Volume 45 Issue 12 by The Medium

THEE VOICE TH VO CE OF O THE UNIVERSITY UN E TY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGAA

December 3, 2018 Volume 45, Issue 12 themedium.ca

2019 2019 2019

UTMSU’s First Term: A Review

AGM sees weak arguments

Art, Astronomy & Aliens

The legacy of Lavelle

Skating to stay fit

News, page 3

Opinion, page 4

Arts, page 5

Features, page 8

Sports, page 11

AGM changes bylaws, endorses separation A member-submitted motion to implement online voting for UTMSU elections failed to pass ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR

cause students united will never be defeated.”

During the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) Annual General Meeting (AGM) last Thursday, the motion to implement online voting in UTMSU elections was rejected while bylaw changes, and the endorsement of separation between the UTMSU and UTSU passed unanimously.

Financials According to the UTMSU’s VP internal Yan Li, the union has seen a surplus in its finances for the 2018 academic year. The UTMSU made an excess of revenue over expenditure of $234,720 this year compared to $138,543 in 2017. In 2017, the pub’s financial statements showed a deficit of $29,674. However, this year the Blind Duck Pub generated a surplus of $32,590.

Presidential Address While reflecting on the past year, UTMSU President Felipe Nagata criticized the decisions made by the university, specifically the Mandated Leave of Absence Policy (MLAP). The policy, approved by U of T’s Governing Council on June 27, allows the university to place students on a non-punitive but mandatory leave of absence for students who are exhibiting “serious concerning behaviour that is threatening or results in negative academic consequences.” “[The MALP] goes against mental-wellbeing,” stated Nagata, “and it shows how much the university does not listen to the voice of students.” Nagata also criticized the Ontario

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

UTMSU’s Annual General Meeting was held on Thursday, November 29th, 2018. government for failing to represent students. He went on to cite the increase of tuition fees, a lack of investment in post-secondary education, specifically in the cancellation of three university satellite cam-

puses in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the minimum wage hike freeze, and the repeal of the Ontario Sex Education Curriculum. Speaking on the goal of the UTMSU this year, Nagata stated, “Our

goal is to make this campus feel like home to everybody […] Regardless of our backgrounds, of our stories, of our experiences, of our beliefs or political stances, we should be speaking as one united voice. Be-

Motion to Separate During the meeting, the motion to endorse the separation of the UTMSU and the UTSU passed unanimously. While defending the motion, UTMSU VP external Atif Abdullah stated, “Strength in numbers is what motivated the Associate Membership Agreement. We’ve come to a point where UTM has different needs than St. George.” The agreement, signed into effect on April 30, 2008, was meant to “coordinate and streamline resources” between the UTSU and UTMSU. AGM continued on page 3

UTMSU renegotiating health and dental plan The UTMSU is currently renegotiating the health and dental plan leading up to their separation with the UTSU KAYVAN AFLAKI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

On October 30, members of the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) voted to endorse separation from the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) at the UTSU Annual General Meeting (AGM). The motion to separate passed unopposed with 222 votes. Under the separation, the UTMSU’s Health and Dental Plan will no longer be under the jurisdiction of the UTSU. As a result, UTMSU will need to find a new plan under a different healthcare provider. Vice-President External Atif Abdullah spoke to The Medium about the UTMSU’s plans moving forward with the separation. Abdullah touched on the UTMSU’s pursuit of a new Health and Dental Plan. “The UTMSU, upon a successful separation vote at the AGM, will begin the plans for a new Health and

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

After seperation, the UTMSU’s Health and Dental Plan will no longer be under UTSU jurisdiction. Dental plan.” Abdullah explained that the UTMSU intends to initiate searching for a new Health and Dental Plan beginning in 2019. “An RFP (Request for Proposal)

process will begin in January with our board sub-committee that will be established for that very purpose.” Abdullah, who supported the separation at the UTSU’s AGM, pointed

towards issues regarding campus representation as grounds for the UTMSU-UTSU split. Among the concerns raised was a perceived lack of support on the Health and Dental Plan, as well as a lack of solidarity

on the University Mandated Leave of Absence Policy, which passed in June. Despite the separation, Abdullah believes that both student unions will be able to continue to work together on issues affecting both campuses. “The UTMSU and UTSU separation will ensure that UTMSU can fully represent the full and entire interests of all UTM undergraduate students. We will be able to better represent our matters and issues better to Governing Council should they recognize us as one of the central student unions along with APUS, GSU, SCSU and the UTSU.” The Health and Dental fee is $178.51 per semester for each full time undergraduate student at UTM and St. George. In an academic year from September 1 to August 31, a UTM student pays $357.02 for both services. Students may opt out of the UTMSU health and dental plan for the policy year. Plan continued on page 3

«NEWS

THE MEDIUM 12.03.2018

U of T develops leadership U of T leadership conference hones skills and creates connections

November 23 rd , 2018 Police Information Campus Police received a report of an altered U-Pass. November 27 th , 2018 Trespass to Property Campus Police attended the RAWC for two students gaining access using the same tcard.

November 26 th , 2018 Police Assistance Campus Police attended residence for a student experiencing medical distress. November 28 th , 2018 Police Assistance Campus Police attended the Davis building for a student experiencing medical distress.

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.

Anyone with information regarding any of these incidents, or any other incident, is requested to contact the UTM Campus Police at 905828-5200, Peel Regional Police at 905-453-3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

UTSG to build new residence U of T ‘four corners strategy’ looks ahead

WENDELL MACAPAGAL/THE MEDIUM

The new residence is scheduled to be completed in 2021.

ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto is laying down the framework for more oncampus housing and other services after receiving approval from the Governing Council’s business board for a new policy called the “four corners strategy.” Prospective projects include a new 23-storey high-rise residence at Spadina Avenue and Sussex Avenue, and a 14-storey innovation centre at the corner of College Street and

University Avenue. U of T’s vice-president university operations Scott Mabury stated in a university news article that “this is all about building non-academic spaces we need today in a way that supports the University of Toronto’s academic and strategic priorities tomorrow.” The residence, scheduled to be completed in 2021, will house 511 students. This article will be updated as more details are provided.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMNA ADNAN

Six student representatives from UTM attended the U of T’s leadership conference. KEVIN KIM ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR From November 22 to November 24, students from across Canada convened at the University of Toronto St. George Campus for the Canadian Conference on Student Leadership with one central purpose: to hone and develop leadership skills and create connections between aspiring student leaders. Among those attending the conference were six student representatives from UTM. Last week, The Medium sat down with four of them as they shared their experience at the four-day long event. The conference began on Thursday with the first day primarily composed of ice breakers and mingling sessions. Amna Adnan, a team leader for the Centre of Student Engagement, stated that “it was just basically opening ceremonies with an opening keynote and then an opportunity for students to get to know each other first, so that was all centralized around Hart House.” The next day was “the first day that sessions were actually held, so students were presenting their material for the first time, and for that we were bouncing between Hart House and OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education).” Many of the workshops that were facilitated throughout the event took place within OISE. Representatives attending the conference were first required to submit a proposal of their presentations beforehand and a select few were subsequently selected as advocates to deliver their presentations at the event. Natalie Kierylo, one of the six representatives for UTM, was chosen to present at the workshops hosted, as well as Adnan. Expanding further on her workshop with Kierylo, Adnan revealed that she “helped to make the curriculum for the session that was run, and it was about personal mission statements. The curriculum was inspired by a portion of this thing called Leadership Boot Camp, which is a program that CSE runs during the Fall reading week, and so I took that and expanded on it […] we talked about what personal mission statements are, we did a booklet to walk students through how to create a personal mission statement, and then we did

some goal setting, so how to use it.” Adnan and Kierylo’s presentation, “Crafting A Personal Mission Statement,” was nominated as part of the top five presentations of the conference through participant reviews. They presented again on the following Saturday. The theme of the conference itself concerned “the social change model.” To elaborate, there are three realms of leadership that exist: the individual, the group, and the community. To make an impact in all three is paramount to any leader. The sessions and workshops held at the conference were designed to encompass one of these three aspects of leadership. When it comes to such a broad topic like leadership, many themes are developed around it, each of great importance. “I think a theme for the conference was pushing boundaries,” stated Elizabeth Kim, a fourth-year student, residence don, and co-president for the ICCIT council. “Everyone who attends this conference, they’re all student leaders. We get together, talk about our own leadership practices, challenging the structure that we work within, and that’s where pushing boundaries comes from.” Establishing connections and networking was encouraged to a great extent at the conference. Rachel Wong, a second-year student currently working at the career centre as a marketing and events assistant, felt this was an integral part of the conference as a whole. “The importance of connections later on in your life—they really emphasized that in terms of setting yourself on the right career path and thinking ahead for your future.” Jessica Maltese, a fourth-year student and commissioner for campus recreation, also thought highly of the importance placed on connections throughout the conference. “For me, I think I was most excited about making connections with everybody who came to the conference, and really just learning about how they approached their leadership roles at their own universities, and trying to bring those skills back to UTM. As it’s my first year in a leadership role here at UTM, I found some of the concurrent sessions super helpful.” One such workshop, titled “Manag-

ing Self-doubt and Gaining Confidence in a Leadership Role,” helped Maltese to develop the skills necessary to lead in her specific positions on campus. Wong, along with the other representatives, was initially contacted about the details of the conference through an email. “I actually got an email telling me about the conference through my boss […] I think generally, when you see the word ‘leadership,’ it’s like a buzzword, a trait that you want to have. I figured this would be a good opportunity, even though I didn’t know much about it beforehand, to see what kind of perspective [other postsecondary institutions] have towards the idea of leadership, because I know it varies from place to place […] for me, I really just wanted to know another way of envisioning this skill.” Featured at the conference were sessions detailing how to run a conference from scratch, and the planning required for it. Kim found this particularly interesting, identifying the main take-away of these sessions as simply recognizing the resources available and how to reach out and use them. Although there was a predominant focus on how to lead others, certain sessions aimed to promote self reflection. Wong noted one particular workshop titled “Picking the Right Fight and how to Pick it Right,” where the importance of understanding one’s true values and skills was emphasized. To develop passion, there must be an investment of effort to figure out what one truly wants to work on. Reflecting on memorable moments, the group noted how the event attracted students from all across the country. Adnan observed that “there were students that came to present from Newfoundland, and from BC.” All four students agreed that the conference left a lasting impression and impacted their perspective on leadership and how it can manifest in different forms. Maltese concluded by remarking that the event allowed the group to “look at all these opportunities that other people are getting involved with” and realize that “there are all these different leadership roles that people can go after.”

