the fee increases, the motion passed.

The last motion introduced for a fee increase was residence fees.

Last year, undergraduate residence fees were raised 5.5%; this year, an additional 5.2% increase passed.

Fifty cents on every dollar goes toward paying off a large mortgage debt incurred by the University to expand residence services.

Residence students will get improved furniture, repaired walkways and other necessities.

Representatives from both the UTM Association of Graduate Students and the Student Advisory

Committee supported the increases, stating that they had worked closely with the Undergraduate Residence Council and Director of Residence Dale Mullings.

Granted speaking rights, a representative from the Student Advisory Committee said that the budget is fiscally responsible, and will prevent future students from having to make larger sacrifices than those of the students of today.

Residence Council President Marc Bressler also received speaking rights for the purpose of announcing information. Bressler expressed his disagreement with the residence fee increase and insisted that students cannot afford greater costs. When Bressler mentioned the Service Ancillaries Review Group, the chair ruled Bressler out of order as the item was not on the agenda.

Former VP external Dhanajai Kohli complained about Bressler being ruled out of order, claiming that previous speakers had not

been ruled out when they gave their personal opinions about participation in the decision because they had supported the Council’s motion, to which the chair responded that Bressler had diverted from relevant information.

Santiago proposed that the motion be postponed until the next meeting to clarify details and for members to make a better informed decision. “You are voting on something that is not being endorsed by those who it affects the most,” said the UTMSU president.

Maclsaac informed members that the ancillary budget needed to be passed before the next SARG meeting in February and could not be postponed until the next ECC meeting in March. ` Mullings also clarified that three undergraduate residence council members, including Bressler, were consulted, and they had all previously voted in favour of the increase.

HSC hosts Saraswati Puja OVAIS SHAH

On January 21, the Hindu Student Council held Saraswati Puja in the multi-faith prayer room. The event was organized in the honour of the Hindu Goddess of Knowledge, Saraswati, who according to the beliefs of the Hindu religion plays an integral part in an intellectual setting, such as a university.

Hindu Student Council members Eric Madan, Amee Patel, Abhinav Chakra and Shahil Kumar organized the e vent. Its primary objective was to bring about excellence in academics, especially with midterms hovering close at the end of this month.

Through the course of the worship ceremony, the presiding Pandit Roopnauth Ji encouraged

students to “apply the knowledge and not just gain it and be well educated and well trained.” The council discussed topics such as the essence of happiness and university graduation in the light of knowledge and the religious significance of Saraswati. Roopnauth Ji also encouraged students to pray for the devastated people of Haiti.

Approximately 45 students showed up to the event, which was advertised mostly by word of mouth. The attendance was much larger than in previous years.

Students washed the Goddess’ feet with water, provided flower and fruit offerings and distributed a sweet-meat called prasad, while invoking Saraswati’s blessings.

“Not a lot of students get a chance to actually go to a temple and pray, so the Puja provided a

good outlet for students to get in touch with their spiritual side,” said Meena Tayal, vice president of HSC. “We wish to continue with more events like this in the upcoming years.”

Sweta Dalal, one of the attendees at the religious ceremony, also noted the spiritual benefits of the workshop. “The puja filled our minds with calmness and stability.

We sought the blessings of Lord Sarasvati and Ganesha to help us maintain our focus and attention towards attaining our goals through the semester,” said Dalal.

The Saraswati Puja is just one of the many events organized by the Hindu Students Council. In the past, the council also organized the Havan Puja, and plans on organizing a semi-formal that is quite popular amongst the student body in the future.

NEWS

Obama supports student loan relief STEFANIE MAROTTA

On January 27, two days before the Erindale College Council passed increases on student expenses, President Obama announced at his first State of Union address to Congress that he intends to provide citizens with the opportunity to obtain a world class education without the fear of incurring great debt.

“I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I could do it alone.”

—Barack Obama Obama appealed to the Senate to pass a bill similar to the one put through the House of Representatives, which will improve community colleges. He proposed an end to subsidies given to banks by taxpayers for student loans to provide a $10, 000 tax credit to families for four years of college. In addition, Obama included an increase in Pell Grants, a post-secondary education program sponsored by the federal government. He went on to declare that students should only be required to pay 10% of their income toward student debt and that any remainder should be forgiven after 20 years.

“And by the way, it's time for colleges and universities to get serious about cutting their own costs because they, too, have a responsibility to help solve this problem,” said Obama.

Obama addressed the condition of the nation and discussed many other legislative items on his administration’s agenda. He reminded Congress that in the past year, citizens have seen more than 25 tax cuts that allowed for greater spending to help boost the economy. The President declared that job creation is of the utmost importance as many families still struggle with unemployment.

He discussed his intentions to continue with health care reform and environmental initiatives, to implement policies to reduce the increasing deficit without impacting social programs and to seek the most comprehensive nuclear arms proliferation treaty yet.

To a round of loud applause from Congress, Obama spoke of equality and the right of homosexuals to serve in the military. He hopes to work with Congress to repeal the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” law, which prohibits homosexuals and bisexuals from disclosing their sexual orientation or from engaging in sexual activity while serving in the military.

Obama reaffirmed his intentions to bring the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to a close. The US will aid both states in transitioning to stability and progress.

“I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I could do it alone,” said Obama. “Democracy in a nation of 300 million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That's just how it is”.

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4 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY,

FEBRUARY 1, 2010

OPINION SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Letter to the Editor Think before you speak ALAIN LATOUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

t ’s o f f i c i a l . F a r f r o m being being reduced to zero, the cost of a t t e n d i n g U T M i s actually g o i n g u p . S t u d e n t s (see article on the cover page) will now have to pay 5.2% more for residence, 4.1% more for food and 3 % more for parking.

UTM is not alone in rising costs. Calgar y officials re c e nt ly prop o s e d tu it i on fe e h i ke s of up to 4 7 % i n professional programs. And w h i l e tu it i on fe e s are not the same as residence, food and parking fees, the results are the same: students will have to fork over more money.

I h av e l o n g a r g u e d t h at p ay i n g f or u n i v e r s it y n ot only makes sense, it also results in better education.

Indeed, according to the Academic Ranking of World Un i v e r s i t i e s , p e r f o r m e d yearly by the C enter for Wo r l d - C l a s s Un i v e r s i t i e s and the Institute of Higher Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, none of the top universities of the world are free. Surely there must be a price to pay f o r s u c h q u a l i t y, w h i c h helps explain why the top spots in this list, as well as in other ranking lists, are taken by American and British universities, and not by institutions in the oftentouted countries that boast of free higher education systems, such as Cuba and Sweden.

