Vol 42 issue 6

UTSU fails to ratify new structure Zhuk’s board structure failed 562 to 455 in a vote requiring a two-thirds majority NICOLE DANESI NEWS EDITOR

found in Food Centre MENNA ELNAKA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR WITH NOTES FROM NICOLE DANESI NEWS EDITOR

The UTSU failed to ratify an elected board structure in time for its deadline on October 17.

Two possible board structures were debated at the union’s annual general meeting held at St. George on October 7.

BOARD STRUCTURE Due to changes in the Canada Notfor-profit Corporations Act, UTSU is required to revise its board structure to be compliant with the new law.

The elected board structure proposed by UTSU directors Khrystyna Zhuk and Daman Singh was elected over a second one proposed by former UTSU VP internal Grayce Slobodian. Zhuk’s proposal, however, failed to reach a two-thirds majority in the subsequent vote to ratify the structure.

Zhuk‘s proposal featured six appointed, rather than elected, equity directors each responsible for managing one of the following portfolios: racial, women, transgender, LGBQ,

Cockroaches

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

The Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad interrupted the UTSU AGM hosted on October 7. indigenous, or disability issues, and also included a clause that would not allow candidates running for UTSU VP equity to run as part of a slate; instead, they would run as an independent.

Another change that the proposal would involve was that Zhuk’s proposal would allow colleges and professional faculties to run internal elections to elect members to the

UTSU board of directors and that UTSU’s VP campus life would also be an elected position.

According to legal counsel present at the AGM, Zhuk’s proposal would be considered compliant to the CNCA. Following Zhuk’s presentation, Slobodian presented the proposal she motioned, which was seconded by Suryana Thappa.

The proposal called for 12 equity directors with portfolios dealing with the following issues or stakeholders: international students, mature students, LGBTQ students, first-year students, indigenous peoples, resident students, and matters involving athletics, disabilities, women’s rights, or sustainability.

Cockroaches were discovered in the UTMSU Food Centre on Monday, October 5, leading to the temporary closure of the facility and relocation of the food centre.

“We have never seen roaches before in the office,” said Erik Hernandez-Oberding, the food centre coordinator, who posted on the centre’s Facebook page that the cockroaches originated from a box donated to the centre.

As of press time, The Medium was unable to verify conflicting reports about the source of the donated box.

The food centre has temporarily relocated to the Student Centre, room 241. Plans to return to the food centre office in Davis have not yet been determined.

UTSU continued on page 3

Low voter turnout for UTMSU election Of the eligible voters, 2.64 percent cast their ballot in the fall by-election ANDREEA MIHAI STAFF WRITER Less than three percent of students voted in the by-elections for UTMSU’s board of directors.

The election, results of which were released on October 5, was for positions in Division I and V on the board of directors.

Division I represents first-year students. Monica Victoria and Sarah Girgis were elected for the two spots in the division.

Ahmed Zaki ran unopposed for Division V, representing students in the Mississauga Academy of Medicine.

The voter turnout for the elections was 2.64 percent according to the UTMSU Facebook page. Ebi Agbeyegbe, president of UTMSU, said they had expected a bigger voter turnout since

Federal election debate UTM helps organize debate on tuition, refugees, Bill C-51, Bill C-24, and other topics.

Medium News, page 2

“Bnad”, bingo, and debate UTSU AGM sparks healthy amount of student debate despite not many motions being successfully passed.

Medium Opinion, page 4

Autumn in the fall Director Autumn Smith discusses her upcoming Theatre Erindale project, Orestes.

Medium Arts, page 5

Hackers come to campus MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Sixteen candidates ran in Division I of the UTMSU by-election. they had 16 first-year candidates competing for the two spots.

Agbeyegbe says that low voter turnout may have been due to the lack of campaigning by the first-years.

In addition to the election, UTMSU also ran a plebiscite asking students whether they felt tuition fees should be eliminated in Ontario. The results reported 332 students voted in favour

of the idea that tuition should be free, 14 against, and 8 spoiled ballots.

Election continued on page 3

UTM students partake in hackathon and give new meaning to the misunderstood term “hacker”.

Medium Features, page 8

Mustangs trample Blues Varsity Blues bounce back against Waterloo after losing to the Western Mustangs.

Medium Sports, page 11

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THE MEDIUM 10.19.2015

Candidates debate issues ahead of federal election October 8, 9:17 p.m.

Medical Call Campus Police attended a student who injured himself during a game of basketball. The Erindale College Special Response Team also assisted.

October 8, 11:30 a.m.

Theft under $5,000 A student reported to Campus Police that her parking pass was stolen from her unlocked vehicle in the upper deck of lot 8.

side the building.

October 13, 11:35 a.m.

Controlled Drugs & Substances Act The Student Union was performing an annual clean of student lockers.

Campus Police were called to attend as one locker contained a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. All items were confiscated.

October 8, 2:06 p.m.

Parking A vehicle was towed off campus due to excessive unpaid parking fines.

October 15, 9:47 p.m.

Personal Safety Concern Campus Police responded to a call at Erindale Hall after a resident reported a suspicious sound. Officers checked the area and found no suspicious activity in the building.

October 9, 12:42 a.m.

By-law Offences Two students were holding lit cigarettes in the CCT garage. The students were issued Provincial Offence Notices for having a lit cigarette in-

October 15, 9:47 p.m.

Assault Two students were involved in an argument while playing indoor soccer.

The argument escalated to assault and the accused was charged.

These reports are those that have been released to The Medium and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list.

Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905 453 3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477.

KASSANDRA HANGDAAN/THE MEDIUM

Topics debated included seniors, tuition, bill C-51, and the Syrian refugee crisis KASSANDRA HANGDAAN Last Tuesday, candidates running for the federal elections discussed issues related to youth voters at “The Gen Y Vote with UTM: Candidates Forum”.

Hosted at Studio 89, the forum was held in conjunction with UTM Student Life and Youth Troopers for Global Awareness, the founder of the non-profit cafe Studio 89. The candidates present were Green Party candidate Linh Nguyen, Omar Alghabra for the Liberals, and Fariah Chowdhury, an NDP representative replacing the Mississauga EastCooksville candidate, Ali Naqvi of the NDP. The Conservative candidate was absent.

Audience members could ask questions to all of the candidates or to a specific one, and candidates were allowed two minutes to respond.

Below is a summary of each candidate’s position on the topics discussed.

POSITIONS ON TUITION The Green Party is the only political party pledging to completely eradicate tuition fees by 2020. Nguyen described the party’s plan to reassess the subsidization of the fossil fuel industry. Nguyen said that the subsidies would be reinvested toward funding student tuition.

“At U of T in particular, there is a very strong movement in investing the subsidies away from the oil and gas industry […] and back to the students,” she said.

Nguyen also spoke about a collaborative grant system between colleges and provinces and the need to prioritize students who have greater financial needs, such as Aboriginal students.

Chowdhury said that the NDP is committed to abolishing unpaid internships and phasing out student loans entirely.

“Research has actually shown us that, once working, students are actually able to pay off their principal amount. It’s the interest rates that make it impossible,” Chowdhury said.

Alghabra explained that the Liberal Party’s vision is to increase student access to grants and to put a hold on student loan repayment until students earn a stable income of $30,000 per year or more.

VIEWS ON BILLS C-51 & C-24 Bill C-51 is a controversial antiterrorism legislation that allows the Canadian government to disclose information about individuals who pose a threat to the national security of Canada and make more arrests without a warrant, among other changes.

Bill C-24 allows the government to annul the Canadian citizenship of dual citizens who are found guilty of terrorism and other major crimes. The bill has been criticized by some who allege that it makes dual citizens into second-class citizens.

The Green Party is the only political party pledging to completely eradicate tuition fees by 2020.

Alghabra argued that both bills undermine the value of citizenship, and although the Liberal Party voted in support for C-51, the party has promised to make amendments to C-51 and to repeal C-24.

The Green Party was strongly against both bills and has promised to repeal C-24 and C-51.

Chowdhury said that the NDP is against C-51 and C-24 because “for the NDP there is no grey area in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms”. Chowdhury also mentioned that the NDP tried to create a coalition with the Liberal Party in order to fight both bills, but the latter declined.

SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS The NDP has promised to give entry to 46,000 refugees into Canada over the next four years, and 10,000 by the end of 2015.

“We very much have a vision to go back to the refugee and immigration policies pre-Conservative,” said Chowdhury, noting that this includes shorter wait times for family reunification.

The Liberal Party, according to Alghabra, “has been very vocal about immediately accepting 25,000 government-sponsored refugees, plus as many as we can through private sponsorship”. Alghabra also spoke about enhancing funding for UN agencies working amidst the conflict in Syria.

The Green Party has called on Canada to increase its intake of Syrian refugees to 40,000 over the next five years. Nguyen also mentioned the party’s interest in eliminating the Temporary Foreign Workers Program and establishing a federal minimum wage of $15.

SENIOR POPULATION In terms of Canada’s growing senior population, the Liberal Party pledged to enhance the Canada Pension Plan, invest more money to create senior homes, and provide employment insurance for “Canadians who take time off work to take care of a loved one”. The party has also proposed a plan to allocate three billion dollars to offer more home-care services.