Online voting fails to pass

12.03.2018 THE MEDIUM NEWS

HUMANS OF UTM

Overall, I’m pretty stressed out and anxious, and that’s the reality of the situation. The reason I stay motivated is because I know that I come from a place that I’m very fortunate and privileged, compared to a lot of individuals around the world. I feel like I’ve gotten really lucky throughout my life, like the fact that I’m here and I get to finish and I’ve met so many people who are so kind and supportive. It’s hard, but if you have the right people around you, you can finish and that’s really beautiful. JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Abdullah says that UTSU “sometimes does not understand the needs of UTM students.” AGM continued from page 1 By terminating the Associate Membership Agreement, both unions will become their own separate entities. The UTMSU will also need to renegotiate its health and dental plan. Abdullah concluded his defense by stating that “the UTSU sometimes does not understand the needs of UTM students on this campus.” The UTSU’s VP operations Tyler Biswurm, who read a statement on behalf of UTSU President Anne Boucher, stated, “it is time for the UTSU to let go of the reins it should not have held onto in the first place.” The next step in completing separation will be for each union’s respective board of directors to agree with the settlement terms. A motion to change the UTMSU bylaws to reflect the separation of

the UTMSU and UTSU. The bylaw changes will merge division two and three of the UTMSU’s board of directors, as well as remove the UTSU designate position. Online Voting The only member-submitted motion was the implementation of an online voting system for UTMSU elections. Ethan Bryant, the student moving the motion, stated that, “It’s important that we look at our current voting system and acknowledge that, effectively, it discriminates against those with disabilities. Elections, for all positions, have been criticized in the past for their toxic nature, and can be negatively competitive despite the election officer’s best efforts.” Speaking against the motion, UT-

MSU VP equity Leena Arbaji stated, “easy and accessible are not the same things. If we want to make voting more inclusive, then we should be working toward improving our current structure, instead of starting from a new system.” Rupin Liddar, a student in support of the motion, cited her personal experiences with social anxiety during the UTMSU elections. “You feel compelled to say yes when a candidate is standing near the polling station and pressuring you to vote for them.” Debate on the motion continued for over half-an-hour until it was brought to a close by a call to question. The motion failed with a large majority of the AGM members voting against it.

Plan will cater to student needs

The UTMSU in review A review of the UTMSU’s initiatives this past semester ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR The current UTMSU executive has been working since April of this year to accomplish the platform points they ran on during the 2018 election. The Medium decided to take a look at what they have done for the first half of the academic year and what they hope to achieve in the coming semester. One of the UTMSU’s long-term goals was amending the “Repeated Passed Courses policy” to allow students the chance of repeating a course they may have done poorly on, and counting the second attempt toward their credit total and GPA. After an approval from Governing Council, the university aims to have the amendments implemented starting May 1st, 2019. The UTMSU also planned their first ever camping trip, and hosted

a Chinese Culture Week which gave students a chance to learn about Chinese traditions, such as the tea ceremony, Chinese clothing, and calligraphy. A large part of the UTMSU’s platform was their “mentorship program” which launched in October. The mentorship program offers first year students a chance to be part of a buddy system that connects them with upper-year students from a variety of academic societies. The upper-year students act as pointsof-contact for first-year students to ask questions about academics, student life, and more. “We are in the midst of initiating a review session with each academic society participating,” VP university affairs Andres Posada told The Medium. “We see some, not a lot, of societies struggling to build [the program] into their year’s goals and initiatives. With time, we are confident the program will flourish and

be institutionalized in student academic programming in the future.” In an email correspondence with The Medium, UTMSU media stated, “We believe this was one of the most productive semesters we’ve had. We’ve maintained strong momentum on many of our long-term campaigns and advocacy efforts, and are on track to achieve success charted for the end of our terms.” In the new year, the union’s advocacy efforts will be focusing on the newly elected representatives in Brampton and Oakville to advocate for a GTA-wide UPASS. The UTMSU will also be working to eliminate the $55 system access fee for ACORN, and introduce a “selfassigned” sick note pilot program. Next semester, the UTMSU hopes to launch its Equity Service Centre, its clubs and societies “swag mall,” as well as a newly enhanced printing centre.

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

Abdullah argued UTMSU could cater the plan to best suit needs.

Plan continued from cover Abdullah advocated that the UTMSU was confident in securing a new plan by the new school year. When asked about the potential difficulty that may arise in bargaining with healthcare providers without the support of the UTSU, Abdullah argued that the separation meant the UTMSU would be able to cater the plan to best suit the needs of UTM’s student body.

“We are not concerned about bargaining without the UTSU, as we know UTM demographics and the needs of students are very different than those at the St. George campus. We will also be receiving detailed information on the plan usage more accurately when the UTMSU administers it locally, as the UTSU does not track that data.” The UTMSU-UTSU separation will be finalized on August 31, 2019.

12.03.2018

Do they really believe this crap? A first-hand experience of the UTMSU AGM and the online voting motion

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

This past Thursday I attended, for the first time ever in my undergraduate career, the UTMSU’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). I decided to attend because I had caught wind of an exciting motion to implement onlinevoting for the upcoming UTMSU elections, and all subsequent ones. This motion was proposed by Ethan Bryant, an acquaintance of mine who has been very active in community initiatives, charities, and youth-centered politics across the GTA for several years now. I was not expecting this motion, the only Member-proposed motion mind you, to pass unanimously. Good ideas are good ideas usually because there is something new and exciting about them and because of their new-ness they are open, and should be, to critique. I was more than happy to go out and defend this motion and speak to its benefits. The UTMSU elections are not currently effective for determining who should be leading the student collective forward. The last elections saw a voter turnout of only 10 per cent, which although is higher than most

other university student union elections which hover between 5-7 per cent, it is still dramatically under 50 per cent. It is not unfair to say that we here at UTM have not had a Student Union President, or executive, who represented the will of the people in a very long time. This is not to be taken as an attack on current President Felipe Nagata, or the current board, they are the inheritors of the system that I bemoan; not its creators. We are students at the University of Toronto. One of the most highly respected institutions of higher learning in the world, and its undergraduate studies rank in the top-tier of all Canadian universities (our reputation comes from elite-tier graduate programs). If this is true, can someone please explain to me how some of the arguments presented opposed to the motion found themselves an audience at the AGM? One individual found it important to say that computers are just as bad, if not worse, as paper for the environment and therefore the argument that this would be good for the environ-

ment was wrong. Did this person realize that no one would be buying a new laptop simply to vote in these elections? Almost every single person already personally owns one of these devices or could borrow their friends for the 5-minutes voting would take. Another seemed to forget that UTMSU elections already have a social media aspect to it and therefore their argument that online voting would turn it into an online popularity contest was wholly invalid. Our own Union President, Felipe Nagata, spoke against the motion saying that he didn’t like the idea of loosing the ability to make so many new friends. You know, I do not dispute that the Student Union executive made a few friends during their election. It says something however that we have a Student Union whose leadership values friendship more than an estimated 150 per cent increase in voter turnout that on-line voting would bring. The appearance of campus-wide joy is more important than improving campus life. Beyond this however was the impression given that there was coor-

dinated effort, by the powers at be, to make sure this motion did not pass. Individuals walked up to the mic with pre-written talking points on a Google Word Doc. I have heard, from a few people now, that they were offered volunteer hours if they went to the AGM and voted against the motion. No one in that room seemed at all interested in anything that was occurring until the vote for on-line voting occurred. Almost as if they were waiting for it. Am I expected to, with the evidence available to me, believe that our student body is so opposed to the idea of on-line voting they took time out of their Thursday night to voice their opposition to it? Or is the more likely scenario that certain individuals do not like the idea of increasing the wideness and inclusiveness of UTMSU elections and did everything in their power, including bribery, to make sure that it passed? I’ll let you be the judge. PHILIP POWER

12.03.2018

Akash Sherman on connective curiosity and real astronomy in Clara

Sherman’s feature film Clara follows the collaboration of an astronomer and artist in search of extraterrestrial life.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AKASH SHERMAN

Akash Sherman is an accomplished writer, director, and visual effects artist.