The same is true for parking, food and residence. It’s unrealistic to expect these costs to never go up, especially when parking spaces need to be increased. At the same time, it’s unreasonable to exp ect students to remain indifferent when more money must come out of their pockets.

I could go on for pages ab out w hy I t h i n k p ay i ng for university is a good thing, certainly better than p ay i ng for it by m e ans of

I

stifling taxes, but that’s not the point of this editorial.

No matter what, others will remain convinced that higher education should be f r e e , o r a t l e a s t c h e a p e r.

The y are ent it l e d to t he i r o w n o p i n i o n . I w o n d e r, however, if the increasing evidence that free (or cheap) education, meal plans, residence and parking fees are not going to happen, at least not in the foreseeable future, will pers u a d e t h e m t o re c ons i d e r their tactics.

As it is right now, many of those who wish the cost of education to go down express their point of view by shouting and by flipping their middle fingers to insult authority figures. A crude approach, indeed, which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, if crude was known to work. Loud p r o t e s t s , h o w e v e r, o n l y seem to work when there’s no sensible alternative— witness what’s happening in Iran r ig ht now, w here t he g ov e r n m e nt on l y f a lt e re d a f t e r a n g r y, b r av e p e o p l e took to the streets for weeks. Respectful criticism tow ards gove r n me nt of f i cials is not only impossible in cases like Iran’s—it’s also guaranteed to land the criti c i n pr is on, i f not i n t he gallows.

Democracies, on the other hand, are designed for reasonable debate. Incredible changes can be brought about when the right people work the right way, that is, when they think things through, show resp ec t for their opponents, work hard and develop sound strategies.

I can’t tell those who want f re e universit y e duc at ion, or frozen residence and meal plan fees what to do if they want to accomplish t he i r go a l. I have no i d e a what they should do. But it a l m o s t a lw ay s p ay s of f t o aim for smar t rat her t han spectacular.

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An alternative approach to learning Dear Editor,

We are three political students who conducted a workshop in the Student Centre, on Friday, January 22, to promote active learning within the classroom.

We would like to inform students about our rationale for this workshop.

The purpose was to help raise awareness on an alternative approach to learning and to get students to be more involved when participating in class. We were able to recruit some students around campus and a total of seven attended.

We define active learning as: “any form of participation within the classroom setting that contributes to the course, the educational environment, as well as the overall learning experience—benefiting the student, their fellow peers and the lecturer.” This can include asking or posing questions, sharing opinions as well as personal anecdotes, including information on any upcoming activities and events to help encourage students to get involved (whether it be within or outside of the school).

The purpose of sitting in a circle is to ensure that the power dynamics are evenly distributed between students and the lecturer (in our workshop, between peers and us, as the facilitators of the workshop), instead of the traditional style of teaching (when the professor stands at the front of the classroom and lectures, often non-stop, as students are seated in rows one behind the other).

This workshop enabled participants to engage in political conversation in a non-academic setting. When professors change the structure of the classroom, leaving more room for discussion, they are adhering to the concept of transformative education; the lecturer provides a more inclusive learning space (a circle) and has also taken the time to structure the class into a discussion-like setting. However, in order for this to happen, the instructor has to be willing to give up some of their power; this includes altering their current style of teaching to incorporate discussion based lecture venues.

We organized an activity to help illustrate active learning

in action, focusing on the issue of interlocking sets of oppression such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation, profession, ethnicity, location and religion. Each participant was given an identity (different from the current one they possess) and were asked to choose a number from a game board which consisted of different scenarios; from here, they had to put themselves in the shoes of another and respond critically, based on how they feel they would be treated, depending on the circumstances.

Ultimately, the purpose of this task was to challenge how power and privilege operates within our day-to-day lives.

The participants were eager to participate and had many things to say, especially during the activity. At the end of the workshop, partakers were asked to fill out an anonymous feedback form, in which they answered a series of opinionated questions, on what they thought about the active learning approach and whether or not they felt they could benefit from it. One participant wrote: “Being involved means being a part of the learning experience, rather than having the learning experience happen passively to you.

It also makes you more interested in the course and to actually be excited to go to class.” Another participant wrote: “I am a fan of active learning because students actually get to state their opinions which can enlighten other individuals and enhance their learning experience.”

Hopefully, these reflections will inspire students who were unable to attend this workshop to challenge power and privilege within their day-to-day lives, as well as the traditional style of teaching and learning.

Sincerely,

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Political Science students

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Michael Di Leo, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

Beauty in the breakdown The Blackwood Gallery’s newest exhibition brings UTM inside

Matthew Filipowich/The Medium

Panorama of the interior of the Thomas Cottage.

NIVES HAJDIN ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

The construction of art is a multi-layered process. An initial stroke of inspiration, some preliminary drawings, an assemblage of materials and a whole lotta coffee come together as the key ingredients of many artistic endeavours, including the Blackwood Gallery’s latest exhibition, Location!

Location!

Location!, which opened last Wednesday.

A project that required the construction of art, artists Christine Swintak and Don Miller undertook the ambitious task of disassembling Thomas Cottage piece by piece, carrying the parts across the campus via a shopping cart and rebuilding it by hand within the confines of the gallery walls.

Originally a residence for the Erindale College’s live-in artists, the 19 th century cottage is meeti n g i t s 2 1 st c e n t u r y d e m i s e a n d will be demolished in a few m on t hs t i m e t o m a ke r o o m f o r the expanding construction of new campus buildings. Hoping to prolong the cottage’s lifespan for any amount of time and by any means necessary, the artists (along with the help of the gallery’s work-study students) have been painting, nailing and b u i l d i n g t h e i mp r e s s i v e f r a m e work for the past month, in addition to uncovering fascinating artefacts within the cottage, such as 1930s newspapers beneath the floorboards.

“We just cut the floor out and then removed it, so it’s kind of like opening up a can, and then [there was] the untouched ground underneath the floor. A

time capsule!” Swintak explains.

The artists have gotten to know the cottage quite intimately, since it functioned as their own live-in residence for the duration of the project. Often times Miller and Swintak found themselves without water or electricity in the cold winter nights.