Nguyen said that Canada is lacking a national strategy for senior care. She described the Green Party’s National Housing Strategy, which includes a plan for senior housing and a review of senior pension plans.

Chowdhury discussed the NDP’s plan to invest 1.3 billion dollars on infrastructure on a national level.

“When people think of infrastructure, they often think of roads, but infrastructure also means senior homes, community centres, and youth shelters,” she said. Chowdhury also talked about creating 50,000 new beds for senior nursing homes and increasing access for seniors requiring home xcare.

Voting for the federal election will take place on Monday. Polls will close at 9:30 p.m.

10.19.2015 THE MEDIUM NEWS

“Bnad” interupts AGM UTSU continued from Cover Slobodian’s proposal also included VP campus life as an elected position.

Following the presentation of both board structure proposals, students voted on which of the two proposals they preferred. With 607 votes in favour of Appendix A, and 529 in favour of B, Zhuk’s proposal was elected over Slobodian’s.

STRUCTURE AMENDMENTS Following the election of Appendix A, a series of amendments were made to the proposal.

Natalie Petra, an executive on the Arts and Sciences Students’ Union, moved to add a mental wellness commissioner, international student issue commissioner, and a VP of professional faculties to Zhuk’s structure.

The amendments were jointly approved by Zhuk and Singh.

Additional amendments approved included the elimination of a clause that originally required candidates for UTSU’s VP equity to run as independents instead of as part of a slate.

The full list of changes to the elected board structure is published in a publically accessible document made available by UTSU. The decision to pass the board structure required a two-thirds majority to successfully be implemented.

The final vote was 562 in favour and 455 against, resulting in a failure to ratify Zhuk’s proposal.

UTSU’s legal counsel, Andrew Monkhouse, addressed concerns about UTSU dissolving if a structure was not fully passed at the meeting.

According to Monkhouse, the union would not dissolve.

The Medium reached out to both UTSU president Ben Coleman and UTSU VP internal and services Ryan Gomes to learn of the next steps and when UTSU plans to hold a vote to ratify the elected board structure.

Coleman and Gomes did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA At the beginning of the meeting, Petra withdrew her motion, which requested UTSU consider and research the use of electronic voting methods at physical campus polling stations during UTSU elections. Stating she would like to do more research on the accessibility of the proposal, Petra’s motion withdraw was seconded and the item was removed from the agenda.

Madina Siddiqui, president of the Afghan Students Association, moved to add an item to the agenda, which Siddiqui claimed was submitted by the deadline to be included on the

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CHANGE ABOUT UTM?

agenda. The item was added to the agenda.

Another item was also added to the agenda by a first-year student who argued that he was not able to submit his motion to be included on the agenda by the deadline as he was not enrolled in U of T by the deadline.

REMAINING AGENDA ITEMS The meeting, which lasted approximately five hours, was adjourned while on item three of the agenda.

The successful motion ended the meeting without having addressed several items on the agenda, including the approval of last year’s annual general meeting minutes, the union’s audited financial statements, and the presidential address from UTSU president Ben Coleman.

INTERRUPTIONS The meeting was called to order at approximately 6:10 p.m. and was shortly after interrupted by the Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad, a marching band made up of U of T engineering students. The band was escorted out of the meeting by security provided by UTM’s Blind Duck.

Also evicted from the AGM was Joshua Calafato, one of UTSU’s applied science and engineering directors. The exact reason for his removal was not made known.

Noor Khokhar 1st year, English

Mohammad Sharif 1st year, life sciences

Renovate Davis.

I wish the walks between buildings were shorter.

Joyce Chow 3rd year, env mgmt & geo

Solsa Cariba 1st year, life sciences

Add more organic compost bins.

I wish there was a better way for me to be notified when classes are cancelled.

Alternative revenue needed to address deficit Proposals to address deficit include increasing enrolment and seeking alternative revenues KASSANDRA HANGDAAN U of T is currently facing a structural deficit, to which increasing enrolment, establishing a stronger connection with Brampton, and seeking out alternative revenues have been proposed as solutions.

A scenario presented at a Campus Council meeting held on October 7 revealed that if there were a total halt on the university’s growing population and an increase in both revenue and expenditure for the 2015/16 academic year, a 1.5 percent structural deficit would be incurred.

Scott Mabury, a chemistry professor at U of T who also serves as the VP university operations, empha-

sized the need to increase enrolment to counteract such a deficit.

“We add students, they add revenue to balance this out,” said Mabury, who also referred to what he calls a “virtuous cycle”, where a steady state can be achieved through an increase in student enrolment, staff hiring, and construction of buildings.

When asked about the current student to faculty ratios, Mabury replied, “Yes, we’re a little behind on studentfaculty ratios, but we need to build buildings to hire the faculty, to then be able to solve that problem.”

International student tuition brought in 21 percent of the revenue, or $464 million, for 2015/16 and plans to increase international enrolment

are underway. Fifty-eight percent of the international student population stems from China and Hong Kong, and an issue for students coming from mainland China is the possibility of a governmental decision that might restrict student from enroling in foreign universities. The implications of such a decision could have a negative impact on UTM’s vision to increase international enrolment.

Ulrich Krull, acting VP of the University of Toronto, points out that most international Chinese students enrolled at UTM would not be negatively affected by such a decision.

“The way that UTM has largely recruited its international student population—Chinese students in par-

ticular—is that we don’t recruit from mainland China, we recruit from Canada,” said Krull, who explained that U of T often recruits international students from China who are currently studying in Canadian secondary schools.

There are also long-term, tri-campus undergraduate enrolment plans.

By 2019, the undergraduate population of UTM is expected to hit 13,044 students—a 20-percent increase from the student population in 2014.

Apart from student enrolment revenues, government grants, and other student fees, U of T gained 12.5 percent of its revenue from alternative sources. Mabury argues that more attention should be given to increasing

alternative revenues in order to balance out the 57.3 percent of revenue derived from student fees.

UTM is also exploring possibilities of strengthening its ties with the Brampton community. Around 1,400 students are enrolled at the UTM campus who live in Brampton, and Krull is optimistic about an increase of this number, provided that better access between Brampton and the UTM campus is established.

“What [the enrolment number of Brampton students] suggests is that we are not getting the best students, or at least not as many as we could potentially get from Brampton,” said Krull. “Why is that? Transportation issues are primary.”

New directors to lobby for improved food and transit Election continued from Cover Even though only about 354 students took part in the plebiscite, Agbeyegbe said UTMSU can still use the results and that it plans to continue to collect student input regarding lower tuition.

UTMSU plans to use the statistics in a lobby document they will bring to the St. George campus. The plan is to include UTM students’ feedback in UTMSU’s lobbying efforts when lobbying U of T’s central administration to lower fees.

In an interview with The Medium, both Victoria and Girgis identified food diversity on campus as a priority they would like to work to im-

prove. When told that the university has signed a five-year contract with Chartwells, the campus food provider, Victoria said that she’d try to get UTMSU to run a petition regarding food

Victoria and Girgis identified food diversity on campus as a priority they would like to work to improve. options on campus and present that petition to Chartwells, noting that petitions were used to help campaign for the heated bus shelters.

Girgis, after hearing about the contract, said she’d suggest ways for UTMSU to host its breakfast club more often during the week, or to offer free coffee and snacks during exam periods.

Victoria said she would also like to make the U-Pass recognized by other transit providers in addition to MiWay, for students who commute outside Mississauga.

Girgis also said she’d like to increase the seating available on campus, saying she’d bring the idea to the other representatives and executives on UTMSU and approach the university.

The directors’ terms will end on April 30.

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MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Maria Iqbal editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Maria Cruz managing@themedium.ca News Nicole Danesi news@themedium.ca A&E Kate Cattell-Daniels arts@themedium.ca Features Farah Qaiser features@themedium.ca Sports Eric Hewitson sports@themedium.ca — Photo Mahmoud Sarouji photos@themedium.ca Design Sarah Yassine design@themedium.ca Copy Akshaya Sharma copy@themedium.ca Online & Blog Corey Belford Kimberly Johnson blog@themedium.ca online@themedium.ca ASSOCIATES News Menna Elnaka A&E TBA Features TBA Sports TBA Photo Christy Tam Copy TBA GENERAL STAFF Webmaster Luke Sawczak web@themedium.ca Distribution Manager Alex Ciesielczuk distribution@themedium.ca Ads Manager Mayank Sharma ads@themedium.ca BOARD OF DIRECTORS Maryam Faisal, Jeremy Wu, Leo Jiang, Natalia Ramnarine, Rebecca Xu, Saima Khan (ex-officio), Christine Capewell (ex-officio) COPYRIGHTS All content printed in The Medium is the sole property of its creators, and cannot be used without written consent.

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Who says youth aren’t engaged?

UTSU’s AGM didn’t pass many motions, but did successfully debate issues Every UTM student should attend UTSU’s annual general meeting—at least once.