PAULA CHO A&E EDITOR

Accomplished writer, director, and visual effects artist are credits not normally attributed to your average 23-year-old. At just 22, Akash Sherman wrapped his latest feature film Clara, which premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival and saw its theatrical release last Friday. The Medium sat down with Sherman to discuss his script writing process, shooting on UTM’s campus, and the significance of telling a story about finding life beyond earth. Clara follows an astronomer, Isaac Bruno (Patrick J. Adams), consumed by his cosmic search for evidence of life. As he delves deeper into his obsessive research, he meets an artist named Clara (Troian Bellisario), who shares his same fascination of finding what more exists beyond our world. The two characters, coming from very different natures and perspectives, collaborate over their common ground curiosity to make a groundbreaking discovery. When asked to describe what his initial writing process is like, Sherman says, “As I come up with an idea that hopefully strikes me like

lightning, I’ll write out as much of that concept as I can on paper—just kind of vomit it out. Then I’ll take the story beats and go through them one by one to get a structure, and afterwards, I’ll go to scripting.” Although fictitious in genre, Clara is largely rooted in scientific concepts and on real-world astronomical studies and instruments. Having always had a vested interest in outer space, Sherman set out to learn as much as he could about astronomy, the tool to helping understand space, prior to writing the story. He explains, “Although I didn’t get formally educated on astronomy, while writing this film, I thought it would be a great way to explore those ideas. The scripting process involved a lot of research—I did about four months of research on astronomy, NASA, and the telescopes that they’re using, by reading academic papers. So really just burying my face in lots of reading.” In addition to writing and directing the film, Sherman created the remarkable visual effects seen on screen, all with Adobe After Effects on his Mac Pro. Coming from a background in the effects and valuing the visual experience of his film, he “wrote the script with those effects in mind and just how much I wanted to show. I didn’t want too much spec-

tacle in this film; I wanted to use it sparingly for the right reasons and the right moments.” Many scenes in Clara alternate locations between NASA buildings and a university setting, some of which were shot at UTM. “Isaac starts out as a professor in the film and a lot of the science in the film is academic, so there are a lot of research labs and lecture scenes. We shot on three different campuses: Ryerson for some interiors, maybe one scene around the U of T campus downtown, and then a lot at U of T Mississauga. The primary reason for that is I think it’s just such a beautiful campus—the buildings there, the architecture is stunning. Some of this film takes place at NASA, and I really thought that we could double some of those buildings at UTM.” Recalling how he first met lead actors Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario, Sherman says Adams was the very first person on his list to play the character of Isaac. “It was kind of serendipitous—he had gone to high school with my producer in Northern. So, we reached out to him first and he responded to the script with lots of great ideas.” Adams’ thenfiancée Bellisario is a writer herself, and after discussing the script together, Sherman knew “she was the

perfect fit to play Clara. She had just finished her show Pretty Little Liars, and so it all kind of made sense that we would end up working together—Patrick, Troian, and I, and our cinematographer Nick Haight, who had previously shot a short film that they wrote and directed. We kind of became a family unit before we went to camera. I think one of the best things I could do as a director was to let these two very smart actors do their thing and give them space to try things. They really made the characters their own.” When he was nineteen, Sherman was enrolled in his first year of film school at Ryerson University and would have graduated this Spring had he continued with his program. Instead, he returned to Ryerson Theatre a few months later for his TIFF premiere of Clara, describing it as a “full-circle graduation.” In regard to audience reaction, he says, “I hope that this film speaks to their minds and their hearts. On the emotional side, I hope that they find parts to connect with and take some of that with them. On the science level, I would love for them to feel like they got a bit closer to astronomy and what we’re doing in real life—what NASA’s doing with their telescopes that are really going to revolutionize

our ability to find habitable planets and potentially life beyond earth. It would just be amazing to spread awareness about what’s going on.” With so many topical issues on this planet to tackle, telling a story about finding life beyond earth has never been more essential. For Sherman, a vast part of the film is two very different people connecting, and their curiosity for the unknown is what brings them together. “I think most human beings can relate to each other in wondering what else is out there. I think we all ask big questions, whether we have different points of view or come from different backgrounds—we’re all kind of team earth.” “You ever feel like when you’re looking at news apps, a lot of the news is just really depressing? I find that when there’s some sort of article about having discovered a potentially habitable planet or we just launched a telescope or the Cassini spacecraft says its final goodbye, just those kinds of big picture ideas to me are really positive and are something that most people can collectively say that’s cool. I think something like space exploration can really send more positive vibes out into a pretty volatile world right now.” Watch Clara in theatres now.

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THE MEDIUM 12.03.2018

Dizzy Mystics: hometown band on the road Psychedelic rock band Dizzy Mystics talks Winnipeg roots and their upcoming Ontario tour SRIJAN SAHU ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR

Dizzy Mystics is a psychedelic rock band based out of Winnipeg. Its members, Kyle Halldorson (lead vocals), Alexandre Joyal (guitar), Aaron Bacon (bass), and Jeff Laird (drums), promise rock enthusiasts a hearty blend of psychedelic, progressive, and 70’s metal. The band, currently on an Ontario wide tour, will be playing at the Bovine Sex Club in Toronto on December 5 to promote their upcoming debut album Wanderlost, which is set to be released in the new year. The Medium spoke with lead singer Halldorson to discuss the band’s journey. The Medium: How did Dizzy Mystics come about? Kyle Halldorson: Dizzy Mystics was a concept that I kind of created on my own after the band that I was in dissolved and I had a whole bunch of songs written, intending for the band to play. I didn’t really want to be in a solo project, rather I wanted to write democratically. I sat with these songs for a long time where multiple instrumentation was written for them. So, I just went ahead and recorded an album by myself and fished in the perfect players after, with a good sounding demo. It’s been almost three years now, since we started to rehearse and learn all the songs. TM: How has your sound evolved since then? KH: The songs were already written before we met up. Naturally, they morphed into different little nuances and souped-up sections compared to

the album. As people learnt the parts that I wrote, their take and playing style has been incorporated into the sound. In that sense, the live sound is a little bit different to the album sound. We haven’t started writing together extensively yet, so it’s difficult to say in which direction we’re going to go… but moving forward, you’ll definitely hear more of every aspect. TM: Tell me about your upcoming album Wanderlost. KH: Pretty much, everything is on there. There are some old ideas and some recent ones as well from 2015. The oldest would be parts I’ve had kicking around since 2009 or 2010. It’s a mish mash of a whole bunch of different ideas. Its loosely based on the concept of being lost in oneself; sonically trans versing through a plethora of genres and elements including hard and progressive rock, metal and folk, jazz fusion and grunge. TM: What do you do when you’re not in the studio working? KH: We’re rehearsing like crazy! We’re about to go on our second little tour of the Toronto area, starting this Friday. Right now, we’re just scratching the surface into the whole musician lifestyle. We all have lives and day jobs, but we’re dedicating every waking hour, outside of essential work, to the band. Its pretty much impossible, unless you’ve broken through, made songs on a commercial, and paid off your house dues. I do music stuff outside the band and work for the city of Winnipeg. Touring is not yet a big part of our lives. TM: How was touring for the first time? Were there any aspects that

PHOTO BY LINDSEY STURGEON

Dizzy Mystics is a psychedelic rock band based out of Winnipeg. stood out? KH: Basically, how easy and fun it was. You hear so many horror stories, but that’s from people who go on long multiple tours over several months— we only did it for a week. I can picture it being fun and productive even if it was more than a week. In the end, everything was positive. There were certain things beyond your control, like monkey wrenches thrown into your plan that makes putting on a successful show harder. It’s the ultimate test, those things essential to pull out the best in you. TM: Are there any artists that you really enjoy listening to right now? KH: New music? My favorite new artists are White Denim, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tame Impala, Hiatus Coyote. Tame Impala definitely influenced me a lot… I guess I love their melodies. I know we’re a heavier rock than them at this point, but melodic

wise, I’m inspired by the euphoria and the ‘universe within you feeling’ their music invokes. TM: How would you describe the music scene in Winnipeg? KH: It’s tons and stacks of talentedpassionate artists. I don’t know if it’s the winters that create genius writing, but some winters force you to hibernate and focus on your craft and emerge with a bunch of crazy music. ‘There’s something in the water in Winnipeg’—I heard it outside when we were touring. I might be biased but it’s something about being in the middle of nowhere and the intense conditions and the do it yourself mentality that’s forced upon you as it’s not a huge promotional town like Toronto. TM: What’s your creative process like? How do you get into that musician’s mindset? KH: Don’t force yourself to be around the instrument too much. If

I’m noodling around, some cool things come up. I step away from the guitar, go about my work day and some ideas and riffs just pop into my mind which I note down on my phone. TM: What’s your go-to guitar? KH: I have an Ibanez SZ 520. Funny enough, I never knew that exact spec until I had to do an insurance report. Apparently, it’s a rare guitar model—looks like a Paul Reed Smith so I took to it. TM: Where does Dizzy Mystics see itself in five years? KH: I want it to be a self-sustaining way of making a living. I want to do it full time, solely cater to it. Winnipeg is a beautiful place and I call it home. I have loved ones here and get inspiration from the city. However, you can’t really judge what you’re going to do until it occurs to you, so I’d be open to branching out, maybe moving.