“The day that we ripped [the central light] out, all the power in the cottage went out, and it was like -15°C.” Swintak recalls. “So it was like this weird thing, where we took the heart out and it died, but then as we added more stuff in there, the power went back on, so we sort of resuscitated it.”

In line with the cottage’s “resuscitation” and its struggle to survive an impending death, Miller and Swintak came up with the concept of “Good Cop, Bad Cop, No Cop,” a three-part rant that simultaneously worships, jettisons and observes the cottage’s existence.

“We first came up with the rant because the building was gonna be torn down, and we came up with the idea to sort of talk about the cottage as it was being torn down, and we thought we better have megaphones ‘cause it’s gonna be quite loud, so we were sort of ‘pro the cottage’ and ‘against the cottage,’” Miller admits.

So who’s the bad cop between the two of them?

“The first rant was when I first came in here. I was like, ‘What am I gonna do with this place?’ and then I just started talking out loud by myself to it, and I didn’t really have a lot of nice stuff to say,” Swintak laughs. “So I was standing in here by myself going, ‘YOUR CURTAINS ARE UGLY! YOUR WOOD SUCKS!’ So I just

let it out, and then Don came on board and he sort of did the opposite.”

Yet Swintak’s supposed distaste for the cottage won’t stop her from carrying on its legacy into the future. When asked what will become of the reconstructed cottage once the exhibition is over, she speaks of it almost affectionately.

“So I was standing in here by myself going, ‘YOUR CURTAINS ARE UGLY! YOUR WOOD SUCKS!’ So I just let it out, and then Don came on board and he sort of did the oppo site.”

“We’re going to take it to Don’s place and rebuild it again and we also talked about rebuild[ing] it in trees, so that you could climb up into it. So it’ll be funny in that location because the green lumber is gonna have this whole other [effect], and sure enough if we bring it there, it’ll probably be different again, so it’s this sort of like mobile, morphing, extremely labour intensive thing.” One of the pseudo-cottage’s most alluring features is the radiant green lumber that has been juxtaposed with the old, brown cottage wood, in order to differentiate the original cottage elements with those that couldn’t be transferred to the new structure.

As the primary site of Location!

Location!

Location!, the Blackwood Gallery has experienced a radical transformation of scenery, and upon entering the

space, the viewer is immediately met with the first piece of the original cottage setting. A large tree-like bush that has been uprooted from the cottage property sits beside the gallery door, with dead leaves, dirt clods and pebbles all lining the concrete floor. Rather than simply buying a plastic decoration, the bush is literally pulled from the ground and replanted on the gallery floor in order to uphold the authenticity of the site. The floor then transforms into an inlay of stone slabs pieced together by the lumin o u s g r e e n se a l a n t , a p o r c h o n which the cottage bench beckons the visitor to have a seat and take in their surroundings. In fact, the reconstruction encompasses the entire gallery space, and elements such as the drain pipe, porch light and extending window panels greatly contribute to the illusion of an exterior space.

An interesting auditory inclusion to the space is the ongoing metronome of a piano that rests against the back wall of the cottage struct ure. The metronome encourages the viewer to enter the interior area to play the piano.

The only sources of light inside the space are the lamps illuminating portions of the walls, as well as the slits of gallery light seeping in through the open ceiling panels. On the opposite wall is yet another impressive reconstruction: the original cottage fireplace, which has been rebuilt brick by brick, and cemented together using the same green mortar in order to suggest a combination of old and new. Yet the new cottage is predominantly a reunion of old materials, including scratched floorboards, bent

lightshades, graffiti-covered window panels, and half-missing and hole-induced walls. The shelves are lined with original cottage items such as drinking glasses and pieces of wood, which are yet again contrasted with their greencoloured doppelgangers. Outside the realm of the reconstructed cottage is a gallery wall that is plastered with pages of the artists’ working ideas, rough concepts and sketches throughout the entire reconstruction that draw from their good cop/bad cop theme.

The second Location! is the e|Gallery, in which the excavated newspapers have been put on display for the public to leaf through (be sure to put on your green safety gloves!) and are truly one of the exhibition’s must-see features. Both the third and final site as well as the inspiration for the entire undertaking, Thomas C o t t a g e o f f e rs v i s i to r s t h e r a r e chance to experience one of UTM’s oldest and most renowned structures before it is effaced forever.

As for Swintak and Miller, the project has been a challenging yet extremely worthwhile salvation, even if only a temporary one.

“A renovation is like a renewal and we were part of that process.”

Location! Location! Location! will remain open to the public until March 1, with new gallery hours: Monday-Friday from 12 p.m. to 5p.m.; Wednesdays until 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Contact the Blackwood Gallery at 905-8283789 for more information.

View this article and more at www.mediumonline.ca

6 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY

1, 2010

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FILM & FOOD

Film review: The Lovely Bones Peter Jackson’s newest movie fails to leave a lasting impression MICHAEL DI LEO A&E EDITOR

It’s 1973 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and Susie Salmon is walking home from school. She makes her way through an empty cornfield when she meets Mr. Harvey, her new neighbor. He says he’s built a clubhouse in the field for the kids in the neighborhood to play in. He wants Susie to be the first to see it.

What happens next is the tragic, yet all too common, story of a child’s abduction. Susie tries to scream and fight her way out, but is overpowered by the middleaged man, who had spent weeks planning this moment.

But what George Harvey (Stanley Tucci, The Devil Wears Prada) doesn’t realize is that Susie (Saoirse Ronan, Atonement) isn’t quite dead and gone. She is trapped in a fantastical world between the Earth and Heaven, where she catches glimpses of the real world without her, and where her mood dictates the weather in true Shakespearean fashion.

Susie longs to get back to the real world. She tries communicating with her family and friends, and though no one hears her, they feel her presence. The film stems from this notion—that there is

outnow.ch photo

Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) spends quality time making a ship in a bottle with her father (Mark Walhberg). some unfinished business that must be taken care of before Susie can be set free from the middle ground she is trapped in.

Director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings trilogy) creates a visually dazzling landscape for this inbetween space, one that is full of

epic scenery (mountains next to beaches next to giant forests) with the help of generous doses of CGI—no doubt the reason for the film’s high budget. Apart from that, Jackson’s script fails to adequately explain certain events and leaves many loose ends scattered

throughout the 135 minute running time.