I attended my first AGM downtown last year and was amazed. I’d never seen so many young people so passionate about politics. What was even more impressive was that the students actually seemed to know what they were talking about—from Robert’s Rules to items from past UTSU board meetings, the participants arrived at the event prepared with their research and ready to debate.

And others came to entertain. This year, we were graced with an evening performance by the U of T engineering society’s Lady Godiva Bnad (the engineers chose to spell it that way for some reason—maybe York knows why). The Bnad came storming into the auditorium with drums, trumpets, and hard hats before being quickly escorted out by security at the pleas of the chairperson.

I have no guilt in acknowledging that it was one of the highlights of the event. But that shouldn’t be taken to mean that the AGM was a joke. Sure, there was plenty of entertainment by excited students, the “bnad”, bingo cards, etc., but right along with it was debate about serious issues affecting U of T students and the UTSU. If you didn’t know, the union downtown (which all full-time UTM students are also a part of and pay fees

to) has to make structural changes to its board of directors to comply with changes to the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. Their deadline to do so was October 17, so the AGM was our opportunity to vote on those changes. And as you’ll read in our news section, a structure was not successfully passed at the meeting.

But what the AGM did successfully accomplish is, arguably, democracy. If there’s one thing that the attendees— no matter what their political inclinations are—might agree on, it’s that the AGM allowed a lot of students to have their voices heard. And that’s a big deal in an age where youth get flak for political apathy—especially in an election season.

Hundreds of students came to attend the meeting and sat in the lecture hall for nearly five hours. Plenty came to the mics to express their views about what they’d like to see in the UTSU, be it regarding the board structure or otherwise. Students also decided the agenda, even overruling the chair at least twice to add new motions to discuss, despite the deadline for submitting motions having already passed.

I won’t speculate on whether or not I agreed with all of the decisions students made at the AGM, or whether I think everyone who spoke added something valuable to the discussion.

That’s not the point. The point is the

AGM offered students a forum where power was vested in their hands. They made the decisions.

In fact, the students had so much to say that we never even got to hear the address by UTSU president Ben Coleman, who barely spoke all evening.

It’s not often that you see a leader sit patiently while constituents run the entire meeting.

Admittedly, we don’t see that kind of engagement at UTM. UTMSU holds its own AGM in Council Chambers, a small venue for a campus of 13,000 students. Worse, we don’t see the same level of passion among UTM students that we do downtown. Few students come to UTMSU’s AGM with research on UTMSU’s finances or prepared to debate policies. I remember that among the lengthiest items last year was the nearly hour-long UTMSU presidential address. Quite different from UTSU, to say the least.

I can sympathize with students who came here to learn in their courses and graduate with high grades. But I also think that students who simply commute to campus, go to lecture, and go home are missing out on the university experience. Yes, transportation isn’t great and commuting is a pain—I sympathized with the UTM students who called for UTSU’s AGM to be adjourned because their bus was waiting to take them back to campus.

But despite the challenges, if we don’t take the time to fully experience our campus—by attending events and paying attention to issues, policies, and politics—we’re the ones missing out. It might seem vain to think that student politics matter—they’re just student politics after all—but they offer great insight into broader politics in our city, province, and yes, country.

If you don’t believe me, try attending UTSU’s AGM just once. Even if you don’t care about the issues or don’t appreciate the jokes, it’ll be an event in your undergrad career that you won’t want to forget.

YOURS, MARIA IQBAL

CORRECTION NOTICE The Oct. 5 article “Saini outlines potential plans for Brampton facility” mistakenly said that the City of Brampton said in a letter to the media that they hoped to ease access for students who face travel and housing costs at distant universities. It was in fact an online FAQ by the City of Brampton that said that a Brampton university could help address this issue. The article “UTMSU discuss AV costs and ‘reverse racism’” in the same issue was mistakenly credited to Alaheh Amini instead of Menna Elnaka.

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Dishing the dirt on Greek dramatics Theatre Erindale’s upcoming production of Orestes promises mess, feminism, and courage KATE CATTELL-DANIELS A&E EDITOR With tech week—also known as crunch time—starting next week, Theatre Erindale cast and crew are all extremely busy. I sit down with Autumn Smith, director of Orestes, to chat about the process of putting Euripides’s ancient Greek play onstage with the graduating class of the Theatre and Drama Studies program.

The Medium: What’s it like working with classical text as opposed to contemporary?

Autumn Smith: Well, this is a translation, so it’s a new adaptation by Anne Carson. It has a contemporary feel to it for sure. It has a feel more of Oscar Wilde than a “true” contemporary text. But the intent and the stakes are still there.

She’s kept that very true to Euripides, so the language is just slightly more accessible, I think.

TM: Does that complicate things? That you are using a translation?

AS: It’s a very weird play. It’s very random. So trying to find a time and a place to suit it, to suit the

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Guest director Autumn Smith lounges on the set of Theatre Erindale’s season opener. work is very difficult. I’ve actually never been challenged that way as a director. Usually I can conceptualize something immediately. And I did that with this work, but just trying to put all the nuts and bolts of it together was really tricky. Part of

it is the translation, because it’s so banter-y, and for me the only place I could make sense of it conceptually is Victorian England. A little bit of Monty Python-esque, overthe-top bravado, and yet [also] these really devastating characters

that remind me of a Dickens novel.

TM: Did you end up setting the play in Victorian England?

AS: I most certainly did. We explore the voice of women and how it was muted at that time, and we explore the transition between [the

focus on] God and the incoming evidence that Darwin presented in his work that challenged everything that came before. We also looked at colonialism—Troy [in the play] is representative of Ireland at the time so our eunuch slave is actually an Irishman. He has absolutely no say in his own country’s matters.

TM: You mentioned the “muted voice of women”. How does that play out in a cast mostly consisting of women?

AS: We talked a lot about it.

They’re all powerful women, so we explored this idea that the piece itself is so misogynistic. But Electra, the main character, and the chorus are so strong that they’re fighting against this misogyny throughout the whole play, but what that actually looks like in the end is that they are helpless. Everyone is a slave to something or [someone], so women are slave to men, Helen is slave to the gods—well, we’re all slave to the gods—and the Irish are slaves to Britain. It’s all about challenging what we believe and that idea that traditionally things were that way.

Orestes continued on page 6

Judge the book by its cover and its cover art UTSG’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library offers a glimpse of international literary masterpieces HAILEY MASON The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is now featuring its exhibition on modern Czech book design. The well-preserved works on display include some of the major Czechoslovakian designers, writers, illustrators, and artists of the early 20th century. These works encapsulate the prominent ideologies, or “-isms”, of the time, such as Surrealism, Cubism, Symbolism, Poetism, and more.

When the library was established in 1973, Fisher’s family donated their collection of Shakespearean titles, 20th century authors, and 17th century etchings to the institution. Almost two centuries later, the library has matured into an expansive establishment, containing roughly 700,000 volumes and 3,000 linear metres of manuscript.

The library includes the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, which houses a vast supply of volumes and manuscripts. The department began in 1955 with a pile of rare material in a forgotten room on campus. Once sorted, this collection spawned the creation of a Rare Book Room in 1957, which later found proper housing in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library upon its

CHRISTY TAM /THE MEDIUM

Rare books are on display at the library for students and Torontonians. establishment.

The library features three exhibitions a year, in which curators display the culture and functionality of different eras of literature, language, and design.

Maximum Imaginativeness, the leading title of the current exhibition, features modern Czech book

design and illustration crafted between 1900 and 1950. The curator of the exhibition, Ksenya Kiebuzinski, explains the name as “taken from an essay by the artist Jindrich Styrsy and Toyen, written in 1927, in which they explore the relationship between art and reality”. Maximum Imaginativeness is an archive

of books, journals, and illustrations that trace 20th-century Czechoslovakia through its advancement in book design and illustration. The period includes developments in typography, book covers, binding, graphic design, photomontage, and more. During the half-century the exhibition covers, there occur spe-

cific phases, including a focus on the aesthetics of book design as well as a focus on literary content. It is during these phases that different “-isms” of the time, such as Styrsy and Toyen’s artificialism, are evident.

Karel Dyrynk (1876-1949), one of the designers on display, was a Czech typographer, typeface creator, and editor. Dyrynk was interested in the aesthetics of book design. He viewed books as works of art and believed in crafting them with the highest regard for beauty. More specifically, Dyrynk was an admirer of lettering. He believed in the craft of typography and the ornamental production of lettering on paper. Dyrynk was particularly fascinated by the works of Josef Vachal (1884-1969), a Czech writer, painter, printmaker, and book-printer. Dyrynk praised Vachal for his originality and artistry in the realm of hand-printed lettering.

Dyrynk was centred in Prague, where he directed the State Printing House and designed five original typefaces. Two of his books on display at the library’s exhibition include The Typographer on Books and Rules of Typesetting.

The exhibition opened on September 28 and runs until December 18.

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THE MEDIUM 10.19.2015

Trinity actors chill out Outdoor production of The Winter’s Tale switches things up

ADELAIDE CLARK

CHRISTY TAM/THE MEDIUM

Trinity College takes Shakespeare outdoors for a change of pace.