Madeleine Brown on beginnings & playwriting Currently writing and starring in plays, Brown discusses her time at UTM and The Medium

PHOTO BY JORDAN LAFFRENIER

Madeleine Brown is both an actor and a former Medium editor. CHERYL ENMANIOL

Toronto-based actor, UTM alumna, and former editor at The Medium Madeleine Brown shares the secrets to her career’s success and the importance of humble beginnings. Madeleine Brown’s career is studded with numerous accolades—both of her plays, Madeleine Says Sorry and Everybody Wants a T-Shirt! premiered at the Toronto Fringe Festival. The former play sold out 85 per cent of its run last year and the latter completely sold out its run this year, receiving Patron’s Pick and NOW Magazine’s Award for Outstanding Ensemble. When asked about these experiences, she detailed the importance of platforms such as the Toronto Fringe Festival and her time at UTM in shaping the trajectory of her career. When asked how the theatre pro-

gram at UTM has helped shape her career, she begins by claiming UTM’s theatre program has taught her “probably everything!” that she currently finds herself practicing as a working actor. From a practical point-of-view, she points out, “Learning to write a cover letter—written correspondence—it’s easy to forget the practical or administrative side to being an actor. As a performer, how to break down a piece of Shakespearean text to approach it, my evolution as an actor begun with the foundation I started in school that I continue to develop.” When asked if writing and editing for The Medium back in the day helped influence her playwriting or any other aspect of her career, she was quick to praise the developmental platform that arose from her involvement with The Medium. “100 per cent! In my first year, I was adamant on not writing for the Medium—my parents were English profs—it was a

terrible, unimpressive form of rebellion. Instead, I wanted to be involved as a peer copyeditor—this helped me get into the process of what it was like as an editor. The copyeditor at the time, Luke, said ‘You should write something!’ My first article was about chocolate chip cookie reviews on campus (Starbucks was the winner) —I had always liked food and cooking, so I felt more qualified to write about that. Anyway, The Medium introduced me to writing in collaboration and with an editor for the first time, helping me shape my own ideas, with my copyeditor and section editor challenging me. I was challenged about my ideas, ‘Oh, is that really as far as you could go?’, ‘What’s really interesting? What’s really unique?’, which didn’t happen in my schoolwork, where I was basically writing on my own. I learned that feedback from other people is the only way you can learn to write.” It was as a result of this encouragement and feedback that Madeleine delved into more critical analysis about her work. On the newspaper setting of The Medium, she clarifies, “(It) forced me to be humble about my work, about meeting deadlines and not being fussy—as a playwright. Now, I force myself to turn out a new draft each week, and I can’t sit on anything. Whatever happens, it goes to print, or goes to performance, and I’m forced to leave it at the mercy

of whatever happens. That’s how you get better as a writer!” Another key skill Madeleine attributes to her time at The Medium is “writing with awareness for a community. Writing essays in school were writing essays for the prof. For course requirements, I had no drive and no passion. Now I think about the people that are going to be receiving my work.” Overall, Madeleine sums up her time at The Medium as having taught her to “re-assess what I write. I’ve written two plays and by no means do I think they are finished. Feedback helps me with what I write, moving forwards.” While juggling being a full-time actor, producer, and playwright, Madeleine also currently studies improvisation at Second City. She admits, “I did one improv course at UTM, and never really thought about it again after that till recently. I wanted to try something different. I’ve always been inclined to comedy, I’ve always liked it, but it wasn’t the first thing I’d go to. I’ve found it very helpful as a writer, since improv is basically writing a play on your feet. It’s so wreck-less—a place where you throw tons of ideas and in a short span of time, go with the flow and see what happens. It’s fun to be [classmates with] a majority that want to have a career in comedy—it brings new influences into seeing how people create work. While the Toronto theatre community is big enough, it

can feel small in many ways, and it’s nice seeing different aspects of the community. As an actor, you can get hung up on the opportunities you’re missing in your own world, so it’s nice to nip into another one. “ When asked to give words of advice to writers and actors who are perhaps afraid to explore the possibility of their talents as full-time careers, Madeleine stresses, “Curiosity is key—in any aspect of my life, beyond the creative part. Relationships are huge – a lot that I am motivated to do now, I wouldn’t be doing without being inspired by the people around me. Since graduating, I’ve questioned what I’m actually doing, but the people around me motivate me to keep me going. Also, keep trying! I’m motivated to just do—take that chance. If you try something and you don’t like it, there’s no point persevering beyond that. People have the potential to do anything— if you have the motivation and the curiosity, you’ll find a way to do it. Know what you’re getting into as well.” When asked if there were any upcoming projects she’s excited about and that she’d like to promote, she sighs and says, “Nothing specific. I’m looking to produce something in the spring, but I have no concrete details about that yet. I’m probably going to be staring at my laptop for the next 6 months, but I hope that there’s something more in store.”

12.03.2018 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 7

Building a foundation of consent at Theatre Erindale For its production of Metamorphoses, Theatre Erindale hired an intimacy training director REBECCA FLEMISTER

At the beginning of November, Theatre Erindale premiered their first mainstage show of the 2018-2019 season, Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. This survey of Greek myths and legends revolved around the theme of love. In the words of actor Liam Galway, “love is the central theme of Metamorphoses. If you were to take love out of the play, you would be left with pointless prose honestly.” In Metamorphoses, Galway played Eros, the God of sensual love and desire, and his scene partner, Rebecca MacDonald, played his wife and lover Psyche. Both Galway and MacDonald and their fellow actors Gillian Lonergan and Jacob Rutigliano were involved in some of the production’s most physically passionate scenes. Lonergan and Rutigliano portrayed Myrrha and her father Cinyras. According to Greek legend, the goddess Aphrodite curses Myrrha with an insatiable lust for her father which leads to the father and daughter engaging in the act of incest. To safely portray such explicit scenes of passion on stage, Theatre Erindale bought in intimacy coach Siobhan Richardson to direct moments of intimacy in the show. The Medium sat down with the four actors to discuss what is involved in

THEATRE ERINDALE/FACEBOOK

The entirety of the Theatre and Drama Studies program is trained in “intimacy for the actor.” intimacy training, how this training benefited the production process of Metamorphoses, what it was like to work with Richardson, and how intimacy training is helping to build a culture of consent and communication within Theatre Erindale and the performance industry as a whole. Siobhan Richardson began running intimacy workshops for the Theatre and Drama Studies program last year and now the entirety of the program is trained in intimacy for the actor. Rutigliano points to the effect that this training has had on his work as a theatre student. “Had you told me a year ago I’d have to do these sorts of shows and these sorts of scenes and I had no idea that intimacy training was a thing, I would

be much more scared to approach it than I am now. I’m excited to approach this sort of stuff now because I know I can do it safely, the people around me are also trained to do it safely, and with that fear out of the way, you can immediately tackle the work and hopefully end up with a better show at the end of it all.” “Now that intimacy training is more integrated into Theatre Erindale, you can look forward to seeing more shows that can definitely be more saucy but more safe, more safely saucy,” Galway mentions. In the most general terms, intimacy training is a way to approach intimacy in performance. “The intimacy training we did for Metamorphoses was between romantic partners,”

explains Gillian Lonergan. “This training is useful for approaching moments of emotional or physical intimacy within a theatrical context because it gives you a framework in which to view the scenes instead of going in cold or not knowing what’s happening. So it gives you a process in which to approach the work.” “The whole thing was done in the same way you choreograph a fight,” Rutigliano explains. “Siobhan came up with how that scene might go in terms of intimacy and then we were able to slowly work through it, bit by bit, building and taking apart until we found something everyone was comfortable with.” MacDonald explains that the actors were directed in a way that al-

lowed them to be in control of what happens to their body within the scene. “It gives more power to the actor because they are taught that you in control of your body. Putting the control back into the hands of the person whose body is being directed so that they don’t feel like they are completely under the power of someone else is really important.” MacDonald reflected that a lot of the training revolves around clear communication between actors. “We have to ask every time we touch someone in an exercise and if somebody says no, we don’t do it.” When asked what kind of cultural impact this sort of training may have on the performance industry as a whole, Lonergan argues, “I think this kind of thing was always necessary and given the context of the day and age we’re living in, I think people are finally starting to realize that it’s necessary.” MacDonald echoes this sentiment. “I think giving people that opportunity to learn and understand and know that they are in control of their body no matter what the pay check says, no matter what the call sheet says or the official titles of the job, [is important]. It makes it so that it doesn’t matter if you’re a first-time actor, you have the power to say no, to speak up and say when you don’t like something.”

Wonka’s Chocolate Factory A review of the musical edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DELANEY ROMBOUGH

You may have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, you’ve probably seen the 2005 movie starring Johnny Depp, and now this wonderful story has been adapted into a stage musical. Picture the movie but in real life with singing and dancing thrown in. That’s what the musical is like. The plot of the musical follows the plot of the movie quite closely. The Wonka Chocolate Factory has been closed for years when out of the blue, Willy Wonka (Noah Weisberg) himself announces a contest where five lucky kids who unwrap a golden ticket will get to tour the factory. There’s Veruca Salt (Jessica Cohen) who’s a greedy Russian ballerina, Augustus Gloop (Nathaniel Hackmann), who likes to eat, Violet Beauregarde (Brynn Williams), the Queen of Pop (the music and bubblegum), Mike Teavee (Daniel Quadrino), who loves TV and video games, and little Charlie Bucket (Henry Boshart), who lives in poverty and just got lucky. The majority of Act 1 is spent introducing these characters and following Charlie on his search for the golden ticket, even though he can barely afford a Wonka bar. As each character wins their ticket, they each sing a song (usually featuring their strange parents) that highlights why they’re bratty kids. My personal favourite was Augustus’s song, which involved yodeling.