Though the film does have some mildly enjoyable moments (mostly comedic, thanks to Susan Sarandon, who plays the fun-loving, alcoholic grandmother) as well as several suspenseful turn of

events, in the end there is little to take from the film that you haven’t already seen in a preview or read in a review. In essence, the story is an extremely simplified version of the novel, and due to this “dumbing-down,” the plot loses much of its character.

Mark Wahlberg does an excellent job playing Susie’s father— who stubbornly continues to investigate his daughter’s death even after the police have stopped—as does Stanley Tucci as the antagonist. Tucci reportedly prepared for his role by studying the mannerisms and reports on several well-known serial killers and manages to make you uncomfortable on first sight. This is a good thing, considering that he is playing a child-murderer.

Great performances aside, the film would have benefitted from some clarity. The transitions from scene to scene leave many aspects unexplored and, as a result, leave the viewer unfulfilled. Though the message is technically uplifting— dealing with issues, such as coping over a loved one’s death and never giving up—you can’t help but feel that Jackson forgot something.

MMM

Depardieu: Actor & Foodie ALAIN LATOUR EDITOR IN CHIEF

Gerard Depardieu's My Cookbook has been around for a few years— four to be exact. It’s not standard practice to review a book so long after publication, not when there hasn’t been a new edition. But having just read it, I believe Depardieu’s book merits one more mention in the press.

I have always respected Depardieu as an actor. Not because he’s won awards, which he has, or because he’s respected, which he is, but because he convinces me every time I watch him in a film. He truly makes me believe he’s become a different person, one whose emotions are always intense and genuine.

I now respect him as a cook and as a writer. In My Cookbook, he

talks about things most food writers don't talk about—about walking shoeless through a ploughed field after the rain, the raw smell of the soil in his nostrils or listening to the sound that wine makes when you pour from the bottle into a crystal glass—evoking in the readers not just the pleasure of eating, but the pleasure of being alive.

Depardieu's prose is clean and precise. His love of simplicity permeates his writing, when he alludes to the connections between the earth and us, between what we do to the soil or to the animals and what we eat tomorrow. He doesn't just sound like another tiresome ecologist. He sounds like a peasant, like a cook, like someone who cares about nature. And in caring about nature, he enjoys eating nature. He enjoys the meat of animals that lived a good life more than that of industrially raised animals. He

loves eating eel that had just been caught and lamb that was raised on local marshes. He talks lovingly about the two-day pig-killing ceremony in Gascony. He sees no contradiction in this—rightly so, in my opinion. Ignoring where our food comes from, and what happened to it before it reached our plate, is a crime worse than sacrificing a pig with your own hands.

The introduction to My Cookbook taught me to develop the connection between all sensual pleasures and food. It also taught me to write about the simplicity of cooking and to honour the animals that we so love devouring, but conveniently forget were alive before they reached our plate.

Want to learn more? Visit www.mediumonline.ca

“AS WE ENTER” BY DAMIAN MARLEY + NAS

GO TO MEDIUMONLINE.CA/SONGOFTHEWEEK TO LISTEN

>5,7( )25 $576 (That’s wingdings for you should write for arts)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY

1, 2010 THE MEDIUM 7

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

Talking with Omar Alghabra Saaliha Malik talks to Omar Alghabra about students, the city of Mississauga and why every one should read The Medium

Paula Savasta/The Medium

is the opportunities it creates.

SAALIHA MALIK NEWS EDITOR

Last Wednesday, our News Editor spoke to Omar Alghabra in the Fireplace Lounge. Alghabra spoke about life after being an MP, his work with the group Students for Omar and about the importance of youth involvement in politics.

Can you tell me about Students for Omar?

After 2.5 years of parliament, there are a lot of things that were unfinished for me, and one of the biggest initiatives that I’ve always been working on and thinking of doing more of was reaching out to youth. I had done some of that when I was an MP, but when I lost the election, it gave me an opportunity to reassess and reflect. My belief has always been that youth tend to have the most energy, the most ideas and the most passion about our country, but they feel so disconnected, and I’ve always felt it is the responsibility of community leaders to reach out and help bridge the gap. I started reaching out and putting out opportunities for working with the youth, and one of my volunteers came up with the idea that’s borrowed from Barack Obama’s campaign. It’s really like those students are working for Omar, the idea is much bigger than Omar and it’s a title of an avenue and the most important thing

What is a typical day like for you now?

A typical day for me now is filled with meetings. In the morning, I read and watch the news. Twitter has become a big part of my life. I read The Medium and post it on my Facebook once in a while, when there are articles that are relevant to what I’m talking about. I like the work The Medium does. I try to go to the gym every other morning, I usually have meetings or phone calls that are scheduled, lunch meetings, coffee meetings. Every once in a while I try to write my own blog so I post stuff online. Evenings are mostly meetings, so I spend most of my day talking to people.

When did you realize you wanted to get involved with politics?

I didn’t want to be in politics in university. In fact, it was the other way around: I didn’t want anything to do with politics when I was in university.

I grew up in a country where politics is really exclusive to the elite; there is no such thing as democracy or civil participation. I believed that politics were self-interested, and politicians were not really here to help university students and [were] just promoting their own agendas. So i would just stay away from anything to do with politics or partisanship. It was later on in life that I started thinking about the meaning of life, and honestly those were the questions I started asking my self because as human beings, we tend to complain about things and we want to

see things improved, but I realized that’s all I did, complain. I realized that if people don’t offer their own ideas, things won’t change. I was motivated to get involved with social volunteerism, which is the most important instrument for social change. And that’s when I jumped into politics.

tuition fees and education in general, which is really important because we need the voices of students to be part of the conversation on policies related to education. Decisions will be made on education. The only remaining question is, will students make their voices part of the process?

What do you say to people when they say politicians don’t really care about issues?

What motivates you to keep active in the community?

It’s really a self-feeding circle. You have the complacency of politicians that are perhaps not doing enough to reach out to the youth, but then you have the natural cynicism the youth or average person has and it’s self feeding: the cynicism leaves the politicians alone so less pressure is placed on politicians. The less complacent they become, the more cynical students become. Get involved in politics if you think I don’t care about you. Don’t get involved for me, get involved for yourself, for your family, for your communities’ sakes. I challenge people by saying: don’t let us get away with being complacent or disinterested, assert yourself in the political process.

Otherwise, it’s really hard to see any changes.

What can university students do right now to get involved?

Educating yourself is a great start.