ANDREW PLUMMER If you have ever visited St. George’s Quad at night then you probably already know it’s not a place you want to be. Isolated in that particular area there seems to be a cold that is beyond every other cold, which summons the demons normally associated with high fevers and sore throats. Granted, this may have been Anthony Botelho’s intention when he first began directing William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale—to immerse the audience in a story on all flanks.

For those unfamiliar with The Winter’s Tale, watching a rerun of Maury may give you an idea of the plot. From the play’s outset we learn that King Leontes (Louis-Alexandre Boulet) believes that his wife, Hermione (Rachel Hart), had slept with another man—Camillo, King of Bohemia (Claire Shenstone-Harris), who is also Leontes’ old friend—and is pregnant with his child. The Oracle

tells Leontes that he is the father, but only after he has put his wife on trial for her life and banished his newborn daughter from his kingdom. From here the play explores a myriad of complications, including thievery, deceit, betrayal, prophecy, and what is most likely a demon, but looked more like an obese Chihuahua being pushed around on a wheelchair.

What comes to you at the play’s conclusion is nothing less than an epiphany, the importance of which is on par with Newton’s realization that some force had dropped an apple on his skull. Love and envy, Botelho’s Tale seems to teach us, are the Yin and Yang of emotional psychology: you cannot have one without the other.

Despite Leontes’ bursts of insanity, I do not think that a studious audience member would claim that the king hated his wife. Rather, it was his love for her that sparked his insanity. Since Hermione died offstage I did not feel much sympathy for her, but watching Leontes break down in

a different way than he had before— emptier, less excitably—I knew that if someone did not give me a hug soon then I would break down along with him.

There were other spectacular performances, especially by Kevin Wong, who played Autolycus and may have a future as Canada’s next great satirist, and I felt that Botelho was testing the divide between the classical and the modern. Then, eerie music, which made me feel as though I was being watched, sealed the play in an envelope and shipped it off to receive a Tony.

Although the actors faced several problems as a result of performing outside—the airplane that roared above one of Leontes’ monologues, for instance—their focus did not waver. By this, I mean that the audience did not see a bunch of prestigious university students galloping about in the merciless cold. Instead, we saw a royal family bearing their mortality.

Ever wondered what your professors read in their spare time? Do profs only read student papers and academia, or do they indulge in the latest bestsellers like the rest of us? The Medium sits down with Dr. Colin Hill, a professor of Canadian fiction at UTM. He is particularly interested in modernist archives, literary histories, and editorial practices. He is also a co-editor of the University of Toronto Quarterly and oversees its annual Letters in Canada issue.

The Medium: What are you reading right now?

Colin Hill: Right now, I am reading Munich Airport by Greg Baxter.

TM: I see you have a Kindle. Is this what you use to read all of your books?

CH: Yes, mostly. [Professors] have a reputation [for being opposed to reading digitally]. I love tangible books, but I have a small house and I don’t have room for them. I like the fact that you can have so many [books] all in one place. I read all of my journals and newspapers on my iPad and reserve the Kindle for novels. I love books, but I can’t be stuck in the past forever. I have to move with the times. Every year I get a bit older, and it becomes harder to bridge the gap between the students and myself. I try to understand how they think.

Young people today are so digitally astute. I can’t refuse to be a part of digital publishing. I am supposed to be someone who communicates with and educates young people, and young people today are so digital. But I am reluctant to use the Kindle. It feels weird in my hands, it stinks like plastic, and it’s not very cozy, but it’s convenient. I would miss books if they were all gone from the world. I allow myself only one giant bookshelf in my house. I don’t want to be the book version of a cat lady.

TM: Do you spend most of your time reading for work or school, or for pleasure?

CH: There are many things a literature professor has to read, like assignments, emails, reports, and essays. It also depends on the time of year. At this time of year, I have to read a lot of texts for the courses I teach.

But even times like now, when work is all-consuming, I try to read for an hour right before I go to sleep.

I like to leave the last hour of the day for reading. If I read before bed, I can read until I’m too tired to keep my eyes open. When I can’t stay awake for any longer, I put my book down and fall right asleep. I like to reserve this time not only for books that are not related to courses, but also books that are not even Canadian. Canadian literature is my specialization, and as much as I enjoy some of it, I still love to read outside of it, too. For pleasure I usually read about 50 or 60 novels a year.

TM: How do you pick your reading material?

CH: Someone once told me, when I was a student nine million years ago, that you do 75 percent of your reading before you graduate, and only 25 percent of your reading during the rest of your life. I thought it should be the other way around—that you have the rest of your life to read. The rest of your life is when you get to choose the kind of stuff you read. I decided that every summer I was going to read as many new Canadian books that came out that year as possible. I’ve stuck with that for the last 10 or 12 years now.

As I get older, I realize that time is limited. Life is too short to read all the books you want to read, even if you have nothing else to do. I don’t want to waste my time reading a bad book—life’s too short to read books that are bad.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Director Autumn Smith discusses getting a stubborn old play on its feet and bringing it to life Orestes continued from page 5 AS: It’s very interesting to discuss with a contemporary class and go “What’s wrong with this picture?” and how can we push against that to create a piece that is dynamic and contemporary while still being true to the classical version.

TM: What’s it like directing students?

AS: Oh, I love it. It’s my favourite thing to do. There’s an energy you get from students that is different. It’s different from working with professional actors because there’s an energy of play and accep-

tance, and they haven’t been truly jaded by the industry yet. They’re just willing to go. Their work ethic is amazing. I just finished doing my MFA at York—I did a Masters in Directing with an emphasis on teaching at a university level, so I quite enjoy it. And they’re incredible. I’m really lucky that way.

TM: Do you have a methodology when you direct? Is there a way you do things?

AS: Dirty. I’m just dirty. Dirty and specific is my motto. No, I don’t [have a methodology].

It depends on who you have in the room with you—it’s going to

switch up. But I work a lot based on instinct and intuition and I like digging into the ugliness of hu-

“Everything I direct, I want people to go away and talk...

Ultimately, theatre is about debate.” manity, all the grey areas—I’m not very black and white. I try to keep my work very physically grounded as well, so there’s movement paired

with the stillness in this piece.

TM: Is there something that you want the audience to come away with?

AS: Other than, “What the hell was that?” You know, everything I direct, I want people to go away and talk. I mean everyone is going to look at the work differently.

Like going into an art gallery, everyone always has their own opinion of the work. So, even in conversation with my colleagues here, everyone has a different opinion on how they view the work, how they think the work should be done. And yet ultimately, theatre

is about debate. Theatre is about going away thinking and dialoguing. If I can ask the audience to go away with anything, it’s that idea of, “Wow, I didn’t get that, can you explain it to me?” or, “Well, that really pissed me off,” or, “What the hell was Euripides thinking when he wrote that play?” I just want people to dialogue, whether they loved it or hated it. Just be impassioned about it.

Orestes opens at Theatre Erindale on October 21.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

10.19.2015 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 7

Musical mother tongue Martinez bridges language gap with musical inspiration

REWIND KIMBERLY JOHNSON BLOG EDITOR

MEADOWVALE THEATRE/PHOTO

Amanda Martinez illuminates Mississauga’s Meadowvale Theatre stage.

KASSANDRA HANGDAAN

”In 1956, my father [Gustavo Martinez] and his brother—my tìo Arturo—decided that they had this dream, and that dream was Canada,” Amanda Martinez tells the audience as she opens her evening show at the Meadowvale Theatre.

In the minutes that follow, Martinez recounts the epic saga of her father and uncle’s journey from central Mexico to Toronto—a feat accomplished in 82 days and covering a distance of 5,600 km—on bicycles.

Born to a South African mother and a Mexican father, Martinez’s music is a mélange of Latin jazz and flamenco influences. Her songs—written mostly in Spanish—captivate the predominantly English-speaking audience despite the obvious language barrier. I suspect that the absolute captivation of the audience is due to her rich voice; listening to her sing reminds me of the same imposingly resonant quality characteristic of Karen Carpenter’s voice—an emotive and sonorous sound that is remarkably soothing.

Martinez boasts a sizeable rep-

ertoire of music, having released three albums since 2006: Sola, Amor, and Mañana. She performs a selection from each album during the show.

One of her songs, “Hasta Que Pueda”, transfixes me, and for the few minutes that her voice carries over the plaintive strumming of the guitar, I lose sense of my surroundings and become entirely captivated. She dances and sways

Born to a South African mother and a Mexican father, Martinez’s music is a mélange of Latin jazz and flamenco influences. to the music, and watching her is mystifying.

My favourite part of the performance is when she steps down from the stage and dances with some of the audience members.

Watching such a lively exchange brings a smile to my face, since it’s such a contrast to the usual monotony of everyday life as well as most performances, where actors and musicians remain onstage.

The enchantment, however, is broken as the last chords play and the song slowly recedes, and Martinez returns to the stage.

Martinez doesn’t hesitate as she starts the next song. “[‘Tómalo’] is about following your dreams, and funnily enough, I co-wrote it with my dad,” she says, trying her best to bridge the language barrier between her songs and the audience with a description of the song beforehand.