One of the major character differences is that Veruca is a Russian ballerina. In the film, she’s just a spoiled English girl. I didn’t love this change and I don’t think this added anything to her character. It felt like they were looking for an excuse to put Cohen in pointe shoes, though there’s no denying she’s a talented ballerina on her own. The other character difference was that while Violet is still a competitive bubblegum chewer, she’s also very internet famous for this, which felt weird. There also seemed to be more of an emphasis on the kids’ parents than in the book or the movie, so I thought that was an interesting creative choice. The other characters were mostly true to Dahl’s original characters. Act 2 opens with the beginning of the tour of Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Thanks to the wonderful Jeff Sugg, who designed the beautiful animated projections, you were really pulled into a world of pure imagination. As Willy Wonka and the kids move between rooms, set designers are behind the screen creating the next room in the factory. And in each room in the factory, like the book and the movie, the kids start disappearing one by one, whether they get turned into a giant blueberry or the sorter squirrels determine they’re a bad nut. Every character got their own song as they disappear but this time the Oompa Loompas sing about their demise. They do this in the movie too. The Oompa Loompas are just as bizzare as they are in the movie. The ensemble did a great job with the Oompa Loompa puppets (thanks to Basil

Twist), since they’re half the size of humans. The puppets were even tap dancing and doing choreography, which was fun. The ensemble overall was terrific. They had more costume changes than I could count, populated most scenes, and five of them even dressed up in life size squirrel costumes to throw Veruca down the garbage chute. This production was weird, wacky, and wonderful all at the same time, but then again, so is the original story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. My biggest issue was that Charlie was the only actual child actor among the cast of “children.” The other four (Veruca, Mike, Violet, and Augustus) are all much older and have multiple Broadway and/or National Tour Credits, which threw me off. But despite that, they all put on great performances and the cast seemed to be one cohesive unit. If you’re looking for something fun to do with your friends or family over the holidays, I recommend checking out this production. The dialogue is clever and witty, the sets and costumes are gorgeous, and Weisberg is wonderful as the lead. It’s a story about not being afraid to dream big and use your imagination and warns against the dangers of being greedy. Who knows, you might get sucked into a chocolate mixing tube if you’re not careful. It’s a highly entertaining two-and-a-half hours. The Broadway National Tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is playing at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto until January 6.

SAHIBA SHAH Write Or Die is a podcast in which guest writers share their experiences of writing, editing, querying, and eventually getting published. It is hosted by authors Claribel Ortega and Kat Cho, with new episodes released weekly. Episode Three is titled, “Julie C. Dao and the Secret Harry Potter Fan Fic,” in which author Julie C. Dao recalls her long and challenging publishing journey. Julie C. Dao discusses her passion for writing and how it clashed with her family’s expectations as to the kind of career she should pursue. Dao ended up studying science medicine as an undergraduate, and after working in the field, decided to follow her passion and pursue writing on the side. Having done well in school, she assumed that getting published would be easy. However, that was not the case. “Overnight successes are not the norm,” Dao explained. Dao started a blog and found a community online, connecting with writer friends with similar goals. She wrote her first novel, an immigrant story based on people in her life, in 2008 and started querying literary agents the same year. Her first novel was a whopping 150,000 words long. She received 30 rejections––form ones. Her second novel, Pumpkin Patch Princess, also failed to secure her an agent. Although this time, the rejections were more personalized. She ended up putting the novel on Wattpad, a social story-sharing platform, “[hoping to] find a readership that way.” For a while, Dao turned to fanfiction,

writing about her favourite characters from Harry Potter. She felt encouraged by the reviews left by readers and won best novel of the year on one of the websites for her fanfiction. Dao notes, “This is telling me that I am doing the right thing. I did the right thing by turning away from medical school and just focusing on my writing.” Her third manuscript, Elegy, was a YA ghost story based on The Phantom of the Opera about a female Asian lead with “a prickly, not-so-nice character.” Again, Dao received rejections, which were much more personalized. Later, she entered Pitch Wars, a mentoring program where published authors mentor aspiring authors. Despite having two amazing mentors, Dao’s manuscript did not receive an offer of representation in the end. She entered another contest called #PitMad, a pitching contest on Twitter. She received nine requests from agents to read her manuscript, did a Revise & Resubmit for one agent, but ultimately got rejected again. Dao recalls giving up on publishing in January 2015, questioning her talent and writing skills after so many pitfalls. However, a month later, she received an offer of representation by Tamar Rydzinsky from Laura Dail Literary Agency. Elegy came very close to getting acquired by publishers, but alas, ultimately got rejected. Dao says, “I was so devastated […] But there’s that saying, ‘I didn’t come this far just to come this far.’ That was the mantra to my life in 2015.” To read the rest of this article, visit themedium.ca.

12.03.2018

Remembering UTM’s Mike Lavelle Four people share their stories of Mike Lavelle’s impact on their careers and their personal lives SHARMEEN ABEDI Michael John Lavelle, the first director of residence and professor at University of Toronto Mississauga, passed away on October 3rd. Hundreds of people attended his memorial, many of whom were former students and residence dons at UTM. Lavelle started his career as a basketball coach. His love of sports led him from St. Michael’s College School, to University of Waterloo, McMaster, and finally U of T. As director of residence at UTM, Lavelle constantly kept up with the well-being of students on residence. In 2004, Lavelle was the recipient of the Paul W. Fox Award. This award recognizes distinguished voluntary service at UTM, and is given to community members “invested in improving campus life at University of Toronto Mississauga.” The Medium spoke with Christina Crowe, Ken Derry, Sue Prior, and Robert Price to discuss Lavelle’s lasting impact on both residence life and his students. Former student and residence don Christina Crowe describes Lavelle as a father figure during her time at UTM. As a residence don, Crowe noticed how Lavelle would regularly check in and ensure that everyone was getting along. Crowe remembers how Lavelle would always be there for her, and she would go to him when in need of help. “I was in need of a surrogate dad, and when I needed a decision, he was the person I would call,” Crowe says. Years later, Lavelle also became

Crowe’s step-father. For Crowe, Lavelle’s passing is a notable loss. She relates how he was always there for her and her children. “I don’t know anyone on the planet who has had such an impact on people,” she states. According to Crowe, as a professor, Lavelle was “Socratic.” His course on Religion and Literature was not a typical university course. Instead of focusing on fulfilling formal requirements, Lavelle’s class provided students with an opportunity to express themselves. “It was really important to him that we learn how to read literature,” Crowe recalls. “I don’t remember if there were tests and essays in that class, but we had to show up and have meaningful conversations with him.” Sue Prior, the Manager of Alumni Development at the Office of Advancement, was a student leader and took courses with Lavelle during her time studying at UTM. Prior comments on the same course saying, “Mike was an amazing instructor. He didn’t give you the answer; he let you search in yourself for it. With him, there were never any wrong answers, rather there was a right answer for everyone.” Even outside the classroom, Lavelle was keen about his students’ learning. Lavelle strongly believed in book therapy. Ken Derry, an associate professor in history of religions at UTM, recalls one question Lavelle always had for people: “What book are you reading?” After asking, Lavelle would then

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINA CROWE

Michael John Lavelle was known to love helping people.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINA CROWE

A photo of Michael John Lavelle with his student residence dons. tell the person what book he himself was reading, and would offer reading suggestions. Derry adds that Lavelle owned stationary with quotes that were meaningful to him written on them. In addition to his passion for literature, Lavelle was never hesitant to fight for students’ rights. Reflecting on his life, Crowe describes him as “a bit of a rebel.” “He was very caring about the residence students. He taught us how to be board and committee members. It didn’t matter if someone more powerful than us was on the other side. He would fight on the behalf of students,” Crowe says. When asked to describe Lavelle as a person, Crowe remarks, “I think everyone knew him personally. There’s no one that worked with Mike that wasn’t emotionally involved. Friendship is the basis for all positive human relationships, and he taught us that. He loved people and he loved helping people.” After Lavelle’s passing, Crowe stresses the monumental influence that he has left behind. “It was always really important for Mike to leave a good legacy, and I can’t think of anyone who has left a better legacy than him. We know how to be in the world because of the leadership he provided to us. While we miss him and we are grieving, there is still a sense of beauty and peace in the fact that we even had him to begin with,” she says. Prior describes Lavelle as “one of the greatest men I have ever met” and remembers him as someone who would listen to people and their problems attentively, and that “when he was with you, he was completely in the moment.” “He gave you a part of himself. The time he took to be away from his family and be with other people is extraordinary. He was one of a kind,” she says.

For Prior, the impact Lavelle has left on people’s lives is immeasurable. Every day, Prior speaks with alumni, who remember him and acknowledge his influence. “He has left a huge hole that will never be filled,” she says. Lavelle did not just influence people with his words, but he was also responsible for aiding people in their career. Both Sue Prior and Ken Derry credit him for playing a considerable role in helping them reach where they are today. “He was completely responsible for the job I have now. When I first started, I was in an administrative position. He would visit me and tell me that I was wasting my time. He saw potential in me that I never saw in myself. He said, ‘You can’t do this, you should be doing alumni work,’” Prior says, recalling the early stages of her career. Prior eventually applied and received an opportunity in the alumni department. She states that it has been a joyous experience for her, and accredits this to Lavelle. Derry shares a similar story. Derry relays how Lavelle’s courses completely changed his life. He was studying biophysics during his undergrad, and after taking Lavelle’s courses he decided to switch over to studying religion. Derry describes a moment in his life when he was struggling in his career, and Lavelle helped him through it. Lavelle urged him to take the MyersBriggs personality test, and act on the results. On Lavelle’s suggestion, Derry went on to graduate school. After working as a teaching assistant, Derry realized that this was what he wanted to do. Derry recalls how Lavelle was never afraid to offer advice to other people, give them suggestions, and leave it to them if they wanted to follow his guidance. “He would give advice to people about their life. He had very strong opinions.” At Lavelle’s memorial, Derry

learned that he was known informally as “Big Mike” to a number of people. Derry comments on this saying that it was partly due to his great personality and incredible energy. “He was one of those people who seemed much taller than he was. He was incredibly vibrant, and had very alive eyes. He had this great spirit to him. He was thinking about people all the time, and was very caring. I’ve never met anyone like him,” Derry says. Robert Price, an assistant professor in the Professional Writing and Communications department at UTM, was a residence don as an undergraduate student in the late 1990s. Price sheds light on Lavelle’s role as director of residence, “Mike was fantastic at his job. He took care of the place.” Along with interacting with Lavelle on residence, Price also took courses with Lavelle and offers high praise for him as an instructor. “Mike was a fine professor. He out-taught most of the other religion professors, set high standards for his students, and deployed Socratic questioning better than any other teacher I can remember. He was refreshingly engaged. We’d say today that he ‘leaned in’ on the lives of the students and took great care to see they did their work and understood the course material.” Not only did Lavelle fulfill the roles of residence director and instructor, Price also describes Lavelle as a reader. “I think he had read everything. He bought people books all the time. He mailed people books.” Acknowledging Lavelle for impacting him as a person, Price recalls that Lavelle stimulated his interest on the big questions in life. Both Lavelle’s courses and leadership training for dons were opportunities for Price to reflect on such issues of life. Citing Lavelle as a role model, Price says, “I look to Mike and few other teachers as a model of the good teacher that I hope to be.”