Political parties are just an instrument for political change, so before deciding what party to join, one has to assess their own beliefs and discover what they are passionate about. Obviously, most students are passionate about

As an immigrant, I came to Canada when I was young and I know what it’s like to live in other parts of the world. I was raised in areas where they don’t believe in democracy and civil rights, cultures of equality and justice, and there is no belief that a citizen has the power over their own destiny. And when I came here and suddenly became part of the minority, I realized that there are so many opportunities for making a change and so many issues that I used to dismiss as part of the majority, and now I have a unique appreciation for Canada and what Canada has to offer, so it is that passion about striving to protect the idea and the noble concept of democracy.

Issues of social justice, equality and democratic involvement in your community—these are the issues that really keep me motivated.

What are some issues that need to be addressed in Mississauga?

In Mississauga, one out of five children live in poverty; we’re not talking about somewhere else in Canada: we’re talking about Mississauga. That is a big issue, along with affordable housing. Mississauga-Erindale tends to

be young parents so the issue with day care and public transportation are huge issues. Right now, Mississauga has a high unemployment rate, around 10%, and issues regarding immigrants, such as recognizing foreign credentials, are daily struggles for people in Mississauga-Erindale. 50% of people in Mississauga-Erindale were born outside of Canada, so issues of immigration integration needs priority attention. Politicians the challenge for addressing these issues for our society.

Aside from tuition fees, what issues affect students?

Students are like any member of society; they are severely affected by decisions made by politicians. A municipal issue is one that many people on campus are affected by, [like] the residency issue off-campus. A lot of students are finding it difficult to find off-campus [housing] and those decisions are made by municipal government, so they are affecting student life.

Provincial politicians regulates tuition fees and funding to post secondary education, the federal government supports post secondary education and also offers grants and finances some of the loans, and that’s just one issue. Everything a politician does affects our lives. We may not realize it until we face a hardship. It wakes us up, but it really does affect our life. It may be too late to get involved with the process after a hardship hits you.

I’m suggesting, be there to avoid a hardship. Secondly, if you are faced with a hardship, you know you have the right channels and the right ears that will listen to your problems.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY

8 THE MEDIUM

1, 2010

FEATURES DRIVING VOLUNTEERISM

Underage overachiever IOANA GHEORGHIU

Bilaal Rajan is a philanthropist and a leader in the world of charity fundraising. Rajan has been presented with Canada’s Top 20 fewer than 20 awards. Rajan has also presented with the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy award, published a book, and been presented to the Parliament by former Prime Minister Paul Martin. Rajan is 13 years old.

When the 2001 earthquake hit India, Rajan, who was four at the time, raised $350 by selling oranges door-to-door. This is how he started his humanitarian work.

When he was seven, Rajan launched UNICEF’s “Canada Kids Earthquake Challenge” a day after the December 26, 2006 earthquake in India. He encouraged every child in Canada to raise a minimum of $100 to help children in affected areas. Donations brought in $2.5 million.

As UNICEF’s Canada Child Representative and Ambassador, Rajan works closely with UNICEF, an organization present in over 158 countries and territories. The organization provides vaccines, supports child health and nutrition, promotes quality basic education and protects children from violence and exploitation.

He started the foundation Hands for Help with the motto “Remember, together we can make a difference.” Another of his projects is COOkids: Contributing, Organizing and Outstanding kids, a program that allows students to raise money for their school.

Rajan’s book, Making Change: Tips from an Underage Overachiever, was presented by Leanne Eastwood, a Community

Canada to raise at least $100.

We’re getting schools involved as well,” said Rajan. “And just for fun, the school which raises the greatest amount of funds will hold a public event where the students will shave my head. The headmaster at my school, David Thompson, has also agreed to have his head shaved if his students raise more than $35,000.”

Rajan’s newest project is Sudokuhub.com, a website where web users pay to play sudoku. “As soon as sponsors come onboard, all of the proceeds will go to UNICEF’s Plumpy’nut Program, which feeds malnourished children throughout the world,” said Rajan. He plans to

Driving smart is driving green Rajan meeting Nelson Mandella.

Literacy Coordinator with the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy, as a useful tool “relevant for adults looking for inspiration

“A lot of my writing and public speaking focus on inequality and children’s rights everywhere, and helps raise awareness about children poverty in Canada.” for their fundraising projects.”

Rajan visited Malawi in 2005, where he spoke with children in schools and orphanages to “reassure them that other children

around the world are concerned about their health, education, and general welfare and are all doing something to help.” In his 2007 trip to Tanzania, he made a series of educational presentations to villagers about HIV/AIDS, in w h i c h h e i d e n t i f i e d t h e c a us e s , symptoms and prevention. His workshop series, which outlines eight steps individuals can take to realize their true potential, was an inspiration to the school children.

Now, Rajan is embarking on a Haiti project by raising a challenge to each student in Canada to raise money for relief efforts in Haiti.

“My Help for Haiti Challenge is asking each young person in

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Currently, Rajan is troubled by the increasing poverty in Canada.

“A lot of my writing and public speaking focus on inequality and children’s rights everywhere, and helps raise awareness about children poverty in Canada,” said Rajan. “What we need is more unity of action between youth here and throughout the world.”

More information about current projects can be found on Rajan’s two websites, www.makingchangenow.com and www.bilaalrajan.com. He can also be contacted through Facebook, Twitter or his blog.

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TRISTAN MCINTOSH AND NADINE NESBITT Students can save up to 30% on fuel costs through proper driving, straightforward car maintenance and lower emissions. To keep green (and keep greenbacks), consider these simple maintenance tips.

Take a deep breath and don’t drive aggressively: Accelerating fast and braking hard increases fuel consumption by 40%. It only cuts travel time by 4% and increases toxic emissions over five times.

Proper driving includes accelerating slowly and smoothly, and then shifting into high gear as quickly as possible.

Steady does it: Drive steadily, especially on the highway. Driving efficiency peaks at 55mph, then drops significantly after 60mph.

Using cruise control can save gas by keeping the speed steady, so use it when possible.

No idling: Don’t idle your vehicle. Idling wastes unnecessary gas, so if you are going to stop your car for more than 30 seconds, you should turn it off. Idling for more than 30 seconds is only acceptable for older cars and during winter conditions in order to warm up.

Inflation is good: Ensure that

tires are properly inflated. Properly maintained car tires are a typically overlooked aspect of efficient driving. Under-inflated tires can increase fuel consumption by up to 6%. Tire pressure should be checked when the car has not been driven for 33 hours, and at least once a month. On average, for every month, tires lose one PSI per every 10°C drop in temperature.