Martinez rattles off Spanish sentences in rapid-fire succession when she realizes that some Spanish speakers are present. I struggle to follow the exchange between the audience member and Martinez. I realize that I really should have paid more attention in high school Spanish class.

However, one does not need to be fluent in Spanish to understand the deep sense of urgency embedded in the lyrics. You can hear it through the fast, driving rhythm of “Tómalo” accompanied by the sharp notes of the trumpet.

I leave the show with a positive impression. Martinez sounds just as good live—if not better—than she does on her recordings.

Singin’ in the Rain is the classic musical that brought you Gene Kelly’s infamous tap dancing routine on a sound stage and that really awkward morning song that’s in all those Viagra commercials. It’s safe to say that the movie is iconic.

The story follows Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), and Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), three Hollywood artists working in the midst of its transition from making silent films to “talkies”. Lockwood is a silent film star who is in an artificial high profile relationship with the studio’s leading lady, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), a spoilt, seemingly stupid opportunist.

The core of the film takes place at Monumental Pictures, who, after much pressure from the public, decides to make their first talkie, a film called The Dueling Cavalier. It stars Lockwood and Lamont and after being screened by audiences, is laughed out of the theatre for poor dialogue and even worse acting.

Lockwood is a respected actor who has a say in the films that he’s a part of, Brown is promoted from lowly piano player to the studio’s foremost music director, and Selden is finally recognized by the public for her work. Lockwood is cocky, Brown is witty, and Selden is charming and just so darn cute, even when she’s yelling at Lockwood for being a talentless film star. It’s a conventional love story between Lockwood

and Selden. I’m not going to lie—it’s lovely. She’s dainty and graceful and he’s a wonderful strong male lead. They’re beautiful to watch together and their love story is just so innocent.

What really stands out to me, now that I’ve watched it a hundred times, is Lina Lamont. She’s odd. She sounds peculiar and from the audience, you assume (at least I did anyway) that she’s nothing more than a spoiled, talentless diva. It isn’t until she’s in the studio head’s office, slamming a contract down on his desk and demanding Selden’s vocal services, that we see that she’s also cunning and cruel. “What do ya think I am? Dumb or something?” she asks the studio head. And the truth is, well, yeah. Lamont is a proper villain. She’s innocently evil.

But that’s why Singin’ in the Rain is a film of its time. Lamont would be praised by today’s audience. She would be seen as a woman who stood up for her right to be heard. She is continuously shushed and even dubbed over because she does not have the desirable sultry voice that three men, all in positions of power, prefer. And for a woman who is supposed to have the same star power as that of Lockwood, she is instead treated as an object cultivated to help sell movies designed by men.

Lamont is the worst, but her struggle is understandable, and her actions seem as frantic as they are cruel. That’s the beauty of her character—she’s a complicated woman, and Hagen’s performance is just so much fun to watch.

MMMM

8

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10.19.2015

Hackathon inspires student ideas Students gather during 12-hour event to code, create apps, websites, and other platforms CAMERON ALLAN What is a hacker? If you pose this question to a group of people, chances are that you’ll get a variety of answers.

Some will think of life hackers— individuals who find quick and easy ways to make our everyday lives a little less stressful. Others may think of those pesky ski mask–wearing criminals who gain unauthorized access to confidential data, or perform other malicious acts through the use of computers.

To the growing Mathematical and Computational Sciences Society here at UTM and to those deeply involved in the computing world, a hacker is simply a quick-thinking, creative, and brilliant dream weaver.

With this innovative spirit in mind, MCSS was looking to make their mark in the global Major League Hacking—specifically, the league’s annual Local Hack Day on October 10.

Major League Hacking is a collegiate hackathon league that organizes, sponsors, and promotes student hackathons around the world.

ALBERT YANG/PHOTO

The hackathon was attended by 116 students, mentors, faculty members, and industry professionals.

The hackathon event has now been brought back to life at UTM, after two years of being silent and sorely missed.

On the morning of the hackathon, 116 likeminded students, mentors, faculty members, and industry professionals dispersed into the nooks and crannies of Deerfield Hall for 12

straight action-packed hours.

Teams were formed around a unique or modified idea, which was brought to life by collaboratively coding it from scratch. Students had free rein to create whatever they saw fit, but projects generally took shape in the form of websites, mobile apps, gadgets and—my personal favou-

rite—video games.

Groups of people across the globe hosted their own Local Hack Days on their campuses.

At first glance, it may seem like these kinds of events are exclusive to computer programmers. However, the truth is that no boundaries were placed on who could get involved

with the event. Students from a variety of different backgrounds were needed, and all participants became integral parts in the building of fully immersive projects.

Austin Wells, a second-year computer science specialist and member of the Green Weasel team, outlined what makes this event so unique for him. “It’s an opportunity to be creative and come up with our own ideas and not be so defined by guidelines for an assignment or a project.

We get to do our own thing,” he says.

“It’s not so rigid. It’s nice to be offered some cool and expensive hardware to play around with.”

Hackathons are becoming a trend all over the world. Ground-breaking discoveries and the foundational ideas of some of the world’s most powerful corporations have been brainstormed during such sessions.

For UTM students, hackathons present an opportunity to gain exposure, diversify their networks, and get their hands on some awesome hardware while simultaneously gaining a meaningful learning experience.

Hacking continued on page 10

Taking a look at UTM’s marketing efforts Marketing includes “selling” UTM to potential donors, dealing with controversy, emergencies FARAH QAISER FEATURES EDITOR While taking a walk around the campus, you will easily spot the various Boundless posters hanging off several poles. Are you heading towards the bathroom? Chances are you’ll be sitting on the toilet face-to-face with a poster. Did you hear that the University of Toronto was ranked 16th in the world this month? You may have seen that shared on Facebook from a UTM-based social media account. These are all examples of Marketing and Communications hard at work here at UTM. Despite their broad reach, the department is no more than a threeperson team that works for the Office of Advancement. The team consists of Jane Stirling, director, Nicolle Wahl, assistant director, and Blake Eligh, a communications officer.

To many, the marketing and communications department may seem like nothing more than a method to attract potential students. However, the truth is that the responsibility for attracting new students actually belongs to the Office of Student Recruitment and Admissions. The marketing and communications department plays a whole different game.

JEANLOUIS REBELLO/THE MEDIUM

Marketing and Communications is manned by a three-person team.

THE DEPARTMENT’S ROLE “We develop, direct, and plan all the marketing and communications initiatives that tell the story of the University of Toronto Mississauga,” says Stirling. “We look after the brand of UTM and any marketing, external marketing, and advertising flows through our office.

“We cover a broad swath of areas in terms of promoting the university.

Nicolle [Wahl] does a lot of work on the digital side of the house and the social media side. We promote

events, researchers, and research at the university through our media relations,” says Stirling.

For example, the Boundless campaign was a central initiative to all three campuses. “It started very much as a fundraiser tool,” describes Stirling. “It [then] broadened to all three campuses and stakeholder groups to encompass the endless and boundless possibilities that exist within the University of Toronto.”

According to Stirling, the department’s potential audience includes

the media, the government, the surrounding community, donors, potential donors, and even faculty.

“We look after the philanthropy— [for example] if there are donors who want to give to a building or a project at UTM. We work with the fundraisers at the university on the communications material,” she continued. For example, Terrence Donnelly’s donation of $12 million helped establish the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex here at UTM.

Aside from attracting potential donors, government relations are one of the top priorities to the department, as the “campus is intricately tied to the City of Mississauga and Region of Peel”.

“All three campuses put [their own] imprint into marketing. One of the foci that UTM has—that the other two campuses may not—is [that] we’re really about city building,” explains Stirling. “Two years ago, we received a big investment from the City of Mississauga of $10 million.”

Additionally, the department focuses on developing UTM’s relations with the surrounding community.

“By community relations, what I mean is that we work closely with the City of Mississauga [when] issues or problems pop up […] We used to have Mayor McCallion [visit often]—it was like her second home when she was in power with the City of Mississauga,” says Stirling.

“We now have this Brampton initiative—joining with the City of Brampton to have some kind of facility in Brampton down the road. So there’s a lot of government relations that happens on this campus and any of the communications portion comes to me and Wahl.”

Adverts continued on page 9

10.19.2015 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

Future is printed in 3D How to sell UTM Adverts continued from page 8

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Manchanda used “Cubert”, UTM’s 3D printer found in Innovation Complex, to print out a large die.

TANYA MANCHANDA Imagine endless possibility—having an idea and then turning it into something tangible in minutes. Now imagine that you don’t have to imagine anymore.

Additive manufacturing—popularly known as 3D printing—is the future. 3D printers can take digital 3D models and easily turn them into tangible objects. This is the future that I had the chance to step into for an hour last week.

Few UTM students are aware of the fact that “Cubert” the 3D printer currently resides in the lower levels of the Innovation Complex. UTM’s 3D printer was bought from ORD Solutions, a Canadian company.