12.03.2018 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

Kyle Weber on balding & book publishing Weber, UTM alumnus and author, discusses his writing and his undergraduate experience LATISHA LOBBAN

Kyle Weber is a man of many titles: UTM alumnus, tattoo artist, and bald man enthusiast. Weber wrote and self-published The Book of Bald: Going Bald like a Man in print and ebook in October of 2018. He began losing his hair at 19-years-old and opted to shave it all off because, “the #1 rule for a guy losing his hair is, being bald looks better than going bald. [A bald man] has a Harley-Davidson-owning, punk rocker [look], but [a balding man] can’t make the comb over look work at all.” Although Weber admits that he is not “someone who believes in traditional gender roles,” he highlights the problems with traditional gender roles for men by saying, “body positivity forgot about us. A lot of people don’t look at someone who’s bald and see that as something that could be the source of insecurity or mental trauma. It sucks, [it’s] such an emotional mountain to climb especially if you’re young and in university.” To overcome his reservation with losing his hair, Weber began focusing on the other markers of his identity. “When I lost my hair, I was getting more attention from people because of my ability to tattoo [which was] something people value more than hair,” Weber says. “People aren’t going to judge you on your hair unless you make your whole identity about your hair.” Weber also often used his work as

PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLE WEBER

Weber self-published The Book of Bald: Going Bald like a man in October 2018. a tattoo artist as a source of inspiration for the creative non-fiction stories he produced in the professional writing courses he took at UTM. Weber’s decision to chronicle his advice for balding men in a novel was heavily-influenced by his time in the program. He initially took WRI203: Expressive Writing to fulfil the Social Science requirement for the U of T degree. However, he quickly gained an appreciation for the program. The teaching style of professors such as Guy Allen and Robert Price, which Weber describes as “storytelling rather than writing,” encouraged him to pursue a minor in the program in addition to his Art and Art History major. He goes on to say that the class “ignited a love for story-telling” which became a “gateway drug to

writing.” “Robert Price was a huge professor. [He was] the one who showed me that I could write in my own style [and he was] very appreciative of having a lot of bite in your writing and your own style,” states Weber. During his time at UTM, Weber also had work published in the Professional Writing and Communication department’s annual journal, Mindwaves. Influenced by the positive feedback he got in the program, Weber “set a goal to write a book post grad” and wanted to “write about something he experienced.” Although, since Weber “fell out of tattooing and did not have the infrastructure of the program and editing group,” the idea for the book did not come up until a few years after

grad. Weber realized that there was a demand for his book when, “Men would always ask me about going bald. When did it happen for you? How can you possibly be as confident as you are when you’re as young as you are and you’re bald?” For the men who seek his advice on how to remain confident when losing their hair, Weber provides them honest advice through forums on his website. Weber describes himself as a “bald Sherpa.” He admits that he receives “dense emails of rants [from men afraid of] being bald. [They] notice this or that [and tell him] ‘I don’t have a girlfriend so I need to find someone to marry right now!’” According to his website, Weber’s book helps readers through “The 7 Stages of Hair loss,” symptom, denial,

resistance, defeat, acceptance, adaption, and thrive, while also teaching the audience “about bald spots, side, sweeps, and strategic hat usage…how to put up a fight, when to call it quits, and how balding can be the best thing to happen to you.” “Be confident with going bald, and try to avoid hiding your hair loss [and] showing that you’re ashamed of it. If you’re projecting that you’re ashamed of it that will come across poorly to other people,” Weber encourages. “Losing your hair is no different from anything else involving the aging process, like waking up one day and realizing you have a new wrinkle in your forehead, it’s something for the most part that’s out of your control.” In terms of getting the book published, Weber simply says, “publishing if you’re going to go the selfpublishing route is no problem.” The challenging part of creating The Book of Bald was the “grueling nature of the editing process.” “It’s not hard to put a lot of words down on the page, it’s hard to put good words down on the page,” Weber says. Weber also admits to feeling doubts while editing. He recalls getting “half-way through the book and thinking I’m spending hundreds of hours on this, I’m not going to get rich off this, why am I even doing this?” Despite the doubts and the challenges, Weber explains “selling the book is an adventure in itself.”

UTM joins global “giving back” initiative Last Tuesday, fourteen campus partners hosted “giving stations” around UTM for Giving Tuesday FATIMA ADIL ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

Last Tuesday, UTM participated in a global initiative of giving back by celebrating Giving Tuesday. Organized by the Centre of Student Engagement (CSE), the initiative, titled “#UTMGives,” consisted of several departments and student groups hosting activities, or “giving stations,” across campus to highlight charitable giving. Giving Tuesday originally started in the U.S. by the United Nations Foundation and the 92nd Street Y, a non-profit cultural and community center, as a response to the rampant materialism of the holiday season. The day is scheduled to be on the Tuesday following Black Friday and Cyber Monday—days which both involve excessive shopping. Giving Tuesday received a positive reception and organizations including Google, Microsoft, and UNICEF both promoted and participated in the movement. Since its inaugural year in 2012, Giving Tuesday has spread to numerous regions across the world including University of Toronto Mississauga.

MUHAMMAD ALI/THE MEDIUM

The Centre of Student Engagement organized “UTM Gives” that included “giving stations.” There were 14 campus partners involved in Giving Tuesday this year. Tabling in the Davis building, Campus Police raised awareness about the facilities offered by Campus Police Services such as their WalkSafe program. A police constable explained how the service is offered at all hours every day and involves WalkSafe escorts who anyone can request to accompany them when walking anywhere on campus. Anyone who stopped by their table also received a pack of mints, a pen, and

a pocket pack of facial tissues. Across from the Campus Police table, the Every Day is Homeless Day Campaign were raising awareness about homeless individuals and collecting clothing for their clothing drive. The Health & Counselling Centre offered a destressing activity that allowed students to make bracelets using a wide assortment of beads. Another student group tabling in the Davis building was Enactus UTM. Enactus UTM highlighted

Freerice—a website on which users can play multiple choice games for free and with every question answered correctly, ten grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme. They also had a songguessing game and a ball toss activity. On a different table, students enrolled in the course utmONE: Science of Learning were spotlighting academic integrity and asked passers-by to discern between a plagiarized and original piece of work. Mariana Villada Rivera, a com-

munications assistant for the Centre of Student Engagement, describes Giving Tuesday as “a time for communities and people to come together, support their favorite causes, and give back to the community and any causes or challenges that are local or global that they want to address.” When asked how Giving Tuesday arrived on campus, Rivera explains that “in Mississauga, there is a community organization run by volunteers called Mississauga Gives and their mission is to bring Giving Tuesday to our local community.” A contact from Mississauga Gives reached out to her to see “if [UTM] wanted to participate and they also reached out to the Office of Advancement who is the department on campus that oversees fundraising and alumni.” Both the Office of Advancement and the Centre of Student Engagement then decided to work together to organize “a centralized initiative for the campus.” While last year was the first year UTM participated in Giving Tuesday, this year was the first in which campus departments and student groups participated. Giving continued on page 10

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THE MEDIUM 12.03.2018

Exploring monstrosity Fernandez discusses The Thomas Fisher Library’s latest exhibit

The Best of Both Campuses JULIA COSTANZO FOURTH YEAR, CCIT & PWC

PHOTO BY SELIN KAHRAMANOGLU

The exhibit began on September 17 and ends on December 21, 2018. LIAYANA JONDY ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is currently hosting an exhibition titled De Monstris: An Exhibition of Monsters and the Wonders of Human Imagination. This exhibit, curated by librarian David Fernandez, began on September 17 and ends on December 21. De Monstris explores a variety of themes, interpretations and definitions throughout the history of monsters and monstrosity in the West from the middle ages until the end of the 19th century. Themes range from groups of people defined as monsters, monsters during the age of exploration, monsters in nature, ideas of monstrosity inner monstrosity to the definition of monstrosity in literature. The exhibit itself is split into two floors: the main floor of the library showcases artifacts from the middle ages until the 19th century and then downstairs showcases literature and popular culture. The exhibit contains about 100 items, some of which include manuscripts, printed books, pamphlets, map sheets, and popular books: “The earliest item is from 1493 and the latest one is from 1915. It is basically the history of monsters in 500 years told by the different materials we have,” Fernandez notes. Each theme touches on different depictions and definitions of monsters or monstrosity over the ages and utilizes different items

and historically influential texts to highlight these themes. “We have Pliny the Elder’s Natural History. We have an edition of the book published in Madrid in 16241629 and it has some important wood-carved illustrations of all the animals and creatures described in the book including monsters,” says Fernandez. “Another book that is also very important as it is considered the first modern atlas by Abraham Ortelius and we have an edition that contains the map of Iceland and in the outskirts you have a collection of seamonsters. We also have the second and third editions of Fortunio Liceti’s De Monstris which is a collection of writings on monsters by an early modern Italian physician who applied logic to make sense of monsters and humans and it is also illustrated with engravings.” On the theme of monstrosity in literature or “monsters as stories,” Fernandez states, “We have on display the first illustrated edition of Frankenstein from 1831 and also the first edition of Dracula from 1897.” This section aims at exploring monstrosity as defined by influential texts at the time and even now that still influence our ways of thinking about monsters in today’s popular culture. The theme of monsters in encounters is another idea the exhibit explores in terms of monsters during the age of exploration in which “Ideas of monstrosity,” Fernandez states, “are tied to what Europeans encounter

during their travels to the Americas and other parts of the world.” On the theme of groups of people defined as monsters, Fernandez explains, “These are stories about groups of humans describing monsters in medieval encyclopedias like Pliny the Elder’s The Natural History and important early printed books like The Nuremberg Chronicle, published in 1493 that has two of the most iconic graphic pages in the history of monsters. So, you have visual depictions of some of the legendary tribes or monsters like the dog-headed monsters or the headless creatures.” The items showcased at the exhibit each work to address significant themes of monstrosity prevalent in the history of mankind and how those themes are influential even to this day. In other words, this is due to the influence of varying depictions and conceptions of monsters that have persisted at different points in our history. “I think monsters can reveal very significant aspects of our history. I think monsters are expressions of precise moments in history,” Fernandez asserts. “Every culture, every society, has produced their own monsters for different reasons and so if we try to get closer to their origins, which I think is impossible to know for certain, the more you try to dig in, the more you realize that they reflect our own fears, hopes, and lack of knowledge of the world.”