Who said heat was bad? Avoid using your air conditioner when possible. Using air conditioning can consume up to 10% more fuel, so either open the window at low speeds or use the flow-through ventilation. However, opening the windows at high speeds is less efficient for gas mileage, so use the air conditioner in those situations.

RTFM(Read that fantastic manual): Service your vehicle regularly.

Use the appropriate fuel for your car, as determined by the owner’s manual. A poorly tuned engine can use up to 50% more fuel and emit 50% more emissions than in normal conditions.

Seek the shade: Park in the shade. It keeps your car cool, reduces the need for air conditioning and minimizes the loss of gas due to evaporation.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY

1, 2010 THE MEDIUM 9

POETRY AND PROSE FEATURES

Creative Corner

A monologue MANSOUR MELKOUMIAN

Wow that girl is hot.

I mean, seriously hot. And this is an engineering pub. I didn’t even know hot girls were allowed in.

I should talk to her, but what the heck can I say? I know what Geoff would say: “Hurr, nice legs, what time do they open. I have amnesia, do I come here often? I want to drink your bathwater hurr hurr hurr.” Right.

M a y b e I c a n sa y s o m e t h i n g funny. Damn I wish I was funny.

What do girls find funny? Jersey Shore? I should do a pun about GTL, or about situations. Girls like Lady Gaga right? I should say “ L a d y , I ’m G a g a f o r yo u . ” H a .

Classic. It’s even funnier because the music here is Coldplay.

Okay, that sucks. If she was anything like me, she’d walk away and induce amnesia with a baseball bat.

Of course, then I’d get to try again.

If she was anything like me, she’d

probably just smile shyly as soon as I said hello. She’d probably laugh at all my jokes too—I mean, I laugh at my jokes. I’m a pretty funny guy.

But if she wasn’t like me, if she w a s l i k e G e o f f , Geoff with l ady parts and a nice tan and a gorgeous s m i l e — o k ay t h i s i s n ’ t g a y , alright?—then she’d make the first move. I’d just have to sit back and enjoy the sexy, sexy ride.

She’s putting her s tuff i n her backpack. That’s a cute backpack. Is she leaving? Is she going to meet her boyfriend?

What if she leaves, but then on the way out, she sees me writing?

What if she’s struck by my studiousness, my fashionable glasses and proud, nonconformist mutton chops? What if she asks me out and we fall in love?

But to do that, she’d have to be perfect. She’d have to be my soulmate or something.

Oh my God. Oh my God she’s getting up. What if she says hi?

What if she wants to talk? Sweet!

Eight of July

Dead Kisses Thank you Lady-Geoff!

What if she‘s perfect? Holy shit, what if she’s perfect? What if she’s my soulmate? If I go after her, then t h a t ’ s i t f or m y b a c h e l o r d a y s .

Instead of clubbing, I’ll be at home watching my ass grow. Instead of having lots of hot, random sex, I’ll be cuddling with this same girl over and over and over again. I can’t have a soulmate yet. I need to have a chance at least to have fun first.

I’ll have to meet her parents.

What if they don’t like me? What if I have to prove my worth to them?

W h a t i f s h e h a s a p s y c h o o ld e r brother wh o’ll cockblock me a t every turn, so that on top of not g e t t i n g a n y as s f r o m o u t s i d e , I won’t be able to get her ass either.

All I could do is cuddle for five years and then get married. I don’t want to think about getting married yet.

I’m in over my head. Oh fuck I need some air.

S h e j u s t w al k e d p a s s e d m e .

Thank God.

I’ve tasted your sugar coated lips Leaving a bitter taste in my mouth I wanted more than an opportunity Your spirit cannot be grasped Like smoke and my dense Granted stone plumbing You soar above like a hawk Praying on the moment Without emotion it’s no more Than humping bodies of flesh Vehicles for our genes at The expense of our persons

Yours and Perhaps Ours ARZOO ZAHEER

CAMILLE EILEEN AMIGLEO

Magic, you told me, is what it is I closed my eyes and waited, trying to relax Warm breath against my face; warm lips against my own A tingling feeling, a refreshing moment: Most memorable of all Magic, I told myself, is what it is Indescribable.

Unutterable.

Unimaginable.

Incredible.

Your lips against mine at the park beyond, where it was written: ”Saranghaeyo” and “Wo ai ni” It’s just a dream, you said, that you came from miles away visiting me in this yellow shirt to get this one thing Magic, you told me, is what it is Magic, I told myself, is my first kiss

DAVID FITZPATRICK

The Apple tree stood magnificently, magically, attracting the attention of its thoughtful viewer.

Its frail branches spread out like a complex labyrinth, intricately creating a multidimensional balance. The tree was perfectly silent and “expressed.” Somehow, it added meaning to the colourful background of orange, red and brown houses.

The viewer sat silently and passively, viewing the ecological, spatial and temporal balance represented by this one life form.

The viewer was deeply connected.

The tree belonged to her, a most beautiful memory that would strengthen and rejuvenate her soul. She planned to awaken that memory, when need dictated her to do so. As soon as the viewer disconnected from the magnificence of the tree, she realized it was on the other side of the fence.

“Shucks! The Apple tree is not mine; it is theirs….. hmm!

Perhaps it is mine too, in some ways.” Suddenly, her thought took an unexpected turn: fences and geographical boundaries.

Thus, a soliloquy began: “When the apples ripen and fall down on our side, I usually pick one of them, clean them and eat them without questioning. I wonder why governments fight for power and control. What is the point of controlling resources and territories that belong to someone else?”

The Iraq war silently magnified itself within her tiny brain.

She heard explosions, saw blood and experienced the pain of the wounded. Something took her “voice” away, so she passively stood and observed. “Heart of Darkness” and “Simulacra” took meaning within her as she quietly walked away. As the “philosopher within” awakened, the “activist within” stepped aside. Thoughts resonated creating chaos and harmony. And then a very simple

solution came forward: “War can be avoided if well-intentioned individuals entered into mutually beneficial treaties, instead of fighting to gain control over others’ resources and land.” As the “philosopher within” quietly provided an answer, the “activist

within” replied: “You must stay connected with the correct kind of individuals if you wish to fulfill this purpose.” And the “ phil osopher within” looked at the “activist within” with sad eyes and just smiled.

The tree is mine and theirs.