As of right now, both UTM students and staff can use the printer without any cost, but you will need to contact the I-CUBE program coordinator first to set up a time for a training workshop and pass a safety test before being allowed to use it unsupervised.

For anyone who has ever seen a 3D printer in action before, you probably have an idea about how fascinating the 3D printing process is. The printer works by taking a filament called PLA (a type of plastic), and heating the material. It is then pushed through a nozzle, creating a thin layer, which is then built upon to ultimately create your final piece. It’s similar to how a glue gun works.

I chose to print a die that was sized to scale. During my training workshop, Wilson Chen, I-CUBE’s program coordinator, already had a 3D design of the die ready, which he fed into the computer that was connected to the printer. We then watched the magic unfold.

It took about 35 minutes to print my object, which is not that long compared to some of the other prototypes that I saw. The printer starts printing bottom up and works in millimetres, so precision is key. The thinner the layer size, the longer it takes.

According to Chen, 3D printing is slowly changing the world.

“We’re starting to see 3D printers not only being able to print in plastic but also metal, wood, and carbon.

[I’ve] heard of some that can even handle food,” he explains.

The printing phenomena allows users to get creative with their designs.

Aspiring entrepreneurs, researchers, or even simply those with an idea, can expand their way of thinking and explore the new possibilities this futuristic technology brings.

As with any new and innovative technology, there are limits to 3D printing. The printers can be quite expensive, but hopefully as the consumer market grows, the prices will decrease.

3D printing will undoubtedly change the manufacturing industry and contribute to other aspects such as advances in medicine (3D-printed prosthetic limbs are already being produced).

As for me, I’m sure I’ll be using Cubert again in the future—next time, perhaps for my own original idea.

UTM’S SELLING POINTS “One of the huge selling points is how critical we are to developing the human talent—the young people who are coming up and going to go out there and be leaders for the community—we’re developing that human talent,” says Stirling. “We’re really, in terms of the city building and reaching out to the international community, driving human talent, which is really critical here at UTM.” To Wahl, UTM’s unique academic programs—such as IMI, the forensic sciences department, and MAM— help give it an edge over competing universities.

“Frankly, we [also] have a tremendous campus experience,” she adds.

“People are always talking about the physical environment here at UTM and that it’s just so beautiful. There are so many rich student experiences that you can have, such as going off to Guatemala to learn about types of fair trade.”

OVERCOMING CONTROVERSY The department’s work isn’t limited to reaching out to potential donors and building relations—occasionally, emergencies and controversies surface that have to be dealt with immediately.

“If there are any problematic things or emergency messaging things, or snow closures that happen and a group of people have to find out very quickly, that goes through our office as well,” says Stirling.

Regarding the recent online blog threats, Wahl comments, “It’s something that comes up. On a daily basis, we’re watching social media; we’re watching different blogs or subreddits.”

“When we were first made aware of [the threats], obviously we wanted to go out and check to see if there were

any digital echoes. At that point, it had already been taken down from the original site,” says Wahl. “But we really wanted to check and see if the digital space had any other signs of that kind of language out there.

“One of the really great things about social media is that it allows us to open up that side of the conversation and really reach out to people, and engage people that way and to sort of take back the space when you see that kind of language being put out there. One [of the] positive things that came out of that was the sense of unity. That we were all going to stand up together to create a safe space.”

DONATIONS AND INFLUENCE One concern that comes to mind when thinking about the marketing and communications department is the tightrope between a donor’s funding and the influence they can exert.

When asked about how far a donor can influence academic programs at UTM, Stirling immediately shut down any lingering qualms. “There might be a misconception amongst students that when you solicit a donor’s support for something, those donors have a huge say in the whole academic realm of a program or of an institute,” she says. “And that’s wrong. The university has very, very strict guidelines on how involved a donor can be. And it’s very minimal—minimal to non-existent—in terms of directing any kind of academic program.

“Just because a donor gives money to a program or to an institute that doesn’t mean that that donor has any kind of say in terms of the direction of that academic program or institute.”

Wahl adds, “The academic priorities of the university [always] come first.”

The link between religion and geek culture “Classes Without Quizzes” event discussed the religious aspects hidden within superheroes MAHNOOR AYUB With Halloween around the corner, I’m preparing to see a number of masks and costumes of various characters. To identify whom the outfit represents, I ask myself the following: Is the character a saviour? Are they invincible? Are their origins mysterious? Do they disregard the law while fighting for justice? If all the answers are yes, I know that I’m looking at a superhero.

However, after attending the Alumni Development Network’s “Classes Without Quizzes” event last Wednesday, I realize a superhero is not the only identification that I’m working towards. The character depicted with the attributes listed may very well be the figurative depiction of Jesus Christ.

Let’s take a look at 3 B.C.—a time when the world was wrought with major problems, such as the migration amongst the Babylonians and Syrians. The Bible was the major resource for advice in that region.

Robert Jewett and John Shelton

JILLIAN SEGOVIA/THE MEDIUM

Last Wednesday, Derry spoke at an alumni event about the religious undertones present in comics.

Lawrence, authors of Captain America and the Crusade against Evil, have divided biblical responses to crises into two categories: politics and our beloved superheroes. Throughout the talk, our host Ken Derry, a religion studies professor, drew a parallel between these two categories.

Before we dive deeper into these categories, let’s do a thought experi-

ment. When being faced with a problem in your society, do you reflect upon your contribution? Does your approach include working with the law and spreading the love? Do you find yourself often forgiving your enemies? If you said yes to any of these questions, your ideas may be what are referred to as prophetic realism.

Congratulations! You may find your

parallel in Thor or Batman—only in The Dark Knight, that is.

While those are decent comparisons, you—and your parallel characters—endure a lot of suffering.

Batman works with the legal system and fights to maintain Harvey Dent’s heroic impression. We all know about those characters doing the self-righteous killing, but Batman doesn’t

want us to lose faith in the legal system.

“If existing legal structures aren’t sufficient to address the problem, then you work together to change those structures,” says Derry when describing prophetic realism. However, he goes on to say, “The other response is the opposite of all of those things.”

Distinguishing between the good guys and the bad guys—or demonizing the enemy—is the kind of selfrighteous behaviour we can expect from those individuals who supersede existing legal structures to enforce justice. This ideology is referred to as zealot nationalism and is also the most commonly encountered superhero narrative.

In contrast with the prophetic realism hero examples provided by Derry, he further describes zealot nationalism. “Most superheroes are vigilantes. They’re technically criminals, but in their own stories, where it’s justified breaking of the law in order to achieve a greater good.”

Religion continued on page 10

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«FEATURES

THE MEDIUM 10.19.2015

Ready, set—hack!

This week, the Blackboard Special is back but with a different spin: we’re taking a look at what a #PeelPovertyDiet looks like for 48 hours.

The panel of judges included Peggy Cao, two professors, and members of the industry.

Hacking continued from page 8 “You’d think it’d be easy but you have to come up with a creative idea, and you only have 12 hours,” says Usaim Bhayat, a first-year computer science student. “It’s a learning experience, and I’ve [also gotten the chance] to meet new people who have had similar interests and experiences as I have.”

The event is equally fruitful for faculty. Faculty members understand that these types of events are ideal spaces for up-and-coming hack aficionados to hone their skills and receive constructive criticism about their work and habits.

When this many bright students flock under one roof, something revolutionary is bound to happen. It’s not a matter of how, but when. One such project, led by second-year computer science specialist Nicholas DiRisio, is aiming to aid children with mental and physical disabilities.

“Over the summer, I worked with children with disabilities including autism and other motor disabilities,” says DiRisio. “So I was thinking, why not develop a platform, or some kind of game, to help them improve their cognitive abilities and also help them

to learn, and give them a fun way of doing it?”

Hackers were given until 8:00 p.m. to finalize and polish their product to near perfection. Their final product was then presented to a panel of qualified judges. The judges included Peggy Cao (president of the MCSS), Arnold Rosenbloom (an associate professor for the MCS department), and the following industry members: Aria Fa, Cyrus Bakhityari, Farhang Farid, Micheal Krec, and Tapan Shah.

The judges awarded the winning team, Taskifier, with Raspberry Pis. No, not the delicious pastry dessert. A Raspberry Pi is an affordable and capable credit card–sized computer that is designed to help people become versed in computer programming software. The Taskifier team created a timing app for both iOS and Android that integrates calendar, notifications, and gaming elements to create an overall interactive experience.

The creative prize winners, selected

by Ray Khan, president of the ICCIT Council, were team Mieson. This team produced a Myo Armband, which can be used to play all your music straight from a phone hands free.

The panel of judges selected Arash Gholami’s app as an honorable men-

tion. Gholami created a mobile and desktop-based app that acts as both a matrix calculator and a quizzing system.

The event was organized by the MCSS alongside professors Larry Zhang and Arnold Rosenbloom.

“I was truly surprised by the quality, the creativity, and the diversity shown in the students’ projects—what they were able to accomplish in one day, how much fun they were having, and how passionate they were about very different things,” commented Zhang.