As a fourth-year UTM CCT student and a U of T Varsity Blues field hockey player who lives just off the UTSG campus, my university experiences have been very similar to those of my childhood idol Hannah Montana. Like the Disney Channel character, I lead a double life. Despite the excitement of experiencing two U of T campuses simultaneously, it took me almost four years to embrace my unique dual identity. In first year, living on residence at UTM, I didn’t feel comfortable on either campus. During my first three months of university, I spent all of my non-class hours downtown with my team. I never spent any time on the UTM campus during what could have been crucial friend-making time. Meanwhile, as the only hours I spent at UTSG were at training with my team, I never experienced any social time downtown. As a result, it was challenging to form friendships with my new teammates. I always felt left out. Second year posed different challenges. Moving into an apartment with five other varsity athletes a few blocks from UTSG and attending smaller class sizes at UTM helped me form lasting friendships on each campus. But, the conflicting schedules frustrated me constantly. At the time, UTM and UTSG had vastly different academic calendars: I started classes on different days, my reading weeks were different, and my exam periods consisted of different dates than my UTSG counterparts. Coordinating plans was near impossible at first but, by the end of the year, I was a whiz at organizing my life according to two different schedules.

The intercampus commute began to weigh on me in third year. Calculating the hours per week I spent riding the shuttle was frustrating. As my workload got heavier along with my responsibilities as captain of my team, I never stayed in one place long enough to get anything meaningful accomplished. I wanted a normal student life with just one campus. It was not until I finished third year that I began to appreciate my unique opportunity to experience the best of UTM and UTSG. I belong to a community of talented students, and professors at UTM—small enough for us to remember each other’s names—while also being a member of one of the largest student-athlete communities in Canada. I love UTM because it’s everything UTSG is not, and vice versa. When I’m downtown, I realize that UTSG’s large size provides its students with anything they may need. If I ever need something or want to try something new, I know I can find it on campus, and on the off chance I can’t, I know it’s only a short walk away. But when I walk from class to class at UTM, I embrace the small campus size and the way it fosters a tight-knit community. And every time I stroll past a deer on my way to class that always puts a smile on my face. Now, I feel at home on both campuses and I love them both the way they are. Unlike Hannah Montana, my two identities will never merge into one, and I’m glad. I consider myself lucky to experience the best of both campuses—or as Hannah Montana would say, “the best of both worlds!”

Do seasons affect emotions? UTM joins the giving Last Wednesday, PAUSE held their Health and Wellness Fair on SAD

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PAUSE tabled in the CCT atrium for various activities. SYEDA HASAN These feelings are quite common and many people experience them. In fact, Every year, the winter season brings scientists have even put a name to this with it a sense of gloom and dreari- condition: Seasonal Affective Disorness. Days get shorter and nights get der (SAD). According to the Mayo longer, trees are left barren and the Clinic, a nonprofit academic medical city is covered with a sheet of stark center in Minnesota, “Seasonal Affecwhite snow. This season leads to a tive Disorder is a type of depression downturn of emotions for some and that is related to changes in seasons.” many people are overcome with feelThis week, the Psychology Associaings of sadness and despair. tion of Undergraduate Students of ErQuite often, it is difficult for people indale (PAUSE) held their Health and to pinpoint exactly why they are feel- Wellness Fair. During this event, their ing depressed and they feel like they main aim was to educate students on are the only ones going through this. SAD.

Held in the CCT atrium, various members of PAUSE showed up to table for different activities. One table was dedicated to arts and crafts, coloring, and cookie decorating activities to provide students with the opportunity to spare a few minutes out of their hectic schedules and destress. Another table was dedicated to providing students with goodie bags and hot chocolate, and the last table was adorned with multiple dishes of food. Arianna Hoard, the events assistant for PAUSE, managed the educational table and took the time to further explain what SAD actually is. “SAD is seasonal depression. Due to the lack of sunlight, our body’s internal clock gets a little bit messed up so we end up feeling a little sadder, more tired and don’t have the motivation to carry out activities. We’re generally not as great as we should be,” she says. Read the rest of this article online at www.themedium.ca

Giving continued from page 9 Rivera adds that Giving Tuesday was actually a component of a three-part initiative to “give back.” The first component was a “kindness challenge” where students could complete ten random acts of kindness and enter in a draw for $50 gift card to UTM Dining. The second initiative included various giving events and programs centred on giving back to the UTM community. Rivera says that “all the campus partners participated in one way or another [and] we had very interesting events.” These events included WEN-DO, a women’s self-defence class, the Peel Youth Day, which was “a day for high school youth to come tour the campus, learn about UTM, and how to access post-secondary education,” along with the Language Conversation Circles organized by the International Student Centre, and many other programs. One event that Rivera highlights is how UTM Athletics asked students

to “instead of buying a ticket [to the Varsity Basketball games on November 21st], bring a non-perishable item to donate to the UTM Food Centre.” The third component was the giving stations themselves. Rivera emphasizes that it is “great to participate again [in the Giving Tuesday campaign] because it is a time to give back to the community” and that especially, “during this time of the year when it is very materialistic, and it is a busy time for students and staff because the holidays are coming up, it’s good to take some time to reflect on what you have and give back to causes or others who are less fortunate than you.” Other campus partners who were a part of this year’s #UTMGives were the Centre for Student Engagement, the Office of Advancement, the Athletics department, Because I Am A Girl, the International Education Centre, Jack.org UTM, the Lifeline – Blood and Stem Cell Society, the Undergraduate Commerce Society, the UTM Food Centre, and UTMSU.

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HCC hosts successful MoveU Skate MoveU Skate provided a relaxed atmosphere for students to destress while skating and eating AMRISH WAGLE ASSOCIATE S&H EDITOR

HCC’s Wellness Ambassadors have done it again. It looks to have been their personal mission to go out with a bang this semester. Among their events for Meet a Friend Cafe, Flu Clinic and UTM Baked Sale, the most popular crowd pleaser seemed to be the MoveU Skate. Just as last year, this event was held in the RAWC’s Gym A/B last Friday, November 30 and attracted a decent influx of people, rushing in enthusiastically to take a look around. It was the giant synthetic ice rink amidst the gymnasium that caught the eye of everyone walking by. Although it looked like real ice, the rink was assembled like a jigsaw puzzle that morning out of synthetic plastic that people could use real ice skates to skate on. This rink was also encircled by various tables to entice people into further interactions after they were done skating. It was a clever design to simulate a landscape of winter wonderland. HCC also provided rentals for people to check out ice skates at no cost. One of the interactive tables was a self-serve beverage station where people could pour themselves a delicious cup of hot chocolate and drizzle it with marshmallows, chocolate chips, mints or candy sprinkles. The

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The annual event was a huge success, as MoveU Skate created a positive, fun environment. table right next to it was a station that provided ready-made gingerbread houses and people could come in to contribute their two cents to its design, using the frosting, peppermint or other treats for its decoration. These were two quite alluring tables placed strategically at the far end of the gym to have people meander through every other table before getting their hands on a steaming cup of hot chocolate. And the journey would have been totally worth it. Right next to the beverages was a ping pong table. This sport is exceedingly addictive after its initial period

of acclimation and as apparent from any visitor to this station, it was quite easy to get lost in the mesmerizing back and forth ricochets. Remarkably enough, HCC also had a legitimately fancy-looking popcorn machine that popped kernels, as people scooped out their shares for a tasty snack. Another awesome feature was a Kahoot game projected on a large screen monitor. This table was geared towards educational content on avoiding or treating common colds during these cold months of winter. Right next to it was also a photobooth with a decorative background that people

could use to fulfill their daily crave for snapchats. The HCC had also invited other organizations on campus to market themselves. A distinguishably impressive one was physics club. They had brought along the iconic Van de Graaff generator, where people could touch the thick metallic circle at the top and through static electricity and some inscrutable physics properties, it essentially made people’s hair stand up straight on their scalp. No doubt, it earned a smile or two from every visitor to stop by. Some of the other tables included one from the Let’s Talk Sci-

ence organization that recruits university students to volunteer at events where they can educate and inspire young children from kindergarten to high school, through science experiments and educational games. Another was ECSpeRT, the IEC, UTM Students Union and a specialized branch of HCC; the Leave the Pack Behind organization that functions to raise awareness on smoking tobacco. Getting back to the main attraction, it was obvious that the rink was as fun to skate on as it looked from afar. Everyone seemed to truly enjoy their time at the MoveU Skate and take the few moments to indulge with their friends in an amusing activity. The novice ice-skaters seemed to have been particularly entertained to try something totally new and have their friends guide them in this exciting adventure. The main spirit of MoveU Skate is to remind everyone to be active and moving, especially during the months of winter when people tend to avoid physical activity and stay cooped up indoors. All in all, HCC provided a well-orchestrated and eventful week to supplement people’s focus on physical and mental health amidst the looming stress of exams, that tend to crush everyone’s concern for their own health and wellness. For a send-off before the holidays, the HCC’s MoveU Skate was a real treat.