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10 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010

Andrew Tysiak , Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

Low fanbase an issue for UTM Intramurals Assistant Sports Editor Sarah Malagerio Bruno examines the lack of attendance for Eagles games SARAH MALAGERIO BRUNO ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Intramurals play a large part in the lives of UTM student-athletes.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the Intramural fanbase.

Sure, UTM has school spirit.

The UTM Athletic Council makes sure games are publicized around the school. It also provides incentives for fan-support, such as free pizza, drinks and t-shirts. Indeed, UTMAC is working on getting more advertising space around the campus to promote home games.

(One problem is UTMSU’s current restriction of a maximum of eight posters per bulletin board).

A likely explanation for the lack of enthusiasm in the Intramural fanbase is the fact that the UTM Intramurals compete against other U of T teams, like UTSC, St. George, Victoria College, Trinity and so on. It’s hard to have “school” spirit when you’re facing off members of your own school.

Still, UTM students should take pride in what their fellow campusmates have to offer to the athletic community. The Eagles have accomplished much in their years competing against campuses with much higher student populations.

Take for instance, the women’s

division 1 outdoor soccer team.

For the past two years, women’s div. 1 has taken home the championship trophy even when they face schools with much larger talent pools. But at their last championship game, the UTM women’s team faced off against UTSC with only a handful of fans on the sideline that weren’t family, alumni players or players from UTM men’s team, who had a game scheduled directly after.

Students might not know about the game, but UTMAC has posted flyers around the school advertising the men’s and women’s “double-header” championship game.

They even offered “free food and giveaways” to entice students to come out and support their teams.

Anna Bedoines, Creative Director of UTMAC, believes the effort is there to improve attendance.

“Our council allocates money towards our intramural programs… we provide half-time contests with prizes like Raptors tickets and $50 gift cards,” said Bediones. “This [lack of fans issue] is one of our top priorities and is something we have been working on all year.”

Perhaps the low number of students living on residence contributes to the dismal fan base.

The majority of UTM students commute to and from campus.

Most commuters, however, l ive close enough to campus that a quick jaunt to UTM should not be a big deal.

Heck, securing a free courtside seat at a men’s div. 1 basketball game is about $85 cheaper (or the equivalent of a bottle of Patron Silver, for all you 19+) than watching the Raptors live in the nosebleeds, unless of course, you win Raptors tickets from UTMAC by coming out to an Intramural game. And with our embarrassing student budgets, anything “free” is a draw in itself.

“I think the main reasons [people don’t attend games] are that people are unaware and that there is a lack of interest,” said Bediones. “I think that we [UTMAC] have to be a little more aggressive and creative in our marketing strategies. I make posters or send people messages on Facebook, but I realize that these messages only reach the people we already know, and we want to reach beyond that.”

UTMAC will be hosting their next game on February 10, with the men ’s d ivision 1 ba sketball team competing against the UTSC Maroons. More information is available at www.myutmac.ca

Matthew Filipowich/The Medium

The lack of fan attendance was a glaring issue at a women’s tri campus volleyball game on January 17.

OHL’s best dominate the Majors Colts’ forward Bryan Cameron scores a hat trick in a 4 0 victory at the Hersey Centre on Friday

ANDREW TYSIAK SPORTS EDITOR

What was expected to be a competitive match between the top two teams in the central division last Friday night turned out to be a disappointing outing for the St. Mikes Majors and their fans, as the Barrie Colts defeated the Majors 4-0 at the Hersey Centre. The defeat marked the first time this season that the Majors were shutout at home. They fell to 33-11-4-1 on the season.

The Major’s inability to capitalize on power play opportunities turned out to be the dagger, going 0-8 on the night.

They missed, mostly in the first period, many chances to not only score, but also break the game wide open. The Colts’ undisciplined play early on saw them take the first three penalties of the game within a seven-minute span.

The low point for the visiting team came when Colts defensemen T.J Brodie took a five minute penalty for slashing. The momentum appeared to be turning in the Majors’ favor.

But with great defensive pressure from players such as Colts defensemen and St. Louis Blues prospect Alex Pietrangelo, the Majors failed to develop any rhythm or significant scoring chances on any of the three power

Matthew Filipowich/The Medium

Majors #26 Rob Flick (left) and Colts #13 Kyle Clifford pummel each other during second period action. The Colts increased their lead in the central division standings with a 4 0 win. plays. Using their successful penalty kills as motivation, the Colts scored late in the first with a power play goal by Bryan Cameron. From then on, the Colts took control of the game and did not look back.

The beginning of the second period saw the Majors take two early penalties, which allowed the Colts to build off the momentum they had gained from the first period. They outplayed, outhustled

and outshot the Majors, and they were rewarded for their efforts with a nice goal by Centre Alexander Burmistrov, to make it 2-0.

An attempt to revitalize the Majors came when their centre, Rob Flick, and Colts left winger Kyle Clifford got into a scrap. Much to the crowd’s pleasure, neither man held back, each throwing a flurry of punches. The fight was finally broken up when Clifford connected

with a right hand punch that almost sent Flick to the ice.

Although the crowd’s energy level increased, it did nothing to affect the outcome of the game. The Colts were determined to prove why they are the best team in the OHL. The third period saw Colt’s Bryan Cameron cap off an impressive night with a hat trick. He scored two of his three goals in the final frame, pushing

him to 36 on the season. His first goal of the period was particularly odd.

What appeared to be a routine clear out by the Majors turned into Cameron quickly intercepting the puck and making a sudden dash to the net. A clearly surprised Chris Carrozzi, the Majors goaltender, didn’t know how the react and slipped to the ice, leaving Cameron with a wide open net. That allowed him to easily tap in the puck for the goal.

The period ended with the teams exchanging penalties to close out a dismal outing for the Majors. Although they outshot the Colts 23-21 on the night, they couldn’t get over the hump.

A normally dominant Carrozzi was particularly lackluster, allowing three goals on just 18 shots. He was eventually pulled in the middle of the third period in favor of backup goaltender JP Anderson. Colts goalie Mavric Parks stopped all 23 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. The shutout wasn’t particularly impressive, considering the Majors didn’t really put him to the test at all during the game.