“I can really see future heroes in computer science among these students. The judges’ conversations with the students were amazingly insightful and inspiring. The students not only had fun hacking, but also learned a lot from the alumni who are now professional software developers and entrepreneurs.”

Arthur C. Clarke, a British science fiction writer, claims, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” After witnessing the hackathon, sitting in during team discussions, and seeing their outlandish dreams become a reality, I couldn’t agree more. It was simply mystifying.

Superheroes linked to religion Religion continued from page 9 “Often what you end up with in the narrative—the zealot nationalist narrative—is the kind of story where you’re left with no choice but to actually destroy your enemies; that’s not necessarily the starting point,” is the argument presented by Derry when describing the “redemptive violence” approach of a zealot nationalist. “You vilify or demonize your enemy and evil. You don’t start off with saying, ‘Well, we’ll get to destroying the enemy.’”

He describes the initial approach as, “We have to fight them, we have to use violence, but destruction often comes as a last resort.” Derry adds that “in many of the biblical stories, the destruction of the enemies is in fact the first thing they think of ”.

Derry continues to mention significant examples from the Bible, as mentioned by Jewett and Lawrence, where a prophetic realism approach was adopted for correction of communities. He mentions a quotation regarding taking the log out of your

own eye before removing a speck from the other’s in relation to selfreflection. A contrast is apparent in more apocalyptic biblical stories, where, as Derry describes, no one is going to sit down and have a conversation with the devil—he’s just going to be thrown into the fire.

“You end up looking to a saviour figure, either as an individual figure or a crew, or the nation itself,” says Derry in relation to the role of American politics and the self-righteous attitude they adopt towards superseding international agreements and imposing their idea of law and order.

Such similarities are evident in the portrayal of superheroes such as Superman and Iron Man as Christ figures. An important component to note is the number of times these heroes appear in the crucifix position in the movies, signifying their suffering and self-sacrifice. Derry displays several images of Superman in the crucifix position with a still frame where, while Superman is contemplating his decisions, a back-

drop image of Jesus doing the same is shown.

Derry also notes the transformation of Tony Stark from a selfindulgent businessman to a zealot nationalist hero, after he has a literal change of heart in the terrorist cave, as parallel to being resurrected and transformed.

“I feel like these are things I was sort of unconsciously aware of while watching movies, but I wasn’t aware of the theory or the structure behind it,” says Ammarah Abid, a secondyear life sciences student. “Now that I look at it, it seems so obvious.

There’s so much more depth to superheroes than we give them credit for.”

Derry mentions how many people may describe his approach as “reading too much” into superhero movies, but he adds that “media literacy is important”.

“If we know these patterns are there, they won’t have so much of an effect. If you could see how you’re being manipulated, you probably wouldn’t be.”

ing the food bank for a solid two years.

“I’m not doing this to see what it would be like to live in poverty, because I already

The United Way of Peel Region chal-

have. I am doing this because it really needs

lenged Peel residents to attempt “eating on

more attention. Everyone talks about middle

the edge”, where participants would spend

class and the upper one percent and the

48 hours simulating a Peel Poverty Diet. The

gaps between the two, but no one wants to

diet would involve consuming only the food

talk about how poverty really is everywhere

items that a food bank visitor would receive.

is Canada... and goes unnoticed.

The challenge started on the morning of

“The hardest part of the diet is medica-

October 14 and ended on the 16, which was

tions—they have certain requirements,”

also World Food Day across Canada.

says Ward. “[For example, they have to] be

For UTM, the challenge was accepted by ALBERT YANG/PHOTO

to participate in the challenge. “So I was us-

a team called UTMSU x UTMAC.

eaten with a full meal, which just isn’t possible with the items on the list. So I feel really

“I came to UTM as an adult after getting

bad for the people who get this feeling of

my OSSD while on Ontario Works. The pay-

gut-rot on a daily basis. I can handle it for

ments barely covered rent and did not cover

two days.”

all of my expenses,” says Jenny Ward, a third-year palaeontology student who chose Peel Poverty Diet SERVES (BARELY) 1

INGREDIENTS (LIST OF FOOD ITEMS

Breakfast: Coffee with sugar.

THAT A TYPICAL FOOD BANK VISITOR

Lunch: -

RECEIVES)

Dinner: Half a can of tuna (drained and

• 1 juice box (250 ml) or small container of milk (250 ml) • 1 small can of soup (10 oz/284 ml)

plain).

Snack before bed: A plain crunchy granola bar.

• 1 package of instant oatmeal (43 g) • 1 of the following sources of protein:

Day Two

175 g tin of tuna or 175 g tin of chicken

Breakfast: Coffee with sugar.

or 1 egg or 3 tbsp of peanut butter

Lunch: -

• 1 small tin of fruit or vegetable (8 oz) • 1 small potato or 1 small onion • 1 granola bar • You may also choose 5 non-food pantry items (i.e. coffee, tea, salt, pepper, sea-

Dinner: 1 small can of soup. 1 plain baked potato.

Snack before bed: 1 small tin of mixed fruit.

Note: Ward mentions that if she did feel

soning, vinegar, honey, flour, sugar, oil)

too hungry, she would resort to eating

to use in addition to the above items

the final items left available to her: a package of instant oatmeal and a cup

METHOD (JENNY’S DIET)

of tea.

Day One

The hidden soup bar The Medium explores DT soup options KATE CATTELL-DANIELS A&E EDITOR It seems to me that everything these days is customizable. You can pick a case for your cell phone, a background for your desktop, and even those funny little Pandora charms on your charm bracelet. You can put buttons on your backpack and order custom-designed Converse shoes online. There is no end to it— something I learned the hard way.

Because these days, you can even get customized soup.

Located in U of T St. George’s Medical Sciences building food court, I discovered the make-yourown soup bar because of an ad in the downtown campus’s food map.

This, I assume, exists because there are actually varied options on the downtown campus, unlike good old Mississauga.

I wonder if food in the Medical Sciences building is better than anywhere else because med school students have to fill out food diaries for assignments. Regardless, they also have a customizable wrap and salad bar, as well as a spring rolls chain and a calzone place. The calzone looks a little sketchy, but nonetheless it takes me about 10 minutes

of walking back and forth to decide whether I want a wrap, salad, or soup. I settle for soup because that’s the whole reason I came here to begin with.

I am asked to choose three veggies and one meat from the huge selection available. I pick spinach, sweet potato, green peppers, and chicken. These are lightly fried while I choose quinoa as my grain and beef broth as my stock. You can also have pasta, rice, or noodles in the grain department and chicken, miso, or vegetable broth.

What amazes me is that the whole thing tastes so healthy. I feel like I’ve actually consumed a normal human amount of three out of four main food groups. I ate vegetables and whole grains. On campus. I can’t get over it.

My only complaint is the amount of sodium that I suspect lurks in the beef broth. Don’t get me wrong— salt is delicious—but I might have just inched myself a wee bit closer to an early heart attack.

So go ahead, renew your Chartwells contract. See if I care. I’m going to be eating custom-made soup with the science-brained people downtown.

10.19.2015

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11

Varsity Blues push for playoff position After losing to Mustangs, Blues rebound against Waterloo, desperate to win in Ottawa ERIC HEWITSON SPORTS EDITOR University of Toronto Varsity Blues football fell to the Western Mustangs (6-0), who rank third best in the country. The one-sided affair saw Western topping Toronto 58-2, leaving Toronto with a record of 2-4—two spots away from the sixth and final playoff position.

The pre-Thanksgiving game crowned the “Turkey Bowl”, played in the windy Varsity Stadium in Toronto.

Leading the team with eight tackles was fourth-year defensive back Jaden McBride. JJ Lam had 5.5 tackles and a forced fumble. First-year Richard Gillespie had 5.5 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Back from rehabbing a meniscus injury that cost him the first five games of the season, Lukas Gavac of Mississauga rushed 13 times for 82 yards. Gavac also caught two passes for 35 yards. Gavac, the team’s starting running back, works out in the UTM high-performance center early in the mornings to regain strength, giving him the opportunity to compete on the field for a hopeful playoff push.

“We’re looking for offense, defense, and special teams to all have a good day at once. Like tonight, we were close—the offense showed some signs in the middle of the field,” says Varsity Blues head coach Greg Gary.

MARTIN BAZYL/VARSITYBLUES.CA

The Varsity Blues need a win in Ottawa and a Laurier loss to Queen for playoff opportunity.

Fifth-year quarterback Simon Nassar was honoured amongst the graduating players before the game went 13-for-31 for 121 yards. Each year, 13 graduating Varsity Blues players are honoured for their outstanding commitment and service to the program over their career, which is coming to an emotional end.

Nassar’s reliable veteran receiver, Boris Isakov, made three receptions for 46 yards.

Mustangs quarterback Will Finch of Burlington was 26-of-40 for 469 yards and three touchdowns. The

senior face-of-the-franchise quarterback doesn’t need to prove himself as an MVP candidate—if he can stay healthy, he’ll lead the Mustangs to the 2015 Vanier Cup then play the Canadian quarterback role in the CFL, which the CFL hasn’t seen in decades.