Lions claw way to victory over eagles Two key players, Jade Addai and Jiana Alnajjar, unfortunately fouled out near the end of the game SARAH-MAY OLDFIELD

On Saturday, December 1st, the UTM women’s varsity basketball team took a heartbreaking loss to the Lambton Lions, who clawed their way to a 6567 victory. This loss makes it the sixth straight for the Eagles. It was a first game of a back-toback for the Eagles, who looked for a win to create momentum leading into their game scheduled for the following afternoon. But it was a slow start for both teams. The bleachers were silent, with both teams struggling to lock in, neither team could make a run. Back-to-back threes by guards, Jade Addai and Janella Viado, infused some much-needed life and energy into the gym and into the game. With the increased enthusiasm, our UTM Eagles fought aggressively for rebounds and steals, diving onto the hardwood for any loose balls. And with great ball movement, crisp passing to find the open man for the good shot, they ended the quarter with a double-digit lead over the Lions and woken up Eagle fans, getting them involved in the same. In the second quarter, UTM picked

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Eagles lost a hard-fought game 65-67 to the Lambton Lions. up where they left off in the first with more hustle plays leading to more buckets to increase their lead. However, Lambton out-rebounded UTM in the quarter, leading to more second chance points. By half time, the Lions cut a double-digit Eagle lead to three points.

It was a struggle for both teams coming out of half-time, with neither team able to score. Approaching the half-way point in the third, Addai breaks the ice by hitting a three, which breathes some life into the tired UTM team. The fourth quarter began as a tense

affair. With a lot of time left in the game, our Eagles had to come up with a win despite being down their leading scorer, Addai, and their leading rebounder, Jiana Alnajjar, who both fouled out of the game. In the seconds before the final buzzer, the score bounced back and forth. The energy

in the RAWC was contagious, it had everyone in the stands up on their feet. A late bank shot and long threepointer by second year guard, Trisha Vo, tied the game and there was some hope there would an overtime. But a foul with two seconds left in the game, sending a Lion to the free-throw line for two shots, ended any chance for an Eagle comeback. Head Coach, Salee Johnson-Edward, doesn’t think it was any one play or thing that led to the Eagles coming up short, but rather an accumulation of things that added up against UTM by the end. “It was a tough game. Honestly, they worked hard, I don’t think it was anything specific they did. Some of the [referee] calls were a little questionable, but there were things we weren’t doing on the defensive end. We missed a couple of defensive assignments, and a couple of easy baskets we needed to drop. It’s discipline really, it all comes down to discipline. We’ll use this game as a learning tool, but there’s really no time to sulk.” Our UTM Eagles are scheduled to play the St. Clair Saints on Sunday, December 2nd. Eagles continued on page 12

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Eagles fall Cocoa and conversation short to lions

The HCC also hosted a ‘Meet-A-Friend Cafe’ last Tuesday SYEDA HASAN

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Despite the loss, members of the team remain optimistic. Eagles continued from page 11 “It was a good game. We had a lot of girls step up, which is what we needed with so many girls in foul trouble and fouling. We had no more bench, and I’m proud of the girls for fighting till the end. It sucks that we lost, but at the end of the day, there are some things you can’t control. We’re not always going to get the benefit of the whistle,” said Addai, despite fouling out early in the fourth, finished the game with 18 points and 5 steals. “I think both teams fought hard, but in the end we were the ones that came up a little short. Our dumb fouls, too early on in the game, is what led us to the trouble we found ourselves in the fourth. But I have to congratulate our bench for coming through and stepping up with their

effort. Altogether a good effort. I just hope we can bring that same energy into our game against St. Clair,” said Alnajjar.

“Our dumb fouls, too early on in the game, is what led us to the trouble we found ourselves in the fourth.” Despite the loss, new recruit, Kayla Rice, is optimistic for the second half of the season. “The amount of support I received from the coaches and the girls, and UTM as a whole, was more than I could ask for. I’m looking forward to spending the rest of the season with such a hardworking and passionate team.”

The last week of the semester is fast approaching and exam season isn’t too far behind as well. Stress levels amongst students at UTM are at an all-time high and all study spaces are jam-packed. During times like these, it is extremely important for students to take a moment to relax and let loose so that their mental and physical health isn’t compromised. Fortunately, the HCC at UTM understands that students need to take a break from studying. Every year they host a wide variety of destressing events and activities. The HCC provides UTM students with services such as, but not limited to, medical care, counseling and psychiatric care, and health education and promotion. On Tuesday, November 27 they hosted their annual ‘Meet-afriend Café.’ The presentation room at the Student Centre was bustling with activity. Some students were busy partaking in creative activities, while others were lounging on chairs with a plate of food in their hands. Sara Khan, a community outreach ambassador for the HCC, explained that there were different stations set up for each activity. “We have a hot chocolate station where students can make their own hot chocolate, or have it wrapped to be given as a gift. We then have the arts and crafts station followed by the gingerbread house decoration station and then the board games section towards the corner.” Abbey, another wellness ambas-

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The event included opportunities to make buttons. sador for the HCC, was working the educational table towards the corner. “I’m in charge of informing people about Seasonal Affective Disorder, so I’ve created a game where people basically have to sort between a list of myths and facts about SAS according to their knowledge. It’s an effective way to educate students about something that’s so common,” she said. Apart from this, the event itself was held to help students de-stress during this hectic time. In terms of turn out, Abbey was hoping more people would come out since the event was also CCR approved, but she and the team were quite pleased that a good number of students participated. Laura, a second-year CCIT major, was one of the students who turned up for the event. Busy creating an origami panda, Laura stated that she loves to partake in creative activities and when she heard this event was taking place, she just had to show up. On being asked about what motivat-

ed her to show up, she stated that “it depends on how busy and stressed a student is. I didn’t have much to do today so I showed up, but if I had been busy, then I probably wouldn’t have come.” Fatima, a first-year student going into commerce, was really enjoying the craft-based activities. “I have an hour before class starts so I decided to stop by and have some food and decorate some cookies.” She felt that since there are a lot of events going on, students end up getting overwhelmed and end up not coming. “I think the advertising needs to be worked on because I only saw a flyer today and so I decided to show up with my friends,” she continued. The event, which ran for a total of four hours, saw quite a lot of students attend and they ended up having a good time. Many students also felt that it was an effective event that managed to help them de-stress.

Eagles varsity basketball: a well-fought loss The UTM men’s basketball team lost to the Lambton College Lions 78-65 this past Saturday MIGUEL DASILVA

On the first day of the final month of the year, the UTM Eagles lost to a hungrier Lambton College Lions by a score of 78-65. Another misleading score that doesn’t quite tell the true story of the game. It was overall the Lions game but for stretches the Eagles gained tentative control. The Eagles lost their focus in the final minutes of each quarter and the Lions took advantage of these lapses. It’s a shame that their highly skilled play and true grit against the Lions physical paint presence was let down by two to three minute stretches of sloppy decisions and loss of concentration. The Eagles deserved a better outcome than the lopsided final score, especially the way the Eagles worked as a team, spreading the ball around and playing with the kind of unselfishness that wins games. Zamam Khan gave all his teammates assists with Matrix-like vision as his behind-the-back over-theshoulder and through two defender passes found the open man at will. It’s important to notice the little man on every team which, for the Eagles, came in the form of the Mathushan Skrikannathasan. He was a constant annoyance to the Lions, as he was

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The UTM men’s basketball team played their best basketball game at the end of the second quarter. always at their feet scaring them into mistakes and turnovers and an energy boost for his teammates. The Lions took the lead from tipoff, going on an 8-0 run over the first five minutes of the quarter, to which the Eagles replied with their own four-minute 11-3 run to make the score 11-11 with one minute left in

the quarter. Here their mental focus wavered and they mismanaged both the clock and the ball and finished the quarter down four points at 15-11. The quarter was chippy and physical and set the tone for the rest of the game. Tempers flared, smack was talked and a lone Lion’s heckler in the crowd systematically took up public

issue with each and every Eagles player on the court. The Eagles came out gunning in the second however and earned a quick lead with simple but effective passing. One, two, three passes up the court and towards the net with high percentage shots near the rim. Khan took the lead with a bucket 15-16

early in the second and they would lead by six points 21-27 from Andreas Jankovic’s convincing finish through traffic. They could not manage to extend their lead but made up for their slow start by ending the first half with a 26-31 lead. The Eagles played their best basketball from the end of the second and into the third quarter with strong team play and the explosive three ball from their ace long-range shooter Nicholas Kwantwi as he helped earn his team a 34-42 lead over the Lions. But this large lead was short lived. The Lions trapped the Eagles in their den and grounded them permanently. In a flurry of messy disorganized play from the Eagles which looked like a series of brain farts, their lead was shaved down to one point. They held fast to their lead for as long as possible, but their doom seemed imminent. Their lead ended with the Lions opening fourth quarter bucket that made the score 52-50. The Lions would not relinquish the lead again after the first minute of the fourth quarter. The Eagles came within one at 60-61 with four minutes left in the game, but that would be the closest they would come in their well-fought loss.