The Majors will hope to make it up to their fans when they host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. “South Asian Heritage Day” also takes place on Sunday. The event includes live performances during and after the game. To buy tickets for the game, contact the Majors office at 905-502-7788 ex.252.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY

1, 2010THE MEDIUM 11

HOCKEY AND HEALTH

SPORTS

Leafs acquire Phaneuf and Giguere in blockbuster trades Leafs GM Brian Burke sends six players elsewhere WILLIAM ROBERTSON ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a huge splash in the NHL yesterday with two trades that could not have been imaginable a month ago.

Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke announced yesterday that they have traded Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and defenceman Ian White to the Calgary Flames.

In return, the Leafs received Fredrik Sjostrom, prospect Keith Aulie (who is a big defenceman with big promise) and high-scoring defenceman Dion Phaneuf. Burke admitted that the loss of Hagman and Stajan up front would leave the Leafs with a weaker offence, but could not pass up the opportunity to acquire Phaneuf.

Apparently, Burke had been working on the deal since early last week, but the components of the deal did not fall into place until Saturday night. The Leafs were in desperate need of help on defence (even with an abundance of them), and Phaneuf adds a big shot, physical presence and is a weapon on the powerplay. Although they sent three forwards in return for one, the Leafs will call up younger players from the AHL to fill the void up front.

This will mean a legitimate NHL opportunity for Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson and maybe even Andre Deveaux.

About an hour after the Phaneuf announcement, Burke then revealed he had traded Vesa Toskala and

Jason Blake to the Anaheim Ducks for veteran goaltender J.S Giguere.

This trade stabilizes the goaltender position for the Leafs as Toskala had not played effectively this season.

This rids the Leafs of Jason Blake’s four million dollar contract and a player who has 26 points in 56 games. It also sends Toskala to Anaheim as a back-up for Jonas Hiller.

The Anaheim Ducks just signed Jonas Hiller to a four year extension, which paved the way for the trade of J.S. Giguere. Giguere brings veteran presence to the Leafs in net and has proven to play well under enormous pressure, as he was named the MVP of the 2003 playoffs. Giguere will fight for the number one spot with Gustavsson, creating a healthy competition between the two Maple Leaf netminders.

Giguere and Phaneuf should expect a warm welcoming from the Toronto faithful, especially considering most will be pleased to see Toskala and Blake depart.

Despite giving up a few forwards, the Leafs received far more in return as they acquired two MVP type players in Giguere and Phaneuf. In addition, this paves the way for younger players to step in and contribute to the team.

As of right now, they are the winners in both deals because defence wins championships. As long as they are able to keep the puck out of their net (which they have not done this season), they will put more wins on the board The powerplay gains a huge asset with the addition of Phaneuf, as he

Mike Ridewood/Getty Images

Former Calgary Flames defencemen Dion Phaneuf (left) has scored 10 goals in 55 games this season. has a powerful shot and does not hesitate with the puck. With Kaberle feeding him the puck, expect both their point totals to jump.

Like Jamal Mayers, Garnet Exelby has also requested to be traded away from the blue-and-white.

Considering that they now have an abundance of defence, expect Burke to be shopping defenceman around the league in hopes of acquiring a top six forward before the trade deadline. Like Jamal Mayers, Garnet Exelby has also requested to be trad-

ed away from the blue-and-white.

Expect him or Jeff Finger to be the most likely candidates to be traded.

One thing is certain, come trade deadline day, the Leafs will be busy as both a buyer and seller. Let the trading frenzy begin.

UTM gets healthy with Health Week UTMAC collaborates with the RAWC and the Health and Counselling Centre to host Health Week from January 25 to 28 KEITH SHANKAR

From January 25 to 28, UTMAC hosted Health Week. The event singled out a theme for each day of the week.

UTMAC set up in the Meeting Place on Monday, which was designated as Drug and Alcohol and Sexuality day. Tuesday was Physical Health day, which saw students engage in a Wii Fit competition at the Meeting Place and an athletic skills competition at the RAWC, before finishing the day with a dodgeball tournament.

The skills competition included sit ups, bench jumps, long jumps and scootering, amongst other skill tests. In support of Haiti, UTMAC donated $1.00 towards the Haiti relief fund for every participant in the athletic combine.

“We were able to raise about $100 based on the participation of the [Tuesday] Physical Health Day participants,” said UTMAC President Ashley Nyugen.

On Wednesday, the Health and

Wellness fair took place at the Meeting Place. Health Week concluded on Thursday, with the day dedicated to Mental Stress and Nutrition.

“Our ultimate aim is to increase sporting participation and make UT M a m o r e s p i r i t e d c a m p u s , w h i ch w e hope will lead to the building of a stronger community.”

Ashley Nguyen UTMAC President One of the major differences with this year’s Health Week was that UTMAC worked closely with the Peer Health Group at HCC and Rachel Tennant at the RAWC. Unlike prior health weeks, UTMAC was able to gather people

from the community to participate at the health fair, which included Chartwells and OneMatch.

Chartwells supplies chefs and dieticians who work closely with school boards, school administrations, teachers and parents to create custom menus that are nutritious and attractive to students.

OneMatch deals with stem cell and bone marrow networks, helping to secure donors for bone marrow transplants for patients abroad. This was the first time UTMAC has ever partaken in a health fair and they accumulate over 300 participants.

“UTMAC’s goal is not only to raise awareness on all the sporting events we offer on our campus, but also to let students know they don’t need to be super athletic to join our events,” said Nyugen.

“We have events for all levels.

Our ultimate aim is to increase sporting participation and make UTM a more spirited campus, which we hope will lead to the building of a stronger community.”

Oilers' Souray has fractured hand Edmonton Oilers defenceman Sheldon Souray has a fractured hand. Souray suffered the injury in a fight with Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla in the third period of a Saturday night loss. The injury could not have come at a worse time for the Oilers. Edmonton is in the midst of a 13 game winless streak and sit dead last in the NHL. Souray was also rumoured to be on the trading block ahead of the March 3 trade deadline.

(TheScore.com)

Report: Milanovich turns down Argos coaching job Scott Milanovich has reportedly turned down an offer to become the new head coach of the Toronto Argonauts.

Milanovich was the offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach of the Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes. Milanovich would have succeeded Bart Andrus, who was fired last month after leading the Argos to a disappointing 3 15 season.

(TSN)

Cup Finals rematch goes to Pens in shootout Pittsburgh, PA Sidney Crosby scored the game winner in the shootout to help Pittsburgh take a 2 1 win over Detroit in a rematch of the past two Stanley Cup finals.

(TSN)

12 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010

SPORTS

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