Alex Taylor rushed 16 times for 203 yards and two touchdowns. George Johnson led all Mustang receivers with six receptions for 171 yards and one touchdown.

“I think the biggest thing you get out of something like this is how your team handles adversity. We agreed up

in the room that [the game] got away from us—it’s going to happen to us from time to time playing great teams like Western. We’re able to get up after taking a punch from a team like that,” says Gary.

The Blues have a chance of making the playoffs for the first time in 22 years. The drought started in 1993, before the majority of the current Blues were born.

Following this game, the Blues played Waterloo (0-6) on Saturday.

The Blues haven’t lost to Waterloo in many years and that trend didn’t

end. After a first half 10-0 lead with rookie quarterback Dallon Kuprowski behind centre the Blues went with starting Simon Nassar to finish off the Warriors 34-0.

The Blues passing attack struggled with Kuprowski at the helm. Kuprowski went 6-for-18 for 69 yards.

Kuprowski threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Naccarato, but his three interceptions caused head coach Greg Gary to go with his veteran leader Simon Nassar midway through the third quarter. Nassar went 8-for-15 for 126 yards. Nassar handed off the ball to running back Alexander Malone 11 times for two touchdowns.

Next, the Blues play against Ottawa (2-4), who have lost three straight games, this Saturday. The Blues need some help from Laurier, who must lose their next game against Queens (5-2), who are fifth in the standings.

If the Blues want to make the playoffs they need to go into Ottawa and beat them. Ottawa lost to Western (6-0) 63-19 on Saturday. With a hot offense and aggressive and disciplined defense the Blues have more than enough to do something special.

“I’ll mention the word playoffs— there’s an opportunity there. We have to take care of our business in Waterloo,” says Gary. “We see them as a team that you have to prepare for and tonight taught us some lessons on how to do that.”

“Where were you?” moment for Canadians Students gathered in Blind Duck Pub to witness Joey “Bat Flip” clinch the ALDS for Blue Jays ERIC HEWITSON SPORTS EDITOR It was a moment you will remember for the rest of your life. You can probably recall Sidney Crosby’s “Golden Goal” for team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics and possibly the Toronto Maple Leafs epic game seven collapses against the Boston Bruins in 2013. Documentaries are already scripted on what occurred in the seventh inning Wednesday evening at the Rogers Centre.

Jose Bautista arguably solidified himself as one of the greatest Blue Jays of all time, next to Joe Carter and Robbie Alomar.

Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin made a crucial mistake in the top of the seventh inning. What was supposed to be a routine throwback to the pitcher turned into bedlam. The ball hit Rangers player Shin-Soo Choo’s bat, ricocheting onto the field and allowing the game-leading run to cross home plate.

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Jose Bautista caused a moment of euphoria in Canada when he hit the game-winning home run.

The Blue Jays’ resilience was present in the bottom of the seventh inning. After a game-tying hit and back-to-back-to-back errors by Texas infielders, Bautista stepped up to home plate eager to take the lead.

At this moment, the students in the

packed UTM Blind Duck Pub crowded together in front of the 40-inch TV, holding their breath.

With one swing of the bat, Jose Bautista created a roar in the pub louder than recent pub nights. Students jumped out of their seats,

hugged random people, and smiled with clenched fists when Bautista flipped his bat and ran around the bases, ultimately clinching the ALDS playoff series, which was in serious jeopardy a few nights prior.

On Tuesday and Wednesday at 3

p.m. this week, the Blind Duck Pub will undoubtedly play the Blue Jays games as they look to get even with the Kansas City Royals. After experiencing the attention the pub drew last week, the staff needs to be working those beer taps and frying pans like never before if they expect to keep the long line moving.

Down two games to none, the Blue Jays left the cold Kauffman Stadium and headed to Toronto’s indoor Rogers Centre. The Jays won three out of four games the last time Kansas came to Toronto, averaging six runs. The Jays lost two games to the Royals over the weekend. If the Jays pull off a victory on Monday, expect another intense battle Tuesday afternoon when R.A. Dickey takes the mound.

Come 45 minutes early if you want to grab a good seat in front of the flatscreen that illuminates the hopes and joy our country deserves. Come together with friends and blow off some steam with loud cheers, good food, and a beverage or two.

12

«SPORTS

THE MEDIUM 10.19.2015

“Pedal to the metal”, cardio style UTM students find machines’ physical output calculations either discouraging or motivating KARINA COTRAN Going to the gym for the first time can be intimidating, especially when trying to figure out the cardio machines.

The numbers that stare back at you on the electronic screen may become confusing and overwhelming. Some students find the statistics a motivator but others find them a distraction and discouraging. Does putting your sweaty palms on the metal handlebars really calculate your output or is it all an illusion?

Fourth-year molecular biology student Sean Menezes, a personal trainer at the RAWC, doesn’t believe students should focus on the statistics shown to users on the machine.

“I don’t personally use those metrics from any cardio equipment,” he says, adding that he doesn’t know how accurate they are.

Several students that go to the gym provide their input on the weight and cardio machines and why they started using them. Mohammed Musleh, a third-year chemistry major, goes to the gym six times a week. “A lot of the weight machines is cardio for me, which I think is useful for building up endurance, and it is a good low-impact exercise to start on,” he

MAYDA ALKHALDI/THE MEDIUM

Students are encouraged to wipe off their machines with cleaning wipes when they’re done. says.

First-timer Fatima Mohamed, a third-year student in political science and history, says, “My immediate goal is to get stronger and tone up.”

“I would get on the machine for multiple reasons,” says fifth-year life science student Jason Selvanayagam. “My main reason is to find new and alternative ways to work out.”

Selvanayagam sheds light on

his workout techniques, saying, “I use the machines as an accessory and as a complementary exercise to dumbbell and barbell related work, which is the foundation of my training. The primary focus is to put the muscles to burnout after my free weights to increase the blood flow to that muscle and gain more muscle mass as a result.”

The statistics given to the user on the machines include a calorie counter, heart monitor, pulse rate,

and duration tracker.

“I was on a strict diet in terms of calories so I would concentrate on the machine’s information,” says Mohammed. “Some of the advanced stats would motivate me in terms of how much more I need to go to reach my goals, but at the same time, they can be discouraging because it takes a while to see some real progress.”

Selvanayagam has an alternative view. “I usually don’t pay too

much attention to the statistics, as it just ends up distracting me from my workout. I only pay attention to that information when I am training for something that is time sensitive, such as running a mile in under nine minutes.”

Menezes agrees.

“I never recommend students getting hooked on the numbers the machine tells them besides the duration and speed. Unless you’re training specifically for an individual sport or are a top athlete, keeping track of every calorie burned is going to feel like more of a chore than something beneficial,” he adds.

For those who are first-timers at the gym and may be intimidated by the statistics, here’s some advice: “When you get into a particular routine, you should try to push yourself but always be careful. If you’re unsure of what to do with a machine or weight, ask a personal trainer,” says Mohamed.

However, there can be at least one good thing about reading the stats. “Being able to track my progress through those stats gives me the encouragement to keep striving to get better,” says Selvanayagam.

Bottom line? When using the machines, be safe and cautious, but also stay focused on your primary goal and don’t get too caught up in the numbers.

Women’s intramural ice hockey is a score RACHELE MARCHAND I started playing ice hockey at nine years old.

There were no girls’ leagues in my hometown, so I was one of five girls to play with the boys. By age 13, I quit playing because of the constant teasing and bullying by the boys. My last year of playing I had dreaded going to practices and games, begging my mom to let me skip. The game had lost its fun for me, but my mom forced me to go, and I never missed a game or practice.

I didn’t play much for the next eight years except for a few games with my high school team. So when I started at UTM two years ago, I was ecstatic to find out that there is a women’s ice hockey team.

Nervous and terrified, I went to the first tryout praying that the other girls would be great and that I would make the team. I never lost the pas-

sion for the game and wanted to start playing again.

Thankfully, there were and still are no cuts made for the team. All the girls on the team are nice and welcoming. Over the years, we have become great friends. We have all sorts of skill sets of players, from superstars to beginners. Jasmine Sheehan, our coach, pushes us to be our best while still keeping the game fun. This year is the first time I’ve had a female coach with such a wealth of experience and tremendous skill level.

While our practices are at 10 p.m. on Wednesday nights, I have only missed one since I started with the team and take the bus home after (I don’t get home until 12:45 a.m.). It is not the most ideal of situations, but I made a commitment to the team and cherish every moment I can spend on the ice.

The team has also participated in a local summer league for the past

two years. Sheehan brought in reinforcements for the league whom she either played with or against during her time playing for McGill’s varsity team and a few girls who play in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

It is a learning experience that has elevated my game and given me the experience of a lifetime—these girls have played with and against Olympians.

This year, about half of the team are new and the majority of those girls are defensemen, so I’ve switched from defense to offense. The last time I played offense was my first year of hockey when I was still learning the game. Now, I am relearning the game and realizing how much more skating forwards have to do over defensemen. We are always looking for new players of any skill level, so don’t be scared—we don’t bite, nor are we allowed to hit, but we have a great time.